rogue shifter 07 - cut off (36 page)

When he'd left, I spent a few minutes thinking about what Aedus had said, then went looking for Mom. "Could we talk privately?" I asked her.

"Sure, honey."

I led her into my room upstairs. I'd abandoned the downstairs room when I was twelve so I could have more privacy. I got right to the point. "What do you see when you look at me?"

She laughed. "My sometimes annoying son," she teased.

"A child?"

This time her face turned serious. "Charlie..."

"Please answer."

We couldn't lie to each other because of our connection. "Yes. I do, sometimes, but not all the time."

I ran a hand through my hair and moved to the window. "I want to move out."

"Move to Cascade?" When I turned back, her eyes were wide.

"No. I was thinking of starting college in January. Maybe UCLA."

"You know why that's impossible. I'm sorry, but it is." She turned away.

"It's only impossible because you won't even agree to think about it, let alone talk about it."

She pulled out her usual ammo. This was not a new argument between us. "You'd have to take the guards."

"No. I'm powerful enough to protect myself."

"Naberia..."

"Is raising an army and not looking for me at the moment."

"How do you know that?"

"How do you think?" I snapped. "Isaiah..."

"He's not on good terms with her. He can't really know..."

"Can you hear yourself?" This time I'd shouted, not something our family usually did even in anger. With some effort, I forced myself to quiet down. "You don't listen to me."

"I am listening. I've thought about this non-stop for years. It just isn't safe." She bit her lip and scowled.

"Mom, I know you think you're protecting me, but what you're really doing is suffocating me. I need to get away, to find out who I am."

"You know who you are."

"I don't. I'm an adult male who's never experienced much of anything. I need to live my life before the war begins. I'll have supes from all over the world fighting beside me. How can I lead an army if I know nothing about life? Why would a soldier respect me or follow me? A demi-fey told a bunch of fae from Cascade that I would lead the fight against Naberia. So what? What kind of leadership experience do I have? What other battles have I fought and won?"

Mom shook her head, shutting me out. "I can't agree to your leaving, especially if you intend to throw yourself into dangerous situations."

"I'm not Dad and I'm not you. I'm me, and I have the ability to protect myself better than either of you could protect yourselves. And before you tell me I'm being arrogant, just think about it. Even Fin would tell you that with my bloodline and my magical skills, I'd be fine on my own."

"If you leave, we'll bring you back."

"And lock me up somewhere?"

"Maybe. If we have to."

My jaw dropped. I'd thought long and hard about presenting my argument, and I'd done a damn good job, but she'd ignored my words and shut me down. Her response hurt more than I'd ever let her know. She didn't trust my skills or my magic. My parent's magic hadn't been enough to protect them against Kennet or Fionna, so she figured mine would let me down too.

Furious, I opened my mouth then shut it again. "Whatever." I stormed out of the room, needing to find a quite place before I started using words I knew I'd regret. She was my mom and there was no one I loved or respected more than her, but she was also the most pigheaded female I'd ever met. Next to Linn. No, Mom was worse.

The evening went on. I danced with Linn twice. I ate my meal with Lord Caelen and his clan. I spoke to Jay privately about the fiasco that everyone was calling my birthday party.

Later that evening, I sat on a bench in the garden, far away from the crowd. I knew I should be mingling, but I didn't have the energy. I still felt rotten about Linn plus that argument with mom had been a godawful mess.

For some reason Farrell had disappeared. It all became clear when Brina appeared beside me on the bench.

"You got rid of Farrell?" I asked, not upset at all.

She smiled. "Yes. I convinced him that I would be with you every moment and would inform him when I left. I am quite a capable guard, Charles." she teased.

"Over-qualified, I think." I teased her back.

"I am also a very good listener."

"Do I look that bad?"

"Confused. Angry. Hurt. Certainly not bad. You are exceptionally handsome for an adult fae male of seventeen."

"Um...thanks." I looked down at my shoes, finding them terribly interesting all of a sudden.

"Charles." She was smiling when I looked up, her eyes glittering with mischief. "Would you like to play a new game?" she asked.

"New?"

"I am interested in bedding you, although I know you are not yet experienced."

My face flamed with heat at her blunt come-on. "Um..." Was all I could manage to mumble. Wow, talk about awkward. I forced myself to sit up a little straighter. "Why do you think I'm not experienced?"

She trailed gentle fingers down my arm, then took my hand in hers. "Charles," she whispered, "I can always tell." She stood and pulled me up with her.

"Uh...Brina, I..." That's when she kissed me. Her soft lips pressed against mine, meeting skin on skin. Surprised, I pushed away, kind of half-assed to be honest, but she didn't budge. Instead, she opened her mouth.

Holy shit. This was nothing like what I'd done with Linn. Brina's lips, her tongue, her body molding against mine, awakened a very male response. Working on instinct, I pulled her against me and kissed her hard, demanding more, wanting more.

Instead, she pulled away, laughing. "I thought as much."

"What?" My heart was pounding in my chest.

"Come with me to Cascade."

Was she really suggesting...? "I can't bind with..."

She laughed. "I require no promise. No pledge."

"No? I thought females wanted some kind of commitment from a guy."

"Females are as different as males. Some want forever, some want only today. I am not the little princess who follows you around like a puppy, practicing her kisses. I am a warrior born of many battles, my sister and I defeating hundreds of males on the training field and the field of war. You would not dominate me with your sword, at least not yet, but I do not ask for battle tonight. I ask for something more." She hooked her fingers in my belt and pulled me against her body, then wrapped her arms around my neck. "You will give me this night—and perhaps the morning."

I was only a hand's width taller than Brina so our eyes were only inches apart. It was a simple thing to lose myself in the magic of her violet eyes and drink in her sweet scent. Two minutes ago I was sitting on a bench grumbling to myself about my birthday being a major fuck-up. But now, all of that disappeared in Brina's beautiful eyes, as sensation and need took precedence. We kissed again and I tumbled farther.

Against my body's will, my common sense kicked in and I pulled away. My breaths came fast, and I was happy to see, so did hers. "We should slow down and maybe talk." She grinned at me as if I was a foolish child. I scowled and asked, "You're...how old?"

"Over three hundred human years, but to my cousins I am still a child. In Faerie our ages are not of great concern unless we are very young like Linn or very old like King Finvarra."

"Linn is my age."

"She is still sixteen and a virgin by choice. It is rare for a fae
male
to be a virgin at seventeen." Her hand brushed across my chest and my knees threatened to give out. She smiled, knowing the effect she was having on me. "Come with me and learn the color of my bedchamber," she teased.

I laughed, looking back toward the party. "Right now I'd follow you into hell." She grinned with her delicious mouth and I couldn't stop myself from kissing her again. She tasted so good. When we pulled apart, I asked, "But why me? I'm young, but I'm not stupid. You're beautiful. You can have any male in Cascade."

She laughed. "I am particular." She touched my face with gentle fingers, yet it felt like pleasurable shockwaves were shooting through my entire body. I was lost in a tornado of physical sensation that I knew little about.

Brina leaned closer and whispered against my ear, her scent intoxicating, "When I watched you stand before Finvarra, the most powerful fae who had ever ruled, you glowed with a power unique to your bloodline. Where my own people remained unmoving, you stood proudly against Kennet and the king, facing death with every beat of your strong heart. In training, you walk away exhausted and bloody, but never complaining. You are a warrior worthy of my attention."

She stepped away, but I took her hand and jerked her close again. "At court I was scared like everyone else." I wanted her to know the truth. I wasn't a hero. Far from it.

"Not like everyone else."

Another stubborn female. "I'm not some science experiment for you and your friends to laugh over." I cringed, imagining the hazards of female gossip.

She narrowed her eyes, looking insulted. "You dispute my honor? We will spend pleasurable time together and then we will part as friends. It is always thus. What is between us will forever be private."

She was pissed off and had every right to be. "I apologize." I nodded to show her the proper respect. "That was a shitty thing to say."

"It was...shitty." She smiled in such a sexy way my heartbeat went into turbo mode. I smiled back, the irony of this situation not lost on me. Two minutes ago this birthday sucked, but now...

I looked around. No one was watching us. "I can't just leave. They'll worry."

"I've told Farrell. He will tell your parents that you are with me and will be back by three tomorrow afternoon."

I groaned, thinking about the confrontation to come. "That talk's gonna be awkward."

She brushed her lips against mine. "Lesson One: Think only about
now
."

I fingered a lock of her silky blonde hair and smiled. "I can do that." We disappeared before anyone could stop us.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

Charlie'd spent the night with Brina. It didn't take much imagination to know what they were doing together. I'd quietly cursed that vixen for a whole five minutes last night, then gave it up. She was an experienced fae female, and as much as I denied it, Charlie was as an adult male. If she offered herself to him, he'd take her up on it. Charlie was young but he wasn't an idiot. She was lovely and very particular in her partners. Charlie's training sessions must have been going really well.

I guess I'd always thought it would be Linn and that they'd wait until they were older. So much for my motherly intuition.

Still, Brina was a female with impeccable honor and great courage. As far as his life was concerned, he was safe with her, other than her stealing his virginity, that is.

Garrett hugged me closer as we waited. "You had the talk?" I asked him. Again.

He smiled, forcing himself not to laugh. I wanted to whack him. "In several stages at different times during his life. He knows how to treat a female, and he knows how to keep from becoming a father. I have every expectation that this first experience will be..."

"Never mind. I don't want to know."

Garrett pulled me against him. "I seem to recall that at the very same age you threw yourself at me."

"Pfft. You didn't fight back for long. Anyway, I was much more mature than Charlie. Females always are."

"Oh? I can't imagine another seventeen year old dealing with the stress he lives with in a more mature manner."

"You think his life is stressful? Try being his mother." I sighed as Garrett stroked my hair. "I know you're right, but I'm afraid for him."

"So am I. But it's time to let him go."

"What do you mean?"

"Let him have the adventure he craves. If you don't, our home will become his prison. He may never come back to us at all if you deny him."

I leaned my forehead into the hollow below Garrett's shoulder, feeling slightly ashamed about my behavior last night. Charlie'd wanted me to really hear him, and I shut him out. He must be furious with me. "You're so much better at this parenting thing than I am."

He laughed so hard I thought he'd break a rib. When he saw my annoyed expression he kissed the corner of my mouth and whispered, "Let's go out to dinner. Better yet, lets take a few days off and go into San Francisco. We'll stay at our favorite hotel. I'll take you to all your favorite restaurants and touristy spots."

"But..."

"It's better if we're not here when he gets home. Leave him a note to text you that he's okay. We'll talk to him tomorrow and see him in a few days."

"Fine. Can we go to that steak house near the water?"

"Anything you want, my love."

I kissed him hard, then turned toward our room to pack. "Hold that thought for later."

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

When I saw the note from Mom on the kitchen table, I sent her a text. The one I got back was surprising:

Driving to SF w/Dad

Home in 4 days

Feed Samson

Will call 2morrow

Luv U

PS So sorry I didn't listen. We'll talk about college.

Even more surprising, was the note on my bed from Dad.

Charlie,

Kyle, Peter, and I know what you and Jay have planned. Children love to imagine that they're smarter than their parents, but you two sometimes forget you're surrounded by creatures with supernatural senses and hundreds of years of experience. C'mon, give us some credit.

Aaron and I used to sneak out of our homes on a regular basis, beginning at age twelve. It was only for a night or two, but we always thought it was worth the consequences. At sixteen, my dad began sending us off on our own for a month over the summer, so I understand the craving to explore. The excitement of discovering new territory calls to the animal inside of us.

All that I ask is that you leave before your mom and I return. A long goodbye will be much harder on her. This way I bear the brunt of her anger. (Wish me luck.)