Untamed Force (Force of Nature Series) (14 page)

“Did you know that Holly was whelping?”

Austin went from overwhelmed-looking to
pissed in a heartbeat.

“Yeah, I heard it from Connor a couple
of days ago. Phil hasn’t even told his family yet.”

As soon as the vampire came back into
the house Austin hit him. Phil didn’t move off the floor, but looked up at him.
He seemed to know why he’d been hit.

“I thought you knew about the birds and
the bees, big guy. You do have kids of your own. Maybe I should have a talk—”

“Get up so I can knock you down again.” Austin
clenched his fists twice and looked ready to drag the vampire up. “I mean it. I
need a good beating and you’re just the—ouch. What the hell was—”

“Don’t make me have to hit you again. I
don’t care how big you think you are; you do not hit a man because you feel he’s
done something wrong.” Their mom stood behind her son tapping her foot and
holding her wooden spoon like she was ready to use it on him again. “Austin
Jackson Force, you help that man up right now before I really get mad.”

“He knocked up Holly. What the he…heck
am I supposed to do?” Austin helped Phil up a little too much and he nearly fell
again. A glare from their mom had Austin moving back rather than letting him
fall.

“You should congratulate him, not kill
him. Phil, would you please accept my profound apologizes? I did raise him
better than this.”

Phil kissed her on the cheek. “No harm
done. None at all. Holly might be a tad upset, but not me. I’m excited.” Phil
was still grinning when he sat down and looked at both of them before he told
them what he’d figured out. “The man smells like death. He’s killed someone
else by his own hand, but I could not smell another wolf around where he’d been
at the pay phone.”

“A human?”

Phil nodded at Dallas’ question.

“He’s probably taken someone’s house
over and decided that rather than take the chance of being caught again, he’d
simply take out the middle man and live there.”

Stacy entering the house made him growl
low. She smelled of wolf and not him. She came and sat on his lap without being
asked and laid her head on his shoulder. He looked at his mother when she
shooed everyone out of the room.

“My father has killed so many. I do not
want to bring this on your head, but I think I should leave.” He lifted her
chin up so that he could look into her eyes. “I have brought shame to your
family.”

Dallas lifted her into his arms and
stood. He needed her more at this moment than any other time. Carrying her out
into the night, he held her all the way to their house and took her to their
room. He was going to make his mate need him as much as he needed her.

Chapter 11

Stacy followed the path her uncle had
told her about. She’d not been there for many years and didn’t want to get lost
on his property. It was the place she’d been told her mother and she had lived
before her father had murdered her.

“It’s a small place she had. It was mine,
see, and I wanted her to have something nice. Rich had nothing and was more
than willing to take something for nothing from another wolf. He always acted
as if he was supposed to get more than anyone else’s share.” She watched him
stretch and noticed how much thinner he was, but his color was better.

“You let them live on your property? I
did not know you had any.” She flushed when he smiled at her. “I am sorry. You
were not a pauper when you came to this pack, I know.”

He took her hand and she held on. The
table they were sitting at, in addition to the rest of the nicer furniture,
made the larger cell look homier rather than prisonlike. He’d been told that he
was safest in there rather than in a house where Rich could contact him.

“Did you ever wonder why you spoke so well?
Never using contractions and speaking so softly?”

She shook her head.

“Your mother wanted you to be well
thought of. She wanted only the best for you and when I found you a home to
hide you away I looked for one that would give you the best education.”

She looked away from him, not wanting
him to know that the man and woman she’d been with had beaten the way she’d
spoken into her and she wondered even now if she’d ever be able to forget it.
She looked back at him when he said her name.

“I am so sorry that you were hurt by
them. I paid them…well, they were supposed to give you everything your mother
could not. And look what happened to you.” He wiped at tears and she held his
hand. “I failed so many people.”

She tried to comfort him, but he was
still so weak. When he told her about the house and that he’d been keeping it
for her, she decided to go and see if any memories were there yet. She found it
about an hour after leaving his cell.

The place wasn’t run down nor was it in
poor shape like she’d thought it would be. It was a two-story house that had a
slate roof and a porch that went all the way around it. She walked up to the
front door and used the key he’d given her. It slid in after a few tries and
she went inside.

There was little furniture and what
there was of it was covered with tarps. She removed them as she walked around
the dusty room. Nothing with any padding would have survived, but the wooden
couch and end tables sat in the room. There wasn’t any electricity now, but
there were two lamps as well as a television that sat in one corner. She moved
on to the kitchen area after securing all the tarps again. This room was large,
but not as big as the one she now had with Dallas. The refrigerator was empty
and standing open, as were all the cabinets. The counters were dirty and he’d
told her that, because of the scent of the wolf, he doubted that any rodents
would enter the house and he appeared to be right. Wolf’s urine would keep away
most smaller animals even if it was very weak.

There was another room, this one empty
of anything more than two large corner cabinets that the glass was still in. She
wondered if her mother had had pretty dishes in them or if she had simply used
this room for affairs. The kitchen had a table and chairs that she would have
used. She moved to the stairs and up them.

There was a bathroom here. The one
downstairs held a laundry room that was also empty and had no shower. This one
held a tub as well as a commode and sink. Peeking into the linen closet and
finding it empty she moved to one of the bedrooms. It was a nursery.

The cradle was hand carved and she could
almost see a child of hers in it. She ran her fingers over the smooth wood and
wondered if Dallas would let her bring it to his…their home. She decided to ask
him. The baby bed was handmade as well and though there were no blankets or
mattress, she could see that it was made with love. The shelves on the walls
were empty and she wondered what had been on them. She stepped closer to find
that she had been mistaken. A small blanket was there still and it was wrapped
around something hard. The blanket protected whatever was inside from the dirt.
She opened it gently and pulled out the small book.

She was looking at the cover of the
diary when she heard someone downstairs. She didn’t go down yet, but waited to
see if she could figure it out before she got herself killed. She smiled when
she thought of what her mate would say if she even got hurt. He was very
protective of her.

“As I should be. Where are you?”

His voice startled her and she moved
back against the wall when he’d seemingly spoken right next to her.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you, love,
but I wanted to see you.”

“I am at my mother’s house. There is
someone downstairs that I cannot smell. I think it is a vampire. Where is Phil?”
She was not
afraid, but she was beginning to feel uneasy.

“He is with me. I’m coming. Stay hidden
until I get there. And for your sake, you’d better be in perfect shape when I
get to you. It will make spanking you so much more pleasurable.”

The stairs creaked and she waited near
them out of sight. There were three rooms up here, but none that she wished to
be trapped in. When she saw the person, a woman, she nearly attacked when she
realized that she was unable to smell her. And waiting for her mate was no
longer an option when she turned to look at her.

“Hello.” She put out her hand, but Stacy
did not take it. She was trapped but far from without means. “My name is
Melissa Benjamin. I don’t believe we’ve ever been formally introduced.”

A small noise was all the warning she
had before Phil and Dallas appeared in the hall with them. Stacy was not sure
why, but she felt suddenly protective of the older woman and stepped in front
of her between the two males.

“Wait, Dallas. Something isn’t…” Phil
looked from one to the other of them and smiled at Stacy. “I think you’ve just
met a relative of yours. Am I right?”

“Yes,” Melissa said with a smile. “I’m
your aunt on your father’s side. He’s not…I don’t remember the last time I saw
him, but when I saw you come in here, well, I knew immediately who you were.”

“You’ve been stalking her?” Dallas moved
to her side and she wanted to smack him upside the head. “You should know that,
as her mate, I will kill you if you think to take her to that fucktard.”

“Fucktard? I don’t believe I know…it
doesn’t sound as if that’s a nice term. Am I to believe that Richard is up to
his old tricks again and has managed to piss off some very prominent people?” Melissa
shook her head. “He was forever doing that to people he tried to impress. Who
are you and what do I need to pay you for you to kill him off?”

Stacy looked at her supposed aunt then
at the other two men. She was confused, but more than that, she wanted to ask
questions. Dallas put his hand around her and pulled her body to his. Comfort
surrounded her and she felt calmed by the move. And just like that, she knew.

“He did not know about you. He thought
himself to be an only child and you are a sister he does not know.” Melissa
nodded. “And you are as I am. Without scent.”

“Yes. I met you once a long time ago. Your
mother and I were very close and she’d have me over when Richard was away. I
wasn’t worried he’d find out, you see, because of what I am, but your mother
worried so. When she died…when she died, I felt as if a large hole had been put
into my heart.” Melissa reached out and moved a strand of hair from her
forehead and smiled sadly. “You look like her. I nearly didn’t…I thought you a
ghost when I saw you walk into this house.”

“But you said you’d pay to have him
killed.” Phil looked at all of them as he spoke. “I’m willing to bet you know
something that others might not.”

“He killed his mate when she told him
she was leaving him.”

Stacy felt her heart constrict.

“I’m sorry, child, but she was doing it
for you.”

“Let’s take this to our home.” Dallas
held onto her and glared at Phil. “I’ll walk this time, thanks. It’s nearly too
much to ride with you.”

Phil laughed as he headed down the
stairs. “I have a great time every time I carry one of you wolves for the first
time. You should have seen—” He stopped suddenly and looked back at them. “Stacy,
when you told Dallas someone was here, you said vamp. Why?”

“I thought I smelled…blood. Why?”

He shook his head and told her that he
would explain later.

“Phil, what’s going on? What do you know
about this place?”

He looked up at them from the bottom
stair and then at her aunt. She knew something was going on, but not what. He
continued to stare at her until they both looked up at her.

“Your aunt is part vampire, as you said.
And if you can smell her, blood, as you said, then she’s more than I thought.” He
looked at Melissa hard. “How much and why now?”

She didn’t look as if she was going to
answer. Melissa looked at the door for so long that Phil stepped in front of it.
She looked up at her before looking back at Phil.

“He told me if I found her he’d let my
family go. I don’t…they aren’t day walkers like me, but true night shadows. I
can’t let him kill them.”

“So you were to bring her to him and
then what?” All Melissa did was shrug at Dallas’ question. “How much did he pay
you?”

“Nothing,” she nearly shrieked. “He has
my family. I swear to you.” Phil reached out to touch her and she shrank back.
“Please don’t. He’ll know that you’ve touched me.”

“No he won’t because you’re not going
back to him.” Phil’s voice was hard and unforgiving. He put his hand to her
head and seemed to stiffen from the touch. When he finished Melissa dropped to
the floor without a sound.

“Come on. We have to get the hell out of
here right fucking now.” He grabbed both her and Dallas and suddenly they were
moving. She felt her belly lurch and Dallas pulled her head to his chest.

~~~

Phil was pissed. He should have scented
that something was off, but had nearly waited too long to see it. Thankfully
Stacy had been smarter than him. He walked around the yard several times hoping
to calm himself before he went back into the house. The vampire from the house
was currently with his parents.