by T. A. Grey
She heard a commotion at the door, then Vera was pushing her way past the two girls. “Listen big bro, we’re here to take Cassie. And we’re not leaving until she comes with us.” She turned behind her to the girls and said, “What do you think would be a good size for him an XXL?”
Darien gripped the doorframe and it groaned in protest. “Cassie and I are busy right now. Come back later.”
“No can do, bro. She may be your woman, but she’s already been promised to us for the day. Sorry, but we have dibs.”
“And who the hell gave you permission to have her for the day?”
Alison poked her arm in and pointed at Cassie. “She did.”
Darien turned to give her a withering glare. She laughed, she couldn’t help it; it just came out of her. His eyes flickered then narrowed on her again.
“They’re right. I did.” She shrugged as if to say sorry. She wasn’t.
“You can’t have her yet. We’re in the middle of a conversation.”
“Well have it later. We’ll bring her back in one piece...we think,” Sarina said.
Throwing up his hands he said, “Fine.”
Poor lykaen. Cassie sidled up to him, and even with all three gals watching on, she reached way up and pulled him down for a kiss.
She heard several bow chica bow bows and some clapping in the background so she pulled away from his soft lips and smiled at him.
“Bye,” she said.
“You’ll be back later.” He said it almost as a question.
“Of course.” She was fairly certain that was a lie, too.
“Come on Cassie we have some awesome girl time to get to,” Vera said and tugged her out the cabin.
Now that Cassie was away from Darien, she actually felt both excited and overwhelmed at the prospect of hanging out with these women. She’d never done anything like this. She honestly didn’t even know what girls did in a situation like this.
She was thankful though—boy wasn’t that the understatement of the year—that she didn’t have to share the nastiest part of her life with Darien. At least not yet. She didn’t want to do that. She didn’t want to mar the beauty between them. Well perhaps beauty was too strong a word. What was between them was a mess of problems, layered with anxiety, and topped with a dollop of crap.
They piled into a bright red sedan. “Where are we going?”
“First we’re going to get a bite to eat at Alison’s cafe.” At once, everyone stopped buckling their seatbelts and turned to her.
“Wait, you don’t eat food, right?” Alison asked, a blush creeping over her face. Vera elbowed her in the side and rolled her eyes.
“No she doesn’t eat food. She drinks blood.” Vera turned to look back at Cassie from the driver’s seat. “Listen, is it cool if we eat and you watch? If you want something before we go, then I’ll get Darien for you.”
Wow. Cassie felt her cheeks heating with a blush. “Uh, no, that’s okay. I’m fine really. I’d like to see your café, Alison.”
Alison smiled big and melted back against the seat. “She’s after my heart you guys. Let’s go!”
The drive to the cafe was one of the best experiences of Cassie’s life. Alison had cranked up the radio and all three of the girls started singing loudly, and mostly horribly, to some song with a catchy beat. Cassie had no idea what song it was, but the girls managed to make her feel accepted and welcome.
She put on a smile as they entered a lovely and cozy little cafe. There were tables outside with big maroon umbrellas to block the sun and inside the café, the tables were simple and neat. They were covered in a draping white cloth with a little maroon vase in the center of the table with fresh flowers in them.
It was lovely, and she could easily see Darien eating here. Her gut clenched with sadness. And of course across from him would be some lovely, non-vampire, woman who could actually eat with him. Not once in her life had she ever wished to be anything else. Sure she wished to still have her parents and to not be living under Daniel’s rule, but she’d never wished to be human or lykaen.
Cassie followed the women into the kitchen. They all got to watch Alison work, which was really a sight to see. How she managed to plan and make meals for the three of them, at the same time, was incredible. When she was done, the food was hot and perfect. Cassie had never seen a chef actually work aside from some Food Network shows she caught on TV. It took a lot of skill. However the smells were completely unappetizing to her vampire senses.
They took a seat at a table and while the girl’s ate, Cassie silently made her plans. After her nightmare last night, she was thinking Daniel was on to something. She didn’t have to go running back to him. She could just keep running. Something she should have done from the beginning. Of course passing out near Darien’s hadn’t been planned. She should have just left when he wanted. Then at least her heart wouldn’t be breaking.
“So Cassie, we’ve been dying to know...” Cassie looked up from the empty spot on the table in front of her and realized that all the girls were looking right at her with eager eyes.
“What,” she asked hesitantly.
Vera and Sarina both asked questions at the same time. “How did you meet?” “Is he amazing in bed?”
Vera turned a disgusted glare at Sarina. “Gross. He’s my brother.” Sarina smiled and shrugged.
“But he’s not mine,” Sarina snorted.
“Shut up and let her answer,” Alison said. All eyes turned on her again. She smiled, she couldn’t help it. She was falling in love with more of the Kategans. They must be contagious or something.
“I met him in the woods.”
“What do you mean? Were you like hiking? None of us even know where Darien was staying. He left to go on a journey to figure out his life and problems or whatever, but I figured he was in Siberia or something,” Vera said.
Cassie bit her lip, unsure how much she should tell them. She opened her mouth to lie, but found that she couldn’t do it. Her shoulders sagged in defeat. She really couldn’t do it. And they didn’t deserve a lie.
“My fiancé had beaten me again. I swore that it would be the last time. I ran and didn’t stop until I collapsed. I guess I was exhausted. Apparently that was somewhere near Darien. He said I was on his own land.” She shrugged. “I don’t know much more about his cabin than that.” She sighed a huge exhalation of air. The weight on her shoulders lessened so that she could actually stand up straight. It felt good to say that. Really good. Except she knew it wouldn’t be so easy to tell Darien that.
“You have a fiancé?” The girl’s expressions were a mixture of confusion, shock, and anger. She only hoped it was anger about the beating and not about the fact that she’d technically cheated on her unwanted fiancé.
“Yes, I do. I was raised by my father until he committed suicide when I was four. I have no living relatives, so what happened to me was left in his will and up to the judgment of the clan’s elder. I was to be to be mated to Daniel, a good friend of my father’s, and when I turned twenty-five, I’d have to mate with him.”
Sarina looked angry enough to chew nails. “Your own father gave you over to an abusive man? I’m sorry, but that’s horrendous.” A flicker of pain cross her eyes.
Cassie squirmed in her seat. “Well, Daniel didn’t use to be like that. At least not that I remember. I remember him and dad talking and laughing together. They were close. Daniel didn’t start to get cruel until I was older.” Now that she thought about it, she didn’t remember ever seeing Daniel laugh or smile like that after dad died.
“I went through something similar with my father too. Though he did it because he’s a controlling piece of shit. He tried to sell me into a marriage with a woman abuser. Vane stopped it all from happening, thank God, but then Alison...” Sarina looked away, tears in her eyes. She fanned herself with a hand, “I’m sorry, you guys. It’s the hormones. I swear.” She rubbed a loving hand over her rounded belly.
Alison laughed and took over the convers
ation. “The woman abuser was an ex of mine who later started pursuing me again because he was angry he couldn’t have Sarina. It was all one big, complicated as hell mess, but it’s over now. He’s sitting in a cell and won’t ever be coming out of it again.”
“Damn straight.” Sarina cheered and high fived Alison. Turning back to Cassie she said, “So about the sex...”
“No!” Vera said, a shiver of disgust rolling through her. Cassie laughed at them all. This camaraderie they had was always something she’d wanted.
“The Kategans will protect you.” Cassie turned a startled look to Vera. She looked so serious, they all did. “You don’t need to hide with us. You can tell us anything. It’s all up to you, but just know that we really do care.”
“I don’t know why you would,” Cassie heard herself saying.
“Because we’re nice people, but also because you brought something precious back to us,” Vera said. Her voice clouded with emotion. “Darien’s been lost to us for so long. This is the first time any of us have seen a glimpse of what he used to be.”
Cassie couldn’t hide the shock on her face. “Wait, you mean to tell me that the gruff, tight-lipped lykaen is just how he is?”
Vera broke out in laughter. “Yes! That’s exactly how he is. Well, okay, maybe not totally. Add in a couple of smiles, some insane generosity and sweetness, and you got it.”
“I don’t understand. I’ve been trying to reach through to him since I met him. I don’t really think I’ve gotten anywhere. Just once though he did finally tell me about the...problem from his past but I think I was just lucky. J sot of happened upon him at the right time. That’s all.”
Vera’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her skull. “He told you about Dana? Wow, see. He never talks about it. We know about it, but when the accident happened we mostly heard about it from her family. Her brother Tom especially, man was he a dick. He blamed Darien for the whole thing.”
“The man’s crazy for you,” Alison piped in.
“No he’s not. I’m just an inconvenience for him now.”
“Why do you say that?” Sarina asked.
Cassie shot a look at Vera who threw up her hands and said, “Fine, fine. I’m going to the bathroom. Any and all sex talk about my brother needs to be done now. I don’t want to hear a peep about it when I get back.”
As soon as she was gone, Alison bounced in her seat. “Oh my God, dish the details. That man is huge.”
Sarina rolled her eyes. “All the Kategan men are huge, Ali. Darien is just...a little more imposing. It’s all that bad attitude he carries around him.”
“He’s not all bad though. He’s actually really sweet. After the...thing with Conlin he was there when I woke up. He carried me down to Rome’s room so I could be with him.” She had a soft, happy smile on her face that Cassie was completely jealous of.
“He doesn’t even like me,” she blurted out.
“What? Of course he does. Why do you say that?” asked Sarina. She blushed.
“No, he doesn’t. He’s tried to get me to leave from the moment I woke up. I refused because he just intrigued me. And okay, he’s really, really sexy. I’ve never met a lykaen before him.”
“Wow, really?” Alison asked.
“Really. He’s only trying to help me now because...because we,” her face burned hot and finally she had to look away.
“Because you guys had sex? Was it amazing? Seriously, do tell. Because Rome is just devastating in bed. I can hardly keep my hands off him, honest.” Cassie thought on the couple of times they’d had sex. It’d been smoldering, sexy, passionate, and beautiful.
“I loved it more than anything,” she finally said softly. The girls smiled at her and sighed at the same time. Just then Vera came back to the table with her fingers plugged in her ears.
“Is it safe?”
They all nodded. “All right let’s get out of here,” Vera said.
“So what are our plans for today?” Boy did it feel weird asking that.
“Clean up these dishes, then it’s off to a Twilight and Harry Potter marathon at Sarina’s place until the sun goes down enough that we can start drinking without looking like crazy people.”
Cassie looked at Sarina. “But what about you?” Sarina patted her rounded belly lovingly.
“Don’t worry. I’m in a milk faze, so tonight I’ll be having my share of chocolate and strawberry milk.”
“Cassie, would you be a doll and go start the car. It’s getting chilly out lately and me and the baby just can’t stand it.”
“Sure. See you in a few.” Cassie left the girls to clear up their lunch while she went out to Vera’s car. She smelled him the instant before he slammed her into the trunk.
She spun around, her heart beating painfully hard in her chest. All the blood drained from her face.
“I’ve found you, Cassandra. How easy you are to track now that I know you’ve been fucking that lykaen. Do you think he can protect you? Is that why you’re hiding behind him like a scared child?”
She shook her head. “N-no.” Suddenly she heard the girls inside leaving the kitchen. “You have to get out of here now. Please,” she said desperately.
He only stood there, even as their footsteps got closer and closer. Any minute now and they’d all be in danger. He’d kill them all without a single regret.
He smiled at her, his fangs terrifying in that moment. “We’ll be together soon, Cassandra.” He grabbed her chin in a bruising hard grip. “And you will never leave me again. I know where you are now. There is no hiding from me.”
Cassie’s eyes filled with tears at the pain. The door opened, and he let go of her and sprinting away in the blink of an eye.
“Cassie are you all right?”
“Fine,” she said numbly. The girls crowded around her.
“What happened to your chin?”
“Why do you look so scared?”
She shooed them off with false smile. “It’s nothing. I just tripped and hit the concrete. Sorry I didn’t get the car started for you, Sarina.”
She waved it away and hugged her tight. Cassie hesitated, then hugged her back. They all piled into the car, and she wanted nothing more than to run and hide.
Chapter 12
“It’s good to have you back,” Vane said, clapping Darien on the back.
A smile tugged at Darien’s lips. It felt good to be back, though he didn’t say so. He’d be leaving just as soon as everything was taken care of with Cassie. There was no use in hurting his family any more.
Rome took a swig of his beer and said, “You can’t fix your problems by staying away, Darien.”
“Maybe I can’t, but I can’t fix them staying here either.”
Rome shrugged a big shoulder. “How do you know that when you never even tried? The thing happened with Dana and then you were out of here so fast, none of us were even sure what happened.”
Darien ground his teeth together. It was none of their business. It wasn’t then, and it wasn’t now.
“Did you love her that much?” Vane asked. There was no hostility in his voice, only curiosity. Still, Darien hated him for asking. Because right now he was being pulled apart inside over that same question.
“I wanted to mate with her.”
Vane grimaced and chugged some of his brew. “Ouch.”
Darien couldn’t help it, he laughed. His brother’s response was so inadequate, so surprisingly underwhelming that all of them burst out laughing. It almost felt like old times again. Before the mess in his life happened.
“I understand a bit of what you’re feeling,” Rome said. A hard, shadowed look crossed over his eyes. “When I found Alison at Conlin’s...I’d never felt that kind of fear before. To know that at any second someone else can take her life from you. She almost died.”
Three hard knocks sounded at the front door. Vane hollered for whoever it was to come in. Darien let out the breath he’d been holding. There was a reason why he’d left
the pack. He sure didn’t want to have some long conversation about his feelings with Dana and the baby.
“Jacks, it’s about time you got here. I thought you were always a prompt man,” Rome taunted. Jacks grinned big.
“Yeah well, Vera called me at the last minute and said she needed a kiss and another six-pack of that damn lemonade she likes. So I stopped by and gave it to her.”
“TMI, bro,” Rome said. Jacks grinned and plopped down in a chair by the fireplace.
Darien sniffed the air then turned to him. “Since when are you a vampire?”
“See, you’ve missed out on all the cool stuff. Some vampire clan tried to steal the Kategan land. They also tried to kill me and your sister. In the process, I now have fangs and your sister gets to spend her nights with me for the rest of her life.”
“TMI,” Darien agreed, “but I am very happy for you and my sister. I’ve never seen her so happy.” The vampire Jacks was practically beaming as he grabbed a beer out of the cooler on the floor and popped it open.
“Damn right.”
“So what do you want to do about the situation with your woman, Darien?” asked Vane.
“She isn’t my woman,” he automatically said. Three sets of eyes turned to stare at him, then each of them burst out in a roar of laughter.
“Right,” Rome said.
“Whipped,” agreed Jacks.
“Goner,” Vane said.
Darien growled, his beast slashing its claws across its cage. “Fuck off.”
“Who are you kidding besides yourself? We’ve all seen the way you look at her, touch her. You’re practically mated with her already,” said Vane.
“Enough!” Darien roared. The room quieted, leaving only the crackling of the fire and Darien’s hard breathing.
Lesser beings, lesser men wouldn’t have had the nerve to speak to a ripping mad lykaen, but the Kategan men weren’t lesser men.
“You know, Darien, you’re right. We’ve had enough. Do you think it’s been easy for us to have our brother gone? While you’ve been away drowning yourself in misery we’ve had horrible and incredible things happen to us. I wanted my brother to be there for that. Your selfishness took that away, not only from me, but from Rome and Vera,” Vane said.
