Piper: Queen’s Birds of Prey: Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Queen's Birds of Prey)

by Kathi S. Barton

  “I don’t think you’re hearing me. I said no. I don’t want to run a castle with Grant. No offense to him, but I don’t have time to wetnurse a bunch of people that should have figured out their lives before now.” Duncan stood up, and so did Grant. “Don’t worry about him. He’s not going to hurt me. I’m stronger than he is.”

  “Perhaps you were at one time.” When Piper began pacing the room, Duncan looked at him. “There are seventy people living on the outside of the keep. The walls were sealed up right after my mom realized that Burt, the lord of that castle, was dead, along with her own husband. When I say sealed up, I mean she removed any windows and doors to the place, and the drawbridge to get into the keep was turned to stone. No one has been in it for hundreds of years.”

  “It must be a mess then. Why would you even consider sending us there to take care of things? For that matter, why are you sending us away anyway? Is it because of us killing that couple? I’d do it again if I had to. They were monsters.” Duncan told Piper it had nothing to do with that. His mom had said it. “Your mom said to send us away?”

  Grant could hear the pain in her voice. She was feeling discarded. Unworthy. He could feel it like it was his own pain. When she sat down beside him, Grant took her hand. She was in so much pain he wasn’t sure she’d listen to Duncan at all now.

  “They aren’t sending you away. Will you get your head out of your ass for one second, Piper? Christ. Listen to what he’s telling you.” Mercy grabbed Piper by the shoulders and turned her to face her while they both sat on the couch. “He’s sending the best there, and that would be the two of you. Can you imagine me going there and having someone whine at me that they don’t have enough to eat? I’d tell them to go hunting or some other shit like that. Of course, you’d tell them that too, but you’d be much nicer about it. We both know I’m not nice to humans. They’re stupid and can’t seem to think and walk at the same time.”

  “I’m human.” Joel laughed. “Or I was at one time.” Mercy just had to look at him. “Okay, I get it. I wasn’t very smart when we first met. Go on. Ignore the one time human in the corner.”

  “How will we have dinners together? I won’t have any of you around to just hang out with.” Duncan pointed out that it was only a two hour drive from their keep to this one. Less if she flew. “I don’t have any idea why she’d pick me. I can’t be depended on to take care of people. My studio is a testament to my inability to keep things straight.”

  Grant laughed. He could no more have held it in than he could have told Piper no about anything she wanted from him. When she turned and glared at him, he kissed her on the mouth, then kissed her again. There was something so cute about Piper when she was pissy.

  “I, for one, would like to help out with the castle and the occupants that have settled there. I’m assuming these people have no rights to where they’re living?” Duncan told him they were, for the most part, squatters. “So do you want them removed, or do you want them to figure out how to live there legally?”

  “That would be something you two would figure out. I’m all for them staying, if they follow any rules, you would impose on them. They would have to have homes built. For the most part, they’re living in campers and tents. A few have been clever enough to have some kind of semi-permanent home. But that is something else you’d have to take care of. There is plenty of money for you two to make any kind of improvements to the housing they’re living in. Also, my mom made sure there are trees and a garden there for the keep to use. From what I’ve read in the journals she kept, as soon as Piper crosses over the threshold, everything will come alive and start producing.”

  “You said it was all locked up. I don’t understand how that is supposed to work with me crossing over the threshold.” She glared at Grant. “Not that we’re going to do it, right? You want to live by your mom, don’t you?”

  “I don’t want to upset you anymore than you are, love, but we’d already planned on my mom staying with us. Did you know she was the sometimes cook in this castle? I bet she would have all kinds of advice for us running the other one.” Grant asked Duncan how large the castle was. “I mean, you said it was updated. Do we have lights and heat? Or do we even have running water?”

  “Whatever is in this castle is in the other one. According to the journal again, Mom said the improvements would be duplicated in both of them at the same time. So you’d not just have heat and lights, but Internet and cable as well. And of course, running water.” Duncan handed him a file. “I’m not sure how much that is going to help you, but it was within the paperwork that was here. As you can see, that castle is larger than this one because it had been added onto at some point. I think it had something to do with brother rivalry. Anyway, there is a smokehouse on the grounds, as well as an herb drier. I’m not entirely sure what that might be, but you have it and a large herbal garden. My aunt, my uncle’s wife, was said to have had the best herbs around back then. Again, I’m not sure what that will mean for the two of you.”

  “These people that we’re supposed to be taking care of. Are there jobs for them to do? I mean, are they just sponging off the land and will expect the two of us to take care of them? Look, I don’t want to have to go in there and replant the lot of them. If they’ve been lazing about for decades only to have them invite their friends around to do the same thing, I’m going to be sorely pissed off.” Duncan handed her some photos, and Grant looked them over as well. “They’re not even cleaning up after themselves? Oh no, they’re not going to be doing this when I get there. We’re going to have order and a place to dump trash. Not leave it— Is that a stroller there? Someone is actually raising a child in this sort of environment? That’s it, I’m going there today and taking care of this shit.”

  “So, you’re going to take it?” Duncan looked at Grant when all Piper did was fold her arms over her chest and tap her foot at him. “I don’t know what that means. Is she all right with it now?”

  “I would say she is. However, if I’ve learned anything in my years on this planet, it’s that you never assume anything when it comes to having a mate. Or any female.” Grant pulled Piper into his arms and felt her relax against him. “We’re in love. I just wanted to put that out there. Also, I will do what she wants. If that means staying in the tiny house myself and my mom have lived in together, then that’s good too. However, if my opinion matters, I think that even without me, Piper could make this work on a great many levels that I’m betting not even you have thought of.”

  Piper looked up at him, then at Jude and Duncan. Duncan had been doing all the talking, and Jude just sat there. Grant thought that was totally out of character for her but waited. When she had something to say, Grant was sure it would not only be profound but also just what Piper needed to hear to make her know she could do this for them.

  “There are nine children out in those houses. I’ve not spoken to them, nor the adults. But I can tell you this. Their living conditions are horrific. You’ll do this for me, won’t you, Piper? I need to know those kids are safe from harm. I don’t know how they were able to survive this long with how they’re living. But they need you to get up off your ass and help them.” Jude hugged Piper and him together. “They need a strong hand and a gentle word. I think we both know you can do both. And if not, let Grant here be the gentle word.”

  They were all laughing when they sat down to lunch. After this, they were going to go back out to the site and see about what else was brought up. Whatever it was, Grant was going to ask Duncan if he could buy the ruby ring he’d found when he’d been diving for them.

  He loved rubies. However, this one had been in a nice box and hadn’t been harmed at all from being in the deep for so long. When he’d opened the box, pulling out the ring, he gasped with the beauty. Holding it up to the sunlight, the colors reflected on the boat decking were so like Piper’s hair that he could only see this ring on her finger. Even Mercy, who had been o
ut on the boat with him at the time, commented on how much it was like her hair.

  “I heard someone say to her once that it looked as if she’d dipped her hair into a setting sun to make it look as it does. I think that is the very reason everyone believes her when she tells them she’s a phoenix. There is no doubting she has the colors all right.” Grant asked her if she liked rubies. “Yes. She used to make jewelry at one time, a long time ago. She would find rubies, believe it or not, and use them in all sorts of things like that. Then one day, she decided she wanted to use them in a phoenix. If you get to see the one she made in her studio, look at her. The bird is covered in gems of all sorts and colors. To me, it’s one of the most beautiful pieces she’d ever created.”

  “It’s still wrapped up in the barn behind the castle.”

  At that time, they were both looking for a place to live. Now that they’d be moving to the other castle, he wondered what she’d do with it. Hopefully, she’d display it where everyone that came to see them would see that his mate was a very talented artist.

  By the time they were ready to see what other treasures they could find, the crew that was doing most of the lifting was ready to go back out as well. The things they’d discovered were being stored away in the lower levels of the castle. He couldn’t wait to get it all finished so they could have fun opening the sacks and other containers that had been pulled up.

  “Before I forget, there is a trunk for you.” He asked Piper what sort of trunk. “I’m not sure what might be in yours, but mine had all sorts of things that sparked memories from when I lived around here. I guess we can assume since she knew you were going to be my mate, that there are things there for you to have memories of as well. Also, in my trunk, there were crowns. Until now, I had no idea why she’d leave them for me. I’m assuming they’re from the castle we’re going to.”

  “Is this something you really want to do, Piper? I know we’ve sort of bullied you into it.” She said she was warming up to the idea. “Good. I think it’ll be fun for you and I to have something we can call our own like this. We’ll run it well, I believe. I’m just hoping we don’t have too much trouble with the squatters. I’d hate to have to call in the police to have them moved on. I wonder just how long they’ve been living there.”

  “Less than five years, Duncan told me.” He said that wasn’t terribly long. “No. But it might be for them. I just can’t believe anyone would subject their children to such conditions—no running water, no heat. I know for a fact that the weather up here can change in a heartbeat. That’s the first thing we’re going to tackle. Either getting them off the property or fixing it, so they have adequate housing.”

  He didn’t point out to her that she’d not answered the question as to whether or not she wanted to do this. However, he had a feeling that someone was currently packing up their things for the move. Grant wondered if he could get himself a truck, just because it would be nice to haul things back and forth from the store. Also, a tractor. Thinking that he needed to slow it down a bit, had him laughing. They didn’t even know when they were moving in, much less if they’d be welcomed by the people.

  The water was warm, he’d discovered earlier. Diving off the side of the boat and into the water was as much fun as he’d had in a while. When Piper dove in with him, they went to the bottom of the waterway together. He was ready to not just discover things here, but with her. Grant was as excited as he’d ever been in starting a new chapter of his life.

  Chapter 5

  Benson was afraid to feel this good. There had to be a catch. Lying in the big bed he’d been in for the last couple of days, he also couldn’t believe how well he’d been sleeping. All through the night without having to get up once to take a pain pill hadn’t happened to him in five years. Rolling to his side, thinking about getting up, he saw a young boy sitting in the chair next to the bed. It looked like he was reading War and Peace.

  “Is it any good?” The child put the book down on his lap and told him it was really good but was also colorful. “In what way colorful?”

  “The author describes each thing very well. Like if you could just close your eyes while reading it, you’d be able to see it. I like books like that. This book is good, but I enjoy science fiction better. I’m Abe, your biological son.” Benson sat up but didn’t say anything. “I talked to my mom and dad about you yesterday. They said that I could come up here and talk to you. If you didn’t mind.”

  “No. I don’t mind. How much do you know about me?” Abe told him only what they could find out. “I suppose that’s not really a lot, is it?”

  “Mom told me that you had AIDS. That you were dying. I’m glad they were able to heal you and bring you here. I’ve been wanting to talk to you anyway.” Benson nodded. “I’ve been thinking about what to call you. I know you’re my biological dad. I understand too that you and my biological mom had sex one time and that she murdered you with her poisoned body. If it’s all right with you, because we don’t know each other at all, I’d like to call you Uncle Benson. If that bothers you, we can think of something else.”

  “I don’t have an issue with you calling me your uncle. I think that’s about the easiest way for the two of us to go forward. I don’t know how long I’ll be around, however. I’m not quite sure why they bothered with me at all.” Abe explained what he knew. “I’m immortal? I don’t suppose you know what that means. I understand the word, but not what terms there are with it.”

  “You’ll not die or be sick anymore. Also, you won’t age. I will up until I’m about twenty-five, then after that, I’ll not look any different. The living forever stuff is complicated, and I don’t understand a lot about it. I guess I could look it up, but I doubt there will be much, as no one will believe that someone can live forever. Anyway. I’d like for you to stay here. I’d like to get to know you. But I have parents now, and I love them very much. So the uncle thing will have to be forever too.” Benson told him that he was fine with that as well. “Good. Mr. Bloom—he was a good friend of mine—he gave me his house when he passed away. I loved him too, and if he’d been around longer, I might have gotten to adopt him as my grandda. But he left me his house, as I said. I want you to live there until you can find a better place. Or not. You can stay there for as long as you wish. The house is in good repair. Dad told me it would be better to have someone staying in it rather than letting it sit and rot away. I don’t think Mr. Bloom meant for me to do that anyway.”

  “You have a house?” Abe smiled and nodded. “I don’t have anything. Not even a home anymore. Once I got sicker, I lost a lot of things.”

  “This will be a good start for you then. Mom said, sometimes, it’s good to have a clean slate. Sometimes you can remake yourself into whatever you want. I’d want to be just me, but she told me I was too young to make that sort of decision.” Abe got up. “Come on downstairs, and we’ll eat together. Then I’ll see if Dad can take us to the house. You can stay here for as long as you want. Mom said the house would need to be aired out and cleaned up. It’ll be nice for you to be there. I can ride my bike to see you whenever I want. Won’t that be fun?”

  Benson entered the kitchen and found the rest of the family there. He didn’t say much to them. He wasn’t even sure what he could say to them. They’d saved him, opened their home for him, and all he’d done was sleep. Asking for something to eat, he wanted to beg them to let what Abe had been telling him to be true.

  “It is.” He looked at who he thought was Jude. He didn’t remember names well from a few days ago. “Come on, Benson, join us for lunch. You were right. I’m Jude. This is my husband, Duncan. Everything Abe has told you is true. We’d love for you to stay and get to know him. Also, as he said, the house is there for you to use. It’s a lovely older house. Furnished and well maintained. It just needs someone there to make it a home again.”

  “You don’t know me. Why would any of you do this for a man down on h
is luck?” She asked him if it was true that he had been a physician. “Yes. I was a pediatric physician for a long time. But when it was discovered that I had AIDS, everyone dropped me, including the partnership I’d started. I can no longer afford my insurance either. So I guess I’m sort of a doctor.”

  “I think we can take care of all of that, including a nice salary for you.” She asked him to sit down again. “My sister, Piper, and her husband are going to try and save as many abused children as they can. And when I say to save them, if necessary they’re going to snatch them from the hands of the people hurting them, then that’s the route they’re going to go. We all agree it’s far better to have them missing with us than to be missing and dead.”

  “You wish for me to help you by making sure they’re healthy. I’d gladly do that for what you’ve done for me. But I don’t think you having to pay me much is necessary. I have a home now. Food and friendships. Plus, I get to be uncle to this little guy.” They all laughed, but Jude told him it was a done deal for him to make money. “We’ll work something out on that if that’s all right with you.”

  She didn’t answer him but did smile. Benson thought he was going to be making what they said he would and that he’d just have to live with it.

  As soon as the food was placed in from of him, he realized he was starving. Pacing himself so he’d not make himself sick, he ate smaller bites as he talked to the family. When Piper and Grant joined them, they told him more about what the job would involve.

  “I like that. Having a cook in the home will make sure that I have plenty of time to take care of the little ones. And from what I’ve been told about the house, it’s large enough for us to be able to take on as many children as you save.” Piper told him she’d be getting some more beds in the rooms, with Abe’s permission, to house children in rooms together. “That would be nice for some of the younger ones. Children that are terrified of being left alone, or worse, afraid of the dark, or just need someone there to hear their breathing. That’s a nice thing to do for them. I’ve heard of children that were left on their own when the parent or someone watching over them had OD’d, and they were left with the bodies. Yes, I can see where having others would be a good thing.”