by Tl Reeve
“Exactly how am I supposed to get home then?” she questioned her sister, who had already started to walk away. “Dani?” She huffed when her sister ignored her. “Danielle!” Her tone turned a bit more insistent. “Can you tell me how I am supposed to get home?”
With slow, precise movements, Dani turned around and faced Keeley. “It's time to pay the piper, Keeley. Kal will bring you home.”
“I would rather fucking walk,” she smarted off without thinking, forgetting Kalkin could hear everything they were saying.
“It can be arranged,” Kalkin growled from his position across the room. He pushed off the pillar and headed straight for her.
She couldn't stop the involuntary step back and it pissed her off. Damn him. Kalkin didn’t stop until he stood right in front of her, reminding her yet again of just how imposing he could be. Wearing her favorite wedge sandals like she did, the top of her head barely reached his chest. When his hand wrapped around her upper arm, she felt a bolt of electricity shoot directly through her body.
“You're coming with me. We are not going to be having this conversation here.” His tone left no room for argument as he turned, heading toward the revolving glass door.
She tried to jerk her arm from his grasp, but he got in her face and growled at her, causing her to immediately stop fighting him. How the hell did he do that? He growled at her, and she bowed down or stopped whatever she was doing like some weak-kneed miss. The control he had over her drove her nuts.
He dragged her to the small, empty patient alcove, made for private moments and reflection and prayer. She scurried away from him, giving them space when he released her arm. The only way in and out of the area was currently block by the pissed off sheriff. Great, just perfect. Of all the days for this…
“We are about to have a way overdue talk, Keeley.” His voice vibrated with suppressed anger.
“And you picked a hospital to have this discussion?” If she thought her caustic tone would cause him to back off, it didn’t. Instead, she faced off with the beast of a man. She crossed her arms, giving him her best stone face.
“You picked the fucking arena, Keeley, not me. Every single time I have made a damn attempt to speak with you, you fucking run and hide.” He took a step closer to her. “You can't run and hide here.”
“Don't, Kal, just don't.” She stepped away from him, heading over to the bench near the far wall. She sat down, trying to steady the riotous emotion cascading through her system. This wouldn’t work. She buried her face in her hands and leaned forward.
“I can't help you or Dani,” Kalkin stated as he approached her. “If you don't open up and trust me.”
“Even if my trusting you will get you killed?” She raised her head to look up at him. He truly took her breath away each time she saw him. He was so strikingly handsome. So him. It didn’t make sense to her.
“Sweet cheeks,” he crouched down in front of her, “I can't protect you if I don't know what you are running from.” He reached out to caress her face.
He didn't sound so angry now, more determined than anything else. She closed her eyes, moving closer to his touch as he caressed her cheek. She wanted to trust him, to open up to him and tell him everything. If there was anyone she could ever turn to in life for help, it would be him.
“I-I-I can't betray Dani, Kal,” she murmured. “Please understand, I just can't betray her.” Her sister’s story wasn’t hers to tell and her own…it still gave her nightmares.
“Then don't. Tell me about you.” He shifted from in front of her to beside her on the bench. “You’re not betraying your sister if you tell me about you.” His voice was so gentle now, like he realized if he pushed her she would run and hide.
She looked up at the skylight: the bright blue sky shone above them through the sky lights, as little white wisps of clouds floated on the breeze. Funny how it was so calm out there, while her emotions were a whirlwind inside of her. She reached up, pushing a piece of her long blonde hair behind her ear. “I am not normal.” She gulped, staring straight ahead, unable to look at the man who filled her nights with erotic dreams. Gave her hopes of what could be, when she didn’t deserve to have any.
“None of us are, sweet cheeks.”
She stood up abruptly, suddenly terrified how he would react to what she was about to tell him. Like everyone else in her life, he’d be afraid of her. Turn her away, and she knew with him she’d be unable to handle the soul-piercing rejection. She felt his hands on her shoulders, stopping her from pacing. He turned her to him then tucked his warm fingers under her chin to tilt her face up to him. His gaze softened, and she wanted to hate him for the pity she saw there, but there was also a silent strength as well.
“Tell me, Keeley. Trust me enough to tell me,” he cooed.
The soft command reached deep within her soul, giving her the ability to finally give over some of her truths she’d been holding onto for so long. “I have special gifts. Powers to be exact.” She waited for him to freak out. To rail against her. Instead, he waited patiently for her to continue. “It might be easier to show you than tell you.”
She took a deep breath in, then let it out, sending the tendrils of her mind toward him. Keeley frowned, pressing harder still, only to be stopped by an unbreakable wall ten times stronger than she’d ever witnessed. She attempted to find the weakness, only there was none.
“Let me in, please,” she whispered. Moments later, the walls slipped down, allowing her to tether them together. The fragile psychic link would strengthen over time as they used it. For now, she had to concentrate. I am telepathic.
And? he replied. I am able to communicate with Caden this way.
Are you able to communicate with others, though? She continued to speak with him through the link.
No, only Caden, he answered. We have been able to do it since we were babies, we figured it was a twin thing.
I can do it with anyone, Kal. She felt an immediate loss as she backed out of his mind, even though she had only been connected with him for such a short time. It had never happened to her before, not even with Dani. It had felt like she belonged there within his head and he had belonged in hers.
“You have shields in place, pretty strong ones actually. Most are weak and easily penetrable.” She shrugged. “Chances are, if I really wanted to, I could have gotten into your head without you even realizing it.” She bit her lip while continuing to study his face. “I don't, though, because I consider it rude to just jump in and out of people's minds.” She reached up, placing a hand on the wide expanse of his chest. “Just so you know, I’d never attempt to jump into your mind without your permission first.”
She started with the easy ability, the one he would understand and accept readily—now came the hard part. She looked around the alcove, searching for something, anything that she could use to demonstrate her next abilities. “Don’t disappoint me, Kal.” When she spotted the book across the room on a pew, she concentrated on it. The item levitated off the plush cushion and started floating toward them.
She focused all her energy on the book, willing it with her mind to hover above her hand, then land with a graceful ease. “I am also a telekinetic.”
Kalkin never said a word as she grew more daring, even perhaps whimsical, allowing the book to float and then fly around him. She knew what she was doing, delaying the inevitable, because she understood when he witnessed the full extent of what she could do, he’d turn her in. It was his duty as the sheriff. All psychic beings had to be registered and she and Dani weren’t.
Here goes nothing.
She stopped the book in front of Kalkin, bringing it up to eye level. With a blink, it burst into flames, cracking and popping as the flame burned red. It had to be an odd sight for sure, a book burning in midair. She released it, allowing it to fall to the ground, and watched as Kalkin stepped forward, stamping out the remaining flames from the pages within.
“Say something. Say anything.” She couldn't handle the
silence stretching out between them. Her stomach knotted as she feared the worst.
“Come here,” he demanded.
An invisible line tugged at her middle, urging her to close the distance between them. She bowed her head as a wave of shame rolled over her. Why did this have to be so difficult for her? Why did she feel so like a freak? Like she didn’t have a place in the world?
“Look at me.” When she didn't, his fingers curled under her chin, forcing her head up, so that their eyes met. “I said look at me. What the fuck did you expect me to say, Keeley? Are you expecting me to scream and holler? Run around the room like a chicken without its head?” He sighed. “I can’t protect what I don’t know. Now, I can.”
She shook her head. “No, Kal, it's too dangerous. I am too dangerous.”
He grinned at her. “Sweet cheeks, you haven't even seen dangerous. I’m fucking dangerous, baby. This…this doesn't scare me off. Nor do you scare me.”
She didn't know what she found sexier: when he called her sweet cheeks or baby. Both turned her on.
“People are coming for us, Kal, because of who we are and what we can do. Don't you get that?” She reached out to place a hand on his arm. “They won't stop, they never stop. Several times they have almost gotten either Dani or myself. They are getting desperate now, hurting those around us. Next, they are going to start hurting those we care about.” She stopped speaking before she gave more of herself away. “You should turn us in. It’s what you’re supposed to do.”
He ran his thumb across her bottom lip. “You're mine, and come Saturday, you’ll realize what it entails to be claimed by me. Until then, I will protect what is mine. No one is ever going to hurt you ever again or take you away. Do you understand me?”
He had no idea the type of people they were dealing with. People who came in the middle of the night and stole men, women, and children from their beds, then locked them away in a dark room for hours on end while they ran endless tests on them. She had escaped once; she knew if caught again she wouldn't be as lucky. She couldn't risk him. She had feelings for the man standing in front of her. What they were or how deep they ran, she didn’t want to dissect.
“Keeley, do you understand me?” The dominant male was back and in control. “You're mine, from now until the last day I spend on this Earth. It's my job, my duty, today, tomorrow and forever to protect you and I take this shit seriously.”
“Kal...”
She intended to protest his claiming, but instead, he pulled her into his arms, one hand buried in her hair, while another wrapped around her back, preventing her from moving or running. The next moment his lips were on hers and he was kissing her.
His tongue swept against the seam of her lips, demanding entrance. She moaned, giving him the access he sought, while burying her fingers in his thick locks, holding him to her. He sipped from her lips, nibbled and made love to her mouth. Her nipples hardened, becoming pinpoints as they pushed across her shirt, creating arcs of pleasure as she shifted against him. The length of his erection pressed against her belly. A thrill of anticipation rushed through her. She wasn't exactly sure how long they stood there kissing, nor did she care. He could strip her bare and take her to the ground, fucking her with a wild abandon and she wouldn’t care. My god, the man can kiss!
“You're mine, Keeley, and don't you fucking forget it,” he growled, chest heaving as a wild gleam entered his eyes.
“Kal?”
“Shut up, Keeley, before you just say something that ends up pissing me the fuck off.” He snarled at her.
“You're an ass.”
“You're just realizing this?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “We aren't done talking, by a fucking long shot, but I think we’re done for now, so I am going to take you home.” He kept his hands on her shoulders to steady her. “My patrol car is parked out front.”
“I can get a ride home. Dani can come back and get me, I’m sure of it.” She jutted her chin out, a hint of defiance reflected in her tone. “There is no reason to put yourself out.” In all honesty, she needed some time away from him, to process how he reacted to the news of her abilities. Unlike everyone else who seemed to back off, or even run away terrified, he stood there taking it all in, never leaving her side.
Again, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and directed her back through the hospital and out toward his waiting car. She hesitated, feeling the need to reassert herself to remind him she wasn’t an invalid who couldn’t take care of herself. Wait, whoa...future?
“If you don't get your ass in my SUV, I am going to spank it.” He backed her up against the vehicle. “Am I making myself clear?”
“Excuse me?” She gave an indignant snort. No way in hell he’d make the sexiest sound in the world, and it turn her on.
“You fucking heard me. I think a nice shade of pink to start with, but if pushed I will go to a cherry red.” He cocked a brow at her.
“Don't you threaten to spank me!”
“Don't fucking act like you're not aroused by the thought of it either. Now get in the fucking truck.” He pulled open the door, then gestured for her to get in.
She stared at him, lifting her chin in defiance. She placed one hand on the door as she started to get into the truck.
“Let's get one thing straight. I am only going because I need the ride, not because you threatened to spank me.” She slipped into the SUV, slamming the door a little harder than she needed to, then buckled her seatbelt. She watched as he walked in front of the vehicle, then over to the driver’s side. His strides were filled with purpose, power and not for the first time she wondered what it would be like to have him fuck her.
He got in beside her. “You can tell yourself whatever the fuck you want, I don't really give a shit, but I was driving you home even if I had to follow you. Spanking your ass would have been an added bonus.” He gave her a wicked smile before he started the SUV then pulled out of the parking lot.
She was silent as they drove, unsure how to respond to his last comment, or how to even speak to him. She was a hot mess and she knew it.
“Kal?” She winced, hearing the uncertainty in her own voice and she hated it.
“Yes?”
“D-do you think I am weird?” Since he hadn’t said one way or the other about her abilities, it had been eating at her. She didn't know why his opinion should matter, but somehow it did.
“No, baby, I don't.” He reached out, wrapping her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I think it makes you someone who is extraordinary, special and downright amazing. You are anything but weird.” He looked at her, then back at the road. “I see much more than just your abilities; they are a part of who you are, but they don't define you. They are not anything to be feared and quite honestly, anyone who knows you or understands you would know you’d never hurt someone you loved or cared about with your gifts.”
Finally, someone other than Dani who seemed to understand her predicament when it came to her talents. His words were a balm to her soul, able to soothe her tattered pieces as no one else could.
She returned his squeeze. “Thank you.” She gazed out the passenger window and watched the scenery as it passed by.
“We are not done talking. There is more you need to tell me, and you will, and there are things I have to explain as well. But it’s a start, so close your eyes and rest. I got you.”
I got you. Three simple little words, yet they said so much. She closed her eyes for the short drive back home, confident and secure for the first time in a long time, someone she trusted protected her.
Chapter Eight
Damn. He stared out the rearview mirror as he drove away from Keeley’s house. When she told him she was different and had abilities, he hadn’t been prepared for the telekinesis or the telepathy. They were special. It was why Jace disappeared. The Psychic Bounty Hunters had seen a unique opportunity with him. A young man of twenty who could reveal the past with a thought, who could lay the future at their feet while also be
ing a shifter? Seemed like a lark to them. Kalkin sighed. In the end, they’d broken his brother. Left him a shell of a man with a child he couldn’t connect with and a life not many would want to live. It still surprised him when he found out about Blake. If he had to guess, Jace saw the wolf as a safety net. Something Loraine couldn’t give Jace right now, especially since it’d been humans who hurt him.
Nevertheless, Keeley was a miracle.
The FBI agent who showed up in town claimed he wanted to help the girls, but when Kalkin pressed him for information, he’d gone tight-lipped, claiming their files were classified. It put him in a horrible bind. He didn’t like being lied to, but he could also understand the man’s reluctance to put it all out there. Instead, he encouraged the man to stay, enjoy the festivities and Kalkin hoped, at some point, he’d open up to them and explain why the FBI were involved.
It won’t matter anyway, come Saturday night. I plan on fucking my mate and making sure no one can take her away from me.
He grimaced.
Now wasn’t the time to talk about or think about sex. Saturday would take care of itself. For now, he had to figure out the best way to explain who they were and what mating Kalkin would entail. She deserved all of his truths after giving him so much.
Kalkin pulled up into his driveway and found Danielle’s truck parked in Caden’s spot. The horny bastard. He chuckled, shaking his head as he took the keys out of the ignition and got out of the car. Keeley was going to have Caden’s head on a silver platter.
Walking around the side of the house and over to the porch, he found Danielle, Caden, and Aiden sitting on the wooden floor, playing. The woman’s laugh was infectious as the rambunctious puppy hopped and played between them. Aiden was growing into a fine addition to the pack and it was all due to the woman sitting next to his brother.
“What’s this?” he asked, sitting down next to them. Aiden immediately walked over to him and licked his hand before going to curl up in Dani’s lap. “Well, I see he’s taken to his new momma, haven’t you, squirt?”