Down the Dirt Road (The Dirt Road Series Book 1)

by Livell James

  Seeing her shiver, Lucas jumped into action, grabbing the afghan and a couple of pillows off the couch. When he came back to his sleeping beauty, she had moved onto her side, curling up like a little cat. Getting on his knees, he brushed her hair from her face, gently lifting her head, placing the pillow beneath it. Just as he was about to cover her, he noticed his cum dripping from her, and a primal growl escaped his throat. He should have felt shame; they had never discussed not using some type of protection, but the primal part of him liked smelling his scent mixed with Kaylee’s. She’d been marked, no other Were would touch her with his scent within her body.

  He knew there wasn’t a chance of getting or receiving an STD because of his Were side. They were incapable of carrying or transmitting human disease. Even if by some chance he did contract something, his vampire side would heal it instantly. He knew she wouldn’t become pregnant this time because it wasn’t the right time for her body to conceive.

  He almost groaned at the thought of her being in heat. Her scent would sharpen, become deeper, even more inviting, making his animal go crazy with lust and the need to plant his seed inside her. Lucas laid down, spooning her from behind. Brushing his fingers down her side, he rested his hand on her stomach and imagined the day she would be swollen with his child.

  He had never once, in all of his twenty-seven years, considered having children. His duties to the McClane’s and the discord which had plagued his pack weren’t ideal for raising a family or hell, even thinking about the future. But this was Kaylee, she was everything. He wanted things with her he never imagined wanting, including children one day. They would need to discuss it, this was all too new to even consider it now, but one day, he hoped it would happen.

  Replaying their love-making in his mind, Lucas almost cringed at how roughly he’d taken her. He had barely managed to control himself long enough to get her off and remembered how hard he’d had to fight his vampire half. The urge to bite her had overwhelmed him from the first kiss to the last. Lucas was still hesitant to let that happen. Kaylee said she trusted him, but he was still a long way from trusting himself enough to take her blood.

  Lucas knew he would have to work on that, trusting himself, because their very future depended on it. Neither side of him could fully claim her without a bite and the exchange of blood. It was part of the mating ritual. However, those were thoughts for another time.

  Lucas kissed her head and pulled her even closer, finally pulling the afghan over her body. He didn’t need it, his Were side always kept him warm, but he wanted her protected from the cool cabin air. Lucas sent his senses out before shutting his eyes. He needed to make sure Kaylee was safe as they slumbered. Not sensing anything, but a couple of deer in the area, he finally let his eyes drift shut. With Kaylee in his arms and thoughts of the future on his mind, he realized he had never felt so content. Kaylee was his home.

  Lucas and Kaylee spent three days huddled down in the cabin, learning everything there was to learn about each other. They talked, played, and fucked, constantly. He had known he wanted her, lusted after her, but the more he learned about Kaylee, the more he liked her as a person.

  She was sweet and caring, and her family meant the world to her, even though she was mad at them right now. Lucas tried to help her understand the way of the Others in this new magical world she found herself in. He answered as many questions as he could, but told her only talking to Ruth would calm the turmoil in her mind.

  Something else that concerned Lucas was neither the pack nor the McClanes had come near the cabin. He had sensed the pack nearby, but they never crossed the borders of the land. Last night, he sensed Edwin, but was thankful he’d stayed just outside the marked lands. Their mating was going to be hard for the pack to accept, but with what Edwin and even Ruth had said to him, he knew they would be their biggest problem. He just hoped the bond he and Kaylee were forming would be strong enough for her to choose him. He hated putting her in that position, but there wasn’t a part of him which would let her go now. He had tried and failed.

  Lucas felt Kaylee’s fingers brush his face. When he looked down at her, she smiled. She had the freshly fucked look on her face—pink tinged cheeks, wild hair, and bright, half-laden eyes.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

  “Nothing, everything, I’m just thinking, babe, go to sleep.”

  “Oh no, you don’t. We agreed to do all of this together. Tell me what’s on your mind, and we can figure out what to do about it,” Kaylee said, lifting up from his chest, propping her head on her hand, giving him that look. The one every guy knows shows the woman they love means business. Lucas laughed and ran his finger down her wrinkled brow.

  “It’s just that the pack and your grandparents haven’t come to check up on either of us. It doesn’t make sense, we’ve been here for three days. Marcus alone should be rip-roaring mad I haven’t been under this thumb. Then there are your grandparents; they don’t agree with us being together, but I know deep down they love you. It just seems odd they haven’t even tried to check up on you, you know what I mean?”

  “Yeah, I was wondering that myself, but I’m not going to complain, we needed this time to get to know each other. Do you think your pack will give us problems? I’m not as worried about my grands, they love me. I know after I talk with them, they might not be happy, but they’ll support me and my decision.”

  “Kaylee, I don’t know if that’s exactly true. I’m not an ideal mate for anyone because of my Vampire side, but your being the Blue Moon Priestess makes it an even bigger problem. The Coven could ban you, and you need them. After the ceremony, your powers will open, flow through you, but you haven’t been prepared or trained. It could be overwhelming. When I woke up after being bitten, hell, babe, the combination of the Were and the Vampire was too much. It took me years to get it under control. I did horrible things. I don’t want that for you.”

  Kaylee laid her head back down on Lucas’ chest, rubbing her hand up and down. Lucas knew she was trying to soothe him, but it wasn’t helping. Just thinking about that time in his life angered and agitated him.

  “Tell me about it Lucas. I know you don’t want to, but there can’t be any secrets between us,” Kaylee pleaded, and Lucas knew she was right.

  “I was only eighteen when it happened. I was so full of myself,” Lucas said, shaking his head. “I was the Guardian and a strong shifter. I had already started to feel my Alpha power and foolishly thought nothing could touch me. Marcus sent me to retrieve a package in New Orleans. He said now that I was a man, I could do more for the pack than just sitting around, taking up space.” Luke heard Kaylee gasp, but when she didn’t say anything, he continued.

  “Yeah, he’s always been an ass, but I was determined to prove myself to him. My youthful optimism made me think I could change my father’s view of me if I completed his task. I didn’t ask many questions, just where was I supposed to go and what I was picking up.

  “He told me I was meeting a man by the name of Bane Walker who was supposed to give me an envelope I needed to bring back to the pack. Marcus gave me one night to complete the task. I didn’t have a car or any money even though I’d been working odd jobs since I became a teen. Everything anyone in the pack made went right back to the pack, more specifically, to my father.

  “It was another one of Marcus’ lessons; if I was truly a man, I could figure out my own way to complete his assigned task. New Orleans wasn’t that far away, four-and-a-half to five-hours by car, but since I didn’t have one, I shifted and ran as long as I could in my wolf form. When I got too tired, or the area was too populated, I hitchhiked. It took forever.

  “By the time I made it to the meeting place, no one was there. I found a place nearby to sit down and sleep for a little while it was still dark, and like I said, I was feeling very sure of myself.”

  “Oh no, Lucas, that was so dangerous,” Kaylee said, looking back up at him. “I haven’t been to New Orleans, but even I know there
are parts tourists are encouraged to stay away from.”

  Lucas ran his hand down her head, encouraging her to lay it back on his chest. He didn’t like thinking about that time of his life and his failures. It would be harder to tell the rest of the story if she was looking at him.

  “Kaylee, I was stupid and cocky. What could anyone steal from me? I had nothing to give, maybe three whole dollars in my pocket. My clothes were nothing to attract attention, and I figured if anyone tried to hurt me, my Were strength would take care of that.”

  Lucas could feel Kaylee’s head nodding on his chest, but she didn’t move or say anything, just waited for him to tell her the rest.

  “So, like I said, I was sleeping in an alley way when I felt hands pulling at me. I fought, but there were so many, and they were as strong as I was; I couldn’t get away. They pinned me to the ground and that’s when Bane Walker came up, standing over me.

  “Marcus had sheltered me from the ways of the Others. I only knew of the Witches and our kind and hadn’t even heard talk of Others. One look from the man who I later found out was Bane Walker, and my body froze. I couldn’t move or look away from the man. I noticed his fangs, and I knew he was a vampire. He grabbed my shirt and pulled me toward him. It freaked me the fuck out, but I was frozen, I couldn’t even lift a finger. When he bit me, it was like being struck by a snake, fast, but damn the pain was horrible. The asshole drained all the blood from my body, and I could feel the coldness creeping in. When I felt the last pump of my heart, he ripped open his wrist and placed it in my mouth, forcing me to swallow his blood. As I laid there, he threw and envelope on my chest and said, Your blood is strong with power, thank you for the taste. Fuck, Kaylee, he smiled at me with my blood still dripping from his fangs. It scared the shit out of me, but he wasn’t done. If you make it through the transition, come and find me, your power will be too great for the pack.”

  “Jeezus, what did you do?” Kaylee asked.

  “The first few days were horrible, fighting my two halves as they fought my body. Then the hunger, Kaylee, I can’t even explain it, the need for blood was so strong, I didn’t even think. I wandered half-crazed, not really knowing what was going one. There was a man who was attacking a woman, and hell, Kaylee, I killed him. I yelled at the woman to run. Once I knew she was gone, I drained him. He wasn’t the only one.”

  “Lucas?”

  “No, Kaylee, I told you, this part of me is dark. It’s a time I’ve tried to make up for. Part of being a vampire is knowing a person’s deepest, darkest thoughts, and even though those men were planning to hurt people, it didn’t give me the right to kill them. I was out of control. It took me about a week to get back to the pack. I was freaked out and scared, and I naively thought my father would help me. When I got there, and he saw what had happened to me, he tried to have me banished. Your Grandma Ruth stepped in and wouldn’t allow it.”

  “But he set you up,” Kaylee protested as she got up on her knee and looked down at Lucas. “He sent you to that man. He had to have known what would happen.” Lucas smiled at the outrage Kaylee was feeling on his behalf.

  “That’s the thing, I can’t prove it. He told the pack I was out partying. I’m the only one who knew he sent me. He made sure to cover his tracks. When I confronted him, the asshole laughed and said, Prove it. Weres and Vampires never work together.”

  “What! What about the envelope?”

  “There wasn’t anything in it, and on the outside, someone had written, Debt Paid.”

  “Holy shit. How did you find out the vampire was Bane Walker?”

  “When Marcus tried to banish me and it didn’t work, he made living with the pack unbearable. I went back to New Orleans to track Bane down to get some answers. We fought, but he wouldn’t give me anything, only his name, unless I allowed him to become my master. That shit wasn’t happening. Up until that point, I had allowed myself to be led by Marcus and my need for acceptance; there was no way in hell I was going to let another person control me just to confirm my father had set me up.

  “It took me three years to control the vampire side of me, so I could go back to the pack. I’m still an outsider, one they need, but that hasn’t stopped Marcus from trying to find other ways to get rid of me.”

  “Oh, Lucas I’m so sorry you had to go through any of that.”

  Lucas was going to kiss her, but he sensed his brother coming in, fast. “Get up, babe, we’re about to have company.” Kaylee jumped up and gathered her clothes. Lucas was extremely thankful someone had thought ahead, bringing some of her things to the cabin because he had destroyed the clothes she was wearing when they first arrived.

  Being naked or being seen naked wasn’t a big deal for Were, so he knew his brother wouldn’t say anything to him, but Kaylee was still new to all of this. Grabbing the jeans he had retrieved from the pond the night before, he slipped them on, not bothering with a shirt or shoes, and walked out the door. Matt was there seconds later.

  “You need to come with me. It’s bad, Luc. Marcus went off the hinges and attacked Flynn and Danica.”

  “We need to get Kaylee to her grandparents. We can deal with the pack after my mate is safe.” Lucas didn’t wait for his brother’s agreement, just went back into the house and gathered up Kaylee. She asked a couple of questions and he answered them, leaving out some things. He could tell she knew something bad was up, but didn’t want her to worry. She had a confrontation of her own to deal with.

  Chapter 16

  Kaylee walked into her grandparents’ home, feeling very different from when she’d left. She was worried about Lucas and what was going on with his pack. Kaylee had only gotten bits and pieces of the conversation he had with Matt outside the door at the cabin, but none it of sounded good. When he told her she needed to go back to her grandparents’ home, she didn’t hesitate because she knew he needed to focus on what needed to be done and not on her.

  Lucas had explained so much to her about her birthright and his. He also made her see she needed to speak with her Grandma Ruth and repair the rift which had developed between them. Kaylee was okay with that as long as her grandma didn’t continue lying to her.

  When she walked in the front door, Kaylee was bewildered to see both her grandparents sitting in the living room, as if they had been waiting for her. For as long as she could remember, they never sat in that room unless they had guests, there wasn’t even a television. They were sitting on the couch, leaving on the loveseat the only other place to sit, which would put her right in front of them. Looked like she wasn’t the only one who needed to have this conversation. Kaylee sat down and waited to see who would start. It was her Grandma Ruth, but she didn’t apologize or give any further explanation. She began with what Kaylee wasn’t willing to talk about, Lucas.

  “You were with him, are you mated?” her grandma asked, sounding a bit angry and a lot disappointed.

  “What I do with Lucas is my business. But I’ll tell you this much, we are not mated, yet. If I have my way, that will change very soon, but Lucas refuses to until after my Ostara ceremony. I thought with your ability to know all, you would have already known that, Grandmother.”

  “At least one of you is showing some sense,” her grandpa answered, his words cutting Kaylee like a knife. “McClane witches do not mix seeds with half-breeds. You will taint this line if you go through with this mating, spoiling future generations to come with your actions.”

  Kaylee put her head down resting her chin on her chest and took a couple of deep breaths. She needed to answer her grandpa in a very adult fashion when what she wanted to do was rage at his prejudice. Kaylee leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees, then looked up at both her grands, the two people in this world who, up until three days ago, meant the most to her.

  “I don’t care what you think, either of you, Grandpa,” Kaylee said, first looking at him, then her Grandma Ruth. “We’re going to have to agree to disagree on this matter because my feelings won’t change. Lucas is my ma
te, and we will complete the mating, binding us together. Now, I think you both owe me an explanation. I’m willing to sit here and hear you out, but if you lie to me again or try one of the other ways you’ve been manipulating me my entire life, I’m out of here, and you won’t see me again.”

  “You can't do that,” Grandma Ruth screeched, jumping up from the couch. “The Ostara is only a few short days away. You’ll be vulnerable if you’re not brought into your magic in the right way. The dark will be more tempting than you know, Kaylee, you need your family during this time. Lucas can’t help you with this, for him to even try is foolhardy. It will destroy you both, mark my words.”

  “Well, then, I suggest you start talking. How about we start with my mother and why she decided, and you let her, to have me bound? Why for years she took me to therapists and doctors when she knew what I was seeing was real. Why don’t we start there, Grandmother?”

  She watched as her Grandma Ruth sat back down on the couch, slumping into it. Kaylee didn’t like seeing her that way, but she needed answers, and Lucas would only give her so much. No, the answers she was seeking needed to come from these two people, then she would deal with her Mother.

  Grandma Ruth looked up, and Kaylee could see the sheen of tears in her eyes, making her rethink everything. She didn’t want to hurt her grands, but she had a right to know, didn’t she?

  “I should have told you when you were younger. I warned your mother this might happen, and that you needed to be prepared, not shielded, but she had other ideas. Nothing is black and white Kaylee. I respected your Mother’s wishes, but I was always there for you. Part of my magic is empathy, I can see and feel things, especially when the person I’m channeling is close to me. I knew you, at a very young age, also possessed this power and wanted to start training you on how to deal with it. Your own emotions are hard, but adding other people to the mix is even more difficult.