Free Stephen by Kathi S. Barton

she’s at it.
    Me too. Samuel could see Jimmy and three wolves standing near a stand of trees. He could feel the magic coming from the opening, but like them, didn’t move to go inside. Reaching out to the woman, he said her name softly.
    Clar, we’re here. Can you calm your magic down so we can come inside? She didn’t answer him right away, and he started to speak to her again. But just then she staggered out of the cave opening and fell to her knees. They all rushed toward her at once, but stopped when she looked at them.
    “ I healed him. I’m not…I think I’m going to be sick.” She started to stand up but fell back down onto her knees and leaned over. As she threw up twice, Jimmy went into the cave. Samuel wanted to shift to care for her, but if she really healed Stephen, he might not be too happy to see a naked man standing next to his mate. No matter how much Stephen didn’t want her, she was still the one that would have him murder his friends if they fucked around with her. And that included helping her if he was pissed enough.
    Jimmy came out of the cave with Stephen. He was standing on his own, but he looked pale, and there was blood on his shirt. As soon as he saw Clar, he moved toward her with a cautious step. Good, Samuel thought, maybe he’d live another day.
    “ I’m taking you back to my house.” She stood up and staggered slightly when Stephen spoke. “I don’t want to hear how you’ll be fine and dandy. Because, frankly, I have no idea what the fuck that even means. But I’m tired and hungry. So unless you want me to take you into the cave and fuck you while I feed from you, I suggest you do as I say.”
    “ You try it, buster, and I’ll hurt you again.” She moved back when Stephen moved forward, and Samuel wanted to step between the two of them just to keep the peace. But he was enjoying the fact that she would stand up to someone as powerful as Stephen.
    “ You’ll do as I say, or so help me...” Stephen looked at him, and Samuel wanted to tell him that he might be better off leaving her there for now and trying a calmer approach. But whatever he might have been going to say was cut off when a part of the stone opening to the cave shattered.
    It happened so quickly that he wasn’t sure how he was tossed to the ground. One second he was standing next to Jimmy, and the next, he was laying on the dirt with someone on top of him. He tried to move and heard a harsh voice tell him to be still. It was Stephen.
    “ Someone is firing at us.” Samuel started to raise his head but was shoved back down. “Do you fucking want to get killed? Lay the fuck still while I try to figure this out.”
    “ I want to breathe if you don’t mind.” Stephen shifted, and Samuel could see then. Clar was standing, but she seemed to have a glow around her. That was when he realized she had a protective shield around her and the rest of them. Stephen stood up then and looked around while still in the shield. Christ, Samuel thought, they looked so right together that he was stunned.
    “ I can’t hear them.” Stephen nodded at Clar when she spoke. He saw Stephen whisper in her ear just before he put his hands on her shoulders. She seemed to glow more, and Samuel knew that he was helping her. “There are three of them. One of them is younger by far than the others. The oldest…a man about forty…shot at us. He is disappointed that he couldn’t kill me. The middle man thinks that this is just going to get him back in jail. The youngest is…he’s aroused because he got to shoot at a vampire.”
    Stephen held onto Clar’s shoulders as she continued. Samuel knew that he was hyping up her abilities and was amazed by it. He wondered how much further she could read peoples’ minds when the shield was lowered. Samuel sat there for several seconds trying to wrap his mind around what just happened.
    “ Will you please come to my house with me now?” Stephen started pacing when Clar shook her head. “I