Rebirth (Rogues Shifter Series)

by Gayle Parness

Ethan, Kyle and Sinc quietly filed out the door, mumbling their apologies to Garrett. I could see in their expressions that they felt badly for me, since I’d have to face him alone. He closed and locked the door behind them and then sat next to me on the couch, but I couldn’t look at him. He touched my cheek turning my face toward his and I was quickly drowning in his concerned eyes.

  “I’m so sorry. I made things worse for you.” I blurted out.

  “It would only be worse if you’d been hurt. Eleanor’s plans mean nothing to me.” He sighed and released my chin. “You ask me to treat you like an adult, but today, by refusing to listen to Liam’s advice, you acted like a child.”

  “I did. I’m an idiot.” I rubbed my head where Lily had yanked on my hair. It still hurt, but I'd deserved it.

  “Not an idiot, but you are extremely stubborn, and you've had no experience with other supernaturals. Kyle and Sinc should have known better."

  He trapped my chin between his thumb and index finger keeping my eyes locked with his. "Jackie, in the future, I have to insist that you take Liam's advice seriously. A 1500 year old fae knows what he’s talking about when he says that a situation is dangerous and that you should call Rob."

  He released me and rubbed his face, huffing in exasperation. "I haven't felt this protective toward anyone since I was with my family. I’m trying not to overreact, but it’s impossible when I think you’re in danger. Tonight you were all in severe danger.” He pulled me closer. "I need to be able to trust you to make intelligent decisions regarding your safety."

  I felt awful, he was so upset. “Why didn’t Liam rat us out right away?”

  “He waited as long as he could, but then woke me and took off after you. He would have stepped in if Lily or Antoine had attacked before I got there. But his loyalty is to me, so for me he would have protected only you. You might have been the only survivor. He took a real risk, because he’s been told by the Council of Elders that he can only remain with me as long as he doesn’t interfere in the affairs of other races.”

  I shivered and hugged him tighter, wondering how I would have coped if my three friends had died violent deaths; deaths that possibly could have been prevented by me. “Should I thank him or apologize or what? I don’t really know much about the fae.”

  “Tell him that his actions were appreciated and that his advice will be heeded the next time he offers it. And mean it, Jackie. He can smell a lie as well as I can. I’m inviting him to tomorrow night’s meeting. I think he’ll be interested.” I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Liam tomorrow, although I owed him the apology.

  He looked at me with a gentle smile so I reached for his hand and kissed his palm. His skin felt much colder than usual. “Have you fed?” I asked, my meaning clear.

  “No.” He didn’t pull his hand away, but his smile curled up crookedly. “I’ll go out later, after you’re asleep.”

  “Feed from me Garrett. I’m feeling fine now that I’ve eaten. I’ll take a shower and then you can curl up next to me and feed and I’ll just fall asleep and be fine in the morning.”

  “Go take your shower and then we’ll see.” I stood and walked to my room, showered quickly, threw on a pair of PJ pants and a tank top and got into bed. Garrett crawled in next to me, barefoot, dressed in dark sweatpants and a tee shirt.

  Sitting on the bed, I ran my hand down his arm, feeling how cool he was. He leaned over smiling and whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my body. “It’s not too late to change your mind.” I shook my head and he laughed gently. “Then sit in my lap and I’ll take energy like before.”

  I looked into his eyes and shook my head again. “I want you to take blood from me tonight, not just energy.” I ran my hand over his biceps and he shivered too. “My blood is strong, isn’t it? Let me do this for you.”

  “Jackie, I’m not angry now. I was just worried about all of you. You don’t need to give me blood to prove anything or because you feel guilty.”

  “I’m not doing it out of guilt, Garrett. I love you.”

  He grinned at me, looking nineteen again. “And I love you, my sweet. But you should know that the saliva from my bite will make you feel slightly euphoric.”

  “Sinc said it’s erotic.”

  “Oh, so you want to run your own little experiment?” He laughed then looked at me seriously, running his knuckles along my jaw and then down my throat. “We’ve shared two parts of the ritual, so it will be more than you imagine.”

  “I want you to need me.” I leaned in to kiss him and we were lost in each other for a few delicious moments.

  “My lovely cheetah, I’ll always need you.” His love washed over me as we leaned back on the bed and lay on our sides facing each other. He lifted my wrist to his mouth.

  “Don’t you want to take blood from my neck?” I asked.

  “I want to watch your face. Tonight we’re going to play un peu, a little.” He whispered in my ear, “When you feel it, open your mind to the lines.”

  My heart started beating quickly as he pressed his nose under my wrist, smelling my skin and causing his fangs to extend. I trembled as he licked then bit down swiftly, attaching his lips and sucking rhythmically. The pain was sharp at first making my wrist grow numb, followed by a comfortable warmth which spread up my arm and then down my chest and over my body. I felt myself floating as if rafting on a peaceful stream under a sunny sky. We stared into each other’s eyes, his a swirling silver blue pool, mine a vast emerald forest, both pairs full of love and desire for the other.

  The warmth from his bite began to change to a heat, traveling everywhere, making my heart speed up and my skin crave his touch in an almost painful way. As soon as we felt the change we opened to the magic, looping power between us. His free hand slid to my waist, pulling me closer, his touch making me burn. As his feeding grew stronger and more urgent, my other hand moved up his arm, my fingernails digging into his skin. The magic between us moved in tangible waves causing our burning bodies to arch in pleasure and explode in exquisite release. After a few more amazing moments he pulled away from my wrist and kissed me deeply as the pulsing of the energy slowed and we let go of the lines. When our kisses ended, I nestled into him and sighed out loud against the warmth of his chest.

  “If that’s what your donors feel when you feed from them, I think I’m more than a little jealous.” I wasn’t really. I felt so loved at that moment it would have taken a naked woman crawling out from under him to make me even the tiniest bit jealous. Okay, so that’s an exaggeration.

  He kissed my head. “I don’t take blood from them. Taking blood is more intimate and I only want that with you. Tu es mon coeur. You are my heart." He licked my wrist to close the wound. "Sleep, my love.”

  I closed my eyes and snuggled even closer, then drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  I dreamt.

  I was in a doorway looking into a bedroom. Garrett was facing away from me standing in front of an exquisitely beautiful woman. She was about 5’4” with voluptuous curves. Her golden blonde hair fell in long thick tresses and her striking blue gray eyes shone with a silver desire. She kissed him and pressed her body against his and he responded, kissing her back and running his hands over her bare arms and down her sides to her hips, then pulling her closer. She looked at me and smiled a wicked smile, her fangs extended, and she bit into his neck, all the while watching me. He was groaning with pleasure as he raised her wrist to his lips and bit into her. With Garrett’s blood dripping from her mouth, she pulled away from his neck and said to me, “Jacqueline, come share with us. What belongs to Garrett is mine also. I will see you very soon.” Her silver eyes looked alien and her bloody mouth made me sick with fear. Her magic pulled at me to join them and I took two hesitant steps forward.

  I bolted upright and cried out. Garrett appeared in a flash asking, “Jackie, what’s wrong?” It was still two hours before dawn.

  “I dreamt about you and a beautiful vampire feeding from each other.
What does Eleanor look like?” I described the dream and the female vampire who’d beckoned me to join them.

  He frowned. “We need to make sure your mental defenses are strong before you fall asleep. I’m sure Lily gave her a full report so she must be intrigued. She can’t know how strong either of us has become. Surprise is really our best defense if she moves in to attack.”

  “What do you think we should do?”

  “She’ll probably leave the rest of you alone if I show up at the villa. Once I’m there I can get into her mind and convince her to release me. I have to be very subtle, so she doesn’t know what I’m doing, but I’ve pulled it off a few times before. I’ll have to spend a few days with her.” He didn’t look as confident as he tried to sound, which worried me.

  “Can she force me to come too?”

  “No, as long as you're here, you're protected from any long distance mental push. And Liam will make sure you're guarded at all times. If she’s not patient and comes here for you in person, I’ll have to kill her. I've put the house in your name, just in case, so don’t ever give her permission to enter. If your wall is up she can’t glamour you.”

  I watched him carefully, surprised that he’d thought so much of this through already. “Can you kill your maker?”

  “Yes. I think so. She’s powerful and has some basic magic, but I’ve been working to strengthen my powers. Unfortunately, I can’t just barge into her home and attack her, because her nest is too large for me to overcome alone.” He looked back at me. “I have a few friends in the nest. If I kill her, I’ll have to take them on as mine.”

  “Start your own nest?”

  “Yes, if I defeated her, I’d have to kill them or create my own nest and take them in. I could never let them loose on the world the way they are now, but I’d like to give them a chance to change.”

  At this point we were both sitting cross legged on the bed facing each other so I leaned my forehead against his and whispered, “Tell me how I can help you.”

  He ran a gentle hand through my hair and then took both of my hands in his. “We’ll start working immediately on Maya’s list. The more you can use the lines, the safer you’ll be and the safer the team will be.” He squeezed them to emphasize his next words, his rich blue eyes burning into mine, pleading. “You have to promise me that you won’t come after me when I go to her.”

  “I can’t promise that.” I shook my head stubbornly.” If you’re in danger, I’m coming to help you. The whole team will come.”

  His voice was soft but a touch of real fear made it husky. “If you follow me, you’ll die. She’ll torture you in front of me and make it last as long as she can. She’s done it before. She has a nest of over ten vampires. I won’t be able to save you.” He tenderly brushed a strand of hair out of my face. “If she comes here, I can protect you.”

  “Then make her come here. Talk to Rob and Maya and all the shifter families: even the bears. You’ve helped them out for years. Talk to Liam and your cousin Aaron and his pack. Kyle, Ethan and Sinc will develop more weapons. We’ll fry her ass with the lines. Please, please don’t go to her. I can’t even think about her hurting you.” I scooted closer, wrapping my arms tightly around his chest and leaning against him, breathing him into my lungs and my heart.

  He held me quietly for a few moments. “I don’t believe that the community would agree to put their families in that kind of danger. Maybe they’d send some of their better fighters if we draw her away from the town, someplace where we can set a trap.“

  “Solo Island?” I asked.

  He was kissing me before I had a chance to take a breath. “You’re remarkable, my cheetah.” He jumped up. “I’m going to call Rob. Then I have to get some rest, it’s almost dawn and I want to rise early today.” He leaned back and kissed my palms. “Je t’adore. I adore you.” Then he ran out to make his call.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  When I woke up at noon, I jumped into the shower, dressed and hunted around for Liam, wanting to get the tough job out of the way first. I found him pruning a rose bush in the back yard. As I opened the patio door he turned and put down the clippers. We stood and stared at each other for a few moments and then I took the plunge, keeping my tone as respectful as possible.

  “Garrett told me what you did for me, and I appreciate the risk you took for my safety.” He waited. “You were right. I was arrogant, stubborn and childish and I didn’t show you the respect you deserve. I can’t promise that I’ll never act that way again, because I’m pretty stubborn, but I promise that I’ll treat any future advice that you share with me as a gift to be taken very seriously. I’m sorry, Liam.” I waited quietly for his reaction.

  His violet eyes sparkled with what looked a little bit like humor. “Miss Jacqueline, “he said formally, “I acknowledge your statement as truth and I hope that I may be of service to you in the future. I have never seen Master Garrett so happy. I begin to understand the reason.” His mouth curled up in a gentle smile. “There’s food warming in the oven. Go and eat.”

  “But is everything all right between us?”

  “Yes, everything is right between us.” His eyes narrowed and he took a step toward me sniffing twice as if testing the air. “Do you know that you are using the lines right at this moment? That you are using magic to heal our small disagreement? Is this done without intension?” I saw anger flash in his eyes.

  I must have looked as bewildered as I felt. “I’m not trying to do…anything; I’m not trying to influence you in any way. And I’m not touching you.” I lifted my hands.

  He motioned for me to sit on the bench and he sat on the edge of the fountain across from me. “I am also a healer, so I know how difficult it is to learn to control you gift. You may not be aware because you are just learning to use your abilities, but you are powerful. Just as you were able to send Garrett ley line magic from a distance to help him escape the weres, you are able to send healing energy without actually having physical contact with someone. Not everyone will be happy with your mental intrusion, even though your motives may be pure. Your spirit’s goal will be to create a balance where you sense there is turmoil. However, it is extremely important that you are always aware of when you are using magic. You must never allow the magic to control you, as it just has.”

  “Garrett said that Maya may want me to use my power to become a fighter.”

  “You have that ability. Healers can reverse the flow of the ley lines and drain the health from our enemies, pulling their life force into our bodies and making our strength double what it normally is. Not many can stomach the consequences of that skill, because we leave behind an empty husk. The average vampire does this unconsciously when they take in blood to feed. Very powerful vampires, like Eleanor and Garrett, can pull in a creature’s life force in other ways as well.

  "To be a strong healer is a wondrous gift and a terrible burden because we can cause injuries as easily as we can heal them. We are constantly forced to choose between the two paths.”

  There was sadness in his eyes and I imagined that he’d had to make those choices many times. I nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed by this information, and said, “Thank you,” wanting to spend a little alone time thinking about what he’d said. I dished out some pancakes and sat down to eat.

  His words tumbled around in my head like fall leaves in a brisk wind, my mind taking his advice a step further. With magic, control was essential, that was obvious. My nature is to heal, but I must never force my energy on someone. Going into someone’s mind without permission is a kind of rape, after all, even if the purpose is to heal. Kyle had accepted it, but Liam hadn't, and I was fairly sure that most powerful supes wouldn't appreciate it either.

  And what about the destructive side of my nature? If I can learn to drain an enemy’s energy, I would be an enormous asset to the team. But could I do that to someone: even someone like Eleanor? Could I take away someone’s life force? Just suck it away like dirty water down the sink drain? O
r maybe more like sipping on a straw until only the dregs at the bottom of the glass remained.

  I decided to call Maya to talk to her about what Liam had told me. There was no one else who might understand. When she answered I asked, “Maya, could we meet somewhere? I have a few questions about my healing abilities.”

  “Your healing abilities haven’t manifested themselves quite yet. Wait a few months and then we’ll talk.”

  “Liam thinks I’m healing subconsciously. He thinks I’m using the lines without realizing it to calm people. I’ve already used my healing with Kyle and I think I helped him a lot. That time it was on purpose.”

  I counted three beats of silence before she said, “I’ll meet you at Bette’s Diner in one hour. Go to the back room.”

  One hour later I was drinking a coke at a small round table in the empty back room of the local diner. Maya was sitting across from me nursing a cup of coffee and studying my face. I’d already explained everything that Liam had told me, so I guessed that she was twisting all the possibilities around in her mind.

  “Jackie, I need you to let down your wall and let me into your mind. I know that you and Garrett don’t trust me completely, but someone needs to see what’s going on here. I won’t harm you. I swear on my life.”

  Something about her voice and her concerned expression made me believe her. “Fine. Only I’ll force you out fast if I don’t like what you’re doing.”

  “Deal.” She reached across mentally before I could change my mind. I felt her nudge at my wall and so I opened a small hole to actually let her inside.

  I felt her poking and nudging but not hurting me. “Good, now let’s see what you can do. I don’t have anyone for you to heal like you helped Kyle, but there are other forms of healing. We’ll start with a simple practical experiment.” To my surprise, Maya took a Swiss army knife out of her bag and ran it across her palm drawing a thin line of blood. “Focus the energy and heal me.”

  “But I don’t think Liam was talking about healing physical injuries Maya.” I said, shocked and upset by her pain.