rogue shifter 05 - caught between (18 page)

Garrett had given Sash and Rick and Will their own place with the freedom to live their lives without his constant supervision. This included the right to invite females to their house as long as they treated them by the same standards he'd laid out for Flynn
and
as long as the girls agreed to be glamoured into forgetting the evening afterward.

They were never to bring their female 'friends' to
our
house, however, without Garrett or Liam's okay. Because of our stringent security, I had to go along with the glamour rule, although I didn't like the idea of changing someone's memories. Still, Charlie's safety was always going to be our top priority.

Basically, I was informed that as long as Flynn lived there, he'd be exposed to parties, probably participating in most of them. Will handled Sash and Rick's mischief with good humor, so Flynn would have to grow up and learn to deal with it like a man, and hopefully not a man-whore.

After Garrett gave me the news, I stuck my head under the covers and groaned. One thing was certain. When Charlie hit puberty, Garrett was dealing with him.

Aislin and Noriene made their appearance after dinner. Rick and Sash were there as well, while Isaiah and Flynn stayed back at the vamp villa watching TV for now. Bridgett had ditched my demonic trainer to be with William as soon as he woke from his rest. I didn't expect to see either of them until later.

The prospective guards were lovely, tall and slim, typical fae females. They bowed formally to me and to Garrett and pledged their service to Charles with the usual solemn vow. We introduced them to the others and then showed them the nursery and the rest of the house, including the outside area where Sinlae and her males would be living.

Liam had stayed later than usual to inform them of their shift assignments and also point out the security we already had in place, like magical wards and high tech alarms. Other than the ceremony, they'd remained unusually quiet, so I invited them to sit at the kitchen table and have some of Liam's amazing tiramisu and a glass of wine or a cup of coffee. They thanked me and sat.

As they ate, we asked them a few questions, all of us trying to get them to open up a little bit. Sasha and Rick were practically drooling, so Rick asked the first question.

"Which one of you is Brina's cousin?" He and Sash had enjoyed an "encounter of the fae kind" with Brina and her sister, Kaera, while we were in Los Altos. I guess he was hoping for a similar outcome somewhere down the line with one of these fae beauties.

"I have that honor."  Noriene had lovely golden brown hair and enormous light violet eyes which met his dark brown eyes directly. "Do you know my cousin well?"

"Fairly well. We've
worked
together." He smirked.

"And what work do you do...?"

"Heinrich. Call me Rick. I work for Garrett's team. And Sash and I have started our own security company. We only have two clients, but we're just getting it off the ground. "

"You are both vampires?" He nodded. "What do you do when someone needs you to work during daylight hours?"

"We've hired several werewolves."

She made a face. "I suppose they can protect humans or shifters, but..."

"The weres we've hired are not what you're used to." Aaron had recommended two giants with combat training and Fred sent another amazing fighter who used to be a Navy Seal.

"I have never met a werewolf and have no desire to do so. Until tonight, Garrett was the only vampire I had ever spoken to. He is most honored among my people, but I believe that he is not typical of his species. We have shifters who work for us in Faerie, so I am familiar with their limited abilities." Her tone was matter-of-fact, but I was shocked.

"WTF, Liam?"

"Noriene is behaving as she believes you expect her to behave. She thinks, as do most fae, that you've taken her on as a guard for Charlie because of her strength as a warrior and her confidence in her ability to overcome ALL supernatural groups. She feels that she cannot speak of them as being her equal because she thinks that you'd send her back. Believe me when I tell you, these two are the best fit."

"Am I allowed to tell her off?"

"Privately. But remember that she is slightly overwhelmed. She has never been outside of Faerie."

"Is Aislin the same?"

"Aislin is a more careful observer. She'll watch and learn and take her cues from you and Garrett. Once she's comfortable, she'll share her thoughts readily. She's an excellent strategist and will be a great asset to your household security."

I asked Aislin about her experience with other supernatural groups.

"I have had a few conversations with Garrett in Faerie," she smiled in his direction, "and your sister, Bridgett, also. She is lively and makes me laugh, although I do not always understand her when she speaks. I have never met a werewolf, although I would be interested in doing so." Her light blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders in thick waves, making her look very young and eager.

We talked for another half an hour and then I asked the two of them if they'd sit with me out on the front porch to talk privately for a few minutes. They followed, their expressions curious. Aislin perched on the railing while Noriene and I sat in the Adirondack chairs.

I decided to speak formally so that they'd understand the importance of my words. I directed my question toward Noriene. "Do you know what I am? My bloodline?"

Noriene nodded. "A cheetah shapeshifter, a rare healer with a small amount of demon blood." She looked away, as if dismissing the last part.

"My grandmother is the Bassilissa Naberia, a full-blood archdemon." Her eyes widened. "My mother was half-demon. I have the birthmark." I touched behind my left ear and she nodded in understanding. As Liam had predicted, Aislin watched the two of us carefully, not saying a word.

"How do you feel about what I am, Noriene?"

She didn't speak for a moment, then answered slowly. "You are the mother of a fae child. The rest does not matter." She lifted her chin and met my gaze without fear and perhaps a touch of arrogance.

"It does matter. My cheetah blood attracted my mate and then helped me rescue him when he was kidnapped. My healer blood helped me save Aedus' life and my demon blood saved me from Lord Kennet. Every bit of what I am is important. Charlie will be all of what I am plus part of what you are and every drop of his blood and his heritage will help him as he grows.

I shifted my gaze from one to the other. "I need to know that you're both here to guard
all
of him, not just the fae part. I will expect you to accept him as he is and not encourage him to favor only his fae heritage."

They stared at me for a moment in silence, then Noriene spoke."I have just now sworn an oath which it is my duty and my privilege to honor. Do you believe for a moment that I would not lay down my life for him? Or for you, his mother? If you do, then I will return to Faerie and Liam will choose another."

"I trust Liam to have chosen you for the right reasons. He understands the danger my son is in because of his bloodline and will have picked the two fae who can protect him best. But please understand me. I am his mother. I will fight to the death to protect him against any creature who attacks his body, but also his spirit. Intolerance and prejudice against another species is wrong. The fae are a noble race, perhaps magically superior to many others, but I need to be certain that you'll accept him for all of who he is, his demon blood included. Not just protect him because he is half fae, but because he is Charles. Sinlae predicted that the mixture will make him stronger."

Her shoulder muscles relaxed as she finally understood. "You are indeed worthy to be the mother of a fae child. Excuse me, a...
supernatural
child...with the blood of many powerful races in his veins. Liam is half fae and half human and in some ways I have seen that he is stronger because of it. I apologize if I misspoke. I did not truly understand. I will honor my pledge to guard Charles and you, Jacqueline, and I will encourage and challenge your son to be all that he is."

Aislin, slid gracefully off the railing, smiling. "The mix of your blood with our fae blood will be an incredible blend. Charles will be a warrior most worthy of any opponent." He gave Aislin a playful punch on the shoulder. "My cousin can sometimes appear arrogant, but she is a fine warrior and has a true heart."

Noriene pushed back and they both laughed. Suddenly Liam's choice became clear. "Charlie will need you both. He'll trust you and depend on you and love you as a child loves his early teachers."

They glanced at each other and smiled. "We will do all in our power to deserve his trust and yours," Noriene said. I believed her.

"There's another thing. Garrett and I have many friends and team mates who come to our home often. You'll meet alpha werewolves, sorcerers, witches, a wide variety of shapeshifters and also my demon trainer. You'll need to learn who they are and treat them as equals. Many of them have been instrumental in saving my life and Garrett's."

"We understand." Aislin was grinning like a monkey, probably excited at the chance to meet such a wide variety of supernaturals. Faerie was lovely, but isolating.

They left a little while later, leaving me feeling much better about the whole fae guard thing.

Bridgett and William came to Garrett looking nervous and excited. Garrett approved the match with a formality necessary in rituals such as these. Sash had already traced the initials they'd chosen to mark permanently into their upper arms. They'd wracked their brains, but in the end chose to honor each other simply by wearing the other's initials written in Sasha's amazing calligraphy. BVBC, for Bridgett Violet Brownlow Carlyle, and WMC, for William Matthew Carlyle.

When it was done, they shared a little blood, which colored the letters in dark yellow and blue, the colors of their auras. Bridgett threw herself into Will's arms and they kissed with the abandon of a couple newly sealed. After all, this was a union that would survive for centuries. I couldn't have been happier for them.

CHAPTER TWENTY

"Yeah, yeah. Sinc, I know all that. Would you stop already? I swear, I'm hanging up. Oh really? Well maybe you should get your gimpy ass down here and... What did you call me?" Kyle tossed me the phone. "
You
talk to her."

Kyle and I were standing in the living room of a three bedroom ranch-style house located in a quiet and picturesque neighborhood. It was the scene of the second and most recent murder, both shifter females found dead within a week of each other.

Kyle's sterile gloves were on the floor where he'd thrown them in order to answer his cell, so he pulled on fresh pair from the box on the kitchen table and marched back into a room at the front end of the hallway. He and Ethan were working the scene, or at least that's what Sinc had asked them to do.

I held the phone away from my ear as she screamed, "Kyle you get back on the phone this instant." I walked out to the back porch, trying my best to keep from laughing out loud, definitely unprofessional behavior when working a crime scene. There were a couple of reporters in the front, and I avoided them at all costs.

"You giving K—Kyle a hard time?" I gasped, pulling out a tissues from my bag and blowing my nose.

"He's an idiot. He's supposed to be sending me pictures of the scene
before
he touches anything. He took the pictures but then started collecting evidence before I had a chance to look at them. I want to
strangle
him." She huffed into the phone. "Tell me how you're doing so I can get my mind off of the asshole leopard and calm down."

I did, and she sighed. "I'm so envious."

"You wouldn't be if you saw what I have to do to get out of a chair."

"Yeah, you're probably right." We laughed.

"Other than wanting to murder a team member, how are
you
?" I asked.

"I'm great.
Really
great." It sounded so good to hear her this happy. She hesitated. "I need to tell you something. I may not come back to Crescent City."

"You'll quit the team?" I was struck hard by that news. Sinc had become a good friend.

"No—well, sort of. I mean, I'll continue to work as a consultant, just from a distance."

"It's Gabriel." I was surprised by the coldness of my tone.

She sighed. "Look, I know you don't like him and I don't blame you at all. His pack tried to kill all of us, and he only stepped in at the last minute to save
me
. But he testified against them and because of his testimony, his dad and brother were executed. He had to watch them die, Jackie. It was horrible for him."

It was on the tip of my tongue to say that they deserved what they got after killing all those children and women, but I knew it wouldn't change how she felt.

She continued, "It hasn't been easy for him here. Aaron works him until he's ready to drop and Franklin is a lot rougher than Sasha. Gabe walks around with bruises and cuts and sometimes even broken bones. He's trying hard to change his life."

I was losing her, and I didn't want that. "Sinc—please come home. Once you get some distance between you, you'll see that he's..."

"We had
nine years
between us, and when we saw each other again, all the same feelings were still there." I was silent, not really knowing what else to say. She sighed, her voice a soft appeal, "Give him a chance—for me. Please."

I shut my mouth and forced myself to think about everything that Sinc had experienced as a fifteen year old shifter. She was kicked out of her pack by Quentin and sent far from her parents and her first lover, Gabriel. None of them were allowed to contact her. If she could forgive him after suffering a life changing injury in the attack by his pack, then why couldn't I? I wanted my friend to be happy, and if he made her feel cherished the way Garrett made me feel, then I should be thrilled for her.

"Are you still there?" she asked, her voice shaky.