Outcast (Supernaturals Book 2)

by Jennifer Reynolds

  Leigh, who had joined me when Sophia began to talk about the Council’s plans, started trembling in my arms, and I had to hold myself back from rushing Sophia. She was the only person in the room who would tell the Council about the baby, and I wanted her dead.

  “We can take you guys with us right now to our pack,” Daniel said, coming into the room. “They won’t dare come after her there.”

  “Fine,” Dave said. “But before you go, Sam, I want you to wipe Sophia’s memory clean of the baby. Can you do that?”

  “Yeah,” the witch said, making her way into the dining room. She was standing over the bound woman when the Council burst through the door.

  “What the hell,” Mom shouted and leapt from the spot she was sitting.

  “Arrest them all,” Martin Burch said, pointing to every person he saw.

  At the sight of her house filling with people, most of whom she didn’t know, Leigh buried herself in my arms and sobbed. Daniel let out a roar so loud it shook the windows. His face had partially shifted into a lion to allow him to sound as much like the animal as possible. The command to stop moving, which was the only thing the roar could mean, froze everyone.

  “That isn’t going to happen,” Daniel said, the instant his mouth was human again.

  “And just who do you think you are?” Martin asked, trying to sound authoritative despite the tremble that was obviously rippling through his body.

  “I’m Daniel Sullivan, alpha of the Sullivan Shifter Pack.” He crossed his arms; something I found out later was his subtle way of insulting Martin. If he had recognized the man’s power and authority, Daniel would have put his hand out to shake.

  Daniel’s presence made the shifters from Pine Hollow back up into the hall leading to the front door. In the supernatural world, all alphas are higher in command than Councils are, which was why very few shifter or were packs had Councils, and the majority of them who do have them have alphas on their Council and usually defer to the alphas on major issues.

  “Mr. Sullivan, I don’t know what you’ve been told about what’s going on here, but I assure you, your help isn’t needed. These people have kidnapped a Council member’s daughter and are torturing her. A witness came to us this morning to tell us that she saw that man right there,” he said, pointing to me, “snatch the girl off the street.”

  Daniel said nothing, but by Martin’s expression, he could tell that Daniel did not believe him.

  “We knew it was bound to happen. He wanted Sophia in the worst way, but she wouldn’t have him, so he plotted to kidnap her.”

  “Really, that’s the story you’re going with, is it?” Daniel asked.

  “It’s the truth.”

  “You’re telling me that this man,” he also pointed to me, “the one with his arms around a woman that is clearly his mate, wanted that woman,” this time he pointed to Sophia. “That he kidnapped her and brought her here to his mate’s home.”

  “I… I…” Martin said, having clearly not thought through this very well, probably because he hadn’t thought he would be encountering an alpha when he got here.

  “In the human world, that might be plausible, but not in ours. I’ll tell you what happened if you care to know the truth.”

  “Fine, you can tell us all about it back in Pine Hollow,” Martin said, trying to gain some sort of advantage.

  “Not going to happen. The event happened outside of pack territory; therefore, we don’t have to deal with it on pack territory. I was here last night, Mr.…”

  “Martin Burch.”

  “Mr. Burch. I arrived in Ms. Alexander’s driveway to see Sophia holding Ms. Alexander while a vampire named Shawna was drinking her blood. At the sight of me, my son, a few of my pack members, a witch, and an Angel, Shawna ran. Ryan and a few of the pack members gave chase. I took Sophia into custody, and the Angel healed Ms. Alexander.

  “In this very kitchen, Sophia has admitted to a great deal of things, including your Council’s involvement in all of this. The things she’s said were pretty interesting. I think the Regent will find it all very helpful in deciding the fate of Pine Hollow.”

  Martin opened his mouth to speak, but Daniel stopped him. “Don’t. Take your people and leave. You can take Sophia with you. She’s part of your pack, but if any of you come near these people again, I will go to the Regent.”

  “Before you go,” my father interjected. “I want your word that my family and I are free to leave Pine Hollow. I want a guarantee that we can get our stuff and leave without being harassed in any way.”

  Martin looked to the other Council members then to Daniel and nodded his head. “As long as Sophia comes home with us,” he said, as if we intended to change our mind if he didn’t allow us to leave.

  Chapter 23 ~ Meeting the Parents

  ~~~Leigh~~~

  “What do we do now?” I asked Ryan as Daniel, Dave, and Dad watched the Pine Hollow people load up and leave our property.

  “I don’t know. I have a feeling this isn’t over,” he said, kissing my temple and leading me into the living room.

  “No, it isn’t,” Dave said, staring out the window. “Martin is a dangerous man. We’ve won this round only because Daniel threatened to go to the Regent, but I fear Martin will try something else in the near future. Daniel, Sam claims that Danielle and I are supposed to be alphas. I know I’ve felt different all of my life and that Martin has always appeared a bit afraid of me. I’m not entirely sure what being an alpha means since we’ve never had one and I’ve never been allowed to see one in action, but if I swear fealty to you, will you take us all in, protect us, and teach me what it means to run a pack? I don’t want the responsibility, but we can’t allow Martin and the Council to continue ruling Pine Hollow this way. If push comes to shove, I want to be ready to take over that town.”

  “So do I,” Danielle said, sideling up next to him. I could have cried because I was so proud of her.

  Daniel nodded his agreement and the two men shook hands. Devan and Sam stayed with Ryan and I while we packed our things, and Daniel and the rest of his pack went with my family to get my siblings and their stuff. Martin had promised them safe passage in and out of town, but we were taking precautions.

  “Ryan?” I asked while checking the bathroom for the things we needed.

  “Yeah, baby?” he said, poking his head into the room.

  “Downstairs, Daniel called me your mate and it seemed to have an impact on how Martin dealt with our situation. Are mates something special in your world?”

  He pulled me to him and kissed me deeply. “They are. Not all of the supernatural world believes in it, but most shifter packs do. I’m not sure why we experience it more often, but we do. I’ve always felt that the rest of the supernatural world experiences it, but they don’t recognize it for what it is or are so impatient to fall in love that they don’t give themselves time to find their mates. Your parents are mated, Dave and Danielle are mated, we are mated, but my parents aren’t mated. They love each other dearly, I’m sure, in their own way, but they aren’t mates. They are too different, too separate to be mates.”

  “What is the difference between mates and other couples?”

  “The bond they share. You can care for and even love anyone, but for you and me, we will never love another this way. We will never want another person the way we want each other. For me, even the thought of touching another woman in a non-platonic way makes me feel a little ill. You haven’t noticed that?” he asked, sounding a bit nervous that maybe I wasn’t feeling what he was.

  “Honestly, no, but that’s only because the only person I’ve thought of sexually since that night in the hotel is you. I mean, I’ve found a few guys sexy, but that’s it. Before that night, I felt pulled to you. I thought I was overreacting to you because you actually showed interest in me.”

  “I know I’m not the only man who has showed interest in you. You weren’t a virgin that night, and you’ve admitted to having had previous boyfriends.”r />
  “I didn’t say no one else had. I’ve had lots of sex before you came along. Don’t growl at me,” I said, when his upper lip rolled back, his teeth elongated, and a rumbling noise vibrated his chest. “You weren’t a virgin either and probably had more sex than I did. Besides, I didn’t say the sex I had was good sex. I only said that it was sex. I’m saying that no one had showed that kind of interest in me. You love every inch of me the way I am. You aren’t trying to change me and aren’t settling for me. I’m happy with who I am and have been looking for someone to feel the same way. Though I’m not sure how I’ll feel when I’ve gained forty pounds with this kid,” I said, rubbing my growling stomach.

  “You could gain a hundred pounds with her, and I’d love you just the same.”

  “I’m going to laugh if she comes out a boy,” I said, deciding to focus on the sex of my unborn child and not the lie he told before that.

  “She won’t,” he said.

  “Okay,” I said, secretly hoping he was right. I’ve never thought much about having kids, but everything in me wanted her to be a girl. “I’m hungry. Let’s get some lunch, then maybe come back up here for dessert if no one’s come back by then. You can tell me more about this mate thing. Maybe, while we are eating, Devan will tell us a little about Dimitri and Abby’s relationship.”

  Devan couldn’t tell us much more than we already knew. He said that Abby’s senses changed, but mine were already heightened. She healed fast, but again, I had that before as well. She took on some of Dimitri’s magical and shifter abilities. Ryan didn’t have any magical abilities, and as of yet, I hadn’t changed or felt the urge to change. He wasn’t telling us some things for no other reason than they were too personal to tell. He would only tell me to ask Abby about it. He said to ask her about what happened when the wolves kidnapped her.

  I let the subject drop. I knew my feelings for Ryan were different from anything else I’d ever felt for anyone. The second I understood that I was truly pregnant, I had fallen in love with the baby, but even those emotions paled in comparison to what I felt for Ryan.

  At half past two, the doorbell rang. We had been expecting our families to be back soon, but they wouldn’t ring the bell. Ryan leapt from the chair and was at my side in a heartbeat.

  “You take her upstairs,” Devan said. “I’ll check the door.”

  “No,” Ryan said. “I know who’s out there. You two stay with Leigh. Don’t let anyone near her until I give you the okay.”

  Devan didn’t question him, only nodded.

  “I’ll put a block on the kitchen door so that no one can come through it until I take it down,” Sam said.

  “Thank you,” Ryan said, moving toward the hall.

  “Ryan who is it?” I asked.

  “My parents,” he said, scowling in the direction of the door. The bell rang again.

  “I should go with you,” I said, taking his hand.

  “No. I don’t know what they want, but I’m not letting them anywhere near you. Either of you.” He caressed my stomach as he spoke.

  “Be safe,” I said and kissed him.

  “They can’t hurt me.”

  I didn’t believe that. Even if he was physically stronger than they were, they were his parents and their words could cut deep.

  The bell rang a third time before he opened it. Those people were persistent. I guess that had more to do with the fact that they could sense us in the house. I followed Sam to the entrance to the kitchen and watched as she whispered an incantation. Nothing seemed to happen to the doorway, but I wasn’t paying much attention to her. All I heard was Ryan opening the door and the silence that followed.

  “What do you want?” he eventually asked.

  “Your father and I wanted to talk to you,” a woman that I was sure was his mother said.

  “Well, talk,” Ryan replied.

  “Can we do this inside?” she asked.

  “Nope,” he said.

  “Son, don’t be rude,” a man, most likely his father, said.

  “I’m sorry to be rude, but you two aren’t allowed in this home, not while my mate is here. I will not put her safety in jeopardy any more than I have to. You can say what you want to say out here, or you won’t be saying it at all.”

  “We aren’t here to harm her,” his mother said, sounding astonished that Ryan would think such a thing.

  “Then why are you here?” Ryan asked. A part of me wished he wouldn’t be so cruel to them. I hated knowing that I was the reason they were estranged. At the same time, I harbored a great deal of anger toward them for the way they had treated their son.

  “We’re here to say we’re sorry. We didn’t realize, couldn’t believe that she was truly your mate. Everything we did, we honestly thought we were doing to help you. Sophia was a mistake, and we knew it the moment we agreed to it,” his father said.

  “Then why do it without consulting me?” Ryan asked.

  “I won’t lie. We did arrange the marriage for selfish reasons. We knew it would give us some social and financial gain. We also thought you would find her physically appealing, not that Leigh isn’t beautiful. We aren’t really one of those people. Neither is half of Pine Hollow to be honest. The Council took a notion to dislike her, so we all felt an obligation to do the same. But we didn’t know your true feelings for the girl,” his father said.

  “Bullshit. You saw the two of us at the wedding and the reception. It was more than obvious to everyone there that I had more than simple sexual feelings toward her. I wasn’t positive she was my mate until we were alone, but I knew there was something between us, and you two knew that as well and shouldn’t have been trying to arrange a wife for me behind my back. And if you knew it was a mistake from the beginning, why cut me off? I could have worked for the company from Washington. I could have been your son from there.”

  “We know that, and we’re sorry. We were wrong about it all, and we want to make it up to you,” his mother said, and I could hear the tears in her voice.

  “How could you possibly do that, and why now? We’ve been here for weeks, and we haven’t heard a word out of you.”

  “Truthfully, we didn’t know where you were. There were rumors, lots of rumors when Jacob died, but we never dreamed you would come here, not so close to the pack. We did notice the Alexanders weren’t in town a lot, but with the building of their new house, we assumed they were trying to sell this one or were looking for you guys. They never let on that they knew where you were, and the Council was always asking.

  “We saw the Alexanders and Dave and Danielle moving out of their homes, and we knew something had happened. Mr. Alexander wasn’t going to tell us anything, but Dave and Danielle decided we needed to know. We want to come with you. That’s how we will make this all up to you. We can’t easily move the business, but it can be done.”

  “The Council will never allow it,” Ryan said, sounding taken aback by his parents’ words.

  “They already have. Dave and Danielle went with us to tell them. Every one of them seemed terrified of the two and even more so when the Sullivan pack’s alpha came into the room. He said he would allow us into the pack as long as the Council gave us up freely, and they did. They wanted to argue, but with Dave and Mr. Sullivan standing there, they didn’t dare. We swore an oath of silence, but your mother told a few people what we heard of what happened here,” his father said.

  “If the Council didn’t want people asking questions, they should have ordered everyone not to approach us and ask. We are no longer members of Pine Hollow. We don’t have to obey any rules they set,” his mother said defiantly.

  A silence fell on the house after that, and I turned to Sam and Devan to find out if there was any way we could tell if Ryan’s parents were lying or not. Sam shrugged her shoulders and said, “There’s a truth spell I can cast, but if they are smart, they can get around it.”

  “I don’t smell deceit coming from them. I think they are being truthful,” Devan said.

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nbsp; I nodded, then passed through the barrier Sam had erected and went to my mate. Ryan was standing in the doorway looking at his parents in bafflement. I put an arm around him, and instinctively, he wrapped his around me. I kissed his cheek and told him to invite them into the house.

  He looked down at me, shocked by my words and asked if I was sure.

  “Yes. I think they are being truthful, but even if they aren’t, we have Sam and Devan. I think the four of us could take them if they double cross us somehow,” I said, nodding my head behind me to where the witch and shifter were standing.

  “What about…” He cut his eyes down to my stomach.

  “She’s fine where she is,” I said, reflexively cradling my belly.

  “You’re going to have a baby?” his mother asked, throwing her arms around me and sobbing.

  Everyone tensed a half a second, but when she didn’t do anything else, I wrapped one arm around her tentatively and said, “Yes, ma’am. Your son is convinced we’re having a girl despite the fact that I’m only about eight weeks along.”

  “A girl,” the woman said with a sigh as her husband pulled her off me. “I always wanted a girl. Ryan was the only child we ever had. We’ve thought about going to a human doctor or the witches for help, but the Council wanted us staying within the shifter community. But now we don’t have to. You conceived so quickly. You two will have lots of babies.”