by Maia Dylan
“Fuuck!” Tomas groaned, eyes watering as he leaned forward and reached up to wrap both hands around his now bleeding nose. With a grunt and an audible snap, he manipulated his nose back into place.
“Sum ob a bitch,” Diego cursed, assuming the same position and putting his own nose back into place.
“You two are pack,” Ty growled low, his dominance once again filling the surrounding space. “You go out on your own again, and I’ll fucking bleed you dry. In this case I understand, and what’s more, Trent and I would have done exactly the same damn thing. But you should have talked to us first. Clear?”
Tomas and Diego nodded, knowing that they were getting off easy. Many of the Alphas they had known over the years, having seen their actions as a direct challenge, would have taken their pound of flesh. Literally. But not Ty and Trent Jamieson. And that was why he and Diego were proud to be members of Grey River and had faith in the direction these men would take the shifter council now that they headed it.
“Right, now that we have that out of the way.” Ty turned and headed back into the conference room. “Step inside a minute. I want to talk to you about a situation and get your opinion on it.”
Tomas snarled, his wolf prowling within him as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to help stem the flow of blood from his nose. He knew it would stop bleeding soon, and his shifter abilities were already healing it, but damn, Ty packed a punch.
He shared a look with Diego. The two of them followed Ty into the conference room. Ty was holding open the door for them both, and Tomas almost expected the bastard to throw another punch.
They sat down across from Hunter and Dane, who were both sitting there grinning their asses off. “Boys,” Hunter said with a shit-eating grin. “You both are looking swell.”
Tomas shot him a droll look. “Dude, your sense of humor is almost as bad as your dress sense.”
“I have to agree with my brother, Hunter,” Diego added, having his back as always. “The eighties called, dude, and they don’t want that shirt back. They want you to burn the fucker and bury the ashes.”
Dane laughed his ass off as he slammed a hand against Hunter’s back. “It’s funny because it’s true. That shirt is fugly as sin.”
Hunter shot his lover an amused look. “Don’t really give a fuck.”
Dane shot Hunter a grin. Tomas and Diego had worked with and for Hunter and Dane for almost seven years now. It was great to see them finally acknowledge who and what they were to each other. But more than that, it was just nice to see them both happy, especially now that they had found their Xanthe.
Tomas leaned back, inhaling through his now fully healed nose. “So, what’s going on?”
“A few weeks ago, we had some trouble down in Houston,” Trent said as he took a chair near the head of the table, and Ty took the one opposite. “It had to do with the Alpha of the Greenspoint bear clan finding his mates and two asshole rogues wanting him declared unfit to lead.”
Tomas frowned. “That was the guy Seth Reid, wasn’t it? That big fucker who arrived when Pepper was still in hospital.”
Ty nodded. “Yeah, that was him. He came to talk to us about his choice of mates. His bear had imprinted on both a man and woman years before, and, well, long story short, the three of them finally got their shit together and were coming together as the triad the Fates meant them to.”
“Nice. But what does that have to do with us?” Diego asked the question that Tomas had just been about to voice.
“The problems Seth and his clan faced were driven from two rogue bastards with delusions of grandeur,” Trent answered. “We want to pull together a list of all dangerous rogues out there who might cause trouble. Those we deem as the biggest danger to our way of life will be tagged. Ty’s suggesting a microchip, but I think enforced registration and check-ins like a parolee would be sufficient. We are still working out the specifics. The council believes that the Enforcers would have encountered most of them in the past, and Hunter and Dane said that you two went on more reconnaissance and disciplinary missions than most in your group. We want you to tell us about each and every one of them so we have something to start with.”
Tomas nodded. “Makes sense. Of course, Jack and Maurice Casey have been on more rogue hunts than we have.”
Ty growled, his eyes narrowing. “They are not in Grey River to ask.” The pointed and clipped way he spoke had Tomas frowning.
“Oookay,” Diego drawled, staring back and forth between Ty and Trent. “What’s going on with them that we don’t know?”
Trent seemed to be amused more than anything. “Jack and Maurice Casey have been living in Oklahoma City for the past few months. I don’t see them coming back here any time soon.”
Tomas frowned and shot a look to Hunter. When he saw the man fighting a grin, he got even more curious.
“Jack and Maurice have a good reason for being there,” Hunter said when he caught Tomas’s stare.
“And that reason has another three months until she’s finished her degrees,” Ty said, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms over his broad chest.
Trent chuckled. “You are going to have to accept it at some stage, Ty.” He looked up at Tomas and Diego. “Jack and Maurice recognized the woman we consider out little sister as theirs. We asked them to give her time, and they’ve done that. They just chose to do that as close to her as possible.”
“Which is for the best”—Dane added a pointed look in Ty’s direction—“because that douchebag Jonas Parks is still out there, and even though we know that Faith is his target, you have to feel better about Sophia being so far away with them close by.”
Ty shot him a quelling look. “Of course it fucking does. But don’t think that Jack and Maurice are the only ones I have out there. If anything, Hunter, you should be concerned that your men haven’t noticed they aren’t the only ones out there.”
Hunter laughed. “Are you talking about the two bears you sent from Greenspoint?” Tomas saw Ty’s eyes narrow. “They spotted them weeks ago. They just don’t want to rile up their future in-laws by outing their sneaky tactics when they’re more concerned with getting their mate comfortable with them being around.”
Ty grunted. “As long as she’s not too damn comfortable, then they’ll survive.”
Tomas reached out and grabbed a pen and pad from the table in front of him. “Then let’s do this. If we can help give a heads-up to the factions who might encounter some of the sons of bitches we’ve had to deal with over the years, then I’m all for it.”
* * * *
Pepper exhaled slowly as she stared down the path that led to the lake. Her entire being was focused on the can Melaina had placed on a tree branch about a hundred feet away. She concentrated on lifting the can and holding it above the rock, but the thing didn’t move.
“Walk toward it,” Melaina said from behind her. “Then we will know the extent of your range.”
Pepper nodded and started to walk down the path. They had come out to a clearing in the forest beneath a ridge for a run. Melaina and Parris had set a pace she could match, but it was frustrating that she was so far off her usual fitness. When she had taken a few dozen steps, the can wobbled, and she stopped.
“How far do you reckon that is?” she asked a little breathlessly.
It took a lot of effort to throw her powers that far from her. The day she had managed to take control of Melaina, Xanthe, and Parris back at the cabin, it had taken hardly any effort at all. But lifting an empty can from a distance was taxing.
“I reckon it’s about fifty or sixty feet away,” Parris answered. “That’s not a lot of distance between you and whatever you are trying to stop.”
“True,” Melaina agreed, “but Pep simply has to wait until they get a little closer to her, and then she can rip them a new one. Go forward about ten feet and try again.”
Pepper took a few steps in and then lifted the can from the boulder. It wavered slightly, but held there. She put the ca
n down and went even closer until she was only about fifteen feet from the boulder.
“Here,” Pepper said as she turned to look at Melaina. “I can do maximum damage from this distance.”
“Are you sure?” Parris asked, staring over at the can.
Pepper used her ability to lift the can, crumple it into a small cylindrical solid shape, and fired it with enough speed to embed it almost completely into the trunk of a dead tree just off to the left of the boulder. “Yeah, pretty sure,” she deadpanned.
Parris’s jaw dropped with shock, and then she almost keeled over with fits of laughter. “Damn, Pepper, I never knew you could be so funny.”
Pepper smiled, something that was coming easier for her. “I never knew it either.”
Melaina stepped up beside her and slid her arm around Pepper’s shoulder. “Tomas and Diego are good for you, Pepper.” She reached out a hand to Parris, and when she took, Laina pulled her in so that the three of them stood in a triangle. Pepper wrapped her arms around her sisters.
“This is what I wanted for us, but never thought we could have it,” Melaina said quietly.
Parris frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Freedom, Parris,” Pepper answered, knowing exactly what Melaina was getting at. “We never had this in that compound, and now we are not only free of Aristos, but we are also free to be whoever we want and”—her voice dropped—“be with whoever we want.”
Parris grinned. “Damn right we are. But if someone had told me a year ago that I would be in a relationship with not one but two men, living in a town like a normal person, knowing that all the people I love most in the world lived there, too, I would have thought they were crazy.”
“And we are safe,” Melaina said in a voice filled with wonder. “If I allowed myself to think about getting you both out of that place, I always thought we would be running for our lives until I had a chance to take Aristos out.” She turned and smiled at Pepper. “But you did that, little sister.”
Pepper smiled, silently cursing the heat that rose in her cheeks. “I did. Who would have thought I’d have the strength to do that?”
Melaina and Parris both gave her a strange look. “We did,” they said at the same time.
“You said it yourself, Pepper,” Melaina continued. “You have always been the strongest one of us—you just couldn’t see it until now.”
Pepper swallowed a lump that had appeared in her throat. She never thought she’d have the strength to face up to Rafael, let alone Aristos. But when it came to it, she had. She had rescued herself when Rafael took her, and when Melaina was at risk, she had stepped in and took Aristos head on. She had often thought of herself as a waste of space, but maybe, just maybe she had a purpose in this life.
“Oh, you do, Pepper.” Tomas’s voice came to her as she was flooded with emotion from the bond within her. “Your purpose is to be who you are. Because you are perfect as you are.”
“You are everything, cariño,” Diego said. “Do you need us to come for you?”
Pepper smiled. “No, I’m okay. It’s going to take some getting used to is all.”
“What is?”
“Having emotions, I never allowed myself to have any, and now I seem to be flooded with them all the time, and it leaves my head spinning.” Pepper bit her bottom lip, pulling her courage around her. “You both leave my head spinning. I love how you make me feel. Cherished, protected and—”
A wave of nervousness had her cutting that thought short.
“Come on, niña,” Tomas said in a deep tone that her shivering. “Don’t be afraid.”
“Tell us what you were going to say, cariño,” Diego asked in an urgent tone. “Please.”
Pepper stepped into the unknown and whispered, “Loved. You make me feel loved.”
“Because you are,” Tomas said. “I love you, niña, with everything I am.”
“I love you, too,” Diego said gently. “So damn much.”
Pepper felt her emotions selling within her, but she couldn’t say the words. Not yet. She didn’t trust that this was real and forever, despite knowing in her hear that it was. She didn’t want to leave them both without a response, so she sent that swell of emotion to her mates down their bond. The groaned responses she got in return made her happy.
“Christ,” Tomas groaned. “Why the hell did we pick this moment to share our emotions when you aren’t here to pull into our arms?”
“Preferably when you were naked,” Diego added, and Pepper laughed out loud.
“I really want to ask what you and your mates are talking about,” Parris said, and Pepper looked up at her in surprise. She’d forgotten where she was, and both her sisters were staring at her with knowing grins on their faces. “But I’m not sure I’m ready to hear about anything X-rated that concerns my little sister. I’m too innocent.”
Melaina laughed. “Yeah, Parris Church, whatever you say.”
Pepper grinned. “My mates were just talking about getting me naked, in their arms and between them. That’s pretty normal in Grey River, right?”
Both women grinned back at her.
“Damn right it is,” Melaina said, and then turned back toward the direction they had run in from. “Come on, let’s head back. I promised Xanthe and Faith that we would meet them for lunch at Country Blue, but I want to grab a shower first.”
The three of them started back, their pace a little more sedate than it had been on the way in. She couldn’t wait to see Tomas and Diego. Last night had been amazing, and she hoped that they might feel up to making love to her tonight.
“Cariño,” Diego’s voice came over their bond, and Pepper loved that they kept it open to her pretty much all the time. “I can assure you we will most definitely feel like making love to you tonight.”
“And for the rest of our lives,” Tomas added.
And that sounded pretty close to perfect to Pepper.
Chapter Twelve
“Cassadee! We are most definitely going to need another round!” Faith called out across the bar to the beautiful blonde behind the bar. Pepper was already feeling the effects of the previous two drinks she had been drinking, but she thought more was definitely a good idea. When Cassadee looked over at their table, she nodded, her amber eyes flashing with laughter.
“I figured as much, Mrs. Jamieson, and I am just knocking off my shift so am about to join you.” Cassadee stepped out from behind the bar, handing her apron over to her husband AJ with a kiss. “Knocking off now, boss!”
Cassadee lifted the tray filled with frozen drinks from the bar and turned in their direction. AJ grinned and sent her off to their table with a slow swipe of his hand across her ass that earned them some whistles and catcalls, mainly from the other women at their table.
Pepper grinned as she glanced around her. Parris and Melaina sat on either side of her and looked more relaxed and carefree than they had ever seen her. Lucy Anderson sat across from her, laughing at Faith as she continued to holler at Cassadee as she walked over to them, and on either side of her were Rowena and Angel. All of these women were good people, and she loved that she could call them friends.
“Here you go.” Cassadee handed out the drinks as she sat down at the table and reached for a fry. “What did I miss? Sorry I had to miss the first two rounds. AJ and Sam only just got back from being on call.” Sam and AJ were firefighters and had been called into service in the early hours of that morning. Their crew had it under control quickly, but they didn’t get back until late, and Cassadee hadn’t wanted to wake them for their shifts until she was certain that they had both had enough sleep.
“You’re here for the most important part,” Faith said, and when she turned to look pointedly in Pepper’s direction, Pepper jolted slightly.
“Um, why are you looking at me like that?” Pepper asked, staring around the table and noting that most of the women were staring at her.
“Because,” Faith said as she reached under the table to pull out a beautifull
y wrapped parcel, “you didn’t know it, but you joined a very special club when you first came here. In fact, all of us who are sitting around this table are members of the club, and if we were all official and shit, then we could call this a meeting of that club. But we’re not. We do have some kick-ass accessories though, and this one is for you.”
Faith slid the box across the table, and Pepper sat there staring at the box for a long time. She had never been given a present before. And if she had been, she didn’t think it would look as beautiful as this one did. The box itself was white, and the ribbon that wrapped around it both vertically and horizontally was a deep red, and it came together in a large rosette at the center. Pepper looked up around the table and saw that all the women stared at her expectantly.
Swallowing hard, she reached out and pulled the box toward her. With as much care as she could muster, she untied the bow and carefully removed the ribbon, taking care not to damage it in any way.
“Damn, girl,” Lucy said with a grin, “you are gonna be a killer come Christmas. I reckon your men are going to be as generous as ours, which means that Santa is gonna come bearing loads of goodies for you. And it’s going to take you all day to open them all.”
Pepper frowned and flicked Lucy a quick look, but went back to opening the gift. “I’ve never had a present before. Well, that’s not true. Pepper and Melaina helped me to pick a date for my birthday, and on that day they would give me birthday gifts, but they were never wrapped like this.”
“We would have, if we could,” Melaina said.
Pepper heard the sadness in her tone and quickly looked up. “I loved those gifts! Even though I couldn’t remember my real birthday date, you and Parris gave me a day that was my own. That meant a lot to me.”
Pepper heard a sniffle from the other side of the table and saw that moisture glistened in the eyes of a couple of the women. Embarrassed, she went back to slowly removing the ribbon and setting it aside. When she reached for the lid of the box, she noticed that her hands shook.
