“So, because he won’t leave, you have to stay and endanger your and the babies’ lives.”
“There is so much more to it.”
“What excuses are you going to come up with next? He’s a bully and I am worried.”
“Worried how?” Dana stopped in her tracks, a shocked bewilderment crossing her face.
“How long had you known him when you got married? What, a week, two at most? A courier brought our parents cash to repay their expenses for your cancelled wedding. Were you aware he had the amount down to the penny? Including items you didn’t have any clue about. How did he know, Dana? He has a team of, albeit handsome, scary goons who follow his every command.”
“He is head of security. It’s their job.”
“Security here is tighter than at the White House. I know. I attended a White House Christmas party. This is not normal.” She threw her hands up.
“The island isn’t exactly normal.”
“If I brought out a checklist of early signs of controlling and abusive husbands, I could check off every item on the list for you.”
“What?”
“Overprotective, possessive to the extreme, quick trigger temper, and—”
“Stop right there.” Dana pointed at Ashlynn, her voice cracking. “He loves me. Yes, he is worried. What father isn’t when his children are this close to birth?”
“Then he would make sure you had the best possible care.”
“I do, and I’m pregnant, not sick.”
“But surely with more than one—”
“And how have the hospitals been helping you?”
Ashlynn opened her mouth to respond then shrugged. “I hate it when you do that.”
“Stop pouting. I promise you there is no way any man would be allowed to abuse me. Do you believe the Rowans would put up with him harming me? Let’s change the subject and talk about you. What are your plans? Have you thought about extending your stay here?”
“I think they want me, Mom, and Dad off the island as soon as the boat gets here.”
Calm again, Dana took a sip of her water as she eased down into the chair. “You and Dad are welcome to stay, all you have to do is say the word and I’ll make it happen.”
Some of the tension within her eased. “Another week might be nice.”
“Good, I’ll talk with Myron. How is your head?”
She took a second to assess. “Surprisingly better today.”
“I heard last night was bad.”
She nodded. “Shade got me the help I needed before it was out of control.”
“Rekkus has a lot of respect for the man, and respect isn’t something easy to come by with my hubby.”
Ashlynn bit her lip, wondering how to broach her biggest concern about Shade. “He told me he could read souls.”
“He can.”
Ashlynn snorted. “Oh, please.”
“You need to open your mind a bit, oh sister mine. Tell me about these glasses.”
Ashlynn had forgotten about them. “They are hideous and mother hates them, which makes me love them even more.”
Through the open window drifted the voices of approaching men. Dana stood, a spark of excitement entering her dark eyes. Something almost magical in the way she couldn’t wait to see her husband even after a few hours put Ashlynn’s mind at ease at least a little.
“Give me a minute or two, Kaleb, and then we can go over your plans. Why don’t you call Cyrus down to join us?” Rekkus walked by the open window, stopping to smile when his sight landed on Dana. Every ounce of his being screamed the love he had for her. He walked in, kissed his wife on the forehead, and reached for her almost-empty water glass. “How are you feeling, luv?”
“Better, between Serena and my sister, it’s been a relaxing sort of day.”
Returning a full glass to her, he brushed her hair from her cheek. “Good, and you have a message from the Haus.”
“I don’t know what or where I want to eat.” She groaned, sitting back down. “I meant no insult to either Cherry or Reese. I am not hungry.”
“I figured but I have to work with the teens today, so if you decide to walk up to the main building, please call someone to escort you. Juneau and Zander are working close by today if you need them.”
“Yes, boss.”
“Funny.” He took a chug from his cup.
“I can come back after my next class and walk with you. It’s so nice to be active again.” She looked at her sister and grimaced. “Sorry.”
“Not your fault I can only waddle a few feet in an hour. It’s his.” She indicated the man in the kitchen.
“You are just full of jokes today,” Rekkus seemed to purr.
“So, do you need to let your guard dogs know I’m coming through the barriers, or did I get the all-access pass,” Ashlynn joked but realized almost immediately this wasn’t a joking matter.
The room grew icy, as if an arctic blast moved through the area. Rekkus paused mid-gulp, and Dana bolted out of her seat like a woman about to jump hurdles in boot camp, not give birth in a few weeks. Rekkus said a few words in another language, and it didn’t take much to realize the words weren’t the kind used in mixed company.
“Don’t you dare curse at me.” If Dana could breathe fire, she would.
“Crap on a cracker. I cursed the universe, not anyone in particular.”
“Shut up. What guards, Rekkus?” When he didn’t answer, she turned on Ashlynn. “Where are the guards?”
Ashlynn shrugged, figuring out an escape plan. She had unearthed a series of land mines and didn’t know how to get around them. She met Rekkus’ golden gaze, and he inclined his head. Taking a deep breath, she said, “There are two guards at the top of the hill.”
Rekkus closed his eyes, clenching his jaw as he gripped the countertop. Dana glared at him. “Why the hell do you have guards posted up there?”
“Luv.”
“Don’t you luv me.” Dana folded her arms. When they rested on her belly, it seemed to enrage her more so she settled for fisting her hands at her sides.
“Rekkus. I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
Rekkus’ focus never left Dana. “Not your fault completely.”
“It’s not her fault at all.” Dana’s voice reached a higher octave.
“Maybe I should leave you two alone.” Ashlynn got to her feet.
Rekkus looked at her, stunned. A glance clearly saying, You’re not leaving me alone with this crazy woman, are you? crossed his face. “Chicken.”
Ashlynn shifted toward the exit.
“Ashlynn, leave.” Dana threw her arm out toward the open door.
“Oh, thank god.”
Rekkus, stuck with no way out, yelled after her, “Perhaps you should check who is watching before you start another snogging session with Shade on the path.”
“What?” Dana blinked at her sister. “You made out with Shade?”
“I…. We didn’t do much—” Ashlynn began.
“To be fair, Dana, we—” Rekkus tried to intercede.
“I told you to shut up.” She turned on him before glaring at her sister. “Why do I hear this from him?”
“Well, it was just a small kiss.”
Dana stared between the two of them in utter disbelief. Rekkus mouthed, You’d better run now. He didn’t have to tell her twice. She ran out the door as quick as her feet could take her, and although the window remained wide open and large enough for even Dana in her present state to emerge from, she breathed a sigh of relief when the door closed behind her.
A chuckle from the other cabin caught her attention. Kaleb, Serena’s husband, sat on his own porch eating popcorn and watching the cabin with rapt interest and quite a bit of satisfaction.
“Are you honestly eating popcorn?”
“Best entertainment on the island, these two, when they get into it.” He held out the bowl and, when she shook her head, he shrugged, popping a fe
w more kernels into his mouth. “It doesn’t happen a lot, but when it does, wooo, baby.”
“You find this amusing?”
He smiled. “Oh hell, yeah.”
“When did we discuss this?” Dana’s shriek came through the open window.
“We agreed to more security after the attack on the beach.” Rekkus remained calm and rational.
Ashlynn was about to ask what attack, but Kaleb shushed her.
“No we didn’t,” Dana said.
“You didn’t argue,” Rekkus said as if that argument would work. Stupid man.
“I thought you were dying.”
Ashlynn indicated the house of chaos. “How is this funny?”
“If it makes Rekkus squirm, even for a moment, it brings a little joy into all our lives. He likes things orderly; he likes to be in charge. Okay, you figured that one out on your own. But Dana is definitely in charge of their relationship. She doesn’t follow his commands. She does what she wants, sometimes without thinking it through, and it makes him crazy.”
Rekkus stormed out, slamming the door so hard behind him Ashlynn swore the earth shook. Glancing up, she noticed a thunder cloud forming above the house. “That’s odd.”
“Yeah, that’s been happening a lot lately. I need to ask Sarka about it, but I have been delaying it as long as possible. Sarka has an uglier temper than Rekkus.” Kaleb left the bowl on the table beside him, brushed the butter off on his jeans, and stood.
“And I am going to take a nap because I want to, not because you think I need one,” Dana yelled.
Rekkus reached his hand up in the air in time to catch the first of three apples flung at the back of his head. He never flinched catching each one in succession, and with great gentleness he laid the apples on the outside table under the window.
“You tell the Rowans not to come near me today.”
Rekkus put a palm up, stopping the two who were about to come around the corner. Sage with an ‘O’ forming on her lips and Cyrus who took on the appearance of a kid who couldn’t wait to open a present his curiosity piqued. Rekkus pointed. “You, Kaleb, up at the training grounds in fifteen and bring reinforcements.”
As Rekkus stormed off, Cyrus crept around the house, staying out of the line of sight of the window. “I suggest you bring more than a few, and make one of them the bear.”
Kaleb made a few hand gestures toward the tree line before grabbing one last handful of popcorn. In a moment, three more men strode onto the beach. They nodded before heading back into the woods.
“How many in total are watching Dana?”
“After what just happened, don’t you think ignorance might be bliss?” Kaleb asked.
Ashlynn considered the quiet house where the rain cloud had somewhat cleared. Whatever fears she had about her brother-in-law were laid to rest. Although he might like control, he didn’t seem to have it where her sister was involved. She ruled their roost.
“Can someone tell me what the hell is happening? Dana seemed perfectly happy when I left with Rekkus two hours ago,” Cyrus whispered in a rather loud voice.
“She found out about the guards,” Serena said as she came out of the cabin and retrieved the popcorn bowl. “I told you she would.”
Cyrus winced. “All of them?”
All of them? How many guards did one pregnant woman need?
“I think the two up the hill.” Kaleb kissed his wife and said, “I’m going to get my ass kicked. See everyone at dinner. Ashlynn, always a pleasure.”
Ashlynn vowed to play dumb when it came to anything involving her sister and her husband, and, if asked anything, she would plead the fifth.
Cyrus positioned a hand on the small of her back. “Come on, troublemaker. Let’s get you to your acupuncture session.”
***
Trying to keep his mind off a certain tall brunette with legs that went on for days proved to be impossible even with all the activity going on within the Haus. Cemil, having dealt with Mrs. Stone, had a migraine bordering on being complex. Everyone agreed Cemil would retreat to Shade’s cottage, and Shade would assume his workload for the day. Which included escorting Mrs. Stone and her daughter who he had kissed this morning.
Having dropped off Cemil, who was in no way able to drive himself down to the cottage, Myron, the maniac driver who could give any Boston driver a run for their money, detoured by the training fields. Shade wasn’t sure what they were training for, but it appeared to be “how to get your ass kicked by a were-tiger.”
Returning to the Haus, Shade had a few minutes to spare before meeting with the senior Stone female. He decided to check in with Sage, whom he hadn’t had much time to chat with since arriving on the island. He found her, as expected, in her herb-drying room behind the garden.
“Watch your head,” Sage mumbled without turning. Didn’t matter who entered. Unless they were Sage’s size, they would hit their head on the low doorframe.
Rich fresh herbs assailed his senses. Most he recognized: lavender, chamomile, mint. Some he had never seen before. “What are all these on the back wall?”
They were stockpiling herbs. Sage smiled, a slight pink hue covering her cheeks. “Herbs to delay labor, herbs to induce labor, herbs to ease labor. We have every herb known to witch-kind to aid Dana when she gives birth. I might have overdone it a bit.”
“Better to be prepared.”
“Have a seat.” She indicated a tall wooden stool in the corner of the room as she pulled some herbs from overhead. “Butterbur and feverfew, these along with the lemon-ginger beer I have brewing in the kitchen should ease Cemil’s headaches.”
If anyone could, it was Sage. Ever since the woman could walk, she’d gravitated to the herb gardens. Rumor had it she’d tinkered with her mother’s window herb garden before she could talk and created a potion which had saved her sister from a bad case of influenza.
The Rowans’ powers had always been top-notch, and it had been no surprise when this generation showed their prowess. The Syndicate worried very little about the light ones who could do no harm. Sage worked to better life for those around her. Her heart and soul were as pure as a mountain spring. “Can we discuss Ashlynn Stone and her headaches?”
It seemed he couldn’t get away from her today. “Yes. How can I help?”
“You know the old saying, having the sense knocked into you?”
“Yes.”
“I think this might have been the case with her. According to Dana, this is not the Ashlynn most people know. She was, if not self-centered, then reserved, never going against the wishes of her mother. I would bet she was afraid, too. But the Ashlynn everyone describes is not the person I see, not, I believe, what her soul is.”
“You believe her soul is in conflict.”
“Perhaps, and perhaps it wasn’t being hit in the head that rattled her. Maybe it was her mother’s defection and abandonment showing her the true light of her mother’s being. But I think if we can mend her soul we can lessen the headaches.”
“I will do my best. But the oddities of the island are confusing to her, which is not helping her headaches. Perhaps you can talk with Dana and Rekkus and see if they might wish to let the cat out of the bag, so to speak.”
“I don’t think Dana is speaking to Rekkus at the moment or to any Rowans for that matter, but when she does, I’ll suggest it.” Sage shrugged but didn’t add more. “Can I ask you one more thing? Something that has weighed heavy on us since your arrival? Were you sent here to spy on us?”
Yes, the four, five if you wanted to count Rekkus, on the island posed a threat to the Syndicate, and everyone knew it. “I would never spy on you, Sage. I work for the Syndicate, but I am not their lackey or their mole. I’m here to assess the state of things with the cubs. Rekkus’ volatile temper is as always a concern, but rebuilding of the streak is of the utmost importance to the Syndicate, thus their concern for Dana’s safety.”
“What did you find this morning
when you met with them?” Sage carried a mortar and pestle past him.
Normally, he would have let Dana and Rekkus break the news, but, as the midwife, Sage had to be informed, and if Dana went into labor before she decided to speak to any of the siblings, it could be a dangerous situation. “I found a third cub.”
“Three.” Sage dropped the mortar and pestle on the floor. The bowl broke into three clean pieces while the handle rolled under a table. Shade moved to pick up the shards and then moved Sage to the stool he’d vacated. “Can they be safely birthed here?”
“There is no longer a choice. She is too far into the pregnancy to move her through the portals, and no one can say what effect the fog wall will have on the cubs. I suspect, as shifters have told us in the past, they have to fight the urge to shift when coming through it, the cubs would shift, and she cannot handle the cubs in tiger form. Her uterus isn’t tough enough.”
Sage wrung her hands fretting. “I don’t think I can do this. With the impending full moon, they might be forced to shift. If anything happened to her….”
Shade gripped her hands, forcing his strength into her. Yes, there were dangers in any birth, more with a human carrying para babies. Add to that the moon’s pull and they had a situation that could move out of control quickly, but Sage had powers she hadn’t unlocked yet. She could do this. He knew that with all the certainty in his soul. “Would you doubt yourself if you didn’t love Dana so much?”
“No.”
“Remember, you are what the family needs and you have something no one else in the world has.”
“What is that?”
“You have the tiger prince’s trust.”
Chapter Seven
Ashlynn took another bite of her pasta. Though the kitchen prepared only the most delicious food, it tasted like dust today. Everyone at her table picked at their food—clearly nothing resembling healing and relaxation had happened today.
Her mother’s foul mood emanated from her in waves, but while Cyrus stood over Dana ready to pounce at anything negative directed toward her pregnant daughter, she didn’t say a word. As if she couldn’t be bothered with her general nastiness. Ashlynn’s head ached, and all she craved was peace.
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