by KD Jones
“How long did that take you?”
“A day.”
She laughed, she couldn’t help it. Her laughter died out as she stared at his lips. She had wanted to kiss Jay for what seemed like forever. Finally, he leaned down and claimed her with his mouth. Their tongues entwined and all her thoughts flew from her mind as her body responded to his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. His hands on her ass made her moan with need, then…
“Hey! Get a room!”
Someone driving by honked and yelled at them. She felt heat rise to her cheeks. She had forgotten that they were making out in a parking lot at a motel in broad daylight. When it came to Jay, she couldn’t think straight.
He let her go, sighing. “We’ll finish this later, my truck is over there.”
Oh wow, there was a later? She felt excitement coursing through her veins at the thought. Yes, there would be a later and she would definitely make sure they were naked.
Chapter 8
Jay had a hard time not reaching over to touch Cat’s hand. His arousal was taking a long time to go down. If they hadn’t been interrupted, he would have taken her right there in the motel parking lot in broad daylight. Instead, he was in a small cab of his truck. Cat’s scent was even stronger and his body was aching for her.
“Yes, take mate,” his inner wolf demanded.
That was the constant battle he had with himself. He wanted Cat more than he wanted anything, but this wasn’t the best timing. Jay needed to keep his head on straight so that he could concentrate on protecting Cat and her grandmother.
“What are you thinking about?” Cat asked, shifting in her seat. Her hands kept rubbing up and down her jean-clad thighs.
“How glad I am that we were interrupted. I don’t want our first time to be marked by a public scandal.”
She laughed and some of the tension eased. “Me either. God, what if Granny had seen that? I would be grounded and she would promise to take a shotgun to you for sure.”
Jay stiffened and glanced at her in concern. “She owns a shotgun?”
She laughed even louder. “No, but you should have seen your face.”
He sighed with relief. “Don’t give a man a heart attack.”
“No, there’s not a shotgun you have to worry about with Granny. If someone gets on her bad side, she might put a spell on them making them itch in all the wrong places or their balls shrink to half their size.”
He gulped. “You’re kidding again, right?”
She laughed. “You’re just so easy to get.”
He chuckled. “I’m warning you right now, beautiful, I exact payback.”
“What kind of payback?”
“I could lick your sweet pussy and just before you come, pull back. I would torment you like that for hours.”
He inhaled and caught scent of her arousal as it spiked. “You like the idea of that, don’t you?”
“You shouldn’t say things like that.”
He glanced at her. “Why not? I want you and you want me. Why shouldn’t I tell you all the things I want to do to you? I’m dying to know what delicious things you want to do to me.”
She gasped. She opened her mouth, and then closed it only to open it again. Clearly, he had stunned her into silence once more. This was getting to be a habit. Her face turned a lovely shade of pink. She was shy, and that was adorable. Finally, she got a few words out, but it wasn’t what he was expecting.
“Look out!”
He turned his head back to face forward just in time to see a big semi swerving their way. The semi jackknifed and turned on its side. Jay jerked the steering wheel hard to the right but he knew that the truck was going to hit them directly. He had just enough time to unbuckle his seatbelt hoping that he could cover Cat’s body with his and protect her the best he could.
Cat put out her hand and chanted, “Et sursum moventur...et sursum moventur...et sursum moventur.”
He felt her power surge, her eyes glowed, and her hair started to float around her face. The semi seemed to lift up in the air just enough that it went right over them, then it slid far to the other side of the road on its side.
“What the hell?” He pulled the steering wheel the other way, trying to keep from hitting the trees that were coming up on them fast. They had missed the semi, only to be taken out by the forest...or were they?
“Prohibere...prohibere!” Cat chanted raising her hands then slamming them down hard.
The truck suddenly came to an abrupt stop and because Jay didn’t have his seat belt on, he hit the steering wheel then went further hitting the windshield cracking it. The glass cut his temple.
“Son of a bitch!” He reached up and touched the gash that was bleeding. His chest felt bruised where it had hit the steering wheel.
“Oh my God! Are you okay, Jay?”
“Yeah, except for the cut on my head and a few bruises. Nothing that won’t heal with a shift or two. It could be worse if you hadn’t done whatever it was you did.”
“I did a spell to lift the semi and then to make the truck stop. I’m just glad I didn’t freeze up like I did the other two times. This time, I saw it coming in enough time. Next time...we might not be so lucky.”
He looked over and saw that she was shaking badly and her face was pale. He unhooked her seatbelt and pulled her on to his lap. “Shhh...it’s okay. We’re safe.”
“We could have died! You could have died!”
“I know, but we didn’t thanks to you.”
She pulled back and looked into his eyes with fear. “Someone really is trying to kill me. What about Granny?”
He pulled out his cellphone and handed it to her. “Call Rod and check on her. I’m going to go have a talk with the driver of that semi.”
“Be careful, both of you.”
His wolf pushed forward a little to make his eyes glow. “We will.”
*****
Cat watched as Jay ran across the street, afraid to take her eyes off of him for even a second. She held the phone to her ear and listened to Rod’s ringback tone of “Bad to the Bone.”
“Jay, where are ya, bro?”
“It’s Cat. We’ve had an accident, or almost had one. Is Granny okay?”
“She’s fine, went to the kitchen to cook a meal for us. What kind of accident? Is Jay okay?”
“He hit his head on the windshield and has some bruises on his chest but should be okay.”
“How did this happen?”
“A semi jackknifed in the road and almost collided with us.”
“What?”
“It didn’t hit us but when I used a spell to stop Jay’s truck from hitting some trees, he fell forward and hit the steering wheel and the windshield. He wasn’t wearing his seatbelt.”
“Stubborn bastard. You’re both okay though? Were you injured?”
“No, we’re fine. I’m just freaked out.”
“Where’s Jay?”
“He’s going over to talk to the semi driver.”
“Stay there, I’ll call Alpha Lucas to have someone come out and escort you to the cabin.”
“Thanks, Rod. Make sure you watch over my Granny. In fact, don’t tell her what happened until I get there. I don’t want her to lose it.”
“What kind of man would I be if I lied to little old grannies?”
“One that’s bad to the bone,” she teased him, smiling.
“Fine, but stay there until help gets there.”
She hung up and got out of the truck. Jay had been over there too long. She got to the edge of the road but then Jay reappeared and motioned for her to stay where she was. He crossed the street with a serious expression on his face.
“Where’s the driver? Did he get away?”
“He’s dead. I need to call the sheriff and let him know what happened. Did you get hold of Rod?”
“Yeah, they’re fine. He’s calling your alpha to get some of the pack to come here to escort us to the cabin.”
When he reached
her, she couldn’t stop from throwing herself in his arms. “I was so scared.”
He rubbed his chin against the top of her head. “Me too. You did great though. You saved us, babe.”
“It could have gone the other way,” she said, looking up into his handsome face. It would kill her if anything happened to him. That realization made all her chaotic emotions settle down. This man was everything to her. “Jay…”
He claimed her lips briefly but it expressed almost everything that they were both feeling inside. Fear, relief, desire and something much deeper that it connected them soul to soul. She would do everything in her power to keep Jay safe.
Chapter 9
Two hours later
Finally, they made it to the cabin. Cat was beat. After waiting for the sheriff to come, and then the ambulance, whose emergency personnel had to pronounce the semi driver dead, they were told they could leave the scene. Several of the pack members had followed them to the cabin and were going to patrol the area. Rod had called an hour earlier and said that Granny James demanded to know why it was taking so long for them to get to the cabin. He had broken down and told Granny what happened. She didn’t blame him, she knew Granny could be very difficult to deal with when it came to something Granny cared about.
Cat had just gotten out of the truck when her grandmother burst out of the cabin door. Luckily, Rod was there at her side, keeping her from running down the stairs.
“Where is she?”
“I’m here, Granny, everything is fine.” Cat walked up the steps and hugged her grandmother reassuringly.
“Praise the Lord. Thank you, Jay, for keeping my girl safe,” Granny James gushed, showing obvious relief.
Jay stood on the bottom step. “Actually, Cat kept us safe. She cast a spell that made the semi lift right over us. Then she made our sliding truck stop before it hit a bunch of trees.”
Granny looked at her with pride. “Your powers are becoming stronger as the blue moon approaches. This is a good sign.”
“I’m just grateful that I had time to cast the spells. I didn’t freeze up like before.”
“Come on inside and let me make you some hot tea. I fried up some pork chops and put them in the oven to keep them warm for you. You must be starving.”
“I know I am,” Rod said breaking the tension and making everyone laugh.
They followed her grandmother inside the cabin and she got her first look at their new home.
It was very rustic and simple with an open floor plan. The kitchen had a bar and it opened up to the living room. There was a table between the kitchen and the living room and the most beautiful old stone wood-burning fireplace. Someone must have cut up some logs for them because there was a nice neat pile on the hearth and a fire was already blazing inside.
“This is nice, a little too nice.” She glanced at her grandmother in the kitchen pulling food out of the oven. How were they going to afford renting this place?
“There are two bedrooms on each side of the cabin and a bathroom in the middle,” Rod said as he pulled dishes down from the cabinets.
“Is something wrong?” Jay asked, pulling a chair out for her at the table.
She sat down, realizing that with Granny and Rod in the kitchen there was no room for her in there. She leaned over and whispered. “How much is the monthly rental on something like this?”
He frowned, “I didn’t ask, but I’m sure Adrian and Jackie will work something out that’s reasonable. We can ask them when they come over later.”
That surprised her. “Adrian and Jackie are coming over? Why?”
“They wanted to make sure the two of you were settled in okay.”
Cat felt the weight of owing Adrian and didn’t want to be beholden to him any more than necessary. She dropped the subject not wanting to upset Granny and looked up to take the plate from Granny.
“Oh man...that smells so good,” Rod commented plopping down on the other side of her.
“I cooked enough for everyone.”
Jay pulled out a chair for her. “Sit, Mrs. James. Rod will take the food outside to everyone.”
Rod glared Jay just as he had lifted a fork of food up to his mouth. He sighed as he got back up. “Yes, I’ll be just a moment Miss James.”
“Thank you, dear, but call me Mabel or Granny if you want...since we’re practically family.”
Cat almost dropped her fork as she glanced up at her grandmother. Did she know what was happening between her and Jay? Did everyone know?
Granny just smiled at her and buttered her biscuit. She glanced over at Jay to see how he was reacting but he was busy devouring the pork chop.
“This is delicious, Granny,” Jay said between bites.
She raised an eyebrow at him but he winked at her. What could she do? She was outnumbered.
Rod came back inside and plopped down in an empty chair. He knocked Jay’s hand out of the way when Jay reached for another pork chop. “Hey, save some for me.”
Jay growled. For a moment, Cat thought that they would break into a fight but they each grabbed another pork chop and settled down. She didn’t know if it was a werewolf thing or a brother thing or a twin thing that caused them to feel like competing against each other, but they tried to out-eat and out-drink each other. Their competitiveness was a bit crazy but also kind of funny. She looked up at Granny, who shook her head and gave her a knowing smile. It was something she might have to get used to if she spent any more time with Jay. She wanted that.
Was there going to be more with Jay? Should she even be thinking about a relationship with him at this time? Some crazy person was trying to kill her. She needed to stop them before her grandmother or someone else she cared about got hurt.
“Eat dear, everything will be better in the morning,” Granny James told her, patting her hand.
Granny always told her that when she had a bad day. Growing up an orphaned bastard she had a lot of bad days. Ignoring those depressing thoughts, she cut up her pork chop.
Jay looked over at her with hopeful eyes. “Can you cook like this, too?”
Granny James snorted and Cat looked offended. “Hey! I can cook...some things.”
“Don’t worry, Jay, I won’t let you starve,” Granny chuckled when Cat huffed and mumbled how she was underappreciated.
He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “I’m sure you have other...talents.”
Heat covered her entire body as she gasped. Granny couldn’t have heard him but obviously his brother did if his smile was anything to go by.
“You are so bad.”
Rod joined in. “Bad to the bone, baby.”
She laughed. “You have got to change that ring back.”
“What do you recommend?”
“Oh...there’s this great song I heard the other day called Little Boy Blue. It’s got a jazzy feel to it and let’s face it, you can act like a little boy.”
“Hey, I resent that remark,” Rod commented with a laugh.
Granny frowned. “I don’t understand this ring back.”
“It’s a ring back tone on Rod’s cell phone. It plays when people call him. It needs to be changed.”
“Well, I’ll leave all that to you young folks. These phones nowadays are just too complicated.”
Jay looked over at Rod. “When are you leaving for Bluesville?”
“After Ric gets here.”
Both men turned to look at the closed door of the cabin. Jay nodded in that direction. “Well, he and Adrian just arrived.”
Cat suddenly lost the rest of her appetite. Two of the most powerful men she had ever met were standing right outside her door.
Chapter 10
Three hours later
Cat was sitting on the sofa next to her grandmother, who was starting to doze off. Ric and Adrian were discussing things with Jay. Rod had left shortly after Ric showed up.
She gently shook the older woman’s arm. “Granny.”
“What?” she asked groggily.
“Let’s get you to bed.”
“I need to know what’s going on?”
She stood up and helped her grandmother to her feet. “I promise to tell you everything in the morning.”
“Good night, gentlemen,” Granny James said.
“Good night, Mrs. James,” Ric said.
“Sleep well, Mabel,” Adrian bowed, showing his age.
“Good night...Granny,” Jay said, winking at them.
It made Cat feel good that these men who barely knew them were going out of their way to make them safe. “I’ll be back.”
She helped Granny to her bedroom. “Both bedrooms are the same size and the bathroom is here, across the hallway, so I picked the room closest to it,” Granny explained.
Cat patted her back. “That’s good. You had time to unpack?”
“I had to do something while waiting for you. I can’t tell you how worried I was.”
She hugged Granny. “We were lucky that I didn’t freeze. It’s all thanks to your teachings. It just...clicked.”
Granny took her face in her hands and looked at her with love and pride. “You are coming into your own and will soon be the strongest witch in these parts. That’s your lineage. The blue moon power has always gone to the strong coven leader performing the chant. That’s probably why Geraldine has been targeting you.”
“But you’re the stronger of the two of us.”
Granny shook her head. “No, my powers have reached a peak. You are nearly at the same level as I. The blue moon will only renew my power but not increase it. You will be the most powerful witch around. With that comes a responsibility to the other witches and to the craft.”
“I’ll do my best to make you proud.”
“Honey, I couldn’t be more proud.”
Granny pulled out her nightgown. “I’ll leave you to get ready for bed. Good night.”
“Good night dear. Oh...you should probably have Jay stay inside overnight. He’s been through so much and he’ll feel much better about watching over you more closely.”