“Let me rephrase that. I’m not sorry,” I confessed.
She shrugged. “No problem.”
Much of the world grouped werewolves and other hybrids or bastardizations under one heading—lycanthropy. That made what we were too simplistic. There were shifters, who, like us, were created by a goddess. Then there were the ‘others.’ Greg belonged to that group. He was a monster. A mistake. Obviously bitten by an infected human who himself had been tested, abused, and irreversibly damaged, all simply to satisfy the unnatural demands of either a government, a corporation, or an individual.
For a few more minutes we stood in silence until Olivia collected herself and stepped away. As I released her shoulders, my elbow slipped and knocked into something stiff jutting from inside her hoodie.
She stiffened and then busied herself fixing her hair. “When did you get here? I didn’t know you had a gun.”
Had this suddenly become an interrogation? Sounding casual, I recognized that tone and what it indicated—she was fishing.
“We pulled up when you were kneeling by him.” The lie slid out easily. Drake and I saw you taunt and then take down a monster, Livy. From the weird clicking sounds it made and the way you spoke, we thought you were conversing with monster boy. Since she was covering up, I’d do the same. I carefully watched her. There was so much more to Olivia Masterson.
Now knew one of her secrets. She was a hunter.
“As for the gun, my family believes in protecting ourselves. We run a business that deals with strangers coming in all times of the day and night. It’s a given.”
She finished with her hair but instead of facing me, Livy stared over at the pond again. “Makes sense. Good thing you drove then.”
That lug head. Drake seized my gun as I was climbing out my SUV. Sly bastard’s a good shot. I occasionally ran into him over at Jingo’s Range when I went to practice. He’s almost as good as me.
I bit the inside of my mouth to keep myself in check. The game was to find out as much as I could about Livy before I reported anything to my dad. He’d be pissed. That I could deal with. My broken heart? Not so easy.
From the way she held herself, Livy had forced those walls she lived with back into place. A piece of her puzzle fit in place. I began to understand why she’d become like that, but one day I would break in and reach her. I needed to make her mine.
“Yep.” Shoving my hands inside my pockets, I threw her my ‘best friend’ grin.
A totally cute shade of pink tinted her cheeks. “Could you do me a favor, Rylan? My car is totaled, and I don’t want to wake up my family. Can I crash at the hotel?”
I nodded. “I said I’d take care of you, Livy, but if we go to the hotel now, I’ll have to offer an explanation to your appearance. People gossip and there are cameras. You can stay at my place.”
She shivered against the cool early morning air. “Your place?”
“Yeah. I recently bought a house. About fifteen minutes away. Closer to Montauk. Let me take care of things, okay?”
“Thanks.”
Drake leaned against my SUV as we headed over. He must’ve gotten a text. From the way he frowned when he noticed Livy’s hand in mine, a part of me sympathized with him. I would let my inner circle know to treat him nicely but keep an eye on him, even when he went away to college.
I helped Livy buckle herself and slapped a hand on Drake’s shoulder as I walked by him. “I’ll text you how she’s doing. Don’t tell anyone about what went down tonight, okay?”
“Yeah, of course.” He bit his bottom lip.
Once I made a U-turn, I noticed Drake standing by the Corvette. By the time I made it to the main road, I spotted my friend in the opposite lane waiting to turn. We nodded at each other and I went first, made a left, and continued home. By the time I pulled into my garage, Livy was fast asleep.
The guest room had a twin bed but not an attached bath. My master had an adjoining one and a king-sized bed. I carried Livy in and placed her on my bed, removed her sandals, and made her comfortable. With the nightstand lamp on low, I went to grab a shower. The hot water loosened all those knotted muscles. I’d just pulled my sweatpants on when Livy ran in and raced to the toilet. Slamming the lid up, she proceeded to vomit.
Bending beside her, I pushed some stray strands behind her ears. Nothing much had come out, only bile. She made gagging noises and groaned.
I only stayed here a few days out of the week and knew the cleaning lady had been in today. Lucky for me. “When was the last time you ate?”
She gasped for air, holding the sides of the bowl. “Lunch,” she sputtered.
At the hotel she’d only nibbled on appetizers and downed a flute of champagne. She’d sipped my beer on the beach. I fetched a washcloth and wet it down. Kneeling beside her, I dabbed at her forehead. Her skin seemed very warm. I didn’t have any types of digital thermometers. Werewolves didn’t need them. Was she getting sick?
With her eyes closed, Livy leaned on me. After using the cloth, I tossed it into the sink and began to unzip her hoodie. My fingers froze.
The top of her dress had been shredded. The bra underneath was muddy but seemed intact. When I shoved her hoodie sleeves down her arms and let it fall, the set of sais I’d seen her slip inside the jacket must have come loose from their halters. They clanged in contact with the tile floor, but it wasn’t their sound that made my movements come to a standstill.
The bandage had come loose and had been smushed down into the middle of her bra. Four deep scratches had been gouged above her left breast. Starting at the bottom of her shoulder blade, they wound down to end just above her heart. Lycan marks. That bastard had mauled her. Blood congealed in some places and the tell-tale purple-blue tinge of bruising had sprung up in others.
Wolf barked a reprimand at me. You’re right. I need to concentrate on her.
I hadn’t exactly observed what Drake had swabbed. Instead, I had allowed him to try and help her because I knew of their history. I knew they had been lovers. Why had Drake zipped Livy’s jacket back up? I’d left a lot sooner if I had known. And the guy kept blabbing while I tried to paid attention to Livy and the Lycan. I should’ve left Drake’s ass behind at his house.
Still, why hadn’t her blood affected my senses?
Wolf whimpered in solidarity. No, you had to deal with my emotional state. My anger over Drake’s running mouth. I’m sorry. My arrogance, my need to take charge, took precedence and I didn’t listen to your warnings. I should always trust my animal side. I am sorry, Wolf.
Somehow, I would make it up to him.
The tip of a claw jutted out from the bra’s frilly lace edging; its base embedded in the small beginnings of a fifth wound. A full paw. Did that have any significance? In my world it did. When a male wolf wanted a woman, he marked her by swiping the back of her left shoulder. It resembled a bunch of scratches, nothing like what he stared at.
Livy’s wounds were reminiscent of some of the scars I’d seen on….
I flinched from Wolf’s mournful howl and mumbled, “Greg intended to change her.”
How long had it been since his blood had gotten into her system?
“Livy, Livy,” I shook her, but she was out of it.
Quickly, I removed the rest of her clothes before I picked her up and rushed around a partial wall and into my walk-in shower. It stretched the length of the room and I loved it. This was the reason I’d bought the house, but its sheer space certainly came in handy now. I carried Livy over to the walk-in shower and sat her down on the long bench. The first thing I did was yank that claw free and toss it farther down on the seat. Fresh blood began to leak, spattering onto the white subway tiles.
With one arm I held her body in place as best I could, and with the other I turned on the wall-mounted shower head. Warm water from the jets smacked onto my bare back and drenched my pants. That didn’t matter. I had to wet the nearby sponge before I could begin lathering her hair. From there I did her body and paid special attenti
on when I washed those marks. When it came time to rinse her, I switched over to grab the hand-held. The moment warm water hit her wounds, Livy stirred.
“Ow…ow! Ry, stop,” she moaned, trying to dislodge the attachment from my grip. I raised it higher, determined to remove every particle of that monster off her. When that ticked her off, Livy tried to get off the bench. Intercepting her, I blocked her by shifting my legs around hers. In effect, straddling her.
“Help me clean you up, Livy. It’ll be over soon.” I used my gentle voice but wasn’t sure she heard me. She stared straight ahead at my naked chest and stomach. I angled the flow of water to gently remove the dirt and gook while causing the least amount of discomfort to her.
Livy seemed distracted by my body. “Livy, my main concern is keeping you well. Alive. I’m gonna turn the water off. Can you sit here, and I’ll grab some towels from the shelf over there, okay?”
She nodded slowly, eyelids drooping. “I’m tired.”
“Lean back, baby. Hold on.” I stepped out. As fast as I could, I grabbed what I needed and slipped out of my wet pants. Luckily, I kept spare sweats with my clean towels. I broke my fastest drying time record just to make it back to get her out.
Surprisingly, she remained awake. I wrapped her hair in one towel and began to wipe off the wetness with the other. The cotton fibers greedily soaked up every drop and as I worked my way up her legs, my rubbing slowed down when her hand on mine made me realize how intimate the moment had become.
I gulped, not out of shame or inexperience. During my undergraduate days, I’d spent my share of hours partying and screwing whomever came onto me. Those times held no significance for me. I had not developed feelings for anyone else. It had always been Livy.
With hooded eyes, she guided me across her skin, between her knees and up the sides of her thighs. Purposely, I decreased the pace. My heart rate raced. I could smell her desire. Beads of water dripped from her face onto my bare chest and I shuddered.
Wolf howled to take her into my bedroom and mate with her.
Not like this, I stressed to him. When everything was figured out and I could trust the woman I loved, then I would bed her. With Livy fully knowing me and my pack and accepting all of us. Not until then.
Ungraciously, I stood, still careful not to hurt her. Livy took that as a sign to follow and ambled to her feet. Her hand had dropped to her side. Gently, I finished the task and wrapped a new towel around her. When her head began to droop, I picked her up and carried her inside where I deposited on my bed.
By the time I began to dress the wounds and bandage them, Livy had fallen asleep. Once I’d settled her in one of my tee shirts, I tucked her under the covers. She hadn’t stirred, and her forehead became littered with perspiration. That worried me. At least her body was fighting whatever that monster had released inside her. I yanked a white tee on before I sent a direct message to my Alpha.
Dad, there’s a situation. I need help.
My father liked to keep the telepathic lines between all pack members open for truly important matters and emergencies. My cell buzzed from somewhere in the living room. With a muttered curse, I tore off in search of it, grabbing it off the coffee table by the time the third tone had begun to sound. I put it on speaker.
A second later my father’s shout filled the room. “A Lycan gets taken down in our area, in the same place where two females were murdered years ago, and you’re not only involved, but decide to keep it quiet? Have you learned nothing from being my son? Nothing?”
From his rushed words and insinuating tone, he was pissed. He should be. I had overstepped my boundaries.
“I’m sorry. This one’s personal. I didn’t think it through. I just acted.” I placed the phone on the table and sat on the sofa.
“An Alpha puts his or her pack first. I should have been notified upon first sighting of that monster. How can you ever take over if you can’t remember this simple fact?”
I scrubbed at my face; the loss of adrenaline had begun to slow my thinking. “I understand, Dad. I apologize.”
His sigh wasn’t an exaggerated one. It was short, natural. Dealing with his son he knew revealing his tired state was fine. “What’s going on? Your mother wants to know about the Masterson girl. Is she all right? I saw the remains of her car. Smelled her blood at the scene. Talk to me, mijo.”
He made me feel like a kid again when he called me son in Spanish. We’d dropped so much of what made us us when we moved away. After grandfather was killed, my dad decided to lead the pack in his place. No one challenged him. He was the oldest and the rightful heir. Becoming one with the pack highlighted the important things we needed—like our cultural identity.
“That bastard marked her, Dad. Mauled her. Some are deep and require stitches. She’s asleep and feverish.”
“Dottie’s on standby. You’re at your house?”
“Yes, sir.” My voice shook before I could contain it.
Dad was silent. Even from a distance, I knew he was communicating with others, listening in on group discussions, gathering opinions, and considering any evidence revealed to him. Alpha’s were incredibly powerful and the trust the pack showed him only added to his strength. There was a noise, followed by mumbled voices, and then he said, “We’ll be there soon,” and disconnected.
I plugged my phone in to charge. My ‘natural’ magic could be unruly, especially around computers and certain machines. Sometimes it leaked out of me and short-circuited things or caused explosions or fires. That’s the real reason I didn’t care for technology. It did help in certain situations.
After a check on Livy, I went to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. Twelve minutes later, the bell rang. My Alpha and father and our pack doctor stood on the step. Both breathed heavy. They’d shifted and run over together. We could travel faster through the woodlands especially at night.
Dot clutched a backpack filled with supplies. “Where is she?”
“My room, in back.” Only a few pack members had ever been here. I valued my privacy.
“I’ll take mine with one sugar and a touch of milk,” she chirped, hurrying by.
I closed the door after Dad went straight to the kitchen. He took the carafe off the machine’s hotplate and filled the three mugs I had set out. After fixing each one, he placed two on the table and walked off with the third for Dot.
I sipped mine, welcoming the distraction, before sitting.
Dad soon returned, carrying Livy’s hoodie. He set it down on the kitchen table and opened it, exposing the leather rig affixed inside on either side. Nestled inside each was one red cord-covered handle weapon. “Know what these are?”
I nodded. “Two unique weapons. They look like the traditional sai but have qualities of a hand sword. I’ve never seen anything like them before so I’m guessing they’re specially made.”
Dad removed one, his fingers playing with the handle until he settled on a comfortable grip. “A cross between an ancient melee weapon and a medieval one.” Slowly, he raised it to closely examine it. He seemed intrigued by it. The damned thing disturbed me, especially since it was still bloody.
“It has a baton-like middle. The base is good for jabbing opponents, and the top could be used for hitting.” Another twist as he passed it in front of his face, his eyes examined it like a microscope. “Hmm, these side prongs with their sharp edges are especially dangerous. Imagine the damage they inflict.” He made a few jabs at imaginary foes, brandishing it as though he’d handled one for years.
I sat farther back and drank from my mug. Weapons, including guns, were bothersome. Wolves had teeth and claws and were intelligent animals. But then we were also human and that’s where our weakness came in.
“They’re custom made.” Now he sounded enthralled. Next, he’d be asking Livy for his own pair. “They’re smaller, obviously to fit her hand. The ends are sharp. They’re well cared for. What’s fascinating is this well which runs along the middle of each section. It appears to begin at th
e handle which feeds off into the other parts. I bet there’s thumb print identification on it that opens only for her to pour the poison of her choice. Ingenious and illegal.”
He removed the other and held them in both hands before he lifted them and breathed in deeply a couple of seconds. “Who would make something like this today? And who would give them to a young girl? I understand she’s only twenty-one. Lives with the Armstrong couple. The ones who lost a daughter in a different Lycan attack.”
Dad closed his eyes, still gripping the sais, and sat perfectly still. Eerie. When he did this, I was never sure exactly what he was doing. Mom told me once she suspected he either had a touch of psychometry, where he could ‘’read objects, or clairgustance, where spirits helped him by gifting him certain ‘tastes.’
He knows what others suspect about him, but Dad is the most tight-lipped person I know.
I finished my drink and was about to get a refill when he returned. Once again, he fixated on the weapons in his hands. “Who trained her? I could not imagine your sister handling these.”
I sat back on my chair, amused at his sudden outrage. “No, Angelica is a natural healer. She would rather save a life than take it. Then again, not everyone shares your traditional values, Dad. This area has had its share of strange sightings. You know the lore. Someone had to have seen a monster or two. Olivia did.”
My father grabbed both weapons and went to the sink to wash the blood off them. “So someone thought to bring in hunters to teach our young to kill would be okay? To effectively use these on a Lycan, that child must’ve been trained for years. Did you see her fight?”
From our moment in the bathroom, Livy was no child. Clearing my throat to swallow both the embarrassment and desire, I nodded. “She stabbed him once, in the chest, and he never recovered.”
Once he finished drying them on my kitchen towel, he placed the weapons on the bare counter. “Jose did gather intel for you. He’s now getting some for me. He’s looking into those closest to her. I had a suspicion such a group of hunters existed here. But with pack activity on the island increasing lately and the hotel’s popularity, I never followed up. We’ll know more soon.”
Falling for Shifters: A Limited Edition Autumn Shifters Collection Page 121