Stay (4 page)

Toby rubbed his hands up and down my arms. “I’m worried about you.”

“It was just a dream.” I tried to sound strong when I felt anything but. I was fine when I was awake, but then I got hit by such exhaustion that I had to lie down, and the dreams started up right away again. Each time I woke up feeling awful.

“I don’t like this.” He pulled me tighter against him.

“Me either.”

“I need to know everything, Casey. I need to know what they did to you.”

“I don’t know. I don’t remember anything beyond the smoke and chanting.”

“You’re holding something back.” He took my hands in his. “I know it.”

“I’m having crazy dreams. They’re nothing like the ones I usually have.”

“How so?” He watched me intently.

“I can’t describe it. It just feels like I’m having someone else’s dream. Does that make sense?”

“They did something to your head. You heard Georgina…”

“I know.” She sighed. “We probably should have told her.”

“You didn’t want to yet. And I get that, but we need answers.”

“I know…” I leaned back against the pillows.

“Maybe Vera knows more?”

“She’d probably know more than we do.”

“She still hasn’t called.” I tried not to get worried, but I couldn’t help it. I’d just found her, and I needed more than the few moments we’d shared.

“She probably doesn’t have her phone.” Toby didn’t sound so convincing.

“And Jared? He should have service by now.” We needed to find both of them. There was no way I was going to accept that either were gone. Jared had risked his life to save me, and Vera had too. What if the bears found out what she’d done?

“We just have to wait for them, but that doesn’t mean we can’t ask someone else for help while we wait.” Toby gently ran his hand up and down my arm. “Your mom.”

His suggestion didn’t surprise me, but that didn’t mean I was ready for it. “What do I say? What can I say?”

“She might be able to help. She’d at least be able to get some answers.”

I nodded. “I know you’re right.”

“When you’re ready to call her, let me know.”

I snuggled deeper against his chest, already feeling more like myself again. “Hopefully she’ll pick up this time. She hasn’t answered my calls at all. I’ve never gone this long without talking to her.”

“Try then.” He handed me my phone. I was surprised it had made it back in all the craziness. “The worst that happens is she doesn’t pick up, right?”

“Right.” I braced myself before hitting call. The call went right to voicemail. I ended the call. “Nothing.”

Toby looked at me nervously.

“What are you thinking?”

“Should I have someone go out to your house and check on her? See if she’s there?”

“Where else would she be?” I didn’t want to think about those possibilities. None of this made sense. My mom rarely traveled anywhere, and she definitely never did without telling me first.

“Considering everything, would you be that surprised if she wasn’t home?’

“No.” I sat up. “That’s probably a good idea.” I stretched, determined to push away the exhaustion this time. I hoped the magic would wear off on its own, but I knew deep inside it wasn’t going anywhere. Everything felt off.

“Your color is back.” Toby smiled.

“Yeah, maybe I just needed lots of sleep.” I wasn’t going to worry him anymore than he already was.

“I’m still worried. If we can’t track down your mom on our own, we do have another option.” He stood up from his place kneeling on the floor in front of the couch and sat down next to me.

“Who?” I asked, although I was pretty sure I knew who it was. There were only so many people who knew my mom.

“Eric. He’d know more than we would. Besides Georgina did say there were bears who might know what to do.”

“Do you think we can trust him?” He wasn’t my favorite person, but he also seemed to care.

“I think we can. I don’t see any other options.”

“We could try Rhett.”

He looked away.

“Toby?”

“I already tried him. He’s off the grid.”

“How is everyone off the grid?” I groaned. “It’s starting to become a pattern.”

“I know.” He kissed my forehead. “What do you say we go and grab some coffee once the sun comes up?”

“Show up at Coffee Heaven?”

“Yeah, it’s crazy.” He leaned in close. “My favorite barista isn’t even working today.”

“I guess I never called in to Marv.”

Toby laughed. “I have a feeling he understands.”

“I need the job.”

“No you don’t.” He pulled my legs onto his lap.

“I appreciate your willingness to pay for everything, but I really don’t want you to.”

“It’s not just my money. You’re a Laurent. You’ve got even more than me.”

“It feels weird to touch that money.” Except for tuition. Robert and Georgina could pay for that. I don’t know why, but taking the money for that reason felt completely different than taking it for spending money.

“Either way, you don’t have time to work right now. You have to take off. We need to find your mom if there’s even a chance she can help us.”

“Thank you.”

“For what exactly?” He watched me expectedly.

“Not running off. For sticking this out with me.”

He pulled me onto his lap so I was straddling him. Then he took my face in his hands. “I’m never running from you. I’m never leaving you to handle things alone.”

“Even when I can handle them?”

“You can handle everything, but I want to be there for you. Wouldn’t you do the same for me?”

“Yes,” I answered without hesitation. “But so far I’m the one who keeps getting in over my head.”

“I’m sure it won’t always be that way. Besides, you’ve helped me more than you know.”

I brushed my lips against his. “I can’t wait until things go back to normal.”

“They’re never going to.”

“Ok, maybe not back to normal, but I’m ready for them to at least settle down.”

“That’s going to happen, and when it does we’re going to get some quality time together.”

I slipped my hand under his t-shirt. “Our shower was quality time.”

“It was.” He smiled. “But it wasn’t all it could have been.” His expression let me know exactly what he was implying.

“Trust me, I want you too.”

“I know.” He grinned. “That’s what makes it easier to wait.” He ran his hands down my arm. “But we can’t wait on everything else. Let’s run by your place so you can get clothes before we pay a visit to Eric.”

“You mean I shouldn’t wear this?” I gestured to the oversized clothing I’d borrowed from him.

“You aren’t wearing any underwear.”

“How do you know?” I arched an eyebrow.

He lifted me up just enough to grab my ass. “Because I do.”

I laughed. “I guess I can’t sneak that kind of stuff by you.”

“No… and it’s kind of taunting me right now.”

“Do you really think I’d hate myself if we had sex?” I was asking seriously. I was so stressed out I couldn’t even think straight, but Toby’s body was calling to me the way it always did. We couldn’t go back to the cave. Getting back into the hands of the boss would make all of our effort pointless, but there were other things we could do. I hated that my Pteron side made me think about sex at the wrong times.

“What would Vera tell you to do?” His eyes locked with mine.

“She’d tell me to take off your clothes and have my way with you.” I laughed. “She always said sex with the right guy was worth it.”

“And I’m the right guy?” He pulled his shirt over his head.

“Yes.”

“We’re doing this for stress relief, and because I don’t think we can work together right now until we do.”

“I love how you’re making excuses.”

“I don’t want you being hard on yourself.” He pulled my shirt off.

“I want you.” I unbuttoned his shorts and tugged them down. I followed that up with his boxers.

“I want you too. I always want you.” He pulled down the gym shorts, leaving them at my feet.

“Any preference for where?” He cupped my breasts.

I moaned. “Here. Right here.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

The rug was soft underneath my back when Toby laid me down on the floor. His mouth went right to my breast, teasing my nipple while his hand moved between my legs.

I took him in my hand and stroked him gently. “I’ll never get enough of you.”

“Good. I don’t plan on letting you.” He kissed the spot right between my breasts. “I’ll be right back.”

I waited impatiently for him to return with a condom. He put it on before positioning himself over me. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He thrust into me with such force that he left me breathless. He wasn’t careful with me, and I liked that. I liked that he didn’t worry about me being too fragile.

His quick and deep movements rocked me against the rug. I thrust up against him, letting him know I wanted even more. He thrust in harder, his full length filling me and satisfying me in a way I knew no one else ever could. I grabbed onto his back, letting my nails dig into his skin. Those marks would disappear quickly. Fast healing was one of the nice perks of being a Pteron.

His breath picked up just as mine did, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold on. The days of stress and worry had built up and mixed with the pleasure. All I wanted was release. I closed my eyes, savoring the intense sensations running through my entire body. He pushed me over the edge just before he shuddered.

He lay on top of me for a few minutes, staying inside me for far longer than usual. Neither of us wanted to separate and face reality again.

“Feeling any better?” He kissed me lightly.

“Much better. More focused.”

“So what you’re saying is we’re going to have to have sex before all your exams when you start school again.”

I laughed. “Like you’d complain.”

“Complain?” He shook his head. “Not a chance. More like beg you to take more credit hours.” He pulled out and rolled next to me on the floor.

“I’d take more classes if it meant more of that.”

He smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

The sound of my phone ringing had my entire body tense. Was it my mom calling back? Was it Vera? We’d moved to the couch and were curled up under a throw blanket. We still had an hour before Eric would get into Coffee Heaven. If I had to wait, at least I got to do it naked with Toby. I moved to grab my phone.

“I’ll get it, relax.” Toby moved out from under me. I missed his warm strong body immediately, but I knew he’d be right back.

He glanced at the screen just as it stopped ringing. “It was Tiffany.” He handed me my phone.

“Oh! I should probably call her back.”

He handed me my clothes. He knew me well enough to know I didn’t like talking to people while naked. Well, people who weren’t Toby. “Yeah, she seemed pretty shaken up after you were taken. I’m sure she’s back in New Orleans.”

“I’d hope so.” I called her back and waited for a few rings. I was about to set the phone aside when she answered.

“Casey? Hey.”

“Hey, Tiffany. How are you?” I really hoped she wasn’t too messed up from anything. I’d heard this wasn’t her first run in with paranormals, but it didn’t mean it got any easier to handle. It was hard for me, and I wasn’t human.

“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.”

I smiled. She was so sweet. “I’m absolutely fine. Toby’s with me, and we’re safe.”

“Ohh, Toby.” She laughed. “You guys are so cute together.”

“Thanks, now if we could just hear from Jared and my sister I’d be great.”

“I’m sure they are both okay. You really need to focus on yourself.”

I pushed the conversation off me. I was never particularly comfortable with a lot of attention on me. “Are you back in New Orleans?”

“No, I decided not to go back right now. I need a break.”

I felt a surge of guilt. The wedding was only crashed because of me and now she was probably afraid to go back to school. “I understand that. Thanks for calling.”

“Of course. I really want to be friends. Even if Allie weren’t around, I’d still want to hang out.”

That was a funny way of wording things. “I’d like to hang out again sometime too.”

“Great. Maybe I’ll make it up to New York in the next few days.”

“Where did you say you were?”

“I’m visiting some family friends a few hours from New York City.”

“Oh cool.” I hadn’t realized she had connections on the east coast, but I also didn’t know her particularly well.

“Tell Toby I said hello.” She hung up.

“She sounds fine, right?” Toby ran his hands through my hair. He always found an excuse to touch me, and I didn’t mind at all.

“Yeah. I’m sure she’s still upset about things, but she’ll recover.”

“None of this is your fault.”

“How did you know that was what I was worried about?”

“Because I know you.” He took the phone I still held in my hand and set it down. “Come on, let’s make some breakfast.”

I needed a drink. A strong one, preferably whiskey. I needed to start stowing flasks with my extra changes of clothes. Without fail I seemed to always find myself without alcohol when I needed it most—and that usually timed up when I also needed clothes.

The walk through the woods to the far side of the cave hadn’t taken long, and I’d waited to shift back into my bear form until I was nearly at the mouth of the cave. That decision wasn’t for any strategic reason other than I wanted to be able to find my clothes quickly on the way out. It turns out that was a smart move. Just as I was ready to shift I sensed other bears approaching. I hid in the brush, waiting for them to go inside. I knew I would have to wait hours. Post-hunt was the worst time to run into bears. Full of food and adrenalin, we are unstoppable in either form. They’d have destroyed me without thinking. Any human side in the bears would be pushed to the back so they could enjoy the fruits of their labor. I sat down and leaned against the trunk of the tree. I really hoped Jared was hiding himself well.

When I’d first shifted into a bear, it had freaked me out. What girl wants to be covered in hair? Isn’t that why hair removal is a multi-million dollar industry? But, pretty quickly I learned that the hair part was worth it. I was so much stronger as a bear. I felt nearly invincible, and unless I was up against other bears or other paranormals there was little that could hurt me. I was also faster. There was something about the wind rushing over me as I ran. Nothing else could compare. I wondered if that was how flying was for Casey. Maybe it was even cooler. If I survived my attempted rescue mission I’d have to ask her about it. I’d have to talk her into taking me flying someday. I loved every form of travel except for boats. Both Casey and I had always gotten sea sick.