by K. N. Banet
I was glad he agreed with my choices. I didn’t think Dirk and Oliver were going to stick around and keep working at Kick Shot. There was no way in hell those two would ever go back to my territory.
Zuri finished up after Jabari left to find Hasan. I wrapped myself up in the blanket lying over the back of the couch just in time. Heath and his family walked in, and the moment Carey saw me again, she ran for me. Zuri backed away as my little human threw her arms around my waist and fell into me. I bit back a pained groan, trying my best not to show Carey or anyone else how badly I hurt. I clutched my blanket with one hand and tried to hug her with the other, pretending like nothing was wrong.
“You’re not supposed to get hurt anymore,” she whispered into my chest. I silently thanked myself for covering up when I had.
“I know,” I mumbled into her hair.
“You can stay in my room with me,” she offered. “Dad said you would be really tired. You fell asleep the moment you got away.”
“I would love that.” I wouldn’t turn away such a generous offer. I pried her off me, which wasn’t easy, and stood, feeling the ache of exhaustion and not having a proper bed for several days. “Let me use the restroom.” I had been using a bucket for six days. A proper toilet would be nice too.
“Okay. I’ll wait in my room.” She scurried off, and I heard her thumping up the stairs.
Landon looked me over before nodding, then left the room. I had a feeling I had gotten his approval for some reason.
Heath, though, was still in wolf form and padded away without a single look at me, heading up the stairs as well.
“How was finally meeting them?” I asked softly, knowing the wolves could possibly still hear me.
“Landon is very protective of his sister,” Zuri said thoughtfully. “A good thing for an older brother. I see Jabari hates him. They’re very similar.”
“Don’t let him hear that,” I muttered, shaking my head in dismay.
“Good wolves,” Niko added. When I turned to him, he gave me a smile that was very wolfish. Knowing who he used to be and how he came to be a member of the family and a werecat, I could see why he was quiet, and his mannerisms were a little different from everyone else’s. He probably understood Heath and Landon better than I ever would.
“That’s it?”
“She loves you,” Zuri whispered with respect and admiration. “Treasure that.”
I swallowed the hard lump that quickly formed in my throat and nodded.
“I do,” I promised. Carey was most of my world—her brightness, her quick wit, her strong but fragile heart, her courage, and her love. She brought me out of the dark more than anyone else ever could.
“Good. Go. Get some rest. We won’t move on Mikkel until you’re up and ready.”
“Really?” I was a little surprised. Did I want a piece of those assholes? Definitely. But I had figured my family would go without me to get it done and avenge me while I healed.
“He owes you a pound of flesh,” she reminded me with a sharp, dangerous smile. Bloodthirsty Zuri was terrifying.
I went upstairs, found a bathroom, used it, then proceeded to find Carey. She was already getting ready to lie down, staring at two stuffed animals. It wasn’t even her bedtime, but I had a feeling it had nothing to do with being tired.
“You can have this one,” she decided, holding out a wolf with blue eyes. I took it with a smile. “I’m too old for stuffed animals, but sometimes…”
“I get it. Thank you for sharing your room.”
“Lie down and go to sleep,” she ordered, patting her small bed.
I did as she demanded and knew a twelve-year-old was watching my back as I slept.
20
Chapter Twenty
The door opening woke me up, and I sat up quickly, staring.
“Yes, Hasan?” I asked, a little annoyed and still tired.
“I brought clothing for you,” he said kindly, holding up the bundle in his arms. “If you could dress and meet me downstairs, I would be glad. There’s much we need to talk about.”
It felt like a flashback, but my initial reaction was much different. Over eleven years ago, I had woken up to a door opening, my hearing too sensitive, and saw a man I barely knew. A guy who had taught me and Shane how to ride horses while on our trip to a remote island. He’d terrified me then.
Eleven years later and the hardness in his eyes and posture betrayed the kind words he had said, and terrified me again.
“Is there a plan? Are Mischa and Hisao here?” I asked, swinging my legs off the bed, ignoring the aching of the bruises. I didn’t care about being naked in front of him. If there was one thing Hasan made very clear at the beginning of our complicated familial relationship, it was he didn’t look at me in any way that should be considered uncomfortable. His eyes never wavered off mine, and he never had any sort of reaction. He was a father, first and foremost, before a man.
“There is, and they are,” he answered, holding out the clothing. “Are you feeling better?”
“I think so. Sorry for being…fragile, earlier,” I said, taking the bundle. Turning away, I tossed it on the bed to see what he had given me. One of them must have gone to my house and grabbed some of my clothing.
“We understand. Heath said you fought hard to get to him.”
“You talked to him again?” I pulled on underwear and pants, then looked back at him as I picked up the sports bra.
“Of course I did. Does that really surprise you?”
No, but I’m not sure I’m comfortable with it, either.
Shrugging, I pulled my shirt on. I didn’t really know how to answer. I’d never imagined the two sides of my life would cross to this effect. One of the family meeting my wolf was something entirely different than the entire family.
“Would you like a hand?” he asked, offering an arm.
“No, thank you.” I didn’t want to feel weak like I had after the rescue. I didn’t want to feel fragile, not with how much power surrounded me. I wanted to live up to them, not be the one they needed to coddle. “Food would help more than walking assistance.”
“I’m going to assume they starved you,” he said quietly, holding the door for me. “Niko and Zuri have been fighting over the kitchen to make food for everyone since you laid down.”
“So, everyone’s noticed,” I said with a snort.
“It’s hard to miss. You’ve probably lost over ten pounds, and I know how hard it is for us to keep weight if we’re not properly sustained.”
I didn’t look at him as I walked past, keeping my eyes down. I wasn’t an invalid. I trotted down the stairs and went to the kitchen, following the scent of food, walking in to see several dishes on the counters, steam coming off them. Before I looked at my siblings, an errant thought ran through my mind.
Ah. Richard liked brown, just as much as his father.
Standing in the house, staring at the kitchen but able to see a peek of the dining room, I could see all the warm tones. Richard had balanced the brown with reds, which would’ve a warm effect if it didn’t look so much like dirt. The counters were light tan, paired with dark cabinets. Even the dishes were brown with designs on them, peeking into view underneath the mountains of food my family was cooking.
Which brought me to the surreal scene happening in the kitchen.
Zuri was standing over a pot on the stove while Niko was pulling something out of the oven. They worked around each other like they had done it every day for centuries. It was nearly magical in its own right. Neither of them noticed I was there yet, so I continued to look around, peeking into the dining room, taking a better look at who was in there.
Heath sat at his dining room table, bemused, watching my siblings take over his kitchen. He noticed me after only a second, and I caught the bemused expression turn into a wider smile, then disappear. A hand touched my shoulder.
“Get something to eat,” Jabari ordered.
I sighed as Niko and Zuri turned to me. Zuri’
s eyes narrowed.
“How long have you been there?”
“Only a moment,” I answered, swallowing.
“Food. Eat. Now. No one else has been allowed to eat until you woke up because you…” She used a wooden spoon to point over my body. “Need it.”
I didn’t argue. Niko handed me a plate, which I allowed, but when Jabari started to help me spoon things onto my plate, I snarled, took the spoon away, and did it myself. My older brother was smart enough to take two steps back. When my plate was full, I went into the dining room and sat across from Heath at the dining table, realizing quickly there was a new awkwardness between us. I searched his face for any indication of what he was thinking, but he kept it blank and looked at his phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Checking my email,” he answered truthfully.
“Ah.”
I hated it already. I was used to talking to Heath about everything under the sun. Was he angry with me for what I said in the truck?
“Where are Carey and Landon?”
“Landon took her outside to play on the four-wheelers. She doesn’t like this house.”
“Because Richard used to own it?”
He looked up, his eyes narrowing.
“Who told you?”
“Landon, when we got here.”
He nodded, then went back to his phone.
“Sister!” a woman yelled across the house. “Where is she? I smell her!”
“Over here!” I called out. Heath sighed heavily and got up, leaving the dining room as Mischa blew in like a winter storm. I smiled at her, trying to put Heath out of my mind. Something never quite lined up with Mischa for me. She looked and dressed like a model or movie star, her eyes were the color of snow at night, her natural platinum blonde hair cascaded in a long fall, straight and silky, and she dressed in high-end designer clothing.
Yet she lived on the road and never settled in one place. She acted like a rock star who couldn’t put down roots and traveled to places most humans didn’t dare live. She didn’t have a speck of dirt on her, though, nor any other signs of the hardships from the life she lived.
She was a pretty drifter, Mischa. Prettier in person than she ever was on camera.
“You’re alive,” she breathed out. “They told me, but…”
I didn’t get the chance to say anything as she smothered me in a hug, but this time, I didn’t wince. I was seated, and she was standing, which made it uncomfortable, but it was a hug.
“Let her go, so she can eat,” Zuri snapped.
“Shut up. You got to tend her. I’m going to shower her in affection now,” Mischa growled back.
“Both of you stop,” I tried to order, pushing Mischa off me. “I want to eat. I’ll talk, but don’t hover. Actually, Mischa, why weren’t you here earlier today?”
“Hisao and I were chasing down some possible leads. We didn’t find anything, but Father told us the wolves could be getting close to finding you, so we headed this way. Then we got here, and you’d already escaped. Good work, kid.” She grinned, all teeth, and sat down next to me. I looked over her head and saw Hisao quietly coming into the archway between the living room and dining room, then leaning against the wall. He just nodded.
“Thanks. It was good timing and luck, mostly. What’s our plan now?”
“Our plan is for everyone to eat, including the poor family we’ve intruded on, then discuss how we’re going to crush Mikkel and his motherfucking friends,” Mischa answered, still grinning. “Time to fight with the big cats.”
“I fought with Jabari already,” I reminded her. Mischa snorted.
“Against vampires. Not hard prey. Other werecats, though? That’s a good fight.”
Is that what you call it? Fuck, my entire family is insane.
They all filed into the dining room, even Hasan, and started eating. It was like a Thanksgiving from hell. I didn’t say anything, just shoved food in my face. When Carey came in with her family behind her, I looked up, desperately hoping any of them would save me. Carey, however, wasn’t feeling protective. Her eyes wide, she looked over my entire family together at one table and around the dining room. She was in awe.
“It’s not polite to stare,” Heath whispered down to her, purely for her benefit. A whisper like that was something every supernatural in the room knew to ignore for the young girl’s pride.
“Dad…”
“Find a seat.”
Mischa jumped up, smiling. “She can have mine. You must be Carey. I saw you out on the four-wheeler. Very cool.”
Carey’s face turned bright red as she sat down, her eyes never leaving the beautiful woman talking to her. I was completely forgotten in favor of my cool and interesting family. The same thing had happened when Jabari visited my territory, so I wasn’t surprised. It was a cruel and funny reminder that kids had short attention spans.
Landon made no move to find a seat, but Heath was interesting. He went to Niko and looked down at the werecat, who glanced up to see the Alpha staring at him. Interestingly, I saw the visible effort Niko made to remain sitting before giving in and giving Heath a seat at his own table.
“Old habits die hard,” Davor teased from across the room. “How did you figure it out, wolf?”
“Figure out what?” Heath asked, looking up from his plate. “He was sitting in my spot at my table.”
Davor’s eyes narrowed, but it was Niko who sighed.
“My parents were werewolves. Niko the Traitor,” he explained. “I thought Jacky would have told you.”
“Jacky doesn’t tell me your family secrets,” Heath said blandly. “But, really? How did you end up a werecat?” Heath seemed to lighten up in the span of a heartbeat as he and Niko started a lively conversation about the War and Niko’s life. I could see Heath grow more comfortable by the second, probably because he finally had someone in my family who understood him just a little, other than me.
I turned to Carey, who was still enamored by Mischa, but now Zuri was joining the fold. Turning away from my two older sisters completely charming and spoiling her, I looked at Hasan, Jabari, and Hisao. They weren’t saying anything, but the looks they were giving each other told me there was some kind of conversation going on there.
The entire scene seemed too surreal. I finished up my food faster than everyone else, took my dishes to the kitchen, and went out the back door. Sniffing the air and taking in the scenery, I was glad to see I was still in East Texas, though I didn’t know exactly where. The door opened and closed behind me, and I caught Davor’s distinct scent.
“You didn’t enjoy dinner? Zuri and Niko worked hard on it just for you,” he said with a small bite.
“I spent a week being held captive. The idea of kicking my feet up…” I shook my head. “It just felt weird.”
“We’re waiting on the little one to head off to bed,” he explained. “Hard to plan killing a lot of people when young ears are around.”
“Where did Oliver and Dirk go?”
“They ate upstairs. This is too much for Oliver. He’s…proper. Doesn’t know how to handle this much authority and power in the room without working. Dirk…you’ve met him.” Davor snorted. “I don’t know how Niko puts up with him.”
“They’re family,” I said, side-eyeing him. “I mean, that’s why we all put up with you.”
He growled. “And here I was, trying to come out and see how you were doing.”
“You started it by guilting me over the hard work our siblings put into dinner. You weren’t off to a very good start,” I snapped back.
He looked at me, measuring me. I allowed it, waiting for the judgment I knew was coming.
“I don’t like you,” he said finally.
“I don’t like you, either. I’m amazed you’re even here.” Was it harsh to say? Yes, but I wasn’t in a very good mood.
“You’re family,” he snarled at me, stepping closer. “Of course I’m fucking here. We can’t tolerate another loss.”
&n
bsp; “I’m not going to get myself killed. If you haven’t noticed, I’ve done everything in my power to not die,” I said in frustration, not understanding the brother squaring off with me.
“You’ve done a bang-up job so far, haven’t you? You just do as you please, and if you don’t die, then you’ve done the right thing. Is that it?”
“Better than being a fucking asshole every time I open my mouth like someone I know,” I snarled, pushing him away. “I don’t fucking get you, Davor. Everyone says you hate me because Liza died, and you think I’m some fucking replacement, but I think you just want to hate me. I never hated you, but you…” I waved a hand at him. “You can’t even treat me with a shred of respect.”
He looked down at his chest, where I had touched him. He seemed a little confused that I would put my hands on him.
“You just shoved me,” he said.
“Damn right, I did.” I straightened, squaring my shoulders. “I’ve been through enough this week. I don’t need you right now.”
He didn’t say anything more, walking inside and leaving me with no small amount of confusion. The next thing I knew, Hasan was walking out, an annoyed expression on his face.
“Did you shove your brother?”
“Yes.”
He heaved a large sigh. I wanted to reach out and throttle the man.
“Jacqueline.”
“He’s a total asshole to me! I came out here to have a moment of peace, and he came out to be a prick!”
“I know.”
“Then…” I inhaled, trying to control myself. “What am I supposed to do?”
“I’m not mad at you, just a little exasperated my children must always resort to physical violence to deal with each other.”
“Why is he like this?”
Hasan’s eyes were sad. “That is something I can’t help you with any more than I have. You and Davor might never like each other, and he never has to give you a reason why. Could you live with that?”
“I could try. At least this time, he attempted to be nice by coming out to check on me,” I muttered, shrugging.