by J. L. Madore
There are times when Hawk wears workout pants and a t-shirt, when he seems like an ordinary guy. Then, there are others, like now, dressed in his expensive suit with a silk, steel-gray tie that matches his eyes, that he is unmistakably as rich and powerful as the dignitaries I saw traipsing in and out of the castle for years.
I finger through my hair and shake off the last vestiges of sleep. “Not a problem. What’s up?”
“First off, I want to apologize for my part in your banishment last night. My temper got the better of me and I acted like a brute in your parent’s home. It guts me that you were judged based on my poor behavior.”
I wave that away. “I’ve been judged by them my entire life. Last night, seeing Mother’s jaw drop, from the chaos and depravity of our private life… that was the best memory I have of her.”
“Still, it didn’t help your case.”
I cast a lazy glance out at the rabbit hopping along the tree line. “My father wouldn’t have listened to my heart’s desire anyway. Being forced into my position as Fae Prime was always their plan.”
“We still have time to think of something,” he says.
I hope he’s as smart and powerful as I think he is. “I owe you an apology too.”
“For what?”
“I vouched for Brant with the palace registration office and permitted him to access records. I didn’t realize he was looking into you, but that doesn’t erase my part in your pain. It wasn’t right. Like Calli, I know who you are and that you belong with us. I’m sorry he implied otherwise.”
His smile is forced and doesn’t reach his eyes. “Speaking of Calli, I want you to stick close to her today and stay in the cabin. Two overt attempts on her life are two too many. The fewer the people who know she’s here, the better.”
He lifts his watch and frowns. “Shit, I’ve got to go. If you have half a brain, you don’t piss off the pixie queen. She’s tiny but she’s mean.”
I chuckle. “Go. We’ll take every precaution.”
“I assigned Lukas and a team to shadow you all today. He’s on his way now. Be safe, Wolf. I’ll see you tonight.”
As Hawk’s passes, I surprise him, shifting to meet him chest-to-chest. The speed at which he stiffens is remarkable. I give him a quick pat on the back and end the embrace. Awkward, but a start. “Have a good day. And you stay safe as well.”
Back inside the cabin I find my phone plugged in on the kitchen counter. I have a text message from Keyla sitting in the queue. I respond to her question and move to start the coffee.
As I fill the reservoir, I’m pleased I stepped up with Hawk and took a chance. He needs to know he’s not on the outside looking in. I lived in that position my entire life.
It’s devastating.
Hawk
I’m fucking late. As undignified as it is for the man in charge to run, I’m tempted. I should’ve gotten up and dressed the moment the watch alarm went off and I woke up. I didn’t. Calli was burrowed into my side and drooling on my arm with the morning sun catching her hair. The copper and red tones streaked through the gold like hidden fingers of flame. I laid there for far too long, absorbing the warmth of her company and listening as her breath caught in the most mesmerizing feminine sounds. I could’ve lain there all day.
I wanted to, but…
“You’re late,” Jayne says, her black Louboutin tapping on the marble tiles. She glares at me from outside the pixie brunch meeting room and checks something off on her tablet.
“It was a late night.”
She sneers. “I smell that. Christ, she’s all over your skin. Would it have hurt to take a shower?”
It would’ve hurt me, yes. I like her scent on my skin more than I thought I would. It’s not as strong as the mating scent Jaxx and Kotah carry on theirs, but until it fades in a few hours she’ll be with me.
“Like I said, late night. Would you like to continue making a scene in the corridor or prove you can do your job and announce my arrival?”
“You’re an arrogant prick.”
“You’re a vindictive bitch. Shall we?”
Jaxx
It’s the orgasmic scent of freshly baked cinnamon rolls that raises me from the dead. My mouth is watering, and I swallow a groan. At first, I think it must be a residual of a dream, but nope, my eyes are open, and I still smell it. I stretch and glance around, disoriented. Right. Bastion. I took the couch.
Rolling up to sit, I scrub my fingers over my face and shake myself awake. Unlike Calli, with her phoenix healing ability, I didn’t throw off the effects of our drink-fest last night and bounce back. I get the pleasure of the hangover.
“Hey, baby. Get it while it’s hot.”
Mama? I blink up at the smiling vision of my mother, holding a tray heaped with all the fixin’s to fill my empty stomach. With her golden blonde hair swept up, and decked out in a cornflower blue sundress and heels, she is the image of the southern belle she was born.
I set the tray on the coffee table and pat the couch beside me. “I thought you were heading home this morning. Doesn’t Daddy have to be at work this afternoon to discuss what he learned at the conference?”
“He does and he did,” she says settling in. “He landed a half-hour ago and will go straight to the office from the airport. I stayed to spend time with all y’all. I wanted to stay and get to know everyone. If you don’t mind the company, that is.”
“Of course not. You’re always welcome.” My response is twenty-seven years of southern rearing rather than an actual interest in having my mom stay with us during the second week of our mating.
Morning fog plus hangover equals synaptic lag. I love my mom, but I also love spontaneous sex with Calli and the others without worrying about interruptions…
Mama busts up and slaps my leg. “You’re priceless, Jaxx. You should see your face. I’m pullin’ your leg. I remember how it feels to be newly mated. Good gracious, the last thing I wanted was my parents underfoot. Kotah said you’re here until after dinner. When you head out, I’ll head home.
I try not to look too relieved. “What time is it now?”
“After one. Still lots of day left to pull up your boots and regroup. Yesterday bucked you good, I hear.”
I dig into Mama’s home cooking and my cat lets off a contented purr. “It did. I take it Kotah told you?”
“He texted me last night after the fight with his mama. Poor boy. How they don’t see Kotah for the gift he is… well, it baffles me.”
I nod. “You and he seem to be hitting it off.”
“I love him to bits. He hungers for parental love and I’m going to fill him up with it.”
That’s Mama. She falls in love fast and makes sure every heart has what it needs. “He’s an omega. Did you know that?”
Her eyes, the same turquoise as mine, soften with a smile. “It’s hard not to sense it the moment you’re in the room with him. He has a very soothing soul.”
“He does.”
I focus on my food, my mind revisiting the loveplay Kotah and I shared. He’s so incredibly special. I should never have let Brant use Kotah’s influence to further his investigation. We’re trying to build trust within this quint, not betray it.
“You look tired, baby. What’s all this weight doing heaped on your shoulders? Are you all right?”
I shrug. “I’m not too proud of myself at the moment.”
“Is this about the naked nachos and exposing Jaxx junior to the Fae Prima.”
I choke on my eggs, my cheeks flaring hot. Once I wipe the tears from my eyes, I shake my head, sure I’m as red as the sun-dried tomatoes on my eggs. “Apparently, I need to talk to Kotah about what we do and don’t share with parents.”
I pound my chest a couple of times and wash the last of my choking fit down with a swallow of coffee. “No. It’s not that. Honestly, after witnessin’ how the Prima treats her son, I don’t care what she thinks of me.”
“All right then, what is it?”
I finish up my
last bites and wipe my mouth. “I got caught in the middle between Brant and Hawk. I tried to do right by both and ended up disappointin’ them, plus Calli, and likely Kotah too.”
She clucks her tongue. “It’s as simple as it is hard. If you do someone wrong, you make it right.”
“I get that, but the way Calli looked at me last night when it all came to light… it broke my heart.”
Mama pats my leg and her expression softens. “I spent the last hour in the kitchen with your phoenix. That girl is as sharp as a tack and filled with sass. I’ve got all the faith that she sees deep enough into your heart to know you’d never intentionally hurt one of your mates. It’ll be fine. You’ll see.”
I hope so. I don’t know what I’ll do if this life we’re building unravels. “How do you and Daddy do it?”
“Do what, baby?”
“Make mated bliss look easy.”
Mama’s laughter is a balm to my heartache. She leans sideways and brushes her shoulder with mine. “The key is that we make it ‘look’ easy.”
She can make light of it all she wants, but my sister and I couldn’t have had better role models for building a family. I always knew Laney and I were lucky, but it became more obvious while getting to know my mates. Not one of them had what we had. It makes me sad.
Mama leans in, kisses my cheek, and then wipes it clean. “My best advice on mated bliss is this. Come together with mutual respect, put their needs before your own, and remember to take the time to love and laugh. And when you make a mess of things—and in the beginning, Daddy and I did that quite spectacularly—admit it and ask for forgiveness.”
“I can do that.”
“Of course, you can,” she says, squeezing my hand. “Your mating bond is surely more complicated than most, but you five were chosen for a reason. Put in the time and effort now and you’ll reap the reward of happiness for a lifetime.”
I hug her tight and breathe her in her favorite lilac shampoo. Magdalene Stanton is one in a million. When I pull back, I know what I have to do, and I’m eager to get right to it. “Now, was I dreaming, or do I smell your cinnamon rolls baking?”
“My never-fail cure-all. Guaranteed to fix what ails you.”
I grab the breakfast tray and rise to join the others. “Yes ma’am, and just when we need them.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Calli
“He did not,” I say, my mouth hanging open.
“He did, indeed,” Maggie says, grinning from ear to ear. “It would’ve cost a fortune to pull that Charger from the neighbor’s pond as well as restore it for water damage and pay for the costs to mend the downed fence. John thought it was a better lesson learned to leave Jaxx’s first love rotting in silt. It’s still down there today as far as I know.”
Jaxx sighs. “I loved that car.”
“And what about the farmer’s daughter?” I ask. “Did you get the girl?”
He winks. “Yeah, baby.”
“Buuut?” his mom says.
He laughs and licks the icing of his fourth cinnamon roll off his fingers. “Our romance fizzled out soon after. Tearin’ up and down the country roads in my car was the biggest draw. Since Daddy grounded me from drivin’, she dumped me and took up with Robbie Parkes. He had a blue Impreza.”
I lean across the corner of the table and kiss him. “Her loss is my gain.”
“Yes ma’am.”
I gaze into those turquoise eyes of his and I’m lost. “How could any girl pass you up?”
“That’s a mystery for the ages, kitten.”
Maggie gathers the dessert plates, rounds the island, and opens the faucet. I rise to help her with the dishes, and she shakes her head. “I’ve got this. Let me give these a quick rinse and then I’ll head out.”
“Where are you off to, Mama?”
“I think I’ll go for a walk and meet you over at the main lodge for dinner.”
“That’s not for another three hours,” Jaxx says. “That’s a long walk.”
Maggie finishes in the sink and dries her hands on the tea towel. “I’ll manage. There’s plenty to keep me busy.”
“I’ll come with you.” The legs of his chair scrape on the floor as he stands. “We can—”
She laughs. “Take the hint, baby. I’m givin’ you kids a few hours alone before you’re off travelin’ again. Love is in the air and I’m the fifth wheel.”
Jaxx studies his chair as he tucks it under the table and his cheeks flush an adorable pink. “Okay, that’s not embarrassin’ or awkward at all. Not even a little.”
I laugh. “No? Should I get out your apron from last night? I saved it, you know?”
“Okaaay,” Jaxx says, closing the distance between us and his laughing mother. He wraps a loving arm around her back and ushers her to the door. “Love you, Mama. Bye-bye, now.”
Maggie’s laughter is still ringing in the air as one of our security sentinels joins her and they head along the forest path.
When Jaxx gets back from walking his mom out, the cabin falls quiet. I see the question in his gaze and smile. “Okay, you were right. She’s amazing.”
“Right?” Jaxx says, his brilliant smile lighting up his face. “I’m glad you guys love her.”
“How could we not,” Kotah says. “You are truly blessed.”
Jaxx shakes his head. “No, Wolf. We are. We all are.”
Brant
The steam from my shower fogs the mirror in a blanket of condensation. I don’t wipe it. I have no interest in seeing myself… or anyone else for that matter. Even though Calli’s tears healed my physical form, my heart feels like it’s been mashed with a meat tenderizer. Why is she so blinded by Hawk?
“Bear,” Calli says on the other side of the bathroom door. “Will you come out and join us, please?”
I draw a deep breath, but air doesn’t penetrate the pressure blocking my lungs. “Yeah. Be right there.”
I tuck the corner of my towel against my hip and head out. The layout of this cabin is far more modest than the four-bedroom, dignitaries one we had last week. Then again, Hawk didn’t know he’d have company when he requested it.
The air outside the bathroom is a rude slap of cold against my heated skin. Goosebumps rise and I take it as a sign of what’s to come. It’s cold shoulder time.
There’s no one in the kitchen. I heard Jaxx’s mom leave five minutes ago. Maybe Jaxx and Kotah left to escort her to the main lodge.
Face the music time.
Thinking she’s on the porch, I slip into the bedroom and grab some pants. Then, I head out and—“Oh, you’re in here.”
“Yep,” Calli says, sitting on the couch with Jaxx lying on the floor, rubbing her feet, and Kotah taking up the armchair.
I round the coffee table and take the empty spot on the couch next to her. The cushion sags under my weight and Calli tilts my way.
She’s quiet for a bit and then sighs. “Okay, consider this the only time I give you free rein to badmouth Hawk. Your conviction to your concerns is strong enough that you went behind my back, so tell me what you know for sure, what you suspect, and what you’ve done.”
I scrub my knuckles over the growth on my jaw and lay it all out for her, from the missing kids, to tracing the corruption to the FCO head office, to my girl in accounting tracking large expenditures to Hawk’s accounts. “Yes, he explained about his name change, but I’m still left worrying that choking you wasn’t an accident.”
I wait for her ire to flare and her temper to heat up. It doesn’t happen. She doesn’t look angry. Worse, she looks sad. “You were there, Brant. You saw his face when he realized he hurt me. That wasn’t an act. He was wrecked.”
“Or it was a convenient way to get rid of you and when it didn’t work, he was genuinely upset. You two were alone in the apartment. Maybe it was a chance he couldn’t pass up.”
“He wasn’t acting,” Kotah says. “I touched him with my gift to calm him after Calli collapsed fighting over Jayne. He was devastated. He i
s emotionally guarded but his heart truly is in the right place. He’s committed to us. His love language is just difficult to sort out.”
“Not really,” Calli says. “He shows us every day. In the arrangements he makes, in the detailed thought he puts into our safety, in the care he takes to make sure we all have what we need.”
Spare me. I swallow and fight not to roll my eyes. “I hear what you’re saying but you three have no objectivity when it comes to the guardian bond. You think it’s a magical, rubber stamp to happily-ever-after. What if it’s more than that?”
“More like what,” Jaxx asks.
“No one can argue something seriously twisted is going on. We were chosen to unravel it. There is real evidence pointing at Hawk. Wanting that to be my imagination doesn’t change the facts.”
Calli nods. “Agreed. There are valid reasons for your concern, and you did what you thought was right, despite knowing it wouldn’t be a popular opinion. I respect both your determination and your commitment to those kids.”
I hear the giant ‘but’ hanging in the air. Is that where her understanding ends? “What does that mean going forward?”
“It means, when we get settled tonight in Kotah’s village, we’ll lay everything out for Hawk and get answers. There will be no more exposing secrets about each other. I’m done with that. Hawk did it and it hurt me. You two did it and it hurt him. Kotah’s dragon queen mother did it and hurt him. That’s enough. Starting now, we—”
Lukas bolts through the front door and the look on his face has us all jolting to our feet. “Incoming. Get down!”
Hawk
“Yes, Minister,” I say, yet again. “We all understand your frustrations. What I’m asking is what you’d have us do about them? Instead of pointing at the flaws in the system, perhaps suggest some constructive solutions we can build upon to move forward in the next months.”
“Don’t pretend you care, Barron,” the troll liaison shouts. Spittle sprays the elven aid sitting next to him. “You sit up in your glass tower looking down on the world while—”
“Shut up, Pranton,” the goblin king says. “Hawk’s right. Stop pointing at the holes in the dike. If it bothers you so much, shove your fat fingers in a few and plug the leak. If anyone’s sitting on his perch watching the world from above, it’s you.”