Chapter 9

Anna

 

I finished my project for James early in the morning with only an hour before the helo was due to land. I had been surprised to find that not only did Talen have a magical solution for the challenge I proposed, but that he was also more than happy to help me with it. I had half expected him to roll his eyes and dismiss me outright. I was tired from staying up all night and from all the magic I had been using, but my excitement over my upcoming trip kept me moving.

I headed to my closet to start packing. I wasn’t sure what I would need for a weekend on a yacht so I decided to do what most females did – pack ten times as much as I should and hope that I had what I needed. I flung my empty luggage open and went to pack my undies first. Quinn had been quietly filling my unmentionables drawer with all kinds of sexy stuff that the old Anna would have never been brave enough to wear.

I opened my panty drawer only to find it completely empty. I frowned to myself and opened the next drawer to find all my bras missing too. I gave an irritated sigh, but then brightened up. If the twins were pranking me, it must mean that I was forgiven. Nothing said I’m sorry like stealing all of a girl’s underthings.

I exited the ridiculously large walk-in closet that was becoming fuller as the days went by and walked across my room. I flung open my door and turned to go down the hall towards Jason’s room only to pull up short when I saw James leaning against the wall in the hallway. I was surprised to see amusement shining in the depths of his dark eyes and looked at him suspiciously.

“Missing something?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

My breath hitched in surprise. As much as the twins and I had teased and tormented James with our pranks, he had never before stooped to return the favor. Meting out punishments or extra jobs in reparation for the chaos we caused, sure. But retaliating with a prank of his own? Never.

“Would you know anything about my missing items?” I asked sweetly.

“Depends.” He met my eyes steadily. “Would we be talking about a mutually beneficial hostage exchange?”

I tilted my head at him slyly. “Maybe.” I walked toward him until my clothes were brushing his and I could feel the warmth that radiated off his body.

His eyes darkened even further with the heat that was now burning between us. “Are you wearing them?” I purred, hoping he would say yes. James in a pair of hot pink sparkly man briefs with a glittery unicorn on the butt would be an image that I would happily hold onto for the rest of my life.

He didn’t bat an eye. “Am I?”

I licked my lips and ran my hand along his waistband before dipping my fingers inside. I ran my hand down the hard plane of his abs and to his hip bone to find… nothing but bare skin.

A small part of me was disappointed, but the rest of me wanted to explore his body with my tongue.

“Satisfied?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Not even close,” I murmured, trailing my hand back up his abs to rest above his belt buckle. “You know it takes more than that.”

He chuckled darkly. “I do.”

I heard a door open down the hall and reluctantly removed my hand from under James’s shirt. I turned to see a sleepy Caleb rubbing a hand through his messy hair. “Hey, Anna,” he said with a yawn. “Heard you were going away for the weekend and wanted to make sure I said ‘bye.”

I smiled at him and leaned in for a hug. “I was just packing,” I told him with a pointed look at James. James just gave a barely discernible closed mouth smile and waited.

I gave a sigh of resignation and pulled away from Caleb’s hug. “Meet back here in five?” I asked James.

He gave a tight nod and stalked back to his room.

“Do I want to know?” Caleb asked with a smile.

I shook my head. “James got the best of me in a prank.”

“Really?” Caleb raised his eyebrows. “What did the twins think about that?”

“They weren’t involved,” I mumbled as I opened the storage closet and crouched down to get to the back of the bottom shelf.

“Maybe that’s why,” Caleb mused.

I shot him a dirty look. I could pull a prank off by myself if I wanted to.

I reached for the bag of James’s undergarments and pulled them out. I sat back on my heels and thought. Maybe Caleb had a point. Part of the fun of pranks was the time I spent planning them with the twins. This prank had fallen flat regardless of their involvement, but I did miss my partners in crime.

“Hey Caleb?” I asked softly. “I know you’re already busy, and you have a lot on your plate…”

Caleb reached for my hands. “What do you need?”

I chewed my lip nervously. “I’m worried about Gemma, I don’t trust her.”

Caleb chuckled. “James said the same thing.”

My eyes widened slightly. “James says that about everyone.” Did that mean I was becoming just as cantankerous and paranoid as James?

Caleb shook his head. “Not everyone.”

“Well, he said it about me when I first got here.”

Caleb smiled at me. “He grumbled, but he was protective of you from the beginning.”

I blinked in surprise. James had not been happy about Austin letting me in the pack that first day.

“He watched out for you,” Caleb said softly. “But he watches Gemma. There’s a difference.”

“And you?” I asked him quietly. “How do you feel about Gemma?”

Caleb frowned. “I haven’t seen any hard evidence that she’s dangerous. But my gut tells me to be cautious.”

I nodded. “She makes me uneasy. But I’m not sure if it’s just because she’s another female in my territory, close to my males. I don’t want to become Reagan.”

Caleb pulled me close. “You won’t. And you never felt like that around Sam, did you?”

I thought for a moment. “No, I liked Sam from the beginning. But she didn’t have any interest in my guys.”

“None of your guys have any interest in Gemma, I can promise you that,” Caleb assured me.

“I know.” I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a squeeze. “Keep an eye on her for me?”

“I already am,” Caleb promised. “I give daily reports of all her activities to James.”

“Huh,” I said in surprise. “Did you give reports on me when I first got here?” I pulled away from him so I could watch his face.

Caleb just laughed. “No, but I can tell you that there was more than one night when a certain black wolf patrolled outside of your room, making sure you were safe.”

I picked up the bag again. “I have something else I need to get from my room for James,” I told Caleb. I gave him a kiss and ran a finger across a red mark on his face. “You fell asleep on your desk again, huh?”

He blushed. “Maybe.”

“Get some sleep.” I gave him another kiss. “In your bed, though.”

He laughed and gave me a squeeze. “Enjoy your swanky trip.”

I gave him a wave as he went back into his room and I headed for mine. I picked up the necklace that I had made with Talen’s help and held the crystal in my hand, admiring the blue stone. I didn’t have a gift box for it or anything, but I doubted that James would care about that.

James stepped into my room, carrying a large bag that I could only assume was stuffed with my pilfered items. He paused a foot away from me and his eyes flicked down to the necklace I had in my hand. He had an unreadable look in his eyes so I decided to just blurt it out.

“This is for you.” I held the necklace out to him and he blinked in surprise. When he hesitated to take it, I started to explain. “Fae warriors will give their beloved one of these before they go off to war or to slay dragons, or whatever they do.”

“You’re my fae warrior… and I’m your beloved?” I could see the confusion and amusement warring in him.

I cleared my throat awkwardly. “Well, it’s kind of pretentious to refer to myself as your beloved if you’ve never named me as such.” I felt my face getting red. My intention had been to do something for James so he wouldn’t worry as much, but I was making this into a painfully awkward interaction.

He stared at me for a second before the confusion faded and left only amusement in it’s place. “What was I thinking?” he murmured as he stepped closer to me. His face turned absolutely serious. “Anna, will you be my beloved?”

I ducked my head to hide the goofy smile that came over my face. “Yes,” I told him shyly. “I would like to be your beloved.”

I tried to look serious but I couldn’t seem to pull back the wide smile that involuntarily stretched across my face. “That means I can officially declare you to be my fearless dark warrior.”

He stared at me for a second and I started to second guess myself. Was this too weird, even for me? Why had I thought that this was a good idea? It must have been the lack of sleep that caused my brain to malfunction. I had made this situation incredibly awkward instead of romantic.

“Now that we decided that you’re my beloved, do you wear the necklace?” James asked, looking completely serious and a little out of his element.

I laughed and shook my head. “It’s not just a necklace.” I held it out to him again and the stone swung as it dangled from my hand. “And you don’t have to wear it, that’s just how the stone came.”

He took hold of it and wrapped the silver chain around his hand so that the stone laid in the palm of his hand.

“It’s imbued with my magical essence,” I told him quietly. “If you hold it in your hand and focus you can feel the tiny pulses of magic that match my heartbeat.”

His eyes snapped up to mine with surprise and his hand reflexively clutched it tightly.

“It’s not limited like the pack bond is. You’ll be able to sense me wherever I am in this world or one of the others,” I explained.

James was completely still. “I can find you, wherever you go?”

I nodded. “Because it has my essence in it, you could use it to locate me. Talen might have to help with that part though, I’m not sure about the exact magic you would need.”

He pulled the necklace over his head and tucked it into his shirt. It was on a long chain, so the stone hung down between his pecs. “You can have the stone put on something else,” I offered. “That was just what I found on short notice.”

James put his hands on my waist so that he could pull me close. “It’s perfect.”

Our lips met in a gentle kiss, and I pulled away from him reluctantly.

“Your ride will be here in less than an hour.” James seemed almost as hesitant as I was to pull away.

I stared into his eyes for another moment, searching those dark depths. There was so much more to James than anyone else knew. He would never be the type of man that waxed poetically about his love for me, but I didn’t need him to. He didn’t have to tell me that his greatest fear was losing me, I already knew. He didn’t need to tell me that he was having a difficult time watching me walk out the door, away from him. He also didn’t need to say that this gift eased the worry that ate at his soul, or that by letting me walk away he was showing his faith that I would return to him and his respect for me as an equal. I saw all of that for myself.

I took another deep breath, unsure of what I should say. The twins solved that problem for me when they barreled into my room.

James rolled his eyes and murmured what sounded like ‘shitheads,’ but I heard the undertones of affection beneath the irritation he was projecting. I hid my smile, James loved them.

James let go of me and turned to the twins. “Say your goodbyes quickly, field day starts the moment that helo takes off.”

Jason scowled at him while Mason mussed my hair affectionately. “Don’t think we’re not jealous right now,” he teased me.

“Yeah,” Jason added as he swung an arm over my shoulders. “Personal helicopter, private jet, fancy yacht, you’re living the life.”

James exited the room and shut the door softly behind him.

“Guys…” I had so much I wanted to say but not sure how to start with any of it. An hour wasn’t nearly enough time to resolve all our issues.

“I know,” Mason said with sad eyes. “We need to talk, but we’ll be okay.”

I nodded. “When I get back?”

“Yup,” Jason hugged me from behind and lifted me so my feet dangled.

“Gemma-” I hated to even say her name, and I was unable to keep all the emotion out of my voice. I wasn’t proud of myself for how I sounded. It was unlike me to have hostile feelings towards anyone, but she had pushed me too far.

“You have nothing to worry about,” Mason assured me as he motioned for Jason to put me back down. “You’re the one for us. You’re the one we love.”

I patted the top of Jason’s head as he gave my shoulder a playful bite. “We came to help you pack.”

I laughed. “Okay, but we need to be quick.” As frustrated as I was with our situation, I couldn’t get too mad at them. I knew they had only the best intentions.

Jason gave me a serious nod, but I could see the sparkle in his eyes. “We’ll pack only the fanciest of your clothes.”

Mason strode into my closet with Jason close behind. I grabbed the bag of my underwear that James had returned to me and pulled out the things that I thought I would need. Well, I pulled out the things that I thought I would need if I were going away for a week instead of a weekend.

“Why haven’t we ever seen you in this?” Mason asked as he stepped out of the closet with a hot pink string bikini dangling from his fingers.

I blushed. “Probably because it’s the middle of December and not really beach season.” A tiny pink bikini wasn’t my normal beachwear, but if I was on our private section of beach with just my guys, why not? The twins had certainly seen me in a lot less on more than one occasion and I had come a long way in being comfortable in my own skin.

Mason tossed the bikini in my luggage that so far only held lingerie. Jason had somehow found the couple of lace teddies that had suddenly appeared in my closet one day and added those to my luggage before flipping the lid shut.

“All set,” Jason declared with a grin.

I rolled my eyes. “You all realize that I’m going to be on a yacht with a lamia that may or may not be one of our friends, and not the two of you, right?”

The twins exchanged glances and their expressions darkened.

“Good point,” Mason said. “But I don’t think you could wear anything to make you less attractive. You’re hot even in sweats.”

“You’re especially hot in my sweats,” Jason added as he cocked his head to the side and eyed my attire.

I shrugged. “You shouldn’t leave your stuff in my room if you don’t want me to wear it.”

“Who says I don’t?” he said with a sly smile. “It makes it all the more fun to take them off you.”

I laughed as he started to stalk toward me.

“I think I actually want my pants back now,” Jason said as he dove for me.

Mason sighed with regret as we wrestled. “I hate to be the voice of reason, but we really do need to get you packed. Austin called to say he’d be back in thirty minutes and to have you waiting downstairs with your stuff.”

I felt a flicker of hurt that Austin hadn’t called me. He had called James to tell him about the invitation and he had called the twins to make sure I was packed and ready.

Jason let me up while Mason watched me thoughtfully. “Where’s your phone?”

I blinked in surprise and looked around my room. “Uh…”

“The rest of us are required to keep them on us and charged at all times,” Mason pointed out.

My skin flushed and I realized what he was getting at. My magic didn’t always mesh well with technology, so I had gotten in the habit of leaving it behind while I worked. I didn’t have anyone that I really wanted to talk to outside of my pack, anyway. I had gotten out of the habit of having it on me all the time, but I should probably fix that if I was going to insist that Austin contact me instead of one of the other guys.

I gave an embarrassed shrug and picked up my phone from where it sat on my bed. I vaguely remembered throwing it there the day before. My sound had been turned off and I saw that I had a couple of missed calls and texts. Two from Austin. Oops.

I shoved the phone in the pocket of the sweats I had stolen from Jase. Pockets were one of the main reasons why I had stolen them in the first place. Female clothing had the tendency to prioritize ‘cute’ over functional.

The guys followed me into the closet as I eyed my selection of clothing that had been mostly procured by Quinn and Reagan. I pulled some dresses off hangers and handed them over to Jason to put in my luggage.

“Roll them up so they don’t get wrinkled,” Mason suggested.

I gave him a surprised look.

“What?” He shrugged. “Marines know how to pack shit.”

I just laughed and shook my head and picked up my packing pace. I didn’t want to make Austin wait.

I ran around my closet and bathroom tossing things at the guys and trusting that they could make it work. Jason had just sat down on my luggage to zip it closed when I felt a nudge from Austin.

“Anna, you almost ready? Transport will be here in fifteen.” I could pick up on the tiredness and worry beneath his words. It must have been a difficult couple of days being stuck with the other council members. I knew that was not how I would have wanted to spend my time.

“Heading down now,” I assured him.

“Austin’s here,” I told the guys. Now that the moment had come, my heart started beating faster in a mix of nervousness and excitement. Who has a helicopter come to their house to pick them up for a vacay?

Mason picked up my bag while Jason lunged for me. I avoided his first grab, but he tripped me the second time and was able to snatch me up before I fell.

“I’m not sure I want to let you go, after all,” he murmured into my hair as he held me tight.

“Let her go,” Mason called as he headed out to the hallway. “The boss is gonna be pissed if you mess up the timetable.”

I wiggled out of his arms and gave his butt a smack before sliding out of the stolen pants.

“Now we’re talking,” he said with a grin.

I rolled my eyes and hurriedly switched out my plain t-shirt for a sundress I had sat on the bed while packing. Jason pouted in disappointment as I slipped on my sandals and tied my hair up in a messy bun. I was proud of myself for accomplishing all that in less than two minutes. I assumed my hair would be a mess from the helicopter anyway, so I didn’t bother to look in the mirror. I’d worry about it later.

“Don’t think you’ll beat me down there just because I’m in a dress,” I warned Jason.

“You’re on,” he challenged me.

We both lunged for the door at the same time, and I giggled as I pushed him out of the way so I could be first into the hallway. We might still have a long way to go in working out some of our problems, but I knew the big things hadn’t changed. I still had my twins. I just needed to get Gemma out of my life so things could go back to normal.