Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

WILL

T he trepidation I’d had since leaving the yacht continued to grow. Even knowing that this was the best course of action for Nova and Mary did not help calm my nerves. Our dad was going to flip shit when he found out we were bringing outsiders to our island home.

Of course, Beck and Kato were as happy as two pigs in shit. Idiots obviously hadn’t considered what introducing them to the rest of the shoal would really mean for the women.

The fact that something weird seemed to be happening between Nova, my brothers, and I was another growing cause of concern. The few times I’d touched her, sparks had ignited. I had tried my best to ignore it, but if we were going to be stuck babysitting the women until Trent had been dealt with, it would be impossible to push aside.

As I guided the zodiac into the cove, it came as no surprise to find our dad pacing the dock. I couldn’t see his face, but his body language spoke volumes. He was pissed. Beck and Kato stiffened up when they finally noticed our welcoming committee of one.

Once I had pulled alongside the dock, I threw Dad the rope to tie us off and climbed out. Kato jumped out first and held his hand out for Mary. Beck followed suit and, after Nova handed him the small bags that the ladies had brought, helped her out of the zodiac. Dad turned his glare toward our small party.

Mary, her hand out in greeting, attempted to step toward Dad, but her sea legs had her stumbling forward. Dad rushed in and grasped her around the waist, keeping her from face planting.

A loud gasp ran out. “Oh my. Thank you,” Mary breathed out while staring up at dad.

He cleared his throat. Then did it again. Finally, he found his voice. “My pleasure. I’m Jed.”

“I’m Mary,” she whispered.

An awkward couple of moments passed as the two remained locked together. Neither one seemed able to look away. When I glanced at Nova, she had a huge grin on her face. My brothers looked just as confused as I.

What the hell was going on?

Nova giggled, breaking the spell the two seemed to be under. Dad stepped back but kept a hold of Mary’s arm. She didn’t seem to mind.

“Well, don’t just stand around,” Dad said. He gazed down at Mary. “Let’s get these ladies into the house. I bet you could do with a good meal, a shower and a soft bed.”

What the absolute fuck was happening? Gone was my dad’s stony exterior and in its place, a softer version seemed to have taken over. He gazed down at Mary, then tucked her against his side and led the way to the waiting side-by-side.

We held back long enough to exchange shocked looks. They were just as confused as I was.

Nova leaned toward us. “I thought you said he was a hard ass and that we should be prepared for him to yell a lot. He seemed like a giant teddy bear.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “It may still come.”

We followed behind the pair, but Dad took off with Mary without saying another word to us.

“That was strange,” Beck said as we watched them drive away. “Better hurry it up before we give him another reason to be pissed off.”

I led the way to the garage that housed our ATVs, then waited by the door. We concealed it behind a large stand of trees, as we didn’t want people to know anything about our island. None of our structures were easily visible to the outside world.

Kato jumped in the driver’s seat of a four-seater side-by-side. “Come sit up here with me, Nova.”

Once Kato had driven through the door, I locked up, then tossed the girl’s bags in the box and got in the back seat with Beck.

“This place is gorgeous,” Nova said. “There’re so many gorgeous trees. It looks like they’ve been here forever. I can’t wait to go exploring.”

“I’d be happy to take you on a tour,” Beck spoke up. “And introduce you to our shoal.”

Nova turned around and smiled at him. “I’d love that. But what’s a shoal?”

“A number of fish that swim together is the human definition. To us aquatic shifters, it means our family,” Beck replied.

“The population of the island is made up of aquatic shifters and their mates.” Will explained. “That’s why we shouldn’t have brought you here. Our shoal owns the island and outsiders are not usually allowed.”

An entire island of shifters? Fear held me immobile for a moment. “Are Mary and I in danger?” I blurted out once I had the use of my voice back.

Kato jumped in. “No. No. Nothing like that. We might get a long ass lecture from Dad, but we’re used to it. Nobody here would harm you.”

“But some of the shifters that live here are extremely shy, so don’t be offended if they ignore you,” Beck added.

Will tapped the back of my seat. “And some don’t like humans. Some of us weren’t lucky enough to be raised in a shoal and are naturally wary of your kind.”

I glanced around with appreciation of my surroundings. Behind us, the beautiful crystal-clear water in the cove. All around us, towering trees and brightly coloured flowers.

“But I didn’t see any houses from the water,” I said. “Do you live in the water?”

The men chuckled. “No,” Kato said. “But our homes are mostly hidden from view from the ocean. We have security in place around the island, so you will be perfectly safe from outsiders.”

We crested the top of the hill we’d been climbing, and I let out an excited squeak when I saw what was in front of us. Down at the bottom of the valley I could see log cabins, a lake and a pasture full of cattle.

“It’s amazing,” I whispered to myself. “I still don’t understand how you remain hidden.”

“It’s not really hidden. The government knows we’re here. We pay taxes and have several profitable businesses run from here,” Kato explained. “We are self-sufficient though, and a lot of the shoal chooses to work here instead of in the human world,” Will said.

“Everyone helps to keep the island running smoothly. We have farmers, butchers, gardeners, bakers, electricians…you name it, we probably have someone here that can do the work.”

My gaze jerked away from the wonderful landscape to watch the men. “Are you some weird cult or commune?”

More laughter. “No. God no,” Kato said.

“So, you aren’t going to make me wear a weird robe and eat tofu or dance naked under a full moon?”

“Well, I have a bathrobe you could use.” Beck wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “In case you get cold when you get out of my bed to use the washroom.”

“Cut it out.” Will smacked Beck. “You can wear and eat whatever you like, Nova.”

Kato placed his hand on my knee. “You’ll see our cabin soon. It’s on the left.”

Why was it that every time one of these men touched me, sparks seemed to fly? I couldn’t possibly be attracted to all three of them. What the heck was going on with me? I found myself staring dreamily at Kato instead of the marvellous view. Shaking my head, I ripped my gaze away.

So, not everyone lives in the same area?”

“No.” Kato steered the side-by-side around a sharp curve. “Some, like us, prefer our privacy.”

“Holy shit.” I stared in wonder at the large three storey log cabin that came into view. “This is where you live?”

There was a large pool surrounded by a stone walkway leading to the main floor deck. There was a built-in kitchen area and seating spread throughout the space. It had a real natural vibe, with flowers and plants scattered throughout.

The house itself was built into a hill. The second and third stories each had several balconies in addition to one that ran almost the entire width of the house. I couldn’t wait to sit on one to watch the sunrise. There were massive windows, stone pillars and a green tin roof.

“Yep. We’ve lived here for five years now,” Beck said. “We’ve still got a few projects on the go, but overall, we’re happy with the way it turned out.”

“I’d say. It’s freaking gorgeous,” I replied as I continued to gaze around.

“Let’s go,” Beck spoke up. “I’ll start your tour while Kato parks the side-by-side.”

“No fair,” Kato called while Beck tugged me out of the vehicle.

Beck laughed, hurrying me past the pool and toward the house. “Come on. We finally have some time alone.”

His laughter was infectious, and I found myself giggling along with him as we hurried toward the house. I couldn’t wait to see the interior.

When he opened the door, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Mary was lip locked with the guy’s dad. Admittedly, now that I was getting a better look at him, their very good-looking dad.

“Mary,” I gasped, walking into the house. “What on earth are you doing?”

Beck followed me in, gasping loudly. “Dad? What?—”

“Oh, um. Hi,” squeaked Mary.

“Hi?” Nova barked out a sharp laugh. “That’s what you have to say for yourself?”

The man finally released Mary and stepped toward us, hand out. “I’m Jed. Welcome to our home. I’m so glad you’re here,” he said in a remarkably friendly tone.

After shaking his hand, I glanced toward Beck, who stood unmoving, his mouth hanging open.

“Thank you, sir. It’s nice to meet you too.” Mary cleared her throat and when I gave her my attention, I noted the red flush covering her neck and cheeks. “I see that you two are getting along.”

The door opened at the same time that Jed said, “Mary is my mate.”

“What?” Will strode into the house with long strides. “I thought you said that mudskippers didn’t have mates. You told us not to waste our time looking.”

Jed glanced down at the floor, then met Will’s pissed off glare. “Apparently I was wrong, as were your grandparents.” He strode forward and grasped Will’s shoulder with one hand, and Kato’s with the other, locking Beck in the middle. “I’m sorry. If I’d known?—”

Kato’s eyes locked onto mine over his dad’s shoulder. “How did you know?”

My eyes widened. Surely, he wasn’t implying that I was his mate. Before I could give more consideration to what a mate actually was, Beck interrupted my thoughts.

“I think Nova’s my mate.”

Kato’s eyes narrowed and he broke our stare to turn toward his brother. “Not possible, brother. I’m pretty sure she is my mate.”

Will broke out of his father’s grasp to rub his chest. He cleared his throat. “Actually, I think you’re both wrong. I felt an instant connection to Nova. The mate bond would explain my attraction.”

“I saw her first,” Beck yelled. “My fins fanned out right away for her and I jumped higher than I ever have. My mudskipper knew before I did. We’re meant to be.”

My mind raced. I couldn’t make sense of everything the men were saying. They each wanted me?

“My mudskipper did the same,” Kato said. He attempted to push Beck out of his way, but Beck refused to move.

“Mine,” Will gritted out. “I’ll prove it.”

Before I could comprehend what was happening, Will’s arms were around me and he was tipping me back and kissing me as if his life depended on it.

A loud crash sounded out as I drowned in the sensations flooding my body. Will’s lips were soft yet firm. His hands ran up and down my back as his tongue plunged into my mouth. I was overheating, sparks shooting off anywhere he touched.

What made it truly bizarre was the fact that I hadn’t thought Will even liked me. When Will was ripped away from me, I let out a whimper, reluctant to end our impromptu kiss.

A roar and another loud crash snapped me out of my stupor. Mary shrieked. Jed waded into the middle of his brawling sons and yanked them apart.

“Enough,” he hollered. “We will figure this out. Fighting each other is not the way,” Jed said firmly.

The three brothers were all panting. Will’s nose was bleeding, Kato was holding his junk and Beck had obviously been hit near his eye, as it was bright red.

I rushed over to Mary’s side, and she immediately pulled me into her arms. “I think we all need to cool down. Jed, could you show Nova and I to where we’ll be staying?”

“Yes. I think that’s a good idea,” Jed said. “You three, clean up this mess and by God you will not say another word to each other till I return. I apologize for my sons’ behaviour. Follow me, ladies.”

Jed and Mary talked in low tones as I followed behind, not even paying attention to the beautiful architecture around me. I was in too much of a muddle over what had happened. When Jed ushered me into a large bedroom on the second floor, I snapped out of it.

“You can wait up here while my sons and I have a chat. Make yourself comfortable and someone will come get you in a little while. Feel free to shower, have a nap or watch some TV.” He turned toward Mary, and his gaze softened. “Come, mate. I will show you to our room.”

The last thing I saw of the couple was Mary’s blush as she reached for his hand. The door closed, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I fell backward and closed my eyes. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. A wave of exhaustion hit. I’d have a little rest and figure things out when I woke up.