20 Shades of Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Demelza Carlton

  “Is he home?”

  “Technically. He’s sleeping; his flight came in late last night. I could wake him.”

  “No, don’t. We wouldn’t want to anger the beast.”

  His mother snorted. “Don’t I know it? So what about Faye? Is she going home today?”

  “She wants to,” he hedged.

  “She wants to and she isn’t?”

  “I don’t want her to leave.”

  There was a long sigh from his mom. “Honey, I think you’re lonely. I get that. But it doesn’t mean you can borrow a human like a pet.”

  “She’s not a pet,” he growled.

  “Don’t you growl at me, mister. I know she’s not a pet. I applaud you for taking care of her even though it had nothing to do with you and was not your responsibility. But you’ve done your civic duty and she needs to go back to where she came from.”

  “Mother, where she came from was sad and small. I don’t like it.”

  “You don’t have to like it. It’s not your life. She must like it well enough or she’d change it.”

  “She’s trying to change it. She does want more. She’s going to school to be a veterinary assistant.”

  “See, she has goals. You wouldn’t want to upset those goals, would you?”

  “But she’ll leave the company.”

  “People do that all the time. They come and go, except for us, of course.”

  “I don’t want her to leave. I need her here.”

  “Son, I’m sorry to ask this but have you… felt anything?” she said cautiously.

  Gideon gave a low sigh. “No, nothing that made me think she was mine.”

  “I’m sorry, son. I understand that distraction of finding someone you connect with. But it wouldn’t be fair to her if you started anything without her understanding it might not last.”

  “That’s a bigger problem. She keeps telling me that herself.”

  “Really? Smart woman.”

  “She says we can be friends. That someday I’ll find my mate and she wants me to not have any complications.”

  “That sounds like something a really great friend would say.”

  “Mom, I’m so confused. I can’t stop feeling this way. I want to help her, take care of her, and she’s not even my mate.”

  “She sounds very independent. Do you think she wants your help?”

  “No, she doesn’t. I’ve offered to pay for her schooling.”

  His mother laughed. “And how did she take that?”

  “She wasn’t too happy. Then she car blocked me before I had even thought about getting her one. She’s still trying to give back the clothes Sabrina brought over.”

  “It doesn’t sound like she’s used to things like that. You need to back down a bit. Imagine going the other way. If you had to adjust to her lifestyle all of a sudden. It would be shocking and make you uncomfortable. Remember that when you act like you do.”

  “Act like I do?”

  “Yes, the you know best so you are going to act without getting any kind of input from those that it affects.”

  “I do that?”

  “Son, I love you, but you are in your own little world a lot. You need to remember the people that live outside our world.”

  “We’re in the same world, mother.”

  “Are we? We are Kindred; we are well above the wealthy line. We don’t have to think about the things that the majority of the populations have to think about. We have it shockingly easy. Yes, we work hard, but we don’t have to work as hard as we do. People like Faye, they work hard or they starve. They don’t have a roof over their heads. Imagine the strength and courage it takes just to be her.”

  Gideon knew his mother was going to give him a verbal thrashing. He needed it. The words of wisdom that he had been ignoring from his own conscience needed another voice to chime in.

  “You’re right.”

  “Of course I am, dear. Now, I don’t want her followed by those horrible people any more than you do. Figure out how to normalize her life as quickly as possible but as safely as possible. She deserves that. There is no way to keep it from her entirely. It’s done. So make her feel like she might someday have her life back the way it was.”

  “I’ll do my best. I love you,” he said earnestly.

  “I know you do. And we love you. I’m adding your father because he wanted to talk to you and will be sure to call later. I’ll tell him not to grill you about Faye.”

  “I’d appreciate that. Have a good day.”

  He hung up and leaned back in his chair. Faye needed her comforts. She needed the familiarity of her old life. Gideon had to figure out how to make that happen.

  First things first, he needed to make her return to work uneventful. That meant coffee, breakfast, and a trip to the office.

  Gideon went to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, one of the few things he felt confident in doing.

  “Faye? Can I come in?”

  “Sure.”

  Faye was in her bathroom finishing her hair. She wished she had her purse that had her makeup in it. She never went much beyond lipstick and eyeliner, it wasn’t much, but it was something at least. Faye turned away from the mirror to see Gideon carrying a small cup of coffee on a tray with a sampling of items next to it.

  “I brought you a cup of coffee. I don’t know how you take it. Or even if you drink coffee, for that matter.”

  “I do on work days, thank you. I take it like a toddler drinking coffee. Lots of cream and sugar,” she supplied.

  “Glad I brought options then.”

  Faye smiled and reached for the sugar, but Gideon held up his hand.

  “I got it. You keep getting ready,” he said.

  Faye looked down at the black slacks and magenta sweater set she was wearing. It was tight, clinging to her waist and breasts. Her bra and matching underwear were pearl pink lace that made her feel incredibly naughty even though no one could see it.

  “This is pretty much it. I was going to put my hair in a bun and let you know I was ready.”

  “I really think you should only work a half day. You may end up more tired than you think.”

  “How about we see where I am after lunch? I don’t want to relapse but I’m done lying around. Besides, I need to make my class tonight.”

  “I don’t suppose you’d let me go with you?”

  Faye gave him a look that told him there was no way he could come.

  “I will have one of my guys with you. He’ll be discreet but keep you safe.”

  “If it gets me to my class, I’ll take it.”

  “How about if you’re up for it, we grab a bite to eat after? Somewhere I know that can help us stay private.”

  “Sure, I’m done by eight.”

  “Great, that’s good,” he hesitated.

  “Anything else?”

  “Do you ever wear your hair down?”

  “At home. It gets in the way at work. Why?”

  “No reason,” he said, turning and walking away without another word.

  Chapter 21

  It hadn’t been as bad as he’d thought. Gideon had escorted Faye down to the garage where he introduced her to Anson. The Faye that he had come to know the last few days, the one that had gone from shy employee to open friend, had faded as they made it into the building.

  His team had secured the parking garage so the SUV with tinted windows could come and go with no pictures being snatched. They would have preferred the helicopter option. Once inside, he escorted her to the mailroom, pausing to look around at the drab cubicles and sorting tables.

  Faye had watched him as he looked around. “Thank you for the escort, Gideon. I can handle it from here. I think I need to check in with my boss.”

  Gideon finished his examination, a frown on his face. Looking back to her, he said. “Yes, you do that. Don’t tire yourself though.”

  “I can manage,” she said, her smile looking so different to him. It was a smile you gave someone you knew
. Someone you trusted. He felt his heart clench at it.

  As he turned to walk to the elevator, he realized his heart shouldn’t have any feelings. She wasn’t his mate. He assumed that he’d know by now. They’d lived in the same house for four days. They’d eaten together, he had fed her, carried her. There were opportunities for fate to present itself in her and they never came.

  So maybe this is what it felt like to become friends with a human. He’d never really had a friend that wasn’t Kindred, so there was a chance that he was misinterpreting all of it.

  Heading to his office, he made an effort to acknowledge those that greeted him. Although his greetings were pleasant, his senses were heightened. He observed everyone he met not with the eye of an employer, but of someone worried about who had leaked Faye’s name.

  Sabrina waiting for him outside his office.

  “You have a nine o’clock call, an eleven fifteen, and your mother wants to meet you for lunch today. You have a board meeting in the main conference room this afternoon, so you have to be back by two.”

  Gideon normally appreciated her ability to keep his life on track. Today it grated that he was scheduled so tight. “What about Faye’s lunch?”

  Sabrina had followed him into his office. “I’m sorry?”

  “Faye’s lunch.”

  “I’m going to have to assume that she’s going to do what she normally does?”

  “Find out. I don’t want her skipping lunch.”

  “Gideon, I know it’s none of my business, but shouldn’t you just let her get back to her life?”

  “Should I?”

  “Yes. She’s human. She’s an employee. It might not look right.”

  “I don’t fucking care what it looks like! I don’t govern my actions by what other people might think.” Gideon was pissed she was questioning him. Pissed that his worry for Faye would make people talk.

  “Except you do care what people think. It’s your job to care. It matters to your company, your family, and your Clan.”

  Gideon didn’t like that reminder. She wasn’t wrong. He was always aware what people thought. He never threw caution to the wind so frivolously.

  “Just make sure she has lunch today, can you do that?”

  “Of course, consider it done.”

  Gideon nodded and waited for her to leave, frowning as Sabrina shut the office door behind her. He wanted to call down to the mailroom, see if Faye needed anything. But they’d just arrived. She probably wasn’t even in there yet. She did have a job to do and had been doing it without his interference for a while.

  Looking at the stack of paperwork on his desk, he ignored it and pulled up his emails. There were too many unread to ignore. Maybe if he was distracted he wouldn’t make an ass of himself.

  “Well?”

  “Well what?” Sabrina sighed.

  “Anything I need to know about?”

  “Aside from the fact that Gideon of Clan Othala is playing nursemaid to a mail clerk?”

  Crone Betty made a harrumphing noise. “I know it’s supposed to be this way, I’m sure of it!”

  Sabrina didn’t know how the Crones worked. She didn’t know why they did what they did. Maybe the Great Mother gave them a list of people to match up. Maybe they had made it all up and were just randomly throwing people together. In this case, it didn’t seem to have worked the way they’d planned.

  “Well, they’ve been living in the same house for days. Don’t you think something might have sparked during that time?”

  “I don’t have a countdown timer, young lady. I follow the signs and the signs say the frumpy human is someone that needs to be in Gideon’s life.”

  “She’s not frumpy. At least not after I dressed her.”

  “Does he seem interested?”

  “Interested? If you call being overbearing and overprotective interested, then yes. He’s not getting his work done. He’s practically got her babysat right now.”

  “How is she taking it?”

  “She’s confused, who wouldn’t be? She was sick as a dog when he dragged her to his apartment. She was nursed, fed, pampered, and still doesn’t understand how it all happened. I honestly feel bad for her.”

  Betty laughed at that. “Don’t feel bad for her, her future is smooth. Getting there, well, I can’t see that. I know I’m right about this. You need to make sure neither of them tries to go the other direction.”

  “What other direction?”

  “Away from each other. Away is bad, together is good.”

  “Great, like I have magic powers or something.”

  “Don’t think I don’t have you on my radar, you’re not done cooking,” the Crone cackled.

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  The line went dead and Sabrina slammed the phone down.

  Chapter 22

  Squeak.

  Squeak.

  Faye was powering through her daily routine. She had to. She didn’t want to look weak. Pushing her cart, the squeaking wheel was more like an old friend. A few people that normally might have only said hello to her inquired about her health, knowing she’d been out sick for the last week. Whether they were really concerned or just wanted to see if she’d offer up information on what she’d been doing for the last few days, she wasn’t sure.

  Then there were those that never talked to her or even looked at her. Today they looked. Stared actually, their eyes following her down the aisles. She could hear the whispers. Her name being softly passed from person to person.

  Faye hadn’t looked at the news since she’d stumbled across the tabloid program. Gideon told her that it was everywhere.

  He was looking out for her. After she had spoken with her boss, a large man she hadn’t met before came into her room and introduced himself as Gideon’s bodyguard, Royce. He was the one she hadn’t met yet. He handed her her purse and told her that her apartment was locked up and secure. She couldn’t stop herself from asking if the heat was on.

  He didn’t even blink when he said that he had checked the thermostat and adjusted it down to a reasonable level and hoped she didn’t mind.

  Faye thanked him profusely; not having that bill to deal with later in the month would be a blessing. The large man nodded and left. She looked down at her purse and sighed with a bit of relief. It was a small thing, but now she had her lip gloss, her eyeliner, and her wallet. There was seven dollars in it and she was going to need that to grab lunch since she couldn’t pack it like normal.

  Faye took a minute to plug in her phone, which had a completely dead battery. Using her desktop computer she sent an email to her instructor letting her know she would be back in class. Since she was one of the top students, Faye was hopeful that her instructor would give her a few days to catch back up to the class.

  With that weight off her shoulders, she got back to work.

  Now she was getting closer to Gideon’s office. Her heart was pounding and she ran through the few possible scenarios that she might encounter. It could be like a regular day. She’d drop the mail to Sabrina and move on. Sabrina might give her the go ahead to give him the mail herself. Or, the one thought that bothered her the most, she’d give the mail to Gideon and he’d ignore her. Treat her just like she had requested. Everything back to normal.

  What was normal anyway? If she knew her own feelings, it would be easier. But she was confused and afraid. Not afraid of Gideon, that ship had sailed. She knew that he put his pants on one leg at a time like everyone else.

  As she turned left down the hallway towards his office, she saw that Sabrina wasn’t there. Now the choice was up to her. The door to his office was closed.

  Did she dare knock? Was that allowed? What if he had someone else in there?

  The embarrassment of interrupting him during a meeting could be the last straw to make her get a new job in a new city and a new state, possibly a new planet.

  Each step towards the door she changed her mind back and forth. Finally reaching the door, she paused
, took a deep breath, and knocked.

  “Come in.”

  Faye pushed open the door and her eyes went straight to the desk. Gideon was looking straight at her as she stepped in.

  “Hi, sorry to interrupt. Sabrina wasn’t out there.”

  “It’s okay, I knew it was you.”

  “You did?”

  “I could smell you.”

  “Oh, yeah.” She still thought that was weird.

  “Here is your mail,” she said, standing just close enough to hand it over.

  Gideon didn’t take it. He stood and walked over to the door and pushed it closed.

  Turning back to her, he eyed her up and down. “How are you feeling?”

  “Not bad. I was about to finish this floor then go to lunch.”

  “Sabrina is getting you lunch.”

  Faye started to shake her head. “I don’t need…”

  “It’s already done.”

  “You know, I’m good with a PB&J and some carrot sticks. I’m not that picky.”

  “Sabrina will get you something that I would approve of.”

  “The boss buying me lunch? We shouldn’t make that a habit.”

  Gideon walked towards her until he stopped just inches from her. “I like this habit.”

  Faye knew that look he was giving her now. It was the look that he was trying to convince her of something and she would have to try to make him see reason and erase that look.

  “Gideon, we have to keep this friendly.”

  Gideon growled, “I don’t want to.”

  Faye knew that he didn’t want to. Heck, neither did she. But a calm head and logic needed to prevail.

  “We can’t do this because it’s more complicated because you’re…”

  “Kindred.”

  “Yes. You know just as well as I do it will only lead to us being hurt. My heart will be broken when you find your mate. And you...”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “It absolutely will.”

  “Tell me you feel it, Faye.”

  She wanted to lie. She knew in this instance lying was the kindest thing for both of them. He would see through it and not believe her anyway.