Abbey's Protectors [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 4] (Siren Publishing Menage & More) (4 page)

“It is the way of triad mates,” the woman explained. “The men will each contribute half of the DNA needed to make every one of your children. They will both father and be fathers to your babies, and they will love them completely just as they will love you.”

Abbey found that she was so overwhelmed with the information that she was unable to speak. To be loved completely was something she craved, but she had given up hope on ever achieving such a gift. To know that two men would give her that love and create a loving triad was something she had a hard time wrapping her head around, but she craved feeling a part of a loving relationship with honest feelings and a desire to have a family.

“These men have seen such sadness and cruelty,” the beautiful woman continued. “Their hearts need your love to heal. They have reached a point of sadness and despair in their lives. They have very little faith in humanity or hope for happiness for themselves.”

Abbey reached out and touched the woman’s hand, squeezing it lightly as her heart broke for the men the woman spoke about.

“Why?” she whispered.

“They have seen much sorrow and hatred in life,” the woman told her without hesitation. “They need your gentleness. They need your caring. And they need your love. They need to see the goodness in life. You will show them that goodness. Only then will they have the balance that they need to do what they are destined to do.”

“What are they destined to do?”

“It is their destiny to protect. And it is their destiny to belong to you.”

Abbey released her hold on the woman, stepping out of her father’s embrace to look at him in embarrassment. Her father’s gentle gaze held hers without criticism or judgment.

“You will be introduced to a very special group of people who have the gift of the magic of shifting. They are wolves,” the woman continued gently.

Abbey smiled slowly. This was crazy. And it was one hell of a dream.

“Abbey, this is no dream,” the woman corrected her gently. “I’ve come to you with your father so you will accept what I am telling you and will know that you have nothing to fear. The men you are destined to love are wolf shifters. They will find you when you need them the most. Give yourself to them. Accept the love and protection they will offer you and your babies. Trust in the joining, Abbey Tyler.”

Abbey remained silent as the woman leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. The warmth and sense of complete peace and love that surrounded her was undeniable. The feelings of encouragement and truth rushed through her. She didn’t understand what was happening, but she would take every bit of love and comfort she was offered without hesitation.

“You will know them when you meet them, daughter,” the woman whispered. “Their scent will call to you. You will share visions with them that will show you what your life with them will be like. Don’t be afraid of your future or of the instant caring that you will feel for them. It will happen very quickly as is the way of true triad mates. Take the happiness and the love that you deserve.” She reached out and touched Abbey’s cheek gently, smiling as Abbey leaned into her touch and accepted her warmth and her gifts. “You will be trusted with their secrets, my child. Your knowledge of the shifter world is something that must be guarded to protect their safety.”

“I promise I won’t tell anyone about them,” Abbey vowed without hesitation.

“I know you will not, Abbey,” the beautiful woman answered without hesitation. “You will be a true member of the shifter community. You will hold them close to your heart and will never betray them. Your two friends will be keepers of this secret as well. You can trust them. Don’t be afraid to share your thoughts with them. They will always be supportive of you just as you are of them. You will help them make their journey toward their destiny.”

“Okay,” Abbey told her, smiling at the mention of her two best friends. “I’m glad.”

“We need to go now, honey,” her father spoke up. “Give my love to Synthia and Shelly.” He smiled as he looked down at her, his expression soft and filled with love.

The panic and fear that filled Abbey was instant. She couldn’t let her father go. She needed him. She looked at him, about to plead with him not to leave her when she saw the gentle love he had for her clearly expressed in his eyes.

“I love you, Daddy,” she told him softly.

“I love you, too, baby girl,” he whispered against her ear. “Now you get some rest and don’t worry. Things will be better now.”

“Will you visit me again?” Abbey asked as he stepped away from her.

“I’ll keep an eye on you,” he promised. “Stay put for a while. When the time is right for you to leave this cave, I’ll let you know.”

Abbey smiled and nodded at her father. She suddenly felt so much better. She watched as he and the beautiful woman faded before her. Even though they were gone, she still felt their presence deep within her soul, and she somehow knew that she was going to be fine.

She looked around her and saw that she still stood in the beautiful garden. It held many rows of the most colorful array of flowers she had ever seen. Whoever had made this garden had the gift of a green thumb and an amazing sense of beauty. There was a white trellis that arched over a pathway that was made of small stones that led to a small, marble fountain set before an in ground swimming pool that looked as if it had been carved into the rock wall that surrounded it. It had the most beautiful waterfall that cascaded from a ledge of gray slate. The peacefulness of it called to her. The beauty of it calmed her.

Turning, she saw the back of a large, log home with a deck that housed several comfortable, cushioned lawn chairs and a swing that hung from the overhang of the deck by chains. She could picture herself swinging there and enjoying the beauty of the garden and the waterfall.

She heard the soft whimper of a baby’s cry, and she felt a tug in her chest at the sound. The immediate need to go to the child filled her. She started walking toward the back porch of the pretty home when the sounds of the deep voices of two men stopped her forward progress. She watched silently as the men came out onto the deck carrying two small children. One man was heavily muscled with black hair. He held an infant securely against his chest, petting the baby’s hair gently. The other man was nearly as tall and was equally as powerful in build, with dark brown hair. He held a little boy who was about two years old. The way the men held the children made a lump form in her throat. They were obviously comfortable with the children, their easy hold on them proof that they often cuddled these children to their chests. If they were the fathers of these children, it was obvious to Abbey that they were caring and loving fathers.

When she looked at the men’s faces, the emotions that had tightened within her chest at the beauty of their caring toward the children disappeared as shock took its place. The men were absolutely gorgeous. No man should ever be allowed to be that strikingly handsome. When they looked at her and smiled, she backed up in fear. There was no way she could deal with any men who were that beautiful. She was not going down that road again.

“Come here, sweetheart,” the taller man with the black hair called to her. “Our daughter needs to be nursed.”

“Our son is ready for his nap, too, honey,” the second man added. He reached out and offered his upturned hand to her. “Come up and cuddle with us, Mommy, until he falls asleep.”

Despite her determination to keep her distance from the sinfully handsome men, she found her feet moving her toward them. She walked up the three steps to stand on the deck directly in front of them. She allowed them to take her hands in theirs, lead her to the swing, and help her to sit down between them. They helped her unbutton her blouse and unhook the cup of her nursing bra, settling their baby daughter against her freed breast.

Abbey sighed with contentment as the baby latched onto her nipple and started to suckle. She felt the warmth of her men’s bodies as they sandwiched her between them, wrapping their arms around her and holding her gently as they settled their foreheads against her temples. Her little son rested his head on her shoulder and grabbed onto her hair as he sucked his thumb, closing his eyes and settling against her as he relaxed.

“We sure have beautiful babies, sweetheart,” the bigger man whispered. “Thank you for giving us our family.”

He reached down and touched her chin to gently tip her face up to meet his gaze. Abbey saw the softness in his brown eyes and realized that he was looking at her with complete love and happiness.

He leaned forward and kissed her gently, licking at her lips lightly as he hummed against them. She couldn’t prevent the soft whimper of need that escaped her. When the other man reached up to tip her face toward his and looked down at her with the same devotion in his sparkling, blue eyes, she waited for his kiss and he didn’t disappoint her.

The scene began to fade around her, and she had no choice but to let it go. It was a beautiful dream, but she had to accept the fact that it was only a dream. She could never trust men who looked like these men looked. It was okay. She was content with the dream, accepting that she would only have it to satisfy her secret desires.

She was happy to be free. The darkness of the cave hid her from the world, and she slept peacefully. She was unaware of the soft blue light that had surrounded her as she slept, keeping her within its circle of protection.

* * * *

Abbey slept for nearly three hours, not stirring despite the sounds of searching that appeared very near to the entrance of the cave. The protection around her was strong, covering her tracks and masking the way into her hiding place. She was blissfully unaware of the anger and murderous intent that filled the area. Her father and the gloriously beautiful woman were true to their word. They kept her safe and hidden.

She awoke slowly, struggling to make sense of her surroundings. She suddenly felt as if she was being nudged awake. Despite the coolness of the cave, she felt warmth surrounding her. She raised her left wrist to her face and depressed the button on her watch that made the face of it glow a soft blue. It was nearly one o’clock in the morning. She had to get moving. Something within her knew that now was the time to leave the safe haven of the hidden cave and make her way down the side of the ravine.

She stood slowly and stretched, reaching her arms upward to get rid of the stiffness from sleeping on the rock floor. She leaned over and reached out in the darkness to locate her backpack. Finding it, she unzipped it slowly and reached inside to locate the small flashlight that was resting on the top of the last items she chose to take with her.

She clicked the flashlight on, the illumination bursting forth like an explosion. Despite the knowledge that no one could possibly see the light from outside the cave, she was worried that the precious light would give away her hiding place. She grabbed for one of the soft cloths she had stacked along the cave wall and walked with it to the water that was dribbling down the rock. She reached out to catch some of the coldness, saturating the cloth with it. Without hesitating, she brought the cloth to her face and scrubbed quickly. When she took the cloth away, she looked down and saw that there was a mixture of blood and dirt on it. She realized that her face must have been covered with cuts from her frantic journey to escape. She hoped she didn’t look too banged up. It would be difficult to blend in if she was too badly bruised.

She dropped the cloth into the plastic bag inside her backpack then quickly gathered up her blankets and stuffed them into the duffel bag that was already filled with her laptop and the supplies that would get her through the upcoming weeks. Taking out the small bag of crackers and peanut butter from her backpack, she ate them slowly, not really hungry but aware that she had to keep up her strength for the journey down into the ravine that would definitely sap her strength.

Drinking only half of the bottle of water that she had brought along, she put it away, removed her sneakers, and quickly put on her hiking boots, lacing them tightly. Shoving her sneakers into the duffle bag, she zipped it up quickly then pulled on her backpack and grabbed for the rope at the top of the duffel bag that she would use to pull it through the small opening of the cave. Once outside, she would be able to loop it around her shoulders and make her way down the steep rock wall.

Taking a few deep breaths, she crouched over and squeezed her way through the short tunnel. It felt as if the walls were closing in on her, and she had to force herself to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. If she could have seen in the complete darkness, she would have seen that her knuckles were white as she gripped the rope that was wrapped around her hand. She pulled the duffel bag behind her, not willing to leave behind any evidence or any of her supplies.

When the duffel bag got hung up in the small space, she nearly panicked but kept a steady pull on it, finally freeing it so she could finish her journey through the terrifying aperture. The space confining her was constricting her lungs and making the blood pump through her head as panic filled her, nearly making her lose consciousness. With one last lunge, she pushed her way out of the crawlway and stood to feel the cool night air caress her face. She closed her eyes and allowed the fresh air to envelope and calm her.

Listening, she held her breath suddenly, concentrating and making herself aware of her surroundings, knowing that any unusual sound would mean that her husband might be close. She heard the breeze blowing through the trees. She heard crickets. She smiled. The crickets were the sentries of the night. No one would be close by if the crickets were singing.