“To me, he is.” Rylee felt her mouth dry, and
her body seemed to do a hard reboot. Barron was young compared to her. That
looped in her head for a few minutes as she tried to get her mind to focus on
anything else but that. “You will be all right, Rylee Dean. And I will be glad
to see you blossom.”
“I don’t want you to…what do you mean you
want to help by keeping me safe? I’m just going to talk to this woman and her
son and see what I can do to save his life.” Myra shook her head. “You’ll have
to do better than that. I’m not a mind reader like the rest of you are.”
“But you are. As is Nolan and young Shane. Do
you not remember Chris telling you that you are as they all were? I do believe
she said that to you the very first day she met you.” Rylee remembered
something like that. She’d said Rylee was like them but for the shifting part. “See,
you knew that all along. There are a few…Chris for one, me for another…that you
will not be able to read. We have given you this gift and as such, we are out
of your bounds.”
“Yeah, so I can read minds. Not doing me a
lot of good right now, is it? And don’t think I didn’t see how you shifted that
around to something else when I asked you about why you wanted to go with me.” Myra
stared at her for several seconds before she threw back her head and laughed. Rylee
wasn’t sure what was so funny, but waited for her to regain control. When she
looked at her then, her game face on, Rylee knew that something was up.
“Ansel will kill you if given the chance. Not
that day, but…he will not be happy that someone has deemed him unfit to care for
the boy and his mother. He is…how should I say…? He is not a nice person to
deal with, not even for those that he has taken under his protection.” Rylee
watched her face to see if she was telling her the truth, but had a feeling not
only was she telling her a fact, but there was more to it than that. “There is.
Should you like to know?”
“I think so.” Myra nodded but said nothing. Which,
she supposed, was a good thing, as Rylee was still trying her best not to freak
the fuck out. “This magic I have from being a Bentley…what is it, and how do I
use it?”
“You just reach out as you do when speaking
to one of the others, but instead of speaking, you listen. It will take you
some time to get used to doing it without hurting them. Digging too deeply into
their head will harm the other, as it will you. And if they try to block you,
which stronger people can, you could cause death to you both.” Myra waved her
hand, and a book appeared. “This I can lend to you. It is very important to
your family that no one but you and perhaps young Shane read this. As for your
powers, you can also bring smaller things to you for now, larger as you gain
more control. And move quickly.”
“Quickly, as in I can move from someplace
here to there fast.” Myra nodded, and again she thought there was more to it
than that. “And this book, when I read it, I’ll understand what I can do.”
“You will.” Rylee nodded, but didn’t touch
the book now lying on the coffee table between them. “You’re not trusting, are
you? I should have known that about you. I have been watching over you since
you were brought here. You will learn to relax some now.”
“No, I’m not very trusting, and if I do get
to the point where I’m a little more lax in that, I hope someone will hit me. I
don’t want anything to happen to any of those I love. And if you’ve been in my
mind, you know that too.” Rylee thought about the thing with Barron. “Why will
he try to kill me, this Ansel person?”
“He does not like humans.” Fair enough, but
not a good reason to kill her. “And you will have something he wants.”
“And what do I have that an old vampire
wants? This magic? I don’t think so. He more than likely has more than me.” She
said that he did in some things. “Then what is it?”
“You, my dear, have Barron.” She asked her
what she meant. “He is your friend and your best-kept secret. The man loves you
as his child, and more than that, he has shared with you what he has.”
“Magic.” Myra only shrugged. “Do you suppose
we can cut the bullshit with the vague answers and questions? Just tell me what
the fuck you’re doing here, and what Barron has given me.”
When she stood up, Rylee did as well. But
when she dropped to the floor on one knee, Rylee reached for a gun that she no
longer carried and hadn’t for some time. When Chris appeared in the room with
two men she’d never seen before, her body seemed to go into defense mode, and
she looked around for something to use as a weapon.
“She can be a pain in the ass, can’t she?”
Chris snapped her fingers and the men moved to the doors, but never left them.
“They know a vampire was here. And they’re a little nervous around Myra still.”
The woman on bent knee laughed but didn’t
rise, not until Chris told her too. When they were all seated, Nolan and
Beckman came in. The butler was pushing a tea trolley with a large pitcher, as
well as the biggest plate of cookies and other treats she’d ever seen. But
instead of giving her a cup of the brew, he handed her a large glass of what
turned out to be juice. She asked him what it was.
“My own special blend of fresh fruit. You
will need to drink some daily once you start to use your magic.” When Shane
joined them then, he was handed the same juice and was told to drink it first. He
drank it down before turning to her.
“I can do some weird crap now.” She asked him
what. Instead of answering her, he put out his hand and three cookies came to
him. “I can move books too. And make my bed. My room, by the way, is now
spotless. I didn’t do that, but I think something did.”
“That would be the house.” Beckman handed her
a plate of cookies as he continued. “It is so that there is no need for more
people within the walls than necessary. It will keep you safe. The ones that
are here now, they are of my choosing and will not harm you or they will die.
Will you be joining us for dinner, my queen?”
“Wait, wait, wait. They will die. Just like
that, you can say that.” He nodded and handed a plate of cookies to Myra, who
was now dressed from head to toe in paisley. And the trolley with the cookies
on it…there looked to be just as many as there had been when he rolled it in.
She looked over at Nolan when he laughed.
“Welcome to the Bentley family, my love. Where
nothing is as it seems, and if you don’t like it, just think of something
different.” She didn’t think he was the least bit funny and told him so. “If
you don’t laugh about it, you’ll go insane. Trust me. Micah had to come to
terms with it too. But we can set up rules, as he’s done. No one messes with
his bedroom. The making of the bed is fine, but nothing else. And his office is
off-limits altogether.”
She wanted to tell them that all of it was
off-limits, but one look at Chris changed her mind. The smallest shake of her
head had Rylee thinking she’d have a long talk with her later. When Shane
picked up the book that Myra had given her and asked to be excused until
dinner, she let him go. Things were…it was hard enough for her to understand
this crap. She had no idea what he was going to do with it. But then, with
Shane, he more than likely thought it was neat and he could go with it.
The phone ringing beside her had her looking
around. Myra told her to answer it, but all Rylee could think about was there
had not been a phone there before. At her second prompting to answer it, she
picked it up.
“My name is Constance Vegas. You called here
earlier and spoke to my butler. He didn’t get a name but….” Rylee looked at
Myra, who smiled. “I…I don’t know why I am, but I had the sudden urge to call
you. What is this about?”
“I’d like to see you. Soon. Now if you can
manage it.” Constance said nothing. “It really is a matter of life and death.
That of your son, actually. I have someone that can save his life.”
“Are you threatening us?” Rylee told her that
she had information that she might not have. “You’re that friend of my dad’s,
aren’t you? The woman…the one he talked about when he visited me? Rylee
something…he said you were his only friend.”
“Yes. He’s my friend, and yes, he did come to
see me about you. Tonight as a matter of fact. I need to…. It’s really
important that I talk to you about your son, Dennis.” She asked her what it
was. “I would like to come and see you. With some friends that can help him.”
“You mean my father. I don’t have anything to
do with him anymore. We had a falling out.” Rylee knew about that and the why
of it. “He’s not…he’s not really welcome here.”
“He is the only one that can save his life.” Rylee
looked at Myra and then reached out to Constance to see about reading her mind.
She saw she was afraid, but not of her. She was afraid of her husband…and not
just that, she worried for her son as well. “Barron thinks your son will die
because he was born without the ability to have fangs. When he converts on his
birthday, he will be dead within a few days. His inability to feed will starve
him. You believe me or not, but Barron said that once he converts, there will
be no helping him.”
“And you know this how?” There was a touch of
fear now, and Rylee thought of what Barron had told her and showed Constance by
projecting the information to her mind. Or at least she hoped she was. When the
woman sobbed, Rylee thought perhaps she’d hurt her, but the woman started to
cry. “I’m going to check that out. I’ll…if you’re lying to me, I will hunt you
down, Rylee. This is not something you to do a vampire, threaten their child
unnecessarily.”
“You don’t threaten a human either with that.
I’ll await your call. I’m going to help you if you’ll let me, but there will be
rules. One of which is you meet me during the day. I know you can do that.” Constance
said she’d see and hung up. Rylee turned to the room. “I’d very much like for
you all to go away now. I know I’m being really rude, but I’m so overwhelmed
right now that all I can think about is a hot bath and a warm body wrapped
around me.”
They just disappeared, save Nolan. Not only
the other people, but the trolley, as well as all the plates in the room that
had been used. Nolan came toward her and she asked him if they were mad.
“No. Chris said to tell you she loves you.
Myra said you were a hoot, and Beckman wanted to fix us a nice picnic basket to
take to the woods but I asked him to wait. He also said he’d take care of the
young master. That would be Shane.”
“I want to go running with you.” He nodded
and started to unbutton his shirt. “And as soon as you can manage it, I want to
be what you are. A panther. I don’t want to be left behind when you go for a
run.”
“I can do that too.” His shirt slid to the
floor. “You will have to go now. Go to the trees and run. My cat wants to chase
you. And when we find you, we’d very much like for you to be naked. He wants to
fuck you with his tongue.”
Going to the door to the back yard, she
turned to him and watched him take off his pants. When he paused and looked at
her, she wanted to ask him if he loved her. But she was actually afraid of his
answer. When he told her again to go, she nodded once and left the house. She
was nearly to the tree line when she heard him roar. Picking up speed, she ran
as if her life depended on it, laughing all the way.
Nolan knew where she was all the time. He
played with her, toyed with her fear and fun. When she would drop a piece of
her clothing, a shirt here, her bra there, he would pick them up and take them
back to the same spot where his clothing was. When he found her panties,
soaking wet with her juices, his cat buried his nose in them before taking them,
too, back to the rest of her clothing. When he found the last item, her shoe,
he moved through the woods, stalking her. Playtime was over.
You should know I can smell you. How aroused
you are, and needy. You’re very wet, aren’t you?
She told him she’d had
to stop twice to wipe the juices from her thighs.
That’s going to cost you,
love. No one messes with my cream unless I say so.
Her laughter made his breath catch. She really
was having fun. And he, more than anything, wanted to assure her that he did
indeed love her. Knowing that she had her doubts earlier had prompted him to
make sure she not only knew that she was his one and only, but that he did
indeed love her with all of his being. Both he and his cat did. Finding her
near a tree, he watched her try to hide herself from him when a branch broke
nearby. He dropped to his belly and waited for whatever it was to show itself. The
herd of deer startled him as much as it did Rylee.
Oh, Nolan, you should see the deer. They’re
so beautiful.
He told her he thought so as well.
You’re here? Of course you are. I’ve
never been out of your sight, have I? But I’ve never been this close to them
before. Why is it they’re not running from us?
You have managed to cover the entire woods
with your scent, and they don’t know that the woods don’t always smell of you. They
just think it’s a natural scent of humans roaming all over now. Also, I’m not
moving, so they don’t know I’m here as yet.
He looked over at her as she watched
them.
If you could see you as I do now, you’d be amazed. I don’t think I’ve
ever seen you look so lovely before.
She looked in his direction, but he knew she
couldn’t see him yet. The woods were dark enough here that his coat blended
well with the area around him.
Where are you? And how do I…what is so
different about me now than any other time you’ve seen me naked? I’m just the
same.
No, you’re not. You’re a natural beauty there
standing against the tree. Your hair is a perfect match to the bark behind you,
your body is captured in the moons rays, and each part of you is highlighted as
if you were a goddess on display. I can see your hard nipples now, and your
pussy is glistening in the light. And even though you are standing as still as
a stone on the ground, I can see your heart beating in your breasts, your
breaths as you breathe lightly so as not to disturb the deer. You are a
wonderment to me. Beautiful and strong, and even venerable too.
I love you, Nolan. I…I’ve never said that to
anyone and really meant it. I tell Shane, and I told my sister when she was
alive, but I love you differently. With not just my heart, but all of me.
He told her he loved
her too.
You don’t have to say it back to me. I mean, you’ve said it before,
but it’s okay if you didn’t…I’m fucking this up.
You’re not. You’re scared. So am I.
She asked him why
he’d be scared.
Because you’re going to need me sometimes, and you’re not
used to needing anyone. But let me tell you something you might not already
know…I need you just as much, if not more. You’re my love. Not my other half,
Rylee, but all of me. Without you, I would not live. I wouldn’t even want to.
He stood up and watched her when she moved. The
deer scattered, but he only had eyes for her. As she moved toward him, Nolan
could only think of one thing, and that was that she was his. And his cat
agreed. Moving to her as well, he knew his cat was going to get his fill first,
but Nolan was going to take more. He was going to take all of her.
His cat snarled at him when he told him to go
easy. But the cat might have been right. She didn’t look like she wanted easy.
She needed him as much as he did her. When she stopped, his cat moved forward
and knocked her to the ground, and when she sat up his cat nudged her back so
that she was lying in front of them. Before she could say anything, even if she
might have wanted to, his cat was between her legs and licking her cream. Her
scream of release echoed around the woods. Birds took flight when she screamed
again.
“Please. I need more.” The cat understood her
and slammed his tongue deep within her. When Rylee screamed, he put his paws on
her thighs and held her as he continued eating her…not just eating her, but
devouring her. His cat had never been this aggressive with her before, and he
might have been nervous but for the many times that Rylee came while he took
her. When he lifted his head and looked at her, Nolan only had a moment to
wonder what he was going to do when he lunged at her and bit deeply into her
thigh. It was the first time that he’d marked her, and apparently he was going
to make it good. Her scream this time had Nolan begging to be freed from his
cat, who held her like his life depended on it.
I’m sorry, love
. She told him it was
all right, but Nolan didn’t think so. When the cat finally let her go and then
Nolan, he moved up her body slowly to see how badly she’d been bitten.
It was an open wound. Her bone was broken,
and he could see that he’d bitten her through. Licking the bloodied mess, he
kept telling her how sorry he was when she jerked him up by his hair and told
him to do it.
“I’m bleeding out.” Nolan shook his head but
could see that she was right. She was losing blood too fast. Even her heart
rate was slowing. “End this. Now, Nolan. I’m not going to die out here naked in
the middle of the woods. And if I do, I will haunt you for the rest of your
days, I swear it. Do it now.”
He really had no choice. Nolan was pissed…his
cat had done this, and while he wasn’t sure how, he had a feeling that Rylee
was in on it too. He let his cat consume him as he lunged at her soft belly and
bit her hard enough again to break several ribs. Nolan begged her to forgive
him even as she held him to her.
Her screams tore at him. Even as he lay there
with her, his cat’s mouth holding her, Rylee stroked him. Ran her hand up and
down his fur as if they were not fighting a very serious game of life and
death. When she finally passed out, he held her just a little longer, loving
her and telling her she’d be all right. Then his cat simply let go, and Nolan
moved to cradle her into his arms.
“You did good, big boy.” Her voice was weak,
but he could tell she was far from out of the woods. She’d lost a great deal of
blood, and that alone gave him pause to move her just yet. “I love you, Nolan. Very
much.”
“I love you too.” She grinned but didn’t open
her eyes. His heart twisted in his chest, he was so worried for her. “You owe
me for this. I never got to make love to you out here in the woods. I’m sort of
disappointed in you, if you want to know the truth.”
“Yeah, but you’ll get over it soon enough.” She
coughed slightly, and he held her while she leaned over and threw up twice. “I
don’t feel so good. I think maybe I’ve been bitten by something.”
Her laughter was low, but he laughed with
her. What a time for jokes, he thought, and wiped her mouth off with his hand. Soon,
he could hear her heart rate picking back up, and her breathing seemed to be
better. Not wanting to leave her but knowing he had to, he moved to get their
clothing so he could take her home. As he moved away from her, keeping her in
his sights, he reached for his brother Micah to tell him what he’d just done.
Good, I’m glad to hear that. I was going to
suggest it, but you’ve been…anyway, I’m thrilled to know that it’s done. But there
are a few things you need to be made aware of. David Cole is gone. I had two
men on him, but he got away from them. Well, he killed one and injured the
other, so that puts him on my list, as well as Paddy’s, as one of the men were
his. I don’t know if he’s stupid enough to come there, but you should be aware
of it.
Nolan pulled on the pants he’d brought out with him and then pulled on his
boots as Micah continued.
And…and you should know if she’s not better by day
after tomorrow, you’re going to have to explain to Mom and Grandma why she
can’t attend the biggest event of the decade.
Mother fuck. I forgot.
He heard his brother
laugh at him.
I’m going to be in so much…do you think it will matter to them
that I didn’t want to do this, the cat did
?
No. I don’t think it will matter one bit. And
so you know, I’m going to help you out with this because you’re my brother.
Nolan asked him how
.
I’m not going to tell Reggie so she can protect you. You’ll be all on your own.
You’re going to pay for this.
Actually, Nolan felt
pretty good, all things considered. He had a mate, and she was going to be a
cat when she woke up. And he had the best family in the world, bar none.
Micah,
I’m in love with her. But I guess you know that. But there is something I’ve
wanted to tell you for a while now, I’m sorry. For everything. I should have…I
should have come to you when I saw I was failing. It was wrong of me to treat
you all the way I did when I knew...I knew that I couldn’t do it on my own.
You didn’t fail, Nolan. Never that. What you
did was wonderful, not just for the homeless but for a lot of people that just
wouldn’t have some of the benefits that they do now because of you. And the
fact that you nearly made it happen is the…Dad would be so proud of you.
Christ, he would have loved it.
Nolan told him what Rylee had done to him
the day that he’d taken her to the shelter.
I knew I was going to like her.
Man, she’s perfect for you. All macho and shit like you are. Do you think
she’ll have children just like her? I hope so. Can you imagine what kind of
hellions you’ll have?
I don’t even want to think about it
. But he did now as
he moved over her body to make sure that nothing was sticking her or crawling
on her since he’d been gone. Now all he could think about was her having his
child, their child.
Micah, I need a favor. Will you ask Grandma if she still
has my ring? The one she gave me when Dad died?
I’m sure she does. I’ll even go you one
better. I’ll take it to the jewelers myself and have it cleaned for you.
He thanked him and
nearly closed the connection before Micah spoke again.
Watch your back. I’m
not sure what this bastard Cole has in mind, but it can’t bode well for you
guys.
When has it ever?
Micah agreed and
closed the connection between them.
Nolan looked down at Rylee as she rested
peacefully. “You’re going to have to help me out with Mom and Grandma. Because
you made me do this to you, we might not get to go to the charity event they’re
helping the shelter with.”
Dressing her was by far harder than he’d
thought it would be. He was more used to undressing her rather than trying to
figure out the way things worked in the opposite direction. The bra was the
most complicated. How did he get her breasts into the little cup things and
make them even? He thought the straps at her shoulder’s looked painful, and
wondered why she even bothered. Then when he got it on her, he realized they
did sort of make them look secure. Not a sexy word, he supposed, but that’s
what it looked like. Then there were her panties.
Panties. Now there was a sexy fucking word,
he told himself. But as far as functional and covering her? Not so much. They
covered her for the most part, but that was about it. They rode up her ass
cheeks, a place that he really would like to explore some time, and they didn’t
secure anything. Just thinking of how wet they’d been when he’d found them had
him pausing several times to adjust himself. By the time he was finished, he
was soaking wet from exertion, as well as hard as a rock.
Picking her up to carry her back to the house,
he thought of how much he was going to enjoy watching her run as a panther, and
also wondered what sort of colors she’d be. Her hair was light, almost blonde,
so he figured she’d not be solid like him, but her eyes, as blue as the sky in
summer, were going to stick out as well. Smiling as he entered the house, he
looked at Beckman as he stood there.
“She made me.” He grinned at him and nodded.
“Do you think perhaps you can make me something to eat and bring it to me? I
want to get her into the shower…I think I want to try to get her a little
cleaned up, but I’m starving too.”
“Yes, my lord.” The man had been calling him
that for days now, and no matter how many times he’d asked him not to, he did
it anyway. “Lady Constance called back. I told her that you and the missus had
run an errand. I believe she understood. She said she would meet with you and
the rest of the people tomorrow afternoon at the mall in the food court. I will
say this, she did sound upset with something. I don’t believe, however, it was with
the mistress. Shall I call her back and reschedule?”
“Not yet.” He looked down at the sleeping
beauty in his arms. “For all I know she could be up before me tomorrow and out
chasing rabbits for the fun of it. We’ll just wait and see how she feels tomorrow.
All right?”