Weddings Bells Times Four (3 page)

Edward placed two fingers under her chin, putting a little pressure there. Beth looked up into his eyes.

“Go with Dred and Rock. Talk with them and get to know them better.” He cocked his head to the side, reading her wish to leave. He nodded. “You want to visit your house?”

“It gives me peace sometimes.” She hugged him tight, her nipples hard against his chest. In the time they’d been together, Edward had grown to love her deeply. He could count on one hand the times she’d ever raised her voice to him and that was when he’d embarrassed her.

“I love you, Edward,” she whispered and kissed his chest.

He placed his hands under her arms and lifted her so that she was nose to nose with him. “And I love you, my Witch. And just so you know, Rock and Dred are also my mates, so think about that when you are at your home,” Edward said in a heated growl.

“I knew they were important to us, but I couldn’t figure out why until now.” He kissed her hard, claiming her with all that he had.

Another round of banging on the door had Edward slowly lowering her to the ground and growling. “I’ll be there in a minute, and this better be important, Andrew, or I’ll drain you dry,” he shouted at the locked door before turning around to face Dred and Rock.

His gaze jumped from Dred to Rock, before Edward reached out and snatched Rock forward. With his hand in the wolf’s hair, Edward yanked his head back and sank his teeth into his neck. Rock’s blood was powerful, so it didn’t take much for the connection to snap in place. He sealed the holes while his other hand cupped his cock. “Mine,” he ordered, and kissed the mark he’d left on the man’s neck.

He released Rock and stared at his brother, as the two of them circled each other. Dred snarled, his eyes almost took on a reddish tint as they faced off with each other.

Having known the brothers for over ten years now, Edward knew Dred wouldn’t release his position as dominant Alpha in their small group as quickly as his brother had., Dred was the power house of the brothers. He might be the quiet one, but Dred was also the leader of their pack and his equal. But when it came to the last word within their family, Edward would have the last word in their little unit.

In a matter of seconds, Edward had Dred up against the wall. “Mine!” He snarled and buried his fangs into his neck, all the while Dred growled and tried to move, but couldn’t.

Not to be outdone, Dred ripped Edward’s shirt open, exposing his bare skin, and bit him between the shoulder and the neck, claiming him at the same time.

He grinned as he sealed the holes where he’d left his mark. Stepping back, he stared into Dred’s face. “Take our woman to her home, tell her about your pack and what to expect when she is introduced to our pack.” Edward ripped his shirt off his back and threw it into the trash, reaching up for the spare he had hanging behind Dred.

“I have three more meetings for the day. I’ll be done by six. I think we should have a private supper tonight and discuss things, before we announce anything. By then Avril should have the scroll in question and our answers.” He buttoned up his shirt as Rock unlocked the door.

Andrew came flying in without waiting. “I’m sorry, but this can’t wait. The Morris clan is demanding to see you.” His gaze went to Beth. “They claim the queen is a fraud and demand proof of her heritage.”

The ground beneath them shook. Screams could be heard from his throne room as he took off towards it. “Keep her back.” Edward ordered as he noticed Dred throw his T-shirt over Beth’s body.

She pushed her hands through the shirt and tried to grab him, but he was already running down the hall.

“No! It’s my father, let me go. I can help!” Beth yelled. “I know my father’s work.” Behind him Dred and Rock held her and tried to comfort her.

Guards ran next to him, as he rounded the corner and stopped. A man as tall as him wearing black robes stood in the middle of his throne room, on top of the leader of the Morris Clan. Blood dripped out of Sander’s nose and he didn’t move. All around them people were bowing before the man.

“Dad, will you knock it off! Don’t I have enough problems without you throwing your powers around?” Beth said, throwing Edward a glare, as she walked past him and into the man’s arms.

“I’ve missed you,” she said, as she hugged him tight and tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Stop, pumpkin, you know we are always with you. Well not all the time,” he looked up at the King and nodded as he drew closer. “Thank you for keeping her safe.” He turned and looked at the clan in question. “Do you doubt her heritage now?”

Over twenty men, still on their knees, moaned one simple word
, “No,”
keeping their heads down.

Edward smiled and crossed his arms. “Don’t move Morris. You and I will talk soon.”

“I must leave. I shouldn’t even be here, but I wasn’t about to let my daughter be put on display. It bothers her very much.” Beth’s father placed his hands on her shoulders and stared down at her.

“You know in your heart what is to be true.” The Grand Wizard, Harris Roman glanced behind Edward. His attention was now centered on Rock and Dred.

“Bring your wolves in, Dred, but watch your back. One has been waiting for you to turn your back and he won’t hesitate to attack anything you care for. Rely on the others.” With that he kissed the top of Beth’s head and disappeared.

“Daddy…” she whispered.

With her head down, Beth turned and stared at Edward “I hate when he does that.”

“You are very lucky to see him at all, my pet. He risks much coming here and warning us.” He stepped up to her hand, placed a kiss on her cheek. Before he turned, his attention was on Morris. “Dred, Rock, why don’t you escort Beth to where she was going earlier, while I have a nice chat with Morris?” He pushed her behind him.

Once the door to the room was closed, he rushed Morris as soon as he stood. He slammed him back on the ground. “You ever come into my home and threaten what is mine again, I’ll personally destroy your clan. As it is, you are now on restriction. You and your clan have ten years to prove to me why I shouldn’t destroy your sorry asses.”

Before he let Morris go, he opened the man’s vein and drank. There wouldn’t be a move the man made that he wouldn’t know about now. Jumping off of him, Edward scanned the room. “You have seen my queen’s father. You know who he is. Spread the word, because if anyone questions her again, I won’t warn them. Drake, Terk, make sure Morris and his men leave the premises. Also inform the House of Skinfold, they have now taken Morris’ rank. I give them the land to the East of here to set up their families.”

Taking a deep breath, Edward made his way to the boardroom with Andrew. “Set up a meeting with Tran and Rand Skinfold. Also, you are now my personal assistant, so move your things to Avril’s office.”

***

The limo rolled down the highway towards her old home. She’d only been there one other time since mating with Edward and right now she needed the comfort of her personal sanctum.

After leaving the hall, Beth had made her way back to their private quarters where she changed into comfortable clothes. Both Dred and Rock watched her every move, but hardly said a word to her.

“Why didn’t you sell your home?” Dred asked, sitting across from her, drawing her out of the fog that had surrounded her since seeing her father. Rock sat on her right side, his hand behind her head, as she stared out the window.

She cocked her head to the side and stared at Dred. “Do you really want to know? Is it a threat to you two or Edward?”

He leaned forward and took her hand into his. “We really want to know and no, it’s not a threat to us. We want to know everything about you Beth.” He lifted her hand and kissed every finger before placing a kiss in the middle of her palm. “We love you, Little Witch, and want to understand the need you have for this place.”

She shrugged. “It’s just important to me. Every time I start to bring it up to Edward, something or someone needs him.” Beth leaned her head on the window and looked out at the passing houses. “Did you know I have an older brother?”

They both shook their heads. “Where is he? How come he hasn’t been to the castle?” Dred squeezed her hand.

“You wouldn’t want him there. I know I don’t.” She shook for a minute, remembering how scared she had been as a child. “When I was ten, my father and brother had what you could call a falling out. Well actually, a huge fight. I never saw him again. Oh, I heard the whispers.” She looked up at Rock and smiled.

“It seems my brother likes to dabble in the black arts. His name is whispered among many in this world. Everyone’s afraid that if they say his name, he’ll show up. Giles de Rais the second is what they call him in Europe. Of course that’s not his real name. Brian Giles is his formal name.” Pulling her hand out of Dred’s she rubbed her arms trying to get warm.

“I blocked out most of my early years with anything to deal with him. From what I can remember, my brother had an evil streak, even as a child. He broke my arm twice and my leg once before I was six. Pets disappeared and even friends were afraid to come over and visit.” She ran her hand over her thigh. When it rained, the bone sometime still hurt.

“Anyway, my father and mother found my brother in the basement with me tied down on an old table. I guess that was the last straw. He was 17 or 18, I’m not sure which.” She turned her arm over and held it out for them to see the long scar that ran from her elbow to her hand.

“I was to be Brian’s sacrifice to the blood gods, but when my mother couldn’t find me…Well they knew something was wrong. To bring this nice story to a close, the house is protected. My mother and father left it for me, knowing it would keep me safe if my brother ever decided to pay me a visit.” She leaned her head against the window and smiled at Dred.

“Once you walk into the door, you can feel the magic. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt. Hell even in the driveway, the magic seeps into your pores, welcoming you.” She sighed remembering the first time she’d walked into the house. The day after her parent’s death, Nora’s father had driven her to the house and placed the keys into her hand.

“Your parents knew this day was coming. You’ll be safe here,”
he had said before turning and leaving her standing at the door.

“Have you heard from your brother at all since you’ve been at the castle?” Dred asked, sitting back and frowning, once more bringing her out of the past. “You should have informed Edward. Your brother could be anywhere,” he took out his cell phone. The sound of displeasure in his voice made her frown. Even now, she didn’t want to do anything that would make them angry at her.

“No! Please don’t tell Edward over the phone. I’d know if my brother showed up. I can sense his kind of magic miles away. He’s tried to contact me a few years ago, but I ignored him. I sent his one hexed letter back to where it came.” She placed her hand over the phone.

Dred squeezed her hand, but pulled the phone away from her. “I’m sorry my enchantress, but this cannot wait. I’ll see if he’ll meet us at your home so you can inform him, if that helps.” Dred stated dialing the number.

“You’re right, it’s time, especially with the wedding coming up. He might show up and I don’t need that surprise.” Beth rolled down the window when they pulled into the driveway to her home. At once, the magic settled over her like a warm blanket.

Rock gasped next to her. “Wow, that is some powerful stuff. It engulfs you, surrounds you and you can almost smell it. It’s old, but still as powerful as the same day it was performed. My wolf wants to roll in it.” He looked down at her and hugged her tightly to his body.

“Yes, but it also works the other way. If you come here with evil intentions, tenfold will be thrown back at you.”

She reached for the door handle, but Rock shook his head. “We always go first.”

Snapping his phone closed, Dred opened the door and stepped outside. He scanned all around and sniffed the air. “It’s clear, and Edward is on his way. He just finished his last meeting.”

“Good, maybe we can have supper here. I have the local store deliver groceries here all the time. Well, I used to.” She stepped out of the limo and took a deep breath.

“Smell the lilacs. They’re my favorite. I had six trees planted all around the house just so I could smell them. They remind me so much of my mom.” She took both of their hands and pulled them up the sidewalk to the wooden wrap-around front porch. “After supper Nora and I would come out here and watch the sun set. It was beautiful and so peaceful.” Beth released their hands and stepped up to the front door, which opened on its own.

Dred growled and stepped in front of her. “Relax. it’s the house welcoming me home.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “This is a magical place, Dred. You’ll see things that shouldn’t be. I learned later that as my father built this house, every aspect of it was laced with my parents’ magic. Touch the walls and you can hear it talking to you, telling you what has been going on around here.”

She waited for him to step inside, and when he did Beth laughed. His eyes grew large and he snarled when the stereo turned on and candles lit all around. “I told you the house knows what I need.”

Moving around Dred, Beth scanned around the living room. It was spotless. It was as if she’d never left. “There are six bedrooms, my office, family room, movie room, kitchen and three bathrooms. My favorite room is the kitchen. Come on.” She waved her hand as Beth kicked off her shoes and made her way into the solar powered room.

The room had oak floors, wood panel cupboards, a fridge she could walk into, it was so large, and an island stood in the middle of the room that she loved to work at. Running her hand over the chocolate marble counter at the island, she turned and grinned at them. “Can I use your phone?”

He laughed and handed her the phone. “She spun around and the cupboards opened up showing her what they contained, as Beth dialed the grocery store. “Hello, Dan, this is Beth. I’d like to place an order, and can you make it a rush order? I’ll pay extra.”