Touching her neck, she nodded. “Yes. The mark Esson gave me glowed and turned from red to black.”
“Then that cemented the bond.” Thea paused. “Did you ever think of marking your mates?”
“Not really. Why?”
“No reason, just curious,” Thea responded. But the seed had been planted, and Rose was now thinking of what that would entail and how it would make her feel.
Chapter Ten
Rose
Rose walked into the family room, a little embarrassed at how she’d acted earlier. Gris was watching a baseball game, sprawled out on the big gray sectional. Keyne was in the opposite corner of the sectional, asleep. Niall sat in the corner near the fireplace, tapping away at his laptop.
“Where’s Cullen?” Rose asked.
Gris looked up and patted the couch next to him. “I think he said he was going to put the girls down for a nap. Are you feeling better now?”
Rose flushed as she went to sit next to Gris. “Yeah, about that. I’m sorry I acted like such a child.”
Gris laughed. “Muisje, it was interesting. I guess that this pregnancy has you feeling a little off.”
“If you mean hormonal, irrational, and bitchy, then yes. I don’t understand it. All of a sudden, it’s like something takes over, and I HAVE to have that one thing I want.”
Gris pulled her into his lap, and she burrowed into his chest. His voice rumbled through her, his hand rubbing her low back. “It’s okay. We love you no matter what.”
“Have you talked to Thea? Even though I was focused on that cup of coffee, I thought I heard her say something about all of us leaving.”
Niall looked up from his computer. “Yes, she thinks that we need to head back to Foss. Last night, there was an attack on the TOMBS.”
Gris stopped rubbing her back. “Anabelle was there when it happened.”
“Is she okay?” Rose asked him. Anabelle was probably one of her least favorite people, but she wouldn’t want her harmed.
“She’s okay. She was injured but nothing life threatening. We had a Guardian watching the TOMBS, so he was able to save her and stop the attack. The details are still coming in, but it sounds like the attack was by the La Ren, a wolf shifter species from China. The Guardian assigned to the TOMBS was able to stop the attack, but not before one of the shifters bit Anabelle.”
“Is she–?”
“Yes, she was turned. She now resembles a Huli Jing, they’re a species of beautiful women who shift to foxes. Thankfully, she’s on our side as they can be very secretive and dangerous,” Gris said.
“Why’d they attack the TOMBS now?” Rose asked. Internally, she was fuming over the fact that the beautiful Anabelle not only was now a part of the magical community, but that she was a fox shifter. She still did not see why she had to be a mouse.
“We’re not sure, but from what we can gather, there’s a city in China that’s rumored to be the ancient home of the angels. I’m afraid that they are trying to draw us out,” Niall told her.
“So, why do you think we should leave now? Aren’t we safer if we stay here?” Rose asked. She couldn’t leave the safety that the house brought to them. Thea’s borders kept anyone from being able to find them, which protected them from Esson.
“We’ve been so focused on protecting you and the girls that we’ve neglected our other duties. The Guardians need us. They’re being run by a corrupt man, and I’m not sure how he’s changing the world, but there are suspicious things happening. After talking with Thea yesterday, I spent time checking in. It seems that there’s more Demon activity happening in some of the areas with large magical repositories. With this attack and all that we learned, we must go. Plus, I think Mags needs to check you out.”
Rose nodded to Niall in understanding. Her girls would always be her first priority, but she understood what he was saying. Thinking back on all she had learned about the Guardians while she had been in the Demon realm, she realized that they would need to clean up the Guardians.
“If we can remove Doug, or Daeg, how will that change the way the Guardians are run? The rules that were placed regarding the first Daeg and Martyne in each generation marrying won’t work. I refuse to consider leaving you and the others.” She could never imagine a scenario where she would willingly accept another lover. The very idea made her nauseous.
Gris rubbed Rose’s arm. “The Guardians will need to be restructured, and we’ll have to find a way to know who’s compromised and who’s still a true Guardian.”
“Well, if you can teach me how to get around the mental shields, I can tell the truth of a person by listening to their thoughts,” Rose said.
“That might work, but only after we get control of the Guardians. And I’m not sure who we can trust or how widespread the rot goes. There are Guardians all over the world.” Niall rubbed his neck. “I think we should start in Foss and move out from there. At least there, we can stay in the safehouse.”
“When do we leave?” Rose asked.
“Thea has gone to make arrangements, so probably tomorrow. The girls will be a handful, so maybe we should hold off telling them,” Gris said.
“It will be like telling a human child they’re going to Disneyland. They know it’s out there, but don’t really know what it is, but the excitement will keep them up all night,” Rose said.
Niall laughed, waking Keyne.
“Huh?” a sleepy voice rumbled. “What’s so funny?”
Rose moved to lay on her stomach, her head resting on Keyne’s chest, her feet in Gris’s lap. “Nothing. Just talking about leaving tomorrow and how excited the girl’s will be.”
Keyne ran his hand through Rose’s hair. “They’ll be little terrors. Are we going straight to the safehouse?”
Niall looked up. “I think Thea will have us go through the Bog as we did when coming here. It’s safer than driving across country to get back to Foss.”
“What about Cullen? Can he go into the Bog?” Rose asked. The fairy realm was normally blocked to demons.
“I’m not sure. We’ll have to wait for Thea to return and talk to her,” Niall said.
Rose yawned.
“Little Mouse, do you need a nap?” Keyne chuckled.
“I didn’t think I was tired, but between you and Gris, you’re making me so relaxed.”
Keyne continued to stroke Rose’s hair while Gris massaged her feet.
“Go to sleep. We’ll wake you when it’s time for dinner,” Keyne said.
Chapter Eleven
Rose
Thea had returned before dinner and had claimed the twins for the night. Rose was excited for another night with her men. She’d been thinking all day on how she’d claim her men, but nothing had really come to mind. Finally, she’d decided that it’d just have to happen naturally, as that’s how it had happened when the men had claimed her. None of them had planned on biting her, but the magic had taken over.
Tonight would be the last night that they were all together for a time. Thea had confirmed that there was no way for Cullen to enter the Bog. So, the decision had been made that Cullen and Keyne would drive cross country, while Thea took Rose, Niall, Gris, and the girls through the Bog.
But tonight, she only wanted to think of her men and being with them. She’d raided the fridge earlier, and everything was ready. Whipped cream, chocolate syrup, strawberry jam, honey, strawberries, and oysters (she had no clue how the guys could eat the slimy things, but they liked them) and some shrimp for her, sat on the floor in front of the fire. She’d placed a thick goose down comforter in front of the fireplace for them to lay on, and then she’d found her favorite teddy. The top was a delicate pale-pink lace bra with an iridescent gossamer fabric that floated down to her thighs. The fabric made her think of fairy wings as it caught the light from the fire. A matching lace thong finished it off.
She heard the door open behind her, but didn’t turn to see who’d come in. Cool, almost incorporeal hands touched her shoulders.
; “You really have outdone yourself,” Keyne said, as he leaned down to kiss her upturned face.
“I thought tonight should be special. It’ll be awhile until we’re all together again.” She moved the various pillows and food around, keeping her hands busy.
“Hey,” Keyne said, taking her hands in his. “What has you upset?”
Rose looked at their hands, hers delicate and pale-white, his strong but almost invisible. She looked at his face. Whenever they talked, he seemed to focus all his attention on her. His presence was like a blanket over her, soothing her.
“I have all this energy bottled up in me. I’m scared about how the girls will react to leaving the only home they’ve ever known. They’ve never even been out of the forest. I’m also afraid that something will happen to you and Cullen while we’re separated.”
“Little Mouse, nothing can take me from you, not even death,” Keyne said, smiling. “But I understand what you’re saying. There are a lot of unknowns, and we don’t know what we’ll find.”
They both turned as the door opened, and the other three men entered.
Rose licked her lips thinking about the night ahead and her plans to mark her men.
“What do we have here?” Niall asked with a smile. He walked to Rose and knelt next to her. He went to give her a kiss, but she smirked and shook her head, pulling away from him.
Tonight, it was her plan, and she was going to seduce her men. “I think you all have too many clothes on,” she said. She’d never taken control of her time with her men, and she could see the evidence of their interest. “Gris, you sit by the fire. Niall, you sit here. Keyne, you there, and, Cullen, you sit here.” She pointed to the cushions that she’d placed in a diamond shape with her as the center.
“You four are my compass in life. You anchor me. Tonight is for you.” She picked up the bottle of whipped cream she had found and went to Keyne.
“You came to me first, protecting me even in death.” As she spoke she squirted the whipped cream in a line down his chest. She set the can aside once she was satisfied with her handiwork. Then she leaned down and began to lick the cream off his chest, moving downward slowly. She kept her eyes on his face the whole while. She heard his groan, his eyes closing. Once she’d licked him clean she bit down on the sensitive skin just below his hip, his shout signifying his release to the others. A small rose appeared as she licked the tiny drop of blood up from the bite.
She moved over to Gris. “You came second, protecting innocents even though it meant dying inside.” She took the chocolate syrup and swirled it over him in an intricate design, then followed with her tongue. By the time she reached her goal, Gris’s hands were clenched, and little whimpers and groans escaped his clenched teeth. When she knew he could take no more, she bit down on his hip.
He roared, as small beads of blood appeared, and a small rose appeared when she licked the blood away.
Gris pulled Rose up and kissed her. “That was hot.”
She smiled and pulled away to go to Niall.
“You came and pushed my boundaries. You showed me that it’s okay to be pursued, to be chased.” She took the jam that she’d found and used her finger to swirl it over him, again licking it off him. He smiled watching her, knowing what was to come. Suddenly, Rose moved up his body and bit his pectoral muscle, drawing a small bead of blood. She licked the blood, and a small rose appeared. Smiling at his gasp of surprise, she moved over to Cullen.
“Last, but not least. You showed me that our heritage doesn’t say who we are, that love can come in the worst of times.” She took the honey and swirled it over him, again like the others following it with her tongue. When she was finished, and he was clenched tight she dragged her body up him and nibbled his ear, pulling the lobe into her mouth. She trailed kisses down his neck and then bit him on the tender spot where neck and shoulder meet. Small beads of blood pooled, and she kissed them away. Unlike the other men, his rose had falling petals that turned to drops of blood.
Rose looked at his mark in confusion, but by then, she was beyond caring about anything but the night. As if the mark appearing was a sign to the other men, they all stood up. Cullen swooped Rose into his arms, carrying her into the shower.
She heard Niall say, “Once we rinse off, it’ll be our turn.”
Chapter Twelve
Rose
I won’t cry. I won’t cry. Rose thought to herself as she kissed Cullen and Keyne goodbye. Since she had escaped Esson before the twins were born, she’d never been away from them for a night.
“Little Mouse, it’ll only be a few days,” Keyne told her, gently swiping his finger over her eyes. She doesn’t know how her tears kill me. His thoughts echoed in Rose’s head.
“I know. I just hate the idea of us being separated. I feel that this is a bad idea. Something is coming, and we need to be together, preferably under the protection that Thea gives us.”
“Rose, we’ll be fine. We aren’t looking for trouble. Just a simple cross-country drive. Four days max, and we’ll be in Foss,” Cullen said, pulling her close for a kiss, his tail wrapping around her waist and lifting her up. “Nothing will keep me away from you.” How can she not hate me when it’s my existence that makes this separation necessary?
Rose nodded. Hearing his thoughts, his self-hatred made her push down the sob in her throat. She smiled at him. “I love you. Both of you.”
Cullen gave her one last kiss and gently set her down. Cullen started towards the car, then turned to look at Rose. “That was a hell of a send-off last night. When we’re together again, we’ll have to have a repeat.” He winked at her, her face heating at his words.
She nodded her head, unable to speak as she watched them climb into the car Thea had provided. She didn’t move until the car had disappeared. Wiping one last tear away, she composed herself and went to get the twins ready for their trip into the Bog.
“Naza, Asha, when we go through the Bog you must stay with us. At all times, you must have one of your daddies carry you or holding your hand,” Rose instructed her girls as she put the last few must have possessions into their bags. They didn’t know how long it would be until they returned to the mountain retreat, or even if they would.
“Now I packed your favorite blankets and doll. Is there anything else we need to pack?” she asked the girls, looking around the room to see if she’d missed anything.
“Mama, where we go?” Naza asked for the fifth time since hearing they’d be going.
Rose sighed and silently counted to ten. “Naza, we’re going to go to Daddy’s house. It’s also where Thea lives.”
“Thea stay with us?” Asha asked.
“Yes, sweetie. Thea is going to show us where she grew up, and then we’ll go to where I met your daddies.”
“Otay, Mama. I ready,” Asha said, putting her little pink coat and matching hat on. She tried to put her shoes on, which always made Rose laugh. You’d think that with a fifty percent chance of putting the right shoe on, that it’d happen once in a blue moon. But so far, it hadn’t ever happened.
“Come here, Asha, and let me help you.” She pulled the little girl onto her lap and switched her shoes to the correct feet. “Okay. Now you’re ready. Naza, where’d you go?”
Rose stood to look around the room. The little girl was nowhere to be seen. “Naza!” Rose called. She checked under the bed and in the closet, but the little girl had vanished.
“Naza, went say bye,” Asha told her mother.
“NIALL! GRIS! THEA!” Rose called, grabbing Asha’s hand as they ran from the room. “Naza is missing!” How that little girl could move so fast was beyond her. Asha she could understand, as she would use her power over air to propel her faster, but Naza just moved so quietly and quickly it was all she could do to keep track of her.
“Where could she go?” Niall asked, his voice calm as he walked into the kitchen.
“Asha said that she went to say bye,” Rose replied.
Niall knelt down to Asha�
�s level. “Asha, Moppie. Where’d your sister go?”
Asha stuck her thumb into her mouth, a sure sign she was upset. “She go to twees. Say bye.”
“Moppie, thank you for telling me. You’re not in trouble, baby.” He looked up at Rose. “I’ll go find her. You and Gris finishing packing.” He picked the little girl up, giving her a reassuring hug before handing her to her mother.
Chapter Thirteen
Niall
Niall stalked through the house looking for his brother. Brief flickers showed his tail swishing behind him. Finally, he found him in the garage packing the last few items into the packs they would carry. Thea would provide whatever they needed at the safehouse, but a Guardian’s training told them to always be prepared.
“Naza went down to the woods,” Niall growled. “I’m going to find her.”
Gris looked at his brother and nodded. “Want me to come, too?”
“No, you stay and watch Rose. I don’t like leaving her unprotected.”
Gris laughed at that. “She’s more protected with Asha next to her than me. That little imp pushed me across the room last week. She’s getting so strong with her wind power.”
Niall relaxed for a moment, thinking of his demon daughter. She had the ability to use wind to move things as she willed. Though they worked with her on control, she was told to never use it for day to day tasks.
“If I’m not back in an hour or so, come get me.” Niall grabbed his walking stick that would also double as a weapon if need be. “Maybe we’ll find out what the mystery is with the trees.
Gris nodded. “God speed.”
Niall walked out of the garage.
Niall walked with quick sure steps to the meadow where the girls loved to play. It was only a five-minute walk from the house, but far enough that the girls were not allowed to go on their own. As he walked, he understood why his daughter had the need to go say goodbye, not that he liked her going off on her own.
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