Claiming Shayla (25 page)

Chapter Fourteen

“Make some noise, will you? You scared the bejeebers out of me,” Shay snapped, fear giving way to anger. She put the eggs on the counter before she crushed them and then closed her eyes for a moment, trying to catch her breath.

His ears flicked forward, and his head tilted to the side. Very deliberately he lifted his right front paw and then the left. His claws made a miniscule scraping sound when they landed on the wood floor.

“A jokester. Great,” Shay said with heavy sarcasm.

His eyes laughed at her.

Shay studied him, her gaze narrowed. “Does this mean you’ve decided to join me for breakfast?”

He looked toward the stove, then back at her and nodded. The action looked so strange, for a moment Shay was taken aback. Reminding herself there was a man inside the wolf, she literally shook off her disconcertment, shaking her head so that wisps of hair flew into her face. She really needed to get a haircut, she mused.

“Fine. How many eggs do you want? I cracked three for me. You want me to add another three for you?”

One side of Kian’s lip curled up. Great, he was sneering at her. “Four?” she guessed.

The beast yawned.

With another glance that took in his size, she asked, “Six?”

Kian only looked mildly interested.

“You do realize I’m cooking more than eggs, don’t you? There’s sausage and bacon too,” she offered.

He actually rolled his eyes.

Stunned, Shay stared. How the hell had he done that? Finally she huffed and said, “Fine, but I’m not cooking more than nine for you. That’s a total of twelve eggs. That’s more than enough for any…”
Man
, she started to say, but trailed off, realizing Kian wasn’t a man or a wolf, but a wolf-shifter with a healthy appetite. Since Rory usually cooked, she had no idea how many eggs he went through in one sitting. “Never mind. That’s all I’m cooking. If you want more, cook ’em yourself.”

Kian flopped down on his belly and laid his head on his front paws.

The timer went off, and Shay removed the bacon from the oven. “And I’m not putting food on the floor. You want to eat, you’ll shift and sit at the table like civilized folk.” She didn’t glance back to see how he took her edict.

Shay resisted the urge to fidget as the weight of Kian’s stare settled like an itch between her shoulder blades. Determinedly, she took out a larger bowl and a huge frying pan that she needed both hands to move, cracked the rest of the eggs, then picked up the whisk and strong-armed the mix until the yolks and whites blended seamlessly together. Cooking this many eggs at one time was a challenge, but she managed to do it without any getting scorched or worse, runny. She hated slimy eggs.

Since she’d made an issue out of “civilized behavior,” Shay placed the bacon and sausage on a serving platter and the eggs in a serving bowl and set the table with plates, napkins, silverware, and cups. “You can wash your hands at the kitchen sink,” she said matter-of-factly, praying he couldn’t tell how uneasy she was.

Out the corner of her eye she caught a shimmer of light. There were a few muffled popping sounds in quick succession; then Kian stood before her in all his naked glory. And a glorious sight it was.

He stood a few inches taller than Rory but was just as heavily built. His hair was coal black and eyes a vibrant blue. Shay tried, really she did, not to let her gaze travel over the rest of him, but he was like, right there and she wasn’t dead. She could appreciate an eyeful of masculine eye candy the same as any other woman. Kian’s legs were long and lean like a runner, his ass high and tight. The way his muscles shifted as he crossed to the sink was pure poetry in motion.

Shay checked her hormone meter. Despite her appreciation of the view and her recognition of Kian’s hunky appeal, she felt not the slightest bit of sexual attraction toward him. “Well, now, I guess this means I’m good and mated,” she said aloud.

Kian turned and shot her a questioning look, and Shay saw that the front of him was just as delicious as the rear.

Shay waved a hand, indicating his body. “You’re a mouthwatering, eye-catching male, Kian McFelan, and I’m ecstatic to announce I’m not the least bit attracted to you.”

His face turned a fiery red, and Shay laughed in delight. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable. I’m surprised the women around here aren’t beating down the doors trying to get to you.”

He frowned as he took a seat at the table.
I heard you tell Rory you know ASL
, he signed.

“Yes, but I’m a bit rusty,” she answered.

I’m mute.

“The rest of you appears to be in working order,” Shay said. She bowed her head and said a quick prayer, then loaded food onto her plate. As she finished with each item, she nudged the platters toward Kian for him to do the same.

It doesn’t bother you?

“Why should it? We all have some type of disability. Some are more obvious than others. I prefer the ones I can see to the mental kind.” Shay glanced at him, hoping he caught her meaning. She hated prejudice of any nature and considered it to be a disability of sorts.

Kian fixed a mountain of food on his plate, his expression showing he was thinking about what she’d said. He took a few bites of food, then signed,
This is good. How did you and Rory meet?

Shay laughed and had to bring a napkin to her mouth to catch the food that almost fell out. “Sorry about that. It’s funny to me now, but when I first met your brother, I thought he was the most annoying asshole of a man I’d ever met.”

Kian’s eyes widened.

As they ate, she told him their story, from the first meeting in Kiesha’s store, through the blue moon, and her recent return to Refuge for her cousin’s wedding, leaving nothing out. Kian’s eyes never left her face.

You love him.

“Yeah,” she agreed in a soft voice.

He’s lucky.

Shay sighed. “I don’t know how lucky Rory is, but I do know he’s stuck. He wanted me, I’m here, and have no plans on leaving.”

You want any more of this?

“No, go ahead. I’m not as hungry as I thought I was.” Or maybe her subconscious had known she’d planned to entice Kian out of his hole with food. “Rory showed me your bedroom upstairs. I can understand a man wanting his privacy, but dude, you live like an animal. Why don’t you have any furniture down there? I’m sure Rory would have fixed the basement up any way you like.”

Kian shrugged.
I don’t like to be a bother. He has enough to worry about with the pack.

Shay pinned him with a look. “Bull. He’s your brother. Your twin. You think he doesn’t love you, worry about you? You think you living downstairs like a lone wolf doesn’t hurt him?” she asked, startled to hear a hint of anger in her voice.

The pack doesn’t like me. It’s easier if I stay out of the way.

He appeared so uncomfortable Shay decided to take it easy on him. “That’s where you’re wrong. Rory needs you. From what I can tell, your brother has a lot of…if not enemies, well, they’re definitely not his friends. Let’s call his pack full of frenemies. He needs all the support he can get. He says you’re stronger than he is. If you won’t be alpha—and really, with those clowns, I don’t blame you a bit for not wanting the top position—at the very least you should have his back, be his beta.”

He has Caleb, and I don’t like fighting.

A gentle werewolf, Shay thought. Hmm…but then, most twins tended to be opposites in nature. Looks like Rory got the aggressive gene. “Okay, I’ll leave that alone. But Kian”—she reached out and placed her hand over his on the table—“I need you. Not only do we live in the same house, you’re family. You’re my child’s uncle. No offense, but some of the Sparrowhawks are like a pack of hyenas. I think they’d turn on their own children if it would gain them something.” Then, without giving herself much time to think about it, she told him about Conor’s prophecy. Prediction? Hell, she didn’t know what to call it other than a warning to watch her ass.

You want me to protect you and the babe?
He seemed surprised.

“That’s what families do,” she said simply. “We protect and look out for each other.”

He leaned back in his seat, studied her carefully.
No one’s ever needed me before.

Shay shook her head. “That’s not true. You’ve been needed, by Rory and probably Shannon. They just didn’t bother to tell you. I am.”

The thought flashed across her mind that Kian might be one of the folks Conor had warned her of, but she immediately dismissed it. For one thing, she’d always had good instincts when it came to people, and her heart told her Kian could be trusted. For another, if Kian wanted to be alpha, he would be alpha. Rory might have fought his father for the pack, but she doubted he’d have fought his twin, not if Kian really wanted the position. From what Rory had told her, he’d stepped forward because there wasn’t another suitable candidate.

I prefer being in wolf form.

Shay shrugged. “So be a wolf, but don’t forget you’re also a man.”

There was silence as her words settled around them.

Going with her gut, she asked Kian, “You know these people, probably better than anyone else. People, even shifters, tend to lower their guards around those they don’t consider a threat. Who do you think I should be watching out for?”

You wouldn’t believe me if I told you
, he signed, a hint of bitterness in his expression.
No one else does.

A hint of excitement stirred inside.
He knows! Kian knows who my enemy is
. Shay leaned forward in her chair, her focus complete, her manner intent as she stared deeply into his eyes. “Yes I will. I’m not like the others. Rory thinks it’s a man, but I don’t think so. I believe it’s a woman,” she said carefully, watching closely for any change in Kian’s expression.

His eyes flared before he could make his face blank. They stared at each other, taking each other’s measure. Finally Kian’s hands moved in a blur of motion.

“Whoa! Whoa! Slow down. You’re going too fast. I’m rusty, remember?”

Kian’s chest moved as he blew out a breath. He started again. Shay watched closely, her mouth dropping open the tiniest bit.

“Laurie Bell?” she asked faintly, hoping she’d read wrong.

You don’t believe me
. Kian’s expression went flat again.

“No, I do. Shit! The tea!” Shay shot to her feet. She could see Kian’s hands moving furiously, but she was in too much of a rush to stop and read. “Where the hell did I put it?”

The bag from the health food store was still on the countertop. She snatched it to her and peered inside. Not there. Turning, she almost bumped into Kian, who’d come to stand behind her. She tried to dart around him, but he grabbed her arm.

What is it?
he demanded.

“She gave me this tea to drink. Said it was for the baby,” she shouted as she snatched her arm free. Shay ran for the stairs, barely noting Kian keeping pace behind her. She tore into the bedroom, vaguely remembering stuffing the paper the man had given her into a pocket.

Jeans, jeans, jeans! Where are they?
Bathroom! Dirty clothes hamper. She raced inside and flipped up the lid. They sat right on top. Shay dug into the pockets—front right, front left, back right, back left…
Jackpot!

Shay turned to dash to the phone. Kian blocked her way. “Move,” she ordered sharply.

He danced nimbly to the side as she charged him. Seconds later Shay’s cell phone was in her hand and she was dialing the shop’s number. “Please be open. Please be open,” she prayed.

“For Your Health,” a male’s voice answered.

Shay breathed out a sigh of relief. “Hi, I was in the store yesterday evening, and Ken gave me his card. Is he available?”

“This is he.”

“Ken, this is Shayla Morgan. I don’t suppose you’ve had opportunity to analyze that tea I gave you?” she asked, crossing her fingers.

“Actually I have. I was going to give you a call when we closed up for the night. Hold on, let me grab my paper. I have it here, somewhere.”

Shay clenched her fist in the bedspread while she waited. She could hear the sound of customers in the shop and, in the distance, the canned music they played in the mall. Ken answered a question or two, and then he was back. “Here it is. I need to ask, are you sure she gave you the right tea blend?”

Warily Shay asked, “She gave it to my fiancé to give to me. Why do you ask?”

“Because of some of the ingredients. She has peppermint and gingerroot—great for nausea, morning sickness, and flavor—in a base of ginseng for energy, chamomile, dandelion, and red clover. She also has red raspberry leaf and nettles, which while good for pregnancy, most herbalists, including me, recommend not be taken until your second and third trimesters,” he stated. “But there’s a few others here that confuse me.”

Shay stood and began to pace. “Like what?”

“She added black cohosh, angelica, motherwort, licorice, and a bit of rosemary to the brew.”

Shay’s wanderings brought her to the window. “And that’s bad?”

“Well…”

“Tell me, please.” It was evident he was reluctant to bad-mouth another professional.

“The herbs by themselves are good for menstrual and menopausal issues but, when taken during pregnancy, can cause miscarriage. Maybe she didn’t tell the vendor she purchased this from that you were pregnant?”

Shay dropped her hand to cover her womb. “How exactly do the herbs work?” she asked, knowing knowledge is power.

“Over time they can cause uterine contractions. Some, like angelica, force your menstrual cycle to come on. Like I said, she may not have known. I do recommend some of these herbs to pregnant women, but only those in their last few weeks. These are some of the herbs I mentioned that help speed and ease labor.” He was talking fast, trying to be reassuring. “You haven’t been drinking the tea long, have you? I think you said she’d just given it to you?”