Defining Human (Only Human Book 4)

by Candace Blevins

  “Abbott brought Emmy and Hunter home at four this morning! My children went exploring the cave system under the house and I didn’t even know they weren’t in their beds! Aaron isn’t answering his phone and I need him home!”

  “He’s gone dark for a reason, Sophia. I’ll send someone up to look over the alarm system and see how the kids got around it. You know this is one of the challenges of raising genius children, and dragons are all geniuses.”

  “Our next batch of kids will be swans.” She sounded tired, and Nathan waved me in.

  “Kirsten just stepped into the room. I’m sure she’ll have better mom advice than me. Like I said, Aaron’s gone dark for a reason. I’ll contact him if you insist, but I’m asking you to step back and think it through before you insist.”

  “No. I can wait. It isn’t like I’m doing this all by myself when he’s gone, but it’s frustrating sometimes when I can’t reach him. Jonathan and Patrice are here. We’re okay.”

  “I assume they’ve lost their electronics?” I asked, and was glad I had a human child and not dragon triplets. I adored Aaron and Sophia’s kids, but the three were a handful.

  “They’re currently studying advanced chemistry out of an old-fashioned textbook, and they won’t have access to anything fun again until they can ace the test for the next three chapters. I haven’t decided what else I’m going to do. Sapphire is upstairs playing video games because she had the good sense to stay in bed.” She sighed. “I’m beginning to understand how whipping boys and girls came into fashion, though I’m not considering it.”

  We talked another five minutes before I hung up, and I read through everything on Nathan’s whiteboard while we talked.

  “Aaron’s going after Aquila?” I asked the second I disconnected from Sophia.

  “They’re at the house Kendra recognized, though we don’t anticipate the vampires will have bedded down there after you were in his head. Still, there’s a chance Aaron may find information we can use.”

  “Why did he go dark?”

  “He’s only taking men who can fly in — owl, raven, eagle. They took the company plane into southern Mississippi and are driving to within thirty miles, and will fly the rest of the way. No electronics. Aaron’s going in on a motorcycle once they clear the house and fly to him to let him know the coast is clear. We won’t hear from them until they’re back on the plane.”

  “And if something goes wrong?”

  “We have people on the plane who’ll check on them an hour before dark if they aren’t back.”

  “How would you reach him if Sophia insisted?”

  “I’d have to send someone from the plane to find him.”

  “Cora’s calling Randall. We’re going to take Lauren to work and meet him for lunch.”

  He went quiet before asking, “You fixed your connection to her?”

  I wasn’t sure how he knew, but decided not to poke at it. “It wasn’t really broken, and I can’t see that our bond is that much different than my connection to you. It’s just energy, not actual rope or thread, like it is with the vampires.”

  “You’ve bonded with me and my lion. Not many humans have done so. I have to wonder how many have been bound to both Cora and her wolf.”

  I shook my head. “I was bonded to her wolf before Surtr came to town and I somehow made her mine. Our connection is more, but I couldn’t see it.”

  “You’d probably do better comparing it to your connection with Mordecai to see what you find in common.”

  “Silver. The only thing in common is the silver color.”

  “Well, there you go. Silver is deadly to werewolves but part of the energy of divinity. You aren’t killing or hurting Cora’s wolf with it, so whatever is in you that’s connected to divinity is what makes your relationship with Cora special. Makes sense, since you kept a god from claiming her.”

  I shook my head. Yes, it made sense, but I didn’t want it to. It was another tic-mark in the non-human category.

  He clicked a few keys on his laptop and said, “Control — I’m signing off a few hours. Notify me via text on the app if you need me.”

  “Copy that. You want updates?”

  I didn’t know how he intended to answer, but I stepped closer and said, “Yes, he wants updates. Thank you.”

  A chuckle and, “Copy that. Good to have you back, shrink wrap.”

  “Good to be back.”

  I looked to Nathan. “Did you change your mind about pairing me with Lou?”

  “For now.”

  Chapter 22

  “You fixed it last night,” said Randall. “I woke feeling you both again. Connected.”

  “It wasn’t broken,” I told him. “The connection was still there, but it was attached at the auras instead of our chakras and in our head. I didn’t do anything except pull her in to look, and everything slid back to the way it was.”

  “My theory is when the backlash hit,” said Cora, “my wolf must’ve pushed it out enough so if Kirsten did it again, we wouldn’t get hurt. It wanted to slide back into place. Holding it out was probably an effort.”

  We’d picked up food at a local restaurant and were eating in a park, far from anyone who could overhear.

  “Tell me more about what happened in Africa.”

  I gave him the highlights and he listened without interrupting. Cora filled in with details when she felt I missed something important, and I once again marveled at how well the two of us worked together. Most of the time I get annoyed when someone steps in to add to whatever I’m saying, but it felt natural with Cora.

  “When you called me, Cora was brain dead, though her body was still alive. You need to include her in anything like that in the future.”

  “I changed to wolf and back two more times and it feels as if everything’s healed,” said Cora. “Kirsten had no way of knowing, and for that matter, neither did Kendra. It isn’t the first time I’ve been at death’s door, probably won’t be the last. She had the presence of mind to call you.”

  He sighed. “Two things, neither of which I want to bring up, but I can’t avoid them.” He was clearly talking to Cora and not me. “First, I need to teach Kirsten to pull your wolf from you, if possible. I don’t want to because it’s one of the few things I can do as your Alpha that she can’t, but I love you and need you, and don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  Cora nodded without comment, and Randall continued. “Second.” He shook his head and looked at his food. “I got way more of your interactions with Adonis than either of us are going to be comfortable talking about. I spent the week in bed with women to try to deal with all the energy you beamed to me. My wolf and I are both still on a trigger-switch, and it’s been months. Our Pack energy is stronger from the influx of god-power, but you and I need to go away for a weekend and see if I can figure out how to deal with the extra energy.”

  “You aren’t going to force her to have sex with you!”

  Randall kept his focus on Cora, and she bumped me from the side, her shoulder into mine a brief second before she sat back up. “It’s okay. We’ve had sex before and it’s good. Not romantic, but intimate. He’s probably right about it helping us balance the Pack. I’m his Second and there’s more responsibility. I help balance energy now, and I didn’t when I was third. Or, it’s possible I did without realizing it. Now, I consciously help. I think having a male and female First and Second is good for the Pack.”

  “It is,” Randall agreed. “If I had a mate, she’d help me send both male and female energies out. Without that, having you as Second is a pleasure.”

  I bumped Cora and considered timing. “It might work for ya’ll to do your thing this weekend, since Nathan’ll be watching me anyway.”

  “It might. Randall and I will figure out a time later, once I’ve checked in with Nathan and Aaron.”

  “I need to get back to work,” said Randall. “I’m glad the two of you could meet me. This little catch-up session was important.”

  “
It was,” I said. “I should probably come to your next full moon gathering. It’s been a while.”

  “I’d like that. You’re always welcome. Tell me your feelings about Ryan, after spending more time with him.”

  “He’s scary as fuck, and my instincts are to trust him, but I’m fighting my instincts because logic tells me he could just as easily turn on me as protect me.”

  “I don’t want to think he’d accept a job to kill us,” said Cora. “but I’m with Kirsten and I can’t be sure. I trusted him in Africa because I believe his work ethic required he keep us alive since we were there to do a job for him, but I won’t automatically trust him if I see him again.”

  Randall nodded and stood. “I’ll see the two of you back to your car and I’ll follow you out. Nathan asked me to be sure you made it back to East Brainerd Road without a tail.”

  One of Nathan’s lions fell in behind us within a hundred yards of us turning onto East Brainerd, and followed us to Nathan’s driveway. The garage doors were open, and Cora pulled back into the spot we’d vacated.

  “I smell RaeLynn. Did he tell you she’d be here?” Cora asked.

  “No, but he wants me to meet her. Or, her to meet me, I guess.”

  You’re asking for trouble.

  Probably. Before we left for Africa, I’d gone months without trouble. I seem to be making up for all the peace I enjoyed.

  And what would you say to a patient with that attitude?

  I’d ask her why she felt the need to bring trouble into her life.

  Well, there you go.

  “I’m not bringing it into my life. It’s a side-effect of me not backing away from something important.”

  “As long as you’re clear on what you’re doing.”

  “You’ve listened in on way too many of my sessions with patients.”

  She laughed. “Probably.”

  I’m not sure what I expected, but a five-foot ten-inch woman with muscles to rival a bodybuilder was a shock. Of course this woman was his most powerful lioness. It’s possible she’d kick Nathan’s ass if she had the element of surprise.

  I should’ve asked Cora about her while we were out, but I hadn’t thought about it and there wasn’t time now.

  RaeLynn would pick up on the lie if I told her it was nice to meet her, so I said, “I’m looking forward to getting to know you,” as I shook her hand.

  “I’ve heard so much about you,” she said, and she seemed genuine but I was on high alert for snark. “Nathan’s invited me to eat dinner with the group, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you as well. I’m making pork chops with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, fried okra, mac-and-cheese because I’m told your daughter’s a big fan, and a salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, and goat cheese. I’ve prepared a savory mushroom and cream cheese dish for you in place of the pork chops. I made it ahead of time since it was a new dish for me and I wanted to be sure I got it right.”

  “Wow, you’ve gone to a lot of trouble. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Oh, goodness no. I won’t start dinner for a few hours, as I understand you just had lunch with the wolf Alpha?”

  Nathan stepped into the living room with a smile and put his hand to the back of RaeLynn’s neck. “It sounds like you handled self-introductions. Sorry, I was on a call and couldn’t break away. How did lunch go with Randall?”

  “It was fine,” I told him. “He was talkative and answered questions I didn’t even know to ask.”

  “No issues?”

  “None. Anything from Aaron?”

  “He’s fine. The eagle returned to the plane and arranged for a truck. Sounds like the analysts are going to have a lot to keep them busy.”

  I nodded, relieved Aaron was safe, and happy we’d have intel.

  “Kirsten needs a nap,” said Cora. “I’ve gone through six changes and things are still a little shaky, but Kirsten’s having to heal the human way. I can feel her exhaustion, and she’s had way more than the recommended dosage of Excedrin to try to deal with the headache.”

  I’d stopped to buy two more bottles on the way in, since the combo of pain relievers seemed to work better on my head. I’d keep a bottle in my purse and another at Nathan’s.

  “I don’t want to be rude,” I told Cora. “I’ll be okay. I’ve wanted to meet RaeLynn.”

  “Nonsense,” said RaeLynn. “I’ll be here all day and we can talk when you awaken. As the Amakhosi’s primary partner, it’s my job to see to it his guests are comfortable.” She looked between Cora and me, and finally addressed her question to Cora. “I’m curious about the relationship you have with your human. You’re receiving from her that which you should get from your Alpha.”

  Cora looked to Nathan, who told her, “I’d appreciate as much honesty as you feel comfortable providing. Details would be good, but only those Randall will approve of.”

  “The Pack and the Pride are friends,” Cora said. “I see no reason to keep any of it private, especially if it can help.” She took a breath, considered her words, and I didn’t interrupt. I wasn’t sure where RaeLynn was going with the line of questioning, but I was curious.

  Cora had been right about my head, but I didn’t dare take more Excedrin yet. I dug through my bag to look for some ibuprofen.

  “A while back, Randall punished me by withholding Pack energy, and was pissed when he realized Kirsten gave me energy when he withdrew his. Kirsten didn’t even realize she was doing it, as is often the case with the two of us.”

  RaeLynn looked to me, and I shrugged. “I didn’t know I bound her to me to keep her from Sutherland, and I haven’t known a whole lot since. I seem to operate on autopilot when it comes to keeping Cora safe.”

  “Randall ran some experiments later,” Cora continued. “One of our wolves is married to a Strigorii, another is mated with an owl, and another is married to a cheetah. In all shapeshifter cases, when Randall withdrew energy, the spouse provided, though only a portion of what Pack had provided — usually sixty to eighty percent.”

  She looked to me and back to RaeLynn. “We’re still trying to figure out the Strigorii relationship. It isn’t a slave relationship because the wolf has freewill, and yet the connections seem similar. The Strigorii didn’t give energy, but she balanced what was available between the two, and it appears she helped the wolf pull in ambient energy in a way we aren’t used to having to…” Cora shrugged. “We’re spoiled, having an Alpha who provides so much. The vampire helped the wolf pull energy in when it was withheld. As a result of our testing, we now believe Abbott is getting some of Randall’s energy through the Strigorii-wolf mate-bond. Randall and Abbott are in negotiations about it, though I get the feeling it’s more a tit-for-tat thing than an actual disagreement.”

  Nathan stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around me, and I wasn’t sure what to do. I tried to step away, but he held me. “Cora’s right. I can feel your exhaustion. Should we call Mordecai and get him to look to make sure you didn’t injure something important?”

  “Kendra said it would take a week to ten days to heal. I trust her to know. A nap sounds good, and then I can check in with her when I awaken. I know she isn’t up as early as Abbott, but I don’t think she’s too far behind him.” I shrugged. “I’ve been back in without her this morning, after the sun came up and they were down for the day. It’s possible I’ll get a pissed-off call from Abbott in a few hours.”

  “I’ll have Cora and one of my lions pick Lauren up from work, which will free me up to nap with you. I was up several hours after you went to bed this morning.”

  I tried to casually step out of his arms, but he held me and kissed the top of my head. I breathed in and blew it out. I’m not good with great big white elephants no one talks about. I met RaeLynn’s gaze. “I need to check in with you, so I’m glad you’re here. You and Nathan lead the Pride together, and I know you aren’t monogamous, but I still want to make sure I’m not stepping on toes. It feels a little too in-your-face for him to say we�
��re napping together while you’re here.” No one said anything, and I added. “I’m capable of being a bitch when pushed to it, but I really prefer to get along with people when it’s possible.”

  She shook her hands at her side the way I do when I’m staying relaxed for battle, and yet I didn’t get that kind of vibe from her. Finally, she said, “Nathan is mine in a way he’ll never be yours. However, from what I gather, he has feelings for you he’ll never have for me. Circumstances pretty much suck both ways.” She shrugged. “You make him happy, and I want him to be happy. Please feel comfortable napping.”

  She’d told me earlier it was her job to make Nathan’s guests feel comfortable, but I didn’t have it in me to point that out. Instead, I told her, “Thanks for your honesty.”

  I stepped forward, and Nathan let me step out of his arms this time. “I think I want to nap alone.” I met his gaze and hoped he wouldn’t argue, but he’s a cat so I wasn’t optimistic. Still, I had to try. “We need to talk before we start napping together.”

  He chuckled, kissed the tip of his finger, and touched it to the tip of my nose. “Tough toenails. We’ll be more comfortable in my room, but I can follow you to your guestroom, too. We’re just sleeping. Deal with it.”

  “What part of no did you not understand? Go to your own room to nap.”

  “You need energy, and mine can help heal you. Stop being stubborn.”

  We stared at each other at least twenty seconds, and he stepped back and changed into a lion without disrobing first, which meant clothes ripped and popped off his body in all directions like broken rubber bands.

  He prowled back to me and roared, but I didn’t move an inch.

  It felt like I should do something with my hands, so I put them on my hips. “Do I look scared? Stop being a bully!”

  He nuzzled my front with the top of his huge lion head, and I closed my eyes in defeat.

  “Fine. Whatever. So I’m sleeping with a lion. At least you don’t argue when you’re like this.”

  I caught RaeLynn’s look as I turned, and I stopped and met her gaze.