Samuel (Samuel's Pride Series) (12 page)

“Hello?” Her mother, Christ, now what. “I
was wondering if I may have a word with your girlfriend. There is a matter of
something we were discussing earlier.”

Kennedy shook her head, and Samuel had a
sudden thought of her mother seeing her daughter as a lion, and he had to put
his hand over his mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. When Kennedy
growled again, he moved to the door and stood just in front of it, hoping that
she’d get the hint not to come in. Apparently her mother wasn’t as pushy as her
daughter.

“Kennedy is a little busy right now. She
has a fur ball in her throat.” The swipe at his leg made him wince, but Tisha
didn’t seem get his joke. “Can we discuss this later?”

“I would…I would like to settle this as
soon as possible.” She struggled with her accent, and Samuel wondered if he’d
ever heard her let slip any of her brogue. Samuel glanced at Kennedy and knew
that her mother had been the one to keep Kennedy from being herself about
everything. “My daughter isn’t happy with me, and I’m sure she’s—”

“Kennedy.” Tisha looked at him oddly. “Your
daughter’s name is Kennedy. You’ve called her everything but that since you’ve
been here. Why?”

“I’m sure you’re mistaken. And I’m well
aware of what my daughter’s name is. Her father, God rest his soul, had named
her when I wanted her to have a feminine name, one more befitting our station. But
he named her for him, and I’ve never understood her.” She started to say
something else, but Samuel didn’t care to hear it.

“It’s more than likely that you’ve never
tried to understand her. She’s vibrant and beautiful. Smart and a wonderful
cook. Did you know that all the meals you’ve taken since you’ve been here have
been cooked by her?” Her mother snorted. “You didn’t enjoy them?”

“Do you see what I’ve had to put up
with? She goes out of her way to embarrass me and show everyone that she’s
nothing more than a commoner. I had hoped that once she got herself wed that
she’d straighten up, but she even refused me that.” Samuel glanced at Kennedy
as her mother continued. “You’ve no idea what I’ve had to endure because of
her. All her
uafásach
, horrible ways have been nothing but an—”

“I think you’ve said enough.” Samuel was
tempted to open the door wider to show Tisha what her daughter was up to now,
but didn’t want to hurt Kennedy any more than he was sure this conversation
had. He saw his own mom coming down the hall and knew that she’d heard most of
what had been said. “I’ll give you your stipend in the morning. In the mean
time I’ll have you taken to a hotel. There is no reason for you to subject
yourself with us any longer.”

“And my children, what will you do with
them?” Her chin lifted, and he knew that she’d not included Kennedy in that
statement. “And what of Shamus? Will you also give him his as well?”

“Shamus will get what he deserves. I’ll
make sure of that.” She nodded, but Samuel would bet what he had planned for
the man and what she wanted were two entirely different things. “Kaitlin will
stay if she wants. Her fiancé will be here next week, and Michael has expressed
a desire to learn a trade here in the States. I’m going to give him a job.”

“He’s my son, and he’ll be with me. Kaitlin
can do whatever she wants now that you’ve taken my daughter as your own, but I
will have Michael with—”

“Back the fuck up or you’ll not be
getting a thing from me.” Tisha’s mouth snapped shut. “Now as I was saying.
Michael will stay here. He’s already asked about colleges, and I’ve got him an
interview set up for next week with a friend of mine.”

“Your mind is set then?” Samuel nodded. “My
daughter? Did she tell you that I was a
uafásach
woman, and that’s why
you wish to treat me this way?”

“No, you showed me that all by yourself.”
Her stance went from rigid to ramrod straight. “Pack your shit up, Mrs.
Buehler, you’re about to experience hotel life.”

When his mother was right behind Tisha,
Samuel shook his head slightly at her. He knew that she was pissed off. His
mother was very protective of what she considered hers, and she’d already taken
Kennedy under her wing. When Tisha walked down the hall to the room she’d been
given, Samuel opened the door for his mom.

“What a horrible person.” Samuel nodded
his agreement and looked over at Kennedy, who had curled up on the couch. Her
cat seemed to stretch out over it as if she owned it. He smiled when his mother
moved slowly toward her.

“Oh my, you’re lovely, aren’t you?” She stroked
her fur gently, and he heard Kennedy purr. “That woman down the hall does not
deserve you. And if I didn’t think it would mess up that nice room, I’d have
you go down there right now and have a bite or two of her.”

“We were just going out for a run when
she came to the door. I agree with you. Kennedy should have eaten her.”

It would have left a bad taste in my
mouth
.
Samuel laughed, as did his mother. He was slightly surprised that Kennedy could
speak to them both, but he realized there was a great deal about Kennedy that
was going to surprise him over the years.
Can we go out now? I want to see
what you look like
.

“Oh that would be lovely. Go out and
shift, Samuel, and when you do, I’ll take both your pictures. I won’t send it
to you or anything like that, but I will have a print made. Yes, that would be
so nice.” He agreed, and he and Kennedy went down the stairs to the kitchen. When
they entered, the only two people in the room were Butler and Brigitte.

“Missus, if you don’t mind my saying so,
you’re a lovely cat.” Kennedy walked to her and rubbed her head over her legs.
“She’s marking me.”

When Kennedy moved toward Butler, he
took a step back, but Kennedy wasn’t having it. As soon as he was backed
against the counter, she moved slowly toward him. Samuel tried to keep his own
cat from snarling at the man.

“Sire, I didn’t want to cause trouble. I
think you should speak to the missus about marking other males.” He cringed
when she licked his hand. “Sire, you must ask her to stop.”

I need to know I can find him. I have no
idea why, but they’re very important to me, and I want others to know that
fucking with them is going to get them killed
. Samuel told Butler what Kennedy
had said. It took the staunch butler only a few seconds before he leaned down
and rubbed his head along hers.

“I should like for her to keep me safe
as well. Looking at her now makes me wonder if she would be able to take on
that friend of yours that’s the bear. Mr. Jonas would be so impressed with her,
I think.”

Kaleb was his friend from Illinois that
was currently trying to buy a house in the area. Samuel couldn’t wait for him
to meet Kennedy either. As they moved out to the deck, he started pulling his
shirt off, thinking about all his friends and what they’d think of his mate. He
looked at Kennedy when she paced the deck.

“You should know that I’m still going to
fuck you hard.” She purred as she moved toward him. “As soon as I catch you I’m
going to take you hard and fast. Then I’m going to shift with you and fuck you
against a tree until you’re hoarse.”

You think so, do you
? She snorted.
I’m
going to mark you as soon as I chase you down. And when I do, everyone that comes
within a mile of you is going to know that you belong to me.

Christ, she was magnificent. He hoped
his mother came out to take the picture soon because right now he was hard
pressed to hold off from taking Kennedy on the deck where anyone could see
them. But he had a feeling that she was going to give him a run for his money,
and as soon as he shifted, he knew he didn’t know the half of it. She was going
to fucking kill him.

Mine,
she whispered in his mind when
the camera flashed. And when Mom said she had it, Kennedy leapt over the
railing and was gone before he could catch his breath.

Yep, he was in so much trouble.

Chapter 12

Kennedy felt free for the first time in
her life. Leaping over a fallen log, she laughed when she landed softly,
startling a deer from his meal. The need to chase her seemed to roll over her,
but she didn’t want the creature to never return to this area so she took off
in the other direction. There was nothing that didn’t look different to her in
his form.

The bark on the trees looked darker and
rougher. She could see the tiny bugs racing over the skin of the tree like it
was rush hour in Columbus. The moss growing on it looked like a small village
where the green trees were reaching out to the sky. Leaping into the dirt because
she could, she marveled at the snow that seemed to have a life of its own. Turning
when she heard something behind her, Kennedy couldn’t help but stare at Samuel.

You’ve been exploring, I see.
She nodded,
amazed that his voice sounded no different than it did when he was human. But
that was where the similarities ended.

His mane was heavy and varied in colors
of brown. Tans and golds fought with the darker of his fur until she thought
that she could find every color of the earth on him. His face was elongated and
full, strong and manly. She shivered when she thought of the last lion she’d come
across, and Samuel came to stand beside her.

I’m not like him.
She nodded, not
sure how to tell him she was still afraid.
He’s never going to hurt any of
us again. You saved us from that.

I know you’re not like him. But you’re…I
never thought I’d want another one this close to me.
He growled low
when she rubbed her head over his massive shoulder.
Do you have any idea how
amazing this is?

I do. But seeing it through your eyes
gives me a better understanding of how amazing it is. You’re like a child
getting her first brush with sex.
She nipped at his shoulder, and he
purred at her.
My cat wants you. Not nearly as much as I do, but he’s
getting close.

Kennedy walked around Samuel, making
sure she touched him as much as she could. She had no idea why it was important
that she do it, only that she did. She supposed it had something to do with her
wanting everyone to know he belonged to her, but she thought it was more. When
he nipped at her shoulder as she’d done to his, he growled low.

Run.
She didn’t have to be told
twice. Taking off in the direction she’d been looking, she nearly stumbled over
some fallen brush. Before she could get herself up and moving again, he tackled
her. They went rolling head over ass for several feet before they came to a
stop.
You’ve made that much too easy. Run from me, baby. My cat needs the
chase.

This time when she started to run, she
was much more careful. Knowing that he could smell her, she tried her best to
stay to paths that she’d already taken, and avoided trees and limbs so they
didn’t get her scent. When she came upon a small brook, she walked down the
middle of it carefully so as not to slip in the fast-moving water.

Twice she saw Samuel—once when he came
close to where she’d entered the water, and again on the opposite side of where
she was. Laughing quietly, she watched him sniff the air for her and wondered
if she could do the same. Lifting her head up, she inhaled deeply and nearly
fell back at the amount of input she got.

There was something rotting nearby. It
was just to her left, and she decided to avoid that area, thank you very much. A
deer was near her right, and she was with child. Trying something that Samuel said
she could do, she reached out to the doe and asked her how she was feeling.

At first, she didn’t think it had worked,
but when she answered her back, Kennedy wanted to go and find her and hug her.
I’m
fine, My Lady. You’re new to the grounds. Are you the new mate to the lion
master?

I am. He and I will live here now, and
you’ll be safe from us and others.
She told her that she’d figured that
out when he’d never eaten her or her kind
. Are you a shifter or are you a
deer?

I am a deer.
Laughter came through
their connection.
My doe mate said that you were very beautiful and that you’re
very noisy. She said she hoped you didn’t learn to be quieter so that we’d know
you were always around. You nearly startled ten years off her life.

I’m hiding from my mate.
The doe laughed
again.
I would like to catch him unawares, but as your doe mate pointed out,
I’m not terribly good at this yet.

I understand. He is about two sapling
lengths from where you now sit. If you stay there, I will distract him for you.
When
the deer told her that he was now in front of her, Kennedy stood up and nearly
screamed. He wasn’t just in front of her but nearly atop her. When she leapt
onto his back and took him to the ground, she laughed.

Got you.
He rolled her
off him and growled. Her entire body went hot with need, and he growled at her
again. Rolling to her belly, she felt herself get wet when he came up behind
her and pressed her into the ground.

I’m going to take you hard for that.
She moaned at
him, and he growled again.
Christ, do you have any idea how badly he wants
to take you?

Take me. Samuel, I need you both, please
take me.
He bit hard into her shoulder, and she snarled at him. It confused her at first
that she’d want him so badly but still fight him. But when he fought her as
well, she realized it was a game of sorts. As soon as he entered her, she cried
out.

You’re a virgin this way. I’m sorry,
love, I should have remembered that.
She moaned when he started to move in
and out of her.
Christ, you’re going to make him come soon. Be still.

Nay, she needs this too.
When he sank
his teeth into her shoulder, she snarled again. The pain radiated through her
body but was soon replaced by the most incredible euphoria. Her body moved with
his, dancing their own tune until he yanked hard at her shoulder again.

He’s marking his mate. When he comes
inside of you, you’re not going to be happy with him. He doesn’t care if you
come or not.
She moved her hips until the lion hit the spot she wanted. He growled at her against
her shoulder, but she didn’t care. When he came, throwing back his head with a
powerful roar, Kennedy joined him, coming as hard as him. But she needed more.

Shifting quickly, she rolled to her back
and looked up at the lion standing over her. He was magnificent. His body was
powerful and all hers. Kennedy begged Samuel to come to her, but the lion moved
between her thighs.

Let him taste you.
She shook her
head as he moved to her pussy.
If you don’t let him, he’s not going to let
me shift. You’ve no idea how badly he wants this. He wants both you and your
lioness.

Opening her legs, she bent her knees. Fear
was slowly receding, but when he lapped at her pussy, she nearly came up off
the ground.
More
, she begged him, and when he licked her again, touching
her clit with his pebbly tongue, she screamed out her release and nearly
fainted when he put his paws on her thighs to open her wider for him.

Kennedy came five times in quick succession.
Each time he licked her, his tongue touching every part of her, she thought
that she’d had enough. But every time, he’d give her more, take more from her
until she was limp. When he backed from her, she whimpered, her body spent but needing
more. As soon as the air tightened around her, she knew that Samuel was with
her, and the moment he touched her, she was ready again.

“Christ, baby, I can’t wait.” She lifted
her legs to her chest as he slammed into her. His cock was deep within her when
she felt her own cat want to mark her mate. Letting just enough of her go to
bite him, she cried out when Samuel bit her throat. Licking a path from his
throat to his shoulder, she sank her teeth into him just as he roared out his
own release.

Her own release pitched her over the
cliff of darkness. It didn’t just come over her but seemed to take her with a
clap of thunder in a fast-moving car. When Samuel dropped on top of her,
Kennedy thought about putting her arms around him but discovered it was too
much effort and let go.

~~~

Shamus watched the house. There had to
be something going on there, because every time he thought about going to the
gate and trying to climb over it, another car would come in and he’d have to
wait. Dinna this people have to work?

The small van with a moving company logo
on the side startled him. He knew that the man of the house had only just
recently bought the house and wondered if he was planning to move so soon. Shamus
hadn’t seen the house as yet but thought that when this thing with Kennedy was completed,
he might offer to buy it from the man. It was just the kind of place he’d need,
he was sure. The gates alone would impress anyone. Shamus looked up when the
moving van moved out.

He watched the car behind it follow and
was shocked to see his mother in the front seat of the car. She was crying. He
could see that from where he was. Moving out of his hiding place, he watched
the car and van move down the road toward town until he could no longer see it.
Then he looked back at the house.

“Yer kidding me.” Shamus looked down the
street before looking at the house again. “Ye kicked my mother out of yer home?
Ye bastard.”

He wanted to storm the gate and demand
the mon and tell him what had happened. Shamus wasn’t even sure that’s what did
actually happen between the mon and his mother, but he would bet it. She could
be a little on the grating side when she had a bone to pick with ye, but she
was his mother. Shamus wondered about Kaitlin and decided that she was more’n
likely still in the house. The man of the place would want to sell her off for
more of a profit soon. Shamus went to his car and tried to remember once again
how to get it moving.

Damned machines were everywhere here. If
it wasn’t a car it was something else he’d never had to deal with before. A
microwave had given him fits just that morning. The hotel had provided it for
him but with no instructions on how to use it. Samuel was a man who had things
done for him, and fixing his food in the monster wasn’t on his list of things
he did. Or even wanted to learn. It had sizzled and popped so much that smoke
came billowing out of it before he could get out his sandwich. The foil that
had been wrapped around it was so hot that he’d burned his fingers. The hotel
manager was not amused when Shamus had explained what had happened.

“You cannot use metal in a microwave.
Even my five–year-old knows that.” Shamus didn’t care for his tone and told him
so. “Then I would suggest you get your head out of your ass and learn how to
use things before you burn down my hotel.”

He’d told Shamus that any more incidents
and he was going to be kicked out. When the man left, Shamus was tempted to put
something else in the machine to piss him off but didn’t have anywhere else to
go. The money was nearly gone, and the horses that he’d bet on never came
through. He had to play nice or would be living in the rental car he was now
driving.

He followed the car to a little hotel, one
much nicer than the one he was staying in. Waiting until the van left and his
mother was inside, Shamus went to the door and knocked. When she answered, it
took him several seconds to realize that his mother was this old woman standing
in front of him.

“You left me there.” His fist came out
before he could think he shouldn’t be hitting her. When she fell backwards,
making enough noise to raise the dead, he walked into the room and closed the
door behind him. She was just picking herself up when he clicked the lock home.

“How did you find me?” Shamus ignored
the question to walk around the room. She was staying here. That much was
obvious. And her things were not yet unpacked, so he knew that when she’d come
here, it was because she’d been brought here. She hadn’t been coming home.

“Why are ye staying here and not at the house?”
She didn’t answer him, and he turned to look at her. She cringed away from him
when he knelt down to her level. “I asked ye a question. Answer me, Mother.”

“He’s given me my stipend, and I’m not
going back to Ireland. And he’s married your sister too, bloody fool.” She sat
up and then stood. “Your grandmother has given him Rose Manor too. Did you know
that?”

“Aye, I’d heard that. But it won’t hold.
I’m the true laird of the house, and she well knows it.” He heard her say something,
and he turned back to her to ask her what she’d said.

“I asked you if you killed your father.
You did, didn’t you? Murdered your own father, and for what?” He didn’t answer,
because, frankly, he wasn’t sure he could. All he could think about was they
knew. “You didn’t even get any more money when he died, and what you did, you’ve
spent on nothing that would keep us safe. It’s your responsibility to keep your
mother safe.”