Chapter Fifteen
Lily
Lily awoke hours later to the smell of bacon cooking. As the scent wafted to her from the open bedroom door, her stomach growled to let her know it was in dire need of food. Stretching, she felt a welcome ache between her thighs and let out a contented sigh. Declan had gotten just a tiny bit carried away and she was sore, but it was that ‘just had a really good fuck’ ache and she was okay with that. She tugged on a robe, not bothering with getting dressed, and headed out to the front of her small apartment.
Declan must’ve heard the whisper of her bare feet on the floor as she approached as he turned to watch her. “You’re sore.” He noted the slight stiffness in her walk.
“Yeah, but it’s a good kind of sore, so don’t you dare apologize. Please tell me you’re almost done cooking because I’m starving.”
“It’ll be done in a few minutes. I brewed coffee. It took a few minutes to find where you kept it. Why the freezer?”
“Keeps it fresher longer. There is nothing better than fresh ground coffee.” The sound that came out of her at the thought of having a cup of fresh ground coffee was almost a purr, despite the fact she was a wolf, not a cat.
Declan chuckled. “I’ll have to take your word for the freshness.” He pulled her in for a kiss before she could move past him to fix herself some coffee. “You look good with your hair all sleep-tousled.”
Lily rolled her eyes at him. “My hair looks like a rat’s nest when I first wake up. Being thoroughly fucked made it worse, but I just can’t find it in me to care at the moment.”
Declan swatted her ass when she moved past him. “It does not look like a rat’s nest, but you do have that thoroughly fucked look about you and I fully intend to give you that look as often as possible.”
Lily shivered at the growl in his voice. It did all kinds of things to her body. “Is this that famous shifter stamina you were bragging about when we first met?”
“You know it, doll.” He plated their food and set it on the table while she took her seat. “So, tell me the truth, Lily. That first night at the club, when you threw your drink in my face and said fuck you, you weren’t pissed at me because of what I said but because it turned you on and made you wet, didn’t it?” He asked the question once he was seated across from her.
Lily shifted her chair a little so she could prop a foot on his seat, between his legs, and extended her toes just enough to brush them across his crotch with a wicked little grin. “If I’m being honest, then yeah, I was turned on by it. I was still pissed at you for what you said, as if I was some easy little slut who would spread her legs just because you looked at me, but yes, your words made me wet.”
Declan groaned at the teasing touch. “Keep that up and you won’t be getting to eat any time soon.”
Lily gave him a mock innocent look and took a bite of the omelet he’d made. “This is really good.” She kept her foot brushing against him as she began to eat.
Declan grabbed her foot to stop it. “Eat your food before it gets cold, woman. You’re already sore, I’ll give you until tonight to recover.”
Lily laughed and pulled her foot from his grip to lower it back to the floor. She sobered after a moment. “Actually, I need to talk to you about something.”
“If this is your usual ‘I need time’ spiel, forget it, doll.” He cocked a brow at her.
“No, it’s not that. Emelise and I have been talking. She’s potentially getting an apartment today; she should hear back from the agent by this afternoon, and if she does, she has to go back to Phoenix to get her stuff out of storage. I have vacation time coming at work so I was thinking about taking the time off to drive up with her and help her clear out the storage unit. It’s a twenty-one hour drive, one way, so we’d be gone a few days. I just didn’t want you thinking I was running away. New Orleans is my home; I’m not going anywhere.”
Declan studied her. “That might be a good idea, actually. Some shit is about to go down between the Pard and those fucking jaguars, and I’d rather you not be caught in the middle of it.” He took a drink of coffee before he leveled his gaze at her. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about too. It’s about your father.”
Lily tensed. “What about him?”
“I think you should call him and talk to him, Lily. Just hear me out, doll. When he asked me to come down here and see if you really were living in New Orleans, he told me a few things. He said that if he’d known giving you such an ultimatum would make you run, he would have reconsidered it. He misses you, doll. He told me that you’re the only family he has left in this world and that, after your mother died, he wouldn’t have survived losing his mate if not for you. You kept him from following her because you needed him. I get that he pissed you off; Lord knows I’ve figured out he can be a hard-headed, arrogant son of a bitch, but he knows he was wrong and wants to make amends. Call him, talk to him. That’s all I’m asking you to do. You don’t have to agree to anything else—just hear him out. I think his fear of losing the pack drove him to make a rash decision that he has regretted for the last six years.”
Lily listened to him, really listened, and gave herself a little time to process what he was saying before she spoke. “Okay. I’ll call him. I do miss him because he’s right, he’s the only family I have, that’s blood related anyway, and maybe it’s time I get the chip off my shoulder and try to see things from his point of view.”
“If he tries to order you around, you can always tell him to fuck off and hang up on him. At least he won’t end up with alcohol stinging his eyes.”
Lily laughed. “I am never going to live that down, am I?”
“Not a chance, doll.” His laughter joined hers. He turned his attention to his food and scarfed it down.
Late afternoon found Lily walking through the apartment that Emelise was now renting. It had a nice little community patio area out back, pretty tile floors throughout most of the apartment, with a gleaming wood floor in the single bedroom. The bathroom didn’t have a tub but she knew Emelise was fine with that. Her friend wasn’t much for soaking in a tub. She’d once teased Lily about her love of baths because, as a cat, Emelise was happier with taking a quick shower. The exception to that was if she felt like going swimming. Then she didn’t mind being submerged in water. “I think it’s perfect for you, Eme, especially since the owner said you could paint the walls as long as you repaint them before you move out.”
Emelise flashed a grin. “I like it too. My first apartment, and I picked it out all on my lil ol’ lonesome,” she said with a mock southern drawl.
Lily laughed. “I know it drove you nuts living in that little house with your mom because she was so freaked about something happening to you if you lived elsewhere. You did good, girl. I like it. It has just enough character, and with some colorful paint on the walls, it’ll be totally you.”
“Now all I need to do is go back to Phoenix to get my stuff. Ugh, that’s going to be the not-so-fun part.”
“Well, cheer up, because you won’t be going alone. I already talked to Emile, and he’s cool with me taking some vacation time to drive out with you.”
“Oh, that’s awesome. And what about your new lover boy? Is he okay with you going away for a few days?” She’d told Lily she’d smelled Declan all over her the instant she’d walked into the hotel room.
“Actually, he encouraged me to go. There’s something going on between the leopards and jaguars. He’d feel better if I wasn’t around when it happened.”
Emelise propped her hands on her hips as she turned to her. “What happened? And don’t you dare give me this ‘nothing’ bullshit either.”
Lily saw the look of determination on Emelise’s face and groaned. “I should have known I couldn’t hide anything from you.” She sat cross-legged on the floor in the living room area and took a deep breath. “Last night, a little before closing, those jaguars from Baton Rouge, the ones I told off, showed up at my work. I let my mouth get my ass into trouble, and I’m not entirely sure what they were planning, but the one implied he intended on raping me. When they first walked in the door, I sent Declan a text, discreetly, telling him they were there and that I was in trouble. The only thing that saved me from being hurt right then was a group of tourists coming in for a late evening cup of coffee. Declan and Remy showed up right after they left, before anything could really happen but…it scared me. Badly. I asked Declan to stay last night because I just needed to be held, and yes that’s all we did last night. This morning, that was a different story. He rocked my fucking world, Eme. I have never had such an intense orgasm as the ones he gave me. I’m still a little sore from it; it was that intense. Somewhere along the way he almost lost all control of his wolf and…I pulled him back from the edge. I submitted to his wolf’s need to dominate and, if I’m completely honest, I never felt more in tune with myself than I did in that moment.”
Emelise stared at her. “Oh, wow. Damn, girl, that’s some scary shit, that they showed up there. That means they had to have been watching the shop already to know where you worked. It sounds to me like the sex was beyond mind-blowing. Lucky you. Me, I’m settling for a mediocre orgasm compliments of my vibrator. I am not getting into a relationship with that arrogant leopard; I don’t care if he is my mate.”
Lily laughed. “You sound like me not too long ago. Enough about that. So, we head out first thing tomorrow for Phoenix?”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
“Good. I’ll get out of here and let you get back to the club. I noticed the cleanup is coming along nicely. Oh, you do realize Caine will raise hell about you taking off, and you know he’ll hear about it since some members of the Pard are helping you get the place in order, right?”
“Don’t remind me. He can raise hell all he wants; he doesn’t own me.”
“I’m just saying.” Lily headed for the door. “See you in the morning. We’ll take my car since it’s better on gas than your gas guzzler.” She waved and left. On her way home she debated on waiting until she got back from Phoenix to call her father but…maybe it would be better to just get it out of the way. Then she could focus on enjoying the road trip.
Lily sat on her sofa and tucked her feet beneath her before she finally dialed her father’s number. She sat there nervously waiting for him to answer.
“Magnis Quinn.”
“Hi, Daddy.” Lily hadn’t planned on calling him Daddy; she hadn’t called him that since her mother died, but all of a sudden she missed the closeness she’d once had with her father. When she heard his voice on the phone, she felt tears stinging her eyes. She hadn’t realized, until that moment, just how much she’d missed her father. After her mother was killed, they’d leaned on each other in order to cope with the loss and heal from it, and they’d become close. She missed that closeness.’’ The silence on the other end lasted for several seconds, and Lily began to wonder if her father was all right. When he finally spoke, she relaxed.
“Lily? It’s so good to hear your voice, sweetheart.” His voice was thick with unshed tears.
“It’s good to hear yours too.”
“I’m so sorry, Lily. I’m so sorry I was too stubborn to listen to reason six years ago. I know if I’d just listened to you, you never would have run. It’s been hell not knowing if you were dead or alive. Ever since Declan told me he’d found you there in New Orleans, I’ve swung back and forth between the urge to come down there myself and letting you be the one to reach out first.” His voice broke ‘on a muffled sob.
“Don’t cry, Daddy. If you do, I will too and I don’t want to do that.” Lily took a deep breath. “I know you were only doing what you thought was best for the pack, and I forgive you. I don’t hate you, I honestly don’t, but Slatefall isn’t home for me anymore. You have to know that.”
“Yeah, Declan has made that pretty damn clear. He claims to be your mate, is that true?”
“Yeah. I fought it like crazy. I know, I know, there I was bemoaning how you were lucky you and Mom were mates, and you were trying to force me into a relationship that didn’t have that connection, and then I turn around and fight it once I find my own mate. I was involved with someone that I cared about and I didn’t want to let instinct control me. I know now that it’s more than just animal instinct.”
“Is he good to you? Before you let yourself get too involved with him, you need to ask about his past. It’s dark, Lily, really dark. You need to be prepared for that.”
“It’s a little too late for that.” She closed her eyes at the memory of how it had felt to be in Declan’s arms. She’d had a few relationships, even before she’d gotten together with Keith, but none of them ever made her feel the way Declan did. He overwhelmed her senses. She felt everything more deeply, more intensely, and it was a little scary. When she realized she’d gotten lost in her own thoughts, she shook her head and cleared her throat. “I’m already in deep with him,” she explained. “But I’ll still talk with him about his time away from the pack. How is everyone? How are Casey and Jacob? I’ve been thinking about them a lot lately.”
“Jacob is getting big. He started shifting not long after you left, which took a lot of stress off Casey because she was worried he wouldn’t be able to. He wouldn’t have been shunned by our pack, but you know how some other packs are.”
“That’s good he shifted. I know she was really concerned so I’m glad she was able to put that to rest. Some of them are real bigots. And Casey, how is she?”
“It’s hard to say, really. She keeps to herself a lot; she’s focused on raising her son and doing right by him, which means she doesn’t really get out much. She gets together with the pack on the full moon but other than that, we don’t see much of her. You should give her a call. Maybe you can get her to come out of her shell. She always did look up to you.”
Lily felt a bit guilty when she heard that Casey had withdrawn from everyone. She’d been slowly opening up about the rape, that had led to her being a mother at the tender age of fifteen, when Lily up and left, and Lily blamed herself for the relapse. “I’ll call her, I promise. Maybe I can get her to come down here for a visit. I think both she and Jacob would really like New Orleans.”
“That might be good for them. I hope you’ll come back home for a visit, sometime. I know Slatefall isn’t really home to you anymore, but traveling is a little more difficult for a pack Alpha than it is for a lone wolf.”
“I’ll figure out when I have some free time and let you know. I should get off here; I have an early day tomorrow, but I wanted to call you and reconnect with you. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, princess. It’s so good to hear your voice again. You take care of yourself, and you tell that mate that if he fucks up with you I’ll have his hide.”
Lily laughed. “I’ll pass that on to him. Take care of yourself, Daddy.” She hung up the phone and wiped tears from her eyes she hadn’t realized she was crying. She wanted to go ahead and call Casey, but she was already emotional; talking to the younger wolf while in that state wouldn’t be good. She would wait until after the trip to Phoenix was over then she would have time to really talk with Casey and try to get to the heart of why she’d become so withdrawn.
She couldn’t help but wonder if Casey was having trouble with the bastard who’d gotten her pregnant. Was he trying to be a part of Jacob’s life despite the fact he’d denied sleeping with her when she was fourteen, much less drugging her and raping her? Lily pushed the troubling thoughts away for the moment. She could speculate all she wanted, but until she talked to Casey, that was all it would be: speculation.