“I know that. We’ll think of
something and I’m pretty sure she knows more about sex than we think she does.”
Drake saw Evan coming from the other end of the wooded area with Sophia carried
in the same manner and chuckled. “We’re not the only ones still attached.”
“Damn you Roven men,” she
mumbled, turning back into his neck.
“We’re almost there.”
“And detaching.”
Drake felt what she did—his
cock sliding easily from within her warmth just as they reached the doorstep.
“We’re still attached. Go,”
Evan said as he headed the other way.
Drake lowered Kalana to the
floor, grabbing two robes from his security detail and wrapped one around her
as they headed to the library. His eyes widened at the vision in front of him.
“Holy shit.”
“Oh my God, is that Livi?”
Drawing his robe on, he moved
around the table to the small wolf sitting by Mari. “Yes.” He smiled as he
knelt in front of her; she was the exact replica of him in wolf form.
“Can
you hear me?”
he asked with mind speak.
“Yes. This is so cool,
huh, Dad!”
“What happened?”
he asked then looked up at Kalana. “Babe, I can’t
speak with her while you’re talking behind me. I know you’re anxious to know
what’s going on, but just hold on a moment.” When she nodded her head, he
turned back to their daughter.
“Well?”
“I don’t know, Dad. Mari
and I were playing a game and all of sudden I felt this strange wave of
something, like zapping me, and I was scared and cried out to you and Mamma and
then Mari was telling me to calm down, that I was alright and showed me what
happened in the mirror.”
“Did you have any pain
while shifting?”
“No, now that I’m not
scared anymore, it was kinda cool. Can I go run with you now?”
“Not until you can control
the shift.”
“Can I go play with Tommy?
The moment I shifted, he ran in and shifted too so I wouldn’t be scared.”
Drake glanced over at the
other pup who sat there patiently. Tommy was a good kid. He was Galen’s son,
who was his second-in-command for the security force. He didn’t know why he was
having such a hard time letting her go. It must be the daddy instincts kicking
in. Smiling, Drake rubbed the top of her head; he wanted her to rejoice in her
shift.
“Yes, so long as there’s an adult watching you and you don’t leave
the perimeter of the manor.”
“Thanks, Dad! Let’s go,
Tommy. I’m gonna get you for mooning me with your bare ass earlier!”
Wh-where is she going?”
Kalana asked breathlessly; she was frightened.
“She’s going to play,” Drake
replied as he rose to stand. “We have to let her be like other Lyken children
and embrace her shift, not let it hold her back. She’s safe, she won’t leave
the perimeter of the manor, and Ken will be watching over them.” Taking her
within his arms, he hugged her to him. “Don’t be afraid, she’s doing what’s
natural.”
“I know, but I-I couldn’t
even talk to her to see what was going on.”
Drake knew what she was going
through as he’d just been swept into the daddy instinct a moment ago. “I wish I
could help you hear her and take your anxiety away. I have to say, I know how
you feel. When she asked me if she could go play, I had this overwhelming urge
to say no and keep her near me, not letting her out of my sight to make sure
she’s safe. But then it hit me that I have to let her go, I can’t seclude her
from her right to have fun and be the Lyken child she is.”
“It’s not easy being a parent,
is it?”
“No, ma’am, and I sure as
hell don’t know how you did it alone for nine years.”
“Was she okay though? she
wasn’t having any aftereffects?”
“She said she was fine, there
was no pain, but the shift just came on suddenly.”
“It’s from the pull of the
full moon and all the Lyken energies surrounding her tonight,” Mari said with a
smile. “She’s fine, Kalana, and you,” she said, meeting Drake’s eyes, “are
going to be one fine daddy.” Sliding past them to the door she smiled at Evan.
“Okay, I’m happy now that my girls are where they’re supposed to be. I’m going
to bed, for I see myself getting into it with a vamp tomorrow.”
“She’s right,” Evan said as
he stepped into the room. “The full moon and its influence over us
¼
”
“Mixed with Lyken energies
surrounding her, no wonder she shifted.” Drake smiled.
“But when will she shift
back?” Kalana asked.
“When she’s ready, honey, you
know that.”
“I know,” she sighed. “I just
want to be able to talk to her I guess.”
Drake wrapped his arms around
her as she leaned onto his chest. “I know and now that she’s alright, what say
we go finish our original plans?” The corner of his mouth lifted as he swung
her up into his arms, then headed for their bedroom.
Chapter 5
Kalana stormed into the
security command rooms heading to Drake’s office. Her ire was up and leaves
were blowing behind her wake. Coming to a stop as she opened his door he lifted
his gaze to hers as wind and leaves flew around his office. “Drake Roven, you
better do something about your daughter.”
“Baby, I’m in a meeting.”
“I can see that, sorry, Evan,
Galen, but Livi is—” Sighing, her hands flew into the air. “I don’t know, she
won’t change back. It’s been over a week, I can’t talk to her, and she will not
listen to me. I’ll tell her something and she gives me this little wolf
shit-eating smile and takes off as if she doesn’t understand what I’m saying.
You need to control her. Stop letting her run this damn manor and put her in
her place. She’s eight, damn it, and you Roven men are letting her run this
roost. I thought Evan was Alpha here, not my daughter.”
“Hey…” Evan started.
Kalana shot him a pissed off
look. “Don’t you hey me, Evan Roven. You and your brother are letting her walk
all over you; even Gwil is bowing to her wants. Make her follow pack rules, she
has to have boundaries set, and you have to make her follow them.”
“But she’s my niece and new
to this.”
“That’s why you have to make
her follow the rules, Evan. She can’t be allowed to do whatever she wants,
break pack rules, ignore me and think she can get away with it. If I go full
Fae on her, I’ll drag her back here by the scruff of her little neck and…”
“Calm down, Kay,” Drake said
as he lifted his hand. “Come here.”
Kalana stepped from behind
the desk and let him pull her onto his lap. “I’m just frustrated I guess and
her not listening to me isn’t helping.”
“I know. Tommy’s been keeping
us updated on what she’s been doing. He’s been trying to teach her pack rules
as they go and he said she listens, somewhat.”
“It’s the somewhat I’m
worried about, Drake. We have a huge security issue happening and she needs to
learn to follow orders; she can’t do what she wants when she wants.”
“I know.”
“Does that mean I have to go
Alpha on her?” Evan asked.
“It may.” Kalana turned to
look his way. “I mean, Evan, she needs to understand. I love my daughter but
she can’t get away with what she’s been doing.”
“She’s not going to like it
and she may end up hating me.”
“She may, for a while, but the
older she gets, she’ll see the rules are there for a reason.”
“Yeah, but you’re the mother,
you’re supposed to set the rules. I want to be cool Uncle Evan.”
“We’ll both approach her
then,” Drake said. “In wolf form. We’ll make sure she understands when she’s
done something wrong.”
“Tommy says she’s heading
outside the perimeter to the woods,” Galen stated.
“Let’s go,” Drake said as he
rose, setting Kalana on her feet. He watched her shift to full Fae. “Baby, we’ll
handle this.”
“I know, but I’ll be in the
trees watching her just to see how she reacts.”
“Don’t you mother hen her
after we’ve punished her, not after that scolding you just gave us.” He sounded
stern even to his own ears, but he needed to get his point across.
“I won’t, Drake, don’t
worry.”
Drake nodded. Undressing, he
shifted with Evan and Galen the moment they stepped outside. He turned his gaze
and followed his mate as she shrank and shimmered to the trees. Lifting his
nose, he scented Olivia and took off. If he was in human form his scowl would
convey his thoughts as they stepped into the woods. He’d warned her not to
enter them without a guard at her side and what did she do? Break his rule and
run without them.
“Calm down, brother,”
Evan mind spoke.
“If we were in human form,
I’d tan her ass for this.”
Evan chuckled.
“No you
wouldn’t, just like I wouldn’t. If Kalana hadn’t just stepped all over our
Alpha senses we’d just slap her hand and tell her to be good.”
“Maybe you’re right,”
Drake sighed.
“But she knows better than to enter
the woods right now without a security detail.”
“And that’s something we’ll
both bring up to her and make sure she understands.”
“Alright, she’s up ahead,
let’s spread out and come in surrounding them.”
Drake took a left, quickly but quietly making his way
around to the area he wanted. He could hear Livi talking with Tommy through
mind speech and him giving her hell for being out here, trying to urge her
back. But not his headstrong daughter, she egged him on every step of the way.
Glancing up when a shimmer caught his eye, he smiled as Kalana flew up beside
him, keeping speed as he made his way along the forest floor. She was no bigger
than ten inches and could go smaller if she needed to. Damn, she was beautiful.
“Okay, brother, eye on the
target and not your mate.”
Evan
chuckled.
“Sorry about that.”
Crouching down, he slowly made his way under the bush
on his belly until he was less than two feet away from Olivia and Tommy. His
eyes narrowed as she rolled around on the soft grass as Tommy stood guard over
her, like a little warrior, and smiled. So the young Lyken thought to protect
his daughter, did he? Well he’d just have to talk to Galen about that. His eyes
narrowed when Tommy’s head went down and Olivia called him out to join her on
the grassy knoll.
“Hush, Livi, something’s
wrong,”
Tommy said.
The boy’s senses were doing
him well. He’d have to let Galen enter him in the junior security team. As
Tommy was telling Livi they needed to go back, Drake’s ears went down when he
caught scent of the wind.
“Do you scent that?”
“Yes, what the hell is
it?”
Evan asked
.
Drake’s gaze darted to Tommy
as he jumped in front of Livi, his hackles up, growling.
“Holy Shit.”
Drake growled as a Golem leaped out of the bushes. Usually they were apathetic
creatures, but this one, this one looked wild. Drake bounded out as the Golem
went for Tommy. Kalana shouted his name as Livi screamed. Jumping up, Drake
body slammed the Golem to the ground.
“Get her out of here now!”
he
yelled to Tommy who nudged Livi, making her leave as Evan and Galen stood
beside him.
“Why are you here? Where
is your master?”
Drake ordered as
Rhys and two vamps quickstepped in with the security team that had been
patrolling the area. Drake shifted when Evan and Galen did. “Who is your
master?”
The vamps grabbed the Golem
when he would have attacked.
“He’s not coherent,” Evan
said as he stepped forward.
Drake agreed. “You’re right,
he’s in a frenzy.” Nodding to one of his men, they grabbed the Golem’s head
tilting it back and forced his mouth open so he could get a good look at its
tongue. “His master’s marking is gone.”
“What do you mean gone?”
Kalana asked as she shifted to her full height.
“He has no marking on his
tongue; it’s been removed. Whoever sent him here did it knowing the kids were
out here alone.”
“We have another spy,” Evan
said.
“It looks that way.” Drake
frowned.
“How do we control it?” one
of the vamps asked.
The Golem was trying to
escape, making the vamps work at holding him in custody. “The only way to
control him is with magic and I don’t know if anyone…”
“I do,” Kalana said quickly.
“Hold on, I’ll be right back.”
Drake’s brow lifted when she
shimmered out, reappearing moments later with Mari in tow.
“Damn I hate that shimmering
shit, gives me a headache every time,” Mari complained as she staggered a bit.
“Couldn’t you find someone
else?” Rhys snorted as he stopped Mari from falling.
“Up yours, blue eyes,” Mari
snapped.