Dark Refuge (23 page)

His memories were there again, so much a part of her that she accepted them now as if they were her own. The connection went deeper as he filled her, tied with her, linked with her on a level known only to bonded mates.

This time, her memories began in the mall, as if she needed to face this horrible event again and see it through to the end, but now Gabe stood beside her. He was with her when she awakened in her captor’s home, when the bastard raped her and she refused to fear him. It was obvious her fear was an act, that her anger outweighed any sense of fear. She knew the man was evil, knew he was a killer, but she also knew she had the ability to escape. That she would not die at this man’s hands. She wasn’t certain she’d have to kill him, didn’t want to do anything that might come back and hurt the pack, and so she waited.

She wondered why no one had come to rescue her, why her mental voice didn’t connect with anyone in the pack. Especially Gabe’s dad. Anton Cheval was so powerful, he should have been able to hear her when she called out to him for help.

This time, she remembered something new. There was an alarm on the doors and windows, and she sensed the signal it constantly emitted. That might be what blocked her. She didn’t know for sure, but something was keeping her from contacting her parents, her pack.

Then, on the second day when he came at her, when she’d been looking at his photo album filled with disgusting pictures of the women and girls this bastard had murdered, when she smelled that same chemical that had knocked her out before, Em realized that the only way to save herself was to act, and she had to act now.

She called on her leopard without thinking, but that was the animal she’d always felt most comfortable with, and when she killed him, she made sure he suffered as those poor girls had suffered.

And in their link, with Gabe completely tied to her, body and mind, she heard her mate cheering for her. Felt his pride in her quick thinking, in her ferocity. He congratulated her predator and made her proud.

Her memories skipped then, from Anton finding her on the front porch to her life after the kidnapping. There were no memories of import from that point on. Whatever had happened, however Em might have shut herself down, it was no longer part of who and what she was.

But their sharing went both ways, and she saw how lonely Gabe had been, how much he’d yearned to find the right woman. How he’d celebrated Jace and Romy’s mating this past summer, two people he loved dearly, but who now loved each other above anyone else.

As it should be.

The best part, in Em’s opinion, was seeing herself through Gabe’s eyes. Seeing the love he felt, the sense that finally, this one woman was the answer to questions he’d hardly known to ask. She was part of his past, but she was all of his future. And as the memories spilled from one mind to another, the final connection that bound them forever, the mating bond that was so much a part of the Chanku pack, clicked perfectly into place.

Em wasn’t sure when they’d shifted, but she was lying in the soft moss with the mist from the overhead fog beading up on her skin. Gabe was still buried deep inside her, his lips against the back of her neck, his arms wrapped beneath her breasts, their legs tangled together in love.

Em turned, nuzzled his throat, kissed the line of his jaw, and realized that she felt the link, the connection that was so much more than mere mindspeech. His thoughts were there in the background, and if she wanted to know what he was thinking, all she had to do was listen.

She listened.

There you are.
Gabe’s thoughts in her head were as velvety soft as a caress. She sighed and pressed closer. The mossy ground was cold, but he was like a stoked fire burning bright.

I am. And I intend to stay here. In your mind . . .

In my heart. Em, you are forever in my heart. I love you. I love everything about you, and I am so glad you’re mine.

She thought about that, about staying here longer, reveling in the connection, the sense of peace she’d never experienced. But there were too many things undone. She sighed, and unwilling to break the almost mystical silence, used her mind instead of her voice.
Should we go back?

We should. And we need to call our parents. Yours and mine.

I know.
She laughed. “I was not looking forward to finding out what my parents knew and what, if anything, they did to my memories. But now, knowing you’re going to be there not only as my longtime friend, but also as my mate . . . well, there’s nothing to fear. Nothing at all.”

“I dunno,” Gabe said. “Your mom can be pretty scary at times. Your dad, too.”

“Yeah, but you’re bigger. Nothing to worry about.”

Gabe stood and held out his hand.

Em grabbed it and he tugged her lightly to her feet. “I feel as if I should look different,” she said. “But I don’t think I do.”

“You look different inside. The colors in your mindspeech were brilliant. I can almost feel their glow.”

Em shifted first, but Gabe was right behind her. She picked up the scent of their small pack not all that far away, and with her ears pricked forward and her tail waving like a flag, she raced across the eastern side of Mount Tam with her mate staying close on her flank.

• • •

Gabe glanced at the clock in the kitchen and then turned to Alex. “This day’s gone by way too fast. It’s almost eight. Have you arranged for the plane for tomorrow?”

Laughing, Alex made a scene of collapsing into a kitchen chair as if he couldn’t take another step. “C’mon, Gabe. I just got out of the shower. Sex with five women ain’t easy, bud.”

Shrugging, Gabe bit back a laugh. Alex actually did look wiped out. “Em and I are newly mated. We needed some quality time alone, and you said you could handle it.”

“Oh, he handled it all right.” Annie flopped down in the chair beside Alex. “Sort of like a pasha with his harem. ‘Take me, my women. I’m all yours.’”

“Well, did he manage?” Gabe winked at Em. There was no need to say a word. She knew exactly what he was thinking, and that was the most amazing thing he could imagine.

Alex moaned and did a face plant on the tabletop. Annie got the giggles, but finally she said, “Let’s just say they took him at his word . . . and they took him. I doubt it’ll be a fantasy for the poor boy in the future. I sat back and watched while they wore him out.”

Sissy and the rest of the women, including Lindy and Nina, walked into the room. Sissy picked up where Annie left off. “Well, we are professionals, you understand.”

“Retired professionals, so we might have been off our game,” Mary added. She was laughing, which told Gabe that today’s run had been good for her. That, or not talking to her father.

Or having sex on her own terms for a change. Em tilted her head, grinning.

He kissed her. Or maybe the combination of all three.

This time Em kissed him.

Nina took a chair next to Alex and slung her arm over his shoulder. He didn’t look up. Lindy snuggled up beside Nina, who laid her head on Alex’s back and said, “Next time, Alex, call me and Lindy. We’ll help take the pressure off.” She glanced at the four new Chanku, wiggled her eyebrows and said, “Right, ladies?”

There was laughter all around except, Gabe noticed, from Alex. His shoulders were shaking, and Gabe was tempted to ask him if he was laughing or crying. Then Mbali leaned across the table and patted Alex’s hand. “He did his best, poor boy.”

“Okay, ladies.” Annie stood up and planted her hand on top of Alex’s head, almost as if she’d decided to stake her claim. “Everyone has picked on Alex enough. Did anyone who was in our bed not have an orgasm?” She glanced around the table and nodded, acknowledging their lack of response. “Did anyone not have multiple orgasms? That was plural, by the way, as in more than one.”

She looked from one relaxed and satisfied face to the next, smiled, and patted Alex on the head again. Harder this time. “S’okay, sweetie. Ya done good. Just don’t try it again. You might hurt yourself.”

He groaned.

They were all still laughing when Gabe and Em slipped away to her room to call Anton and let him know they’d all be arriving by lunchtime tomorrow. And that there were four new Chanku coming with them, along with a couple of human women who were as much pack as any non-shifter could be. “I’ll bet you ten to one that Dad already knows we have four new members and that we’re mated.”

Em laughed. “What? Do you think I’m stupid? Of course he knows. Besides, you’ve told him you suspected more were Chanku.”

Gabe slipped a shirt on first. No need to advertise the fact his new mate had almost killed him during their first attempt. Then he used the larger screen in his room to place the call. He and his dad could use mindspeech at this distance, but he wanted to make sure Em was included in everything, and until Gabe was more certain of the connection between him and his mate, he wanted to make it as easy as possible.

His mother answered, her beautiful face filling the screen and immediately making Gabe homesick. “Mom! It’s good to see you.” He tugged Em closer. “We’ve got news.”

“Em? Are you and Gabe . . . ?”

Em merely nodded. “We are.” She glanced at Gabe. “Finally.”

Keisha’s raised eyebrow had both of them laughing. “It’s not funny,” Gabe said. He glanced at Em and knew he could talk freely to his mom about what had happened. “A lot of really bad crap in Em’s past came up. Something she had no idea was even there. We’re flying home in the morning, should be there around lunchtime. We’re going to want some private time with you and Dad and Em’s folks. Can you arrange it?”

“Whatever you need, Gabriel. And Emeline, I am so thrilled to welcome you. You’ve always been our family, but this is better than I ever dreamed. You are the perfect mate for our son.”

Gabe wrapped his arm around Em’s shoulders and hugged her close to his side. “I agree, Mom. She’s more than perfect. Did you guess? I was sure Dad would have figured us out by now.”

“He knows now, because he’s eavesdropping on our conversation, but no, he seems surprised, so I don’t think he had a clue. He does tell me that you’re bringing not one but four new members into the pack. Four of the young women you rescued are Chanku?”

“They are. Got a notepad? I want to give you their names.” He rattled them off. “Sissy Long, Janine Cross, Mbali Jefferson, and Mary Elizabeth Ryder. Lindy Marlette and Nina Marquez are entirely human, but they were held by the same sex slavers and they’re close to the other girls. We’re bringing all of them with us tomorrow.”

Gabe’s dad arrived and stood beside his mom. “Congratulations to both of you, and welcome, Em.” Then he switched topics fast enough to leave heads spinning. “Did you say Mbali? Any idea how common that name is, or what her background might be?”

This was so typical of his dad that Gabe almost laughed, and Em was biting back a grin. “No idea. Why?”

“We’ve done a lot of genealogy traces over the years, trying to find siblings or other female relations to pack members. I think Tinker’s birth mother might have been named Mbali.”

“Well, she’s not old enough to be his mother, or even his sister, but we can see what she knows about her mother. We should be arriving tomorrow around noon. You can question all of them to your heart’s content. Just be nice. They’ve been through a lot.”

“I’m always nice.”

“If a dog after a bone can be called nice, well . . .” Em laughed. “Sorry, Anton. We know you too well.”

He focused on Em, and the look in his eyes almost brought Gabe to tears. “Emeline. It’s been too long since we’ve seen you. You have no idea how happy you’ve made Gabe’s mother and me. We never dreamed you might one day be even more a part of our family. We could not be happier to welcome you. Do your parents know?”

She shook her head. Gabe felt every emotion welling up inside her, and he leaned over and kissed her cheek before looking into the screen again. “We’re calling them as soon as we get off this call, but I told Mom that we want to meet with you and Em’s folks tomorrow. We have some important stuff to discuss.”

Anton nodded. “Whenever you like. We’ll wait until after you talk to Oliver and Mei about mating before contacting them.” He gazed at them a moment longer and then smiled, a slow, sweet smile that clutched at Gabe’s heart. His father was an emotional man who so often tried to hide his deeper feelings. He wasn’t hiding them now.

“Gabriel, Emeline,” he said, “you have made both of us very happy. We could not have imagined a better match than the two of you. We won’t say anything until you arrive, though I’m not sure if Oliver and Mei might choose to announce.”

Gabe shook his head. “It’s okay, Dad. There’s nothing secret about our mating. We’ve had enough of secrets. No more.”

Anton stared at the two of them, his look more inscrutable than usual. Then he nodded. “I agree,” he said, but the sad smile he shared with Keisha spoke volumes. They said their good-byes and ended the call. Gabe kissed Em. “Ready to call your parents?”

“I am. I wanted to call yours first. I knew that was how they’d act when they found out. They’ve always been so accepting. My mom and dad? It’s weird. Dad comes across as so self-assured, but sometimes I sense that he’s filled with doubt, as if the person the pack sees is merely a façade. My mom adores him, but she treats him as if he’s fragile. I don’t think he is, but their dynamic seems sort of weird at times.”

Gabe wrapped his arms around Em and hugged her close against him. “Think about it. We grew up on television shows and movies made by humans for humans. What did you think of them, when you were a kid? Did they make sense?”

She shrugged. “Not really. Luci and I thought most of the sitcoms were stupid. They didn’t act like normal people.”

“Actually, they did. That’s how normal humans act. Not normal Chanku. We think differently, react differently, but we expect that because we know we’re not human. Not entirely. Our parents didn’t know that. They thought they were human, but they didn’t react like normal humans. They had no idea they were perfectly normal for what they—we—are. We’re Chanku. Our dynamic is totally different. Most of our parents grew up feeling like misfits.”