16. Sixteen

Sixteen

Sunny

Giving Rainbow his plants back was the best gift I could have ever given him. The raw emotion on his face would stick with me for a long time. He was so expressive! The affection he showed, the hugs and kisses, were such a leap forward for our relationship, I couldn't complain about the work I'd done to get me there.

Organizing and building the greenhouse had been a task and a half. Amara had given me plenty of advice. She had wanted to travel to Umberwood herself to oversee the process, but Kayden couldn't spare her. Not that the pack would have appreciated another vampire's presence in their pack. They barely tolerated me as it was.

Griffin must have said something to the other shifters. They were giving both Bow and me a wide berth since I had started spending all my days with Bow. I came and went from the pack territory as I pleased, not that they could really stop me if they tried.

Over my time in the area, I'd noticed a number of security concerns, which I would bring up with the pack when Griffin got his head out of his ass.

His olive branch with the coffees and lunch was a hit with Bow. It was all he talked about all morning. Of course, I didn't tell Bow I'd gone to Griffin to let him know we weren't giving up. I didn't want him to think it was because I'd made Griffin act.

What the Were had done was completely on him. It was a rather pleasant surprise to have him taking the initiative to fix things with us. I hadn't been offended like Bow was, so there was less for him to do there. What I wanted from him was an acknowledgement that his reaction, though knee-jerk, was hurtful.

When I didn't see Griffin lingering, I asked Bow if it was okay to head out early to check on him. Bow shared my concern after the morning's progress, so was happy for me to use the fading afternoon light to dash across town. I'd head back to my place after and drink some of the cow blood I'd bought. It had been a while since I'd properly fed.

There was no sign of him inside his house. The scent was older. I tracked it out to his yard where at the very bottom, a stone structure stood with a heavy metal door.

The metal screeched as I dragged it open.

"Close the door!" Griffin demanded.

Inside was pretty comfortable. A cell dominated the space lit by a track light. The cage was clearly where he spent his full moons. It was decorated with plenty of blankets and cushions, some of them showing signs of wear. Most had been torn by his claws.

"What are you doing?" I asked. He still had a couple of hours before he needed to be locked away.

"Checking it over."

"Why?"

"Look, I feel the moon, so I'm not at my best. Can't think straight. I was told someone is going to try something to get me removed as pack leader."

"Oh-kay, so why are you checking your cage?"

"I check it every time. Every Were shifter does. We've got a few of them and, same as me, they lock themselves away before the moon gets too high and forces a change."

"So you really can't control it?" Were shifters were really interesting!

"Not on the full moon. It's intensely painful."

Well, that sucked. I didn't like the idea of him being in pain.

"Is there, like, magic that can help?"

"Probably, but most witches aren't lining up to help Were shifters, especially when they risk being infected by us."

"I know a witch who would be happy to help."

Griffin looked up from inspecting the locks and joints with a wry grin. "Maybe next month when I've earned his kindness, yeah?"

"Sure. So, do you think someone would tamper with the cage? Is that why you check it?"

"It'd be the easiest way to get rid of me. Too wild. Got out…" he trailed off before adding with a whisper, "hurt someone."

"If you can't control the shift, then it isn't you that does those things. It's the beast." I was pretty sure my comments were falling on deaf ears. Griffin didn't want to believe he wasn't at fault. Likely from a life of being conditioned to believe he was, in fact, responsible when he had no control of his body.

Then I realized it was possible he had gotten out before. Instead of prodding and likely making things worse, I tried another tack.

"What can I do?"

Griffin narrowed his eyes slightly. He was so handsome! Fate had spoiled me with these two men. Griffin's dark hair was slightly wavy and a little long, curling at the collar of his shirt. His brown eyes were deep set, and he had a roman nose. His jaw was square, with a cleft in his chin. He'd styled his stubble artfully, enhancing his looks. Leaving it a perfect length to scrape delightfully over my thighs as he ate my ass. He clearly cared about his appearance. I liked that his nails were perfectly trimmed and wondered if he maybe got manicures.

"Don't you have stalking to do? We have another mate."

"Bow? He's fine. Once he gets home he's got Daisy to watch over him. He'll be close enough that I'll hear any trouble."

That gained me a glare, which I withstood easily. Griffin didn't scare me. His bark was worse than his bite.

"You can make sure I don't get out of here," he finally conceded.

"That's it?"

"Yeah. Boring, right? There's a fire pit and some furniture in the garage. Go set them up and settle in for a boring night."

"Alright." I left without looking back. The fire wasn't necessary since I didn't need the heat or the light. I caught movement from Bow's house, then got a message.

Bow: What are you doing? I can see you moving about.

Sunny: Keeping watch for Griff. I'm just getting myself comfortable.

A few minutes later, Bow threw a thick blanket over the fence. "I spelled it to stay warm! Be safe, both of you!" Then he went back inside before I could thank him.

I found a gif I liked to send to him: a dancing sun with a rainbow. He must have liked it, because I got a kiss emoji in return. After that, I didn't need the blanket to keep me warm, that kiss was enough.

Waiting all night for something to happen was boring. I was grateful I had a book on my phone and my coven to speak to.

Nothing happened the first night except boredom and thoughts about my naked mates. I thought about jerking off, but that often made me sleepy afterwards and I needed to stay alert just in case.

Griffin emerged in the early morning light, wrapping a robe around himself. He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes.

"Come on, we can take a nap for a couple of hours before Rain gets up," he said as he walked by me.

Delighted, I couldn't fight my grin. "A sexy nap, or a cuddle nap?"

He just glared at me. So sexy was out then. I'd still try to hug him. Griffin needed more physical affection in his life. Luckily for him, fate had given him a mate who was amazing at that side of things!

I fired off a text to Bow to let him know where I was, just in case he woke early. Before the growls from Griffin had really started, I'd heard Bow pacing and fretting. I'd asked him to take a sleeping potion to get some rest. He'd given in with some cajoling. Really, my mates needed a lot of care.

They were so lucky they had me!

The last time I'd been in Griffin's house, I'd realized how boring it was compared to Bow's. It was all dark colors, grays, blues, and greens, with neutrals. It lacked the warmth Bow's house did. There were no soft throws or extra cushions anywhere. The dining chairs were pretty utilitarian.

Following behind Griffin, I pulled off my clothing until I was just in my boxer briefs.

"What are you doing?" At this point, I was going to assume that a frown was etched on his face.

"You can't expect me to nap in my jeans, can you?" I gave him my most winsome smile.

He threw a shirt at me, followed quickly by a pair of sweatpants.

"Much more comfortable!" I held them to my nose, not that I needed to. "Bonus, they smell like you."

Griffin rolled his eyes, but I saw the smile he tried to fight. He crawled into bed in just his underwear, the hypocrite, pulling back the thick duvet for me to get in too.

The bed was so soft. I just knew we'd soon be toasty warm! Cuddling up to Griffin, I whipped out my phone and snapped a pic to send to Bow.

Sunny: He's letting me nap with him! Progress!

"Ugh, gimme that!" Griffin grabbed my phone and paused at the message thread. "Are you trying to make him jealous?"

"What? No! I guarantee Bow is going to love this."

"Whatever." Griffin laid my phone down on his side of the bed and curled up on his side to go to sleep.

I wriggled up beside him and draped an arm over his waist tentatively. Instead of knocking it away, Griffin grabbed it and held onto it, so I couldn't pull away.

We both quickly fell asleep after that.

My phone ringing woke me. Bow was asking if I was going to come work with him at the shop since we were only days away from the opening.

"I've got to go home and get a change of clothes."

"We're about the same size, you can borrow something of mine," Griffin offered, now unfortunately wrapped up in his robe. He'd taken the opportunity to slip away when I'd reached for my phone.

This was awkward. "I also, uh, need to feed."

Bow gave a sharp intake of breath on the end of the line. "Sorry, Sunny, I'd forgotten. You've used a lot of energy recently."

"It's fine." Doing things for my mates was worth having to drink some blood, even if cow blood in Umberwood wasn't as tasty. Something to do with different cows and the grass they ate.

"Come by after?"

"Of course." I said goodbye and ended the call.

"Sorry," Griffin said in a gruff voice. "Didn't mean to put you on the spot. Is Bow…?"

"Still wary about me being a vampire? Yeah, he's coming around to it. Helps I don't drink from humans. I can't help what I am any more than you can. When Bow falls for me, I want it to be for all of me. I've got faith he'll get there."

"With how quickly he's come around since you met, I'm sure you can manage it." Griffin was acting stiff and a little distant. It was one step forward and two back with him. He likely felt off after the forced shifting too, so I cut him some slack.

"I'll be back to watch you again tonight," I reminded him.

Using my vamp speed, I rushed forward to kiss him. I pinned him against the wall, taking his mouth. He gave back as good as he got, tangling his fingers in my hair and rubbing against me.

Before it really got good, he pushed me away, panting. "Damn. I can't wait for the full moon to be over. I'm going for a cold shower. See you later."

Thoroughly dismissed, I left his house, picking up an Uber at the end of the street to where I was staying. I hoped I'd be able to end the short-term lease soon and move in with one of my mates. I preferred Bow's house because it was warmer, but I bet Griffin had the better shower, and his was bigger. Rainbow really needed to get someone in to fit a new bathroom.

My place was rather bland. Almost more like a hotel room than a temporary home. In the fridge was the stock of blood I'd bought from a supernatural butcher. Vampires had a network of places, and these had been shipped to me overnight.

I drank one down and hopped into my newly cleaned truck to go spend the day with my other mate.

"Hey, are you alright out here?" Bow asked. He sat beside me and laid his head on my shoulder. The previous night, with the moon at its highest, had been rough on all of us. Bow had barely slept. Griffin had allowed me to nap with him again, but there were no kisses, and he shrank away from my touch. Allowing me to be there was enough. It was progress.

"Yeah. This blanket rocks, by the way. The spell lasts for hours!"

"Thanks. Remind me to top it up before I go back inside. I just wanted to leave some potions with you as a just in case. I've got healing, sleep potions, and one to immobilize someone. You shouldn't need them. I'm just worried."

"You're the sweetest, but you're also freezing. Get inside and make a cup of tea. Then get to bed, okay?"

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

I cupped Rainbow's cheek and turned him to properly face me. Our kiss was soft and sweet, yet filled with something almost tender, like love.

"Trust me. I'm a big bad vampire. I'm the scariest thing out here."

"Maybe a month ago I would have believed that. You're so special to me, Sunny. I could never see you as evil now."

Wasn't that the most precious gift he could give me?

I kissed him again. "Thank you."

My eyes followed his form as he returned to the house. Something was riling Griffin up worse than the night before. His snarls were ferocious. I could hear his claws grinding on the stone floor.

An hour passed without anything but Griffin pacing and howling. Inside his house, Bow was hardly much better. He couldn't sit down for long and kept looking out the window.

Trying to read a chapter of my book was proving to be impossible. I'd just tried to get back to it when I heard Bow yelp in fright.

A crash sounded from inside and I swore I could hear Daisy shrieking. I flashed over to the house, going through the open back door only to find Bow sprawled over the floor, his leg bloody and set at a strange angle.

"Bow!" I kneeled at his side, checking him over. His blood turned my stomach. It wasn't supposed to be leaking from him! His blood belonged inside his body!

"A wolf! He bit me. Broke my leg!" he cried. "Need a potion." He stretched his hand to the potions on the counter. I lamented leaving the ones he'd given me behind. I hadn't even thought, just rushed to him.

Standing, I took a step towards the counter, only to step on something. It gave a mighty crunch.

"Fudge! My glasses!"

Sure enough, in the attack, Bow's glasses had fallen off.

"I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright. Just give me the blue potion. I don't know which one it is, but they are all different colors. Healing is blue."

I handed him the vial and watched him drink it down. "Oh, fudge!" he yelled as he set his leg in place to heal.

Watching the magic work was both incredible and terrible to see. I hated to see Bow in pain, but it was amazing what his magic could do.

"Can you walk?" I asked, ready to steady him as he got to his feet.

That's when I heard Griffin.

"Shit!"

"What's wrong?"

"Griffin's knocking into the cage. Something has him really riled. I need to check it out."

"I'm coming with you."

"Bow, we have no idea what's happening. You could get hurt."

"Sunny, someone just broke into my house. I've already been hurt. Do you think they were trying to get you away from Griffin?"

The thought should have crossed my mind. I was just too focused on Bow to think properly. I grabbed him into my arms and dashed to Griffin's cage.

Blood, Griffin's and… Bow's was on the ground in front of the cage. The hinges were weakening.

Suddenly, with one last violent shove against it, the door burst open and Griffin launched himself at us.

I turned my back to Griffin, sheltering Bow's smaller form with my body.

Griffin took us to the ground, his anger making it difficult to get his feet under him as quickly as I could.

Catching him in my arms, I held the struggling werewolf against me. He bit and snapped at me, teeth grazing me. His claws punctured my legs and chest.

"Sunny!" Bow was frantic.

"Do you have something to re-seal the cage?" I shouted over the beast, growling and snarling at me to be free.

"Yes. Can you hold the cage shut while I get it?"

All I could manage was a nod. He didn't wait for an answer, just ran back to his house with a slight limp.

I had to get a better hold of Griffin. His wriggling made it hard to hold him in place without further damage. I squeezed him and was rewarded with a bite to my bicep. He was so charming like this.

"Pretty puppy," I teased as his snarls abated. He was exhausted, fighting me.

Getting him back in the cage was easy when I was holding him. Me getting back out would be a problem.

Bow came running back with a few vials in hand, their names hastily written on them. Daisy must have helped him see which was which.

"Hold your breath!"

Doing as I was told, I stopped breathing as Bow threw a dust in our faces. Griffin sneezed and went slack. Out cold.

"Put him down quickly. I don't think it'll last long."

In a second, I was on the other side of the cage door, watching as Bow tried to fix the hinges with his magic.

"It's not going to hold!" Bow was crying, tears of frustration and fear running down his soft cheeks. He was so pretty without his glasses. His hazel eyes were dark, his face smeared with blood. So beautiful.

"Hey, it's fine. I'll just sit here and hold it closed until the sun comes up."

"If you… if you could hold him long enough, I could maybe inject him with a sleeping spell. A longer one."

Griffin roused and got to his feet unsteadily. His yellow eyes watched us warily before he snapped and launched himself for the door. I put my back to it, keeping it closed and Bow safe.

Over and over, I felt Griffin bite and scratch at me through the bars.

"Get the potion!"

Bow turned green when he got a glimpse of my back. "Hold on!" He ran for the house.

Part of me hoped he would stay there away from this mess, but after being attacked at home, I couldn't guarantee he was safe there. Poor Daisy was probably beside herself.

He returned with a dart gun. "Forgot I had this in my kit." He loaded the first dart with the potion and took aim.

The dart landed in my arm.

"Oh, shiitake!" he cried, as he loaded the next dart. His sobs were nearly as loud as Griffin's growls. I tried to hold the door even as I slipped into sleep.

Griffin yelped as the dart hit him.

"Well done, baby!" I slurred as sleep took me under.