Reviving Bloom (Bloom Daniels Series)

by michelle turner

  Watching the dark water on the lake trying to hide that her smile has somehow grown wider, “Hmm, I’d say he’s a 6.”

  Shocked I ask, “A 6 has put that smile on your face?”

  “A six is a decent kiss rating.”

  “A six is average. The smile you have should only come from a kiss that rates at least a 9 if not a perfect 10. So please explain what’s causing this reaction.”

  “I’m smiling because I’ve realized that all those years I crushed on him I could’ve had him and now I don’t want him. It’s funny how things work out.”

  “Let me get this straight. You’re smiling because he wants you and you don’t want him?”

  “I know it sounds mean, but it feels nice to be wanted even though I know now he’s not what I want.”

  “Not mean Bon that’s just the way it goes sometimes. You’ve had this perfect idea of what he would be like for four years and now you’re just realizing he doesn’t live up to the dream him. Plus he’s been on the receiving end of being wanted for four years without stepping up so it’s about time you got your turn to feel wanted back,” I tell her putting my arm around her shoulders.

  Laying her head against mine she says, “Thanks for not thinking I’m an awful person.”

  “Bon I could never think that. We both know it’s my job to be the mean one.” I lay my head a top hers.

  “True. Do you remember what you did in junior high when I got my first period in gym class and Sarah Jenkins made fun of me? That was mean.” She laughs at the memory.

  “I waited till lunch then pretended to trip and dumped my tray all over her favorite white sweater. There was no way she could’ve got that spaghetti stain out. But she deserved it, we girls are supposed to have each other’s backs when it comes to those issues and that witch broke girl code.” Thinking back on the memory still makes me laugh too. If someone messed with Bonnie they had to deal with me and vice versa. Bonnie may come across as pure sunshine but if you think that means she’s weak you’re wrong. If you mess with her family or me, she’ll burn you faster than the Florida sun in July.

  “Sorry I left you alone with Trace on the prowl. He didn’t bother you, did he?” Crap! I really hate lying to Bonnie, but I can’t bring myself to make her feel guilty for going off and enjoying herself.

  “Nope, no sign of him,” I lie.

  “Good. I wouldn’t want to have to use my mad ninja skills and take out his knees.” She laughs striking her seriously funny version of a ninja pose.

  “Oh my gosh! Those are some killer moves. Remind me to never get on your bad side.”

  “I’ll try. Well I’m going to go back and join the bonfire, maybe roast a marshmallow or two. You want to join me?”

  “As much as I love the gooey wonderfulness that is a toasted marshmallow, I think I’ll take a rain check. I’m going to head home so I can pass out.” Standing up I take her hand and pull her to her feet.

  “If you insist, but make sure you text me when you get home.” She pulls me into a tight hug.

  Hugging her back I say, “I can handle that as long as you do the same. I don’t care if it’s four in the morning you better text me.”

  “I will. See you tomorrow!”

  “See ya Bon!” I watch her to make sure she makes it back to the group without any trouble then pack up my gear. Reaching the truck and holding open the door I call, “Come on Pike. Let’s head home.”

  We’re only a few miles away from the lake when I notice a vehicle behind us is driving way to close. I slow down trying to give them a chance to pass, but they just slow up and stay right on my tail. I speed up and they speed up too. We play this back and forth for about 4 miles and we’re nearing a curve when I notice the vehicle slip into the other lane to pass, but he doesn’t pass. He pulls right up beside me and I realize it’s Trace behind the wheel.

  He rams the jeep into the side of my truck running me off the road and into the ditch. I’m luckily wearing my seat belt and we don’t hit hard enough for the air bags to deploy but Pike’s thrown into the front floor pretty hard and doesn’t seem to be moving. Unfastening my seatbelt I try to reach for him to check on him, but as soon as I’m loose I hear the door open and I’m jerked from my seat.

  Trace wraps his arm around my chest and presses something hard and cold against my temple. With pure hatred in his voice, “Now we’ll finish what we started!” My brain’s racing. How can I get out of this and make sure Pike’s alright and is this jerk really holding a gun to my head? I guess I should be afraid but I feel eerily calm. My voice dripping with sarcasm, “You know if you wanted something from me you could’ve just asked. No need to dent my fender.”

  I hope my lack of fear shocks him enough to give me some kind of opening to get loose but Trace isn’t completely stupid. He tightens his grip digging his rough fingers into my side. There’ll be a bruise there but it might be the least of my injuries if I don’t get away.

  His lips are pressed to my ear when he says, “After tonight my little flower you’ll never want another man again.” He sucks my earlobe into his mouth as the hand holding the gun leaves my head and he drags it down my side. I know I have to get away or I’ll never be able to get this night out of my head, if he even lets me live past it.

  When his lips start trailing down my neck he loosens his grip around my chest enough to grab roughly onto my breast. I know now is probably the only chance I’ll get so I attempt to slam my heel into his foot. In my mind it gives me the chance to get loose so I can run, in reality it doesn’t do anything but anger the prick because he’s wearing steel-toed work boots. He throws me hard onto the ground and levels the gun at me with one hand as he’s using the other to undo his jeans. My stomach’s rolling. I know it won’t be long before its contents come back up. I turn my head away from the monster in front of me not wanting him to see how much he’s upsetting me. He may be able to strip me of what I have guarded for the last 20 years but there’s no way I’m letting him think this will break me. The vomit starts to come up and I swallow it back down. I’m fighting back the second wave of sickness when I catch movement in the truck. I tempt a glance back at Trace to see if he noticed. Nope, he’s too busy working his pants down with one hand. Turning back to the truck the movement’s gone. Maybe I imagined it.

  I’m brought out of my thoughts when I feel the weight of Trace on top of me, effectively pinning me to the ground. There’s no way I’ll be able to get him off of me from this position. My hands are still free but I can’t see anything within my reach that could hurt him enough to get away. He begins pulling my dress up my body stopping every few inches to rub his sweaty hands along my legs then my stomach. Realizing his hands are both gun free I desperately search the ground for the gun. He has it tucked up against his side near his pants. If I stretch I may be able to reach it before he realizes what’s going on. I stretch my hand over the hard ground trying to move as little as possible so he won’t notice. My fingers just feel the cold metal of the barrel when it’s ripped away from my grasp.

  “You little whore! You thought you could use my own gun on me.” Then he slams the butt of the gun down hard against my temple.

  The pain’s so intense and the black’s already starting to cloud my eyes or maybe I’m closing them, I’m not sure which one’s happening. I want to let the darkness take me away to a safe place ….

  Growling, why is there growling in my darkness? I fight my eyelids to get them to open back up and focus. I notice that Trace’s weight is no longer on top of me so I attempt to sit up. The pain radiating through my head is so intense I about fall back to the ground. I grip my knees to keep my upper half from falling backwards. Once I feel fairly certain I won’t pass back out I raise my head from my knees to survey the scene before me.

  Pike! He has Trace backed up to the edge of the road. There’s no doubt in me now that he’s a wolf, he’s a predator and Trace is his prey. He stalks the monster that attacked me. He’s not looking for his opening, he a
lready has that. What’s he doing?

  Chapter 19 – Pike

  ~ You have a lot more to worry about than my creative story telling ~

  My wolf is savoring the taste of his fear. Even if I can’t taste it in the air I’d still be able to see it in the way his hand is shaking around the gun handle. He doesn’t have it pointed at me and I want to keep it that way. It’s time I take him out so I can get to my mate. I hear her come to but I don’t want to draw his attention to that, he might try to take aim at her.

  I take a few steps towards him and I’m getting ready to pounce when the lights on the road catch both of our attention. Great! Just what I need, some silly human getting in the way of me helping my mate.

  The car slams on its brakes and I hear the door fly open. The driver comes running our way and I think she might throw herself at me, but thankfully she runs to my mate. Falling on to her knees, Bonnie pulls Bloom into her arms. I let out a sigh of relief. My mate’s being cared for so I don’t have to worry about leaving her side to take care of the trash in front of me.

  I turn back towards my prey but he’s no longer in front of me. He’s made it to the still running car Bonnie arrived in. The coward’s using the drivers’ side door as a shield and he has the gun pointed at me. There’s a smug look on his face when he pulls the trigger. I try to high tail it out of the bullets path but it catches my shoulder and I stagger to the ground. I pull myself back to my feet; I’m not going to let this bastard think I’m weak, and take off after the car. He’s briefly stunned by my being able to take a bullet and still come for him but before I can reach him he jumps into the car and slams the door shut. I’m desperately trying to rip the door off the hinges to get to him when he throws the car into drive and takes off.

  I want to chase after him, I can easily catch up with the car, but I need to get back to Bloom. She passed out again when the gun went off and taking care of her comes before taking my revenge on her attacker. I make a promise to myself that I will hunt him down and make him pay. I keep my eyes on the retreating tail lights as I back myself up in the direction where I know my mate lays unconscious.

  “Alpha, get your tail over here!” Bonnie impatiently calls for me. Feeling the threat’s out of the way for now, I turn and cross the remaining distance. The soft green dress Bloom put on earlier in the day is now a dirt covered mess that has rips stretching from the bottom hem up to her hip. Her beautiful legs are covered in scrapes and bruises that seem to already be healing. Her hair is falling out of the braid she styled it into and has grass and twigs matted in it. And there on her temple I can see the bruising and swelling from where the gun connected. She’s healing from the injury, her shifter blood is making sure of that, but she may never emotionally recover from what almost happened to her tonight.

  “Pike, you need to shift. She needs to been seen by my Dad and I can’t carry her,” Bonnie pleads.

  I give Bonnie a quick nod so she knows I hear what she’s saying then I will the change to take me over. It starts at my back paws cracking and rearranging my bones then slowly works its way up my body. I’m already standing on two legs when I feel my muzzle shorten and my face start to take shape. Finally I feel my ears shorten and my sharp wolf senses dull and I know the change has finished.

  Ignoring the fact that I’m naked I bend down and take my mate from Bonnie’s arms. She’s breathing steady but she’s still unconscious. The knot on the side of her head is already going down but I still want Mr. Harris to exam her. I have to suppress my growl when I think of that human touching her. They consider my kind monsters and look what one of theirs did to an innocent woman. I take a deep breath to calm my wolf then turn to Bonnie, “His vehicle’s up by the road, please go see if the keys are in it. She’s already healing but she still needs to be seen by your Dad.”

  Bonnie takes off towards the road and I cradle Bloom to my chest as I follow slowly not wanting to jar her and cause her anymore pain. If I have to lay down my life to guarantee it, she will never be in pain again. It might be an unattainable goal, but it’s one I’m committed to achieving.

  Standing by the back passenger door Bonnie holds out a gym bag to me, “I found these in the back. You might want to put them on, you know in case we get pulled over. I might be able to explain why we’re in Trace’s SUV, but I doubt I’ll be able to explain a naked stranger holding my unconscious best friend.”

  I gently lay Bloom across the back seat then I take the bag from Bonnie. Taking cover at the rear of the vehicle I quickly dress then climb into the back seat with my mate placing her head in my lap. Bonnie has already taken the driver’s seat and once I close my door she puts the big SUV into gear and heads us towards what I assume is her Dad’s house.

  Leaning my head back against the seat I close my eyes and let out the breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding in. I could’ve lost her tonight without her ever knowing what she means to me. As soon as she’s awake I’m spilling everything. No more hiding myself from the one person who can love me no matter what I am. I take one more deep breath and let it out, then look down at the woman who holds my future. Her hazel eyes, now more green than brown, are staring up at me. Not able to stop myself I brush my hand down her cheek and whisper, “Bloom, you’re safe now. I’m here.”

  She’s scanning my face, I can hear her thinking I look familiar to her; the mate connection causes that reaction. Her gaze falls to my lips and she wets her own, then she draws her eyes to mine and we both get lost looking at each other. Finally she hesitantly asks, “Who are you? Your eyes … th-they look so familiar.”

  My wolf’s screaming for me to answer, to spill everything and I want to but I don’t want to send her into shock. She’s already been through too much tonight. I need to wait till she’s had time to heal and rest before I throw my news on her. Before I can come up with a response Bonnie takes over the conversation, “Blu, I’m taking you to my Dad and Billy. Do you remember being attacked?”

  She tries to sit up but I hold her in my lap not yet ready to release her so she gives up and turns her head to Bonnie’s gaze in the rear view mirror and with panic in her voice demands, “You didn’t tell them what happened did you? Bonnie you can’t tell them they’ll freak out.”

  “Bloom they need to know.”

  “No they don’t! Bonnie you got to promise you won’t tell them what really happened. Please, for me?” She begs.

  “Fine, I promise but just so you know I think they should be told.”

  “Thanks Bon,” she sighs then turns snuggling closer into my chest and passes back out.

  Wrapping my arms tighter around her I ask Bonnie, “What are we going to say happened, if we’re not telling the truth?”

  “We’ll tell them she had a wreck, it’s not really a lie we’ll just be omitting what really caused the wreck and what happened after the wreck, but if she doesn’t want them to know the truth I’ll stand by her.”

  “That’s an awful lot of omitting for it not being a lie.”

  Eyeing me from the rear view mirror Bonnie snaps, “You wanna know what wolf boy, you have a lot more to worry about than my creative story telling. You’re gonna have to confess everything to her soon or she’ll figure it out on her own. Her hair may be blonde but she’s no ditz.”

  Looking down at Bloom’s face I run my fingers along her hair line admiring the softness on my finger tips, “Bonnie, I almost lost her tonight and I want nothing more than to confess everything to her. I’d even get down on my knees and grovel for forgiveness for not telling her sooner. I just want her to be okay with it all.” I catch the confused look she’s giving me and realize she misunderstands what I’m saying so I clarify, “Not with what happened to her tonight. The physical signs are already fading; by tomorrow you won’t even know he touched her. The emotional scars are going to take longer but with all of us who love her there to help her, she’ll be able to heal those as well. I’m just worried that she’ll reject our mating and who she truly is.”

&
nbsp; “She’s already healing? I thought she wasn’t a shifter!” Bonnie practically screams at my reflection in her mirror. “And is it even possible for her to reject the mating?”

  “She hasn’t changed like a normal shifter but she carries shifter blood in her and it’s thankfully speeding up the healing process,” I explain ignoring her last question.

  “Well that’s good I guess.”

  “Yeah it is.”

  “Don’t think I didn’t catch you ignoring the last question. So spill wolf! Can a person reject their mate?”

  “It’s not unheard of but it’s very rare. Bonnie you have to realize that mates complement each other and if you reject your mate you’re resigning yourself to a life of never feeling complete. You’d be rejecting the one person who would always love you the exact way you are, the person who was put on this earth for you and you alone. So to answer your question, yes a person could reject their mate but most don’t because there’s not a downside to being mated.”