There's Something About Werewolves: Seven Brides for Seven Shifters, Book 1

by Thalia Eames

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Garrett closed the door and rested his forehead against it. His sharp hearing followed Lennox from the bedroom to the bathroom. She might as well have torched him when the hot water of the shower hissed on. Renewed rage tore through him. She wanted to wash him off. His touch disgusted her that much.

  Shame hit him equally hard. He’d used Tooth and Claw too roughly, telling her about the chance she’d turn wolfen. He hadn’t lied but he’d spoken too soon because she’d hurt him. Hearing her call him an “animal” burned his world down.

  But maybe he deserved it. He’d played a part in burning down Averdeen Manor. And she’d said he left her in ashes when he married Tina without a word to her. Payback seemed to be as big a bitch as everyone said. Not that his newfound understanding hurt either of them any less. His fist slammed into the wall. Plaster crumbled, a stud bent. It didn’t help abate the seething storm inside him. He punched several more times.

  Cash cleared his throat. “I think you’ve broken a few fingers.”

  Garrett looked down at his bloodied and bruised knuckles. Some of the smaller cuts knitted together while he watched. He glanced at Cash. “I’ll heal.”

  “What are we going to do about Lennox?”

  “She and Gran are leaving today.”

  “But—”

  “We’re not going to stop them, Cash.”

  “No.” Nox had walked up behind Cash without either of them noticing. That didn’t happen. Garrett cursed himself for losing control and not being more aware.

  “Don’t let them leave us, Dad,” Nox said. “Stop them.”

  Garrett shook his broken fingers into alignment. The muscles and bones clicked into place. He laid the same hand on his son’s shoulders. “I swear to you I’ll bring them home, but right now we have to let them go.”

  Lennox wasted no time in packing her truck to leave. She did it in several angry passes from the East Wing to the driveway, refusing help from anyone until Jules arrived. When Garrett caught Jules alone, in true best friend form, she declined to tell him where Lennox and Gran would be. He didn’t push too hard. He decided he’d have to finish the rebuild of Averdeen Manor faster. Then he wouldn’t have to ask where his Elle lived. He’d know. Neither woman would tell him anyway. Lennox could trust Jules but not him.

  Although he knew he’d played the leading role in pushing her out the door, a sense of abandonment welled up inside him. She’d left before, without a word. At least this time she said goodbye.

  “Bye, Nox.” Lennox laid a hand on the crown of his son’s head. She and Nox were almost the same height now. The gesture came off awkward but endearing. It’d taken less than one summer for him to grow past her. Even less time for him to become someone she’d have a hard time living without.

  “I’ll see you in a little while. And after you leave.” Lennox swallowed hard. “Make sure you Skype me all the time. Yeah?”

  He didn’t answer. He flattened her in a hug. She closed her eyes then exhaled in a whoosh, as though deflating. “Oh, Nox,” she cried out, enfolding the kid in her arms. “I love you. So much.”

  A muffled “I wub woo,” answered her declaration. Nox kept his face buried in Lennox’s shoulder for several minutes.

  Gran came out of the house, took one look at them, and dissolved into sniffles. She hugged Cash and then turned to Garrett. He opened his arms to her. She whapped him five or six times with her duck-billed, red umbrella. He lost count in the rush to protect his neck. “Hey, Grandma,” he groaned. “I bought you that. I can take it back.”

  She reached up and pulled him down to her level. Planting a kiss in the center of his forehead, she said, “Don’t take. Give in.”

  With that, she whirled to Nox, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and yanked him from Lennox to her. In a flurry of red she playfully spanked his butt with her umbrella. “These are all the whippings I won’t be able to give you for a while. Knowing you, you’re going to need them.”

  Nox played the dutiful grandson and danced away from his grandmother’s spanking. They laughed together. Each of them desperately clinging to the moment as it slipped away.

  Without another word, Lennox got into the truck and turned the ignition. Gran shook her head at Garrett. Her great disappointment in him read clearly in her eyes. With a little wave, she got into the passenger side.

  Jules vacillated for a moment, seemingly unsure of what to do. She finally sighed. “I had high hopes for you, Big Man.”

  Cash caught her by the elbow. “You’ll see us soon. Not just tonight but after. Trust me on that,” he said. She pulled away, gently, without any force of will. Seconds later she drove down the drive.

  A blur of reddish-brown on his periphery caught Garrett’s attention. Paolo transformed from wolf to man as he chased Jules. She stopped her car. He climbed into the backseat and hid himself.

  Garrett, Cash, and Nox watched them go until they were out of sight. One by one they filed into the house. Shortly, they’d make the drive to Averdeen Manor to support Lennox one last time.

  A few hours later, dusk fell over LuPines in purples and gold. When they arrived at Averdeen Manor, Garrett left Nox with Cash and searched the grounds for Lennox and Gran. He found them in the unburned gazebo, sitting in the shadow of the framing for the new house. Guilt made Garrett quiet in his approach, which allowed him to eavesdrop on their conversation.

  “Gran,” Lennox began hesitantly. “Do you know anything about Tooth and Claw?”

  Gran sighed. “Sure I do. What do you want to know?”

  “Is it true if I get bitten and scratched by the same wolf I’ll become one?”

  “Yes it is,” Gran said, straight to the point. “I’ve seen it happen. Who told you?”

  Lennox laid her head on Gran’s shoulder. “Garrett mentioned it.” Lennox twisted her lips. “Funny thing is, I thought he said it to be cruel. To scare me.”

  He had. And he shouldn’t have. He’d been duty bound to tell her the truth about the risks in order to protect her so she could make her choice. He never wanted Lennox to enter into anything blind again, especially not something that scared her as much as fighting a trio of she-wolves had to. Garrett had said what he did for all the right reasons but he shouldn’t have said it the way he did. He’d been a bastard to her because he hated the way she’d looked at him.

  Gran’s thin arms wrapped around Lennox. “You’re doing pretty well with this, er, adjustment. Better than I thought you would.”

  Lennox sighed. “I think I must’ve known. Deep down in places I don’t talk about, I had to know. Human eyes don’t flicker amber, people don’t growl at each other, and in normal towns women don’t wake up with giant huskies in their beds.”

  Gran snickered. “You just couldn’t bring yourself to think it through, huh?”

  “Yeah.” Lennox rubbed her forehead. “In my case ignorance went past bliss and docked in a safe harbor.”

  A nod from Gran. “Well, Garrett probably did tell you about Tooth and Claw to be mean but he also did it because he cares about you. I don’t doubt that.” Gran paused to think. “But here’s a more important question. Can you go through with this, Leni? Are you willing to risk becoming the thing you fear more than all others?”

  Lennox lowered her head until her chin grazed her chest. “You’re a mom and a grandma,” she said, “what would you do? How would you feel?” She lifted her head, anxiously awaiting her grandmother’s answer.

  A series of heavy pats landed on Lennox’s back. “Well, you’ve never heard me say anything vicious. I don’t want you to be shocked,” Gran said. After a nod of acceptance from Lennox she continued. “I’d feel an overwhelming need to protect my son and I’d do anything to keep him safe. When you’re a mother your child comes before everything else. All real mothers know that.”

  “I see,” Lennox said. “I must
be a real mother then.” Gran made a noise of sheer delight. She rained kisses on the top of her granddaughter’s head. Lennox playfully pushed her grandmother away. She had more to say. “If I don’t stop them from forcing him to fight too soon, the wolves will scar Nox for the rest of his life. The same way Ian scarred me. I won’t allow it. Even if it means…” She choked off.

  Garrett barely contained himself. He wanted to cross the distance between him and his girls and hug them until their DNA rewrote itself to proclaim them family.

  “Of course you feel that way. Nox is yours,” Gran said. “Blood doesn’t seal every bond. Some ties are forged in love.”

  “True.” Lennox resettled her head on Gran’s shoulder. “What’s vicious about any of what you said?”

  “Oh.” Gran patted her granddaughter’s cheek. “I was going to say, if I were you, I’d rip Faye’s throat out and drink her blood like a fine wine. Might even put it in one of those golden chalices your great, great granddad found in Egypt. You know, to make the blood drinking a special occasion.”

  “Yes, m’am.” The athletic side of Lennox reawakened. Sports were often described as battles. The athlete in her could win this fight. She lifted an eyebrow. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

  Another knot of guilt twisted in Garrett’s stomach. Each of his feelings seemed at odds with others. He didn’t want Lennox to fight. Yet he’d let her do it because she’d spoken the truth about Nox. If they pushed his son too far, he might not recover. Maybe Garrett had made a mistake in keeping his son away from wolfen life. Maybe not. He truly didn’t know. He only knew he’d made the choices he thought would best protect his son. And he’d do it again. Yet in a contradictory twist, he didn’t want Lennox to become wolfen because she’d hate it. Still, if she became one of them, she’d no longer fear him and he’d never have to see that look of disgust in her eyes again.

  Damn, she’d called him a selfish asshole and she’d gotten it right. The same as she always did. Every choice he’d ever made he’d made for his own benefit. Too many times Lennox had paid the price for it.

  “I better go get prepared,” her voice broke through his thoughts. He should stop her, comfort her, fight in her place. Yet he couldn’t. She’d accepted the challenge. If he stepped in, she’d forfeit and she’d lose not only her pride but also her standing in the community. Faye and her harpies would never leave Lennox alone. They’d torment her for life.

  Garrett cleared his throat to announce himself. The softness in Lennox’s face left. Her jaw hardened, she got up, and stalked past him, heading for the clearing behind her property. The place she’d chosen as her battleground.

  “She sounds confident,” Garrett said to Gran, taking a seat beside her in the gazebo, “but her heartbeat is as wild as fleeing prey. What do I do here, Gran?”

  The lady of Averdeen Manor patted his knee. “Do you know her mother’s name?”

  The question took Garrett by surprise. “I…no, I don’t.”

  “Do you know what her mama looks like?” Gran glanced at him, expectant. Again he had no answer. Gran fired off another question. “Do you know what happened to Leni’s mama?”

  Garrett shook his head. How odd. “I don’t know any of that but I should.” In college he and Lennox had shared most things—the ins and outs of their lives. Of course no one shared everything but… He’d thought his secrets, howling at the moon and hiding out during college, topped the list. Now he wondered if Lennox had secrets of her own.

  “Elle, told me her mother checked out after she was born. That’s it. Now I’m thinking about it, she wouldn’t say any more.” Garrett shifted, lifting one knee onto the bench to face Gran. “Is there something I should know?”

  Genevieve Averdeen pursed her lips. “Not really. That’s the bones of the story. Leni’s mother abandoned her to be raised by her father thirty-three years ago.” Gran’s fingers, worn with the tapestry of life, intertwined with his. “The thing is I didn’t think it had any effect on her until today. She never mentioned it. Never cried or asked for her mother. And I know she never lacked for a mother’s love. She’s my baby girl.”

  Garrett encircled Gran’s shoulders and pulled her close.

  “But did you hear her just now?” she asked. “I get it, Garrett.” She tapped his knee with her free hand. “The reason our Leni is swallowing her fear is twofold. She’s fighting to prove to herself and to Nox that she’s different from her mother—that she’ll be there for him as his godmother. Unlike her egg donor, Leni wants to show she’ll be a good mom one day. A real one. One who won’t turn tail and leave. And one who’s worthy of the responsibility Tina trusted her with.”

  His love for Lennox unfurled within the confines of his chest. It broke free of the philosophy he’d used to bind it. His feelings for her enwrapped and encased him in its steady warmth.

  “That’s the kind of woman my Leni is.” Gran grinned up at him, her watery eyes glistened. “I did good raising her.”

  Garrett looked away to keep Gran from seeing what her words meant to him. “Yeah, you did,” he said.

  “So don’t agonize too much over telling her about Tooth and Claw.” She lifted an eyebrow at him. He looked away.

  “I can smell her fear,” he said more to the peach trees than to Gran. “The others will smell it too. They’ll use it against her.”

  “They might smell her fear but they won’t know what it means.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  She patted his knee again and rose. He caught her elbow to help her to her feet. “You’ll have to trust me,” Gran said. “Your little tantrum, telling her about Tooth and Claw, gave Leni just the edge she needs to kick those bitches in the assets.” Garrett chuckled despite his worries. Gran walked down the pair of steps leading out of the gazebo but didn’t look back. “Are you coming or what?”

  They walked through the trees arm in arm. A minute or so later the buzz of a lawn mower accompanied by the scent of fresh grass announced they’d arrived at the clearing.

  At some point in time, the area might have been cleared on purpose but tree roots and weeds had begun to reclaim it. Dillon had done his best with last-minute prep. He cut off the lawnmower and pushed it aside. He’d already set up floodlights similar to the ones lighting Lennox’s yard, except these ran off portable generators. Garrett lifted his chin to greet the doctor he considered a friend. Dillon nodded in response.

  Most of Ian’s pack flanked the area. They talked quietly in various groups. Lennox stood to the right. Jules helped her pull on arm and knee guards. Her clothes were thick but form fitted. A good choice for protection against slashes and bites. She finished dressing with a pair of fingerless gloves made from a thin but durable black leather. Nox and Cash watched from a few feet away. Pride in his godmother reflected on Nox’s awed face.

  Phenomenal didn’t even begin to describe Lennox. They all knew it.

  Garrett started to go to her. He wanted to whisper words of encouragement and pointers for fighting wolves, but he didn’t move quickly enough. Ian exited the tree line on the opposite side of the clearing, maybe coming from Dillon’s place. He carried a wooden case cradled beneath one arm. On an obvious mission, Ian walked a direct path to Lennox.

  She gave him no more warmth than she’d given Garrett moments before. Undeterred, Ian opened the box, presenting the contents to her. She glanced from the box to him and back again. He nudged her, saying something Garrett couldn’t hear. She rolled her eyes and snatched two short but lethal knives from the case. The blades caught the sunlight in bursts of light when she held them up.

  Ian dropped the box. Taking the knives from Lennox’s upright grip, he flipped them so the tips pointed down with the cutting edge out, and handed them back to her. Tentatively Ian took her wrists, cautious in case she dissented.

  Garrett scowled, hurling forward to put a stop to Ian’s moves
on Lennox. Gran’s firm grip on his arm stopped him cold. “Leave it,” she said. “He’s helping her.” Sure enough Ian guided Lennox through a range of attack and defense moves. The blades sliced the air. He stepped back. She ran through the motions on her own. A fast study, Lennox picked up what Ian taught her quickly.

  She nodded her thanks. In turn Ian waved Faye and the two other mothers forward. They wore robes tied loosely around their waists. Garrett cursed. He couldn’t believe these three thought they were justified in ganging up on his Elle. He hopped Lennox shattered every one of their smirks with her fists.

  “What is it?” Gran asked.

  “They’re going to transform in front of Lennox to capitalize on her fear. They don’t want her to forget who they are or what they can do.”

  Gran grunted. “I called it right. Bunch of bitches,” she hissed. “Let’s get to my girl.” They quickly crossed the clearing to take places behind Lennox. Gran patted her shoulder as they passed. “Remember you’re an Averdeen. You’ve got everything you need to take them down.”

  “Okay.” Lennox breathed the word with less than her usual confidence.

  Ian turned, waving her to her place. She paused, trembling so badly her teeth chattered. Somehow, through sheer will, she made it to the position Ian indicated. The moment her feet touched her mark all three wolfen women shimmered, blurred and transformed into red wolves. With deft movements they stepped free of their robes. Faye stood taller than the others, with darker fur and larger tufted ears.

  Lennox dropped to her knees and retched, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the grass. Dammit, she wasn’t going to make it through this.