"Jarleth and Eli are here. They're our Pride Leaders. There's another member with them who we're not happy with at the moment and have had difficulty exiling," Kat summed up, her speech quick and sharp.
Exiling? I had no idea what she was talking about, but it probably had something to do with pride politics. Prides weren't all that different from packs except that they were generally larger and consisted of only one breed of werecat. Weretigers were notoriously vicious fighters and when grouped in prides, the tension got pretty high if the leaders' rule was threatened. Maybe this was one of those times.
"They'll know we were here anyway," Vanessa said, her voice barely a whisper. Now I knew what Xany felt like when Caden and Mal were constantly leaving her out. Kat nodded and gripped the doorknob. She pulled it open at the first knock.
"Kat! My dear," a male said.
She greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. Vanessa stood frozen beside me with the flattest expression I'd ever seen spread across her face. It was unnerving. She wasn't offering me any hint as to the nature of the situation. Kat and Jarleth shared a long gaze until another man entered the foyer after Eli. Eli did not look very happy. He was tall, broad, and dressed in dark clothing. His hair was slicked back like some sort of bruiser from a 1960s film. He nodded to Kat vaguely before his gaze shot immediately to Vanessa. He laughed once and cocked his head to the side. Vanessa's eyes narrowed and I heard a faint rumble in the pit of her chest. Jarleth pushed past the man and came to the kitchen to greet us.
"Good to see you again, Vanessa and—" He paused for a moment when he looked at me. "Shawnee." His expression lightened and he offered me his hand. I shook it though I didn't remember much about him other than that he was the leader. Jarleth was a middle-aged fellow with a receding head of red hair. Vanessa said nothing to him in return. His cheery demeanor seemed to contrast the mood of everyone else. I couldn't help but wonder what he was trying to cover up.
"It's good to see you, too, Jarleth," I said.
Kat and Eli moved past the men and took positions on either side of Vanessa. Eli nodded politely to me then sudden recognition flooded her expression and she smiled. She lifted her chin to greet me and I returned the gesture. Fragmented memories of Eli flashed in my mind—something to do with apple pie. I shook my head, tucked the strange thoughts in the back of my mind, then glanced over at Vanessa whose eyes remained locked on the dark-haired man. What had he done to deserve such reaction from everyone? It might have been the idiotic way he dressed. Why did all alleged badasses wear leather jackets and slick back their hair? It was the lamest getup. Even in movies, the killers were given away by their stupid outfits.
"Vanessa," he said as he took a step closer to her. He was taller than her and his girth was double. Kat's eyes narrowed at the man though she kept glaring at Jarleth. I could swear the two of them were sharing some sort of silent communication not unlike Caden and Mal.
"Dugan." Vanessa's lips curled into a frown and her voice was deep and husky.
"Who's your friend?" he asked and nodded in my direction. Vanessa's chest rumbled louder and her fingers tightened on my hip, digging in painfully enough to leave bruises. I didn't like how she was reacting to him.
"Mine," was all she said. Dugan started laughing.
"Yours!" He laughed more loudly and tossed his head back. I nearly jumped out of my skin when he abruptly stopped. There was a brief moment of silence then with the speed of an asteroid, he was an inch from Vanessa's face. "Nothing is yours," he spat. The phrase tore off his tongue like razor blades slicing through flesh.
Nothing is yours, echoed in my head. Boiling hot anger rose up inside me. I watched Vanessa, expecting her to lunge at him and tear him to pieces like I'd seen her do many times before to people who threatened her loved ones. Instead, it was Kat who reacted.
"Get out of my house," she demanded, her voice deeper than before. "You're not welcome here." She pointed to the front door. Vanessa's lips were pressed tightly together, forming nothing but a thin slit that replaced the pouty rubies to which I was accustomed. I could feel the rage seeping from her though she did nothing. Dugan turned his attention to Kat.
"Someday, woman, I'll get what I came for." He jerked his coat onto his shoulders and turned toward the door. He glanced over his shoulder at Vanessa, and his eyes wandered over her from head to toe. That was the breaking point for me. The burning desire to punch him in the face was overwhelming. I took a step forward but someone caught the back of my jacket. I turned to see that it was Jarleth holding me in place.
"Leave us, boy," Jarleth finally said and waved his hand for Dugan to leave. His laugh was maniacal in a way that reminded me of Doctor Reynolds. And my father. A choking, hacking laugh—the kind that played endlessly in haunted houses. Dugan slammed the door behind him when he left, shattering a small windowpane in it. I jerked away from Jarleth and turned to Vanessa who was still frozen in place.
"How dare ya bring 'im to my home!" Kat erupted and lashed out at Jarleth. She was in his face in no time. Eli took my arm and Vanessa's then pulled us both from the kitchen to a sitting room across the hall.
"I couldn't stop him from coming here, Kat, he is beyond my control. The best I could do was accompany him," Jarleth said, his stilled composure reminding me of Caden.
"Then take 'im out," she seethed. Kat's growling was ferocious enough to elicit a roar that only a weretiger could emit. "Or I'll do it me'self. Twenty years of this malarkey is enough, and now ye've finally lost all control of 'im!" It was the last thing I heard before Eli closed the door.
"Who was that guy, Ness?" I asked, and moved in front of her, desperately trying to get her to look at me. She wouldn't. Eli approached her and brushed the hair from her shoulder.
"There's no use in letting 'im get to ya, kit," she said.
I turned to Eli now to answer my questions. "Who is he? What does it mean to be exiled?" My words were thick and pressured; in a way, I reminded myself of Xany. Who was I to demand answers from someone else's Pride? I didn't care. Vanessa was my mate and I'd be damned if I wasn't going to find out what had upset her so.
Vanessa leaned against the mantel of the fireplace, turning her back to me and Eli. It was her way of approving Eli to tell the story. I could tell that Eli was a Breeder. She didn't have a visible glyph but with her ease in speaking and ability to remove us from the emotions of the others, it was safe to assume.
"He's a menace. Been haunting our pride since he was a youngin'. Our last leader adopted him after his parents died in the First Fires. He was a threatenin' troublemaker of a kit after his Rebirth," she explained. Rebirth was the term that werecats used for Firsting; that much I knew anyway. I hadn't a clue what the First Fires were.
"So they want to exile him? What's that mean?"
"It means to remove his ties to us. Only the leader can do it. It's about power. Jarleth took over just after the boy Rebirthed. He felt sorry for him and tried to counsel him. He challenged Jarleth over and over, though Jarleth was still able to keep him in line. Recently, he's fallen out of Jarleth's control. Exiling him from the Pride will protect our people. If Jarleth can't overpower him, there's a chance Dugan could become Leader." Eli's speech was pressured and quick, as if she was trying to get as much out as she could. Her eyes drew momentarily over to Vanessa. "He used to give your kit a bit o' trouble when they were wee ones," she added.
Vanessa swung herself around and hissed at Eli. Clearly she hadn't consented to telling that part of the story.
"Is that true, Ness?" I went over to her. She turned her nose up and looked away from me, which I knew meant that she was offended that I had listened to Eli tell one of her secrets.
"It's important she know, lass. If'n you want to keep her close to the Pride, she must be prepared." Eli cracked open the door and peeked out. Vanessa kept her head turned from me until Eli stepped out. When she finally met my gaze again, I placed my hand upon her cheek. She flinched at first then leaned into it, closing her eyes. He
r purring had faded long ago. I took her by the hand and led her over to the sofa. She didn't resist. We sat down and she fiddled with the hem of her skirt.
"I know it's hard for you to talk, but it worries me when you don't." I placed my hand on top of hers and instead of playing with her skirt, she toyed with my fingers.
"It's true," she whispered. "We can't stay here while he knows—" She stopped herself midsentence.
"While he knows what?" I pressed.
"That I'm here. It's not safe. When my mom comes back we'll say goodbye and leave." Her eyes narrowed and her voice was firm. She wasn't asking for my input; she was demanding my obedience. I couldn't remember a time she'd ever done that before. My shoulders grew heavy with the weight of her dominance. She looked me in the eye. Her pupils were dilated ovals that nearly blocked out the yellow of her irises. I held my breath and willed myself to press back against her dominance. Her brows flicked upward and she frowned.
"You're scared of him." I didn't need to be an empath to sense her fear.
The reason she'd shut down started to make sense. I'd never known Vanessa to fear anyone or anything. Except water. Which would explain her sudden need to make sure I followed her orders—she didn't think she could keep me safe any other way. She hissed at me and pulled her hand from mine. Another secret exposed. She fidgeted around, then started scratching at her arms and hands in the manner that young werecats do when they're being bratty.
"Stop, stop it," I said and grabbed her hands. She'd left bloody slices all over her skin. She fought me so I used the weight of my body to press her back onto the couch with as much force as I could muster. At any moment, she could haul off and toss me across the room. My sudden dominance shocked her out of her tantrum and she submitted to my pressure, though it didn't stop her from frowning.
"Home," she said and grasped the cushions around us as if to avoid touching me. Her fingernails were riddled with blood and left smears on the pillows.
"We'll go home, Ness, I promise." I pulled her hands away from the sofa. "Let me heal your arms, baby." It took me three tries before she stopped yanking her arms away and let me examine the scratches. By the time she calmed down, she was already healed.
"Gone," she said.
"I see this. You and your super Changer healing self." I kept my body weight against her as it seemed to calm her a bit. I had no idea what I was doing, but this is how she deals with me when I'm acting out or really upset. Her body wasn't as tense as it was a minute ago. Eventually, she reached up to caress my cheek again. I kissed the palm of her hand. After a moment, the soft hum of her purrs returned.
Just then, Kat came into the room and over to the sofa. She sat beside Vanessa and put her hand on her stomach, holding her in place not unlike how I'd done. I watched the interaction between them. Kat kept Vanessa still and in time, the two of them were purring again. At that point, I knew it was useless to try and get them to talk to me so I just watched. When Vanessa started to struggle again, Kat thrust her back onto the cushions. I didn't like the rough treatment but it seemed necessary and normal in a way. After a few minutes of silence, Vanessa's entire body seemed to relax and reanimate. Kat finally let her go.
"She wants to go home," I said.
"I know. Maybe your dogs will let me visit instead," Kat suggested though I knew it was more of a request.
"I'm sure they will." I rubbed Vanessa's leg and she sat up to wrap her arms around my middle and place her chin on my shoulder.
"Go now. I need to talk to your father before I visit," Kat said.
We stood and Kat wrapped both of us in a fierce embrace. She whispered something in Vanessa's ear that I couldn't understand. Vanessa nodded and took my hand. She led me back to the mirror. Kat bid us farewell and before I knew it, we were bending back to Utah.
Chapter Seven
It was still early morning when we arrived safely in my room. Vanessa paced back and forth while I sat on the edge of the bed to steady my woozy head. One day I'd learn to keep my eyes closed when traveling the inbetween.
"Come here," I said. She stopped and looked at me. "Come here."
She crawled to me from the foot of the bed. Her catlike movements sent shockwaves down my spine. I held my arms to her then guided her to sit straddling my lap just like she does to me. With her forehead against mine, I pulled her into a hug. To my surprise, she placed her head on my shoulder and sniffled quietly.
"It's all right, baby. Your mom can come here until that guy is dealt with." In rhythm, I moved my hands up and down her back. After a few minutes her body relaxed and her sniffling ceased. The nuzzle of her nose against my neck told me that she'd accepted my solution to the situation. I didn't really know how Mal and Caden would react to having another cat around, but I had enough faith in both of them at this point to make promises of my own.
What had this Dugan guy done to Vanessa to upset her so? Eli had hinted at something but I couldn't imagine Vanessa ever being bullied. Or worse. While I ran my fingers through her hair, I thought about Mal. There was no way I could ever keep Vanessa safe from this guy on my own, but I bet he could. I held my breath for a moment and summoned his wolf, crying out to the part of him that I knew could never resist my call. A moment later, he was standing in my doorway, dripping wet with a toothbrush in his mouth and shampoo in his hair. My jaw dropped when I saw the lathered, naked man. I snorted, trying very hard not to laugh. Vanessa turned her head to look at him, then snickering replaced her sniffles. Her eyes lingered where they definitely shouldn't. So did mine. I shook my head at him and tapped my temple.
Holy hell, woman, you scared me to death. His voice popped into my head.
I hid my smirk against Vanessa's shoulder. With her thumbnail against her teeth, she continued to watch him, then gave my thighs a squeeze with her legs. I lifted a brow at her and she returned it with a sly smile.
Go finish your shower. I just wanted to talk like this. Mal gave us a nice view of his rear as he returned to the bathroom.
What happened? Why are you back so soon and what's wrong with the cat?
I told him all about Dugan and what Eli had implied about how he bothered Vanessa. I explained to him what it meant to be exiled as well.
What did this guy do to her?
I don't know. No one would really say, but Kat was pissed. He's a Changer though, that much I could tell. And Vanessa was scared of him. She's not scared of anyone, Mal, not anyone.
Vanessa's purring returned and her hand now rested on my stomach under my shirt. The tips of her fingers moved gently, kneading my bare flesh.
That says something. You've never met this guy before? he asked.
No. She never even mentioned his name. Eli hinted that he might be more dominant than Jarleth at this point. He could challenge Jarleth again and take over the pride. What if he's really bad? I brushed a few strands of hair from Vanessa's neck, exposing her tender skin. She kissed my shoulder and moved her hand up toward my breasts. And where's Xany? She'd usually pop in by now.
She and Caden went shopping, he answered. I'll be right there.
Mal came into the room dressed normally with his wet hair pulled back into a tight braid. Vanessa's nose twitched when she smelled him and she turned to look again. He sat down on the bed beside us and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Your mom can come here whenever she wants," he told her. Vanessa flicked her eyebrows at him and twitched her nose.
"I'm guessing that means 'thank you.'" He looked to me for verification and I nodded. "Want me to eat him for you? It can be arranged easily." Mal licked his lips. She watched him as if searching his expression before nodding once. He laughed, which made her smile. Vanessa's posture straightened, and she sat up and put both of her hands up my shirt. Her fingertips were cooler than usual.
"She lives." I laughed softly at her sudden reanimation and wondered if Mal's threat was enough to soothe her. I tucked her hair behind her ears and rubbed her arms that were now free of any markings.
/> "Feel better?" I asked. Vanessa nodded. "What was that thing your mom did on the couch? Why did she hold you down?" I asked. She tilted her head but didn't say anything. "It was probably a cat thing, huh," I said. A snicker escaped her lips and she nodded once.
Mal chuckled at us. "You ladies feel like taking a walk to the lake? The water is warm and perfect," he said.
Vanessa cringed just like she had last night when we talked about swimming. Mal laughed. "You can just watch, Red. It might do you good to be in the sun for awhile."
"Can I watch Shawnee swim?" Her voice was raspy, but the grin that she offered him was refreshing.
"Hey! Who said I was swimming? I don't even have a bathing suit."
"So?" Vanessa licked her lips and Mal shrugged dramatically.
"Oh well." He sighed. "You'll just have to go natural."
"You two are going to be the death of me, I swear." I swatted them both.
"C'mon, I'll ask Xany to pack a picnic and meet us there." Mal stood and offered us each a hand.
***
It didn't take much cajoling to get Vanessa to agree to come to the lake. Mal kept teasing her and promised that he'd charm me into a bathing suit. It might work, I had to admit. I couldn't see myself denying him anything. Vanessa must have figured the probability was pretty high as well. Xany also told her that she was fixing tuna sandwiches so that was a contributing factor. Sex and food—the two biggest motivators for werecreatures.
At the lake, the summer sun shimmered along the surface of the water. The light breeze made the heat more tolerable. Xany brought a few spare bathing suits for Vanessa and me in case we changed our minds about swimming. She, however, decided that commando worked best for her. Vanessa and I sat by the rock on the shore while the guys and Xany splashed in the water. Caden picked Xany up a few times and tossed her high into the air. Her squeals always ended with a splash. Later, Mal and Caden put on a show for us as they wrestled around in the water like two big fish caught in a net. While the guys had a dunking war, Xany climbed out of the water to join us.
Birthrite (Legacy Series Book 2) Page 6