Homecoming (14 page)

~*~

She knew Cal and Daniel were there the minute she turned onto the long drive to their — her — cabin. The smells of tomato sauce and garlic became acute by the time she parked the Jeep and grabbed her bags, stomping up the stairs. They were
cooking
in her home, as if they belonged there, and she wanted them gone.

She stormed into the kitchen to find Cal stirring a large pot on the stove while Daniel did something salad–like at the dinette. She stood in the doorway with her bag in her hands, glaring at them. Cal grunted at her to shut the door.

“What are you two doing here?”

“Dinner,” Daniel said flatly, concentrating on the carrot he was shredding.

Cal nodded. “Dinner.”

Sula didn't move from the doorway. “I see that.”

“So why'd you ask?” Cal threw the question at her, vaguely aggressive but staring at the pot in front of him.

“Why aren't you up at the McBride cabin where you belong? Didn't you all register today? Isn't that your official address?”

Daniel glanced over at Cal, then back. “Because Tony and Lisbeth wanted some alone time. Tony sent us here to let you know that we registered, but I guess we're too late for that.”

“Just by a fucking lot. The whole town knows, everybody who came into the store this evening mentioned it.”

“May I take your bags?” Daniel offered, throwing Sula for a moment.

“No. Don't touch my stuff.” She kicked the door shut behind her and put her grocery sacks on the counter

Cal kept to the sidelines, stirring the pot of tomato sauce. It smelled rich and meaty and Sula's stomach absolutely did not growl.

“We're sorry to have sprung it on you. Are you, ah, okay with that?”

Sula put up a few items before answering. “Sure. Why wouldn't I be?”

“Maybe because you're acting like a pissed off bobcat?” Cal muttered, his eyes on the pot.

“This is my cabin, my
den
, and I come home to find you guys cooking in my kitchen when I expected to be left alone.”

“Forever?” Daniel asked, his voice soft.

Sula glared at him, expecting pity, but his expression was hard to read. “Yeah. I mean you all are officially packed up now. You don't belong here.”

Daniel sighed. There was no challenge in his eyes, but he smelled wary. “We belong where ever our pack is. Place is secondary.”

“Your
place
is this whole damn territory, don't pretend it has anything to do with me or my house.”

Cal banged the spoon against the edge of the pot. “Can't you, just for a few minutes, give us a fucking chance? How far do we have to go to prove ourselves to you?”

“No reason for you to be here. You guys could have just shifted and spent the night under the stars together,” Sula said, not moving.

“I wanted spaghetti, so no.” Cal stirred the pot aggressively.

Daniel shrugged. “He's the cook. He wanted spaghetti.”

Cal finally looked at her, pointing the spoon covered in red sauce at her. “I made enough for three.”

Sula focused on the floor, planning on how the next words out of her mouth would be something along the lines of telling them to fuck off and then stomping up to her room. Instead, she said, “Lisbeth asked me to register.” She snapped her mouth shut in surprise.

Both men stood still, watching her cautiously. Finally Daniel spoke up. “And?”

“I shouldn't. I
can't
.”

Cal snorted and returned to his cooking although his shoulders remained tense. “You can.”

“What did Lisbeth say about it, when she asked?” Dan peered at her.

“She made a compelling argument,” Sula said, rubbing the beads on her wrist. “Like she could make any different kind of argument. She's good at politics, manipulation.”

“Doesn't make her wrong, though. That's what a good alpha bitch does, gets people off their butts to do what's best for the pack.” Cal nodded, the smell of approval drifting off of him.

“I thought that was the job for the Alphas.”

“Depends on who you ask,” Dan answered, a smile tugging at his lips.

Sula reminded herself that she did not find him adorable.

“What does your evil talisman have to say about it?” Cal snapped, eying the beads.

Sula looked at her wrist in surprise. “It's being neutral. I…I think it is concerned I might chuck it if it gets in my way.”

Daniel's eyes narrowed. “Would you?”

Sula shrugged. “I didn't think I had any control over it, but Saturday night put paid to that idea. I do have some say so, and that bothers it.”

“Evil, nasty motherfucker,” Cal grumbled.

“I don't know that for sure.” Sula felt herself bristling, and remembered that she was supposed to arguing with them.

“But you don't know that it isn't.”

“And you know what? That's the main reason I wouldn't throw it away. We don't belong to each other but I'm not entirely sure what it might do without me to hold it in check. Don't get on my case for playing it safe!”

“Have you ever admitted that to anyone before?” Daniel asked, his voice quiet and calm.

Sula shook her head. “No…yes, to Lisbeth, yesterday morning when we talked. But that's the first time. I've always thought it sounds a little crazy.”

“I've touched that thing, it is a black seeping wound of magic.” Cal continued viciously stirring the pot.

“Maybe. I see parts of it you don't. All I am willing to say for certain is that it's powerful.”

Daniel just nodded. “I'm honored that you felt safe enough to share that with us.”

Cal snorted and rolled his eyes. “You
would
be.”

“Cal,” Daniel snapped, and Cal shuffled closer to the stove, his jaw tight.

She knew how dangerous it was for her to make the kind of connections she wanted, to even think about settling down. Her friendship with Lisbeth had blossomed and solidified due to their mutual need to wander as much as because of their genuine fondness for each other. Lisbeth, though, had become well and truly tied to a pack and a territory, and Sula was unsure of what that meant for herself. She had always assumed, deep in her heart, that when such a time came that she would simply pick up and move on, a sad but inevitable conclusion to their friendship.

But she was realizing with a combination of fear and desperation that she really did not want to leave.

“So you'll stay for dinner?” Daniel asked politely, turning away from Cal.

Startled by his apparent ability to read her mind, she looked at him in direct challenge. “My house, I'm staying.”

“Then find the damn colander, I have no idea where you guys hid it, I can't find it,” Cal complained, waving the spoon at the cabinets. “Pasta is boiling. Dinner in five.”

Daniel smirked at her in triumph.

Sula grumbled as she pulled the colander out and then put up her own groceries, second guessing her decision to stay with every move. Daniel set the table with bowls for the pasta and small plates of salad. They all sat down to eat in silence.

Sula enjoyed the quiet time, but it soon became apparent that the guys were having trouble keeping their snouts closed, which Sula figured was par for the course with werewolves. “You guys registering today is all over town, all anyone can talk about,” she offered, to put them out of their misery.

Cal nodded. “Even Lisbeth. She went alone this afternoon, but she showed Tony the receipt. She's legal.”

Sula sucking a huge breath. She had been expecting it, but it still hit her hard. “That explains them wanting to be alone.”

Daniel bobbed his head. “It's as close to legal marriage as we get. We'll have a traditional celebration in the spring, but as far as Hartsville is concerned, Tony is Alpha and Lisbeth is Alpha–Bitch and they control over 3,000 square miles of mountains. Including Roosevelt National Forest.”

Cal rolled his eyes. “Daniel's pretty stoked about that.”

“It's a great honor and a responsibility,” Daniel said primly.

Sula stirred the food on her plate. “Fred, the guy I work with, thinks I'm a werewolf.”

“Man's got taste,” Cal said with smug nod, twitching when Daniel kicked him under the table.

“He was okay with it. I didn't correct him, but I figured it was close enough to the truth. He didn't run away in terror.”

“Most people usually don't, Sula,” Daniel said. “Even if we frighten them, we're legal and we're not underground, we're not scary fairy tales living secretly in the woods.”

“Different for werewolves.”

“Possibly. But you're really not giving anyone a fair chance to know you, to learn about you.”

Cal's eyes were moving back and forth between them but he stayed quiet. Sula looked back over at Daniel. “Fred's not a fair judge of the situation, he's worked with me for months.”

“We've known you for more than a day, you know,” Cal mumbled.

“It's not that easy.”

Daniel put his fork down and something about it sparked Sula's defenses. She sat back a little to watch him. He leaned over and grabbed Cal's wrist. “Drop it.”

Cal let go of his fork with a startled yelp that was out of proportion to the hold Daniel had on him. They locked eyes for a moment and Cal seemed to crumple, folding up on himself with a look of utter desolation. Not letting go of his wrist, Daniel stood up. “We're leaving.”

Sula scooted back further in her chair to look at them. “What?”

“It's clear you aren't even willing to try. I imagine you're already considering what to pack, and when exactly you'll leave. After your cash your next paycheck? That's fine, it makes sense, you'll need the money, but we're not going to wallow on our backs here, waiting for you to leave us.”

Sula's stomach dropped, the food she had just eaten turning to stone. They were leaving her, just like she had thought she wanted. It was a horrible feeling and she clutched at her jeans, because it turned out to be not what she wanted at all.

Cal glanced over at her, clearly in full beta mode, shy and timid. “Bye.”

Daniel headed for the door, dragging Cal behind him.

Sula was on her feet before she could rationalize her way out of it. “No!”

Daniel turned and Sula suddenly saw why Cal rolled over for him. He was tense and focused, his eyes glittering with anger as he held himself still. Energy was radiating off of him and it was breathtaking how imposing even a beta like him could be when he tried. “Why?” He snapped the word out and Cal scuttled a little to place himself behind Daniel, who had seemed to grow two sizes in the space of two steps towards the door.

Sula's mouth went dry. Bracelet rattled against her, pushing her to let them go, but not hard enough to stop her brain from swirling in despair and loneliness. “Please, no.”

Daniel remained unmoved. “
Why
?”

“I…I'll try. For you, for Cal, for Lisbeth. I want to. I just don't know how!” Sula locked her jaw, trying for defiant instead of pathetic.

Daniel didn't move but his expression softened. “All we're asking is that you try. We can show you how but you have to want that, you need to let us teach you. We can't…we won't stay if you are unable to give us that much.”

Sula nodded, tired of fighting herself, tired of Bracelet's manipulations, tired of being
alone
. “Yes. Yes, okay, please don't go.” She stared at her plate, where the pasta was getting cold and sticky, and slumped back down into her chair.

Daniel led Cal back to the table and they sat down.

About the time they all managed to clear their plates, Daniel cleared his throat. “Come out and play with us tonight.”

Sula turned to him. “
What
?”

“Play. Shift.” Cal said loudly. “Come out to play with us.” He crossed his arms defensively, never taking his eyes off of Daniel.

She did not know whether to laugh at them or yell.

“You've said that you don't play, we know that.” Daniel spoke quietly, looking out of kitchen window.

“Then why ask?” Sula shook her head. “Seriously, why bother? I said I was willing to try, not burn the place down—”

Cal snorted. “Try to scare the shit out of us, you mean.”

Sula ground her teeth. “And see how well that's working!”

“Is our attraction to you that awful? Is it so far out of your understanding?” Daniel asked, a note of frustration in his voice.

“Attraction to me? No. But what you want out of toying with a wild bear in the woods…that I don't understand. It's insanity.”

“You're not a wild bear.” Cal looked confused, but avoided her eyes.

She sighed. “Is this just about getting into my pants? Because you don't need to flatter the bear to get to the woman.” She waved a hand over herself. “Or is this adding a notch to your belt? You just want to say you fucked a bear and lived to tell about it?”

Cal sat back, stunned. Daniel looked completely lost for a second. “When you said you'd try, I didn't think it meant you'd try to insult us from the start,” he snapped.

Cal, though, was not shy anymore about holding back since the door had been opened. “What the hell?” He snarled. “For fucks sake, it's part of you! It's you! We want you! Not the shell of the shifter that damn bracelet lets through. I'd rip the thing off of you if I thought you'd let me live afterward.” He leaned forward and grabbed her shoulders, as if to shake her. “Yeah, it's about you being a bear, and about you being you, with your damn berry shakes and your smooth dancing and Jesus fuck, you are so beautiful.”

She shoved him back. “But the bear in me is dangerous!” Sula was so frustrated she wanted to scream, her desire for them ripping her resolutions to shreds even as she argued about it.

Daniel nodded his head. “Yes, we do. I fail to understand why you can't accept that is part of what makes you so beautiful.”

Sula shook her head.

“Sula.” Daniel's voice was deep and firm, causing Cal to flinch a little. Sula sighed and shook her head. “
Sula
,” Daniel repeated, leaning forward to take her face in his hands. She was confused all the way into the kiss.

Unlike the way Cal had kissed her Sunday morning in the yard, Daniel went slowly as he pressed his mouth to hers. He let his own nature lose, the animal energy pulsing out of him, lapping against her soul like a gentle but strong tide she could not fight without sinking further into it. Bracelet flared briefly, causing her to cringe away from Daniel, but he held on and followed, refusing to back off from their kiss. It was within her power to break it off and walk away and there was nothing they could do to stop her, but she leaned into Daniel's heat with a longing she did not recognize. She had to gasp for air eventually, tipping her face up and only then registering the smell of the room, dank with desire and sweat and pheromones. The men were drenched with worry and lust. It was all she could do not to pull the odor into her nostrils and be drunk with it.