ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (51 page)

“Wish I could try that!”

Dalton smiled and opened his mouth, but closed it again slowly.  His initial reaction was to say, “Maybe we can go there.”

Autumn picked up on the vibe and laid her fork by her plate.  She thumbed the edge of her napkin nervously.  “You’ll have to let me go eventually.” 

“Yeah…and I will.”  Dalton said, shoving a forkful of pancakes in his mouth.  He didn’t want to discuss that right then, his mind was screaming for him to just let her go, but something else was stopping him.  It didn’t seem right to keep her, yet it didn’t seem right to let her go either.  Especially if what he was sending her back to was an abusive boyfriend. 

“So, tell me about yourself, Autumn.”

She shrugged lightly, picking her fork up again.  The tantalizing sight and smell of a half-eaten stack of pancakes and bacon proved to be too much to resist.  “There isn’t much to tell.  I’ve worked at Mountain Lodge for three years as a server and dishwasher.  I graduated high school.  That’s it.”

“What about your home?  Who lives there?”

She kept her head down, her concentration lying within her plate.  “My Mom and most of the time my boyfriend Teddy.” 

“What do they do?”

Autumn looked at him by raising only her hazel eyes.  “Nothing.”

“Nothing?  How do you keep a place to live then?” 

The fork went down again.  “My Mom cleans houses, the family who owns the Lodge are some of her clients.  Other than that she does…nothing.”  She wiped the napkin across her lips.  “Except drink beer and smoke cigarettes.” 

“Teddy?”

“He worked for a logging company, but he had an injury last year that messed him up.  His neck and back, and one knee.  He’s getting ready to start collecting disability.”  A defiance shone in her eyes and the set of her jaw dared Dalton to dispute the story…or to believe it. 

“I see.”  He narrowed his eyes slightly.  “Injuries like that can ruin the way a guy moves around, slow him down quite a bit, but I guess his disability isn’t so terrible that it hinders him from beating up on you.” 

“Why would you say that?” 

“I’ve had to chase you, and even as fast as I am, I still had to chase you.  You’re pretty fast…for a human.  That punch you took to your back…”  He spread his hands.  “I think you were running, he was chasing, and that punch is what took you down.  I bet if I could have seen the palms of your hands and your knees the day after, I would have found cuts and scrapes from where the punch took you to your knees.” 

“What are you, some kind of hillbilly tracker, or something?  The forensic werewolf of the Shenandoah Valley?”  She asked irritably, once again picking her fork up, but this time stabbing her pancakes angrily. 

“No, but I can track if necessary.”  Right then he wished he could track Teddy down and rip his head from his shoulders.  What right did any man have to lay hands on a woman?  None in his opinion.

Autumn was eager to get off of the subject of her household.  She was enjoying the break, regardless of how weird it was. 

“What about you?  What’s your household like?”

“Currently in a state of disarray.  I had a nice little pack, but now it’s only four of us…well five if you count the human woman who just moved in with my roommate.” 

Autumn tilted her head to the side.  “Werewolves can be with humans?  Like that?”

Dalton stopped chewing and swallowed slowly.  “Yes…if the werewolf chooses that.  Alphas shouldn’t though.”

“Why not?”

“It’s up to the Alpha to keep his bloodline strong.  All Alphas secretly hope their own offspring will lead the pack after their gone, but the main reason is to produce strong offspring for mating purposes for the rest of the pack.” 

“So you’re all a bunch of man hos and sluts?”

Dalton coughed, nearly choking.  He wiped tears from his eyes.  To laugh at her would probably be a mistake.  “Uh…no…werewolves are like regular wolves; they mate for life.”  Dalton glanced around the near empty restaurant to make sure no one was close enough to hear the conversation. 

“Wow.”  She scratched the side of her face thoughtfully.  “Do you guys live the same length as regular people?”

“No.  We live much longer.”

“As long as a Vampire?”

Dalton’s eyes went flat.  “Not that long.  We’re nothing like the suckers.”

“Suckers?”  She laughed, scrunching her nose up.  Dalton liked the way her freckles looked darker when she did that.  “I personally liked fictional stories about Vampires, and I like them even more now that I know they’re real.” 

“Don’t be stupid!”  Dalton said and leaned into the table, so his face was closer to hers.  He lowered his voice.  “Do you understand how dangerous they are?”

Autumn puckered her lips and turned the corners of her mouth downward.  “Please!  You put a bag over my head and threw me in a trunk!” 

Dalton leaned back and shook his head.  “You’re still alive eating pancakes at the Ihop.”

Autumn felt the chill run up her spine again. 

“So, your little blonde friend…”

“Ugh!  Back to her are we?”  It was an odd jealous sensation at the mention of her. 

“No…I was going to ask about her pack.” 

“How would I know about that?  I didn’t even know she was like you until you told me.” 

“But you said you always knew there was something strange about her.  What did you mean?”

Autumn pushed her plate away.  “I don’t know…she was sharper than other girls I had known.  It’s hard to explain.  She always seemed older and more confident than someone her age should have been.” 

“Did you ever hang out with her outside of work?”

“No.  She always had her man to get home to.  She was always busy.”

“Fair enough.  Are you ready?” 

Autumn looked regretfully at the food still on her plate, but nodded, pushing her chair away from the table.  “Guess so.” 

Dalton drove around Luray for over an hour trying to spot another shifter that he could talk to.  He had no idea if a pack actually had that territory.  All he saw were humans.  He even resorted to walking some of the streets and sidewalks.  It wasn’t a large place, and it was more a tourist area than anything else.  Once the sun began to dip lower in the horizon, he pointed the car back to the motel. 

Later that evening as he sat brooding at the little table in the room, making lists of the packs he knew of in Virginia; Autumn rolled from her stomach to her side and propped her head on her hand.  She held the Anne Rice book out. 

“Is it true like this book that Vampires can only come out at night?”

“No.  That’s a myth.  They can come out during the day, but they are far weaker.”

She seemed to accept his answer.  “Well, when they are in the sunlight, do they sparkle?”

Dalton raised an eyebrow.  “What?”

“Like diamonds?”  She noted his confused expression.  “Never mind.” 

“What kind of book is that?”

“A very good one!  The sparkles thing comes from another very good book.”

Dalton shook his head.  “Sounds like a bunch of nonsense to me.” 

“Well, what about the super human strength and speed?”

“They have that, but so do we.”

“What about…”

“Enough about the Vampires, Autumn!”

She clucked her tongue and gave him a dirty look before rolling back onto her stomach and sticking her nose back in her book. 

A knock sounded on the door.  Autumn sat up and looked expectantly to Dalton.  He raised a finger over his lips then pointed to the bathroom.  He was amazed when she obediently obeyed. 

Dalton put one eye to the peep hole.  All he could see was the warped view directly in front of the door, and a little of the parking lot beyond, but no one was there.  He turned the dead bolt and unlocked the door.  He only dared to open it a crack, peering through the space.  No one was there still, so he swung the door open.  A small box wrapped in brown paper was laying on the ground with a note taped to the top.  He kicked it slightly with his toe.  When it didn’t make noise, and nothing leaked out, he picked it up and re-bolted the door. 

Half of Autumn’s face was hidden behind the quarter wall that gave the bathroom area an illusion of privacy. 

“What is it?”

“Don’t know yet.” 

“Maybe we shouldn’t open it.”  She said cautiously, only stepping a foot from her original hiding place. 

He ignored her and pulled the note from the box.  It was just a simple piece of white stationary folded in two, but there were two initials, DB, embossed at the top in a rich burgundy and fancy script.  The note was written with what looked like a fountain pen, or even something as quaint as a quill and ink, the letters flowing and beautiful.  It was writing from an older time. 

Welcome to our hamlet.  Please do us the honor of joining us tomorrow evening at eight p.m. sharp at the Bull Mitch Hotel.  Please feel free to bring your lady friend.   Sincerely Yours, Daniel Blacksmith. 

Dalton ran a hand over his mouth, his leg bouncing nervously on the floor, and read it again.  He didn’t notice when Autumn came up behind him and read it over his shoulder.  He laid the note on the table and pulled at brown paper.  Underneath was an ornate cardboard box with removable lid.  The design painted on it was multi-hued, although all in dark colors, and intricate in design. 

Autumn touched the lid.  “Someone painted this.” 

Dalton pulled the top from the little box, and inside, laying on black tissue paper, was an old key.  A ribbon tied to it had the number 102 written across it in the same fancy script. 

“Wow.”  Was all Autumn could manage. 

“This could be bad.”  Dalton frowned, holding the key in his hand and squinting at it. 

“Why?”  Autumn felt the excitement bubbling up.  It was playing out like another chapter in the action adventure story her life had suddenly become.  She welcomed it with fear and excitement.

Dalton flicked his tongue across his lower lip.  “We don’t know who this is…who they are.  One thing’s for certain…they aren’t humans.” 

Teddy Roberts elbowed the woman beside him until she grunted and sat up bleary eyed.  She snatched a crumpled pack of cigarettes from her bedside table and shook one out.  She pushed her wavy auburn hair from her face and lit the cigarette, exhaling smoke sharply in an upward arc from her mouth. 

“What?”

“She’s still gone.”

“How do you know?” 

“Car’s still not here.”

“Maybe she came in during the night and saw us in bed and ran away like a good little girl.”  Becky leaned over him, running a hand up his thigh and over his boxer shorts.  He pushed her hand away impatiently and swung his meaty legs off the bed. 

“We haven’t seen her since she left for work Friday afternoon, Becky!  Don’t you find that odd?” 

Becky shrugged and drew on her cigarette again.  “A little, but she’s twenty four years old, she can go and do as she pleases.” 

Teddy stood and looked out the window, his broad face scowling at the empty spot where her car should have been.  “Maybe, but that bitch has some explaining to do when she gets here.  Maybe I’ll have to remind her of good manners.” 

Becky looked at him with slitted eyes.  “Maybe she just needed a break from you.” 

Teddy turned from the window and gave her a deadly look.  “I want to ride up to that lodge and see if her car is there.”  

Becky sighed and snuffed her cigarette out in the over flowing ashtray. 

“Yeah, let’s go see if we can find your little meal ticket.”  She ran from the room as Teddy lobed a boot at her. 

“Maybe we should get some nicer clothes to wear.” 

“Why?”  Dalton slipped two fingers through the drapes and stared past the shade of the overhang and into the morning sunlight touching the cars in the parking lot beyond. 

“It seems kind of fancy.”

Dalton turned back around.  “The writing was fancy.  I’m not sure we should go.” 

Autumn looked away dejectedly.  “Yeah, maybe not.”

Dalton sat at the table feeling the weight of exhaustion.  The first night he had slept in fits and small spaces of time afraid Autumn would try to run away.  The second night he slept even worse afraid whomever had left the note and key would come back.  He watched her pluck at the fabric of the comforter on her bed. 

She actually wants to go.  Poor woman has no idea what nasties live in the world with humans.  They just walk around with them unawares.  Her eyes met his from across the room.  But she does know, and seems perfectly fine with it.  He sighed and shook his head. 

“This is against my better judgment…but let’s go find some clothes.” 

Dalton could only smile and shake his head again as Autumn jumped from the bed and began putting her shoes on.

“We’re not going to go crazy.”  Dalton murmured as they walked into the Belk store.  Soft music wafted down from the ceiling and the shiny floor reflected the fluorescents from above, making the tile glow.