by BE Kelly
“So, you two will live here someday, then?” she asked. “You know when you’re teaching at the academy.”
“No,” Duff said. “Not while father is here, at least.”
“We used to love this place, but after mum died, we don’t come back here much. We have a little place just off campus that we share and that’s our home now,” Anson said.
“I’d love to see your place sometime,” Eden said.
“Absolutely,” Duff agreed. Anson read every dirty thought his brother was having and shook his head. “You know, as soon as we walk through the front door, you won’t be able to be in my head anymore, Brother,” Duff grumbled.
“We’re not in the house and she’s not ours yet,” Anson said. Eden was watching the two of them and he took her hand into his. “My brother is imagining all he wants us to do with you at our place,” he said, filling her in. Eden’s gasp filled the car and he could tell that she was just as turned on by the idea as they were—he didn’t need to be a mind reader to know that.
“Can we put this on hold until we can get this next part over with? Father is standing on the front porch and he doesn’t look pleased,” Duff said, nodding to the front of the house.
Shit—his brother was right. His father didn’t look happy about their surprise visit. “Come on,” Anson said. He opened his door and slid from the car. Duff helped Eden from the vehicle and they walked to the front porch, hand in hand, the three of them.
His father smiled and nodded to Eden, “Hello,” he said, laying on the charm. His father could be quite suave when he wanted to be. “You boys bring home a friend?” he asked.
“This is Eden Street,” Anson said, almost stumbling over the last name. It really didn’t roll off his tongue as Eden Graystone had. “We’ve come home to grab a few things and we were hoping you wouldn’t mind a few overnight guests.”
“It’s good to meet you, Eden. I’d love for you to stay the night. That would be great,” his father said. He could tell that his dad had already started drinking a little early that day. If he had to guess, his father was about two to three drinks in already. That would make him nice enough to answer a few questions and sober enough to remember what the hell he was talking about.
“Did you close the pool for the season yet?” Duff asked.
“Nope—I’ll make sure that it’s heated and ready for you three to use. In the meantime, I’ll let Glory know you’re here and have her plan for three more for dinner. She’ll be thrilled to see you, boys. All she does is complain that I don’t eat enough anymore and that she misses feeding her boys.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Anson said. Glory was their housekeeper/nanny. When they moved to town from Scotland, they were old enough not to need a nanny but too young to go running around unsupervised. Their mum had hired Glory to do some cooking and light housework, but she ended up chasing them around most of the day, especially after their mother got sick. She became their surrogate mother, for the most part, and when their father left town on business or drank himself into a stupor, she was there to take care of them both.
They followed him into the house and he turned to smirk at them. “How many bedrooms will you require?” he asked. Eden turned three shades of red and their father chuckled. Anson hated that she was made to feel embarrassed.
“Duff and I will bunk up in his room and Eden can have my old room,” Anson said. She squeezed his hand and smiled up at him, taking his breath away. She was so beautiful and she didn’t even know it.
“Suit yourself,” their dad grumbled. “I tried to help you boys out.”
“Thanks, Dad, but we don’t need any help,” Duff spat, effectively dismissing him. Thank God he took the hint and left them alone. Anson wasn’t sure how much of their father he’d be able to stomach if he drank much more tonight. He dumped their bags in the two rooms and they took Eden off to meet Glory, anxious to have the two meet.
Glory dropped the spoon she had been using, to stir whatever she was cooking in the big pot. “I thought I heard you two,” she said. “Will you be staying for dinner?”
“Yep, and breakfast too,” Duff said. He kissed her cheek and Anson did the same.
“This is our friend, Eden,” Anson said. Glory pulled her in for a hug, surprising Eden.
“Um, hello,” Eden squeaked.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Glory said.
“Thank you,” Eden said.
“A witch—well, that’s a nice surprise,” Glory whispered.
“I thought we weren’t allowed to use magic,” Eden said.
“The rules don’t apply to Glory. She hasn’t met a rule she didn’t want to break,” Duff teased.
“Do you have abilities?” Eden asked Glory.
“She’s a fae,” Anson said. “Glory can read minds like me—that’s how she knows you’re a witch.”
“A fae?” she asked. “I’ve never met a fae before. You look so human,” Eden said.
Glory giggled and shifted into her fae form. “I can shift into a fae form, but the people in town have no idea that supernaturals exist. If they knew that a fae was living here with wolf shifters, shopping at the same stores as them and fitting into their daily lives, they’d lose their minds. This is just easier,” she said, shifting back to her human form. “But the boys are right—I don’t like the whole, ‘no magic’ rule. I never did. It’s just Mr. Kirkpatrick’s way of holding some control over the boys. I don’t believe in stifling a supernatural’s abilities.”
“Enough Glory,” their father ordered. He had come in through the back of the kitchen and caught the tail end of their conversation. Glory would have known he was there—she would have gotten a read on him before he even entered the room, but she still had the nerve to say what she did. She always spoke her mind and there father had no way of stopping her. She shrugged and smiled at him and Duff, even giving them a saucy wink.
Duff chuckled and shook his head at her. “See—never one to follow the rules, our Glory,” he whispered to Eden.
“Father, if you have a few minutes, we’d like to ask you a few questions,” Anson asked. He was taking a chance that his father hadn’t downed a few more drinks while they were talking to Glory.
“What about?” his father slurred.
“About the founders of Graystone,” Duff said. “We found evidence that the school wasn’t just founded by the Graystone family, but also by the Kirkpatricks.”
“Evidence?” his father asked. “What kind of proof did you find?”
“Pictures,” Anson said. “We were doing some research and we found that our six times great-grandfather helped build Graystone. Is it true?”
His father’s expression turned murderous and he wasn’t sure if they had made a grave mistake in asking their father to help them. “Maybe coming here was a mistake,” Anson said.
His father’s smile was mean, “Not at all, Anson. You and your brother are always welcome here. This is your home. I have to go out for a bit, but you three enjoy the pool. I won’t be home until late.” Anson watched as his father turned and left, not bothering to answer their question.
“Well, that went well,” Duff grumbled.
“You boys,” Glory breathed. “You asked the right question, finally—just didn’t ask the right person. I think I might be able to help you.” She sat down at the kitchen table and turned to look back at the three of them. “Well, sit down, now. You’ll need to settle in for this one—it’s a long story.”
Duff
They sat around the big kitchen table and Duff stared down Glory. She knew their family. Why he hadn’t thought of asking her sooner, was a mystery. “You’re a Graystone, right?” Glory asked. Eden looked between him and Anson and they both nodded at her.
“You can trust Glory,” Anson said. “Tell her who you are.”
“I’m Eden Graystone,” she said. “Theodore Graystone is my father.”
“I see,” Glory breathed. “I knew your father,” she said. “He was a few years beh
ind me in school, but I remember him. He was quite handsome.” Eden made a face and Glory giggled. “I guess most young girls don’t want to hear that their fathers are handsome.”
“No,” Eden agreed. “Were you two friends?”
“Yes,” Glory admitted, “at least, I’d like to think so.”
“But Mr. Kirkpatrick wasn’t a fan of my fathers,” Eden said.
“At first, they were the best of friends. Kirkpatricks and Graystones were business partners and friends for as long as time can remember. You boys were correct—Kirkpatricks helped to build Graystone Academy. But then, your father went and fell for Bianca Graystone, and when she turned up dead, poor dear, your father blamed Dugan, Eden. I’m afraid that was the end of the friendship between your two families. Theo blamed Dugan for Bianca’s death and your father never got over her loss, boys. That’s why he acts the way he does—running away from every situation that rubs him the wrong way and drinking himself half-blind. It’s sad, really,” Glory said.
“What about our mother?” Anson asked. “Did he ever love her?”
“In his own way. He met her years after his time at Graystone. Your mother was a force, boys. She loved him something fierce, as she did both of you. But your mother’s love wasn’t enough to erase Bianca’s memory.”
“Poor Mum,” Duff whispered.
“Don’t feel sorry for your mother, Duff,” Glory said. “She had you boys and you made her so happy. She never really understood the feud between the Kirkpatricks and the Graystones, but then I’m guessing she didn’t know the whole story either. One lost life tore apart two families generations of friendship.”
“How can we fix it?” Eden asked.
“Well, you’re doing it now—just by finding each other and being friends,” Glory said. Duff didn’t tell her that they wanted to be more than friends with Eden. She smiled at him, letting him know that she most likely read his mind.
“Thank you for telling us our family history,” Anson said. “We had no idea.”
“You are quite welcome,” Glory said. “As for your path forward, I’m sure it will become clear soon enough. I think you boys met Eden for a reason and only the three of you can figure out that reason together. If you have any more questions, I’ll be happy to answer them. For now, why don’t the three of you have some fun before supper? I’m making your favorite—shepherd’s pie.”
“You did know we were coming, didn’t you?” Anson asked.
Glory giggled, “I’ll never tell my secrets, boys,” she teased. “Now, go on and get out of my kitchen.”
“You think she’s actually going to come out of there?” Anson asked. He looked over to the small pool house that sat just past the patio. They had convinced her to pack a bathing suit for the trip home, but Eden seemed so shy about changing to go for a swim.
“If not, we can always go in there and pull her out,” Duff offered. He would too. Eden was innocent and maybe they were pushing her too fast, but he didn’t want to wait to have her and he knew Anson felt the same way. Glory was right, something in the universe wanted the three of them to meet and be together. He just wanted to speed the process up.
“Wow,” Anson breathed, looking over to where Eden came out of the pool house. She was standing up against the building, her arms wrapped around her middle as if she was trying to hide from them. “She’s beautiful,” his brother said.
“Come here, Eden,” Duff said. They sat on the lounge chairs next to the pool, and she didn’t look like she was very likely to walk across the pool deck to obey his order. When it came to sharing women, Anson usually let Duff take control, but he could feel his brother’s desire to be the one in charge of Eden.
“You want to take this one, Brother?” Duff asked.
“Yeah,” Anson agreed. He stood and walked over to where Eden was standing, pulling her into his arms. She was so timid; she didn’t lower her arms from around her own body.
“Eden,” he breathed. “Don’t hide from us,” Anson said. She had on a sexy little black two-piece that showed off her sexy curves, making Duff’s mouth water. He was hoping his brother would find a way to get through to their sexy witch.
Anson smiled over at him and shrugged, “Okay, we can do this the hard way.” He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, laughing at Eden’s shouts of protests and squeals telling him to put her down. Duff knew exactly what Anson was going to do and he also knew that Eden was probably going to hate it. His brother walked to the edge of the pool and tossed her into the water. Duff watched as she sunk under the water and quickly rose back to the surface, gasping for air.
“You’re an asshole,” she shouted at Anson.
Duff chuckled, “She’s not wrong,” he agreed. “That was a shitty thing to do, but at least she’s not cowering at the pool house any longer.”
“I just needed a few minutes,” she said. “I was working up the nerve to walk over to you.” She was lying—Duff could hear it in her voice.
“Liar,” Anson accused.
“I thought you said we weren’t allowed to use magic,” she shot back.
“I don’t have to read your mind to know that you’re lying to us, Eden. I can hear the fear in your voice. If you don’t want this or if you’ve changed your mind, tell us now,” Anson said. She swam to the side of the pool and climbed out, wrapping her arms around her body again. This time, she shivered and Duff cursed. He grabbed a big, fluffy towel from the chair next to him and walked over to wrap her in it.
“I haven’t changed my mind,” she whispered. “I just don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never been with one man and you’re asking me to be with two? I guess I just don’t want to mess this up. I’m worried that sooner or later, you two will figure out that I’m not worth all this trouble and find another woman with more experience.”
“Not going to happen,” Duff growled. He lifted her into his arms and cradled her against his chest.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“To the pool house. No one will bother us in there and it’s time we make you ours. Tell us now if we’re moving too quickly,” Duff said.
“No,” Eden breathed. “I told you that I want this—I want both of you.”
“Good to know,” Duff said. “Coming Brother?” he called back over his shoulder.
“Right behind you,” Anson agreed.
“What about dinner?” she questioned. Duff pulled the door to the pool house open and deposited her onto the sofa and looked her up and down. She was so beautiful and if they had their way, she’d become theirs tonight. His inner wolf howled, seeming pleased with the idea of having Eden as his mate.
“Fuck dinner,” Anson growled. “First we’re going to make you ours and then we’ll feed you, Baby. Are you good with that?”
She smiled up at him and reached for Anson’s hand. “I’m good with that,” she agreed. “I’m good with all of this.”
Eden
After she changed into her skimpy bikini, she almost wanted to pull back on her clothing and tell them that she changed her mind about swimming. She hadn’t tried on the suit when she purchased it in town, and she felt like she was going to spill out of it. It took every ounce of her willpower to walk out the front door of the pool house and face them. And when their heated gazes looked her over, and Duff demanded that she go to them, she wasn’t sure what her next move should be. Anson didn’t leave her much choice when he picked her up and dumped her ass into the pool. At least it was heated, but it was quite a shock to her system when she hit the water.
Now, both of the guys were standing over her, looking down at her like they wanted to devour her body, mind, and soul, and she was feeling crazy enough to let them. “When you two look at me like that, it makes me—” she didn’t know how to finish her sentence.
“It makes you what?” Anson asked. They didn’t touch her and that was driving her crazy with need. All Eden could think about was the two of them running their big hands all over her body. She
didn’t know many shifters. Hell, she didn’t know about all of the shifters that existed in the world until she got to Graystone. Her father kept her world small and for the most part, she was only allowed to fraternize with other witches and warlocks. Now, she understood why he did that—her father wanted her to end up with one of her own.
“It makes me hot,” she finished. Eden sat up, running her hands up their thick thighs. They were both wearing board shorts and as she brazenly ran her hands under their swim trunks, they both hissed out their breath almost in unison.
“You both like that, don’t you?” she whispered.
“Yes,” Anson hissed. “We both like it,” he agreed, speaking for his brother. Eden smiled and let her hands slide up just a bit further, stopping just short of feeling both of their erections. She could feel the heat pouring off of their bodies and she knew that they were letting her explore—even play with them, but it was costing them both their control. One thing she did know about wolf shifters—they liked their control. Hell, they needed it, even craved it, and letting her have theirs was costing them both.
“And how would you know that Duff likes it?” she asked, hoping to find that Anson had broken the rules and used magic to read his brother’s mind.
“I can hear his heart racing,” Anson admitted.
“She’s trying to get us to admit that we’re using magic,” Duff said.
“I know,” Anson said. “I’ve already read her mind. I can’t block her out, not when she’s touching us like this, the connection is too strong.” It made her feel powerful to know that she was having such an effect on him and that Anson felt the same connection to her that she felt around him.
“I think I can over look your use of magic,” she said.
“Well, that’s mighty big of you, Eden,” Anson hissed. She let her fingers trace his impressive erection and he threw his head back, seeming to like her attention.