WickedBeast Read Free Page B

stepped back as he felt her gathering her gift. Molly was very
busy trying to distract everyone with the deluge of words. Her hand fluttered
to Kelly’s ankle and Cord grabbed the back of a kitchen chair to keep from
falling on his ass.
    Molly drew on the earth as she demanded it heal the serious
wounds in Kelly. Ruthlessly she took from the surroundings. Power rushed
through Molly into Kelly’s leg, and Molly’s eyes flashed up to Cord in
wide-eyed surprise.
    Apparently she had no idea what he was. None of them seemed
to know anything about what they were. He almost laughed at the absurdity of
it. Cord was a creature of the earth. His kind were created, not born, they
were the earth as much as they were flesh. Animal was as close as human words
could come to identify them, but they certainly weren’t any type of beast this
world knew. They had blood DNA but it was the mix of elements that made them
the soulless creatures that they were.
    To heal Kelly, Molly had gathered life force
indiscriminately, thinking she was calling on the organic world to lend its
assistance. And she was. Earth Witch simply had no idea organic could walk on
two legs. Her call had required a response from his body and she’d pretty much
drained him with it.
    Pulling out the kitchen chair, he sat down heavily. The fact
that he could bleed, that his body usually resembled a mammal didn’t make him a
true one. Trees bled. Even rocks could in their own fashion. The stark reminder
of what he was didn’t change what he wanted. What he was no longer willing to
live without.
    “What…what are you?” Molly stuttered as she stared at him
from the floor beside Kelly.
    Kelly coughed as her body jerked slightly. Minuet clutched
her mother’s hand to her wet cheek.
    “Mommy? Mommy, wake up?” she asked hesitantly.
    “Soon, baby,” Cord responded to Minuet first. Kelly wasn’t
waking up if he couldn’t help her, and Molly had done a damn good job of
stripping him of most abilities. He lurched to his feet and concentrated on
moving normally as he stepped around Kelly’s head and went down to one knee
beside Minuet.
    He regarded Molly. “You done?”
    “I don’t know. Depends,” Molly answered cautiously. “What
are you?”
    “Not a threat to you. You know that now. I helped her sleep
so she wouldn’t feel the pain. I have to help her wake up. Do you understand?”
    He was asking her to understand what she’d just felt. She
knew enough to use her gift and feel the power she’d bled out of him. Mostly he
wanted her to come to the conclusion she could control him if she wanted to. It
would make her feel safe and accept him more readily. There was truth in that
conclusion. It just wasn’t the whole truth.
    As Molly stared at him, Cord’s hand drifted over Minuet’s
hair in a light caress and came to rest on her shoulder. It appeared he was
gently giving the child physical comfort. Again that was true, mostly. Molly’s
slight dip of chin was grudging consent but enough to work with.
    He slowly laid his other hand on Kelly’s brow, his eyes on
Molly to strengthen the impression that she could stop him at any time. Kelly
moaned softly.
    That was all the attention he could give Molly. Looking down
at the beautiful woman slowly opening violet-blue eyes was an action he had no
hope of resisting. In that moment, her consciousness came to life and he was
truly lost. She awoke and he would never be forgiven. So be it. Cord smiled
into the eyes of the future.
    “Hey. How are you feeling?” he asked softly.
    “Mommy!”
    Minuet launched herself on top of her mother, trying to wrap
arms around her neck. Kelly struggled to sit up and hold her baby. Cord slid an
arm under Kelly’s back to lift both so Kelly was sitting with Minuet in her
lap. The move was natural. His hand remained lightly supporting them.
    For a moment, Kelly’s head dipped to rest on Minuet’s head,
both of them sheltered under his body. Cord dragged in a deep breath, soaking
up