12. Cherry
Cherry
“Ican’t believe you made this happen so quickly,” Chase says as he runs his hands along the top of the couch. “That must be the fastest closing ever.”
“I think things work a little differently here,” Gage tells him as he moves to check out the massive fireplace.
“And since I paid in cash, we didn’t need to wait for the banks or anything like that.
The sellers were motivated to close quickly since they’ve apparently been in a new home for a couple of months now. ”
“You did a great job,” Maddox says, nodding his head at Gage. “I’m happy to have more space. Those hotel rooms were cramped.”
“Can you guys email me a list of any furniture you still want from Nebraska?” Gage asks. “I’ll have the movers bring that along with all our boxed items and vehicles.”
Apparently, after they hit up the library, got an account set up, and took out a dozen books, Gage and Hunter went to Starfall Motors and arranged to have all of their vehicles driven here by their crew. It was expensive, but cheaper than buying new vehicles.
“Chase, can you organize getting us some food?” Maddox asks after opening the fridge and seeing it completely empty. “We’ll need all the basics, too, like condiments, spices, and drinks.”
“I’m on it!” Chase says before jumping over the back of the couch and pulling out his phone as he gets comfortable.
Maddox closes the fridge and turns to Bain. “How about you and Hunter check out the security of this place? Order whatever you need to get it up to our standards.”
Bain nods. “I’ve already taken note of several cameras. I just need to figure out their system and see what we’re working with.”
“The security system is one of the reasons I love this place,” Hunter says with a nod. “Let’s go to the office. I think that’s where the feeds lead.” He gestures for Bain to follow him toward the office.
Maddox glances at Gage and Chase, busy on their phones, then turns to me, where I’m sitting in the middle of the living room, watching him curiously.
“You want to pick your bedroom?” he asks, and I tilt my head in interest. As exciting as that is, is he implying it will be only my room? Because I want them all with me.
He beckons me to follow him toward the hallway that leads to all the bedrooms. We take our time going through each one. They are all huge, and I get the feeling large shifters must have lived here before. Each has its own ensuite, and they are all pretty equal.
Except for the one in the middle of the hall.
It has a large bay window with a view of the backyard and the forest beyond.
It’s also decorated the most feminine of them all, with soft pinks and purples.
But what draws me here most is the gigantic bed, at least the size of two kings pushed together.
Bigger than anything I’ve slept in by far.
I could see it easily fitting all of us.
“You like this one?” Maddox asks with a smile, and I bark, then jump up on the bed and make a few circles before lying down in the middle. He laughs. “I take that as a yes.”
I want him to join me, so I roll over, giving him my belly, and he takes the bait, moving to sit beside me and gently stroking his hand through my fur.
“I think we could be really happy here,” he says quietly. I look at him, wondering what he’s thinking. “We’re going to figure this out.” He gives me a tight smile, then continues. “We’ll have you shifting in no time, just you wait and see. I have a good feeling about this place.”
I wiggle closer so I can press my head against his thigh, and his smile grows warmer. I hope he understands what I’m saying. That I hope for that too.
As the sun shines down on my fur, drying me after my time in the pool, I let out a long sigh of contentment. Bain shifts beside me, his large wolf pressing against my back as I lie on my side.
After he and Maddox continued my swimming lessons, he brought me over to the grass where we could watch the twins splash each other in the pool while also getting a good view of the forest beyond. He shifted and lay with me while we let the warm sun dry out my wet coat.
Gage is inside, likely still with his face buried in a book.
He’s been like that since we got settled in our new home yesterday.
My new bed is so comfortable that I fell asleep before he made it up.
When I woke up this morning, he was already in the living room, reading again.
The only reason I knew he’d come to bed was because I could smell his scent on me, which means he was snuggling me at some point during the night.
As much as I like shifting to my human form, I know it’s a pain for them, and those library books have Gage fully enthralled. I’m not about to distract him from his research. Especially since I know he’s doing it for me.
Movement in the forest has me sitting up, my heart thumping wildly in my chest.
Maddox, who’s sitting on my other side, runs his hand down my back, trying to soothe me. “It’s okay, Cherry. That’s just the neighbor.”
I look at him in question and he explains. “I met them this morning.” He points at the house to the left of us. “The couple that lives there, Leonard and Janet, are black jaguar shifters, and they have a teenage son, Craig. I think it was him we just saw.
My body relaxes, realizing there’s no threat, and I lean against him, letting him wrap his arm around me. Secretly, I hope some of his scent transfers to me. All of their scents help to relax me, and if I spend too long without touching them, and the scent fades, I start to get a little anxious.
It’s a strange feeling, and I keep forgetting to ask about it when I’m in my human form.
I’m also a little nervous to tell them. I already feel like I’ve been overly affectionate with them.
I already told them I want to secure our bonds, but they keep telling me we have to wait until I can shift at will.
I’m afraid to ask what happens if that never happens. Part of me thinks I need the completed bonds to give me the strength to shift. Which just puts us at an impasse.
They know I’m ready, though, so I’m trying not to stop myself from literally throwing myself at them, like I did to Bain.
I haven’t even kissed my other mates yet, and they haven’t attempted to kiss me.
If I’m being honest with myself, it makes me nervous that they don’t want me like that. Like they can’t accept me this way.
Of course, I know it’s awkward, only shifting when all five of them were surrounding me. I’m not sure what else I can do but wait and hope it all works itself out, like Maddox keeps telling me it will.
I hear splashing and turn my eyes back to the pool where Chase and Hunter are walking out in their human forms, completely naked.
I don’t know what comes over me at that moment; I have always made myself turn away when they’ve been changing or shifting, but for some reason, this time I don’t.
Chase steps out first, and my eyes take in his chest. It’s large, not as big as Bain but still extremely impressive.
The best part is the artwork covering it.
Intricate designs cover his muscles, making him look like a work of art.
My eyes catch the movement of the water, trailing down between his legs.
I feel my mouth grow dry at the sight of his package. He must shave because there isn’t a hair in sight. He’s not hard, but the size of it is much bigger than I expected. That thing is going to get bigger? And grow a knot?
I’m pretty sure my body is much too small to accommodate that. It’s a third leg, not a dick.
“See something you like, blue?”
My eyes dart up to his smirking face. He pushes a hand through his wet, pink hair, not bothering to cover himself up. I guess he has nothing to be ashamed of after all.
Hunter steps up to his side, and my eyes move to him. He has similar tattoos on his chest to Chase, but also covers his left arm. He’s not as large as his brother, but every inch of him looks delicious. Why do I suddenly have the urge to lick him?
I search for the well of magic inside me to help me shift, but it’s still a slippery little prick, slipping from my grasp and keeping me stuck in my wolf form.
My eyes find their way to the juncture between his thighs, and I'm somewhat delighted to see that in this aspect, he is identical to his twin.
He clears his throat, and my eyes trail back up his tantalizing body to meet his amused brown eyes. If I were in human form, I know I’d be blushing. My body is feeling flustered, and I don’t like it. I feel trapped, unable to do anything about it.
“How about we go in and get a snack?” Hunter suggests, thankfully changing the subject as he grabs towels from a nearby lounge chair, tossing one at Chase before securing his around his waist.
Bain and Maddox stand, and I follow, walking beside Bain in his wolf form back into our new home.
I drink some of the water left out for me while the others get dressed.
“Gage, how’s it going?” Maddox asks as he cracks open a beer and brings it over to where Gage is seated at the kitchen table, a pile of books covering half the surface, passing it to him.
“Thanks,” he says, taking the offered beer. “I’ve learned some new things, but nothing helpful to us yet. I’m still hopeful that there will be some answers in here.”
“Why don’t you take a break? You’ve been at it since yesterday, and you barely slept.” I move over and lay my head in Gage’s lap, hoping to encourage him to relax. He always thinks better with a fresh mind. He strokes my head and smiles down at me.
“How can I say no to this face?” he asks, as he pushes his chair back to make more room to pet me.
“You can’t,” Hunter says as he pulls open the fridge doors. “Now, what are you in the mood for, Cherry?”
“Hey, we should play a game,” Chase says with excitement as he pulls down a bag of jelly beans and places them on the counter.
“What sort of game?” Maddox asks with a concerned frown.