by Dakota Brown
"Yes," Ed declared stubbornly.
"What we really need to do is figure out how to keep her safe long enough for her to decide she wants to stay with us, and we need to find someone to teach her magic," Allan said. "Keeping her out of the black market's hands has got to be our priority."
Ed pushed out his lip in a pout. "The best way to keep her safe, outside of teaching her magic, is to keep her with us."
"We need to visit Sam and see if she has any charms or anything that will help Sofia. I know nothing about how mages cast magic, but I'll try to work with her a little bit and see if we can figure something out, and we probably should see if she knows any self-defense." Doc knew Allan was right, but Ed had some of the truth of the matter too. Something about Sofia had captured all three of them, almost instantly, and if they didn't want to lose her, they needed to talk to her. He just couldn't help but think that discussion would be the end of it.
"You're the fighter, Doc. I think that's all your territory. And Sam tolerates us, but she's not about to sell us a charm to protect Sofia," Allan replied.
"She barely tolerates me." Doc shrugged.
"Take Sofia when you go." Ed smiled. "I think Sam likes her."
The shower turned off, and the three of them fell silent.
"Go fix up her back. You're the first step in convincing her to stay with us." Ed winked suggestively.
Doc clenched his hands into fists before taking a deep breath and trying to chase his worries away. There was no way she was going to agree to any of this, anyway, so no reason to worry. Right? "Don't get your hopes up."
"You had her strung tighter than a piano just with the sunblock, Doc. I don't think you're going to have as much of a problem as you think you will." Ed grinned encouragingly.
Doc sighed and left the room. They just didn't understand how little luck he really had with women, ever. He got along fine with them until they found out what he was, then they usually freaked out. Understandably.
Sofia was headed down the hallway as he left the kitchen. "Do you want to take a look at my back?"
"Yes." Doc followed her back into the bedroom. Her scent covered the bed and filled the air. He hadn't really been thinking about that when he had let them sleep in his bed. He wasn't sure where else he would have put them. Unfortunately, her scent would drive all three of them nuts for a few days, and he doubted it would completely fade. Maybe he would sleep on the couch for a while.
His breath caught as she pulled off her shirt, revealing her relatively muscular back and a purple bra. He was pretty sure she noticed his reaction, but she just lay face down on the bed, leaving enough space for him to sit on the edge next to her.
"I think it may have stayed dry." Her voice was muffled by the comforter.
"Good." He tore his attention away from her lying there and decided Ed was right, he really didn't want to give her up. He would have to talk to her when Ed and Allan went out for a run tonight. The thought of losing her wrenched at him, but better to get it over with now, then to get more attached than the three of them already were.
He gently pulled the bandages away. The wound had stayed dry. However, none of them had been careful enough with her, and she had torn it open. The fresh blood made him very aware that he hadn't actually eaten in a while. That thought distracted him a little from the idea of Sofia lying in his bed, but not enough. He really was in trouble. If she couldn't accept him...
"Doc, what's wrong?" She twisted around to look up at him, and her gray eyes flashed lavender for a moment.
He shook his head. "Nothing, Sofia. We just should have been more careful with you. I'm going to rebandage this, and then we're going to not toss you around until it heals."
"I didn't mind."
"I don't want you to have a scar, either." He smiled.
"You've got a few."
"Yeah. A few people have tried to kill me over the years."
She tilted her head inviting explanation.
He shook his head and went to cleaning and rebandaging her back. "I'm going to put gauze on it this time. It needs to get oxygen to heal. Try not to get it wet."
"Well, if I can keep a couple of big old werewolves from throwing me in a lake, I'll probably be able to manage." She laughed.
"I'll give them a stern talking to if they try." He marveled that she really didn't seem bothered by knowing Ed and Allan were werewolves. He hadn't even been that comfortable with the idea when he'd first met them. Maybe being raised outside the magical community had some benefits.
"So, what are we going to do?"
He finished bandaging her and rested his hand on the small of her back. That set her heart to racing, and he was about to move when she rolled over, carefully enough that she didn't dislodge his hand, simply moved underneath it until his hand rested on her stomach. Her skin shivered, and he shut his eyes for a moment, trying to compose himself.
He didn't really manage. He did find his voice. "About the black market?"
She smiled. "About them, but maybe we should also talk about us."
He ached an eyebrow, not sure how to respond.
"All of us."
His heart clenched, and he nodded. "Yeah, we probably should." He stood and offered her a hand, trying not to let any of his fears show in his voice or on his face.
Sofia took it and let him help her to her feet.
He kept a hold of her hand. She stood so close. Smelled so good.
Without thinking, he brought his other hand up and cupped her cheek. She leaned into his touch, and he almost kissed her. She almost looked like she expected him to.
Instead he brushed her hair back and ran his hand down her neck.
She shivered, smiling up at him.
"Let's go talk to the others," he said softly.
Sofia nodded then grinned at him. "You're kind of blocking the way."
Doc cleared his throat and headed for the door. "Sorry."
"I'm not." She grabbed her shirt off the end of the bed and followed.
He really didn't want to lose her, and he was kicking himself for not kissing her just then. It might be his only chance.
Chapter 16
Sofia
"Where did Ed and Allan go?" I sat down on the couch, and Doc joined me, sitting on the other end, leaving space between us.
"They're in their rooms. I'm not sure why," Doc replied.
"Oh."
I heard a door shut.
Doc glanced over at the hallway to the boys' rooms, and his eyebrows went up.
I followed his gaze, yelped, and was halfway across the couch before I realized that the giant wolf standing in the hallway had to be either Ed or Allan. Probably Ed, it matched his hair.
I let out a breath and laughed. The wolf stared at me, head tilted slightly. "I'm sorry. You startled me. Ed, right?"
He dropped his jaw and then smiled, padding across the rug. He jumped up on the couch, and I moved closer to Doc to give him space.
"It's a little early, don't you think?" Doc sounded resigned.
Ed shoved into me, and I moved until I was almost sitting on Doc's lap. He didn't seem to mind, just put his arm around me. Ed stepped across me and laid down, his chest pressing into my legs, his chin on Doc's thigh, effectively trapping me.
"If you hadn't noticed, Ed has zero sense of personal space," Doc said in amusement. "He'll move if you want him to."
"I, uh, no, he's fine." I wasn't sure what to do with my hands, though. He wasn't a dog, or I would have just pet him, so I held them up in front of me, trying to figure out what to do.
Doc laughed. "If he's going to act like a lap dog, you can pet him."
Ed growled, the sound vibrating through me.
I laughed, too. Maybe him growling should have made me nervous, but it didn't. I rested my hands in his thick blond fur and rubbed behind his shoulder blades. Ed sighed in pleasure and shut his eyes.
"Okay, now I'm jealous," Allan declared from the doorway.
Ed opened one eye a
nd huffed, as if to say 'deal with it.'
"Um, there might be room for everyone?" I looked at the couch and wondered if it could hold two werewolves and me and Doc, or if it would just collapse.
"You're really okay with a werewolf in your lap?" Allan crossed his arms and grinned.
My eyes went wide, and I choked on a giggle. "I know what you meant," I said quickly when he shot me a look. "It just sounded kind of awkward."
Allan considered for a minute before he laughed. "How about two werewolves?"
That set my pulse racing, and I knew all three of them could tell.
"Sure, why not?" I stammered.
He smiled and left the room.
"If you break the couch, you're making a new one!" Doc called after Allan.
"Can we fit him?"
"He'll figure out a way. His sense of personal space is only marginally better than Ed's."
"Are you going to be able to breathe?"
"I'll be fine," Doc answered. He played with my hair, and his breath tickled my neck. "Of course, they're both avoiding the conversations we need to have," he said as a slightly darker blond wolf walked into the room.
"Well, they can listen to us have it." I felt Doc nod.
"I'd rather avoid it too. I guess we don't have much of a choice." Doc sounded worried.
Allan launched himself on the couch and landed on top of Ed.
I gasped as a few hundred pounds of werewolf pressed against my chest. "I do need to breathe, unlike Doc, apparently."
Allan grinned at me wolfishly and flopped down. One of my hands was basically trapped between him and Ed. I freed the other and scratched him behind the ears. He leaned into my touch, so I didn't think he objected.
"I do need to breathe," Doc said tightly, "Just not as much as you do, and they're heavy."
They had shoved me until I was pressed into Doc, almost lying across his lap, though he kept his arm around me, so I wasn't straining my back to keep from completely lying down on him. He held me against his chest, and I breathed in his freshly cleaned leather scent.
"When's the last time you rode a horse?"
Doc glanced at me.
"You smell like leather and a bit like horse, but, you know, not in a bad way," I added the last hastily.
"It's been a couple of years."
"I like it." I felt Doc hold his breath for a moment before slowly letting it out.
He glanced out the window. It had darkened outside, though it would be a while before it was really dark.
"Why don't you two go run. Stay on the property until it gets truly dark and be careful. We're not safe anymore."
Allan raised his head scooted forward until his muzzle was inches from my face.
I supposed it could be intimidating, having a wolf that close to my face. I could see his intelligence behind those steel gray eyes, and knew he would never hurt me. I smiled.
Allan wolf-grinned and touched his nose to my cheek as if he were kissing me before jumping off the couch.
I swear I heard the frame creak.
Ed looked at Allan for a moment before looking at me. He still had us pinned, and he leaned so his face was also level with mine.
I dug my fingers into his fur. He also wolf-grinned at me before touching me on the cheek with his nose and leaving the couch.
It became completely clear why all the doorknobs were levers when Allan used his nose to work the lever and open the front door. He trotted outside, Ed right behind him. One of them pulled the door shut, and then I was alone with Doc.
"That really didn't bother you, did it? Except when Ed startled you."
"No. Why would it? I knew they were werewolves. It rather follows that they can actually turn into wolves. I know the ability isn't tied to the moon like the legends say, and I did see the dog, um, wolf hair all over your bedspread. Do they usually sleep in there?"
Doc stared out the window, not looking at me. "Yeah, we usually share the bed. It's a werewolf thing. I got used to it."
"So, can you turn into a wolf, too?"
He tensed and glanced down at me. "What?"
"Or is there another wolf I need to know about? Or do you have a dog? There are black hairs on the bed, too."
Doc studied me for a minute, and the silence stretched long enough that I wasn't sure he was going to answer before he nodded. "I'm going to have to wash that before Victoria comes back over. It's kind of a secret."
"I won't tell anyone."
"I know."
"So, are you going to tell me what you are? You seem nervous about it." I twisted around so that I faced Doc, leaning my hand on the arm of the couch so I could sit backward without straining my back. I was still effectively in his lap, just turned toward him now.
He searched my face for a moment before he sighed, leaning back a little. "I'm a vampire."
I tensed before shaking my head. "I've seen you in the sunlight way more than I've seen you at night."
Doc grimaced. "More accurately, I'm a half-vampire. I may be the only one currently alive."
"Huh."
He held his breath, as if waiting for more of a reaction, but I wasn't sure what to say. I completely understood why he didn't want to say anything before, and why he was still nervous now, but it was Doc. Just like the wolves, I knew deep down, he would never hurt me.
Vampires and werewolves had received the most attention in various legends and movies over the years. I didn't know a lot about vampires, other than what was common knowledge. Unlike werewolves, vampires were rare. They were extremely dangerous, and they tended to keep to themselves. Despite what most of the more popular urban fantasy novels portrayed, they typically weren't interested in humans as anything other than food. Not a lot was really known about them, and they liked to keep it that way. It was better to stay away, because you risked death if you knew what they were.
"My mother," he continued hesitantly, "was a Navajo vampire hunter. She met my father, who was a traveling preacher, and somehow, they fell in love. She taught him how to hunt vampires, and they traveled together spreading the word of God and trying to keep people safe whenever an unfriendly vampire or werewolf popped up. Which, especially back then, was just about any vampire or were of any sort."
"How long ago was that?"
"Turn of the century. Um, last century. 1900 or something like that. Anyway, my mother was pregnant with me, just about ready to give birth in fact. Days away. They were attacked, and my mother was bitten and killed. My father managed to kill the vampire that got my mother. He then…" Doc hesitated again, and I put my hand on his arm and squeezed gently. "He cut me out of her. I lived, but I didn't come out completely human. Father still cared for me, raised me, and taught me to hunt vampires."
"So, why so nervous about telling me that?"
"Most people, if I ever get this far in a relationship, bail about now."
"Ah, I see."
He still felt really tense, as if I were going to walk away. I had a feeling the next few minutes were going to change my life forever, one way or another. Did I walk away from a relationship that wasn't quite formed, or did I dive in? I knew something of wolves and their pack bond. Doc had joined himself to Ed and Allan's pack. If I didn't walk away now, would I ever be able to? Would I want to? I thought Victoria was right, if I got one of them, I got all of them. Could I even handle that?
Doc sensed my doubts, though they weren't about him specifically, they were about the situation. He didn't know that.
He sighed, dropping his eyes, and smiled a little sadly.
Before I even really could think about what I was doing–truly decide on an answer to my questions–I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his.
We both froze for a moment. Even though I had initiated the kiss, I hadn't expected it. Doc was obviously even more surprised.
It only took a moment before he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me back. It was a relatively chaste kiss, however, Doc's eyes were shining when I leaned back.
&
nbsp; "So, I have another question before we dive into this."
"Only one?" A smile filled his face.
"Well, one that is pressing. What about Ed and Allan?"
"Ah."
"So, Ed has basically been throwing me at you since we met, right? Any time we're alone, he acts like he's interested in me. Honestly, even when I'm around you, he acts that way. I'm getting the same feeling from Allan, though he's less touchy feely."
Doc sighed and glanced at the door. "Damn them anyway."
"Oh?" I didn't think he meant it in the way someone usually would in this circumstance.
"Leaving me alone for this."
"You kicked them out." I grinned.
"Right, after they effectively took themselves out of the conversation for the night." Doc focused on me, and he squirmed a little. I didn't let him up, though.
"They can't change back right away?"
"Yes, but it's pretty hard on them. It's better if they stay as wolves for a few hours at least, get some running in, maybe track down a deer and get their dinner that way. You've seen how much they eat. I'd go broke trying to feed them all the time."
I laughed, and Doc smiled.
His smile turned slightly tentative. "You're really okay with me?"
"Yeah. I mean, I'm sure there will be some things to get used to with all of you. As long as you give me the time to adapt, I'm sure it'll be all right. Are you sure you're okay with me? I kind of destroyed this really important truce and put you in some serious danger."
"It was going to happen one of these days anyway. This just forced the issue. None of us are upset about that. We just need to figure out what to do now."
"You're sure?"
This time he kissed me. He held me tight, one hand on my neck, cupping the back of my head, the other pressed into my waist.
"We're sure," he answered when we came up for air.
"So, Ed and Allan," I reminded him.
"Well, I guess if you're okay with me, I'll see if you're okay with Ed and Allan while I'm at it."
"I already said I was."
His lips twisted slightly. "Ed has this crazy idea that you would be willing to be with all three of us. He wants you to join our pack with all of us. He's been pushing you at me, because he was also worried you would have a harder time accepting me."
