Natural Magick (5 page)

The building was going to be a complex for battered and abused children. It was going to be called Becca’s Place for Brent’s little sister who had been sexually abused and then killed by a werewolf. Becca had only been four years old.

Brent was their adopted son. His mother, Brenda Shell, a drug addict, had been selling her children for sexual favors to keep herself in heroin and anything else she could get her hands on. One night, it had gotten out of control and Becca had been killed and Brent nearly so. Had Colin not stepped in and given him some of his blood, then he too would have died at the hands of the wolf responsible. A few weeks later, during the shooting and kidnapping of Shade, Brenda and Lynn, the alpha bitch of the wolf pack had been killed.

Bradley Wolff, the alpha to the now largest pack in the United States, had insisted on helping both financially and with the construction aspect of the complex. His help had also cleared the way for the many permits and all the red tape they had been asked to file time and again. Sometimes, his help came in the form of expediting through the red tape in city hall. Some of the officials in office were also were and very much in favor of this type of house, as it would be for both paranormal and human children alike. Shade and Sara, along with the help of April Carlovetti, had been interviewing prospective day help for weeks now and were happy with the positive responses they were getting from around the community.

“
I think we should get Pete to come out and look at the computer systems wiring we’re having installed before they put the walls up. Can you image the mess it will be if we have to tear out walls once we have kids in the house and anything needs to be fixed?” Shade had been talking about this Pete person for days now. Neither Colin nor Dominic had had the occasion to meet him yet and frankly, Dominic was tired of hearing his name.

“
Okay. Why don’t you have him come out tonight? That way I can finally meet him and tell him what an ass I think he is for taking up all of my mate’s time the other day.”

Colin had been bitching for days about the amount of time this Pete was taking of Shade’s. That was another thing to dislike this guy about, Dominic thought. Pissing off a master was just not done. Dominic decided that as soon as he met him, he was going to deck the nerd.

“
Can’t, not tonight. Pete and Eon have been over at Sara and Aaron’s all day getting their system set up, and I think it was mentioned that there were other jobs to be done as well,” Shade said. “And I think they’re finishing up there tomorrow, so maybe tomorrow night. I’ll ask.”

Shade told him this with a strange smile on her face. Dominic was still trying to work out why the goofy face when the Pete fellow was mentioned.

Dominic was supposed to be starting at the other mansion, Aaron’s tomorrow night. He would miss this Pete, not that he really cared one way or another. Besides, being around the newly mated couple was driving him nuts. They were always touching each other, kissing it up, and Shade always had this “I’ve just been fucked” look about her while Colin looked fucked. He wanted to go to Aaron’s. At least with Sara being nearly nine months pregnant, they weren’t doing it like rabbits anymore. And they had Internet and their Wii was hooked up while Shade was waiting on the almighty Pete to hook it up here. Yeah, he thought, this was perfect timing.

~~~

“
See how this is coming into the house? It’s going to cause you big problems if someone were to get onto the property and cut your house lines. This is what I would do to make it a lot safer. That pole over there is wood, see? If you were to cut into it behind the transformer and run a secondary line from it, through the pole base then underground and into the house, no one would know to sever it if they tried to cut your power off. The same with the wires running to the house. Leave them there, but have the main source hooked up inside coming in through underground wire housing. You could have the main power switch right in the closed area that you’re currently running the security system in. You’d also continue to have a feed from the cameras at all times. No surprises that way, at least to those in the house.”

“
How would you get the wire harness through the pole? Cutting a hole isn’t going to help much with the wires coming out the other side where someone could see them anyway, couldn’t they?” Daniel was walking around the property with a recorder and a notebook, and he was sure he was going to miss something Pete said to him.

“
These poles are wood and woodpeckers cut into them all the time. You’d just cut holes at different lengths and depths to fish the wiring down that resemble bird holes. It might look wrong up close, but that high up, no one is going to notice. Underground isn’t so hard either. You do a pull plug every few feet and fish it the same way. You won’t have a trench mark, and the grass is mostly undisturbed as well. You would have to use more wire. Not moving in a direct line of sight to the house would be your best bet, harder to trace that way too if it’s all zig-zaggy.”

Daniel watched her as she showed him what she meant with each step in the process. He liked that she was easy going and didn’t talk down to people.

Daniel had been outside with her for nearly three hours and had learned more in that time about security measures than he could have imaged possible. She was savvy and clever; her thinking was like that of a crook. Daniel liked her ideas and was certain that Aaron would as well. Pete’s idea about wiring the electric gate and fences around the property were dead on too. She suggested that they wire the sections in different intervals on different grids of a panel, overlapping the power going to each section. That way a person could not cut one section without a couple more still being hotwired to the same section so that it was still hot in the event of power being cut any one section. And all the while she was talking to him, she was working on the computer wire harness for the indoor house system that would run in through the whole house and not be out in an open area to mess up the deco of the house. Amazing, he thought.

And so was Aaron MacManus. Daniel had finally gotten the nerve to approach the big vamp this morning. He had worried about how he would react to him interfering. He’d never given any reason for Daniel to be afraid of him, but he just didn’t want to take any chances. At least until Eon had come along.

“
Mr. MacManus, I was wondering if I might have a word with you. It’s about the young man, Eon, sir.” He stuttered a little, but had been proud of the fact that he hadn’t thrown up—yet.

“
Daniel, please call me Aaron. And what about him? Oh God, please tell me he hasn’t given Brent another sound piece of advice concerning women?”

Daniel laughed and relaxed, which he was sure was what Aaron had meant for him to do. Eon had been a bit…over helpful in his talks with Brent. But a quick word from Pete and he had stopped.

“
No. At least not that I’m aware of. Pete talked to Eon about it, but you might want to sensor Duncan for a while. No, it’s about what he is. Eon’s a pup, a late bloomer, we call them.”

“
Eon? Really? I hadn’t gotten that from him, but then I’ve not spent a great deal of time around him. It’s not that I don’t believe you, but...well, I’m assuming you’re here because you want to introduce him to Bradley.” Daniel watched the master lean back in his chair and wondered again how the guy could stand the mess on his desk.

“
No, sir, I mean yes, sir. Shit! What I mean is I don’t think the pup knows. I was talking to him yesterday and he was adopted—a foundling.”

Daniel felt like he was screwing this up for the kid. He did not want Aaron to think the kid was stupid; Eon was just ignorant of what he was. Daniel didn’t want everyone to find out the hard way when Eon shifted the first time.

“
Okay, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to explain a few things to me before I understand, all right? First, isn’t he a little old to have not realized he’s a wolf? Shouldn’t he have, well, changed once or twice by now? I would think that’d be a good indicator that he was one.” Daniel could see that Aaron was trying to understand and not make fun of his race.

“
Yeah, that’s what makes him a late bloomer. He would have had training, counseling from his parents or in his case, a mentor. And because he’s an adult, when he changes—if he does, then it could possibly kill him. His body hasn’t had the conditioning or training it needs to change. Most of us full bloods begin slowly at around puberty; fur first, then maybe our paws or legs. Never a whole change, not until we are ready physically and mentally. We grow up knowing what we are, what were capable of. Eon doesn’t have a clue.”

“
So, then you think that he’s not a full blood, that somehow he’s been overlooked? Okay. He’s not quiet eighteen, and he’s never changed. He may or may not change too, right? Tell me what you need for me to do. I’m sorry, I don’t know more about your kind, but I’m willing to learn and help him. You, as well. But I would like to caution you about one thing... Pete, she seems very protective of him and I don’t want her hurt either. Or for her to hurt you.” Aaron grinned and the hair on the back of Daniel’s neck stood up. It said, “I think you could hurt her, but you had better fucking not.”

“
No! I wouldn’t hurt either of them. Besides, just between the two of us, I’m a little afraid of her. No, I think she’d hurt me if I even looked at Eon wrong. I was going to ask if I could go to my alpha first. He’s the one who’d have the most information for us. And he’d have to accept Eon into the pack if he wanted to stay here.”

Daniel worked for Aaron now and felt it would have been an act of betrayal somehow to go back to his alpha about someone within Aaron’s domain. Plus, he respected Aaron. Aaron scared him, but he did respect him.

“
The fact that you are asking me permission shows me what a great friend you are going to be to Eon. I am honored that you did this for me and for the pup. And I agree you should go to Bradley and tell him. But I’d like to be kept in the loop. And to also be there when you tell Pete. And you are going to tell her, not me. I’m not that stupid.”

Somehow, he thought telling Pete was going to be much more difficult than telling Eon he might get furry once a month. But he agreed. Daniel thought he might start making notes to follow when he spoke to the girl. She was all right, but like Aaron said, she was protective. Somewhat like a she-bitch with her cubs.

~~~

Because of the time she had spent outside with Daniel, Pete was late getting out of the house. According to Dunc, she was scheduled to do the other two homes as well when she could work them in, Shade’s and then April’s. By the time Dominic showed up, Pete was still working in the kitchen pantry with Brent at her heels “helping” her.

“
Want me to hold that thingy for ya? I can reach it if I stand on the stool again. I won’t almost fall on you this time,” Brent asked. Dominic laughed, thinking almost falling on someone was sort of like being almost pregnant.

“
Sure, but you need to stand really still this time. I know it’s hard, but you almost wobbled us both to the floor that last time.”

Dominic stood right outside the little room and listened to the little boy and his new friend. Brent was a great kid and Dominic had already fallen in love with him. The girl, however…he was not aware that Sara had had her friends over to the mansion yet.

“
Okay, Pete, I gots it. I mean, I have it. Whew, that’s a hard one to remember, isn’t it?”

Pete? They had a guy in there too? Shit, the room was not near big enough for one adult and a kid, much less all three of them. As Dominic started forward to see how they had managed it, “Pete” spoke again.

“
Yeah, I know, buddy, but you and I will work on it until I leave tonight. You’re doing really well. What’s the other rule you need to practice?” he heard her ask as they both exited the little pantry.

“
I have to say the ‘g’ when it’s on the end of a word. Dominic, look what’s...what we have been doing.” This time he emphasized the ‘g’ a little too hard, but he at least remembered.

Dominic just stared at her. Pete. This was Pete. He was not a “he” at all. He was a she, a very beautiful she. He stared at her for too long, Dominic realized, when she looked nervously at Brent. It was then that he noticed she was wearing sunglasses. He realized that he had stopped breathing and as he inhaled deeply, bringing her scent into his lungs, he staggered slightly. Sweet and spicy—cinnamon and nutmeg, he thought.

Dominic looked at her sharply. No, no fucking way. It was the pantry, not her. Yeah, that was it. She was not his mate. Not her, not now, not fucking likely.

Duncan chose that moment to enter the kitchen where the other three had been standing. Duncan bumped into Dominic lightly and it broke the spell that had seemingly come over him.

“
Oh, Master Dominic, I did not expect you until tomorrow evening. Master Aaron and Sara have gone into town for some games to play on the weasel…err the gaming toy in the living room. They should be back shortly.”

Dominic glanced back at the now closed pantry door where the girl had presumably gone back into, and then at the back door to the outside. Escape, no not escape. Escape was for someone who was trapped and he was not going to be trapped. She was not going to sink her fucking claws into him, thank you very much. Dominic looked at Duncan and realized he had missed whatever he had been saying to him.

“
Is there something wrong, sire?”

“
She’s...I thought...is she Peter the cable guy...err girl? Her, that girl, is she Peter?” he asked, and immediately felt stupid.