CHAPTER FOUR
Wess
Nightshade Bear Territory
I opened my mouth intent on finding a tactful way to ask if the little one’s sire was around, but my mate let out a soft snore.
I bit my lip so I didn’t laugh. It was sort of adorable that he fell asleep from just a few minutes of attention.
If I had to guess, I’d say the baby’s sire was nowhere to be found or his carrier wouldn’t be this stressed out.
I moved slowly, laying his head on one end of the sofa and pulling his legs up on the other.
I tucked him in under the blankets and sat down in the armchair nearby.
Sure, the kitchen was full of food and people, but I wasn’t about to leave him to wake up on his own to think I had disappeared.
Besides, it being full of people was as good of a reason to avoid it as any other.
I didn’t want to have to turn anyone into ice today.
A few minutes passed before Mori poked his head out. I bit the inside of my cheek. It looked like Preston needed to sleep to me but I wouldn’t stop his twin from waking him up. What if the baby needed something? What if Preston hadn’t eaten all day because he was taking care of his baby and…
“Do you want a plate?” Mori whispered to me, still holding the baby.
“What’s there to eat?” I asked and instantly felt like an ungrateful ass, but I was a picky eater.
“A bit of everything. A lot of things in rolls. I think Bolt got on a kick of making stuffed rolls. Some burgers. Some chicken. If none of that sounds good my parents are making pot roast for tonight but I doubt it’s ready yet. I have some jerky in my bag too.”
“I’ll try the rolls. Something with meat in it?” I asked, tentatively unsure of how much hospitality it was proper to ask for.
“I’ll be right back,” Mori said and disappeared back into the kitchen.
Should I have offered to hold the baby? Should I have said I can get it myself?
How the hell did people walk around being this ‘peopled’ everyday?
How did anyone know what to do? I wasn’t helpless.
I fed myself this long but walking into someone else’s kitchen and filling up my plate felt like trespassing.
Sure, Lero was related to my mate, but I wasn’t sure what that meant at the end of the day.
If the others of my kind saw me now they’d roll their eyes and laugh.
Of course, the right answer was to snatch up Preston and the baby and head back to the mountain ASAP.
They’d be safe there. I could hunt there.
Mori could figure out how to visit but I had a feeling that a bear who grew up surrounded by people would be miserable on top of the mountain forever.
“Guess we’re learning how to people,” my bear sighed.
Mori came back into the living room carrying two plates on one arm and the baby in the other. Yep. I was a jackass who should’ve offered to help. Preston sat up as soon as he smelled the food and Mori chuckled to himself as he passed a plate off to his brother and the other to me.
“Sorry,” Preston murmured and I wasn’t sure if he was speaking to me or Mori.
Mori slipped out of the room before answering. So, he was talking to me. Maybe.
“You were tired,” I shrugged. “I imagine it’s hard raising a cub on your own.”
“It’s hard raising a cub – period. I have help.
My brother is usually around. My whole family lives here more or less.
We’re a close-knit community,” Preston said.
“But people can only help as much as you let them, and I don’t mind being tired.
Andy’s only going to be this small for a miniscule amount of time.
I don’t want to miss a single second of it. ”
I glanced over at him, trying not to be obvious that I wanted to look at him forever.
He looked like Mori a bit, but they were definitely fraternal twins.
He had dark hair and hazel-honey eyes. The tips of his ears were pointed and had little marks like he might’ve worn earrings in their tips some time in the past. Probably stopped because of the baby.
I imagined at Andy’s age babies grabbed for everything.
“You were right. I am Preston,” he said a second later as if he too felt the silence pressing down around his body like a pressure front that wouldn’t relent.
“I’m Wess. The resident snow demon of Hemlock Mountain.”
“Can I ask a rude question?” Preston asked.
“Uh… I don’t know that there can be a rude question between mates,” I shrugged.
“Believe me. There can. I’ve overheard plenty of arguments and bickering matches. There so can.”
“Ask away,” I shrugged. “It’s hard to offend me.”
“What is a demon?” he asked and took a bite out of one of the stuffed rolls.
“Uh…. That’s broad,” I shrugged again. “Really broad. If you’re asking why I’m a demon, that I can answer.
” I tapped my left horn. “My ancestor came from a place where if you have these you’re a demon.
It’s just what they called themselves. The snow comes from the element you’re best at.
Most of my family are snow demons. There was a rumor when I was a kid that I had a cousin who was a sea demon.
Though he lived on a bunch of icebergs. So take from that what you will.
And bonus answer because eventually everyone asks: I can see the future but only if it’s about true-mates and I don’t really get to see whatever I want to see. ”
“Plenty of seers in our family,” Preston nodded.
“It’s not exactly a gift. It’s more of a curse.
Mori and our carrier have dead people who follow them around.
Between you and me, I see them too. I just ignore them and act like I can’t most of the time.
There was a dead cat that followed me around for a week one time until Mori got home.
I put down milk but wouldn’t pay attention to it otherwise.
I know once I start helping them, it never ends and I have enough to deal with.
Just a head’s up. Andy’s sire doesn’t want to be a dad, but his mother is insane.
Literally probably certifiably. Wants to raise my baby and sacrifice him so that she can have his magic. ”
Preston rolled his eyes but a cold anger rolled through my veins. Who would dare to threaten the offspring of my mate? Who would dare to threaten a child so small and helpless? What sort of monster would you have to be to believe that such a sacrifice would be worth it?
“No use in getting angry about it,” Preston said and spoke again before I had a chance to say there was every reason to be angry about it.
“She’s crazy. Crazy people don’t know they’re crazy.
Dern thinks she’ll come back once Andy is old enough to sacrifice.
When she does, I’ll eat her fucking face, if need be. I’m ready in the meantime too.”
I cocked my head to the side, waiting for him to explain how he was ready, but my mate didn’t offer up his secret plans.
“Didn’t mean to piss you off but you had to know. It’s dangerous to be around us for too long and you have the right to know that.”
“It’s dangerous to come off the mountain. Get run over by a train or stuck in a kitchen full of people,” I shrugged.
Preston bit his lip. I would’ve told him it was a joke but there seemed to be more he wanted to say.
“Say what you need to. I know you’re speaking for two people. Andy cannot speak for himself and you’re his only voice for now,” I said, offering him the roll still left on my plate because his was already empty. Preston tore it in half and handed one side back to me.
“Thanks,” he said, flashing me a sheepish smile.
I almost pointed out that he smelled like he still occasionally chest fed but after the ‘he can wear my balls’ comment earlier, I was trying to mind my manners.
“Andy and me are a packaged deal,” Preston said.
“He’s mine. Venal isn’t involved and at this point I don’t want him to be.
Anyone who doesn’t want to be a parent makes a shitty one.
I want to be a dad. I know this probably isn’t what you expected but it’s how it is.
You don’t have to stay but if you stay you have to love the baby.
Not just like him but love him. He’s a baby.
He’s practically defenseless. He’s never met a person who he didn’t like.
I’m half convinced he thinks Mori is his sire because he’s who’s around the most with us.
Mori – he’s always around too. He’s not going anywhere.
I have a big family. You don’t have to do the functions and the parties, but I will.
I’d like you to go when you can. I know introverts have less energy for it and I won’t argue with you about things like that but I’m still going.
Baby Andy is going. Any of our future kids are going too if they want to. ”
“Why would I argue with you about seeing your family?” I asked, quirking up an eyebrow.
“They’re your family. I don’t know what sort of guys you dated before today but I’m not here to be your jailer.
If you’re not ready for this, I’ll go back to my mountain, and you can come and find me when you are or send word.
If my presence here makes your life more difficult the best thing I can do is leave. ”
“No,” Preston said, the word rolling off his tongue quickly. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just…” His words trailed off with a sigh.
“Can I take a guess at the just part?” I asked.
He shrugged and I went ahead.
“You’re just exhausted. You have the baby and the family, and you love them to death, but you’re exhausted.
Plus, you’re worried that no one is taking the Sharon Claudis thing seriously because how the fuck does someone just disappear into thin air?
Plus, dead people try to bug you and ignoring them takes a lot of work.
Uh…. And oh, you’re probably working out a lot more than you ever did before because you have to beat Sharon’s ass. ”
“Uh…. Are you sure you can’t see the past or present?” he chuckled.
“I can see the present. We all see the present,” I shrugged and tapped just above my eyebrows.
“Oh, right,” Preston chuckled. “You know what I mean. Like some seers having a ‘knowing’ about things.”
“Only true-mate things,” I shrugged. “Not for everyone either.”
“So…. I’m that readable?” Preston asked.
“Not to everyone,” I shook my head. “Truth be told, I ignore most people. They’re living their lives and I’m living mine.
That’s the way the world should work but since walking in here I haven’t been able to think about anything else or pay attention to anyone else.
I can’t ignore you. It’s the oddest sensation.
It’s like the world might end if I take my eyes off you.
Like none of the rest of it is real. Like none of it ever was.
So, I mean, at the end of the day, I’ll adopt Andy.
We can do it the paper way your people like doing, if that makes you feel better, but from the moment we responded he was mine to protect too, Preston. Yeah. I sound like a crazy man.”
“I think that’s the true-mate magic. It’s like we made a bunch of promises in the Other World and we suddenly remembered them all at once when we met,” Preston said.
“And you don’t have to send the baby off with your brother,” I said.
“Uh… I do, though. I don’t know how straight I’m even thinking right now. The true-mate response is notorious for making fools out of everyone.”
“Then bring Mori too,” I shrugged. “Life doesn’t have to be complicated.”
“Uh….” Preston said. “I’m not very quiet.”
“I can put my hand over your mouth,” I shrugged and he blushed.
Everything inside me stood up. Preston was a beautiful bear and now I really couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Everything inside me wanted to reach out and pull him over into my lap.
I’d kiss him until all the tension fled his muscles and then I’d kiss lower chasing off any lingering parts that might try to make a comeback.
I wanted to make him cum again and again until he forgot the meaning of the word stress.
“Your scent says so very much,” Preston said.
I opened my mouth to say that he had no room to speak but stopped short. His arousal was thick on the air but I didn’t want him to feel subconscious about it. Behind his tangy arousal was the scent of someone tired and nervous. All of this felt too good to be true.
“We’ll hang a curtain over the door too,” I said instead. “Or I could take you home and put you in a bubble bath and leave you to read or something.”
Preston blinked and cocked his head to the side.
“I’m starting to think I’m imagining you,” he said a second later.
Then he reached out and poked my knee with a single finger as if to see if I were solid or one of the dead people who tried to get his help.
“I’m not too good to be true. I’m an introvert and I despise most people.
I’ll never lock you up, but it’ll cause issues at some point.
It always does. Sometimes the silence is better than all the company in the world.
Maybe I’ll snatch out someone’s liver for hurting your feelings or making you uncomfortable.
I don’t really play by the paper rules.”
“Uh… Their liver?”
“You only have one and can’t live without it,” I shrugged. “Less messy than a heart. Slower death too.”
Preston swallowed hard. For a second, I thought I scared him, but his scent turned more aroused.
“Maybe we can leave the baby with Mori for just a bit,” he said. “I mean, Mori lives with me when he’s in town. So they’ll be around later.”
“And your parents are making a pot roast,” I reminded him.
“I’m not really in the mood to see my parents,” Preston shook his head. “Let’s go.”
“Shouldn’t you tell Mori?”
“Twin link,” he said, standing up and reaching his hand out for me. “I wouldn’t normally leave dirty dishes in someone else’s living room but today’s a special occasion.”
I didn’t even have time to grab my stuff before he pulled me out through the door and down the steps.