Easton: Forbidden: Paranormal Romance

by Kathi S. Barton

  “I understand completely. We’ve had some issues with the dead before.” Henry looked at Mary. “Are you ready for this, my dear?”

  “Yes. He’ll not see us like we are?” Henry told Mary again that they could choose what Easton could see or not. “Even should he ask, we don’t want him to see that. I don’t want my brother to know the suffering that we’ve had.”

  “He already knows, Mary.” Henry looked at Easton when he asked what was going on. “She’s worried that you’re going to be upset with how she looks.”

  Easton stood up and looked where he pointed. Mary stood there, watching her brother as he struggled with what he was about to say. This, Henry knew, would be the turning point of whether or not they allowed him to see everything or nothing at all.

  “You have nothing to worry about, Mary. I promise you that just having you nearby with Peaches is all that I want in this world.” Easton laughed a little. “Nothing could be scarier than that green dress you wore to prom that year.”

  They all laughed, including Mary. Reaching out to touch Easton, Henry gave him what he would need to see and speak to his sister and niece. Henry stood up to leave, his work finished, when Cara asked to speak to him after she and Peaches returned with Alex. Wondering what the lovely woman could want with a man like him, he followed her into a little room off from the dining room.

  “I need...we need your help. There is a man, his name is Thomas Bailey. He wanted to be a lover of Wayne’s. I was wondering if there is any way that you can tell me if he’s killed before. If you can’t answer that for me, I understand. But I do worry for the children here if he comes back. Which he did threaten to do several times when he was kicked out.” Henry thought it was his right to ask how the man had gotten himself in trouble. “Thomas isn’t a wolf. I mean, for this, you have to know that. He knowingly kissed Wayne, just the one time, when he knew that he could have transmitted the disease that he has. I need to know if he’s killed others, other humans, who might not be aware of what he’s doing.”

  “I can do that for you. Do you want him to be arrested?” Cara said that for now she needed to know if he’d hurt others. It bothered her that much. “I can figure that out as well. I’m going to share this with Cam—you’ve met him, correct?”

  “I have. And that’s fine with me. I don’t want him hurt or in trouble—not yet, anyway. But I do want to make sure that there is some kind of warning attached to him that will keep others safe. According to Wayne, he’s in the end stages of the disease. When he left here a few months ago, he said that he was going to destroy all homosexual males and females that he can find. I’m not sure how he’s going to make the female part work, but he was pretty pissed when he left here.” Henry asked her if she knew the laws about such an act. “I don’t. I’m sure that there are some, but I’m sure that Cam or one of the others would be able to figure it out. I love Wayne and Easton, Henry. They’re like my brothers to me. I feel very protective of them. I want them to be safe.”

  “I do too.” Henry looked back toward the room where he’d been. “I think you and your family here should come to dinner tomorrow night. I know that calling hours are tomorrow, so after that would be fine.”

  “He believes that he’s going to be alone in this.” Henry asked Cara what she meant. “Easton. He thinks that there will be no one there for him or his sister tomorrow or at the funeral. We will be there, of course. Please don’t think that I’m telling you that so you come to the viewing. No, it’s just one of the things that make me want to protect him more. Easton feels so very alone most of the time. And for some reason, he won’t ask people for their help. Not on things to do, but for his heart.”

  “Do you think that is the reason they’ve not bonded? That Easton feels like this?” She told him that was a big part of it. “What else do you think, Cara? I want to help them, but I’d also like to have more information.”

  “I understand. He feels guilty for not being there when his sister needed him the most. Also he’s, as you can guess, worried that once Wayne figures out what his family is like, he’ll tell him that he can’t do this. I don’t ever see that happening. I think Wayne is already in love with Easton. But they can’t talk if one of them is forever worried that the next shoe that drops is going to leave him in pieces.” Henry could understand that too. “Thomas, he could cause them both trouble. At least with Wendell, he’s in jail and not able to cause much more harm than he’s already done. I don’t want anything to happen to my brothers.”

  “Let me talk to the others. To be honest, Paddy and I wondered why none of you came around much. We would all like to get to know all of you a great deal better.” Cara thanked him. “You don’t have any family left? Someone to love you?”

  “I love them. As for a mate? It’s doubtful that he’s out there for me. My family was killed some time ago, and I have nothing to offer a mate.” He could tell that she needed worked with as well. Someone to love her as much as he and Paddy loved each other. “If you could just do this for me, find out what you can about Thomas, I’d be indebted to you.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that.”

  As they went back to the living room—Henry was ready to go home now anyway—he looked at the family there. They were hurt—all of them. Not just the ghosts, but the men. He wanted to help them in a way that brought them into their family. But he’d have to talk to the others first. And to find out what he could about Thomas Bailey.

  On his way home, he called Cam. The man was in charge of the local FBI offices, and might have the answers that he needed. Cam sounded like he’d been laughing, and Henry was glad to hear that. It was something that he wished more people did rather than be so sad all the time.

  “I have the information you need right here, Henry. And I think you’re right. We need to support our fellow couples.” Henry told him that he would have liked to have asked. “Wastes too much time. Let me tell you what I’ve got for you, then we’ll go from there at dinner tonight. You’ll come over with Paddy and Christy, right?”

  “I’m sure you know the answer to that already.” He wasn’t mad at the other man, but the very fact that he could read minds could irritate a few people at times. “Okay, let me pull over and you can tell me what you have.”

  When he was ready with pen and paper, Cam told him that some states had different views on the problem. But the biggest thing was they had to disclose that they were positive for sexually transmitted diseases.

  “If you have a partner that has tested positive for an infection of any kind, they had better tell you.” Henry asked how they would go about proving it. “That is the question everywhere. It then becomes an issue of he said, he said. The laws in Ohio and three other states are pretty cut and dried. Also, they’re the strictest of all the other states. It says that if you have sexual contact—which is defined as oral sex, intercourse, or even penetration with any object—without disclosure, it’s against the law. Even if the other person doesn’t get the infection, it’s still considered a felony.”

  “Wow, I didn’t know that.” Cam said that he knew it, but wasn’t sure if it had changed or not recently. “So, this person Thomas Bailey has it in his head to kill people, possibly infecting them with his semen and blood. He could go to prison even if he did tell them about it?”

  “Yes. And while I’ve been talking to you, you should know that not only have three people died from this disease given to them by him, I’m sure that if we looked hard enough, we’d find there are more than that still dealing with the contraction of it.” Henry didn’t know what to say about that. “Henry, he’s still in Ohio. I mean, we could very easily get him into prison without any issues.”

  “I know how you found out how many people died. You used your considerable mind powers to find them. How will that stand up in court? You know as well as I do that you can’t just go into a house and arrest someone because you’ve read their
mind to know what they’re doing. It would be as bad as telling them that a ghost had told you.” Cam said that he had a better idea. “I hope so. I’ll help you in any way that I can—you know that, don’t you?”

  “I do. I’ll have to involve Cattie and Tyson on this too. She gets kinda pissy when I go over her head and do things in her district without asking her.” Henry laughed. Cattie getting pissy with her brother about anything would be an understatement when she was pissed off. “You guys come over for dinner. By then I’ll have everything that you need and then some. Okay?”

  “Yes, that sounds like a plan. We’ll talk too about bringing the others into our little family. I think of all the people that we know, they need us more than we ever thought we did anyone else. You should be around them, Cam. They’re so sad you can almost feel it.” Cam said that he could see that now that he was looking for it. “While you’re looking, can you find out what happened to Cara? I really like that young woman, and I hate to think of her being hurt by anything going on. Understand?”

  “I do. She’s going to be a good momma for those little babies, too. Alex will thrive under her care.” Henry said that he was glad for that. When Cam didn’t say anything for a few moments, he asked him what had happened. “I think we should have them over tonight as well. I don’t know what it is that I’m feeling yet, but they need to be nearby tonight. Invite them over. Hell, command them to get to our house. All right?”

  “Yes, all right. What about Alex? He doesn’t come home from the hospital until tomorrow. Will he be safe from whatever this is?” Cam said he’d make a few phone calls. “Good. I’ll head back there now and tell them that there is a meeting of minds. I’ll see you later.”

  ~*~

  Easton was in the back seat with the babies and feeling like there couldn’t be a better way to feel than to see these two asleep. Their downy hair and soft skin were things that he couldn’t get enough of. Even their smell seemed to be made only of happiness. Cara had told him that he’d not think that when they had a poopie diaper. He didn’t know. Easton thought that might not be too bad when they were there looking at him.

  “Do you know much about these people?” He told Wayne that he didn’t. “I’ve tried to look them up, just to do a search on them, and I got sidetracked when I realized that they were the richest people in the world. The world. Christ. I wonder what it takes to be that rich.”

  “Money.” Wayne growled at him, and he had to laugh. “Well, you have to admit, that’s the way it works. But when I was there with them, I never got the feeling that they were lording anything over me. They were, and still are, the nicest people I’ve ever met. Besides you two.”

  “Good save.” Easton had to admit, he’d not laughed this much in a very long time. Wayne turned in his seat to look at him. “We need to talk, Easton. Nothing that we’ve done, but I have this guy out there who scares me a little. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it for days now, but things keep getting in the way.”

  “I know. And I’m sorry to be bringing all this down on your head like this.” Wayne told him that he was his mate, and they were being brought down on both their heads. “I just worry.”

  Easton worried about a lot of things. Like Wendell. His sister. Even though she had passed away, he knew that there were beings in her world that could hurt them. Easton worried if he’d be a good dad to Alex and Abby. The list that he had going on in his head was like a continuous loop of shit that was dragging him down. Then there was the topper to the list—would he disappoint Wayne when they had sex?

  Instead of letting all that take him under, he thought about the conversation he’d had with Mary today. To know that she didn’t blame him for anything that had happened was wonderful. Not that he didn’t still blame himself, but Mary was around now, and he could speak to her when he wanted. Peaches too.

  “Even with you here, Easton, you wouldn’t have been able to save us. He would have killed us both sooner just so you couldn’t be there for us.” He told her that he didn’t want to think about that. “But you should. By you staying away like you did, I was able to bring little Alex into the world. He will thrive and be a better man because you are here to keep him safe.”

  “Maybe I could have saved you all.” Mary shook her head, and told him to stop thinking about things that couldn’t be changed. “You were forever telling me that. Even now, you’re spouting off things that are meant to cheer me up. I miss you. I miss us being a family.”

  “We’re still a family. We always will be.” He had wanted to touch her, but knew that he couldn’t. For some reason. as soon as Henry had touched him, he knew the rules of the dead as well. “I have a favor to ask of you. It’s a big one, so you can tell me no if you wish.”

  “Never. I will do whatever you want at any time.” She just smiled at him, and he thought the sun shone down on her even more brightly with that. “Did I tell you that I’m going to be staying here with Wayne and Cara?”

  “Yes you did. Twice now. Hush up and let me ask you. I would like to know if you’d take Alex to meet his father. He can’t touch him, but I’d like him to know that even by killing me, he didn’t keep me from having my son. I want you to say that, Easton, my son—as in your son.” He told her that he didn’t think that was such a good idea. “Oh, but it will be. You see, once he sees him he’ll be stupid. Well, dumber anyway. I want him to mess up so that when he’s sentenced and is on our side, Margaret and I will give him what he deserves. We can do that, you see, because he harmed us in the before life.”

  “Easton, we’re here.” Easton had to drag himself from the memories of this afternoon. Looking out the front window of the car, he looked at the huge house that Cam and the others were in. He looked at Wayne when he said his name again. “We can go home if you want to.”

  “No. I don’t think that will solve anything, do you?” Wayne said that it more than likely wouldn’t. “I have to tell you something. Something that I’ve only just come to realize. I love you, Wayne. I’ve had this feeling for a couple of days now, but I, like you said, had too much going on. I don’t want to do that again. Whenever I feel the need to say those words to you, I’m going to say them. I don’t want it to matter where we are when I say it either.”

  “I love you too, Easton.” Wayne looked at Cara, who was grinning at them like a loon. “What are you laughing at, you dork? We both love you as well.”

  “I know. Because I’m so damned loveable.” They got out of the car. “You two just remember that when I need a break from being nanny. I know that you don’t want me to call myself that, but I want to be their nanny and not their mom. This way it will be easier on you when I meet the man of my dreams and move out on my own. Like that is going to ever happen.”

  Since he’d been able to be with the babies in the back seat, he was not allowed to carry them into the house. It was a joke, he knew, and if he had wanted to, Easton was sure that either one of them would have given up their baby. But he was just as happy to be able to watch them as he was to hold them in the oversized car seats.

  They were met at the door by all the couples. Easton had never seen such a hugging bunch until now. All of them enjoyed just touching too, making sure that you not only knew that they were there, but that they were there for you. It was something that he thought he could get used to. But he was afraid of that as well.

  “Welcome to the family, all.”

  Almost as soon as they were welcomed to the house, the babies were pulled from their seats and passed around. Abby, not one to be given over to a lot of people, seemed to enjoy herself, watching the people like he did. Alex slept through the entire first hour.

  “I see you got to bring him home early.” Easton said that the hospital had called and said that Brody had released him. Cattie nodded and smiled at him. “I don’t suppose you had anything to do with that, did you?”

  “Me? Whatever gave you that idea?�
�� She laughed as she made her way to the couch with Alex. “A hospital is not a place to be when you have family that wants to meet you, is it young man? My goodness, you’re a handsome devil, aren’t you?”

  As she talked to Alex in her lovely sing-song voice, Christy asked him if he’d had a good time with his sister. Easton told her that he had, and that he was looking forward to many more times with her and Peaches.

  “She’s been here too. Did you know that? She told me that she was making sure her little family was safe in coming here. I like Mary. And Peaches is about the sweetest little girl I’ve ever had fun with.” Easton asked if she helped Henry. “I do. We all can now. It’s a fun job to have. I can talk to anyone I want, even if they’ve been gone for a very long time. Did Henry tell you about his book? They’re turning it into a movie.”

  He’d heard about the book and the sales of it. Henry had written a book about two young men that had died in a war only days apart. Easton had purchased the book in hopes of getting Henry to sign it for him. Honestly, he was sort of embarrassed to ask him to do it now that he knew them all better.

  They were all in the living room when Jake stood up. The man had a commanding stance about him, like you’d be better off doing what he wanted from you rather than putting him off. Easton didn’t think that he’d hurt anyone, not physically, but he would be able to make your life a living hell should you disappoint him. Easton liked all the people here, but Jake the most. He felt something for him above what he did for anyone else.

  “I’ve been doing some research on a couple of people. Since talking with Henry and a couple of ghosts, there are facts that we need to make clear before we take both Thomas Bailey and Wendell Bennett to court.” Easton felt Wayne stiffen as he sat beside him. But before he could ask him what was going on, Jake continued. “Tomorrow morning there will be a full page ad in papers across the nation with Thomas’s picture on it. It will only say that if you have had any sort of relationship with this man you should be tested. Nothing more, just that. I think that will curtail his troubles.”