Love in the Shadows (9 page)

Read Love in the Shadows Online

Authors: Caryn Moya Block

Tags: #Adventure, #paranormal romance, #Native Americans, #shamanism, #alpha male, #dimension travel, #spy action

BOOK: Love in the Shadows
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“First stop? Where are we going?”
Katherine asked.

“I have a surprise for you. I’ll show
you after we stop at the cottage for supplies. I’m sure Cara laid
in food and clothes for us.”

Dr. Rick walked into the room. “How are
you feeling, Derek? Any problems with pain? Katherine, let him go
and please move. I can’t see Derek if he’s wrapped in your
arms.”

“I feel better in her arms,” Derek said
as Katherine scooted out of the bed. “Actually, the problem is
weakness. I seem to get tired easily.”

“Well, that’s to be expected. Tomorrow
you can get out of bed and walk around. Take the pain pills I gave
you. Katherine, tomorrow you can change the bandages. I’ll make
sure the nurse brings some by.” Dr. Rick said. “Now, just let me
know if you need anything else. Dinner should be arriving in a few
minutes.”

“Thanks for everything, Dr. Rick,”
Katherine said. “Derek and I really appreciate it.”

“I’m glad you both made it,” Dr. Rick
said. “Raven wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m glad I’ve never
disappointed him. I’m not a miracle worker. I’m just a doctor.
Goodnight now.”

“Poor Rick sounds like he could use a
vacation. He’s a nice man,” Katherine said.

“Rick has always been kind of
melancholy. That’s why we hope he finds a mate with a sunny
disposition,” Derek said. “Why don’t you go find the nurse and get
those bandages? Then, we can get out of here.”

Katherine found the nurse down the hall
and got a handful of gauze bandages. When she got back to the room,
Derek stood by the bed in a pair of jeans. His face looked
pale.

“I think they cut my shirt off, when we
got here, and it hurts to bend over and put on shoes, so I’ll go
barefoot,” he explained. “We better hurry. I’m not feeling real
steady on my feet.”

Katherine walked over and put her arms
around Derek and they shadow-walked into the honeymoon cottage on
the Isanti compound. Katherine helped lower Derek onto the
bed.

“I think we should stay here tonight.
You need to take it easy. Whatever you want to show me can wait
until you have regained some strength.” Katherine tucked Derek into
bed. “I’m going to see what Cara left us for dinner. You rest. Here
is the TV remote. I’ll be right back.”

“I’m sorry to be so weak, Kate. I’m
afraid you’re right. At least, we have a real bed to sleep in.
Could I have one of those pain pills? I may heal quickly, but
getting shot still hurts like hell.”

Katherine dropped a kiss onto Derek’s
forehead. “Be right back, baby.”

She went out and found two plates of
lasagna and a loaf of French bread. She stuck the plates into the
microwave and poured glasses of water for both of them. Then, she
cut the bread and loaded everything onto a tray and carried it into
the bedroom.

She handed Derek his pill and served
him his plate. Once he was settled, she climbed into the bed on the
other side and ate her food. Everything tasted wonderful, and
Katherine was glad Cara had looked out for them. Derek turned on
the TV, and when they both had finished eating, Katherine took the
plates and set them aside. Then, she snuggled up to Derek, and they
enjoyed being together and having a quiet evening.

It was early when Derek fell asleep.
Katherine knew he needed sleep to heal. He was still weak from his
ordeal. She loved taking care of him. She caressed his face and
picked up the plates and took them into the kitchen.

She found a chocolate cake in the
refrigerator, along with an egg casserole for breakfast. Chocolate
cake was her favorite, so she cut a slice and sat watching Derek
sleep while she ate it. When Katherine got bored watching TV, she
turned it off and picked up a book.

A couple of hours later, Katherine put
away the book and got ready for bed. She found one of her overlarge
T-shirts in the bathroom along with toiletries for both of them.
There were also pajamas for Derek and clean outfits for tomorrow.
Katherine had to hand it to Cara. If you needed something done, she
was the person to ask.

Katherine brushed her hair and got
ready for bed. Maybe tomorrow, Derek would feel a little stronger.
Anger flooded her system about what Collette had done to him.
Katherine was glad the woman had died. She had never felt such
hatred before, not even when her first husband had been
killed.

“Hey, beautiful, where are you?”
Katherine heard Derek’s voice from the other room. She went into
the bedroom. When he saw her, he opened his arms.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” she
admitted as she let him pull her close.

 

§

 

“You’ve got to let that rage go,
sweetheart. It will eat you alive if you hold onto it. I’m here
now, and we are finally together.”

Katherine started to cry, and Derek was
glad to see her releasing her anger and grief. He rocked her and
kissed her temple and hair.

“Let it all out. We are safe now. You
saved me, Kate. You’re my hero. You are an amazing woman. It’s
okay, baby,” he whispered to her as he held her tenderly and rubbed
her back.

“I hate what she did to you. I felt so
helpless. She was evil. I could have lost you. What would I do
without you?”

“I know, baby. It was pretty scary, but
you weren’t helpless. You got me out. Don’t ever forget it. You are
a strong, courageous woman, and I thank God every day that you are
mine.” Derek kissed her.

“You think I’m courageous?” Katherine
wiped the tears away.

“Yes, Katherine. You didn’t falter once
on the mission, not even when a woman held a gun on you. That is
courage, honey.”

“I was determined to get you away from
that place.”

“That was strength, honey. I’m proud of
you, Katherine. You did well,” Derek said. “Now, let’s dry those
tears and get ready for sleep. I, at least, want to get out of
these jeans.”

Katherine helped Derek into the
bathroom and waited outside in case he needed her. Then, she helped
him back to the bed and fixed his pillows for sleeping. She gave
him his last pain pill of the night and turned off the lights. When
she climbed into bed, Derek pulled her into his arms, and they both
fell sound asleep.

The next morning dawned bright, with
sun shining in the windows. Derek woke up first and stared at
Katherine as she slept. He felt so privileged to be given Katherine
as his mate. Seeing her in his bed with her red hair lying across
the pillow was a gift he’d never expected. Derek stretched slowly,
feeling his wound pull. It was sore, but felt better
today.

Quiet Thunder’s potion still worked in
his system. Cara had delivered a note from the old Shaman
yesterday. Derek had been almost afraid to read it. In shaky
handwriting, it read: “Come by when you are fully healed to begin
your training.” Derek couldn’t wait to get back on his
feet.

Walking away from Katherine had been a
mistake, and they had both suffered. Now, there was a chance for a
new day and a new life. It would be hard, but now that they were
together, he couldn’t let her go. She’d be happy to know that he
would settle down and train to become the tribal shaman.

Derek shook his head. Quiet Thunder had
promised to train him. That didn’t mean Quiet Thunder would ever
forgive him for using the potion. Derek felt his heart ache at his
foster father’s possible rejection. He had never been an obedient
son to the Shaman. He would need to do better.

There was a wedding to plan. Derek knew
Cara would want to give Katherine a big wedding. He stretched again
and sat up slowly. So far, so good. He decided to try to get up. He
was a bit shaky but managed to head for the bathroom.

He remembered that the last time he had
been shot, when Cara had been kidnapped, it had taken him only a
few days to get over it. That was because of Quiet Thunder’s
potions. Derek had escorted Cara to her wedding. Hopefully, this
time the healing would be short as well.

Derek was able to brush his teeth and
put on the jeans and T-shirt he found waiting. It rankled him that
he had to sit down and rest a few minutes between these two tasks.
He walked back into the bedroom and found Katherine opening her
eyes. He stopped to watch her.

Chapter Five

 

Katherine woke up and stretched. Derek
wasn’t in bed, and she looked up to find him already dressed and
leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed.

“Hey, beautiful, you look good enough
to eat,” Derek said. “Give me another couple of days to regain my
strength, and I’ll do just that.”

Katherine found herself blushing and
climbed out of bed. “How are you feeling? Should you be
up?”

“I feel better, only a little wobbly,”
Derek explained. “I want to get my strength back.”

Katherine walked over and gave Derek a
hug and good morning kiss. She felt him tremble slightly as she
held him. “Why don’t you sit down until I finish dressing, then you
can come into the kitchen while I cook breakfast.” She gave him
another kiss. “I’ll be right back.”

She watched as Derek walked to the
chairs by the window and sat down. Then she went in the bedroom to
get dressed. She didn’t take long to put on the clothes Cara
provided, a pair of khaki pants and a T-shirt. She pulled her hair
back into a bun and pinned it up. She knew the casserole would take
about thirty minutes to cook. There was a fruit basket, and she
figured she would find juice and coffee as well.

She came out of the bathroom and saw
the pleasure and love that came into Derek’s gaze as he watched
her. She would never get tired of seeing that look on his face.
Katherine knew in her heart that Derek would always treasure
her.

She took his hand and led him into the
kitchen and to one of the chairs at the little table for two. Then,
she set to work preparing breakfast. She cut up an apple, banana,
and peach she found in the fruit basket and served that to Derek as
they waited for the coffee and casserole.

They talked and teased as Katherine
finished getting everything served. Now, she could feel the passion
that simmered under the surface. She also knew she could never
leave him now that they were back together. His near brush with
death left her feeling determined to stay as close as
possible.

“Ready for a little adventure?” Derek
said. “I’d like to show you something. Let’s pack a picnic, and
then we’ll go.”

Katherine helped make sandwiches and
picked out some fresh fruit to put in a small basket, which could
travel through Shadow. As long as you wanted your food chilled,
everything was good.

“Ready, beautiful? Put on the
mink-lined coat in the closet. You know Shadow is cold.”

After fetching the coat and a leather
jacket for Derek, Katherine walked over to Derek. He held out his
hand, and they went into Shadow, and then, just that quick, out
again.

A beautiful log house rose up out of
the woods. It was huge and fit perfectly into the landscape. A lake
glistened in the sunlight nearby.

“What’s this?” she asked confused.
“Whose house is that?”

“Yours, Kate. I built it for you. We
own the lake and several acres of woods. Would you like to see the
inside?”

“I would love to. When did
you do this?”
He built her a
house?

“I bought the property after I first
met you. I knew you were going to need some time to recover from
losing Kevin. It helped me to have something to do, for our future,
for you. Nobody knows about it. We could hide out here, but it
wouldn’t take Raven long to figure it out, I’m afraid.” Derek led
Katherine up the path to the house. He pulled a key from a
hidey-hole and unlocked the door.

“I’d carry you over the threshold, but
I’m afraid I’m still not up to that. Come on, I want to know if you
like it.”

Katherine walked into a central hallway
with a stairway and doors leading off to the sides. The first room
was a large living room with windows facing the lake and a huge
stone fireplace. The room down the hall was the dining room with
windows facing the lake on one side and woods on the
other.

She insisted Derek sit down in a chair
in front of the fireplace to rest, while she explored the rooms.
When she was finished, he followed her upstairs to show her the
bedrooms. The master suite was on the front of the house and faced
the lake. There were beautiful French doors that led to a balcony.
Katherine could picture waking up as the sun rose over the lake.
The only furniture was a large king-size bed facing the balcony.
There were three other bedrooms down the hall and two more
bathrooms.

“I thought you would like to finish the
decorating yourself. Or we can hire it done if you’d rather,” he
said.

“Don’t you dare hire someone. I would
love to finish the decorating. Derek, the house is beautiful. Thank
you so much. I can’t tell you how wonderful this makes me
feel.”

“You are wonderful, Katherine. I have
one more thing I need to show you,” he said, walking to her as he
reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. “Will you marry me?”
he asked as he held the ring out to her.

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