As Love Shifts (20 page)

His tiny face crunched up in consideration. “No. I knew I couldn’t talk to adults with my mind. I think the spell made it so I didn’t want to talk to you. I wanted to hate you and be mean to you. I didn’t want to be that way with my brothers, but sometimes I couldn’t hold it back. The anger at being taken away from the person I had been spelled to love overcame me and then I bit.”

He looked so desolate with the admission and Ever took him from Chirrot and gave him a hug. “We understood, Lash. We didn’t want to keep you in your room. We just didn’t feel we had any choice. Do you understand that?”

“Yes. I was dangerous and the clan could have had me put to death. You were protecting me. I’m okay now, right?”

“Yes. You are perfect now. Are you happier?”

“Much happier. It is fun being able to play. I loved playing in the mud today. Did you see the castle we built?”

“You built a castle?”

“Yes, like the one in the movies with the ogre and the funny cat.”

“
Shrek
?”

He nodded, his grin growing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see your castle. I will make a point to check when I go back outside. I’m sure that it’s beautiful.”

“Castles aren’t beautiful, Mommy. They are majestic.”

Ever was happy to see that the expression of regret was gone from his face. “I will have to remember that.”

“Can I go back now?”

She held the back of his head and kissed him repeatedly, making Lash giggle. Then she handed him back to Chirrot who flipped the child upside down as he carried him back to Daisy.

“I see the children like Chirrot.”

Kris nodded. “He is very good with them. The man has a very likable personality.”

That he did. As Ever watched him put Lash to the floor and saunter back over, Charity’s comment slipped back into her mind. Was it really possible for sex to be any more sensational than it already was? She already had a warlock who made her clit buzz with power. Her two weres weren’t magical, but they were certainly not lacking in sexual skills. All factors were prompting her to say yes. It still seemed rather impromptu to do so, but it was what she was going to do anyway. She might have been raised as a human, but she was a were now and there was no sense in denying that she had been very attracted to Chirrot, from the first time she had met him. It might not be love exactly, but the potential was there. Before the night was over, he would be one of her husbands, and Ever was suddenly eager to see what Chirrot would be adding in the privacy of their bedroom.

“Do you, Ever Wilson, take these men who stand at your sides for all eternity as your mates?” asked Julius.

“Yes.”

“Do you acknowledge Kris Sten as your alpha and your eternal mate above all others to respect and cherish with complete dedication?”

Kris grimaced as she frowned at the wording.

“Yes,” she replied with slight hesitation.

Julius smiled, obviously finding her momentary pause amusing. “Liam Sten, Demetri Mace, and Chirrot, do you take this woman to stand at your side for all eternity as your mate?”

All three men nodded to Julius and then smiled at Ever. “Of course,” replied Liam.

“Yes,” replied Demetri proudly.

“It is my honor,” said Chirrot.

Ever tilted her head slightly, smiling brightly at each man, and then she turned her attention back to Kris. He flexed his eyebrows playfully and she noticed that his eye was filled with a beautiful light-blue turquoise that had a perfect cat’s eye center. It was odd looking, but beautiful.

“Do you, Kris Sten, agree to love this woman, accept her as your mate for all eternity, and protect her for the rest of your life?”

“I do, with my heart, my mind, and my life if necessary.”

“Then as I stand here this day, I proclaim that these five creatures are now bound as one, to stand together in life’s light and against whatever adversity shall arise. I have already witnessed that their presence in our clan makes us all stronger. As their father, I’m extremely proud of my sons and I know that they have chosen the perfect mate. Go forth into our clan and flourish in your love.”

Kris dragged her into his arms, kissing her heartily. It was an enthralling embrace, his hands clasped against her back as he held her to his body. He was slow to release her, as he whispered in her ear. “I love you so much. Forgive me for being short tempered with you.”

“I already have. I love you, too.”

With a proud smile on his face, he turned her around. Liam was the first to kiss her and then Demetri and Chirrot. Ever was surprised to find Chirrot’s kiss left her mouth tasting like mango, and her entire face tingling as if she had just finished a glass of champagne. He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. “Isn’t it interesting that you just married a man who you have never even kissed before?”

The single comment sent her mind reeling with new concerns. It was not only interesting that they had never before kissed, but slightly disturbing. There were many mental avenues concerning Chirrot that she had not had time to explore completely and in reality she knew very little about him. What if he turned out to be a complete and utter idiot? Just because he was a shifter didn’t mean that he was a good or even an honest man. What the hell had she been thinking? Had she allowed Charity and circumstances to sway her mind? Was she really falling in love with him, or was it purely lust? Eternity was a long time, and as things stood now, it was kind of late to renege on her commitment. Only time would now tell what Chirrot was really like.

Chirrot was watching her as if giving her time to think. If she truly listened to her heart and her own intuition as Kris had suggested, then she had done the right thing. Did anyone really know their mate when they married them? Both men and women often cloaked their true selves until the deal was sealed and then the facts of their less desirable traits slowly revealed themselves. Hence the need for divorce. Chirrot certainly tasted good. “Yes, it is interesting.” She licked her lips, enjoying the lingering sweetness on her tongue immensely. “I think we need to have a little chat around the logistics of this union.”

“I know the logistics, but my only true goal was love. You are a very enticing woman and among other personality traits that I share with your existing harem, I know what I want and don’t hesitate to go after it.” He rocked his head thoughtfully from side to side for a moment. “Well…I did hesitate, but that was simply a matter of respect. Hopefully you share my feelings, not just my mother’s logistics.”

Ever was still questioning her own feelings and she sidestepped the question. “To quote your words, you are a very enticing young man.”

The children rushed them, clamoring for attention. “Can we eat now, Daddy Liam?” asked Errant.

“I don’t see why not. Are my little munchkins hungry?” asked Liam.

“Yes,” they howled in unison.

As they walked across the hall, they received hugs and handshakes of congratulations. It appeared that everyone was happy about their union and as Ever looked around, she was stunned that there were so many bodies crammed into the single large room. She had a feeling that they had spewed into the attached tunnel. Liam went to the back of the table as server and the four remaining adults each took two plates, holding one in each hand. They walked the line of food and then made their way outside as everyone else began to get their food.

The light of a full moon brightly lit the night and area lights had been placed on stakes to further light a central circle. Ever was stunned to see that a few of the large trees had been cut into thick sections and placed around the grounds as tables with smaller stumps to sit upon. It was a rather efficient use of the existing resources and a good way to clear up some of the debris.

Chirrot finished his food first and then rose from the table, going back into the bunker. He returned a few minutes later with the large crate that held the saplings. Setting it down on the ground, he grinned. “This is our gift to nature to commemorate this amazing day. Anyone care to help me?”

“I’ll help, but I’m not planting trees in this dress,” replied Ever. “Let me go get changed.” She got up, hurrying down the stairs and through those gathered. It took her three times longer than she anticipated because everyone wanted to officially welcome her to the clan and say that they accepted her as the female alpha. Ever was glad for their words, but she really wanted to get back outside.

When she finally made it back out, dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark-colored T-shirt, she saw that the planting had already commenced. They were using thick slabs of wood that had been carved to a point and rounded slightly like a shovel to dig holes. They had even made little shovels for the children, who were working together to dig a rather oversized hole. She giggled at them as she walked toward Chirrot. “So, my master tree planter, what are we doing?”

“We are digging holes so the trees can provide separations between the houses and also create a wind block. If you will be so kind as to separate out the many pine saplings, we would like to use those for this purpose.”

Ever turned sharply around and marched back toward the box with the trees. She picked out four of the healthy-looking sapling and walked over, depositing one in each hole before going back for more. She didn’t want to risk damaging the baby trees by carrying too many at once. The four men were keeping ahead of her, digging at equal spacing around the existing houses. Ever gave up and went over to grab her own shovel to fill in the holes that now had trees in them. The dirt was still sticky and it was far harder to move it back into the hole than she anticipated. They needed to find a way to get water up to the newly planted trees, even though the ground was wet. Air bubbles around the roots would kill them before they had a chance to grow.

As she considered this, filling in another tree, Chirrot and the others walked back over. He took the shovel from her hand. “You have to pick what trees go in what holes. Don’t worry about filling them back in.”

“But I’m just leaving the trees sitting in the holes.”

“I know that. Please go fill the rest of the holes and then relax for a bit while we dig the dirt back in.”

What…Did he think her helpless? Ever grunted and went back to the box, taking out more saplings. By the time she got one in each hole, the men were catching up to her. She stepped back to let them finish. Demetri gave her a grin. “Is our nose out of joint?”

“A little. I can use a damn shovel.”

“We are well aware of that. That was also not your job. Have a little trust in Chirrot.”

“I guess.” Ever walked back over and sat at the table. As she looked around, she realized that they had just planted almost fifty trees in a very short period of time. If she grew them and someone flew over, it was going to look very unusual that they were the only place in the northeast that had trees standing.

The four men strode back up to her. “Ready to grow some trees?” asked Kris.

“I am, but I was just wondering what will happen if our fully grown trees are noticed by someone. It will look extremely off considering that everything else is flat.”

“That is a very interesting point,” commented Liam. “I’m sure we must still be on the news and such. Well…maybe not. It has been a few weeks and we are on a private reserve. Maybe you should just grow them a little for now until things completely die down.”

Ever hopped up and went to the first tree. She was surprise when Chirrot put his arms around her waist, tugging her into his chest. “I will give you added power, so you won’t get tired.”

That was an interesting idea. She bent down and put her fingers to the top of the pine. With only a tiny bit of energy and a thought, the tree sprang upward and outward. She pulled her hand back, but not soon enough. The branches sprouted with new growth, the top shooting upward as the base filled in. Chirrot lifted her and moved her back as the soft, but slightly prickly branches pushed against her body for space. The event ended just as quickly as it started, the sapling was now almost as tall as her. “Shit!”

Chirrot chuckled. “I guess you are going to have to get used to the boost from my body.”

“I guess.” Ever had a feeling that he had known exactly what was going to happen and he found it quite amusing. She walked to the next tree, with him following her step for step. She felt like a damn centipede with four legs. Releasing her, he allowed her to squat down and put his palm to her head. Ever touched the tree, pulling back quicker this time. It grew to about three feet and stopped. It was still a bit tall for her liking, but it would be okay and hopefully wouldn’t draw too much attention.

Now that she had a feel for how much energy to use, she continued onward, stopping at each tree and giving it a swift tap of her hand. They remained between three and four feet, creating a barrier that was too short to actually provide privacy. She figured that once they picked up more size, they would be perfect and would eventually grow together as their branches became thicker. She tapped the last tree and then turned, finding herself face to chest with Chirrot. She didn’t remember him being this tall and hoped that she hadn’t grown him also.

He hopped down from the stump he had been standing on. “What’s wrong?”

Ever couldn’t help but laugh. “Holy shit. I turned and suddenly had a vision that I had grown you by accident.”

He chuckled. “I can understand that. Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you half to death. I was just wondering if we were being watched.”

Ever squinted into the darkness. They were not in a well-lit area and the moonlight wasn’t giving her a clear view at such a distance. “You can see that far?”

“Of course. My eyes belong to an eagle. They are sitting at the table talking.” He stroked her cheek. “So did you marry me because of the feud? I know how much you wanted to end it.”

She had been considering this as she grew the trees. As she had picked her brain and her intentions to shreds, she realized that she did have small feelings of love for him. For all intents and purposes, she had made a good choice. “Is that why you married me?”