ALICE
“Never, baby girl,” Sebastian gently nipped at my neck, “we always knew you were coming. The oracle told me I would have two mates, one that would take care of me,” he smiled against my shoulder, “and one that would challenge me… guess which one you are.” I fake laughed before he continued, “There’s all kind of pillows, fabrics,-”
“Why?” How could they anticipate I would want this? Why was my wolf bordering on the edge of insanity over pillows?
Why?
“Sex, can be just sex,” he turned me back around to face all of the pillows, “but when you want to mate, when your body is entering the optimal timeframe for creating little mini dragons,” his hand splayed over my stomach, “you’ll want to nest. Rian said there's no telling what things or types of fabrics you’ll choo
ALICE “How long do I have to fatten up?” I jokingly said but earned a disapproving look from Rian as he set more food still in front of me. We’d lazed around most of the morning, taking turns getting cleaned up before we had to take another food break. “Is there a goal weight I’m not aware of? Is it a-” Rian’s phone buzzing had me pausing. It had become almost normal for Marcy to call Sebastian in such a short span of time, but when Nixon's voice came through all the playfulness I felt fell away. "Where's Alice?" "She's paying attention." "Marcy isn't doing so great, I don't know what's wrong with her, but she's pale even for a Vamp." "How often is she feedi
NIXON "How's Linden?" Alice's voice was desperate for good news as soon as I picked up. "Better," I alleviated her worries instead of saying something about how offended I was that she didn't miss me enough to ask about me first, "him and Marcy had a moment last night." I bet she does have a favourite brother. It has to be me. "Good. We need him on board to help with Marcy. I'm coming back now, but I'm… ummm,” was she nervous? “Can you get Linden so we can all talk, but privately.” "What the…" "Hey," Alice interrupted Linden's outrage at me flashing him from the kitchen to the office. "Who is this?"
NIXON Linden looked past Alice to where her unmarked mates were standing. They were weirdly calm and looked too relaxed for an unmarked mate to be, but there was something in the way they watched her that told a different story. “Mountain,” I smiled and Alice jabbed me in the ribs with her elbow as she rolled her eyes. “RIAN,” when she called him, announcing his name loudly for me, something changed in the way he was looking around. It was less calculating and more adoring, she was his sole focus and every word she spoke had him spending every ounce of his attention on her, “You’ve already met the unfortunate mess that is Nixon,” she linked her arm in mine, not so subtly checking to make sure my tattoo was still there before slipping her other arms in Lindens, “this is my other triplet, Linden.” She motioned
NIXON Ian’s words seemed to shock Marcy, she seemed less distracted by her needs and more focused on listening for instructions. “Remember what I told you. Take his hand,” Marcy started to listen and do every action as Ian spoke it, “pull him into you slowly, pressing together only when you have enough control to stay there with him a few moments. Close your eyes and listen to the way his blood is flowing through his body. The gentle thump is what you want. If it starts to increase, you stop. If it starts to slow down, you stop.” Marcy nodded her head before she looked shocked and horrified all at once and blush covered her cheeks, but Linden only pulled her in closer, smiling like a schoolboy trying to hide… Filthy, filthy, fucker. Alice looked my way, clearly
LINDEN When I spoke to the pack, it was like Ace was speaking - and maybe he was. I watched it all unfold, watched as Terran stood to the side and acted as if he was listening while he was surveying the pack for threats. He'd find none. Our pack was loyal because Declan was right… we've grown up loved. My parents made sure that they weren't loyal out of fear because that doesn't bind a person. A person loyal under duress will always change loyalties if their fears change, but not here. Aydin almost stormed out at the sight of Al's mate, but Katherine and Bell’s tight grip had him staying put. Xavier was calculating the risks when he noticed that Marcy wasn’t by my side, while Westley's eyes were fixed on Rian and I don't think he was paying attention to the conv
LINDEN Jax tried to tackle Alice, but she pushed off of Westley's back just as he reached them and flipped over him, landing in Ian’s arms. He’d flashed over there to catch her and didn’t look impressed as she laughed wildly watching Aydin shift back to human form as he and Westley tumbled across the field. “I’d say sorry,” Terran laughed as he popped a flower out of the vines where Xavier’s ass would be, “but,” he shrugged and Marie couldn’t control the giggles that followed. “Baby girl,” Ian said in a warning tone but Alice just looked up at him in this way that made something shift inside me. Her eyes were glued to him, looking up at him like he was her entire world and nothing would ever keep them apart as she played with his… oh fuck.
ALICE The night seemed to drag out. Sebastian monitored Marcy feeding every time Linden felt strong enough to go again and in-between those times Rian kept insisting I keep drinking and eating. The pains in my stomach were starting to become a problem… I mean how much food could a person eat? The only light through it being that Marcy's gentle nature pre-Vamp, was resulting in a very mild-natured Freshling. She already had great control over her impulses and Sebastian suggested that they should let her out for small blocks of time. He doesn't think she will pose a threat, he told us '...most Freshlings only go on killing sprees because they want to. They feel the power they have and don't want or need to hold that bloodlust back.'
ALICEThe fluff beneath me told me I was on my bed of pillows but Rian hadn't left my side because I still had his heartbeat thumping against the side of my face. Sebastian's scent lingered around us, the sweet but burnt caramel notes of it making me lick my lips, but the realization that his body wasn't pressed into mine had my chest tightening.The pressure behind my closed eyes began to grow, the wetness in them threatening to spill over as I tried to convince myself to open them and look for him."What's wrong?" Sebastian's strong voice sent a shiver up my spine, removing all traces of the sadness I felt and replacing it with excitement as I turned over.He was standing by the bed, his chest bare and muscles tight with anticipation. His shoulders rippled when he
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