Stalked (Rogues Shifter #2) (31 page)

“Except Mario Kart.” Kyle mumbled with a mouth full of potatoes.

“Or backgammon.” Piped in Ethan.

“I’m not sure if I could manipulate Mario Kart, as it's computerized. However, I can control the rolls in a backgammon game.”

Ethan looked worried. “Remin
d me not to play with you.”

Sinc stood in the doorway and yawned. She was wearing pink plaid PJ bottoms and a sleep tank, with perfectly co
mbed hair and a touch of makeup, just enough to look like she had none. I sighed and dug in for another bite, resigned to the fact that I wouldn’t ever look
that
good first thing in the morning. She sat while Ethan served her breakfast and got her a mug of coffee. As a reward she gave him a loving kiss. It must be nice to have your mate around at breakfast time. Still, I smiled, thinking that I wouldn’t trade my vampire for a million early risers.

We sat and talked amicably about how cool it was to be together and what we should do today. I suggested that we all go out for a run, but Kyle and Sinc groaned and Ethan, who might have been convinced if it was just the two of us, shrugged his shoulders. In the end we decided to see a movie then go out for lunch. Kyle was going to call Peter to see if he could meet us at the movies or at lea
st for lunch. I thought we should see if Rob was around and everyone agreed that was a great idea. Then, when I mentioned Bridgett joining us, the room got really quiet.

Kyle scowled. “She may be the same age as you, but she
acts like she’s around twelve. I’d rather not have to see a Pixar film.”

I laughed, understanding exactly how they felt. “It’s cool, she can hang with Maya today. But you’d all better get used to having her around.”

“I like Pixar films,” Ethan piped in with a wide grin. He was a huge Disney movie fan.

“You need to take someone with you.” Liam’s voice cut through the laughter.

“Rob might come.”

“Miss Jacqueline, you need to take someone who can protect you from Kennet. I will send Brina with you.”

“Really? She’d do bodyguard detail for a bunch of shifters?” She was the daughter of an Elder and I was shocked that a high ranking fae would take that kind of job. Then again, here was Liam, another child of an Elder, washing our dishes.

“Many of the fae would consider guarding you an honor, Miss Jacqueline.” His smile was warm and infectious. “They believe that their people were saved because of your dream and your ability to interrogate Bridgett.”

“You standing there waving around your magical blade looking like you were going to chew her up and spit her out might have helped just a little.” We all laughed, even Liam.

“I can’t imagine Liam looking fierce. He’s so adorable.”  Sinc had her mouth twisted in thought.

“You really don’t want a demonstration, trust me.” I turned back to Liam. “Okay, call in the reinforcements. We’re leaving in an hour.”

“Yes, Miss Jacqueline.”
The corners of his mouth turned up just a touch and his violet eyes crinkled around the edges.

I sighed with contentment knowing our friendship was back on solid ground. I sent to him,
“How do you feel?”

“I feel much more like
myself today, Jackie. Thank you for everything.”
I realized suddenly that I didn’t want him to leave yet.

“I meant it when I said you could stay as long as you need to.”

“ I would like to stay for at least one more night if it is not a hardship for you.”

“Only one more night?
Could we talk again together before you leave tomorrow? I’ve missed our talks. Plus, there’s something I want to ask you about.”
I’d just now remembered Caelen’s comment about my having “other” blood in my veins. I wondered if Liam could shed any light on the subject.

“Yes, of course. Perhaps tomorrow afternoon we could go for a walk? Tonight I will be going out, but I should be back around 2 AM.

“A walk tomorrow afternoon would be perfect.”

I called Rob, who wasn’t able to join us for the movie but said he would love to meet us for lunch. Kyle texted Peter who said he’d meet us for lunch as well. We agreed to meet at Bette’s diner, which was famous locally for fresh homemade comfort food and a very friendly staff. I was already thinking about the juicy bacon burger and sweet potato fries I’d be ordering, even though I’d just finished breakfast. What can I say? Shifters ate a lot because of our high metabolic rates.

The phone rang. It was Bridgett. I considered letting it go to voice mail, but instead I answered it. “Hello Bridgett.”

“Hi. What are you guys up to today? I just finished working with Maya and so I’m free. You wanna go to the mall?”

I thought about lying to her, but lies tended to bite you in the ass. Liam was standing in the doorway watching me with a tiny smirk. He enjoyed every moment that Bridgett annoyed me.

“I’m going to a movie with the rest of the team and then we’re meeting Rob and Peter for lunch afterward.”

“Cool, can I come?”

“Not this time, Bridgett, I’m sorry, but, how about this? Come over tomorrow at 11:00 and we’ll have brunch and we can hang out. I have another appointment at 2:00, but that’ll give us some time together.” I figured that Liam and I could go for that walk around then.

“Oh, well that’s okay. Sure, tomorrow is great.” There were a few beats of silence. “The rest of them don’t like me, do they?”

“They like you,
Bridgett. We’re just stressed out right now. The four of us need some fun time together and then we’re meeting with Rob to discuss team business. It would be boring for you.”

“Do you think maybe one day I could be part of the team?”

Silence on my end as I remembered my first training sessions with Rob. “I think there’s a good chance if you really listen to Maya and learn how to use the lines. It takes a lot of control. Also you’ll need to do a lot of physical training with Rob or Garrett.”

“I’ll work really hard. Thanks.” I could hear the excitement in her voice and I was glad that I’d answered her the way I had. The poor kid had just lost her dad. She must be suffering. It was good for her to have so
me kind of goal to work toward.

“Are you doing ok
?”

She sighed. “Yeah—
I guess, but I miss him so much. I’ve cried a lot. I think Maya ran out of tissues. I’ll never stop missing either of my parents. Maya is really cool and sweet to me. She makes me all my favorite food and answers any questions I have. She’s real tough with the training sessions, but that’s okay, ‘cause it gets my mind off of everything else.”

Even though I had trouble processing the image of Maya being sweet, I was glad that she seemed to be settling in. I was her only family, and so I felt responsible for her. “I’ll see you tomorrow at 11:00. Kennet’s around so don’t go out alone, ok
ay? Garrett's orders.”

“Sure no problem. B
ye, Jackie. Say hi to everyone for me.” We hung up and I relaxed a little. That hadn’t gone too badly. I looked over to where Liam had been standing and was surprised to see Brina instead.

“Hello, Brina. Thanks for acting as our bodyguard today.” I nodded my head just a little in the fae manner and she nodded back. She was dressed in the usual fighting attire of a warrior, including a sword, and it occurred to me that she wouldn’t be allowed into a movie theatre with a visible weapon.

“Jacqueline, it is an honor to serve you.” She sounded sincere.

“Would you mind very much if we went to my closet and pulled out something else
for you to wear to the theatre?" I gestured toward her weapon. "They won’t let you in with a sword.”

“Thank you
, but that isn’t necessary.” She was instantly standing in jeans, sandals and a tight fitting red tee shirt. Her light blonde hair was styled in a shaggy cut and her nails and toenails were manicured in red polish. She wore dangling earrings and copper bangles. “This is an illusion. I am still dressed exactly as you saw me before, sword and all.” She looked like any other eighteen year old girl going to the movies.

The others joined us in the foyer. “If I may ask one thing,” Brina began. “For your protection, you must stay with me at all times. If you split up I will be staying with Jacqueline and you will not be protected from Kennet.”

“Are you strong enough to keep him from hurting us?” Kyle asked, sounding slightly unimpressed.

Sinc groaned, Ethan punched Kyle in the shoulder and I said, “I apologize for K
yle’s bad manners.”

She smiled. “It is a valid question.
He is a fae lord over 3,000 years old. I am just over one hundred. However, I am strong enough to hold him off long enough to signal for help, which will come instantly from Liam, Aedus and others.” She turned to Kyle and her purple eyes flashed with gold. “Does that satisfy you?”

“Yes, Lady B
rina. Sorry if I insulted you.” He actually looked embarrassed.

“Brina is fine,
leopard
.”

“Kyle is fine,
fae
.” He twisted his mouth in annoyance, but when she smiled, having gotten the desired rise out of him, he barked out a good-natured laugh.

We were all ready to have some fun.

Chapter Twenty-seven

The movie, another silly Hollywood version of the supernatural world, was a riot, although Sinc wasn't happy when Kyle and Ethan got popcorn in her hair. Rob and Peter joined us for our late lunch which turned out to be relaxing and delicious and gave us all a chance to catch up. Rob was training a new shifter on the island and Peter entertained us with a funny story about how he'd met Kyle. After lunch, Brina made sure we got safely through the front door and then dissolved back into the lines, presumably heading to Faerie. Peter followed Kyle upstairs to play Mario Kart on the Wii while Ethan and Sinc stole away to their room and I cuddled up with Garrett in front of the fireplace to chat with Rob.

Garrett wanted to hear all about Flynn the Lion shifter so Rob explained his progress in detail while I found myself dozing in Garrett’s arms. I looked at the clock and was surprised to
see that it was only 6:00 PM. I needed to get up and stretch my legs. There was no way I wanted to fall asleep that early in the evening. I’d be up at dawn when everyone else was asleep. I left Garrett talking to Rob and looked for Sasha downstairs.

“Hi Sasha,” I said
a little hesitantly.

He was leaning over the pool table, his cue poised for a difficult shot. He’d heard me coming, but hadn’t bothered to acknowledge me. Well, he had no choice now that I’d spoken to him. He stood up slowly and tur
ned gracefully to meet my eyes.

“Mistress.” He nodded.

“Please call me Jackie. Sasha, would you be willing to help me with something?” He tilted his head and waited. “I need to work off some tension.” His smile widened. “Not that kind of tension. I thought maybe you could give me some weapon's training or maybe we could spar a little bit. You’ll have to hold back, I don’t want any broken bones, but I need the exercise. With all that's been going on around here I haven't had a chance to go for a run. We could go outside in the backyard.”

He nodded. “I’d be happy to spar with you, but I doubt that I’ll have to hold back.”

“I’d like to learn without using the lines at first. What weapon do you suggest?”

“I think we should start with a simple staff. It’s useful because in a pinch you can always find a broomstick or branch or even break off the leg of a chair and use it as a weapon.” He opened a closet door and pulled out two long staffs. “You’re tall and you have fairly long arms. Th
is length should work for you.”

First up the stairs, I heard Sasha take in a long deep breath behind me. I shook my head. “Sasha, stop breathing me in. I probably smell like popcorn and cheeseburgers right now.”

“You smell delicious all the time.” I turned around and frowned. “Do you want me to lie?” he asked shrugging.

“No, it’s my fault. I leave myself open to your predictable responses.”

“I am what I am.”

“Fair
enough.” We’d made it to the back yard where we turned to face each other. He was 6’2” and I was 5’9” so right away he had a big advantage. His arms and legs were longer and his eyesight and hearing was sharper. Did I mention the vamp speed and the muscles? What was I thinking?

He tossed over a staff and noticed me sizing him up. “Even without using the lines you’re faster than other shifters
because you're a cheetah and I’ve experienced your strength first hand.“ He smiled and rubbed his head. “An untrained enemy will usually underestimate you because of your lean build and your—angelic appearance. I will never make that mistake, Mistress.”

"Jackie."

"Jackie." We spent two hours working together. He showed me different stances, hand positions, forward attacks and defensive moves. By the time we’d finished I was drenched in sweat, bruised, sore and feeling absolutely wonderful. Sasha looked relaxed and happy. I think he’d enjoyed himself too.

Garrett was standing by the patio door smiling. “Are you two finished beating each other with sticks?”