Freedom in the Smokies

by Becca Jameson

  Nope. As fun as the last decade had been, Keeton was done with the hassle of putting up with the Durham brothers. Enough was enough. It was time to rid his mountains of their stench.

  Chapter Nine

  By the time Kaitlyn joined the rest of the family, the great room was a roar of noise as everyone spoke on top of each other to discuss what should be done next. Kaitlyn watched from the doorway for a moment. She couldn’t believe how her life had changed in such a short time.

  A few days ago, she’d fled her family home in California with the intention of piecing her life back together in the Appalachians, her beloved childhood mountains. Now she was knee deep in a world she’d only ever experienced on the fringes. Shape shifters.

  Not just living among them but mated to one. She glanced toward Micah as she entered the fray and smiled. Life was chaotic, but she wouldn’t trade it. This was her new world, and she intended to embrace it.

  Micah approached her and pulled her into his embrace. “How’d you sleep?”

  She leaned back to look up into his face and batted her eyes. “Strangest dreams about you and a little shower self-love. Do you know anything about that?”

  His eyes grew large as a grin spread wide. “Me? Nope. No idea.”

  She kissed his lips. “Riiight.”

  The sound of car tires crunching over the gravel drive at the front of the house made her jump.

  All six of them headed for the front porch.

  When Kaitlyn spotted not only George but his right-hand man, Enrique, climbing out of the rental car, she smiled. She hadn’t expected her childhood friend to come also. Her adrenaline pumped through her, filling her with a warm feeling of home.

  Micah squeezed her hand. “I assume the older gentleman is George, but who’s the Hispanic shifter?”

  “That’s Enrique.” She tugged to free herself from her mate’s clutch, but he didn’t release her.

  When she glanced up at his face, he had one eyebrow raised. “Care to elaborate?”

  She glared at him and tore herself free. “George. Enrique,” she yelled. “It’s so good to see you both. You didn’t tell me you were bringing anyone with you, George.” She pulled him in for a hug when he reached the top of the stairs. She did the same to Enrique.

  Micah grumbled inside her head about letting go of the Mexican guy, but she chose to ignore him. Enrique had been her closest friend when she’d been small. He’d come to live on the farm with his parents and was only a few years older than her. He had a great deal more experience with horses than she’d had at ten, and he’d taught her a lot about riding.

  They’d never been romantically involved, but she had no intention of pointing that out to Micah right now. Watching him fume with jealousy was far too interesting to break the spell. Or was he a little angry? He was going to have to get over himself fast. She wasn’t the type to let anyone boss her around.

  Kaitlyn turned toward her new family and introduced the most important people in her life. “George, Enrique, meet my new family.” She didn’t stutter over the word family. No sense denying it. These were her people now.

  She watched Micah squeeze his hands into fists while she let both her men wrap an arm around her from each side as they approached the house.

  Sergius spoke first when they all entered the great room. “Welcome. Both of you. We have so many questions, but first, we’ll leave you to speak with Kaitlyn. I understand this is a difficult time and you have a lot to discuss.” Sergius nodded toward the living space and hustled everyone out the front door. She imagined they would head for the barn. There was work to be done there. Work she herself had come here to do.

  Silence descended when the front door clicked shut, and Kaitlyn turned to find three men seating themselves on the plush chairs and couches. She shook her head. Of course Micah wouldn’t leave her side.

  Enrique spoke first. He glanced from Micah to Kaitlyn as she crossed the room. “You’re mated.” He’d always been blunt.

  “We are.” Micah was equally blunt. Did he intend to have some sort of standoff with her oldest friend? That would be comical, considering the lack of threat Enrique posed.

  “Kaity? Is this true?” George asked.

  She nodded. “It is.”

  “But you just got here. How…?”

  Enrique sat to George’s left. He chuckled and punched the older man playfully in the arm. “Really, George. Have my people taught you nothing over the years?”

  “Well…” George stammered. “This is Kaity. It’s a shock, is all.” His hands shook and he gripped his knees to steady himself. “Are you okay, hon?”

  Kaitlyn smiled. “Perfect.” She took the space next to Micah, who nearly pulled her forcibly down along his side. His rude behavior was growing annoying. “Play nice. Don’t make me have to hurt you later. These people are family. Wipe that stern look off your face.”

  “Somebody mastered the art of telepathy quickly,” he mumbled into her head.

  “Yeah, well, somebody is going to master the art of kicking your ass if you say anything to embarrass me right now.”

  She turned to look at George and Enrique. “So, why on earth did you two come all the way out here? Don’t get me wrong—it’s so good to see you—but you told me what I needed to know on the phone.” She leaned her elbows on her knees while Micah rubbed her back.

  “You have to come home, Kaity,” George stated.

  “What? I can’t do that.” She glanced at Micah; he stopped moving. His hand stiffened on her back. His gaze was trained on Enrique. “Stop it,” she demanded. “You’re starting to piss me off.”

  Kaitlyn turned back to the new arrivals. “Even if I could, I wouldn’t. I love it here. The Smokies are where I belong. I always have. This farm is my dream job.”

  Micah gripped the back of her shirt and tugged. When she glared at him, she found he had one eyebrow raised. “Oh, don’t get all worked up,” she said out loud. “Do you really think I would leave you?” she asked silently. This caveman act was getting old. They’d mated only last night, so she had no frame of reference to compare Micah’s behavior to. Was he always this possessive and controlling? Or was it just George and Enrique who brought that out in him?

  Or was it her?

  George cleared his throat. “Kaitlyn, you’re Margaret’s only relative. She left the farm to you.”

  She whipped her gaze back to George. Shit. That thought hadn’t occurred to her. She shook her head. This can’t be. I can’t go back there.

  “Hon, I know you never got along with your grandmother, but she’s gone. Other than your relationship with her, didn’t you have a great childhood…with the rest of us?”

  “Of course I did.” She knew she was still shaking her head subtly in denial. “But this is my home now.”

  “Because of him?” Enrique pointed at Micah. “I get that, but you’ll have to bring him with you. We need you.” Enrique had never been the kind of person to stress, but right then he exuded the full weight of some unknown burden. His hands gripped his knees until the knuckles were white. The muscles in his neck were strained as he spoke.

  “Why? You guys have run that farm for years. You don’t need me.”

  George stood and paced. “We don’t own the farm, hon. You do.” His words were firm. Pointed.

  I own a farm? Me?

  “Think about it, okay?” George asked. “I know this is a difficult time for you. Without you, the farm will have to be sold and lots of people will lose their jobs.”

  Micah’s voice filled her head. “Maybe you should go back to California with them for a while. You’d be safer.”

  She glared at him. “No way. We stay together. And if I leave here with you, everyone else will be at a greater risk against the vampire.”

  To George she said, “Why? Why can’t you run it?” Something wasn’t right.

  “Your grandmother’s will stipulates the farm is to be run by you. No one else. If you don’t want it, it is to be sold by you.�
� George turned toward the far wall of windows and wandered in that direction to stare out at the trees.

  “Why would she do that? She barely tolerated me. She didn’t even like me.”

  He twisted on his heels and looked back at her. “She loved you. In her own way, I know she did. She just didn’t know how to show it.”

  “Why is he supporting the old hag? She’s dead now. He doesn’t have to stick up for her anymore. It’s not as though he won’t get paid for the job if he badmouths her to me. I don’t get it,” Kaitlyn communicated to Micah as she squeezed his hand for support. He was cocooning her with his body, one hand on her back and the other reaching across her lap. If it was all a show of support, great. But she worried Micah’s demonstration was more of ownership than anything else. She intended to set him straight later. Now wasn’t the time.

  “I don’t know, but something is fishy. Are you going to ask him if he’s your father?” Micah gripped her fingers.

  “No. I’m not ready. I don’t know if I want to hear the answer…one way or the other. Both answers make me uncomfortable. If he is my father, I’ll be steaming angry he never told me. And if he’s not…well, I’ll be disappointed.”

  “I understand. Take your time. You don’t have to do it right now.”

  Micah opened his mouth to speak. She knew he wouldn’t go against her wishes, but she still stiffened. “You two weren’t surprised to find out we were shifters.”

  Enrique shook his head. “When George got off the phone with you last night, Kaitlyn, and told me you had taken a job on the Durham farm, I knew these had to be the three brothers we’ve been hearing about. The ones with the vampire problem.” He let the statement hang in the air while he glanced from Kaitlyn to Micah. “I thought I could help.”

  “Word sure has traveled.” Micah relaxed instead of stiffening as she would have expected. He turned to her. “We’ve been contacting every lupine shifter we know to see if anyone has ever experienced anything like the problem we have with Keeton McKinney. We must kill him. He’s out of control. We’re concerned for the local folks and anyone traveling through. He no longer operates with any sort of scruples. We’ve been hoping someone somewhere would be able to shed some light on what method might work.

  “In the last year he has decided to eradicate the wolves from these mountains. Seems he isn’t fond of sharing the forest he’s lived in for three hundred years. And frankly, we’re tired of him also. We could’ve lived here in harmony perhaps, but then the bastard started killing humans.”

  Kaitlyn gasped.

  He took a deep breath and then continued. “Last year the stakes went up considerably. First he kidnapped Juliana, intending to mate her himself. We managed to thwart the effort, rescue Jules from a cave and leave McKinney trapped behind his own exploding dynamite.

  “That didn’t kill him, however. A few months later he showed up again. This time he took Jaxon hostage. He’s quite fond of dynamite and intended to try the same trick, blowing his explosives in a cave and killing Jaxon.

  “Jaxon outsmarted him, though, and staked him through the chest.” Micah’s words made Kaitlyn widen her gaze. Holy hell, this is bad.

  Enrique leaned toward them, listening intently. “That won’t work.”

  “Yeah, we found that out when the shithead disappeared from the cave and returned again recently, wounds licked and surprisingly stronger than ever.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Enrique asked.

  “His powers are growing. He was tinkering with them last year. He mastered the ability to keep us from communicating with each other. However, the effort was at the expense of his own awareness. He didn’t realize we were following him while he concentrated so hard on us.

  “There was a forest fire. That’s how Jaxon met his mate—she’s a firefighter. While she was working, McKinney managed to capture Jaxon. The one thing we learned from that experience is he isn’t fond of fire. We later heard from a pack of shifters in Canada who believe they destroyed their local vampire problem by burning him.

  “That information isn’t confirmed. Speculation. Meanwhile, it seems McKinney has been honing his talents. The bloodsucker reappeared on the scene recently and he’s toying with us.” Micah took a deep breath.

  “How?” George wandered back over from the window.

  “Last night he released all the horses while we were in bed. We realize now he was demonstrating his new ability—to mask his own scent from us. He’s never before approached that close without our awareness.”

  “Well, you hit the nail on the head,” Enrique began. “Fire is the answer. My family came to the US from southern Mexico. I know for a fact my relatives still living in that area have eradicated their problem with flames.”

  Micah leaned forward, significantly less stiff than he’d been for the last several minutes. “God, that’s good news. At least we know how to get rid of the fucker.”

  “Do you expect him to strike soon?” Enrique didn’t wait for an answer. He turned toward George and spoke to the older man. “I think I better stay here and help. You go back and keep things running. I’ll help Kaitlyn, her mate and his family get rid of the vermin.”

  George furrowed his brow. “We only have a few days.”

  “Until what?” Kaitlyn asked.

  “The official reading of the will. You have to be present and decide if you’re willing to carry out Margaret’s wishes.”

  Kaitlyn closed her eyes. A few days? That’s not enough time.

  She just got here. She had ten thousand things on her plate. The last thing she could even ponder was the wish of a crazy old woman after her death. “Can we stall him?” Her brain started churning ideas. A light bulb went off. “Let’s tell him I’m getting married. Here. Next week or something. Anything to buy some time so I can think.” The idea flew out of her mouth.

  She turned toward Micah. “Sorry. That was crass. I didn’t even consult you. We just met yesterday. And…” Her thought trailed off as she stared at his broad smile.

  “Perfect idea.” He kissed her on the lips. “That should work, don’t you think?” He turned toward their guests. “If the lawyer won’t buy the story from you, have them call us.”

  George hesitated and then nodded. “You can’t very well come to California on short notice when you have a wedding to plan.” He turned to Enrique and then back to Kaitlyn. “I better call home and soothe frayed nerves. Everyone is worried you won’t return and they’ll lose their jobs.”

  Kaitlyn swallowed. The enormity of the situation bore down on her. She couldn’t go back. Her life was here now. And yet, how could she leave all those people high and dry? They were like family to her, every one of them.

  “Let’s give this a few days. Try not to stress over it. One thing at a time.” Micah stroked her back again and then pulled her into his side. His words were gentle, but his movements were stiff. She knew he was concerned.

  Chapter Ten

  After the four of them had hashed out the situation with her California farm, the rest of the Durhams returned to the house, and they all gathered around to get details from Enrique. Micah felt like Enrique was conducting a class—How to Kill a Vampire: 101.

  It would have been comical, except there was nothing funny about it. And he still felt a bit uneasy about Enrique’s presence. Did the man have some long-time crush on Kaitlyn? The thought continued to bug the hell out of Micah.

  And Kaitlyn wasn’t too pleased with him either. But was she being naïve where Enrique was concerned? Or were they truly just friends?

  Micah tensed as he absorbed more information. “Why do you suppose his abilities are increasing? For years we’ve scented him and chased him off. Why did he begin to block our communications and now his scent from us?”

  Enrique nodded. “He’s feeding off his anger. Most likely when he planned to mate with Juliana, and you took that off the table, he began this process of switching from a regular run-of-the-mill vampire to one who took on more po
wers. I’ve heard of this before. His fury essentially fueled him. Gave him the ability to grow—hone his skills.”

  Micah swallowed. “So what do you advise?”

  “We need to burn him, that’s for sure. We need a plan that will trap him someplace he can’t escape and then set him on fire.” Enrique looked at each member of the family in turn. No matter what, Enrique really did know his shit when it came to vampires.

  Brianna spoke next. “I’m a firefighter. I can help…somehow.”

  Enrique leaned forward. “That will help. And you have lots of caves around here, so surely we can corner him.”

  Jaxon wrapped his arms around Brianna. Micah knew what his brother was thinking. None of them was fond of putting the women in danger.

  Kaitlyn read his mind, however. “Micah, we’re in this as deep as you. And have as much to lose. Whatever role we need to play in this, you have to accept it. It sounds like we women need to lure him somewhere to set the ball in motion.”

  Micah stiffened at Kaitlyn’s words. He grabbed her hand and pulled it against his cheek. She would be able to read his thoughts no doubt, but he at least attempted to remain calm. She didn’t like to be coddled. If he didn’t check his emotions, he was going to piss her off.

  Sergius groaned. “Let’s leave that as a last resort. Maybe something will come to mind. Anything.”

  The crunch of tires on gravel brought everyone’s attention to the front of the house again. Micah jerked toward the door. It wasn’t like him to be so on edge, but overnight he’d become a different man. One with something huge to live for. A mate. Suddenly life had taken on new meaning.

  He knew the newcomer would be the sheriff, but still he worried. His grip on Kaitlyn’s hand tightened until she winced and tugged away from him. “Sorry, baby,” he whispered. He kissed her behind the ear and inhaled her scent. He needed her again.

  “Stop that. I can’t concentrate when you do that.” She glared at him.

  “What? Squeeze your hand?” He knew that wasn’t what she meant.