Pinnacle

by Lynn Veevers

  “Kays, you smell amazing!”

  She threw him a satisfied look over her shoulder.

  “Kenneth, you say that every time I am in what you call ‘heat’.”

  Even though Aunt Di had promptly put her on birth control after she’d come to live with her because the stress in Kaya’s life had made her cycle irregular, Kaya still barred the commencing of any sexual activities while she was ovulating. It was just as an added precaution to avoid unwanted pregnancy. During these times, Kenneth couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her. That made it exceedingly hard to resist the urge to throw herself at him. It was common knowledge among their families that Kenneth and Kaya were life mates, but everyone agreed offspring between the two right now would be completely irresponsible.

  Kaya sat at the table and decided her cereal was not appealing anymore. He took the chair opposite of her, still displaying that silly grin of his. It made her reflect on how she completely adored her big puppy dog.

  “So, Noah’s little brother is coming in later tomorrow evening to see Dahlia and his nieces and nephew. My house is a zoo right now, and Dad is wound so tight he looks like his head might pop off.”

  Kaya knew that look on his face and wanted in on whatever it was he knew. Reaching across the table she gently ran her hand over his forearm.

  “Tell me what you know,” she said with the slightest hint of suggestion while looking him directly in the eye.

  He stammered a moment as she arched her eyebrow at him, then he spilled his beans in a rush of words. “None of us were the wiser of it until a couple of days ago when Dahlia happily made the announcement that her brother-in-law, Eric, wanted to visit. Dahlia had turned her attention to Dad to ask if it was OK, and Dad, being Dad, of course said yes. Dahlia was in such a state of joy she had not noticed my father’s sudden shift in mood, but Sam and I had. We exchanged a look and left the room to go and sit on the back deck.

  "‘Did you see that? I mean, I knew he was attracted to Dahlia, but his reaction to her enthusiasm over, what was his name, Eric, was downright territorial,’ Samantha had said.

  "It was then I started going over the last month in my head and realized all Dad’s “kind” actions toward Dahlia were actually him being non-conspicuous about courting her. He was masking his true intentions under the guise of being a sympathetic friend! He sees this Eric guy as a threat. We never thought there would be another for Dad, but apparently, even he did not see this coming.”

  Kaya fiddled with the ends of her hair while going over everything Kenneth had just unloaded on her.

  “This is going to get hairy, isn’t it?” Kaya asked.

  His face took on a downright mischievous look and his eyes lit up with mirth.

  “Oh, if this Eric guy plans on courting Dahlia, stepping into his brother’s shoes so to speak, fur is gonna fly. There will be a challenge. He will have to overthrow my father as pack leader to win the right to court Dahlia now that she is a full-fledged member of the pack, and the Alpha female. The first day we met her, she bested Samantha, so when she became part of the pack, there was no need for her to challenge Samantha for the title. My sister was fine with not being the Alpha female anyway. So yeah, Eric is going to be biting off more than he can chew if he does plan on courting her. I can guarantee Dad will not give his blessing willingly. Not with him feeling how he does about Dahlia.”

  “So what happens if a challenge is issued?”

  Kenneth’s face turned deadly serious. “They will fight in Pure Form until one yields to the other or until one dies. All pack members will have to be present to witness the challenge. If Dad comes out of it victorious, then he retains his status as the Alpha and Eric will not be permitted to court Dahlia. If not, then Eric will have proven the dominant male and then Dahlia can choose to accept him courting her if she desires. Challenges in this day and age are rare. The one thing that can cause one to happen is two males showing interest in the same female.”

  The whole idea had Kaya worried and made her wonder if Dahlia had the slightest inkling of Owen’s affections toward her. Kenneth and Kaya sat at the table going over the possibilities of a challenge for a while longer. A glance at the clock told her that it was twelve-thirty.

  “Kenneth, we need to get going.”

  It took two hours, maybe slightly less, to get to the airport in Oklahoma City from Tangent. It was around two-thirty, so they had an hour and a half to kill before Cara would be landing with Eugene. Kenneth and Kaya walked around, looking at the little shops here and there in the airport. Before they knew it, the plane had landed and they made their way to the terminal gate Cara and Eugene would be walking through. Kaya was so on edge with excitement, she couldn’t keep still. Kenneth’s chuckle had her looking at him.

  “Excited much?” he said in that smart-alecky way of his.

  She was just about to tell him to shut up when Cara’s voice calling Kaya’s name reached her. Kenneth promptly lost Kaya’s attention as it redirected itself in the opposite direction where Cara stood waving and smiling. It took maybe five seconds for Kaya to reach her and hug her tightly. Cara was her normal, happy, bubbly self, and Eugene, standing beside her, was still stoic as ever. It only took a split second for Kaya to see Eugene was on edge. A glance in the direction Eugene was looking told her why. Kenneth had pinned Eugene against the wall with a single look.

  Eugene was ruthless and sometimes unpredictable, bordering on crazy, but he was far from stupid. He was patient to a fault when it came to planning things out, always waiting for the best opportunity leading to the greatest gain. On the flip side, he could be devious if the situation called for it and next to nothing unnerved him. So his reaction to Kenneth was surprising, if not shocking.

  A dark foreboding cloud of uneasiness had intruded onto the happy moment. Kaya let go of Cara and grabbed Kenneth’s hand, calming him with unspoken reassurance.

  “Kenneth, this is my best friend, Cara.”

  Cara beamed a bright smile at him and he returned the gesture. Kaya then turned her attention to Eugene.

  “This is Cara’s older brother, Eugene.”

  Kaya felt and saw Kenneth relax at the mention of Eugene being Cara’s brother. It occurred to her she’d forgotten to mention Eugene coming at all.

  “What’s going on?” Eugene said as he extended his hand to Kenneth.

  All the aggression that had been bouncing off Kenneth melted away. “Not much. It’s nice to meet you, Eugene.”

  Cara appealed to Kaya in silent questioning with a single look. What was that all about?

  All it took was that look to get the message loud and clear. Cara and Kaya had always had an insanely accurate connection with each other. They might as well have been telepathic. Kaya shrugged and headed down to the baggage claim.

  “So how are you adjusting to being a Natural Mystic?” Cara asked, still riveted with her excitement over seeing Kaya again.

  They barely contained the wild, happy energy bouncing between them. Kaya couldn’t recall the last time she’d felt such a degree of elation. Entwining her arm through Cara’s, they chatted about everything under the sun and Kaya told Cara in detail about Afflicted Lycans. She even told her about how she’d run across other Natural Mystics in these parts; however, she did not tell her who they were, with the exception of Aunt Di.

  But then, Cara already knew about that, Kaya’s father, and his tribe’s…uniqueness. Kaya had already told her of the near-death experience she’d had just a few months ago, all without disclosing anything about Kenneth and his family, but it had been hard to tell Cara her tales without including such relevant information.

  They made it all the way down to baggage claim, Cara’s arm still entwined with Kaya’s. She’d been buzzing about all the happenings back home and what Kaya had or had not missed since she’d left. Everything sounded mundane as ever in their small little town back in northwestern Washington. They were standing at the baggage carousel with the guys standing some ways behind them wh
en Cara dropped a bomb shell on Kaya.

  “So I know you never actually told me, but Kenneth is a Lycan, isn’t he?” Cara asked.

  Kaya stood there gawking at Cara, completely dumbstruck, and Cara keeled over with laughter.

  “I know he is not an Afflicted Lycan because, well, you’d be dead by now if he was.”

  Kaya stared at the turning metal before them and watched bag after bag pass. She caught sight of a canary-yellow set of luggage and knew immediately it was Cara’s. After all, she had a worrisome obsession with the bright and overbearing color. She claimed it was the color of her aura, bright and unwaveringly memorable. Just as Kaya was reaching for the obnoxiously vibrant luggage, the boys cut her off, each of them grabbing two pieces. Clearly Eugene had packed his stuff with his sister’s; there was no way Cara would pack so heavily. She was just too practical.

  “I didn’t mean to throw you for a loop there, Kaya, but honestly, you left a trail of clues for me to come to that conclusion. I don’t think you even realized you were doing it,” Cara said.

  Kaya didn’t say a word, but thought Cara was way too smart for her own good. But then, it didn’t amaze Kaya in the least.

  Cara sighed heavily in the way she did right before she was about to explain something complicated. They started walking after the boys, who had started toward the parking garage without them.

  “Remember when you told me about your folks visiting you in your sleep and telling you how they died at the hands of Afflicted Lycans?”

  Kaya shook her head in acknowledgment and Cara continued.

  “Well, you’d been so worked up about that and had told me that you’d gone to Kenneth’s father for answers and how he had laid out all the differences for you. So without actually telling me directly, you let me know that he was more than likely a Lycan, which suggests his son is the same. Otherwise how would he possibly be so completely knowledgeable on the subject? That was my first clue.”

  She took a moment to pause as was her norm when she explained anything and then continued. “Also, you tend to refer to his family dynamic as if it were a wolf pack. At one point, you actually called his dad the Alpha male! There were other little hints, but those were the two major ones.”

  She finished as if it were the most natural thing in the world to talk about. Kaya shook her head in disbelief.

  “You know, I have missed you so much!” Kaya said, smiling.

  They stepped out of the airport and into the bright sunny day. Kaya was instantly blinded by the reflection of light off Cara’s wool dress which was, unsurprisingly, the same annoying shade of yellow as her luggage. As they walked to the car, Kaya talked in hushed tones. Not that it mattered; she was sure Kenneth could hear her. She whispered so Eugene wouldn’t hear.

  “I guess, deep down, lying to you was not an option, so I subconsciously left you clues.”

  They both giggled, mostly because it was likely the absolute truth. Finally they reached the truck. The boys deposited the luggage in the bed and fastened the cover down.

  “Smells like rains a'coming,” Kenneth said randomly.

  Cara and Eugene exchanged baffled looks right before she and Kaya slid into the back seat of the truck. Eugene took his place in the front passenger seat and Kenneth in the driver’s. The ride back to Kenneth’s flew by as Kaya caught Cara up on everything she hadn’t told her. By the time they arrived, she was wide-eyed and speechless, something completely foreign for a girl who knew most everything.

  Cara exited the truck and took in the O’Connell’s sprawling ranch house. Kaya stood beside her as the boys grabbed the luggage and headed toward the front steps of the house. She’d be staying at Kenneth’s for the duration of Cara’s visit. It wasn’t like Cara and Eugene couldn’t stay with Kaya; they could. However, when Owen had gotten wind that Jed was going to take Di on a romantic week getaway, well, he had insisted on extending his hospitality.

  Even though Owen had assumed all the credit for the idea, the cold, hard truth was that Kenneth absolutely had a problem with her being alone in a house for any amount of time. Kaya let it go. It wasn’t worth bringing up, so instead, they would all have a great time at Kenneth’s.

  No sooner had Kenneth and Eugene reached the top step, than Samantha greeted them at the door. “Hey kiddo,” she’d said to her brother.

  Smiling, she focused her attention on the man standing behind her brother, carrying the rest of the luggage. Samantha was nothing short of hypnotically beautiful and her ice-blue eyes gazed at Eugene through a veil of silky hair. In its natural state today, her hair with its full-body waves hung to the middle of her shoulder blades and reminded Kaya of wheat fields gently stirred by the wind. Her skin was flawless and fair with the slightest touch of rose brought on by years of sunny Oklahoma summers.

  The hairs on Samantha’s arms and the back of her neck stood on end when Eugene’s rich, deep, coffee-colored eyes locked with hers. She offered a warm smile to her handsome guest and received an indifferent nod of acknowledgement in return. When Eugene passed her to follow Kenneth across the threshold, her smile faded and a look of bewilderment took its place. She stared after this man who had such an unmoved reaction to her. Kaya came up the steps and stood beside Samantha in the doorway, trying to hide her sheer amusement.

  “It’s not you,” Cara said after a moment.

  Samantha looked her way with a welcoming smile.

  “He is prone to an almost aloof attitude toward anyone, no matter how gorgeous they are,” Cara said with a dramatic roll of her eyes.

  That had Samantha’s smile widening and brightening significantly. “Oh, I like her!” Samantha said as the three of them headed inside.

  Once inside, Samantha made it a point to show Cara her room. Knowing she was in good hands, Kaya went to the back patio where Kenneth and Eugene sat with glasses of iced tea, getting to know each other. If Cara was like a sister to Kaya then Eugene was the closest thing she had to a brother. He had made it no secret over the years the extent of his adoration toward Kaya. Now as she sat across the table from him next to Kenneth, she saw the look of acknowledgment and acceptance creep into Eugene’s eyes as he took in the sight of Kenneth and Kaya as a couple. He paid Kenneth a compliment without saying a word. Kaya couldn’t fathom what the two of them had talked about. Either way, a look of approval came through loud and clear in his dark, quiet eyes.

  Eugene gave them a heartfelt smile, then got to his feet. “Well, I am going to go up to my room and break out my laptop to work on the novel I am writing. The atmosphere is so quiet and calming here. It’s perfect for starting in on that fiery love scene I have been debating over all week.”

  He walked to the patio door. A moment later, he disappeared inside, leaving Kenneth and Kaya alone for the first time since they’d left the airport. Leaning over he kissed her lightly on the cheek.

  “I like him. He drilled me like an older brother interrogating a potential suitor for his sister. There is absolutely no lack of loyalty or protectiveness in him when it comes to you, Kays. I can hardly fault him!”

  While Kenneth and Kaya were down on the patio talking about Eugene, Samantha and Cara were up in Cara’s guest room just being girls.

  “You know, I love Kaya to pieces, but I must say, having a female with a more feminine flare around is going to be delicious!” Samantha said, bubbling over with excitement.

  The two girls were going through the clothes Cara had packed for the trip, and Samantha was absolutely smitten with Cara’s sense of style. Pretty little dresses and skirts and blouses in soft colors made of equally soft materials had Samantha feeling like she was in heaven, mostly because she didn’t own anything like what Cara had brought with her. She was all but gushing with her enthusiasm. Cara giggled with pleasure as Samantha admired her beautiful clothes.

  “Let me show you some of my things. Seeing how we look to be near the same size, you are welcome to whatever you would like to wear,” Samantha said.

  Samantha grabbed
the other girl’s hand and all but dragged her across the hall to her room. Cara stopped in the doorway where Samantha had let go of her hand and left her staring into the room in awe. Samantha was just as obsessed with pink as Cara was with yellow. The walls where done in a beautiful shade of baby girl pink. White lace curtains and valance hung from her bay style sitting window, held in place by big fluffy bows in the same color as the walls. The spacious queen-size bed was covered with an overstuffed, white, goose feather duvet trimmed in bows which matched those holding the curtains. A single chair and white, wooden, mirrored vanity sat on the opposite wall of the bed. There was a large, mirrored walk-in closet to the right just brimming with neatly organized clothes, purses, and shoes. Samantha crawled onto her bed, sat Indian style, and waved a hand to encompass her room.

  “Please make yourself at home.”

  Cara thanked her and walked to the closet to look at Samantha’s clothes and a smile touched her lips when she realized Samantha and she did indeed share the same taste in clothing.

  “So Cara, I hope you don’t take me as being too forward…but what is Eugene’s story?”

  Cara cast a devilish smile over her shoulder toward Samantha and went over to join her on the bed. Cara answered with a mischievous grin plastered on her face. “My brother is an uptight hermit, of sorts. I affectionately refer to him as Mr. Tightwad!” she said, laughter rolling from her.

  “So, in a nutshell, he is an introvert?” Samantha asked.

  “Yeah, that’s pretty much the gist of him, homebody, hermit, introvert, it’s all the same. Then every once in a while, he does something uncharacteristically different. The thing is, you never see it coming. He just up and goes, no warning whatsoever. So why are you so curious about him?” Cara asked with a knowing smile.

  “Honestly, and I do not mean to be crass, but he is gorgeous!”

  Cara laughed a full vibrant laugh, once again genuinely amused.