Part of Me (13 page)

“She ran your pictures through the shifter database Xavier Markland is designing and came up with an instant match since you’re both listed to take the finals next year. Once she had your names, she ran them through all human databases, local and abroad and the APB on Brayden instantly came up.”

“So they’re already looking for me?” I asked.

“And Nick Delgado is already communicating with one of the shifter attorneys here in California to see how we can get you out of this. They have absolutely no proof except that all this
happened in an apartment that you were renting. From what we can tell so far, there are no witnesses.”

“What about the other two that were there?” Lidia asked. “He didn’t kill those two?”

Jace looked perplexed. “Yes, you mentioned there were others. My assistant didn’t say anything about any witnesses or anyone else being hurt. She only mentioned the girl that jumped out of the window.”

“What? Wait a minute,” I said, trying to keep all that Jace was throwing at us straight in my head. “Kyra was the female. After she came inside, I remember I didn’t get a chance to close the door because I wanted to make sure she didn’t get into anything physical with Lidia.”

“Which wasn’t necessary,” Lidia chimed in. “I’d handled her before, I could certainly have done so again.”

I gave her a frown and when I turned my attention back to Jace it was to see him not doing a good job of hiding his amusement.

“That’s why I didn’t shut the door in any case, and a few seconds later three guys walked in. They were all dressed in black, two carrying guns.” The memory of the gun pointing at Lidia’s head came flashing back into my mind and anger flared fresh. “I broke the one guy’s wrist and the other I knocked out cold.
”

“The other one I was handling before Brayden took over,” Lidia added once more, folding her arms over her chest as if that act alone would make us take her words and I guess her participation in the event more seriously.

“He’s the one I killed,” I told Jace, who looked at me as if he knew exactly why I’d had to kill the guy.

Jace nodded and frowned slightly. “Just sit tight for tonight. Let me give Nick a call and see if we can get a copy of the police report. I think it’s better that we appear proactive in the matter.”

To keep from looking guilty, I figured. I’d never heard of a shifter going on trial in a human court for murder and didn’t like that I might be the first. But the tangy scent of Lidia’s fear had me squashing those thoughts and instead reaching for her hand.

“Why don’t we go for a ride,” I offered.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Jace added. “Go out and get some air. Try not to think about this too much. We’re going to take care of it,” he said, looking first at me then to Lidia. “So don’t worry.”

“Thanks,” I said, giving Jace a nod instead of my hand because Lidia had already laced her fingers through mine.

“Yes,” she said simply. “Thank you, Leader Maybon.”

“Call me Jace,” he told her with a smile. “And don’t go too far or stay out in the open too long. I don’t want you getting picked up by the cops.”

“Right,” I said tightly, pulling Lidia from the room because I didn’t want her hearing any more about me possibly being arrested.

The ride with Brayden hadn’t gone very well. He wanted to talk and I really didn’t feel like it. Big things had happened, and I was still trying to process them. So he’d driven around for about an hour before we ended up back at the house. Then he’d sat in front of the big-screened television in Jace’s living room while I played a game on the computer, neither of us speaking, but something definitely brewing between us.

I knew what my problem was but wasn’t clear on Brayden’s. To be honest, I wanted to be self-absorbed in my misery because in my way of seeing things, Brayden Sanchez was getting what he’d already wanted. Unless of course, he was arrested and tried for murder, then convicted and sent to a human jail for the rest of his life.

That thought had me dropping my head as I sat on the side of the bed. It was dark outside, probably after nine since it had been eight-thirty when we’d finished the pizza Jace had ordered for us and I came upstairs instead of watching another one of the
Fast and Furious
movies that Jace and Brayden seemed so interested in.

I couldn’t sleep, or rather didn’t want to lie down and close my eyes because morning would inevitably come and with it the possibility that Brayden would be taken away. In all the time I’d thought of walking away from him because of the growing attraction between us I don’t think I’d ever really considered how that would feel. Well, now I had no choice and I didn’t like it at all.

Running my fingers through my hair I breathed in and out deeply, hating the sting of tears once again. Squeezing my eyes shut, I cursed. “You are not doing this again, Morales, no freakin’ way,” I warned.

I stood up then, walking to the window without looking out then turning back to pace over to the bed. I felt just like Brayden doing this. Back and forth I went, trying to quiet my thumping heart, hating the panic forming a huge ball in my throat.

He’d killed that guy because he’d been threatening me. I knew the moment Brayden shifted into the cat what the outcome
would be. The other two lives he’d spared, but this one he hadn’t hesitated and I felt like crap because now that act might take him away from me forever. While Jace didn’t seem to think there was mention of anyone else being in Brayden’s apartment, I was sure there were. I’d been there and dead bodies don’t just disappear.

My hands shook, my knees wobbling as I moved back and forth. Brayden would go to jail because of me. He’d be a criminal because of me. I stopped in front of the window this time, watching the rise and fall of the waves on the beach. I loved the water, even loved the feeling of sand between my toes. Brayden hated that. I smiled at the thought and my entire body warmed.

The cat inside stretched as if saying, “It’s about damned time.”

I was in love with Brayden Sanchez. The thought came as easily as my next breath. If I closed my eyes right now I’d see his face. If I thought about his smile when he was trying to cheer me up, or his laughter when I fell for one of his corny practical jokes, my chest swelled with emotion. Remembering the nights he’d held me through my nightmares, whispered soothing words in my ear, or simply supported me through the mess that was my life, I felt the need to reach out and hug him tight. And if I thought about the way he kissed me, the way he touched
places on my body I hadn’t known were places of pleasure, my breasts would tingle, my center throb and ache.

I loved Brayden and I wanted him, even if it meant living in the Shadow Shifter world with him. Because living without him was not a possibility, it was that simple.

On that note I left the room, heading down the stairs to the living room where I knew he was still parked in front of the television. I was a little surprised to see that Jace wasn’t there. On the walk down the steps I’d thought of what I would say to get Brayden away from Jace without the Faction Leader knowing exactly why. Even though, like he’d informed us, there were cameras all over this house so there wasn’t much he didn’t already know about me and Brayden anyway.

“Take a swim with me,” I said the moment I entered the room and went to stand in front of him, hopefully blocking his view of the television.

He didn’t speak at first, which made me feel a little nervous. What if he was done with me and my psycho nightmare drama? What if what I’d hoped he would do these last few months—leave me alone—was finally coming true?

“Bray,” I called his name again, unclasping my hands and letting them fall to my sides. “Please.”

He looked at me then, just stared for a few seconds, before finally standing up and closing the distance between us. I
thought about taking a step back when he didn’t seem like he would stop before colliding into me, but I remained still. We were maybe a breath apart when he lifted his hands, letting his palms run down the sides of my head, his fingers pushing through my hair until the ponytail holder broke free and my hair fell down my back.

“I would do anything for you,” he whispered. “Anything.”

***

Brayden was true to his word. We walked along the beach, hand in hand, until finally I had the guts to pull away. I walked backward toward the water, lifting the hem of my shirt as I moved.

“You really want to go for a swim,” he said, the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile.

“I really do,” was my response. My shirt fell to the sand and I reached behind my back to unhook my bra. Brayden’s gaze immediately lowered.

There was a rush of power and my shoulders shook slightly, my nipples tingled beneath the breeze. He liked what he saw and that made me feel more feminine than I’d ever managed my entire life. A smooth sensation, kind of like a waterfall, rippled down my spine and my skin felt sensitized, the breeze brushing against me, causing the slightest prickle of pain.

“Then I guess I have no choice but to join you,” he said, pulling his shirt up and over his head quickly.

My mouth watered at the sight, rock-hard abs, rippled and sculpted like he should be on the cover of one of those workout magazines. His dark skin had a slight glow in the moonlight. When his hands went to the rim of his sweatpants, mine went to the button of my shorts. Our gazes locked and we worked in synchronicity, pushing the garments—bottoms and underwear—down our thighs, stepping out of them slowly. I wore flip-flops so they came off with my shorts and panties. Brayden wore tennis shoes but he knelt quickly, untying them and toeing them off.

When he stood again he was gloriously naked. I wanted to touch him and I desperately needed him to touch me, so I lifted my arms, welcoming him.

“You are beautiful,” Brayden said when he was close enough to spread his fingers around my waist.

“You are my
companheiro,
” was my reply. Putting my hands to his shoulders, grasping his strength, feeling the warmth of his skin. “You have been my best friend all my life, you’ve been my champion, my greatest supporter. I love you.”

The words just slipped out, feeling as natural as the waves rolling against the shore, now lapping against our feet.

His hands were in my hair once again, the blunt tips of his fingers raking over my scalp. He pulled me closer until my breasts pressed against his chest.

“I feel like I’ve loved you forever.” His words were punctuated by the fierce touch of his lips to mine, the deep thrust of his tongue into my mouth.

From there it was like a frenzy of movements and emotions. Brayden broke the kiss, lifting me into his arms and carrying me deeper into the water. I kept my legs clasped around his waist, my arms around his neck, my lips on his. The coolness of the water did nothing to still the heat burning against my skin, or the cat raking its claws against my spine, displaying its desperate need.

As if he knew, Brayden’s hands went to my back, moving up and down. I’d never heard of this, never learned much about the mating and joining of shifters because I never wanted it to happen to me. But his simple touch calmed the cat inside, it slaked the vicious need, replacing it with sensuous hunger.

“There, baby. I’ve got you,” Brayden whispered in my ear. “I’m going to give you what you need.”

I didn’t know if he was saying that to me or to the cat and damn, I just didn’t care. His hands had moved from my back down to my ass, gripping tightly until I gasped with the sting of pleasure and pain.

“Right there, Lidia. Right there, sweetness.”

I heard his words and guided my hips until I felt the pressure of his engorged tip. Brayden pushed my bottom and thrust deeply until he was planted firmly inside of me. We both shouted with the connection, our voices lost in the roar of the waves.

“I love you, Brayden,” I said, my back arching so that it felt like he was going even deeper inside of me. “I love you and I don’t want to lose you.”

“Never,” he said, keeping his grip on my waist, thrusting his hips in and out. “You’re never going to lose me, sweetness. Never.”

I believed him because I needed to, I had to. Now that I’d decided that my place was with Brayden, the thought of losing him was not a possibility. I’d wanted it all, wanted the most happiness that I could find and here it was. It had been standing right beside me all along.

“Coroner ruled the death of Kyra Hopkins a suicide. There was no one else found in the apartment, dead or alive,” Jace told us as we sat in the hotel room he’d obtained for us in Pacifica.

Beside me Lidia reached for my hand. I took hers, squeezing tightly to assure her that everything was going to work out. Even though I wasn’t sure I was going to like what Jace was about to say.

“The police want a statement from you,” he continued. “Your statement needs to be that you broke up with Hopkins two weeks ago. She confronted Lidia, warning her away from you following the breakup but you had no other contact with her. You were not at home the night of the suicide, hence the mess found in your apartment. You were at my place in Malibu supervising the construction.”

Lidia tensed beside me and I shook my head even though I knew it wasn’t what Jace wanted to see from me. I was supposed to be strong and decisive and committed to our tribe. I’d been trained to be just that type of shifter. Although Aidan was the oldest, he’d always taken his duties lightly, never really pushing as hard as he could to be the very best shifter. I suspect because he wasn’t sure that’s what he wanted to be, kind of like Lidia. But me, I always knew, always wanted to do what was expected of me.

Now, not so much.

“You want me to lie to the police?” I asked Jace.

The FL had been leaning against a desk, legs crossed at the ankles, arms folded over his chest. He’d looked somber and no-nonsense, as if he expected me to simply go along with everything he’d said.

“No,” he said bluntly. “I want you to go into that police station and tell them that Sabar had a group of rogues on your and Lidia’s tail for the past eight months. That his plan was to use you to get Lidia to come to him. Kyra Hopkins, a human, somehow got mixed up with rogues and they used her to get to you. Lidia would do anything for you, and Sabar was playing on her weakness, something he makes a habit of doing with young, less-experienced shifters.”