by Dakota Brown
Chapter 12
Sofia
Nikolai had woken by the time we made it back to Doc's land. Both of the wolves were asleep and didn't wake up when I turned off the truck, so I left them and hoped they wouldn't be upset. I didn't think they would be, though.
Nikolai helped Ash with Doc and I followed, weariness dragging at my feet until I just couldn't move forward anymore. I leaned against a tree and drifted off while I was on my feet.
"Sofia, not so comfortable to sleep against a tree," Nikolai murmured.
I groaned.
Strong hands picked me up. I woke up long enough to help struggle out of my clothing and crawl under the sheets next to Doc before I was out.
∞ ∞ ∞
The smell of food woke me up some time later. I was curled up with my thigh thrown over someone's leg and my head resting on their shoulder. Someone else was sprawled next to me, with their arm over my back, holding me tight. It took me a moment to figure out I was laying on Doc, and Nikolai, still snoring lightly, was pressed up against my back.
By Doc's steady, slow breathing, he was actually awake. He probably didn't want to disturb me or Nikolai. I tilted my head up and stared at him.
He glanced at me and smiled. "Feeling better?"
"Exhausted still," I admitted. "You?"
"I feel better than I did."
Nikolai mumbled in his sleep and tightened his arms around me.
"Can we all get a vacation now?" I groaned, not ready to wake Nikolai up so I could move. I wanted a real shower, food, and some extracurricular activities wouldn't hurt my feelings, either.
"Maybe." He sighed. "I feel like we deserve one."
"Me, too."
"Food's ready if you want some," Ed said, coming into my view.
I grinned, admiring the shirtless look with a spatula in hand. He could cook shirtless any day. "You're the best."
He raised his eyebrows and smiled.
"Get some food," Doc ordered. "If Nikolai doesn't wake up, we can feed him later."
I slid across Doc, to get out from under Nikolai, and briefly considered changing my priority order as his lips twitched into a smile. I kissed him before I made it all the way out from under Nikolai and slipped out from under the covers and off the bed.
Ed caught me up in a one-handed hug and kissed me deeply, again making me reconsider my trip to the shower. Maybe I'd just have to go back there later. Wouldn't that be a shame.
Allan wasn't in the yurt, but I ran into him as I was heading out to the shower Nikolai had made for us. His hair was damp and he was also shirtless despite the winter chill. I had grabbed a jacket, not feeling up to casting any magic even to keep warm, but it didn't stop me from feeling the firm planes of his chest as I pressed myself into a hug and then another deep kiss.
"I was worried about you," he said.
"I'll be okay. Still tired, but I think I'm all right."
He kissed me again and I almost dragged him to the shower with me.
Allan tilted his head, as if sensing that I had something on my mind.
What the hell. The shower was big enough for two. If they liked each other. I tugged on his hand and tilted my brow suggestively.
His smile let me know he knew exactly what I was thinking as he followed me back toward the bath house.
"Where's Ash?" I asked before I got completely distracted.
"He's around. He slept for a while but was pretty restless and said he was going to wander the property. He promised not to leave until we all got a chance to talk about what was next, though. I don't think he knows what to do with himself."
I could think of several things off the top of my head, then I blushed, not completely sure where those thoughts had come from.
Allan's smile turned sly. "I wouldn't object."
"Got a thing for a certain demon?" I grinned as I pulled him into the small bathhouse.
"Maybe." It was Allan's turn to blush. "Maybe I just like having a big pack."
"We'll see what Ash wants. Right now, I want you."
Allan slid the jacket off my shoulders and hung it on one of the hooks. Then he cupped my face with his hands and pressed his lips to mine. His pants and the clothes I had slipped on to walk through the snow quickly followed. He turned the handle and the water poured from the faucet. Being magic, it only took moments to warm up and he pulled me under the water.
For a few moments, we simply pet each other, running our hands over the other's body, feeling them, grateful the other was still alive as the water and Allan's body warmed me.
I finally pressed my stomach against his firm erection. Allan groaned and cupped my ass.
He pressed a soft kiss to by temple. "How do you want to do this?"
"Standing room only." I smiled mischievously.
"Just making sure we were on the same page," he whispered as he lifted me easily. It wasn't that I was particularly light, it was more that my men were all very strong.
I wrapped my legs around his waist and guided myself until he pressed against my opening.
"Ready?"
Allan nodded and he lowered me inch by inch. I moaned in pleasure as he filled me, hitting me just right. He moved until my back was against the smooth wall, the water hitting us perfectly to keep me warm and wet. Allan held me as he slowly withdrew and thrust in again.
I cried out in pleasurable agony as he slowly pulled out, wanting more, but enjoying the sweet torture. I tightened my legs around him, hoping he would take the hint and move faster.
"No patience." He laughed.
"I'm hungry, damn it." I was, but I wanted this more than I wanted food.
He laughed harder. "Yes, ma'am. Never stand between a pack alfa and her food."
Before I could comment on his choice of words, he thrust into me hard. I yelped in surprise.
"Too much?" He hesitated before moving again.
"No," I purred.
"Good." He thrust again, carefully a few times before seeming to take me at my word and driving into me.
The intensity had me gasping his name, pleasure building in my core. He dropped one of his hands to where we were joined and rubbed at my clit. I clawed at his back, no longer coherent as the intensity built, bringing me right to the edge and leaving me there as he slowed his fingers.
I groaned.
"You can have some patience," he teased.
Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy to break through Allan's control as it was with Doc or Nikolai. I couldn't just bite him and make him give me what I wanted. Before I had to try and get creative, Allan went to work again building me right to the edge. This time he didn't stop, and my orgasm crashed into me, bringing him over the edge at the same time.
Allan held me while my body quaked around him. His face buried in my neck as he kissed me gently.
"Mmmm," I mumbled appreciatively once he set me down.
"Good shower," he agreed. "I'm glad you talked me into taking another one."
I laughed and cuddled into his chest while he wrapped his arms around me.
"We should get you fed, though," he said.
I nodded. "Let me actually get clean and we can head back."
Allan stepped out of the shower. There wasn't room for two if we were actually trying to clean up.
"Remind me to educate Nikolai in the need for larger showers when we rebuild the cabin," I said as I rinsed off the lather.
Allan laughed. "Especially if I get to watch?"
"Hmm, didn't realize you liked that sort of thing."
He shrugged when I glanced at him. "Might learn a thing or two."
I laughed. "We still need to get the pack together for some group activities," I said. "We can bring it up then."
Allan's eyes twinkled at that. He held out a towel when I stepped out from under the faucet. I tried to take it from him, but he gestured me forward, winked, and rubbed me with the towel.
I wanted to melt into a puddle at his feet. I felt so loved.
"Maybe I should ge
t wet again," I said, double meaning intended.
Allan laughed and gently tossed the towel at me. "Later. I already ate and the way your stomach is grumbling is making me hungry again."
Pushing my lips out in a pout, I tried to look upset. He just laughed harder and handed me my shirt.
"Thanks." I dressed and we headed back to the yurt. We passed Doc and Nikolai on the way.
I raised an eyebrow, but they both dragged their feet and I guessed they weren't up to anything but getting clean and making sure they both made it there and back without falling down.
"You two okay?"
Nikolai grumbled in annoyance, something about magic not usually knocking him on his ass, but he nodded.
"Yes, and I'm sure I'll feel better once the sun goes down." Doc sighed.
I brushed my hands across his cool skin. Nikolai had thrown on a shirt, though he claimed that the cold didn't bother him until it was really cold. Doc hadn't bothered. I could really get used to all my guys walking around shirtless.
"You could go with them." Allan winked at me.
"Hey, Nikolai, when we build the showers for the cabin, let's make them bigger," I said, instead of following them.
"Why?" he grumbled out.
Even Doc looked amused at Nikolai's confusion. "I'll fill him in."
Allan and I snickered as we headed for the yurt, the smell of food luring me away.
Ash was seated at the low table, drinking some of Doc's tea when we arrived. Allan pulled me over to sit next to him. "I'll get your plate."
My momentary burst of energy flagged, and I leaned my elbows on the table and buried my face in my hands.
"Are you okay?" Ash put his mug down.
"Just exhausted. I used more magic yesterday than I think I have in my entire life." I wasn't even sure if that statement was really an exaggeration.
He touched my shoulder hesitantly. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault the Andersons wanted me. It's not your fault they're a bunch of asshats. It's also not your fault any of this happened. The guys have been telling me this for months now. I'm starting to believe them."
He let his hand fall from my shoulder, but he didn't contradict me.
Allan slid a plate in front of me. Bacon, eggs, toast. Simple but fantastic. I groaned as I dug in.
Munching on some bacon, Allan joined us at the table and Ed sat next to his brother.
Nikolai returned just as I had finished my meal. "I have been properly educated on the need for larger shower." He sounded a little less grumpy than before but still not his normally cheerful self. He helped himself to the food Ed had cooked.
Allan and I traded an amused grin, though Nikolai's expression didn't really give any clues as to how Doc had educated him.
Doc joined us about the time Nikolai finished his food. Allan volunteered to clear the table.
We all sat in silence until Allan rejoined us.
"Ash," Doc said. "What do you want to do now?"
The demon hunched his shoulders and stared at the table. I pushed my shoulder against his.
He flinched, but before I could pull away, he leaned back into me. He probably wasn't used to being touched, at least not kindly.
"I had wanted to return to my plane. I don't think I can. I've been here too long. Unlike a greater demon, who needs a host on this plane, this is my body, and it's been held here too long." He sounded so lost, it broke my heart.
"Ash, you can stay with us as long as you like," Doc said.
Everyone nodded agreement when Ash looked up in surprise.
"If you don't want to stay with us, just let us know and we'll help you if we can."
"Why?"
Doc frowned, tilting his head as if he didn't understand the question.
"Why wouldn't we help you?" Ed asked.
"Among other things, I destroyed your house. I've put you all in danger. I've fought against you."
Nikolai waved his hand dismissively. "That was the Andersons."
"You helped us as much as you could," Doc insisted. "You did more to keep Sofia safe while the greater demon was here than any of us could. We want to help you, if you want us to. You don't have to decide now, Ash. We just want you to know you can stay."
The demon's expression twisted. "I'm not used to having a choice."
"We know." I put my hand on his. "Take your time. Get used to it."
He took a deep breath and nodded.
"One day at a time," Allan said.
Doc studied the demon for a minute then shook his head. "Nikolai could wear my clothes, but I don't think you can. We'll have to go shopping."
The demon frowned. "For?"
"Clothes. Unless you want to magic something all the time."
Though Doc didn't say it out loud, I also knew that he didn't have many to spare at the moment, either, since most of his things had burned in the fire. There was no need to bring that up, however.
Ash raised his eyebrows. "I, uh, thank you."
"We'll go tomorrow. I don't know if any of us have the energy to do anything with what's left of today," Doc said.
The sun was almost down. I had slept until nearly three and it was almost four in the evening now. Doc was visibly starting to perk up, though I didn't know if he had noticed.
My left over demon senses tingled with the hint of snow, too. It wouldn't be tomorrow, but we were in for another storm soon.
"So, now that the Andersons are handled, should we start looking at building a new cabin?" I grinned. Excited about the prospect.
"I can see about getting supplies delivered," Doc said.
"Supplies?" Ash glanced at me and Nikolai.
"Is easier to build a house when supplies are already present."
Ash shrugged. "I can help with that, if you want. Some of the trees can be thinned, dirt and stone can be repurposed. It's been a while since I've been able to create anything with magic."
Nikolai raised his eyebrows. "Yes, that would be good."
"So, no supplies needed?" Doc asked.
"Save your money for furniture," Ash said. "The mages and I can build the cabin with what's here." A faint smile crossed his lips. "With larger showers."
"I vote for a large bathtub, too," I put my hand in the air.
"Fireplace," Nikolai said. "If we're taking requests."
"Bigger kitchen," Ed and Allan said together.
Doc laughed. "Whatever you all want."
Ash did smile then. "We should make some plans. We don't need full on architect plans, but some ideas of where we're going before we get started. We'll be able to make minor modifications once we've finished, but it will be easier to get it close the first time."
"You have done this before?" Nikolai asked.
Ash nodded. "Quite a few times. I believe I can even mimic modern electricity, so guests won't notice anything strange."
Doc raised his eyebrows. "We probably still want to use some, just in case anyone ever raises questions about utilities, but I certainly won't complain about a lower electric bill."
Ash nodded and magicked some paper onto the table. "Let's get some ideas then."
We spent the next few hours looking at pictures on the internet and developing plans for building our new cabin. Neither Nikolai nor I were ready to start right away, but plans for the following weekend were underway. That would give us some time to finalize our design, too.
Chapter 13
Sofia
"They want to come out for Christmas." I groaned and flopped back on my bed in my dorm Monday evening.
By this morning I had felt mostly recovered from the fight against the Andersons. I still didn't really want to perform any magic, but I didn't feel like I might collapse if I tried and school had gone okay. Nikolai had recovered quickly. Unfortunately, Doc was still actively avoiding direct sunlight, though it didn't seem like it was as big of a problem for him as it would be for a full vampire. He had looked exhausted in class, but still managed to keep everyone involved. Ed an
d Allan had also recovered physically, but they were both pretty quiet about the fighting they had engaged in. Ash was settling in well enough, though the yurt was getting a bit crowded with all of us up there.
"Your parents?" Victoria spun around in my office chair.
"Yeah."
"Well, I mean, it makes sense that they want to hang out with you for the holiday."
"It would almost be easier if I went there."
"But you don't want to be gone from your pack?"
"Would you want to be gone from all of that?" I grabbed my phone off my chest so I could reply to my mother.
Sofia: Sure, Mom, that sounds great.
Mom: I'm glad, Honey, we'll let you know when we've made all the arrangements. You'll be staying with your friends while the dorm is closed?
Sofia: Yeah.
I groaned. "And I have no idea what I'm going to do about the guys. She seems cool with me staying with them while the dorms are closed, but… yeah." I trailed off, not even sure what to say.
"Just own it. If they give you grief, you can bust their asses."
"Yeah, they're my parents."
Victoria laughed. "Oh, right."
I needed to text the guys. I brought up the group text.
Sofia: Hey, so my parents are coming out for Christmas.
"So how was your weekend?" Victoria gave the chair another spin.
"Oh, okay." I really didn't know how much to tell her. Finally, I decided she knew everything else. "We rescued Ash. He's free now."
Victoria was silent for a minute. "That's why you wanted me out of town."
"Yeah."
"Everything go okay?"
"Better than I expected. No one on our side died, anyway."
Her eyebrows rose, but she didn't ask me to clarify.
"Where is he now?"
"Up at the yurt."
"What are you going to do with him?"
I shrugged. "He's staying with us for now. It's up to him, but he probably needs some time to get on his feet and figure out what he wants."
My phone signaled that I have a text.
Doc: We'll just have to get the cabin done before they get here. It'll be okay.
