Chapter 15
Jilly woke up between her mates, who had shifted into their human forms at some point during the night. She reached for Fate who faced her, his eyes closed in sleep, and drew him close. She kissed his forehead and breathed in his scent. Tears stung her eyes. She grabbed Wyked’s hand that rested on her waist and drew it to her lips, kissing each finger.
Fate opened his eyes slowly. He frowned and his brow drew down, but then he smiled and purred.
“Hey, beautiful!” He kissed her. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you.”
She sniffled and chuckled. “You’re glad? I’m over the moon.”
Wyked stretched behind her and kissed her neck. She rolled to her back and pressed her hand to his cheek. “I thought I lost you both last night.”
Wyked glanced at Fate and then at her. “We thought we were going to die, too. I’ve never been in so much pain. Whatever was in that dart was like acid, eating away at everything a little bit at a time.”
Fate nodded. “I was so sorry that the last thing you were going to see was us in pain like that.”
Wyked snarled. “Fucking females. Why would they come after us? We’ve lived here peacefully for three years without a sign of them, and then suddenly they show up with poison darts and try to kill us? I don’t get it.”
Because she’d been one of them once upon a time, she could guess at their mind-set. One or more of the females harbored anger at her for leaving, and for whatever reason it had taken this long for them to get a plan together.
“I think they wanted me to suffer,” she said.
“By killing us?” Fate asked.
“Yeah. When they captured me after we first met, they said I was betraying our kind by mating with you. I don’t know who Treasure killed in the woods, but my guess would be that Tanya was the leader. She would have taken over after Layla was killed.”
“Not that I’m not happy to die in your place,” Wyked said, clearing his throat, “because I would do it a thousand times, but why wouldn’t they kill you? Why go after us?”
“To make me suffer. They probably would have killed me eventually, or maybe they hoped that I’d be so distraught that I’d kill myself.” She rubbed her neck and sighed. “Somehow, even though they don’t know anything about me since I changed after mating you, they guessed that my biggest fear was losing you both. As far as plans for revenge go, it was pretty damn good.”
“Losing you is my biggest fear, too,” Fate murmured and nuzzled her throat.
She wrapped her arms around both their necks. “I’m really glad that we’re heading out on the road soon. Being here in Ashland makes me feel like a sitting duck.”
Wyked chuckled. “We’re glad, too.”
She asked for her phone, which Fate grabbed off the nightstand. She checked her messages.
“Dad said that Treasure was up at the crack of dawn this morning, and, according to Uncle Rhett, is doing fine.” She looked at her mates. “She saved your lives.”
“We should at least get her a fruit basket,” Wyked said.
“Oh yeah, or flowers?” Fate said. “What do you give to someone who nearly kills herself trying to save your life?”
Jilly snorted a laugh. “Seriously?”
“What?” Wyked asked, giving her his most devilish grin.
“Obviously, you give her a gift card. I’m thinking for a mani-pedi. She can take Aunt Lisa.”
“We stand corrected,” Wyked said. He slipped from the bed and stretched, his sexy body on full display.
“Why are you getting out of bed? Don’t we have some celebrating to do?” she asked.
Fate kissed her and nipped her bottom lip. “Yes, but it’ll have to wait. We need to check in with the clan and our parents and let them know we’re really okay, and then we need to go see the pride, and a special pink and blue dragon.”
“Then we can celebrate?” she asked.
“Hell yes,” Wyked said. “Again and again.”
“I love how you think,” she said.
* * *
It was no surprise to Jilly that the entire clan was waiting to hear how Wyked and Fate were doing. She’d texted Dionne that they were going to come to their RV, and by the time they walked out of their own RV, the panthers were all waiting. There was a rousing cheer and a lot of hugs and congratulations from everyone, and Jilly was overcome with how much the clan cared about their welfare.
“Of course they care,” Dionne said, giving her another hug. “You’re family.”
“I know, and we’re so fortunate to be with such a wonderful clan,” Jilly said.
“We’re going to celebrate with a special breakfast,” Dag said. “Pull up a chair around the firepit.”
She, Wyked, and Fate did as they were told, and they sat on folding chairs by the firepit. The cooking grate was covered with cast iron skillets, and in no time Dionne and several of the females were making piles of pancakes. When Jilly saw that they’d tossed a few peach halves on the grate to cook, her stomach growled. Pancakes with grilled peaches were her favorite.
Dionne handed Jilly a plate piled high with pancakes and sliced, grilled peaches. “Thanks, Mom.”
“You’re welcome, honey.”
When Wyked and Fate had plates, they ate together. Dionne passed out plates to Dag and Hanai, who joined them, and after Dionne passed out cups of coffee, she sat down while the others continued to serve.
“What are your plans today?” Dag asked.
Wyked swallowed the bite of food and said, “We’re going over to the boarding house to check in with the pride, then we’re taking Treasure to the mall to get a phone. Lisa and Rhett are coming, too.”
“And Brian and Kevin, I’m sure,” Jilly said.
“They’re so adorable together,” Dionne said. “Lucky kids to have found each other so early.”
Jilly agreed.
“Then we’re babysitting for my cousins so Callie and her mates can go out to dinner,” Jilly said.
“Tomorrow,” Hanai said, “I’ll need some help dismantling the smoker so I can get it stored. Anyone interested?”
No one said anything for a moment. Jilly watched as Wyked and Fate stared at each other, seeming to communicate without speaking. Finally, Fate let out a growling sigh.
“Happy to help,” he said.
Wyked winked at Jilly with a broad grin.
“Thanks, Fate,” Hanai said, chuckling.
Jilly chewed on a warm peach slice and said, “Where are we going first when we start on the road?”
Dag put his empty plate on the ground and settled back in the chair with his coffee mug. He took a sip and then cleared his throat. “We’ll head directly south. For the first few days, we’ll drive from morning until evening and stop at rest areas or department store parking lots that allow RVs to stay free of charge. It will take a few days, but we’ll set up camp in Tennessee and stay there for the month.”
“It’s beautiful in Tennessee in October,” Dionne said.
“How do you pick the places we stay?”
“We’ve been traveling this way for a long time,” Dag said. “The places we stay have to meet a lot of requirements – not only do the campgrounds or RV parks have to be shifter friendly, but there has to be work for us.”
Hanai nodded. “There are several local construction businesses who will take on temporary workers like us.”
“That’s cool,” Jilly said. “I didn’t think the plan was completely random, but I wasn’t sure if you had concrete plans.”
Dionne shrugged. “Sometimes our plans get messed up, but generally speaking, we’ve been going to the same places for a couple decades. One year a campground was closed because the owner had died suddenly. Another one was closed because a tornado had devastated the area.”
Dag nodded. “The worst-case scenario is always that we just find a place to park and then move on. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes our best laid plans don’t work out.”
“I’m going to miss Ashland and my family, but I’m looking forward to exploring the states. I haven’t been many places.”
“What states have you been in?” Wyked asked.
“Pennsylvania and Indiana. I did once go to Florida for vacation with Dad and Henry when I was eight.” She hummed. “I guess I haven’t really been anywhere.”
“That’s okay. You’ll get to see a lot in our travels,” Fate said. “After Tennessee, we’ll go to Mississippi, then Louisiana, and then we’ll be in Texas for Christmas.”
“Why Texas?” she asked.
“The weather is great in the winter there,” Dionne said.
“I can’t wait,” Jilly said. And she really couldn’t. It was an exciting chapter of her life that was about to start. Although she could have been happy in Ashland with her mates, her cat was ready to roam with the panthers. Nothing felt more like home to her than the RV and the open road that was calling.
Wyked stood and took her empty plate and coffee mug, stacking them carefully with his and Fate’s. He took them into his parents’ RV and then came back out, brushing his hands on his jeans. “Ready to head to the boarding house?”
“You bet.”
“Let’s drive so we can go right to Rhett’s,” Fate suggested.
“Have fun!” Dionne said.
They took the SUV and drove to the boarding house. Jilly got out and looked up at the huge monstrosity of a house.
“I think the time will go fast,” she said. “Before we know it, we’ll be back here in Ashland for the summer.”
“Yep,” Wyked said. “You’d be surprised how quickly time flies when you’re on the road. Fate and I can’t wait to show you the places we spent our childhood.”
“You didn’t mind being on the road when you were growing up?”
“No. It’s what our kind do,” he said. “It was just very natural.”
“I think there was only one time we really didn’t want to move on,” Fate said. “We were teenagers, and we’d helped build a barn for a farmer. There was a wolf pack in the town, and Wyked and I made friends with some of the males. It was hard to leave when we were having such a good time.”
“I was just wondering about our kids,” she said.
“It’s our life,” Wyked said. “There are times when we don’t want to leave, just as there are times we can’t freaking wait to get on the road again. I think our kids will be just fine with traveling, because they’ll know that we chose this life for them. It’s our heritage.”
She smiled. “I like that.”
They headed into the house and went straight to the kitchen, where John, James, Rue, Eryx, Jackson, Holden, Rhett, Henry, and Dom sat at the kitchen table.
“Morning,” Jilly said.
A chorus of good mornings rang out from the group.
John pushed out the chair next to him and Jilly sat down, with Wyked and Fate taking the chairs next to hers.
“How’s Treasure?” Jilly asked Rhett.
“She was passed out for most of the night and woke up early this morning, saying she felt just fine.”
“I’m glad.”
“Trust me, so are Lisa and I. We didn’t know what to expect because, although she’d told us that she had healing abilities, I actually thought she meant she had accelerated healing like shifters do. She had a sort of rejuvenating sleep that allowed her body to heal from the stress of healing someone else.”
“Did Treasure say anything about the females she found?” Wyked asked.
Rhett nodded. “She said that she scented something bitter on you and Fate, which turned out to be the poison. She has excellent sight in her shifted form, and she also can see a person’s aura. When she looked into the woods, she saw four people with dark auras – brown and yellow – which are associated with murderous intent and rage. When she reached them, she saw they were females, and she could smell the bitter poison. She knew they were evil, and she was overcome with fury that they’d harmed you two. It was her dragon’s instinct to protect her family, and she burned them up.”
“I’m glad they’re dead,” Jilly said. “I don’t know if that makes me a bad person or not, but I’ll rest easier knowing there are four less dangerous, murderous females out there.”
Rue shook her head. “It doesn’t make you a bad person at all. They tried to take your mates from you in a horrible way. They deserved what they got. We’re just fortunate to have a protective dragon in the pride now.”
Jilly looked at Jackson. “You said there was someone else in the woods. Was it another female?”
Jackson and Holden looked at each other and then Jackson said, “There was a female. It was Honor.”
“Honor Parkins?” Jilly asked.
“Yeah. I tackled her, and she bit me.” He rubbed his palm and Jilly could see what looked like a mating bite on his hand.
Her gaze pinged between Jackson and Holden. “She’s your mate? You shared blood with her?”
“Yes, she’s our mate. But, I didn’t share her blood,” Jackson said. “She got mine when she bit me and started acting strange, like she was in pain. When I let her up, she almost fell into Holden and kissed him.”
Holden gave Jilly a brief smile. “She bit my lip and drew blood. She suddenly doubled over in pain, and then Eryx showed up and she ran.”
“We followed her,” Eryx said, “but we were too late. She jumped into a van and disappeared. I got a partial plate and ran it through the system and it turned up as a rental. When I called to see who rented the vehicle, it was a fake ID.”
“She’s on her way back to Canada, I’m sure, as fast as she can drive. She was the leader of the main group of females. I’m sure she wasn’t alone, so she probably had at least Gretchen with her. They were close,” Jilly said.
John looked at Jackson and Holden. “Melody might be able to find her way back to their home in Canada. They kept her there for a year.”
Jackson shook his head. “She doesn’t know where she was. She ran a lot in her shift after she escaped so she could move fast.”
“What are you going to do?” Jilly asked.
Jackson rubbed the mark on his hand. “You weren’t able to stay away from Wyked and Fate after they shared blood with you, right?”
“For a little while,” she said. “Sharing blood with them gave me back the memories that the venom in their claws stole. I fought the feelings and memories every day, but it was torture. I was able to stay away from them for a little while, but I was going crazy.”
“It was hard for us, too,” Fate said. “We felt connected to her, but we couldn’t find her.”
“Shit,” Jackson muttered.
“I believe that she won’t be able to deal with being your mate and getting her memories back for too long before she’ll come looking for you,” Jilly said.
“How many females are up there, do you think?” James asked.
“When I was living with the smaller pride in Twin Pines, I’d heard that the females had a big house like this. I don’t know how many are there now, but I’d guess thirty.”
“It’s too bad that they don’t realize they’re poisoned and could find mates to save them from being bitches forever,” Rue said.
Jilly smiled. “They wouldn’t believe you if you told them. Melody was an anomaly. She was raised away from the pride, but the females didn’t understand why she was different. They always blamed Callie for the end of their idyllic life in King. She was the first female that the males were willing to walk away from the pride for. But then they wanted to kill Melody because she was too different and they didn’t want to risk her changing the females’ way of life.”
“Now they hate you,” Wyked said, kissing her temple.
“Yeah, and they don’t understand me either.”
James cleared his throat. “In spite of what nearly happened last night, everyone that we love and care for is safe and that’s what counts. I’ve been talking to Eryx and Rhett about upping security.”
“I’ve ordered motion sensors and surveillance cameras for this property and the farm,” Eryx said. “We’ll surround the pride’s territories with the sensors and cameras, so no one will set foot inside without us knowing.”
“How will you monitor things?” Fate asked.
“The equipment is wireless, and there’s an app to download. When the sensor is tripped, the camera starts recording and sends the video feed to anyone who has the app.”
“That’s pretty cool,” Jilly said.
“I’d be surprised if we ever heard from the females again,” John said. “Honor witnessed her friends being turned to ash. At the very least, they’ll be afraid to come around because of Treasure.”
Holden and Jackson grimaced.
Jilly gave them a sad smile. “When Honor does come back, because I think she will eventually, she won’t sneak in through the woods, she’ll come to the front door.”
“I hope she doesn’t fucking take too long,” Jackson said. “My cat’s already trying to claw its way out of me to go find her.”
The two males left, and Jilly stared at the archway that separated the kitchen from the foyer. “I feel bad for them.”
“You’re the strongest female I know,” Wyked said. “If you couldn’t resist the compulsion to come to us, then Honor won’t be able to either.”
“Yeah, unless the females realize she’s different and lock her up like they did Melody. Or kill her outright,” Jilly said, lowering her voice.
“Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen,” John said.
Jilly did hope that was the case. She didn’t want to think about what it would be like for Holden and Jackson to go through life never finding Honor or knowing what happened to her. She wished she could give them a map to their home, but she’d never been there.
She glanced at her phone. “We need to get over to Rhett’s. We’re taking Treasure to get a phone.”
“Kids and their phones,” John said with a grunt.
“It’s this generation,” James said. “They’re always plugged in.”
Jilly shook her head. “Do you have any idea how old you both sound right now?”
“Hey,” John said. “Someday you’ll feel old.”
“Not for a long, long time,” she said. She kissed his cheek and stood, stopping to hug Rue, James, Eryx, and Rhett.
“I’ll see you at the house,” Rhett said. “I’m going to chat with my family a little bit longer.
Jilly waved and left with Wyked and Fate, taking the long road to Rhett’s so they could enjoy the scenery. Ashland was a sweet town, and she would miss it, but home was in the RV with her mates, and she knew they’d see a lot of sweet towns on their travels.
* * *
Jilly sat in the second row of the SUV, in between Lisa and Fate. Wyked drove toward the mall, and Rhett sat in the passenger seat, discussing buying Treasure a cell phone and adding her to their family plan. Treasure was in the third row between Kevin and Brian.
Jilly looked over her shoulder at the trio, smiling at how comfortable they were with each other after only a little while. It looked as if they’d been together for years.
“They’re sweet,” Lisa said softly.
Rhett grumbled. “And a handful.” He looked at Jilly and smiled. “I wouldn’t trade it, though.”
“I’m glad she has you both,” Jilly said. “I don’t feel so weird about leaving her when we go on our travels since I know that she has you watching over her.”
“I always wanted kids,” Lisa said. “It wasn’t in the cards for us. When the family moved here from King, I was so happy to be surrounded by family. Having Callie’s and Cris’s families nearby with their little ones is just so wonderful.”
“What about your family?” Jilly asked. She didn’t know much about Lisa’s life before she married Rhett.
She smiled sadly. “My family disowned me when I dated Rhett. My parents are gone now, and it’s just me and my older sister, Barb. She moved out of state, and I tried to keep in touch but she refused. It was easier to just let go than keep banging on a door that would never open.”
“That’s so sad. Family shouldn’t act like that,” Jilly said. “But what am I saying? I behaved terribly when I was younger. I’m no role model.”
“That’s different,” Lisa said, giving her hand a squeeze. “You were under the influence of the curse, and your emotions weren’t your own.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s still hard not to feel guilty for all I put my dad and family through.”
“You’re your old self again,” Rhett said. “That’s what counts.”
Wyked parked at the mall, and they climbed out. Jilly adjusted her coat and tucked her cell into her back pocket.
“So what’s this male thing again?” Treasure asked, looking at the expansive building with wide eyes.
“Male thing?” Jilly asked.
Treasure pointed at the mall. “Yeah, that thing.”
“It’s a mall,” Kevin said, “not a male.”
She hummed. “So what is it?”
“It’s a big building full of stores,” Rhett said. “Remember when we took you clothes shopping? This is a bunch of those stores all under one roof.”
“Plus,” Lisa said, “all sorts of other stores that sell everything from candles to food to sporting equipment.”
“Maybe those pretzel thingys I liked?” Treasure asked.
“I think so,” Rhett said with a chuckle. “But first, let’s find you the perfect phone.”
Jilly took Wyked’s and Fate’s hands and followed the group into the mall. She hadn’t been shopping since she’d bought lingerie for the wedding.
“Anything you’d like to get while we’re here?” Fate asked.
“I don’t think so. In case you didn’t know it, I’m very, very happy.”
Wyked kissed the top of her hand. “We could totally tell. We’ll make you even happier later.”
“I can’t wait.”
At the cell phone store, Rhett talked to one of the associates about adding Treasure to his plan while Jilly and Lisa talked about which phone to get.
“Can I have a pink one?” she asked. “It’s my favorite color.”
Lisa said, “The phones we get are basic colors like black, white, or gold. But you can get a case that’s any color you’d like. There’s a kiosk that sells neat cases down by the food court.”
“What’s a food court?” Treasure asked.
“Where you get food,” Jilly said.
“And a key-osk?” she asked, tilting her head.
“A counter in the mall that sells specific things like phone cases,” Lisa answered.
“If my phone has to be regular colored, then I pick white.” She picked up one and said, “This one?”
“That’s perfect,” Rhett said as he joined them and took Wyked’s offered credit card to pay for the phone.
Treasure left Lisa and Jilly, and went to stand with her mates.
“What are you going to do about school?” Jilly asked, keeping her voice low so it didn’t carry to the trio.
Lisa leaned against the table. “We can’t enroll her in school until she’s got a birth certificate and we’re her official guardians, and since she’s not of this realm and her family is all gone, we have no way to do that without going to the realm and looking for information.”
Jilly’s brow rose. “That sounds dangerous.”
“Exactly. So Rhett spoke to Jericho. He and Lachlyn needed documents so they could move on with their lives. He’s going to get what we need for her. For the current school year, though, we’re planning to home school her. There’s a great online program that will work well for us.”
“Did they have school in the fae realm like we do here?”
“Yes, but she wasn’t allowed to attend because her parents were worried about her dual nature being discovered. They home schooled her, and she’s very smart. She’s got a knack for plants, which she said is from her aunt.”
“And healing,” Jilly said.
Lisa nodded. “That’s something a lot of them can do. The boys were really worried about her last night. I don’t think either of them slept a wink.”
“I wish I hadn’t been under the curse and could have met my mates when I was young.”
Wyked put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. She looked at him and Fate. “It’s easy to wish for things like that, kitten, but remember that timing is everything – in life, in love. We met when we were supposed to, just like those three met now and not later.”
“How’d I get so lucky to have such smart mates?”
Fate chuckled. “Trust me when I say that Wyked and I are the lucky ones to have such a beautiful, wonderful female as our mate.”
She smiled and moved between them, letting them envelope her in a hug that made her feel safe and loved. Before she was set free from the curse by her mates, she’d thought her life was fine as it was. Now she knew that the curse had robbed her of so much. She was just thankful that she was curse-free now.
Wyked left to pay for the phone. Then he and Rhett joined them, and the older male called for Treasure.
“Ready to see your phone, little one?” Rhett asked.
“Yay!” Treasure raced to them, her face glowing with happiness. “Is it mine, really?”
“You bet,” Jilly said. “You just have to promise to text me and let me know how you’re doing while I’m traveling with my mates.”
“I can do that! I love texting.”
“She picked it up quickly,” Lisa said, her voice tinged with humor. “Grant called to let us know that she’d sent five hundred texts to Kevin’s phone in one day.”
“Wow! I don’t even send that many in a week and I have two mates,” Jilly said.
“Well, we see each other all the time,” Fate pointed out. “They’re young, and, judging by what I’ve seen of the youth of today, it’s pretty normal.”
“That’s why I got unlimited texting and data,” Rhett said. “Ready to go look at phone cases?”
“Yes, thank you!” She hugged Rhett tightly and then Lisa. Then she hugged Jilly and smiled at Wyked and Fate. “Thank you for my phone.”
“You’re welcome,” Jilly said. “It’s our pleasure.”
They followed the chattering trio to the kiosk that sold cases, and while Rhett and Lisa sat in the massage chairs and relaxed, Jilly and her mates looked at phone cases and helped Treasure pick the perfect one.
The glitter-covered pink case was so sparkly that Jilly was pretty sure she’d be blinded in the sunlight by the case, but Treasure loved it.
Jilly’s phone buzzed, and she took it from her pocket and saw a text from Treasure, who grinned at her over the top of her phone.
The text said, “Thanks,” and was followed by a string of emojis that took up two lines.
“You’re welcome,” Jilly texted back.
“She likes emojis, in case you didn’t catch that,” Brian said.
“We had a whole conversation of just emojis yesterday,” Treasure said. “It was fun.”
“I’m going to miss you,” Jilly said, accepting another hug. “But we can stay in touch, and I’m so happy for that.”
“Did you know in the olden days that there weren’t cell phones?” Treasure asked, her eyes wide. “They had these things called laylines and they had cords that kept you tethered to the wall.”
Rhett shook his head with a smile as he and Lisa joined them. “Landlines, honey. We had landline phones, and we weren’t tethered to the wall, it’s just how the phones were made back then.”
“Yeah, and don’t call it the ‘olden’ days. We’re not that old,” Lisa said.
“As long as I don’t have to be tethered to the wall to use my phone, I’m okay,” Treasure said. “Oh, pretzel thingys!”
Jilly smiled as the trio hurried off to the pretzel shop.
“She says the funniest things.”
“Yeah,” Lisa said. “She misunderstands a lot because she wasn’t raised around our technology. She has a good sense of humor and doesn’t mind being corrected. Rhett and I laugh a lot with her. She’s unintentionally hilarious.”
Rhett put his hand on Jilly’s shoulder and looked down at her, his eyes glistening with happiness. “Did I say thank you for bringing her into our lives? I’m so grateful you were there to help her, and that you brought her home.”
Jilly hugged him. “You’re welcome. I’m so glad you all have each other now.”
“We’ll keep her safe. We promise,” Rhett said.
“I know you will,” Jilly said.
They headed off to the pretzel shop to join the others. By the time they’d all had their fill of pretzels served with different dipping sauces, Treasure had sent one hundred texts, and most of them were to her mates. Jilly laughed at how silly the younger kids were.
“Don’t forget we have a date,” Wyked murmured as he helped her into the SUV.
“I didn’t forget,” she said.
“Good,” he said. “Because it’s all I’ve been thinking about since we woke up.”
“Me too,” Fate said, punctuating his words with a little growl.
“Lucky me,” she whispered. “I’m about to have a lot of dreams come true.”
“More than you can count, kitten,” Wyked promised.