Chapter Four
“No.” Beau crossed his arms over his chest.
“Well, why not?” John Luke demanded. “You did it fine when we were in that scrape and—“
“That was different.” Beau cut him off. John Luke and damn near his entire family had been trying to talk him into perfecting his shifting techniques. They didn’t seem to understand that he didn’t really enjoy the experience.
He was perfectly happy being a human. He also didn’t tell them that while most of his siblings’ DNA tests revealed that they had inherited a lot from their father, his and his younger brother Jericho’s tests showed that they had also inherited some interesting genetic characteristics from their mother.
The same mother who had been dosing them since birth to prevent them from shifting, and the same mother who had allowed Logan’s wife Sabine to be tortured. Beau could barely stand to think about it. How could a mother do that to her kids?
She was not at all the woman he thought, and it scared him to think she was part of him. Or more precisely, Dark Fae blood was inside him. How could it be that only he and Jericho had genetic characteristics from her and none of the others did?
Thus far, he hadn’t noticed any special skills or abilities, so he assumed that whatever traits he’d inherited from his mother were not of the paranormal variety. And that suited him just fine.
“Beau, what gives?” John Luke asked.
“Nothing gives. I just don’t like it. What’s so damn hard to understand about that?”
“Well, nothing, I guess, but I just thought—“
“That I’d be like you and Logan. I know, but I’m not. Now before you argue, would you just think about it? When we were kids, I was the bookworm. If it hadn’t been for dad insisting that I do something active, I’d have been happy to keep my nose stuck in a book.”
“Or playing with that science kit you got for Christmas one year.” John Luke laughed and lifted one foot to prop it on the fence rail. “Remember when you tried to create some—something or other and ended up setting fire to the shed? I thought Dad was gonna stomp your ass good for that.”
Beau laughed at the memory. “So did I. But he did make me work weekends at the feed store until I made enough to have the shed repaired.”
“And he made you try out for basketball and football and take rodeo classes.”
“Yeah, he did that, too.”
“And you liked it.” John Luke turned toward him. “So before you start arguing, let me say this. I get that you think you don’t measure up to Logan James. Shit on a stick, brother, none of us do. He’s always been bigger, stronger, faster, smarter, and has a way with the ladies. But look, what all that got him? How many wives did he have to go through to finally realize that the gal he wanted was that little tagalong who followed him like a puppy until our mother sent her away.”
“I don’t feel less—“
“Yes, you do. You always have, and so did I. But that’s the way things are when you have a big brother. Only you took it to mean that you are less and that just isn’t the case. Hell, you were a star on the football field, the basketball court, and won how many ribbons for roping?”
“I get what you’re trying to do and I thank you, sincerely,” Beau said. “But that has nothing to do with this shifting thing. I just don’t enjoy being in another form. Just like I don’t like mucking out stalls, working with the horses, rounding up cattle, and much of anything else there is to be done on a ranch.
“I like what I do, and I'm good at it. I don’t need anyone to tell me that, I already know. So you and Logan can be the alphas of the pack or whatever, run with the wolves, howl at the moon. I’m just not interested, and I really wish both of you would just leave it be.”
He turned away from the view of the land stretching out for miles, land that was in his blood but was no longer his home. “I’m happy for you and Logan, and big enough to admit I’m a little jealous. All I ever really wanted was to be part of the family business and have a wife and some kids. I’m starting to think that just isn’t in the cards for me.”
“Not like you don’t have your share of interested women, bro. I mean, you might not be Cowboy Country come to town or some shit like Logan, but I know for a fact women are always making plays for you. So, what’s the problem?”
Beau considered his words before he spoke. He’d thought about it a lot of late and knew what held him back from having a lasting relationship. “The problem is, I don’t think I ever got over Grace.”
“That was college, Beau.”
“Yeah, it was. But she was—something special. I know she wasn’t head cheerleader, prom queen, or stuff like that, but she was something. And she saw me. Me. Not a Legacy or an athlete or what people wanted me to be, but for me. And she loved me for it.
“I fucked up and lost her, and if I could go back and do it again, I’d made sure I didn’t lose her because I think she just might have been my one true love.”
He barked a self-depreciating laugh. “Listen to me; I sound like one of those sappy romance movies.”
“Or not.” John Logan put his hand on Beau’s shoulder. “It took me awhile to find it, but now that Ily’s in my life I finally get what true love is and honest to God, brother, if that gal was it for you, I wish you could go back and make it right, too, because there’s nothing that even comes close to being a fulfilling as that.”
Beau nodded. “I’m happy for you. You and Logan and I hope it’s always that way for you. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll find another Grace. Or not. If not, then I’ll just learn to be happy with what I have. Life could always be worse.”
“Tell me about it. Glad I’m not King Michael’s daughter. Thanks to Ily and Severin, she claimed possession of property he owned in Florida. But she’ll need a lot of luck to find what is necessary to unlock the portal between dimensions.”
“What do you mean, ‘lot of luck’? If Ily and Severin know how, why don’t they just tell her?”
“Apparently it’s not that simple,” John Luke said. “It’s something she has to do. Ily said they left her as many clues as they could, and the rest is up to her. She’s just excited that Elena, or Ellie as she goes by, has claimed ownership of the place.”
“So what happens if she opens the portal? Is that a good thing or a bad?”
“I wish I knew.” John Luke put a hand on his belly, turned and headed in the direction of the house. “My stomach’s threatening to gnaw on my backbone. Let’s get started on rustling up some food.”
“Sounds good.” Beau fell in step with his brother.
“Oh, one other thing,” John Luke said. “Mysti told me this. Apparently, some writer no one ever heard of wrote this vampire book that rocketed to the top of the bestseller charts.”
“So?”
“So according to Mysti, the vampire in the book is a cowboy and his description sounds a lot like Augustus.”
“But it’s not, right? Him, I mean.”
“Beats me. I doubt it. Anyway, Ravyn and Mysti read it and went nuts and gave Ily a copy.
“Ily said Ravyn told her that the writer was going on a book tour and would be coming to Texas. Ravyn and Mysti want to go and invited Ily to join.”
“Ily doesn’t impress me as the fangirl type.”
“She’s not. She said the book was stupid. But then, from what I hear the human woman is kidnapped by the vampire. You can imagine someone trying to kidnap Ily.”
They both laughed at that. “Yeah, that would be a sight. Poor sap would realize real quick he bit off way more than he can chew.”
“Ya think?” John Luke laughed again. “Oh, did I tell you that Dad’s dating?”
“No way.”
“Scout’s honor.” John Luke remarked and then added, “and she’s pretty hot. Mid-forties and a Fae.”
“You think he’s making a mistake?”
“Maybe, but it’s his to make. And I guess it just goes to show that no matter how old you are, you’re never too old to go over fool’s hill.”
“Oh God, I remember Uncle Eli saying that when we were teenagers.”
“Yep, and I guess it’s true.”
“Well, I think I’ll stick with just keeping my eyes open and hoping I meet a nice woman I enjoy spending more than an hour with,” Beau said and resumed walking toward the house. “Kidnapping isn’t much my style.”
“Well, you could rope one. If you still remember how.”
Beau's shoulder bumped into his brother. “Yeah, that’d do the trick.”
“You never know, bro. You just never know.”