Caleb (16 page)

“And
you?”

“I,
my sweet Allie girl, got the best gift of all.”

“Me?”

His
smile was indulgent, the caress of his thumb a sultry promise. “That, too, but
I can walk in sunlight.”

A
vampire who could walk in sunlight? “You realize that just totally trashes my
whole early childhood education in paranormal science.”

“You
get educated in that?”

She
nodded. “Every Saturday afternoon, and crash courses around Halloween.”

His
thumb slid between her teeth, riding the syllables. “You watch TV.”

“Don’t
you?”

The
smile at the corner of his mouth told more than his words. The man wasn’t
nearly as serious as he’d like her to believe. “Slade insists.”

She
snorted at the grudging note in his voice. He was such a liar. “And you just go
along for the ride.”

“That’s
about it.”

“You
are so full of crap.”

“You
don’t believe me?”

She
snuggled her head into his shoulder. She was so tired.

“I
have yet to meet a man who isn’t addicted to ESPN and the remote control.”

His
laugh bounced under her cheek. His thumb tucked under her chin and his fingers
curved behind her skull. “No one gets the remote from Jace.”

“And
you?” She was definitely more interested in his habits.

“I
like football and the rodeo.”

She
opened her palm over the curve of his pectoral, twining her fingers into the
tight curls on his chest. “And music videos? Men always love the near-naked
women strutting through those.”

“How
do you know so much about men’s habits?”

Was
that jealousy? “With six older brothers, a girl picks up a lot.”

“Six?”

She
opened her palm, rubbing it over the hair-roughened surface, savoring the
tickle. “Yup.”

“Damn,
in my day those brothers would have kicked my ass from here to Cheyenne for
even daring to look at a woman like you.”

“Hmm,
they still might.”

“And
I’d deserve it.”

“You
ever think, sometimes things work out the way they’re supposed to?”

“No.”

She
guessed she shouldn’t be so surprised by his disbelief in fate. It wasn’t a
widely held concept in the eighteen sixties. She smothered a yawn against the
hard muscle of his arm. “So, what about the music videos? Do you watch them?”

“As
long as the sound is off.”

She smiled
and gave him more of her weight, relaxing completely. “I like it that you don’t
lie to me.”

“How
do you know I’m not?”

How
did she know? She didn’t know for a fact, but she
was
sure. “Instinct.”

“Ah.”

Caleb
pulled her into his lap, lifting her thighs and tucking her into his torso.
“Tired?”

Allie
smothered another yawn. “I don’t know why.”

His
lips touched her ear. “You’ve had a hell of a day.”

“What
time is it?”

“About
dawn.”

She
glanced around the barely lit interior. “How can you tell?”

“The
air feels heavier.”

“So
that’s why I’m tired?”

“The
fact that you’ve just gone through conversion also might have something to do
with it.”

“I
thought you said I’d be cured.”

“You’re
cured, but your body still has to heal.”

“But
I don’t get to read minds?”

“I’m not
sure.”

She
snuggled down. “I was really looking forward to reading minds.”

Again
that chuckle that bounced her around. “I bet you were.”

She
patted his shoulder as the drowsiness descended upon her like an impenetrable
cloud. “I really wanted to read your mind.”

“Why?”

“So
I’d know what you think of me.”

“SHE’S
a strange woman,” Jared said, draping a blanket over
Allie’s sleeping form.

Caleb
tucked it around her shoulders. “Definitely different.”

“A
body can’t help but like her.”

The
possessive rage surged, ready, ever eager to defend his claim. He kept his
voice civil with effort. “Not too much I hope.”

Jared
cocked his head, the only sign he’d felt the simmering rage, deflecting it with
a sigh. “She’s my sister-in-law, Caleb. It’s good that I like her.”

Rage
faded beneath reason. No matter what the provocation, Jared would never violate
their bond. But still, the niggling sense that Allie could be taken away
hovered. “Sorry.”

“No
problem.” Jared leaned back against the wall and folded his arms across his
chest. “Heard she’s got a hell of a temper.”

“What
makes you think that?”

“Word
among the wolves is she kicked Dane’s balls up between his teeth when he tried
to take her out. Made quite an impression with the McClarens.”

“She’s
not as impressed with them.”

“They’ll
grow on her.”

Caleb
wasn’t too sure of that. Allie had a lot to overcome, and the first impression
the D’Nally weres had made on her would make any other weres’ efforts to get
into her good graces a tough row to hoe. Her lashes fluttered as her bangs
tickled her eyes. He pushed the tendrils off her forehead, adding a mental
command to go back to sleep. She settled back into his shoulder with a soft
sigh. “That bastard Dane was going to rape her before he killed her.”

“I
wasn’t criticizing.” Jared motioned to Allie. “Do you think she had an inkling
of his intentions?”

“No.”
He cut his brother a glance. “And that information stays between us.” Dane had
gotten off on inflicting terror. A real bad apple in a barrel of tough ones. He
wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of Allie’s horror postmortem.

“A
girl with the guts to take on a were with nothing more than a potato sticker
and her bare hands can handle a bit of truth.”

“Some
things a woman doesn’t need to know.” He dipped his finger into the shadowed
well atop her collarbone. “She’s afraid enough.”

Jared’s
smile was a rare thing. “Of what? Certainly not you and me.”

“She’s
afraid.”

“Then
she does a damn good job of hiding it.”

Caleb
nodded. He shifted his grip on Allie and stood up. “Yes. She does. Sometimes
even from herself.”

“You
don’t sound happy about that.”

Caleb
headed down the hall. “Probably because I’m not.”

Jared
trailed in his wake, a deadly curious shadow. “Why?”

“Fear
just makes her more determined not to quit.”

“So?”

He
headed down the stairs. “Think of it. All that curiosity, all those new powers,
all that energy going anywhere it wants with no brakes.”

“Shit.”

Caleb
laid her on the bed, “Yeah. I’m going to have my hands full keeping her busy
while she adjusts.”

CALEB
lay back against the pillow and savored the warmth of
Allie sleeping by his side, thinking of what she’d said before she’d succumbed
to exhaustion.

So
I’d know what you think of me.

She
wanted to read his mind because she wanted to know what he thought of her. As
if he’d ever kept it a secret. He kissed the top of her head, turning her a
little, enjoying the full press of her breasts. He pretty much thought she was
perfect, but Allie couldn’t seem to grasp that.

For
all her big talk, there was a hollow of insecurity within Allie that needed
tending. She seemed to accept that he wanted her physically easily enough, but
when it came to him wanting her as a person, she fought the knowledge tooth and
nail. Sighing he tugged her closer. He’d have to work on that. A bruise on her
shoulder caught his eye. He placed his thumb over the mark. A perfect fit. He
blew out a breath. Another thing for his to-do list. He’d let her sleep a bit
and then he’d show the softer side of lovemaking. She’d enjoy that. Assuming he
got her to slow down. The woman was always in such a hurry.

A
whisper in his mind pulled him away from his musings.

Caleb,
we’ve got trouble.

Shit.
Whenever Jared used the word “trouble,” it was wiser to substitute bigger words
like “disaster,” or “hell on fire.”

Coming.

Sliding
out from under Allie’s arm, Caleb caught her hand before it could fall to the
mattress. He didn’t need her awake right now. Not until the threat was taken
care of.

His
senses told him Jared wasn’t in the house. Caleb grabbed his hat and rifle as
he silently glided to the back door and just as soundlessly made his way out
into the remnants of the night. It only took a few minutes to find Jared. He
was down at the back gate, gun drawn, crouched over Jace. Jace wasn’t moving
but plenty was beyond the barrier. The hairs on the nape of Caleb’s neck stood
on end, tingling a warning. Danger.

“What
the hell happened?” he asked as soon as he got close enough.

“Jace
took one of his constitutionals.”

Which
meant he’d gone into D’Nally territory searching for whatever it was he always
searched for. “Son of a bitch.”

“That
about sums it up.”

Another
step and the scent of blood surrounded him. Jace’s blood. He scanned the
darkness, sensing the prowling restlessness of D’Nally werewolves. “How many
are out there?”

Jared
looked up. “About ten.”

Ten
D’Nallys could do a hell of a lot of damage to an army. And as strong as Jace
was, there were odds even he couldn’t win against. Caleb knelt down beside
Jace.

“Pissed
off?”

Jared
shrugged. “As always.”

Caleb
shook his head. “Damn it, Jace, why can’t you leave them alone?”

The
D’Nallys were a hell of a tight clan. Strong fighters with a code of honor that
was black and white, and if they weren’t trying to kill his brother, Caleb
would probably like them.

“I
don’t think he can hear you,” Jared interjected wryly.

Caleb
glanced down at Jace, took in the slashes across his torso, the amount of blood
soaking his clothes. No, he probably couldn’t.

A
twig snapped just beyond the illusion. Caleb chambered a round. If the D’Nallys
figured out how to get past the illusion, he’d take them out the old-fashioned
way. He liked the old-fashioned way. Clean and clear-cut, with none of the
nebulous uncertainty that seemed so inherent in the technology Slade favored.

“They
haven’t figured out the illusion,” Jared said, as always in tune with him.

“It’s
only a matter of time.”

“Yeah,
which means you should probably negotiate a peace with the hardheaded son of a
bitches before it comes to full-out war.”

“That
would be a lot easier if Jace would stop provoking them.”

“Not
going to happen,” Jace grated in a hoarse whisper.

He
was pale, his lips dry and cracked, indicating the extent of his blood loss,
but he still sat up.

“I’ve
got news for you, it’s going to happen.” It had to happen. Their position was
too precarious to call a war with a clan as strong as the D’Nallys. Caleb
reached for Jace’s rifle, to relieve him of the burden.

Jace
lifted his lip, exposing his fangs in a clear warning.

“Hell,
Jace, I was just going to hold it.”

“When
I’m dead and ash you can have it, not a second before.”

Jared
extended his hand, “Damn, you’re touchy.”

Jace
took it, swaying as he reached his feet. “I’m having an off night.”

“One
in a series of several,” Caleb pointed out holding on to his temper.
“Whatever’s eating you, you’ve got to get a handle on it before you start a
war.”

Jace
smiled, a smile made all the colder for the blood obscuring one side of his
face. “I wouldn’t be adverse to kicking some D’Nally ass.”

Caleb
snorted. “Seems to me the only ass getting kicked lately is yours.”

“That’s
just because they’ve gotten smarter and started throwing bigger numbers at me.”

Caleb
wanted to point out the illogic of the position—Jace might be incredibly
strong, but even he couldn’t take down a pack of fighting D’Nallys—but Caleb
could already tell it wasn’t going to do any good. Jace didn’t want logic, he
wanted a fight. “Well, if you keep bringing them around here they’re also going
to make it their job to figure out the illusion, and that’s a threat to more
than just you.”

Jace
grimaced. “Good point.”

“So
maybe you ought to leave them be,” Jared offered.