Free Thomas by Kathi S. Barton Page A

started on the house. I asked her to give me some
time and she said she would. I just don’t know about
this.”
    “ It’s her inability to
keep things neat, right?” Thomas frowned and nodded once. “I
figured as much. She is the security force there. What did you tell
her? I mean, I’m assuming this is what has you so quiet. What did
you say to her about the way things are going right
now?”
    “ I’m always quiet.” Which
he was. But it was weighing heavy on his mind that he’d be living
away from his family and his work. And now his new nephew. “She
doesn’t seem to know what to do. I mean with me. And I don’t what
to do with her either. I don’t…she’s still a slob. I don’t think I
can handle that. And then there’s the magic stuff she can do. I’m a
little freaked out about that, if you want the truth of it. What
the hell am I supposed to do with her being so
powerful?”
    “ You could talk to her.
And if that fails, set some ground rules or something. I’m sure
you’ll work it out.” Thomas didn’t think that was possible. “What
else has you all twisted up like an old woman? You’ve been in
contact with her. You know she’s fine, right?”
    “ She is now. And that’s
something else I don’t understand. She said that she’d heal now.
And so would I. And you want to know how I found out? I cut myself
shaving this morning and nearly had a heart attack when I healed
over. She heard me cursing and that’s how I found out about this
crap. She told me I’d be healing faster than normal.” Thomas pulled
out his knife and ran it over his palm. “Just look at this. What
the hell am I supposed to make of this?”
    Almost as soon as the blade cut into
him, his skin was healing over. There was not even a scar. She said
that no matter what happened to him from now on, he’d heal almost
immediately. Misha whistled, then laughed.
    “ This is not funny.” That,
of course, made him laugh all the harder. “Damn it, Misha, I’m
living with a being that is old enough to have been around when
there was no us. She can do things that I can’t even think about
right now, and she fucking reads minds. And she’s given that
ability to Hannah.”
    That shut him up. Finally. When he sat
there for so long, Thomas was sure he was going to be pissed. Then
he’d have to knock him on his ass for threatening his mate. But all
he did was nod then look up at him.
    “ Just mine or everyone’s?”
Thomas growled low and Misha laughed. “I don’t know what has you
all upset. So what? You’re younger than your mate. Big fucking
deal. Your mate is a slob. Well boo hoo for you. You have a nice
house, have servants waiting on you hand and foot, and you don’t
get injured. You have life so fucking tough. You want me to knock
you on your ass a few times to see if you cannot only heal from a
cut but a busted rib or two as well?”
    “ Fuck off. How am I
supposed to provide for her?” It hung there for several seconds
before he realized what he’d said. But he knew that was what it
was. He couldn’t give her anything that she didn’t already have or
even want. But Misha only laughed before answering him.
    “ You love her, you moron.”
Yeah, well that wasn’t going to happen overnight to his way of
thinking. But Misha stood up when someone seemed to be coming
toward them. Thomas was surprised to see not just Linyah but Hannah
and Mike, as well as Jackson. They were handing out sandwiches and
bottles of water to everyone they passed. When Linyah was near him,
he took the sandwich and pulled her to his body. He needed her to
touch him back, but she was still holding herself just a little
back from him. Thomas didn’t know what to make of the slight pain
in the area around his heart.
    “ You were so stressed that
we came to see you.” He nodded, overwhelmed at how it made him feel
to have her there and not completely sure why. “Hannah said you
forget to eat when you do these things, so we brought some