Best Intentions: A Ghost Cats Story Read online

  “I will not turn her!” Brayen shouted.

  “You’ll turn her or we’ll have no choice but to deal with her,” Mason’s voice followed close behind his.

  Brayen snarled. “Don’t even fucking think about laying a hand on her or I will forget I call you brother.”

  “Come on, Cougar. Be realistic. Turn her or kill her. If you don’t, one of the others here will. Do you want them sticking their dicks in your woman for the rest of your life? Claim her fully or they will—if you’re lucky. They could always just kill her. Would you rather that happen? Let us pray it’s a swift death because you know how some of them like to play with their food.”

  “God dammit, Mason! Why does it have to be this way? Why can’t I just love her as she is?” Brayen asked. He sounded like he might be crying. “She’s still refusing to stay with me. She says we only have the weekend and that she’ll go then.”

  “Did you tell her she couldn’t?”

  “I asked her not to.”

  Mason made an odd sound. “Tell you what, brother. I’ll hold the rest of the pack back until tomorrow night. If you haven’t turned her by then, then we’ll be left no choice but to protect our secret…whatever the cost.”

  “No,” Brayen said quickly. “If it comes down to it, I’ll deal with her. No one else is to touch her. Am I clear?”

  He’d deal with her?

  What did that even mean?

  He’d try to turn her into one of them or he’d be the one who granted her a merciful quick death?

  Lily choked back a sob as she hurried back into their cabin, leaving them to finish their conversation. Her heart sped and she had to fight to keep from screaming.

  Something sharp pinched in her lower abdomen and her eyes widened in horror. “No, I can’t be.” Instinctively, she knew that it was true.

  The door to the cabin opened and Lily had no more time to think about what she’d just learned. Brayen stood there smiling at her as if he had no cares in the world. “How do you feel? Not too sore, I hope.”

  “Fine,” she said sternly.

  “Everything okay?”

  She couldn’t tip him off that she knew what he had to do. She forced a smile onto her face and let the sheet fall away from her body. There was no way she’d stay through tomorrow and put him in the position of having to decide how to best handle her but there was also no way she could leave without feeling his body in hers one more time. Like it or not, she was addicted to him. In love with him and deathly afraid of him.

  Lily put her hand out, summoning him to her. His golden hair caught pieces of the moonlight streaming in from the window. He looked like a god standing there and she knew he held the power of life and death in his hands.

  He let a wicked grin spill over his face. “Mmmm, I believe your sex drive may rival my own.” He covered the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. “I love my smell all over you. Don’t get me wrong, I love the way you smell, but—” he drew in a deep breath, “—I like knowing you’re mine. Always and forever.”

  She choked back the tears that threatened to fall. Oh, how she wished what he said were true. Somewhere along the line, she’d lost the will to return to the life she once knew and wanted only to be loved by him for the rest of her days, but if the rest of his people had anything to do with it, tomorrow would be her last day. Panic welled inside her and she clutched onto Brayen’s strong arms to stay grounded.

  “Lily? What’s wrong?”

  She fought to regain her composure and leaned up to meet his lips. “Fuck me.”

  Brayen stiffened at her words. His nostrils flared slightly and she almost screamed when his eyes flickered from blue to amber. When he spoke, his voice sounded labored and deeper than normal. “Woman, you shouldn’t talk to me like that. The beast is hard enough to control around you.”

  He turned her around quickly and she yelped. Material ripped behind her and it only took a moment to figure out what it was: Brayen’s clothing. He forced her to her hands and knees. His fingers seemed to caress her entire body. Heat built inside her and she whimpered as he tweaked her nipples.

  “Such ripe berries. They taste as sweet, you know.”

  Lily only moaned in response to him as Brayen slid his hands down her body and found her swollen clit, plucking it, sending white-hot stabs of pleasure through her lower regions. Gasping for breath, she clawed at the floor, trying desperately to find her center. She failed. An orgasm ripped through her, leaving her out of breath and falling forward.

  Wrapping his arms around her waist, Brayen leaned in to her, his rigid cock pressed against her soaked entrance. “I’m not done with you, my love.”

  Love?

  “I can’t take…any more,” she panted.

  He growled near her ear and rubbed the head of his cock in and out of her pussy. “That’s it, beautiful.” He slid the length of himself into her quickly. Unable to hold her exhausted body up, she fell onto her elbows. Brayen stroked her back tenderly. “I’ll do the work. Just stay there and enjoy it. You do like it?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “I love it. I love you.”

  Her confession came just as Brayen slid a finger into her anus. She cried out and tried to crawl away from him. His other arm encircled her, pulling her back to him, forcing his cock deeper into her womb and his finger farther into her anus. She was so full. Too full.

  “Brayen.”

  Angling her hips upward, Brayen pumped harder into her, hitting her G-spot. The orgasm blindsided her, leaving her contracting on both his cock and finger. “So fucking tight, Lily… So fucking perfect.”

  He slammed his body down hard into hers, jerking as he came deep within her. “I love you too, Lily, with all my heart.”

  She froze. He’d heard her confession? She’d assumed he hadn’t, but now as he held her to his body, still spilling semen into her, she knew he too shared her feelings.

  The tears she’d tried so desperately to hold back flowed freely. She did her best to steel herself to the reality of what she was about to do. She would wait until he fell asleep and then she’d leave without so much as a goodbye. There was little choice for her. There was more than just her own safety to think about now.

  She tensed, her gaze drifting down the length of her body. Without a doubt, she knew she now carried his child within her and there was no way in hell she’d risk it—or put Brayen through having to decide how to best handle her in order to protect his people.

  She and the baby would go far away. They’d return to the life she’d had and she would never look back. It was as it had to be.

  Chapter Six

  Six Years Later

  Brayen touched Renee’s shoulder and gave her a halfhearted smile. “Thanks for inviting me. This is nice.”

  “Whoof, nice he says.” Renee jabbed him in the rib cage and narrowed her eyes. “Nice is you finally getting out and seeing people. You stay locked away with—”

  Brayen’s jaw tightened. “Say it. Animals.”

  Renee shook her head and glanced nervously at the kitchen door. “I’d never call you or others like you animals, and you know that. My father was one and I loved him. I grew up wishing I’d gotten the gene that causes it.”

  He froze as he heard Renee confess to wanting to be a shape-shifter. He wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. Having normal friends was rare. Renee was one of the only humans he interacted with and that’s only because he’d known her father. The only other human he’d ever gotten close to had walked in and out of his life in a matter of two days, but had left a gaping hole in his heart that would never heal.

  “Brayen, you all right?” Renee asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

  He nodded and grabbed the plate from her hands. “Here. I’ll take that out to Will. Those burgers smell done enough as is. Any more and we’ll be chewing on charcoal.”

  Renee laughed as he headed towards the back door. He opened the French door and stopped when he caught scent of her.

  It could
n’t be.

  Nearly six years had passed since she’d come in and then vanished from his life.

  He inhaled again. The scent was unmistakable.

  Lily.

  He looked around frantically and spotted her standing there. She was still as beautiful as the night she walked in needing a room for the weekend.

  Lily was dressed in a pale yellow sundress that hung to her ankles. Her dark brown hair seemed a little longer than the last time he’d seen her, but other than that she hadn’t changed in almost six years.

  Something brushed past Brayen’s hand and he drew in a sharp breath as a tiny shock passed through his skin. He glanced down to find a little girl standing next to him. She looked up at him and smiled wide. A tiny dimple formed on the right side of her face and her blue gaze locked onto his. “She’s like an angel, isn’t she?” she asked softly.

  “Who?”

  The little girl pointed out towards Lily and reached up to take his hand. He stood still, reluctant to touch the tiny being next to him. She seemed so small he feared he’d crush her. She pressed her hand into his and looked at Lily. “I tell her she looks like an angel all the time, but she doesn’t believe me. I can tell you think she looks like one too.”

  Brayen chuckled. “Oh, you can? You seem awfully young to know so much.”

  She huffed. “I’m five and I’m very smart for my age.”

  “Ah, I see,” Brayen said, stiffening as he saw a man approaching Lily. The man looked as though he’d fallen out of the pages of GQ or at the very least was a Kennedy. Brayen’s muscles flexed as the man’s hand ran up Lily’s back like it belonged there. She settled back into his arms and it was clear to see how very happy she was. The man wrapped his body around her and swayed back and forth with her.

  Blinding rage overcame Brayen, and he clutched hold of the doorframe to keep from growling and drawing attention to himself. A tiny cry sounded next to him and he glanced down to see the brown-haired girl staring at him with wide eyes. He looked at his hand and realized he was still holding her small hand. With his shifter strength he could crush it without thought. Worry like he’d never known before came over him. Brayen dropped to his knees next to her and inspected her for injury.

  “I’m sorry, sweetie,” he said. “Did I hurt you?”

  Her lips puckered out. “Just a little. How did you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  She moved up closer to him. “How did you make the same noise that I make? The mean kitty sound?”

  Brayen hadn’t realized he’d made any noise. He smiled at the little girl and touched her hand gently. How he hadn’t smashed all the bones in her hand was a mystery. “What’s your name?”

  “Rebecca-Rose, but everyone calls me Becca-Rose. What’s yours?”

  “Rose? That was my mother’s name. You must be a very special little girl to have a name like that,” Brayen said, giving her a wide smile.

  Becca-Rose reached up and touched his cheek softly. Her tiny finger went to his dimple and her eyes widened. “You’ve got the same hole when you smile. My mommy says she can see all the way through my head when I smile big.”

  Brayen let out a throaty laugh and patted her head gently. “I think your mommy sounds like she’s a good mommy.”

  “Oh, no, she’s the bestest mommy ever!”

  “Rebecca-Rose, what are you doing bothering this nice man?”

  Brayen’s nostrils flared as he glanced up to see the Kennedy standing over them. The man gave Becca-Rose a sideways glance and then started to laugh. “I leave you alone for five minutes and you’re harassing Renee and Will’s guests.” He looked at Brayen and put his hand out. “Hi, I’m Jack Preston. I see you’ve already met my daughter, Becca.”

  Brayen stood slowly and took the man’s hand in his. He could smell Lily on him. They’d been intimate recently and the thought sickened him. Becca-Rose touched his arm lightly, keeping him from shifting and ripping Jack Preston’s head clean off.

  Jack smiled down at his daughter and reached for her. She leapt into his arms but kept her eyes on Brayen. “Daddy, he can make the kitty noise like me.”

  Jack glanced nervously at Brayen but forced a smile to his lips. “Oh, he can, can he? Does he get into as much mischief as you too?”

  Becca-Rose shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, Daddy, maybe. He’s strong, too.”

  “I’m sure he is, peanut,” he said, setting her down gently. “Mommy’s looking for you. She wants you to sit down and eat something. I told her not to bother, but you know your mom.”

  Becca-Rose nodded. “I told him Mommy looks like an angel. I think he believed me.”

  Brayen’s gut clenched tight and he scanned the yard for signs of Lily. She was a mother now and a wife? That couldn’t be. She was his wife and supposed to be the mother of his children someday. He watched as Becca-Rose skittered away, leaving him standing face to face with Jack.

  “She’s a cute kid. You and your wife must be very proud.” Brayen almost choked on the words as he said them.

  Jack nodded and walked over to the cooler. He grabbed a bottle of water. “You want a beer or anything?”

  “No, I’m fine,” Brayen said, watching him carefully. “Only water for you?”

  “Yeah, I’m on call at the hospital. They’ve got someone in the ER now, but if things get backed up I’ll need to head in.”

  Of course, Lily would be married to a doctor. A nasty thought popped into his head. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been married?”

  Jack reached out and touched Brayen’s shoulder. He wanted to bite the man but stood tall. “Lillian and I have been an item since high school. I loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her and we’ve never been apart. I married her right out of high school and made it work through college. It was rough, but we made it. My family didn’t approve. They even managed to come between us for a while there, before Becca-Rose was born. I didn’t think we’d make it for a while there. Divorce papers were already filed… Oh, look at me ramble on. That was more information than you wanted.”

  “You can say that again,” an identical replica of Jack said as he approached.

  Brayen looked at the twins and his nausea only intensified. Of course, they’d come in pairs.

  Jack smiled at him. “Ah, this is my brother Lewis. Lewis this is…?”

  “Jack! Your pager’s going off!” Lily’s voice floated over the crowd.

  “Better run. Wouldn’t want to keep her waiting,” Lewis said sardonically.

  It was clear to Brayen that Lewis didn’t like Lily. He could smell his hate for her rolling off the man and he found himself wanting to snap both their necks. Jack looked at Brayen and ran his fingers through his short black hair. “Work needs me. Sorry I couldn’t introduce you to Lily. She’d love to meet the man who charmed Becca.” He smiled and turned to go. “See to it Lily and Becca-Rose get home safe if I’m not back,” he said to Lewis.

  “No problem, brother,” Lewis muttered as he watched Jack run off. He made a gagging sound and glanced up at Brayen. “Does it sicken you too?”

  Brayen jumped, a bit startled by the question. “Does what sicken me?”

  “Seeing the two of them together.”

  “I take it you don’t care much for your sister-in-law.”

  Lewis let out an icy laugh and looked Brayen dead in the eye. “He could have done so much better than a little squaw half-breed piece of trash. Hell, anything would have been better than that.”

  Brayen saw red but did his best to stay levelheaded. “From my understanding, Jack’s wife is quite proud of her ancestry. I’d love to be a full-blooded Lakota”

  “Lak… what?” Lewis waved his hand in the air. “Please, you don’t have to pretend for my sake. Nobody wants the red man’s blood in them, least of all me. It sickens me Jack tainted the Preston name with that stain. I told him to let the half breed suck his dick, spread her legs and that was it, not put a ring on her damn finger. Our mother
never approved. Right up until she died she begged him to reconsider his choice in a wife.”

  Brayen resisted the urge to smash Lewis’s head into the wall and watched as he walked away into the crowd of people. Renee walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder. “Planning on taking that plate out to Will or are you willing to eat your meat cooked for once?”

  “Would you mind doing it? I’ve got, umm, I’ve got a bit of a problem with keeping my problem at bay.” He hoped Renee would understand that if he took one step out the door after Lewis he would shift into the cougar and rip out the man’s throat.

  Renee took the plate from him and walked outside. “You are so going to have to fill me in on what’s going on with you when I get back. Try not to eat any of my guests.”

  “Renee, have you seen Lily’s keys? Someone’s parked behind me and the hospital needs me,” Jack said, appearing behind Brayen.

  Renee glanced back and pointed towards the countertop. “She always tosses them in the basket with mine. I swear, the woman should have been my sister. She’s here enough. I’ll give her a ride home later. She can’t drive your stick shift.”

  “Thanks, doll!” Jack said, snatching the keys up. “Watch her. She’s a wild one.”

  “Daddy, Daddy,” Becca-Rose cried, running past Brayen to Jack. “Don’t go today, Daddy, please.”

  Jack’s eyebrows came together. “Peanut, you’ve never asked me not to go in to work before. What’s wrong? You know sick people need Daddy’s help, right?”

  Large tears welled in little Becca-Rose’s eyes and Brayen felt his heart break with the fall of each one. “I know, Daddy, but don’t go today, please. I have a bad feeling. The kind that pulls at my tummy and makes the kitty noise come again.”

  Jack kissed her forehead and wiped away her tears. “I’ll be back soon and we can have a tea party. I’ll even wear one of those silly hats, okay?” He set her down and looked up at Brayen. “Sorry to ask you to do this, but could you see to it she doesn’t run out behind me? Lily will be in here in just a minute.”