Chapter 15
Promise watched Artem make breakfast, insisting she sit at the kitchen table while he “worked his magic.” Which seemed to involve scrambled eggs and toast. Not that she was complaining, because it was her very favorite sort of breakfast, plus he was so sexy she wouldn’t have cared if he burned everything.
“So how many kids?” he asked as he stirred the eggs.
They’d woken up after eight and snuggled in bed, talking about the future. On Friday, they were going to Allen to pack up her things and bring them to Little Hope. But today? Ally and her husbands had reached out to say how thankful they were he was okay and asked if they’d like to look at some of the three-bedroom cabins that were reserved for staff who were mated or had families.
She liked his cabin, but it had only one bedroom which wouldn’t be big enough for them to have a family.
Her stomach flipped just thinking about it.
Heck, she could be pregnant now. They hadn’t used protection.
“Well, it’s just me and Rio, but I always wished we had a brother. Did you ever wish you had more siblings?”
“Definitely. I grew up with the hyenas in the campground and they’re like family, but it’s not the same as having actual family. I love Isolde, but it would have been nice to have a brother too.”
“So…three?”
“That sounds good to me,” he said.
She grinned. “I can’t wait to look at the cabins. It’s like house hunting!”
“I think there are two that have three bedrooms, but we’ll have to see what Ally and her mates say. They set aside a dozen cabins for staff. This is the only cabin that has one bedroom, the others have two or three.”
“When did you move out of your parents’ place?”
“A couple of years ago. The first part of the aggression with my age and not being mated started happening when I was twenty-one. I didn’t sleep well, and Isolde complained that my pacing at night kept her up. I liked living with my folks, but it was easier to move out than explain how unsettled I felt with my beast always riding me to shift.”
“Rio moved into my trailer when I left, but she was living with our parents before that. I moved out a couple of years ago so I could come and go without being accountable to anyone.”
“I get that feeling.”
He set two plates with eggs and toast on the table and took the seat across from her. She sipped at the coffee and smiled. “Thanks for making breakfast.”
“Anytime.”
“So when we talk to Ally and her husbands about switching to a larger cabin, we can also talk to them about what I might do here for work?”
“Absolutely.”
She wanted to have a job around the campground like Artem and his family did. Use of the staff cabins was considered part of their salary, so she wanted to contribute.
“Are you part of their baro?” she asked.
“Yes. Dad’s the head of our family group, what the hyenas would call a clan, and he gets together with the other clan leaders to discuss issues. They don’t do get-togethers like packs do, though.”
“Did your dad tell them about what you’re dealing with?”
“I’m sure he has by now if he didn’t before everything went to crap last night.”
She stabbed a large chunk of egg. “If Nero had his guy run you over to send a message that you couldn’t leave the league, he must expect you to show up to the next fight and be ready to go.”
He nodded as he chewed. When he’d swallowed and took a drink of coffee, he said, “That’s what I figure. If I don’t go to the fight, then he might try to find me. He’s resourceful, so while I’ve always felt fairly safe from being discovered, I don’t feel that way anymore.”
“What should we do?”
“You’re not doing anything,” he said, pointing his fork at her. “Except staying safe from harm. I’m going to make sure that Nero knows I won’t fight for him anymore.”
“I’ll do my best to be safe, but I also want to know what you’re planning, even if I’ll be staying here at the campground.”
“I think the best thing I can do is call the authorities,” he said. He finished his plate and then leaned back in the chair. “Shifter fighting groups like his are illegal, so if the authorities are alerted they’ll shut him down and arrest him. He’s been chased out from other cities by the authorities and he seems pretty good at getting away without getting in trouble, like posting bail and then leaving town.”
“If that doesn’t work?”
“I’ll take out the warehouse where the fights are.”
“With…”
“Something that explodes and causes a lot of damage so the warehouse is unusable..”
She snorted. “When will you call?”
“Later.” He pushed back from the table and lifted his plate. “We’ve got some cabins to see and some plans to make.” He rested his hand on the table and leaned over, smiling down at her in a wonderfully wicked way. “And a date.”
“What?”
“A date. You and me. Tonight.”
“Fun. Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise. But wear something sexy. And feel free to forget panties.”
“You’ve got the best ideas.”
She finished her breakfast and helped him with the dishes, and before long, they were on their way to the welcome center to check in with Ally and her mates, to find a new place to live and the possibility of work for her, and also…to see where the day would take them.
Taking Artem’s hand, she gave it a squeeze and said, “I’m so glad you’re mine.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I’m so glad you’re mine too, beautiful.”
Promise loved the two cabins. One was closer to his parents’ cabin and the other was closer to the Welcome Center. They were nearly identical inside: three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an eat-in kitchen, and a family room. But where they differed was that the cabin close to the Welcome Center had a sliding door in the master suite that walked out to a private patio surrounded by the thick woods.
When they were back at the Welcome Center, they found Ally and her three mates—Richard, Troy, and Blake—in one of the offices.
“What did you think?” Ally asked from where she was perched on a large desk where Richard, the oldest of her mates, sat.
“They’re both great,” Promise said. “But I have to ask about the one with the private patio off the master suite.”
“We built that cabin for us,” Blake said.
“I thought you lived here?” Promise asked.
“We do,” Troy said. “But when we first bought the land for the campground we really didn’t know what we were doing, so we built a home for ourselves first, and then we slowly built the other buildings.”
“At first, we didn’t even have the Welcome Center,” Richard said. “We just let people come up here with tents and RVs and take parking spaces and camp out. It was rustic, but it was enough to get our business off the ground.”
“When did you move in here?” Artem asked.
“After the kids were born and we needed to be able to work and also keep an eye on them,” Ally said. “I loved that cabin. Our boys stayed there before they found their mate, and then she really wanted to be closer to the lake so they moved out. It’s been empty ever since.”
Promise looked at Artem and he gave her an encouraging nod.
“We’d love that one,” she said. “It’s magical there.”
“It sure is,” Ally said. “You’re very welcome to it.”
Richard smiled. “Whatever you need to make it your own—paint, flooring, furniture—let us know and we’ll help in whatever way we can.”
“Thanks so much,” Artem said. He shook the males’ hands while Promise got a hug from Ally.
Ally said, “Isolde told us that you worked at a restaurant in your old home?”
“Yes, Lonestar. I did food prep, waitressed, and helped in the kitchen whenever I was needed. I didn’t go to college, but I did independent study on using herbs for healing through an online program.”
Ally looked at her mates and they were all smiling.
“We actually were looking to hire someone to help out with our meals,” Richard said. He explained that both Angel and Brierley had helped at one time with meal prep for the staff and guests, but over the years they moved on to other things.”
“What would it involve?” Promise asked.
“Helping to plan the meals for the staff and guests, shopping and food prep, and serving when we need it,” Troy said.
Ally nodded. “Right, sometimes we have weddings, and they want a sit-down meal with service, so you’d be helping with that. Do you like to cook?”
“Small things,” she said with a smile. “I make a great crispy sugar cookie, and one of my favorite things to do is try to make new sandwiches, plus I like the bento box style lunches.”
“What’s that?” Blake asked.
“A bento box is a container with sections for ingredients for a meal. It’s something a person might take to work for lunch,” she said. “I used to make them for my parents. It might be something like a fajita bowl with a side of chips and salsa or a wrap sandwich with veggies and cookies. They’re fun to make .”
“What’s your favorite sandwich?” Ally asked.
“For a hot sandwich, I love cheesesteaks. For cold sandwiches, I like chicken salad.”
“That’s my specialty!” Ally gushed. She looked at her mates who all smiled. “We’d love to offer you the job. You can also help out with the four-wheeler tours if you’d like to, we’re very casual here.”
Promise couldn’t stop smiling. “I’d love to. It sounds amazing.”
“Then you can start on Monday,” Richard said. “That gives you both the rest of the week off to enjoy your mating. We’ll have Angel and Brin give the cabin a once-over this afternoon so you can start moving in tomorrow.”
Artem rose to his feet and shook their hands. “Thank you all for everything.”
“Welcome to the baro, Promise,” Richard said. “We’re all family here.”
Promise and Ally hugged again. “Invite your folks up for a visit anytime, we’ll set them up in a nice cabin.”
“Thanks, I will.”
She and Artem left the Welcome Center hand in hand. “What now?” she asked.
“Let’s go to your cabin.”
“For?”
“You need to pack. But also? I’m feeling like sexing you up.” He pulled her against him with a soft growl and she giggled.
“I’m feeling like that too.”