Ortega sat on the end of the bed and stared at the baby in his arms. “Your mate. She was Rodolfo’s daughter, wasn’t she?”
Why deny it? He nodded. “It is a long and complicated story. I don’t even know all the details. Her mother was a cockatrice. He tried to kill her when he realized she was pregnant, but she escaped him. She’d already had Mercedes when he tracked her down and murdered her. She made them think she was still pregnant. Her older sons raised their half sister as a cockatrice.”
“You can tell me the rest on the plane, once we are on our way.” He stared at Marston for a long, uncomfortable moment. “I know what you did,” he softly said. “With those two other cockatrice, years ago. The Dalca family. How could you do that and now…” He motioned at the baby. “Daughter or not, how do I know I can trust her with you?”
He stared down at his daughter. “Believe it or not, I wasn’t always a monster,” he whispered, grateful she was too young to comprehend his words. “I was once a husband and father. Sometimes, there are far greater evils that can befall a child than to die a quick death. I knew I could not save the little dragon girl from that fate, so I did my best to give her the kindest one I could under the circumstances. I was dealing with two cockatrice who had no compassion or decency.”
The jaguar chewed on the inside of his lip before slowly nodding. “In other words, they had similar plans for her that Abernathy himself has had for other girls?”
He nodded, sick at heart and wishing he didn’t have to justify himself once again.
“I am not proud of what I’ve done,” Marston said, finally meeting the jaguar’s amber gaze. “But I am also no longer that man. I will kill or die to protect my daughter. I am no longer beholden to Abernathy or the damned blood oath. I am no longer in fear of my life from that bastard. And I no longer care what anyone else does as long as I can simply raise my daughter in peace. That’s all I ask. I’ll do or say whatever you wish, anything, as long as I can make her life a safe and happy one. You can even keep the bounty money, if you want. Use it to pay for our expenses or give it to charity. I don’t care.”
Montalvo studied him again for a while. “We leave in the morning. Our private jet will be awaiting us at the airfield. We will have to make several fueling stops, but we will be back in Bolivia by late tomorrow evening. When we arrive, I will contact one of our Clan, a doctor, to issue her a birth certificate stating she was born in Bolivia. I will also make sure we get you papers for Bolivia. Please make a list right now of anything else you feel you might need for her during the trip. Give it to my brother, and he will see to it.”
“Thank you.”
Montalvo nodded and patted Marston’s leg again, friendlier this time. “I suspect in a few years, you and I will be begrudging friends, bonded over common interests.”
“Perhaps. Right now, all I want to do is care for my baby and mourn my mate.”
The eldest jaguar smoothly rose from the bed and left the room.
Marston, weary to his very core, looked over everything Juan had purchased. The jaguar had even thought to get an infant carseat for her. He’d also picked up some of Marston’s clothes from the house and basic toiletries.
Unfortunately, the house had already been ransacked. Likely by the cockatrice, based on Juan’s report of how the house had smelled.
The book wasn’t where they’d left it in the bedside table, meaning it had fallen back into the cockatrice’s hands.
He was too tired to think about that now. His priorities had taken a dramatic shift, and his number-one priority now lay sleeping in his arms.
Juan didn’t speak, but he walked over and stood next to Marston’s bed, awaiting further instructions.
“I think that’s all we’ll need for now,” he told the jaguar. “I think you got everything we’ll need. Thank you. I truly appreciate it.”
Juan nodded and returned to the other bed, where he sat up, watching TV, the remote in his hand as he channel surfed.
* * * *
Ortega returned to his room where Ricardo stood armed guard over the prisoner.
Although, considering how well the silver collar shackles held him, in addition to copious amounts of duct tape keeping him quiet, Ortega knew Abernathy wasn’t going anywhere.
He knelt down and stared into the metal crate he’d had constructed years earlier and took with him everywhere he hunted for Abernathy. Edged with silver around the perimeters, and with magickal symbols etched into the panels, there was no way he could escape it.
The man’s eyes stared back at him through air holes cut into the front.
The jaguar grinned. “By this time tomorrow night, you son of a bitch, you will be wishing I’d killed you when I found you today.” He pulled out his cell phone and swiped through pictures, finding the one he wanted.
“Oh, by the way.” He held up his phone so Abernathy could see. “Fiona is a lovely little girl and settling in quite well. She was also very upset to find out how much you lied to her all these years. We told her how the evil man working with cockatrice killed her parents and stole her when she was a baby. We told her your cologne was to hide your smell.”
He laughed. “And now my dear friend, Marston, tells me you really are part cockatrice. How fortuitous. Turns out I wasn’t lying to my beautiful little granddaughter at all.”
A muffled growl drifted from the crate, along with the sound of the shackles rustling against metal.
Ortega laughed. “Ah, you clueless old fuck. Don’t you understand? It’s over for you.” He snorted. “Well, you’ll be begging for it to be over by the time I’m finished with you. See, there is a lot of payback to be had. For my son, my daughter-in-law, and for the countless others whose lives you have ruined along the way.”
He leaned in close, ignoring the rank smell wafting from the metal box. “I will enjoy every scream, every plea for death, and I will make sure to keep you alive as long as I possibly can, until I’m tired of playing with you. Which will undoubtedly be a very, very long time. Until whatever is left of a heart inside that cold, miserable soul of yours is crying.”
His lips curled in a snarl. “I will drink your tears and savor them like the finest wine. And I will make sure Fiona learns to curse your name every day.”
Another growl rumbled from the crate.
Ortega sneered at him. “Go ahead. Your threats are weak and empty, just like you are. This is the beginning of the best part of my life. The Goddess truly does answer prayers, and I plan to make the most of every single day.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Elain had felt unsettled all day, and unsure why. Despite being back home from Maine for nearly four weeks, she’d developed an increasingly agitated rumble in the back of her brain that wouldn’t go away.
A rumble that reminded her of the disquiet she felt before BettLynn shifted for the first time, and before the mess in Yellowstone.
After a call to Lina that yielded no further insight, she opted to go talk with Mai.
They’d been babysitting BettLynn for Mai, who was deep in discussions with Jim and Micah over the kitchen counter and cabinet layout and finishes. Leaving the little girl in Carla’s care, Elain walked across the yard to the house still under construction.
I’m going to miss having Mai and Mom in the same house, but it’ll be nice having more privacy.
Her dad was already talking with Ain and Micah about building a house for them, discussing where to put it.
One of Elain’s self-appointed chores after returning home from Maine had been contacting a real estate agent about listing her house in Venice.
She didn’t want her parents living that far away, even if it was just a little over an hour, and it didn’t make sense to hold on to it. She wanted them living right there, on the same property, five minutes or less from her own front door.
Especially since I’m going to be a big sister.
She found the three in what was going to be the kitchen, plans and samples taped up on the
walls next to a large whiteboard with rough outlines drawn on it. On the floor directly under the whiteboard were stacks of more folders and books of paint chips, cabinet facing samples, and counter material. Mai sat cross-legged on a blanket in the middle of the room while the men kept shifting stuff around on the whiteboard and wall.
“How’s it going?” Elain asked them.
Mai looked up, a frown immediately creasing her brow. “Is everything okay?”
Elain sat next to her. “BettLynn’s fine, if that’s the question.”
Mai smiled as she let out an audible sigh of relief. “Sorry.”
“It’s all right.” She hooked an arm around her friend and fellow Seer. “Can I have just a couple of minutes alone with her, guys?”
Jim smiled. “You mean a break from our little slavedriver perfectionist?”
Micah playfully shoved him. “Hey, don’t go getting me in trouble.”
“We’ll go grab the other sample books from the car.”
“There’s more?” Elain asked.
The men exchanged a glance and laughed. “More?” Micah asked. “We had to get samples from about ten different places. This stuff is just from the first one.” He playfully grinned. “Hey, if Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”
“Those are really smart men,” Elain told her.
Mai shrugged, a smile curving her lips. “I love them. I have no complaints.”
The men headed out. As soon as they departed, Mai’s smile faded. “Fess up.”
“I’ve had a really weird feeling all day. Bad weird. You?”
“No. Not at all.”
Elain chewed a thumbnail. “It might just be me, then. I called Lina and she said she hasn’t felt anything, either.”
“Lacey?”
“That was going to be my next call, but I wanted to talk with you first.”
“I haven’t had any dreams worth mentioning lately, good or bad.”
“Huh.” Elain tamped down her disappointment.
“You sound like you wish there was something.”
“It’s not like I’m not enjoying the peace and quiet, because I am. I know there might always be another fight with the cockatrice, or whatever.”
“But.”
Elain nodded. “This just feels…wrong.”
Mai held up a finger and drew a circle, indicating their nearly finished home. “This?”
“No.” Elain tapped her head. “This. What I’m feeling in my brain. I can’t tie it in with anything in particular. I don’t know if it’s a Seer thing or just a dumb weird feeling or what.”
“Maybe it was the Thai food last night.”
Elain winced. “Don’t remind me. Last time I ever let Brodey pick our date night destination.” She’d had solo dates with each of her men over the past week.
Brodey apparently had a cast iron stomach to go with his Teflon-coated taste buds.
Mai hugged her. “Maybe it’s your nerves. We were running full-bore there for a while. Maybe your brain hasn’t caught up with the more leisurely pace yet.”
“Yeah, maybe. But it’s been nearly a month since we got back. You’d think I’d be okay by now.”
That explanation still didn’t feel right to her.
She wouldn’t let it spoil her evening, though. That night, she was having a date evening with all three of her men. They were going out to dinner, then see a movie, and spend the night over at the Venice house.
Elain took a deep breath, held it, then let it out again. “I’ll just put it out of my mind.”
“I think that would be best.” Mai smiled. “If it was something bad, Lina and I would both be getting hints, too, right?”
“Probably.” She climbed to her feet and pointed at the wall of samples. “Having fun?”
Mai giggled after casting a glance over her shoulder. She dropped her voice to a whisper. “I already figured out what I want,” she confided, “but it’s fun having their undivided attention for the day.”
“Don’t worry, sis. Your secret’s safe with me.”
* * * *
Elain’s men had picked each of their three solo date restaurants. After, with each man, she’d gone and spent the night in the RV for a little privacy. Now it was time for all three of them to have a date night together. Elain decided that, for the finale, they could spend the night at her Venice house. It was still on the market but hadn’t sold yet.
After going out to dinner at a steakhouse, then to see a romantic comedy movie, they finished by getting naked and falling into her bed.
Okay, a smaller bed than she was used to at the ranch, but it was nice knowing they could make her scream her head off with pleasure and she didn’t have to worry about waking anyone up or the front desk calling with complaints from people in neighboring rooms.
“What do you want to do, baby?” Ain asked as he nuzzled her throat.
“I don’t care,” she moaned. She sat on her knees in the middle of the bed.
Cail laughed. “Ooh, that’s dangerous.” He grabbed her knees and pushed them apart, pressing his face into her pussy. His tongue found and flicked at her clit, making her moan.
“I brought lube,” Brodey helpfully mentioned from behind her, where he was kissing her back.
“Good,” Ain said. “I think we need to fill our girl up.”
She let out a moan, hooking an arm around Ain’s neck to keep from falling over as Cail coaxed the first orgasm out of her.
“And now it sounds like a party,” Brodey teased.
It didn’t take them long to get her just where they wanted her. Ain lay back on the bed and pulled her on top of him, impaling her drenched cunt with his cock. Cail grabbed the bottle of lube and worked on her ass, making her moan as he got her ready for fucking.
Brodey’s job was to muffle her moans and keep her mouth busy, which he was more than happy to do.
She was more than happy for him to do it. She massaged his sac, moaning around his cock as Cail worked his fingers into her ass and Ain played with her nipples.
This was right where she wanted to be.
The only place she wanted to be.
She didn’t know how long it took for Cail to loosen her up, but by the time he buried his cock all the way to the balls in her ass, she was desperate for them to start fucking her, to make her come again, to fill up every hole with their cum.
She was even thinking about maybe going back off the pill again, although she hadn’t talked herself into it quite yet.
Elain let go and gave herself completely over to the intense pleasure rolling through her. With Ain buried deep in her pussy and Cail in her ass, and with Brodey’s cock down her throat, all other conscious thought fled her brain.
When another orgasm hit her, that was when the trouble started. She felt herself slammed into another point of view, like she was running through the woods, being pursued.
Turning, she saw Marston Hill behind her, but running with her, not after her.
On a chain attached to a silver collar, she was half leading, half dragging Rodolfo Abernathy.
Elain tried to let out a scream but she found herself tightly locked into the vision. Turning, she focused on the path before her. She knew these woods even if she didn’t know exactly where the chase was occurring.
The Maine wolves’ Clan compound.
She couldn’t see their pursuers, but whoever it was, they feared them. This was a run-for-their-lives kind of dash, not just a fun jog through the woods.
Elain lost all track of time as they raced down twisted and barely visible trails, until they emerged in a small clearing and headed for the concealed entrance to a cave.
This place she knew. It was the cave from her vision months earlier, the one she’d had where they all stood before it as if preparing for battle.
And with that, she dropped back into her own body as it was rocked by another orgasm. She let out a muffled cry around Brodey’s cock that was part pleasure and part startled as she braced her hands on Ai
n’s chest to counteract the sudden sensation of falling she’d had as she returned to her body.
In her ass, Cail’s cock throbbed and swelled before he exploded and then Brodey exploded in her mouth.
Ain’s hands on her hips tightened. “Look at me, babe,” he said, his voice hoarse.
Trembling, both from the echoes of her orgasms as well as the adrenaline surge still fading from the vision, she did, Brodey withdrawing from her mouth.
“Can you come for me one more time?” Ain softly asked.
She wanted to, but wasn’t sure she had it in her. She nodded.
The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile. “Need a little help?”
She nodded.
Brodey leaned in close, nibbling her earlobe. “Ride his cock, babe. Ride his cock and come hard now.”
She let out another cry as the force of the edict took over. Cail reached around her, steadying her and keeping her upright as her hips slammed against Ain’s. His cock felt huge, hard, fantastic as her cunt greedily milked it.
“Yes!” Ain gasped. She felt his cock unload, his balls emptying and filling her pussy with his cum.
It felt like liquid fire surged through her as her orgasm ricocheted back and forth from her clit to her cunt and back again. As the sensations finally receded, she collapsed on top of Ain. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her as she lay panting and breathless on his chest.
“I think we wore her out,” Brodey joked, leaning in to kiss her.
Too tired to respond, she simply nodded. She’d tell them about the vision later. She couldn’t even walk right then if she wanted to, much less try to verbalize what had just happened with the vision and have it make a damn bit of sense.
Hell, just the orgasms alone had felt beyond amazing. Maybe it was the freedom of not worrying about anyone overhearing their gymnastics and being able to scream her head off. Her insides even still felt all gooey and warm, in a melted caramel kind of way.
“Good?” Ain asked, stroking her back.
She nodded, basking in the feeling.
A Wolf in the Fold [Triple Trouble 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 36