McKenzie, Cooper - Autumn Healing [Welcome to Sanctuary 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (6 page)

Before he could answer, the front door slammed open, and the room filled up with mostly very large, very male people. Two of the men rushed straight to Spring and knelt down on either side of her, asking questions a mile a minute as they thoroughly checked her over. The others gathered behind Autumn who still sat on the floor in front of her sister.

They weren’t too close, but it was enough that Autumn began to feel trapped. Patting her sister’s knee with a smile and a murmured “you’ll be fine,” she stood and slipped out from the center of the crowd.

Once she could breathe again, Autumn turned and took stock of the new arrivals. The two men beside Autumn were Adam and Brock, but she couldn’t tell which was which. Both had black hair and a goofy, over-the-moon expression as they both, somehow, cuddled Spring at the same time.

Turning her attention to the others, she found the two men had the same rugged looks as Evan and Frank, but with silver strands liberally laced through the dark brown strands. They were tall as their sons and built as solid as their offspring, though, maybe a little thicker through the middle.

The woman standing between them held one man’s hand while the other had an arm wrapped around her back. She was tiny, petite, and delicate with a thick braid of reddish-brown hair that ended at her waist. This must be the amazing Bridget, mother of four sets of identical twins, who just happened to be shape-shifting Irish wolfhounds.

All at once, the five went silent and turned to look at her. Though tempted, she did not give into an urge to run and hide. Instead, she sidled closer to Frank. He wrapped one arm around her in a welcomed gesture and pulled her to fit perfectly against his side. When a growl emanated from deep in his chest, she looked up at him in surprise.

“Calm down, Frank, we’re not going to hurt the girl,” one of the men said, causing his brother to chuckle.

“Yeah, we’ve got our hands full with your mother,” the other commented, earning himself a poke in the belly from the woman’s elbow.

Then the older woman stepped forward. “Hello, you must be Autumn.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Autumn answered automatically even as she tried to burrow deeper into Frank’s side.

“And you are mate to Evan and Frank?”

Autumn looked to Frank to answer. “Yes, Mom. Autumn is our mate just like you predicted she would be.”

“Bridget, she’s also a trained midwife who needs to talk to you about Sullivan babies,” Spring threw in.

“Well, Autumn Ryan, welcome to Sanctuary. I hope you find the same happiness here that your brother and sisters have,” Bridget said. “I’m Bridget Sullivan, and these are my husbands, Michael and Thomas.”

Autumn nodded to the two men and noticed that they had the same eyes as their sons, one blue and one green, though they weren’t quite as brilliant as Evan and Frank’s eye color. They smiled and nodded back but otherwise remained silent. Obviously, Bridget was in charge.

Bridget then stepped forward and laid her hands on Autumn’s shoulders as she looked deep into her eyes. “If you ever want to talk about anything or need advice about how to handle a Sullivan man, I’m here for you.”

“Mom, she won’t need any help handling us. We’re perfect,” Frank said, sending his fathers and brothers into gales of laughter.

Bridget patted his belly and smiled at him. “I’m glad you think so, baby boy.”

“Can I get up now?” Spring asked before Frank could start arguing with his mother.

“How long has it been, Frank?” Autumn asked with a smirk, figuring he had forgotten his responsibility.

He surprised her when he glanced at the clock and said, “Twelve minutes.”

“Yes, you can get up,” Bridget said. “She’s fine. It’s just one of those Braxton-Hickey things. I had them for nearly a week with all my pregnancies. But no hiking up to the gazebo or the waterfall. In fact, you don’t need to be leaving Sanctuary proper until after the babes are born.

“Yes, ma’am,” the two men at her side answered before they helped her to stand and walk outside.

“I’d really like to talk to you about shape-shifter births and what I’ll need to do and expect, if that would be all right,” Autumn said as Bridget stepped behind the coffee bar and began to expertly blend and mix something which she poured into three mugs.

“Certainly, but not today,” Bridget said as she handed two of the mugs to her husbands who took it and walked over to the living room area and turned on an old movie. “Knowing my sons and the patterns set by their brothers, probably not tomorrow either, but we will talk before Spring gives birth.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Please, I’m Bridget, not ma’am.”

“Sorry.” Autumn shrugged as she blushed. “Military training runs deep.”

“Hmmm, maybe we should have you drill some into the boys,” Bridget said with a sneaky grin.

“Don’t think so, Mom,” Evan and Frank called from the kitchen.

Chapter Nine

Dinner consisted of soup, salad, and sandwiches that earned Evan and Frank teasing from the rest of the family about their lack of cooking skills. Though she followed the conversation and contributed she continued to adeptly dodge her sister’s questions. She also remained highly aware of the men who sat on either side of her.

Not that they gave her a chance to forget them. One or the other touched her at all times, whether it was an arm around the back of her chair or a large, hot hand resting on her thigh, they remained connected throughout the meal.

By the time dinner was over, the tension she carried with her like a cloak eased without her realizing when it had slipped away. She relaxed, and, feeling warm and content, she ended up leaning against Frank to keep from laying her head on the table as her eyelids grew too heavy to hold up.

Finally, she could fight it no more. She needed to move around and stay awake or find a bed and sleep. With a deep sigh, she gave up and allowed herself to drift.

She didn’t know how much time passed before she jerked awake. Evan had just picked her up from her chair. She tensed and tried to fight for her freedom, but nothing seemed to work.

“Shhh, sweetness, relax and rest. We’ll take it from here,” Evan said softly as he carried her away from the table.

“What about the dishes?” she asked as she forced her eyes open to find Frank holding the door open for them.

“Mom and the dads will take care of them. It’s their turn,” Frank answered easily as he followed them out.

“Where are we going?” Autumn mumbled as she relaxed back against Evan’s broad chest.

“We’re taking you home.”

“You have a house?”

“No, sweetness,” Evan answered easily as they started down the path that led to the log cabins. “
We
have a home. Sanctuary is your home now, too.”

All at once, Autumn understood, and something in her spirit shifted.

Though she came from a family of four children, she’d always felt different and alone. Even in the Army, as a medic dealing with people constantly, she’d felt alone. Even in the treatment center, living with three roommates, she’d felt separate and alone. But here and now, with these two men she knew next to nothing about, Autumn Ryan felt like she belonged.

She remained silent as Evan carried her down the path away from the Wash House. It was a short walk to the first log cabin. The men stopped, and Evan turned so she could see their house. The front porch was empty except for a scattering of colorful dried leaves on the floor.

“Adam, Brock, and Spring lived here until last week. We moved them down to the third log cabin so they have more room for the babies. Summer, Cole, and Dawson live next door. Winter, Garrett, and Hawk live at the end in the fortress,” Evan explained, turning so she could see the houses where her siblings lived. When our babies come, maybe we can talk the parents into trading houses with us,” Evan said, turning to face the Victorian. “If not, we’ll just add on here or build another house.”

“We haven’t had time to do much inside. If you don’t like something, we can change it. You can decorate any way you want. We’re easy,” Frank said.

“I doubt that,” Autumn giggled as she looked up at Evan.

Suddenly, her exhaustion eased. All she wanted was to be inside and naked with her men. That urge stopped her for a moment. She hadn’t been horny since months before “The Incident.” Now all she could think about was cuddling with her men and fucking either or both of them until the need clenching at her clit and pussy eased.

“What?”

“Never mind. Put me down, please,” Autumn said. She squirmed in Evan’s arms until he set her on her feet. Taking Evan’s hand in her right hand and Frank’s in her left, she started up the short walk between the path and the front porch. “Can I want to see inside?”

“Of course, ladybug. This is your home now.”

All at once, she was wide-awake and filled with the same excitement she felt every Christmas as a kid.

The brothers held back and allowed her to enter first. Frank flipped on a light while Evan closed and locked the front door. She stood still and looked around. The living room’s main feature was the huge fireplace that made up a majority of the far wall of the house. Otherwise, the room was empty.

Turning, she looked at the brothers. “There’s no furniture.”

The brothers looked guilty. “We honestly didn’t expect you to be our mate. Three out of four was too good to be true. Four out of four was beyond imagination,” Evan said.

“Don’t worry, ladybug. We’ll go through the furniture in the storeroom tomorrow. If you don’t like anything there, we’ll build you whatever you want,” Frank said.

She nodded silently and continued exploring. The right half of the building was divided into two floors. Walking into the kitchen area, she saw it seemed to have all the modern conveniences along with splashes of color she knew Spring had added. Across the kitchen was a walled-off area. Through the open door in the center, she saw it contained a bathroom. Circling the center island with a built-in cook-top stove and wide counters, she entered the little room and closed the door.

Even here, she could see Spring’s touch in the bright yellow walls and equally colorful towels hanging on the racks. There was a basket with sample sizes of lotions, shampoos, and soaps on the counter along with three brand new toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste. Someone had dropped by in the hours since her arrival. She wondered if it had been Spring or Bridget then decided it didn’t matter. Returning to the kitchen, she saw a set of steps that led up to what had to be the sleeping loft. Looking around, she didn’t see the men, but heard them upstairs so headed up the half-hidden staircase.

Stepping into the room she instantly fell in love with the loft.

To her left, a knee-high railing ran across the space that looked over the main floor of the house. Along one wall were three sets of dressers built into the sloping wall. The walls and ceiling were painted white which contrasted sharply with the wide pine plank flooring. At the far end of the room there was a small square window about halfway up the wall. About shoulder high was a series of empty pegs for clothes. On the floor beneath the window sat an intricately carved wooden trunk with several blankets and pillows piled neatly on top of it.

Turning to the bed, she found it was the biggest thing she’d ever seen. On one side stood a small nightstand with an oil lamp, which provided a golden glow of light.

The headboard had been constructed of rough logs peeled out of their bark, then stained and finished and somehow bent to form a beautiful, naturally arched headboard. Someone had come and made the bed with clean white sheets.

Her men lay on the bed looking sexy and drool-worthy. They wore only the clean blue jeans they’d changed into just before dinner. Their broad, muscular shoulders and chests pulled at her to come closer, snuggle between them, and let them protect her from the world.

All at once, she was torn. Her cunt wanted the satisfaction of fucking them again, and the rest of her body demanded she curl up and sleep.

“Autumn?” Evan asked when she didn’t move.

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

“No,” she answered, taking a step toward the bed. “I’m horny.”

* * * *

Her breathy announcement caused Evan’s already hard and aching cock to jerk in response. Though he’d love nothing better than to give his mate exactly what she wanted, he could see she was exhausted as well as aroused.

Looking across the bed, he met Frank’s eyes. His brother was as turned on as he was, but they’d already talked about not fucking their mate into oblivion tonight. Right now, she needed their care more than she needed their cocks.

Turning his attention back to the woman standing at the end of the bed, he moved so he sat leaning against the headboard. Frank did the same on the other half of the bed.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice laced with a heavy thread of whine.

“Getting ready for the show,” he answered gently as his thoughts turned to a game they could play. “Why don’t you dance for us? Strip off those clothes and show us what you like, how you like it.”

“What?” She planted her hands on her hips as she frowned at him. “You want me to do a striptease for you?”