by E. J. Powell
“I don’t know? I could, maybe, someday,” Boyd said. “She would have to be extraordinary, though.”
“If even that,” Drew said. “No thank you. I prefer the bachelor life.”
“Don’t you want kids someday?” Aria asked. Drew looked like he was slapped in the face.
“Kids? You mean booger eating, always crying, little mess makers? That would be a hard no.”
“Kids are great,” Aria said. “I wouldn’t mind having some.”
“You want kids?” Bender asked his wife.
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s get started.” Bender leaned into Aria and whispered something in her ear.
Daniel looked away as Aria started to blush. They had a special connection that was both sweet and a little sickening. Daniel did have to admit kids would be nice. He looked down to Jessie. He wondered if their kids would have blond or brown hair. He hoped it would be blond. Just like hers. The waitress came back to the table carrying the large tray full of beers. Drew and Boyd both sat up, puffing their chests out. Ashley shot them a look and they quickly sunk back in their seats.
“Cock block,” Drew mumbled under his breath. It was barely audible, but Daniel heard it, and so did Ashley. He could have sworn Ashley’s emerald eyes flashed red with anger. His mom’s eyes used to do that when he, or one of his brothers, would get into trouble.
The waitress passed out the beers and took the extremely large orders before hurrying back to the kitchen.
“So what’s next on the training list?” Jessie asked Helena next to her.
“That’s up to you.” Helena put her beer down. “You’re doing well in hand-to-hand. I can teach you a few things with a weapon if you want, but I figured you would want to train in wolf form.”
“No. I would love to learn a weapon.”
“Did you have one in mind?”
“Maybe the whips, like you?”
“The whips are little more advanced for a beginner,” Helena said. Jessie felt a little disappointed. She didn’t know why, but she had a burning desire to learn everything about fighting. “How about I teach you how to disarm an attacker then use the knife against him.”
Jessie perked up. That could come in handy.
“I’ll take it,” Jessie said.
“After lunch I’ll show you some basic maneuvers.”
“I was actually hoping to take Jessie out for a spin after lunch,” Daniel said. “She hasn’t really ever ridden a motorcycle.”
Just about everyone at the table turned to stare at her. They looked like they had just been slapped in the face. Jessie shifted in her seat as the gaping mouths and wide eyes continued to stare at her.
“That’s just a crime,” Helena said, recovering first. “How about when you get back to the bar? Ashley shouldn’t need me tonight.”
“Oh, but my customers have been looking forward to being hit in the face by you all day,” Ashley said, feigning disappointment. “It’s become the next tourist attraction. Audubon Zoo. Check. Bourbon Street. Check. Get knocked out by Helena. Check.”
“Hey, if they didn’t want to be punched, then they should keep their hands to themselves.”
“That’s my girl,” Colt said beside her. Helena smiled at him.
“Fair enough.” Ashley conceded just as the food came out. It took three waiters to carry the massive trays.
“Y’all need anything else?” the waitress asked after the plates had been passed out. She pushed her hair out of her face as she scanned the table.
“Just your number,” Drew said. Ashley whipped her head around so fast. She looked like she was about to say something to him, but the waitress spoke up first.
“Sure. It’s 504- never going to happen.”
Drew’s mouth dropped open and then laughter broke out across the table.
Sobering herself, Ashley turned to the waitress, “We’re good, Thank you.”
The waitress nodded then hurried to her next table to take more orders.
“What just happened?” Drew asked, looking completely befuddled.
“You just got shot down,” Helena said. “Big time.”
“I like her,” Ashley added. “I wonder if she wants a new job.”
“Poaching the competition?” Darion asked from beside her.
“Just keeping my eyes open for people who use non-violent ways to solve conflicts.” Ashley looked to Helena. Helena shot her the middle finger. Ashley shook her head. “My point exactly.”
“This is your fault, Ashley,” Drew said.
“How is that my fault?”
“You shot my confidence. I couldn’t lay the ground work first.”
“Yeah, that’s why she wasn’t crawling into your bed,” Boyd said as he took a bite from his sub. “Ground work.”
“Shut up.” Drew hit Boyd hard in the shoulder. Boyd pretended that it hurt, but he was still laughing along with everyone else.
Jessie sat back. This all felt so… normal. It had been a long time since she had just sat back and enjoyed the conversation. In her family, it was always war. Everyone was a potential enemy. There wasn’t time to just laugh.
“That smile is breath taking,” Daniel whispered in her ear, so low no one else could hear him. “Heaven, have mercy on me.”
Jessie felt her cheeks heat up. She looked up and she saw pure warmth radiating from his brown eyes. In that moment, the world seemed to stop. Time no longer existed. It was just her and him. If only it were. Jessie made the mistake of looking down. His jeans were tight on his thighs as his long legs stretched under the table. His thighs were thick with muscle. The kind of thickness that was meant for crawling up on. What Jessie would give to be able to straddle him in this moment. This moment where only he existed.
A moment that came to an abrupt halt when Jessie realized Helena was talking to her.
“Hey, Jessie, you in there?” Helena snapped her fingers. Jessie looked over to her, and for just a second, wanted to scratch her pretty brown eyes out.
“Yeah, sorry. What were you saying?”
“I was asking if your father was making any progress with the Rocco situation.”
“I’m not sure. They don’t include me in their plans.”
“So they just make plans for you. And you go along with it?”
“Pretty much.”
“That sounds exhausting.”
“You have no idea.” If just once, Jessie wished she could make her own choices. Her own mistakes. Her own plans. But that was never going to happen.
After lunch, everyone stood and threw a heaping pile of tips on the table. It was a good day to be to a waitress here.
They all filed out of the restaurant and to the bikes parked along the street.
“Where’s Drew?” Ashley asked as she zipped up her riding jacket. Jessie looked around and then over to see Drew coming out of the café. His face was beaming with a smile as he tucked a piece of paper into his jean pocket.
“What were you doing?” Ashley asked as he neared his bike.
“None of your business.”
“You get her number?” Boyd asked to his side.
Drew pulled the paper back out and held it up to Boyd before putting it back in his pocket.
“Already made a date for tonight,” Drew said.
“And another one bites the dust,” Helena said. Ashley shook her head as she mounted Darion’s bike. Poor Ashley. Jessie knew what it was like to grow up with brothers. Luckily for her, there were other females in her pack. And her brothers weren’t quite the horn dogs Ashley’s were. Although, they did have their moments.
Jessie felt Daniel slip his hand in hers as he led her to his bike and handed her the helmet.
“You ready to ride?” he asked.
“You bet.”
Daniel felt his stomach tighten as Jessie’s smile radiated. God, was she beautiful! She snapped her helmet on and then straddled the bike behind him. Her legs wrapped around his hips and the warmth from her chest pressed int
o his back. And her breasts. He had half a mind to take her back to the bar and up to his room where he could bathe in her warmth.
Before he let his desires take control, he pulled out from the sidewalk and headed towards I-10. Once on the interstate, he let the motorcycle rip. Jessie wrapped her arms tighter around his stomach, just inches from his growing erection. If only he could move her hand a little farther down. Maybe if she held him just a little tighter…
He pushed the bike faster, nearly reaching a hundred miles per hour. He thought that would get her to hold on tighter, but to his surprise, she loosened her grip until he couldn’t feel it at all. He looked in his side mirror to see her arms stretched out, the wind whipping her hair around her neck. Her eyes were closed under her visor, her head leaning back, soaking in the breeze.
“This is amazing!” she yelled. Daniel felt his smile spread as he weaved in and out of traffic. Her laughter rode the wind for the hour they drove. Unfortunately, the interstate was starting to fill up as the rush hour picked up. He made a U-turn at the next exit and sped back to New Orleans. Damn the traffic. However, it did allow for Jessie to wrap her arms back around him. At her touch, his body came alive, completely aware of everything around him. Her fingers against his navel. Her head resting in the center of his back. Her knees squeezed against his outer thighs. Everything was heightened. It was as if he was in wolf form. The smell of lilies floated around him, taking him back to the garden of Jessie.
He slowed as he turned off the interstate to take the back roads into the city. Jessie still clung to his back.
He stopped at a red light, about twenty minutes from the city limits. He glanced in the mirror. He could see Jessie’s shoulder peeking out from around him.
And then in the corner of the mirror, he saw a black Escalade speeding up behind him.
He didn’t have time to react as the SUV plowed into the back tire. The bike shot out from underneath him as he flew through the air. He reached around to grab for Jessie, but she wasn’t there.
He hit the pavement with a bone cracking thud.
Literally, bone cracking.
He felt his tibia snap as his weight came crashing down on it. He rolled, his shoulders smacking the ground with each turn. He felt the asphalt rip through his jeans shaving off flesh as he came to a skidding halt.
The earth was still spinning around him, even though he had stopped. He pushed off his helmet and looked around. He could kill the SUV driver, but that wasn’t his main concern right now.
“Jessie!” he yelled. He managed to pull himself to his feet, shifting his weight off of his broken leg. “Jessie!”
Three men came out of the SUV. Daniel recognized them instantly. Baxter and the other two wolves that had pounded into him at the bar started walking towards him.
Daniel’s first instinct was to shift, but he couldn’t with a broken leg. He looked around for anything he could use against them. Nothing but broken glass surrounded him.
“Where’s the girl?” Baxter demanded.
“I really liked that bike,” Daniel said, ignoring his question.
“Tell us where the girl is or you will join your bike in a pile of scrap metal.”
“I really don’t know.” He didn’t. He peered around the road for her, but there was no sign. She might have been thrown into the woods next to the road. He didn’t hear her screaming which could be a good sign. That means she wasn’t in pain. Or it could be a bad sign. She could be unconscious or worse. Don’t say the D word. Jessie was alive. He knew it.
“I’m not playing games here,” Baxter said. “Where is she?”
“How about you come a little closer so I can tell you.”
He came closer, all right. Daniel felt the hit to his jaw and was pushed back to the ground. His leg screamed in pain. Baxter flipped him over, and Daniel came up swinging. He knocked Baxter in the jaw. Baxter stumbled back as Daniel leapt up, grabbing Baxter by the neck, and landing on top of him. He landed another punch before the other two wolves ripped Daniel off and threw him back. His head smacked into the asphalt, hard. Spots clouded his vision as he tried to keep conscious. Baxter was on top of him again, swinging blow after blow. Daniel’s jaw went numb as it was hit again. It was getting harder to stay conscious each time Baxter laid into his face. Stay awake. An unconscious wolf was a dead one.
“Where is she?!”
Daniel was too numb to respond.
Baxter looked up to Cash and Blu.
“Search the woods. Rocco’s employer won’t be happy if we let the wolfswan escape again.”
Daniel must have been hearing wrong. Rocco’s employer? He thought they were just trying to get to Rickon, but the way Baxter made it sound, it was as if they were after her.
Before Daniel could sort out what he was hearing, Baxter went flying into the air, landing on the hood of the SUV and breaking through the windshield. The other two shot into the side of the SUV, one crashing through the side window and into the truck. Well, that’s different. Was he seeing things now?
Daniel tried to sit up, but the ground started spinning under him and he fell back down.
“Daniel!” He could hear Jessie’s voice. He needed to get to her. He tried to crawl over the pavement, his broken leg dragging behind him. He couldn’t tell which way she was though. It was as if she was all around him.
And then she was beside him. She flipped him to his back. Her hair fell in her face as she leaned over him. She was moving her lips, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying. She looked worried as her dark blond brow creased. Her nose was bleeding and he went to wipe her face, but instead fell back unconscious.
Jessie scanned the road. The three wolves were still unconscious as their bodies laid limp on the SUV. She had to fight through the binding spells to use her powers to get them away from Daniel. She will probably pay for that later, but right now, Daniel was her concern. She looked to see if any cars were coming, but the back road was empty. She wasn’t even sure why there was a stop light to begin with. And to top it off, her cell phone had been shattered in the crash.
She wiped the blood from her nose as it dripped down her lip. Yeah, the binding spell was wearing off fast. She needed help. She started padding down Daniel’s pockets. She was horrified as she realized that he only had one pocket left. Most of his pants were ripped off from being scraped across the road. His entire left leg was bare and bleeding. Pieces of flesh hung from his muscles melded with pieces of jean fabric. His leg was also broken as the bone protruded out of his shin.
She reached around to his back, trying to roll him over. Dang, he was heavy. She got him slightly on his side and felt his back pocket. Aha! She pulled out his phone. The screen was cracked, but it was still working. She squinted as she scrolled through his phone, hoping she was in his contact list. She just hit a button at random and prayed it wasn’t an ex-girlfriend.
“Why the hell are you calling me?” It was a male voice on the line. It sounded familiar, but Jessie couldn’t place it.
“Who is this?” she asked.
“Ethon Catilopian. Who are you and why do you have Daniel’s phone?”
Ethon. She knew him. He was Libby’s husband and a vampire that lived just outside of New Orleans. Her pack had helped him out a couple of months ago.
“Ethon, It’s Jessie Greyson. I’m Rickon’s daughter.”
“Oh, hey.” His toned changed drastically.
“Daniel and I were just attacked. He’s unconscious and I need help.”
“Where are you?”
“We just turned off I-10 heading back into New Orleans, but I’m not really sure. It’s not a main road.”
“Hold on. Let me track his phone.” The phone went silent. Jessie looked over to see that the three men were starting to wake up. “I got you. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
The phone hung up. She didn’t have ten minutes. She put the phone in her back pocket and moved to stand behind Daniel. She wished she had enough control over her powers to
lift Daniel with them, but right now, she could end up sending him flying into a tree. She grabbed his shoulders and heaved. He was even heavier than she thought. Six feet and four inches of pure muscle. She reached her arms under his shoulders, hooking her hands around his chest. If she could get him to the woods, she could hide him behind the trees. She pulled with everything she had. Slowly, inch by inch, she dragged Daniel to the side of the road and down the embankment. The dried leaves snapped under her feet as she pulled him into the woods. She dragged him behind the nearest bush and quickly went back out to cover up the tracks. She dodged back behind the bush and threw her body over Daniel’s. With her powers flexing, she hoped it was enough to shield them and their scents.
“Where did they go?”
Jessie peered through the leaves. The tallest one stood where Daniel had just been lying on the pavement. He bent down and wiped a speck of black liquid from the road. It was her blood. He looked up from his finger and swept his eyes over the surroundings. Jessie held her breath as he looked right at her. His eyes kept moving, scanning the woods.
“How did they get away, Baxter?” the man next to the taller one asked.
“I don’t know,” Baxter replied.
“Rocco will kill us if we don’t get the girl.”
“Shut it, Blu,” Baxter said.
The man stood and signaled the other two. They piled back into the SUV, taking off down the road.
When they were out of sight, Jessie let out her breath. That was too close. She looked back to Daniel. He was still unconscious. She ripped off some of his shirt and put it to his head where it was bleeding. Daniel was in bad shape. If she didn’t get him to Helena soon, he could bleed out. And this was all her fault. They were looking for her. She looked back to Daniel and tried to brush his hair out of the blood on his face. She did this. She’s the reason Daniel is bleeding out on the side of the road.
“I’m so sorry, Daniel,” she whispered.
A few minutes later, a silver Land Rover pulled up on the road. A tall man, with white-blond hair stepped out. He was huge as he looked around the crash site. Thank, god. Jessie recognized him and ran out of the woods.
