by Celeste Raye
“I am good, really. Why don't we try to get some more sleep?”
He looked over at her, and she seemed to be quickly on her way again. As much as he was happy that she wasn't going to keep pushing, he was also a little upset that he couldn't have what she had offered. Maybe he had spoken too quickly.
He stayed up in bed with her for as long as he could. It became clear rather quickly that he was not going to get anymore sleep, so instead of driving himself crazy next to a woman that he couldn't have, he decided it was best to get up and do something. Anything had to be better than his current situation.
Once he got downstairs, he was confronted by his older brother.
“Don't you ever sleep?”
“It's kind of hard to, with what’s going on upstairs.”
“You heard, that did you?”
“I think everybody heard it and you know it. I thought you were going to do things the right way.”
“I am, Dennis, but that doesn't mean that I’m not going to have a little fun first. You really have no idea how much I wanted to break the rules tonight, brother.”
Dennis had an almost wistful look on his face. “You would be surprised, Frank. You're not the only one that has fallen for someone they're not supposed to have. We just reacted differently to it. I did what I had to do, and you do what you want to do. That’s always been the difference between us.”
Frank had never heard him talk like that before, and he was curious who his brother was referring to. Frank did not remember a woman that stood out to him. So, what happened? Who was the woman that made his brother look off in the distance the way he was now?
“It couldn't be, like I said.”
“So, you just walked away?”
Frank's brother looked like he was deep in thought for a moment, and it made Frank even more suspicious of what he was talking about. Who was it his brother had fallen for that he couldn't have?
“Something like that.”
“I don't remember a girl.”
“Of course, you wouldn't. You were always far more worried about yourself. Her name was Angela, and she was a witch as well. That was back when our parents were still around. You know, before you took over as the Alpha.”
“I don't remember her.”
His brother shrugged. “It doesn't matter now. It was a long time ago.”
“So, what happened?”
“The people in the pack found out that we were seeing each other, and she was taken away.”
Frank could feel the pain in his brothers’ body and he wanted to make everything better. He wanted to tell him that there was always someone else, but he knew that wouldn't help. He knew from personal experience that it did not matter how many women he had been with in the past, there was always going to be Connie. If he were to lose her for one reason or another, Frank would be wrecked. There was no one else for him.
“You surprise me, Dennis. I didn't think you had it in you.”
“It doesn't matter what you think, Frank. All that matters is what is for the good of the pack.”
“It's not going to come to that, Dennis.”
“And if it does?”
“She is about to be part of the pack, so your suppositions don't matter.”
“Are you really going to make her one of us?”
“I am. She is going to be a good addition to our family. Just wait and see.”
Dennis wasn't convinced, but a few moments later, Frank decided to give his brother some space. It was clear that he had much on his mind and even though he wanted to stay and ask more questions, it was clear that Dennis didn’t want to have a discussion. Dennis had given up a lot for the good of the pack, but Dennis did not think he would make the same decision. In a way, he had already made his decision, and it was more selfish than he liked to admit.
Frank walked around for a while, trying to wrap his mind around everything that he had learned in the last couple of days, and a part of him was still thinking about his brother and how he had given up so much. Would he be able to do the same if it came to it?
When he went back upstairs to bed, Connie was asleep, and for a moment, there was no reason for him to question anything. How could it be any more perfect than it was then? He wanted to believe that he wasn't like Dennis. He was not going to lose her, but what if he did? It wasn't like she was completely safe. A very strong witch coven was looking for her. It could end very badly. All Frank could do was make sure that it didn't happen. He was determined more than ever, to find out who exactly the Stein witches were and why they were looking for Connie. There had to be something that they wanted instead. Then he would hatch a plan so that they were no longer a problem.
She made a soft sound as he lay down next to her and he pulled her in closer. She made a whimpering noise like she wasn't ready for any more attention, but he assured her that he was not looking for that.
“I just want to hold you, Connie. There will be plenty of time later for that. Right now, I just want to hold you.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Connie woke up the next morning, and she almost felt like she had a hangover. It wasn't because of something that she drank, because she didn't have a drop. It was because of what had happened between her and Frank. It seemed like a blur at first, with more details starting to bleed in, and she was breathless.
For a minute, Connie was worried that the man was right next to her. She was not ready to face him after everything that had happened the night before. Connie was wondering if she was ever going to be able to look at him straight again. At this point, she wouldn't be able to do it without thinking very long and hard about his mouth on hers. The things that he had done with his tongue.
Connie shook herself of those thoughts and finally popped her eyes open one at a time to see that he was already gone. A wave of relief went over her. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him, she did, but not right now. What was she supposed to say to him?
She gathered her clothes and put them on hurriedly. She almost fell twice trying to get her skirt on, but she finally righted herself and got out of the room. Connie looked around for a minute like she was some kind of bandit that wasn't supposed to be there. She certainly felt like she wasn't supposed to be coming out of Frank's room in the morning.
When she got back to the guest room that she was staying in, there was more relief that came over Connie, but that feeling did not last very long. Connie had forgotten that she was sharing the room with someone else, and Denise was very quick to point out the fact that she had been gone all night.
“Where the hell have you been?”
“Well, good morning to you too. I see that you didn't sleep very well.”
“How can I sleep well? You left me all alone last night. I didn't even know that you were gone and then I woke up and you were nowhere to be found. I was sure that somebody was going to come get me in the night.”
“And what were they going to do to you?”
“There is no telling! This is crazy. I need to go back home.”
All of the good feelings that Connie had taken with her from Frank were now gone. She could see that her friend was genuinely upset, and Connie knew that she should feel the same way. There was no reason that she was so calm about all of this. It was life-altering, to say the least, but Connie did not feel near as upset as her friend did. Why was she so blasé about it all?
“You know that you can't go back right now.”
“What if I go to my parents?”
Connie had not thought about that, but she wasn't sure if her friend was thinking clearly. They certainly didn't get along.
“You would really rather go there?”
Denise agreed rapidly. She was scared out of her mind, and Connie couldn't understand why she hadn't seen it before. The truth was that she had not been looking because it was right there in front of her. When had everything stopped mattering besides him?
“I'm sorry, Denise. I did not realize...I don't know where my mind i
s right now, but I will take you wherever you want to go. It is up to you.”
“I just want to get back to normal. I know that this is your life right now, and it always will be a part of you, but I miss my friend. The one that was dorky and knew herself. I don't know if I am ready to be best friends with a witch.”
That hurt. She would not have imagined that Denise would crumble under the pressure. Nobody had ever been there for her like Denise had.
“You can't mean that.”
“I do. I really do. I don't know if that part will change, but I do know that I want to get out of here. I just want to get as far away from all of this as I possibly can. You know you can come with me.”
“And you know that all it will do is drag you back in. If you want to get away from all this paranormal shit, then you're going to have to stay away from me.”
Denise looked away because she had a tear in her eye. Connie already saw it, so there was no point in trying to hide the emotions. She was feeling her own when Denise told her truth. How had she not seen this happening?
“Why don't you go ahead and take Frank’s car? He can pick it up later wherever you are.”
“Do you want me to call you or something?”
“I will just send him to your parents. That's where you're going, right?”
Denise agreed. She already seemed to be doing better, now that the idea of her having to stay was off the table.
While Connie didn’t want to see Denise go, she knew it was for the best. It was hard to see her best friend so distraught and she didn't want to be the cause of it. The only thing she wished was that she had been able to keep Denise from all the bad stuff. Then Connie wouldn't be so alone.
“I am sorry to leave you like this.”
“Don't worry about it, Denise. This has been a lot to take on, and I don't know if I would want to stick around either. This isn't your battle, and you shouldn't feel bad about it. I don’t.”
“You know I'm going to.”
“I will come to see you when all of this is over and everything is settled down.”
“Do you think things will ever go back to normal?”
Connie did not have a straight answer for that. Her immediate answer would be no. How could her life ever be anything close to what it had been before? This was her life now, and it certainly wasn’t going to be boring.
After Connie and Denise talked for a few more minutes, saying goodbye far too early and bringing themselves to tears, they went downstairs. Connie was looking for Frank because she at least wanted to tell him that she was giving his car away.
When they found him, he knew that something was wrong and wanted to fix it. He was a little taken aback by Denise’s choice to leave, but just like Connie had hoped, he did not seem all that worried about her taking his vehicle.
“I'll just get another one. Don't worry about it. After everything that you've been through, maybe a new car will make you feel better.”
“Really, you're just going to give me a car?”
Frank agreed, and even though Denise was trying hard not to like him, he was making it impossible.
“Take care of her. I don't care what you turn into: you hurt her, and I am coming for you.”
He chuckled for a moment before she gave him a dirty look and he straightened his face.
“Of course. I won't let anything happen to her. I promise.”
Denise seemed satisfied with the answer, and after another round of hugs and tears, she left. Connie had to wonder if she was ever going to see her again. She didn't want to have such dark thoughts, but the way things were going, she didn't know.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It was later in the evening and Frank could see that Connie was still a little bothered that her friend was gone.
“You know you could go stay with her.”
“It wouldn't help. If my mother is one of the Stein witches, then she is going to find me either way.”
“So, what do you want to do?”
“I don't know. I first wanted to know why they were doing this or maybe give myself the option to try to talk them out of it. But when I heard that it was my mother and her coven, I think that would be just a waste of time. I’ve heard enough about the Stein witches to know there is no talking to them.”
Frank agreed, even though he knew that it was probably hard for her to say such a thing. She was basically giving up on her family before she ever got to know them. That had to be hard, and his heart reached out to her. He wanted to make her his own family so that she would never be alone again.
“I think that is a wise decision. I can’t think of anything good happening with you meeting them. They are the type of witches that our pack likes to stay away from. Dahlia and Justin, as well as several others, have already gone toe to toe with them before. Many of our pack did not come back.”
“So, you want to just run? I don’t know if I can.”
She said the last bit in a way that made it like it was a bad taste on her tongue. She squinted her eyes, and he couldn't help but smile at her reaction. It was exactly how he would feel if he were faced with the same idea. Frank had never been the type of person that wanted to tuck his tail and run. It was against his nature, even when they were up against such a powerful enemy. Common sense should tell him to stay away, but he often ignored that part of him.
“I am not saying that I want to do that. I am saying that we need to build up your powers a little bit more and get out. That's what we did last time, and that's what we need to do this time. If we go in united, we can take down even the most powerful of enemies.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It is going to be that easy. You’re trying to make it more complicated than it has to be. They are bad, and we will take them down. Isn't that enough?”
She buried her face in his chest and clamped her arms around him.
“I just want this all to be over, Frank. I don't care what we have to do: I want it to stop. I want people to stop chasing me, so I can live a normal life.”
Frank did not want to hear that. He wanted her to want to be with him for always. Frank was not thinking about just the bedroom. He was thinking about their life together. It had always been envisioned there with his pack. He was the alpha, after all. He had mixed feelings. Could he be happy away from everything he knew, in her world?
“You want to go back to work at the law office and have your boss talk down to you?”
She grinned. “So, you do listen.”
“I do. It didn’t sound all that exciting.”
“I guess it’s not, but it was something normal every day.”
“So, you would go back to that?”
“Maybe not that, but walks in the park, painting on the porch with a cup of coffee, I don’t know. There are just things that can’t happen out here in your world.”
“Do you wish that you wouldn’t have been dragged into this?”
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t have met you, Frank, and that makes it worth it. Besides, this is my world too, right?”
“Yes, but would you have gone the rest of your life, not knowing what you are?”
She thought about it for a moment and then shrugged. “I honestly don’t know, Frank. I want to say no, that I’m glad I found out. Dahlia has made one hell of a case for it, but I don’t know if I would want it. I wouldn’t have to worry about all of these new things. I think it would have made my life a lot easier, but there is nothing to be done about it now.”
Frank didn’t say anything one way or another. He knew that her last comment wasn’t exactly true. She could be wiped. Many people had been before her, but Frank was sure that her mind would change. He wanted to believe that it would be a different answer. If not, he was going to have to find a way to change her mind. Frank didn’t want her ever to forget, because that meant that she would be forgetting him as well.
“Well, I don't know if we can take care of that, but we can certainly figure out this whole
witch problem. All we have to do is find them and take them down.”
He knew that what he was suggesting was far harder than he was making it seem. There had been a real reason that he had not immediately gone into the house when he felt them there. Frank didn’t generally like witches. He tried to stay away from them as much as he possibly could. Anybody that was smart would do the same.
Now, that wasn’t an option. Not only did he have to seek them out, but he also had to ask others to put themselves in danger one more time, for another witch. With Justin, it had been to help their fellow shifters. He was family, even if they didn't know him at that time. Connie was different. Everybody knew that she was a witch that he had helped. He had also made himself clear about the fact that he was going to mate with her the next day. Would it not seem like too much to keep asking? Did he have the right to ask?
He went through several moments of self-doubt, wondering if he was doing the right thing. If he figured that he wasn’t, would he be able to change it?
The next day was upon them before he knew it. While he had tried his best to stay the night with Connie again, she had declined. It wouldn't have been so frustrating if he would have not had a taste of her the day before. He also had the mating ritual on the horizon, and he hadn’t even asked her yet. Frank was hoping for a moment to settle upon them, but that wasn’t to be. He was going to spend the night alone, waiting to find out if she would refuse him the day of while everyone watched.
At some point, he convinced himself that he didn't have to ask. Of course, she would say yes. How could she not? The way he felt about her was unparalleled, and she had to feel the same way.
He thought about going to her room and talking her into coming to see him. It would not have taken much. She was always wanting more, even if she didn't know it.
He was about to do just that when he heard a sound he never wanted to hear. Not only was there someone that had broken past the enchantments that Dahlia had been over the house, but he knew exactly who they were. The crash downstairs was witches in his house. He could feel them almost immediately.
