Mated To The Devil (15 page)

“But what if someone doesn’t listen? What if they call me the
N
word?” Jacques lowered his voice as he asked.

“Then you tell me or grandpa. We’ll take care of it.”

“Violence isn’t the answer,” Mina interjected when her son and his father exchanged grim looks that promised a violent retribution.

“There isn’t anything wrong with a boy standing up for himself,” Remy disagreed.

“Yeah,” Jacques chimed in.

Outvoted. Hmm, she’d not counted on that happening so soon. “I don’t approve of using force.”

“Neither do we, but in some cases, words don’t work. That’s when a good smackdown comes in handy, so long as it’s warranted and doesn’t go too far. That means not using our wolf on those who don’t have one.”

Jacques’ eyes went wide. “Wolf? You know about the one in my head? The one who wants to come out?”

Mina’s breath caught at her son’s announcement. How come he’d never mentioned this canine presence before?

Remy nodded. “Yup. That’s the one. I have one, too.”

“You do?” Jacques’ nose wrinkled. “But can they really come out?”

“Yup. I’ll even show you, but not today. Right now, we need to get you registered for kindergarten.”

Easier said than done. “I don’t have his birth certificate or nothing with me,” she whispered as Remy drove them over to the local elementary school.

“He doesn’t need it here. As a matter of fact, for safety, we won’t be requesting his old school records just in case someone’s watching for it.”

“You think whoever came after us might still try?”

“I don’t know, but I do know I’m not going to give them a chance. The less of a trail we leave, the better.”

Mina didn’t think the school would agree. They usually wanted all kinds of documents to register, but to her surprise, the receptionist—after flirting with Remy in a way Mina totally hated—asked them a series of questions. Mother’s name. Father’s. Address. Mina only blushed a little when Remy stated they all lived in his father’s house.

It is not a sin. It is not a sin. We’re not living in sin.
She reminded herself of this repeatedly. And then, she just about died of embarrassment when the secretary asked for their son’s full name.

“Jacques.”

“Last name?”

“Leblanc,” Mina said automatically just as Remy uttered, “Garoux.”

Dead silence suddenly reigned in the office into which Mina blurted, “I’m sorry. I never gave him your last name. When he was born, I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again and I didn’t know your last name and—”

“Baby,” he cupped her face, ignoring the avid gaze of the secretary. “Would you stop apologizing? Of course you called him Leblanc. I wasn’t thinking.”

And neither was she, apparently, which embarrassed her further as she realized just how interested the secretary was in their conversation. Well, if folks didn’t suspect before, then they knew now about her sin or would as soon as the perky blonde got the rumor mill churning.
Great.

“So what do we do now?” she asked.

“He was registered under Leblanc before?” the secretary asked.

Mina nodded.

“If you’re worried about leaving a trail, then you might want to think about giving him Remy’s last name, or at least hyphenating it with yours. That way anyone looking for you might not clue in if they search school records.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.” Her face must have blanched because the blonde’s eyes widened, and she appeared appalled.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you or nothing, it’s just standard when someone new comes into town and we’re looking to erase tracks. We do a slight name change and fudge the records a little just to keep any nosy peekers from making the connection.”

“Connection?”

“The whole Lycan thing.”

“You know?”

“Of course. My dad’s one. Practically everyone in town is related to someone who’s a Lycan. We like it that way. It makes it easier to keep our secret.”

It also made her head spin. Overwhelmed, Mina sat down while Remy took care of the rest, including introducing Jacques to his new teacher, who then took him on a tour. When Mina would have followed, she got waved back to her chair.

“He’ll be fine. You look like you could use a moment to compose yourself.”

Was it that noticeable? Just when Mina thought she had a handle on this new world she found herself in, a new curveball came her way and knocked her off her feet. When Remy kept implying they were safe and that no one would call them on their secret, she thought it was because he’d hidden it so well. To find out she was actually surrounded by others of his kind, and her kind—women who weren’t quite human but not supposedly furry—well, that took things to a whole new level.

Alone in the reception area with Remy, she voiced that aloud. “How can a whole town of werewolves exist without people knowing?”

“Humans only see what they expect. In our case, we look like a classic small town. People rarely move out, so houses don’t come up often on the market, meaning we don’t worry about strangers coming in. And keep in mind not everyone here has the gene. Only the men ever inherit it, but between low birth rates and the gene sometimes skipping a generation or two, while we might seem like a big group, in reality only dozens out of the hundreds who live here can actually change.”

How blasé he sounded when he spoke of it. Dozens of werewolves instead of hundreds. The number shocked her, especially since she still hadn’t come to grips with the fact they even existed.

She had little time to think on it further because Jacques came back bouncing and chattering excitedly about the classroom and the jungle gym outside he’d get to play on for recess.

But she couldn’t help mulling over the Lycan situation once Jacques went to bed and she found herself alone with Remy on the couch. Pierre had left for his weekly poker with the boys, which meant they more or less had the place to themselves. For some reason, this made her nervous.

Remy sensed it. “What’s got you so wound up?”

“Am I that obvious?”

“Yes.”

Good thing she didn’t play cards. “You say Jacques is a Lycan, which he gets from you. I assume Pierre is one, too?”

“Dad is not just a wolf, he’s actually the head wolf of our pack. All Lycan groups have one. He’s the one who keeps law and order among us. Who makes sure we obey the unwritten laws governing our kind and who makes sure our secret stays safe.”

“You have laws?”

“Of a sort. They more or less boil down to one thing, which is don’t let the humans know we exist.”

“But they do. Kind of. I mean look at all the movies and books about werewolves. Speaking of which, what parts are true? Are you allergic to silver bullets?”

“Bullets hurt no matter the material used. We might heal quicker, but we’re not immortal. We age a little slower than humans. Resist diseases and heal faster, but other than that and a penchant for red meat, we’re pretty much the same.”

“Except for the fact your eyes glow in the dark and you supposedly turn shaggy.”

“You forgot the big teeth part, too.”

Mina scrunched up her nose. “You realize how crazy this all sounds.”

“Crazy but true. I’d show you, but dad hates it when I shed fur in the house. It clogs up the vacuum.”

The laughter sprang from her before could stop it. Remy joined her, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“How can you be so casual about this?” she asked when she reined in her mirth.

He shrugged. “Because this is my life. You’ll see. We’re the same as anyone else, well not exactly. We are obviously better,” he boasted. “But in a good way.”

“You know I thought I was crazy for a while. That I’d imagined your eyes glowing that night. Then Jacques was born, and I still remember the first time his eyes changed. He was only about six months old, and he’d just learned to crawl. He wanted something, I think it was the television remote, and I took it from him. Oh, did he have a tantrum.”

“Got treated to a light show, did you? I guess that would freak anyone out.”

She nodded. “Not just that, but he growled at me, and not in his usual voice. I knew then and there that there was something different about him. I just never imagined how different.”

“Does it change how you feel about him?”

“Change?” She appeared startled. “Of course not. I love Jacques. Even when I thought you were the devil, it never changed how I felt about my son.”

“Devil, eh?”

Heat rose to her cheeks. “Well, you had to admit, given my religious upbringing and given how you acted, it was a valid assumption.”

He winced. “Yeah. And have I mentioned today how sorry I am about that?”

“Only a hundred times.”

“Okay, so only a billion more to go.”

“Stop apologizing. What’s in the past is in the past. We need to go forward.”

“Speaking of forward, I wanted your permission to have my friend Dean arrange to have the things you’d like to keep forwarded from your apartment.”

“As in move out? But to where? I don’t have a job yet, or a place to stay. Or . . . ” She trailed off as Remy began to shake his head.

“I told you, you can stay here as long as you like. Or, if you want, we can look for a place of our own. As for working, take a break for a bit. You’ve worked hard enough for the last few years. Let yourself relax. Give me a chance to pamper you.”

“I am more relaxed than I’ve ever been.” It surprised her to realize it was true. The stress of dealing with her emotions toward Remy aside, she could admit she’d never been happier. And she owed most of that feeling to the man sitting just a few feet away. Make that inches. He’d sidled closer and closer as they spoke.

“I’m glad to hear it. This is just the beginning, baby.”

Before she could ask the beginning of what, he’d closed the remaining distance between them and his hand cupped the back of her head.

“What are you doing?” she asked in a soft murmur.

“Giving in to the urge I’ve had all day.”

“Which is?”

“To kiss you.”

“Oh.” Oh, indeed. He didn’t give her a chance to mull over his words, instead he acted upon them, his mouth slanting over hers in a tender embrace. Soft, sensual, and yet at the same time electric and fiery, the simple touch of his mouth against hers ignited all her senses.

Back and forth, he slid his lips while she shuddered with longing, wanting more but fearing it. He didn’t push. He didn’t take it any further than a simple kiss.

When he broke away, his breathing harsh, she whimpered, her lips aching with loss. Her body yearning.

“Go to sleep, baby. Quick before I do something rash like take you right here and now. Unless you want me to.” Glowing eyes met hers, and for a moment she almost said
yes
. Almost.

But she’d given into pleasure before. Let sin dictate her actions. Could she afford to be so reckless again?

She fled the room, but she couldn’t escape the heat coursing through her body or the regret. On her knees beside her bed, she prayed for strength. Clutching her cross tightly, she asked for guidance, but God didn’t reply.

What should I do?
Give in to sin or . . . what? Punish them both? She knew the answer her body wanted. Funny part was it matched the one in her heart.

Chapter Thirteen

The next day, she woke early and headed down to the kitchen to make breakfast. She’d spent the night tossing and turning, trying to decide the right course. She even made up lists in her head. Funny how the pros list to giving in weighed heavily in his favor. It didn’t help when he came striding into the kitchen, shirtless, and immediately tossed her a million-watt smile.

Yeah, she gaped, slack-jawed and practically drooling. A part of Mina understood she acted like a fool—or a woman in lust. How could she help it when Remy displayed his half-nude body, his cocoa frame rippling with muscles and smooth skin, so smooth she wanted to run her hands over . . .

Stop!
She had to stop this right now.

Good girls did not lust after half-dressed men. Even sexy ones. Of course, she’d lost her good-girl status years ago, so why exactly was she so intent on fighting Remy’s allure? He’d already stated he wanted her in his life—and in his bed. So what held her back?

Giggles preceded the entrance of Pierre and Jacques, already the best of friends despite their gap in age. One look at her son, and she saw the main reason for her hesitation. However, more than just Jacques held her back, fear also did, a fear for herself
. Because I don’t know if I can handle losing Remy again.
One short meeting years ago, one brief, steamy, unforgettable encounter and he ruined her for all others.

Perhaps if she’d managed to date in the interim, found someone else who made her feel an ounce of attraction, then his presence wouldn’t have hit her so hard. But nobody ever affected her like he did. She doubted anyone else could. So close to him, the recipient of his teasing words and touches, his promises, she felt buffeted. Without even trying, Remy broke down the wall she’d built around her emotions and heart. Despite her fear, he’d already wormed his way in. It exhilarated while terrifying her. If she allowed herself to trust, how would she survive if he saw her for who she was: an insecure, average woman with a lot of baggage? What if he decided he didn’t like who she was and left?

But how much longer can I go through life being scared? I’m tired of being alone.
Loneliness sucked. Surely, she was due for happiness at one point. Yes, giving Remy a chance held a risk, but everyone had to take a plunge eventually. With love and happiness, there were never any guarantees. The real question was, did she dare?

“Mama, come have some Froot Loops®.” Beckoned by her son, Mina pushed her thoughts aside. Now was not the time or place to mull over her insecurities. Ignoring the little voice screaming she courted the devil—the voice that sounded suspiciously like the father she didn’t even like—she enjoyed breakfast. How could she not with the laughter bouncing all around?

What a difference from how she grew up where mealtime usually ended up a silent affair as her father brooded over the injustices and sins of the world. Not so here. Remy proved entertaining, showing Jacques where things were in the kitchen, hoisting him high and swinging him around to fetch everyone bowls, his hands guiding the miniature ones as they poured the cereal and milk. Laughing at spills instead of screaming. Telling knock-knock jokes as they ate, each one sillier than the previous. Mina laughed as hard as Jacques, so hard her cheeks ached.