Natural Magick (18 page)

Pete did not step into the room, but watched as Sara nursed the little boy. Pete had not seen the babies since she had delivered them. She didn’t have a lot of experience with kids. Spending one afternoon with Brent was okay, but the babies were so tiny yet.

“
You should come in and meet them. They aren’t so small anymore,” Sara told her without looking up from her son.

“
I don’t want to intrude. I’ll talk to you later.” She started to walk away when Sara called her back.

“
No, this is perfect, Pete. Come in and meet your namesake. Well, sort of namesake. I’m so glad I didn’t know about your real first name when we named Mac after you. Can you image how much trouble a name like Aaron Piccadilly MacManus would give him? But he’ll be just like his father and slay the infidel, I’m afraid. Anyway, his name is Pete, Aaron Pete, but we’ll call him Mac.” Mac stared at Pete as if he knew who she was, and what she had done for him. “Why don’t you hold him?”

“
Oh no, I don’t know how. He’s little, isn’t he? No, I’ll just talk to him this way. His bruise looks good, doesn’t it?” And it did, it really did, Pete thought.

“
Nonsense! Sit down. Here, hold Lizzy. Her real name is Melody Savannah Elizabeth MacManus, but we’ll call her Lizzy.” Sara just simply handed her the tiny bundle of pink.

The babies had their own beds in the big nursery. Plus everything one could ever want for a new baby, and as soon as they were old enough, they would have their own rooms as well.

This room was perfect as a room for babies. The walls were a light wainscoting that was nearly halfway up the cream-colored walls. The hardwood floors, also a light oak, had throw rugs scattered all over. The pink side of the room had bright pink curtains and pink bed set. Dolls of every imaginable size, shape and color were loaded onto several shelves. There were even pink books on the lower shelf. The blue side of the room was blue everywhere the opposite was pink, including the blue books. But instead of dolls, there were balls, bats and mitts. She could even see that there were several trucks and cars lined up in neat rows.

“
You think this one is going to have any less trouble with her name?” Pete looked at the little girl in her arms and fell in love.

Lizzy was a beauty even at one week. Her hair was as red as her mother’s, long and thick too. Her skin was so soft it defied words. Her eyes were the deepest blue that Pete had ever seen, and she looked so serious. Pete would swear there was a tiny frown between her eyes, just like her father’s. But she had her mother’s coloring and her lips.

Pete tried one of the tricks she had been taught last night and opened her mind to the baby. She immediately felt the connection. And unbelievably, Lizzy spoke to her. Not in words, but in images and sounds.

“
Shit! Sorry, she...she spoke to me. I don’t know why that should surprise me. She’s called to me before. But this time, she actually spoke to me. Told me she liked me, and that I’m pretty.” She felt the goofy grin, but couldn’t seem to stop it from spreading.

“
She called to you? When?”

Pete looked up at Sara at the sudden tone in her voice.

“
When her brother was in trouble the day they were born. That’s why I showed up at the restaurant. She sent out this, I don’t know, an alarm, I guess. I just followed it and there you were. No big deal.” And it hadn’t been either, not really.

“
You have unborn children talk to you all the time, do you?”

Pete could tell Sara had meant it as a joke, but as Pete did indeed talk to all sorts of people, she answered her seriously. Turning back to the baby, she told her the truth. “No. Not all the time. And not always kids. Sometimes there are adults that are in comas who will call out. I used to drive myself nuts trying to do what they wanted, but I couldn’t keep up. Some of the things they wanted were like last requests, you know? No one believed me, of course. So to offer comfort, I’d tell them that it had been done or I had told whatever it was they wanted said to their family. I know that’s lying to them, but trying to get people to believe that this family member who has been out of it for like ten years suddenly wants them to forgive and forget is hanky.”

“
I would guess it would. How long did you do this before you figured out that you could tone them down? I would guess it had been years.”

“
I could hear them as a kid, just little voices in my head. Then as I hit puberty, they got louder all the time. You believed me, though. I guess it was because of your own magic. Anyway, that’s another reason I clamp down so hard. It’s like a super highway of requests. It used to give me major headaches.” Pete did not look up. She was afraid of what she might see on Sara’s face.

“
Yes, I can see where that would be an issue. Pete, have you told anyone else about this? Shared this even with Dominic?” Sara asked her quietly.

Pete watched Sara stand and bring the now sleeping Mac over and gently lay him in her arms. Lizzy had fallen asleep while Pete had been talking to her mom, but Sara took her anyway.

“
No. I didn’t think to tell Dominic. And before that…no, I thought it was better that people didn’t think I was more nuts than they already did. I’m not even sure why I told you, to be honest. I’m not normally a share all kind of girl.”

Sara laughed and sat back down with Lizzy. Pete kept staring at the baby in her arms and wondered what it would be like to have one of her own. A baby of Dominic’s. She wasn’t sure he even wanted kids and decided that the next time they were together and not trying to jump each other’s bones, she’d ask him. It would probably be about fifty years from now.

“
I really came up here to ask for your help. Well, not really help, but Dominic doesn’t want me to leave the house without him...actually, without protection, he said. I have an appointment at two that I need to go to. I have this job thingy, and I need the money for stuff. Dunc...I mean, I was wondering if you and Mrs. Larimore would go with me? I have some things I have to get at Wally World too, you know underwear and stuff. You don’t have to go into the appointment with me or anything; I think I can handle that. Then I have to go over to the Larimore mansion to do some light install work, nothing major. What do you think?”

Pete looked down at Mac. He was a real doll baby. He had the deep blue eyes his sister had, but his hair was curly and dark. His nose was his mom’s, but he was his father’s image in every other way, including the serious expression he was giving Pete.

Sara did not ask Pete why she needed the money and she was glad for that. And no matter how mad Dominic got, Pete knew she would go on this run, with or without the two women. She had had a life before Dominic and he was just going to have to get used to her doing what she needed to get things done.

Pete frowned slightly, wondering about him. He had told her last night that he was almost seven hundred years old. And that he had been turned when he was in his late twenties. Did he have a family? She knew they would not be alive, she was not stupid, but would he have any long lost relatives? And what if once he met her family, he didn’t want her anymore except to eat? She refused to call it “feed.”

Her breath caught when she felt him move through her. Dominic was still asleep, but his warmth and love suddenly surrounded her. Life was suddenly just peachy, she thought with a huge grin.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The three of them showed up at the Mackey building at one-thirty. Pete was glad that they had stopped shopping finally. She didn’t think that buying underwear was going to be such an event that would require three hours. And the women would not let her shop at her usual store either. Wal-Mart had been fine when she didn’t have a mate, they had told her, but now she needed to buy with Dominic in mind. Pete could not make them understand he didn’t care what she had on; he would just rip it out of his way anyway. They laughed at her for nearly three hours about that, teasing her mercilessly.

So Pete bought eight dollar panties and a fifty dollar bra at a boutique, not a store. She had to admit, even if only to herself, that they did feel really sexy against her skin. The silk sliding across her felt so much different than the cotton briefs she normally wore. She didn’t tell them that when they said that she needed to buy for Dominic, she thought they meant he wore women’s panties, but knowing these two, they probably knew that anyway.

“
Hello, Ms. Bartholomew. I’ll let Mr. Mackey know that you’re here. If you ladies wouldn’t mind having a seat, I’ll be right with you.”

The new receptionist showed them to a really pretty room. She had then offered them drinks and had handed Pete a remote to the large screened television before leaving them in the private waiting room.

“
You work for the Mackey Corporation? Gee, they’re a big deal in the were world. Aaron said they own twenty-five businesses that only employ were,” Shade told her in awe.

Pete looked around the room. This was nice, she supposed, but then she didn’t know what constituted as a “big deal” in any world.

“
I don’t know anything about this company other than what I do with their computers and software issues. I just did some freelance stuff for him. He’s one of my part-timers. I want to see if he’ll help me out on another project.”

She wanted to see if he could maybe take on a couple of college students per quarter for them to gain experience before graduating. It would help them out once out in the business world, give Mr. Mackey some cheap labor, and it looked good on the student’s resume too. It worked out well for everyone really. At least she hoped it would.

Someone came in the door just as she was about to explain the project to the two of them. Sara introduced him as Bradley Wolff, the alpha. He and Sara had known each other for a while and Shade had worked with him concerning Brent at one time, as well. If Bradley was surprised that all three of them were there, he did not let on. He shook her hand and told her that Karl Mackey had called him just after she had left the other day and told him about all she had done for his company.

“
I can see Karl was right about the beauty part. I’m willing to believe he is correct about your computer skills as well. He also said that you were smart, articulate, and had a take no prisoners attitude that he envied. He had thought himself a hard ass until he met you. He was really impressed with your attitude about performances and if it wasn’t up to standard and beyond, then they were history. I agree with you, it’s the only sure way to make a business work.”

Pete turned away from him shyly. She knew that he could see her new mark, everyone could. It had actually caused a little commotion at the boutique earlier. But Shade had helped Pete through it by changing the direction of the shop owner’s attention toward a dress or something. Pete had been so grateful to her, and still was actually. Everyone thought it was a tattoo. Only other supernaturals like Bradley would be able to tell it wasn’t a tat. But the part about the business, she didn’t know anything about that; she just went with her gut. Making money and getting ahead was all anyone wanted out of life really.

When the receptionist told them that everyone was waiting, and turned to lead them to a very large conference room, Pete felt her heart rate start to rise. She stiffened, and stopped just outside the door. The room was full of people, so many in fact that some were leaning against the walls as well as sitting in all the chairs.

“
I had an appointment with Mr. Mackey. I’m sorry but there’s been a mistake. I don’t know what’s going on.” Pete hated the panic in her voice, but she couldn’t help it. Crowds of people made her nervous. Especially now, she was even less sure of herself. Suddenly, she felt Dominic sweep into her.

“
Love, are you all right? I can feel you’re scared. Come back to bed, let me hold you,” he whispered to her.

“
I’m not there. I mean, I’m outside of the house. I’m with Sara and Shade. We went shopping and I had a meeting. There’s this appointment that I had, but it’s all wrong. I don’t like people and there are so many…”

He did not say anything for several seconds, but she could feel his anger just like it was her own. He was trying to control it, but he was very upset with her and afraid for her too.

“
I thought we agreed that you’d wait for me to leave the house. Pete, you must learn to obey me. I need to keep you safe. You’re mine, and I keep what is mine.”

His anger and disappointment roared through her. Where he had made her feel good earlier, he now made her angry and hurt. And it made her own temper rise. “Obey you? I don’t need a father at this stage of my life, buster, but thanks all the same. Listen here, you arrogant ass, I’ve been taking care of myself for a lot longer than you have. And so far, I’ve done a pretty good job. I will come and go as I please, when I please, and where the fuck I please. If you don’t like that, then you can just fuck the hell off.”

Pete was pissed off and wanted to cause bodily harm to a man three times her size. How smart was that? But she did do something very mean and sent him an image of her in her new panties and bra set she had bought, then took a mental eraser and rubbed out her body, leaving just her head there. Then she stuck her tongue out at him. She hoped he got the message because she shut the door to him mentally, not waiting for his reply.

Stupid ass-wipe! He would rue the day he tried to make her try to stay like a lap dog. Next thing you know, she thought, he’ll have me barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. “I don’t do the little woman routine,” she muttered aloud. She looked up at Shade who had a strange smile on her face.