Lycan Redemption (16 page)

“How much longer? How old are you?”

“Do you really want me to answer? Because I won’t lie to you, but you already have a lot to handle.”

“How old are you?” she asked firmly again.

“Five hundred, give or take a few years.”

She gasped, stepped back, then slowly covered her mouth with her hand. After several seconds, she looked up at him.

“I’m going to outlive Patrick?”

He grimaced and nodded.

“After he grows up, can we change him if he chooses?”

“No. Only a potential mate can be turned. Patrick would not change if bitten. He could even possibly develop an infection from the bite.”

“No! This is not fair. How am I supposed to be expected to watch him die one day?”

“Myka.” He took her by the shoulders. “It won’t happen for a long, long time. Death is something we all have to deal with. You can’t imagine how lonely my life has been. You can’t imagine how happy I was when I found someone who I wouldn’t eventually have to watch die.”

Now she was beginning to understand Galen better. He’d always had an edge about him. Always seemed to be friendly, yet kept a distance from others. He shielded himself from getting close to others because he knew one day he’d lose them. She couldn’t imagine how many people he’d cared about that he’d lost in his long lifetime.

Her chest ached thinking about all of the pain he must have endured. Now he’d found her, and she wanted to leave him too. But she couldn’t deny the part of her that felt betrayed. Although he did have a point. He couldn’t exactly have walked up to her after their first meeting and expected her to believe that he was a lycan. And he had been about to tell her before they’d been ambushed.

“When you say you are here in my dream because we are connected, what exactly does that mean?”

“When we are together in our dreams, it is real. This is real. Everything we experience is real. But only the memories of what happens here—nothing physical—can be carried back when we awake. And while it is possible to carry real injuries we might have sustained while awake into our dreams, once we realize we are dreaming, those physical limitations disappear here as well. Nothing physical—tangible—can travel between the two.”

“How am I supposed to wrap my mind around all of this? What am I supposed to do?”

“Give me a chance to love you, to show you that I can make you happy. Give us a chance, Myka. I need you, angel. I’ll help raise Patrick. I’ll love him as my own. I already love him as my own. We’ll fix the farm up. Expand the barn and chicken coop. Take in more horses if you like. Together we’ll make it our own. Make it perfect for our family.”

She shook her head. “I don’t have the money for that, and there aren’t many jobs around here for you, Galen.”

“I have money. More than I know what to do with. I’ve had a very long time to save up.” He smiled.

“I can’t just take your money,” she said in a huff.

“You can’t take something that is freely given. Everything I have is yours.”

“It’s not right.”

“Why? Why is it not right? You’ve worked hard your entire life. You lost your parents. You lost your brother, and you are trying to give Patrick the best of everything. Let me help you do that. If not for you, for Patrick. Let me make your lives easier for a change. Let me provide you the opportunity to enjoy life and what it has to offer instead of struggling with everything it’s taken from you. I know money can’t buy happiness, but it can be a true blessing if you have the right person to share it with. I’ve never wanted to share it before, but I do now.”

“I don’t want you to think I want you for your money,” she scoffed.

“I would never think that. You wanted me before you knew I had money.” He chuckled.

“I can’t deny it makes you even more attractive.” She pursed her lips. “Actually, I don’t think it’s possible for you to be more attractive. And that was a joke, of course. Money has nothing to do with how gorgeous you are, or my interest in you.”

“Angel, if there is one thing I’m sure of about you, it is that you are not a shallow woman.” He took her hands in his. “Give us a chance, Myka. Just a chance. I’ll get on my knees and beg if you want me to.”

“I would never ask you to beg for anything, Galen. No one should ever have that much power over another person.”

“Oh, but you do, angel.” He flipped her hands over, palms up. “You hold the ability to destroy me in these two tiny hands.”

“I’m confused.” She frowned. “I want you. I love you, but I’m scared . . . unsure of everything at the moment.”

“I will always be here for you. If you need me, you only need to say the word.”

“I need some time to clear my head. I need to think things through properly.”

He cupped her cheek in his big palm, bent, and placed his warm lips against her mouth and captured her sigh. When he slipped his tongue inside, she couldn’t resist the temptation to taste him. He tasted of man, of dominance, of Galen. She moaned when he stepped back, aching for his lips to be back on hers. But he was only doing what she’d asked—giving her time and space to think. She respected him for not trying to seduce her, because at this point, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to resist him.

She needed him. Wanted him to hold her. Yearned for him to comfort her. But she had to keep a clear mind and make the right decision. She had to be careful how she proceeded. She couldn’t allow Patrick to get hurt. And she didn’t particularly want a broken heart either.

* * * *

Galen awoke as soon as Myka retreated from the dream. When he’d found her sleeping earlier, he’d hoped to be able to reach her in her dreams. His plan had worked. While things hadn’t turned out exactly how he’d like, at least she’d listened to him. He doubted she’d have given him that courtesy had they been awake.

He sniffed the air, then sat up from the twin bed in his room. By the time he made it to the barn doors, Brent was waiting for him outside.

“What are you doing here?” he growled.

“Thought you deserved the honor of taking care of Terrance. If you care to, that is. If not, we can take care of him.”

“I won’t kill him no matter how much the urge burns inside me to do so. Myka would never forgive me if I did. However, I wouldn’t mind having a little
chat
with the fucker.” Galen clenched his hands into fists.

“Let’s go.” Brent motioned toward the trees across the pasture.

By the time they arrived to where Knox and Raze were holding Terrance, Galen had let the fury of what Terrance had done to Myka take hold. He’d be true to his word. He wouldn’t kill him, but he didn’t have anything against hurting him a little.

“Let me go!” Terrance struggled against Knox and Raze.

“Yeah. Let him go,” Galen growled.

Eerie silence settled throughout the forest for several seconds as if every living thing could feel the anger emanating from Galen.

Fear shined in Terrance’s eyes after he was released. “I told you he was a killer.” He spit the words at the others. “He’s going to kill me just like he did all those women.”

“Give it a fucking rest, Terrance.” Brent rolled his eyes. “No one believes you now. Hell, no one really believed you to begin with.”

“So what? You’re going to kill me then?” Terrance shouted at Galen.

Galen shook his head. “Nope. I’m only going to kick your ass. What happens after that is up to them.” He nodded toward Brent and the others.

“Bring it on. This time I won’t hold back!” Terrance snarled before shifting into a wolf.

Galen laughed before letting his fangs and claws slide down. “Come and get some, pup.”

The muddy gray wolf leapt at him, and Galen feinted to the side and raised his claws to rip down the pup’s side as he flew by him. Terrance landed with a yelp, and blood began to seep through the fur where Galen had tagged him.

“You can’t win, pup. Shift back. Let me give you a proper ass kicking. Take it like a man.”

Terrance snarled, and leapt again. Snapping jaws came within inches of Galen’s face, but at the last moment, he punched the wolf in the head and sent him sprawling to the ground once again. This time, Terrance lay still for several moments, sides heaving, before finally getting back to his feet. He shifted and fell back to the ground on his naked ass.

“Damn but you are a pussy, pup,” Galen mocked him.

Terrance growled and got to his feet again. “I’m going to kill you!”

“Not on your best day and my worst.”

Terrance let out a sound that was nearing a screech and charged Galen, but Galen leapt into the air, clearing Terrance by a good foot before landing smoothly in a crouch. Terrance turned and charged Galen again, but Galen had had enough. He caught Terrance around the neck, and held him in a choke hold as the pup screamed, kicked, and clawed to get away. Galen increased the pressure until Terrance finally passed out from air loss and landed in a heap at his feet.

“I don’t think this one can be saved,” Brent said.

“He’d already be dead if I thought Myka would forgive me,” Galen sadly replied. “Whatever you decide, I’ll support you. But if you give him another chance, if he actually makes it through the reformation program by some miracle, you better warn him to stay clear of me, Myka, Patrick, and this whole damned area. If I see him again after today, I will kill him. There will be no questions asked. No forgiveness. No more chances. He will die if he gets near my family again.”

Brent nodded before Galen turned to make his way back to the barn. He stood in front of the house for a long time. Every cell in him reached for the woman inside. He wanted to go to her, take her in his arms, and simply hold her while she slept. He wanted to comfort her, tell her things would be okay, but he would give her the time she’d asked for to think things through. He owed her that much. Hell, he owed her more than that much.

“Come back to me, Myka,” he whispered before heading back to the barn.

Dawn was turning the sky pink, and he decided to give the horses their feed early. He’d give them all a good brushing as well, as an apology for last night. His stomach knotted. If only it was that easy to convince Myka to forgive him, and make things right between them again. Things were never that easy in life, though. All the best things came at a cost. He only hoped he had whatever price Myka would be asking.

* * * *

Myka looked at the clock and groaned. She’d been lying in bed all day. The only time she’d gotten up was to use the bathroom and to call Patrick. She hadn’t even bothered with eating, which her stomach had strongly objected to several times. Evening would be here soon, and she’d argued with herself until her mind was numb. She’d never been one to sulk, never given in to defeat easily, but she was still at a loss as to what to do about Galen. About everything.

The only thing that was certain was that she loved Galen, and he loved her. But was it enough? She was scared. Then she realized something else. She had never been a quitter. She’d always faced whatever life had thrown at her with determination, and sometimes stubbornness. How was this time any different?
Uh, because you are going to become a completely different species?
She rolled her eyes. Still, was becoming a werewolf any worse than what she’d gone through when her parents had died, or losing Travis?

No. In fact, if she thought on it hard enough, she was being a complete ass. She truly believed Galen had never meant to hurt her, had never meant for Terrance to bite her. He was a victim in this as much as she was. Instead of focusing on the gift she’d been given, the love of a good, decent man—okay, werewolf, but still—she was focusing on the bad stuff. Patrick liked Galen, and Galen would be a wonderful father. He had been nothing but kind to them both from the very start.

And what had she done? Lain around all day feeling sorry for herself and blaming Galen for things he had no control over. While he’d been aware of the danger he’d been in, she was certain, had he thought for a second things would have turned out like they had with the others and Terrance, he would have left. He would have protected her. He was a victim in all of this as well. He’d been hunted for something he’d been falsely accused of. If she had to blame anyone, it should be the assholes who had pursued him for so long. They were the ones who ultimately placed Terrance at her doorstep.

How could anyone possibly think Galen was capable of doing the things he was accused of? Five minutes after she’d met him, had someone told her he’d done what Terrance said, she would have known that it wasn’t possible. Yet she wondered if their
fated
bond was responsible for her instant trust and attraction to him. Even if that were true, her instincts were good, and they’d told her from the start that he was a good man.

So what are you going to do then, Myka?

She sat up, and winced when pain shot through her shoulder. “I’ll tell you what I’m going to do about it,” she said as she fought the sheets tangled around her legs. Finally getting free, she stood and went to her dresser.

She got a pair of jeans, a sweater, socks, and underwear—forgoing the bra thanks to her shoulder—and hastily pulled them on. After brushing her teeth and hair, she went through the kitchen and tugged on the boots sitting by the door.

“I’m going to get the love of my life back,” she said as she finally stepped outside and headed for the barn.

Chapter Thirteen

“You can’t sneak up on me.”

“I wasn’t trying to.” Myka stared at Galen from the open barn door as he shoveled the last scoop of clean sawdust into the wheelbarrow.

He wheeled the full load to Buddy’s empty stall and poured it in with no effort. She sighed, wishing she could clean stalls that easily. Then a thought occurred to her.