by Alanea Alder
"Miranda, I know you like to be up on the news. David and Daniel are the hottest thing in Arkadia right now. If you want, I can drop a hint or two to them about the online store front you've been looking to do," he said in a conspiratorial whisper. She looked at the red-headed twins as if seeing them for the first time. She nodded to Liam.
"That may not be a bad idea. Thank you, Alpha." She turned to David. "What do you recommend in chocolate?"
David's eyes widened and he practically stumbled over his words he was so excited. "I would do the Belgian milk chocolate ice cream and mix in the Death By Chocolate cake and then drizzle the entire thing in raspberry syrup," David offered.
Miranda licked her lips. "One of those please, that sounds heavenly.".
"What do you recommend for caramel?" the gentlemen to her left asked Daniel.
Liam stepped out of line as Daniel rattled off his concoction. Liam looked up and caught Ashby's grateful smile as he mouthed the words "Thank You." Liam nodded and headed back to his mates. Kent was shaking his head and chuckling.
"You are an amazing man, Liam Lewenhart. It's no small wonder that you are Alpha." Kent grabbed the back of Liam's head and kissed him passionately. When they broke apart, Sebastian immediately went on tip toe and gave him another heated kiss.
"I can't wait to get you two home," Liam said, giving them smoldering looks.
Sebastian pouted. "Can we go home now?" he begged, rubbing his body against Liam, who groaned at the sensation of a full body rub.
"We still have time to kill before the phones are ready," Liam reminded his mate.
Sebastian sighed, then perked up. "I guess it's worth the wait to get that phone. Do you know all the stuff you can do with that thing?" Sebastian asked excitedly.
"Liam can you wait with Sebastian to get his Butter Pecan? I'm heading to the diner to see if they have Ma's cherry pie," Kent asked.
"Sure. Grab me a slice, too?"
"Absolutely, see you in a bit." Kent blew kisses to his mates and walked out of the ice cream parlor.
Liam watched his mate's firm ass walk out the door and sighed. His mates really did need phones.
*****
Kent hurried down the street. He had an idea, and if he was lucky, the people he needed would be in the diner.
Luck was on his side. As he walked into the diner he could see Rebecca and her mate, with Kate and her mates frowning at what Rian was telling them. He watched as Aleks' face kept getting darker and darker. Kent walked up to their already full table, pulled a seat over, and sat next to Rian.
"I take it Rian has filled you in on what Liam's father said?" Kent asked. Rebecca and Kate nodded, both of them quiet and looking pissed off.
"Good. Because I have an idea. Liam is acting like he's over what was said, but I know that it's eating at him. He never really had his family support him and Sebastian was betrayed by the Alpha that was sworn to protect him. So, I was trying to think of a way to show them both how loved they are. Any ideas?" Kent asked and the table went silent.
"That is the most I have ever heard you say at once," Rebecca said.
Kent shrugged. "I never really had anything important to say until now."
Rian winced, and said, "Liam also got upset when the pride asked him to bond with Rebecca, so that we could be protected from dominance challenges like the pack. It backfired, though. He thought it meant the pride didn't trust him to protect us."
Rebecca frowned, then an excited look crossed her face and she clapped her hands. "I know! Let's do a pool party! It will be the We Love Liam, We Love Sebastian and Congratulations on your Mating pool party!" Aleks, Caleb and Bran growled.
"Rebecca, don't use this as an excuse to get your pool party so you can ogle pride and pack members," Aleks chastised.
Rebecca's eyes narrowed at her mate. "I'm not! I'm thinking of Liam. He's most relaxed out by his pool. Even when it was too cold to go in, he prefers to be outside in the sun on his lounger. We could do a huge backyard bash. Rian, what do you think? Can you pull it off by tomorrow?"
Rian thought about it for a second, tapping his fingers to his chin before nodding. "It's totally doable. I'll get started now." Rian stood and kissed Rebecca on the cheek. "Marvelous idea, babes. I'll call you with details later. Bye, Bee!" he hurried out the door.
"You three stop with the growling, this is for Liam." Rebecca swatted her mate's arm. Kate gave Caleb and Bran the evil eye.
"I can't thank you enough. Those two really need the support right now." Kent smiled as he stood.
"Ma, can I get a cherry pie to go?" he yelled across the diner.
"Sure thing," was the warm reply.
"What about you, Kent, how are you doing?" Rebecca asked. Kent smiled.
"If we can get those two to realize their worth, I'll be just fine." He winked at Rebecca and took the pie that Ma had walked over to him.
"You're a good man, Kent Fieldings." Ma smiled.
He inclined his head. "It might not be a bad idea to invite just a couple of vampires. There was a scene that Liam diffused at Sweet Nothings. The more we show them support, the better for the town I think." Kent said looking at Bran, Caleb and Aleks. They nodded.
"We were talking about that earlier. We knew there would be some resistance, but we never thought the town would balk this badly. We'll continue our efforts, though." Bran spoke up.
"Okay, gotta run, I was only supposed to come for pie." Kent waved as he headed out of the diner, feeling really good about the upcoming plans.
* * * *
"Is it just me, or is Rian more high-strung than usual?" Liam watched the small man pace back and forth on the back deck, waving his hands and yelling into his phone. Kent watched on, thankful that they were far enough away in the kitchen that Rian's plans couldn't be heard.
"I don't know, that seems pretty typical for him, but you know him better." Sebastian munched on his sandwich and chips. They had decided to have sandwiches for dinner since it was quick and easy. Liam watched his friend for a minute more, then looked at Sebastian.
"Is he using your phone?" Liam took a bite of potato salad and moaned. He loved Ma's potato salad, he always ordered big batches of it to keep at home. When he looked up, Sebastian and Kent were giving him heated glances. Sebastian shook his head as if to clear it. Kent could only imagine the dirty thoughts their little kitten had been thinking, mostly because he was thinking them too.
"Yup. He begged me to borrow it. I couldn't say no." Sebastian blushed.
Liam cackled. "He pulled the big, sad Puss in Boots eyes, didn't he? He's the only one I know who can do that," Liam said, smiling.
Sebastian nodded. "He said he would show me how it worked later." Sebastian eyed his plate and popped the last chip in his mouth.
Rian sashayed into the kitchen. He walked up to Sebastian, handed him his phone and kissed him on his cheek.
"Thanks for letting me borrow the phone. Mine's so old I might as well be tapping away on stone. Kent, can I talk to you for a second about that invoice you needed?" Rian asked, ruffling Sebastian's hair. Sebastian batted at Rian's hand playfully.
Kent stood, threw his empty plate away, and nodded. "Sure we can go to the office. Be right back." He smiled at his mates and walked with Rian into the office before closing the door.
"You never turn in invoices even when I threaten you, so what did you really want to talk about?" Kent asked, leaning against the desk.
"You need to get Liam and Sebastian out of the house tomorrow." Rian sat cross legged on the leather chair across from Kent's desk.
"How am I supposed to do that?" Kent asked, running a hand through his hair.
"I don't know, offer them blow jobs in the woods or something," Rian offered casually.
Kent stared at Rian, thoughts of seducing his mates in the woods filling his mind.
"Focus!" Rian said, standing and snapping his fingers in front of Kent's face.
"Don't say stuff like that and expect me not to lose focus," Ke
nt complained.
Rian sighed and rubbed his face with both hands. "Take them to Rebecca's. They both have to be worried about her. Tell Rebecca she's not allowed to let them leave until five pm." Rian turned around and started walking out of the office.
"What if she can't stall them?" Kent asked.
Rian turned around looked at him, started chuckling, then turned back around and walked out.
Okay then. Kent walked back out to the kitchen.
"Get it all straightened out?" Liam asked as he and Sebastian shared a pint of ice cream. Their trip to Ashby's hadn't satisfied their sweets cravings.
"Yes, I gave him the correct forms to fill out, so he should be set." Kent said sitting down on the barstool next to Liam. Sebastian put his spoon down and rubbed his distended stomach.
"I can't eat anymore," he groaned. Liam also put his spoon down, replaced the lid on the ice cream, and put it back in the freezer.
Sebastian lay his head down on his arm which stretched across the counter. Kent watched as Liam tried to hold back a yawn and failed. It proved contagious as Kent found himself fighting back a yawn.
"Are you guys ready for bed?" Kent asked. Sebastian raised his head and he blinked sleepily. He nodded and rubbed at his eyes with his fists. Kent felt his heart melting for their littlest mate. He turned and saw that Liam was also watching Sebastian with love in his eyes. When Sebastian looked up and saw Kent and Liam looking at him, he smiled and blew them kisses. Kent grinned.
"I can't believe I'm about to say this, and if you ever tell anyone I'll deny it, but I'm not really feeling like sex tonight." Liam walked back to stand between Sebastian and Kent.
"Thank goodness! I didn't want to deny my mates, but I can barely keep my eyes open," Sebastian admitted.
"I think we've all had a really long day." Kent felt giddy at the thought of sleeping with his two mates.
"Let's go to bed then, um, Liam's room?" Sebastian asked, turning pink. Kent looked to Liam, who nodded.
"I have the largest bed. Come on, my mates, let's go get snuggled in." Liam stepped forward and swung Sebastian in his arms. Kent chuckled at the tiny yelp their mate gave, and wrapped his arm around Liam's waist as the three made their way upstairs to spend their first night together as a mated triad.
Chapter Five
Liam was having the most perfect dream. He and his mates were stranded alone on a deserted island. All of their clothes had been lost at sea and they were forced to walk around naked. Liam felt himself harden as he watched his two mates brush against each other, laughing as they attempted to get in a hammock. He took a step forward and tripped over a large log. But, suddenly it wasn't a log. In horror he ran his hand along the hard ridges and realized it was an alligator. It opened its large mouth, revealing jagged teeth. He looked around for his mates and couldn't find them. In a panicked state, he woke.
Dripping sweat and tangled in sheets, Liam sat up in bed. Breathing hard, he clutched his hand to his chest. He took a deep breath in and out, trying to slow his frantic heart. Shaking his head, he lay back down. Instinctively, he rolled over on his side and reached to pull Sebastian close when his hand landed on a hard, rigid surface. He froze as he felt ice water flood his veins. He pulled back the sheet, and lying where his little mate had been was a fifteen-foot alligator.
He opened his mouth and a scream erupted somewhere from the recesses of his soul. He scrambled to get off the bed and fell, hitting his head on the corner of the nightstand. The door behind him flew open as Rex and Talon stormed in, hands shifted, and skidded to a halt. Behind them, Damian and Rian stepped into the room, slowly taking in the entire scene. Liam had scooted so that his back was against the wall as he faced the bed.
"What in the hell is that?" Rex asked.
"That's a gator," Talon replied.
"I can see that it's an alligator, what in the hell is it doing in their bed?" Rex demanded. Talon just shrugged. Rian hurried forward, pulled Liam away from the wall, and eyed his bleeding forehead.
"I think that it's Sebastian," Talon said eying the large animal.
"Liam, are you okay?" Rian picked up one of the discarded shirts off the floor and tried to staunch the bleeding.
"We were getting in the hammock and then there was an alligator," Liam muttered.
"Whoa! That was freaky," Rex said, taking a step back. Liam followed Rex's line of sight and saw that the alligator was gone, and in its place was a large porcupine. Liam shuddered as he imagined certain body parts cuddling up to that. His head snapped up.
"Kent! Is Kent okay?" he asked, as Rian helped him to stand. He cursed loudly at the throbbing in his head and knee from his hard landing.
Rex walked around the bed and nodded.
"Sleeping like a baby. He told me once that he sleeps like the dead. It's no wonder he missed you screaming like a girl," Rex teased. Liam leveled a cold stare at his pride member.
Rex swallowed hard. "Well, everything seems to be okay here, Alpha. You don't really need me, I'll just head back to bed." Rex quickly bolted past Talon.
"Goodnight, Alpha." Talon dipped his head and walked out behind his friend.
"Want me to get a guest room ready?" Damian asked.
"Do you think it's safe to leave Kent in bed with him?" Liam stared down at his two mates.
Rian nodded. "I think so. Neither one of them look like they have moved around much. They should be fine." Rian threw the bloody shirt into the hamper.
"I'm going to stay here anyway, just in case." Liam sighed and picked up the blanket that they had kicked off the bed in the night. He looked at his recliner, then looked at the porcupine.
"You're a good mate, Liam." Damian said, smiling. Rian patted him on the shoulder as they both walked out, shutting the door behind them. Liam gave another sigh. It was going to be a long night.
* * * *
The next morning, Kent woke up and stretched his long frame. He reached across the bed only to find it empty. Liam and Sebastian were already up. He smiled and inhaled the dual scents of his mates before swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He quickly showered and pulled on the clothes he had brought to Liam's room the night before. He looked around the messy room and decided that sometime in the near future he would have a talk with his mate about cleaning up after himself. As he walked out of the room he saw a blanket draped over the recliner. He frowned, wondering how it had gotten there.
He followed his nose downstairs and found Rian at the stove cooking for the pride. The smell of pancakes and bacon filled the Tuscan-style kitchen. Kent looked at Liam, who was scowling into his coffee, and immediately looked for Sebastian. Their small mate sat at the table across from Liam looking completely dejected.
"Sebastian, baby, what's wrong?" Kent asked, hurrying over to the table. Sebastian looked up and tears spilled from his eyes. Kent scooped him up and sat down with him on his lap in the chair next to Liam.
Liam sighed. "Sebastian, kitten, I'm not mad. It was just a little…shocking, that's all," Liam said, leaning back in his chair.
"What? What did I miss?" Kent asked, looking from Sebastian to Liam. Sebastian buried his face in Kent's chest. Kent looked over to Liam for an explanation.
"From what Sebastian has told us this morning, hybrids need to shift regularly to sort of stretch their legs. Sebastian was forced to stay in one small shape when he was captured before becoming Rebecca's cat. Now that he is in a place where he is relaxed and feels safe, his body is shifting at night when he goes to sleep," Liam explained, putting down his coffee mug. Kent remembered the blanket.
"You slept in the recliner, didn't you?" Kent asked. Liam nodded.
"I'm so sorry!" Sebastian wailed.
"It's fine, I'm sure the more he shifts the less he'll need to at night," Liam yawned.
Sebastian looked up, sniffling. "You're really not mad?" he asked. Liam shook his head and Kent could see sadness there. That was when he realized that Sebastian had turned to him for comfort and not Liam. He knew that on
ly time could help resolve this issue, but until then he would do his best to help smooth things over.
"Good, I couldn't stand walking in here with you looking like you're about to murder someone every morning." Kent reached to the center of the table and poured more coffee into Liam's mug. When he glanced up Liam was staring at him, looking surprised.
"I looked like that?" he asked, eyeing Sebastian. Kent laughed.
Sebastian giggled and took his face out of Kent's chest, wiping his eyes. He nodded. "You looked really angry."
"I'm sorry, kitten, I think it was the alligator that threw me." Liam shuddered. In the background Kent heard someone cough. His head turned around and he saw Rex turning bright red. Talon started patting him on the back. Talon waved off Kent's concern with his other hand. "He's fine."
"He won't be," Liam grumbled. When Kent looked down at Sebastian, his eyes were wide.
"I was an alligator?" he asked, sounding excited.
"Yes, then a porcupine, then a vulture, then it was a lamb for a while, which I thought was adorable. I almost got back in bed at that point, but then you shifted into a badger so I stayed in the recliner." Liam sipped more coffee.
"That is so cool!" Sebastian sounded excited. Kent shuddered, imagining sleeping next to all of those animals throughout the night.
"Porcupine?" Kent asked.
Liam raised his head and paled. "Yes, complete with quills."
"Okay, who's ready for pancakes?" Rian asked. He carefully slid pancake after pancake onto the platter. Sebastian snorted when he saw the shapes. They were small alligators.
"Not funny, Rian." Liam's eyes narrowed at Rian. Rian chuckled and tossed a pancake on Liam's plate.
"So what are y'all's plans for today?" Rian asked, giving Kent a meaningful look. Kent cleared his throat.
