Matt: Tales of the Were (Redstone Clan Book 5) (5 page)

Their cat forms were slightly smaller than the cougar that roamed in most of the rest of the country. Her breed was very localized and isolated. By choice. Her people had chosen to limit their contact with Others long ago and retreated to the backwaters of a small territory they defended to the last man. They’d become a bit inbred, she believed privately, which might explain why they were so backward and overprotective of the females.

She assumed there were others, still in Florida, but she’d been swept away in the night when her immediate family was killed. She’d been so young. She realized now that anything might’ve happened, but the Goddess surely had been watching over her when Marc LaTour found her. She’d told him her story, compelled by the magic of his voice. She’d been so young. She hadn’t understood the power of the vampire, back then. All she knew was that her whole family had been savagely murdered, and Marc had convinced her to trust him with her tale of woe.

It turned out to be the best thing that had ever happened to her. He’d taken her in that night and directed his human servants to see to her needs. He’d paid for her care and made sure she was enrolled in school. He’d encouraged her to do anything she wanted to do, and when the time had come, he had paid for her ivy league education and even her law school tuition.

He was her savior, and her friend. Their relationship was comfortable for them both, and she was more loyal to him than to anyone else she had ever known—up to and including her old Alpha, who was, mercifully, long dead now.

Matt didn’t seem anything like the Alpha males she remembered. Oh, he was definitely an Alpha. Her cat recognized the dominance of his nature right off. But he was…kind. There was a core of compassion in him that impressed her greatly…and confused the heck out of her, as well.

They neared the house in silence as she thought through everything he had told her. If he was to be believed, she had quite a few things wrong about the shifter world. Morgan didn’t like to think she’d been close-minded, but Matt had given her much to ponder. She resolved to look into his claims, at the earliest opportunity, and she knew just where to start. She was going to have a chat with the werewolf woman, Jenny.

He’d been telling her about his family, but it was all too much to take in. She didn’t know how to respond to his claims. She had to do a little more research first before she could believe him. Until then, it was just better to remain silent.

And the silence stretched… But the night was calm and the stars twinkled down on them as they walked companionably along the gravel drive. Before too much longer, Morgan was saved from her contemplation by the opening of the mansion door. Atticus had seen them and was coming out to greet them.

And by
greet
, she really meant
look them over before allowing them anywhere near his mate
. Atticus took protectiveness to new heights now that he was mated to Lissa.

He was wise to be cautious, though. Lissa had been human until meeting Atticus. He’d had centuries to perfect his defenses and skills while she was a mere fledgling in a world of predators. She would need a lot more time as an immortal before she could really handle her power with the same level of skill Atticus had attained over the many years of his existence.

Atticus surprised Morgan by taking Matt into a manly, back-pounding embrace. As if he was some sort of long-lost friend. Morgan had known they were close, but this was the first time she’d really seen them together in a non-business setting. She hadn’t quite realized how deep their friendship really went.

“Good to see you again, Matt,” Atticus said. “I hope the locals haven’t been giving you too much trouble.”

“Nah. It’s all good, my friend. Morgan has been a great help in getting the new design sorted out. I think this one will do the trick.” Matt held up the rolled plans in one hand. “We addressed all their issues, and with any luck, we should be back on track once these puppies are filed.”

“When do you plan to refile?” Atticus asked, casually ushering them into his home.

“First thing tomorrow morning, if you approve of what I’ve done,” Matt replied diplomatically. The housing might be intended for shifters, but it was Atticus’s land and money paying for it. He had final veto on any plans.

“Excellent. Let’s take a look, shall we?” Atticus had led them into the living room and gestured for Matt to unfurl the plans on the wide coffee table in front of the couch.

Miranda took a seat off to one side, leaving the couch for the men. She needed a little space from Matt, right now. He disturbed her equilibrium just by existing. She wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but it definitely gave her something to think about.

Matt pointed out the changes he’d made to the public plans, and Morgan put in her bit when called upon. Then, Matt pulled out his laptop and showed Atticus the secret plans. Morgan was impressed. She hadn’t thought even Atticus would be let in on all the shifter secrets, but Matt was completely open with the vampire, as far as she could see.

“I like this nature preserve idea,” Atticus said, sitting back. “It provides even more of a buffer zone between our people—and my home, too—and the humans. My mate’s friend, Sally, could be of great help with the plantings. I think, with a little effort, we can create natural pathways that any human won’t be able to thwart. There are certain prickly plants and vines that could be convinced to grow in deliberate patterns—in addition to what you’ve already thought of here, Matt. Sally has a way with such things, and she’s mated to a wolf, now, so she can probably be prevailed upon to help make a secure home for Jenny and the other were ladies.”

“Really? What Pack is she affiliated with?” Matt asked.

“Do you know Jason Moore?” Atticus asked with a shrewd expression.

“Jesse’s brother? Alpha of the Wyoming wolf Pack?”

Even Morgan knew about Jesse Moore. War veteran and former Special Forces major, Jesse Moore had retired to a mountaintop in Wyoming, leaving the running of his home Pack to his younger brother, Jason. But Jesse’s Alpha tendencies wouldn’t be denied, and over the years, a mixed Pack of ex-soldiers had congregated around the werewolf. They had formed a mercenary unit that could be hired if the cause was just and the price was right. And they were all shifters of one kind or another.

Matt shook his head. “I’d heard Jason found his mate, but I had no idea the lady was connected with your Lissa.”

At that moment, Lissa walked into the room, a smile on her face. “Forgive me for eavesdropping, but yes, Sally is one of my oldest and dearest friends. I’m sure she’d come help us if she can get away.”

Lissa walked over to Morgan and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek in greeting. Then, she went to Matt, who had stood, and hugged him, too, which surprised Morgan. Atticus didn’t let just anyone get close to Lissa. It was yet another indicator of the depth of Atticus’s friendship with Matt.

When she stepped away, she headed for the sideboard that was laden with glasses. Morgan knew a wine cooler was located inside the antique cabinet, stocked with all of Atticus’s favorite vintages.

“Can I offer you wine? Or other refreshments?” Lissa asked graciously.

Morgan accepted, needing a bit of fortification. Alcohol didn’t affect shifters as strongly as humans, but a little wine might just help soothe her frazzled nerves. As Lissa handed Morgan a glass, they all heard a car coming down the drive. The motor had a deep-throated hum that spoke of an expensive, high-performance engine.

“Ah…” Atticus stood, heading for the doorway. “That’s probably Marc and Kelly. Sebastian and Christy are on their way, as well.”

That was news to Morgan. Seemed the Brotherhood was having a party.

“Marc, of course, wants to see the plans for the nature preserve, since it means more mortals in the area. But I think he’ll like the way you’ve designed it, Matt. With a few tweaks in the forest, we’ll have complete control over where the mortals roam. And when Sebastian heard you were in town, he wanted to come by and say hello. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Mind? Not at all,” Matt answered jovially. Seemed the cougar was looking forward to being surrounded by bloodletters—which was not the reaction Morgan had expected, at all. “I’ve been meaning to visit them but have been too busy with this project before now. Once the plans are accepted by the human authority, then we can get down to the regular schedule of construction and there’ll be more time for socializing.”

Atticus nodded and left the living room to greet his guests. A few moments later, Marc LaTour and his mate, Kelly, arrived. Kelly went straight to Lissa, greeting her with a hug. The two were old friends from college and both had only been recently turned by their vampire mates.

Matt was respectful of Marc, as was only right when greeting a Master. Marc may not be the oldest vampire in the area, but he was the strongest and best suited to the role of Master. For that matter, Atticus could have been Master, but he didn’t want the job, leaving it for his slightly younger, and very formidable, friend.

Since Marc had found Kelly, he’d been a different man. Once solemn and, sometimes, cold, Morgan had seen the real personality Marc must’ve had when he was mortal come to the fore. Kelly had brought that out in him. She had brought him happiness—and a reason to carry on. For that alone, Kelly was someone Morgan would lay down her life for. No questions asked.

Marc may have adopted Morgan, but she had adopted him, as well. He was her family—her father figure, her older brother. And all his friends were her extended family. Uncles, sisters and cousins, so to speak.

She knew it was odd for a shifter to be so close to a nest of vampires in this day and age, but they had taken her in and cared for her when nobody else had. They’d never asked anything in return. None of them had ever—not even once—asked for a hit of her powerful shifter blood. She knew there were no ulterior motives behind Marc’s adoption of her. He simply had done it out of the goodness of his heart. He was her true friend. As were his extended family of vampires, and now, their mates.

Kelly and Lissa sat near Morgan, paying only scant attention to Matt and the guys as they went over the plans again. Morgan had come to respect the ladies after initially being wary of them. The addition of mates had changed the dynamic of their little family, and at first, Morgan had feared the change. But it had turned out better than she ever would have expected. The women had added a spirit of joy to the Brotherhood that had been missing for a very long time indeed.

Now, she considered the new mates friends. Even sisters. So, Morgan wasn’t all that surprised when Kelly started looking from Morgan to Matt and back again, a mischievous expression on her face.

“So, what gives with you and the hunk?” Lissa finally asked in as quiet a voice as she could manage. Morgan cringed. Matt could probably still hear the question.

“Nothing, Lissa. Just working together, that’s all,” Morgan ground out, hoping Matt was distracted enough by his conversation with the guys that he wasn’t paying attention to the ladies.

“But he’s like you. A cat, I mean. Christy says he turns into a mountain lion,” Kelly whispered.

It struck Morgan oddly, for a moment, that Christy would know more about Matt than the other women, but, then, Matt was said to be closest with Sebastian, Christy’s mate. He’d met Sebastian first, and then, Sebastian had introduced him to the rest of the Brotherhood, and they had come to be friends with him, as well.

“The Redstones are cougar shifters,” Morgan confirmed, trying not to let any of her interest show.

“Oh, come off it.” Lissa nudged Morgan with her elbow. “He’s gorgeous. And a shifter. You should totally jump his bones.” The last was said with a giggle that seemed to attract Matt’s attention. He looked up from the plans and sent Morgan a smile coupled with a knowing wink.

He had heard everything the women said. She just knew it.

Morgan nearly sputtered, looking for something to say, but she was saved from having to answer by the arrival of Christy and Sebastian. Atticus let them in, and the couple went straight to Matt, greeting him with hugs and smiles. Lissa got up to pour wine for everyone, and the gathering soon took on a festive air.

At that point, the ladies got involved in the discussion about the nature trails and what their friend, Sally, could do to help coax the plants in the right direction. It was quickly decided that they should get Sally and her mate to come out to Napa once the trails were laid, so she could work her magic on the forest.

“Sally is part dryad,” Christy announced, taking Morgan by surprise. She hadn’t realized any of the ladies were the least bit magical before joining with their vampire mates. “She always had a way with plants, but she didn’t really find out why until she started hanging out in the forest. Or so she said.”

“That must’ve been interesting,” Morgan replied, hoping to hear more, but willing to let the ladies take the conversation in whatever direction they wished.

Sadly, the conversation turned to other things, and somehow, they started talking about Christy and how she knew Matt best out of all of them. There were some not-so-subtle looks being thrown around between the friends, indicating clearly to Morgan that Matt had more…intimate knowledge of Sebastian’s mate than she might have suspected.

“Sally has the most magic of our small group of friends, but Christy has some mad skills,” Lissa confided. “She can already shapeshift, and she has the agility of a cat, not to mention the martial arts skills.
Sensei
Hiro has been training all of us, but Christy is really the best at everything. Kelly and I try not to be too jealous.”

“It was necessary,” Kelly said in a sober sort of voice. “You know that. Christy needed it, and Sebastian put her needs before his own in the most selfless act imaginable.” Kelly’s voice was soft and filled with understanding as she reached a hand out to her friend.

Christy took Kelly’s hand and a sad smile passed between them. Morgan wondered what they were referencing, but even though she knew a lot about the Brotherhood and the new mates of her employers and friends, there were many aspects of their lives that they kept—understandably—to themselves.