There's Something About Werewolves: Seven Brides for Seven Shifters, Book 1

by Thalia Eames

  A song from the jukebox came to mind. Lennox hummed the tune. Dr. Feelgood, he’s the one who makes you feel all right. She closed her eyes, letting her imagination take over. In her mind’s eye she clutched the muscular ass of a divine man—naked with a fine sheen of sweat, rippled abs, and pecs so tasty she wanted to bite them. But when he leaned in to kiss her it wasn’t Ian’s face she saw. Her daydreams swirled around a taller man, broader at the shoulders, more ruggedly handsome, with scruff on his jaw, and cognac eyes. She knew those eyes. She’d gotten drunk off them more than once.

  She huffed. Something in the air had changed this morning. Unlike the pleasure in her nightly fantasies, Garrett’s memory kept following her around today, whispering in her ear, taunting her. Spending time with Nox made the ache worse. She’d already started to adore him, which meant she had to get that kid the hell out of her life. She hoped his dad showed up to get him soon.

  Shaking herself, Lennox hefted a tray filled with three stacks of twelve blueberry pancakes, one stack of four strawberry-banana ones, a platter of sausage and bacon, four bowls of grits, a dozen biscuits, peach butter, and two carafes of fresh-squeezed juice. As long as she owned a diner in LuPines, North Carolina, she’d never need to join a gym. The folks in her hometown really put the food away. Lifting trays and serving them kept her in good shape.

  When she got to the table Ian rose to help her with the tray. Once they’d gotten everyone’s order laid out, he winked at her. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

  Lennox couldn’t help but grin. “You’re welcome.”

  Ian reached behind him and pulled a chair from another table. “Can you talk to us for a minute?”

  She glanced at the kitchen, then at the waitstaff. Her diner was running as smoothly as ever. She had the time to chat. Ian held the chair in place as she sat, so Lennox didn’t sense a trap until she glanced around the table. Ian and his best friend Dillon, the disagreeable Faye, and Nox grinned at her, four crocodiles ready to pounce. What had Lennox stepped in and how long would it take her to scrape the mess off the soles of her high-heeled Mary Janes?

  “Clearly I’m not going to like what’s coming.”

  Ian rubbed his nape. “I don’t see why not. The boy wonder has decided to stay here with us for a while. You like him, don’t you?”

  “Oh really?” Lennox reached over and thumped Nox in the chest. He had the nerve to laugh. Ian did the same when she gave him her death glare. “You four can rethink your dastardly plans and schemes.” She made a spider-finger gesture in true villain style. “I don’t have any say in where that boy goes or what he does.”

  Nox shoved an entire strawberry-banana pancake into his mouth. How he managed to speak around it she’d never know but he got it done. “Yeah, you do. You’re my godmother.”

  “Sure I am, nut bucket. That’s why we met for the first time this morning.” She refilled his glass from a carafe. “Stop telling people crazy stuff. I’m not your godmother.”

  A voice resounded behind her. “Yes, you are.”

  The timbre of that bass shook Lennox to the bones. If she weren’t sitting, she’d fall down.

  Garrett couldn’t believe it. He’d been staring at Lennox since he walked in five minutes ago. She’d filled out, gone from athletic to curvy, and had stopped wearing baseball caps with baggy jeans. A full-grown woman had replaced his tomboy best friend. But Lennox would always be Lennox. Caramel curls and golden skin, along with legs a super model would make a pack with the devil for. He hadn’t known he missed her this much until he heard her laugh and saw her tease his son.

  Garrett didn’t believe in coincidence. His coming here wasn’t accidental. Fate, with a little help from his son, had brought his closest friend back into his life for a reason. He’d have to stick around long enough to find out why.

  Lennox turned in her chair, looking shocked. “Garrett? Garrett Anderson.”

  He walked over to the table. On the way there he lifted an eyebrow at his son. Nox had earned a long lecture followed by a longer punishment. Smart enough to fear for his life, Nox lowered his head and shoved more pancakes into his face.

  Garrett stopped behind Lennox’s chair. “Yeah, it’s me. Actually I’m Anderson Garrett Westlake.”

  The news startled her.

  “But that’s a story for another day.” He wasn’t about to discuss the painful reasons he’d had to hide his identity in front of so many strangers.

  “Is that why Nox is named after me, because I’m his godmother?”

  No avoiding this conversation. He should’ve braced himself for it the minute he saw Lennox. “Yeah, Tina insisted. His name, and you as his guardian, are both in her will.”

  It didn’t take long for Lennox to realize the implications of his words. “No.” She turned to him, her eyes glassy in mourning. “Garrett, when, how? Nox didn’t tell me.”

  She didn’t say “sorry” she knew how much he hated that. People saying sorry when someone died made no sense to him.

  The clanging of a fork on a plate cut through the intensity of the moment. Nox had stopped eating. It forced Garrett to dismiss his own grief. “Nox doesn’t say it out loud. Saying it makes it too real.”

  Whenever Garrett saw that look on Nox’s face—that herculean effort to swallow years of hurt before it ate its way out of the boy. Each time, Garrett wanted to be more than a man. He wanted the power to heal his son’s wounds.

  “I’ll miss her,” Lennox said. The words caught in her throat and she covered her face. The man nearest to her stroked her cheek. “I’ll miss her so much,” Lennox said. Resting her elbows on the table, she stared out of the diner windows. Life outside went on. Some people hustled off to work. Others strolled by, happily engaged in conversation. The world didn’t stop because one life ended.

  Lennox must’ve thought that too. “Why didn’t you get in touch with me?”

  “You made it clear you were done with us. Tina didn’t think so but I know you. You meant it when you said you weren’t coming back and we had no reason to call you.”

  Old hurts drenched them like acid rainfall.

  His gaze traveled along the tense line of her shoulders. A artery pulsed in her neck, the same way it always did when something upset her. Garrett waited for her to stand and greet him properly. She didn’t move, barely looked at him. To cover his ache to hold her he nodded to the woman and two men eating breakfast with his son. He wanted to hug Lennox for comfort, to feel her body relax in his arms like old times. He knew holding her would be more for his benefit than hers. The vein and the clenched hands she’d dropped into her lap told him he’d have to wave the white flag first.

  “Where’s my hug, Elle?”

  She gripped the edge of the table, her shoulders slumped, head drooped. “I can’t, Garrett. I—” The dark-haired man reached under her chair and slid her closer to him.

  Shit. Garrett hadn’t considered she might be married or engaged or in some way romantically entangled. Of course, some guy liked it enough to put a ring on it. Any man with enough brains to fill a shot glass would. He just couldn’t figure out why the thought bothered him so much.

  If Garrett were less confident, he’d have fidgeted in the silence that followed. Nox did the fidgeting for him, and Lennox’s man finally extended a hand. “I’m Ian Somers.” A glint of amber flickered across Ian’s eyes. Garrett cursed under his breath. He should’ve seen it before.

  Ian introduced the two other adults, Dillon, a double for Prince Harry, and Faye, who could walk into a World Wrestling ring and take the women’s belt.

  Three werewolves. Garrett’s fingers twitched. He’d feel a lot better when he and Nox left this town behind. Every time he’d been in the presence of a wolf pack things ended badly. He wasn’t in the mood for another tragedy. He’d let fate sort out his reunion with Lennox on another day.

  With polite nods to the three wolfe
n, Garrett introduced himself. Then he fixed a look on his son and jerked his head toward the door. “Let’s get out of here, Nox. I want to get back in time to watch the car chase we’re shooting on the movie set.”

  “Hold on,” Ian said, his tone light. “We need to talk.”

  Nox studied the table, looking guilty. “What did you do?” Garrett asked his son.

  “Lennox, can you give us a minute to talk to Garrett?” Ian spoke before Nox could answer.

  Lennox exhaled slowly as though she’d been waiting for an excuse to run. Garrett grabbed her shoulders from behind. “Stay.” She froze, the tension so tight he thought he’d break her by touch. He jerked back. “Please stay,” he repeated.

  Ian assessed him. “She doesn’t know anything about this.”

  “Maybe it’s time you clued her in. Or I could do it for you.”

  Lennox glanced from Garrett to Ian. Her brow furrowed. “Clue me in to what?”

  Garrett shook his head and took a short walk away. He couldn’t stand the thought Lennox didn’t know she’d surrounded herself with werewolves. The fact put her in danger. Whether from frightened humans, overprotective law enforcement, or worse. She’d been his best friend once and he wanted to protect her, if he could, whether or not his concerns were rational. Garrett returned to the table in two strides. He had to look out for Lennox. As long as looking out for her didn’t endanger his son.

  With a quick flick of his hand, Garrett gestured for the other woman, Faye, to let him into the booth. On a nod from Ian she moved. Garrett felt better once he’d situated himself with an arm around Nox. Faye remained standing. She cleared her throat a few times. Lennox finally got the hint and stiffly slid around to take the open space beside Garrett. The other woman took the chair and received a frown from Ian. She held out her hands and mouthed, “What?”

  Ian stood. “Faye, Dillon, find something else to do.”

  Prince Harry and the lady wrestler vacated the booth like a storm had rolled in and they hadn’t brought umbrellas.

  Lennox watched them go, her expression suspicious. “Somebody tell me something.” On a second thought, she side-eyed the space between her and Garrett. No parts of their bodies touched. She looked satisfied with that.

  “The thing is,” Ian told her. “Garrett and Nox are related to us, especially Nox.” He paused. “Um, in a roundabout way. So we’ve taken an interest in his education.” Ian stared at Garrett. Their gazes met and held. A silent tug-of-war took place that ended in a draw. Fuck whatever Ian thought. Garrett was an alpha too. He’d be damned if he’d back down. “My son’s education is my business. Anything he doesn’t know I’ll take care of when the time comes.”

  Ian leaned back and folded his arms over his chest. “That time has passed. Ask Lennox what she found in her bed this morning.”

  “Don’t ask me anything. I have no idea what you’re yammering about.” Lennox reached around Garrett to put more food on Nox’s plate. His son nodded acceptance as though she’d been looking after him for years. The two bonded quickly. Garrett shouldn’t be surprised. He and Lennox had become friends from moment one.

  A glance at her out of the corner of his eye struck him in revelation. He’d never noticed her profile before. Absolutely stunning—pert nose, full lips, a graceful chin. In college he used to tweak her nose when they shared a moment. In those days she’d giggle or playfully swing at him. It’d be nice to revisit that memory now and tease her. This time he’d grab her fist mid-swing, spin her around, and snuggle up to the big backyard she showed off in that flared skirt of hers. Garrett knew from experience how well their bodies fit together and…shit. Where the hell had this version of Lennox come from? He damn-near sat on his hands to keep from making the mistake of touching her. No doubt she’d hit him and this time she’d mean it.

  “What was in your bed, Elle?” His voice sounded too gentle. Even to him.

  She swallowed, keeping her eyes on the table. “A big-ass husky. Like the one on Nox’s shirt.” She hugged herself as a shudder rolled over her.

  Garrett chuckled. And paid for it when Lennox turned her death glare on him. Her left eye went twitchy and everything. Garrett snatched Nox into a headlock. Pulling his son close he whispered, “Don’t do that again. She’s scared of dogs. I’m surprised she didn’t need a diaper change.”

  Good thing he had Nox’s face smashed into his shirt otherwise everyone would’ve heard the kid’s whoop of laughter. No remorse at all.

  Some things hadn’t changed. It comforted Garrett to know Lennox would still rather tongue kiss a python than deal with a dog. Maybe because it meant his Lennox wasn’t gone. Maybe because it meant Ian didn’t have a chance with her, which meant, as long as Garrett kept his own wolfen nature quiet, she’d always be his Lennox.

  Ian clanged his glass with a butter knife. The glower he served up warned Garrett to back off. Garrett had to give it to the other man. Ian could flash freeze a fryer with the fierceness in his cold, blue eyes. But Garrett didn’t freeze easy. He threw a fuck-you-try-me eyebrow lift back across the table.

  Ian smiled to show dominance more than good nature. “Your delay won’t play here, Wolfman Jack. Nox asked to join us. He’s one of mine now.”

  “The hell he is.” Garrett growled.

  “What are you two talking about?” Lennox looked to Ian. “How could you have figured out you’re related so fast? And why do you think that gives you any rights to this man’s son.”

  “This man?” Garrett’s brow furrowed at the offensive words. “Why are you talking about me like you don’t know me, Elle?”

  Before Lennox could answer, Ian jutted his chin toward Garrett. “Some things you just know, sweetheart. Ask him.”

  Garrett paused. Although he favored telling Lennox everything, he knew the timing wasn’t good. “I won’t deny our kinship or that Nox has reached an age when it’s his right to chose a clan.” Garrett leaned forward, allowing amber to burn behind his eyes. “I won’t let you keep my son either.”

  Had Nox lost his mind? He’d just turned twelve and, by wolfen law, could choose his own pack. But how had he known and why did he do it? If his son had done this just to get close to the godmother he’d heard so much about, Garrett would take the blame. Wolf packs got people killed. Garrett had lost enough in his life. He sure as the moon wasn’t about to risk his son.

  “I don’t get it. What the hell are you two talking about? Do you know each other from somewhere else? Or has everyone gone crazypants in here?” Lennox got more agitated with each word.

  They both ignored her.

  “You don’t have a choice, Wolfman Jack,” Ian said.

  Garrett pushed off the table, baring his teeth. “Do you think you can stop me?” No threat. All promise.

  Ian shrugged, inclining his head. “Maybe. Maybe not. But look around you.”

  Garrett raked the room with his peripheral vision. He’d made a major mistake. It’d been so long since he had to deal with other wolves he hadn’t scouted his surroundings. More than half the patrons in the diner watched him with flickering amber eyes. He’d blundered into Ian’s territory. No escape, not likely he could take down a pack by himself. Not without hurting the two people he cared about.

  Slowly, so they knew this wasn’t surrender, Garrett sat down and wrapped an arm around Nox.

  A sharp nod put the pack at ease. Ian studied Garrett for a moment. Then gave Nox a faint smile, as if to tell him not to worry. “Here’s how it’ll go down. I don’t want to tear your family apart, Wolfman. You prove you can give Nox a home without denying any part of his heritage and we’ll let him go.”

  Ian took a sip of his juice. He seemed stressed out by the situation. Garrett snarled. He had no idea what stress was. Let some werewolf bastard hold his son hostage.

  Ian’s gaze slid from Nox to Lennox to Garrett. “Otherwise he stays. And we both know there
’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”

  Chapter Three

  Lennox grabbed two glasses off the table and splashed juice in both men’s faces. Ruby-red liquid drenched them from eyebrows to shirtfronts. The heat of the moment dissipated in a series of sputters and curses. While they dragged napkins across their faces, she stood. “Nox, come here right now.”

  The boy only hesitated a moment before he ducked under the table and crawled out to her. With her arms around Nox’s shoulders Lennox turned him so they both faced Ian and his father.

  In through the nose and out of the mouth, she whispered to herself, following suit until she stopped shaking. Ian and Garrett stood supernaturally fast and took two steps towards her. “Stop.” The order reverberated through the room. They froze but, dammit, they were a scary pair of bastards.

  Ian’s heaving chest, lean body, Nordic coloring, and eyes in a shade she could only call blue gold, sounded the alarm for a Viking onslaught. Garrett’s stillness, huge body, Mediterranean looks, and cognac-flambé eyes promised running away would make destroying her sweeter. He’d done it before. He could easily leave her in ruins again.

  Squaring her shoulders, Lennox stared them both down. She’d had no choice but to pull Nox out of there. They’d been growling and snarling at one another in a rage. “I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you two, but I’m not letting you put Nox through your nonsense.”

  “I’m okay, Leni,” Nox said, looking up at her.

  Really? Lennox had run out of gas about six miles outside of okay and gotten stranded. “Glad to hear it,” she said. “Let’s maintain the status quo.”

  The men took another step forward in unison.

  “Don’t play with me,” Lennox warned, holding out a hand. “Hey, Jules?”

  “Yeah?” Juliana Perlas, her right-hand woman, walked through the swinging kitchen doors. Jules took in the drop-dead quiet in the diner and quirked a brow. “Am I going to need my shotgun for this? I sure do enjoy shooting folks, Ian Somers and Dillon Reardon especially.”