Every Sunset Forever (13 page)

“The flight is at 2:40 and it’s almost a three hour drive to the airport in Philadelphia, so we have to leave about 9:30 so we can get there in plenty of time,” Whisper answered.

“You can’t fly out of any other airports?” Bliss asked in surprise.

“The closest airport is still over two hours away, and we’d end up with a connecting flight so it would take longer to get to Kentucky.  I haven’t been on a plane since spring break two years ago,” Whisper said, wiggling her eye brows at Bliss.

“Oh, don’t remind me!”

“Why?  What happened?” Rome asked from where he sat at the kitchen table.

“Bliss learned that the old adage, ‘wine before beer, you’re in the clear; wine before liquor, you’ll get sicker’ is very, very true.”

Bliss lobbed a smack at Whisper’s shoulder, and she ducked with a laugh.  “I won’t tell the rest of the story for anything less than a twenty.”

Bliss shrieked as all three of her mates reached into their back pockets for their wallets and chased Whisper around the kitchen, growling threateningly.

“Ladies, please,” Lena said, smacking a spatula on the counter a few times.  Both Whisper and Bliss froze and looked at her.  “That’s better.  I have twenty dollars upstairs on my dresser, run up and get it, Memphis.”

Whisper rounded the large kitchen table and fell into Fade’s open arms, giggling.

“Oh sure, hide behind the one with the biggest muscles,” Bliss groused.  “Just remember that I’ve got as many stories about you as you’ve got about me.”

“Uh-oh,” Whisper laughed.

“All right you giggling girls,” Jonathan scolded with a broad smile.  “Sit down for breakfast.  There’s a lot to do to get ready for the block party tonight.”

Whisper and Bliss hugged and laughed a little more before her best friend found her seat between two of her mates.  Whisper attempted to slide into the empty chair, but Fade held her tight on his lap, and Nyte scooted over into the empty seat instead.

“I’ve got you, baby,” Fade said, kissing her neck.

Peeking over her shoulder, she smiled at him.  “I’ve got you, too.”

* * * * *

Whisper put the finishing touches on the enormous pasta salad that she’d helped Calvin make.  She liked being in the kitchen with her parents.  She imagined that if she hadn’t been taken, she would have been very close with all of them, the way that she saw her brothers were.  Although she felt cheated at what she had missed out on, she loved Mack and her wolf brothers, too.

Calvin stirred the big bowl as Whisper dumped in the last of the cherry tomatoes she’d halved.  “It smells amazing,” she said as she watched him turn the big spoon into the mass of spiral noodles and vegetables coated with Italian dressing.

“It’s your mom’s favorite,” he said, smiling.

“Yeah?”

“Sure.  She loves summer.  Living on the water like this…it makes us all anxious for the nice weather so we can enjoy the outdoors.  Lena hates the winter, hates being cold.  She’s never really cared for the denning-in, either.”

“The what-now?” Whisper asked, crunching on a leftover cucumber slice.

“The denning-in.  Towards the end of this month, all the hyena clans will go to their dens for the winter.  Most of us work from home during that time.  We don’t have basements here, so we have special shutters that we put up around the downstairs that make it dark like a basement would be.  We transform the family room into a big bedroom.  When the boys were young, we put them in the living room with a big tent and blow-up mattresses.  They thought they were camping out.”

“What’s the point of doing that?  The whole denning-in thing?”  She’d never heard of such a practice, but a part of her thought it made sense.

He shrugged lightly as he stuck a large serving spoon into the bowl.  “I think back in the old days it was safer for the clans to disappear in the winter.  I remember my grandparents talking about how they had to stockpile food for the winter months to make sure that their clan had enough food to last through the cold months when prey was scarce.  Now,” he shrugged once more, “we venture out once a week to go for food, check in with our jobs, and of course, let your mom stretch her legs.”

Carrying out the bowl while Calvin gathered two big bowls of chips, she reflected on the denning-in.  The idea of hiding out in a dark room for a few months with nothing but her mates and lots of time sounded like heaven.

“Is there a reason that Mom doesn’t like the denning-in?” she asked as she set the pasta salad on a long folding table set up at the end of the driveway.

Calvin set the chips down and gave the salad another stir.  “I guess when you were taken, the denning-in just reminded her that we weren’t a whole family.  We never stopped looking for you, even during the denning-in.”

Whisper looked around the street at the people who were setting up tables at the ends of their driveways.  “I wish I knew why I was taken and what happened to me between the time that I was taken and when I was found by the police.  There’s two years of my life that are unaccounted for.”

Calvin settled his hand on her shoulder, and she turned to look at him.  “Baby girl, I don’t know why you were taken.  It’s a mystery that’s most likely never going to have an answer.  I believe that everything happens for a reason.  I hate that you were stolen from us when you were so young, but because of that, your brothers have found their mate in your best friend, and you’re here with us now, with your own mates in tow.  I desperately want the twenty-three years back with you, but conversely I’m proud of the woman you’ve become and what you’ve accomplished in your life.”

“Thanks, Dad,” she smiled up at him.

“You’re welcome, Whisper.”

“You can call me by my birth name,” she offered.

“It’s okay, you’ve gone by Whisper longer than Savannah.  And I like it.  It’s unique and pretty.”

Her mates appeared, carrying a picnic table between them as her mom directed them to set it down in the grass next to the folding table.  She smiled as she spied the bunching and flexing of her mates’ muscles as they set the table down and straightened.  Fade caught her eye and wiggled his brows.

She joined him, and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head.  “See something you like, Whisper?”

“Everything, Fade.  I like everything I see.”

Before long, the street was filled with men, women, and children, and she found herself surrounded by family — aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents — and her head swam with names and relationships.  Her mates stood behind her, a silent wall of support as she met each person who came to her.  Her parents and brothers watched protectively from nearby, Bliss standing with them.  In a way, her family reminded her of the wolf pack.  She knew that if anyone tried to hurt her, her family would come to her defense immediately.

After what felt like an endless stream of relatives finally stopped, she and her mates walked down the street with her family and visited each house.  Everyone on the street offered something different to contribute to the street party.  Along with an inflatable bounce house at the end of the street for the kids and a DJ playing light rock on big speakers, some of the houses had tables of side dishes, some desserts, and grills were scattered along the curb with a variety of meats.  The air was filled with the smoky scent of charcoal and seared meat, and the laughter and chatter of the
baro
filled the air.  The night sky darkened as the sun set, and they spent several hours walking up and down the street, getting to know her family.

Fade carried her upstairs to the bedroom after they all said goodnight to her parents.  He settled her gently on the bed and began to remove her tennis shoes while Az and Nyte stripped down to their boxer briefs nearby.

Whisper yawned, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Sleepy, baby?” Nyte asked with a smile.  “It’s been a long day.”

“Yeah,” she nodded.  “On both counts.”

“Your family is really great,” Az said.  Fade placed her shoes on the floor and undid her jeans, wiggling them down her body. Within minutes, she was in a sleep shirt, tucked between Nyte and Fade as Az grumbled about the sleeping bag.

Whisper peered over the side of the bed as she leaned over Nyte’s body.  “We’ll be home tomorrow and then no one has to sleep in a sleeping bag.”

Az went up on his knees and cupped her face, kissing her gently.  “I’d sleep on rocks for you.”

Nyte cuffed the back of his head.  “Quit being romantic when we can’t do anything with her parents in the next room.”

She giggled, kissed Az once more, and settled between Nyte and Fade.  It hadn’t escaped her notice that she had called Kentucky ‘home.’  It hadn’t been a conscious thought; the word had just popped out of her mouth.  Maybe it didn’t mean anything, but she kind of felt like it did.  Because home was where your heart was, and she was falling in love with her mates.  It might be fast, since they’d only known each other about a week, but she couldn’t deny that the attraction between them was so much more than superficial. 

Chapter 1
2

Az fixed Whisper’s plate at breakfast and poured a glass of orange juice for her before settling next to her and fixing his own plate.  Her family was eating with them, taking a last chance to talk before they left to head to Philadelphia to catch their flight home.

“When are you coming to Beyton?” Bliss asked as she spread jelly on a triangle of toast.

“I haven’t even been to Kentucky yet, and you want to know when I’m going to leave already?” Whisper said it with a light laugh, but Az heard the slight strain in her voice.

“Well, you have to come to my birthday party!  You promised you’d play, and there’s no way that Kross and Kayne will do any of the songs I really like without you there to sing lead.”  Bliss was pouting in an over-exaggerated way, but Az guessed that the act was pretty close to the truth.  Her best friend was leaving, not just moving across town but going several states away to start a new life.  Her mates’ hands were suddenly on her, as if they recognized that Bliss was truly upset and wanted to help her calm down.

Nyte jumped in.  “We’ll bring her back to Beyton for your birthday, Bliss.”

She gave them a watery smile.  “Really?”

Whisper looked at Nyte, and Az saw her relieved smile.  “Really, babe.  Do you think I’d miss my bestie turning twenty-five?”

The conversation around the table eased into unimportant things, like cake and party decorations, which left Az time to consider once more that perhaps their mate wasn’t as happy about living in Dalton as they had hoped she would be.

After breakfast, they finished packing and watched as Whisper said goodbye to her biological family.  The entire
baro
had come out to see them off; it took a lot longer for them to get on the road, but it was worth it to see Whisper have a chance to talk to everyone once more.

Nyte pulled out of the driveway, and they all waved to her family.  Whisper sat in the back seat between Az and Fade, and as they turned down the street and Nyte set the GPS to the airport, she yawned and wiggled in the seat until her head rested in Az’s lap.

He brushed his fingers through her hair as Fade lifted her feet and dropped her shoes to the floor of the SUV, settling her feet on his lap.  “Do you want a shirt or something to lay your head on so you’re more comfortable?” he asked.

She turned her head and smiled up at him.  “Your lap is very comfy.  And there isn’t anything hard poking me in the back, like last night.”

“Sue me for thinking our mate is hot,” Nyte grumbled from the front seat.

“You are,” Az said.

“I think you guys are hot, too,” she said, punctuating her words with a yawn.

“Rest, baby, we’ve got you.”

She smiled sleepily and settled back on his lap, quickly falling asleep.

Many hours and a plane ride later, Nyte carried Whisper through the front door of their apartment in Dalton as Fade and Az followed behind, carrying as many of her bags as they could manage.  They’d encouraged her to pack as much as she could into suitcases and had paid the extra fees for the bags.  The only thing that hadn’t been practical to bring along was her full-sized electronic keyboard, so Az had arranged for Alyssa and Sydney to buy one for her and leave it at the apartment as a surprise.

“How about the grand tour?”  Nyte asked as he put her on her feet.

“Sounds good.”  She smiled at them.

The three-bedroom apartment had two stories, with the eat-in kitchen, family room, and a half bath on the first floor, and three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the second floor.  It wasn’t that big, but it had been fine for him and his brothers up until they’d brought Whisper through the door.  Now all Az could see were the faults.  The dull white walls.  The worn carpeting.  The rental furniture.  As Nyte showed her around the house acting like a docent in a museum, Fade squeezed his shoulder.

“We’ll get a house built ASAP.  It’ll be designed by our mate and perfect for all of us.  Then we’ll feel at home.”

“Will we?” Az asked, bitterness rising in his gut once more.  He just wished he knew for sure that Whisper would feel at home in Dalton.  Suddenly, he wasn’t positive that was the case.  They didn’t know Whisper well enough to know when she was hiding her feelings.  The nurturer in him didn’t much care for that thought.

Fade arched a brow and said nothing, but Az felt as though his brother might be thinking the same thing.  Nyte whistled at them and nodded his head towards the stairs.  Whisper was already climbing them to the second floor, and he and Fade followed close behind.

“So all this is rental, the furniture and everything?” Whisper asked as she stood near the window of the master bedroom that Nyte had claimed, but which would now belong to all of them.

Nyte said, “Yes.”

“Your
baro
is nearby and has land you can build on, though, right?”

“Our
baro
,” Nyte reminded her, before confirming that they could build anywhere they cared to on the wooded property.

She smiled over her shoulder at them.  “Is there an induction like in the pack, where my dad officially joins new members?”

“No; when we mate you, you become part of the
baro
,” Az said.  He moved to her and looked down at her as she turned her attention out the window.  It overlooked the parking lot, and beyond that a small grassy area with benches and a stone fountain.

She seemed to be focusing on something outside.  Az asked, “Are you all right?”

She shook her head suddenly, like she was trying to clear her thoughts, and dropped the blinds, effectively shutting out the view.  “There was a car out there that I swear I’ve seen before.  It drove off, so I must be imagining things.”

“What sort of car?” Fade asked, his voice dropping to a growl.

She waved her hand absently.  “It’s a dark sedan, like probably a million others around.  I thought I saw one at the rest stop between Atlantic City and Ocean City, and at the block party last night, I swear I saw one near where the street had been blockaded.  But it has to be a coincidence.”

Az looked at his brothers, and they both looked concerned.  “Maybe.” Nyte said after a long moment.  “But just to be safe, don’t go anywhere alone.”

She snorted lightly.  “I don’t have a car.  Where would I go?”

“Would you go somewhere if you could?” Az asked and immediately regretted it.  What if she said she wanted to go to New Jersey or Maryland?

“All I want to do is take a shower and
go
to bed.  It’s been a long day.”  The corner of her mouth curled up in a teasing smile, and Az kissed her forehead.

“How about a bath?”

“If you promise not to let me fall asleep and drown.”

“I promise.”

He left her with his brothers and went into the bathroom, turning on the taps in the garden tub and adjusting the water.  It wasn’t as nice a bathroom as he would have liked for her.  He pictured her in a big Jacuzzi tub, with bubbles covering the surface of the water and teasing him with occasional peeks of her silky flesh.

She joined him in the bathroom, and his brothers stayed in the bedroom.  There wasn’t really enough room in the bathroom for four people anyway, especially not when three of them were fairly big and muscular.

Whisper stripped slowly and then stepped into the tub.  The water swirled around her calves; she reached her hand out, and he grasped it.  “Join me?”

In a heartbeat, everything in his body heated and tightened.  He had a lot of regrets in that moment, the least of which was that they weren’t officially mated so he couldn’t join her in the tub.  It would be too tempting to make love to her.  Keeping at least their shorts on had prevented them from having easy access to her sweet pussy, especially at night when she seemed to enjoy wiggling against them.

His voice came out raspy when he said, “Can’t, baby.  You’re too tempting.”

She sighed and sat down in the water.  “I never thought it would be a hassle to be tempting.”

He chuckled and knelt next to her, resting his elbow on the edge of the tub as he checked the water temperature.  “I’ll wash your back for you; that seems safe.”

Grinning, she wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her cheek on her knee.  “Is there anything that’s safe when it comes to us touching each other?”

“Probably not,” he agreed.  He turned off the water and grabbed the wash cloth he had set on the edge of the tub, lathering it quickly with a bar of soap.  Rubbing the cloth along her back seemed like a simple thing, but his cock didn’t think it was all that simple and neither did his brain, which wanted to make him drop the cloth, pull her out of the tub, and then make love to her.  Or his beast, which wanted to mark her while they loved her.

Whisper reached over and laid her palm on his cheek.  She moved in the water until she was on her knees facing him.  “You smell good when you’re turned on, Az.  What are you thinking about?”

He raised the soaked, sudsy cloth up to her shoulder and squeezed, watching as the soapy water slicked down her chest.  “Touching you,” he said roughly.  “Tasting you.  Feeling you come on my cock again and again.”

She moaned softly as he soaked the cloth again and squeezed it out over her.  “I want that.  I don’t want to wait,” she said.

Looking into her caramel eyes, bright with arousal and need, he fell in love with her a little bit more than he already had.  He didn’t want to wait, either, but he knew they needed to.  This situation right here was exactly why they weren’t supposed to mess around alone.  It was difficult for Az to turn her down when she was practically begging to make love to him.  He didn’t have a whole lot of willpower, and his beast roared at him to do anything to make her happy, even if it meant going against their way of doing things.

Shaking his head slightly, he dropped the cloth into the water with a splash and brought her hand to his lips, kissing the top.  “We can’t, Whisper.”

Her cheeks pinked in blush.  “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?  I’m the one that rubbed you all over until you could smell my arousal.  I should apologize.”

“For wanting me?”  She arched a brow.  “I like that part.  I’m just sorry that I pushed you.  I wish that we could make love now.  Whenever we wanted.  Because I want you.  I want all of you.”  She cast her eyes over his head, and he knew his brothers were looking in through the doorway.

Nyte cleared his throat.  “Give us two days, Whisper, and we’ll do the mating ceremony and join together.”

Her eyes widened.  “Really? I thought we needed more time?”

Nyte said, “We told you that you would dictate the physical part of the relationship, baby.  It’s not easy to have three mates, and we didn’t want you to feel overwhelmed when we were strangers.  Now, I feel like I’ve known you my whole life.  I feel the same way as Az, and so does Fade.  We’re ready for you whenever you’re ready for us.”

“Tonight?” she asked, chewing on her bottom lip.

Fade groaned softly.  Az chuckled and tilted her face to look at him.  “We have to get the supplies ready for our mating.  You can wait two more days, right?”

He slipped his hand down the front of her body, stopping to gently thumb her nipples before cupping her wet, hot sex.  “Two?”  Her voice came out on a breathy sigh.

“Just two,” he answered.

The slick heat of her body called to him.  He glanced over his shoulder to his brothers, and Nyte nodded and then said, “Come on his fingers, baby, and then it’s my turn to make you scream.”

* * * * *

The following afternoon, Nyte found himself driving his clan to Dante’s home for a welcoming party.  Alyssa and Sydney were excited to meet Whisper, and although she seemed a bit nervous, she was looking forward to the party.

Whisper sat in the second row of his F-150 between his brothers, which seemed to be a newly established habit - him driving and his brothers cuddling with their mate.  He wasn’t jealous.  Much.  And maybe he’d make Az drive home so he could get some cuddle time with Whisper.  Not that they hadn’t
cuddled
plenty the night before.  If by cuddling one meant making her scream in ecstasy as she came over and over again.  Their mate was addictive.  He knew that when they mated, he’d never want to leave the bed.

“What are you thinking about so seriously?” Whisper asked.

“I’m trying to figure out what job I can do from bed so that, once we’re mated, I never have a reason to leave.”

Her musical laughter filled the cab of the truck.  “I’m surprised I could even get out of bed today.”

Fade growled lightly.  “You should never leave.”

Nyte rolled his eyes as he heard the sound of kissing.  One more reason he wished he wasn’t driving.

“Wow, this is a nice house,” Whisper said as Fade helped her out of the truck after Nyte stopped in front of Dante’s clan’s home.

“They built it before they met Alyssa.  They’ve lived in Dalton for a few years,” Nyte said.

Az and Nyte joined them and waited while she looked around.  “It’s so quiet here.”