Wretched: Book 2 (Mystic Valley Shifters)

by LC Taylor

  Resting my head against his, I kissed his nose. Haven set me down, spinning me to face the water. He said nothing as he caressed my skin with a washcloth. When he was done, he turned the water off and kissed my shoulder. “Let’s get you back to bed. I’ll go downstairs and get you something to eat. Perhaps you should try and shift afterwards. Letting your wolf out a few times would be good. We don’t know what the in-between may have done to her.”

  Haven was right – he didn’t know how right. “Yeah, I’d like to talk with Haley more. Ask her some questions. Maybe she could meet me and shift with me. My wolf has been acting weird. It’s like she’s restless still.”

  We walked into the bedroom and dressed together. Taking my hand, Haven led me out of the room. “Well, first things first. You need to eat.” It was funny how he knew what I needed without me telling him so.

  “You know me so well already. It’s scary.” Smiling as we walked hand in hand into the kitchen.

  Cassandra was seated at the table eating. “Oh, hey! Tessa, Haven, I'm so glad you two are up. We were so worried about the both of you these last couple of months. Tessa, you're looking different. You feel ok?” Cassandra eyeballed me from her seat.

  “Um, yeah. Just a little tired still. Stef thinks my body is still trying to recuperate from being stuck for long. Hey do you think you could come shift with me in a little bit? I need to try again and since Dylan is at the store she can't go with me again.”

  “What do you mean try again? You shifted yesterday.” Haven stared at me in confusion.

  “Yeah, that’s what I mean. I meant I need to shift. You up for it Cass?” Damn, I almost slipped up. Haven still thought I had shifted yesterday – I hadn’t told him any different.

  “Of course, I’d love to shift with you. Eat something then we’ll go outside. I need to make a few calls anyway – so take your time,” pushing the chair in as she stood, “I just found out that one of my teachers is moving, so I need to find his replacement. He was the varsity football coach – so replacing him is going to be hard. Meet you out front in fifteen minutes?”

  She started towards the office, “Yeah, fifteen minutes sounds perfect.” I turned to find Haven setting a plate of food on the table. “Damn, that was quick. I didn’t even hear you cooking.” Sitting down, I took a bite of the pancakes, “OH MY GOD these are delicious. I didn’t know you cooked.” I moaned out as I bit into the warm, sweetness of food.

  “I don’t, but I do have a little magic up my sleeves.” Haven winked as he sat across from me.

  We finished eating and Haven cleared the plates away – or should I say vanished the plates away. “Ok. I’ll be outside with Cassandra, shifting.” I made my way towards the back porch.

  “Alright. I need to make some work calls anyway. If it hadn’t been for Roxy, my firm would have fallen to pieces... well Roxy and Sam.” Haven kissed me, walking towards the stairs leading to our room.

  Sam was the paralegal that worked with him. Haven was a civil rights attorney – and a good one at that. When he was sick, Sam had called every one of his clients and explained the situation. She had filed a continuance on all of his cases, the judge granting them without hesitation. Now that he was better, he’d need to start working on them. I smiled thinking about our future together, I was so lucky to have a second chance.

  Chapter 23: Tessa

  Stepping outside I basked in the warmth of the sunlight, it’s golden rays blanketing my skin in shimmery light. “Hey Tessa, you ready?” Cassandra pulled the door shut as she stepped out on the porch.

  “Yes. If you don’t mind I’d like to walk the trail a bit. Maybe shift at the waterfall?”

  I didn’t want to take a chance on Haven coming outside and seeing me unable to shift. “Sure. Everything ok with you? You seem really happy, but somethings off.” Cassandras eyes roamed over me, she could sense something was off.

  “I don’t know, but let’s not talk here.” I nodded my head towards the house, hoping she’d catch on.

  “Oh…Ok.” She glanced towards the door, “Well, let’s walk and talk then. I feel like it’s been forever anyway.” She started down the steps, rushing after her to catch up.

  “It has. I am so grateful to have you back in my life Cass. You know I loved your brother don’t you.” I worried she was upset about Haven and me. I had been married to her brother a long time knowing he wasn’t my destined mate.

  “Tessa, I always knew you and Rob weren’t destined mates. I’m happy for you. He’d be happy for you. Come on… tell me what’s going on.”

  “Look, Cass, what I'm about to tell you,” I sighed, trying to fight back the tears, “only Dylan knows. I haven’t told Haven yet... because, well I don’t want him to worry.” She stopped, turning to face me,

  “Tessa, what is it. You can tell me – I won’t say anything. Come on – you're freaking me out.”

  “Dylan and I tried to shift yesterday. Well Dylan did shift, I couldn’t.” I stood staring at her, waiting for my words to sink in.

  “What do you mean you couldn’t?”

  “Just what you think it means. I tried calling out to my wolf. I could hear her, but I couldn’t get her to shift. She’s there – I can hear her whimpering now, but it’s like she’s afraid to shift. I was hoping Haley or Stef would come today, so I could ask them what was happening. But Dylan said they wouldn’t be here until tomorrow.” Shaking my head, I began walking towards the waterfall again, “I am hoping that being at one of my favorite spots, she’ll come out.”

  Cassandra caught up to me, “Tessa, slow down. You're not making any sense. Is this from being in the in-betweentoo long?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. That’s why I want to talk to Stef. She would know or Haley even. But until they can get here, I need to try. I just didn’t want to do it alone.”

  “Ok, well, let’s get this show on the road. We need to see if she will come out and play.” Cassandra grabbed my hand and started jogging us down the trail. We stopped at the edge of the waterfall, Cassandra picked up a rock, skipping it across the waters.

  “Jensen wants to marry Dylan here. This is her favorite place too,” she stretched her arms up, allowing the shift to take hold – her beautiful wolf stood before me.

  Closing my eyes, I called out to my wolf. I could hear her pacing in my mind as I urged her to take control. Whimpering, she coward to the recesses of my mind, refusing to come out. It was as if she was afraid to shift.

  Opening my eyes, I found Cassandra had shifted back. “Your wolf is terrified. My wolf could hear her howling and whimpering. What the hell? We really need Stef back. Tessa, you have to tell Haven. What if something is really wrong?” Cassandra put her hand on my shoulder, “I'm worried. This isn’t normal.”

  “I know that. But please don’t tell him. I want to wait until Stef or Haley has checked me over. Stef had mentioned that I may just need to rest. Maybe it was too soon to try.” My eyes pleaded with Cassandra. I didn’t need Haven worrying about me, he needed to focus on his practice – he had missed so much time.

  “Fine, but tomorrow, if you can't shift – then you better tell him or I will tell him myself. I’ve lost to many people already, I won’t lose you.” As we walked towards the house, Haven was sitting on the porch steps. Standing he took me into his arms when I got close.

  “How’d it go shifting?” He pressed his lips to the top of my head.

  “It went fine.” Casting a quick glance at Cassandra as she looked down at her feet, “Cassandra told me that Jensen wants to marry Dylan by the waterfall. We need to make that happen. Do you know anyone with magical talents that could transform the area for a wedding?”

  Cassandra laughed, knowing that I was trying to change the subject. Haven’s eyes shot up, sending a curious glance her way. “Wait – Jensen and Dylan are getting married?”

  Shit, I’d forgotten to enlighten Haven of that tiny little detail. “Ooops… Um, sorry. I kind of forgot to tell you that he proposed to her a few week
s back.” Looking away in embarrassment, Haven pulled my face towards his.

  “Don’t look away from me. It’s ok, baby. There’s been a lot of catching up we needed to do. I'm here now – so yes ,of course I’ll help when the time is right. I'm just glad I get the chance to be part of it.”

  Cupping my face, he kissed me hard. “If it weren’t for you, I would not have that opportunity. I never got the chance to know my sister or parents, so Dylan is very important to me. I’d do anything for her… or you.” He hugged me close.

  Chapter 24: Haven

  “Let’s get you back inside, I need to go to the office for a bit. You should take a hot bath and relax. The more you rest, the faster you will become yourself again.” I guided her towards the house, holding her hand in mine. Looking at her reminded me how fortunate I was. Sure, I had magic, but I needed to be able to provide for her. Being unconscious as long as I was, I needed to go to the office and work. My clients had been understanding – but I owed them a great deal.

  I hated leaving her alone, but I had no choice. “Tessa, promise me you will take it easy while I am gone?” My eyes pleading with her, she was a beautiful sight. As we walked into the house, my fingers entwined with hers, we ran into Carter.

  “Haven. Glad to see you out and about. You to Tessa. Are you feeling any better?” Tessa smiled, her face radiant.

  “Yes, thank you Carter. Don’t stay gone too long. I'm going to lay down for a while. I'm feeling really tired all of the sudden.” She kissed me as she pulled free of my grip, turning to Carter, “See you later. Thanks for everything Carter.”

  Watching her walk up the stairs, my heart thumped in my chest. I loved this woman, every fiber of my being ached to be close to her. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Carter watching me.

  “What?” I turned towards him, making eye contact. Carter was a good guy. He helped save my niece from his psychopath alpha’s clutches. He was now the second to both Dylan and Jensen. They had turned something awful into something great – he had also helped Tessa many times, and for that I’d be forever in his debt.

  “Nothing man. Just seeing you two, together finally – it’s nice, you know? The love bug is in the air. I just wish everyone would catch it.” His head twisted to look out the window. Kai had pulled into the driveway, his eyes watching her every move. “Well, I should run. She’s pissed at me,” pointing to her as she got out of her truck, “and I don’t want to deal with her wrath. I’ll be downstairs in my room if you need anything.”

  “Hum, woman problems?” I couldn’t contain the laughter bubbling in my gut, “I'm actually heading out. I’m headed to my office to check things. Being out this long… well you can imagine. Do me a favor and check on her in a few hours. I should be back by dinner, if not sooner – but…” I glanced up the stairs.

  “Yeah, man. You got it. I’ll let her have some time to rest, then peek in on her.”

  I walked outside, greeting Kai as she walked towards the house. “Hey Kai. How’s it going?” She smiled, looking around as she approached me. “Carter’s in his room if that’s who you're looking for. Shit… I realized my car isn’t here. Any chance I could borrow your truck for a couple hours? I need to go to my office and check on things. Tessa’s inside resting.”

  Tossing me the keys, “Sure thing, don’t wreck it. And why would I care about Carter?” Her eyebrows squished together as she looked at me over the top of her sunglasses.

  “Please, everyone knows you like him. You're just fighting something you won’t win against. But, hey… thanks for the keys.”

  “I do NOT like him like that. FUCK why does everyone say that?” Kai turned, storming off towards the house. She was in more denial than I realized. It didn’t matter, she would come around. And I was pretty confident Carter would be there when she did.

  Backing out of the driveway, I smiled. Life was so surreal - just a short while ago I was living in my coven with Roxy, my daughter. My wife – her mother, had been murdered by my own father for denying the arranged marriage for Roxy. We had been forced into an arranged marriage ourselves; although friends, we never really loved each other – not how I loved Tessa. Meeting Tessa and realizing she was my destined mate… well it was earth shattering – but in a good way.

  Chapter 25: Tessa

  The feeling of warm lips pressing against my forehead stirred me from my slumber. “Mmmm… wow, how long did you stay gone?” Stretching as I sat up. The sky now dark, I realized that I had slept the entire day. “Damn, it’s dark outside. What time is it?”

  Haven brushed the hair from my face, “It’s about seven. You hungry?” As if answering for me, my stomach growled a response.

  Chuckling, “Yeah, I suppose I am. Man, I didn’t mean to sleep so long.”

  I stretched, shifting my feet to the floor. Haven kneeled before me, “You don’t need to apologize, you deserve to rest as much as you need. Let’s get you fed… I’d hate for you to wither away.” Pulling me to my feet as he stood. I wrapped my arms around him.

  As we walked into the kitchen a smile graced my lips as I took in Jensen and Dylan embracing. They were so great together. Clearing my throat, “Hey guys.” Dylan spun, breaking free of Jensen, and ran to me.

  Grabbing me into a hug, “Tessa! God, I'm so glad you're up!”

  Hugging her back, “God, woman, stop squeezing me so tight! What’s for dinner? I'm starved.” Jensen was busy at the stove, he was such a great guy. He loved cooking for Dylan.

  “I’m making stir fry. Want some? There’s plenty.”

  We sat together eating, it felt so good being here with everyone. Carter had come up from his room, even Kai had graced us with her presence. “Guys, I was thinking that maybe we could build a couple of small houses on the property. Pretty soon Jensen and Dylan will be married, and if being newlyweds is anything like I've heard… I don’t want to have to listen.” Carter blushed as he spoke, Dylan’s face turning red. Jensen grabbed her, pulling her into his lap nipping her ear.

  “Aw, Carter you’re just jealous. You know eventually we’ll have to listen to you in the throes of passion.” Jensen smirked as he glanced at his sister.

  “Fuck you, Jensen.” Kai almost tipped the chair as she stood abruptly.

  Storming past Carter, he reached up grabbing her arm, “Kai. Calm down – he’s just messing with you. Unless you want to give it a whirl.”

  Carter was growing bolder. He wanted her. Even a blind man could see that. Jerking free of his grasp she bent down close to his ear and whispered something. Carter’s reaction caused him to tip his chair, falling on his ass.

  “Oh, Shit… Carter, you ok?” Haven laughed as he asked.

  Kai turned, flipping Jensen off and walked out. Haven stood, walking over to Carter on the floor and pulled him up. “Yeah… thanks Haven. I'm going to go downstairs. Just give what I said some thought. The guys can help start clearing some trees. I think you will want us out of here. Trust me… I’ll want my own space when the time comes.”

  I couldn’t control the laughter bubbling out. “What the hell just happened?” Looking around at the faces surrounding me, “Whatever she said left him on his back.” There was no telling what she said – she was ruthless. “Tessa, I talked with Haley and Stef. They’re both tied up, but said they’d be back in a week. Think you can hang on till then? Or do I need to tell them to come sooner?” Dylan was watching me with concern, she knew I couldn’t shift – but also knew that I had kept that from Haven.

  “No, I can hold off talking to them. I feel somewhat better – just really tired. Which is bizarre since I slept all day today. But I think I am ready to sleep again.” Casting a sheepish look at Haven, Dylan giggled. “Right, sleep. Please – your room’s right across from ours.” She pointed at Jensen, “and I'm pretty sure you’ve been sleeping about as much as us.”

  “Hey… Leave my lady alone. We’re getting to know each other – and resting.” Haven smiled, it was good to see his smile. It was intoxicating. “L
et’s go upstairs. You do look rather sleepy again.” Haven pulled me to my feet, slipping his hands under my knees as he scooped me in his arms.

  “Put me down, silly man. I can walk.”

  “I know you can, but I want to carry you.” Smiling he pressed his lips to mine.

  “Awww, you two are cute. Don’t worry. We will be too busy to hear you anyway,” turning to Jensen, Dylan ran her hand down his chest slipping her hand into his shorts.

  “Shit… Dylan.” Jensen turned three shades red. She winked at me as Haven carried me from the kitchen.

  As we made our way up the stairs I could hear Dylan squealing in the kitchen. They were so in love, peeking up at Haven, my heart swelled with emotion. I was unequivocally in love with him. Life was full of surprises. I couldn’t wait to see what was in store for us.

  When we reached our room, Haven kicked the door shut with his foot. I adjusted myself, spinning to wrap my legs around him. Taking his lower lip in my mouth, I sucked it, nipping it with my teeth. “Make love to me.”

  Haven walked me to the edge of the bed, sitting me down on the edge. Dropping to his knees, he pushed me on my back. His grin was radiating, he kissed the inside of my leg. Propping myself up on my elbows, I watched him as he undressed me. Slipping my shorts off, he pulled his shirt over his head.

  His mouth kissed his way up my leg, his lips felt like silk running up my thigh. His thick finger spreading my folds as he made love to me with his tongue. Calling out his name he brought me to climax fast. I couldn’t believe this man was mine.

  We made love late into the night, finally surrendering to sleep, exhausted from the vigorous love making. Being in his arms was like home, it didn’t matter to me where or when we slept, as long as he was with me.

  Chapter 26: Tessa