by A. M Martin
My second sight flares wide open. Pink and yellow ribbons drift lazily around Kayden. I blink them away as his lips softly touch mine again.
Bam. I jump a small scream flies from my lips.
That was the front door.
Then I remember. We have visitors.
Kayden chuckles, taking in my scared expression and my flushed face.
I straighten out my clothes not looking at him.
"Avery."
A finger under my chin has me looking up.
"Don't be embarrassed. It was beautiful. You are beautiful."
"Yeah." I murmur.
I step away from Kayden towards the dresser.
How can I not be embarrassed? What happened was amazing, but I can't help but feel funny now. After the fact. Is it because it’s a first for me?
I grab a pair of shorts and head for the door.
Kayden’s strong hands grab my hips. A soft squeeze. I feel a comforting feeling through our bond. My heart slows its pace to a normal beat.
I can do this. People do this all the time. Nothing to be embarrassed about.
Kayden’s hands stay latched onto my hips as we walk down the hallway and into the living room.
Dean's sprawled out on the couch in all his glory with his head tilted back eyes closed.
Nick sets beside him playing on his phone.
I toss the pair of silver shorts at Dean's face, the ones I grabbed before we left the room.
They land with a plop and he still doesn't move.
"I thought we had guests?" Kayden asks from behind me.
Nick’s hazel eyes flick up then back down to his phone, “We did. You missed them.”
“What are you playing?” I ask.
“Pokémon go.” Nick murmurs eyes intently on his phone.
“Really?” Kayden grunts.
“Yep,” Nick pops the p smiling at his phone.
I look away from Nick and see Dean’s gaze locked on Kayden’s hands around my hips. I shift from foot to foot.
“Who was here?” Kayden asks pushing my body slightly, moving me further into the room.
Which I don’t want to go. Dean’s eyes start to glow. His gaze still latched onto Kayden’s hands. His head leans to the right as he inhales through his nose. A purr-growl sounds deep in his chest. My stomach drops to my toes. Can he smell what we did?
I feel Kayden tense up and I’m even more nervous now.
Does he somehow know? Would he be mad? This is new and I just... AH, I don’t know.
Oh my gosh. My heart speeds up and I try to pull away from Kayden. To do what I have no idea. I’ll promptly run and hide. Yep, that sounds like a wonderful idea. Why didn’t I think about this?
“You guys finally get a little frisky?” Nick chuckles breaking the tension.
“What! No. Why would you say something like that?” I gasp, my face flushing red.
Nick looks up a twinkle in his eyes, “Animal nose.” He says tapping his nose with his finger.
Oh. My. Gawd.
I squirm and wiggle trying to get away from Kayden’s hands. I just want to hide and never ever come out.
Dean stands up and my frantic moving stops. I watch wide-eyed. Is he going to freak out? My teeth find my bottom lip, worrying it.
He slips his shorts on not looking away from me. A small smirk forms on his lips.
“You got a letter,” Dean says.
A letter. Who would send me a letter?
“Hey, Kay.” Nick smiles, “Maybe you should go wash your hands.”
I’m mortified. Totally mortified. How could I not of thought of this? It’s not like we did it on purpose. One thing led to another and then yeah. I don’t look at anyone as Kayden’s hands finally slip free from my hips. Leaving me feeling alone. Deserted. Left to face the firing squad by myself.
I can hear him walking back down the hallway. I hear water turn on and turn off and Kayden’s steps as he comes back into the living room.
“Avery?” Kayden questions softly.
I’m still staring at my feet. How could. Why did I let it happen? I don’t know. I don’t know.
A cream-colored paper appears under my tear-filled eyes. A letter. That’s right someone sent me a letter.
My hand comes up snatching the letter from Dean’s hand. He chuckles, moving closer to me. He leans down and whispers right in my ear, “It’s fine sweets.” He kisses my ear and leaves taking his heat with him.
I gulp and stare at the letter.
He said it was fine. So, everything must be okay. But then again, I said Fine a lot too. And everything wasn’t fine.
With shaking fingers, I open the envelope and pull out a black glossy card.
As I read. An anger unfurls in my gut. How dare they.
“What’s it say?” Nick asks.
I clear my throat only wanting to scream. Rage and stomp my feet.
Dear Miss Avery Blackwell.
The six would like you to join them at dinner.
8 o clock sharp. Don’t be late.
It’s silent. Then two fury filled growls shake the house.
CHAPTER NINE
I crumple the glossy note card in my hand watching wide-eyed.
Two huge wolves pace the small living room. Their fur bristling, snarling and snapping their sharp white teeth.
Well, I guess I’m not the only one who’s pissed off.
Dean is so much bigger than Kayden when they are in their wolf form. Dean stands two heads taller than Kayden, the chocolate wolf with yellow-green eyes.
I cock my head watching them. Snapping and growling at the air.
Dean is so different. Where I thought he was white before, but I was wrong.
His wolf is a lustrous grayish white. Gleaming and shining. I’ve never seen such a color before. It’s like the stars came down and touched his fur. Adding a luminous shine. He’s breathtaking. Those glowing copper eyes only intensify his whole look making him seem like a God.
“A, what’s going on?” Cam says baffled standing in the doorway.
“They freaked out,” Nick says, standing up against the wall, his game forgotten, eyes flickering from his brother to Dean.
“About what?” Cam asked, his eyes wide, glued to Dean’s pacing.
“I’ve been summoned,” I say bitterly watching how the wolves tense and snarl again.
Cam looks at me with his wide eyes going even wider. Eyebrows high on his face. A helpless look coming next. He knows, just like the rest of us, there is no stopping this. I have to go. That doesn’t mean I go alone though.
“Urm, breakfast is ready,” Cam says turning on his heels.
I snap my fingers. Some internal part of me sending out primal vibes.
Both wolves turn towards me.
I jerk back a little with their whole attention on me. I can’t help the flutter of fear the flows through my body.
“Go for a run.” I steady my voice. Be the Alpha. Wolves follow their Alpha, right?
Nick opens the front door and with one last look at me the wolves take off in a blur of movement. Dang their really fast.
Nick stands to look at me and me looking at him. His mouth opens and closes. He looks up then back at me and shakes his head.
“What?” My hands go automatically to my hips.
“Nothing let's eat.”
I watch his back walking down the hallway and turning the corner into the kitchen. I bite my lip, still looking after him even though I no longer can see him. What was he going to say?
I tread down the hallway and into the small kitchen.
“Mm, smells good,” I comment setting down at the table.
There’s a plate of steaks and a huge bowl of scrambled eggs along with a pan of biscuits. Butter and a jar of Grape Jam sit in the center. My mouth is already watering.
“Should we save some for Dean and Kayden?” I mumble dumping eggs on the black square plate.
“Nah, they’ll eat out there,” Nick says around a mouth full of bis
cuit.
My stomach sours at the thought of them eating some bloody animal and I feel myself going green.
Cam drops a steak on my plate and everything else is forgotten.
We all devour our food silently.
Steak with A1 sauce. Biscuits with jam and butter. Fluffy eggs with melted cheese. I eat and eat until my plate is cleaned of food.
I lean back in my chair a satisfied sigh releasing in one breath, my hands resting on my food pouch of a belly.
“Cam, if you keep feeding me like this, I’m going to get fat.” I chuckle out at a blushing Cam.
“You can’t get fat.” Aden’s deadpan voice floats to me.
I grind my teeth together. I forgot he was even here while I focused on the delicious food.
My eyes narrow in his direction. I still don’t like him. Why is he always talking down to me? I bite my lip. He doesn’t do it if Kayden or Dean is around, but if they're gone, he always has something to say in his steely voice. What did I ever do to the guy?
“Avery are you ready?” Cam questions from beside me.
I look up and notice Nick has disappeared, and Aden is at the sink doing the dishes. I hold back my giggle. I have no idea why I find that so funny, but it is.
“Ready for what?”
“To practice.” Cam wiggles his fingers in the air, smiling.
Oh no.
“Yeah, I guess,” I speak softly getting up and following Cam outside.
He stops a good bit away from the house and stands in front of me.
“Ok.” He sighs looking at me funny.
“I don’t know where to start.” He kicks at the ground.
“The ribbons. Can you see them whenever you want?”
“Kind of.” I shift from foot to foot.
Cam looks at me with his arms crossed across his chest. Sinewy muscles bunching in his forearms.
“If the emotion is really strong, I can’t not see it.”
“Open yourself up and see what you can see.”
I breathe in deep and open up the well that holds my second sight.
“A light red.” I mummer watching the ribbon swirl through Cam’s chest. “Yellow.” It’s a dull yellow that joins the light red. They have their own dance that has me in a trance.
I’ve never really stared at the ribbons for long periods of time. But the longer I stand there and watch them dance through the air. Through Cam. I start to feel a slight hunger for them. I blink and tare my gaze away. Blink the second sight away down deep into the well inside me.
“I don’t think this is a very good idea,” I tell Cam. My uneasiness swapping me. “I might hurt you and I don’t want to,” I whispered looking into the thick woods.
I smile as my boys prance out of the trees. Their fowl moods forgotten as they come to me. They circle me. Rubbing on my body and I feel a few licks on my bare legs.
“Feel better,” I ask fondly.
They yip and lay down at my feet panting from their run.
“What if Aden did it?” Cam says watching us with a sparkle in his eyes.
Aden. Could I do that to Aden, whatever it is that I do? Would it bother me? I don’t need to think about it for very long.
“If you’re sure,” I say sitting down between Kayden and Dean.
“I’m sure,” Cam says trotting back towards the house.
I run my hands through the fur on either side of me. If Aden didn’t hate me. I’m pretty sure he will now.
CHAPTER TEN
Can wolves purr? It doesn't sound like a cat purring nor does it exactly sound like a growl. It's something in between a growl and a hum deep in their chest vibrating their bodies.
I can't help but smile as the noise gets louder.
I look out across the yard biting my lip. Who would have thought I'd be here right now, between two huge wolves running my slim fingers through their silky fur. Definitely not me. I was sure I would be locked away in Green Bier as a hollow shell for the rest of my years.
Feeling a rush of heat on my right side my hand pauses stopping on the Wolf's stomach. My fingers flex when skin, not the silky fur as before touches my fingers tips. I don't dare look over as my breath catches in my throat. Did he just shift? No, he wouldn't do that to me.
Laying my hand completely flat, my body jerks. Yes, he most certainly did that to me. My breathing gets harsher matching the tempo to my fluttering heart. My hand. That traitorous hand slowly starts moving. Ghosting over the dips and grooves of his hard stomach.
His skin is smooth and soft, full of heat that has my body responding in ways I'm not used to. My fingers skim over his belly button, following a light dusting of hair down. His happy trail. Still, my hand moves down on its own accord. A hissing of air has me jerking my hand back, clutching it to my chest.
I can't believe I just did that. Oh, my... I squeak spinning around so my front is facing a snoozing chocolate wolf with my back facing a very naked Dean. Pulling my lip in my mouth holding my gasp at bay. I should have known he is completely naked. What is wrong with me? First what happened with Kayden this morning which still has me blushing and wanting to squirm or something and now this.
I glare at my hand. The traitorous thing.
A delicious shiver grabs my body as a soft chuckle flutters across the back of my neck.
"Why did you stop Love?" Dean whispers in my ear causing another shiver and a heat to pool in my lower belly.
"You.... your...I'm ..." I snap my mouth shut as I just blunder through my words.
He’s naked. I knew this on some level, yet my hand still felt him up. Out in the open where anyone could have seen. Omg.
What did I do? I start breathing faster for a completely different reason. I think I'm going to have a panic attack?
Strong arms wrap around me in a comforting hold. "Hush love. It's alright."
A whine has my eyes snapping open. Kayden's awake.
"I'm fine," I whispered looking into worried yellow-green eyes.
He blinks real slow then looks over my shoulder. He growls, hackles up.
"Yeah. Yeah." Dean chuckles his chest moving against my back.
"I'm going to get some shorts." He says placing a quick kiss on my cheek.
I look down at the grass I've been pulling up with my nervous hands. "You must think I'm really weird." I mumble to the ground "I am. I really am. Who shies away from her mates like me?" I chuckle a mirthless sound.
I yelp as something taps on my shoulder causing me to fall forward.
"Jumpy." Cam giggles from behind me.
I climb to my feet with narrowed eyes, "That wasn't nice."
Cam just smiles leaning forward a little with a twinkle in his eyes, "I saw Dean." His eyebrows wiggle, "A naked Dean." He smiles as blood rushes to my face.
I look everywhere but at him. The grass, the blue sky, the trees, the sun, Aden?
My eyes freeze on Aden. Mean rude Aden. He's standing a couple steps back from Cam, decked out in a silver muscle shirt and black shorts, no shoes. Huh. Guess Cam talked him into it. He's wearing his famous sneer across his face. He's so not happy.
Crossing my arms, I lean from foot to foot. Waiting. I'm not going to talk to Cam about Dean's lack of clothes.
He gives a brisk nod with narrowing eyes.
Okay.
"Same as before. Tell me what you see around Aden." Cam says his hand on his chin watching both me and Aden.
Here goes nothing.
I drop down into that well, pull the second sight up. I look at Aden, my head tilting left, right.
"Green, red, brown, pink." I hum out as I watch the ribbons turn and dance. Swirl and spin.
I've never seen the color brown before. Green is usually jealousy, guilt or fear depending on the color rage. Light green is for fear. A dark green, almost black looking is for guilt. A pastel green for jealousy. His pastel green whips around in a frenzy. What does he have to be jealous about? Red is anger. The darker it is the madder the person is. Aden's right in the midd
le at irritated. And pink is the surprising one most of all, well except that brown. A light pink is smitten. A dark pink is love. He's very much smitten with someone or it could also be the feeling of love for a friend.
But that brown. That murky brown that looks like pond water. What is it?
Fingers snap in front of my face and I jerk back. I blink and see I've moved closer to Aden. Whoops.
"Are you with us?" Cam asks worry fills his eyes and the slate grey ribbon around his body is twisting in a frenzy. It blinks in and out.
"Yeah sorry." I jerk back at the huskiness of my voice, my face flaming.
"What do the colors mean?" Cam asks looking at Aden.
I look towards Aden. It's personal. Should I tell Cam? Yeah, they have an em-bond, but I still don't completely know what that means. Can Cam feel Aden now?
Aden gives a little nod.
"He's jealous, irritated, smitten and the brown. I don't know what that is." I murmur distracted as the ribbons start to move faster twirling around his legs, his head, and through his body.
"Smitten," Cam yells, jerking my attention to him and his open, wide-eyed look.
"No, it's not like the way you think. It's like love for a friend." I say watching a sweet smile form.
"Cool," Cam says nodding and I don't believe it, the mean Aden actually has a light blush gracing his high cheekbones.
"Now what?"
I look at Cam. Now what? How am I supposed to know this? It's his show.
I shrug going back to the ribbons. They've slowed their snake-like dance. I blink.
"The green ones are gone."
Could Aden be jealous of me and Cam? Of our friendship?
I hand pushes back on my shoulder and I give Cam a sheepish smile. I was leaning towards Aden again.
"Why do you keep doing that?" Aden asks, hand waving towards my leaning body again.
"I want them," I whisper guilt and embarrassment fighting my body.
I want them so bad. Those ribbons that dance and move. They call to me on another level.
My mouth waters. My whole body does just for a taste. A tiny taste.
Aden cocks his head, "Which one do you want more?"
I zone in on the ribbons. Watching them like they’re my very own prey made just for me. One calls to me louder than the others.