Lycan Redemption (17 page)

“Will I be able to do all the chores as easily as you do after . . . after, you know?”

He leaned against the door of the stall and crossed his arms over his chest. “You won’t be as strong as I am, but I think you’ll find bucking hay and cleaning stalls a much easier task. Although I’d still rather you not do those things. I can do them for you, or we can get someone else to.”

“Galen, I—”

“I’ll be here when and if you decide you want to be with me. I won’t leave you. I’ll help you through the change, and I’ll do my best to respect whatever decisions you make about us.”

“As easy as that, huh?”

He nodded.

“And what if I decide that I can’t be with you? What if later down the line I bring a date here? Are you simply going to stand back and respect my decision?”

He suddenly stood and took two steps toward her. They now stood toe-to-toe, and she had to crane her neck back to look up at him. Still she was not afraid.

“To answer your first question, I would be crushed. And as far as your second? Ask anything of me but that. I’m afraid I don’t have it in me to let another man lay one finger on you while I’m alive.”

She smiled up at him. “Good. But understand one thing.” She waited until he raised a brow in question. “I don’t share either. If you ever touch another woman, well, let’s just say I’ve watched the vet geld several stallions over the years.”

He chuckled, but turned pale when she simply stared up at him, unsmiling. She reached out and ran her fingers lightly over his chest. The hard muscles bunched under her touch.

“I don’t know how I will end up handling everything, Galen. I won’t act like I’m okay with all of this. It will take some time for me to come to terms with it all.”

“Understandable.”

“But I do know a few things for certain.”

“Which are?” he asked quietly.

“First of all, you can’t blame yourself for what happened.” When he started to protest, she reached up and pressed her index finger firmly against his lips. “Shhh. Let me finish,” she said, surprised at how husky her voice sounded to her own ears. “It wasn’t your fault. If it wasn’t Terrance, it could have been someone else. Hell, a drifter—a human—could have wandered out here at any time, and done worse, for that matter. If anyone is to blame for what happened, it is Terrance. Not you. Secondly, I love you. I don’t want to lose you.” She let her finger slide from his lips, but he caught her wrist and held her palm flat over his heart.

“I love you, Myka. Have from the moment I first saw you. I swear I will do everything in my power to make you and Patrick happy.”

“I know you will. I will simply have to trust that everything else will work itself out.”

“I will be here to help you through all of the
other
stuff.”

“There’s one more thing I’m certain of.” She caught her breath when his hazel eyes began to glow.

“What’s that?”

“I’m certain that I want you to make love to me right now.”

He cupped her face with his hands. “Be sure, angel. I’ve waited for what seems like an eternity for this moment. I’ve burnt up all of my control the last few times we’ve
almost
been together. I don’t think I have any willpower left where you are concerned. Once we start, I’m not sure I’ll be able to walk away.”

“I don’t want you to walk away. I want you, Galen. And I do believe you told me that you would do anything to make me happy. You making love to me would make me very happy.”

“In that case, I certainly don’t want to disappoint you.”

Before she could think up a clever response, his mouth was on hers, and she was falling back into a soft mound of hay. His tongue slid inside her mouth, and she moaned when his scent and taste hit her. He tangled his fingers in her hair and deepened the kiss. Her body caught fire instantly, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, only to wince when pain shot through her shoulder.

He leaned back and looked down at her with a scowl on his face before gently easing her shirt aside to inspect the bite.

“There’s something I need to tell you about this.” He traced the wound softly with his finger. But instead of continuing, he stood. Every muscle in his body tensed, and she shivered at the loss of his heat.

“What’s wrong?” She took his offered hand and let him pull her up beside him.

“We have company,” he said.

She took a hesitant step back, but he refused to let go of her hand to allow her to retreat further. “Wh-Who is it?” she asked.

He gently tugged her to his side, but kept her tucked under his arm as if shielding her with his body. “It’s okay, Myka. No threat.”

She followed him out of the barn to find Brent standing alone in the yard.

“Why are you here? I asked you to never come here again.” The menace in Galen’s voice could not be mistaken.

“I needed to apologize personally to the lady,” Brent said as his dark eyes rested on her.

He was a handsome man, and held an edge to him not unlike Galen—an edge of lethalness.

“She’s already been through enough,” Galen said.

Myka squeezed his hand reassuringly. “It’s okay. I’m fine.” She took a step away from him, but didn’t release his hand. “Thank you for your apology, but I can’t pretend that I’m not angry at what you did. And how could you beat Galen like that? You
and
your friends should be ashamed of yourselves. Galen is a good man.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m aware of that.” Brent slid his gaze to Galen, then back to Myka. “I can only assure you that we doubted Terrance’s story pretty much from the start, but still had a duty to find Galen and get his side. Our race is in too much danger from extinction to take any risks, however small they may be. If it’s of any consolation to you, Galen gave as good as he got during the fight.”

“I can understand your need to get Galen’s side of the story, but I don’t agree with how you went about doing it. And while I’m happy Galen isn’t the only one who
suffered
physically during your altercation, it’s of little consolation to me. He should have never been hurt in the first place,” she said after raising her chin and looking Brent directly in the eyes.

“I hope one day to earn your forgiveness.” He bowed his head slightly. “I also wanted to extend an invitation to Sanctuary for both of you. Please feel free to visit at any time. You will always be welcome. My friend Anthony has a mate named Karen who was also bitten by a rogue. She may be able to help you with the difficulty of your first change.”

“
Difficulty
?” Myka frowned and looked up at Galen in question.

“I haven’t discussed it with her yet. Nonetheless, if she will let me, I will be able to ease the pain.” Galen ignored her question completely, which irked her.

“There is no way to ease the pain of a change that occurs from the bite of a rogue,” Brent said.

“There is. I have witnessed it with my own eyes,” Galen replied.

Brent took a step forward, but stopped when Galen let out a low warning growl.

“Tell me. Please. It may be useful to us in the future,” Brent pleaded.

Galen stared at Brent intently. Myka held her breath wondering if punches were about to fly, but after several gut clenching moments Brent retreated a step and Galen’s shoulders relaxed before he answered.

“If a potential mate is bitten by a rogue but finds her mate before her first shift, he can bite her in the same place. It will ease the pain of the bite and make the first change easier. Almost as easy as if her mate had originally turned her.”

“I’m an ancient. I’ve never heard of this. Neither have any of the other ancients I know.”

“Now you have.”

“How can this be?” Brent asked.

“I’ve only witnessed it once in my lifetime. Many, many years ago, when things were different, when man still commanded woman. The leader of one of the packs I was running with forced it upon his mate after a rogue bit her because he knew it would relieve some of her pain. While he did it with the best intentions, and it did ease her suffering, she never forgave him. I can only assume you’ve never heard of this because it’s rare. And during those exceptional occasions when the circumstance arises, I can’t imagine many women in this day and age agreeing to be bitten again after going through such a traumatizing event to begin with. Women are no longer commanded by their mates. They make their own choices.”

Brent nodded. “Yes. I guess that is true. Thank you for this information. Like I said, it may prove useful in the future to save someone from suffering. I’m sorry again, Myka, for everything. I’m sorry to you as well, my brother. I hope to see you both at some point at Sanctuary. In fact, this would be a great place to expand if you are willing.”

“No. It’s too dangerous for Patrick. I will not expose him to rogues,” Galen said adamantly.

Myka wouldn’t argue with that. She would never intentionally bring danger to Patrick’s doorstep.

“Patrick?” Brent asked.

“Myka’s nephew that lives here with her,” Galen answered. “He’s only five and has recently lost his father. He’s had enough on his plate to deal with.”

“I did not know about Patrick. I agree. Maybe some of the women, some of the potential mates who have suffered at the hands of rogues, might do better in a more secluded place with fewer men around. That could be an option without bringing danger to the boy.”

“We’ll talk about it, but I can’t make any promises. This is Myka’s place, and she has the final say.”

She leaned against Galen, grateful that he’d respected her place and decisions.

“Good-bye. I hope you both will enjoy many years of happiness together.” Brent turned and melded into the night.

“I’m going to assume by that little conversation that it’s not going to be all kittens and rainbows the first time I shift? Not that I was looking forward to it anyway,” she muttered. Shivers of dread snaked down her spine, followed by fear.

“I wanted to discuss this with you in private. Let’s go to the house so we can talk.”

She nodded and followed him inside. He pulled a kitchen chair out from under the table, sat down, then tugged her onto his lap. After he wrapped his arms around her, she leaned back against his chest and rested her hands on his forearms.

“Tell me,” she said quietly.

“The first shift is a bit uncomfortable, but the first shift due to a rogue’s bite is . . . intense.”

She sat up and turned to face him. “And by intense you mean painful?”

“Yes. A rogue’s bite is even more painful than a fated mate’s bite.”

“Can’t say my shoulder hasn’t been burning like hell.” She shifted her shoulder and winced.

“It won’t stop hurting, may even get worse at times, until after your first change.”

“Three weeks. I have to deal with this for three weeks?” Tears shimmered in her eyes.

She wasn’t a whiner by any means, but she couldn’t deny that the pain from the bite was a little more than a simple burning like hell. As it was, she thought Freddy Krueger was trying to claw his way out of her skin with his wicked razor fingers. Could she handle a full three weeks of it? Yes, but it would be difficult at best.

“I can help you if you’ll let me, but it will take a significant amount of trust on your part.”

“Yeah, I know why too. I didn’t forget the conversation between you and Brent. I’m not sure I can go through it again, Galen. It was horrible when Terrance bit me . . . excruciating. I always credited myself with being tough, but I don’t know if I can handle it again.”

“If I bite you, it won’t hurt like it did with Terrance. It will be uncomfortable, but if I do it while we are making love, you will hardly notice. Some say it is stimulating during sex. I won’t push you on this. The decision is completely yours. I can’t begin to understand your pain or fear. I only want to help ease your discomfort. I love you. I die a little inside every time I think of what you must be going through, and how I should have protected you.”

“Let’s not get back into this being your fault again. It’s not, and I don’t blame you.” She sighed and leaned her head against his chest. “It’s bad, Galen. It really hurts bad. It comes and goes in waves, but at its peak”—she shuddered—”sometimes I want to scream.”

He tipped her chin up until their eyes met. “Let me help you,” he whispered.

“I’m scared,” she whispered back.

“I know, but I won’t hurt you.”

“I’ll think about it. Will you please make love to me now? And maybe we could use my bed?”

“Maybe we’ll get there eventually.” He smiled.

She squeaked when he lifted her from his lap and deposited her on the edge of the table in front of him. He pulled her jeans and panties off, then tugged her shirt over her head, being careful not to bump her injured shoulder. He growled low in his throat as his glowing eyes traced the contours of her body. She blushed when he placed her feet on the tops of his thighs.

“This isn’t fair,” she whispered.

“Why?” His brow shot up.

“I’m naked, and you’re not.”

“That’s easily remedied.” He stood, and got rid of his shirt.

She licked her lips at the broad expanse of muscle that was now on display, and when he reached for the buttons on his jeans, her eyes greedily fell to his fingers, waiting in anticipation. His hands froze, and it took a low growl to bring her gaze back to his face. Her breath caught in her throat at the blatantly feral look on his face. He looked as if he was about to eat her up. At that moment, she had no idea why Red would ever run from the wolf.

“What’s wrong?” She gulped in a breath of air.

“The way you look at me. Your beautiful eyes glazed with scorching need and passion just for me. It tests my control, Myka.”

“Who says you need control?” She giggled nervously.

“Me. I want to taste every inch of you, and right now, all my body wants is to get inside you as fast as it can.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t mind,” she said huskily.

He groaned, unbuttoned the rest of the buttons, and slid the jeans off his long legs while toeing his boots off. She sucked in another breath at the sight of him. He was glorious, and he was all hers.

He sat back down on the chair in front of her and placed her feet on the tops of his thighs once again. They were nearly eye to eye, and she didn’t feel quite so small from this angle. He reached out and gently traced the row of puncture wounds from Terrance’s bite. He looked up at her with anger burning in his still-glowing eyes.