“Missed you, my Heart,” Bane whispered to her.
“Missed you too, my Bear. We got lots of good things for later. And Delilah got to go to her first grocery store.”
Bane turned his attention to Delilah, “Did you have fun, Delilah?”
She didn't answer; she was watching the behavior of the females with their Mates. Bane tried again, “Delilah?”
She snapped her attention to him, “Hm? Yes, I had fun. I chose things. And pies, I found the pie part of the store, too. It is called a Bakery,” she told him, her words fading off as she watched as Janie bared her throat to him as he continued to kiss her while he listened to Delilah’s answer.
“Were they nice to you, Heart? Did anyone give you a hard time?” Bane asked Janie.
Janie didn’t get a chance to answer him, “Why would they not be nice to Janie?” Delilah asked forcefully as she jumped down from the chair she was standing on to hide her pies in the cabinet above the refrigerator where Bam had just shown her his special hiding spot.
“I used to work there, and some of the ladies there liked Bane. They were jealous when he showed me attention, and then I married him. So they aren’t always very nice to me.”
“They will be nice to you now, or they will not be at all!” Delilah declared. “I will not tolerate any disrespect for my sisters!” she added. Her eyes had gone ice blue, and her voice had taken on a growly quality.
Janie, still held tightly in Bane’s arms, tried to calm her, “It’s okay, Delilah. No one was mean to me today. They were very nice. Only the nice ladies were there today.”
Delilah developed a slow, devious grin, “I will go with you to the grocery store each time. It will only take one time, and they will never be mean to you again.”
Chuckling, thoroughly enjoying her response, but still kissing his Mate’s neck, “Janie, you can go shopping with Delilah any time you like. Just let me know next time, okay?” Bane told her.
Then turning to Delilah, “Delilah, thank you for keeping my Mate safe.”
Delilah looked at him strangely for a moment, her eyes once more flashing from violet to ice blue, “I am honored with your trust, Bane.”
A door opened so hard it slammed against the wall, bare feet slapping on the floor as they approached. Kaid rounded the corner, closing in on Delilah. “DO. NOT. EVER. Leave here without me again!” he shouted. “How the hell can I protect you if I don’t even know you are gone!” he shouted in her face. Everyone stood there, shocked. A few of them raising their chins ever so slightly to expose a bit of their necks in deference to their Alpha and the obvious state of emotional distress he was in.
Delilah simply stood her ground, looking at him curiously.
“Do you hear me, Delilah? Do you understand the danger you were in?” Kaid yelled again.
Something in Delilah snapped; she took a step forward, chesting him. Pressing against him so hard that he moved one foot just a bit, to adjust his balance. They stood chest-to-chest, him looking down his nose at her so close they shared the same breath, his Bear near the surface, his worry for her still a very live thing in his heart, towel wrapped around his waist, still dripping water from the shower he’d leapt from when he’d heard the female voices coming from the kitchen. The tension in the air was palpable, and had it been any of the males in his clan they’d already be bruised and possibly bleeding for standing up to him. It was making each one of the other shifters miserable. Two Alphas facing off was a dangerous thing. Two Alphas, who were Mates facing off, was almost unheard of. One always had to stand down in order for a relationship to work. And Alphas were proud; they never stood down, especially when challenged. So these two stood, chest to chest, Delilah turning her head side to side like a curious puppy as she regarded him. Then an amazing thing happened. She’d learned a thing or two by watching her family. She lifted her head ever so slightly, kissed his chin with her perfect pouty lips, then continued turning her head just enough to the left that her neck was slightly, just so slightly, exposed. “You were worried for my safety, Mate. I am sorry I caused you concern.”
Kaid was an arrogant man, but not a stupid one. He knew this for what it was. His Mate was Alpha, and she was allowing him to have the upper hand. With “allowing” being the key word. She was strong; he could feel it coming off her in waves; this was a choice she was making, and not one she had to accept. He waited no longer; he swept her into his arms and buried his face in her neck. Taking in her scent, kissing her neck, licking her where he most wanted to bite. Allowing Bear to rub his face against hers, “I was so fucking scared. I have only ever been scared one other time. I fucking hate it!” he told her in a much calmer voice now.
She smiled sweetly at him, “The next time I decide to go alone I will tell you that,” and she paused for emphasis, “I am going alone. So that you will not be caught unawares.”
He raised his eyebrows at her. She smiled sweetly, kissed his chin again and hummed to herself as she made her way down the hall to put away her new “learning things”, as she called them.
Chapter 12
The girls busied themselves getting the food ready. Delilah, too; she was anxious to learn and took great pride in doing the little tasks that they gave her.
They had a dozen gallon-sized Glad freezer bags, each filled with a huge T-Bone steak, and a mixture of Olive oil, soy sauce and garlic. They had four racks of ribs, two pork, two beef, and they had 10 pounds of andouille sausage. Janie had her green beans going in two huge skillets, and Avaleigh and Ms. Sadie had cleaned and placed the onions and garlic into foil pouches with Olive oil and salt and pepper to throw on the grill with the meat. They had also run several batches of huge baking potatoes through the microwave and had all the fixings ready, too: cheese, sour cream, chives, bacon, and, of course, lots and lots of butter. Delilah, along with helping them each, had been given the task of making the garlic bread. She’d made the spread out of a stick of real butter, minced garlic, Cajun seasoning and parsley. She’d split several loaves of French bread and had spread it onto both halves exactly as she’d been instructed, then sprinkled Parmesan cheese on each. She and Avaleigh had put them in the oven, and she was having a hell of time not eating them before the barbecue.
The boys had gone back out to Bane and Janie's. That’s where they were going to have their get together. They’d gotten the pit going and had gathered wood for the bonfire they were going to have later. After they’d gotten it all set up, Kaid had wandered back to the house and into the kitchen, pausing beside Delilah where she stood near Avaleigh, turning the bags of marinating steaks again. She looked at him, nodded, and he leaned over and kissed her cheek. He knew that allowing her to accept his kiss was a big thing for her, rather than just doing it. So when he had the presence of mind to do so, he waited for her to agree. He walked over to the refrigerator, opened it, and leaned in to grab a beer. He froze. His refrigerator was filled top to bottom with dozens of jars of bread n b utter pickles. His beers were stashed here and there between the very neat rows of pickles. He turned to the women and found each one of them watching him curiously. His own female, beaming proudly at him. Then he got it. All of a sudden he understood. He put the beer back in the refrigerator. He took out a jar, forcing the lid to open, he tossed the lid on the counter and reached for a fork. Digging in, he placed a huge amount into his mouth. He closed his eyes, savoring the taste. He chewed, swallowed, then took another bite. Still chewing, he walked over to Delilah, “You did this?”
“Yes, I wanted to be sure you had plenty,” she told him proudly.
“You wanted to be sure I had them when I wanted them,” he said quietly.
“Yes, I bought,” she paused turning to Avaleigh a question in her eyes; “Thirty,” Avaleigh told her. “I bought thirty jars, so that you will always have some. You will know that I thought of you and your needs. This is the right way, yes?” she asked him.
“Yes, Baby. It is.” He kissed her lips. Dug another pickle out of the jar and plac
ed it into her mouth, kissing her again. Then he whispered, “I love you, too, Delilah.”
She grinned at him, chewing her pickle as she turned back to the bags of steaks.
He went out of the door with tears in his eyes and a lump in his throat; his female had tried to show him that she could provide for him, she could put him first, that she loved him, at least as far as she understood it at this point. Then he smiled as he heard Janie sniffling and wailing, “Oh, my God! I didn’t know all those pickles were to tell him she loved him!”
Avaleigh started to package up all the food for the small trek to Bane and Janie's. She was walking back and forth loading it into Daisy’s little red wagon. Just as she was finishing she remembered that she’d wanted to bring blankets with her to spread on the ground or to wrap around them if it got chilly later in the evening at the bonfire. She went jogging down the hall, “Give me a sec guys, I want to get a few blankets to take with us. Just as she said this she slipped on a smear of wet mud in the hallway. Screeching, she barely caught herself, “Damn it!” she shouted. “They know not to wear their freaking work boots in the house! I almost broke my neck!” She righted herself, heart pounding. “Asses,” she muttered under her breath as she wrenched the hallway closet door open and stepped inside to dig around the inside shelves for some blankets. “Whoo! What the hell is that smell?” she asked no one in particular.
“What is it?” Janie asked walking up behind her.
“I don’t know, smells musty and wet,” Avaleigh looked up at the ceiling, “Maybe there is leak in the roof or something. I gotta remember to tell Kaid so he can check it,” Avaleigh answered.
“Ewww, that is bad. Like mildew,” Janie added as she leaned into the closet door and sniffed.
There was a slight scurrying near the bottom of the closet, Janie jumped back, “Oh crap! Rats! Did you hear that?” she asked Ave.
“Yes! Hate rats!” Avaleigh scooted back out of the closet, hurriedly closing the door behind her. “Forget it, we don’t need blankets, lets just grab some jackets from the hooks by the back door.
Amos was waiting in the kitchen with the food filled wagon. “Ya’ll ready,” he asked as they came back into the kitchen.
“Yep, let’s go,” they answered in unison.
Amos started out the door with the little red wagon that Goldy had bought for Daisy, heavily laden with food and fixings. True, Daisy wasn’t there yet, but she was on the way and Goldy just couldn’t resist the wagon when he’d seen it in the store. So he’d bought it and brought it home - proudly.
When they made their way into the clearing, the boys had already set up tables and chairs, and the pit was going, charcoals not quite ready. They were in various places all over the house. Some were roofing; others were inside the house, and you could hear hammering and drilling coming from everywhere. Apparently they felt they could do more before the sun set in spite of the fact that they’d had showers to clean up for the barbecue, and Avaleigh said as much. “Really? You all just had showers!”
Daniel answered her, “Well, Bane said he would just tweak a few things until ya’ll got here, and before you know it, we were all tweaking, Love.”
“Fine, but before I forget, I think we have a rat in the hall closet. It smells horrible and musty. Can you get it for me when we get home?” Avaleigh asked.
“Our closet?” Daniel asked.
“No, Kaid's.”
“I’ll get it, Ave. Soon as we get home,” Kaid yelled to her. He was at the back of the house but had overheard the conversation.
Janie looked around; it was almost finished, and it was a pretty house. Off to the side leaning against one of the trees on the opposite side of the house were the windows for it. Janie sighed as she stood there, hands on her hips, slight smile on her lips as she surveyed the progress they’d made since that morning. It was amazing how quickly they could get things accomplished when they all pitched in. “This is your home, Janie?” Delilah asked her.
“Yes,” she answered, “Mine and Bane’s. I can’t wait until we can move in,” she told her, gazing at the house with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Delilah turned and looked at the house, then back at Janie. It was just a house. She couldn't figure out why it was so special to Janie. A house, was a house, was a house, as far as she was concerned. She looked at it again. “Is it as you wished it? Is that why it is special?”
Janie looked at Delilah and struggled for a way to explain it so that she could understand. She smiled suddenly, “Those pickles you bought for Kaid?”
“Yes, he likes them. And now he has enough.”
“Well, I never had a happy home. Never!” she explained with emphasis, “Bane has built me a home that will only ever give happiness. This home is a symbol of his love. A promise that he will always protect me, always love me, always shelter me. And our kids.” She paused, waiting to see if Delilah would understand that.
Delilah looked at the house again, then turning to Janie she grinned at her, nodded her head as if a decision had been reached, “It is a good house. A very good house. And you have a good Mate. It is as it should be.” Then she walked over to the table and started unloading the food.
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“Stink? I do not stink! There is not a fucking rat in the house! Stupid fucking cunt!” he thought to himself. “I’ll show her, too! She will be begging me to have mercy, uppity little bitch.” He shifted and let himself out of the closet. He looked at the mud on the floor. “Gotta be more careful about leaving evidence around,” he thought. He didn't want them to be aware of his presence, at least not until he was ready for them to know he was there. He started to clean it up, then realized if he did it would be even worse, they’d know someone had been inside. So he was careful to step around it on his way back down the hall. He needed to get to the woods, hide himself so he could observe and try to figure out the best way to make them all pay.
Chapter 13
It wasn’t long before Amos had the meat cooking, and they’d thrown the potatoes wrapped in foil into the coals to finish their cooking. The onion and garlic were sizzling away in their foil pouches as well. Amos and Goldy were manning the grill and arguing good naturedly about the right way to cook the different types of meat, and the boys were still working in and on the house, when a sharp whistle sounded from not too far away through the woods, toward the main house. Kaid whistled back, and just a few moments later, Riley stepped from the woods into the clearing. The women started oohing and ahhing, and Kaid jumped down from the roof wearing a huge welcoming smile, striding toward him. “Riley! Glad you could make it, my friend. Who’s this?”
Riley looked down at the little girl, perched on his hip, currently doing her best to hide her face in her father’s neck. “This is Cristie. Say hi, Baby-girl.” The little girl did not lift her face from her daddy’s neck, but she raised one chubby little hand in the general direction of Kaid and flopped it a little bit.
“She’s a little shy around people she doesn’t know. It’s been just me and her for a while now,” Riley explained, laying a kiss on her head.
By now Avaleigh, Janie, and Sadie had all gathered and were trying to win her attention. “Oh, Riley, you didn’t tell me you had a daughter! She’s beautiful,” Janie told him.
“Hi, Sweetheart, would you like to come see me? I’m Aunt Avaleigh. And see this lady?” pointing at Janie, “This is your Aunt Janie.”
Sadie raised her voice to be heard above Avaleigh and Janie cooing at the girl, “I’m your Great Aunt Sadie, you can just call me Gigi, Sweetheart.”
Cristie was peering over Riley’s shoulder at all the women who were trying to gain her trust. Bam had jumped down from the roof as well and strode over to where they all stood. He watched Cristie for a moment, then reached out a hand and gently placed it on the baby’s back. It was such a contrast, his huge hand against her tiny little back. Suddenly she turned and looked at him, her eyes huge. He smiled at her and shook his head as though he was ans
wering a question. They just looked at each other for minutes. Then Bam said, “These here ladies are nice. They aren’t going to do anything but love you to bits. They love you just like you are; they don’t want you to be nothing but just you. They won’t tell you no lies.” She looked at him for a minute. Then she opened her little mouth and said, just barely audibly, “Kay.” Then she smiled at him and reached her hands out like a toddler will do when they want to be held. He smiled even bigger and happily took her into his arms. Riley stood there, dumbfounded, “How the fu’, I mean, fudge, did you do that?”
Bam, who now had a grinning two-year-old little girl pulling happily on his hair and placing big sloppy open mouthed kisses on his chin and cheek asked “How did I do what?”
“She hasn't said a word since her mother left us. Hasn't allowed anyone but me to touch her. She’s got serious separation anxiety issues and never goes to anyone but me. It’s a damn battle to leave her at the daycare center to even try to make a little money. And she just reaches right for you,” Riley told him, shaking his head in disbelief. He reached out and patted his daughter’s back. His laughing daughter’s back. Then he met Bam’s eyes, “Thank you, Man. I don’t know what the hell you did, but thank you.”
Bam looked to Kaid. Kaid thought about it for a moment then nodded, “I just talked to her Kitty. She’s afraid that women don’t like her and will lie to her. I showed her Kitty some pictures in my head of how nice these ladies are, and she understood.” He switched his tone of voice to address Cristie directly, “Then I just explained it to you, too, didn’t I?” he said in that baby talk voice that adults always use with kids. Cristie looked up at him with her big, huge, golden eyes, shoved her fist into her mouth to chew on and nodded at him. Avaleigh walked over and held her arms out, “Can I hold you? Will you come play with me for a little bit?”
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