Mating Call (6 page)

“So if the New Breed stuff isn’t enough,” he hit his bare chest with his hand, “then you should probably know I’m damaged goods.”

He started to put his sweatshirt back on.

“Troy, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have gone off like that.”

He walked over to the bed and leaned in so close she could feel his breath.

“You can’t imagine how bad I want you, Ev,” he said quietly.

She watched him as he turned and left the room. She was breathing hard, her brain telling her to say something, but she couldn’t.

He hadn’t been avoiding her because he didn’t want her. He’d been staying away because he did.

Oh, God.

Reyn stood with Richard and SE next to the long table in the drawing room. He ran a hand through the long front of his dark hair. His head throbbed. “Well, he went against a direct order. He’s going to have to be disciplined, but I don’t begin to know where to start. This is kind of out of the ordinary.”

X shook his head. “Look, I’m his
camzah.
I feel like at least half of this is my fault. I purposely sent the brother over the edge hoping the protective instinct would kick in. You can’t expect him to stop and make a phone call, dig?”

“I feel you,” SE said.

Richard nodded. “I mean, are we really going to pull him off duty? Who is that really hurting? We need all the manpower we can get right now.”

Reyn started to speak then stopped.
What the…

“Yo, you okay, boss?” X asked.

His breath caught in his chest. “I don’t know. I thought I felt this odd wave of energy. Did you boys pick up on that?”

Richard leaned against the table. “You mean, like New Breed energy?”

He shook his head. “No. This was different. The vibration was more like…never mind. Any thoughts on your last vision, SE? Sorry to bring up a sore subject.”

“It’s fine. It’s just frustrating. I mean, why would I have a vision about a human? Ana and I’ve been over it a hundred times and it just doesn’t make any sense.”

Richard shrugged. “Well, they do get caught in the crossfire from time to time.”

“I guess that’s true.”

X cracked his knuckles. “If we’re done, my brothers, I’d like to go share the good news with Troy.”

Reyn clapped his shoulder. “We’re good.”

“See you at next meal, my brothers.” Reyn left the room and walked down the hall to his office in the study.
The k’ul
he’d just felt was fleeting, but there was no doubt in his mind. It was real. The only time he ever felt that particular pattern of energy was when Akina was present. And that wasn’t the only thing that seemed off. The
k’ul
he’d just sensed was stronger than a New Breed’s, but less powerful than that of the Goddess. What the hell kind of being would register on the grid that way and why was he the only one picking up on it? He walked to the window and looked out at the white washed winter landscape.
Holy hell.
What next?

X walked out of the room at a clip and by the time he reached the back stairs he was almost at a dead run. He pushed the door open, turned in to the gym, and found Troy working out.

“Dude, you will not believe what I just heard.”

Troy lifted the barbell and put it back on the rack. “Jesus, X. You look almost white.”

“SE had a vision about Evy.”

Troy sat up. “What? What the hell are you talkin’ about?”

“I was just in your disciplinary meeting.”

“And?”

“You’re fine. But SE had some kind of vision about a human. It has to be Evy.”

“I guess. What do they know?”

“Nothing yet. SE’s visions aren’t very clear. But, my man, she has got to go.”

“Helen said she should be ready in a couple of days. She’s healing real fast.”

“A couple of days?
Days?
”

“Yeah. Hey, thanks for taking all her meals to her, bro. I appreciate it.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

X started for the main corridor. Two days? Sure as shit Troy was going to end up mated to that girl. And then what the fuck would his boy do?
No, no problem at all.

Helen pushed gently on Evy’s abdomen. “Just a few more seconds, hon. No swelling. Nice vitals. Okay, you’re all set. You can hop—”

Holy shit! Her patient took off like a shot.

“Evy!” Helen ran after her, following her out the surgical ward door and into the main corridor.
Where the hell?

She watched as Evy flew past Diesel.

“Did a human just run by me?”

Helen ran by her mate. “Yep!”

“I’d better get the deets on that later!” he called.

She followed her patient into the gym and stopped. Troy was standing on the opposite wall, smoking a cigarette.
Damn.
She must have heard his voice or smelled the smoke. Thank God only Diesel had been in that hallway. “You got this?”

Troy nodded. “Yeah, we’re okay. Thanks.”

She shook her head and started out of the gym. “I can’t seem to get her to rest. See if you have any luck.”

Evy couldn’t give a shit that she was standing in front of Troy in nothing but a hospital gown and panties. She watched as he put his cigarette out with the heel of his boot.

“Come here.” He wrapped his arms around her and before she could memorize the feel of his body against hers, they were standing in his room.

She felt dizzy for a moment. “How did we—”

“It’s called gleaming.” He pulled open a drawer. “It’s how I got you back here the day you got stabbed. Here, I picked you up some jeans. I had no idea what size.”

He handed her a pile of jeans. She pulled out a size four and put the rest on the bed.

“Here’s a sweatshirt. It’s an old one of mine. It’s still going to be too big though. Sorry about that.”

She looked down at the pullover and couldn’t believe she actually recognized it. He’d had it in school. She went into the bathroom and changed. The jeans were a little big, but that was to be expected. The weight would come back on as soon as she…as soon as she what? Got back home?
Home.
That word didn’t even make sense to her anymore. Her whole world had changed in just a few short days. And it had nothing to do with New Breeds, their war, or people disappearing into thin air. She was in love. She knew it now—in love with the man, shifter, whatever, who was standing next to the bed, his eyes glowing bright aqua.

“I’m sorry, but you gotta go, Ev. You need rest.”

Ev.
No one else ever called her that. It gave her chills. “I’m sorry about what I said yesterday, but I’m not sorry for wanting you.”

“Ev, don’t—”

She walked closer to him and looked up into those brilliant eyes. “Why? Why is that so bad?”

“Because I can’t say no to you. God, help me, I can’t stay away from you.”

“Why try?”

“I’m not human. If we’re together, I won’t ever be able to let you go. I know it. I can feel it.”

“So, don’t.”

“I’m afraid for you.”

“You’ll protect me.”

He paced and then stood still again. “Not physically. I’m afraid of what it’s gonna do to your life. What about your family? What about Kate? When she gets married. When she has her babies. You’ll miss all that. We aren’t gonna be takin’ our families to church together on Sundays, Ev.”

“I don’t care about any of that stuff. I never have.”

“You say that now, but—” Troy suddenly grabbed his head.

“Troy!”

She went for him, but he fell against a wing chair and steadied himself.

“What can I do?”

He grabbed the back of his neck like he was trying to protect himself. “Nothing. Just go.”

And then it hit her. This was why he was constantly avoiding her. It had to have something to do with shifters mating. She couldn’t stand to see him in pain, but she couldn’t take the thought of being without him. She was trapped. “Troy, stop this!”

He moaned. “Ev, please, just go.”

“I don’t want to leave you.”

“Evy, please, it hurts!”

She took a step back and then another. Little by little, she managed to get herself to the door. She could still hear him breathing hard in the silence.

“I love you,” she said to herself quietly, then closed the door behind her.

X materialized in the Social Sciences section of the Boston Public Library. As he walked into Bates Hall and cast out his senses, he felt this odd sense of hope that she’d be there. There were only two other shifters in the room and the one he was looking for sure as hell wasn’t the male with the comb over. He looked further down the rows of oblong tables until he found her. Rose was sitting at the far end of the room where she seemed to be taking notes. She was probably preparing a lecture for one of the history classes she taught at Harvard.

X sat down at the table closest to him. With his New Breed sight, he didn’t need to be any closer to…to what exactly? Watch her?
Jesus Christ.
He was still pissed at Troy for how he was handling the Evy sitch. And now he was taking a page from his boy’s book—
Stalker 101
or some shit? Ever since he’d first seen Rose a few days before, he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her. A photographic memory was normally a positive thing, unless of course you were trying to forget the most beautiful face you’d ever seen. Then it was a real bitch.

All of a sudden, Rose looked up.
Holy shit.
She was looking right at him. She must have sensed his damn New Breed
k’ul
. And here he was without so much as a book in front of him. What was he doing? This wasn’t him. This kind of behavior wasn’t only irrational, it was dangerous. He stood and walked out the closest door. Without Troy’s antics, there would be no reason for him to be there again. As he took the stairs down to the first floor, he promised himself this was the last he would see of BPL.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Richard walked from the living room into the bedroom. “Still up with your books, female? Why aren’t I surprised?”

He kissed his mate’s forehead and started to get undressed.

“I can’t help it. It’s so interesting.”

“I’m afraid I’m lost after Tarot cards.” He grinned and crawled in beside her.

“I’m serious. Did you know there’s only one true Seer born every thousand years?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I did the calculation and SE isn’t that far off. Maybe a few years. Oh, but the Seer is marked with a symbol.”

“Ah. You know, I really think it’s probably just a gift he’ll have to learn how to use. Remember what I was like when the telepathy first came on?”

“Hell, yes. I thought I’d never have a thought to myself again and you were about to lose your mind. Literally.”

He laughed. “It was a good thing we’d had some experience with it. I might still be refusing to leave the suite.”

Just then, they heard Maya wake in her crib across the room.

“I’ve got her,” Richard said, sliding out of bed. He walked to her crib and picked her up, holding her against him with one hand. “You know, she’s been really fussy the last couple of days. Have you noticed?”

She smiled. “Maybe we just thought she was the easiest offspring on the planet. Maybe this is the real Maya.”

He grinned. “Don’t even think it.”

As Maya quieted, he gently placed her back in her crib and got back into bed. He took the book from his female’s hands and put it on the bedside table. “Can I convince you to take a ten minute break?”

She smiled and her beautiful chocolate brown eyes smoldered. “Make it twenty and you’ve got a deal.”

Seth blew through downtown, letting his rage fuel his frantic pace. He couldn’t believe he’d already lost three guys. It had barely taken them two weeks to commit losercide. And the pathetic part was that it was all avoidable. One used a female New Breed for batting practice. Another couldn’t keep his pants on, for Chrissakes. He was totally up shit creek. They still hadn’t found any other rogues and now he had to replace three. They couldn’t afford to join the endangered species list, but that’s right where they were headed. At least he still had Mark and Tommy.

He turned onto Washington Street and slowed to a walk as he entered Chinatown. It just didn’t make any sense. Based on the number of
hellions
living in his old den, there should be plenty of others. His den had been small and still there were three others like him. Had the Tolies figured it out? That was a major possibility that would totally suck. If they had, the Tolie soldiers had probably been given kill orders.
Fuck. Me.
He hung a left, paying no attention to the group of guys jaywalking a block up. No one paid attention to that shit. It was Boston’s favorite crime of convenience.

Then they started heading right for him. Wait a second. These weren’t humans. They struck his Spidey sense with a grand total of zero k’ul. They were
hellions?
He swept the area. There were no shifters nearby at all. These mutants were on their own like him. He kept his guard up. He had no idea if they were friend or foe. This could go either way. Just as he began to think they were gonna pass him by, the biggest one grabbed him around the neck and put him into a headlock before he could tuck his chin. As his air supply was cut off, everything slowly started to go hazy until he was swallowed by darkness.

Evy stood at her window and looked up into the clear winter sky. It was late, after two, but she couldn’t seem to fall asleep. Tears fell down her face as frustration once again won out. She felt so powerless, as if she were being held hostage by her situation. It wasn’t a welcome thought after everything she’d been through. As the night wore on, she looked up at the moon and thought about the night she had practically chewed her own leg off to get to the window at the apartment.

The voice.

The female voice she’d heard every time a man had come anywhere near her body the past few days. What had it said? Not for you. That was it. She had no idea how it happened. Was it some strange inner voice? She couldn’t be sure. But when she’d touched Troy’s hand in the hospital ward there had been no warning voice in her head. Since then, he’d touched her twice more. Still nothing. She reached out and touched the glass. Damn it. He wanted her. She knew he did. But he wasn’t going to give in.