by T. S. Ryder
"How is Mikayla?"
"Sleeping, finally." Kayla sank onto the couch and shivered. "I never knew vampires were real."
Eric shrugged. "They tend to keep to themselves. The relationship between vampires and humans is worse than between Shifters and humans. Shifters and vampires have quite a bloody history between us as well. I don't blame them for wanting to stay a secret."
"What will happen now?"
"I'll handle it. You don't have to be afraid." He smiled softly, but it faded quickly. "Kayla, I want to apologize for kissing you like I did earlier."
Kayla ducked her head. "I kissed you back."
"Yes. But I shouldn't have started it."
"It's okay. That time, I mean. We can't go around kissing all the time. We've got our own lives, and getting thrown back together like this… Mikayla needs stability. And jumping at each other like that isn't stable."
"I understand."
How many boyfriends had she had since him? A girl as beautiful and intelligent as Kayla couldn't help but draw attention. Any man who didn't want to marry her on sight was a blind idiot. Eric wanted to be jealous and angry, but all he could do was hope they treated her properly.
"Where are we now?" Kayla asked.
It took a moment for Eric to understand what she was asking. Where were they in their relationship? He shook his head and raised his hands, indicating that he didn't know. Everything was so confusing. They hadn't even seen each other for three years, and suddenly they had a child together. That itself ought to put a block between them.
After all, he had had a daughter for three years and Kayla never told him. That wasn't okay. And maybe he could understand why she hadn't told him, especially considering the number his parents had done on him, but it still left him in a strange position that he didn't know how to deal with.
"I don't know where we go from here," he told her. "But in any case, I am going to be part of Mikayla's life. As her father. Not just as the man who comes to visit occasionally and gives her cards on her birthday. I want to be a big part of her life."
Kayla nodded. "Of course."
"And that means that she is going to spend time with me and the rest of the pack. This is her home, I don't want to uproot her, but she is going to get to know her own people."
"Yes. Yes, of course. I want that, too. Maybe summers? She loves the outdoors and camping, and I'm no good at that sort of thing."
"Summers are good," Eric agreed. "But I'm going to want more. We can figure out the specifics at another time."
"She stays here for Christmas. The other holidays aren't so important to me, but I want her to be with me for Christmas. But you can come join us if you want to."
She shifted so her knee brushed his. A spark of electricity jumped between them. Eric swallowed heavily, trying to force himself to move away. But he couldn’t make himself do it because he didn't want to. But it wouldn't go further. He would make sure that Kayla was comfortable with him. He couldn't just go around kissing her all the time.
"We can discuss it later. But as far as our significant others—"
"Yes." Kayla ducked her head. "You must have a mate by now."
"No."
She looked up at him, eyes wide.
"I don't have a mate. I don't even have any prospects." Eric swallowed again. "I haven't even dated since you."
A red flush rose in her cheeks. She chewed on her lip, a gesture that always drove him crazy. "I haven't either."
"I still love you."
Kayla gasped audibly. Her eyes widened. And before he could stop himself, Eric had grabbed her around the waist. He pulled her tight against his body, kissing her fiercely.
She was even more receptive than she had been earlier that day. Her fingers tangled in his hair. She straddled him, pushing herself against him. Eric groaned, moving to her neck. He wanted to see if she still made that little chipmunk noise when he nipped at her collarbone.
She did, her body shuddering under his attentions. Eric grinned as he continued.
Chapter Five – Kayla
She always liked it when he concentrated on her neck. Kayla let her head fall to the side, giving Eric better access to where she was most sensitive. Shivers tingled in her skin wherever his lips touched. Fireworks exploded in her head and throughout her body. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she shouldn't be doing this, that it was only going to end up being a great big mess, but at the moment she just couldn't work up the energy to care.
It just felt so good to be in Eric's arms again, to feel that familiar build of heat inside her. Eric pulled her shirt up, his hands seeking out her breasts. She leaned into his touch with a gasp. God, she'd missed this. If she could have, she would have gladly stayed here forever, her body burning under Eric's ministrations, until everything became too much…
The sound of the hotel door opening interrupted them. Kayla shrieked, yanking herself away from Eric. She almost tumbled to the floor, except Eric caught her. Twisting away from the door, she hastened to cover herself, embarrassment burning her cheeks.
"Oops!" It was Quin's voice.
Eric quickly helped Kayla before he stood. His muscles bunched, hands clenched. "You better have a good reason for just bursting into here. I gave you a key for emergencies, not to just waltz in whenever you wanted to!"
"Yeah… I didn't know you'd be—"
"Why are you here?"
Properly covered again, Kayla turned. Quin was in the doorway, his olive tones taking on a red flush, but a wide grin over his face as he looked between the two of them. She really wasn't in the mood to smile back. Although it was probably a good idea that she and Eric had been stopped, she didn't want to be stopped!
"Donna is here. She's down in the lobby, and she's angry. You didn't answer your phone, so I thought I'd just come up and see if Kayla could talk her down.
Kayla sighed. "Bring her up. She won't go away until she's gotten what she wants."
"I'll go get her, then," Quin smirked and opened his mouth again. Apparently, he changed his mind about what he was going to say, though, because he closed it again and disappeared.
Kayla smoothed her shirt, making sure that it wasn't obvious what she and Eric had been doing. She didn't want Donna to know what was happening and bombard her with questions, after all. Especially in front of Eric!
Her hand shook, and she wasn't sure what she should do about all this. Her heart pounded and she wanted to go back to Eric. But she couldn’t! This intensity was why she had left the first time. She couldn't just jump in blind.
Get your head on straight, girl. Before it's too late.
It wasn't much longer before the door unlocked again and Donna charged in. She ignored Kayla, marching right up to Eric. Kayla repressed a groan as she saw how much her friend's eyes were blazing. This wasn't going to be a pleasant experience.
"Just who do you think you are?" Donna shouted, poking Eric in the chest. "Kidnapping Kayla away from her home and taking her to this fancy-dancy hotel. If you think that you're going to just seduce her and not face any consequences, you've got another thing coming!"
"Donna!" Kayla gasped.
"Don't try to defend him. I'm not going to let him come in with his gobs of money and his killer abs and just sweep you away without you knowing exactly what you're—"
"Donna, stop." Kayla jumped to her feet. "We were attacked by a vampire. That's why we're here. He didn't kidnap me and he's not trying to seduce me—" Was he? "—so you have nothing to be angry about."
Donna stared at her. A slight flush rose in her cheeks. "A vampire?"
Quin put his hand on Donna's shoulder, bringing her attention back to him. "There is a coven near the town. They have taken issue with Eric's plans for the community garden, and one of them came after him."
"Oh. Vampires!" Donna twirled her unmanageable black hair around her fingers, a grin coming to her face. "There was a vampire in my high school. Great kisser. Why haven't I heard of these guys?"
&n
bsp; Kayla stared at her friend in shock. She was taking the news well! More surprising was the fact that she wasn't surprised that vampires existed. How could she have gone to school with one while Kayla hadn't even known they were real?
Quin growled in his throat, looking angry. "The presence of vampires is not something to be taken lightly."
"They're hot. At least the one that I knew—"
"I don't think you understand." Quin stepped a little closer, his gaze fixed on Donna's face.
Did he look a little jealous? No, he couldn't… During the time Kayla had known Quin, he never showed any interest in anybody. The idea that he was jealous of a kiss Donna had gotten in high school was ridiculous. It was probably just that he didn't like the flippant attitude towards the vampires that she was displaying.
"I think I understand just fine," Donna replied.
Quin shook his head. "There has long been a great deal of hostility between Shifters and vampires. Our people have been slaughtered by their kind. Some variations of vampires are more dangerous than others, yes, but all of them have tried to wipe Shifters out at one point or another. These vampires here have already attacked Eric, Kayla and their daughter once. Who is to say that they won't do it again?"
Donna pressed her hands to her mouth, a look of horror dawning on her face.
"They aren't interested in human dalliances. They want to—"
"Keep their home," Eric interrupted. He frowned at his brother. "There has always been hostility between vampires and Shifters, yes, but there has also always been hostility between Shifters and humans. I'm not going to let past violence dictate only violence for the future."
"Did they really attack you?' Donna asked Kayla, eyes wide.
Kayla hesitated. Eric answered for her. "One attacked me, yes. But I am convinced that he only attacked out of fear. My plan for the community garden is right next to their home, and, given the history between our species, it isn't unrealistic for them to think we might be trying to destroy their home."
Quin bowed his head. "I know. It just makes me angry…"
"Do I need to put someone else in charge of negotiations?"
"No. I can handle it. I'm sorry."
A low whimper interrupted them. The door to the bedroom Kayla and Mikayla were sharing nudged open, and a little Wolf pup slipped out. Mikayla's pajamas hung loosely around her small body, and she tripped over them as she padded over to Kayla.
"Did you have a bad dream?" Kayla picked her daughter up and hugged her close. She stroked her small head, glancing at the others. "I'll just take her back to bed."
"Wait," Eric said. He sat beside them and scratched behind Mikayla's ears. He made a low noise in his throat, almost like a whimper or a whine. Mikayla's ears perked up. Her tail started to wag and she yipped. Eric leaned his face in to hers and made the noise again.
"What are you doing?" Kayla's brow pinched.
Eric let Mikayla lick his face, grinning. "When children this young Shift, they often leave behind some of their human reasoning skills. Right now you're holding your daughter, but you're also holding a Wolf pup. She won't understand us as well in this form as she would in her human form. I'm just reassuring her."
"Aw," Donna said, smiling with her hands to her heart.
"Donna, since you know what's happening, maybe you can go now," Kayla was quick to suggest.
"But—"
Quin put an arm around Donna's waist. "You and I can discuss this further. But I think that Kayla and Eric are wanting some privacy."
Kayla couldn't help but smirk at the grin that blossomed over Donna's face at that. She leaned into his side and batted her eyes at him. "Well, I would love to hear all about that. And maybe I can tell you about the vampire I knew during high school… it might be useful."
"Maybe," Quin grunted. "We'll see."
They left, and Kayla felt her tense muscles relaxing. Eric continued to reassure Mikayla, and she crawled into his lap. She curled up and put her head on his arm as her eyes drifted shut. He continued to scratch behind her ears, the way she liked. Kayla remembered how Eric liked that as well. Her fingers itched to bury themselves in his soft fur.
"I've been thinking," Eric said in a lower voice.
"About what?"
"Whether we should stay here or get you and Mikayla deeper into the packlands. I know this is your home, but I don't want those vampires to end up going after you to get at me."
Kayla shivered at the prospect. "You said they're allergic to sunlight."
"As far as I can tell, they are."
"Then we should be fine during the day, right?" Kayla's brow furrowed. She shook her head. "No. I'm not going to risk it. We can go live with the pack if you think we'll be safer there. I'll have to get some things from work, but it'll be fine."
Eric's hand traced the back of her neck. She leaned into his touch. "I'm sure you'd be fine here, but I just want to be sure."
Kayla nodded. She wanted to kiss him again, but pulled herself away and held her arms out for Mikayla. "I should probably get her back to bed and turn in for the night."
Eric gently handed the little Wolf to her, and Kayla snuggled her close in her arms. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning."
Chapter Six – Eric
Things were not progressing well with the vampires. Eric had pulled back his attempts to communicate with them, respecting their fear and need for privacy. It was imperative that they did not consider the werewolves to be threats so that further attacks didn't happen. The isolation these vampires had forced themselves in didn't help in that regard, however.
Perhaps it would be better to just back off and find a new place for his community garden. There were several other nice locations that he could put it in. That might just be the best idea.
He didn't like the idea of leaving the vampires in the grain elevators, though. For one thing, the elevators looked like they were about to fall down. Eventually, some curious human would wander in and that would be bad for both humans and vampires. Both groups were on his packlands, so both groups were his responsibility.
How could they resolve the situation peacefully…?
Eric sighed as he carried Mikayla up the stairs to her bedroom. She and Kayla were both living with him and the rest of the pack, where it was safest until the whole vampire thing calmed down.
He'd taken his old study and completely redone it for his daughter, giving her absolutely everything she wanted. Kayla had told him he needed to scale it back a bit, but he couldn't help himself when Mikayla gave him her big puppy-dog eyes. She was a good girl, after all, and a little indulgence wouldn't hurt.
"Can we chase rabbits tomorrow?" Mikayla asked as he tucked her into her princess-style bed with her superhero blankets.
"I have to work, Little Pup. But if you're a very good girl at nursery school, maybe Uncle Quin will teach you how to catch your tail."
Mikayla giggled. "I love it here. I don't ever want to go home. Can't Mommy and I stay forever?"
Eric smiled tenderly. If it were up to him, of course they'd stay. He and Kayla would officially become mates – perhaps even marry, since he knew that marriage was important to her. But Kayla had been avoiding him. He wasn't sure why she was so frightened of their situation. If he could only understand…
"You and Mommy need to live in your home, but you'll be able to come visit lots," he said, smoothing Mikayla's hair from her face. "Now be a good girl and go to sleep, okay?"
"Ok. Love you, Daddy."
Eric's heart swelled with warmth. He grinned, unable to keep it in. There was something very special about hearing his daughter say she loved him. He didn't know how to describe it other than to think that it made him ready to take on the world for her.
"I love you, too."
He left the door partly open for her as he went back downstairs. In the kitchen, he found Kayla working furiously at her computer. She was focused on her task, and Eric just watched her for a moment. He usual
ly liked to work around her and see how long it took for her to notice him, but this time he cleared his throat to get her attention.
"Kayla," he said. When that didn't work, he moved to sit beside her. "Can I talk with you for a minute?"
"Just a sec." Kayla continued typing for a little while longer before she saved the document and sat back. "Is Mikayla in bed?"
"Yes. And you need to take a break. You work too hard."
Kayla shook her head. "I have to work. You can't keep a business running by twiddling your thumbs."
"Then I'll give you a loan. You can start with the capital to get more employees and get your brand out there. Then you'll have more time to take care of yourself."
"I don't know. I wanted to be able to build this company by myself."
Eric put his hand over hers. "You'd still be responsible for the loan – paying it back and all that. It'd just be a head start on things. I'm not trying to butt into your business. I just want to help you out. I still… care about you."
Love was the word he wanted to use, but if she was frightened of the situation like he thought she was, blurting out that he loved her again probably wasn't going to help. Even without his parents around to mess things up, they had to get to know each other again. And there was Mikayla to think about. More than their hearts would break if this went badly.
Kayla ducked her head. "I suppose a loan would be useful…"
"I'll have my lawyers draw up a contract," Eric said. He leaned forward unconsciously, his gaze going to her lips. Her intoxicating scent was driving him crazy, and at the moment all he wanted to do was—
"Eric!"
The Alpha drew back, biting down a curse. Did his brother have a sixth sense about when he and Kayla were having a moment so he could interrupt it? Kayla looked disappointed as well, though she turned back to her computer and busied herself as though nothing had happened.
"In the kitchen," Eric called.
Moments later, his brother appeared. A mix of anger and worry was on his face, and he stomped over to Eric. "There is a vampire here to see you."