Chapter Four

Deno woke up in the

pre-dawn and felt odd. "Serin, I think something is very wrong with

Belle."

Serin sat up.

"What? Where is she?"

He closed his

eyes. "She's back at the village. I think she's drunk."

"She doesn't

drink." Serin got up and got dressed.

"No, she

doesn't." He got up and wrapped the sarong around his hips.

They left the

house and headed down the hill to the village, and in the square,

there was Belle, sitting with tears running down her cheeks. She

straightened and wiped her face when she saw them.

Deno knelt next

to her. "How much did you have?"

"Three." She

sniffled and looked at Serin. "The strait is clear for the event as

long as no engines are used."

"You got him to

agree?" Serin was cautious as she helped Belle to her feet.

"Apparently, he

was paid for it." Belle started sobbing, and Deno lifted her into

his arms.

"I will beat

the hell out of him in the morning." Deno carried his sister back

up the hill toward Serin's home.

Belle sniffled.

"You will do nothing. In his mind, Serin summoned me as payment for

the incursion. Payment was rendered. It's done. I will do the

run-through with drones tomorrow."

Serin paused.

"Maybe take a day off?"

"No. I really

need to do something. I have never felt something like this before.

I don't like it." She sighed. "I wrecked your first night

together."

Serin said,

"You didn't wreck anything. Deno and I had our hours together, and

there will be thousands of more nights. You are in pain, and you

need help. That takes priority."

Belle's head

nodded, and her brother tucked her into a quiet room with a bedroll

on the ground. She sniffled, and tears flowed steadily. "Mate

rejection hurts."

Deno stroked

her hair. "We will sort this out, Belle."

Serin watched

from the doorway, and she closed the door when Deno emerged. "We

are going to fix this. Xo wasn't in his right mind."

Deno nodded as

they went back to their room. They lay down again, and Serin curled

into his arms. He kissed her softly and then with more intensity as

her body answered his.

They moved

together, and the trees and shrubs across the island bloomed

brightly.

* * * *

Belle got up at dawn

and put on a set of sportswear. She got some water and headed for

the catamaran, docked and waiting. It was small but suitable for

this adventure, and she checked everything, getting the charging

units for the drones and mounted the camera to the left pontoon,

and another was on the tip of the mast. She checked on the feeds,

cast off, and sailed into the dawn.

She called

Deno. "I am doing the run around the island. Call you when I am

done." She left the message, put her phone in a waterproof pouch,

and let the sail pull her down the coastline. It was just the break

her mind needed.

* * * *

Serin opened the

guestroom, and the bedding was neatly folded with only a slight dip

in the pillow to show she had even been there.

"Deno, Belle is

gone."

He was

towelling his hair. "What?"

"Did she

call?"

He went to

check his phone, and they heard her message. "Shit. She's

gone."

"She is. There

is a storm coming. I am hoping that she gets into the strait before

it hits."

There was a

knock at the door, and Serin went to answer it. "Xo?"

Deno followed

her, and she could feel the hostility bristling from him.

Xo's eyes were

hollow. "Serin, Kekoa told me I could find you here and probably

Belle."

Deno

snarled.

Serin nodded.

"Belle isn't here. She needs to distract herself after the disaster

of your encounter yesterday, so she is taking a catamaran up the

coastline and through the strait."

"There is a

storm coming." Xo looked around.

Serin grabbed

his arm. "Come in. Have food. We will talk about the

miscommunication last night."

Xo frowned.

Deno was

growling at him, and Xo's hackles rose or, rather, a fin of hair

lifted and waved gently.

Serin sighed.

"Deno, the growling doesn't do any good. Nor will the vines making

fists outside in the garden."

Serin led Xo to

the living room, and tea and some fruit were set out. "Come on, you

haven't had breakfast. Belle didn't either, but she has topped up

on the energy of the island."

Xo swallowed.

"She was upset?"

Deno frowned.

"She got drunk. She never gets drunk. It only took her three

cocktails, but still. Before chemo, she could take down a

two-four."

Xo frowned.

"Chemo? She's ill?"

Serin poured

tea. "Was. She's supposed to avoid pregnancy for five months, but

it has already been two. Mind you, the doctors that recommended

that do not have access to the islands."

Xo nodded.

"True. She is competent on the water?"

Deno nodded

through gritted teeth. "Very."

He filled a

small plate with fruit and ate. "Good. I will wait a few minutes

before pursuing her."

Serin looked at

her mate. "Deno, can you go to town and get some bread or pastries

this morning? The hostility radiating off you isn't helpful."

Deno sighed,

got up, leaned over to kiss her cheek, and then left.

Serin looked at

Xo. "What do you want to know?"

"You weren't

trading her to me to help me through my heat?"

"No. I don't

trade anyone. She voluntarily went because you were her mate."

He frowned.

"Past tense?"

"I don't know.

She's crying like a rejected mate. She's hurting like one."

"I more or less

told her that she had paid for access to the strait with her

body."

Serin nodded.

"Yes, that qualifies as a rejection."

"I didn't mean

it as one. She said she had had alphas before."

"Sure. You have

had betas, right? You used all the slow seduction techniques and

eased her into pleasure, right?"

He coloured

slowly. "Not exactly."

"You made sure

she was in a comfortable environment, at least?"

"Not

exactly."

"Ah, and yet

her heart still broke, even though you fumbled your first joining.

It seems the compulsion to find a partner can sometimes overwrite

good sense."

Xo swallowed.

"Tell me about her illness."

"Oh. Hang on. I

have pictures. She had tumours on major organs, and eventually,

they were shrunk and removed." Serin brought up pictures of Belle

in hospital, losing her hair, getting so terribly frail, and then

packing for the island. "I haven't got a new photo of her after she

got to the island."

"She was not

doing well."

"She was

fighting. She fought hard. Deno did what he could to keep on top of

the medical bills, but they both drained everything they had just

to keep her alive, and then, they started over. Belle is a stunt

woman, and she is capable of anything she sets her mind to. Right

now, she's being paid by the Wonder Islands as a stunt woman and

location scout for the upcoming Alphas versus Betas."

"She is a

competitor?"

"No, she is the

trainer for the ladies. They will come with no knowledge of how to

manage on the water, and Belle will show them. Deno will show the

alphas."

"Will she be in

danger?"

Serin shrugged.

"As much as any other woman on the open ocean."

Deno came back

in with an armload of pastries. "Is it all hashed out?"

Serin nodded.

"It is."

Xo looked at

him. "I am sorry to have hurt your sister."

"She's been

through a lot, and when I heard she had a mark, I was shocked."

"My eel could

see it when we fought."

Deno paused.

"You fought?"

"She was in one

of the orca boats. They had their engine running in the strait, so

I attacked them, and this huge woman made of ocean water grabbed me

and wrestled me."

Deno smiled.

"That sounds like her. Huge or not. Wait, how big was she?"

Xo shrugged.

"From her hips up was about a hundred feet."

"Whoa."

Serin smiled.

"That is what I expected. She's destined for greatness or, at

least, tallness."

Xo chuckled.

"There was a shark and other fish swimming inside her."

Serin nodded.

"I hope I can see that one day."

Xo nodded and

stood up. "I will follow her at a distance. If she needs help, I

will offer it."

Serin smiled.

"Sound plan."

Deno looked at

Xo. "Don't tell her she is being unreasonable. If you want to

freeze her in her tracks, tell her that she needs ice cream. Then,

dodge the fist coming at you."

Serin smiled.

"I am hoping that is an in-joke."

Deno shrugged.

"He will find out."

Serin sighed.

"She left from the ferry dock."

Xo nodded. "I

will be right behind her."

He grabbed a

few pastries and got to his feet. "I will make this right."

Serin looked at

him. "I wish you luck. When my mate rejected me, the islands

granted me another. He just brought me pastries. The island will

give her another if necessary."

"It isn't

necessary." He growled and nodded. "Thank you for the information."

Xo glanced at Deno. "Brother."

Deno jolted as

if struck. Serin smiled as Xo left her home, and she was alone with

her mate. "Do you think he will manage it?"

"I think she is

easy to placate. She always has been." Deno moved next to Serin and

pulled her onto his lap. "Now, we need to figure out what to do for

her birthday on Friday."

"Wait.

Friday?"

"Yeah. Mine is

Saturday."

"Oh, dear. Xo

is never going to make it." Serin picked up her phone and sent a

message to Kekoa to send to Xo.

"Why do you say

that?" Deno grinned, knowing full well why.

"Because your

sister holds a grudge and learns from her mistakes. She talks about

it every time someone mentions her work as a stuntwoman."

Deno shrugged.

"He broke it, he fixes it, and if he misses her birthday, it's his

fault. He said she prostituted herself for show footage. That isn't

something I should have let pass."

"It is their

issue to discuss. But on the plus side, you know that they are

going to have a lot to talk about." Serin sighed and tried not to

worry about Belle and the blank feeling in Deno's soul where his

sister's connection was.

* * * *

The waves were getting

rough, but she could see the strait and angled the tiller toward

it. She worked the sheet, and the catamaran shot forward into the

shelter of the high walls of the strait.

She got her

sail up again, and the vessel bucked forward. When she was in a

straightaway, she checked the forecast and groaned. She passed the

steps to Xo's and continued on for twenty minutes before it was

necessary to get her vessel to safety. She found a shallow beach

with some protective stone and got out, hauling her vessel onto the

safe sandy ledge, sail down and cameras off.

She got the

gear off the webbing between the pontoons and made herself a safe

little tent where she curled up to hide against the howling

wind.

Belle kept her

gaze away from the water. She knew he was in there, waiting. The

wail of the wind shot through the strait, and she covered her ears.

MRIs, PET scans, CT scans, and everything she had lived with for

the last few years began to thud in her head. This was going to be

a long three hours.

When the world

got quiet again, she crawled out of her safe spot and leaned

against the stone nearby, puking up her non-existent breakfast. She

staggered to the edge of the water and sat down with her head in

her hands. "Xo, you can come out now."

The water

thrashed, and Xo's huge head rose from the water to rest his jaw

near her. She didn't lift her head. She was very dizzy.

"Are you ill?"

He reshaped into a naked male.

"Just dizzy.

The sound of the storm reminded me of my last few years. It was

quite the flashback for the last three hours."

"You look

pale."

"That is

probably because I am. Congratulations on your observation."

She felt him

touch her head, and when he tilted her head back, she smacked him.

The shock on his face at the impact was something she would

treasure.

"I merely

wanted to check your appearance."

"My appearance

is not your concern. Right? You made it clear. My agenda has been

satisfied, and you can go and guard your strait again. Or take a

soak." Dots were sparking behind her eyes, but she had let her

defenses down around him once, and she wasn't going to be that

vulnerable twice.

"Did you bring

food? I will help you prepare it."

"Not

necessary." She lifted her head, and the small motion tipped her to

the side, and she thudded heavily to the sand. "I just need to wait

a bit and then head back to port. I will try and be as minimally

invasive as I can."

"You don't look

well."

She waved her

hand slowly. "It doesn't matter. I will just get back to port and

head to bed." The world was spinning around her.

Xo sighed and

leaned forward to pick her up. "You will get food and rest, and

then, we will discuss things."

"I am supposed

to be in town by tomorrow morning with the boat."

"You will be,

but before that, we will talk. You have your phone?"

She looked at

the plastic pack around her neck. "Yes."

He stood and

walked back to the water. They moved rapidly on the surface, and

she didn't know how because he wasn't walking, but soon, he climbed

the path to his house, and she couldn't hold herself together

anymore. She passed out.

Belle woke up

covered with a light blanket on a mat. She went to sit up and then

thudded back onto the raised pillow.

The door slid

open, and Xo walked in with one of his staff. Xo had fabric over

one arm, the staff member brought in a tray of food, and the older

man nodded with a smile. He left them alone, and Xo looked at her.

"How often have you taken your larger form?"

"Uh, just the

once."

He nodded. "You

didn't compensate for the calorie expenditure of the shift. You

didn't even keep any of the fish for extra protein. So, you began a

cascading deficit that your standard meals could not keep up with.

It happens to shifting alphas who take on larger beasts. You have

the largest that I have seen, so it is sensible that you need a

replacement for what you have used. Add to that your recently

weakened state, and you are running on empty."

She nodded.

"That is what it feels like."

He set the

fabric down and came around to pick her up, settling her on his

lap, and he smiled. "This was done for me after my first shift. Of

course, I wasn't the right size to be held in the lap of my

instructor, which was fortunate because he was unpleasant-looking.

I have been assured that I am easy on the eyes."

"You are

pretty." She watched as he picked up the first cup.

"Thank you." He

smiled and held the cup to her lips.

Miso soup was

the first thing in then consumed, and it took an hour to get the

complete first tray into her. The staff member brought a tray of

more substantial food, and Xo carefully got the offerings into

her.

She waited to

feel full, but it didn't happen. The third tray was brought in, and

it was made entirely of desserts. Belle held the cover and wiggled

upward.

"Freeze, Belle.

You aren't getting out of here."

"I was just

trying to get more comfortable. My skin is sticking to yours."

He blinked.

"Oh." He chuckled and adjusted her position. He held up the first

bun and tore it to pieces with his fingers. "Deno mentioned that

you considered this a dessert bun." Xo smiled and held out the

first bite.

She bit down,

and the sweet meat of the barbeque pork bun made her toes curl.

He laughed. "He

said you spent some time in Asia."

"Yeah. We did

stunts for a number of North American studios. We ate everything."

She mumbled. "You have been talking to my brother?"

"Yes. He growls

a lot."

"You must have

been getting between him and Serin. He's newly mated. I hear it

makes alphas cranky."

He chuckled.

"That is one way of putting it."

"At least he

will stop complaining about not having a mate. The fates were at

work for him. Serin will be a great partner for him."

"I believe he

was growling on your behalf."

"What?"

"I was frank

about our encounter and taken to task by Serin as well. She

reminded me of a few things that the rut forgot."

"Yeah, I would

never recommend a rut as a first date." She shuddered. "Frankly, I

thought it would take longer."

"I was on the

tail end of it, so to speak."

"Oh, that

sucks." She took the next bite. She spoke. "The rut itself, not the

ending. I remember what cycles felt like, and I wasn't a fan."

"You had

cancer?"

"Yes, it was

stage two, and I was healthy, but treatment was aggressive and left

me depleted. I had visits from friends, but a lot of people

couldn't look at the face of mortality."

"Can you have

children?"

She sighed and

looked at him. "How much does it matter?"

"Not much. I

don't have a business to inherit. My parents might be disappointed,

but they will get over it." He smiled. "If we do, we do; if we

don't, we don't. I am fairly sure that Serin and Deno are going to

have some that we can spoil if you like."

She blinked.

"Terro already likes me. I guess we can start there. I mean, we

don't have to, but we can."

"Whatever you

are comfortable with."

"Well, my first

transformation took care of the contaminated cells. So, this body

is all sparkling clean."

He paused.

"What?"

"Oh, I did a

clear-out in Dorian's pool. Cancer out, and island water in. This

body is mostly water if the rack and ass don't give it away."

He paused and

fed her the last of the bun before cupping one of the breasts in

question. "There is more in there than water."

Belle looked at

his hand and then up at his calm face. "Well, my body is filling in

the blanks. I got my outline back, and the chemically injured cells

are gone."

"Injured?"

"Yeah, in the

early days, I was on a film shoot and exposed to some contaminants

during an explosion. I was the last one alive when I got ill.

Everybody else on that scene was already dead. They blew up a

strong carcinogen. Lots of lawsuits."

He paused. "I

remember hearing about it. They tried payouts."

"Yeah, those

closest to the blast showed signs fast, and the rest of us sued for

complete coverage of all medical costs. And then the company went

under under the weight, so Deno and I ended up broke, but I was

alive, so he considered it a good trade." She smiled. "I have his

birthday present all set for this year. I just have to get access

to a kitchen with a stove."

Xo nodded. "I

have one. Could you do it here?"

"Sure. It is

weird to do it in the tropics, but it used to be his favourite, so

I am hoping that he likes it."

Xo paused.

"Tell me what you need for it."

She smiled. "I

think that I have everything in my hotel room in the village. I

packed it in my luggage and had to explain things to customs."

"I will have it

brought here for when you need it. That way, you know where it

is."

Belle eyed him

as he selected something made of pastry, honey, and sesame seeds.

"Right. So, you want me to move here."

He nodded

calmly and said, "Yes, please." His phone went off, and he fed her

the pastry and sighed. He licked his fingers and checked his phone.

"Your brother's birthday is this weekend."

"Yeah."

"And yours is

the day before."

"That is the

way it works with twins born on different days." She covered her

mouth as she spoke.

"What does he

do for you?"

"A tower of

creampuffs. If I think my present is hard, his is impossible in

this weather."

He grinned.

"You gift each other food?"

"Sure. We

already have most of the stuff we want. I mean, I could buy him a

bunch of sarongs, but that is for Serin to do now. If she wants him

in shorts, it's her call as well."

"He doesn't get

a vote?"

"Not if he

knows what is good for him. We are both in search of new homes.

Ours was sold to keep me alive."

"There is

nothing left there?"

"Some friends,

but nothing material."

He nuzzled her

ear and neck. "Good."

She swallowed

deliberately. "Good?"

"You can make

your home here more easily. We can replace anything you miss."

"What did you

do before you were here?"

He smiled.

"This and that. I was an idol. I don't know if you know what that

is."

She leaned away

from his mouth. "You are kid—oh, wow."

He smiled.

"They tried an all-alpha boy band. When we completed puberty, we

were retired."

She stared at

him and blurted, "Dart!"

He grinned.

"You recognize me."

"So, Xo is your

actual name?"

"Yes. My mother

used to sign all correspondence to my father with XO, so it was

only natural for them to choose that for my name. They took every

penny I made and invested it so that there was no hint of money

wandering off."

It was a very

intimate discussion, so she smiled and said, "My mother told my

father that she was only getting pregnant once, so he had better

make it good."

He laughed and

resumed kissing at her neck. She sighed and said, "You are really

determined to do this?"

"Definitely.

You are gorgeous and towering and terrifying. Everything I want in

a mate, plus I can make Godzilla jokes."

She gasped.

"You wouldn't dare."

"I would. I can

even thicken my accent to make it socially unacceptable." He

grinned and dragged his teeth along her neck.

She laughed at

the mental image and sighed. "So, you used the food to relax

me?"

"I used the

food to feed you. Cuddling you on my lap with my pheromones,

convincing you that I am the only one for you, just as you are for

me, was the relaxing part."

She turned her

head, his kiss caught her mouth, and she drowned in what he had

brought to life in her. When he raised his head, she murmured,

"This is different."

He nodded. "I

may be a little rough during my next rut, but I think we will be

more familiar with each other by then. What do you think?"

Belle tried to

think of how she was going to avoid telling him that she had had a

poster of him on her bedroom wall when she was a tween. Honesty was

the best policy before they got into things.

"Uh, Xo, I

think there is something I need to tell you."

He leaned back

and cocked his head. "What do you need to say?"

"Well, one of

my prized possessions that I had to sell was a Dart poster. I don't

suppose you can help me replace it?"

He smiled and

nodded. "I think that I might be able to manage to find something.

You were a fan?"

"Well, I never

made it to a concert, but I thought you were all fun to watch."

He grinned.

"I just thought

I should mention it before my brother figured it out. Frankly,

there is no way I would have overlapped you with Dart."

"I did grow a

bit."

"A bit?"

He laughed.

"Fourteen inches up and out. It was mindless rounds of eating and

working out."

"And pain? I

remember Deno was in agony when he grew."

He stroked her

cheek. "It was definitely painful. May I kiss you now that your

horrible secret that you had a crush on adolescent me in fancy

makeup and shiny clothes has been exposed?"

She wrinkled

her nose. "Like a barracuda."

He grinned. "I

will get you something shiny, so I know where to attack."

The kiss

started in laughter and softened to exploration. This was a much

better start.