Brandi

by Donna McDonald

  “Is this really true?” the first boy demanded.

  Gareth shrugged. Until Brandi arrived at that conclusion herself, it was an unknown.

  “I honestly don’t know what’s going on. Maybe this trip is sort of a trial for us all. Will you like us? Will we like you? Will we have to put you three in some Alaskian jail to keep you from hurting yourself or others? Will you be able to behave until we get back from some business we have to take care of before we can really sort this all out?”

  To his continued amazement, the three of them laughed at his joking. It was like they understood every word and the sarcasm it carried.

  “I guess if she’s our mother… that makes you our father,” the first boy declared.

  Gareth felt the boy’s gaze traveling up and down him, assessing his worth.

  “I’m not sure what it makes me… yet. Sometimes Brandi doesn’t like me very much. Her word for what I am might not be a nice one.”

  He saw the first boy shrug. “I know. I saw you fighting. I was up on the top of the jungle gym and I heard you growling. Grrrrrrrr… you grabbed her and pulled her face to yours. Then I saw her teeth come down. I thought for sure she was going to eat you. I waited and waited, but all you did was talk.”

  Gareth burst out laughing. He couldn’t help himself. Brandi slept on despite the noise he and the children were making. He started wondering if Sheldon had drugged her too.

  “You’re right. I thought she was going to eat me too. That’s why I threatened to spank her if she did. I walked away because I was too mad to talk to her rationally.”

  The three of them clapped hands over their mouths.

  “And I would have spanked her if she’d tried to hurt me… because I’m a very mean man,” Gareth warned. He grinned when they exchanged looks around their hands and started laughing.

  “No you’re not… not really. I think you’d make an okay daddy,” the girl declared.

  Gareth saw the boys look at her like she was nuts. “Really?” he repeated, too stunned to deny it. “What about you two? What do you think?”

  “Maybe. Are you a wolf?” the second boy asked.

  Gareth nodded.

  “Are you a big wolf?” the first boy demanded.

  Gareth shrugged. “Some think I am.”

  He unbuckled his seatbelt and glanced at Fallon and Lars who were paying the drama in the rear of the plane no mind. He stood and put a finger over his mouth as he shifted. When he was on all fours, the kid’s eyes were round and big. He trotted carefully forward and ducked his head so they wouldn’t fear touching him. As he figured, the first boy—the brave one who did most of the challenging—reached out first and rubbed his nose without a thought to the possibility of losing a hand for it.

  “Can you still hear us when you’re a wolf like this?” the boy asked in a whisper.

  Gareth whined and rubbed his head against the boy’s stroking hand. The other two scrambled from their seat then to touch him as well. Next thing he knew he was whining louder because they were all three out of their seats and squeezing him very tightly. Now he knew how a dog felt to be loved too hard.

  “We want to change into a wolf too. Can you teach us to do it?” the first boy asked softly.

  There was so much longing in their faces, Gareth licked and nudged each of them until they laughed and climbed back into their flight seats. He backed up and shifted to human form again. They gasped as he landed on his feet during the last of the change. He eased back down and swiveled in his seat to face them.

  “I don’t know that you will ever become a full wolf like me, but you each have the heart of one in you. Some wolves that fully change never have half as much wolf smarts as you three seem to have. Where we’re going, many of the people are full wolves. They can help you be the best you can possibly be, no matter what kind of wolf creature you become when you grow up. I didn’t shift until I was a teenager. My family was wondering if it was ever going to happen before it finally did.”

  “Okay,” the first boy said, crossing his arms. “If I have to wait that long, you can be our father in the meantime. But we’re going to have to have some rules.”

  “Rules? What kind of rules?” Gareth asked, wary of the brains inside their tiny heads.

  “I don’t know yet. We won’t know until she decides whether or not to be our mother.”

  Gareth saw him turn his gaze to sneak a look at Brandi still sleeping.

  “After she decides, then we’ll talk about it. But there’s got to be rules if we stay. All real families have them.”

  Gareth nodded and made a face. “Yes. I suppose that is true.”

  “I’m tired. I’m going back to sleep,” the girl said, curling back up on the seat.

  “Me too,” the second boy declared, curling up beside her.

  “Aren’t you sleepy too?” Gareth asked, when the first boy rubbed his eyes. The drugs had caught up with them again.

  “Yes… but somebody has to watch over these two. I’m the oldest.”

  “By how much? A minute or two?” Gareth asked.

  “Five months,” he said, yawning loudly.

  Gareth noticed the other two were already sound asleep. The second boy was snoring. “I see. Well, that is much older. How about I watch over all three of you today? You’re going to want to be sharp when we get to Alaska. Think of all those real wolves you’re going to meet. You don’t want to be tired when you’re dealing with them, do you?”

  “No,” he said, leaning sideways until he rested his cheek on the girl’s hip again. “It’s hard sometimes to be the oldest.”

  Gareth nodded. “I’m sure it is. I won’t let anything happen to you all. You can trust me.”

  “I never had one. Do fathers protect you when you sleep?” he asked.

  Gareth’s mouth thinned as he nodded gravely. “Yes. They absolutely protect you when you sleep. Fathers protect their family all the time. You’re going to be a great one someday.”

  “That’s what Grandpa Crane said,” he whispered, his eyes sliding closed.

  Still stunned by their conversation, Gareth watched them all sleeping. His gaze drifted to Brandi. Then back to the children. He was trying to imagine how he could possibly deal with them in his life on a daily basis. The thousand questions. The wistful longings.

  He remembered how tightly they had hugged his wolf and his chest tightened. What would it be like to be hugged that way in human form? No one in his recollection had ever needed him that much.

  When his mind returned to the present, he pulled his phone out to contact the Calders.

  Under the rumbling of the plane’s engines, he heard Fallon and Lars talking about how cold it was in Alaska and wondering if it was in bad taste for them to wear their fur coats around so many werewolves. When the many merits of buying new puffy parkas in Anchorage started being debated, Gareth sighed and closed his eyes.

  Luckily the plane flew very fast and he was looking forward to landing. He needed a reprieve.

  Chapter 11

  Brandi woke feeling like a new woman, except for the three sets of eyes glued to her face.

  “You sleep too long. Maybe it’s because you aren’t a real wolf,” a set of direct blue eyes informed her.

  He got slapped for his comment by a brown-eyed girl. “She is too a real wolf. You said she has fangs… and we all heard her howling,” she declared.

  Brandi raised her chair to its upright position. It locked her into a long inspection by a pair of blue eyes staring directly into hers. The kid never blinked, even when she narrowed her gaze. He had more poise and self-confidence than many of the drug lords she’d apprehended.

  “She is a wolf… but I think she’s one like we are,” a set of hazel eyes announced.

  Brandi let her gaze wander from child to child. “How old are you all? You’re supposed to be toddlers.”

  “We are four, but haven’t been babies since Dr. Randall gave us special vitamins in our milk,” the girl explained. “We g
ot smarter and smarter, and then he sent us to Grandpa Crane because we couldn’t turn into real wolves when he asked us to. He said he was very disappointed in us.”

  Brandi told herself not to frown and not to react. It was impossible. The crazy bastard had fed these babies wolf hormones. “Well, you’re going to get to be kids again soon. No more special vitamins in your milk. No more Dr. Randalls. No more cages… I hope.”

  “Can we see your fangs again?” blue-eyes asked.

  “What fangs?” Brandi asked in return.

  “I’d like to see them again too.”

  Her irritated gaze swung to Gareth who appeared to be reading even though he’d interjected firmly into their conversation. Was he wearing reading glasses?

  “What are you reading? Looks like a book about farming.” She snorted when Gareth held up a trade paperback with a photo of a cow on the front. “Do you really need reading glasses?”

  “Only if the print is small like in this book. They keep me from getting headaches due to eye strain. I’m a lot older than you, and despite my stamina in many areas, my eyes are aging a bit. I’ve only needed them for the last decade. Reed wears them too. Why? Don’t you think they make me look serious and distinguished?”

  Brandi snorted. Why was it so odd to her that someone his age needed glasses? They went with his silver temples. And they looked sexy as hell though she wasn’t about to tell him that in front of their mesmerized audience.

  When he felt her continued stare, Gareth pulled his attention completely from his book and met her gaze levelly. Her fangs started descending without her having any control over them at all. She clapped a hand over her mouth in shock. Gareth just calmly continued to hold her gaze.

  “We’re going to have to address that issue soon. It’s only going to get worse until we resolve the situation. Trust me… this is my third go round. I know the drill.”

  “I saw them this time! Did you see them? They grew while I watched.”

  Brandi dropped her hand to look back at her charges. The excited observation had come from the hazel-eyed boy. She definitely felt them this time. She raised her top lip with her finger and touched them. Yes—she now had sharp pointy fangs. Was she turning into a damn vampire? Were they even real? She was supposed to be a werewolf. She would have to speak to Ariel and see if the fang thing had happened to her.

  “Do they hurt when they grow fast like that?” the girl asked.

  Brandi shook her head. “No. Not really. They make it a little hard to talk though.”

  “Will you bite me if I touch them?” blue eyes asked.

  She needed to know their names. She looked over to glare at Gareth. He was studying her with lowered lids and a definite glint in his eyes. “How can I make the fangs go away?”

  He shook his head. “Ask me later… when we’re alone. Be prepared for my answer.”

  Brandi snorted. So no help there, she decided. She turned back to the kids.

  “Tell me your names and I’ll let you touch them.” It didn’t surprise her that blue-eyes leaned in first.

  “I’m Kent,” he said. She felt his tiny finger graze a tooth firmly. “Man… I hope I get fangs some day.”

  “Me next. I’m Stewart,” hazel eyes declared. He leaned in and gently ran his finger down until he felt one of the points as well. “That’s so cool. You look even prettier with fangs.”

  “Thank you. That’s a very nice compliment,” Brandi declared. She looked at the girl. “And you?”

  “My name is Agnes, but I hate my name. Will you call me Aggie?” Brandi nodded as the girl stepped between her knees and lifted two fingers to gently feel both the points.

  “You smell really good,” Aggie declared.

  “Thank you,” Brandi replied, trying to remember if she’d even put on deodorant after she’d showered.

  “Are you going to be our mother? We’ve already made a deal with Gareth,” Kent informed her.

  Panic launched a violent revolt in her stomach. Her fangs instantly disappeared back up into her gums. She reached up and touched her teeth, verifying they were back to normal. How did that even work? Were the fangs hidden inside her other teeth? When they were down, she felt an almost insane urge to bite.

  “Can you make them come down whenever you want?” Stewart asked.

  “No, she can’t,” Gareth answered for her. “And I think you all need to give Brandi a little breathing room. We haven’t been around children much. This is a very new situation for us. We need some transition time.”

  Kent nodded and made a motion with his head. The other two fell in line behind him as they headed back to their seats. Brandi watched them all smile knowingly as they walked by her. They were well behaved and well spoken, but their gazes were far from innocent. She was suddenly sure they were nothing like other four-year-olds.

  Gareth laughed. “I think Kent is the Alpha equivalent of their trio. I’m not sure what form that’s going to take long term. Matt will want to keep an eye on him as he grows up. He’s probably going to need a firm hand at home as well.”

  “I thought you weren’t sure how Matt was going to react to them.”

  Brandi watched Gareth’s jaw harden in determination. He said nothing, but his eyes spoke volumes about his feelings. Something had happened to make Gareth get very protective of the children. She liked him for it, but how quickly he’d changed his mind was still odd… very odd.

  She glanced back at the children who were now seated and buckled up. Also odd. Kent was staring off into nothingness—probably thinking about things no four year old should. Aggie was humming, but Brandi could smell anxiety on her. She was scared about what was going to happen to them. Stewart was playing rock, paper, scissors by himself. For all his brave suggestions, he had checked out the moment she and Gareth raised their voices.

  Brandi decided they all needed computer tablets, but not the internet yet. If they had access to too much information at once, they might figure out how to take over the world by the time they were six. She turned back to find Gareth staring at her strangely.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I never would have guessed you were the maternal type. I can’t wait to see the look on Ariel’s and Heidi’s face when they see it. It may not be showing, but I’m still reeling from the shock.”

  “What are you talking about? I’m not maternal. Who said I was maternal?” Brandi pulled herself straighter in the seat.

  “Relax. Nobody is accusing you of anything. The Calders said they’d take care of the kids until we get back from our unexpected business trip. This is how we will proceed.”

  Brandi snorted at his code speak, but nodded. “Good. They may need some help though. After talking to them, I’m not sure the village is going to be safe.”

  Gareth laughed loudly. He unclipped his seatbelt and leaned over to whisper in Brandi’s ear. “What if the Calders want to keep the children permanently? Are you going to be okay with that?”

  Brandi jerked away and glared. “Maybe. I guess. Why wouldn’t I be? If it was what was best for them, of course I’d be okay with it.”

  While Gareth settled back into his seat and refastened his seatbelt, she snuck another look at the three of them sitting properly and quietly… too quietly… in the back seat.

  Why in the hell weren’t they struggling with their inactivity like normal kids? She’d watched them openly stalk an armed guard for pity’s sake. They might have the brains of children much older, but she was pretty sure they had to be four somewhere inside those bodies. She’d bet her secret cache of savings on it… and that was no small amount.

  “Yes, that’s what I thought you’d say, Agent Jenkins. You haven’t accepted the reality of me and you being a couple yet, but I think this maternal thing will move a lot faster in terms of personal epiphanies. I think they’re charming—not that I’m an expert.”

  “Charming?” Brandi repeated the strange compliment, unsure if she’d heard him clearly. “Are you saying you like the chil
dren?”

  “Sure. Why wouldn’t I? In fact, I’ve always liked children. Most werewolves do. Like Ryan, I just never had any with my mates, so I have no real experience with them. Now that I realize there’s going to be an us, I’m starting to give the concept of family more thought. I’m almost there in my thinking.”

  Brandi snorted and leaned over as far she could to hiss at him. “There is no us. Keep your concepts to yourself.”

  Gareth leaned until he could have almost stolen a kiss if he wanted. He let a low growl loose from deep in his throat. Brandi gasped when her fangs immediately came down again. He smiled into her eyes wishing they were alone—wishing she was ready for him. He’d become ready the day he let her walk out his door. Maybe he’d paid enough for that earlier mistake—finally.