bloom daniels 02 - lightening bloom

by michelle turner

  “You’re a Oracle.”

  “Like those virgins in that 300 movie?” Bonnie asks, shock evident in her voice.

  “Do I have to stay a virgin?” Bloom’s asks Amelia, but her attention turns to me.

  “No child, you can be intimate with your mate. Actually that’s the cure for this pain.”

  “What?” Bonnie, Bloom, and I all ask in unison as all attention turns to her.

  Her eyes come to mine and she explains. “You missed a step wolf. Most pairs mark each other while they’re also consummating their bond. And for them it would be fine if they did those steps in the wrong order. Bloom being what she is, though, things needed to be done a certain way or there would be complications, like she’s experiencing now.”

  Bonnie begins laughing so hard she’s doubled over. Glaring at her I ask. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “The.” Laugh. “Cure.” Laugh. “Is.” Laugh. “Your.” Laugh. “Co…” Tucker covers his mate’s mouth with his hand to stop her from finishing her sentence. Her laughing stops immediately as she narrows her eyes at him.

  “The cure is what?” I ask still lost.

  “I think she’s saying you need to make love to your mate.” Tucker offers the answer. My eyes lock on Bloom’s, whose have gone to the size of saucers.

  “Oh.” I reply, trying to keep the grin off my face.

  Chapter 11 – Bloom

  “Um…uh…I…” I try to form an appropriate sentence but find myself unable to, so I snap my mouth shut. Really what can you say when you’re long lost Great-Aunt just informs you that you’ll need to knock boots with your mate to get rid of the pain you’re experiencing? Where’s a free room? That doesn’t seem appropriate. Especially when you’re in a cabin filled with shifters who have super hearing. I know we were surrounded by them in Tennessee too, but at least there those shifters weren’t a room away. It gave us a semblance of privacy.

  Amelia gives my hand a reassuring squeeze, bringing my eyes back to hers. She smiles a warm smile. “How about Forrest and I talk to you and Pike in private about this?”

  “I…I…” I mumble incoherently. This is all too much. I look at Pike for help out of this awkward mess, but I find him grinning like a fool. He’s liking this solution apparently. Men! Geesh!

  “This really is something we should finish discussing in private, Bloom.” Forrest joins the conversation, causing my eyes to move from my grinning mate to him. He’s an older man, and though I don’t know his age I can say he’s aged really well. Like freakishly well. It’s got to be a shifter trait because every older shifter I’ve met thus far has still had this youthful beauty to them. Not in the sense that time has stopped for them, more like they’ve aged slower. Or had extensive plastic surgery without it causing them to look like their faces are frozen. I allow myself to admire his beauty. The rich brown hair with flecks of grey. His tanned skin. The little creases that line his warm brown eyes. Thin lips that as I’m watching stretch into a smile to reveal straight white teeth.

  “Bloom?” I watch his mouth form my name.

  “Hmm?” I ask, distractedly, because I’m too busy wondering if Pike will age this well.

  “Can we move this conversation to somewhere private?”

  I snap out of my shifter-aging brain fog and look around the room. All eyes are on me. I swallow the nervous lump that forms in my throat. Then I nod my head. I want to scream no and run away from all of this. I don’t like going through this pain, but I’d put up with it the rest of my life if it means I can avoid this talk I’m about to have. I’m imagining it like the talk my dad tried to give me when I got my first period. Completely and utterly uncomfortable. Not to mention I’ll be going through the talk with Pike! It’s bad enough when it’s just you and the person administering the talk, but now it’s like we’ve been caught in the act and have to be lectured on being safe.

  Amelia helps me up, as Forrest stands and directs the she wolf. “Tillie, you and the guys take our guests to visit the hot springs.”

  Tucker stands to follow the she wolf and her pack mates. Bonnie hesitates. Her eyes look over the situation nervously. I release Amelia’s hands and move towards my friend. It takes the little strength I have in me, but I manage to crouch down in front of her without falling to my butt. Gripping her knees to keep my balance I tell her. “I’ll be okay.”

  She eyes the strangers around us. “I don’t like this.”

  “They’re family.”

  Her eyes come back to me. “They may carry a sliver of your blood, but that doesn’t mean they’re family. If they were they would’ve been there for you.”

  “Bonnie.”

  “Your mom left. They didn’t come then. And they knew what she was!” Bonnie’s eyes move to my Great-Aunt and Uncle, accusingly.

  “Bon…” I try to calm her.

  “Your Gran and Pap both died. They didn’t show for either funeral.” She points at Amelia. “And your Gran was her sister!”

  “Bon…” I try again to no avail.

  She lays her hands over mine at her knees, holding them tight, and leans closer to my face. “You lost your dad.” I suck in a harsh breath. I’m healing from that loss, but there will always be an undercurrent of pain from losing him. She takes in my reaction and softens her words when she continues. “Bloom, you thought you had no family left. And still they didn’t show. So how can I trust them to keep you safe?”

  “Bonnie, I appreciate you having my back, but it’s not your place to keep me safe.” I tell her equally as soft, because I’m worried my best friend is going over the deep end. We’ve always had each other’s backs, but this feels as if someone slipped my friend overprotective steroids.

  Her hands dig deeper into mine. To the point it’s borderline painful. “It is my place! I have to keep you safe!”

  Tucker and Pike come to us. Pike helps me up, pulls me back a few feet, and wraps his arms around me. Tucker pulls Bonnie out of her seat and to his chest. I don’t know what to say or how to respond. I stare at my friend as she shakes in Tucker’s arms, apparently overwhelmed with her need to keep me safe.

  “What the hell is happening to us?” Pike growls in frustration. His arms are still wrapped around me, so I wiggle free and take a few steps away. His eyes snap to me and I see the pain of my rejection in them. That look makes me feel as if someone’s ripped open my chest to repeatedly punch me in the heart. He’s my mate, but being so close to him intensifies this pain. I need to tell him that’s why I’m keeping my distance. But I’m sure me telling him his presence is causing me excruciating pain will hurt him more than keeping this distance. And I just can’t do that to him.

  Amelia breaks into our mess by addressing the she wolf. “Tillie, I believe you have some things to explain to Bonnie and her mate, as well.”

  Tillie nods her wolf head. Then heads towards a hall off the living room. Pike, Tucker, Bonnie, and I watch her go. None of us say a word until she’s walking back toward us in her human form. The female wolf is breathtakingly beautiful. Long straight black hair that falls to her waist with subtle grey streaks. The streaks somehow manage to enhance her beauty. Sharp grey eyes that I notice are observing Bonnie. And her body is stunning. Slender, yet muscular with arms to kill for. I’m pretty sure I want to be her when I grow up. I might have to dye my hair black and start spending every waking minute in the gym, but it would so be worth it.

  She walks right up to Bonnie and Tucker. Removes Bonnie from Tuckers arms, maneuvering her into her own. Then proceeds to guide Bonnie out of the house. Tucker stands there in shock for a few seconds before he finally comes to his senses and follows. The rest of Tillie’s pack right on his heels.

  My gaze swings back to Amelia. “What just happened?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know.” Pike grumbles.

  “Let’s go to the kitchen. I’ll pour us some sweet tea, and then we’ll explain some things.”

  Pike and I follow her to the other side of the massive fire pl
ace where the kitchen is laid out. I watch her move around gathering glasses and filling them with ice. She pulls a beautiful blue glass pitcher filled with tea out of the fridge, and fills the glasses. Then after putting the blue pitcher back in the fridge she carries the glasses of sweet tea to us. She takes a seat at the table directly across from me, beside her mate, and takes a sip from hers. I wait until she sets her drink back on the table before beginning my questions.

  “Why does Tillie need to talk to Bonnie?”

  “Because they’re the same.”

  I shake my head at her non-explanation.

  “One is a wolf and one is a human. So what do you mean?” Pike asks, taking over the questioning.

  “To answer that I need to explain everything that’s happening to you.”

  “That’s what we’ve been waiting on.” Pike growls.

  “Calm yourself, wolf.” Forrest warns Pike.

  Pike takes in a deep breath and releases it. Then in a much calmer voice says. “Please, explain all of this to us.”

  “Better.” Forrest remarks, and then he gives Amelia a slight nod. Which I’m assuming is his sign to get to it because she does just that.

  “There are only two lines of families that I know of who give life to the Oracles. Our own and a family in Europe. I have never met the other so I cannot tell you how many Oracles they have in their line at this time. I just know that they are out there.” She focuses on me. “You and I, are the only ones alive from our line because the Oracle trait is only passed through the female children of these lines.”

  “Was my gran an Oracle too?”

  Amelia shakes her head. “She wasn’t, but only because she decided to take herself away from that destiny.”

  “How did she do that?”

  “To fully tap into your Oracle side you have to find your true mate.” She motions her hands to me and smiles. “Like you and Pike. But Anna, your gran, met your pap, Joshua, first and decided to be with him. She turned her back on finding her true mate and becoming the Oracle she was born to be.”

  “Did her mate ever come into her life?” Pike asks.

  Amelia looks to him and gives her head a tiny nod.

  Pike and I both gasp in shock. “I thought you couldn’t resist the allure of your true mate. I thought that’s why Rose was able to leave my dad so easily.”

  “Normally, you can’t. But Anna was so head over heels for Joshua and by the time her mate revealed himself she’d already had your dad. She flat out refused to leave the two of them. Her mate wasn’t happy and caused problems for Anna for a while after that.”

  “How did she get him to let her go?”

  She looks to Forrest and he takes over the conversation. “Your great-grandfather and I stepped in.”

  “Did you kill him?” Pike asks.

  “Pike!” I say shocked by his blunt question.

  “That’s the only thing that can keep a wolf from his mate.”

  “And in most cases it would’ve been, but we had connections with his alpha. We explained the situation and his alpha issued the order for him to leave her be.” Forrest explains, though I still don’t understand.

  “Why would a simple order keep him away?”

  Pike turns to me so I turn to face him in return. “An official order by an alpha cannot be ignored by his pack.”

  I contemplate this. Then with what I know has to be the grin of an evil mastermind I ask. “So if I tell Tucker to paint his nails pink and put on a tutu he can’t tell me no?”

  Pike and Forrest chuckle. Amelia laughs. Then containing the chuckle, but grinning to match mine (just not the evil mastermind type) Pike answers. “You could.” He leans forward pushing some of my hair behind my right ear. I force myself not to jerk away from his touch. “But this is Tucker we’re talking about. He’s the size of a giant. Do you really want to play that game with him?”

  “Umm…totally. He’s way over due for some big sister torment.” I answer right away.

  There’s another round of chuckles before Pike says. “How about we let Forrest and Amelia continue to explain everything to us. And you can work on your torment Tucker plan later.”

  “Fine. But only because we need these answers so badly. Otherwise I’d be in full on planning mode right now.”

  “I know, Darlin’.” Pike shakes his head, all the while smiling. Then we both turn our attention back to our hosts.

  “Please continue. I still have so many questions.”

  Amelia stretches her arm across the table and pats the top of my hand. “I know. I’m going to try to answer all of them.”

  “So how is Bonnie factoring into all of this?”

  “Well, when an Oracle is born so is a Guardian. The two of you are made to be a team. You will protect your pack with your visions and your Guardian will protect you. Once she comes fully into her abilities she’ll be just as strong and swift as a wolf. Maybe more so. She’ll have a keen instinct for when there’s danger near and the best ways to avoid it. She’ll have to train to sharpen certain talents. Defensive moves, weapons training, but for the most part it will come as natural to her as shifting does to the wolves. When you came into your gifts she started coming into hers. And just as you won’t fully get yours until you’ve completely bonded with your mate, neither will she.”

  My mouth falls open from the shock this news delivers. My once sweet, now somewhat surly, yet still completely girly best friend is my Guardian. “So she’s going to be like Jason Bourne on supernatural steroids?”

  Amelia’s brow scrunches and she turns to Forrest. He shrugs his shoulders so she turns back to me and admits. “I don’t know who Jason Bourne is.”

  “He’s this super-agent badass.” I explain.

  “Then yes.”

  “Holy moly!”

  I look at Pike and whisper in awe. “Tennessee, Bonnie’s going to be a total badass.”

  “I’m pretty sure she already is.” He shoots right back.

  “Okay, that’s so true.” My best friend has always been freaking awesome. Now she’ll be super freaking awesome.

  “Now that you’ve explained that stuff. Can you explain the right way for us to do our mating bond?” Pike directs the conversation away from Bonnie and back to us. Or more specifically us doing the deed. Eek!

  I want this pain to go away. I want to finish the bond with Pike. But I do not want to talk about sex with my Great-Aunt and Uncle. No. No. NO!

  “Umm…I’m kind of tired. Maybe we can save this till tomorrow.” Or never!

  Pike pulls my seat closer to his so our sides are flush against each other. I shiver from the pain that slices through me at contact. He presses his thumb along my bottom lip. And by the way he’s staring at it on my mouth I know he’s wanting to cover mine with his. But instead he brings his eyes up to mine and says. “We are not putting this off any longer, Bloom. I’ve lost our connection. I’ve lost your thoughts. I’ve lost your touch. And we lost our wedding night. We’re rectifying this and we’re doing it today, because I refuse to spend another night without you safe in my arms.”

  How can I say no to that? I can’t. I love this man and I want that too. So I push aside my fear and embarrassment. Not taking my eyes off Pike’s ocean blue ones, I tell Amelia and Forrest. “Tell us how to finalize our bond.”

  Chapter 12 – Bonnie

  “I’m a what?” I ask in shock. I couldn’t have heard this wolf chick right. There’s no way girly, mouthy, insignificant me could be anyone’s so called Guardian. I mean this role sounds like a badass position. I’m so far from badass I might as well be on a pink, glitter-covered planet; where the biggest crime is wearing the wrong type of shoes with your dress. So how can I be destined to be stronger, tougher, and more lethal than any other human? Yeah, I can shoot a gun, but so what, most girls raised in the country know how. And as for being stronger…Ha! Majority of the time I can’t even get the lid off a jar without help.

  “Don’t underestimate yourself, Bonnie-bean.�
� Tucker tries to encourage me through our bond. I choose to ignore him and focus on Tillie.

  “You’re a Guardian.” Tillie tells me again. She’s perched on a boulder by a hot spring. Her mate, Heath, is perched beside her. The other three male wolves who we’ve learned are Rhett, Rex, and Hayden, are splashing around in the warm pools. Rhett and Rex are the sons of Forrest and Amelia. Hayden is Tillie’s and Heath’s son.

  I’m sitting on a rock opposite theirs’. Tucker is beside me. When he took up the protective stance at my side I contemplated knocking him off the boulder and into the water. He, of course, picked up the thought and threatened to pull me in with him if I did. Aggravating freakin’ wolf!

  Shaking my head. “You have to be wrong.”

  Tillie’s sharp grey eyes narrow, and she snaps. “I’m not wrong.”

  “I’m not strong. I can’t even get the lid off the spaghetti jar!” I argue. Tucker and Heath chuckle.

  “It will come.” Tillie answers, her eyes still sharp on me.

  “I’m not tough. I cry when I break a nail!” I continue my objections. This time the other three wolves join in on the chuckles with Tucker and Heath.

  Tillie doesn’t lose her focus on me and responds again with. “It will come.”

  “I’m not lethal. I freaking cry over killing spiders!” I slide off the boulder and begin to pace in front of it. Why aren’t these wolves understanding what I’m telling them? I hear the guys chuckling at me again. I stop and aim a glare at each of them.

  Tillie slides off her boulder as well, and comes to stand right in front of me. She places her hands on my shoulders and catches my eyes again. “It will come.”

  I jerk back from her touch, throwing my arms up in frustration. “How can you be so darn sure it will come to me? What if it doesn’t and my best friend ends up dead because I’m not the right person to be her Guardian.”

  I feel Tucker’s warmth behind me. He doesn’t hesitate in putting his arms around my shoulders and pulling me back into his chest. Instead of pulling away like I know I should I give in, letting him comfort me. It makes me feel weak, but in this moment that’s exactly how I feel and there’s no changing it.