Firestarter (13 page)

was even more gorgeous than he had been to her eighteen year old eyes. Now that she was forty-one to his forty-five, he was even better. Damn the man. She turned her back to him, but could feel his gaze burning into her.

“Cammie, oh God, I was so scared. Alo called and said some crazy guy tried to hurt you and Keanu.”

“Mom, it was Ted Grossman. He set those houses on fire and my own. I still don’t know

why.”

“I want you to come home with me and your grandparents.”

Keanu draped his arm over Cammie’s shoulder. “Ms. Hakun, I’m very sorry you’re upset,

but until we know if Ted was working alone, I want Cammie with me.”

Rasmund stepped forward, like the bastard wanted to protect her and their child. Well, Dyani had news for him, the man could go right back to wherever he came from, and never come back.

Why did that last thought make her heart hurt? She had been perfectly happy for the last twenty-plus years, and she’d be fine for the next forty or so. Moving on is what they called it.

That’s what she had done, she was just waiting for her baby to grow up.

“Hello, Dyani. You look wonderful.”

“Keanu, can you guarantee my daughter’s safety?” At his nod, she continued. “Then I’ll agree to let her stay with you, and please call me Dyani.” She said, completely ignoring Rasmund.

Keanu’s eyes blazed. “Ms. Hakun I promise to put her life before my own. When she was

twelve, I saved a gangly little girl, and, had I known then what she would mean to me now, I can assure you I’d have helped you wrap her in bubble wrap.”

Cammie smacked Keanu in the stomach. “Don’t encourage her. I promise to brush my teeth and say my prayers before bed, Mommy.”

Dyani grunted and folded her arms over her chest. “Don’t be snarky, young lady. I have a right to worry, unlike some people.” She narrowed her gaze at Rasmund.

Rasmund held his hand out. “If you would let me explain.”

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Her arms uncrossed, making a slashing motion with her hands. “You had your chance years ago. Now, I owe you nothing.”

Turning to face the man she loved, for what she hoped would be the last time, she let him see the hurt he had caused.

“I have not abandoned you all these years. I sent LeeLee to protect you both.”

“What are you talking about? You think a pet makes up for a father?” She pretended to think it through, crossing her arms in the world wide thinker pose, and then shook her head. “I guess a dog is better than you. So thank you, and goodbye.”

Kissing her daughter’s cheek, Dyani decided it was time to leave. Her brave front could only last so long. Already she felt her heart rate increase, and damn her hormones, her breasts seemed to swell. Just looking at the man made her think of those long ago days, and nights, when she had given him her heart, along with her body.

She had seen him the first day he showed up to work in a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt
that he’d filled out like a dream. She had just graduated from high school, and her father had put
her to work in the office. He’d come inside with the rest of the first shift to clock in, only he
wasn’t like the other guys.

She couldn’t help but stare. With his shaggy red hair and his lean tall build, he made all the
other men seem meaningless. Like boys playing at being men. When he turned those golden eyes
in her direction, Dyani’s breath had caught in her throat. They were the eyes of a predator and
she wanted to be his prey.

For days he was the perfect gentleman, taking her out every day after work. At night when it
was time to take her home, he’d kiss her, holding her close, making her wish for more.

“Rasmund, I should tell you I’ve never done this before.”

“I know, my love.” His voice rumbled beside her.

They were lying on a blanket staring up at the sky near her family’s pond. She had snuck out
to meet him, like she had done for the past three days.

“
What happens after, you know?”

He leaned up on his elbow, and looked at her with what she thought was love. He’d brushed
her hair behind her ear and kissed her. She’d forgotten every other question.

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By the time they were both naked, she was more than ready for him. She opened her arms
and felt him from her head to her toes, pressing her into the soft grass beneath them. As he
entered her, she relaxed and held completely still. He was inside her, in her body, her heart, and
she knew he would never leave.

She believed in fairy tales for five more weeks. They were the sweetest and most sensual
days of her life, and then it had all come crashing down.

She couldn’t wait to tell Rasmund their news. She placed her hand on her still flat stomach.

She had left work early, and run to the next town for a test. After two positives, she finally
admitted the truth. They were going to have a baby.

Dyani hadn’t been paying attention to her surroundings, when two men grabbed her by the
arms. They asked where Rasmund was, saying they could smell him on her. What the hell did
that mean?

She was shaking. “What do you want Rasmund for?”

“Shut up, whore, and tell us where lover boy is.” The larger of the two gave her a brutal
jerk.

She nearly wet her pants in relief when Rasmund walked up, until his words made her
stomach plummet, and she felt her lunch threaten to reappear.

She was fun and a good lay, but not someone he wanted to spend his life with. That was fine
with her. She would be the best mother to their child, and she would never trust another man
again.

Seeing Rasmund again hurt Dyani more than she’d anticipated. It was like a form of torture.

She remembered the way he’d kissed, how he had held her, like he cared. The lying, cheating bastard. She hoped his dick shriveled up and fell off.

“Dyani, please, let me explain.”

She rejected his words violently, jerking away from the hand he held out. “No. I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. You made it clear that you didn’t want anything to do with me.”

Rasmund growled a deep vibrating sound. LeeLee jumped to Dyani’s defense, putting

herself between the two. She saw the hackles on her daughter’s pet rise, her ears lying against its head, until Rasmund flashed teeth twice as long as a normal human.

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“What are you?”

Rasmund’s voice rumbled. “We will talk away from here.”

It seemed the smartest thing she could do was nod. He grabbed her hand and tugged her

behind him to a truck. With its out of state plates, she had to assume it was his. Her hand flew to her mouth at the absurd things going through her head. None of them were making any sense.

She did not just see her daughter’s father grow a set of canines.

“Are you a...what are you?”

He looked over his shoulder. “I’ll answer all your questions when we get to my hotel.”

Alo Raine nodded his head and placed a hand on Cammie’s arm. Her daughter’s tremulous

smile gave Dyani the courage to go with Rasmund.

“Mom, if it’s any consolation, I think you’re as safe as you want to be.”

Dyani tried to tug out of his hold. “I’m not going to your hotel. Just answer the damn question.”

“Dyani, just shut up for a minute, okay? My control is shaky at best right now.”

He picked her up, placing her inside the surprisingly luxurious pickup truck with care, before rounding the front and getting into the driver’s side.

She did just as he’d ordered. Not because he told her, but because he had said it with that growling voice again. The tone of his voice had her pulse jumping. She remembered when he’d sounded very similar, but those were memories best left in the past.

He jammed his foot on the gas, squealing tires and scratching a few gears. Dyani kept her lips firmly shut with her hand gripping the ‘oh shit’ handle like her life depended on it. The hair on her nape stood on end, from fright or excitement Dyani wasn’t sure. She feared the latter was more accurate.

He parked outside the lodge with one hand draped over the wheel, the other on the gearshift.

He looked so damn sexy, but a little out of control. She shivered, looking between his profile and the door to the hotel. How could this man make her want him? She was sure that part of her had died when he’d left.

What did she know about this man now? He could be married, or a serial killer, or any

number of things, and she’d just gotten up and left with him. She cleared her throat and consoled herself with the fact her family saw them leave together. Couldn’t he just get on with whatever he had to say, so she could go back to her normal life?

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“Let’s go.” Rasmund opened his door.

Not waiting for him to round the truck, Dyani opened her door and jumped down. She gave him a look she hoped passed for bored, and followed him into the building. Inside his room, he paced, running his hands through his hair, and paced some more. The chair she sat on afforded her a prime position to watch him. Her stomach flip-flopped each time he passed. The way her body reacted to him made her angry.

“Why don’t you just spit it out?”

“Fine, here it is. I’m a shifter, the alpha of my pack.” He stared her in the eyes. “When I fell in love with you, I was prepared to give up my pack and my family, but my father, who was the alpha at the time, didn’t agree. He sent two of his men to convince me to return.” His breath left him in a loud exhale. “You remember the two men who grabbed you that day?” He waited for her to nod. “If I had not done and said what I did, they’d have killed you right then and there.”

“Okay.” Of all the things she’d thought since that fateful day, his being a shifter actually made sense.

“You don’t believe me?”

Dyani almost felt sorry for him. “Of course I believe you, but what does that have to do with me?”

“You believe in shifters, that I am one?” Disbelief filled his voice.

“Rasmund, I am aware there are all kinds of things that are not considered normal. Just because I do not possess anything special, doesn’t mean I don’t know of others who do.” Okay, having a real life werewolf standing before her sent shivers down her spine. Dyani pushed the fear aside. “So no, it is not a stretch to believe there are other species. I’m Native American.

We’re full of folklore and tales passed down through the centuries.” The stories told around the campfires paled in comparison to what he said.

“That makes it easier,” he breathed.

His statement made her pause. “Again, I ask, what does this have to do with me?”

Rasmund threw his hands in the air. “Don’t you get it? If I had not left you that day, and said what I did, they would have torn you limb from limb. I did it for you.”

The images his words invoked had fear shooting through her. She lifted her chin, hiding how she felt with bravado. “Oh, is this where I’m supposed to say thank you? Am I supposed to be grateful that you left me, with not only a broken heart and a baby, but with no help, no word 87

from you for over twenty-three years?” Her voice raised several decibels with each question she fired at him. She was actually shaking, her hands clenched tightly in her lap. Hurt and anger warred for supremacy.

He held his hands in front of him. “I sent a guardian to protect you, and money. I checked in on you and our daughter. If she could have shifted, you both would have been welcome in my pack.” Exasperation edged his voice.

That he’d cared enough to have someone watching them actually pissed Dyani off. The fact that he was able to know how they were, but didn’t want to be with them enough to come see them, made her want to beat the crap out of him. She’d accepted his money and made sure Cammie never wanted for anything, but she’d not used a penny for herself. She’d even let her keep the monstrous Jeep he’d sent her. “Since she couldn’t, you just turned your back on us?”

She sneered. “Well screw you, and your precious pack. We’re better off without any of you.

Thank you for explaining. Now I’d like you to take me home.” She waved her hands. Her

stomach lurched at the thought of her baby girl being shunned by his pack. She placed a trembling hand on her abdomen, hoping to stop the ache.

Rasmund stepped closer, eliminating the small space between them. “It’s not that fucking simple. My father issued a command for me to return home, and mate with a bitch from another pack. He wanted to unite our packs, strength in numbers and all that bull. I said no, but then he threatened your life. If I’d have stayed, or even kept in contact, the old man would’ve had you and Cammie killed. I did what I thought was best.” His eyes dilated.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Her hand flew to her mouth. “You have a mate? Do you have other children? Oh God, don’t answer that. Don’t tell me anymore. Just take me home and leave me alone.” The last came out as a sob. All the strength left her legs as anguish washed over her in waves. For years, she’d secretly hoped he’d return, that he was as miserable as she, only to find out he’d truly moved on. Dyani wanted to curl up in a ball and lick her wounds in private.

She laughed mirthlessly at the thought.

Rasmund got down on his knees and took Dyani’s face between his hands. “I am not mated.

The woman he wanted me to mate with fell in love with a man in her own pack. As a sign of peace, her father offered mine a deal. The two packs would be combined, with me as second. At the time I thought it was a win-win. I could come back and claim you once it was settled. But then Sage’s mate died.” Rasmund took a deep breath. “She was pregnant with twins. As second 88

in command, that meant I had to step up and offer my protection to her and her children. I became alpha of both packs several years ago, but I won’t bore you with more details.”