by Cait Miller
She put down her book and got to the window in time to see five people gathering bags from the trunks of the vehicles. As the first person climbed the front steps, her spirits rose with them. She followed her curiosity down the hallway and heard Mary’s excited voice drifted toward her.
“Come in. Come in out of the cold. Oh, Rianne, it’s so nice to see you! You don’t get home often enough.”
“It’s great to see you, Mum.”
“Where are my boys?”
Jayne reached the doorway and stood in the shadows to watch. Even if she hadn’t heard the woman’s reply, she would have identified her immediately as Mary’s daughter. The resemblance was unmistakable in the high cheekbones and smiling mouth. Her short hair was a lighter brown than her mother’s but they shared the same soft gray eyes. The last four newcomers came into the entryway one at a time, dumping their bags in a pile at the bottom of the stairs. The first, a man with black hair and dark eyes lifted Mary off her feet. He spun her in a circle, placed a loud kiss on her cheek and passed her to the auburn-haired, hazel-eyed man behind him who repeated the cycle. The housekeeper laughed and fussed over them affectionately, helping them brush the snow off and taking their coats.
“Ciaran… Jonathon! You’re early. Cameron said it would be very late when you got here.”
The first man responded in a voice that was thick with Ireland. “Snow made the roads quiet. We made good time.”
The auburn-haired man grinned. “If it were up to the puppy here, we would have been a couple of hours later. He drives like an old woman.” He was as upper-class English as his friend was Irish.
“Shut up, Tigger! How much good would we have been to Cam if we had slid into a ditch?”
“Jon has a point, I almost rear-ended you guys a couple of times,” Rianne interjected.
“That, my darlin’, would be the fault of your own self. You were obviously too close.”
“Now, wait just a minute, don’t you try to turn this around on me!”
Mary smiled, shaking her head at their antics and turned to the next man who entered. He had very short hair which was as white as the snow on his shoulders though there was nothing old about him. He was slighter in build and had three silver earrings in one ear and one through his eyebrow and was dressed in a long black leather duster over leather pants. He scowled at the bickering of other three, his whole demeanor screaming bad attitude. Jayne suspected he could be a very scary man. His eyes were pale, pale blue that only warmed briefly when he greeted Mary with a kiss. “Fynn.” He said nothing, only stepped aside to let the last of the four men come inside.
Jayne saw the softening of Mary’s expression as she waited for him. He was the largest of the four and all but dwarfed Cam’s housekeeper as she pulled him into her arms before he could even take off his hooded coat. “Christopher. It’s so good to see you.” They embraced in silence for a few moments before he stepped away and began to unzip his coat. He had the front half undone when he suddenly froze and lifted his head, staring right at Jayne.
When he spoke, his voice was a deep bass rumble, his words slightly blurred as though his vocal cords had been damaged in some way. It made the hair all over her body stand up.
“Mary, you have a guest.”
There was silence in the hallway. Almost as one, Jayne felt all of their gazes fall on her though she stood in the shadows and knew she hadn’t made a sound. She suddenly thought she knew exactly how a gazelle felt when it heard rustling in the grass behind it. Jayne stepped forward into the light, ignoring the part of her that urged her to run and hide.
“Hi. Sorry, I didn’t want to intrude.”
Mary stepped forward to take her hand and draw her into the group.
“This is Jayne Davis. She’s Cameron’s guest, I daresay he’ll tell you about it later. Jayne, this is my daughter Rianne and her colleagues. They run a security company, Cameron used to work with them. Still does occasionally as a consultant.”
Jayne suspected that they handled a lot more than security but she said nothing as Mary introduced them each in turn.
“Ciaran McCord.”
Ciaran took her hand and kissed her knuckles, making her smile. “It’s right pleased I am to meet you, Jayne.”
“Just ignore him dear, he’s a rogue. Thinks all he has to do is use that brogue of his and women will fall at his feet.”
“He might be right,” Jayne said and Ciaran grinned at her. “But then I had an Irish father and so the accent has an entirely different meaning for me.”
“Ah, now then, that just makes me want to try and change your mind.”
She laughed and he released her hand as Mary moved her along and gestured to the man with the auburn hair and friendly hazel eyes. He introduced himself as Jonathon Pembroke, clasping her hand briefly in his.
“Fynn,” the man leaning against the wall with his arms folded nodded briefly at her, his face impassive, “and Jonathon’s brother, Christopher Pembroke.” Jayne turned to find that the man had taken his jacket off while her back was turned. Her voice froze in her throat as she stared at him. He watched her in silence, as though waiting for her judgment. He was a big man, maybe an inch or two taller than Cameron but it was more than just his size that rendered her speechless.
His hair was the same auburn as his brother’s but streaked through with black and gold and white. It was just long enough that it covered his ears and brushed his collar. His eyes were gold edged with light clear green, like a brighter, sharper version of Jonathon’s. There was something different about his face that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, something almost…feline. She stepped forward and held her hand out for his. After the briefest hesitation he took it.
“Pleased to meet you, Christopher.”
He nodded and released her hand. “Chris.”
Jayne narrowed her eyes, she could have sworn she caught a glimpse of fangs in his mouth. She waited and was disappointed when he remained silent. Tension had built she hadn’t been aware of but was suddenly gone and Ciaran, Jon and Rianne began arguing again about driving skills. Mary deftly broke it up when she grasped her daughter’s arm and started toward the kitchen.
“How about some hot chocolate to warm you all up before you go upstairs to your rooms? Christopher, I believe Cameron is in his office, I’m sure you want to talk to him. Why don’t I bring some up to you both?”
“No need, Mary. I’ll bring him down, make him socialize.” The big man nodded and started up the stairs while Mary led the rest into the kitchen, leaving Jayne looking up toward the second floor with suspicion.
“Come on, Jayne, you can help me keep these boys under control.”
Sighing, Jayne followed the summons.
The moment he heard the knock on his door Cameron knew who it would be and called out, knowing the other man wouldn’t enter without an invitation.
“Come in, Chris.”
He rose from the sofa and they grasped hands and drew each other into a back-slapping embrace.
“It’s been too long.”
“It has. I take it you haven’t received any more details about Nick?”
“No. Nothing. I haven’t been able to find out anything more about the person who sent the message and it’s damned frustrating! All we can do is wait.”
“We’ve waited this long, Cam, I don’t think a few more hours is going to make much difference.” He felt his friend’s sympathy, saw it in his expression, and knew that he too suspected Nick was dead. “In the meantime why don’t you tell me what you, of all people, are doing with an unmated, marked female in your house?”
“Going slowly mad.” He shook his head and sat. When Chris had joined him, he told him how and why Jayne Davis had come to be there. “Did you bring the stuff I asked you for?”
“Yes, I asked Jon to stop for it.” He smiled. “She doesn’t strike me as a woman who’s afraid of much. You could have called one of us, Cam, we would have watched her for you.”
“No. I
thought of that, but I couldnae face having another man do it, never mind another shifter. And now she’s under my roof and I had to call you anyway. So I’m sitting up here, where I won’t be tempted to rip someone’s head off for looking at her the wrong way.” He met his friend’s gaze. “She’s my fìorcèile.”
“I’m sorry, Cam.”
He laughed bitterly. “Why? It’s no’ your fault. We both knew it would happen eventually. I was just kidding myself to think I would be able to avoid it. I’m just not ready, I’ll never be ready. What if it’s the same?”
“I know it’s not what you wanted but…you’re not your parents, Cam.”
“Ah have them in me, Chris, and the Ceangal destroyed them both!” Cameron’s brogue increased along with his frustration.
“No. They destroyed each other!” Chris’ frustration beat at him. “Your mother was weak, she couldn’t cope with the demands of the Ceangal. She hated your father for what he was and he should never have taken her. It wasn’t a true bond, he could have walked away and didn’t! That’s what caused their deaths, not the mating bond. I know the bond doesn’t always have a happy ending, hell, look at me! But despite this,” Chris gestured the length of his body, “I’d still risk anything to have again what you have right under your nose. Susan and I didn’t have long, but we were happy, Cam.”
Chris stood and laid a hand on his shoulder. “For what it’s worth, neither Jon nor Fynn have entered their cycle yet and you know you have nothing to worry about from me.”
Cameron looked at his friend, seeing the traces of his animal and knowing his jeans and polo-neck sweater concealed more. His voice was still distorted by vocal cords that weren’t quite human but they were both grateful for it. It hadn’t been so very long since Chris hadn’t been able to speak at all. “How are you, Chris, really?”
“Hanging on. It’s not going to get any better, Cam, this is as good as it gets and it took three years to get this far. I still have to watch my temper or things can get out of control. At least I can go out in public now, if I’m careful.”
“And Becca?”
Affection and humor chased away the lingering sadness briefly. Chris smiled and shrugged. “She’s six. She liked it better when her daddy looked more like a kitty cat.” His smile faded. “What are you going to do about Jayne?”
“I don’t know, Chris. I just don’t know anymore.”
“Come downstairs, drink some hot chocolate and make Mary happy. I’ll try to make sure you don’t kill anyone.”
Cam stood and made an effort to throw off his fears. “I’m not sure, Chris… Ry, Ciaran and Jon in the same room? I think it’ll be a toss-up between me and Fynn as to who snaps first. You think you can handle us both?”
Chris laughed, slapped him on the back and followed him out of the room. “You I’m pretty sure I can take, at least you’ll listen to reason, eventually. I might need some help with Fynn though!”
When the two men reached the kitchen, Mary was just pouring the rich hot chocolate into mugs. Cameron felt the energy of the Ceangal swirl around him, through him and his gaze immediately sought out Jayne. When he found her sitting at the table with Jon, he had to fight the desire to go over and drag the younger man out of his seat. She liked him, thought he was funny and charming. Cam heard the thoughts go through her head and was suddenly glad for Chris’ silent presence behind him. Giving himself time to get a grasp on his instincts, Cam looked around the room.
Beside the stove, Rianne and Ciaran were fighting about the benefits of marshmallows and consuming most of the packet between them. Ciaran and Rianne had been fighting like brother and sister almost from the moment Ciaran had joined the team five years ago. Mary broke up this argument by snatching the marshmallows out of the Irishman’s hand. Shaking her head as he pretended to pout.
Rianne had cut her hair shorter since the last time he saw her and he was relieved to see she had let the blue highlights grow out. A slight smile curved his lips as he remembered that it had been he who had freaked out when she had first dyed her hair. It had been fluorescent green that time and he supposed the electric blue had been an improvement. Mary had merely agreed with her daughter that yes, they were eye-catching. She had laughed when Cameron had objected and told him it was only hair. It would have been entirely different if her daughter had dyed herself green. The very possibility that Ry might actually do that had worried him every time she went out of the house for weeks.
Cam felt eyes on him and turned to see Fynn leaning against the counter on the opposite side of the room. He watched with cold blue eyes, keeping himself separate from everyone else in the room, as usual. He looked much the same as he always did. Though he now had three earrings in his ear instead of two. It made Cameron wonder what else he had added under his thin black sweater and leather pants. Last time he had seen him, there had been a ring through his nipple and several tattoos on his body. Waste of money if you asked Cam since all the tattoos would vanish after his first shift. The newest piercings too, unless he left them in when he changed. He nodded at the other man and received an acknowledging tilt of Fynn’s head in return.
Feeling more in control, he walked in.
Chapter Eight
Conversation stopped and for a moment there was silence before Ciaran and Jon called out greetings. Rianne dashed forward and jumped into his arms. “Cameron!”
He kissed her cheek and set her on her feet. “I missed you too, lass, I like the hair.”
She touched the ends and offered a wry smile. “It was time for a change.”
“It looks good.”
Cameron continued on to the table where Jayne now sat alone. Jon was the youngest of the group but he wasn’t stupid. He had moved as soon as he’d seen Cam. Jayne didn’t look the slightest bit disturbed by Rianne’s enthusiastic greeting. It annoyed him that she wasn’t even a little jealous, when just the fact that Jon sat next to her had his hackles raised. She watched him approach her with a slight smile. The same one that had annoyed him at the wedding, the one that said “I know what you’re doing”. He sat beside her, aware of the others chatting around them. She had a million questions swirling around in her head, most of which he didn’t want to answer.
“I’m sorry about earlier. It won’t happen again.”
She quirked a brow at him. “Wanna bet?”
He frowned and she just smiled back at him. “You want to tell me why you called in the cavalry, Cam?” She held up a finger. “Think before you speak. You still haven’t even given me a good explanation why anyone would be after me. There is no way on this earth I’m going to believe they just dropped in by chance. Mary said they run a security company but I don’t buy it and I’m tired of being in the dark. And while you’re thinking about that then you’d better think about how to explain your big friend over there.” She glanced at Chris who still lounged near the doorway. “Because I already have some ideas of my own.”
Cameron looked up at his friend, well aware the man had heard her though her voice was low. Chris shrugged. “It’s Chris’ story to tell, Jayne. If he decides to share it then that’s up to him. As for the reason they’re here,” he gestured at the team as one by one they took seats at the table around them, “you’re right, I called them.” He paused while Mary sat mugs in front of them. “You know about Jack’s brother, aye?”
“Yes, he disappeared.”
“This afternoon, I got an e-mail from someone claiming to know where he is.”
She looked from him to the serious faces around the table and frowned in puzzlement. “But that’s good, isn’t it? I assume you guys are here to go get him?”
Jonathon cleared his throat. “It’s not that simple, Jayne.” He looked at Cam, waiting for his nod of encouragement before he continued. “It could well be a trap. It’s only been two days since someone tried to snatch you two and you’ve been holed up here ever since. This could just be an attempt to get Cam away from the house.”
“Also, why now after all
this time? There’s nothing to suggest that Nick is even still alive,” Rianne interjected. “What?” She glared at Ciaran when he nudged her. “It’s the truth!”
“You spent way too much of your childhood with Mister Doom an’ Gloom, darlin’.” He glanced at Cameron.
“He’s alive.” The quiet statement came from Fynn. His American voice unmistakable though his face remained as expressionless as if he hadn’t spoken.
Jayne looked at the faces of the people around her but no one looked surprised by the surety in Fynn’s voice. She opened her mouth to ask how he knew only to close it abruptly when Cameron bumped her knee under the table. She looked at him and he shook his head slightly. Right, she scowled. One more damn mystery. She hadn’t missed the fact that he had ignored her prod about explaining who was after them. But she kept her silence as he addressed the people seated at the table. She glanced up to see Fynn’s wintry gaze on her. She shivered and he looked away.
“I’m still waiting for a reply to the message and I haven’t been able to get any more information. I even pulled in some favors to check whether the libraries in the city have any kind of security surveillance in them. They do, but it’s switched off in the daytime so no help there, even if we could find out which one was used.”
Rianne launched into a detailed conversation with Cam about IP and Mac addresses and routing that made Jayne’s eyes cross. Two computer geeks together. She tuned them out and studied the others at the table again. Ciaran and Jonathon were serious for once, talking in undertones. Christopher and Mary were talking about someone named Rebecca. From the occasional word she caught, Jayne gathered she was Chris’ little girl. That surprised her, she couldn’t quite imagine the big, silent man with a child. They were certainly a unique bunch. Chris most of all, though Fynn came a close second. It looked as though neither man spoke much. There was no way Cameron would convince her there was nothing unusual about them.