Grayslake: More than Mated: A Bite of Love (Kindle Worlds Novella) (3 page)

6

Cadence

I knew better than to fall for it. I knew better than to get sucked in. But one look in those green eyes filled with depths of pain and I was a goner. A complete and utter sucker for anything he said. Sexy and smoldering didn’t begin to describe Case Maddox.

Someone had hurt him. Without him saying another word it all made sense. He was in Grayslake to heal. He was on a one-man mission to find himself again. I could see it as clear as day. And I was going to be the girl to help him.

I sat on one of the barstools at the island in the center of
Achording to Cadence
. I usually knew exactly what to do when I was in my kitchen. It was basically the equivalent of an artist’s studio. Although, I was an artist with a blank palette and no idea what to paint. And I had one heck of a moody muse.

I stared at the massive stacks of binders I had painstakingly organized for years. They were categorized by: appetizers, side dishes, entrees, and desserts.

I was O for two so far on these dinners. I needed tonight’s meal to bring a smile to his face. If he was gorgeous wearing a frown, I could only imagine how he would look with a cocky grin of satisfaction.

So that was my new mission—make Case Maddox smile.

As I flipped through the notebooks I stopped every few pages, wondering who had wounded him so badly. I should have focused on the recipes, but that jaguar had my curiosity at an all-time high.

And it was stupid really. He was a shifter. Whatever problems he had were out of my league. But I also knew the power of food could cure a broken heart. I knew how a meal with a good listener could suddenly make a lonely and bleak situation turn into one that had warmth and hope.

He needed a friend—that was obvious. He needed someone to remind him that life was better lived without a permanent scowl on your face.

My finger landed on one of my mother’s recipes. I grinned. It was perfect. Exactly what I needed. I felt giddy unclipping the page from the binder.

***

When I pulled up to the house I looked for signs of construction.

Case met me on the porch.

“I’m surprised you didn’t take the house down to the studs overnight,” I joked, giving him one of my biggest smiles. I knew I was already overdoing it.

“Not today. More kitchen demo.”

“Ahh.” I might have actually batted my eyelashes. “Can I see?” I asked.

He opened the screen door, leading inside.

I was met with a cloud of dust. I waved my hands to clear the air.

“Cabinets?” I coughed a few times.

“Yeah. I guess it is a little dusty in here.” He ushered me back to the porch.

“Maybe we should eat out here instead,” I suggested.

“We?” His eyes darted back and forth, searching my face for an answer. I didn’t know if I had crossed a line, but I marched right over it anyway.

I held up the basket I prepared. “Yes.
We
. I thought I’d eat with you tonight. You don’t seem to know anyone else around here.”

We hadn’t gotten around to what his relationship was to the clan. As a neutral party I thought it might be better if I didn’t know anything, but I had always been too curious for my own good. Ty Abrams probably hadn’t calculated that into offering me provider status. The werebear leader had always been generous to my family and me.

I knelt on the porch and began to unpack the contents: two plates, linen napkins, wine glasses, and the blue checkered china serving pieces covered in heavy paper. That set was my mom’s favorite.

Case stood over me, watching with his arms folded. I held my breath, expecting him to stop me at any second.

“Oh, I left something in the car.” The wine was in its own cooler.

“I’ll get it,” Case volunteered.

I couldn’t help but smile. I tried not to sound too surprised. “Thanks. Front seat passenger side. You’ll see the cooler tote.”

I watched as he jogged down the stairs. He had to have one of the most perfect asses I’d ever seen on a man. I turned my head before he caught me staring.

I placed the silverware next to the plates, wondering what woman could walk away from a body like that. So far I had seen his chiseled chest and sculpted arms, and I could only imagine what the rest of him looked like.

Two seconds later he dropped the cooler next to me. “Here you go.”

“Thanks. I have a plate ready for you.”

I remembered all the times in culinary school when the master chef would stop by my station to taste a sample, and how my stomach would flip with anxiousness. As Case dipped his fork into the chicken stuffing bake I had the same reaction. My palms were instantly sticky.

I knew it wasn’t a gourmet meal. But my mother always said comfort food went a long way. And this guy was hurt. I couldn’t think of anything better to feed him.

If he didn’t like this, I was in trouble. It was the Hathaway men’s favorite. My mother swore no man could turn it down.

I didn’t know if a jaguar fit into that category, but as I held my breath watching him take that first bite, I hoped he did.

His eyes turned to mine. “It’s good.” I saw the crack of a smile on the edges of his lips.

I exhaled deeply. “Thank God.”

“What?”

“Oh nothing. I’m just glad you like it.”

I unzipped the cooler and pulled the chilled bottle from inside.

“I’ll get that.” Case’s fingers brushed over mine when he grabbed the bottle.

“Thanks.” I held up two glasses for him to pour into. “So how long do you think you’ll be in Grayslake?” I asked.

“I haven’t decided. It’s an open plan at the moment.”

“I see.” I took a sip, relishing the crisp pear flavor. I had chosen everything to complement each other perfectly.

“And your duties as king? Does someone do that while you’re away? I don’t know how that works. A prince or duke or something?”

I saw the furrow on his brow reappear. Damn it.

“I keep forgetting some of the humans in Grayslake know more about shifter business than they should.”

I took offense. “My family has been here for five generations. We have as much history here as the weres. The clan chose me and all the members of my family to be providers.”

I wasn’t about to recount what happened the other night at the clan’s den. I had no idea what happened at their parties or meetings. The fact was, I was clueless about were business. My feelings were still a little hurt that Keen had rushed me off so quickly.

He sighed. “Sorry. I’m not used to it. Where I’ve been the past two years, humans are kept in the dark about all things were and shifter.
All
,” he emphasized.

“Why is that?” I tore off a piece of French bread and took a bite. I learned to steer completely clear of Italian.

Case stared into the woods. “There’s a lot of magic there. And for some of those with magic it’s dangerous for them if their truths are revealed.” I realized he was being selective with his words as if we were having this conversation in that town.

“Are you one of those? Is it dangerous for you there?”

He reached for the loaf of bread. “I’m not afraid of humans, but they have a certain interest in cat shifters in that town. One in particular.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” His green gaze drifted in my direction. “My ex. She was the main target, but people don’t know the difference from a panther versus a jaguar so it made it dicey for all of us. We all had to take precautions.”

“Oh.” The bread was a little harder to swallow. I reached for my wine glass. “Your ex was a panther.”

I don’t know why it bothered me. It shouldn’t have. I’d know this guy all of three days and in that time this was the longest-running conversation we’d had.

But as soon as I knew she was a panther I could picture her. Tall, graceful, long, dark hair. My polar opposite. And she had a hold on him—that bothered me the most.

“What about you? Why do you live in a town run by weres?” he asked.

I still hadn’t gotten over the visualization of the ex. “I … uh … well, my family has always lived here. It’s home. And once I started
Achording to Cadence
I decided this was it. I’m all in. I’ll never leave.”

“Never?”

My breath caught as he said the word. It was the piercing gaze. I’d never get used to how green his eyes were.

I guessed it was the word “never” that made me pause. What did that mean? That I’d end up living and dying in Grayslake without experiencing the rest of the world? That I’d never have new cultural experiences? That if I stayed here my only choices for a husband included a long list of distant cousins or a werebear? Did that mean no kids? Was I destined to be the town’s spinster caterer? Always at the weddings, but never the bride?

“Cadence?”

Case’s deep voice lulled me out of my thoughts.

“Sorry. I do that sometimes,” I apologized.

“Where did you go?”

It was the first time Case asked something when I thought the answer might actually matter to him. There was a dark intensity in his eyes. A look that cut through me.

“It’s going to sound crazy.”

“Try me.”

I chewed on my bottom lip. “Sometimes when I think about something, my mind wanders. It’s sort of a bad habit. But it’s hard to break because I don’t even realize I’m doing it. And before I know it everyone around me is staring and I’m in my own little world and I didn’t know I left everyone else behind.” It sounded as ridiculous as I thought it would.

“What made you go there this time?”

I felt silly letting him in on my little quirks and even sillier with what simple word took me there.

“The idea of
never
leaving Grayslake. I guess I always found comfort in it until I heard the way it sounded when you said it.”

“Didn’t mean to do that.”

Once I started talking I couldn’t stop.

“What if that’s true? What if I never do anything else? What if I never go anywhere? What if this is it? What if there isn’t more meaning in life? What if I turn into the Grayslake spinster?”

I felt the tiny sting of tears begin to well in the corners of my eyes, but before they bubbled and spilled over my lashes, Case slid his hand against my cheek, drawing my lips to his with a firm pull.

His hand was warm and strong, cradling my face while he took my breath away with a kiss that would forever be seared onto my lips.

His mouth moved against mine and I sighed.

My eyes fluttered open. “What was that for?”

“I don’t know shit about this town. But I do know you, Cadence, will never be a spinster.”

7

Case

I don’t know why in the hell I kissed her. Pouty lips. Glistening blue eyes. I don’t know.

I broke away and stared into the woods. I could taste the wine from her lips as I swirled my tongue. What the fuck was that about?

This thing. The dinners. The wine—it wasn’t happening. I needed to treat it like a Band-Aid and rip it off before it was any more complicated.

I wasn’t a wounded heart that a sweet girl like Cadence could heal. There was too much damage done.

I needed to cancel the arrangement we had. I’d figure out a way to feed myself. Cadence was a nice girl. A beautiful girl. And maybe another time I’d let those baby blues seduce me, but I wasn’t there. Not even fucking close.

“Look, Cadence…” I started to explain, but my ears perked when I heard the leaves rustle in front of me.

The branches broke and I jumped to my feet as a man stumbled out of the forest. Not what I was expecting. His shirt was ripped and I saw a jagged streak of blood smeared on his cheek. My eyes did a quick scan of the woods behind him. He appeared to be alone.

He pointed a finger at me, wagging it unsteadily. “You! You, git the hell off my land.”

I pushed Cadence behind me, who had risen to her feet. I could smell the alcohol wafting off the guy’s breath and he was five yards away.

“You’re lost,” I stated. I had an instinct to dive head first into his chest and take him to the ground, but he was just a stupid drunk, staggering through the woods.

My claws were aching to be freed and my fangs were ready to piece skin, but not like this. I wasn’t willing to risk a fight on a lost and confused plastered camper.

He lunged forward, falling onto his knees next to the sidewalk. “I’m home. You need to git yer girlfriend and git the hell outta here. Go on. Git.”

My chest widened as I took a large step forward. I kept my voice calm, but there was no mistake he would know who I was. I didn’t have to hide my jaguar in Grayslake. Not on my own land.

“Pick your drunk ass up and walk out of here.” I grabbed him roughly by the shoulder. “I’d hate for you to get hurt any more than you already are.”

He didn’t take the warning and threw my arm away from his body. He spat from the side of his mouth, something foul and brown. “This is my land. My home. I will fight you for it.”

I looked over my shoulder at Cadence. Her eyes were wide with worry.

I put my hand up. “I’ve got this,” I assured her. I wasn’t going to rip his throat out, although that would make the whole thing much easier and more satisfying.

I’d play devil’s advocate for a minute. Give the old man a chance to make his case. I was curious why he was confused. I assumed it was too much booze.

“Why do you think this is your property?” I quizzed him.

He started wagging his finger again. This time the line was zig-zagged. “I claimed it ten years ago. It’s Shepherd land you’re on.”

I scoffed. “Claimed it? From whom?”

“For myself.” He stumbled slightly. “There was no one here to challenge me.”

I folded my arms. “This land has been a part of Maddox territory longer than you’ve been alive, old man. You don’t have the right to challenge anyone for it.”

“But I did. I sure did.” His eyes seemed to cross every few seconds.

“You didn’t,” I growled. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ll give you another opportunity to turn around and go back to whatever bourbon-filled hole you crawled out of before I remove you myself.” I knew my eyes were glowing. I wanted him to see how serious I was.

He didn’t know what a real challenge was. He was too drunk to see what an idiot he was being. He had no idea the implications of fighting a king. He was insane. This was my way of granting him mercy. He should have taken it.

“Case, maybe we should call Ty Abrams. He might be able to help with something like this. He is the Grayslake sheriff.”

“I can handle it.”

“I know him really well and I know he’d—”

“I said I’ve got it,” I cut her off. I faced my challenger again. “So what will it be? Ready to go sober up somewhere else?”

His eyes glowed yellow. Damn it. He wasn’t going to back down.

“Cadence, get in the house,” I ordered. Drunk or not, I didn’t know how this guy was going to act in a fight.

“But…”

“Get in the house.”

My fingers twitched. My pulse thumped in my ears.

She ran from the porch, slamming the door behind her. I knew she was probably watching from the front window, but as long as she was inside I wouldn’t have to worry about her being a casualty. Shepherd was so wasted he wouldn’t know what he was doing.

It took a while, but I watched as the drunkard shifted from skin and tattered clothing to something resembling a mountain lion. He looked as bad in cat form as he did as a human. His fur was yellowed and grew in patches. Part of his ear was torn and he seemed even more unsteady. For a second I thought about taking him out just like this, but I wasn’t that reckless. He could still cut me with his claws.

I pulled the T-shirt over my head and hung it preciously over the railing. It was one of the only things I had brought that reminded me of where I had been. The seal for The Grove was printed on the faded gray shirt. I’d worn it so many times it was thin on the tops of my shoulders. College didn’t seem important at the time—getting the girl did. But I kept the shirt. It was a small memory.

He hissed at me, but it didn’t hurry my process. I wasn’t ripping these jeans either. I slung them up next to the T-shirt.

And then I let my jaguar take over. I shifted quickly and forcefully, feeling skin become fur. Ears point. Claws emerge.

I swiped with sudden power, knocking him on his hind legs. His crooked teeth barred at me, but I kept at it, hitting him with another punch and a kick from my back legs. He croaked and gargled, but I didn’t let up.

I felt the power mingle with the darkness and pulse through me. I hit him again. I growled with every attack.

I could hear a voice behind me. “Stop! Stop! You’re going to kill him.”

I looked down. The old man was balled into a mound of fur. He whimpered in between coughing fits. I closed my eyes. I’d made my point. I stepped back as he unraveled from his position. Eventually, he stood on all four legs.

I growled at him. “Now, get off
my
land. You aren’t welcome here, Shepherd. And if you do come back, I do not have to show mercy a second time,” I roared.

Cadence might know her fair share of were information, but I doubted she could translate the cat shifter language we exchanged.

He moved shakily, tucking his tail between his legs and slinked back through the woods. I didn’t bother to follow him.

Cadence looked worried. Her hand still gripped the screen door. I yanked the clothes from the railing and darted around the side of the house to shift and change. Maybe she was used to shifter life, but I sure as hell wasn’t used to humans being a part of it.

I dressed and strolled to the porch.

“Are you ok?” she asked.

“Of course.” I actually felt good. Better than I had in a long time. It was as if I had released something that had weighed on me.

I smiled at her. “What do you think about finishing that bottle of wine?”