16. Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Sixteen
Juliana
“I t’s like watching men in their natural habitat,” Sally whispers around a piece of chicken. “Woman threatened. Men kill. Keep the little woman safe.” She chuckles. “It’s sweet, really.” I turn to her.
“You don’t think we need to worry?” I ask.
“Oh, yeah, it’s a real threat,” she says. I widen my eyes. “It always works out in the end.” I blink and continue my study of the men in the kitchen.
Heath called Micah. Thirty minutes later, everyone was invading Heath’s home. I sat with most of the women in the living room. Sally was next to me, and we had a direct view of the men around the table. She brought food.
“Let them do their thing,” Stephanie mumbles, sitting in a chair, thumbing through a book.
“This is the process,” Sally explains, waving the drumstick. “We wait and listen. They make a plan, and the plan usually goes to shit. It’s happened before. We have to let it play out.” She takes another bite. “At least you will meet the rest of the crew.”
“Sure.” Heath is angry. He’s not yelling or stomping around. The frown on his face is the only outward indication. I’ve come to know him, and he’s hiding his emotions.
“Don’t worry,” Daisy says, scooping some potatoes. “If they get past Heath, Micah will be there, and Quinn. There is a long list of friends to get through.”
“If that fails,” Saphira says, sipping a coffee. “I’ll burn them to a crisp.” She grins.
“She means it,” Roxanne cackles.
“I don’t know how you all can be so calm,” Gabby says.
“Once you have seen the action a bit longer,” Sally starts, picking up a biscuit and putting it on Gabby’s plate. “You will be calm, too.”
“I don’t know about that,” Gabby mutters but takes a bite.
“Do you think Rylee’s alright?” I ask, watching Heath’s sister pace the kitchen. She is the only woman in the mix of guys. I’m concerned. She doesn’t look good.
“I don’t know her well enough,” Sally whispers.
“She’s tough,” Roxanne says.
“She’s loyal to Heath,” Sally says.
“What do you think they are going to do?” I ask.
“Track him.” Saphira picks at the lid of the cup. “My mates are good at that. No one can hide forever.”
“I hope it won’t take forever.” I give in and grab a piece of chicken. I called the hotel and quit. It felt amazing.
“Eager to start your life with Heath,” Sally says, smirking.
“Eager is one word.” I shake my head. “I’ve lost track of all the emotions I feel.”
“I bet,” Roxanne snorts.
“You will get your happily-ever-after,” Sally informs me.
“How do you know?” I ask.
“I know things,” she says, and I chew on the chicken.
“Some rabbits can predict the future,” Roxanne says.
“No shit,” I gasp.
“Me being one of them,” Sally says.
“I heard it doesn’t always work,” Gabby mentions lightly.
“You.” Sally wags her finger. “Hush.” Gabby smiles. “It isn’t always functioning properly.” She sighs. “I can’t predict everything all the time. Every gift has its limit.”
“Have faith,” Stephanie says, lifting her head. “Everyone in the group has skills. Quinn will protect Heath if he needs to.” She knew what my fear was. “The rest of us will protect you.”
“Quinn is tough,” Sally adds. “Most of the time, he’s grumpy, but he won’t be to you.”
“He’s not grumpy,” Stephanie says, and Sally raises an eyebrow. “Not to me,” she whispers and resumes her reading.
“You know I can hear you,” Quinn rumbles, and I jump.
“How could I forget?” Sally says, not intimidated. Sally might be my hero. “He loves me.” She smiles sweetly. “So, any enemies we should know about?”
“No.” I look around at their expectant faces. “There is a mean girl at work. Letty’s too busy kissing the boss's ass to be a threat.” An image of Jeff’s scorned expression flashes in my head. “I turned down a guy at work when he asked me out, but he’s flirting with Letty now. Stanly has been calling, but he always does when he can’t find Levi.”
“If I have learned anything from the past.” Sally leans close. “Don’t count anyone out.”
“My mother doesn’t like me much, but I can’t imagine her putting any energy into sneaking around. She would find me to threaten me.” They all frown in various ways.
“Damn, a scorned mother. It’s a possibility, no matter what you think or believe. Anyone can turn on a dime.” She must be speaking from experience.
“Honestly, she’s wrapped up in a new man and Heath’s money,” I whisper. I still can’t believe he did that.
“What do you mean?” Saphira asks.
“Heath didn’t like how she treated me,” I say, hoping they will let it go. The words slipped out, and I forgot that they can hear everything.
“Of course he wouldn’t,” Stephanie says.
“He would kill anyone who fucked with you,” Daisy says.
“He’s the best,” Sally grins.
“What exactly did he do?” Roxanne asks, and they all lean forward.
“It’s private,” I say and look at Heath. He’s staring at me and smiles softly. “It’s not important.” Heath is what’s important. He would risk everything to make sure I’m safe. He looks away when Hunter and Bane walk through the door. Heath called them first and instructed them to lock down the building. He’s shutting down the fights.
“So yummy,” Sally sighs, her gaze locked on Bane and Hunter, and I turn to her. “I wish one or both of them were my mates. We would have lots of fun.”
“I don’t think they could handle you,” Roxanne scoffs.
“Who can?” Sally smirks. “I dare anyone to try.”
“We are going,” Bane growls, and we turn our attention to the tense men.
“You are willing to leave your life here?” Heath asks.
“That has been the plan,” Bane says.
“We go where you go,” Hunter hisses, crossing his arms. “Don’t be an ass. You didn’t want to ask, but we know you were hoping.”
“Mmm…” Heath doesn’t argue as he glares.
“We are packed and ready,” Bane informs him.
“Yes, more family.” Sally grins, and I can’t help grinning back. She enjoys the chaos of the group.
“What did you find out?” Heath asks Bane.
“It can’t be traced to an exact location. It’s a throwaway phone. I narrowed down the area where it was sent, which is within a hundred miles.”
“That narrows it down,” Micah says dryly.
“He will message again,” Heath states.
“How do you know?” Rylee asks.
“Experience,” Quinn growls.
“They always do,” Heath replies. “They want something. One message won’t satisfy them.”
“What will?” Rylee sneers.
“They thrive on fear. They want Juliana to fear them.” Heath’s hand whitens as he grips his cane. He hasn’t released it since I came out of the bedroom. Usually, he will relax in his home.
“So we just wait?” Rylee asks.
“No. We leave.” Heath turns away and walks toward me. “We continue the hunt.” He stops at my feet and holds out his hand. “Are you ready, darling?” Everyone in the room waits for my decision, but I’ve already made it.
“Yes, mate,” I whisper and give him my hand. I love the way his eyes flare when I call him mate. It feels right.
As he pulls me to my feet, and the heat from his body brushes mine, I know it’s the right choice.
“Fuck,” Heath says. I struggle to leave the lovely dream starring Heath naked. “Juliana.” The motion of the car always puts me to sleep. I don’t go on road trips because I get sleepy within a couple of hours, even if I'm driving. I sit up, rubbing my hand over my face.
“What’s wrong?” I look out the window and see a huge house. It is surrounded by forest.
“We’re here,” he says, stopping the car. “I didn’t expect them to be here.” I focus on the four people sitting on the porch.
“Who are they?” I run my fingers through my hair.
“The woman I had kidnapped,” he says.
“Oh, shit,” I gasp.
“Yeah.” He unbuckles my seatbelt. “The three men with her are her mates.”
“They are friends now,” I say, trying to remember everything he told me about them.
“Friends is a stretch,” he says dryly. “Or I thought it was.” He brushes his thumb over my chin. “No one will hurt you.”
“I know.” I lean into his touch.
“How?” He tilts his head.
“You won’t let them.” His lips curve.
“You’re right.” He smooths his expression and opens his door. “Let’s get this over with.”
I wait as he grabs his cane, gets out, and comes to my door. I cautiously get to my feet, trying to get the blood flowing through my body after hours in the car. Heath circles my waist and guides me away from the car door.
The house is gorgeous. I wasn’t expecting a cookie-cutter home. It’s white with a wrap-around porch and a steepled roof. The house I grew up in was small, and Mom didn’t take care of it. My apartment never felt like a home. It was nothing compared to this.
“We aren’t going to hurt her,” one of the men says. He has dark hair and a serious expression.
“Why are you here?” Heath asks.
“I wanted to see the woman who tamed the infamous Heath,” another man says. He has shaggy blonde hair and a playful smile.
“Careful,” Heath growls.
“Damn, still grouchy,” he retorts.
“You brought friends.” The third man walks down the stairs. His hair is shaved close to his scalp, and his eyes are contemplative. Bane and Hunter followed us, and they leave their car.
“Hello.” The woman comes forward. She is beautiful. Her long red hair blows in the breeze, and her smile is wide. “I’m Breeane. These are my mates, Logan, Lucas, and Las.” The men nod in turn respectfully.
“Nice to meet you,” I say.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Heath mumbles, and I smile.
“Was that a joke?” Lucas asks, his eyebrows high.
“No.” Heath stiffens.
“Sounded close.” Lucas leans against the rail.
“It’s time for you to introduce them,” Logan says, looking behind us. Bane has our bags in his hands and his face is blank.
“Bane and Hunter,” Heath says.
“Informative,” Lucas says, and I narrow my eyes.
“Lucas, careful. She doesn’t like it,” Las says, watching me.
“I don’t,” I agree.
“Did he tell you about us?” Breeane asks.
“Yes. I know he had you kidnapped, and I’m sorry you went through that. He had his reasons, and he apologized.” I look away from Breeane to Lucas. “I know you fought for him, but you don’t know him or the events that made him react like he did. Please don’t disrespect him.”
“Darling,” Heath breathes, tilting his head to mine.
“Shit, I love this,” Breanne says.
“I will watch my words,” Lucas says, nodding, smiling softly.
“We wanted to welcome you,” Logan says.
“We heard there was trouble,” Las says gruffly.
“It won’t affect your mate.” Heath stiffens.
“We weren’t worried about that,” Logan retorts.
“Friends help. We are offering to help,” Lucas says slowly.
“Are we friends?” Heath asks.
“We want to be.” Breeane smiles, and Heath frowns.
“Thank you.” I nudge Heath. “We aren’t experienced in accepting help or friendships.”
“I understand. I don’t blame Heath. It’s in the past, and I would hate for his bond to be hurt by the asshole threatening you,” she says as she steps close. “We want him to be happy. Once you are accepted into the group, we take care of each other, no matter what. We can go easy if it makes you uncomfortable, but I would love to get to know you. All the girls are excited to welcome you into the family.”
“Thank you.” Their easy friendship is difficult to understand. My experience has taught me to always look for an ulterior motive. “I’ll have to adjust. It’s not easy.”
“We’ll respect your boundaries,” she says, nodding. “Most of us are very open, so tell us if we cross the line. We won’t be hurt.”
“Okay.” I tangle my hand in the fabric of Heath’s coat, a little overwhelmed.
“I need to get Juliana settled,” Heath says abruptly.
“Of course,” Las says, wrapping his arm around his mate. “Are Hunter and Bane staying here?”
“No,” Heath answers.
“We have a place to stay.” Hunter takes a step closer.
“I know a jaguar shifter,” Las says casually.
“He owns a restaurant here,” Lucas informs them, coming down the stairs. The comment is ignored.
“Thank you for stopping.” Heath guides me around them. “I will contact you if I need your help.”
“Do,” Las urges.
“Have a good night,” Breeane offers, and Lucas and Logan nod. Hunter moves to the side so they can pass, but Bane doesn’t budge. We are silent as they leave, but Heath pulls me up the stairs.
“Let us check the house,” Hunter mumbles, following us. Bane takes two steps at a time as he moves to his brother.
“If you insist.” Heath balances his cane against the house and slides his hands over my hips and under my jacket. My breasts brush his chest as he closes the distance between us. “You know the code.”
“They make you uncomfortable,” I whisper when we are alone.
“I don’t understand them,” he replies, his head tipped down.
“In what way?” I ask, wrapping my arms around his waist.
“How can they forgive so easily?” He frowns.
“You didn’t mean to hurt her.”
“Doesn’t matter. The result was still the same. The men who hit her worked for me,” he says softly.
“They paid for their actions.” Maybe his swift justice is what helped them move past it.
“Yes, they did.”
“I think they realize your intentions weren’t to hurt her,” I say.
“Perhaps.”
“Are you going to let them help?”
“I won’t be able to stop them. Even though Breeane assured you they would go slow, they won’t. My home will be invaded tomorrow. Prepare yourself to meet the rest of them. I didn’t tell any of them where I lived, yet they showed up.” He sighs. “I wish to be left alone.”
I smile. “Mate, if you did, why did you decide to move here?” His frown intensifies. I think he craves their presence. He’s just afraid to admit it.
“I’m not sure I like how much you know me already,” he grumbles.
I tighten my arms. “Don’t lie,” I tease.
“Boss, it’s clear,” Bane says, appearing in the doorway.
“Thanks.” Heath drops his arms, and I step away.
“You know where we will be.” Hunter follows his brother out of the house.
“I do.” Heath circles my wrist, reclaiming his cane. “Once you have your reunion, keep tracking. I need to know where the rest of them are.” They both nod and jog down the stairs.
“Who are they going to see?” I ask.
“Their brother,” Heath says.“They have a brother?” I say as he pulls me inside.
“Yes.”
I barely pay attention to his answer as I see the inside of the house.
“Holy shit,” I gasp.
“Welcome, mate,” Heath says, turning on the lights and securing the door.
The space is one large room. The living room is directly in front of us, filled with comfortable, white, overstuffed furniture. The couch is L-shaped, and the two large chairs could hold three people. A large fireplace dominates the room, the rock stained white, and separates the living area from the kitchen and table. The ceiling is high, and three fans are spaced across it. The kitchen is across the space. The cupboards are white and many. The island is long, and the counter is shiny white. The room is accented with wood, creating a beautiful contrast with the white.
“There is a bathroom over there, but they have to finish the plumbing.” Heath points to my left, and I see a door. “If you want to change anything, tell me.”
“It’s gorgeous,” I breathe.
“It may seem like an odd choice for me; my mother loved white,” he says. I look at him sharply. “It reminds me of the good times.”
“I’m glad,” I whisper.
“There is more,” he says, holding out his hand.
“The bedrooms,” I guess, and place my hand in his. He grins and walks toward the kitchen.
“You know I like dark places, even though it is nice to be in the light sometimes.” He stops on the other side of the deep fireplace. “The builders were a little shocked when I told them what I wanted.” I frown as he opens a panel in the rock. “I will give you all the codes.” He presses on my waist, and I move back. Heath enters a series of numbers, and suddenly a door opens, the rock camouflaging the frame. I peek inside and see a set of stairs. “The bedrooms are down here, along with a bathroom, kitchen, and living room.” He motions me forward, and I slide my hands on the black handrail as I descend. “There has to be light and dark in my life,” he says, and I understand as I take the last step.
“Amazing.” The space is bigger than upstairs, but the exact opposite. It’s black. The living room couches are dark brown leather. The electric fireplace is black. The kitchen is black with dark wood accents. Even the setup of the rooms is the opposite. The kitchen is at the bottom of the stairs, and the living room is beyond it.
“The bedrooms are this way.” He leaves me to follow slack-jawed behind him. We walk through the living room, and there are two doors on either side of the fireplace. “This will be our room.” He opens the door with a flourish.
“Heath,” I whisper. A king-sized four-poster bed is in the center of the room. Two wood end tables are on either side. A large chair is against the wall to the right, next to a bookcase and a desk.
“The bathroom and closet are through the door,” he explains, and I look to the left of the bed.
“I have no words.” I walk toward the bed and grasp the bedpost.
“Does that mean you like it?” he asks, leaning against the wall.
“Very much.”
“The other room is a spare. It also has a bathroom attached. I have an office to the left of the kitchen as you come in. I also have a small gym on the other side of the office.” I glide my hand over the metal. “As I said upstairs, you can change anything.”
“It’s wonderful. I would love to add some things from my place. Contributing to our home is important to me, and adding some of the things I love would mean a lot.” Having such a beautiful home to decorate in my style is a lovely thought.
“Of course.”
“The couch upstairs is beautiful, but we can’t eat on it. A white couch. I am not good at stain removal. I would spend my days trying to clean it.” Heath blinks. “We make it a rule; no eating on it.”
“Change the couch. I want to spend my days with you. Stain removal will interrupt that time.”
“That’s sweet.” I smile softly.
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I have these big, comfortable, red accent pillows. They would look great in the living room.” I have a secret obsession with pillows. Heath probably doesn’t spend much time thinking about pillows.
“Whatever you want,” he says, grinning. “Throw pillows everywhere.”
“Do you have a lot of opinions about pillows?”
“None at all.”
“Really?”
“I don’t believe I’ve said the word pillows so many times in a conversation,” he says dryly.
“Shame. Pillows are fabulous,” I mutter, my imagination running wild. “How long did this take them?”
“A few months.” He shrugs. “Money motivates.”
“I guess,” I mumble, looking around.
“Bane brought in our bags,” he says when my eyes focus on the luggage on the other side of the bed. “Are you hungry?”
“Sure.” I walk to him.
“You like it.” He straightens.
“I really do.” I kiss him lightly.
“Good.” His body relaxes and I realize how tense he was; it wasn’t just because of the visitors. “We need to leave the room.”
“Why?” He steps backward out of the door.
“I’ll fuck you if we don’t,” he grits out and turns swiftly. I can’t help but smirk, but follow him to the kitchen. “I had the kitchen stocked.” He opens the fridge, and I lean against the table.
“You said you don’t cook.” He takes off his coat as he contemplates the contents, throwing it behind him to a chair. I stare at the muscles of his back flexing. He rolls up his sleeves, and I’m distracted by his forearms.
“I don’t. Most of the meals are prepped.” He grabs a large casserole dish. “Breakfast dish.” My body heats as he turns to the stove and bends slightly to turn it on. I bite my lip, my gaze straying down his frame. I’ve seen him in a suit and pajama pants; I can’t decide what I like more. “Juliana,” he says, and I focus on his face. His hand is braced on the counter beside the stove, his body bent, and his head tilted toward me.
“Huh?”
“Do you want something, darling?” he whispers.
“Food?” I ask instead of tell.
“It’s not the food I’m smelling,” he drawls.
“Uh…” I’ll never get used to his sense of smell. His breathing escalates as he turns off the stove and slowly stands straight, moving toward me.
“What do you want?” he asks.
“You,” I admit. Everything about him is alluring, but it’s the way he moves and the quiet confidence that attracts me the most.
“How?” He leans close, his nose brushing my cheek.
“However you want,” I say, and a growl vibrates over my skin.
“Are you sure?” He pushes on my stomach, urging me to sit on the wood.
“Yes,” I gulp. He is my world, and I am tired of holding back.
“Are you ready to be turned?”
“I—” My mind stalls.
“Not yet, then.” He pulls back. “I don’t have to change you to fuck you.” My legs are pushed open, and he steps between them. “What is your word?”
“Money.” His concern for my consent is another reason I trust him with my body and my heart.
“Say it if anything disturbs you in the slightest way.” He slides his hands under my jacket and pushes it over my shoulders and down my arms. “A human can’t get pregnant from a shifter until the mating bond is complete,” he reminds me. My jacket is thrown onto the chair behind me. “This is going to be fast; I want you too bad.” He tucks his fingers in the neck of my shirt. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” He yanks, and my shirt is split down the middle. “Heath,” I gasp.
“What do you call me?” he demands.
“Sir.” I lean forward and bite his lip. “Please, Sir, fuck me,” I whisper over his lips. His eyes swirl with danger.
I’m ready for whatever my snake wants to do to me.