Watching the guys play fight made me want to be out there with them, learning the ropes. Rayce didn’t think I needed to learn. I wanted to feel the freedom of shifting and the dirt under my huge paws. The need to help was eating at me. I didn’t understand the reason why he didn’t want me to. I had hunted vampires for years. That job was more dangerous than play fighting in the yard.
I did miss hunting, the weight of my gun in my hand, and the feel of the knife strapped to my leg. I did miss my home back in Devils Bend. I had worked hard to make it what it was.
Gage knew the shadows of my old home and could pop up anytime with shadow travel. We hadn’t been back to it. Jay had tried shadow travel with Rayce, but they couldn’t get it. I wondered if I could.
Marie was sitting on the back-porch steps, “Hey, girl, what’s up?” she asked.
I sat next to my friend and looked out at Rayce. He was lunging toward Jay and knocked him off his feet. He pinned him to the ground with his massive form.
“Not much, just getting a little restless.”
“Me too,” she said smiling.
“I had an idea and wanted to know if you wanted to help me practice.”
“Practice what?”
“Practice shadow travel.”
“The guys have been trying.”
“I know and I have been paying attention. I would like to try,” I said.
She shrugged her shoulders, “Sure, let’s go. It can’t hurt for us to try on our own,” she said smiling.
“We can practice in the garden,” I said standing up.
We stood in the shadows. To tell the truth, I was nervous as all hell. I had no idea what I was doing. What if I did travel and ended up under the sink in the kitchen or something? Marie began to remove her clothes so I took that as my cue to do the same.
Being nude in front of people was something you had to get used to. I spent my first three days new to this life in the nude. It took me and Jay a while to get used to the fact he was seeing me in the buff. I remember the first time he saw me he was blushing so bad his face looked like a radish. He was really great about the whole thing though. He kept his eyes on mine and tried not to look at my body. Marie said he got wood the first time, which made me laugh. It didn’t seem to bother her. Jay’s embarrassment made her day.
As I removed my clothes I looked down at my ring finger. I hated to take it off but it had to be done. When I turned, it would break if I didn’t. Same with the clothes, they would burst into shreds if we didn’t take them off first. I took the ring off and placed a kiss on it before I put it in my jeans pocket.
Shifting was a piece of cake now. My ability to smell and see everything still took my breath away. Everything was alive to my eyes. The trees would move and the grass seemed to grow. I could smell the dirt at my hellhound feet and the flowers in the garden gave my nose a pleasant burn.
“Ok, let’s see if we can do this,” my cream-colored friend closed her glowing eyes, drew in a deep breath and held it in. Her claws dug into the dirt. After a moment, she opened one eye. “Did I go anywhere?” she said squinting.
“No, sorry.”
“Shit,” she hissed. “How in the hell does Gage do this?” she asked.
“I don’t know but I’m going to try.” I tried to relax my mind. I closed my eyes and focused my energy to the porch swing on the side of the house. It was easier than trying to travel to my old home. I imagined myself sitting on the swing. Seconds later, I opened my eyes. Nothing.
“I don’t get it. All you are supposed to do is think about where you want to go and then let it happen,” I said in frustration.
“Well, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Let’s keep trying,” Marie replied. By the eighth failed attempt, I was growing tired of it. The guys were sitting in the field watching us.
“This was a stupid idea,” I stated. I changed back into my human form. Turning back was a simple and natural act.
“Don’t get discouraged, Jessica. We will figure it out,” Marie expressed as we put our clothes back on.
“I don’t understand it though. Why is it so easy for Gage to do it but we can’t?” I asked as I fished my ring out of my pocket and slipped it back on.
“Come on, let’s go inside. I’m starving,” she said. “I made chili and I’m sure the guys are hungry too.”
“Sure.” I was unsatisfied. I couldn’t accept only Gage could do this. As we turned toward the house, a wind blew across the garden, sending a mixture of rose and lilac scent across my face. I closed my eyes and the memory of my old home and garden washed over me.
Another huge gust of wind hit me, nearly knocking me over. I had to put my hands out to steady myself. I opened my eyes and was knocked breathless. I was standing in my front yard garden below my bedroom window in Devils Bend.
“What the fuck?” I was twenty miles away from my new home and now looking at my old one. “I did it,” I whispered in wonderment.
The house was dark. The only light that burned was a single bulb on the front porch. I took a step toward my house cautiously. Gage could be lurking around and I didn’t want to be caught off guard. I was already in a pickle because I didn’t have anything to defend myself with.
Slowly, I lurked around the house to the back porch and found my hidden key under my fake rock. I entered slowly. I needed to find something to defend myself and call Rayce before he began to worry.
I crept up the stairs and entered my room. I found a pocket knife in the bedside table drawer. All of my other hunting equipment was back at the lake house. I picked up the receiver to the landline phone and I thanked my lucky stars I had paid the bill. I dialed Rayce and it took him forever to answer. He must have been frantic seeing me disappear into thin air. Hell, I was trying to get a handle on it myself.
“Jessica, are you okay? What happened? How did you do that?” I tried my best to calm him down but I didn’t want to be too loud, just in case. “Stay right there. I’m on my way to get you,” he said frantically.
From my closet, I pulled out a duffle bag and put as many of my clothes and bathroom needs inside of it. I had some but not enough. I did miss my house but I had to tread lightly. I was taking a chance even being here. I slung my bag over my shoulder, and as I walked from my room, I heard a rustling down in the bushes beneath my window. I looked down but even with my keen eyesight, I couldn’t see a thing. Smelling would be useless because everything would be masked by the flowers. A small rush of fear crawled up my spine.
I quickly took the stairs down to the ground floor, careful not to make the stairs creek with my steps. I made my way to the kitchen. The sound could have been caused by an animal but I doubted it. I needed to hide. Even though his father told him to stay out of Devils Bend, I knew Gage would never follow an order from anyone. He was going to do what he wanted.
A strange shift in the air told me someone was in my house. Fear took over and I bolted to the laundry room next to the kitchen. The damn room didn’t have a door so I wedged myself in between the machines. “Sure, Jessica, nobody will find you here,” I whispered to myself. I debated on shifting into my new hellhound form to defend myself.
I could hear footsteps above me in my room. It had to be Gage, who else would be in my house? He left the room and made his way down the hall to the spare bedroom where he slept. The doors opened and closed. Whoever it was, they were making sure to put everything back the way it was. Covering their tracks. The footsteps began to come down the stairs and I tried to control my heart beat. Sweat began to build at the nape of my neck and upper lip. My entire body was shaking.
They entered the kitchen and I froze. My breath caught in my throat and I made a little whimper. I covered my mouth with both of my hands to keep the noise from escaping my lips.
A ring of a cell phone made me nearly jump out of my skin, and the footsteps stopped.
“Yeah,” he said. I knew that voice and all my fear washed away. “She’s not here but some clothes are missing and her scent is fresh,” he said.
I shot up out of my hiding place like a bullet and ran into his arms. “I was so afraid that you were Gage,” I said relieved.
He wrapped both of his arms around me and held me tight, a little too tight. I looked up at him and his grip grew harder and his blazing blue eyes stared down at me. His nostrils flared. It wasn’t Rayce. “My brother will be so happy that I found you,” he said. Another gust of wind hit me.
As soon as my feet hit solid ground again his arms released me and I fell to the floor. This time I felt like I was going to barf.
His voice spoke from behind me. “It will pass. It happens to us all who travel a great distance,” he explained. He did reach for me but I pulled away from his touch. I opened my eyes and I was in a nice room. The carpet was a tan shag and soft to the touch. A fireplace burned to my left. It was too hot for my comfort, but I would guarantee my comfort was not the mission.
Vanilla scented candles burned on the mantel above the fireplace. Two huge chairs sat in front of the flames. They looked like they had been hand carved out of an entire tree.
“Welcome home, Jess,” Gage said.
Now, a new kind of nausea came over me. That voice haunted my dreams every night. I hadn’t been able to sleep some nights due to that damn voice. I dreaded to see the face that went along with it. I was choking on my tongue when Gage stood from one of the chairs and turned to face me.
He was dressed in jeans only. No socks, no shoes, no shirt, only tight jeans. I wasn’t even remotely impressed by him. He thought if he showed himself off I would jump his bones. That wasn’t going to happen.
“Do you like our room?” he asked smugly. He spread his arms as if I was supposed to be in awe of the glory of the room. Needless to say, I wasn’t. I didn’t speak, I had to keep my cool if I wanted to get out of this. “Did you thank my brother for bringing you home to me?” he asked almost demanding.
Still, on the floor, I turned and looked up at the man who brought me here. He looked like Rayce. His eyes were a crystal blue but he was a spitting image of my soon to be husband.
“Satisfied?” he asked Gage.
“You can go,” Gage said deeply.
I watched as the man left the room and closed the door to my only exit. Chayce was alive and living as Gage’s brother. I couldn’t believe how sadistic this family was. A tear rolled down my cheek and landed on the soft carpet.
Gage walked over and offered me help up from the floor. I pulled away from him and got to my feet on my own. He gestured toward the chairs in front of the fire and I walked over cautiously. I didn’t take my seat right away. “You can sit down,” he instructed. I did and he sat down in the chair next to mine.
“You know damn well he is not your brother. He is Rayce’s brother,” I growled.
Gage cleared his throat and spoke softly. “Yes, but Chayce doesn’t know that. He doesn’t even know about Jason. My father knew neither Jay nor Rayce would ever amount to anything but followers. We kept Chayce a secret. Chayce being the first born would make him a great leader one day, after me of course.”
“Your father kidnapped his own nephew? Why would he do that and devastate his own family, letting them believe he was dead all along?”
“Jess, we come from a great long line of hellhounds,” I cut him off.
“Yes, I know the story. Cerberus was the great father, the purest of the bloodlines, the very first of all the hounds. I know the story.”
His eyes were intent on my face. He never stopped looking at me. A smug smile grew on his lips and it reminded me of the smile in the dreams that haunt me every night. A shiver crawled up my spine.
“We have to ensure the purest blood line. We can’t go around killing hellhounds to get power. We have to take what we want first. Once we have the power of all of Oklahoma, we can move from state to state and then, the world. The hellhound will rule again,” he explained.
I always thought Gage was insane but now I knew for sure he was. “How do you plan on taking over the world? That’s …do you not realize how crazy that sounds?”
“Crazy?” his brow pinched. “You think it’s crazy to want this supernatural world in the palm of your hand?” he asked.
I nodded, “Gage, are you talking about the world, as in earth, or the world of hellhounds?”
“This world needs a leader and with the great father gone, we need another leader. My father wants the position but I don’t plan on letting him have it.” He grinned evilly. “I will be king and you will be my queen. We will rule all hellhounds and have all the blood we want and our children will rule after us,” he declared with a smug smile.
“I don’t see how that is going to work. I’m only half. Hypothetically speaking, how can we make a pure blood line from that?”
“Because of your father’s bloodline. You being turned had made it even stronger. Our line will be perfect.” I looked away from him and into the fire. “Rayce turning you changes nothing. You are mine no matter who turned you. I don’t care about the fucking rules.”
I looked back up at him, “Gage, Rayce is going to win this fight. I might not be able to kill you but he will. How many times do I have to say it? I will never be yours. You are a terrible man with nothing but hate in your soul. You are a murderer and a rapist. I knew you were bad news when I first let you stay at my place, but for some stupid reason, I fell for you. Well, no more,” I spat.
“Jess, it wasn’t rape, you wanted me.”
Now, I was getting pissed off, I could feel my blood beginning to boil over. I had to get myself in check quickly before he could make his move. I took a deep breath and counted to ten. “I did want you, in the beginning. That night in my kitchen was the straw that broke the camel’s back. If I wasn’t done after I found out about Jade, I was done then. I’m still done with you. I don’t love you, Gage. I wish you would leave us the fuck alone,” I could see he wanted to respond to my rant but I wasn’t finished. “I don’t love you. I never did, don’t you get that?”
“You loved me when I pleasured that sexy body,” he smiled.
I groaned, “Yes, I admit, I lusted for you, but it was never anything more than that. I love Rayce and he loves me. I plan on spending the rest of my life with him and having his children.”
“You deserve to be with a natural leader.”
“I could care less if he was a leader or not, that is not what I love him for. I love him because he loves me. He is mine and I am his.”
“You are mine!”
“Not now, and not ever,” I growled and lifted my hand to show him my ring. He stood from his chair and hoisted it into the air, tossing it across the room. I leaned back into my chair as far as I could, trying to back away from him.
He got down into my face, “You will learn to love me, Jessica.” He took my face into his rough hands and I closed my eyes and clamped my lips together. “I’m going to kill that useless cousin of mine and every half breed in that little pack of his. You will be mine for the taking,” he said against my mouth and kissed me hard.
I tried to lean away from him but the damn chair was holding me in place, keeping me prisoner to his greedy lips and hands. I put my hands on his shoulders and tried to push him away, he was too strong. He got down on his knees at my level and opened my legs with his knees and pressed himself into me. His mouth forced mine open and his tongue met mine. He tasted of fresh butterscotch blood. I almost allowed myself to get sucked in but I blocked it. Rayce was too important.
I let my hands drop from his shoulders and lay limp at my sides. He didn’t stop, with one of his hand on the back of my neck, holding me in the kiss, his other hand lifted my shirt and found my breast. His hungry fingers found my nipple. “Relax, Jess. I’ll be gentle this time,” he said softly.
Maybe this was the way I was going to get out of this. If I humored him, maybe I could make a run for it. I lifted my hands to his hair. I gripped it tightly and then pulled him in for a deeper kiss. My lips were tight but my tongue moved with his. Tears threatened my eyes. I couldn’t believe what I was having to do.
“Your offer is appealing,” I stated, trying to convince him that he may have my attention. In the back of my mind, I was trying to break free of him. “But you have to allow me to break it off with Rayce first.”
“I will make it easy for you.”
“How so?” He kissed my neck and my body shivered in disgust.
“I will take that burden off your hands by ending him,” his words shattered my heart. The thought sent me into a rage, but I had to hold it back. “You will want for nothing, Jess.”
I let my head fall back and I let out a breath. I was fighting to breathe. I hoped someone would come into the room and stop him. Luck was not on my side. He lifted me and carried me over to the bed. He sat me down and continued with his mission.
He lifted my shirt and latched on to my right nipple. I closed my eyes and bit back the tears. I had to figure out how to get out of this situation. Using sex was a good tactic with Gage. His desire was key. “Let me get more comfortable,” I whispered. He released my nipple with a pop and smiled at me, making my stomach churn. I had to keep my cool. He rolled off of me and I stood from the bed. I tried to keep my eyes off the exit. I felt defeated, so I began to unbutton my jeans.
“Look at me while you undress,” he ordered.
“Maybe Chayce would like to join us?” I slowly began to pull down my zipper. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could pull this off. I stuck out my bottom lip and pouted.
“Chayce, get in here,” he bellowed.
He came through the door, “What?” he asked annoyed and rolled his eyes.
“My love wants the both of us. Are you up for a little fun?” he asked smiling cockily.
Chayce’ nostrils flared as he smelled me. He really didn’t want to do this. “I’m sorry, miss, but I’m not interested in doing that. My brother is enough for you.” Chayce turned to leave and I was about to lose my chance. I ran over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder to get his attention. He looked down at me and smelled me again.
I took his hand in mine, pulled him over to the chair where I had been seated, and pushed him down into it. I was trying to be a sex kitten. I rubbed my body against his and it felt so wrong. His hands gripped my hips. I slowly placed my mouth to his ear and took the lobe between my lips. I allowed my tongue to tease him before I nipped on it, gaining his attention.
“I know who your real brother is and it’s not Gage. He’s your cousin.” My words stopped all of his movement and he looked into my eyes. I placed one of my fingers on his lips to keep him quiet. I returned to his ear, “Please don’t stop touching me or he will think something is going on. I’m engaged to your real brother, Rayce. Take me back home please,” I begged in a whisper.
His fingers laced through my hair as he placed his mouth to my ear. “What are you talking about?” he asked in an almost inaudible tone. I looked back at Gage and smiled as sexy as I could. He was stroking his cock violently. I wanted to throw up but I pulled my jeans down a little so he could see more of my body. I looked back a Chayce and moved to his other ear.
“Please believe me,” I begged. Gage grabbed my hips from behind and our conversation was over. He was pulling my jeans down all the way. I felt his flesh touch mine and a lump in my throat begin to grow. I looked at Chayce with tears in my eyes, begging him for help.
“Beg for it,” Gage said gruffly. Before he could enter me, Chayce stood from his seat and shoved Gage away from me.
“I’m first,” he growled, causing Gage to laugh.
“Best pussy in town, guaranteed,” Gage stated in a laugh, making me sick.
I thought I had failed as Chayce stood behind me. They were on a mission for a threesome. Chayce wrapped his arms around my waist, quickly pulled me to a dark corner of the room, and a gust of the travel wind hit me.
I opened my eyes I was back in my kitchen. While I got my feet back under me, Chayce was trying to pull up my jeans. With nausea still with me, I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him.
“Thank you,” I said before quickly turning around and retching into the sink.