Beauty and the Brute [Werescape III] (20 page)

He nodded. “The one at the gate, two out in the central room, and her sister. Her brothers tried to take care of them. It was just too much."

Beauty turned to the sleeping woman. “What's your mate's name?"

"Mandolin."

"Well, have you been feeding her lots of red meat? Cooked. But red. No fowl. No pork. She needs the iron to help her body replenish the blood she lost."

Kodiak's dark eyebrows straightened. “Hadn't thought of that. Just a minute.” He stepped to the door. “Beef,” he blurted at the other room.

Probably at the bewildered youths.

Kodiak pulled the door shut. “Well, then, we'll have to eat beef for days and cure what we don't use immediately. Curing a side of beef will keep the lazy youths off their mangy carcasses."

"Leave them alone,” a tired spoke from the bed.

Kodiak moved quickly and knelt by her side. “How do you feel today?"

"All the silence jarred me awake.” She smiled.

Kodiak chuckled. “It's not my fault, darling. I was doing my damnedest to help you sleep."

Mandolin laughed too, turning to Lorelei.

"Hello. I'm Lorelei.” Beauty leaned to place the baby on his mother's chest. “I believe your son has missed you."

"Thank you. It's obvious you've been around babies before."

"Yes. Many. I always loved spending time in the nursery. Babies don't want more than the basics."

Thank the stars Beauty had enough sense not to mention all the babies were in a warlord's mansion. Secrecy was still pivotal to our escape west.

"Help me sit up, Kodiak."

The large man moved with the grace of a cat, placing three pillows on the bed beside the woman, carefully lifting her up, and tucking a pillow behind her. Beauty jumped to help, stuffing the other two pillows behind Mandolin.

"Careful,” Kodiak cooed, easing his mate back onto the cushions.

He took the care I'd take with Beauty. Babies or not. But Lorelei looked so at ease around the little bundle. Maybe she needed one. Something to keep her busy when we found a place to build a lodge in the spring.

Mandolin focused on Lorelei. “Can you stay and visit for awhile? We don't have many women pass through here."

"Of course.” Beauty knelt and reached to push some baby blanket out of the child's face.

"He's adorable. Have you named him yet?"

Mandolin snorted. “I like Hawk. The name has a certain strength about it.” She shot Kodiak a tolerant glance. “He prefers Bull or Lion."

"A man needs a name he'll grow into.” Kodiak rose, snaking his bulging arms across his chest.

"Hawks are small. I want a large son."

Did he know how ridiculous he sounded when referring to the wonders of genetics? Wolf managed to keep his laughter to himself.

"What about a large bird of prey?” Beauty asked.

Kodiak rolled his eyes with measured patience. “Like what?"

The two women giggled.

Kodiak pursed his lips with even less patience. “An ostrich is not a predator."

"What about a condor?” Lorelei asked.

My mate knew about those large birds? And learned about them in a place like New

Pittsburgh? Speaking of wonders never ceasing.

"I think I like that name,” Kodiak scratched his head.

The Shifter had to be too tired and worn down to care how intelligent he appeared.

He slid his gaze to mine. “What do you think, Brutus? Condor. Is that a name a man could wear with pride?"

Both women turned to me with hopefulness in their eyes.

What could I say? Kodiak seemed intrigued. “Yes."

"Condor it is.” He thrust his chin out and bowed slightly.

"Well, shouldn't you ask Mandolin?” Beauty patted the woman's arm. “She's given birth to your son and almost bled to death in the process. You can at least ask her what she thinks."

Mandolin smiled at Kodiak.

The clan head returned the gesture.

Obviously put on the spot by Beauty. Not a good place to be.

"What do you think, darling?” Kodiak cooed like a dove.

Well, we know who runs the clan.

"It reminds me of my great uncle Connor. I like it. You would too, Kodiak. He survived the invasion and lived twenty-seven years to help others like a Shifter."

Kodiak nodded, strode toward me, thrust his chin at the door, and waited for me to follow him through. We stood in warm sunlight moments later.

"Who is she, Brutus?"

The teens were leading a steer or bull on a lead toward the gate. Guess it was beef for supper. Not a bad night to show up. But Kodiak wanted answers. “A warlord's adopted daughter."

"They're searching for her."

That wasn't a question. “What do you know? And how did you hear it?"

"The boys spend a lot of time riding motorcycles to New St. Louis. I haven't seen a problem with it until they came back a week ago and said it's rumored New Pittsburgh and New York

City were exterminated."

My heart sank.

"I haven't let them go out since. You know the young warriors are the ones most likely to get into trouble."

But older ones had just as much difficulty staying out of trouble. Especially when a tight little ass was involved. I nodded. “Anything else?"

"He's offering a bounty."

Still? “What?"

"His daughter's hand in marriage."

"She should be dead."

"Apparently, she isn't. I don't know a Shifter alive who'd take up with a warlord's daughter."

He eyed me over. “Except you. Pretty Gods-be-damned gutsy of you."

"If Lorelei had been his blood daughter, she wouldn't have needed my help. The man who called himself her father planned to give her to the extraterrestrials."

Kodiak's face twisted into a silent snarl. “But he could have married her to any political connection he had among Normals. Just look at her. She is the prize!” He threw up his palms.

"Not that I'm saying I'd swap my Mandolin for a thing."

"It's alright. I thought the same thing when I caught her running for her life."

"Why are you here?"

"I need you to take us upstream."

He nodded. “The boat should be back tonight or tomorrow night. Tiger took a load upriver for another clan. Left me with these Gods-damned useless teens with nothing on their minds but finding and fucking tail. You know as well as I that none of them are old enough to leave unsupervised. Especially with females. All it takes is one of them biting the wrong girl ... And

Mandolin went and had Condor.” He stopped, scratched the short brown hairs of his beard beneath his chin, and cocked his head. “I like that name."

Somebody needed to suck down a bottle of whiskey. Take a nap. “Can we stay until the boat arrives?"

"Of course. I was planning on begging your little mate with her magic touch to stay and tend to little Condor. But I can see that isn't possible."

Not with Yale on our trail.

Something gently rubbed my cheek. I felt like I was sitting. In the dark.

The smell of roasting meat teased through the walls.

Beef? And all was extremely quiet since the baby had fallen back to sleep.

Brutus. I couldn't feel him. Where am I? Who is touching me? I shoved upright and snapped my eyes open.

"Shh!” His amber Shifter eyes glinted in the day's fading orange light mixed with shadows beside Mandolin's bed. “It's just me,” he whispered.

He'd been gone for a few hours. And I'd finally gotten him alone. Not where I could do much with all the outpost's Shifters afoot. But alone. I slid my arms around the soft muscle of his shoulders, crashed into his solid chest, and buried my nose in his neck.

The clean scent of soap, smoke, and my mate's masculine smell warmed me.

He barely gurgled a content growl and hugged me, rubbing a palm down my back. “I missed you too, Beauty."

Wise man to keep his voice a whisper. Condor had demanded constant walking and bouncing. I

tired enough to sit beside Mandolin and the sleeping baby. Enough to drift off to sleep. I

pressed a kiss into the supple muscle of his warm neck.

He hummed another almost inaudible growl, gliding his prickly cheek and nose down my cheek to plant his brow against my collarbone.

So sweetly. Like he bowed to me. Or something. And the mouth-watering smell of beef just kept nagging my senses.

His head moved again.

Planted a kiss on my neck.

"Hungry?” he whispered warm air into my ear.

The man probably referred to sex. “I haven't had beef in ages."

He chuckled slow and steady, his chest vibrating. “I've got some beef for you."

Sex fiend. I shushed him and shoved away from his naughtiness.

His cocked red eyebrow only proved the beef he referred to was his own.

He nodded toward the door, rising, extending a helpful palm.

Well, we better be going to eat. I could have sex anytime. But beef was a rare treat to enjoy.

He led me out the creaking door into the pale amber light of the central room. The long table had been moved closer to the hearth where the teens sat waiting to dine. Their Shifter eyes glowed like coals.

Watching me. All curious. I'm sure. Yet, definitely something cozy and familial. This outpost was a home. In the wilderness. A place Shifters carved out a life with a wife, sisters, mothers, brothers, fathers, sons, and babies. That's what I want. A safe place to belong. To laugh and watch time pass with the changes in the people close to me. Something I had. That was taken. That I thought was gifted back to me but all a lie. Until Brutus.

"Lorelei.” Brutus’ palm nudged at my lower back, guiding me toward a long empty length of bench and two plates.

Another older male, probably in his early twenties, placed a platter heaped with grilled meat to the table. Lots of beef.

My stomach snarled.

Kodiak hustled into the golden light with a large round cast-iron skillet. “Let's take care of your wild beast, Lorelei."

The man obviously referred to my gut instead of my brute. I smiled to be respectful.

Within minutes, the table milled with movement. Passing the platter of meat. Scooping carrots from a bowl. Kodiak cutting and divvying up yellow cornbread from the skillet from the singular chair seated at the end of the table he chose to be the head, facing the room's front door.

"Please correct the boys if they lack any necessary manners to dine with a lady, Lorelei,"

Kodiak piped. “They need all the practice they can get out here in The Wild."

The clan leader may be a bit wild and unruly himself, but he obviously took his position of leadership seriously by trying to make men out of the young warriors. “I'm impressed by their table etiquette. No grabbing, throwing food, stabbing hands with forks. Very nice."

"Mandolin tries.” Kodiak sighed. “I hope she's on her feet soon."

Poor man. He missed his mate. “I'm certain she will be. Did you know Native-American women used to drop everything, give birth, then resume their daily chores as if nothing happened. Before AEI.” I noted.

All glowing eyes snapped to me.

Okay. Why? Maybe a bad topic? Time to extract foot from mouth. “That was a long time ago,

I'm afraid. Before modern medicine and attitudes about childbirth.” I feigned a huge smile.

"Eat.” Kodiak waved a fork at the staring youths. “If you're all interested in a history lesson, we'll have one after the dishes are washed."

As if a magic wand had released them from their vigilance, they turned to their plates and quietly cut with well-bred precision.

But the girl was missing. “Where is Mandolin's little sister?"

"Jasmine is feeding her foal."

The Shifter gazes circling the table flicked back and forth between one another, then returned to their supper.

Alone. After sunset? I guess all was well with the gate shut.

The door creaked.

The girl stepped through the doorway with a bright lantern.

"How's Cricket, Jasmine?” Kodiak called.

She hung the lantern's handle on a dark metal hook about five feet off the ground and turned to us. “Fine, sir. The gate's secure. And Bobcat's on the catwalk."

"Thank you. Now, come sit with us. You should never miss a meal in The Wild."

The big man managed well without his mate. “So, who here is related to Mandolin?"

Kodiak pointed the tines of his fork at the girl's plaid shirt. “Mandolin is the oldest. Whereas,

Jasmine is the youngest.” He aimed the fork at the eldest young male in the room, “Lynx is twenty-one. Bobcat is nineteen. And that squirrely rascal sitting down on the end at the right is Coyote."

Coyote shot me a dazzling grin. “Nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Look out for Coyote.” Kodiak warned. “He's a charmer. I swear it's the name. Names shape a person. I hope I haven't erred with Condor."

"Any sign of the boat?” Brutus asked from where he sat beside me.

"Not yet. We'll hear it soon enough. Hiding the loud sound of a hovercraft is impossible."

Kodiak leaned toward me. “Now, ma'am, we'll put you and Brutus in Jasmine's loft upstairs.

She can sleep with her sister and help out if the baby wakes.” He slid his gaze to Brutus. “And if the boat arrives, we'll load up."

So nobody talked about much more than the weather, hunting, the garden, picking berries, and fishing. Not one mishap soiled a piece of clothing or irritated the big bear of a clan leader. These young warriors would make exemplary Guardians back along the East Coast.

And Jasmine with her “sirs” certainly would please a Shifter when his Wolf decided to mate.

Family. These Shifters lived a beautiful life in the middle of nowhere. What lucky people. This is what I want.

"Now,” Kodiak rose from the table, “I'll see to Mandolin.” He loaded his plate with more seared steak, boiled carrots, and cornbread. “Lynx, see Bobcat eats. Jasmine clears the table. Coyote, Tarantula, and Avalanche see to the dishes.” He skirted us where we sat beside his chair and smiled. “Never leave anything open for questions or the creativity of young minds.” He winked and departed.

I hadn't noticed much in the room other than the lurking males when the baby was squalling.