by Eve Vaughn
“Like I said, we can’t keep you here if you don’t want to stay. However, we’d really like it if you’d consider staying.
Even you admit there’s something there. You also inadvertently admitted being in between jobs. You respond beautifully to us, and I think I speak for me and my cousins when I say no woman has ever made us feel the way you do.
And before you make the argument of us barely knowing each other, give us the chance. We come to this little getaway once a year for a month. We have three more weeks and we’d like you to spend them with us.”
Zora crossed her arms. “To fuck the three of you, you mean?”
Heath answered with a chuckle. “Sweetheart, it’s inevitable that’s going to happen, but we mean stay with us. Nothing will happen that you don’t want.”
She sent a questioning look to Logan who stood silently brooding. “Does that go for you too?”
He hesitated for a moment before grunting, “Yes.”
“I don’t know… I don’t want to let Bernice down.” Zora grasped for an excuse. After the number Dale had done on her, she’d spent years avoiding any deep emotional commitment. She’d dated some while she lived in Covington, but every time a guy started to get serious, she ended things.
Now she wondered if it was out of fear of what had happened to her or if deep down she’d always known she was waiting for something more—like Gavin, Heath and Logan.
The very thought of it sent a shiver up her spine. One of the last things her Nana had said to her before she’d passed was to live every day as if it was her last and never be afraid to take chances. She took a deep breath and then decided to at least talk to Bernice before contemplating her next course of action.
“Okay,” she finally answered. “Once I get in contact with my cousin, I’ll give you an answer.”
Gavin smiled at her, showing off strong white teeth.
“Great, we can go anytime you’d like.”
She liked the way his eyes twinkled and the corners of them crinkled. Her heart did an involuntary flip-flop. What was in this family’s DNA that gave these handsome men the ability to melt her with just a glance?
She looked away nervously. “We could go now… if you don’t mind.”
He held out his hand to her. She placed hers in his palm and it was immediately engulfed by strong but gentle fingers.
“Let’s go.”
“Take care of her,” Logan growled.
“Calm down, Logan,” Gavin gently scolded.
“Hurry back.” Heath walked over and dropped a light kiss on her check.
Regardless of what Bernice said to her, it would be very difficult to walk away from these three.
Gavin led her out back where the cars were parked. Each car was large like the men who owned them. He opened the passenger side door of a black Range Rover. The first several minutes she rode in silence, still processing everything the men had told her.
“You’re overthinking things right now.” Gavin finally broke the silence.
“Wouldn’t you if you were thrust in this situation? You can morph into a bear, how is that not supposed to freak me out? And on top of that, I’m supposed to be your mate along with two other guys that I’ve only just met. The craziest thing of all is I’m actually considering staying the three weeks.”
He took his eyes off the road momentarily to give her another of his heart-stopping smiles. “Oh yeah?”
“Don’t get too excited. For all I know, there could be some kind of missing person’s bulletin out on me.” Even as she spoke the words, she very much doubted that was true.
Bernice and she weren’t close enough for the other woman to think something was amiss if she didn’t show. And as far as her parents, she was already dead to them.
“I’ll be sure to look into that when we get into town.”
She slumped down into the leather seat, for the first time realizing how alone in the world she was since her Nana’s passing. Her Nana was the first person who had loved her unconditionally and taught her how to be comfortable in her own skin. Zora had blossomed under her grandmother’s warmth. She’d feel that loss for a long time. “Forget I mentioned it. I highly doubt anyone would notice I’m missing.” She stared out the window, gazing at the landscape but not really seeing anything of interest.
“You don’t think your cousin would be concerned?”
“Probably not. I mean, we haven’t seen each other in years so it’s not like we’re particularly close.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you going up there to stay with her?”
“I was at a loose end and thought I’d reach out to her. We haven’t spoken in years, not by choice or because we had an argument. We just drifted apart. I lost touch with my extended family when me and my parents stopped communicating.”
Gavin didn’t reply at first, but Zora sensed he wanted to know details. She appreciated that he didn’t push, which made it easier to share with him. “I don’t mind if you ask questions about it. It was a painful thing growing up, but now it’s like it happened to another person. I rarely think about them anymore. Isn’t that strange?”
“I don’t know. I guess it would all depend on the dynamic.
What happened?”
“I always got the sense that my parents didn’t like me very much, even as a child. They weren’t affectionate. And they never talked to me, just at me. The thing is, there were times when I can clearly remember my mother being nice to me, but she shut down when my father was around. Those nice moments were really rare, though. I guess it wouldn’t have been so bad if I weren’t an only child. I’d always hoped they’d give me a sibling so I could have someone to play with or at least someone who’d like me. I didn’t realize how cold they actually were until I observed some of my schoolmates with their parents. It’s like my parents tried to keep me isolated from the rest of the world at times.”
“How do you mean?”
“They were really strict. We belonged to a division of the church that had an extremely rigid set of guidelines about raising a family and worshipping. I was always either at school, church or home. I wasn’t allowed to go to sleepovers or have friends over or talk on the phone. Even when my class would have field trips, my parents would refuse to sign the permission slips.”
“Sounds like you had a lonely childhood.”
“It was, but I didn’t really know any better since I wasn’t allowed
to
watch
television
outside
of
religious
programming. So in a way, besides school, I was on my own little island.”
“Hmm, if they wanted to keep you away from other people, why didn’t one of them just homeschool you?”
Zora let out a humorless laugh. She’d always wondered the exact same thing or at least she used to. “I figured if I was homeschooled, it would mean they’d actually have to pay more attention than they were willing to provide. Like I said, they didn’t care much for me, nor did they deny it when I brought it up.”
Gavin took one hand off the wheel, placed it on her thigh and gave her a sympathetic squeeze. “I’m sorry to hear that, babe.”
It should have bothered her how easily he could use such an intimate endearment when they barely knew it other, but it didn’t. It was almost comforting. “It’s okay, I’m pretty much over it.”
“So what happened to cause the final rift?”
“They’d pretty much washed their hands of me once I left for college anyway so there’s not really much to tell there.
Since I didn’t get out much, I threw myself into my schoolwork and because of that, I was a straight A student. I received a few offers for academic scholarships. I’d never been out of the city, let alone the state, so by the time I graduated high school I was desperate for my first taste of freedom. I chose the farthest college my academic scholarship would cover.”
“How’d that work out for you?”
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“Let’s just say too much of anything is bad for you. I dyed my hair every shade of the rainbow until I settled on this color.” She absently twirled a dark gold lock around her finger. “I partied too much, drank way more than I should have, had some very questionable hook-ups and started neglecting my studies. I got my wake-up call when I was put on academic probation. It’s a good thing my parents were done with me by then because I never would have heard the end of it.”
“Do you think you could have mended things with them had you stayed closer to home?”
She shook her head. “I don’t believe so. They’re very set in their ways, particularly my father. He always said I’d meet a bad end.”
“That’s a horrible thing to tell a child.”
Zora shrugged. “I think in their minds, they did the best they could by me and that was that.”
“So you haven’t spoken to them since you went away to college?”
Even though Gavin was asking a lot of questions, Zora found him quite easy to be open with. Somehow she didn’t mind sharing with him what she’d always found difficult to talk about.
“I would call once a month as a courtesy and the conversation would last less than a minute, usually with my father telling me not to screw up. And then I got into some trouble involving my ex, which got back to them. They contacted me to tell me what an embarrassment I was to them —my father’s words. My mother said she wished I wasn’t born. They told me not to come crawling to them if I got in any more trouble because I wasn’t welcome. That was the last time I talked to them.”
“Bastards. I wish I could have a little conversation with those two.”
“It would be no use. Anyway, the incident affected my decision to drop out of school. I was fortunate to get in contact with my nana. She was my mother’s mom and I hadn’t seen her in years, but she and my parents had had a falling out, over me I think. If I remember correctly, when Nana last visited us I heard her and my parents arguing about how I was being raised. She left shortly afterwards and I didn’t see her again until I reached out to her. You see, I didn’t have anywhere to go when I left college. She welcomed me with open arms. My time with her was probably the happiest time in my life. The little town we lived in was the kind where everyone knew your business, but people looked out for you.
I’ll miss Covington.”
“You could always go back to visit.”
She shook her head. “No, probably not. It’s best I don’t.”
“And your nana?”
“She passed away a few months ago. I sold our shop and the house we lived in to take care of some medical expenses and her burial costs.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, honey.” Again, Gavin reached out to offer comfort, rubbing her shoulder.
“It’s okay. I know she wouldn’t have wanted me to mope around over her passing. That’s the kind of person she was.
She lived life to the fullest and wanted me to do the same.
Anyway, I’m sure I’ve bored you to death about me. What was it like for you growing up?”
“I guess I had what you’d probably call a normal upbringing, if you consider having three fathers normal.”
Zora perked up at the mention of Gavin’s multiple fathers.
“Did you have three allowances?” she teased.
He chuckled, a rich, throaty laugh, something else Zora added to her mental list of things she liked about Gavin. “I wish. Actually it wasn’t so bad. Sometimes to assimilate into human culture, a Kelowna female may choose to legally marry one of her mates for appearance sake, even though she’s mated to all three men. My mother however, was and still is a bit of a traditionalist.”
“Your parents are still alive?”
He laughed again. “Of course, why wouldn’t they be?”
“Okay, that was a silly question. Go ahead and finish.”
“Basically, there’s not a lot to tell. My mother and fathers raised me to be aware of my heritage. I did grow up around other humans so my dads would take us to a retreat every so often where we could be ourselves. Heath and Logan’s families also came along. Since the three of us were only children, we basically grew up like brothers. We always grew up knowing we’d share a mate. Of course, as I’ve already told you, we’re a dying breed and had we not found you… well, our mothers were finally at the point where they were willing to accept a human bride for each of us so they could have grandchildren to dote on. With a normal human female we probably would have gone the adoption route. My mother will be very delighted to meet you, and I’m sure my aunts will as well.”
Even though Zora had yet to agree to anything, the prospect of meeting twelve individual in-laws as opposed to the traditional two was daunting.
As if reading her thoughts, Gavin gave her shoulder another pat. “Don’t worry. Our parents will love you.”
“Maybe,” she answered noncommittally. “Tell me something else.”
“Anything.”
“I’ve been made to understand that while my injuries were extensive, it only took five days to heal. How is that possible?”
“Some of my kind have certain abilities. Mine is healing.
You were also given a small dose of medicine that I developed that works with the Kelowna physiology.”
“Do all of your kind have powers?”
He shook his head. “Not many of us do. Some believe it’s because our blood has been too diluted with human blood.
Whatever the reason, I’ve only ever met a few others of my kind with a special talent.”
“Even though I was out of it, I felt you. You have a gentle touch.”
He grinned. “Thank you. Medicine is a bit of a passion of mine.”
The more Zora talked to Gavin, the more she realized how at ease she was in his presence. She really enjoyed talking to him. Though she still found his dark good looks distracting, in his presence she felt—safe. “Can I ask you another question? I don’t want you to take it the wrong way, though.”
He raised a dark brow and looked at her briefly, taking his eyes off the road once more. “Oh? Sounds ominous. But like I said, you can ask me anything.”
She paused for a second to play the words in her head to assure she wasn’t offensive. “Your cousins… they seem so much more intense, especially Logan. I mean, you’re so laid back. If you guys didn’t have a family resemblance, I wouldn’t think you were related.”
He chuckled. “Intense is definitely one word that could be used to describe them, but in our culture it’s in the male’s nature to be aggressive. It’s something bred into us, especially when there were so few females to mate with. The early Kelowna didn’t have the option to cross breed. My family jokes that those two are throwbacks.”
“But you don’t seem that way. You’ve been… really sweet.”
“Patience can be learned, especially with what I do in the real world. But I have my moments.” He looked in her direction and winked, adding a wolfish grin to make it quite clear to Zora that he could be just as alpha as his cousins.
“What’s your medical specialty?”
“Family medcine. I like it because I get to see patients at all stages.”
“I’m impressed.”
“Well, I thought I’d put my ability to good use.”
“Makes sense.”
They chatted idly for the duration of the ride until they finally came to town. It wasn’t very big, but seemed to have all the necessities like gas stations, a grocery store, a bank and a few restaurants.
“Is there a pay phone around here?”
“Try the glove compartment.”
Zora opened up the glove compartment and pulled out a smartphone. She didn’t know whether to be highly pissed or impressed by his trickiness or a little bit of both. “Are you kidding me? You’ve had a cell phone in your car the entire time? I could have called my cousin much sooner.”
“You could have tried, but as I’ve already explained, the reception where we live is horrible
. The phones are basically useless. The stretch of road we were on to get here is basically one dead zone. You might be lucky to get a call through, but it would drop within seconds.”
She calmed down. The explanation was reasonable enough. It took her a few seconds to figure out how the phone worked, but she managed to turn it on and dialed Bernice’s number.
“Hello?” her cousin answered after the third ring, sounding as if she’d run a marathon to get to the phone.
“Bernice, it’s Zora.”
“Girl, where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling your cell phone for a week and every time I call, it immediately goes to voicemail.”
“My phone broke. Actually, I got into a bit of an accident.”
“Oh no! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine but my car isn’t. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get up there.”
Her statement was met with silence.
“Hello?” Zora thought maybe the call had dropped.
“I’m still here. Uh, Zora, I couldn’t get in contact with you, so I promised the house to someone else. I’m sorry, but I thought you bailed on me.”
“After a week?”
“What would you do in my situation?”
Zora blew out a deep breath. While she believed Bernice could have held on to the place a bit longer, she could understand her cousin’s point of view. It did, however, underline once again how Zora didn’t have anyone who really cared if she were dead or alive. Instead of calling the police and filing a missing person’s report, her cousin had promised her rental property to someone else. It made her feel very replaceable.
“What about the job at your shop?”
“Well, I have a friend helping me out now. She just got laid off a few weeks ago and has been looking for work.”
“So you hired her instead?”
“I’m sorry. But look, you’re welcome to stay at my place for as long as it takes to get on your feet. I know times are hard, girl, so whatever you need, I’ll help you out.”
“Okay. Thank you. Can I get back to you on that?”
“Of course. Take your time, girl. Well, I have to run. I have some important business to handle.”