Grayslake: More than Mated: Unbearable Love (Kindle Worlds Novella) (5 page)

E
li parked
his truck in front of the diner. Deep-fried potatoes and grilled onions scented the air. Lily was starving. Her body needed more than a few berries and kisses.

“Nellie and Edward own this place. They’re like family even though they’re not our kind.” A group of men walked out of the diner and ate Lily up with lascivious looks. Eli laced his fingers with hers and pulled her to his side. “Mine,” he growled under his breath when they passed.

“Yours?” She looked down at their threaded hands. Although hers were half his size, they laced together flawlessly.

“I’m protecting you from the underbelly of society. Whoever posted open season in Grayslake did not do the women a service.” He opened the door and ushered her in. Eli bee-lined for an empty table in the corner. “Word travels fast and every eligible, horny bastard is in town.”

Rather than sit across from Lily, Eli sandwiched her into the corner. He slid against her, touching from shoulder to thigh, reminding her of how it felt to have him melded to her. She tried to gain distance, but she was trapped between his hard body and the hard wall.

“Grayslake has earned the reputation as a species-tolerant town.” The words came out as a whisper. This wasn’t mixed company conversation.

“It’s true. When your enforcer marries a skin, and the keeper marries a mix, it lends itself to a town hell-bent on being tolerant.” He pulled the menu from the rack and asked if he could order for both of them.

“Have you adopted their attitude?”

“Are you asking me if I’m a speciest?” Eli flagged the waitress over and ordered burgers and sodas. Lily was happy to not have to choose. Her brain was muddled by Eli’s close proximity.

“Are you?”

He sniffed the air around him. “Not at all. You’re a mix.” He pointed to the older women at the cash register. “You’re half like her and half like me.”

“You can scent that?” She lifted her nose in the air and inhaled, but all she smelled was Eli and onions.

“That’s the benefit of being pure. My senses are stronger. I can hear, smell, and taste things you can’t.” He lifted her wrist to his mouth and licked the sensitive underside. “Your heart rate picked up, your breathing will follow, and your pheromones are floating around you like a calling card.”

Lily wrenched her wrist back and stared at the space where it still glistened from his touch. “All that from a taste?”

“No, the taste was selfish. The rest was smell and hearing.”

The waitress dropped off the sodas and walked away. “I feel cheated. All I got out of my parents mix were a big bottom and hairy legs.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You’re perfection.” He reached over and stroked her palm. Did he realize he was always touching her? His words said, “I’m not the man for you,” but his body was speaking a totally different dialect.

“Finally coming in to see me.” An older woman slipped into the booth across the table and grinned at Eli. “Who is this pretty one?” The woman measured Lily up in seconds.

“Lily, this is Nellie.” Eli looked between the two women. “Nellie this is Lily. Nellie owns the place and acts as a surrogate mother to all of us.”

“Don’t go telling lies.” Nellie laughed. “If I were mothering you, I’d have turned you over my knee several times for not coming in to see me.”

“Nice to meet you, Nellie.”

“You too, Lily.” The older woman rose from the booth and addressed Eli. “I’m going to need a delivery soon.”

“Sure thing. I’ll try to get it to you this week. It’s been kind of crazy the last few days.”

Nellie raised her brows. “Oh, I used to love that kind of crazy when I was younger, now it makes my hip hurt.” She patted Eli on the head like a little boy and walked off.

“Does she know?” Lily leaned forward to see around Eli. Nellie moved on to spread her sunshine at a new table.

“About our existence? Yes, I’m pretty sure she does, but she never lets on. What you can’t prove, you can’t punish.”

In her clan, informed outsiders were either claimed or killed. It was how her human mother became her father’s bride. Amazing what a little pregnancy will do to a man. “I suppose.”

“Tell me about your family.” He was probing again, and Lily was determined to keep her secrets to herself. “Who’s the pure and who’s the—”

“Let me know if you need anything else, sweetheart.” The waitress set their plates down and pulled a bottle of catsup from her pocket. Lily didn’t like the way she said the word
sweetheart
. It could only be meant for Eli.

She leaned into Eli and, under her breath, the word
mine
rolled off her tongue.

“Yours?” He plucked a fry from Lily’s plate.

“Just protecting you from the underbelly of society.” She mocked him, then snatched her fry back before he could eat it. “This is mine, too.”

“Going possessive on me?”

“I’m an only child, not used to sharing.”

The truth was, she was an only child and considered substandard offspring. Daddy wanted a son, but was saddled with a daughter. There would be no siblings, and the alienation and anger her mom absorbed took its toll. When Lily’s mom thought Lily could handle life on her own, she exited her unhappy existence on her terms, leaving Lily to weather her father’s storm.

“Okay, you’re an only child. Give me more.” He smothered his fries in catsup, and crushed the height of his burger in half with his palm.

Lily had a feeling he’d press her until she gave him something, and she certainly didn’t want him digging into the pile at the sheriff’s office to retrieve her forms. One little background search and she’d be exposed. Lily Love didn’t exist, to her knowledge, but Lily Love-Becket was the offspring of the meanest Itan around, and he’d be furious about now. He couldn’t get a son from his wife, but he was determined to get a grandson from his daughter, and he’d handpicked the sperm donor.

“My dad was the pure, and my mom,” she looked around the diner, “was like Nellie.”

Eli bit into his burger, leaving a blob of mustard on his lip. Lily couldn’t resist. She pulled him down and licked it straight away. “Damn, woman, are you trying to distract me?” He shifted in his seat, pulling at his jeans like they were shrinking.

“Is it working?”

He stifled a growl. “Yes, but I still want to know what happened to your mom.”

It had been ten years. The first five were the hardest. Every mention of her mom made her heart feel like it was in a press. The last five years had been easier. At least, in her memory, Lily could honor her mother.

“She died. Self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

“Oh, shit,” Eli looked around the diner. Lily realized he was probably looking for anyone who would insist he contribute to the swear jar.

She followed his gaze from person to person. There wasn’t an Abrams in sight. “Looks like your wallet is safe.”

“It would appear so.” Eli dipped one of his fries in the pool of catsup and offered it to Lily. “I don’t want to pry, but I lost my mother and father, too. Tell me about her.”

Lily savored his offering while she thought about what to tell him. “She was beautiful.”

Eli twisted a lock of her hair around his finger. “That’s believable. Look at you.”

“Flattery might get you somewhere.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Go on.”

“There’s not much to tell, she was a perfect mom, and she tried to please my dad, but she couldn’t give him the one thing he demanded.”

Eli’s finger left her hair and trailed over her shoulder to her collarbone. The sizzle of his touch filled her with a fiery intensity she only felt with him. “What was that?”

“A son.”

“So, your dad’s a misogynist pig?”

“My dad has some firm ideas about women’s worth.”

“Sounds like an asshole. I can see why you ran away.”

“I didn’t run away. I’m just taking a breather. Sometimes, it’s just too much.” Lily sipped at her soda.

“I can’t imagine your father letting you go. You’re a twenty-six year old virgin for God’s sake.” Eli popped the final bite of his burger in his mouth.

“I’m twenty–five for another week and a half.”

“So, why take a break now?”

“It’s not the first time.”

“Is there a man other than your father involved?”

Lily dropped the soda she was holding. It crashed to the table and the glass fractured into pieces, soaking her plate, the table, and the two of them.

Eli jumped up and grabbed a pile of napkins and began the task of cleaning up the mess she’d made. All the while, Lily sat in disbelief. She’d let the mouse out of the bag.

“Am I right?” Eli had tossed enough money on the table for the bill and an ample tip. “Are you running from him, too?”

They were halfway to the truck when he pulled her to his chest. “Lily, you don’t have to run. You’re an adult. Have you talked to your Itan? We’ve had a few bad seeds here, but Ty does a great job educating them on how to treat a woman.”

She leaned into his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. “It’s not what you think. It’ll all be okay. It’ll be fine.” How could she convince him when she couldn’t convince herself? She’d probably end up like her mother, sitting in her room with a gun to her head.

Eli pressed his lips into a thin line and shook his head. “Yes, it’ll be okay because I won’t allow anyone to hurt you.” Right in the middle of the parking lot, Eli claimed her lips. This was more than a kiss; it was a promise of more.

“Do you two need a room?” There was no mistaking that voice. It contained all the authority and strength of an Itan. Standing next to them with his family was Ty Abrams and his wife, Mia. She recognized them from the web. Mia’s hands were full, one held a beautiful baby girl to her hip. The other hand gripped an energetic little boy who was ready to bolt.

Ty leaned over and gave his wife a kiss. “I’ll meet you inside, I have to talk to Eli.”

“Okay, I’ll order your regular.” Mia looked at Lily. “It’s nice to see Eli has found someone. He’s a worthy man.” And with that statement, she turned around and left.

Lily stared after Mia. She reflected on the woman who looked so happy. She had it all. She was with her fated mate. They had a life, and a family, and a future. Lily was stuck in her romance blogger’s mind, extolling the virtues of love when she heard Ty and Eli.

“Did you say Lilo Becket?” Eli asked

“Yes, her father has put out a BOLO on her. Seems she slipped out of town without his knowledge. I’ve got enough shit to deal with without having to worry about a spoiled Itan’s daughter.”

Lily recoiled at the comment. Not all Itan’s daughters were spoiled or privileged. Some were pawns in a power game.

“I was at the bar last night with Lily, but I didn’t hear anyone being called Lilo.” Eli turned to Lily. “Is there anyone named Lilo staying at the B&B?”

“That name hasn’t been mentioned.” It wasn’t a lie, no one mentioned Lilo, which had been her nickname since birth.

“All right, keep your ears open. I don’t want trouble coming down here, and I hear Becket is a mean old cuss.”

“Will do,” Eli said. “Any luck finding out who planted the message on the web?” He tucked Lily under his arm and pulled her close. She hoped he didn’t sense her fear. She hoped he couldn’t hear her heart racing. She hoped she’d get a few more days before she was forced back to Montana.

“Keen is on it. I’m sure he’ll be able to trace it back to someone. No offense, Lily, but this whole dating-game scene has put a lot of stress on the force and the town.”

“None taken.” Her voice exhibited a calm she didn’t feel. Thankfully, she’d mastered the art of emotional deception. For her, it was a survival mechanism.

The men shook hands, and Eli led her to the truck. “What do you say we get your car?”

“I’d say that’s a good idea.” In the truck, Lily reached across the center console and gripped Eli’s hand. She needed to feel the comfort and safety of his touch.

They pulled into the bar parking lot. Lily’s rental car sat where she’d left it.

“No worse for the wear.” Eli laughed.

“Why did you come back after you brought me to my room?” She hadn’t analyzed his actions, but the thought of him coming back to the bar alone, sexy, and single, made her teeth sharpen.

“I didn’t.” He put his truck’s gearshift into park. “I got an eyeful while I was pouring you into my truck.”

“Yuck, that’s the stuff of nightmares.”

“All it made me think about was how good you’d look sprawled naked across my hood.”

Lily turned in her seat. “Eli, you’re attracted to me, I’m attracted to you. You say you can’t offer me what I deserve. I’m telling you, I deserve less than what you have to offer.”

“Damn it, Lily, don’t settle for less than everything.” His words echoed her last blog entry.

“Some things are out of our hands, but…I’d rather give myself to you than wait for someone to remove my choices.”

His roar was unexpected. “Make sure the man you choose is worthy of the gift.” Gentle palms cupped her cheeks. “You are worth so much more than you think.”

With her heart in her throat, Lily said three words she’d never thought she’d utter. “I choose you.” She turned and fidgeted with the door handle. Why was it when a fast exit was needed, the door was always locked?

“Lily, I—”

Lily turned toward him. “No strings attached—just a few days of fun. Think about it, okay?” She hopped out of his truck and ran to her car. Within seconds, he faded into a speck in her rearview mirror. She laid it out there and offered him what Dane was going to take. She wanted the choice to be hers and she wanted to know what it felt like to lay with Eli.

The parking lot was empty when she pulled into the B&B. She was grateful she could avoid little miss hateful. She trudged upstairs and opened the door to find she hadn’t avoided her at all. Julia had made a social call while she was away. Lily’s clothes were torn to shreds and strewn across the floor like rodent bedding.

H
is bear was pushing
at his skin to be released. Every ounce of restraint was needed to keep his primal instincts in check. With any other woman, it was easy. He took the fuck and flight approach, which always seemed to work. But with Lily, this possessive need to claim her was strong. His need to protect her was stronger.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

His beast roared inside, but common sense told him it could never be. “Take action,” the inner beast demanded. Diaphragm deep, his roar clawed free. Leaves on nearby trees shook. Lily belonged with him. He felt it as surely as he felt his heartbeat.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

Eli jumped in his truck and raced toward the B&B by sheer instinct. He pulled next to Lily’s car in the almost-empty parking lot. Pacing the length of his truck, he worked a path in the gravel as he pondered his actions. When he went to her room, it would change everything. It was an affirmation that she was more than a one-and-done, more than a quick lay, and more than he could ever deserve.

The fight inside continued while his bear broke through his skin, one hair at a time. Eli became taller and broader. He was big enough to intimidate the forest surrounding him. His bear was right, he needed put the past to rest and claim what was his. It took a bit of coaxing to get his bear to retreat, but as soon as the last hair receded, he marched through the front door and up the stairs to take what belonged to him.

His knock on her door went unanswered. The tension in the air was palpable. His skin prickled with the awareness of her nearness. “Lily?” He turned the knob and found her sitting in a pile of torn clothes. “What the hell?” Eli was at her side in seconds, pulling her into his lap. She collapsed against him, and he took on the weight of her body and her worries. “Julia did this,” he growled. There was no doubt in his mind.

“Probably.” She picked up pieces of tattered fabric and released it. The scraps fluttered to the floor around them.

“There’s no probably about it, this has scorned woman written all over it, and it’s my fault.” Eli wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. He smelled the air for fear and frustration, but didn’t scent those emotions. Only the strong essence of resignation floated around her.

“You can’t punish, what you can’t prove.” She was feeding him his words from earlier.

“No, but I can call Ty and get him involved.” He moved her around so she was straddling his legs. The position gave him endless ideas—ideas his bear was happy to implement.

“I don’t want Ty involved. What good would that do?” Lily leaned forward and rested her head on his chest. “I kind of egged her on. I called her a skinny bitch.” She skimmed her fingers over the hills and valleys of his chest; the sensations rippled through his body like a live current. “Julia can’t help herself. She’s a product of her upbringing.”

“Spoiled Itan’s daughter syndrome?” Sliding his hands through her hair, he felt the rise of his passion, and he was certain she felt it, too. There was no mistaking the thickness in his jeans, or the pulsing against her thigh. Ignoring his desire was difficult but necessary. He needed to get her to safety more than he needed to sink himself between her legs.

“I understand Julia better than most. I have a controlling father.” She leaned back and played with the collar of his T-shirt. “Her actions are a form of survival.”

Eli’s head flinched back. Lily was giving Julia a pass. “I know a little about Itan’s daughters.”

She puckered her lips and tilted her head. “Is that so? Tell me what you know.” Her words were stained with sarcasm. “Educate me.”

“I dated an Itan’s daughter once. I’ll never do that again.” Lily squirmed in his lap.

“Why, because she was spoiled?” She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back. Her eyes narrowed to his.

“Yes, and because…I couldn’t compete with her father’s power.” Eli lifted Lily to her feet and stood next to her. “Pack up, you’re not safe here.”

“What?” She looked around the room. “I can’t leave here. I’m not ready to go home, and I have nowhere else to go. Every hotel within miles is full.”

Even though Lily sat in a pile of her shredded clothes, there were no tears. Most girls were emotional, but Lily kept her feelings in check. Eli had a feeling she adopted the staid demeanor as a way to survive, but that wasn’t needed any longer. He’d take her home and make her his, and spend the rest of his life making her happy.

“You’ll stay with me.” He grabbed the trashcan and began throwing the remnants of her clothes away. A lesser woman would have been in hysterics.

“Stay with you?”

“Lily, you’ll be safe with me. If I were going to take advantage of you, I would have done it last night. Now, let’s pack.”

She didn’t question his demand. She went with his dictate as if she’d been following directions all her life.

She pulled a small suitcase from the closet and tossed it on the bed. “Tell me about your spoiled Itan’s daughter.” They packed what clothes she could salvage and checked out of the B&B.

Eli wondered how he could skate the truth, a truth that hurt him to the core, but he realized if he wanted the truth from Lily, he’d have to give it in return.

“I’ll drive. We’ll pick your car up tomorrow. The road to my place is better driven in daylight if you’re not familiar with it.” Without waiting, Eli moved her forward toward his truck.

“I’m not sure it’s safe to leave it here.” She glanced at her rental and back at him. “What if someone decides to vandalize it?”

“Julia isn’t stupid, she isn’t going to do something where someone can see her.”

Lily seemed to ponder the truth of his words. With a nod, she buckled up, and he rounded the truck and climbed inside.

They had a good twenty-minute drive to fill with words, and his story was quick. That would leave plenty of time to share hers.

“You asked about the Itan’s daughter.” He chose his words carefully. “Kari was my woman.” The words lay heavy and lead-like in his chest. The memory always weighed him down. “Her father was a clan leader from Alabama.” Eli gripped the steering wheel tight enough to turn his knuckles white. “She said she wanted to stay with me, but I didn’t have anything of value to offer her father.”

“Like a dowry?” She turned in the seat toward him.

He knew she was watching him, and he hated being under scrutiny. “The Danfield Itan used his children like bargaining chips. He traded them for power and favors. I had no power, and no favors to grant. I was a poor laborer, and when it came down to it, she chose him over me.” He glanced at Lily, expecting to find a look of disbelief, but all he saw was sadness. The only thing worse than scrutiny was pity. “I couldn’t blame her for choosing wealth.”

“Maybe her choice wasn’t so simple.”

“Why are you always defending despicable women?” Eli turned onto a dusty side-road that twisted and curved up a hill toward the woods. He knew where all the potholes were and wound his way through the labyrinth.

“All I’m saying is that maybe she chose you by not choosing you.”

“You’re talking in riddles.”

“There’s no riddle about it. I understand their plight. Julia is an Itan’s daughter. She was raised to sacrifice, and she’s probably tired of it. Her bad behavior is pent-up rage from never getting what she wants or needs.”

“You speak like you know something about her situation.”

“It’s all conjecture on my part. You can’t really know what a person is going through until you walk in their shoes. What I do know is the unrealistic demands of a father. The pressures they put on their girls because they’re not sons.”

“Girls are damn fabulous. I’d be proud to have a houseful of girls.”

“Was that part of your and Kari’s plan? Was Kari your fated mate?”

Eli gave Lily a brief glance. The light of the moon shone across her beautiful face. Eyes that held a million hurts stared at him. Despite her deep, personal wounds, she appeared more concerned with his loss than her situation. A raving mad woman had just destroyed her belongings. She was in a virtual strangers truck, heading deep into the woods. That took courage. But Lily didn’t wear her courage like armor. She dressed herself in a cloak of compassion and understanding, and Eli knew his heart was in trouble. A roar reverberated inside him. His bear would never let her go. Hell, for the first time in a long time, he was in agreement with the beast.

“Are we back to the fated mate conversation?”

“Yes. I’d like to know, strictly from a romance blogger’s perspective.”

Eli turned the steering wheel and headed deeper into the forest, where not even the light of the moon touched the ground at night. “What does fated mean to you?”

He couldn’t see her well, but he could hear the uptick to her heartbeat. He could smell the nervousness that surrounded her.

The grinding of her clenched teeth broke the silence. “I don’t know. I’m told it’s a feeling that starts in your heart and threads it’s way through every cell in your body. It’s knowing you’re the perfect match.”

“Kari and I weren’t fated.” Eli thought on his statement. He’d loved Kari, but he didn’t ever feel the need to claim her. Kari didn’t love him, either. When it came down to it, she let her father choose another man over him. A woman in love didn’t do that. A year later, she died giving birth. No…the only woman he’d ever felt so primal around was Lily. He wanted her more than his next breath. “What about you? Is there someone you love waiting back home?” Eli held his breath. He prayed she’d say no.

Lily reached across the console and gripped his hand. Every last cell of hers was reaching for him.

“No, there isn’t. Girls like me aren’t afforded the luxury of love or choice.” She gripped his hand like it was the ripcord to a safety chute.

“You will choose, Lily, and I’ll do what it takes to get you to choose me.” There, it was out in the open. He’d stated his intent.

“I already said I chose you.” Her words grazed across his heart. “For now.”

That was all his bear could take. For now was never going to do. For always was the only answer. He pressed the gas pedal down and sped through the trees to his home.

When he pulled in front of his cabin, he looked at it through Lily’s eyes. Would it be enough or would it fall short? It was small, but tidy. The porch was new, and the grounds were pretty, in a natural way. Water gurgled from the stream that flowed in front. Bees loved water, and this was the perfect environment for them. Happy bees produced a lot of honey. If his bees were any happier, he’d have to expand his storage capacity. He was positive he could make Lily happy, but could she love a man whose life was as simple as raising bees for their honey?

With rapt attention, he gauged her response. “Oh…Eli…this is amazing.” Lily exited the truck and turned in circles until she stumbled and gripped the hood for balance.

Moonbeams shone their light through the clearing and reflected off the windows and water. It was truly a paradise, and Eli was proud to share it with her.

“It’s small, but it suits me.” He pulled her bag from the bed of the truck and led her to the front door. Once it was open, he stood aside. “After you, Ms. Love.” His arm swept forward in a welcoming circle.

She stepped into his home, and it brightened with her presence.

“I won’t burden you for long, but can I stay for a day or two? I just need…”

Eli tossed her bag to the floor and pulled her into his arms. “Lily, my home is yours. I want you to stay.” He crushed his mouth to hers so she couldn’t utter a word that might spoil the moment. Another mention of anything temporary, and he’d be forced to take her and claim her. It didn’t seem like a bad idea until he remembered her words,
I’d rather give you myself than wait for someone to remove my choices.
She said she chose him, but he didn’t want to be the lesser of two evils, he wanted to be the one.

Their lips touched and his hunger for her doubled. Her kisses made him dizzy. Happiness danced across his chest. She was right. It started in his heart and threaded its way through every cell. Lily Love was not working her way into his body. She was already a piece of him he couldn’t live without.