Carter (9 page)

“I’ve not told him about the appointment yet. He and his brothers were so excited to be going house hunting with Carter. And Murph is…she’s very much in love with Carter, but I think she’s afraid to tell him.” Sina nodded, biting down into her second scone. “Do you think this will end well for them? I mean, all three of them?”

“I do. And do you want to know why? It’s because of this family. Linyah said that she’s never met a closer family. Any of them will drop whatever they’re doing to help the other. And their missions…I’m to understand that Murph has been asked to join them.”

“She has. I don’t think she’s accepted as yet, but she helps them. Misha said with her abilities, and with Linyah’s, they are safer than they’ve ever been, and a good deal faster at getting in and out. I’m glad for that. I worry so much with them gone.” Hannah had been answering the phones and working at the offices for a while now, and hated some of the calls they went out on. “We’ve closed down for the weekend. I think it was harder on Rider than it was anyone else. He really enjoys going out and helping others.”

“I think they need this little vacation from work more than they realize. I’ve been looking forward to it myself. Kendra is beside herself worrying about everything going right, but her dad…he’s been putting hiccups in the issues just to egg her on. It’s quite funny if you ask me.” They both laughed. “But this woman, Leila. She can be brash when the mood suits her, which I believe is all the time. She might be the only hope we have of figuring out what happened to the others that were sent here.”

“Does she know that they’re coming?” Sina shook her head. “You want to surprise them both then.”

“I would like to see if, like other beings on our planet, they seek each other out. You know, sort of know what they are to each other. I’ve never met a more…she can be caustic when she doesn’t like something, and sweet as pie when she’s got things in her control. But this event, she wasn’t willing to come to it, but I had Nildale send her a special notice. You can’t ignore those.”

Jackson came into the kitchen a few minutes later, and he told her that Master Max might need her assistance. He said the poor young man was not at all happy with the tailors.

“There is an issue with him having to undress to his naked self. He is claiming that they’re perverts and the tailors are…perhaps it would be best if you rescue the men from him. I do believe he is going to cause them harm soon.”

Hannah and Sina went to find them. Max was pissed, but he was more embarrassed than anything, she thought. Sina asked what the problem was, and Max said that they wanted to touch him and take him. That alone set off alarms in Hannah’s head.

“You’ll back off.” Hannah had been in a situation like that before. Never hurt, but it had been close. “If you can’t do your job without upsetting him, maybe he’ll just go to the crowning in his jeans and tee-shirt.”

“Mistress, we meant him no harm.” She eyed them closely as the man in front of her took a step toward her. “We just need him to let us dress him properly.”

The blast of power took her breath away. Hannah felt someone push her back, and she was lifted up just as the screams started. Max. All she could think of was poor Max.

“Don’t move.” She nodded, looking up at Nic, who was holding her. “You’re fine. Young Max is fine.”

“What happened?”

He sat her on her feet, and she looked at the two men who were down on their knees, their heads touching the floor. Max was all right, but Linyah and Murph were with him, and she felt a little light headed. Sitting down, she reached for Misha, and wasn’t surprised when he pulled her into his arms. “I don’t know what happened.”

“Just breathe and I’ll tell you. Christ, I’ve never been so…he’s fine. I swear to you he’s just fine. But the man was going to hurt him. He works for Murph’s dad.” She asked him how that was possible, they’d come from the castle. “I don’t know. We’re still trying to figure that out. I’m going to let you go now so we can…I love you. So very much.”

Hannah watched them from her position on the couch. The two men wouldn’t get up from the floor until Murph said it was all right. They were so afraid of her that they wouldn’t move, even when Kendra told them they could.

“He made us come. He said that should we not, he would harm our families.” The first man to lift his head wouldn’t look at them as he told them what happened. “There was much coin to be had, he said. Should we tell on him, whisper even a word, he would murder our families. Mistress, we did not want to do this. I swear this on my wife’s heart that we did not.”

“And you never thought to tell us, even in a message? Or to, I don’t know, send us a messenger?” The man said that they’d been watched since this morning. His own mother was now hidden here on this earth, and he could not find her, no matter how hard he’d tried. Linyah disappeared, only to return with the sobbing woman. The man held his mother to him as he continued.

“The man from here was able to pass through the gates with ease. I saw him there before, looking for anyone to help him. None would but for today. He said that he only wanted the child and he would return with coin. Lanky said that it was just a child to his grandfather, there was no harm in us making money from that.” Sina asked him if he’d taken any. “No, my lady, it is why he took my mother. And Preston had his child taken, but the man murdered him when we did not agree readily. We had no choice, my lady.”

“You did, you should have told us.” The two men disappeared, as did the man’s mother. Kendra turned to Max, and he lifted his chin like he’d harm her too should the need arise. “You used a great deal of power to save this household. Do you have any control over it?”

“I’m working on it.” Kendra nodded at him and then got down on her knees. “I won’t say I’m sorry. He was going to hurt Hannah and her baby. I wouldn’t let my grandda do it, and this man wasn’t going to either.”

“What did he have? What was this man going to use to hurt her?” Max pulled his hands from behind him and handed her the gun-like object. Kendra didn’t touch it, but she nodded to Carter, who took it from him. “It’s one of our weapons. Should he have fired it at her, he would have killed her and the babe. You knew this.”

“Yes. He had it in his head as soon as we came in here. He wanted me to be naked so he could see that I didn’t have anything on me to get away.”

Kendra nodded and looked up at Murph.

“I owe you so much for this. Had he harmed anyone here, any of your family, I would have been…it would have been devastating to us all.” Murph put her hands on Max’s shoulders and nodded. “I would like to give you something, both of you. A gift for what you did.”

“I think we have enough gifts right now.” Kendra nodded but put out her hand to Max. He stared at if for a long while before he put his hand into Kendra’s. Hannah wasn’t sure who was more surprised, Kendra or Max, but whatever it was, it was given to Murph and Carter as well.

Chapter 9

Carter was still aching from the surge of power that had run through him hours ago. Now he was bound up in a tux that had him feeling like he needed to strip naked and shift. When he looked over at Max, he could see he was having the same issues. Not shifting but being tied up. He put out his hand to him and shook it.

“You saved Hannah twice today. I can’t thank you enough for that.” He nodded and pulled at his tie again. “Here, unbutton the button under the tie and you can breathe better.”

“Mom said if I touched one thing on this before she took our picture, she’d make me wish I’d never been born. I believe her, I think. She was pretty upset when I asked her when I could take this off.” Carter laughed. He’d been given the same warning an hour ago. “And I like Hannah. She’s…someone hurt her, and she’s having a hard time adjusting to people liking her and being kind.”

“Yes. Do you know who?” He nodded and looked around the room again. He’d been doing that for the last ten minutes. “Who are you looking for? Is there some girl you want to ask out?”

The look on his face was priceless. Carter couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t love women. He didn’t have a date every night like Phillip, but he’d had his fair share of them. But he asked Max again what was bothering him.

“There’s someone here. She’s…she feels like my mom.” Carter didn’t know what that meant, but when Max stood up on his chair, he nearly had a heart attack. His mom laughed at him when he held Max until he was ready to get down. “I need to go over there. Will you go with me?”

Carter said he would, and they walked across the room to a table where a lone woman sat. She was beautiful, and she looked at them like she was going to put out a hit on them, but Max plowed on. He’d really hate to have to explain to his mom how he’d gotten mussed up by a woman before this party thing started.

“What do you want, young man? I’ve no wish to be bothered by children.” She pounded her fist on the table when Max stood before her. “Did you hear me? I said to go away.”

“I’ve seen you before. Not in real life, but in a big painted picture. A portrait.” She told him again to go away, but this time she was staring at him intently. “Over my grandda’s fireplace. It has a gilded frame and has thick candles on either side of it. I’ve only been there the one time, but I remember the picture. My mom and I went there to get something and he never saw us, but she showed me around. It’s a nice house but for the man who lives there.”

“And why do you think I should care if you think someone looks like me?” The woman looked up at Carter. “You should teach your son better manners, young man. This is not the time or the place to piss me off.”

“My grandda’s name is Daniel Murphy. My name is Max. Maximillian Murphy.” Everything about the woman seemed to freeze up. Carter started to reach for Max, but he put out his hand to the woman before he could bring him back. “You know him, don’t you? You know my grandda.”

“This isn’t possible.” The woman touched Max’s face gently, and he could see the tears streaming down her face. “He told me she was dead. That my daughter was dead. I came here, came home, and let him think I had died as well.”

“Max?” Carter turned to look at Murph, and when Max told the other woman who she was, Murph backed up a step and bumped into him. “What is going on?”

“I never knew.” The woman stood up, and Carter put his hands on her arms to steady her. “He told me that you’d died in childbirth. I never liked him, less after he and I were married, but I was lonely and needed someone to care for me. I didn’t choose well. In fact, you were the only thing that…then he told me you were gone and I had nothing else. Please, I should like to touch you.”

“Mom?” The woman nodded at Murph when she asked her question. Sobbing, the woman looked so different now that her hard shell had been taken away. “You were supposed to be dead too. I mean…he told me that I killed you when you gave birth to me. He believes you to be dead as well.”

“No. I came home. I came here.” The woman touched Murph’s face and cried harder. “My child. My only child.”

They hugged for a long time, both of them crying, Max and him standing by should they need them. When Max leaned his head on his side, Carter held him as well. It was the first time that the boy had ever touched him first, and Carter felt as if he’d been blessed with a great gift. When the woman turned to him and Max, she got down on her knees in front of Max.

“I’m your grandmother. Oh my, but you are a handsome man, aren’t you?” Max, in an unusual show of shyness, turned his face to Carter’s leg. “That’s all right. It’s a lot to take in for all of us. Oh my, a grandson, and you and your mother are just like me.”

“Doran?” The woman turned to Murph and nodded. “I’m sorry. This is my mate, Carter Lanning. Carter, this is my mother. I don’t remember your name, I’m so sorry.”

“I’m Leila. No last name, as I never took the last name Murphy. Dreadful man, your father. Please tell me he’s dead.” Carter said that he wasn’t. “And is he…he’s hurt you both, hasn’t he? He’s…the attack on the leopard’s home today, it was him.”

“Yes, ma’am. He came to get me and when I wouldn’t go, he tried to hurt Hannah.” Leila stood up and looked around the room as Max continued. “If you’re looking for Kendra, she’s in the hall getting everything lined up.”

As they made their way out into the hall, Sina came with them. Carter had a feeling that she knew what was going on and only wanted to see what happened. Murph looked like she was going to strangle someone, but he held her hand and that of Max while they waited for Kendra to help them.

“Leila, I’m not sure what you need, but this is something that I need to take—”

“This is my daughter, her husband, and my grandson. I should like for you to acknowledge them please.” Kendra turned and looked at them. When she smiled, he knew that she had been in on it as well,
whatever
it had been. “You knew that they were there all this time? If you did, so help me I will—”

“No. Just today. And to be honest, I had just hoped that they could learn something from you. I had no idea you were related.” Kendra stepped closer to them. “But now that I see you all together, I can see that you are not just related but very closely so. Congratulations, Leila. I know that you’ve been alone for a long while. Perhaps your family can help you now.”

“So you acknowledge them?” Kendra nodded. “Good. I need to…I have something for them. Shall I show you, or may I…can I…? Oh poo. I’m so…I’m overwhelmed right now.”

“Leila, they are your family. You do not need my permission to give them your love.” Leila shook her head and Kendra nodded. “I am your queen, yes. But we both know that I serve you, not the other way around. As you have always done. This is, as I have said, your family. You give them whatever you need to in order to keep them safe.”

Carter thought he’d be prepared for the touch. He was, sort of; he knew it was going to be a lot. But when Leila touched her fingers to Murph, he was knocked back on his ass and a couple of feet from them. And as soon as he sat up, his cat, always on edge lately, took him.

~~~

Misha laughed every time he looked at Carter. The man was simply too funny not to laugh at today. Here they all were, all dressed up to the nines, as his mom said all the time, and Carter was in an ill-fitting tux with his eyes burning daggers at anyone who even looked at him. And to top that off, Mom was laughing as well.

You are so going to pay for this.
Misha had to put his hand over his mouth when Carter spoke to him through their link.
You knew this was going to happen and you didn’t tell me.

I had no way of knowing that you’d be zapped like a finger in a light socket. I’m glad I was there to see it. Just think, had I been like four seconds later, I’d have missed the entire thing.
Carter told him to fuck off.
Oh, baby brother, you have no idea how happy I am to see your mate smiling at you like she’s just discovered the cure to all her life’s problems. And Max is so in awe of you that the kid is about to bust with it. I guess he’d never seen anyone shift before.

He’s a kid. You’re a grown man. Stop laughing at me.

Misha tried really hard, but if this kept up, he was going to be losing it even before the ceremony started. When the music started to play, their signal to stand, he did so, helping his mom to stand as well. She was a bit nervous as well, but Misha couldn’t have been prouder than he was right now.

Thomas was being crowned today. He’d have all the power his mate Linyah had, and some that would be gifted to him as the new crown prince. Nildale and Sina were going to give Misha a gift as well, because he was the leader of their leap, and he’d been assured, especially since the thing with Carter, that it wouldn’t be harmful at all. Just a token of their appreciation for hosting them a few times. Misha was just glad that everyone was happy and here today.

I think I’m going to buy the house near your property.
Misha looked at Carter as he continued.
I know that I should be paying attention here, but I’m fucking hurting and need something to take my mind off the pain. She said a few hours. How long has it been? At least four.

Less than an hour. And you should be paying attention. You never know what sort of thing you might have to do when you get in with Leila’s clan. From what I’m to understand, she’s the oldest member of the Doran race and has a lot of pull.
Misha laughed when Carter told him to fuck off again.
Seriously, you might be the next crown prince.

When his mom hit him in the back of the head, he knew that Carter had told on him. He was still laughing when Thomas walked past him and reached for their mom. She was going to help with this thing, and since all the rehearsals had been in private, Misha was excited to see what transpired when it got going. Misha really was proud of his family.

Thomas led their mom to the front of the room. When he knelt on one knee before Kendra, Mom did the same. The two of them were bowing their heads when Kendra stood up. A man in a very colorful livery came to her with a box in his hand. He opened it just as Mom stood up, and Kendra began.

“Today I honor Maribel Lanning, mother to my brother-in-law, Thomas Lanning. She is a wonderful role model, a good provider, as well as someone very dear to my heart. When she is here, she is as much my family as my sister and brother, and now Thomas.” She took out the necklace that looked to have a diamond attached. “Thank you, Maribel Lanning, for all your kind words, your help in getting me ready for this, and keeping me calm when no others could. But I thank you most for raising a man that my sister loves with all her heart, and a man with such integrity and love.”

Kendra slipped the chain over Mom’s head and then kissed her on both cheeks. Misha watched his mom as she spoke quietly to Kendra before moving off to the side. Now it was Thomas’s turn.

“Recently it was brought to my attention that Thomas is going to be a father.” The room burst into applause, and Misha stared at Linyah. He’d had no idea, and from the looks of it, neither had Thomas. “I wish to give to Thomas and his child all that can be given to him. He will be as long living as we are, he will be as royal as our family, and he will forever have a home here with our clan. Today, he not only becomes my prince, but a member of our family in all ways.”

The crown was brought forward, and Misha held his breath. Thomas had been bitching about this thing for so long that Misha wondered if they had decided to do something else besides that. But when he stood up and then kissed her hand, the crown was lifted from the pillow and held out while he knelt again. Kendra held the crown several inches above his head and looked out over the crowd.

“Thomas hates this part.” Everyone laughed, and she smiled down at him. “He’s been a wonderful man about this. Accepting of tradition like no one I’ve seen before. And despite all the problems that he’s made up in his head that are going to come with this crown, he will do whatever it takes to make us all look good. I want you to know that instead of honoring him, as is my job, it is an honor for me to have such a man join with my sister. Thomas Ewing Lanning, I crown you the prince of our realm, leader of men, and the best brother-in-law I’ve ever had.”

When the crown touched his head, he looked up at Kendra. “I’m your only brother-in-law. But I thank you.”

The hum started low, but as it built, Misha felt his body begin to hum as well. It wasn’t painful, but it was…different. When Hannah gripped his arm, he had to sit, right now. And as he did, his vision blurred and his mind seemed to swirl with all sorts of colors and light. Before he knew it, someone was holding his head down between his knees and telling him to take deep breaths. It wasn’t until he looked at the shoes that he realized it was the king.

“I think I’m okay.” Nildale said something but Misha didn’t understand it. “Really. I’m just fine.”

“I told her this would happen. I knew it would. Just give me a minute. My heart is racing like a dax on race day.” Misha had no idea what a dax was, and was pretty sure that it wasn’t important right now. “She said it wouldn’t, but I knew it would.”

Misha forced the king’s hand away and sat up. He was in a different room now, and it was just the two of them. Looking around, he realized he’d never been in this part of the castle before. Nildale sat down across from him.

“What did you tell her would happen when she did that to Thomas?” Nildale grinned, and Misha thought perhaps he didn’t really want to know that badly. “Never mind. I’ll figure it out on my own.” Misha stood up and stretched. He was nearly to the door when Nildale spoke.