Nighttime at Willow Bay (13 page)

“I don’t plan on it.”

“Good.”

“He says we are mates…”             

“If
great, great gran said it, then it’s true.

She cleared her throat. “Well, I’m going to get ready to go home. Maybe the demons will forget about
me all together. It’s the morning time.”

“Maybe,” he said mysteriously, turning back to the chair.

Naomi took the stairs two at the time, thinking about Keden Jory. The entire family was so strange…

Chapter
Seventeen

An hour later, Naomi smiled as she entered her small flat on the west side of Jacksonville, NC. Never in her life had she been so happy to see her small couch, her goofy posters, and flat screen TV. Home. She was home now. And safe. Ryder entered from behind her, scanning her small place. She pressed her lips into a thin line, and waited for him to conclude his examination.

“Nice digs.”

“It’s home.”

She giggled as he lifted her up and plopped her on
to the couch.

“I like it,” he muttered.

“And your opinions matter so much—”

“What?
You don’t want to hear my views?”

“Ryder, I’m so thr
ough with listening to your views. I’ve been listening all damn night!”

She giggled again when he started planting kisses on her forehead.
One of his hands snaked out to tickle her sides, causing her to fall into a fit of hysterical chuckles. God, she loved him. Throughout the night, he’d held her so tenderly, like she was something to be revered. And in the morning, he’d driven her to the park’s entrance so she could recover her car. Fortunately, one of his brothers was able to recover her belongings next to her original campsite (her license, keys, clothes), and drove her car back home for her. She, instead, caught a ride with Ryder.

On the
way over, he’d explained everything to her. She would have to stay inside for the next few days as he and his brothers did surveillance around her place, just to make sure the Spades had lost their taste for her. When she’d asked if they often visited the city, he’d answered no but that it was still better to be safe.

Now he was here, staring at her so lovingly
, while a few of his brothers were parked down the street.

“How long are your brothers going to be around?”

“I told you, babe, a few days.”

“Why would they do this for…me
? I hardly know them.”

“You’re family now, Naomi, and
we Jorys look after one another.”

“Oh, really?” she teased, yanking his hair. “Well, if you look after one another, I need some tending
to.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s consummate, Ryder…in all types of positions…all day long.”

A wicked glint entered his eyes. “Okay, okay
, darling, no need to get bossy.”

Naomi giggled and kissed the infuriating man.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

They made love to each other slowly this time. All the while, Ryder insisted that they tr
y every position out there. So lost in the throes of passion, Naomi bit him a few times, marveling when his skin repaired itself in a few minutes. So, the old legend was true—werewolves did have amazing healing powers.

Sometime in the early afternoon, Naomi fell into another blissful sleep, wrapped around Ryder. When she awoke, they watched romance movies in her room, munching down popcorn and sodas
on her bed.

Ryder made fun of the characters in the movies,
while she told him to be quiet.

It felt nice. Getting along with him.
It had been a hell of a night, but they were getting along.

That evening, she called her family to tell them that she had made it back home safely. Her mother asked her to attend a family picnic coming up soon, and she quickly said yes, figuring that Ryder would have to meet her folks sooner or later. A half-smile danced on his features as he
listened to her conversation. When she fussed with a few of her cousins for a few minutes, he laughed outright and gathered her in his arms at the end of the phone call.

“You
’re so difficult.”

“
Am not.”

“Are to.”

“Oh, shut up, Ryder Jory.”

Afterward, the made a love again, and Naomi felt truly happy for the first time in a long time. To think, she had made it through a hellish night at Willow Bay and found a gorgeous man to boot. Her prospects were looking up!

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

The next morning,
Naomi awoke in her bed.  Sunshine poured from the window and illuminated the small room. She rolled over and spotted her teddy bear and hugged it against her chest. Then she looked around her sanctuary at the familiar dresser, mirror, and photos. As the realization that Ryder was nowhere sight, she lunged forward and toppled from the bed.

Her bottom hit the floor with a resounding smack.

“Ouch!”

Pressing a hand to her bottom, she rubbed the sensitive flesh, and studied her room.  “Good God, it couldn’t have all been a dream,” she whispered in wonder.  “Last night,
Ryder Jory was here, and the previous night I was in Willow Bay.”

Had it
all been a figment of her imagination? Wishful thinking? Her mother had always said she had a crazy imagination.

Minutes later
, she smiled when a loud knock sounded at the door. There he was!

Smiling, she
trekked down the hallway in her bunny slippers and reached for the door, unlocked it, opened her mouth to yell at the werewolf who had left her to wake up alone, and froze at the sight of the two demons, Telly and Ernie, she’d originally seen the previous night, including another one. An older man, who was staring at her with pure hatred in his eyes. The Spades! All the night’s events came rushing back to her: the camping, the attack, the caves, the mermaid, the lovemaking, the crazy brothers, the return to her apartment, the lovemaking. Aww shit, she realized, she was in trouble. Where was Ryder?

She tried to choke out a scream,
but one of the Spades pushed her back and sent her flying across the room.

His eyes narrowed. “We came to finish what we started, bitch.”

He clicked her door shut and strode toward her, grabbing her by the hair. Pain shot through her scalp and she shouted out.

“Didn’t think we knew where you lived, right bitch?
We followed you!”

“Let me go!”

Ernie, the smaller of the two, took her by the shoulders and pushed her against the wall.

“Hmmm, you smell good. Figure you might be a seer or witch
—”

His words were cut off by a
tremendous roar coming from the entranceway. Ryder! The man she loved charged into the room with his brothers in tow and all of the Spades and Jorys went at each other. There were fists, blood, and kicks. It was a messy fight. She couldn’t look away. Even though the demons were undermanned, they put up a hell of fight. At one point, they flung Keden and Uly across the hallway. Then they made for Ryder, piling onto him like a pile of rocks. Naomi recalled her first vision: The one of Ryder getting plummeted.

Oh God, he couldn’t die!

Inspiration hit, and she picked up a lamp and flung it at Telly’s head.

He turned to glare at her and lunged in her direction, just before
Uly sent him sideways with a loud smack. The red headed werewolf laughed in her direction.

Crazy! The brothers were crazy!
Within minutes, it was all over. The Spades were passed out and Ryder was bending over asking her if she was okay.

“I thought you were going to die.”

He laughed softly. “Haven’t you learned anything, Naomi?”

“What?”

“We Jorys are hard to kill. I won’t let anyone harm you. I’ll always come back for you.”

Her heart swell
ed. It was his favorite thing to say. Ryder was so sweet and caring, if not a little bossy. Who knows, maybe she could make something work. She kissed him as his brothers pretended not to look.

A choked sound came from the door, and she stopped to see Malcolm standing at the door with a vase of flowers.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare.

“Naomi, what the hell is going on?
”

She cleared her throat. “Uh…nothing.”

“Who are all these white men?”

Her temper unraveled. Standing on shaky legs, she marched to the door and looked at every feature of Malcolm. From his smooth black hair, his light skin and plump lips. She remembered all of the awful things he’d said to her
and flung him the finger.

“Go to hell,” she muttered, and slammed the door on his face.

Silence filled the room. No one said a word. She stared at the Jorys, uncomfortable by their knowing looks.

“I like her,” said
Ezekiel. “I really, really like her.”

Laughter burst in the room. Ryder appeared by her side. 

“Did you have to be so mean to your ex?”

“
Well, yeah.”

“Will you
be mean to me?”

“Yeah, I will, but I’ll work on it.”

His brothers snickered behind him, as Ryder gathered her in his arms. Naomi sighed wearily. What was she going to do with the werewolf she’d come to love?

She knew,
that little voice in her head responded. Burying herself in his warm embrace, the voice responded—she’d love him. She’d love him with all her heart. And as the years passed, that’s exactly what she did…

About the Author

             
Born and raised in Atlanta, Kasey Moone wrote her first story when she was 12 and has been writing ever since. An avid romance fan, Kasey’s reading spans all genres—literary, nonfiction, fiction, and romance dealing with the paranormal, historical, western, and contemporary.

Her romance stories have been described as funny, sweet portraits of interracial romances, showcasing strong African American heroines and lovable heroes.

Kasey’s work is published through Phaze, All Romance Books, Amazon and The Wild Rose Press. For upcoming releases, visit Kasey’s website at KASEYMOONE.COM.