Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
RILEY
Ipacked my bag with all the items Blake printed out on a piece of farm animal stationary.
I was slightly on edge about the secret location he planned on taking us for the three-day weekend.
Teachers had an in-service day, which meant we got the day off while they had to go to school still. Can't say I felt bad about that at all.
"Two pairs of jeans, yoga pants, tops, bikini, sexy dress, pajamas optional." I ran down the list of required clothing and wondered how it related to the stationary it was printed on.
I didn't think it was a great idea to be taking a vacation when a psychotic demigod siren was after me. We were still no closer to figuring out where he was, and he tended to just pop up unannounced and demand I join him while destroying everything around him.
First, he destroyed Ivy's confidence, and then the facility. What would be next?
Joining him would be the last thing I'd do, which meant it was only a matter of time before he took me.
I zipped up my overnight bag and headed downstairs, where my guys were waiting for me. My guys. Just a few short months ago I wasn't even on their radar, and now I was smack dab in the middle of it.
"I told Finn where we were going, and he made sure to tell your mom." Blake grinned as I scrunched my face at the mention of Finn and my mom together.
It's not that I didn't want my mom to find love, but did it have to be with Finn West? I'd never get over him tying me to a chair and attempting to waterboard me. Who does that?
"If they get married, you two will be brother and sister." Morgan cackled as Jax lunged for him. Morgan wasn't fast enough and got smacked in the back of the head. They fought like siblings.
"Who cares about what our parents do." Jax took my bag from me. "It's been a long time since I've seen my dad smile."
"I saw him smile right before he put a cloth over my face like a lunatic." Everyone stopped in their tracks, causing me to bump into Morgan, who sucked in a sharp breath. "But I guess my mom did cut off my dad's dick, so there's that."
A sudden fit of giggles overtook me, and I leaned back against the wall as laughter shook my body. I felt like I was in a paranormal romance thriller and the author wanted to see how far she could push me until I lost it. I was on the edge of that cliff.
"This is exactly why we need to get away." Blake wrapped his arm around my waist and guided me toward the garage as my giggles slowly faded into a deep frown.
I had considered myself a mentally stable person up until this point, but I was different now. I felt calmer with Blake's arm around me and slid into the middle seat in the back, right next to him.
"Where am I going?" Jax asked as we pulled out of the garage. He handed Blake his phone so he could type in the address.
"I promise you guys are going to love it. I booked the whole place so we could have privacy." Blake bounced like a little kid on his way to Disneyland for the first time as he handed the phone back to Jax. "We need this."
"What was with the farm animal stationary?" Morgan turned from the front passenger seat to look back at us. "We aren't going to a farm, are we?"
Blake didn't respond, and I eyed him suspiciously. We were definitely going to a farm, and I snorted, thinking about a fieldtrip from third grade to a pumpkin patch.
"The last time I was on a farm, the sheep nearly stampeded my class trying to get away from us." I put my head on Blake's shoulder. "Ivy still, to this day, blames herself."
Jax snorted from the front seat and Morgan turned. "What happened?"
"We were watching them get shaved and Ivy had just come back from the bathroom. She walked into the pen and it was like all hell broke loose. They rushed around, knocked down a few kids. It was crazy."
Blake was tracing a finger on my arm and it made me want to fall asleep. "I don't know much about farm animal behavior. We've never been to a farm or near farm animals."
"Really?" I sat up. "You are in for quite the smelly surprise, although it depends on what kinds of animals they have."
I forgot that they had only been on land less than four years. All things considered, they learned rather quickly. I would have never known if they hadn't told me.
We traveled down the coast about forty minutes, with a view of the Pacific Ocean. The water was so blue along the stretch of coastline that I wanted to jump out of the car and go for a swim.
Blake and I talked about upcoming college applications and how many schools would be a good number to apply to. Jax and Morgan had both stayed quiet, but they occasionally looked back at us.
I was feeling more and more hopeful that my college aspirations had not gone up in smoke because of the rocky start to the school year.
My grades weren't perfect by any means, but they were sitting in solid B range with the potential for As in a few classes if I busted my ass for the rest of the semester.
The biggest thing I'd realized was that I wanted to stay close to the coast, especially now that my fear of water had evaporated and there were reasons to be near the water. Before the drowning incident, I had been in love with the water and now that love was returning.
Now we just needed to get past the threat Dylan posed so I could fully enjoy what I had become.
"Where's Poseidon?" I had been thinking a lot lately about the god that was at the center of it all, yet nowhere to be seen. He had to have heard about everything going on, so where was he?
Blake's hand tightened on my waist and then relaxed. "He hasn't been back to the Pacific City in a long time."
"Probably because of all the sirens trapped nearby," I muttered before sitting up straighter. "Is he even real?"
Jax made a dismissive sound from the front. "Of course he's real. Only top-ranking tritons get to know his whereabouts."
"You would think if his long-lost son is going all water monster and attacking his facilities with torpedoes, that he would be a little more involved.
" It bothered me that Poseidon was talked about like he was an all-powerful god, yet he was nowhere to be seen and needed much more protecting than one would think.
We turned off the highway and began a slow wind through hilly terrain. After about fifteen minutes, an orchard with avocado trees came into view. Jax turned off the two-lane road where there was a giant sign that said Monjarez Family Farm.
Morgan turned to look at Blake. "We aren't going to have to muck stalls, are we? I might have to sit that activity out."
Blake laughed. "No, but I do have horseback riding lessons on the schedule for tomorrow."
"I've never been on a horse." The idea of horses was nice, but anytime I was close to one, I felt like they were looking into my soul and devising a plan against me. "Do horses like sirens?"
Jax laughed, and I reached forward and swatted his arm as he pulled into the parking lot. There were vehicles parked near a wooden building that looked to be a farmer's market type store, but other than that, the parking lot was empty.
"You really rented out the entire farm?" Jax asked as we got out of his SUV.
"They had a last-minute wedding cancellation, so I was able to snag it." Blake got our bags from the back. "We have the entire honeymoon cottage to ourselves and all the activities will be just us four."
"Honeymoon cottage?" Morgan took my hand, lacing our fingers, and we headed for the big sign that said Welcome. "Three men and a woman isn't going to raise any eyebrows at all."
My face heated as we walked through the door of a small building. It wasn't that I was embarrassed being with them, but if we were staying in the honeymoon cottage, did that mean all four of us would be sharing the bed?
The woman in the office was welcoming and brought a golf cart up to the door for us after checking us in. The farm was four hundred acres of fruit trees, including their specialty, avocados. She handed Blake an itinerary, map, and the keys to the golf cart.
"Let's roll!" Blake was like a kid at Christmas as he climbed behind the wheel.
I sat next to Morgan in the back and we took off with a jolt that almost gave me whiplash. "Are you trying to kill us?" I laughed as he whooped and fist pumped the air before he slowed enough so we wouldn't die if we crashed.
"If he doesn't kill us with his driving, what he has planned will." Jax was looking at the paperwork Blake had handed him to hold on to. "I'm not going to spoil the surprises in store though, so don't ask."
Morgan put his hand on my thigh and put his lips next to my ear so only I heard him. "Let's ditch these two and go have some fun in the hayloft."
His warm breath and the brush of his lips against my ear made me shiver. "Maybe later." I didn't see how any sneaking off was possible when we would be sharing a cottage.
The cottage was set far back on the property, down a paved path that took us through luscious trees. It was secluded, away from everything else, and looked like a quaint cottage you might find in the French countryside. The back of the property faced an open field and the green coastal hills.
Blake led us into the space that had a decent sized living room with a stone fireplace and an open concept kitchen. It was comfortable and I already envisioned us all curled up on the couch in front of the fire.
"This is... cute." Morgan pushed open a door, revealing the bedroom. "Are we drawing sticks for who gets to sleep in the bed with Riley?"
While they discussed sleeping arrangements and whether four of us could actually fit in the bed without one of them getting hit by a stray erection, I went to the French doors at the back and opened them.
It was a gorgeous view of the green landscape. There was a paved patio that had seating, a firepit, a grill, and a small swimming pool. Blake came from behind me and draped his arms over my shoulders and across my chest, hugging me to him.
"It's heated." He kissed the side of my neck and I tilted my head to the side, encouraging him to continue. "Do you like it?"
I turned in his arms and wrapped my hands around his neck. "I love it." I kissed him softly, but that quickly turned more heated as his hands fell to my ass.
"So first up on the agenda is yoga after lunch." Jax interrupted our impromptu make-out session. "The fridge is stocked."
I pulled away from Blake despite the groan he made. "Yoga?"
He laughed and led me into the house. "This is a recharge weekend. Yoga will relax us."
"Goat yoga?" I was incredibly skeptical as we pulled up outside a building near the barn. "How relaxing can being around goats in downward dog be?"
Jax was grumbling under his breath about how strange Blake was as he helped me off the golf cart. I had to say I agreed with him.
"It looked like a lot of fun. I watched quite a few videos." Blake walked backwards in front of us with a grin on his face. "If you don't want to do it, Mo and I will do it by ourselves."
Morgan snorted and walked through the doors with us close behind. "Yoga might help with my mobility. Goats are just an added bonus."
"I don't see how goats are going to help us relax. What if they shit or piss on us?" Jax seemed the least interested in the experience if his scowl was any indication.
The space was decked out exactly like a yoga studio. The floors were blonde hardwood, the walls were mirrored, and there were four yoga mats for us laid out with the instructor's in the front.
She was bent over with her ass toward the door as we all filed into the room. "Hi! I'm Chloe!" She was extra chipper as she came out of the pose she was in with a smile that only widened when she took in her students for the afternoon.
She was gorgeous, and I stepped closer to Morgan, who had stepped forward to shake her hand. She had a ring on her finger, but that didn't mean anything. She could have been married to herself. It was California, after all.
Jax nudged me and leaned close so only I could hear. "Look at you getting all possessive."
"I am not." I crossed my arms as Blake and Morgan both started talking animatedly about the goats with Chloe. "She's gorgeous and has a great pair of tits."
Jax slid his hand to the small of my back. "You have nothing to worry about."
Was being jealous and possessive a siren thing? I added it to my mental list of things I needed to ask my mom whenever I talked to her next. We had a lot we needed to talk about—not just about my heritage.
"Have any of you done goat yoga before?" Chloe opened a pen and six goats trotted into the room. They were adorable.
"Can't say any of us have." I reached down and petted a light brown one that I decided I was going to name Napoleon.
"Gertie has already taken to you." Chloe smiled at me and I felt bad for being jealous of her. She was nice. "Let's get started! If you have anything you're going to put on the ground, be aware they will eat it, there are cubbies in the corner you can put your shoes and socks."
She went to the front of the room and put on soft music. I looked over at Jax, who was eyeing the goat that had come near him. I stifled a laugh.
"I'd also like to suggest you put your hair in a bun. They do like to eat hair." Chloe stood in the center of her mat just as a goat released some goat poop. Jax made a gagging noise and she laughed. "They are goats and will act like goats."
She led us through some standing poses and then we lowered to the ground, where a goat immediately trotted over to Morgan and jumped on his back. "What do I do?"
I snorted at the squeak of his voice as the goat balanced on his back. "I think you're just supposed to relax."
"She's right. Embrace the added weight and trust that the goat will do you no harm." Chloe already sounded Zen, and I wondered if she had perhaps had a smoke beforehand.
She went through several more poses before a goat finally made its way over to me and hopped onto my back. I giggled and focused on staying centered so I wouldn't be thrown off balance.
I had to admit, goat yoga was fun and put me in a great mood. Too bad I couldn't always have a goat to keep me grounded.