Chapter Seven

Thera sat up and breathed through the pain that had struck. Both her shoulder and wrist had been out of alignment. Her arm was fucked. She got her phone out and typed with one hand to Ford. I just cracked my arm and am out of commission. If you are sending someone to do the B-roll, let me know.

There were the three dots, and when the message popped up, she leaned back and exhaled, keeping tears at bay. Thera, we have wrapped up here, and I don't have any other projects for you. Enjoy your vacation, and send the camera back when you can.

She nodded and replied Sure.

Kayak came into the small room, and she said, "Are there any places around here that can ship the underwater camera back to the mainland?"

He frowned and nodded. "Sure. Why?"

"I won't be needing it again."

"Why not?"

"He doesn't have other projects for me. So, now, I have to start up the freelancing career again. Steady work was nice while it lasted."

Kayak handed her a cup of juice, and she sipped at it.

She swallowed. "I have the hotel room until the end of the week. I can relocate to Emerald, maybe become a wedding photographer or something?" She muttered it out loud and sipped at her juice as she thought. Her left arm was in a sling, and the tech was off getting a brace for her wrist. Skaay had taken care of the crack on her elbow. It showed as healed now.

Kayak nodded. "I will be right back."

"Mm-hm." She kept going through her options. Being a videographer for private porn was an option. Taking pictures of people's pets was an option. Maternity shoots were going to be a thing if Haravin was as pregnant as Thera thought.

Thera had talked with Alexi, and they had discussed how eager alternative alphas were to have their true forms photographed with their families.

She finished her juice, and then, her phone started pinging. Ford is trying to force you to bond with your mates. You are injured?

It was Serin.

Yeah. I came down on my left arm all kinds of wrong.

I am coming to Wonder. I will be there by the weekend.

OMG. Really?

Really. I have a family home you can stay in until you get on your feet, but I have to kick my sister out first. I have to do that in person.

You are really coming here?

I am absolutely coming there. Ford can suck it. Syar and Kekoa are giving me plenty of work. If you want documentary work, you can have it. I have ordered you a new camera and setup. You will be in business by Monday.

I have a major girl crush right now.

Get in line. I am very popular. Get better, let Skaay heal you, and it will work better if you are mated. Also, the orcas have a great house up the hill. They also have guestrooms.

No pressure.

Absolutely not, but the guys are good fellas. Very artistic, right up your alley.

So, you know them?

Yeah. The whole town witnessed my sister making a fool of me. They were all shocked that I left. They will be stunned when I return.

What is the deal with that, Serin?

The long and short of it is that my sister told everyone that her boyfriend had marked and mated me and then rejected me for her. It was very soap opera, but I was already registered in a college on the mainland. Business and media studies and researchers into my condition. I was always going to leave, but no one could consider leaving. I must be dead. It was the only answer.

Thera paused. Thank you for the way out.

No problem. I have made sure that no one declares me dead, whatever my sister has said. Kekoa has kept my home in my name. Oh, don't tell too many people I am coming home. Thera imagined the feral grin. I want it to be a surprise.

I might mention it to Hara and Kekoa.

Fair enough. I will see you in a few days. Get ready to work. I have an idea.

See you soon.

Thera sat back, smiling at the ease of her upset. Serin was a force of nature. Just a few words and Thera was eased out of her panic and into staying.

When the door opened again, it was Kayak and Skaay, and the latter looked pissed. "You didn't tell me."

"You healed the break. Soft tissue damage is soft tissue damage. This was the least of the issues."

"We are taking you to someplace comfortable. Kayak mentioned your hotel room." He grimaced. "Not appropriate."

He carefully eased her into his arms with her injury facing outward.

Kayak opened the doors for them, and Thera leaned against Skaay as she felt energy moving through her entire body. Ah, this time, he was checking.

"You hit your head as well?"

"Just a bump."

"Kayak is going to write a report on why you don't throw a fully geared-up diver through the air."

Kayak muttered to them, "I have to use puppets to make sure I understand."

She chuckled and then observed. "Oh, dear. People are staring."

She glanced at the guys, and her mind overlaid their beasts on them. "You are in male-pack attack mode."

Skaay grunted. "We are agitated. We had a mate for an hour, and we broke her."

"That's funny, but I am not a doll."

"No, you are a member of our pod. A smaller and more vulnerable member that we need to take care with."

"We can try flips again but only in open water."

Kayak murmured, "Not for a while."

They walked up the hill toward the town where the locals live, and on the ocean side, they turned to the right and went down a pathway.

A large roof was visible from the pathway, and they carried her down the hill and to the house that was in between the land and sea. They kicked off their sandals and walked into the house.

Skaay murmured, "No shoes in the house; there is enough sand we can't shift. There are foot-washing stations by the doors and one next to the steps from the water. We don't mess up the place when we get home."

"Good. I am used to hotel rooms, so housekeeping is not my thing."

"It isn't ours either, so we set up things to keep it under control. Sand gets everywhere."

Kayak laughed. "We know. This is the guestroom. Orc is bringing your stuff from the hotel. Just tell us where you want the camera sent, and it will be on its way."

"Just the underwater one. The other stuff is mine."

"Okay. Now, you are going to curl up with Skaay, and he's going to fix you."

Kayak darted away and came back with a T-shirt. "The suit you have on probably isn't comfortable."

She chuckled. "Right. Thanks."

Skaay said, "I will help her change." He pushed Kayak out with one hand and closed the door.

He put her good hand against the dresser and knelt to remove her clothing with surprising efficiency. She was naked in a few minutes, but he had to cut her shirt off around the sling. The top unclasped behind her neck, and it dropped.

Skaay sighed. "Do you want a shower?"

"Can you take the brace and sling off?"

"Of course."

"Then, yup."

He carefully released the fasteners and set them aside. He walked with her to the walk-in shower. She sighed as the warm water moved over her.

"You can handle pain well."

"Yeah, well, when alphas yank you out of the water by your wrists, it happens more often than you would think."

"How long were you on the water?"

"Since I was two. Travelling from research project to research project. I started with a distance-learning kindergarten and went through all my schooling by the time I was fourteen. Then, I was just his assistant, but he didn't want me taking classes on land." As she spoke, Skaay sprayed the water on her, soaped her up, and rinsed her off.

He reached behind her, and she felt her hair tumble down.

"Whoa."

She grimaced. "I know. I can't cut it."

"You like the length?"

"No, I mean, I can't cut it. I have broken a lot of scissors in my day. Kitchen knives, too."

He shampooed her hair. "Dive knives, too?"

"Nope. I would never use a dive knife on hair. Rope, yes, but hair, no."

His long fingers massaged her scalp, and she supported her injured arm while he washed the salt out of her hair.

Five minutes later, she was clean, wrapped in towels, and walking back to the bedroom.

Skaay put her wrist support in place and smiled. "Lie down, and I will get to work."

"T-shirt?"

"Right."

Towels were off and shirt was carefully pulled over her head, her arm supported as it was eased through it. When she was dressed, she pulled a pillow down for her head and got settled on her side. When she was settled, Skaay scooted in behind her and wrapped his arm over hers. That warm-cold combo began to pulse through her from neck to fingertip.

She asked softly, "So, how did you figure this one out?"

"How to spoon with a woman with long hair or the healing?"

"The healing."

"Ah, I picked up a starfish with a freshly missing leg when I had shifted for the first time. I had gone back to human and was just playing under the water. I picked up the starfish, and the leg grew back. I thought that was cool and found a dolphin that had suffered a shark attack. I watched the tissue regenerate while I touched the little guy."

"After that, you started groping the undersea world en masse?"

He chuckled. "I also worked on it on land. I discussed it a lot with your father. He tested me as well."

"He liked to experiment on people."

Skaay froze. "What?"

"Nothing bad. He just had me running tests alongside some of his grad students. I wasn't allowed to leave to go to school, but I had to make folks who spend hundreds of thousands on their educations feel like idiots. Not cool."

"Ah, he was very proud of you. How old was he when you were born?"

She laughed. "Fifty-six. He knocked up a grad student."

"Charming."

"He always said that if she had lived, we would have been a family, but I am pretty sure that he would have just broken her heart over and over again. I loved him, but he was an ass where women were concerned."

"I am not going to comment."

"That is probably wise." She felt her breathing slow, had a thought, and started laughing.

Skaay whispered in her ear. "What's so funny?"

She laughed harder, and he held her tight. She finally wheezed, "I am guessing you can all hold your breath for a really long time."

He froze for a moment and then started laughing with her. That was when Orc came in with her bags, and he wanted to share the joke. Kayak was next, and suddenly, with them all in the room with her, the joke was a lot less funny.

Orc crouched in front of her. "How are you doing?"

Skaay answered, "Her head injury is healed, her shoulder is nearly done, and the wrist has a lot of small bones in it. It takes longer."

Orc sighed. "I was asking her."

"He's warm. I don't mind resting. I don't do it often. So, is the path down to the water to a beach or a drop-off?"

Kayak said, "Drop-off."

"Cool. Do you have a small boat there?"

Orc chuckled and reached out to stroke her cheek. "It isn't that small. Same size as the one we were on today."

She smiled. "Nice. Storm safe."

He nodded. "Deep enough for us to dive and jump."

"Please tell me that there isn't a seal or sea lion colony nearby." She smiled slightly.

Kayak said, "They are on the other side of the island."

The other two snapped a growl at him.

She snorted. "I have seen it before. Dad wasn't fussy about it. He just ripped them in half and got blood everywhere. I am not overly concerned by the death. I just didn't want to walk through half-chewed mammals."

Orc blinked. "Oh, don't worry. We clean up after ourselves."

"Good. I get that the beasts want what they want. I don't begrudge them that." She sighed.

Skaay said, "She's tired, and I am pulling a lot from her to heal her, so she's going to sleep. I can't give her anything right now, but I can just keep her body slowly healing."

Orc sighed. "Right."

Kayak asked, "Do you need anything?"

"Just about four hours of quiet," Skaay said softly.

Orc nodded. "Right. We will keep busy."

Kayak muttered, "I am going to go to Ahheel's and try to figure out how to apologize."

Orc spoke to him for a moment, and then, they looked through her pack. When they were done, they left.

Skaay murmured, "They went to get you something pretty."

"I live on boats. I don't need pretty. I don't charge by the hour."

Skaay exhaled a laugh. "Good to know. What did you do when your father passed?"

"Oh, I notified people. I got his cremains and started taking photos to make some money. I started working for Ford, and I have done a ton of background shots for his videos and the upcoming movie. I have a lot of credits for second unit and have done some small personal shoots. Staying away from the water was hard."

Skaay kissed her temple. "We are more than willing to help with a memorial service. We can even help find a place to put the urn, set up a memorial spot."

"That sounds nice." She relaxed and drifted off.

The smell of raspberry tea got her attention, and she stretched, surprised when Skaay hugged her. Her wrist felt better, and he had removed the brace at some point.

"They found you pretty things. If you were a full shifter, we would just show up and do acrobatics to impress you, but as bipeds, we have to take different plans of attack."

"Attack?"

"I would say seduction, but that isn't it. Not yet. Things to make you smile. That is what they brought."

She turned toward him, and he went up on his elbow over her. "Whoever picked the tea is on the right track."

He smiled. "The tea is mine. You like it?"

"I'm a beta. Raspberry for cramps was something that one of my dad's girlfriends taught me. It holds things off until I can grab painkillers."

He smiled. "Do you want some?"

"Not if it's yours. I don't take what's not for me." She shifted and got up on her elbow, turning away from him and swinging her legs out of the bed.

"Little pearl, everything that is ours is yours." He sighed.

"I know. I am still grappling with it. The marks are the marks, but I don't sleep around a lot, so I am a bit overwhelmed."

He chuckled. "You are not shy about being nude in front of people."

"Scuba suits being put on and off on a deck leads to a lot of slips. After the fifteenth time accidentally stripping, it ceases to matter."

He sat up and stretched. She found her pack, but instead of her normal clothes, there was a sundress and a fancy set of underwear that didn't feel like it would be itchy. "Where is my stuff?"

"In the laundry. Orc is fastidious."

She sighed. "Nice cop-out."

He grinned. "I am pleased with it."

She took the underwear and dress, laid it out on the bed, pulled the tee off, and got dressed, panties, bra, and dress. Thera smoothed her hands down the front of the dark blue dress and looked at Skaay.

"You look adorable, pearl."

"Why do you call me that?"

"Your eyes are white and iridescent."

"Oh. Right." Thera looked at the mug on the bedside table and nodded to Skaay. "I am going to go exploring now. Please excuse me."

He rolled to his feet and stood up. "I will come with you."

"Why?"

"I have healed you; now, I am off to find some food."

She paused. "Where did my phone end up?"

"Probably on the charger in the study."

"Why?"

"Kayak likes to keep stuff charged. He's in charge of equipment."

"Oh. Okay. Which way to the study?"

"To your left."

She turned to her left and walked the hall. The wood under her feet was smooth and polished. It was pale, bleached wood, and she liked the feel of it under her feet.

She walked the length of the hallway and ended up in a morning room that looked out over the ocean.

Skaay murmured, "Maybe it was a right out of your room."

She walked out of the morning room and stood on the deck outside, watching the waves in the distance reflecting the stars in the sky. "I slept longer than I thought."

"You did. It gave the others plenty of time to shop. I have to say, I believe it has raised eyebrows."

"Why?"

"We have spent a lot of time looking for our mate, and there have been no indications that one would ever appear, so we have become a local fixture. Unchanging."

"Oh." Her hair floated up on the night's breeze. It moved with the tempo of the waves below.

"Your hair is moving."

"Yeah, it does that." She turned, and her hair moved around her like a cartoon character's.

Orc and Kayak came in with grins, and they paused, their eyes filling with wonder.

Orc said, "Wow."

Kayak nodded. "You said it."

Thera looked at Orc. "The hair or the dress?"

He smiled crookedly. "You."

Kayak nodded. "What he said. You look like every delusion that ever drowned a sailor."

She blinked. "Wow. That is oddly flattering."

He suddenly looked shy. "Are the clothes okay? Ahheel was laughing when we brought your other clothes to her for sizing. She asked if we had you trapped in here naked."

Orc muttered, "I said that you were wearing my shirt."

Kayak muttered, "I picked his so that it wouldn't be too weird."

Orc snorted. "And mine are folded and clean in the drawer."

Kayak nodded. "That, too."

She smiled. "I was in search of my phone, and I was misdirected."

Orc held his hand out. "Come with me."

She stepped toward him and took his hand. The walk through the house was fairly straightforward, and when she had her phone in her hand, she took the card and checked the authorization on it. It was blocked. Right.

She looked to Orc. "Can you dispose of this for me? The account has been closed."

He took it and scowled. "Really? They abandoned you here?"

She shrugged. "Serin probably did it. She's opening a new company and should be here in a few days." She paused. "And I wasn't supposed to mention that."

He blinked. "She's coming home?"

"Yes. Is her sister a bitch or something?"

"A little bit. Yeah. She tried to get her claws into Kayak. We diverted her. Now, she's married and living in the family home."

Thera looked around and rubbed her ear. "You don't say."

Orc grinned. "Is that about to change?"

"Maybe. Wait a few days and find out."

He nodded. "It will be good to see her again. The village has seemed empty without her laughter."

Thera blinked. "She laughs?"

"Yeah. She was always laughing and making people smile. She was good at it."

"Well, I don't know that Serin. I know the serious lady who took no shit and used her crutches as a deadly weapon when alphas tried to intimidate her. It didn't happen often, and for each one, it only happened once."

Orc frowned. "Was she injured?"

"No. Her body is giving out on her, so she uses the crutches to walk. She will explain what she wants you to know when she gets here. She's going to be here by the weekend." Thera cleared her throat. "Is there somewhere I can get something to eat? I will set up my card to my account tomorrow."

He nodded. "We made you some sandwiches."

She smiled brightly, and they headed to the kitchen. He brought a plate that made her laugh, and she said, "I eat about half of that."

"Noted. Kayak made the sandwiches, and I think he got carried away. We know your stomach is set for mainland food, so we will stick to that for a while."

"I can eat just about anything. Most of it cooked. I eat a lot of food grilled on boats."

He cocked his feet and then nodded. "You go spear fishing?"

"Yeah. I waited until Dad was off doing things, and I snuck down and introduced myself to my lunch."

"He forgot to feed you?"

"Yeah, well, he had alternative methods to get food."

"Did you run into pirates?"

"A few times. They wanted the equipment, so I had to get them off the boat so that he could deal with them."

"You faced pirates alone?"

"Yeah. I couldn't really call anyone for help because no one had a full mask on."

"I am irritated."

She laughed. "I can load a speargun really fast."

"It is good to know, but the inference is that you were alone on the boat with divers below you and pirates on board."

"Yeah. I also prepped the kits when we had students on board. I have taken enough chunks out of sharks to make a whole one."

"I really want to give you a hug right now."

She set the plate down and stood up, giving him the hug that he needed. His arms came around her, and he held her close. "When you are with us, we won't leave you in danger."

She nodded and sighed. "He was a great man and a meh dad."

He chuckled. "He was an excellent mentor, but you are right about his caretaking skills."

"Do you want to hear something chilling?"

He sighed and hugged her tight. "I am braced for it."

"You know how the village is known for its frisky lifestyle?"

"Yes." He was wary.

"Dad bought me a white cuff when I was seventeen."

She squeaked and laughed as his arms tightened. "I didn't use it, dumbass. He forgot how old I was."

Orc exhaled in relief. He then asked, "Wait, where was he?"

"Off with you three. Aside from sex available around the clock, the village is a pretty safe place to be, so Kekoa found me wandering around, and I ended up hanging out at the palace and taking pictures of the gardens. That nearly gave Dad a heart attack when he saw the images. The next day, he and Kekoa had a chat, and I went up there every time I was here when I was unattended."

"Well, he was elected king for a reason." Orc sighed. "Confirmation that we made the right choice."

She had her arms wrapped around him, and her palms were pressed against the flat slabs of muscle around his ribs. "No offense to the hug, but I am still hungry."

He stroked her back and let her go. "What do you want to drink?"

"Water is good." She settled and grabbed the first sandwich which was a predictable ham and cheese.

"Hmm."

She ignored his sound and kept eating. The next choice was peanut butter and jelly, which made her laugh.

She got her glass of water and made it through three out of seven sandwiches. Just about every craving point had been hit.

Kayak had come in, and when she sat back and got the last sandwich out of her teeth with the water, she had to ask, "What was the logic behind the cheese and pickles?"

"I have heard of that one before."

"That's cheese and pickle. A type of chutney."

He blinked. "Oh. Sorry."

"No problem, just passing information."

"What's chutney?"

"A salty, sweet, savoury pickle, chopped up and jarred. Like a spread."

"Nice. I will make a note of it."

"Don't make one on my account. I should have stopped at the peanut butter and jelly."

He smiled. "Pickle taste stuck in your mouth?"

"Yeah."

Kayak got her a spoon with both peanut butter and jelly on it. "Here you go."

Skaay came in as she started licking, and he turned quietly and thumped his head against the doorway.

Kayak watched her and went, "Oh. Right."

Orc snorted, leaned against the counter, and watched her with hot eyes.

She finished the spoon and her water. "How sad is it that I want to go back to bed?"

Skaay murmured, "Sorry; it is a side effect of the healing. If you mate with one of us, you can pull energy from them. If you mate with all of us, a healing will take seconds if anything else happens."

She cocked her head. "So soon?"

Kayak snorted. "We aren't betas. We don't do a long seduction thing. We take a yes as a yes."

She looked at him and cocked her head. "Yes."

Orc grinned, Skaay sighed, and Kayak blinked.

Kayak stared. "Me?"

"Yeah."

"Why?" He leaned forward and took her hands, getting her to her feet.

"You fixed my tripod and kept up a conversation."

"And broke your arm."

"Can't be good at everything." She got an unsure wave. "If you don't want to, I am sure one of the others will chance it. I am not trying to coerce you into sex."

Orc and Skaay muttered that they would definitely step in.

Kayak pulled her against him, and then, he darted forward and lifted her up so her face was even with his, and he kissed her, leaning back to smile. "Peanut butter and jelly."

She blushed. She opened her mouth to reply, but he kissed her. He walked them down the hall and into a space of pale wood and the scent of lemon. She lifted her head. "Did you clean your room today?"

He chuckled. "Maybe. We are trying to make a good impression."

She rubbed her cheek alongside his. "Impression is made."

"You are not here to be a housekeeper. That's Orc's job."

He set her on the edge of the bed, pulled off his shirt, and undid his shorts in a rush.

She blinked. Well, guys who swam for a living in the ocean were ripped, but she hadn't anticipated that she would be in close quarters to one. His muscles were wide and thick under his skin, so she reached out to caress him. His body was lined for the compressing forces of the ocean, and it was rather nice to look at.

His erection was a surprise, and she smiled slightly. "So, that must have been a shock when it showed up."

He shuddered a sigh as she trailed her fingertips over him. The conical erection moved and wrapped around her wrist.

"It was a definite indication of the type of alpha that I was. Your d—"

She put her free hand on his mouth. "If you want this to continue, my dad has no place here. Right?"

He nodded and eased the sundress off her hips, released her bra with a few attempts, but the panties came off without trouble.

He lifted her onto the bed and set her right in the middle. He followed her to the mattress, and she paused. "Can we have the lights off, please?"

He lunged up and flicked the lights off before returning to her side. She met his kiss, and his hands roamed over her rapidly.

The door opened and closed softly. There was rustling, and as a familiar body lined up behind her, she recognized Skaay.

Skaay leaned over her and whispered in Kayak's ear. He slowed down, and Thera slid against him as her body got slicker. When he eased her leg to ride his hip, he touched her and worked his fingers into her until she was undulating against his hand. The curling tip of his cock worked into her, and she softly whined as he slid in. He moved slowly inside her, and when he couldn't hold back, he shuddered within her, and she felt an odd pressure. There was no knot, so he was able to back out of her, and to her surprise, Skaay kissed her neck and slid in after Kayak, moving his hips slowly to a delightfully measured beat.

When she finally came, Kayak kissed her, and Skaay suddenly pressed into her, and the pressure happened again. Heat eased into her deeper than before, and she guessed at what was going on.

When Orc came in to carry her off to his room, she was sure of it.

She was in heat.