Wayward Son (The Wayward Trilogy Book 1)

by Mandi Konesni

  Showing her the hidden switch for the outside door, he followed her inside, ensuring it closed behind them. Once inside, he shifted back to his human form, watching as she did the same. Belatedly, he wondered what type of special abilities she'd have. Most shifters ended up with at least one, if not more, even mates. The abilities came from the cats, not the genetics, as he understood it. He hadn't gotten that far in his thinking. Well... something else he'd have to explain.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  It'd been a week. He and Adele had spent a lot of time in leopard form so he could teach her as much as he could, getting her used to the sights, sounds, and smells she'd encounter. All senses were enhanced as a shifter, even in human form. It could be overwhelming if you weren't acclimated to it. She was getting more comfortable with shifting... she wasn't as fast as him, of course, but she was gaining ground.

  She'd caught her first fish in the stream, but was so shocked she promptly spit it out and cried as it'd been an accident. He'd reassured her the spawning fish tended to jump anywhere, so it wasn't her fault, even though he found the entire thing hilarious. He knew better than to actually laugh out loud at her. He liked his balls where they were, thanks.

  Thian had kept her hidden away at the cabin the entire time. It seemed best. Not only was it secluded, but it gave her a chance to settle into her new body, her new senses. Now, they were heading back to the apartment. He was nervous, of course, but they couldn't hide in the woods forever. In the city, she'd be surrounded by all the scents and sounds of the people around them, the shifters around every damn corner.

  She'd need to get used to the stench of the fast food joints, the exhaust from the streets, the constant noise from cars and trucks. It was why he wanted her to acclimate to a more natural setting first. Get her bearings before all hell broke loose, basically. Living in the city as a shifter required you to constantly push the thousands of distractions aside to get anything done. It was a learned skill, and it was time for Adele to begin learning it.

  Thian had called ahead to the Clubhouse, letting them know the two of them would be back in town. It was for safety, really. When it came to the Club, if they were going to be traveling, they kept in contact. Knox knew where each member was all at times. If shit went down, he needed to know where his key players were located. Once the call was made, they were on the bike and hit the road, the sun bright and the breeze cool. A damn perfect day to head home.

  He could feel the tenseness in her body as they got closer to the apartment. As the thrumming of the city swallowed them up. It was hectic and overwhelming, overloading the senses and felt like you were drowning. You got used to it, though. After a while, it all became background static. You learned to pick out the information you needed and discard the rest, to ignore anything that didn't directly apply to you at the moment. Her leopard would help her. He would, too. Now that she'd gotten her bearings in a quieter, more neutral environment, she needed to do the same in the location they'd be spending most of their time.

  Parking in the lot at their apartment, he helped her off the bike, careful to give her time as he saw her glancing around, eyes closed. He knew she was attempting to take in everything, to sort out what she was hearing and smelling. Trying to make sense of what 'home' was here. Once she opened her eyes and nodded, they made their way to the apartment, where he stopped and grabbed the neglected mail before ushering her inside. They'd have to head to the Clubhouse at some point today, but he wanted to give her time to rest, as well. He knew firsthand how much just getting your bearings could take out of you, especially when you weren't used to all the sensory input you were suddenly receiving. At least her leopard was helpful. His was... absolutely not.

  As Adele went in search of something to eat, he shuffled through the mail he'd brought in. She was shocked at how much more she was eating, but he'd reassured her it was simply the high metabolism of the cat, and nothing to do with her overeating... she needed the calories, so she should eat. Spotting a thick envelope with some sort of official seal on it from her lawyer, he sat that aside for her as he tossed the rest. Mostly bills and advertisements. The bills were on auto-pay, he barely paid attention to them anymore. He should stop the paper copies from coming, he just kept forgetting.

  There was a card from his mother about a party she was having. That got tossed as well. He had no interest in keeping contact with that side of his family any longer, not even for appearance’s sake. He had Adele, his Club members, and his Uncle Jake. He'd realized he didn't really need much more. Why spend time with people who despised him when he had people who cared for him and actually enjoyed his company? Nah, he wouldn't miss the rest of 'em at all.

  When Adele came in with sandwiches for both of them, he handed her the letter, settling back on the couch to eat. He couldn't help being interested though, especially as her lips curved downward in a frown, forehead wrinkling as she read. Whatever it was, she wasn't especially pleased.

  “What's going on, Princess? Anything I can do?”

  She glanced up, thinking a moment before her expression cleared. “Can you set up a meeting with Knox? We're heading over there anyway, right? I'd like us to be able to have a talk with him about something. It's important.”

  He didn't press her. If she wanted him to know, she'd tell him. Instead, he fired off a text to the President, relieved when he received one back just as quick. “He'll be there.”

  They finished eating quickly since the meeting was approved, hurrying to get over to the Clubhouse where Knox was waiting. Adele had brought the paperwork from the lawyer with her as they headed into Knox's office. As Knox glanced at him, Thian just shrugged. He had no damn idea what this was about, either. This was Adele's show.

  Taking a seat in front of the heavy wooden desk, Thian crossed his arms over his chest, kicking his feet out in front of him. Adele glanced between the two of them nervously before she sat the envelope down on the desk. Knox read over it quickly, before handing it to Thian. Scanning it, Thian wasn't quite sure he understood the situation. So the probate was over. Her father's home was officially hers. Why were they here?

  “What's the problem, Princess? It looks like everything's been sorted then, right? What's this got to do with the Club? With Knox?”

  She took a breath before shaking her head. “I don't want it. There are too many ghosts haunting the halls there for me. First my mom, then what my father did... the place will be forever tainted by memories I don't want. I'd rather start fresh somewhere else. It's a large house, fully furnished. It's private, there's a pool and wooded areas. No neighbors for miles.”

  Thian snorted. He knew that well. Trying to provide security for that place had been a goddamn nightmare. Especially with his little minx, who didn't listen worth a damn. “Place is so far from everything, it's a nightmare for security.”

  Adele sent him a grin, knowing he was talking about her and how they'd met. “Well, it doesn't help when someone absolutely refuses to listen to reason. Anyway, I was thinking it'd be a shame to let the place go to ruin. I'd rather not sell it if it can be of some use. I noticed you had to bring the women from the cabin here to recuperate and wait until their families were found. Which... well, no offense, but this is a biker club. Those women had been traumatized. The last thing they needed was loud men, loud noises, and people everywhere.”

  Knox steepled his fingers under his chin, watching her curiously. “What are you proposing, then?”

  “I'm suggesting we use it as sort of a halfway house. There are plenty of rooms, plenty of space. When you guys run missions like that again, where you have people that need a safe space for a bit, they can have an environment that isn't the Clubhouse, where they can get healthy and whole in an actual home. It's quiet, it's set away from everything. There's a gym and the pool for rehabilitation and exercising. We can have a few people stay there full-time to keep things in order, or hire someone, but I think it'd be far better for traumatized people than staying here.”

 
Thian glanced at Knox, who appeared to be giving the idea the consideration it deserved. Truthfully, it wasn't a bad plan. The Clubhouse wasn't really suited to hold the types of people they rescued on missions. They needed a more stable environment to heal in. The Clubhouse was loud and rowdy at the best of times. Not to mention that they had enemies... every motorcycle club did. Theirs were more dangerous as they were shifters, as well. Bringing already traumatized victims here wasn't the best plan. Her house might be the perfect option to keep them protected, safe, and out of the way. It certainly was fucking way outta the way.

  Thian nodded. “I think it's a damn good idea, Prez. If you agree, we can send a few guys up there, have them take a look at the place, see what they think about what needs done to make it suit our purposes and shit. She's right... I spent a lot of time canvassing the place for shifter activity. There's a lot of wooded land, lots of space. It'd be a good place for quiet and healing, something this house certainly ain't.”

  “You want to keep it in your name, or sign it over to the Club? Might be easiest to just keep it in your name, but I'm fine with whatever you'd like to do.”

  Adele thought for a moment before she shrugged. “I don't care. If it's easiest to keep it in my name, I'll set it up as a charity. That way everything is above-board and it won't be listed as a personal residence for me. It'll keep the people who don't like me off of the property and out of our hair. I can't exactly blame people in the town for disliking me after what my father did, but maybe setting it up as a charity will show people that I'm trying to make amends.”

  Thian reached out, taking her hand to press a soft kiss against her knuckles. He hated that she felt like she had to prove herself, but he understood the urge. What her father did was despicable. She wanted to fix it, however she could.

  Epilogue

  “I honestly don't care about gingerbread what-the-fuck details or crown moldings, Princess. For fuck's sake.”

  Thian was exasperated, but he figured he had a right to be at this stage. They'd been to ten... yes, ten houses in the last three days. Adele had her lists of needs and wants for their forever home. He was just following along, nodding at her suggestions. Frankly, he was happy with a roof over his head, a bed to sleep in, and hot water to bathe with. Anything else was a luxury, really.

  He wasn't a man that gave a damn about money. The Club paid him well for what he did, but he'd never considered himself well-off. He'd scrounged for every penny he'd gotten before, so he'd continued to live that way.

  Imagine his surprise when they'd started figuring out finances for a home, and realized that with Adele's inheritance from her mother that her father had never been allowed to touch and his own savings, they could afford... well, pretty much the house of her damn dreams. She'd decided to look for a bit of a fixer-upper though, so she'd have little projects to do. Unfortunately, that meant she was looking at very large homes.

  Thian couldn't imagine what she planned to do with so much damned space. He was so used to his one-room apartment and cabin that the idea of a six bedroom home was baffling. What did you fill it with? How did you clean the fucker? Still, he'd give her damn near anything she wanted when she turned to him with stars in her eyes and her face beaming with excitement, so he found himself visiting house after house, scowling at real estate agents and trying to keep up with Adele's descriptions for the 'potential' in the rundown homes she'd found.

  His only absolute veto had been one she'd loved, but the agent showing them around had balked and been rude as soon as he'd realized who Adele was. Thian had stopped the walkthrough immediately. He didn't give a fuck how much she loved the house, that asshole wasn't getting their commission. She'd find another she loved just as much.

  Eventually, he found himself staring at a five bedroom, three and a half bath monstrosity. It was painted a vomit green, shutters hanging on their hinges. The entire yard was overgrown and filled with bushes and brambles that would need cut back mercilessly to make it habitable. It sat on three acres of woodland, with a private pond somewhere in there. The bones were good, it just had been left to the elements for far too long and everything needed an overhaul and repairs.

  Adele loved it, Thian could already tell. As they walked through the front door, it was like some weight that had been on her shoulders lifted. Her hand glanced over railings and moldings reverently as she passed them, he doubted she even realized she was doing it. Thian had pretty much resigned himself to needing to rebuild this damn place when she turned to him suddenly, face pensive.

  “What do you think, Thian? Is it too much work? Too much money? Too much... house?”

  “I mean, five bedrooms is a lot, Princess, but if you want this place, we'll get it sorted. It'll take a lot of work to get it back into its former condition, but neither of us is afraid of hard work when it comes to our projects. No idea what the fuck we need five bedrooms for, but I'm sure you'll fill 'em.”

  They headed upstairs to check out the bedrooms themselves, with Adele cooing over the massive claw-foot bathtub in the master bedroom until he dragged her away. The master had a small balcony with stairs that led to the backyard, which would be nice for their runs, at least. They'd be able to go from the back of the house straight into the woods. When they returned, they'd be right in their bedroom for a shower if needed, and getting dressed before rejoining the world.

  Following behind her, he paused as she stopped in one of the slightly smaller rooms. The large windows allowed the afternoon sun to frame her in all her glory as she tipped her head toward its warmth. She was stunning... the woman took his breath away more often than not. He'd moved to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her when she spoke.

  “This will make the perfect room for the nursery. Lots of light, room for the crib and rocking chair... all the toys and baby things. It will be beautiful.”

  He froze before catching her chin in his hand, turning her to face him. “Are you...? Did we...?”

  Adele laughed, drawing his hand to her stomach. “We're going to make this house a home, Thian. For all of us.”

  Read on for a Sneak Peek of Part 2...

  Wayward Soldier

  Coming Soon!

  Chapter One

  The ringing in his ears wouldn't fucking quit. Side effect of the shit they'd done to him, or the collar he wore that sent constant electrical pulses through his system? He couldn't be sure which. At this point, it didn't really matter. He'd grown so used to it that it hardly bothered him, except when he was in a situation where he kind of needed the ability to hear. Like on a damn mission they'd sent him on. Fucking idiots.

  Pausing in the darkened corridor, Alexei listened for any noise above him. The basement had the least security, so he'd made his entrance there. The small research lab wasn't well-funded, but they were still smart enough to have invested something in security. With what they were working on, they'd have been foolish not to. Narrowing his eyes on the transparent form moving towards him, he scowled.

  “Unless you have something helpful to add, you can fuck off. I'm not a therapist and I don't take requests.”

  The figure simply moved with him, keeping pace as he prowled the lower levels of the lab. Annoying, but not too distracting. He'd gotten used to it. When you grew up with a talent for attracting wayward spirits, you learned to ignore most of them. Spirits got stuck on this plane for various reasons... unsaid goodbyes, broken promises, unfinished business. Most found mediums that could see them and wanted help to finish those things. Some were willing to do so. Alexei was not. He had enough shit to deal with in his own life without taking on someone else's baggage.

  Exhibit A, the current situation he found himself in. He'd been kidnapped years ago by some rogue group of assholes working on some top secret shit. When their research wasn't producing results fast enough, they decided to simply use their test subjects to gather more intel. They already had them, why not put them to work?

  The collar he wore had some sort of stones in it that ma
naged to keep him locked in human form. He couldn't shift, so he couldn't heal. Between the stones and the current of electricity, he couldn't remove it, either.

  He was an unwilling soldier, sent out to steal data and research from other labs working on similar things to the one he was trapped in. The hope was that someone else might have gotten further, or might have the magic link they themselves were missing. If he could just get this fucking collar off for ten minutes, he'd tear the fuckers apart and escape, but they kept an annoyingly close watch on their group of captives while they were out in the field.

  While he was inside, he knew there were at least six agents surrounding the building. More scattered further out. His handler was closer, usually wherever his entrance point was, as he'd be expected to exit the same way, if possible. His job was simple. Follow orders. Retrieve what they wanted. Meekly submit once he emerged from the lab. Return to the barracks and become a test subject once again.

  Ain't life fucking grand?

  As he ascended the steps, the spirit accompanying him seemed to become agitated, reaching out to him. Its movements were jerky, frantic, almost as if it was trying to stop him from moving forward. Raising a brow, Alexei glanced up the stairs, then back at the spirit, shining slightly brighter than the darkness around it.

  “I take it you're here as a warning that there's something up there I ain't gonna like. Well, thanks for the tip, but I don't really got a choice, blob. I either go up there, or I get my ass kicked outside and get sent right back in. Rather just do it the first time so I can get some damn sleep.”