by Laura Del
He grabbed me, placing the knife to my throat. The sharpness stung something awful, and I noticed that the hilt was a crucifix. He kicked over the table, and everybody scattered.
“You get the fuck off her,” Angel growled, eyes turning yellow.
He shook his head, digging the knife deeper into my flesh. “I don’t think so. It’s a silver knife, so you can’t do shit about it. Like the crucifix, dead man?” he asked Mortimer, who looked sick. “I made it myself.”
“You get your hands off my daughter,” my father boomed, but when he tried to charge, Bobby cut my flesh slightly, and Pops stopped dead in his tracks.
“She’s mine,” he cried. “You hear me? Mine!”
I grimaced in pain, but I knew what I had to do. “You know, Bobby, there’s one thing you didn’t count on.”
“What’s that?” he breathed.
“Me.”
As soon as I said that, I elbowed him in the stomach as hard as I could, and he faltered enough for me to get away from him for just a moment. Then he grabbed onto my bad arm, and when I whimpered in pain, he tried to slice me, but something amazing happened. A man came out of nowhere, tackling Bobby to the ground. The only thing I noticed about the newcomer, before the shit hit the fan, was that he was stark naked.
Everyone screamed, running outside the tent, even my grandmother hobbled her way outside. The only people who remained were Mike, Andrew, Tina, Angel, Sandy, Mad, Mortimer, Pops, Moms, myself, and the two men wrestling on the floor.
The naked man bit Bobby in the wrist so that he dropped the knife, but not before Bobby sliced his cheek. He whimpered but kept attacking Bobby with vigor. And when he finally stood up, I saw that he had the same stark blue eyes as… “Fang?” I asked in surprised.
He must have not heard me because Bobby had gotten a second wind. He was up like a shot, but before he could move close to the naked man, Mortimer was on him, pinning him to the ground. And in the next minute Bobby was subdued completely. Mortimer had used his mind control, which quieted him.
“Who the hell is that?” Tina asked me, pointing at the naked man.
“I think it might be…” I paused because it couldn’t be, “Fang.”
His ears perked up at that, and when he turned around, I saw that he wasn’t a man, but a boy probably no more than seventeen. He was tall, slender, and not very muscular with a dark tan. His hair was a dull brown, but it was long and fell into his face. Finally, he looked at me, and smiled so brightly it nearly blinded me. “Mama,” he shouted, running toward me. Then he gave me the biggest hug. When he pulled away, I saw that he was bleeding a little from the stitches in his arm that had popped, and that’s when I really knew it was Fang.
“You okay, Mama?” he asked, his voice deeper than I would have ever expected, coming from such a kid.
I nodded. “Yes, Fang,” I stuttered. “I’m all right, just a little knick.”
He looked at it. “He really cut you. Mortimer,” he called him over, “she’s hurt. Fix it.”
Mortimer looked at him, staring into his eyes. “Shifter’s,” he mumbled to himself, “always takin’ me by surprise.”
He tried to heal the wound, but I stopped him. “You need to clean up a few things.” I nodded toward Sandy and Mad, then I pointed outside. “Don’t you?”
Staring at me for a second, he was trying to figure out what I was saying and then he nodded. “Oh, right. What kinda memories should they ‘ave?”
“Happy ones, please.”
“Yer father too?”
I shook my head. “Not again. He can take care of himself.”
He nodded. “Right. Come on, Sandra, Madison,” he said to them, “let’s take a walk, shall we?” Mortimer escorted them outside while they asked questions. Mostly they were asking about what was going on, and I didn’t blame them.
Once they were gone, I surveyed the damage. I was so sick and tired of men and their stupid power plays toward me. And if one more of them said that stupid line about if he couldn’t have me, no one could, I would spit right in his eye. Actually, I was so angry, I felt like spitting right in that moment. Only the naked boy walked toward me again.
“Are you okay?” I asked him as he held his arm.
He nodded. “Just a scratch, Mama. Nothin’ to worry about.”
“Kaleb,” Mike interrupted our conversation. “Lay off the mama stuff for right now. Let her get use to—”
“Excuse me, Mr. Wolf,” I said, and he stopped talking, “you knew about this?” he nodded, and I took a deep breath. Then I remembered the whispering when Angel met Fang, which meant she was in on it too, so I glared at her.
“Sorry,” she said quietly.
“Did you send him?” I asked Mike, and he nodded. “Well, that’s just great.” Sarcasm. “Anything else you want to drop on me?”
He shook his head. “No, ma’am.”
“Mama?” Kaleb asked, and I turned my attention to him. “Is it okay if I get dressed now?”
“Sure it is,” I soothed him. “But why do you call me mama?”
“Well, you are, aren’t you?” he asked, cocking his head at me. All his mannerisms were still so very dog-like, it was scary.
I shrugged. “I guess so.”
There would be a better explanation later, and as I looked around at the rest of the people in the tent, they all looked just as tired as I was.
“You see,” Andrew finally spoke, “I told you something bad was gonna happen. I just wish I’d known what.”
chapter
TWENTY-FOUR
When the hellfire we were in calmed down, and Mortimer had done his Jedi mind trick on everyone outside our immediate little, supernatural knowing, circle, everyone got their slices of cake and went home. Including Sandy and Mad, who promised that they would come keep me company until I got my regular cast. But I didn’t know whether I would be up for all that. After all, I was so tired I could have slept the remaining days I was in Danville.
Pops and Moms were upstairs getting everything ready so they could leave for their honeymoon, while Kaleb, Tina, Andrew, Angel, and Mortimer were sitting at the kitchen table. Bobby was on the couch passed out, as per Mortimer’s orders, and I stood pacing. Pops had given a pair of his sweats to Kaleb, so he wasn’t naked, but everyone else were still in their wedding clothes.
As I looked at the crowd before me, I noticed that they all looked beyond tired, even Mortimer. And when there was a knock on the front door, we all collectively sighed. Mortimer was the first one up, and as he rushed to the door, I stopped pacing. He came back with an envelope, handing it to me with a slight frown.
I opened it, reading the contents quickly. When I finished, I crumbled it up, throwing it on the table. Tina picked the letter up and unfolded it. “‘Dear Patricia,’” she read aloud, “‘I am sorry that we were not able to attend your father’s wedding but Jessica is quite unwell, and we have decided to go back home. Yours…’” her voice trailed away. Everybody, except Kaleb, knew whom the letter was from, but he was good enough not to ask.
I stood perfectly still, staring at Mike and Angel. “So,” I breathed, “you two knew what Kaleb was?”
Angel nodded, but Mike was the one to speak. “Yeah. In fact,” he paused, rubbing the back of his neck, “I told ‘em to come.”
“You did what?” Mortimer and I asked together.
“Ye knew perfectly well dat I was ‘ere, Mike,” Mortimer said, a little confused. “Why’d ye do it?”
“Backup,” Mike explained, and Mortimer seemed to understand.
I didn’t. “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. You sent a…” I paused, trying to remember what Mortimer called him, “shifter to help a vampire. He’s no more than… how old are you, Kaleb?”
“I’ll be eighteen next month, Mama,” he answered.
“You sent a sevente
en-year-old to help protect me?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at Mike. “That doesn’t seem quite right, does it?”
Mike shook his head. “No. It doesn’t, Pat. I just thought you’d be lonely and need someone. And he was willin’ to…” his voice faded when he saw how angry I was. “But you’re right. I screwed up.”
“Did I do good though?” Kaleb asked, seeming younger by the minute.
I nodded. “Yes, Kaleb, you did very well. You saved my life. Thank you.”
He smiled brightly. “You’re welcome.”
Angel rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Just like a shifter.”
Kaleb growled at her; she did the same and if it wasn’t for Mike clearing his throat, they would have stayed like that forever.
“What did you mean by that?” I asked her.
“He imprinted on you,” she explained, disgusted, but I still didn’t understand.
“Like when a baby duck imprints on its mother,” Andrew clarified. “Shifters imprint on certain people. Sometimes it’s love at first sight, and sometimes it’s more platonic than that. That’s why he’s calling you mama. He’s imprinted.”
Kaleb nodded. “I’m glad it was you, though. I thought it was gonna happen all horrible like it did to my real mother. But you’re good and strong. It makes me happy.”
“So what happened to your arm?” I asked, pushing the imprinting weirdness aside.
“That tall, blond vampire thought I was bad,” he told me. “But I’m not, Mama, I promise.”
“Bernard,” Mortimer and I sighed.
“See? I told ye I hated ‘em,” Mortimer said, shaking his head.
I covered my mouth with my hand, and Tina placed her hand on my arm. “Are you cryin’, babe?” she asked, concerned. “Don’t cry.”
My shoulders shook as I closed my eyes, and when I took my hand off my mouth, the laughter that came out was so loud that it echoed off the kitchen walls. “This is just great,” I breathed. “I have a shifter who’s imprinted on me, who got hurt by the dead vampire we found in the closet. This week just keeps getting better and better.”
They all blinked at me, except for Angel who stifled her own laughter. I finally got myself under control, wiping the tears on my sparkly sleeve.
“Anyway,” Mortimer said, looking at me carefully to see if I was all right, “we gotta talk about Bobby. ‘E’s really got somethin’ wrong wit ‘em, Patricia. I t’ink ‘e’s havin’ a nervous breakdown.”
Bobby’s behavior made a little more sense now, but he was still possibly losing his mind, which was a scary thought. “What do we do?” I sighed.
He shrugged. “If I try ta put it out of his mind, ‘e might lose all sense tagether, ‘e needs professional help.”
“I know someone,” Angel piped up. “I could take him there on the down low if you want me too.”
“What about his mother?” I asked them.
“I can always get ‘em ta write ‘er a note,” Mortimer answered. “‘E can say dat ‘e’s goin’ on some sorta vacation. And ‘e told me, while ‘e was under, dat they put ‘em on medical leave. I t’ink they understood what was goin’ on and ‘e just ignored it.”
“Poor, Bobby,” Tina said sadly, and we all stared at her. “What? I don’t like the man, but no one deserves that.”
“Very true,” Andrew agreed, rubbing her arm.
“You’re not going to tell Kathryn, are you?” I asked Mortimer, suddenly considered for Bobby’s life.
He shook his head. “No. I don’t see a need. I’ll just tell ‘er dat Bernard fell on a branch. She’ll believe dat of ‘em. Not very bright and very clumsy.”
“Not a very good vampire, was he?” Angel asked, and Mortimer shook his head in answer.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Bobby was going to get the help he needed, and the queen of all vampires would never get her hands on him. “All right,” I breathed, “now that’s settled, I think it would be best to get the ball rolling.”
“Right,” Angel stood up, tugging Mortimer with her.
When they left, I noticed that Kaleb yawned, so I checked his arm again, but he wasn’t bleeding anymore. In fact, the cuts Bernard and Bobby made only looked like a little scratches now. I guessed that shifters healed faster than normal people, just like vampires and werewolves.
“Kaleb,” I said gently, “why don’t you go upstairs and take a nap, you look tired.”
He nodded. “Okay, Mama. I’m goin’.” He got up, giving me a big hug, and then went to go take a nap.
Tina looked at Andrew and feigned a yawn herself. “I’m tired too,” she said, nudging Andrew in the ribs. “Aren’t you?”
“No,” he answered, and she must have kicked him because he yelped. “I mean, I’m not tired but I think I should go upstairs and get changed. I’m feeling a little uncomfortable.”
Tina gave me a kiss on the cheek, winking before her and Andrew left. Sometimes that woman could be so vague with her hints that I just shook my head, trying to figure her out. Then I looked down at Mike, and he looked haggard.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
He got up, moving over to me quickly, taking me into his arms. He kissed me every place where there was exposed skin and kept apologizing for letting it happen to me again. “I’m so sorry, bébé,” he whispered. “I couldn’t live without you. I don’t know what I’d do.”
“Then don’t,” I told him, and he looked at me confused. “Don’t live without me.”
“What’re you sayin’, bébé?”
“I’m saying ask me again.”
His eyes lit up and he kissed me. Then he let me go, running out of the kitchen, tripping on the way out. I laughed as he ran up the stairs, and a second later Pops and Moms were down.
Mommy came up to me and smiled. “Everything okay?” she asked in Moms voice.
“Yup,” I sighed. “We figured it all out. And besides Mike is about to ask me a question.”
Her eyes widened when she realized what I was saying. “Congratulations,” she said with a big smile. “He’s good for you. You need someone like him. Well,” it was her turn to sigh, “it certainly has been a crazy day, and one we shall never forget.”
“I’m sorry about all this.”
She shook her head. “Don’t be sorry, darling. None of this was your fault. Besides, I think your father rather enjoyed it.”
“Baby girl,” he said from the other side of the room, “you stay here as long as you want, okay? Don’t feel like you need to rush after your cast appointment.”
I nodded. “Will do, Pops.”
Moms gave me a hug and whispered, “Good luck.”
When we separated, it was Pops turn and he winked at me before he walked back over to the bags, picking them up. “Love you, baby girl.”
“Love you too,” I said with a wave, and when they made it to the door, they turned around to say one last goodbye. “Have fun,” I called after them.
“We will,” they said together and, with that, they left to have fun in the sun. I was happy they had booked a trip in Hawaii because they would be able to get away from all the snow.
I had a bright smile on my face as Mike walked back into the kitchen. He too was smiling his sparkly green-eyed grin. “Ya ready?” he asked, and I nodded. He walked around the table to where I was standing and got on one knee.
I cocked a brow and smirked. “Are you okay down there? I don’t want you to break a hip when you get back up, old man.”
“Ha ha,” he laughed without humor, “very funny. Can I ask ya now?” I nodded, and he took a deep breath. “Patricia Anne Wyatt, I have loved you from the first moment I laid eyes on you. I want you to be the first thing I see every mornin’ and the last thing I see at night. And when I die, I want to look into your face before I go. Will you do me the honor of marryin’ me?” when he asked, he opened th
e black box to reveal the most beautiful white gold, diamond band. “I know it’s not all that fancy like Samuel’s was, but it was truly my momma’s, and I know she’d want you to have it.”
I stood there for a moment looking down at him. Was I willing to do this again? Did I really want to marry another supernatural being? Then as I looked into his eyes, I knew all the answers to the questions buzzing in my head.
“Yes,” I replied in answer to everything, “I will marry you, Michael Ray Wolf. And I think that ring is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”
He stood up in an instant and punched the air with excitement. Then he picked me up and spun me around before setting me down so he could place the ring on my finger. “I love you,” he said when the deed was done.
“I know,” I whispered, and he kissed me.
“Thank God for that,” I heard Tina exclaim from the stairs as Angel and Mortimer clapped from the living room.
Mike laughed and I rolled my eyes. “Well, I’m glad you’re pleased, Chrissie,” he yelled to her.
“You’re damn straight,” she hollered back. “I thought I was gonna have to come down there and do it for you.”
“Oh, that’s what she was hinting at,” I muttered to myself. Only Tina.
“Do ya mind if I kiss ‘er again?” he asked her.
“Do it, man,” Mortimer chimed in.
“Okay,” Mike answered, and he did.
As we kissed, the little voice in my head was telling me that I might live to regret this decision. But if that was the case, I knew that I was in for one hell of a ride on the path to regret. With that in mind, I thought about all the things that would eventually go wrong, and the little voice said, Screw it! And I kept right on kissing my wolf.
THE END
For now, anyway…
