“I get it. You don’t have to keep explaining. It’s something you can only share with your Alpha, and he doesn’t abuse it. It brings you closer, probably.” And it sounded hot, but I tried not to get aroused. Damn, it’d been too long since I’d had sex. I’d barely missed it in China, but now that I was home I was going to need to find an outlet.
She nodded. “Yeah, the only thing is… I feel him doing it, but I know I could break it, if I wanted. I have to concentrate on being still so I don’t break it.”
“Does he know?”
“Probably. He knows just about everything. We haven’t talked about it, and he didn’t shy away from giving me what I needed while you were gone. If he’d wanted to make a point, he could’ve done so by making me do without, and he never did. Not even once.”
“Your Pack is your family, and I’m so sorry I’ve fucked with that.”
“You know I’m not sorry. I value what I have with you. I know we don’t fully understand it, but it’s important.” She took a breath. “And it was important for you to do this with Lauren — and for yourself. I can sense major changes in your energy. You’re a lot more powerful than you were, and I’m a little worried some of the other supernaturals might not be pleased.”
I leaned forward, closed my eyes, leaned back, and finally nestled my head into the corner of the sofa. In a voice so low I was certain only Cora could hear, I said, “I made a gateway from this realm to another. I anchored it here, so people can use it, once they’ve been taught how.”
“Fuck me. Damn.”
I shook my head. “I feel as if I should tell Nathan, but I worry that perhaps I shouldn’t.”
“What does your gut say?”
“To tell you.”
She lifted her brows, and I sighed. Again. “My heart says he can be trusted, but I guess I should go with my gut.”
“It’s more than just him. You have to consider everyone’s obligations to the Concilio, too.”
“Aaron and Nathan would say they can’t protect me if they don’t know, but…” I realized Cora had background noise playing, and I spoke a little louder, but not much. “This is god and goddess stuff, again.” Speaking of which — “Mordecai knows.”
“You saw him?”
“Yeah. He was there, at the end.” I shrugged. “I’m still human, but it’s going to be harder to argue it, if word gets out.”
I live on the side of a huge hill, and I stilled my own body’s rhythm to see if I could pick up on the heartbeat of my hill. Without thinking, I breathed in to a count of three, out to a count of three. In and out until I was one with the hill — and Cora breathed in time to it all, sitting on the sofa with me.
Lauren’s footsteps on the stairs pulled me out of it, and I took a few quick seconds to ground myself and Cora before I came completely out of it and focused on my daughter.
“I’m starving.” She looked as tired as I felt, and she hadn’t even brushed her hair. She still had on the shorts and tee she’d slept in.
“Me too. Cora says we have breakfast casserole.” Which I’d completely forgotten about eating.
“Smokey slept with me,” she said. “Not just at the door to my room, but in my bed.”
I looked at Cora, who shrugged. “I guess he trusts me to protect you, so he felt comfortable just watching over Lauren.”
While Lauren and I ate, Cora reserved a sparring room for us at Drake Security. We didn’t intend to take Smokey, but the look on his face when we went to leave had Cora saying, “I’ll drive so he can come with us. Aaron’s let him in without saying anything before. It should be fine.”
“In case I haven’t told you I’m glad you’re part of our family,” said Lauren, “I’m saying it now. I’m glad you’ll be around for my mom while I’m away.”
I must’ve given her a questioning look, because she told me, “I was wishing we could take Smokey with us, and Cora knew he needs to come, without either of us saying anything. She’s family.”
I chuckled and handed Smokey’s leash to my daughter. “Yes, she is.”
17
Cora locked us into the sparring room, but I knew Aaron and Nathan could override the locks and come in if they wanted. I wouldn’t mind, but I was glad we had some time just for the three of us, to start.
When she’d reserved the room, Cora had noted the practice weaponry we’d need, and it was hanging on the far end of the room.
“No weapons yet,” I told Lauren. “You don’t have to pull your punches with Cora, but it’s important her head remains on her shoulders. She can heal from just about anything, but it’ll be better if she doesn’t have to shift to heal.”
“It’s okay if I do,” Cora told her. “Don’t pull your punches unless I cry uncle.”
The mom part of me was perhaps a little too smug — Cora knew my trainer had worked with Lauren, and she wasn’t discounting my daughter as a harmless human. Whether the werewolf saw her for what she’d become, or the human was being cautious, I wasn’t sure. At first, I didn’t intend to ask, but then I needed to know.
“You’re being a little careful. Why?”
Cora considered the question a few seconds. “Nothing specific. Logically, she trained under the same man who taught you, but it’s more than that. She carries herself differently — more self-confident, more aware of body mechanics, more balanced. Her movements are about conservation of energy, and yet she’s like a coiled spring. I’m looking forward to seeing what she learned.”
Lauren stripped down to bike shorts and a snug tee over her exercise bra. “I’m ready when you are.”
Cora was still in jeans and a tee. “Come at me.”
Lauren took a breath. “I’m not sure I can. It feels weird.”
Cora shrugged as if it didn’t matter — and immediately went on the attack. Lauren’s instincts jumped to the surface before she realized what was happening, and within seconds they were working their way around the room in an all-out fight.
I could tell Cora was fighting slower than she would for another werewolf — at first. However, within a few minutes I thought it possible Cora was at full speed. Not full strength, but I didn’t think she was slowing down to account for Lauren’s human reflexes.
At one point, Cora had my daughter cornered and trapped, and Lauren ran ten feet up a wall and did a back flip to land behind Cora — and my werewolf friend looked appropriately impressed.
Lauren breathlessly called them to a halt perhaps eight minutes in — which is impressive, because all-out fighting doesn’t generally last even close to that long.
“Grab the púdāo and show me your katas while you’re tired.” Cora was in instructor mode, and Lauren was the perfect student.
Despite being out of breath, Lauren ran through her kata smooth as silk. When she was finally breathing easy, Cora had Lauren and me go up against each other — nángùn to púdāo. Both practice weapons were made of some kind of foam rubber or spongy plastic instead of wood and steel.
However, it soon became apparent that Lauren and I were being too careful with each other, and Cora stopped us.
“Okay, I’ve seen what I need to. Lauren, grab the butterfly swords and let me see your most difficult kata with them. We need to figure out what you’re going to carry with you everyday.”
“Massachusetts knife laws appear to be kind of screwed.” I shook my head. “We’ll need to talk to an attorney up there, but from what I could gather on a quick search, you can carry a pocketknife and be legal. They use the term “dirk” knife to describe what you can’t legally carry, but there’s no definition of what that means. The courts at one point said it’s a fixed blade longer than seven inches, but it doesn’t appear to have set precedent and some judges consider a shorter knife illegal, so…”
“Aaron will know, or will be able to find out,” said Cora. “Lauren, show me what you have.”
Nathan and Aaron walked in together while Lauren was flipping and turning with the knives. She didn’t stop, and they d
idn’t speak. When she finally finished, Aaron walked to her and pulled her into a hug.
“I have my own kids now, but I’ve seen you as something of a niece since I first met you.” Aaron’s emotion-filled gaze met mine over the top of her head. “I’ve worried about her being so far away, and this makes me feel so much better.”
“What can she legally carry?” I asked.
“I have connections. She’ll carry whatever we decide she needs to carry.”
I shook my head, but Nathan spoke before I could argue. “A close friend’s daughter went to MIT, also conveniently located in Cambridge. He asked Aaron to clear the way so his daughter wouldn’t get in trouble with the law, should she need to use a weapon. We already had a working relationship with the local Master Vampire, and we solidified it. Aaron has already taken the steps necessary to be sure we can keep Lauren safe. She’ll carry whatever fucking weapon we think she needs to have on her, even at school. If there’s a problem, we’ll make it go away.”
Cora looked at me with a huge grin. “Angelica went to MIT. Talk to Dawg about setting something up so she and Lauren can talk. Different colleges, but the same city, and it isn’t that big of a city.”
“Master Vampire?” Lauren asked. “Like Abbott?”
“Lauren isn’t a fan,” I reminded them.
“I’ve arranged it so she’ll meet his second, who’s a woman. You and Cora can take care of the introductions and social graces necessary with her Master.” Nathan looked at Lauren. “You trust me, right? I wouldn’t bring you to the attention of someone who’d hurt you or use you.”
She gave him a slow nod, and he pulled something pink and glittery out of his pocket. “I know it isn’t your style, but a pink weapon doesn’t tend to bring the kind of attention a black one does. Some cops are a lot less likely to take it seriously, no matter it’s just as dangerous as a macho looking knife.” He held it so she could see it, shook it down once, and a sleek, matte black blade unfolded and locked into place with a quiet snick.
“It’s just under four inches long, which legally makes it a three-inch blade, which is asinine, but we’ll go with it. It’s a nice weight with good balance.” He touched the back and pressed a piece of metal in to demonstrate how to close it.
The body, which became the handle, was longer than the blade, so she had something to hang onto. I was impressed with the thought Nathan had put into it, and so quickly.
They worked on opening and closing it for ten minutes before he told her to fight him with it.
“No! I might hurt you!”
“And then you’ll get to pet the nice kitty.”
“Smokey doesn’t like it when you change.”
“He’s better than he used to be,” said Cora. “Or, he’s better around the wolves, so I assume he’ll handle Nathan’s lion better.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s a cat though, so maybe not.”
“I’ve a better idea,” said Aaron. “Why don’t I work with Lauren while Nathan takes Kirsten down the hall to see what she learned.” He lifted a brow and I could see the dragon giving me the once over. “I assume you learned from your old teacher?”
“Mom left me with him,” said Lauren. “I learned from him.”
Aaron didn’t look away from me, and I could tell he wanted to know more. He merely motioned me towards the door, for now. I knew he’d grill me later.
Nathan didn’t take me to another sparring room — he led me straight to his office. The second I was inside and the door was closed, my back was against the wall and more than two hundred pounds of muscle pressed against me, his knee against my crotch, his lips on mine, spreading my mouth and legs at the same time. He’d waited as long as he could to show me who was boss.
I’d like to say I pushed him away, but every muscle in my body went soft and I moaned with desire I hadn’t known was so close to the surface.
I wore crop-length leggings, a t-shirt, and an exercise bra, and Nathan shredded them within seconds. To be fair, he ripped his own pants off, too.
I wouldn’t know about that for a while, though, because within moments I was flat on my back, my skin scraping back and forth over the tightly woven nap of the rug in his office, my legs wrapped around Nathan while he drove into me.
This wasn’t romance. We rutted like animals, and it was exactly what I needed. Nathan didn’t ask, he took. His mouth, his hands, his cock. He knew what he wanted, but he also knew what I needed. He didn’t make me wait. He didn’t tease me. He was inside me the same second my spine rolled onto the cushiony rug — spreading me. Opening me. Taking me. Possessing me.
Nathan’s office is mostly soundproof so he can conduct business without other supernaturals hearing. Someone in the hall would hear me if I screamed, but I was free to moan and talk without worry of being heard. They’d all smell us on each other, but whatever. I didn’t care. At all.
I needed Nathan like I needed oxygen. His long, muscled body over mine, eyes of a cat looking out of his face, hair more than a little wild, and hands that showed me exactly how much he loved me.
And hips that moved in all the right ways.
Approximately twenty minutes later, I’d had more orgasms than I cared to count, and Nathan had come so hard I thought he might shift. He didn’t, but I’m pretty sure he had to fight for control when he finally came, which isn’t like him at all.
We lay side by side, breathing heavy with only our hands touching, for the longest. Comfortable silence while deliciously sore. Home. I was home.
Finally, he said, “You can’t leave for that long again.”
“We don’t know what the future holds. Neither of us can make those kinds of promises.”
“I know. I’m just warning you — I’ll come looking for you before I let you be gone that long again. Even if you fall for someone else and we end up having to be non-romantic friends again, I need your presence in my life. I need you close.”
“So, what, we’re romantic friends now?”
He chuckled. “I don’t know what we are. I love you. You love me. We can’t go forward but going backwards isn’t an option.”
Going backwards might have to be an option one day, but I didn’t say it. I couldn’t. Time to change the conversation.
“You’re supposed to be observing my fighting skills.”
“They suck.”
I laughed. “Right, I didn’t even try to fight you.”
“What’s with the necklace?”
“A gift from my Shīfù. I think it has some protective qualities, and I know it’s aware of my surroundings. Mordecai gave me the chain for it.” I’d researched it and hadn’t found out much. Freyja got the necklace by sleeping with a bunch of dwarves, and it’s associated with her much as Thor’s hammer is associated with him, but I couldn’t find any legends about it being taken apart, or why it may have been. There was something about it turning dark when around the evil eye, but I assumed that would be the stone and not the metal. Also, I wasn’t clear on what the evil eye might be, exactly. I was fairly certain it had nothing to do with Mordor, though. That’s fiction and not mythology.
“I’ll try to work it so I can fly to Cambridge and be present when you meet with the Master Vampire,” Nathan said. “You’ll be fine without me, but having me by your side will help underscore how important Lauren is.” He sighed. “Also, why don’t I send Kane to drive the SUV up, so you, Cora, and Lauren can ride together in the car.” He shrugged beside me. “Or he can drive the car, so you’ll be in the same vehicle as Smokey.”
“And we’ll have two bodyguards, instead of just one?”
“Her dorm partner is a female lion.”
He said it so softly, I think he was worried I’d be upset, but I was touched at how much time he’d spent making sure my daughter would be safe. I rolled to my side and slid my other hand down the strong, tight muscles of his arm.
“There can’t be many lions going to Harvard. I don’t know how you managed it, but thank you.”
“There are
three strong predator females in the freshman class. I talked to the local leaders to find out who’d be the best personality match with Lauren, found out it’s my lioness, and then had Marco make the necessary dorm changes happen. She has several shapeshifters on her floor. No one will come and go without being scented, spotted, or heard.”
“Who’s Marco?”
“Master Vamp over several states in the area, including Massachusetts. He structures his territory differently than Abbott. Marco lives in New York City. His second in command lives in Boston, just over the river from Cambridge. Valerie will be Lauren’s point of contact. Since she’s okay with Kendra, I’m hoping Lauren will be okay with Val.” He sighed. “Val can be a bit of a bitch. I hope they hit if off okay. I actually trust Marco more.”
I rubbed my hand on my naked stomach. “I need clothes. Someone destroyed mine.” I looked to the ragged pieces strewn around. “Obliterated, even.”
He chuckled. “Still took too long to get them off.” His hand pressed my shoulder back, until I was flat on the floor, and my whole body swooned when his mouth covered mine in a possessive kiss. When I was breathless, he pulled away with a shudder.
“I have some for you. In the closet of my bathroom. You should shower in here; I’ll take the one down the hall.”
“I missed you.”
“Fuck, Kirsten. I missed you until it hurt.” He sat up. “You need to connect with Dawg. It’s a connection I’d like to see you maintain.”
“I know how hard that has to be for you.”
He looked at the wall in front of him, focusing on nothing. “You’re mine, but you can’t be exclusively mine. I’m yours, but I can’t be exclusively yours. I assume you’ll see James soon, and I hope you’ll connect with Dawg. That gives you enough scents besides mine to keep the rumors at bay.” A chuckle. “Plus, you know there are rumors about you and Cora. No one knows how to interpret those scents.”
Edge of Humanity (Only Human Book 5) Page 13
