Wild Darkness bbm-4

by Lauren Dane

  She saw the fear finally visit his features and she narrowed her gaze. Yes, that’s right monkey boy, I got skills and I will blow your butt off this pavement. I am PMSing and annoyed and covered in pie.

  Faine tensed and a low, really scary growl trickled from him. She got herself back under control because the last thing they needed was for Faine’s beast to get any more pissed off.

  The manager spoke up. “Um, Officer? We have video camera footage of the outside of the store. You can look at it and verify her story. I can verify the rest about how she was treated by one of my employees.”

  “We saw it all.” The guy who’d been behind them in line spoke up. “I came out right behind them. It was my call you got first. Those three guys grabbed her, pulled her out of the car and started beating on her. The wolf guy, he only attacked after they jumped her.”

  “Stand down, Officer.” One of the other cops who’d arrived spoke up. “Our apologies,” he said to Helena. “Been quite a day. We got a bulletin from the special Federal Task Force guys to be on alert.” He holstered his weapon. “Get these assholes cuffed and loaded up. Make sure they get looked at so we don’t get blamed for police brutality.” He looked back to Helena. “The PURITY folks’ newest thing is to get into altercations with Others, and then if we arrest them, to claim we dinged ’em up.”

  “Makes you wish you’d have really done it, huh?”

  His smile told her exactly that.

  The manager came out with an ice pack and handed it her way. “Here, put this on your head.”

  “Miss? Can you, um, get him to back off so we can take the guy into custody?” The cop motioned toward Faine, who continued to bristle as he growled low and scary when anyone tried to get close.

  She stepped to him, placing her face against his, breathing in the loam and fur of him and letting him take her magick in as well. “It’s okay. I’m all right. They’re going to arrest them all. Please step back so they can do that.”

  He growled, but it was annoyance and not rage like he’d done to the humans. She wrestled back a smile. “You don’t scare me, big guy.”

  He snorted, but stepped back, leaning against her. She needed the support, as her head felt like crap.

  “He’s big. Even for a werewolf.”

  “Yes, he’s an overachiever that way.” Her fingers threaded through his fur and held on; he pressed against her body and a wave of warmth hit. She knew it was his. Knew he’d take care of her no matter what. But she knew, also, that he was probably on his very last nerve with the entire situation, so she wanted to get things moving.

  “Can I get my statement taken so we can leave? My parents are expecting us for dinner and they’re going to be worried.”

  Faine transformed and stood taller, totally naked. The cops looked up and then up some more. He was just as forbidding in his skin as a man, really. “And she needs to have her head seen to.”

  But back to the naked thing. She stepped in front of him and he pulled her against his body. But not to shield his nakedness. He didn’t care about that. And why should he when he looked so good?

  He wanted to comfort her and it did calm her just to have him there.

  “We can probably get a blanket for you. You know, to cover up.” The cop, Officer Patterson, offered helpfully.

  “I have a spare change of clothes in the trunk. If I may?”

  The words were those of a question, but it really wasn’t a request and they all knew it. But they allowed it anyway and he got changed rather quickly and he never got farther than a foot away from her.

  She knew he was angry. The barely leashed fury from his beast throbbed from him in hot waves. She wondered if the cops could feel it, or if they only sensed it and that was why they kept a wary eye on him.

  Then again it could have been because he was a massive beast under his skin, the likes of which they’d never seen.

  “Can you please call my parents and let them know we’re going to be held up? Don’t go into too much detail, they’ll only worry. But we’ll be there as soon as we can.”

  Faine nodded, but didn’t move away to make the call. Instead he moved back to his place behind her, one hand on her shoulder, and did it there.

  Patterson took their statement, got all their contact information and sent them on their way after they refused to go to the hospital.

  She thanked the manager and the witnesses who’d stayed to speak to the cops and then got back into the car and they headed to her parents’ place.

  “Your mother isn’t going to be pleased. She was quite disgruntled that I wouldn’t go into specifics.”

  “She’s the wife of a hunter, it comes with the territory. Damn it. They totally messed up my pie and got it all over your upholstery. I’m sorry.”

  “You. Be quiet and rest. I can get my car cleaned, but you are not replaceable, so hush.”

  He was silent as they made their way the two short miles to the house. He tried very hard not to think about it. About the way she’d taken on those thugs and also the cops, no fewer than six holding weapons on her.

  “I’m proud of you. You were a fine warrior tonight,” he said as they pulled up and he turned the engine off.

  “Thanks for jumping on that jerk and breaking a few of his ribs for me.”

  He knew he shouldn’t smile. It would only encourage her. But she made him laugh. “I would have taken out the other two, but you got to them pretty fast. Though I’m sorry about your head. I should have been faster.”

  “I’m totally covered in goo. My head hurts like crazy and I totally threatened to throw down with a cop, so I’m quite grumpy. Far too grumpy to let you take responsibility for that dumb thing. So get out of the car and come open my door so we can go inside. Also? I love you.”

  He had been ready to argue, but the last thing she said froze him in place. It wasn’t that he didn’t know she felt deeply for him. She’d agreed to the binding already. But it meant something to him that she’d say it.

  He took her hand and kissed it. “Your knuckles are raw and you taste like blood and cinnamon. I love you too. Infuriating and danger-courting woman that you are.”

  Before he could say anything else, her father opened the front door and her mother came out on the porch.

  She waved.

  “Oops, no time to scold me anymore. Rain has seen us.”

  “Sit still. I’ll be around.” He kissed her quickly and got out, waving back to her parents before he opened her door and helped her out.

  Her mother got a look at the disheveled state of her usually neat-as-a-pin daughter and rushed down the front steps. Faine felt the warmth of the wards that admitted them as they moved toward her mother.

  “I’m all right. I just need to get changed and fed and maybe some pain reliever. Not necessarily in that order.”

  Her mother tutted over her. “Hello, Faine. Come inside both of you and then someone had better be explaining why I had to hold dinner and my daughter has clearly been in a fight of some sort.”

  “She’s been hit in the back of the head with a blackjack.” Faine wanted to be sure to let Rain know up front because that sort of thing worried him. He knew Helena was tough, but she was his.

  “David, please bring me an ice pack and my herbs.” Rain took Helena’s hand. “Come on. You know the drill.”

  “Dad, get Faine something to eat and drink. He’ll tell you what happened.”

  “Faine will be right here with you and your mother, so I’ll tell them both. Should I carry her, Rain?”

  Rain looked a great deal like her daughters as she turned, surprised and then very amused. “Oh that would be delightful to see. But no, she’s going to sit right there.” She pointed and Helena sighed, sitting where her mother pointed.

  Eyes closed, one hand on her lower belly, she touched the same place on Helena and frowned. Her lips moved as she slid her palm from Helena’s belly to the back of her head.

  Helena’s eyes flew open. “No.”

&nb
sp; Rain continued to murmur, ignoring Helena. Faine looked to David, who shook his head.

  “Mom, I said no.” Helena tried to move her mother’s hand and Rain’s eyes snapped open and her energy built up hot and fast. Faine stepped back and David appeared just as surprised.

  “You will hold your tongue.”

  Helena pushed back against her mother’s command. “You’re taking this into yourself. I won’t let you!”

  “It’s my gift and I’ll do what I want with it. Stop fighting me. It takes more of my energy and I’m going to win either way. I’m your mother, Helena. Obey me immediately.”

  Helena frowned.

  “Listen to your mother.”

  At David’s terse words, Helena sighed and put her hands back into her lap.

  “Why don’t you tell me what happened?” David asked Faine.

  He explained it all as Rain worked just a few feet away. David’s frown grew deeper with each word Faine spoke until he slammed his fist into the wall next to the bathroom door.

  Rain sighed and looked to them both. “You’d better not have dented my drywall again. Go on out to the dining room. Helena is going to shower and change. Don’t go too far, Faine, I’m going to be looking you over in a few minutes to be sure you’re all right.”

  Faine hated leaving Helena alone but knew he had no choice. She was safe here in this house.

  “She’s more upset about the way she was treated by that checker than the three who attacked you all.”

  Faine nodded his thanks when David handed him a soda water with some lemon. He didn’t know how much Helena would feel okay with him sharing with her father. Which seemed stupid.

  “I think so. Using her fists and her magick on strangers? That’s easy for her. Having someone she trusted in some sense betray that? It shook her.”

  “She likes to pretend nothing shakes her. I suppose that’s my fault. I raised them hard. Too hard, as my lovely wife likes to say. This isn’t a job or a life for fluffy bunny parenting. Rain did that part. But both my girls have big hearts and a seemingly infinite ability to protect people, and it gets to them more than they want to admit when people can’t see it.”

  Helena hated being misjudged. Faine could see that quite plainly after all the time they’d spent together. He hated that for her too, because she was so good and people took it for granted sometimes.

  “She’ll be out shortly and I’m sure Rain will want to feed you both. It’s her way of protecting those she loves.”

  “You’re a lucky male.”

  David paused as he pulled something from the oven. “Yes, I am. And now I suppose I’m going to have to hand over my last precious thing to another male. Yes?”

  “She’ll want us to be together when we tell you most of it, but man to man, I want to tell you how much I cherish your daughter. I will take care of her, protect her. The best I can, that is. Your daughter is wily and seems to attract trouble as easily as she breathes. I will spend all my days making her happy and making sure she has everything she needs. Not that she doesn’t have the ability to do it all herself. She’s self-sufficient and eminently capable.”

  Her father smiled at him. “She’ll beat your ass if you screw her over. And then I will. And then Lark will. But it’s really Rain you need to worry over the most.”

  Faine snorted a laugh. “The Jaansen females are nothing to sneeze at. It’s no wonder that my brother and I found our women in two of them. Intelligent. Powerful. Strong. Beautiful. She’ll be right at home in Lycia among warriors.”

  “You could take her there now and keep her away from whatever is to come. Keep her safe.”

  Faine laughed. And then he laughed some more. “Nothing happens to your daughter that she doesn’t want to happen. I just watched her beat down two human males who topped six feet and she barely used her magick. However much I might wish to shield her from all this, especially after I saw her stop a bomb, I’d never disrespect her like that. Also, she’d kill me in my sleep if I tried.”

  “There is that,” David agreed as he put the bowls of food on the table.

  “And to be truthful? I believe Helena is important to all this. She’s integral in how things will play out.”

  “Do you say that in general or . . .”

  “I have a touch of foresight. Not like my mother, who is quite powerful with it. But enough that my gut tells me she’s part of this in such a way that should she not be around, things would go worse.”

  * * *

  “GET out of those clothes. I’m going to burn some of these herbs in here while you shower. You’ll absorb them through your skin in the steam.”

  Helena knew better than to argue with her mother, so she hoped Faine hadn’t given her any of his love bites.

  “Oh, they ruined your blouse. And it was such a pretty one.” Her mother picked it up and examined it. “I might be able to fix it. The rip is at a seam.” She put it aside and began to set up the brazier where she’d burn the herbs.

  “Do I have to use the green soap?” She hated the green soap. It was gross and slick and she smelled like pesto when she got out of the shower. But it was healing soap and she already knew the answer.

  “Don’t waste my time with this nonsense, Helena. Make sure you get it on the back of your head where they hit you.”

  “Speaking of that.” She turned the shower on and then finished undressing. The crisp scent of the herbs floated her way from where her mother had just murmured her spell and the flame sparked. “How’s your head now?”

  “I’m going to drink some healing tea, but really? I’m all right. At first when I drew it from you it was bad. I can’t believe you were even able to stand in so much pain.”

  “I was sitting. And Faine nearly carried me to the front door. Also, I’m used to it. You aren’t.” She breathed in deep, knowing the herbs would work better if she just sucked it up and used the gross green soap and let the herbs her mother burned do their job.

  “Sweetheart, between your father and you and your sister, I’m quite used to it. And since the Magister my abilities have grown. I’m astonished at how much in some ways.”

  “Mine too.”

  “Yes, I saw footage of my daughter on her knees, blood everywhere, stopping a bomb. Nothing I’ll be forgetting any time soon. You foolish, foolish girl.”

  Her mother’s tone was sharp, full of fear, and Helena knew it wasn’t a rebuke.

  “It was so brave. All that you do. Every day. It’s brave and right and I’m so very proud of you.”

  Tears stung her eyes so she closed them and pretended it was the soap. “Thank you.”

  “No, thank you. Now. What on earth is this mess on your pants?”

  “Pie. Those assholes not only ruined the pie I was bringing over, but they got it all over me and Faine’s car too. It’s going to be a sticky mess in there. But it’ll smell good.”

  Her mother laughed. “I like him. Faine, I mean. I like how focused he is on you without seeming obsessive or creepy.”

  “I’m in love with him.”

  “That much is clear. He feels the same.”

  “Yes.” She rinsed off, feeling much better.

  “You have clothes here still. I’ll be back in a moment with something for you to change into.”

  She dried off and noted the bruises beginning to appear on her legs and side where she’d hit the car door. They wouldn’t be as bad because of the magick and the “greenwork” as her mother called the herbal magick she used. Her head didn’t hurt so much she wanted to puke anymore. But she’d definitely take some pain reliever once she got food into her body.

  “Will he take care of you?” Her mother thrust some clothes into her hands. “Like you deserve to be?”

  “Faine?”

  She pulled on the yoga pants and an old long-sleeved shirt. “I can’t believe you still have this shirt.”

  “You and your sister leave things here. I put them away in case you ever need them. And I like having some of your be
longings in the house. It’s a tie to you both.”

  She pulled on a pair of thick socks.

  “Yes. He takes care of me like I should be. He’s kind. Really bossy. But not in a gross I’m the boss, you do that way.”

  “Well, that’s good, as you’d have to punch him in the sac if he acted like that.”

  Helena laughed as she finished braiding back her wet hair. She turned to her mother and hugged her. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, baby.”

  When they both got back out to the dining room, Helena’s stomach growled rather rudely. Faine smiled as he caught sight of her. “You look better.”

  Her mother breezed past and took over from her dad. “She’ll be better after she eats. Sit, everyone.”

  They filled their plates and ate for a bit, Helena answering questions from her father about the assault at the grocery store.

  “I’m afraid we’re going to need to add it to the list of places Others need to be wary about.” They had a list, available at the website, of businesses and places throughout the country that Others had negative and positive experiences with. “I think we should give the owner a chance to issue a statement though. If they deal with this Nancy creature and they’re otherwise fine to do business with, that’s all we can ask really. There are bound to be problem employees all over the place. No matter how awesome the owners and management.”

  “You’re probably right. But I want to go over there right now and hit someone. Screw being the bigger person. As they’re so fond of saying, I’m not a person anyway.”

  Hearing her normally loving and gentle mother say something like that broke Helena’s heart. She wanted to push that negativity away, even if just for a little while.

  “Faine has asked me to marry him. Well, to bind with him. I’ve accepted.”

  Her mother’s face lit and she was glad she’d brought it up.