Midnight Orchids Read online

  Caine didn’t respond. He simply stepped back and allowed Remy to take over.

  “You made a big mistake comin’ down here and puttin’ your hands on my mate,” Remy snarled at Ezra.

  Ezra sneered at him. “The little bitch has you conned, if you think she gives a shit about you. She wasted no time undressing when I told her to strip. Maybe you just don’t have what it takes to get her wet.”

  Hearing Ezra bragging about raping Kylie, Remy lost it. He was on the other leopard in seconds. Fists flew, claws came out, and blood began to flow. The more he hit or clawed at Ezra, the more he wanted to shred every inch of skin from his bones.

  Soon, both men had shifted to their animal form and the fight became even more ferocious. While Ezra’s leopard was a little larger than Remy’s, Remy was a little faster. He also knew the terrain better and knew where to put his feet down. More than once during the fight, Ezra found himself hindered by the swamp trying to suck him down when he put a foot down in a patch of quicksand.

  Still, Remy was taking a bit of a beating from the other leopard. Ezra was fighting from a place of desperation because he knew he was fighting for his life. Remy, on the other hand, was fighting from a place of rage, and that could be dangerous. The sound of their snarls echoed across the bayou.

  Kylie

  Kylie sat curled up on the sofa with her knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She was afraid to close her eyes because she knew what would happen when she did. She was going to see Ezra’s face. When Emelise held out a glass of whiskey to her, Kylie took it and drank it down. Maybe it would help to settle her nerves enough to rest.

  “Do you want to talk about…what happened?”

  Emelise’s voice was gentle but Kylie still flinched “No. I-I can’t. I just want to forget.” But she couldn’t. How does one forget something like that? Her ears picked up the echo of snarling and a frown creased her brow. It took several seconds for it to sink in what she was hearing. “They’re fighting.”

  “Remy is an honorable man. Of course he gave that asshole the chance to defend himself. They should have just put a bullet in his brain and thrown him to the gators,” Emelise growled.

  Kylie blinked at her. “Where’s Hailey?” The little girl was usually glued to Emelise’s side whenever she was home.

  “With Mia. I asked her to keep an eye on her until you were back. I didn’t want to upset her.”

  “Oh.” As the snarling continued to echo across the bayou, Kylie shuddered. “I need to see it. I need to know he’s gone.”

  “Kylie, that might not be a good idea.”

  “I have to. I have to see. I have to know.” Before Emelise could try to talk her out of it, Kylie was up off the couch and running for the front door. She had to see for herself that Ezra was dead.

  “Kylie! Wait!”

  Emelise’s voice followed her out the door but Kylie didn’t stop. She ran through the compound in the direction the snarling was echoing from. There were only two thoughts in her head: she needed to see Ezra’s lifeless body with her own eyes, and she hoped Remy wasn’t hurt.

  Kylie followed the echoes to where the fight was taking place. She’d never seen Remy fight—she had no idea how good he was—but she had seen Ezra fight. She knew what he was capable of and she couldn’t stop the fear that held her in it’s grip. What if Ezra was the better fighter? Kylie knew he was a dead man, regardless, because of what he’d done, but that would be no consolation if Remy died. Ezra’s death wouldn’t bring him back.

  There was a ring of bodies around the fight itself and Kylie was pushing her way toward the front when she was suddenly stopped.

  “Don’t get too close. Remy isn’t in control right now, his leopard is.”

  Kylie lifted her gaze to Declan. “If I’m his mate that won’t matter, and if he lashes out at me, then we’ll know I’m not, won’t we?”

  She waited until Declan moved out of her way before she stepped into the small clearing. Her eyes went to the two leopards who were fighting. This was the first time she’d seen Remy’s leopard and he took her breath away, even with the obvious signs of a fight. His dark fur was spotted with blood and she knew he was hurt, but not nearly as hurt as Ezra. The spotted leopard was on it’s back, feebly trying to protect its belly and break free from the darker leopard’s grasp, to no avail. As Remy’s jaws slowly crushed Ezra’s throat, his claws raked fur and skin from Ezra’s stomach. A low growl reverberated from Remy as Kylie approached.

  “Remy?” Kylie kept her voice calm and soft. “Remy, come back. He’s not worth you losing yourself in your leopard’s blood lust.” It was rare, but there were instances where the human half was permanently buried due to the leopard half losing complete control and Kylie feared that would happen to Remy. She dropped to her knees beside the pair of leopards and watched as the tension in Remy’s body eased. His claws stopped raking Ezra’s body and then, ever so slowly, he released Ezra’s throat. She watched as he lifted his gaze to her face. His leopard’s eyes were a vibrant green and the color faded even as he began to shift back to human form.

  “What are you doin’ here, cher? You shouldn’t be here.”

  “I had to come. I had to see…I needed to see his body with my own eyes, Remy.” She turned her attention to Ezra, who’d shifted back to human as well. He was dying, she could see it. She’d expected to feel elation over his death but all she felt was relief. Relief that she no longer had to fear him.

  While Remy’s injuries were taken care of, Kylie leaned down close enough for Ezra to hear her quietly spoken words. “You ruined me. I thought I loved you, I thought you were the one, and you took my heart, and my body, and ruined them. I hope you rot in hell.” She watched as he opened his mouth, as if to speak, but nothing came out. He tried to raise his hand from the ground but he had no strength left in him. Kylie knelt there, her gaze intent on Ezra’s face, and watched as the light faded from his eyes. She watched as his body grew slack, his chest stopped rising and falling, and his final breath rattled from between parted lips. He was finally dead and she was free of him. A sound escaped her and she covered her mouth with her hand. It was a relieved sob.

  A hand gently gripped her shoulder and Kylie lifted her gaze to find Emelise there. Remy was still being tended to a short distance from them. “You shouldn’t have followed me out here.”

  “You’re my friend and you’re hurting; of course I followed. Are you okay?”

  Kylie thought about the question. Was she okay? “I…think so. He’s really gone. I don’t have to keep looking over my shoulder, fearing I’ll find him coming after me. It’s…a relief.”

  “No one will ever put dere hands on you like dat again.”

  Her gaze lifted to find Remy staring intently at her. She knew he would never touch her in anger, but once he found out what she did, once he knew what happened in the rest area bathroom, she doubted he would want her anymore.

  A splash reached them while they were talking and Kylie looked to where Ezra’s body had been. It wasn’t there anymore.

  “Da gators will enjoy da free meal,” Remy growled. “Let’s get you back to da house, cher.”

  “We’ll be right behind y’all. We’ve got to swing by Mia and Gage’s to pick up Hailey,” Emelise said when Kylie looked in her direction.

  “Okay.” She was quiet as she let Remy escort her back to the heart of the compound and Caine and Emelise’s home.

  “I’ll wait wit’ you until dey get back,” Remy said once they reached the house.

  “You don’t have to do that, Remy. I’m fine.”

  “It’s not about havin’ to, it’s about wantin’ to, Kitten.”

  “Oh. Okay, then. I just don’t want you thinking you have to stay.”

  She watched as Remy lifted a hand to touch her cheek.

  “When are you gonna start believin’ I want to be wit’ you, cher?”

  She looked away from him. “You might think differently later,” she whispered.


  “Not gonna happen, Kitten.” She blushed because she hadn’t expected him to hear her.

  “We can take it from here. You should get get cleaned up,” Caine said to Remy.

  Kylie and Remy turned to find Emelise and Caine approaching. Caine was holding Hailey with her head tucked against his shoulder and Kylie assumed it was so she wouldn’t see the blood that coated Remy’s skin.

  “I reckon you’re right. G’night, Kitten. If you need me, I won’t be all dat far away.”

  “I’ll be fine. Good-night, Remy.” Maybe if she said it enough, she might start believing it.

  “Do you want to talk?” Emelise offered.

  Kylie shook her head. “No. I think I’m just going to take a shower and go to bed.”

  “I’m here if you change your mind.”

  Kylie just nodded and went to her room, where she grabbed a change of clothes, then went to shower. By the time she crawled into bed she was exhausted.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kylie

  “Kylie, wake up.”

  Kylie was awakened by a hand gently shaking her shoulder. A gasp escaped her as her eyes snapped open and looked wildly around the bedroom as if searching for danger.

  “Easy. It’s okay. You were having a nightmare. I called to you but you didn’t seem to hear me. You’re safe, Kylie.”

  The soothing tone in Emelise’s voice helped to calm her and Kylie closed her eyes a moment. “I’m so sorry I woke you up.” Her hair stuck to her forehead in places from the sweat that coated her skin, and the camisole top she’d worn to bed clung to her chest.

  “Hey, it’s okay. I can’t begin to imagine the hell you’ve gone through and what that asshole kidnapping you might have dredged up from your subconscious. It’s no wonder you had a nightmare. Do you want to talk about it?”

  Kylie shook her head. “No. I’m good. I don’t need to put those images in your head. No one should have them in their head.” She shuddered involuntarily. “Thank you for the offer, though. You should go on back to bed.” She felt Emelise’s eyes on her and lifted her gaze to the other woman’s face. There she saw concern.

  “Are you sure? I don’t mind sitting up with you for a while.”

  “I’m sure, Emelise. Go on back to bed. I’m just going to take another shower to rinse the sweat off, then go back to bed.”

  “If you’re sure. Good-night, then.”

  Kylie watched her go before she let out a breath. There was no way in hell she was going to tell Emelise about her nightmare. There was also no way in hell she was going to fall back to sleep, but she needed to wash the sweat off. It coated her skin and made it feel gritty.

  Kylie got the water as hot as she could stand it and then stood under the spray until it began to cool. She still felt dirty and wondered if she would ever feel clean again.

  After drying off and dressing, she returned to her room and curled up on her side so she could stare out the window across from her. She tried to turn her mind off, to stop thinking, but she couldn’t. Ezra was gone but his parting actions left their mark. Just the thought of losing the little connection she and Remy had, made her want to curl up in a ball and sob.

  Kylie was still staring at the window, from the bed, when the sun began to lighten the sky. She lay there watching as the sky brightened and the sounds of Caine and Emelise moving around in the front of the house reached her. She knew she should get out of bed but she felt too lethargic. She just didn’t have the energy to move. All she wanted to do was stay in bed and ignore the rest of the world.

  A knock on the bedroom door had her groaning. “I’m awake.”

  Emelise stuck her head in the door. “I just wanted to let you know breakfast is ready. You didn’t get back to sleep, did you?”

  “Is it that obvious?” Kylie sighed. “I’m not sure I have the energy to get out of bed, much less eat.”

  “Then I’ll bring you something. Take today off. After what happened yesterday, and then not getting much sleep last night, I’d rather you rest than go in and regret it.”

  Kylie opened her mouth to argue but she saw the determination on Emelise’s face. “Okay.” Arguing with the boss wasn’t exactly smart, anyway.

  She closed her eyes and rested until the door opened again. When she opened her eyes and looked to the doorway, Emelise was carrying breakfast in with Hailey at her side. When Hailey crawled on the bed to cuddle next to her, Kylie couldn’t help but smile. “Hey there, short stuff.”

  “You don’t mind if Hailey visits while you eat, do you? She wanted to see you.”

  “Of course not, Eme.” Kylie turned her attention to her food, and while it smelled really good, she discovered, after a few bites, she didn’t have much of an appetite. She ate a few more bites, then set the plate aside.

  “How come you’re not eating?” Hailey asked.

  “I’m not very hungry this morning. I think I’m just too tired to eat.” She ruffled the little girl’s hair. “Thank you for visiting with me.” Her thoughts went to Remy and she wondered how he was doing. Were his injuries healing okay?

  “Come on, short stuff, let’s go put my plate up in the kitchen.” She forced a cheerful attitude to hide how she was really feeling.

  Emelise frowned at Kylie’s plate. “You didn’t eat very much. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah. Just not very hungry. I’ll eat later.” All she wanted to do was crawl back into bed and hide. Still, she faked a smile.

  “Hailey and I are going into the city for lunch later if you’d like to join us.”

  “Thanks, but…I think I’ll stay here. Have you seen Remy yet, today?” Even if she knew he’d be disgusted once he found out what she did, she couldn’t help wanting to see him, wanting to know how he was doing.

  “He hasn’t stopped by yet, today. My guess is he’s still resting after last night,” Emelise replied.

  “Oh. I guess that makes sense.” Kylie took her dishes into the kitchen and got them in the dishwasher before she spoke again. “I think I’m going to lie back down for a little bit.”

  “You know my offer stands, right? I’m here if you feel like talking.”

  “I know, Eme. I just…I just want to lie down.”

  Kylie felt Emelise’s eyes on her as she made her way down the hall to her room. Once the door was closed behind her she crawled into bed, curled up on her side, and covered her head with a pillow. She just wanted to sleep. There was nothing wrong with that. At all.

  Remy

  Remy awoke with a groan. Cracking an eye open, he glanced at the clock next to his bed. It was nearly noon. He hadn’t slept that late in years. His body ached and the wounds, that were going to take a few days to heal, made stretching the aches out impossible. At least they would be completely gone in a couple of days. If he was human, he’d have damn-near died from his injuries.

  Thinking about the fight turned his mind to Kylie, and that had him tumbling out of bed regardless of how much he ached. He suddenly needed to check on her. He needed to know she was okay.

  After a quick shower, during which he hissed and cursed every time one of the deeper gashes was hit by the spray, he fixed himself a cup of coffee and headed over to his Alpha’s home to check on his mate.

  Emelise answered on his second knock. “Morning, Remy. Wow, you look like shit. Didn’t sleep well, I take it?”

  Remy chuckled. “Not really, cher. Is Kylie awake?”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure. She had a nightmare in the middle of the night and I don’t think she fell back to sleep. She was up a little while ago but she said she wanted to lie down. You can go ahead and check on her. First door on the left.”

  “Thanks.” He stepped into the house and made his way to Kylie’s door. After a light knock he waited for a response.

  “What’s wrong, Eme?”

  “It’s me, Kitten. Can I come in?” There was such a long pause he was worried she was going to tell him no.

  “Yeah, I guess so.”
/>   Remy opened the door and stepped inside before he closed it behind him. “How are you feelin’, Kitten?”

  Kylie shrugged her shoulders. “You’re the one who was in a fight. How are you feeling today?”

  “I’ll survive. It’s no’ting I can’t heal from.” He moved slowly and sat on the edge of her bed, close enough to touch her. His hand lifted to her cheek and he paused when he saw her flinch. “You know I’d never hurt you, yeah cher?”

  Kylie swallowed and nodded. “I know, Remy. It’s…I can’t control it. I went through five years of hell. You can’t expect me to just suddenly have a different reaction to being touched.”

  Remy wanted to argue with her but he knew she was right. “I know, cher. You need time. Just as long as you know I’m not gonna hurt you, dat’s good enough for now.” He studied her a moment. “Emelise said you didn’t sleep well. Have you tried to take a nap?”

  “Yeah, I tried. It didn’t work. I’ll be fine, though.”

  “Why don’t you try while I’m here? Dat way, if you have a nightmare, I can wake you up.” He watched as she seemed to have an internal battle over his suggestion before she nodded. He sat there on the edge of the bed while she curled on her side. One hand rested lightly on her shoulder before he started rubbing soothing circles on her back.

  Soon enough her breathing slowed, and the tension in her body drained away as she drifted off to sleep. “I’ll always watch over you, cher,” he murmured to her sleeping form. He knew if he said it to her out loud she would dismiss his feelings so for now he would keep it to himself.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kylie

  Kylie was starting to feel like warmed-over shit. For four days now she’d gotten little sleep. She wasn’t waking Emelise anymore when she had a nightmare but she saw the concern in her friend’s eyes. She knew Emelise was worried about her. Remy was even worse. He stopped in to check on her all the damn time and she just knew he didn’t buy her ‘I’m fine’ any more than Emelise did. At least neither of them called her on it.