by Unknown
Someone or something was following her. When a hand clamped down on her tail, she skidded to a stop. She couldn’t afford to let some idiot damage that part of her. A glance over her shoulder showed her that a rapidly changing Rafe was the idiot. At least it was a hand now holding her and not those damned claws, though he was still bloody.
“Let go. If you hurt my tail I could end up incontinent. How would you like to change my diapers for the rest of our lives?” Lacy twitched when he wouldn’t let go. “God damn it, Rafe, release me so I can change back.” She glanced down the path. No one else was in sight. That was a blessing anyway.
“Are you going to stick around and let me explain?” He sounded more like himself too. His scales were fading. But he was still sporting a really awesome chest, twice as big as usual. His clothes were in bits and pieces so that he was next to naked. Thank God the horns had disappeared.
“Break my tail and it would forever drag the ground. I wasn’t kidding about the incontinence thing either. It could happen. And if it had to be amputated?” Lacy heard her voice rise. “Well, bud, I’d lose some of my balance. Might not ever jump on the back of a couch or roof again without falling off. See my point? Why I’m pissed at you right now?”
“Okay, okay. Sorry.” He dropped her tail and held out his hands.
Lacy shifted back into her human form and took off running again. He wanted her to stand around and talk? After what she’d just seen? Fuck him. Liar. And she hadn’t missed the fact that he’d come back from his meeting with the infamous poisoner with a giant hard-on. She wanted to kill him.
She was a fast runner and he was either having a problem recovering from his demon thing or maybe he’d wised up and figured out she needed a cooling off period. Whatever. She arrived alone at the small boat they’d pulled up onto the shore. One of the men in Rafe’s clan stood guard over it.
“I need to go back to the ship. Can you help me?” She started shoving at the boat.
“We should wait for the others.” The man looked anxiously down the path. “What happened?”
“Rafe handled it. He’s a demon, you know. Last thing I saw was the woman’s headquarters on fire. Guess Rafe got the poison and antidote from her.” Lacy closed her eyes, picturing him on that trail. “Oh, and he was covered in blood. Since he didn’t seem hurt, I think he must have taken her out.”
“¡Estupendo!” The man still didn’t help her push the boat into the water. “So we wait. To take the antidote and the weapons back to the ship. We must get the cure to Matias as soon as possible.”
“Oh, fine!” Lacy pulled off her baggy sweat pants and, steeling herself, jumped into the cold water. She could sort of swim. It wasn’t anything she’d wanted to learn but her mother had insisted her children know the survival skill. So she did a cat paddle through the salty water, going under a few times and sputtering when she accidentally swallowed the gross salty stuff.
Finally she reached the boat, exhausted, wet and barely able to reach the chrome diving platform at the back of the ship. She climbed on it and lay there for a while trying to catch her breath. The wind had picked up and she shivered, forced to move her butt and go on up the ladder onto the deck. A crewman helped her over the railing and handed her a towel. Lacy staggered below, praying Chica’s bag held another pair of sweats. She was eyeing the shower when she heard a shout from up above. The group in the boat had arrived. Thumps over her head assured her they were on board.
Fine. Let them celebrate. The ship’s engine started and the boat lurched into motion. Clearly they were in a hurry. Oh, yeah. Matias needed that antidote. Feeling more than a little ashamed of forgetting the urgency, Lacy shut herself inside the tiny bathroom and turned on the shower. Hot water. It felt wonderful and washed away the sticky salt from her body and her hair. She felt more like herself when she finally emerged with a towel wrapped around her. Of course she wasn’t alone. Rafe lay on the double bed. He’d obviously found another shower because all he wore was a solemn look.
Chapter Eleven
“I’d appreciate it if you’d cover yourself.” Lacy turned away from him, clearly disgusted by what she’d seen earlier. Disgusted by him.
Rafe sat up, trying to figure out how he could possibly make this right. Of course he should have told her about his demon blood early in their relationship. But how do you drop that kind of thing into casual conversation? “Oh, hey, I’m half demon. And did you remember to get milk at the grocery store?” Yeah, right.
“Lacy, would you look at me?” He did pull the sheet up to his waist.
“If you think we’re just going to kiss and make up, think again.” She did peek at him from where she rummaged in a duffel bag. Probably just to make sure he’d done as she’d asked. “I can’t believe what I saw back there.”
“No wonder you ran. You figure out what I was? Am?” Rafe couldn’t just lie there when Lacy was about to lose her towel. Her creamy skin was flushed, from her face to the swells of her breasts above the towel she reached to tighten. Damn. He hated that she’d been caught off guard about his demon like that.
“Yes, Rafe. I’m not stupid. Glory had to face some of those things not all that long ago. Plus Chica had already let slip that your mother was a demon. Nice genes you’ve got there, Rafe. I can’t believe I’ve been living with you all this time and I didn’t have a clue that you’re a freaking demon.” Lacy stepped into a pair of baggy sweat pants then pulled a huge sweatshirt over her head. It must have belonged to Ed because four of her could have fit in it. “Guess I am stupid after all.”
“No, of course you’re not. I keep that part of me well hidden. It’s not something I’m proud of.” Rafe wrapped the sheet around him and crawled off the bed to stand in front of Lacy when he saw he had her full attention.
“Did Glory know?” She was rigid with anger. “Answer me!”
“Yes. You know Glory went to church on Sunday nights. I couldn’t go inside. Gave me the shakes and worse. The demon blood does that.” Rafe could see that revelation made Lacy swallow. They’d never discussed religion. The cats seemed to have their own version of worship and he’d never had to confront a church door with her. Thank God the wedding they’d attended had been outdoors.
“So how’d your mother end up with a member of your clan?” Lacy sat on the foot of the bed.
“My father met her more than a thousand years ago and fell under her spell. He couldn’t resist her, still can’t.” Rafe didn’t try to hide his bitterness. There had been many times when he’d wished he’d never been born. “I’m proof of my father’s weakness. I’ve spent a long lifetime trying to live down my demon ancestry. I’m the clan’s shameful secret.”
“Your grandparents don’t seem to think so. They sent for you, didn’t they?” She flinched when he moved closer, like she’d freak if he touched her.
“Because they were desperate. Sometimes having a demon in the family comes in handy. It did tonight. I got the antidote for Grandfather. Maybe it will save him. I hope to God it will.” Rafe felt helpless in the face of her fear. Did he blame her for feeling blindsided? Of course not. But somehow he had to get through to her and remind her that she’d loved him before...
“That’s good, Rafe. That you got the antidote.” She was obviously having trouble reconciling what she’d seen tonight with the Rafe she’d known, slept with, started a family with.
At least Rafe knew Lacy was nothing if not fair. He’d seen her work with some pretty strange characters before, giving them her friendship when others might have shunned them. Because she and her boss Glory welcomed paranormals of all stripes into Glory’s shop, the place had become a haven for outcasts. Rafe realized that he’d joined that club in her eyes. But at least she didn’t shrink from him as he edged closer.
“I can’t help what I am, Lacy, any more than you can change what you are. I’ve spent my entire life trying to prove that I don’t have to let my evil half rule me.” He sat beside her, close enough that he could feel her stiffe
n. “Do you believe me?”
“I, I saw you in a monster’s skin. You scared the shit out of me, Rafe. If there was an ounce of humanity in you then, I sure didn’t see it.” She stood and stepped out of reach. “I’m used to shape-shifters. But that was… unholy.”
“I know. And I wouldn’t have unleashed that tonight if it hadn’t been the only way to deal with Shiloh.” Rafe ran his hand across his face. Would she ever be able to get the picture of his demon out of her head? “I hate changing into that thing. Yes, that’s what it is, a thing. I turn into my mother’s child then. Connected to hell in a way I don’t want to be. Ever.” He saw Lacy frown. “But I would never hurt you or our children. I’d die first. Do you believe me?”
“Are you sure you can always control it?” She bit her lip. “You didn’t seem completely yourself back there, no matter what you say.”
Rafe wasn’t about to admit she was right. That kind of oversharing would send her running from him forever.
“In all the time you’ve known me, have you ever seen me act the demon before?”
Lacy sighed and sat next to him again. “No. You’re right. You’re a good man, Rafe, or I’d never have fallen in love with you in the first place.”
“Thank you.” Rafe sighed and pulled her into his arms. “Please, please believe me when I say that all I want is to be a man who deserves you and our children.”
“What about our children?” She looked into his eyes. “Are they going to be turning into monsters someday?”
“I have no idea. But if one of them shows signs of the demon in him or her, like I did when I was growing up? Well, we’ll deal with it. I’m proof positive that a good role model can make even a half demon become a decent person. My grandfather made sure I knew right from wrong.” Rafe hugged Lacy close, wishing he could promise her that none of the babies would manifest any evil whatsoever. “At least our children will only have inherited a quarter of their DNA from hell.” He soothed her with a hand down her back. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you long ago. Should have before we hit the sheets the first time. But I never thought you’d get pregnant. My stupidity. I’d hung around vampires too long and they can’t--”
“I know. Can’t have children.” Lacy shook her head. “I was stupid too. Birth control. Every cat knows how to prevent pregnancy. I didn’t bother. We both got carried away. We have such awesome chemistry…”
“Yes, we do.” Rafe tilted her face up to give her a deep kiss. Chemistry. But it wasn’t just that. He had a connection with this woman on many levels. They laughed together, played together and had many of the same values. He said as much to her.
“You’re right. And I know you’ll be an awesome father to our children. That’s a big deal to me. My own father was absent much of the time. My mom calls him a tomcat. In our cat family that’s the worst.”
“Well, you can take this to the bank— I’ll never abandon my children. That’s what my dad did to me and I suffered for it.” Rafe ran his hands under her shirt. “Baby, I’ve missed you so much.”
“Mmm.” Lacy held onto him and kissed him until he started pulling her down on the bed. “Wait a minute.” She shoved his hands off of her. “I need to know what happened, Rafe. With that woman. The leader of that clan.” Lacy brushed off his hands when he tried to pull her back to him. “No, don’t try to distract me. You came back from Shiloh covered with blood and, damn it, you were turned on!” She looked him over.
Well, hell, of course he was turned on now too. He’d lost his sheet so there was no way to hide that. Being close to his woman, tasting her and feeling her body against his, even through that heavy sweatshirt fabric, had made him desperate to bury himself in Lacy’s sweet body and cleanse himself of that horrific meeting with his grandfather’s mistress.
“Quit thinking and start talking, Rafe.” Lacy had her hands on her hips.
Rafe knew better than to smile. But she looked so entirely fuckable, issuing orders, sure she could make him do whatever she wanted. And she was so right. He’d tell her everything.
“Sit on the bed and I’ll start.” Rafe sat and patted the bed beside him.
“Talking, nothing else until I’m satisfied that you’ve left nothing out.” She was suspicious as she settled next to him, a foot between them.
“Fine.” He closed his eyes. Shit but he hated to relive those moments. But he did, telling Lacy every single detail. “So you see, Shiloh admitted everything. She bragged about poisoning Grandfather. She was sure she and I could rule the world, take over clan after clan of shifters if we worked together.”
Lacy laid her hand on his knee. “How horrible. You say you think she was a witch?”
“Yes. She had some skills. She was impressed by my demon. That’s why I had to change.” He picked up Lacy’s hand and squeezed. “I hated to do it. I was shifting back when you saw me on the trail. The blood…” He dropped her hand and stared at the floor. “I took her head, Lacy. It was the only way to stop her.”
“You killed her.” Lacy dropped to her knees in front of him. “It was the right thing to do, Rafe. If she’d lived, who knows how many other people she would have hurt?”
“That’s why I did it.” Rafe looked into her eyes. She didn’t hate him. And wasn’t that a miracle. “About my arousal...”
“Forget it. I know men. You can’t control it. I’m sure she did everything she could to make you want her. And I bet she was beautiful.” She narrowed her gaze. “If anything happened between you, I don’t want to know about it.”
He pulled her up and into his lap. “Nothing did, baby. I love you. I still can’t believe you rode in a fucking speedboat across the Atlantic to be with me. That was totally hot.”
“Glad you think so. I was terrified.” She smoothed her hand across his bare shoulder. “I do love you. For a cat, what I did to see you proves it.” She wiggled in his lap and ran her hand through his hair. “Now I think we’ve talked enough. Will you take me to bed and make love to me?”
“My brave cat, risking death by drowning. Just when I thought I couldn’t love you more.” Rafe kissed her, savoring their connection.
“Remind me of the good things we have and get that picture of the monster you turned into out of my head.” She leaned her head against his chest and inhaled, her eyes closed. “Rafael. I love the way everyone here calls you that. It sounds so sexy.”
“A challenge. I’m up for it.” Rafe pushed his hand under her sweatshirt and cupped her breast. “But are you sure lovemaking is a good idea? You just gave birth. You can’t have recovered from that yet.”
“I was examined by Ian before I left Austin. He says I have remarkable healing powers. It’s a were-cat thing. If I want to have sex now, I’m good to go.” She kissed his chin. “No excuses, you making love to me now or not?”
“Of course.” Rafe met her lips in a long kiss then leaned back and shook his head. “But you can’t know how insane it makes me to think of that vampire ‘examining’ you, sweetheart.”
“It was clinical. Nothing to it. Trust me, if Ian had so much as waggled an eyebrow when he checked me, I’d have scratched his eyes out.” Lacy held on when Rafe stood with her in his arms. “Oh, guess that means you’re ready.”
“I’ve been ready since I saw your red hair flying like a flag in that boat coming toward me earlier.” Rafe leaned down and kissed her again with everything in him. God, how he loved this woman. That she could accept him, demon and all, blew him away. He walked to the bed and laid her down then sat beside her. “But no matter what you say, I’m being careful. Three babies! Popping them out can’t have been easy.”
“I never said it was easy. They didn’t just ‘pop out’.” Lacy pulled her shirt off over her head and threw it across the room. Her pants went next.
“My turn now. I want every detail.” Rafe couldn’t get enough of just looking at her when she lay naked next to him and stretched, so sensual and gorgeous she took his breath.
“Trust me, no you don’t
. I’ll give you the highlights.” She brushed her hand across his chest, teasing a nipple. “I pushed for hours. Screamed your name and cursed you so loud that Ian had to order his bodyguards to stand down. They thought you’d breached his security.” She pinched him, just enough to make him wince.
“God, I’m sorry.” Rafe smoothed a hand over her stomach, horrified at the thought of what she’d been through. And of course he hadn’t been there for her.
“You should be sorry. I wanted you there for the miracle of their births.” She smiled and tugged at his hair. “Bet you would have cried along with them, my man. It was a beautiful, wonderful thing.” She laughed at the look on his face.
Rafe didn’t doubt he might have shed a tear or two. God, he’d never understand this woman. “How can I ever make it up to you?”
“Ah, exactly what I wanted to hear.” Her smile was wicked. “You owe me, lover. If I say don’t go easy, I mean it. I want all you’ve got, Rafael. Now!” She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him on top of her.
“Can I at least do this first?” He grinned and ran a hand over her breast, tweaking her nipple. “You have a problem with a little foreplay?” He followed his hand with his mouth, running his tongue over her until she squirmed under him.
“Hmm, okay. And talk dirty to me in Spanish. I want the full Latin lover treatment.” She stroked his back, then clutched his buttocks. “I have missed you so damned much.”
Rafe murmured some raunchy words in his native language then leaned down to take her earlobe in his teeth, biting down gently. His hands were busy finding those places he knew were her most sensitive.
“Ooo, yeah. That’s what I’m talking about.” Her nails dug into him and she ran a foot up the back of his calf. “I’m not sure I can handle too much foreplay. I’ve been wet since you kissed me on deck when I got here.”