by Harper Wylde
The crash of the screen door slamming in the wake of Rini’s exit from the house pulled my attention from the men.
“What’s kraken? Get it? Kraken? Because you just shifted?” Rini laughed at her own little joke as she skipped to our group. The second she saw my face she packed her happy face away for later and adapted one that said ‘I dare you to give me shit right now.’
“What did you three do to my best friend?” She tilted her nose up an extra inch and stared them down, even from her short stature. Inhaling deeply before she raged at them some more—preparing to go to battle on my behalf—she stopped abruptly. Relaxing, she grinned again. “Oh.” With no further preamble, she spun me around and marched me away from the group of infuriating men. “Come on. I can fix this little problem. You don’t live at home for a few years after you’ve found your mates without picking up a few tricks.”
She hauled me toward a house two doors down. Leading us around back, she walked right up to a tree about ten feet away.
“What are you doing?” I looked at her like she’d lost her mind as she began rummaging through a hollowed knot in the trunk.
“When I used to sneak out to see my triplets, I knew I couldn’t go back into the house smelling like love and lust, so I came up with a system.” She grinned over her shoulders and started handing over half a dozen different perfume bottles.
“Here, douse yourself in one of these and it’ll help mask the scent.”
“Thank you.” I smelled each bottle and picked my favorite. A mix of gardenias and lavender.
“Good choice.” She put everything away. “It’s not perfect, but it definitely helps. Besides, sex is natural and encouraged—especially for mythologicals.” She shrugged and swiftly changed the subject before I could comment. “So, was he fantastic?” She crossed her arms over her chest and bit her lip, holding in a laugh.
“Do you want me to start asking you about your sex life?” I propped my hands on my hips and arched an eyebrow at Rini.
“Well… Barrett does this thing with his tongue that is out of this world, and Donovan…”
I held my hands up, “No! No. No. No. I love you, but no. I don’t need the nitty gritty.” I waved her off, laughing.
“Your loss. Some of the things they can do together should be downright illegal.” She sighed dreamily. Wicked, evil, vile best friend. My mind was now running away with images of all my own guys doing delicious things to my body—together.
I might not have smelled like sex any longer, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t forefront on my mind. For once in my life, I let my nervousness wash away my thoughts. I blew out a breath.
“I knew you would be nervous. I was just trying to lighten the mood. You know everything is going to be alright, right?” Rini carefully placed her arm around my shoulder and squeezed. I knew it was hard for her to hold back with her friendly affection. She was a bubbly, touchy-feely person, and I was decidedly not.
I bumped my shoulder in to hers, “Yeah, I know.” I focused on taking deep, even breaths as I let Rini guide my back toward the house. Damien, Ryder, and Theo—who now had his glasses hooked into the vee shaped neckline of his t-shirt—were waiting on the front porch for us. With a little wave, Rini bounced through the door, heading inside while I stared after her retreat. My stomach fluttered with butterflies that were making me feel sick.
“Don’t worry. Angela is going to love you.” Damien slid in next to me, running a hand up and down my lower back soothingly. With a slight pause, he scanned the rest of my worried thoughts. “Rini’s mother too. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I’ve never done this parent thing before, and it’s not like I had a stellar home life to draw on.” I felt like the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, going to meet the wealthy family in the good neighborhood with the Lexus out front.
Damien chuckled as he read my thoughts, and while it was sometimes embarrassing that he knew what I was thinking, I was incredibly happy to have the lines of communication between us open again. Slowly the other guys began to laugh as well.
“First of all, I live in a cabin in the woods.” Theo’s smile was beautiful on his face, but his words did nothing to help calm my racing heart.
“A very nice cabin.” I waved my hands to the beautiful front door lined with glass that was before us.
“And you’re far from the kid on the wrong side of the tracks. We don’t have a train on the island.” Ryder shrugged his shoulders, his face lit up with mirth.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying my predicament here, Ry.” I rolled my eyes but struggled to keep my mouth in a straight, serious line. “I figured that there weren’t literal train tracks.”
“What he means to say, Nix…” Damien hooked a finger under my chin and turned my head toward him, “…is that you’re thinking about this all wrong. You’re a mythological. And not any mythological. You’re rare, maybe the rarest of all of us, and that’s saying something since we have a damn unicorn.”
“Cer-ap-tor,” Ryder mumbled behind me, and I couldn’t contain my grin.
“I’m making a point here, Ryder,” Damien scolded over my head. My lips twitched at Ryder’s frustration. He was so easy to goad. “There’s my girl.” The pad of Damien’s thumb traced along the bottom line of my lips, teasing me slowly. My breath caught in my throat. “I can’t wait to get you home so you can shower.”
My brows furrowed at his statement. What? Was he saying I smelled bad? I almost wanted to do a pit check, but knew that would be terribly embarrassing standing here surrounded by guys who I wanted to seem sexy in front of.
The guys roared with laughter. All of them.
I was going to kill them for teasing me in my time of distress.
“No, Nix. You don’t smell terrible. I just happen to miss the intoxicating scent of your arousal, or even the natural smokey sweet scent that is your signature.” Damien leaned closer, taking a whiff of me. “Synthetic floral isn’t you.”
I relaxed then, my lips curving into a smile. It was actually very sweet that he didn’t care for the perfume. Often times I didn’t even wear makeup, and the guys never seemed to care when I dressed down around the house. I’d always just been comfortable with them. I’d never felt like I had to put on airs, and it made our whole relationship feel natural and unforced. It was part of the beauty between us all. We accepted each other right where we were at, without judgement.
However, I was trying to impress the mothers inside the house, and I had actually put on a line of eyeliner and a few swipes of mascara—about the extent of my limited make-up skills—hoping to make a good first impression.
“What I was trying to say is that—to use your alliteration—if anyone is ‘from the wrong side of the tracks’ it’s us. You’re one of the most important shifters in our society now. Like Ryder, you’re the only shifter of your kind that we know of.”
“Nix.” Theo scooted to my side and leaned in. His lips found the top of my head and I closed my eyes, drinking him in. He still smelled like salt water, and I wished we were still out in the middle of the ocean. “Honestly, you have nothing to worry about. You’re very important to me. My mother and sister are excited to meet you just because of that, but Damien’s correct. It’s an honor to have such a rare shifter visit the sleuth.”
Their logic made no sense to me. I was just a girl with a crappy background and a load of student loan debt that I really didn’t want to think about. There was nothing much special about me. How I’d garnered the attention of five sexy, amazing men was still a puzzle to me, and the classism within the shifter world? It rubbed me the wrong way; I didn’t want to be special because of what I shifted into.
Theo reached for my hand, squeezing it as he interlaced our fingers again. I knew I was out of time to ponder on this subject. Time to rip the bandaid off and live through the short-lived pain.
With a small shake of my head and a deep breath, I pulled open the door and stepped inside with Theo, the others trail
ing in behind us.
The whole house smelled tropical like the ocean, which was quite a feat considering the home was situated in the middle of Alaska, surrounded by trees. Strategically placed candles dotted the room, each contributing to the scent. It was… calming. Charming. No matter where I looked, the walls were colored in shades of light blues with teal accents. White trim and wide, white windows lent to the bright, open atmosphere.
Sounds of warm conversation and feminine laughter floated to us coming from the kitchen. With a subtle squeeze of my hand, Theo led me through the hallway and into an open concept kitchen and living room. A long kitchen island occupied the space between me and a lovely looking blonde woman at the stove. Theo’s mother was stylish in a perfectly appropriate fitted pair of jeans and a pink blouse which stood out as a bright splash of color against the white cabinets. Next to her stood a golden skinned woman with dark hair who was chopping vegetables. She was obviously Rini’s mother.
“Hi!” A high-pitched, excited squeal assaulted my ears as an adorable girl hopped up from the living room and rushed toward us. Embarrassingly, I flinched into Theo’s side before I could school my features back to the calm, cool, and collected facade I was trying to enact. This was going to be harder than I expected.
“Nix, this is my little sister Molly.” Theo’s introduction smoothed over my odd reaction and helped ease us into a greeting.
“Hello.” I gave a little wave to the pretty blonde who beamed at me.
“Nix! I’ve heard so much about you. Theo talks about you all the time,” she gushed, talking with her hands as she spoke.
“Molly!” Theo admonished, his cheeks tinting pink.
“What? You know it’s true. We talk to Theo almost every day, and you’ve been the top topic of conversation since he met you.” She grinned, knowing exactly how badly she was embarrassing her brother. Truthfully though, her confession made my heart warm. My Phoenix cooed in my head, feeling no threat from anyone in the room, which helped me relax and smile back. I already liked her.
Theo groaned as his sister prattled on about how eager she’d been for this get-together, and Ryder chuckled quietly behind us, thoroughly enjoying his friend’s distress.
Bloody hell, sisters are embarrassing. Damien projected Theo’s murmured thoughts as he reached up and fiddled with his glasses, placing them more comfortably onto his face. The familiar black rims framed his blue eyes, and I realized they were like a comfort blanket of sorts for my big Kraken.
Only child remember? Suddenly, I’m much happier about that than I used to be. Damien grinned behind Theo’s back.
Ryder, on the other hand, went silent, turning away from our conversation and wandering into the kitchen. I knew right away that thoughts of his sister were plaguing him, and I wanted nothing more than to go after him. I didn’t want to look rude in front of Molly, however, and at that very moment, Theo’s mom and Rini’s mom rounded the kitchen island, coming to stand behind Molly with warm, welcoming faces.
“Hi, Nix.” Theo’s mom interjected, placing a comforting hand on Molly’s shoulder, and I immediately picked up on the gentle maternal warning to stop embarrassing her brother. “I’m Angela. It’s so nice to meet you.”
“You as well.” My muscles itched to reach out like a normal person but I didn’t move, nervous and unsure. I knew Theo had probably warned his mother about my triggers, and I appreciated how her hands stayed naturally at her side and her daughter’s shoulder. Her smile was kind and it helped me to feel at ease around her.
“Hi, sweetheart! I’m Li Min.” Rini’s mother had long dark hair that hung past her shoulders and warm brown eyes that she had obviously given to her daughter. She offered her hand tentatively, and I smiled warmly, steeling myself for the contact as I reached across the gap between us and took her hand in mine. Her handshake was gentle but firm, and she smiled widely at my trust in her.
Angela reached out next and I followed suit, shaking her hand. Before releasing me, Angela placed her other hand over our clasped hand shake and squeezed me gently, reminiscent of her son.
“We are just so happy to have you here!” His mother’s eyes were shining as she looked between Theo and me, clearly sensing the importance of such a meeting. She obviously knew how serious things had grown between her son and me. I wondered if she also knew I had feelings for his other roommates. I knew group matings weren’t uncommon among the shifters—more expected than the alternative—but it still made me feel awkward about the men at my back, watching our interaction.
She knows, Damien projected into my head. She’s happy he’s found someone to complete the family he’s created for himself. She’s just thrilled to see him so happy. You make us all happy, Nix.
My cheeks heated from Damien’s sweetness, and I forced myself to respond to Theo’s mother. “I’m really glad to be here too.” I tried to change the subject and ease into more comfortable territories. “Can I help with dinner?” She dropped my hand, and I looked around the kitchen, catching sight of Hiro at the sink peeling vegetables and adding them to a growing pile that Rini’s mother had been chopping.
“Nix makes a mean salad dressing!” Ryder offered. He was leaning against the fridge with his arms crossed casually as he shifted his attention between Hiro and myself. I grinned at him, remembering that first dinner we’d all had together. It felt like ages ago—years—as compared to the two months it’d actually been.
“You’re eating salad?” Mrs. King raised her eyebrows at Ryder as she hurried back to the stove to check on whatever it was she was cooking. Closing my eyes, I inhaled, taking in the scents of the room. Seafood. I shouldn’t have been surprised and I smiled, realizing that Theo’s Kraken must lend him quite the appetite for such food. Popping my eyes open again, I saw Theo’s mother waving a wooden spoon in Ryder’s direction. “She really has been good for you boys if she’s got you eating healthier. Despite Damien and my vast efforts, we could never get Ryder to eat one green thing. You’d think being pre-med would make the boy smart up to healthy eating, but we’ve never been able to change that Cerpator’s mind.” She shot my unicorn a sweet, motherly smile and turned back to the stove. Whatever was cooking was simmering in butter and spices, and it smelled heavenly.
Slipping between Hiro and Ryder, I said, “Well it’s still a process, Mrs. King, but Damien and I are making slow progress!” I gave Ryder a mischievous smile as he elbowed me gently into Hiro.
“Oh, gracious. None of that!” Theo’s mom was now pointing the spatula in my direction. “You can call me Angela, or Mom like the other boys do.” My heart skipped a beat in my chest. I wasn’t sure I could ever call anyone else ‘mom.’ I pushed back all the feelings threatening to rise, and agreed to call her by her given name.
“May I help?” I asked Hiro.
His brown eyes smiled at me behind his dark rimmed glasses. “If you’d like to.”
It would help to keep my hands busy. I pressed the thoughts at Damien, hoping he would pass them on to Hiro for me, enjoying the openness that had been missing as we all connected. I hoped Damien’s wall would stay down permanently.
Hiro gave me a gentle smile and nodded toward the large pile of fresh vegetables: mushrooms, peppers, onions, zucchini, and squash. “Want to start chopping for me? I don’t think Rini’s mother will mind.”
I glanced around and noticed she was in the living room chatting with Rini, most likely catching up about school and everything she was missing from her daughter’s life now that she lived on the mainland.
Thank you. I switched to Hiro’s other side and started dicing. I realized how much I’d missed this open communication between the guys and myself since the Council meeting and Ciarán’s arrival. Tears pressed behind my eyes. I wanted nothing more than to go back to the way things had been. I worked to keep the thoughts to myself and blinked the moisture away. Now was not the time to get upset, but seeing such a put together, loving family was hard enough without wishing for one for myself. It was the thing
I’d always wanted yet never had.
The ache over the loss of my mother felt fresher here even though it’d been years. I’d lived more years without my mother than I ever had with her. Still, I’d never been around other families like this before, and I’d underestimated the yearning.
Nix… Damien reached out quietly. It felt like he was projecting to me alone.
Don’t. Not now. If you start, I won’t make it through tonight, and that’s not an option. I pressed, hoping he’d respect my need for privacy.
Later.
Same to you. I looked up and made eye contact with him across the room. He nodded once and turned back to make small talk with Theo’s mother while she prepared the entree.
Leaning in to me, Hiro planted a kiss to the top of my head. “You smell good.” His voice was lower, husky.
I groaned, Fuck.
Ryder snorted a laugh and even Theo was grinning from his seat in the living room while he chatted with Molly.
“What’d I say?” Hiro looked innocently down at me.
“You hit a sore spot there, babe.” Ryder immediately blushed at his faux paux with being so friendly to Hiro, and he shifted uncomfortably against the fridge.
I jumped to rescue him. “It’s a new perfume,” I said out loud but mentally I continued. I had a little scent problem I needed to take care of, I told Hiro, cringing about the whole situation again.
Well, I like the floral scent, but if you’re going to insist on wearing perfume, let me make you something more natural. My Kitsune can smell the chemicals in what you’ve got on. Although, I will say that I much prefer the natural scent you’re trying to cover up. Hiro’s dark brown eyes sparkled in the recessed lighting of the kitchen, and I looked into his face for more than a casual minute, taking in the sheer beauty of the man before me.
“So… Nix, what are you studying in college?” Angela interrupted and I jumped, quickly going back to chopping vegetables.
