Forever Our Ever (22 page)

“I agree. I was shocked to have fallen. I figured after the run, I would have no problem. It didn’t quite work out that way. As you noticed, I fell on my ass like a brick.”

He looked at her hand and got up to get a cloth to wash it with. He cleaned the blood off her knuckles and examined them. They had already turned a brilliant shade of purple and it was fading as she watched. “Interesting. Your body is healing very quickly now. Did it always heal this fast?”

“No. From what Kris said, that was the problem after Mick took the babies. I wasn’t healing as I should and my body wasn’t replacing the blood. When Kris gave me his saliva, that changed.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“So tell me about your wolf side.”

Demetri smiled and dragged a chair over to sit across from her. “My grandmother fell in love with a were. They had three children and one of them died. My mother was one of the living ones. She is half-were, and I’m a quarter.”

“I thought you said that your mother was a witch.”

“She is. Her mother was a witch, so my mother is half-and-half. She then married a man with natural magic, so my magic side is stronger than my were side.”

Ever giggled. “Three-quarters warlock and one-quarter wolf. Interesting combination.”

“Your children are the opposite of that.”

Ever really hadn’t thought about that. If she was witch and had natural magic, then her children were three-quarters wolf and one-quarter witch. So far, she wasn’t really impressed with the witch part. Demetri said that he needed to train her to use her mind better, but he hadn’t done anything particularly impressive. He could blend in the background, which was really cool, but that was a family thing, which she probably couldn’t do.

Liam stood up, carrying Avia over to lay her in the crib. He walked over to Ever and kissed her. “I’m so sorry. I fell asleep. Are you okay?”

“Yes. Demetri and I went for a run.”

He appeared confused. “You did what?”

“I can walk and even run if I turn into a wolf. I just can’t do it as a human.” Ever flashed her eyes to Demetri. She had just given away his secret without meaning to.

He smiled. “It’s okay. I was going to tell you all sooner or later. Now it will be sooner. I’m part were, Liam.”

“Yeah, Kris and I figured that. What were you saying about sex? I was half-asleep.”

“I was saying that the endorphins created by sex would probably be good for her body. She doesn’t really need her legs to have sex, so I don’t know why Kris is hesitating.”

“So you want to have sex? I would love to.”

Demetri frowned deeply and gave Liam an
I’m not amused
roll of his eyes.

“I was serious. Didn’t Ever mention you joining us?”

“Yes she did, but I haven’t said yes.”

“Why not? We want you with her, she wants you with her, you want to be with her. What is the problem?”

“The problem is that I don’t know if I want to share my woman with two other men, and what happens if Mick comes back? I don’t relish the idea of getting into this and then being ousted.”

“Ever likes to be shared. As far as your mental ability to become a part of our pack, I can’t say. Mick gave up his place in her life and if you take that place then Mick is shit out of luck. I understand why he has his dick out of joint, but walking out on us when Ever needed him and saying she could die was completely out of line.”

Ever saw movement behind Liam and leaned to the side to see who was in the doorway. “Are we interrupting?” asked Julius.

She wondered how much they had heard of the conversation. Liam turned and looked at his father and Sherra. “Of course not, Father. Kris said that you were going to stop by. We can go into the living room if you will be more comfortable, but we usually just hang out in here. The babies like it.”

Julius glanced around. “I suppose here would be fine. It is a very comfortable room.”

Liam scooped up Ever and carried her over to sit on the bed so there would be two empty chairs. Julius watched him. He walked in, taking the chair from the computer and sliding it across the room. Demetri repositioned his seat so he was sitting between the bed and Julius.

“I’ve heard that you have been spending a lot of time here, Demetri.”

“I guess I have. I have grown quite fond of your sons and Ever. How have you been?”

“Good. I just got back from Vermont. I talked to the alpha there and he assures me that his clan was not responsible for the attacks on Ever and my sons. He is going to check around and see if he can find out who is.”

“I didn’t know that attacks had been made. Any idea why?”

Liam went to check on the babies and then walked out. Ever frowned at his exit. “We think it is because of the man who initially changed me. I guess his family was not well liked and they wanted to kill me off because I had his genes.”

“That is no longer the case, though,” said Julius. “For you to be killed now would be a hit on my lineage, not the Amars . If you want the honest truth right now, I’m more worried about Tella.”

“I’ve been wondering about her myself,” said Demetri. “It’s not like her to discover a craving and have it be denied to her. What precautions have been taken?”

“The gate is being actively monitored and this house is being watched.”

Ever was stunned. Had the man gone from hating her to protecting her, or was he simply looking out for his grandchildren?

Julius turned his gaze to her. “You are looking well. Did Liam carry you out of necessity or desire?”

“Necessity. My legs aren’t quite in agreement with my brain yet. Hopefully they will heal quickly.”

“Ah. I was stunned to hear what happened to you. I owe you an apology. I misjudged you badly and it was unforgivable. I should have known that if my sons were in love with you, you were someone very special. I was only thinking about my own experience with the clan, and I didn’t want my sons to have to go through that kind of rejection. I’m sorry.”

Ever knew that he was talking about his own rejection because he had married a human. “Thank you. I really appreciate that.”

Liam came back with a tray and Snow had a second one. There were cups of coffee and Ever’s favorite cookies on one tray, and the other had food for the babies. Ever grimaced and Liam chuckled. He uncovered a second bowl that appeared to be some kind of stew. It looked well cooked, but hadn’t been pureed. “Just for you, sweets. I had Snow make it special.”

Ever smiled, but felt odd eating in front of everyone.

Liam obviously knew what she was thinking. “Forgive her, Father, but we have her eating five times a day to try and build her strength back up. There is more stew if you would like a bowl.”

“No, thank you, I just wanted to stop by and see how Ever was. How are the babies?”

“They are fantastic, but won’t be too pleased about being woken up to eat.” Liam walked over and lifted Seren from the crib. The child squirmed angrily, but then his little nose twitched and he quieted. Liam put him in Demetri’s lap and then went back for Errant. Demetri turned the chair and Liam sat beside Ever, with the tray on a small folding table. He began to feed the boys as Ever ate her stew. It was really good, with small but chewable pieces of vegetables and wild rice.

“Do you really think that Tella might come after us?” asked Ever.

“We have no way to know, but it is possible,” replied Julius.

“Are you staying, Demetri?” asked Sherra.

“I was considering it. Why?”

“I was just noticing that the babies adore you. I had a dream last night that Ever was the female alpha spoken of in our legend books. She needs three men around her to be influential.”

Ever stared at her as she finished the stew in her mouth. “What are you talking about, Sherra?”

“There is an old legend that someday, a great alpha will preside over this clan. This alpha will have a female of equal power and integrity. It is said that she will have natural magic and during their rule, the world will come to its end. This alpha pair, along with the female’s two other mates, will know when it is going to happen. They will prepare the tribe and we will not perish because of it. It is said that she must always have three mates.”

Ever had read many of the tales, but she had missed that one. If it had been in one of the books that Kris or Liam read, they would have mentioned it. Wouldn’t they have?

Julius and Sherra had left after a long visit and playing with their grandchildren. There was no more said about the prophecy, but Ever couldn’t get it out of her mind.

She waited as Liam laid the babies back down in their crib. They had all fallen asleep on the floor during the course of the day. “Did you or Kris know about this?”

“About what?” asked Liam.

“About the legend?”

“Oh. That. Yes, Kris read about it.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“We were going to. Kris was actually going to let you read it yourself, but it kind of got put on a back burner until you were feeling better.”

Much of a normal day was spent either caring for the babies or helping her to exercise. “So what does it say?”

“I can let you read it if you want, but it’s just a longer version of what Sherra said. It says that the alpha female will warn of impending Armageddon and she will oversee preparations, which will save the clan. If it’s you, I guess you better start gathering information.”

“I guess that Kris better get a bunch of very large storm cellars built. Each one must be able to support a large group of people for a year if not two. That means buying or canning a serious amount of food. Are there gardens on the property for vegetables? We will need to save seeds from each crop for future use. How many people are there in this clan?”

“I believe at last count the number stood around one hundred and seventy-three. I believe that there are twenty families, each with broad expanses of land. We do like our privacy.”

That was far less people than she had initially thought. “So, considering the size of the land, shelters will have to be created in different, but central areas that they can easily get to.”

“Why, do you feel that Armageddon is on its way in the near future?”

“No, but it takes time and manpower to build underground shelters.”

“Good point. We can talk to Kris about it when he gets back. In the meantime, we have another discussion to finish. Right, Demetri?”

* * * *

Demetri had been thinking of this very thing since Ever had suggested it earlier. “So what would this entail? Would I have to move in here?” Their house was certainly quite a bit bigger and more comfortable than the flat he had over the emporium.

“It would be preferable for you to live here.”

“Okay. Actually, that wouldn’t be a problem. One of the women that works for me has recently filed for a divorce and I could give her my apartment. Will I have to give up the emporium?”

“No. Much of Ever’s daytime hours will be consumed with clan matters once she is walking again. If Ever is going to have to start planning for our salvation, then that will take up more of her time. I will either be with Kris and Ever or here with the children. If you want the honest truth, I like playing Mr. Mom. I don’t like the cooking or cleaning part, but there are others here for that.”

Ever giggled at him and he turned to frown at her. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“Absolutely not.” She started to giggle harder. “I’m just having a hard time envisioning you with a frilly apron on. It’s even better when I picture you in werewolf form.”

Liam rolled his eyes, but Demetri could see that he was also amused. “You are very funny. Nice to see that your sense of humor has returned. It was oh-so-lacking.”

Ever backhanded him on the shoulder. “I can’t say that I disagree. Saying that I was pleasant before the babies were born would be a flat-out lie. While I’m thinking about it, Liam, I want to thank you for everything you did for me. I really did appreciate it, even if it didn’t seem like it.”

“You’re welcome. Anything to make you happy.”

Demetri thought that it sounded like a corny comment, but there was truth in the statement. He had a feeling that they would actually do anything for her. Hell, he would do anything for her. It came to him like a bolt of lightning that he loved her. There was no question in his mind or hesitation with the thought. It was a fact that he had just now acknowledged. “I have no clue how this is supposed to go, but I would love to find out. Will I be alone with Ever once in a while?”

“Of course,” replied Liam. “If you are looking for family dynamics, then it is simple. We all sleep with Ever. You and I will take turns sleeping beside her or sleeping at the bottom of the bed. Kris is alpha and always sleeps at her right side. Sex is give-and-take with one person, or even all three.” Liam grimaced. “How do you feel about games?”

“What kind of games?”

“Sex games. We do occasionally get a bit rough, but never to the extent that we hurt Ever or she doesn’t enjoy it. I personally get off on spanking her. Kris has tricks of his own.”

That was something that he hadn’t even considered. “Games are fun. I have a few fetishes of my own that Ever might enjoy.”

She answered his comment in silent contemplation, her bottom lip sliding lustily between her teeth. Ever appeared truly intrigued. “Have your men ever played with candles, Ever?”

“One of Kris’s favorite toys.”

“One of mine also. We will have to see what else we have in common.”

“What who has in common?” asked Kris as he walked through the door. He tugged off his shirt, dropping it on the chair and then falling onto the bed behind Ever and Liam. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her backward. Ever squealed as she dropped onto his chest. “I heard that you were out running as a wolf today with Demetri. It was such an interesting tidbit. Did it help your legs with their disobedience problem?”

“No.”

“Did you have fun?”

A brilliant smile bloomed on her face. “Yes. It was great.”

“Maybe tomorrow all four of us can go running. We can leave the little ones with Daisy and Snow and take off for the day. I think we deserve it.”