by Balik, Shea
He would keep trying until he felt more comfortable around a bunch of people. Distracted with the desire to just leave, he hadn’t even noticed the door opening, or the man who entered until he heard him speak.
Kassian went very still, sure he’d heard that particular accent before. But his exhaustion wouldn’t let him place it. That was until the man passed by their table and the scent of thick foliage and exotic flowers assailed Kassian’s senses.
Suddenly, he was no longer there in the diner, but back at the barn all those years ago. Mila was staring up at him, silently pleading for him to save her. His mother screaming at the man who’d come into the home uninvited.
That’s when he remembered the man speaking. “You should have stayed inside, Prudence.”
Kassian recoiled. He wasn’t sure if it was the evil he could hear in the man’s voice, or him calling his mother by her full name. His father had always called her Pru. Anything else didn’t sound right to his young ears.
“I told the town it was you,” his mother said. Her voice tight with anger. “Sooner or later they are going to figure it out and kill you for what you’ve done.”
“Kassian.”
Kassian shook his head. That voice didn’t belong, yet he desperately wanted to cling to it until it took him away from the horror that was happening below him. But no matter how hard he tried to fight his way to it, those gray eyes, identical to his held him in place.
The evil man gave a laugh that send terror straight into Kassian’s soul. “No matter. I couldn’t have stayed much longer anyway. I’ll just have to move on.”
Kassian’s gaze caught movement and he was finally able to break free from his sister’s pleading stare. He never should have looked away.
Razor sharp claws swiped at his mother. She jumped out of the way, but she hadn’t moved fast enough. Blood soaked her nightclothes as she picked up the nearest weapon, a shovel, and swung it. His mother’s swing had been far too slow and the man much too quick.
Before her eyes even registered what the man had done, he was behind her, his long sharp claws, slicing through her neck. Kassian felt his mouth open on a scream but it was Mila’s voice he heard. He glanced down to find her scrambling to get to their mother.
“Kassian.” His body was being shaken, forcing him to listen to the demanding voice as it commanded him to return to his mate.
His mate. Hudson.
He blinked and blue eyes stared back at him. Profound relief, replaced the fear as Kassian blinked again and whispered, “Hudson.”
The next thing he knew, Hudson was crushing him against his hard body, whispering how much he loved Kassian. A sob broke from Kassian’s body as he held onto his mate with all the strength he had. He never wanted to have to let go, for to do so would mean reliving that nightmare once more.
He could feel the tears he was shedding soak into Hudson’s shirt. “Please don’t let him find me.”
Hudson pulled back from Kassian, his blue eyes filled with concern. “Who?”
“Mr. Garcia.”
Several people gasped around them. Hudson’s gaze went from Kassian to the man who had recently entered the restaurant. “Isn’t your last name Garcia?” Hudson’s voice was a command, not a request matching the look in his eyes as he stared at a man Kassian had never seen before.
“No.” Kassian was shaking his head as he tried to figure out what was going on. “That’s not him.” Was it? He couldn’t be sure. The memories of his childhood weren’t clear enough to be certain.
Except…there was something off. Kassian just couldn’t quite place it. Edrick and Chadwick held the man in their grasp and forced him forward.
“It’s not me he’s talking about,” the man insisted.
As the three of them moved closer to Kassian he got another whiff of the man and realized something. “You don’t smell like rotting death.” Mr. Garcia had reeked of it. But he’d also smelled of thick foliage and exotic flowers, just like this guy did.
The man sighed. “No, I don’t. That would have been my uncle, Pablo Garcia.” Brown eyes filled with remorse and sorrow stared at Kassian. “I never knew he’d been in Miracle or I wouldn’t have come here.”
“I don’t think I’m getting this, or maybe I’m afraid I am,” Jari said. “Are you telling me, Rico, that your uncle was a serial killer and he was the one who killed Kassian’s family?”
Rico nodded sadly. “I didn’t mean to cause you any pain.” Then he turned to Edrick, their alpha. “If you can just give me a day to gather my things and find a ride, I’ll leave Miracle.”
“But you didn’t do anything wrong,” Jari exclaimed. “Surely if I can be forgiven for nearly getting Nole killed, we can find a way to make a place for Rico here. It was his uncle who had killed people. We can’t blame Rico for that.”
Kassian agreed. He just wasn’t sure how he would handle each time he came across the man. “You can stay. Just give me some time and I’ll be fine.” It wouldn’t be easy. Hell, Kassian wasn’t even sure what he said was true, but Jari was right, Rico shouldn’t be punished for his uncle’s sins.
“I don’t get it.” Now that they knew there was no immediate danger, Nole stood next to Edrick, his mate. “Not to bring up a touchy subject, but from what Hudson told us, you were there, in the barn. You watched what that man did. Why didn’t he kill you, too?”
Kassian couldn’t stop his body from trembling. Hudson holding him, helped but all Kassian wanted to do was go home. “I don’t know. I guess I always assumed he hadn’t known I was there.”
Lucca frowned. “He was a panther shifter, like you, right Rico?”
Rico nodded. “Yeah. There’s no way he didn’t know you were there. He would have easily scented you, especially since you gave off strong waves of fear. It’s so acrid it singes my airways.”
“So then why did he leave a witness to ID him?” Edrick asked. “It makes no sense.”
“Actually, it does.” Kassian remembered his mother’s exchange with Mr. Garcia. “My mother told him she had known it was him. Had warned the town he couldn’t be trusted. He just laughed at her. Practically thanking her for warning him it was time to move on.”
Rico nodded. “Makes sense. His preferred victims were girls from about ten to fifteen. Only if someone got in his way did he bother to kill anyone else. If he was leaving, Kassian wouldn’t have been a threat to him.”
“Fuck, he was sick,” Chadwick spat out. “Who the hell kills little girls?”
Kassian didn’t care. He just wanted to go home and curl up in bed next to his mate. He leaned closer to Hudson, his hand gripping his mate’s tightly.
“It’s okay, my little bunny. I’ve got you.” Relieved that Hudson understood what he needed without words, Kassian found himself being carried out to his truck.
He heard the back door open, then shut as Hudson was buckling Kassian in. “I put your pie and a pint of ice cream on the backseat.” Harper replaced Hudson, when his mate moved away to head to the driver’s side. “I’m sorry about your family.” Then Harper squeezed his hand and shut the door. “Get some rest,” he shouted to be heard.
His mate placed a hand on his thigh as if knowing that Kassian needed the contact to stay grounded. He was shaking so hard by the time they’d passed the town, which only had four buildings so far, that he feared he might come apart if it wasn’t for his mate.
“I’ve got you, my little bunny,” Hudson murmured as he sped up. “I’ll protect you, always.”
Kassian smiled. Then he turned his hand over and linked their fingers together knowing that so long as he had Hudson by his side, he would always have a light to chase away the shadows of his past.
EPILOGUE
“Ungh,” Kassian grunted as Hudson buried himself as far as possible into his tight heat. No matter how many times he made love to his mate, Hudson would swear he could feel their souls connect.
“Fuck, my little bunny,” Hudson swore as he gritted his teeth to prolong the plea
sure instead of rutting into his mate like some animal. “You feel so good wrapped around my cock.”
Grey eyes shimmered with happiness as Kassian stared up at him with a mischievous look on his face. Then his mate squeezed those muscles encasing Hudson’s dick and he just about lost all ability to breathe.
It hadn’t taken Kassian long to understand just how much power he wielded over Hudson, especially in the bedroom. They’d been mated for four months and in that time Kassian had changed. Instead of hiding from the world, he now intermingled with the pack as if he’d belong there from the beginning.
Once Hudson managed to fight off the orgasm threatening to consume him, he took his revenge on his mate. He captured both of Kassian’s hands and held them over mate’s head with one hand. The other hand went to Kassian’s long slender prick. In time with his thrusts, he stroked that long slender cock.
But he wasn’t done. Not even close. For there was one thing Hudson had found that drove Kassian wild every damn time. He leaned down and sank his teeth into his mate’s neck. Kassian cried out, his body bowing off the bed as streams of fluid emptied the space between them.
Those already tight muscles clamped down around Hudson’s cock. A heartbeat later, Hudson saw stars as his orgasm bowled through him.
Breathing hard, Hudson rolled to the side, taking Kassian with him. They lay there curled around each other. Hudson was grinning like an idiot.
The slight sting of Kassian’s half-hearted slap to his chest, told him that grin wasn’t appreciated. “You know, you could have let me win that one,” Kassian grumbled.
Hudson chuckled. “Now, what would be the fun in that? Plus, I didn’t want to muck out the stalls.”
A month after the incident at the Mousetrap, Kassian had agreed to reopen the farm. But, he wanted the barn torn down and a new one built. With a little help from some of the men who wanted to work with cattle, the barn, along with some of the nightmares from Kassian’s past had been torn down.
They’d finished the new barn, with four stalls instead of two, three weeks ago and had already bought two horses. The only problem was, neither of them liked the endless list of chores that always had to be done.
“When did Chadwick say that bunkhouse would be finished?” Kassian asked as he got out of bed and went into the bathroom to get ready for another day of work.
“Two weeks.” It wasn’t soon enough if anyone bothered to ask Hudson, which they didn’t.
“Most of the guys are still camping in town. Maybe we should just have the ones we hire camp here,” Kassian said.
Hudson had brought that up after the first day of dealing with the horses, but Kassian, as good as he was doing around the pack, still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of people living too close. The bunkhouse was being built on the front edge of the property, closer to the road, which was nearly a mile away.
“Without bathroom facilities and running water, they would need to camp close to the house,” he reminded his mate. “Would you be okay with that?”
He could already see the no in those gray eyes. Not that he could blame his mate. As far as Hudson was concerned, Kassian was one of the bravest people he knew. If he still couldn’t handle people living around the house, then so be it.
“Come on,” Hudson said after they were both dressed. “Let’s get some breakfast and then I’ll help you muck out the stalls.”
Kassian smiled and went up on his tiptoes to give Hudson a kiss. “Thank you, mate.”
Hudson grinned. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for this man.
“Whoever gets down the stairs last has to do the dishes,” Kassian said as he was already running out of the room.
He wasn’t worried. Even with the head start, Hudson’s longer legs would easily win. They were just about to the top of the stairs when Hudson caught up with him.
Only paying attention to beating his mate, Hudson had nearly plowed into Kassian when he suddenly stopped about three steps down. Instantly his arms went around Kassian to keep him from tumbling down the stairs.
About to ask what he thought he was doing, Hudson saw his mate’s eyes were as wide as saucers as he stared at the bottom of the stairs. Hudson glanced from his mate, to the landing and just about had a heart attack.
For there, at the bottom were three figures. A man, who stood taller than Kassian but had the same thick curly hair. A woman, who had his mate’s smile, and a little girl, who stood there grinning like she’d just played the greatest prank.
“Gotcha,” she said.
Hudson felt his legs wobble at that one word. Before hearing it, he assumed he was hallucinating, for there was no way those three people, who were floating more than standing, were right there in front of them.
Kassian’s hand grabbed Hudson’s and squeezed hard. “Please tell me you see them too,” his mate whispered fervently.
At first Hudson nodded as he wasn’t sure he could make a sound, but his mate wasn’t looking at him to see the nod. Clearing his throat, he barely managed to squeak out, “I do.”
“Mom?” The hope in his mate’s voice nearly broke Hudson’s heart. “Is it really you?”
“Of course it’s Mom,” Mila said with an eye roll. “Who else would it be?”
Yep, it was definitely Mila down there. The little imp was constantly playing pranks on them, or laughing at them whenever they burned breakfast, which, thanks to Jari’s lessons, were happening less and less.
“Watch it missy,” Hudson scolded. “You might have the upper hand when we can’t see you, but now that we can, no more tricks.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. But Hudson got the last laugh when her mother spoke. “Mila, shame on you. I raised you better than that.” Then she turned back to Kassian. “Yes, Kassian. I’m really here.”
Kassian let out a sob as he raced down the stairs. But when he got to the bottom, he went right through his mom’s body. Hudson wanted to kick himself for not realizing they wouldn’t have corpearal form. They were still dead.
Kassian’s mom and dad turned to face their son. “I’m sorry my son. I would hold you forever if I could.”
Hudson rushed down the stairs, making sure to go around the three forms to his mate’s side. He wrapped his arms around Kassian from behind so they could both see Kassian’s family.
“I know you would, Mom.” Kassian glanced over his shoulder at Hudson. “Mom, Dad, Mila, I’d like you to meet Hudson, my mate.”
All three smiled.
“We are so happy you found your mate, my son.” Kassian’s father then looked directly at Hudson. “We are eternally grateful for what you have done for our son. I trust you will continue to cherish him.”
“For the rest of eternity,” Hudson answered solemnly. Kassian was his heart and soul. He would always love him, even in death.
“How is it I can see you?” Kassian asked. “Why didn’t you come to me sooner?”
Mila smirked at her brother. “I got them to come. We’re not supposed to.” She rolled her eyes again. “Then again, when have I ever obeyed the rules?”
From everything Kassian had told him about his sister when they were kids, that statement was true. She was a rule breaker. Someone who seemed to get a thrill from disobeying whatever her parents told her. Well, anyone really, but since that was usually her parents, they took the brunt of her mischievous ways.
“We can’t stay,” Kassian’s mom said. “But we wanted you to know how much we love you.”
“And how proud of you we are,” his father added.
Kassian shook his head at the words. “But I didn’t do anything. I sat up in that loft and let him kill you.” Then he turned to his sister. “You were staring right at me, practically begging me to save you and I did nothing.” The last word was shouted and Kassian hung his head in shame. “I am a coward.”
Hudson hated that his mate felt that way. He’d tried to tell him otherwise, but he knew, for this, he wasn’t going to be able to help his mate.
M
ila floated over to them. Her hand reaching out to Kassian’s cheek. The startled gasp from Kassian indicated he felt…something. Gray eyes met gray eyes. “I was begging you to stay where you were. I knew I wouldn’t survive that night. But I desperately wanted you to live, Kassie.” She used the nickname she had for them when she was alive.
“You are my twin. The other half of me. I only wanted you to find happiness.” Mila glanced at Hudson and smiled. “And love. You need to let go of the past. To forgive yourself of something you never could have stopped. For me, Kassie, you need to live.”
Tears were freely flowing from both Kassian and Hudson’s eyes. He held his mate tightly, praying his mate heard his sister and finally let go of the guilt that still plagued him.
Mila turned back to her mom and dad. “We have to go.” Then she floated over to stand in between her parents. Their arms went around her. “But don’t worry, Kassie, we’ll see you someday. Until then, do something for me.”
“Anything.” Kassian hadn’t even hesitated.
“I know you were never one to be audacious, but promise me, at least once in a while, you’ll go on an adventure, like we used to do as kids.”
Kassian smiled at his sister. “I promise. I love you, Mila.” Then he looked at his mom and dad. “I love you, too.”
Each one told Kassian they loved him, then, in the blink of an eye, they were gone.
Kassian knees gave way and Hudson scooped him up. He strode to the couch and sat down with his mate on his lap, just holding him as he sobbed. He wasn’t sure how long they sat there, but eventually the tears dried up.
“They were right, you know,” Hudson whispered. “There was nothing you could have done to stop them from dying and if you’d tried, I would have never found my mate.”
Kassian nodded. A minute later he tilted his head back until their gazes met. “I know. It’s just hard. But since I’ve met you, the past doesn’t have the grip on me like it used to.
“I love you, my little bunny,” Hudson said as he pressed a kiss against Kassian’s lush lips.
“I love you, too, my mate.” Kassian said.
