Stalked (Rogues Shifter #2) (29 page)

Kyle
laughed.“Thanks for that visual. At least Sinc’s safe.” He mouthed
no heart
as he drew a heart shape over his chest, adding a diagonal line. Kyle grinned at his joke while she flipped him off.

I ignored them.“Shifters
and the fae are their favorite snack because our blood is more potent. They’ve only been feeding from volunteer donors at local clubs. They’re probably antsy and bored. To them you’re a walking talking gourmet buffet and the fact that you’d fight back is just more of an enticement. If you get confrontational with any of them, there could be serious consequences."

“Jackie, I think we can control ourselves.” Sinc put her hand in Ethan’s.

“I just want you to be absolutely clear about everything. We’re having a house built for them so they won’t be in the basement more than a couple of months.”

“You’re buildin
g a house for them?” Sinc looked shocked.

“Next door.”
I nodded.

“I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of them.” Kyle shrugged.

“You’re going to be working together. Garrett's making them part of the Rogues team. They’ll be used where he thinks they’re needed." Ethan was scowling. "You’ll still be in charge of the shifter team, Ethan. The vamps will be a special unit under Garrett.” Ethan’s eyes narrowed in irritation. He wasn’t keen on taking orders from any vamp other than Garrett, but he was also smart enough to recognize the perks to having three extra members with superior strength and fighting skills.

“Come upstairs and you can choose your rooms. It’s really nice up there.” We all went up together carrying various suitcases with Samson following close behind me.  Ethan and Sinc chose the largest of the rooms to share and Kyle pic
ked the one nearest the stairs.

“It’s closest to th
e kitchen.” As slim as he was, Kyle seemed to always be hungry.

“It’s ok
ay for Peter to stay here too,” I said sincerely. Peter was a great guy and he had a way of keeping Kyle calmed down that was really useful.

“Nah
, he gets up so early for work. He’ll come over some evenings, though. Thanks anyway.”

We walked into the common area and Ethan ran right over to the piano and started to play some
scales. “It needs a good tuning,” he said, paying no attention to our shocked expressions. “I’m a little rusty, but I can still remember a few tunes. He started to play “Your Song” by Elton John, singing in a smooth, rich voice. Sinc slid her body onto the bench next to him and put her head on his shoulder. He was obviously singing it to her. Kyle and I beamed at them.

“What are you guys waiting for?” Kyle asked when the song ended. “Just do the bonding thing, already.” He flopped down onto the couch and made himself comfortable.

“Don’t think I haven’t tried.” Ethan said after glancing at Sinc.

A tense look passed between them and then Sinc turned away and stood up. “I’m going to start dinner.” She walked quickly
down the stairs. Ethan looked at us and sighed then started to play “Fields of Gold” by Sting.

“I’ll help her with dinner. Y
ou guys hang out. I’ll try to see what’s up."

“Witchy woman strikes again.” Kyle was grinning.

“You’d better watch out, Kyle, or I’ll pull out my voodoo doll with the spiky blond hair and the tattoos.”

“Hey no big deal, I’m into piercings.”

I laughed and walked down the stairs. I heard Kyle arguing with Ethan about his song choice. The music changed to some faster Billy Joel song.

Sinc was in the kitchen chopping vegetables. “I figured they’d send you.”

“My idea.”

“Well whatever.
I’m not talking about it.”

“He loves you.”

“Not talking.” I waited while she chopped. “Look, you’re seventeen, you don’t know much about relationships.”

I barked a laugh and then felt a flare of frustration. “You didn’t just say that.”

“You’ve had
one
. One great relationship which will last forever and ever—happily ever after and all that.”

“You could have that too.”

“Look, people don’t change. I know what I am and Ethan deserves someone who isn’t going to stomp all over his heart.”

“People
can
change. We’ve all changed. You’ve already changed. Do you think I’d be friends with that bitch who bit my leg the first time we met?”

She choked on a giggle.
Her voice grew softer as she confessed. “One day I’ll lose interest and start looking around for something else. It’s what I do, especially when things start getting too serious.” She just kept chopping with her back to me.

‘Is that happening
now? Are you looking around?”

“No, but I’m not the settling down type
and Ethan is. I’ve tried to tell him. He's been more persistent lately, trying to get me to commit to something more permanent. This is when it usually starts.”

I blurted out,
surprising both of us, “Maybe you don’t think you deserve him.” She stopped chopping and looked at me. “How could anyone really love you when your own parents didn’t?”

Now it was her turn to look irritated. “That sounds like some bullshit you heard on Oprah.” She turned away s
haking her head. “I don’t want what most women want: raising a family in a sweet little home. I don’t want to hurt Ethan, but…”

“Way too late for that
. He adores you. Your auras match up. Your energy links together.”

She turned around and gla
red at me. “I’m a moody bitch. I’m great with math and science but not with feelings. Sure, I talk a good talk, but it’s all surface chatter. I have no—no soul.” Her shoulders sagged again. “Ethan is
all
soul. He deserves someone more like him.”

“But he loves who you are
. And I see a lot of heart and soul in you. Look how you cared for him after the accident.”

“I was frightened.” Her face had gone a little pale as she remembered that night. "But he’s gotten so serious lately. He asks me every
day to make it permanent. I can’t handle being pushed.”

“You didn’t feel this strongly abou
t any of those others did you?”

Her eyes glazed over
. "Once. I had a first love. I thought he was everything. It didn't work out, but we were both really young." She smiled at me. "I'm crazy about Ethan. It's just that I know he can do better."

“Did he tell you about his past?”

“Yes, and it doesn’t change anything because he’s not that person anymore. Unfortunately, I’m—I'm still me. I’m not the woman he thinks I am. I wish I could be that woman, but I can’t.” She threw down the knife she was using and left the kitchen, walking back up the stairs and slamming her bedroom door.

I sighed. My mojo was malfunctioning tonight. I picked up the knife and started to chop the veggies, having no clue what she was intending to make. Ethan appeared next to me taking the knife smoothly from my hand and then giving my shoulder a squeeze.

“Get the barbecue going, Kyle.”

“Sure, Ethan.”
He grabbed a beer from the fridge and slipped through the patio doors.

“Thanks for trying.”

“She loves you. She doesn’t feel like she’s good enough for you.”

“How do I make her see that she’s everything to me?” He frowned as he threw the veggies in a large bowl, added
oil and spices, then wrapped them in foil for the grill.

I shook my head. “If you keep talking about bonding
, you may push her away.” He nodded and walked to the fridge to pull out steaks. He prepared them for the grill and took everything out to Kyle who was sipping his beer on the patio. I followed him outside. “Give her some time and then you can bring it up again. Try to be patient.”

Kyle spoke up. "It won't help. She's not gonna change her mind. I've known her longer than either of you. She's carrying a torch for a wolf from her old pack. They were head over heels in love and then her pack leader threw her out. Her parents never even contacted her and neither did the guy. It fucked her up big time."

Ethan kept his expression neutral. “You’re the designated griller tonight, Kyle.”

“Cool.” Kyle got up and moved toward the grill to throw on the steaks.

Trying to diffuse the tension I announced, “I’ll heat up Liam’s potatoes au gratin.” They both laughed. “Hey, I know my limitations and I’ve learned to live with them. You’ll just have to deal.” That made them laugh even harder.

As
Kyle and Ethan discussed the height of the flame, I took out the potatoes and defrosted them in the microwave. After placing the casserole dish on the rack in the oven, I joined the guys outside.

“So when did you learn to play piano, Ethan?”

“I was eight and my sister was taking lessons on the upright we had in the basement. I just sat there during the lessons and then tried to copy what the piano teacher had taught my sister. After a few years I could read music. I just kept practicing on my own. I haven’t played since I left home.”

“You gotta stop playin’ those girly songs, though. You know any metal?” I left the two of them still arguing about the other one’s taste in music and walked up the stairs to knock on Sinc’s door. She
’d been crying.

We just stared at each other for a minute. “Why haven’t you tried to touch me and work your witchy magic?” she sniffed.

“Would you like me to?”

“Not really.”

“I didn’t think you would.”

“Huh.” She ran a hand through her dark hair. “You think you know me pretty well,”

I shrugged. “You’re my friend. I want to help you. Not piss you off.”

“I’m supposed to be helping
you
while I’m here.”

“We can help each other. More fun that way.”

She smiled. “Yeah, well, I’m hungry. Can you help me with that?”

I smiled back at her. “Wash off your face and I’ll serve you a feast.”

Fifteen minutes later we were in the kitchen setting the table and the guys were bringing in the steaks and veggies. Ethan sat down next to Sinc and put his arm around her. She leaned into him and they kissed gently. I turned away to dish out potatoes, wanting to give them a little privacy. After everything had been served up we ate, chatting about how to go after Kennet, now that Brina was home with her family.

Ethan was excited about this new challenge. “We may have to lay a trap for him. Maybe we could get a message to him though one of his sources that you’re going to be somewhere alone. Of course you wouldn’t be sent out as bait, Jackie, it would just be a ruse to get him to show himself.”

Sinc suggested, “Maybe Angel could say that he wants the ransom money and is willing to tell Kennet where she is. It’s not really far-fetched, he does that kind of work.”

Kyle’s eyes brightened with exci
tement. “Yeah that could work. I wonder if Kennet could tell if he was lying? Maybe we should get Angel to contact one of Kennet’s sources and not go to Kennet directly.”

It made my heart all warm and fuzzy listening to them plan an attack against
Kennet, but they needed a wake-up call. “I think in theory it’s a good idea, but you guys are seriously underestimating him.” They stared at me and waited. “He can insinuate himself into our dreams and our minds. He’s much more powerful than Garrett. He’s not going to fall for it. He’d end up twisting it around and someone would get hurt.”

Ethan asked, “So what do you think we should do?” 

I looked at the three of them and tried to make them understand. “I think you should leave him to Garrett, Liam, Aedus, Lord Caelen and the rest of the Fae Elders. He had fae citizens kidnapped and tortured. They’re looking for him and they’ll find him. We can’t win against Kennet and if any of you gets hurt trying, I don’t know if I can deal with it.”

“Then why are we here?” K
yle looked extremely irritated, not unusual for him.

“Kyle, you’re an idiot!” As usual Sinc was pissed at him. “She needs us
, so that’s why we’re here.”

“
Kyle, it was your idea to come, but to be honest, I
do
need you. I need to feel normal and not think about Kennet or Bridgett or a basement full of vamps. When I’m with you three, I feel as close to a normal seventeen year old as I ever do. I guess it’s selfish, but I’m really glad that you guys are here.”

There was silence for a few seconds. “Mario Kart anyone?” Ethan asked.

“As long as I’m Princess Toadstool,” Kyle said brushing back his spiky blonde hair. Sinc threw a carrot at him which he caught and shoved in his mouth, still managing to mumble, “Thanks Sinclair.”

We
cleaned up the mess together, playfully squirting each other with soapy water and giggling when one of us slipped on the wet floor. It probably took us twice as long, but as we raced up the stairs to boot up the game, we were all feeling more like a team again.