Charity Received (20 page)

As Kash curled his arm around her waist, pulling her to his side, he said softly, “The others will need to get to know you to overcome their concerns. Jet is just a prick.

But he will not bother you.” The last words were spoken directly to Jet, and Charity got the distinct impression they were a warning.

A throat was cleared loudly, and she turned to the last male in the room she had yet to make an acquaintance. He could have been Bale’s twin if not for the military haircut and goatee. He stepped forward, his held outstretched.

“I am Remy. I run this band of fuckups.”

Charity glanced at his hand uncertainly.

“It’s all right, chérie.”

Kash’s whispered assurance brought a question to Remy’s eyes and had Charity nodding her head, reaching out to clasp the other male’s hand. Though there was some mild discomfort, it was nowhere near the pain Zeke’s touch had caused. She heaved a sigh of relief as she pulled her hand free, listening while Kash explained to Remy of their sensitivity to touch. Fortunately it was waning. Not only was it extremely unpleasant, it was also a serious liability, given what she did for a living.

Charity might waitress as a means to pay her bills, but she considered hunting demons her true calling.

“Welcome to Vigil Abbey,” Remy added with a twinge of a smile, and Charity felt some of her unease evaporating.

“Thank you. I hope I truly am.”

Glancing around, she looked at Zeke for a moment. He was leaning against the desk, glaring at Jet. As if sensing her gaze on him, he looked at her and winked.

Reassured, Charity continued her scan of the room. Penny smiled in greeting, while Arak watched her warily, and for just a second, her wolf wanted to give him something to be concerned about.

“You know, I’ve always wanted a dog.” Jet’s snide comment caused her wolf to bristle. “As long as it doesn’t shit in the house.”

The room seemed to still. “You did not just compare me to a dog.” Her wolf was outraged, and Charity struggled to keep her down. It was imperative she not shift.

“What are you going to do about it, sweetheart?” Jet challenged.

Kash spoke her name sharply, but he was too far away to stop her if she decided to shift and attack Jet. Charity inhaled deeply. She recognized Jet’s dare, knew he was testing her, and smelled his regret. He was an odd contradiction, one she would need time to understand. But even if she hadn’t smelled the remorse rolling off him in waves, she still wouldn’t have met his challenge. He wasn’t worth her child’s life.

“The thing about shifters,” she stated nonchalantly, “is that we can differentiate between emotions, because each one has a distinct scent. Very few individuals have mastered the ability to mask such scents. You, my friend, aren’t one of them.” With that, Charity plopped down onto the couch.

Her statement didn’t seem to sit well with Jet, and Charity didn’t care. The rest of the brothers were just surprised by her declaration. Boy, they really knew nothing about her kind. She curled her legs under her and folded her arms across her abdomen defensively. Kash sat beside her and draped his arm around her shoulders, and Charity leaned into him.

“Can we get on with this?” Levi asked from the corner behind her. “The night isn’t getting any younger.”

Remy glanced at the other male and nodded. The anger emanating from him was directed at Jet, but Jet seemed unconcerned. There were some strange dynamics going on between the males, though Kash seemed fairly oblivious to it. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize Jet disliked Penny and Faith just as much as he seemed to dislike her. This bothered Faith, but Penny, not so much. A shroud of mourning hung around her, and few things seemed to penetrate it.

“Faith, have you had any luck with those guns?”

At Remy’s question, all eyes turned to the female. “Yes. Prue is looking into it. The only problem is how much sedative we would need to drop a wolf. She wasn’t sure.”

That was when most everyone focused on her. “You do understand that the tranquilizer will not take effect immediately, don’t you?”

“How long?”

Charity turned to Zeke and shrugged. “It depends on the size of the wolf. And some have a higher tolerance to drugs than others.”

“Are we talking hours or minutes?” This came from Bale.

“Minutes. Just long enough for you to run the risk of having a very angry wolf attack you. But since most of these wolves have been younger males, more than likely he’ll run, and you’ll have one hell of a chase on your hands. Then you’ll need something to transport him in. It won’t be like capturing a regular wolf. The drug won’t affect a shifter for long, so as soon as he goes down, you’ll need to cage him.

Otherwise, you’ll likely have to start all over again.”

“Would a regular dog cage work?” Zeke asked.

“No. If he shifts to his human form, he’ll be able to break out. The cage would have to have some silver in it. Just enough to keep him weak but not prevent him from shifting.”

Her last comment seemed to surprise Zeke. “Why would we need him to be able to shift?”

“Zeke, shifters can’t communicate with others outside their packs.”

Zeke looked confused. “But you did the night that O’Malley wolf attacked you.”

She shrugged. “Sometimes as a wolf, it’s possible. But not always. That could have likely been a fluke.”

“The cage, we will have to work on. What about the drugs?”

Charity turned from Zeke and met Kash’s gaze. “Rompun is a good choice. Have Prue get three-quarter-inch needles with the guns, and I can fill them with the sedative.”

“Is it safe for you to handle?” Kash asked, the concern in his voice warming her heart.

“As long as I don’t try to drink it,” she answered with a grin.

“Smart-ass,” he mumbled, much to her amusement.

“Kash, why don’t you and Charity work on building a cage tonight? The rest of you know your assignments, so I think that should do it.”

At Remy’s command, Charity glanced at Kash, but he was already speaking up.

“Remy, Charity has a job and cannot stay here indefinitely.”

Remy turned to Faith and cocked his brow. Charity didn’t like his strong-arm tactics and didn’t hide that fact when he aimed his gaze at her. “If your boss didn’t fire you after your foray in the woods last week, I don’t think she will hold this against you.

Levi has voiced an interest in the fortress’s security. Once Kash has trained him to take over, I will shuffle assignments so he can go with Bale to Club Dominus.” Remy looked back to Faith. “Does this meet with your approval?”

Apparently neither Bale nor Kash had any say in the matter. And since Charity knew there wasn’t a chance in hell of her mate letting her go without him, neither did she. She didn’t like being managed this way. Had never had anyone care one way or the other what she did. She wasn’t sure it was something she could accustom herself to.

“Of course,” Faith replied quietly. “Charity, your job will be waiting for you. Tempy has been filling in on the nights I can’t be there. I’ll see if she can continue to do so for the short term.”

She gave a jerky nod and glanced away. Charity was afraid if she opened her mouth, she’d tell Remy just what a controlling ass he was.

“Good.” Remy’s dismissal of the subject was evident in his tone. Already some of the others were preparing to make a quick exit.

Charity bit her tongue until she, Kash, Faith, Bale, and Zeke were all who remained in the room, and then Faith grinned.

“Amazing control there, sweetie.”

Charity snorted indignantly. “It was either bite my tongue or rip out his throat.”

Faith laughed. “And what did you do to Penny? Because that bitch is seriously warped.”

Charity shook her head, bristling a little at Faith’s disparaging remark. “Penny hurts deeply. Mourns. I get that. This Raym, he meant something to Penny.”

The mention of the traitor’s name brought a change in the emotional tone of the room. Charity had thought she’d sensed hostility aimed at her. Not even close.

These males seriously wanted a piece of their former brother’s hide. Faith was the only one whose reaction was different. Fear. She was still terrified of the male who had tried to take her life. And Charity could hardly blame her.

Command central was in one of the rooms that made up the gatehouse, the first at the top of the stairs. Kash explained that the others—the residential section Penny, Raym, and his twin, Caym had occupied—lay just beyond the wall of computer screens, but since Penny had cleared all her belongings out, no one bothered going back there. As she passed the various images of life outside the abbey walls, she found a small desk set up with a computer back in the corner. It seemed slightly out of place, pushed off to the side, away from the rest of the equipment.

When she asked him about it, Kash replied, “Raym set it up for Penny so she wouldn’t get bored in here. It has some games you can play.”

Charity glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “What exactly was the relationship between them? You mentioned Raym was her mate, but also that she lived with both brothers.” Curiosity had been plaguing her ever since she’d learned about Penny’s relationship with the twins, but until this moment, she’d been leery to ask.

Bringing up Raym always seemed to sadden Kash.

He shrugged as he sank into a chair before the rows of screens. “Raym was pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing, but I do know Penny cared about both of them.

Whether one or both were her mates, I can’t say for certain, though my suspicions lean toward Raym. She doesn’t mourn Caym like she should if he were her mate.”

“And Raym was willing to share her?” Charity couldn’t wrap her mind around such a notion. It went against her shifter makeup. Possessive by nature, for a shifter, there was one mate and no other. Even those who were not true-mated but had mated during a female’s first heat were faithful to each other.

“Odd, isn’t it? I’d kill any other male for touching you.” Kash swung the chair around to face her, and she smiled reassuringly. “But Raym and Caym were unique, the only two created who were mirror images of each other. Who knows? Maybe they shared that also.”

“But what of Bale and Remy?” Charity was perplexed, because the resemblance between the two was so strong. With the same hairstyle, she could see them being confused as twins.

Kash shook his head, grinning. “While it is true they resemble each other, which is very common, there are differences. Bale is a couple of inches taller. Remy’s hair is a shade lighter, and when long, wavy. Raym and Caym looked exactly the same.”

“Interesting. So do you have a look-alike?” Charity sat at the little desk and turned on the computer as she waited for Kash to respond. Not that she would ever have difficulty telling Kash apart from another. As a shifter, she relied on her sense of smell more than she did her eyes.

“Worried you might find a strange male in your bed some night?” Kash teased, rolling his chair toward her. He pulled her to him and kissed her lips softly.

“No,” she answered with a laugh. “I’d just prefer no surprises. I think I’ve had enough for a while.”

Kash kissed her again, then pulled away as Levi entered the room. “There were several, but I haven’t encountered any since the fall.” He shrugged. “Who knows?”

He turned his attention to Levi. “You ready to get started?”

Levi gave a quick nod, and Charity watched him from beneath lowered lashes.

Apprehension rolled off him, but whether because of the computers or her, she couldn’t guess. He certainly didn’t seem comfortable in her presence, but when she offered to find something else to do, Levi insisted she remain.

They had been into the lesson for about an hour when Kash pushed away from the terminals in exasperation. Her mate’s aggravation had been rising steadily for the better part of the time, and Charity had had to fight the impulse to try to soothe him. The compulsion to touch him was strong, but she only glanced at the two males and quietly waited.

“Levi, it’s obvious you have no interest in being here.” Kash ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Why don’t we just end this farce now?”

Levi’s face tightened with a frown. “Can’t. It makes no sense that you are the only one who knows how to work this system.” He made a sweeping gesture with his hand around the computers in the room. “If something happened to you, we’d be screwed.” At her indrawn breath, Levi looked a little wary, but he didn’t acknowledge her reaction. “Anyway, I had a dream.”

Kash studied him for a moment, then nodded, sliding back up to the computer keyboard and typing a command. While it was apparent Levi’s explanation satisfied him, Charity couldn’t say the same.

“Do you always listen to your dreams?” Her tone was a mixture of teasing and sarcasm.

Levi tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, a nervous gesture Charity was just now recognizing. “Yes.”

“Levi is our soothsayer.”

Charity met Kash’s somber gaze and understood his seriousness. Obviously Levi’s dreams meant something. The smart-ass in her wanted to ask if he ever had the naked dream—the one where he found himself somewhere without his clothes—but she wisely nixed the thought right before it exited her mouth.

“So that is what you do,” she murmured instead.

“Do?” Levi was confused.

Charity rolled her eyes. “Each of you has some kind of ability. I’ve seen Bale make it rain, Arak heal, and Kash has the fire thingy.”

“Caught that, did you?” There was pride in her mate’s voice, and it filled Charity with a sense of accomplishment, his pleasure warming her.

She smiled softly, her gaze fixed on Kash. Levi shifted in his seat, reminding her he was in the room. “Do you see the future? The past?”

Levi shrugged nonchalantly. “I never know. Sometimes it is the distant future, sometimes the not so distant. And other times, what I see turns out to have happened in the present.”

“Your visions of the future, do they always come to pass?”

“No, not always. Fate is a funny thing. The tiniest action can change anyone’s future.”

Charity thought about what he’d said for a moment as Levi watched her intently. “I don’t envy you a bit,” she finally stated, folding her arms in front of her. “What a crappy gift. I’d rather be able to make it rain.”