8. Cherry
Cherry
The bell chimes as Hunter pushes the door open. Cool, air-conditioned air greets us as we step inside the realtor’s office.
“Hi, welcome!” a lady who looks to be around forty says as she rises from the only desk and greets us. She smells similar to the waitress. Not a shifter, but something other.
She steps around her desk and smiles as she moves toward Hunter. “I’m Peggy Brown.” She lifts her hand to shake his in greeting, and I find myself darting in front of Hunter, my back legs pressed against his as I let out a soft growl.
I’m not even sure what just came over me, but the thought of her touching him set my hackles on edge.
She gasps and jumps back as Hunter squats down and wraps his arms around me as I sit down at his feet.
“I’m so sorry!” she says as she moves back behind her desk, her hand on her chest as if I scared her.
Good.
“It’s fine,” Chase says as he steps up to our side.
“No, my apologies. If I realized you had a mate, let alone that she was here, I never would have tried to shake your hand.” She looks down at me, her eyes full of apology as she tells me, “Truly, I’m so sorry. I promise to keep my hands to myself around your mate.”
I dip my head to acknowledge her apology, and she gives me a slightly strained smile.
“Now,” she says, wiping her hands down her blouse as if to smooth out any wrinkles as she stands up straighter and rolls her shoulders back. “How can I help you?”
“We just arrived yesterday and we’re interested in seeing what homes are available in the area,” Gage tells her, stepping forward to take the lead.
“Are you looking for a rental?” she asks as she takes a seat at her desk and starts clicking on her computer.
“No, we’re looking to purchase. The more turnkey, the better.”
“Do you need furniture and furnishings?” she asks as she continues clicking.
“We have a home in Nebraska that we plan to sell. We can have our furniture shipped from there.”
“Oh, I actually have a contact for a supernatural run moving company you can use, since humans can’t get into Starfall Haven,” she says as she pulls a business card from her top desk drawer and slides in across toward Gage before she goes back to typing.
“Did you drive all the way here?” she asks.
“No, we flew and got a rental at the airport,” Gage tells her as Hunter continues to stroke me gently.
“There is a fantastic car dealership in town. They can probably even arrange to get your vehicles for you. They’ll even arrange to take back your rental for you.”
“Oh, that’s handy,” Chase says.
“They are located one block east. It’s called Starfall Motors.” She taps something on her keyboard with exaggeration, then turns to us, making eye contact with everyone, including me, which I appreciate, as she asks, “Now, what are you looking for in a home?”
“Open concept, at least five bedrooms, three bathrooms. Needs to back onto a forest,” Gage says, listing things off like he already knows exactly what he wants.
I would have no idea what to ask for. Would it be weird to request a house painted the same color as Chase’s pink hair? Every time I look at it, I like it even more.
And maybe a large couch where we can all watch TV together? Oh! And a big bed. There’s not much else I need. As long as I have them, I’ll be happy.
“I want a three-car garage so Hunt and I can store our bikes,” Chase adds to the list.
They ride bicycles?
“And it needs a pool or lake nearby that we can swim in,” Hunter says, still squatting at my side and comforting me.
Somehow, he always seems to know when I’m feeling antsy.
Peggy doesn’t exactly give me bad vibes, but I don’t like unbonded women around my men.
Hopefully, I won’t be so antsy once we’ve actually bonded.
I really need to figure out how to shift on my own. I take a moment to feel for the magic inside to help me shift, and I can feel it there, slightly stronger than yesterday, which is extremely promising. I’d try right now if we weren’t in the middle of a realtor's office.
“Okay, and what’s your budget?” Peggy asks.
“We’re flexible. Do you have many properties that actually meet all of our criteria?” Gage asks in surprise.
“Yes, I have three. Two are occupied, so I can probably arrange viewings for this afternoon. The third one is empty, so we can go now if you’re eager?”
“Why don’t we see all three at once, so we don’t waste your time,” Gage suggests, and she nods. He proceeds to give her his phone number, and Hunter has to hold me a little tighter when he hears my chest start to rumble in agitation.
“I’ll call or text you with a time and location for the first one, and I’ll arrange to line them up one after another.”
“We appreciate that, thank you,” Maddox says, gripping Gage’s shoulder and pulling him away from her desk as his eyes flick to me.
“See you later,” she says as Hunter stands and ushers me out the door behind Maddox and Gage.
As soon as the door closes behind Bain and we’re all on the sidewalk, Gage asks, “Why were you pushing me out of there? Is something wrong?”
“Didn’t you notice how agitated Cherry was in there?” Hunter asks as he runs his fingers along my head.
Gage stops walking to turn and look at me. “What? No. What’s wrong?”
Nobody answers right away, then Chase starts to grin. “She was jealous.”
A let out a small huff aimed in his direction. It wasn’t jealousy. I just didn’t like him being so close to her, that’s all.
Gage looks at me in surprise. “You were jealous of her?” I shake my head, refusing to reduce what I’m feeling down to something sounding so harmless.
“She doesn’t like any of us being close to other women,” Hunter explains.
“I think it’s adorable,” Chase says. I pretend to accidentally step on his foot, but that just makes him laugh.
“I think it’s time Cherry and I work on her shifting,” Maddox says, changing the subject. “Chase and Gage, you want to grab some takeout and bring it back to the room?”
“On it, boss!” Chase says, excitedly rubbing his hands together before slinging an arm around Gage’s shoulder and leading him across the street to the diner.
Maddox leads the rest of us back to our hotel room, where I jump up on the bed, eager to get started.
He pulls a chair up to sit right in front of me as Bain and Hunter sit behind me, on the other side of the bed, watching us with interest but making sure they are far enough away not to cause a distraction.
Maddox rests his elbows on his knees as he asks, “Is your magic any different from yesterday?” I nod excitedly.
“Yes? Is it bigger?” I nod again. “Excellent. Why don’t you try shifting on your own first?”
“Wait!” Hunter yells. I watch him jump off the bed and rummage through a bag until he pulls out a T-shirt and comes over and puts it on me. I try to smile at him in appreciation. I‘d actually forgotten about the whole naked thing again.
“Much better,” he says before kissing the top of my head and resuming his seat behind me somewhere.
“Okay, whenever you’re ready, Cherry,” Maddox says with a nod.
I close my eyes and reach for the magic. Pretty quickly, I realize it’s not going to work. It’s like trying to hold on to sand, slipping through my grasp over and over.
After a minute, I give up and open my eyes, shaking my head at Maddox.
“That’s okay, there are other things we can try.
” I tilt my head in question as he starts to explain.
“When you try to shift, are you trying to grab your magic and pull it forward?” I nod.
“Okay, this time, don’t try to pull it. Instead, try to imagine it growing, slowly rising up and infusing every cell in your body. ”
I dip my chin, close my eyes, and try to picture what he’s talking about. I don’t yank on my magic this time; I try to imagine it bubbling up and expanding. For a second, I think it’s working as it seems to shake a little, but nothing else happens. It doesn’t rise or spread.
After several minutes, Maddox speaks, and I open my eyes to look at him. “That’s okay, don’t tire yourself out. I want you to try something else. This time, don’t think about the magic at all. I want you to picture something you like doing in your human body that you can’t do as a wolf.”
Inside, I grin. I stare at his lips, knowing exactly what I like doing most in my human form. I close my eyes and imagine reaching out with my human hands to touch Maddox’s face, to thread my fingers through his hair, and seal my lips over his.
My body starts to feel a little warm, and I wonder if it’s working until Bain swears. “Fuck, bad idea, Maddox.” Then he gets up and moves to the bathroom, shutting the door quietly. I hear the shower start, then turn back to Maddox in question.
He gives me his signature soft smile before he tells me, “That’s okay, sweetheart. We’ll try again tomorrow, yeah?”
“There’s one thing you didn’t try,” Hunter says, but Maddox quickly shakes his head.
“I’m not using my alpha command. You saw the pain it caused her before.”
“But you can ask her permission this time,” Hunter says in explanation.
“I don’t care. I can’t cause her agony like that again, whether she approves of the method or not.”
“Alright, I get it,” Hunter says with a sigh.
“Cherry, want to come cuddle while we wait for food?” Hunter asks and I jump up, almost tripping on my shirt as I walk across the bed where he’s stretched out and lie against his side.
He gently strokes my back as I rest my head on his arm and close my eyes.
I feel Maddox move to my other side as they sandwich me between them, and their combined scents have me falling into a pleasant sleep in no time.