"Welcome," he said, his voice somewhat deeper than usual but he was all smiles. Mal extended his hand out from behind me and shook Kat's hand as well.
"Make yourself comfortable. You're welcome here anytime." His eyes flicked to Vanessa then back to Kat.
"Thank you both."
"We're glad to have you. Vanessa hasn't told us anything about you." Caden chuckled. Kat laughed through the gentle purrs that rattled in her chest. It sounded only slightly different than Vanessa's, deeper and sharp.
"She's told me much about all of you," she said cheerily in her usual thick brogue.
Xany smirked when she heard Kat speak. I noticed right off that she didn't shake her hand and she was much quieter than usual. Caden made a gesture for everyone to sit and we did. Vanessa took a seat on the floor in front of the hearth and Kat joined her. Once there, Vanessa sprawled out and put her head in her mother's lap. They both purred contently with the shared affection. Xany, who had been quite grumpy at the idea of meeting Kat, smiled at the two of them then glanced at Caden.
"Like Mal said, you're always welcome here, Kat. Vanessa already knows she is," he said as he sat beside Xany on the sofa. She crossed her arms.
"Thank you, Caden," Kat said and gently stroked Vanessa's hair.
Mal took a seat in the chair by the hearth and again guided me into his lap. I sat sideways so that I could place my head on his shoulder and watch the cats at the same time. He draped his arms around my middle. I was partly envious of Vanessa's relationship with her mother and didn't like admitting it. Instead, I distracted myself by caressing Mal's chest. His muscles twitched under my touch and his fingers dug into my hip. He shifted his weight under me and cleared his throat.
"Why's everyone so quiet?" Xany asked. "Are y'all having a secret conversation and leaving me out?" Everyone laughed.
"Cats aren't the most verbal of werecreatures, Xee," Mal said. "Kat's visiting, not creating an army. This is how they visit."
"Oh..." she said. "Well it's kind of boring."
Vanessa hissed at Xany but grinned after. Kat chuckled and nuzzled her. Caden put on a movie to help quell Xany's boredom and we spent the evening in quiet company.
As I lounged with Mal, I thought about the people in the article. Caden said there was no Andrus in the area but it still bothered me. Six people gone without a trace from the same place—I didn't like how that sounded. In my distraction, Kat had moved around so that Vanessa was lying on the floor, then she shifted into her feline form and began hovering over her. She, unlike Vanessa, was orange and black but was just as large in her feline form. Kat started to groom her kit, licking and nibbling her hands, arms, neck, and face. Vanessa remained still. Xany looked on in awe as if she'd never seen such behavior. I shook my head at her and turned my attention back to Mal.
"Getting late," he said. His lips brushed over the nape of my neck and sent a shiver down my spine.
"A bit." I said, then gnawed my lip as his attention set my nerves alight.
"Will they visit long?" He nipped my ear and I squirmed.
"Probably." My mouth spurted out the words a little too quickly.
"You want to go to my room?" When he spoke, I thought I felt a flick of his tongue against my neck. He clenched my hip and pulled me closer to his body. Dragonflies swarmed inside my stomach. Desire radiated from him like solar flares off the sun. I had no words, only a nod. Mal nudged me to stand, then followed. His eyes locked on mine and he extended his hand. I hesitated, my hand half-outstretched. He smiled, his head tilted to the side. My mind flashed to the first time I got lost in his eyes, in the car on the way to Utah. In the rearview mirror, his smile brought his wolven hazel gaze to life. I placed my hand in his and he gave it a gentle squeeze.
Mal led me through the living room right past everyone. I tried my hardest not to look at them, my face and body burning like a flame. As I passed Xany, her fingers brushed over my forearm, a clear gesture of knowing and confidence.
Mal's room was dimly lit by the moon shining through his curtain-less window. Shelves stacked with bead looms and cylinders lined one wall while leather and furs dangled from another. Wood carvings and tools littered the top of his dresser. The door clicked shut behind me and every muscle in my body seized. Mal tugged me toward the bed. My feet moved as if they were stuck in mud. He sat down and guided me to stand between his knees. He dropped my hand and placed his on my hips. My eyes found their way back to meet his and he squeezed me gently, rubbing in a way that soothed me and told me he would be careful. I would be safe.
Involuntarily, my fingers twitched and, when he guided me closer, I braced myself against his shoulders. He kissed my wrist and his hands slid upward, lifting my shirt. He didn't have any drums in his room, but the pulsating beat of my heart made it seem like it. I wasn't breathing. When his palms pressed against my back, the pure heat of him seared my skin. A gasp escaped me and at the same time, his lips pressed to my bare stomach. He kissed and licked his way up toward my breasts, nibbling me through my bra. Paralyzing heat gathered at my core, leaving me lightheaded and weak. If he weren't supporting me, I'd crumble to the floor. I held onto his shoulders more tightly than I intended. He snatched me from my position and my legs fell around him as he drew me in, burying his face against my shoulder. The powerful stirring of his desire pressed against my center. With his breath in my ear, a knot rose in my throat.
Don't you dare cry.
The echo choked me. I couldn't breathe. I struggled against Mal, pushing myself away from him. He leaned back to allow space between us, his hands dropping down to rest on my waist.
Look at me. Mal's voice burst into my head and overpowered the echo of my father's, washing it away. He captured my gaze and held it; his eyes shimmered in the moonlight. It's just me.
I nodded but couldn't help the tears from slipping down my cheeks. I cupped his face in my hands, and studied it, burning his image into my memory. He placed his hands on top of mine.
"I'm sorry," I said, my voice barely a whisper. I'd ruined everything. Again.
"You did nothing wrong." His tone was stern and laced with the resonance of a growl. The same kind of growl he'd had at the lake. Again, it was like his growl was mine.
"Can we sleep? Just sleep. And you hold me?" I pursed my lips, desperate to hold onto my sobs and squash my tears.
"Anything." He pulled me into a fierce hug and scooted back on the bed. I clung to him as he tugged the blanket over us then buried my face in his hair. He rubbed my back and tucked me close to him, though the rumble never left his chest. No one would ever get to me with Mal this close. It was time to start trusting in just that.
Chapter Nine
When I awoke the next morning, Mal's chest was my pillow and his arm my blanket. He slept soundly while I watched him. My head rose and fell in rhythm with his breathing. The beating of his heart thumped steadily in my ear. His body was warm, radiant in the way that included me in the protective heat. When I shifted my weight, he brushed his lips over my forehead. I kissed his chin. It didn't feel right, waking up to him after I'd rejected his affection. It might have been the perfect opportunity to get over my fear of intimacy, or rather, fear of sex. Intimacy I was good at...sometimes. The next step always seemed to fall short. I rolled over, taking my time so I didn't disturb him. Eventually, his arm fell away as he rolled over and snored. I tried not to chuckle as I snuck out of his room.
I half-expected Vanessa to be pacing the hall but she wasn't there. She wasn't in my room or by the hearth either. It bothered me until I realized that it was a weekday and she'd probably gone to work. Even so, I couldn't imagine why she hadn't come to Mal's room to say goodbye. She never leaves without saying it. Before I went off to shower, I sent her a quick text message.
With my hair barely lathered, a cool breeze rushed in as the bathroom door opened. It had to be Vanessa—she was the only one who invaded my showers and, after what she most likely assumed happened last night, she would undoubtedly check on
me.
"Hi, baby. Where were you?" I called out as I continued to rub soap in my hair.
"You're calling me baby now? Oooh la la." Xany's giggle echoed off the tile in the bathroom.
"Xany! What are you doing in here?" I jerked the curtain aside to address her.
"Vanessa told me to tell you she went to work. Oh and Nee, they put the picture of the new kidnapped girl in the paper. See?" She held up the folded newspaper to show me.
"You busted in on my shower to show me that?" I frowned at her.
"Yep and I have to pee. Close the curtain."
I sighed and repositioned the shower curtain. She was still grinning as she disappeared from sight. "This isn't a dorm, Xee," I said then rinsed out my hair.
"Caden's gonna add another bathroom when they finish the addition." The sound of the toilet flushing followed her voice.
"Good." I washed off the rest of the suds and turned off the water. "Hand me my towel please, since you're taking your sweet time." I stuck my hand out and Xany slapped the towel into it.
"Oh, hush up already. We're both girls. Do you really think the Andrus is behind the kidnappings?" The latter part of her sentence blurred in the hiss of water from the sink. I dried myself off then wrapped the towel around my middle before emerging from the shower. I was just going to have to adjust to Xany's different views on privacy.
"I don't know. I was thinking about it last night." I closed the curtain behind me.
"You were thinking about the kidnappings while having sex?" She gawked at me, her mouth open wide enough to hit the floor.
"Quit staring at me, and we didn't have sex."
"Why not?"
"I don't feel like talking about it, Xee, really. It's the same old story over and over." I took my hairbrush from the cabinet and smoothed the tangles out of my hair.
"Well you shouldn't have come in here then if you didn't want to talk!" she huffed.
"I didn't come in here, you did! Are you kidding me?"
"You came in here first." A smirk played across her lips.
"I did not...wait." I shook my head. "Quit screwing me up. You barged in on me." I set the brush down and grabbed my clothes. "I'm going to go get dressed." My shoulder bumped hers as I walked past.
"Wait! I was just teasing." She spun around and followed after me. "I asked Caden if we could help to search for the missing people."
"What'd he say?" I asked as I entered my bedroom. Xany, of course, followed right after me.
"He said that typically we have to allow the regular police to handle it if they're not Changers or Breeders. I don't think that's right. Why can't we help innocent humans, too?" She pouted when she flopped down on my bed.
"I know. I understand what you mean but it's dangerous for werecreatures to get involved with human investigations. Imagine if one of us became a suspect and we'd have the FBI investigating our lives." I turned my back to her and quickly pulled on my panties and jeans, the rest of my outfit following.
"We can do it and not get caught," she pressed.
"Be reasonable, Xee. The best we can do right now is keep following the story. And we don't really even know if these people were human, though it is weird that Hank's people didn't know them. They know plenty of humans. In the paper, it said one of the women worked as a nurse at the college and the other was a 911 emergency dispatcher. These people aren't vagrants or street people. They have roles in the community."
Xany nodded, her lips pursed. "You care a lot about people, don't you?" she said.
"So do you."
She hopped up and kissed my cheek suddenly. "C'mon, let's make breakfast for the guys. Hank is coming over to talk with Caden about this and plan an end of summer barbeque powwow feast."
"Really?"
"Mhmm. I haven't been to a powwow in ages," she said. I followed Xany into the kitchen. One additional wolf to feed meant another few pounds of meat to add to the skillets. In a way, I was looking forward to doing something nice for Mal. The guilt over rejecting him was still fresh in my mind.
"Me either," I said, and retrieved the frying pans from the cupboard.
"Do you know how to dance in the circle?" She waggled her eyebrows at me, then opened the refrigerator to get the milk and eggs.
"Of course," I said. "No teasing me, I'm delicate."
"Delicate my ass." She giggled and tugged on my hair when she walked past.
Xany and I worked together rhythmically in the kitchen. I ducked under her when I reached for the milk, and she twirled around me to set the dishes on the table. We'd only cooked together a few times at this point, but now it seemed like a practiced dance. I could sense where she was in relation to me, where exactly she stood beside me or behind me. The distance between us linked together by invisible bonds that only a pack could bring. Prior to this moment, I hadn't realized the strength in our bond. It was like friendship, and family.
Hank and Caden waltzed in the front door one after the other, their voices booming. Hank greeted Xany and I with a kiss on the cheek before he settled at the table. Caden had the newspaper in one hand and a pencil in the other. They began cheerily discussing plans for a Sept-wide powwow to be held at our place. Caden and Hank agreed that it would be best to host it here as our cabin and land are placed farther away from town, which would give the young wolves more freedom to run. Xany joined the discussion and tossed out some ideas for the food we would serve. Distracted by the chatter, I didn't hear Mal come up behind me until his hands slid around my waist. The heat of him never startled me. I'd always know his touch.
"Morning," he said, his voice warm against my cheek. Tendrils of damp hair dripped on my shoulder.
"Hi." I leaned into him and wrapped my arms around his.
"Where's Red?" he asked as he guided me to turn and face him. His hands rested at the small of my back.
"She was gone by the time I got up," I told him. Even though he was smiling, pangs of guilt pressed hard against my chest. "Are you upset with me about last night?" I whispered.
"Of course not, love. What is there to be upset about?" His brow wrinkled with concern.
"I dunno. I feel like I've let you down." I shrugged and glanced away from him.
"You could only let me down if I was expecting more than you were willing to give. You surprised me if anything. I didn't think you'd go for it." A grin played across his lips. "You called my bluff." I looked back at him, wide-eyed, and laughed.
"Well, I can be unpredictable sometimes." I met his grin with my own.
"And I like it. A lot." He chuckled and leaned down to kiss me. The fire in my belly, the same one that'd been there last night, returned with a fury. I broke the kiss only to catch my breath. He was still grinning but this time I knew why. I flicked his nose and he snapped at my finger.
"Hungry? Xany and I made breakfast," I said.
"Always." He grinned and escorted me to the kitchen table where Caden served everyone heaping helpings of food. Hank ate hungrily as he conversed with us. When I went to sit, Mal wrapped his arm around me and guided me into his lap.
"So what do you think of the disappearances, Hank?" Xany said as she poured some orange juice for him.
"Well darlin', I think it's mighty suspicious if you ask me. At first they seemed to be more spread out but now it's lookin' like there's a missin' one every day," he said before chomping on a plump sausage.
I picked up the paper from the table and noted the dates that each person was reported missing. The first two were within a week of each other, but this week it'd been one per day.
"Does your police officer brother have any involvement in the investigation?" I asked Hank.
"Nar," he said before swallowing his mouthful. "Not directly, but he's been ordered to patrol the streets more frequently. The last one ter go missin' was a teacher at the local school but she was stayin' at the camp a few miles away."
"There's no trace of them at all?" I said.
Hank shook his head. "Ain't nothin' no one is
talkin' about anyway."
"We should also patrol our area. If the girl was taken from the camp, that means whoever is doing the taking is traveling away from the cities and potentially across our territory," Caden said.
"I agree," Mal interjected.
Hank nodded again. "I agree with ya both. We can work in 'round the clock shifts an' take turns. Lord knows we've got the manpower."
"And womanpower too, don't forget," Xany said and puffed up her chest a bit.
Hank grinned at her. "Never forgotten, darlin'," he said.
"We'll work in teams to patrol the area, Hank. It'll help us determine if these acts are human born or supernatural as well," Caden said as he finished his plate.
You're not buying that it's human born, are you? Mal said as his voice burst into my head. I jolted slightly, which made him grunt.
It's too quick to be human-related. One person a day is a feat even for the smartest of serial killers, and without detection. That screams supernatural to me, I thought back to him as I nibbled my eggs.
Why don't you tell Caden and Hank then?
It's not for me to say what I think it is. I shook my head.
Like hell it isn't, Shawnee, you should know that by now. His fingers dug into my hip.
What if I'm wrong?
It's a risk you'll have to take. "Shawnee has something to say," he said. Caden, Hank, and Xany all looked in my direction.
"What's up, Nee?" Caden asked. I pinched Mal on the arm before speaking.
"I um...I don't think that the disappearances are human-related," I said and tried to hide the quaver in my voice.
"What makes ya think that, darlin'?" Hank queried.
I squirmed a little. The spotlight was not the place for me. My stomach churned, however, I took a deep breath and drew upon the strength of my pack. Caden wanted to hear from me and I owed it to him to try. "Perfectly notable people are disappearing daily, just like you said. I mean one is a schoolteacher, another is a nurse, an emergency dispatcher, and the drummer of a band. These aren't people who would go missing by accident. And a kid mind you, he was seventeen. People are going to notice that. It's not like they were loners, or street people who would go overlooked for a few days. And there are no leads or sightings of any of them," I summed up while avoiding the gazes of both Caden and Hank. "It's like whoever it is, is getting desperate."
Birthrite (Legacy Series Book 2) Page 8
