Hunted Flame

by Rebecca Airies

  “We told them that you had a stalker and that he’d attacked you.” Sawyer lifted his shoulder.

  “But I haven’t told them about any strange incidences before now. Won’t that make them a little suspicious?” She put the pitcher in the fridge. It was a good excuse, but using it could raise suspicion. They talked a lot. But there was more going on here than an extended stay for her. “Will this put them in any danger with the hunters?”

  “No, they don’t have someone watching our gates. We’ve watched and checked outside even before they tried to run through the gates.” He strode across the tile. “And your friends didn’t question anything. If they do, just tell them there were some little incidents that you didn’t connect until the attack. You thought it was normal everyday inconveniences.”

  “All right, I’m not sure they’ll buy it, but I’ll go with the stalker thing. They sure wouldn’t believe the truth. I’d end up in a psych ward.” She shook her head. Saying anything about gargoyles, transforming, and being attacked, but staying with strange men could get her locked up in a cell and medicated.

  “We’d bust you out one way or another.” Sawyer dropped a kiss on her head.

  She laughed. Good thing he did. She might need it if her friends found out the truth. “Nice to have someone there for me. Will you be all big bodyguard during this meeting, or will you stay in the other room so we can actually talk? They won’t feel comfortable relaxing around you.”

  He laughed. “I’ll be in the other room. Don’t worry. I realize at first they’re not going to be comfortable around me.”

  “What am I supposed to tell them about why I’m here? I know that you’re protecting me and that I have a stalker, but they’ll want to know why I’m not being protected by the police if I’m being stalked.” Hell, if one of her friends disappeared and gave that excuse, she’d ask that. “And they’ll want to know why I didn’t say anything about anything being wrong before now? We talk, and normally, I’d say something about that kind of thing even if it was just to vent.”

  “Good question. You must talk with them a lot if you think they’re going to ask you about it.” He leaned a hip against the counter.

  She nodded. “We do talk a lot. I was surprised neither of them had called me before.” Before now, she wouldn’t have known what to tell them. If they’d contacted her right after she got here, she might have tried to get them to help her leave. “Well, do you have any ideas, or should I wing it?”

  “No, don’t just make something up. You can tell them that you didn’t realize it was a stalker. That there were a couple things, maybe a flat tire and something like someone asking for you at work. But that you didn’t realize that it was someone stalking you.”

  He held out his hand. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. Touching them, relaxing with them, and even confiding in them came easier every day. Maybe too easy. Was this as permanent as they made it sound? She had to stay with them right now, but were they keeping her with them just to protect her?

  “All right, the stalker wasn’t obvious about his interest in me.” She leaned her head against his chest. The reason should work. Still, they had a few things to work out. “That doesn’t tell me what to tell them about you, Phoenix, and Noah if they pop in. They wouldn’t believe that a relationship began all of a sudden, especially a ménage. I don’t move that fast.”

  “Is there someone they know you trust, but couldn’t talk to who might be behind us taking care of you?” Sawyer’s hands flattened over her buttocks.

  “Yeah, my grandfather. He died. I guess you could know him and have volunteered to keep me in the safety of this community.” She exhaled. A pang shot through her. It was still hard to believe the vibrant man was gone. “Do you think that would work?”

  “Maybe if you say we met him through our fathers. They might buy that a little more than he trusted men who look like they’re only a little above your age.” Sawyer dropped a kiss on her head.

  “Actually, that would work better. Grandpa had a card game he went to regularly. I’d mentioned a couple times about that and meeting some of the men’s sons.” She nodded. That would be a logical reason for her to trust them. “We probably should have gone over this a little earlier.”

  “Yes, we probably should have talked about how close you are to your friends. But we did get it all answered before they arrived. One of the men at the gate will call when they get here.” He lifted her. “Do you want to play with me for a little while?”

  “We’d both end up frustrated. I got a text not too long ago that they were close.” She laughed but brushed her lips across his. He was such a temptation. Hard body, gorgeous muscles, and a sinful mouth. Almost irresistible.

  A tune burst from Sawyer’s phone. He stiffened and groaned. She laughed.

  “Damn.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and swiped his finger across the screen. “Sawyer here. You’re on speaker, Sean.”

  “Hi, Sawyer and Tempest, if you’re close enough to hear.” The voice laughed.

  Tempest smiled. He sounded like a charmer.

  “She’s right next to me. Are her friends here?” Sawyer tightened his arms around her.

  “Yeah, I’ll escort them right to your front door,” Sean said.

  “Good, we’ll see you soon.” Sawyer patted her ass.

  “Bye, Sean.” Tempest trailed her hand over Sawyer’s chest as he swiped his thumb across the phone. Excitement raced through her. “See. I told you we’d be interrupted.”

  “So you did.” He smoothed his hand over her butt and straightened. “You can stand in the doorway to the living room, but I want you to stay out of sight until they’re in and I’m sure everything is as it should be.”

  “All right, but wouldn’t Sean have told you if something was wrong?” She poked his chest. If he’d heated her up and left her wanting, she’d have been one annoyed woman.

  “I’m just making sure that you stay safe.” He laughed. “Sean would have given us a sign if there was any type of trouble.”

  Chapter Eleven

  No trouble, but she couldn’t even greet them at the door. Paranoid man.

  The doorbell rang. She trailed Sawyer to the doorway of the living room but remained there as he continued down the hall to the front door. He checked the peephole and glanced back. She crossed her arms and stayed just in the living room’s entrance. Stubborn male. He swung the door open.

  “Hello, ladies. Tempest is waiting just down the hallway in the doorway to the living room. I’m Sawyer. Go on in.” Sawyer stepped back.

  “I’m Kelly, and that’s Maria,” black-haired Kelly said to Sawyer as she pointed to the blond, Maria. They strolled down the hallway.

  “I need to talk to you a moment, Sawyer,” Sean said as he stood in the doorway.

  “Girl, we were worried when we heard you weren’t working at the restaurant.” Kelly strolled up and hugged her, cutting off her view of the door.

  Tempest returned Kelly’s embrace and then hugged Maria. “Come on, we can go in the kitchen for a moment to get the snacks and head to the living room.”

  “Will we be able to talk privately, or will big and gorgeous loom close by?” Maria touched her arm.

  “We should get some private time. I told you that I’m staying here because staying at home wasn’t safe after the attack.” Tempest led the way down the hallway. And this was why she’d asked Sawyer for details. Her friends knew her, and disappearing and suddenly living with a man she hadn’t even talked about was hella strange. “He’ll probably pop in to make sure that I’m all right, but he has some work to do.”

  “But what the hell happened?” Maria asked, tugging on Tempest’s arm. “Who attacked you, and why aren’t you safe now? Are you sure it wasn’t just a mugger or some carjacker?”

  “Yes, I’m sure that it’s not just a mugger or carjacker. It’s a stalker, and I guess I missed seeing the signs until he came at me that first time. But he got away, so I’m not safe.
” Tempest pulled the sangria out of the refrigerator. “Could one of you get the platter of snacks out of the refrigerator and the other get the glasses, please?”

  “Sure thing.” Kelly grabbed the glasses and the small plates next to them. “Are you all right after your attack? I kind of expected more bruises.”

  “I had a concussion and some bruises on my arms as well as a mild abrasion on my scalp, but the bruises faded relatively fast. Occasionally, I still get headaches, but, at least, the dizziness is gone.” Tempest led the way back into the living room. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

  “What did you miss?” Maria put the platter down on the coffee table.

  Tempest sat down on the leather couch and poured the sangria into the cups. Damn, lying to them sucked. “There was a flat tire I thought was just a flat tire. Turns out someone punctured it. They suspect a couple of small incidents at my house were actually him seeing if he could get inside. Relax. I’m safe here. I’d love to talk and be normal for a little while.”

  “Crap, that’s kind of scary. You live all the way out at the edge of town.” Kelly shook her head.

  “How have you two been doing while all this drama is going on with me?” Tempest turned to face them. With the mating and the confirmation of the danger, she’d been so focused on everything around her she’d lost contact with them. “And since you two are driving back to the city, you realize that I’ll have to cut you off,” she joked, gesturing to the pitcher.

  Sawyer stopped in the doorway. “Hey, Tempest, I’ll be in my office if you need anything. If your friends would like to enjoy themselves and drink, I can have someone drive back with them to town and another car pick up the men.”

  “That won’t be necessary. We’ll switch to nonalcoholic after a couple of these.” Kelly shook her head. “I can’t get a hangover tonight. I have work tomorrow.”

  “If I need anything, I’ll call.” Tempest smiled and waved. Overprotective male. Nothing would happen to her simply because she was in a different room.

  “All right.” Sawyer nodded and walked away.

  “Now that he’s gone, who is he, besides one hot piece of man? You never told us about knowing anyone like him?” Kelly glanced at the now empty doorway. “Normally, you don’t keep that kind of thing secret from us.”

  Not that him walking away would keep him from hearing. Over the last few days, she’d learned that. Gargoyles had such sensitive hearing that unless he closed his office door, he’d probably hear everything they said. Not that it mattered. She wouldn’t be whispering anything to her friends. Maybe if the car hadn’t driven through the gates, she’d have tried it. Not now. Those damn hunters wouldn’t give up. Out on her own, she’d be an easy target and draw trouble to her friends.

  “That’s Sawyer. I thought I might have mentioned him before. Not by name, maybe, but I’m sure I did talk about him. His father was one of my grandfather’s friends.” Tempest tilted her head as she told the lie. Damn it, she hated this. Lying to them wrenched at her, but no way would they believe the truth about anything that had happened. Not even the being targeted, because she didn’t sell that scumbag her land.

  “I’m pretty sure I’d remember you mentioning a muscular hunk, because there’s no other way to describe him.” Marie shook her head.

  “How did you meet him if his father was your grandfather’s friend?” Kelly asked as she leaned forward and grabbed a small tart.

  Tempest lifted a shoulder. “Their fathers came over for one of grandfather’s poker games.” Best to work this in as if it was just natural. “I can’t remember what, but one of the men needed something and Sawyer brought it.”

  “Wait. You said their.” Kelly leaned forward.

  Sharp as a tack. That’s why she was studying to be a lawyer. “Yeah, I did. Sawyer is friends with the sons of a couple other men who played with Grandpa. When Sawyer can’t watch over me, one of them is there.”

  “But why are they doing it and not the police?” Kelly leaned forward, entirely focused.

  “What can the police do right now? We don’t even have a name for the man who attacked me. And it’s the first real attack. They told me to get better locks, buy a big dog, and don’t make myself vulnerable. They can’t put every possible stalking victim in protective custody.” She shook her head. It was the best they could come up with since they couldn’t actually go to the police with this.

  “Fuck, that sucks. I still don’t get why they decided to step up and play the hero. What are they getting out of it? You can’t afford to pay them, especially since you aren’t working.” Marie ran a hand through her hair.

  “It truly does suck.” Tempest nodded. It was screwed up more than they even knew. She held her glass between her palms. “They’re not getting anything from it. They’re doing it as a favor to their fathers. Their fathers are doing it because they don’t want to see me hurt and said that they know how much I meant to my grandfather.”

  “So basically, they’re being your angels.” Marie raised her eyebrows.

  “Basically. I’m pretty much stuck here though. I can’t go to work, because who knows when that crazy will strike next.” She sighed and lowered her head. Fortunately, this part was all too true, and she didn’t have to embellish. “I’ll probably go stir crazy before this is all finished.”

  “I’d already be climbing the walls if I had to stay in one place. This is a nice place though, and if I had to be stuck, this would be one of my choices. Especially if I could have the kind of eye candy you do. Are the others as good looking as he is?” Maria tipped her cup up.

  “Yes, the other two are handsome, too. Neither of you answered me when I asked how you were doing.” She lifted a hand and pointed at them. They weren’t distracting her. “Don’t think I’ll let that slide.”

  Maria shrugged and replied, “Well, compared to you, my week has been downright boring, if a little frustrating.”

  “What was frustrating?” Tempest tilted her head. Maria usually had a very positive attitude and was almost impossible to keep down.

  “My professors are just overloading me with crap right now, and I’m having a hard time finding the time to get to any of it with my boss being such a jerk.” Maria grimaced. “Typical for a slightly older-than-normal college student.”

  Tempest grinned. It probably wasn’t only the homework load. “Are the younger students also getting on your nerves? And what’s your boss doing now?”

  “Just keeping me late almost every damn day. It’s bad enough that he watches our break time and makes sure we don’t go even thirty seconds over, but he also wants to keep us overtime and not pay it.” Maria threw her hands up. “If the time clock wasn’t there, he’d certainly try it. And since the company put in that program that keeps track of our finished projects, he can’t say we’re slacking off.”

  “If I knew of any available jobs, I’d tell you to quit that sucky job.” Kelly shook her head.

  “Hell, if I didn’t have a bum ankle that wouldn’t last through even a couple waitressing shifts, I’d turn to waitressing. The tips would probably make up for the loss per hour.” Maria bit her lip. “I keep telling myself it’s only for a year and a half more. Maybe a year if I can get in some extra courses this fall.”

  “You’ll get through it, and soon, you’ll have to deal with the even worse attitudes of the dreaded high school students.” Tempest patted her friend's hand. Her friend was a special person. No way could Tempest teach high school students. She remembered all too well how much of a pain she and her classmates could be.

  Maria laughed. “I’m pretty sure that for at least the first few months dealing with those attitudes will feel better than dealing with dickhead every day.”

  “And what about you, Kelly? How has your week gone?” Tempest turned on the couch.

  “Well, since I didn’t end up in the hospital like you or want to kill my boss, I’m counting it as a win. The only annoying thing is some douche-nugget rear ended my car w
hile I was in the store the other day.” Kelly rolled her eyes.

  Tempest groaned. Ah, that sucked. Kelly loved her car. “Is your car all right? Did you have to take it to get repaired?”

  “A cracked bumper,” she answered, shaking her head. “Considering my deductible and the fact that I know Andy, it was just as easy to give Andy the money to get the new bumper and put it on and paint it to match the rest of my baby.”

  “Speaking of douche-nuggets, are your father and cousin still hounding you to give you that loan?” Maria titled her head.

  “No, but only because I started hanging up on them every time they mentioned it. Of course, now they don’t call, but that’s better than being hounded about a bad loan that I’m never going to take.” Tempest shook her head. Finally, they got the message. So much better not to have to deal with that crap.

  “They are seriously fucked up wanting to do that to you.” Kelly nodded.

  “Yeah, but my relationship with Dad’s side of the family has always been sort of dysfunctional, and with Grandpa gone and my mother the only one left on her side other than me, it’s what I have to deal with.” Tempest rolled her shoulders. The women on her dad’s side weren’t so bad, but the men, every one of them, had no compassion or only wanted to use people.

  “As long as you recognize it. They’d pretty much chew and spit you out if you didn’t.” Kelly shook her head.

  “I know. You always have to keep in mind what they really want, and with those two, it’s easy right now.” The fucking bastards had no respect for her grandfather’s wishes. Tempest wasn’t taking anything from them. No matter how long it took her to finish school otherwise.

  She talked with her friends over the next two hours. For most of that time, Maria and Kelly drank soda and citrus water. Her muscles relaxed. When they made noises that they had to leave, Sawyer came into the room.

  “Did you three have fun talking?” He strolled over.

  “Yes, but it’s almost time to go.” Kelly looked at the face of her phone.