Chapter Four
Emelise
Phoenix, Arizona. It was the city she was born in, the city she grew up in, and yet it had never really felt like home to her. The drive out from New Orleans with Lily had been fun, more fun than the solo drive she’d taken to get to New Orleans. Sure, she’d done some sightseeing along the way but road trips were so much more fun when taken with others.
Still, she was looking forward to getting back to New Orleans and getting everything unpacked. There was a locked chest her mother had kept in her closet that Emelise hadn’t gotten around to trying to open before she’d packed everything up. Once she got back home she was going to change that. What could be in it that was so important her mama had kept it locked? She wasn’t sure how she was going to get into the thing, since she didn’t have the key for it, but she’d figure something out.
“Homeward bound,” Lily said as they headed away from Phoenix. “So are you really ready to close this chapter of your life, Eme?”
“More than ready. Phoenix never really felt like home. I think deep down my leopard knew where she belonged and it wasn’t in Arizona.”
“Maybe she did,” Lily said and turned her attention to the road since she was driving the first leg of their trip. “So, do you think Mal will take you up on the offer and come down to New Orleans once you’ve got the club open?”
“I don’t know but I hope so. Even if he just visits, I think Venus will be a big hit at the club.” She snickered. “Especially if I announce her using her full stage name.”
Lily arched a brow. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s her full stage name?”
“Venus Flysnatch,” Emelise said with a straight face.
Lily stared at her for a few seconds then jerked her attention back to the road as she busted out laughing. “Oh my Gods, that’s great. Where in the hell did Malcolm come up with that?”
“Back when he was still with a Pride, they had...expectations. In order to be part of the Pride, any Pride, he had to settle down with a female shifter and have babies. He was trying to conform even though he knew he wasn’t straight. The only time he ever got an erection on his own was if he pictured some hot, naked guy in his head. Otherwise she had to give him a hand job. A few months into the relationship he discovered she had a bad habit of spreading her legs for any guy that wanted to dip his wick in her. Malcolm said she was like a Venus Flycatcher, pretty but deadly to a man’s ego. When he created his alter ego, he decided to go with a pun on that because he knew she’d heard about him calling her a Venus Flycatcher and if she ever saw the show she’d know the name was a jab at her.”
“Oh, wow, poor Mal. I can’t imagine how defeated he must have felt. First he has to completely suppress such a core part of himself in order to be accepted and then he finds out the woman he’s with is a serial cheater? At least he got an awesome stage name out of it.”
“Yeah, he said he went through a lot of upheaval during it but that was the catalyst that made him decide to leave the Pride and embrace who he really was.” Eme settled in for the drive. She’d hired a contractor who would be going in later in the week to start the remodel of the upstairs part of the club, Gage had agreed to restore all the wood to it’s original glory, the electrical work was almost done, and the mason would be going in after the upstairs remodel was completed. Soon enough she’d be able to open the doors and her dream would become a reality.
Caine
Caine was enraged and it was taking every ounce of willpower he had to not lay into the five members of his Pard kneeling in front of him. When Declan had informed him that Lily and Emelise had decided, on the spur of the moment, to drive to Phoenix, not even sparing a thought to the fact they had to go through Red Moon Clan territory to do so, he’d almost lost it. Then he found out that Emelise told the leopards who were helping her get the club cleanup and remodel done to just go ahead and show up and not mention it to Caine unless he specifically asked about her. He’d gone ballistic. “You should have come to me, immediately.”
All five were kneeling submissively in front of their Alpha. They knew they’d done wrong by not coming to him immediately. “You’re right, Alpha, we should have said someting. We, none of us, we didn’t really tink about why she didn’t want us sayin’ anyting even though we knew she was your mate. I mean, I thought it was odd she asked us to not say anyting unless you asked but I didn’t tink to really question it.” Josiah, the one who’d decided to be the ‘spokesperson’ for the small group swallowed nervously while he waited for his Alpha’s decision. He knew Caine could punish all of them for not coming to him about her leaving.
Caine looked them over and growled with frustration. They were all barely out of high school, he couldn’t really expect them to think like grown men who had some real world experience. “Get out of here. In da future, if someone says ‘Don’t tell Caine’, you come and tell me right away.”
“Yes, Alpha,” they said almost in unison before they rushed away.
Caine watched them go before he stripped, shifted, and went out into the bayou to roar his frustrations with his mate into the air without disturbing the Pard. By the time he got back he felt less like he was going to rip someone’s head off and went inside to send a text to Declan asking him to notify him when Eme and Lily were due to be back in New Orleans, then he went back to work. There was much he still needed to do in order to be ready for the coming battle with the Red Moon Clan.
The moment Caine awoke, he began preparing for the impending attack from the Red Moon Clan. Declan was certain it would happen that night and there were a number of Pard members who would be at risk if they remained at the compound. Declan was opening his secured headquarters to those members of the Pard and Caine needed to get everyone organized.
His first order of business was to get his lieutenants together. He sent a text to Remy Delacroix and Beau Lafluer then went to make coffee.
“Mornin’, Caine.”
Caine nodded at Remy, who’d entered after knocking. “Mornin’. As soon as Beau gets here, we’ll get started. Coffee’s fresh.” He motioned to the pot.
“No’ting better den fresh coffee in da mornin’,” Remy replied and fixed himself a cup. Moments later, Beau arrived, and got himself a cup as well.
“Now dat you’re both here, we have some plannin’ to do. Declan’s openin’ his headquarters to da Pard, for da ones who won’t be joinin’ da fight. We need to get ever’one moved quickly. Dey should take what dey need to be comfortable while dey wait for word on how da fight goes.”
“You got it, Alpha. We’ll get da women, children, and elders to safety.”
“Don’t go assumin’ none of da women are gonna wanna join da fight,” Caine admonished Beau.
“If da choice is helpin’ keep da little ones calm or fightin’, I tink most of dem are gonna choose da first option,” Beau countered.
“Maybe, but if any of dem want to fight, den dey will be welcome to do so.” Caine knew Beau’s reasoning wasn’t steeped in sexism even if it sounded like it was. “Let’s get dis done. We’ve got a fight to get ready for.”
As the day progressed and the compound emptied of all but those leopards who wanted to fight to defend their home, Caine’s thoughts grew heavy. He knew there was a very real chance some of his people could end up seriously injured or dead. Of all the neighboring shifter groups he;d dealt with, the Red Moon Clan was the only one that refused to discuss any issues that arose between them. Caine never really understood that kind of mentality. Why would a person prefer to fight when doing so could lead to death? Shaking the thought from his mind, he focused on the growing darkness.
He watched as the last boat returned to the compound carrying Declan and his team. Every one of them had a grim look on their faces and Caine wondered if his face mirrored theirs. “Dis ends tonight, one way or another,” he said to Delcan when the wolf stopped in front of him.
“With the Pard coming out the victor. Failure isn’t an option,” Declan replied.
“I do like your tinkin’.” Caine smirked before he headed to where his Pard waited for him. “Y’all know what’s at stake here.” He went on to explain just how important it was for them to win in the coming fight. It was Declan’s speech, though, that really galvanized the Pard.
Caine watched the faces of his Pard. He’d not been the least bit surprised when a few of the women decided they were going to stay and fight. One of them was Sabine. She was a doctor but she was a leopard first, and that meant fiercely protecting home and hearth from attacks. When Declan gave them the option to leave and head into New Orleans, pride filled Caine when not a single leopard made a move to leave. Every single one of them looked determined to do whatever it took to protect their homes.
After Declan’s speech, each group moved off into the growing darkness and Caine stepped up to Declan. “If da Alpha gets past me, take him out. Don’t wait for me to catch up to him, because if he gets past me it’ll only be because I’m already fightin’ one of his lieutenants.”
He moved away from Declan after the wolf agreed. Standing in the shadows cast by the trees, Caine stared out at the swamp. Soon, soon the fighting would begin. Soon blood would be spilled and lives would be lost. He sent up a silent prayer that none of his own people lost their lives just as the traps Nikolai had set up went off. Within moments, shapes began to move through the darkness and Caine put all thought aside. He needed to focus. He let his leopard out just enough to quicken his reflexes. The first jaguar to come at him was soon unconscious with a gash to his temple compliments of Caine’s claws. He didn’t have time to pause to make sure he didn’t kill the jaguar because another came at him and he took that one out as well.
Caine lost track of where everyone was as he worked his way toward the one jaguar he really wanted to fight. Lucas Cormier. The Alpha of the Red Moon Clan needed to die. They might go easy on the weaker members of the Clan, but not Lucas.
Finally. Finally he was face to face with the Alpha pf the Red Moon Clan. “Dis ends now.”The fight between them was quick, but brutal. Caine knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Lucas wouldn’t be Alpha if he was weak and unable to protect his position. However, Caine had something Lucas didn’t; determination. He was determined to protect his Pard and their home. The only way he could do that was by winning.
When he landed the killing blow, he’d expected to feel a sense of satisfaction and was surprised to realize that what he felt, instead, was remorse. Such senseless, needless death. It could have been avoided if only the other Alpha hadn’t been so stubborn. He closed his eyes, for just a moment, in silent respect for the lives that were lost, when a snarl had him turning. The jaguar was too close and Caine knew he didn’t have enough time counter the attack. When Declan put himself between them, earning a nasty gash across his chest compliments of the jaguar’s claws, Cine knew he owed the wolf his life. In that moment, he made a decision. For the first time since the Pard took up residence in New Orleans several generations ago, The Big Easy was going to belong to more than one shifter group. He was going to offer Declan part of the Pard’s territory for him to create his own pack.
Emelise
The second day of their return drive Lily drove in the morning so it was Emelise who was behind the wheel as they neared their destination. All she could think about was getting home and finding a corner to curl up in. She wouldn’t even care about sleeping on the hard floor, she was that tired.
“Come crash at my place tonight, Eme. We can get the Pard to help you unpack tomorrow,” Lily offered.
Emelise considered it but she waved it away. “No, it’s fine, I can rough it for one night.” And then, of course, things went from bad to worse, figuratively speaking. Sauntering towards them in a way that made things low in her body tighten, her skin warm, and dampness pool between her thighs, was the one leopard she didn’t want to see. Okay, maybe she did want to see him but she really couldn’t handle him and she could see by the hard look in his eyes that he was pissed.
When Caine reached her, Emelise straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin to look at him. “Don’t start. We can talk another time, I’m too damn tired to do this right now.” Even her voice sounded tired and she knew the exhaustion was evident on her face.
Caine
Caine was there, outside Emelise’s apartment building, with several members of the Pard, when the truck pulled up. He’d watched from the shadows while Eme and Lily had a brief conversation then climbed out. Even from where he was he’d seen how tired his mate was from the long drive. It had tempered his anger quicker than anything else could have. Seeing the exhaustion on his mate’s face had almost made his anger disappear completely, but not quite. He was just as livid with Lily for being so thoughtless and careless as well.
As soon as Emelise slid out of the truck he’d moved into view so she could see him before he’d approached her. He wanted to take her in his arms and ravish her mouth but he also wanted to shake some sense into her. He did neither of those things. “Tomorrow, dinner at da compound. We’ll discuss your impulsiveness den.” He motioned for the leopards with him to get busy with the truck, and Lily’s car, which was towed behind it, was unhooked so she could head home.
Emelise opened her mouth, he was sure she was going to tell him to go to hell, but that wasn’t what came out. “Okay.”
Caine smirked at the look on her face. She looked like she’d just realized she got herself caught in a trap. It was so damn cute he wanted to kiss her. His smirk increased as he stood back and listened to the banter between Emelise and Lily.
“What’s with the grumpy look?” Lily asked her friend while she waited for her car to be unhooked.
“I just got wrangled into having dinner with Caine at the compound.”
Lily laughed softly. “Ouch. Have fun with that,” she teased before she turned towards her car so she could leave. “I’ll call you tomorrow, Eme, after we’ve both gotten some sleep,” she said then looked at Caine. “Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re made at me too. You can chew me out later. I’m beat. Night, Eme.”
“Night, girl, thanks for going with me.”
“I’m glad you made it home safe, Angel,” Caine murmured near her ear once Lily was gone before he went to help unload the truck. He felt Emelise’s eyes on him before she went into the apartment building and upstairs to unlock her apartment door for them.
Caine carried a number of items inside before he let the others take care of the rest of it. He wanted to get a good look at the apartment his mate had picked out. “I tink da place suits you. You leavin’ the walls da color dey are or paintin’ dem?”
“I’m going to be painting them. I’m thinking shades of turquoise for the front of the apartment and maybe warm yellows for my bedroom.”
Caine smirked. “Wantin’ something relaxin’ in dere, yeah?” he teased. “I tink turquoise is a good color for out here, it’ll fit wit’ your furniture.” Her sofa and chairs had a mix of blue, black, and silver colors in it.
“Well, yeah, the bedroom is a place to relax and sleep, of course I want calm colors in it.”
“I can tink of other tings da bedroom is good for,” Caine growled.
Eme’s cheeks pinked at his words. “Don’t even go there. I am so not up for your teasing tonight, Caine. Mentally or emotionally.”
That got his attention. The trip out to Phoenix wasn’t all pleasant and it brought out his protective streak. He gripped her elbow and guided her to the sofa to sit. “What happened?”
Emelise shook her head. “It’s not that something happened, Caine. I grew up there, I just lost my Mama a month ago, it just took an emotional toll on me. I put up a good act, pretending like it didn’t bother me any to sell the house I grew up in and move, but it did hurt, a little. I don’t regret it, Phoenix never really felt like home, but that house, it was where all my good memories with my Mama were made.”
Caine slipped his arm around her and pulled her close. “I’m sorry for your loss, cher,” he hushed. “Losing a parent is never easy and dere are no words dat can really be said to ease da pain. You don’t have to hold it all in wit’ me, Angel. I won’t tink less of you for letting your grief out.”
“Truck’s unloaded,” Josiah said once they’d carried the last box in.
“Go on back. I’ll be along later,” Caine said and watched them go. He could feel Emelise shaking as she fought her grief. He had a feeling she didn’t want to cry in front of the others. She needed to let it out though before it ate her up inside.
Emelise
Emelise had watched as Caine had moved around her apartment, checking out every nook and cranny. She’d had to admit she liked seeing him in her space, not that she would tell him that. She’d also liked the way his jeans clung to his ass when he moved. He had a very nice ass. His T-shirt was snug across his chest and the sight of it made her mouth water. She really wished he was somewhere else because she couldn’t handle any more emotional turmoil right now.
“I am so not up to your teasing tonight, Caine. Mentally or emotionally.”
Why had she admitted that out loud? What had she been thinking? She didn’t want to talk about the grief that was clinging to her. If she started crying she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop. The one thing she’d not even admitted to Lily yet was that she’d not allowed herself the time to grieve properly. She’d only shed a few tears after her mother died and then she’d pushed it down so she could take care of all the things she’d needed to do.
She was almost numb as she let Caine ease her down onto the sofa. Before she could stop herself the words tumbled out. That was when the shaking started. She’d felt the tears hovering on the edge, she’d known any minute they were going to start falling, and once they did she wasn’t going to be able to stop them. It had barely registered when Caine had sent the others away, leaving them alone in the apartment. When his arms tightened around her the dam broke and a sob escaped her. One sob turned into more and before she knew it she was clinging to his shirt and shaking with the force of her cries.
Caine’s arms tightened around her until he moved and pulled her onto his lap. He didn’t speak platitudes, he didn’t tell her it would be okay, he didn’t even shush her as she sobbed in his arms. All he did was hold her and give her what comfort he could.
Emelise wasn’t sure how long she sat there clinging to him and crying before the sobs finally died down to sniffles. His shirt was wet with her tears and she could just imagine how rough she looked now with her eyes all red and puffy. When she pulled back he loosened his arms and she lifted her head to look at him. “Thank you.”
“Anytime, Angel. You needed to grieve.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. “Let’s get you tucked into bed.” He stood, scooping her up in his arms as he did so.
Eme squeaked a little. “I can walk, Caine.”
“Mm, but I want to carry you, cher.” He’d made sure the others had made her bed so she could just crawl under the covers, so once he got to her room he set her on the edge of the bed and knelt to remove her shoes. Then he reached for her shirt.
“I can undress myself.”
“Relax, Angel. As much as I want to run my hands over every inch of your luscious body and make you beg, tonight isn’t about dat. I just want to help you get comfortable so you can sleep.”
She bit her lip. “Okay. I have pajamas in my suitcase by the door.”
He moved to get the suitcase and when he turned he sucked in a breath. She’d removed her shirt and jeans and stood there in just a lace bra and panties. He stared, for just a moment, before he opened the bag, got her pajamas out, and handed them to her, then set the bag aside.
Emelise swallowed at the heat in his eyes when his gaze traveled over her. Would he resist the temptation her being mostly naked presented? When he didn’t try to take advantage of her she couldn’t help but smile a little. He was keeping his word. When he held the clothes out for her she quickly covered herself and moved to crawl into bed.
Caine moved to her bedside and held the covers back for her to crawl in. “Sleep, Angel,” he growled softly before he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.
Eme almost asked him to stay. Almost. But she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to resist him if he slept next to her. “Thank you, Caine, for not pushing anything tonight.”
“You’re welcome, cher. Tomorrow, all bets are off,” he told her with a wink before he headed to her door. “I’ll lock da door behind me, don’t worry.” He turned her bedroom light off for her.
Eme listened to him move across her living room floor then listened for the door to close and lock behind him. Her hand touched her lips briefly as if she was trying to hold in the feel of his lips on hers, then she let her eyes close and sleep claim her.