by ZL Morris
Across the room, the conversation between Henrique and the boys distracts me from my wounds. The words vampire, pack, and help stand out sharply, but what they mean or why we’d need to get vampires involved is beyond me. People who stayed at our house occasionally told stories of vampires. I assumed they were just that, stories, but now I realise, they may hold some truth. I’ll find out how true the stories are since Kenji tells his fathers they’ll be here soon.
My father yells my name as he bursts through the door. He stops short, and his eyes widen as he notices all the blood-soaked gauzes in a pile. “What in god’s name have you been doing?” He gestures at the doctor, still stitching up my side.
“I’m alright, the doc says it’s just a few stitches. No major injuries.”
“Like hell it is, young lady. Here you are, covered in blood after I get the call you’ve been in a fight! A challenge, no less!” I wince at the volume of his voice, but don’t bother to interrupt him. He’s worried and snapping back at him won’t help the situation or my head. “You’ll be the death of me, or you, at this rate!”
Even anxious and upset, Dad hovers close by as the doctor finishes stitching up the rest of my wounds. Finally, the doc sticks those irritating bandages to the wounds to stay clean and dry. He instructs me to keep them on for twenty-four hours and the stitches in for three days. Again, I’m annoyed because I didn’t get the better end of the gene pool to be able to selfheal.
Henrique draws my dad’s attention away from me. “Solomon, is the house in too bad a repair? We’ll be having visitors tomorrow. The pack may be upset when they realise why the vampires are here.”
Unable to hold back my question, I butt in. “Why are they coming? And why haven’t we met them before?”
Leverette turns towards me. “We would like to keep quiet on what we are asking the vampires to do for us, for now.” He lifts his chin in my dad’s direction. “And your father’s worried because you’re half human. We don’t know if the vampires will identify you as a food source. Werewolves, from what Zadimus explained, are an acquired taste.”
“Damn vamps! Why can’t they eat normal food like the rest of us?” Dad grumbles. He addresses Henrique, “The house won’t take me long to fix. So long as they know it won’t be perfect when they arrive.”
Henrique drums his fingers on the table in thought, then nods. “If you can clear the main living spaces, then we’ll be able to work around the rest. Make sure the dining area is cleared as best you can, though, because we’ll need that room the most over of the next couple of days to decide what our plan of action is.”
Dad walks closer to where I’m lay on the table to say his goodbyes, but I stop him by placing my hand awkwardly on his arm. He gets the point and leans in closer to me so I don’t have to speak too loudly.
I swallow the lump in my throat, “I’m sorry for yesterday. I was a brat.”
He gently kisses my head and whispers back, “I’m sorry, too, I shouldn’t have shouted at you.” He straightens and heads quickly for the door.
Before Dad makes an escape, Rosalina calls out, “Don’t forget to go into Leverette’s office, there’s some petty cash in the tin. Take it to Glenda at the blood bank, and she’ll set you up with the blood bags you’ll need.”
Dad curses up a blue streak before he leaves the room which only makes Rosalina laugh more.
The doctor follows Dad out the room a few minutes later. He put me on strict rest for the next couple of days. When I glance around the room, I spot Henrique looking at me with a scowl on his face, and I know I’m in trouble.
“What you did today was beyond stupid,” Henrique starts, and I wince. “But, I can’t deny that you proved yourself in front of the pack, and it will likely make things easier for you when the time comes for you to take over as Luna.”
My eyebrows almost jump into my hairline at his words. That was not what I was expecting from him. “I… I don’t understand. How?”
“Because as much as I wanted to kill her, you stood up for what you believed in despite any consequences that might have come your way for interfering. The pack will remember it, they’ll see you as a compassionate Luna who won’t always agree with her Alpha and won’t be a constant hard ass. It’ll be what they need when the time comes, and they’ll know you’ll be a good fit for the pack.”
Quimby hands me one of his t-shirts. I didn’t realise he ducked out of the room at some point to grab it. I take it, and with a little help, I manage to wrestle it on and cover myself up.
This time, Theo takes over and carries me.
Because of the stitches in my ribs, he can’t carry me bridal style. Instead, he hoists me in his arms with my legs wrapped around his hips. I rest my head on his shoulder and push my nose against his neck for the short walk, but quickly lift my head when I realise just how intimate a position we’re in.
His eyes darken, and I can only take a guess that mine are matching his. The friction of our movements causes both of us to quickly become turned on. Several times we’re both forced to stifle the groans from our movements. By the sniggers I clearly hear, Kenji and Quimby quickly cotton on to what’s happening. They’re enjoying the situation way too much. Flush with pleasure, I rest my forehead against Theo’s shoulder to hide my mortification.
Beyond embarrassed at not being able to control myself in front of Quimby and Kenji, I’m almost grateful to be finally placed on the sofa, although a devilish part of me wants to explore how far something like that could go with all four of us.
Quimby gives me a knowing wink. With a groan, I drop my head onto the sofa and shut my eyes in an effort to forget the throbbing pleasure of Theo. The sofa next to me dips slightly, and I lift my head enough to see Kenji take a seat the other side of me. I’m about to ask where Theo is, but stop when the shower turns on.
When I mutter under my breath about the unfairness of him able to have a cold shower and me told not have one until tomorrow, the guys chuckle on either side of me. “Can we put a film on or something, please? So I can throw a silent pity party without you two paying attention to it.”
They must recognise the quiet desperation in my voice because they don’t say anything further and quickly put a film on. Kenji turns me slightly until I lean up against his chest, and Quimby pulls my legs onto his lap. Barely halfway through the film, I fall asleep.
~
Fingers run across my forehead and jolt me awake. Theo brushes the hair out of my face. I blink a few times to clear my vision. “Hey, sleepy head, you hungry? Mum’s brought some food in.”
I nod and rub the sleep out of my eyes before Theo gently helps me sit up, mindful of my shoulder. This allows Kenji and Quimby to move from where they had been pinned underneath me. They both stand and stretch. When they both kiss my forehead, my eyes close of their own accord. Not really awake when Theo helps me to stand, I sway dangerously. He must decide it’s safer to carry me because he picks me up and takes me over to the table in the dining section of the living space.
He places me gently into my seat. I look around the table and spot Rosalina, her mates, and my guys. Disappointment fills me to not see my dad here, but he’s caught up with getting the house ready for the visitors.
We all quietly dig in and eat macaroni cheese with garlic bread and salad. I manage to eat most of it before I start to fight to keep my eyes open. Rosalina takes pity on me and asks Quimby to carry me to my room so I can sleep.
Quimby gently picks me up, and we make our way down the hallway to my room. Maybe I could walk, but I’m happy to let them pamper me for now. The door to my room already stands open, so he doesn’t need to wrestle with it and me. He steps inside and nudges the door shut with his foot before he sets me on the bed.
Instead of leaving, he grabs a load of clothes and some towels, and then shocks me when he picks me back up and takes me into the bathroom. Once he fills the sink up and places all the towels within easy reach, he turns to me with a cheeky smile on his face. “Would you
like me to stay and help you wash?”
My face instantly heats, and I give a quick shake of my head. I have no trust in myself to tell him to go. He places a kiss on my head before he leaves the bathroom, the door softly pulled closed behind him.
Hastily, I scrub all the blood and dirt off me. My body aches, and I’ve never been more grateful to have the toilet directly next to the sink. I doubt my legs would’ve been able to support me long enough to scrub the filth from my body. Slowly, I manage to get myself somewhat dry and stand to pull on fresh clothes. My eyes close, and I sway slightly from fatigue, but a knock on the bathroom door jolts me awake before I face-plant.
Quimby wordlessly enters the bathroom and scoops me into his arms. The familiar tingles spread over my body as he carries me to bed. He helps me under the covers, and then takes off his shoes and shirt before he settles in next to me. Mindful of my injuries, his hand slips low to settle onto my hip, one of the few places I’m not hurt.
My body tingles from the connection, and it lulls me gently to sleep.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
- Tallulah -
I wake tightly cocooned in Quimby’s arms. The clock on the bedside table says we slept for three hours. Which makes sense, since my sides are tender, but they don’t hurt anywhere near as bad as they did earlier. Slowly, I stretch to see if any other part of my body hurts, and I unknowingly disturb Quimby. Before I can stop him from waking, he pulls me over his body until I’m sprawled out atop him.
Eyes mere slits from sleep, he grins. “I could get used to this view.”
His hands skim over my hips, spreading tingles down my sides and settle on my thighs. Our gazes lock, and he softly sings a line from one of my favourite songs. The way Quimby sings, the way his voice trembles with the words, the song is an expression of his heart. Shyly, he reaches up and cups my face to pull my head towards his.
His eyes open. When our lips are about to meet, he whispers, “I love you.”
The hard planes of his body press against my softer ones, and I close the distance between us. My kiss, a silent promise I won’t ever let go and a vow to always be here with them. It quickly turns desperate. After my fingers tangle in his already tousled blonde hair, I gently tug in an attempt to bring him closer.
His hands slide from my face, down my neck, and caresses my back until they come to rest on my hips once more, which fires the tingles up to a level I’ve not felt before. As the kiss deepens further, my hands take on a mind of their own and move down to his jaw. The scratch of stubble against my palms heightens the sensations. What would it feel like on other parts of my body? Too caught up in the overwhelming feelings, my hips begin to gently rock against Quimby. With a guttural groan, his grip tightens and stops my movement.
Forever and only a moment later, we both break away, panting for air. I sit up and take in the view of him snug in my bed. A giggle slips free when I take in the mess I made of his hair. He looks like he’s been pulled through a hedge backwards.
“By, god, you’re gorgeous.” He runs his fingers down my cheek before he cups my chin. “Don’t ever scare us like that again. We can’t lose you, not now.”
Sobered by his words, I lean in and gently kiss him again. “I can’t promise to never put myself in a situation like that again, but I promise to try not to be so reckless.”
He sighs into my mouth before he pulls away. “I, we, know you can take care of yourself. We were petrified we’d lose you…”
My arms wrap around him as best as I can and gently whisper in his ear, “You’re all stuck with me.”
At that moment my stomach grumbles, and Quimby laughs. Grateful for my hunger pangs, it breaks the tension between us. I don’t like to hear the sadness in his voice. And I know two others who likely feel the same.
Quimby helps me up before he crawls off the bed. He doesn’t bother to put his shoes back on. Instead, he pushes them farther under the bed and offers a hand to help me stand. Just a few hours of sleep has made me feel a lot better than I did earlier, though my body still groans in protest.
We continue to hold hands as we exit my room, and Quimby shortens his stride to match mine as I hobble alongside him.
When we enter the living room, everyone glances up. Kenji and Theo look worse for wear, and my heart sinks in guilt. I should’ve gone back out to them after I cleaned up and allowed them to make sure I was okay before I went to sleep.
They quickly make a space on the couch between them, and Kenji pats the sofa in offering. Quimby leads me over, but instead of letting me go, he plops down in the offered seat and gently pulls me onto his lap. Kenji helps him turn my body slightly until I lean against his chest. Theo reaches out to tuck my feet in his lap. Stretched out across the three of them, I finally feel the tension start to leave my body. When they place their hands on me and begin to gently massage, I’m able to relax.
“How’re you feeling, honey?”
Startled, I look over to see Rosalina nestled between the guy’s dads on the opposite couch. They must have been there the whole time, and I didn’t notice.
“A little sore, but better, thank you.”
Henrique sits forward on the sofa. “While you were asleep, we got in contact with the DeLucas, and they’ll be here tomorrow. Although they’ve visited the main house before, the pack will know immediately something is wrong if they bunk down in the Alpha’s quarters.” He rubs a hand down his face, clearly stressed, and Rosalina pats his knee. “I’d rather keep the rest of the pack in the dark until we get more details and know for sure Lana was speaking of the Blood Moon pack. So, the DeLucas will stay with your father, and we’ll need to go there to see them.”
I recall the stuff Lana said while we fought and remember something. “She mentioned it was them who attacked me at the house…”
He nods. “She did, which is why I need the information checked out. Their distinctive fur, black in colour, and the Wolfsbane in their systems, made it likely to be Black Moon. Lana only confirmed our suspicions. I don’t want to cause an all-out war by us storming into their territory unannounced. The DeLucas will do us a favour and head over there for us.”
My brows furrow. “But they’re vampires, right? How will they be able to go there and not us?”
Theo explains to me before his father does. “When packs first started splitting into different sections, a higher council was created. This was made up of a member from each pack, and they got together to create rules and laws. Going into another pack’s territory without invitation was one of them. The different packs have always stuck to the laws, until Blood Moon got a new Alpha. Unfortunately, because we don’t want other packs to lose their trust in us, we need to stick to those laws, so we can’t go there without putting in a request to Blood Moon and them granting us access. Which, they’re not likely to give us. This is where the vampires come in. With them not being a shifter, they’re not obligated to follow any of the laws set out, so they’re free to cross back and forth as much as they want on pack lands without any backlash.”
I catch the look of pride on his father’s face, and it gives me the courage to ask, “May I be able to be a part of the conversations with them, please?” Especially since this mess was caused by me being his son’s mate.
Theo and Quimby open their mouths to protest, but a different voice beats them to it. “Oh, of course you will, honey. You’ll be taking over my spot as Luna eventually, so you should be a part of this.” Rosalina happily ignores the dark scowls her sons throw at her.
A voice bellows from the door and makes me jump in fright. “Like hell I’m having those blood suckers anywhere near my daughter! No way!”
Twisting to look over Kenji’s shoulder, I spot my dad in the doorway with his hands on his hips, lips turned into a deep frown. If he was a cartoon character, I could easily picture smoke billowing out of his ears.
Slowly, I move my feet off Theo’s lap, and the guys get the idea I want to be let up. Once they help me and I’m steady on my f
eet, I move towards Dad. It takes some effort to hide the wince that wants to escape when my shoulder jolts. His arms immediately open, and I practically fall into them. Long familiar arms wrap around me snugly, but not enough to hurt.
“I’ll be fine, Dad. Besides, you’ll all be there with the DeLucas, right?” At his nod, I continue, “Then they won’t be able to get past you to hurt me. Henrique would not have invited them if they were the enemy, and I’d like to meet them.”
He huffs into my hair and kisses my head, sounding resigned. “I don’t want them to see you as food.”
Laughter rings out, and Leverette speaks through his chuckles, “Solomon, I really don’t think you have to worry about Tally, she stinks of wolf. Give them some credit. They have been informed she’s the future Luna. They might be vampires, but they do have self-control, and they shouldn’t hurt her.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
- Tallulah -
The next couple of days go by slowly. I’m not one to sit around and do nothing, and the doctor’s strict order that I limit activities and rest has been hard. The guys have become tyrants. Every time I’ve gotten up, one of them magically appears and gives me the stink eye, then help with whatever I planned to do.
Last night was the final straw. I only wanted to use the toilet. All three of them immediately jumped up and said they’d retrieve whatever I needed so I didn’t need to move. Leverette and Henrique found it humorous, and Rosalina gave me a sympathetic smile.
I guess her mates can be just as annoying and bossy.
The whole family currently sits around the table, finishing up their breakfast. I listen to the conversations as it flows around me, but it stops when Dad enters.