Promise of Paradise

by Tianna Xander

  Movement through the windshield caught her attention and she looked up. Putting the truck in gear, she eased her foot down on the gas pedal. “And we’re off.”

  After driving for about fifteen minutes, they followed the leading vehicles down a small, dirt road.

  “What kind of town is this?” she asked Alexa as she scowled through the windshield at the Krazy Kart ride in front of them.

  “I was just wondering the same thing.”

  “Look at that.” Nadya leaned forward, peered over the steering wheel, and pointed. “There’s this low-lying fog covering the ground everywhere but the road.” She bit her lip. “Isn’t that weird?” She had never seen anything like it before and she’d driven roads from Alaska to Mexico.

  “I noticed that, too. It’s almost as though it’s parting for us.”

  It did. Nadya shivered as the strangest feeling started overcoming her. Something didn’t feel quite right.

  “That’s just crazy, right? I’ll bet the heat from our engines caused it to dissipate on the road. Not too long after we’re through, it will most likely cover the road again.”

  That seemed as good an explanation as any, Nadya supposed. No matter what explanation they came up with for what caused the odd phenomenon, it still wouldn’t make it any less disturbing.

  “It’s creepy.” Goose bumps covered her arms and she shivered. “I almost feel as though there’s something out there in that fog, waiting for me. Like it wants to hurt me.” She glanced over at Alexa’s pensive expression and shook her head. “Listen to us.” She laughed. “Next, we’ll be imagining vampires in capes who tell us, I vant to dring your blood, with horrible B-movie accents.”

  “I know what you mean,” Alexa replied with a laugh.

  Nadya glanced at her, unconvinced. Her friend might have laughed, but she certainly wasn’t convincing anyone that she wasn’t scared out of her wits.

  The fog felt thick, evil, and it was all she could do to keep the truck on the road. She gripped the wheel, her knuckles white, her fingers aching with the strain of her death grip on it.

  After what felt like an eternity, but was more like twenty minutes, they finally left the hovering mist and stared at the beautiful valley below the road.

  Farms dotted the landscape, surrounding the town in lush fields of grass, and grain. Cows lowed in the distance and she could see the slight breeze bending the waves of wheat and grass, stretching out before them.

  Ten minutes later, she saw a little restaurant as they pulled into a parking lot on the outskirts of the small town. “Look.” She pointed. “A diner.” She brought her truck and trailer to a smooth stop in the vacant lot next to the building. “Oh, my god!” She slammed the gearshift in park. “Is that who I think it is?” She turned the key and pulled it from the ignition, opened her door and hurried out.

  Since the woman was on the other side of the truck, Alexa reached Milla seconds before Nadya. They all squealed as they pulled their missing friend into their arms and hugged her to them with all their might.

  “Are these friends of yours?” a stranger asked.

  Nadya bristled as she glared at the man who seemed too familiar with her friend. Who did he think he was, interrupting their reunion?

  “Yes.” Milla turned to the man with a smile and a nod. She brushed her tears away with her forearm.

  She hoped to God that those were tears of joy, because that man was in some deep shit if he was the one that made her friend cry. If he was the culprit, Nadya would castrate the bastard with hacksaw and two ramekins.

  “Perry’s going to shit a brick when he finds out you’re here.” Alexa grinned and pulled her tight again.

  “I’m sure he already knows,” Milla said dryly. “You guys have been on my trail since I left. I’m sure it was no accident.”

  Turning, she smiled up at the tall man next to her. He was large, very large, and handsome, but that didn’t mean anything. Perry was tall and handsome and the Neanderthal knew it.

  Still, Milla looked happy, not frightened, and Nadya relaxed a bit—but just a bit. She assessed the man who stood with his arm around Milla’s waist and stared down at her friend as though she hung the sun and the moon for him. She relaxed a little more. Could a man who looked at a woman like that, hurt that woman? She doubted it. Perry never looked at anyone with anything less than contempt. Perry was an asshole, but then, she’d known that from day one.

  “Maybe, he knows, maybe not. It doesn’t make me any less glad to see you.

  “In fact—” Alexa made a show of sizing the man up before she leaned forward, lowered her voice and whispered, “I have a few questions to ask. I’ve been thinking about leaving the carnival, myself.”

  Milla smiled. “It’s a freeing experience.”

  Reaching out, Alexa drew her in for another hug. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your new friend?”

  “Oh!” Milla blushed. “I’m sorry. Alexa and Nadya, meet Jonas. He’s one of the first real gentlemen I’ve ever met,” she said with a grin. “Though, there are a lot of real gentlemen in this town. I’ve only been here a short while, and I’ve found that out already.”

  “Ladies.” Jonas grasped the brim of his hat with his thumb and forefinger. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He smiled at Milla. “I don’t want to cut your reunion short. Would you like to stay here and have dessert while I go find Mel?”

  “Mel? Who’s Mel?” Nadya asked at the same time Alexa voiced the same question.

  “He’s another friend.” Milla led the way to the diner. “And you’re not going to believe who he looks like.”

  Nadya didn’t care who he looked like as long as he or his friend didn’t hurt Milla. If they did, they would both suffer the same painful fate.

  Chapter Four

  “So what do you expect us to do at this council meeting of yours?” Gabe asked as he leaned back in his chair.

  Adam Greer, Alpha of their odd clan, sat behind his desk, his expression grim. “I expect you to participate in it.”

  “In a council meeting?” Luc snorted. “What the hell for? We aren’t council members.”

  The look on the alpha’s face didn’t help Gabe relax at all. “I have a feeling we’re about to become members.” So much for relaxing. He sat up in his seat.

  “You’re a very astute man, Gabriel.” The alpha gave them both a thin smile. “The town elders have made it perfectly clear that it’s well past the time that I put a council together. I’ve chosen you two, among others, to take a seat at the table.”

  “How many members will be on this council?” Luc asked as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

  The alpha didn’t know it, but that was one of Luc’s agitated poses. Gabe wasn’t surprised. This was a surprise and it wasn’t necessarily a welcome one. They were too busy to take a seat on the damned council.

  “The town charter says that there needs to be at least eight different seats on the council. By different seats, it means eight different families. I’ve chosen you two, Mel and Jonas along with others whom I think will meet the criteria set forth in the charter.”

  “We meet…criteria?” Gabe asked skeptically. “What in the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “Well, you own a business here in town and there are at least two of you. A lone shifter can’t sit on the council. If something should happen to him in a crisis, his seat would remain empty. Mated pairs are the requirement because in the absence of one, we have the other.”

  “Not when we’re on vacation.”

  “If you’re on vacation, you can still be reached, you idiot.” Adam shook his head. “Being on vacation only means your seat here in Paradise remains empty. You would still have a voice in any decisions because we would call you and have you submit your vote remotely.”

  Great. So no private vacations with their mate, if they ever find one. He glanced at Luc. “What do you think?”

  “I don’t
know why you’re asking his opinion. I’m not requesting you two to take a seat on the council. I’m assigning you a seat. If you don’t like it, tough shit.” Adam leaned back in his seat and glanced at his second and triad mate, Nick Hill. “You’ll back me on this?”

  “You know I will, Alpha.” Nick stared them down, his gaze intense. The man might be the alpha’s bitch, but he was also the head enforcer in Paradise. Second to only the alpha, Nick Hill pulled a lot of weight. He also shared a lot of the collective magical power of Paradise with the alpha pair.

  All of the people of Paradise held magic within them. It was enough to dress or undress themselves at will, call down the power of the gods and goddesses if needed, and to veil the town and its people from the world. They could, and did, on occasion, perform miracles with that power. Those were the times that Gabe couldn’t have been more proud to be who and what he was.

  You will accept a seat on the council.” Nick stared them down. His gaze was so intense that Gabe turned his head to the side and tipped his head back, exposing his throat. Luc did the same.

  “Yes.” They both said at the same time.

  “Just so you know, neither of us has any idea what a council member does,” Luc added.

  Adam gave them both a tight-lipped smile. “Then you don’t have any preconceived notions, do you? You’re both a blank slate. You’re both people whom I can train to be what I need you to be.” His chair creaked as he sat forward. “What I need right now are men sworn to be the protectors Paradise needs. We’ve been informed that there could be someone on their way here who could rock our very existence.”

  “Alpha?” Gabe cocked his head to the side. “What are you talking about?”

  “As you know, a pair of sisters here in town have been known to predict the future, along with having some other special…powers.”

  Both he and Luc nodded. They knew the alpha spoke of the two sisters whom the men of Paradise rescued from one of Camuls’s rape camps.

  “Yes.” Gabe nodded. “Samantha and Sabrina. Their maiden name had been Hart. The two sisters were something other than shifters. Some speculated they were at least part fey. Though, he supposed, only they and their mates knew the full truth.

  Strong in their own right, once mated, the women became a force to be reckoned with.

  “What have they seen?” Luc sat in his chair, his back straight, his hands gripping the arms.

  “They have seen a man. They call him a dream stalker. They say that he has the power to enter one’s dreams and see their most fervent desires. He will also see what we are. He will find a way to prove it and he will expose us if we don’t stop him.”

  “How are we supposed to stop him?” Gabe frowned at the news. “We don’t need this. Not now. Not with the carnival imminent. We’ll have humans and shifters alike here.” Not to mention that none of them had no idea who the man was or what he looked like.

  “My thoughts, exactly, which is why I’m finally putting the council together.” Adam held up his hand. “I realize that it’s too little and most likely too late, but we do what we must to survive. What I need from you two is your vow to protect at least one woman, at the moment. Though, the sisters have told me there will be at least three who will need our help.”

  Adam stood, held out his hand, his expression unreadable. “I apologize for the strong-arm tactics, but I don’t have time for waffling. I need to know you’re with me, whether you like it or not.”

  “We’re with you, alpha.” They said at the same time, each of them standing to take the alpha’s and then beta’s hands in turn.

  Gabe didn’t like the alpha’s tactics, either, but he knew he would do the same if suddenly thrust into the other man’s shoes. One did what one could to survive and Adam Greer always did what was in his power to protect his people.

  Chapter Five

  After spending nearly an hour in the diner catching up, they signaled for the check.

  Sarah, the waitress, just smiled. “It’s been taken care of already.”

  Taken care of? Nadya frowned. “Who paid for our lunch?”

  “We did.” Two men stood, the taller one taking a step toward them. “We’d like to welcome you to Paradise.”

  Nadya’s mouth went dry. Picking up her glass of iced tea, she drew on the straw, taking in a bit of the sweet drink. “I, um…thank you.” Her face warmed as she stared up at two of the best-looking men she’d ever seen.

  “It was our pleasure.” He smiled, revealing a dimple that made her go weak in the knees. At least she was still sitting down.

  “What was that?” she asked as a strange sound reached her ears. It sounded a lot like the growl of a wild animal. “It sounded like…” She let her words trail off when no one else seemed to have heard it. It must have been her imagination. “Nothing. Never mind,” she added when another man stepped up to the table and made his presence known.

  “Don’t look now, Nadya, but I think those two have the hots for you. Maybe you should take a good look and see which one attracts you.” It was just like Alexa to contradict herself.

  Nadya was already staring at the two men who paid for their lunch. It was too late to tell her not to do so, anyway. She couldn’t help it. The taller of the two wore his blond hair just above his plaid collar. The cream-colored cowboy hat on his head only added to his good looks. Piercing blue eyes stared at her over Alexa’s head and she felt her face heat yet again.

  Her nipples grew tight and her breath shallow as she noticed his intense stare. She bit her lip, noting that his gorgeous eyes narrowed just a bit as his gaze zeroed in on her mouth.

  The man’s friend was no slouch, either. A bit shorter, he wore his dark hair in a military cut, his smooth, clean-shaven face perfect beneath the black slashes of his inky brows and mysterious dark-brown eyes. What was it about the two that made her mouth water to taste their tanned skin?

  She fisted her hands against her thighs. Her fingers ached to touch both of them, to feel the slight stubble on their jaws and the softness of their hair. She shook her head and looked away. What was wrong with her? Those two were young enough to be her sons—if she had ever had sons.

  Besides, what would two, hot young men want with her frumpy forty-three year-old ass? Still, she had to keep up appearances or her friends would never let her live it down if she showed any type of reluctance. Not after their late night dream sessions where they each boasted about how they would react if faced with just this kind of situation.

  “What do you mean, which one?” She chuckled and raised a brow. “Why can’t I have them both?” She reached for the untouched glass of water next to her empty iced tea glass and took a sip.

  “There’s nothing saying you can’t have them both.” Milla stood, pulled the strap of her purse up on her shoulder and winked. “As a matter of fact, that is one of this town’s secrets.” She gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Though, I suppose that it’s not really much of a secret when you see the townsfolk walking around.”

  “What are you talking about?” Nadya glanced at Alexa when they both said it at the same time. They tagged each other on the bicep with an open palm. “Owe me a pop.”

  “It’s a tie, and besides, you both just had a drink.” Milla grinned and shook her head as she led the way out of the diner.

  “This isn’t something I can tell you here, but follow me and we’ll find someplace private where I can let the cat out of the proverbial bag.”

  Nadya caught Alexa’s attention and turned. “What do you think that was about?”

  “I have no idea.” Alex shook her head, her gaze following Milla as she walked out into the center of the parking lot.

  “Okay.” Milla looked around. “This seems like a wonderful place to live. No single female ever pays for anything at the diner. The men pay for everything. In fact, this is like some throwback town. The men open doors and protect the women. Heck, you’d be hard pressed to find a woman who mows her own lawn arou
nd here. I’ve already found out that much and I’ve only been here a few hours.”

  Nadya glanced at Alexa before turning back to Milla. “That’s insane. If that’s true, why doesn’t every woman in the world head this way?”

  This place sounded too good to be true. She stared at Milla, wondering for a moment, if her friend had been brainwashed. She shook her head. She couldn’t have been. Milla would have read any nefarious intent in people. Even if she didn’t want to read them, she would if they touched her, even for a second.

  “Apparently, it wasn’t always this way. I read it in my guys. Things around here got really bad until the new leader took over and changed it. They had some sort of war here. A real life good against evil battle and good won.”

  “You’re not kidding, are you, Milla?” Alexa frowned as a jingling sound reached them. “Don’t look now, Nadya, but your groupies are headed this way.”

  “My what?” She turned toward the sound as a man with thick, sable brown hair walked out of the diner, followed by the two men who had paid for their lunch. The two men who stayed close to each other, couldn’t seem to stop staring at her. Nadya frowned. It made her insides feel funny. She covered her stomach with her hands.

  It was almost as though the world spun in slow motion as she watched their long-legged strides eat the distance between them.

  She didn’t know what to say, to think, to do. Nadya swallowed thickly. Her tongue seemed to grow to monstrous proportions in her mouth, making it impossible to speak. She cast a sidelong look at Milla and wondered if she, too, could have two men want her.

  Milla shook her head with a chuckle. “I think you’re about to find out about the men in Paradise first hand. The only thing I can tell you is, whatever they say to you…go with it. You won’t be sorry.”