Shifter’s Surrender (5 page)

She was lying on her side, her face toward him, eyes closed. The helmet was, amazingly, in place, but the large, jagged impact crack right above her left ear had nearly split the headgear in half. The sight stopped his heart dead. He wanted to yank the pathetic piece of plastic away and soothe her injury, but was beyond terrified at what might lay underneath.

“Kaylie,” he croaked out, finally reaching out to pick up her hand. He looked down, noting how small it was in his larger one. “Kaylie, baby, wake up.” He placed a hard kiss to her palm and then laid it on his chest, covering it with his left one. Carefully, oh, so gently, he ran one finger of his right hand down her exposed cheek. “Open your beautiful brown eyes, Kaylie. Look at me. Curse at me. Anything.” He felt an overwhelming need to gather her in his arms and rock.

Someone fell to their knees on the other side of Kaylie and he growled out in warning even as he looked up.

“Easy, Dean,” Caleb murmured, Tess on his heels, calling her sister’s name.

Humans and shifters alike all started to gather around them and Dean snarled, his fangs flashing, his wolf ready to snap and maul anyone that came too close to his injured mate.

“Dean,” Caleb hissed, “you need to reel it in. Jacklyn is coming and you must let her examine Kaylie.” He motioned with his hands, stalling others, like Pete, who were trying to get closer. “We need to make room here. I want everyone back ten feet, and do not make me stand up to enforce that request.”

Immediate shuffling was his answer.

Just then a petite brunette crouched slowly at Kaylie’s head. “Dean,” her voice was a husky whisper, melodic as it was urgent. “Alpha, please. I need to remove her helmet.”

“No,” Dean’s voice was guttural, more beast than human as he leaned protectively over Kaylie.

“Yes,” Ruth Gentry, Kaylie and Tess’s mother, said as she dropped to her hunches next to Dean. She was the only person either brave or stupid enough to get close to Dean in his feral mood. Foolish woman. Dean glanced from Ruth to Kaylie and squeezed his eyes shut. Like mother like daughter.

Ruth laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, her voice hard as steel. “I don’t know what’s going on between you and Kaylie, but she was my daughter before she ever met you, and I will decide what’s best for her.”

Dean swallowed the lump in his throat, and hissed out for Ruth’s ears only, “She might be your daughter, but she was born to be mine; my woman, my mate.”

Ruth made an inarticulate sound, her hand slipping from Dean’s shoulder as she stared at him. A second later her eyes narrowed. “Then you will soon find out just how tough Kaylie is. And smart.” She looked over at Jacklyn and gave her a nod. “Do what you need to.”

Dean clenched his jaw when Caleb reached out and lifted Kaylie’s neck up as Jacklyn slowly removed the damaged plastic. Underneath Dean saw matted hair … and that was it. Sweaty, matted, beautiful, silky brown hair.

Jacklyn ran practiced hands over Kaylie’s head. “Incredible. She’s got a nice sized lump, but the skin’s not even broken. I want to take her in for x-rays of course to be sure, but I think she might only have a slight concussion.”

Tess snatched up the helmet, peered inside, and began to laugh. “It’s not cracked on the inside. In fact, the padding is about three times as thick as a normal batter’s cap. It’s amazing she was even able to fit it on her fat head.”

Ruth nodded knowingly. “See, tough and smart. After years of broken bones and skinned flesh, Kaylie learned how to better protect herself, if for no other reason than to ease my constant worry and continual nagging.” She fanned herself. “Not that I didn’t have a heart attack on the way over here.”

“Mom,” Tess immediately looked up, concern thick in her eyes. After all, it was only a few months back that Ruth had suffered a stroke.

“Figure of speech. Sorry.” She turned her attention to Kaylie and smacked her lightly on the cheek, her actions belying her calm demeanor. Ignoring Jacklyn’s shocked gasp she hissed at her youngest daughter, “Dammit, Kaylie girl. Did you hear me? You gave me a heart attack.”

Kaylie’s eyelids flickered. “Five more minutes, Mom,” she grumbled out in a hoarse whisper.

Jacklyn swung her gaze from Ruth to Kaylie and back again. “Huh. Haven’t tried that one.” Standing, she reached down for a black bag. “We need to get her to the clinic.”

“I’ll carry her.” Dean was already sliding his arms under Kaylie’s limp body. No way in hell was any other male touching her right now.

“I have an SUV,” Jacklyn told him. “You can hold her in the backseat as we’re only a few blocks away.”

“We’ll be right behind you,” Ruth said as her love interest, and boss, Dolen O’Keefe, came up and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

Dean only nodded in reply. When he stood he looked out over the crowd and saw Celeste standing uneasily on the pitcher’s mound, next to one of Caleb’s deputies. Retribution glinted like hard diamonds in his green eyes as he glared at the woman.

“I’ll take care of Celeste,” Caleb said from behind him as he gripped Dean’s arm, making the tight muscles jump in agitation. “She’s not going anywhere. See, Brandon’s already got her. You just take care of your mate.”

Dean jerked his head around and stared at Caleb. Then he glanced down at Kaylie, her long hair swinging from a crooked ponytail over his arm. All the talk today of Kaylie being his mate had nearly pushed him to the edge; he wanted to claim her right
now
. But injured as she was, that was unfair. He would give it a couple of days. Maybe by then he would find his resolve to do the right thing and leave her be, to live a happy life unburdened by Dean’s baggage.

Engrossed in his thoughts, Dean never noticed the single pair of amber eyes, blazing with hatred, that peered out from the edge of the forest. Fixated on the man’s every move, the wolf never blinked as it considered with barely remembered human capacity that what lay in the man’s arms was his greatest weakness.

“I’ve never seen anyone move so fast,” Tess said just before she nipped a cucumber from her fork.

Kaylie knew her sister was referring to Dean and how quickly he’d apparently raced to Kaylie’s side after that fateful connection of ball to noggin last Friday. Just the thought of that less than stellar incident made her head ache.

Kaylie had received a mild concussion, a nice lump on her head to rival all other lumps she’d been privy to during her athletic existence, and a couple of large bruises. Now, a week later, she was almost back to her normal self. Well, other than the constant arousal that had her recrossing her legs even now.

At first it hadn’t been really noticeable. In fact, Kaylie had thought she was getting a fever or possibly suffering some ill effects from the pain medications. But the ache between her legs had only intensified with every passing day. Her nipples were hard little nubs that rubbed her bra constantly. Finally she had no choice but to acknowledge the truth, which should have made her happy. Instead, she was just irritated. And wet. And swollen. God she really needed an orgasm, or three.

Upon waking in one of the beds at the small hospital Friday night, Kaylie had a vague recollection of being in Dean’s arms, feeling safe, albeit confused as his eyes gazed into hers with concern. Now she knew that Dean had indeed held her last Friday, and the physical contact had started what Kaylie suspected it would. The mating heat. Only Kaylie never realized the arousal was so persistent. So intrusive. She should have listened to her sister with a woman’s heart rather than with a doctor’s ear.

Now it was Wednesday, and she was eating a late lunch with her sister at Dolen’s Cafe, trying to appear nonchalant, but fearing she was not even close to managing the task. Kaylie shifted on her seat, unsure how to bring up the subject. What the hell.

Heck
, she automatically corrected herself.

She decided to be blunt. “So how did you get through the mating heat before sleeping with Caleb?”

Tess choked and spit out what was left in her mouth into a hastily snatched napkin. “Excuse me?”

“And how long does it last?”

Tess gaped, her face filling with color. The sight of her sister blushing made Kaylie feel better, and she raised an expectant eyebrow for an answer. That never came.

After several moments of silence, watching as Tess looked everywhere but Kaylie, Kaylie urged her on. “So?”

Tess cleared her throat. “I told myself to be ready for your questions but I didn’t think you’d just blurt them out like this.” She sighed. “Though I should have known better.”

Kaylie frowned. “What do you mean you were going ‘to be ready for my questions’. How could you know what was going on with me before I did?”

Rolling her eyes, Tess pressed a finger to her nose, and Kaylie let out a little squeak of alarm. “Are you kidding me?” She recrossed her legs and put her arms on the table to lean in low. Hissing, she said, “You can tell when I’m …” unable to finish, Kaylie waved her hand wildly, nearly knocking over her glass of Coke.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Tess calmly picked up the drink and moved it out of harm’s way.

Falling back in her seat, Kaylie stared at her sister for a minute. “I have to admit that the scientist in me is fascinated, but the female part of me is mortified.”

Tess only shrugged. “Welcome to the club. And let me just tell you that my super sniffer isn’t even as strong as the male shifters’. And having a super sensitive nose is not all it’s cracked up to be. I mean why scent? Why not super hearing like Caleb has. But no. I get to smell — ”

“Got it.” Kaylie held up a hand to halt her sister’s tirade. “Wait. Do you think the men can smell out diseases?” Her brain suddenly shifted gears into the world of scientific possibilities.

“Uhm. I’m not sure. Maybe?”

“Fascinating. I need to talk with Caleb about this.”

“Uh huh. But first we need to talk about you, and Dean, and what you two are going to do about this.”

Unable to answer, Kaylie turned her head to stare out one of the side windows. As if on cue, Dean appeared from behind a building, heading to Dolen’s Cafe. Her heart picked up speed as she greedily drank in his lean, muscular physique encased in his usual jeans and long-sleeved shirt. She could see that the top two buttons were undone, and the glimpse of bare skin was enough to make her mouth water. His hair was pulled back in its customary tail; the afternoon sun revealed nothing but sleek, gorgeous black strands that dazzled her eyes.

Out on the walkway Dean paused as a woman came up to him. Inside the cafe, jealousy unfurled in Kaylie as she scowled out the window. Momentarily forgetting about her sister, her lunch, and their conversation, she could only think about how, after dumping her at the hospital, a supposedly attentive and concerned Dean had never come back, never called. Not in any way had he sought Kaylie out to find out how she felt. Was the woman he was now speaking with the reason why? Kaylie could only see the back of her short auburn hair and couldn’t identify her. Though the color was familiar.

Still scowling, Kaylie tapped agitated fingers against her arm.

“What’s so fascinating out the window, or are you just thinking?”

Kaylie jerked her head back to face Tess. “Just thinking.”

“So?”

So? So what? What had they been discussing before she’d gotten distracted by Dean and his bimbo? Oh, yes. “I really don’t know what’s going on, especially since I haven’t even heard or seen Dean in the last week.” The coward. “But first off, I’d like to know just how long this … thing … lasts.”

Tess took a drink of her iced tea. “Honestly, I don’t know for sure. It started about a week after first contact—which sounds like some bizarre alien encounter—and lasted until I had my period.”

Kaylie twisted her lips. “Well that’s just not going to work for me. I had mine last week and certainly don’t relish feeling like this for another two.”

Tess’s face appeared more than a little remorseful. “I’m sorry, Kaylie. I just don’t know for sure. Have you talked with any of the other mates in town?”

“The two female shifters that know me said it lasted less than a week, but they both accepted their mates right away. The others have either left town or are still single. The married ones that don’t know me well are too uncomfortable speaking with me on shifter-related topics.” Kaylie shrugged. “Who can blame them when they’ve been taught from birth to hide their other halves from humans. It’s a difficult concept to get over.”

“Hmmm.” Tess chewed a tomato thoughtfully. “Maybe Caleb can help with that.” At Kaylie’s bemused look she explained, “I mean speak with the women about talking to you. If he told them to they would.”

Kaylie was already shaking her head. “An order is not going to make them feel any more comfortable, and they’d end up resenting me for it. No. I need to find another way. And frankly, I need to speak to a human mate.”

At that thought Kaylie shot her eyes back out the window. Human mate. As she locked on Dean and the female still chatting on the sidewalk, the woman tilted her head back and laughed. That’s when Kaylie recognized her. It was Rachel Hodgins, Jack Hodgin’s—hardware store owner and shifter—wife.

Kaylie slumped in her seat, feeling like a fool. Then she tensed. Rachel was a human mated to a shifter, a sweet woman who had been quite helpful in the past.

“You know,” Kaylie said absently, speaking more to herself than to Tess, “I did speak with Rachel Hodgins about a year ago. Her situation with Jack was odd.” She shoved the last bit of hamburger in her mouth and chewed quickly.

Tess raised a sleek brow. “Odd, how?”

Kaylie swallowed the food and took a big gulp of her dwindling Coke. “Both Jack and Rachel grew up here, but didn’t get together until she was twenty-two. She told me that she’d been heartbroken at the time, believing she wasn’t Jack’s mate. She’d always adored him and had touched him constantly, but nothing ever sparked, until one day, it did.”

“Hmm. So maybe the mating heat is an age thing.”

Lips pressed together in thought, Kaylie mulled that over. “I don’t think so. Well maybe. It’s so frustrating that all shifter documentation was lost in the Pack Wars. Nowadays their history is passed on orally rather than via written material which means a lot of the information is probably skewed.”

“And you want to change that? You know it’s dangerous to have written data on the shifters.”

Kaylie rolled her eyes. “Come on, Tess. You know I’m not going to sell it to the tabloids. I’m a doctor, my father
and
sister are shifters, and you’re going to marry one. I would like to understand shifter relations and want to keep detailed records. Not to be a nosy neighbor but to help those I care about and future generations of shifters from misunderstanding or struggling against their dual natures. Help them live with it and not shove it down into a corner of their soul like my pain-in-the-stubborn-ass sister did.”

Tess blinked at Kaylie’s impassioned expression. “Well. Guess that put me in my place.”

Kaylie blew out a hard breathe. “I’m sorry. I just feel like there’s probably a lot of females alone out there, confused and terrified.”

One perfectly manicured brow rose. “And how do you expect to get that information out there for those who really need it without sending it to the tabloids?”

After a minute of frantic thinking, Kaylie slumped in her seat. “I have no idea.”

Instead of answering, Tess tilted her head, looking behind Kaylie’s right shoulder.

Penny, the afternoon waitress at the cafe, appeared to refill their drinks and ask if the sisters needed anything else. When they declined, Penny plopped down the bill and told them to just leave the money on the table. Evidently the cook, Sean, was having oven problems and needed Penny’s assistance while Dolen was stuck in his office on the phone, yelling at the repairman.

Ah, Kaylie grinned. The ease of small town living. After Penny left, Kaylie took a moment to remember what she and Tess had been talking about, and then wondered why she was having so many problems lately focusing. Oh, yes. Shifters and the tabloids.

“I don’t know what to do. Shifters like sex. A lot. And I’m not saying that’s wrong. I’m just …” Kaylie sighed at the hot look in Tess’s eye. “I’m concerned about the children resulting from a union, whether a one-night stand or a long-term relationship in which the shifter parent died. Those kids need to know that there’s nothing wrong with them. They aren’t cursed or worthless. They need to understand how their bodies, minds, and senses are different. They need to know how to protect themselves, that hormonal birth control doesn’t work for them …” Kaylie’s voice trailed off and she glanced out the window again.

“What?” Tess asked softly. “You thought of something?”

“Birth control.”

“Huh?”

Eyes sparkling Kaylie explained. “I asked Rachel if she’d changed her diet, medications or anything right before the mating heat triggered between her and Jack. She told me she’d stopped taking the birth control pill because it was making her nauseous the first two days she started a new pack. Since she wasn’t seeing anyone, and never had painful or long periods, she decided she didn’t want the hormones in her body.”

Kaylie sat quietly as she let Tess mull that over. “So you think the pill somehow prevents the mating heat?”

Excited by the possibility, Kaylie leaned over the table again, and Tess quickly snatched her drink up to avoid Kaylie’s flailing hand. “Think about it. Female shifters are immune to the pill. We know the pill alters the chemicals in a woman’s body, so it’s possible it alters her scent as well. A shifter might find a woman interesting, maybe even enticing, but the altered chemistry makes mate recognition impossible, even with touch, and thus the mating heat never occurs.”

Tess leaned over the table as well until their noses where inches apart. “Are you saying,” she hissed, “that there could be mates living in the same city, seeing and even touching each other on a daily or monthly basis and they would never be together because the female is on the pill?”

“Yes. Well, a theory actually.”

“But you’re on the pill, Dean touched you last Friday and now you’re in the mating heat. So that theory doesn’t work.”

Kaylie sat back, her fingers tapping against her arm in consideration. “Actually, I ran out before I moved back and never picked up a new subscription. I was thinking about restarting after my next period …” Her voice trailed off as her gaze drifted once again out the window. Dean and Rachel had ended their conversation and he was even now heading toward the cafe. “But I think I might wait.” Not that she wanted to get pregnant, because hey, condoms were a necessary evil regardless. But damn, if it caused Dean to loosen up around her, maybe even act on their mutual attraction, was that such a bad thing? Besides, it
was
her body.

Her racing heart plummeted when she saw Dean pause and then adjust his direction to head to the rear of the cafe.

As she watched him stride past the window, his gait determined and a little tense—but somehow really hot at the same time—Kaylie’s fingers tapped faster, in frustration now. If shifter senses were really as keen as Tess said, Dean could have easily scented Kaylie. And now the coward was avoiding her by going through the rear entrance.

Kaylie’s eyes narrowed. His continued avoidance was pissing her off. She knew Dean wanted her, but he didn’t want to want her. Even with the mating heat. But dammit! He wasn’t supposed to be able to resist her! Damned stubborn wolf!

She wanted to growl in frustration. She wanted to hurt him like he was hurting her. She wanted to know for sure what the hell was going on in that bull-headed brain of his.

Her eyes narrowed as a plan formed. Maybe not an adult plan, but a plan nonetheless. Dean might be fighting temptation by avoiding the sight of her, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t hear her. And if she didn’t garner even the tiniest reaction from him, she might just leave it alone.

Yeah, right.

Though Kaylie could barely hear the rattle of pots and pans from the kitchen, she imagined just enough time had passed for Dean to get to the door. She needed to get this conversation rolling in the right direction before she missed him.