Maxim (16 page)

Drannon’s head was spinning. He’d gone from a crack house to a mansion in a day, and somehow, even though he’d lost everything, he couldn’t feel the sadness anymore. He wanted to feel sad about his mom. He was going to miss her, but he wasn’t going to miss cold nights on the dirty floor while she was tucked away with someone in the only bedroom. And he wasn’t going to miss racing to school in the mornings so that he could arrive in time for breakfast because it was the only food he was going to get before class.

Turning back to Sera, he surprised himself when genuine emotion boiled up and his eyes stung, “T-thank y-you, Miss Sera.”

“You’re welcome, Drannon. This is your home for as long as you need it, and we’re glad to have you here. Now, make yourself comfortable. I’ll grab you some clothes to sleep in, and if you’ll leave your dirty clothes in the laundry hamper tonight, Marilyn will make sure they get washed for you.” She bustled into the bathroom, and Drannon followed just far enough to keep his eyes locked on her. He had no idea who Marilyn was, but he didn’t really care either. All that he wanted now was to crawl into that big bed, and sleep until he could put this whole nightmarish day behind him.

Sera pulled a brand new toothbrush and toothpaste out of the cabinet behind the mirror in the bathroom, and laid them on the counter. Next came a bar of soap, a washcloth, and a towel. “Do you need help taking a bath, Drannon?” she asked, with a look of concern on her face. He didn’t like it when she frowned like that. It made her forehead wrinkle, and she was much prettier smiling.

“N-no ma’am. I c-c-can do it.”

Her smile of approval nearly blinded him, “Good. I figured at eight years old you were probably well on your way to taking care of yourself, but like I told you, if you need anything at all, Drannon, just come find me. Okay?”

They watched each other, she with rapt curiosity on her face, and he with wary reservation and admiration for the tiny woman in front of him. He wondered why she was being so nice to him. They were strangers, but she was treating him like family. When her face fell into a sad frown he realized he’d voiced his thoughts, and he immediately took a hesitant step backwards when her hands reached to embrace him.

“You poor dear. I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through today. No one should have to go through that.” Her genuine concern stole his breath and cracked the shield he’d been holding over his emotions all day long. Tears filled his eyes, and his lungs burned as he panted for air. “It’s okay, let it out. Cry all you need to. There’s no shame in crying when the tears are for someone you love.”

The validation meant everything to him, but he couldn’t find it in him to respond verbally so he just nodded mutely, and wept against her shoulder. All of the fear and sorrow from the day seemed to leak out of him rolling down his cheeks and soaking into her blouse. When his sobs finally subsided and he was left hiccupping and wiping his snotty nose on his hand, she finally released him.

“There now. You’ve got that all out of your system, and now you’ll sleep better.” Tenderly pushing his shaggy hair from his eyes, she brushed her lips across his forehead. “We’ll talk when you’re ready, but tonight you need to rest. Sleep well, Drannon.”

Silently, he watched as she headed off down the hall, turning at the top of the stairs and disappearing from sight. He stood dumbly for several minutes in the doorway of the blue room, taking in his temporary home with a hint of envy for the people who lived here permanently. He assumed by the way Danica spoke it was unlikely he’d be here long, but he was going to take advantage of the luxury while he could. After all, it wasn’t like his mother was going to come back to life and scold him for indulging in a bath with real soap.

If he was going to be on his own for the rest of his life, he was going to take advantage of every possible good thing that came along and relish in it while he could. Who knew what kind of home permanent Danica would find for him? For this brief moment, he was safe, surrounded by warmth and people who genuinely cared about his feelings, and that was all he’d ever wanted.

A door opened and closed downstairs, startling Drannon from his reminiscing, and he shook off the lump of emotion in his throat. Abe and Sera became his salvation as he grew into a temperamental young man with an ax to grind. They’d just as easily been his cheerleaders when he finally realized no one owed him anything and he’d have to go out and work for his future. He invested his energies in a career that turned sour on him, and eight years ago, he came home from the big city with his tail between his legs, and found his heart back home on the ranch.

He and his three closest foster brothers, Roman, Vin, and Hawke had bought the ranch off Abe and turned the main house and most of the cabins into a guest ranch. Of course it was Marilyn who ran the guest side of things, while the boys took care of the ranch. It turned out to be a great investment, and a timely one considering Sera died a couple of years later, and the fire inside Abe fizzled.

Now that both Crawleys were gone, the big house seemed cold and empty most days, even when it was full of guests or ranch hands. Skimming his hand up the wide oak banister, Drannon remembered sliding down it on his rump and getting scolded over and over by Sera, who always did it with a smile on her face. He remembered garland wrapped around it with twinkling lights encircling the posts, and the smell of pies and Christmas cookies. This Christmas Marilyn had put up the tree alone, and the tree skirt had remained empty since the boys decided not to bother exchanging gifts with each other. Maybe it wasn’t just Abe who lost his heart when Sera died. The whole of Crawley Creek Ranch seemed to have lost its sparkle.

Pushing aside his sad thoughts, and longing for the old days, Drannon went back to bed already listing in his head the multitude of chores that needed to be done when the sun rose.

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Are you into Menage?

What about paranormal romance?

How about both?

Check out author Bryce Evans and you won’t be sorry.

Destiny of Three

By Bryce Evans

Chapter 1

“Do you know who I am?” 

Sullivan Grayson looked at the man in the black robe and shrugged. 

“I don’t care.  Your name isn’t important, only your money.  If I do this and you don’t pay me, then you’ll know who
I
am.  You get me?” Sullivan spit at the ground, inches from the man’s shoes, then wanted to jump back when his eyes turned so red they almost glowed.

He knew who the man was, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was the difference this money could make in saving the lives of thousands of his people. 

“Ahh, I see.  You only want the money.  That’s good.  Well now, let’s get started.”  The man walked over to his vehicle as he spoke.  “My name is Regis Yulson, and I’m a collector, of sorts.  I collect many things, but right now I’m looking for something that many before you couldn’t find.  I don’t believe in beating around the bush, so I’ll get right to it:  I’m looking for the Powerful Three.”

Sullivan snorted and scrubbed his hand over his face.  “You and everyone else in the world.”  He could sense the dread coming on again.  He’d been feeling it ever since he got the message from Mac that someone wanted to hire him.  “I’ve heard about the Powerful Three ever since I was a pup, and still nobody knows who they are or where they are.  No one knows if they’ve even been born yet!” 

Regis laughed at his answer, and it gave Sullivan a prickling sensation all over his body.  He’d heard about Regis Yulson and his quest to possess every supernatural artifact ever known.  From what he’d heard, the vampire had a very nice collection.  Rumor had it that he’d found the Seal of Solomon, which was sought after by every tomb raider.  If that was true, it made him a very dangerous vampire.  This man was also a historian, so it made sense that he would know all about the talisman, and what little was known of the Powerful Three.  But why hadn’t he looked for them himself?

“I understand you’re a tomb raider and a respected tracker.”  Regis’s black eyes sparkled as he added, “They say you can track and find anyone, and I’m looking for three particular people.” 

“I don’t mind taking your money, Mr. Yulson, but it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.  As I said before, nobody knows if the Powerful Three have even been born yet, or if they’re men or women.  I don’t think I can be of any use to you.”  Sullivan started to walk off.

“But you see, I do have an idea where they are,” Regis interrupted, his voice intense. 

Sullivan stopped in his tracks and dropped his head.  He knew he should’ve told Mac that he was taking a vacation, but the money had been too good to pass up. 

Sullivan turned around and faced the vampire.  “You know where the Powerful Three are?”  His voice was mild, and he hated that he couldn’t hide his curiosity.  This man would pounce on it if he showed how much he was interested in folklore.  This was the kind of thing that the Elders in his old pack would teach the pups.  He’d sit and listen, while his friends snuck out every chance they got.  Not him — he would rummage through all the old scrolls his grandmother had and read every myth that had been written down. 

“I’m a Seer, Mr. Grayson, and I have seen the Powerful Three.  I need to know now if you will take this job.  I don’t need to waste my time if you’re not interested, but if you are I will give you half the money up front, and the other half when you locate them.  All I need for you to do is find them, and I will do the rest.  Do we have a deal?”  Regis asked.

According to Mac, the man was going to give him one million dollars if he found the Powerful Three, and he would pay all his expenses as well.  That was too much money to turn down.  He could retire after this, which would allow him time to finish writing down all the myths and folklores that were known about paranormals, something no one had ever attempted before. 
Putting all of them in one place would finally allow people to determine what was myth and what was true, and might help them to cure some of the diseases that were plaguing their people.  The lives of his people depended on him getting this money. 
His only concern was why Yulson wanted him to find the Powerful Three.  What did he want with them?

“You only want me to locate them and then tell you where they are?”  Sullivan asked curiously.

“Yes, that is all I want you to do.” 

Yulson gave him the creeps. He’d befriended many vampires over the years, but none had been as large as Regis, who stood six feet, five inches tall.  He had Roman features, with an aquiline nose and olive skin, and gave off a magical aura that worried Sullivan.  The rumor was that Regis wasn’t a born vampire, but had been granted life by the King of Vampires when he’d saved a friend’s life. 

But if he was so powerful, why didn’t Regis look for the Powerful Three himself?

“Why don’t you find them?  Obviously you have the resources and money,” Sullivan asked, but the vampire ignored him.  Something didn’t feel right about this.  His wolf was telling him to leave now. Accepting this deal was a mistake.

Apparently Regis knew he was about to turn him down, and sweetened the deal.  “If you take this job, I’ll give you an extra five hundred thousand dollars.  That will give you one point five million dollars, Mr. Grayson.”

Sullivan closed his eyes and smiled.  He stuck his hand out to shake on it, not realizing that he’d just made a deal with the devil.  “I’m in, Mr. Yulson.” 

Before Sullivan could pull his hand back, Yulson turned it palm up and bit down into his wrist.  Sullivan tried to knock the vampire off, but Yulson’s guards grabbed and held him while Regis sucked his blood.  He couldn’t move as the vampire drained him; the wolf in him wanted to rush forward, but he was too weak from the blood loss to shift.

Sullivan could feel his legs wobbling when Yulson let his hand go, jerking his teeth from his wrist.  “When you make a deal with me, Mr. Grayson, you do it in blood.  Your blood.” 

He was too shaken to resist as Yulson pulled him closer and whispered in his ear, “When the Powerful Three came to me in my visions, I couldn’t see their faces, but I could tell they were two women and a man.  They live together somewhere where it snows.  I saw them playing in the snow together, with a beautiful log cabin behind them.  Whoever built the cabin has a lot of money; it was one of the most luxurious cabins I’ve ever seen.  The rock pillars had to be brought in.  It must be a billionaire’s home.  That’s all I know.” 

Regis started to walk off.  His guards still had ahold of Sullivan as his eyes tried to focus.  The vampire had taken a lot of his blood.  Yulson stopped and turned back around, blood still dripping from his teeth and mouth.  “The first half of your money is in your vehicle.  Don’t disappoint me, Mr. Grayson, or this will be your last adventure.”

Sullivan rose up, trying to get his eyes to open.  He looked around.  He was sitting in the driver’s seat of his truck, freezing cold; apparently the guards had put him in there when he passed out.  His eyes felt foggy as he blinked them several times, trying to remain conscious. 

Sitting beside him was a black suitcase and some granola bars.  A gallon of orange juice accompanied the food.  He grabbed it, first hoping it would clear his head.  Sullivan turned the bottle up, drinking the whole container as his eyes finally started to focus. 

Shivering, he turned on his vehicle and cranked the heat up high.  His neck and back were stiff as he tried to straighten up.  He wanted to bang his head against the steering wheel for being so stupid.  He had a blood bond with that crazy vampire now, and if he didn’t come through for him, Yulson would come after him. 

“What the fuck have you done?”  Sullivan hit the dashboard, mad at letting himself be drawn into this job. 

****

“She sure is hitting that bag hard.”  Ashland Wilder glanced over at River with a questioning look on her face.  They sat in one of the workout rooms at the lodge, watching as Star worked out her frustrations on the bag.  “She looks mad.”

“Yep,” River agreed with her best friend.  “I wish Star would just have sex with Banks and Jansen; maybe that would help her with the anger she’s built up.  It sure helps me when I need to release some stress.”  She snickered, then looked back at her sister pounding the bag.  She was proud of Star.  Her sister had come a long way since the day they met.  She worked out all the time, and she’d started putting on some muscle.  It wasn’t enough to make you stop and stare, unless you were a man.  Her curves were curvier, and her attitude had changed as well.  She liked the way she looked and it showed with her work-out clothes.  When she first met her sister, she wouldn’t have dared to wear skimpy shorts and sports bras, but she did now and she looked great in them. 

“For some reason that just makes me laugh.  It’s true, but it’s funny,” Ash giggled. 

“Hey, what are you two laughing at?”  Star Johnson stopped punching the bag and looked over at her sister and their friend.

River just waved her sister’s question away and pushed Ash over until they both lay on the floor, laughing until they cried.  Once they started laughing they just couldn’t seem to stop, and the more Star pounded on that bag the louder they got.

Star walked over and just stared at the women.  “What’s so damn funny?”

“Nothing.” River tried getting up, but fell back down on the floor, still giggling.

Star shook her head, walked back over to the bag and started punching it harder.

“Okay, okay.  Please stop.”  Ash took a deep breath and lay flat on her back, trying to calm down.

“Uh Oh.”  Ash snorted.  Both the girls rose up quickly when they heard Banks walk in the room and head straight for Star.  “You need to look at what you’re hitting or you’re going to hurt your hand.” 

They both watched as Star stopped hitting the bag and tilted her head sideways at him. “What did you just say?” 

River watched as Star’s voice became very calm, which should have scared Banks, but he just continued to stare at her. Then he really messed up and moved in closer, invading Star’s space. Banks Cohen was really a good man, but he was like most Alpha males, very bossy.  When the call went out to all paranormal groups asking for their best to join a specialized unit, Banks was chosen and sent to Freedom, Colorado to be part of it.  He was a six feet, seven inches tall and built like a mountain.  It was like watching a movie play out, where the much smaller female decided to stand her ground and face off with the big bad grizzly bear like she wasn’t scared at all. Unfortunately, this movie was playing out right in front of them. To make matters worse, Banks repeated in a patronizing voice, “If you don’t look at what you’re hitting, you’re going to hurt your hand.”

River shook her head and started to get up to intervene.  She cringed when Star narrowed her eyes at him, her fists balled up at her sides.   Before River could warn him, her sister jumped up and punched Banks in the face.  He fell backwards against the table, blood pouring from his nose.  He shook his head in confusion.

“You mean like that?”  Star bellowed, then quickly walked out of the room.

Ash and River jumped up and hurried over to Banks, who was cussing.  He held his nose as the blood poured between his fingers, splattering over his nice blue shirt and the floor.  River put her hand on his shoulder.  “Are you okay?”

“What the hell is Star’s problem?  I only told her she needed to look at what she was hitting or she’d hurt herself, and then she punched me in the damn nose.”

“Yeah, we saw that.  I guess you could say she was looking at what she was hitting when her fist connected with your nose.”  River nudged Ash, who snickered. 

“Sorry, Banks,” River added, but she had to purse her lips so she didn’t smile, or she was going to laugh in his face. The bear shifter looked mad enough already.

When he looked at most people, his intense blue eyes sparkled.  When he looked at Star, everyone could see the sparks that flared up between them.  But Star fought Banks and Jansen at every opportunity.

Jansen Vega was a wizard from the Twisters Council, also an Alpha male who was chosen to be on the Unit.  River remembered the day Jansen and Banks were introduced; she could see the sparks that flew between the two men.  They were both different, but if she had to say it, Jansen was a little nicer, at least compared to Banks — if there could be such a thing as a nice and sweet Alpha.  He hardly ever spoke unless he was answering or asking a question.  But everyone could see how much Banks and Jansen wanted Star.  Their eyes lit up when she walked into a room, and followed her every move.  The three of them were obviously mates, but for some reason her sister was fighting it. River couldn’t really say anything, though, because she’d fought Jonas and Reece every step of the way when she was told they were her mates.

“What the hell is wrong with your sister?”  Banks growled again, bringing River out of her thoughts.  She handed him a rag to help clean him up.  Star really had hit him hard.

“I don’t know, but maybe you and Jansen could keep your distance from her for a while so she has a chance to calm down.  She’s—”

“Demented.  That’s what she is.  Damn woman needs her ass spanked,” Banks growled, with barely concealed fury.