Protecting Nova

by Belle Harper

  Ryker opened the door and Trevon greeted us with a few other men.

  “Good morning. We have breakfast set up for you in the hall. And we can discuss all the things you need to know and answer any questions you all might have.”

  “Is everyone going to be there? Or just a few?” Ryker asked as he glanced back to Kento.

  “Just Olivia’s family. And yours.” He replied. Ryker nodded and I let him know we would be there in five.

  Nova got dressed with help from Ezra. She was slightly sore from all the waking, then last night’s fun. Once we were all decent we all piled out of the cabin and into the crisp morning air.

  “Wow, so many people are about already,” Nova commented. I could see they had raised garden beds, and men and women were tending to them. Children giggled as they chased each other. The one thing I noticed about the children was they all had some form of white hair. I wondered if that meant they were born immune to NEX or were they infected after they were born? I would have to ask Trevon at breakfast, I had so many questions. Nova smiled and laughed with the children playing. It made my heart skip a beat to think of Nova pregnant with my child. I didn’t care about biology, if it came out and looked like me or any of the guys. I didn’t care. It was my child and I never knew how badly I wanted them until yesterday.

  “Come take a seat and we will introduce you all to my family.” Olivia greeted us at the door. Jeremy was there with his grandson. I nodded hello to him.

  The bench seats and tables were long in here. I guessed to seat a lot of families. With us on one side and Olivia and her husbands on the other, it felt like I was at a job interview. A young man filled up cups with that warm tea again. It was nice, reminded me of the tea I would sometimes get at the local Chinese restaurant, when my mom and dad were home late and didn’t have time to cook.

  “Now, chances are you are going to forget a lot of names, but don’t worry. We are not offended. Just ask if you forget. It’s easier for us. There are seven of you. Where as in total we have one hundred thirty-five people here, men, women and children. Not including the five due to be born very soon.”

  The look on our faces showed our shock. There were that many of them that lived out here? And no one had ever found them? Shit. They were good.

  “Now, you all know I’m Olivia, and this is Trevon.” She pointed beside her. Then she continued introductions. “Jack, Trey, Chris, James, Rex, Malcom, and Braxton.” And I was already lost. I looked to Nova who still had a massive grin.

  “Now this is where it’s going to get a bit boring so we can explain to you the different jobs around here, then we will take you to your plot of land. There is a lot of work around here, and everyone chips in. We always need security. So, if you have a few men that can join us, that would be great. Since we have had to move our boundaries out more to accommodate the last two families that arrived here, the security team has been working more than ever.” Trevon looked to me and I nodded.

  I thought of four of us instantly who could do security. If it was up high like those men were when we first got here, Adam won’t be able to climb and Kento, I wouldn’t make him do that.

  “We are happy to help in any jobs that are needed. That sounds great to me,” Nova said, but her face fell a little as she looked to Kento, who had his head down, visibly shaking with nerves. Fuck, I should have known this was too much for him, as much as he had opened up and become more comfortable around us, I didn’t think about how he would react to others still. Olivia and Trevon didn’t miss Nova’s gaze on him. Olivia reached out for Nova’s hand. She took it and Olivia squeezed.

  Olivia smiled gently and said, “We all have a house husband. Someone to keep us company at home while the others are out. Do you have a husband that would be suited for that job, Nova?”

  I smiled at Trevon and mouthed thanks to Olivia, who nodded back to me.

  “Oh, yes I do. I have the perfect husband for that job,” Nova replied. She was happy again. Kento looked up to her as she reached out for him. Ryker was seated between them and leaned back so she could reach him, to comfort him.

  I put Ryker there on purpose. I spoke to him last night while everyone was asleep. I told him I needed a second—for when I was out and not around and a decision had to be made right away. He had agreed with me and looked over to Ez as he slept. I told Ryker that Ezra was fantastic as my second for all those years, but Ryker would be the better fit for that. He was worried the others wouldn’t go for it. But I disagreed, if anything since he had been around, I had been referring everything back to Ryker and not Ezra. Plus if any of the guys fight or argue, Ryker would be a better option to break that up. I spoke to all the guys and Nova in the morning, and they agreed with my decision. Ezra wasn’t upset with it and shook Ryker’s hand but the real head was Nova; I really was always the second. If she wasn’t then we never would have had Ryker, Kento or Adam.

  And I was so grateful that she busted my balls when I took off on Ryker that day, when I tried to steal his Jeep and leave him in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t my best move, I admit that. But I was glad Nova was there to set me straight. I backed up to let him back in. As much as I didn’t want to, she knew he was good. She could see the good in all of us. She really had changed all of our lives and only for the better. Every day I wondered how we got so lucky with Nova. She really rescued us, and not the other way around. And now we were here in Eden, and it was our turn to protect her.

  We discussed the different jobs and who we thought was suited. Each one of Olivia’s husbands was the boss of each area of work. Which was fantastic, their whole operation here was run efficiently. It was easy to organize our shifts and where to go. There was a job for hunting, where a few skilled men go out and get the meat for all of Eden using traps and crossbows. Noah surprised me when he put his hand up for that, asking to a trial run since he had never used a crossbow. It was usually Ez and I who hunted for us. But Noah was excellent at seeing and hearing animals in the woods.

  As they led us to where our plot of land was, everyone talked and laughed. It was easy to relax around these guys. They didn’t stare at Nova or try to kidnap her. They talked and joked amongst themselves. Rex talked to Nova about rope, as that was the job she had taken on. He explained it as we walk past different cabins and then came to a small clearing. There were small stakes in the ground to mark out our plot of land, and it was a much bigger area than I had expected.

  “It’s not much, but it’s perfect for a decent-sized cabin. We have the other families that will all help chip in and build with you. We try and fell trees pretty far from here, so there is a lot of heavy lifting, so keep that in mind before you build a mansion.” Jack let out a small chuckle and pointed his thumb to the cabin next to ours. Now that I saw it from the side, it was unfinished at the back. Only the foundation was complete on that side. It was a big cabin to start with, but yeah I could see what he meant. It did look like they were going for big.

  “Shut up, you. She has nine husbands and her brother. They needed all the room they could get.” Olivia poked him in the chest as she walked past. He tapped her ass. And she jumped and laughed as she ran over to Nova.

  “That reminds me. I have a question about someone,” I asked Jack. I was not sure if he was the one I should ask, but he nodded.

  “You know that Brackett or…?” I couldn’t remember his name.

  He scratched his head. “You mean Beckett?”

  “Yeah, Beckett. Who is he a husband to? One of our guys seems to think he was hitting on Nova yesterday.”

  His face looked serious as he shook his head “No he doesn’t have a wife, just a sister. He is young, only 18 or so.”

  Fuck. I didn’t really think his behavior toward Nova was odd until now with Olivia’s husbands. They acted like she was a friend and that was all. Beckett, he looked…star struck. Like how we looked when we saw Nova.

  “Oh, shit, sorry. We sometimes forget to talk about that. So, don’t panic. Nothing is going
to happen to Nova.”

  I think I panicked more at that fact he said don’t panic. He grabbed my shoulder and led me away from the group as the guys talked louder and louder.

  “Now, Beckett can’t do anything. He cannot flirt with her or make any moves on her. At all. Around here, the woman makes the first move. Which has happened in the past, and it’s been the best way. So, unless Nova says ‘I like you. I want to take things further,’ he cannot do anything that shows he likes her more than just a friend.

  “If he does, he gets kicked out of Eden. And he knows this. He has only been here a year so it should still be fresh in his mind. But I might go and remind him myself as I guess with Nova here, he might think he has a chance at having his own real family.” He squeezed my shoulder and set off toward the cabin next to us. The half-finished mansion cabin.

  “He lives there?” My mouth went dry as I pointed to the cabin.

  He laughed as he shook his head. “Yeah sorry, man, he will be right next door.”

  Fuck! Where was Ryker? I needed to speak to him right now.

  22

  Nova

  It had been a week. A whole week. As I looked at the foundation, floor, and some walls of our new cabin while my men worked hard. I felt a bit lazy just seated here, watching, but I didn’t care. Shirts off, they were all sweaty and sexy. Even Kento was out there. It made my heart melt how the guys knew just how much they could push him. They challenged him each day, and he got stronger, physically and emotionally. He even hugged me all last night with Ryker asleep beside him. He never let any of them sleep next to him before. But he did last night. I almost cried I was so happy.

  “Hey, Nova, would you like some water?” Poppy, my new neighbor asked from her open window. That’s right I have a neighbor.

  “Yes, please. I will come to you.”

  Poppy was two years older than me and had the cutest daughter, Angel. They named her that because of the way her hair was. It was only white on the very top of her head, but dark brown underneath so she looked like she wore a halo.

  I glanced at the guys and noticed Ezra wink at me. I smiled and ducked into the cabin. As far as cabins go, this one was big. She had two bedrooms. The main living room had a small kitchenette to one side and a dinner table and some comfy seats that were almost like a couch.

  She also had a ladder that went to a level in the roof. That was where she said her brother Beckett lived. I hadn’t seen him since that first day. But I had met all her husbands and spent too many hours with Angel. Well, I wouldn’t consider them too many hours. I loved to play with her. But Kento mentioned it as being too many when I left him the other day at the temporary cabin.

  Poppy put her hand to her big belly.

  “You wanna feel? Every time I drink cold water, the baby dances inside. I love it. But I would also love it out of me soon.” She laughed. I held my hand out nervously. She took it and placed it on her belly. It didn’t feel like anything at first and then it moved. She moved my hand across to follow the movements.

  “Here is a foot. You feel it?” And this little hard lump rolled past my hand. I jumped back, and my hand flew to my mouth.

  “Oh, my gosh, yes. That was a foot?”

  She laughed again. “Yes, or an elbow? Just you wait and see. When you’re pregnant, you will feel all the other places a foot can kick…like in the bladder.”

  I laughed with her. Pregnant. Me. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it nonstop since Noah accidently started off the baby-making train. But so far only Noah and Ezra had come in me. Colton had done a lot with me this week, but he hadn’t done that. I wondered if there was a reason. Didn’t he want to have kids? I would have to ask him later. I didn’t want to think about it now.

  “Where is Angel?” Every other time I had been here, the one-year-old had been under everything and got into mischief more often than not. In the cutest ways too.

  She pointed to the room farthest from the front door. “She is taking a nap with Luke.”

  I smiled. She had so many husbands, but I couldn’t remember all their names as well as Olivia’s husbands and everyone else I had met. And I had met so many people, but it would just take a little time. There were so many people who lived here. I never thought Eden would be so huge. But it really was a community. Everyone helped each other.

  “If you need any help with anything for your cabin, like curtains just let me know. I’m not too bad a sewing.”

  I nodded and thanked her, and we chatted about babies and our men for about an hour before there was a knock on the door.

  “I’m here to escort my princess back to her castle,” came a voice from the other side. Poppy looked at me as I laughed. “Ryker,” I told her and rolled my eyes. He called me princess a lot. I joked yesterday that he was wrong, and I was a queen. But he shook his head and said, “You will always be a princess, because you rescued me from my garage. Just as I will always be your knight, in a dusty old Jeep.” It made me laugh.

  I said my farewell to Poppy and hoped Ryker hadn’t woken Angel. I opened the door to find him with a huge grin and the crook of his arm out.

  “My lady.” He winked. I closed the door and placed my arm in his, and we started the walk back to the cabin. Well the temporary one.

  “I have a small surprise for you, and it’s just you and me, princess. The guys have given us this afternoon to do whatever we wish. But first I want to show you the surprise.”

  He changed paths and started to walk toward the water—yes water, as in lake. Eden was right on the banks of a huge lake. It was set fairly far back so that no one could see it from the water. But Ryker then turned me again, and people said hello as they strolled past. Some kids ran freely and laughed and chased each other. Everything was perfect and couldn’t be better than right now. I snuggled in closer to Ryker. He kissed my head.

  “All right, close your eyes.” He led me toward something. I was worried I would trip, but I knew he wouldn’t let me. He guided me and I heard someone laugh.

  “Now give me your hands.” I did and he curled them toward my body, just leaving a smallish space between. Next thing I felt was warm and fluffy, and it wiggled. I looked down to see a puppy in my arms. I instantly curled it to my chest.

  “Oh, my gosh,” I almost cried. There were a few men around what looked to be a dog pen area. On closer inspection, I saw this wasn’t a puppy; it was a wolf pup. There were a whole bunch of them in a caged area, playfully, rolling around, and play fighting. They nipped each other’s ears and tails.

  “The wolves are like real pets?” I asked no one in particular. I had heard them at night but didn’t think twice as I felt protected in the cabin. But they are here as pets, and I had one in my arms.

  “Yes, they are, and that one. Well, that one is our gift to you. You can name him and take him out to play with whenever you want. He will live here and when he is bigger, he will help with hunting and security,” a blond-haired man told me. I blinked. I couldn’t believe I had a puppy in my arms and that he was mine.

  I nodded and I inhaled the puppy smell as he whined and wiggled in my arms. I didn’t know what to name him, but it had to be a strong name.

  “How about Liberty?” And there were a few murmurs in agreement.

  “I think Liberty is a very fitting name,” Ryker said as he helped me back to the pen with all the puppies. I held Liberty to my chest as he nipped on my fingers. Ryker bent down and gestured to me to join him. “Come down here and get your puppy on.” He laughed.

  We lasted there about thirty minutes before the puppies all passed out from exhaustion. “Let’s get you back to the cabin. I have something else I want to show you.” Ryker took my hand and led me away from the puppies and Liberty.

  We arrived at the empty cabin, and Ryker gave me a devilish grin.

  “So…we are here all alone, princess. What would you like to do?” He wiggled his eyebrows at me, and I laughed so hard. Ryker was just so playful and sexy. God he was sexy
.

  “Ah, so you showed me the puppy first to get me feeling all loved up…” I started to tease.

  He winked at me. “Argh, you know all my moves. Next I will get you an apple…” He locked the door behind me and my body tingled in anticipation. I had never been alone like this with Ryker. I hadn’t done anything more than kiss him before, but he had touched me. And I had seen his cock every night this past week. He liked to watch us. He never joined in but watched me with Ezra, Noah and Colton. I really wanted to touch that cock ring of his. I didn’t know men did that. But I was fascinated with it.

  23

  Ryker

  “Now that you have me here, what are you going to do with me…Ryker?”

  Oh, this girl.

  Such a tease. She loves every moment of teasing me. She was so confident in her body. Fuck, she was mine to take. And I will take her now.

  I stalked after her toward the bed. She giggled as she flopped down and then moved to the headboard. Which helped spur on my imagination. Fuck I hadn’t done this in a long time, where should I start…

  “Well, I can think of many things I want to do to you. But they are a little different to how you normally play with the others. I like it little more…rough.” This had her ears perked up as she gave me a wicked grin, as she followed my slow movements toward her.

  Not that what Nova had done wasn’t already kinky and rough. She fucked three guys in front of me while I jacked off to it every night this week. Yeah, I was a bit of a voyeur. But I also liked to be the one in control. Much more than Colton was with her—he was soft. I liked things a little more… tied up and flogged.