She kept her eyes on her food and tried not to think - about Luke, what'd happened, or anything for that matter. An empty brain was the goal. She needed a break from all the overwhelming emotions. Unfortunately, she had a feeling there was more to the story of her miraculous recovery than Luke or Noah was ‘fessing up to.
Glancing up at them, her worries were confirmed when neither would make direct eye contact with her. It didn't matter right now. Her belly was full and she just wanted to forget everything, crawl back in her bed, and sleep. But there were too many things to take care of --the house, bills, school ... her parent's funeral.
"I'm going to lie down." She got up and pushed in her chair. Both guys stood. "Thank you for the food. And for watching over me. I'll be fine though, if there's something else you need to do."
"Are you sure you ate enough?" Luke asked, glancing at her half-eaten plate.
"Yes," she said, nodding. "I'm so tired. Hopefully everything I need to do can wait one more day."
"What do you need?" Noah wiped his hands on a napkin and pushed in his chair. "I've got to go get books for my classes and run a couple of errands for mom. Luke is staying with you."
"He is, is he?" Kara raised an irritated eyebrow.
"Mom wanted you to come over to the house for dinner. I didn't want to leave you alone either." Luke VonBrandt met her glare head on.
She apparently didn't have a say in whether or not she was going to be looked after.
"Have you picked up your books for your classes yet?" Luke asked.
"No."
"Do you have your schedule? I'll pick them up and meet y'all at the house this evening."
"I don't have cash, and I can't let you go get all my books for me. I'm sure you have much better things to be doing than babysitting me. I'm fine. I promise. I just want to go lie down and sleep." She turned to leave, but then looked back at Luke. "I'm not sure I'm up for dinner with your parents tonight."
Luke nodded. "I'll let them know."
She nodded and left them at the table.
CHAPTER FOUR
Luke swallowed, trying to rein in his sinful thoughts as he watched Kara's hips sway softly from side to side. He'd gotten what he'd always wanted - a chance with Kara. But everything was fucked up. From the way he'd cast the bonding spell, to her parents' deaths, and the clusterfuck that was Vincent Harris.
He glanced at his brother and growled. Noah was grinning.
"You've got it bad for her."
"Shut it."
"You always have. But now you're bonded. What is that like?"
"Like having her right next to me all the time, but not being able to touch her. Plus, every time I look at her I want to throw her over my shoulder and find a big bed to crawl into."
Noah snorted and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm gonna let you figure that one out. In the meantime, I think I saw her class schedule tucked in the front pocket of her purse. I'm going to go buy books. I'll drop hers by later."
"K."
"You know mom is coming over here if y'all don't go over there."
Luke sighed again. "It's a lot to take in all at once. It will probably be easier for her to just stay here instead of being bombarded by the VonBrandt pack."
"Be careful what you say. You haven't told her we turn into wolves, yet," Noah said softly before walking out of the kitchen. "She still thinks we just like to run buck naked in the woods."
Luke chuckled, then started clearing the table. There was still enough food left for several helpings. He found a few containers and packed the leftovers into the fridge. Then he washed and dried all the dishes they'd used for the meal. By the time he was finished, the kitchen sparkled and smelled lemon fresh.
Glancing around, he tried to find something else that might need to be cleaned or taken care of. His eyes trailed to the window at the back of the nook. The large backyard looked pretty tall. In fact, the front had looked even taller. The last thing he wanted was Kara to get a city notice for not having the grass mowed.
He pulled off his shirt and laid it over the back of one of the kitchen chairs, then went through the back of the kitchen to the garage. At the front of the very organized two-car space was a bright red lawn mower. A weed-eater hung on the wall next to it.
An hour later he'd finished mowing both lawns and was finishing up the trimming along the street. The hair on the back of his neck stood up when Vincent's red pickup pulled to a stop across the street. The asshole brought Kara flowers? Hell no! Vincent started across the street with a bouquet of roses in his arms, but paused when he met Luke's gaze.
Luke let the lever go on the trimmer, and the gas-powered motor silenced. "Get lost, Vincent. She's resting, and she sure as hell doesn't want to see you."
Vincent continued approaching, ignoring him and heading for the sidewalk that led up to the front door.
Luke set the weed eater down and sprinted to cut him off.
"Get out of my way, rich boy. Kara is my girlfriend." He sneered. "She picked me over you back in high school, and you still can't get past it." Vincent moved forward, trying to use his shoulder to knock Luke out of the way.
"You've never deserved her. You cheated on her in high school, too. She deserves someone better."
"You?" Vincent laughed. "You think mowing her daddy's lawn is going to get you in their good graces? Her parents love me. Move it." He tried to shoulder past again.
Luke growled and pushed Vincent hard enough to knock him backward onto his ass. "If you hadn't been fucking her roommate, you would've been there for her and know that her parents were killed in a car accident."
He loomed over the other guy and thrust out his chest angrily. "She's mine now. So get lost."
Vincent scrambled to his feet, leaving the roses spread across the freshly cut Bermuda grass, and charged, knocking them both to the ground. Vincent’s fists crunched into his ribs twice before a female scream from behind them made them both freeze.
Shit! She'd felt the hits as if Vincent had hit her. When he'd goaded the jerk, he'd forgotten the spell went both ways. She wouldn't actually be bruised, but the pain would linger as if she were. Damn it!
He scrambled to his feet and hurried toward her. "Kara, I'm so sorry."
"Kara, baby, I didn't know." Vincent was right behind him.
Kara clutched her side, mirroring the pain he felt in his ribs.
"Get away from me." She shirked away from Luke’s outstretched hand and turned her gaze on Vincent. She took a step toward the cheating asshole, and he thought his heart might stop from the shock.
"Baby, I'm so sorry about your parents. I would never --"
Her face hardened, and the soft sparkle in her blue eyes turned dark and angry. "I never want to see you again, Vincent Harris. Don't come near me. Don't speak to me. Ever. Again."
"But." Vincent's jaw dropped and he held his hands out. "We can work it out, baby."
"Fuck. Off. Vincent Harris."
"Bitch." Vincent shot back.
Luke snarled and clenched his hands into fists. He didn't throw a punch, though. It would only hurt and confuse Kara. The phantom pain from his being hit twice was enough. She was still bent a little to the side from the throbbing pain he was ignoring in his ribs.
A moment later Vincent turned and hurried back to his truck.
"As for you, Luke. I'm not yours either. I want you to put up the lawn stuff and leave my house."
What? "Kara. I don't feel comfortable --"
"Out. Now." Her body was taut and stiff. Anger radiated off her thicker than the humidity in the August Texas air.
He held up his hands in submission and backed away.
She turned around and slammed the front door behind her, the lock on the bolt sliding into place with a finality that made Luke sick to his stomach. He'd really screwed this up with her. He didn't know what to do to fix it, either. But the least he could do is what she asked. After putting away the weed eater and the lawnmower he hit the button on the side of the gara
ge door and waited until it closed and locked in place.
He got into his truck and drove away slowly, watching the front door in his rearview mirror as long as possible. Everything inside him hoped she would open the front door and come out, arms open, forgiving him for whatever it was he'd done wrong.
***
What the hell is wrong with men? She couldn't believe Vincent had shown up again to try and win her back. With roses, too! Asshole. She never wanted to see him or her roommate again. She'd have to let the chapter president know she'd be moving out of the KAS house. Samantha could have her room and her boyfriend; she didn't need either anymore.
Then, Luke had gone all macho protector and shouted that she was his. His? What gave him the right to say that to anyone? Sure, he'd saved her life and they had these really weird matching tats, but they'd never been together before. They'd never even been on a date before.
The comment about Vincent being a cheater since the beginning had been the last straw. How could she have been so blind? And if Vincent was that horrible and Luke was that interested, why the hell hadn’t he said something before now? She'd wasted so much of her heart on a man that apparently didn't give a shit about her.
Right now, the last thing she wanted was another relationship. She just wanted to be alone. She wanted to cry and mourn her parents in peace. She wanted to finish school and make them proud, but she didn't even know how to make arrangements to get them back to Somewhere for a funeral.
She thought she'd loved Vincent, but saying goodbye to him after hearing everything Luke said outside was easier than she’d thought it would be. It made her sick to think he'd pulled the wool over her eyes for so long. How many other girls – friends - had he slept with since they'd started dating?
Wandering back to her room, she crawled back into her bed and burrowed under the fluffy comforter, blocking out the light from her window. She prayed sleep would come back quickly and carry her away from all the pain and tears threatening to pour down her face once more. The tears wouldn't stop. It didn't matter what came to mind, the tears always kept falling.
***
A knock at the door startled her from sleep. She threw back the covers and grimaced. It was dark outside. She must've slept for hours. Tucking her loose hair behind her ears, she rubbed her eyes and scooted to the edge of the bed.
Another firm knock echoed through the house.
"Coming," she hollered, scurrying down the hallway. She approached the door cautiously. It was nighttime, and she'd told the only people who knew she was here to get lost. Who in the world would be at her door?
Leaning closer, she peered through the peephole and gasped. It was Tonya VonBrandt, Luke's mother. She pulled open the door and stepped back, folding her arms across her chest. The woman looked like she might hug and kiss all over her, and that was the furthest thing from what she wanted. Actually, she didn't want anything from the VonBrandts at all.
"Noah asked me to give these to you." She held out a large McAdams University book bag filled with text books.
"I told him I could get my own books," Kara growled. "Your sons don't listen very well."
Tonya VonBrandt laughed and set the books down, leaning the bag against the wall. She shut the front door and then turned back to Kara. "When someone they care about is hurt, they don't listen to anyone."
"I barely know them. Or you, for that matter." Her voice was harsher than it should've been. Her mom would've been upset at her behavior. She looked back up at the tall woman in her entryway. Tonya VonBrandt had come all the way into town to bring her books, the least she could do was invite her to sit down.
"Come on in. Can I get you a glass of something?"
"No, baby girl, I'm fine. I need to talk to you about a few small details for your parents."
Tonya sat on the long couch, and Kara tucked herself into her dad's recliner across the room. She didn't want to be touched, and their mom looked like a touchy-feely sort of person. She'd certainly raised two boys who weren't afraid of hugging. Not that she'd minded the hugs from Noah or Luke, she just didn't want more of them. At least that's what she felt right now. The less she got attached, the less it would hurt when they got tired of being nice out of pity and left.
"I've made arrangements for a funeral at St. Joseph's on Sunday afternoon. Is that okay with you? I wasn't sure. I can contact the Catholic cathedral instead, if that would be better."
"My parents went to St. Joseph's. They would want it to be there."
"Good." Tonya pulled a small notebook and a pen from her purse. "It's set for 3pm on Sunday. I'll have a car pick you up so you don't have to drive. And it's just for you, unless you would like someone to ride with you."
"Why are you doing this for me?"
"My boys asked me to. Plus, no young woman should have to deal with this all by herself."
Kara watched the woman intently and noticed her gaze flit to her wrists and then back to her face.
"I also put in a call to my brother-in-law. He's a very good lawyer, and can help you with the estate and finances. So you can get everything transferred to your name without any trouble."
"I don't know how I can pay for all of this. I'm not even sure if my parents had life insurance. We never talked about what to do... if."
"That's why I'm here, sweetie. Don't worry about the money right now. That's not what's important. Do you know where your mom and dad might've kept important papers in the house?"
"They would be in her closet."
"Can you show me? It would help if we could look at some things before Jason comes by tomorrow."
Kara nodded and stood from the chair. She led Tonya down the hallway, past her bedroom to the door at the end of the hall. She opened it, stepped into her parents’ bedroom, and took a deep breath. Tears welled in her eyes again as the scent of her mother's citrusy perfume hit her nostrils.
Tonya's hands touched her shoulders, and she stiffened at first, but then let her pull her into an embrace. "My mom and dad are gone," she sobbed into the other woman's soft blouse. "What am I going to do without them? I don't have anyone. My only aunt died last year."
"It's going to be okay, baby. Maybe not today or tomorrow. Maybe not even next week. But I promise it will get easier, and you are not alone, Kara McClure. You will have as much support from our family as you need."
Kara's body shook with each sob, and she took comfort from the soft touch of Luke's mother. Tanya VonBrandt ran her hand through Kara's hair a lot like Kara’s mother used to whenever she was upset.
"Why? I'm not part of your family." She pulled away from Tonya and pointed to the closet door across the room. "I can't go in there, yet, but there's a file box in the back corner."
Tonya inclined her head toward Kara's wrists. "You're more part of our family than you realize yet. But that's not what's important right now. Right now, I just want you to know we are all here for you." She dropped her gaze and went to the closet, pulling open the door and disappearing into Kara’s mother's walk-in.
She reappeared a few moments later with a large box. “I'm going to take these into the kitchen. Do you want to come sit with me and talk?”
Kara nodded and followed her back through the house.
They sat at the kitchen table, and Kara watched quietly as Luke's mom started pulling folders from the file box.
"Luke said the tattoos were because of a magick spell."
Tonya laid down the papers she was scanning over and sighed. "Did he say anything else?"
"Isn't that crazy enough?"
"Can you explain where you got the tattoos?"
"No," Kara answered, leaning back in her chair.
"Did he tell you why he cast the spell?"
Cast the spell? She's acting like this is normal. "He hit me with his truck."
"He did what!?" Tonya stood up, her eyes flashing angrily.
"It wasn't his fault," Kara added quickly. "I was running in the dark. I stumbled and fell into the street in front of hi
m. He didn't have time to stop."
She slowly sank back to her seat. "What happened?"
"I'm not really sure. I remember hitting the grill and then nothing. But when I woke up later in his truck that night, I was covered in dried blood. Enough that I should've been dead, but couldn't find a single scratch."
"You won't. Luke's essence will heal any injury you receive as long as he lives."
"What does that even mean?" Kara leaned forward. "His essence?"
"My husband's family comes from a long line of ... something very special." She unbuttoned the cuffs of her long sleeve shirt, revealing a set of tattoos around her wrists that looked very familiar.
She looked at her wrists and then back at Tonya's. The tattoos were similar. Both Celtic with knots, but the designs were a little different. The biggest difference was that Tonya had double bracelets and Kara only had one knotted bracelet design around each wrist.
"I don't understand." Kara looked up into the soft brown eyes of Luke and Noah's mother.
"Luke can cast this spell only once in his life. It's something that’s normally included in wedding vows. I understand why he used it to save your life, but you need to understand what he’s sacrificed. You will both be magickally connected until one or both of you pass away."
"This isn't a joke, is it?"
"No, sweetheart. It's not a joke."
"There's more going on than just this tattoo essence weirdness."
The corners of Tonya's mouth turned up, but she quickly hid her amusement. "Why do you think there's more than an old binding spell?"
"Because this spell doesn't explain why I saw Luke and Noah this morning walking naked through the woods when I woke up in his truck."
"No, I suppose that is a little harder to explain. I also think it might be best for you to adjust to one VonBrandt family secret at a time." She pulled another folder from the file box and opened it up on the table, sifting through paper after paper. "I found your parents’ life insurance."
To Save A Mate (A Western Shapeshifter Werewolf Romance): Somewhere, TX (VonBrandt Family Book 1) Page 4
