Seeing Eye Mate (21 page)

The word itself made her cringe and the idea of him defiling what should be beautiful made her want to slap the smarmy look off his face. She’d been right to think she hadn’t seen him inside. No one there could have missed the elder’s announcement that she was with child.

His cheeks flushed and his eyes flashed. Looking down, she saw his hands fisting and unfisting. Apparently she’d ticked him off. Good, because he sure the hell was doing a good job of pissing her off. His hands opened one last time and relaxed while she stared at them. The renewed casual air drew her gaze back to his face.

“Of course,” he said, smiling. His whole demeanor shifted one hundred and eighty degrees. “Humans do call them babies. Forgive me, please.”

Tieran breathed a little easier. His apology sounded sincere and he
had
only asked to escort her to the house. Maybe she’d imagined how much of a jerk he was?

“No, I don’t think you did, Tulla. Don’t let your guard down yet.”

“I haven’t even introduced myself, have I? The Prime would kill me for being so rude.”

She snorted softly. Killing him would be a wee bit of an exaggeration.

“Michael Hayward,” he said, offering his hand. “
Detective
Michael Hayward.”

Tieran couldn’t bring herself to shake the proffered hand. She hadn’t gotten anything from his first touch, but he seemed slimy somehow. Knowing he was a cop made him that much slimier. She half-expected him to pull out a set of handcuffs and charge her with being a human. Something she was sure he found despicable. Strange when he stood before her now as a human himself. Why the attitude about humans when you played at being one most of the day?

Most of their lives, actually. Caelan had only shifted one time since she’d met him. She didn’t get the feeling he did it very often either.

She was glad when Caelan’s voice gave her the distraction she needed.

“Tieran.” Caelan stepped between her and the detective. He took her chin in his own, a furious wave of energy radiating off him. “I wondered where you’d gotten off too, my own.” Despite his anger, his lips were soft against hers.

Something was wrong. Caelan knew exactly where she was. She bit her lip to keep from blurting that out.

She coughed. “Just admiring the horses, my dumpling,” she murmured, playing along. His smile confirmed her suspicions.

“I was asking your mate if she would like an escort back to the house, Prime. With things the way they are right now, I wouldn’t think you’d want her to be alone.”

Oh, he was smooth, but why did he keep referring to Caelan as the Prime? She hadn’t heard anyone else call him that today. Not even the elders. She could imagine him preening like a peacock behind Caelan who blocked her sight of him. Her initial dislike of him grew despite the redemption he’d made a few seconds ago with his apology.

Tieran’s eyes widened at the barely perceptible snarl emanating from Caelan. He turned and acknowledged the detective for the first time.

“She’s never been alone.” Caelan pointed to a small stand of trees about fifty feet from them. “Eli’s been watching her and so have I.” Eli waved and Tieran gasped. She hadn’t known he was there.

“How is the search going for the killer, Michael?” Caelan continued, ignoring the man’s stunned look.

His face blanched then reddened. In anger?

He was quick to recover. “She knows then?”

“Of course,” Caelan answered, grabbing her hand and holding it at the small of his back. “I don’t keep things from my mate. Neither does she from me.” His fingers tightened on hers. “Do we, my own?”

*

Night had fallen by the time everyone left the ranch. Tieran was tucked away doing kitchen duties with his mother. Caelan smiled. He’d bet money she wouldn’t do it at her own house. At least, not until the dishes were piled high enough to fill the sink.

“What’s the smile for, Bro?”

“Just picturing Tieran doing the housewife thing.” Caelan stood up from his chair on the porch and listened to the cicadas calling each other. A wolf howled in the distance. Jacob Christoff by the sound of it. Another half-blood who lived just a few miles down the road.

Today had been a total bust. No one had seemed to spark anything in Tieran’s mind. Damn it. He’d been counting on something, no matter how small.

“Michael seemed his usual condescending bastard self today. What the hell has crawled up his ass anyway?”

Caelan shrugged. “Wouldn’t you be if you couldn’t catch a killer on either of your own turfs? As a shifter or as a human cop?”

“I guess.” Eli swiped a hand across the back of his neck. A gesture Caelan noticed more often when his twin was wound up about something.

Treading carefully, he asked, “You got somethin’ you want to talk about?”

“No.”

“How ‘bout some pool later tonight.” Shooting pool was a sure-fire way to open his brother up.

“Nah, I got something I gotta do.” Eli pushed away from the railing where he’d settled his hips moments ago. “Besides, I rescheduled that meeting with Dane Christian again tonight.”

“Any more indication what he wants?”

Eli shook his head. “Not really. Says he has a job I’d be perfect for.”

Caelan raised a brow. “How does he know you’ll be perfect for it? I thought you said a friend recommended you.”

“Don’t know, that’s why I’m meeting him,” Eli growled as if perturbed by the direction of their conversation.

Caelan cursed silently. What the hell was wrong with his twin? They’d never kept anything from each other. Maybe if he changed the subject back to a more familiar turf. Like their hunt. Whatever was eating him would all come out sooner or later. “You know anybody who’s got a scar like yours, E?”

Eli’s head snapped to Caelan. “No. What the fuck is this all about, Cael? First your girlfriend and now you? Why you all of a sudden so interested in a scar that’s been there for years?”

Caelan held his hands up. “Back off, E. Tieran said the wolf had a scar and seeing yours the other night had her wanting me to take everyone’s shirt off today.”

“She thinks
I
did this?” Eli laughed incredulously. “That’s just great. Accused by the Prime’s new mate of murder. As if I didn’t have enough to think about.”

“What
are
you thinking about?” he asked, ignoring the dig on Tieran. “You’ve been preoccupied for several weeks, E. What the fuck’s going on?”

“Nothing. You’re just not the only one with problems.” Again with the neck rub. “I gotta get going. I’ll call tomorrow with the details.”

Before Caelan could respond, Eli was gone. A chill raced up his spine. Why had his brother gotten so defensive over the scar issue? Christ, maybe… No! No. Absolutely not, no way in a hundred million years.

A lightning bolt lit up the sky, the charge sending another set of wicked sensations skittering across his nerves. A low rumble of thunder followed quickly thereafter. He hadn’t known it was going to storm tonight. When a second bolt fanned out through ominous-looking clouds, Caelan decided he didn’t want to drive the hour back to Tieran’s house in a storm.

His mother and Tieran were laughing about something when he entered the kitchen through the back door.

“Ladies.”

Judith shrieked, Tieran gasped and both swung around to face him. Red streaked Tieran’s face and her eyes were watering as she tried to contain her laughter. Her cheeks puffed out until finally she spit it out.

Caelan cocked an eyebrow.

“Son,” his mother said somewhat short of breath. “Hoo. Sorry.”

Yeah. He could tell how sorry she was when she swiped a hand over her own watery eyes and sniffed.

“We were just talking about…things.” She turned to Tieran and both of them burst out laughing again.

“Oh yeah?” He straddled one of the stools lined up at the island. “Like what?”

Tieran returned her attention to the sink. “Your mom was telling me about when you were born and how she wondered for the entire nine months whether or not she would give birth to a dog.”

“Wolf,” he muttered.

“That too.” She exchanged another look with his mother and they both doubled over again.

He waited them out.

“Ahem.” Judith cleared her throat and straightened just as the sky lit up through the window above the sink. “I had this nightmare for months after you two were born that I’d go into your room and find two puppies there, yipping and bouncing up and down to get out of your cribs.”

“That’s great, Mom, scare her to death.”

She spun around, a dirty serving spoon yielded like a weapon and a serious look on her face. “That’s why I told her, Caelan. Nobody took me under their wing when I met your father. No one told me what carrying a shifter child was going to be like. And I was too…in shock…of what was happening to go to your father. Besides”—she glanced again at Tieran—“he’s a man. What the hell would he know?” she said, grinning. Tieran’s lips quirked.

Great. They were ganging up on him. A clap of thunder rattled a precarious stack of dishes.

“Wow.” Tieran jumped toward him. “Maybe we should get going, Caelan.”

“Uh-huh.” He didn’t move from his perch. Now it was his turn to smirk. Tonight they were going to sleep in his bed. After they fucked in his bed, anyway.

“What do you mean, ‘uh-huh’?” Tieran balanced on one foot and put her hands on her hips. Didn’t matter. This was one battle she wouldn’t win.

“Storm’s already here, my own. I’m not driving in bad conditions and endangering your safety.”

“But I—”

“We’re staying here, Tieran.”

Her body deflated in defeat. Score one for the Prime, he thought and secretly smiled.

“He’s right, my dear. The last thing you need tonight is to have an accident. There are plenty of rooms here, aren’t there, Caelan.”

He nodded. “Absolutely.”
But the only one you’ll be staying in is mine.

“There, see?” His mother patted Tieran’s shoulder. She still looked a little weary. “He can be thoughtful when he tries. Now, then, I’m going to head home before the brunt gets here.”

“Thanks for all your help, Judith.”

“You’re very welcome, dear. Remember, anything you need. I know how bone-headed my son can be.”

Thank God for his mother. He hadn’t thought far enough ahead to think about these things. Of course his mate would need some guidance. Being human, his mother was perfect, and she was the one person willing to tell Tieran anything she wanted to know. He saw the bond already forming between them and his heart gave a little jump.

He stood and hugged the smaller woman. “You want me to drive you?”

“Oh, no, I think I can manage, Caelan. It’s not even raining yet.”

“All right. Call us when you get there so we’ll know.”

“I will.” She wiggled her fingers at Tieran who smiled and waved back.

“I like your mom,” she said when the door shut behind his mother.

He shrugged. “She’s okay.”

“Caelan!”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” He took her in his arms and pulled her close. “You held up well today.”

“Yeah, so, what am I? A side of beef?”

He chuckled. “Mmm. Yum. Can I taste?” He bent his head and took possession of her lips. “Best beef I ever ate,” he whispered against her mouth. Her hands slipped into his back pockets and his cock hardened. “God I want you.”

“What else is new?” She tucked her head under his chin. “Caelan?”

“Hmm?”

“Is…Eli going to be here tonight?”

Damn it. He was thinking about making love to her and she was still worried about his brother. Honestly, based on their earlier conversation, Caelan was more than a little worried about his twin himself. Not about the murders, that was ridiculous, but about whatever was eating away at his normal, playful self.

He sighed. Might as well get this over with. “He lives here, Tieran. This is his home. What would you have me do, throw him out?”

She shook her head against his chest.

“Look.” Caelan lifted her head with both hands. “His rooms are all on the other half of the house. You don’t even have to see him if you don’t want to.” She would never know how much it hurt to say those words. It tore him apart for her to be afraid of his twin. Especially since the two of them had always been inseparable. What would he do if his mate and his twin couldn’t come to terms with one another?

“I’m sorry. It’s not fair of me to judge him, you’re right.”

“I know I am,” he said to try and lighten the mood. “I’m always right.”

Her eyebrows arched. “And on that note, I’m going to ask you to point me to the nearest bed. I’m exhausted.”

“Not
too
exhausted though, right?” Caelan led her out the door, into the foyer and down the long hallway to his room. “We can play around, huh?” He looped his arm around her shoulders and casually flicked at her nipple with his thumb. The nub immediately hardened and pressed against her T-shirt. “Oh, man, you don’t know how long I’ve waited to touch you.”

Pushing her back against the wall, he tunneled his hand beneath her shirt and devoured her mouth. “I can’t wait.”