Cade: Le Beau Brothers: billionaire Shifter Series BBW mates (Le Beau Series) (16 page)

Emma leaned toward her and took her hand. “You’re a healer. From what I saw today, you can restore another’s health with healing energy. From the surprise on your face, I’m guessing you never knew you had the gift. Natural healers use energy, herbs, crystals, essential oils, and many natural elements to heal others. Did your hands heat as you touched Simon?”

“How’d you know?”
she gasped and put her hand to her heart, reaching for Cade with the other.

“I have many friends who’ve trained for years in the healing arts, but you, my dear Anna, are a rare natural healer. You don’t need training, you instinctively do what is needed for the injured person.” She smil
ed sweetly.

“Training will make you even better at what you do naturally, and
I can teach you the herbs and other tools of healing. I can mentor you if you’d like to work with me.” She rubbed her hands together as if she were anticipating training her. “I’ve dreamed of having a daughter to pass my knowledge to, but Isaac and I were never blessed with one until now.”

Cade
added, “My mother comes from a long line of gypsies in the old country, and voodoo in this country. Her knowledge is vast and her power is off the charts. My mother too, bears the mark of the new moon.”

His remark
snapped Emma to attention. “She bears the mark?” she whispered reverently.

“Yes, I have one on my shoulder.”

“Even better.” Emma became very quiet and wore an expression of deep thought.

“Perhaps it’s a good time to explain to Anna what’s wrong with Simon,” Isaac volunteered.

The men exchanged glances, each nodded once. Cade began, “wolves are a very physical animal. They require a lot of contact with other wolves. The same applies to us. You may have noticed I touch you often even if only a light touch on the shoulder and stroke of your hair. That’s all a part of it.”

“Simon joined the Marines four years ago without thoroughly thinking it through. In the service he was primarily surrounded by other soldiers. Touching each other’s not encouraged. Simon found himself rapidly regressing into himself as a protective response
,” Isaac explained.

“Whenever he had leave or was at a base where he could socialize, he’d find a way to get human touch. If there was a dance with women for him to touch and hold on the dance floor, he’d dance all night. If there were no social events planned, he’d hire a prostitute - not for sex, but to simply give him a body massage and stroke his hair. Overseas where he was stationed, ladies of the night are in massage parlors and there is a price list posted on the wall, you would think men were ordering fast food and the women were a cheap meal
,” Marcus said with disgust.

“He went as far as to get an extensive tattoo on his back of a wolf because the work took the artist days and days to do, all the while touching him. He said the wolf he tattooed on his back would come to him in his dreams and lay beside him quietly each night to comfort him so he drew the wolf and had his sketch done as a tattoo.” Marcus spoke very quietly as he described how his brother fought to cope.

“He managed to remain sane, but he’d regressed into himself so deeply, we’re struggling to help him find his way back. We each take time every day to sit with him and just stroke him. Our attempts have been helping a little, but what you did today was extraordinary,” Stefan said. “Your gift is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”

“We can’t thank you enough for your healing today, Anna.” Isaac’s voice hitched with emotion.

“I’d like to make a request of you and Cade if I may. I’m reluctant to ask this of you but we’re in dire need.” Emma sobbed. Isaac took her hand to offer what comfort he could as they sat in the circle. “Normally I’d never ask a newly mated wolf to spend extensive time with a wolf who is not their mate, but I’m afraid I must. Would you be willing to come by each day and do a healing session with Simon?”

She looked to Cade.
I'm sorry if this is difficult for you, but I truly can't deny this need in me. It's like an ache in my bones. As long as he's in this condition I won’t be able to stop myself. I was literally drawn into the room today almost against my will. This need to heal that I didn’t even know I had has a mind of its own.

I love you
, Anna, I'll always provide whatever you need. If that's healing Simon, then I'll come with you every day and lend you strength and support to heal him. Both I and my wolf understand this is all about healing. We feel no threat to you or to our bond with you.

She wanted to jump in his lap and kiss him senseless for his understanding and support. She looked everyone in the eye one by one and lastly reached for Emma’s hand. “Emma, both Cade and I are happy to do whatever we can to help Simon. I'll be back every day until he no longer needs me.”

Emma cried with relief. Isaac held her in his lap and rocked her as the men and Anna silently went to their houses on the estate leaving their parents to collect themselves.

Anna and Cade
walked to the house in silence, both deep in thought.  So much had happened in one short day.

Without speaking, he led her to the master bath and started the water. He added some lovely
floral scented bath salts and a rolled up towel to tuck behind her neck. She curiously stood back and watched him as he worked effortlessly, as if he'd done this a hundred times.

“Run a woman’s bath often, do you?”
she jokingly teased him.

He cleared his throat
. “Not hardly. But I've watched you closely these past few days and this seems to be what you’d enjoy. Did I do it wrong?”

“Actually, you did it perfectly.” She brushed her hand down his back as he bent over to test the water.

“You're a terrible woman to torture me so,” he said right before he splashed her playfully. “Now get naked and enjoy your bath.”

Anna hesitated. “Aren’t you getting in too?”

“Not this time. I want you to take a little time to totally relax. You've had a lot to deal with today, and this is all for you.”

He never ceased to surprise and amaze her. One minute he was an alpha male growling at everyone and the next he was running her a bath because he thought she needed a little
me
time.

Cade went to the
great room to give her privacy and check his messages. Etienne had called, they had been following Tim and he would begin monitoring him tonight in preparation of his modification. He was relieved the danger to his mate would be handled soon.

He hear
d Anna enjoying her bath, she had really needed the relaxation time. Sometimes she didn’t know when to stop giving of herself and take a personal break. Well, he would make sure to take care of her if she wouldn’t do it herself. She was too selfless sometimes and he didn’t want her to exhaust herself.

He glanced up as she entered the room
; he’d have to call Etienne tomorrow. She was in the slinky silk negligee he bought for her with the new wardrobe. The sight of her in the almost see through gown had him breathing heavily.
How'd I ever get so lucky?

I have no idea
,
she teased

She did a slow circle for him, stopping with her back turned, he knew she was giving him a good long look on purpose. Glancing over her shoulder, she gave him a sultry wink. Then she completed the turn. He had to force himself to remain seated. 

She grabbed both arms of the chair he was sitting in as she stood between his thighs. Slowly she leaned forward giving him a really good look at her cleavage. He growled when she stopped just out of his reach for a kiss. Little tease.

Before she
was able to move out of reach he snatched her into his lap and devoured her lips. “You're a terrible tease, but I like it,” Cade whispered in her ear.

That made her giggle.

He stood with her still in his arms and went to the master suite to re-inspect the bed. A man could never be too careful about the quality of his bed, he thought, as he made love to his mate. Twice.

Etienne
Delacour was monitoring Tim twenty-four seven. Cade had asked him to modify his memories and desires toward his ex-wife. Make him want to leave her alone, move out of Louisiana and be happy about it.

Tim was harassing Anna. Cade wanted it stopped before the situation b
ecame deadly. Combine an unstable ex-husband and the local mob and you had a cocktail for pain and suffering. That was not to be allowed.

H
e decided it would be wise to investigate the little beast of a human. He and three of his family followed Tim for the next two days. His best tech guy bugged Tim’s apartment, tapped his phone, and put a tracker on him.

It didn’t take long to find out Tim was in deep with the mob. Tim was seen going to the casino every night after work and not leaving until the early morning hours. Upon Etienne’s orders the vampires
became invisible and followed him into the casino the next night.

Tim sat himself at a craps table and immediately began losing money. Based on his betting pattern, this idiot had no idea how to play the game. Combine ignorance with plain old bad luck and you have Tim James,
loser.

They watched him in silence as he racked up fifty thousand dollars in bad debt to the casino. Shaking their heads, this idiot was a dead man. About fifteen minutes later two thugs came to the table and dragged Tim into a back room. The vampires followed behind and slipped into the room before the door closed. Tim was roughly tossed into a metal folding chair. He hung his head as if by not being able to see the men in the room
, he would be safe.

“
Tim, it’s come to my attention you have fifty in markers. How do you intend to pay that back?” The mob boss tipped his head to stare Tim in the eye. When he didn’t answer, the thug behind him grabbed him by the hair and forced his head up.

“
I don’t have the money on me,” Tim stammered.

“
My boys here tell me you have a wife, that you have been married a long time. Perhaps if I give your wife special accommodations for a while you’ll suddenly find my fifty to get her back?”

One of the thugs tossed an eight by ten picture of Anna onto the table. The photo appeared to have been taken in Jackson Square. Tim remained silent.
He didn’t correct them regarding his marital status, he would let them believe Anna was a good target and maybe that would save his ass. He was letting them think this would work.

The boss caressed the photo.
“For a woman in her forties she’s rather pretty, and I love a woman with extra cushion for the pushin’. I think she’ll enjoy being tied to my bed, don’t you?”

The boss turned to his men.
“Get him out of my sight, if he doesn’t pay within forty-eight hours grab my new sex toy.”

Etienne’s men
gave him a complete report on the situation Tim had gotten himself into. The bastard was purposely dragging Anna into it as well. Both Tim and the casino boss would need to be dealt with quickly.  Give the idiot a couple drinks and he didn’t shut up. Cade was going to kill this moron.

Etienne left a message on Cade’s phone and would wait for a return call.

At eight a.m. the phone rang. “Cade, Etienne here.” The vamp was always a man of few words. Something he knew Cade appreciated.

“What do you have?” He had answered the phone in the kitchen and Anna could walk in any second.

“He owes fifty, if the money isn’t paid today they will come for Anna. And Cade, the kingpin threatened her sexually.” He spoke with sympathy in his voice. He hated telling his friend his mate was threatened.

Cade crushed the glass he held in his hand. He was growling dangerously into the phone. Etienne knew the anger was not aimed at him and waited for Cade to collect himself.

“I'll make the payment personally and send them a much needed message. Thank you, my friend. Please proceed with Tim’s redirection as soon as you can. Also, feel free to feed, I'd like him watched indefinitely, and your mind-reading ability to link to those you have bitten will be very useful. I don’t trust this punk to not get Anna into danger again.”

Etienne laughed. “My pleasure, Cade. I will try to not flash my fangs or let my eyes grow red while I am looking him in the eye.” There was a click and Etienne was gone.

He knew Etienne would do exactly that. He meant to scare the life out of Tim. There was nothing he hated more than a coward that used a woman as a shield. The man was getting off easy as a favor to him, normally his treatment of vermin like Tim was a bit more deadly.

He set his phone on the counter and leaned on both hands as he hung his head and tried to calm down. He wanted to be
composed when he saw Anna, if she saw him like this his eyes would alarm her.

He
heard her unpacking. Good, that would keep her busy while he went to the casino. “Cher, I need to run to the city for an hour or so. Do you need anything while I'm there?”

“No, not that I can think of. Will you be home for lunch?” She sounded like her head
was deep inside a box.

“I'm sure I'll be home in plenty of time.” He brushed his hand down her lower back and continue
d south.

She rose from the box
, a glint in her eye and one eyebrow cocked. Her expression broke his foul mood instantly. One sweet kiss and he was out the door. He wanted this over with. Like yesterday.

Cade didn’t bother to knock. Scum like these men didn’t deserve that kind of respect. He threw the door open and smashed the kingpin to the desktop before his goons blinked once. “You'll listen very closely. I'll only say this once. Anna
James is mine. She is under my personal protection. If you or any of your people even look in her general direction, if you hire someone to cause her harm, if you look at her or any of her friends or family sideways, I will rip your guts open and feast on your entrails while you watch. I'll ensure you remain alive for a very long time as I slowly dissect you one organ at a time. You will not die well.”

He threw the fifty thousand on the desk. “Do you understand everything I just said?”

Everyone stood frozen, afraid to even breathe.

“Speak now! Yes or
no!” He was close to losing control of his wolf completely.

“Yes! Yes! I understand.”
The boss frantically glanced from Cade’s hand to his face.

Back and forth.

The leader of the mob was the only one who saw his hand shift into a wolf’s paw with wicked, deadly claws that flexed and dug deeply into his arm. In a split second Cade snapped the man’s arm, the bone stuck through the skin at a sickening angle. The agonized screaming was probably heard into the casino.

Leaning down he whispered, “I know what you intended to
physically do to my mate.” The sound of finger bones snapping echoed in the room and the mob boss screamed again. “Speak of her again in such a manner and I will rip off your dick and shove the pathetic thing down your throat.”

He released the evil thug
.

“UM, boss…
Mr. Comeaux,” one of the goons said from across the room.

Panting in pain the mobster sat up and glared at the man.

“We have a problem,” the goon continued.

Cade
’s head spun around and latched onto the goon. “What kind of problem?” he snarled.

“Jonesy and Ralph
followed you from the hotel and are already staking out the place. With you not there--” he squeaked in terror.

I
nstantly Cade was gone. He moved so fast no one was able to see him actually leave. To them, he simply vanished.

Anna was unpacking her bathroom boxes when her old monthly friend returned. She realized she needed feminine hygiene items she hadn’t needed for the past couple years. She knew Cade would be embarrassed if she sent him shopping for that so she grabbed her purse to go to town. He had a sedan in the garage and the keys hung by the door so she was set.

A
s she pulled out of the driveway, the two men who were watching her followed. They kept a distance behind her to not draw attention. She pulled into the small corner store a few miles from the plantation. As she was locking the car a man grabbed her from behind and hauled her backwards into a waiting van.

The last thoug
ht she had before losing consciousness was, these men were dead when Cade got a hold of them.

UGH! What’s th
at awful smell!
Anna awoke with her nose buried in a rancid musty mattress. It all came rushing back, she had been grabbed from behind at the convenience store.

Ok, where am I and how
many of them are there?
Slowly she turned her head enough to see the room hoping the movement wouldn’t be noticed by her captors. It looked like an old rickety cabin. The room held the single bed she was on and one wooden chair. There was a window with ragged curtains that had seen much better days. 
I think I can fit through that window if I can open it.

She listened for sounds coming from the other side of the bedroom door. She hear
d a television but couldn’t tell who was behind the door without opening it. She gave her new heighten wolf senses a try. Pressing her nose close to the crack she took a deep breath. Two of them.
Try to open the door a crack or attempt the window?  Window first.

Quietly she tiptoed to the window and examined it carefully. There was no lock
. With only a short drop to the ground, this would be doable. She would need to cross about twenty feet of open yard before she had the safety of the trees. If she could open it without alerting anyone she could escape.

Taking a deep breath she braced her feet and pushed on the frame. It rose only an inch with a deafening screech, then jammed.
Shit.

Scrambling furniture and running footsteps were heard seconds before the door slammed open. Two very large men filled the door
way.

“What do you think you’re doing
, little missy,” the dark haired one asked.

“
Yeah, Ralph, we’re in the middle of the bayou, where did she think she could go?” the blond added.

She had to think fast. They stepped into the room and advance
d on her. She followed her new wolf instincts and shifted. Apparently stress and dire need helps in the shifting process because she did it perfectly the first try.

The goons stopped in their tracks in shock b
y her shift. They must’ve known about shifters because that moment of hesitation ended very quickly.  Ralph dove for her but she scrambled between his legs and rammed the blond out of the way as she made for the next room. 

She skidded to a halt, stuck in the main room of the cabin
. Well hell, now what. I can’t open the front door without hands.
Ralph and his buddy were at the other end of the room and she was backed against her unusable exit.

“Jonesy, you go left and I will go right. Grab her and we
’ll tie her up,” Ralph said.

As they slowly closed in a cell phone rang.
She glanced to where it lay on the table next to a gun.

That’s it! If I can contain these two idiots
, I can call Cade. These buffoons are no match for my wolf.
She waited until Jonesy reached for her. Without warning she latched onto his arm, biting as hard as she could. Anna shook her head roughly for good measure.

Jonesy howled in pain.

With her wolf focused on Jonesy she couldn’t see Ralph but she heard him coming at her. As he tried to grab her around the neck she released Jonesy and spun away from Ralph’s grip.

Jonesy was ass
-planted on the floor cradling his bloody and torn arm.

One down, one to go
,
she thought.
Come and get me, big guy.

Ralph made another grab for her and she clamped down on his leg. Fabric ripping and pain
filled screams were loud in the little room.

Anna waited for the goons to stop yowling before she started snarling and growling. She wanted them to be paying close attention so she could herd them into the corner.
To avoid her deadly jaws, both men crab walk backwards to the exact place she wanted.

She stood next to the table with the cell phone and gun.
Taking a deep breath she visualized herself human and clothed in jeans and T-shirt. A second later Anna the human stood before them. Snatching up the gun she held it on the goons and with an audible click flipped the safety off.

“Sit you
r butts in the chairs, boys,” she said indicating the only two wooden chairs in the room. There was a duffle bag on the couch. Rummaging through she found an adequate length of rope to tie them to the chairs.