Trent (17 page)

When Sterling had drank all that Noah could
give him, Noah pulled his wrist away and sealed the wound. He’d have to go and
feed now. Helping Sterling had drained him more than he wanted to admit. But
he’d be healthier, if not a little happier, now that the poison was gone from
him. Noah turned to Trent after putting Sterling into a deep sleep of the dead.

“He will need to be watched over. I’ve put
him deep, far deeper than he’s ever been before.” Trent nodded and told him
he’d do it. “He won’t wake for a week. Then at the end of that time, he will
need to shift to rid himself of the scars that have been a part of him for far
too long. And then I would suggest that he rest. He will need it, but will be
most…make sure that he rests.”

“I will.” Noah knew that Trent would too. The
man was Sterling’s pack master now, and would resort to commanding that he rest
if Sterling didn’t comply. Noah looked at Joe when she said nothing. “This
other vampire, the one he tried to get to help him, do you know who it was?”

He did. “He is dead. He was murdered some
weeks ago.”

Noah would bet anything that not only had the
man been murdered by the same she-devil that had hurt Sterling, but that she’d
killed him because he’d tried to help him. Noah wasn’t worried. He was much
more powerful than her, and he knew something that she didn’t. Noah was aware
of her now.

As he took to the skies to find someone to
feed from, Noah thought about the woman. She’d done this before. Attacked without
provocation. Killed without thought, and had tried her best to repopulate the
world with someone like Sterling. The prime of a pack, the strongest of a wolf
family. But she’d gotten the wrong one this time; not only had she not picked
the alpha, but she’d picked Noah’s family. Noah was very protective of what he
considered his.

Will she come here now?
Noah had to smile at
Joe’s question.
She’ll be aware that someone helped him. Do you suppose
she’ll come here and try to reclaim him?

Yes.
He moved above the trees and then landed on
a particularly high branch to watch the humans below him. There were several,
and he’d need at least three of them to fill up. Noah didn’t kill, but he would
need a great deal from these men before he was healthy again.
It is her bad
fortune that she has tried to take Sterling. It will land her in the middle of
my realm, and that will get her killed once and for all.

She’s dangerous. More than that, she’s power
hungry and strong. How will you defeat her, Noah? You have tried before.
He had. And he knew
that he’d not given it his best. It had been a half-assed effort at best.
If
she comes here, and I’m betting she will, what will she do to Sterling now that
he’s no longer her pawn?

We are stronger than we were. And as a
family, you know as well as I do that we gain from that too. Sterling has you and
me now. He will be all right. She does not know that with my blood, she cannot
harm him again. And with your powers surrounding him, she won’t find him an
easy target as she did before.
He thought about the images in Sterling’s
mind.
She went there for him. Gave him an elixir that was to put him into a
deep sleep while she killed the others. It is going to come back to harm her
that he not only knows what she did, but that he remembers her despite her
trying to take the memories from him.

We know her now as well.
Noah moved to the
ground, watching for someone to come up behind him as he commanded the men to
stand still. Drinking from them, just enough to sustain himself for another
time, he was forever careful that no one snuck up on him. When he was finished,
he took some cash from his pocket and lined those of the men he’d used. It
would do him no good anyway, and he wanted to repay them for their help.
I
will put out a call to arms for others. We’ll all keep an eye out for her, and
make sure that wherever she’s hiding, it will be reported to us soon.

After closing the connection to Joe, he moved
to his home. Michael was there, waiting for him as he’d asked him to do. When
he handed Noah the file he’d asked for, Michael sat down and began snapping
green beans, a thing that he’d never seen him do before.

“Mr. Marshall is staying here. And I thought
it would be fun to make food for him. I was not aware that it was so much work.”
Noah started to point out that most of the things he’d eaten long ago were now
available in cans, but thought he’d just let him figure it out. It might be fun
for a while to watch him struggle with it. “Also, we have a new phone. One that
hangs on the wall. And Internet capabilities. Mr. Marshall asked for it, and I
saw no problem with having it put into the household. Is that all right?”

“It is. You do whatever he needs to make him
feel like this is his home.” Michael nodded, and Noah was almost afraid to
bring up the she-devil. “Sterling Calhoun has been touched by Helenia.”

Noah was just able to grab the bowl filled
with the newly snapped beans before it hit the floor. Michael stood up but sat
down again twice before he asked him where she was. He assured him that he had
no idea at the moment.

“Does he know what she is? What she’s done?” Noah
told him what he’d seen in the younger man’s memories. “Oh, that poor boy. That
poor, poor boy. We’ll have to protect him, my lord. Keep him safe, and his
family.”

“I’m doing that now. I’ve put out a call to
the Board of Vampires, and they’re to let me know when they have information I
can use. I’m afraid, as is Joe, that she has harmed him thinking that she’s
gotten the alpha. When she figures it out, no one will be safe.” Michael said
he agreed as well. “I’ve healed him, giving him a great part of me so that
he’ll be protected. Joe will do the same for Trent. Here, we’ll have to remain
on our toes to make sure that she doesn’t get by us.”

“I assure you, sir, she will not be able to
get by us. I will make sure that all of the house is safe from her. I will call
in a few favors today to make sure.” Noah smiled. He didn’t even want to know
who might owe him favors. As he said his good days, he made his way to his
lair. Things were going quickly now, and he needed to be rested.

Before You Go…

Share
your voice and help guide other readers to these wonderful books. Even if it’s
only a line or two your reviews help readers discover the author’s books so
they can continue creating stories that you’ll love. Login to your favorite
retailer and leave a review. Thank you.

Kathi Barton,
author of the bestselling series Force of Nature, lives in Nashport, Ohio with
her husband Paul. In addition to writing full time Kathi likes to spend time
with her eight grandkids, three children and three children-in-laws. She writes
to relax and have fun.

Her muse, a cross
between Jimmy Stewart and Hugh Jackman brings them to life for her readers in a
way that has them coming back time and again for more. Her favorite genre is
paranormal romance with a great deal of spice. You can visit Kathi on line and
drop her an email if you’d like. She loves hearing from her fans.
[email protected]
.

Follow
Kathi on her blog:
http://kathisbartonauthor.blogspot.com/