ALICE
“Something is on your mind today,” I searched Rian’s face for a reaction but was met with none. He looked at me briefly before turning his eyes back to the road. His brows had a slight crease in them that’s been there all day and I desperately wanted to make it go away.
I thought I'd be met with a display of affection today, but he kept his distance. I tried to control the panicked undertone my body carried around all day, but it was impossible not to wonder if he knew where and who I was with last night.
He never answered me the entire drive home, although what I said was more of a statement I guess. I debated asking him directly, but as he parked in front of my apartment the smokiness of his scent filled the vehicle and he inhaled deeply.
"It's ver
NIXON Is something wrong at home? Why is that the only reason to ever see her? Oh wait, maybe her never coming home has more to do with this mountain she just called a mate. How long has she had a mate? Onyx was hammering in my chest to get back out. Not only did she drop this on us, but she chose HIM. She's over there pressed into him when she should be here with us. 'Does he know?' She was still wearing the cuff, but if he knew at least she could take off the glamour. Didn't she understand how much we needed her scent? The movement behind her caught my attention and fuck this guy staring me down right now. Like yeah, bud? You think you can take me on? Just fucking try it, no one takes Alice and Linden away from us. No one.
NIXONShe looked up at Rian and avoided resting her head on his by placing her cheek against his. Good call, because Onyx would flip his shit. Her forehead - that was still ours, he was so possessive over it that she couldn’t even greet our other siblings with it. It would always be reserved for me and Linden. She knew that. She cherished it too. Seeing that her mate bond wasn’t going to impact how she felt about us was going a long way in making Onyx come around to the idea.“We can still go away,” she whispered to him, “I’ll go home and be back before then.” Go away where? The fuck.“I told you, A stór, no more leaving without me.”“I wasn't asking, I’m doing this. I’m going.
ALICEI gave Nixon a disapproving look, I wanted to hear whatever Rian wanted to tell me from him. “Why is Marie coming to Shadow Forest?”I don’t think Nixon could ever understand just how much his non-reaction meant to me. I need them, and breaking that information to Linden wasn’t going to be easy, but for now, I wanted to focus on being home while I was here. It might be the last few moments of what I considered normal.“Terran caught wind of a Fae meeting for the lineage holders," he leant his chair all the way back and lazily stretched his hands behind his head, "supposedly they are concerned enough by the Vamp activity and our reactions to them that it warrants they discuss their stance and possible action plan.”That was pretty s
ALICEWe were meant to be together, one of us couldn’t exist without the others. It was hard to explain to anyone, and part of me never wanted to try because they wouldn’t truly understand.How would I explain that looking into Linden’s eyes now was all I’d ever needed to feel completely grounded? That every breath I take when I’m away from him and Nixon feels shallow. That I feel lost, even when I know exactly where I am, when they aren’t by my side. How do I explain this tingly kind of wave feeling that rolls over my entire body and fills me up every time I look at them after being away for even a few minutes. That being bitten by Nixon was the best thing that’s ever happened because now we’re all tied together for certain? That sounds crazy, completely insane… and yet it was my truth. He thought our needs
ALICE“I know that he wants to go,” Marie paused and looked across the table at me, “but I don't have to like it.”“Why even take the risk of revealing his lineage at all?" It was something Terran only just found out about for sure a few years ago, "Seems like a pretty bold move.”Even though we had met members of the Timber pack growing up, we only met Terran through a council meeting when we were younger because he was mated to Marie. As far as he knew then, he was an Earth Fae, but Nixon's abilities recognized the fire within him and started him down the path to his true lineage.The fact his lineage existed at all was dangerous enough. If the other three lineage leaders found out, they'd have wanted to test his abilities,
LINDEN “Perfect,” Marcy mumbled, fixing my tie and smoothing over my suit as we prepared to go and greet the newborns of the pack. The cute way she bit her lip when she was focusing, making sure it was just how I like it, made me want to give her the whole fucking world. “You are,” I whispered and she jumped a little, unaware I think that she had spoken out loud, and a blush rushed to her cheeks as she smiled wide and dropped her hands from my suit. Terran was already gone, and with the uncertainty of what his actions would bring coupled with Alice being home, it was a good time to solidify our bonds with the pack. When we made our way down to the hall there were pups running around with some of the other mothers outside. They were climbing all
LINDEN Alice fake lunged at Declan, and it was fake because she let me intercept her. She turned around and grumbled under her breath as she made her way to where she was. ‘That was the only warning you’ll get from her,’ I linked Declan, ‘if you value your tongue you might want to keep the “helpful” comments to yourself and mind your place.’ “This stops now,” Nixon breathed, “Finn either gives up the hunt for his father’s killer, or he gives up his Alpha title and relinquishes the rest of his pack to us.” If only it were that simple. When his father lost his life, we offered to integrate their pack into ours because their pack is vulnerable when considering their size, and with Finn being inexperienced it seemed like the best plan. Finn demanded that he be left in cha
LINDEN “I doubt Finn is going to take on Lucius,” Alice whispered to Declan. Declan stood there, the information that Lucius had been the one to end the previous Alpha of Black Claw was new to him. The wheels in his head were spinning, as they should be. Finn was drawing dangerous attention every time he sent a scout out trying to look for one of the Vamp Lords. His father had painted a target on Black Claw’s back, and Finn kept them in harm’s way. “You’re letting her go, knowing that?” “Are you questioning us?” Nixon narrowed his eyes at Declan. “I think your admiration for your Alpha has blinded you to how truly brutal and ruthless she is. I want you to personally check the border,” I told Declan, dismissing him s
ALICE **6 months later** Sebastian held me from behind, sitting up on the bed with his hands carefully tucked under mine, holding Tiernan up to feed as I slept against his chest. It always woke me, but it was adorable that he tried to let me sleep through the feedings. His lips lazily grazed my shoulder and neck, sensing I was awake, as Rian’s stronger scent announced his arrival with the sweet notes of fruit. 'Always scanning my thoughts for movements,' I teased, and when I opened one eye slightly to look at him, he was standing there with a smug smile on his face, not caring in the least. I looked down at our little greedy bundle of love and with each look, somehow the pain of the longest pregnancy in life subsided.
NIXON **6 months later** Rest in peace, Ian. You had a nice life. A fine life. One you clearly don't value too much when you're trying to argue with the woman carrying your offspring and my mate. A strong shiver crept up my spine at the thought. Nope. Even I'm not that crazy. "She does what she wants," Bridget announced, the rose notes in her scent rising as if to remind you that in her beauty is also thorns. My mate was correct, even in her oddly robotic
NIXON Alice's hand was tucked into mine, her other arm reaching across her body as she pressed into my side and lazily stroked my arm. This was the conversation I'd been waiting for since my parents left. Linden was standing on my other side, his arm pressed up against me as he showed his version of support. He wasn't as outwardly affectionate as Alice, and while he hardly initiated contact, he also wouldn't stop me if I reached for his hand right now. Their mates had given us this moment alone, Mountain and Ian were learning to give Alice some space the more they were here, but they never went far, always hovering in the background like she'd disappear if they took their eyes off of her. Well, she might. But it was drawi
LINDEN I still can’t believe the giant monster curled up casually outside of the house. Alice has been home for over two weeks, which was also so unheard of that I was beginning to wonder if I was dreaming. The blue scales on his body rippled as his lungs expanded, the horns coming back from his face shaking a bit as he seemingly got comfy and pups crawled all over him. They were sliding down his tail, where Sebastian and Nixon were on watch in case they needed to flash to catch anyone who fell off. Patient, yes his beast was that. Careful, cautious, really any kind of safe, he was not. ‘I don’t think I ever want to leave,’ Alice leant her head on my shoulder and I wrapped my hand around her as we watched them and she ate some… kale? She’s always eat
ALICE Rian's knot was nestled into me, the feeling of just how much it stretched me out being accentuated by the way my body was stretched up, slightly tugging at my entrance. My hands were tied together with a soft silky type of fabric that looped through a ring on the ceiling as Sebastian circled around me. He flashed to deliver little nips of his fangs all over my body, while Rian laid back and watched us like we were his entertainment. Sebastian loved knot time almost as much as I did... this was his time to take my submission that he craved freely. Rian let me play with Sebastian alongside him once, and oh was his perfect ass red, but I preferred handing the control over to them. He continued to edge me until I was a vibrating mess, begging him to let me find my
LINDEN Later that day, after a well-deserved nap, I came back out to check on Nixon but found Alice’s mates sitting in front of his fire with her. She was sitting backwards on Rian’s lap as he sat cross-legged on the ground and sideways to the fire. Her cheek was resting on his shoulder and her face pointed in the direction of the fire, although it didn't surprise me that she would be keeping an eye on Nixon. What did surprise me was when I rounded her and her eyes were closed. Was little volcano finally sleeping? She hardly ever slept when Nixon rebirthed, only admitting defeat after several days if his episodes lasted long enough. Al was always afraid that she would miss something, that he would wake without her and she wanted us to be the first thing he saw when he did.
LINDEN Terran confirmed his support of the two coupling and offered to help build Nixon a nest, but it had to be me and Alice, no one else ever has, or ever should, although we did allow him to construct a platform the nest would go on top of for us to be able to carry it easier. Once Ayana was let go, she left with Cato and Terran to solidify the truce with the other Fae bloodline holder, Baylin. Alice's mates were getting increasingly handsy, but her attention was solely on Nixon. She always had the natural ability to manage people without them feeling managed, Goddess knows she's managed us our whole lives, and she knew what her mates needed in order for her attention to be elsewhere soon. As I started to collect the bigger logs Alice began weaving some smaller bra
ALICE My chest began to heave up and down as I stared at Sebastian, the pain of him leaving me in the middle of the night flooding back to me. “Why didn’t you come back to get us so that we could have done this together? You let me think you left me? That you’d betray me?” Sebastian’s eyebrows scrunched together, his jaw flexing with tension, “I had to get us close enough with minimal risk, I was working on a way to get you here alone-” “Nixon is dead,” I interrupted him, cocking my head as I took a step towards him, “Terran could have died… Linden could have died… again!”
ALICE Jasper looked to Sebastian behind me, but his cruel red hues narrowed like he didn’t find what they were looking for. His anger turned to surprise and a slow ember type of light started to shine through his veins, turning the skin above, and then around them, to ash as he fell to his knees. My blood, and anywhere it touched, was burning him alive. The few screams of agony that he let out were like ecstasy wrapped in more ecstasy, drawing the attention of the very bloodied and probably broken prince’s. Linden’s eyes started to bulge not because of what was happening with Jasper, but because of the water that was filling his lungs. Panic filled me as my body tried to leap into action but Sebastian’s hold hadn’t let go of me yet and his voice boomed out