Wolf Creek Alpha (Texas Pack 1) (25 page)

Arriving near the pond, he tugged her hand until
she sat on a bench placed between
the trees.

The entire time they walked, Lisa had been muttering under her breath.  “
I should have zapped her skinny ass.”

Rafe was struggling to hold in his laughter.  She was mean when she got mad, he thought. 

“I dated her for a little over a month. 
Only until I realized the side she showed me was not who she really was.  I broke it off, and haven’t seen her socially since,” he declared. 

“Socially?  So you’ve seen her since. Hmm, could that have been when you and Robert went to see Cha
s
e?  I just bet she was all over you.  Her kind doesn’t know the meaning of not interested,” she said.

“You certainly have her figured out.  Yes, she was there.  But I want nothing to do with her.  She may be
physically pretty, but she is ugly on the inside.  I think she really did come here hoping to see Robert.  She was trying to sink her cla
ws into him when we left.”

Lisa knew she was being unreasonable.  You should never have to meet someone’s ex, she thought. 

“How would you like to meet one of my old boyfriends?” she asked.

He growled, “You don’t want to go there.  I’d rip them apart.”

“Now you know why I’m so mad. 
Not only was she beautiful, she pissed me off.  Just so you know, I’m not good at meeting old girlfriends,” Lisa said firmly. 

“It shouldn’t happen again.  I can’t think of anyone local I’ve dated.  I tended to stay away from women in my pack or
those
who lived in town.  Too many complications,” he said. 

Rafe put his arm around her shoulder, tucking her head under his chin.  They sat like that, watching some ducks swim across the pond.  It had a calming effect on both of them.

“We’d better go back.  No telling what Stephanie will say to Melissa.  I don’t want to scare her off,” Lisa said teasing.

“Are we good?  I don’t want any of Cindy’s crap coming back to haunt us,” he said.

“We’re good.  Just do me a favor?  Don’t mention her name to me again,” Lisa insisted.

Lisa straddled his lap and placed her arms around his neck.  She stared into his eyes, making sure he understood.  Seeing his acknowledgment, she leaned in to kiss him. 

Rafe settled his arms around her.  R
elieved they no longer had to worry about Cindy,
he intended to enjoy the moment.
  She was made for him, he thought. 
Counting the days, he was surprised
it had only been five days since he’d met her.  He felt like he knew her
so
well.  She was funny, kind, beautiful, and had a me
an temper.  He realized he was smiling
.

Lisa felt his smile, pulling back she asked, “What are you thinking?”

“I was thinking about you.  You complete my life,” he said simply.

Lisa felt her eyes water, “That was
sooo
sweet,” she said.

They heard a
loud whistle.  “I believe we’re being
paged,” Rafe said as he sat her on her feet.  Rising beside her, he took her hand once again to go back to the house.
 

Lisa sat on the sofa beside Melissa, giving her a small smile.  Robert moved to sit on Melissa’s other side.  Reaching for Melissa hands, Lisa gently grasped them before starting. 

“
I want you to relax and see if you can focus in on the vision you had before. 
Open your mind and let go of your worries. 
Oh
sheesh, I sound like a hypnotist
.  Sorry,
I drifted
.
  Okay, just close your eyes and I’ll see if I can help you see more,” Lisa said. 

Once again, Lisa pushed her mind outward, seeking entrance into Melissa’s head.  This time it was different.  There was no wall to get through, no grey mist.  Lisa
assumed it was because Melissa was much more open than Anna had been. 

Seeing a bluish colored mist, Lisa opened herself up and went through the haze.  She saw several images, moving so
fast,
she couldn’t focus on them.  She worked on slowing down her movement, trying to see the pictures. 

Realizing one of the scenes was
of
the pond, she moved toward it, trying to focus Melissa’s attention there. 
She felt Melissa mentally move in beside her.
She thought it best to stand aside
while Melissa sorted t
hrough the vision.  Lisa would let her interpret whatever it was that she saw.

Feeling Melissa move away
mentally
, Lisa made
the decision to pull back out of her head
.
  She opened her eyes, waiting for Melissa to focus back on them.
  They all waited quietly while Melissa gathered her thoughts. 

Dunstan came in and stood quietly by the mantle.  Melissa looked over at him, her face registering shock. 
She studied him, realizing he wasn’t the man she saw in her vision, but a very close resemblance. 

“Melissa, this is Dunstan.  I’ll give you his story later.
  Dunstan, Meli
ssa.  She’s the seer from Chase
’s clan,” Rafe said. 

“I’m sorry for staring.  It’s just that you look like the
man in my vision, only different
,” she sighed, frustrated. 

“He looked a little older than you, but his expression was different.  Not happy, almost
sad,
but scary too,” she tried to explain. 

“My father,” Dunstan said flatly.

“What did you see?  Anything that would help us?” asked Rafe. 

“He was standing at the pond, starin
g up at the castle.  I saw Lisa
come out the front doors.  It was
as if
she was in a trance.  She was walking towards him, unaware.  He had his hands outstretched, like he was pulling her,” Melissa said. 

Lisa was scared.  Crap. She didn’t think she would be the one he was after.  Why me?  She looked at Rafe, wondering if he would be able to keep her safe.

“I won’t let him touch you,” he said adamantly. 

“I think he was using the waters to control her.  I don’t know if I’m right, it just seemed that way,” said Melissa. 

Rafe moved closer to Lisa, wrapping his arms around her.  Stephanie reached over to hold her hand, letting her know she was there for her.

Dunstan asked what they were all thinking.  “Why would my father want you?  Have we been wrong all along, thinking it was Anna he wanted?”

“Power,” said Ian.  “He wants to use her power for something.  If the pond made him stronger, imagine having control of a witch with so much power.”

Rafe decided right then that he was sleeping in her room.  If Ciar managed to call her to him
somehow
, he wanted to be there to stop her from going.

“Move the guards around the castle and pond.  I’m not worried about the outer property.  I’ll be staying in Lisa’s room.  Have the
fae
guards at the pond, not the castle.  Ian, I want you and Devlin
sleeping in the hallway.  Sorry, but I can’t take any chances with her.”

“I understand,
and I’
ll tell Devlin,” Ian said.

Rafe looked at Lisa, expecting an argument about him staying in her room.

“I’m no idiot, but I am a big chicken.  I have no problem with you in my room, and them in the hallway,” she stated firmly.

Stephanie started laughing, breaking the tension in the room. 
“Y’all don’t
know it, but Lisa was alw
ays the one with the blanket over her head
when we
watched a scary movie together.”

“You’re my sister now, I’ll protect you with my life,” Ian told her sincerely.

Lisa had tears in her eyes at Ian’s words.  She went over and hugged him, thanking him quietly for his support.  Other than her parents and Stephanie, she
couldn’t think of anyone e
lse that cared for her so much.  She didn’t include Rafe
, she had come to believe he really did care for her
, but it was too new
.  Now she had to decide if she cared as much for him.

Looking at Rafe, Melissa asked if she could stay there for a while.  “I’d like to help in any way I can.”

    Rafe assured her it was fine,
telling her he would call Chas
e to let him know.

“I never did take you for that horseback ride.  How about we go now?
I
can gather up some food
to eat whenever we get hungry,” Rafe said, hoping to get her mind off this latest development. 

Devlin had come in to hear the end of their conversation.  “Great, I love picnics!”

“As much as I’d love your company, the invitation was for Lisa,” Rafe stated dryly. 

Laughing, Lisa told him
that
she would love to
go
riding.  “Let me go change my shoes and remember, I don’t have a lot of
riding
experience.”

Ian was
telling Devlin what had transpired
, while Stephanie showed Melissa to a room.  Rafe grabbed
his cell phone and called Chas
e on his way to the kitchen. 

“Man, I’m sorry about that
crap from earlier
,” Chas
e said.  “Cindy told me it was important she see Robert.  I didn’t think she’d turn into a shrew, though.  She’s always been full of herself,
but that was just downright bitchy
.”

Rafe was looking through the fridge, trying to find food to take with them.  “She crossed a line insulting Lisa.  You are always welcome here, but don’t ever bring her here again,” Rafe
ordered. 

“I won’t.  Let Melissa know I’ll pick her up whenever she’s ready to come home.”

Rafe hung up and started searching for a backpack to carry
their food.
  Finding one, he had everything
put away when Lisa walked in.

“I’m ready,” she said smiling.

She’s so
beautiful, he thought.  Whenever she smiled, her whole face lit up.  He hoped some time alone with
her would help her forget the threat.  He had a feeling of dread in his gut.  He could fight a physical threat, but if Ciar attacked her magically, he wasn’t sure how to protect her.  He hoped Robert returned soon.  He would feel much better with him as backup.

“I’ll be ready in a minute, I just want to go talk to one of the guards,” he said. 

Lisa watched him go out the front, heading to the pond.  I wonder what that’s all about, she thought. 

Rafe found one of Robert’s guards,
Niall,
and asked him to follow them on one of the horses.  He explained why
he needed him there.  Niall
was happy to get a chance to ride
again.  H
e’d
missed his horses
back home in
Faeire
.

“I’ll meet you at the
stables;
just let me go get Lisa.”

Niall was waiting in the stable, having saddled his ho
rse and had started saddling another
for Lisa.

“Lisa, this is Niall, one of the Queen’s guards,” Rafe introduced her. 

“My pleasure,” he said.  “I’m told this
mare’s
name is Sadie and that she’s very gentle,” he looked questionably at Rafe.

“She’ll be fine.  Not a mean bone in her body,” Rafe said. 

Once everyone was all set, they headed out slowly.  Rafe was leading the way, with Lisa following and Niall bringing up the rear.

Rafe could have brought Devlin along for backup, but he wanted the
fae
guard in case of a magical attack.
 

Lisa didn’t have to do much.  The mare automatically followed the lead horse.  Niall had dropped back, watching over
them,
but giving them some privacy.

They wound their way through the woods, crossing a small stream easily.  It was beautiful here, peaceful.  Lisa rode
with surprising ease.  She glanced
back every once in a while to make sure Niall was still with them.  He would smile and nod, and then go back to scanning the area.
 

Rafe slowed when th
ey came to an open area, motioning for
Lisa to come ride up bedside him.

She gently tapped Sadie’s flanks, getting her to move forward.  Thank goodness she’s an agreeable horse, she thought
,
as Sadie followed her command
smoothly. 

“This is where my brothers and I would come to fight.  We’d change and then work on our attack skills.  It would get a little brutal sometimes, so we came out here to hide our fights from Mom,” he grinned.