Twelfth Moon (33 page)

“Hello, Sammy, it’s good to see you too.”

When he finally released her, they stood side by side. Jonah’s arm draped over her shoulders, while hers banded around his waist. The girl looked at Cadence, then up at Jonah with a wide smile. “And who is this? You must introduce us, brother.”

Cadence couldn’t help but smile back at this enchanting creature. She was a waif, the top of her head barely reaching Jonah’s shoulder, with the largest dark-brown eyes Cadence had ever seen. She exuded an aura of sweet innocence, sprinkled with a dash of impudent mischievousness.

Jonah teasingly squeezed the girl. “Yes, I suppose I must.” He winked at Cadence. “May I introduce my sister, Samantha? Samantha, this is Cadence LaPorte, my fiancé.”

Samantha produced another high-pitched squeal that nearly made Cadence’s highly sensitive ears bleed. Samantha jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “You’re getting married! Oh, that’s so wonderful!”

Looking at Jonah, Cadence caught his grimace, but then he just shrugged his shoulders. “Come on, you two. Let’s go find mother and father. I’m sure they’re curious to know what all the commotion is about, but have too much decorum to scream like banshees.”

Samantha gasped, turning toward him with a grin. “Jonah! We haven’t seen you in so long, and then you arrive with such marvelous news. I can hardly contain my excitement.”

“So we’ve noticed.” His remark earned a playful swat from Samantha. He linked an arm with his sister’s, slipping his other through Cadence’s, and escorted them into the house.

Cadence looked up at Jonah and smiled. She’d never seen this side of him, so relaxed and teasing. He was altogether charming – and incredibly handsome, even in her father’s ill-fitting clothes. A light breeze ruffled his hair, several dark strands catching in the seam of his lips, drawing her eye there. It also drew forth her memory of how soft and supple and delicious they were, and how much she’d like to taste them again.

He turned his head toward her, his gaze locking with hers. It was as though he’d heard her thoughts – which was impossible, since they could only do that in panther form…right? His eyes shimmered like hot melted steel, practically liquefying her bones.

He growled low. “You keep looking at me like that, Hellcat, and I’ll have to find us a secluded alcove.” Samantha was chattering away like a magpie, completely oblivious to his provocative statement.

Cadence felt herself blush – not from embarrassment, but from the images his words had brought forth. She shuddered, trying to catch her breath. This was the Jonah she most recognized – so intensely focused and sensual. She had to snap her attention back to the purpose of this visit – to meet his parents.

Thankfully, she had herself under control by the time they entered the spacious parlor, made bright and cheery by the room’s large, floor-to-ceiling windows. The man and woman seated on one of the sofas turned in unison to greet them. They had to be Jonah’s parents. She could see the family resemblance in their features and coloring.

“Mother. Father. Look who’s here. Jonah and his
fiancé
.”

Jonah growled. “Sammy.”

Samantha laughed – a tinkling, happy sound. “They were going to find out eventually. Why not now?” She flounced over to an over-sized chair upholstered in pale-blue and cream, and plopped down, smiling at her parents expectantly.

Where Samantha had inherited his mother’s golden hair color, Jonah’s came from his father, although the elder’s was sprinkled with gray. They had a similar build, and while Jonah’s nose was similar to his father’s, his mouth, with those sensuously full lips, was an exact replica of his mother’s.

Wherever he’d gotten those beautiful silver eyes was anybody’s guess, however, since his mother’s were blue, and his father’s were brown. She felt a moment of incredible sadness when she remembered that Robert’s were pale-blue.

Cadence stepped aside as Jonah moved to greet his parents. He bent down to hug his mother. “Hello, mother.” He straightened and shook his father’s hand. “Father.”

“Son.”

Jonah turned back to Cadence, grasped her hand, pulling her forward. “I’d like you to meet Cadence LaPorte, the woman I love and am going to marry.”

His mother’s eyes widened, her face lighting up with a brilliant smile. “Why that’s wonderful, dear! A bit of a surprise, but of course, we’re happy for you.”

Mr. Kincaid grasped Cadence’s hand, covering it with his other in a warm clasp. His gaze was open and friendly, accepting. “How do you do, my dear?”

Cadence was most pleasantly surprised. Jonah’s parents were so…completely normal. And very nice. How could such a wild, dangerous, and formidable man have come from these two people? “I’m fine, thank you for asking. I’m just so glad to finally meet you both.”

Jonah led her to a sofa across from where his parents sat, settling down next to her. Samantha remained on the sidelines with a pleased smile, quietly watching the proceedings.

“And we’re glad to meet you, even though we knew nothing about you – or what Jonah’s been up to these last several months, for that matter.” Mrs. Kincaid gave her son a pointed stare.

Jonah seemed unperturbed. “I’m sorry, mother. I was on the trail. You know it’s difficult to communicate in that case.”

His mother picked up on that immediately. “Oh? Is that where you two met?” She looked from Jonah to Cadence expectantly.

Jonah inwardly cringed. What to tell them?
Damn.
It hadn’t even occurred to him to come up with a plausible story. Of course he couldn’t tell them he’d tracked Cadence across half of Texas, intending to bring her back for a trial and subsequent hanging for the murder of his brother, their son.

And he also couldn’t tell them that she was a shape-shifting panther, came from a family of shape-shifting panthers, and because he’d gotten a taste of her blood while saving her life from a snake bite, was now a shape-shifting panther himself. And he couldn’t tell them that as it turned out, Cadence didn’t kill Robert, who’d brutally raped her, but rather, a magically appearing Apache spirit had done the deed. He nearly groaned aloud.

Thankfully, Cadence spoke up, saving him from such a dilemma. “We met in Texas, where I was visiting a friend.” Her smile was radiant as she turned to face him. “Didn’t we, honey?”

Honey.
God, he loved it when she called him that. “Yes, we did.” He grinned. “The moment I saw her, I knew she was the one I’d been searching for.”

Romantic?

“Sammy, dear, you have got to stop reading those sensation novels.” His mother’s tone was resigned, as though that very subject had come up on more than one occasion. “What could possibly be so romantic about being bitten by a poisonous snake?”

Samantha huffed. “Not that part, mother. The part about saving her life. Now,
that’s
romantic.”

His mother blinked several times, and then must have decided it was time to change the subject, turning her attention back to Jonah and Cadence. “Have you two set a date yet?

Jonah cleared his throat. “In three days.”

His mother’s gaze flicked to Cadence’s abdomen, and then quickly shot back up again, her cheeks turning pink. “Is there—” It was her turn to clear her throat. “Is there any particular reason why so soon?”

Jonah narrowed his eyes at his mother, her insinuation suddenly clear. “No, mother,” he said with exasperation. “It’s not what you think.” His quick glance at Cadence revealed that her cheeks were also flushed with color. “Her sister is preparing to travel and we’d like to have the ceremony before she leaves.”

“Oh! Well, then, we don’t have much time. Have you considered where you’d like to have the ceremony?” His mother glanced from Jonah to Cadence and back again. When neither one of them answered, she became suddenly animated, focusing on Cadence. “Why, we’ll have it right here. What do you think? Do you have a dress?”

“Well, I—”

“You need a dress! Jonah’s embarrassingly rich, so he can take care of that. And a new wardrobe, as well. Have you seen his house?”

“Mother.” Jonah had to stop her before she scared Cadence away. Already, she was looking overwhelmed. “Whatever Cadence wants is fine with me. Why don’t you two discuss it while I have a talk with father.” His father had been quiet while the women carried the conversation. It was his way. Unless it had to do with business, he preferred to stay out of it. Not because he didn’t care, but because he adored his wife. Jonah turned toward Cadence, his voice softening. “Do you mind?”

Samantha sighed heavily. “Very well. You can fill me in on the details later, mother.” She popped up with a smile, gave Jonah and Cadence each a quick hug, and in a flurry of pastels, skipped out of the room.

His mother’s sigh echoed Samantha’s. “My apologies. Our Sammy’s only just turned sixteen, and a little overly exuberant, I’m afraid.”

“There’s no need to apologize, Mrs. Kincaid. She’s quite sweet and lovely.”

Jonah snorted. “She’s a scamp.”

“Please, call me Rosalind, dear,” his mother said to Cadence. “Soon, very soon, in fact, you’re going to be Mrs. Kincaid as well. If we all went around saying, ‘Mrs. Kincaid,’ no one could be sure which one of us was being referred to, would we?”

Cadence laughed softly. “I suppose you have a point, M—Rosalind.”

Jonah walked with his father to his study, the women’s voices fading as they moved further away, down the hall.

There was something he wanted to talk to his father about, something that had been nagging in the back of his mind about their family history. He recalled hearing stories about gypsies in their family tree, tales about dark-haired, dark-skinned strangers who had, according to legend, possessed magical powers. As a boy, he’d been enthralled by the stories, but as he’d grown older, had dismissed them as merely folklore, fairytales.

Now, he wasn’t so sure.

Having met Ba'cho and his people, Jonah had to wonder if there was a connection, something that perhaps had been passed to him through blood ties. It could explain how it was possible that he’d become a shape-shifter after tending Cadence’s snake bite, why tasting
her
blood had affected him.

Should he tell his father what had happened – what Cadence and her sisters were? Could he risk ruining his relationship with his mother, father, and sister? What about when he and Cadence had children? His parents would have to deal with grandchildren who were able to shape-shift. Jonah didn’t know if they’d be able to keep it a secret from them – didn’t know if he wanted to.

He loved and respected his father, thought he knew him fairly well, but frankly, Jonah was at a loss as to how his father might react to such news. By the time they reached the study, Jonah had made his decision. “Get out your strongest whiskey, father, I have a story to tell you.”

Twenty Seven

JONAH COULDN’T BELIEVE it. His father wasn’t running from the room, screaming in terror. He’d just laid out the entire fantastical tale, and his father’s only response so far, had been, “Hmmm.” Just,
“Hmmm.”
Did he have nothing to say?

A long, tense moment passed in silence. Finally, Jonah couldn’t stand it any more. “Do you believe me?” His voice was low, tentative.

His father swirled the amber liquid in his glass, took a sip, and then looked up. “Can you show me?”

“It would shred my clothes. Either that, or I’d have to take them off first.” For some reason, Jonah felt a little sheepish about doing that in front of his father.

“Would I be in danger – are you in control when you’re this…panther-creature?”

“I have full cognitive abilities, so the answer is no, you wouldn’t be in any danger. Do I still have clothes here?”

“Your room is just as you left it. There are still a few of your things there.” His father rose and stepped into the hall. Jonah could hear him speaking quietly to one of the servants.