Episode 79: Lie Down with Dogs

Genre: Supernatural/Drama
Characters: Kaya, Caleb, Connor, Charlie, Amanda, Karri, Eli, Luther, Giselle, Harley, Jacobi, Daijah
Word Count: 5,715
Rating: R
Type: Series
Summary: Night Shift is featured on a live television interview with Spotlight magazine. Later, the Savage Alphas make a decision that could impact the entire pack. Also, Karri has a chat with Connor, the hunter trio is falling apart and Amanda goes for it.
Warnings: Language, suggestive material, violence, strong sexual content, adult content, adult situations, nudity, and lots of clipping hair.

 Music for ‘Enjoy the Silence’ fills the air.

“So let’s talk about the Grammy Awards and your very public display of affection on the red carpet.” Spotlight Interviewer Daijah Diamond said continuing a twenty-minute conversation that had only been scheduled for five. Kaya and Caleb both laughed and he squeezed her hand in his. “What was that all about? Were you sort of staking your territory there? ‘Back off guys she’s mine!’”

“That’s it exactly,” Caleb laughed, rubbing a hand over his five o’clock shadow. “I wanted to put an end to the rumors concerning the father of Kaya’s baby. You know everyone suspected Connor was the culprit or uh…Rafe,” he said, clearing his throat and glancing at Kaya with a grin. “But no. Neither of them are responsible for the constant smile on this woman’s face. It was all me.”

He kissed her hand and a tinge of red filled her cheeks. “And how long have you two been an item?”

“Caleb and I have been dating for a little while now. It started I’d say sometime before the release of Black Moon.”

“Well that’s her story anyway. I like to think Kaya and I’ve been together since birth,” Caleb said with a smile, leaning over to plant a kiss on the Night Shift lead singer. “We’re soulmates and were destined for each other.”

“And that definitely comes through in some of your most recent music. Night Shift has been blazing some new trails with songs such as ‘Scorn,’ ‘On the Rocks,’ and ‘Taint the Thing You Love.’  Tell us are there plans to continue with romantic rock ballads such as these?”

“Well we’re definitely not some ‘80s hair band blasting out with those hard-hitting love ballads but there are times when we’ll be sitting in the studio and one of us would go ‘Hey, let’s try something else instead.’ Often times those tracks never make the cut but every once in a while we’ll create something that everyone just agrees HAS to be heard by our fans. And we’re just so lucky to have a label like Moonlight Records that allows us the kind of freedom and creativity where we can explore these new routes.”

“Kaya’s right. And many of these songs are great but if we feel they just aren’t on par, you know, just shy of reaching the level we feel makes for great music then they will just simply go unheard. I couldn’t tell you how many unreleased songs are just lying on the cutting room floor somewhere never to see the light of day.”

“Probably enough to make four whole albums alone,” Kaya added. “And here recently, Connor has been writing some amazing stuff. He and Caleb collaborated on a few of the songs on Black Moon. They even surprised me with one written specially for me, although it’s also not on the album. It’s sad that this happens but also it gives us a sort of outlet to purge some of the lesser ‘awesome’ songs and make room for ones that will be listened to for years to come.”

“Being on the road must be hard for relationships. We know that there are occasions where band members may hook up; case in point Kaya and Caleb. How do you deal with loneliness on the road and are you actively looking for someone to call your own.”

“Wow. You just get right to it huh?” Connor laughed as he leaned forward a little on his seat. “It is hard finding the perfect someone you wanna be with. That fact is only exacerbated by life as a musician. There are certain stigmas that come along with pursuing this kind of career; many pertaining to groupies and drugs. So trying to find a woman that can deal with that type of pressure can be really difficult. I, personally, have been very fortunate enough to find such a woman. Her name is Karri. She’s smart. She’s gorgeous. She’s funny. She has a love for music which may be one of the most attractive things about her. She’s…feisty. She probably has a bit of a jealous streak and I only say this because she’s Irish. I’m kidding, Babe, I love you,” he laughed. “But above all she understands who I am and trusts me completely. She’s…she’s amazing.”

“So what about the rumors that you and Kaya were at one point romantically linked?”

“Can we just squash those rumors right here and now? I’d really like for this to not continue being a question asked whenever I’m interviewed. Kaya and I have always and forever been friends. I’ve known her since I was a scrawny, little high school dweeb getting picked on by the jocks. We have the kind of love for each other that transcends sex. She’s a beautiful woman. You’d have to be blind not to see that. And admittedly at one point, very, very, VERY long ago, I had a teeny, tiny bit of a crush on her. But that has LONG since passed and we’re just comfortable, you know? She’s like my big sister. My smarter, funnier, overly protective big sister who I can confide anything and everything to and not fear that she’ll judge me or ever stop loving me. And as I said earlier, I’ve found someone to be with that I believe is equally as unconditionally loving.”

“That is very sweet. And I do hope this will help put an end to the rumors that seem to follow the two of you throughout your career. Eli, as Connor said finding love is quite a difficult feat. And until recently, I don’t think you have ever been photographed with a lucky lady on your arm. Have you also found it daunting exploring the realm of love?”

“Connor I believe said it succinctly. I think it is an amazing thing to find love and most definitely something to cherish and hold on to once you have.”

“And who was the woman we saw escorting you on the red carpet at this past Grammy Awards? Anyone special?”

“Amanda? She’s special, absolutely, but we’re just friends.”

“So no wild groupies or stories of ‘on-the-road’ sex that Night Shift’s keyboardist Connor has been known for?”

“Me?” Eli asked, pointing towards himself. “Oh I’m new to this whole band thing. I don’t think I have groupies of any kind just yet so no wild stories to share. No backstage sex antics for me, I’m afraid to say. Not that I would; share that is. I like keeping that sort of thing private. I am just sort of dealing with a pretty hard breakup though so I’m not really looking for anything right now.”

“Is there anything else you’d like to add?”

“Nothing except I’m gonna be an uncle soon,” Connor grinned proudly. “And I just…I can’t wait to meet him or her.”

“We are also enormously excited to see the, I’m sure, gorgeous mini-Kaya or Caleb as well. I’d like to thank you for taking the time to come into the studio today. Stay tuned to Spotlight for exclusive behind the scenes news on some of this summer’s blockbuster movies.”

“Hey, Eli,” Amanda smiled walking up to him at the buffet table.

“Hey, Mandy.”

“Have you seen Kaya anywhere? Mom’s been pretty worried about her since the pregnancy news so I told her I’d keep an eye on her.”

“I think she went backstage with Caleb.”

“Oh. Well I guess I don’t have to stick with her every second right?” She smiled but it was lost on Eli as he continued pounding his bottle of water. “So I caught the end of your interview. Needless to say I was pretty shocked to hear you don’t have any wild stories to tell.”

“I’d like to think of myself as more of a gentleman than a womanizer, but thanks. Not everyone needs a great sex story to be interesting.”

“No. I suppose not.” Amanda sighed and looked over at the stage. Connor was helping the crew break down the equipment, mostly to assure they didn’t damage any of their instruments. The hostess was reading over some notes and speaking to the producer about Night Shift’s segment. And the awkwardness between her and Eli seemed to intensify the longer they stood in silence. No matter how hard she tried it appeared she was doomed to remain at arm’s length when it came to him.

“Excuse me a moment.”

“Sure thing.” Amanda replied with a shrug. Eli dropped his water to the table and she watched as he made a beeline towards the men’s room. Giving him a moment, all of 12 seconds, she rushed forward, checking her surroundings before entering in behind him.

“Mandy? What are you doing in here?” Eli asked, leaning against the sink as he watched the swing of her hips the further into the room she walked.

“We weren’t done with our conversation.” She smiled and stepped around him. “Look, Eli, I’ve been trying to be subtle about this but that doesn’t seem to be working. So I thought I’d try a more forward approach.”

“To what?” She shivered when Eli pierced her with a hunter’s stare. Something about the way he looked at her made her cheeks burn. Eli circled around in front of her and Amanda’s heart plummeted into her stomach.

“To this.” Before Eli could react he felt her lips on his, kissing him hard and passionately. He didn’t try to fight it. Instead he gave in, kissing her back as he felt her tongue graze his own. Amanda’s hand moved through his hair, her nails scraping his scalp as she guided his mouth over hers. Eli sighed and Amanda used the opportunity to explore more of his mouth. But seconds later, she found herself being pushed away as a sobering Eli finally pulled back.

“Don’t,” he said, staring deeply into her eyes. “I can’t right now, Mandy. I just…I’m not…it wouldn’t be fair to you.”

“Forget fairness. All I want right now is to satisfy a need that’s been driving me crazy since the day I met you.”

“Mandy…”

“Please, Eli. Turn off your brain and just…let go.”

“Mandy, we’re friends. And I mean I like you, really I do. But I don’t want there to be any hard feelings or regrets if things don’t work out here.”

“No regrets, Eli,” she said, softly kissing his lips. “Absolutely none. Now what would you like me to do?”

“I don’t know,” he said, enjoying the rise and fall of her chest against him. “You started this, Amanda. You tell me.” The way he said her name made her heart skip a beat and a playful smile spread her lips. Pushing off from the sink, Mandy switched places with him and sank down to the floor. Eli’s eyes never left hers as she undid his pants and lowered them and his briefs to his ankles.

His cock sprang free. It was already huge and pulsing like a monster. Amanda stared at it for a moment, her mouth watering with anticipation as it strained towards her, glistening at the tip. She leaned forward and, starting at the base, began slowly licking up and down. Her tongue swirled around the tip each time she reached it before going down again. Precum dripped onto her lips and she sucked it off before closing her lips around his head and sucking him down her throat. “Mmm, that’s good,” Eli moaned, still staring into her eyes as she started bobbing up and down.

Her warm mouth moved faster, sucking him deeper with each draw. Eli brushed his fingers over her face as he stared down into her beautiful hazel eyes. She was enjoying every inch of his dick and he was amazed by her oral prowess. She licked and sucked and stroked until he was moaning and panting hard. Popping his cock out, she moved her mouth lower until his shaft rested on her forehead and his balls were on her tongue. “That’s it. Mmm, that’s a good girl,” Eli mumbled as she sucked his sac into her mouth. “Keep working the shaft, Mandy.” Amanda did as told and while her tongue explored the ins and outs of his balls, her left hand fondled and stroked his aching cock.

When she was satisfied she’d touched every part of him with her mouth, she plunged his dick back into her throat, humming and moaning as she felt his throbbing member bounce and twitch on her tongue. “Fuuuck me!” Eli shuddered and gradually backed away, freeing his cock from her hot mouth and tight grip. She wanted to keep sucking, but Eli stopped her and pulled her to her feet. He rubbed his thumb over her lips and she willingly flicked her tongue across it.

“Turn around,” he said, watching her obey without hesitation. Slowly he moved closer, yanking her hard against his chest. He grabbed her breast as his other hand skirted down her hip. He dipped a hand beneath her skirt, the heat of her thighs making his cock twitch as his fingers found their prize. “That blowjob got you real wet.” He smirked when she wriggled her hips against his exploring fingers. “You like sucking dick?”

“Yes,” she moaned wantonly.

“Did you enjoy having my cock in your mouth, Mandy?”

“I did.”

“I bet you’d like it more if I returned the favor.”

“Y-you don’t have to,” she stammered, craving more of his fingers as the lie left her tongue.

“Yes, Amanda, I do,” he said, kissing her neck as he moved his hand to her side. “I told you I’m a gentleman.” Pushing her back against the counter, Eli dropped to his knees. He rubbed his nose up her crotch, inhaling her scent and feeling the soaked material of her underwear cling to his skin. “These are very nice and you look really great in them, I’d hate to mess them up,” he said, tickling his finger along the hem of her lace panties. “Take them off please.”

Amanda did as told, stepping out of her panties as they hit the floor. Eli reached down, claiming the lacy lingerie  and balled them into his jacket pocket. Without being asked, she pulled her top off and tossed it to the gathering pile of clothes on the ground. Then, with little instruction, Eli turned Amanda so that her perky, heart-shaped ass was facing him. Giving it a firm smack, Amanda’s squeal was quickly followed by a deep moan as Eli pressed his mouth into her soft wetness. His tongue flicked out and he tasted her, feeling as though he would drown in the pleasure. The dewy, hard pearl of her clit beckoned him forward and he pressed his tongue flat against her little clit, wiggling the nub until she moaned.

Moving to the sweet source of her nectar, Eli thrust his tongue as deep as he could inside her, swirling and pumping his mouth between her legs. Amanda cried out. Her hands pressed flatter against the cold, marble surface of the sink and she looked over her shoulder, barely catching glimpse of the eager wolf as he continued assaulting her with his tongue. “That’s it! Oh my god, Eli, yes, that’s it! Oh god!” Arching her back, she pressed herself harder against his face trying to get more of the sensation.

Frustrated by the lack of depth, he pulled away, replacing his tongue with two fingers. Eli penetrated her slickness quick and deep, hooking them upwards to locate her g-spot. “Oh fucccccckkk!” she yelled in a sing-song manner. Amanda rose up on her toes, lifting her ass for Eli’s accessibility and moaned as the pleasure swamped her. Her face now rested on the countertop, her screams echoing against the sink as she begged for more. He pressed his thumb on her clit as his fingers continued drumming on her internal button. Pumping them deep and hard, he forced her body to surrender and surrender it did, spurting in great gushing waves.

“Holy fuck, Mandy, you’re a squirter!” he gasped in delight as her warm liquids ran down his arm and dripped to the floor. Her pussy contracted around his fingers and he lapped up as much as he could, enjoying the way she thrashed beneath him.

“Eli…please…” Amanda panted, again gazing at him over her shoulder. “I need…”

“Don’t worry, I got you,” he said, not needing her to complete the thought. The sound of his voice was lower and more gravelly than usual and it made her pussy ache for more attention. Removing his hand, he stood behind her, digging into his left coat pocket to retrieve a rubber from his wallet before tossing it and his jacket to the floor. After rolling the condom in place, Eli took position and slammed his cock deep inside Amanda’s quivering hole. She screamed at the violent possession and humped back against him. He clamped his hands on either sides of her hip and thrust himself harder and faster.

He took long, deep strokes, his nails digging into her skin as he forced himself inside her, pounding deeply into her beckoning heat. “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!” Amanda shrieked each time she felt the head of his cock slap against her cervix. She’d dreamt of this moment for too long and finally her fantasy had come true. Eli was just as skilled as she’d imagined and he was filling her completely. Amanda screamed as another orgasm ripped through her. She’d lost count of how many times he’d brought her to fulfillment and at this point she didn’t care. She only knew she didn’t want the feeling to ever end.

He felt her cunt vibrate with her orgasm and waited for her body to stop convulsing. Snatching her around, he planted a kiss on her lips that left her breathless before throwing her roughly against the countertop and wrapping her legs around his back. She sighed deeply when she felt him shove his thick cock into her spasming pussy. “Ooohhhh godddddd!” she wailed. Her mouth hung open and her head fell back as he nearly crawled on top of the sink with her. He was plunging so far and hard into her depths it felt as though he was rearranging her insides. She could feel the muscles in his thighs flex as he pounded his cock deep inside her, and she could hear him grunting above her.

He pushed her knees back so that they nearly bumped her shoulders. From this angle he was thrusting so deep that she could feel every ridge, bump, and vein of his cock. Amanda could hear a guttural moan off in the distance that sounded much like a wounded animal and wondered where it was coming from. It took a moment for her to realize that the noise was coming from her. Her moaning and keening mixed in with Eli’s feral grunts and groans turning her on even more. “Fuck you’re so wet and hot!” He pressed his hands flat against the table and felt Amanda reach down to hold them. He was growling now and panting even harder as his cock began to swell. It was fast approaching, the best orgasm of his life was edging through him, rushing forcefully through his balls and suddenly he was coming, shooting deep inside her. 

His knees felt weak and he thought he might pass out if his heart didn’t catch pace. Eli pulled out; streams of Amanda’s messy climax trailed behind his softening cock. Quietly, she sank to the floor, sitting on her heap of clothing and panting as she stared up at him. Before she had a chance to catch her breath, Eli redressed, snatched his coat off the floor and walked out.

The Spotlight interview was running again on the West Coast channel. Charlie and Sophie had been cuddled in the living room earlier watching The Godfather and must have left the set on. Kaya could hear it playing as she passed through the house. She’d been summoned by her mate to join him and the others in the study. Something was up but she wasn’t quite sure what. Knocking once on the door, she let herself in, peering into the eyes of her Betas and her other half. “Hey. What’s going on?”

“We’re trying to figure out how to stop what’s coming,” Caleb answered without looking up.

“Joey’s visions are becoming clearer,” Charlie offered clarification. “He’s piecing together the events of the night that lead up to him getting shoved in that storage closet.”

“Yes and just as I suspected, Byron was involved.” This time Caleb met Kaya’s gaze and she could see the makings of his wolf beneath. After he and Miles had tracked the treacherous wolf and his hunter lover to that hotel he made a public display of their continued punishment. Caleb made it no secret how he felt about Byron’s betrayal. Nonetheless, he never outwardly accused Kaya’s weakness for her old friend as a trigger for the events that followed.

But he didn’t need to. She’d blamed herself for Joey’s predicament. It was partly what lead to her staying by his bed day in and day out. The guilt was eating her alive. If only she’d have submitted to Caleb’s desires and let him kill the two-faced mutt, Joey never would have ended up in a fight for his life. Feeling the rise of her pulse, Caleb rose to his feet and moved towards her. Comforting her in their shared voice, he waited until she calmed down before resuming his conversation with their Betas. “We’ll make for Willow Reed tonight. I want this done so I can get that duplicitous piece of shit out of my home. He’s caused enough pain for his lifetime.”

“How?” Kaya asked, as Caleb took a seat back behind his desk. “How was Byron involved?”

“Joey believes his voice is one he heard that night speaking to who we think may have been Lucy’s brother, Harley.”

“What? Wait, that—that doesn’t make any sense. Why would Harley be here in Shadowvale when he’s got his hands full in Willow Reed? And for that matter, why would he agree to meet with Byron in the first place? He hates our kind with a passion. They all do.”

“I don’t have an answer for that, Babe. The only thing we have to go on is Joey’s word and there’s no reason for him to lie.”

“I’m not accusing him of lying but he’s just coming around. Everything might still be a little fuzzy.” Caleb glanced up with a frown and Kaya shrugged. “All I’m saying is we should be sure before we act. I don’t want there to be any regrets.”

“Either way we need to make sure everyone is on the same page. That still requires a trip to Willow Reed. I don’t expect it to take longer than a few days,” Caleb replied.

“Fine. I guess I’ll go and start packing,” Kaya sighed and turned for the door.

“Wait, all of us can’t go, you especially, Kaya,” Connor said, listening to the trio plan for a trip to his old haunt. “Someone needs to stay behind and keep an eye on things.”

“Yeah, I know,” Caleb nodded, glancing at his mate. “You’re so close to popping I don’t want you to have the added stress of traveling too.” She chewed her bottom lip and Caleb inched closer, gently tugging her against his chest. “I know you wanted to see your Dad but Connor’s right. It’s too risky for you right now. Charlie and I’ll go. We can meet up with Lobo and see what can be done from his end. Connor will stay here with you; watch over the place while we’re gone.”

“One Beta, one Alpha; I guess it’s good there’s two of each,” she sighed and regarded her best friend with a smile. “And since when have you become the voice of reason?”

“Since the day I learned I was gonna be an uncle. I have babies to spoil which means keeping their Mommy as safe as possible until then.”

“Bring him home safely, Charlie.”

“You know I will, Baby Sis.”

“So then, I’ll go and get you packed. Just make sure you get home before the babies come.”

“I wouldn’t miss that for the world,” he kissed her gently and watched as she disappeared out the door.

“When will they be back?” Amanda asked, watching Kaya stare out of her window. She stepped further into the room, shutting the door behind her before bouncing onto her Luna’s bed.

“I’m not sure,” Kaya sighed without a glance in her direction. Her hand absently touched her protruding belly and a phantom smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Hopefully soon.”

“I know I’m no substitute for Alpha,” Mandy started, sliding to the floor and making her way over to where Kaya stood. “But my hugs are just as warm.” She slipped her arms around Kaya’s shoulders and squeezed tight. Turning in her arms, Kaya returned the gesture and quietly thanked the blonde. The distraction was nice but did little to ease her concerns over what the others would find in Willow Reed. All she could do now was hope Caleb had a plan.

“Jacobi? Lucy? Anyone home?” Harley called as he raced back up the stairs, zipping through each room in search of his siblings.

“Lucy’s not here.” He heard his brother’s voice yell back from the porch balcony. Stepping out into the brisk mountain air sent a shiver down his spine and he quickly zipped up the leather jacket he wore. Jacobi stood near the railing looking out at the open countryside. A pile of empty beer bottles lay near his feet and a freshly opened drink was in his hand.

“Where is she?”

“How would I know? You two are the conspirators around here,” Jacobi sullenly replied.

“Excuse me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Harley demanded, the edginess in his voice rising but Jacobi didn’t answer. “Do you know anything about the wolves, Jacobi?”

“What wolves?”

“The ones downstairs. I went in this morning to test the equipment and all of the cages were empty. Where did they go?”

“Home I suppose,” Jacobi shrugged, his back remaining turned.

“Did you let them go?” Harley tensed as his brother again ignored him and gritted his teeth to keep from exploding. “What the hell’s gotten into you? Why would you do a thing like that?”

“Felt like it. What’s the big deal?”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now? The deal is, Jacobi,” Harley started, snatching his brother around to face him. “We are in the middle of an epidemic. If you hadn’t noticed it’s a war out there and we are desperately outnumbered right now. I’m doing everything I can to keep our heads above water and you go and pull a stupid stunt like this? We need to do something to get the advantage, Jake. I needed to see if that machine is working as intended. And now since you’ve lost your fucking mind there’s no way of knowing that!”

“It’s for wolves, right? So why don’t you just test it on me?” Harley’s expression melted from anger to shock and he took a step back from the railing. “Oh don’t look so surprised, brother, I heard you tell Lucy that I’m one of them!” he snarled, his grip on the bottle in his hand tightening. “You knew. All this time you knew what I was and you hid it from me. You dragged me from state-to-state, city-to-city and country-to-country killing and maiming people who were just like me. My kindred!”

“No, Jake, not your kindred. You are NOTHING like the animals we’ve put down. You’re my brother. My family.”

“Barely,” he scoffed. “Turns out we only share one bloodline.”

“But it’s our blood, Jake. What the hell’s gotten into you?”

“Wolfsbane apparently. Isn’t that what you’ve been drugging me with all this time, brother? To keep me restrained. To stop the animal inside from…breaking out?” his voice cracked and again he turned away.

“What I did was for your own good.”

“Was it? You had no right to lie to me. To keep me in the dark about this.”

“I had to, Jake. Father wanted…”

“I DON’T CARE WHAT HE WANTED!” Jacobi shouted, his eyes brimming with unshed tears and his voice bouncing off the stucco wall as he turned to face his brother. “THIS IS MY LIFE! MY DECISION! MINE! No one else has to live with this…this curse.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Whether you can see it or not what I did was to keep you and the rest of us safe, Jake. You have NO idea what it feels like to transition. To allow that…sickness to destroy your insides and turn you into a monster! I’ve seen it before. The toll it takes on the body. The way it rips away EVERYTHING you are making you something else; something immoral and depraved. Something bloodthirsty and dangerous! That’s not you, Jake.”

“Well I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

“What does that mean?”

Pulling a box out of the bag lying in the lawn chair beside him, a smirk faintly appeared on Jacobi’s lips before he tossed the object towards Harley. “Missing something, brother?”

“Jake, what did you do?” Harley asked, examining the empty tea box in his hands. “That was the last of the supply, Jake! Do you have ANY idea how difficult it is to come by this stuff?”  

“I do. I was counting on it.”

“You fucking idiot. You’ve just condemned us all.”

“Well in that case, I think you should take this opportunity to get as far away from me as possible,” he smiled and resumed his position on the balcony.

“I’ll never forget this, Jake. I won’t forget and I won’t forgive,” Harley said, slowly backing out the door. He kicked an empty bottle as he stepped over the threshold and absently looked down at it.

“It’s not smart threatening someone turning into what you’ve labeled as ‘bloodthirsty and dangerous’, Harls. And I thought you were the thinker in this fam…” Jacobi’s words were cut short as a sudden pain struck the back of his head. Harley raised the bottle in his hand once more and came down even harder on his baby brother’s head. The glass cracked, shattering to pieces as he dropped it to the wooden planks below. Jacobi’s body crumpled into a heap at his feet; his eyes slowly closed as a stream of blood ran down the side of his face.

“Hey,” Connor smiled, standing in the doorway of Karri’s room. “I just wanted to check in on you before things got busier. If you haven’t heard Caleb and Charlie are heading to Willow Reed and so my Beta duties will be in full force this weekend.”

“I heard. Congratulations.”

“Well I wouldn’t go throwing that around just yet,” he replied, waving her off. “Let’s wait and see if I can keep the place from burning to the ground first,” he said with a wink before stepping forward. “So, uh…I wanted to…”

“Connor,” Karri called, calmly taking a seat on the edge of her bed. “We need to talk.”

He nodded his head and silently closed her door as he inched deeper into the room. “I was just going to say the same thing.” 

She took a breath. Panic set in. Had he seen? She couldn’t read the look on his face as he moved towards her and knelt on the floor in front of her. “Y-y-you go first,” she stammered, the palms of her hands becoming slick with moisture.

Connor smiled as he watched her fiddling with her fingers and gently took her hand in his. “Last night,” he started before moving to sit beside her, keeping his eyes on hers as he did. “I’ve never slept with someone before,” he confessed. Smirking at the confused look on her face, Connor offered up an explanation. “I’ve had one night stands. I’ve had girlfriends who’ve owned their own homes. I’ve been with groupies on the road and on damn near every continent.” 

He felt her hand unravel from his and quickly tried to backpedal. “I’m not saying this to gloat or to make you uncomfortable. What I’m saying is I’ve been with women but never had one spend the night. It’s been a level of intimacy I’ve never shared with anyone before. Last night was one of the best nights of my life, Karri. And all I did was hold you as you slept.” The expression on her face quickly changed from panic to happiness and she instantly threw her arms around his neck, sweeping his lips into a kiss that had him tearing at her shirt.

“Wait, wait, no,” she sighed, backing away as she felt herself consumed with emotion. “Connor, that is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me. And it makes me feel like shit compared to what I have to say next.”

Now it was Connor’s turn to panic. His heart skipped a beat as his eyes narrowed in on her face. Karri stood, moving in front of him with the weight of her confession dragging her slower with each step she took. “Connor, I…,” she swallowed hard, trying to work up the strength to clear the burden of her sin. “I killed someone,” she choked out in one breath. “I killed someone and I think his family is looking for me.”

The door opened and Caleb and Charlie entered, listening to it slam shut behind them. All morning long Charlie had been thinking over his brother’s decision to bring them here, wondering if they’d made a mistake to come. But before he could utter his concerns to Caleb, the familiar voice croaked, freezing him in place. “So…shit’s finally hit the fan in your cozy neck of the woods and now you’ve come crawling to me.” The leather office chair swiveled around and Luther looked up at his guests with a smile. “Well isn’t this just perfect.”

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