“I know,” she breathes out, their eyes locking. Conall just looks at her, roaming his eyes over her face and neck, brushing the wet hair behind her ear and running his nose along hers; all the while making her pant in need for him, as his love and devotion to her radiates around her with the steam of the shower. She whimpers into his ear, wiggling against him as his hands find her hips, gripping them and telling her silently to prepare.
His lips pull back in a snarl against her neck right before he begins his onslaught of possessing and claiming thrusts; Siofra throws her head back, biting her lip to keep the scream of pleasure in as her climax crashes down on her, shaking her entire body. She buries her face in his neck when she feels him pulse inside of her, filling her with his essence.
He squeezes some shampoo into his hands, massaging it into her hair as she does the same to him. They take their time with cleaning each other; running their hands over one another’s body with precise touches, teasing one another with their laughter meeting the steam. Wrapping her legs around his hips once more, Conall picks Siofra up and wraps a towel around them as she shuts the water off over his shoulder.
Falling onto the bed and snuggling up to his side, her head in the crook of his arm; Siofra kisses his still wet shoulder. “I don’t know what I would’ve done these past few days without you,” she whispers, running her hand over his abs, tracing invisible patterns. Looking up into his face, she can see he is relaxed, his eyes closed in the remaining ecstasy of their shower escapades. “I’m thankful for you, Conall Johnson.”
Smiling, he tilts his chin down, his gaze falling on her face. Taking her chin in his fingers, he pulls her in for a lingering kiss. “And I’m thankful for you and Roan, my love.” She feels him fumbling with something in his other hand as he holds her face to his; something cold slipping on her left hand ring finger, and he grins against her lips.
Putting her hand up into the moonlight, she catches the glitter of a diamond on a silver band. She really doesn’t believe it at first. She blinks, but it’s still there. “Ohhh…..” she mumbles; tears escaping out onto her cheeks. Sitting up on her forearms, she can’t help but kiss him repeatedly.
Pausing her in her assault with his palms on her cheeks, Conall asks, “Will you marry me? When all this mess is over with, will you be my wife?” The moonlight glints in his green eyes.
“Yes! Yes, a million times yes,” she smiles, straddling his body, as he wraps his arms around her. She takes his lips, kissing him with every ounce of passion she feels for him.
The passion could drive her for the rest of her life, and they stay wrapped up in one another into the early morning hours, showing each other what the other means to them. The fire that blends their souls as one, shines with the moonlight; reflecting in the diamond now on her hand.
‘This is the life that I will die to protect,’ Siofra thinks, staring at the shiny little rock on her ring finger, falling asleep while being held tight by Conall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“We need to take action soon, brother,” comes the husky voice over his right shoulder. “Roan is your son, my nephew. He belongs with us, even if we have to kill that bitch….”
“We will not kill Siofra, I love her. She will come with us once I talk some sense in’ta her.” Kyle Bokan can’t remove his grey-eyed stare from the doublewide that he has watched, from the wood line, where Siofra and Roan have come and gone for over a week, with that tall stranger. He loves Siofra and he isn’t going to let anyone else have her. He’s stalked her since finding out she left Buffalo; watching her from afar, asking questions of townspeople, all the while his anger growing that she’s raising his son within a new Pack.
“She has a man staying with her, every night brother!” Kevin’s anger rolls out over Kyle and makes him shiver. “Ahh…,”throwing his hands up in frustration, he starts to trudge back through the woods. Kyle follows reluctantly, on his heels, because that’s what Kyle is; a follower.
“Just because she’s bonded, doesn’t mean I can’t have her still. She’ll see the love I have for her.” Kyle jumps over a fallen tree, keeping in stride with his kin.
They have other companions waiting for them on the far edge of the woods, near the abandoned farm they are occupying. Nine males and one female; all originating from different Packs around the country. They’re ‘strays’ as they like to call themselves.
“And what if she doesn’t see what you want her to see?” Kevin turns to his younger brother, his eyes glowing red, a family trait. “What then little brother? What if your precious Siofra don’t want you?” he stalks off breaking the tree line, greeting the others in the open field.
Kyle doesn’t want to think about that scenario. He had given up so much already to make a good life for Siofra and Roan; if she doesn’t see it his way, he’ll snap. Kevin and Kyle had wanted to take off on their own, go rogue, when they had heard of the oncoming trouble with the Niagara Pack in February 2012. It was a perfect way to get away without repercussions from the Clover Pack.
They had worked with the Niagara Pack on the date, time and place to attack the Clover Pack in the open. They would attack the brothers, but only with superficial wounds, and then pay off the doctors to fake their death certificates. Finding out Siofra was pregnant that morning had been a bump in the road, but Kevin had told Kyle there was no going back; it was either go back for her later or forget about her all together.
“If she doesn’t come with us, Kyle,” a high, feminine voice comes up from behind him, “we should just get rid of her, and Conall; because they will hunt us down, no matter what.” She comes up beside him, sliding her arm through his and leans her head on his shoulder. “Why do you want her anyways? When you could have me?”
“Because I love her, Jinnie, that’s why,” shedding of her arm, he sprints ahead to rejoin his brother, as they approach the grey, falling down horse barn they call home. Siofra will be his again. Even if he has to kill everyone around him, she’ll be his once more.
CHAPTER TWELVE:
The days flew by, filled with love and happiness, so much so that Siofra hardly worried about the Bokan brothers and the ominous message she had received on Thanksgiving. Before she knows it, it is December 14th and she has a shopping trip to Billings planned with Cassie and Sylvia. Leaving the children with the Johnson brothers all packed into Jason and Cassie’s house with movies and outside playtime planned, the three women pile into Sylvia’s Escalade to make the three hour drive northwest on Highway 212.
Men from Marcus’s team have arrived, along with those from New Orleans, and all have assimilated into the Big Sky Pack. The people of Broadus have even accepted Sebastian the vampire, going so far as to black out a room in the Johnson Inn for his daytime sleeping. Leon Sullivan, Were-mountain lion, has charmed all the single she-wolfs with his Cajun accent.
“Don’t let her spend too much, Fry,” Jason shouts from the front door, trying to corral the twins back into the house to put their jackets on.
“Oh shut up, you ass!” Cassie yells back, blowing him a kiss along with the bird.
“Have fun, love,” Conall kisses her sweetly on the lips through the rolled down window, “I hope you find some things you like.” Grinning, he steps away from the vehicle with a wink.
Everyone exchanges waves and Sylvia honks the horn obnoxiously as they take off, bound for a shopping coma. This is just what Siofra needs, some girl time.
“Are you excited to look at wedding dresses Fry?” Cassie turns in the passenger seat to look at her future sister-in-law.
“Kind of,” she shrugs, giving Cassie a halfhearted smile. “There’s just this strange feeling I can’t shake. It’s been botherin’ me since last night when I was woken up.”
Siofra rubs the back of her neck, still stiff from sitting on the couch most of last night, wishing for sleep to return. “I could’ve sworn there was something at the edge of the woods behind my trailer last night, but Conall said he didn’t see it. It’s like I could j
ust feel something out there; watching me.”
“It’s just the lack asleep, hun,” Sylvia locks eyes with Siofra in the rear-view mirror, winking and sticking her tongue out at her. “It’s makin’ ya’ all jittery an shit.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” she sighs heavily, drawing hearts in the fog caused by it on her window. The girls fall into silence for a little while and then fill the rest of the drive with mindless chatter about weddings, babies, dresses and what they are getting the men in their lives for Christmas. Siofra is planning on buying Conall a new guitar; she knows he’ll love it.
They have been in eleven stores, made three trips back to the Escalade, laden with bags of gifts, and stopped for lunch before going into the dress shop. Siofra is dead set on finding something classy and cheap. She isn’t going to spend a lot on something Conall is just going to rip off her at the end of the night. As she stands in the dressing room, she shivers in excitement at the thought of his rough, calloused hands ripping something this dainty and beautiful from her, just to get to her bare body.
The shop’s assistant has her hands full with Cassie and Sylvia; they are traveling the store pulling every dress off the rack they think will look good on Siofra, and filling her dressing room with ten, leaving ten on the rack just outside. Siofra feels like giving up before she gets past one.
She’s tried on more organza, taffeta and tulle than she ever had in her 25 years of life. Her head is swimming when she pulls a form fitting lace number from Cassie’s hands.
“Ooo, I like this one,” Siofra hangs it on the hook, touching and pulling lightly at the fabric. “This might be it.” She whispers, smiling at Cassie as a child like excitement fills her veins.
“I knew it,” she shouts throwing her hands into the air and doing a little victory dance, “I told you Syl!” Siofra can hear Sylvia share a few expletives, and Cassie rolls her eyes. “Well…… try it on,” Cassie shoves the door shut, leaving Siofra to take the plunge.
Unzipping it, pulling it over her head, and shimmying the silky material down, Siofra gasps when she looks in the mirror. Smoothing it out over her hips and zipping it up the best she can, she can’t believe it’s her in the mirror. Ivory lace over a white sheath slip, it hugs her curves perfectly. With lace straps and a sweetheart neckline, it’s everything she is looking for and under five hundred dollars. Pushing the door open she steps out to her two wide eyed companions.
“Well? What do you think?” She steps up onto the platform and does a spin, showing them the little flow it has at the bottom.
“This is one of our more elegant trumpet style gowns, and it is on clearance,” the sales woman says, pulling a veil from a rack and placing it on her head.
“It’s perfect, hun,” Cassie stands and runs her hands over the lace at the bottom. “You look like a dream, really you do.” Siofra can’t help but tear up a little at the comment. Sniffling she turns to Sylvia.
“Let me just see something,” Sylvia says, jumping from her seat to come behind Siofra on the platform. Gentle tugs on her hair and a few bobby pins pulled from the shop assistant’s pocket and Sylvia has Siofra’s hair up in a messy, but sexy, up-do.
“Uh-huh,” she says smirking, “Conall won’t be able to keep his eyes, or his hands, off of you.”
They all crack up laughing, with tears rolling down their cheeks, only stopping when the assistant steps in and says, “May I ring this up for you then?” Nodding, Siofra slips back in to the dressing room, quickly shedding the dress and donning a robe provided by the shop.
Handing the sales clerk the dress and Conall’s credit card, she says to Cassie, “Pick me out some lingerie, shoes and a garter will you?”
“Sure thing, get changed. Syl and I are gonna call the men an see if they’re doin’ ok.” Grinning, she whips out her cell and pulls Sylvia over to the shoes. Siofra just shakes her head at her friends.
Still laughing to herself, Siofra makes her way back to the dressing room in the back of the store. Whistling the song “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not”, she pulls her jeans, tank and shirt on. The door handle to her room rattles a little, as if someone is trying to open it and she stares at it. She gets a strong whiff of something vaguely familiar, but she shakes it off.
“I’ll be out in a minute!” she shouts, thinking it was the store clerk. Siofra turns her back to the door, pulling her second boot on, when the rattling sound doesn’t repeat. She’s humming again when loud cracking and popping makes her jump, facing the now broken door just in time to see a towel covered hand coming at her face.
Pushing her arms out at the figure, kicking, she yells, “What the fu….,” but her voice is smothered by the towel. It has an awful smell, she thinks, as she hits and tries to kick her attacker. Her vision starts to blur and her arms are getting weaker. They are hard to move and her breathing had slowed. Her wolf is whining and howling, trying to keep her awake.
“Let the silver do its job, bitch,” the smooth voice whispers in her ear, and she tries to wriggle free of his grasp once more.
Right before she meets the blackness, she swears she hears, “We’re together at last, my Fry.” And she would bet her life she saw glowing red eyes peer down at her.
Well that’s funny, she thinks drifting into the dark, Kyle’s eyes glowed red.
~~~~~~~~~
“Whaa! Wha-wa-wa-Wha!” The eardrum piercing cries coming from the toy room in Jason’s house send the four Johnson brothers in to investigate. They find Susie hovering over Roan, who is splayed out onto the floor, red and tear streaked faced, kicking and flailing his arms and legs.
“Susie! What happened?” Mike and Conall swoop in, each picking up a child.
“Notin’, daddy. We was playin’, n Roan jud’ fell ober, crywin’.” Tears start to dot her own cheeks, and Susie nuzzles her face into the nape of her father’s neck.
“Shhh, shhh; that’s enough now,” Conall coos to Roan, but the wails just keep coming. Hugging Roan tightly to his chest, Conall rocks back and forth, patting the crying boy on the back. He can feel the fear and anxiety filling the boy, his wolf reacting to it like any father would; wanting to run out and kill whatever is making his child cry.
“What’s up with him, bro?” Roman comes over to face Roan, trying to soothe him with funny faces.
“I have no idea,” Conall admits over the subsiding wails. Conway Twitty starts singing “Hello Darlin’” out in the kitchen, and Mike hands Susie to Jason; running out to grab his cell while leaving the younger three to try and make sense of the scene. Seconds after Conway stops his croon, pounding footsteps bring all three of their heads to the doorway.
“Trouble!” He shouts, “Sylvia and Cassie say someone’s taken Fry!”
“What?” Conall hands the now quieted Roan off to Roman and takes the offered phone from Mike. “What’s goin on, Syl?” Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tries to brace himself.
“Conall it was so fast….. Man in a hooded black sweatshirt….. Smashed door….. Dragged her out the emergency exit.” Sobs carry through the phone; Conall can hear Cassie’s cries in the background, mixed with sirens.
“Where are you?” He pulls out his cell, scrolling to Marcus’s number and pressing call, handing it off to Mike to talk. Motioning to Jason for a pen and paper, Jason leaves the room, Susie still in his grasp.
“McKenna’s Dress Shop……. Main and Hopper….. Oh God, Conall…,” her speech breaks up into hitching cries.
“Alright I got it. We’ll be there in a little bit.” Pausing, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. “Syl, it’ll be ok. Just try to calm down.” Snapping the phone shut, he motions to Mike to hand over his own phone.
Putting it to his ear, he says, “Marcus, it’s me, Conall.” Moving through the house, he starts picking up Roan’s things and shoving them into his duffel bag. Shrugging on his jacket, still paused in silence on the other end, he and his brothers head out with children in tow, piling them all into Conall’s Chevy Silverado and Mike’s Suburban.
<
br /> “Yes, Conall, I’m here. Sorry I was issuing orders,” Conall slams the truck into reverse and then drive, following his brother’s vehicle out of the driveway and heading towards their parents’ house. “Agents will be at the shop within the hour. We think we know where they’ll take her.” Conall can hear typing in the background.
“Where?” Swerving around slow moving traffic on the two-lane road, they make it to the Alpha house in one-third of the normal travel time.
“My men in your Pack have traced eleven strange and one familiar scent to a run-down farm just outside Broadus. The old McLeod farm, I believe was the name. It’s about 12-14 miles outside of town.” Handing the still whimpering Roan off to his mother, Susan, Conall paces the back porch; fuming.
“Gather your best men, Conall; assign some to protect the house and children. I’ll be there within the hour by helicopter.” Taking a deep breath in, sighing into the receiver Marcus says, “and Conall?”
“Yeah, Marcus?” Conall looks over to his brothers; anxiety and readiness seeping off of them and rolling over his own.
“We’ll get the bastards. And if they harm my sister, we’ll rip each of their throats out, issuing no-one mercy.” Conall can hear Marcus’s growl. “Wait till I get there to make any moves.”
“You got it, brother,” he answers and slams the phone shut. Conall issues a reverberating howl of frustration, joined in by his brothers and father. Their breath comes out in puffs of steam against the cold Montana air.
“Ready the men!” Clyde Johnson issues and they all follow suit. They are preparing for war.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
‘Cold,’ she thinks, ‘I shouldn’t be this cold in my bed.’
Rolling over and noticing something isn’t quite right, she tries to sit up. White hot pain shoots through her head and she lets a scream roll out of her. It feels as if her entire body is on fire and her head is swimming.
Siofra's Song: Book 1 The Broadus Supernatural Society Series Page 9