“See to it then. It’s a shame your mother can’t be here to welcome them too,” Braylon said. “I’m sure she and Barbara would have hit it off.”
Derek could see the hurt in his father’s eyes and sense the heartbreak that still sat with him. Their mother had been human. She had Derek and Kyro a year apart. Her wolf didn’t come then due to her pregnancy. When her wolf finally tried to become part of her, Braylon had been away to help a friend with rogues attacking their pack. Her body couldn’t accept the change and weakened her.
Their father still held guilt for not being there to help her through it, and he refused to have another replace their mother. No one could.
Many shifters died after losing their mates, but Derek knew their father stayed strong for them. If he died, there would have been no one to help them to become the men they were now because of him. He and Kyro never forgot their father’s selflessness.
“We’ll be there to welcome them, Dad,” Kyro said.
“I don’t know of any women in our pack that would be able to welcome Barbara, too.”
“We know someone, but she’s not pack,” Kyro said. He shared a look with Derek, and they both knew without having to ask.
Braylon stared at his sons. “This someone wouldn’t be the reason you two took off last night, would it?”
Derek nodded. “She’s an irresistible woman, who happens to be our mate,” he said.
“She also happens to be a witch,” Kyro said.
Braylon smiled. “Is this the same witch you two have been checking up on in Miami?”
“You knew about that?” Derek asked. They’d used all the resources they could to locate Hanna when they found out she’d left town. It took a while, but they finally knew where she’d been staying the past few years.
“Nothing goes on around here that I don’t know about,” Braylon said. “Now, tell me about your mate and what I can do to help.”
Chapter 5
The smell of bacon and coffee woke Hanna up. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time. Although she spent the night on the floor, she wasn’t restless like she usually was. Her mother had turned her old room into a gym. That left her with only two options: the couch in the living room or Riana’s bedroom floor. The latter seemed like the safest bet. Besides, she wanted to keep an eye on her sister. If she was in Riana’s room, she could sense if anything went wrong with her recovery.
She also didn’t want to run into her mother again, who gave her an earful at the hospital. The woman had pulled her into the same arguments that had her leaving Vella Cove years ago. It was like there was no time separating the tension between them. Riana had to intervene in order to stop them from bickering.
Her stomach growled as the breakfast smells got stronger. She didn’t want to face her mother alone after last night.
She glanced over at Riana, who was still sleeping peacefully. Hanna was pretty sure her sister hadn’t slept well in a long time either, so she didn’t want to wake her up.
He stomach rumbled again. She was hungry. There was no waiting for Riana to get up. She could do this and be civil. Hopefully.
She made her way to the kitchen and saw her mother at the stove.
“Morning,” Hanna said as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
Her mother tensed up but didn’t say anything.
That was a great start to the morning. Hanna sipped her coffee, letting the sugar and caffeine fill her up to give her courage.
A few minutes later, her mother tossed a plate in front of her. “How long before you leave?” She stared down at her, waiting for an answer.
“I planned on staying as long as Riana needed me, but don’t worry. I’ll find a hotel or something to get out of your house. Since she’s better, I won’t be in town for long.”
“I don’t want you to do any magic while you’re here. Understood?”
Hanna looked her. “Why do you hate magic so much? What did it ever do to you?”
“That’s not your business. It’s mine and no one else’s.”
“You can’t hate it. Not when magic is what helped heal Riana.”
Her mother glared at her. “What are you talking about?”
“The only reason Riana is back home is because of magic. Nothing helped her at that hospital. I was able to use magic to heal her.”
Hanna heard the hard sound of the slap before she felt it on her face. The sound rang in her ears as her cheek burned.
“How dare you use that mess on Riana?” Her mother seethed and radiated so much hatred that it made Hanna jerk back.
Hanna rubbed her face, still feeling the imprint of her mother’s hand. “That mess may have saved her life.” Could have killed Hanna, too, but she knew her mother wouldn’t care about that part.
The doorbell rang before her mother could respond.
“This conversation isn’t over,” her mother said before heading to the front door.
It was over all right. Hanna didn’t care if she had to sleep in the street. That would be better than spending one more night in that house. She stared down at breakfast, but she’d lost her appetite.
Riana walked in, rubbing her eyes and yawning. “Breakfast smells good. I’m starving.”
“Here.” Hanna pushed her plate over. “You can have mine. I’m not hungry anymore.”
“Oh, no. What did Mom do now?” Riana sat down next to Hanna and grabbed a piece of bacon.
“It’s nothing. Really.”
“You know you’re an awful liar, right?” Riana said between chews. “I mean five-year-olds lie better than you about stealing candy.”
Hanna stuck her tongue out. “Is that childish enough for you?”
Riana pinched her.
“Ow!” Hanna rubbed her arm. “You little brat!” They both laughed, feeling a familiarity in their taunts.
“I missed you,” Riana said.
Hanna grinned. “Ditto.”
“You did not just use a Ghost reference.”
“Apparently, we need to watch it again, because someone forgot Patrick Swayze is the shizzle.”
Riana shook her head. “Remind me never to take you out in public.”
“Girls,” their mother said from the doorway, “we have a visitor.”
Mayor Keller appeared behind her. “Good morning, ladies.”
Derek and Kyro’s father was in their house. Hanna could only stare dumbfounded.
“Morning, Mayor Keller,” Riana said.
“Good to see you, Riana,” Mayor Keller said. “Heard you weren’t feeling too well.”
“I’m much better now, thanks to Hanna.”
“You’ll still be able to help with the fundraiser event?” he asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Riana said.
He smiled, and Hanna couldn’t help notice how much he resembled his sons. “Glad to hear it, since it was your idea.”
“What event?” Hanna asked.
“I’m helping Mayor Keller throw a masquerade benefit to help the Vella Cove Animal Rescue find families to adopt and turn it into a no-kill shelter.”
“You didn’t tell me that.” Saving puppies and kittens sounded like something her sister would do.
“There wasn’t time to. I did my event planning internship at the mayor’s office, so he sought out my help for the fundraising event.” Riana turned back to Mayor Keller. “You’re not here because something’s wrong with the planning, are you?”
“Not at all,” he said. “I actually came to speak with Hanna?”
“Hanna?” Riana and their mother echoed.
“Me?” Hanna was just as confused.
“Yes,” he said. “Do you mind if we step outside for a moment?”
“Uh, sure.” Hanna stood and led the way back outside after Mayor Keller said goodbye to her family. She could sense her mother and sister staring at them as they left the kitchen.
When they were outside, she directed him to the seats on the front porch. “Is there anything wrong,
Mayor Keller?” she asked. Although she’d been gone for a while, she didn’t recall the mayor making house calls.
“Please. Call me Braylon, and nothing’s wrong. At least not yet. That’s why I need your help.”
“What can I do?”
“My sons tell me you’re a witch.”
Hanna looked at the door and windows to make sure her mother hadn’t heard him or listened in. Riana probably made sure she stayed in the kitchen.
“You have nothing to fear, Hanna. We have a few witches in Vella Cove but not many, which is why I need your assistance. I have friends visiting from out of town, and I want to make sure they’re protected while in our territory.”
“I don’t understand,” she said. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to use your own pack members for something like that?”
Braylon sighed. “There is some high tension in my pack right now, and I’m not sure who to trust besides my family. Derek and Kyro recommended you as an ally, and we need as many of those as we can get.”
“They barely know me.” Hanna didn’t understand. She’d only been around them twice. How could they see her as a good person? She’d done things in Miami she wasn’t proud of and that were far from making her a good person.
He smiled. “That’s one thing about my boys. They’ve always been good judges of character.”
Hanna rubbed the material of her pajamas. “I don’t know about that.” How could they know anything about her character?
Braylon watched her closely. “Are you saying they’re wrong?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just…what exactly do you need me to do?” she asked, hoping to get away from the topic of her past. She didn’t want to think about her time in Miami at all if she could help it.
Braylon took out a sheet of paper that looked like it was old and frayed. He also pulled out a gold bracelet that had wolf charms embedded in it, so it looked as if the wolves were running along the strand of gold. “This is the spell that was created by a witch who has been a friend to my family for generations. It’s meant to be cast over a piece of jewelry so that whenever someone who isn’t trusted by the Alpha comes near, it’ll glow. However, it can only be worn by a witch. That’s where you come in. I need you to do that spell on this bracelet to ensure Barbara Wolfe is safe, while I discuss pack business with her husband, Tristan. It’s a safeguard to make sure nothing happens to them while they’re visiting.”
“I know nothing about being someone’s bodyguard,” Hanna said.
“You don’t need to. I’ll make sure someone’s always around to help you if you need it. Besides, you’re meant to show Barbara around town to help her enjoy her stay. It requires someone to be welcoming, and some of the members of my pack can be a little rough around the edges to outsiders.”
“So you want me to be her witch tour guide?” she asked.
“When you put it that way, I guess so,” he said. “They haven’t been to Vella Cove in years, so I want to ensure everything goes smoothly while they’re here. I’ll make sure you are compensated for your time, though.”
Hanna thought about that. She’d have to leave town soon anyway, and she didn’t have a lot of money to her name. The witch trackers would figure out her location soon enough since she didn’t cloak herself as soon as she stepped foot in town.
Part of her dreaded leaving Riana, but then two other faces popped up in her head. Derek and Kyro. Why had she been so consumed with them since their encounter last night? No matter how hard she tried to push them out of her head, they found a way back in. She instinctively rubbed the shirt-covered part of her neck where Kyro bit her. She switched to Derek’s bite next. Both were a little sore, but knowing they were there comforted her for some reason. It was odd.
Then she thought about the people after her and the magic they could perform. She’d seen them in action. They were merciless with their victims and anyone who got in their way. She’d seen them pull magic from a witch and absorbed her powers. Their abilities frightened her. The girl went missing after that, and she knew what that meant. No coming back from death.
What if the trackers after her attacked the Kellers and her family? She couldn’t risk it. She had to leave soon, and the only way she could do that was with money.
“I can help for one day, but that’s it,” she said.
“One day is all I need. I doubt Tristan and Barbara will be separated after our meeting. I just want safeguards in place while they’re apart.”
“Just tell me what you need me to do.”
She listened as he gave her the arrival time at the airport and handed her a cell phone with numbers programmed in for emergencies.
When he left, she prayed to the Goddess she didn’t let them down and that her departure would keep anyone from getting hurt because of her.
Her mother grabbed her arm when she went back inside the house. “What trouble did you get into to have him come here?” she asked.
Hanna yanked her arm away and smirked. “Sorry. It’s not your business. It’s mine and no one else’s.”
She had to hurry so she could find a place outside of her mother’s house to do the spell and get to the airport in time. Then she could plan to leave and never come back.
Chapter 6
Kyro was a nervous wreck. He wasn’t sure whether Hanna would agree to it or not. He had hope, but he didn’t know for sure. Besides, she was a strong-willed woman. It was just one of the things he and his brother loved about her.
Many women around Vella Cove were known for throwing themselves at him and Derek for years. None of them ever interested him or his brother. There was no fun when women wanted to give themselves away so easily. Now, there was a thrill of the chase that his wolf craved, and Hanna had given them a lot to chase over the years.
They had tracked her down in Miami since they needed to make sure she was safe and stayed out of trouble. They had friends in the pack down in South Florida, so they knew her whereabouts.
Neither Kyro nor Derek was too thrilled about the people she worked with, but they had to give her space. They didn’t want to frighten her or make her feel like she was obligated to be with them just because they said she was their mate.
She had to make the active choice to be with them. There was no other way, no matter how much he wanted to pull her out of that fucked-up Coven and bring her back to Vella Cove where she belonged, where she needed to stay and be with them.
“What if she doesn’t show?” Kyro asked his brother.
“That’s why we had Dad go instead of us,” Derek said. “She’ll be more willing to help by knowing she’ll be doing a favor for the mayor rather than being here because her mates want her nearby. Pretty sure that would freak her out.”
“What if she wants to bail?”
“Our mate doesn’t seem like the type to leave when people need her. Trust her. We both need to do that.”
“The problem is how do we get her to trust us?”
Derek didn’t have an answer for that one. They were in new territory when it came to Hanna.
Tristan and Barbara were scheduled to land in a few minutes, and Kyro hoped his plans worked.
His wolf scented Hanna before he saw her. “She’s here,” he said. Her smell alone was enough to make him hard and ache for her. Kyro hoped he had enough strength to not take her right there on the damn conveyor belt with everyone’s the luggage. Let them watch for all he cared, as long as he had her.
“I smell her, too,” Derek said. “There.”
Kyro turned to see Hanna making her way through the crowd of people who just landed. His eyes fell to the sexy way her body swayed when she walked, from her tempting hips to those luscious curves. He wanted her naked and against them. From the tense way Derek stood, they were in sync on that idea.
“I should have known you two would be here,” Hanna said when she reached them.
“What’s wrong? We still make you nervous?” Kyro teased. He enjoyed the way her cheeks heated up and wonde
red if her ass would take a similar color if he palmed it just right.
“I’m not nervous. More like frustrated.”
“Sexually?” Derek asked. “I think you know we can take care of that. All you have to do is ask.”
Kyro could smell her desire pouring off of her. His wolf yelped at being held back from what belonged to them.
Soon, he told his wolf. Calm the hell down before you make us do something inappropriate in an airport.
“I won’t be asking for anything,” she said, defiance in her face as she dug her hands into her jean pockets.
Kyro noticed the bracelet she wore with the symbols of wolves linked in it, and that made him smile. Their father was a genius. She wore something of theirs and didn’t even know it. That particular bracelet had been given to their mother by a witch his family trusted. It made his wolf proud that Hanna had it on.
“You’re right,” Kyro said. “Next time we get you naked, you’ll be begging, not asking.”
“Is that a challenge?” she asked.
“It’s a promise, gorgeous,” Derek said. He leaned over and whispered in Hanna’s ear, but Kyro could hear him clearly. “It’s a definite promise, and we never break a promise.”
Her eyes widened, but Kyro caught the pleasurable shiver that passed over her.
“Derek! Kyro!” Barbara Wolfe held her arms out as she greeted them, a big smile on her face.
“Good to see you, Barbara,” Derek said hugging her.
“You two have grown,” she said, hugging Kyro next. “You were just teenagers last we saw you.”
“It’s been a while, Barbara, and you look wonderful as ever,” Kyro said, hugging her next.
“You two have inherited Braylon’s charm. That’s for sure.” She looked at Hanna and back at them. “Shame on you two for not telling me you were bringing your mate. She’s breathtaking.” Barbara hugged a shocked Hanna, who smiled and returned the embrace.
Barbara had always been a smart woman. He should have known she’d know Hanna was theirs even before Hanna knew it herself. Kyro realized why his father was sad their mother wasn’t there. The Wolfes were lucky to have Barbara as a matriarch.
Sassy Ever After: Magical Sass for Three (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Vella Cove Shifters Book 1) Page 4
