Seven

Now you look here…” Beast tossed his blond dreadlocks over his shoulder and shot Blister a rueful glare. “I’ve put five of these bastards together in my time. Five, understand? I know what I’m doing.”

He turned back to the crib, squinting at the messed up hinge.

“Yeah, with duct tape,” Blister muttered. “Can’t you just read the instructions this one time? This is where my young will be sleeping. It has to be safe.”

“Screw’s in the wrong place is all,” he murmured, ignoring Blister’s suggestion.

“So the asshole just barges in and starts swinging his dick around?” Diz asked, peering at a set of instructions for the changing table. It was coming along swell, and Blister had to think it was because of the man’s inclination for the neat and orderly. Either that or it was because he had to do everything times three. Three changing tables, three car seats, three times the poopy diapers.

The guys had been updated on the situation with Annie’s brother. Blister gave them the whole story but they still kept asking questions as if they were missing some crucial element. But he didn’t know what to make of it any better than they did. Sometimes assholery couldn’t be explained.

“Speaking of dicks swinging…” Surge snickered from his spot on the floor assembling a shelf. “Did you guys see that video on the internet of the baby elephant swinging his trunk?” He busted up laughing. “He’s all…” He pulled one arm up to his nose and let it hang loose, then started bouncing it around haphazardly. “Looks just like a big ‘ol floppy dick, I swear.”

He started laughing so hard he doubled over unable to catch his breath while the others just stared at him like he’d lost his damn mind.

Blister’s lip curled up. That was his boy, Surge. Finding things to laugh about when the rest of them were busy being serious. He’d had a hard go of things, and so many times his laughter had been brought on as a coping mechanism by his wolf. Now it was genuine and consuming. And Blister loved it even if he had to play cool.

The man was happy. They all were. It was easy to see. The day-to-day stresses might seem like giants sometimes but under the filter of family and love, they were nothing more than ants to be crushed underfoot.

Drake stared hard at Surge, but Blister could see it in his alpha’s eyes too. The happiness there. They were a fucking lucky bunch, they were.

“Okay, I have a confession,” Drake announced. “I saw the elephant. And… well… I laughed. For like, ten minutes, and I’m only telling you this because I’m pretty sure Ella will blab at some point.”

Diz let out a hoot and Beast tossed his screwdriver away, falling on his ass as laughter took him.

“I saw it too,” Beast coughed. “Damn thing was flopping around like crazy.”

“Me too,” Diz said, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “Damn, Surge.”

“Blister, you see it?” Surge managed through chuckles.

Blister rubbed his smile away with a brush of his fingers. Damn it, yeah. He’d seen the video. Annie showed it to him a few weeks ago, and begged him to do an impression with his um… But hell if he’d tell the guys that.

He cleared his throat, avoiding their gaze as he reached to pick up the bassinet instructions from the floor. “Yeah, it was like that last night, but not nearly as funny.”

“I don’t know,” Drake murmured, going back to his task. “I probably would’ve enjoyed this little showdown between you and a human. Coulda grabbed some popcorn and laid some money down on ya.”

Blister snorted. “We were each out for blood. Someone would’ve died.” The idea left him cold as it had last night. “Actually, it wasn’t funny at all. I could’ve hurt my mate badly by killing her brother.”

An awkward silence hung in the room.

“You’re right, Blister.” Beast’s tone was quiet. Thoughtful. “It could have ended very badly. But what I can’t figure out is why he fought you even after you turned.”

Blister shook his head. “Don’t know. Really don’t. Seemed to know about shifters though. Seemed to hate them, really. He was more pissed when I changed instead of afraid.”

Beast frowned in thought.

“What a fucking weirdo,” Surge muttered, before pausing to consider something. “Then again, we all kind of are. So maybe he fits in.”

A knock on the nursery door came as Gracie pushed inside followed by Tana who carried a tray of drinks.

“Hey, baby,” Surge smiled up at her and Tana returned his grin as she set the tray on the already constructed dresser.

“You talking to me, Daddy? Or was that for mama again?”

He reached for her, tickling her belly and drawing happy giggles from her. “Your mommy,” he said, winking. “When I’m talking to you, I call you monster.”

“Ha!” she scoffed, offended. “You do not. You call me princess.”

“I do?” He pretended to not remember. “You sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.” Gracie shook her head, exasperated. Then she looked over at Drake. “Uncle Alpha, you need to watch this one. He’s losing his memory.”

Drake nodded, commiserating with the little female bobcat. “Must be his old age. Be careful Grace. You’re getting old too. What are you, four now?”

“No way! I’m almost-five-years-old today.” She shook her head and ran from the room to play while the adults chuckled.

“We have a visitor,” Tana whispered when it was all clear.

Blister frowned. “Who?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Who do you think?”

Blister stood, and so did Beast and Diz. The idea of the shifter hater being in the house with all the mates left him feeling scattered. They should be safe in his home. And what about Annie? Was her brother saying awful things to her again? He needed to get in there and monitor the situation.

“Whoa, whoa.” Tana held both hands up and positioned herself in front of the door. “It’s okay. So far, he’s behaving.”

“But he’s in there with our mates and young,” Diz argued.

“Yeah,” Beast agreed. “We haven’t figured him out yet. The dick could be dangerous.”

Tana tipped her head to the side, her curly hair meeting her shoulder. “And your mate is doing a fine job of putting him in his place. And of course, there’s Gracie. She got to him already.”

Surge chuckled. “That’s my girl.”

Blister was still on edge, and so were the others, he could tell.

“Well, what’s he doing?” Drake asked.

Tana pressed her lips together, looking like she was trying to suppress a grin. “Washing dishes.”

“He’s…” Blister couldn’t picture the angry man from the night before doing something so mundane in a kitchen full of people he claimed to have no tolerance for. “He’s doing dishes?”

“Mm hm. We’ve got this covered, alright. No more testosterone needed. I just wanted to let you all know so no one went wolfy on him. M’kay?”

Blister looked at the guys, all of them frowning but considering Tana’s words.

“Well…” Drake shrugged. “We have a lot of work to do in here so…”

“Yeah,” Surge agreed. “Go on, baby. We’ll just… you know… work and shit.”

Tana gave them a grin and then left, closing the door behind her.

Seconds ticked by as they each stood, contemplating the human situation.

“I’m thinking,” Drake murmured. “That if we read those damn annoying instructions, we can get this shit done in record time and get out there with our mates.”

Four nodding heads agreed with him.

“What do you say boys?”

“Hell yes,” Surge boomed. “I want out there so I can attach myself to her hip and make sure that asshole knows not to mess with her.”

“Ditto,” Beast said, his dreads swinging with his nod.

“I’d like to say, I never had issue with reading the instruction in the first place,” Diz announced. “But I’m in agreement with what Surge said.”

“Yeah.” Blister nodded. He needed to get out there with Annie. And double win, the boys would put his young’s furniture together the right way.

Drake collected the booklets and passed them out to the guys, who immediately went to reading them.

“Alright, dogs.” He sighed. “Let’s do this.”