by Jackie May
Understanding what my thanks is for, he pushes my sweaty hair away from my face and takes my lips before saying, “You can conquer your fear if you will just try, and you will be happier for it.”
I snuggle against him. “I am happy. Happier than I ever thought I could be.” And that’s the truth. I couldn’t be happier if I tried. My heart is as full as it possibly could be.
We lie there for another moment until I finally remember the other men who are probably waiting on dinner for us. “We should get up. I’m surprised the guys haven’t barged in on us already, demanding we come eat.”
Illren gives me a look. “They wouldn’t dare.”
I chuckle. He’s probably right about that.
The following evening, I sleep a bit later again, only this time I’m not recovering from physical trauma, I’m just being lazy. Both Parker and Oliver are passed out on either side of me, and it feels so good to be sandwiched between them that I stay snuggled in their arms until my body demands I get up. I carefully extract myself from the pair. I don’t want to wake them. They’ve both got to be exhausted.
During Parker’s waking hours—and he’s been pushing his limits on both the sunset and sunrise ends of the night—he and Oliver have been working nonstop with Director West to sort through the aftermath of the battle with Henry’s clan.
Being field agents, Nick and I haven’t been as busy. Of course, we were both passed out afterward anyway. When I woke up, I asked if I could help, but Director West told me to rest and wouldn’t let Nick anywhere near the office. He’s still weak from the gold dust poisoning, and I guess he’s not the person she wants dealing with the human government and all the bureaucracy that goes along with smoothing things over after such a serious incident. That made me laugh. I can only imagine what kinds of trouble Nick Gorgeous stirs up when he has to deal with human politics. Parker and Oliver are much better suited for that. But, the mess has finally been contained, and Director West told both Parker and Oliver to take the night off tonight.
Terrance and Wulf are off work, too, seeing as how the club was pretty trashed after the fight with the mercenaries. Terrance hired Laagh’s brownie clan to fix the place up, but it’s going to take at least a week before it’s ready for a re-opening. In the meantime, I have all my guys home, and I’m excited to spend a relaxing night with all of them.
After a quick shower, I leave my exhausted men to find the rest of my guys all watching a football game on the big screen. They’ve got enough pizza, wings, chips, and beer to feed a small army and are all absorbed in the game.
Charlie, Illren, and Ren are all snuggled together on one couch. I still can’t get over the idea that Illren can sometimes be physically affectionate with his clan brothers. If anyone else ever tried to touch him, they’d get stabbed. Terrance is in his armchair, with his feet up and his eyes closed as if he’s drifting off to sleep. And Enzo looks so cute—and a bit overwhelmed—sitting between the big Winters brothers on the other couch. I wonder if he’s ever had “guy time” like this before.
I sneak in and take a spot next to Rook on the end of the couch. He puts his arm around me and gives me a quick kiss before tucking me into his side. I stay there, happily watching the game and making all of the men explain the rules to me until Oliver and Parker both finally wake up. They pull in chairs from the dining room and tackle the rest of the food.
Once the game ends, I get everyone’s attention before they scatter. “Hey, so I was thinking since we all have the night off, we should do something all together.”
“Want to see a movie or something?” Oliver asks.
“Actually…” I bite my lip and wring out my hands. I don’t know why I’m so nervous to give them my suggestion. I now have everyone’s complete attention, and it makes me blush. “I was thinking maybe we could go over to Wulf’s place. I think I’d like to try to shift again where I can be in the water, but I don’t want to try it alone. Will you guys go swimming with me?”
The men all seem surprised by the request, but not a single one of them hesitates to jump up and get their stuff. We all pile into several cars and head across town to Wulf’s warehouse. I change into my bikini top and a long shirt that goes down to my thighs. It feels strange not wearing bottoms, but if I’m successful, I’ll have a tail, and I don’t want to ruin the pretty bathing suit Oliver gave me.
I’m the last one out of the bathroom, and even though I knew it was coming, I’m not prepared for the sight of my entire clan shirtless. Damn. I stumble to a stop and gulp as I take in the sight of them. I don’t even bother to hide the fact that I’m checking them out. How could I not? Honestly. I’m clan with the hottest men in Detroit.
A couple of the men chuckle. “Need to take a picture?” Rook teases.
I shake my head. “More like a wall calendar. I could sell it and live off the profits forever.”
The guys all laugh, and the tension is broken. We all head over to the pool, and the guys jump in. I sit down on the edge of the pool and take a few calming breaths while I swish my legs in the water. Like last time, the water seems to welcome me, and a lot of my nerves melt away.
The men give me space, and it’s Rook who stands in front of me. “You nervous?”
I nod. “A little.”
He smiles and places his hands on my knees. “Most wolves don’t shift their first time until they’re around ten or twelve. It’s natural to be nervous. But once you do it, you’ll probably find that you love your alternate form. Did you notice it before?”
I bite my lip and look away as I shrug. “To be honest, I didn’t really think about it. As soon as I shifted, my compulsions were broken and my darkness took over so fast.”
Rook turns my chin back toward him, and I hold my breath as I meet his eyes. “You don’t need to be ashamed of anything that happened.”
Oliver steps up beside him and smiles softly. “And you don’t need to fear the darkness ever again. I can feel the magic in you. There is nothing dark about it.”
“Letting out your siren now will only make you feel at peace,” Wulf says, pulling himself out of the water to sit on the deck beside me. “She’s been contained for too long. It’s not healthy for a shifter to never shift.”
“And you remember how much you loved the water before?” Oliver asks.
I look at him and blush. I loved a lot more than the water the last time we were here. Oliver can tell what I’m thinking of, and his face turns as red as mine. Rook and Wulf shoot us questioning glances, but we’re not about to explain it. Oliver clears his throat and says, “You told me the water was calling to you, that it felt alive. Imagine how it will feel when you’re in your shifted form.”
“You were meant for the water,” Parker adds, smiling at me from just behind Rook.
All of my men surround me, and it gives me the boost of confidence that I need. “Okay. You’re right. I can do this.” I take a deep breath and try to concentrate. “It’s just a tail.”
I shake away my nerves and blow a slow breath out of my cheeks as I close my eyes. “I was angry and panicked last time I did this. I’m not sure I know how to do it now.”
Rook runs his hands up my bare thighs. “Just concentrate on your siren.”
“Like I can concentrate at all with you doing that?” I mutter.
The guys laugh, but Rook removes his hands. I try again to focus. I close my eyes and picture what I looked like before. The beautiful teal tail. The scales that ran up my arms from wrist to just below my elbow. Even my sharp, clawed hands. And then I think of my siren. I pull her to the surface with me and give her a mental nudge.
My body starts to tingle all over. It’s the same feeling I get when I’m near magic, only it’s coming from within me. I embrace the feeling. It’s invigorating. And then, in a flash of light, it feels like I burst from my own body. When I open my eyes, I’m completely transformed.
Rook moves in close and slowly lifts my shirt over my head. I’m in awe of what I see. My glamour was
either broken in the transformation or only holds to me in my human form. Right now my skin is a creamy pearlescent color that shimmers and I have patches of teal, blue, and purple scales swirling over my body. I can no longer feel two legs, but one strong tail. Moving it is instinctive. I lift the fin out of the water and hold it up to see it.
All of my men have gathered around me and are staring at me with a sense of wonder. “You’re beautiful,” Oliver breathes.
“Stunning,” Parker agrees.
Rook’s eyes glow faintly, his wolf shining through, and he hums a low growl of approval. Wordlessly, he holds out his hand to me. I try not to tremble as I take it and let him pull me into the water.
I sink into the water at first, but it only takes a second before I figure out how to kick my tail to hold myself up. The water welcomes me, and energy flows through me. It’s so vitalizing that a happy laugh escapes me. I twirl in a circle, giggling like a little girl playing in the sprinklers on a hot summer day, and tears of joy prick my eyes.
The guys all stand back, and I slip below the surface of the water. Something moves on my neck behind my ears, and I gasp. I have gills. I can breathe underwater. You’d think that would be terrifying, but it’s as natural as, well, breathing. Another laugh escapes me, and I can no longer hold back. I take off in the water, zipping from one end of the pool to the other and back again.
As I move, I can feel the water flowing with me like it’s working with me or swimming alongside me. It sounds insane, but it’s like the water is alive and I can communicate with it. Out of curiosity, I move my hands and ask the water to swirl like a small whirlpool. It obeys, and a thrill shoots through me. I can control the water.
My siren is so happy to finally be united with the water that she’s giddy. We play for a minute, but then we both want our men to join us. My siren is playful, a lot like Giselle, and when we pop out of the water, we want to stir up trouble. All of the men are still grouped at the shallow end of the pool. I surface in the deep end and grin wickedly as I push a huge wave of water at them that leaves them all drenched and sputtering.
I laugh a loud, happy laugh that echoes through the large room, then I swim back to my men. When I pop up in front of them, I’m met with an array of smiles from amused to happy to rueful. And one annoyed look from our resident assassin. All of my men are so different, but it’s easy to see that they all love me. I giggle again, and Rook can no longer hold his wolf back. He surges forward and pulls me into his arms, attacking my mouth as only an alpha werewolf can.
“Ugh!” Wulf groans. “I’m gonna puke. Can you guys please not do that in front of me?”
Rook and I break apart laughing, but Rook holds me tightly against him. “You’re just jealous.”
“No. I’m grossed out. I don’t need to watch my brother make out.”
“Maybe you just need to find a woman of your own,” I tease.
Wulf groans again. “Don’t even start with me, woman.”
All the guys laugh, and then we all break apart to enjoy the pool. Parker steps up to me. “Race you?”
I’m surprised by the offer, and my siren thrills at the thought of the race. I cock my brow at Parker. “Are you sure you want to? I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m part fish. I’m pretty fast.”
Parker grins. The boyish look stuns me. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him look so happy. He’s usually so reserved. “Don’t underestimate the speed of a vampire.”
A wide smile stretches across my face, and I swim over to the edge of the pool. Parker joins me, and as we ready ourselves, the others realize what we’re doing and line up on the side of the pool to cheer us on. Illren, Terrance, and Enzo watch curiously. Wulf, Rook, and Charlie cheer me on, which isn’t surprising. But then Oliver shouts out a very loud “I got five on Parker!”
I shoot him a wounded look but can’t hold it, and I laugh. “Gee thanks, Ollie.”
He grins and shrugs. “I have a habit of rooting for the underdog.”
Now Parker laughs. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Enough,” Ren calls out. “Let’s get this race started.”
“To the other side and back,” Parker says, surprising me even further when he says, “May the best vampire win.”
“On your marks. Get set.” Ren shouts. Parker and I both focus on the pool in front of us and ready ourselves to take off. “Go!”
I dip below the water and take off. I push myself as fast as I can and call the water to help me move even faster. My siren thrills, feeling giddy the entire time. When I touch the wall, I look up to see Parker smack the wall right behind me. I won, but barely.”
He laughs good-naturedly at his loss and pulls me into his arms. “Damn, you’re fast.”
“So are you.” I grin and wrap my arms around his neck. “That was fun.”
“It was,” he agrees, his eyes still sparkling from the excitement of our race. “We’ll have to take you out on the lake this summer and give you some real space to swim. Better yet, I’ll buy us a tropical island where we can go any time of the year.”
“That’s not a bad plan,” Illren suggests. “I’ll look into it.”
I glance his way. “Ha ha. You guys are funny. You can’t buy me an island for a vacation home.” I laugh, but neither Parker nor Illren seem to be joking. “Can you?”
I know they’re both old and have had plenty of time to accrue wealth, but just how rich are they? Parker gives me a smile and says, “Maybe for your birthday.”
Before I can argue, he kisses me, making me forget about everything around us. By the time we break up the kiss, the guys have all left us alone and are hanging out and having a good time. We spend an hour or so enjoying one another’s company before Nick shows up and breaks up the party. “Sorry, boys, but I need to steal your woman.”
I swim over to the edge of the pool where Nick is and rest my arms on the deck. He grins down at me. “Looking good, partner. Nice tail.”
I give him a wide smile. “Thanks. You’re looking a lot better yourself. You all recovered then?”
Nick puffs out his chest. “Never been stronger.”
I laugh. So cocky. But he does seem to be healthy, so I let the ego slide. “Good. I’m glad.”
We have a brief moment where a look passes between us that says we’re glad the other’s okay. But neither of us expresses the feeling out loud. Nick simply moves the conversation forward before it can get weird. “Can I pull you away for a bit? The director needs you down at the station.”
Oliver groans. “What now?” He was really happy about his day off.
“Nothing terrible,” Nick says. “The fey are there to sign the treaty. They’ve requested your presence as proof that you’ve joined the FUA and will come when they need you.”
I sigh. So much for my day off. But I’m resigned to my new position as full-time FUA agent and fey liaison.
Nick snatches my long shirt off the pool deck and kneels down to hand it to me. “Don’t look so glum. You get to be my partner all the time now.”
I roll my eyes and slip my shirt over my head. By the time I shift back to my human form and climb out of the pool, all of my guys are out and drying off as well. Terrance grunts at my questioning look. “We’re coming with.”
I smile to myself. I love my clan.
. . . . .
The FUA office is so packed that most of my clan have to wait in the reception area while Nick, Oliver, and Parker escort me into the conference room. Illren and Terrance come, too, since they’re both fey.
Director West is standing at the head of the room. Sitting around the conference table are Vesryn, Laagh, and the leader of Terrance’s home clan, along with, I’m surprised to see, the three alphas from each of the lower Michigan packs and a few people I can tell are powerful sorcerers. Alpha Toth and Alpha Fuller stand to greet me, and I give them both hugs. “What are you guys doing here?”
Alpha Toth puffs out his chest. “Official business. As the heads of our
species, we came to witness the fey signing the treaty.”
Makes sense. I smile and kiss both their cheeks. “It’s great to see you.”
Both men chuckle. “We’ll catch up more later,” Alpha Toth says.
“I’ll come to visit both of you soon. When’s the next pack social?”
He grins. “I’ll send you an invite.”
“I will, too,” Alpha Fuller says. “Toth isn’t the only wolf who knows how to throw a party.”
I laugh and excuse myself to head to the front of the room where Director West is waiting for me.
The rest of the seats around the table are filled with what I’m sure are clan leaders of the other fey species, and I’m shocked to see Giselle sitting among them. I’d forgotten she has a human form. She sees me, and her whole face lights up. “Cousin!”
That one word catches everyone’s attention, and the chatter in the room stops. The standing crowd backs up against the walls to let me through. Nick leads me to the front of the room with Parker, Oliver, Illren, and Terrance following me.
As I make my way to the front of the room, I can feel everyone’s eyes on me. I don’t like the attention. I’ve never felt comfortable with the reverence the fey show me. And to know that all of these people fought Henry’s clan for me makes me feel indebted to them as well. I suppose I owe it to them to sign on with the FUA full time and be their representative. It’s better than being their queen.
“Nora,” Director West says, shaking my hand. “I’m glad you could make it.” She gestures to the brownie, sidhe, and troll beside her. “You remember Vesryn, Laagh, and Sollis.”
“Of course.” I shake each of their hands and then clasp my fist over my heart. My eyes prick with tears, and my voice is thick when I say, “Thank you, for your help in rescuing me from Henry’s clan.” I turn to Alphas Toth and Fuller as well. “Seriously, thank all of you. My clan is alive today because of your help. We can’t show enough gratitude, but we would like to visit all of those who lost loved ones in the battle.”
