Marc (19 page)

Khan laughed and kissed his mom again. His
dad was telling Jonny what a great kid she was, but still only a kid, and
slapped Marc on the back. Khan walked to Jonny and kissed her cheek. She looked
up at him, as serious as he had ever seen her.

“I need to pledge to you. I think it’s
stupid and a little on the barbaric side, but you seem to need it from me. But
I want more of a reason. I’ll do it, but there should be more of a reason for
me to do it than because I have to.” She glanced at his mom. “I want you to
tell me what I’ll get out of this, and not what you’ll get out of it.”

He thought about telling her she’d get
to be a member of his family, but looked around and saw that she already was. A
huge part of his family, as a matter of fact. Then he thought of something
Caitlynne had told him after he’d made her pledge to him, and thought that Jonny
more than likely needed the same thing.

“When Caitlynne lay dying in my arms, I
had never felt more helpless or more pissed in my life. This woman had refused
to pledge to me because she told me later that I had made it sound not like she
was pledging anything but submitting to me. She said that all it sounded to her
was that I was going to get this connection to her and that I was going to be
able to call to her cat and that I was going to be able to find her if she was
missing. She said that it was hard to give up what she didn’t feel I deserved
but had demanded of her.”

“What did you tell her, Khan, just shut
up and do it my way?” She snorted, a habit he was beginning to see that she was
using instead of cursing at him. “I’m betting you put her into her place,
didn’t you?”

He laughed. “Have you met Caitlynne? The
only person that put her into her place is Caitlynne. She’s harder on herself
than you are, and honey you are hard on yourself. But in answer to your
question, no, I didn’t. Well, that’s not true, I did, but I amended it later. I
spoke to her again after I met Monica.”

“He told me that I was gaining more than
he was.” Caitlynne walked up beside him as she continued speaking to Jonny. “Not
only did I get all the things that he’d gain from me, such as the ability to
contact and call my cat, but that I’d have his heart. He said that when a
person pledged to a leader of a family, they were bound to him, nothing more,
just bound. But when someone pledged to him that was a mate to his brothers,
they got a large chunk of his heart as well. Because they loved and cherished
the most important people he knew, his blood family.”

Jonny grinned at him when he flushed. Cheeky
girl was going to be the death of him, he knew it. When she bent on one knee,
everyone around them grew quiet, even the insects and birds. She held up her
right hand and offered it to him. He realized then that she’d been reading on
the old traditions.

“Khan Bowen, leader of the Bowen family
and blood brother to my mate Marc Bowen, I give to you my pledge freely and
willingly. I also give to you my children until such time that they can decide
to pledge to you as well. I, Jonny Erma Thomas Bowen, give you all that I have
to offer.” She looked up at him when she had recited the words that he’d never
heard said to him before. “You old softy.”

He decided right then and there that he
was going to make her life a living hell, then glanced over at the other three
women in his life and changed his mind. If the four of them ever got together
to hatch a plan to get back at him, he might not survive it. He was sure he
wouldn’t. They seemed to have formed their own little click, and he was afraid
of it. Looking at his mated brothers as they watched the women, he was pretty
sure that they had the same thought. All of them might be the stronger males in
this family, but none of them were going to fuck with the women. Ever.

Khan went to his dad and hugged him. The
man was a pain in the ass, and he never knew when to quit, but he was the best
father he’d ever had, and told him so.

“You do know that I am your only father,
right?” Khan nodded, and his dad stared. “I suppose if I asked you to explain,
you’d just tell me some bull story about it being about love and all.”

Khan nodded and followed his entire
family into the house. He was a man who was in love. In love with life, his
family, and with himself. Then he remembered what his mom had said and groaned.
What the hell else could happen?

About the Author

Kathi Barton, author of the bestselling
series Force of Nature, lives in Nashport, Ohio with her husband Paul. In
addition to writing full time Kathi likes to spend time with her eight
grandkids, three children and three children-in-laws. She writes to relax and
have fun.  

Her muse, a cross between Jimmy Stewart
and Hugh Jackman brings them to life for her readers in a way that has them
coming back time and again for more. Her favorite genre is paranormal romance
with a great deal of spice. You can visit Kathi on line and drop her an email
if you’d like. She loves hearing from her fans.
[email protected]
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