Nature's Nobles 2
Noble Healing
Being born a Noble is something Addison Gray never thought she’d have to deal with, let alone finding out she was the sister of the Noble’s Deity. A misunderstanding changed her life, and Addison made the biggest mistake of her life in not trusting the man she loved.
Unfortunately, Addison's lack of faith enabled their enemies to capture and imprison her for almost a year. Even with his special abilities, Cane Latcher couldn’t save Addison from her mistrust, and he unknowingly pushed her into the arms of another man.
Shane Sutton is dealing with his own struggles, knowing Addison loves them both. Can Addison’s healing powers be enough to mend three hearts together? Or will it take an ordinary human emotion like love?
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal
Length: 40,112 words
NOBLE HEALING
Nature’s Nobles 2
Peyton Elizabeth
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
NOBLE HEALING
Copyright © 2012 by Peyton Elizabeth
E-book ISBN: 978-1-61926-799-2
First E-book Publication: July 2012
Cover design by Les Byerley
All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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DEDICATION
To my very dear friends, A & S, who were there for me when I needed them. I miss you more than words can say…
NOBLE HEALING
Nature’s Nobles 2
PEYTON ELIZABETH
Copyright © 2012
Prologue
No one could really know the force of nature, could they?
Decades ago, in a small farming community on the outskirts of Montana, a meteor crashed into a field causing mayhem and destruction among the people. Days upon days of smolder and dust rose from the crater and circulated its way through town. The soiled air seeped into the townsfolk’s skin and descended into their lungs with each mouthful they inhaled. Foreign particles traveled through mazes of tissues, merging with cells inside their blood, uniting in a way that would change creation among descendants of this small population—change that ignited fear throughout the world.
Each generation became stronger in their newfound powers. From simply being able to see the future or read people’s thoughts, to more complicated abilities such as mind control, these mutated chromosomes shifted the makeup of a new legion and beyond.
Opinions of these altered humans varied. The unaffected who feared the transformation quickly united to see these aberrations wiped from existence. Others embraced the deviation, claiming a new revolution was taking place in order to extend human life and help those in need. A civil war started between the divided sides, causing the afflicted ones to go into hiding or blend into society to hide their true nature.
They called themselves the Nobles.
Chapter One
...Local News Channel. This just in. We are being told there was an explosion of some sort at a government facility on the outskirts of Billings, Montana. No word on if there were any fatalities or injuries and no official statement has been released. Sympathizers of the Noble race are up in arms alleging the government has been doing illegal testing on the paranormal group and have formed protest assemblies around various sites in the United States. We will keep you up to date as…
Cane Latcher reached past the steering wheel and turned off the radio, not wanting to hear anything more about the Sympathizers. Their demonstrations would do nothing but raise public awareness and make it harder for his kind to blend into society. Nobles had enough problems learning to control their powers without having to look over their shoulders for their enemies. Hell, Cane knew the humans meant well, but sometimes, good intentions just weren’t good enough.
Concentrating on the icy road in front of him, Cane settled back into the driver’s seat. It was his luck a late-season snowstorm decided to blow through…what state was he in? Oklahoma, that was it. He had been driving for too many weeks to count, with no direction in mind. Cane was alone, just as he liked it. With nothing but time on his hands, Cane let his thoughts drift as his Jeep ate up the miles the highway provided.
Having been born a Noble, Cane had learned at an early age to hide what he was—a Tracker with enhanced senses like that of a wild animal. By the time he had reached puberty, Cane’s vision was three times as strong as a normal human’s and he was able to see in the dark as well as he could see in the daytime. His sense of smell was so highly developed, he could sense prey more than a mile away when the wind was in his favor, and his range of hearing could well reach over a mile, longer if the pitch was a higher range. As for his touch and taste senses, Cane was very careful about what he consumed and had come to accept a threshold of pain well beyond that of a mere human, while pleasure was increased tenfold.
Cane ran a finger down his scar, which marred the skin from his right temple to his lower lip. It was
n’t pretty, and his five o’clock shadow did nothing to it. He knew most people either stared in horror or turned away in disgust, which was fine by him. It was a gift from a fellow Noble turned Rogue, one of their own who killed or captured others in exchange for life immunity from the Fray. Anyone who worked for the Fray, a secret division in the government designed to eradicate the existence of Nobles, was their enemy and deserved to die. Cane remembered his first kill like it was yesterday and felt no remorse. He never felt any guilt when it came to defending his own life or that of fellow Nobles. Cane was even a bit thankful for the disfigurement, as it made people keep their distance.
There was only one woman who refused to be intimidated by his looks, and she was confirmation why men like him should be alone. Addison Gray made him want to believe Nobles could live a normal life. She made him desire things he had no right to covet. She was also the cause of the explosion near Billings, Montana, and the reason the Sympathizers were up in arms. Somehow, word must have leaked that they were keeping a Noble at the facility for testing. There was nothing the Sympathizers detested more than a Noble being dissected in a lab against their will. Addison happened to be the lab rat that escaped in the carnage.
Addison had the unfortunate luck to be the half sister of the strongest Noble alive, Reese Matthews. The Fray wanted nothing more than to get their hands on Reese, better known as the Deity of the Nobles. She could kill by releasing deadly waves of energy from her body and was the perfect specimen to recreate her DNA into an impeccable weapon. The Fray was originally crafted to wipe out their unique race but, in recent years, had decided Noble powers were too valuable. They captured Reese once and locked her away in captivity, until she escaped and went into hiding. The Fray wasn’t going to split hairs though. If they couldn’t have the Deity, they would have the second best thing—her sister.
The unsuspecting Addison had had no idea she had Noble blood running through her veins, having lived with her mother and grown up in a normal childhood. She was half human and half Noble, which had made it a little harder to convince Addison that her life was in danger. Cane had admired her strength and resolve during their time on the run, to the point that he had started to wish things were different. He started to wish that he were able to live his life like a human, who had a wife, children, and that white picket fence they craved. Cane wasn’t even sure at what point in his time with Addison he had started to yearn for these things, but it wasn’t acceptable. He was a loner, and he would stay that way.
Cane’s scar tingled at the recollection of Addison’s soft fingers tracing the pink, ragged tissue, bringing back memories from their time together and the reason he had tried to save Addison to begin with. It shouldn’t have been complicated. He had the plan in place, and all he wanted to do was pay off the debt he owed Reese from their teenage years. Reese and her Noble friends had given him shelter when he needed it, no questions asked. Cane was far from being a saint, but he always repaid his debts, no matter that more than ten years had passed since then. The goal had been to reach Addison Gray before the Fray captured and studied her for research, or worse, killed her. He accomplished taking her before the Fray did, but wasn’t successful in keeping her safe. They got her within six months and locked her away for almost a year. It took Cane that long to finally figure out how to get Addison out of that facility and know Reese Matthews was the key. Cane had done what he had to and handed the information over to those who could save her. The Deity had rescued her sister, and Cane could now walk away with a clear conscience, regardless of what had happened during their time together.
Six months, he thought. Cane had given Addison six months of his protection, and what did he get in return? It certainly wasn’t gratefulness or loyalty. It was more along the lines of thankless mistrust. Addison’s lack of faith in him had given the Fray what they needed in order for them to successfully apprehend her. Why hadn’t she just trusted him? It was the first time in Cane’s life that he had failed at something.
Never again, Cane thought with disgust. What offended him even more was that just the thought of Addison made him hard, even after all this time. He adjusted his groin beneath the steering wheel, trying to think of anything else. Instead, all he could envision was Addison on all fours, looking at him over her shoulder through her blonde curls and begging him to take her. Cane had managed to keep his hands off of her until that last night. He still remembered her blue eyes sparkling with mischief as she sprayed water from the sink all over his chest. Those blue eyes had certainly darkened with desire when he chased her down and pinned her against the kitchen table. The way her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands slipped into his hair had been his undoing. Damn, it was shit like this that would get him killed.
Putting his dark-green Jeep into four-wheel drive to combat the snowy roads, Cane continued to drive through the plains of Oklahoma, putting as much distance between him and Addison Gray as he could. He had no destination in mind and didn’t bother turning on his headlights, seeing just as well through the snow in the darkness as if it were a sunny day. Cane could move on after hearing the radio broadcast, or so he told himself. He now knew the information he had given Reese had panned out and the mission to rescue her sister had been accomplished, even if it was a year too late. Cane had paid his debt and could now disappear, leaving Addison Gray in the past where she belonged.
Chapter Two
“It’s been two months. He doesn’t want to be found.”
Addison didn’t turn around, not wanting to give Shane Sutton the satisfaction of being right. If Cane didn’t want to be located, he wouldn’t. In her heart, Addison knew that, but it was just too damn hard to accept. She stood in front of the fireplace, watching the flames dance to a silent ballad only they heard. The flares of orange were graceful in their movements until the shift of a log interrupted their sway, carelessly throwing ashes into the air. It took a few moments until the tips of blue found their rhythm again and slowly restarted their cadence. If only it were that easy to get her life back.
“Is there a Noble who can find people? I’m not talking about a Tracker like Cane, but someone with the ability to see where another person is?” Addison wrapped both hands around her coffee cup as if the warmth from the mug would seep into her hands and spread throughout her body. “From what you’ve told me about the Noble race, we certainly have a lot of different abilities,” Addison said, trying to keep the sarcasm from coming through.
After a year kept in isolation, Addison was having a hard time accepting she was free. It was two months since her rescue, but she might as well have been back in that cold, sterile room. The only person who kept her from going insane was Shane. He had been there to help her escape the nightmare of being held prisoner, and he was there at night to keep the real nightmares at bay. She was becoming accustomed to being around people again, getting to know a sister she hadn’t known she had, meeting other Nobles, and trying her best not to fall in love with Shane. He made it harder every day, with his intentional heated stares and light, intimate caresses. It was to the point that one look from his auburn eyes and the heat would start to spread throughout her body, leaving her panties damp and her body aching. Like she didn’t have enough to worry about. On top of her wanting something she couldn’t—shouldn’t—have, she had to figure out a way to adjust and live as a Noble.
“Addison, even if we did find him, would it really make a difference? Your life is here now and—”
“What life, Shane?” Addison yelled, spinning around to face the second man who wouldn’t let her hide. What was it with men telling her what to do? Addison felt like she was at her breaking point, and Shane kept pushing and pushing her to accept who she was. She almost hated him. He was as bad as Cane, telling her who she was supposed to be. “I didn’t choose this life! Cane took me away from everything I knew and expected me to accept I was some savior of the Noble race. You keep saying it, too! I’m not! I’m a daughter to a wonderful woman who thinks I’m dea
d, a friend to some great people who think the same thing, and a nurse who happened to be good at her job that she no longer has. I don’t belong in your world, and no matter how many times you say it, you can’t make it true!”
The coffee spilled over the rim, burning her hand, causing a hiss of pain to leave her lips. Shane didn’t say a word as he took the mug from her uninjured hand and led her to the kitchen. No matter what she said or did, his patience seemed to know no bounds, and it more than irritated her—it made her downright mad. She’d had numerous outbursts since her rescue, and he would always remain composed and quiet until she calmed down, giving her time to gather her composure, when all she wanted to do was argue. He was the total opposite of Cane. When she wanted to fight about something, Cane would go head to head with her, exchanging heated words until she was exhausted. Not Shane. What she would give to see him lose control. He made her feel things only Cane had, which made her resentment worse. How could two men who were so different generate the same feelings?
Turning on the tap, Shane brought her hand under the water and let the cool liquid flow over the scalded skin. While his large fingers inspected the damage, Addison couldn’t help but study him and wonder how someone so big could be so gentle. Well over a foot taller than her, Addison guessed Shane was probably an inch or so taller than Cane. And while Cane was flawed, Shane was perfect. His short black hair was never out of place, his classic features contained not one blemish, and his long lashes framed warm auburn eyes that invited her to touch. It was an invitation she couldn’t accept because of her feelings for Cane. What kind of woman was she to love one man and be on the verge of loving another? Her eyes ran down his body anyway, as if they had a will of their own.
Noble Healing [Nature's Nobles 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 1