CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Layla, sweetie. I was in town, thought I would come and see you and, you know, my daughter.” His voice, god, had his voice always been so nasally and whiney?
“One—I’m not your anything, least of all your sweetie. Two—you don’t have a daughter, remember? I believe the last thing you told me before your ass vanished into the sunset was maybe it would be best if I ‘took care of it.’ Am I getting that right?” Years of pain and anger just came spilling out of her. The wind rushed past the man before her, almost taking him off his feet. His hand shot out to the doorframe, preventing him from falling—and didn’t that just annoy her.
Layla had never had the chance to tell him how she felt before he had hopped into his car and vanished from the town, leaving her pregnant and pretty much a laughingstock. It took years before people started talking to her again, for them to realize what a good mother she was, and what a wonderful child her daughter was becoming. She did not believe for one millisecond that he was just “in town” and wanted to see her.
“I was young, Layla. I made a mistake. I’m sorry, okay?” He stepped back from the door, putting his hands up in surrender. She moved forward, backing his ass up to the edge of the porch. He looked a lot less arrogant and cocky right now, his eyes wide as he faced off against a seriously pissed off ex-girlfriend whom he had left with a bun in the oven. The fact the trees were groaning in the wind and his long coat was being whipped around him while she remained untouched seemed lost on him.
“You were young? You were young! And what was I? You left me, you asshole; jumped in your car and didn’t look back. For what? Your football career? Fat lot of good that did you. Blew out your shoulder from what I heard. Karma is a bitch, isn’t it?” Okay, even she admitted that was a bit below the belt, but damn, it felt good to get it out. Still, she hated that guilt bit at her at the pain she saw pull at his eyes.
“You’re right, Layla. I didn’t think about you when I left. I was thinking about me. Would it help if I told you I regret it? Regret not being a part of your lives?” That small part of herself that had once loved this man wanted to believe him. But she was no longer a lovesick school girl following him around. She was a woman who raised a wonderful child without him.
He was saying all the right things, all the things she had at one time longed to hear. Problem was, she no longer needed him in her life, and she certainly didn’t want him in Annabelle’s. Not now, when she had just found Tan, and Annabelle had picked him to be her new father. Everything just seemed too perfect—his words, him showing up now, after all this time. She didn’t believe he was here for her, but a horrible thought occurred to her. Had he seen the video on the internet? Had he recognized Lexi and put two and two together? She needed him gone, now.
“You need to leave, Richard. You can’t be here.” She turned to leave, grabbing the door to close it in his face. But his strong arm grabbed it and held it open. She turned to see the look in his eyes had turned from warm hazel to panic ridden.
“Seriously, Layla? I came all this way and you are not going to let me see my daughter?” His voice was tight and urgent, and that put her on edge. She tugged on the door, but his strength far outweighed hers and his grip was rock solid.
“I told you before, you were a sperm donor, nothing more. Now get off my property.” She would not cower before him—not ever again. God, she hoped Tan kept Annabelle in the barn away from Richard. The door creaked under his grip, the look in his eyes cold and calculating.
“I’m not leaving until I see my daughter. Bring her to me now, Layla, or you will force my hand. I’m sure Child Protective Services would like to know how a five-year-old is living out here and still not attending school.”
“And then Snuffles gets the smelly food like this.” Tan watched the little girl drop the rabbit food all over the barn floor as she overfilled the rabbit’s bowl.
Annabelle was showing him how to look after the animals. She was determined he would learn how, and had meticulously been going around stall after stall giving him instructions—while dropping half the food onto the floor, spilling water on the ground, and making a mess of the straw which would now need replacing. He would make a note to do that before they left.
It was apparent to him that Annabelle had the same gift with animals as her mother. Each one had a name, and each responded to her with gentle kindness. Less kindness to him, however. Some growled and snarled. He got no aid from the child; evidently she thought it was funny to watch him struggle. She had a mean streak like her aunt.
“Okay, all done.” She turned around and waved her arms in the air. Her once pristine pink winter jacket was covered in wet patches and animal feed. He hoped Layla was not going to drag him over the coals for that.
A smile pulled at his lips. Damn, this little human had a strange effect on him. A peace rolled over him, calming that beast that dwelling inside. He could still feel it under his skin, ready at any second, but it did not threaten his sanity; rather, it was ready to protect. He liked it.
“Go wash your hands, Bella. I think you got more feed on you than you did in the bowls.” She gave him a bright smile and ran toward the little office at the end of the barn. The doors rattled loudly as the wind whistled through the openings. He frowned, wondering where the wind had come from. The day had been so calm when they had come out earlier.
Shaking his head, he closed his eyes and reached for the woman that had come to mean so much to him. Most of the time he kept this strange bond between them locked down. He did not understand it yet, and until he could control it he wanted it closed.
The rush of conflicted emotions that hit him doubled him over. His first instinct was to shut it down, but the surge of sorrow and pain stopped him. She was crying inside, fear was rushing through her blood. Someone was in the house, she was reaching for him, unknowingly begging him to keep Annabelle hidden from Richard. Who the fuck is Richard? His eyes turned to Annabelle as she ran toward him, showing off her clean hands.
“Nice and clean. Let’s go in now.” Tan turned and knelt before her. He gripped her arms gently and gave them a squeeze.
“Bella, listen to me. I need you to stay in here. Go into the office, lock the door behind you, and do not open it for anyone other than me or your mother. Do you understand me?” He was trying not to scare her, and he was pretty sure he was sucking at it.
“But, why?” Her little eyes were wide as she looked in the direction of the house.
“Remember what you said to me? Daddies chase off the monsters? Well, there is someone in the house that is upsetting your mother, and I have to go and chase him off. So can you do as I ask and stay here until one of us comes to get you? Will you do that for me?”
He must have said something right because she nodded without a second of hesitation and ran toward the office. He heard the lock click into place and saw the light inside turn off. Good girl. He turned and jogged out the back of the barn. Ignoring the wind kicking up the snow, he followed the path he had made earlier.
He made his way to the backdoor and pulled off his boots, taking the cold steps one at a time, ignoring the chill sinking into his toes. Opening the door silently and with a level of stealth he did not even realize he possessed, he moved through the boot room and twisted the handle to open the door to the main room. The voices inside became clear, and he listened as the male went from simpering apology to desperation in a second.
He could feel her fear rush through the second this Richard grabbed the door, and then Tan felt it. That thing inside him came alive again, familiar, like an old friend. The same feeling he’d had when Lexi had been raging and beating at him, only this time it was ten times more powerful. He didn’t fear this feeling that spread through him like a drug. He breathed it in—anger, rage it was all coming from this male—he was saturated with it. He relaxed against the wall and looked inside himself to try to find a source of this new feeling.
It came from this human, from his soul, and he could feel it spread along his nerves. It made every ending tingle with awareness as a word came to his mind. Blight. This man, this Richard, would create a Blight. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew in his bones it was bad. Opening his eyes, he felt stronger, more complete for some reason. He would think about that later. Right now, his female was being terrorized by this human, and that he could not abide.
Rolling his shoulders, he walked into the room, striding right up to the door that Richard held in as a block to prevent Layla from shutting him out. Tan felt immense pleasure in the sudden look in Richard’s eyes as he saw him. Tan grabbed the door, easily ripping it out of the man’s grip. Stepping up behind Layla, he filled the doorway with his presence.
“Is there a problem, baby?” He leaned down, planting a soft kiss against Layla’s lips. She visibly relaxed a little, turning so her back was against his chest. She used him to gather her shattered thoughts as he stared down Richard.
“No, no problem. Richard was just leaving.” Despite her strength, he could tell she was shaken. She was trembling against him, and that made anger trickle through his blood.
The man she called Richard backed up another step. He was tall for a human, but even so, he had to tilt his head back to meet Tan’s eyes. When he did, he looked like he was about to wet himself. It was as if he knew he was looking at someone dangerous, someone that would sooner kill him than look at him.
Tan didn’t like him at all—the human made his skin crawl, and riled up the beast so he was scratching at his insides. Against the backdrop of the white snow, he could see wisps of black rolling from this mortal, as if flames of darkness danced over his flesh. He felt it again, that rolling desire to stop this male from becoming a Blight. What did that mean? That word rolled about in his head, pounding along with his heartbeat.
“Who the fuck is this, Layla? Shacking up with criminals now?” The human male searched in his pocket for his keys, pulling them out and dropping them to the porch in his fear. Tan growled softly, keeping his voice low.
“Criminal? Oh, you mean me? I’m no criminal, just the guy she is engaged to. Might I suggest you leave?” Tan moved around Layla and out the door, walking toward the human. That caused Richard to stumble and miss his footing on the steps. He fell back, hard, landing on the frozen ground below with a nasty crack of his head to the earth. Tan picked up the fallen keys from the porch and lazily took the steps down toward him, twirling the keys on a finger.
“You really should be careful, Richard. Awfully slippery out here.” Tan offered the keys to the human. Richard bared his teeth, using his expensive car to get to his feet, one hand going to the bleeding spot on the back of his head.
“Shut up! This isn’t over, not by a long shot. I have friends, Layla. I hope you have a good lawyer. I’m going to sue for custody. Best say your goodbyes now!” The human had turned a deep red. The anger was clear now, the rage black and thick in the air. Tan could sense it around him, biting at his skin. The veins on the human’s face popped out as he snatched his keys from the demon and got into his car, slamming the door closed behind him.
Tan watched, his eyes locked on the mortal as he struggled to complete the simple task of getting the keys into the ignition and starting his car. The engine revved and the wheels spun on the ice, screeching loudly in the silence of the forest. The car fishtailed over the frozen gravel driveway before Richard regained control and tore off toward the main road. His tail lights vanished into the darkness, and finally Tan felt the beast settle back down.
A sob reached him and all his attention shifted. His head snapped to the side in time to catch Layla collapsing in the doorway, her hand to her chest as she began to sob over and over. He wasted no time bounding up the stairs and scooping her into his arms. He had her in the house in seconds, kicking the door closed behind him. She was trembling, shaking in his arms. Her tears soaked into his shirt, burning him as if they were acid. He swore he would find Richard and make him pay for every fallen tear that left her eyes.
She didn’t utter a word, just clung to him as if he were the only physical thing that existed in her world. His eyes moved to the backdoor. He wanted to get Annabelle, bring her in the house to calm her mother, but he could not leave Layla like this. At that moment one of the large bobcats walked past the fire and he locked his eyes on the fat creature.
“Hey, cat.” The beast gave him a very unimpressed looked and turned away. “I know you can understand me, so don’t just walk away, you flea bag. Go and get Annabelle. Her mother needs her.”
The animal made a low snorting grumbling noise and Tan figured he was probably being told where he could stick his request. He doubted it was somewhere pleasant.
“If you give a shit about this family you will do as you are told. Get the child. I know you can speak with her. I will not leave her mother in this state, and she needs her daughter, now.” Okay, so he might have put just a little too much anger in his voice, but he was pissed—mostly at Richard, and at himself for letting that pathetic human leave without breaking his arm first.
The bobcat let out a yowl and stretched out his body, clawing at the rug before heading toward the cat flap. Tan assumed this was a good thing. He shook his head and turned his attention back to a virtually comatose Layla, stroking a curl of her blond hair back behind her ear. She blinked and looked up at him.
“You with me, Layla?” He kept his voice low as he spoke. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and she didn’t respond. She just stared at him. “I won’t let him have her, I swear it. Where is Lexi? I thought she came home last night.” He would try anything to make her talk.
“Gone.” Her voice broke on that one word, her eyes shimmering as tears spilled over into rivers running down her cheeks. Tan frowned. That did not bode well. Had he caused this by staying here? His heart tightened. He did not want to be the reason Lexi had left.
“Mommy!” The high-pitched voice of her daughter snapped Layla from her daze and she slid from Tan’s lap to her knees, scooping up her child as she ran into her arms.
He watched as she cried, holding Annabelle to her and stroking her hair. It was as if she had not seen her daughter in months and they had just been reunited. Tan knew in his heart he would not allow Richard to break this family up. This kind of love should not be shattered by someone tainted like that man.