“Why did Levi go?” Hope frowned and bit her lip in that way Adam already found adorable. “I mean…why him?”
She actually looked concerned about Levi, which gave Adam hope. “He was already in the area, and it just made sense for him to go while I made sure you and Sarah were safe.”
“I don’t want anyone hurt because of me.”
“They can handle themselves. They’ll check in as soon as they’re packed up and headed back. Once Levi calls, I’ll head out with you and Sarah, and we’ll all meet in River’s Bend.”
He couldn’t stop himself. He had to get rid of that frown, so he leaned across the table and kissed her lightly on the forehead. Then, when she didn’t protest, he kissed her cheek and then softly grazed her lips. To his surprise, she didn’t pull away, so he deepened his kiss and felt more than heard her low moan.
“Leave you two alone for a minute and this is what I come back to.” Sarah’s timing left much to be desired, but her color was better after her trip to the bathroom. “What’s the plan?”
Adam straightened in his chair. “We’re moving you, Jackson and Wes to the lodge, where you’ll be safe and comfortable while we track these guys down and figure out what to do with them.”
“The timing is awful, with planning for the joining and all.”
“The good news is my father has offered his staff to help you. So, there is at least one perk.”
“Well, a girl could get used to having meals cooked for her three times a day. And Hope will like it there, too. I can show her around and introduce her to everyone.”
“That sounds great, except Hope’s not staying in the lodge.” Adam said this as matter-of-factly as he could, but he was prepared to argue the point if it came to that. Since the lodge housed the alphas, it was especially well-protected. Sarah would have her own men to protect her as well as everyone in the vicinity, but that wasn’t good enough for his mate. He and Levi needed to watch over her personally and know she was safe. “She’s staying with us, where we can keep an eye on her.”
Sarah grinned at this, but Hope’s frown returned. “Stop smiling,” she snapped. “I’m staying with Sarah. I should be with my family, so I’d rather stay at the lodge.”
“No, you’re coming home with me, where Levi and I can keep you safe. It’s our job, and we intend to do it.”
“It’s nobody’s job to take care of me. I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can, against most things, but these are shifters we’re talking about, and regardless, it is my job. You’re my mate, and I won’t allow you to put yourself in danger.”
Hope raised her chin, her eyes flashing. There it was, the stubbornness he knew was coming. “If it’s so safe at this lodge, why would I be in any danger?”
Adam had already anticipated that question. “Unfortunately, there’s no place that’s one-hundred-percent safe, and though we’ll have guards posted throughout River’s Bend, there’s a slight chance these men are stupid enough to try to sneak in. If that happens, it’s Sarah’s mates’ instinct to protect her above anything else, even you, even themselves. I want you protected in the same way.”
“What if I refuse?”
“A little help here, Sarah?” He’d hoped her sister would help him convince Hope she’d be safer with him and Levi, but she just shrugged and sat watching them with an amused look on her face. “I won’t let you put yourself in danger, no matter how much you refuse, but if you hate the thought of coming home with us that much, Levi and I will just camp outside your room at the lodge.”
“You’d do that?”
“We’ll always do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
Sarah finally decided to chime in. “It’s a hardwood floor. They won’t enjoy it much, that’s for sure.”
Adam leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Nothing will happen that you don’t want. Let us take care of you.”
“I’m staying with Sarah.” She fixed him with a glare. “It’s a deal breaker.”
He sighed. It wouldn’t be the end of the world for her to stay at the lodge. Having her back in River’s Bend was a start, he guessed. And he hadn’t miss the shiver that passed through her body when he brushed his lips against her ear or the way she suddenly seemed eager to look anywhere except at him. She wasn’t falling into his arms the way he’d like, but for now, he’d take it.
* * * *
They pulled up in front of a wood-and-brick mansion that Sarah announced as the lodge. It looked simultaneously imposing and at home in the woods. She could almost imagine it had grown there rather than resulting from planning and building. Cabins fanned out from the lodge area in all directions, interrupted here and there by open land, densely wooded areas, and properties that, while still rustic, looked more like ordinary homes than cabins.
Adam had pointed out cabins along the way, telling Hope who lived where. She almost wished she’d agreed to stay at Adam’s and Levi’s when she saw all the eyes focused on the car. Did so many of them always congregate in front of the alphas’ home, or was this because of the new arrivals? She sure hoped they’d shown up to greet Sarah and not to see her.
Adam opened the car door and helped her out, doing the same for Sarah, who seemed perfectly at ease with all the attention. People called out, “Hi, Sarah! Hey, Sarah! Good to see you!” as they walked past, and Adam and Sarah greeted those nearest to them by name. No one called out Hope’s name, but she did hear someone ask if that was her and someone else follow up with “It has to be.”
“Hey, Adam,” a male voice called as they mounted the stairs. “Don’t hustle her away so fast! We want to meet her.”
“I’ll introduce her later,” Adam called back. “She’s had a long day, and I want to get her settled.”
“I bet,” a female called out. Her comment elicited laughter from the general area.
Adam put his arm around her waist and guided her inside the huge double doors of the lodge. “I know this must be overwhelming.”
“Just a little.” In truth, she was intimidated. There’d been what seemed like hundreds of people out there. Not even really people—wolves!
“Are visitors always this big a deal?”
“No, but human visitors are.”
“Especially humans who are fated for our future alpha.” The man who’d said these words stepped into the large wood-and-marble foyer and boldly looked her over. He was tall and hard-bodied, like so many of them seemed to be. He had black hair streaked with a single bit of gray and clear green eyes that immediately reminded her of Levi. Unlike Levi, however, everything about this man’s presence screamed authority and sternness. His eyes seemed to pierce her skin to examine her soul, and it was easy to see that he wouldn’t appreciate being contradicted or disobeyed. “I’m Zion, co-alpha of Clan Liekos, and you’re every bit as lovely as my sons said.”
“Oh…Thank you.” Such compliments embarrassed her, so she focused on his other words. “Future alpha?” Again, she let the “mate” bit slide. She couldn’t bring herself to argue with this powerful man about her intentions. Hopefully, when the time came, she could leave quietly and never have to.
“As my oldest son, Adam is in line to become the next alpha, which makes you a very important person for our clan.”
“Oh, I see…” Shit, she didn’t want to be important for their clan. Why had she ever agreed to come back here?
“Daddy, don’t start in with that already. She just got here.” It was Nikki. The woman had approached so quietly that Hope hadn’t seen her coming, but she sure was glad for the interruption. “Come on, Hope, I’ll show you around while Maisie gets your room ready.”
Maisie stepped from the shadows next and introduced herself as the lodge’s head housekeeper and longtime Black family friend. Adam contradicted her, saying she was more family than anything.
Hope followed Nikki through the halls of the lodge, which were just as impressive as the outside had been. She couldn’t quite decide whether she’d call it
rustic or majestic. Somehow, it managed to be both. “Are these pictures of your family?” she asked Nikki.
“Yes, that’s my grandfather, Connery, and my great-grandfather, Eyolf. These are the grandmothers, Ylva and Solana.” They stopped in front of a large, lifelike painting of one of the most beautiful women Hope had ever seen. “That’s my mother, Arriana.”
“I can see a lot of you and Levi in her.”
“Thank you. That’s the best compliment anyone could ever give me. I miss her so much. The lodge just isn’t the same without her. She died last year.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize. I’m so sorry for your loss.” Adam and Levi hadn’t mentioned that their mother had died. “Well, I have to say your mother was gorgeous.” She studied the painting carefully. “Who was the artist?”
“It was Levi. He actually painted her from a photo after she’d passed. I think it helped him work through his grief.”
“He’s good.” The painting was so detailed, it could have been a photo. There were a million questions Hope suddenly wanted to ask Nikki about their mother’s death, their family, and even the alpha designation, but since she wasn’t planning on sticking around, none of it was any of her business. “Is this hard for you? I mean, talking about her? Because if it is, I really do understand.”
“It’s okay. I’m happy to talk about her. I miss her so much, and talking about her makes me feel like she still lives in spirit.”
“I understand.” After Hope’s grandfather’s death, people had gradually stopped talking about him, acting almost as if his name was taboo. She’d wanted to keep him alive in her mind and had never missed an opportunity to share one of her favorite memories of him. In time, however, she’d still begun to talk about him less and less.
“Ugh. I don’t want to depress you. Come on, I’ll show you the dining hall. One of the best things about this place is the food. My father’s cooks make amazing meals, so I eat here whenever possible.”
She followed Nikki as they toured the rest of the lodge. Nikki pointed out Adam’s and Levi’s old bedrooms as well as her own, explaining that she’d only just moved out of it when she’d joined with her mates a few months back. They also stopped at what Nikki called a joining suite. It had the largest bed Hope had ever seen and a private bathroom, complete with a hot tub that was as big as Hope’s entire bedroom back home.
She was surprised to find herself enjoying the tour and Nikki’s company, but something else shocked her even more. As much as she tried not to think about them, she looked forward to getting back to Adam and seeing Levi again.
* * * *
Adam and Levi had helped get her things settled in her lodge guestroom. Well, Sarah had helped, too, but the men had done the bulk of it, unpacking her suitcases and putting her things in the closets and drawers. They even took her laptop, drawing tablet, and wireless mouse out of her bag and set them up on a small table near the window. She’d let them, amused that they’d even want to bother.
Brad had never helped her unpack anything, and she usually did the work of unpacking him both while on vacation and when they returned home from trips. He’d seemed to expect it, and though she could lie to herself now and say that she’d hated it, she’d enjoyed doing things to take care of her man. And she’d thought he’d enjoyed taking care of her in other ways.
Adam and Levi seemed to have no hesitation about doing for her, and that, well… It felt good. In truth, she didn’t have all that much to unpack, but they somehow made it seem like a big job and a big deal.
“Ready for dinner?” Levi asked.
“I could eat.” The burger had kept her full for a while, so she was just feeling the beginnings of hunger.
“Well, I’m starved,” Sarah said.
“Why am I not surprised?” Hope asked.
“Did someone mention food?” Jackson asked, appearing in the open doorway.
“Perfect timing,” Sarah said, walking over to him. “We were just headed down to the dining hall. Where’s Wes?”
“He had some work stuff to get out of the car. I’ll text him and let him know to meet us down there.”
Hope caught herself staring at the easy way Jackson wrapped his arm around Sarah’s shoulders. The love in his eyes was clear, and she was once again amazed and happy for her sister. Looking away, she glanced at Adam and found him staring at her with something in his eyes she didn’t want to analyze. She preferred to pretend she didn’t see it, just as she told herself her heart didn’t do a little dance when he smiled at her.
“Okay, Wes will meet us down there. So come on. I could eat a damned bear,” Jackson said.
They all filed out of the room, and Adam shut the door.
“Don’t we need to lock it?” Hope was used to unlocked doors when visiting someone’s home, but this place felt more like a hotel of sorts than an actual home. She didn’t like the idea of some strange person just walking in and digging through her things.
Adam shook his head. “We don’t really do locks here. Your things are safe. You’re our guest, and no one will enter while you’re here, not without your permission.”
“If that’s the case, why all the fuss about me staying here. I mean, if I don’t even need to lock the door…” She lowered her voice. “Just a ploy to get me back in bed, huh?”
“You can’t blame a guy for trying.” He shrugged and looked down at her with that heart-jolting grin again before stopping in the middle of the hallway. “All jokes aside, though, I would feel better being within shouting distance of you. I already feel protective of you, and I’m not excited about leaving that job to someone else, all night long.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say.” That was just a little too heavy for her, and she didn’t love the way his words made her feel. One part of her wanted to fall into his arms like something out of a fairy tale where the damsel in distress meets her prince. The other part was heavy on the hell no’s. Maybe, just maybe, she could have brought herself to date for someone as hard to resist as Adam or Levi. But both of them, and then all that mate talk? It was just too much, too soon. Thinking back, though, on her last few restless nights, she had to question her own sanity. Why not spend the night in their arms?
Levi waved Sarah and Jackson ahead, and they walked to the stairs and started down them. “What Adam is trying to say is that there’s more to how we feel about you than wanting to get you back in bed. We want to protect you ourselves, so if it makes you more comfortable to stay here, close to Sarah, we’ll just stay, too.”
If her heart had sped up before, it now broke into a full-on sprint. She couldn’t help smiling as she remembered Sarah’s words. “Going to sleep outside my door?”
“No, we’ll sleep in our old rooms, but if you need us, all you’ll have to do is yell.”
Why did she feel just a little bit disappointed with that answer?
Adam nodded. “Now that, that’s settled, let’s go eat.”
They walked down the stairs and down another long hallway, the noise from the dining room growing louder the closer they got. “How many are in there?” Should she call them people or wolves? She just didn’t know. “It sounds like a serious crowd.”
“Not sure. There’s probably a lot more of us in there than usual. We don’t get so many human visitors, so…”
“Oh, God. I can’t go in there.” She stopped walking, already able to glimpse what looked like a concert-sized crowd in the lodge’s dining hall.
Sarah came walking out. “Oh, there you are. What’s taking so long? Jackson and Wes are holding a table for us, and I can’t wait to introduce you around.”
“I can’t do this now. Not yet.”
“Do what?”
“Go in there and let that, that horde of wolves ogle me. Did you see the way they looked at me when we got here?”
“They don’t mean anything by it, Hope,” Levi said.
Adam shrugged, shaking his head. “They don’t. They’re just curious.”
Sar
ah took her arm. “I know it’s overwhelming at first, but I’ll be with you.”
“Look, I’m just not ready. This day has been crazy! It all started out so relatively normal, and then I spent so much of it explaining how I was just visiting and not anyone’s mate. Now, I’m supposed to go in there and eat with everyone watching? Surrounded by wolves while I’m the only human?”
Sarah looked at her. “You’ve already been doing that at my house.”
She sighed. “I don’t mean you. That’s different.”
“Is it?” Sarah asked.
“Really? You’re going to get pissed off about that?”
“Alright, ladies.” Levi stepped up and put an arm around her shoulder. “I have an idea.”
Hope looked at him, eager to hear whatever it was as long as it didn’t mean entering the dining hall just then.
“Everybody comes back to our place. I cook dinner, we eat, and Adam and I grab clothes. Then we all head back here fed and happy. Hope can meet everyone in the morning.”
“In the morning?” she asked. So far the plan did sound good, all except for meeting everyone in the morning.
“Breakfast,” Adam said.
She thought about it. It was a reprieve, though temporary. She wasn’t thrilled about the idea of meeting everyone in the morning either, but at least she’d have some time to get used to the idea before she was thrust in there like some sort of overly interesting lab specimen. “Okay, I’m in.”
“Sampling Levi’s cooking does sound good,” Sarah said. “But I’m just not up for it tonight. I’m already exhausted. I just really need to eat and go to bed.” She glanced back toward the dining hall. “You should go, Hope.”
“That’s okay. Just bring something up when you’re done. I’ll eat in the room.”
“Are you really that uncomfortable around us?” Adam asked.
Yes and no, she thought. “It’s not that, not exactly. I just don’t want to give you the wrong idea.”
Claiming Hope [Wolves of River's Bend 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 11
