MemoriesofParadise

by Tianna Xander

  I know what you’re up to, Gunter said through their link. You’re trying to get to the mother through the child.

  You’re right, though I’m not sure if that’s smart or manipulative.

  It’s both, and I don’t give a damn right now. Gunter said through their link. I don’t have much time. I can already feel the heat of the el calor seething through my system. It’s only a matter of time before I hurt her or her daughter trying to force myself on her.

  You would never force yourself on a child. Clay stared down at his meal, unable to believe his friend was capable of even thinking such a thing. However, he had seen men affected by the el calor and he knew the way they acted was more instinct than personal choice.

  No. I would not, but I might inadvertently harm the child trying to force myself on her mother. I don’t want that. I would never forgive myself. Promise me that, should I get out of hand, you will go to the sheriff and get a group to end me. I do not want to be remembered by the atrocities I committed while in the throes of the mating heat. Gunter took another bite of his breakfast before he briefly met Clay’s gaze. Promise me.

  I promise, he agreed with a sigh. Though he meant to do exactly what Gunter asked, it didn’t mean that he had to like it.

  However, he would do anything to protect this woman and her child from danger. Already, he felt attached to them. How did the shifter genes change him so much that he could already care for a woman he had just met? He didn’t believe in love at first sight. At least he never had before.

  Clay couldn’t help but watch as the woman ate. His groin tightened every time her lips closed around the fork. Every time she raised her coffee cup to her mouth to take a sip. It was funny how he never even tasted the hated onions in his omelet as he ate. He barely felt the heat of his coffee as he lifted it to take a swallow.

  What was it about this woman that stirred him so deeply that he could barely sit here and eat, not to mention, think, or even feel, anything but the slow burn that began in his gut the moment he took her in his arms to carry her from the wreckage?

  It felt as though she had taken hold of his balls and squeezed them in her small, feminine hands. Yet, she didn’t even look at him with desire in her eyes. Hell, she barely looked at either of them at all.

  Riana. He wanted to say her name over and over again. He wanted to know what it felt like to roll off his tongue as he held her against him, as she moaned in his arms while he brought her to completion—while they brought her to completion.

  Before he knew it, his breakfast was gone and Sarah stood next to the table.

  “Would you like me to heat up your coffee?” She didn’t wait for an answer. She tipped the hot pot over his cup and poured until the dark liquid threatened to spill over the top.

  “Since when do you like your coffee black, Clay?” She frowned down at his cup for a moment before she grinned. “Never mind, I understand.” Pulling a few more creamers from her pocket, she tossed them onto the table and turned to fill Gunter and Riana’s cups.

  “Thank you,” Riana murmured softly as she picked up a creamer and pulled the paper lid off the top. “If feels like days since I had a cup of coffee.” She frowned. “It hasn’t been days, has it? I mean I wasn’t unconscious for long, was I?”

  “No. We found you not long after your plane went down. We heard the thing crash and called for help,” Gunter said before he picked up his cup and took a long pull.

  Clay grimaced. Gunter always drank his coffee black. He looked down into his own cup and wondered how he could have sucked down an entire cup of the nasty shit with no cream and sugar.

  Picking up a creamer, he emptied first one, then another into the cup and added two packets of sugar. That should do. He picked up the cup, took a sip and closed his eyes. Yes, that hit the spot.

  The coffee only added to the warmth swirling around in his gut. Was it the el calor he felt? Did Gunter feel this as well, or was his more intense because he was older? Whatever it was, had begun to make him feel uncomfortable.

  When Holly sighed, pushed her plate away and leaned back with her hands over her stomach, Clay chuckled. “Are you ready to go to the lodge and get a room now?”

  She nodded. “I am. What about you, Mom? Can we go? I’m tired.”

  “I’ll bet she is. It’s been a trying day for her.”

  Riana turned to look out through the window. “Oh, my. What time is it? It looks like it’s getting dark out there.”

  “It’s about seven. It’s getting colder out there, too. The weather service says we’re going to get a heck of a storm tonight,” Sarah said as she bent to clear their plates from the table.

  She looked at Gunter. “You might want to think about taking a room in the lodge yourselves. If we get the storm that they’ve predicted, the power will most likely go out and you’ll be stuck with no heat and no way to cook again. You know, Emma and the boys have a nice new generator at the hotel.”

  “You’re right, Sarah. Thanks for the suggestion,” Gunter told her with a wink. “I think we’ll do that.” I could kiss that woman for giving us that excuse to stay there. I had the feeling that our mate was going to insist on staying there without us.

  Me, too. Clay smiled up at her. “Thanks for the warning, Sarah.”

  “You’re welcome.” Turning, she took the mostly empty dishes back to the kitchen. Riana had eaten less than half of her meal, while her daughter had made a good effort and ate about three-quarters of hers. Clay hadn’t expected them to eat everything. After all, the meals here in Paradise were rather large to accommodate a shifter’s appetites and metabolism. Most humans had a difficult time eating half of what was put on their plate.

  Clay wiped is mouth with his napkin and stood. “Are you ready to go, ladies?”

  Chapter Eight

  Riana frowned when they stood and headed for the door. “Aren’t we going to pay for breakfast?” She had no idea how she would pay for it. She’d wash dishes if she had to, she supposed, but she refused to walk out of this place without making sure they paid somehow. She’d been a waitress before and she refused to stiff Sarah. Not to mention the trouble the other woman could get into if she allowed them to walk out without paying.

  “Sarah has already put it on our tab.”

  “Your tab? You’re kidding, right?” I don’t believe this. What the heck happened? Did we crash in Mayberry, or something? “You two actually have a tab here?”

  “We sure do,” Gunter said as he walked outside. Stopping on the sidewalk, he took a deep breath and stretched. “I love the smell of the cold, mountain air.”

  “I do, too,” Clay added. “I just don’t like the work that follows the winter storms that bring it in.” He shook his head. “We won’t have to shovel the sidewalks at the lodge.”

  “Our sidewalks will still be there tomorrow and if we get the storm Sarah thinks we’re going to get, we’ll have plenty of time to clear them before the roads are all plowed.”

  “Damn.”

  “You love being outside in the snow and you know it, so stop complaining.”

  “Where is the lodge?” Holly asked as she skipped ahead of them. “Look, Mom! They have an ice skating rink here. Can we go?”

  “Your ice skates are back in Boston, Holly.”

  “Oh.” Immediately, the girl’s mood deflated. “Can we watch TV when we get into our room?”

  “Maybe.” Riana rubbed her forehead and grimaced. “I have a headache and I’m tired.”

  “You’re always tired. It’s because you work all of the time.”

  “I do not!”

  “Yes, you do. You work from the time I go to school until I go to bed. You need a vacation.”

  “Well, I’m getting one now.” What would she do if the airline refused to replace her things? She couldn’t afford to spend more money on clothing. Most of the things she’d brought with her were new. She’d purchased them so she would look good when applying for the loans she would need to get her business off th
e ground. She could make it work. She knew she could.

  The lotions and potions she made always sold well. The love potion she had was guaranteed to make a man fall to his knees in front of the woman wearing it and declare his undying devotion—for the night, at least.

  She didn’t think of herself as any kind of witch or wise woman. Her love potion was really a lotion filled with the right scents and pheromones to drive a man wild with passion. It could never make a man attracted to the wearer if he wasn’t already interested, but if the woman in question had the man’s attention or affection already, it worked like a charm.

  She looked around her, noticing that there wasn’t a specialty shop in town. Perhaps her business would do well here.

  “How many people live in Paradise?”

  “Not many. About a hundred—maybe a few more, but not much.”

  “Oh.” She would never be able to support herself and Holly on what only one hundred people would purchase in her store.

  “But the town is growing every day,” Clay added as he walked beside her.

  Holly ran ahead, looking at the beautiful lawns and the park they passed. “Can I go to the park and swing later, Mom?”

  Swing? Holly hadn’t wanted to swing in ages.

  “I thought you were too old for that,” she said, repeating the words that Holly herself had used not long ago.

  Holly stopped and looked at her. “I only said that because my friends in Boston said that it was for little kids.” She tilted her head and smiled. “But I like to swing. I always have.”

  “It doesn’t hurt that there aren’t any teenage boys around either, does it?” Riana asked with a chuckle.

  Her daughter only grinned at her and shrugged. Riana didn’t remember ever being as boy crazy as her daughter had been in Boston. In fact, she didn’t remember much before Holly was born. She remembered the state attempting to force her to give Holly up for adoption. She had been so young—only sixteen or so herself. However, the state couldn’t prove her age. She had all of her adult teeth and there was no way for them to prove she was under the age of eighteen.

  After forcing the state to allow her to keep Holly, the agency had supported the both of them until Riana had gotten her General Education Diploma and a job. Her new birth certificate gave her the name of Kelly Ann O’Connor, though she insisted everyone call her Riana. What her real name was, was anyone’s guess.

  Riana stopped in front of the lodge. A strange feeling of déjà vu came over her. She couldn’t explain it. She had the feeling that she had stood here in this very place before.

  Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve never been here before. Heck, you don’t even know where here is.

  “Where are we?”

  “We told you already, Riana. This is Paradise.”

  “What state? I was in a plane, remember?” She smiled to soften the sarcastic remark she would make next. “It’s not as though the pilots announced every state we flew over. Attention passengers, if you look out your windows, you will see the clouds over Wisconsin.”

  “That was rude. Seriously, Mom. And you tell me I’m rude.”

  “That’s enough, Holly. Don’t talk to your mother like that. She had a valid question.”

  Riana wasn’t sure she liked Gunter chastising her daughter as though he had a right to do so. “It’s okay. I was out of line.”

  “No. You were curious and a bit sarcastic, but we didn’t take insult.” He grinned. “Believe me. It’s going to take a lot more than that to upset either one of us.”

  “Thanks.” Riana felt her face heat. What was it with these two? They saved her, her daughter and some other unknown woman from a crashed plane, then fed her. Now they were going to house her in the local hotel. “But I shouldn’t have said it. After all, you’ve done so much for us.”

  “And we’ll do more.” Gunter took her elbow and led her up the walkway to the hotel. “By the way, we’re in northern Montana.”

  Riana looked up that the lodge and shook her head. “I’ve never been to Montana…have I?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t answer that.” Clay looked down at her. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Are you okay?”

  Riana shook her head as she stared at the porch and the door beyond. “I—I don’t know.”

  It felt like the earth shifted beneath her feet as the door opened. Two men walked out, a woman between them. After a flash of light, her vision shifted.

  “Go home now, dear. Your mother called. She says she needs you to help with the girls.” An older woman looked down at her with a smile. She waved as a man pushed past her and smiled at her. He was evil. She felt it all the way down to her toes.

  She knew that man. She knew him.

  “Where am I?” Riana shook her head to clear it, bringing herself back to reality. Looking up at Gunter who stared down into her eyes with obvious concern, she whispered, “Have I been here before?”

  He said something to her, but she didn’t understand. Shadows ringed her vision as she stared up at him for a moment just before her world went dark.

  Chapter Nine

  “Get the door, Clay,” Gunter practically barked the order as he caught Riana in his arms. He had to admit to wanting to feel her soft form against him again, but he would rather she’d been conscious. “I think we overdid it. We should have brought her directly here and gone out for her meal.”

  He walked through the door and waited impatiently for Clay to join him. “Ring the damned bell, will you? We need to get her into a room and make her comfortable.”

  Clay squeezed between him and the counter. “It would be easier to do so if you weren’t standing right in the way, you asshole!”

  “Can I help you?” Gemma, the lodge owner stared at Riana with a concerned expression.

  Gunter looked at her and smiled. “Yes. We’re going to need three rooms—adjoining if possible. “This little lady,” he said, indicating Holly, “and her mother were in that plane crash on the ridge. They’ll need two rooms. Clay and I will share one.”

  “Okay.” She scribbled something in her registration book. “You know the rates.” Turning, she grabbed three keys. “Follow me, gentlemen.”

  She led them to the elevator and entered the small enclosure. “I’ve given you all rooms on the third floor.” Reaching up, she rested her hand on his arm. “Just what I thought.” She smiled again. “I’ll put the woman in the middle room, with her daughter on one side and you and Clay on the other.”

  Gunter followed her into the elevator and waited for Holly and Clay to join them.

  “As you know, we serve three meals a day here, but since you’re too late for the evening meal, I’ll have something sent up.”

  “No need. We stopped by the diner on the way here. We’ve all had something to eat. We just need a room where we can get her comfortable and check on her every hour or so because of her head injury.”

  “You know I have to tell Merrick about this.” She smiled. “After all, the woman is unconscious.”

  “He probably knows we’re here already. He’s been helping with the wreckage all day.”

  “How many survivors were there? I haven’t heard. Do I need to worry about booking?”

  “No.” Clay shook his head. “There were only three alive when Gunter went into the plane. He got all three out.” He turned to Holly. “This is Riana’s daughter.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” Holly said respectfully. “Thank you for giving us rooms. I’m so tired and I want a bath.”

  Gunter was certain her mother would feel the same once she woke.

  “Your mom’s name is Riana?” Gemma asked as she looked at the unconscious woman in his arms. “She looks familiar. Only I never knew a Riana.” She smiled again and stepped out of the elevator when the door opened on the third floor.

  “Well,” Holly added. “Her real name is Kelly, but she doesn’t like it.”

  Gemma walked down the corridor a bit before turning to open a door. “This i
s the lady’s room and…” She handed a key to Holly and Clay. “The room on the left is Holly’s and the room on the right is for the guys. Have a good night. Don’t be surprised if Matt or Merrick comes up to see you later.”

  “We won’t.” Clay touched her arm as she walked by. “Thanks, Gemma.”

  “It’s the least I can do, Clay. After all, you came here to help when I needed you. It’s about time I got to return the favor.”

  Gunter knew what she was talking about though he had been out of town himself when the Rangers came to Paradise. Merrick and Matt were Gemma’s mates. When they returned to Paradise several years ago, they found her in danger. She had been the target of a serial killer. They called in their Army Ranger pals to help and most of them decided to stay.

  He couldn’t say it was a bad thing. Paradise needed experienced warriors. It still did. Though the rightful alpha had managed to disband the old, sick council, there were still a lot of tudra out there just waiting for the opportunity to retake the town.

  The tudra were all shifters, unlike the Rangers. They had had a huge advantage over the Rangers whom, they found out later, were all part shifter. They had the senses of a shifter, but not the ability to shift their shape. That is, until they found someone in Paradise to change them.

  Now, most of them were full-fledged citizens of Paradise. He looked at Clay and wondered what his life would be like without the other man at his side. He didn’t want to remember a day that didn’t have him in it. For a shifter, being alone was a fate worse than death.

  Over the last few years, he’d gotten used to the other man being around. He liked the company and he needed the help around the shop. That’s what he told Clay, anyway.

  Gunter sighed and looked down at the angelic face of his mate. She was the most beautiful woman in the world with her green eyes flecked with brown. It wouldn’t have mattered if she’d had a wart on the tip of her nose. He would have felt the same. No woman was more beautiful than one’s mate.

  Clay held the door open as he carried her into her room. Holly pulled the covers down and he set Riana on the bed. “Take off her shoes, will you, Clay?”