Cael (Were Zoo Book Eleven)

by R. E. Butler

  She blew out a breath and looked toward the house. “I want my mom to be safe.”

  “Then we need to figure out how to get her to the apartment in the park.”

  “Okay. I hope we can do that sooner rather than later.”

  “Me too.”

  They got out of the SUV, and she unlocked the door, calling for her mom as they walked inside. The cozy two-bedroom house smelled like fresh baked bread and seafood.

  “In the kitchen, honey,” her mom called.

  They walked into the kitchen and found her mom ladling soup into bread bowls and setting them on the butcher block table. Novi hugged her and Cael greeted her.

  Novi said, “Did you make lobster bisque in bread bowls for us?”

  “I did. It’s your last night here, I wanted it to be special.”

  Novi looked at Cael. “It’s my favorite meal. We lived in San Francisco for a year and Mom took me to this amazing restaurant for my eleventh birthday, and I got lobster bisque in a sourdough bread bowl. It was amazing. Mom worked on the recipe for years to make it like that place did, and it’s my birthday meal now.”

  “That’s neat, I just get a giant bag of Reese’s Cups in the mail from my parents,” he said. “They’re my favorite.”

  “I’ll remember that,” Novi said.

  He pulled out her chair and they sat, digging into the steaming bowls of thick soup and dunking in torn chunks of the bread bowl. He’d never had anything so good, and when Lori offered him another bowl, he jumped at the chance. While they ate, they talked about Novi moving into his place, which they were careful to refer to as an apartment and not a house, the new job waiting for her in the security office, and her sadness at turning in her notice at the thrift store.

  “It’s always sad to say goodbye to good bosses,” Lori said. “I’m sure you will be missed there. But how exciting to get to work at the park and see the animals every day. And your boyfriend.”

  Cael nodded. “I’m looking forward to that too.”

  After they finished the meal, he did the dishes while she and her mom went to pack. He could hear their low voices but couldn’t make out what they were saying. When the last dish was dried, he put the towel on the edge of the sink and followed the voices to her bedroom. Novi had him carry her packed things to her car. They spent a few hours packing and talking, and by the time they were all yawning, they’d gotten her packed up.

  Novi hugged her mom at the door. “Thank you for being so kind.”

  “How else would I be?” she asked with a raised brow.

  “I don’t know, you could give me a hard time about moving in with Cael when we haven’t known each other a week.”

  “I’m not going to tell you how to live your life, honey. I want you to be safe, and it sounds like living at the park is a great place for that to happen. Will I miss you? One hundred percent. Would I try to guilt you into staying here? Absolutely not.”

  “I heard that one of the apartments is available if you’d like to take it,” Cael said.

  “Aren’t they for employees?”

  “Yes, but it’s a new complex so they’re not taken yet, and my boss said we could offer it to you.”

  Lori looked suspicious, and then said, “I’ll think about it.”

  Novi nodded, hugged her mom once more, then said, “Come for dinner Friday night.”

  “Sounds good, honey. I’ll be there with bells on.”

  Novi drove her car, following Cael in the SUV back to the park. He didn’t think Lori was going to want to move into the apartment; her “I’ll think about it” sounded a lot like “no.” But maybe she’d change her mind and see the value of being in such a protected place. With the security patrols, tall walls, and perimeter videos and alarms, no one got into the park that didn’t belong there.

  He hoped she’d see what a good idea it was, but in the meantime, he had his sweetheart moving into his place, and that’s what mattered. He would do anything to keep Novi safe and with him. She was his everything.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Novi adjusted the towels in the apartment bathroom and then turned to the counter, setting a cup with two toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste on one side of the sink and a hand soap dispenser on the other.

  She heard the front door open and flicked off the light. She found Cael balancing a large box under one arm and several grocery sacks hanging from his other arm.

  “Need a hand?” she asked.

  “Nope, I’m perfectly balanced,” he said with a smile, kicking the door shut and heading into the kitchen.

  “That’s a lot of food,” she said.

  He put the box on the kitchen table and set the bags on the counter. “Well, we need it to look like we moved in here for one, and for another I thought since we’re going to this much trouble to make it look like we’re living here that we could stay for the weekend. Like a mini vacation.”

  “A mini vacation where we still have to go to work,” she said.

  “Well, yeah,” he said, laughing. “But we’ll have the complex to ourselves. It’ll be nice to sleep with the windows open and get some fresh air, maybe go for a walk after dark and look at the stars.”

  She went onto her toes and kissed him. “You’re so romantic, I love both those ideas.”

  “Have you heard from your mom?”

  “Yep. She texted to say she got home from work and was taking a shower, and then she’d be here. Should be about forty-five minutes, give or take.”

  He nodded and began to unpack the box.

  Novi had only worked a half day at the thrift store, stopped at her mom’s place to pick up a few things she’d forgotten to pack, and then spent the afternoon with Cael attempting to make the apartment look lived-in. One of the first things she’d said was that they needed to stock the fridge and cabinets. The apartment—like the others in the complex—was sparsely furnished in the family room, kitchen, and bedroom, but the cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom were empty as was the fridge. She’d brought a set of dishes, cups, and silverware from the thrift store and washed them before setting the table for dinner and organizing the bathroom.

  “It’s a nice apartment,” she said. He’d picked up dinner from the market for them. The special of the day was beef stew with a side of cornbread. She opened the container of stew and inhaled. “Holy crap this smells good.”

  “Right?” he said. “They make killer cornbread too.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  “So what were you saying about the apartment?” He straightened from where he’d put away the groceries in the fridge and shut the door.

  “That it’s nice.”

  “It is.”

  “I was just thinking about when my mom moves, that I think we’ll be happy here too.”

  “I’d be happy anywhere as long as you and I are together.”

  “Me too.”

  He looked around the kitchen and then down at her. “But I agree about this place. They did a good job designing it, it’s really comfortable.”

  “You sure you won’t mind living up here when my mom moves in?”

  “I promise. Home is wherever you are, and it really doesn’t matter to me if it’s here or underground or anywhere else.”

  She grinned. He said the sweetest things. She was really lucky to have him in her life. They finished putting away the groceries and tidied up, and by the time the stew was bubbling away on the stove and had filled the apartment with its delicious smells, her mom texted to say she’d reached the gate at the back of the park and had accidentally deleted the text with the security code.

  Novi texted it to her again and headed out to stand on the walkway and wave her mom up.

  “This is nice,” her mom said as she walked up the stairs and down the short walkway.

  Novi gave her a hug. “It is. Very secure.”

  Her mom rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to keep saying that.”

  “Well, it’s true. The park has high stone walls that are equ
ipped with security cameras and alarms and they have patrols too.”

  Her mom said nothing, just gave her the old “mom eye.”

  Novi sighed. “Okay, I won’t bring it up again. So long as you’re thinking about it.”

  “I am.”

  “All right, come and see the inside, it’s really cute.”

  She gave her mom the tour of the two-bedroom apartment and ended in the kitchen, where Cael gave her mom a hug. “Dinner’s ready,” he said, “I just heated up the cornbread.”

  “Did you cook all this?” her mom asked as she sat at the small table.

  “No, there’s a market for the workers that sells full meals to take home. You know I love a good beef stew.”

  “Me too.”

  Cael ladled stew into their bowls, and Novi served up wedges of cornbread and butter. The trio ate in silence for a little while. Novi thought it was the best stew she’d ever had in her life.

  “Well, if this is the sort of food you have access to at the park, I’d say you picked a great place,” her mom said, putting her spoon in the empty bowl. “It’s delicious.”

  They took a plate of cookies and drinks into the family room and talked about work and the park. An hour later, her mom was yawning and saying it was time to head home before it got too late.

  She walked her mom to the door and gave her a hug. “I’m so glad you could come visit.”

  “Me too. We can make it a weekly thing if you’d like, take turns having a meal here and at my place.”

  Novi tried not to let her disappointment show. “Sounds good. Drive safe and text me when you’re home.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  Novi opened the door and let her mom out.

  “I’ll walk you down,” Cael said, hurrying after her.

  “Oh, I’ll come,” Novi said.

  “Nah,” Cael said, giving her a wink. “I’ll be right back.”

  He pulled the door shut so fast that Novi’s hair fluffed up around her shoulders with the breeze. She stared at the door for a long moment and then she smiled. Her mate wanted a few minutes alone with her mom.

  She wondered what he was going to talk to her about.

  * * *

  Cael walked Lori down the steps and toward her car, which was parked in one of the lined spaces in front of the complex. “Thank you for dinner,” Lori said.

  “It was my pleasure. You’re welcome anytime.”

  Lori unlocked her door, dropped her bag on the seat, and then turned to look at him. “I think you want to talk to me about something?”

  “Very much so.” Cael rocked back on his heels, his nerves kicking up. He cleared his throat and said, “I’d like to ask for your blessing. I want to ask Novi to marry me.”

  Lori said nothing for a long moment, and Cael wondered if she would say no.

  “I like you. I think you’re good for Novi, and it’s hard for me to trust anyone. I’ve spent her whole life trying to keep her safe, and that’s always meant just the two of us, not letting anyone else get too close. I’ve always been afraid that Keir would find us somehow, that he might be searching for our names online or using private investigators to dig us up. It’s been incredibly hard and stressful all these years.” She said nothing for a minute, then said, “But you make her happy. I can tell she feels free to be with you, feels safe. I’m so happy for her, for both of you. So yes, you have my permission.”

  Cael’s elephant wanted to trumpet in triumph, but he managed to keep a lid on his exuberance. Grinning, he hugged Lori. “Thank you so much!”

  Lori chuckled and patted his back. “Of course. Welcome to the family. Do you know when you’re going to ask?”

  “Tomorrow night. I wanted it to be a week from the day we met.”

  Lori’s eyes went luminous for a moment and then she cleared her throat. “You’ll keep her safe?”

  “On my life. Once she’s finished working at the thrift store, she won’t have to travel back and forth to her job. The park is truly safe. I think it’s the safest place for you both.”

  “I know you do. I’m just not ready for that kind of move. It feels too permanent.”

  Cael frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Obviously, Novi is planning to live with you forever. You’ve got a job and friends here, she’s going to be working at the park too. That’s setting down roots. I’m...honestly afraid to do that.”

  He nodded as understanding filled him. “You think if you settled down, you’ll be inviting him to come find you. And Novi.”

  “Well, she has you and you’re clearly the sort of guy who can take care of her. But I’ve always felt safer being able to pick up and go at a moment’s notice.”

  “Maybe you don’t have to run anymore. You’re family to me now, Lori. I want you to be safe and happy, and I think you could have that here.”

  “We’ll see.”

  She said goodnight and got into her car. He watched her back away and head toward the gate. In the distance, he could hear the gate creak as it opened and then closed. He sighed. She was stubborn and full of fear. He appreciated how difficult her life had been trying to keep Novi safe, but he was one hundred percent positive that they were safe in the park. Novi deserved to live a real life and to stay in one place with people who loved her and wanted good things for her.

  And Lori deserved that too.

  He hoped she’d get it, that she’d see the complex as a good and safe place to stay and start her life over. It was time for her to live her life too.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Keir sat on the couch that faced the front door in the tiny house that the human Lori called home. His males were scattered around the room, two standing at the front door. When he’d arrived an hour ago, they’d just missed her, apparently. Her car was gone, but a sweep of the house had told him she’d come home and taken a shower and changed. It appeared that the daughter was no longer living there, which was a complication he hadn’t expected, but it didn’t matter at any rate. His plan was to take Lori captive, lure Novi inside, and then take them both somewhere remote and kill them.

  So they settled in to wait.

  The minutes crept by, and his annoyance grew. He fidgeted until he couldn’t sit anymore and took to pacing from one side of the small room to the other.

  “Where the fuck is she?” he demanded harshly, his voice just loud enough for his males to hear. She’d been gone for hours.

  As if on cue, a car swung into the driveway, the headlights seeping around the edges of the plastic miniblinds. His bear snarled, happy to finally have the source of their problems within reach.

  He would snuff out her life, and her daughter’s life, and move the hell on with his own.

  The headlights stayed on, the engine idling.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  One of the males at the window carefully peeked between the slats. “She’s just sitting there. She’s staring at the house, but she’s not moving.”

  Keir knew they couldn’t just charge out of the house and grab her from her car—she could simply drive off when she saw him. They had to wait for her to get into the house and then they could subdue her.

  The lights swung away from the house and the tires squealed as the car revved and quickly disappeared. Keir raced to the window and ripped the blinds aside in time to see the red taillights turn the corner and disappear.

  “Fuck!” he roared.

  She must have felt his presence in some way, realized that danger was waiting inside. Humans did have an ancient fight-or-flight response when it came to shifters, they just didn’t know the reason they were afraid of some people was because they were also animals. He wondered if that was why she was able to elude him all these years, always be one step ahead of him. She was somehow tuned into him and knew when to run.

  It was infuriating.

  He needed to end her hold over him and soon.

  “What now?” Donovan asked.

  “We wait.”

&nbs
p; * * *

  Novi’s phone rang just as she’d tugged off Cael’s shirt. It was tempting to ignore the call, but she didn’t give her number out to too many people.

  She kissed Cael’s pec and wiggled her brows at him as she reached for her phone on the nightstand.

  Her mom’s name was on the screen. “Hey Mom,” she said.

  Cael sat next to her on the bed.

  “Novi!” her mom’s voice was panicked.

  She lurched to her feet. “Mom? What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, breathing hard. “I pulled into the driveway and I thought...it felt like someone was watching me.”

  “Are you still at home?”

  “No, I left right away. I didn’t even get out of the car.”

  She turned to look at Cael who was now on his phone. He whispered, “Tell her to come here,” and Novi nodded.

  “Come back to the park, Mom. You can stay in the apartment next to ours.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, Mom! Of course.”

  “Ask if she’s being followed,” Cael said.

  Novi relayed his words to her mom.

  “I don’t think so. I didn’t see any cars in the driveway or on the street, but it was just this terrible feeling. Like something awful was waiting for me in the house. I haven’t felt like that since...” Her voice dropped off.

  Novi finished her sentence, “Since he tried to run you off the road a few years ago?”

  “Yes.” Her mom’s voice was high and strained.

  “Aw Mom, I’m so sorry. I’m really glad that you trusted your instincts and left. How far away are you?”

  “Um, ten minutes.”

  “Sure you’re not being followed?”

  “Pretty sure. It’s late, so there aren’t a lot of cars out.”

  “Okay, good.”

  She looked at Cael, and he said, “Tell her that I’ll be waiting at the gate to escort her here along with a few of the guards.”