“Nah, I got Breezy.” He cleared his throat, then winced. “Sorry, my name is Xan, and this is my alpha, Kellen.” He nodded toward LeeLee. “Hello, LeeLee. Slater, it’s good to see you. As the cousin of my mate, you and yours are also welcome as members of the Iron Wolves as well.”
Kellen stared at LeeLee and me. A faint stirring in my mind, very similar to what I felt when Niall first became my alpha, clicked. “Thank you, Alpha.” I held my hand out. The grip was strong, but not overly so. Kellen repeated the gesture with LeeLee, making my mate smile, then she stepped back, sadness and uncertainty crossing her features.
LeeLee stood with her arms wrapped around her waist. “I left the rest of the pack in the hall. I’m not sure who’s good or bad. I sort of just threw up a shield that was supposed to protect the innocent.”
I nodded. “Where’s your mother?”
“I don’t know.” She bit her lip. I hated to see her pain. “Let’s go check on the others.”
Niall waved and led the way, ever the alpha and leader. “We’ll start a fire out here, unless the Goddess has a way of cleaning this shit up?” Kellen glanced around at the carnage.
I wasn’t sure what she could or couldn’t do. “We’ll help as soon as we handle the other matter,” I promised.
“You need help in there, holler. We’ll hear.” Kellen raised his hand and moved to help with the cleanup.
We entered the hall, finding pandemonium breaking out in a weird, contained way. I held my mate’s hand as we surveyed the interior. She was now officially the heir to the original pack. I wondered if she’d want to stay or go. The town was quaint, but I didn’t feel at home or welcome. What the hell was up with all the blond men and blonde women? For fucksake, you’d think they bought stock in hair dye.
LeeLee waved her hand, the shield allowing the fighting group who were leaning against it to fall. Silence descended, and then the alpha stepped forward, his mate behind him.
“I apologize for the wrongs that the old pack did to you, LeeLee. I have spoken with your mother, and you are welcome as one of our pack.”
Her mother wouldn’t meet her eyes. LeeLee snorted. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn’t even know if I had a job, yet I couldn’t fathom the thought of living with these shifters.
The woman named RozLee—no way would I call her my mate’s mother—moved next to her mate. Sorrow burned in her gaze. “I don’t know what was wrong with me. I couldn’t wait for you to be born, then within a year, something happened,” she whispered.
Whispered words floated into the air. The Goddess allowed them all to see the truth of how Greta had shown up and slowly poisoned her parents’ minds, taking little bits of them to stay youthful. Her ultimate goal had been to take LeeLee along with RozLee, but her father had broken from her thrall that fateful day, leaving her mother a shell. Greta had been able to use her as a puppet.
I felt a twinge of sorrow for the woman, but my loyalty lay with my mate.
“I understand, but you will always have a home here,” Alaric said, holding his hand out to me. With one arm around my mate, I shook it, feeling the strength in the older man’s grip.
“Sorry, we can’t stay and help clean up, but we need to return home.” Zayn flashed a bright smile. “We have some friends starting a fire out in the field unless you have a way of taking care of things.”
Niall looked at the other alpha. I listened with half an ear as the alphas ordered the wolves around during the cleanup. My friend Jett laughed, and I swore several young girls sighed. Jett’s mate would rip their throats out, which the other male knew. He turned his dark gaze toward me and winked.
RozLee reached out a hand. LeeLee stilled, her nails digging into my forearm. “I can’t forgive you right now. Someday, but not yet.” The older woman nodded, tears welling in her eyes.
“Get me out of here, please.” The plea was my undoing. I looked around wildly, wishing one of the Fey were around. I wrapped my arm around her and began walking back toward the door—and then we were no longer there.
Blinking, I looked around, trying to figure out where we were. The hotel room came into view. “Did you do that?” I asked her.
A frown marred her face. “I don’t know. I just wished us away. I don’t know if I like this ability. Goddess touched might not be so cool,” LeeLee muttered.
I touched my thumbs beneath both her eyes, drying the wetness. “Hmm, it could be cool. We want to go to Maui. You blink, and bam, we are there.”
A nod was my answer. “I don’t want to think of anything right now, except making love to you. We could have lost everything.” She stroked her hand down my chest.
“LeeLee...” I tried to protest. A low moan wretched from me when her hand continued to the fly of my jeans, caressing methrough the denim. My head fell back, eyes rolling back as she squeezed me. I was already needing release, and she hadn’t even touched my bare flesh.
“Need you naked.” Desire burned in her blue eyes.
I wasted no time tugging my clothes off, watching her do the same with hers. The silky pieces of lace, her final barrier, were too much for me. “Everything, LeeLee. Take it off before I rip them off.”
Her hips rolled as she stepped out of the panties. She looked at me. “You are built so beautifully.” Her hand reached out, touching the slit on the end of my cock and spreading the fluid over the head. I watched as she lifted her thumb and sucked my essence into her mouth. “Mmm, you taste delicious.” She slid to her knees until her lips hovered over my erection, her tongue popped out, teasing the end. “Like honey and ambrosia. Sweet and salty combined,” she hummed around the end, nearly making me go mindless.
Before I could make a fool of myself, I fisted my hand in her glorious locks, giving a little tug, bringing her to her feet. Holding her eyes, I lifted her in my arms. “Bed first. I want to slide between your thighs and claim you with my cock inside you. I want to feel your heat surround me, feel your body squeeze mine while you come. I need to know you’re alive and well.”
