by Jana Leigh
“I know,” Brooks said, finally after getting control of his emotions. “But damn it, he was hurt by those bastards.”
“And they could have seriously faked the whole thing in order to make us think he was harmless,” Kade reasoned.
There was silence as Brooks digested what Kade said, he knew he was being unreasonable, but damn it, it was his mate. And he would be damned if anyone was going to question him. They had waited too long to find him. Decades, Brooks had held back and his patience to finally mate with Pilar was growing thin. She was pissed and rightly so, but Brooks didn’t care, he had waited because it was the way it had to be.
Years ago, a Seer had told him that his mating would be hard. He would have to wait to claim Pilar until they had found their third because if he hadn’t, their third would never be able to truly mate with Pilar. He hadn’t understood it at the time, but if he was a vampire, Brooks did. It made sense. Different from other magical creatures, vampires needed to have unmingled blood to mate. If Pilar and Brooks had joined before, their blood would have changed when Pilar bit him. Of course, Brooks had never sat down long enough to explain that to her, it would have been a test of his patience to be that close to her for a long period of time, so he avoided and waited. Now he could see what a mistake that was. The damn stubborn woman was going to be a PITA to him.
“Let me see the tests,” Brooks said and held out his hand to Thomas who shrugged and gave him the paper.
“Had to be done,” Thomas said with a hard tone. “None of us are willing to tempt the fates when we finally found our mates. That is all we need, to have a spy in our midst when Calli is pregnant, and the others are probably going to be following soon.”
“What?” Simon said with a shocked tone. “No, I am pretty sure Rissa will not get pregnant. She has Billy B. She has no need for an infant.”
Phillip patted his mate’s arm and laughed. “Keep living the dream.”
“Not cool,” Declan huffed.
“Cherri is still in the ‘I am a princess’ phase so we are good.” Nik laughed.
“Hey, someone is getting pregnant because I cannot go through this alone. Calli is driving me crazy. I need backup, someone had better be throwing those condoms away,” Kade bellowed.
“Alpha, I love you like a brother and would take a bullet for you, but a baby. Nah, that seems to go a little too far,” Simon said.
If only they knew who was listening in, they would have thought twice before saying a word.
Chapter Three
Calix tried to open his eyes yet again. He could hear the three women in the room laughing and arguing, he wanted to know where the fuck he was. None of this made sense, he had escaped.
“Viv, you know as well as I do that Cherri is going to be a pain in my ass about this. I am not waiting for years to get me a grandbaby,” one of the women said.
“Me either, Rissa wants me to dress up the damn dog and treat him like a grandchild. I mean really, it is just sad,” another woman said.
“Well, if we do this, and they find out, I swear I will kill you both,” a woman who had to be sitting next to him said.
Calix tried to move his hands but nothing. Damn it, he was going to have to lie there forever listening to these crazy women. So far, he had heard about menstrual cycles, condoms, and even more traumatizing old people sex with whips. Would this hell ever end?
“Hey, he moved,” one of the women said.
“Yeah, right,” another one said. “You have been drinking too much.”
“No seriously, his eyelids fluttered,” the first one said.
Calix forced himself to try again, but he didn’t think he was moving anything. Then someone must have lifted his eyelid because the bright light gave him a piercing pain in his head.
“See, his eyeball is moving,” one of them said.
Finally, Calix growled, the pain was too much. “Let me go you crazy bitch.”
“Wait, did he just call me a crazy bitch?” one of them said and Calix moaned again when his eye was released.
“He did,” one of the others said. “Although he was whispering, he could still be in a drug haze.”
“Hey,” the woman who had a hold of his eyelid before said.
When he didn’t answer right away, Calix felt her grab his eyelid again and open it. This time it hurt just as bad, but he was able to focus a little. A woman with blonde hair that looked a little like his old school teacher was in his line of sight.
“Did you call me a crazy bitch?” she asked.
Calix groaned and tried to shake his head away. He was feeling stronger, but still like road kill. “Yes, the light,” he muttered.
“How rude. Pilar and Brooks are gonna have to house break you,” the woman said.
“Who?” he asked.
“Pilar and Brooks, your mates,” the woman said flippantly.
What had she said, his mates? They were holding him hostage? What was going on? “Wait, where am I?”
One of the women made a noise and said, “I am calling the main house.”
“Do that. I am not sure he is all there yet, could be rabid,” the woman said.
Calix groaned and rolled his head and opened his eyes. He was in a bedroom, and a nice one at that. It was not the cell he remembered. Maybe he had gotten out. He had thought he was dreaming before. The feelings he had about belonging and kinship. Calix only hoped he was with the Drekinn Pack, it was the only place he wanted to be.
“Where am I?” he tried again and the woman turned back to him and narrowed her gaze at him.
“You are safe,” the woman said.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“Oh, well I am Vivi, and this here is Shelly and Brenda, my best friends,” the woman said like he was supposed to know who the hell they were.
Calix frowned. “I don’t know you.”
“Is there a reason you should?” Vivi asked with a frown. “See, not all there, maybe he has brain damage. Maybe we should warn Pilar and Brooks, if he is a bit touched in the head now, they may want to wait with the whole mating thing.”
“At least if they have kids it won't be hereditary, because it was an injury, at least I hope so. Maybe he was like this before,” Shelly said.
“Hey, Brooks is a warlock, maybe there is a spell to help him out.” Brenda shrugged.
Calix just lay there and listened to the women as they talked about him like he wasn’t there. They were nuts, how in the hell could the fucking Seer have not have told him what he was getting into.
“What is wrong with you people?” Calix bellowed when they started talking about his pecker's performance.
Vivi turned and looked at him with a shocked expression. “Nothing why?”
“Why are you talking about my junk then?” Calix grumbled.
“It’s important to know. We have just realized we are getting up there in age, and we want babies, lots of babies. Brooks and Pilar are like our kids, we want them happy, so if Brooks is going to shoulder the whole baby-making thing, I think we should know now. So tell me, have you had an erection in the last few months. I mean, I know you have been a prisoner and stuff, probably not too much would give you a hard-on there, but generally speaking. Is it working?” Vivi said.
Calix sputtered and growled. He had just woken up from a coma after being tortured by those assholes, and she is talking about a hard-on? He struggled to sit up, he was leaving, there was no way he could stay here, for all he knew at this point his mates could be crazier than these three and he would be damned if he could deal with that.
Of course, the fates couldn't have helped him. Calix was still struggling to sit up when the doors to the room burst open and what seemed like a flood of people flowed into the room. Women and men, arguing and yelling. It was chaos and the three crazy ladies were the ringleaders as they joined into the fray. He could do nothing but stare at the mayhem.
“I will not sit down,” a tall woman yelled at a huge man.
“Come on,
Calli, the walk over here…” the man said.
“I will kick your ass if you say it was too long,” the woman growled.
“I soooo want to see that,” a man who was dressed in a silky pink shirt and tight black pants said and Calix wanted to laugh until he saw the small pixie standing next to him, wearing almost the same outfit.
“Sweetie, where is the bottle you were ‘posed to bring it,” the sprite said, she was adorable, red hair messed up with twigs in it. She looked like she had rolled through the grass on the way here.
“What did you let her do?” a taller man yelled at the one in pink.
“Hey, you don’t yell at me,” the one in the pink shirt snarled. “Do you have any idea what I have been through? These women are hell on wheels when you men piss them off. Calli had them frothing at the mouth to cut your dicks off. I saved you. SO BACK OFF!”
Calix had no idea what was going on but this could not be The Drekinn Pack, they were just too crazy.
“Come one, Kiki?” the taller man whined.
“Doctor coming through,” a cute blonde-haired woman said and staggered toward him. Shit, no way.
“Uh,” Calix said and tried to back up. “Maybe I should wait for a real doctor.”
“Uh oh,” the man in pink said.
“What?” the little sprite said.
“He insulted Cherri,” the man in pink said and the room fell silent for a wondrous moment.
The woman who he assumed was Cherri stood before him with a frown and a large bag. She swung around and looked at two men who were pushing their way through the crowd to get to her, he assumed before she fell over. He couldn’t have been more wrong.
The tall woman who had been referred to as Calli, leaned back and crossed her arms across her chest and grinned. He should have been worried but Calix just rolled his eyes. Seriously, was he supposed to be afraid of her?
Then a skinny brunette jumped in the room and yelled, “Woohoo, Billy B is in the house!” His eyes left the blonde for only a minute to watch the new addition to the room begin to dance (or have a seizure, he wasn’t sure which), and sing (if you could call it that). “Who let the dogs out…”
When he swung his gaze back the two men, they had made it to the blonde but not in enough time to stop her from pulling a scalpel out of the bag she had and turned to him with a growl.
“Really, you wanna fuck with a doctor holding a knife?” Cherri drawled.
“Oh, honey, are you PMSing?” Shelly said.
“No, MSing,” one of the men yelled. “They are cycling together now, watch out.” He grabbed the woman who was going to stab him and held her tight.
The brunette paused and looked at Cherri. “Hey, who pissed off Cherri?”
“The dumbass in the bed, Rissa, he said he would wait for a ‘real’ doctor,” Calli drawled.
“Fuck a duck,” Rissa answered and swung her gaze to Calix. “Sorry, fuck a cat. Want me to kill him.”
“There will be no killing anyone,” a huge man said who stepped in the room behind Rissa and grabbed her as well.
“Right, cause you aren’t a murdering bastard,” Rissa snorted.
“I thought we settled that,” the man said.
“Nah, only in your mind, I still think you could snap.” Rissa laughed and patted his cheek.
“Where is my mate?” the most beautiful woman Calix had ever laid eyes on said as she stumbled into the room. “Let me rephrase. Where is my mate who isn’t a rat bastard at?”
“Come on,” a man said from behind but Calix knew who it was. Both of them, they were his. He could feel the connection already pulling him. Damn, he was in a loony bin. “Can we not keep going over this?”
“Fuck off,” the woman said and turned, “Oh, a pretty kitty.”
Calix frowned, why did they keep referring to him as a cat, he was a wolf, and he knew they could tell. What was wrong with these people?
“Uh,” Calix started.
“No, don’t do it,” his female mate said. “Don’t speak, every time a man opens his mouth they just fuck up the fantasy. I would prefer it if you would just remain silent, and let me live in my dream world for just a little bit more.”
“Pilar,” his other mate said.
“Brooks,” Pilar mimicked.
“Uh,” Calix interrupted. “Can someone tell me where I am and what is going on?”
“You are with the Drekinn Pack, I am the Alpha, Kade, and my mate, Calli, is right here. This is Cherri and her mates, Declan and Nik, Rissa and her mates, Simon and Phillip, Kiki and his mates, Sydney and Thomas, finally Pilar and her mate, Brooks, whom I would hope you know by now,” the large man who was in the back of the room said and stepped forward and grinned. “Welcome to the circus.”
Chapter Four
Brooks settled in a chair across the room from his mates and Declan. They had finally gotten everyone out of the room so they could talk to him alone. Of course, this was after Declan agreed to check out Calix to make sure he was recovering as quickly as he appeared to be. Now that he was awake, Calix’s shifter blood seemed to be helping a great deal.
“You are improving steadily, the silver is almost gone, and then you will be good to go. I would guess just another twelve hours before you are on your feet again.” Declan smiled.
Calix nodded warily and said, “Thanks, Doc, it will be good to get out of this bed.”
Pilar was silent throughout the whole thing, but Brooks could see her relief when Declan said Calix was almost healed.
“I will get out of your way, for today, just keep it calm, and tomorrow we will look at moving you to the main house, being out here is a bit too far for one of us to be,” Declan said and Calix frowned.
“One of us?” Calix asked.
Brooks cleared his throat and Declan nodded. “I will leave your mates to explain that to you.”
Declan left the room quickly and they could hear that no one had actually left the house, they were just downstairs waiting. Great, Brooks thought, just what he needed.
“So,” Calix said. “What is going on?”
Pilar glared at Brooks. “You are our mate,” Pilar said slowly.
“Uh yeah, got that part,” Calix drawled.
“Really?” Pilar huffed. “I get two asshole mates?”
“Wait…what?” Calix said.
“Listen,” Brooks said calmly. “Pilar is pissed at me right now. Let me explain.”
Pilar rolled her eyes and Calix swung his gaze between the two powerful people. He knew they were powerful, he could see and feel the auras shooting out from them. The Seer had been at least right on that account; they would definitely have a powerful triad. A dragon, a warlock, and a vampire, three creatures who when combined brought a magical balance that most groups desired. The Drekinn Group could be one of the most powerful in history, the fates were lining up that way at least.
“The Drekinn Agency was established as you probably know in order to protect and regulate the magical community. As we evolved, our races have taken on certain dynamics. They have separated the Breyting from the Ulfer,” Brooks said and Calix rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, don’t need a history lesson. I know, after the Chosen came out, the Rogues went into hiding, and they are the ones who stole women to breed, and through their forced mating, the Ulfer were born,” Calix said.
“Right, how did you know this? It was not public knowledge,” Brooks said warily.
“Well, being in their lovely prison torture cell for months on end, I listened to the guards and other prisoners. I know what they are trying to do. The Ulfer think if they can control the Drekinn, they will be in the prime spot to take over the human race yet again,” Calix said.
“With a few twists thrown in the mix,” Pilar growled.
“Twists?” Calix asked.
“Yeah, well I was getting to that. It seems the fates have stepped in once again to help us,” Brooks said slowly. “How much do you know about your ancestors?”
“Mine?�
� Calix said with a surprised look.
“Yeah.” Brooks laughed.
“They are from Colorado,” Calix said.
“Duh,” Pilar snorted. “I could have told you that.”
Calix looked at her surprised. “Why?”
“Because all of ours are from Colorado.” Pilar shrugged. “We have a lot of explaining to do.”
*****
“I don’t know why you are getting all snarly.” Calli sulked in the corner of the living room waiting with the others.
“Are you serious?” Kade yelled.
“Don’t yell at me!” Calli said and Kade almost groaned when he saw the tears forming in his mate’s eyes. Right, like she wasn’t having mood swings.
“Come on,” Kade said and threw his arms up.
Calli sniffed, which drew the attention of the other two of the Trio of Darkness. Rissa and Cherri rushed to their friend’s side and began glaring at Kade while trying to soothe their friend.
“We have a serious problem,” Kade growled and ignored his mate and her friends for the moment and focused on the rest of the people in the room.
“Like?” Syd asked quietly.
“We need information.” Kade sighed.
“Then I am just in time,” a voice said from the doorway. The group turned ready to pounce.
“Gio!” Calli sniffed.
“Hey, sweet stuff.” Gio grinned and looked at Kade with a raised eyebrow. “Is your mate being mean to you again?”
They had met Gio just a few weeks ago, they all liked the swaggering asshole, but Calli seemed to be drawn to him more than the others, which pissed Kade off. She had told him it was like he reminded her of someone; she felt a kinship to him. Gio knew it pissed off Kade and loved to be a thorn in his side.
“Nothing I can’t handle.” Calli snorted, stood, and hugged the man. Another bonus for their friendship was apparently Cat Woman felt the same way as Kade, Calli grinned when she saw the bitch on wheels who pissed her off every time she met her, growled loudly from the doorway. “Oh look, it is ‘She bitch’. Why are you here?”
