Excessive Force (Force of Nature Series) (5 page)

“Well, I’m sorry
, Reid, but you’ll have to use it now. The house will need to be paid off, and you need a home. This one is going to need a great deal more work, and I’m betting after today it will need a little more.” He pulled to a stop in front of the pack house. “Jodie is going to need you after this. Her father isn’t just ill, and we both know it. If he makes it through the night, it will be a miracle. She may not like her family overly much, but they’re all she has.”

“I hate this.”
Phil didn’t say anything, but only nodded at him. “All right. Get them out and we’ll go from there. My hands are tied until my test results come back, so maybe after the Fields get out I can start on the house.”

“Oh
, don’t you worry about them. They’ll be gone in the morning.”

Reid didn’t think about what he’d meant by that.
If they were gone in the morning, so much the better. He’d not think about if they were gone as in moved out or gone as in never heard from or seen again.

When he got out of the
car at the house, he could hear arguing all the way to where they were standing. He looked at Phil.

“I believe your mate is upset about something.”
Reid nodded and moved toward the front porch. “Do you suppose she’ll learn that CJ is a good deal stronger than her and simply listen?”

“Nope.
And I wouldn’t be so sure about her being stronger. The last time I saw her she was pounding her brothers against the wall without so much as breathing hard.” Phil laughed as they entered the house. “But if you tell CJ that, I’ll hunt you down.”

Holly was sitting on the chair
, watching the other two women. Nancy walked in with two glasses of tea just as Reid took one of the other seats and laughed when he realized that Holly and Nancy were watching them for entertainment value. He watched Jodie as she moved back from CJ.

“You think you’re all that
, don’t you. Well, I got news for you, missy, I’m much bigger and badder than you’ll ever be.” Reid watched Jodie stretch her neck as CJ continued. “You’ll do as you’re told, or so help me, I’ll tie you to the bed and have Reid sit on you.”

CJ started forward
, but stopped suddenly. Reid realized in that second that Jodie was holding her somehow. He started to stand up when he felt something, or in this case someone, pin him against the wall.

“I’m sick to death of telling you that I don’t need, don’t want
, nor do I particular care for, your kind of help. I’ve been on my own, fending for myself long enough to know that the only person I trust is me.” CJ sat down in the chair next to him but didn’t move. “Now you’re going to sit here like a good alpha until I get out of this bedlam. And then you’re going to leave me the fuck alone. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

“That’s enough.”
Phil’s mom materialized in the room just as Jodie turned to leave. “Sit down right now.”

Jodie was in pain, he
could see that from where he was, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it at the moment. Trying to ignore a compulsion as strong as Hope Campbell could use had to hurt her. Hope was an old and powerful vampire. But Jodie did fight her until Hope staggered back.

“Oh my.” Jodie moved toward the door and out. She wasn’t steady on her feet
, but she did make it. When he heard the bike start up and move down the drive, he felt his body relax by degrees. He looked at Hope when she said his name.

“She’s not a just a shifter
…you know that, right?” Reid nodded, not fully understanding what was going on, but knew she was right. “She’s not going to be easy to get to love you, but when she does, it’s going to be the forever kind of love. You understand what I mean?”

“No. I’m not entirely sure
, but she did just knock you on your ass and was able to brush off CJ.” Hope grinned at him as he continued. “Why on earth do you find that funny?”

“Because
, my dear boy, you’ve met a woman who can kick my ass. Not many, only a handful at best, can do that.” Hope stood up and touched his cheek. “Claim her soon, son; if you don’t, then she’ll leave and you’ll never find her. She’ll make sure you don’t.”

Chapter 5

Jodie sat on the bed and took deep breaths. It was supposed to calm her
, but all it did was bring the scent of the wolf into her nose. She finally gave up and stripped down. A shower was what she needed. She turned the tap as hot as it would go before stepping under the spray.

He was simply too much for her.
Washing her hair, she thought about the way he’d pressed her against him and wondered about doing more with the big man. Reid was entirely too much for any one woman to want to handle, and she was sure others would agree with her. And she was not going to see if she could. Not now, and not ever.

Scrubbing her body until it burned
, she let the water spray over her until she felt she could get out without tensing up again. The vampire had scared her, not because she’d had to work so hard to ignore the compulsion, but because she was pretty sure she’d figured out what she was.

Jodie wrapped the towel around her body and moved into the bedroom. She wasn’t really frightened by the man standing there
, but she didn’t turn her back on him either. When he said her name, she turned and glared.

“You said we were finished.
You said if I left this time, you would wash your hands of me and I’d be free. I held up my end of the bargain, so you should too.” He sat down on nothing that was in this room and asked her to do the same. “No. You should leave before they know you’re here.”

“They
won’t find me. I missed you.” She rolled her eyes at him and moved around the room to find something to wear that didn’t smell of Reid. “I’ve some news for you. If you come back for a few days, I’ll give it to you. And you have to finish your training. You’ve only one more thing to complete.”

“
It’s no longer important to me, and I don’t want it bad enough to go back.” She watched him as she pulled her panties up under the towel, then her pants. Tugging a shirt over her and the towel, she pulled it from under the shirt and stood there.

He’d never been interested in her sexually. And even though he was a vampire
, he’d never bitten her either. They’d been…friends, she supposed, for a while until he’d tried to make her do something she swore she’d never do.

“The man who claims to be your mate, what do you know of him?”
She didn’t answer as she reached for some socks to put on. “He’s going to be a powerful doctor, healing those that would die without his help. You’ll need to allow him to claim you, or it will never happen.”

“I don’t want to be claimed. You of all people should know that.”
He nodded and looked sad. “Why do you care if a wolf is a doctor and whether or not I get claimed by him or not?”

“No reason.”
He moved around the room, not seeing what was there. She knew this because he’d walked through a chair, and now stood in the middle of a table. “I should like to give you a gift.”

“You’ve given me enough, thanks.” With her shoes on
, she went to get her wallet and bag. She was going to go out and find someplace that would serve her a thick steak and the biggest baked potato she’d ever seen. “Are you coming with me or staying here?”

“I’ll come.”
She moved to the door and locked it after going out of it. When he appeared beside her, she didn’t say anything to him, as there were two people in the hall with her. No one but her could see him, and she liked that just fine. But he could talk to her.

When they all entered the elevator
, she had to look away when he was standing where the woman was. Not just where she was, but it looked like he wore her as a suit. When the couple got out, she moved out of the hotel so they could no longer hear her.

“Are you going to tell me the real reason you’re here or not?”
They were on a busy street now, and she pulled out her ear piece and stuck it in her ear. It didn’t work, of course. She didn’t own a cell phone, but it made her look less crazy when she spoke to him.

“I’ve come to ask you about the vampire I felt touching you today.
She is very powerful, and I think I know her.” Jodie held a door open at the deli she was going to have dinner at while a woman and her child walked out. “What’s her name? And did you know that she’s full blooded?”

“No, why would I know that
? I don’t even know your name, much less hers. All I’ve ever known about you is the little snippets you’ve granted me.” He nodded and moved to the table she was planning to sit at. She knew that he’d keep the others away so that she’d have a seat where they could talk when she got her food. He’d done it for her before.

“I’ve given you a great deal
, or tried to. You never wanted anything from me.” She sat down when he sighed heavily. “I’ve tried and tried, but all you wanted was training.”

“That’s all you said you’d give me.
I can’t help it if you changed your mind later. And I’ve tried to pay you for it, but you refused.” She looked at the sandwich, no longer hungry.

“You should eat. You’ll need your strength in the coming days.”
She glared at him. “You can see it too if you wish. Just touch your mate of your own free will and you’ll know it too.”

“I told you that part of what I am is off limits to everyone.”
She picked up the sandwich, knowing that he was guiding her to eat it, and finished it off. It was that or fight him, and she didn’t have the strength after the fight today.

“Tell me your name, all of it.”
She glanced at him as he spoke. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

“You told me never to give anyone my name.
I’ve even worked to erase it from my family’s mind. Why would you give it to me now?” He moved to the other side of the room and brought something back with him. Whatever it was, she would be able to see it but not touch it. He laid the book in front of her.

“I’m sending this to you tomorrow. Show it to the vampire from today. You do that and I’ll finish your training.”
She shook her head, and he nodded. “You have to do it. She already knows that you and I are together. Mistress Vampire is very strong and can give me what I need.”

“And what is that?” The book started to turn pages
, and she could see glimpses of some of the pages. Blood on one page covered almost the entire thing…a pendent on another page that she’d seen before, but knew that the man no longer wore when she was around. When the pages stopped moving, she looked down at the page, then up at him.

“Is it her?” She nodded
, and the pages turned again. “This man, have you seen him as well?”

The man looked like Phil the lawyer
, but not quite. He had the same strong features, but the man in the drawing looked less handsome and more…she supposed pretty would be a good word. She shook her head, staring at the man on the page.

“It is her mate.
His name I do not know either, but I’ve seen him a great many times over the centuries with the woman.” The book disappeared, and he sat down. “The book needs to be given to her and only her. Will you do this for me?”

“Why?”
He smiled at her, and she felt his sadness. “You want this from me, what do I get in return?”

He nodded.
He’d trained her well. Never give anything without a fair exchange. When he nodded, she felt the air around her tighten, and suddenly he was sitting next to her, in the flesh this time. Glancing around the room, she could see that not one person noticed him, and she’d bet that if asked they’d never seen her either.

His touch to her forehead made her cry out.
Memories flooded her mind, and she felt as if they spilled from her nose and ears. He handed her a napkin, and she dapped at the blood there and looked at him as he faded out.

“Give it to her and only her for me. Then in two
days’ time, I’ll come to you. She’ll… if she asks you to summon me, tell her that you will. Call for me.”

“I don’t know
your name.” His laughter faded with him, and she stood up. “What’s your fucking name?”

“You’ve known it as long as you’ve known me.”
She sat there for an hour trying to think when she’d ever known his name. Not one time did he ever say it in all the five years she was his apprentice. Jodie left the deli in a huff. She had a good mind to burn the fucking book when it got there.

~~~

Austin didn’t want to be impressed by the girl, but he was. She didn’t squirm like most people did when they sat in his office, but she sat there not moving at all. He’d bet that she was asleep but for the fact that she blinked occasionally.

“Hope said she’d be here soon.”
Jodie nodded. “Would you like to talk about your relationship with Reid?”

“We don’t have one.”
That didn’t go over as well as he’d hoped. He’d hoped for her to ask him why she was his mate or at least be pissy. This cold woman before him made him nervous as hell. When someone knocked at his door, he was so relieved that he found himself hoping for Reid, but when Hope stepped into the room with Phil, he knew this wasn’t going to go as well as he’d thought.

“I have a book for you.” Phil reached for it and Jodie snatched it back.
“I said I have one for her, not you. I was told to give it to her and only to her.”

“By who?”
Jodie only stared at Hope and she right back at her. He’d heard about the other day when Jodie had tossed her off. Austin wanted to be pissed about what she’d done to CJ, but she’d told him it was her fault. He doubted it was entirely her fault but wouldn’t bring it up, as she’d asked him not to.

“He said that you’d know when you received the book.
Do you want it or not?” Hope stepped to Jodie but didn’t touch her. She did, however, lean in and sniff her. When she took a step back, Hope looked pale.

“Yes, I’ll take…Christ, you know him.” Hope took the book and stiffened slightly.
Phil went to her side, and then when she was seated, he moved to Jodie. Before Austin could move to intercept him, he was flying back against the wall and Phil was a foot off the ground without anyone touching him.

“Please, let them go.
They won’t harm you. I promise you.” Austin stood up, but he made no move toward either woman as Hope pleaded with Jodie. Phil was still hanging there, and Hope begged again. He was put down, but he didn’t move back.

“He said I was
to give it to you and you’d understand. Do you?” Hope nodded at Jodie and she leaned over to pick up her bag. “Good, then I’m finished here.”

She moved to the door
, but before she got more than a foot from it, Hope spoke again. “You have the power to heal him, but you won’t. You also had the power to kill me yesterday, but you didn’t do that either. Would you mind telling me why?”

Jodie stood there for several seconds.
Austin wasn’t sure she was going to answer her, but when she did so without turning, he wondered about that as well.

“To harm is to have it returned tenfold. To kill is to have it returned by a dozen times a dozen. To love is to have it returned without numbers.” Jodie turned her head slightly to look at Hope.
“To heal him would not change the outcome.”

“No
, but he is your father.” Jodie shook her head. “He’s not your sire? Do you know who is?”

“I do.”
Jodie was out the door before any of them could question her further. When they heard the big bike start and the sound move away, Austin sat down at his desk and put his head in his hands.

“What the hell was that?”
He looked at Hope. “You know what she is, and I’m betting it’s not as simple as a shifter, is it?”

“No, she’s not a simple shifter. At least she’s not anymore. Someone has trained her on the things she was more than likely born with and has enhanced them for her. I wouldn’t doubt that she’s aware of them
, but she might not know just how powerful she really is.” Hope looked at the book that Jodie had given her and ran her fingers over the cover reverently. “She has given me a great deal with this book. Did she tell you what it was?”

“No. She came here telling me that she needed to speak to you. She said that since it was my
territory and that she was a shifter that all beasts that she used had to be present when the exchange was made. Mom said that, while that’s partly true, all that had to be here was another person. I don’t know why she asked for Phil too.”

“Because he’s a
vampire in this area that she has to answer to. If the shit hit the fan, as I believe you younger people like to say, she wanted everyone to know that she’d given me the book and I accepted it.”

“
It’s that important?” Hope nodded at Phil’s question. “What is it, Mom? What’s in that book that would have her come here to give just to you?”

“It’s the
Book of Life
. The first book that we brought here when we came here.” She opened the first page and showed them the names. “So many of these people are gone now, and there are so many that their lives were lost because of this book.”

“They wrote down the names of all the vampires that came here?
That’s just nuts.” Austin flushed when he realized that he himself had a similar book with names and apologized to them both. “The woman scares me if you want to know the truth.”