Honor Bound Read online

  You are alive like at no other time, and watching this display, I understood that this was about as pure a way of living as there was. Everything else was shoved aside, leaving you bare, exposed, your true self, your base nature revealed.

  Only problem being, it hurts like hell when you get hit, bitten, or blasted with magic, so there's always a downside. But even the pain is subdued when you're really going for it, the signals from the nerves dampened so they don't interfere with your reactions, and it is only afterward that you emerge into a world of hurt you hadn't believed possible.

  But if you win? Oh, the glory, the sense of satisfaction, the high you get.

  At least, that's what it used to be like. At this time I was past most of that, didn't get much of anything apart from a deep sadness that there was still so much violence in the world and I was part of the problem not the solution. But there was always that glimmer, that heightening of the senses, and, yes, a glow of satisfaction. Of fighting yet another bad guy and emerging triumphant.

  Candy was obviously feeling all of this in full. She was panting, and I swear she was smiling, adrenaline coursing, hackles raised, eyes focused on the large dog snarling as it charged.

  She had very good senses, and excellent reactions, and as the lab sprang at her, dwarfing her, she crouched. As the dog sailed overhead, she snapped out fast at its belly. Not well enough to spill blood, but it sent her attacker tumbling across the floor.

  She was on it in a second.

  Candy jumped onto the dog's belly and snapped at its face, but it shook its head manically, making it hard for her to latch on. Frustrated, and snarling in anger, Candy clamped down on an ear, biting half of it off to the screams of her fallen opponent. There was a mad scramble as they both shook this way and that, and then they were back on their feet, squaring off against each other.

  They leaped simultaneously, hit mid-air, and crashed down in a tangle of legs.

  Things got intense then, the dogs locked together and moving so fast it was impossible to see what was happening.

  Finally, Candy walked carefully back, cautious and eyes locked on this most unwelcome of guests. The dog was still, blood covered its fur in matted clumps, but she was taking no chances. For several long seconds she watched. Then she moved forward slowly, and just before she reached the Labrador it shook violently and attacked.

  It was exhausted, though, almost gone, and the fight was already over. Candy sidestepped easily and swatted it like an oversized fly, sending it skidding into the wall where it crunched in a heap. She ran forward and locked her muzzle on its neck, holding her position as the dog shook then was still.

  Then, and only then, did she release her grip and move away, head held high, tail wagging sluggishly, body quivering with the outpouring of energy and violence.

  And then she changed. Her fur receded, her limbs grew, her head shook in a blur until her beautiful features returned, and then her naked body was before me, covered in patches of blood, lithe and strong and pumped up from the exertion. A naked Candy on all fours, hot and sweaty and sticky and breathing deep.

  I gaped, I gulped, and then I said, "You got a bite on your bum."

  Candy wiggled it experimentally, maybe thinking she still had a tail, maybe not, and I gripped the counter tightly so I didn't fall over.

  Trust me, I've had worse dates. Much worse.

  A Warm Bed

  Candy sprang to her feet, the animal inside receding but not gone. She whipped her head around to stare at me and I held my hands up and said, "Whoa, it's me, remember?"

  For a moment she just wasn't there, human but still inhuman, an inner battle waging between one and the other. But then she shook, her mess of hair tussled and wild. And super sexy. It felt wrong to be so entranced by her in this state, after what she'd done, but I was only human and I couldn't help it. Was it the violence that excited me, or was it the sight of her so sweaty and bouncy and naked? Probably all of it, if I'm honest.

  She advanced, slowly, and I would have taken a step back if I wasn't already against the counter. She got close, so close I could smell her musk, and then she said, "I remember," and winked at me.

  Candy leaped the counter in a move as graceful as a gymnast, and I kept my eyes diverted as that would have just been rude. Instead, I watched as the dead Wild Ones shifted back into human form, which was not a pretty sight. Candy reappeared then, clothes back on, looking amped up and breathing heavily.

  "Did you stare at my bum?" she asked, deathly serious.

  Damn, I guess I broke most of the rules of decorum and decency staring at her like that. Probably not the done thing when shifters change back and forth, but c'mon!

  "Um, maybe, a little. You were bitten, it was just to inspect the wound.

  "So, you're a doctor then?"

  "Not a medical one, no."

  "Oh," she asked, hands on hips, "what kind of doctor are you then?"

  "Obvious, isn't it?" I said, grinning despite myself. "I'm a doctor of love."

  Candy gave me the evil eye, but her smile spread, and then she was laughing. She'd been messing with me. Damn! "Arthur, that is, beyond doubt, the worst line I have ever heard."

  "I've got others," I offered.

  "It does hurt a little," she said, patting her posterior.

  "I can take a better look if you like? I've got a mini pharmacy at my place. Could patch you right up." I was pushing it, but a guy had to give it his best shot.

  "Who could refuse such an offer? Let's go."

  "Um, what about these guys? And who the hell were they?"

  "I'll make a call. And I'll tell you all about it. Later."

  The later was a tantalizing prospect. Did she mean, later, like on the way to my house? Or did she mean later, like in the morning?"

  While I pondered such important mysteries, Candy made a call. Then we left.

  I had a problem now. Candy, like most other folk in this dangerous world I made my way through, didn't know about my gates, didn't know where I lived or much about my private life. She knew I had a daughter, knew I lived on a farm, but not where. Should I tell her, or just take her to the city house?

  I decided, and it was no easy decision, because I'd vowed never to let George meet any of the few women in my life unless I was fairly certain things would lead somewhere. I didn't want her disappointed, growing attached to somebody only for them to be gone. Candy was lovely though, and had been great company, and so I decided to take her home.

  We made it to the semi and entered, Candy quiet, me the same. There was tension, thick and insistent, but I didn't want to stay here. This wasn't my home, it was a halfway house between one world and the other. My world.

  "Okay, here's the deal. This is private, never to be told to another person."

  "Agreed."

  "Good. I don't live here, it's just somewhere to pop in for a cuppa and to house my gates."

  "Er, what, you collect gates?" asked Candy, nonplussed and probably wondering how to call this off.

  "No, not collect. I own two gates, they're portals. They take you from one place to another. The one here leads to my real home. Do you want to come to my real home?"

  "Of course. But gates? You mean like magical portals?" she asked, laughing.

  "Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

  "Oh."

  "So, hold on to my hand and do not, and I cannot stress this enough, let go. It'll hurt," I warned.

  "Can't wait," she said, but I could tell she didn't believe, not really. You wouldn't, would you?

  Several minutes later, she believed all right, and as she gasped and oohed and aahed and things heated up, as a fight and a trip through a magic doorway can really get the juices flowing, we were driving to my farm.

  The house was quiet, George was asleep, but we were wired. I showed Candy my kitchen and she approved, ran her hands along the counter, admired the new tap, even commented on my cutlery drawer, which was nice.

  "I have an en-suite, the medical kit's up th
ere," I said, pushing my luck but hoping this was where it was all heading. Had I really held off for nine months? I had. Maybe I'd taken it a little too slow? But it felt right, that this should not be rushed. Now, those months of abstinence were ready to burst free.

  "Then fix me up good, Doc."

  Clothes were off within seconds of me closing the door to my bedroom, and it wasn't until many hours later that we finally got around to patching up her injuries. After the acrobatics, I was pretty sure I'd need a doctor to realign my spine and sort out the muscle spasms, as Candy was energetic and I was definitely out of practice.

  But the best thing of all? What made this probably the best night of my entire life? I slept, oh boy did I sleep. I slept with my arm wrapped around her gently curved belly, feeling her warmth snuggled into me, the smell of her in my throat, filling my senses and my dreams, warm and comforting and wanting to be here beside me.

  I slept like a baby and I never wanted it to end.

  And when I opened my eyes, with birds chirping, their happy song lifting my spirits even higher, and with the sun shining and the bed warm, the pillow smelling of her perfume, she was gone.

  Crowded Kitchen

  My heart sank for a moment, but then I put my sensible hat on—my other one was somewhere in the room along with my clothes—and decided not to just freak out. She'd have left to open up the coffee shop, right?

  Duh, not likely. We were a long way from the city, she had no car, and she definitely didn't know how to use the portal. Then I panicked about that. What if she'd tried to go through the gate and now she was just dust floating around the Nolands, never to be seen again?

  Deciding I would find out soon enough, and finding it impossible to feel too glum because, you know, sex with a hot woman, lots of sex, I stretched out my limbs, muscles aching more than after a session with Beast, hurting in places I didn't know were places, then, after my body had cricked and creaked and I did some groaning, I showered, fought my hair in a battle I'd never won, and got dressed.

  The sound of laughter greeted me from the kitchen as I approached, and that made me wary. I crept in cautiously, worrying about spillages and misuse of spatulas—the silicone green one was for eggs only, I don't know how many times I had to repeat such a simple concept—then stopped dead in my tracks, saw what was about to greet me, and stepped back into the hall as silently as a mouse.

  "Hey, Dad," said George, staring right at me from her place at the table facing the hall.

  "Um, hey," I mumbled, wondering if fathers were allowed to run away and leave girlfriends in the kitchen.

  "Morning, handsome," said Candy. She turned and winked at me, which brought girlish tittering from George and Vicky. Yeah, that's right, Vicky was there too. Hell, all it needed was for Sasha, faery godmother extraordinaire, to turn up and the ensemble would be complete.

  "You look tired," said Vicky, which brought more tittering from the women. I think I might have blushed.

  "Busy night," I said, foolishly stepping forward into my, yes, my, kitchen.

  "I bet," said Vicky.

  "Um, morning," I said to Candy as I approached, and for the life of me I don't know what possessed me, what I was thinking, and it was just automatic anyway, but I put my hand out and ruffled the top of her head, getting my fingers tangled in her hair.

  The room went silent, Candy stared at me like I'd lost the plot, Vicky sighed, and George just shook her head in disappointment.

  "I told you," said George. "He's utterly clueless."

  "He's an idiot," agreed Vicky.

  "I think it's cute. He's gone all shy, feels uncomfortable. Don't you, sweetie?" asked Candy as she stood up and, without inhibition, kissed me. Yum.

  "Sorry, this is, er, all new to me. I didn't mean anything by it, just, er, hell, will you all stop staring at me. Why is everyone so relaxed? Shouldn't I introduce everyone, and, er, is this okay, George?"

  "Dad, it's fine. I'm a big girl now and besides, I've had boys..."

  "Boys, what?" I asked, maybe growled. "I hope you weren't about to say you'd had boys over, as I certainly haven't seen any and you're too young and no daughter of mine is going to—"

  "Arthur, calm down, you're going to blow a gasket," said Candy.

  George grinned, Vicky shook her head in increasing despair, and me, I slumped into a chair, beaten, and when the air took on a familiar tingle and faery dust fell onto the table, I just groaned and put my head in my hands.

  "Good morning," said Sasha brightly, looking like a million dollars and scaring the hell out of Candy.

  "Morning," we all chorused, but Candy just stared.

  "Did you... Did she... Are you really?"

  "She did. She is," I said glumly.

  "Wow!" said Candy. They'd met several times, and she knew the story a little, not a lot, a little, but it's one thing being told something, another seeing it happen.

  "Ah, so Arthur finally got his act together and got into your pants, did he?" asked Sasha as faery dust fell down her cleavage and I looked away.

  "If you don't mind, can we keep this respectable?" I said. "My daughter is here and I won't have you talk like that to my girlfriend," I said. In response, everyone stared at me again.

  "Girlfriend?" asked Candy, raising a perfect eyebrow.

  Oh, damn, had I blown it? We hadn't had this conversation. Hadn't talked about whether we were exclusive. I'd just assumed we were, as I was old-fashioned and wouldn't dream of dating more than one woman at a time, but knew the younger generation went in for that kind of thing.

  "Um, well, if you want to be?" I asked, feeling like a damn fool.

  "He's so sweet when he's squirming," said Sasha, who, along with all the other women in the room, of which there were three too many, leaned forward to better make me feel like an utter dick.

  "Sounds nice. I'll cancel my dates with the others for the rest of the week," said Candy.

  "Oh."

  "I'm joking, I only date one handsome wizard at a time."

  That perked me right up, and I stuck my tongue out at the others. Everyone laughed and that was that, one big happy family.

  We had breakfast, all of us, drank coffee, avoided talking about what had gone on between me and Candy the previous evening, and every so often I'd catch George's eye and ask if she was okay, wanting to ensure she didn't mind a woman coming downstairs that she didn't know. Especially with it being obvious she'd slept with her father.

  I'd underestimated her, and she was cool about it. Didn't seem phased in the slightest.

  After torturing me by insisting on doing the washing up, Vicky took Candy off to show her around and I had a few minutes alone with George. Sasha had already gone, only staying long enough to watch the Arthur Feeling Like a Right Twat Show.

  "Are you okay with this?" I asked. "I didn't want to bring anyone home unless I was pretty sure about them. Um, not that I've had the chance until now anyway. But I don't want you to feel uncomfortable, and if you don't want me to then I won't."

  "Dad, it's fine. Look, I know you're a man, okay? I know you're looking out for me, and I appreciate it. It's so nice you're thinking about me, but it's your house, your life. You do what you want."

  "Yes, but I don't want you getting attached to anyone just in case... Anyway, it's your house too. We're partners. A family."

  "Look, I'm not pining for a mother figure. If you want a girlfriend I think that's awesome. You deserve it. Plus, er, we've met a few times before." George twiddled a lock of red hair as her eyes darted away.

  "Who have you met before?" I asked, nonplussed.

  "Candy. Once you said you were dating her, I, well, I went to the coffee shop and introduced myself. We've had a few chats, got to know each other."

  "What! You should have said. Candy didn't say."

  "That's because I asked her not to. I didn't want it to get weird, and I didn't know how it would go with you guys. I was, um, I was looking out for you. I wanted to check her out to make sure she was good
enough."

  "And is she?"

  "Yeah, she seems really nice. Confident, takes no crap, but friendly and open. Plus, I bet she keeps you in line, right?"

  I thought back to the trouble at the cafe and said, "You have no idea."

  "And I know she's a shifter."

  "She told you?" I was surprised.

  "No, Vicky did."

  "Damn big mouth."

  We hugged then, and I said, "I love you. Thank you for being such a perfect daughter."

  "Idiot," said George, but she hugged her old dad and my morning was as perfect as it could be.

  Then Vicky came back in, and it went downhill rapidly.

  Saying Goodbye

  "You've forgotten, haven't you?" asked Vicky, hands on hips, staring in accusation.

  "No, I haven't," I said, staring her down, trying not to get distracted by Candy as she moved around the kitchen like she was entirely at home.

  "Okay then, what haven't you forgotten?" Vicky scrunched up her nose, then her eyes widened in shock as she glanced at Candy. "Um, don't answer that," she spluttered hurriedly.

  "Fine, I won't," I said, without a single clue what on earth she was on about. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

  Vicky huffed in exasperation and turned to George for moral support. "How do you put up with him"?

  "You get used to it. He's distracted." George nodded in Candy's direction, who was inspecting my tap closely and making agreeable noises. Girl after my own heart. Nothing like seeing a woman admire a quality tap to know she's the one for you.

  "Dad? Dad? Hello?"

  "Eh, what?"

  "I said you get distracted by... never mind."

  "Oh, right. Okay then." I stood there like a lemon for a while, as this was all very new territory for me and I wasn't sure what the protocol was. What did I have to do today? Why was Vicky here?

  As I stared around the room blankly, at a total loss, I must have zoned out, as the next thing I knew, Candy was tugging at my shirt sleeve and saying, "Is that okay?"

  "Fine," I mumbled. "Um, what was the question again?"