Shifters of the Wellsprings: The Complete Paranormal Collection

by Leela Ash

  And she hadn’t noticed. Hadn’t Shifted, hadn’t checked for tracks. She was too sure that they knew where the thieves were headed.

  Oh, they got some information, like the N-number of the thieves’ plane. Ghost might be able to do something with that. But her and Casey? They were done.

  Nothing left except to go home.

  ‘Home.’ Hah! Bile rose in her throat as she thought of Ringo’s Spread. Her ‘home’ was a den of liars.

  Time to go back and confront them.

  Her father had a lot to explain.

  Of course, her father wasn’t there when she arrived. Lily got to sit and stew for an hour and half before he stalked through the front door of his trailer.

  And he was already in a bad mood. “The hell is wrong with you? You got the whole Spread walking on eggshells.” He scowled at her, trying to stare her into submission.

  Like she wasn’t an Alpha too, his damned equal in the Pack!

  Rage twisted her stomach into a knot. He had never respected her! Never treated as an equal! Things would be different if she was her mother. Mated pairs ruled most Packs, male and female Alphas. But her father’s Mate was dead. And her? No matter what he said, he couldn’t stop seeing her as his little girl. A child, not a woman. Not an Alpha.

  Pretty ironic, given what she’d found out today. “I just got done talking to the spirit of Kachina Well. It says I don’t have a drop of your blood running in my veins.”

  Lily wasn’t sure what she expected. Lies, bluster, denial. Instead, all the fight drained out of her father in the blink of an eye. “I see.”

  Slowly, on leaden feet, he walked over to his desk and grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels. “Drink?” She shook her head. He still poured one for himself and collapsed, heavily, on a chair. “I was going to tell you.”

  Oh, that was rich! “When? When I had kids of my own? When I was sixty? Just when did you plan to let me know that I’m not actually a part of this Pack?”

  “Stop it,” he yelled. “Blood doesn’t make a Pack.”

  “Easy for you to say!”

  His anger rose to answer hers. “Yes, it is. Because none of the Sand Pack are my Kin either. I was a lone Wolf when I was your age. Sand Pack took me in, made me part of their family. When their Alpha got too old, I took his place.”

  “So, neither of us belongs here!” Lily laughed, a harsh and grating cackle. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

  “Dammit, girl, it’s supposed to make you understand that there’s more to family than blood. The Sand Pack is your family. They raised you. They cared for you. They loved you.”

  “They didn’t ‘love’ me enough to tell me the truth,” she spat.

  “Because they didn’t know it. That’s on me. I told them you were mine and they welcomed you.”

  “So, who am I?”

  “You’re Lily King. You’re my daughter.” In the trailer’s gloom, the touch of his Wolf’s presence set his eyes glowing.

  “Screw you, old man. Who am I really?”

  He winced, a motion that raised a whirlwind of emotion in her aching heart. Vindictive glee… anger… along with shame and remorse. Her Wolf whined, shivering at the anger that simmered between them. “I don’t know who your biological parents are, if that’s what you mean.”

  “So, what happened? Did a stork drop me down your chimney? Did you find me in a dumpster?”

  “In a way, yes.”

  Nausea swept over her. Her parents had thrown her out like garbage?

  Seeing that, her father… no, Aaron reached out for her hand. Lily shrank away, and his face grew even more clouded. “Let me tell this right. You’re getting your tail all twisted up.

  “Twenty-two years ago, I came across a dying Wolf up by Pleasant View. No car, no bike. Poor bastard was almost hacked to pieces. But he’d managed to stagger up to the highway. Before he died, he told me his wife was in the back country. Too hurt to walk. He begged me to save her.

  “I tried.” He gazed away at the corner of the room, lost in a memory she didn’t share. “Found the place – but there was no one there. Except you. Newborn baby, wrapped up in a white blanket and crying.”

  Oh, he was trying to twist this into some heartwarming tale, but Lily saw right through it. “Are you telling me a dying woman crawled off – away from her baby – and you couldn’t manage to track her?”

  Aaron faced her accusation without flinching. “I couldn’t. Couldn’t smell anything except scrub and sand. Not her – not you, not your father. Held you in my arms, buried my nose in your clothes… nothing.”

  Crazy, unbelievable… if she hadn’t tried to track a half-scented Rat just this morning. Slowly, grudgingly, she began to believe him. Who knew what magic could do?

  “Lily, I did everything I could. I buried your father. I brought you home and told the Sand Pack you were mine. And then I made you mine. I raised you, trained you, made you what you are.”

  Kind words. He’d never once given her any reason to think that he wasn’t her true father…

  And yet the bitterness remained, like a lump of coal in the pit of her stomach. Caught between tears and fury, she wobbled to her feet. "Maybe I’d feel better about that if I knew what I was!”

  Then she spun and stormed out, ignoring his calls. Ignoring her Pack as they scattered out of her way. Ignoring Casey who watched her outburst, brooding at the edge of the Spread.

  Screw them all! She didn’t need any of them.

  She didn’t need anyone.

  Chapter 12.

  Lily stormed out of the trailer at a high rate of speed. Casey watched her, his gut sinking.

  Looks like that talk didn’t go well.

  Her Wolf stalked beside her, snapping at anyone who got too near. People scampered out of her way – from the smallest child to the biggest, burliest biker of the Sand Pack.

  Only he was immune to those attacks as he drifted behind her. Her Wolf drove everyone away.

  Except him.

  A thought that left Casey uneasy, yet delighted.

  His Dragon nudged him in the small of his back.

  Talk to our Mate. She needs us.

  No, she needs space.

  Often, words helped – but not today. Caught in a torrent of pain and rage, Lily wouldn’t hear wisdom in anything he said. To her, words would be an insult. A trick to distract her from the emotions she felt.

  He would not do that. Her pain was justified. He would endure her wrath until she had drunk as deeply from that cup of betrayal as she wished. Only then, when she had felt and honored her own feelings, would he offer comfort.

  To do anything else was to dishonor her.

  His Dragon doubted the sense in that… but it relented.

  At the door to her trailer Lily froze, tense with fury. Fists clenched and unclenched as deep, ragged breaths shook her slender frame. Then a stream of extremely unladylike profanities spilled out of her, all screeched at the top of her lungs.

  No one paid her any mind. Casey guessed Wolves did this regularly when they got upset.

  Still shaking with anger, she turned to face him. “I can’t be here.”

  “Then let us leave. A few days away might do us both good. And I know just the place.”

  “You’re kidding me, right?”

  In the parking lot of Ancient Ways, Lily glared up at the resort with open loathing.

  “No, I am not. It is easily the finest accommodation in Cortez.

  He could not understand her newest anger. Ancient Ways was a dignified resort with every amenity a guest could hope for. In fact, he’d ordered several of them. Yet the first glimpse of it fanned the dying embers of her fury back into new life. “And that’s where you thought you’d bring me, huh?” she sneered.

  “Of course. Why…”

  And then he saw it. The way her lips grew pinched. How she wrapped her arms protectively around her chest. Her wince.

  Lily was afraid. And, like any Wolf, she attacked whatever scared her
.

  But what threat could lurk here, within the resort’s gleaming glass walls and elegant suites?

  Casey didn’t need to ask; he knew.

  A biker, poor, of no particular family… Lily felt she didn’t ‘belong’ here. She feared scorn, dishonor. That those within, both staff and guests, would heap disdain upon her.

  Which they wouldn’t. He wouldn’t permit her to be abused in that way.

  “Do you know why I brought you here?” The Wolf scowled at him, suspicious. “Because you deserve it. You deserve to have the finest pleasures in life laid at your feet.”

  “Why?”

  Because you are strong and wild and unflinching. Because you are beautiful, a pearl hidden in squalor. Because I am beginning to love you – and I fear you may truly be my Mate.

  None of those thoughts passed his lips. “Why not?” was all he said.

  Uneasy, Lily scanned the lobby for threats. “I’m not sure they’re gonna agree with you.”

  “Just don’t knife anyone and we’ll be fine.”

  The name on the door made Casey’s skin crawl. The Thunderbird Suite. As if one of the great storm spirits would ever lair here! Yet he couldn’t fault the rooms themselves. Two bedrooms, to allow Correct Behavior to be observed. An enormous ‘living room’, complete with a dining table and 82-inch tv. Original watercolors by local artists brightened the room’s cool, desert colors. At one end a platform, tiled with red sandstone, held the room’s hot tub. Floor to ceiling windows offered bathers a panoramic view of the wasteland surrounding them.

  Personally, he liked something a bit more private. The manager had assured him that subtle tinting in the glass prevented anyone from peering into the room. Even if it didn’t prevent Casey from feeling like an exhibitionist.

  Lily skulked around the edges of the suite like a coyote convinced it was walking into a trap.

  One of his purchases awaited in an ice bucket, a little red bow tied about its neck. With long practice, he popped the cork and poured two flutes of champagne.

  “What’s the occasion?” Lily asked as he held one out to her.

  “Unless I’ve lost track of time, the ‘occasion’ is it’s a Tuesday.”

  Her nose wrinkled. “I don’t like this crap. It’s bitter and nasty.”

  “The sparkling abominations that one buys in a convenience store are bitter and nasty. This is champagne. True champagne, from France. Try it.”

  Face screwed up in disgust, she took a sip.

  The surprise that washed across her face, the delight, made everything worthwhile. He took a sip himself. Smooth, almost creamy, with only a hint of tang. A lovely bottle – and he sent a mental commendation to Ancient Way’s wine cellar.

  Sadly, a knock interrupted the moment. “Room service.”

  At once, Lily reached for a weapon – almost dropping her champagne.

  “Forgive me,” he said. “I took the liberty of ordering an early dinner before we arrived. It’s already been a long day.” Her hand still hovered over some concealed weapon, though, and he frowned. “I thought we agreed ‘no knifings’.”

  “I wasn’t going to knife the waiter.” Then, in a mumble, she added. “I planned on shooting him.”

  Dinner was a pair of steaks, grilled to perfection. Nothing vegetarian for his Wolf, oh no. And he’d guessed – correctly – that no delicate little filet mignon would please her. But a big, rare, juicy porterhouse was just the thing. Lily savaged hers, growing calmer and happier with each mouthful. Rounding out the meal were a small pear and blue cheese salad (which she ignored) and an apple tart.

  Little was said while they ate. But afterwards she leaned back and gave a deep sigh of contentment. “I hate to admit it, but… wow. That was pretty good.”

  “Many of the finest things in life actually are nice,” he teased. Lily snorted at him.

  Food and wine had robbed her of her anger – her one defense against grief. As they sat, sipping their drinks, she seemed to wilt. Sadness, not contentment, filled her.

  Not what he’d hoped, at all. Time to move to his next present. There would be no brooding tonight.

  “Ready for a bath?”

  She scanned his face, perhaps seeking some hidden meaning. When she found none, she shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”

  A dozen red candles circled the hot tub. One by one Casey lit them, letting the soft scent of roses fill the room. Nearby lay a package of fresh petals which he scattered across the steaming water. Smiling, bemused, Lily watched his preparations.

  “Your bath awaits, milady.”

  Again, she snorted – softer this time.

  “I will be in my room, to give you some privacy.”

  Was it disappointment that clouded her face?

  If so, it mirrored the ache in his own heart. In the days since that abortive ‘Rite of Claiming’, Casey had grown fond of the crazy Wolf. Her bravery and honesty charmed him, even as the sleek strength and elegance of her lithe body roused his passion. What he wouldn’t give to join her in that hot tub. To seek a true Claiming – this time with no surprises, no demands.

  Duty forbade that, however. He was her protector, her bodyguard. Nothing came before that. Not desire, not aching need. A Dragon’s oaths were the only thing stronger than its love.

  Hard as it was, he turned his back on her and retreated to his room. He would obey his Alpha and honor her father’s debt. No matter how much it cost him.

  Five minutes later, he spotted the flaw in his ‘perfect’ preparations. Ancient Ways provided its guests with thick, plush bathrobes. But Lily’s was in her room. His ‘restful’ bath had caught her by surprise.

  He could give her his robe, of course.

  Casey tested his feelings. Was this a trick? An excuse to go out there and ogle her? No. Not… exactly. While that urge certainly existed, he truly wanted to spare her a naked, wet dash across the suite. Besides, the waters of the hot tub – and its depth – would shield her modesty from his hungry eyes.

  Her ‘modesty.’ Casey chuckled quietly as he grabbed the robe from his closet. Spirits, listen to me! Thinking of her as some wilting flower. If her modesty gets imperiled, she’ll beat the crap out of the poor ‘threat’.

  Damp, hot air and the scent of roses surrounded him as he opened the door. “My apologies. I forgot to leave a robe out here for you. I’ll place it beside the tub.”

  “Thanks.”

  He risked a quick glance at her. If he tried to walk up there blind, he’d trip over something. Probably end up toppling head first into the water.

  What he saw floored him, robe forgotten in his hands.

  Tokens of love and romance surrounded Lily. Rose petals floated close, some clinging sweetly to her bronze skin. Candlelight cast shadows across her body, enticing and mysterious.

  Yet in their midst, she was miserable. She knelt in the center of the tub, arms wrapped tightly around her chest. A pillar of loneliness and sadness. Untouched, not soothed, by his gifts.

  The sight broke his heart. He had failed. A true protector would have shielded her from all threats. He had guarded her body with perfect skill yet allowed her heart, her spirit, to be shattered.

  “Lily…”

  “You can put it on the floor there.” When he didn’t move, she peered up at him, puzzled.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “None of this is your fault. You’ve got nothing to apologize for.”

  He crouched beside the tub, between two flickering candles. “I’m sorry that this has happened to you. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “You…” Falling silent, she bit her lip.

  “Yes?”

  “Nothing. There’s nothing you can do.”

  But there was. He’d seen it in the brief hope that lit her face. In the wistful yearning that touched her words. “Tell me, please.”

  “No. I won’t ask you to… to…”

  “No request is too great.” His words grew rough with emotion as he sensed a path through her so
rrow. “I swear to you that if there is anything I can…”

  “Stop!” Pearls of rose-scented water trickled down her arm as she raised a hand. “No more oaths. No more promises. That’s how we got in this mess in the first place.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Face pinched, shoulders slumped with fatigue, she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “I don’t want to be alone tonight. But I’m not going to ask you to stay. I know what you think about it and I won’t…”

  He caught her hand as it drooped towards the water. Raised it to his lips and kissed her fingers.

  His Alpha, his mind… both swore that he sinned when he desired her. But his heart didn’t care. It swelled with joy when she refused to beg him to stay. To protect his honor, she would embrace her loneliness. She would retreat, unloved, bereft of Pack and father, to a cold, empty bed.

  If he let her.

  Which he wouldn’t. A Dragon cherished honor above all else. Or so he’d been taught. Now, faced with her grief, he sensed a different truth. Love was a Dragon’s first duty. Love and his Mate came first.

  “Look, Casey, I…”

  “Hush.” He stood, rising above her. Slowly, one by one, he popped the buttons on his shirt and pants. Chiseled stomach, abs etched with ink… as each button parted it revealed a tiny bit more of his body. Offered her hungry eyes a tastier glimpse of what awaited. Desire flared, burning away the gloom that had surrounded her.

  Then at last he tossed his clothes and stood before her. Naked, his manhood beginning to awaken under her greedy gaze. If she had any last worries, they died, unspoken, as he eased himself into the hot tub with her.

  Bubbling and frothing, the rose-scented water enveloped him. Casey slid through their soft, feminine waves to Lily’s side. Candle flames glittered in her eyes and wrapped her heart-shaped face in their golden glow. No sign remained of his wild Wolf, or the ferocious passion she’d shown at the Rite of Claiming. This was a different side of her, one he’d never seen. Vulnerable. Thirsty, yet unsure. A woman who yearned for love, not sex.

  He adored both sides of this woman. And planned to show her that she didn’t have to choose between love and passion.