The Trouble with Parris [Grey River 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Maia Dylan

  Parris remained looking at the two Spanish shifters who never took their eyes off her little sister. Their stares were intent and filled with a yearning that was familiar to Parris. She saw it from her men on a daily basis. She didn’t know what the future held between the three of them if anything, but as long as they continued to put Pepper’s needs ahead of their owns, then they weren’t going to have to deal with her wrath.

  Melaina, however, was a whole other story. Parris figured that when Melaina got back to Grey River, and Parris was fucking positive that she would, then the Reyes brothers would have to deal with her protective streak. From what she understood, they were Enforcers and had a team of men who had their backs. Parris had the feeling that they were going to need them!

  Chapter 12

  “About time you got your hairy ass up out of bed.”

  Ty greeted Rhys as he stepped into the kitchen. Rhys grinned at his alpha that sat at the breakfast bar drinking coffee with his brother and reached for the coffee pot.

  “You’re looking a little worse for wear there, alpha. Something keeping you from your beauty sleep?” Rhys hid his grin behind his coffee cup as he lifted it to take a sip. The brew was dark, bitter, and strong, which told him that Jase had been the one to make it. Parris made hers a lot weaker, and the taste never left that bitter acrid flavor in the back of his throat.

  Ty’s gaze narrowed. “You know, Rhys, it is not exactly in your best interests to fuck off your sleep-deprived alpha who hasn’t rumbled with another shifter in almost three weeks. I will just as likely shift and rip you a whole new orifice from which to eat or shit than look at you. Do you want to know the last time I actually got a full night’s sleep? A fucking long time that’s how long.”

  “Come on, Ty. You know Rhys has always been one that likes to dance on the edge of danger,” Jase said, then shot Rhys a shit-eating grin. “Perhaps you should have a little rumble with the pup and see how he acts when it’s over.”

  Rhys flipped his brother the bird. “Fuck you, Jase. You may have two years on me, big brother, but I’m bigger than you, and I will kick your ass as soon as look at you.”

  “You can try, little brother. I’m always up for a laugh.” Jase grinned at him, and Rhys leaned over and punched him in the arm—hard. Bastard didn’t even flinch.

  “Well as much as this loving family moment warms the fucking cockles of my heart”—Ty always managed to hold a level of sarcasm that few could ever emulate—“but I am here for another matter. I’ve heard from Hunter and the news is the same.”

  Hunter, Dane and a few of their Enforcer team had headed off after Kyle, Grant and Melaina a week ago, the day after Pepper had arrived in Grey River.

  “They’ve now searched all known properties owned by Christakos, and nothing has turned up. I still can’t reach Kyle and Grant down our link, and that is starting to piss me off. I really do not like not being able to check in with my pack. It makes me really grumpy.”

  Rhys’s eyes widened, and he was fairly certain his eyebrows just touched his hairline. “Grumpy?” He had never heard his alpha use that word in his life.

  Ty growled low in his chest, folded his arms, and scowled. “Yes, I said grumpy and I meant grumpy. It’s, well, because—damn it! Faith told me that I have to cut the cursing down now that I am a father. Can you fucking imagine what my life would be like if Scott and Sean’s first words were an expletive?”

  Rhys thought about what he knew about Faith and shuddered a little. “Exactly. So if I use words like grumpy instead of saying it pisses me off, give me a fucking break!”

  Rhys could have just pointed out that he was throwing the f-bomb down a whole lot but figured he really did not want to rile the wolf right now, so he just nodded.

  “The Reyes brothers are still watching over their mate.”

  Tomas and Diego had opted to stay in Grey River rather than go with Hunter and Dane, and he couldn’t blame them. Pepper had refused any visitors other than Parris, Jase, and Rhys, so Tomas and Diego had taken to stalking the corridors outside her room and watching over her from afar.

  “Pepper has given us everything she can, I know that, but there has to be something that we are missing. There fucking has to be.”

  Rhys turned and watched his mate enter the kitchen. He had left her in the shower after fucking her against the wall, and he loved that despite the fact she had been screaming his name and shuddering with pleasure less than an hour ago, her hair wild, her body completely wrapped around his, quivering with pleasure, she now entered the room looking like she’d just stepped from the cover of a magazine.

  She was dressed in a pair of tight dark denim jeans, knee-high black boots, and a scoop-necked sweater. Her beautiful long black hair was piled up in a messy knot thing that had him aching to remove the pins that held it and watch the silken strands fall.

  She smiled at the room, and Rhys felt as if the sun had finally risen on the day. “Morning guys. Ty, nice to see you this morning. How are the babies?”

  Ty turned. A smile warmed his face, and his eyes shone with pride at the mention of his children. “Morning, Parris. They are growing real big! Not sleeping through the night yet, but Faith tells me that it will happen soon enough. Trent and I say it can’t happen soon enough.”

  Parris’s sexy laughter filled the kitchen and she stepped over to Jase, kissing him softly before helping herself to a cup of coffee. She sat down at the breakfast bar beside him and leaned in to kiss him as well. Rhys loved that she was so comfortable with them that she never held back from them despite having an audience.

  Getting settled on the bar stool, she made a small sympathetic sound and wrinkled her perfect button nose. “I’m sure they’ll find their rhythm soon.” Parris looked around at the three of them and nibbled on her bottom lip. “Are you here with news? Has something happened to Melaina?”

  Ty was quick to send her a reassuring smile just as he placed a hand on her thigh and Jase reached across to take her hand. “No news as yet, and no news is good news as far as I’m concerned. I still can’t connect to Kyle and Grant, and the connection is still a void. If anything had happened to them, then I would have felt that connection break. Nothing like that has happened, so I know that they are still alive. We just need to find them.”

  Parris nodded and gave a sad sigh. “I’ve told you everything I can think of, and I know that Pepper has, too. Aristos must have somewhere he has never shared with any of us. Hell, knowing him, he’s probably got secondary safe-house locations that aren’t even under his name.”

  Ty froze. He didn’t simply pause for a moment. It was more like he adopted the stalking stillness of a true predator. Staring into his eyes that were now slightly glazed, Rhys knew he was talking telepathically with someone. A few moments later, his eyes cleared, and a grin that very feral in nature broke out on his face.

  Ty leaned forward on the breakfast bar and laughed. “Well, now, check you out, Miss Parris! I can see who holds the intelligence in this triad. We have investigated Aristos and all known aliases, but we never thought to look into the people that worked for him. Now, that is definitely worth pursuing. If he didn’t want to risk using his own name, then perhaps he is using one from his past.”

  Parris nibbled on her bottom lip. “This is a long shot, but you could also look into properties owned by Drake. There had to have been a connection between them that ensured Melaina, Pepper, and I ended up under Aristos’s control when Drake died. It would make sense that Aristos would know a lot about the man.”

  Ty sat back, his eyes widening. “Well, shit. That’s a really good fucking idea! I’m gonna head over to the station and get started on looking into that.” Ty stood and drained the last of his coffee before stepping away from the breakfast bar. “I’ll keep you guys up to date if I learn anything new. Are you gonna be around here all day, Parris?

  “No, I was going to head back to Xanthe’s and give her a hand.”

  Parris seemed to have reddened at the
idea that she might have been able to help the situation and Rhys felt his heart melt a little more. If she kept this up, he would be nothing more than a puddle on the fucking floor.

  “You can reach me there.”

  “Rhys and I are meeting her there for lunch,” Jase added. That had been the one saving grace to letting their mate out of the house. Despite Pepper’s reassurances that Parris was still considered dead by Aristos and his crazies, neither he nor Jase was comfortable with her being away from them. “Let us know if you hear anything and we can let her know over lunch.”

  Ty nodded, plucked his jacket from the back of his chair, and shrugged into it. “Done. Let’s hope we can get my pack mates back from that prick before I have to show the fucker my grumpy side. And that would involve me showing the prick his intestines up close and personal, and Faith gets a little pissy when I do that.”

  “Don’t you mean get your pack mates and Melaina back?” Parris asked quietly, and Rhys squeezed her thigh gently in comfort.

  “No, I don’t,” Ty explained with a grin. “Melaina is as much mine as Kyle and Grant are, regardless of the fact that the two of them believe she is their mate. She is your and Xanthe’s sister. That makes her part of my pack. Besides, Grey River is strong alone, but stronger together, and with women who wield an inner strength, determination, and loyalty as you all do, there is no pack stronger. Add to that, you all have some kick ass abilities that are pretty fucking cool!”

  With that, Ty doffed his Sheriff’s hat in Parris’s direction, spun around and left the kitchen.

  Rhys lifted his hand to turn Parris’s face gently in his direction. He had felt an echo of her shock down the fledgling link that was starting to strengthen between them. “He means it you know. You, Pepper, and Melaina are pack, and we will do everything we can to protect you.”

  Jase leaned over the counter. The love he had for their mate was clear for all to see on his face. “And I saw the little sliver of doubt in your eyes when he talked about you three having the strength that would make our pack stronger. Parris, one day you will learn not only how strong you are but also that you are so damn special. It is beyond me how Rhys and I can be so damn lucky to have you in our lives. To us, sweetness, you are beyond measure, more priceless than anything on this earth. I hope I am there to see your face the day you realize that you can do anything you set your mind to.”

  Rhys watched as a smile bloomed on Parris’s face, shining with a light that rivaled the sun. This was his mate, the one woman the Fates had deemed belonged to him and Jase just as they belonged to her. A yearning unlike anything he had ever felt before rose within him.

  “Jase…” he sent down their familial link.

  “I know what you’re going to say, and I agree,” Jase sent back, not surprised that he felt the same way Rhys did. They were more than brother’s they were best friends.

  “Parris, my love,” Rhys said in a voice deeper than usual, tinged with the importance of the moment. “You are absolutely everything we have ever wanted in a mate. I don’t want to wait another day to claim you as my mate. Will you allow me the honor of claiming you as my mate, destined by fate, and claimed by bite and blood?”

  Parris gasped, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

  “Sweetness,” Jase drew her attention and moved to stand on the other side of the bar stool she sat on. “You’ve already claimed me in every possible way. I am, and always will be, your slave. I ask for the right to claim you as my mate, destined by Fate, and claimed by bite and blood, my love. Say yes. Let us claim you tonight.”

  Everything within Rhys stilled. His heart seemed to stop as he waited for her answer. Despite the fact that he knew Parris loved them, he couldn’t stop the sliver of doubt threading its way into his heart.

  Parris stood, moved slightly away, and held a hand out to each of them. Rhys’s heart plummeted slightly and began to pound within his chest. When they were standing, Parris looked up at them, and the love and happiness he saw shining in her eyes had his heart soaring again.

  “It still amazes me,” Parris said in a voice that trembled with emotion, “that you could want me, but I am not going to try and convince you to wise up and realize that you both beyond measure. You ask me so beautifully if I will let you claim me, but as far as I am concerned, you already have. You have my heart, you have my soul, and you can have my body any time you want.”

  The three of them shared a soft laugh, and Rhys had to blink back the tears he felt gathering in his own eyes.

  “Yes, my loves. I want nothing more than to be claimed by you.”

  Rhys stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her waist as Jase slid his around her hip. The moment was perfect—he and his brother, surrounding their mate and pledging their love. Never before had the future seemed so bright.

  * * * *

  “Damn, girl!” Xanthe exclaimed as soon as Parris stepped through the shop door, her lips still tingling and her blood still running hot after kissing Jase good-bye on the porch. “That was one hell of a kiss. I would not have been surprised if you set the porch alight with all that heat.”

  Parris grinned pressing the backs of her hands against the heat she could feel sweeping up her face. “Oh, shush. You just said that to make me blush. What’s got you in such a sassy mood?”

  Xanthe propped her hands on her hips and scowled. “It’s not sass. It’s frustration, sexual frustration to be exact. I know my mates are on a worthwhile mission and, hell, I was the first one to tell them that they needed to go, but I seriously did not think this through enough. “

  Parris wrapped an arm around the slightly taller woman and gave her a full bottom lip pout. “What’s the matter, sugar? Feeling a little needy?”

  Xanthe’s laughter filled the shop, and Parris’s pout morphed into a grin.

  “Jeez, that is just cold, man. Kicking a sexually frustrated woman when she’s down is really fucking cold.”

  “But, really damn funny to witness,” someone said from the store room behind them and they turned as Rowena Greyson stepped out into the store. Rowena owned the bookstore next door to Lotions and Potions. “Don’t get me wrong. I hate to see an adult woman suffer from debilitating separation anxiety, a condition normally diagnosed in young children who are suffering the loss of their main carer. But it will make for an interesting case when I write it up as my submission to the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Applied Psychology.”

  Parris giggled as Xanthe flipped her off and then fell into a fit of giggles. It now felt normal to laugh and joke with these women, something that Parris had thought impossible when she had arrived in Grey River.

  Xanthe wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes with the backs of her hand, then turned and waggled her finger at Rowena. “Now look here, Doc. Faith made a declaration that you were no longer allowed to talk all doctory to us, and you sure as hell were banned from writing any goddamn medical papers on us.”

  Rowena leaned back against the counter and folded her arms across her chest. “Yeah, I know, but the material in this town alone could make me a millionaire!”

  Rowena then turned to Parris and tilted her head as she looked at Parris. Parris was starting to feel a little like a bug under a microscope and was about to ask what the deal was when Rowena spoke.

  “I came over here when I saw Jase drop you off to see how you were. I was going to go use my amazingly subtle doctor skills to see how you’re doing. With all the changes in your life, I expected you to be a little unsettled. But here I find you looking at peace, which tells me that something has happened, and it has to be pretty fucking big.”

  Xanthe gasped then stormed over to Parris, pulling her left hand up to her face. “There’s no ring, so it’s not an engagement. And I am going to add yet to that sentence because I am damn sure there will be one.”

  Parris tugged her hand free and couldn’t stop the broad smile that swept across her face as she remembered that morning. “Rhys and Jase aske
d if they could claim me—tonight.” She paused for effect and laughed at the excited and expectant looks on Rowena’s and Xanthe’s faces. “And I said yes!”

  Parris found herself engulfed in hugs on congratulations, tears flowed, and before too long, the three of them were looking around the shop for just the perfect things to add to this evening. Before she could blink, she had shampoo, candles, and lotion in the blend of vanilla, cinnamon, and orange that her men seemed to never get enough of.

  A couple of hours later, Parris was finishing the orders Xanthe had set aside for her to complete up in Melaina’s apartment. Parris was still keeping a low profile, and working upstairs allowed her to stay out of the sight of the steady stream of shoppers through Xanthe’s door. After she set aside the last order, Parris checked her watch and grinned when she saw that it was close to lunchtime. Parris went to the window and looked down at the street below the apartment, waiting for the familiar figure of her lovers to come into view.

  Two short, sharp raps on the door signaled that her lunch dates had arrived. Leaping up from her position on the window seat, Parris couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face at the thought of the two men who stood behind that door. Tonight they were going to claim her as theirs, and she couldn’t wait!

  Unlocking the door, she threw it open. The smile of welcome she had on her face dropped away. Gone were the feelings of safety and happiness for the future and fear immediately took their places.

  “Have you missed me, little rabbit?”

  Chapter 13

  Before she could recover from the shock of coming face-to-face with her childhood tormentor, Wheeler pulled back and punched her right in the face. Parris’s world exploded with pain, and she heard the crunch of bone that told her that hit had broken her nose, and blood poured steadily from it. She flew back into the apartment and crumpled to the floor. Scrambling back and away from him she shook her head to clear it.