by Vella Day
She laughed. “Why would I want to do that?”
“To burn off all that excess energy you have.” He nodded to her nails.
Blair lifted her chin. “You don’t think you’ll win, do you?”
He grinned. “Hell, yeah I do. I’ll even give you a head start.”
Being competitive, she took off toward the middle of the lake, but a few seconds later, Ronan grabbed her leg, drew her near, and tickled her.
Out of breath, she treaded water. “That’s not fair.”
“Okay, I’ll swim and see if you can catch me. Anything’s game.” He turned around, raised one arm, and kicked.
In what seemed like seconds, he’d already reached the middle of the lake. While she tried to beat him, she failed. He was treading water and grinning when she met up with him. “Were you on the swim team or something?” she asked.
“Nope, just fast.” He drew her close and kissed her again.
For the first time in years, her canines extended. Her bear was finally coming out of hibernation. As much as she wanted a repeat performance of what happened against the rock, she didn’t want to deny her bear any longer and broke the delicious kiss.
She waved her hand. “I think my bear wants to show off to you.”
Ronan grinned. “Is that so? Then let’s go.” After they swam to shore, he helped her out of the lake. “You shift first,” he said. “I want to watch.”
Blair inhaled and willed her animal’s release. For some reason, her bear wouldn’t obey. “I don’t know what’s wrong.”
Ronan stepped up to her and rubbed her shoulders. “Maybe a few well-placed kisses will draw her out.”
She loved how willing Ronan was to help. “Definitely.”
The wind caressed her skin, causing goose bumps to form. A second later, she was in Ronan’s arms, and he was kissing her all over. Thoughts of her making her bear appear disappeared. Just when she decided that making love again would be the best thing ever, her bones cracked, and her claws extended.
Ronan jumped back. “You can do it.”
A second later, Blair was in her bear form. Wow! She wanted to shout that she’d done it, but what came out was a joyous roar. Blair kicked a rock and took off.
Ronan stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, grinning. He better shift before she was out of sight. A few seconds later, Ronan was racing next to her. Life couldn’t get any better.
Chapter Thirteen
‡
After the amazing love making session yesterday, followed by the plunge in the lake and the joyous run, it was time to take care of business. Ronan had to tell Lexi about their dad. To say he wasn’t looking forward to this conversation was an understatement, but she’d find out soon enough—someone would talk.
He found her at her desk, entering data into a spreadsheet. Thankfully, no one was in the office waiting area.
“We need to talk,” Ronan said.
Lexi leaned back in her chair. “You look different.”
Wanting to please his mate, he’d trimmed his scruffy beard. “How so?”
“You look happy, but at the same time sad,” Lexi said. “I guess I’ve lost my touch at figuring you out. We used to be so close.”
That hurt. They had been close, and he was determined to make them best friends again. He pulled up a chair and faced her. “I’ll start with the good news. Blair and I are mates.”
Ronan hadn’t expected the squeal of delight, but the hug that followed helped heal a lot of hurt.
“I’m so happy for you. So, have you two, you know?” She winked.
Hopefully, she wasn’t asking if they’d officially mated, but rather if they’d made love and acknowledged they belonged together. Not a conversation he really wanted to have with his sister, so he gave her a quick simple answer. “Yes.”
“I can’t wait to see Blair.” Lexi looked around. “Speaking of which, why aren’t you with her? Is Jackson watching her?”
“Jackson didn’t tell you?”
“That you caught the killer? Yes, but he said something about her not being out of the woods yet.”
This conversation was going to be so hard, but hopefully Lexi wouldn’t be upset that he hadn’t told her right away. By the time he’d arrived home after being with Blair last night, it was late. “You know that Blair has no memory of what happened, right?”
“Yes.”
“I found out why. Apparently, one of Vinea’s nemeses, a goddess by the name of Darinda, came to Silver Lake a short while ago. We can’t be sure, but we speculate she wanted to get back at Vinea by hurting those she loves.”
Lexi scrunched up her face. “I’m confused.”
“Let me start at the beginning. Dad was lured to Silver Lake by this goddess and—”
“What? Bill’s here?”
“Yes. Give me a chance to explain.” Not surprisingly, Lexi was a tad angry at being kept out of the loop. Her aura colors changed so quickly, he had to blink to make sure he understood everything she was feeling.
For the next fifteen minutes, he described how this woman, or rather this goddess, had duped their father into helping her, and then how he’d watch Darinda shoot Timothy Delahart. “Dad put the gun in Blair’s hand and shot the weapon. I think he might have been under her spell too.”
“This is unbelievable. I thought I’d never have to see him again.”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Ronan explained about their father going to Blair’s house to retrieve the drugs he stole from Darinda and how Ronan’s memory had been erased.
“That must have been frightening to see Bill and then not remember anything.”
“I was scared shitless to say the least.”
“What did he say?” Lexi asked.
“He explained about why he denied being involved at first, and then the subsequent confession, including the fact he has cancer.”
“Cancer?”
Ronan wasn’t surprised to see her sympathy rise. “I’m afraid so. He asked to see you, but I told him I wasn’t sure if you wanted to.”
“You’re right. I’m not sure.”
“You have time to decide. Just let me know, and I’ll take you over.”
His sister looked up and smiled. “Thank you. It sounds as if Darinda is still around though and wants to cause as much havoc as possible.”
“That’s my guess. She might try to harm Blair because she is a Murdoch.”
“Well, shit.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“What are you going to do?” Lexi asked.
“When I figure it out, I’ll let you know. Right now, I need to do a little digging.” He leaned over and kissed his sister on the cheek. “We’ll get through this.”
She smiled, but the joy didn’t reach her eyes. “I know we will.”
Ronan headed back to his office. He had something he needed to check out first before he turned his attention to figuring out how to fight a goddess. Ever since yesterday, he couldn’t banish Jared Henderson from his mind. The ass had deceived and hurt Blair. If he had been able to trust his wolf not to go haywire, Ronan would have driven down to Atlanta and had a talk with the dickhead. Knowing that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, Ronan still needed to learn if the man had any further interest in Blair. It didn’t matter that three years had passed and that Jared hadn’t tried to contact her in that time.
Ronan booted up his computer to do a search. He would have asked Jackson to perform his computer magic, but that would involve telling him Blair’s secret, and he wouldn’t do that to her.
Curious if Henderson’s wife had ever found out about his infidelity, he looked up his name. After a short search in social media, he learned Jared Henderson was now divorced.
I’m glad the fucker got what he deserved, his wolf said.
I couldn’t agree more.
Henderson had posted a few pictures of his kids and then went on to say he had one day a week visiting rights. Ronan couldn’t be more
pleased. A later post had a Go-Fund me request. Apparently, after his wife left him, his job suffered, and he was fired. Now he was living in an unheated trailer.
“What goes around comes around,” Ronan announced.
Happy with what he’d found, he went in search of Connor to see what he could tell him about Zane Barons, the man who might be able to help him fight a demon.
*
“Do you think I should call Ronan?” Blair asked Ainsley.
The two of them were sitting in the break room at work. Because another therapist was in there, they kept their voices low.
“Why not? This is the twenty-first century. The man doesn’t always have to make the move.”
“I know, but I thought he’d call. After all, we made history together yesterday. Or at least that was what it felt like to me.”
Ainsley shook her head. “You have nothing to worry about. You both admitted you were mates.”
Blair smiled. “I know, and after we made love, we went for a swim in the lake.” She chuckled at the remembrance. “The man was such a tease. He would tickle me and then swim to the middle of the lake where he would dare me to follow.”
Ainsley grinned. “Which you did.”
“Of course. I’m telling you the man can kiss.”
“So, what’s the problem? Clearly, you belong together. I’m betting Ronan is trying to give you a little space. His wolf is probably going crazy right now. I know Jackson and I were like that.” Her eyes widened. “Sorry. Too much information. No one likes to hear about their siblings having sex.”
She laughed. “You’re right. Ronan is considerate like that, but I miss him.”
“That’s a good thing, but be aware once you mate, it will be worse for a while.”
“I’ve heard that, but I doubt my need can become more intense.”
“Just you wait.” Her friend rubbed her arm. “I can’t tell you how happy I am for you. You glow.”
“This feels so right.” Blair wasn’t so naïve to think all was right in the world. Darinda was out there, and there was no telling what crap she was planning. Blair checked her watch, then pushed back her chair and stood. “I have a patient in a few minutes.”
“Are you seeing Ronan tonight?”
“Yes.”
Ainsley grinned. “I bet I can guess what you two will be doing.”
Heat raced up her face. “We’ll see.”
*
Ronan called Blair to let her know he had some work to handle, but that he’d stop over once he was free. “I asked Jackson to look in on you until I get there.”
“What do you have to do that’s so important?” she asked.
Because he wished to delay her worry for as long as possible, he decided not to give her any details. “Just something for work. Don’t worry. I’ll be as quick as possible.”
“I miss you.”
He grinned. His wolf was already acting up. “You’ll have to show me how much.”
“Oh, I plan to.”
Once he disconnected, he went to work on watching videos on how to fight with a two-handed sword—specifically with a Katana, which was one of the sharpest of the swords—as well as with a broad sword, trying to figure out which would work best on a goddess. It was amazing what one could learn from the Internet.
At six, he headed over to Zane and Missy’s place, hoping Zane could help in some way, even though over the phone, he didn’t sound all that confident. Ronan knocked and a giant of a man answered. Sure, Connor had mentioned Zane was big, but Ronan didn’t expect someone so huge. No wonder he’d been able to defeat a demon.
“You must be Ronan. Come in,” Zane said with a smile.
A pretty woman who was holding a baby came forward. She held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Missy.”
Her colors were soft—sea foam green and pale grays with a splash of intermittent whites. Zane’s were different. His colors were ones Ronan had a hard time defining, but the overall tone was orange.
“Nice to meet you both.”
“Come in,” Zane said. “Tell me about this goddess and why you want to fight her.”
“I don’t want to fight her, but she’s already stolen my memory and the memory of my mate.”
“Mate?” Missy asked.
Whoops. Maybe he should have asked Blair if she minded if he told people. “Blair Murdoch.”
Missy’s colors heightened as she smiled brightly. “I’m so happy for you two. Can I get you a beer?”
“I’m good. I can’t stay long.”
Zane led him over to the sofa. “Tell me what you know about this goddess.”
“That’s one of the problems. I don’t know much. Vinea told us that Darinda can erase memories, but she didn’t say much else, other than the only way to kill her was to cut off her head.”
“Hmm. I must confess I’m skeptical. On Cargonia, it’s almost impossible to kill a demon, and they aren’t even immortal. I got lucky and caught one off guard.”
“I see.” This wasn’t looking good.
“But I understand your concern. You must protect your mate at all costs. I can make you a sword of the finest steel. I’ve read up on your swords of the fifteenth century, and while there are many, none are quite like mine. I make mine with some special powers infused in the steel that can prove very useful.” He held up a hand. “But unless you know how to use it, I doubt you can get the drop on a goddess.”
“I have to try.”
Zane nodded. “I understand. It will take me a few days to find the right steel and then another few days to forge the blade. In the meantime, I can show you how to fight.” He smiled. “We’ll use sticks. I don’t want to accidentally kill you.”
Ronan enjoyed his sense of humor. “Blair might come after you if you do.” Or least he hoped she’d be upset enough to want some revenge. “Speaking of which, I need to get back to her. Let me know when you have time to give me some lessons. In the meantime, I’ll try to learn something on my own.”
Both men stood. After he thanked Zane profusely, he rushed off, needing to see Blair.
Chapter Fourteen
‡
As soon as Ronan jumped in his Jeep, he called his mate.
“Hey. Where are you?” She sounded excited instead of upset, which pleased him to no end.
“I just finished up with something. Have you eaten?” Asking a question after the statement would temporarily keep her from wanting to know more details.
“Not yet.”
“Perfect. What do you say I pick up something to eat and bring it over?” Hopefully, Blair would be the dessert.
I love it, his wolf panted.
“That would be wonderful.”
“See you soon.” Ronan probably should have asked what she was in the mood for, but she’d mentioned that one of her favorite foods was Chinese. While he hadn’t been to Wong’s before, Zane had recommended it. Seemed the big bear loved food he couldn’t get on Cargonia.
Once Ronan placed the order and they filled it, he took off, anxious to be with Blair. When he arrived at her house, her car sat in the same spot as when his father had tried to take the drugs he’d hidden. Jackson was parked next to her.
Even though a goddess had duped his dad, he wouldn’t have ended up in jail if he’d been able to overcome his addiction in the first place. Ronan did have some sympathy for the old man. Losing one’s mate had to be hard, but gambling wasn’t the answer.
As soon as Blair answered the door, her scent overwhelmed him. The colors of the warm summer night blended with hers, making it hard to remember to say hello.
She smiled, and his wolf told him to skip dinner and go straight to dessert.
Settle down. We’ll enjoy her soon enough, he told his overly excited animal. We don’t want her to think we are only here for sex, you idiot. A woman like Blair needs to be shown how much we appreciate her.
For once, his wolf kept quiet, and Ronan was able to exhale.
Blair had changed out of her work clo
thes. Now she was barefoot, wearing short shorts, and a green top that would be easy to remove. Stop it. He’d come here to talk with her. Though making love would come later if things went well.
“It smells wonderful,” she said, nodding to the package in his hand.
“It’s Chinese.” He twisted the bag to show her the logo on the front.
She sucked in a breath. “It’s from Wongs!”
He stepped inside and set the package on the table then drew her close. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered.
Jackson cleared his throat. “I need to head on back to Ainsley. Take care you two, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Ronan was slipping. He hadn’t even noticed her brother was sitting on the sofa. “Sure thing!”
They all laughed. Once Jackson left, Ronan returned his attention to Blair. Her eyes had changed colors, as had her scent. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned in for a kiss Ronan could no more deny than he could forgive his father for all his wrongdoings. Sparks flew, and his cock hardened. Even though she tasted like honey and smelled like fresh linen, he needed to discuss something with her first.
After drinking in his fill, he leaned back. “How about we eat first? I don’t want my stomach grumbling during dessert.”
Blair looked around, obviously checking for a bag from a bakery. “Dessert?”
Ronan let his eyes roam her body from head to toe, lingering on the good parts, before raising an eyebrow to her. He could see Blair’s sudden intake of breath, and then she gave him a sexy little smirk. “Ooohh my, yes! Yes, there will be many other sounds during dessert, and we wouldn’t want one of them to be your stomach.” She giggled.
He tipped his head back and laughed. Once the murder charge had been dropped and her bear had reemerged, she had become a different person—freer, happier, and sexier, if that was even possible.
Ronan gave Blair a light swat on the ass as she stepped into the small galley style kitchen, and she gave a little yelp. She opened the cupboard and then handed him the dishes. “How about putting your hands to a different use and setting the table?” she asked.
Ronan grinned. “Can do.”