His voice was harsh, raspy, like he was having a hard time holding onto his beast. And when his nails, claws really, dug deeply into her back along her spine, she tensed up for whatever he was giving her. When he told her to come again, again, with the raw voice that she didn’t recognize, she came hard, her body obeying his command like she was his.
The teeth that sank into her ribcage took her breath away. They weren’t his, not Noah’s the human. And when they tore viciously at her flesh, breaking bones and splitting her open, Bryce screamed again, the pain so severe that she knew she was going to die.
It took her several seconds to realize that Noah was speaking to her. His voice this time was frantic with worry. He was holding her in his arms, and they were seated on the couch in his office. Looking up at him, she saw him burst into tears and Bryce wiped them away with her finger.
“I thought that we’d killed you.” She started to tell him that she’d thought that as well but didn’t get the chance. “I don’t know what happened. I mean, I do know—I just don’t understand why that happened. I have never in all my life—”
She put her fingers over his mouth. “Too many words. Slow down.” He smiled around her fingers. “I don’t know what that was either, but I’m not sore. Am I bleeding or anything?”
“No. You were, but not now. It just sort of healed up on its own. Christ, I will never do that to you again.” She sat up slowly; truthfully, she was almost too afraid to see if she was going to be in pain. “You’re going to be all right, aren’t you? I have never been so terrified in all my life. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not. That was fantastic, Noah. And while I don’t think I’d like to have sex like that every time, I’d love for you to lose control on occasion.” Stretching, she turned to look at him before something occurred to her. “Your dragon—he bit me, didn’t he?”
“Yes. Well, sort of, I guess. That’s what frightened me so badly. He sort of took me over in ways so that he could bite you. And when he tore into your flesh, I thought for sure that he was trying to murder you.” She nodded. “Are you mad?”
“Good heavens no. As I said, it was amazing sex, but not for daily use. I suppose it was his way of marking me or making me his own. I’m all right with that.” She smiled at him. “You solved a case over the phone. But I have a feeling that it was much more than just a knife being planted in the wall. When I heard you say that, I wondered why the man hadn’t used something sharper, something…I don’t know, like another gun or something.”
“He might have. But as soon as I touched the photograph with the knife in it, it was like my mind centered on it and I could actually see him planting the knife.” Noah handed her the other picture, the one where the wife was on the floor. “Tell me what you feel when you touch this one.”
The actions of the man came flooding at her when she touched the picture of the body. The wife was coming in the kitchen to ask him where the house payment money was, and he shot her in the chest. There wasn’t a row, as he’d said, but just him killing her. And as soon as he heard the sirens, he panicked, grabbed the first knife he could find, and rammed it into the wall. Bryce looked at Noah.
“That’s fucking freaky.” He said it had been for him too, but he’d been almost afraid to say anything. “Yeah, I can understand that. So, you think that we’ll have this...whatever this is all the time? Or was this a one timer?”
He handed her another picture in a frame. Bryce backed from it and Noah laughed. She was just fine thinking that it was a one-time thing. And if they had to use it again, then she’d deal with it then. Right now, she was feeling too good to think about it.
The rest of the afternoon was spent on different projects. Bryce had several things going at one time, one of which was trying to work out a way to get the WC replaced. When she’d been there the other day, she realized that all of them were corrupt. But the issue she was having, among other things, was who did she talk to about getting them investigated? And after that, who did they get to replace them?
She knew that Black had it in his head that she was going to take the job from him. But she didn’t want it. There were too many things in her life that she wanted to explore, to test. And if she was forever settling one spat, or rule broken, after another, she’d never get to spend as much time with Noah as she wanted. Bryce thought that they’d make a good team to do some investigative work for different areas of insurance, as well as for the police.
Mom came to see her just before supper. She said that she had a few questions that she needed to get answered and wanted her to go with her into town. Bryce could see that whatever it was, Mom was really upset about it.
As they were making their way through the light traffic, Bryce asked her what it was. For a few minutes, she didn’t think her mom was going to answer her. But when she turned to her with tears in her eyes, Bryce felt something in her heart stir for her.
“I was just taking a walk yesterday and heard a child crying. It was in the back yard of one of those row houses—you know the kind. Where they are federally subsidized. and most of the people there have one thing or another that prevents them from working.” Bryce told her that not all but a few, she thought. “Yes, well, I was trying my best to be kind. And politically correct. Anyway, I went to see what all the crying was about. And there in the back yard was a little child chained up to a dog house. Like a dog. Bryce, it was all I could do not to go there and steal that child away.”
“You didn’t, did you, Mom?” She said that she hadn’t yet. “Good. And if it comes to that, let me do it. I have more magic than you and can zap the ass of anyone that is fucking with a child.”
“Such language. What if the child were yours and that was its first word?” Bryce only smiled at her mom. “I see. Well, it’s a good thing that I’m living with you so that I can be a saving grace for the child. Back to this child. No, I didn’t steal it away, but I did watch him. He couldn’t have been any more than about five or so. And he saw me looking.”
She waited on her mom to tell her the rest. And when they pulled up in front of the row houses, Bryce reached out with this freaky power and knew which house it was. She reached out to Lady Kelly, to ask her for her help. It was, after all, her township.
The Baldwin home. Yes, I know of it. I’d not heard that they had any children, however. I’ll meet you there, unless you want to go ahead and do your witchy stuff on them and save that little mite. By the way, I’ve heard that you’re helping out with cases across the pond, as they call it here. You might want to talk to the constable here. I think he has a few unsolved as well. She told Kelly that she thought that Noah was already helping him. Good. I think the man is set to retire soon. Maybe one of you guys could put in for the job. Lord knows that we need someone on the staff that isn’t nine hundred years old.
I’m sure that Noah is already older than that. They both laughed. I’ll talk to him about it. I know that we’re both finding our way around here. I have some things I’m doing right now for the WC, sort of a covert kind of thing.
If you need our help, let me know. I think that the faerie queen has been having some issues with them too. Something about her having to send faeries to them once a month to clean their offices and homes. Why would they have to do that? She said she didn’t think that was right either but would add it to her list. I’ll tell her. And set up a meeting with her. I’m sure you know more rules about that office than she or I would ever know.
When Kelly showed up at the place where they were parked, Bryce’s mom told Kelly what was going on. She told her, too, about how the child had been out there during the cold night. She’d come to check on him at about midnight and had left him a sandwich.
“I just couldn’t see him starving because his parents need to be killed.” Bryce looked at her mother, shocked at her lately. “Well, the only thing I can think of is that you and your grandma are rubbing off on me. I feel better than I have in years.”
Knocking on the door, they
waited for someone to come to it. There was shouting going on inside. They could even hear someone sobbing. Just as she was ready to open the door on her own, a woman opened it, and Bryce knew this wasn’t going to go well.
~*~
The fire was being contained, mostly due to Bryce. When Noah had arrived on the scene, he’d been completely blown away by the state of the fire. He’d been told that it had only been burning for several minutes when he’d been called there. But nearly every bit of the home and the contents were ash. He looked over at the body that was covered with a gray tarp. When Laura came to him, he took her into his arms. She was devastated about the entire thing, he’d surmised.
“They took them all three to the hospital. What kind of person does that to their own family?” He said that it was more common than not. “I don’t know if you are aware of this or not, but when a woman is venting, they don’t need you to make it worse by commenting.”
“Sorry.” He had to hide a smile. Laura had just scolded him with a grin on her face, much like his own mother would have done. “Anyway, as you were saying about people and their families.”
“Yes. He had beaten the woman only a few minutes before we arrived. To think we were just sitting there in the car, waiting, when we could have kept her from being hurt so badly.” He asked if she was going to make it. “Yes. Because of Kelly. She did something—I’m not sure what—to her and she was healed. I think that Bryce could have done it, but she was much too busy keeping the other homes from burning to the ground. I had no idea that Kelly was a dragon as well.”
“Yes. When Devon married her, she was looking through the portraits on the walls when his mother’s dragon came to live inside of Kelly. I’ve never seen it happen—I guess it’s very rare. They’re very happy, and her dragon and Kelly have been getting used to each other.” She asked him if that would happen to Bryce. “I don’t know. All the paintings of my family were sold off when my family got behind in the taxes. I guess they had no idea that they weren’t being paid by their solicitor.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Noah. This makes it better, I think, that you not only got your home back, but you also gained a mate. I’m assuming that you’re going to be marrying my daughter soon, correct?” He laughed. Noah just couldn’t help it. Hugging her to him, he assured her that all he had to do was convince Bryce that it was a good idea. “I’ll work on her. Guilt her, actually. Can’t have my favorite son-in-law not married, now can we?”
“No, ma’am, we cannot.”
Noah watched the firemen walk around the site. The house was completely gone—not even a stick of furniture could be seen in the rubble. The woman and her children were going to need help.
Devon asked him if he had a minute. Leaving Laura, Noah walked to the other side of the street.
“I have two homes that they can move into. The issue is, there is very little in the way of furniture. Not to mention, clothing is needed for all three of them. The little boy, he’ll need to be in the hospital for a few days. He’s dehydrated, as well as malnourished. They all are, but he is by far the worse of the three of them.” Devon looked over at the body and continued. “Kelly said that he came out the door with a gun after the missus was pulled out. Had she not had the child in her arms and the other one locked in the yard, she told me she didn’t know what might have happened.”
“We have Laura to thank for saving them,” Noah told Devon. “She had seen the little boy out back yesterday and brought Bryce here. And since she didn’t want to step on any toes, Bryce called in Kelly. I’m glad that they were all here to help. I did tell them, and I hope you don’t mind, that if anything like this happened again, to take care of it. Not to wait on anyone.” Devon told him that was good. He didn’t want anyone hurt, however. “Not unless it’s the bad guy, I’m assuming.”
Devon was nodding as he spoke again. “Yes, well, I’m glad that piece of shit is taken care of too. Had I been here and he pulled out a gun on them, I don’t think the block would have survived.” Devon said that he would have been lucky if the entire town had survived. “But they did well. And Bryce said that Kelly was so calm the entire time. Then she fell apart.”
“She told me that she hated to kill anyone, but he’d nearly killed his wife.” The husband had killed his wife, from what Noah had heard from Bryce, but he said nothing as Devon spoke.
“As I was saying earlier, they’re going to need a great many things. I’m going into town to see what I can find. And I was wondering if you’d like to come along.”
Noah thanked him and thought of something. “Sure. But only if you let me pay for half of it.” Devon said that he was counting on that. “They’ll need food too. How about we send some of our staff to do that? And Bryce and Kelly can go get clothing for them all.”
“Fantastic. All right. We’re organized, so let’s get to it.” Devon told him he’d drive, and they made their way to the car. Then he stopped and turned to him. “I suppose we should tell the women before we just leave them.”
After talking to the women and getting their cooks involved, they were off to get whatever they might need.
The house that Devon had was a four bedroom with a nice big yard. They were close to the library, as well as walking distance to the local school. Noah was trying to think about a job for the woman and realized that he’d not heard any of their names. He asked Bryce what she knew.
The mothers name is Bobbie Fredrick—short for Roberta. The older boy is Josh, and the baby is Blake. Josh is seven; very small for his age, but we’re going to be working on that. And Blake needs to eat better, as do the rest, and be able to get out and move. He’s about nine months old, Bobbie told me. I’m at the hospital now. He asked her if she could find out sizes for them. Sure. Kelly has already come in and gotten all that, including shoe sizes. I guess you guys are taking care of the household items.
Yes. I have never had to shop before. And neither has Devon. Things in both our homes were there when we were children. I know that he’s gotten a few things with Kelly, but she’s done most of that sort of thing. Devon called in his mother to help. She’s been tisking at him since he asked her. They both laughed, and then he felt her tension. What is it, love? Something I need to come there about?
The WC is here. I’m not worried about them, but they’re here. I don’t think it’s because of me, however. He waited when she asked him to. After telling Devon, the other dragon asked if they needed to go there. Telling him to wait was about the hardest thing he’d done. They’re not here for me. One of them is here watching over a woman. I’m going to see what I can find out. I’ll be careful.
He told Devon but was worried. Devon said that she was with Kelly and should be fine. If not, they’d both have to add an entire new wing of the hospital, as well as a burn unit. Noah told him that he wasn’t the least bit funny. He was still laughing when they met up with Devon’s mom at the furniture store. Noah decided that he was going to think of some way of getting back at him.
The shopping was a great deal more fun than he’d thought it would be. Not only did they get everything that Lady Susanna told them, but a few extras for the children. He had so much fun in that department that the conversation that he and Bryce had had about children made him want to hurry out and get one for themselves. Lady Susanna came to help him with the blankets he was picking out.
“I have so many things that belonged to my daughter, and then to Devon. I thought that my heart would shatter when she passed away. After losing the first child by that bastard she was married to, I should have brought her home. It wasn’t his child, and even though he knew that when they wed, he still threw her down the stairs not long after they were married to abort the babe. Then she got pregnant with his child—Devon was that baby.” She looked to where Devon was and watched him testing out strollers. “If I had, however, I’d never have had him. And he almost makes up for having to put up with his father for all those years.”
“He killed him, didn’t
he?” It wasn’t an easy question, but he really wanted to know. “There is talk that Devon knocked him down the stairs as his dragon. Not one person that mentions it to me says anything terrible about Devon. They actually seem very proud of him. But they know that it wasn’t an accident.”
“When I came to see him after the funeral, he told me that I could live here. My first question to him was what he was going to demand of me.” She looked at him now. “He told me that he wanted nothing and thought that I was a grown woman and could decide things on my own. So, I have. And being with him, and now Kelly, has made life worth living again. Also, being a great-grandmother isn’t all that shabby either.”
“Yes, I can see that you’re very heartbroken about the prospect of being one.” She smiled at him, and he could almost feel the love of it all the way to his own heart. “I have a favor to ask of you, Lady Susanna. I want to marry Bryce, and as I’ve only asked her the one time and she turned me down, I think that I’m going to get the same answer again—if she lets me ask. Every time I start to, she covers my mouth. It’s a good distraction, but it’s not getting us wed.”
“Yes, I can well imagine that she’s very good at distracting all manner of things when she has it in her mind not to talk about something. I’ve asked her several hundred times a day to stop calling me Lady Susanna, much as I have you, and neither of you have done it. I will stop answering the two of you if you don’t just call me Susanna.” She eyed him like he was a bug on a glass slide under a microscope. “Well?”
“Susanna, you are beautiful, and I would appreciate it if you helped me with my future wife.” Susanna said well done. “Yes. I don’t think you gave me much of a choice, but I do love you dearly.”
Arranging to have everything delivered was smart, because as they were checking out, it occurred to both him and Devon how much furniture it took to fill a house that size. But the people were very polite and nice. They were even going to set it up for them when they got to the house. Christ, he’d not thought of that either.
Noah: House of Wilkshire ― Erotic Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance Page 9
