Following the Feeling Ch. 04

Thank you again for your comments and for your patience. I hope I haven't lost readers with the time it took me to finish Chapter 4. Chap 5 is in process, but I can't promise I'll have it up right away. All good things in due time, right?

Cricketmuse

*

From behind the bar Jasmine and Mason watched Grayson leave with his twin entourage. Some people gawked at them as they passed, but most had moved on with their evening. When Kiera didn't emerge from the back within a few minutes Mason said he was going to check on her.

"Don't bother," Jasmine remarked. "She probably just needs to cool off."

"I'd think you'd be more interested in what went on," Mason muttered under his breath. "You're not one to pass up juicy gossip."

Jasmine smiled flirtatiously while a customer gave her a large tip. The balding man practically drooled on the bar whenever she served him. Her exotic features always kept the compliments and tips flowing.

Moving down to where Mason filled pint glasses with lager she replied, "I'll get the story soon enough, but we're too packed to take a time-out for interrogation. Besides if Kiera doesn't want to talk then I'll need back-up and Amber isn't expected until eleven."

"Cheater."

They grinned at each other and went back to work.

** ** ** *** ** ** **

Grayson used the short drive to refocus his thoughts from what happened at the bar to his pack. He knew the trackers' report could not be shared over the phone line since privacy could only be ensured within pack confines. Still he fought the urge to return to Kiera and overcome her objections. He was sure he could quell her fears if given more time alone. His mouth watered at the thought of seducing her slowly. Once his craving was sated then he could again think rationally. No more chasing after pretty little humans, no matter how unique she was.

Lena, Alistair and the scouts waited in one of the conference rooms. They exchanged brief pleasantries, skillfully skirting his field trip, and then got down to business.

"We followed the wolf's trail northwest until it ended at a shack just a mile out our boundary."

"In Rudd's territory?" Grayson inquired.

"That is correct, Sir," Wyatt, the pack's lead tracker, answered. "However the shack was located deep in the woods far south of their hub. We didn't scent others either. It seems to have been a one man operation."

Lena grimaced. "That doesn't give us much of lead."

The subordinate trackers shifted uncomfortably as no one wanted to provide bad news to their Alphas, but Wyatt stated, "This does give us some information, my Lady. We can assume that the rogue acted on his own motives and tried to make us think Rudd was involved in the attack. He may have intended to start a war between packs and then moved in to take over the losing Alpha's pack at its weakest moment."

Alistair huffed. "That's a lot of assumptions based on a shack in the woods, Wyatt. Did you find anything there to support your theory?"

"We found nothing. By scent alone we calculated that he'd been in that location for at least two weeks, but we found no evidence of life. No food stores, no ash in the fireplace, nothing. If it hadn't been for Brian," he pointed to one of the wolves, "we would have lost the trail long before finding the shack. It was as if the attacker didn't exist."

"And this made you conclude that he was purposely trying to frame Rudd for the attack," Grayson stated. "Assuming he succeeded and then left a trail to Rudd's territory, we might well have believed what he intended. Are you sure no one else was involved?"

Wyatt shook his head. "We can't be sure of anything with what little we found. He may well have been working for Rudd or with other wolves. All we know is that no one else was at the shack."

The trio dismissed the scouts with thanks despite their dissatisfaction with the report. They discussed how to proceed with the little information they received and decided to keep security bulked up in the meantime. Gray also ordered to have a couple scouts sent into Rudd's territory to make discreet inquiries on the pack's status. If discovered, it would anger the fellow Alpha and possibly create a new enemy of their closest neighbor. Rudd was more reasonable than quick tempered, but he would not like being spied upon. Once business was concluded they ordered supper to be served. They discussed how the pack was reacting to recent events and concluded most were concerned, but not panicked.

They were chatting about recent births and matings when the subject Grayson feared, but expected arose.

"Speaking of mated bliss, Gray, how did your errand go?"

"Fine."

"Behave, my love," Lena intervened. "Gray is allowed his privacy when it comes to amatory pursuits."

Grayson lifted a brow at that. The pack respected his position, but often tracked his daily movements like the worst paparazzi. And while he had been known to pursue humans for a night's pleasure they'd be shocked to know he had practically begged Kiera for a date. Which she refused. If he was as wise as they gave him credit for, he'd cut his losses and find a nice mid-ranking wolf to play with.

"She doesn't want to see me again," he admitted to his friends.

"I'm certain she didn't want to see you the first time," Alistair smirked, "but I take it you did your best to convince her otherwise?"

Gray took a deep breath, smelled her on his clothes, and knew they could smell her too. "I asked her very politely. Then we argued...again. I kissed her. Then something weird happened. And then you called. I told her I'd be back."

Lena tapped her fingernails on the table. "Why don't you just call her up and ask her out instead of driving back over there. If she refuses then maybe you should move on. No use wasting your time chasing after someone who doesn't want to be chased."

Her words made him picture chasing after Kiera in the woods like prey. Imagined what would happen when he caught her. His blood pumped harder just thinking about it.

"Sure," Alistair was saying, "give her a ring and offer to meet her in neutral territory, like a coffeehouse or something."

"Or invite her to join her friend for dinner tomorrow. She may be more comfortable in a casual get together."

"I want her to myself," Grayson stated.

Silence.

"Forgive my plain speaking," Alistair began, "but this doesn't seem to be your usual situation so your pursuit should be different. Take her. Take her until she submits to your advances and then…" he finished with a gesture.

Gray mulled that over a minute then said, "There are laws against that sort of approach, Al."

Lena grasped her mate's hand and said, "Love, the rules of the pack don't work in the human world. He couldn't possibly take that approach and not face repercussions."

Alistair squeezed Lena's hand and said, "Yes, of course you're right, my dear."

Grayson rolled his eyes at the lovestruck duo and stood. "I'm going to excuse myself now."

On his way out of the conference room Alistair called out, "Just call her, friend. Call her home, her cell, her business, but just don't let this fester. We don't want to deal with your temper."

"I don't have her phone number," Gray retorted.

Alistair grinned. "Of course we do. We also have her home address, her friends' numbers and all sorts of useful information."

Glaring Gray replied, "I told you to not do a background search, I'd hate to find my orders were disobeyed."

"Nonsense we'd acquired that information before you called halt. The file is on your desk."

Gray walked out and wandered through the hallways leading to the surveillance room. He stopped when he reached the door and stared at it for a few moments. It was ridiculous to call her after she had denied him. Denied his offer. Denied his kiss. But did she really or was she just scared by her response? He recalled those minutes when she met him kiss for scorching kiss. They devoured each other in those precious few minutes. It was her own response that scared her, and him too if he was honest. The overwhelming emotion of everyone around them burned into his brain and made him draw away from her. Was the risk of that reoccurring more threatening than her refusal?

No.

He wanted. He would have.

Grayson stalked to his office, intimidating everyone along the way with his purposeful glare. Sitting atop his desk was a red folder. He sat and opened it up. Perusing through the first few pages he saw photocopies of Kiera's driver's license, her college transcript and other personal information. Glancing at the clock he debated which number would be best to reach her. At 12:30 she was probably still working so he decided her cell phone was the safest option. He dialed and listened impatiently to each ring.

"Five minutes!" Her curt voice answered and then there was a click.

He stared at the handset as the dial tone buzzed and wondered what to do next.

** ** ** *** ** ** **

For her part Kiera didn't have a lot of time to dwell on the heated moments in the office. She tried to return to inventory, but after a half an hour Mason came down and said the patrons were requesting her presence at the bar. Many of the customers who witnessed her verbal smack down were impressed and wanted to buy her a drink, or at least buy a drink from her.

"They want a cold one from the hot vixen," he said and she reluctantly made her way up front.

Mostly it was men, young and middle aged who wanted to try their hand at wooing the woman who almost started a bar brawl. She supposed it was a male thing, but nevertheless she smiled and joked with them and sent them on their way. Jasmine, never short of male attention herself, helped her handle the more persistent, inebriated ones. Friday's were always busy and the night provided no exception. At one point Adam, the bouncer, had to stop the inflow of patrons when they reached max capacity. The noise and orders were all good things for the business and for Kiera's state of mind. She was able to focus on work only for several hours and dodge any questioning from her friends. Amber came in for the closing shift around 11:00 and took over Jasmine's place until closing.

Kiera was in the middle of a large order when her cell phone, hooked in her pants, started vibrating. She let it go to voicemail while she finished making drinks. A few minutes later it buzzed again so she picked up.

"Hey it's Gareth, we need to talk."

"I'm a little busy here," she replied.

"I know, but it's important," he insisted.

Kiera grimaced, Gareth's definition of important was vague. He could be stranded somewhere or just need help picking out a shirt.

"Is it life or death?"

"No, but…"

"Then I'll call you back in five minutes." Kiera ended the call and rushed with a smile to the next set of customers.

A scarce minute later her phone buzzed again. She considered ignoring it, but picked it up and shouted, "Five minutes!" then hung up.

Fortunately her phone remained silent for the next twenty minutes it took to serve the pressing crowd. When she reached a lull in her bartending duties she switched places with Mason behind the bar and went into the office where she could hear herself think. She took a deep, cleansing breath, smiling at the revenue they were making tonight and then called Gareth back.

"That was longer than 5 minutes, you know," he grumbled.

"Sorry, Garebear, but we've got a full house tonight. Sorry about yelling at you, what's up?"

There a pause on the other end and then he began, "Well it seems silly now, but…"

She rolled her eyes, and prompted, "Go ahead and spill. You know you want to tell me."

"It's just that I was a Happiness having some drinks with the guys and I got the feeling I was being watched. I spotted some big guy checking me out and he might have just been a bear, but I got the heebie jeebies from the looks he was giving me."

Knowing that Happiness was a bar geared towards the male gay community and that a bear was not Gareth's type of man, Kiera consoled, "You can't always choose the kind of guys you check out. None of us can. Did he try to pressure you or anything?"

Another pause. "No, but I thought I had seen him earlier today. And then again at the bar. My mind may just be preoccupied by what happened last night, but do you think he could have been one of them? And that maybe he's following me?"

Mulling over her own experience she said, "I don't know, Gare. Grayson came to the bar tonight and we talked, but I didn't get the impression that we were being treated as a threat or being watched."

"Grayson? The guy in charge of all of them came to your bar? What'd he want?" Gareth's voice rose incredulously.

"He just, uh, brought me my purse."

"Your purse? Huh. Doesn't he have peons or something to do that sort of stuff?"

Kiera shifted in her chair, suddenly conscious of the warmth caused by recent memories. She knew that Grayson didn't have to come personally and after the kiss they shared she knew exactly why he'd come. But it didn't change the fact that she couldn't pursue a relationship with him, or anyone for that matter. Her ability could harm anyone she let too close. She tried to explain that to him and even after getting a small taste he seemed unconvinced. However it was a lesson she learned the hard way when she was younger and had no intention of repeating.

"I guess he was already heading this way," she lied, "but I really don't think they're following us."

"You're probably right," Gareth conceded. "I'll still ask Lena tomorrow night just to be sure."

They spoke for a few minutes longer about his plans the following night and what her night had been like. She skirted the events from earlier in the evening and left out the kiss entirely. She knew he'd hear about it eventually, but didn't want to endure an interrogation. At least not yet, she knew Jasmine was just biding her time. She'd left the bar for a late dinner, but would most likely return after closing to corner her. As a rule they kept no secrets and she knew they were dying to know more about Grayson. It was both a blessing and curse to have such a close knit group of friends. And keeping anything from Amber, a clairvoyant, was a wasted effort. She often knew things before they occurred.

I saw you in the arms of a beast.

So that's what that meant. Pretty literal, Kiera thought. Amber's predictions were normally enigmatic and fractured where "beast" could mean trouble or a really bad day. She supposed that Grayson's outer form hid what he really was, but he was still a beast. A werewolf.

Shaking her head Kiera pushed aside her useless introspection and went back out to finish her shift.

** ** ** *** ** ** **

After last call it took an additional 45 minutes to get everyone out. They cashed the tills, cleaned up before gathering at one of the tall tables to sort out tips and share interesting stories about their customers.

Mason broached the subject about Grayson first. "So, K, what was that about?"

She didn't pretend to misunderstand, "He's just someone Gareth and I ran into last night. As it turned out I left my purse at the restaurant he owns and he was nice enough to deliver it. The rest was just…misguided heroics."

Mason still looked dissatisfied.

Jasmine was downright skeptical. "I'm not an empath, but I know sexual tension when I see it. He wasn't being heroic, he was staking a claim. I wouldn't have been surprised if he knocked you over the head and carried you out of here. You know we're going to get the truth so spill."

Kiera resigned herself to sharing all the details. "He did express interest and we…let's just say Amber was right."

Smiling dreamily Amber replied, "I usually am, eventually. What was I right about this time?"

"You said you saw me in the arms of beast. Well Grayson was that beast. We fought and then we kissed."

Jumping up Jasmine declared, "I knew it! That hotness was all over you like a dog in heat wasn't he? All those muscles and that sexy body just about melted my bones when I saw him. I don't blame you, sister. Nicely done and it's about time I say."

Kiera was uncomfortable with her friend's description which was probably more accurate than she realized. She was saved from admitting anything further when Amber interjected.

"No, that hasn't happened yet. I still see you in the arms of a beast," she muttered. "Not long from now, but not now. Or did it? I can't tell for sure. I see you here, so maybe it has happened." Amber looked around bemused. "Something's missing, it's night, but not now night."

As she lapsed into confused silence the rest shared a knowing look. Amber was a genius, but her mouth and brain didn't always agree. Sometimes she lost herself in her visions and lost track of time and place. It used to be unnerving, but they were used to her fractured explanations.

"Regardless," Kiera began again, "I'm not going to see him again so it isn't important."

"Why not?" Jasmine griped. "You never date. And now this mouthwatering prime example of luscious man throws himself at you and you just dismiss him? Kiera you're crazy to blow him off."

"You know why."

They stared at each other for several moments. They knew to what she referred, but no one wanted to say it out loud. Even years old it was still a sensitive issue.

Quietly Jasmine said, "Kiera, love, you can't keep yourself apart from the world for the rest of your life. It wasn't your fault."

"I disagree."

With that Kiera got up and headed to the office to collect her belongings. When she returned everyone was ready to lock up. They walked out the back and stood in the cool evening air saying their good-byes. However after several moments of chatting, the previous conversation dropped, they decided no one was ready for bed. Instead they walked around to the front, crossed the street and strolled through the park. It was dimly lit which suited them fine. Adam walked slightly behind them, always on guard in the dark. They talked and laughed all the way to a small 24 hour diner across the park. It was almost 4 am before they decided to go home. All tension eased, the paranorms and Adam parted ways with hugs and kisses.

While hugging Kiera close, Jasmine whispered a parting shot of "Give him a chance."

Kiera entered her dark house and was immediately accosted by her hungry felines. She sat in the kitchen with a mug of decaf tea while they munched on their late dinner. It was a common ritual in which the quiet ceremony helped Kiera decompress after a busy night. As dawn lit the sky she decided it was time to attempt sleep although the tornado of thoughts promised no such respite. Kiera showered, changed into her usual sleep attire of a t-shirt and panties and at the last took her cell phone out to charge. She opened it to clear out recent calls and noticed a number she didn't recognize. It didn't have an identifier so she supposed it was a wrong number. She looked at the time and realized it came in sometime while she was working, but wasn't missed so she must have answered.

"Too early to call back," she thought and closed the phone.

** ** ** *** ** ** **

Bright and early Grayson started his day all the while grumbling about the brightness and the earliness. He hadn't slept well reliving the sting of Kiera's last rejection. The five minutes she demanded had come and gone and she never called back. It was, to say the least, a huge sting on his ego. He'd never been so summarily dismissed by anyone, least of all someone he was interested in. Over his second cup of coffee he decided to take Lena's advice and let the matter go. In the human world persistence could be interpreted as stalking and he couldn't afford to draw attention to himself or his pack. She was just an interesting piece to chase, not the elusive answer to his deepest desire.