“You never had me,” I hissed and she turned to make a quick exit. I watched as she quickly loaded back into her truck, paused for a moment and then squealed out of the strip. Hines turned from the door with huge eyes and glanced at Greyden and I.
“Your mom,” he whispered and then joined us. “Never a dull moment!”
We ordered a lunch and I managed to keep down a rare burger. Hines told me that my diet would pretty much remain the same but I would like things a little more on the bloody side. My hunger for humans would only be severe if I let it or if I frenzied out of pure rage. I would have to learn how to keep my feelings in check if I wanted to tame my beast. That was going to be a major test with everything going on around me.
I found out that Laney and her husband were both Were natured and that the Dehaven family was also. Greyden was right, nearly every family was Were. I sighed and mentally beat myself up for not catching on after all this time. Hines, however, warned me that most families did not care to discuss it with others. Packs stayed pretty private about their “Were-affairs”. I could respect that. I would try my best to not behave any differently now that I knew the town’s deepest secret. Hines promised to answer any other questions I might have about my new way of life and then hurried off back to work.
After paying for our lunch we headed to the house. Greyden had to report to the fence line for duty. I sulked off to the shop thinking about my mother’s face. Had she been a blonde there would have been no denying that we were related. I imagined her and my father happy in the past and that just caused me to send a toolbox sailing across the shop. I sat in the office for over an hour after cleaning up my mess and turned to look at the clock. It was almost seven and I growled that I had more questions than answers after an eventful morning.
I eyed the drawer where I knew Viv’s phone number was. I slowly opened it and pulled it out. My fingertips traced my Pop’s handwriting. I recalled being told that she and my father had kept in touch through out the years. I wondered if he told her all about my accomplishments as I grew up. I wondered how she reacted to the news of my Pop’s death. Suddenly I felt bold enough and grabbed the phone.
As I turned it on, there was no dial tone.
“Hello? D,” I heard from the other end. It always creeped me out when someone would call as you were about to call out. The voice on the other end disturbed me more.
“What do you want,” I asked Murphy. His heavy breath on the other end of the line was intoxicating. I sighed heavily and started to hang up.
“D, don’t hang up. I know your mother came today.” I paused, sure he was stalking me. “I called her. I told her to go see you. You need answers.”
“Stay out of my business, Murphy.”
“You know I can’t,” he replied. My gut twisted and I found myself searching for how deep this bond truly ran. If my mother was in the same bond with Darius then how could she love my father? The way I love Greyden? I hung up without warning and tossed the phone on the desk.
CHAPTER 20
A knock at my door startled me awake. My hand shot under my pillow to grab my gun as I peeled the sheets off my legs and crept down the stairs. Greyden was still at work and I had gone to bed early, mentally exhausted. A glance at the clock in the kitchen told me it was half past ten. I wasn’t expecting any company.
Grabbing my cell phone I quickly dialed Greyden. Voicemail. Damn. I could see a tall man’s silhouette through the drapes of the living room window. Another loud knock at the door made me jump and slip to the back door. I could hear footsteps at the back of the house, boots scraping the sandy lot by my clothes line. I froze and listened as my front door knob began to turn. They were testing my locks. For fucks sake!
I ran to the kitchen window that faced where my truck was parked and found that I was blocked in by a huge black Ford pick up truck. It appeared to be one of the same trucks I had seen Darius and his crew with at the Pit. Fuck, what was I going to do?
Suddenly I heard a soft howl. They were taunting me. Laughter sounded out back and someone threw something at the window in my laundry window. No broken glass, just enough noise to make me panic. I felt a growl in my chest and turned for my stairs. Quickly I shuffled upstairs to an old gun safe and pulled out my Remington that my Pops had used for hunting. I slapped a new clip into my Browning and holstered it at my side over my tank top and black shorts. With the rifle in my arms I quickly climbed up to the attic and out onto the roof with quiet and careful footing.
Out of sight at the moment, I sat and watched for a clear shot. The man who was creeping around in the back came into sight at the side of the house close to the kitchen window. I knew that blonde head of hair and smirked Crouched down, I took aim and nearly fell when I watched the top of his bleached head explode. Howling and screaming followed as two men raced around from the front of the house to grab Markham. The Asian man, Xander picked him up like a rag doll and ran towards the bed of their truck. The second man was Charlie and his big eyes turned up in my direction.
“Crazy bitch,” I heard him utter and then he scattered out of sight.
“Dakota, there is no need for that,” boomed the voice of Darius. I suddenly felt his commanding heat. I nearly dropped the riffle and lost my footing. I hit my hip and rolled to the first floor roofing. I could hear heavy boots on the porch beneath me as I scrambled to my feet and took a shot at the truck, flattening a rear tire. “Dakota, I only wish to talk to you,” Darius spoke.
“There is nothing left to talk about. If you are here to kill me, try!” I laid the riffle on the roof and pulled my Browning. With an extra hand to use while scaling the roof I made my way to the side of the porch where the swing hung. I heard Darius approach the same end and take a seat.
“Why would I want to kill you, love,” he asked. I could hear Charlie fussing over Markham’s condition and begging for them to let him kill me already. “Xander, silence the pest,” Darius barked in their direction and I watched Xander pull a Glock and fire at Charlie’s head. Charlie tumbled backwards out of the bed of the truck and into my sandy driveway. Blood pooled as he lay motionless. I had a feeling he wouldn’t be getting up from that blow. Silver bullet.
“Fuck,” I whispered and tried my best to remain in the shadows above him.
“No need in hiding. I can smell you and feel you. I know your mother came to see you today…I smell her,” he added.
“I had nothing to say to her,” I replied. I heard the chains to the porch swing begin to groan as he began to swing.
“She only wished to ask you to come willingly.”
“Come where? I don’t want to go to Reno to be with her. I want my life here. Why is it so important to you two that I come with you,” I was dying to know the answer. I lost my footing again and fell to the sandy ground with a rib cracking thud. The breath had been knocked out of me and I lay a stunned for a few seconds. I could hear Darius stand from the swing and slowly walk down the porch steps. I rolled to my side as he grew closer and tried to pick myself up. His scent of smoked cedar washed over me and his heat cradled me.
“Just trust me,” he whispered as he squatted down to be closer to my face. He reached out and wiped dirt from my cheek as my eyes searched for my gun. I had lost it in the fall. I found myself scared in that moment. I lifted my eyes to his and spied his amused smirk.
“Why should I,” I asked as I jerked back out of his reach. Peeved he stood and came close once more. Reaching down with a firm grip, he grabbed me up by my hair and jerked me screaming to my feet.
“Because I’m your real father,” he barked and shoved me in the direction of my truck.
My knees gave out and I fell to them on the sand covered cement of my driveway. I felt my whole body quake and my back arched forward. My nails bit into the ground and I growled deeply.
“You are not my father,” I cried out. “I’m a Marshall!” I could feel him approach me from behind as I began to feel myself shift.
“Mistakes have been made,
love. You see, Viv, was already pregnant when she met your father. Only a week or two. She was sure the baby was his though. When she couldn’t take the withdrawals from me any longer she hid until she had the baby and left it with him. Thinking she could wipe her hands free of all of this and just come crawling back to me. I later found out she was still in touch with your dear…daddy and I knew I had to put a stop to it. When I came to take him out…I found you. I didn’t even know she had had a child. There you were all grown up, looking just like her. But there was more. Your fear hit the air and your scent with it. There was no denying that you were mine. We smell it, we feel it, we taste it…” he informed me as he circled to face me. Reaching down he lifted my chin and raised my eyes to his.
“You are not my father,” I cried again and he just looked at me with pity in his eyes. “Even if you are telling me the truth…the man who loved me for all those years is my father. You will NEVER be the man he was to me.” His free hand seared across my cheek and left me with the taste of my own blood in my mouth. “So that’s how you treat your long lost daughter,” I asked, livid.
“You will come back with me and speak with your mother. She will tell you its true and you will be part of our pack. You are my kin and I wish you to…” his words were ended by someone choking softly. Our eyes darted in the direction of the truck bed where a beast stood with the head of Xander in its grip. Darius nearly choked on his own shock and ran beneath my parking shelter with my truck as his shield. He was now alone. His three minions were all dead, though I wasn’t sure about Markham. A guttural howl made my ears ring as the beast in the back of the truck hopped out and slowly walked in my direction.
My eyes met bone chilling silver eyes and right away I knew it was Murphy. The closer he got the more our static hum engulfed us. There was a protective heat that enveloped me as he circled me and came into better view of Darius. I could see two piercing electric green eyes from the shadows of the parking shelter and heard a growl that shook my core.
“You can’t have her,” Murphy growled. Hunched over, he was ready to attack. I felt myself longing to shift and be at his side but something kept my beast at bay and I remained on my knees.
“No,” Darius whispered harshly. The static in the air crackled and it almost felt like a shield was dropped. My eyes widened and searched the shadows for Darius. When I found him he was still in his human state and had a look of sadness and disgust in his eyes. Shock kept him from saying more.
“Then you know who I am,” Murphy growled though his voice was more human as he appeared to slowly be morphing back. “As I said, you cannot have her.” Murphy stood straight and backed up to stand next to me. His big hand reached down with a rough grip and pulled me up to my feet. Still feeling weak, I leaned against him as his arm went around my shoulders. I felt safe and protected there in his hold. I watched Darius step cautiously out of the shadows and into the moonlight before us.
“She is my daughter and I won’t allow you to stay bound to her,” he protested as calmly as he could. “Dakota, this monster will be the death of you. He must die!” For the first time I saw Darius lighten up as he looked worried and seemed to age ten years before my eyes.
I found worry in my own gut. Why did Darius seem to fear this man? Who was Murphy?
“She is not your daughter. You would have killed her before her father had you known she were born sooner. Dakota is what kept your mate half-bound to Marshall. Killing her would have granted you your Viv’s heart and obedience once more but as long as Dakota lives, Viv will always pine for Marshall and defy you. Dakota, Marshall is your father. Don’t listen to this man. He must kill you or your mother will never fully be his again. This is why I tried to avoid the Bind. It causes so much pain and sorrow. I’m so sorry.” Murphy held me tighter and looked at Darius. “Leave or die.”
Darius growled heavily knowing Murphy had foiled his plan. I was slowly starting to see the dangers that now surrounded my new life. By having a child with my father, my mother was linked to him too and no longer completely Darius’s. It would take killing me to own her again. I didn’t want to be…owned. The split second of safety in Murphy’s arms was over and my rage blinded me. All of this bloodshed, heartache and war was over this so called “Binding” and I was a Bound.
I heard a truck door slam and the huge black Ford roared to life. With a blown out tire, Darius drove off as fast as he could. Charlie’s body had been picked up and a huge puddle of blood scared my driveway. With my fists clenched at my sides I turned to Murphy.
“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?”
I watched as Murphy’s blood smeared bare chest rose and fell in a heavy sigh. His dark jeans looked damp with the blood of Xander and his bare feet were filthy. His moonlit gaze searched me over and when he was sure I was uninjured he offered his hand.
“Can we at least go inside and clean up? I will tell you everything,” he offered. I didn’t take his hand. Moving around him, I led the way. Having to grab a hidden spare key since the door was locked; I made a mental note to find a new spot. I walked in and left the door open for him. Feeling his warmth at my back, I knew he had followed. Dropping into a kitchen chair, I winched at the ache in my hip. I’m sure I did some damage having fallen twice. My ribs groaned in protest as I bent down to examine a scraped knee.
“You know where the shower is. I have some clean coveralls folded in the laundry room,” I informed him. He nodded, moved to the back room to collect clean clothes and lumbered towards the shower upstairs. I sat quietly as I watched him until he was out of sight. I listened for him to close the bathroom door and start the shower. Once I knew he was busy I lay my head down and wept.
My cell phone interrupted my self pity party. I sat up and grabbed it off the kitchen table in front of me.
“Greyden, where are you,” I asked in a hushed tone.
“At the Hole. I just wanted to check in on you. Whats wrong?” I could hear clinking glasses and loud conversations in the background.
Right away I wanted to tell him everything and have him rush home to me. But I knew that would stop Murphy from talking to me. I needed answers more than a rescue at the moment.
“I’m fine. I was just a little spooked earlier. I’ll be going back to bed soon,” I lied.
“Make sure everything is locked up and you are armed,” he chimed like he always did. I forced a smile even though I knew he couldn’t see me and sighed.
“Will do. Goodnight,” I whispered and hung up. My eyes remained on the blue glowing screen of my phone as I wondered if I had made the right call or not. I reminded myself of what the man upstairs was capable of doing to me…what he had done to me. I started to hate this new nature forced upon me and the Bound curse that came with it. Would I never be able to love another? Would I never be able to have children without him wanting to hunt them down because I belong to him? Greyden and I would never be able to be as we once planned. I would never want Greyden to be hurt. Was I a death wish for Greyden now? My hands shook and I forced myself out of my seat. At the kitchen sink I rinsed my face and hands and tried to catch my breath.
While waiting for Murphy, I stepped outside and collected my guns. I propped the Remington up by the front door and lay my Browning on the kitchen table before me.
Murphy quietly came from the stairs and took a seat at the table kitty corner from me. He leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. I took a deep breath and the scent of old leather and that woodsy cologne filled my senses, molesting my core.
“I have no pack. I’m who they call the Lone Wolf. They fear me because I hunt our own kind. I weed out the worst of them. The bad tracking the bad. It’s how I find them,” his deep voice rolled into the darkness around us. “I spare none and take out who ever stands between me and them…even if they are an innocent.” He didn’t sound proud of this. “We have to be controlled somehow. As long as I am around the government big boys stay at bay. If we get too out of control…they wipe us ALL out.” He hung his head fo
r a moment and then lifted his eyes to meet mine. They were still their hypnotic glowing silver. “I think they are too intimidated to send their own men out to sheriff and patrol us. I do the dirty work for them.” I nodded. I understood what he was saying. I was sad for anyone who died at his hand for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I didn’t even want to imagine how many there had been.
“So you are the sheriff,” I asked in layman’s terms. He cringed and then nodded. “Just a really big bad mean one,” I added. A faint smirk crossed those defined lips and my hormones set free. I crossed my legs and tried to sit up straight. My lip became prisoner for a moment and then pulled free when he noticed. We sat in silence for a moment and then I realized someone close to me would be in trouble. Mr. Hines. He had been killing humans and was dubbed the ET Murderer. I wondered if that’s why Murphy had come to Silverbow honestly.
“D, I’m sorry it was me,” he whispered as his hand slid to my knee. I didn’t shake him away. “I have a huge target over my head. People will always be gunning for me. The dumb ones don’t realize that without me they will all be taken out regardless. Its dangerous to be with me,” his last words held sorrow.
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