Lost Without Them (15 page)

Keegan smiled slightly. “Touché.”

She looked over at the man she called Vincent. “I only just minutes ago got my memory back. I wasn’t able to tell them anything because I didn’t know anything.” She turned back to Sam and took a deep breath before speaking. “I think I’m falling in love with you. Both of you. Those dreams that I had. They were glimpses of the future. I could see us, feel us. I could sense the love we have for one another.” Her breath caught, and all the color drained from her face. “Oh my God. Sam. I’ve seen your death.”

* * * *

Keegan almost dropped to the floor as the images of Sam getting ripped to shreds by the were-shifter raced through her mind. She turned quickly to Vincent, who looked just as surprised as she did.

“Can I change it?” she asked.

Sam came to stand next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, beg him to stay inside the house until this whole thing was resolved, but deep down, she knew he wouldn’t.

“Vincent?” she pleaded.

Vincent looked to Sam and then back to Keegan. “I don’t see it, Keegan.”

“Maybe you were mistaken,” Dmitry said from his position by the fireplace.

Keegan shook her head as a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye. “I wasn’t mistaken. I saw the wolf attack…” Keegan turned back to Sam, her face pale, her eyes wide. “I saw the wolf bite you.”

Sam’s eyebrow rose. “Are you saying you think I’ll become a were-shifter?”

“Keegan.” Vincent walked over and cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. “Don’t let this freak you out. It doesn’t always happen the way you see it. Sometimes it changes.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Just the fact that you think it might happen will cause you to do things differently. You can stop it.”

“Or what I do may be the cause of it,” Keegan said in alarm.

Cody stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “Keegan, listen to me,” he whispered. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

“Guys, can we have a few minutes alone with Keegan?” Sam asked.

Vincent nodded and curled his finger, indicating the other two should follow him out the front door and onto the porch.

Keegan turned and held on to Cody as if her life depended on it. She was terrified now of losing them. Not because of the wolves but because of what they’d learned about her. Could they accept what she was?

Sam put his hand on her back. “Keegan, look at me.”

Keegan pulled away from Cody and wiped the tears from her cheeks with both hands. Taking in a shaky breath, she looked over at Sam. She didn’t see what she expected to see, and her heart leaped. Maybe they did stand a chance. Maybe this would all work out.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

Sam frowned. “For what?”

“For all of this.”

“I’m not upset about that,” Sam whispered. “None of this is your fault. We’re the ones who brought you here. We’re the ones who seduced you. You can’t change who you are, and it’s who you are that…”

Keegan swallowed as she waited nervously for what he would say. He put his finger under her chin and lifted it.

“That I’m falling in love with.”

Keegan smiled slightly at his admission. “It’s happened so fast,” she whispered.

“Yeah, but it still feels right.”

“Same here,” Cody said as he grasped her hand in his and brought her fingers to his lips.

A warm tingle traveled up her arm as his lips touched her skin. “I don’t want anything to happen to either of you. If it did, I would never forgive myself because I brought it here. I brought them here.”

“You might’ve brought them to Montana, but we’re the ones who brought you to the ranch. This isn’t your fault,” Cody argued. “No matter what happens, it was never your fault.”

“Do not start second-guessing yourself,” Sam said in a firm voice. “You do whatever it is you would normally do. Cody and I will be fine.”

“Yeah, but—”

“No buts,” Sam interrupted firmly. “If you’re worried about me, you’ll make mistakes.”

Keegan nodded, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to not worry.

“Now,” Sam said as he took a slight step back and dropped his hand. “Just who are those two out there to you?”

Keegan’s eyes widened. “Are you jealous?”

“No,” Sam said. “I just want to know what I’m up against.”

She took each of their hands into hers. “You’re not up against anything.” Her glance moved from one to the other. She leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on Cody’s lips, then moved to do the same for Sam. “Dastan and Dmitry are guardians, nothing more. They’ve protected me, been my tutors, been my friends, but I’ve never thought of them in the same way that I think of you. Not once. So you see,” she said with a grin. “You have nothing to worry about.”

“I’m not worried,” Sam murmured. He brought his mouth close to hers. Keegan’s stomach fluttered when his lips brushed over hers. Her mouth parted, and she waited, breathless, for him to deepen the kiss. “I had no intention of letting you go regardless of who I had to fight to keep you.”

His lips covered hers, and every part of her flared with heat both from the kiss and from what he’d said. He would fight for her. That made her whole body tingle with happiness.

Sam pulled away, and before she could even catch her breath, Cody gripped her chin and turned her to face him. His kiss was softer, more sensual, but then that was Cody. Keegan moaned and lifted her arms around Cody’s neck as she returned his kiss. She pressed her body along his length, enjoying the warmth of his skin as it seeped into hers. Cody wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as he pressed his thickening cock into her stomach.

God, she wanted to keep going. She wanted them to take her like they had last night. Both of them inside her had been unlike anything she’d ever felt, and she wanted to experience it again more than anything.

Cody broke away and rested his forehead against hers. He sighed and kissed the tip of her nose. Sam put his hands on her shoulders from behind and gave them a gentle squeeze. She was right where she belonged: sandwiched between them. It didn’t matter that it had only been days. She knew it deep in her gut.

“What’s your world like?” Cody asked softly.

“It exists parallel to yours. Sort of like a separate dimension. Some even call it a protected dimension.” She pulled back and smiled at him. “Things are different there. There’re no cars. We don’t need them. There’s not really much technology. Things are slower there. Less hectic, more…magical.”

“I would like to see it,” Sam whispered in her ear. “Can we go there?”

She glanced back at him over her shoulder. “Of course. Vincent’s wife is there.”

“Is she really like us?” Cody asked. “Mortal. And if we’re mortal, what does that make you?”

“She is just like you, and to answer your second question, I’m not immortal. I’m just able to stop my body’s aging process by using magic. I can still die. I just don’t age, and so long as I don’t have an accident or get shot, I will remain this way. I can do the same for you.”

“At what age did you stop aging?” Cody asked.

“Twenty-seven.”

Cody cupped her cheek. “Five years younger than me. Seven younger than Sam.”

Keegan smiled. “I always liked older men.”

“Well,” Cody teased. “Technically we’re younger.”

Sam chuckled. “Who would’ve thought? Us with a cougar.”

Keegan giggled. Wrapping one arm around Cody’s neck, she hugged him. With her other hand, she reached behind her and touched Sam’s cheek. Sam leaned down and kissed her neck, making her feel warm and fuzzy all over.

“So what’s next?” Sam asked as he stepped away and slapped her on the ass.

Keegan winced and moved from Cody’s arms. That slap to her bottom had caused her desire to rise to the surface, and she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. Perhaps they should explore that later.

“Keegan?” Sam asked as he studied her with amusement.

A blush crept over her cheeks at the trail her thoughts had gone down. “Oh, sorry. I’m not sure.”

They all heard the growl at the same time. Keegan tensed. “Damn,” she whispered. “They’re back.”

Keegan rushed out the front door, Sam and Cody close behind her. Dastan and Dmitry had shifted into wolves and stood on either side of Vincent. Several feet away, close to the barn, were three were-shifters.

With a frown, Keegan moved to lean against the porch railing. Sam moved to stand next to her. Cody also moved to stand close.

“Cody and I each shot one the night Keegan was attacked,” Sam said.

“You can only kill them if you sever the head. So unless your shot hit them in the spinal cord at the base of the neck, cutting it in two, they were able to recover,” Vincent said over his shoulder.

“Show yourselves,” Vincent demanded. “So we can talk.”

The one in the middle took human form, and Keegan gasped. She narrowed her eyes at Connor, her mother’s right hand. “You son of a bitch,” she yelled.

“What?” Sam asked confused. “Do you know him?”

“He controls the council seat at the right of my mother,” Keegan snarled.

“This is unexpected,” Vincent drawled, his casual tone a stark contrast to the tense readiness of his body. “When did you pull this off, Connor, and how the hell did you hide it?”

Connor’s thin lips spread into a nasty smile. “You’re not the only one who’s proficient in black magic, Vincent. Perhaps if you paid more attention to your practices and less to your wife, you would’ve picked up on this sooner.”

Keegan straightened. “Uh-oh.”

“What?” Cody whispered beside her.

“If they all three know black magic, we’re in trouble. We’re outnumbered.”

“How is Stacy, by the way?” Connor murmured.

Vincent’s fingers balled into fists, and Keegan ran forward, putting her hand on his arm. “He’s just goading you. You know where she is.”

Vincent relaxed. Sam moved off the porch and walked slowly just a few feet to the left of Vincent and the black wolf, Dmitry. Very slowly, Dmitry moved to stand closer to Sam.

“How did you manage this?” Keegan asked. “You’re a shifter. How the hell were you on the council?”

“I was orphaned as a baby,” Connor said. “The family that took me in as their own used black magic to camouflage my shifting abilities. I could only shift here, in this world. Your mother took everything from me. My heritage. My family. My birthright.”

“Why?” Keegan asked.

“That’s for her to answer,” Connor snarled. “Once you’ve turned, you’ll know everything that happened. Every memory of mine will be transferred to you. Then you’ll know just how ruthless and evil your mother really is.”

He made a move toward Keegan. Vincent shifted, putting himself more fully in front of her. Sam and Cody both raised their guns, ready to fire at any movement.

Connor stopped and turned to glare at Sam. “You may have killed one of us, but you won’t kill another.”

With a flick of Connor’s hand, the wolf to his left leaped toward Sam. Keegan’s heart almost stopped. This was it. This was what she’d seen in her dream. Sam got off one shot. The wolf yelped but kept coming. Sam had only nicked him. The wolf was just moving too fast.

Thinking quickly, Keegan yelled, “
Fornasha!
” With a wave of her hand, she sent the wolf flying across the ground. He rolled three times before coming to his feet and snarling in their direction.

“Do you really think your piddly magic tricks are going to work?” Connor asked with a laugh. “Give me a break.”

He raised his hand and sent Keegan flying backward onto the porch. She hit the front door and groaned as pain shot up her spine. Cody and Sam both rushed to her side.

“Please, you have to get out of here,” she pleaded as they helped her to her feet.

“No,” they said in unison.

“We’re not leaving you,” Sam murmured as he gave her a pointed look she knew meant there would be no more arguing.

“Keegan,” Vincent yelled as he held his hand out.

Sam looked angry, but Keegan knew Vincent would need her help. She put her hand on his arm. “I’ll be fine.”

She went to Vincent’s side and put her hand in his just as Connor raised his palm to strike again. This time Vincent was prepared and threw up a wall, protecting them. Connor’s blast bounced back into him, throwing him a good thirty feet toward the barn.

The were-shifters began to slowly close in. The wall would protect them only from magic, not the shifters. Keegan took a step back, but Vincent held tight to her hand, not letting her go and forcing her to stand her ground.

“Show no fear, little one,”
Vincent said in her mind.

Keegan steeled her spine and lifted her chin. She might feel fear, but she wouldn’t show it.

“How are we going to fight him?”
she asked.

“As best we can.”

Vincent gave her hand a squeeze, and she took in a deep, reassuring breath. Had she changed Sam’s fate? Or was that still to come? The sun set behind the mountains, casting the front yard into dark shadow. Thank God the ranch hands were at the other end of the ranch. The last thing they needed was an audience. It was bad enough that Sam and Cody were caught in the middle of this.

A shot was fired from behind them, and Keegan squealed in surprise. She turned to her right to see the wolf fall to the ground, the gaping hole in his neck spilling blood on the ground.

“One down,” Cody snarled.

The other wolf growled menacingly. He crouched low, getting ready to lunge toward Sam, who stood at the bottom of the steps. Connor took advantage of the moment and threw another shot at the wall. It wavered, distorting the scenery on the other side, but the hit was hard enough to make it weaken.

Keegan took her eyes off Sam for a split second to watch the wall, the only protection between themselves and Connor. It was in that split second that it happened. She heard Cody yell for Sam to move. She turned just as the wolf leaped through the air, his front paws landing against Sam’s chest. A shot was fired just before Sam landed on his back with a groan of pain.