VEX: Valley Enforcers, #1 (11 page)

“Let us finish, Romeo and Juliet,” Dean said dryly.

His brother shot him an annoyed look. “I like to deal with these issues in house, but the severity of the situation – which coincidentally is happening while we are having a security breech – would require council intervention.
However
. Vex has offered our clan nothing but dedication and loyalty. Mating is difficult when you are in a position of power. I know. Before I found Elizabeth, I would have pushed this through to the council… but I understand the struggle. That doesn’t mean your actions, Vex, are completely forgiven or excused because of Acacia. This is me being empathetic. Your punishment could be worse. And Acacia, being Vex’s mate is the
only
reason you are not dead –”

“Deacon,” Vex growled.

Dean rolled his eyes, as if this were a daily occurrence for him. “Seriously, man, you can’t give a heartwarming speech about being empathetic and then threaten a man’s mate in front of him. All that protein powder is going to your head.”

“What do you mean that I’m his mate? You keep using that word, and I have no idea what it means,” I interjected.

“You didn’t tell her about mates?” Dean choked out with a humorless laugh.

“I was trying to keep it to the basics. There just wasn’t enough time,” Vex said briskly in an ill attempt at an excuse. I went from fearing our lives to being agitated with him. My phone buzzed in my pocket. The vibrations tickled my skin, and I regretted not turning it off completely before walking into the building.

“You don’t think that is part of the basics?” Deacon’s voice was disapproving.

Alexis, whose position was still a mystery to me, piped up for the first time. “You risked both of your lives over this and you didn’t even tell her why? Vex…”

“Like the three of you haven’t done the same thing in some way. This isn’t the old days. You don’t just go up to someone and stake your claim,” Vex said heatedly. It was as if we hadn’t just been threatened by the people he was snapping at. “Answer your phone, Acacia, before I snap it in half!”

The phone had stopped and started three times in my pocket. I didn’t have any intentions of answer it. Vex was living up to his name. My skin prickled and my mind was running too fast for my mouth to even attempt to keep up. The situation was frustrating and upsetting enough without him acting like a porcupine.

“Calm down, Vex,” Dean ordered in a calm but commanding voice. My phone started up again and he cast his eyes over at me. “You can answer that.”

I didn’t want to. I was silently fuming; a teapot waiting to whistle. I knew I couldn’t be brusque, so I wiggled my hand into my jeans.
MOM
was displayed in the white letters on the screen.
Just who I want to talk to right now.
I wanted to ignore the call, but she was persistent and I had four sets of eyes on me.

“Mom, this isn’t really a good time,” I answered. I tilted my body away from the table to try to shield them from my conversation, though a bell in the back of my mind reminded me that Vex said they have sharp hearing. There was a bout of silence before I heard the sniffling. My heart dropped to the floor. “Mom? What’s wrong?”

“Acacia, your dad…” Her voice cracked. “Something happened at work. He’s at the hospital. They told me he had a massive heart attack. He’s in the cath lab right now getting an angioplasty.”

Her words whipped against my skin. I had no idea what an angioplasty was.
Heart attack? Massive heart attack?
My voice was a panicked whisper. “What? Oh my God. Why didn’t you call me sooner? What happened?” My head spun as I tried to figure out an escape plan. My vehicle was broken down, and there weren’t any Greyhound routes that went near Brown Bear Valley. Even if I did find a bus or a rental it was almost a nine hour drive to Miles City.

“I called you as soon as I could. We won’t know anything until they’re done with surgery. Please tell me you’re coming home. Please.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” I remarked rhetorically. “Just… just keep me updated, okay? I’ll find a way to get to you.”

We ended the call, and forgetting where I was, I stood up and started to pace as I tapped the screen on my phone looking for a rental place nearby.  I knew Parker didn’t like me, but I was willing to fork over a chunk of my savings for a vehicle. Hell, I’d hire a helicopter to take me if it meant avoiding construction and getting there sooner. I didn’t know much about heart attacks, but I knew time was crucial. I was terrified that I was going to lose my dad, and I wouldn’t get a chance to say goodbye because I traveled across the state looking for a fantasy creature that actually existed.

“Acacia, baby, look at me.”

Suddenly I was cemented to the ground. It had nothing to do with the hand that gently splayed across my back and everything to do with the calming voice of the hand’s owner. Vex. All of my irritation towards him melted away as I leaned into his embrace. I wanted to snap and take out my emotional turmoil on him, but I needed his strength.

“I have to go. My dad had a heart attack.”

“I heard. If we leave right now we can get there before midnight. I know you won’t be able to see him, but we can be there in the morning.” He looked up and over to the table. I hadn’t completely forgotten that we were in the middle of a serious and possibly life threatening conversation or that I was apparently Vex’s mate. The three were looking at us with mixed expressions. “I can take her, right? If Barrel or Tucker can cover my next shift I’ll take both of theirs.”

“We can work something out,” Dean said while his wife nodded in agreeance.

Deacon, however, had a pinched expression. “Hold on. Vex, you’re the head of my security team. We’re in the middle of a crisis. You can’t just leave.”

“If Elizabeth needed you, you would drop everything.”

Alexis spoke up. “Deacon, we haven’t had any more issues with cameras. I have plenty of volunteers on deck. It’ll take ten minutes of rearranging and phone calls. We’ll be fine.”

“There is still the issue of your last bleeding. I can’t pull back on a punishment.”

“Let’s do it.” Vex whipped his shirt over his head. I didn’t even try to hold my gasp in. Bile gurgled in the back of my throat. A few new stripes were added to his healing back, but three long claw marks raked across his chest. It was like I was looking at stage makeup for a horror production.

“You can’t. No,” I protested vehemently. “Do me instead. I can take it.”

Vex narrowed his eyes angrily. “You know I’d never let anything touch a hair on your head, so what makes you think I’d let you take a bleeding for me? I told you, Acacia, my body heals quickly. I’ll be okay. Just wait outside.”

“You can’t make me,” I retorted childishly.

“But I can,” Deacon interjected firmly. “Your place with Stoneclaw is uncertain still, but I am leaning towards a probationary period. I don’t want your first experience to be a bleeding. It isn’t for the faint of heart, especially when it someone you love. I don’t want you to think that we are a violent species, Acacia, and if you see this it will be extremely hard for you to forget it. I won’t make you do anything, but I am asking you to go outside. I don’t ever ask, so understand how strongly I feel about this.”

An insult was on the tip of my tongue. He expected me to appreciate his ‘generosity’ and listen to him after he all but told me if I wasn’t tied to Vex I’d be dead? He had basically put me on trial for an act I hadn’t committed, but it felt like I was already deemed guilty and Vex was taking the heat for it from his clan members. Despite all of that I was supposed to think he was a good person? I understood the need to protect your family, but the dominant traits that rubbed me the wrong way seemed to be a normal part of his personality.

The dynamic of shifter clans was completely lost on me. One minute they acted as if they were going to kill one another and the next they teased one another like all the bad shit was a distant memory. Was it impossible for shifters to hold grudges? Or did they have such an open attitude when it came to violence that threats and physical harm were a norm? When my hunt for shifters started years ago I never anticipated them to be so… hard headed? Overbearing? Abrasive? Violent? None of the words seemed to fit the right way.

To keep from saying something I would regret, I clenched my jaw and stormed out of the room as gracefully as I could. I didn’t slam any doors, and when my feet hit the slab of concrete outside the building I only scuffed my boots against the ground twice.

I was wearing a path into the grass when I heard the distinctive roar of a bear. And then another. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to steady my breathing, but I couldn’t get the noise out of my ears or the image of Vex’s mangled flesh out of my mind.

Vex

The silence was deafening. Acacia had barely spoken to me since we left Deacon and Dean’s office. Her tight lips hurt worse than the bleeding. I sensed that she wanted to talk and had questions. She’d been outed as my mate and had no idea what that meant. It wasn’t how I planned on telling her, but nothing with Acacia had gone the way I intended.

Her silence was not completely because of me. An hour after we left her mom called with an update on her father. She used a lot of jargon I didn’t understand, but I heard 99% blocked, widow maker, and intensive care. After ending the call, Acacia reclined the passenger seat and curled on her side. I wanted to reach out to her – to comfort her, to hold her. I could barely focus on the road, and I wouldn’t put her in any more danger than needed be.

Each bump or unavoidable pothole in the road felt like razorblades. Deacon hadn’t been as harsh with my third bleeding, but it was still a punishment. I had only been allowed to shift for the bleedings, not to heal. After the third bleeding in a warehouse behind the office I shifted three times consecutively to heal, draining myself of what little energy I had left. Shifting is taxing on the body, especially when it needs to heal. I was already exhausted and on edge from the emotional roller coasters that wove Acacia together with my clan.

The marks on my body were still there. They weren’t as puckered or irritated looking, but they weren’t completely healed. Even after the skin closed I’d have a new batch of permanent scars. The pain I felt as I drove was nothing compared to the blinding agony I had felt earlier in the morning after my second bleeding or the misery that accompanied the first set the night before. My shirt rested comfortable over my skin without irritation, and though the bumps in the road hurt, they were at most discomforting.

“We’re coming up on the last stop before a couple hour stretch of open road. Do you need to use the bathroom or get something to eat?” I asked awkwardly. I hated that she was closing herself off, but I hated my incompetence as a mate even more. All I wanted to do was provide for her and make sure she was okay but I couldn’t even ask her if she needed to piss without sounding like a pimply faced teenager. “I need to get gas regardless.”

“Glad to hear I’m not a burden.”

I gripped the steering wheel and pleaded. “Please don’t do this, Acacia.”

She didn’t say anything else. Not when I asked her, again, if she wanted to stop anywhere to eat, and not when I asked her if she was going to ignore me the rest of the drive. I took the exit for the small cluster of gas stations and fast food restaurants. I pulled into the first gas station I saw and hopped out without speaking to Acacia. It was like talking to a cement wall, and I was growing more and more annoyed with her reservations. I had put my life on the line for her and she was acting colder than an icebox. I knew she was upset about her dad. I would be heartbroken if something happened to one of my family members. I felt like shit knowing I was frustrated with her when she was experiencing something painful, but she was putting up unnecessary walls and leaving me without the equipment to scale them.

I picked up a bag of trail mix, a few granola bars, some candy bars, an armful of energy drinks, and the largest cup of black coffee they sold before heading back out to the car.

“Here. They didn’t have any toffee creamer, so it’s just black.” When she didn’t acknowledge me or me outstretched hand I wiggled the Styrofoam into the cup holder. “I also have a bag full of gas station delicacies, so eat up.”

I downed one of my energy drinks in two swallows and arranged the rest in the leftover cup holders before filling up my tank. When I got back into the car, Acacia was upright and cradling the steaming cup in her hands. I spotted a crinkled Snickers wrapper on the ground.

“Thank you,” She whispered.

Progress. We were making progress.

My headlights danced across the front of the tidy looking cookie cutter homes. The GPS was my only source of navigation, as Acacia was sleeping as soundly as she could in the passenger seat. I followed the red line on the screen until the end point was directly in front of me.

Acacia’s family home didn’t look any different than the rest of the homes on the street. There was a freshly planted garden and a few nicely trimmed bushes that lined the stone pavers up to the front porch. The vinyl siding was a muted cream color that blended in with the white shudders. There were a few lights on, despite it being after eleven PM, and the driveway was full. I parked along the curb and woke Acacia.

She blinked a few times, forcing herself to wake up, before she groggily assessed the situation. “We’re here?” She brushed the front of her shirt and cleared her throat as she glanced at the house. “Looks like everyone but Aiden is here… okay. Let’s just get this over with.”

She spoke to me a little more on the drive, but she hadn’t asked the questions I anticipated about mating or clan life. Instead she told me about the time her dad took her fishing and she cried because she didn’t want to hurt the worm. She told me that her favorite pair of shoes were a pair of Converse that were two sizes too small but they were from eight grade and she couldn’t bring herself to throw them away. And she told me that Miles City was
really
into their Western roots… which was evident as I drove through the small town.

We didn’t stop to pack a bag before we left the Valley, so we didn’t have anything to carry as we clamored out of the Tahoe. I stretched my cramping muscles before rounding the front of the vehicle and grabbing Acacia’s hand. She didn’t pull away, but her grip was loose.

“I’m sorry for whatever my family says,” She murmured as she knocked on the front door. As an afterthought, she added. “I’m sorry for anything
I
might say.”

The door swung open and revealed a woman who was definitely not Acacia’s mother. She looked around Acacia’s age and had some similar features, but she was curvier and instead of blue and black hair she had chocolate brown layers that just above her shoulders. Her eyes were puffy and her skin was a little splotchy. Her arms opened and Acacia stepped into them.

“You’re finally here. Thank God. Mom – bless her, I swear – has been a basket case. I slipped Melatonin in her coffee but she’s still awake. She said she was waiting for you.” The woman, who I assumed was her older sister, took a step back and eyed Acacia up and down with a little chuckle. “You look like shit.”

“It’s punk rock,” Acacia grumbled, though I heard a tint of amusement in her voice.

“C’mon. Eden and Mom are waiting.” She lifted a hand in my direction and acknowledged me. “I’m Jade, Acacia’s sister. I have no idea who you are, but thank you for driving her here.”

“Vex,” I greeted curtly. I didn’t know how to introduce myself, so I kept it simple. My feelings for Acacia were anything but.

We followed Jade through a hall and into a great room. On the loveseat sat the youngest sister, and in a worn leather recliner sat the matriarch of the family. I didn’t know what to expect from the stories Acacia shared and the way I heard the woman speak to her daughter, but the frail and tired woman in the chair was definitely not what I imagined. Like her eldest daughter, she had short brown hair. The comparisons stopped there. It seemed like the sisters all favored their father. Her skin was freckled, and her features were much sharper than her daughters. Even with her eyes closed she looked as if she had a pinched expression. It was almost midnight, but she was still fully dressed in khaki capris and pink blouse with dangling jewelry. Acacia told me her mother was a pre-school teacher, and she looked every bit the professional in the moment.

As if she noticed my examination, her eyes sprung open and she sat upright in the chair. Her eyes went from Acacia to me. “Acacia, you’re home. You didn’t tell me you were bringing a guest.”

“We didn’t have a whole lot of time to talk, Mom.” Acacia hugged herself and rubbed her arms. “This is Vex.”

“I’m her boyfriend,” I blurted out, earning a few sets of raised eyebrows. I wanted Acacia to claim me as hers, but I was anxious about status. With shifters all I had to do was say she was my mate and they’d understand our bond. Humans didn’t understand that. Boyfriend wasn’t a strong enough word, but it worked. At least until I could talk to Acacia about the rest of our lives.

“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend, dear,” Her mother said as she rose to her feet. Her bracelets jingled when she straightened her shirt. “Vex. Interesting. I’m Erin, Acacia’s mother.”

“It’s a new development,” Acacia replied dryly. “How’s Dad?”

“He won’t be allowed to have visitors until tomorrow morning,” Erin gripped angrily. “The doctor told me the stent went in without issue and they cleared the blockage but I don’t know how he’s doing.” Her anger morphed into sadness and her bottom lip quaked. “God, it’s been exhausting. The staff isn’t helpful at all. My husband had a massive heart attack and they wanted to corral me in the waiting room like he was just getting a physical.” Her eyes backtracked to Acacia and she started up again with a high pitched voice that indicated her growing panic. “What happened to your arm?”

“Little accident. It’s no big deal,” Acacia dismissed with a wave of her hand. “More about Dad, please. Will he be okay?”

“He survived. That’s the first step to being okay. I keep trying to tell Mom that, but she’s terrified that he’s going to die tonight and we won’t be there. He’s healthy. He has a strong heart. This was just a fluke.” A new voice piped up from the sofa. Eden uncrossed her legs and stood, shaking her head. “Cia, make her go to sleep. She won’t listen to us. Tell her Dad will be okay.”

Cia. Cute.

Acacia gave a disgruntled snort. “Like she’d listen to me. I’m the problem child, remember? And I’m kinda freaking out about Dad, too, so maybe she’s right to freak out.”

“Why do you always have to make it about you? Dad is
in the hospital
and it is still the Acacia show,” Jade hissed angrily.

“I wasn’t making it about me! You’re so fucking defensive, Jade. I was just saying that she doesn’t listen to me any other time. Why is now different?”

“Stop it – the both of you!” Erin ordered warily. “I will go upstairs if it makes you stop fighting. I haven’t seen Eden in four months. Acacia has been gone for weeks. Aiden and James will be here in the morning, and lord knows how long it’s been since I’ve seen them. I don’t want to see you acting like this. I’m too damn tired to have this discussion tonight, so please, just stop bickering.”

Jade’s lips thinned. “Okay.”

Erin finally agreed to attempt to sleep. Eden followed her up the stairs, biding us goodnight along the way. Jade, who had been pacing in a tiny circle, lowered her hands and shrugged. She gave a weak goodbye before storming out the front door.

“That went better than anticipated,” Acacia mumbled under her breath. She looked over at me. “Sorry. I’m just exhausted and mentally drained, and I have a thousand things I need to say but nothing sounds right. I want to sleep for a week straight.”

I rested a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go to bed, then. I know you didn’t sleep last night, and two and a half hours won’t cut it. You can’t sleep for a week yet, but I think few sold hours will be a good start. We can talk when our heads are clear. Deal?”

“I don’t think my head will ever be clear. Not when it comes to you.”

“I know the feeling, sweetheart.”

Her lips twitched and she reached for my hand. “Come on. Let me take you to my lair.”

Despite the tension and the unsettled feeling in my stomach, I quaked out a laugh. “I like the sound of that.”

As it turns out, Acacia’s lair was actually a bedroom in the partially finished basement. There weren’t any windows in the dimly lit red room, but she did have a lava lamp on her dresser. The walls were painted red and were covered in band posters. A full sized bed was wedged against the wall and covered with a solid black comforter. A tiny tube television sat on top of a rickety stand, and there was a well-worn bean bag chair in the middle of the room.

We stripped down to our underwear and climbed into the bed. Acacia traced the healing scars on my body before pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. It felt like it had been years since we had last kissed, and even though she barely gave me a peck, it made the wait worthwhile. She rolled and pressed her back against my skin, allowing me to circle her waist with my arm. I nuzzled her close. She smelled like sweat, coffee, tears, and mangos. It was oddly arousing.