by R. E. Butler
“No. I don’t really want to see her. Maybe in the future, someday, but not now.”
“If you’re ever ready to see her again, we’ll be right there with you,” Henry said.
“Good.” She turned and leaned her back against Dom’s chest. He slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her throat. She took Henry’s hands and drew him close, so she was sandwiched between her mates.
“I’m so ready to go home,” Henry said. “It’s been a fucking long night.”
It was an hour before the local police were ready to interview them, and in that time, Ehrin called her mother and told her what had happened.
“I just want to know that everything’s going to be okay now,” Ehrin said, using the speakerphone so they could hear her mother.
She sniffled. “The alpha and Calvin were the ones pushing for you to come back to the nest, and your father went along with it because he’s always been a nest-first sort of male. With them gone, there isn’t anyone here to pursue the matter. In fact, the nest will most likely collapse.”
“Why?” Ehrin asked.
“The alpha didn’t have any children, and the high-ranked males and elders were with him and are now dead. There’s no one to take over, unless someone steps up to do so, but it doesn’t matter to me. I’m…going to return to my home nest and stay with my parents.” She sighed deeply. “If you’re asking if anyone else will be coming after you, the answer is no. No one else cares.”
Ehrin glanced at Dom and Henry, then back to the phone. “Okay.”
There was a brief pause, and then she said, “I want to apologize, to you and your males. The reason I returned home without your father is because when I heard the alpha approached you in the parking lot, I said things had gone too far. I urged the alpha and your father to walk away, but they wouldn’t. I didn’t know what was planned, and I’m sorry your mate was taken and harmed. I’m not sure if you’ll believe me, but I’m sorry about everything: the alpha marking you, kicking you out of the nest, leaving you floundering. All of it.”
Ehrin stared at the phone in silence. Dom wanted to step into the conversation and tell her mother that she was a piece-of-shit parent for letting her daughter be treated the way she was, and that she didn’t deserve an ounce of forgiveness, but he kept his mouth shut and waited for Ehrin to answer.
“I’m going to forgive you, Mom, because it’s the right thing to do. If I don’t forgive you, then I’ll be hanging on to this misery for longer than I need to, and I’ll never be truly free. And I need to be able to move on with my life.”
“Thank you, Ehrin.”
“Goodbye, Mom.”
Ehrin ended the call and stared at the dark screen for several moments.
“I want to get a new phone,” she said.
“Why?” Henry asked.
“Because the nest was tracking this one.” She pushed the phone into her back pocket and pulled Henry and Dom close, her arms around their backs. “I don’t think it matters now, since the hawks who cared about where I was are dead, but still I think having a new phone will make me feel better. I can just transfer this number to it. Then I don’t have to worry about anyone actually tracking me.”
“Whatever you want, sweetheart,” Dom said.
“I just want to go home and put this whole ugly night behind us.”
“Me, too,” Henry said.
“Me, three,” Dom quipped.
It was well after dawn before they were able to make it home, and Dom had never been happier to see the boarding house in his life. Ehrin had fallen asleep with her head on Henry’s shoulder, holding tightly to both his and Henry’s hands as if she thought they might try to leave while she was resting. Dom carried her into the house and up to their bedroom while Henry talked to the pride members who had waited until they returned home.
A little while later, Henry opened the bedroom door quietly. Dom was stretched out next to Ehrin, who was breathing deeply in sleep, her head resting over his heart. Henry climbed into bed, kissing Ehrin’s shoulder and settling on his side.
“You sure you’re okay?” Dom whispered.
“Yeah. Shifting healed most of my injuries. My head hurts a little still, but Ethan said I could shift again in the morning if it was still bothering me.”
“It already is morning.”
“Oh, right.” Henry yawned. “If I didn’t say it before, thanks for coming for me.”
“Of course. We’re family.”
“I know. I’m just glad we’re the kind of family that goes marching into hell to save each other.”
Dom smiled. “Well, you did that for me, so it’s only right that I returned the favor.”
“I hope we never have to go through anything like that ever again.”
Dom hummed in agreement. “Good night, brother.”
Henry answered, but it was muffled as he fell asleep.
Dom smiled and yawned, closing his eyes with a prayer of thanks that his brother was back with them and their mate was now safe. It had been a helluva night and he hoped they never, ever had to face another one like it.
Chapter 17
Henry slept the entire day and night away, not waking until Sunday morning. He’d known he was tired when he climbed into bed next to Ehrin and talked to Dom for a few moments, but he hadn’t known how deeply exhausted he’d actually been. He had memories of brief, waking moments of Ehrin and Dom getting up and then returning to bed for the night. He was fairly sure that Ehrin had stayed with him for almost the entire day; he’d felt her presence as he’d rested.
He stood by the bedroom window and stared at nothing in particular, watching as the sunlight hit the treetops and set the woods alight with a golden glow. He’d always liked sunrises; there was something very refreshing and new about watching the earth wake up, starting over once more. Now he appreciated this particular sunrise the most because he’d nearly shuffled off the mortal coil and headed into the great beyond. Their lives had almost been irrevocably altered by a fanatical, cruel alpha and his people who had followed him without question.
Ehrin joined him at the window, sliding her arms around his waist and snuggling close. He put an arm around her.
“You’re looking very serious,” she said.
“I was just thinking about how much I like sunrises.”
She hummed. “I like them, too.”
“We were supposed to move downstairs this weekend.”
“We don’t have to do that today. We can wait.”
“Nah,” Henry said. “The boys are ready to move up here, and I’m ready for us to have a bathroom to ourselves.”
“Oh right.” She smiled. “I will totally enjoy that.”
“Is there something interesting out there?” Dom asked. “I want to know if I need to get up and look out the window, too.”
Henry laughed. “Nothing but a new day.”
“It’ll be a great day,” Ehrin said.
“You’re so sure?” Henry asked.
“Of course. The three of us are together. The threat from the nest is gone. And I’m pretty sure I can smell maple syrup from all the way down in the kitchen, and that means pancakes or waffles. I’m super starving.”
“That makes two of us,” Henry said.
“Three,” Dom said.
“Breakfast then moving day?” Ehrin asked as she walked to the dresser and tugged a drawer open.
“And then?” Dom asked.
“Then we need to christen our new bedroom and bathroom,” Ehrin said.
Henry’s cat loved that idea hard.
He joined her at the dresser and turned her to face him. Cupping her warm cheeks, he looked into her pretty green eyes. “I love you, Ehrin Knox.”
She smiled sweetly. “I love you, too, Henry.”
Dom cleared his throat noisily. “What am I? Unlovable chopped liver over here?”
Henry laughed and brushed his lips over Ehrin’s. “I love you, too, brother,” Henry said.
Dom groaned. “Y
ou know I didn’t mean you.”
Ehrin giggled and jumped onto the bed, tackling Dom. “I love you, Domino. You needy panther.”
“I just need our family,” Dom said.
“Me, too,” Henry said.
“Me, three.” Ehrin rolled off Dom with a light laugh and crooked her finger at Henry. “I think we need to say goodbye to this room the right way.”
Henry dropped the jeans he was holding and walked to the bed, looking down at his sexy mate. “What’s the right way?”
“A lot of pleasure. If you’re both up to it.”
“As if you even have to ask,” Henry said.
* * *
After they said goodbye to the bedroom, they headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Even though it had been two floors away, Ehrin’s nose had been right – Sam and Tristan had made waffles for breakfast. Dom found a platter of them in the oven covered with tinfoil to keep them warm, setting it on the table while Henry grabbed plates and utensils and Ehrin placed a bowl of fresh berries next to the platter.
“Morning,” Holden said as he came into the kitchen.
“How are you feeling?” Jax asked as he filled a travel mug.
“Pretty good, thanks,” Henry said.
“We’re glad to hear it,” Holden said.
“How are you two holding up?” Dom asked.
Henry knew the males were struggling with missing Honor, their mate.
Holden let out a growling sigh. “I’d say fine, but we’re not. It’s hard as hell.”
Ehrin spooned blueberries onto her waffle and reached for the syrup. “Have you tried to use a satellite map?”
“What for?” Jax asked.
“Well, Melody said she didn’t know where she’d been held because she escaped and ran in her shift, right?
“Yeah,” Holden said.
“And she also said she ran until she reached a bus station. In Ontario, I think?”
“That’s right,” Jax said.
“Okay, well, how fast do mountain lions run?”
Dom blinked a few times in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, a lion can only run so fast, right? Even if she was panicked and running as fast as possible, she only ran for so long. You could try to calculate how far she might’ve run in her shift before she reached the bus station.”
“She’s searched maps before,” Jax pointed out. “She didn’t have any luck.”
“Sure, but did she try to calculate how far she’d run? She said she was just looking around on the maps to see if anything looked familiar, but I think she could actually do it mathematically and come up with a better area to search. And if the house they kept her in has been there for a while, then it would definitely show up on a map. And maybe don’t just try one map, but all of them.”
Jax and Holden stared at her in surprise.
Dom said, “That makes a lot of sense. How did you think of that?”
She shrugged. “When we went looking for Henry, we had to put the address Treasure gave us into the GPS, but it didn’t show anything but an empty field. I think if we’d used a real satellite map, we might’ve found the barn. Ultimately it didn’t matter, since we found Henry without a detailed map. Melody wasn’t allowed to spend much time outside and get a feel for where she was, and when she escaped, she was terrified of being caught again. It’s no wonder she doesn’t really remember anything.”
Dom looked at Henry. “Our sweetheart is pretty smart.”
“Damn skippy,” Henry said.
Holden turned to Jax. “Let’s go talk to Melody. I think Ehrin’s on to something.”
“Me, too,” Jax said.
The brothers disappeared, but Holden returned a moment later. “Thanks, Ehrin.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome. I hope it helps.”
Dom kissed her cheek. “I didn’t think of that.”
“It just popped into my head.” She took a bite of waffle and blueberries. “It hurt my heart so much when Henry was taken, and that was only a few hours. I can’t imagine how much they’re hurting being away from her for months.”
Henry nodded. “Honor is definitely hurting, too. Jilly said it was difficult to stay away from Wyked and Fate after she was set free from the curse. That was only a few weeks. They’ve been separated from Honor since the September full moon.”
“It would be wonderful for them to find her,” Dom said.
Kevin and Brian walked into the kitchen. Kevin took a handful of blueberries and popped them into his mouth. “Do you still want to trade rooms today? We can wait if you’re not ready.”
“No, we’re totally ready,” Dom said. “In fact, I was thinking about moving my workshop down here to the one next to Ehrin’s.”
“Really?” she asked.
“If you don’t mind the company,” he said.
“Oh, I’d love that,” she said, pecking his cheek.
“One of you could take our bedroom, and the other could take my workshop when I get it emptied,” Dom said.
Kevin shook his head. “We’re going to put our beds in the same room.”
“You don’t want any privacy?” Henry asked.
“We’ve shared the same bedroom since we were little,” Brian said. “And in a few years, we’ll be sharing it with Treasure anyway, so it seems silly to separate now.”
Dom didn’t point out that the six years until Treasure was eighteen and old enough to be mated wasn’t really a few. He knew the boys knew exactly how long it would be until they could be with their dragon mate permanently, they didn’t need a reminder from him.
“I’m almost done with your ring,” Dom said. “I’ll finish it up after we get everything moved.”
“Awesome,” Brian said. “We’d like to give it to her as soon as possible.”
“We’ll go get started moving things,” Kevin said. “Our dads and mom are already upstairs in our closet getting things together.”
“We’ll be up as soon as we’re done eating,” Dom said.
When the boys were gone, Ehrin said, “They’re so sweet, but six years is hardly a few.”
Dom laughed. “I was thinking the same thing.”
* * *
Ehrin didn’t realize that moving from the third floor to the second would be so different, but it truly was. Not only did they get their own private bathroom, but the room was larger and had a walk-in closet. They were across the hall from Grant, Aaron, and Sam. The room next to them belonged to Aaron’s three boys – Ben, Nathan, and Owen – who were eyeing Dom’s workshop for their own bedroom. The only adults on the third floor now were Holden and Jackson, and if they were successful in finding Honor, they might opt to move down to the second floor, too.
First, the boys’ furniture had been moved out and carried up to the third-floor hallway. Ehrin and Sam cleaned quickly while the furniture was being moved, dusting and vacuuming and getting the room ready. The third-floor bedroom furniture was moved downstairs, and then the closets were emptied. Throughout the afternoon, pride members helped as they could, and by the time her stomach was rumbling for dinner, they were moved into the room entirely, although not completely unpacked.
“I could pass out right now,” she said, sitting on the unmade bed.
“You and me both,” Dom said.
A baby’s cry echoed from down the hall, and all three of them smiled.
“You know,” Henry said, “that sound will be coming from our room one of these days. Whenever we’re all ready, that is.”
Ehrin looked around the room, envisioning a bassinet next to the bed, a little baby with blue eyes like Dom or blond hair like Henry smiling up at her. It made parts of her twinge in want.
“I hope it’s soon,” she said.
“Us, too,” Dom said.
“But whenever it happens,” Henry said, “it’ll be the perfect time for us to welcome a little Henrietta.”
Dom’s brow rose. “Seriously? Henrietta?”
“What?” Henry scoffed. “It’s
a nice name.”
“Not as nice as Domina,” Dom said.
Ehrin snorted out a laugh. “Hard no on both those names.”
Henry pulled her to her feet and kissed her with a chuckle. “Were you one of those sweet little girls who planned her wedding when she was in elementary school and picked out the names of her babies in advance?”
Her cheeks heated. “Maybe. Not the wedding part, though. Hawks don’t get married like humans do.”
Dom and Henry exchanged glances. “Did you…do you not want to get married?” Henry asked slowly, as if he were choosing his words carefully.
“I’m not part of the nest anymore, so their traditions aren’t mine. I want whatever we want as a family to be our new traditions. Marriage, babies, all of it. As long as you two also want the same things.”
Dom brushed her hair off her shoulders and massaged the back of her neck lightly. “We want all of that with you.”
Warmth filled her.
Her future had once been uncertain as she’d been tossed away over something she couldn’t control. The lengths they’d gone to in an attempt to rule over every aspect of her life still surprised her, but after coming through the other side of all that awfulness, it was easier to see that she was where she was at that moment because of it. If she’d never been kicked out of the nest, she wouldn’t have found Dom and Henry. The road that brought her to them was full of obstacles and potholes, but she really wouldn’t change anything about her life right now.
She was in love with two cat shifters, and their future was wide open.
Chapter 18
Honor rolled over with a groan, her heart pounding and a terrible headache nearly bringing her to tears. She hadn’t been able to sleep in a week, catching only the tiniest of naps before she’d jolt awake, her cat yowling and miserable. Her thoughts were always of Holden and Jackson, her father, and her daughter. She wanted so desperately to be away from the pride and on her way to Ashland, and then King, that she could hardly stand it.