Authors: Kassanna
“Now she called with some nonsense about you taking a man to meet her side of the family.”
Tee fell back and scrounged behind her for a pillow. She tugged it under her head. “No, ma’am. Not exactly.”
“Girl, you best be explaining what
not exactly
means and why in the hell would you visit Sint before me? I mean all these years I wait for you to mate, saying prayers for you and Jamison. But when you finally get it together and find a man, you go see Sint! Your daddy’s sister! And not your momma!” Her mother’s voice rose with every statement.
“It’s not like that. And why would I want to get with Jamison? Eww, he’s like family.” Tee stared at the ceiling. “Mama, our Alpha asked me to do him a favor and keep an eye on the pack he’s taken an interest in. I told him I would. Well now they need help and it’s just plain ole Southern hospitality to help out your fellow shifter. Ain’t that what you always told me?”
“Well yes, but.”
Tee closed her eyes and wiped her icy palm down the side of her face. “Even you would help these wolves out. Their situation is getting desperate, so I’m hoping Uncle Percel will give them a hand.”
“Gertrudis, I birthed you, so I know you well, baby girl. You don’t do nothing without having a reason. You about as stubborn as they come, so even if Jamison did ask you to do it there will be something in it for you, so tell me now is one of these wolves your mate?”
Tee cautiously whispered. “Maybe.”
“Ah Lawd, a wolf! Baby girl, you’re a reptile. Cold-blooded. A wolf ain’t gonna know how to handle you. You sure Jamison ain’t interested? Y’all would make beautiful babies.”
“Isn’t that what everyone in the family said when Aunt Sint married Uncle Percel? Now look at them, thirty years strong.”
“Lawd, forgive me but look at their children. Those were not pretty baby pictures.”
“Mama!”
“I asked for forgiveness first!” her mother exclaimed.
“Shame on you. I’m hanging up now. I’ll call you when I get to Betaille. Sleep well.”
“Safe travels, baby. Be careful, a wolf is no animal you can play with.”
Tee pressed the End button and stared at the screen and the picture of her mama. She traced the image with her index finger before the screen went black. With her mother’s warning ringing in her head she sat up and glanced around. The big bedroom felt more like a hotel room, and she was tired of living out of her suitcase. She grunted as she rose and walked to the bathroom. There was a job to do, and she was here to do it. Tomorrow she would head to one of the few places that felt like home, with a shifter who ignored her most of the time. Damn, what the hell had she gotten herself into?
Chapter Three
Myka reached over the driver’s seat and handed Keen the bottle of juice he’d purchased at the rest stop. He glanced over at Tee, her profile stark against the moving landscape beyond the window. The long column of her neck made him want to trace the length of it with his tongue. Her scent had been teasing him for hours and although he’d been angry at Keen for sneaking into the truck and tagging along, it now felt more like a blessing in disguise.
Short of sticking his head out the window, he hadn’t been able to escape the fruity smell. What the hell did she do, bath in coconut oil? As they drove further south, the heat index rose, amplifying her scent. Warm air blew through the window. Myka released another button on his shirt, sweat rolled down between his shoulder blades. He glanced at the air-conditioner controls. A flip of the switch and he could aim the vent his way, blowing away Tee’s enticing odor while allowing him to revel in blessed cool air. He lifted his hand and dropped it.
Tee liked the heat, might actually need it. As a reptile shifter her core body temperature was lower than normal. He noticed at the house how she always wore leather or additional clothing. Sometimes he would watch the way she would stand in the middle of the yard and raise her face toward the sun for a few minutes from his bedroom window.
His gaze returned to the woman at the wheel, she was singing along with some song on the radio and bobbing her head to the beat. He could feel his cock getting hard and all he was doing was staring at her lips. By the supple way she moved them as she quietly sang the words, he could almost feel them traveling across his body. He wiggled in his seat and pushed the button to lower the window, forgetting the glass could move no further.
Huge cypress trees in the algae rich canals blurred as they zipped by . Every now and then he would catch a spume as something slipped back into the water. He was out of his element and far from the Smoky Mountains he called home. Myka wouldn’t discount the fact he was sleep deprived since he and Tee had decided to drive straight through to the little town she was taking him too.
The SUV they were using ate up the miles until the white lines that divided the highway connected to form one long, continuous streak. He wiped a palm down his face and realized he hadn’t shaved. Sweat dampened his hand and he wiped it across the leg of his jeans. Keen had given up his fight with the heat hours ago and tugged his T-shirt off. Tee took a tight turn and he slammed into the door. No longer on the interstate, they rode along a gravel road surrounded by swamp on both sides with no guardrails to protect them from falling into the water if they had an accident.
Keen leaned forward. “How much longer?”
Tee looked up into the rearview mirror and smiled. The tips of her incisors were just visible beneath her lips. “Not much further. Betaille is just up ahead.”
“Are there kids there?”
“Yeah. Lots of them. Don’t worry, you’ll have fun.”
“Will they make fun of me?” He scooted back in his seat.
“What do you mean, little man?” She glanced at Myka, her brows knitted together.
Myka twisted in his seat. “I will eat anyone that teases you.” He snapped his teeth together and Keen giggled. Myka turned his head to look at Tee. “There were a few problems with other shifter children during the spring term of school.”
“Oh.” Tee made funny little movements with her mouth, looking at his nephew through the rearview mirror. “Keen, my cousins have had their own issues with ignorant folks. They welcome people without a care as to what they are or who they come from. Trust me when I tell you my kin is a little different.”
“Really?” Keen’s voice perked up.
“Most definitely.” Tee sighed.
“Is there a problem?” Myka studied her expression and she looked less than enthusiastic about the trip.
“No, not at all. I just don’t want you to be surprised.”
“Why would I be
surprised
? Is there something you’re not telling me?” Discomfort slithered down his spine.
“Not exactly.” She tightened her grip on the steering wheel.
“Why don’t I like the sound of that?”
“Look, it was the only way I could get Aunt Sint to agree to talk to Uncle Percel.”
“How, Gertrudis? Exactly how did you arrange this meeting?”
She pressed her lips together, took another turn, and the road widened. Shotgun houses flanked them. A few people lifted their hands in welcome. Tee smiled and furiously waved back. She halted at the stop sign and a tractor drove by.
He could no longer resist and traced the curve of her check with his index finger. “Tell me.”
She remained silent and pulled off when the farm equipment was clear. Tee drove onto a winding dirt road and pulled to a stop in a cul-de-sac. She threw the door open and slid out of the driver’s seat. The back door was slammed and Myka glanced back to see Keen standing close to the vehicle, looking around him curiously. There were only a few vehicles parked in the clearing. Myka sighed and eased his door open. He stepped out and stretched. Laughter drew his attention to the four houses sitting on stilts that formed a half circle. Beyond the houses, he could see a hint of water. Between two of the houses children were rolling around in the mud. One child rose up from the middle and he was reminded of an old sci-fi movie.
“Hey, Tee. Mama, Tee is here!” The kid waved both arms and yelled.
Myka turned his head to look at Tee. “You never answered me. What am I dealing with and what are they expecting?”
“Well, Uncle Percel is a wild boar and, umm, Aunt Sint is a rattlesnake and they might be expecting to hear that we may be mated. But don’t worry, I’ll fix that,” she quickly added.
Keen pulled on his hand. “Uncle Myka, why are they swimming in dirt?”
“Boy, that’s not dirt. That is grade-A, only-washes-off-with-soap mud,” a voice boomed.
Myka searched the area for the source of the response while Keen grabbed his hand.
A big man stepped out from behind one of the thick wood columns, wiping grease off his hands. His shaggy, dark brown hair was highlighted with red streak, and massive shoulders anchored thick, meaty arms. His white undershirt sported black grease marks and handprints. Tucked into faded jeans, a large knife sat on his hip in the sheath hooked to his leather belt.
“Percel, stop skulking, your scaring the child.” A whip thin woman walked down the stairs.
By contrast, the lady was slim and elegant with a cocoa complexion and long, light brown dreds that shifted with every movement of her head. She fixed her amber gaze on him and Myka resisted the urge to look behind him.
“
Bonjour,
Aunty.” Tee walked up to the woman and hugged her.
“Hello, chile.” Tee’s aunt reared back and caressed Tee’s face. “I have missed you. The way your mama hung up on me the other night, I half expected her to beat you here.”
“You shouldn’t have called her.”
“Please.” She pulled from Tee’s embrace and walked up to Myka. Sint looked him up and down before dropping to meet Keen at eye level. “And who are you,
little one
?”
Myka cleared his throat. “My apologies. My nephew tagged along and since he’s on summer vacation, his parents said he could stay.”
She smirked. “Children are always welcome. The adults now, that is a whole other matter, no?” She didn’t wait for an answer and turned her attention to Keen. “What’s your name?”
Keen stepped from behind his uncle’s legs and lifted his chin. “Keen.”
“What an interesting name. You want to go play in the mud?”
His nephew looked up at him and Myka nodded his approval. “Yes, please.”
Tee’s aunt smiled. “I have a grandson your age.” She yelled, “Darcel!”
A small figure broke away from the others and ran up to them. “Yes, ma’am.”
She combed her fingers through the boy’s big curls. “Darcel, take Keen over to the mud pit and introduce him to the other children.”
The child nodded and motioned for Keen to follow him.
The woman straightened and spoke. “Tee usually has better manners. I’m Sint and this is my husband Percel, Alpha to the boar brood. I aired out the guest house earlier so you can put your things over there.” Sint turned and pointed to the cabin to the right. “Percel’s got the oil heatin’. He caught some catfish this morning so we gonna have a fish fry. All the Alpha’s are coming. It’s our way of introducing you to the good folks of Betaille.”
“All the Alphas?” Myka cocked his head and stared at the strange woman.
“
Qui
. Betaille is home to three clans. My clutch is down the river, but I don’t count them. Snakes can sometimes be solitary creatures. I did invite them though. They may come or not.” She shrugged.
“Three? There were only two that last time I visited.” Tee spoke up.
Sint waved a hand. “Some distant cousins, Wolverines, five families moved down from Quebec.”
“Oh. Cool,” Tee commented.
Myka cleared his throat. “No, Tee neglected to tell me about the other Alphas.”
Sint slipped an arm through his and patted his hand, dragging him in the direction she wanted him to go. “Let me fill you in…”
* * * *
Tee watched her uncle light the bond fire. The orange flames licked high and lit up the night sky. True to her word, she explained to her aunt that Myka wasn’t her mate. Aunt Sint’s response was to rub her arm and offer up a smile as if she knew something Tee didn’t. She hated when her mom and aunts did that. Keen acclimated quickly and fit in comfortably with the other kids. She could hear him whooping and laughing with them as they ran from place to place playing hide and seek.
Someone had started playing their accordion and zydeco filled the air. The lively beat moved people to dance in place while others laughed and caught up with old friends they may not have seen for a while. As her aunt intended, the fish fry had turned into a community affair, a quick and easy way to introduce Myka to the town folks and vice versa. Families that she’d known for years stopped by the picnic table she sat at to welcome her back while the ones she didn’t know stopped to introduce themselves. Uncle Percel had thrown the barn doors open, and he and a few of the other men set up additional tables and chairs.
The wooden bench she sat on bowed when her cousin, Mais, sat down beside her. Tee smiled over at her cousin and Mais placed a bottle of water on the table. “That man of yours is one fine specimen.”
She tried to see Myka through Mais’s eyes. He stood with the other Alphas. He’d donned the square glasses she liked to see him wear, and his hazel eyes were so much clearer behind the lenses. His dark hair was combed back and still a little damp from when he’d taken a shower earlier. The curling ends kept brushing his collar. His clothing hinted at the physique beneath the clothes and she’d seen more than one woman do a double take tonight.
Tee picked a bit of meat from the fish and sucked it off her fingers before speaking. “Not mine, Mais. I only escorted him to town.”
“So he’s available.” Mais licked her lips.
“Yeah. Have at it.” Tee chuckled and rose from the table.
She followed the path through the foliage. Within a few steps the sounds of the party faded behind her. Tee sighed. She didn’t lie. He wasn’t hers but lately she was wishing he was. The drive down had been pure torture and when she’d found Keen under the blanket in the backseat, she almost cried in relief. Myka was too damn sexy and the more time she spent in his company, the more desperate she became for his touch. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and stared into the black water lapping up against the bank where she’d stopped. The deep croaks of frogs and soft chirps of crickets greeted her. Lately, she’d been thinking about why she stayed in Volkshire at Jamison’s request.