Deep River Shifters 4 Book Box Set

by Lisa Daniels

  Silas looked at her for a moment. “Well, I promised I would go. Do you want me to call you a lift?”

  Naomi shook her head, finished her drink, then tried to stand. She toppled over, bumping into Silas as she tried to prevent herself from hitting the floor. “I’ll be fine. I’m not that bad off.”

  “Clearly,” Silas said. Turning to the bartender, he called out, “Justin, put her drinks on my tab. I’ll pay you tomorrow evening. I’m going to make sure she gets home safely.”

  Justin nodded, then turned his attention to a couple at one end of the bar who were looking to get more drinks.

  “Come on, Ms. Yi, time to get you home.” With that he tried to help Naomi steady herself. Together they stumbled into the bar.

  Naomi immediately started to giggle. “Told you that you weren’t any better off than me. Maybe I should be helping you get home.”

  Together, they headed toward the door, leaning on each other for support.

  At the bar, Justin pulled out his phone and sent a text. “Sorry,” he looked at the couple, a smile firmly planted on his face, “I need to make a quick call. The next one is on the house if you can give me a couple of minutes.”

  They nodded, and he stepped into the back. “Hey, Alaric, I heard the deal, but I think that our little Silas may have just gotten himself into a really difficult situation… yeah, I know, but… alright, but you know what’s going to happen if anything goes wrong tonight… okay, I leave it up to you. Good night.”

  Chapter 3

  Trying Times

  Finally outside, the cold drizzle made both Silas and Naomi uncomfortable.

  “God, does it have to be so cold?” Naomi said, glaring at the world at large.

  Silas slipped an arm around her. “I can help with that. I don’t know the meaning of the word cold.” Naomi looked up and realized for the first time that he wasn’t wearing anything thicker than a jacket, and he didn’t appear to be cold at all.

  As she was looking at him, Naomi’s stomach growled.

  Silas’ brow furrowed and he looked down at her. “Don’t tell me you went out drinking without eating dinner.”

  “I didn’t feel like eating the meal I cooked up for Jamie. In fact, I didn’t have any appetite at all.”

  “Jesus, we have to get some food in you, otherwise you are going to have a terrible night.” Silas started heading toward a restaurant, then stopped. “Crap, I promised to go straight home. If I show my face anywhere now, there is going to be hell to pay.”

  “It’s fine, I don’t need food.” Her stomached growled again.

  “I’m just going to ignore what you said and listen to your stomach. We can swing by a drive-thru—”

  “Absolutely not.” Naomi frowned up at Silas. “I don’t eat that non-food crap at fast food places.”

  “Where do you live? I can take the same car and make sure you get there safely as long as you promise to eat.”

  “Can’t do that ‘cause I live in a dorm. I don’t have any food in my room right now, and I am not about to make a second dinner.”

  Silas made a frustrated noise. “That really does not leave me with many options.”

  “Just take me home. I’ll be fine.” Her stomach growled again, followed by a loud belch.

  Silas puffed out his cheeks. “Well, the only way I can think to take care of you is to take you back to my place and give you a few things to absorb some of that alcohol. Tomorrow is going to be terrible for you, but if you don’t get something else in your stomach, it may be far worse than just terrible.”

  “That’s a horrible way to word that.”

  “What can I say, I'm between a rock and a waterfall, so no way to get out of here safely.”

  “But I am fine.”

  “How many times have you been drunk in the past? None. There are some risks you shouldn’t take, especially after getting out of a relationship like yours. Come on, you can thank me tomorrow.”

  “What if I don’t want to go to your home?”

  “Then tell me where to drop you off for food you will eat, and I will see what I can do.”

  “Or you could call a friend or one of your many hot relatives. I mean, if you don’t want me skipping food, you do have options.”

  Silas pursed his lips at the mention of his relatives, and Naomi immediately felt guilty. “You are right. There are plenty of people who can manage taking care of you better than I.” Immediately, he pulled out his phone and began to tap away at the screen.

  Naomi put her hand over the screen. “It’s fine. I think I trust you more at the moment than someone I’ve never met.”

  “I do have female friends who could come help you, so don’t worry about it.”

  “No, just feed me and then call me a car. It’ll be fine.”

  Silas didn’t respond as he hit a number, then placed the phone to his ear. “Hi, Serenity—”

  Naomi snapped the phone out of his hands. “It’s nothing. Go back to what you were doing.” She then hung up and tucked the phone in her purse.

  “Hey! I am going to need that back.”

  ‘Yeah, I’ll give it back after you either let me go home, or take me back to your place and feed me.”

  “Man, you are being difficult, making it nearly impossible to take care of you. Fine, I’ll take you home, but don’t expect much. My kitchen skills are functional, not extravagant.”

  “That’s fine. Did I mention I live in a dorm? Home-cooked anything is better than most of the stuff I get to eat.”

  “I thought you said you made spaghetti.”

  Naomi gave a low whistle, “Your skills must not be good if you think that is extravagant.”

  Silas looked down at her as he turned them to face the right direction. “It doesn't take much to do the basics, but then most people do a lot more than throw noodles into water and warm up sauce.”

  Naomi felt a twinge of annoyance, but didn’t feel like putting up a fight. Shivering, she leaned into him a little more without saying another word.

  Together, they walked in silence for a ways. Still shivering, Naomi realized she was starting to lose feeling in her toes. As soon as she became aware, she found it harder to walk, and she almost immediately stumbled.

  “You okay?” Silas seemed to be recovering a lot faster while Naomi’s ability was quickly faltering.

  “I can’t feel my toes, and I’m starting to feel sick.”

  “That’s to be expected. My place is a bit of a walk, and I’m not sure it will be a good idea for you to try to walk the whole thing. Waiting for a car now doesn’t make sense, so if you aren’t against it, I can carry you there.”

  “Carry me?” Naomi looked to see if Silas was kidding. He turned a little, showing her his back. “Oh, you mean like a piggy back?”

  “Of course. How else would I carry you?” He gave her a strange look.

  Naomi opened her mouth to point out the obvious, but decided it would be a bad idea. With a quick nod that made her head start to hurt, she closed her eyes for a second as he squatted down and let her climb onto his back.

  Naomi wrapped her arms around Silas’ neck and closed her eyes as he started to walk. Her stomach started to feel wrong as they went along, but she did not want anything to happen, not while he was being nice enough to carry her.

  “Alright, we are here. I’m going to need to put you down to get my key.”

  “Okay.” Naomi opened her eyes and her stomach lurched.

  “Whoa, you are not looking well. I think it’s too late for food. Best to just get you a lot of water and try to dilute it a bit.” Silas unlocked the door and opened it. Naomi swayed as she tried to walk through, but she ended up staggering sideways. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy there.”

  Naomi tried to walk straight forward but found the world was starting to move around her. “Ugh.” She was aware of a pair of arms lifting her up and taking her inside, then the feel of something comfortable under her.

  “You wait right here. I’m going
to get you some water and a little cleanser you aren’t going to find anywhere else. Should have stopped you after the second one.”

  Naomi put her head on something to her right and smiled at how cool it felt. She wrapped her arms around it. “That feels really good.” She rubbed her face on what turned out to be a very soft pillow. “It even smells really good. You won’t leave me, will you, pillow? No, you won’t. I can just count on you to be a better person.”

  “Who are you talking to in there? I hope you aren’t calling anyone on my phone because most of the people I know are not going to be happy about getting a call.”

  “Oh, your phone. I need to get that out.” Naomi started looking around for her purse. “Purse, where did you go?”

  “Hold on, I’ll get it for you. Don’t get off that couch.” The voice sounded almost melodic to her.

  “You know, Silas, you have a really nice voice. It has a nice resonance. That’s probably why people feel so comfortable around you, you feel like home.”

  The seat beside her pressed down. “I have no idea what you mean, but here, drink this. Water first and last. I’ll get your purse when you have finished the second glass of water.”

  “Are you trying to get something out of me? Blackmailing me into drinking more while you keep my purse.”

  “If I’m being honest, I would prefer not to get anything out of you. It would be best to rush this stuff through your system because I don’t want you sleeping on the bathroom floor.”

  “Are you trying to keep me here all night?” Naomi looked into both of Silas’ faces.

  “Given your current condition, I don’t see how it’s going to be possible to take you anywhere tonight. Don’t worry. The only thing that is going to happen is I’m going to get comfortable, and you are going to get a lot of very rough sleep.”

  “What do you mean about getting comfortable?”

  “Don’t worry about it. You’ll be too far gone to care.”

  “Are you planning on taking advantage of me?” Naomi looked into his face, suddenly starting to think that she had made a huge mistake.

  “Not a chance. I’m not about to do anything with a woman who is on the verge of vomiting. But I need to be functional tomorrow, and this stuff isn’t going to work fast enough.”

  Naomi tried to focus her vision on him before giving up and taking the water. “I trust you. This is just water?”

  “Yeah. Don’t guzzle it, though. You need to take it a bit slowly so that you don’t upset all of the alcohol in your stomach.”

  Naomi took a few sips. “Do you take care of a lot of drunk women?”

  “More than my share of drunk men and women. Comes with the incredible constitution. Alcohol works its way out of my system faster than anyone else’s. By tomorrow you won’t even be able to tell that I went out drinking.”

  “That must come in handy.” Naomi took another sip and shivered.

  “Let me get you a blanket. You’ll be uncomfortable enough without being cold, too.” The pressure beside her shifted, and she nearly sloshed a bit of water as Silas left the room.

  Naomi put her lips on the glass and began to blow bubbles in the water as it neared her mouth. Some of it splashed up and went up her nose. Coughing and spluttering as she poured water on herself, Naomi let out a gasp.

  Like magic, Silas was by her side. “One of those drunks, huh? Should have known. The more straight-laced someone is sober, the more of a handful they are when they have had a bit too much to drink. Here’s a towel to dry off a bit.” He handed her a fluffy item as he took the glass out of her hand. “You can have the water back when you are ready.”

  Naomi dabbed at the water. “Can I get another shirt? This one is making me cold.”

  “Finish your water and the other drink, and then you can change. No point in going through several shirts.”

  Placing the towel in her lap, Naomi held out a hand. “Okay, I’ll finish the water.” Silas retrieved it and passed it to her. Naomi looked at him as he watched her. After taking a sip, she asked, “You seem almost completely back to normal.”

  “I’m still drunk, but have an automatic reaction to taking care of people when the need arises.”

  “I think that may be your path right there, then. You could go into the medical field, therapy, or even social work. With your personality, I’m sure anyone who gets you is going to be just fine.”

  Silas laughed, causing Naomi to smile as she watched him shake his head and straighten up some pillows she had kicked over.

  She placed the empty glass on the closest table top. “I’ll take the other drink now.”

  “Sure, but, ah,” he gave Naomi a strange drink that appeared to give off a glow, “could I get you to give me my phone back soon? I forgot to check about something tomorrow, and by the time I get up, it will be too late.”

  “I'm fine with you getting it.”

  “What? No, I don’t want to dig through your purse. That never yields good results.”

  “Speaking from experience?” she quipped just before taking a sip of the odd drink.

  “Yeah. Cora has taught me everything I need to know about dealing with the fairer sex. How do you feel?”

  Naomi’s eyes were wide and she was looking at the drink. “This is really good! I thought these kinds of drinks were supposed to be disgusting.”

  “Oh, yeah, I add a couple of things to make it taste better. Have to be careful to get the right measurements in there, otherwise it just makes you feel worse for a couple of hours. No, no, no, no!” Silas moved forward quickly and took the drink from her hands. “You don’t guzzle it. Never down anything when you have had too much to drink.”

  “I can drink the next one more slowly.”

  “There isn’t a second one. It is best that you not have anything like that again for about a week because some of that stuff will build up in your system. It cleanses the alcohol by pushing it out and replacing it.”

  “Is it dangerous?” Something in her mind was trying to sound alarms, but Naomi’s hand still reached for the drink.

  “As long as you don’t drink a lot of them, it’s fine. Human bodies just don’t handle it as well, so better to be safe than sorry.”

  Something about what he said really sounded wrong, but Naomi couldn’t quite figure out what was bothering her. She frowned as she took another sip of the drink, her eyes scanning the room. “You have a nice place.”

  “Thanks. Haven’t been here too long, so still have boxes around. Hoping to get those taken care of this weekend. Not sure if that will happen now, though.”

  “Sorry for inconveniencing you and getting in the way of your big weekend plans.” Naomi was staring into her drink, her mind mostly thinking about that rather than the conversation.

  “I wasn’t planning on doing it tonight. Was going to get started tomorrow morning, but that clearly isn’t going to happen.”

  “Yeah, but you are stuck with that because you wanted to make me feel better.” She held up a finger and pointed at him. “I remember you agreed to take tomorrow morning because you were trying to make a point about me.”

  Silas shrugged. “You are worth it. Besides, it’s not the first weekend where I intended to do it but ended up postponing.”

  “Thanks,” Naomi smiled at him, the drink starting to make her feel warm on the inside. She finished it, then put it on the table. “I think that is it for me. Going to just go to sleep.”

  Silas grabbed her arm, “Oh no, not yet. One more glass of water, and you need to change your shirt.”

  Naomi looked down. “Ah, right. Forgot about that. I just feel so sleepy now, I could just fall asleep right here.”

  “Sounds about right, but you need to fight through it for a bit and drink at least half of the water. Otherwise, you are going to wake up with a very uncomfortable emergency.”

  “What do you mean?” Naomi gave him a look.

  “You don’t want to know, so just drink some water. Then I’ll get you a shirt
and help you to the bathroom to clean up.”

  With a sigh, Naomi began sipping the water. “You are being more enigmatic now. Are you doing that intentionally?”

  Silas stopped preparing a blanket and looked at her. “I think you are just too drunk for anything to make sense at the moment.”

  “I doubt it. There’s no way it could affect my brain that much.”

  “Yeah, it’s obvious you have never been drunk before. When Alaric gets drunk, he can barely understand English. I am not great with computers, but I had to learn programming languages enough to talk in them during the early days of his startup. God, I was too young to be exposed to that, too.”

  “You took care of that guy?”

  “Well, Cora helped. And neither of us complained about getting to stay at his place for a night. Good times.” He smiled. “Almost worth everything that we had to deal with trying to take care of him.”

  “Did Cora learn computer language, too?”

  “Oh God, no, that is absolutely not how her brain works. Besides, with the things he was talking about, it was definitely best that she not understand. Family issues stay in the family. Cora may be like a sister to me, but I’m not the one who let her in on the stuff our family tries to keep hidden. That was all Emery. And Ryland let Serenity know. I swear, it’s like they find their mates and suddenly all caution goes out the window.”

  Naomi spat out a little water back into the glass. “They find their what?”

  “Don’t worry about it. You won’t remember come morning any way.”

  “I wish you would stop doing that.”

  “Finish your water, get changed, and then I will stop talking entirely.”

  “I have a hard time imagining you being able to be quiet.”

  “Really?” Silas had a pained expression. “Is that really how people see me?” Then he shrugged, “If I'm being honest, I would prefer not to talk at all right now. I have a lot on my mind, and this is really just a distraction. I’ve only been talking because you seem to be chatty.”

  “Oh, don’t put yourself out on my account. If you feel like being silent, go for it.” Naomi put the glass down. “I need to use the bathroom.” She tried to stand up, but fell back onto the couch.