Nights Embrace (Others of Seattle) (22 page)

He pulled her close and she melted into him.
“It’s enough. I trust you. God, I do. I couldn’t help that twinge of fear when your sense of loss nearly overwhelmed me.”

Her laugh was bitter.
“That sense of loss was because I realized I’ve held him back. Me. Every time he starts to fall apart, I try to help him put it back together. My compassion led him to believe I could still love him. I finally figured out I only make things worse by trying to be there for him. Since this weekend, when I shut him out, he’s made progress. It hurts knowing I made him worse. Maybe if I’d just cut him out when I first caught him with another woman, he’d already be back on his feet.”

“I’m sorry I asked
.” Trevor hated knowing he was the one to cause her pain.

“No. You needed to understand. I
just wish I figured this out sooner. He never let me go because I had a hard time turning my back on him. It was a vicious cycle because he would get into some mess, and I would come in to help him clean it up. He’d be good for a few days, and then try to sway me, causing me to shut him down. He’d storm off and mess things up again, and I’d come back to help him through. I was always his downfall.”

“
I don’t believe that. What you did wasn’t wrong. You tried to help but he read more into your actions than what was there.”

“Maybe.”

He caressed her cheek. “Hey, I shouldn’t have asked. I know deep down you won’t go to him, that what we have is the real thing.”

She leaned into his touch. “It was a fair question. You can always ask anything you need to know and I will answer.”

“Same to you, love. I want no secrets between us, but it might take time to cover all that ground.”

“How is she?” William asked into the phone.

“Alive,” Dina snarled.

William could see the accompanying sneer on her cold and perfect face. “I’ve been delayed another day. We have a small bit of business to attend to before making our way there.” He managed to keep the irritation out of his voice, but Kathryn was anxious about the plane ride. He went so far as to charter a private jet. “Due to our delay, I was hoping you could meet the others and abduct Miss Nights. I would like to have a word with her upon my arrival. Do you think you could manage that, without
permanent
damage?”

“You mean I can harm her, as long as she heals?” Excitement layered Dina’s tone.

“Yes. Pain and fear may keep her in check. Keep in mind that Roxana had better be whole when I get there,” he warned.

“Yes, of course. I will have her locked in one of the cells at the new place. She won’t be able to get free.”

He sighed, choosing his words carefully. “Make sure she is in perfect health by the time Kathryn and I arrive. You will suffer a far worse fate than she does if you disobey me.”

“Yes, of course. She will be in perfect health. When will you arrive?”

“You will pick me up at the airport at nine in the morning in two days’ time. Can you manage that?”

“I will. Goodbye.” She hung up.

William’s teeth ground together. He was going to enjoy punishing Dina. It had been far too long since he got his claws in that little bitch.

“Oh, darling,” Kathryn murmured as she sat up in bed to wrap her arms around his chest. “
Are you looking forward to tearing her hide? I do love to watch your blood play.”

William turned a vicious smile her way.
“Only because you still enjoy the taste of blood over flesh. Don’t worry, my love, I will let you lap up her wounds.”

“Your daughter and her pack will never know what hit them. They still believe us to be dead.” Her laugh chilled the air as her eyes cut into him. “I will make
Fiona suffer, William. Never doubt that for even a moment. She nearly took my life all those years ago.”

“Fiona will never be persuaded, but Roxana can. She hasn’t had years of training at the hands of a druid. She will embrace the dark and the power that it provides.
”

* * * *

Fiona sat on the swing, staring out over Lake Union. Roxy noticed that she’d been there the entire time, hardly paying attention to anyone but Nick.

Wanting to break the ice,
Roxy walked over and sat down beside Fiona. “Have I done something wrong?”

“Hmm?” Fiona looked over with
familiar sparkling iridescent blue eyes. “Oh no. I am only wondering who your father is?”

Fiona’s eyes reminded her of her
brother’s… of hers? Roxy shook her head slowly. “Some asshole. I never met him.”

“Do you know a name?” she
prompted.

Roxy frowned, pushing her fingers through her hair.
“Some douchebag named William Scarborough.”

Fiona
’s eyes rounded as her mouth popped open. “That explains so much.”

Can
’t be. Can’t fucking be.
“Explains what, exactly?”

“I’m your sister,
or rather half-sister. Your parentage is why your magic is bleeding through, and why you shifted so easily the first time.”

Roxy was having a hard time drawing a full breath.
“What? Why? And wouldn’t that make my father super freaking old?”

Fiona took her hand.
“Your father, our father, was a type of druid. An evil druid, one who corrupts nature instead of nurturing it. Fear of William is likely why Dina didn’t kill you, though I am willing to bet she wanted to.”

“What?” Roxy
was bewildered, trying to grasp onto what Fiona was really saying. Logically, yeah she was there, but it wasn’t sinking in. “My mother never said anything about a druid.”

“She might not have known.
Do you know what happened? Why didn’t he stay with her?”

Roxy groaned.
“Mom walked in on him fucking another woman while she was pregnant with me. She left, never looked back, and never spoke to him again.”

“Did she ever tell you anything more than his name?”

“Only to avoid him. ‘He’s an evil bastard who isn’t worth our time.’” Roxy took a deep breath, her head tilting. “She said she never wanted us to see him again. That if we heard from him, to make sure he couldn’t find us. I always figured she didn’t want the asshole to sway us to his side of things. Not that we would listen to him.”

“I bet it was more than that. I
believe she knew something. You said she left? Was she hiding?”

“I don’t know.”
Roxy shrugged. “I know Mikey was born in Florida. She moved as far from there as she could go. So maybe, but she never said as much. She rarely talked about him. He was a part of her past, and she wasn’t one to dwell”

Fiona looked away.
“I have a feeling the other woman was Kathryn, his mate. He’s been trying to create an heir for years. It’s why he… well let’s just say my mother had little choice in having me.”

She held up her hand.
“Wait, why didn’t he have a child with Kathryn?”

“Oh, Roxy, I’m sorry.” She took a staggered breath. “Our hormones change. We can’t conceive. There was a time when we could
get pregnant, but the shift killed the embryo, and I know of no way to avoid a shift at the full moon. Sometime before I was cursed, female wolves stopped becoming pregnant.”

Looking away, Roxy stared out over the water
, stunned. The news didn’t exactly hurt, but she felt empty. Children had never been a dream of hers. Still, the option was gone, dead forever.

Sensing her distress,
Trevor hurried over, dropping to his knees before Roxy. He took her face in his hands. “What’s wrong?”

She huffed a breath.
“I’m learning all sorts of things I wasn’t expecting. It’s okay. I’m fine.”

“No, you aren’t,” he whispered, smoothing his thumbs down her cheeks.
“Talk to me.”

“It’s my fault,” Fiona
clarified sadly.

Roxy reached over to squeeze her hand.
“No. I needed to know.” She let out a breath. “I guess I have a sister.” Her laugh was weak. “Half. Not sure how Mikey’s going to take the news that he has a sister nearly four hundred years old. I guess he’s not the oldest after all.”

Fiona squeezed back.
“For now, it might be best not to tell him. The less he knows, the better off he’ll be when William shows up.”

Trevor blinked, his gaze shifting to Fiona.
“William is dead. I killed him.”

“I don’t believe you did. William Scarsborough is Roxana’s father. I also think Kathryn is alive.”

Roxy felt a wave of warring emotions from Trevor. It was so strong she wanted to cry out at the force. She lifted his face to hers. “Whatever you’re thinking, Trevor, don’t. Blood relation or not, William is evil and I want nothing to do with him. Don’t you dare think, for even a second, I could side with that monster.”

He nodded slowly, his breathing calming as he stared into her eyes. “
I love you, Roxy
.
I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m never letting you go, love.”

“You too.” Roxy brushed her lips over his.

Trevor looked to Fiona. “Do you think William knows who Roxy is? That she’s his daughter?”

The look on Fiona’s face was grim. She nodded. “It’s likely.” She turned to Roxy.
“I think tomorrow would be a good time to teach you a few spells. Or at least start. I also think it might be good to let Fallon place the same wards on you that she did on the rest of us.”

Roxy turned to Fiona.
“Fallon? Wards?”

“Aye,” Trevor answered. “We all have our crest tattooed for protection. Fallon is a talented druid who wards her tattoos. She’s a friend of Fiona’s. I’m sure we could get you in, if you want our crest, and the protection
which comes with the spells.”

Roxy nodded, a slow smile spreading on her face.
“I like that idea. I need to think about where I can put it.”

Trevor bit his lip, looking her in the eye.
“Hmm, do you want it visible?”

Roxy took a moment to
consider her options. She didn’t want to hide it, but she didn’t want to freak out those she knew.

“If I show up with,” she smiled, “
our
crest, I have a feeling Mikey will flip a lid. So for now, I think it best to have it somewhere not too obvious. I’m thinking right here.” Roxy trailed a finger over her lower left abdomen, alongside her pelvis.

His hand dropped to her hip and his thumb traced over the spot.
“I already love it.”

“Later, when my friends and brother are used to you being in my life, I
will want something matching, if you’re up for it. What, I’m not exactly sure, but something.”

He nodded, light dancing in his eyes.
“I love that idea too.”

Roxy turned back to Fiona.
“So, about these spells, how will this work?”

“We’ll take you up to where the cabin’s hidden. I’ll teach you as much as I can,
and I have a feeling you’ll pick it up easily.”

Sorcha bounced over.
“Dinner’s ready. Let’s eat.”

* * * *

The sun began to set on Lake Union. Roxy rested against Trevor’s legs near the fire pit. He sat in the chair behind her, playing with the ends of her hair.

The afternoon and evening had passed with playful bante
r and some deeper conversation.

She couldn’t help wondering if Dina and Boyd’s pack ever did anything like this. It was hard to imagine such vile people truly enjoying anyone’s company
.

“What has you looking so serious?” Sorcha asked.

“Doesn’t matter.” Then Roxy frowned as she met Sorcha’s caring expression. “Actually, I’m curious. How were you changed?”

She tucked her scarlet hair behind her ears before resting her arms on her knees.
“I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cervical cancer about fifteen years ago. There was nothing they could do because it was caught too late.” Sorcha shrugged.

Joey squeezed her shoulders and picked up where she left off.
“The doctors couldn’t do anything, but I could, and I did. I didn’t give Sorcha much choice. We were already mated, and I refused to let her die on me when there was such an easy fix.”

“I never had a clue he was anything but human.” Sorcha laughed softly. “I should have known. Hunting trips
consistently on the full moon, his body heat, the way he wolfed down food at a near constant rate without ever getting chunky, but I never questioned it.” She shook her head, a silly smile on her face.

“I took her away from the hospital. Took her up to a cabin I rented, and then did the boldest thing I have
ever done.” Joey leaned forward to kiss the top of her head. “I asked her if she trusted me.”

“I said yes, of course
.” Sorcha winced. “I wasn’t expecting what came next.”

Joey looked up at the
sky. “I stripped, and she thought it was a game. Then I shifted and bit her without warning. Her scream almost stopped me, but if I had, she would have talked me out of it. I couldn’t lose her, so I didn’t give her an option.”

Sorcha giggled, turning to look at Joey.
“No, you dolt. If you had told me,
Babes, I’m going to cure you, and we’ll never age, and never have to be apart,
I would have gone with it in a heartbeat.”

“Aww, that’s actually
very romantic,” Roxy acknowledged. She turned to Siobhan, “And you? How were you turned, and how did your sister take it?”

Siobhan blushed.
“Funny thing about that. I didn’t know Sorcha and Joey were together until after he brought her to us, a week after he changed her.” She sighed but shrugged. “I however, knew Shane was a wolf because I ask too many questions.” She winked at Shane.

“She does. Everything
from, why do you eat so much, to why are you so incredibly warm.” He nudged her shoulder with his. “I couldn’t resist after one evening with her. I told her before I ever made love to her, being paranoid she would turn me down for being a monster.” He looked deep into Siobhan’s eyes.

“Hmm, but, love, I never turned you down. I’m not sure I
believed it until he showed me, but he showed me that night. I was already half in love when he told me the
crazy
story. Then he shifted, and I’ve always loved wolves, so I fell even harder. He even told me what would happen if he made love to me, after he shifted back of course.” She leaned against him, closing her eyes.