Happiness was so warm in her chest that she was sure she was going to burst into flames at any moment. “I never thought I was going to feel like this again. Safe. Warm. Happy. I’m finally… free.”
“I know what you mean, my love,” Sly murmured into her hair. “I’m free, too… we all are.”
Chloe nestled between her wolves, smiling brightly to herself as she considered all the things that the future had to offer her now. This was more than freedom and safety, she realized… For the first time in what seemed like forever, she finally had hope again.
Epilogue
Chloe stretched her back, looking around at the empty house she had called home for less than a day. Since she had left so abruptly only to move to Sly’s place, she had agreed to pay out slightly more than the lease called for because she felt sorry for the house owner. She shook her head, rolling her eyes as she thought about how she’d been scammed. One of the girls who worked at the diner, Jamie, had already agreed to rent the place.
Now that all of her stuff was out, she and the rest of the gals were going to be moving Jamie’s stuff in next week.
All the same, her things were packed up and moved to Sly’s house. Devon had already started work on the additions and in the meantime, they were staying at Devon’s cabin, until the renovations were complete.
Sandra looked around the room, nodding in satisfaction as she wound the vacuum cord. “Well, we got a lot more done then I thought we would. Maybe the six of us should start a cleaning service. Lord knows we’d get more money from it than we would at the diner.”
“But then we’d have to advertise and that means talking to people,” another of the women from the book club, Wanda, said as she wrinkled her nose. “No, thank you! I’m happy doing what I do.”
“You might be,” Sandra muttered.
Chloe chuckled as she finished plumping the pillows on the couch. There. It looked fantastic. Her mind was still reeling at how quickly everything had moved these past few weeks, especially where she and her wolves were concerned. But she had never felt happier or more at peace. It was the right choice, she knew that. And for once in her life she was holding on to what was good with both hands. She’d even started to talk to Erica about them, although it would be a while before she admitted the nature of their relationship—her sister could be a little overprotective at times, after all.
“Well, now that we’re done…” Dark-haired Miriam danced over to the table, holding a cheesecake aloft in one hand, a bottle of wine in the other. Four out of the other five women cheered.
Chloe’s mouth watered. She wasn’t sure if it was the mountain air, the blood that Tyler and Max got her from the morgue, or the new herbs she’d gotten from the other vampires, but her body had been more human than ever these last few weeks. Maybe it was just because the sex was that good. Either way, the idea of cheesecake was more exciting than it had been in over five years.
As all the women gathered around for their share, though, Wanda let out an annoyed huff as she crossed her arms. “What is with that? I’m trying to watch my weight. Do you know that I gained twenty pounds this year? And that’s not muscle, I can assure you.”
“You don’t have to have any,” Jamie said helpfully but looked guilty as she held her plastic cup out for a little wine.
Chloe moved to her side. She knew about Wanda’s efforts to lose that weight alright. “When was the last time you splurged a little?”
Wanda shrugged, looking at the cheesecake longingly. “I don’t really know.”
“You know,” Angela said, ducking her head as everyone looked at her, “they say that you shouldn’t completely cut out things. Moderation is the key. When I talked with the nutrition nurse, she said you should have one day a week where you relax your restrictions. Not go crazy but enjoy something you love.”
Wanda hesitated a moment and then shrugged. “Alright. I can have one small slice. But no wine. I’ll be the designated driver.”
“There’s our girl,” Sandra said, raising her glass.
She drank her wine a little too quickly and Chloe frowned in concern at her. “Is everything okay?”
Sandra ducked her head. Come to think of it, she had been the one who suggested this girl’s get-together in order to clean the house, move Chloe out and then move Jamie in. She had also sounded disappointed when she said it hadn’t taken as long as she thought it would to be finished. Chloe’s frown deepened.
“Did you hear back from your college application? Is it bad news?”
Sandra scowled into her glass. “Not the application. I got in just fine. Actually, the letter was personalized, saying I was in their top ten picks for the program.” She waved her hand, silencing the outpouring of congratulations. “But I can’t go.”
Chloe knew that tone of bitterness, that awful feeling of having something you wanted so bad snatched away from you. She put an arm around her friend, squeezing lightly. “Why not? I thought you had everything lined up.”
“I did. But I can’t pay for it now. My dear, dear mother got ahold of the line of credit I was going to use to pay for my tuition. She spent it all, and now I can’t get any more loans. My savings has been wiped out, and I am under a crushing load of debt because she thinks that pushing me out of her vagina has entitled her to make my life a living hell.”
Chloe’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe this! What sort of mother would do that to her own child? Glancing around, she saw that the other women, though outraged, didn’t look all that surprised. Angela hugged Sandra tightly.
“I thought you had it hidden away,” Miriam said. “I knew I should have done that for you.”
“I didn’t think she’d find it. I thought I was smarter than her.” Sandra slumped into a chair and pulled the biggest piece of cheesecake toward herself. “So, there you have it. My mom’s put me in a ton of debt again and she’s calling me selfish because I didn’t give the money to her in the first place. So far, she’s taken more from me than she ever gave to me. And she can’t stop reminding me about how lucky I am that she didn’t abort me—like I feel lucky right now.”
Chloe trembled with rage but didn’t know what to say. The thing she was most worried about was Sandra’s phrasing there. She gripped her hand tightly. “I know you feel trapped right now and I know you don’t feel lucky, but you are going to fulfil your dreams. You’re too smart not to.”
Sandra gave her a tremulous smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make this all about me.”
“Pish, posh,” Wanda said, plunking down on her other side. “Why are we friends if we can’t even be here to cuss out that bitch of a woman from time to time?”
Sandra laughed out loud, wiping her tears. “True, that does help me feel better. I don’t know how I’d make it work in this town if I didn’t have you guys. There’s always free online courses, right?”
“Right,” Angela said, patting her shoulder. “So don’t give up.”
“Things always get better,” Chloe added. “Even when it seems impossible. Trust me, I know. There were times when I wanted to give up, but things do get better.”
“I thought things were getting better since I moved out and got a place of my own.” Sandra shrugged helplessly. “I guess I just have to figure out what to do now.”
“We’re here for you, if you need anything,” Chloe was quick to say. “Whatever you need, even if it’s just someone to vent to. I know what it feels like to be alone or think that you’re a burden on someone, so don’t ever hesitate to call, okay? Even if it’s two in the morning.”
Sandra gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks. You’re a good friend.”
Chloe smiled back. Internally, she was just about screaming with joy. It had been a long time since anybody called her a friend. She had been afraid that Sandra and Angela would reject her because she was a vampire. Given how they were introduced to the whole concept, she wouldn’t have blamed either of them.
To her surprise and joy, though, neither of them
rejected her. Angela was a little extra nervous around her at first, but she quickly warmed up and became only normal nervous. Sandra assured her that she still didn’t believe that vampires were real and was convinced that somehow Chloe had managed to get herself brainwashed by a cult because of her skin condition.
Chloe was fine with that. Being a vampire was hard to navigate, even with the herbs that allowed her to masquerade as a human. Although it did have some fun benefits. For instance, when she and her lovers got a little wild. The bruises they left on each other could look pretty nasty, but with their accelerated healing, nobody was the wiser and she didn’t have to explain that she enjoyed it and was not being abused.
She kept her job at the diner because Sly and Devon wanted her to be free to spend as much money as she liked, but she felt guilty not bringing anything in herself. And there, she had friends.
She just wished she knew better how to help Sandra. She didn’t even like for people to loan her a couple bucks for coffee; she had a feeling that offering to help her get out of this pile of debt wasn’t going to go well. All she really could do was just try to be supportive and help her look for professionals that could help her out.
“If it was your mom who stole the money from you…” Angela started hesitantly. She ducked her head. “I know she’s done it before. And I know that you don’t want to be responsible for sending her to jail, but maybe it is time to start looking at legal actions, Sandra. I mean… it’s not fair.”
Sandra shrugged. “I thought about it. Last night I was ready to bring the FBI down on her, I was so mad. But the doctors say she doesn’t have much longer, anyway. And… she just has a way of making me feel…”
“You shouldn’t feel guilty for being mad because she’s stealing from you,” Chloe said.
“I know that too. Doesn’t meant that I don’t. Maybe I should start selling feet pics on the internet or something. God knows I’m never going to get anywhere working for Bill. Do you know that I worked ten hours of overtime and he gave me normal pay?”
Chloe frowned at that. “Come to think of it, he did that to me, too. I thought it was just a mistake.”
“Not me,” Angela piped up. She smirked despite her face being beet-red. “But that’s because I told Ian and he went to have a little chat with Bill. I can get him to go back again. That was before he was deputy, too, so he ought to really scare him now.”
Chloe laughed. “Probably better than getting Sly to talk to him. Otherwise Bill might just skip town.”
Jamie tapped Sandra’s shoulder. “There’s an idea! You can get yourself a sugar daddy. That’ll take care of your debt problems.”
This time, Sandra laughed out loud. “Oh, really? A sugar daddy. Yeah, that’s going to work. After all, who doesn’t want a fat sugar baby who hates wearing makeup and wouldn’t put on a dress if her life depended on it?”
“Lots of people,” Miriam put in.
“Not the kind of people I’m interested in,” Sandra shot back. “I’ve had enough of chubby chasers, thank you very much. I’m not going to be anybody’s fetish.”
“Aren’t feet pics a fetish?” Wanda gave her a wicked grin.
Everybody laughed at the glare Sandra gave her for that one. Chloe settled back, drinking her wine. It was sweeter than she’d anticipated, but she liked it all the same. It had been a long time since she had been able to eat or drink anything without it tasting like ash in her mouth. She noticed that Angela was only playing with her glass, though. When she rose her brow, Angela took a deep breath.
“But there are people who aren’t chubby chasers who are interested in you, Sandra. Ian is. And he can get a little grouchy sometimes, but he’s always been a good brother to me.”
Chloe’s eyes widened. Ian? She’d seen him around a lot since she had started living with Sly and Devon. He was the kind of guy who would look a lot more handsome if he smiled sometimes. She didn’t think she had ever seen him without a scowl on his face. Trying to imagine what it would be like to be with someone like that was impossible.
On the other hand, … She tapped her glass thoughtfully. “If anybody was able to help you sort out the legal quagmire of all this, it would be him. He might even be able to get your creditors off your back and onto your mom’s.”
“And then blame myself for the rest of my life for hastening her death?”
Chloe grimaced.
Angela shrugged. “He really is interested in you, though.”
Here, Sandra sighed. “I know he is. Theron has started sniffing around. Being all suave and seductive. And we all know that he doesn’t do anything unless it’s to spite Ian. I wish I knew what the deal was with that guy. It’s not flattering to have someone flirt with you just to get a dig in at another guy.”
Angela shook her head and lowered her gaze. Chloe had a feeling that she knew more about the history between Ian and Theron than she was saying—after all, she was Ian’s sister—but respected her choice to be quiet about it. Sly and Devon both refused to tell Chloe what was with the rivalry between the two wolves, too.
“It could get you in a better position, though,” Miriam suggested. “Date both of them, get them going in a bidding war of sorts. Make them buy all sorts of things for you. Theron is loaded, he’d probably buy you a car or something. Then you can sell it all, pay off your debts and get enough back so that you can go to college. Presto! Problem solved.”
Angela frowned deeply at her.
“No, thank you!” Sandra shook her head emphatically. “I don’t want to get caught in the middle of their penis-measuring contest.”
This time, Chloe couldn’t help herself. She’d been in the middle of enough of Devon and Sly’s competitions to know that there could be a lot of fun in something like that. “I don’t know,” she said casually. “There are worse things than two big, strong, handsome men seeing which ones fits in you better.”
Sandra’s eyes went huge. Jamie burst out laughing while Miriam cheered her on and Angela looked slightly repulsed. Wanda just looked like she wasn’t entirely certain what to think about that statement there. Chloe had to laugh as memories of her wolves pleasuring her washed through her mind.
“There are a lot of worse things,” she said, finishing off her glass.
“Should we ask for details?” Miriam teased. “Actually, yeah. There is one detail I am dying to know. Is it just them and you or do you get a little boy-on-boy action, too?”
Chloe grinned at her. “That is a secret that you will never find out. A lady doesn’t kiss and tell after all. Although I will say this—two guys at once is more mind-blowing than you can possibly imagine. I’m not just blowing smoke up your asses when I say if you have a chance for it—"
“Please, stop.” Angela looked a little green.
“Aw, Angie, don’t be a prude,” Miriam rolled her eyes.
“I’m not. I just don’t want to hear about that sort of thing when you’re suggesting Sandra sleep with my brother, okay? Ick. Now if it was someone like Tyler and Max…”
“Aren’t they gay, though?” Miriam frowned.
Chloe shook her head. “No, not at all. But from what Sly tells me, they do like to share their women and have wild parties. So, if you’re interested…”
This time Miriam dropped her head, blushing. “I don’t think so. If they’re not gay, then they only go for gorgeous women. I am not a gorgeous woman. I mean, just look at me! Look at them. If anybody in this room is going to get them, it’s Angela with that gorgeous red hair of hers.”
Angela’s face went as red as her hair and she covered it with her hands. “Why do you hate me?” she moaned.
“All of us women in this room are drop-dead gorgeous,” Chloe said firmly. She glanced at them all and got herself a little bit of cheesecake. “There are more men out there that like curvy women like us. And wolves are among them. I happen to know that several of the wolves of Devil Mountain are interested in you gals. But believe it or not, they can be a bit shy. Trust me, if y
ou threw the bait, you’d reel them in.”
Wanda looked shocked. “But that would mean talking to them!”
The others nodded in agreement. Chloe shook her head, but she understood what they meant. It was terribly difficult to talk to hot guys when you didn’t think you were worth looking at. Not to mention that all the girls in the book club were painfully shy. They had to have a round-robin discussion of the books they were reading otherwise nobody would talk at all.
On the other hand… Chloe glanced at them thoughtfully. It was true that several of the wolves had indicated an interest in one or more of these ladies. And Chloe would like to see them all paired up and happy. Not just her friends, but the wolves, too. If there was one thing she had realized since being with Devon and Sly, it was that wolves were not meant to be alone.
Also, since she was mated to both their alpha and their second-in-command, she had a certain feeling of responsibility toward them. She wanted to see them happy, and their current playboy lifestyles were good for fun, not long-term happiness.
Her gaze lingered on Sandra for a moment. And who knew? Maybe more women in their midst would help cool down some of their tempers. Maybe Sandra would be the one who stopped Ian and Theron from always trying to kill each other.
Sandra shrugged. “I don’t have any luck in romance, anyway. I have enough problems in my life without having to deal with men on top of that. No offense, Chloe, but you’ve got a couple of the good ones. I certainly don’t have the time to go sorting through what this dumpy town has to offer. Nope, I’ll just keep my nose to the grindstone and things will work out.”
Chloe smiled secretively to herself as the conversation turned to other things. That sounded like too much of a protest to be real. Maybe she’d drop a hint to Ian the next time she saw him…
She poured herself some more wine and held her glass up. “I’d like to propose a toast. To us, to books, to friendship. May we all get exactly what we want.”
Kidnapped by the Wolves Page 12
