Chapter Ten

They rode in silence for several more miles until they reached a small rural town. Josiah had no idea where they were. He had been a very large, wounded beast for most of this journey. If they crossed state lines, he wasn’t aware of it.

Littlefoot pulled to a stop alongside a farm implement store and turned off the engine. He hopped out. “I’m heading in to get Josiah some clothes. Eve, Meg, and Delilah, get in the cab of the trucks.” He looked at Josiah. “Be back in a bit, son.”

Josiah blinked at him as his thoughts spun in his head. Atticus called him son. He was Josiah’s biological grandfather. Yet he told the old man to fuck off.

There was only one possible response he had for Littlefoot, his father’s best friend, not even a blood relative. “Yes, sir.”

Henry slipped the latches free on the tailgate. Then he hopped down and offered a hand to Eve, Meg, and Delilah. Once all three women were safely on the ground, they went searching for a free spot in one of the trucks to settle in. Henry glanced unsurely at Josiah and Delilah. Josiah waved him off with a smile. Henry took off after his mate like an excited puppy.

“You should go get in the truck too,” Josiah told Sarah.

“I’m not leaving you,” she answered as she hugged his arm tight to her.

Noah appeared at the tailgate and climbed inside the truck bed. “Since you’re already undressed, I might as well examine you.”

Josiah tossed the blanket off with a grin. “Go for it.”

Noah looked a little shocked for a brief moment. He kneeled down and studied Josiah’s wounds. Sarah scuttled away to give the doctor more room.

Noah nodded satisfied. “They’re healing nicely. Last night you needed sutures. I saw bone and sinew. Now they’re just flesh wounds. By the time we get home, there will just be mild scars. Feel free to cover yourself before the local sheriff wanders by and busts you for indecent exposure.”

He gave the couple a brief wave before he jumped out of the vehicle and made his way to his own. Josiah tossed the blanket over himself again. Sarah was back at his side before it settled on his skin.

He smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He watched her in silence. Yes, her bullheaded resistance to move in with him, even to keep her safe, drove him batshit crazy. But fuck, she was beautiful. She was smart and noble and one hell of a spitfire. Just the perfect woman for an alpha male.

He was one lucky son of a bitch.

It didn’t take long for Littlefoot to come back with a large brown paper bag with a paper woven handle. He set it in the truck bed and then headed to the driver’s door. Josiah pulled one item of clothing out at a time and discreetly pulled it on. Once he tugged the last boot on, he folded the bag and tucked it under his ass.

Before he could pull Sarah in his arms, he slammed his hand on the back window again. The truck skidded to a stop.

Littlefoot didn’t bother getting out to see what was wrong. He shouted out the window. “What do you need now?”

Josiah pointed toward a meadow at the base of a grove of pine trees. In the middle was a small white chapel surrounded by wild grass. A dirt road cut through the weeds to it. “There. We’re going there.”

Nothing more was said. Littlefoot took a sharp turn that sent the two of them sliding across the truck bed. Josiah was surprised one of them didn’t fall out. The other vehicles followed as Littlefoot sped down the dirt road.

“What are you doing?” Sarah questioned.

“Getting things settled once and for all,” Josiah answered.

The three trucks parked on the lush green lawn outside the building. There wasn’t any parking lot to speak of. The grass wasn’t matted down from the parishioners who parked there for service. Josiah stared at the chapel as he worried. It was in great shape for being abandoned. He hopped out over the side of the truck and approached the church.

Littlefoot opened the driver’s door and leaned out of it. “Joe, we don’t have time to screw around. Your brothers are missing. We need to get home and track them.”

Josiah looked at him over his shoulder. Then his gaze drifted to Sarah. She stood in the bed of the truck, watching him over the cab. “I have business. I have to protect what’s mine.”

“No one’s here. Let’s just get back on the road and…”

Everything went quiet as the wooden front door of the church opened. A small, bald man shuffled out in full black robes complete with a cowl and a large gold cross hanging around his neck by a thick, gold chain. He held a Bible in his hands. He couldn’t have stood taller than five feet. Josiah cursed under his breath. Where the fuck did he come from?

The minister’s voice was soft as he spoke. “I’m Reverend Grop. Can I help you folks with something?”

Josiah rolled his shoulders back until his chest stuck out. “We need to get married.”

“Hold up.” Sarah slipped over the side of the truck and jumped to the ground. She hurried to Josiah’s side. “Who said we’re getting married?”

Josiah stared into her eyes. “You aren’t safe in Bemidji. You should see that by now. But you won’t move in with me unless I’m your husband. I love you too much to play roulette with your life. So let’s get married.”

“Nice proposal,” Eve replied.

Josiah glared at her. Everyone had unloaded from the vehicles to witness the scene. Josiah scowled at her. “Don’t need your opinion.” He turned his attention back to Sarah. Her eyes were wide. “So? How about it?”

“You just told me you love me,” she answered.

Josiah was silent for a moment. “I do. I love you.”

Sarah smiled. “I just wondered if my feelings were one-sided. I love you too. But Joe, we don’t have a marriage license.”

“We’ll have the ceremony and figure the rest of it out later.”

“It won’t be legal.”

“So what?” Josiah turned to the minister. “We’re ready to get married.”

Sarah clung to him as she, too, addressed him. “We don’t have a marriage license.”

Reverend Grop beamed at both of them. It was unnerving. “No need for concern, Sarah. His mother and father didn’t have one either when I married them. Zane and Evelyn were such an attractive young couple. Everything will be legal when we’re finished just like it was for them.”

“How can…” Sarah’s words died on her tongue. “How did you know my name?”

“Why don’t all of you fine folks come inside while we wait for the others.”

“You married my parents? Others?” Josiah questioned.

Sarah tugged on Josiah’s arm as he gaped at the preacher. He finally looked at his mate.

“Something is really wrong here. Besides, do you really want to get married like this?” she questioned.

Josiah shook his head. “Hell, no. I want my brothers here to witness this. But what can I do?”

The sound of engines tore everyone’s attention away. At first, they couldn’t make out the vehicles coming down the dirt road. Josiah’s heart leaped into his throat when the Jeep came to a stop. The truck parked behind it.

“Oh, that’s just fucking creepy,” Henry muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

Micah stepped out of the Jeep and slowly approached the group. The other five Hallows followed. “What the fuck are you all doing here?”

“We could ask the same thing,” Delilah countered.

“We were asking for directions. We got lost after a bunch of confusing road construction. We were sent on a pointless wild goose chase. Fucking fantastic thing to do during a full moon,” Caleb answered. “And you?”

Meg jogged across the lawn to Caleb and hugged him tight. Delilah and Henry greeted Samuel the same way. The only one not wrapped in their mate’s arms after the long time apart was Eve. And Micah didn’t look happy about it. He clenched his hands on his hips as he glared at her.

“Joe and Sarah are getting married,” Meg told Caleb.

“What the fuck?”

Reverend Grop cleared his throat. “Now that everyone is here let’s come inside and begin.”

“Hold up.” Littlefoot waved his hand in objection. “You know too much about us for my liking. How is that?”

“There are many magical beings that know about the Hallows. They know that the Hallows now have the amulet. A few know that they also have the Heka in their midst. They will stop at nothing to possess both. There are trying times ahead. A war is coming, one that could end the way of life as we know it. You are the protectors. You are the ones to stop the evil coming.”

“You mean the fate of the entire world is in the hands of the seven beasts of Satan,” Ezekiel quipped. “Well, that’s it. Everyone’s fucked.”

“Zeke, shut up,” Josiah chided. He faced the preacher. “And why should we trust you? What are you?”

“A few of us believe that you will complete what you are fated to do. We are tasked to protect you, to help when we can just like Littlefoot, and his tribe do. I am a gnome. It is my honor to marry you and your mate. If you are more comfortable, we can do it right here at the front step of the church.”

“A gnome?” Abraham questioned. “Like those little statues people put in their yards?”

Reverend Grop glared at him. “You will find soon, young Abraham, not all magical creatures appear like they do in the fairy tales. You will learn this lesson better than your brothers, I imagine.”

Abraham looked baffled at the news. Grop smiled and turned his attention back to Josiah and Sarah. “Shall we begin?”

“Not yet. One more thing before we start.” Josiah pressed a kiss to Sarah’s lips before he pulled from her arms and strode over to Eve. He pointed at Micah standing across the yard. “He needs to know. Now. Go over by the Jeep and talk. We’re going to stand here until you do.”

“Josiah, this isn’t the time,” Eve protested.

“Bullshit. Didn’t you have an ultrasound shortly after the full moon? When are you going to tell him? When you drop a little bundle of joy in his lap? Go, now. We’ll wait.”

She huffed loudly as she glared at him. Then she shuffled to her husband and tugged him with her behind the Jeep. Josiah returned to Sarah and hugged her tight.

“What did you do?” Sarah questioned.

“Just watch,” Josiah answered with a grin.

Everyone could see the argument. Eve barely got a word or two out before Micah laid into her. The group could make out about every third word that came from his lips. It was usually a curse word. It went on for a few minutes. Eve looked away the entire time.

Finally, she faced him and spoke. Micah froze in mid-sentence. His eyes went wide. His mouth gaped open. His gaze met her face and then dropped to her belly. The next moment she was smothered in his embrace. Whatever he said, it was quick. Eve must have to tried to explain, but her words were cut off with kisses.

Finally, he dropped to his knees at her feet. He nudged away her shirt enough to place a gentle kiss on her stomach. Then he looked up at her, and she had the biggest smile on her face. He rose to his feet, took her hand in his, and led her back to the others.

“Everything good now, Mike?” Josiah asked.

“Nope. I’m still pissed as hell. How long have you assholes known?”

Samuel laughed. “Since the test came back positive.”

“Fucker.”

“Mike,” Eve objected.

“I’m hurt you didn’t tell me sooner. But I get why. And I love you for wanting to protect me. But it’s my job to protect you. So let me. And don’t keep things like you’re pregnant a secret again. Okay?”

Eve’s cheeks flushed red. “Got it. Dad.”

Micah waved over to Josiah. “Get married already. We need to get home.”

Josiah turned himself and Sarah toward the minister. He smiled as he gazed at her. “Ready?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

Reverend Grop opened the book in his hand. “Do you, Josiah, take Sarah to be your wife in sickness and health, in poverty and wealth? Will you stay by her side no matter what comes?”

“I do,” he answered.

Grop looked at Sarah. “Do you, Sarah, take Josiah to be your husband in sickness and health, in poverty and wealth? Will you stay by his side no matter what comes?”

“I do,” she replied.

“Rings?”

Josiah laughed. “Remember that I said we just pulled off the side of the road and decided to do this? We don’t have any rings. We’ll buy them when we get back to Minnesota.”

Grop nodded at Micah. “Check your pocket.”

Micah’s brow creased as he glared at Grop. “Why the hell would I do that?”

“Trust me.”

Micah dug his hand in his jeans pocket. He pulled his fist out fast and held it open. Two gold wedding bands were nestled in the center of his palm. “What the fuck. I swear they weren’t in there.”

Sarah hugged Josiah a little tighter. He could feel her shake. Josiah swiped the rings out of Micah’s hand. He took the smaller of the two and slid it on Sarah’s finger.

“Repeat after me, Josiah,” Grop instructed. “With this ring, thee I wed.”

“Yeah, sure. With this ring, thee I wed,” Josiah repeated.

“Sarah, put the ring on Josiah’s finger and repeat after me, ‘with this ring, thee I wed.’”

Sarah took the band from Josiah and slipped it on his finger. “With this ring, thee I wed.”

Grop beamed. “By the power invested in me by the state of Pennsylvania, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

“That’s where the fuck we are,” Caleb interrupted.

Josiah glared at his brother just before he pressed his lips to Sarah. Their kiss was broken by the cacophony of buzzes and ringtones from everyone’s cell phones. Each of them searched for their cells.

Joshua studied his. “Joe, you’re heading for Maine.”

“Our cell service is back. Our phones are no longer blocked,” Eve said.

Littlefoot tapped his screen several times and then held the phone to his ear. He paced as he waited for it to answer. “Evelyn, are you all right?” He stopped his pacing and leaned against the nose of his truck. His face fell as he rubbed his eyes. “There’s nothing left. All the way to the ground. Tell me no one was inside.”

He waited again. Josiah could see one lone tear slide down his cheek. “Two bodies. Charred beyond recognition. I understand. Stay in the house with my sisters and the rest of the family. I have all the boys and their mates with me. We are heading home right now. It will probably be late tomorrow night. Stay safe. See you soon.” He hung up the call and wiped his eyes again.

“Littlefoot, what happened?” Josiah questioned.

Littlefoot’s voice shook as he spoke. “Someone torched Sharky’s Garage. They found evidence of an accelerant around the gas pumps, a highly flammable one that is hard to get a hold of. It and the shack behind it are gone. Burnt to the ground. There were two bodies inside. They’re with the medical examiner now for identification. Nothing is conclusive yet, but it’s probably Sharky and Amos.”

Eve, Meg, and Delilah started to cry. Josiah felt his own eyes burn with tears. Sarah held him tighter.

Abraham whimpered. “Who would do that?”

Henry bit his lower lip to keep from sobbing. “Take a wild guess. We weren’t there. The amulet wasn’t there. My guess is that Rock and Cort looked for revenge and took it out on Sharky and Amos.”

Littlefoot spat out a long line of curses under his breath. “I should have told them to go to the reservation with Evelyn.”

“How could you have known this would happen?” Micah asked.

“We need to go now,” Josiah ordered. He looked at Grop. “Thank you. We appreciate it.”

“My pleasure.” Grop reached between the folds of the book. He pulled free a piece of paper. “Don’t forget your marriage license.”

Josiah took it from him without looking at it. Then he grabbed Sarah’s hand in his. “Thanks, again.”

The two of them hurried away from the chapel without a second glance and hopped in the back seat of Littlefoot’s truck. The vehicles followed each other down the dirt road back to the highway.

»»•««

The late morning sunshine warmed the bedroom. Sarah stepped out of the bathroom dressed in only her flimsy white cotton nightgown. She leaned against the doorframe and smiled.

Josiah was fast asleep on the bed, with his arm draped over his face to block the light. She studied the patterns of color embedded in his skin. The images covered his arms and part of his chest. His long curly hair was a contrast to the white pillow beneath his head. This man wasn’t the vanilla type of guy she thought she would end up with. Not by any means. And it was just fine with her.

The seven brothers chose to hold back their change until they reached home. They didn’t have to stop that way. Those who weren’t werewolves took shifts driving through the night. Sarah took over driving Littlefoot’s truck soon after the decision was made. Being the gentleman he was, Littlefoot didn’t want her driving in the wee hours of the morning. She noticed as she drove that neither Littlefoot nor Josiah slept. They sat in silence together. She didn’t have to ask why. She didn’t know Sharky and Amos, but her heart broke for those who did.

The first stop when they got close to home was the reservation. Littlefoot hugged Evelyn Hallow for all he was worth. Sarah watched them as they comforted each other. They seemed like the perfect couple. Why on earth weren’t they together?

It was then that Josiah explained it to her. When Hallows mated, they mated for eternity. When one passed, the other was still connected to them. Momma was still bound to her late werewolf husband. Sarah was shaken by the answer. She could never be with anyone but him. But it seemed cruel to Momma to be that way.

The entire family visited the remains of Sharky’s Garage before the brothers returned to the woods to change. It was unavoidable. She didn’t realize that it was the station just before the road to the camp. The seven scuffed around the ruins while wiping at their damp cheeks. It made Sarah cry to see everyone in so much pain.

Josiah rubbed his toe against the pavement. It was so hard she thought he was going to wear a hole through the rubber. “Guys, I found a huge patch of red.”

Everyone wandered to the patch he had cleared. The other six brothers did the same until they exposed a patch about six feet wide.

“Fuck, blood,” Ezekiel mumbled under his breath.

“We don’t know that,” Micah warned.

“What used to be here, Mike? The living room of the shack. And that’s enough to be two people.”

Josiah glanced at each of them. “The investigators aren’t going to suspect the bloodsuckers. They are going to assume murder/suicide first. Or a robbery gone wrong. That’s even if they test this for blood. This garage is in the middle of nowhere in a rural area. It’s not like we have top-notch detectives around here. We can assume Rock and Cort. Don’t expect them to.” He pointed to the sunset as it turned the horizon a brilliant orange. “Got to go, boys. It’s time to beast out.”

Sarah kissed her new husband goodbye, as did the rest of the mated with their wolves. They watched the Hallow brothers get into their vehicles and disappear into the woods before they returned to the reservation.

Three days passed before the full moon was over. The Hallows found their home nearly destroyed and not much had been cleaned up before Littlefoot escorted Momma, Meg, Eve, Delilah, Henry, and Sarah home. Sarah wanted to celebrate her new marriage with Josiah so bad it hurt. They hadn’t even consummated it yet. Yet clean-up took precedence over everything else. The whole family pitched in except Momma, who watched over Baby Ruby while the adults put the camp back in order.

When nightfall came, Josiah dropped his tools and scooped her over his shoulder. He didn’t put her down until he reached his bed and stripped her naked. Her butt hit the mattress one moment, and then he was moving deep inside her the next, all the while whispering his love to her against her ear. She ached for this. She needed it so much she peaked after a couple of thrusts. Then she came again so hard she nearly blacked out. She didn’t know how many times the rush dragged her under before he released. She knew she didn’t want him to stop. Lucky for her, he didn’t. She wasn’t sure when they finally fell asleep, knotted tightly around each other. She did know she had never been happier.

Sarah glanced at the clock beside the bed. She grinned as she shuffled across the bedroom floor. She crawled across the bed until she straddled Josiah’s hips. She could feel his erection pressed hard under the comforter.

He grinned at her as he peeked from under his arm. “Good morning.”

She beamed back at him. “Not for long. Up and at ’em, Coach. You need to train me.”

He rubbed the side of her bare thighs as he looked up at her. His touch and that gaze melted her into a puddle of goo. “I want to run to town with Cay, Meg, Eve, Mike, Sam, Dee, and Henry. They’re getting their ultrasounds today. They put their babies at risk to save you. To save me. I want to be there for them. I want to know everyone is okay.”

She leaned down to kiss him. “You’re a good man, Josiah Hallow. But you stress yourself out trying to take care of everyone. It’s going to put you in an early grave.”

He kissed her back as he brushed her long hair away from her face. “My dad left me in charge when he died. I won’t let him down.”

“Your brothers are adults.”

“My brothers are idiots. Plus aren’t you part of this family now, Missus Josiah Hallow? That includes taking care of you.”

Sarah smiled as she stretched out over him to kiss him again. He first knotted his fingers in her hair. Then his hands wandered down her back to caress her butt. She arched against his erection. She couldn’t help it. His touch set her on fire.

“We can’t do anything if you want to go with the others,” Sarah warned as she pressed a trail of kisses across the stumble of his chin bone and down his neck.

Josiah growled. “There’s such a thing as a quickie.”

“Do you understand what a quickie is?”

He shoved the comforter down the best he could past his thighs. His hard, thick cock nestled against her belly. It was her turn to moan. “No, I don’t. Ride me, Sarah. I want to watch you make love to me.”

She laughed. “Make love?”

“Want me to use the other word?”

“No.” She wrapped her hand tight around him and pumped her fist a few times. He bucked hard against her grip. She lifted her hips just enough to guide his tip inside her. With a sigh she impaled herself, driving him deep.

She drove herself up and down as she stared into his eyes. He filled every aching crevice of her. She lost count of how many times she’d orgasmed the night before. With the way he stretched her apart, she shouldn’t be able to walk. But sex with Josiah was an addiction. She didn’t want the cure. She only wanted him.

He grazed his fingers through her hair to hold her head still as he returned her gaze. He murmured how beautiful she was, how much he needed her. She whimpered as she picked up the pace. He burrowed into her soul, and it fanned the blaze in her core into an inferno. She wrapped her hands around his to pull free from his hold. Then she arched her back hard. The knot in her belly unwound, sending a sharp wave of pure pleasure coursing through her. She screamed his name over and over as she tightened around him.

Josiah yanked his hands from hers then gripped her thighs to bring her down on him in slow, deliberate strokes. He growled out a strings of curse words as he released. Sarah teased his chest hairs with her fingertips as she watched his brow furrow, his face tighten, his lips puff out soft breaths as he came. She leaned over and pressed her mouth to his.

A split second later he flipped her over on her back. She had no idea how he did it, but instinct demanded she hold onto him for dear life. He buried his face in the curve of her neck as he drove deep inside her. She wrapped her legs around his hips as she felt his teeth nip at her jugular. She wove her finger in his hair. She murmured nonsense. All she could do was surrender to him.

Her whole body quaked as he stroked another rush from her. It tore through her nerves, leaving her breathless and lightheaded. He grunted as he throbbed inside her. She clenched his hips to hold him tighter as he did. It sent one last tremor through her.

Josiah kissed the tip of her nose then her lips. His gaze met hers. She lost herself in the depths of his dark brown eyes. Was he this tender with the other women he slept with? Did she care?

“Aww, shit. Sorry.” He pulled away from her and climbed off the bed.

She shook herself from the daze she was in. It didn’t help. Her thoughts consumed her. “What is it?”

He strode naked to the window. “Yep, they left. Hurry up and dress. We’ve got to go.”

“Why did you apologize?”

He smiled at her. “Because I’m trying my best not to cuss. I know I did when I came. You’re going to just have to give me that one. You are the best fu… sex I’ve ever had in my entire life. It’s instinctive.”

“I am?”

He crossed the room to his dresser. “Yes. Come on. We’ve got to get going.”

Sarah scooted off the bed as searched for her clothes. While they were separated from the brothers, the other mates helped pack up her apartment to move in with Josiah. The move, however, hadn’t happened yet. All her essentials were shoved in a duffel bag, and it wasn’t much. She tugged out a T-shirt and a pair of shorts from the jumbled mess and dressed.

Josiah was already tugging his boots on. He looked drop dead gorgeous in his thin T-shirt that accentuated his sculpted muscles and his tight blue jeans. He reached out a hand to her. “Ready?”

She threaded her fingers between his. “Ready.”

He smiled at her before he led her through the cabin to his truck. He helped her into the passenger’s seat and then strode around to the driver’s side. He kissed her one more time before he fired it on and plunged down the dirt road into the woods.