LUCAS Page 17

  “I look forward to assisting you. I love dealing with nasty little men who need to learn a lesson, or perhaps two.”

  Lucas could tell Etienne was smiling on the other end of the line. He really enjoyed letting his hair down and releasing his evil vampire side once in a while.

  “Kensie will be here in about ten hours unless she stops to sleep. Are you able to come immediately?”

  “I will leave shortly. I need to meet with my second and fill him in and then I will be on my way.”

  “Thank you. I hate to bother you, but my mate didn’t leave me with another option.”

  “Pshaw. Thank her for me. I am going to enjoy this. I have not had this much fun since I dealt with Anna’s ex piece of shit.”

  Lucas laughed. “I think I’ll keep your gleefulness to myself. It might freak her out.”

  “You wound me. I will charm the socks off her, not freak her out.”

  “I’m sure you will. Thank you again and I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  Chapter 18

  A persistent beeping alerted Kensie, she was low on gas again. She hated to stop, not only would Anderson harass her, but every stop slowed her down. Glancing at her smart phone, she tapped her gasbuddy app to locate a station. There was one at the next exit. Peering into the rearview mirror, she looked to see if Anderson was still shadowing her. The freeway was surprisingly busy. The intermittent road construction she drove through must have bunched the cars together. She didn’t see his vehicle, but he could be hidden in the eight or ten others behind her. A quick check of her side mirror didn’t reveal him either. She didn’t lay too much hope on the possibility he’d given up. He was there, somewhere, she just couldn’t see him.

  Even though a few pumps were empty, she parked behind the two cars using the pumps in front of the doors. Shaving off a few minutes time wasn’t worth the risk of Anderson getting his hands on her.

  A minute later one of the cars pulled away. Kensie locked her car the instant she closed the door. No way was she getting car jacked by that asshat. The pump was clicking off the gallons when hot breath fanned her neck.

  “You got me fired, bitch. You took away what was most important to me, and I’m going to pay back the favor. Better watch your back. You won’t even see me coming. I’m about to force you to expose your freakish ability in public. And you can’t stop me.”

  When she turned, around he was walking back to his car. He didn’t even glance her way. For all anyone standing at the other pumps knew, he made some innocuous comment and left.

  A shiver ran down her spine as the realization hit her hard. Lucas was right; Anderson was terribly dangerous and needed to be stopped.

  ******

  Lucas was wearing a path in the ceramic tile. He’d been pacing the living room of the private section of the main house for hours. The waiting was killing him.

  Kensie called hours ago to warn him about Anderson and the threat he’d made. He could only astral project a few times a day because of the distance required. The exhaustion from holding the link was too much. If he pushed it, and the tether to his body snapped, he could be left to drift in the ether for all eternity.

  Jojo was updated and knew Kensie was racing back to Texas with trouble on her tail. Etienne was speeding his way from New Orleans. There was nothing he could do but wait. He hated waiting. Waiting sucked.

  A vibration from his pocket launched his heart into overdrive. He ripped his phone from his jeans and almost fumbled it in his haste.

  “Hello! Mon amour, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Just checking in.”

  “Where are you?

  “I just left Round Rock, so I’m about two hours away.”

  “Thank Goddess. Is he still following you?”

  “Of course. The way he has been behaving, I seriously doubt his sanity.”

  “Shit. The only thing more dangerous than a crazy man is an enraged supe. Will you need to stop again for gas again?”

  “No, I filled up in Round Rock. I managed to lose him and stopped while it was safe.”

  “Good thinking. Etienne will be here any minute. Once Anderson shows up, we’ll handle him.”

  “Thank him for me. I really want Anderson out of my life. He’s scaring the daylights out of me.”

  “So do I, cher. So do I.”

  “I haven’t seen him for the past hour, but he knows the phone number to the ranch so he knows where to find me.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ve got this. You just make it home and leave the rest to Etienne and me.”

  “I better go, traffic is backing up again for road construction.”

  “All right, babe. I’ll be here waiting.”

  *****

  The minutes ticked slowly by and felt like hours. He was about to call Etienne again when a knock sounded on the door. Thank Goddess. He directed Et to come to the private entrance. The guests didn’t need to see him arriving if they could help it.

  Lucas pulled Etienne into a man hug. “I can’t thank you enough. This guy on Kensie’s tail just won’t give up.”

  “Never fear, Et is here,” he chuckled.

  Lucas shook his head. “You really need to stop watching cartoons.”

  “Where is the fun in that? I do not have a wife to keep me warm and you Le Beau’s only supply entertainment about once a year. What else am I supposed to do?”

  “I’m going to have to talk to Cade. They need to find you a woman.”

  “As if. I have no problem with the ladies. There just has not been one special enough to keep my attention. Not since,” he paused for a deep breath, “Nina.”

  Etienne shook off his melancholy. “So, bring me up to speed.”

  “Kensie lost him, but he knows about the ranch so he will be headed here.”

  Et nodded. “Is there anything special about this human? Does he have any psychic power?”

  “Not that Kensie has mentioned. She did say she thought he was acting insane.”

  “Great! A lunatic.” He rubbed his hands together. “They are always more of a challenge.”

  “There’s an abandoned cave about a half mile from here. I stumbled upon the opening when I first rode the property before I purchased the place. I think the original settlers used it has a home until they were able to build a cabin. I’m pretty sure no one else knows about it. The cave didn’t look like anyone has used in decades. You could use that for the modification.”

  “Excellent. I can work with that.”

  Both men turned when they heard footsteps coming down the hall. A moment later, Krystal and Jojo entered the room.

  Krystal smiled widely. “Hello, Etienne. I would like to introduce Jojo, Kensie’s sister.”

  Etienne gave Jojo a regal nod and kissed the back of her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Jojo.”

  “Oh, my,” Jojo breathed as she fanned herself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”

  Etienne glanced at Lucas. “As I said, I have no problem with the ladies.”

  Lucas rolled his eyes. “I’m glad you’re both here. Kensie should arrive in about an hour. When she gets here, we need to get her safely indoors as soon as possible. Etienne and I will handle Dr. Anderson.”

  “What are you going to do?” Jojo asked, glancing from one face to the next.

  Krystal smiled and patted her arm. “Don’t worry about that. Just be assured, he will never bother you or your sister again.”

  “I’m going to show Etienne something on the ranch, but we will be back in about thirty minutes,” Lucas reassured. “Krystal, why don’t you and Jojo make sure the other guests go to the chuckwagon cookout. I want everyone away from this part of the ranch when Anderson arrives.”

  Almost an hour to the minute, Kensie sped up the dirt driveway, kicking up a cloud of Texas dust a hundred feet into the air. She really floored it. If she kept all four wheels on the ground when she took the corners, he’d eat his hat.

  They rushed out to the parking lot to meet her. The
girls knew their job and the men would get into position to intercept Anderson once the women were clear.

  Rushing from her car, Kensie launched herself into Lucas’s waiting arms. “I made it!”

  He kissed her hard and pulled back. “How far behind you is he?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him for over an hour.” She started to panic and look hard into the underbrush. “Do you think he’s here already? Maybe he got in front of me?”

  Lucas lifted his nose to scent the air one direction and Krystal did the same in the opposite direction.

  “Did you stop somewhere he didn’t?” Etienne asked.

  “Yeah, I haven’t seen him at the last couple stops.”

  Krystal took a few steps toward the thick brush closest to where Kensie stood. There were only a few feet between her and the brush. Something wasn’t right. There was a faint sour smell.

  Jojo jumped into Kensie’s arms, crying relieved tears. Sobbing so hard she was hyperventilating. Both Kensie and Jojo were so overwhelmed they didn’t see the flash of metal.

  What is that? Suddenly, Kensie felt warm, sticky, wetness and Jojo slumped in her arms. Startled, Kensie clutched her tighter, struggling to hold her upright. Subconsciously, she knew what happened, but her mind refused to accept Jojo had just been mortally wounded. Shock set in and her ability to process the situation evaporated.

  Krystal rushed to her aid. “I’ll help you lay her gently. You need to snap out of it. She needs you, Kensie, right now, or she isn’t going to make it.”

  A red haze of rage clouded Lucas’s vision. He launched himself at Kensie’s attacker. Flesh hitting flesh resounded as bodies collided. The momentum threw them into the heavy brush. Dust billowed as hundreds of pounds of male crashed to the ground. Repeated blows and groaning was heard. The smell of copper began to mix with sweat and dust. Then a high-pitched scream of agony rang from the underbrush.

  Krystal glanced at Etienne who maintained his position. “You better get in there before he rips him limb from limb.”

  Etienne cocked an eyebrow, smoothed his suit, and shrugged. “If I must.”

  Krystal and Kensie gently eased Jojo to the ground. Blood covered both sisters. So much blood Krystal feared it was already too late. “Is there anything you need from your cabin? Did you happen to bring a medical bag with you?”

  Kensie blinked rapidly and regained her composure. Instantly she went into doctor mode. She grabbed Krystal’s hands and placed them over the wound. “Put pressure right here. Press as hard as you can.”

  Closing her eyes, she took several deep shuttering breaths and centered her mind, calming her panic and going within. Raising her hands, she slowly ran them an inch above Jojo’s body close to the wound. Frowning she stopped and seemed to study one small area close to the entrance wound. Then she settled her hands flat against Jojo’s abdomen and remained very still. A serene expression eased the deep lines on her face. A glow appeared around her hands and inched up her arms until it encompassed Kensie’s entire body. At the same time the glow spread across the wound area on Jojo. The glow seemed to seep into Jojo’s skin and be absorbed. Watching Kensie heal Jojo was extraordinary.

  The women hadn’t noticed the men standing silently, watching in awe.

  “See!” Anderson shouted. “I knew she was a freak. What is she? An alien?”

  Etienne scowled and touched the offensive human’s forehead. Promptly, he was out cold.

  Jojo’s color slowly returned. Her breathing became even and her eyelashes fluttered.

  “What?” she croaked.

  “Don’t try to speak. You were attacked and Kensie is working on you.”

  Jojo tried to focus her vision on Krystal’s face, but her sight wasn’t working properly. Her head was woozy and her limbs felt like they weighed a ton.

  The men dropped Anderson to the ground and remained silent sentries as Kensie healed her sister. Etienne leaned toward Lucas and whispered, “I’ve never seen anything like her.”

  Lucas shook his head. “Neither have I. She’s incredible.”

  Several minutes later Kensie removed her hands and her eyes opened. She blinked several times as she came back to herself and her sight adjusted to the bright daylight.

  “Will she be okay?” Krystal asked.

  Kensie nodded. “She’ll be fine. She’ll need rest and lots of fluids, but she won’t have any lasting permanent injury.”

  “Can she be moved?” Lucas asked behind her.

  Kensie spun around, red hair flying. Gasping, she blinked at Lucas. “You scared the crap out of me.”

  “Sorry, mon amour. I thought you knew we were here.”

  Then her eyes narrowed on Anderson. Before either Etienne or Lucas knew what was happening, she launched herself at the unconscious human.

  Etienne swore he heard the scream of a banshee as Kensie erupted in a fury so shocking they stood gaping. She ripped several handfuls of hair from his skull before he moved into action and pulled her off the idiot. Not that Anderson didn’t deserve everything she did to him, and a whole lot more, but what was the fun if the horrid beast couldn’t feel it?

  Lucas gently cradled Jojo in his arms and waited to receive direction from Kensie. “Would you prefer your cabin or a spare room in the main house?”

  She rubbed her chin for an instant considering her options and then smiled. He thanked the Goddess she couldn’t see the blood she just smeared on her face or she may not be smiling so brightly at him. “The main house. She lost a lot of blood and will need to be close to a kitchen for fluids.”

  Lucas smiled in return and started out. Krystal and Kensie followed closely behind, leaving Etienne with Anderson.

  Krystal led the way to a spare room close to the kitchen. Once Jojo was situated, Lucas took Kensie by the hand. “Is your ability to heal people you’re secret? Is that why you’ve been in hiding, cher?”

  She glanced between Lucas and Krystal. “You both need to promise to never ever tell anyone what I’m about to reveal. Keep in mind, this is my life I’m about to hand you on a platter.”

  He looked at his cousin, she nodded, and he turned back to his mate. “We promise, whatever you’re hiding is safe with us.”

  “Yes, you’re right, I can heal people. I can touch them and cure them. I can even do surgery on them with my mind. My oddity is one of the reasons I went into medicine, I could hide in plain sight.” She watched their reaction as closely as they had watched hers.

  Krystal laughed. “That was pure genius on your part. You could use your gift and no one would need to be the wiser.”

  Slowly Lucas’s face broke out in the biggest smile Kensie had ever seen. “You’re a natural healer. We all just witnessed that.”

  She couldn’t believe he was taking her news so calmly. “Yeah…I guess you did.”

  Krystal gently touched her shoulder. “That’s an amazing gift. We know a few women who are healers but as far as I know, none of them can do surgery.”

  “You know other people like me? I thought I was the only one.”

  “No, mon amour. You’re most definitely not the only one,” Lucas said still grinning. “My mother, Emma, is one of the other healers I know, so is Anna, my oldest brother’s mate.”

  “Really?” She searched his eyes for the truth of the matter..

  “Yes. When you’re able to travel to Louisiana I’ll take you to meet them.”

  “I have so much I want to ask them. I don’t even know where I’d start.” She was like an excited little girl.

  “I’m sure once you’re there you’ll know what you want to ask.” He pulled her in for a kiss. “They’re going to love you.”

  ******

  Etienne stood with his hands on his hips, considering his new plaything. Back in Louisiana, he owned an impressive antebellum mansion. Two and a half glorious stories of southern history and beauty. His stronghold exhibited immense columns and a wraparound covered porch on the first and second levels. Every time he entered
the front door, he was transported back in time. He would prefer to be there now, but he would work with what he had.

  With a twitch of his finger, Anderson’s prone body rose a few inches and followed him toward the barn. The horse Lucas saddled for him, waited calmly at the hitching post. Grinning, he mounted with ease. Damn, he missed the horse and buggy days. It was a much quieter and gentler time.

  He gave the horse its head and trotted at a nice easy pace toward the cave. Occasionally, a muffled grunt was heard as Anderson smacked into a bush or cactus. Chuckling, he thought, good, a few cactus spines will hurt like hell, but won’t kill him.

  It didn’t take long to reach the entrance to the cave. He didn’t want unexpected guests so he urged his mount inside. The narrow entrance opened into a wide round space with a high ceiling. Nice, very nice.

  With another flick of his finger, Anderson hit the ground with an umph. There would be no care or mercy for this filth. If he had used half his brain, he would have stayed in Minnesota and left Lucas’s mate in peace. All the better for Etienne. This would be a nice break from his boring existence. He rubbed his stubbled jaw for a moment. Maybe Lucas hadn’t been too far off the mark with his flippant remark? The Le Beau men had been doing very well for themselves in the wife department. He would have to consider that in depth later.

  Too bad Jack and Michael couldn’t be here. This would have been a great learning opportunity for them. He was going to have to remember to think of them as Nick and Derick now that they chose their vampire names. When he got back to the house he would have to tell Krystal and Lucas their new names so they addressed them correctly.

  Enough of that, he had fun waiting for him curled up like a sniveling crybaby.

  Rubbing his hands together, he allowed his eyes to grow red in the darkness. There’d be no mercy for his victim this day. He considered the walls and floor. What could he use in this space?

  Back at his mansion, the basement held his favorite aspect of his home. A series of cells and torture rooms lined the space. He could use one of those cells right now.