Chapter Six

Sheldon

Still laughing, Scott opened the door to a cross-armed Terrick waiting just inside. He nearly walked into his mate’s chest but turned to look at the last second. Terrick steadied him with a gentle hand. I stepped in front of Travis before either of the alphas had a chance to speak. Scott’s heart skipped a beat and the corners of Terrick’s mouth turned up into a smile for a split second before he glanced over my shoulder at Travis.

“Is Salta correct?” Terrick asked, his voice level.

“Yes, and don’t start your cave-alpha BS, brother,” I said, squaring my shoulders. “Do I need to remind you that I was already a teenager while your toddler ass ran around naked in the garden making your carrier chase you down?”

Terrick didn’t flinch at the question or give me an answer. Sometimes talking to Terrick was like talking to a rock. He’d always been that way.

“Alpha,” Scott cooed the pet name. “They true-mate responded. Nothing bad is going to happen and remember it’s my brother you’re about to open your mouth and speak to.”

“Your brother who partook in humiliating you to the point you fled from your own home,” Terrick said.

I let out a long sigh. That was going to follow us around for better or worse.

“And it’s up to me whether or not I forgive him or let him back into my life. He hurt me. He embarrassed me. I’m the one with the wound. That means I get to decide the consequence. I’m telling you right now that what you say isn’t just going to affect how I feel, it’s going to affect your relationship with your brother too. They’re true-mates. That’s not going to change. All Travis is guilty of is believing that Trista had good intentions and not asking me himself.”

“Nope,” our brother Cardian’s voice cut in from behind us all.

Travis was the first to turn, but I didn’t look away from Terrick. Cardian took the guardian’s oath, but was more levelheaded than Terrick. Mother claimed I was biased because Cardian and I shared a carrier, but it was just the truth. He also knew how to keep his big mouth quiet when he needed to.

“Nope to what?” Scott asked before anyone else had the chance to speak.

“To whatever pissing contest is about to go down between these two,” Cardian said. “Dakota is in the early stages of labor and I’m not putting up with it. Terrick back down. Go to your pups or whatever. We’ll talk about it later.”

“You don’t get to---” Terrick said, but Cardian squeezed by the other three of us with the speed of a hunting cat.

“No, you don’t get to,” Cardian said, his voice still level, but his scent turning annoyed. “Listen, I don’t know what fate’s thinking. I’ve never claimed to understand it. I came over here to let you and Scott know Dakota’s in the early stages of labor. I’m not staying away from him to play wrestling match referee for a fight you can’t win, brother, because even if you win you lose.”

Terrick opened his mouth then closed it again.

“I get it. He’s an ass. I do get it. You’re riled up because you have pups here. I’m taking them home with me. You go sleep or let Salta talk your head off. You don’t get to fight Travis over this. I’m sorry, you don’t. Sheddy is my Salta. You mess with him, or his mate and you get me.”

My pulse thrummed behind my eyes until I squeezed them shut. Behind me, Travis slid his big, warm hands over my ears again. I leaned back against him. Usually, I’d tell Cardian I could handle myself, but no one wanted a fight around the babies or the laboring Dakota.

I didn’t hear the end of my brothers’ conversation, but a moment later Cardian tapped me on the shoulder.

“Come on, Sheddy, let’s go,” he said.

“Nice to meet you, Scott,” I said without opening my eyes until I turned around.

Thirst flared in the back of my throat. Terrick always had a way of pissing me off. At first, I believed it was because dead people followed him around. Now, I wasn’t so sure.

“Thanks, Car,” I said, opening my eyes only to go down the porch steps. “This is Travis.”

“I know who he is,” Cardian sighed. “Look, I’m glad you’re here. I’m happy to see you. I’m almost entertained that Terrick finally has something real and solid to be annoyed about, but my mate’s about to have a baby. So, I’m going to give you both the short version of this. If you break his heart, I’ll kick your ass. Be nice to your brother too. He’s been kicked around enough.”

“He thought Scott knew about the video ahead of time,” I said before Cardian entered a pissing contest with my mate.

“Shit,” Cardian swore under his breath. “We’ll get it all worked out, okay, Sheddy?”

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders in a quick hug.

“Congratulations on being a daddy,” I said, stirring the topic of conversation back to what was most important. “Boy or girl?”

“Boy,” Cardian said, his scent turning anxious, but happy.

“How’s Dakota been?” I asked to keep the topics positive as Cardian led us to his house.

“Pregnant,” Cardian laughed. “It hasn’t been a horrible pregnancy. There’s been a lot of baking. Mostly for the spirit animals. Whatever you do, don’t eat that bread. It won’t hurt you and I’ve yet to see an angry animal spirit because someone did, but it tastes like someone used perfectly good bread to soak up the ocean and then dried it and fed it to you as a prank.”

I laughed and squeezed Travis’s hand. He’d been quiet. If I didn’t know better I would’ve said he’d been too quiet. He squeezed my hand back as Cardian unlocked the front door to his house, calling to his mate that it was him. He held up a finger for us to wait there and then disappeared into the house.

“I’m sorry Terrick is a prick,” I said, stepping in front of Travis and taking his other hand in mine too.

“I’d be the same way if things were reversed,” Travis shrugged. “If he’d done something like that to you, I wouldn’t be happy.”

“Still. He doesn’t have to act like that.”

“That was pretty tame compared to some of the family infighting and arguments I’ve seen over the years. I don’t want to fight your brother. Cardian’s right. None of us can win that fight. No matter where we live, we’ll all see each other at some point. The universe really wanted our families to cross together, huh?”

“Like attracts like,” I grinned and rose to my tiptoes to steal a proper kiss.

Our lips brushed against each other a fraction of a second before Cardian’s footfalls grew close enough to make me pull away.

“Sorry,” I mouthed to Travis as I turned toward the door again.

“Come on in,” Cardian said, reappearing in the doorway. “Dakota’s excited to meet you.”

“Do you need us to hunt a deer or something?” I asked, kicking my shoes off before stepping inside.

“You can leave your boots on, if you want,” Cardian said to Travis, looking down at his own boot clad feet.

“Thanks,” Travis nodded to him.

“And no, we don’t need you to hunt a deer. You need to eat, though, before you start thinking we’re all deer,” Cardian teased. “There’s plenty of food in the fridge.”

“Okay, but if you need me to swap places with Scott because he’s friends with Dakota I can. I promise not to pretend our brother is a deer,” I teased as I sniffed out the kitchen pulling Travis behind me. “What? Did you think I’d leave my mate alone with you, brother? You may be more subtle than Terrick the Terrible Mood but you’re still a cave brute!”

Cardian laughed as I led Travis into the kitchen and his footfalls made their way to wherever Dakota was. The kitchen was clean and smelled of magic. Everything hummed and buzzed in a gentle way. I tilted my head listening to the herbs in the cabinet singing to each other.

“This is a happy place,” I announced to Travis as I turned toward the fridge. “Blood or food first? Wait! Shit!” I turned toward him. “I didn’t even ask. I know some shifters who are vampires don’t even bother to drink blood. I didn’t mean to assume. Back home ---”

Travis flashed me a grin that said I was talking too quick for him to get a word in edgewise.

“Take a breath. I know some blood sucking shifters get offended about it, but I don’t. Wait. Is blood sucking offensive?”

“Don’t say it to my mom,” I laughed, “but I don’t care. Well, I would if you weren’t vampyric but you’re talking about yourself too.”

“How about you do the shakes and I’ll make sandwiches or something?”

I nodded and pulled the stuff out of the freezer for bloodshakes. Travis opened the cabinet and grabbed out plates and glasses. I made up enough bloodshakes for us and Cardian and tried hard to keep my thoughts straying to what Travis’s hot blood might taste like rolling around on my tongue.

A lot of vampire omegas outside the coven believed that alpha vampires walked around feeding their omegas all the time and maybe they did. They were primed for it through biology, but within the coven that was reserved for pleasure times, magic, and pregnancy.

“I think you should take them something to eat,” Travis said. “Not because you’re an omega,” he added quickly. “Well, partially, because of that. I know Dakota and he doesn’t like me much. Usually, I wouldn’t care but he’s in there getting ready to have a baby and I don’t want to upset him more. Plus, Cardian might bite me.”

“You do smell yummy,” I said and poked my brother over our family link to see if he or Dakota wanted anything to eat.

“Not right now,” Cardian answered. “I think he’s past the point where he’ll want to eat, but I will take that bloodshake, if you don’t mind.”