Stalked (Rogues Shifter #2)

by Gayle Parness

  “Whoopee.” I went to the wine cellar—yes, I said wine cellar—and got two bottles of Francois’ favorite red wine and handed them to Garrett to uncork so they could breathe.

  “You’re turning into the consummate hostess.” Garrett’s gorgeous blue eyes were lit with light from the overhead chandelier and his mouth was turned up in a crooked smile. He looked like a proud husband.

  “I am so not Mrs. Cleaver.” I tossed my hair, put my hand on my hip and posed seductively.

  Garrett’s eyes took me in appreciatively. “When you look at me like that my brain ceases to function.”

  “It’s fun to have power over a big strong vampire.”

  “You have no idea how much power you wield. Je suis a votre clemence. I am at your mercy.”

  “Hmm, I like that line. I expect to hear it often, Monsieur.”

  “Oui, Madame.”

  The doorbell rang so I watched Garrett walk to the door in his fitted black slacks and button down silk shirt and sighed in appreciation. Forcing myself to turn away, I pulled the lasagna out of the oven and set it on the stovetop.

  “Hi Jackie.” Aaron was already in the kitchen. I put down my oven mitts and turned, only to be swept up and spun around. I was dizzy and giggling when he put me down.

  “Why the fun greeting, Aaron?”

  “You cooked.” He shrugged his shoulders and grinned. Aaron was Garrett’s cousin and they looked a lot alike, with the same great smile and beautiful blue eyes. Aaron’s hair was a sandy blonde and he was dressed in his usual jeans and tee shirt. However, his casual dress and playful attitude didn’t take away from the intensity of the power I felt surging around him whenever he was near me. He was a pack leader, an Alpha werewolf, as powerful in his own circle as Garrett was in his.

  “Well, it’s Liam’s lasagna. I just heated it up”

  “Even better. I've heard about your cooking.” I laughed and threw my oven mitt at him. He caught it and handed it back to me with a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I’ll help you serve it up.” He grabbed some plates and dished out the lasagna, while I got the beer, the salad and the garlic bread on the table. I was fishing a soda out of the fridge for myself when Garrett and the other two weres walked in.

  I'd seen them before at the duel and also met them at my bonding party. Andy Sims was dressed in dark jeans and an open flannel shirt over a black tee. He had medium brown hair, light brown eyes and a pointy chin. He was around 5’9” and fairly slim. Ralph O'Donnell was tall, maybe 6’1” with very broad shoulders, long bright red hair wrapped with a black bandanna and dark blue eyes. He wore cargo shorts and a tank.

  I extended my hand in greeting. As we exchanged the usual pleasantries, I automatically tapped into the lines. Although there was power around them, it was nothing compared to Aaron’s. A were normally couldn’t access the lines except when he was shifting to his animal form, and then it was done unconsciously. However, an alpha with Aaron’s power was able to use it when he fought and also in many of his everyday activities that required him to hold tight control over his pack.

  “Gentlemen, Aaron and I have served up some lasagna. Would you like to join us?” They both laughed at seeing their alpha wearing an oven mitt, thanked me with warm smiles then sat down to eat. By the way they were shoveling the food into their mouths, I doubted that they'd been referred to as gentlemen often, but I enjoyed their enthusiasm. Of course, Liam’s lasagna was legendary, loaded with delicious meat and cheese and spices, so the wolves and I cleared most of our plates before anyone spoke.

  “So you’re going to help us renovate the basement and build the house next door?” I asked.

  Andy nodded with his mouth full. So Garrett answered. “Yes. They were the ones who built this house. I trust them completely.”

  I looked at the two wolves with awe. “You built this beautiful house? It’s amazing.”

  “Thanks, Jackie.” Ralph had answered since Andy's mouth was full again. For a smaller guy he sure could eat. “What do you want done with the basement?”

  I looked at Garrett who smiled and sent, “It’s your idea, you tell them.”

  “We need the large room at the bottom of the stairs made into a comfortable common room with a big TV and three of the smaller rooms into bedrooms.”

  Andy was finally able to speak. “Kinda gloomy down there for company. Why don’t you use the second floor bedrooms?” Garrett and I rarely went upstairs except when we had time to watch TV on the big screen in the den or to play Wii. There was no first floor family room, since Garrett felt he’d rather have a super large kitchen, an office and two first floor bedrooms along with his large living room. But upstairs there were three more bedrooms and two full bathrooms along with a nice balcony that looked out over the backyard and the woods beyond.

  “They don't need any windows. It’s for his nest.”

  "For vampires?” Aaron choked on his lasagna.

  Garrett looked a little annoyed. “Yes, for Sasha, William and Heinrich.”

  The tone of Aaron's voice had chilled.“From Eleanor’s nest? The ones who were hissing at you at the duel and would have been happy to rip off your head?”

  “They’re my nest now. They’ve sworn allegiance to me.”

  “And you trust them?” He glanced from me back to Garrett. “You trust them around Jackie?” Tension crackled in the air between them.

  I felt the need to butt in before they really started to fight. “Aaron, Garrett knows what he’s doing with his nest. It’s only temporary. That’s why we’re building the house.”

  “You’re building a house for your three vampires? You're bringing Eleanor's old nest permanently into the same shifter community that you're trying to protect?”

  Garrett eyes were narrowed and cold as he looked as his cousin, the Alpha. “Yes. They are mine now and it's my choice. The community will be safer if they're here with me." They stared at each other for a few seconds and then Aaron spoke again, his mouth turned down in a frown.

  “I see that this is none of my business, however I’m on the record as being strongly opposed to your plan.”

  “Duly noted.” Garrett replied with a scowl. Werewolves and vampires were often at odds. Garrett allowing more vampires into the community, especially ones with an extremely violent history, was perceived by Aaron as being rash and possibly dangerous.

  I heard a disappointed sigh from the other side of the table. Andy and Ralph had kept quiet during the exchange, understanding that the project was going to be put on hold because of this latest development. They were probably counting on the money. If Aaron didn’t want them to do the work, they couldn’t go against his orders.

  Aaron, having heard the sigh, broke from Garret’s gaze and glared a warning their way, making them look down immediately, a sign of respect for their alpha.

  Garrett spoke in a softer voice with a more persuasive tone. “If I don’t take them in, then they’ll be on their own to go wherever they choose, to do as they wish. They might fall back on old habits.”

  Aaron’s eyes flared with anger. “You could kill them. I don’t understand why you haven’t. Eleanor’s nest killed three of my pack, Garrett: men with families. One of them was tortured.” His voice cracked with raw emotion.

  “The vampires who were responsible for the death of your wolves have been executed. I killed two of them and Jackie killed Antoine. I would never disrespect you or your pack by leaving them alive." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Yvette is going back to Paris with Francois. Sasha and Rick put their own lives at risk to protect me several times, and the youngest one, William, was one of Eleanor's main victims. They've adapted well so far. I feel they deserve a chance.”

  "And if they slip up?"

  "I'll take care of it personally." Aaron looked into Garrett’s almost identical eyes and, after a few seconds of deliberation, nodded. A compromise had been reached.

  He turned to Andy and Ralph. “You can do the work, but only while
the vamps are resting. I won’t have any confrontations between you.” They nodded and looked relieved. Everyone started to eat again except for me.

  Garrett looked at me curiously. “Lost your appetite?”

  “I’ve overdosed on the large amount of testosterone floating around the room.” I glared halfheartedly at Garrett and Aaron for ruining a perfectly nice meal. The wolves cracked up at my annoyed expression, laughing loudly in between bites. “I’m glad they find me so entertaining,“ I sent to Garrett.

  He squeezed my hand and looked contrite. “Pardon, mon amour. Aaron and I agree to disagree on many subjects.” He kissed my hand and smiled his yummy smile, knowing exactly what to say to bring me around. I turned my attention back to the delicious lasagna.

  We finished dinner and I cleared up while the weres and Garrett went into his office to lay out plans for the renovation downstairs, which really only needed some electrical outlets and lighting, paint, carpeting and furniture. When that was worked out they started brainstorming ideas for the new house. After everything was loaded in the dishwasher and wiped clean, I curled up on the couch with my favorite author and didn’t think to look at the clock. No one did.

  The doorbell rang and I sprang out of my seat. Shit! The vampires were here. I went to the door and opened it before Garrett could stop me. Maybe this was a good time to get things straight between all of these males. My inner cheetah purred. Perhaps a little payback was in order.

  “Hello Francois, would you and the others like to come in?”

  “Bonsoir, Jacqueline. Thank you for your courteous welcome. We would be honored.” Francois was another hot vampire with an abundance of old world charm and sex appeal. He was Eleanor’s maker and had always hated that she’d forced the change on Garrett.

  After he entered he leaned over to kiss my hand and I smelled his deliciously sweet scent as he smelled mine. I saw a few silver sparkles in his eyes when he stood up, his charming smile full of flirty mischief. Sasha, Heinrich, William and Yvette filed in after him, all of them staring at me and taking in my scent like I was a delicious appetizer.

  “Please make yourselves comfortable in the living room. I apologize that you have to wait, but we have other guests that will be leaving soon. I’ll bring them in and introduce all of you before they go.” At this point Garrett had arrived and was staring at me like I’d lost my mind completely. Francois, on the other hand, was looking highly amused. The vamps could all smell the weres and vice versa.

  “Tres dangereux! I’ll have Aaron and his team leave through the patio door.”

  “They’re our guests and should leave through the front. Could you please control your vamps while I take care of the weres?”

  He wrinkled his brow and gazed at me incredulously. “How are you going to “take care” of an alpha and two of his pack?” I put my hand on his chest so he could feel the amount of emerald energy flowing through me. He shook his head. “This could end in disaster.” Still he managed an unsure smile. He'd give me a little rope in the hopes that I didn't hang myself with it.

  “Or not.” I smiled back and kissed him gently. “Thank you.” He shrugged and walked into the living room while I went into the study to speak to Aaron, Ralph and Andy. “I’m sorry, but Garrett’s nest is here. Garrett has an important meeting scheduled with them. Is everything set for tomorrow?”

  “Yep, Liam is letting Andy and Ralph and their crew in at 6:00 AM to start work in the basement.” Aaron answered. The two others were looking in the direction of the front door with trepidation.

  I swallowed and stepped closer. “I’d like you to meet them. Francois, Eleanor’s maker, is here too."

  Aaron’s eyes glittered with amusement. “You want us to walk into a room with five strange vampires?” Aaron seemed more intrigued by my bravado than frightened of our other guests.

  “It’s important to me, Aaron. I need to talk to all of you together.” When I reached out to take his hand, he hesitated for only a few seconds, then shrugged and allowed me to lead the way.

  The other two followed close behind as we entered the living room. Aaron, going into pack leader mode, stood in front with Andy and Ralph just behind him on his right and left. I managed to get through all the introductions without messing up any names. None of the vampires or weres looked happy, except maybe for Francois who was enjoying the show immensely. Even Garrett looked nervous. Heinrich hissed and showed his fangs and I heard a growl start up in Aaron’s chest. Garrett gave Heinrich a stern look and he shut up quickly.

  Hoping I could pull this off, I made my announcement. “I apologize in advance.”

  I opened myself up to the magic and let it swirl around me in a green healing energy, then sent it out to Aaron, Ralph, Andy and the five vampires in the room. Francois started to laugh as he felt what I was doing. I watched facial muscles relax, fists unclench and shoulders drop as they lost their tension. Garrett shook his head, but then moved beside me and snaked an arm around my waist in support.

  I tried to sound confident. “Sasha, Heinrich and William, you’ll be living here while these wolves and their crew will be working on the property. I’d like to negotiate a temporary truce. None of you are strangers anymore. These wolves are our allies and you’ve been introduced. You can’t use the excuse that you didn’t recognize them.” I eased up on the magic.

  Garrett stared at his nest and they all nodded. Andy and Ralph looked at Aaron.

  “I told them they had to be off the property by dusk.”

  “This is only as a precaution, just in case, Aaron. I would never compromise your authority.” I smiled at him sweetly.

  "Yeah, I can see that." He gave me a wry smirk, then swept his powerful gaze across the room, making it clear that he’d make sure his men were safe at all costs.

  I took another look around and decided to jump off the proverbial "cliff of good sense". “There’s one other thing. I’m in danger and may need your help, so I’m asking for this truce to stay in effect outside of our property as well."

  Aaron almost smiled. “What trouble are you in now, Jackie?”

  “A fae Lord wants to beat the crap out of me.” Garrett's mouth dropped open at my description.

  “I thought you were allies of the fae.” Aaron cast a puzzled expression in Garrett's direction.

  I answered. “We are, but this guy is an obnoxious egomaniac. You remember Lord Kennet, the judge at the duel? He asked me to leave Garrett and have his heir and I said..." I winced. "Well, I insulted him—big time.” Aaron choked trying to hold in a laugh. Francois looked extremely amused and even Sasha was grinning. Nice to know I hadn't lost my entertaining touch.

  Garrett spoke to Aaron, gesturing to his three remaining nest. “Try to think of them as an extension of me. I guarantee that they will behave professionally.”

  Aaron arched an eyebrow at Garrett. “I’ll think about it. He turned to me. “Jackie, you know that you have our full support if you need us."

  “Thank you, Aaron.” I took Aaron’s arm and led him to the front door. Garrett came along followed by Andy and Ralph and we said our goodnights.

  Aaron took my hand and turned me to meet his gaze. “Don't ever pull that stunt with me or my pack again. I don’t like to be manipulated.” I felt his own brand of two hundred year old power crackling around him.

  “I'm sorry." I tried to look contrite."I apologized before I started." He didn't look impressed. "I won't do it again without your okay."

  “Whatever you did made me feel calmer than I have in months.” I was relieved when he cracked his usual smile. "But try to understand. To us, it's a kind of Influence, a glamour that a lot of wolves would take the wrong way. I know you think you're helping, but..." He shrugged.

  “Liam tells me that a healer always seeks to find a balance.”

  “If you can find a balance between vamps and wolves, you’re a goddess." He kissed my cheek and turned to Garrett. "Cuz, I admire your courage. Talk to you soon." He left, followed by the oth
er two who were laughing and happy about the new job.

  I turned to Garrett and cringed a little. “You angry with me?”

  “I should be, but I’m pretty much in awe right now.” He kissed my cheek.

  My relief was instantaneous. “I’ll get another bottle of wine."

  When I got back to the living room, Garrett was sitting in a chair and Yvette was standing in front of him. She was dressed in a tight black leather dress with a high slit. Her lovely dark curly hair fell around her beautiful face as she bowed her head. Francois, dressed in a dark suit, dark shirt and tie, was watching the proceedings with interest, as were the rest of the nest. I placed the tray with the wine and glasses on a side table and turned to watch.

  “Master, with great respect, I petition you to release me from your nest. Francois has agreed to accept me into his nest in Paris and I wish to go.” She looked directly at him with her large dark eyes. “You have been extremely fair and kind, more than I ever could have expected. I will abide by your decision without argument. If you demand that I stay, I will continue to live by your rules and serve you loyally.”

  “Yvette, I’ve known you for more than a century and it's true, we’ve had our differences." She smiled slightly. "You were one of the few came to my aid, risking severe punishment or even death. Eleanor didn't tolerate women who showed any strength of character. I'll never forget your kindness. You’re free to go and I wish you well. I sincerely hope that you'll be happy in Paris. Please call me if I can be of service to you at any time in the future.” Garrett took her hand and stood, pulling her over to him, kissing first one cheek then the other.

  “Thank you Garrett.” She bowed her head slightly and then smiled at him. She was very beautiful, even more so now that she was happy. She sat on a chair next to Francois and he took her hand, weaving his fingers around hers. Garrett had not only given Yvette permission to leave, but in offering her his help, he had declared her to be an independent, able to start her own nest if she desired to leave Francois’.

  Garrett sat down again and looked warily at the remaining three members sitting together on the couch. “You’ll be moving into my basement tomorrow night. I’ll have a truck at your house at sundown and you can pack whatever you want to bring with you. It won’t be as comfortable as your home now, but it’s only a temporary arrangement. I’m building another house next door where you'll live until you petition me as Yvette has or you achieve final death. When you're living here you'll abide by certain rules which I’ll discuss with you later. When you move into the new house, some of the rules will be more relaxed, but my basic conditions will remain in place.