Rookery Cove: Kidnapping Karisma
Page 8
His handsome face hardened. “Are four men not good enough for you?”
She took a step back, feeling like she’d been slapped in the face. Had the blond brute totally forgotten the last conversation they’d had about her company? “You know nothing about it if you even think it’s okay to utter that question to me.”
She turned and strode toward her door. She was reaching for the golden knob when a knock sounded. She didn’t bother asking who it was. She had a good idea who was standing on the other side of her door. She opened it wide and pointed at the blond brute standing in the middle of her suddenly tainted suite. “Take him and leave. All of you.”
Absolute silence greeted her. For one moment Karisma feared she had overestimated the Kanakis pack. She hadn’t bothered to look at who was standing in the doorway. For all she knew, Karisma was yelling at the cleaning lady.
“What did you go and do now?” Bailey growled out in a voice that was so animalistic Karisma felt a slight shudder of apprehension run through her. She glanced at the men still standing in the hall. Bailey and Jae were glaring at Aleka while Malik was watching her cautiously.
She looked away, unable to hold the panther’s searching gaze. “Take him and go,” she said again before striding across the sitting area. She stopped just before she reached the kitchenette. “I mean it. I want you all gone by the time I come out. I’m done with you. I’m tired of playing your games. I’m tired of being your toy.”
Karisma managed to keep her emotions in check until she was able to close the bathroom door behind her.
She glanced at the shower radio/CD player she’d brought with her from home. She lifted her hand and moved it through the air. The music started playing immediately. Thankfully, the last CD she’d placed in it was from an up-tempo pop artist.
Saying she wasn’t in the mood for a slow love song was the understatement of the year. She’d had enough of men.
Chapter Ten
Hurt Again
Karisma tore open the bottle of aspirin and popped four horse pills into her mouth. She was having a bad month. She tried to stop herself from thinking about exactly why she was having a bad month. Unfortunately she couldn’t stop the thought from surfacing.
She missed her pack mates. She missed the Kanakis men desperately.
Karisma had started regretting her decision to break off their relationship the moment the men had walked out of her suite, but she’d known there was no helping it. She wanted them, but she could never be the woman they wanted.
And the pain she felt knowing she could never be the woman that completed them…
“Damn it,” she cursed savagely as she reached for her water glass. Her fingers had just curled around the cup when the doorbell chimed. She lifted her eyes heavenward and prayed it was room service before taking several big gulps of water to wash the medicine down.
She’d ordered a bottle of scotch the moment she got home. As far as she was concerned, she had earned the alcohol. She stopped in front of the door and stood on the tips of her toes. She’d learned her lesson about opening the door without checking the keyhole.
Karisma groaned when she saw who was on the other side of the door. “For the love of gods and goddesses. Can’t I get a break?” she muttered as she unlocked her apartment door.
She stood in the doorway and glanced at her grandmother, mother, and sister, and considered mass murder. After a moment she managed to formulate words. “What are you guys doing here?”
She was pleasantly surprised to find she didn’t sound nearly as pissed as she was. Her mother, the oblivious one, patted her on the shoulder and shook her head slowly. “Don’t worry, Kitty dear. Nothing is wrong. We just came to surprise you.”
“Well, you accomplished your goal. I can honestly say I’m pretty surprised to see you guys.”
Karla stepped forward. “Yeah, I told Mama you’d be mad. Guess I was wrong, huh?” she said with a mischievous smile. The heifer knew damned well Karisma was ready to blow a gasket. She was just stoking the flames of her fiery anger.
“Kari?” Karisma turned and caught her grandmother’s gaze. Bright green eyes stared up at her. Her grandmother took her hand and sandwiched it between her two smaller hands. Warmth and comfort filled her immediately. She patted Karisma’s hand and smiled at her before turning away.
With weary eyes, Karisma watched her grandmother walk deeper into her suite. There was a moment there when she could have sworn her grandmother was speaking with her eyes. Either way Karisma got the message loud and clear. Her Nana knew something was wrong and they were going to have a conversation later to figure out how to rectify things.
Normally, she was a fan of such conversations, but Karisma’s week had not been anything close to normal. She sighed. Honestly, for the last two weeks she had been expecting some sort of confrontation from her grandmother. She and Nana had been talking regularly since she broke up with the Kanakis pack. And Nana had definitely noticed the change in her behavior. And during the last few conversations Nana had tried to get Karisma to tell her the source of her behavioral change.
And now an impromptu visit. Her grandmother was definitely concerned.
“Here, why don’t you and your mother go put my bags in the second room?” Nana murmured softly to Karla.
Karisma gawked at her. Her grandmother rarely stayed with them when she came to visit… and Karisma didn’t have a second room. “You’re in for it now,” Karla called before lugging the suitcases into her room.
“Your mother and sister are going to dinner, but I’m not really up for it,” Nana said just as Karla went into the hall.
“Well, I’ve… uh… got plenty we could eat here.”
“Good,” she said with a wide grin. “Now Kimberly, I suggest you and Karla head off to dinner and leave me and Karisma here to… rest.”
Her mother smiled. “You mean have girl talk,” she said with a smirk before striding toward Karisma’s bedroom. She returned several moments later with Karla behind her.
“Here,” Nana said. There was a gold card in her hand.
One eyebrow lifted on her mother’s face. “You do realize, Deidre, that this means we’ll be going somewhere really nice for dinner.”
Nana shrugged and smiled widely. “One of the perks of my grandmother status.”
Karla grabbed the card and pressed a kiss to her grandmother’s cheek. “Thanks, Nana. Come on, Mom. I’m hungry.”
Karisma watched her mother and sister walk out of her suite, feeling like they were leaving her to float adrift. The moment the door closed behind them, Nana turned to her. “What is his name?”
She feigned a nonchalant shrug. “What are you talking about?”
Nana snorted, like actually snorted. “I’ve been around the block long enough to know when a woman is lovesick. And you, sweetheart, are lovesick.”
Karisma turned and strode toward her kitchen. Goddess, she really needed a drink. “I am not lovesick,” she growled as she reached low and pulled a bottle from her wine rack. She’d been going through her stock fast of late.
“Karisma, my dear, what is his name? And what did you do to push him away?”
She slowly placed the bottle on the counter. “Want something to drink?”
“Kitty?” “I really wish people would stop calling me that!” She jammed the wine opener’s screw into the bottle top. “Have you tried talking to him? Maybe you two can work things out.” She popped the cork with an angry jerk. “Five,” she said harshly. “Excuse me?” “There are four men at issue. A pack, actually, and I’m apparently their mate. All of their mates. Still want me to work things out?” Nana stared at her. “A pack… four men… you’re their mate?” she choked out. “If that wasn’t enough to deal with, they want me to quit designing clothes. As if I would give up my company for four overbearing, stupid ass males.” “Huh.” Her grandmother pulled a chair aside and plopped down at the dinette set. “Let me get this straight,” she said after a moment. “You’re the
mate to four males.” “Yes.” “That’s… uh… a lot to handle.” Karisma snorted. Her grandmother had no idea. “Please tell me it’s not a werewolf pack. Wolves are notorious…” “Lovers,” Karisma said, filling in her grandmother’s blank. “No, it’s just a pack that includes a werewolf.” “Now you lost me.” “They are a formed pack.” “Oh my gods, you’re mated to rejects,” she said in abject horror. “They are not rejects!” Her grandmother snorted. “They are rejects. Rejects form their own packs. You know what it takes to get kicked out of a pack? I’ll tell you. Deviancy is required. You’re mated to rejected deviants.” “Don’t call them that.” “Why?”
“Because the men I love are not deviants or rejects. They are great, kind, sweet men. They probably left the pack because it was filled with assholes.” Karisma glanced at Nana and froze. Her grandmother was looking back at her with smug satisfaction. “What?”
“You love them.”
She squirmed inside and turned from her grandmother’s knowing gaze. Where the hell was that damned glass anyway?
“Karisma?”
She turned slowly. She knew that tone. It was the one that dared you to do something she didn’t like. Nana was in full grandma mode. She chewed her lip and stared at her grandmother. Nana lifted one snow white eyebrow. “Okay, yes I love them. I don’t know why since they are all assholes, but I love them.”
Nana grinned. “So why aren’t you with them?”
“Because sometimes love isn’t enough.”
Chapter Eleven
Lost and Found
“I thought you would never come.”
“I’m still not so sure it’s a good idea to be here. Your granddaughter has made her choice.”
Deidre Knowles smiled. “Are you happy with that choice?”
“No, we are not.”
Her grin widened as she took in the men standing beside him. Aleka was painfully aware of how his mates felt about his ultimatum. It had been a month since anyone had a kind word to say to him.
And the words they said to one another were not much better. Their pack was falling apart without Karisma. “We can’t survive without her. We want our mate back.”
“Well, then, that’s the answer I’m looking for.”
“Will you help us?”
She stood. “I can’t really do that, now could I? Karisma might find out and then be angry with me.”
The room became painfully quiet. Aleka just barely stifled the urge to growl in disappointment. They needed her help. Karisma was not talking to them and had let her hotel security know that the Kanakis men were not allowed anywhere near her.
He watched Mrs. Knowles march to the door, feeling like she was taking his happiness with him. She stopped right in front of him. “Thank you for meeting with me.”
“Of course.” Somehow he managed to keep the sullenness he felt out of his tone. Instead, Aleka plastered a smile on his face and shook her hand. He stilled when her fingers slid across his palm. His gaze drifted to her hand before flickering to her face. She was Karisma’s grandmother, all right. She had that same smug look Karisma got when she accomplished something grand.
She pulled her hand from his and walked out of the room, but not before calling out, “Good luck, boys. I want you to win, but something tells me you’re going to need all the help you can get.”
Chapter Twelve
What’s Inside Her Never Died
Karisma rolled her shoulders, trying to loosen the knot between her shoulder blades. If anything, the act made her painfully aware of just how sore and tired she was. Four days ago, Anderson had asked her if she could set up a short fashion show for the board of directors. After she’d finished hyperventilating, Anderson had explained that he would set up all the theatrical stuff. She just had to provide the clothing and outfit the models.
She’d been trying to come up with a way to turn her boss down when he informed her that the show was being set up because he wanted the powers that be to okay an expansion of her line. He wanted to double the number of stores that received her designs.
Which meant more exposure and money for her. Karisma had happily agreed to be ready to show by Friday. She didn’t regret the decision. She just wished she’d purchased more painkillers. Everything hurt from being awake almost seventy-two hours straight.
She sighed. At least the show was over. It had been a success. It had gone over so well that a number of executives she couldn’t name congratulated her. Before Anderson had whisked the small group away, he’d whispered in her ear, “You’re a hit, sweetie. Get ready for nationwide.”
She’d stifled the squeal of excitement his words birthed because of the board’s presence. But they were gone now.
Karisma darted a glance around the room to confirm that she was alone before twirling in a circle and squealing to her heart’s content. She was not the type to get so giddy, but this was definitely giddy-worthy news. She was going to be a household name among the supernaturals. Her lingerie line was going to be a smash.
Giddy-worthy news, all right!
She paused halfway through her third twirl. Damn! Then why did she feel like she was not quite as happy as she should have been. Her lips turned down as an image of four vagabond shifters entered her mind. She pushed the image away almost immediately.
There was no point in thinking about things that could never be… men she could never have.
Thirteen days had passed since Karisma had last heard anything from the men. Initially, they had tried to convince her to change her mind about mating with them. It had been damned difficult to keep her distance when all she wanted to do was run to them. But she knew better. Aleka wasn’t going to change his mind and neither was she.
And then they’d stopped calling, sending flowers, hell, even emails.
“Damned ultimatum,” she growled before turning and striding toward her back room. She managed to take one step before coming to a standstill. All four Kanakis men stood in front of her.
And they looked pissed as hell.
Something dark and seductive wove its way deep into her sex. Karisma barely ignored the desire to shift her stance to ease the ache. Not that it would have mattered. She already knew there was only one thing to quench her sudden desire.
A Kanakis man.
She started to ask them what they were doing here, but then thought better of it. Instead she turned and strode to the front door as fast as her legs could carry her. It wasn’t fast enough.
Long, strong fingers curled around her upper biceps and tugged. She looked up and stared into Bailey’s eyes in surprise as she fell against his chest. “Don’t even think about it,” he growled.
Karisma bristled at his dark tone and fought his hold even though she knew it was not smart. The deepness of his voice told her explicitly that the beast inside of him was in full control. The man she knew was gone. “Don’t touch me.”
He smiled, flashing her pearly white teeth. They were not even. She gasped when she realized that his incisors had descended.
He looked deep into her eyes and she knew he realized the reason for her gasp. His words confirmed the fact. “Look what happened when you left, Kitty. The shit went to the dogs.”
She froze at the look in his bright blue eyes. There was an icy heat there that chilled her to the bone even as it inflamed her desires. She looked behind Bailey and saw the same look on his mates’ faces.
She opened her mouth to scream for help, but once again they moved too quickly. Malik stepped forward and placed a small white cloth against her nose. Her eyes closed almost immediately, but not before she wondered how things had come to this.
—
It took her a moment to open her eyes. It took her even longer to realize something was wrong. She blinked several times and looked around her, trying to take everything in. She felt her heart rate pick up speed as understanding dawned. She was not in her bed. She was not in her room. And she was bound.
“Good evening, gorgeous.”
“Undo these,” she said in a cold, emotionless voice as she jerked at the silver cuffs holding her spread eagle to the bed. Karisma was surprised by the frigid nature of her voice. She had not thought she would be able to keep the anxiousness she felt out of her tone.
One bright blond eyebrow lifted. She bit her tongue to stifle the curse she felt rise to the surface at his highhanded attitude.
What had she seen in him?
“Do you know what you put us through, pushing us away when all we wanted to do was love you?”
She closed her eyes at the intensity of emotion in his voice, the pain in his tone. “I never wanted to hurt you.”
“That’s consoling.”
She opened her eyes and tried to lean up. She only managed to lift her head. “But that doesn’t mean you can do this.” She jerked the cuffs. Stainless steel hit wrought iron. A metallic melody cut through the air.
He glanced briefly at the cuffs before lowering his gaze to her face. “They are a necessary element.”
She fell back to the bed. “Let me go, Aleka.”
“No.”
She groaned. “Don’t do this to me… to us… Nothing has changed. I cannot be who you want. I can’t leave my career behind.”
“What if I said that things have changed for me?”
She stilled so suddenly she thought her heart stopped. Her fingers clenched into fists as she tried to calm the turbulent emotions rushing through her. He’d changed his mind? “What exactly are you talking about, Aleka?”
“It’s come to my attention that I worry too much.”
Karisma tried to focus on his words but found the task damned near impossible. He’d moved. She heard the soft groan of wood as he stood from his seat. She heard the floor creak as he took several steps toward her. For a moment the sounds seemed to block out the words. She had to use all of her willpower to understand and then respond to his statement. “Worry too much about me?”