by Kat Bostick
Most days, Cash was happy to be exactly who and what he was. As a born werewolf he was stronger and faster than any human man. Hell, he was probably smarter, too. Human men, however, had a distinct advantage over him and lately, he was feeling a touch sour about it.
Lately as in within the last four months. Particularly within the last four minutes, since that was how much time had passed since he noticed Jasper stop Mari at the bottom of the stairs, drag her into the hallway, and kiss her deeply enough to make even Cash blush. Damn, they looked happy. Horny, but also happy.
And why shouldn’t they be? They were bound, their souls intertwined, their lives completely melded into one functioning part. Cash was happy for them. He wanted nothing more than for his brothers and sisters to be at peace—to be joyful. If only they would be—ahem, joyful—somewhere more private.
Cash wasn’t lamenting the fact that he couldn’t get his card punched. Really, he wasn’t. Charlie raised him better than that. Sex was a sacred act to werewolves—one that shouldn’t be done in the hallway outside the family dining room, he wanted to point out to an overeager Jasper. To make two flesh into one was to solidify and gild the bond between mates. Truly, it was beautiful.
And dreadful. The aftermath was, anyway.
A mate could make a man complete, satisfy every aspect of that pesky werewolf nature by bringing balance and harmony to his life. A mate could also grow old and wither away, leaving a werewolf to spend his potentially endless days—as Cash had no clue how long he could live—lonely and heartbroken. That was his father’s fate, poor, sad bastard. That was a fate Cash had absolutely no interest in.
Of course, it was easier to tell himself that when he wasn’t witnessing the pros of mating up close and personal. Since Mari barreled into their predictable lives, she opened his eyes to a great many things. The pack was lingering in the past, slowly letting their antiquated ways completely isolate them from the outside world. It was a symptom of a bigger problem, one Charlie had tried and failed to address for years.
They were a train stuck on the same forward facing track. Repeating the same days over and over. Good days, Cash was always quick to point, but still, the same. Then Jasper—er, he was Trevor then—disappeared and toppled that orderly routine. No fistfights at the breakfast table, no repetitive conversations with Teal about this or that motorcycle part, no meetings with Charlie to discuss another bitten wolf that was wandering wild in the Minnesota countryside and needed to be located. All they could focus on was their missing brother.
Now all they could focus on was him and Mari. The Wolfseggner, a witch descended from one of the founders of the modern pack. The whole thing made a damn good story and a damn big mess.
Not a big deal. Cash loved both.
So why was he frozen halfway down the stairs, watching his brother in a manner that Mari would probably call creepy? Why was he suddenly so aware of that uncomfortable emptiness that plagued his nights? Because he was at the mercy of his nature, obviously. Not only his nature as a werewolf but as an animal. Biology, Clem would say. Biology demanded that an animal seek a mate and pass on his genes.
Yup, just that perfect DNA of his trying to replicate itself. Nothing to see here, folks.
Breathless and flushed, Mari pulled away, smiling up at Jasper like she was some pretty flower and he was the damn sun. Her tan skin contrasted with his pale complexion, her dark hair clashing with his red. They were a lovely palette of colors, an image that Jasper would have painted if he could see it from Cash’s perspective.
“You’re happy.” She murmured, a touch of awe in her words.
“You make me so very happy.”
Maybe, Cash thought, Charlie was right. Maybe Jasper needed this. Maybe we all need that.
He’d been around long enough to know his father was usually right. Cash was not afraid to admit it. And Charlie had been around long enough to know being right didn’t mean anyone was inclined to listen to you. Better to always be alone than find yourself in that state because you lost the only good thing you ever had. That was Cash’s philosophy, anyway.
Would the rest of his brothers follow it, now that they too were exposed to the realities of having a mate? He couldn’t say. If seeking out what Jasper had made them happy, he would celebrate with them. But he would not capitulate. Not after watching his father wither away for years, becoming a husk of the man he’d once been. That kind of pain would have killed a weaker man. Cash wouldn’t kid himself into thinking he had half the strength his father—his alpha—did. There was a reason he would never be in charge.
“Gross!” Deak managed to sneak up on him, nearly sending Cash tumbling down the stairs when he made a gagging sound. “Are we going to have to witness this vulgar display every morning? Disgusting, just disgusting. Have some decency.”
Mari did have some decency, as it turned out, because she blushed profusely even as she laughed. Jasper wasn’t born with a modest bone in his body and he proved it by running his tongue up Mari’s jaw until he met her lips. His grin was downright evil when he glanced up at Deak and said, “Don’t be jealous, brother. There has to be someone out there that would want to kiss you.”
“Yeah, I bet there are halfling werewolves.” Cash chimed in, stomping down the stairs as if he hadn’t been spying like the pervert he was.
“What?” Deak scowled, or rather, Deak hadn’t bothered to wipe the scowl from his brow when he woke up with it already there.
“You know, someone short enough that they wouldn’t have to stoop to kiss you.”
Deak became a werewolf before he became a man and not because he was born that way. That meant he was blessed—or cursed—with most of the attributes that any born wolf had except size. He made up for his short stature with bulk and fighting prowess that could top Cash most days. By human standards, Dee probably wasn’t that short. Plenty of men were under six feet tall. Compared to Cash and Jasper, though? He was a shrimp and they never let him forget it.
But Deak was a confident bastard and he would give as good as he got. If not with words then with fists. Cash’s heart kicked up with a familiar thrill when Deak stroked brown sideburns that were almost thick enough to be muttonchops. He was breaking down his opponent, deciding how many ways he could manage to hit Cash in the liver. Cash waggled his eyebrows, letting his brother know that the challenge was on.
It was going to be a good morning after all.
Chapter 14
Aubrey
Day one of Operation: Rescue Mari was not going well. Aubrey arrived bright and early the day before the wedding in hopes that it would give her enough time with Mari to talk some sense into her. After her first visit, she wasn’t convinced it was necessary. Was it totally crazy to marry a stranger after three months? Yup. Was it totally Mari to be off the walls crazy? Yup.
That was before she talked to Alan again, though. Mari’s father was never going to win Dad of the Year award, but he cared. In his weird, cold, detached way, he cared. Otherwise why was he digging so deeply into Mari’s business? Misplaced parental meddling was a sign of love as far as Aubrey was concerned.
And Aubrey was very concerned. Alan had a lot to say about the Dunne’s and none of it was flattering. Apparently he talked to the local sheriff here in Humble Springs, as well as several business owners that felt inclined to speak to him. The sheriff insisted Charles Dunne was an upstanding citizen, if not the topic of strange rumors from time to time, but no one he was too concerned about. Three of the business owners weren’t as close lipped.
The word “cult” was still bouncing around in Aubrey’s head, making her palms sweaty the moment she was within spitting distance of Mari’s future family.
Family. It all made sense now. That was what cults called themselves, right? A family? Like that warm, fuzzy word could make up for the fact that they were mind-controlling zealots. Her best friend was in deep shit and Aubrey knew she needed to have some kind of intervention. Worst came to worst, she wasn’t against kidnap
ping Mari and driving her across state lines to keep her away from these weirdos.
Best friends always looked out for each other, which was why Aubrey was now sitting at the lunch table in an opulent and out of place house in hillbilly-ville, surrounded by people who might be dangerous mind-controllers. This was her having Mari’s back. She was hurt that Mari had been avoiding her, but she understood now. Cults made a point to have new members cut close ties.
Why they would invite those same close ties to a spontaneous wedding, Aubrey hadn’t figured out. If Mari’s friends and family thought she was happily married, they wouldn’t go digging into her life as readily. Or maybe they wanted new recruits and were using Mari to seek them out.
The most bone-chilling explanation that Aubrey came up with was that she and Mari’s family were meant to be sacrifices. They were getting married on a new moon. What if it was some murder-y cult ritual? God, she really freaking hoped the situation wasn’t that dire. Some of the dudes flanking her at the table were huge. Aubrey took a self-defense class after Mari’s close call with Jacob but no amount of Krav Maga was going to protect her from Cash Dunne.
So far Aubrey had succeeded in her role as double agent but as the day wore on, her façade was slipping. She didn’t know if she could hide her suspicion and frustration for another two days. She’d come into this willing to give them another chance. Mari did sound happy the last time they talked and she of all people deserved happiness. If this was some weird misunderstanding, Aubrey would forget about her suspicions and be happy right along with Mari.
Now that she was here she was struggling to hold back her questions. Like, why did a single, wealthy man adopt so many children? Why did they all look like their favorite hobby was weight lifting? Even Jasper’s sisters were lean and muscled.
And why on earth were they still living at their dad’s house? It was a nice house but c’mon, some of them had to be in their thirties! Wasn’t Mari even a little concerned that the guy she was making goo-goo eyes at was unemployed and living in his childhood home? That sounded a lot like a deadbeat to Aubrey.
Also, why did it seem like they wouldn’t let Mari go anywhere alone? Aubrey didn’t miss the head of black hair and six and a half feet of muscle hovering at the lodge when Mari took her out for a drink. Why were Jasper’s brothers following Mari around, if not to keep an eye on her? What she’d seen so far was only adding evidence to her suspicion.
This all started after graduation. Before Mari’s attack and the tragic death of her grandmother. Something happened, something her best friend refused to talk about, and it changed things. Mari was always a homebody but she started to become downright reclusive. Girl was one stray kitten away from becoming a lonely cat-lady.
Then she had to go and pick Jacob Nordbury as her walk on the wild side. Aubrey tried to tell Mari that boy was trouble. She had enough experience picking bad boys to recognize one from a mile away. Jacob was bad news and Aubrey would always blame herself for not doing more to protect Mari from him. God, she always picked the skeeviest men.
Aubrey shot a furtive glance at Jasper across the table.
Okay, Jasper wasn’t skeevy but the guy was off. Aubrey couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Maybe it was his eyes. They were beautiful eyes, totally striking, and they held nothing but tenderness when they were fixed on Mari. When he looked at her, though? Aubrey felt like a mouse being watched by a cat. He was predatory and not in the way that gropy dudes at clubs were predatory. Jasper was more murder-y than gropy.
Aubrey was starting to wonder if he was abusive. That could explain the unnatural hold he seemed to have over Mari. They’d met at a time when Mari was incredibly vulnerable—the perfect victim for a manipulative, abusive psycho.
This morning, when Aubrey went out of her way to bring fresh donuts for everyone, Jasper got all weird and controlling, telling Mari she “couldn’t eat one because those were definitely not food.” Um, okay mister fitness model, not everyone cares that much about carbs! You would think Aubrey poisoned them with how the Dunne’s avoided them.
Worst of all, Mari thought Jasper telling her what she could and couldn’t eat was funny. Everything that man did made her go all soft and gooey, if the way her eyes sparkled in his direction was any indicator. The Mari that Aubrey knew would never fawn over someone that was telling her what to do.
Fine, she did still eat a donut despite Jasper’s disgusted face but that was when things got even weirder. Mari rolled up her sleeves to keep glaze off her shirt only to quickly shove them back down when she realized Aubrey was looking. She didn’t miss the yellowing bruise on Mari’s forearm, or the way Mari refused to take her sweater off at the lodge, even as she was sweating. Was it because that would reveal more bruises left by the deceptive pretty face across the table?
Realizing that the conversation had drifted by her for some time without her contribution, Aubrey refocused her attention just as Mari spoke. “So, if you have a greenhouse for vegetables, why don’t we get a few chickens for eggs? It’s a pain to go anywhere in the snow and making the drive to Hibbing seems unreasonable when you could raise most of your food.” She lifted her shoulder in a shrug. “Isn’t that what you do when you live in the country?”
“We did have chickens.” The other anti-social Dunne, Deak, said through a mouthful of sandwich.
Mari frowned. “What happened to them?”
“Jasper ate them.” Teal answered on a chuckle.
Mari’s lips formed a perfect “O” shape and she looked at Jasper with wide eyes. “Jasper!” Aubrey was waiting for the inevitable freak out because there was no way Mari would let something that bizarre slide. Only, seconds later her friend was bursting into peals of laughter. “How many chickens did you eat?”
His grin was feral. “Twelve.”
“You animal! How could you?”
“I was hungry,” He said with a suggestive flash of his eyes. Mari was blushing when she smiled secretively at him, as if he wasn’t a total psychopath.
Feeling bold, Aubrey spoke up. “Isn’t killing small animals what serial killers do before they graduate to ladies?”
The laughter across the table died instantly and Mari’s sharp features fell into an odd expression. Not fear or realization but guilt. There were a lot of guilty looks on her face lately. Jasper, on the other hand, didn’t look guilty. No, he was looking at Aubrey like she was just another chicken and he wanted to eat her Jeffrey Dahmer style.
“It’s a sad but necessary way of life out here.” Charlie swooped in to rescue his resident chicken-murderer. “We’re just cogs in the wheel of nature.”
“Who says eating chickens is natural?” Aubrey countered.
“Aubrey’s a vegetarian.” Mari reminded unnecessarily. She fixed Aubrey with an apologetic smile that did nothing to quell her frustration.
“The chickens were vegetarians too and look what happened to them.” Deak retorted without glancing up from his plate.
“Do you want a tour of the property after lunch, Aubrey? It’s beautiful.” There Mari went again, changing the subject. Covering for her “family.”
“Sure, why not?” She did her best to make her smile genuine.
Ten minutes later, Aubrey watched Jasper follow Mari from the dining room to the foyer. Since Aubrey’s arrival, the man had scarcely given them five minutes alone. Talk about clingy.
With a slight shake of his head, he gave her a rueful half smile. Damn, the man sure would be gorgeous if he didn’t make the hair rise on the back of Aubrey’s neck. Mari wasn’t normally one to fall for good looks but he obviously had her charmed with that confident swagger.
Jasper twined his fingers in Mari’s hair and drew her face up to his for a kiss so tender it made Aubrey blush. The affection didn’t seem unwelcome but Mari was clearly uncomfortable having an audience for their intimacy. He pulled away and kissed her forehead before saying, “I’ll miss you while you’re away.”
Okay, Mari was leaving for like thirty mi
nutes. Did that really require a goodbye kiss? Mari might be brainwashed but Aubrey wasn’t stupid enough to fall for it. She was on to him and she was about to make sure her best friend saw the truth.
✽✽✽
Mari
For three blissful weeks, Mari felt nothing but light. Like the bond with Jasper made her buoyant when she’d been sinking. It glowed in her vision, making the whole world tilt and sparkle prettily. How very wrong she’d been to think that connection would let darkness in. The bond was the cure to darkness. To all her ailments. She was happy and nothing could take that from her.
Until the day before the wedding rolled around. Cora and Clem were fussing and scrambling to get everything in order. Mari was put on cake duty and Clem had her brothers cleaning every nook and cranny in the house until it was spotless. The most magnificent Christmas tree Mari had ever seen towered over the furniture in the parlor, globes of gold and red decorating its heavy branches.