Bouquet of Regret (Angel's Shifters Book 1)

by Lenai McGoveran

  Scoffing, I shook my head, and the vampire shrugged before gently turning me around. Riff and Char’s smiles dropped while they stared at me until I lowered my gaze to scuff my foot on the carpet. What was so wrong with my face that they stared like that? Was I really so hideous?

  I sensed Riff moving closer and stiffened while swallowing nervously. He dropped to his knees before me, and I took a step back because of the intensity of the emotions in his eyes. “You are beautiful, Angel, breathtakingly so when excitement lights your eyes. Kyler is a dumb fool, and I can’t wait for him to realize it. But have you looked in a mirror? I know your self-esteem is nonexistent, but damn girl. Something here agrees with you because it enhances your natural beauty. I could write a thousand songs and never capture the essence of your beauty,” Riff murmured. He was opening his mouth to say something else when Char brought his fist down on top of his head. Riff glared at him while rubbing his head with a disgruntled frown.

  Cheeks burning so hot I feared they might melt, I met Char’s gaze with shock. “What this uneducated heathen means is you are exquisite, my dear. Now, what are the terms?” At first, my brow furrowed, but then I glanced at his eyes to discover Char faced Ryker. However, he kept his eyes just below the vampire’s out of respect, which was wise. I doubt an opposing predator’s staring contest to establish dominance would amuse Ryker.

  “So, this is the intelligent one?” Ryker asked dryly, and I scoffed before elbowing the vampire who chuckled. “Terms. Hmm. Well, I’m afraid I can only establish half of them since the high school is not my territory. But Angel will not be alone. No, Snow, Tyger, and Arctic shall go with her. As will Liam, Matty, and myself.” I bit my lip, wondering who would run the vampire lord’s house in his absence, and he chuckled indulgently. “I have a third who will enjoy keeping those who dwell within my home in line. I left Tyger in charge of you, but she will salivate over the opportunity to straighten out this mess since I forbade her from startling you. Had I not, you never would have discovered what you were not meant to find. However, you stumbling upon your puppies was because of her meddling. She mocked them by using their dirty trick to lead you to those who needed saving.”

  After kissing my forehead, he returned his gaze to Char’s to state, “we shall need a house big enough for you and us. I know Marcus will insist on his second and third staying with Angel, not that I blame him. Besides, she’s comfortable with you and would miss you if the only time you spent together was at school. However, you must earn the respect of Tyger and Arctic on your own, I cannot force them to give it to you, puppies. Shifters have a mind of their own, at least mine do.” His fingers gently stroked my hair, and I glanced at the vampire warily. That was the second indication I’m a shifter. Or, I read far too much into a small action that would happen regardless of what words fell from Ryker’s lips. It’s a good thing I didn’t mind suspense, or I’d be dead already. Still, I rolled my eyes with a soundless huff.

  “That’s manageable,” Riff mused, a boyish smile curling his lips when I glanced at him. “I can pull it off without him knowing, at first. By the time Angel walks into school, he’ll know, but he won’t dare spook her into running by interrupting classes. It will irritate him that he has to wait until lunch or school’s over. Still, it will be a sufficient way for us to express our displeasure over his orders, which helped cause the situation in which we find ourselves.” Well, at least Riff was a rebel with a cause. However, seeing Marcus had my soul dancing in excitement. So, Ryker didn’t completely kill the bond between us then. Could he still? Or did I have to be isolated from the wolf pack?

  Glancing at me, Char’s eyes hardened before he asked, “what have you done to Angel?” I blinked, my brow furrowing before I met his gaze, and he placed a kiss on my forehead then raised his eyes defiantly.

  “Nothing that can be undone at this point. Or that I will allow you to reverse, I should say,” the vampire lord replied with a cold chuckle. “I partially killed the bond between her and your alpha, something that can only be done outside his influence. Thus, Angel’s stuck between us. Half his, half mine, so we shall require a lesson in sharing.” Riff and Char shared a glance while I sighed soundlessly. It wasn’t as if I didn’t suspect that’s what Ryker did. “Besides,” his voice grew terribly cold, “Angel was mine first. I was present at her birth. Therefore, you dogs are the poachers, not me.”

  Riff’s jaw dropped while Char’s eyes became guarded. “Shall I pretend I’m not here so you can continue your pissing contest?” I asked dryly when Riff opened his mouth to speak, his eyes full of anger. The werewolves had the decency to look bashful while Ryker burst out laughing.

  “That right there is why Jaxy adored you so,” Ryker chortled. “You never let anyone argue around you for very long. I can only imagine what would have happened had Tyger snuck off to see you at the same time as Jax. I fear the world would have ceased to exist with that much snark in one place, albeit I’m sure the show would have been amazing.” My cheeks heated, and I stared at my feet while Char’s gaze weighed heavily upon me.

  “You knew Jax?” He asked quietly, and Ryker chuckled.

  “Knowing him is the reason I was present at Angel’s birth, and that’s the end of this discussion,” the vampire replied with a finality to his words. My brow furrowed while I tried to put that together. Why would knowing Jax cause Ryker to be present when I was born? I didn’t like this puzzle piece because while it felt like an important clue, it gave me nothing but more questions. “Stop mulling,” Ryker gently ordered with a light tap to the back of my head. Huffing, I stepped away to turn around and stare at him mutinously. “You agreed to wait until later, little one,” he reminded me with amusement. When I huffed, he added, “the answer to that part of the riddle Jaxy left you leads to solving nearly the entire puzzle.”

  “Sounds like an important clue then,” Riff mused in a light voice, and I sighed before glancing at the teenager who grinned. “Jax would be disappointed if you solved his mystery so easily.” Grumbling under my breath, I crossed my arms and sat on the edge of Ryker’s bed, prompting laughter from the man who had the answer to every question I couldn’t answer. Bastard. Still, I smiled at Riff, then pointed towards the bathroom, and he sighed before warily eyeing Ryker, who quirked his brow.

  “Puppy, if I were a threat, you would already be dead, I assure you,” Ryker smirked, and I rolled my eyes. When Riff looked at me with a slight sneer, I shook my head, remembering Stella’s quick and unexpected demise.

  “He’s fast, and he doesn’t hesitate to kill,” I warned quietly.

  “Which is why Angel is unworried. She knows I would have already killed you had I planned to. So, do us a favor and shower since you reek, dog,” the vampire lord sneered. Was this what I had to look forward to dealing with every day? I doubt I could handle it for long, or was that the point? Sighing, Ryker gently cupped my cheek, raising my face until our eyes met to murmur, “I am displeased. Thus, I seek something to relieve my frustration. I won’t always be at the throats of your puppies, I promise. They are rattled as well, stuck in enemy territory where they suffered before you stumbled upon them. Vesper would have revealed them sooner, I’m sure, had she believed she could do so. Someone hid them, at first, but once she discovered your puppies, she alerted me, then contrived a way for you to rescue those who came to save you.”

  When I glanced at Riff, he shrugged with a slight smile that did nothing to hide the pain in his eyes. “Home feels cold and lonely without you, Marcus is a distracted mess, and we feared the leeches would hurt you. Marcus wanted to come after you but didn’t dare start an interspecies war by crossing the border without permission. He warned the pack against it, and we tried to obey, but you’re more important than following the rules.” I bit my lip upon recalling when Jaxy warned that disobeying the alpha was painful, and tears filled my eyes. No one has ever loved me so much they came after to me to make sure I was all right. They risked their alpha’s ire too, and an unknown world of p
otential trouble. I felt essential, which was odd for me, but I also had a touch of anger burning in my soul. How could they be so stupid as to face the vampires alone?

  “From what Vesper gathered, they petitioned to speak to me which I was not alerted of, a sin someone will pay for. Heavily. However, when turned down, they crossed into my territory to politely knock on my front door. So, while they are stupid dogs, they’re also intelligent and respectful,” Ryker sighed after a moment. “You’re projecting,” he added with a smile and my cheeks heated. “Which is unsurprising since you are quite emotional at the moment, little one. Now, bunny, I will get your puppies some clothes and food if you will be so kind as to convince them to shower. Tyger is outside, as is Arctic. However, I don’t think we should quash their hopes just yet.” A gentle kiss on my forehead left me staring in shock as the door to the vampire’s room closed with a soft click.

  Quash their hopes? Oh. Because of the way my soul rejoices at the sound of Arc’s name? They hope Kyler will win me over? Hmm, hell will freeze over first. Not only was he abusive, but he had infidelity issues as well. I wouldn’t touch upon the hotshot taking one look at me and deciding I wasn’t good enough for him. “Dare we ask?” Riff asked dryly, shaking his head with a rueful smile when I glanced at him. “Have I told you I adore that look on you? You should always dress like that since it hints at how much of a badass you are.”

  “Agreed,” Char stated with a soft laugh. “But, let’s get clean. I, for one, am tired of smelling my blood.” With warm cheeks, I led the way to the bathroom, remembering only once I turned on the light that I left the phone Char gave me on the counter. I stared at it, feeling like I eyed a murder weapon when Riff stopped behind me.

  “Oh, that’s where it went,” Riff sighed with relief, and I bit my lip. “We wondered since we couldn’t find it.”

  “I didn’t put it in my bag,” I admitted tearfully after a moment of heavy silence.

  “Which is why we were surprised it was gone,” Char announced, leaning against the doorframe. “I didn’t think you would take it, feeling betrayed as you did, nor the gifts from Ava and Marcus. So how did you get them?”

  “Jaxy,” I admitted quietly, a ghostly kiss pressing against my forehead while tears stung my eyes. “He told me to go to the treehouse, by saying there was somewhere you wouldn’t think to look, at first. Then, he somewhat rebuked me for running while saying I was right too. I believe that was his way of trying to convince me to go back. I fear he knew Liam was in the woods but regretted sending me in his direction once I reached my destination. Or, he intended for me to come here all along, considering what he put in my bag before I left. I don’t know which answer is right, and I doubt he’d tell me even if I asked.” A chuckle in my ear warned that was correct, albeit it was sad sounding too, which pained my heart. Even though Jax was long since dead, I perceived his ghostly torment and desired to ease it. Alas, I didn’t know how to comfort a ghost.

  “He always was a meddler,” Char chuckled. “Poor Dakota could tell you stories for days of all the ways his cousin messed with his life alone. He worries, that was his focus, so to speak. Whereas you’re a protector, that’s your deeper calling, if that makes sense.” Char looked bashful when I glanced at him, and I chuckled upon seeing the light blush staining his cheeks.

  Riff, meanwhile, kissed my cheek before he began stripping. “We can’t get clean if we don’t shower, and I, for one, am starving. I doubt the leech will let us eat until we are better smelling to his delicate nose. So, Angel, want to piss him off by joining us?” With a choked cry, my cheeks burning, I stumbled backward out of the bathroom while Char and Riff howled their laughter. Geez, all they had to do was ask me to leave. Ugh.

  As soon as I turned to face Ryker’s room after the bathroom door closed in my face, my soul relaxed before my feet moved on their own volition. I threw myself into his embrace, and he tutted, kissing my forehead, which caused tingles to dance across my skin, but I only hugged him tighter. “Are you all right, Arctic?” I asked quietly, and he chuckled with a grin.

  “Vamps never stood a chance. Still, I felt your horror and pain, so I rushed to discover what you stuck your nose into this time and was surprised to find your puppies. So, empathy healer, huh? I haven’t seen one of those before, nor has Tyger as far as I know. If the other vamps find out about you, they’ll try to take you from Ryker. Not because they want an omega, but empathy healers are… useful.” The way he said that warned I never wanted to learn that firsthand. A shiver raced along my spine while I hid my face in the shifter’s chest, imagining many terrible wounds which they would force me to heal.

  “Which is why I refuse to let a group of shifters enter wolf territory on their own,” Ryker agreed with a touch of coldness in his voice. My eyes met his, and I sighed when worry swirled within the anger. “Other vampires see shifters as nothing more than property. Outside my territory, you’d be declared runaways and taken even though they damn well know Tyger, Snow, and Arctic are mine. I could regain my trio, but they would never return you. No, an omega and an empathy healer to boot? Hah, I’d be lucky to hear a whisper confirming you still live, such is how carefully they would hide you. Unfortunately, your monster would seem a pleasant dream compared to the hell they would put you through. There’s much we don’t understand of those with your gift.”

  I shuddered, hiding my face once more while trying to banish the images intent upon overtaking my mind. I harbored no doubts that the vampires Ryker spoke of would not hesitate to do whatever horrible things they believed would give them the answers they sought. I bit my lip while tears burned my eyes at the knowledge that Ryker’s people saw Arctic’s as nothing more than something to own. How much did they suffer? Were they beaten? Most likely, since I imagine the vampires enslaved them. What could I do to fix that? There must be something. What was the point of being different if I couldn’t do something to help the beaten and downtrodden?

  “There is time yet to wage war, little one. Let’s get you past your tenuous health first, hmm? You’re not much of a savior if you require saving, bunny,” although I flinched from his words, I was grateful he kept his voice gentle. When I met Ryker’s gaze, he nodded. “Yes, bunny, I will aid you when it’s time to save the shifters. However, your health comes first. Perhaps your education as well, hmm?” When I would have protested, his expression warned that my argument would be a waste of breath. Still, the knowledge that people suffered at the hands of another pained my heart and soul. I know what it feels like to be hunted, to always watch over your shoulder for fear of what dwelled in the shadows. I understood pain and abuse too. Hence, the thought of letting someone ache in the dark decimated my heart and soul.

  After a moment, Arctic shifted his weight before kissing my forehead, then he untangled himself from me. A mere second after the door to Ryker’s room closed, the entry to the bathroom opened. With a sigh, I accepted the stack of clothes from the vampire lord who smirked, shaking his head when I turned towards Riff. He waited in the doorway with a towel wrapped around his hips. My cheeks burned after I made the mistake of meeting his gaze, so I kept my eyes on my feet. A warm chuckle preceded a gentle kiss on my forehead, and I sighed. Still, I lacked the courage to raise my eyes again, out of fear I might stare. Riff was beautiful.

  Less than three minutes passed, and two teenage wolves clothed in shorts and tees stood next to me, their wary eyes watching Ryker. Smiling widely, the vampire lord disappeared with a breeze the only sign of his passing. It must be nice to run that fast, unless you can’t see where you’re going. That would be awkward. Ryker returned within moments, two enormous bowls of chili in his hands. “From what I hear, Matty and Angel can attest this tastes good,” Ryker chuckled, and my cheeks warmed under the regard of Riff and Char.

  I nodded with a hesitant smile, eyeing the carpet beneath my feet, only to flinch when a kiss on my cheek startled me. I wonder if I will ever get used to the affectionate nature of werewolves. A silent sigh of relief esc
aped my lips when they sat on the edge of the bed and ate with gusto after their first hesitant bites. Not that I blamed them. No, good chili wasn’t a given, but this one was tasty. Ava’s was terrific as well, and I preferred hers by a little. With an indulgent chuckle, Ryker offered me a cookie, which I happily ate while humming.

  Having finished his chili, Riff eyed the remains of my cookie, and I scowled. This girl does not share. Not cookies, anyway. While I was hesitant to take what Dare’s mom baked for him, these were mine, and hell would rule the earth before I shared. “I would not ask or attempt to touch,” Ryker chuckled warningly, “Angel will bite if you dare.” When Riff eyed him dubiously, he shook his head. “Jax thought he could get away with it and was startled to learn he couldn’t. If I could turn a memory into a video for the eternal enjoyment of all, that’s the one I would choose. His expression was comical, while bunny growled and clutched her little cookies to her chest with the darkest scowl I have ever witnessed.”

  Char chortled, and murmured, “well now we know Angel’s weakness for breakfast and dessert. Soon, we’ll get her to eat for an entire day without protest.” My cheeks burned, and when I would have protested, he shook his head. “I jest, sweetheart. But you tend to avoid eating. I understand it’s a habit. However, that doesn’t change that we need to break it.”

  “Agreed,” Ryker declared, and I glared at him mutinously. Riff and Char blinked for a moment, glancing at each other with unsure expressions. “Ah, yes, my bunny tends to be a little more open with me. Something I know you hope to achieve someday. But soon daylight shall burn any of my kind who dare risk the sun’s ire, so if we are going to Wolfram tonight, we’d better get to it.”