Red (14 page)

“Installed it myself,” he answered with some satisfaction. “
Weres
have sensitive taste buds as well as noses. Most of us filter out the chemicals the municipal water supply adds to our homes. Or we drill our own wells, but that can be problematic too, depending on what part of the country we’re in. Not all groundwater is clean.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s one of the things I can do,” she admitted with seeming shyness. Steve was intrigued.

“You can purify water?” he asked carefully, not wanting to seem too eager with his questioning. She would tell him what she wanted him to know. He just had to be patient.

“I can call springs. I sense water. I know where it is and if it’s clean or not. If it’s not, I can make it flow places that will clean it—through limestone deposits or sand or whatnot. For instance, I know where the water lies deep underground here. It’s very far down, but there’s a surprising amount of it for the climate. I wouldn’t have expected so much hiding under a desert.

“Really?” Steve was impressed. He tried not to make a big deal out of her words, hoping she’d open up more.

“I can also call rain from the sky. If there are clouds, I can coax them into releasing their bounty.”

“I bet you really enjoy the ocean, huh?” He almost didn’t want to hear her answer because he lived in a desert.

If he had to move to the coast to make his mate happy, he’d do it, but he’d really miss his family and he didn’t want to let them down. He was second-in-command here. If he left, it would leave the Clan diminished. His other brothers would have to step up and most of them were off on their own at the moment, being tomcats. He understood and he wanted to give his younger brothers their time to roam, but his mate’s happiness had to come first.

“Actually, the ocean is a little…overwhelming is the word, I guess. Dad says you get used to it, but I never really have.”

“Is it the salt water? I thought you liked my pool out back.” Steve was trying his best to understand her, but her abilities were like nothing he’d ever imagined.

“No, I really like salt water. It’s softer on my skin and more buoyant. But the ocean is full of life. Life like you can’t even imagine. And I can sense it all. I can talk to some of them too. Dolphins have really good senses of humor. Whales are more grown-up, except for some of the smaller species. And some of those turtles can be downright depressing. They don’t see the world the way we do. It’s interesting, but it’s a lot to take in.”

“Are you sure you aren’t a mermaid?” He sent her a smile, hoping his casual attitude and humor would put her even more at ease. He liked that she was opening up to him. He sensed this wasn’t stuff she talked about with just anyone.

“Nah.” She smiled and wiggled the toes on one foot. “No tail, see?” Then she sobered. “They’re not real too, are they?”

Steve had to laugh. “You’d know better than I, sweetheart. I don’t spend a lot of time in the ocean, though I do love the water.” He drank the last of his juice and put the glass in the sink. “Selkies now, they are real. Your dad might know some of them. A few of them are Navy SEALs. I think they like the irony.”

Trisha laughed and the sound enchanted him. “Selkies are men that turn into seals, right? I think I read a book about Ireland once that mentioned the myth.”

“More than myth,” Steve confirmed. “Those dudes are badass. But they don’t hide their skins like in the old legends. That’s all bunk. They’re shifters, just like the rest of us.” He reconsidered his words and added a caveat. “Well, maybe they have a little more magic than most.”

“Dad never called what we do magic. It sounds like a parlor trick when you use that word, even though I know you’re serious.” She tilted her head and looked kind of adorably embarrassed. “I don’t mean to belittle your beliefs. This is all just a little hard to get used to. I was raised thinking I was a lone freak in a world of mostly normal people.

“First of all, you’re not a freak. You are a wonderfully magical woman with an affinity for water. And if you exist, why didn’t you think others like you, but with different abilities, could exist? And I didn’t take offense, by the way. I know this is all new to you.”

“Dad always said we were the only ones. He never entertained my fantasies about magic and wizards and such when I was a girl. He pretty much outlawed that kind of stuff in our house. Ask Deke.”

Steve frowned and then sighed. “You know we’re going to have to come clean with him sooner or later. Trisha…” He hesitated, not knowing how to phrase what he wanted to say and worried that it was too soon to talk of the future. But the cat inside him clawed at him to speak the words of claim. He’d obey the cat—to a point. “I feel things for you,” he said, not sure where to go from there. He tried again. “Shifters usually know right away when they’ve met someone special.” He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. This wasn’t coming out right at all. “Trish, what I’m trying to say is that I think you’re special. To me. Special to me. And that what we’ve started here is just that. A start. It’s not a fling or a casual anything. It’s serious. Something I treasure and want to continue.”

He rested his hand on the table and she reached out and covered it with one of her own. Her fingers were so small and delicate compared to his. Everything about her enchanted him. Especially her smile as she met his gaze. It gave him hope.

“I’m really glad you said that, because I’m feeling things for you that I’ve never felt for anyone else. Strange things. Magical things—in the best possible sense of the word. It’s like we were meant to make love and be friends.”

“I want to be more than friends, Trisha.” He couldn’t help the way his voice dropped into the rumble range. It was the cat purring inside him at the female’s positive response.

“I think I want that too. I don’t understand it, and I’ve never had this kind of reaction to anyone before in my life, but I’d really like to see where it goes—if you’re feeling the same way, that is.”

Her uncertainty almost made him laugh, but he wouldn’t embarrass her like that. He didn’t want her to misunderstand his reactions. Not now. Not at such an important juncture.

He set his chair back from the table and took her hand, coaxing her to stand and come over to him and then sit on his lap. She followed where he led until she was ensconced in his arms, her luscious thighs spread as she straddled him. He claimed her mouth gently, rubbing their bodies together. It was a tender kiss. A kiss of gentle possession that spoke of his desire and respect for her.

“I definitely feel the same way,” he murmured against her lips when he finally let them both come up for air. “I have never felt the mating urge before, but it hit me the moment your real scent hit me.”

“Scent, huh? When was this?” She drew a few inches away to look into his eyes, one of her delicate eyebrows raised in skepticism.

“After you took that shower at the Pack house. Before that, the chemical was fouling your scent. When you scrubbed it away and your real scent was revealed, well, my knees went weak. I knew then that you were special. Trisha, I think you’re my mate.”

There it was. His heart on a platter, if she only recognized it.

“Mate, huh? That means something special among your people, doesn’t it?” Her expression was very serious and somewhat closed to him, which made him uncomfortable. He hoped he hadn’t said too much.

“It’s very special. As special as you are,” he answered obliquely, kissing her nose and setting her away.

She cooperated, standing when he did, though he would’ve given anything to keep her on his lap and maybe have some kitchen sex to start their day. But the conversation had gotten out of his control and he panicked. Time to change the subject. He needed something to throw her off the trail.

“Do you want to call Deke or shall I?”

Yeah, that did the trick. Her expression went from speculative to frowning in the blink of an eye. She didn’t want to call her brother. That much was obvious. But Steve knew the longer they put it off, the angrier Deke would be. Better to deal with him now, while the situation was still salvageable. Somewhat.

“I guess I’d better. I don’t want to, you understand.” She pointed her finger at him, which he thought was cute. “I’ll take a shower, dress and then we can call him together. I’ll want you nearby for him to yell at when he starts to boil over. Deal?”

Steve nodded, smiling. She knew her brother well. “It’s the least I can do.”

Chapter Seven

Trisha was confused by Steve’s sudden retreat, but she liked what he’d been saying. She thought about their conversation as she tidied up in his shower. He really had a gorgeous house. The shower stall was huge. Tiled in earthy, light-colored stone with a bench and little shelves located out of the direct spray of water. They held bottles of herbal shampoo and soap. It was his shampoo. The scent was subtle. Nothing flowery or feminine about this master suite at all.

She took it as a good sign. If he was in the habit of entertaining female overnight guests in his home, surely there would be some sign of it in the bathroom at least. She’d already looked in the closet and drawers, but only his clothes were in there. She didn’t feel guilty about her snooping. She wanted this guy in her life on a long-term basis. She had a right to check him out. Or so her overprotective brother and father had always taught her. Go into a situation with your eyes open and you won’t be surprised later when things happen.

Only she hadn’t been prepared for repeated attacks on what was supposed to be a quick jaunt to Vegas for a bachelorette party. What had she missed? Or was there any way she could have known this would happen in the first place? Probably not. Heck, she hadn’t even known magical creatures like
weres
and warlocks and such existed.

In retrospect, it seemed kind of stupid of her not to question her father’s adamant refusal to acknowledge magic in any form. He never called what they could do
magic
. He just said they had special gifts and that they were the only ones. She thought now he must have been lying.

That was not an accusation she would make lightly. Not even in the privacy of her own mind. One did not simply call Admiral Morrow a liar.

Trisha finished with her shower quickly. No lazing around in the water, putting off the hard task of calling her family. They needed to know something was wrong. In fact, she was surprised either Deke or her dad hadn’t called already. Those guys had a spooky sixth sense about trouble.

She dressed in one of the casual outfits she’d packed. She was grateful to Steve and his unseen minions who had retrieved her suitcase from the hotel. It was nice to have her own things, and if she was going to stay here much longer, she’d clutter up that pretty master bath with her toiletries. As it was, for now, she was just glad to have clean clothes.

She picked up her cell phone and went downstairs, checking the email and messages as she went, wondering why her family hadn’t already been in touch. She needed to call them…

And then she realized she wouldn’t need to make that call after all.

She heard voices from the living room and knew them both very well indeed. Trisha walked quietly over to the archway that led to the spacious living room and leaned against the frame.

“Hi, Dad.”

Three sets of masculine eyes turned to look at her. Steve was standing by the cold fireplace while Deke had taken up a position to one side and the admiral had faced Steve straight on. Neither of the Morrow men looked happy. In fact, she could tell they were both pissed off. Royally pissed off. At her. At Steve. It didn’t matter when they were in this mood. Everyone in the vicinity was fair game.

“Patricia Anne Morrow, why in the world haven’t you been in touch?”

Uh-oh. The full name. Yeah, her dad was really mad. He only pulled out the full name for special occasions. And they weren’t the good kind of occasions.

“I was going to call you this morning. I just wanted to take a shower first and get dressed. Then I was going to call. I swear.” She held up the phone, still in her hand. Her father seemed unimpressed.

“I thought you were a better man than this, Redstone.” The admiral turned his condemnation on Steve. “You should have called Derek the moment she got into trouble.”

“And just how was he going to explain to Deke—my human half-brother—that a Pack of werewolves helped me escape a magical attack? His hands were tied by the need for secrecy among his kind.”

“The attack was magical?”

Thank goodness, she’d managed to deflect a bit of her father’s anger onto the actual problem at hand. She knew he wouldn’t let it go completely, but he was more of a bottom-line kind of guy. He’d want to know exactly what they were up against and how to counteract it first, before he let loose his fury on all and sundry.

“I believe the drug they used was both mundane and magical,” she declared. “It had a strong anesthetic that had some kind of silver catalyst. And Steve’s friends swear it had a magical component.”

“What friends?” Her father’s clipped words were aimed at Steve.

“Do you know a covert operative named Slade?” Steve paused until her father nodded. “He’s recently joined our Clan. His mate is a priestess of the Lady. They both have high-level magical skills. They can
see
magic. And they said it was all over the women we brought to the Pack house.”