Fated Legacy Complete Collection

Chapter 17

Chapter

Seventeen

J ed washed them both clean with the natural sea sponge and shower gel his mother had provided. The fragrance was decidedly feminine, but he didn’t care. Kat was in his arms and that was all that mattered. One step at a time.

Once he rinsed her clean, he helped her out of the shower, never turning her loose. He grabbed a towel and began drying her off, lifting her arms and running the towel along them to warm her skin. As he dried her, he nuzzled and kissed her, purring softly and allowing her to lean on his strength.

He lifted her hair and put the towel underneath it, bringing it up to surround her dark tresses as he squeezed the water from them.

“Would you like to get dressed and go downstairs?” he whispered along the nape of her neck.

He wanted to wrap her in a sensual cocoon but didn’t want her to feel trapped.

“I—I don’t know. I don’t know if I can look anyone in the face.”

“Kat, you did nothing wrong. That thing attacked you, tried to get you to do its bidding, but you didn’t. You resisted it. You fought it. MawMaw Chantal said she’d never known another soul so strong that it could do that.”

“The two men on Alcatraz that followed me, they were Hunters?”

“Yes. We’ve seen signs of the Hunter organization trying to rear its ugly head—consolidating and reorganizing in Europe. It’s part of why I left the SEALs when my enlistment was up. Marissa Storm of Moonlight Merlot got hold of the ferry’s passenger list and compared it against the names listed in the police reports.”

“Got hold of?”

“That’s west coast winery speak for she hacked their system.”

“What happened to the Hunter the Darkness took?”

“He got away. We were far more worried about you. By the time we got you up here and made sure you were all right, he was long gone.”

“So that’s my fault too.”

“Nothing is your fault,” he growled. “You were that thing’s victim. Well, not really a victim exactly…”

“Its ally.”

“No. You were its adversary. MawMaw Chantal believes the Darkness thought the idea of a wolf-shifter as its acolyte was enticing, but then found the actual experience far less to its liking.” He chuckled. “She seems to think it’ll avoid our kind in the future.”

“But if it has a Hunter, it’ll have a great deal of information about us. It may not want to try and possess us again, but I guarantee you that it’ll crave the strength of our life force.” Kat cried out and tried to push him away. “You just don’t know…”

“No, I don’t. I suspect the pain and feeling of helplessness is still too raw, but I’m willing to be patient. At least for a while.”

“And what if I never want to talk? What if I have no intention of ever sharing with you or anyone else what I lived through?”

“That’s the key, Kat. You lived through it. You survived. You beat it.”

She shook her head. “No, I didn’t. Can’t you understand that? It got away. It still exists. The level of evil I unleashed…”

“You aren’t responsible for it reentering our world.”

“But it escaped into the Hunter, and it knows about us.”

“Like attracts like. One of the things I learned as a SEAL is that evil always attracts evil. If it hadn’t found its way to the Hunters on Alcatraz, it would have found another way. Evil always does. I’m only thankful that it didn’t manage to kill you.” He sighed and kissed her cheek. “What do you say we get dressed, go downstairs and I’ll take you on a tour of Luna de Lobo?”

“I don’t think I’m up to hiking around and being introduced to people.”

“I was thinking more along the lines of a carriage ride. Not one of the big carriages, but a Meadowbrook cart, rigged with rough-terrain wheels and one of our big driving horses. That way we can go wherever you like.”

She smiled softly. “The idea of being outside this close to the ocean has some appeal.”

“Excellent. I’ll get dressed and head out. When you’re ready, come down the stairs. To the left is my father’s office and if you make a quick u-turn, it’ll take you around to the kitchen. Grace will be there and there’s a door that leads to a set of steps that will take you to the barn. Why don’t you grab us a couple of cups of coffee, or whatever sounds good to you?”

“I think I could use one of those Lobo Bahía Sunrises.”

“Excellent choice. With or without booze?”

“With.”

“Even better. By the time you pick those up, I’ll have the cart ready and waiting at the foot of the steps.”

“Don’t you have something better to do with your time?” she asked.

Jed drew her in and kissed her—quickly but thoroughly. God, he loved the taste of her mouth. He couldn’t wait to make a proper meal of her.

“There’s no better way to spend my time than with my mate.”

Before she could protest, he left her in the bath, pulled on his clothes, and headed down the stairs.

Hitching a horse to a cart came as naturally to Jed as riding a bike came to others. He enjoyed riding, but there was something about driving a horse that he found more challenging. Several of the large-wheeled Meadowbrook carts had been equipped with all terrain tires, which meant they could be used on the beach, the asphalt roads, and the dirt lanes of the vineyards themselves.

As he pulled up to the foot of the steps that led down from the kitchen, he had to catch his breath. Kat was a vision. Her beauty and spirit called to him in a way that was brand new to him but felt as old as time.

“Your Aunt Grace sent me with refreshments,” she said, holding up a basket that looked to be filled with all manner of goodies.

Jed got out of the cart and holding the driving lines in one hand, stowed the basket under the seat and helped Kat up into the cart.

“I’ve always wanted to learn to drive. We had driving horses back at La Fortezza, but I never got around to it,” Kat said.

“I’d be happy to teach you. It’s easier to learn with a smaller horse and cart than this one, but we have a number of rigs and driving horses you can also practice with if you like.”

Jed drove them up through the vineyard, making his way through and around the rows of vines. He waved to those they encountered, stopping to talk a few times. The next several hours were idyllic but Jed feared it was simply the calm before the storm.

“It reminds me of the vineyard at Piccolo. The space between the rows is a bit wider than at La Fortezza.”

“I always assumed the wider spacing was to accommodate modern farm machinery.”

She shook her head and smiled. “Not really. They have yet to create a machine with the delicacy and nose of a human. You need to look and feel the grapes without bruising them. La Fortezza’s vines date back from when most of the labor force were serfs, dependent on their overlords, and everything was carried by hand back to one spot. They didn’t have carts or anything like that to follow them around. Piccolo is more modern.” She laughed, “Although modern in Italy is a relative term.”

Her laughter and his memory of that morning warmed his heart. “You might have guessed from the buildings that Luna de Lobo was once a mission, and then the home to one of the Spanish governors. It’s considered to be an outstanding example of old California, which is also a relative term.”

They drove on and Jed was gladdened at the way she relaxed and soaked up the sun. She seemed to be enjoying his company. He’d been a bit concerned that he might have pushed her too far that morning in the shower, but if anything, it seemed to have forced her to consider her position.

“You do know my father and Marco will be here anytime now to fetch me back to Italy,” she said rather nonchalantly.

Jed growled. “You are my fated mate. I will not give you up.”

“You may not have a choice. But let’s leave that for now. I want to see the rest of the vineyard, and if possible, I’d like to talk to Grace.”

“Are you considering the job as sommelier?”

“It isn’t something I’d thought of before. I took the classes and certifications because it interested me and I’ve always thought the greater my knowledge, the greater my value to the vineyard. Until Stephanie called, I’d always thought that vineyard would be La Fortezza. Would Stephanie be terribly offended if I accepted Grace’s offer?”

“I don’t think so. Stephanie is one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. I think she’d want you to be happy.”

“What about you? You seem to think I should be content to be some kind of mistress in training.”

“I want you to be happy too. I’ve been friends with Travis Nichols for years. I spent some time in his unit when I first became a SEAL. Trav always knew that he wouldn’t be alpha to the Galveston Pack. He’s always known Skylar was his destiny.”

“And you think that same scenario is playing out here in California?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Honestly? I don’t know. I’ve never felt an overriding compulsion to be alpha here, and my father has other sons. I could easily see taking over my Uncle Linc’s role, running the businesses in San Francisco and acting as a secondary alpha of sorts.”

“But that’s not all Lincoln does or did. At one time, he hunted the Hunters.”

Jed nodded. “He did. And if they’re gearing up again, it might be time for us to go after them, especially if, as you suspect, the Darkness begins to hunt our kind.” He ran his finger down her arm. “And I was really looking forward to playing with you at Torch Light.”

“You should know that I’m not a fan of impact play.”

“Really? You could have fooled me this morning in the shower. You were wet and ripe for the taking.”

“If you recall, I’d been playing with myself before you barged your way in.”

He leaned over and nipped her ear. “Don’t be provocative, mate. That’s what got you spanked this morning.”

“You aren’t really under the impression that my father, or Marco for that matter, is going to let you claim me, regardless of my feelings in the matter?”

“This is not La Fortezza. The fact that you already share my room, and my bed should tell them something.”

Kat was proving to be rather mercurial, but when he thought about it, he could understand why. He could only guess at what she’d been through, and he was willing to give her some time to reconcile herself to the fact that she was his fated mate. After all, he was pretty sure that’s what had prompted her abrupt departure from Italy.

“Should I drive you back to the house?” he asked.

She seemed to think about it for a moment and said, “I’m not offering or promising you anything. Right now, I’d really like it if we could drive down to the beach and enjoy what your aunt packed for us.”

“Good idea. Let the old folks fight it out. Meanwhile we’ll go enjoy Aunt Grace’s food and drinks. Did she send the Lobo Bahía Sunrises with you?”

Kat nodded. “She put them in a special container to keep them cold. She said they probably won’t be as pretty when we drink them, but they’ll taste just as good.”

Jed drove the horse and cart along the pathway that took them from the vineyard down onto the beach. After securing the horse, he helped Kat out of the cart and spread a blanket that was kept under the seat of the cart.

Once they were settled and the drinks were poured, they clinked their glasses and Jed said, “So you’re thinking of taking the job with Grace, working for the restaurant and Torch Light?”

She laughed. He was really beginning to love that sound.

Kat looked thoughtful before answering. “Yes. It would be a lot of work, but it would be a good fit for me.”

“And I could pop in and visit you at both places,” Jed reminded her. He was getting more used to the idea. “So what else does the job entail?”

“You not only need to know about wines in general, but the grapes they’re made from as well. You’re expected to know in which specific vineyards they were grown, as well as the wine’s ratings and vintages. The sommelier is usually the one who creates the wine lists, orders everything, and makes sure it’s stored properly. Oh, and they also train the restaurant’s employees.” Kat looked at her drink and took another sip. Jed could tell she wanted to say more, so he kept quiet.

“A good sommelier tends to be creative, intuitive, and articulate,” she continued. “The best ones are also original and innovative and use their intellectual and investigative skills as well as their palate to ensure the wines being served are as good as they can possibly be.”

“You’d probably be really good at that. But the question is, would it make you happy?”

She sobered. “I don’t know. When I left Italy, I was…”

“Running away from me,” he supplied with a bit of humor.

“I was coming on a vacation,” she said, ignoring him. “My plan was to stop off and visit Skylar in New Orleans and then fly to San Francisco, spend a day or two in the city before coming here to meet with Stephanie about the job here at Luna de Lobo. The possibility of working as the assistant vintner at a world-renowned winery in California sounded new and exciting, but I wonder if the biggest part of the allure was that it wasn’t in Italy. Being a vintner is something I was raised to do in the same way I was raised with the idea that I would find a mate and settle down. I think in a perfect world for my father, that mate would have been one of his proteges. I’d never considered being a sommelier until Grace asked me about it.”

“I understand. I should have been raised to follow in my father’s footsteps. In the SEALs I started to do that, but when the Hunters appeared back on the horizon, I felt a need to come home. Then I saw you at Piccolo and from then on, the only thing I was certain about was you. I don’t think it would come as much of a shock to my father if I didn’t want to be alpha. He raised all of my brothers and I to understand that if it was something we were called to, he would pick his successor from among us.”

“So he set you up to compete with each other as to who would win the prize?”

“No. He raised us to care for the pack, its land, its people, and to follow whichever one of us would be the best at the job of alpha. Our pack has always been a little odd in the way we function. It’s almost as if there’s a Sonoma Pack and a San Francisco/Sausalito Pack. Those who live and work in the city are technically in the same pack as those at the vineyard, but I think they tend to think more of Uncle Linc as their alpha.”

“It’s confusing.”

“Not when you’ve been raised with it. We’ll be fine, Kat. At the moment there’s no real rush or need to make any decisions.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I can’t… I won’t sit back and do nothing about the Darkness. I’d like to think that my life is the same as it’s always been, but it isn’t. I grieve for the naive girl who left Italy thinking she had seized her destiny and would make of it what she willed. Now I know those foolish dreams need to be put aside.”

“And you think becoming a sommelier will accomplish that?”

She shook her head. “No, but I think destroying the Darkness will.”

Taken aback, Jed said, “Do you have a plan to defeat it?”

“Not yet, but I’m not just going to sit back and hope someone else does.”

“Do you even know where it is?”

“No, but I thought Marissa Storm might be able to help with that.”

Jed nodded. “If anyone can, it would be Marissa or Ava Collins up in Maine.”

“I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I also don’t want to mislead you. You need to find another she-wolf to take to mate.”

“That’s not going to happen. You’re my fated mate. And you must know that if you die, I’m not long for this world.”

“I know the stories. I also know that you have to claim your mate before your life is bound to hers. You’d think that would make you alpha types not so keen on sinking your teeth into some she-wolf’s neck.”

“Not just some she-wolf, Kat, your fated mate. We can contact Marissa and see what she knows, but if you think you’re going off alone on some grand crusade, think again.”