by V. A. Dold
“You must be joking.”
“No, cher. I couldn’t be more serious. Please, stay with him until you can talk this out.”
She gave him a single nod. “All right, I’ll stay for a while longer.”
They rode in silence for a few miles when she wondered something. “Seth, why did Qball look and act so strangely? I only nicked him with my shot.”
“Nick and Derick are vampires. Nick had him in a trance.”
“Vampire? No, don’t tell me, I don’t want to know.”
Chapter 14
Weak though he was, Richie walked slowly from the bedroom. He couldn’t spend one more second flat on his back. This morning he was rejoining the world. Not only was he going stir crazy, Piper’s sorrow and guilt were beating at him like the rug beater his mother used on him as a child. He grinned to himself, recalling all the shenanigans he’d gotten into with Seth and the rest of the gang. He was the first to admit, he’d been a hellion.
Over the past three days, she’d hovered close, stayed by his side comforting him. But this morning when Seth came to do his daily healing session, she’d left the room and hadn’t returned.
Richie found her staring out the front window at the river, quietly weeping. Her sadness was so intense, his chest felt like an elephant was napping on it. He stood behind her for a moment to allow her time to sense he was near. He wanted to comfort her, not startle her. When her body relaxed and she breathed a little sigh, he wrapped his arms around her. Held her back against his front, and rubbed his stubbled chin through her hair.
“What’s wrong, mon amour? Your tears are breaking my heart.”
“Seth told me you’re almost completely healed. I’ve stayed to make sure you’d be all right. Now that you’re out of the woods, I should go.”
Richie’s temper flared. “You’ve tried to push me away long enough, Piper. You’re not leaving me, I won’t allow it.”
She sighed, but didn’t turn around. “I pushed you away so you wouldn’t get hurt. I know how dangerous my job is and I was trying to protect you. Then, I did something completely out of character and left the protection of cover. I stupidly made myself a target and nearly got you killed. You must hate me for that.”
“You’re wrong, cher. I don’t hate you, I love you.” He turned her in his arms and tipped her chin up so she looked him in the eye. “As your mate, it’s my privilege to protect you, even with my life. I would do it again in a heartbeat. You’re mine, don’t ever forget that.”
Piper opened her mouth to protest, but Richie silenced her with a finger over her lips.
“Do you recall when I suddenly stopped walking along the river in the French Quarter and you asked me what happened?”
She nodded, but remained silent.
“I was having a vision. I saw you die.” Richie’s body shook from the force of his raw emotions. “Qball shot you in that burned out building and I was forced to watch the light leave your eyes as you died in my arms. I was completely helpless to save you. I couldn’t allow that to happen.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I could have taken precautions and saved you from a bullet. Instead, you almost died. Because of me!”
“You’re forgetting, I’ve tried to give others a heads up, it never worked. Do you remember my friend who was killed by the gang? I warned him and he tried to change his fate. He died anyway. I couldn’t take that risk, not with you. I had to be the one to prevent your death. I knew every nuance of the vision and precisely what would happen. Only I knew exactly what to look for and what actions to take. If you’d done anything different from my vision, I needed to be there to counteract the change. There was no other way.”
Piper’s shoulders sagged. “I still don’t like it, and it’s still my fault. You should have told me and allowed me the chance to discuss it with you. I never would have let you jump in front of a bullet for me.”
“And that’s why I didn’t tell you. You would have tried to change the outcome and I would have been helpless to save you. If I’d told you and you changed even one thing in the vision and did something other than what I saw, it would have been all over and you would have died.
“By not telling you, I minimized the possibility of your actions changing. Tiny changes, I could adjust for, but a major change, such as you rushing Qball instead of sneaking across the room would have been impossible for me to counter. Like I said, it’s my privilege and responsibility to keep you safe, healthy, and happy. Besides, I, as a shifter, had a ten times better chance of surviving a bullet than you did as a human. It made sense that I be the one to take the hit.”
“Ah!” She snarled and smacked his arm. “You drive me crazy with your common sense.” Then, she waved a hand as if dismissing her anger. “It’s all irrelevant now. While you were sleeping, I called my boss and tendered my final resignation. He tried to talk me out of it, but I’m done with that life. I won’t ever put anyone else in danger again.”
Richie grinned, happy to have won the battle. “If that’s what you really want. I admit, I hated that you put yourself in danger. Now, promise me there will be no more thoughts of leaving.”
“Fine. I’ll stay,” she harrumphed.
“Try not to sound too happy about spending time in my company,” he teased sarcastically.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it. If you honestly still want me around, I’ll stay.”
He pulled her body flush with his. “I absolutely want that. So, what do you want to do with the rest of your life?”
Piper chuckled and a sparkle returned to her sad eyes. “I have no idea. I have enough money to last years, decades even. For now, I think I’m just going to relax and enjoy myself.”
He nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent. “I like that plan. I have more money than I could ever spend. I only work for the camaraderie and socializing. Heck, I just might quit as well, and keep you naked and tied to my bed.”
“The naked part sounds interesting, but you love your job. Maybe you should just take some time off. I think you’re going to miss the bar and the people if you stop working.” She closed her eyes and tilted her head to give him better access.
He kissed her neck one last time and gazed into her eyes smiling sheepishly. “Yeah, you might be right.”
His wolf rumbled loudly, pushing him to claim his mate. “Woman, your scent is driving me crazy.”
She blew out a little breath of laughter and shook her head. “I seem to have that effect on men. Not only do I drive them nuts, I make them lose their temper too. Apparently my personality is less than ideal.”
“Your personality is perfect, but your sexy body is distracting me from our conversation. And you don’t need to be affecting other men.”
“I think you’re still delirious from loss of blood. Perhaps you should return to your sickbed.”
Richie’s gaze heated and a fire lit in his eyes. “I assure you, I am far from delirious and I have ALL my faculties. Care to take them for a test drive?”
He watched her eyes search his. Then he felt her at the edge of his mind, trying to catch his thoughts and ferret out the truth of his words. He knew all she saw was the unadulterated desire he burned with.
“I need you, mon amour,” Richie choked out, wrapping her hair around his fist and slowly inching his mouth to hers. All the while imposing his dominance with the demand blazing in his glowing eyes. He would never let her go, no matter what she said or thought. She was his.
He felt her heart racing wildly as his lips skimmed lightly across hers. “You’re forgetting to breathe, mon amour. Take a breath.”
Piper sucked in a shaky lungful of air. At the same time, filling her nose with his alluring fragrance. “Mm, you smell so good.”
“You do to. That’s our mating scents. They intensify when mates are aroused to send them into a frenzy, encouraging the completion of the ritual,” Richie growled and kissed her again, deeply.
His lips were demanding yet incredibly soft. The ex
citement fluttering in her stomach pooled low, building a slow burn in her core.
Richie’s lips teased the line of her neck, nibbling tiny bites, then soothing with his tongue. His gentle persuasion was completely at odds with the fierce hunger she felt raging through his body.
The tiny sting from his fist, clutching her hair, holding her for his marauding mouth, sent another zing to her core. The other caressed her back, followed the curve of her hip, until she was pressed against his hardened erection.
“Mine,” he growled, next to her ear.
Piper shivered when he nipped her earlobe and rumbled contentedly.
“Before this goes any further, I need a shower.” He sniffed himself and wrinkled his nose. “I smell like a dirty wet dog. If I leave you alone out here, will you promise to stay or do I need to take you into the shower with me?”
“I’ll stay. Go ahead and take your shower, I need to do some thinking anyway.”
Worry creased Richie’s brow. “About what?”
“This and that. Go on. Take your shower. Shoo.”
Richie eyed her for a moment, then kissed her nose. As he left the room, he turned. “I’m trusting you and holding you to your word, mon amour.”
*****
Piper pulled her tattered notepad from her purse and drew two columns. At the top of the left column she drew a plus sign, on the right side she drew a minus sign. It was high time she decided what she truly wanted to do. Stay here in the bayou with Richie or take a little time off before heading back home.
The two columns were designed to help her make a decision. If she didn’t stay with him, going home was a given.
First question: could she handle living day in and day out in the bayou. Absent-mindedly, she tapped her pen against her chin. She liked the wildlife and peacefulness. Hiking through on the animal paths was good exercise. She loved living on water. Three pluses.
What about transportation? When she needed groceries or toilet paper she’d have to use a boat to get them.
She tapped her chin again. She would have to ask Richie how he handles that before she assigned it a side.
Would weather be a problem? She looked out the window and eyed the river. Richie’s house was raised and fortified for storms. He had backup generators if all else failed. Weather shouldn’t be an issue. Plus, it would be warm here in the winter. She carefully wrote weather on the plus side.
Being with Richie? Definitely plus, plus, plus.
What about emergencies or accidents? Did they have doctors in the bayou? She scratched the bridge of her nose with the nonbusiness end of her pen then wrote it down as another question for Richie.
She looked at her notepad and smiled, all pluses with two questions.
Richie walked into the bedroom, a towel slung low on his hips, rubbing his hair dry with another towel. He stopped short when he saw her sitting at the end of the bed waiting for him.
“Is everything okay, cher?” he asked apprehensively.
“I think so,” she hedged, then sighed. “To be honest, I’m not sure.”
“Uh huh.” He wasn’t sure what to do with that.
“Do you mind if I ask you some questions?” she asked in a tiny, shy voice that sounded strange coming from her mouth.
“Ask me anything,” he said, as he combed his hair.
“It’s embarrassing to admit, but I made a pro’s and con’s list for staying while you were in the shower and there are a couple of things I need to ask you about.”
Panic stabbed Richie’s heart. Had she come up with more pro’s than con’s? He swallowed hard on a dry throat. “Ask away.”
She asked about doctors and he told her about the local homeopathic healers and the Traiteurs, a form of native faith healer.
When she asked about shopping Richie grinned. “I’m sorry, cher. I thought you understood. This is my cabin. I come here to relax. I have a house in the Garden District. That’s where we’ll live, not here. I brought you here instead of my house to draw Qball away from the general public.”
*****
Piper’s mouth fell open. Now that she thought back, he had called it a cabin. She’d mistakenly assumed he only had the one place. Well, that changed everything.
“Piper?”
She blinked at him.
“Are you okay?”
She shook her head and covered her face. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“Why?”
“I thought this was where you lived all the time.”
“So what. That’s an honest mistake. No big deal.”
Piper raised an eyebrow. “Obviously, I have much to learn about you.”
“No, not really. With me, what you see is what you get. Well, except for the part that I’m independently wealthy. Most people wouldn’t guess that.” He shrugged.
“So, when do I get to see this house in the Garden District?”
“How about tomorrow? I should be rested enough to close up the cabin and move home by then.”
“Great,” she grinned happily.
“Do you have any other questions, mon amour?”
“Well, I was wondering about the ritual. Does it hurt? I mean is there biting and blood. Do you have to attack me or something?”
“Not in the way you’re thinking. I’ll bite you once, but I promise you’ll like it. And then you get to bite me back. And I guarantee, I’m looking forward to that.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Suddenly his face fell. “Except the conversion. I’m told that can be a bit uncomfortable. Did you have any major injuries between the ages of twenty-five an thirty-five? Other than the one knife wound you told me about?”
“I was shot once and I took a couple other knife wounds. Do they count?”
Richie chuckled and shook his head. Piper was one of a kind. Of course she would think nothing of a gunshot wound or being stuck with a knife.
“Yes, cher, they count. Rose, Anna’s sister-in-law, another one of the Le Beau mates, told me she’d had a broken arm that was healed during the conversion. She said it was a bit painful, but the pain was rather fleeting, so I hope yours won’t be too unbearable.”
“The injuries didn’t hurt much when I got them, so maybe it won’t be so bad. Besides, I have a high tolerance for pain. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Good, I was really worried for a minute. The pain during the conversion would never be more than what you experienced during the injury.”
Piper racked her brain for any more questions she was forgetting to ask.
She was so lost in thought, when the bed dipped next to her, it knocked her off balance and she almost fell over backward off the side.
Richie’s shifter reflexes saved her from utter embarrassment. Catching her by the shoulders before she slipped off.
“I’m so sorry! Did I hurt you?”
She clutched her chest, breathing hard. “No, I’m fine. I just need to let my heart slow to a normal beat.”
Then she stood and walked to the bedroom door. “I need a little time to think, okay?”
“All right, but you’re not leaving, right?”
“Richie,” she smiled tiredly, “I’m in the middle of the bayou and you have the keys to the boat, where am I going to go?”
“Yeah, good point. I guess I wasn’t thinking. I’ll take my time getting dressed so I don’t bother you.”
She smiled again and walked away, she could feel his fear that she was going to change her mind and leave him. But she had a big decision to make.
Piper stood at the living room window looking out at the bayou. What would it be like to run as a wolf the way Richie could? It looked and sounded cool, especially the part where she kept her human wit’s about her. She pictured herself running through the woods, leaving all her worries and human rules behind. She would bet a lot of money it felt amazing.
Then she heard Anna’s voice in her head saying, “They’re still regular people, just like you, only more.” An extra soul, wild animal, and crazy magi
c more, she thought.
Did she love Richie? Yes, she honestly did.
Was she brave enough to take a leap of faith that she’d never regret accepting Richie? She liked to think she was.
It all came down to, if Richie were just a normal human, what would she do? Would she marry him? Yeah, I would.
So that left the whole furry magic thing. Did she want to be able to shift? Hell yes. Did she want to live to be fourteen hundred years old and watch everyone she knew die? Her heart hurt just thinking about it. What would living that long even be like? What kind of technology and environmental changes would she live to see?
Face it, Piper, could you walk away from Richie and never look back? The honest answer was emphatically, no.
So did it matter if she waited any longer and left Richie hanging? It didn’t matter one bit. Her answer today was the same as it would be tomorrow.
“Richie, could you come out here?”
“You all right?” he asked tenderly, joining her at the window.
Piper turned and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head on his chest. “I’m more than all right. I was having a discussion with myself and I’ve realized something.”
“What did you realize?” he asked, rubbing her back.
“I’m not afraid anymore.”
“Afraid of what?” he wondered, smoothing her hair.
“Of taking the leap and becoming a shifter.”
Richie sucked in a sharp breath.
Lifting her head, she met his gaze. “I love you, Richie and I never want to spend a day without you.”
*****
His heart soared with a mixture of elation and hope. Did she mean what he thought she meant?
“I’ve,” she paused, closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. Then she met his eyes again. “I’ve never felt this way before, and frankly, it scares the living crap out of me. Are you absolutely sure you want me as a mate, and if we do this that you can’t change your mind? I’m not the easiest person to live with,” she confided in a shy voice. So unlike the courageous woman he had come to know.
