Ash closed his eyes for a moment. She could tell he was still pained by his inability to find her. After all, he was the Guardian of the Forest, the one who was supposed to defend them all. Losing her had to have hurt him the most. “I’ll try.”
“That’s all I ask for.” Iva grinned and patted his arm. “And I’ll need you when I figure out how the hell we’re going to take those assholes down.”
“I expect one hell of a plan, then.” Ash grinned, his expression easing a bit. There was still tension in him. Maybe she’d have a word with Selena. If anyone could get Ash to relax and accept Iva’s fate it was his mate. Selena could easily tease Ash until he was happy again. Or aggravate him to the point where all he was focused on was his mate.
The grin eased up, and he became pensive once again. “What exactly did you have to do to become one with that blood, by the way?”
Iva groaned. “Not this again.”
“No, I need to know.” Ash put his hand on her knee. “If I do, maybe I can let this go and truly believe it was meant for a reason. Besides, it might ease Selena’s mind as well. She’s worried about you.”
“Grr.” Iva patted his hand. She’d try to explain it a little better. At least he wasn’t asking about the torture the Van Helsings had inflicted on her. “Fine. It...wasn’t what you might expect. At first my tree and I tried fighting it, I mean physically fighting the infection like we would any other.”
“We could sense you fighting, but there wasn’t anything we could do to help.”
Again, how badly had that galled him? She kept her tone soft, hoping it would soothe him. “I’m here now, bro.”
“For how long?” He grunted when she punched his arm. “You hit like a girl.”
“Which is why you’re ready to cry for your mama.” Iva was used to bantering with him like this. They always had, and the routine grounded her like nothing else could. “Before I got to my tree I don’t remember much of anything at all, other than being taken. They pumped me full of their shit, but I was unconscious for most of that.”
And totally conscious for other parts, parts she never wanted anyone to find out about. Especially Noah and Ash. The two would probably form a small army to avenge her, and that wasn’t what she wanted.
She just wanted what happened to her to never happen to anyone else.
“And when you weren’t?”
Hellfire would be licking her toes before she told that story. “When you brought me here, I joined my tree.”
Ash’s lips tightened, but that was the only sign he’d caught her changing the subject. He’d seen the wounds, the cuts, the burns, the places they’d put out cigarettes on her skin to find out if she’d smell like wood when she burned. They’d brutally shaved her hair off, leaving only patches behind, because they’d planned on taking a sample of her brain while she was still alive. Luckily, she’d been found by Noah and rescued by the town’s forces before that happened. They’d cut away patches of skin, fed her only through intravenous fluids, and done a full pelvic exam that was so painful she’d screamed herself hoarse. They must have multiple samples from not only her but others as well, others who wouldn’t talk any more than she would. The thought of speaking aloud what had been done to her made her nauseous.
“It was hard at first,” she continued, ignoring his glare, “and it only got worse. We really thought we’d die.”
He glared at her but finally dropped it. “You said you joined with the blood, but you never said why. How did you come up with that idea?”
“I told you, my tree suggested it.” She glanced fondly over at Yew. “And let me say, I wasn’t a fan of the idea, but by then we had nothing left in us to fight it off. It was make it ours or let go.”
Ash’s whispered curse wasn’t a surprise. “We came up with an antidote while you were in your tree. We should have figured out a way to get to you and administer it.”
She shook her head. “If I’d left my tree by the time you found it, I really would have died. From what you guys have told me we were already in the process of assimilation when you found the cure.”
“Assimilate. Assimilate.” Greer dropped down on Iva’s other side, his voice robotic. “I am Greer of Borg.” He pointed at Ash. “You will be an asshole.”
Ash rolled his bright green eyes. “Fuck you, Greer. You’re just as worried as I am.”
“I’m not a threat to the Throne, so that should tell you something.” Iva shrugged. “What do you want me to say? I did what I had to do, and if I had to do it all again I would.”
“So now that we’re done with that...” Greer drawled. He leaned against her side and blinked up at her innocently. His light brown eyes were glittering with amusement. “Tell me about fuzzy love.” His voice deepened on the last two words. He wagged his brows. “C’mon, dish. Does he growl in the sack? Does he sprout fur in unmentionable places? Does he shed all over the sofa? Inquiring minds want to know.”
Iva started laughing. Goofy Greer, always trying to get them to lighten up. “Yes, there’s fur on the sofa. I don’t think he was doing anything unmentionable like licking his balls, though.”
“Damn.” Greer stretched his legs out, putting them between Ash and Iva. He leaned on his elbows and stared up at the two of them. “So, whatcha doin’?”
“Staring at my tree,” Iva deadpanned.
“Guys, this is important.” Ash stood and started to pace in front of them.
“Huh. That sounds boring as piss.” Greer stared at her tree too. “Yup. I was right. Boring.”
“Greer.” Ash’s tone was fierce. “I will kick your ass.”
“You’d have to catch me first, slowpoke.” Greer wiggled his toes. “I’m the fastest weenie in the west for a reason.”
Ash shook his head fondly. “Ass.” He turned to Iva. “Did we tell you he went after Nelson Rhodes, the Van Helsing second-in-command, all by himself and almost got killed?”
Iva turned slowly to Greer, who hopped up and backed away. “I got him, didn’t I? I wasn’t expecting the head demon to show up!”
Iva stood slowly. She was gonna beat the crap out of Greer. “Are you crazy? You could have been killed!”
He stopped, appearing to think about it.
“Greer!” She raced to him and slapped his chest.
“Don’t worry, I already burned his butt about that.” Mollie strolled over to them, her stride weary. It was obvious she’d just come from work at The Greenhouse, a conservatory for rare species of plants, from the way she was dressed. She wore modest heels and a traditional suit, her red curls pulled back into a bun. She always dressed that way when working. Mollie ran The Greenhouse with both an iron fist and a loving touch.
The Greenhouse was a labor of love for Mollie, an homage to Greer and the secret love she’d held for him for so long. Iva had always been aware of how the two felt about each other, but since neither one of them had been ready to act on their mutual attraction Iva had decided to wait it out. Their road had been rocky, but she was glad that they’d finally pulled their heads out of their asses and gotten together.
“Hello, honey bun.” Greer kissed Mollie’s cheek, bringing a soft smile to Mollie’s lips. “How was your day?”
“Ugh.” Mollie shuddered. “Finance meeting. And don’t get me started on Parker’s notes.”
“What did he do this time?” Even Ash sounded amused. Iva still hadn’t met the vampire, but apparently, he was quite an interesting fellow if he could get Ash to smile like that.
Mollie put her hands on her hips. “Basically, he wanted me to tell the board that unless he gets more money for better fertilizer he’s going to tend to the matter himself.”
Iva frowned. “What’s wrong with that?”
Mollie gritted her teeth. “He talked about sucking the water out of a cactus and, I quote, ‘letting nature take its course, and trust me, it won�
�t be pretty.’”
Iva was confused on more than one point. “But doesn’t cactus water give you dia—”
“Yes,” Mollie hissed before Iva could even finish the word.
“But vampires don’t do the poo,” Iva pointed out. “Vampires don’t exactly have digestive systems, do they?”
“Yes, it could happen.”
Both women shuddered.
“Needless to say I had to figure out a way to rephrase it ten minutes before the meeting started.” Mollie started pulling out the pins that held her bun in place. “I swear, that man is going to drive me to drink.”
Greer began leading Mollie away, talking quietly with her as they made their way toward the Great Oak. Mollie’s laughter rang out over the Throne at whatever Greer whispered to her, leaving Greer with a smug smile on his face.
“Never a boring moment these days,” Ash muttered. “Selena should be home soon too. I’ll talk to you again tomorrow before you head out to Noah’s.”
Yay. “All right, Ash. And stop worrying. I’ll be fine, I swear.”
“I’ll try.” He hugged her before heading into the forest so quickly he was nothing more than a blur.
Just as he disappeared her phone rang. “Hello?”
“Hey.” Noah’s deep voice washed over her. “I’m prepping for the pack meeting this weekend, so I can’t come there tonight. Come here to sleep?”
Her tree practically lifted roots to kick her as she started to say no. “I’ll be there soon.”
“I’ll meet you at the edge of the forest.”
Since that was halfway between his home and hers it worked. “All right. I’ll let Mina know where I’m going so she doesn’t worry.”
“Tomorrow night we’ll sleep in the Throne. We’re going to be splitting our time between our two homes, so there’s no time like the present to start.”
“Sounds great.” She smiled, thinking of the big, bad wolf in her underground sanctuary. “I think you’ll like my place.” She’d have to make sure there was room for the kids. There were two bedrooms besides hers. They could easily be converted for Sana and Milo’s use with a little help from her brothers and sister.
“And don’t forget, we have a date tomorrow night.”
“We do?” She tried to remember if he’d said anything about that before she’d left for the day, but she couldn’t remember anything like that.
“Monster Movie Night. The elementals picked a classic Godzilla movie this time.”
She chuckled. “I love Godzilla.”
“I thought you would. After all, you’re a Japanese yew.”
Iva blew a raspberry.
Noah laughed. “See you soon, sweetheart.”
“Ditto.” Iva closed her phone, smiling so broadly she was certain the man on the moon was blinded by it. She was spending the night again with her mate. What could possibly go wrong?
She found Mina working in her home office. “Mina, I’m heading to Noah’s for the night.”
Mina looked up from her work, her brows furrowed. “You need an escort to his house?”
Iva desperately fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I’ll be fine.” She called her silver sword to her hand, the magic of the dryads making it appear out of thin air. All the ruling dryads could perform this little trick, making them deadly enemies to face off against. “I’ve got this, and my wits. And this time I’m aware I might be a target.” She wouldn’t be caught off guard a second time.
“Stay in touch with the forest.” Mina was using her queen’s voice on Iva, forcing her to obey.
“Yes, my queen.” Iva bowed, dismissing her sword and connecting her consciousness to the forest. “I’ll be going now. And yes—” she held up her hand “—I’ll call you when I meet up with Noah.”
“He’s meeting you?” Mina relaxed back into her seat, the concern she’d been showing a moment before dissipating. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Iva nodded before dashing out of Mina’s home and up the stairs to the Throne. She waved goodbye to Greer and Ash, heading for the edge of the forest with an eagerness she’d rarely shown before when leaving her beloved home.
Noah was already there when she arrived, his SUV idling by the side of the road. He grinned at her as she ran toward the passenger side door. “Everything go okay with Mina?”
She nodded as she buckled her seat belt. “I have to call her to let her know I’m with you.”
He checked his mirrors then pulled back onto the road, headed for town and his home. “Go ahead. I can understand why she’s so worried about you.”
Iva could too, which was why she hadn’t fought Mina’s decree. She dialed, speaking quickly with her queen and hanging up before Mina could pull her into a discussion of her patrol. Mina didn’t want her going alone. Iva wanted to keep her guards to a minimum.
Besides, there’d been wolves shadowing her the entire time. The forest had been amused at the alpha’s shenanigans. Iva had just sighed, resigned to the fact that her mate was going to protect her whether she liked it or not.
They pulled up in front of Noah’s home. He cut the engine, glanced around, and got out of the car. Iva spoke to the grass and trees around his home as she too got out of the car. “All quiet, Noah. No one’s been here who shouldn’t have been.”
He opened the front door. “I could tell.” He pointed to his nose just as Milo barreled into him. “Oof.”
“Uncle Noah!” Sana also bolted into him, sending him staggering backward.
Iva laughed. “I think they like you.”
Noah was hugging them back just as tightly as they were hugging him. He winked at her, his expression mischievous. “Feeling’s always been mutual.” He glanced back down at the kids. “Ready for pizza night?”
“Yay!” Two high, loud voices answered, nearly shattering Iva’s eardrums with their enthusiasm.
Two pizzas and a Disney movie later had Iva carrying a sleepy Sana up to her room. Sana had started nodding off before the movie was over. Milo followed behind, holding Noah’s hand. She spoke softly, not wanting to wake the child in her arms. “I’ll get Sana settled while you get Milo, okay?”
Noah nodded, leading Milo to his bedroom.
Iva carefully lay Sana in her bed, covering her with her blanket. They’d had the kids get in their pajamas before they started the movie, and she was glad Noah had thought of that. She’d never wrangled a sleeping child into clothing before, and she wasn’t sure how well she’d do.
She sighed as she closed the door to Sana’s room. Noah was just coming out of Milo’s, a similar sigh sounding from him as well. “I am so ready for bed.”
Noah chuckled. “First day back at work tuckered you out?”
She nodded, exaggerating the movement. “Hell yeah.”
Taking hold of her hand, he led her to his bedroom. “Then let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow night, we go see Godzilla with the kids.”
“That should be interesting.” She started absent-mindedly pulling off her clothes. By the time she was in her underwear she realized that Noah hadn’t moved a muscle. “Noah?”
“Ugh.” He shook his head. “Finish in the bathroom, for the love of the gods of wolves.” He shuddered, his gaze heated as he stared at her breasts, still encased in her simple white bra. “You have no idea the things I want to do to you right now.”
She could guess just from the look on his face. “Gotcha.” She picked up her overnight bag and carried it into the bathroom. Closing the door, she settled the bag on the toilet and pulled out her nightgown.
“I’ve cleared some room in my drawers and closet for some of your clothes.” Noah’s deep voice easily carried through the bathroom door.
“Oh?” She took off her bra and slid on her nightgown. Grabbing her toothbrush, she started brushing her teeth.
“Yeah. I’d like it if you
did the same for me at your place.”
She rinsed and spit, washing her face quickly before she answered. “I can do that.” She was already planning on remodeling her guest bedrooms. Making room for his clothing in her bedroom should be a piece of cake.
Finishing up her bathroom business, she opened the door and stood aside so Noah could enter. “Thanks.”
Iva crawled into bed, already yawning. She really was more tired than she’d expected, but she’d had a good day, both work wise and family wise. She should be as good as new after a restful night’s sleep.
Noah was quick, coming out of the bathroom faster than she had. He climbed between the sheets, pulling her close to him. “Mm, that’s better.”
The satisfaction in his tone matched the happiness she was feeling. “This is going to work, I just know it.”
He chuckled. “What’s going to work?”
“This. Us.” She wriggled a bit until she found a comfortable position, with one leg over his. “I feel so comfortable with you.”
He practically purred at her words. “Ditto, mate.” He cupped her chin, lifting her face to his. He kissed her softly on the lips, an affectionate gesture she returned. “Good night, Iva.”
She placed her cheek back on his chest, smiling contentedly. “Good night, Noah.”
Chapter Six
“Milk Duds! Milk Duds! Milk Duds!” Milo chanted, practically skipping beside Noah. He held on tight to Noah’s hand as they approached the candy counter where Iva and Sana stood waiting for them, their arms filled with drinks and snacks. He’d parked the car about two blocks away, taking Milo with him. The tiny theater’s parking lot was overflowing, so Noah had decided to walk rather than fight someone for a miniscule spot half on the grass in front of the hardware store.
Iva smiled when she saw them, Sana ducking behind her and staring at all the milling people. He’d hoped that by leaving Sana with Iva that the two would bond. Sana had seemed excited to spend time with Iva again, so he’d taken the gamble.
Hour of the Wolf Page 6
