rogue shifter 05 - caught between (14 page)

"Leave it to your sister or your niece. My son doesn't need your inheritance."

"Perhaps not, but it will be his when I pass nonetheless."

I tried to back away, but my feet were stuck in the sand as if cemented there.

He moved another foot closer. "You're more beautiful than ever."

Holy crap. I struggled some more, but my feet were still trapped. "Go away Kennet. Make peace with your family. I have nothing to discuss with you."

"Jacqueline." He said my name almost reverently, the tone urging me to look at him. "I am not angry. I understand that you had an obligation to Isaiah. It may please you to know that he broke me more quickly than I would have guessed possible. I am not the warrior I once was.

"You wanted to break me."

" No. I did not desire that, at least not at first. I wished for you to come to me of your free will. I would have put you above all others. I would have loved you."

I almost laughed in his face. "The way you loved your wives?"

"They were shallow and useless. I wanted a queen."

" I kicked your ass, Kennet."

He laughed loudly, an unexpected sound coming from this cold creature. "You and the Hunt. But Jacqueline, I am not going to die. At least not on the day the Elders believe I shall."

"You will. Caelen will turn you over to the Dark Master of the Hunt."

"We'll see." His hand stroked my arm.

I woke up with a start, leaned over the side of the chair and threw up in the impatiens.

Garrett carried me into the bathroom and sat me on the counter, holding me there as I protested. "I can clean myself up."

"You're shaking and pale as a ghost. I don't want you to fall. Humor me." He handed me a wet washcloth so I could wipe off my face." Do you think you can stand up?" I nodded. He helped, holding me securely above my waist. I brushed my teeth and then he supported me so I could walk over to the bed. He positioned a couple of pillows under my bare feet, sending blood back to my head. Then he crawled onto the bed next to me.

"Will you tell me what happened, or are you still angry with me."

"Yes and yes." He looked hurt but I ignored it. "I dreamt that Kennet spoke to me, only I think it was
really
him sending me a message. He's been in my mind before, and we know how well he controls people mentally. He told me that he's made Charlie his heir and then he gave me some BS about how he would have loved me. What really freaked me out was when he said he wasn't going to die at the judgment. I woke up when he touched my arm."

"You're still so pale." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear but I gently pushed his hand away, still overwhelmed by the dream and not ready to be touched by my infuriating mate. He sat up, looking sad because of my coldness but I stubbornly held on to it, afraid of bursting into tears and appearing weak yet again.

"We'll ask Liam if it's possible for him to send you a message while you sleep. It could have simply been a dream, my love."

"It started off strangely. I was covered in someone's blood, but there was no body. It wasn't mine, but I couldn't remember whose blood it was, although I was—I was so sure that I knew. Then I heard Kennet speaking and I was suddenly standing on the island where I'd spoken to him after the duels."

"Your color is finally coming back." He hesitantly stroked my face, but I refused to look at him. "I'm sorry. You're right to be angry. Do you want me to leave, so you can rest?"

"No. I want to talk this out. It just seems that what I say doesn't register with you." I was so frustrated.

"I
do
listen."

I yanked him back down next to me and then turned so we were on our sides facing each other. I touched his face so he'd lose the hurt look. I hated to make him sad. "When you have discussions with Liam about whether or not to tell me things, I want to scream."

"It's only because you're in a more fragile state." He whispered.

"Fragile? Do I look fragile to you? Soon I'll be big enough to play for the San Francisco 49ers. I'm pregnant. Billions of females have given birth. I'll survive."

This time when he stroked my face, I didn't push him away. "There were so many deaths from childbirth when I was younger."

I puffed out a derogatory burst of air. "My very intelligent mate, who likes to say how up-to-date he is, doesn't trust modern medicine? If it were up to you, you'd keep me in bed or parked on the couch with a doctor hovering nearby until I gave birth."

He hesitated a moment before smiling. "I'd be lying if I said your statement was completely false." When I didn't smile back, he added. "I do trust your instincts, although you may not believe me at this particular moment."

"Sometimes I think you're the fragile one." As soon as I said it, I felt bad. "I don't mean weak. I mean..."

"I understand. Having lived through almost losing you has made me less arrogant when it comes to my ability to always keep you safe."

"You can't protect me from the truth. The truth isn't going to kill me. Give me the facts and then advise me. I want your opinion, but
I
get to be the one who decides what's best for
me
."

"It's not just you anymore." He let his hand move across my belly.

I took in a deep breath and let some of my anger go. He looked so vulnerable. "I love that you worry about me and that you want to protect me with your strength and your love. I worry about you too, but I'd never withhold information that you'd need to make an important decision."

He arched an eyebrow. "Jacqueline." I knew that tone. "If we're being truly honest, you must admit that you
have
withheld information. You didn't tell me when Kennet called you to come and rescue Bridgett. You didn't wake me when your grandmother invited you to her realm. Shall I continue?"

I winced. He was right. "Okay, that's true, but I also didn't sit down with Liam and discuss how I shouldn't tell you those things because you're too fragile."

"Because he would have told you to tell me immediately. Those were life and death circumstances. This information about Kennet's trial could have waited."

"Oh yeah, they'd be wheeling me into the delivery room and you'd say, oh by the way..."

He laughed, which made me laugh. I couldn't stay angry with Garrett for long. "I think I would have told you long before that."

I sat up and crossed my legs like a pretzel, feeling somewhat normal again. "Am I an adult to you or not?"

He took his time looking me over and smiled in his very hot way. "Very definitely an adult, mon ange."

"Not just physically, mister mind-on-sex."

He laughed. "Yes. You are an adult in every way."

"Good. Remember that." I turned to get off the bed, but he pulled me down beside him again, this time flat on my back. He quickly moved so that he was hovering above me, his hands on either side of my shoulders

"Tell me I'm forgiven." He whispered. His eyes were enormous, and his smile was so sexy. I was toast.

"What if I don't want to?"

"I may have to tickle you."

"Oh no, please, not that. You're forgiven." I smiled and touched his cheek which felt cooler than it should have. "And you need to feed." Garrett had volunteers in town that he fed from, having decided that he wouldn't take energy from me while I was pregnant. In fact, while we'd been in Carmel, he'd still traveled the lines back to Crescent City to feed. In fact he was only gone for around thirty minutes at a time. Ley Lines: the only way to travel.

"I would first ask for
proof
of your forgiveness. A kiss, s’il vous plaît. A sweet—," he kissed my ear, "—delicious—", he nibbled on my neck, "—kiss from my mate." He brushed his lips very gently across mine. "My very beautiful, sexy,
adult
mate."

My lips were already parted and my hands were in his hair, pulling him closer. When his lips pushed against mine I closed my eyes and lost myself in the incredible feel of his soft yummy lips and his body pressing against mine. I moved my mouth, exploring and tasting, our tongues dancing together in their erotic tango.

When he started to pull away I bit down on his lower lip, yanking on it gently in protest.

He laughed and kissed my bare shoulder. "Try to hold onto that thought. I'll be back soon."

"Je t'aime." I sighed and smiled up into his silver-dotted eyes. The cat in me loved that I was responsible for those tiny sparkling stars, a sign of his desire.

"Je t'aime. Tu et ma vie.
You are my life
."  He gently kissed my mouth once more and was gone, leaving behind his amazing scent and a mate who was wishing that he could've stuck around for another kiss, even though she'd been really angry with him five minutes ago.

A very smart vampire.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Rob and Maya arrived on time. Rob greeted me with a warm hug and Maya a curt nod, then they disappeared into Garrett's office along with Garrett. The vampires and Isaiah were already here and our other two team members showed up only a few minutes later.

They'd arrived in Kyle's SUV, Kyle blasting the Muse CD so loudly that Ethan had a pained expression and probably a headache to match. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed my shifter team mates until they ran over and hugged me enthusiastically, commenting on how big Charlie was getting and how great I looked.

Ethan was dressed nicely in a leather jacket, dark jeans and a button down shirt, looking as hot as ever. With his thick chestnut colored wavy hair, his golden brown eyes and his adorable smile, Ethan always looked like one of those Hollywood red carpet hunks. Luckily he was as far from stuck-up as you could get. Only a year older, Ethan and I had trained together on Solo Island with Rob and we'd helped each other through some difficult times. I loved him like a brother, and he teased me like one, too.

Kyle on the other hand was more the what-you-see-is-what-you-get-so-deal kind of friend. Always honest, sometimes painfully so, and legitimately confident in his amazing skills as a martial artist and weapons expert. Dressed in his usual black jeans and graphic tee, Kyle's hot Asian features, lean muscles and spiky bleached blonde hair would have complemented a more professional outfit, but if you mentioned that to him, he'd just hit you with some smart-assed remark. He was funny as hell and I loved him to death, when he wasn't annoying the shit out of me.

"Where's Sinc?"

Kyle answered. "She's still hanging with Aaron's pack in Oregon. I talked to her last night. She said that Aaron is helping her recover faster." He snorted out a laugh. "If you ask me, I think her ex lover boy Gabriel is the one doing the healing mojo."

Gabriel, the son of an alpha werewolf. had been her first love, but when she'd shifted into her snow leopard form the first time, his father's pack had kicked her out. Rob took her in and trained her, then sent her off to college where she quickly earned a masters in forensic science.

She and Gabe hadn't kept in touch, but when our team was hired by his father to find three missing teen boys, they'd reconnected. We discovered that the boys had been kidnapped by Gabe's younger brother, Karl, who'd tried to end our investigation by blowing up the house we were staying in. No one was killed, but Sinc's foot had been so badly damaged, the doctors amputated it to save her life.

"I don't care who's helping her, I'm just glad that she's making progress." Losing a foot was a devastating injury. In animal form we experienced tremendous joy in the hunt for prey, but Sinc could only sit on the sidelines now and watch. Also, as a member of our team, she'd be limited as to how she could contribute. With her scientific background, the lab was her playground, but it would be difficult for her to gather the physical evidence herself and that would frustrate her. When our team faced off against our enemies, it would be practically impossible for her to participate in any battles.

Kyle saw my guest for the first time. "Who the hell are you?" Kyle had such tact.

"I am Isaiah, little leopard."

"You don't look like a demon. You look a little like Stu, the guy who owns the pizza place on Del Norte."

"This is not my true form and I have agreed not to transition, however..."

"I saw pictures Kyle. Trust me. It's for the best."

"The pictures you saw were of demons in warrior form, not true form."

"Oh. So you have another form? You're a bunch of chameleons." I smiled, hoping he wouldn't flip out over my next request. "Isaiah, perhaps you could go downstairs? There's a large TV and 'Underworld' is on channel nine tonight. I'll send down food."

"Fine. But make sure you tell them all about your new skill. You can thank me after you find the killer." He left, taking the stairs down to the finished basement. All eyes turned toward me.

Ethan laughed as they sat at the table. "
Another
new ability? You'll be leaving us and joining The Avengers soon."

I smiled at him, saying, "Not likely, although Thor's kinda cute."

Kyle asked, "You like a man with a big hammer?" I threw a roll at him and he moved incredibly fast to avoid getting hit. "Hey, I think he's hot too." Kyle had a lifemate, a black leopard shifter named Peter, but like most felines, he still loved to flirt.

Flynn had caught the roll and had already eaten half of it. "Is dinner soon? I'm hungry."

"Lay off the carbs, chubby." Heinrich teased him.

I rolled my eyes. "Sash, could you take drink orders and pour the wine?"

"Of course, Mistress."

"Please..."

"Of course,
Jackie
." His light blue eyes glittered as he got the glasses out of the cabinet. The vampires didn't eat, but they'd usually sip some wine or have a beer while we talked. William got up to help Sash.

"I'll have a beer." Flynn said as he sat at the table.

Heinrich sat down next to him. "In your dreams, Simba. Get him a coke, Sash. I'll have the usual."