Secret Passions: Forbidden Passions, Book 5

by Loribelle Hunt

“I can’t help if you won’t talk to me, hon.”

  Could she help? Sara Beth doubted it, but it might be nice to talk it out. “He didn’t hesitate at all. He should have waited to get to know me. To see if we’d…match.”

  Her mother sat back and arched her eyebrows. “Have you ever known a dominant male shifter to do that?”

  “No.” She had to concede the point. “And it doesn’t make me feel better either.”

  “You doubt his heart?”

  She shook her head. “It’s not that. We live very different lives, ya know? He’s high in his hierarchy. He’s used to excitement, and let’s face it, Mom, I’m not very exciting.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Did he say that?”

  “No. Of course not. But one day he’ll realize won’t he?”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about that, darlin. Unless,” she said with a wink, “you plan on giving the practical joker crown to your brothers?”

  Hell no. She had way too much fun jerking their chains.

  “I heard about the pink bedroom,” Mom said, the chiding tone ruined by the laughter in her eyes. “I’ve given up all hope of y’all growing up.”

  Sara Beth grinned. “He had it coming.”

  Her brother had taken a trip out of town, and instead of asking her to supervise the remodel of his condo, had just assumed his baby sister had nothing else to do. He’d dropped the project in her lap without even asking. She didn’t have it in her to ruin the whole project, but had had no compunction at all about slapping enough layers of bright bubble gum pink paint on his bedroom and bathroom walls that, even with primer, it would take days to cover.

  “Well, he won’t take you for granted again,” her mother said dryly, standing to clear their plates. “Is that what you’re afraid of with Patrick? Or is it just risking your heart holding you back?”

  She should have known her mother would circle back to Patrick. She rejected the first question out of hand. Patrick was a leader and he took his responsibilities seriously, and that included the mental well-being of those under his protection. As for risking her heart, she may be fighting it but she was pretty sure it was too late for that.

  “Speaking of brothers,” her mother said, saving Sara Beth from trying to explain why she hadn’t claimed her mate yet, when she wasn’t sure of the answers.

  Sara Beth heard the front door open, scented her siblings before they entered the kitchen. Charles, the brother in question, squeezed her in a big hug and spun her around till she laughed and punched him. “Put me down.”

  He did so immediately, but only so he could rub the top of her head. She jumped out of the way.

  “Don’t think I’m not planning my revenge, baby sister. You crossed a line.”

  She scoffed. “Yeah. Whatever. Bring it on, tough guy.”

  Noel, her other brother, whistled from where he was filling a plate. “Dude. You gonna let that kind of challenge go unaccepted?”

  She watched as a slow smile of pure sibling rivalry crossed Charles’s face. “Oh, I accept,” he said.

  She narrowed her eyes, wondering what he’d come up with. She couldn’t plan her retaliation until she knew what he was thinking.

  “’Course, she could just get her mate to beat you up,” Noel offered helpfully.

  She rolled her eyes. “Leave him out of this.”

  “Leave me out of what?” Patrick asked, tone harsh and hard as he entered the room. She’d been so focused on her brothers she hadn’t heard Patrick enter, but she realized Noel had and had spoken for Patrick’s benefit. Patrick crossed the room to her.

  “Now what?” Patrick practically snarled.

  “It’s nothing important. Nothing dangerous.”

  He relaxed until Charles crossed his arms and sent her a mock glare. Patrick, reacting to that look, tried to push her behind him, but she dug her fingernails into his arm until he stopped. Charles grinned.

  “How do you feel about pink, Patrick?” Charles asked him.

  Oh no, she had to derail that idea before it fully formed. “Mates are off limits.”

  “You’re the only one with a mate. You live with him. You can’t place those kinds of limits.”

  “What the hell are y’all talking about?” Patrick asked.

  “You mated into a family of foxes, dear,” her mother said. “Pranksters to their core, this lot.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Patrick looked down at Sara Beth, intrigued by this new facet. She kept surprising him. Kept showing him something new. “This circular conversation is about a prank?”

  She shrugged. “He was taking me for granted. He won’t again.”

  He arched his eyebrows. His sweet little mate had a mean streak.

  “Taking you for granted? I asked my designer sister for a little help, was all,” Charles said.

  She narrowed her eyes. They were all shifters so Patrick knew he wasn’t the only one who scented her irritation, but he didn’t sense any real anger in it. “No, you dropped a personal project in my lap and assumed I’d help without even asking.”

  “And you emailed the results to the whole clan. I’ve been unmanned. Retaliation is absolutely necessary.”

  The only reason Patrick didn’t lunge for him was because he heard the affection and glee in Charles’s voice, saw it in his eyes. And it was reciprocated in Sara Beth. Now Patrick was damned curious.

  “What did you do?” he asked Sara Beth. A smile tugged her lips.

  “I’ll show you when we get home.”

  “We need to head into the mountains for a couple days.”

  She gave him a sharp questioning look. “Clan business,” he said. “It shouldn’t take long.”

  “I’ll keep a close eye on your house while you’re gone,” Charles said solemnly.

  Instead of responding with anger, Sara Beth burst out laughing. “Mom, please keep him the hell away from my house.”

  Patrick turned to Janelle Reynard. He hadn’t met her before, but it was clear she was the source of Sara Beth’s beauty. She met his gaze a moment and he saw a woman of deep strength and warmth. Then she turned an expression on her children that was half stern and half bemused.

  “I think it’s time to declare houses off limits. Y’all find another way to torment each other.”

  Charles and Noel looked aghast and Sara Beth smirked. “Ha! Now what?” she goaded Charles.

  Her brother narrowed his eyes a moment before his expression morphed into satisfaction. “Like I’d warn you in advance?”

  A few minutes later, Patrick and Sara Beth drove to her house, packed a few things and were on the way back to the mountain. She stared out the window several minutes, lips pursed, before finally pulling out her phone and opening her email.

  “What is he planning?” she muttered.

  He didn’t like being ignored so completely, but he appreciated that her brothers had distracted her from the fear he’d seen too often in her eyes. He reached over and laid his hand on her thigh. Squeezed.

  “What did you do to rile him up, mate? What should I expect in return?” He thought back over the conversation. “And what does it have to do with pink?”

  She shrugged, but gave into the grin tugging at her lips. “He was renovating his condo when he had to go out of town for a couple weeks. Just tossed it in my lap like I had nothing else to do and told me to do whatever I liked.”

  “And?” he prodded when she didn’t continue.

  “The downstairs is lovely and suits him very well. Dark wood and granite, warm colors.” She teased him with details, and he didn’t rush her because he sensed part of her enjoyment was drawing it out.

  “Two bedrooms upstairs.” She cocked an eyebrow when he didn’t ask for more. Okay. He could play too. And suddenly he got it.

  “Pink?”

  “Bubble gum pink,” she responded. “The bathroom has lime green stripes too. It needed a little oomph.”

  He stared at her a moment before snorting, not sure if he should be
horrified or amused. “How many years has this been going on?”

  “Since the time he filled my closet with frogs. He wasn’t sure how many I’d need to find a prince,” she said.

  “How old were you?” He was afraid almost to ask.

  “Five.”

  “How did you retaliate?” That he was definitely afraid to ask.

  “Hmm. I don’t remember exactly. But I’m pretty sure it involved blue dye and a shampoo bottle.”

  Who knew a five year old Sara Beth had been such a menace? His hands clenched on the steering wheel. “Baby, I love you, but you’re a little scary.”

  He scented her surprise at his declaration, then alarm. Grabbed her hand before she could protest and continued. “We are definitely having eaglets.”

  “Yes, dear,” she said drolly, her panic ostensibly receding.

  And he was definitely never going to grow bored with her. That reply, her tone, made him want to pull over, peel off her clothes and show her exactly why they were mates.

  “Do you really have clan business to take care of?”

  The change of subject was unwelcome. He’d enjoyed the respite—just getting to know her better, seeing what was important to her. And this was a dangerous question. He didn’t want to lie to her but he figured she’d fight his need to protect her and go after her stalker himself. Because there was no doubt now Victor King was hunting her.

  “Patrick? Please don’t lie to me,” she whispered. He heard something fragile in her voice and knew if he tried it would be a breach of trust she wouldn’t forgive. He sighed.

  “I do need to go the Guard’s enclave. That isn’t a lie.”

  “So you’re going to leave me alone?” she asked. He heard the surprise in her voice, shared it.

  “Hell no. Why would you think that?”

  “Ajax told me once that no one goes to that enclave except the Guard and royal family.”

  He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. “And mates and children of her advisors.”

  “Oh. I didn’t realize. Why are we going then?”

  “To take Ajax and the girls up.”

  She twisted in her seat, suspicion lighting her eyes. “Why?”

  He clenched his teeth. “Victor King went to the library and looked up our old yearbooks. Then he went to the property records office. I’m waiting for Michael to send me a report on what King was searching for.”

  “You think he might target my friends?”

  “We think he’s looking for where you’ve been hiding.”

  “He won’t find Ajax’s name on any records,” she reminded him. Her property was held in a corporation, buried under layers of companies and names to protect the royal family.

  “He won’t,” Patrick agreed. “But we’re evacuating them just in case. Until this situation is dealt with.”

  “All this trouble for me.”

  She sounded bewildered. He kissed her palm.

  “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll keep you safe. And everyone has been warned. Nothing bad is going to happen,” he promised, and hoped like hell he was telling the truth.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Patrick felt followed, but never saw anyone in his rearview mirror so he wrote the sensation off as paranoia. He began to relax once they reached his house. He looked around the place, seeing how it lacked warmth and personality after a couple of days spent at Sara Beth’s. It was time to move on, anyway. The First Consul’s house waited.

  He dropped their bags in the bedroom. “We aren’t staying here tonight, but we can’t take anything with us. To get to the enclave, we have to shift.”

  He was looking forward to it. He hadn’t flown in days, but more than that, he wanted to see her in her other form.

  “What do we do for clothes if we can’t take a bag?”

  “Ajax will take care of it. We fly in what we need.”

  “Bird, plane or helicopter?” she joked, but was obviously curious.

  “Bird and helicopter.”

  He set his hands on her hips and slowly drew her closer, but before he could kiss her or act on his desire, his phone rang. He sighed when he saw the caller ID.

  “Yes, my Queen,” he answered flippantly. She laughed at him.

  “Feeling testy, Patrick? Never mind that. No time. Where are you?”

  “We just arrived at my house. Are y’all settled in?”

  “Getting there. I had your suite cleaned and clothes brought up for Sara Beth.”

  “Thanks. We’re leaving now.”

  He turned the phone off and left it on his dresser. “Ready, foxy?”

  She grinned and started to strip. He held his breath, mouth going dry as she was bared to him. “Well?” she asked. “I’ve been on guard so long it feels like forever since I’ve been able to shift.”

  Her excitement was a sharp tangy scent that filled the air. He was enthralled. Intoxicated. He wanted to take her to bed and lose himself in her, but he didn’t want to see this joy in her eyes dimmed. He would give her the wild and fuck her later. All night long if it was up to him.

  He stripped and led the way to the porch, then secured the door behind them. “Change, baby. I want to see my fox,” he teased.

  She looked a little uncertain, but she nodded, stepped back and knelt. She shimmered for a few seconds—like a mirage—as her body changed, contorted. And then she was a red fox, lovely and striking. He dropped to one knee in front of her and stroked a hand over her head, down her back.

  “Beautiful,” he whispered, staring into eyes that shone with intelligence.

  She stepped into the caress, rubbed her muzzle against his knee. Then she stepped back and yipped at him, a fox’s impatient demand to get a move on. He chuckled and straightened, reached for his bird half and changed. As soon as it was complete, she scampered down the stairs. She obviously expected him to follow. He couldn’t in his current form so he dove over the side of the porch, slowly circled lower to the ground as he waited for her to catch up. She was there in seconds and followed him when he took off down a commonly-used trail.

  With the eagle’s eyes, it was easy to track her progress. He’d been worried he might have to temper his strength and speed, but he’d obviously worried for nothing. She was fast and nimble, her small lithe body clearing obstacles with skill and ease. He called to her as he slowed and circled. He signaled a turn in direction and they veered onto a new steeper path. Soon he would have to dive under the branches or she wouldn’t be able to see him any longer. He hoped she didn’t panic when she saw a full grown eagle coming at her. If he could have, he’d have snorted. Even in their animal forms, he was sure she would surprise him. And then the time for speculation was over.

  In a controlled glide, he dropped almost to the ground, swooped around her twice, just long enough to make sure she was still unafraid and continued up the mountain. It was only a few minutes longer and he was unsurprised to rise over the top of the ledge and find a single sentry—Jack—waiting with a pile of clothes. Patrick shifted and started pulling them on. He was snapping his jeans as his fox appeared.

  “Leave,” he snapped at Jack, his old friend and another of Ajax’s councilors. The other man cocked an eyebrow, looking back and forth between him and Sara Beth, who hadn’t shifted yet.

  “But I want to meet your mate,” Jack said with an innocent look Patrick knew was all act. He snarled.

  “Later.”

  “Killjoy.”

  “Get over it.”

  With a parting grin, Jack turned and strolled away. Sara Beth shifted and dressed in haste. She looked around, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. Nervous. Patrick finished dressing, then pulled her to his side.

  “Let’s get inside,” he said. They were safe here, but he still felt exposed on the plateau they called the landing area. He headed for the squat building that appeared to be little more than a lean-to against the face of the mountain.

  Sara Beth looked around curiously. “What did y’all do? Blow off half the mo
untain face?”

  He chuckled at the guess. “That’s exactly what we did. Long ago before this area was populated enough for outsiders to notice.”

  “How?” A scowl furrowed her brow. “Dynamite?”

  “Too early.” He shook his head, almost gave her the answer but she held her hand up.

  “Gimme a minute.”

  He was happy to do that. They were fixing to go inside anyway, and then she’d likely revisit the question.

  “Black powder,” she said just as he opened the door.

  He wasn’t surprised she figured it out. Before he could confirm her guess, they went inside and she stopped cold. He waited. It surprised everyone the first time they entered this hall. The eagles hadn’t just cleared the landing area outside—they’d also hollowed out the top of the mountain and built rooms around the side they’d left standing. The ceiling soared above them. At the back wall of the huge room were staircases leading up to three levels where the eagles worked and lived while here. It wasn’t dark because of the huge skylights above them.

  “Wow,” she whispered.

  “Incredible, isn’t it?” Ajax asked as she approached.

  “It’s a treasure,” Sara Beth agreed, hugging her friend. “Thanks for the clothes.”

  “No problem. There’s more in your suite.”

  “I have a suite?”

  “Patrick does. He’s yours. So…” Ajax shrugged and turned to him. “I got roped into helping with a flying lesson. We’ll see y’all at dinner though, in our suite.”

  He nodded. “Of course.”

  Sara Beth frowned as Ajax left the building and Patrick led her to the stairs. “Why is the queen teaching a flying lesson?”

  “Battle maneuvers,” he said. “She’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. It takes a lot of skill and practice, though.”

  “But a Guard requirement, I suppose?”

  “Yes,” he said.

  They reached the third floor and he steered her to his suite. It was two down from Ajax’s. He opened the door and ushered her inside, feeling his need for her rise with each step. He wanted her stripped and under him, panting and crying out his name as he made her come over and over again.

  “Damn. More wonders.” She walked inside and straight to the French doors, which opened on a small deck with a sheer drop into the valley. “No rails.”