Jesse set the tray down on the bed and pushed it over to Lacey. “You should eat something.”
He wanted to ask her why she was about to cry when she saw Tonya but decided against it. Whatever her reason, it was obviously something painful and he didn’t want to ask her about it until she was ready to talk.
Lacey looked at the two plates of food on the tray. One of her apples had been sliced and put in a bowl for her. Her face reddened a bit. She took one of the plates from the tray and rested it on her lap. Jesse started for the door.
“Where are you going?” she asked in a worried voice. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
Jesse turned around. “I ate before my shower. You eat as much as you want and I’ll come back for the tray later.”
Lacey’s eyes darted nervously from Jesse to the door. He noticed the fear on her face. “The door isn’t locked, Lacey. You can come out whenever you want. You’re not a prisoner here.”
He opened the door and pushed it all the way open before walking out.
Lacey stared at the open door for a few minutes. She thought about getting up and looking out to see where Jesse went but the smell of the steak, mash potatoes and macaroni and cheese was too much for her to resist. She dug into the food like she hadn’t eaten in weeks. When she was finished, she moved the tray and empty plates from the bed and set them on the night stand. Tiptoeing over to the open door, she looked out into an empty hall.
She could hear people talking. She followed the sound and stopped at the top of metal stairs that led the way down to what looked like a warehouse building. She peeked over the top railing to see what was below her. The huge open room was just what she thought it was. A warehouse. The open space was divided into different sections by furniture.
In the middle of the room was a couch and a few lounge chairs. It looked like a sitting area. In one corner was another large television like the one in Jesse’s room and an entertainment center. Her attention was drawn to the rear of the room when she heard people laughing. That area had been turned into a small kitchen and several people including Jesse were sitting around a square shaped table, talking and playing cards. Everyone looked so normal, not at all like the men who had been chasing her since she arrived in Carol Springs. She relaxed and went back to her room.
Knowing that she must look awful, she went into the bathroom. Her reflection in the mirror over the sink startled her. She looked worse than she expected. The dark bags under her eyes made her appear much older than she was. And the little flakes of dried blood around her nose disgusted her. She grabbed a washcloth from the shelf by the mirror and wet it. She scrubbed her face until it turned red but still wasn’t satisfied that she was clean. What she needed was a long steaming hot bath.
*****
Jesse waited until he heard the bedroom door shut before turning to face his angry friends. When he heard Lacey step out into the hall he had told everyone to act happy so that she wouldn’t know they had been arguing. But now that she was back in his room, he had to deal with their complaints.
He sat at the table with Trevor across from him with Tonya on his lap. Kindal was sitting on the counter by the stove. And Scotty and the cousins: Devon and Tyron, were sitting on either side of him. Jesse waited patiently for them to start in on him.
“I think you really messed up by bringing the girl here” Trevor said.
Jesse looked at him. They were best friends and had been for many years. He considered Trevor more of a brother than he ever did Cole. At least he had never tried to kill him. “I didn’t have a choice. She was injured and Cole’s men were after her” Jesse said defensively.
Tonya got up from Trevor’s lap and joined Kindal at the counter. Trevor leaned over the table and gave Jesse a serious look. “You know if Cole wants her and he finds out that you have her, he’s going to come looking for her.”
Jesse nodded. “I know” he said in a grave tone.
Trevor let out a deep breath and looked over at his mate, Tonya, and then back at Jesse. “Are you willing to start a fight over this girl? Because if she stays here, that’s what you’re doing, starting a fight that we can’t win.”
Jesse glanced toward the stairs that led up to his room as he thought about Trevor’s question. He knew he couldn’t just give Lacey over to his brother. No one deserved that fate. “I guess I am because I’m not going to let Cole have her. She’s going to stay here until she’s well enough to be moved and then I’ll take her somewhere safe. That might take a day or two or it might take a little longer. However long it takes is how long she will be here.”
Trevor shook his head angrily. “You don’t even know her. Cole’s pack is bigger and stronger than ours and we both know it. He’s turning people all the time to increase his pack size. And for every one person that we save from him, two more get turned in their place. We’ve been fighting a losing battle with him for years. He keeps turning humans and we keep trying to stop him but our efforts have always been too little too late. And now you have someone that he obviously wants real bad, and you’re telling me that you’re willing to put our pack, our family, in danger to save a girl that you don’t even know.”
Jesse looked at each of his friends. His pack consisted of four men and two women. And Cole’s numbers were in the sixties the last time he counted. He knew Trevor was right. They were nothing compared to Cole and his men. But after the little bit of time he had spent upstairs with Lacey he knew that he couldn’t turn her over to his brother.
The fear he’d seen on her face, the heartache he heard in her voice, were things he couldn’t ignore. She needed protection and he was going to do the best that he could to keep her safe. “I’m not asking anyone to fight for her. This problem is between me and my brother and if he does come for her, then I’ll deal with him on my own” Jesse said and got up from the table and headed toward the stairs.
“Sure you will” Trevor mumbled to himself and held his hand out to Tonya for her to return to his lap. She sat down and kissed his cheek and said, “Don’t give him such a hard time, baby. I’ve met Lacey and she seems like a nice girl. But she’s weak and fragile. I think she’s been through a lot. I can understand why he wants to protect her.”
Trevor gave her a cross look. “Would you risk our family to protect her?”
Tonya thought about it for a minute. The pack was all she had and everyone in it was a member of her family. She loved them dearly and would die for any one of them. She looked at Trevor and slowly shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t.”
“Neither would I. I don’t think Jesse is thinking clearly. I think he sees a little of his mother in this girl. His mother was human before his father turned her. And she hated being a werewolf every day of her life until she died. Jesse probably wants to save Lacey because no one saved his mother...I don’t know. Whatever his reasons are, they’re going to get him killed.”
Tonya snuggled closer to him. “We can’t let Cole hurt him” she said softly.
Trevor hugged her tightly and nodded. “I know. Even though I don’t agree with him, we’ll stand with him no matter what.”
Tonya kissed him gently on the lips and rested her head on his shoulder. Kindal jumped down from the counter and joined the conversation. “I think Jesse has a crush on the girl. Realistically, I think it’s a mistake but I’m with you, I’ll stand behind him no matter how much I disagree with him” she said to Trevor and Tonya before joining Scotty, Devon and Tyron over at the poker table in the corner. “Deal me in boys. It’s going to be a long night and I feel lucky.”
*****
“What the hell do you mean you lost her again?” Cole yelled as he paced the floor in front of Kevin, Zack and the other members of his pack that he had sent to find Lacey. “Please explain to me again how all five of you ended up on your asses and the girl managed to get away...Again.”
“I already told you, boss, she’s not human. There’s some kind of force around her and it threw me through the air like I was nothing” Zack said and
rubbed the back of his still sore head.
“I know where she is” Kevin spoke up. “When I came to, I saw Jesse running away with her in his arms. He was too far away to catch up to him, but I’m sure it was him. His scent was all around and it was mixed with the girls.”
Cole was quiet for a moment before finally speaking. “Well then, if my brother has my little witch then I suggest we pay him a visit.”
“Why do you want her so badly?” A female voice came from behind him.
Cole turned around to see a tall blond woman leaning against the wall across the room, cleaning under her blood red fingernails with a switch blade. Sasha. He glared at her and wondered for the hundredth time why he ever got involved with her. Then his eyes roamed over her beautiful toned body and he quickly remembered. She was a woman of many talents, most of which he enjoyed immensely. She was the most ruthless female he had ever seen and sometimes she even scared him with her brutality. But he had grown tired of her a long time ago. Her persistence that he make her his mate is what ultimately ended their relationship. He wasn’t the kind of man or wolf to be tied down to just one woman. He just wished she would move on and forget about him. He was her alpha and nothing more but she had a tendency to forget that, especially when he showed interest in other women.
“What I want with her is none of your business, Sasha. And when I bring her back with me, you are not to bother her. Do you understand?”
Sasha narrowed her deep blue eyes and gave him a cruel smile. One that told him she had no intention of obeying. She walked past Cole and stabbed the switch blade into the wall beside the door before walking out. “Just keep the bitch away from me” she growled over her shoulder.
A couple of Cole’s men laughed and shook their heads. Zack raised his brows. “Boss, I think you better keep a close eye on her or your little Lacey won’t make it through the night.”
Cole growled low in his throat. “I think you’re right. So I’m putting you in charge of making sure that Sasha doesn’t get anywhere near her.”
“You got it, boss. She won’t get past me.”
“She better not” Cole warned and turned to address the rest of his pack. “Tomorrow, we will go to Jesse’s warehouse to get what’s mine. I want you all to stay in human form unless I tell you to shift. Hopefully, my dear brother will give the girl over without a fight but if not, then we will take her by force. Either way, she’s coming back with me.”
His pack nodded and shouted in anticipation of a fight. Cole walked to his room with one thing on his mind, getting Lacey and finding out what kind of power she had and how he could use it to his advantage.
Chapter Six
Jesse gently pushed the door to his room open. The lights were off and the room was dark except for the small red light from the intercom by the bed. He walked over to see Lacey asleep on her side, the red light illuminated her face. He sat down in the chair by the bed and watched her sleep. As he looked at her, he knew his friends were right. He shouldn’t have brought her to their home. He had put them all in danger by doing so but even knowing that, he still couldn’t regret his decision to help her. There was something about her that called out to him.
He was surprised at how peaceful and relaxed she seemed. It was a nice contrast to the way she looked earlier. He fought the urge to reach out and rub his hand over the soft skin of her face. In all the years that he had spent saving humans from the worst of his kind, he had never once noticed whether or not the human in his arms was attractive. But he found it very difficult not to notice Lacey’s beauty.
Her smooth, flawless skin reminded him of a porcelain doll. He wanted to run his hand through her black hair to see if it was as soft as it looked, but he got distracted when his eyes landed on her full pink lips and the sudden urge to kiss her tested his ability to restrain himself. He forced his eyes away before he could do something he would later regret.
In that moment, he knew that he was going to have to keep his distance from Lacey. He didn’t like the feelings that were beginning to stir inside him. Those kind of feelings could get him in trouble and with the kind of life he led, the last thing he needed was more trouble.
One of the most important things he’d learned in his lifetime was that werewolves and humans should never get involved with each other. It was too dangerous and never ended well for the humans.
Jesse leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest and stretched his legs out in front of him on the floor. He tried to get comfortable and prepared himself to sleep there all night. He looked at his big soft bed with longing, but there was no way he was going to frighten Lacey by crawling into bed with her. Even though, that’s exactly what he wanted to do.
*****
Lacey rolled over in bed. A loud growling noise brought her out of a deep sleep. She opened her eyes and looked around the still dark room. A red glow from the intercom beside the bed allowed her to see enough to know that she was not alone in the room.
Jesse was asleep in the chair by the bed. His tall frame looked extremely uncomfortable in the small chair. His head hung over the back of the chair with his mouth open. It didn’t take long for Lacey to figure out what had woke her up. Jesse was snoring loudly, but it sounded more like growling. She smiled at how funny he looked and sounded.
No longer sleepy, she sat up in bed. She had been so tired last night that she didn’t even know when Jesse came into the room. Normally, she would be freaked out by waking up to find a man asleep in the room with her but for some reason she felt safe with Jesse. If he wanted to hurt her, he could have done so by now and he hadn’t. And after what she’d been through over the last two days that said a lot about his intentions. He wasn’t a bad guy. He hadn’t even asked her yet about what he saw her do when she used her powers to crack his television.
Jesse snored again and his whole body jerked. Lacey watched as he moved around in the chair, trying to get comfortable. He slowly lifted his head and groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.
“You okay?” Lacey asked.
He lifted his eyes to hers. “My neck hurts” he said in a thick sleepy voice.
Lacey smiled. “Sleeping in a chair will do that to you.”
Jesse stood up and stretched before looking at the clock. “It’s only five thirty...do you always wake up this early?”
Lacey pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “Only when someone in the room snores like an angry wolf.”
Jesse’s eyes opened wide as he looked at her. He hoped that she didn’t think anything weird about the noises he had made. “Yeah, um sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not sleepy anymore. Actually, I feel better and more energized than I have in days.”
“Wish I could say the same” Jesse said to himself as he continued to rub his sore neck.
Lacey got out of the bed and looked at him uncomfortably. “Um, why don’t you take the bed? You look like you need some more sleep. I’ll just go downstairs and make some breakfast.”
Jesse stared at the bed with longing. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into his soft comfortable bed and sleep for a couple more hours. Instead, he shook his head. “No, I’m good. I’ll go get you something to eat.”
He started for the door and Lacey reached out and gently touched his arm. “Hey, get some rest. I’m not helpless. I can fix my own breakfast.”
Jesse mulled over his options. He knew that Lacey was safe inside the warehouse and he really was still sleepy. What could it hurt to let her be on her own for a little while? “Okay. Everyone else will probably sleep for another couple of hours, so you’ll have the kitchen all to yourself. If you need anything, come get me.”
Lacey smiled and walked past him to the door. “I’ll be fine” she said and closed the door behind her.
Too tired to bother with getting under the covers, Jesse fell face-down across the bed and drifted back to sleep.
*****
<
br /> Lacey tried to be as quiet as she could as she pulled pans from under the counter and started to cook. She was pleased to see that the fridge was full and she could finally fix herself a decent breakfast.
She had just finished cooking a big pan of bacon and placed it in a bowl on the counter next to a bowl of eggs when someone came up behind her.
“Man that smells good. Hope there’s enough for two” Scotty said and pulled a chair out from under the table.
Lacey jumped at the sound of a male voice she didn’t recognize. She spun around and glared at the man smiling at her. “Um, yeah there is more than enough for two” she said uncomfortably and glanced toward the stairs, hoping that Jesse would come down.
“I’m Scotty. I’m a friend of Jesse’s and I live here” he said once he saw the worried look on her face. “If you want, I’ll go get Jesse for you.”
Relieved by his friendly demeanor, Lacey smiled a little and shook her head. “No, you don’t have to do that.” She held her hand out to him. “I’m Lacey, it’s nice to meet you.”
Scotty shook her hand. “Same here.”
Lacey handed him a plate then fixed herself one before sitting down at the table. Scotty quickly dug into the bacon and eggs like he was starving. “Oh man, this is good” he said with his mouth full. “Who taught you how to cook like this? What did you put in these eggs?”
Lacey smiled. “I taught myself. I call this...spanish eggs and bacon. The eggs have onions, tomatoes, jalapenos and a few other ingredients. I’m glad that you like it.”
“Like it? I love it. I tell you what, I sure wouldn’t mind waking up to a breakfast like this every day” Scotty said and popped the last forkful of eggs in his mouth.
Lacey took her time with her meal while Scotty continued to praise her culinary skills. Within half an hour they were talking like they’d known each other for years. He was such an easy person to talk to. And it wasn’t long before he had Lacey laughing so hard that she had to stop eating for fear of choking.
When they were finished with their breakfast, Lacey put the rest of the food in the stove to keep it warm then followed Scotty over to the couch where they continued talking for another hour, until someone came down the stairs. Scotty glanced over his shoulder and smiled at two dark-skinned men who no doubt had to be related as closely as they resembled each other. “You two just missed a great breakfast. Little Lacey here is a hell of a cook.”
Growl Page 7
