Bane's Heart

by Sandra R Neeley

  “I’m sorry I left you alone, Janie. I was going to come back for you in a little while if Bane didn’t bring you back,” Bam told her. She moved into Bam’s side and hugged him, “It’s okay, Bam. I know why you did it. And thank you.” He hugged her back, “This is really cool, I have two sisters now. And just a while ago, I didn’t have any at all.” Mav came down the steps and handed a now nude Bane a towel, then moved to hug Janie and welcome her to the family. Only Bam would not move aside. “He flirted with your Mate, Bane. You should hit him,” Bam told Bane while still giving Mav the stink eye and standing firm between him and Janie.

  “I told you why I did it, Bam. I didn’t really want her, I just wanted you to go get Bane.”

  “It’s okay, Bam. I know why he did it,” Bane looked at Mav, “and while his actions leave a bit to be desired, he was right in his ultimate goal. I should have been here. He knew that and was trying to get me back here sooner, rather than later.”

  “Still think you should hit him,” Bam mumbled.

  “Come on, Bam. Talk to my Wolf, you’ll see,” Mav said while doing his best to look pitifully at Bam, trying to seek forgiveness.

  “Your Wolf doesn't always talk. He’s broken. I can only talk to him when he lets me.”

  Bane looked back and forth between Bam and Mav, “What the hell are ya’ll talking about? Have I missed something?” He looked directly at Bam, “What is he talking about, Bam?”

  “There’s somethings I need to tell you about. I been keeping a secret for a long time. Don’t be mad, okay?”

  About that time, Sadie took her turn to hold her daughter close. “Are you staying here with Bane?”

  “Yes, Mom. I am, I love him so much. And he makes me happy.”

  “Good, Baby. I’m so happy for you.” She risked a glance at Bane, who now had a towel wrapped around his waist. “They really can change into animals,” she giggled, shaking her head. “I thought they were just trying to distract me.”

  “Why aren’t you freaking out, Mom?”

  “Like I told you this morning, these people are some of the nicest, most honest I’ve ever met. They have my undying gratitude, and I will forever make sure that they know that. Besides, after the life I’ve lived and the things that I’ve seen, some humans are more animal than any beast.”

  “See, that’s why I like this lady. She gets me. Did I not say practically the same thing to you in bed this morning?” Mav said turning to Janie. “Remember, I said, Humans are monsters, remember?”

  “You were in my bed with Janie?” Bane asked, voice dropping to a growly state.

  “Nooooo, I was not in your bed with her. She was in your bed, and I was trying to get her out of it. God, what is wrong with you people and the jealousy? Hello!” waving his arms in the air, “Male that will not ever take a Mate, here!” he said dramatically, pointing at himself, voice raised comically, feigning exasperation.

  Bam snorted at Mav’s remark. Grinning to himself, looking at Mav sideways with one eyebrow raised.

  Mav immediately started shaking his head back and forth, “Aw, No, unh-unh, Do not start any of your heebie-jeebie stuff on me. I am not taking a Mate, no matter what your healer thing-a-ma-hickey says!” Bam just smiled even bigger at Mav, showing all his teeth, which flustered Mav completely, sending him running back into the house slamming the screen door behind him.

  “Bam, what the hell is Mav talking about? What secret do you have to tell me, what is going on?” Bane asked him, concern in his voice.

  Janie reached up on tip toe and kissed Bane’s chin, “You and Bam talk. I’m going inside with Avaleigh and my mom; got to figure out sleeping arrangements. And I’m starving!” Avaleigh looped her arm through Janie’s, and they started up the steps toward the front door, Sadie in tow.

  “The sleeping arrangements are that you are sleeping beside me. Don’t really care about where everybody else sleeps, but you will be in my arms at night, each night. No exceptions,” Bane called after her.

  Janie blew him a kiss and a wink and followed Avaleigh inside.

  Bam took a seat on the steps again and waited for Bane to join him. He watched his brother smile, completely happy and glowing, as he watched his Mate head inside with their sister. He knew that they’d be together forever.

  Bane turned to look at Bam and took a seat right beside him, “Okay, so what’s going on? And don’t hold back, you know you can tell me anything, Bam. And I’ll always love you, always stand beside you, right?”

  “I’m a Healer.” Bam blurted and smiled proudly at him. “That’s what Daniel calls me. He said I’m very rare and to be revered,” then he told him all about the unique talent that he had and had always had. Bane listened patiently, and like Kaid, finally was able to put all the little nuances into place and know why things always seemed as they did to Bam. How he always knew the right thing for each and every one of them. “I love you, Bam. You didn’t have to hide from me.”

  “But I didn’t know that. I mean I knew you loved me, but I didn’t know that I was special. I thought I was bad. The others, they used to tell me that I was bad. And I was afraid that if you knew that I could feel other people’s animals, and hear your Bear too, that you might think I was bad.”

  “Never, Bam. The others don’t matter. It’s just us now, our clan and our family. Those people who had us, they don’t count. And I’m so proud of you. Of who you are, of what you are. You are the best man that I know, Bam. I try to be more like you every day.”

  Bam was stunned, “You do?”

  “Yes, I do. The world would be a much better place if more men were like you, Bam. We are the luckiest of men to have you in our family, in our clan. And I’m the luckiest of all. Do you know why?”

  Bam shook his head, “No, Why?”

  “Because God chose me to be your real brother, and that has always been the only blessing I ever had. Without you all these years, I’d have been lost,” Bane smiled at him as he told him what he had always felt was the God’s honest truth.

  “Until now. Cause now you have, Janie, right? So now you have two blessings?” Bam asked.

  “Oh, my brother. I have so many more blessings now. We both do. And it’s all because you led us here. You and your Healer Bear. Thank you for that.”

  Bam grinned at him and Bane ruffled Bam’s hair as though he was a little child, “Come on, let’s go see what my Mate’s up to. I gotta feed her.” And that’s exactly what they did.

  The next few days were very busy. The guys were trying to finish their regular work schedule, so they could have some time to devote to Bane and Janie’s house. Even though Lurin was no longer a threat, they still made sure that one person was home with the girls every day. Avaleigh was busy keeping their construction business records and taking care of their day-to-day needs. Sadie was becoming acclimated to the guys and their ways and pitching in where she could. She spent a lot of time with Goldy, he had even taken her back to her house to get some clothes and personal items she wanted. They’d settled the sleeping arrangements, Janie and Bane were sleeping in Bane and Bam’s old room. Goldy was sleeping on the couch in the main house, which allowed Sadie to sleep in his loft room upstairs, and him to keep an eye on her while she slept. Bam was sleeping on Avaleigh and Daniel’s couch. He’d tried to stay in his own place above his shop, but Avaleigh would have none of it. They’d bought her a huge over-sized couch when they built her place, and she insisted that Bam sleep on it. So he did, he was babied and pampered each and every evening. Kaid and Mav were still in their regular bedrooms. But they all made sure that they gathered for a big family dinner every night.

  One night during dinner, Sadie asked what she thought was a perfectly normal question. “Bane, when are you and Janie going to get married?” He froze mid chew. It’s not that he didn't want to, but the thought had never occurred to him. They were Mated, it was more sacred than marriage. Mating was forever, marriage could be dissolved with lawyers and a few signatures. And he said as much,
“It’s not that I don’t want to, but it didn’t occur to me. Mating is forever.” He shrugged and looked to Janie for her input. “Mom, we’ll get to it, one day, maybe. With Bane’s people,” she smiled as she looked around the table, “our people, Mating is a lifetime commitment. It’s enough for me.” She looked at Bane, “Really, it’s okay,” and she went back to her own dinner. Bane watched Janie explaining to her mom, and realized that he’d been a selfish bastard. He was a shifter, but Janie wasn’t. Of course, marriage would be important to her. He was rubbing his jaw with the back of his hand, fork still clutched in his fingers, as his thoughts swirled. Bam watched the exchange with interest. Noting how Bane was now a little less settled. He knew from feeling Bane’s Bear that they felt guilty that they hadn’t asked Janie to marry them. He wished he could read Janie, too. But he was pretty sure that she wasn’t as settled as before either. Her mom’s question had put them both a little on edge. He needed to fix things, it was what he did. He was going to have to give it some thought.

  The next day was Friday, and the guys came home exhausted. They still made their way out to Bane’s place after dinner to try to make a little progress. When they left Bane’s house that evening, they were all so tired they just got cleaned up and went to bed. All except Bam. He got cleaned up at Avaleigh’s, then walked over to the back porch of the main house to wait for Mav to start his nightly rounds. It didn’t take long, maybe an hour, then Mav opened the back door and came outside. He startled, “Sonofabitch, Bam! Don’t be skulking around in the dark like that! The fuck, Dude?” Bam just ignored his outburst. He was on a mission, and he needed Mav’s help. “I need you to swear you’ll keep a secret.”

  “Another one? Come on, man. How many secrets do you have?” Mav asked him, pretending to be put out, when he was secretly thrilled to be included in something that no one else knew about.

  “No, not that kind of secret, I need you to help me with something. Will you? You’re up at night, and you don’t have a Mate, so you can be away for a few hours and not have to get everybody in a uproar.”

  “It could get people in an uproar? Okay, sure, I’m in,” he answered Bam, grinning.

  “Well, women get all worked up about stuff. And I want it to be a surprise, so I need to keep it quiet.”

  Mav shrugged, he had nothing else to do, and tonight was going to be a bitch. His memories had been really hard to handle since Janie had come around. Mated couples did that to him sometimes. Made him a nervous wreck. “Yes, alright, Bam. Tell me what you need me to do.” Bam grinned and started outlining his plan.

  As they walked around the side of the house to where the cars and bikes were parked, Kaid stepped out onto the stairs from the shadows of the porch. “You boys look like you’re up to no good.” Bam smiled and curled his hand at him, waving him over. As Kaid went down the stairs to where they were standing, they started telling him their plan, Mav excitedly adding to Bam’s ideas. Kaid clapped an arm around each of their shoulders, “You two are going to do all this by yourselves?” he asked them.

  “Yup. Do you think it’s a good idea?” Bam asked Kaid.

  “Yes, Bam. Yes, I think it’s a great idea. Such a good idea in fact, that I’m going to help. Let me make a phone call or two and see what I can do.”

  “Thanks, Kaid.”

  Mav and Bam started off on their way, and Kaid went back inside to make the phone calls he promised he’d make.

  The next morning was a slow Saturday morning, and Bane and Janie were the last to make it to breakfast. They’d spent most of the night making love, just like every night. The breakfast table was a little awkward feeling that morning. Bam and Mav were edgy and whispering excitedly to each other. Kaid was missing. Each time Avaleigh asked what they were up to, they just grinned and said, “Nothing.” She knew damn good and well that they were up to something; she just couldn’t figure out what.

  They’d finished breakfast, and Avaleigh and Sadie were cleaning the kitchen when Kaid finally showed up. Avaleigh heard the front door slam and him coming through the house toward the kitchen. As he entered, she turned to speak and saw him grin and nod enthusiastically at Bam and Mav. “What the hell are you people up to? Where have you been, Kaid?”

  “I had to run a few errands. Ya’ll done with breakfast?”

  “Yes, you hungry? I’ll get you something,” Ave offered.

  “Naw, I’m good. But I’d like ya’ll to come out to Bane’s house. You got anything planned today, or can ya’ll meet me over there? I figured maybe we could spend the day out there, have a picnic and just enjoy the day.”

  “Well, yeah, that sounds nice. But you need to fix whatever the hell these two are up to first. They’ve been whispering and secretive all morning,” she told him.

  He just waved her off, “Naw, they awright. Just be glad they’re all getting along for a change,” then he turned and hurried from the kitchen, whistling to himself.

  The fuck are they up to? she thought looking at him suspiciously, even Kaid’s in on it.

  “Do they do this kind of thing often, Avaleigh?” Sadie asked from behind her.

  “What do you mean, Sadie?”

  “Well, they seem to up to something, and all the men seem to be in on it.”

  “Yes. Yes, they do. They like surprises. Drives me freaking nuts,” she muttered to herself and she headed off to find Daniel.

  She found him deep in conversation with Kaid in the living room. “I think you should just bring it with you and let her change there. If you give it to her now, she’ll know something’s up.”

  “What are you people doing?” she asked again, loudly this time.

  “Nothing, Love. Come on, let’s go home and get ready for our picnic.” He took her hand and pulled her from the room as she was still telling Kaid about how rude it was to keep secrets and how even Sadie had noticed it. Kaid just stood there and watched her being pulled from the room, a look of complete innocence on his face, until they went out of the front door.

  Then he jumped in the shower, got cleaned up. Put on a new pair of jeans and a button down. Gathered up the bags he’d brought back from town with him and went to knock on Bane’s bedroom door.

  “Hey, Bane. Ya’ll awake?”

  “What, Kaid? It’s Saturday. Go away.”

  “We planned a picnic. Ya’ll get up and meet us over at your house. We’re going to spend the day, working on your house, eating and just hanging out.”

  “We are?” Bane asked, still not impressed. “Oh, Bane. I’d love that. It sounds so nice,” Kaid heard Janie tell Bane. He grinned, knowing that if Janie wanted to come to a picnic, then Bane would bring her to their picnic. He waited a few seconds longer.

  “Yeah, okay. Give us a minute to get dressed, and we’ll meet you over there.”

  “Sounds good. Take showers or whatever, we’ll be there when you get there.” With that accomplished, Kaid curled his hand around the bags he was holding and made his way out of the house and over to Bane and Janie's.

  When he came out of the trees and into the clearing where the frame of their home sat, he had to stop to take it all in. Bam was balanced on top of the rafters, stringing garlands of white silk daisies and greenery. He was almost done, and the entire frame of the house was draped in them. He’d been busy. As Kaid looked around the clearing, he saw that Bam had even woven the daisy garland into the lower branches of the trees surrounding the clearing. Mav had finished the front steps, and there was a white drop cloth that had been cut to fit the width of the stairs, leading up the stairs and into what would be the living room of the house. The mantle had been semi-assembled, and there were two small five-foot white pedestals placed to either side, each with an arrangement of daisies and greenery on top. There were two swaths of white gauzy fabric attached to the trusses of the roof above the semi-finished mantle, and they were swept back and gathered to each side to give the illusion of an alcove.

  Off in the area of what would be the dining room when the house was fini
shed, was a long folding table that had been set with one of every kind of take-out dish the Chinese Restaurant in town had available, plus the fried rice and noodles that Avaleigh loved so much. There were small bottles of all the sauces that went with it, and there were Mason Jars to either side of the stack of plates that held a selection of forks, knives, and chopsticks. The tables were set with white and yellow checked paper table cloths. There were more Mason Jars for everyone to drink out of standing on the end of the table, with boxes of wine and a couple of ice chests filled with beer and soft drinks sitting under the edge of the table. Then off to the side of that was a smaller folding table, which held a white and yellow Doberge Cake. He knew it was at least 8 or 9 layers of thin cake, with either vanilla or chocolate pudding spread in equal thickness to the cake layers between. This particular one had half vanilla, and the other half of the cake was chocolate. It was iced with a shiny white frosting that hardened to make a sugar shell, and sitting on top of the cake was a pretty little plastic brown-haired bride in a wedding dress and a plastic bear that was at least twice her size. Yes, they had put together a wedding for Bane and Janie. And it was a surprise. They didn’t tell the women because they knew that they’d get all involved and make it something it didn’t need to be. And it was important to Bam that he was able to do this for his brother.

  The place was beautiful. He hoped that Janie would be happy with it. He put the bags on the floor near the front steps and went to help the preacher get set up for the wedding. Kaid had made the necessary phone calls last night to line up the preacher, make sure the bakery saved a cake, and order the food. This morning he’d run into town to pick it all up, including the preacher. When he’d gone inside the house when he got home, Bam and Mav had run outside and gone around to meet the preacher that Kaid had instructed to wait in his truck. Then they’d taken him over to Bane’s house. They’d further explained the surprise on the way, and the old man, a true romantic, was in love with the idea and thrilled to be a part of it. Kaid was excited; he couldn't wait to see their faces when they arrived.