She should have paid more attention in her “know your enemy” classes. Teeth closed over skin and tugged, bit. It would mark but not permanently. Then she felt a short burst of energy she’d come in a very short time to associate with his mind touching her body. She’d question him, but she felt too damned good at the moment. After the bite, his strokes increased, became hard and fast and then frenzied. She might have cared, might have protested, except she was totally along for the ride and came screaming his name within seconds.
Chapter Six
Gabby stood deep in the tree line. If the three werewolves bickering in the backyard had been focused on anything other than their own bullshit, they would have noticed someone was so close by. Not that it would have mattered. They were in safe territory. Even if someone came upon this scene, he wouldn’t expect any danger. She was not so lax in her personal security and took a deep breath, smiling when she heard steps coming up on her side, the male’s scent preceding him.
“Hey, sis,” her brother, Kade, said softly as he sidled up next to her.
Following werewolf custom, he’d spent his early twenties with another pack and had just returned to replace Baker, one of the other soldiers who’d decided to go wandering. This was the first she’d seen Kade in three years, and her heart soared to have her twin brother home. Though she was tempted to pull him close in a hug, they were both staying out of the way of the fireworks behind the house and therefore drawing no attention to themselves. They didn’t want to get pulled into the middle of it. They’d learned that lesson well over the years. “How’s it going?”
She shrugged. The argument before them drifted around to the front of the house, and he followed her farther into the yard as their parents moved away. “The usual. You?” He tilted his head to one side, and she groaned at his “no bullshit” look. She wasn’t getting out of this one. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’ve never shown up for one of these little shindigs smelling of two different men.”
Thank gods for turtlenecks. “So I had a fun weekend.” She’d left Harris and Ethan before dawn despite their protests and Harris’s reminder of the deal. But her duties had been abandoned for two days, and she couldn’t delay returning. She’d been running all day playing catch up. She hadn’t even had the chance to come find Kade until well after lunch, and now they wouldn’t have much time to talk. The pack was having an impromptu party to welcome Kade home. She would meet her mates there later.
“Fun and marked are two different things.”
“Who said anything about marked?” She glared. Twin brother or not, he was pushing his luck.
“I wouldn’t be able to scent a man on you if he wasn’t your mate,” he said, voice hard and cold, all protective brother. She was reminded that if he’d stayed the last few years, he’d probably occupy a higher space in the pack than she, and she was near the top in fifth place, right after Jonas. It made her uncomfortable to consider Ethan and Kade both could probably have challenged her for her position long ago But for now Kade was just her sibling, she outranked him, and this was none of his business. Ethan…that was a worry for another time.
“Not your problem. Or your concern.”
He snorted and nodded to the back patio they’d been avoiding. “Tell them that.”
“It isn’t any of their business either.”
He hooted with laughter. “You tell the dads that. You tell Mom that.” He didn’t get it, of course. Hell, he was a guy. She was pretty sure their mother would understand exactly the nature of her reticence. She was a female soldier to two soldier males, and as near as Gabby could tell, none of them had ever been happy. They wanted a submissive woman. Her mother tried; it just wasn’t in her. Gabby had fought so hard to stay unmated because she’d seen exactly how bad it could be.
Her brother nudged her shoulder. “Hey, who’s that?”
She looked over to see Harris exit the path into the yard, Ethan right behind him. “Shit,” she muttered.
Her brother cocked his brows. “Really? Not invited, huh?” He thought it over and then smiled. “Gutsy. I like them.”
But his nostrils flared as Harris approached. “Wizard,” he snarled.
Gabby grabbed his arm when he stepped forward and hissed back, “Mine. And they were invited. I just didn’t expect them yet.”
Holy shit, what was she doing? She’d hoped she’d have more time to brace herself before dealing with Harris again, but she’d be damned if it was someone else who got rid of him. And the idiot man had no sense. None at all. He swaggered into the yard, walked as if he had every right to be there, zeroing in on her. His entrance actually stopped the argument between her parents, and she hurried closer, Kade at her heels. That was bloodshed she didn’t want to witness or take responsibility for. He looked at her, his eyes calm, his expression almost serene before he smoothly turned to her parents and held his hand out to introduce himself. She held her breath and edged close enough to listen in.
“You bear the scent of family, wizard.”
“I imagine I do.”
Robert, one of her fathers, still didn’t take his hand. “Why is that?” Harris turned to give her a small, tight, furious smile. “Because she’s my mate.” His words were hard and certain, proprietary, and made her belly flip-flop. He looked back to her parents, meeting all three gazes carefully. “We have met before. I’m the police chief in Redemption.
Harris.”
“We know who you are,” Steve, her other father, snapped. “Though I haven’t heard any reason why we should let you live.”
She rolled her eyes and stepped into the fray. “Get over it. You’ve been complaining about me being single for years.”
They finally seemed to notice her, and both fathers turned on her at once, nostrils flaring, eyes narrowing. It seemed an eternity before anyone spoke. “You took two mates? And you kept this from your family?” Robert asked, sounding hurt.
“It just happened,” she said meekly. She hated to hear that tone in her voice, but hell, he was her father. Harris stepped up behind her and squeezed her shoulder. Silent support, but she felt it bone-deep and tilted her chin up. Then Ethan stepped up to her other side, nodded, and said hello.
“And Ethan too,” her mother murmured, a hint of approval in her voice. She stepped forward, took Gabby’s hand, and drew her into the house before another word could be spoken.
Gabby wasn’t so sure leaving the men alone was a good idea.
They walked into the kitchen. Its big windows and glass doors overlooked the yard, and Gabby hovered near them, watching the five men out there. They circled each other, speaking every now and then, though of course she couldn’t make out the words from this distance and behind glass. Feeling each other out, she realized. She turned to her mother, who stood at the counter pouring coffee. She took both mugs to the table and motioned Gabby to join her.
They had an unimpeded view of the yard. Where had her brother gone? She searched and found him off to the side leaning against a post. Five keyed-up males. All that damned testosterone. It made her grit her teeth so hard they hurt.
“Is it too much to ask for a normal life?” she whispered. “A nice, peaceful, calm life?” Her mother laughed. “Wolf, wizard, human. Doesn’t matter, they’re all men. That out there is perfectly normal.”