Easton: Forbidden: Paranormal Romance

by Kathi S. Barton

  “I’m so very sorry, Easton. At least you’re able to see that there is justice being served on her behalf, and that of Peaches.” There was that. “We should do something tomorrow with the kids. I have a lot of gifts coming their way too. And I have something for you.”

  “No, we made a promise that we’d just not do that exchange thing.” Easton laughed when Wayne pouted. “You do that better than Abby. That’s more than likely where she got it from. What did you get me?”

  “You’ll have to wait until Christmas now.”

  They both were laughing as they left the restaurant. Since Easton had driven in to pick Wayne up, they got to leave together. It was nice having someone so close to you that they would finish up your sentences for you.

  As soon as they were home, neither of them went to the house. Instead, they stripped down right there in the garage before putting the door down and shifted. It was a wonderful feeling to be out in the crisp December air and snow on the ground.

  They played around for nearly an hour before they laid down by the snow covered pond to rest. It was still hours before the sun came up, so they figured that they had plenty of time to run again should they want to. The nanny that Easton had hired was spending the night, so they didn’t have to worry about the kids either.

  While Wayne was resting, Easton shifted back to his human side and looked down at his mate. The two of them were a perfect match in height and weight, so he didn’t need to worry about hurting him. But his need for his partner was strong, and when he touched his hand to this back, Wayne shifted as well.

  When he got up on his hands and knees, Easton had to hold his cock or hurt himself. Moving up behind Wayne, he wasn’t the least bit surprised to find him as hard as he was. Reaching down to wrap his hand around his cock, Easton moved himself gently into him. Christ, it had almost been too long, and he was as close to coming as he’d ever been.

  “Every night after I got off the phone with you, I had to jerk off twice before I could finally fall asleep.” Easton asked him what he thought about when he did that. “You naked, with your cock in my mouth. Your balls tight against your body while I sucked you hard. What did you do when you missed me?”

  “I would take a long hot shower and imagine you in there with me. You have no idea how satisfying yet unsatisfying that is.” Wayne moaned as Easton leaned over him, fucking him as hard as he could. “I thought about you naked all the time. Wondering if you were doing the same thing. I’m glad that you didn’t tell me. I might never have made it if you had.”

  Rubbing his hand up and down Wayne’s back, he knew Wayne was pulling and soothing his cock beneath them. His body was hot, the snow around them melting faster than it was coming down now. When Easton felt Wayne shift on his knees and touch his balls with his hand, Easton came hard.

  “Again, I need more. Come again.”

  Easton wasn’t sure that he had it in him. But as soon as Wayne pulled away from him and pushed him to the ground, he came twice more even before Wayne entered him.

  Christ, they were both making so much noise now that it was small wonder someone didn’t come out to find out what was going on. Every time he came, Easton would shout out his release as his balls emptied. It was like he was taking more of himself out of his body when he let go of his primal yell.

  Wayne came too, pulling his cock from his body and then rubbing his cream all over Easton’s back as he did so. Exhausted and spent, Easton dropped to the ground when Wayne fell atop of him. Neither of them moved for several minutes.

  Then the cold started to seep into their wet and sweaty bodies. Getting up was a great deal harder than he thought it should have been, but then Easton had come at least half a dozen times. Something that he’d never been able to do with any other lover.

  Walking to the house, hand in hand—they had dressed themselves with the magic that they’d gotten—they climbed the stairs to their room. As much as they wanted to flop into bed, they both needed a shower. Not just to clean up, but to warm up their bodies as well. Not even bothering with boxers or anything else to sleep in, Easton was sound asleep before Wayne turned out his light.

  ~*~

  The courtroom was filled today, and Wayne was glad that they’d gotten there early. Today was the day, they thought. The day that Wendell was going to find out that they did have more proof than he imagined that they did. Wayne wanted the man to fall over and die of a massive stroke. But he also knew that most of the people there needed to feel some kind of justice had been served. Especially Easton.

  He was taking this all very well, Wayne thought. At least that was what he looked like. He knew that inside he was a mess, worrying about something going wrong. That one of the witnesses had it wrong.... All kinds of things that would screw this up for them and set Wendell free. And in his mind, if Wendell was free, he’d be able to take Alex from them.

  “It’s not going to happen.” Easton nodded, but Wayne knew that he didn’t believe him. “Look at me, Easton. He’s not going to come out of this with anything less than life in prison. He’s never going to get Alex either. Even if I have to kill him myself. Of course, I’ll have to play around with him for a time, you know. To make him understand that I’m not a happy wolf.”

  “You’re nuts.” He could see that laughing, even just the little bit, had made him feel a little less tense. “I’m not so much worried about the trial going wrong as I am him getting free. The man seems to land on his feet every time I think he needs to be six feet under.”

  “Yes, I can see that too.”

  The courtroom was called to order and everyone took their seats when Jake was seated. The man was born to be a judge. Even when he didn’t open his mouth he looked like the robe had to be a part of his daily wardrobe.

  Things were a little hectic when Wendell decided that he’d had enough of being chained to the floor. And like the great judge that he was, Jake told him to sit down and shut up, or he’d hear how things went when he read the paper.

  “I don’t know how to read all that well. And these turds are forever using big words. I think it’s because they want to confuse me.” Jake told him that he was forever confused about something. “I don’t think that’s right either.”

  After things were settled and Wendell agreed to be chained to the floor, the next witness was called. It was Brody, who had to tell them about finding the body of Mary Bennett and that she’d still been warm. Then he told the courtroom how he’d been able to deliver young Bennett, and how even under the circumstances of his birth, he was doing very well.

  “That’s my boy.” No one said anything when Wendell spoke, but if the look from Jake was any indication, he wasn’t happy with the outburst. “You have to admit, the little man is a great deal like his daddy.”

  Jake looked right at him and Easton before speaking. “One can only hope that he grows up to be just like his fathers. Now, one more outburst like that and I’m going to not only tape your mouth closed, I’m going to fine you for contempt of court.”

  After Brody was released from the stand, one of the men from the bar was brought back up. Sips was what Wayne had heard he was called, but the man was as stupid as Wendell. He actually waved at his wife and blew her kisses before he was told to have a seat.

  “Mr. Long, you’ve already testified that you and Mr. Bennett were together on the night that Mary’s body was found, is that correct?” Long said that was right. Wendell and he shared a few stories. “I’m sure those were mind tingling. Can you tell me how Mr. Bennett was dressed that night?”

  “He had on clothes, if that’s what you mean.” There was a small twitter of laughter, but before Jake could call things back to order, Long spoke again. “He did have a powerful amount of blood all over him. When I asked him what happened to him, thinking that he’d hurt himself something terrible, he told me that he’d just killed Mary.”

  No one said anythi
ng, not even Wendell, which was surprising when he thought about the evidence against the man. Instead, he yawned like this was something that happened to him every day. To be telling people that he’d just murdered his wife.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Long, could you repeat that?” Wendell jumped up then and said that he was only kidding. “Your Honor?”

  “Please take Mr. Bennett back to his cell. I will not have any more outbursts like this during this trial. I have warned you over and over, and I, for one, have had enough. I’m sure that this trial could have ended a couple of days ago if we didn’t have to keep waiting on you to shut up and sit down.”

  When Wendell was taken away, there were cheers from the room. Wayne hadn’t been there during the entire trial, but Easton had been. And nightly he’d tell him what antics the man was up to again and again.

  After things were settled again Mr. Long finished his story. “He come right in, and when I asked him what he’d done, he said that he’d just killed off Mary. That she was irritating him something terrible. I thought that he was pulling my leg. I’ve known Mary for a long time, and I ain’t never heard anyone say she was anything but a nice person. So I asks him. Did you really kill her? And he said that he cut her throat up right there on the grass when she tried to take his car to go to the hospital.” Cam asked Long if he knew why she wanted the car. “No sir. Wendell didn’t know either, but he figured that she wanted to visit a sick friend or something out there at the hospital. Wendell, he said he just shut her up but good. Now I hear she had herself a baby that night. Got me to thinking that he killed her when she wanted to go and have that baby. I don’t cotton to that sort of thing. I don’t like that he would kill anyone, but Mary, she was a nice person. Everyone will say that.”

  The next three witnesses had the same story. That Wendell had come into the bar with his clothing covered in blood, bragging about how he’d killed Mary. One of them said that Wendell told him that he was two for two, that he’d killed off little Margaret too.

  “Didn’t none of us know he had himself a little girl. But Wendell, he didn’t care one bit that he’d locked his baby girl away for so long that she’d died. I just don’t understand that. That poor little girl and her momma suffering like that.”

  After they took a short recess, other witnesses were brought forth. Two of them were police that had been there the night that Mary was found, as well as a man that said that he’d not known Wendell, but he’d heard him telling his buddies what he’d done. Jake asked him if he thought that the man was just leading them on.

  “Oh no. He even told them how he’d done it. Then after he’d had to wrap her up in the little rug on the front porch, Mr. Bennett told them how he’d gone and broken her things there. It wasn’t like she was going to see them again, he told them.” The man, Wayne hadn’t caught his name, shook his head after lowering it. “Someone should take him out and do the same to him that he did to that little girl. Just lock him in a cage and be done with him.”

  “Thank you.” Cam looked at the jury, some of them slightly paler than they’d been before, and then looked at Wendell’s attorney. “I’m ready to rest my case against Mr. Wendell Bennett.”

  The defense attorney stood up. “Your Honor, I have been all over this town looking for one person that would come in here and refute the testimony of each of these people. There is no one in this entire state that knows Wendell Bennett that has one single thing to say good about him.” Jake asked the man if he needed more time. “More time would just result in the same thing, sir. I want you to know that I looked, too. A couple of people ran me off with their shotgun when I asked them if they thought that Wendell might not have killed his wife and child. I shouldn’t be saying this, but you’ve seen him, sir. He’s not a very likable person. I’m going to have to say that I have nothing further to add to what was said here today.”

  “All right. Let me think on this a moment.” Jake pounded the gavel on the desk and said there would be a one hour break. Since it was after lunchtime, Wayne and Easton went to the deli that was just across the street from the courthouse to eat.

  “What do you think is going to happen now?” Wayne didn’t have a clue. He was just as clueless as Easton was. “I didn’t know that the man was so hated, did you? I mean, I can understand it. But sheesh, not to find one person? Even his drinking buddies were pissed off at him.”

  “That has to relieve your mind somewhat, doesn’t it?” Easton told him that it did. Immensely. “Good. I guess that the jury will take a while. Though, I don’t know what they’d really have to debate about. There was nothing but guilty things said about the man.”

  “I have to tell you, I was surprised by the number of people that didn’t know he had Peaches. I mean, no one saw her. And there were many more that didn’t know she was pregnant with Alex either. Which I find really sad.” Wayne said he thought it was too. “Had just one person known about the kids, do you think they would have gone out there and done something about it?”

  “I hate to say this, but no, I don’t think that they would have. People are also afraid of Wendell. With good reason, it seems. The man is insane.” Easton said that he wasn’t insane, but a monster. “Yes, I guess that makes sense. Insanity could be an excuse. A small one, but at least a reason for him to have done what he did. But just being a monster, he just did it because he could. I believe that you have it right in that.”

  Making their way back to the courthouse, they were surprised at how many people were already there. He supposed in a small town there would be a great many people that needed to have something to talk about. It looked to him like the entire town turned out for this.

  Taking their seats after Jake came into the room, Wayne had a feeling that he wasn’t happy about what was going to be said. He’d bet anything that things were not going to go as easily as hoped.

  “All right, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for waiting for me to check a few things. Right now we’re going to send the jury out to deliberate.”

  Wayne watched carefully as each of the jurors were asked if they had any questions. None of them appeared to. After giving them the rules, Jake asked them once again if they had any questions. Again, no one did.

  As they were filed out of the room, no one said a word. But once they were dismissed to take on the duty of finding Wendell guilty or not, Jake laid his head on his table and sat there for several minutes. They were gone for about five minutes when the bailiff came back to talk to Jake.

  “Now?” Nodding, the man looked at Jake like he was disturbed by whatever it was he had said to Jake. “Well, I guess we can bring them back out then. Wait.” No one moved. “We have to bring Mr. Bennett back. Call the jail and have— Are you sure that they said that they were finished?”

  “Yes, sir. I’ve already told the jail to bring him back to you pronto.”

  It didn’t take them long to bring Wendell back. He looked as if he’d been awakened from a nap. The little shit even bitched about not getting his four hours in for his beauty rest.

  The jury came back in as soon as Wendell was put in restraints again. They were all seated by the foreman, and she looked as pinched up pissed off as his momma used to be when Dad had been late coming home from work.

  Jake asked her if they had reached a verdict.

  “Yes, Your Honor, we have. We find Mr. Wendell Bennett guilty of all charges.”

  Chapter 13

  Easton was just going upstairs when he saw a shadow in the kitchen. Almost afraid of what he might find there, he went in slowly and called out to find out who might be there. It startled him to find Peaches in the room, as if she’d been waiting on him.

  “I came to tell you goodbye.” He sat down at the table where she was and waited. He had a feeling that she was there for more than that. “I saw my dad today. He is going to prison for three hundred and sixty years. Is that right?”

  “It is.
He got a hundred years for the death of your mother, and abuse of a corpse just added to that. He got the rest for leaving you to starve to death in a cage.” She nodded and moved around the room, not touching anything. “What else did you hear about him?”

  “That he is dead.” Easton asked her if she was all right with that. “I am. I thought for sure that you were going to ask me if I caused his death. I didn’t have anything to do with it. I wish that I had, but I didn’t. He got some food stuck in his throat and couldn’t get it out.” Easton thought that there couldn’t be a better definition for irony.

  “I’m glad to know that. Have you seen him on the other side yet?” Peaches didn’t answer him, but seemed fascinated by the plants growing in the windowsill. “Have you seen your brother lately? He’s getting so big. At his last appointment he’d put on four pounds. And is doing very well.”

  “I wish that Momma hadn’t had me.” This was tender ground, and he didn’t know how to talk to her about it. “Then she might have been able to get away from Wendell. I’m not ever going to call him Dad again. She couldn’t leave him because of me.”

  “I think that might be partly right, but I doubt that she would have been able to leave him anyway. Did you know that he chained her up nightly? That like he did to you, he would put her out in the shed and leave her there for days on end before he remembered that he’d put her out there?” Peaches was still again, standing next to where he was sitting. “What I wouldn’t give to hug you once more. To hold you like I want. You look so much like your momma when she was little that I wish I could have seen you grow into the beautiful woman that I know you would have become.”

  “I never got to fall in love.” He nodded, his heart breaking for all the things that she was never going to get to do. “I heard the service when they buried me. That man, he said that I’d never get to hold my own baby, never get my first kiss or anything like that. At first I was like, I don’t want any of that. Then I talked to Momma. I made her cry when I asked what it was like to have someone love you like you do Uncle Wayne.”