by Sydney Addae
After a few minutes of silence he released a long sigh. “What do you suggest?”
Realizing what it cost him to ask, she kept her responses brief and to the point. “I agree, it’s too early to accept invitations from anyone. The novelty of sitting and playing with La Patron’s kids is fresh. In time it’ll wear off and we’ll see who survives the cut. The kids are smart and won’t put up with foolishness, they didn’t in the nursery and won’t at school. When they come home, the six of us sit, have a snack and talk about their day. I’ll use that time to remind them of what’s at stake, your, I mean our position in the pack, and how careful we need to be in allowing strangers into the compound.”
He placed a kiss on her forehead. “Sounds good. What happens when the dust settles? I cannot agree to them sleeping somewhere overnight, maybe when they’re older, high school?”
She rubbed his chest. “Okay, I’ll tell them, it’ll give them something to grow towards. Plus, by then they’ll be shifting, right?”
“Yes, should be.” He paused and turned on his side, facing her. “Let’s make this rule, no overnights until they can shift and know how to fight with their wolf? If they’re shifting, they’ll be able to communicate mentally as well. I feel a lot more comfortable with that.”
Her fingertip traced his lips while their gazes locked. “What about parties during the day? We can have security in place.”
His eyes bled from bluish-green mix to cerulean blue. “How does that protect them against chemicals absorbed through their skin?”
“Teach them to wash their hands constantly with the special cleanser Hawke made, plus they already eat the root to build up their resistance to certain poisons, we all have.”
“What do you want from me? I cannot allow them the type of freedom you’re suggesting, if they are taken and held hostage, I would give away everything for their safe return. That puts the whole Nation at risk. Don’t you see that?”
She did, which pissed her off more. “What do you suggest then? They’re making friends, and at some point will want to do teenage things, how do you plan to keep them locked up?”
“Goddess above, Jasmine, they’re not in prison! And I need your help to develop a strategy, not your sarcasm. If you want me to say I didn’t think it through when I demanded they attend my schools, consider it said. Now, let’s think how we can fix this without putting our pups and the Nation at risk.”
Narrowing her eyes at him produced no response. “Right now I can’t think of anything. I’ll explain they can’t accept the invitations they’ve received and tell them why. Also, I’ll say they can start attending day parties when their mental links come online and if we approve the public location. No house parties. That’ll buy us some time to come up with solutions by the time they’re teens. But understand this, if they choose to go away to college, they’re going.” She wouldn’t hinder her children from learning all they could and reaching for the stars.
Silas grunted as his eyes returned to the blue-greenish mixture. “By then, they’ll be able to fully defend themselves and will only need one guard to watch their backs.”
“We’ll see.” As necessary as these discussions over the children were, they drained her. Silas looked at things from one perspective, which often clashed with hers. One of the reasons the twins were so well adjusted stemmed from the fact she’d allowed them freedom to explore, within boundaries, and communicated with them every day on the differences between right and wrong as they grew.
“Jarcee says my princesses enjoy their self-defense training, take to it as naturally as the boys. I want my girls to kick ass just like my boys.” He pulled her close, his hardness pulsed against her.
“So they said. Jackie surprised me by how much she likes that class, it’s her favorite.”
“Oh, what about Adam? Gym?”
“Yes. All he talks about is playing sports.”
“He’s a team player, which is important in the pack. Renee’s is art, what’s David’s favorite class?”
“Computers. He asked for a real one, not like the ones in the nursery. I told him I’d talk to you and get back with him. Maybe for Christmas?” She looked at him.
“That’s months away, why not get him one now?”
“Silas, a computer is expensive.”
“What?”
Seeing his frown, she patted his chest. “Hear me out. He just started school, there are computers there for him to use. If this obsession for a computer continues, then he can have one as a Christmas gift. The kids don’t get whatever they want, when they want it, just because we can afford it. I won’t have spoiled brats.”
His frown deepened. “Spoiled? Brats? Why? Because we buy him a computer? Help me understand.”
“The first day they came home from school, Renee asked for cell phone because she saw a kid with one in their class. When I asked who she planned to call, she admitted no one. One of the boys told Adam he should get a pair of sneakers like his and showed him the price tag of $100. Adam actually asked if I would buy them. And that was the first day.”
“Money’s not an issue we can afford it, Jasmine. Although I’m not sure about the kids having phones, those can be tracked.”
She ground her teeth and stabbed him in the chest with her finger. “Damn it, Silas you’re missing the point, several points. It makes no sense to pay that much for shoes or clothes that they will outgrow in a month or two, I don’t care how much money we have. The parents who give cell phones to their children probably work far distances and use that as a means to stay in touch until they can pick up their children from wherever they are after school. Rese and Rone didn’t have cell phones until they started playing sports and had to remain after school so they could call me to pick them up. Phones are not toys.”
“Calm down, Jasmine, you made your point.”
“No, that’s just part of it. Only a very small percent of the kids at school have phones, wear designer clothes or $100 shoes. It’s clear to me that everything we do is under a microscope, so I want to send a clear message that we get it. We understand what it’s like to have kids and work. Sacrifices have to be made. My children are well-dressed, but not over the top, and they don’t just get everything they want or ask for. I told them we’d reward them for academic and conduct excellence. We’d only consider an expensive pair of shoes for that, or a special type of paint, or a puzzle. But to just give a child everything they ask for is begging for trouble in the long run.”
Silas crushed her against his chest and then rubbed his chin across the top of her head. “Everything you’ve said makes sense, you’re the expert on children, so I’ll follow your lead. Expensive items for birthdays and Christmas, and rewards for excellence at school. Thanks for thinking of the pack, I hadn’t realized how our wealth could impact others.”
“Right now everyone’s excited to have the kids at school, watching everything they do. Soon they’ll realize they’re just normal kids and treat them that way. At least that’s the plan.” Leaning back she looked into his eyes. “They’re just two and a half years old and already in school. So young.”
“So are all the other pups in their class, plus that’s two and a half in human years. I’ve explained wolf pups grow faster, by our standards they’re what humans would consider six or seven years. Most pups start school right after they can walk and understand directions. Our pups are late.”
She punched his chest. “No they’re not.” She released a breath and opened her hand. “I want them to have a good, solid childhood to prepare them for the rest of their lives.”
“Sweet Bitch, you’re doing that. Don’t forget, I receive reports from Jarcee and his security team every day. At any time during the day I can, and have, watched my pups interact at school. They’re curious, smart and respectful. As I said before, you’ve done a good job with them.”
Jasmine leaned her forehead on his chest and inhaled. Nothing smelled as good as her man. Faint aromatic tendrils from their lovemaking l
ingered in the air. She licked his skin, tasting the salt from his sweat.
A deep rumble filled his chest as he pulled her closer.
Smiling, she flicked the tip of his nipple with the edge of her fingernail a few times. His large body shuddered.
He squeezed her ass.
She bit his nipple.
Arching his back, he pressed into her mouth. “Yesss…” With a firm grip on her ass, he rolled her on top of him and slid her over his erect cock, moaning when she matched him perfectly.
“Why do you always smell so good?” she whispered, taking another whiff. “Makes me weak whenever I’m this close.”
“I’ll remember that.” He slapped her ass and then moved her around, causing friction.
Hot flames of desire shot to her core. Throbbing, she backed up, searching for the one thing that’d scratch the itch consuming her. Silas held his penis and she slid home.
Sighing at the fullness, she pressed her forehead against his chest and enjoyed this incredible closeness with him. Theirs started as the most unlikely union, a blending of hearts and souls, and now a few years later, her memories of life before him had dulled to a dismal gray, a period in time she barely recalled except for events with her sons.
He lifted his hips while holding onto her, moving in a slow up and down rhythm, deliberately driving her insane. Hands on his chest, she pinched his nipples and sat up, taking control of the thrusts, going deeper, faster.
Watching his eyelids flutter, his face grimace and tighten, she increased the speed, taking them higher. Together, she wanted them to reach the pinnacle as one. The muscles in his neck tightened, his back arched and she closed her eyes as her body shook and exploded.
Silas growled beneath her, holding her tight as he bucked into her once, twice, and then held her in place while yelling his release.
Sweat dripped from her forehead onto his chest. Riding Silas always took a lot from her, but it was damn satisfying watching him. Sliding to the side, she kissed his chest and snuggled close.
He held her in place and brushed a kiss across her forehead. “You’re a wild one, Sweet Bitch. Damn near wore me out. Love that about you.”
Chapter 6
“What?” Elyria screamed as she stalked to Mélange. “What the hell did you just say?” Color drained from her face, leaving a pasty canvas which made her blue eyes appear large and shiny, like marbles.
Mélange’s vision wavered beneath the heat of her despair. “I begged you to go to the island and live, to retire, but you wanted to do this last job. We didn’t need to come here, but you never listen to me!” Mélange scooted back on the sofa, dropped her head to her knees and wrapped her arms around them as loud, heart-breaking sobs escaped.
“Mélange…Mel…come on, it’s…I never thought…please, don’t cry.”
Heart pounding as if it would escape the confines of her chest, Mélange wiped her face with the back of her hand and snickered at the irony of fate. “Look what happened, the person you send me to set-up for the job turns out to be my mate.” Cold, empty, numb, she wrapped her arms around her waist and dug her nails into her skin to feel something.
Elyria shook her head. “Wait a minute. She’s human, how can she be your mate?”
“I don’t know.” Mélange sat still for a moment and met her gaze. “I don’t know,” she whispered.
Elyria stared at her as if she were unhinged. “Mates?” She laughed as color returned to her cheeks. “Impossible.”
Mélange wished she could laugh it off as easily as Elyria. But the unmistakable signs grew stronger each day she denied the bond. “The impossible has happened and I blame you! Goddess,” she mumbled. “Why the hell did I get attached to a human? Somebody please answer me that.”
Hand on one hip, Elyria stared at her a few moments, biting one long red fingernail. “Her sister is mated to La Patron, maybe there’s something in their line. They share a mother, not a father. I didn’t think there’d be a connection.”
Mélange’s mouth dried and her throat tightened as she continued to stare at Elyria. The attraction was still there, but it lacked the fire which normally burned in her gut when she and her lover were together. Her mouth didn’t water and she had no desire to touch Elyria.
She opened her mouth to tell Elyria she loved her, and couldn’t speak. Her hands shook as she thought of touching the woman who held her heart. When she couldn’t move, she closed her eyes as they filled with tears and then looked up.
Her life was over.
“I want to spend my life with you, it’s all I’ve dreamed of the past 10 years…what the fuck am I going to do without you?” Mélange whispered raggedly.
Elyria jerked as if she hadn’t thought that far. “We aren’t separating; you’ll have to fight this. We’ve worked too hard and too long to get this far.” Her voice rose and she spoke faster and faster. “I’ll check my books, see what I can find to break the mating bond. What are the symptoms?” Her gaze flew over Mélange, and then she stopped in front of her, grabbed her by the arms and shook her. “Tell me, how do you know she’s your mate?”
Mélange tapped her chest. “It hurts when she leaves, my wolf cries for her mate.” Her hands covered her ears. “I can’t shut out her whining and longing for Renee. It’s driving me crazy.”
Elyria gasped and stumbled back. “You…you want someone else?”
“No…my wolf does. She’s not listening to me,” Mélange cried. Unbearable pain split her chest in half at the thought of life without Elyria, while her wolf demanded Renee.
“Make her listen, damn it. I’m not giving you up, I can’t…I can’t. We’re a team, you love me. I love you…fight this thing, whatever it is. She’s just a stupid human!”
Growling, Mélange jumped from her chair, her wolf bleeding through as her claws pierced her fingers.
Elyria jumped back, swallowing hard, and then covered her ears with her palms, shaking her head.
A few seconds later, Mélange re-gained control and extended a hand to Elyria, who hesitated before taking it. “Please help me. I don’t know how to stop this. I choose you, I’ll always choose you.”
Elyria wrapped Mélange in her arms and stroked her hair gently. Shaking with the effort it took to control her wolf, Mélange remained straight as a board, breathing heavily.
Her thoughts fought on the battlefield of her mind. Her wolf demanded she leave the shelter of Elyria’s arms, while her heart begged to remain. Her wolf howled in displeasure that another prowled her thoughts, while her heart detested Renee and everything she stood for.
“Shhh, don’t worry love. We’ll fix this, somehow we’ll figure a way to beat this, we’ve won every battle so far, we’ll win this. It’s just me and you against them all, we always win…” Elyria rocked her back and forth.
Mélange heard the words, but her wolf rejected them. “I don’t want a human mate, you’re everything I’ve ever wanted in a mate. Who’s doing this?”
“Someone once said the Goddess made the assignments, but I’m not sure.” Elyria paused. “We can program your necklace so that your wolf is silent.”
Excited over the prospect of outwitting her beast, Mélange looked up, an agreement on her lips until she saw Elyria’s frown. “What else?”
“The necklace already prevents La Patron from accessing your wolf, to silence it further may damage her beyond repair. Which means you’d lose all the benefits from your wolf.” The look of sorrow in her eyes underscored just how bad Mélange’s life would be if she made that choice.
“The ability to heal? Smell, see, move fast, morph? I’d lose it all?” She needed to say it, to hear it out loud, to make the consequences real.
Elyria nodded.
Mélange dropped her head and stared at her hands. Small, lethal, and covered with the blood of her victims. How would a human ever understand who she was? The things she’d done or choices she made? One couldn’t lie to a mate. She’d skated on the edge of truth so far, but if they ever mated,
Renee would see her dark heart and soul. Was she doomed to live the rest of her life with someone who despised her? Who couldn’t ever understand the choices she made to survive? Or the way she chose to live?
Unable to put the overwhelming distress in words, she bent forward clutching her waist. A low keening sound ripped from her soul, filled her mouth and entered the atmosphere. Her breath shortened, but she kept crying and intermittently making that sound.
Elyria’s arms were around her again. This time the heaviness in the air reminded her of a wake, which seemed more appropriate. No matter what they wished, their relationship died the moment Mélange’s wolf recognized Renee.
Chapter 7
“Are you free for lunch,” Jasmine asked Rose. She hadn’t spent much time with her daughter-in-law lately. Preparing her small crew for school had been an all-consuming task. Silas’ reminder of how fast wolves grow spurred her into seeing her grandbabies today.
“Oh, please, please let’s have lunch and talk. I’ve missed the sound of adult conversation,” Rose said and then laughed.
Jasmine chuckled. “In that case, you want to bring the boys here and we can eat on the balcony?”
“Perfect, 30 minutes? An hour? How soon?” Rose asked and Jasmine felt bad she hadn’t offered to take the boys for a few hours so Rose and Tyrone could have a break. Jasmine frowned. Rose had a nurse for the boys, didn’t she use them?
“I’ve ordered lunch, so come whenever you’re ready.” She looked at the jeans and brown, loose blouse she wore.[iii] Should she change into something more kid friendly?
“I’m on my way. See you in a bit.”
She passed the large oval mirror in the dining area. Pulling her hair up away from her face she frowned, maybe she should secure it, might be too much of a temptation. Silas liked her hair down, and she planned to see him after lunch.
Jasmine opened the French doors that led to the veranda and allowed the cool breeze to flow inside as it brushed her cheeks. Stepping onto the terrazzo, she stared at the mountains in the distance, and then glanced at the courtyard below. The short basketball goal, small plastic tables, puzzles, and art supplies were situated in various spots. Normally, kids’ laughter filled the air as they chased each other. Now, blessed silence.
