Kalista, even with an armful of books, managed to clap with glee. “That would be wonderful.”
“What would be wonderful?” Jaison asked, and her nerve endings came alive. He placed another basket within Kalista’s reach. As he turned, their eyes met and the heat pooling in the pit of her stomach threatened to ignite.
Kalista placed the books inside. “She can leave with us tomorrow.”
“Do you need to get me a ticket?”
“No. We fly private charter,” Kalista murmured but her attention was back on the bookshelf. The full basket was once again removed and an empty one replaced it. “Jaison, can you get the new mystery book for Leonidas? I think it released yesterday?”
He nodded but didn’t break eye contact with her. “Could you direct me to the mystery section?”
“Do you need anything from me?” she asked Kalista, breaking the eye contact because not doing so might have her melting into a puddle at his feet.
Kalista, sitting on the floor, was going through another pile of books she compiled. “No. I think I’m almost done.”
She led the man, conscious that his gaze lay firmly on her backside, up the stairs. On the second floor, she entered the mystery aisle and turned to find him closer than she had expected. When she stumbled back, he caught her and pulled her against him. “Ooh.”
“Careful,” he purred, and she could feel the evidence of his attraction pressed firmly against her soft stomach. His hand tightened on her waist for a second before he released her and took a step back. Her body screamed, while her brain sighed in relief. For the first time in her life, her body was fighting against her good sense. This man was way out of her league. He wanted her, yes, but would it last? Her three sisters all had husbands, but she’d never sensed they loved them. They weren’t raised in an emotional house, had never been subject to loving parents. And in all her years, she had never seen the need for a man in her life. This was the first one she’d ever wanted to kiss her.
Oh, who was she fooling? She wanted far more than a simple kiss. Hiding her need to wipe her sweaty palms, she straightened her skirt. “What was the author you were looking for?”
He told her, but his eyes never left her as she scanned the bookshelves. Finally, she found the book and handed it over. “Anything else?”
“Romance?”
“This way.” She led him to the other end of the second floor. “Any particular genre.”
“Shifters, paranormal.”
“Okay.” She led him to the shelves. She didn’t read romance so she wasn’t going to be much of a help should he ask her a question, but he seemed to know exactly what he wanted. He pulled out three. One he placed on top of the bookshelf with the mystery. He read the back covers of the other two before placing one back and grabbing the whole series of the other.
In silence, they made their way down to the first floor where Kalista stood at the checkout with five full baskets of books. “She is going to spend more in this store today than the store usually makes in a month.”
“Tomorrow, she will remember a few more she needs and will be back before we head to the airport.” She detected nothing but kind resignation in his voice.
“Good thing you don’t fly commercial. The extra weight would cost her a bundle.”
“I assure you, money isn’t a concern for Kalista and her ma—husband.”
She wondered for a second what he was about to say, but her attention was diverted as he walked up and placed his stack of books on top of Kalista’s. The woman glanced up at him, her eyebrows furrowed then he tapped the first book. Utter delight shone from her eyes. “You found it. You want to read it first, or can I?”
“You can. I found a new series to start.”
Kalista bumped him with her shoulder and smiled as if she had gotten the grand prize. He stepped back and focused on the front door, made a few hand gestures, and three men came in to grab the bags of books from the counter as Ms. Porter rang them up.
“You read romance?”
“Kalista got me hooked.”
“Really? You strike me more of a horror, military-genre man.”
He raised one eyebrow. “It gives Kalista and I something to talk about. It’s our own private book club. You are welcome to join in.”
“No. That’s all right.”
“Are you a book snob who can’t appreciate what makes romance a top seller?”
“No.”
“Liar,” he said forcefully and with distaste. “It’s okay not to like it, just don’t lie about your reasoning.”
“I…” She didn’t know how to answer that.
His face softened, and he placed his hand on her arm. A sizzle ran through her. “You’ll soon see that my family hates lies. Be brutally honest. White lies are non-truths as well. Don’t worry about hurting someone’s feeling. We want the truth.”
“True story.” Kalista said. “All paid. Can we give you a ride somewhere?”
“No. I can’t leave Carol understaffed today.”
“Jaison has your address, so we can pick you up tomorrow on our way to the airport.”
“Before or after you come back here for the books you forgot?” Paighton asked, trying to hide her smile.
Kalista slapped Jaison’s shoulder playfully. “Up to you. You have Jaison’s card, so call him with a time. We’re taking off at noon, I think.”
“She’s correct.” he said. “That will put us in Greece the next day at just about two. Including one stop to refuel and to stretch our legs.”
Paighton thought about it and coming back tomorrow didn’t make a great deal of sense. “Pick me up after your stop to the bookstore. I’ll say my goodbyes today. It will speed things along tomorrow.”
Chapter Two
Jaison had never been annoyed with Kali before. He had been worried, in awe, and protective, but never annoyed. At this moment though, he wanted to yank her out of the store and demand they go pick up his mate. To finally have found his destined one and be denied seeing her was excruciating. He lifted her large bag off the countertop. “Any more and we won’t be able to lift off.”
“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today,” she muttered.
As they stepped onto the sidewalk, he sensed a being he didn’t have time for. A foniás was close by. “Kali, into the car, now.”
She didn’t hesitate shimmying into the back seat as he slid in behind her. “What?”
“Foniás.”
“Here, now? Why?” She leaned forward between the two front seats. “Where?”
“I can’t see him.”
“Why would he or she be here? I mean, they can’t sense you, right? Not until the moon enters Leo.”
“No, they can’t sense any of us, but we entered Cancer this morning.” Nothing ever went smoothly, not when he was dealing with Kalista. He sent a text off for the other car to pick up Paighton. Damn it. Another delay in seeing her again.
Kalista turned in her seat before rolling down the window and sticking her head out. “So, there are Cancers in the area in danger.”
“No, Kali. My job is to protect you, just you.”
Ignoring him, she searched the street. “There.”
That she picked out the Cancer shifter and her child should have surprised him, but Kali’s depth of empathy had been strong from the second she walked into all their lives. He could never leave a mother and child to fend for themselves. He ordered the driver to pull up and before he could get out, Kali was out the door.
“Jenny, there you are,” she yelled, pulling the other woman into her arms in an act worthy of an award. Then she whispered so softly he could barely make it out. “You’re being hunted. Get in.”
The woman nodded and practically threw her daughter at him as he pulled the woman then Kali into the car. He turned on Kali. “That was stupid.”
“I’m the only one he can’t hurt here. It wasn’t stupid. It made the most sense.” Sh
e turned to the woman. “My name is Kalista.”
The woman sniffed the air. “Leos? But you’re human. That would mean you’re the prime’s new mate.” Her voice held no sign of disdain, to Jaison’s great relief. Kali had been dealing with enough prejudice amongst his own kind, he didn’t need it from another.
“I am.”
“So, it’s true humans can mate with shifters. Our prime lied to us last year, telling us he had mated with a human.” The woman was babbling and wringing her hands, both signs of extreme panic.
“We offer you our protection.” Kalista reached out and gripped the other woman’s hands within hers and offered a smile at the little girl clinging to her mother. “Why aren’t you at your sanctuary city?”
“Our car broke down yesterday morning and my mate, Orlando, went for help and never returned. I hitched a ride into town, but could feel the foniás closing in.”
“You’re safe with us.”
The woman let out a panicked sob but took a deep breath. “My name is Sabine, and this is my daughter, Sophia.”
Kali looked his way and Jaison texted out an alert for the missing man as well as a brief message to Leonidas to call when he had a second. He suspected they were about to have two more passengers to Greece and on the island until it was safe for the mother and her offspring to travel again. He didn’t doubt his alpha would extend the invite any more than he doubted the moon would rise that evening. The fact another car had broken down on their way to sanctuary alerted the beta defense within him. This was another in a long line of car issues affecting shifters when they were most vulnerable. He didn’t believe in coincidence, and neither did his prime.
“Is that your car?” Kalista asked, pointing to a green sedan on the side of the road up ahead.
The other woman nodded.
“Nikolas. Is it safe to stop and get her bags?”
“If you’re quick.” The man pulled up to the car and once again Kalista jumped out, Jaison fast on her heels.
“You have to stop that,” he roared.
“I’m the only one truly not in danger from this being.”
“Neither am I, for another month.” He opened the back hatch and grabbed the small pink suitcase decorated with unicorns and the large orange floral one. They left the other black one in case the husband returned.
“Someone is approaching fast,” Nikolas said through the open passenger window.
Jaison looked behind him and sensed the foniás before he saw him. “Can you lose him?”
Nikolas shook his head. “Doubtful. But he won’t attack at the airport. The faster we get out of here the better.”
The moment they returned to the speed limit, Nikolas’s phone rang and he gave the verbal command to answer. Jaison knew whom it was without seeing the caller ID. Nikolas answered, “Boss.”
“Would someone like to tell me why my bride is being chased by foniás?” the voice of their leader boomed from the dash, causing their guests to jump.
Jaison leaned forward, grabbed Nikolas’ phone from its resting place in the cupholder in the front seat and disabled the Bluetooth before he brought it to his ear. Their guests didn’t need the wrath of Leonidas. “Boss. She’s safe.”
“That isn’t what I asked!” he roared.
“She saved a mother and her child who were being hunted.”
A pause. “How did she know?”
“I sensed a slayer near. And she homed in on their prey.” He offered Kali a quick smile. She bit her lip, but she wasn’t worried about herself. Leonidas rarely did anything more than grunt when angry with her. But those charged with her care received the full amount of his displeasure and it always bothered her. “She is, as you have many times said, very empathetic. She picked right up on who was in trouble.”
“How are the mother and child?”
“Safe but worried. The husband is missing.”
“So I read in your alert. I’ll inform the Cancer prime of the situation. For the time being, the two of them will be our guests. I doubt with the stunt he pulled last year, Xavier will remain prime for long. Put my mate on.”
“He’s all yours.” He passed the phone over and sat back, employing his great skill of tuning out the conversation of those two. Instead, he picked up his own cell and called their pilot. They were still twenty minutes out. “Jacob are you ready to take off?”
“Yes, sir. As soon as the queen is on board.”
“We’ve two more passengers. One is a small child. Can you send someone into the terminal to get some kid-friendly snacks?”
“Of course.”
Centering himself, he asked the real question. “Has our librarian boarded yet?”
“I believe I see her approaching.” He muffled his phone and returned. “She is boarding. I’m assuming we need to be airborne as soon as possible.”
“That would be helpful.” He hung up and turned back to Sabine. “Your mate?”
“Is still alive. That’s the only thing I know.”
Some but not all shifters could sense foniás. Obviously, this woman could not, or she wouldn’t have been out in plain sight. But if his suspicions were correct, the mate took the slayer away from his family to protect them. “If he still lives, then he has a good chance of surviving. We left some of our men and women in the area to search for him. If they find him, they’ll bring him to the island.”
“I don’t know how to repay you.”
“We only ever ask that you pay it forward.” He glanced at Kali, who still chatted with Leonidas then returned his attention to the other woman. “Your mate wasn’t going to challenge your prime this month, was he?”
“No. He would make a lousy prime.” She chuckled, re-braiding her daughter’s hair. “He’s a great tracker and content to be so.”
The plane was more than Paighton expected. Of course, it was equipped with leather seats and all manner of luxury items, but a private bedroom and full bathroom with shower? The bedroom was definitely for Kalista, but Paighton was still in awe as she explored.
A gorgeous flight attendant approached. “Hi, I’m Lenora. Let me take your bag.” Stowing the luggage in a closet, she continued to talk as she prepared the cabin. “Can I get you anything to drink before we take off? Kalista likes to wait until we’re in the air, but there are snacks if you’re hungry. Once we’re at cruising altitude, you can recline your seat into a bed, and we’ve privacy walls we can put up. In the pocket beside you are some things you might need: ear plugs, toothbrush, sleep masks.”
“You’ll have to forgive me. I’ve never flown anything other than economy.”
“If it makes you feel better, neither had Kali. She’s still having to be reminded we work for her.” The woman smiled. “Ah, here she comes. I believe they are eager to take off as soon as possible.”
The first person up the stairs was a disheveled woman. Though beautiful, she looked scared. She carried a child who clung to her with a death grip. Lenora escorted them to the two seats in the back and buckled in the child then the mother. Kalista walked on next and headed to the cockpit before taking a seat across the aisle from her. She offered her a brief smile before glancing out at the tarmac.
Another flight attendant entered, carrying a large bag and huge stuffed animal of the local baseball team’s mascot. She handed the toy to the child before heading to the back. Nikolas was followed aboard by Jaison. The sun silhouetted him in the door. He pulled the steps up and shut the door and stuck his head in the cockpit.
“Whenever you can,” he said to the pilot before returning to tap Nickolas, who was about to sit next to Paighton. “My seat.”
Nikolas gave him a glance before sitting next to Kalista.
He took his seat. “All buckled up?”
“Yes,” Paighton said. But he leaned over her and adjusted the lap belt anyway. Any other time, with any other man, she would have balked. But even the briefest of his touches made her heart race.
“Do you see anyone?” he asked Kalista.
She shook her head but never turned her attention from the window.
“Is everything okay?” Had they kidnapped the woman and the child? Were they running from the law? What after all did she really know about them? Hell, they could be drug smugglers.
To her surprise he gripped her hand. “Sabine and her child are in a great deal of danger.”
Shock ran through her. She’d expected a vague answer at best. “She is escaping?”
He nodded. “From people who don’t like her family.”
“What about her husband?”
“He went missing late last night.” He glanced back at the woman. “No one has heard from him since he left them with the broken-down car.”
“Oh, poor thing.” Her heart ached for the two huddled together. She knew she should release her hand from his, but there was something comforting about the grip. She was never one to fear flying, but this time she did enjoy the support.
As soon as the pilot announced they’d reached cruising altitude, Kalista removed her seat belt and hustled the mom and child into the back room. “You’re exhausted. Please sleep. You’ll do no one any good if you fall ill. Sophia needs you.”
“I can’t take your bed.”
“Of course you can. Please. It would make me feel better.”
Paighton didn’t hear the rest of the conversation as the door closed. When the flight attendant came by, she quickly removed her hand from his. “Are you embarrassed to be seen holding my hand?”
“No, it’s not that. I feel silly.”
“Silly?”
“Yes, you said never lie. I feel like holding your hand is pretending to be more than we are. I just met you and it seems inappropriate.”
“Very prim of you.”
“Excuse me?”
He leaned in and whispered in her ear, the hot breath causing goose pimples to cover her body. “What I want to do is neither prim nor proper. Holding your hand is the tamest of the things I wish to do to you.”
Prowling for His Mate Page 2