Trouble Comes in Threes (15 page)

Those two days were possibly the best time in my life. Then reality kicked me in the ass as I stood in my den and realized I’d packed all I wanted to take from here.

It was time to meet their clowder.

Kirk

M
OVING
DAY
.

God, were there more despised words than those? We’d gotten up early, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and now we were standing in the den, looking at all the piled-up boxes. Until I started packing, I had no idea how many automotive books, car magazines, pictures, scopes, hunting rifles, fishing poles, tackles, movies…. Good grief, where had I put all this stuff? Then there were the boxes holding my bathroom stuff and kitchen things. Plus furniture. And that was just the household stuff. The real chore was going to be all the shop equipment.

“Okay, let’s get the furniture loaded first,” I said. “We can shove boxes in wherever we can find space in the truck bed.”

Tal helped me move the mattresses onto the truck. “Once we get home, Dolf and I will bring our trucks back. That’ll make this go faster.”

“We’ll bring the trailer too.” Dolf tied down the mattresses. “We’ll need that when we start moving your shop.”

Before I was ready, we were underway. They gave me directions, and I pulled onto the interstate. I took the exit Dolf pointed out, and soon we were driving down back roads. Another ten minutes, and we were there. I pulled in their driveway, thankful they didn’t live in a subdivision. There were houses around them, but from what I had seen getting here, each house sat on several acres—enough room between houses so that next-door neighbors weren’t within touching distance. I liked that the house was off the road and had mature trees surrounding it. There was a pond off to the side. I hoped it had fish in it.

But the house…. I couldn’t believe it. It was a work of beauty—the very image of what I wanted for myself one day. Damn thing was a huge log house with a soaring V-shaped prow window wall in front. Holy cow, what a fucking statement those windows made. And what did you know? There was a stone chimney to the left of the bank of windows—the fireplace Tal had told me about. The same stone made up the borders of the flowerbeds out front.

Someone had done an excellent job on landscaping too, and I wondered which of them handled that or if it was hired out. On the right side of the house was a four-car garage. Jesus,
four
-car garage? What did they need with that? The place was gorgeous and fit naturally into the surrounding landscape. God, I loved it. It was my dream home. If I’d ever designed plans for a home,
this
would have been it. There wasn’t a thing I’d change. It was… me.

It was… kind of scary.

I parked, and we got out. “Man, this is beyond belief. What a beautiful place you have here.”

“Wait until you see the inside.” Dolf patted Tal on the ass as he walked to the back of the truck. “Tal designed the layout.”

“Really?”

“I got my architectural degree back in the late eighties. I take classes here and there to keep up-to-date.”

“The eighties,” I muttered. “I graduated high school in the early nineties. High school. And you’d already finished college. I can’t wrap my head around that.”

“Dolf finished his business degree about the same time.” Tal untied the mattresses.

“Here, let me help with that.” Tal and I manhandled the mattresses out of the back and leaned them against the truck. “So, you both have degrees?”

“Yes. Our Alpha encourages anyone who wants to go to college. He’ll help in any way he can.” Dolf picked up a planter by a rocking chair on the porch.

“That’s wonderful. The kids here are really lucky.”

“The Alpha helps anyone, not just the kids.” Dolf held it up, peering at the bottom.

“What are you doing?” I asked.
The Alpha helps anyone, huh?

“Getting the spare key. Didn’t bring mine with me.” Dolf winked as he removed something. “How about a quick tour, and then we’ll show you your private space?”

“I’d like that.”

The inside was as spectacular as the outside. My breath caught as I gazed at the stone fireplace that stretched to the ceiling. Oh man, there was a thick, furry rug in front of it. The wood floors gleamed. The couches in the den were brown leather, with modern end tables. Touches of red in the pillows, rugs, knick-knacks, candles, and silk floral arrangements brightened the room. It was rustic but modern—a nicely crafted balance.

Since the bottom floor was open concept, I had a view of the kitchen. All I could see was marble, glass, and stainless steel. The log truss system caught my eye. Huh. I had a mental image of Dolf and Tal running those beams as cats. I looked from the beams to the floor. Now that was a drop. Guess it was a good thing cats landed on their feet. Actually, the more I glanced around, the more I noticed all the ledges had walkways connecting them.

There were… I squinted. Was that some kind of fuzzy ball up there on one of the trusses? The more I looked, the more I saw stuffed animals like mice, rats…. Good grief, there were perches everywhere with feathered toys on them. It hit me then: their house was a big cat play area. Oh, this was just adorable. Lots and lots of things for cats to play with. Smirking, I met Tal’s eyes. Tal blushed as he toed a small clear ball with a bell inside out of the way.

I glanced at the slight pinkness in his cheeks and step closer to him. “Hey, pretty kitty.” Tal nibbled his bottom lip, but those bright blue eyes met mine, shining with lust. I cupped his chin. “I want to watch Dolf take your ass tonight.”

Tal whimpered. “Oh goddess.”

I jumped when heat pressed against me from behind.

“How about I take both your asses tonight?” Dolf blew in my ear. “Consider it a welcome home present.”

I snaked my arm behind his neck, trapped between them. “You’re going to do us both, huh? Got that kind of staying power?”

Tal clasped my hand and brought my fingers to his lips, slowly nibbling on the middle finger, bringing my attention back to him. “Hell, Kirk, he can go all night, trust me.”

“And since you’re not human now—” Dolf gently nipped my earlobe. “—you can go all night too.”

“Cool. That’s a benefit you didn’t mention.” Suddenly, I stiffened in Dolf’s arms. Oh shit, surely that wasn’t what I thought it was. “Did I just hear a car door shut?”

Dolf closed his eyes and inhaled. “It appears my dad is here, along with….” Dolf sniffed again.

“Remi.” Tal walked to the door. “It’s Remi with him. Good. That’s good. Glad it’s him. I’ll get it. That’ll give you a few seconds to get ready to meet our Alpha.”

I faced Dolf, more than a little scared. I wasn’t ready for this. And why was Tal glad this Remi dude was the one to come with their Alpha? What was going on with that? I shivered, more than the coolness of the house bothering me. Abruptly, the conversation we’d had earlier ran through my head. They’d both said shifters didn’t care for humans.

I might not be human anymore, but I damn sure wasn’t a shifter. So, did that mean they wouldn’t like me too? What exactly was I, then? I had a bad feeling about this. I’d barely walked in the damn house, and Dolf’s dad was here. Shit, I didn’t even know how to address the man. This was going to be a disaster.

So, of course, anger was my first response. “Oh, fuck me, really? Your dad is here? Now? Your Alpha? And why is Tal glad it’s Remi with him? Who the fuck is Remi?”

“Remi is one of the betas, that’s all. He’s a nice guy.”

“Is there like… meeting the Alpha rules or something here, Dolf? Shit, you guys should’ve told me what I needed to know to meet your dad. Dammit, you just threw me from the frying pan into the fire.”

“Calm down, Kirk. You’re not a member of our clowder yet, so stop working yourself up.”

My mouth fell open. “Not a member of the clowder yet? What’s that mean? I thought you both mated me.”

“We did. Mating isn’t joining. That’s something completely different. We’ll have a joining ceremony soon. That will be your induction as our mate.” Dolf shrugged. “It’s nothing fancy.”

Visions of naked bodies dancing around roaring bonfires hit me. Then add me tied to a stake, and my nightmare was complete. Damn overactive imagination. “Joining ceremony. And I’m just hearing about this
now
?”

“Really, it’s nothing. I’ll tell you about it shortly—”

“Oh, thanks for adding that to your to-do list.”

“Kirk….” Dolf took a deep breath, then another. Then one more. “I forgot, okay? I’m sorry. Main thing right now is to not hold Dad’s gaze for a long period of time. That’s considered a challenge.”

“You have
got
to be kidding me.” Now that Dolf was done sucking air, this was the best he could come up with? “A long period of time? Can you get any more vague than that? What is a long time? Five minutes, half hour, thirty seconds, longer than a blink of an eye? Come on, man.”

“Oh, for the love of…. It’s not like I’ve timed it.” Dolf glared at me. “Just don’t hold his gaze longer than what it takes to say hello.”

“And what? Look at the floor the rest of the time? Stare at his chin? Am I not supposed to make eye contact at all? Jesus, I was raised to look folks in the eye, because, you know… I was raised as a
human
, not a shifter!” I glared right back at Dolf.

“Just don’t get in a staring contest with him, Kirk. Of course you can look at him, just don’t try to stare him down, that’s all. Like you’re doing with me, for example.”

I’d like to take his example and…. “I’m not staring you down, I’m staring at you in exasperation. Big difference. And stop giving me the evil eye, dammit. I’m new here. I don’t know what’s expected of me. I don’t know anyone outside of Tal and you—and I’m more than a little annoyed at you, in case you missed that. You should have told me how to—”

“Would you just please calm down? He’s my Alpha, but he’s my dad too, Kirk. You’re just meeting some of my family.”

“Just meeting your
family
?” I threw my hands up in the air. “
Just
meeting your family! Oh my God, are you really that dense?”

Dolf narrowed his gaze. “Watch it, Kirk. You’ve gotten snippy several times with me already.”

“Snippy? Snippy? What am I? Ten? Snippy, he says. Jesus.” I wanted to
shake
him. “Ever heard of making a good impression, Dolf? Last thing I need is to say something wrong and have your pack—”

“Clowder,” Dolf growled.

Oh, that’s it.
I growled right back, furious. “Want me to tell you where you can stick your correction?”

“I wouldn’t advise it.” Dolf took a step close to me.

I took a step right back toward him. Fuck if I was backing down from Mr. High and Mighty Future Alpha. “Fuck me running, Dolf, don’t you get it? It’s your
dad
. We’re mated, so he’s like the human equivalent of a father-in-law.”

Dolf’s fierce look faded, and he ran a hand through his short hair.

My anger drained away just as suddenly. It was too late to worry about that now. “I want him to like me, man.” My shoulders slumped. “I’m sure he’d rather I was a shifter like you and Tal.”

“Oh, sexy.” Dolf scrubbed at his face, pain in his voice. “I’m sorry, Kirk. Goddess, I am so very sorry. You’re right. I should have taken the time to explain. I was so concerned with getting the mating done, I let other things slide. I did put you at a disadvantage, and I shouldn’t have done that to you. It’s just… I didn’t know he’d show up this soon. I thought I’d have more time to start introducing you to our culture.”

“Well… surprise.”

“Indeed. That’s why I reacted that way. I messed up. Having Dad show up unannounced… I was unprepared. As the next Alpha, I can’t make mistakes like that. And I damn sure shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

“Well, hell, Dolf.” From the look on his face, I guessed he wasn’t used to sticking his foot in his mouth like he just did with me.

A voice boomed across the room to where Dolf and I stood. “You’re right, being a human was a concern. But after what I just saw, there’s not a doubt in my mind why our goddess chose you as a mate for my son. You stood up to him. You gave as good as you got. Tal might be the peacekeeper, but you—you will stand up to Dolf. Argue with him. Keep him from getting too arrogant, as Alphas tend to do.” Monty held out his hand. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Kirk.”

Oh, lovely. Just how long has he been standing there?
“It’s, ah, nice to meet you… sir.” I had no idea how to address him. This was the very thing I’d been reaming Dolf about. I stuck my hand out while trying not to whack Dolf upside his head for putting me in this situation.

“You can smack your mate later.” Dolf’s dad smiled widely at what I was sure was shock on my face as we shook hands. The guy next to him snorted. “Call me Monty when it’s just family. Otherwise, the usual form is just Alpha. That’s what most of the people in the clowder do. More formal address would be Alpha Hoyer. Now, this”—Monty waved at the man next to him—“is one of my betas, Remi Ginn.”