Riss (13 page)

“
You should take better care of yourself from now on. I would hate to have to see you hurt. Even if it is just a little.” Riss moved to her other ankle and toes and gave them the same treatment. By the time he was to the tiny little tattoo on her outer calf, he was as hungry for her as he’d ever been for anything before.

“
What have you here?” The small bird looked to be something he’d seen before but couldn’t think. He supposed it had something to do with his view that was distracting him as well. He had taken her panties off, and now he could see how wet and gorgeous she really was. The bird was forgotten for the moment, and he ran his fingers up both her thighs to her hips.

“
Riss? Please?” Her voice was soft yet so powerful he could feel the need in it. Touching the downy fur over her femininity, he watched her face as he slid down into her opening with his fingers.

“
You’re not making this easy on me.” She moaned as he moved his fingers in and out of her, and he, too, moaned when she tightened around him. “Would you like to come again, love? I could drink from you while you did so.”

“
Riss, you either fuck me or let me go so I can fuck you.” He nearly laughed, but she pulled tight on the bounds that held her. “Give your cock to me.”

He moved up her body, fisting his cock as he
went. He would do this again to her, hold her down while he finished his study. But when his cock was at her entrance, all he could think about was burying himself as deep as he could into her and staying there for the rest of their lives.

She nearly pulled him in with her need. Her hips rolled up and down so much that he could have stilled above her as he was and release
d. Moving slowly into her, inch by inch, Riss knew that the moment that she released, he would join her. But when he was buried to the root of himself, she stilled beneath him.

“
Riss, I love you.” He kissed her, drinking more of her into him with his mouth and tongue. “Please never leave me.”

Reaching up to release her arms, they wrapped around him even as he touched his foot to the ones around her
ankles. When she was completely surrounding him, he started to move harder and faster as he kissed her again.

“
Never. I’ll never leave you. I love you more than my life. I would die for you. I would kill for you. I love you with all my heart.” When she came screaming his name, Riss followed her. There was no better thing in the world, he discovered, than to make love to your wife and have her love you right back.

It was perhaps an hour later when he heard from Michael
, who asked for him to come to the kitchen. Riss had been watching Kala sleep since they’d made love, and he was debating whether or not to do as Michael asked. Riss told him he’d be down in a few moments after debating on telling him to go away.

“
We have a location on Daniel. And now that we know where he is, I’ve told him to come here so that this might end peacefully. He is driving his car on the way to here.” Riss sat down when given this news as soon as he walked into the room. Michael handed him a small map, and Riss looked at it as Michael continued. “He will be here within the hour. This is the route that he’s taking. I know that it’s the longer way around, but that’s what I had hoped for. This way we can prepare better for him when he gets here. I’ve also contacted Benny and Lily, and they will be here as well.”

“
Do you honestly think this will end peacefully?” Riss looked up at him when he didn’t answer. “He wants her, and I cannot think that he will say it’s all right once he realizes that she isn’t going to go with him. He will, I think, be most upset with her. And me as well.”

“
It will end as it should. I know that’s not what you want to hear from me right now, but it’s all I can offer you. This is where it will end. When he arrives, it will be over almost before it begins. We need to stop this. And the only way is to help the police.” Michael sat down when he finished, and Riss thought he looked tired. There seemed to be a great deal of that going around, and Riss was worried. Benny sat beside him when he came into the room.

“
I have my best men around the house, as well as a few snipers in the trees. I would like him to be taken alive per Boss’s instructions, but if it comes down to it, we’ll do this whatever way we need to. First and foremost, we need to keep the other humans here safe.” Riss nodded at Benny. There was no way that Riss could think that this was going to end well for anyone.

Riss knew that as of today there were nine humans in his household. Some of them were going to stay after this was over
, as security, and few of them would know who they were protecting. But Benny had brought in his men and women to pretend to be a part of the household and keep the staff safe.

“
Kala is resting. She has her wings now, and her sigil is there. She will be safe.” Michael nodded at him. “Will the babe…will it be all right if things get bad?”

“
It will. I would never ask her to help with this if there was the slightest chance of anything happening to her or the baby she carries. It will be the first child born to one of our kind. We are to keep him safe above everything. And in turn, his mother and father.” Riss nodded at Michael.

“
What do you want me to do?” They all looked up at Kala when she walked into the room. “I’m not going to sit by and let him hurt anyone else. You wouldn’t like me if you even tried.” Riss knew this. She was nothing if not loyal to her friends, and he knew that even through all this, she still thought of Dan as the man he’d been, not what he’d become.

“
No one would try,” Michael told her. She came to him when Riss put out his hand. “You’re ready to listen now? The plan is very simple.”

Michael handed her what looked
like a small cell phone, but it was really a recorder. They didn’t want anyone to think that she’d trapped him into confessing what he’d done, and recording it was the best solution. This had been Benny’s idea, and it sounded like a good one. As she got instructions once again on what to do, Riss watched the woman who meant the world to him, and felt his love for her expand.

“
I will keep her safe for you.”
Riss knew that He would and told Boss so.
“You and I will need to talk once this is over. I have some things…a few things that I would speak to you about with this course I have selected for you.”

“
You mean finding Kala for me, or the plans you have for some of the other protectors?”
Boss laughed and said both.
“I had thought that’s what you’d want. Do you have any idea…well, I’m sure you do know, but will I know who you have plans for next?”

“
No, not until it is time for you to. It is more fun to watch it unfold, much like a train accident that you mustn’t watch but find that you cannot look away from.”
His laughter rang in his head, and Riss asked Him if He was coming there.
“No. It is best that I do not. It hurts me in ways you cannot know to watch one such as Daniel to be like this. He’ll be…well, he will get all the help he needs now and after. He is going to need it.”

Riss hoped so.
The man was going to go away for a very long time, and in that time he would need a great deal of help. After the connection to Boss and himself closed, Riss went outside. It was time.

Chapter
12

Dan pulled into the driveway and looked around. The yard was bigger than his neighborhood, and the house was as big as the courthouse. He wondered again why this house seemed to be calling to him. But here he was. Looking in the mirror, he could see that his stop just down the road had done him a world of good. Dan ran his fingers through his hair again just to make sure. Getting out of the car, he stood by it and took several deep breaths before turning to the house again. It appeared much bigger now that he was out of his car.

His wife was in there. Kala was
finally going to come to him, and he was more than ready. The house that he had lived in as a child would no longer due, of course. He could see that now. And he also knew that he’d have to behave, too. No more letting his medications slide, and he’d also have to control his eating. He noticed that the pants he’d pulled on in the gas station had been a little snug. There were other things, too. Things he’d have to do to make sure she was never hurt again. The persons who were trying to frame him would not go unpunished either.

“
No matter, no matter. She’ll whip me into shape.” Dan started for the house when the front door opened and a man stepped out. Dan didn’t move for several seconds as he tried to remember if he knew him or not. When the man smiled at him, Dan moved forward with the intentions of introducing himself. But the man spoke first.

“
Daniel Carey?” Dan nodded. “I’ve been waiting for you. Would you like to come in?”

Dan felt his mind scream at him that this was a trap. So instead of
moving toward the door, Dan stopped at the bottom of the stairs. He didn’t even reach for the man’s hand when he put it out for him to shake. Not that he was afraid of him. No, that wasn’t it. It was as if he knew if he took his hand, something would happen to him he wouldn’t like. Dan looked for handcuffs. He’d seen that on his shows where the man would cuff—he had to focus.

“
I’ve come for my wife. Kala Carey. Could you please ask her to come out so we can be on our way? I need to get this car back to our neighbor before they get too upset with me. I had thought that it wouldn’t take this long to get here.” Again, the thought that it shouldn’t have nudged at his mind, but it was gone before he could hold onto it.

Dan tried not to think about the numerous
car calls he’d gotten while he’d been coming here. The calls had startled him at first. And when the steering wheel had spoken to him to ask him if he would take the call, he’d said yes before he could remember that the car did not belong to him.

His neighbor was
the caller, and he screamed at Dan for several minutes before Dan was able to find the end button. But it did little good. The man called and called until Dan wanted to scream at him. In the end, he told the man that he’d given him the car to use and it was unfair of him to take it back now. He told Dan that he hadn’t let Dan borrow it, and then he started shouting again. Finally, Dan had had to make sure the calls didn’t come in again and stabbed a knife in the steering wheel. Kala would have to make sure she paid that first.

“
She’s not your wife.” The words, spoken softly, startled him, and Dan looked at the man again. “Kala isn’t your wife. Surely you remember that. She was your co-worker. At the cable company.” It took Dan several seconds to remember what he was there for, and then smiled at the man.

“
Yes, that’s where we met. She and I were let go on the same day.” Dan smiled again at the man, wondering why he’d say such a thing, and Dan tried to reassure him that Kala was indeed his wife. “She and I were married three weeks ago. She said yes and we couldn’t wait, so we went to the justice of the peace and he married us.”

“
No, that’s not true.” The man sat down on the step as he continued. “And three weeks ago you were running from the law. You killed your mother about then. Then the other two people shortly after. And then there was Randy and his wife, Connie. You’ve been very busy since you got canned from the cable company. But, like I said, Kala is not your wife.”

Dan didn
’t like what this man was saying. He felt his head start to hurt, and he took a step back from him. When Kala came out of the house, he nearly went to her, but the man stood up beside her. Things were not right, and Dan wasn’t sure how to make them right. His nose started to fill, and he knew he was going to get a nosebleed. He’d not had one of those since he was younger.

“
Dan Carey, this is my wife, Kala.” Dan felt his head explode in pain. As he dropped to his knees, a white hot rage poured over him, and Dan had to hold his hands together so he wouldn’t hurt anyone.

“
Momma said not to hurt people. Not to hurt people, not to hurt people, not to hurt people.” Dan looked up when someone touched his head and saw it was his Kala. “I won’t hurt you.”

“
I know that. You’re very sick, aren’t you?” Dan shook his head. “Come on. Stand up. You’re going to tell me what you’ve been doing with yourself. And then we’re going to get you some help. All right?”

“
You have to come home with me, Kala. It’s all I can think about right now. The house is a mess, and I think my room needs to be finished. But you can do that, can’t you? You can fix everything just by coming with me. Tell me that’s what you’re going to do.” Kala helped him stand up, and he tried to pull her toward the car. “Come on with me, Kala. I have to take the car back. The neighbor said I could only have it for an hour.” When she pulled free of him, he felt the blood pour from his nose. Wiping at it, he knew that this was more than before. There was so much blood on his hand that he could only stare at it.

“
Dan, look at me.” He looked at her face and could see that she’d changed somehow. He wasn’t sure how, but he knew she had. “You didn’t borrow this car. You stole it. Don’t lie to me again.” Her voice was firm, like his momma’s used to be when she was upset with him about something. Dan started to shake his head, but it hurt too much.

“
I didn’t.” She was backing away from him as he continued. “That’s right, Kala. I promise you. He said I could borrow it. I asked him. I did. He even gave me the keys. See? I have them in the car. Just come with me and everything will be all right. You’ll see.”

“
You stole the car, and if you don’t tell me the truth, I’m finished talking to you.” He tried to think, but she kept talking. “You hit him with his car when he came out to stop you. He has a broken leg, and his arm is messed up so that he’s going to miss work. If he loses his job over this, it will be sad for him. You did this, Dan. You’ve been very bad, and now there are a lot of people dead and so many hurt lives because of you. You need help.”

“
I ran over the trash can. Not a person. Don’t you think I’d know if I ran over a person with a car?” Kala shook her head when he tried to laugh it off. “The police were there. They can tell you. I was leaving, and the trashcan was there.”

“
It was Mr. Bishop. You ran over him when he tried to stop you. The police were there because you killed an officer when she came to bring you in. She had three children and a husband. Do you remember that? What about the other people you killed? Your own mother? Do you remember slicing open her throat and putting her in the basement?” Dan shook his head. The pain was making him sick. “And Randy and his wife Connie. She was beaten to death with a ball bat, and you took Randy’s head—”

“
No. That’s not right. The police did it to frame me. They don’t want us together. No one does.” Kala moved away from him and toward the man on the porch. When Dan reached for her, it was only to be brought up short by the man grabbing his hand. “I have to take my wife home. You have to let me go. This is not right. I need my wife.”

Dan could feel the tears flowing now. He couldn
’t help it. He was hurting, and he was sick. Kala wasn’t being herself right now, and he had a sudden thought that she might need medications too. But Dan looked at her and saw that while he was a mess, and he knew that he was, she looked as pretty as she always did. Even more so, he thought. When she spoke again, Dan held his head. It was too much.

“
I’m not going anywhere with you, Dan. You’ve been lying to everyone, and it has to stop. I’m not your wife, I’m Riss’s wife. I love him, not you.”

Dan tried to think what to do now. She wasn
’t going to come with him. He needed her to make the pain stop. She was the only one who could do it. Smiling at her while he still held his head, Dan thought to reason with her. It worked before when he wanted something from her.

“
Kala, we got off on the wrong thing here. I guess you might be right that we’re not married. But the other stuff, that’s just not right. I had nothing to do with that. You know me better than that. I’m a good person, you told me that enough. You wanted me to get a place of my own, and now that Momma’s gone we can have that. I just need you to come with me so you can help me.” His nose was running, and he wiped at it several times, smearing the blood on the front of his shirt. There was so much blood that he was worried. Looking up at Kala, he showed her what was going on. “Look at this.”

Dizzy,
Dan dropped to his knees. Weakness, something his momma always called him, was making him not able to stand any longer. There was no stopping him from falling forward. And he was thankful for it. Maybe he’d feel better laying down. He saw the dirt coming toward him at a quick pace, but he couldn’t move his hands up to stop it. As soon as his face hit the drive, he felt as if he had been run over. He looked up when someone rolled him over to his back. His Kala was finally coming to him.

“
Look at me.” Kala was shouting at him, but he couldn’t do anything about it. She told him three more times to keep his eyes open, but it was just too hard. He couldn’t even reach out to her to touch her face. Every part of him felt as if he were covered in lead. Dan knew he was going to die.

“
My head hurts.” He knew what he wanted to say but it sounded odd when he heard it. “Kala?”

“
Breathe, Dan. Just breathe.” The man standing over him and talking now was different than the other one. This man looked like he could break him in half. “You’re having a stroke. You have to breathe, Dan. Don’t close your eyes either. I need you to stay with me.”

“
I can’t. I have to protect Kala. Murderer out there.” Dan didn’t know if the man understood him or not because Dan closed his eyes again. He was floating now and felt his body begin to feel strange. There was another man, but this man didn’t look mad or upset like the other two. This one looked very sad.

“
You’re not ready to come here yet. I just wanted to let you know that you’re going to get the best of care.”
Dan felt weightless and his head no longer hurt. But the man touched him on the forehead and he felt as if he was coming up out of the water.

Dan still couldn
’t move, but he felt better. His head didn’t hurt, and the room he was in looked very nice. Clean and all white like this, he thought he could live here forever. When he tried to look around, all he could see was white, and Dan frowned. There wasn’t a single television in this place. Then a man with wings was there. Dan vaguely remembered him from a long time ago.

“
Hello, Daniel. My name is Robert. I’m going to protect you from now on.” Dan started to ask him about his shows, but he seemed to know. “Soon. When you’re out of recovery, I’ll bring you a television.”

Something had happened to him
, and Dan wasn’t sure what it had been. His mind was clear now, of everything, and he knew that he’d done some pretty bad things. Dan tried to open his eyes to see if someone could tell him what was going on, but it hurt too much. Instead of fighting it, he let go and looked at Robert. For whatever reason, it felt good to see him standing there, and Dan knew that no one would be able to frame him for anything ever again.

~~~

Kala paced the waiting room as they waited on word from the surgeon. He told them that he’d be back as soon as he could, but that had been hours ago. Kala thought for sure Dan had died and no one had told her yet. She knew that he’d done some really horrible things, but she still didn’t want him to die. Not like this.

“
He’s not dead.” Kala looked over at Agon, who had been at the hospital when they’d arrived. He told her he was a protector, like Riss had been. He’d also told her that he was with Dan the entire time and had brought him to her.

“
How do you know? And why aren’t you with him now?” She flushed when he winked at her. “What are you doing here?”

“
I’m Riss’s friend. Yours, too, if you can learn to tone down the attitude.” Kala opened her mouth and closed it when he stood. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say to him, but his size scared her a little. When he came closer to her, she took a step back. The man had to be seven feet tall.

“
I’m six foot, ten inches. And I would never harm you.” Kala nodded at him. “You don’t believe me? That’s okay. You don’t know me, and that’s reason enough for you not to trust me. But believe me when I say, for you I would die. In answer to your question, I’m not Daniel’s protector. His is Robert. I’m…let’s just call it stronger than Robert is, and I was able to get through to Daniel when no one else could. You could say that it’s my specialty.”