“I’m going to go for a walk.” She crawled off the bed and both he and Falcon leapt to the floor.
“No.” Hope held her hand up. “Not with either of you. I need to think without your distraction.” Not a single tear had fallen, but her eyes were filled with anger and sadness. The emotions pounded against his senses like sandpaper against his heart.
“I’m going to go find Destiny and have a girl talk.” With that she turned and walked out of the room.
Wolfe felt like he’d strangled her prized pet with his bare hands. “How did that go so wrong so quickly?”
“Maybe we should let her finish her work on stories. It’s pointless and useless, but if it makes her happy?” Falcon responded.
“Our Atan cannot live on Earth without her life being threated on a regular basis. I’m not willing to compromise her safety over some piece of paper she has tied her own self-worth to.”
“I agree, but I don’t see a compromise. She will end up hating us if we make her stay here and she would be killed by Kimil if we let her return to her school.”
Wolfe rubbed his face and then scratched his head. Her scent was still on his skin and every time he moved he caught another scent of her. They had thoroughly claimed their little Atan and she was going to have to accept their decision.
“Let her run to Destiny and vent her anger. We’ll stay clear of her for the time being and she’ll come to her senses after the Nohchils’ Noonsa makes her understand.”
* * * *
“They said what?” Destiny turned and started wide-eyed at Hope. “What a couple of assholes.”
“That’s kind of what I was thinking.” Hope felt as though her entire world had been turned upside down. She sank down in the hot water of the private bath in Destiny’s room and sipped on a large glass of something fruity. When Destiny had suggested they go for a soak and talk, she been concerned about the presence of Raxka. She hadn’t wanted to interrupt any of the warriors’ enjoyment because the Raxka tended to leave the room when she and Destiny arrived. But her friend suggested they soak in her private bath so they could speak freely. “What’s in this again?”
“Spiced rum and a combination of local plants. I wanted to create something unique for the club that can’t be replicated anywhere else. Of course everyone will think it’s a secret combination of fruits.” Destiny took a sip of hers and relaxed back. “The experimenting has been the best part, but I think I have it about perfect now.”
“You should freeze the fruit first and make it slushy. It’s too damn hot in New Mexico.” Hope relaxed her arm and let the cup float on the surface of the water. There were so many fascinating things in this world, but right now floating insulated cups was better than sliced bread.
Destiny’s eyes widened slightly. “You’re brilliant. That’s a great idea!” The fact that they were on their fourth glass might have added to the exuberance to her words. “But we need a name for it.”
“How about Dumbass Escape?” That sounded better in my head.
“Not quite what I was thinking of, but it’s strangely appropriate given the circumstances we are here today.” Destiny scooped her glass from the water’s surface and raised it in a toast.
Hope leaned forward and clicked the glasses together, slipping under the water’s surface for a moment before popping back up. “Oops, forgot the floor had dropped away.” There were many things she was trying to get used to in this world, and inanimate objects that seemed to react to her thoughts was one of them. This tub had been fairly shallow when they got in, but the bottom had lowered on its own when they stretched out. “I don’t know if I can get used to it all.”
“I remember that feeling and I still have it sometimes. I miss a lot of things about home, but the guys are great and if I have cravings for something they usually bring it over for me.”
“Do they ever let you go back?” Destiny didn’t seem the type of woman who meekly followed her men.
“Oh, that’s what Falcon and Wolfe pulled, huh? I can’t go back to Earth that often because it’s general knowledge that I died in the desert. I don’t want to risk too many questions being asked if I was to suddenly appear again, or the possibility of someone finding out about the portal. But you don’t have any concerns like that.”
“I want to finish my thesis and get my degree. I don’t care if it’s useless over here, if means a lot to me.”
“Why not do it then? And a degree isn’t useless here. There are still schools here on Lu’um and higher education is set up differently than ours.” Destiny had been living here for a while now and Hope found her advice to be invaluable. “The education system on Earth is much more formal. Here they take a more organic approach from what I can tell, but there are still teachers.”
“What the hell is their problem then?” Hope drained the glass and placed it up on the side of the tub before taking a couple strokes to the middle of the bath.
“These guys are born protectors. From the moment those marks appeared on their arms they’ve been raised to think only of keeping everyone else safe and now that they found us and those protective natures are ramping into overdrive.” Destiny pushed off the edge and swam out to where Hope was treading water. “Don’t do what I did and take off in a huff. It seemed like a good idea at the time but turned out to be a big mistake and I almost got a lot of people hurt.”
Hope slowly moved and watched as the water ran over the intricate markings on her arms. She liked the markings and the way they matched the guys’. If she was honest she had thought about making her way over the portal and leaving them behind. Even she could admit that she wouldn’t have been able to stay away for long. It was more their attitude that pissed her off than anything. “What about calling it a Frozen Orchid?”
“Oh, I like that. We’ll only serve it on special occasions.”
“Do you mean like on holidays?”
“Nope, only on the nights we have male dancers.” Destiny’s grin was positively the most mischievous thing Hope had ever seen and it took a moment for the truth of what she was saying to dawn on her.
“Are you telling me that the warriors are going to be doing the dancing?”
Destiny nodded her head. “I know crazy, huh, but it makes sense. The women destined to be with them are drawn to the area and they need to attract them quickly. What better than a club that specializes in male dancers a couple times of the month? If an Atan’s in the crowd, she’ll be drawn to them. I’m not encouraging them to abduct any women right away, but it will give them a head start and then the women can be protected from the Kimil.”
Hope had no problem feeling Destiny’s excitement. The woman was talking a mile a minute and grinning. “You have a name for it already, too, don’t you?”
Destiny nodded, “It’s going to be so cool, Hope. Please tell me you’ll stay and help me with this?”
That was the question she had posed to Destiny when she met up with her. Should she stay or leave?
* * * *
Hope hadn’t answered Destiny right away. Instead, she’d indulged in another Frozen Orchid and contemplated her future. Jag had found them giggling over ridiculous drink names they wanted to create. He’d warned Hope that Wolfe and Falcon were scouring the temple for her and feared she’d eluded them and was trying to get back to Earth. She hadn’t wanted to upset them so Destiny walked her back to the room she now shared with Falcon and Wolfe. Jag escorted them with a gentle hand, supporting them when she and Destiny got the giggles and almost fell over each other laughing.
“Did you really believe I would try to return to Earth in only a shirt?” Granted it was Wolfe’s shirt and it fit her like a muumuu. She pulled at the fabric, showing a generous portion of her thigh.
“Noonsa, where have you been?” Wolfe snapped at her, but his gaze was on the pale skin she was showing as he stormed up the stairs.
“Hanging out with Destiny, like I said.”
Falcon stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms arou
nd her waist, burying his nose in her neck. “You’ve been drinking Destiny’s concoctions haven’t you?”
She could hear the smile in his voice so she didn’t take his question as an interrogation. Her earlier anger had long since dissipated and she liked feeling him hugging her. “I’m being a good friend and helping her discover the perfect drink for ladies’ night. We’re calling it a Frozen Orchid.”
Wolfe stopped a few steps down, which put his face on the same level as her own. “We owe you an apology. Earning your degree is important to you.”
“We had no right to make it seem insignificant and we’ll do what we can to help you.”
“I appreciate that. I really do and I’m sorry for flying off the handle like that. I swear I don’t have a temper.”
Wolfe laughed and rubbed his nose against hers. “That’s why you have the Raxka running in fear every time your name is mentioned. I heard they look to see if you’re bathing before entering now.” The sparkle in his light blue eyes and teasing grin earned him a light smack on his chest.
“Don’t tease. I kind of feel bad for that.”
“You simply reminded them of their place, Noonsa, and I liked watching you fight for my honor.”
Hope felt a weight lift from her chest. If they weren’t upset then why should she be? There were ways to finish her degree that wouldn’t require her to leave here for a long period of time and if her temper hadn’t flared so hot she would have thought of it sooner.
“I love you both so much.” The world tilted as Falcon scooped her up over his shoulder.
She braced her hands on his back and lifted herself up a bit to see Wolfe following behind them. “We’re going to show you how much we love you, Noonsa.”
“That sounds like fun!”
“And we have a surprise for you. I understand what you meant when you said you had toys.” Falcon rubbed his large hand on her raised bum.
“How did you find that out so soon?”
“I asked Jag if he’d heard that term and he explained.”
Hope suddenly felt a shiver of apprehension run along her spine. Wolfe’s smiled morphed from teasing to hungry in the blink of an eye. “We have some plans for you, little Noonsa.”
Epilogue
The heavy beat of dance music vibrated in Hope’s chest as the blender drowned out excited shrieks of the women watching the stage. She danced in her workspace, enjoying the song playing. She wasn’t interested in the Midnighter on the stage. She had her own who danced for her any time she asked. Both Wolfe and Falcon were working the front bar while she hung out in the background making a gazillion Frozen Orchids.
Midnighters had opened to much anticipation a few months before. Two Saturdays a month they had ladies night and that’s when the warriors got up on stage and strut their stuff. It became insanely popular almost overnight. So far there hadn’t been any Atans in the crowd for the show. It had to be a matter of time before it happened. She and Destiny had convinced the guys to dance as a way to see if anyone who came was destined to belong to a Midnighter. Also it was easier to rotate the warriors in and out of this world without causing them too much discomfort by staying away from Lu’um for too long.
“Hey there, gorgeous! You gonna dance for us tonight, too?”
Hope turned and glared at the woman who was leaning over the bar, offering Wolfe a gratuitous view down the V-neck of her blouse. What the hell?
“No, I only dance for one special lady,” Wolfe replied and turned to smile at Hope and give her a seductive wink. Her temper dissolved when the woman’s face turned red and she snapped up. Sorry, she mouthed and Hope smiled at her and nodded.
She was getting used to the invitations her men received when they worked behind the bar. They never stopped teasing her about her explosion at the Raxka months before, and she had to promise Rock and Jag not to cause any mayhem at the club.
“Easy there, tiger. Don’t try to drown the paying customers.” Destiny danced up and placed two large glass goblets in front of her for Hope to pour the fruit slush into. They were oversized margarita glasses with orchids painted on them. Their T-shirts had the same logo with Midnighters—You’ll never want to leave written across the chest. Their Frozen Orchids were a massive success and in high demand since they only served them on ladies’ night.
“Shut up.” Hope laughed and rolled her eyes as she felt her cheeks grow hot. She poured the concoction into the glass before dropping a couple of candied violets on top. Destiny had become a very good friend in the weeks leading up to the opening of Midnighters. It was nice to have someone understand what it was like to be the Atan to two overpossessive, overprotective men she loved with every cell in her body.
She’d never gone back to school like she’d planned even though Wolfe and Falcon were willing to compromise and commute back and forth. When she realized they were willing to do that it didn’t seem as important anymore. It was more important that they’d been willing to help her with her dreams. Instead, she’d finished her course online and e-mailed her thesis to her professor a few days before.
“Hey, look.” Destiny bumped her shoulder and nodded out into the crowd. There was a woman completely mesmerized by the man dancing on stage. She had long blonde hair and wore a cowboy hat that looked worn and well used. Not like the dressy ones some women wore out. Hope glanced up at the stage and watched Derechos move through a complicated routine of exercises. She recognized what he was doing but it looked like an elaborate masculine dance.
“Do you think she might be one of us?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll find Storm and see if she has the same reaction to him.” Destiny clapped in excitement. “This is exactly how I hoped it would work. Wait till I tell Rock and Jag.”
Destiny scooped up the drinks and dropped them off at the bar for Wolfe before carrying on finding Derechos’s warrior brother.
“I need four more, gorgeous.” A pair of large hands slid around her waist and she felt Falcon nuzzle the side of her neck. “You smell like lolyich,” he murmured against her skin, and his tickling breath made her laugh.
“I don’t know how since I haven’t been near any in at least twenty-four hours.” She scooped up more fruit and ice and added it to another blender with a measured dose of spiced rum.
She’d been in contact with her aunt and uncle to let them know she was fine and had gotten married and was moving. They’d congratulated her and offered the house in Mystique to her anytime she came to visit. She didn’t tell them the details and they never asked, but that was the way her family was. She’d accepted it and now she had a bigger family who loved her and a home where she learned something fascinating every day.
“I might know of some cold, fresh lolyich in a dish waiting for you next to a glass of wine and a large bath.”
“That sounds like a perfect evening, but I’d hate to see any of it go to waste. Think I might find a couple Midnighters to keep me company.” She turned and looked up at his beautiful smile.
He pressed a playful kiss against her lips. “One hour till closing, Noonsa, and then you’re going to find yourself between two Midnighters who love you more than these two worlds combined.”
“That’s one legend I’m happy to be a part of.”
THE END
WWW.CORINNEDAVIES.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Corinne Davies lives in southern Ontario with the love of her life and their two teenage daughters. Being an author is her favourite job to date but she also has a passion for wine and knitting.
She has a series of paranormal shifter books set in Ecstasy Lake, dabbled in steampunk, and indulged her love of Greek mythology so far. Facebook is a big habit of hers. She loves to interact with her readers there and share background information about her books.
For all titles by Corinne Davies, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/corinne-davies
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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Corinne Davies, Stealing Hope [Midnighter Seductions 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
Stealing Hope [Midnighter Seductions 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 16
