Death eBook 9.8.16 (12 page)

Nodding, I said, “Yes.”

“Do, um, do you want to tell me how all this works?”

Sitting straighter in the chair, I took her hand and explained, “Many centuries ago, it was prophesied we would find our true mated halves. Because of all we do for the world, it was foretold our mates would be ones to complete us in every way. Our minds would be at peace with living out an existence on earth with our mates at our sides. They would also be the ones to carry the next generation of the horsemen, leaving my brothers and me to settle into a life of acceptance, love, and tranquility.” I licked my dry lips, watching and waiting for Julie to panic again. When I saw no sign of it, I continued, “It has been so long, my brothers and I actually forgot about the prophecy. Thank fuck, after the first one hundred years passed, we leaned toward not believing it, before forgetting about it. Little did we know they hadn’t been born as yet.” I fell silent and watched my mate tap her chin, deep in thought.

“And the”—dropping my hand from hers, she threw her hands in the air and circled them—“one who saw this as a prophecy picked me to be your mate?”

“Yes.”

She snorted. “I guess you lucked out.”

My heart dropped. “What do you mean, Julie? Do you not want me?” God, I sounded like a pussy.

She quickly shook her head. My heart slowly crept up my ribs, heading for my throat. She cleared her voice. “No, I-I mean, they could have picked anyone for you yet you got stuck with me.”

Anger flared inside me. Glaring, I snapped, “I think they’ve done a bloody good job of it.”

She blushed, bit her bottom lip, and looked to her lap.

Reaching out, I took her hand in mine once more, and when I had her eyes, I asked, “Do you feel nothing for me?”

Her blush deepened. “I, gosh, I don’t know what I feel.” I cringed. “But,” she added, “like I said, there is something. I know your touch, your voice, your scent… everything about you calls to me in a way I don’t understand.” She shrugged. “I also know I wouldn’t like another woman touching you, tasting you, and even smelling you.” She laughed without humor. “Which is crazy. I mean, I’ve never gone cray-cray over a guy like this before. However, I could honestly say I would cut a witch if they tried anything on you.”

She rolled her eyes at my wide, smug smile. I asked, “Now can you understand
my
behavior at your house?” Her eyes widened, so I knew it had dawned on her. “I saw red when I felt your desire for my brother, so much so I was ready to kill him. I had to get you away from him.”

“Wait, what? I never felt
desire
for Falcone.” She shook her head and then smiled. “What it was, was the desire for the feeling of being protected, safe, and comforted by another. My mother was never the nurturing type unless others were watching.”

“So you don’t like him?”

“Sure, I like him.” She smirked.

I glared and rumbled, “
Julie
.”

“Don’t get your jockeys in a twist.” She sat up straight and gasped. “Hang on, how did you feel what I was feeling at the time?”

“We’re a mated pair. During extreme situations, I am able to read what you are feeling.”

“The kitchen,” she whispered.

Clearing my throat, I nodded. “Both of our feelings were at play in there, which was why it was so intense and… the best it has ever been.”

“Wow, okay, ah, wow. Will it always be like that?”

Moving my hand from gripping hers, I slowly slid my fingers up her arm and watched her body shiver. A shot of pleasure ran through both of us. When I glided my fingers into her hair, I tugged her forward and kissed her. She moaned around my mouth on hers.

Reluctantly, I pulled back and smiled. “Yes, it will always be like that.”

Her eyes widened. “That could just kill me.”

Chuckling, I said, “I won’t let it.”

She shifted back in the chair and my hand fell to my thigh. Her brows drew down before she asked, “Isn’t it all strange for you? I mean, from the gist of things, you will be stuck with me forever, and that actually means
forever
, right?” I nodded. “I-I, this, us. I get it, in a way, um….” While she struggled with her words, dread filled my veins. “Ah, are we actually mated? Like, is it final?”

Sitting back, I schooled my own features and answered, “No, not until we share blood after the mating words pass our lips, and unfortunately, we don’t have the knowledge, as yet, of those words. The book has been lost.” I looked away and then back again, my posture stiff, my next words certain. “We will find the book.”

“Share blood?” Her eyes widened a fraction in worry.

“Not a lot. I don’t have to bite you or anything, we cut our hands and join them together.”

Her cheeks tinted and she gave me a small nod. “Okay, so, um, would you, do you think you could give me some time to adjust to this, to process everything?” She must have seen the panic in my eyes because she added, “This has nothing to do with you. I promise. You’re handsome. You’re perfect. Even if you leave the toilet seat up, I just… this is a lot to take in when I’m worried about your fifth brother out there. He’s planning something, we all know this, and it leaves me worried—” She cut her words off.

“What, my jewel, what leaves you worried? You know I will do anything to keep you safe. He will not harm you. I promise you this.”

Fear flashed in her eyes. “That’s what I’m worried about. If I tie myself to you forever and he ends up managing to do something to you, I won’t survive it. The thought alone could bring me to my knees. I’m not used to feeling this way, Dean. I need time, maybe even go on a few dates, get to know one another.”

“After the time you have, what answer will I get? Will you stay with me, bind with me and be mated with me for the rest of our lives?” Her hesitance cut me.

“I would like to say yes, I would, but I need the time to wrap my head around a few things. Dean, please understand, I’m not shutting you out, but you have to know, have to understand, all of this is not something a normal person would hear every day.”

Searching her face for deceit, I only saw a hunger for me to understand. Logically, I did. Though, I just had to get my heart to come to terms with my mind. Because right then, my heart hurt when it beat. My stomach rolled with fear of losing her.

Still, I nodded and told her what my plans would be. “Take your time, Julie. But know you will still be spending your time in my rooms.” I held up my hand before she started to say something. “I’m not saying in my bed, where I wish you to be. You’ll still be in your room, but I would like to dine together, to get to know one another, which I think would help show you, fate, and everyone that we were meant to be.” As soon as she nodded, I stood, kissed her temple, and walked out of the room.

All I had to do was keep to my promise to give her time.

Chapter Ten

JULIE

I’d waited a solid twenty minutes after Dean left before I allowed myself to move. Watching him walk away, knowing I had hurt him, was killing me on the inside. It was the single hardest thing I had ever done. My skin actually crawled with the need to follow him. Comfort him. Which scared the hell out of me, even more than any of the unrealistic stuff they’d told me. We’d only known each other two days, for Krispy Kreme’s sake!

But even as my head told me I was right, that it was all insanely fast and, well, insane, my heart, body, and soul knew everything the four brothers told me, every word, was true. And I knew how crazy it was that I was falling fast and hard for a fantasy man of folklore. I’d gone about what I wanted wrongly. I didn’t want him to think I didn’t want what we had. I did. I just needed to process it, take the time to get to know him, in case he thought fate had chosen the wrong woman for him. Getting to know one another wasn’t so bad, was it?

Heck. What I really needed was to get out of my head until I caught up with the rest of me. On that thought, I made my way from the meeting room to Dean’s apartment to find something to eat and to lose myself in some work.

I was in the process of a final read through of Teresa Gabelman’s latest manuscript and was in tears of laughter when Falcone entered the room.

“There’s my happy girl,” he announced, joining me at the kitchen table after a quick kiss on my cheek.

“You really have a death wish.” I laughed and stood to warm my coffee while I made him a cup.

“You learn pretty quickly when you live as long as we have to make your own fun whenever you can. I have no illusions that my brothers will be kind to me when it is my turn to meet my mate. Might as well enjoy the opportunity to annoy him while I can.” He smiled and took a sip of the coffee I’d just handed him before I sat back with him and he continued, “Besides, I came to see if you wanted to go for a walk before Dean gets back. I noticed your beautiful garden the day we met, and thought you’d enjoy walking in ours.”

I perked up at this. I had been busy with work and the boys, and only now did I notice I’d been cooped up in Dean’s apartment since I arrived. “First off, the garden is my bestie Fallon’s baby. Without her, my front yard would still be a mound of dirt and weeds. No lie. It’s like she’s part garden gnome. Wait. Are those real too, garden gnomes?”

Once Falcone stopped chuckling he finally answered, “No. Neither are vampires or werewolves, and Nessie died over a hundred years ago.” My face must have been epic because his goofy laugh was back in full force. “Let’s go downstairs for some fresh air and—what do the kids say these days? Some 411?”

It was my turn to laugh. “If the kids are thirty-five years old, then yes, that’s what they’re saying. Should we let Dean know, or maybe leave him a note?”

“Don’t worry, I will let him know once we’re down there.” He winked and tapped his temple.

I gave him an inquisitive look, raising my brow, but saved my questions for when we settled downstairs.

* * * *

We walked for a good twenty minutes, admiring the flowers as Falcone entertained me with funny historical facts, before we found a pair of secluded adirondack chairs to settle into. The things he told me were crazy. I’d discovered no one really knows who officially invented the fire hydrant, because the patent was burned in a fire. The irony was not lost on me. Also, that Falcone’s friend Voltaire, who was an eighteenth-century writer, historian, and philosopher, was asked to renounce Satan on his deathbed. Apparently, his last words were: “This is no time for making new enemies.”

“I’m sure you have tons of questions,” Falcone started.

“Only a few hundred or so,” I joked and rolled my eyes.

“Fire away,” he prompted.

With a deep breath, I thought of what I wanted to know the most and began, “Okay, you call each other brothers, but are you actual blood
c
brothers? Do you have any other siblings out there? Are the rest of the Navah gone now?”

He smiled. “No, as far as we know. Yes, and yes,” he answered quickly with a mock severity that cracked as soon as I registered the answers and shouted, “
There’s more of you?
”

“No.” He laughed. “But some of our mothers went on to have families after we were born. I myself had a beautiful younger sister who I got to cherish and raise when our mother and her father both died of influenza, just after her third birthday. It was so hard to watch her grow old and pass on, but I wouldn’t trade the time we had for anything. I watched over her descendants for many centuries, till the 1950s. Poor Jonathon made it through the war only to be killed barely four years later by a drunk driver, two weeks before his wedding. It was like I lost Faustina all over again.” I reached over and held his hand as he composed himself. It seemed, even after a millennium, the loss of a loved one was still felt. The memories never faded and were forever honored, safeguarded in one’s heart and mind. It was good to know.

Falcone cleared his throat. “So, what else did you want to ask?” he queried, needing a change in conversation that I was more than willing to provide.

“Why are you all in LA? Not New York, Paris, or London. I thought you would be most needed in Africa and places struggling with food supplies, not Tinsel Town.”

“We have always been stronger as a team. We settle where we are most needed, but at times, when secessary, we travel in pairs. Even though we’re impossible to kill, we can still be seriously injured.” His severe tone made me think it had happened in the past and was the reason they traveled in pairs. An image of Warren standing at the end of the couch popped into my mind. His scars held a story, a story linked to Falcone’s words.

Shaking my head, I asked, “Impossible to kill?” But not impossible to hurt. Warren’s scars were proof of that. In other words, worry would always be present when Dean, and even his brothers, went out to do whatever they did for humankind.

“Well, after all you have seen and heard this week, you should know by now nothing is impossible,” Falcone boasted.

“Okay, but that doesn’t explain LA of all places.”

“That would be another of fabulous Falcone’s history lessons.” He grinned. “You see, after we captured Kayne, we needed to find him some place secure to stay while we searched for a cure, or at least I had hoped to find one. Though, I don’t think my brothers will support my search if he continues to kill innocents.

“Anyway, this part of the world held only a few tribes in the 1300s and was surrounded by fault lines, mountains, deserts, rivers, and oceans. Those all helped strengthen the seal on Kayne’s tomb. We watched the development of the area closely for many years. When the rail line finally made its way out here 500 years or so later, the population boomed from five thousand to a hundred thousand in under thirty years. We knew it was time to relocate closer. After Warren wrapped up the Treaty of Versailles, we headed back to what was now the United States of America. Once in New York, we temporarily settled for a while, waiting for the library to be packed and transported in small inconspicuous lots. It also allowed Connor time to wreak a little havoc on the stock market.” He paused and shot me a wink.