by RJ Blain
“Whatever type you want.”
Alex pointed his spoon at me. “If you can remember how. Nicolina, do something about him. He’s pathetic. He doesn’t even own a car of his own right now. He has a shitty little Hyundai leaser, and I’m pretty sure it’s the shittiest model they had on the lot. Please take him to a car dealership. I’m embarrassed to be seen anywhere near that thing. It’s black, Nicolina. It’s boring. The damned thing doesn’t even have air conditioning. It has manual windows. I don’t even think it’s capable of going over the speed limit.”
“It’s good on gas.”
“It’s made of plastic.”
“It gets me around.”
“Yeah, when you actually leave the house. The only time that happens is when someone needs you for something. You’re a hermit. You’re actually more reclusive than a hermit. It took the pack almost a month to realize you weren’t holed up in the house but were off in Vegas hunting for Lisa.” Alex huffed before letting out a gusty sigh. “And now that I know why, I can’t even blame you for it. Well, shit.”
“I’m not sure I can be seen in a Hyundai, Richard. Didn’t I marry you for your Porsche?”
“I’m screwed no matter what I say, aren’t I?”
“Yes,” my mate confirmed.
Since I was destined to anger at least one Desmond, I figured I’d test my luck and get a jab in at all of them at once. I set my spoon aside, prepared to run, and smiled at my mate. “Oh, well. What can I say? I’m a sucker for punishment. After all, I did marry a Desmond.”
I didn’t make it far before they caught me.
Part II
My first mistake was letting Richard leave without sinking my teeth into his throat. My second was lacking the courage to call him despite having his number. My third was believing my overbearing father would leave Yellowknife’s Alpha alone.
The only people who were supposed to know we were married were Amber and my mother.
Learning my father had kidnapped Richard and locked him in a silver cage infuriated my wolf. The forced delay in Los Angeles left her writhing under my skin. Although Amber reassured me I wasn’t actually dying of some stomach virus, I wanted to hole up somewhere until it no longer felt like I was going to throw my guts up. After, I wanted to hunt my father down and beat sense into him.
Instead, Amber accelerated my plans and drove me to Seattle so I could rescue Richard from my father.
Upon our arrival, my thoughts of revenge fled. In the weeks since our separation, Richard had lost weight, and my wolf’s fury faded into restless concern. I blamed her for my slip, informing everyone Richard was my mate. The many scents confused my nose, but one stood out.
Maybe I didn’t want everyone to know Richard was my mate and husband, but it made him happy.
Despite not being able to remember a great deal of our time together, the brief moments Richard’s playful side showed through birthed a sense of familiarity and comfort. His good humor, however, didn’t last long.
Richard went from wrestling and romping with me, my father, sister, and mother to lying limp, his eyes closed and his breathing slow and steady. My alarm surged, and Frank set his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Nicolina. He’s always like this. He’ll sleep it off, we’ll feed him again tomorrow, and he’ll bounce back in a day or two. He doesn’t eat when he’s stressed or sick, then he gorges and sleeps it off. You didn’t hurt him when you grabbed him, did you, Desmond?”
“He hit his head, but it wasn’t bad; he was already in pretty rough shape when I got a hold of him. It was too easy to take him and his wolf down. I didn’t even have to work very hard to force him to shift.” My father eased his arms under Richard and hauled him onto the couch. “Didn’t even need Sanders’s help containing him. How much weight has he lost, Frank?”
“Too much. Last time I forced him onto a scale, he was down to one seventy. He’s supposed to be closer to two hundred. As a wolf, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even hit three hundred anymore.” Frank sighed, sat on the arm of the couch beside Richard, and shook his head. “That sound about right to you, Alex?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Do I need to step in for Yellowknife?”
Frank stiffened. “We’ve been managing. Most of our bitches haven’t had puppies for a few years; they’ve been drawing lots and limiting to no more than two pregnancies a season. We haven’t lost any puppies, and after Lisa started enforcing within the pack, there’s been no trouble on that front. Between Alex and Lisa, no one is stupid enough to try anything. He’s able to do his job.”
My father frowned, staring at Richard with narrowed eyes. “I hadn’t realized the situation had gotten that severe.” He turned his attention to me. “Don’t even think of feeling guilty, young lady.”
I froze.
My sister crossed her arms and met my father’s gaze with a glare and bared teeth. “Antagonize her right now, and I will shoot you. Once you’re down, I will lock you in the cage downstairs.”
“Relax, Lisa. He’s right.” Alex hooked his arm around my sister’s waist, picked her up, and set her down closer to the kitchen. “Richard used to be able to handle five pregnant bitches at a time and barely break a sweat. I’ve seen him take on fifteen at once and only lose one puppy of the lot, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop the miscarriage. A strong breeding season this year would help, Desmond—and if there’s more than five, he’ll want backup during the full moons. That’ll give you an excuse to make the hike up north once a month to annoy your daughters into trying to kill you.”
Lisa snapped her teeth at Alex’s throat. “Don’t encourage him.”
“But I want to see the pack when an angry Desmond brings Nicolina up, and they realize she’s Richard’s mate—and has been for a long time,” Richard’s brother growled, and I was aware of the faint hint of something sour and acrid in the air.
I sneezed and rubbed at my nose.
“Don’t you even think of getting sick again, Nicole. If I have to deal with you throwing up one more time, I will go insane.” Amber scowled at me. “It’s bad enough I have to move to the bloody Arctic. Can I have at least a few days when I don’t have to clean vomit out of the carpet while I deal with packing?”
“You’ve already started packing?” my father asked.
“Mr. Desmond, she started moping the day after he went off to help the Inquisition keep Fenerec from shifting until the critical cases could be cured. She started whining by the end of the second day. By the end of the first week, I gave her a choice: she could kidnap him, or she could move to Yellowknife. Apparently, she’s too shy to resort to premeditated kidnapping, so she indicated she’d move. Of course, her indication was grabbing her car keys and heading for the door, but I restrained her so she could go to work.”
I lunged at Amber and wrestled her to the floor, pummeling her, although careful to keep my wolf’s strength under control. “You weren’t supposed to tell them that.”
My witch laughed, flipped me off her, and sat on me. “I don’t miss the painfully reclusive little bitch she was before figuring out she had Richard all to herself. Was she always so feisty?”
“Worse. Just wait until they start trying to kill each other again.”
“I am so looking forward to this.”
Richard slept like the dead, and when my father attempted to drive me upstairs to my childhood room, I bit him. It took Alex, Lisa, and Amber working together to pry my teeth off his arm.
“Wendy, I think we made a mistake. Do you think Richard would have taken her if we had provided a dowry from the start?” My father placed his hand on my forehead to keep me at arm’s length while I snapped and snarled at him. “If we take her car shopping for her mate, do you think she’ll stop biting me? She can give him the keys to a Porsche when he gets up. It’ll probably make him happier than the plane.”
“Charles, haven’t you learned to stop taunting your daughters yet?”
“But they’re so much f
un, Wendy.”
“I have my own Porsche, you know.”
Amber laughed. “She does. It’s an antique 911, and I’m pretty sure she rescued it from a junk yard. It needs more work, but it’s actually not a bad little car. She’s already put a lot of effort into it. It’ll need shipped to Yellowknife, though. I don’t think it’s quite ready for the road yet. It’ll need a paint job, too.”
My father sighed. “I’ll take care of it.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and perched on the edge of the cushion near Richard. “That’s not necessary. It’s my car. I can take care of it myself.”
When my mate snaked his arm around me and burrowed his nose into my side, my wolf settled, her agitation dissipating, leaving me relaxed.
“If I take a picture of you two, I could whip the entire pack into a jealous frenzy in less than a minute,” Frank said, pulling out his phone. “Game?”
While I couldn’t remember the specifics, there was a faint sense of familiarity about the situation. Puzzled, I shrugged and glanced in Amber’s direction.
The witch chuckled and waved her hand. “Fenerec love playing games and toying with each other. I have no idea why they’d be jealous, though.”
My mate’s brother sighed. “It’s because Richard stopped cuddling with every victim he could get his grubby paws on after…”
The silence served to remind me of the past—and that so many of my memories were wrong. It was true a few of Richard’s pack had attacked me, but in my effort to fill the blank spaces, I had made assumptions on the circumstances leading to the car accident that had almost taken my life.
“After those Fenerec tried to kill me,” I supplied.
“Yes. He stopped doing a lot of things, but I think that in particular impressed upon everyone just how much they had hurt him. Most, however, believe it’s because they betrayed his trust.”
“I figured it out.” Frank smirked. “One picture?”
“It was so much more entertaining when she tried to escape,” Desmond complained. “Put up a fight, Nicolina. Let’s see how determined he is to keep you close. It’ll be fun.”
“Charles, please behave. Stop trying to antagonize her into killing you.”
I considered my mate and husband. So many memories drifted right beyond my reach, leaving me frustrated, but I did remember the heat of jealousy and my need to make him mine—and keep him. “Are any of them still in the pack?”
For a long moment, everyone remained silent. Alex sighed. “No, Nicolina. They’re all dead. Your sister tore them to shreds. She only caught one right away, but within a year, she hunted the others down. They’ll never hurt you again.”
My sister snorted and pointed at Richard. “I’d like to see someone try to go after you right now. If there’s even a hint of aggression towards you, he’ll rampage. He’s going to be worse than a newly mated male. It’ll be best if you learn how to fight like a Fenerec. That way, you can help restrain your mate and teach any idiots a lesson. I can help you learn—so can Richard. Richard favors a dirtier fighting style than I do, so perhaps he might be better, once he’s a bit more fit. You’re rather vicious.”
I sniffed and refused to look at my sister. “He’s mine.”
“And you were completely justified in trying to kick my ass. You’ll get the hang of pack dynamics quick enough—especially when Richard brings you into the pack and takes you on a hunt. I’ll even pay penance for threatening your territory. I’ll help show you the ropes.”
“You’ll also help fill in the blanks in her memories. Nicole’s getting them back, but it’ll be a slow, frustrating process,” Amber said. “There’s going to be holes in the wall, broken dishes, and a lot of teeth snapping for a while.”
“I’m sure Richard won’t mind in the slightest.” Alex chuckled and shook his head. “If you want his bitch going to her room, you’re going to have to carry him upstairs, Desmond. I don’t think we’ll be able to get her to leave him even if we join forces right now. We’d also have to go for his throat to get him to let go. Hasn’t he been traumatized enough for one week?”
“I suppose she can camp in the living room tonight, as long as she keeps her teeth to herself. There will be no late night entertainment on my couch, young lady. If you want to bite, take him to your room like a reasonable adult.”
I almost managed to get my gun out of its holster before Lisa, Amber, and Alex pounced and prevented me from shooting my father.
It wasn’t difficult to free myself from Richard. Once everyone else went to bed, a few gentle caresses of his throat relaxed him enough I could escape. I tucked the blanket around him and took over my father’s chair to stand guard. I woke at every sound, and the one time my father came down to check on us, I growled a warning.
Instead of the anger and hostility my hazed, inaccurate memories expected, I was gifted with a chuckle, and he retreated upstairs without a word.
By the time morning came, I hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep. I growled at the sound of footsteps on the stairs, quieting when I recognized my mother.
She smiled at me before her attention shifted to Richard. “Doesn’t look like he’s budged an inch. Any problems?”
“No problems.”
“Your father is convinced salvation can be found at a Porsche dealership, and I don’t think he intends to have breakfast first. Make sure he takes you for something to eat so you don’t bite any pushy salesmen.” Pausing, she glanced at the staircase. Then, speaking much louder, she said, “Some people in this house are unreasonable.”
“I heard that,” my father replied from upstairs.
“Amber says I’m not allowed to leave without eating first. She likes making me throw up,” I grumbled.
“No, you’re not allowed to leave the house hungry, because you get growly when you’re hungry, and you’re absolutely terrible at masking your instincts,” my witch said, hopping down the last three steps of the staircase before striding to the kitchen. “Fortunately, while she might have had the worst case of ritual sickness I’ve ever seen, she’s easier to feed than the average Fenerec. A bowl or two of leftover stew or spaghetti will tide her over until lunch.”
“Richard demolished the stew, but check the fridge for spaghetti and meatballs,” my mother replied, pointing at the fridge. “Eat quick. Your father will want to be at the dealership when it opens. Nicolina, rob your father blind. If he isn’t blanching when he’s paying for the car, you didn’t spend enough money. Make him sweat, and make him scramble to replace the funds. It’s a good way to keep him out of trouble for a while. If he’s trying to recover his hoard, he won’t bother you as much.”
“Richard’s not going to like that, is he?” I stared at Richard, amazed our talk hadn’t woken him up.
My mother laughed. “If anything, it’ll get his engine purring when he figures out you robbed your father so you could buy him a car. You’ll have him wrapped around your finger the instant you jingle the keys at him.”
While I had my doubts, my wolf wanted to sink her teeth into Richard and viewed purchasing a car as a method of holding his attention until we could have our way with him. I hurried into the kitchen, inhaled enough food to appease Amber, and scampered into the bathroom to change into clean clothes.
My twin glared at me. “I can’t believe you’re actually going to leave him here.”
I pointed at our father. “It’ll keep that thing away from him for a while.”
“I can’t argue with that logic. Mom, you’ll be fine on your own?”
“I will enjoy every moment of the peace and quiet. If I need anything, I have a phone. I even know how to use it. Off you go. Charles, bring them back for lunch. You keep a close eye on Nicolina. If she gets sick again, bring her home and shop another day.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of our little puppies, even that scraggly Murphy one. Maybe if I terrorize him enough, he’ll get around to growing out of his puppy coat.” My father grabbed the nape of Alex’s neck a
nd propelled him towards the door. “Don’t even think about trying to escape, puppy. You can help Nicolina decide which death trap is best for that spoiled rotten thief. Frank, you can stay here if you want.”
“I’ll come along. I can’t pay for this sort of entertainment, Desmond.”
“Suit yourself. You’re in charge of Nicolina’s hair. If she gets sick, defend her hair, no matter the cost.”
I sighed, pointing up at the messy pile of hair on top of my head. “That’s really not necessary. I learned my lesson the first day. I’m feeling much better.”
“How many times have you thrown up today?” Amber demanded.
“Not a single time. Let’s keep it that way.”
“Let’s,” my father agreed. “Now, march. We’re going shopping, and we’re going shopping right now.”
I spotted the car of my dreams the moment my father pulled his silver SUV into the Porsche dealership. I pressed my palms to the window, staring at the showcased sports car inside the glass-fronted building. It was painted a bright teal blue, its convertible top was down, and every single one of its sleek lines promised speed and performance if I could get it outside of its glass prison and onto the road.
Porsches were common in California, but I’d never gotten close to a 911 Turbo S Cabriolet. My 911 was a far, far older model, and it’d be a miracle if I ever got it roadworthy.
“I think she’s already made her decision, Mr. Desmond,” Amber announced, nudging me with her elbow. “Nicole, you’re drooling. I thought we were buying for Richard.”
“It’s the same thing,” my mate’s brother said, reaching between the seats to tap my shoulder. “You’re in luck. He does like the color blue, and that’s unusual enough to draw all the attention he could ever want. Amber, she was gunning for his car the day she met my brother, along with his swimming pool and television. I really should have known she had claimed him for herself. I really should have.”
“I’m still trying to figure out how it happened,” my sister complained. “Do tell, Nicolina.”