Page 11 of Fight (Kitsune #2)

He blinked. "Well, that's different. I don't think that's a power that the kindred have."

"As far as I know, it's not. He gets it from his Native American blood.

Apparently his grandmother taught him to hide it from a very young age.

I only found out recently, when he confronted me about being a shape-shifter.

He said he'd seen me shift." I thought about it for just a second.

"Actually it was the day we went running on the mountain, the day you over did it and I doubled back for the truck.

" I went back to the couch and sat down facing him.

"He called me to his place a couple of weeks ago, and confronted me about it.

Said he's known about the kindred, though he didn't have the name for us, for a long time.

Since he doesn't want his secret out, he's kept ours too. "

Devon could only stare at me, at a loss for words.

"When I found out, I went to Bill, I told him what Raine had said, what he knew. Bill said if he's kept the secret this long, we really have no reason not to trust him. He told me I could tell Raine whatever I felt the need to."

"That's good." A look of relief washed across his face. "I almost had a heart attack when you started telling him about pack business."

"I wouldn't have, without permission. But at the same time, I figured he's another pair of eyes and an outside witness if we have to take this to Bill."

"That's true." He leaned towards me and pulled me into his arms again. "I'm sorry our date was interrupted with this."

"Me too, but I'm glad that now I know about your being harassed."

"I wish you didn't. I don't want you worrying about it." His voice softened as he buried his face in my hair, inhaling my scent.

"It's not that I want to worry about it," I resisted the draw of his body, so close to mine. "but that I don't like secrets."

"I can understand that, and I'm sorry I kept it from you. I didn't mean to hide it, I just didn't think it was that important."

"All right. I guess I'll forgive you, this once.

" I smiled against his neck as I turned and inhaled his scent.

I could smell the tang of the pack beneath the deep smoky scent that was uniquely Devon.

"But we don't have to let a little interruption stop us.

" I gently bit the side of his neck. "We would have ended up here anyway.

" I pulled back slightly and pressed my lips against his.

Saturday afternoon Devon and I were taking it easy.

We were both off, we'd gone out for a run together as wolves early that morning, and now we were lounging beside the pool, resting from swimming laps and drying off a bit before going inside, when Brandon approached the pool area.

Apparently he'd been on his way to my apartment when he spotted us, and decided to confront us then and there.

"Is this why you don't return my calls?" He said snidely from the other side of the fence surrounding the cemented pool deck. "You're too busy lounging around the pool with the impostor?"

Startled, I sat up and turned to look at him. I was fed up with this. He behaved like he had some say in what I do, and who I spend time with, and I wasn't taking anymore.

"No, this isn't why I don't return your calls." I said calmly. "I don't return your calls, because I have nothing to say to you." I looked away, thinking that the best course would be to ignore him, to not give him the scene he was trying for.

"Don't turn your back on me! How dare you? You are my mate, and I won't have you hanging around with this scum."

I stood, and moved closer to Brandon. Not close enough he could reach through the fence and grab me, but close enough I could speak normally and not be overheard by casual passersby.

"Brandon, my not returning your calls, has nothing to do with Devon and everything to do with you.

" I looked him in the eye as I spoke my voice quiet, but firm.

"You've changed, Brandon, and I don't like who you've become.

I don't waste my time with people who judge others on things they have no control over.

People who think that they're superior, simply because they have an ability that most of the world doesn't, even some unfortunate members of their own species, disgust me.

And frankly, I would have thought, that after twenty years of friendship, you would know that. "

"But, you're my mate." He acted like this was supposed to make a difference.

"No, Brandon, I'm not. I may be a potential mate for you, I have to take your word for that, but you are not one to me."

"I have to be. We're meant to be together. If only this impostor would stop trying to steal you away from me." He motioned to Devon.

I stepped a little closer, lowering my voice even further, knowing he could still hear it.

"First, Devon is not an impostor. He is as kindred as you are, and probably more than I am.

Any relationship I may be having with him, has no impact on my relationship, or again, lack thereof, with you.

I am an adult. I make my own decisions about who I spend my time with and who I don't. Right now, you are on the don't list, and you'll remain there as long as you feel the need to treat me as property, or treat Devon, or any non-shifting Kindred or human, as somehow less than you.

Second, it's impossible for someone to steal something from you, that never belonged to you.

I am not, nor have I ever been 'yours'."

"You can't do that-" He started.

"Wanna bet?" I challenged him, stepping closer again.

I watched his face turn purple, his anger growing exponentially. "You're sleeping with him. I can smell it on you." I think he was trying to shock me by being blunt.

"I don't see how that's any of your business, Brandon." I struggled to remain calm. "I think it would be best if you left now."

"Fine, I'll go. But I'll be back."

I turned by back on him and went back to my chair. Devon watched him leave, and waited until he was gone, to say anything.

"What did he say that finally pissed you off?"

"He was nasty about you and me. He insulted you repeatedly, and then said he knew I'm sleeping with you, that he could smell it on me." I snorted, "I don't care if it's true, it's tacky to say so."

He nodded. "Think he'll take the hint, and leave you alone?"

"I don't think so." Shaking my head, I continued. "I'm going to have to go to Bill about him again. I don't want to, but he's not leaving me any other choice."

"That pretty much how I see it, but I was hoping you'd come to the conclusion on your own."

"As much as I might want to deny it, I have to face facts. I miss what our friendship used to be, but I really can't use that to justify putting up with what he's doing now."

"I'm sorry you have to go through this."

"It's not your fault."

"It kind of is. He's being shitty over me."

"If it wasn't you, he would have found something to get shitty over. Remember, he started this long before you and I were anything more than old friends getting reacquainted. No. This is all on him."

"Still, I don't like that it's hurting you." Devon took my hand. "It's not my doing and I have no way to keep it from hurting you, but I don't have to like it."

"No, you don't." I smiled wryly." I like that about you. You don't feel like you have to stand in front of me, and protect me, from anything I might find unpleasant. You let me stand on my own. Deal with my own problems."

"If I stood in front of you and protected you, from everything it would be like trying to stop you, from being you.

" He said simply. "You've always been fiercely independent, even when we were kids.

I always admired that about you, and I loved that your folks were so good about not trying to crush it, and you, in the process. "

"Here I spent all this time, thinking that you thought of me as the bratty little sister, who wouldn't leave the older kids alone."

"While I won't deny your ability to be bratty when you want to be, that's not at all what I thought about you. Then, now, or at any time in between."

"You thought about me while you were gone?" I was both surprised and touched.

"Sometimes. There were times when I would get particularly homesick, and I would think about you, wonder what you were doing with your life. After a while, the mood would pass and I'd engross myself in my life again."

"I never knew."

"You weren't supposed to. I had no intention of ever coming back for more than a day or two, brief visits to my parents.

Leaving the area, and the people here, was part of how I dealt with not being able to shift.

Somehow, I think even then, I understood your need to be near your family, no matter how independent you might be. " He squeezed my hand.

"I can't say I'm sorry you came back. Though I am sorry you had to get hurt and lose a career you loved, in order to do it.

If you hadn't, I don't know where I'd be.

I'd like to think I wouldn't be spending time with Brandon, but if you hadn't come back when you did, he might not have revealed who he really is and I could have been. "

"I'm glad I came back too, that I reconnected with you. Not because you've given me the ability to shift, though I do appreciate that, but because I wouldn't give up what we're building together, even to go back to my old life."

I pulled him toward me, meeting him in the middle, and kissed him.

"I'm ready to go inside, how about you?"

"More than ready" He kissed me softly, before gathering our things. Impatient for privacy, we headed for his apartment.

Sunday afternoon, after thinking about it for the last twenty-four hours, I called Bill. I knew I needed to tell him about Brandon's attitude, and his refusal to leave me alone.

"Brandon came by again yesterday." I said once I had Bill on the line.

Bill was silent for a moment, before I heard him sigh. "What did he do this time?"

"He caught Devon and I out by the pool, he confronted us out in the open."

"Did he endanger us?"

I thought back for a second. "I wouldn't say so, but I'm rather glad it was so public. It kept him from being too obnoxious, or turning violent again."

"There is that. What happened exactly?"

I recounted the whole event, only leaving out what Brandon had said about being able to smell Devon on me.

I probably should have told Bill that part, but it was embarrassing.

I wrapped the story with, "The whole time I talked to him, I was careful to stay out of his reach and I left him outside the pool fence.

He would have had to work to hit me again. "

Bill was getting angry. "I've had about enough of this.

He's defied me again. I told him to stay away from you again after the last time we talked.

" He was frustrated and venting more than expecting me to say anything.

"I'm going to handle this, once and for all.

" Bill said, calming some. "You shouldn't have to worry about him anymore, Nickie. I'm going to see to that."

"While I have you, I had something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

I told him about the vandalism of Devon's truck, and my suspicions that Brandon was behind it. As I expected, he said that without some kind of proof, we couldn't punish him for it.

"But if there is any more property damage I want you to contact me right away." He said.

"I will, I promise." I meant it. I wasn't going to let it go on anymore. "Do you have any leads on non-shifters for me yet?" I asked.

"I've been looking into a few, but I really don't know where I'll be sending you yet. I'll let you know as soon as I do."

"That's all right, I was just curious. Thanks for your help with Brandon."

"No problem." Bill said. "Thanks for keeping me informed about what's going on." We said our goodbyes and rang off. I was left feeling relieved. From what I understood, Bill was going to put an end to the harassment, and I honestly couldn't say I would miss it.