ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (204 page)
Authors: Elisa Elliot
Gayle handed him his card, and the other three did the same. The man made them disappear somewhere inside his jacket. Without a word he pressed an invisible button with his foot. Cara watched in amazement as the side of the loading dock began to slide open. To the naked eye it would have looked like just a crack in the concrete. The four of them looked down a flight of steps leading into the ground. Gayle’s eyes gleamed with excitement, but Cara and Mark glanced at each other with concern. The sound of music was louder.
Gayle began down the stairs first, then Richie. Mark took Cara’s hand in his and they walked down together. A soft amber light lit the way. Cara looked back once as she heard the concrete closing behind her.
Another man met them at a door at the bottom of the stairs. His face, like the man above ground, was an impenetrable mask. Cara guessed him to be Middle Eastern. He pushed a series of numbers on a number pad mounted on the wall. Two metal doors slid open, and Cara took a step backwards as music, voices, and strange sounds and smells accosted her senses. Mark’s grip tightened on her hand and the foursome stepped into Crimson.
Soft light of varying color moved and touched pale perfect bodies as they danced. The dance floor was lower than the level they currently stood on, but three broad flat steps were all that were required to reach those undulating forms.
Gayle, Richie, and Mark allowed their eyes to move slowly over the dance floor and as far along the horseshoe level they were currently on. The three smelled the air as strongly as they could without giving clues as to what they were doing.
Mark transferred Cara’s hand to his opposite one, so he could move closer to Gayle. “How many of our kind do you think?”
Gayle kept his eyes moving. “Not many. Most I see are too drunk right now to be of any help if we need them.”
A woman, barely over 5’2” approached them and smiled seductively at Gayle. Cara stared at her black hair gathered on either side of her head in identical pony tails, and she marveled at the shades of blue, purple, and red that ran through the black hair. Her face was obviously Asian, but she was very pale. Her mock school girl uniform, complete with short plaid skirt, made her look to be no older than sixteen. Her eyes, however, told a different story.
“These are your other friends, Gayle baby?” Her accent was light.
“Yep.” He grinned down at her. “Mark and Cara, this is Akemi.”
“Want to hear a funny joke?” She asked.
“Sure why not.” Mark answered.
“My name is Japanese, and it means beautiful sunrise or dawn.” She flashed a grin that showed too long and far too pointed canines. “Like I’ll ever see one of those again!”
Cara tried to smile at the not so funny joke. Mark didn’t bother.
“So I guess you’re here for the newbie.”
Gayle tried to feign his surprise. “What?”
Akemi rolled her eyes. “Please! Look at her!” She motioned to Cara with an arm heavy with bracelets made of rubber and string. . “She looks just like her!” She pointed across the dance floor to a raised area against the far wall. Cara stepped forward and had to squint slightly, but sitting at a table with a curved booth was a very pale, very beautiful Tara.
Gayle leaned towards Mark and whispered, “It’s too late, man, she’s turned.”
As if pulled by invisible strings, Cara jerked free from Mark’s hand and started down the steps onto the dance floor. The music had changed into the more rhythmic sound of Trip-hop, and she was able to maneuver through the crowd without much difficulty. Mark launched out behind her.
“Cara, wait!”
“I have to see her!”
When they reached the bottom of the stairs that led up to the table, two Vampires stopped them. “Invite only, dog.” One of them said and gave Mark a slight push.
He growled low in his throat. The itch started up his spine.
“It’s alright.” A man from the table above yelled down. “Let them come up. Should make for some entertainment!” He laughed to those around him. He was obviously tall, and had a look of refinement. Cara had only seen men that looked anything near to him in GQ or in a Dior ad. He ran a hand over his slick backed brown hair. “It’s always a joy to have…your kind visit Crimson.” He said and pointedly looked at the three men standing with Cara. He turned his attention to her. “And yours as well, of course.” His smile was icy.
Car kept her eyes on Tara. Her skin was a beautiful flawless pale. The stark contrast with her dark hair and familiar blue eyes was striking.
“Tara…” Cara whispered.
Tara lifted her eyes to her sister’s. What Cara saw made her gasp. Her sister looked haunted. She was a shell.
The man sitting beside her draped his arm loosely over Tara’s shoulders. “Tara hasn’t quite…grasped…the lifestyle yet, but she’s a fast learner.” He said and pinched her lightly on the chin. “A very beautiful learner.” His eyes rested on Cara again. “It’s a delight to see she has a twin!”
Mark tried to move in front of Cara. “She belongs to me.”
Cara glanced at Mark quickly. Had he really said that? She belonged to him?
The man shrugged. “Pity.”
Tara’s eyes had moved back to the tabletop. Cara realized she had shut herself back into whatever mental cocoon they had found her in.
“Please, if I could just have a few minutes to speak with her.”
The man’s eyes became hard. “So, you can tell her what a mistake it was to cross over?”
Cara stood helplessly. “No…I just…”
“It’s just time for you four to leave.” His voice offered no room for negotiation.
Mark tugged gently on Cara’s hand. “Come on, we can’t do anything about this right now.”
“Or ever.” The man said.
Mark shot him a hard look over his shoulder as they walked down the steps and onto the dance floor. A tension had gathered. Gayle, Richie, and Mark tried to watch everyone around them at one. They walked to the sliding metal doors and waited for that doorman to let them out. He must have radioed ahead, because starry sky could be seen as they mounted the amber lit stairway that led outside.
They didn’t waste any time getting into their vehicles and driving out of there. Cara made no protest when Mark gently took the car keys from her and had her sit in the passenger seat.
It ripped his heart in two to hear her crying softly all the way back to Estelle’s.
When he pulled her car into the car port, Gayle parked behind him. He got out and shut the door with a slam.
“Ten minutes, Mark, then we’re going home.”
Mark nodded one time, and went in to retrieve his duffel. Estelle was up and waiting for them. Her eyes asked if there was any news. His only response was a quick shake of the head. She didn’t even ask where he was going when he came back down the hall with his bag. She accepted the kiss on the cheek as goodbye, and forced a folded piece of paper into his hand. He opened it and saw her address and phone number written in tight neat handwriting. Mark smiled briefly. Estelle was quite intuitive.
Mark shoved his bag in the trunk of Gayle’s car. He stared at him for a moment before speaking. “You know I need a couple of minutes.”
Gayle held his arm out, palm upward.
“Just make it quick.”
Mark pulled Cara out of the car and crushed her against his chest.
“I don’t even know what to tell Gram!” She half sobbed.
“Tell her as little as possible. This isn’t over.”
Cara pulled back and searched his face. “Do you have to go?”
“For now.” He bent his head and kissed her lightly on the lips. “I’m coming back for you.” He said gruffly, his lips hovering just above hers.
Cara watched him get into the backseat. Gayle and Richie waved once, their infuriating smirks once again planted on their lips. She walked to the end of the driveway and watched until the car made the first turn and disappeared out of sight.
Cara hugged herself around the middle. She had no idea what the sunrise and a new day would bring, but she knew one thing for certain; she would wait right her until her Werewolf returned.
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Mark opened his eyes when Gayle drove the car over the Virginia line. Gayle and Richie, both tired, had little to say. The snide remarks had grown boring at some point in Arkansas. Twilight had just begun to creep over the state, and Mark shut his eyes against the sight of it. Virginia was beautiful, but right now, all he wanted was a red sunset over the desert and a raven haired beauty by his side to watch it.
“Wake up, lover boy!”
Mark felt rough hands shaking him awake. He opened his eyes to see Richie smirking in his face.
“Guess what? Were home!” Richie grinned stupidly, smacking Mark lightly on the cheek.
Mark was in no hurry to face Donovan, but after three and a half days in the car with Frick and Frack, he was actually glad to hear that they were home. He yawned and stretched before stepping out of the car. Gayle had wasted no time and had parked right in front of Donovan’s massive log house. Their “Home” was really just a compound. It sat on the side of one of the Blue Ridge Mountains nestled in with part of Shenandoah National Park. Mark had no idea how Donovan had managed it. Donovan’s house was the center of a rather simple design. Four other houses were within yelling distance. One solely for single female shifters, and the other three were for whatever shifter families or singles that needed them. Donovan’s house was for the newest members of the family, and home to him and his wife Latasha as well. Before he had left Mark was the only one living with Donovan and his wife.
Mark stretched and yawned before stepping out of the car. Gayle waited with an annoying sense of urgency on the wooden steps that led to Donovan’s porch and front door. He tapped the side of his leg impatiently.
He can’t wait to see me get my ass chewed. Mark thought glumly. As his boots hit the top step, a figure stepped out of the shadows of the porch.
Dyani.
Mark raised his hand to wave, but lowered it slowly as Dyani crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. She shot him one final evil look over her shoulder before disappearing into the shadows again. He could hear other feet following after her, and caught a brief glimpse of Tonya and Crystal’s forms hurrying to catch up with her.
Probably helping her lick her wounds.
Gayle opened the front door and waltzed into Donovan’s vaulted ceiling massive great room. A Native American hand woven rug squared off the sitting area of the living room. Donovan rose from the stone hearth of the fireplace. His face was unreadable.
“Mark.”
“Hello, Donovan.”
“Sit down.”
Donovan didn’t reclaim his spot on the hearth. Instead, he rested an elbow on the mantle and lifted a leg to place on the stone. Latasha appeared with a cup of coffee and placed it on the coffee table in front of Mark. She gave him a sympathetic smile, her usual braided hair now loosely held back with a scarf.
“Hungry?” She whispered.
Mark nodded. She laid a long slender brown hand along his jaw.
“I’m glad you’re back.”
Donovan’s eyes followed his wife as she walked into the kitchen area of the room. Everything was open and airy here. Donovan wanted the illusion of transparency in his home. He turned his head and rested his gaze back on Mark.
“She babies our pack too much.” His words were not unkind, and touched with a sense of pride. The sentiment was soon replaced with the true matter at hand. “I’m disappointed, Mark.”
Mark slid his sweating palms along his thighs and leaned back in the chair. It was a comfortable plush thing of gray that Donovan had actually made himself. With a leg laid across one knee, Mark jiggled his foot in his customary way when he was nervous. “I’m sorry, Donovan. I just can’t live by certain rules here.”
Donovan sighed and pulled at his black ponytail. He had started growing it several months before, and when Mark had left, it was barely to his shoulders. He guessed the two months he was gone Donovan must have had a growth spurt.
“Dyani is hurt, Mark.”
Mark suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. “Why? I never promised to be her mate, or marry her, or be anything other than her friend.”
Donovan’s eyes flashed. “She was chosen for you!”
Snickers could be heard from the opposite side of the room. Mark twisted to look behind him as a look of annoyance crossed Donovan’s face. Gayle and Richie were sitting on the bottom step of the staircase, having the time of their lives like any other child when a disliked sibling was being disciplined.
Donovan pointed at the two of them, their faces now sober. “Get out, both of you!”
It was Mark’s turn to snicker as Richie and Gayle scampered for the door. He looked back at Donovan and saw him shake his head.
“Can you imagine one of those as an Alpha?”
“No.”
Donovan left the fireplace and sat on the sofa with a long arm stretched over the back. His posture was relaxed, but Mark wasn’t fooled.
“Gayle called before you guys left Arizona. He said there was a woman.”
“Yes. Her name is Cara.”
Latasha set a plate of fruit and cut ham and cheese on the table and offered each man a small plate to eat from. Donovan gazed lovingly at his wife and thanked her. Mark felt longing. That was the kind of relationship he wanted with his wife.
“Why don’t you tell me what happened.”
Mark spent the next few minutes telling the story of how he met Cara and the now large problem concerning Tara.
“Once they are turned, there is nothing to be done. The Fey are lucky in that respect; you must be born Fey, or at least have some Fey blood to be one of them. No bite can change that. I guess that’s why they call Vampires and shifters imposters.”
“But some are born as shifters.”
Donovan smiled. “Yes, like Dyani. Her blood line is almost pure Monacan. That’s why it’s imperative that you become an Alpha, and take her as your mate! Your blood is strong, far stronger than what a bite should have made you. Dyani was born a shifter. The two of you could breed shifters! Not just werewolves, real shifters!” His eyes took on a faraway look. “Once wolves crawled all over these little mountains. Dyani’s ancestors would have been here for it. We could become the new breed of wolf to return here.” His eyes narrowed. “Why can’t you see the importance of this?”
“I…want to love my mate, Donovan. I want to be in a relationship like the one you and Latasha share.”
Donovan’s face softened. He leaned forward to gather food onto his plate. “Did you know that we had an arranged marriage as well?”
“Yes, you were fortunate that it turned out so well.”
“Let’s say you go to this woman. Let’s say you build a happy life together. What happens when you turn a hundred and she’s already dead? What then? We live a long time.”
Mark shrugged. “I could give her the gift.” He said quietly.
“Does she know what you are then?”
Mark nodded silently, lowering his eyes.
Donovan’s eyes became steel. “That is a cardinal rule, Mark!”
Mark became incredulous. “What was I supposed to do? We had to go into Crimson to look for her sister!”
“Her knowing our world exists and knowing someone who actually belongs in it, are two different things!” Donovan tossed his plate onto the coffee table in frustration, sending food flying in several different directions. A grape fell off the edge of the plate and rolled onto the floor.
“I’m sorry, Donovan. I can’t help how I feel.”
Donovan sat back and gently rubbed his upper lip with a finger. “I want you to attempt to stay here and give Dyani a chance.”
“I can’t guarantee that.”
“If you leave again, then you will be on your own. You won’t be able to come back.” Donovan leaned forward with elbows on knees, and clasped his hands loosely. “Do you want to risk being without a pack?”
Mark left with Donovan’s last words ringing in his ears. Life without a pack? That was something he never would have considered five years ago. He was enamored from the beginning with the concept of the pack. His bite hadn’t been planned.
When he was twenty-five he had been working for a logging company in Madison and had fallen to what should have been his death. Donovan, then a co-worker, had given him the gift to save his life. He couldn’t even remember the agonizing days of pain leading up to the first full moon. Once the moon fully rose the itch, he was now so accustomed to feeling, became unbearable. The look of surprise on the packs faces once he was back in human form was confusing. He had thought he had done something wrong. The only true shifters (those that could take on actual wolf form) were Donovan, Latasha, himself, and Dyani. The rest simply changed into various forms of what looked like half wolf half deranged human. But the movies and comic books had a few things wrong. They were completely sane and in their right minds during a change, but their strength and speed became super human.
Mark had once thought he could be happy here with them for the rest of his life. Then Donovan had dropped the bombshell at the beginning of spring that he was expected to allow a mate to be given to him.
Mark looked around the darkened forest with a sense of dread and urgency. He still had a room in Donovan’s house, but his heart no longer called this place his home.
X-X-X
Cara turned the bed covers down and looked at the clock. Eleven o’clock. That meant on the east coast it was two in the morning. Had Mark made it home yet? What was happening to him?
After Mark had driven away with those irritating men Cara had to come in and tell her Gram that Tara was not coming back any time soon. Estelle had pressed her for answers, but Cara was careful to not reveal too much. How does one go about telling their Grandmother that one of her granddaughters was now a Vampire? Cara shuddered as she pulled the covers up to her chin. It was surreal and terrifying, yet this new world was fascinating and exciting. She wished for the hundredth time that Mark was there to explain some more of it to her.
Cara reached from under the covers and cut the light off. She rolled over just as the silhouette of a man stepped towards her window. She soon drifted off to sleep, and the man drifted back into the night.
X-X-X
“Are you going to apply for that job today?” Estelle asked as she slid a pancake onto Cara’s plate.
“Gram! If you don’t stop feeding me like this, I’ll weigh 300lbs!”
Estelle turned away from her with a smile and took the frying pan back to the stove. She glanced sidelong at Cara.
“Your mother called.” She tried to keep her voice even and nonchalant, careful to not allow her own emotions to bleed through.
Cara twisted quickly, her eyes bulging. “What? When?”
Estelle shrugged, keeping her back to Cara. “Oh, she called last night…and this morning.”
Cara rolled her eyes and turned back to her pancake. She doused it in syrup before attacking it with her fork and knife. “Stalker.” She muttered. “Why would she call last night and this morning?”
Estelle sat across from her. The sunlight streaming through the kitchen window gave her a plausible escape. “Whew! It’s going to be a hot one today! Weather forecaster said it could reach 105!”
Cara didn’t take the bait. “Did you actually talk to her? What did she want? Did you talk to Dad?”
Estelle held up her hand palm forward. “Hold on just a minute! My goodness, you’re rattling of questions like machine gun fire!”
“Sorry.”
“I did speak with her briefly both times. I told her last night that you had already gone to bed. She wanted me to wake you and I flatly refused.” Estelle said with a curt nod of her head. “This morning I told her you were still asleep, and she informed me I was a meddlesome old woman and you were just lazy.”
Cara barked a laugh and shook her head. “Mom has always been so pleasant. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Estelle smiled and shook her head. “There’s one other thing…”
“Please tell me she’s not coming here!”
Estelle nodded gravely.
“Gram! Why didn’t you tell her no?”