They were all so accepting of her and Athena, even though Teine was a fox. Athena a mixed breed. There was no malice in their eyes, no hatred. Each and every one of them cared about her and her niece. It was all so overwhelming.
“Thank you.”
“Teine,” the man by the counter said, setting his cup down and crossing his arms over his chest, a serious expression on his face. “I’m Noah, Nolan’s brother. I want you to know that we are all here for you. Like Knox said, we will protect you from anything that comes our way. You are my sister now, and I would give my life for yours. That being said, we do need to know what exactly we are protecting you from.”
She felt the low growl begin to vibrate deep within Nolan, and she hurriedly ran her hand over his shoulders to try to calm him. “No, he’s right.”
“If you aren’t ready to talk about it, then he will shut his mouth and mind his own fucking business,” Nolan snarled, his dark brown eyes flashing at his brother. Noah just stared back quietly at him.
“Nolan, stop.” She didn’t want to be the cause of a fight between the brothers. Especially, not after all they had done for her. “It’s time. You all need to know what you are up against.”
“Am I the only one who feels like we’ve been through this before?” another man interjected teasingly. Teine looked over at him in surprise, watching as he tugged on Emery’s hair lightly. “Not too long ago, there was a little bunny in about the same predicament I am assuming you are in, Teine. We helped her, and we will help you.” Turning toward her, he grinned, “I’m Brayden, the sexiest one of the bunch.” When his siblings groaned, he just laughed. “This is our sister, Briar, the only other one in the room you haven’t technically met, yet.”
Teine’s gaze went to the woman sitting next to him. Both had brown hair, Brayden’s with short curls, Briar’s in waves down her back, and matching amber eyes.
“We’re twins,” Briar said, raising her eyebrows at him, “and obviously look the same.”
“Well,” Brayden drawled, leaning back in his chair, “except for the fact that you have a vagina and I have…”
“That’s enough,” Knox growled, shaking his head in frustration at the twins.
Before he could continue, the front door opened, and then slammed shut. A beautiful woman with long auburn hair and dark green eyes appeared in the kitchen, her gaze flitting briefly to Noah before coming to rest on Teine. “Hi!” she said brightly, grabbing hold of the chair next to Brayden and turning it around to straddle it. “I’m Aurora. It’s so nice to finally meet you, Teine.”
Teine stared at the woman in awe, unable to miss the power flowing from her. The smile on her face drew her in, and soon Teine found herself grinning back. “Hello.”
“Aurora is Noah’s mate,” Miracle explained, leaning over to squeeze Aurora’s hand.
Aurora’s emerald gaze swung to Noah, an eyebrow raised. When he didn’t respond, she muttered, “Reluctant mate.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I guess, sometimes the Goddess gives a shifter a mate he doesn’t necessarily want,” Aurora said with a shrug, but Teine could smell the pain surrounding the woman.
Unable to help herself, Teine placed a hand gently on the other woman’s shoulder, and leaned close, whispering in her ear very quietly, “The Goddess doesn’t make mistakes.”
Aurora turned those mesmerizing eyes her way and murmured, “She did this time.”
“Teine, we’re ready to hear your story if you are ready to share it.”
Teine knew that was Knox’s way of defusing the situation, even if she didn’t want to be the center of attention again. Swallowing hard, she kissed Athena gently on the head, before sliding onto Nolan’s lap. She needed to be as close to him as possible if she was going to get through the next few minutes.
Glancing down, she was surprised to find that Athena had fallen asleep against her, one chubby hand wrapped around a lock of her hair.
“She hasn’t slept much since you were hurt,” Briar said softly, her gaze on the child. “She’s a good girl, so happy for the most part, but she’s really missed you.”
“I’ve missed her, too,” Teine whispered, laying her head lightly on Athena’s and closing her eyes for a moment. Inhaling deeply, she once again brought the little girl’s scent in through her nose, immediately calming her and finding a sense of peace. Then her brow furrowed slightly. Leaning closer to Nolan, she inhaled his scent just as deeply, holding it inside, before slowly breathing out.
“Geez, get a room,” Brayden teased, making the others laugh quietly, and Knox grumble about newly mated shifters.
“She smells like you,” Teine whispered, her eyes going from Nolan to Knox.
“She’s a bear, like us,” Briar said proudly, leaning across the table to trace a finger lightly down the girl’s arm. “You can smell the light scent of fox, too, because she is from your sister, but a bear has chosen to be a part of her soul, not a fox.”
“No,” Teine said, standing abruptly and walking over to Briar. Leaning down, she inhaled deeply, then stepped back filled with shock. Slowly, she went to Brayden and did the same thing, then to Knox and Noah, ignoring Nolan’s growl of warning when she got too close to his unmated brothers. “She smells like you. All of you. She smells like a Channing.”
Knox rose slowly, placing Emery gently on the chair, before coming to Teine. Holding out his arms for the girl, he waited patiently until she handed Athena over to him. The child cried out softly in her sleep, turning instinctively and reaching back for Teine, but Knox rubbed her back gently until she finally settled against him.
Teine watched as he held her niece close, breathing in deeply. He stayed like that for several moments, before lifting his gaze to look from Noah, to Nolan, to Brayden. “Which one of you is this child’s father?”
The three looked back in confusion, shaking their heads, all denying it.
“I’d know if I fathered a child,” Brayden stated.
“Really?” Briar asked sardonically. “The way you and Nolan go through women, I highly doubt that. A different girl every other night. I have no idea how you would even keep track of them.”
Teine froze, her fangs punching through her gums and claws emerging. A loud growl broke free, as her eyes swung to her mate.
“Crap, I didn’t mean to say that,” Briar whispered. “Teine, I am so sorry.”
Nolan glared at his sister, then rose slowly, holding out his hands toward Teine. Teine felt a quiet rage running through her at the thought of her mate with anyone else, let alone as many women as his sister was suggesting. He was hers, dammit! “Teine, please, calm down. It was all before you. There will never be another again.”
Her entire body shook with fury as she glared at him. “How many?” she demanded, wanting to track down every last one of them.
“Baby…”
“How many?”
“Too many,” he admitted quietly, his eyes filling with shame. “Way too many, Teine.”
Tears filled her eyes and she turned from him, her body shaking at the thought of her mate with so many women. She knew it was before her, and she had no right to be angry with him, but it hurt. She may not be a virgin, but it sounded as if the three men she’d been with in her life wasn’t near the number of women Nolan had screwed.
“Teine.” She stiffened when his arms came around her from behind and he tugged her back against him. “I wish I could change the past, I really do, but I can’t. All I can do is move forward, with you. I promise you, from this day forward, there will never be anyone else. You are the one I want, the one I need, the one I love.”
Teine stood stiffly for several moments, before finally letting herself settle back against his body. He was telling the truth. She could scent it. He only wanted her. There was no way he could be with another woman. His bear wouldn’t allow it. And he loved her. She’d felt the truth in his words, the honesty.
Forcing her claws to retract and her fangs recede, she
nodded slowly. “Okay,” she whispered, pulling from his arms.
He stood silently, watching her for a moment, and then went back to his chair and sat down. Holding out his arms, he waited patiently for her to cross to him and slide onto his lap. “I love you, baby. You and only you. Don’t ever forget that.”
Teine nodded, holding herself stiffly as her gaze went back to Knox. “I don’t think the father is any of you,” she said quietly.
“We are the only Channings left, Teine,” he told her, inhaling Athena’s scent again. “It has to be one of us.”
“But she doesn’t smell like anyone of you in particular, just all of you.”
Knox frowned, glancing around the room. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. But if it makes you feel better, my sister’s name was Nadine Carlson, and we are from a small town in Washington called Turnbalt. I know for a fact that Nadine has never left Turnbalt, because I hadn’t until I was forced to take Athena and flee right after she was born. She has long, brown hair, and golden eyes.”
“Golden?”
“Yes. They are very unusual. She got them from my mother’s side of the family.”
Knox looked at his brothers, and slowly shook his head. “None of us have been to Washington. And I’ve never heard the name Nadine before.”
“That means there is another Channing out there,” Miracle said, her eyes wide in wonder. “Who could it be?”
Knox shook his head, running a hand gently over Athena’s head. “That doesn’t matter right now. What matters is the people who are threatening our niece. Explain, little sister.”
It was an order, one she could not disobey even if she wanted to, which she didn’t. It seemed as if she were tied to this family in more ways than one, and she was so happy to finally be able to let someone in to help her. Athena was their niece, too. They would all share the responsibility of keeping the child safe now.
Letting herself relax slightly and rest against Nolan’s chest, Teine collected her thoughts before starting. “Nadine was the complete opposite of me. She was older by ten years, and always felt responsible for me, especially after our parents died.”
“As older siblings should,” Noah said quietly.
Teine nodded. “Normally, I would agree, but Nadine isn’t a fighter. Don’t get me wrong. She was not afraid to stand up for what she believes in, but she doesn’t believe in taking lives. She was very quiet, sweet, good-natured. She would rather avoid a confrontation than walk right into one to settle it like I would.”
Nolan laughed softly, his arms tightening around her. “Just one of the things I love about you.”
Teine was still upset at the thought of Nolan being a male slut, but she knew she couldn’t hold it against him forever. She wanted to, but she needed his love and warmth more. Leaning her head back, she kissed his jaw lightly, a small show of forgiveness.
She saw the relief in his eyes, and she kissed him again before she turned back to the others. “A few months ago, Nadine started acting differently. She worked as a librarian at the elementary school, and she began to leave me notes, saying she was staying late. She’d never done that before. Once, I stopped by to see her, but she wasn’t there. She’d lied to me.”
“You couldn’t tell because she never actually told you to your face that she was working late,” Aurora said, nodding in understanding.
“Are all foxes that sly?” Brayden asked, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of his tea.
Grinning, Teine shrugged. “Most of us, but I never thought my sister was. She was always so honest and good, nothing like me.”
“Bullshit,” Nolan cut in. “You are honest to a fault, and a good person.”
“Not like Nadine,” Teine replied, her gaze going around the room. “I’m telling you, she was an angel. She was so sweet and kind. She would give the clothes off her back to someone if they needed it. She gave away her coat so many times to people living on the streets in the winter. That was just her.”
“What happened?” Knox asked, moving to stand next to his mate, Athena still cradled safely in his arms.
“One night she came home and I noticed a different scent on her,” Teine told them quietly. “I knew she’d been with someone. A male, and he wasn’t a fox shifter like us, which was strictly forbidden by our alpha. We were not allowed to mate outside our species, and if we did,” Teine shuddered, moving closer to her mate. “I tried to talk to her, but she refused. She didn’t want to get me in trouble. I was an enforcer, and by law, I would have been required to tell my alpha.”
Tears filling her eyes again, Teine swallowed hard. “She continued seeing the man, and one day, a new scent appeared.”
“She was pregnant.”
“Yes, but she didn’t seem to know it at first. She was distracted and seemed so sad. I wanted to help her, but wasn’t sure what to do. When she finally figured it out on her own that she was pregnant, she quit her job and stayed hidden in the house away from everyone except me and my grandmother, Idelle.”
“Did they know she was pregnant?” Miracle whispered, her hand clutching her throat in fear.
“Yes, they found out, but no one got near enough to her to find out the baby was a mixed breed. When Athena was born, it was obvious she shared her soul with a bear.”
“What did they do?” Miracle asked, her eyes wide and full of worry.
“When Nadine went into labor, she hid with my grandmother in a small shack out in the woods. I arrived right after Athena was born, and Nadine was in bad shape. Grandma said she wasn’t going to make it. She shoved Athena at me and told me to run. To get out of there and never come back. Nadine made me promise to keep Athena safe. To raise her as my own.” Teine’s eyes went to the sleeping child, and she whispered, “I failed in one aspect. I couldn’t forget my sister. She was my world — she and my grandmother. I love Athena so much, but she is Nadine’s daughter and always will be. I make sure Athena knows about her, telling her stories every night. I want her to know how much her mother loved her. Somehow, in the story telling about her mama, she began calling me mama. I let her, because my sister is gone now, and I am the only mother figure she has.”
“Are you sure she died?” Noah asked, uncrossing his arms and reaching for his coffee.
“What?”
“Did you actually see her die?”
Teine’s frown furrowed, and she slowly shook her head. “No. I left with Athena, fought off three enforcers just to get to my car, and then ran. I’ve been running ever since. But she was lying in so much blood when I left, that I was sure she wouldn’t last much longer.” Teine paused, her hand tightening on Nolan’s arm as she gasped.
“What is it, baby?”
“Something Garrick said when he was trying to kill me.”
“What?”
“He said not to worry. That I would die soon.” She hesitated, searching her mind to make sure she had the words right. “Then he said, ‘too bad your sister’s fate is much worse.’ He used a present tense, not past.”
“Oh!” Miracle gasped, clutching the edge of the table. “Oh, Teine! That must mean Nadine is still alive!”
“Which would explain why you can’t entirely assume the role of Athena’s mother,” Aurora said quietly. When Teine looked at her, her eyebrows narrowed in question, she went on, “A part of you knows she is alive, Teine. She’s out there somewhere, and is Athena’s true mother.” Covering Teine’s hand with her own, she smiled, “You didn’t fail in either of the things your sister asked of you, my friend. You kept her daughter safe, and you loved her the way she deserves to be loved — as a mother would.”
Teine clutched the front of Nolan’s shirt tightly, her entire body trembling, as she asked, “Do you really think my sister is alive, Aurora?”
“I know she is.”
“How?”
“Aurora’s a witch,” Miracle chimed in, leaning forward in her seat. “She has gifts, and one is that she can see things sometimes.”
T
eine’s gaze swung from Miracle to Aurora, hope beginning to fill her. “Are you saying, you can see that my sister is alive?”
“I only see what the Goddess allows me to see,” Aurora said softly. “Sometimes, it is more of a feeling. This time, I can’t actually see where your sister is, but I know she is alive. I feel it.”
When Aurora hesitated, Teine demanded, “Go on, Aurora. What else?”
Aurora lowered her head for a moment, and then raised it again, her bright green eyes holding Teine’s, “She’s in pain, Teine. A lot of pain. If someone doesn’t get to her soon, she won’t be alive much longer.”
“No!”
Teine pushed away from Nolan, jumping from his lap and running from the kitchen, aware that he was following close behind her. She was up the stairs and in his room moments later, strapping on the weapons she’d felt so safe leaving behind just thirty minutes before.
“Baby, you need to calm down.”
“I will not calm down,” Teine growled, slipping on her boots and shoving knives in the hidden sheathes inside. “Didn’t you hear what Aurora said, Nolan? My sister needs me! I need to get to her, now!”
“And we will, I promise. But we need a plan, Teine. We can’t rush in without one, or we could all die.”
“We?” Teine whispered, raising her head to look at him, and then at his family crowding in the room behind him.
“Did you really think we would let you go without us, little sister?” Knox asked, in his deep, growly voice. “How many times do I have to explain to you that you and Athena are family now? That we protect what is ours?”
“Because I’m mated to Nolan,” Teine said, standing to face them. “But Nadine isn’t one of yours.”
“Obviously, she is,” Emery said softly, moving forward with Athena in her arms. “She’s your sister, which makes her ours. You all belong with us, Teine. Let us help you.”
Teine accepted the little girl from her, and holding the child close, said, “I can’t ask all of you to risk your lives for me.”
“You didn’t have to ask. You’re family. It’s what family does.”
Teine looked at Noah, letting his words sink in before finally nodding. Placing a kiss on Athena’s forehead, she whispered, “We can’t take Athena anywhere near Turnbalt. They will kill her the minute they know who she is.”
Protecting His Fox's Sass (Sass And Growl Book 2) Page 8