“He doesn’t hate you, Ethan. He just doesn’t want me to grow up and move out.”
“I won’t take you from your family, Savanah. I know what it’s like to lose your family. I lost mine when I turned. For all it’s worth, I would’ve had an easier time of it telling my parents I was gay. That, they could understand since my oldest sister is. Being able to shift into a werewolf—well let’s just say they’ve seen Were-Wolf in London and Resident Evil too many times and have no idea the movies are fictitious. It hurts. I have one sister, Edan, she’s eight months older than me. She dragged me wherever she went from the day I was born until the day I almost died. She was my best friend. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss her. We were as close as you and Julian.”
This time Savanah sat swiping tears from Ethan’s face.
“Eth, we met a girl at Lillian’s the night I met you. Her name was Edan. Come to think of it she looks just like you. Maybe together we could go and see her and invite her to the wedding and to meet our family. Give her a chance to see you’re really all right, despite the monthly fur coat.”
“I had no idea she was in town.”
Ethan gave her a hug that stole her breath. Seeing movement from the corner of her eye, Savanah jumped, only to slam into Julian trying to sneak in.
“Hey, mister voyeur, how long you been standing there?”
“Too long. Your Pop and uncle are packing up. So, did I hear wedding bells are going to ring?” Julian bent to eyelevel with her. “Congrats, baby. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.” He planted a big kiss on her cheek. “I hear you sprang a good one on your Papa. Don’t you know if you’re going to do things like that I have to be around to witness them? Come on, Savvy, what is it I live for?”
Savanah smiled despite the fact she felt horrible.
“You, Peanut, need to get dressed and go talk to your father. I know you feel awful. You’ve red puffy eyes to show for it. But cover up the purple patch on your neck before you go in. Telling him you two were together is one thing. Telltale signs are another slap in his face. And don’t mention any wedding yet. Let him warm up to Ethan on his terms.”
“I thought you lived for this sort of torment.”
“I’m your father’s lunch today. I don’t want him ripping me to shreds while he’s thinking of Ethan. Self-preservation and all.”
Once more a steady stream of tears broke the floodgates. Dragging one of the sheets off the bed left Ethan scrambling for cover. Savanah wound the sheet around herself and with a quick spin of her heels, she turned only to land in her father’s arms.
“I’m so sorry, Papa.”
“No, I am.” André crushed her to his chest. “I don’t know what came over me. You’re the one pure thing I have left in my life, and I don’t want you hurt or gone from me.”
“Papa, I’m not going anywhere. I was out of line.”
“No, I was, butting in. I realize I am an imbecile on occasion, but it’s only because I’m genetically linked to Lucian. He’s the real imbecile.” André turned his attention to Ethan sitting there with nothing more than a lacy, black boxer draped across his lap. An eyebrow shot up.
He didn’t apologize or welcome him to the family, but he didn’t kill him either, so as far as Savanah’s concerns went, life was like a bowl of cherries, sweet ’til you broke your tooth on a pit.
“Hey, Ands, come on. Limo’s waiting.” Lucian hollered from the adjoining room.
“Where you headed?” Savanah grabbed her father’s hand lightly.
“If we don’t come home with gifts for your Mum and Serina, there will be hell to pay. Lucian and I are going to hit the Canal Street Mall while you guys finish packing. And dressing. We’ll be back in one hour.” André kissed Savanah’s forehead. “I know he asked you to marry him this morning,” he whispered. “And I know you accepted. It’s not him, it’s me. Give me time?”
“Papa, we have all the time in the world. And trust me, once you get to know him, you’ll love him.”
“Let’s not push it. Let me get past wanting to kill him first?” He winked. “The lacy boxers would look better on my daughter, Ethan.” André broke out in laughter as he left.
“That’s what I said.”
With preternatural speed Ethan got dressed and threw his belongings into a duffle bag. “Do you mind if I go with Lucian and André?” he asked not even out of breath.
Savanah’s eyes grew outrageously wide. “Got a death wish? Why would you knowingly put yourself in the mix with them?”
“Gotta start some time, sweet cheeks. Might as well be now. Besides, I want to hit up a little store we passed the other night when I carted your little ass around town.”
“Oh, so now it’s little? Weren’t you just last week telling me how heavy I was?”
“Engaged men are smarter than that, baby. I know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.”
Savanah giggled. “You and I can play some poker some night, and we’ll see how well you fold.”
“Strip poker only. Be prepared to lose your shirt…for starters. See you in a while.” Ethan kissed the tip of Savanah’s nose and scooted out the door on Lucian’s heels, belting out one of his favorite songs about making love slow and easy.
Lucian stopped dead in his tracks leaving Ethan no room to brake. With a snail’s turn and a deadpan glare Lucian suggested, “You might want to find another song to sing Ethan, unless you really do have a death wish.” Then he continued as if nothing happened.
Ethan didn’t care. Nothing or no one was going to mar this day for him, even if his subconscious tried reasoning with him that there was an overabundance of testosterone and vamp pheromones living under one roof. Didn’t matter as long as the one woman he loved lived there. Nothing else mattered. He felt another song coming on.
****
The flight home went off without a hitch, with the exceptions of the bumpy skyways. Ethan couldn’t find an altitude where turbulence wasn’t waiting like a rickety, broken roller coaster.
Lucian and André fought like schoolboys over who rode shot-gun in the co-pilot’s chair. They both wanted to test their piloting skills and Ethan, being an incredibly quick study, decided it was better to butter his bread than toast it. André reigned control of the co-pilot throne. Savanah whispered the words, “brown-noser” in his ear, and he chuckled. He wasn’t above reproach at this point. When the plane did its first loop-de-loop, Julian’s voice flooded the cockpit with a horror scream that put scary movie screams to shame. André yelled over the loud speaker, “To the moon, Grimmy.” The second spinning dive Julian counted, “Hail Mary, full of grace, please get me the hell out of outer space so I can rip the smug smile from my brother-in-law’s face,” over and over.
Ethan attempted to explain that the aerodynamics of the plane weren’t built to do things jet fighters did, but did it stop André?
Hell no!
Soaring toward the heavens like a rocket, the plane’s engine cut out just as André pulled back on the throttle and did a backwards dive. Ethan’s gut did a weightless, flip-flop as the plane hung suspended for a second before it plummeted toward the earth.
Julian cried out, “Ands, you’re a dead man if we land.”
André laughed like a madman, and resembled one as he hung on to the controls, and restarted the plane. Staring into the horizon, he sang, Aerosmith’s, Back in the Saddle. Ethan joined him. Shortly thereafter, they lost Julian. Cookies were tossed and vows of retribution were once again sworn. The last hour of the flight, Ethan handed over his controls to Lucian. Ethan grabbed Savanah’s hand and ventured to the back of the plane.
****
“You weren’t kidding when you told me you had a little spot to get laid in. I mean lay in.” Savanah’s smile purred sex. A plush double mattress just begged to be bounced on. “Can anyone see us from here?”
“Not unless they really have eyes in the back of their heads. You’re not really thinking what I hope you’re thinking are you,
Misses?”
Savanah’s grin widened. “A real quickie? They’ll never know.”
“Baby, they’ll know. Trust me. The altitude does things to you and makes you sing louder than your Pops. But, hey, who am I to look a beautiful gift in the mouth and deny her ecstasy?”
Savanah jumped on the mattress. “How do we do this?”
“Did I teach you nothing this morning? You need your pants off, I need mine down and then?” Savanah attempted to swat him, but he caught her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed each finger. Before she realized what he was up to he led her hand down the inside of his pants handing over his personal joystick to her. “Trust me?”
Savanah gave a quick nod. “Yes.”
Not seconds went by and Savanah’s pants were around her ankles, exposing her own personal heaven to him.
“You can play with my throttle only for a minute or two, but then let up on the pressure or we won’t get a clean landing.” After a moment of silence Ethan’s lips found Savanah’s private lips, kissed her, sucked her, and lapped away at her as her body let him know she was very happy he’d chosen a personal flight plan for her, because she was gliding above the clouds. Ethan’s fingers slipped in and out of her velvety haven time and time again, hitting that one sweet spot she’d become very fond of in the recent past hours of her life.
“This is truly heaven,” she admitted when her knees started their little dance with the crescendo of the orgasm. “Ethan, are you going to join me or is this a solo flight?”
“I’m coming, baby. You ready?”
“Possibly passed that point.”
“You are not. I’d know.” In one well-timed move, Ethan moved atop of her, nudged her legs apart, and slid his shaft in deep, bumping her cervix. A loud hic-cup echoed in the small room.
Savanah’s breath caught in her throat and in that one look, Ethan had her. Covering her mouth and muffling her scream, he knew they were so caught. Her voice flew faster than the speed of sound. Her orgasm followed, climbing higher than the clouds they sailed through and all he could do was hang on for the ride. He pumped into her faster than the pistons in his car worked and with more precision. Being a werewolf had a few redeeming qualities. Faster and harder could be taken seriously.
Laughing and thoroughly exhausted, they crept out of the little cabin. Julian acknowledged the two of them with his putrid green pallor and red eyes. “Aye, Captain Kitt. Inducting the new flight attendant I see.”
Ethan’s temper hit a new altitude, a cross between anger and embarrassment. “What the hell’s wrong with you? It’s one thing for you to know what we were up to, but it’s not right that you announce it like it’s her coming out party or something. She’s not a debutant. It’s no wonder it took her this long to bring someone home.”
As Julian asked at point blank range, “You don’t get it do you, Ethan?” the vile vomit breath flew across the span of the plane as easily as and accurately as dog farts.
Ethan gagged. “Uncle Julian, there are mints in the closet and mouthwash back in the bath. Ugh! Use it, now.”
Covering his mouth, Julian excused himself. On return, he smelled minty-fresh.
André swung his captain’s chair to face the rear. “Ethan, we believe there is only one person for each of us to love. From the day we meet that person, we know, just as Savanah knew when she saw you last week. That is the reason she hasn’t brought anyone home, not that she hadn’t found anyone in the past. It’s why Julian is still searching.”
“How do you know these things?” Ethan sat down, grabbed Savanah and pulled her onto his lap. Once she settled, his arms wrapped around her, his fingers locked with her hers.
“Trust your instincts, Ethan. It’s brought you this far. You asked Savanah to marry you this morning after only being with her a short seven days. And she said yes. My guess is you knew the minute you saw her in Lillian’s.”
“Honestly? I knew when she accosted me in the airport.”
“I did no such thing,” Savanah protested. “You did the accosting.”
“She took my breath away.” Ethan smiled at his fiancé.
“Really?” Savanah leaned into him, angling for a quick kiss.
Ethan obliged with a soft kiss on the corner of her lips. “If you guys are finished, I should probably take over and land. The airport’s calling in the runway patterns.” Ethan gave a little nod to the twins. Without missing a beat he said, “This means one of you has to give up a seat.”
With a challenged glare, Lucian and André shot odd/even fingers at each other. Lucian grinned in triumph as André moved to one of the seats in the rear. “Thank you, Ethan, for this opportunity. I’ve forgotten the freedom this offers.”
“Anytime, call me, and we’ll come up.”
Savanah wiggled her nose into Ethan’s neck and whispered, “Brown-noser,” one last time and then kissed him lightly.
Chapter Thirteen
One foot in the door, Ethan stifled the thought he’d just been tossed into the lion’s den. He wondered why they even bothered with the Welcome Home mat outside the front entrance. A meat-grinder would have been more appropriate. His soon to be mother-in-law’s blistering glare oozed retribution. Standing beside Jovan, her side-kick—Doctor Serina with a lethal injection hidden somewhere on her person he was certain, and next in the firing squad’s line-up, the totally, non-lactating—Raven, and members of their chain gang, Payton, Duncan, and Jonah, all shoulder to shoulder like great starving cats, snarling angry, because they didn’t like the piece of meat offered to them—him.
Savanah grabbed Ethan’s hand and dragged him in. Lucian, André, and Julian brought up the rear. Jovan walked up to Ethan with a viper’s grin and slapped his face. Ethan didn’t flinch even as the deep red welt formed.
“What the hell, Mum? What the hell did he do to you?”
“Jesus, Blossom. That was out of line, even for you.” Julian added.
“It’s okay.” Ethan said as he rubbed his cheek. “We know now where we stand with each other. For the record, I’d have called you back, but you never left a number.”
“You put her in harm’s way. You could’ve gotten her killed. Absolutely nothing good has happened since you crawled from under your rock and into our lives.”
“Mum, he had nothing to do with Draque chasing me. He kept us alive.”
“No, Peanut, I kept you alive when you were unconscious in the car lot.”
“Thank you. It’s a comfort knowing that Savanah has a family that looks out for her wellbeing. Jovan, I hope that someday soon, you can trust me with her because I plan on taking care of her for a very long time.” Peripherally from the corner of his eye, Ethan saw André giving him the universal sign to shut up as he waggled his hand frantically across his throat like it was slit. Being a quick study, Ethan stopped talking.
“Not now, kid,” Lucian mouthed.
“Ethan, I didn’t like you when I first met you. Nothing has changed. Stay out of my way and don’t ever place my daughter in a position that could harm one hair on her head.” With an abrupt turn, she stormed out of the entryway.
“Cherié,” Andre chased after her. “Wait up.” Jovan turned back to them.
“We just spent a week with the man, and we didn’t kill him. That has to tell you something.”
“All it tells me is your judgment is poor. Did he let you fly his plane home? Is that why you like him?” Jovan didn’t miss a thing.
“Yes, but, Cherié, he loves her. It’s like Serina said. They’re a perfect match for one another.” Desperate to get a smile on her lips he added, “They complement each other better than Sonny and Cher.” No smile, but her glare intensified. “Give your daughter some credit. She’s intelligent and knows herself.”
“And that’s why she dated those two other scum of the earth creatures? Because she knew herself so well?” Jovan argued.
She had that point.
“Please, give him a week before you condemn the man.” André walked,
as if on egg shells, toward his wife.
“André, he’s tied to Sinclair. Does that mean nothing to you? The family is the cesspool of Hell. We are to have our babies in a few months, and we allow this man to come and live under our roof, knowing full well he carries a larger threat?”
Not wanting Savanah or Ethan to hear him, André shot Jovan a quick message. Jovan, you painted the damn picture yourself, little Miss Scryer. We have to protect him. I’m not asking you to be his best friend or bake him a cake, unless you really do want to kill him… He waited for a look that could kill, but Jovan tilted her chin up, defiant to the end. Stubborn was in the dictionary just because of her. Jovan spun and headed for the kitchen. André followed.
Jovan paled. André helped her sit by the fire pit. “Relax. I’ll make some tea.”
“André, I’m scared. Something’s going to happen, I can feel it down to my toes, and you know I’m never wrong. Our daughter’s got the vamp that haunts people in movies and real life after her, and Ethan’s tied to the second biggest nightmare. We need help.”
“Speaking of the big picture, everyone except Savanah has seen it.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this—” Jovan wiped tears from her cheek. “—He wasn’t supposed to be like this. When I scryed I saw a caring, loving man, not someone tied to the Lusitania.” More tears slipped past her hardened façade.
“I’ll add some herbs to your tea. Possibly a shot of brandy.”
Jovan’s face turned an angered shade of red.
“I’m teasing. Come up stairs. I’ll give you a nice massage and relax you in my own special way.”
“Your own special way got me into this mess, husband.”
“Ouch, Jovan. Don’t be upset with me. I’m not the one that slept with the guy.”
“You might as well be,” she huffed a blonde tendril from her face. “You certainly sound as if you like him enough too.”
André dropped to his knees and gave Jovan his best double lift eyebrow, wink-wink face. “I never said I wasn’t easy. You of all people should know that.”
Jovan’s husky-blue eyes almost barked.
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