Authors: R. E. Butler
James balanced his plate on his knees and cut his steak; the smell of the perfectly rare steak made his mouth water. No one spoke for a long while, but eventually they talked about the kids, the clan, the pride, and everything related to them. When the meal was over, James felt as though he knew Dag and his family even better.
James helped the kids clear the dishes and said goodbye to the clan, and then he and Rue walked Jilly back to the boarding house.
“Are you going to tell Dad about earlier?” Jilly asked.
“Feeling guilty?” he teased.
She snorted. “Kinda. My cat is really furious that we can’t be with them full-time. I thought three years wasn’t any big deal, but it feels like forever.”
“Probably because you’re not busy,” Rue pointed out. “When you start college, you’ll have less time to sit around thinking about how much you want them.”
She hummed quietly in thought. “Dom said that we could drive to college together if I enrolled for the winter semester. I just don’t know what I want to do. I never thought I’d be going to college.”
“Want to be a cop?” James asked.
“I think we have enough cops in the family,” Jilly answered. “I don’t know what I want to do, but I think I’d like to just take some general classes and get out into the real world. I feel like I missed out on a lot of experiences because of the females. No prom, no graduation, no sneaking out to party with friends.”
“Your dad and I will pay for you to go to college, so whatever you want to do, just know that we support you,” James said as he opened the door to the boarding house and let Jilly and Rue in.
“Thanks, Uncle James. Oh, I mean Dad.” She laughed lightly, kissed his cheek, and then hugged Rue. “Thanks for lunch today.”
“It was my pleasure, honey. Sweet dreams.”
James locked up as Jilly headed upstairs, and Rue filled two glasses with sweet tea. He guzzled the ice cold, sweet drink and set the empty glass on the counter with a dull thud.
She laughed. “Thirsty?”
“I guess so.”
She tipped the rest of her tea into his glass with an indulgent smile. He finished the drink and put the glasses in the sink.
“Ready for bed, love?” he asked as he took her hand and walked upstairs.
“Eventually.”
He paused as he pushed open the bedroom door. “Eventually?”
She stepped inside and whipped her shirt over her head. Her eyes glimmered with heat as she walked backward toward the bed, stripping as she moved.
“Ah,” he grinned, shutting the door and matching her steps with his own, shedding his clothes quickly.
She paused, one knee on the bed, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a sultry smile. “Unless you’re tired.”
“Not yet,” he growled and pounced on her. She shrieked with laughter as he rolled her underneath him, the sound dying into a deep moan as he palmed her breast and sucked the tip.
They had some time before John got home from work, and James was going to take advantage of the time alone with his mate and see how many times he could get her to scream his name.
Lots, he hoped.
Thursday evening, Ray Fiero wasn’t feeling much like working. In fact, lately, he hadn’t much felt like anything except figuring out a way to get Scarlett back. He was certain that if they could just see her again, they could convince her to walk away from her pack. He knew he was asking a lot of her — to trust her future to two guys she only met once — but he and Wes were certain she was their mate and she
had
to be feeling it, too.
Ray dipped the paintbrush into the bucket of white paint and applied it to the interior of the gazebo. Jericho, Ray, and Wesley had built the gazebo for Lisa over the last few weeks, and once the paint was applied, it would be finished and Lisa could enjoy it. Ray liked working for Rhett on the farm. There was always something to do, and they were always doing different jobs. He liked spring the best, when they prepared the fields for planting and the heavy scent of freshly churned earth was everywhere.
Wes sighed nearby and Ray laid the brush across the top of the bucket and faced his brother. “If we just drive down to Bent Creek, we might find her somewhere. She’s not in the phone book, but the town isn’t much bigger than Ashland. We could run into her somewhere.”
Wes put down his own brush and sat back on his heels. “I fucking hate this.” He lowered his head. “I wish we’d never gone to sleep that night. “
Ray nodded in agreement. One night with Scarlett was not enough. It had been heaven while they were making love to her, sharing her together in a way that he and Wes had never experienced before. Their bliss had quickly turned to hell when they woke up and she was gone and refused to have contact with them. Knowing that she was being forced to mate with someone chosen by her alpha father made him want to find her father and see how he liked having his choices taken from him.
James had told them what the deal was with her and encouraged them to go after their hearts, but wisely. It was sage advice; the problem was he just didn’t fucking know where she lived. His worst fear was going down there and having someone alert her father that they were looking for Scarlett and something bad happening to her. A male who treated his daughter like collateral might also be the sort of male who would hurt her to prove a point.
Someone walked toward them, and Ray turned to see Rue closing the distance between the house and the gazebo. “Hi, guys.”
He and Wes greeted her. They hadn’t spent much time with James and John’s new mate, but from what he’d witnessed during the clash with her clan over her son, he knew her to be fiercely loyal and tender to the core.
She opened the gazebo and stepped inside. “It looks amazing in here. I know that Lisa can’t wait for it to be finished. Apparently she likes to sit outside and read but she doesn’t like bugs.” She looked up at the ceiling fan that Jericho had installed several days earlier. When the paint was dry, a thick rug and wicker furniture would complete the interior.
Ray grunted. He turned to pick up the paintbrush and finish the job when Rue’s phone appeared in front of him. He blinked and eased away until the screen was in focus.
It was an address.
He looked up at her in confusion. “I don’t know what I’m looking at.”
Her brows rose slightly. “It’s the address to the Luna Arms Apartments in Bent Creek. Apparently a certain she-wolf lives there.”
Ray’s heart thumped in his chest as he rose to his feet and grabbed Rue’s cell. Wes joined him, gasping in surprise.
“How did you get this?” Wes asked.
“I was helping Melody address thank you cards for the wedding gifts they received and one of the address labels was Scarlett’s. I told James I was going to tell you where she lived, and he made me promise to tell you, ‘Be careful and let us know if you need any help.’”
Ray whipped his phone from his pocket and entered Scarlett’s address into his contact list. “Thank you, Rue,” Wes said, hugging her.
“Thanks, Rue.”
“You’re welcome, guys. And let me say this: Dom told me that her dad was a badass alpha. Wolf packs are nothing like the pride. They’re led by the alpha and his word is law. Scarlett’s being given away for her father’s agenda, and by interfering with that, you’re going to be looking at a fight on your hands. Just be prepared. You might get her away from her family for a while, but she’s a breeding queen, and that is some serious business as far as we can tell. He’s not going to let her go easily.” She shook her head and tucked her phone into her back pocket. “The slightest hint of trouble and I expect you to call for help, got it? You look like you could hold your own in a fight, but two cats can’t go up against a wolf pack on their own, no matter how noble their cause is.”
“We’ll be careful,” Wes promised.
“Good. I don’t want you to leave the pride. I know I just got here, but things are tense and no one is happy, and it’s because they know you’re miserable. So go get your girl —safely — and then come home and make things right with the pride.”
She smiled at them and turned, opening the door and stepping down onto the grass. “Holy fucking shit,” Ray said, staring at the address. He couldn’t believe they knew where she lived.
“Get painting, man,” Wes said, crouching down and jabbing his brush into the paint. “We need to get home and pack.”
Ray’s mind raced as he returned his attention back to the gazebo. They were going to find Scarlett. No matter what happened, they were going to get their mate. No wolf pack or alpha wolf was going to stop them. She was theirs and they were hers, and that was all that mattered.
* * * * *
Rue smiled to herself as she walked back toward Lisa and Rhett’s home. James and John stood waiting for her on the porch. “I take it they were happy with what you told them?” James asked.
“Oh yeah,” she promised, joining them. They hugged her between them. “I hope they’re able to be with her. They’re so torn up about her it was like I gave them a million dollars.”
John kissed her forehead. “We certainly wish them all the happiness that we have.”
Lisa opened the front door. “If you’re done molesting Rue on my front porch, dinner’s getting cold and we have a lot to get done.”
Rue blushed and apologized to Lisa, hugging her before stepping into the warm house. The inviting smell of roasted meat and freshly baked bread made Rue’s stomach growl, and she headed with her mates to the kitchen to eat. The topic of the evening was the wedding, which they decided would be scheduled for the first Saturday in November. That choice left them with only a few weeks to get ready.
Fortunately for her, Lisa was a pro when it came to wedding planning, and by the time they had finished dinner, had dessert, and the men had escaped into the den to watch sports, she and Lisa had mapped out the basics from flowers to attendees.
Lisa closed the notebook with a sigh and rubbed the space between her eyes. She settled back into the comfy couch and looked at Rue. “I’m really happy that James and John found such a sweet mate. I’ve been worried about them.”
“Oh?”
“Well, they take on so much with the pride. I know that they wanted to find their mate, but since Rhett doesn’t share me, no one knew if there would be a mate for each of them or one to share.”
“You never wanted to have a second mate?”
Lisa shook her head. “Our situation was different. Rhett was here all by himself. He left the pride long before anyone else did. Maybe if he’d come with his brothers, things would be different, but I wouldn’t trade a second of our life together for anything in the world.”
Rue smiled. “I drove Henry to school this morning and he asked me if I would change anything about my life. Like, if I could go back and not be an albino, would I do it? I told him that even though the events of my life were devastating at times, I wouldn’t change what had happened to me because it meant that I got to come to this place. All the pain and misery and sheer loneliness of my life doesn’t hold a candle to how happy I am. And look at me now. I went from just me and Dom to a huge family and a pride who would shift to help me in a heartbeat. I’m damn lucky.”
“We both are,” Lisa said, nodding.
When they walked into the boarding house some time later, they found Sam, Aaron, and Grant making popcorn in the kitchen and the kids carrying drinks into the family room. They followed them and found Henry and Dom discussing which movie they were going to watch.
“I have to be the dad here, guys. Did everyone get their homework done?” John asked.
A chorus of yeses resounded and Dom lifted up two DVDs. “Mom? Funny or action?”
“Funny,” she declared as she sat on one couch between James and John.
Henry put the DVD in the player. Grant, Aaron, and Sam came into the room and Sam said, “I should be picking out music for class tomorrow, but snuggling up for a movie with my kiddos seemed like a much better use of my time.” She sat down on another couch and was soon surrounded by five kids. Grant and Aaron looked pleased and miffed at the same time and Rue laughed. Dom handed out drinks and he and Henry flopped onto the couch on either side of James and John.
The screen went dark for a moment, and then the previews began. Rue put down her drink and settled against her mates, resting her head on James’ strong shoulder and hooking her arm through John’s.
“Happy, love?” James asked, kissing the top of her head.
“Deliriously.”
Her life had changed so drastically in a short period of time. The woman who had nothing outside of her son suddenly had an enormous family who cared for her and wanted her to be happy. And it worked both ways, because she wanted them all to be happy, too.
“What to meet me for lunch tomorrow, Rue?” Sam asked.
“I’m supposed to meet with the owner of Kicker’s tomorrow at eleven. I can be at the school afterward.”
“Great!”
“I can give Sam some dirt on your mates,” Aaron said.
“Watch it,” James growled playfully, “I can also dish dirt on you two. Like how a certain male had
Star Wars
sheets until he was nineteen.”
Sam’s mouth dropped open as she looked at her mates who were seated on either side of the kids. No one said anything, and then Aaron tossed a pillow at James’ head and everyone started laughing.
The opening credits began and the lobbing of insults and threats between the brothers ebbed until the only sounds were those coming from the speakers and the crunch of popcorn.
“Damn, I’m happy to be here,” she whispered.
“We’re damn happy you’re here, too,” James promised.
The End
* * * * *
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* * * * *
Wiccan-Were-Bear Novella Series
A Curve of Claw
A Flash of Fang
A Price for a Princess
A Bond of Brothers
A Bead of Blood
A Twitch of Tail
A Promise on White Wings
A Slash of Savagery
The Wolf’s Mate Series
The Wolf’s Mate Book 1: Jason & Cadence
The Wolf’s Mate Book 2: Linus & The Angel
The Wolf’s Mate Book 3: Callie & The Cats
The Wolf’s Mate Book 4: Michael & Shyne
The Wolf’s Mate Book 5: Bo & Reika
The Wolf’s Mate Book 6: Logan & Jenna
The Wolf’s Mate Book 7: Lindy & The Wulfen
The Necklace Chronicles
The Tribe’s Bride
The Gigolo’s Bride
Ashland Pride Series
Seducing Samantha (Ashland Pride One)
Loving Lachlyn (Ashland Pride Two)
Marking Melody (Ashland Pride Three)
Redeeming Rue (Ashland Pride Four)
Hyena Heat Series
Every Night Forever (Hyena Heat One)
Every Dawn Forever (Hyena Heat Two)
Every Sunset Forever (Hyena Heat Three)
Wilde Creek Series
Mate of Her Heart (Book One)
The Alpha’s Heart (Book Two)
* * * * *