Sherry sat down on the bed next to Drake, studying the boy carefully. “Wait, I know you.” He nodded. “Oh my god, you’re Mica…you’ve grown so much, I didn’t recognize you. Honey, we thought you were dead.” She brought her hand up to cover her sob as her eyes filled with tears. “Your poor mother. I’m so sorry. We thought you had burned in the fire too. If we had known….”
His bottom lip quivered. “I should have died with her.”
Sherry rose from the bed and walked to the other side, taking the child into her arms, hugging him to her. “Don’t ever say that.” She took a step back and took a good look at him. “Why didn’t you come to me? I would’ve opened my home to you.”
He winced. “Aunt Sher, I did.”
She cut her eyes at him, shaking her head. “I meant as a human boy. Your mother never told me that your father was a shifter. I had no idea that this was even possible.”
Drake looked between the two. “Mica? That’s not a real common name.”
The boy shrugged. “My mom said that I was named after my father’s best friend.”
Drake’s frown deepened. “Sherry, how did you know his mother?”
“Celia was in our coven, and she was one of my best friends.”
“Did you know Mica’s father?”
Sherry shook her head. “Celia was very secretive about him. Then they had a fight or something and she never saw him again. A few weeks later she found out she was pregnant with Mica. We begged her to tell him about the child, but she refused. She said it wasn’t safe, whatever that meant.”
Drake smiled for the first time since discovering the boy. “The pieces are starting to come together.”
Sherry tilted her head. “I don’t understand.”
Drake gestured to the boy. “You know the boy’s father’s best friend.”
“No, I don’t…I….” Her eyes widened. “Desiree’s mate, Mica?”
Drake nodded. “Mica’s best friend is—”
“Caleb.” Sherry interjected. At the mention of Caleb’s name the boy’s eyes grew fearful as he backed away toward the door. Sherry grabbed his arm. “You know the name.”
Mica tugged at her grip. “Please, Aunt Sher, lemme go. I don’t want you to die too, like my mom did.”
Her grip tightened. “The fire wasn’t an accident?”
The tears streamed down his face as he shook his head and tugged harder to get away. “When the men came they were pounding on the door, shouting for Caleb to come out or else. My mom was so scared, Aunt Sher, and I was too. She told me to run and hide. I ran into the kitchen and shifted into a cat for the first time. I didn’t even know I could do that. I hid behind the couch and I saw everything.”
Sherry sat down in the chair and pulled him into her lap. “Tell me.”
“Mom shouted at the door and told those men that she hadn’t seen or talked to Caleb in ten years and that they needed to leave. They didn’t believe her. They busted down the front door and four of them came into the living room. They were big men like him.” Mica pointed toward Drake. “They told her that they came for the whelp. She shouted, ‘You can’t have him!’ Then their leader shouted something about defying the alpha, and when he did they all changed into giant black cats. I watched the leader strike my mom down with his claws.” His shoulders shook with grief. “Aunt Sher, Mom’s eyes were open and she was covered in so much blood…she didn’t move. I knew she was dead. I was little, but I had seen enough movies to know what a dead body looked like. I wanted to run to her, but I was scared. Then the leader ordered the other three to search the house and find the whelp. I didn’t know what a whelp was, but if they killed Mom for it I wasn’t sticking around to find out what it was, so I snuck out an open window and ran. When I looked back over my shoulder I saw the fire. I knew Mom was already dead so I kept running, and I didn’t stop until I came here. I had nowhere else to go.”
Drake reached over, picked his pants up off the floor, and fished the cell phone out of the pocket. He flipped it open and pressed the speed dial. “Mica.”
The sound of Drake’s voice drew Sherry’s and the boy’s attention.
“Where’s Caleb?… Call him and have him meet us at the warehouse…There’s someone he needs to meet.” Drake listened quietly to what Mica was saying. “Yes, bring Desiree…this may concern her too.” There was another pause, and Sherry could tell that Drake’s patience was wearing thin. “Because it’s time your friend learned that there are consequences for his actions…. No, this doesn’t have anything to do with Hargrove or what happened in Tennessee. It has something to do with his pack…. I know, I know.” Drake looked at Sherry and young Mica. “Be there in an hour.”
Sherry squeezed Mica’s shoulders and felt him tremble at the prospect of meeting his father. “Drake, what did you tell Mica that you know?”
“I’m not a hundred percent sure I know what happened between Caleb and his pack in England. I know he did something to cause them to turn on him, and I do remember Mica rescuing Caleb from the pack’s alpha three hundred years ago. Caleb nearly died from his wounds and refused to talk to me about what happened. I know that Mica knows what happened, but he didn’t talk about it either. The vampire wars had just ended and Caleb needed a fresh start, so all three of us set sail for America.”
Mica nodded sadly, then he looked up. “Aunt Sher, do you know what a whelp is, and why they killed Mama for it?”
Sherry exchanged a nervous glance with Drake and he nodded. “A whelp is a cub or a baby. They were after Caleb’s child.”
“Me?” His eyes filled with fresh tears. “Mama died protecting me.”
Sherry hugged him tight and let him cry. “Honey, it wasn’t your fault. There was nothing you could do to prevent it. She loved you very much and wanted to protect you.”
Chapter Thirteen
Sherry gave Mica a pair of sweat pants to go with the t-shirt, along with a pair of wool socks. She frowned. “Drake, he can’t go out in public like that. It’s the middle of February and he doesn’t even have a pair of shoes, much less a jacket. It’s cold outside.”
Mica shrugged. “Aunt Sher, I can just phase back into a cat.”
“No, you just spent the last two years as a cat. You need to acclimate yourself back to human life. You know, hold intelligent conversations, eat human food, stuff like that.”
He wrinkled his nose. “I am a bit sick of Fancy Feast.”
Sherry bit her lip to keep from laughing. “I bet you are.” She ruffled his hair then sobered her expression. “You are not changing back into a cat, at least not today.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Drake reached for his pants again. “I’ll call Sean and have him get the boy some clothes, shoes and a jacket. I told Mica to meet us at the warehouse in an hour, so we need to get ready.”
Sherry nodded. “Mica, go into the kitchen and fix yourself a bowl of cereal.”
“But I’ve already eaten this morning, Aunt Sher.”
She turned his shoulders toward the door. “Don’t argue with me. Go get yourself a bowl of cereal and give us a few private moments to get dressed.”
He smiled excitedly. “Can I have any kind I want?”
She smiled at his enthusiasm and ruffled his hair again. “Help yourself to whatever’s in there.”
“Thanks,” he said as he took off toward the kitchen.
Sherry shut the bedroom door, then felt Drake’s arms around her from behind. His hands slipped beneath her robe to cup her breasts. She closed her eyes and leaned into him as his lips nibbled on the curve of her neck, sending gooseflesh down her arms. She groaned as the now familiar throbbing settled between her legs. “Mmmm,” she moaned. “We don’t have….” He ran his hand down her body and slipped his fingers between her legs, halting her speech as he plunged two fingers into her wetness. As she rode his fingers she felt his erection press into her. She took a ragged breath, her body pulsating for release. “No time,” she panted.
He growled int
o her ear, then nipped at her neck. “We will make the time, vixen. I haven’t had my fill of you yet.” She whimpered as he withdrew his fingers, then turned her toward the bed. Slipping the robe from her shoulders he said, “Bend over the bed and place your weight on your hands. I’m going to take you from behind.”
Sherry felt his hands grip her hips as she bent over, and the engorged head probed her slick opening. She reached between her legs and wrapped her fingers around his hot flesh, guiding him in and squeezing as she ran her hand up and down the length of him. A smile touched her lips at his approving growl. “I could get used to this.”
“So could I,” he said as he rocked his hips forward.
She felt the size of him stretch and fill her as he slid in to the hilt. She swallowed hard, shuddering at the sensation. He only paused for a moment before he thrust his hips, pulling out only to enter again and again. She brought her hips back to meet his, with each stroke fully penetrating, fueling the need until it consumed them both. The climax took her by surprise as her entire body quaked with the sensation, her core pulsating around him. He pulled her hips back one last time, forcefully, bringing her upper body up against him. He ran his tongue over the vein at the crook of her neck, and she felt his fangs pierce her skin, but strangely there was no pain associated with it, only an intense feeling of euphoria. She came again with him as she felt him feed and his hot cum fill her.
***
The heavy wooden doors opened on their approach. The two guards at the door bowed as Drake and Sherry crossed the threshold. Sherry pulled Mica closer to her as she looked around. The place was full of vampires, and most compared in size to Drake. Sherry noticed that the majority of them refused to make eye contact and bowed their heads. “Stay close to me. I don’t want you to wander off in here, it might not be safe.”
Mica’s eyes saucered as he gawked at the huge men. “Uh huh,” he said weakly. “Not much chance of that.”
“You are both safe here,” Drake said. “No one would dare harm you.”
Sherry took a deep breath then nodded. “Let’s get this over with.” She looked around the room. The large open area was tastefully decorated in bright Marti Gras colors. The room contained many chairs and couches. The furniture was deep brown leather, the pieces large and apparently specially made to accommodate the warriors. The colorful carpet stretched the length of the room, its main pattern the fleur-de-lis. Matching pillows were scattered about the room. The photos and paintings on the walls were of New Orleans in different stages in history. “Looks are deceiving. I would have never guessed this place existed from outside. It rivals Mica’s mansion.”
Drake smiled. “It’s nice to hear the approval in your voice. We’ve made a great many improvements since Hurricane Katrina. As with everyone in New Orleans, we lost a lot when it flooded.”
“Desiree was so adamant about not wanting to come here, I thought it must be like a dungeon or something…you know, dark and dank. It’s actually quite nice. It’s very…colorful, for lack of a better word.”
“I find it comfortable. Ah, there’s Sean.” Drake motioned for Sean to approach. “Sean is one of my bodyguards.”
Sherry studied Sean as he approached. As with all the vampires she had noticed since coming in, he was gorgeous, tall, blonde, and built, but not nearly the size of Drake or Mica. “Bodyguard?”
“Gopher, lackey, errand-boy….” He chuckled.
Sherry hid her smile behind her hand as Sean approached.
Sean bowed to Drake. “Sire, Mica, Desiree, and Caleb are waiting for you in the library. I would add that Caleb is a bit nervous. I believe he thinks that he is in trouble or something.” Drake nodded. Sean studied the boy. “I have also laid out an assortment of clothes in the library for the boy. I’m sure something in there will fit him.” Sean looked to Sherry. His eyes widened a bit with a look of surprise, then he bowed. When he rose he looked back to Drake. “The new queen has a son?”
“I can speak for myself,” she huffed. She now had both their attention. “Why does everyone deem it necessary to talk around me like I’m not even in the room?”
Sean bowed again, then spoke to Drake. “I meant no disrespect, sire. I haven’t been granted permission to speak to her directly yet.”
This is ridiculous, he did it again, she thought. The man is a buffoon, he called me a queen. If I were a queen I’d order his ass kicked for insolence. She saw Drake smile. No, it can’t be. He couldn’t have just heard my thoughts.
“No, the boy is not hers.”
You stubborn ass, you talked around me again.
Drake tilted his head and looked into her eyes. Stubborn ass?
Sherry’s eyes rounded. You can hear me.
Yes.
How?
“Thank you, Sean. We’ll all be in the library, and don’t wish to be disturbed.”
Sean bowed again. “Yes, sire.” He left them.
Oh, no you don’t, mister. You are not going to ignore me. I want some answers.
Later, vixen, we have others waiting.
Fine, but this isn’t finished. She squeezed Mica’s shoulders. “Let’s go, hun.”
“I’m afraid, Aunt Sher. What if…?”
“It’ll be okay, hun, you’ll see. Everything will work itself out. Keep your chin up and remember that you’ll always have me. No matter what happens in there, I’ll always be here for you, kiddo. I promise.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
Two guards stood on either side of the library doors and opened them when they approached. As they entered the library, Sherry saw Mica and Desiree exchange a startled glance, then Mica bowed low. “My queen.”
Okay, this is beyond weird. Drake?
In a moment, love.
“What’s this all about?” Caleb demanded in a defensive tone. “Who’s the woman and the kid?”
Drake cocked an eyebrow at his tone. “Caleb, this is your son, Mica.”
Caleb shook his head. “Oh, no you don’t. You’re not saddling a kid on me. I’ve never seen that woman before in my life. If she’s claiming that—”
“Enough!” Drake roared. “You will be silent.”
Caleb clamped his mouth shut and glared at Sherry.
“You see, Aunt Sher? I knew he wouldn’t want me.” The dejected tone in Mica’s voice broke Sherry’s heart.
She approached Caleb and slapped him hard across the face. “Why, you arrogant ass!”
Caleb’s eyes turned, glowing amber, as he shook with anger.
Drake snatched Sherry away, out of Caleb’s reach. His eyes glowed red, his voice cold and threatening. “Shift and it will be your final time.”
Mica gripped Caleb’s shoulders and shook his friend. “Caleb, don’t!”
Desiree looked between Caleb and the boy. She smiled at the boy. “You’re Celia’s boy, aren’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“We all thought you were dead.”
Caleb froze. “Celia. I haven’t seen her in years.”
Sherry crossed her arms over her chest. “Obviously.”
“If she’s claiming I’m the boy’s father, then—”
Desiree frowned as she turned on Caleb. “Celia’s dead, Caleb.”
The look that crossed his face was first shock then sorrow. “I had no idea.”
“It doesn’t take a genius to see the resemblance between you two. Celia never told us who his father was.”
“Those men killed her ‘cause of you!” the boy yelled.
“What men?”
Drake crossed his arms over his chest. “From what the boy has told us, it sounds like it was your old pack from England. It appears that they were here to take your son. Celia died protecting the boy from a vengeance directed at you.”
Caleb sat down hard. “I have a son,” he said in disbelief. “She should have told me.”
“A son you now need to protect from your pack,” Drake said.
Caleb shook his head. “If he’s mine, I’ll protect h
im with my life, but with Celia gone how will I know for sure?”
Sherry frowned. “He’s yours, trust me.”
Caleb stared at Sherry hard. “I don’t know you from Adam, lady.”
“Caleb!” Mica interjected. “Watch your tone, she is Drake’s queen.”
Sherry caught her breath and looked sharply at Drake. I’m your what?
Queen. Her eyes bugged, then he continued out loud. “Mica, boy, show your father what you can do.”
“Aunt Sher?” Sherry threw Drake an exasperated look, then nodded to the boy.
“Go ahead, honey. Show him.”
The air shimmered around the boy as he shrunk down into the clothes. He poked his head from the opening of the sweatshirt.
“Shadow,” Desiree said in surprise. She turned to Caleb. “He’s yours. Humans and witches don’t shift into animals.”
“Okay, okay, you’re right. I see your point. Just give me a second…I didn’t even know it was possible. It appears that I’ve been a father for the last….” He shrugged. “How old is he?”
“Twelve,” Sherry answered. “And what do you mean, you didn’t know it was possible?”
Caleb shrugged, then picked the cat up and placed him in his lap, stroking the soft fur. “I’m over four hundred years old. To my knowledge, I’ve never been a father before. I wonder why Celia didn’t tell me?”
“We begged her to tell you,” Sherry said, “but she said it wasn’t safe. Why would she say something like that?”
“Not long before we broke up we were attacked. I killed the attacker, but she was never the same after that. She’d jump at every sound and seemed to be afraid all the time. I tried to calm her fears but she wouldn’t listen. She kept insisting that they were still out there. Nothing I did or said was good enough anymore. She’d start a fight at the drop of a hat over nothing at all. A month or so later she said that she couldn’t take it anymore and she told me not to call or come by.” He sighed heavily. “I was tired of the fighting. I loved her, but I thought she didn’t love me anymore. I guess my pride was hurt, I don’t know. I did what she asked and left her alone and tried to forget.” He cuddled the cat and rubbed his face over the top of his head. “Had I known about the child, I wouldn’t have allowed her to have her way. I would have demanded to be in their lives.”
Dangerous (Courting the Darkness Saga) Page 8