Winter's Dawn (13 page)

“I know,” Susie agreed, kicking one foot up as she went back to flipping through her books. “If we didn’t enjoy the interactions, we’d skip clear past it, wouldn’t we, Max?”

“I think it would appear odd for a fifteen year old to be attending college,” Max offered. “As it is, you make a very unusual junior.”

“Nonsense, I fit in nicely.” Susie looked up from her book to smile at him. “I’ll never understand why you didn’t skip a grade. You must be hopelessly bored.”

“Like you said, I enjoy the interaction,” he said and then grimaced in apology when Maggie had to go into the other room to fetch his towel. “Sorry.”

“Oh, I know, what wretches we are.” Susie also appeared apologetic. “Maggie, I swear next time we’ll use the hamper. We know better.”

“We do,” Max agreed and then handed Susie her brush and hair ties. He walked back into the bathroom and tossed all their discarded clothes into the hamper before Maggie had to pick them up.

“Maxwell, are you trying to put me out of job?” Maggie asked as she walked into the bathroom and tossed their used towels into the hamper with their clothes. “Not that I don’t appreciate the effort.”

“You’ll never be out of job.” Max grinned at her. “We love you.”

Maggie blushed and then stood on her toes to place a kiss on his cheek. “You’re a sweet boy, practically a man now.”

Max scowled in horror. “Don’t rush me.”

Maggie patted his arm knowingly. Despite being human, she had been one of the few to witness the dreadfulness that Max had endured the previous full moon while the rest of his family save Susie had been attending the running.

“She should put on a nightgown, especially so close to the full moon.” Maggie’s voice was hushed. She knew full well that werewolf hearing was far superior to that of humans. “Perhaps Emma should have a talk with her.”

Max snorted. “She’s dying for us to mate. All of them are. If you tell her it makes me uncomfortable, she’ll just encourage it more. It doesn’t even matter that Susie hasn’t gone into heat yet.”

Maggie rubbed his bare arm in mother like affection. “Then I’ll speak with Susan. I know she wouldn’t purposely make you uncomfortable. She’s just young. She doesn’t understand.”

Max nodded. “I know and I’m fine. If it gets to be a problem, I’ll ask her to wear one.”

Maggie gave him a wan smile and then kissed his cheek once more. “You sleep well, Maxwell.”

“I’ll try.”

Maggie paused before leaving the bathroom and turned back to him. “If you need help sleeping send Susan to fetch me. I had the cook replenish our stocks after the party and I had a doctor friend of mine write out a prescription for tranquilizers.”

Max smiled in surprise. “Wow, thanks, Maggie.”

She shrugged. “I don’t condone drinking. I’ve always told you and Susan that. But, I believe you have now become the exception to the rule. We’ll be ready for the full moon this time. I won’t watch you suffer like that, even if we have to keep you drugged the full three days.”

“You probably will,” Max admitted, feeling his face flush before he leaned down and admitted something to her that he hadn’t told anyone, not even Susie. “I’m already feeling the pull, Maggie. It’s going to be a lot worse than last time.”

Maggie sighed and lowered her gaze. She looked like she had more to say, but she shook her head and then reached out to squeeze his hand. “I’ll be here for you. You and Susan are my family, the only one I’ve got.”

Max considered her words for a long moment before he whispered once again, “You know that once she goes into heat—” Max choked and shook his head. “I don’t want to. I mean, I know it’s wrong, that you think it’s wrong because she’s my cousin.” Max was embarrassed to find that his eyes were stinging and he wiped at them in frustration. “Our lives aren’t our own. Everything is against us. If we run away, we’re still doomed. It’ll still happen and she’ll still get pregnant.” He covered his eyes and let out a choked sob. “She’ll never get to finish college, Maggie. I don’t know why I thought either of us could.”

“Oh, Maxwell.” The tears sounded in Maggie’s voice too. “Its not fair. I know it’s not fair for either of you. I wish I knew how to fix it.”

“I just need to know that you’ll still be there,” he rasped when he dropped his hand. “When it happens, I don’t want you to judge us. I couldn’t bear it.”

“Hey.” Maggie gripped his chin and forced his gaze to hers. “Don’t think for one minute that silly spell of your father’s is what keeps me here. Even if I could speak of what you were to others, I wouldn’t. I couldn’t love you two more if you were my own children. I would never judge you for something out of your hands.”

Max nodded and wiped at his eyes once more. “I better go do her hair.”

Maggie laughed. “I never met a fifteen year old girl who doesn’t know how to do her own hair, but it’s sweet. You werewolves have some charming customs.”

“Yeah,” Max agreed before he shrugged. “We have some pretty dreadful ones too.”

He walked back into the bedroom before Maggie could attempt to find a way to deny anything just to make him feel better. Susie was engrossed in studying and hadn’t even noticed he had been gone long. He sat down on the bed, staring at the smooth line of her bare back as she lay on her stomach and her feet kicked up in the air rhythmically. On instinct, he reached out and rubbed his hand over the small of her back. His thumb moved back and forth as he caressed Susie’s smooth skin and she hummed in appreciation. His heart ached so badly he leaned down and brushed her long hair aside to place a tender kiss against her bare shoulder.

“What’s that for?” Susie asked in the same dreamy voice she always had when someone pulled her out of something she was engrossed in.

“I just love you, Susie Bee.” He rested his cheek against her back and closed his eyes to breathe in the comforting scent of her shampoo.

Susie reached behind her and grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers through his. “Mmm, love you too, Honeywell, King of the Honeypot.”

“Susie Bee, Queen of the Bees, she makes the honey sweet,” Max whispered into her hair as he stretched out his long body next to hers.

Susie squeezed his hand. “Sometimes.”

“Always.”

“Honeywell?”

“Hmm?” he asked, still draped over her, his face now resting in the soft curve at the base of her neck, hiding under waves of snow colored hair.

“You need a drink, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” he huffed. “I feel lousy.”

“Maggie?” Susie pleaded, her voice losing its dreamy cadence.

“I’ll be right back,” Maggie said.

Max hadn’t even known she had been watching and he really didn’t care. His head hurt and his pulse pounded rapidly in his ears. He could feel that awful stirring of something dark and primal beneath his skin. It was stronger now than it had been the whole cycle last time and the full moon wasn’t for eight more days. He was terrified of the wolf that was so much more powerful than any of them had fathomed was possible. Max was slowly coming to realize that he wouldn’t be able to fight any of it, not the call to roam, nor their destines that were spiraling towards them at an alarming speed.

If only there was a way to protect Susie from all of it. He would give up his soul without thought to let her keep learning like she loved, to watch her go to college and maybe marry a nice human who could give her normal children. Tears rolled down his face as he remembered the anguished cries of his father for his dead sister.

“Honeywell, King of the Honeypot, why do you hide the honey?”

He took a shuddering breath as tears continued to roll down the side of his face and wet her hair. “No money is worth the honey my queen has made for me. ”

“How am I to believe it is sweet if you offer me none to eat?”

“It would be a feat for Susie Bee to produce anything that was less than decadently sweet. You will have to believe my words, for I am king and I speak what I mean.”

“Then speak what you mean, Honeywell.”

“I’m scared, Susie Bee.”

“Oh, Max.” Susie rolled over and held him to her, hiding his face with her hair as she kissed away the tears rolling down his cheeks. “I don’t care if you go to the running.”

“I do,” he whispered in anguish. “I don’t want to be King of the Honeypot. I don’t want to be king of anything.”

She sighed as she ran her hands down the expansive plain of his bare back. There was nothing she could say to make him feel better, so she just held him while he cried.

“Here, Susan.” Maggie came running back into their room. “Give him these.”

“What are they?”

“They’ll help him sleep. Bother, I just don’t know how many to give him.”

“How many do humans take?” Susie asked as she continued to run her hands up and down his back lovingly.

“One or two.”

“Ten might work.”

“Susan!”

“Twelve then.” Susie let go of Max for a moment to hold out her hand.

“You’re going to kill him.”

“It takes six bottles of whiskey to make him drunk. You figure it out.”

“Hmph, fine.” Maggie fumbled with the bottle. “I’m going to have to get more if he needs that many.”

“Max.” Susie gently pushed at his shoulder until he looked up at her with hazy eyes. “Take these for me.”

“Maybe they will kill me,” Max said as he took the pills from Susie and then took the whiskey from Maggie.

“Maxwell, don’t start that again. It upsets Susan. You don’t want to upset your Susie, do you?”

He shook his head as he downed the pills with a large gulp of whiskey and winced from the burn of it. “No, I don’t. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“You don’t have to apologize, Max.” Susie went back to rubbing his back reassuringly.

He curled into Susie, unwilling to let go of the whiskey as Maggie fussed around them, arranging pillows behind Susie to keep her comfortable.

“It’s going to be a long week.” Maggie leaned down to place a kiss on Susie’s forehead. “Do you want me to sleep here tonight?”

“No, I think he’ll be okay,” Susie said as she pulled him more firmly against her and then settled back against the pillows. “I’ve got him.”

“Okay, well, you come get me if those don’t work.”

“I will, I promise.”

Before Maggie left, Max called out to her, “Don’t tell my father.”

“I won’t, Maxwell. I already told you, your secrets are safe.”

Max smelled the truth of her words and rested his head back in the valley between Susie’s breasts as he took another long drink of whiskey.

“Honeywell, King of the Honeypot, won’t you share your honey with me, Susie Bee, Queen of the Bees.”

Max let out a choked laugh and then handed Susie the whiskey bottle. She took a long drink of it and then pulled back to look at the label. “Oh, this is nice. Have we had this one before?”

“I don’t think so.” He tilted his head to look at the label also. “It’s strong. Maggie takes good care of me.”

“Of us,” Susie agreed. “When the pairs come, I want her there with me, Max.”

“Oh, Sue, don’t.” Max groaned, burying his face back in her hair. “I’ll kill myself before I get you pregnant with those wretched beasts.”

“They won’t be wretched,” Susie said, her voice dreamy again. “We’re not.”

“We’re not full-grown yet either,” Max argued as he once again felt the stirring of a wild, powerful wolf under his skin. “Father has no idea what’s inside me. He wouldn’t be so desperate for me to grow up if he had even an inkling.”

“Power isn’t a bad thing, Max. In the right hands it can be something amazing.”

“What makes you think my hands are the right ones?”

“Because you are Honeywell. You guard all my honey so diligently and I love you.”

Max took the bottle back from her and had another drink as he considered her words. “Perhaps the Queen of Bees is too sweet to sense the evil in me.”

“The Queen of Bees is much smarter and stronger than you think,” Susie countered as she took the bottle back.

They continued speaking in the rhymes of their youth. Max had forgotten how completely absorbed they could become in their imaginary world where all they were forced to do as royalty was make and protect honey. He realized now it had once been their way of escaping pressures far too extreme for them to handle at such a young age. Sadly, the idea of being king and queen was so ingrained in their psyche that they couldn’t escape it completely. Even in make believe…Yet, it was still comforting. Perhaps it was a reminder of something he was fighting so hard to hold onto—his puppyhood.

Eventually, the edges of reality became more than blurred and Max tilted his head to blink heavy lidded eyes up at Susie. “I forgot to do your hair.”

Susie smiled as she stroked her fingers through his hair. “It’s alright.”

“Gods, I’m sleepy.” His tongue felt thick in his mouth and his limbs were suddenly heavy. His eyes rolled back when he tired to focus them back on her face. “I’m a bad mate.”

Susie laughed. “No, you’re a wonderful mate. One time in fifteen years is totally excusable.”

“Oh, you were a cute baby, Susie Bee,” he hummed as Susie’s fingers in his hair helped the drugs and alcohol lull him closer to sleep. “Sometimes I’d look at you and think my heart would just explode in my chest because you were so cute and precious.”