ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (73 page)

“I want to give her a gift.  A wedding gift.” 

“What?”  She asked numbly.

“The brooch of her mother.”

Becky looked at him sharply.  “Why?  Why would you want to help her celebrate this?”

Daniel laughed and took the tumbler back to the bar. He poured more bourbon and brought it to her. 

“You think I want to give her a gift for her marriage to that filthy dog?”  He snickered and ran his hand downward over his mouth.  “No, my dear.  I want to give her a special wedding gift for when she becomes my bride.”

Becky sputtered bourbon back in the glass.  “You can’t marry her!  She’s already married!” 

“I don’t have to honor their union.” 

“You can’t marry her!”  Becky nearly screamed.  She turned the glass upwards and drained it, her cigarette forgotten in the glass ashtray. 

Daniel leaned forward. “Nonsense.  I can do what I want.”

Becky shook her head violently.  “No!”

“Then tell me why not!”  He stood and yanked her to her feet, shaking her hard.

“Because she’s your daughter!”

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BONUS

THE WEREWOLF KIDNAPPER 4

By Sicily Duval

Daniel Blacksmith stared down at Becky’s hunched frame.  Her sobs irritated him.  Her very presence irritated him.  It was one thing to know something deep in your gut; it’s a whole other thing to hear it spoken out loud and know there is no hope left that you were wrong.  He wanted to break Becky Coates neck.  He wanted to rake the skin from her face.  He wanted…

“Get up.” 

Becky raised her face.  Black mascara ran down her face in thick black streaks.  Her eyes were large and fearful. 

“Please, Daniel…I promised Leanne years ago!  I didn’t know you, and I didn’t figure it all out until the night Teddy and I got here!”

Daniel twisted his mouth and nodded.  He sat on the opposite antique couch and crossed one leg, throwing one arm over the back.  He would give her the illusion of security even though internally he was a tight wound spring.  The distance also gave her less opportunity to shamelessly grovel and try to tug at his clothes.

“Now, you will tell me about your last meeting with Leanne.”  He pulled his handkerchief from his jacket pocket and tossed it to her.  She blew her nose noisily and wiped at her eyes.  When she held it back out to him, he smiled coldly.  “Keep it.”

Becky heaved a shuddering sigh.  “I swear I didn’t know it was you, Daniel.”

“I’m not interested in that right now.”  He kept his voice low and even.  If he frightened her again, she would most likely dissolve into more hysterics, and Daniel was weary of it.  “I’m interested in how you came to possess my daughter.” 

Becky wiped at her eyes again.  There was nothing left but the truth.  The raw unadulterated truth.

“Leanne came home and was visibly pregnant.  Our mother didn’t demand anything of her, other than for her to just stay, and let us help her with the baby.  Leanne made me promise to take the baby after it was born.”

“Why?”

Becky shrugged.  This was the part she truly didn’t want to tell.  She looked at Daniel with pleading eyes, her mouth barely parted.  “Please, Daniel, it was so long ago.  Why should it matter now?”

“Because I wish to know.”

“It shouldn’t matter now.”

Daniel was on his feet and in her face before she could suck in another breath.  Becky shrieked as her feet dangled a full foot off the floor.

“It matters because my wife stole my flesh and blood from me!”  His voice had taken on the chorus of demons sound again, and Becky didn’t even have the benefit of her hands to shield her ears.  Daniel’s eyes went completely black. 

“She said the man she had been with was a monster!”  She sobbed, her body quaking in Daniel’s grasp.  “She said she had to go back, but her child wouldn’t!” 

Daniel let her down slowly.  “She never said my name?”

“No.”

“She never once hinted at what I was?”

Becky looked at him fearfully.  “She said you were a powerful man.  That’s all.”  She stammered.  “I thought you were…maybe…a warlock or something!”

Daniels laughed mirthlessly.  “No, my dear, I’m something far worse than that.”

“Yes.”  Becky whispered. 

Daniel looked down at her darkly.  “You’ll learn in time exactly how bad I really am.”  He resumed his place on the couch.  “Tell me, did autumn exhibit any strange characteristics as a child?”

Becky shook her head.  “She was always quiet, but strong and independent.  My mother and I thought the game had passed for the craft and skipped her.  It happens…sometimes.” 

“You do realize that woman has vampire and witch blood coursing through her veins and doesn’t even know it.”  He continued without allowing her to speak.  She didn’t even have the benefit of anyone to raise her up in either of these miraculous things, to try and hone skill within her, to help her.  And why?”  His eyes glinted dangerously.  “Because you and Leanne stole it from her!”

“Daniel…”

“Get out of my sight.” 

Becky hovered on the edge of the couch.  She didn’t know whether to actually run or just wait it out.”

“Go!”

“Well, newlyweds what would you like to do today?”

Dalton looked at Autumn, but she could only smile.  What she really wanted was to go back to bed.  They had only slept a little over three hours, but she doubted sleeping would be on Dalton’s mind if they were in bed. 

“I do have some business to discuss with you.”  Dalton said. 

Thomas looked at him with flat blue eyes.  “Are you serious?  You’re on your honeymoon and you want to discuss business?” 

“Why not?” 

Thomas sighed and shook his head at Autumn.  “You might have had a better time with this one when he sucked at being an alpha.”

Autumn could only laugh.  “It’s fine.  You guys have a nice talk.  I’ll go see the animals.”

“Yeah, do that.”  Thomas said, backing away.  “Belinda’s down with the horses.  She’s been anxious to meet you.” 

Autumn left the men and wandered towards the stables.  A woman with fair skin and dark hair rode into one of the training corrals on a chestnut colored horse.  The horse was proud and pranced delicately with its head held high.  The woman saw Autumn step up to the corral fence, and had her magnificent horse trot over. 

“Hi!”  She called down cheerfully.  “You must be Autumn; the newest member of our wild and crazy world.” 

“Yep, that’s me.  Your horse is beautiful.”

“Thanks.  His name is Governor’s Prince.”  She said and leaned forward to pat the side of the horse’s neck. 

“That’s an odd name.”

She shrugged and climbed out of the saddle.  “Governor was his father.  He’s a rather accomplished show horse.  I have the same hopes for this guy.”  She held her hand over the corral fence.  “I’m Belinda, Thomas’s wife.” 

Autumn smiled.  “Nice to finally meet you.” 

“Want to ride?” 

Autumn tilted her head to one side.  “I don’t know a lot about horses.”

Belinda laughed.  It was a throaty sound that made Autumn feel comfortable. 

“There’s not much to it.  I can show you.  I have an older gentle mare who would be good for you to start out on.  How long are you both staying?”

“Few hours, I think.  I’m not sure.”

“Perfect.  That gives us plenty of time.”

Dalton accepted the bottle of beer from Thomas and settled himself onto of the kitchen chairs.  It had been a while since he had been in Thomas’s massive four bedroom house.  The kitchen looked freshly painted. 

“Wasn’t it yellow in here?”

Thomas barked a laugh.  “Yellow was two colors ago.  Belinda is constantly changing the wall colors.  Sometimes I feel like I live in a Kaleidoscope.”  He tipped the beer upwards with two fingers and a thumb and took a sip.  His blue eyes stared at Dalton amusedly.  “I guess we aren’t in here to talk about color combinations though, are we?”

Dalton shook his head.  “When you came to help with the Mike Rodgers situation, I was hoping before you left that we could talk about Daniel Blacksmith.” 

Thomas scooted his chair back and stretched his long legs out in front of him, crossing his feet at the ankles.  “Daniel Blacksmith is one of the meanest vampires Satan ever spawned.  I guess you guys have heard from him again?”

Dalton recounted the frightening dream of Autumn’s which preceded the white roses left on his doorstep.

Thomas frowned and looked at the floor momentarily.  “Coincidence maybe?”

“I don’t know.  Brian thinks she has other gifts.  He actually called it a darkness in her.  He thinks she’ll be something paranormal later, but he doesn’t know what.” 

“Yeah, Brian always did freak me out with his voodoo mumbo jumbo.”  Thomas rubbed the side of his face.  “Maybe the paranormal thing is because you’ll gift her our bite later; she has the right to have it since she’s mated to you.” 

“Maybe.”  Dalton agreed.

“What does Winnie think?  She can usually see things like that.  I don’t mean the future, I mean if there is something in her now.” 

“She says she can’t tell.  I will tell you this, Winnie accepted her almost immediately.”  Dalton grinned before continuing.  “Of course it helped a little that Autumn punched her in the face within a minute of meeting her.” 

Thomas threw his head back and laughed.  “Your little human had balls enough to punch a werewolf in the face?  Winnie of all people!” 

Dalton chuckled and shook his head.  “Winnie was pissed I had brought a human home, and Winnie went into one of her rants and called Autumn worthless.”  His eyes twinkled proudly.  “That was all it took.” 

“Wow.  I wish I could have seen that.” 

“Anyway, Winnie took her under her wing the next day.  Autumn goes over to their place almost daily and helps out.  Winnie is teaching her a lot.”  Dalton took a long pull from his bottle.  “Maybe Winnie senses something in her and that was the attraction.  They’re pretty close.” 

“What about Brian’s little human?  What’s her name…Mika?”

“Mika’s sweet, but she isn’t shifter material.” 

“Brian won’t give her up though.”  Thomas didn’t pose it as a question.

“You’re right about that.”  Dalton agreed.  “And it’s fine.  She contributes what she can, and she takes life within the pack like a champ.  I don’t have a problem with her.” 

Thomas licked his lips and grinned.  “Who would have thought that someday you and I would be sitting at my kitchen table, two alphas, discussing pack business?”

Dalton shrugged.  “I’ve changed.”

Thomas nodded slowly.  “I can see that.”  He clapped his hands once and scooted the chair back under the table, resting his elbows on the wood surface.  “Let’s discuss Daniel.  Do you think he’s going to come after her?”

“Yes, I do.” 

Thomas nodded, a forefinger tracing the pattern along the woodgrain.  “First thing you need to know is that he’s powerful.  Why he chooses to live in such an obscure manner, I can’t say, but he has connections all over this state and beyond.” 

“Like other states?”

Thomas lifted his eyes and looked at Dalton with a growing intensity.  “Yes, other states and even further beyond that.  He’s old blood.  His ancestors hailed from Europe, or so it’s rumored.” 

“How old is he?”

“Don’t know, but my guess is pretty old.  Here’s the thing I know about him.  He can maneuver the daylight.”

“All the suckers can, they’re just weak when they do.” 

Thomas nodded.  “True, but he can survive a lot longer.  He has more human attributes than most of his kind.  The older a sucker gets, the less likely they are able to pull off being human.  Their skin gets harder and whiter, eyes change, etc.  He’s maintained his humanness longer than he should have.”

“How?”

Thomas shrugged.  “I have no idea.  Keep in mind all of this is rumor.  I don’t know him personally, but I’ve seen him.”  Thomas’s eyes darkened at the memory.  “The guy literally gave me the creeps.”

Dalton didn’t attempt to laugh.  Someone giving Thomas the creeps was enough to cause Dalton to shudder. 

Thomas tapped his fingers lightly on the table.  “Look, there’s another rumor too but….”

“But what?  Tell me.”

“I don’t think it will make a difference in your situation, but another rumor is that he can father children.”

Dalton’s face went blank.  “That’s impossible.” 

Thomas pursed his lips.  “It’s unlikely…not impossible.” 

“What would that mean for the child?” 

“Depends on if the child’s mother was human or vampire.  If the mother was human, the child could be born and carry no vampire traits.”  He leaned forward.  “The…woman…Tonya…she’s an abnormality which potentially could carry huge import in our world.” 

“Yeah, she’s like a super weapon!”

“Exactly, and I have doubt Daniel Blacksmith created her just for that purpose.  Who knows how many others he has?”

The two men lapsed into silence, each within their own thoughts and worries.  Dalton knew he had to protect Autumn, but as each day passed without word or hint from Daniel, Dalton grew more worried.  It was like the air just before a bad thunderstorm.  There was electricity and heaviness.  He hoped Autumn couldn’t feel it.

Daniel stared at his reflection and grimaced.  This wouldn’t be an easy task.  He had no doubts of his own abilities, and there was no fear of obstacles, but he yearned for unconditional love.  He wanted someone to want to be around him for no reason, simply because they wanted to.  His presence drew people to him naturally, and all he needed to bond someone to himself was one tainted bite, but he wished for once none of that was necessary.  He wished for another Leanne.  He grimaced again.  Leanne.  No, he couldn’t even hold on to her. 

Becky watched him from the bed.  He body felt like it had been pulled apart and jackhammered.  Dark ugly bruises covered her breasts, and there were puncture wounds down her inner thighs and within the folds of skin covering her womanhood.  He had punished her through sex.  She had no idea how any of this was her fault, but she was willing to do anything to make it right.  She was willing to do anything to just stay with him.