Chasing Peace, Love & Fur [3xtasy Lake 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Corinne Davies

  “It’s like a volcano of happiness in your mouth!” Zack might have managed to swallow the mass of goo in his mouth but there was still chocolate all around his lips.

  “You have to try, Miss Catherine!” Lulu managed to be a bit more ladylike in her consumption of her treat, sipping at her hot chocolate to help her swallow. A smear of chocolate decorated the side of her cheek.

  “If the three of you say so then I guess I’d better.” Catherine poured herself a mug of coffee as Nouel unwrapped her biscuit.

  This was one of the things he missed about being home. Any other café would have been angry that he’d brought cookies in with him but not here at the Shack. This entire town was like a giant family, willing to try almost anything once. He’d popped in to visit and met Zack and Lulu, who were here for their afternoon snack. Apparently because both were being homeschooled and this was part of their routine.

  After taking the kids’ instructions on how much to bite off the corners, Miss Catherine bent over and stuck the corner in her coffee. Nouel was willing to bet she had no idea of the show she’d given him, considering from his angle he could see right down the slight V to her sweater. The apron she wore blocked him from being treated with a view of her entire chest but he’d gotten a glimpse of red lace and it was enough to perk his interest.

  It wasn’t like Miss Catherine was that old and certainly not as old as she tried to make everyone think. She was a beautiful woman and Nouel was old enough now to appreciate the benefits of a self-assured older woman. Before his thoughts could take a more illicit turn, she stood up and popped the warm melting biscuit in her mouth. Her eyes widened and she slapped the counter with her hand and gave him a large closed-mouth smile.

  “I know. It’s incredible isn’t it?”

  “Oh, my.” She lifted her hand to cover her mouth as she spoke. “That is dangerously good. I hope you brought more of those back with you.”

  “Any time you get a craving, you call me.” He grinned at her over his mug. I wonder what else she wears under those plain sweaters…

  She reached out and ruffled the hair on his head. “You’re a good boy, Nouel.”

  Oh, crap. Just that quickly any thoughts of enticing her died an icy death. Miss Catherine wasn’t going to ever see him as anything more than one of the many kids she fed sausage rolls to after school, much like Zack and Lulu beside him.

  “Please don’t tell me you were contemplating what I think I saw on your face?” Lars Vandargard sat down at the counter next to Nouel and slapped him on this back. The thump of the man’s heavy hand vibrated through his back and Nouel felt his inner animal stir. The urge to shove Lars back hit him hard but he tamped it down. It was an instinctive urge that he and his brother fought inner battles to control. He hoped Lars was just razzing him and hopefully, no one else noticed him ogling the Shack’s owner.

  “Hi, Dad!”

  “Hi, Lars.”

  “I see Nouel has been teaching you some bad habits. What is all over your mouth?” Lars passed a napkin to both Zack and Lulu.

  “Tim Tams! They’re my new favourite cookie,” Zack said as he wiped his mouth.

  Nouel sat back and watched in amazement as Lars helped Lulu get the chocolate smear on her cheek and then do the same for Zack. He’d always looked up at Lars as a kind of mystical Viking. Seeing him act like any other dad out there was a bit surreal.

  “You two have had your break. Time to get back to your lessons. Alfred is waiting for you down at the hotel to work with you on your math.”

  “Okay. Love you, Dad.” Zack hopped down from his stool and launched himself at his dad. Lars ruffled his hair and gave him a kiss on his forehead. Lulu jumped at him next and Lars repeated the affectionate action. Both the kids waved good-bye to Nouel and ran to Miss Catherine before pulling on their coats and scampering out the front door.

  “Alfred is teaching?” Nouel looked at Lars, curious how the hotel manager got the position.

  “Have you looked at a math textbook since you left school? I don’t understand a bit of it and neither do most of the adults in this town. Alfred, it turns out, is amazingly good at mathematics and offered to teach math to any of the local kids who are homeschooled.”

  “That’s cool. I remember barely scraping my way through math in school. Sitting in a classroom just wasn’t for me.”

  Lars rested his arm on the counter as the talked. “It isn’t the right environment for most kids with abilities to shift. They need a change of scenery and lots of breaks to give them time to process. As they get closer to their first shift it will only get worse.”

  “Yeah, I remember feeling like I wanted to crawl out of my skin as that time got closer. Once my animal manifested itself, concentrating was easier.” It had been a long time since Nouel had thought about those years. Having two brothers older than him made it easier since they were able to offer a lot of support and guidance.

  “Tara keeps reminding Cris and I that little ones don’t come with manuals so I’m trying my best to do the best I can.”

  “I heard from my brothers that your wife is pregnant, Lars. Congratulations.” Nouel had expected a pleased smile but the huge smile that Lars sported didn’t fit the image Nouel had in his brain. Lars was a very different man now that he and Cris had created a new life with their Mate. It was enough to make Nouel’s craving for a family even stronger.

  “Thanks, man. Cris and I missed out on the first seven years of Zack’s life so we’re really looking forward to having a baby in the house.”

  “Lars, I’ve figured out what you can get me for my birthday this year.” Catherine walked over with her coffee pot and refilled Nouel’s mug.

  “What’s that?” the big man asked as he placed a couple of bills on the counter. Nouel figured that he was paying for Zack and Lulu’s afternoon snack.

  She grinned and winked at Nouel. “I want a case of Tim Tams.”

  Lars looked back and forth between him and Catherine. “What the hell is a Tim Tam?”

  * * * *

  Clara sang along to Volbeat’s “Heaven Nor Hell” at the top of her lungs as she drove down the highway. The sun was out and it was much warmer in Ontario than it had been in New Brunswick. She’d crossed into this province a couple hours ago and was now travelling down the highway that ran through Algonquin Park. Despite the odd car that passed her on the other side of the highway, the forests rose up on either side of her, making her feel like she was in the middle of nowhere. The radio had mentioned that they were experiencing an unusual warm snap but a storm was coming in over Hudson Bay that would no doubt bring winter back their way. Not that she cared about the weather, because she was free.

  Free of her father’s iron grip on her life and the devastation that Eddie’s betrayal had made her feel. They thought they had her all figured out. She would have never bowed to their demands and knowing she would never have to again made her feel lighter than air. There was the possibility that when she didn’t return, her father would send out someone to collect her or demand her return, but she planned to disappear.

  She’d figured it out as she made her way across Quebec. Keeping to the schedule her father had written out, she’d make the delivery to the mechanics in Ecstasy Lake. Her father had scheduled her three days to return home. In that time, she’d drive on to Manitoba and sell the car, catch the next bus anywhere north, and disappear. She needed to make certain that she had complete control over her bear before she attempted to visit her stepbrother and his family. A pang of fright still clamped around her throat when she thought of the vicious images that had flooded her thoughts from the creature she’d suppressed. The viciousness her father wielded was obviously genetic and she would never allow herself to become such an evil being.

  Focus on one thing at a time. She needed to stop and see a Gordon Roberts first. Her father had arranged the meeting with the town’s Alpha. He’d told her that if she stepped a single toe into any town without contacting the Alpha first, that her l
ife would be forfeit. Such indiscretions weren’t allowed at home and she had no reason to believe it wasn’t the same everywhere else.

  The sun was just starting to dip below the tree line when she passed the large “Welcome to Ecstasy Lake” sign. Someone had spray-painted a 3x over the Ecs on the sign. It didn’t make any sense to her but she knew that she’d lived a rather sheltered life. Was this town overrun by gangs? That was part of the excitement of being free, learning all about the world around her. She wanted to go to see pyramids and the northern lights and a dozen other things she’d only ever read about in books.

  The road curved through a densely wooded area. She took a deep breath and the animal deep within her stirred at something in the air. Bear-shifters were very sensitive to smells. Something that carried over into their human form, but she’d noticed that her sense of smell had diminished as she gained more control over the creature inside of her. It must have reacted to a prey of some sort on the wind. She quickly rolled up all the windows and turned the heat on in the car. An air freshener she’d attached to the vent blew out a tropical smell of fake coconuts and pineapple. The animal retreated from the artificial scent and she breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed was it to come out as she met the local Alpha. Her father had warned her about being meek to the man and as much as it rankled she would do it, knowing that this was the last hurdle she had to cross before her true freedom beckoned.

  The GPS led her along a couple of back roads deeper into the forest. When she turned into the driveway, she felt like her heart was beating in her throat. All she needed to do was greet the Alpha and reassure him that she had no intention of being in town for more than one night. She would be gone tomorrow before the sun rose.

  She’d seen her father deal with visitors in the past and it made her stomach cramp. Her father had suspected a man was a spy looking to destroy their way of life so her father and some of the other elders had beaten him senseless and then tossed him out. It was well known that Gordon Roberts didn’t like the Guardians and rumour had it he killed the last unwelcome visitors with his bare hands.

  The long drive opened up to a circular driveway in front of a large A-frame house. There were still lots of trees on the property, which Clara found unusual, and no one stopped her from coming up here. She parked at the first curve of the driveway so she wasn’t too close to the house. Sitting there she looked around. There were mounds of snow to the side where the drive had been plowed and it looked like someone had made a toboggan slide down the side of the largest mound. Where are the guards? Am I going to be shot at the moment I step out of the car?

  Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage around her and opened the car door, pausing to look around. She couldn’t hear anything unusual around her. No crack of a rifle. Of course she’d feel the impact before hearing the sound. Only the soft crunch of gravel under her feet as she circled the drive. The air was cold enough that she could see her breath clouding with every exhale. The cold snap the weatherman had been talking about was probably closer than he thought because she could have sworn the temperature had dropped drastically in the last fifteen minutes.

  There was a large evergreen wreath on the door with what looked to be homemade ornaments attached to it. Little clay figures that had been painted by a child. Clara wasn’t certain what they were supposed to be but it was one of the cutest things she’d ever seen. Amazed, she looked around. From this angle she could see a small sled next to the house and what looked to be a snowman on the other side of the toboggan run. Holy crap! I’m at the Alpha’s home? She didn’t know if she should be relieved or terrified. The sky would have fallen before her father let anyone he didn’t know and trust implicitly near their home. He always met visitors at a meeting hall in town.

  The door opened in front of her and a large man appeared on the other side of a glass storm door. He was very tall, with short, slightly gray hair. He held a sleeping toddler against his chest with one hand. A little girl, if the fluffy princess dress was any indication. He quietly opened the storm door. “Clara Fitch?”

  Fear clutched her heart for a moment as she gazed at the child but her inner-creature thankfully remained silent and didn’t react like it had to Bella’s picture. “Um, yes.” She pitched her voice low enough not to disturb the baby. “I’m looking for Alpha Roberts. I’m here to formally request permission to stay in town for less than twenty-four hours. I have a package to be delivered.”

  He gave her a quizzical look and then stepped back, giving her a soft smile. “Come on in before my wife yells at me for letting all the heat out of the house.”

  His wife yells at him? This can’t be Alpha Roberts. Clara followed him into a large open-space room. The house looked smaller from the outside. It was very large and roomy with high angled ceilings. A beautiful mature woman came in through a doorway, wiping her hands on an apron wrapped around her waist.

  “Clara Fitch. This is my wife, Ann.”

  Ann looked a fair bit older than this man, which Clara thought was unusual. She’d understood that when wolves Mated, their lifespan aligned. Unless she was…human? Her breath caught when the truth dawned on her, but she coughed quickly to cover up her rudeness. She’d never met an inter-species couple before. Her father never would have let her come here if he’d known.

  “It’s lovely to meet you, Clara.” Ann wrapped her warm hand around Clara’s and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Gordon said you would be stopping by today. Welcome to Ecstasy. I hope you’re planning to stay for a while.”

  “No, I’m sorry. I have to leave by tomorrow morning but I would never encroach on your territory without stopping to pay my respects to Alpha Roberts and ask permission.”

  “Of course, and that’s very thoughtful.” Ann looked past Clara to the man behind her. “Dinner is in the oven, sweetheart. How about I take Willow while you and Clara talk?”

  Clara’s breath caught in her throat. She quickly turned and looked up at the man behind her. This was Alpha Gordon and she’d turned her back on him. “I didn’t mean any disrespect.”

  “Clara, please don’t worry. If you hadn’t noticed already, we aren’t as formal as some packs. Have a seat and we can talk.” Gordon passed the sleeping toddler into Ann’s arms before waving Clara toward a large sofa. “Thank you, my love.” He gave Ann a kiss before she left the room with the child.

  “Can I get you anything to drink?” he asked, amazing her again. She hadn’t thought bears and wolves were all that different but she was very wrong. She couldn’t imagine her father holding a child let alone letting one sleep on him, and he would order a servant to get a drink instead of offering to get it himself. And he’s married to a human!

  “That’s kind of you, Sir, but I’m fine.” Clara sat in one of the chairs and Gordon moved to the other side of a large, rustic wood coffee table. Bright warm-looking blankets were stacked in a basket on the floor next to a bin that held a variety of chunky Lego pieces. The walls looked like they’d been plastered instead of dry walled and the house’s architecture was fascinating.

  “Did you drive all this way on your own?” Gordon asked, pulling her attention away from the huge tree branch that looked to have grown through one of the walls and stretched up through the ceiling.

  Her mind was spinning. She should have run away long ago because she’d truly believed that Brodie was so incredibly brave to claim his Mate. Mates were special and she’d always thought his romance to be incredibly romantic. But, here was a shifter married to a human and an Alpha no less.

  She blinked, trying to remember what his question was. “I apologise for my rude behaviour, Alpha. I must be more tired than I originally thought.”

  It wasn’t a lie so she didn’t quite understand the odd look that he gave her. She’d long ago perfected the art of not lying but not being entirely truthful. Her father had a fast backhand for those who dared to lie to him.

  “I did drive all the way here on my own. My father said that he’d con
tacted you to let you know I’d be coming here.”

  “I did get a call from him before you’d left the province. I got the impression that he is very big on formalities.” Gordon crossed his ankle over his knee and rested his hand on it.

  It was a casual pose but she could see the predator lurking in the back of his eyes. She didn’t doubt he could kill her in an instant if he wanted to. For the first time, her inner creature didn’t stir at her nervousness. An unusual fact that she tucked away to think about later on.

  “My entire village is very much sheltered and refuses to have anything to do with the modern world. There are some of us who have rebelled against the archaic thinking but it’s hard to fight centuries of narrow-minded tradition and fear.

  “I understand that completely. It’s why I came to Ecstasy Lake and why I hope many have followed me here. The promise that you can live your life as you see fit as long as what you do doesn’t hurt yourself or anyone else. I will not tolerate any threat against our sanctuary.”

  “I’m only here to drop off a package, a stupid car part of one kind or another, and then I’ll be on my way.”

  “Are you heading back to New Brunswick immediately?”

  Clara toyed with the idea of twisting her answer but she hoped that speaking the truth to this man wouldn’t ruin her plans. “No, I’m going to continue on west for as long as I can. I’m aiming for British Columbia. Once I find a place that I can start over, I’ll stop.” She had no intention of going to the other side of the country when there were lots of wooded areas between here and there that she could escape into.

  “Running is a very hard life, Clara. You’ll always be looking over your shoulder to a certain extent. It’s usually better to stand your ground and draw the line in the sand.”