Reaching for Home (House of Garner Book 3)

by Erin R Flynn

  “I can’t even tease you either, as I saw how worried your princess was that you were leaving,” Jacob admitted, clearing his throat, but I felt the slight twinge of jealousy, as Matilda would never act that way towards any of her nobles. Not even her Night, which Jacob wasn’t. “Ah, to be young again.”

  I snorted. “I’d prefer not to be.”

  “Sebastian, before you depart, would you kindly tell me what Princess Inez offered Princess Nora who accepted her offer instead of played games?” Matilda asked pointedly, Olivia grinding her teeth again.

  I had to keep reminding myself that the woman was centuries old and not a young child with the way she behaved. Really, she was maybe seven hundred or more? I couldn’t keep it straight with all the courts I knew, but there was no way Matilda would have put her in power before six hundred at least.

  “Everything, Princess,” Sebastian answered honestly as he moved closer to the map. “Her rules are very clear. We help as much as we get, but already she’s allowed us to clear out huge chunks of this area and send it back as we helped clear out the corrupted from the more remote areas, as us ‘old guys’ don’t need the sleep she and most of her coven do as shifters.”

  “They’re mostly shifters,” Jacob added. “If I understand correctly, she led her original knights to meet up with surviving family, and that led to finding a crew of over a thousand that had been with the US military. The now eldest of the Begley clan is hers and was an admiral. He will be her head of coven security and knights though she calls him Secretary of Defense, which was an American position.”

  “There is no way she has the right to all of that,” Olivia seethed. “That’s about as close to her coven as it is to mine.”

  “Well, it’s not on the same continent as yours, so it’s actually in her backyard, and the risks of having a coven in the US where so few are had an actual reward, as now it’s all hers,” I threw right back.

  “What coven? She has nothing,” she snapped.

  “She has lots, and unlike you who your coven was handed down to, she’s built it all up herself,” I sneered. “Don’t speak on matters you don’t know.”

  Sebastian took back over before things digressed even worse. “They have electric semis and not only the solar panels to keep them going, but an ingenious extended battery rig along with an array that goes on the trailer like a roof rack. She has agreed to allow us to raid everything along this highway next if we keep clearing out Canada and we help them raid the cities.”

  “So basically you get half of the goods in her area you raid?” Matilda asked.

  “No, she gave us the gift of some stores originally, but that was as our soon to be daughter-in-law. Now we raid houses and clean out full subdivisions and those we can keep.”

  “Those areas will be returned to nature,” I explained, my tone alluding to my being able to do it, and none of them would ask, as that would be improper.

  “We raid the cities to help her coven, or the stores, she’s allowed us houses there as well plus scores of meat and hunting,” Sebastian added, scratching his chin and then coming to an internal decision. “I believe she is making a deal with Thomas, head of clan Gagnon that he will become her knight and his clan will take over Prince George for her.” He showed her on the map.

  “Smart,” Jacob praised. “They could raid for months and keep an eye on the wolf population.” He quickly explained about the explosion in population and the culling that needed to be done.

  “And she just let you keep those pelts?” Matilda asked, not hiding her shock.

  “Half after my coven preserves them,” Sebastian clarified. “She allowed us to keep all the bear meat, as they have ample stores, but the wolf meat she kept for her shifters, as they could at least eat it when animals and not waste it.”

  “There were huge herds of cows and pigs the wolves didn’t decimate,” Jacob muttered, giving me a curious look. “Would they now be tended to by the Gagnons for your princess?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked at him.

  “So that’s a yes,” Matilda chuckled.

  “I would never confirm that on behalf of my princess, but I will say I wouldn’t be the only one who advised her that was smart especially after others were planning to try and raid as they wanted in her backyard,” I answered. “Plus, given she treats shifters with respect and bonds well with them, the Gagnons aren’t the only clan who would jump at that deal for electricity, food, water, and safety.”

  “Though all her knights are currently cat shifters,” Jacob muttered, giving me a look that he’d figured that out.

  “She refuses to confirm a spirit animal, as she believes she’s too young to declare much of anything,” I told him firmly.

  “Does she have a spirit animal and the ghost gift?” Matilda asked, giving us looks like she didn’t buy that.

  “I heard from at least three of her knights of different cat species that they’d been around people with their species as their spirit animal and they felt the same pull to her as those people, My Princess,” Jacob answered.

  “No princess has had multiple spirit animals,” she argued.

  “It’s the apocalypse, and my princess says bonds form when people cling onto hope and each other,” I interjected before he pushed the topic. “Beyond that, she just turned twenty-three. I think saying much of anything for sure is a bit premature. She simply might be a cat person though the owls seemed to like her as well.” I shrugged. “Maybe she’s the princess champion of all shifters. Who can say?”

  That seemed to appease them, and I made a mental note to tell the others that was a good line to give. Then I about shoved Sebastian out the door to get to Nora with the plane. I sat down with Matilda and let her grill me for what little I would tell for the next two hours, and by then they should have long landed in Galway.

  “My princess looks forward to your apology, and I suggest you make it a good one because while Inez isn’t petty, her nobles know all the hoops of court and won’t let her accept anything less than what she deserves,” I told Olivia. “Matilda, I hope to see you under better circumstances next time.”

  “Yes, and maybe you won’t just breeze in here like you own the place,” she said with a warning tone.

  “I never have before, so that should show how bad the insult was,” I threw right back. And then I took off. Jacob could catch up with Sebastian and figure out who was all coming back with James.

  Nora was ready for me when I arrived. “I hear you’re in a rush, so I’ll be brief. I thank your princess for her continued generosity and hope she likes the gift we sent her back. The two idiots you didn’t kill are in my dungeon, and you’re more than welcome to see their current state.”

  I did and was pleased. Both were on different torture devices. One looked like a pretzel, and the other was being pulled by his limbs. Yup, that worked for me.

  “Are you really going to swim an ocean to get back to her only hours sooner?” Nora asked after we spoke and handled what we needed to.

  “I would do so much more for extra minutes with her and the smile she’ll have when she knows I’m safe,” I answered honestly.

  “I’m happy for you, congratulations,” she said, her voice meaning it. “I never expected us to be in-laws through another court you shared with my child. You were so against ever being in a court.”

  “I was until she somehow stole my heart and I didn’t even realize it wasn’t mine anymore,” I confessed. “Thank you for keeping your end of this. Sebastian has been doing everything to make sure this works and a strong alliance while not adding to my princess’s worries.”

  “I’ll have to make sure to reward him,” she chuckled. “Give Jaxon my love.”

  “Of course.”

  And then I finally got to leave. Thanks fuck.

  The ocean was freezing, but I didn’t care. I wanted Inez. I could swim fast enough that it was worth it, and blurring across the land would dry me enough that I wasn’t still soaking we
t. Still, I was pretty damn wet when I arrived, so I grabbed one of the robes behind the front desk and left my clothes to dry as I headed right for my princess.

  My Inez.

  She was in the kitchen wiggling that pert little ass that made me hard. She was in some sexy little night dress and matching short robe that was hanging off her shoulder. I watched her for a moment, realizing she was listening to an iPod while sorting seeds and sneaking brownies. She really was full of everything pure.

  I moved behind her and slid my arms around her, smiling when she gave a sexy yelp and pulled out her ear buds. “I’m home, My Princess.”

  “Already?” she gasped, glancing at me over her shoulder. “You’re here.” I let her turn, and she blinked at my hair. “Is it raining? How? The flight there and back was longer than this, right?”

  “No, the plane is still there. I needed to come home to you,” I murmured, running my nose along her cheek in that way that made her shiver. “Do I smell like the ocean?”

  “You swam an ocean to see me sooner?” Joy filled her eyes when I nodded. She kissed me with all she had but then pulled away, hurrying to gather up her seeds and close the containers before rushing over to the pantry. I about swallowed my tongue as she handed me a bottle and dropped the robe before yanking off the night dress. “Now you can write on me too.”

  I took several moments to look my fill of her body before seeing what was in my hand. Honey. She’d given me a bottle of honey. It hit me, and I moaned, lifting her up on the counter and opening the honey. I put a dollop on my finger and then wrote “Mine” on her chest.

  And then licked it off much to both of our delight.

  “I want to write the other word, but I’m just not sure yet,” I confessed. “I don’t know if I’m able to even love at all.”

  “I think you are,” she whispered gently. “And there’s no rush. I’m happy, aren’t you?” She smiled when I nodded. Then she smirked at me and pushed her breasts together. “I think you should have a taste of the princess you came home to so quickly. With your fangs.”

  “Oh fuck, Inez,” I moaned as they came out. I took the offer and bit her breast, moaning when she held my head to her as if she couldn’t fathom me ever stopping, we both needed to feel it so badly. I licked the bite, not taking much at all when she was still recovering. I kissed her and pulled her to the very edge of the counter. “I want to taste more of you, Inez. Can I?”

  She leaned in and nuzzled me. “I’m so wet for you, Kristof. Knowing you rushed back to me is so fucking hot. Lick your princess’s pussy all you want tonight. My pussy is completely yours tonight for whatever you want.”

  It took everything I had not to accept all of her offer. “I’m hungry and I’ll eat you and come for seconds, but there’s no rush, right?”

  She nodded. “I miss feeling you inside of me though. Don’t you miss my pussy too?”

  “You know I do,” I moaned. “But I want more than that from you now. I want your heart.”

  “I want yours,” she admitted. “I’d rather have your heart than ever feel your dick in me again.”

  And that meant everything to me when so many had treated me as nothing more than a huge cock or strength to give them what they wanted. She just wanted me.

  And I thanked her over and over again by worshipping her until she passed out from all the orgasms. I stared at her as her body still twitched even as she was out.

  “Yeah, I would swim all the oceans for a night like this with you, my Inez.”

  Damn right I would.

  20

  Kristof coming back early ended up being awesome given Thomas’s idea and too much we needed to jump on and fast. The next morning I went with him and Cerdic to collect the rest of the items on the map in the Midwest, and just because I was with Kristof, we nabbed what I needed to out of Florida so it was off our worries. He seemed confident it was and we weren’t detected to start trouble, and that always helped me feel at ease.

  The next day we were going to meet with the first head of a clan Thomas knew. They were last in Louisiana, and while we were going there, Darius thought we should grab the items in New Orleans. Also to check out the area on what we could take over once we cleared it out.

  We were multitasking like we knew what we were doing for sure.

  “I stayed here years ago and it was nice, good for longer term,” Darius said, setting me on my feet in front of the Bourbon Orleans hotel.

  “What we need is over there,” I said, pointing across the street. Part of the sign was down, but I could see it was something voodoo.

  “Then let’s check this first.” He shrugged and took my hand, leading me to the bar entrance. It wasn’t locked, but that wasn’t a red flag as lots of places seemed raided in the area like it was one of the last cities to go under.

  I was grabbed away from Darius when we stepped inside. and I watched something hit his face like a glass bottle, liquid that filled my nostrils in a bad way pouring all over him. I screamed when he went down and elbowed the person holding me. Turning and punching someone else, I lunged for the door, getting it open.

  I didn’t hesitate, knowing we were in deep shit and there was one chance right then. “Kristof!”

  Someone yanked me back inside and closed the door. “Just like a princess to leave others to save her own ass.”

  “Get off me,” I snarled, throwing an elbow that landed, but my eyes weren’t adjusting with the quick changes between bright outside to dark interior and round again.

  “What? You need help, Princess?” someone jeered, a hand moving to my throat.

  Smearing blood all over my exposed skin.

  “No, no!” I screamed, knowing what they were planning.

  “What was that?” a different voice chuckled as cloth tore. I felt air on my torso before more blood was rubbed on my stomach. “Oh, are you distressed, Princess? Your clothes are ripped.”

  “Don’t touch me,” I screeched, shoving and fighting back with all I had. My eyes adjusted and I swallowed a whimper. The bar area of the hotel was full of people.

  How had we not sensed them?

  “What? You need help?” a deep voice chuckled behind me before my shirt was taken, clearly sliced up to fall off, and more blood was on my back.

  “No, let me go. Don’t touch me. You can’t hurt me or Aether will punish you!”

  “We know that,” he purred, licking my ear, making me want to vomit. “We’re just helping a princess all on her own as we should. We’ll give you all you need, Princess.”

  “No, stop, I don’t want your blood,” I cried as the burning started. “Stop undressing me!”

  “We’re not,” a different guy jeered. “Oh, your boots have something on them. Let me help you with them.”

  “No, leave them!” I ordered, but they just kept taunting me they were helping. I tried to fight, I really did, and I landed several good shots, but they were relentless and evil in how clever they handled it. No one took off any single piece of anything. Someone sliced while another accidentally tore it worse, or one untied my boot while I tried to kick them but another knocked it off.

  All while getting as much of their blood on me as possible.

  “Darius,” I whimpered, seeing he still wasn’t stirring as they moved me to a table, now completely naked no matter how much I tried to cover.

  “He’s fine, just out,” the guy holding down my right side said as he reached to touch my breast.

  Another hand swung out and slapped it away. “Don’t touch her sexually. That’s the line. She’ll cave, all sluts do.”

  “No, no,” I sobbed. “I won’t, stop touching me!”

  But they didn’t. They added more and more blood until I was losing my mind from the fire burning in me.

  “Just give in, Princess, and we’ll give you all you need,” one of them jeered. “And we won’t hurt your noble.”

  I whimpered, looking over at Darius again. He would die if I let them rape me for him. No, I was smarte
r than caving like that. I shook my head. “His house will decimate all of you if you hurt him. They have alliances with huge houses too. You’ll all be dead.”

  “Smart little bitch, but you’ll still cave, all you do eventually,” he sneered, cutting his hand deeply with his fang and letting his blood pour all over me. “How many have fucked you? How many have you let taste your young pussy to build your court? You all tease us with it, and now we’ll have the youngest yet.”

  “No!” I wailed, ready to vomit at the idea of any of them touching me or having sex with me. “Darius! Help!”

  Suddenly they were all gone, and I was staring up into mocha eyes I knew.

  Kristof. I broke down sobbing. He heard me and came.

  Right? I wasn’t delirious?

  “Dude, we’ll share her, no need to get bitchy,” one guy snapped. “You smelled her and came, right?”

  “I felt her call,” he answered, and I knew it was him for sure when he cupped my cheek.

  “Please, please, the fire,” I begged as it got worse, scratching my skin as the energy built. “Please, I need so bad.”

  “They always crack,” that first guy chuckled. “Fucking slut. You heard her, she gave permission. Fuck her or we will.”

  “No, only him,” I whimpered. I grabbed onto his arm. “Please.”

  “It will hurt,” he worried.

  I nodded. “It’s okay. I’ll heal. It’s okay if it’s you. Hurt me, just fuck me.”

  He groaned and quickly undid his pants. I spread my legs instead of fighting to keep them closed, moving my feet on the table even. I kept begging, and several of the guys made shit comments about tearing me when they saw Kristof’s monster dick or worried I’d be too loose for them.

  Right, like they were going to have a chance. I met his gaze and saw we were in agreement that would never happen.

  “Yes,” I hissed as he thrust in me. “Deeper. Fuck me, please.”