Born of Fire

Set up

A little while later, they cuddled and dozed on the couch. His scratchy stubbled chin grazed her forehead when he kissed her temple.

“Morning,” he murmured into her hair and she shuddered, both from the contact and the cool breeze from the fan on her naked behind.

“Is it still morning?” She scrunched her eyebrows in disbelief. Surely their activities lasted longer than an hour or two.

“It’s only eleven, still morning.” He kissed her head again.

Her head rested on his shoulder and she moved her hand to play with his chest hair for a while.

“Why haven’t you taken a mate?” she lifted her head to see his face and kissed his chest through the forest of hair.

He glanced at her for a moment, then stared at the ceiling. She didn’t think he was going to answer her, but finally he spoke.

“I met a witch during my first year of college. Her name was Dottie. She was older and experienced and beautiful.”

And apparently a cougar.

“Our liaisons lasted an entire semester, until I met Eliza. She was human, had a great sense of humor, and bested me in every argument. I adored her. I didn’t want to break Dottie’s heart, so I just stopped calling her. In hindsight, that wasn’t the best way to avoid breaking a woman’s heart.” He gave Kenna a half smile.

“When Dottie confronted me at my apartment, I told her about Eliza, that I was considering asking her to marry me and be my mate. Dottie was furious; she told me she loved me, that I belonged with her. I told her to leave and move on, though I’m pretty sure it didn’t come out the way I intended.

“She did leave, but she returned that night while I slept. I woke to her standing above me. She had just finished casting a spell. I pushed her against the wall, and demanded to know what she did to me. She called me a philanderer, said I enjoyed playing with women’s hearts. The spell she cast on me keeps me from being able to take a mate, from falling in love, or having children.”

“I thought our kind had to take mates before a certain age. Jacob says it’s usually around thirty.”

“She said I would always be a philanderer, wandering from bed to bed. Giving a little piece of my heart here and there keeps it from breaking completely.” He stopped playing with her hair and kept staring up at the ceiling in thought.

“What she did to you was evil, it’s like a spiritual castration.” She was angry on his behalf, furious, she wanted nothing more than to go back in time and take her anger out on this woman. She was surprised when he chuckled.

“More like a spiritual vasectomy. All the parts are still there in working order, I just can’t produce anything from them.” This conversation was going downhill fast, it was time to change course.

“What about Darren? He has a daughter, so he must've had a mate. What happened to her?” He let out a troubled sigh.

“His situation is complicated. A long time ago, he could have been a stronger Alpha than I am, but he lost his first mate.” Her eyes widened in shock.

“He lost more than one? Jacob says most don’t survive the loss of a mate.”

“Most don’t. The first one was killed some time before World War II. No one knows much about how she died except that it nearly killed him too. His family helped him pull through it, encouraged him to go to medical school. That’s where he met Rochelle’s mother, Sofia, another werewolf. They had a son, and she was pregnant with Rochelle when the mother and son were murdered right in front of him. He had to cut Rochelle out of her mother’s body.”

“How did either of them survive?” She didn’t cry often, but she was dangerously close right now.

“His daughter needed him, and he had help. His parents were the only ones to give him responsibilities to get his mind off things. When they died in a car accident, I took them into my pack. His brothers tried to coddle him, which is the last thing he needed in his situation. He thrives off service, giving him something to do helps.”

“I don’t think I could have done so well in those circumstances. I would have gone insane.” A few tears finally slipped from her eyes.

“I would have torn the throat out of anyone who came my way. He’s not an Alpha anymore, but he’s stronger than any Alpha I know. He takes his weaknesses and pain and channels them into a desire to care for everyone.”

She thought about the way Darren would sometimes switch from submissive, to not quite ordering her to do something. Like when he needed to take some of her blood.

“Why didn’t you kill the witch who enchanted you?” Kenna asked randomly.

“What would that accomplish? It won’t remove this spell, or heal her heart that I broke, or give me a mate and child.” She thought about that for a moment.

“Maybe you make up for those voids in your life like Darren does.”

“What do you mean?” he looked confused.

“By taking care of everyone, Darren, your pack, the kids from the hospital, the women you sleep with.” He laughed.

“Maybe you’re right.” He sat up a little and helped her scoot with him.

“Speaking of Darren," he said. "I am worried about him. I don’t think he’s been on a date since his wife died.”

“I can see why he would be uncomfortable with dating or falling in love again. I’d be terrified.”

“Still, it’s not good for wolves our age to be alone,” He mused.

“There’s really nothing you can do about it,” she pointed out.

“No, but you might be able to do something.” She arched her eyebrow at him suspiciously.

“You could go out with him, just to help him get comfortable with being around women in that way again.” She looked at him in shock and horror.

“We just had s*x and you’re trying to set me up with someone else?” She was in utter disbelief.

“I’m not asking you to sleep with him, though you’re welcome to.” She stood up and walked over to the t.v. above the fireplace, dragging the throw blanket with her and leaving him exposed to the air. She was tempted to point out that the room was cold.

“What is wrong with you?” This guy was seriously messed up, in a freaky caring type of way. “He already told you we don’t think of each other that way. It feels completely wrong. I just slept with you, for crying out loud.”

“I’m asking as a favor, just to get him used to the idea of dates. He’s still somewhat young for a wolf; you don’t want him to spend the rest of his life alone, do you?”

This was beyond crazy. Now that they were on equal footing, she wasn’t about to sleep with him again, that was certain. She looked him square in the eye.

“I’ll do it, but not as a favor to you. I like Darren and don’t want him to be alone, but I will promise you I am not sleeping with him.”

“I’m not asking you to.”

“If he says no to the date, you won’t pressure him?”

“I won’t order him either, but I will try to gently encourage.”

“Fine,” she gritted through clenched teeth. She grabbed her bloody torn clothes and put them on, then walked over to grab a set of car keys on the hook by the door. She walked outside and pressed the key fob and stopped. In front of her beeped a gorgeous black Maserati.

She stared at the car and rushed to it giddy with glee. She walked around a sleek and shiny-well-cared for car and took in the view. She opened the door and was going to get in until a small beat-up geo metro pulled into the driveway. A tiny white-haired-old-woman got out of the car and glared at Ben when he came to greet her.

“What do I owe the pleasure this afternoon, Marie?”

“One of your damned wolves killed my goat!” She shook a pointed finger at him violently, her timbre low and scratchy like that of a smoker.

“Was it the goat I found standing in my kitchen last week?” Ben wore a patiently amused expression, she doubted he would kill a goat… What was a goat doing in his kitchen?

“Loki was a good boy! He liked you, is all! He did you no harm!” Kenna worried for the woman who took a few steps too close to the Alpha, but he looked relaxed and sympathetic.

“Loki was an apt name for your goat, and I assure you that if any of my people had anything to do with his death I will make sure justice is done.” He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder to calm her, but she merely shook her finger at him again.

“You can be damned sure justice will be done. If another of my livestock turns up dead, you’ll be takin’ its place. Better stay away from my brood mares, my stud’s feeling mighty frisky.” Kenna covered her mouth with her hand. Her unsuppressed giggles earned her a dirty look from the old lady who muttered “hussy” under her breath and got in her car. It drove down the dirt road, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.

“Who was that?” Kenna asked when she was able to catch her breath in between hiccups of laughter.

“Marie Williams, she lives about a mile north of here. She’s a human born to witch parents, which is how she knows about us.” He chuckled as he shook his head.

“Apparently she’s going to have you violated by a horse.” She snorted and laughed as he rolled his eyes.

“I thought I just was,” he retorted childishly. She hurrumphed and bent to take off her shoe to throw at him, but he had already run back inside. She flipped her middle finger out in the direction of the house and hopped as she used the other hand to put her shoe back on.

“I want my car back by dinner time,” he said from the doorway. “Darren will meet you at the hotel in half an hour.” He shut it again and she could hear him chuckling through the door.

She got into the shiny black car and rubbed her hands over the seats and dash. It smelled nice. She started the engine and it sounded nice, too. She took off after the remaining dust trail, but instead of making a left at the stop sign, she turned right onto the highway toward the hotel.

Darren waited for her with coffee in the lobby of La Luna. His hair was damp and smelled like soap. Both the crusted blood from the fight and the results from the other activities left her craving a shower in the worst way. She accepted the coffee gratefully and took as large a sip as she dared. It wasn’t as hot as the rising steam had led her to believe, so she took a larger gulp.

“Ben told me you wanted to speak with me about something?” Darren was trying his best not to look suspicious, but he had known Ben for a long time. She could tell he wasn’t fooled.

“Can we talk after I take a shower?” She knew he could smell what they had been up to but was too polite to mention anything. She was still inexperienced enough to feel embarrassed and didn’t want to explain herself.

The other guests and hotel employees stared at the blood on her shirt and jeans as they walked by and she wondered what they were thinking.

“There’s still a leftover pizza. I can heat that up if you’d like.” He stood aside as she unlocked the door. He went through first, which irked her a little since she was more the dominant of the two. It was the Alpha’s job to protect the submissives, but he had been dominant before and old habits die hard. She let it go, no sense in making him feel bad.

“I would love more pizza,” she said cheerfully. That was a good pizza.

He sat down and turned on the xbox he had offered to filch from Ben’s house while she grabbed clean clothes. She stood there for a brief moment watching him play an RPG. CGI blood sprayed on the screen when he lopped off a few more goblin heads, and she thought of the blood that still covered her. It had only been slightly more fun than chopping off goblin heads would be.

She sighed and went into the bathroom and turned on the water. She undressed slowly, she was always curious if she looked different after s*x. She wiped the steam off the mirror and examined her naked body. During their lovemaking, Ben had told her she was beautiful. Neither of her other partners had ever called her that.

Khal was the one who taught Martial Arts after the students graduated from her class and he was her first. He was a fire mage who was incredibly gifted with all forms of weaponry, whereas her specialty was hand-to-hand combat. She had a crush on him most of her life and last year finally got up the courage to ask him out. She had planned on asking him if he wanted to go into town for dinner, but when she knocked on the door and told him of her feelings, he invited her to spend the night. The next morning he was gone and when she approached him later he refused to speak about it or acknowledge it in any way. He was rather hostile the last time she saw him and now kept the conversations to work or politics.

Her feelings were crushed. Later that year, she spent the night with one of Khal’s students, Alec, another werewolf. He was eighteen, the same age as she was at the time, and she had sparred with him a couple of years prior. He was nice and easygoing, a good fighter. She knew she only wanted to be with him to make herself feel better, and hopefully to stick it to Khal. What she hadn’t planned on was him asking her for feedback about form and strategy. It was as if he were her pupil again, though this time he was obviously the more experienced player. She graciously told him he was fine, and she didn’t have many frames of reference for him to improve. This had happened a little over a year ago and she decided to give up for a while.

She shook her head clear of the memories and got into the shower. She washed the blood from her hair and under her nails. She grinned while she scrubbed around her cuticles. That blood wasn’t from the fight. She turned off the cold water when she finished washing her memories away and toweled herself dry. She was pleased when she noticed Ben’s scent was still faintly wafting from her skin. Now all she had to do was find Rochelle and give her a hug.

She dressed and walked out into the sitting area, pawing at her long hair with the towel. Darren’s elf had moved on to the boss level and was viciously attacking the giant dragon with a sword as it cast one spell after another. She bet many witches and elves wished magic worked so quickly. A few moments later, the dragon’s red bar was depleted for the last time and Darren flopped back against the couch, his arms raised in victory and she gave him a high-five.

“I always lose patience before getting to the boss level. I keep dying in the fire pits.” She wrinkled her nose in frustration.

“Have you tried it with the Boots of the Saint?”

“No, where did you find those?” she had never heard of them.

“The first town’s main plaza,” he said as he switched off the console and walked over to the microwave to heat up the pizza. “So, what did Ben ask you to convince me to do that he wouldn’t order me to?”

“He wants you to go on a date with me.” She had expected him to be shocked by this, but wasn’t surprised that he wasn’t. He merely rolled his eyes and laughed.

“It’s alright. He does this often.”

“Tries to set you up with a woman after sleeping with her?”

“Yup.” The microwave beeped and he retrieved the pizza and set it on the table as she sat down. “He won’t order me to date, he says that would be abusing his authority. So he convinces them to ask me out instead.”

“That would get annoying fast.” She shook her head in bewilderment.

“You’ve no idea.” He laughed. “I know he’s worried about me, but he doesn’t need to be.”

“Oh?” She had a feeling Ben was out of the loop on something.

“For a long time I spent my energy raising my daughter. He’s worried that I’ll regress now that she’s grown.”

“Why aren’t you seeing anyone, if you don’t mind my asking?” Now that he mentioned it, she was a little worried about that possibility too.

“Who says I’m not?” she raised an eyebrow at his answer and he handed her a packet of ranch. She slathered it on her pizza while she waited for his answer. “Things are…complicated right now and I don’t need a well-meaning Alpha to interfere.”

“It’s his job to care. I think he’ll leave things alone if you ask him to.” She pointed out.

“The relationship is in a fragile state since the circumstances are what they are. It’s best no one else is made aware, I haven’t really told anyone else about this girl, not even Rochelle.” He found another ranch packet and dumped the entire thing on his pizza as well, yet another thing they had in common. She enjoyed his friendship and felt honored he would share this information with her.

“I won’t tell anyone, but I do think you should. It’ll do more harm than good to hide this relationship from the people who care about you.” She waved a slice of pizza in the air as she spoke.

“Like I said, it’s complicated, though I thank you for your discretion.” She thought about his strange predicament for a moment, then had an idea. Hopefully it was brighter than it felt in her head.

“I think you should go on a date with me.” It was his turn to raise an eyebrow and look at her suspiciously. Obviously, he thought she’d gone insane.

“Think about it, he hasn’t made any effort to let up on his matchmaking, so why not go ahead and give him what he wants? It might make him shut up for a bit if you’re seen spending time with me. It won’t be that bad either. We enjoy each other’s company, and you won’t have to worry about sleeping with me since you’re probably the last person I would ever think of sleeping with.” His eyebrow raised even higher before he broke into a fit of laughter.

“I think I might be offended if I didn’t feel exactly the same way about you,” he said when he could finally catch his breath and ran a hand through his blond curls.

“You’re aware this will probably backfire? And not in a way that’s good for me. I’ve never seen him get jealous over someone before like he was earlier.”

“I hadn’t thought of that, but he told me what happened between him and the witch. As much as I’d like to think it was jealousy, it was probably him wanting the chance to get to me first.”

“I can’t begin to speculate what goes through his head when it comes to women. I get a headache trying to.” He winced and took a bite of pizza. “There’s a Pack Meet tonight, that’s where we get together and discuss important stuff like barbeque, football, and where everyone is spending the full moon.”

“I thought everyone was on lockdown because of the murders?” She had forgotten about the lockdown.

“Ben’s spending the rest of the day rounding everyone up from the safe houses and bringing them to his place. We’ll probably discuss the murders too. Hopefully, he’s letting us all in on his plans, plus he has to take care of the situation with Frank.”

“Wait a minute, if everyone is on lockdown, why are you running amok? And why did Rochelle get to go to work?” He shook his head and laughed.

“Ben likes to think he can tell my daughter what to do, but she has a habit of getting her way.” He stared at the last bite of his pizza, his wry smile faded and he finally pushed the piece into his mouth and dusted his hands.

She didn’t know the woman well enough to judge her character, so she was a little surprised at this revelation. She had been manipulated enough by the man, but then she had been around soldiers most of her life. They were too busy planning and training for potential threats than to try manipulating school girls. Jacob was blunt and honest to a fault, a trait she seemed to inherit through her years being raised by the man. She had no talent for manipulation. Her only method of getting what she wanted included her fists. That wasn’t going to work with Ben, since she needed his help. She could beat him in battle if it really came down to it. Probably.

She was just about to reach for the last slice of pizza when Darren’s phone rang. He answered it quickly and Ben’s voice came loud and clear through the receiver.

“There’s been another one. Meet me at Smith’s place.” Ben hung up and Darren held the receiver for a moment before following suit. He pinched the bridge of his nose and swore.

“There’s been another murder,” Darren told her.