Stalked (Rogues Shifter #2)

by Gayle Parness

  I took a deep breath and started again. “We don’t really know each other yet. Maybe we can be close like real sisters, maybe not. But let me tell you, your attitude is getting old really fast.” I grabbed her hand and sent a huge wave of healing energy her way. Her face immediately relaxed, her eyes losing the fear and anger that had colored them. “Feel that? You can feel that way all the time on your own, you just need to drop the fucking self pity and think about someone else once in a while.” I dropped her hand roughly and got back into the front seat, slouching down and crossing my arms over my chest. I was surprised to see that Garrett was in the driver’s seat smiling, but looking straight ahead. He knew better than to laugh at me when I was this angry.

  “Don’t say a word, and if you laugh you’re dust.”

  “I’ll be good. I’m not ready to be staked.”

  “Just so you know.”

  “I understand.”

  “She’s going home with Maya.”

  “Excellent plan.”

  “When do your vamps show up?"

  “In about an hour and a half."

  “Swell.”

  “Your idea.”

  “I have a knife and I know how to use it.”

  “Understood.” His smile had widened and I could see him straining to hold in the laughter.

  “Jackie.” A small voice drifted from the back seat.

  “What is it?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah, well, me too.”

  “Do you think I can do that healing thing you do?”

  “Your aura isn’t green, it’s yellow. You need to talk to Maya about what that means. Hers is kind of yellow too.”

  “Okay, sure.” Well at least she was making an effort. I leaned against Garrett and finally allowed myself to relax just a little.

  Thirty minutes later we pulled up to the house. Maya was already there leaning against her car. I jumped out of ours and ran over to her, ready to give her a hug, but she held up her hand to stop me mid-stride.

  “I’ll have to pass on the hug, Jackie, you’re covered in—” She sniffed, then grimaced, "—wolf blood. I’d wash that off fast before Garrett’s nest shows up. She turned to Bridgett and held out her hand. “Hello Bridgett, I’m Maya. I’m taking you home with me for awhile.” Bridgett shook her hand, looking uncertain.

  “Your eyes are green too. Are all cheetah shifter eyes green? My aura is yellow. What does that mean?”

  “The correct response would have been, ‘It’s nice to meet you, Maya’. Curiosity is good, but first we’re going home to clean you up and eat something and then I’ll answer some of your questions. I have quite a few of my own."

  Maya turned back toward me. "We’ll call you tomorrow. She’s obviously your twin. You must be delighted.” Her sarcasm was thick. She ushered Bridgett into her car and drove away without a backward glance.

  “Delighted is not the word I’d use at this moment.”

  Garrett snorted and started to laugh out loud, not able to hold it in a minute more. I glared at him, but then had a brilliant idea. I grabbed his hand, pulling him into the house behind me and then straight into his bathroom.

  “We have about forty-five minutes of privacy and we both have to wash off this wolf blood, so how about making this a joint effort?” Garrett was out of his clothes in a blur and leaning over to turn on the water while I was still struggling with my socks. He lifted me up and sat me on the counter and slowly peeled them off, then leaned in to kiss me deeply. My arms went around his neck and I breathed in to catch his scent. Unfortunately, it was overpowered by the smell of the wolves. I pulled away from him and pushed him toward the water.

  “You don’t smell like my vampire. Go. Wash.” He chuckled, helped me out of the rest of my clothes and pulled me in behind him, closing the shower door and shutting out the world.

  Chapter Twenty

  Luckily the vamps were fifteen minutes late, which gave us time to dry off and dress. I went to let Samson out the patio door, filled up his bowl with Liam’s special recipe dog food and ate a bowl of cereal. I decided to go downstairs to see what Andy and Ralph had accomplished in only one day while Garrett made some phone calls.

  To say I was amazed was an understatement. The common room was done up in rich shades of burgundy and gold, with some interesting antique pieces making the room more than just a finished basement. A leather couch and arm chairs made for plenty of seating and there were bookcases full of books, an enormous flat screen TV, a video game system and even a pool table. There was also a small kitchenette with a medium sized refrigerator.

  I peeked into the bedrooms. They were all slightly different and very comfortable, each with a queen sized bed, a comfortable chair, and a desk with a laptop. I was just leaving the last of the bedrooms when I ran smack into Sasha, who was carrying two suitcases.

  “Do you come with the room, Jackie? I’ll have to take this one then.” He walked forward a few steps, forcing me backward into the middle of the room. He wore jeans and his usual unbuttoned shirt. Silver flecks popped into his eyes as he looked me over.

  I glowered at him and put my hand on his chest and pushed, but he didn’t budge. “Back up, Sasha. You’re in my home now. Would you rather be outside fending for yourself?”

  “Of course, I apologize. But thank you for leaving your scent all over my room. It’s quite delicious.” He took in a long breath. “Is it Après Amour?”

  He laughed at me, still not moving. This guy needed to learn a lesson and it was going down just between him and me. According to Garrett, Sasha, the oldest, was the one most likely to test the limits. I armed myself with some of my own brand of magical power and let it simmer in my core. I was so going to wipe that grin right off of his face.

  The first thing I did was send my power out to close the door behind him. He took that completely the wrong way and moved one step closer to me, peeling off his shirt and smiling. With another push of energy I had him down on his knees looking very surprised. I held him there not letting him move although he fought with all his strength to get up again. When he tried to speak I made him slap his own hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. He still managed to hiss at me, but the smile was definitely gone.

  I circled him as I talked and he struggled. “I expect you to show me respect if you want to continue to remain in our house. I’m giving you a pass tonight, as long as you turn off the flirting when you're around me. Bullying me is not okay either." I looked him over and noticed that the anger in his eyes had calmed. "We’re going to start over as if this never happened, so get up and finish moving in. I’ve had to deal with a lot of crap today and I have no patience for your shit.” I released him and he stood up fluidly the way only older vampires can.

  Watching me carefully, he asked. “That’s it? You’re just going to scold me? You’re not going to punish me?” His mouth twitched at the corners.

  The next instant he was sailing across the room head first, landing in a pile of splayed arms and legs on the floor by the wall. “Not tonight.”

  He rubbed his head and sighed, still smiling, “I apologize, Mistress. In the past, if there was a shifter in my room, she was mine to play with. This is a very different world for the three of us.”

  I opened the door. “Go get the rest of your things.” He walked past me and I caught a whiff of sweet cherries. I groaned. Why couldn’t it be manure? I walked into the common room and of course, there sat Garrett and Heinrich and William lounging around on various chairs and grinning at me.

  “Freakin’ vampire hearing…,“ I grumbled as I plopped down next to Garrett on the couch.

  “I don’t remember anyone ever scolding Sasha before.” I punched him in the shoulder and then crossed my arms over my chest.

  “Should I have run to you so you could beat the crap out of him? Then the room would have to be redone.”

  He grinned a little wider. “Absolutely not. They need to know the consequences of crossing you.” He looked at Heinri
ch and William.

  " I’ll never cause you any grief. I’m pretty weak compared to most vamps.” William was smiling, but I could see an uncertainty in his expression. I thought of him as being kind of nerdy hot. He was slim with lovely blue eyes and thick red hair and really pale skin. He wasn’t overly muscular, but his upper arms were firm and his back was fairly broad. I think that a lot of women would think of him as attractive. He had on jeans and a striped button down shirt and loafers, looking kind of preppy. He smelled like wild ginger.

  Heinrich stood and bowed, speaking with a slight accent. “I am loyal to you, Jacqueline, as I am to Garrett. I will cause you no problems.” Heinrich was large in every way, but none of it was fat. His huge muscles bulged under his black biker vest in a way that many women would drool over. His long light brown wavy hair was tied back with a leather strap and his intense brown eyes showed only sincerity. He smelled like chamomile tea with honey and it made me smile: something I hadn't done too often today.

  The bloodthirsty and vicious vampire race always smelled so sweet and delicious. It wasn't anything overpowering, just a hint on a passing breeze. Along with their good looks, it was probably nature’s way of making sure they got enough to eat. Garrett’s vampire scent was a rich dark chocolate mixed with sweet oranges, and I would have bathed in it if I could have. His scent pulled all my emotional strings, so who’s complaining?

  Sasha came back down the stairs carrying a couple of cartons just in time to see Heinrich’s bow. “I guess no one else wants to get scolded tonight.” Garrett stood and faced him as Sasha put his head down. “I know. I’m a smart ass. I see a gorgeous shifter in my room and I go on automatic pilot. I’ll work on re-wiring some of my circuits.”

  “That would be smart. Put the boxes in your room and then come back for a meeting.” Sasha went through his door and then came out to gracefully sit on a large cushioned arm chair. Heinrich sat stiffly in the other arm chair, while William perched himself on the pool table.

  “Do you all have regulars that you feed from?”

  Heinrich and Sasha nodded, but William shrugged his shoulders. “Francois would bring me volunteers but then I never made any arrangements with them, so I don’t really have anyone’s number.” Sasha and Heinrich started laughing, but when Garrett glared at them they stopped.

  I asked, “How did you survive with Eleanor?”

  “She wouldn’t let me hunt. She’d bring me humans and then only let me have barely enough to stay alive. She kept me as weak as possible. I’m much healthier now. I’m just not very good at relationships.”

  “We keep telling him he doesn’t need to have a relationship, just a meal with maybe some extras.” Sasha was looking at William like he was a total loser.

  I figured I could help out. “I’ll get the names and numbers from Francois, but you have to call them.” William nodded but still looked gloomy.

  Garrett said, “Tonight you’ll come with me and I’ll help you find a human donor. But no shifter blood until you’re more experienced taking from human volunteers. Shifter blood is more potent, so it's easier to lose control.” Will's mouth turned up in obvious relief.

  Garrett only took blood from one person, and that was under very special circumstances. My mind wandered as I recalled the last time. “What are you grinning about?” Garrett sent to me.

  If my eyes could do that silver thing they would have been sparkling. Instead I felt my face heat up. “Nothing in particular.” I got up to call Francois.

  “Hello Monsieur! I was wondering if you could email me a list of the donors that William used. I know, he’s shy. He didn’t inherit your particular gift, but there are plenty of women who would find him extremely attractive.” Will smiled at me as Sasha rolled his eyes. “Merci Francois. I hope we see you again soon. Have a good trip home." He'd be traveling with Yvette through the ley lines, a skill that vampires with pure bloodlines acquired as they aged. Garrett hadn't come into that power just yet, but it was definitely something he looked forward to inheriting.

  “He’s emailing the list sometime tonight. Is there anything else anyone needs, because if not, I’ll leave you to your meeting and your donors and whatever else you have planned.” I got up and the three vampires stood and bowed their heads just a little. I smiled and left thinking that I could probably get used to this.

  As soon as I walked into the kitchen, Garrett was there holding me. He tilted my head up so he could more easily look into my eyes.

  “You’ll work things out with Liam. You both did what you had to do and he respects that. Make yourself something to eat. You need your strength back, my love.” He gently kissed both of my eyes and then my mouth. “I have to go back to them. We have a lot to work out. Je t’adore.” He was gone, leaving only his delicious scent and a warm feeling in my heart.

  I looked around and my shoulders slumped. The kitchen reminded me too much of Liam. I wasn’t really hungry, but I stood in front of the refrigerator just to see if anything called out to me. I felt something cold and wet nuzzling my hand and looked down into Samson's sweet face. “You’ll miss him too, won’t you Sam?”

  Feeling like we both needed some comfort, I crouched down to hug him tightly. I’d already resigned myself to not seeing Liam around the house anymore. Oh, he’d send someone equally as able to guard Garrett, but… I shook my head. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I decided to grab an apple and get into bed with my book to get my mind off of Liam and his ultimatum.

  Bridgett was alive. She was going to have a chance to change her future for the better. I didn't regret what I'd done, only the results where Liam was concerned. The knowledge that I'd saved Bridgett's life didn’t stop the tears from blurring my vision as I read. I’d changed into sleep shorts and a tee shirt letting Samson climb up next to me so I could scratch his head. Liam called him my cu sith. My fae dog: a guardian against all enemies. I put down my book and curled up next to him, falling into a restless sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  I dreamt

  The faerie meadow was cool and dark as I walked barefoot over jagged sticks and rough, sharp stones. My feet began to hurt and then to bleed steadily. When I stood still, pools of blood formed under my feet, so I kept walking, hoping to find someone to help me bandage them. I was frightened and weak because I wasn’t healing, although I tried unsuccessfully to pull power from the lines. Nothing happened when I attempted to shift into my cheetah form to heal and no one answered my frantic call for help. I kept walking, too weak to run. The pain grew worse.

  I saw a pool of crystal clear water and I knew that if I put my feet into the pool, they would heal. So I walked toward it, only to see Kennet blocking the way. He wore a long burgundy robe and his platinum hair was floating around his head, like Liam’s did sometimes. I felt around my waist, hoping to find a weapon, but I was dressed only in a calf length shapeless gown, with no place to carry a blade or a gun.

  “Jacqueline, your feet are bleeding. Come and soak them in the pool.” I backed away a few steps, but my feet started to bleed more heavily and my knees grew unsteady.

  “It’s just a small pond of water. Come closer and look at it carefully. It will heal you.”

  I walked past him and looked into the pool. It seemed like the most refreshing, soothing body of water I’d ever seen. I swayed slightly as the blood loss brought me close to fainting. Suddenly, my knees gave out and I sat heavily on the edge of the still pool, unable to stand for even another moment. I knew I should turn around and crawl away. I shouldn't trust Kennet or touch the water. However, the pain continued to grow worse, so against my instincts, I lowered my bleeding feet into the lovely pool. I was shocked that the water was warm, not cool. It began to move, swirling around my feet, changing from a clear blue color to a rusty red. Feeling disgusted, I tried to pull them out, but they were stuck in the hardening liquid. A painful burning sensation crept over my skin as my feet began to blister, causing me to stand in the water and cry out. “Make it sto
p.” Someone laughed and I screamed.

  I heard a growl behind me and then felt a sharp pain on my arm. The pool began to disappear but the pain grew sharper. Someone yelled “Garrett, she won’t wake up.” Hands were shaking me gently: hands that smelled like cherries. A set of familiar hands replaced the first and so I forced my eyes open.

  Garrett held me on the bed as I sobbed. Samson was licking my arm where he’d bitten me. He’d known I was in danger and had tried to wake me up. Sasha was standing in the corner looking very worried. He must have been the one who’d called Garrett’s name.

  “It hurts.” I wept. “It still hurts so much.”

  “What hurts?” He was so worried.

  “My feet. Kennet hurt me.”

  He pulled the covers off of them and we all gasped. They were bright red and blistered up to just above my ankles.

  “Shit, I’m getting a doctor.” Sasha started out the door.

  “I’ll take blood from Garrett. That should—should help,” I sobbed. The pain was horrible and I wasn’t healing on my own.

  “Sasha, call this number. They’ll send someone who can help.” Garrett sent it to him mentally then bit into his wrist. He sat behind me on the bed with his back against the headboard and pulled me up so that my back was against his chest and his wrist was in my mouth. He whispered soothing words as he stroked my hair and wiped away my tears.

  As I drank, I was able to breathe more steadily. The blisters slowly began to heal but the bone-deep pain remained. Nothing could stop the tears and the trembling as I remembered the dream.

  Sasha was back. “They said two minutes at the most.”

  “Thank you. I’ll let you know if I need you for anything else.” Sasha nodded his head and left. I pulled away from Garrett’s wrist as I watched the blood do its job; the blisters on my feet had completely disappeared but the pain was still excruciating. Samson sat by the bed whining, so I let him jump up and curl next to me again.