Vaewolf: Damn the Darkness: The Prophecy's Promise (Hearts of Darkness Book 3) (17 page)

At least, she made Caitlin feel more at ease. “Sit and let me see to everything.”

Mentally reaching out, Caitlin searched, needing to touch Dylan’s thoughts for comfort, but he either was too far away already or was deliberately blocking her.

“Isobel?” Caitlin stopped the woman with a touch.

“Yes,
cherie
?”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.” She gestured with a wave of her hand and gave Caitlin an understanding smile.

Still stunned, embarrassed, and humiliated, Caitlin realized everyone suddenly had an excuse to leave. She released a sigh of relief. Thank goodness!

Jackson and the lusty feelings were gone, but unfortunately, every one of the embarrassing memories was solidly intact. Caitlin tried to compose herself and sort through her thoughts, as Isobel hurried to the few council members Caitlin had met with briefly before the world crashed around her. Isobel’s intervention saved her from facing these people, the last thing she wanted to do now, or maybe even ever again.

She hadn’t yet come to grips with the first humiliating issue—her sudden cat-in-heat behavior. Her “hoe” reaction to Jackson. The way her lustful thoughts broadcast to everyone. In fact, she suspected everyone in the vicinity perceived her arousal.

Oh God. Then, there was the second issue. What did Dylan think of her? What about Jackson? Once she recalled more details, the last few minutes felt like hours, and her embarrassment grew. Considering her response to Jackson, and thinking of Dylan’s pain, made her feel lower than pond scum.

Maybe it was their guests’ input, pinging through her head, which originally made her think of Jackson. But clearly, everyone else was able to identify the big surly man, and though she was at a loss, they all seemed to understand the consequences their lustful attraction.

She’d imagined Jackson younger even though she knew they were the same age. Nevertheless, by the time his words claimed her, she’d had a moment of clarity—then a moment of pure panic. Pushing the thoughts aside, heedless of the curious bystanders, and even Dylan’s feelings, she’d been ready to hump the dark, sexy hunk right there in the entryway—maybe not her, but definitely something inside her.

Despite never having set eyes on Jackson before, and as surely as she’d known Dylan was hers when they met, the instant the wolf’s essence
claimed
her, the earth shifted and the universe aligned. Jackson was also meant for her. Knowing that didn’t change her feelings about what happened. She loved Dylan. But there was something else too. Caitlin never expected Dylan’s reaction to be so...so alpha...so freakin’ hot.

The last few stragglers trickled out, some snickering, some
tsking
, while a few kinder souls smiled and gently patted her shoulder sympathetically. Caitlin allowed herself an internal eye roll and thought, if a merciful God existed, she would never again come face to face with anyone from this crowd. But what were the chances? Suddenly rethinking the pros and cons of immortality, she considered the possibility of death might be better than the humiliation of facing these people again...or facing Dylan?

Death?
During the confrontation, the thought—the singular word from Dylan’s mind—had broken through the cacophony of voices in her head and panic rippled through her. Then Dylan totally shut her out. Her one connection with him, his mind, was a concrete wall.

She gripped the glowing mind stone against her breast to calm herself and searched for their mind link. “
Please, Dylan don’t...”

God, she prayed neither man did anything stupid. If anything happened to either of them, what would she do? So many questions and no answers.

No one was willing to talk to her. Not a friendly face in the crowd. Even Simone managed to establish an impenetrable mind block and faded into the shadows, avoiding direct eye contact. She did give Caitlin a finger wave and a shrug as she hustled the Halfling sisters from the room.

Kyle stopped at her side. “I’m joining Victor. He’s patrolling the estate with Delavega. Things may get dicey.” The doctor’s normal uninviting expression was especially grim when he told her Shelby would be by later. “She sensed you were disturbed. I told her what happened and that you were fine. You are fine, aren’t you?”

“I seem to be all in one piece. I think I just had a bad shock—”

“I’m intimately familiar with that particular situation. It can be earth-shattering. I’m sorry, Caitlin. I don’t know how to help you.”

He did attempt to soften his message with an awkward back pat. The surgeon usually had zero for bedside manners, and none of his inner beasts had a soft side, either. Caitlin was encouraged he would even consider trying to comfort her.

“And where’s Max?” Caitlin hadn’t seen him earlier.

“Can’t be here. Genevieve...” Kyle ran a hand across the back of his neck and didn’t offer anything more as he excused himself.

Smart man, Max. Avoiding all this brew-ha-ha, probably because he didn’t want to risk a similar scene with the Halfling, considering his recent lack of self control around the young woman.
Right.
As if bursting out of his clothes and going all demon on Genevieve could have topped Caitlin and Jackson’s performance.

She rocked in the chair on the porch, nervously waiting.

Isobel joined her and explained, “I made your excuses.” Efficient, she’d coolly cleared the rooms and the kitchen, “Everyone is gone, and Dylan should return soon.”

Caitlin felt dead inside. Abandoned. Soon Isobel would be gone too, and she would be alone with all her questions.

“Rest.” The auburn haired beauty smiled with her half French smirk, half Cajun smile. The one expression always made Caitlin feel more comfortable in her new skin. But, not tonight.

“If you need me,
cherie,
call. My number is programmed in.” She handed Caitlin back her own cell phone. “I can trace here at a moment’s notice.”

“Okay.” Caitlin stared at the iPhone and felt a giggle rise. She managed to suppress it with a silent smile.

After being exposed to all this paranormal stuff, something about being handed a cell phone under the circumstances seemed too mundane—too normal—too human. The basic facts remained. Her human life had been ripped away and replaced with an immortal one, where her relationships were dictated by unfamiliar passions and prophecies. She sprouted wings, and her hair turned into vines when she made love...and then there was the faery dust thing when she climaxed.

She’d learned to accept the existence of vampires, not to mention all the other beings with various sorts of strange powers and knowledge. Hell, she was one of them. She encountered Lycans, perhaps a few fallen angels, and even demons. Bullets didn’t work against these beings—well, regular bullets, anyway. And many of these dangerous creatures shared her ability to read minds. Her love life was being directed by some ancient prophecy—if the recent information was accurate...and she held a hot pink iPhone in her hand.

Suddenly, the giggling started, and she couldn’t hold it back. Calling for help via cell phone seemed absurd under the circumstances.

“Are you going to be okay, Caitlin? Hysteria is not a good sign.”

Biting her lip a few times, she forced herself under control long enough to assure Isobel the hysteria was thwarted.

“Thank you. I think I’ll be okay, now.” Caitlin brushed away pink tears of laughter. “You go on home. I’ll text you if I need anything.”

“You sure,
cher
. You’ll be okay?”

“No, but I am for now. I’ll sit out on the porch and wait for Dylan.”

“He’ll straighten everything out. Don’t you worry,
cher.
” Isobel left from the side entrance and turned down the path to her own place about a mile away on the estate.

“I hope you’re right.”
Caitlin thought and smiled with a bob of her head and waved.

The woods held her interest, the specific part of the woods where Jackson disappeared and Dylan had followed. Where were they? What were they doing?

As she listened to the gators croaking in the bayou, she forced herself to breathe evenly, the laughter long ago suppressed, and she waited as the dread rose inside.

Chapter Twenty Three

Confronting Dylan

Jackson sorted through all his recent knowledge of wolf mates, and short of death, there was no way to stop the bond once the beast imprinted. No use fighting facts. His wolf believed Caitlin was his alpha mate—the pack’s hope for the future.

And Dylan? What about Dylan? What would become of the man who’d raised him as his own blood—the man he loved like an older brother?

Jackson retreated, because fighting Dylan now wasn’t an option. Hell, he needed help. Advice. Answers. He needed Garr.

Once he put enough distance between himself and Dylan, he turned and ran, howling for the older Cajun Werewolf. Because he’d already lost his father to this sorrow, he couldn’t afford to lose Dylan, the man he thought of as his brother, too.

The problem ate at Jackson, tormenting him like a plague as he ran deeper into the woods. Young and inexperienced, he’d never learned how to block his thoughts the way others had, so even if he wanted to, he couldn’t keep the knowledge of what happened from Garr.

Jackson was still reeling from the shock, horrified by the consequences when he finally found him deep in the bayou. Garr seemed stunned when Jackson described what happened.

“So? You going to meet with him?” Garr asked with no inflection.

“Do I have a choice?”

“Guess not.” The man handed Jackson the bag with his clothes. “This is some fine to-do.”

“
To-do
?” Jackson released pent up tension with a laugh. The euphemism was so understated. “That’s one way to say it. An understatement if I’ve ever heard one.”

Growing serious again, he added, “Shit, what’s going to happen? What can I do?”

What the hell were any of them going to do? Because Jackson hadn’t mistaken Caitlin’s responsive scent, the scent of acceptance when she’d seen him. Dylan’s life mate had imprinted on both men.

“How,” Garr asked, “can you both be life mates to the same woman?”

“I don’t know, but she sure as shit imprinted on me, before I realized what was happening. Not like I could stop it.”

“If that’s so, she’s going to need you, and Dylan won’t be able to deny her.”

“Well, I can!”

“No, no you can’t,
mon ami
.” Garr shook his head and pushed his hair out of his face. “Dylan must have a mighty big mad on.”

Jackson grimaced, recalling how Dylan had responded. The shock, the pain, the disbelief. “Yeah, you could say that. But can you blame him?”

Garr shook his head. “Never seen the likes of it.”

“We’re all fucked.” Jackson cursed, pacing, growling out his words, “What does this mean?”

“Why don’t you ask me?” Dylan’s deep voice still sounded gritty as he sifted into place behind Jackson.

~~~~

Despite Dylan’s surface composure, his appearance suggested he was far from controlled. His long blond hair hung about his shoulders, and for the first time Jackson could remember, the man looked disheveled, as if he’d been tugging at his hair and his clothes.

His tie was undone, his shirt partially unbuttoned. He looked a mess. The usually, perfect, impeccably dressed vamp seemed more like his old former warrior self, a Celtic berserker ready for battle. As his friend and only family, Jackson didn’t miss the pain burning in his eyes, a sign of his true emotions. Rage. Confusion. Desolation.

“How’d you find me?”

“I followed the wet dog smell.” Dylan’s wry smile said all that needed saying. “You left a bonding scent so strong anyone could track you.”

“How is Cai—she?” He didn’t dare say her name.

Dylan shook his head. Even though he kept his thoughts from him, Jackson knew the vampire was as furious about the situation they’d been thrown into as he was. He had to be fighting back his own beast, because Jackson’s wolf was fighting to surface, snarling, beating at him. They were practically half-brothers, were in fact in a vampiric sort of way, but this kind of conflict could tear a mile-wide rift between them.

“Jackson, you must
claim
your mate.” Dylan spoke slowly, as if each word caused him pain.

“Even though you’ll go mad without her? I’ll lose you like I lost my father.” Jackson kept shaking his head. “No, we’re not going to let it happen.”

“Then neither of us can truly
claim
her until we understand the full consequences of our actions.”

“And, we can’t tell her,” Jackson added, “about the prophecy.”

“She already knows too much, and it’ll be impossible to hide everything from her, dammit.” Dylan smiled and made a derisive sound. “Someone is bound to fill her in after your performance tonight. Do you think anyone there didn’t pick up on her scent? They know she imprinted on you.”