by BE Kelly
“What?” Aylen spat. She stood, letting her chair scrape the hardwood floor and towered over Echo. Kaiah knew that when her sister got this angry, it was hard for her not to shift into her wolf form. The last thing she needed was for her father and sister to have a “wolf off” in the middle of Gray’s kitchen with her two-month-old nephew in the mix.
“Let’s calm down, please,” Kaiah demanded. “How about you agree to sit back down, Sis and Echo here will stop blocking me and let me in. Tell us about this supposed brother.” Aylen reluctantly did as her sister asked and Echo sighed and sat back in his chair.
“We have a brother?” Kaiah asked, deciding to take lead on questioning their father.
Echo nodded “Yes. He’s twenty-four and his name is Lake.”
“Why are we just hearing about Lake now?” Aylen asked. “Mom’s never mentioned him.”
“That’s because he’s your half brother and your mother didn’t know about him. At least, I don’t think she did. But with her and your grandmother’s abilities, who knows. Anyway, I met his mother after I left you both. It wasn’t something I planned—it just happened.”
“Does he know about us?” Kaiah asked.
“Yes,” Echo said. “I’m still with his mother and well, he knows everything.”
“So, you told our brother the truth about us but you didn’t think we had a right to know about him? How about the fact that we have not only hunters coming for us but shifters too—because of you, Echo? You didn’t think we had a right to know any of that either?” Aylen accused. Kaiah had only seen her sister this angry a handful of times and she worried that Ay was going to wake up the whole house.
“I knew that finding you girls wasn’t going to be easy. I worried that I’d be leading both the hunters and the shifters right to you and I didn’t want to be responsible for them finding you. I couldn’t take that chance,” Echo said.
“Well, that’s big of you Dad,” Aylen said.
“What happened after you left us?” Kaiah asked, trying to change the subject.
“After I took off, I didn’t stay in the same place for very long, not wanting to attract too much attention to myself. I laid low and traveled from town to town. When I was staying in a little town out in the middle of nowhere, I met Lake’s mother. And, the rest is history.”
“Were we so easy to forget, Echo? You just left us and mom behind and moved on with your new family,” Aylen said. Kaiah hated hearing the pain in her sister’s voice but she was right—their father left them and didn’t look back. They were replaceable and that fucking hurt.
“It wasn’t like that,” Echo whispered.
“I’m not sticking around to listen to any more of his lies,” Aylen said. “I’m going to wake up Rios and head out. I’ll call you when we find a safe place to land.”
“We can’t keep running, Ay,” Kaiah said.
“What choice do we have? You heard him,” Aylen said, pointing an accusatory finger at their father. “We have hunters and shifters coming for us now. I have more than myself to consider now, Kaiah. I won’t put my son in danger.”
“I wouldn’t put Ryker in danger either, Ay. But, when does this stop?” Kaiah asked.
“I think I can help with that,” Echo offered.
“How?” Kaiah asked.
“What if we can convince both groups that you’ve been eliminated by the other?” Echo asked.
“Make both hunters and shifters believe that we’re all dead?” Aylen asked.
Echo shrugged, “Sure,” he said. “If you’re dead then there’s no one left to hunt down.”
“Are we expected to just give up our lives here in New Orleans?” Rios asked from the doorway, wiping sleep from his eyes. Gray stood jut behind him and looked Kaiah over. She could hear his worry and she smiled up at him, trying to give him some reassurance.
“I’m fine, Gray,” she said. He nodded and brushed past Rios to make some coffee. Gray kissed her cheek and rubbed Ryker’s soft cheek, settling next to Kaiah at the table.
Echo looked up at Rios and shook his head. “I’m not certain it will come to that—you giving up your lives here. But, I think we need to get all of you someplace safe. If I found you, the others will be able to track you down eventually. We need to figure this plan out before that happens.”
“Rios and I have already been on the run with Ryker,” Aylen defended.
“Kaiah and I will be joining you. I won’t stick around here waiting for someone to find you, Honey,” Gray said. Kaiah nodded, knowing that putting up any kind of resistance would be futile.
“The question I have is how does Lake fit into all of this?” Kaiah asked. “I mean, why am I seeing him now after all this time has passed?”
“Not sure, really,” Echo said.
“Is he a seer?” Aylen asked.
“No—he’s a pure shifter. His mother is a shifter too.”
“So, the shifters from your pack—the one’s who are after us, they would have no problem with Lake, right?” Kaiah asked.
“Right,” Echo agreed. “Since his mother is a shifter, they wouldn’t come after him.”
“What exactly are you seeing?” Aylen asked. Kaiah shook her head, hoping her sister would get the message that she didn’t want to talk about it. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what she was seeing. It was always the same thing, night after night—Lake reaching for her as if trying to grab onto her but never about to get to her. Kaiah wasn’t sure if she wanted him to reach her or not but the thought of the guy in her visions being her brother, threw her off her game.
“You have a brother?” Rios asked Ay.
She nodded, “Apparently, my father’s been keeping many secrets from us,” Aylen accused. “He’s been a busy guy since he left our mother and us. We have a twenty-five-year-old brother named Lake. Kaiah’s been seeing him in her visions.”
“You have?” Gray asked.
“Yeah,” Kaiah admitted.
“Wait—does he look like you and Aylen?” Gray asked. Kaiah had been having shared dreams with Gray but as far as he knew, his dreams were just that. She worried that he was going to put everything together and be pissed that she didn’t share this bit of information with him from the start.
“Yes,” Kaiah whispered.
“You’ve been in my head more than you’ve let on, haven’t you Baby Girl?” Gray asked. Kaiah shyly nodded her head, not wanting to get into all of this with him right now. It was no one else’s business what was happening between the two of them.
Echo chuckled and Gray looked at her father like he had lost his mind. “Something funny?” Gray asked.
“Yeah—I used to have the same problem with Kaiah and Ay’s mom. She was always in my head and I used to tell her to stay the hell out of there—not that it would stop her. Your mom was always one step ahead of me all the time. There wasn’t anything I could keep from her.”
“Well, you’ve gotten good at blocking people since you left. I can’t get a read on you at all. You want to tell me how you’re blocking me?” Sure, she was openly admitting that she was trying to get into his head but why would she hide that fact from him. He knew who she was and having to hide her seer abilities from outsiders was hard enough. Around her father, she shouldn’t have to pretend.
“I’ve learned that if I don’t make a decision too far in advance, you can’t keep a read on me. A little trick I learned while I was with your mother,” Echo said.
“Thanks for the tip, Echo,” Gray said. Kaiah groaned, causing her shifter to chuckle.
“What’s the plan here?” Aylen asked, cutting to the chase. “The longer we sit here strolling down memory lane, the more of a chance the shifters will catch up with us.”
“Or hunters,” Rios reminded.
“Shit,” Gray grumbled.
“Right now—our best bet is to get all of you someplace safe,” Echo said. “Ever been up to Canada? I have a little cabin up there and I know you’ll be safe there.”
“Looks
like we’re heading up North, Baby Girl,” Gray said.
Gray
Gray and Rios spent most of the morning discussing travel plans and who they could trust to tell about them. It boiled down to a shortlist, unfortunately. Rios called his brother, Trace, who was also their packs alpha. Trace was president of their MC and as far as trusting him, Gray knew he could. Rios and Trace had always been in Gray’s corner and he even considered their father, Santiago Sr. his friend.
“You guys don’t have to worry about any of this mess,” Gray offered. “I know you have your father’s surgery coming up and you guys should be with your family. I heard that you have a little sister,” Gray said.
Trace rolled his eyes,” Yeah,” he growled.
Rios chuckled, “He’s just pissed at having her underfoot constantly. Wren has decided that she wants to get to know us and be a part of the pack. Problem is our new little sis doesn’t know how to take no for an answer and she’s just as stubborn as the rest of us. She’s been at the bar every day for the past month and Trace is getting sick of babysitting.”
Gray laughed and Trace shot him a look letting him know he didn’t find the whole thing funny. “I thought she’s an adult,” Gray said.
“She is but she takes the whole ‘pesky little sister’ title to new limits. Not that we’ve ever had a sister to compare Wren to. She seems like a good kid though,” Rios said.
“Yeah well, you aren’t the one she follows around all day—I am. How about you take your turn babysitting our new little sister and then we’ll see if you still feel the same way about her,” Trace grumbled.
“I’ll trade you one long lost brother for your sweet little sister,” Aylen said, finding them sitting in the family room. “The whole surprise sibling thing is getting on my last nerve. Not that I’d trade my new sister-in-law, Wren. I like her—especially when she gives the two of you shit,” she said, looking between Rios and Trace.
“Are you going to meet the guy and give him a chance?” Rios asked his wife.
Aylen shrugged, “Don’t know. I’m assuming that’s inevitable since Kaiah’s seen him coming. I’m betting he’ll be at Echo’s cabin and I won’t have a choice in whether or not I meet him. But, Gray’s right—what about your dad’s surgery?” Rios looked at Trace and Gray almost felt bad for the guy. He was torn between sticking around for his father and his wife and son’s safety. It was a tough decision.
“I’ll hold down things here,” Trace offered. “If anything happens with dad, I’ll contact you immediately and we’ll get you back here A.S.A.P.” Rios looked like he wanted to protest but his brother wasn’t going to have it. As alpha, Trace called the shots and there would be no telling him no. “You need to keep Ay and my nephew safe, Rios,” Trace reminded. “Don’t fuck around with these guys. We know how the hunters work but these shifters are new to us. If they are as bad as Echo says they are—you don’t want to fool around with Ay’s safety.”
Rios let out his breath and nodded, reaching for his woman. Aylen immediately took his hand and let him pull her against his body. “You’re right,” Rios admitted. “We’ll leave in a few hours,” he said. “You promise to call me with updates on dad?” he asked.
“Of course,” Trace agreed. “His surgery isn’t for a couple more days now. The doctors are saying that it should be a simple valve replacement and he’ll be out of the hospital in just a couple days. Besides, Wren will be helping and I’m pretty sure she can keep dad busy.” Trace made a face causing Ay and Rios to laugh.
“You mean, you’ll pawn her off on dad who will be helpless in the hospital bed, unable to get free from Wren’s incessant talking,” Rios said.
“Pretty much,” Trace said and shrugged. “Just be safe and watch your back.”
“Will do,” Rios said, pulling his brother in for a quick side hug. “Plus, I’ll have that old wolf over there watching my ass too.” Rios nodded to Gray and smiled.
“You’re going to help out with this one?” Trace said.
“Yes, he is,” Kaiah said, entering the room holding a fussing Ryker. “Sorry, Sissy. I tried to get him to take a nap but he’s hungry and well—you’re the only one equipped to feed this little guy.” Gray watched Kaiah hand off the baby and visions of her pregnant with his pup flashed through his mind. He shook his head, needing to get it back in the game. Dreaming of things that used to be and can never be again wasn’t going to help anyone. Kaiah smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around him.
“So,” Trace said, motioning between the two of them. Gray knew that his friend was going to give him some shit about Kaiah and that was the last thing he needed.
“Don’t,” Gray ordered.
“Don’t what?” Trace feigned innocence.
“Don’t start shit—we have enough going on,” Gray warned.
Trace chuckled, “I was just going to ask if you two are together now.”
“Judging from the amount of begging and pleading that went on in Gray’s room last night, I’d say that they are,” Rios grumbled. “Between the baby fussing all night and Kaiah calling Gray, ‘Daddy,' I got no sleep.” Rios made a face and Gray looked down at Kaiah who turned an adorable shade of pink.
“Shut the hell up,” Aylen said to her husband, swatting his arm. “Leave them alone.”
“Hey, for the amount of shit Gray and Trace gave me when we got together, I owe him,” Rios defended.
Echo cleared his throat from the corner of the room where he was sitting. Gray had almost forgotten the guy was lurking back there waiting for them to make their plans. “I’d rather not hear about my daughter’s sex life—if you guys don’t mind. We about ready to head out?”
Kaiah nodded, “While I was hanging out with little Ryk, I got your and my bags packed,” she said to Gray.
“You didn’t have to pack my shit, Baby Girl,” he whispered.
“I didn’t mind. It gave me something to do,” Kaiah said.
“Ryker,” Rios said, annunciating every syllable of his son’s name. “Honestly, Kaiah,” he complained.
She giggled, “Well, I’m his aunt and think I should be able to give him a cool nickname.”
“Well, Ryk isn’t cool and it’s not his nickname. Just wait until you have kids someday—I’m going to come up with all kinds of crazy shit to call them,” Rios grumbled.
“How does ‘Daddy,' feel about that?” Trace said, slapping Gray on the back. He wasn’t sure if the idea of being a father again made him happy or scared the shit out of him. He never thought something like that would ever happen for him again but meeting Kaiah wasn’t a part of his plan either. Making her his also wasn’t part of his plan but he wouldn’t change what happened between them last night for anything.
“Shut the fuck up, Trace,” Gray barked. “Are we getting on the road or sitting around her clucking like hens, talking about feelings?”
“I’ll feed Ryker and then we’ll be ready,” Aylen said, heading off to the kitchen to feed the baby.
“I’ll get our truck loaded. You taking your truck too, Gray?” Rios questioned.
He looked down at Kaiah as if wanting her input. He didn’t want to assume she’d ride with him, but it would be nice to have a few private moments together. “I’d like that too,” she said, reading his thoughts. Gray smiled down at her and dipped his head for a quick kiss, making the rest of the guys groan.
“Get a room,” Trace taunted.
“I had a whole fucking house until you all barged in here,” Gray complained. He released Kaiah, giving her ass a quick swat and watched as she went back to his bedroom.
“I’ll be ready in five minutes,” she promised. That would give him just enough time to get his cock to stand down. When Kaiah was in the room with him, all he could think about was making her his. Now that Gray had a taste of her he wanted to keep her chained to his damn bed twenty-four, seven. It was going to be one long drive up to Echo’s place in Canada but having his sexy seer by his side was going to make it feel even longer.
Gray had to admit the ride up wasn’t going as bad as he thought it would. They had to stop a few times for gas and food or to wait for Aylen to nurse her pup. Echo had ridden his bike to NOLA and Gray was happy that they each had their own vehicles to give him and Kaiah some privacy, even if she had slept most of the way. He knew she didn’t get much sleep the night before and had gotten up before the sun. He, on the other hand, was sleeping like a baby for the first time in years and he wondered if it had anything to do with Kaiah.
Every night he had dreams about her and every morning he had woken up wanting her even more if that was possible. She had consumed him—waking and sleeping for months now and he was wondering if Kaiah help some power over him. He knew that was stupid but he had never felt like this for another woman after knowing her for only months.
When Gray met Emily—his wife, they had spent over a year together as friends before he got up the nerve to ask her out on a date. She joined Perdition and when he finally couldn’t take watching her with the other guys in the pack, he took his chances with her and asked Em if she’d go out with him. She agreed and the rest was well—history. They were married for a little over a year before Lacey was born and two years later, Sabrina followed. He thought he was the happiest shifter on the planet. Honestly, he was living a life he dreamed of having but it all disappeared before his very eyes. The human hunters had found Perdition and they were relentless in their pursuit of the pack. The members scattered across the country when they should have stood their ground and fought back. They were a peaceful pack and the idea of starting a war with the hunters wasn’t one that Santiago Rios, Sr. wanted to entertain. So, he gave the orders to scatter, even taking his wife and two small boys—Trace and Rios with him. The banishment lasted five years and when Perdition got back on its feet, their numbers were down by half. So many members were found by the hunters and killed, including Gray’s wife and two girls.
“Gray,” Kaiah cried out in her sleep and he reached across the center console for her hand, pulling it onto his lap.
