Guardian’s Bond

by Morgan, Rhenna

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  A lot could happen in a week. Or two. Or three. If anyone knew how quickly life’s twists and turns could rearrange things these days it was Katy, but Elise and Jenny were getting their own crash course all the same.

  Manning one corner of the outdated, but quaint kitchen, Katy dug into one of the cardboard boxes and carefully unwrapped the last of Jenny’s hastily packed dishes. “You know, Priest said he worked a clause in the rental that allows you to fix the place up however you want. The clan’s not exactly busting at the seams with people nearby yet, but I’m sure everyone would chip in if you want to update some things before we get the closing documents ready.”

  If Elise registered Katy’s offer she didn’t show it, just stared out the dining room’s bay window overlooking the front yard and watched the men systematically unload the U-Haul of their furniture. The melancholy was understandable, especially with the stack of photo albums she’d uncovered from the box in front of her. An all-too-stark reminder of just how one-sided her viewpoint of history had been.

  Jenny, on the other hand, didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, I don’t know.” She hefted the stack of plain white ceramic plates off the dove-gray Formica countertops and neatly slid them into the cabinet closest to the kitchen sink. “I kind of like some of the old stuff. Reminds me of our cottage when Dad and I first moved in. It was nice taking our time and doing projects together. Though I wouldn’t mind losing the avocado green in the master bath sooner rather than later.”

  “I’ll volunteer for that job.” Naomi sliced through the packing tape on the bottom of the box she’d just finished emptying, flattened the box for storage and set it along the long wall that separated the dining area from the cozy living room with its raw stone fireplace. “The taping and caulking is a chore, but the painting is a joy. A chance to turn my brain off and just let my thoughts coast wherever they want.”

  Quick paint jobs or longer projects, Elise and Jenny would have all the time they’d need, that was for sure. The payments on the lease-to-own deal Priest had negotiated with the seller were something he’d already adamantly insisted on covering until Jenny’s home sold and she could make the property her own. Of course, he’d also finagled access to the cottage he planned to build in their cove—a concession Jenny had been more than happy to make in exchange for their new and considerably more protected life.

  Priest strode in with two boxes stacked on top of each other and Jade on his heels with her own box, both of them navigating the packing paper and cardboard obstacle course without the slightest hesitation. “These are the last of the ones marked kitchen.” He slid his boxes on the weathered farmhouse table they’d unloaded off the truck then hefted Jade’s out of her arms. “Elise, the men are ready to haul your bedroom stuff in. You pick which room you want yet?”

  The question finally managed to yank Elise out of her funk, though the way she blinked at Priest’s question it was evident she’d missed the content behind his words.

  “Your room,” Jade said in way of clarification. “I know the one with the forest view is bigger, but I’d go with the lake view.”

  Checking with her mom first for guidance, but getting nothing more than an encouraging smile, Elise nodded and went back to looking out the window. “The lake view’s good, I guess.” She frowned and cocked her head. “Hey, who’s that with Alek?”

  Priest rounded the table and comfortably slid his arm around Katy’s waist just as Jade leaned over the table for a better look at the window.

  “Finally!” Jade said. “Leave it to Tate to miss all but the last hours of a move.” She spun to head outside, but paused long enough to shoot a grin at Elise. “Tate’s like my brother. A total pain in my ass, but a decent guy for everyone else.” With that, she was out the door and striding across the lawn only seconds later.

  The timing had been convenient. Though in fairness, he and Garrett had taken off to follow a lead in Wyoming before Priest, Alek and Katy had gotten Elise and Jenny across the Louisiana state lines. Leads that had unfortunately turned up more questions than answers on their missing seer family.

  “Is he a warrior like Alek?” Elise asked. Not surprisingly, categorizing each person’s house and companion had been at the top of her priorities in the last several days. That and spending inordinate amounts of time with Jade and Naomi and quizzing them on all things Volán.

  “He is,” Priest said almost distractedly as he studied her watching Tate. “His companion’s a mountain coyote.” His gaze shuttled to the window and Tate walking with one arm slung around Jade’s shoulder toward the house.

  Despite Tate’s casual posture, his expression was pure focus. A look shared by Alek who kept pace beside Tate and Jade with a plain manila folder clutched in one hand.

  Katy leaned in close to Priest and murmured, “Why do I get the feeling they’re not here to help finish unloading?”

  Shaking off whatever had given him pause, Priest reassuringly squeezed her hip and brushed a soft kiss across her temple. “If they’ve got news, I don’t care if they never lift a finger.”

  That was the biggest change in the last week. While she doubted anyone would ever categorize her mate as anything other than the fierce and intimidating predator he was, there was a stillness to him now. A serenity that had woven together all the once incongruent parts of him and made him whole. Stronger and more formidable because of the nuances that made him who he was instead of hindered by them.

  Nanna must have caught the tender action, because she cast Katy a quick smirk, then ducked her head and cut open a new box. She’d insisted it was Katy that had rendered the change in Priest. That her simply accepting him for all that he was had welded the fractured parts into one impenetrable shield. One that would make their clan stronger for it.

  Maybe it was her acceptance.

  Or maybe it was just the byproduct of two people coming together and supporting each other as they faced the most difficult parts of their pasts.

  Whatever it was, she felt right for the first time in her life. As if her hopes and dreams had finally become a part of her reality instead of the far-off stuff of childhood memories. A woman living fully in the present instead of merely existing and trekking from one life goal to another.

  The sound of footsteps sounded only seconds before Alek strolled through the wide archway. “Hey, Priest, you got a minute?”

  Jade rounded behind Alek and smacked him good-naturedly on the shoulder on her way to the outdated fridge. “Geez, say hello first. Maybe grab a beer and say hi to Jenny and Elise.”

  Priest chuckled. “Where’d Tate go?”

  “Got sidetracked helping the guys maneuver a headboard up the stairs,” Jade said. “He’ll be here in a sec. Anyone else need a cold one?”

  “We all deserve one,” Alek said. “David called with a lead on the sorcerer family.” He tossed the folder on the dining room table and opened it up. “This look like the guy you guys saw at Elise’s place?”

  Unwinding his arm from around Katy, Priest sidled to the table and angled the folder for a better view. “That’s him.”

  It was him. Though the candid man in the picture was a whole lot healthier and happier looking than the man they’d faced in the clearing. “Who is he?”

  “Jerrik Aucourte. David found a story about an older couple that was murdered around the time of Priest’s weird summons to the Otherworld. Blacksburg, West Virginia. This guy’s their son, but he’s been MIA since the murder. Cops are looking at him as a suspect.”

  “Blacksburg makes sense.” Priest dragged one finger along the edge of the photograph. “Appalachian range and lots of forest.”

  Naomi moved in for a look at the picture. “Any chance David found clues on where Jerrik is now?”

  “No. And I doubt Draven would stay anywhere near West Virginia. Not with the cops looking for his host.” Alek took the beer
Jade handed to him and motioned toward Priest. “We’re gonna have to get another source for information, though. A PI or something. David’s asking way too many questions for us to explain away anymore.”

  “It sucks Tate didn’t find at least something to go on with the seer family,” Katy said. “Finding them would make this hunt a whole lot easier.”

  “We’ll find them,” Priest said. “Both of them.”

  Tate strode around the corner and ground to a halt right in the middle of the kitchen entry, openly bewildered by the mess strung out in front of him. “Damn, I need to stick to heavy lifting. This place is a mess.”

  Jenny laughed and slid a few vivid yellow ceramic mugs into the cabinet. “The kitchen’s always the slowest part, but we’re working on it.” She shut the cabinet door and held out her hand. “You must be Tate.”

  The new voice and the direct comment yanked Tate out of his stymied study of the mess enough to sidestep a pile of yet-to-be-broken-down boxes and shake the hand she’d offered. “Sorry. Yeah. Tate Allen.”

  With a smile that seemed not only easy, but genuine, Jenny released his hand and nodded toward Elise. “Priest’s told us a lot about you. I’m Jenny Ralston and this is my daughter, Elise.”

  Since she’d arrived in Eureka Springs, Elise had met introductions to the rest of her clansmen with everything from shyness to awkwardness, but this time she stood, set aside the photo album she’d cradled in her lap and wiped her hands on her jean-clad hips. Her lips lifted in a tentative smile. “Hey.”

  It was a sweet greeting. The stuff of high school crushes, innocence and hope.

  So, Katy had a hard time covering her shock when Tate’s eyes met Elise’s and his easygoing demeanor slipped. Rather than offer the same warm welcome he’d given her mother, or at least wave, he just stood there, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

  “Hey, dumbass.” Jade punched him a lot harder in the shoulder than she had Alek and motioned with the beer she’d just cracked open to Elise. “Don’t be a dick and say hello.”

  Flinching, Tate dragged his gaze from Elise, frowned at Jade like he wasn’t exactly sure what she was doing in punching distance, then locked stares with Priest.

  Confusion.

  Terror.

  Hope.

  Determination.

  How so many different emotions could meld together at once, Katy couldn’t fathom, but they were right there for everyone to see. Or at least they were until he took two huge steps back, cleared his throat and all but growled, “I gotta go.”

  Priest dipped his head to hide a grin and nodded. “Yeah. I get that.” He rubbed the back of his hand along his chin long enough to compose himself, then looked up. “You go. I’ll come find you.”

  “Right.”

  And with that he was gone, dodging boxes and the crinkled paper strewn on the floor like a barefoot man quickstepping it through hell.

  Jade stared at the empty opening he’d disappeared through, then swiveled to Elise. “Oh, boy.”

  “What?” Elise scanned everyone in the room. “Did I do something wrong?”

  Suddenly, Naomi was all business and digging into the box she’d abandoned with single-minded focus.

  Alek clearly didn’t know what to think and cast a what was that about look at Priest.

  Oh, no.

  Surely not.

  Katy twisted to Priest. “Was that—”

  Naomi popped up from her box and threw up her hands, all too eagerly interrupting before Katy could give voice to her suspicions. “You know what we need?” She dusted off her hands, not waiting for an answer. “Pizza! There’s a great place in town we tried a few days ago, and pizza means we won’t have to finish the kitchen as fast.” She waved Katy toward the entrance. “Come on, Kateri. We’ll take Garrett and Alek with us and let Priest take care of business.”

  Wow. It was exactly what she thought it was. Nothing else in the world got her Nanna into matchmaking mode like witnessing a dumbstruck Volán male finding their mate. She grinned up at Priest. “Take care of business, indeed.”

  Not the least bit shy of sharing affection in front of those watching, he moved in close and pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. “Hurry up with the food, mihara. All of a sudden I’m feeling reminiscent.” He smacked her on the butt and strolled after Tate, but not before giving her a wink and a parting comment. “I’ve got a mind to take care of something else as soon as I get home.”

  * * * * *

  To read more by Rhenna Morgan and find out about upcoming titles, visit www.RhennaMorgan.com.

  Love your heroes a lot on the protective side and totally in love with their women? Meet the MEN OF HAVEN

  Jace will go to any lengths to protect and care for Vivian in ROUGH & TUMBLE by Rhenna Morgan

  “Rough & Tumble by Rhenna Morgan will warm your heart and melt your panties.”

  —#1 New York Times bestselling author Audrey Carlan (Calendar Girl series)

  Chapter One

  Nothing like a New Year’s Eve drunk-sister-search-and-rescue to top off a chaos-laden twelve-hour workday. Vivienne dialed Shinedown’s newest release from full blast to almost nothing and whipped her Honda hybrid into a pay-by-the-hour lot in the heart of Dallas’s Deep Ellum. Five freaking weekends in a row Callie had pulled this crap, with way too many random SOS calls before her current streak.

  At least this place was in a decent part of town. Across the street, men and women milled outside a new bar styled like an old-fashioned pub called The Den, with patrons dressed in everything from T-shirts and faded jeans, to leather riding gear and motorcycle boots. Not one of them looked like they were calling the party quits anytime soon.

  Viv tucked her purse beneath the seat, stashed her key fob in her pocket, and strode into the humid January night. Her knockoff Jimmy Choos clicked against the aged blacktop, and cool fog misted her cheeks.

  Off to one side, an appreciative whistle sounded between low, masculine voices.

  She kept her head down, hustled through the dark double doors and into a cramped, black-walled foyer. A crazy-big bouncer with mocha skin and dreads leaned against the doorjamb between her and the main bar, his attention centered on a stunning brunette in a soft pink wifebeater, jeans, and stilettos.

  The doors behind her clanged shut.

  Pushing to full height, the bouncer warily scanned Viv head to toe. Hard to blame the guy. Outside of health inspectors and liquor licensing agents, they probably didn’t get many suits in here, and she’d bet none of them showed in silk shirts.

  “ID,” he said.

  “I’m not here to stay. I just need to find someone.”

  He smirked and crossed his arms. “Can’t break the rules, momma. No ID, no party.”

  “I don’t want a party, I want to pick up my sister and then I’m out. She said she’d be up front. About my height, light brown, curly hair and three sheets to the wind?”

  “You must mean Callie,” the brunette said. “She was up here about an hour ago mumbling something about sissy, so I’m guessing you’re her.” She leaned into Scary Bouncer Dude’s formidable chest, grinned up at him, and stroked his biceps with an almost absentminded reverence. “May as well let her in. If you don’t, Trev will spend closing time hearing his waitresses bitch about cleaning up puke.”

  Too bad Viv didn’t have someone to bitch to about getting puke detail. Callie sure as heck never listened.

  Bouncer dude stared Viv down and slid his mammoth hand far enough south he palmed the brunette’s ass. He jerked his head toward the room beyond the opening. “Make it quick. You might be old enough, but the cops have been in three times tonight chomping to bust our balls on any write-up they can find.”

  Finally, something in her night that didn’t require extra time and trouble. Though if she’d been smart, she’d have grabbed her ID before she came in. />
  “Smart move, chief.” The woman tagged him with a fast but none-too-innocent kiss, winked, and motioned for Viv to follow. “Come on. I’ll show you where she is.”

  An even better break. The last search and rescue had taken over thirty minutes in a techno dance bar. She’d finally found Callie passed out under a set of stairs not far from the main speakers, but the ringing in Viv’s ears had lasted for days. At least this time she’d have a tour guide and an extra pair of hands.

  The place was as eclectic on the inside as it was out. Rock and movie collectibles hung on exposed brick walls and made the place look like it’d been around for years even though it reeked of new. Every table was packed. Waitresses navigated overflowing trays between the bustling crowd, and Five Finger Death Punch vibrated loud enough to make conversation a challenge.

  The brunette smiled and semi-yelled over one shoulder, never breaking her hip-slinging stride. “Nice turnout for an opening week, yeah?”

  Well, that explained the new smell. “I don’t do crowds.” At least not this kind. Signing her dad’s Do Not Resuscitate after a barroom brawl had pretty much cured her of smoky, dark and wild. “It looks like a great place though.”

  The woman paused where the bar opened to a whole different area and scanned Viv’s outfit. “From the looks of things, you could use a crowd to loosen up.” She shrugged and motioned toward the rear of the room. “Corner booth. Last I saw your girl she was propped up between two airheads almost as hammered as she was. And don’t mind Ivan. The cops are only hounding the owner, not the customers. My name’s Lily if you need anything.” And then she was gone, sauntering off to a pack of women whooping it up at the opposite end of the club.

  So much for an extra set of hands. At least this part of the bar was less crowded, scattered sitting areas with every kind of mismatched chair and sofa you could think of making it a whole lot easier to case the place.

  She wove her way across the stained black concrete floors toward the randomly decorated booths along the back. Overhead, high-end mini sparkle lights cast the room in a muted, sexy glow. Great for ambience, but horrid for picking drunk sisters out of a crowd. Still, Viv loved the look. She’d try the same thing in her own place if it wouldn’t ruin the tasteful uptown vibe in her new townhouse. Funky might be fun, but it wouldn’t help with resale.