3.
Drew sat
in the front passenger seat of the van with arms folded across her
chest. The events of the night whirling through her head in a never
ending dance. This situation was so far removed from her real life,
she was tempted to think she was asleep and having a weird dream.
Drew was a normal girl, living a
relatively simple life. The biggest upheaval in her life up till this
point, had been the loss of her parents when she was seventeen. They
died in a car accident and Brynn, who was four years older than Drew,
had become her guardian. Brynn was the only family she had now.
Romance was just as scarce in her life,
Drew had had a couple of boyfriends in collage, but nothing earth
moving and she’d never been in love with any of them. She had a small
apartment in Riverside and a good job working as a teller in a
bank. She didn’t know if she was truly happy, but she was content
with her life. She had never thought of herself as an adventurous
person. Now here she was in a van with wild strangers, she almost
giggled as she thought,
Pun intended!
They were driving to who knows where,
and she had agreed to go with them, because suddenly she wasn’t human
any more. If she had been a paranoid person she might worry about
being murdered or worse. But she wasn’t paranoid and she’d always had
good instincts about people, she didn’t sense that she was in any
danger here.
When Drew paid attention to her
surroundings again they’d been driving a couple of hours, the sun was
starting to rise, the sky an artist’s pallet of warm colors but she
still hadn’t managed to grasp completely what had happened to her.
Seth was next to her in the driver’s
seat. He emanated grace, every movement smooth and effortless. He
looked at her and smiled. She wished he wouldn’t smile at her like
that, it made an electric shock run through her and settle in her
stomach. The man had nice dimples. Drew cursed herself for getting
distracted, she had bigger things to worry about, than how gorgeous
Seth was. Like how he’d turned her into a frigging wereleopard.
That was your own fault, she told
herself. You wanted to be super-girl and save the day. He didn’t ask
you to fall onto his claws. You are just going to have to make the
best of it girly.
Behind her Darius and Marcus were
having a heated debate over which was better in a fight, a good weapon
or a sharp set of claws.
Drew was surprised that she wasn’t
freaked out, despite the apparent violence of the subject. They joked
and bantered like a family, trying to one up each other with outrageous
claims and ideas.
Namara, who was sitting in the seat behind the arguing men, eventually shut them both up.
“Please.” she drew the word out like a
petulant teenager. “You have obviously never even considered what a
good flame could add to a fight.”
Drew almost laughed when the van was
suddenly silent. She had taken an instant liking to the diminutive
girl when Seth had introduced them.
Both men turned to look at Namara in disbelief.
“Trust a dragon to think of flame, that
would just be too easy.” Marcus leaned forward and rested his elbows on
his knees, shaking his head.
“Damn skippy, flame would take all the fun out a good fight” Darius rolled his eyes.
“But,” There was a naughty glint in his
eyes and stretched his arms up, leaning his head back over the seat so
he was just about in Namara’s lap. “if you really want to discuss the
merits of flame as a weapon, we could always find a quiet place when we
get to the compound and talk about it, for a long, long time.”
Namara blushed brightly at the hidden invitation in his words.
Ross barked with laughter and Seth grinned, taking his eyes off the road he looked over his shoulder.
“Tame down you horny lion.” He
chuckled. “Leave Namara alone, I’m pretty sure she’s never had to deal
with a deviant like you before.”
“What?” Darius grinned completely unrepentant and straitening up. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Yeah right.” Seth slowed the van and turned into a driveway pulling up to a set of massive wrought iron gates.
He leaned out the open window and pressed a button on the intercom.
“Hey can someone let us in.”
“Who goes there?” a base voice blared through the intercom.
Seth rolled his eyes and depressed the intercom button again.
“It’s Seth. Who the hell put you on gate duty Bear?”
“How do you know my name?” the voice held an icy note of menace.
Seth turned in his chair and looked at Ross imploringly.
“Do you want to handle this Ross, we are gonna be stuck out here all day if you don’t.”
Ross climbed over the chair in front of
him “’Scuse me boys.” Marcus and Darius shifted over so he could pass
between them. He leaned into the front of the van.
Seth stretched out again and pressed in the intercom button.
“Griz, buddy, how you doing?” Ross’s voice was smooth and comforting.
“Ross, my man!” Bear sounded happy to
hear the other man’s voice. “I’m doing good, damn, it’s great to hear
your voice. I was beginning to worry you were MIA.”
“No worries dude, I’m back and as bad as ever, now how about letting us in so we can catch up properly.”
“Sure thing Ross.”
The black gates slid open soundlessly. Seth shifted the van into gear and pulled into the complex.
Drew looked out the window of the panel
van in amazement. They kept calling it a compound and that had made her
think of a military facility, stern and basic. What she saw was
anything but. The compound was massive estate with manicured lawns and
beautiful plants everywhere. The driveway was so long it was more like
a road. She could see houses scattered across the laws. Everything
about this place screamed luxury and could easily be mistaken for a
movie star’s home. Make that stars, plural. Wow, was the most
appropriate term she could think of.
Seth was watching her as she took in
his home. This was the only place that had ever really been home to
him and the rest of the Omega. He had to smile at the look of wonder
on her face.
“I know we are in L.A, but how many of you are movie stars?” she asked, only half joking.
Seth laughed. “You’d be surprised.”
He slowed as they pulled up to the front of a massive main house.
Massive? Gees when did she become the queen of understatements.
He stopped and switched of the engine. Drew heard the back door slide open as the others spilled out.
“Wohoo, it’s good to be home.” Darius yelled. “I feel like kissing the ground.”
“What he said.” Ross stretched and
yawned. “But instead of making out with dirt, I think I’ll head for
the shower and spend some time with my guitar, I hear it calling me.”
The double doors of the mansion swung
open as Drew got out of the van. She had to catch herself from
tripping when she saw the man who stepped out. What was with all the
gorgeous men? She was beginning to wonder if someone had slipped her a
hallucinogenic or something. She’d seen more good-looking men in one
night than she’d seen in all the Hollywood blockbusters she’d ever
watched.
He was tall easily six foot four,
dressed in a tight black t-shirt and black leather pants that fit him
as if he’d been born to wear them. He walked lightly, coming down the
stairs as if he were floating. Surprising, considering the bad-assness
of his New Rock boots.
His dark blond hair hung loose and was long enough to brush the low waistline of his pants.
His grin was the stuff of fantasies.
“Welcome home” he clasped Seth’s forearm and pulled him close for a hug.
Seth’s answering grin was so beautiful it made Drew forget to breath again.
“Damn, it’s good to be back, you have no idea how good.”
The other men stepped in greeting the man. Only Namara stayed back. Seth turned toward her.
“Gabriel, I’d like to introduce you to Lady Namara of the Flammen Clan.”
Gabriel bowed his head in acknowledgment and spoke
“Lady Namara, you are welcome in our
compound you grace and honor us with your visit. Your presence brings
blessings upon me and mine.”
His words, though formal were not stiff. They flowed from him as if it was in his nature to use such formal speech.
Namara curtsied low, slipping in to her own well worn cloak of formality.
“My lord Gabriel, highest of the
Scorned. It is I who am honored to be here. I thank you, for what I
believe to be a planned rescue. My family is in your debt.”
Darius rolled his eyes.
“Oh gods, will you two stop. Pretty soon you’ll be thee-ing and thou-ing.”
Namara’s eyes widened.
“How dare you speak to Lord Gabriel in such a manner!”
Gabriel smiled, answering her before Darius could say anything.
“Fear not Lady Namara, here things are a little less formal than at Drake Hall.”
Namara visibly relaxed, she’d thought
for a moment that Darius was going to get backhanded, as her father
would have done with anyone who’d dared to speak to him like that. For
some reason the thought of Darius getting hurt made her stomach
clench.
“And who is this lovely lady?” Gabriel had spotted Drew where she was standing near the car.
She’d moved back because she’d felt very uncomfortable, like she was intruding.
He stepped forward and took one of her hands, a question in his eyes.
Seth felt the hair on the back of his neck rise and a growl start in his throat when Gabriel smiled at Drew.
MINE! The word reverberated through
his mind. He visibly flinched at the strength of it. Where the hell had
that thought come from?
Gabriel looked back over his shoulder at Seth a frown creasing his brow.
“Did you say something Seth?”
“Nope.”
Seth tried to control of himself. Get a grip man, he mumbled then introduced Drew to Gabe.
“This is Drew, Gabriel.”
Gabriel smiled at her again.
“Welcome to the compound Drew. Why do I get the feeling that there is a long story behind you being here today?”
“There is.” Seth stepped closer and answered for Drew.
He had to get Gabriel away from her, it was like an itch under his skin, he couldn’t stand Gabe being so close to her.
“But it will have to wait for the
debriefing, I want to get her to Jesse, so he can give her a once over
and make sure that she is okay.”
Seth tugged her arm to get Gabriel to release her hand.
Gabe frowned at Seth again, tilting his head slightly as if he were trying to see into Seth’s mind.
“That’s fine,” he nodded absently.
He turned to the rest of them.
“Go get showered and rested. I will see you all at three this afternoon for the debriefing.”
Marcus tilted his head back and rolled his eyes in ecstasy.
“A shower and some rest, hmm, that
sounds heavenly, add a harem of beautiful women to the deal and I may
have to be your slave for life Gabe.”
With a cheeky grin he bounded up the stairs. The rest of them close on his heels.
Gabriel offered his arm to Namara.
“Since the boys have forgotten their manners, may I escort you in and get you some refreshment?”
She smiled up at him and laid a hand on his arm as he led her up the stairs.
Seth looked at Drew. He’s stomach
clenching at the look of bewilderment on her face. Guilt ate him like
a school of piranha. This was his fault, if only he’d forced her into
her car, or managed to retract his claws just a little sooner. He
sighed, there was nothing to do now, but make sure that she was okay
and that she settled in with them. He’d take care of her in that way,
but that was all she was going to get from him. No matter how weird he
was reacting around her.
“Come, let me take you to our doctor Jesse, I want him to examine you and make sure that the transition is going well.”
She nodded mutely and followed him up the stairs.
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