“I can’t leave him. Not yet.” Tears slipped from her eyes but for the first time in ages, she didn’t wipe them away or force herself to stop. Someone needed to grieve for his lost life even if no one knew it was gone yet.
~*~
Within hours, Liam began crying out in what could only be described as half growl and half cry. His body shook with shivers as the first wave of fever broke. Mackenzie moved quickly to remove the cool cloth. As she grabbed the warm wool blanket to cover him, she noticed that the sweat had soaked his clothing.
Without a second thought, she removed the shirt that Geoff had put on him when he was brought in and threw it across the room. Liam’s chest rose and fell quickly with each labored breath. The defined abs and pecks were something to be admired, but before she could add to her pile of guilt where Liam was concerned, she covered his body with the blanket.
Footsteps echoed in the hall outside the closed den door. She knew Geoff hadn’t gone far after Mackenzie turned him away. She could hear him muttering to himself, trying to find the words to change her mind.
She wouldn’t allow herself to stray from her duty. She wondered if he actually understood what she was going through. He wasn’t bitten after all. He never had to deal with the blackouts or losing everything important in his life, like she and Liam had. He knew what was coming. He could plan for it.
Feeling her irritation growing with every footstep, she walked to the door. When he stopped moving, she took a deep breath. Flinging the door open, Geoff stood in front of her with a big grin on his face. “Good, you’re ready to give him some space. Let’s get out of here.”
Mackenzie’s eyes narrowed at him. “What?”
“I am not going to get out of here. I want you to give ME some space, Geoff! I will not leave him like that bastard left me!” Slamming the door in his face, she moved back to the couch, glanced down at Liam and sat.
A few choice curse words could be heard as Geoff walked down the hall but it didn’t matter. She could smooth things over with Geoff later, but right now, Liam needed her. A soft knock on the door alerted Mackenzie to Margret’s presence.
“Sweetheart, are you sure you want to stay in here? All it is going to do is make you keep thinking about what went wrong. What is done is done and we will all be here for him from day one. Maybe you should find some alone time to forgive yourself.” Margret’s voice was soft and her eyes danced between Mackenzie and Liam. As much as she wanted to believe her, Mackenzie just didn’t believe she could ever forgive herself.
“I can’t, Margret. I need to be here when he wakes up.” Returning her attention to Liam, she heard the door softly click closed.
The light filtering into the room through the large windows began to turn a golden color before disappearing. Moving from her perch on the side of the couch to turn on a small light, she was able to stretch. With her muscles wound tight, she was beginning to feel uncomfortable enough to find a new place to rest. Her bed was beginning to sound like a good idea before Liam began to cry, now in a much deeper octave. Why should she be in comfort if he was in agony? She decided that she would stay where she was.
The laughter and joy that could be heard floating throughout the house irritated her. They acted as if a man turning into one of them happened so often that it didn’t require any kind of consideration or sorrow. How could they just not care?
When the scent of sizzling chicken filled the air, her stomach growled loudly. Looking longingly at the door that led to the kitchen, she sighed and sat back down next to Liam. Food would be there when he awoke.
“Mackenzie?” Geoff’s soft voice said after a light knock on the door. “I brought you some dinner.”
Looking up, she saw the sincerity in his actions. He could be a jackass, but he did care if he took the time to put up with her mood swings and still bring her dinner. Still not quite ready to let him know she had forgiven him, she sighed in an exaggerated tone, hoping he would think it was in irritation.
“Thanks, I guess. Just put it on the table.” The fried chicken smelled delectable and her mouth began to water. She practically ran to the table, her grumbling stomach leading the way. Geoff stood off to the side, leaning against the bookcase with a little grin on his face, watching her devour the plate of food. Realizing she was being watched, she slowed down her chewing, swallowed, and wiped her mouth. She began to eat like a proper lady then looked over to Geoff.
“Does this mean I am forgiven? I know I can be an ass, but I brought you chicken.” The smirk remained fixed on his face and as much as Mackenzie wanted to smack it off, she couldn’t help but smile back at him.
“I suppose. Thank you for dinner.” Geoff nodded his head and left the room without another word to leave her to her bedside vigil.
~*~
The sun rose and fell once more before Liam gave any indication of waking. His limbs had lengthened and became more taught. His skin cleared up and his blonde hair looked slightly longer and had more highlights.
The moaning and thrashing about had stopped just an hour before his eyelids began to flutter open. Mackenzie jumped up from his side and stood back, not knowing what the best course of action would be. Should she stay right next to him, hold his hand and tell him what had just happened, or should she stand back and give him space to deal with it himself?
Before she could make up her mind, standing halfway between his side and the wall, he yawned, sat up, and stretched. Mackenzie froze, waiting for some kind of response from Liam. After rubbing his eyes and scratching his nether region, he finally looked up and locked eyes with her. The yellow green shade of his irises sent a pain through her chest as if an ice pick had found its way in to her overheated body. He was a Werewolf.
“What happened? Why am I here and why are you here?” His voice was steady but the acidic tone wasn’t missed. He was not happy to see her. He remembered that she was the one to attack him. She knew that she had to explain, to let him know what he was.
“You changed. You’re a Werewolf now. I’m sorry. When you change at first you have no memories and no control, I didn’t mean to. I really didn’t.” She had been planning on being cool, calm, and collected while talking to him, but every icy glare he sent her way dug deeper into her heart, riddling her with guilt. Every word she spoke was filled with regret and tears.
“Get away from me. You are insane! This whole thing is crazy! I am not a Werewolf!” Liam stood and ran from the room. Wiping her tears, she followed after him, hoping someone would stop him along the way.
Reaching the front door, she found it wide-open, snow flurries blowing into the entryway. Liam stood outside with Margret and they spoke quietly. Not wanting to interrupt and scare him further, she stood and watched, trying desperately to hear what they were saying.
Liam walked away from Margret, who stood watching him before returning the house. As she passed Mackenzie, she reached out and squeezed her hand, and said, “Come on. Let’s go talk.”
Nodding her head, Mackenzie followed Margret through the house and into her office. She had never been in the office before and had believed it would be some big opulent room, but it wasn’t. It fit with the decor of the rest of the house, very down-to-earth and homey. There were papers lying about and a large desk with chairs on either side.
The only thing that made this room stand out above the others was the very large, very old painting of a woman that Mackenzie didn’t recognize. The brush strokes were stunning and the colors so well preserved that she was mesmerized by it. The woman had dark hair, and was standing in the middle of a clearing wearing nearly nothing—with woods on one side of her, a cottage on the other, and in the distance, a spectacular stone castle.
Margret smiled when she saw that Mackenzie was taking an interest in the painting. She walked back around to stand next to her and admire the ancient work.
“It is stunning. Where did you get it?” Mackenzie asked in awe.
“That’s my mother. Wasn’t she beautiful?”
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“Absolutely breathtaking.”
“She really was. Powerful woman, powerful wolf. She is everything I aspire to be. She loved everyone within her pack, the largest in history. But, that is a tale for another day. Let’s talk.”
Nodding her head but not being able to look away from the painting for another few seconds, she was able to take in the similarities between Margret and her mother—the hair, the eyes and even the shape of their faces. It made Mackenzie think of her own mother. The one she had yet to contact since running away from college. She had to be worried, and that was never something she wanted to do. But how does someone not only tell their mother the three hardest words, ‘you were right’, but then follow it up by, ‘If I had listened to you I would still be human’. Mackenzie wasn’t sure any mother would be able to handle the second one.
Sitting in the chair opposite Margret’s, Mackenzie crossed and uncrossed her legs, laced her fingers together then unlaced them, and finally began strumming her fingertips along the wooden arm rests.
“Mackenzie, please calm down. Liam’s reaction is normal. The only thing we can do now is to give him what he wants, which is space. When he starts to notice the changes, he will be back. He knows what happened to him. I explained the signs to look for and warned him of the danger of being around humans close to the full moon. As a man, his strength is almost double your own and you remember how hard it was to control it.”
“But he shouldn’t have to do it alone. It was so scary, not knowing what the hell to do.”
“I know that. But he does know what is going on and he knows how to find us when he has questions. If you force him to talk to you, it will only make it worse. After his first change when he sees that you had no control, things may get better. Or it may take a lot of time. But as long as you never hold his anger against him, and are there for him when he needs it, everything will be fine.”
Not knowing what else to say, Mackenzie nodded and stood. She took one last look at Margret before glancing to the portrait and leaving the room. She didn’t want Margret to see how weak she was so she held it together until the door softly clicked closed behind her and the tears fell. Wiping them away again, she growled in frustration at herself. She was supposed to be done crying.
Each step up to the third floor felt like walking through quick sand. Her entire body was aching. She was exhausted from forcing herself to stay awake while Liam was changing, and not to mention the emotional toll his anger with her took on her body.
The bedroom door stood open and Teresa and Natalie were nowhere to be found. Mackenzie hoped that Natalie was managing her wolf mistake better than she was, but she really doubted it. She knew Natalie. Natalie was kind-hearted and soft. The reality she awoke to that morning had really shaken her.
Walking across the room to her bed, she began peeling clothing off, one piece at a time and leaving a trail from the door to the foot of her bed until all she wore was her bra and panties. Climbing under the covers, she fell asleep.
Chapter 18
A gentle rubbing along her back woke her from a dreamless sleep. The view through the window showed a sky that had turned dark with stars shining brightly above the trees. Rolling over expecting to see Teresa or Natalie perched beside her, she nearly screamed when she saw Geoff instead.
Pulling the blankets up to cover herself, even though he had already seen her in the nude on more than one occasion, she scooted back away from him. There was just something much more intimate about him seeing her in bed in just a bra and panties than him seeing her naked in the wild after a change.
“What are you doing in here? I’m not dressed!”
“Yeah, I know. What’s the big deal? I’ve seen you with much less on more than once now. Plus, you left the door wide open.”
“Twice. It’s been twice and it would be never if I had a choice about it. Get out!” With one hand holding onto the blanket, and the other pushing against his chest, that may or may not have been perfectly sculpted beneath his super thin t-shirt, she groaned. It was like trying to move a boulder that had been sitting in the same spot for a hundred years—firmly planted and rock solid.
The grin on his face, while he watched her trying to remove him from her bed, sent her temper flaring. Dropping the blanket to use both hands, she climbed onto her knees and when his eyes went wide with surprise at the site before him, stunning curves, supple breasts, and wild brown locks.
She shoved him.
Falling to the floor with a resounding thud, Mackenzie’s scowl faded into a smile of victory. Geoff never stopped staring at her. The way he looked at her set her body ablaze. Every inch of her was dying to be touched. She knew he wanted her, and she was more than happy to surrender.
Margret took that moment to walk past the door and cleared her throat. Mackenzie looked to the open door and saw her, standing with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. It didn’t take a genius to know she was not happy with the scene before her.
“Margret, it’s not what it looks like!”
“So you are barely covered with Geoff sitting on the floor staring at you like you were made from his favorite candy?”
“Well, yes, but No! He woke me up then wouldn’t get out of my bed so I made him.”
“Yes, that sounds so much better. Geoff, no men are allowed on this floor and you damn well know it. A word, please? Mackenzie, get dressed.”
Geoff stood, still focusing on Mackenzie, licked his lips, and backed out of the room. What had just happened? She was so angry with him, but with a single lustful glance, she had turned to putty. Was this another side effect of the Werewolf thing? Increased strength, speed, temper…and lust? Or was it just as simple as a man and a woman being completely attracted to the other? She laughed at herself. As if it were only sexual attraction? Whatever it was, she needed it to cool off.
Picking her clothing off the floor, she traipsed into the bathroom for a cold shower to remove any lingering thoughts of Geoff.
~*~
Mackenzie felt much calmer after her frigid shower. Dressed in jeans and an oversized sweater, hoping to hide away beneath them, she sat on the floor in front of the large window. She had taken a book from the shelf in the library and was reading, hoping to lose herself in someone else’s romance and drama instead of thinking about her own. And of course, not a Werewolf, vampire, or any other supernatural being involved. Who needed to read about it if they were living it?
Just when the hero was about to ravage his busty blonde heroine with his thirsty eyes and pulsing member, the door behind her creaked open then quickly shut. Knowing exactly who would be sneaking into her room, she quickly hid the book beneath the pillows she had arranged for her “reading nook” as Teresa had started to call it.
“I’m not supposed to be in here.”
“So why are you?”
Each footstep he took closer to her, thundered out and her heart raced. She couldn’t just hear him, but she could feel him getting closer. The instant calming effect that she felt being around the others was null and void when Geoff was in the room.
“To ask you to come up to my room to watch a movie with me, get your mind off things.” She knew she was setting herself up for one of two situations. One, he was being a friend. A friend that would actually watch the movie and want to obey the orders Margret had set forth for the two of them. The other was she was setting herself up for much more than that. Watching a movie in his room. With him. Alone. She wondered exactly how much of the movie they would actually see after the looks he gave her earlier.
“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” At least, she really hoped it was.
He held his hand out to help her stand, but when she was firmly on her feet, he didn’t let go. Score one for a whole lot more!
. Walking through the halls holding hands with Geoff garnered a whole lot of looks from everyone they passed. Mackenzie couldn’t understand what was so shocking and was more than a little embarrassed by the gawking. She knew
of other couples within the house. Was she so horrible that Geoff couldn’t possibly be interested?
“You would think they never saw you hold a girl’s hand before,” she whispered. Moving herself closer to Geoff to go around a little table in the hallway, he slipped his hand from hers and lightly placed it along the small of her back. Thick sweater or not, she could feel the heat.
“That’s because they haven’t. Come on. I have my own room so no more prying eyes.” Geoff opened a door at the end of the hall, allowing her to enter first. His private room was as large as the room she shared with Teresa and Natalie. Not one piece of furniture matched another and there was clothing scattered all over the floor… and chairs… and bed… and dresser. He did have a very large television mounted onto the wall in front of his bed.
“Um, it’s nice?” Mackenzie didn’t know what to say. Should she compliment him on his confidence in himself for not caring what others think of his living space?
“It’s a pig sty. At least I know it. Let me clean off the bed, and you can look through the DVDs and pick out a movie.” Geoff ran over to his bed and began throwing things to the floor. Mackenzie shook her head as she realized his version of cleaning off the bed meant making the floor worse.
His DVD collection was varied and haphazardly thrown onto a bookshelf. As she read the titles, she habitually began standing them up with the titles facing out. Eventually coming across an action movie she had wanted to see, she grabbed the box and turned to see Geoff standing and watching her.
“Organizing for me?”
“Um, no?” She looked anywhere but at him. She was embarrassed at being caught cleaning up after him. Maybe he liked his movies in a disaster of a pile along his bookshelf.
The Tempering (The Mackenzie Duncan Series) Page 12