by R. E. Butler
“Did Treasure say anything about the females she found?” Wyked asked.
Rhett nodded. “She said that she scented something bitter on you and Fate, which turned out to be the poison. She has excellent sight in her shifted form, and she also can see a person’s aura. When she looked into the woods, she saw four people with dark auras – brown and yellow – which are associated with murderous intent and rage. When she reached them, she saw they were females, and she could smell the bitter poison. She knew they were evil, and she was overcome with fury that they’d harmed you two. It was her dragon’s instinct to protect her family, and she burned them up.”
“I’m glad they’re dead,” Jilly said. “I don’t know if that makes me a bad person or not, but I’ll rest easier knowing there are four less dangerous, murderous females out there.”
Rue shook her head. “It doesn’t make you a bad person at all. They tried to take your mates from you in a horrible way. They deserved what they got. We’re just fortunate to have a protective dragon in the pride now.”
Jilly looked at Jackson. “You said there was someone else in the woods. Was it another female?”
Jackson and Holden looked at each other and then Jackson said, “There was a female. It was Honor.”
“Honor Parkins?” Jilly asked.
“Yeah. I tackled her, and she bit me.” He rubbed his palm and Jilly could see what looked like a mating bite on his hand.
Her gaze pinged between Jackson and Holden. “She’s your mate? You shared blood with her?”
“Yes, she’s our mate. But, I didn’t share her blood,” Jackson said. “She got mine when she bit me and started acting strange, like she was in pain. When I let her up, she almost fell into Holden and kissed him.”
Holden gave Jilly a brief smile. “She bit my lip and drew blood. She suddenly doubled over in pain, and then Eryx showed up and she ran.”
“We followed her,” Eryx said, “but we were too late. She jumped into a van and disappeared. I got a partial plate and ran it through the system and it turned up as a rental. When I called to see who rented the vehicle, it was a fake ID.”
“She’s on her way back to Canada, I’m sure, as fast as she can drive. She was the leader of the main group of females. I’m sure she wasn’t alone, so she probably had at least Gretchen with her. They were close,” Jilly said.
John looked at Jackson and Holden. “Melody might be able to find her way back to their home in Canada. They kept her there for a year.”
Jackson shook his head. “She doesn’t know where she was. She ran a lot in her shift after she escaped so she could move fast.”
“What are you going to do?” Jilly asked.
Jackson rubbed the mark on his hand. “You weren’t able to stay away from Wyked and Fate after they shared blood with you, right?”
“For a little while,” she said. “Sharing blood with them gave me back the memories that the venom in their claws stole. I fought the feelings and memories every day, but it was torture. I was able to stay away from them for a little while, but I was going crazy.”
“It was hard for us, too,” Fate said. “We felt connected to her, but we couldn’t find her.”
“Shit,” Jackson muttered.
“I believe that she won’t be able to deal with being your mate and getting her memories back for too long before she’ll come looking for you,” Jilly said.
“How many females are up there, do you think?” James asked.
“When I was living with the smaller pride in Twin Pines, I’d heard that the females had a big house like this. I don’t know how many are there now, but I’d guess thirty.”
“It’s too bad that they don’t realize they’re poisoned and could find mates to save them from being bitches forever,” Rue said.
Jilly smiled. “They wouldn’t believe you if you told them. Melody was an anomaly. She was raised away from the pride, but the females didn’t understand why she was different. They always blamed Callie for the end of their idyllic life in King. She was the first female that the males were willing to walk away from the pride for. But then they wanted to kill Melody because she was too different and they didn’t want to risk her changing the females’ way of life.”
“Now they hate you,” Wyked said, kissing her temple.
“Yeah, and they don’t understand me either.”
James cleared his throat. “In spite of what nearly happened last night, everyone that we love and care for is safe and that’s what counts. I’ve been talking to Eryx and Rhett about upping security.”
“I’ve ordered motion sensors and surveillance cameras for this property and the farm,” Eryx said. “We’ll surround the pride’s territories with the sensors and cameras, so no one will set foot inside without us knowing.”
“How will you monitor things?” Fate asked.
“The equipment is wireless, and there’s an app to download. When the sensor is tripped, the camera starts recording and sends the video feed to anyone who has the app.”
“That’s pretty cool,” Jilly said.
“I’d be surprised if we ever heard from the females again,” John said. “Honor witnessed her friends being turned to ash. At the very least, they’ll be afraid to come around because of Treasure.”
Holden and Jackson grimaced.
Jilly gave them a sad smile. “When Honor does come back, because I think she will eventually, she won’t sneak in through the woods, she’ll come to the front door.”
“I hope she doesn’t fucking take too long,” Jackson said. “My cat’s already trying to claw its way out of me to go find her.”
The two males left, and Jilly stared at the archway that separated the kitchen from the foyer. “I feel bad for them.”
“You’re the strongest female I know,” Wyked said. “If you couldn’t resist the compulsion to come to us, then Honor won’t be able to either.”
“Yeah, unless the females realize she’s different and lock her up like they did Melody. Or kill her outright,” Jilly said, lowering her voice.
“Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen,” John said.
Jilly did hope that was the case. She didn’t want to think about what it would be like for Holden and Jackson to go through life never finding Honor or knowing what happened to her. She wished she could give them a map to their home, but she’d never been there.
She glanced at her phone. “We need to get over to Rhett’s. We’re taking Treasure to get a phone.”
“Kids and their phones,” John said with a grunt.
“It’s this generation,” James said. “They’re always plugged in.”
Jilly shook her head. “Do you have any idea how old you both sound right now?”
“Hey,” John said. “Someday you’ll feel old.”
“Not for a long, long time,” she said. She kissed his cheek and stood, stopping to hug Rue, James, Eryx, and Rhett.
“I’ll see you at the house,” Rhett said. “I’m going to chat with my family a little bit longer.
Jilly waved and left with Wyked and Fate, taking the long road to Rhett’s so they could enjoy the scenery. Ashland was a sweet town, and she would miss it, but home was in the RV with her mates, and she knew they’d see a lot of sweet towns on their travels.
* * *
Jilly sat in the second row of the SUV, in between Lisa and Fate. Wyked drove toward the mall, and Rhett sat in the passenger seat, discussing buying Treasure a cell phone and adding her to their family plan. Treasure was in the third row between Kevin and Brian.
Jilly looked over her shoulder at the trio, smiling at how comfortable they were with each other after only a little while. It looked as if they’d been together for years.
“They’re sweet,” Lisa said softly.
Rhett grumbled. “And a handful.” He looked at Jilly and smiled. “I wouldn’t trade it, though.”
“I’m glad she has you both,” Jilly said. “I don’t feel so weird about leaving her when we go on our trav
els since I know that she has you watching over her.”
“I always wanted kids,” Lisa said. “It wasn’t in the cards for us. When the family moved here from King, I was so happy to be surrounded by family. Having Callie’s and Cris’s families nearby with their little ones is just so wonderful.”
“What about your family?” Jilly asked. She didn’t know much about Lisa’s life before she married Rhett.
She smiled sadly. “My family disowned me when I dated Rhett. My parents are gone now, and it’s just me and my older sister, Barb. She moved out of state, and I tried to keep in touch but she refused. It was easier to just let go than keep banging on a door that would never open.”
“That’s so sad. Family shouldn’t act like that,” Jilly said. “But what am I saying? I behaved terribly when I was younger. I’m no role model.”
“That’s different,” Lisa said, giving her hand a squeeze. “You were under the influence of the curse, and your emotions weren’t your own.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s still hard not to feel guilty for all I put my dad and family through.”
“You’re your old self again,” Rhett said. “That’s what counts.”
Wyked parked at the mall, and they climbed out. Jilly adjusted her coat and tucked her cell into her back pocket.
“So what’s this male thing again?” Treasure asked, looking at the expansive building with wide eyes.
“Male thing?” Jilly asked.
Treasure pointed at the mall. “Yeah, that thing.”
“It’s a mall,” Kevin said, “not a male.”
She hummed. “So what is it?”
“It’s a big building full of stores,” Rhett said. “Remember when we took you clothes shopping? This is a bunch of those stores all under one roof.”
“Plus,” Lisa said, “all sorts of other stores that sell everything from candles to food to sporting equipment.”
“Maybe those pretzel thingys I liked?” Treasure asked.
“I think so,” Rhett said with a chuckle. “But first, let’s find you the perfect phone.”
Jilly took Wyked’s and Fate’s hands and followed the group into the mall. She hadn’t been shopping since she’d bought lingerie for the wedding.
“Anything you’d like to get while we’re here?” Fate asked.
“I don’t think so. In case you didn’t know it, I’m very, very happy.”
Wyked kissed the top of her hand. “We could totally tell. We’ll make you even happier later.”
“I can’t wait.”
At the cell phone store, Rhett talked to one of the associates about adding Treasure to his plan while Jilly and Lisa talked about which phone to get.
“Can I have a pink one?” she asked. “It’s my favorite color.”
Lisa said, “The phones we get are basic colors like black, white, or gold. But you can get a case that’s any color you’d like. There’s a kiosk that sells neat cases down by the food court.”
“What’s a food court?” Treasure asked.
“Where you get food,” Jilly said.
“And a key-osk?” she asked, tilting her head.
“A counter in the mall that sells specific things like phone cases,” Lisa answered.
“If my phone has to be regular colored, then I pick white.” She picked up one and said, “This one?”
“That’s perfect,” Rhett said as he joined them and took Wyked’s offered credit card to pay for the phone.
Treasure left Lisa and Jilly, and went to stand with her mates.
“What are you going to do about school?” Jilly asked, keeping her voice low so it didn’t carry to the trio.
Lisa leaned against the table. “We can’t enroll her in school until she’s got a birth certificate and we’re her official guardians, and since she’s not of this realm and her family is all gone, we have no way to do that without going to the realm and looking for information.”
Jilly’s brow rose. “That sounds dangerous.”
“Exactly. So Rhett spoke to Jericho. He and Lachlyn needed documents so they could move on with their lives. He’s going to get what we need for her. For the current school year, though, we’re planning to home school her. There’s a great online program that will work well for us.”
“Did they have school in the fae realm like we do here?”
“Yes, but she wasn’t allowed to attend because her parents were worried about her dual nature being discovered. They home schooled her, and she’s very smart. She’s got a knack for plants, which she said is from her aunt.”
“And healing,” Jilly said.
Lisa nodded. “That’s something a lot of them can do. The boys were really worried about her last night. I don’t think either of them slept a wink.”
“I wish I hadn’t been under the curse and could have met my mates when I was young.”
Wyked put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. She looked at him and Fate. “It’s easy to wish for things like that, kitten, but remember that timing is everything – in life, in love. We met when we were supposed to, just like those three met now and not later.”
“How’d I get so lucky to have such smart mates?”
Fate chuckled. “Trust me when I say that Wyked and I are the lucky ones to have such a beautiful, wonderful female as our mate.”
She smiled and moved between them, letting them envelope her in a hug that made her feel safe and loved. Before she was set free from the curse by her mates, she’d thought her life was fine as it was. Now she knew that the curse had robbed her of so much. She was just thankful that she was curse-free now.
Wyked left to pay for the phone. Then he and Rhett joined them, and the older male called for Treasure.
“Ready to see your phone, little one?” Rhett asked.
“Yay!” Treasure raced to them, her face glowing with happiness. “Is it mine, really?”
“You bet,” Jilly said. “You just have to promise to text me and let me know how you’re doing while I’m traveling with my mates.”
“I can do that! I love texting.”
“She picked it up quickly,” Lisa said, her voice tinged with humor. “Grant called to let us know that she’d sent five hundred texts to Kevin’s phone in one day.”
“Wow! I don’t even send that many in a week and I have two mates,” Jilly said.
“Well, we see each other all the time,” Fate pointed out. “They’re young, and, judging by what I’ve seen of the youth of today, it’s pretty normal.”
“That’s why I got unlimited texting and data,” Rhett said. “Ready to go look at phone cases?”
“Yes, thank you!” She hugged Rhett tightly and then Lisa. Then she hugged Jilly and smiled at Wyked and Fate. “Thank you for my phone.”
“You’re welcome,” Jilly said. “It’s our pleasure.”
They followed the chattering trio to the kiosk that sold cases, and while Rhett and Lisa sat in the massage chairs and relaxed, Jilly and her mates looked at phone cases and helped Treasure pick the perfect one.
The glitter-covered pink case was so sparkly that Jilly was pretty sure she’d be blinded in the sunlight by the case, but Treasure loved it.
Jilly’s phone buzzed, and she took it from her pocket and saw a text from Treasure, who grinned at her over the top of her phone.
The text said, “Thanks,” and was followed by a string of emojis that took up two lines.
“You’re welcome,” Jilly texted back.
“She likes emojis, in case you didn’t catch that,” Brian said.
“We had a whole conversation of just emojis yesterday,” Treasure said. “It was fun.”
“I’m going to miss you,” Jilly said, accepting another hug. “But we can stay in touch, and I’m so happy for that.”
“Did you know in the olden days that there weren’t cell phones?” Treasure asked, her eyes wide. “They had these things called laylines and they had cords that kept you tethered to the wall.”
Rhett shook
his head with a smile as he and Lisa joined them. “Landlines, honey. We had landline phones, and we weren’t tethered to the wall, it’s just how the phones were made back then.”
“Yeah, and don’t call it the ‘olden’ days. We’re not that old,” Lisa said.
“As long as I don’t have to be tethered to the wall to use my phone, I’m okay,” Treasure said. “Oh, pretzel thingys!”
Jilly smiled as the trio hurried off to the pretzel shop.
“She says the funniest things.”
“Yeah,” Lisa said. “She misunderstands a lot because she wasn’t raised around our technology. She has a good sense of humor and doesn’t mind being corrected. Rhett and I laugh a lot with her. She’s unintentionally hilarious.”
Rhett put his hand on Jilly’s shoulder and looked down at her, his eyes glistening with happiness. “Did I say thank you for bringing her into our lives? I’m so grateful you were there to help her, and that you brought her home.”
Jilly hugged him. “You’re welcome. I’m so glad you all have each other now.”
“We’ll keep her safe. We promise,” Rhett said.
“I know you will,” Jilly said.
They headed off to the pretzel shop to join the others. By the time they’d all had their fill of pretzels served with different dipping sauces, Treasure had sent one hundred texts, and most of them were to her mates. Jilly laughed at how silly the younger kids were.
“Don’t forget we have a date,” Wyked murmured as he helped her into the SUV.
“I didn’t forget,” she said.
“Good,” he said. “Because it’s all I’ve been thinking about since we woke up.”
“Me too,” Fate said, punctuating his words with a little growl.
“Lucky me,” she whispered. “I’m about to have a lot of dreams come true.”
“More than you can count, kitten,” Wyked promised.
Chapter 16