Miles’s Redemption

Chapter 4

Kareena directed Miles to her apartment building. This time she was awake for the ride in his car. She still felt a little embarrassed about passing out on him the night before.

What a way to meet someone.

She looked at Miles’s profile as he drove. Kareena traced his handsome features with her gaze. She could stare at him all day. And to think she’d been naked in his arms as he’d pleasured her. Hopefully there would be a lot more of that during their date that evening. As she’d told Miles earlier, anticipation wasn’t a bad thing.

Miles pulled up to the front of her building and put the car in park. He turned toward her and leaned across the seats to claim her lips. His tongue slipped inside her mouth as his big hand cupped the back of her head, holding her just where he wanted her. Kareena moaned softly as she returned the kiss, her body craving more of his touch. All too soon Miles ended it.

“I’ll pick you up around six. Decide on what movie you’d like to see. Afterward, we can go someplace for drink.”

“All right. And I promise not to get drunk tonight,” Kareena said with a laugh. “But instead of going out to a restaurant or bar, how about we come back here? I’ll make us some snack-type food.”

Miles smiled. “I’d like that. I’ll supply the drinks.”

She leaned toward him and gave him another kiss. “Don’t worry about the drinks.

I’ll get those as well. See you later then.”

Kareena opened the car door and got out. Once she closed it, Miles gave her a wave then drove away. She went inside the building and took the elevator up to her floor. The sound of her phone ringing inside her apartment reached her ears as she put her key into the lock. Quickly, she opened the door and raced to get the cordless phone.

She smiled when she saw Lacy’s number on the call display. “Hi, Lacy.”

“Finally, you’re home. I was worried sick.”

“Why?” Kareena shut her apartment door and locked it.

“Why, she asks. I’ve only tried to get a hold of you since last night. I even tried your cell phone, but it keeps going straight to your voice mail.”

Kareena fished her cell out of her purse and saw the battery had died. “I have to charge it. And why were you calling last night? I thought you’d at least wait until today.”

“We all saw you leave with the hottie and get into his car. You were kind of drunk last night. I didn’t think it was such a smart thing to let you go with a guy you just met, but Alice said you’d be fine. She said she felt he was no threat and that you’d be okay.”

Alice had this uncanny intuition when it came to people. She could tell just by observing them if they could be trusted or not. She claimed this ability ran in her family on her mother’s side, dating back to an Irish gypsy relative.

“Then you shouldn’t have worried,” Kareena said. “Alice is never wrong.”

“I know. So where were you all night?”

“With Miles.”

“The hottie?”

“Yes. I spent the night at his penthouse.”

“Damn. Good looking and rich. You sure landed on your feet all right. Was he great in bed? He looks like the type of guy who would keep a woman up all night.”

“Well, we didn’t get quite that far, though we did fool around a bit this morning, which was really nice.”

“So you actually didn’t sleep with him?”

“No. You were right about me being drunk. I ended up passing out on him in his car.

Since I hadn’t told Miles where I lived before that, he took me back to his place to sleep it off.”

“You didn’t,” Lacy said with a laugh.

“Yeah, I did.” Her friend burst into gales of laughter. “It isn’t that funny. I’m actually a little embarrassed by it.”

“Oh yes, it is. You land yourself a guy who looks as if he could be a cover model, and you pass out on him. I wonder if you snored.”

“I don’t snore.”

“Yes, you do when you’ve had too much to drink. During our college days when we’d overindulge and stay overnight at one of our places, you always snored. Not loud enough to rattle the windows or anything, but you still did it.”

Kareena cringed. “Great. Now you have me all worried about that. I must have made a real good impression on Miles with the whole being drunk and snoring. I’m surprised he wants to go out on a date this evening.”

Lacy laughed again. “If he wants to see you again, I guess it didn’t bother him.”

“Still, ugh. I’d better be on my best behavior tonight, or he might rethink that.”

“Hey, if he’s still interested in you after all that, he must be really into you.”

“I know I’m really into him. The man knows how to kiss, amongst other things.”

“Not something I needed to hear, especially now that I’m single again.”

“You won’t be for long. Unlike me, you won’t wait a year before you move on to the next guy.”

“So true. I’m already on the prowl.”

Kareena laughed. “Then all the single men out there better watch out.”

“I’ll let you go since you have a date this evening. I’m just glad you’re okay, and that you have finally moved on. I’ll talk to you later, and I’ll give the others the good news that you’ve managed to snag the hunk.”

“Talk to you later then.”

She hung up the phone and shook her head. Out of all her friends, Lacy was the one who liked to gossip. If any of them wanted to know what was up with the others, they just had to call Lacy. It didn’t bother any of them. They all knew it was just a part of their friend’s personality.

Heading toward her bedroom, Kareena shook her head as she thought of how fast her other friends would hear about Miles. She wouldn’t be surprised if they called her next, wanting all the juicy details.

She tossed her purse on her bed before she stripped out of her clothes for a shower.

Kareena had some primping to do before Miles picked her up for their date.

Instead of going back to his place, Miles decided to make the drive to Marin County to check in on Jaden. With her due date so close, he wanted to make sure she still felt well. He looked forward to being a grandfather. Having not been involved in bringing Jaden up, he didn’t want to miss out on anything when it came to her child.

He pulled onto the drive of the Protectors’ mansion and parked in front of the garage before he headed for the front door. He usually called ahead to let Jaden know he would be showing up, but since this was a spur of the moment thing, he hadn’t bothered. He didn’t think his daughter would mind. He’d been slowly working his way back into his old life and had even taken over some of the protection duties. Though he didn’t think watching over Jaden was a chore. It just gave him more time to spend with her.

Miles knocked once on the door then opened it. He stepped into the large, open-

concept foyer. “Hello? Anyone home?” he called as a courtesy. He knew there was because he could smell the scents of each individual inside the mansion. His daughter’s was one of them, but there were three he hadn’t encountered before.

Without waiting for someone to greet him, Miles headed for the living room. Inside were a couple and a small child he’d never met, all werewolves. The woman had the same coloring and build as Jaden. The man had long, black hair. The female child looked to be a year old. Both the man and woman seemed to stiffen as Miles walked farther into the room. The scent of anxiousness suddenly came off the adult female.

He slowed his steps, stopping before he came too close. The man shifted slightly, as if he were trying to place himself between his family and Miles. Miles put on a smile that would show he wasn’t any kind of threat. Some males could be overprotective of their mates, especially when they had young with them.

“Hi,” Miles said. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Miles. Saskia is my sister, and Jaden is my daughter.”

The man answered. “I’m Beowulf, and this is my mate, Roxie, and our daughter, Nevaeh.”

Miles nodded at Roxie. “Nice to meet you all. I just stopped by to see Jaden.”

Before he could say anything more, Saskia came rushing into the room. Her gaze flicked to the couple on the couch. Miles could have sworn his sister wore a panicked expression for a split second, but it was gone too quickly. She turned her focus on him

“Miles, what a nice surprise. We weren’t expecting you today, what with you finding your mate last night and all. We thought you’d be busy with her.”

He smiled. “I dropped Kareena off at her place, then decided to pop in to check up on Jaden. I’m not staying long. I’m taking Kareena to a movie this evening.”

Saskia closed the distance between them and gave him a hug. “I’m so happy for you.

How do you feel about Kareena being mortal?”

“She’s my mate. It really doesn’t matter that she’s not a werewolf. It doesn’t seem to be a problem now. I’m worried about her being able to accept what I am and the differences in our life spans. I don’t want to think about that though.”

“I wish there was some way I could help you with the last part.”

Miles took a deep breath and let it out. “So do I. Though I met Kareena less than twenty-four hours ago, my feelings for her are growing stronger. A lot faster than they did with Jaden’s mother. The idea of losing Kareena to old age makes my gut knot. I’d give anything to have her become a werewolf, but we all know that isn’t possible. She’d have to be born one.”

Roxie cleared her throat. “She’s your mate. That’s why your feelings for her are already so strong. I take it you haven’t claimed her yet.”

Miles looked at Roxie. “No. Jaden told me her rule about how she wants male werewolves with mortal mates to tell them what they are first to give them a choice. She said that was a rule given as the foretold one. So I really don’t have any choice but to obey.”

Roxie smiled. “Jaden is very smart. And that’s a perfect rule. I couldn’t have come up with a better one.” Beowulf snorted, and his mate gave him an elbow in the stomach for it.

“I heard someone say my name,” Jaden said as she waddled into the room with Leif at her side.

“I just told your dad how smart I thought you were for telling him about the rule you have about mortal mates,” Roxie replied.

“Oh. Nothing bad then.” Jaden came to Miles and kissed him. “What are you doing here, Dad?”

“I wanted to check up on you and the little one.” He placed his hand on his daughter’s distended belly and was rewarded with a kick. He smiled.

“As you can see, we’re doing fine. How about we go out back and visit? It’s a nice day. I figure I won’t get too many chances to just sit and enjoy the outside once the baby comes. I’ll be too busy.”

Miles nodded. He turned to Beowulf and Roxie. “I hope to see you again.”

He followed Jaden and Leif through the house and outside to the back patio. It was a gorgeous day with the sun shining bright and hardly a cloud in the sky. Miles sat at the wrought-iron patio table as Jaden sank onto the chair next to Leif with a sigh.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” Miles asked Jaden.

“Yes. I’m just ready to have this baby. Plus, I’m feeling cooped up in the house.”

“Tell you what. I recently bought a cottage that borders the Point Reyes National Seashore land. It’s on the secluded side, but it’s quiet. You and Leif can spend a couple of days there with me and Kareena.”

“I don’t know,” Leif said. “Jaden is close to giving birth. And there is the whole question of it being safe for her up there.”

“Between the two of us, I think we can watch over Jaden well enough,” Miles quickly assured his daughter’s mate. “Kareena is an ER nurse. So if anything should happen in regards to the baby, she should be able to help. We’re only going to be an hour drive away.”

Jaden looked at Leif. “This sounds like a great idea. I’d love to go. I’m sure Aunt Saskia won’t have a problem with it. I promise I’ll take it easy and rest.”

Of course Saskia would have to be consulted about the trip. As the leader of the Protectors, she had the final say when it came to the safety of the foretold one.

Leif stared at Jaden while she gave him a pleading look. “God, I hate when you look at me like that,” Leif said to Jaden. “I can never tell you no.”

Jaden took her mate’s hand. “Does that mean we can go?”

“Yes. So long as Saskia agrees.”

“When would you like to go?” Jaden asked Miles.

“I was thinking tomorrow or the next day. I’ll talk it over with Kareena tonight and see if she can get time off work.”

“Then let’s go tell Saskia what we have planned,” Jaden said as she pushed off her chair and stood.

They filed back into the house and went to the living room. Saskia was still there along with Beowulf, Roxie, and their daughter. Jaden explained what they wanted to do.

As Miles had predicted, his sister agreed with their plans. Shortly after that, Miles said his good-byes and left. He couldn’t think of a better way for his mate and daughter to get to know each other better. He just hoped Kareena would say yes as well.

After the sound of Miles’s car on the driveway could no longer be heard, Saskia blew out a breath. “That was too damn close. I’m sorry, Roxie. I never expected Miles to show up like that. He usually calls before he drops in.”

Roxie waved her concerns away with a flick of her hand. “Don’t worry about it. No harm done. I’m sure your brother is more than a little distracted with his mating urge riding him. I doubt he would have thought Beowulf and I were anything more than just friends.”

“Still it was a risk.”

“He’s changed,” Roxie said then paused. “I think we have to tell him the truth.”

Saskia, Beowulf, and Leif all said “No!” at the same time. Saskia shook her head.

“No, Roxie. We can’t. He’s only changed because he thinks Jaden is the foretold one. I don’t know if that will last once he finds out we’ve lied to him.”

“Your brother has found his mate. His mortal mate. Is it really fair to let him continue to think Kareena can’t have the same lifespan as him when I can turn her into a werewolf?”

“I don’t think it is,” Jaden said in a quiet voice. “My dad has done terrible things in his past, but he’s trying to make up for that. I don’t think he’ll ever go back to what he was, no matter the circumstances. If you don’t want to tell him the truth then at least let him know Roxie is special and can use a spell to change Kareena into a werewolf. He doesn’t need to know the other things Roxie can do.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Roxie said. “Miles shouldn’t think it too strange that I can work the spell. After all, his own grandmother was the one who saw my coming and wrote the prophecy about the foretold one. And you have the sight as well, Saskia.”

Saskia thought it over then nodded. “All right. We can tell him about the spell, and that’s it. I just hope it doesn’t backfire on us, but I can see how it would appear unfair to keep this from Miles. He has as much right to be as happy with his mate as the rest of us.”

“I’ll tell him when we’re at his cottage,” Jaden said. “I think it would be better if he heard it from me. I’m supposed to be the foretold one, after all. I should be the one who decides who gets to be in on the know about the spell.”

“Wait until he’s claimed his mate. I wouldn’t be surprised if Miles decides to use this trip away to tell Kareena about his being a werewolf. He might think she’ll have an easier time of accepting it with you there, Jaden.”

“Then it’s decided,” Roxie said. “We tell Miles about the spell and nothing else.”

“And once you’ve done the spell, Rox, you’re going to avoid seeing Miles again. I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks. He’s my brother, but that doesn’t mean he’s earned back all my trust. I still have the responsibility to keep you safe.”

Saskia watched Roxie nod in agreement. She just hoped they weren’t making a huge mistake by telling Miles about the spell. Hopefully he’d be so thrilled by the fact his mate was no longer mortal, he’d just accept Roxie as they wanted her to appear to him—a special werewolf with an extra bit of magic. She’d also get him to swear on his life that he’d keep the spell a secret.