Changing Hearts

by Marilu Mann

  When she leaned down to kiss one particularly vicious scar close to his heart, Malcolm groaned and cupped the back of her head.

  “Bite me.”

  “What?” Sure she’d misunderstood him, Joie stared at his face. His eyes were closed, his jaw clenched. As she watched, he opened his eyes and stared right at her.

  “Bite me. Mark me. It’s the shifter way.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.” She traced the scar again, almost reverently. He’d been hurt so much in the past.

  “Do it. Put your mouth on me and bite.” Malcolm pulled her head down to his chest.

  Joie hesitantly opened her mouth over his skin and his scent wafted up to her. She could feel his arousal pulsing against her and she could feel his heart pounding. His breathing became more unsteady as he held her head to his chest.

  “Do it, Joie. Bite.” His voice sounded almost like a growl now. Joie bit him, not hard, just enough to put pressure on his skin.

  “Harder.”

  His voice was definitely a growl now. She closed her mouth and bit harder on him, feeling him move under her.

  He positioned himself right at her entrance then pressed on the back of her head again. “Harder, Joie. Mark me.”

  Joie bit hard and he thrust upward, entering her in one smooth stroke. She moaned against his skin and as soon as he released her head, she sat up. Malcolm thrust upward again even as Joie stared in horror at the imprint of her teeth on his chest.

  “Malcolm!”

  “Mine!” He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her over, never breaking contact with her. She’d never seen him look so fierce. His thrusts were hard, his breath harsh, and all she could do was hold on. He dragged her over the edge, stifling her cries when his mouth covered hers.

  Malcolm continued to thrust into her body and when she felt his body tightening above her, he moved his mouth to her neck. He bit her just below the pulse. She felt his teeth close on her neck and wondered if he’d drawn blood. She arched her back, trying to get away from him, and felt him surrender to his own explosive climax.

  Slade licked slowly over the mark he’d made on Joie’s neck. The imprint of his teeth was visible but he hadn’t broken the tender skin. She was well and truly marked as his now. He’d either saved her or condemned her.

  That thought made him pull away from her. Joie stared up at him with tears in her eyes.

  “Shit. Joie, baby, did I hurt you?”

  “No, not really. Would you let me up, please?”

  Slade moved slowly, withdrawing from her body and rolling to his side to deal with the condom. The area just above his right nipple felt tender. She’d bitten him just as he’d wanted her to. Had she been a shifter she’d have broken the skin, bloodying him and he’d have done the same.

  Joie got off the bed and he got angry when he saw her shaking. Angry with himself, not at her.

  “Joie, I…” he stopped as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Slade got off the bed, tossed the spent condom into the garbage then walked over to the bathroom door. He put his hands against the door, leaning into it. He could hear her on the other side, her breathing ragged, and he knew in his soul she was crying.

  Slade tried the knob, surprised to find it unlocked. He opened the door slowly and moved into the small room. Joie looked into the mirror, meeting his gaze. Tears rolled slowly down her cheeks, more gathered in her eyes.

  He reached out, waiting for her to strike out at him, and touched her shoulder. Joie spun toward him, wrapping her arms hard around his waist, hanging on for dear life.

  “Baby, baby, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Slade murmured above her even as he kissed the top of her head. He stroked up and down her back, hugging her, touching her, trying to comfort where he’d never done so before.

  “Why? Why did you make me hurt you?” His chest muffled her voice.

  Shocked to his very marrow, Slade drew back to stare at her.

  “I’m a healer, Malcolm. I can’t harm someone else. It hurts me to do that.” He could hear the tears in her voice.

  “Baby, you didn’t hurt me.” Slade backed up, sat on the toilet and pulled her into his lap. She cuddled against him, tucking her head under his chin. Here he thought she’d be mad at him and she was mad at herself. “I wanted you to mark me, Joie. It’s the shifter way. It’s, hell, I don’t know how to explain it.”

  “Are you sure I didn’t hurt you?” She snuffled against him and he tore off a length of toilet paper, handing it to her.

  “Do I look hurt to you? Here I thought you were mad ‘cause I’d hurt you!” Slade huffed out a breath then tilted her head back so that she met his eyes. She’d wiped at her eyes but they still flowed with tears. He never wanted to see her cry again.

  How do I fix this?

  “You didn’t hurt me, baby. You’d have to bite a lot harder to hurt me. Hell, with what we were doing, it felt damn good.”

  Joie smiled tremulously at him, her bottom lip still quivering a little. Slade leaned forward and slowly licked the tears from her face then sucked her lower lip into his mouth. “You taste so fucking good.”

  “No fucking,” she murmured even as he moved his head to lick her other cheek.

  Slade chuckled and squeezed her tight enough to stop her breath. His chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh and he kissed her again.

  Joie shook her head as the lunatic she’d fallen in love with laughed at her. She’d been so afraid of hurting him and he dismissed it as nothing. Love? Oh Mon Dieu! I love him.

  Malcolm stopped laughing, hugged her again then stood and stepped into the shower, still holding her in his arms. Joie shrieked as he turned the water on and the cold hit her back. She shoved on Malcolm until she could get out of the spray of the water, then looked up to see him grinning again.

  Joie stomped her foot down on his instep then shrieked again when he picked her up. Malcolm kissed her soundly, stepping under the water with her. They showered quickly then stumbled out of the bathroom to dress before Tante Kay came to see what all the noise was about.

  Malcolm got dressed before she did, kissed her forehead, winked and left her bedroom. Joie watched him go then sighed. “This whole situation is insane!” The sound of her own voice woke her from her daydream. Joie pulled her hair back away from her face as she started to leave the room.

  Her foot hit his jacket and something hard in the pocket. Joie picked the small wooden box up, the urge to open it strong. She shook her head, placed the box on her nightstand and left her room.

  * * * * *

  Kay looked up as he walked into the kitchen. The smirk on her face might have pissed him off any other morning, but today he bore the mark of his mate, and nothing could… Mate?!

  Slade stopped just inside the kitchen door, his heart pounding hard in his chest. He felt like throwing up and dancing in the yard, all at the same time. His feelings were too jumbled, too raw.

  Shit! Mate? Is that what she is? Joie is my mate.

  He moved like a sleepwalker into the kitchen and sat down at the table. The old woman said something but he couldn’t process it. His mind still tried to grasp the concept of a mate. He’d never thought about taking a mate before, never really wanted to. Slade looked around the room without really focusing on what he saw.

  He’d found her or been found by her quite by accident but his attraction to her had been more immediate than anything else in his life. Never had he wanted a woman more than he’d wanted Joie. Now that he’d had her, he couldn’t imagine not having her in his life.

  Is this what happens when you mate? You can’t imagine being without the other person?

  Even knowing he’d have to leave, he still wanted her. He wondered briefly if he could talk her into going with him, but knew she’d never leave the bayou. Besides, she’d only slow him down. He couldn’t see Joie living off the back of his bike, moving from place to place, never having a real home. She’d hate that type of existence.

  Slade shook his
head as he tried to focus on his surroundings. Tante Kay said something about going into town and Joie had come into the room without him even knowing it. No, that wasn’t true, he’d known she was there. He’d felt her come into the room. He’d just been so caught up in his own warped mind that he hadn’t said anything.

  Both women were staring at him as though waiting for an answer. Slade took a deep breath. “What?”

  “I asked what you planned to do today, boy. Me and Joie, we got bidness to do. You want to go along?”

  “No. No, I’ll stick around here for a while. I may have to go back to New Orleans soon.” He avoided making eye contact with Joie, having just decided that he needed to get far away from her, from both of them. He didn’t want her in any danger.

  “You take care goin’ back there, boy. They be looking for you, for sure.”

  “Yeah, I kinda figured that out.” Slade couldn’t help but grin at the old woman. She really was one tough old bird. He glanced at Joie and his grin widened. When Joie got to be as old as Kay, she’d be just as tough. But right now she was one tender morsel.

  She shook her head at him as she rolled her eyes. She must have guessed the way his thoughts were heading. Of course, when near her, his thoughts process pretty much centered on when he’d get to take her back to bed again.

  Joie got up from the table and started clearing it. Slade looked at his empty plate with no idea of what he’d eaten but with a full stomach. He was content to simply watch Joie move around the kitchen. Contentment wasn’t something he knew much about, but he thought this must be it.

  The sound of a truck turning off the main road pulled him sharply back into the present. The engine didn’t sound like one he’d heard here at the cabin before. As the truck traveled down the gravel road, Slade got quickly to his feet and left the kitchen. If this was another of their friends, he didn’t want to be seen in human form. If this were someone looking for him, he’d have a better chance of outrunning them in wolf form.

  Moving quietly to the front porch, he stripped and changed in the corner then stalked around to the side of the house so he could see the driveway.

  Chapter Eleven

  Joie stood by Tante’s side inside the cabin as a banged-up red pickup truck stopped in their driveway. She didn’t know the vehicle and a look at her godmother’s face told her that Tante didn’t know it either. Joie took a deep breath. Malcolm had disappeared, but she knew he wouldn’t be far away.

  A subtle click announced the door opening, and the biggest man Joie could remember ever seeing stepped out of the truck. He looked Native American to her. Jet black hair braided away from his face to reveal a broad forehead, sharply chiseled nose and a strong chin. A white t-shirt covered a massive chest and jeans with boots completed his wardrobe. She noted part of a tattoo peeking out from under the sleeve on one arm and a long earring shaped like a feather dangled from one ear.

  As she took inventory, the stranger pulled his sunglasses off to hook them into the front of his t-shirt by one earpiece. He stared intently at the back door but made no move toward it.

  At her side, Tante Kay took a deep breath. Joie reached out to take her hand as the two of them stepped closer to the door, keeping the screen between them and their visitor.

  “Greetings, Grandmother, Little Sister.” His deep whisper of a voice seemed barely there yet it reached them easily. He inclined his head, somewhat regally, in their direction.

  The older woman’s face broke into a smile. “What you doin’ here, Shaman?”

  “Seeking.”

  Joie thought maybe she felt his voice more than heard it, but shook her head at her silliness. Surely that couldn’t be true. The stranger still hadn’t moved from the side of his truck and Joie suddenly realized he wouldn’t, not until one of them invited him to do so. She glanced at Tante Kay then back at their visitor.

  “Seeking what?” Annoyed that her voice sounded so uncertain, Joie cleared her throat. The stranger’s dark brown eyes turned to her, though he barely moved his head.

  It hit her hard then. She knew, just from that one glance, what their visitor was. Like Malcolm, he was a shapeshifter. A shiver coursed over her. What if this was the shifter responsible for the deaths in New Orleans? If he sought Malcolm to kill him, Joie knew she would do whatever it took to prevent that.

  Even as her mind registered the futility of her words, her body prepared for the inevitable. She knew how fast he would be but she also knew she could reach the shotgun quickly. She didn’t know if she could actually pull the trigger, but she might be able to give Malcolm a few precious moments to help him escape this man. She looked again at her godmother.

  “Not what, who.”

  “Yes, Grandmother, who. I am Micah Keeps Vigil. I know Slade has been here. His scent lingers. Has he harmed either of you?” He cocked his head to one side as he studied the two women.

  “He wouldn’t!” Joie cried out before Tante Kay’s nails bit into her hand, silencing her. Tante Kay shook her head then opened the screen door and stepped out onto the porch. Joie tugged at her godmother’s hand tightly, but received a sharp yank in response.

  “Don’t be silly, child. This Shaman, he’s not here to harm us or…” Tante peered closely at the man. “You here to hurt him?”

  Those dark brown eyes stared hard at them both for a long moment before his attention shifted abruptly to the side of the house. Joie glanced to the side to see Malcolm stepping around the corner of the porch. He wore only his jeans even though she knew for a fact he’d been fully clothed at breakfast. She also realized Micah hadn’t answered Tante’s last question.

  She could feel the tension rolling off Malcolm as he approached. He never took his eyes off the other man though she watched his hands clench into fists. Malcolm’s face held a sneer she’d never seen before. She moved toward him but stepped back at the quick shake of his head. Joie glanced at Micah to see him staring back at Malcolm with the same intensity though he kept his hands open at his sides. Malcolm moved so that he became a wall between the two women and Micah before he spoke.

  “What are you doing here, Micah?” His voice rasped out in one harsh breath.

  “Looking for you. You didn’t really think you could just disappear, did you?” The slamming of the truck door made her jump. Malcolm didn’t even flinch.

  Malcolm growled low in his throat. The sound terrified her. The echo from the other man confirmed her fear that this shifter must be here to harm him. Joie reached out to put her hand on Malcolm’s back. Micah tracked her movement then glanced at Malcolm again.

  “You’re playing a dangerous game, Slade.”

  “I’m not playing anything.”

  “Wrong. Do you really think you can hide from this? You’re still Alpha. You weren’t defeated. You ran away.”

  Malcolm’s muscles tensed beneath her fingers. His breath came quicker, telling her how close his dangerous temper boiled beneath the surface. She brushed her hand lightly over his back. He shot a quick look her way, then stared at the other man again.

  “I know Pack law, Micah.”

  “Do you?” Micah leaned against the side of his truck, a faint smile on his face. “Then you know the challengers for Alpha will be looking for you. You’ll have to fight them, you have no choice.”

  “Malcolm?” Both men stared at her and Joie swallowed hard before she continued. “Can’t you just resign? I don’t think you should be fighting right now.”

  Malcolm pulled her against his side, wrapping his arm around her and resting his chin on top of her head for a moment. His voice sounded low, meant for her and no one else. “I have to fight, Joie. It’s the way things are done.”

  “But you’re not completely well—” The rest of her sentence halted when Malcolm put his fingers over her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing against him.

  “I’m fine.” He faced Micah again, raising his voice. “I’ll fight, but it will be on my terms.”

  “You don’t
get terms, Slade. You get challenges, and the sooner the better. The Pack is in total chaos and it’s your fault. Is this really what you had in mind when you took over? What happened to all your grandiose plans?” Micah stepped away from his truck, standing between it and the porch.

  “Are you challenging me, Micah? Is that what this is about? You track me down then challenge me and go back to save the Pack? Has that been your plan all along?”

  Joie stared at them. Both men bristled with tension suddenly as thick as the moss on the trees behind them. If they’d been in animal form, she knew she’d be seeing teeth and hearing them growl. Tante Kay remained silent as Joie leaned against Malcolm.

  He wasn’t ready for any type of fight, especially not with someone as big as Micah. As though he’d heard her thoughts, Malcolm shot a quick glance at her. He pulled her closer so that he again stood between her and Micah.

  “I’m not going to challenge you, Slade. I never wanted to be Alpha. If I’d wanted it, I would have taken over before Curtis got so sick. You, on the other hand, left a mess and no one to clean it up. I suggest you get back to New Orleans soon and take care of things.” Micah backed away from the steps, never taking his eyes off Malcolm.

  The two men changed positions slightly so that they continued to face one another. Micah stepped to the side of his truck, his eyes still on Malcolm. He darted a quick glance at Joie, then looked back at Malcolm.

  “By the way, Maggie is back with the Pack. I’ve a feeling she’ll be one of your challengers.”

  Malcolm suddenly laughed. “A female Alpha? The Pack won’t go for that.”

  “Don’t be too sure. She was already ruthless but you fine-tuned her. You taught her well.” Micah nodded at Joie and Tante Kay. “Take care, Grandmother, Little Sister.” He stared at Joie for a long moment then turned his back on them and walked to his truck. Again Malcolm stiffened beside her and she got the impression that Micah turning his back on them had to be an insult of some type.