Chapter 23

Twenty-Three

The entire car ride home, Lily talked nonstop about her day and how much fun she'd had. Ezio reported that everyone had seen her on television during the Summit with us, so he really wasn't needed to keep them from bullying her. I was skeptical, but also knew true bullying came when they got older, like eleven years old and above.

We returned to our clan, heading to an area we called the main square, after saying goodbye to Ezio.

With the increase in clan members, we'd had to build a lot more houses, and we'd even built a little store where members could buy items instead of worrying about leaving the territory or ordering things to be delivered.

Dan had ordered his construction crew to build a gazebo in the center of the little city, just in front of the new store, and put some bushes and flowers around it. It was cute and inviting and got used daily. That was our main square and where we met with everyone who was currently there.

Lily ran over to the kids, playing with them.

"Thank you, everyone, for gathering today," Caleb said in greeting as we stopped at the steps of the gazebo to talk to everyone. "We wanted to inform you that we are going to be heading out on a short trip again. We will be provided guards, though, after the incident at the Summit, we hope that they do not end up being necessary."

"How long will you be gone?" Kieran asked.

"Two to four days," I answered. "We aren't sure what we'll find there, so it may be longer than the two days we anticipated. We will take a train and then a boat to and from the island."

"You're going to the island?" Kieran asked with a scowl. "Do you have any idea what's there?"

"Wilderness and wildlife, from what we've been told, but no one has set foot on it in quite a long time," Caleb replied.

"Don't worry about things here," Dominick, one of the first alphas to come after the Summit, said. "We'll keep things safe here." Dominick had one of the most unique animal forms, a gorilla.

Lily was terrified of him and I didn't blame her. He was huge in gorilla form and when you are a small shifter, it's disconcerting to face someone that much larger. Thankfully, he was a gentle giant. Eventually, Lily would warm up to him like she had with Branson.

"Thank you, that makes me feel better," I said and smiled at him.

"If there's anything you need before we leave, please let us know so we can make the necessary arrangements," Triston said.

"More treats!" Arthur, a toddler who shifted into a racoon yelled.

The adults laughed and his mother shook her head at him. "We have treats at home, Arthur."

"More!" he yelled.

Triston pulled off a backpack I hadn't realized he was wearing, pulled out a plastic bag, and opened it to reveal several small packets of jerky. "I happen to have some treats."

Arthur gasped, looked up at his mom, and after she nodded, he, and several other kids, ran over to get a bag. Even Lily ran over.

"Alright, we're going to return to the main house, but let us know if anything comes to mind," Caleb said.

Branson snagged Lily and tossed her up into the air before catching her. He repeated this all the way to the house, and she giggled the entire time.

We had debated for several hours about taking Lily or not. Jolie had even offered to keep her at their house, which would have been a safe space for her. Ultimately, we didn't want to be separated from her, plus Ezio had offered to come with us as her personal guard.

"What's for dinner?" I asked. "I'm starving."

"Riddick is making dinner as we speak," Triston answered.

"Oh, nice. He's a great cook." Whatever he was making, I was certain I would love it.

"I want fish!" Lily shouted.

"Fish?" I asked. "You want fish?"

She nodded. "We had samson at school today and it was really yummy fish!"

"Salmon," Caleb corrected.

"Yes, that!" she said and pointed at his face.

"We aren't having salmon tonight, but it's good to know you like it so we can make it in the future," Branson said. "Salmon is one of my favorites."

"Did you have time to pack at all?" I asked Triston.

"My friends are sad I'm leaving already," Lily commented and pouted. Quickly, the pout turned into a smile. "I promised I'd come back soon, though, and we played tag!"

"Did you learn anything new today?" Branson asked and set her on the porch on her feet.

"Math!" she hissed. "But teacher showed us in a … fun way."

"Math can be fun?" I teased.

"I didn't think so, but it was fun counting snacks!" she exclaimed.

Ah, that did make sense why she thought it was fun now. She was definitely food motivated.

When I stepped into the house, Riddick pulled me into a gentle hug and kissed my cheek. "Welcome home, Ember."

I hugged him back and tilted my head back to kiss him on the lips. "Thank you. Did you have a good training session with Silverowl?"

He stepped back and nodded. "I did. I'm getting better at using roots to bind someone."

"Oh, nice, that is a really handy one," I commented with a nod. Inhaling, my mouth filled with drool. "What is that delicious smell?" Definitely something with garlic.

"You're probably smelling the garlic bread since I just took it out of the oven. I also made chicken parmigiana."

"Yes!" I shouted and ran to front bathroom to wash my hands. Lily was at my side, up on the step stool we'd put for her, and washed her hands after me. It was one of our rules. Wash your hands before dinner.

We dried our hands off and hurried out to the dining table, sitting in our normal seats. She frowned down at her booster seat. "I don't like this. I'm not a baby."

"It's just so you're able to reach the table better," I said. "It's not for babies."

"Hmph," she said and folded her arms across her chest.

The guys carried out the plates of food and we eagerly dug in. After dinner, Lily and I took a shower, changed into pajamas, and raced downstairs to play a card game with everyone. It had become a weeknight ritual. While they played a second round, I went to my room and finished packing the suitcases for our trip tomorrow.

"Did you think you'd be traveling this often when you left with us?" Riddick asked from behind me.

I shook my head. "I had hoped I would get to travel, but traveling once a month isn't what I expected." We had another trip planned for next month to take Lily to the beach so she could see it for the first time.

"You're nervous," he commented and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Is it about the trip?"

"Yes. We don't know for certain what we are going to find there and that worries me, especially since we're taking Lily."

"You would worry more if she was out of your sight," he reminded me.

Folding up a pair of pajamas, I put them in the suitcase. "Yes, I know."

Turning me around, he pulled me flush against him. "You are a truly beautiful woman, Ember. I can't believe I'm lucky enough to call you my mate."

Tracing a finger along his chiseled jaw, I said, "I'm the lucky one. You're handsome, smart, a great cook …"

He chuckled.

"… and a loving person who accepted Lily without hesitation. And you make the best garlic bread in the world." Rising up on my toes, I pressed my lips to his.

He kissed me back hungrily, slid a hand into my hair, and tilted my head to get better access. His tongue swept across mine and I became putty in his hands.

Picking me up beneath my butt, he carried me to his room, shut and locked the door behind us, and fell onto the bed, cradling my head as we fell.

Laughing softly, I unbuttoned his shirt while he worked on mine.

"Why did we choose buttons today?" he grumbled when one didn't want to work on my shirt. With a snarl, he jerked the shirt apart, sending buttons flying across the room.

"Good thing I didn't like this shirt," I teased.

He pulled his shirt off and said, "I'll buy you fifty new shirts."

After unbuttoning and unzipping my pants, to ensure he didn't break those, too, I crawled up the bed and lay on my back. "So, what will it be tonight, sir?"

He removed his pants and gripped himself. "At this point, I'd settle for staring at your lovely body while I stroked myself."

Frowning, I crooked my finger. "I would not like to settle for that tonight."

A noise had him tilting his head. "Well, we don't have much time, so sadly, this will need to be quick." Jumping onto the bed, he crawled up my body, dropping kisses along my stomach and between my breasts as he moved. Once positioned over me, he smiled, a dazzling, beautiful smile, and said, "Quick doesn't mean unpleasant, though." He reached down and stroked between my folds, moaning at how wet I was. Pumping his fingers into me quickly, he built the pressure and then right as I was about to orgasm, he removed his fingers and thrust into me. Immediately, I threw my head back and orgasmed. Had we not needed to be quiet, I would have screamed.

Leaning down, he kissed my neck, flicked his tongue across the sensitive skin, and nipped me rapidly, all in time to his thrusts.

"Riddick," I whispered, my fingers digging into his back as I matched his thrusts with my own, adding even more friction and pleasure.

His speed increased and thrusts grew harder. I tried to match him, but as my orgasm hit, I could only hold on and try not to pass out from the pure bliss that shattered me.

He grunted and dropped his head down as he found his own release, our bodies sweaty even from such a short encounter. "Shower time," he whispered and scooped me up.

"Then you get to help me pack," I said.

He sighed dramatically. "I suppose I can help with that next."

Our shower was quick and it only took us another ten minutes to finish packing the suitcases. When we got back downstairs, Lily was already asleep, passed out on the couch while Branson and Triston continued to watch episodes of her favorite show.

"You realize she's asleep, right?" I asked as I sat between them.

"This is a really good show," Branson said.

"The dad's pretending to be one of those claw machines from the arcades and making them do chores around the house to win back their own toys. He's freaking brilliant," Triston said.

I watched the show with them and found myself also engrossed in the short episodes. Caleb joined us a bit later, hair wet from a shower, and asked, "What are you all doing?"

"Shush!" we all shouted and returned to the show, watching an episode that was hitting close to home about me not feeling like a good enough mom.

"Why is everyone crying?" Lily asked as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Come on, cub, it's bedtime," Caleb said and scooped her up. She shivered and tried to burrow into him. "Do you want the bed or the hot rock?"

Since she was a snake, we'd done our research and found that they often liked warm rocks to sleep on, so Caleb had had a large one designed and built inside of her room.

"Rock," she said and shifted into her snake form, curling around his arm with her head resting on his open palm.

"She's so cute when she curls around your arms like that," I whispered.

"Speaking of cute," Branson said and picked me up in a bridal carry. "It's also your bedtime."

"I don't want to," I whined in an overexaggerated tone. "I'm not sleepy."

He rolled his eyes. "Your head is going to hit that pillow and you're going to pass out."

"Says the one who will be snoring faster than I can even get into the bed," Triston countered.

"Hey, we're not talking about me," Branson growled.

"Does someone have an alarm set for tomorrow?" I asked and yawned.

"Yes, Riddick and Caleb both have alarms," Triston answered, and yawned. "Dang it! You're making me yawn."

"It's not my fault they're contagious," I mumbled. My eyes were growing heavier the farther up the stairs we went, so I leaned my head against Branson's chest and closed my eyes. "Thanks, Branny Boy."

"Anything for you, Em."

"Even truffle hunting?" I asked. I'd forced him to go with me truffle hunting one day and he'd sworn never to do it again.

"Anything, but that," he whispered back, making me laugh.