Chapter 11

Tanner - Chapter 11

Chris sat at her desk reading over the problems that had come to her last night. There would forever be someone that was taking things just a little too far, and she was glad for the distraction for a moment. When Myra appeared in the chair across from her, Chris carefully laid the paperwork down and asked her what she'd found out.

"All the bodies have been accounted for, and everyone has been identified. I'm glad now that you gave me the name of the last woman. Her family is most grateful for the closure, as you can imagine. You did a wonderful job with this." Chris thanked her for that. "Now I need something else to do. The plan with Ty meeting his own mate will come to fruition, by the way. They've not met as yet, but things will be looking up for the two of them. Jenny is going to be good for the young man, just as you said." Chris told her that she didn't know, but was glad that it worked out. "Also, Tanner and his wife are leaving on Monday to take their honeymoon in looking at all the homes of Noah the vampire. I would have thought they'd put it off for some time yet, but I think they need to get away now as the papers are having a good time with all the speculation about the murders. I think that's what bothers her the most about all this. Not Rogan's death."

"I know that it does, and this is a good thing on their part. We did send flowers to the two of them, so they know that we care. I think that you're right in the honeymoon they're taking. I know that we're going to meet up with them at some point, so I'm glad that they're on their way." Myra nodded. "Where on earth did you see that pattern you have on?"

The colors were very muted, very unlike the witch. If there was a pattern to the colors, she certainly didn't see it. The fact that it was so drab in the way the colors came together was beautiful to her, but very unlike the witch, who made it her job to have the brightest colors ever made.

"I was in the Market Place yesterday and this woman was selling quilts. They were quite lovely, and very well done. I saw this pattern and it made me happy. I even bought the blanket from her. I put it in your room so that you could have it." Chris thanked her. "You're very welcome. I may make a habit of going there weekly. There is always something new to look at, and I have found a good place for a few of the herbs that I'm forever looking for. You should go yourself."

"I might yet. I've been so busy lately that I've had little time to do much more than guide new witches on the right path. There is so much to distract them nowadays that I forever worry that they're going to turn to the dark side before I have a chance to get to know them." Myra agreed. "Also, you should have seen the look on their faces when I showed up at their last meeting. You'd think that I was bringing the world down around them. It was fun to watch them, and to know that I was that way at first."

"You are a little bit hard to be around when they're afraid of you. Not afraid—no, that's the wrong term. In awe of you. And people really are. I knew you would be great the first time I saw you." And she had too, guiding her along the right path. "You've used your young faerie again, haven't you? Daegan, he's been a good man to have around, and he's a bit smitten with you. But, he has been rewarded again for his part in the death of Rogan? I have to tell you, I'm so very glad that he's gone. That was a monster that we could all have done without."

"Yes, he said that he enjoys playing a vampire. And I did tell him that I might have need of his services again. But he was ready to slay the dragon, so to speak, in this man. I only needed to tell him a little and he knew all about him. Daegan said that he still has a deep connection to the earth, and he had known about the deaths of so many, but not who had done it." She leaned back in her chair and watched the older witch. "What's on your mind today? You seem a little too happy to have been out with the humans, as I know you were."

"I am very happy, all the time. But I was thinking of the Calhouns and all that they've been through of late. It's always surprising to me that anyone with only the magic they had at the beginning could have done so well." Chris had thought of nothing else but the family for some time now. "Do you suppose that a hundred years from now they'll look back on this and think that they were guided along their paths, or that it was the fates as they believe?"

Chris said nothing, because they both knew that the fates had left that particular family up to her. "I think they will believe that they are very lucky to have found each other, and nothing more. And if they do think of us, and perhaps know that we might have meddled a little, they'll know that we had the best of intentions." Myra nodded, but didn't look convinced. "Don't you think so? They're all very happy. They have family around them all the time, and that's good for them. And they have all that they need in the way of magic and friendship."

"I know that I have fallen in love with them. As, I think, you have as well." She said that she had, especially Tanner. "He is what I've come to talk to you about. That poor young man could use some happiness, don't you think?"

"I wasn't aware that he was unhappy." Myra just waved her off, as if she might know better. "What do you have in mind, to make him have a happy ending to all this? He is full of magic, some of it yet untouched. He has a lovely mate, that I believe you picked out for him. And as I said, his family is nearby and he's living a good life. What more is there we can do for him to make his happier?"

"His wife is running for mayor. Did you know that?" Chris hadn't, but it didn't surprise her. She was very smart and well received. "I think someone is putting those thoughts in her head."

Chris laughed. "You don't like the idea of her being mayor, or is it that you didn't give her the idea and that's what bothers you?" Myra said it was the last one. "I see. So, you know who this monster is that is making her into something that we can be proud of?"

"Noah. The vampire. He's meddling where I want to meddle." Chris figured it was him. He was as bad as her in wanting the best for the family. "He and that young man that is working for him, Benny, they're going on a trip soon. Perhaps while he's away I'll work on her for even greater things."

"I don't know what you're planning, but I do hope whatever it is, you tell me about it first." She said that she would. "Good. And while you're there talking to her, would you please tell her that we'll be seeing them for Christmas, as was planned?"

"I can do that. I think she would make a great president, don't you think? I could be her advisor. I would certainly be memorable. And while she's there, perhaps I can get her to add some color to the House itself." Chris told her that one could never forget her. "I thought as much."

"But I do believe that it's called the White House for a reason. You don't want to mess with that. It'll just confuse people." Myra nodded but smiled, so Chris had a feeling that if Giyanna did make it to the grand house, there would be little doubt to anyone that her advisor was a little on the color-blind side.

When Myra was gone, Chris picked up the paperwork again. There was much to do in her job, and sometimes she had the worst of it. There was always something going on somewhere that needed her attention. Like this that she had in front of her. The killing of a young witch for her magic. It broke her heart to hear of such things.

After she helped the family of the young victim deal with their overwhelming grief, Chris went in search of her mate. They had things to do today, and she was going to see if she could talk him into chasing her in the woods first with his cat. The man was a wonderment with his body and tongue.

~*~

Tyrrell wasn't enjoying the trip to the greenhouse. In fact, he wasn't enjoying being out of his house at all lately. He was broken hearted. Not for the death of his brother, but because he couldn't bring himself to care that he was gone. Not even a small tear at the loss. There had to be something wrong with him, was all he could think about. He had no heart, or something much worse. And when Giyanna bullied him into going with her, he'd had no choice but to go. She said she'd turn him into a frog if he didn't get up and get going. Tyrrell wasn't sure that she could do that, but the things he'd seen lately made him not want to take chances.

"Where are we going again?" She told him that he knew. "Yes, I know, but why am I going too? You do know that I'm older than you."

"Yes, by a whole fourteen minutes. Hush now, and enjoy the day. And look at all the greenery. You know, this time tomorrow, all this will be sold. The Market Place is doing very well this year, and I'm very proud of it." He stopped to look at the pretty roses that were tied up with a trellis. He had something similar in his yard, but he didn't know the color as yet. "Tyrrell, you have to come around to being happy. I can't stand it when you're not."

"How do you feel about Rogan being dead?" He hadn't meant to ask her, but now that he had, he really wanted to know. "I feel nothing. Not even a little remorse that he's gone. I even went to his grave the other day, and it could have been a perfect stranger for all the emotion that I felt standing over it.

"I don't think about him, if I can help it. But when I do, all I can remember is your face when you told the courtroom that you'd found the boxes one day when he'd come home covered in blood. I wish you had told me. I might have been your lookout or something, and we could have gotten him arrested." He said that it wouldn't have worked. "Why not?"

"The police back then. You remember how they were. They weren't any better than Rogan was. And the one and only time that we did go to them about him, they called him up and had him come and get us. Do you remember what he did to us that day?" He rubbed the scars on his arms that were forever a reminder of how violent Rogan could be to them. "No, going to them would have gotten us killed."

"Why do you have to feel anything for him? I mean, yes, he was our brother, but only because we had the same parents. There was never a time when he was good to us. Never do I remember him saying anything kind to either one of us. And there is also the fact that he had planned to kill me." He shivered when he thought of knowing that her picture had been among the things that Rogan had collected from the dead. "Like I said, he's gone, and you and I have come together again. That is the only thing that he ever did for us. And even that was done for selfish reasons because he needed an attorney."

"I think that Mom was afraid of him as well." Giyanna asked him why he thought that. "She would never be alone with him. When they were in the house together, don't you remember she'd make one of us or both sit in the kitchen with her. Even as a young child, I could see the look in her eyes. Do you suppose they knew what he was doing all that time?"

"Yes, I think they did. And they too were afraid of the police not doing anything." He'd not thought of that. He asked her how she felt about their parents being with the other dead. "Now that you mention about Mom being afraid of him, I wonder if that was why they were gone so much. To keep him from hurting them. I mean, that doesn't make it fair for us to have been left behind, but I can see it."

They were quiet as they looked for Jenny. Giyanna needed to give her a message from one of the brothers, and that was why he'd come along with her. Not that there would be trouble, but she did want him there when she was able to give her the good news.

His own job was something that he was looking forward to. Tyrrell hadn't liked being an attorney for some time now, but he thought that he'd enjoy working with Tanner. He was a good man, and a great person to have as a future brother-in-law. He just hoped that he could live up to the high standards that he had. Tanner was an amazing attorney.

Giyanna was talking to a young woman, and he had to get closer to her. Her eyes, he thought, were beautiful. Yet the closer he got to her, the more he noticed about her. She was stunning and had a lovely voice too.

"Jenny, I'd like for you to meet my brother Tyrrell. Tyrrell, this is Jenny Farley. She's just been promoted to manager of the greenhouse. The faeries are very happy with her promotion too." He took her hand in his, and was surprised at how tiny it was. And how warm. "She's living with her grandfather, who is working for Noah too."

"Grandda is having so much fun getting the little shop fixed up. And some of the boxes of clothing came in yesterday. I think he wanted me to try one on so that he could work his magic on it. I wonder how Noah knew that he'd been a tailor at one time?"

Giyanna said something, but Tyrrell was mesmerized by the movement of Jenny's mouth, the way she used her hands when she spoke. Tyrrell almost missed it when she asked him a question.

"No, I've never had a suit tailored before. I just never found that it was all that necessary." Jenny told him how Grandda would disagree. "I bet he would. Would you go out with me?"

He had no idea where that question had come from, but he was glad that his brain was working with his mouth. When she smiled at him and said yes, he could have danced a jig, as Noah was so fond of saying.

"Your name is very formal, isn't it?" Tyrrell asked her what she meant, loving that she'd said yes to going out with him. "I don't mean anything by it, but my name is Jennifer and everyone just calls me Jenny. Do you go by anything shorter? Like Ty?"

He hadn't wanted anyone to call him a shortened version of his name since he'd been smaller and Rogan had called him that. But it sounded so much better when it came from her that Tyrrell told her that he'd be very happy if she called him that.

They walked around the greenhouse, her pointing out the names of the faeries that were there, or the name of a flower when he asked. It smelled good in here as well, and he found himself bending to smell each one that she showed him. When they got to the roses, he told her about the one he had in his yard, and how it had no blooms on it as this one did.

"You have either a late bloomer or one that only blooms every other year. I didn't know there was such a flower until the faeries told me." She showed him the one that was in the last line of bushes. "Does it have this kind of leaf, or this one here?"

She showed him the two different ones, and he had to focus on what she was saying. The movement of her hands had him distracted again. Jenny laughed when he told her that he'd not really looked at the leaves.

"I didn't either before working here." He followed her, and all Ty could think about was kissing her. Taking her into his arms and kissing the daylights out of her. "Are you all right, Ty? You look like something has upset you."

"Honestly?" She nodded at him, and he felt like he could talk to her in ways he couldn't even with his sister. "I'd like to take you right here. Not just to kiss you, but I need you in a way that I could never have thought of before with a woman. I'm not a virgin or anything like that, but sex had come to mean as little to me as my life did. But with you, the simple things that you say and do, it makes me want you in my life."

"You make me feel the same way." He nodded, and wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "I think this is going to be an epic relationship, don't you?"

He said that he thought so too and kissed her. Christ, it was like kissing a hot volcano, her body was so warm and supple. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, Ty had no choice but to deepen the kiss. Not because of what she'd done, but because it was the most natural thing in the world for him to do. And when she moaned, her body shuddered against his and he felt his cock thicken and stretch. It was as if he'd been awakened.

Love. He knew that it was much too soon to say it aloud, but he could feel it. Like she'd caressed his heart and woke it to hers. Lifting his head, he looked down at her smiling face. She was looking at him in a way that he knew no one else had ever looked at him before. Kissing her again, this time with as much hunger but not for as long, he held her to him and tried to get his mind and body to think of anything but taking her to his house and having his way with her over and over.

"You and I, we're mates." He nodded, not sure what to say about that; he was only human and told her that. "So am I, but I can feel that we're to be together, can't you?"

"Hell yes." Her laughter was like a balm to his heart, a lifting of his spirits. "I'm sorry. Was that a little loud?"

Ty laughed with her. This was something that he could get used to, this Utopian feeling of being in love. As he hugged her to him again, he saw his sister staring at him. And when she gave him the thumbs up and walked away, he could have kissed her. She had done this for him.

Not really, but her bullying had paid off. Her need to nurture and to love him. Walking around the greenhouse with Jenny, he listened this time, wanting to know whatever she was telling him in the event that she wanted him to work with her.

~*~

Giyanna reached for Tanner to tell him the good news. Tyrrell is in love. They both laughed. It was strange to see him this happy after he'd been so down lately. He asked her who the lucky girl was. Jenny Farley. I was only gone for a few minutes, and when I came back, they were kissing and holding onto each other.

Yes, well, that's the way it works when you find your other half. I'm so happy for them both. There couldn't have been a better matching than them. Other than us, of course. She laughed again. By the way, have I told you today how much I love you?

You have, but only a few dozen times. Giyanna was in love with the man of her dreams and then some. I'm coming to see you in a little while. We'll have lunch, then ravish each other in the back room. You think you could do that?

I can suffer through it for you, my dear. She wanted to skip and giggle. Things that she'd never done before. And all because of one man and his family.

She was in the office when she thought of her brother, Rogan. She knew how he had died. Tyrrell didn't yet. She wasn't sure that she'd ever tell him. The papers put it down as a massive stroke brought on by his weight, which was a big factor, and the stress of the trial. But she had known that he wasn't long for this world, and Chris Bentley had come to her to let her know.

"He would have continued on his task to kill anyone that he could." Giyanna had nodded and told her that she believed it too. "When I put someone out to cause his death, it was only speeding up the process, not messing with the events. He would have died, but not soon enough for seven more people that would feel his wrath. And you and your brother would never have been as happy as you are now."

"It was always going to be there in the back of my mind, whether or not he was going to be freed." Chris nodded. "I thank you for what you've done for me. And for my family. I wouldn't have been able to go on knowing that he was there, killing a captive group of people."

"I'm sorry, my dear, but you're very brave. And I'm very happy that you took Tanner to your heart." She asked her what she meant. "That you love him so much."

"He is the one that should be thanked. Without him, I'm not sure where I'd be in my life. Certainly not here. Not with Tyrrell and the rest of them. I'd not be having a child that I plan to love and cherish for the rest of my days. Without Tanner, there would be no me. I'm sure of it." Chris had hugged her then, and she'd felt a little tingle along her skin. When she asked her what that was, the woman only laughed.

Going home, she thought of all the things that were going on right now. Her life was full, so was her heart. Giyanna decided to stop by the marked plot that her brother Rogan was in, and sat on the ground next to the plain memorial to a sadistic man.

"This will be the one and only time that I come to see you, Rogan. I wanted you to know that you got just what you deserved, and that I think it should have happened long ago." She looked around the area and thought it a fitting place for a man such as him. "You were cruel and mean, you never let anyone be happy, and I think that's the saddest thing ever."

There was a couple near a new grave. She wondered if it was one of the women that had been found, and her heart broke for them. They put flowers on the newly turned earth and sat on a pretty bench by the marker, each of them holding onto the other as they grieved for their loved one.

"You did that to so many people. Broke them with your need to kill. I haven't any idea what sort of thoughts went through your head all the time, but I'm glad that you're gone, that you're no longer a threat to anyone that I know and love. Nor to the strangers that can now walk safely out and about." She laid the single flower on his grave; it was dead, shriveled up, and black. "This is what your heart was like. And a reminder to you that you aren't going to do this to my heart ever again."

Heading home again, she felt lighter than she had before. And she knew that she'd never think of her brother again. As far as she was concerned, he'd never been and never would be again. As she pulled into the drive, there was Tanner, standing on the deck waiting for her. Yes, her heart thought, this is love.