PS02 - Without Regret (35 page)

With Logan in town he couldn’t risk putting this off any longer since all it would take was one of the shifters or demons that

worked for Logan to catch the scent of this family and alert Logan. He needed to do his duty and get Logan the hell out of this

town quickly before the Pyte adults caught his attention. As much as he’d love to see every fucking Pyte on earth locked up he

couldn’t risk a Master being the one to do it. The idea of a Master controlling a Pyte turned his stomach, but the adult Pytes

weren’t his problem since they’d most likely kill him after he did what he had to do.

His only hope was the Sentinels that were obviously living and guarding that house would smarten the fuck up one day and toss

them both in a pit filled with cement and forget them. Then again the Sentinel Council probably liked having a Pyte at their beck

and call. They probably thought they were truly working together and that they could trust the Pytes couple.

They’d learn.

“Why aren’t you doing the job that I hired you for?”

Logan demanded in that crisp tone of his that scared all of his men, but didn’t faze Kale in the least.

“Just checking something before I finish the job,” he said, moving

“What’s that?”

“Nothing important,” Kale said, hoping the man would just let it go.

“Where are you headed?” Logan asked, probably not expecting an answer and normally he wouldn’t give one, but he did today.

He needed Logan to get his men and get the hell out of town.

“Boston.”

“Boston…..are you sure?” Logan asked hesitantly.

“Very sure.”

In the next twentyfour hours a small group of Sentinels was going to try and sneak Isabella McGuire out of the country and if

luck was on his side he’d be alive to stop them.

************

Even before she was fully awake, Madison realized that she was starving. With a small groan she flopped over onto her back

and whimpered pathetically at the thought of having to get up and go downstairs to find something to eat. Before she became

pregnant and Ephraim had disappointed her, all she had to do when she woke up hungry in the middle of the night was roll over

and latch onto Ephraim’s neck while she took him into her body.

Now she had to get up and she was too damn tired and admittedly lazy to get up and go downstairs. Then again if she hadn’t

kicked Ephraim out of her room and made him sleep in Chris’ room all she would have to do was ask him to get her something

to eat. She could call him, but she was still so upset about what he’d done.

How could he let Chris ruin his life like that?

For over ten years Chris waited patiently for his mate and after one night he was ready to toss her aside over nothing. So she

couldn’t fight. Big deal. Chris could fight well enough to protect and cover for her until her abilities kicked in and he could

teach her how to fight.

If anyone could teach her how to fight it would be Chris.

Even as a kid Chris had been a very good fighter, skilled, determined and ruthless. At least that’s what Eric and Ephraim said.

When she first met Chris she thought he was a great kid, but could be a mean son of a bitch if he was provoked. She formed that

opinion of him during her first week of teaching when she caught him beating the hell out of two large seniors after they

dumped their lunch trays on a nervous freshman who’d made the mistake of sitting at their table. He’d always had a soft spot

for those weaker than him, especially where women were concerned, which only confused her more since he should be more

understanding and accepting of Isabella.

She honestly didn’t know what they expected from the poor woman when they brought her into the clearing. If anything they

probably made her more nervous and made it more difficult for her abilities to surface.

Scaring the hell out of her didn’t help and instead of taking a step back and trying to ease her into this from another angle, Chris

was ready and willing to give up any real future, or a family of his own out of some misplaced sense of loyalty to them.

Chris didn’t owe them anything. He was part of their family and if she were to be honest she’d have to say that he was

probably the glue that kept them all together over the years. They all loved him and wanted to see him happy. He might have

been eager to meet his mate and have a partner, but everyone else had been excited to see him happy and smiling more freely

again.

Since the home invasion all those years ago Chris turned more serious, deadly and too damn focused on their safety and

happiness to even think about his own.

She didn’t want him living the rest of his life for them.

She wanted him happy. God, what she wouldn’t do to have the easygoing Chris back for even one minute. He was kind and

sweet to all of them and on occasion he playfully teased them, but his eyes never shined with humor and his smiles seemed

forced.

With Isabella he seemed more relaxed and happy for a few minutes there in the beginning before he allowed his

disappointment in her shortcomings to affect his judgment. She understood they were all in a very dangerous situation, but

she’d understand and even accept Chris leaving for a little while so that he could protect his mate. He was going to live for

another hundred and seventy years as long was careful, maybe longer if she could figure out a way to turn him without killing

him, and she would more than understand if he needed a few years to cut himself off from everyone to keep everyone safe until

this stupid war ended. There was no need to sacrifice his entire life for them. She didn’t want that and neither did anyone else.

They just wanted Chris to be happy and if he actually followed through with this that wouldn’t happen.

“Madison?” Ephraim asked hesitantly from the other side of their closed bedroom door, making her jump. She hated when he

was able to sneak up on her. With her damn Pyte abilities she should have known the second he was on the move. “Are you

hungry?” he asked just as the scent of hot food teased her nose, making her stomach growl.

She opened her mouth to tell him to go away since she was still mad at him, but the stubborn man simply walked into the room

without waiting for an answer.

Her eyes narrowed on his face, noting the rueful expression before dropping to the tray in his hands. She licked her lips

hungrily when she spotted the large stack of grilled cheese sandwiches and overflowing bowl of macaroni and cheese.

For the kid’s sakes Ephraim had tried to learn how cook ten years ago, but he only mastered two dishes, macaroni and cheese

and grilled cheese, which if memory served her correctly from the last pregnancy were out of this world.

“Here,” he said, placing the tray on the bed beside her.

“Thank you,” she said, unable to tear her eyes away from the food. It smelled so good, but there was a slight problem. She

couldn’t eaten human food without a little blood in her stomach or she’d get hit with morning sickness.

“If you want I can go downstairs and grab you a bag of blood, but I’d rather you take from me. I know you’re mad at me,

sweetheart, and I understand, but I need you to know that I’m not happy with what Chris is doing either,” Ephraim explained

quietly.

For the first time since she spotted the food she looked away and could have cried at the pained expression on Ephraim’s face.

She knew how much he loved Chris and wanted him to be happy. Knowing how much he loved Chris, she knew that he was

less than thrilled with what was happening and she felt bad for adding to his worries.

“I’ll take from you if it’s okay,” she said, almost smiling when he let out a relieved sigh.

He moved the tray off the bed and sat down with his back against the bed and held his arms open for her.

She moved over him and straddled his lap and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

“I’m sorry I’ve been a bitch to you, Ephraim,” she said, pressing another kiss against his lips.

His hands cupped her hips, gently massaging them as he returned the kiss. “You haven’t been a bitch, baby. I understood that

you were upset. We all are.”

“Your son’s being an idiot,” she murmured against his lips.

“I know,” he sighed. “I’m going after him in a couple of hours. I’m hoping I can talk some sense into him.”

“I hope he listens.”

He forced a smile. “Let’s worry about this later, baby.”

She wanted to argue, beg and plead for him to make Chris do the right thing, but she couldn’t. He was already stressed out

about it and she wouldn’t add to his worries. Not on purpose anyway.

“Okay,” she reluctantly said.

“Take as much as you need,” he said, tilting his head to the side.

Madison leaned in and pressed a kiss to his neck before she allowed her fangs to slide down and into his neck.

Ephraim groaned long and loud as his hold on her hips tightened. The scent of his arousal hit her hard a few seconds later and

she was helpless to ignore it. It had been several days since they’d made love and it was her fault.

Wanting to make it up to him, she reached between them and pulled his erection out of his cotton pajama pants and began to

stroke him slowly.

“You don’t have to do this, Madison,” he bit out, groaning.

In answer she quickened her strokes on his cock as she pulled harder on his neck, knowing how much he loved that. When she

felt him go still beneath her, she pulled away from his neck and bent over to take him in her mouth.

“Fuck,” he groaned as his cock swelled in her mouth seconds before he came. She swallowed every last drop, pulling away

only to lick the head clean.

“Get up here,” he growled and she went, more than ready for what she already knew would be a very long night filled with

makeup sex.

She was just moving to sit up when she heard something strange. Ephraim stilled beneath her as he cocked his head and bared

his fangs as the scent of shifter drifted into the room.

“Mommy! Daddy!”

Chapter 29

“Please!”

“No!” Chris snapped.

“But I-“

“You’re going to have to hold it.”

“I can’t!”

“You can,”

“No, I can’t, you big jerk, so bring me to a damn gas station or somewhere with a bathroom before I tinkle in my damn pants!”

she snapped, beyond frustrated and ready to throttle him with her bare hands.

She’d be doing it right now if she wasn’t still cuffed.

Thankfully a little over three hours ago she managed to work her cuffed hands in front of her and even managed to free her feet

so at least she was marginally more comfortable. Granted, she’d be more comfortable if she didn’t have to use the bathroom,

wasn’t starving and so exhausted that she thought she might be sick.

“Did you just say tinkle?” he asked, sounding amused and so help him if she caught even a hint of a smile through the rearview

mirror she was going to climb into the front seat and bitch slap him to death.

“Yes,” she bit out through clenched teeth. “I have to tinkle, you insensitive bastard!”

He sighed heavily. “Now you’ve gone and hurt my feelings,” he said, sounding even more amused and she decided that she

didn’t need to see proof that he was laughing at her, she was going to kick his ass now! She moved to do just that when she was

reminded once again that she really needed to go.

“I’m not kidding! I have to go!”

“Fine,” he said, starting to pull over.

“What the hell are you doing?” she asked, watching as cars sped past them.

“Pulling over so that you can use the bathroom. What the hell do you think I’m doing?”

Her jaw dropped as she looked over to her right and spotted the thin woods. For god sake’s she could easily see thirty feet into

the woods. There was no way she was going pee on the side of the highway where everyone could see her.

“Not happening.”

“What? I thought you said you to go, so go,” he said, turning in his seat and gesturing for her to get on with it.

She shook her head firmly. “Nope. I want to pee in civilization.”

“Here’s a road, cars, technology,” he said, gesturing a cell phone tower off in the distance. “You can’t get any more civilized

than that. Now get your cute little ass out of here and go tinkle.”

“I. Hate. You,” she stressed as she struggled to open the back door.

“Should I come with you so that I can protect you from rabid squirrels?” he asked, laughing, but she didn’t think it was a

laughing matter. Oh no, not at all.

She was back in the car with the door slammed shut and locked under five seconds flat. “You bring me somewhere where they

have indoor plumbing or so help me when I finally get kickboxing lessons I will come after you and kick your ass!”

Still chuckling and apparently enjoying himself immensely, he pulled back into the first lane and thankfully sped away. When

she saw the first billboard announcing a Wal-Mart was only ten miles away she nearly cried with relief. When it looked as

though he was going to shoot past it she contemplated manslaughter.

“What are you doing? Get off the exit!” she cried when the exit was fast approaching.

“Fine,” he sighed out heavily as he took the exit.

Minutes later he was pulling into a parking spot near the garden center and she was damn close to bursting.

When he turned in his seat and gestured for her to move her hands closer she could have kissed the man.