Luke's Dream (29 page)

“Are y’all ready to order?” the waitress
asked.

“What are you getting?” Bethi asked, leaning
close to me while the rest ordered.

“The porter house steak.” She made a face and
kept looking at her menu then back at Gabby.

When it was her turn to order, she asked for
the baked lasagna and salad. I added a glass of milk with her meal.
She rolled her eyes at me but let me have my way. Humans needed
more balance in their diets than we did.

Across the table, Clay ordered for Gabby and
himself. She reached for his hand as he passed off the menus. Worry
pulled her brow down.

“What is it?” Grey asked softly, finally
noticing something wasn’t right with her. Everyone quieted and
looked at Gabby.

“Someone’s changed direction,” Bethi said,
speaking for her.

The Urbat’s desperation for power made their
search for the human women at our table a dangerous game of cat and
mouse. I glanced at Charlene, wondering how she’d escaped their
detection for so long.

“A complete turn,” Gabby said, reclaiming my
attention.

“With all this rain, we should be fine,” Sam
said, trying to calm everyone. But we knew all it took was for one
of them to catch the scent and send word.

“Have any others changed?” Winifred
asked.

“I thought the rest looked like the same
inconsistencies they’ve been doing since the beginning. Remember
how I said it looked like a net? Several have changed directions
moving toward a central point,” she frowned. “They are doing that
in six areas. We seem to be in the middle of one. The areas are
huge though, several states. Big nets to catch little fish.”

“Do we need to move?” Grey asked.

Gabby shook her head slowly. “I’m not as
worried about their nets as much as I am the one closest to us.
About a mile now.”

The Elders shared a look, probably trying to
decide how to handle it. When the waitress came with our drinks,
Jim asked for a double whiskey and two kiddie cocktails, obviously
to cheer up the cubs.

“That’s close,” Winfired said once the woman
walked away. “But with the rain, we don’t think they could track us
even if they were right outside the door.” Thunder boomed to
punctuate her point. “Gabby, keep us updated. Sam, grab everyone’s
room keys and gather our things in my room. If he reaches the
parking lot, we’ll all go there.”

I passed our room key down to Sam, who took
the keys and left.

The waitress delivered the whiskey and kids’
sodas. Jim pushed the sodas to the boys and the whiskey to
Michelle, who reeked of fear. She cast a worried glance at the
cubs.

“Nana,” she said. “Call Mary and Gregory.
You’re right. It’s safer.”

Winifred nodded, and Michelle took a small
sip of her drink.

While conversation quietly resumed, Bethi and
I watched Gabby. We could see the moment we were out of danger.
Gabby took a deep, calming breath and removed her hand from
Clay’s.

“He’s close, but stopped moving,” Gabby
said.

“Probably holing up out of the rain,” Clay
said.

“If he clears out before check out tomorrow
morning, we’ll see if we can book the rooms for another night. It
will give Mary and Gregory enough time to reach us,” Winifred
said.

A few minutes later Sam rejoined us just in
time for our food. Bethi dug into her meal with an enthusiasm I
couldn’t muster. The Urbat had greater numbers, more connections,
and according to Michelle, more money. How long would we be able to
hide from them? How had Charlene managed to remain hidden for so
long?

After dinner, everyone went to Winifred’s
room to grab their things. The room assignments were rearranged so
there would be an Elder in each room in case we needed a quick
warning to leave. Grey and Carlos roomed with us, Sam stayed with
Gabby and Clay, and Nana with Charlene and Thomas since their room
adjoined to Michelle and Emmitt’s.

Bethi remained quiet as we walked to our room
with Carlos and Grey following. As soon as we were inside, she
closed herself in the bathroom with our bag.

Carlos and Grey silently took one bed, both
laying on top the covers fully dressed. I pulled back the covers
and removed my shoes while listening to Bethi wash and brush her
teeth. When she emerged, she was still fully dressed. My girl.
Smart and ready for whatever.

I smiled, removed my shirt, and got into
bed.

She didn’t hesitate to kick off her shoes and
join me.

* * * *

The next morning, after hearing we’d be
staying another day so Mary and Gregory could pick up the cubs,
everyone divided into groups. Winifred and Sam went shopping for
food for the next day’s travel. Carlos and Grey stayed at the
hotel, a safety net in case we needed to leave quickly. Michelle
wanted to take the kids to an early movie. Gabby and Clay stayed
behind because Gabby wanted to complete some school work—Bethi’s
look of disbelief was missed by everyone but me. And, the rest
decided on the childish movie with the cubs. I watched Bethi debate
our options, slightly relieved when she chose the movie. I’d slept
too much already.

We walked to the theater, trailing behind the
group. The cubs and Jim listed every food they would eat during the
movie. When we stepped inside, Bethi breathed in deeply.

“Popcorn sounds good,” she said. “A lot of
it.”

“Then we’ll get some popcorn,” I said,
leading her to the counter. We ordered a large tub with extra
butter and a large soda. She dug into the bucket as soon as we were
seated.

“Mmm,” she said, chewing. She exhaled slowly
as she reached for some more. “I haven’t had popcorn for…” She
looked to the side, thinking. “Five months? Six? It was before the
dreams started.” She gave a slight laugh. “Back when I thought I
was normal.”

How she was now seemed normal to me. I
couldn’t imagine Bethi any other way.

The theater lit up with pre-movie ads,
drawing her attention from her thoughts to the screen. Not that she
could probably hear. Emmitt, his family, Michelle, and the cubs sat
several rows in front of us. The youngest cub was asking Jim
questions in a voice that carried throughout the theater. Loud
little things. Our cubs would be well behaved. The thought gave me
a sad pause. If we had cubs. The world wasn’t getting any safer to
bring young into it.

The movie started. Sound blared from the
speakers, drowning out the cub’s voice and likely killing every
auditory cell in my ears. Yet, as the show progressed, I didn’t
miss the sound of Bethi’s laughter. It wasn’t harsh or cynical,
like I’d heard so often before, but soft and sweet. I turned to
study her and breathed in deeply. No fear. No distrust. No
manipulation, regret or guilt. Just pure Bethi. The colors on the
screen painted her face in greens and pinks. Her eyes glittered
with her humor and life.

Was this how she’d been before the dreams?
Vibrant? Happy? I inhaled her sweet scent again and the need to
taste her consumed me.

I gently touched her chin and turned her to
face me. Before she knew what I meant to do, I leaned forward and
pressed my lips to her. I tasted salt and sugar. I opened my mouth
and deepened the kiss, letting her true flavor overcome the
rest.

Mine. Always.

Realizing the direction of my thoughts, I
released her. She vacantly turned back to the movie, a dreamy
expression on her face as she blinked slowly. I grinned, ate some
popcorn, and watched the show, counting down the minutes until I
could hold her in my arms again.

My impatience kept me from enjoying any
aspect of the actual movie. Only sitting beside Bethi made the
experience endurable.

Jim tried saying something to me on the way
back to the hotel but gave up after my second “what?”

While the rest of the group went for lunch,
Bethi and I went to our room.

“A dream’s coming,” Bethi said as I opened
the door. “I’m going to take a quick shower—a warm one.”

She closed herself into the bathroom before I
could say anything. I didn’t mind. She seemed relaxed and was
talking to me.

Preparing for the dream, I pulled back the
covers and removed my shoes as the shower turned on. My eyes fell
on the bag. She hadn’t brought any clothes in with her. If I were a
gentleman, I would put the bag in the bathroom while she showered.
However, the thought of standing in the bathroom with her naked on
the other side of a thin curtain started my limbs shaking. I wasn’t
enough of a gentleman to be a gentleman in this case.

I stared at the bathroom door. What would she
do when she realized she had no clothes? Would she come out wrapped
in a towel? Sweat dotted my forehead and need tightened my gut. The
flavor of her still lingered on my tongue. Thinking of that just
made my need worse.

The water turned off. Should I leave? I took
two steps closer to the door and stopped. No. I couldn’t leave. She
said a dream was coming. She needed me to keep it away. The last
time I’d left her to deal with her dreams on her own, she’d gotten
angry and Claimed Joshua.

My teeth elongated at the thought of Joshua
and how he’d touched her. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply,
trying to calm down. With that inhale, I caught a whiff of
something. Despair. I realized how quiet she’d gotten inside the
bathroom. Worried, I knocked.

“You all right?” I asked through the
door.

Inside, she moved. “Yeah. I just forgot my
bag.”

Relived she hadn’t fallen asleep, I moved
toward the bag and said, “I’ll get it.”

Walking in and rescuing her from a drowning
in the shower because she’d fallen asleep again would have tested
me to my limits in my current state.

Behind me, the bathroom door opened. My grip
on the bag tightened as I turned. Bethi stood in the partially
opened doorway. The lose towel wrapped around her torso hid very
little. My imagination exposed the rest.

She closed the door further and stuck out her
hand, beckoning. Tempting.

I knew what she wanted, just the bag. But I
couldn’t bring it to her. If I moved, I’d forget my promise to
wait. To give her time to choose me without fear. If I moved, she’d
be mine.

Her fingers closed into a fist, and her hand
slowly lowered. Good. Once the door closed, I’d set the—the door
whipped open and Bethi marched out with fire in her eyes.

“Just so you know,” she said, “I had a
boyfriend before the dreams started and I went crazy. It was pretty
serious.”

She yanked the bag from my fingers as her
words cut through the haze clouding my mind.

“But I cut ties when I realized what was
coming my way. You know I’m old enough in the human world, and I
know that by werewolf standards I’m old enough. When you’re ready,
you let me know,” she said, turning away.

I reached for her, curling my fingers around
her arms.

“What are you saying?” I asked. My need for
her made my voice sound less human.

She dropped the bag and stepped close. “You
didn’t think a girl willing to cut herself, take drugs, run away
from home, and hitch rides from strangers would save herself, did
you?”

Anger clouded my thinking. “Joshua?”

She snorted as she traced the line of my jaw
with a fingertip. “No way. He smelled like mud.”

Her gaze held mine for a moment then she
stood on her toes.

“You smell like home,” she whispered,
brushing her lips against mine.

The flavor of her scent, the taste of her
lips, begged me to move. She reached up and gently touched my hair.
The soft skin of her lips brushed back and forth against mine. The
need to make her mine ripped through me. I pulled her against my
chest and let her in.

She pressed against me, her grip on my hair
tightening, urging me for more. I tilted my head and deepened the
kiss, surrendering to the pull I could no longer deny. Bethi’s
breathing grew shallow, and I pulled away from her to trail kisses
down her neck.

“Tell me this is a yes,” she whispered, hope
and desperation wrapping around her.

I groaned and kissed my way back to her lips.
Just before I claimed them again, I met her gaze.

“This is a yes.” I tilted my head, exposing
my neck. My insides heated as she reached up to hold my
shoulders.

The towel fell to the floor, and she pulled
me down to her trembling lips. Her scent sweetened boldly, making
it hard to breathe. She gently brushed her lips against my neck. I
shivered with need and lifted my hands to cradle her head.

I couldn’t remember a moment I’d dreamed of
more. Her lips on me. Her teeth scraping the skin, then the feel of
her teeth within me. Euphoria burst in my chest, and I struggled
not to howl in joy as a new pathway nudged my mind. The connection
stretched and grew. I felt her shy hesitancy and gentle caring
inside me. She filled me. I sent all my love for her over the link
and smoothed my hand over her hair and down her bare back. The feel
of her skin under my fingertips robbed me of all thought but one. I
needed her. All of her.

She kissed her way up my neck to my jaw, and
I pulled back to claim her lips once more. My hunger wouldn’t be
stopped this time. It couldn’t. She was my air, my sustenance, my
existence. Turning us, I backed her toward the bed.

I pulled away from her lips to remove my
shirt. She watched, the harsh rasp of her breathing competing with
the loud beat of our hearts. A smile lit her face as I tossed the
shirt aside, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. The move
brought us skin to skin.

“Last chance to stop this,” I said, my words
rough with need. Though I said it, I doubted I’d be able to walk
away.

Thankfully, she didn’t test me.

“I’m never letting you go.”

I kissed her deeply and eased her back onto
the mattress. I touched her everywhere, determined to erase any
memory of past boys from her mind. Each sigh and every gasp drove
me on. She opened to me, moving with a shy grace that heated my
blood. Sweat beaded my forehead as I held myself over her. Her
beautiful gaze met mine as I eased forward to complete our bond.
She cried out and I froze, frowning.