by Tl Reeve
Of the both of them, her sister had been sought out most. In the psychic realm, finding someone who’d not only been an empath, but had psychometric capabilities, made her a rare commodity. In her sister’s case, a bounty had been put on her at a young age. Though they’d spent most of their lives in obscurity, never reaching their true potential, the day had come when they realized running had been their only option. Falling in love with Simon along the way shouldn’t have happened. She understood why now. However, Keeley still couldn’t believe he’d been the bounty hunter sent for them. Now, it was up to her to protect them. Simon would never get them again if she had any say-so in the matter.
* * *
Hours later and covered in mud, Keeley walked up the front steps of her new home with an empty bag. Another job had been ticked off her ever-growing list. She kicked off her boots before stepping into the house so as not to track mud onto their tile floors. From the foyer, she could see Danielle sitting at the table in the breakfast nook, reading while she ate her breakfast. The kitchen looked like a bomb went off in it. Dishes were piled high, needing to be washed before they went into the cupboards. Coffee mugs from her late-night session and Dani’s morning routine sat next to the sink instead of in it. Then there were the boxes of cereal and other snacks they’d failed to put away strewn about. Any other day, she’d say they were being lazy; however, since their last mad dash out of town, neither of them felt much like cleaning.
“I hope you at least left something for me to eat?” Keeley asked as she walked into the kitchen and over to the fridge. She opened the door and allowed the cold air to cool her overheated skin as she grabbed a bottle of water from the shelf. Placing the sensors hadn't been as easy as she first thought it would be. At one point, she’d crashed and burned, taking a nose dive straight into a rotten pile of leaves, and who knew what else was in there. Yet, instead of letting herself wallow in pity, she picked herself up and got back to work.
“A yogurt?” Dani quipped, standing up to take her plate into the kitchen. Her face paled and she stopped. “Eww, what’s that smell?” She pinched at her nose and made a face. “It smells like ass and…and, what the fuck is that?”
“Me,” Keeley snapped. “I fell into some rotting leaves, but I think it had other things in it. I didn’t stick around to find out.”
Her sister laughed as she continued to the sink.
“Don't say it, Dani, just don't!”
“I can't stand it, Keeley, it's making my eyes water. You need to get out of those clothes right now.” Her sister leaned closer. “Yuck. You have shit in your hair!”
“Really?! Like, fucking really? Thanks for stating the obvious, because I didn't know,” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
A small smile played on her lips, then turned into full-on laughing with her sister. It felt good to laugh; it was something neither of them had done in a long time. “This sucks! I am starving and I stink!” she moaned as her belly growled.
“Go shower.” Dani shooed Keeley from the kitchen “I’ll make you something to eat.”
She blinked at her sister and stood there for a moment.
“Go on, get. Because if you stay here any longer, I am going to lose my breakfast!”
“Okay!” Keeley scurried out of the kitchen and ran upstairs to her bedroom. She stripped out of her clothes and headed straight to the shower, knowing there was no way her clothes could be salvaged.
She had to fight back her gag reflex while washing her hair twice to make sure she got all the gunk and grime out of it. Keeley then reached for her body wash, squeezing a healthy amount into the washcloth. The scent of peaches infused with honey made her sigh. About the only luxury they had since going on the run had been their bath products. Keeley had been born with sensitive skin, so no matter what she used, it always left her red and itchy. The minute she found soap that didn’t irritate her, she’d learned to buy it in bulk and stash it away, so when they had to make a run for it, she could take it with her.
While she worked the cloth over her flesh, removing the mud and muck from her body, she gasped as a tingle of something...she supposed awareness ran down her spine. It was more than that, though. Her breasts had grown sensitive to the touch, and her sex also seemed a bit achy—as though aroused by her contact.
“Whoa. What the hell?” Keeley placed a hand on the wall for support, then closed her eyes as she tried to catch her breath. An image of Kalkin flashed through her mind. His ice blue eyes staring back at her, almost as though he saw directly into her soul.
Her sex clenched in anticipation. Her heart pounded. What the hell was going on with her? Why the hell couldn’t she stop thinking about the asshole next door?
“Talk about odd,” she murmured, rinsing off. “I’ve got no time for feelings. Might as well forget about him.”
When she felt human again, Keeley reached over to turn off the water. She stepped from the shower then wrapped herself in one of their oversized towels to dry off. A basket of clean clothes waited for her in her room. Thank you, Dani. Once she’d dressed and fixed her hair into a ponytail, she grabbed the offending clothes and carried them downstairs.
Danielle, bless her, had cleaned the kitchen and left her breakfast at the table. Beside her yogurt and fresh cut fruit sat a steaming cup of hot tea, made exactly how she like it.
“Thank you. This makes up for telling me I smelled.” Keeley threw her destroyed garments into the trash bin outside then washed her hands before she sat down at the table. “I got all of the sensors set up. I just need to program them to the security system and make sure they’re set to text our phone in case of a break-in.” She dug into her yogurt first. “Any issues while I was gone?”
Dani shook her head but wouldn't look her in the eye.
“Dani?” Her appetite forgotten, she got up from her seat and went to her older sister. They had been through a lot together. They depended on each other for almost everything. When one was weak, the other one stepped in and was strong.
“Tell me,” Keeley's voice softened.
“The sheriff, he stopped by,” her sister answered. “I told him you were out exploring our new home. He said he would stop by later to see how we were both settling in.”
“We need to be careful,” Keeley said, firming her tone. “We agreed when we left Colorado, we couldn’t keep running. We decided that this time, it was going to be just us. We weren't going to let anyone in and we were going to control it better.” Keeley reached out to touch her sister's hair. “Remember?”
Of the two of them, she was the more introverted one. Dani, the more extroverted one. She loved her job and her life, even though it’d been chaotic sometimes, but Kee shied away from it all. Unlike her, Dani had never been accused of killing anyone—by their mother no less. It happened again in Colorado—this time it’d been true. How else were she and Danielle going to get away?
In the long run, it caused her to build walls around herself, to keep others out. Although both girls had a lot of the same abilities, Keeley was stronger and more proficient at telepathy and telekinesis.
Her biggest fear was being captured and used as a weapon, which almost happened in Colorado.
“He likes you,” Dani mumbled. “I can sense it.”
“Yeah, well, too damn bad. The Blueriver sisters are out of the relationship game for the rest of their lives.” She narrowed her eyes, trying to get a read from her older sister. However, the shields her sister had in place were formidable and kept her out. “My one relationship ended with a guy beating us up and trying to rape you and sell you off to one of the psychic labs for testing, all in the name of science and to see what would happen.”
She should have stopped when Dani looked up at her with pain-filled eyes, but she couldn’t. She was making a point. So what if she was acting like a bitch? All she cared about was them alive. “Then our house was descended upon by bounty hunters from all over the place and we were forced to run.” They’d also gone from pac
k to pride hoping some group of shifters would take them in and hide them while they healed. None would. Kee and Dani were damaged and they’d bring too much scrutiny to any shifter lands.
Danielle nodded. “I understand. You don’t have to remind me of my inadequacies.”
“You sure? Because it seems as if you have forgotten in just a short amount of time why we’re really here.” She cringed at her tone with her sister.
Danielle wiped away a few tears which rolled down her cheeks. The possibility of them having anything normal again was slim and none. She blamed the men across the creek for even giving her sister a glimmer of hope. They didn’t have time for it right now.
“Promise me, Dani. Stay away from them. Don't encourage any kind of friendship with Caden.”
“Or with Kalkin either?” Danielle snapped. “You talk a good game, Keeley, but I see you. I know.” She pointed to her temple. “You think this is easy for me? That I get up every morning and decide: today I am going to find a way to get caught? Don’t make me promise something we both know one of us will end up breaking.”
Keeley couldn’t believe what her sister said. She hadn't been friendly to Kalkin. As a matter of fact, she went out of her way to be snappish and downright bitchy to him. Of course, she wouldn't admit to Dani that she couldn't stop thinking about the tall, sexy sheriff.
He had crept into her dreams since the moment they moved in. Hell, he crept into her thoughts during the day, too. If she took a moment to admit to herself that she really did care about tall, dark or handsome, it’d ruin her ability to run once more if they were found. She hoped and prayed Danielle wasn't picking up anything from her.
“Promise me,” she demanded.
“Yeah, I promise,” she answered softly.
“I have to finish setting up the security around the house.” She realized how much she hurt her sister. The pain radiating off her made Keeley sick. She tried to use the link they’d established as young children, but got a brick wall. Dani had closed her off.
“We can go into town after I am done. Do some food shopping, maybe take a look around? I also checked the delivery of your shipment for your equipment; it's due tomorrow. So, today really is our only option.” She picked up her spoon again to start eating. “Thursday, we should run you to the clinic to have your arm checked out.” She looked at the brace her sister wore on her right arm. Danielle used her abilities to slowly heal her own arm a little bit each night. They had figured a week and it would be as good as new, but her sister agreed to have it checked just to be sure.
“Thursday is fine,” Danielle said. “Do you need help inside?”
“Well, since I am a klutz, I am going to say yes. I honestly don't feel like falling in shit again!” Keeley replied, joking with her sister.
“So, what am I? The shit spotter?”
“Pretty much.” Keeley licked the last bit of yogurt off her spoon.
Danielle sat on the back porch staring out over the creek. It was peaceful there. Small birds and squirrels foraged for food while little air bubbles lurked on top of the still waters. Above her, big white puffy clouds passed lazily across the sky. She really did like it there, even though she missed their home. Keeley’s stern words rang true in her mind as she pushed a stray blonde lock behind her ear.
Everything had been so messed up. How could either of them have trusted Simon? He seemed so nice in the very beginning. He showered Keeley with attention. Called her pet names. He made her sister feel wanted and loved. It was something she and Keeley were missing from their lives. Their parents hadn’t been the most loving. They’d spent more time trying to hide their children that they forgot to show any kind of affection. But, she didn’t blame them. It had to be hard raising two children with special abilities. The first time she eased her mother’s pain, the woman freaked out. She smacked Danielle and told her never to do it again.
She’d been five.
When she brought a wolf shifter boy home as a friend, her father forbade her from seeing him again or playing with his kind.
So, when Simon encouraged both of them to step from the shadows, they’d finally lived. Never in a million years did she believe the man would turn on them. The first time Keeley came home with a bruise, her sister had pulled the klutz card, and she’d been so stupid. She believed her sister. She supposed neither one of them wanted to believe those who claimed to love them wanted to hurt them. Boy, were you wrong. Several times over. She guessed her sister had a point. No sense in being used or abused again, they’d dealt with enough of it to last them three lifetimes.
Of course, Keeley was right about them not being friendly to their new neighbors. Maybe it was still the part of her that needed to feel accepted. Maybe it was part of her healing process. Whatever it’d been, she’d sensed the connection to them when she met the brothers and their nephew. She felt safe around them. Yes, they were big and intimidating; however they weren’t filled with malice. They were different than anyone she’d met in her life, including their parents.
There’d been something mesmerizing about Caden Raferty. At almost six and a half feet tall, and muscular, he was a force to be reckoned with. He had a square jaw and lips meant for sin. And he was completely out of her league. Oh well, it was for the best anyway.
“Danielle.” Caden’s soft voice had her head popping up. “I need your help.”
When she finally focused on him, she noticed he cradled something really close to his body. The way he held the object had her jumping up and running to his side. There, cuddled in his hands, lay a small puppy. Its back legs were at a weird angle, and there were bite marks on his neck and side. “Bring him inside,” she said, hurrying toward the back sliding door. “I’ll get my kit.”
The puppy couldn’t be more than two weeks old, if that much. He was small, too, more than likely the runt of the litter. From his markings, he appeared to be a husky. Who would hurt a puppy? Why would they do it, was a more appropriate question. Coming out of her bedroom, she walked back into the kitchen where Caden sat hunched over the counter whispering to the pup. She wasn’t quite sure what he said, but the puppy cried and a wave of the puppy’s pain hit her full force. “You can leave him here. I can take care of him.” She came over to the counter and laid her hand over the little husky. “It’s okay.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay.” Caden stared down at her, concern marring his features.
Danielle bit her lip. If he stayed, he would figure out what she could do. If she told him to leave, he would probably get angry. Her gaze darted to the door and back to him. She only had twenty minutes before Keeley would be back from town. “Okay, but I can’t have you hovering over me. I won’t hurt him. Does he have a name?”
Caden shook his head. “No, he was born last week.”
“What?”
“It’s a long story. Look, can you fix him?” Anger swirled in his blue eyes. He was not the man to mess with.
“Yeah, I can.”
He moved out of her way as she grabbed the things she’d need out of her bag. “If you could get some milk from the mom, it would help me a lot. He needs it. My supply won’t be here ‘til tomorrow.”
“No can do,” he growled. “The mom would have killed him had I not arrived in time.” He ran his fingers through his wavy black hair. “I can get you milk though.”
There was more to what he was saying, but she pushed it aside; right now she had to concentrate. “I have to put him under. Not much, just long enough so that I can set his legs.” Caden nodded and then raised his brow when she didn’t grab for anything. “You can’t talk about what you see here, Caden. Please.”
“Danielle—”
She put her hand up, cutting him off. “Please.”
He stood there for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”
Danielle closed her eyes and held her hand over the puppy. Warmth spread down her arm and flowed over the little body. Next to her, Caden grunted and she realized he felt it, too, but she
didn’t say anything. She continued to work on the little pup, putting him into a deep sleep. She would wake him up when it was time for him to eat. While she was working, she checked out his internal organs. She stilled. His physiology was different. It was as though she were inside a baby, not a puppy. Shifters? Are we close to pack lands here? Crap.
When she was sure the pup slept, she moved her hand away and glanced over at Caden. The expression on his face said it all. “Can you help me hold him so I can finish, please?” He nodded and walked back over to her, gently holding the little baby for her.
“Is that why your sister doesn’t want us around?” His question startled her as she grabbed a small splint.
“Yes,” she answered, laying it down next to the puppy’s leg. “Hold him, this is going to hurt.” She waited for Caden’s grip to tighten then realigned the bones in his leg. The puppy yelped and she laid her free hand over him, soothing him. “Okay, one more and then we’ll clean the bite marks. I don’t think they’re too deep.”
By the time they were finished, the little guy had purple casting tape on his back legs and a mini diaper on his butt. She walked out of the room to grab a blanket for him and when she returned, the puppy was waking up and suckling Caden’s finger. “He’s hungry. I’ll be back soon with his milk.” He crossed the room and placed the wiggling puppy in her arms.
“We’ll be here,” she whispered, offering her pinky to the little guy. “We’ll need to name him. Can’t keep calling him ‘puppy.’”
“Call him Aiden,” Caden said with a shrug. “He looks like an Aiden.”
“I like it.” She smiled, covering the puppy up. “Hurry back.”
3
Keeley ran to town to find the missing component she needed to finish installing the outside security lights. Thankfully, the mom and pop hardware store carried exactly what she needed. She also stopped at the little coffee house in town, getting herself a sinfully tasting mocha drink she knew she’d regret later. But for now, she enjoyed the hell out of it. Not everyone could be built like Danielle, willowy and thin. She snorted as she took another sip of her drink; she had an overabundance of breasts and hips. She tried every single diet and exercise plan she could find but whatever she did, the last ten or fifteen pounds just wouldn't come off.