She nodded. “Yes. In exchange, Raiden can extract my eggs and you guys can do… whatever it is you need to do.”
There was a long silence, and then Finlo nodded. “Sounds good.” There was lust in his eyes as he looked between us, like he knew what this whole conception thing was going to entail and he just couldn’t wait. That look didn’t help the ridiculous hard-on I’d been sporting for the last two days. If blue balls were actually a thing and not a ridiculous concept made up to get women to put out sex, I’d have them.
Gatlin nodded too. “Sounds fair. If you won’t come to our territory, we’ll fortify your house a little better before things get too heated.”
“And we lose our goddamn minds,” Seven added, bouncing Luisa up and down in his arms without thought.
Ellar held out his hands. “I think the little princess wants to come to me,” he told the other Beta. “Do you want to come to El, Little Bit?” he said in a high-pitched voice, and Luisa held out her arms happily.
Naja shook her head in amazement. “She usually hates men. She hates the butcher and the postman. She hates the guys at the drugstore and the grocery store. Either Lolo is a mecca for bad people, or she just really likes you guys.” Ellar grinned like she’d given him the biggest compliment ever.
Just then, there was a knock at the front door, and everyone froze. Gatlin stepped in front of Naja, and Finlo edged me slightly into the corner.
Seven lifted his nose to the air. “Human. Smells of flowers.”
Naja groaned. “Shit, Tamsin. She’s probably coming to check on me. You guys stay here so I don’t have to explain you all.”
She wandered toward the door, and despite what she said, Finlo half-shifted and slunk into the shadows around her doorway. When a minute went by and there were no voices, I started to worry. Then there was the pungent scent of her fear, and I was moving before I even consciously thought about it. I ignored Gatlin’s yell to stay back until I was crowded around a pale-looking Naja.
She was holding a black box, a single happy yellow flower inside. There was no note, nothing I could see that would cause that kind of response. Finlo had her in his arms, dragging her backwards and shutting the door, locking all of the deadbolts. He didn’t understand what was upsetting her either—I could read the confusion on his face—but he was always an act first, ask questions later kind of guy.
He bundled her back into the kitchen, and we closed ranks around her. Well, they closed ranks around us both, Ellar handing me Luisa so he could guard my left. I thrummed softly, the deep purr instantly calming the baby.
“This isn’t necessary,” Naja said softly, pushing gently at Finlo’s chest. “It’s just a flower.” It sounded like she was trying to convince herself, but I could still smell her fear. This close to the heat, there was no way the guys were going to back the hell up. No, this was going to make their protective instincts go wild.
Gatlin was still glaring at the door like marauders were about to break in, but as soon as Seven whispered there was nobody near the front door, he spun so he was facing Naja. “It’s not just a flower. A flower doesn’t give you that kind of reaction. What is wrong?” Naja shook her head, which just made Gatlin clench his jaw harder. “I said to tell me what is wrong, Omega. What has you so fearful?” He added a lot of Alpha oomph to that, and I almost had the compulsion to confess all my deepest, darkest fears.
Naja swallowed hard, but threw him a defiant look. “Don’t Alpha me, asshole.”
He visibly softened as he took a step forward, grabbing her face softly so she’d look at him. “Apologies, Naja. Your fear makes my Alpha crazy. We want to protect you, but we can’t if you don’t tell us what is hunting you.”
She shook her head again, but she eyed the flower in her hands once more. She jerked like she’d forgotten it was even there, before walking to the trash can and binning it. “Is the offer of taking me back to your territory still on the table?” She met Gatlin’s eyes and stared him down.
Finally, he nodded his head slightly. “Yes.”
“Good. I’ll go pack.” She held out her hands for Luisa. I passed her over, and we all watched as she slunk out of the kitchen, looking smaller somehow.
“The fuck?” Seven whispered, and I nodded. I had to agree. What the fuck indeed.
Gatlin was still looking at the door she left through. “She’s running from something.”
Finlo grunted. “That much is obvious. There are like fifteen locks on every window. She’s scared right now, so scared that the scent of the heat has almost receded behind the scent of her fear. You saw the baby yesterday—it was like a petrified doll. Domestic violence?”
Ellar growled low in his chest, and I put out a hand to soothe the normally easygoing Beta. I looked back at the guys. “Seems likely. She's too young for it to be anything else. Plus, she's caring for her sister like she’s her own child. Something has gone wrong in her Pack.”
Seven raised a brow. “Not an ex-boyfriend?” I could see the barely contained violence in my Beta warrior, and I rubbed his arm.
“Doesn't seem to be, but I’m sure there is someone we can punish for making her feel that way.” I walked to the garbage and pulled out the flower. “It’s a marigold. Why would that evoke such a response?”
Seven had his phone out and was googling. He made a low rumbling noise which could have been a growl or a hum. “Mexican marigolds are a symbol of grief and despair, and are often used in the Day of the Dead rituals.”
Ellar frowned more. “Someone is sending her death flowers?”
Seven nodded, and we all looked toward the door one more time, as if the threat would show itself. Or maybe like the grim reaper would stroll right through it. I didn’t like anyone threatening her, and the sooner we got her back to our house, the better. We’d purposefully fortified the land, and there was nothing that could get in or out without us knowing. On top of that, the whole place would be locked down for the rut.
Ellar stepped toward the hall. “I’m going to help her pack. The sooner we are out of here and back home, the happier I’ll be.”
He wasn’t the only one.
