Mating Call
Page 18
X gleamed to the roof and leaned down next to the punk’s ear. “Don’t think I’m letting you off the hook. You’re going to tell the cops exactly what you’ve done. You’ve seen enough to know that no prison wall can keep us out, dig?”
Cobb was able to nod slightly before passing out cold.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Evy was sitting on the bed when Troy walked in. As soon as she saw him she dashed across it and leapt at him. He caught her and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry, Ev. I’m so sorry. I never shoulda left like that.”
She wrapped her legs around his waist and took his face in her hands. “You didn’t…”
“Nah. No way would I ever jeopardize our future like that. Besides, he needs to pay for what he’s done. Listen, I need your help with somethin’.”
“The kids?”
“Yeah.”
She nodded and he took her hand and led her out the door.
“Where are they?”
“In the compound with Helen. I figured they’d need to be checked.”
His mate picked up speed and started to walk with a purpose he’d never seen before. She walked down the back stairs and he followed. She poked her head into the exam room and then waited for Helen to come out. Troy buried his hands in his pockets and watched as his mate did somethin’ he’d never actually seen her do before. Her job.
Helen walked into the hallway.
“How are they?” Ev asked.
“Well, as far as I can tell, there hasn’t been any sexual abuse. The male’s name is Christian. He’s a shifter. He has numerous scars.”
“Like mine,” Troy said.
“More or less, but fewer. The girl pretty much checks out. A few bruises. I don’t think they were there long.”
Evy nodded. “Thanks, Helen.”
“Anytime. Give me a holler if you need anything. I’m just down the hall in the lab.”
Troy waited in the doorway while his mate walked into the room.
“Hi, I’m Evy. You must be Christian and Rory.”
The male cocked his head and focused his amber eyes on her. “You’re with Troy.”
She smiled. “Yes.”
“His scent is on you.”
He retreated back into his silence.
Troy watched as she drew the male back out again.
“How old are you, Christian?”
“Eighteen. I graduate in May. I was trying to… I needed a way to take Em with me. She’s only thirteen. We were leaving that place for good.”
“My male, Troy, was with Cobb for many years. You’ll be the last children that man takes. It’s over. You’re safe here.”
“The male, Troy. He’s not a shifter, is he?”
“No, he’s much more than that.”
She hopped on the table and drew Rory into her lap. “Do you like adventure stories?”
“Yes,” the girl said.
“Well, have I got one for you.”
Troy smiled as he watched the dance between Evy and the kids. Jesus, she was a natural. He started off down the hall and met up with X.
The brother grinned. “Hey, my man. You’ve had a busy day.”
Troy cracked a half smile. “Yeah, I guess I kinda have.”
X put a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Let’s get a drink.”
They walked down to the compound’s small living area and X mixed some god-awful shit that probably cost a hundred bucks a pop. “Jesus, X. What’s in this stuff?”
“No worries. I got your back.” He tossed Troy a cold beer.
He opened the bottle. “Thank fuck.”
“So, I got it on your friend Cobb’s personal authority that he’ll tell the police everything. I’ll check their computer in a couple days and make sure the SOB is in their system.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Cleaning up your mess today was a pleasure. I don’t think I’ve ever said this, but I’m sorry for everything that dirt bag put you through. It took a lot of stones to go back there today, New Breed or not.”
He took a pull off his beer. “Yeah, maybe. So, you making any progress with that genius hottie of yours?”
“Nope.”
“You gotta be kiddin’ me. You haven’t even talked to her? It’s been weeks for Chrissake.”
X rubbed his goatee. “I wouldn’t have the slightest idea what to say to her to be honest.”
“What’s there to say? Hey, I love your brain. Let’s get food.”
X laughed. “I don’t know, man. She’s so different from anyone else, dig?”
“Hey. What’d you say to me? Don’t put her on a pedestal, right?” He smiled and took a sip. “O’ course, Ev is still on a pedestal. I’m sure she’ll let me know when she’s done with it. But that’s a whole other story.”
They laughed until they had tears in their eyes.
X poured himself another round. “Let me just be serious for a second. It’s like I went to bed one day and woke up a different male. I look at what you and Evy have, and I want that. I don’t know if it’ll be with Rose or not. But I want that.”
Troy rolled his eyes. “Jesus. If this ain’t a Kodak moment.”
“Thank Christ, the Polaroid twins aren’t here.”
Troy laughed. “You ain’t kiddin’.”
It was another couple of hours before Evy came up to their room. Troy was on his fifth beer and reading the third George R.R. Martin book. “Hey.”
She crawled in next to him and yawned. “Hey.”
“Get the kids settled for the night?”
“Yeah. Mary cleaned the back hallway down by the gym. You know, where all those rooms are?”
He put the book on the night stand. “Oh, yeah. I forget it’s even there.”
“You know, I was thinking.”
He smiled a bit. “Uh-oh.”
She swatted his chest and he threw up his hands. “Kiddin’, kiddin’.”
“Well, a lot of homeless teenage shifters wind up being caught by dog catchers and turned mutant. So, I was thinking that if we started a shelter, we could get a few of them off the streets. It would help them, cut back on Toltec’s supply. Maybe even help the Goddess find more potential New Breeds. What do you think?”
“I think I love you, Evelyn O’Donnell. And I think it’s a great idea.”
She leaned into him and ran her soft lips gently across his mouth, his cheek, his neck. He leaned back on his arms and let her do whatever she wanted, letting each caress take him higher and higher. And then he flipped her over and claimed her, worshipping every part of her inside and out until the long hours of the night.
Xavier materialized in the back of the Social Sciences section of the Boston Public Library. He took a deep breath. Man, he was nervous, but this time as he walked into Bates Hall he didn’t stop. If she was there he knew where she’d be and he headed straight for the next to last table on the right of the main aisle. He felt her presence and looked up, only to find that she was already looking at him. Man, she was beautiful, so delicate, surrounded by piles of books.
He stopped right in front of her. He didn’t want to play any games. He wanted her to know she was the reason he was there. He looked into her exquisite almond eyes and realized with a jolt that he hadn’t thought about what to say. “I, ah, don’t know if you remember me. I knocked some books over a couple of weeks ago.”
I knocked some books over?
“Yes, of course. Xavier, wasn’t it?”
His heart squeezed in his chest. “Yes, and you’re Professor Sato?”
She smiled. “Rose, please.”
She had the most endearing voice. It was almost child-like in its sound, but with a lovely resonance.
“Ah, Rose. The thing is, I signed up for the Japan in Asia course and it turns out it just won’t fit my schedule.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. It’s a fascinating subject.”
He crouched down in front of her, hoping he wasn’t being to intimate. But he wanted to meet her
at her level. “Yes. It is. You know, I wondered if maybe you’d like to get a cup of coffee.”
Evy was so glad the cold New England February was behind them. The early March afternoon was so much warmer and more pleasant. She laughed and Ana held Maya as they watched Christian and Rory play together in the melting snow. Evy thought about starting the new shelter. She felt so blessed to be both the Seer and Troy’s mate. And now she would have her own work as well.
Suddenly, Maya’s little hat fell off into a puddle. Ana leaned over and picked it up. “Damn. I think there’s an extra one in her bag somewhere. Can you hold her for a sec?”
Evy took Maya into her arms and suddenly her hair started to blow, although there was no breeze. She reached forward and let herself be pulled into the vision. She opened her eyes, turned her face into the warm sun, and smiled.
About the Author
Martha Bourke grew up in Burlington, Vermont, a magical place where street art meets nature and Boston, a city full of history and no-nonsense New England sensibility. She is an accomplished teacher who has spent the last fifteen years creating Spanish language programs for elementary schools and traveling extensively. For most of her life, she has been fascinated by foreign languages, cultures, and mythology – a passion that colors and enriches the world of Jaguar Sun, which now encompasses two series.
Martha and her husband of fifteen years have carved out their own little piece of Vermont in the Massachusetts countryside. When not writing, she loves spending time with her animals, listening to good music, thrifting, and adding to her Converse collection.
For more information about the author, please visit www.marthabourke.com.
Also By Martha Bourke
Young Adult
Jaguar Sun (Book 1 in the Jaguar Sun Series)
Jaguar Moon (Book 2 in the Jaguar Sun Series)
Revelations (A Prequel Novella to the Jaguar Sun Series & New Breed Novels)
Adult
Forbidden Call (The New Breed Novels, Book 1)
Deadly Call (The New Breed Novels, Book 2)
Mating Call (The New Breed Novels, Book 3)
Don’t Miss
Fatal Call (Book 4 in The New Breed Novels) in 2014
Jaguar Hunter (Book 3 in the Jaguar Sun Series) in 2014