“Kiya, listen to me. You don’t have a cowardly bone in your body. You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever known. You’ve survived every challenge you’ve ever faced, and you’ll survive this one, too.”
Seeing the love in his eyes, hearing the confidence in his voice, gave her just the boost she needed. But later, when they were lying alone together in the dark, her doubts returned.
Wordlessly, Gideon drew her into his arms. Murmuring tender words in her ear, he made love to her until the rising sun chased the darkness from the sky. She waited for him to leave, as he always did, but, to her surprise, he stayed by her side, his arm around her shoulders, his presence comforting her even after he had succumbed to the darkness.
Kay stayed in bed until hunger drove her downstairs. Greta and Brett were in the kitchen. They both looked up when she stepped into the room.
“How are you?” Greta asked.
Kay shrugged, then slid into an empty chair.
“Let me fix you something to eat,” Greta offered. “What would you like?”
“I don’t care. Whatever you’re having is fine.”
“Pancakes, eggs, and sausage okay?” Greta’s smile looked forced.
“Fine,” Kay said.
“Whatever happens, we’ll all be there for you,” Brett said.
“About that,” Kay said. “I’d rather go alone.”
“Alone!” he exclaimed. “Why the hell would you want to do that?”
“I have my reasons,” Kay said, “and I won’t really be alone. Gideon will be there with me.”
Brett shook his head. “No way!” Rising, he pushed away from the table. “No way in hell!” he declared, and stomped out of the room.
“Are you sure, Kiya?” Greta asked quietly.
“Yes. I have my reasons.”
Greta smiled faintly. “I think I know what they are. Don’t worry about Brett. I’ll explain it to him.”
“Were you afraid when Victor challenged you?” Kay asked.
“Afraid? No.” Greta filled a plate with pancakes and eggs and added six sausage links. “I was terrified.” She placed the plate and a cup of coffee in front of Kay. “You’re your father’s daughter, Kiya. Your courage won’t desert you.”
“I hope you’re right,” Kay said. “But if you’re wrong, I don’t want anyone else to witness it.” She sighed heavily. “It’s bad enough that Gideon will be there.”
The hours until the moon rose passed slowly, and yet all too quickly. Kay showered, dressed in a pair of black jeans, then pulled on a bright red sweater to bolster her courage. She tied her hair back in a ponytail, stepped into a pair of black sandals, and she was ready to go.
Gideon, who had been remarkably silent while she got ready, followed her downstairs to where the pack waited.
“Don’t worry about me,” she said, forcing a confident smile she was far from feeling. “I’ll be back soon.” Whole or in pieces, she thought morbidly.
Every member of the pack came forward to give her a hug and wish her well, Brett and Greta last of all.
“We’ll be with you in spirit,” Greta said. “I know you’ll make us proud.”
Too choked up to speak, Kay nodded and hurried out of the house, with Gideon at her heels.
“Ready?” he asked.
“I have one stop to make,” she said.
He didn’t question her, merely fell into step beside her.
He waited outside the fence while she went to kneel between her parents’ graves, felt his heart constrict as she bid them good- bye.
Returning to where he waited, she said, “Now I’m ready.”
The Green Mountain Pack was waiting for her at the appointed place. Head high, shoulders back, she strode toward Rudolfo Rinaldi.
“I’m here.”
He glanced around, his eyes narrowed, his nostrils sniffing the wind. “Alone?”
“My husband is here with me. Are you ready?” She was surprised that her voice didn’t shake at all, that her hands were rock steady. And even more surprised to discover that she wasn’t afraid anymore.
“Where’s the rest of your pack?” Rinaldi asked.
“I thought this fight was between you and me,” Kay said boldly. “Do I need to call them?”
“No.” Rinaldi removed his jacket and tossed it aside, then cracked his knuckles. “You understand this is to be a fight to the death, with no quarter given.”
“I understand. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were stalling.”
Rinaldi flushed at her accusation.
“Hold on,” Gideon said.
Rinaldi frowned as Gideon moved to stand beside Kay.
“I know this is between you and Kiya,” Gideon said. “No one will interfere.” Holding Rinaldi’s gaze with his own, Gideon bared his fangs, knew his eyes had gone red. “But if Kiya loses, the next fight will be between you and me.”
“You have no right to challenge me,” Rinaldi said. “You’re not pack.”
“That’s true. But she’s my wife and if she dies by your hand, you will die by mine. Just like those two men who disappeared.”
“You killed them?”
“I did.”
“One of them was my son.”
Gideon shrugged. “You should have kept him home nights.”
Fury rolled off the werewolf in waves. There was the sound of shredding cloth and in the blink of an eye, an angry brown wolf hurled itself at Gideon’s throat.
Sidestepping, Gideon called up his own wolf, spun on his hindquarters in time to fend off Rinaldi’s next attack.
Kay stared at the two wolves. They were evenly matched in size. Had it not been for the difference in color, she would have been hard-pressed to know which was Gideon. Light on their feet, their movements quick, controlled, and savage, they drew blood again and again, until the heavy metallic scent of it permeated the air.
Excited by the scent of blood, several of Rinaldi’s pack members shifted.
But Kay had eyes only for Gideon. Both wolves were splattered with blood from numerous bite marks. She noticed Rinaldi seemed to be tiring. And then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed one of Rinaldi’s wolfs moving closer to the battle, creeping up on Gideon’s back, getting ready to spring.
She shifted before she realized what she was doing, a howl of anger rising in her throat as she sprang forward and buried her fangs in the wolf’s jugular.
Her cry energized Gideon. Fearing that she was in danger, he lunged at Rinaldi, his body partially shifting, so that his forelegs became arms. He sank his fangs deep into the werewolf’s throat, then ripped the wolf’s heart from his chest.
Before the rest of the Green Mountain Pack could shift, the Shadow Pack emerged from the cover of the trees, hackles raised, fangs bared.
“It’s over,” Gideon said, assuming his own form again. “Surrender or we’ll tear you to pieces.”
A young man with a slight build and light brown hair strode toward Gideon. “I am José Rinaldi, the last of my line,” he said. “As the next Alpha, I ask that you take my life if you must, but that you spare my pack. This was not their fight. I would not have them punished for my uncle’s misguided ambition.”
“That decision isn’t mine to make,” Gideon said, but he couldn’t help admiring the boy’s courage. José couldn’t have been more than twenty years old, yet he carried himself with an Alpha’s innate pride and heartfelt concern for his people.
“It’s my decision,” Kay said, coming to stand beside Gideon.
Gideon slid a glance at his wife. Naked and blood-spattered, she was, in his eyes, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
“José Rinaldi, I accept your surrender on behalf of the Green Mountain Pack.”
José went down on his knees, his head bowed, obviously awaiting execution.
“I’m tired of fighting,” Kay said. “I propose a truce between our packs if you will give me your word of honor that you will abide by it.”
José looked up. “I swear to you by the life of my mother that I will honor the truce between us. I further vow that anyone who breaks it will be executed immediately.”
“I believe you,” Kay said. “We’re through here. Take your people, and your dead, and go home.”
Chapter 42
“It’s over.” Soaking in a hot tub fragrant with jasmine-scented bubbles, Kay closed her eyes while the words repeated in her mind.
It’s over
.
Over, over …
The tension of the past few weeks drained away, leaving her feeling like a balloon that had gone flat. No more witches. No more fights. No more worries, at least for the foreseeable future.
The future. What did it hold for her and Gideon? For the first time since she’d met him in that dreadful dungeon, she had time to think about it. So, what did she want? What did
he
want?
“He’d like to share your bath.”
Startled by his voice, she sat up. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
He pointed to his chest. “Vampire.”
Kay stuck her tongue out at him.
“So?” He glanced at the tub, then back at her.
“Please come in,” she invited. “You can wash my back.” She batted her eyelashes at him. “And my front.”
He was out of his clothes and sitting behind her in the tub in a matter of seconds. Picking up the soap, he worked up a good lather in his hands, and then began washing her shoulders and back, his fingers gently kneading the muscles.
“Oh, that feels wonderful.”
Reaching around her, he ran his soapy hands over her breasts and belly.
What happened next was inevitable, but she had no thought to complain as he lifted her from the tub and carried her to bed. It was strangely erotic, making love while they were both soaking wet. The slippery feel of wet skin sliding over wet skin, the slightly soapy taste that clung to him when she bit his shoulder. His body was a welcome weight on hers, his mouth like fire as he covered her face, neck, and breasts with kisses. He took a sip of her blood. She took a sip of his, and the spark between them burned hotter, brighter, consuming them both. Lost in waves of sensual delight, his thoughts hers as hers were his, it became impossible to tell where her body ended and his began.
She cried his name as pleasure engulfed her, felt his fangs at her throat again as his body convulsed deep within her own, carrying them both over the edge.
Later, snuggled up against Gideon’s side, his arm curved around her shoulders, Kay asked the question she had been pondering most of the day.
“What are we going to do now?”
“What do you mean?”
She drew a deep breath and let it out in a long, slow sigh. “About our future. We’ve never really talked about it, you know.”
He laughed softly. “When did we have time?”
“We have time now.”
“Yeah.” He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. “I guess it’s up to you. I don’t have any ties anywhere, nothing that needs doing, no place I haven’t been, no one’s feelings to consider other than yours.”
Propping herself up on her elbow, she gazed into his eyes. “Footloose and fancy-free, aren’t you?”
“Pretty much, darlin’,” he agreed. “So, what do you want to do with the rest of your life? If you want to stay here, we’ll stay. If you wanna go …” He shrugged. “Just name the place and we’re there.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It is, for me.” He stroked her cheek, then drew her down into his arms again. “For vampires, life is pretty simple. People come and go. Governments rise and fall. None of it really affects us, as long as we have a safe lair and a meal now and then.”
“I think I envy you.”
“What do you want, Kiya?”
“I just want to be with you.”
“Then I guess the next question is, where are we going to live?”
Gideon’s question repeated itself in Kay’s mind throughout the next day. She ate breakfast without really tasting it. She cleaned up the kitchen and found herself in the living room, on the sofa, with no real recollection of how she’d gotten there.
Did she want to stay here? Did she want to leave? Did she have a choice?
She was the Shadow Pack’s Alpha. How could she leave? And yet, if she was totally honest with herself, she didn’t want to stay here. There were too many bad memories.
Soon after the sun went down, Gideon materialized in the living room looking rested and well fed.
He took one look at her face and said, “Still no decision, I see.”
“Actually, I think I’ve made one. I’m just waiting to discuss it with Greta and Brett.”
“We’re here,” Greta said, stepping into the room with Brett at her heels. She hugged Kay, smiled at Gideon. “So, what did you want to talk to us about?”
When everyone was seated, Kay said, “I’ve decided to leave the pack.”
Greta glanced at Brett, then looked at Kay. “Leave? Why? This is your home.”
“I don’t belong here,” Kay said, sighing. “I don’t think I ever have.”
“But you’re our Alpha,” Brett said. “You can’t just leave.”
“By rights, Greta should be our Alpha,” Kay said.
Greta shook her head. “I think I proved I’m a failure at that.”
“Things are different now. If you think it will help maintain the truce, I’ll be Alpha in name only, but you and Brett can run the pack while I’m gone. And I’ll come back, from time to time.”
“But … where are you gonna go?” Brett asked, frowning.
“I’m not sure yet. Gideon and I have a lot of things to work out.”
Greta blinked the tears from her eyes. “Do you want to tell the pack your decision, or should I?”
“I should do it,” Kay said, though it was the last thing she wanted to do.
“You’re right, of course.”
“Call the pack together, will you, Brett? I’d like to get it over with.”
Nodding, her uncle left the room.
“Are you sure about this?” Greta asked.
Kay nodded. “It feels right.”
Thirty minutes later, Kay stood in front of the men and women she had known all her life, and yet, in reality, she didn’t really know them at all. Greta and Brett stood beside her.
Kay glanced at Gideon, who waited in the doorway, his arms folded over his chest, a smile of encouragement on his face.
“I’ve called you here tonight to tell you good-bye,” Kay said. “My aunt Greta is the rightful Alpha, and I am reinstating her in that position now. We have decided that, at least temporarily, I’ll remain Alpha in name only. I’m grateful to all of you for your help these past few weeks. If ever I’m needed for anything, you have only to call and I’ll be here.”