Red

by Bianca D'Arc

  Seeing how the water healed her, he thought he knew what she needed. And he had just the thing back at his house.

  Rory drove like a maniac, and before long they were pulling up in front of his place. Steve had built his own home near enough to his brothers to be on hand when needed, but far enough away to have a little room of his own to prowl. The house had taken a long time to finish, as Steve had done most of the work himself, and he was really proud of how it had come out.

  One of his favorite features was out back and he was going to take Trisha there first thing. He carried her in his arms from the SUV and walked straight up the garden path that would take him behind the house.

  “Where are we going?” She was much more alert since she’d had the water. If his guess was right, she’d be even better in a few minutes.

  “I think there’s something you need to see—and experience.” He walked around back and triggered one of many motion sensors he’d installed.

  The backyard was flooded with low illumination from the many accent lights he’d put in. The whole place glowed in rich yellows and oranges with a few brighter spots. At the center of the wide backyard was his target. An exceptionally large swimming pool.

  Steve had opted for a sand-colored bottom to the pool rather than the more traditional neon blue. He wanted his waterscape to blend more with the desert around him. A wooden pergola shaded one end of the custom-shaped island of water in the middle of the desert.

  “Oh, that is lovely.”

  Steve heard the catch in her voice, the little breathless yearning that filled her tone when she caught sight of the water. She wanted in. He could see it in the way her gaze fixated on the pool and never wavered as he walked nearer.

  “It’s salt water,” he whispered.

  “Mmm.” The sound she made seemed almost involuntary. She reacted as if he’d just said something naughty and he could feel her body reaching out toward the oasis he’d created in his backyard.

  Steve walked them around to the shallow end where he’d created a set of wide stairs that led down into the water. It was his favorite place to hang out and just think, sitting on the steps, floating, letting the water soothe him in the hot desert sun.

  Without pausing, he walked right down the steps, into the water. He was still barefoot and bare-chested from when he’d shifted to fight. He’d only taken time to put his pants back on and nothing in the pockets was in danger from the water except his phone. He paused when the water was about mid-thigh on him and lowered Trisha’s feet into the water so he could free up one hand to fish out his phone and toss it into the cushion of greenery to one side of the pool. He’d retrieve it later. For now, he had to see to his woman.

  Trisha’s skin started to take on a pearly sheen as her feet touched the water. Her eyes closed and expression of bliss came over her face. She was fully clothed except for the one stocking that was still acting as a tourniquet, but even as he watched, the need for the tight band around her leg lessened.

  “I thought so. Water is your element,” he commented with a pleased feeling.

  Her eyes shot open and she looked afraid as she met his gaze. He did his best to calm her.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Your secret is safe with me.”

  “How did you know to bring me to water?” She seemed terrified that he’d somehow figured out what made her so different from other people.

  “The water bottles in your bag were my first clue, but please don’t look so scared.” He used his free hand to brush strands of her hair out of her face. “There’s so much I have to tell you, and believe me when I say, I love the fact that you’re part nymph.”

  “My dad says sprite. He says we’re descended from a water sprite.”

  “I would have said sea siren,” he teased. “You have certainly put me under your spell.” He dipped his head to kiss her lightly.

  But he couldn’t afford to get too distracted. She was still injured. He thought he knew the cure, but they still had to go that final step. Steve lifted his head and walked deeper into the pool.

  “If we submerge the wound, will it heal completely?” he asked, watching her and her wound carefully.

  She nodded tightly, still nervous even after her admission. She knew she was special. She knew she had magic running through her veins. Things were looking up. Maybe she would be able to accept the fact that she was his mate and that he was a shifter. But first they had to get her well and functioning on two solid legs again. If he guessed right, that would happen momentarily. And then they could move on to more pleasurable things.

  He kept his arm around her shoulders as he walked her deeper in to the pool. Her legs floated at first. She seemed to be trying to keep the injury above water. Maybe she was still afraid for him to see her magic? She’d learn to trust him. This was the first step.

  He paused and let her make the decision. Slowly, she lowered her legs one at a time. First the uninjured one, then the one with the nasty gash that had already grown smaller from when he’d first seen it back at the crash site.

  When the lower edge of the gash touched the water it immediately cleared and sealed, leaving unblemished skin behind. As her leg sank deeper into the water, the phenomenon continued until she stood before him on two perfectly formed, uninjured legs. He’d never seen anything like it.

  Sure, shifters healed fast, but nothing like this. It was miraculous. And fantastic. He’d worried about her recovery, but there wasn’t going to be any recovery. She was already healed.

  Trisha bent down to untie the tourniquet. “Guess I don’t need this anymore,” she mumbled. Then she looked up at him, her gaze filled with uncertainty. “Did I just freak you out?”

  Steve couldn’t hold back his smile. “Not in the least. I think it’s wonderful that you’re so magical.”

  Her head tilted upward as she squinted at him. “You’re taking this awfully well.”

  “Yeah, I am, aren’t I?” His grin got bigger and he sank into the pool, washing the grime of the fight away from his skin. “Why do you suppose that is?”

  “You’ve seen someone like me before?” Her tone was hopeful but very tentative.

  “Actually, no. But I’ve seen—and done—similar things in my time. We’re very much alike, you and I. We’ve both been touched by magic.”

  Now she looked really intrigued. “Magic?”

  “What else would you call spontaneous healing when you come into contact with water?”

  She sighed and ran her hands through the water, making soothing ripples. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. So what kind of magic can you do?”

  “Well, do you remember the big cat you talked about seeing at the crash site?”

  She shuddered and he tried not to wince. She seemed afraid of his cat, which the beast inside him didn’t like at all.

  “I thought I was hallucinating from blood loss.”

  “You weren’t. There was a cougar there, fighting the guys who were trying to abduct you—again.”

  “But I saw…” She trailed off, shock covering her features. “The cougar was you!”

  She backed away from him, but he reached out and caught her shoulder to pull her body into his, wrapping his arms around her as the water supported them both. He was standing about waist-high in the shallows.

  “I’m were, honey. In fact, pretty much everyone you’ve met since we left the bar has been like me. It’s not something we advertise, but since you’re magical too, it’s okay. Don’t tell me you’ve never met a were before.”

  She shook her head. “Not to my knowledge. What’s a were, exactly? Does everybody I met turn into big, lethal cats?”

  “No. Not at all.” She seemed to relax slightly at his words. “Only a few of us are cougars. Slade is a panther and the rest of the guys you met are wolves. I took you and your friends to the wolf Pack house. It was the only place I knew that was equipped to handle that many people, but the Alpha wasn’t too pleased with me bringing so many humans into the heart of h
is Pack’s territory.”

  “Wolves,” she repeated. “You mean like werewolves? They’re real?” Her voice rose on each successive word as she took it all in.

  “Oh, they’re real all right. Just like me.” He heard faint noises from the house.

  He’d known there were a few guards standing sentry around his property and he’d seen a few moving shadows on the way into the yard. He hadn’t been alarmed. He had recognized their scents. They were friends. But the newcomer to the house was louder. Less stealthy. Had to be Kate, the priestess.

  “We’ll talk more about this, but we’re about to have company. Kate’s here.”

  Trisha looked around in surprise as Kate opened the sliding glass door that led into the house. Kate had a look of concern on her face and her eyes widened as she drew nearer.

  “Water? That’s her element?” Kate asked, stopping by the side of the pool.

  “How—” Trisha was at a loss.

  “Well, you look fine now, but judging by the frantic phone call from the big guy…” Kate gestured with her thumb toward Steve, “…I’d say you were in bad shape a few minutes ago. I’m glad you’re better. Is there anything I can help with?”

  “No, thanks. I’ll be fine now. I just needed the water,” she admitted, though it felt really strange to talk about her unique abilities out loud with anyone other than her father.

  “Yeah, I can see that. It makes your aura glow in shades of blue and green. It’s really beautiful,” Kate said, looking at Trisha, but not at her face. Instead, the other woman was gazing at Trisha’s arms and legs and the water that gave her life and energy.

  “Kate here can actually see magic,” Steve told her. “That is one of her many talents.”

  “Are you a werewolf too?” Trisha felt compelled to ask. She still couldn’t quite believe everything Steve had told her—or the fact that she’d seen a giant mountain lion transform into a very naked and buff Steve Redstone less than an hour ago.

  Kate laughed. “No. I’m the local priestess. I serve the Lady. The Mother Goddess that magical folk tend to believe in. I have some magic skills of my own, but I can’t shapeshift. I leave all that to my husband.”

  Kate gestured behind her and suddenly Slade was there. He’d moved into the yard so silently that Trisha couldn’t really be sure when he’d shown up. The guy was spooky and scary in a way that Steve wasn’t—even after seeing his alter-ego cat with blood dripping from its teeth and claws. Trisha didn’t know what to make of that. This was all too much. She held on to Steve for support as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

  The water was healing her, but she’d still lost quite a lot of blood. It would take time for the water and its magic to replace it.

  “The guys are going over the ambush scene. Your SUV is a total loss, but you knew that already. Tough break, Steve,” Slade murmured. “I’ll go out there as soon as I can to see if there are any magical traces.”

  “I wouldn’t expect any. The guys I fought pretty much wet their pants when they saw our animal sides. I don’t think they knew they were going up against shifters,” Steve said. “Maybe hired guns. Human. No magic that I could see.”

  “But somehow they knew which vehicle to strike,” Slade countered.

  “We weren’t being coy,” Steve responded. “I had Trisha with me in the center vehicle. Guards front and back. It was an obvious target, but I thought the extra firepower of having two escort vehicles would be enough deterrent.”

  “Apparently someone wants to get their hands on your new friend bad enough to send a strike force,” Slade observed. “Any idea why?”

  All eyes turned to Trisha, but she was at a loss. “I have no idea,” she protested. “I only came here to go to a bachelorette party. I didn’t know anything about you guys until just now, and the only other person I’ve ever known who had abilities like mine is my dad. Seriously, I’m new to all this.” She wanted to protest her innocence some more, but Steve’s hand on her back soothed her, letting her know without words that he understood.

  “Well, we are in a desert,” Kate observed with a wry twist of her lips. The uncomfortable attention left Trisha as the focus shifted to Kate and their puzzle. “You have to admit, finding a water nymph out here is kind of unique. If someone could harness her power, they could do a quite a bit of damage with it. Or good…though I doubt anyone who wanted to do good with her abilities would try to take them by force.”

  “I’m not a nymph,” Trisha muttered. “Dad says we’re sprites. Water sprites. Or at least part, anyway. Mom is human.”

  “Which brings up another question,” Slade cut in. “Why isn’t Deke magical? I’ve worked with him several times and I never caught a whiff of magic around him. Not once. What gives?”

  “Different fathers,” Steve said shortly and Slade nodded as if those two simple words explained everything.

  Well, they did. Essentially. But it didn’t encompass all the sorrow and joy that went with the loss of Deke’s father and the gaining of a new dad when a certain Navy SEAL married his widowed mom.

  “Does Deke know?” Slade asked.

  “Yeah. It’s a little hard to hide. But Dad swore him to secrecy.”

  “No wonder he didn’t make much of a fuss when he saw me slip up a few times,” Steve seemed to think aloud. “Most guys would’ve asked why I could hear things they couldn’t, or smell things so faint only animal-enhanced senses could pick it up. But Deke never batted an eye. Oh, he might’ve raised an eyebrow at me a few times, but he never came out and asked. He respected my desire for privacy and it’s allowed us to have a really good friendship.” Steve stroked her shoulder. “Which is all going to disappear when I tell him I’ve fallen for his little sister.”

  “Maybe not.” She tried to be positive, but she’d always known Deke was going to have a hard time with any man she decided to get serious with.

  Slade laughed out loud. “Good luck with that,” he scoffed with a smile. “But in the meantime, we need to figure out who is after you and put a stop to it. Your safety is job one right now, so I expect you to stick to Steve here like glue. Got it?”

  Slade’s tone was teasing, but Trisha understood that he meant every word. It only made sense. She knew she needed protection while this threat persisted. She also needed their help in discovering who was targeting her.

  “I will. But I want to be in on the investigation. I don’t want to be left out in the cold, out of the loop, wondering what’s going on. Do we have an agreement? I want to know what you know and expect to be kept updated.”

  She looked from Slade to Steve and back again, knowing that both of them had to agree—though Steve’s approval was more important to her than anything else. She wanted him to respect her wishes and abilities. She wanted him to trust her. Maybe it was asking too much on such short acquaintance, but still, she wanted it.

  “Done.” Steve didn’t hesitate, and it warmed her heart.

  She looked over at Slade and he nodded slowly. Good. They weren’t going to treat her like a good little girl and keep her in the dark. That was a victory for her. All too often, Deke did that to her. He treated her like the child he had protected. But she wasn’t that child anymore, and her big brother was going to have to come to terms with that sooner or later. Probably sooner now that she and Steve had gotten together.

  Where they would go from here relationship-wise, she didn’t know, but she definitely wanted more of the amazing sex they’d shared back in the lab. Sex and even the casual affection he’d displayed since. She wanted the closeness. The camaraderie. The companionship. And maybe…just maybe…love?

  It was very possible she was already in love with him, but she didn’t really know if he felt the same. She was afraid to probe in case she scared him away. She had to tread lightly and see where it all would lead.

  “Well, it looks like you don’t really need me.” Kate rubbed her hands together and smiled. “I’ll head back to the Pack house and keep an eye on your friends. They we
re all still resting comfortably when I left. There’s been no change, really. One of the werewolf women is a registered nurse. She’s going to help me watch them. They should be good until morning—which is only a few hours away at this point. We can reevaluate then and decide what to do from there. Sound good?”

  “Yeah, that’ll have to do,” Trisha agreed.

  She was energized by the water but she did need to sleep sometime. Fatigue was catching up with her, even as the water healed her.

  “We’ll stay here overnight,” Steve added, talking mostly to Slade. “Rory’s squad is on the perimeter and Gunter’s on the roof. I don’t think they’ll try for her inside the heart of our territory, but the house is well-defended.”

  “Good enough,” Slade agreed. “I’ll deploy the rest of the guys and handle things while you take care of your lady.”

  “Thanks, buddy.” Steve sounded grateful and she realized that Slade was probably doing Steve’s job.

  He was covering for Steve so he could stay with her. And Steve sounded really grateful for the favor. Maybe he was starting to feel things for her too? She really hoped so. The signs were very positive in that direction at the moment.

  “Do you mind if I swim a little? It relaxes me. And don’t worry if I stay under for a long time. I don’t need to breathe as often as most people.” Gosh, it still felt strange to talk so openly about her abilities, but she liked it. She liked not having to hide who she really was from him.

  “Sure. Enjoy yourself.” He leaned in and gave her a quick, gentle kiss before letting her go so she could swim free. “Just don’t overdo it.”

  She looked back at him as she began to tread away toward the deeper end. “This really is a lovely pool. I’m glad it’s salt water. A regular pool wouldn’t have been nearly as helpful. The chlorine can be hard to deal with.”

  “I can imagine,” he said noncommittally, leaning back against the wide steps, immersing his bare chest. She couldn’t see it in the dim light, but she knew the blood from her now-sealed wound had gotten into the pool.