A Long Walk Home Ch. 02

Rayne's laughter increased in volume, her stunning eyes sparkling as she regarded him with amusement. "Is that your way of telling me you like my personality?"

Dayton snorted loudly and rolled his eyes. "Fuck off, Rayne."

There was no heat in his words but she stood anyway knowing he needed space. "As you command," she said softly. She took a moment to run her fingers lightly along his jaw. He stiffened slightly but held still for her touch. Her heart twisted in her chest as she met his shuttered gaze.

Dayton Alexander may shun all personal contact and yet he craved it deep within his soul. He could hide it from the rest of the world but she could see deep inside him. Which was why she pushed him with her little touches.

For decades the barriers he had erected had been all that had kept him sane. But times were changing. The man that he had once been was aching to break free. It was evident in how easy it was for others to break his rigid control. First the two women in his Gallery and now the adorable little children in the forest. It would be a hard, painful time for him but she had hope that he was strong enough to ride the emotional storm which was about to hit him like an avalanche.

"Dinner tonight?" She stepped back and turned to scale a low tree branch, perching nonchalantly on it, her feet swinging in the air.

Dayton tied back his hair quickly with a leather thong before he nodded once. "You're buying," he answered. He regarded her for a long moment and then frowned slightly. "What are you up to, Rayne?"

Silvery laughter greeted him and she swung herself effortlessly onto the next branch above her. "I think I might hang around a while and see this Pack in action. So many lost, damaged souls in one place. It's fascinating, Day. Almost all of them have suffered personal loss or heartache and yet they come together as a group and they are so much stronger for it."

His frown deepened until he was scowling quite darkly at her. He wasn't stupid, he could see what she was trying to do. "I'm not interested." His words were curt, his expression turning hard.

"Then go paint something," was her answer as she climbed higher. "Just because you're not interested doesn't mean I can't be." She disappeared completely then, using her shadowing abilities to vanish from his senses.

Irritated he glared at the spot he had last seen her, knowing she could be anywhere by now. Then he turned and walked the last distance to where he had left his Jeep.

He was irritated because he knew Rayne was playing with him. Cats liked to play, liked to taunt and tease. If she thought he was going to fall for it she was wrong. He might be a little off balance because of the last few days but his need to be alone was still the most dominant part of him. He didn't need the Pack and more importantly he didn't want it either.

*****

Loretta was still kind of stunned at seeing Dayton so she was mostly silent as Andrei sat their children down at the kitchen table and began to have a serious word with them.

Her gaze ran over them and she had to stifle down the smile that threatened to cross her face. Her babies were the most precious things in her world. They were so unalike personality wise but their shared gene pool was obvious.

Lily's hair was long and slightly darker than her brother's, more closer to her own rich brown colour. Kallum was a miniature little version of his father, his brown hair light like Andrei's, though he was more sensitive personality wise. It was her daughter who had her father's rebellious wildness and she was usually the one who instigated any of the trouble the Pack children got into.

"Liliana Rose, I am very disappointed in you," Andrei said sternly, a deep frown marring his face as he pinned his daughter with a steely gaze. He was fighting a smile too as he watched her little chin tilt exactly the same way her mother's did when she didn't like something she was hearing.

His fear had mostly dissipated now he had his children safely home where they belonged and he ached to give them both a big relieved hug but knew they had to understand first that actions had consequences.

"Why is it all my fault?" his daughter asked stubbornly, her lips pouting in the way that she knew tugged at her father's heart and usually made him forgive her a lot quicker than normal.

"Because you're the oldest and you know fine well that Kallum will do anything you ask of him," was his blunt response as he struggled not to cave into the little witch before him. She was way too precocious for her age. He knew he was mostly to blame for it because he gave into her so easily.

Her little face crumpled under the weight of his displeasure and she looked down at her clasped hands. It took everything in his power not to drop to his knees before her and pull her into his arms.

"What if that wolf hadn't been an old friend of your mother's?" he asked quietly, his voice a little more gentle though still stern. "You could have been hurt, Lily. Kallum could have been hurt. You wouldn't want to be responsible for that, would you?"

Big brown eyes filled with tears and her lower lip trembled as she looked at him and then her little brother. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I didn't think."

Loretta could feel the heartbreak rushing through their mate bond and stepped forward, placing her hand unobtrusively on Andrei's back and rubbing gently. She knew how much he hated seeing either of their children cry. It was worse with Lily though because in the back of both of their minds was always the memory of how they had almost lost her before she was even born.

For the space of a few hours they had both believed their child had died when Loretta had been forced to shift into wolf form during early pregnancy, something which usually aborted the child. That memory led to them being a little less strict than they should be when dealing with their little wild child, something they both admitted to.

"You need to start thinking from now on," she said quietly, taking over as her mate struggled with his emotions behind a mask of neutrality. "You're old enough to know better, both of you. I suggest you go up to your rooms and think on your actions for at least an hour. Then we can discuss it again."

Head bowed, Lily slipped down from her chair not meeting her parents' eyes. She could feel their disapproval and it hurt a lot. Kallum had sat silently the entire time, his eyes wide with misery, shooting sad glances at his father.

"I'm sorry, Kal," Lily whispered, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "It's not your fault, it's mine. I'll make it up to you."

The adults stood tensely watching as she helped her brother down from the chair and led him out the kitchen and upstairs as ordered.

Andrei twisted the instant they were away and wrapped his arms around his mate, burying his head in the side of her neck and shuddering deeply. "Sweet Jesus, Loretta, those two are killing me slowly." It was an anguished whisper, his voice low so the retreating duo wouldn't hear him.

She knew the feeling but still managed a little laugh as she stroked his hair gently. "That's what children do, baby," she sighed softly. "They rip your heart out and hand it back to you with sweet little smiles over and over again." Her tone was full of love, her touch soothing him until he regained some semblance of self control.

He finally raised his head and gave her a tortured look. "How are you supposed to teach them anything when they look at you with those big brown eyes filled with tears? I take on the entire vampire nation every day and yet one hint of hurt in my children's eyes and I'm brought to my knees."

Love shone through their bond, Loretta's beautiful face radiant as she touched his cheek gently. "They're your babies, Andrei. They'll always have that power over you. The trick is not to let them see it and you're managing that beautifully."

He leaned down and kissed her gently, his arms tightening as his soft touch turned more demanding. Her heady cinnamon scent washed over him and desire quickly sprang to life as it always did when she was in his arms.

His kiss turned deeper, his body hardening against her soft curves as he plundered her mouth almost desperately. She was breathing heavily as she pulled back, her eyes flashing brightly, her lips looking deliciously ravished.

"We have to talk about what Dayton told us," she said breathlessly, fighting the urge to surrender in his arms and spend part of the next hour loving her beautiful vampire the way she wanted to.

The mention of the wolf intruded on Andrei's more romantic notions and he frowned deeply. "I came close to killing him," he admitted darkly. "If the children hadn't been there." He never lied to her. He knew she had probably already worked it out for herself but he felt he had to tell her the truth.

"If they hadn't been there in the first place then the need to kill Dayton wouldn't have surfaced," she answered dryly, pointing out the obvious which he had clearly missed.

He was trying so hard not to kill anyone. It was difficult because it was second nature for him to destroy anything or anyone who got in his way. The last time he'd taken a life he'd almost lost his sanity in the process. He could still remember what it had felt like to dismember Roberto slowly for the harm he had done to his mate.

Since then he hadn't taken even one life. He had been tempted on numerous occasions and he'd used violence to achieve his ends, but he had stopped short of actually killing. Loretta's faith in him that he could be a better person was what kept him grounded, what helped him to fight the urge to destroy.

But his children's safety blew that all away. He would kill anyone and everyone who tried to harm them or his mate. Nothing would be able to hold him back if so much of a hair was touched on any of their heads.

He smiled in acceptance, knowing that she wouldn't fault him for protecting his family or the Pack. Every one of them would do the same, including his wonderful mate. Killing to protect those you loved wasn't a bad thing though he supposed he should have tried to determine if Dayton's intentions were hostile before he wanted to shred the wolf into pieces. That was the hard part to adapt to.

Loretta leaned into his wide chest, giving him time to rationalise his thoughts now the killing rage had been blunted. She was so proud of all he had managed to achieve in the last five years. She knew he still doubted himself sometimes but she never did.

"Andrei, our children can speak mentally to wolves," she sighed quietly. She knew it was only Lily who had done so today but most probably that meant Kallum could too, and the others.

The mated vampires' children were a complete unknown to everyone. The first of their kind to survive a Were/Vampire mating, nothing was known of just what they were likely to turn out to be. So far there had been no sign of any vampiric abilities. The children didn't need blood to survive like their fathers though they did prefer their meat to be 'blue'. Apart from that they ate everything else humans and Weres did.

Their scents were a combination of both Vampire and Were, they grew at the same rate as normal Were children despite the fact that their gestation rate was two months rather than the standard nine. Up until now, they had displayed no signs of being either vampire or Were, though most Weres didn't shift for the first time until puberty or just afterwards. They hadn't expected to learn anything more until round about that time.

This ability for them to be able to speak to wolves not of their own pack was unheard of. The fact that they could converse with a wolf while still in human form made it even more of an anomaly.

Weres could only communicated mentally with their pack mates when they were wolves. The Alpha could speak to pack member in either form but for their human halves to be able to communicate in this manner only occurred between the mated pairs.

From the little knowledge Loretta had just gained, her children appeared to be able to talk to anyone mentally and that was worrying. Lily was way too adventurous in nature. Now she could do this with one wolf there was no telling what she would do.

"Do you think it's only wolves?" Andrei finally asked, stroking her back lightly to try and ease the tension he could feel gathering within her.

"I'm scared it's everyone," she admitted, a slight tremor of fear running through her. "What if there's no distance limitation either, Andrei? What if Lily reaches out and connects with someone who wants to hurt her? We would never know."

He tensed too, his eyes blazing at the thought of his wayward daughter getting herself into that kind of trouble. Loretta's fears could be justified but until they tested out these new abilities they couldn't go borrowing trouble that might not even exist.

He leaned down kissing her gently. "We'll call a pack meeting, discuss this with Rafe and the others. This affects all the children and pack safety. Until then we'll just keep a closer eye on them."

He soothed his mate gently, kissing her deeply as he took his own comfort from the quiet strength she gave him back.

*****

Rayne walked confidently through the Pack, hidden securely by her abilities. There was still a hint of newness to the place though it was apparent the compound had been around for a few years at least.

It was smaller than any other Were compound she had walked through before but there was room for development. In the centre was the large community hall which was so favoured by Weres, where they could come together and eat, have meetings and just socialise.

Surrounding it were smaller, individual homes that could house reasonably sized families. All the buildings were made from wood from the forest, from the trees levelled to create the space for the compound. Weres were in tune with nature, the animal side of them instinctively at home in the wilderness.

The largest house was set back and a little apart from the others. It was three storeys high and quite imposing to look at. She knew this was the Alpha's home though it was larger than most others she had seen. Knowing the nature of this Pack she had a feeling that the Alphas didn't reside in that house alone. Possibly some of the Betas lived there too, or it was used for activities other than just a home.

The medical centre was close to community hall and she knew that it would be state of the art inside. It had to be because Weres couldn't go to a normal hospital. Their secret would be revealed with the first blood test taken and that couldn't be allowed to happen under any circumstances.

Rayne smiled slowly as she watched the early morning hustle and bustle going on around her as the inhabitants of the compound slowly came to life, waking up to a new day with sleepy laughter filling the air. The Pack had a good feeling to it, a homely feel which called out to her.

She wasn't here for that reason though despite what she had told Dayton. She had a very specific destination in mind and she scented the air deeply before her smile grew and she headed towards the largish wooden house to the left. It had two storeys and was designed to house a growing family, a feeling of permanence about the place.

There was a large oak tree at the side of the house and she jumped up nimbly, easily scaling the thick branches as she followed the tantalising scent that she had smelled earlier in the forest. There has been a lot of people around at the time but she knew the scent which attracted her came from the two little ones.

She had recognised it instantly and been rooted to the spot as she'd listened to Dayton talk with the female Were. In all her time walking the planet, she had never before come across the sweet fragrance that drew her almost like a drug. It called to her loudly, sang a siren's song to her very soul. She had to investigate the children, she couldn't resist the urge.

Rayne was almost at the upper window when she was suddenly seized from behind in a powerful grip. For an instant she was completely stunned. She was using her shadowing abilities. No one should have been able to see her! But somehow someone was aware of her presence and she was flying silently through the air away from the house and the compound, entrenched in a band of steel wrapped around her body.

It happened so quickly it could only be a vampire who was speeding her through the trees. A spark of fear ignited in her soul. Only one who was millennia older than she was would have the power to find her when she was shadowed. She had never come across a vampire that old before.

She shifted into her panther form and clawed at the masculine arms holding her so tightly. A furious hiss sounded in her ear and the arms tightened around her, threatening to break some ribs if she didn't retract her claws. In answer she locked her strong jaws around one of the arms and bit deep.

Another hiss sounded but the arms did not release her. Instead they tightened further and the panther let out an agonised mewl as ribs cracked loudly. Rayne released her bite to cry out, agony searing her damaged left side. A muffled roar escaped her before she suddenly shifted again, unable to hang onto her animal as the arms around her kept squeezing tighter.

It was a human scream that escaped her this time, long and full of pain and then she was falling from a great height, no trees close enough to latch onto as she plummeted through the air. The pain in her side was nothing compared to how bad it was going to feel when she hit the ground which was quickly rushing up to meet her. The fucking vampire had picked the most inopportune moment to release her was her last thought before the pain in her side caused her eyes to roll back in her head and everything went black.

To be continued...