Chapter 3
Saturday morning, Angel made her bed and then ducked down to grab the box of supplies she’d stuffed underneath. She’d recently learned how to press flowers, and had started making greeting cards decorated with them. Ally and her husbands wanted to sell them in a new gift shop they were creating at the registration cabin, and they’d asked her to put together several bundles of cards. She was still in the process of collecting enough flowers.
“Whatcha up to?” Brierley asked, taking a bite of apple that crunched noisily.
Angel straightened and set the box on the bed.
“I’m going to pick flowers. Do you want to come?”
“Thanks, but no. I’m helping Ally make curtains for the cabin we just finished cleaning. I was going to ask if you wanted to help.”
“I’m not much of a sewer.”
She chuckled. “I know. Have fun picking flowers.”
“I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Sounds good.”
Angel carried her box to the kitchen table and opened it to check her supplies. Depending on the flower, it could take anywhere from a day to several weeks for them to dry. In her closet, she had flowers pressed by heavy books that were in the process of drying, but she knew she could never have too many. And there was something very peaceful about being out in the woods, looking for the little patches of beauty among the dark trees.
Her phone buzzed. She pulled it from her back pocket and smiled at the screen. “Hey Whisper, how’s my preggo bestie?” she asked.
“Okay. The kiddo is kicking the hell out of my insides, though. Kept me up all night. I think he might be dancing, or Jazzercizing.”
“Aw, sorry. But pretty soon you’ll have him in your arms and then you’ll have a whole different kind of sleepless night.”
“Thanks,” Whisper said dryly. “I got your email confirmation. I’m so glad you’re coming to the baby shower.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Do you think you can stay for a while?”
“I told my mom and step-dad that I’d stay for a couple days. I have to get back to help with cabin cleaning for the gathering, so I can’t stay away too long.”
There was a brief pause and then Whisper asked, “Do you ever think about coming back here to live?”
Angel sat at the kitchen table. If someone had asked her a year ago if she’d be happy living in the mountains and working at a campground, she would have given a resounding no. But when Bliss brought Brierley home from her honeymoon, Angel had felt immediately protective of the young owl shifter. When Brierley was no longer welcome in pack territory, Angel had taken her to meet Ally and her husbands. Angel immediately felt at home with the baro, even though she wasn’t a shifter. It had been hard to say goodbye to Bliss and Whisper, but it had been the right choice for her. She knew that Whisper was also missing Bliss, who’d moved to Ocean City, Maryland, with her hyena mates in the spring.
“I’m happy here.”
“You could be happy here. I mean, if you like cleaning so much, you can always come clean my place.”
Angel snorted. “I always felt like an outsider with the pack. Mack treated me kindly, but I never felt like I truly belonged. Here in the mountains, I do.”
Whisper sighed. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too, but we have phones and texting and email, plus video calls. We’re not exactly out of touch.”
“Will you come visit for Thanksgiving, too? Miracle said she’d host this year and I can’t wait.”
Angel hadn’t met the dragon mate of the former pack alpha, but she’d heard wonderful things about her. Whisper said that her adopted father was happier than she’d seen him in a long time.
“I’ll check with my parents, but yes, I’m pretty sure I can come for Thanksgiving.”
“Okay.”
“Have you picked names yet?”
“Azrael wants to call him AJ. For Azrael, Junior.”
“I’m sure Fade and Nyte think that’s a terrible idea.”
“Of course. I’m leaning toward Jasper.”
“That’s a cool name.”
“Thanks. The guys said the choice was mine, and I think Jasper Stone sounds perfect.”
Angel agreed with a chuckle.
“I can’t wait to see you,” Whisper said.
“Me either.”
The call ended, and Angel looked at her phone for a few moments, mulling over her life at the campground. She was honestly happy, happier than she’d been in Beyton. The only thing missing in her life was romance, but Brierley and Ally seemed certain she’d meet someone at the next gathering. Or several someones. While the idea of having multiple boyfriends was intriguing, she wasn’t sure that was in the cards for her. Just because her two best friends had three mates each didn’t mean that her love life was headed in that direction. All she really wanted was a guy to love her. It didn’t matter if he was human, or a shifter, or something else.
She closed the supply box and tucked her phone into her back pocket; then she grabbed her flower basket from under the kitchen sink and walked outside. It was already hot out, but it would be hotter as the day drew on, the late August heat becoming downright oppressive. It seemed like a good day to go for a swim in the lake; she’d find Brierley when she got back from her flower-picking to see if she wanted to go.
Heading away from the cabin, she followed a trail into the woods, letting her feet lead the way. The campground’s property was quite large, spanning several miles. It contained numerous walking and hiking trails, dense woods, and a lake, and was bordered by a river on one side. The sunlight filtered through the trees as she moved deeper into the woods, stopping to pick flowers and pretty leaves along the way. She especially loved to find wild violets, and was thrilled to spy a patch of pale purple ones growing just off the path.
Following another patch of violets further into the trees, she squatted down and used a small pair of scissors to trim the delicate flowers, picking only the prettiest purple blossoms and the greenest leaves. Already she could picture the cards she could make with them. She thought about sending a set each to Bliss and Whisper. Then they could have a little bit of the mountains with them all the time, too.
She smelled something sweet suddenly, and lifted her head. Taking a moment to inhale again, she sniffed at the faint scent. It was sweet and spicy at the same time. It reminded her of the cinnamon rolls her mother used to make on the weekends, when they were fresh from the oven, piping hot and covered with frosting that melted into delicious puddles.
Is someone baking out here?
Lifting the basket, she laid the scissors on top of the flowers and followed the scent. She felt a little weird sniffing the air every few steps, but she couldn’t deny that there was something very appealing about the scent. Deep inside, she felt the urge to find its source. Her skin goosebumped. With each step she took, the scent strengthened, until all she could smell was sweet cinnamon.
She heard the rush of water and knew she’d reached the edge of the camp’s territory, but she didn’t care. As she walked out of the woods and into a small clearing that was separated by the river, she saw a camper with a truck parked in front of it. The river was low this time of year, and there were rocks that stuck out of the water. She set her basket down on the bank, and stepped carefully onto each rock as she crossed. When she reached the other side, she closed her eyes and inhaled, smiling as the sweet scent grew even stronger.
The door to the camper opened and two males walked out. The first froze as he met her gaze, and the second bumped into him.
“What the hell, Quill?” the second demanded.
Quill growled softly and she heard him inhale. Then that growl turned to a gruff purr. He strode to her, towering over her by a half-foot. His hair was short and dark, and his eyes flashed from chocolate brown to amber.
“Who are you?” he murmured, his voice rough with whatever beast he had inside.
“Angel.”
He buried his face in her neck and inhaled against her skin. She let out a soft gasp as heat flooded her. He stroked her skin with his tongue, and her pussy clenched and her nipples tightened. She fisted his hair and pressed herself against him.
“Fucking delicious,” Quill said. His teeth scraped her flesh, and she shivered.
She didn’t realize the second male had joined them until he put his hands on her waist, pressing flush to her back so she could feel the ridge of his erection against her butt.
“Angel?” the second male said. “Are you really an angel?”
She giggled and opened her eyes. Quill lifted from her throat with a broad grin. “You taste like sunshine. I’m Quill Mercer.”
“I’m his younger brother, Brin,” the male at her back said, tipping her head until she looked at him. “Sweet Angel. Where did you come from?”
“The campground,” she said, shivering again as Quill’s fingers stole under her top and brushed her waist. “I work there. Do you live here?”
Brin nodded.
She saw movement over Quill’s shoulder and found herself staring at another male. Although he had similar features to Quill and Brin, he had blond hair that was long enough to dust his chin. He stared at her, his head cocked in question.
Brin said, “Ian, come here.”
He didn’t move for a moment, and then he moved so fast that Angel couldn’t track him. He was suddenly at her side, his fingers burrowing into her hair and his lips crashing against hers. His tongue pushed into her mouth and the sweet, spicy taste of him filled her. She moaned. She really couldn’t help herself.
He lifted from her with a growling purr, and his eyes were the prettiest denim blue color she’d ever seen.
“I’m Ian.” He grinned and his eyes flashed to amber, then back to blue.
Brin turned her to face him. He had a dusting of scruff on his face, as if he hadn’t shaved in a few days. His eyes were dark green, and they swirled with amber as Ian’s had, too.
“Why did you come here?” Quill asked as he gathered her hair to one side and exposed her neck. He kissed the side of her throat, his warm breath fanning her skin and drowning her in his spicy, sweet scent.
“I…don’t know.” It was too crazy, wasn’t it? That she’d followed a smell in the woods and found the sexiest men she’d ever laid eyes on? They’d think she was a pineapple short of a fruit salad.
Quill slipped his hands up the front of her top, cupping her breasts and drawing her back against him. She gasped as he held her close.
“You know why you came here, don’t you?” Quill nipped her neck, and each little bite sent a jolt of pleasure through her.
Brin grasped the waistband of her shorts and curled his fingers inside so she could feel his knuckles against her abdomen. “Tell us, Angel.”
“It’s crazy.”
Ian brushed his fingertips down her bare arm and she shivered at the light touch. “We’re certain it isn’t,” he said.
“I smelled you.”
“Why is that crazy?” Brin asked.
“I’m human.”
“Humans have truemates,” Quill said. “I think you call them soulmates.”
“We really don’t.”
“Then explain how we smell to you,” Ian said.
“Like cinnamon and sugar. I thought that someone was baking cinnamon rolls out here, which is nuts.” Her cheeks flamed, but they didn’t laugh at her, even though she thought it was the most absurd thing she’d ever said in her life.
Brin chuckled and cupped her face. “It’s not nuts. We’re hyena shifters. We felt you coming close to our camper. We didn’t know what was coming, but our beasts were going crazy.”
Everything stilled inside her. Hyenas?
“Are you really?”
“Hyenas?” Quill asked, kissing her neck again. “Yes.”
Quill slid his hands from under her top and turned her to face him. “Sweetheart, it doesn’t really matter whether you’re human or we’re shifters. The only thing that matters is that you found us and we’re so fucking happy. We’ve been alone for a long time.”
“Me too.”
“We’re not alone anymore,” Brin said. “None of us are.”
Ian looked thoughtful. “If you work for the campground, then you know about hyenas?”
“Yeah. And my best friends are mated to hyena clans.”
Brin smiled widely enough to show a dimple in one cheek. “It must be fate, then.”
“The campground owners thought I might meet my mates at the next gathering, but I wasn’t sure I’d be with a shifter.”
“How do you feel now?” Quill murmured, stroking down her arm and capturing her hand with his. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
“Still a little nuts. But glad I followed the smell.”
“You’re not nuts, just our mate,” Brin said. “Are you hungry? I can make something for you and we can get to know each other.”
She blinked as she realized how fast things had gone from touchy-touchy to no touching at all.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked.
“What? Of course not. Why would you think that?” Ian asked.
“We were doing more than talking just a minute ago and now it’s like you’ve cooled off.”
Brin shook his head. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. My beast is banging in my skull to take you to bed right now, but we don’t want to rush you.”
“We can’t mate you properly without a ceremony anyway,” Ian said. “We wouldn’t rush you through a ceremony. No matter how our beasts are feeling about physical things, you’re the most important person in the world to us now, and you set the pace.”
Quill jerked her close with a soft growl, his eyes flashing amber as he cupped her butt with a squeeze. “It’s all I can do to keep from tearing your clothes off, Angel. You’re gorgeous and you smell like my best wet dream. It’s not that we don’t want you, it’s that we don’t want to overwhelm you.”
She could feel his erection against her belly and she smiled, reaching to cup his face. Drawing him down to her mouth, she kissed him, softly at first, licking and nibbling until he opened to her with a deep groan and stroked his tongue against hers. She felt the kiss all the way to her toes as he sucked on her tongue and lifted her off the ground, pulling her flush to his body. Brin caged her from behind, pushing her shirt up and kissing her back, while Ian slid a hand under her top, lightly tickling her side with his calloused fingers.
Quill eased from the kiss and lowered her to the ground, pressing his head against hers as they both panted for breath. “You’re fucking addictive.”
Brin kissed between her shoulder blades with a chuckle and righted her shirt. “Are you sure your name is Angel? It should be Temptation.”
She grinned as she faced Brin. “You’re giving me quite the ego.”
“I speak only the truth. Now how about breakfast?”
“You’re sexy and you cook, too? Be still my beating heart.” She looked at Quill. “Are you the oldest?”
“Yeah, I’m our clan’s leader.”
Ian said, “I’m the middle brother, and the protector.”
He took her hand and led her to the camper.
Brin hurried ahead of them and held the door open. “You’ve got a date with my awesome cooking skills.”
She knew from Whisper and Bliss that clans always had three males, their duties arranged by age. Brin was the caretaker. It didn’t surprise her when he gestured to one of the padded benches on either side of the kitchen table and asked if she wanted coffee.
Ian sat across from her and took her hand, and Quill sat next to her.
Quill said, “Do you need to let anyone know where you are? I don’t want your friends to worry about you.”
“I was picking wildflowers, so no one will be expecting me to be anywhere at any given time. It’s the weekend, and I don’t work on weekends. Plus, I have my cell,” she said, pulling her phone from her pocket. “Are you traveling?”
“No,” Brin said as he put a mug in front of her. “Oh, because of the camper? No, we were living in an apartment a half hour from here when the asshole who owned the place found out we were shifters and said he didn’t rent to shifters.”
“I thought people couldn’t discriminate against shifters.” There were laws that prevented that kind of thing, but she could admit to not knowing much about it because she was human.
“He said that because we didn’t disclose it when we signed the lease, we violated the rental agreement. We bought the camper from one of the guys at the construction company where we work. It was supposed to be temporary, but we’ve been living in it for a while,” Quill said.
“Pretty tight quarters,” she said after fixing her coffee and taking a sip.
Brin pulled breakfast ingredients from the refrigerator. “It’s funny, because we were just talking about finding a permanent place to live and getting out of the camper except for vacations, and then you wandered into our lives. I’m glad we were still here.”
He gave her a sweet smile, and she returned it. “Me too.”