Читать книгу Wolf Tales VII - Kate Douglas - Страница 9

San Francisco, California

Tianna Mason walked slowly between Eve Reynolds and Lisa Quinn, her arms filled with a lavish bouquet of red and white roses, her amber eyes filled with tears. Tala Quinn followed behind, her head bowed.

Lisa, both packmate and lover, slipped an arm around Tia’s waist in silent support. Eve glanced at Lisa and frowned. She and Adam had met most of the members of the San Francisco pack only a couple mornings ago. They’d been invited down from Anton’s Montana home by Tala, Mik, and AJ, who hoped to recruit them to work for Pack Dynamics, the secretive Chanku agency based in San Francisco.

This solemn trip to Golden Gate Park had been unexpected. Eve still wasn’t certain why she’d been asked to come along, nor did she know why they were here.

Their somber procession passed by the Japanese Tea Gardens and crossed an open stretch of green grass. Trees swayed in the gentle breeze and Eve heard the sound of laughter from children playing near a small lake.

They stopped at the edge of the grass where a tangle of shrubs grew thick and green. The morning fog had burned away, but the air was cool. Eve shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. She’d expected warmer temperatures this late in the summer, but it was actually cooler here in San Francisco than it had been up north in Montana.

She stayed to the back of the small group, curious, wondering if anyone would explain the reason they were here. Tia knelt down and plucked some wild clover away from what appeared to be a small slab of white marble. There was nothing written on it, though the symbol of a wolf had been etched into the stone.

Tia carefully set her bouquet on top of the stone, touched the petals with her fingers, and then stood up. Tears coursed down her cheeks. Eve dug into her pocket and found a clean tissue. Tia took it from her with a grateful smile.

“Thank you.” She wiped her eyes and sighed. “Thank you for coming with me. Eve, I’m sorry. I realized just now that you probably have no idea why we’re even here. What significance this place has.”

Eve shook her head and shrugged. “No, but it obviously means a lot to you. I appreciate your including me. Can you tell me what happened?”

“My mother died here, right on this spot, when I was six years old.” Tia knelt once again and ran her fingers over the white marble and the beautiful bouquet of roses. The other women sat with her, forming a close ring around the marker.

“What happened?” Feeling oddly out of sync, Eve settled her fanny in the cool grass. That was the last thing she’d expected to hear from Tia.

“She was shot and killed by a young rookie cop. He saw a wolf in the park and thought it was after a group of children, so he shot it. He had no idea it was my mother. No idea he was shooting a woman, a wife. Someone’s mom.”

“Oh my God.” Eve touched Tia’s hand. “You poor thing. I’m so sorry.” She gazed at the mass of roses. Then she looked around her, at the beautiful, peaceful surroundings. It was hard to imagine violence in such a tranquil setting.

She turned back to Tia. “What about the cop? I can’t help but think of him, too. He must have felt terrible. Whatever happened to him?”

Tia’s chest rose and fell with her deep breath. “I married him.”

“Luc? You mean your husband killed your mother?”

Tia nodded. “It was a long time ago. He’s lived with the pain of what he did for all these years, but that horrible event led him to my father. Dad realized right away that Luc was one of us. That was the beginning of Pack Dynamics. Finding Luc was the catalyst for Dad to retire from the police force and go in search of more Chanku. He found Mik and AJ next, then Tinker and Jacob Trent.”

Once again, Tia stroked the white marble. “You haven’t met Jake, yet. He’s settled in Maine with Baylor Quinn and Manda, your mate’s sister. I know you’ve met them.”

Tala leaned close and gave Tia a hug. “Mik and AJ told me what happened. I had no idea. It’s hard to lose your mom, especially when you’re so young.”

“At least I had my father.” Tia hugged Tala back.

Before Eve could ask, Tala answered her unspoken question. “My father caught my mother with another man. He shot and killed both of them.” She said it so matter-of-factly, but there were tears in her eyes when she glanced over at her sister, Lisa, and added in a bare whisper, “Baylor and I testified against him at the trial, but it was Lisa’s testimony that really put him in jail. She was there when it happened. It was pretty ugly.”

Lisa reached out and took Tala’s hand in hers. “We were old enough to be on our own,” she said, “but it was really tough for a lot of years.”

“How awful.” Eve touched Lisa’s free hand.

Lisa nodded and actually smiled. “You’ll find most of us have had pretty unsettled childhoods. All of us who are shapeshifters now had mothers who carried the Chanku gene, but they never knew. Only Camille, Tia’s mom, understood why she was the way she was, but she died before she could pass on her knowledge to Tia.”

Lisa shook her head slowly from side to side, as if the memories were too painful to dwell upon. “Just think about your mom, our mom. Remember how unhappy you were before you found out you were Chanku? How unsettled? The drives and the unmet needs our mothers lived with must have been devastating for them. The knowledge there was something powerful missing in their lives.”

She glanced away, beyond the four of them, and stared into the distance. Then she turned her attention back to Eve. “What’s your mother like?”

Eve glanced down and studied her bare toes through her sandals “I have no idea. I was orphaned as an infant and raised in foster care. I don’t remember my mother.” She’d always felt so alone. Who was the woman who had borne her and then died? What had she been like? What would Eve’s life have been like if her mother had survived?

She rarely told anyone her story, but Lisa’s simple explanation made so much sense. “I never thought of what her life might have been like. Never even wondered what kind of pain my mother lived with. She was totally alone. She had no one. My father’s name isn’t even on the birth certificate. I always just figured she was a drug addict or a prostitute. I never knew what she died from. There’s probably a record somewhere, but I’ve never checked.”

“Still, that’s really tough.” Lisa rubbed Eve’s shoulder.

“At least I survived. I was a few months old when she died. I went directly into foster care. Mei Chen, Oliver’s mate had it really rough. She was abandoned in a public park. A little boy found her, umbilical cord and placenta still attached, all of it wrapped in bloody newspapers. Authorities never were able to locate her mother and she was raised in foster home care, too. That’s how we met.”

“Where was that?” Tala leaned against her sister.

“Tampa, Florida.”

“You’re kidding.” Lisa glanced at Tala, then back at Eve. “That’s where we’re from. We were raised in a little town east of Tampa.”

“Small world,” Eve said. “You guys, me…Mei Chen, all of us from the same place.” They sat there quietly for a moment. Eve figured they were all lost in their own childhood memories. She found herself studying the two women much closer. How come so many of this small group had come from that one community?

Tala’s voice dragged her back to the present. “What’s the significance of today’s flowers, Tia? Is it your mom’s birthday.”

“Nope.” Tia grinned and shook her head. Her long, dark blond hair curled in every direction and her beautiful amber eyes glittered with laughter and emotion.

“Well?” Exasperated, Lisa leaned forward as if she might be able to squeeze the secret out of her packmate.

“Well. Hmm…deep subject.” Tia giggled and slapped her hand over her mouth.

Tala pretended to swat her.

“Okay. I’ll tell. I wanted my very best friends…” she touched Lisa and Tala’s hands, “and my newest friend here when I told Mom my news.” She smiled at Eve. “Luc and I are expecting a baby. Sometime at the end of April, maybe early May. I can’t believe it happened the first time we tried to conceive.”

She was covered in hugs and kisses from Tala and Lisa. Eve grabbed Tia’s hands and squeezed. “Congratulations. You must be absolutely thrilled.”

“Well, yes and no.” Tia laughed, but at the same time, she ran her fingers lovingly over the marble stone. “My dad got a message from my mom, after she died. She said I’d have two daughters. Two little girls with her sass and attitude. Dad’s always interpreted her message as meaning I’d have twins. I’m hoping like hell he’s wrong!”

“How many eggs did you pop out?” Tala leaned forward as if Tia’s answer meant a lot to her. Of course, Eve thought, with two hunky males making love to her at the same time, Tala might be more concerned about that sort of thing.

“I think just one, but I’m new at this.” Tia patted Tala’s hand. “Why? Are you planning two at a time to keep the boys happy?”

Tala laughed. “That, my love, is my worst nightmare. Can you imagine short little me pregnant with twins? Especially from those two bruisers?”

Lisa hugged her sister. “You’re all of five feet nothing and Mik and AJ both over six and a half feet? You’d be preggers from your toes to your nose.”

“Thank you for that image.” Tala glared at her sister, then burst into giggles.

Laughing along with the others, Eve suddenly felt her skin prickle. She glanced over her left shoulder. Two men seemed to be watching them. She looked at Tia, Lisa, and Tala and realized they’d not noticed anything.

When Eve glanced back again, she saw that the men had moved closer. They were now barely twenty feet away. She smiled brightly and turned back to the others, silently mindtalking. Don’t be obvious. Keep talking or laughing, but you need to know we’re being watched. Two men to my left. They’re slowly getting closer to us.

You’re right. Tia smiled and giggled, as if she’d just heard a funny joke. They’re acting like they’re not watching us, but they’re definitely moving our way. Stand up, girls. It’s time to leave.

Lisa and Tala hopped to their feet. Eve stood as well and held out a hand to Tia. The four of them stood together as if meditating over the small marble plaque covered in red and white roses.

Start walking back toward the lake. We’ll cut around it to Nineteenth Ave. See if they follow. Tia led the way, chattering about the weather as if there were nothing at all on her mind.

They’ve changed direction and they’re following us. We need to let the guys know. Tala walked at Tia’s right, Lisa was on her left. Eve took the rear with the realization they were all subtly protecting the one among them who carried young. She wondered if that was typical wolven behavior.

There was so much to learn of this new reality, especially how to stay safe. She hadn’t been a shapeshifter for all that long, but she knew she would protect Tia and her unborn child with her life.

Eve sensed the men drawing closer without even looking their way. She opened her mind and called out to Adam. He answered immediately.

I’m coming, he answered. Luc’s with me. AJ, Mik, and Tinker are already at the park boundary near Nineteenth. Watch for them.

Tala noticed a group of three men ahead, blocking the trail. It looks like our guys have friends up ahead, or am I just being a total neurotic?

I think I’m sharing your neurosis. Lisa drew closer to Tia.

We’re sisters. We’re supposed to share things. They’re watching us. Tala laughed, but Eve noticed a distinct lack of humor.

Do you want to cut through the bushes? Tia smiled at the others and nodded her head toward the thick undergrowth to her left. The two men behind them were only about thirty feet away and the women were drawing much too close to the group ahead.

Aren’t we better off here in public, where people can see us? Eve’s heart hammered in her throat. Fear seemed to clamp down on her windpipe until she could barely breathe.

Suddenly the three men up ahead turned and came at them. The sound of pounding feet behind made the decision to run an easy one. The four women ducked into the thick shrubs along the trail and took off, twisting and dodging through the tangled bushes.

I see them! Adam’s voice echoed in Eve’s head. Run, Eve. They’re right behind you. We’re coming!

Tala stumbled. Lisa grabbed her left arm and Eve caught the right. They practically carried her through the thick shrubbery, following close behind Tia. She ran like a rabbit, cutting back and forth along unseen trails, finding clear spots in the thick greenery where no one else could see. Behind them, Eve heard cursing and the crash of branches.

A cacophony of snarling and growling, punctuated by angry shouts and the loud thrashing of someone fighting in the thick brush ended in a scream of pain. The women stopped their headlong rush and crouched down, breathing hard. They were hidden from their pursuers by the thick bushes, though not that far away.

Two loud reports. Gunfire! Tala grabbed Eve’s hand.

The noise and commotion moved beyond them, and away, until all Eve heard was the rush of their labored breathing and the cry of seagulls overhead.

Lisa grabbed her temples and cried out. “Tinker’s down. He’s been hit.” She turned away from them and raced back the way they’d come, in search of her wounded mate. Tala, Tia, and Eve followed.

He wasn’t far away, and thankfully, didn’t appear to be hurt too badly. Their attackers were nowhere to be seen. Tinker, AJ, and Mik were huddled together in a tiny gap between the shrubs, totally hidden from anyone in the park. The three of them were naked.

Eve realized they’d just shifted from their wolf to human forms. Tinker lay calmly on the ground, leaning against AJ’s muscular chest while Mik inspected a bloody slash running across the top of Tink’s right shoulder. Blood dripped from the deep slice, shining brilliant crimson against Tinker’s dark skin.

Lisa reached him first. Tinker caught her with his left hand and pulled her close against his chest. “I’m fine, sweetie. Don’t you worry. It looks worse than it is.”

Lisa burst into tears.

Luc and Adam arrived, their arms filled with the guys’ clothing. Luc dropped his bundle and pulled Tia into a protective hug. Adam handed his bundle to AJ. “Didn’t want you guys arrested for indecent exposure,” Adam said. He leaned close and kissed Eve. Are you okay?

I’m okay…but I’m so glad you’re here. Kissing Adam immediately settled her nerves. She tangled her fingers in his long, dark blond hair and inhaled his familiar scent. A sense of calm flowed over her, soothing her racing heart and taking away her worry.

Adam slowly pulled away from her and smiled. Then he knelt in the dirt next to Tinker.

AJ stayed where he was, supporting Tink’s broad back against his chest. Mik moved aside and got out of the way with a nod to Adam. “He’s all yours, bro.”

Adam flashed a grin at Mik and placed his big, scarred hands over the bleeding gash on Tinker’s shoulder. He bowed his head and closed his eyes as blood poured from the wound and dripped around and beneath his fingers.

While Mik slipped into his clothes, the others watched Adam. Eve practically glowed with pride. Her mate was the new guy on the block, still proving himself among the members of the pack. This was a chance for him to show what he could do. Just looking at him, no one would ever suspect the extent of his amazing abilities.

Adam looked like the quintessential man of the west—tall and lean with rangy muscles and work-roughened hands. He appeared to be exactly what he was—a mechanic, a farmer, a cowboy. A man used to working with his hands.

Someone who fixed things.

He might still be learning the extent of his Chanku abilities, but one thing Eve knew for certain—Adam Wolf was the guy to have around when something needed repair. It didn’t matter if it was a broken toaster, a broken leg, or a bad carburetor.

Or, as in her own case, a massive head injury.

She heard the quiet gasps of disbelief and a soft, awestruck curse from Luc, who held Tia cradled against him. Both his hands protectively covered her flat belly.

The deep gash on Tinker’s shoulder had already stopped bleeding. Lisa bit back an audible sob and clutched Tinker’s left hand with both of hers. As all of them watched, the flesh beneath Adam’s fingers began to knit. Within a couple of minutes, there was a pale pink seam almost hidden beneath dried blood.

Adam took a deep breath, dropped his hands away from Tinker’s healed shoulder and sat back on his heels in the dirt. Sweat poured off his forehead, but he was grinning like a kid.

“Shit, man.” Tinker turned his head as far as he could to see what Adam had done. “It doesn’t even hurt anymore. I can tell it’s fixed because all I can think about right now is getting Lisa naked, not how bad my shoulder hurts. What kind of mojo are you working?”

“Later, Tink. Now is not the time for getting naked.” Lisa hugged him, laughing and crying at the same time.

Adam shook his head. “Damned if I know. I’ve always been able to fix things. Anton’s the one who suggested it would work on people.”

Luc laughed. “That’s amazing, Adam.” He shook his head. “Ya know, it used to bug me when everyone acted as if Anton Cheval knew everything there was to know. Believe me, I learned my lesson. Don’t question Cheval. He’s always right.”

“What took you so long?” Adam stood up and stretched. “I figured that out the first time I met him.”

Luc just laughed and hugged Tia closer.

“Get your clothes on, Tink.” AJ slipped out from behind Tinker and divided up the clothes and shoes Adam had given him. “No more of this lying around, looking for sympathy. Besides, I get nervous when you guys start making jokes about Anton. He could be listening to us right now.”

Everyone fell silent. Eve was sure they wondered if AJ was teasing or not. Anton Cheval was definitely a step beyond the rest of them. None of them really understood most of his powers. Of course, no one, including Anton, really understood Adam’s either.

AJ slipped on his boots. “We better hurry. We need to get back to our cars before they get towed. I think we’re all parked illegally.”

“Great.” Tala laughed, and the sound broke the building tension. “Whose going to bail those suckers out of impound?”

“Won’t be necessary if we get our butts in gear,” Tia said. “Luc and I can take my car. I, of course, am legally parked.” Tia smiled, but she was obviously upset. Obviously, the day had not gone as planned. “I don’t think any of us have been here long enough to get towed,” she added softly. “We haven’t been here very long at all.”

But long enough to change everything. Eve squeezed Adam’s fingers. His soft I love you filled her mind, followed just as quickly by, I need you.

As I love and need you. She smiled up at him and held tightly to his hand, trembling now, in the aftermath of danger. It wasn’t entirely fear she felt, and she wondered if she’d ever completely understand this new reality.

Her body pulsed with arousal, with the rush of adrenaline and the yearning sense of desire. Would she ever grow used to this constant state of lust, the powerful libido that seemed to overpower every other need?

I hope not.

Adam’s wry comment made her smile. She realized she was wet and swollen, her body anticipating the offer in his gorgeous eyes. They crossed the street to the rental car and he opened the door for her. Eve climbed in and buckled the seat belt while Tala, Mik, and AJ filled the broad backseat.

Eve couldn’t wait to get to the rambling Victorian mansion Pack Dynamics owned nearby in the Sunset District. Lisa and Tinker spent most nights with Luc and Tia in Ulrich’s home in the Marina District, but Adam and Eve had been given one of the individual apartments reserved for other Chanku, as well as their visitors. Right now, Mik, AJ, and Tala were the only others in residence, but the converted mansion offered privacy along with the sense of community the pack members craved.

They’d been offered a room, should they choose to stay here in San Francisco as members of Pack Dynamics. It was a beautiful city and a wonderful apartment, but it wasn’t Montana. Eve already missed the towering trees and rugged Rocky Mountains, as much as she missed the sense of privacy there and the feeling of safety on Anton Cheval’s huge estate.

Today had been a terrifying reality check. Why had those men been after them? Why, when she’d finally found the life and the man she wanted forever, was someone threatening to take it all away?

When she gazed at Adam, he squeezed her hand. I’ll keep you safe, he said. No one will ever harm you. I promise.

She felt his words in her head and in her heart. Earlier, she’d only known abuse from men, but then she’d not known Adam Wolf. She leaned close to him and whispered, “Hurry. I want you now.”

Adam didn’t answer, but the tires squealed as he pulled out into traffic.