Fate Knows Best

  “Aleks, listen to me. I am not her. I am okay. I may be human, but evidently I can take a pounding.” She smiled then winked at him. She saw some of the fear leave his eyes and his mouth twitched.

  “That’s not funny,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

  “Yes it is. I’m a little sore, but it’s a good sore, like how your muscles feel after a really good deep-tissue massage.” She grinned. “You definitely massaged some deep tissue.” She giggled. Finally he smiled then laughed.

  “You’re really okay?” he asked, holding her close.

  “I’m more than okay, I am perfect. I have everything I have ever wanted. You are everything I waited for and more.” She cuddled him, and when she put her ear to his chest, she heard his heart beat begin to slow down and regulate.

  He fell backwards, taking her with him. They laughed and got under the covers.

  “So when can we do that again?” she asked, and he groaned.

  “Let’s give your body a chance to recover,” he said, pulling her into his arms.

  “So, in the morning?” she asked.

  “Go to sleep,” he said.

  “Tomorrow afternoon? A nooner?…” she started.

  “Sleep,” he said.

  “But…”

  “Sleep,” he repeated kissing the back of her neck.

  “Okay.” She sighed. “I love you, my grumpy-ass bear,” she said.

  “I love you too, my itty-bitty human.” She smiled and fell asleep.

  Chapter 11

  “We didn’t have any problems having sex!” Rebecca stuck out her tongue at Gavin the next morning when the entire family was eating breakfast at the main house. He looked up startled and dropped his fork. Aleks began to choke on his waffle, turning a deep red, and Connor and the twins began to laugh, leaning on each other in their seats in an effort to stay upright. Pa smiled down into his plate, and Ma was beaming.

  “Good for you, baby girl! Did you want another waffle?” she asked.

  “Yes please,” Rebecca said.

  “Rebecca!” Aleks said when he could breathe.

  “What? It’s not like they don’t know we’re having sex. I’ve moved in. It’s not like I’m in the guest room,” she said, biting into her bacon.

  “But still it’s my Ma and Pa!” he said.

  “They have seven boys, Aleks, I’m pretty sure they know all about sex,” she said, munching away at her breakfast. All seven boys at the table shuddered and made faces. It was their Ma and Pa after all.

  “I don’t want to know,” Aleks said, holding up a hand. Rebecca just giggled and ate her waffles.

  “What are you going to do today, baby girl?” Ma asked.

  “I’m going back to the library. Some of the older volumes are drool worthy, but the entire place needs to be brought into the twenty-first century. I don’t think any new books have been brought in, in over thirty years,” she said. Aleks was staring at her.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Baby, you’re my mate,” Aleks said.

  “Yes, I know,” she said, looking at him.

  “You don’t have to work. Being Alpha Mother will take a lot of your time,” he said. She would have thought he was joking except for the extremely serious look on his face.

  “So what you’re basically saying is that what I want doesn’t matter and my job is to be your mate?” she asked carefully.

  He was nodding absently until Pa cleared his throat, quickly shaking his head at Aleks.

  “No! I mean no, baby, but maybe you would like to take a break and enjoy learning about the town,” he said, and his Pa started nodding his head.

  “What better way to learn about the town than to dive into the town’s old newspapers and archives?” she asked, taking another bite of her waffles.

  “What about working at the diner with Ma and Connor,” he said and silently to himself he added, Where you will be safe.

  “No offense, Ma, but I do not want to work at the diner.” She finished her breakfast and looked up at him. “Aleks, I am not sitting around the house naked all day making you cake. As short lived as that fantasy was, wave it bye-bye,” she said.

  “Hmmm, God, that cake was good,” Aleks said, smiling.

  “How would you know? You left after only one bite.” Connor laughed. He had gotten the largest portion of the second cake.

  “Because she made three cakes. I had one all to myself.” He grinned at his brothers.

  “Son of a bitch! It’s not fair. She is perfect and can make that amazing cake!” Duncan exclaimed.

  “Duncan! Language!” Ma said.

  “Sorry, Ma,” he said, still pouting.

  Rebecca grinned and thought of a way to get what she wanted. She turned to Aleks.

  “Now, I know you have to work, but you’ll be worried about what I’ll be doing.” He went to speak but she held up a hand.

  “If one of your brothers promises to spend the day with me so you won’t worry, I’ll pick up ingredients to make another cake for that good brother,” she said, smiling at the men staring at her.

  Instantly the boys started to argue.

  “You have to work!” Duncan said.

  “You do too, asshole!” Connor replied.

  “Boys!”

  On and on it went. Finally at Ma’s insistence the boys made their way outside to brawl it out. Rebecca looked worried that they were fighting, but Aleks looked amused.

  “You were worried they wouldn’t like you,” he said.

  “They just really like the cake,” she said, wincing as Emmett’s head connected to the ground.

  “And here I thought I had a smart mate, a genius even,” he said, cupping her cheek.

  “They are fighting for the chance to watch over you.” He watched her eyes fill. She turned and quickly ran outside, tackling Connor.

  “I’ve never had brothers before and y’all are the best ever! I promise to be a good sister and make you as much cake as you want!” She started trying to hug them all at the same time, practically tackling the group, shocking the brothers.

  Aleks was beginning to see a pattern here. Rebecca never felt something just a little bit. What she felt she felt with her entire being. When she loved, she loved completely. He watched as his younger brothers scrambled to surround Rebecca and pat her on the head trying to get her to calm down. It was funny to watch, since he knew that she was overwhelmed at the love she felt for them.

  “You going to save them?” Pa asked from the doorway where they stood.

  “Nah, it’s good for them,” he said magnanimously, hooking his thumbs into his belt loops, rocking back on his heels. Pa chuckled.

  “It’s not good for her to get worked up like that, especially if she’s pregnant,” Ma said calmly from behind them.

  Aleks’s face became devoid of any color and he lurched forward to scoop Rebecca up and cuddle her. All six brothers stayed around her smiling and joking on Aleks.

  Pa grinned.

  “You are evil woman. But you do sure know what these boys need. They are lucky to have a Ma like you.” He wrapped his arm around her waist. She watched her boys try and calm down a woman less than half their size.

  “They are good boys,” she said simply.

  “That they are,” he said and watched his boys and his baby girl.

  * * * *

  “Thanks for taking me, Gavin,” Rebecca said as they climbed out of his SUV. Rebecca smiled at Rian and Damian as they got out of the back seat. Rebecca had wanted to go to the used book store in the neighboring town to search for gently used books for the library. She could get new, but she figured she could get a lot more getting used. When Aleks realized he couldn’t escort her shopping due to a public works meeting, he enlisted Gavin, Rian, and Damian to act as escorts.

  “I needed to see if they had the anatomy charts in that I ordered anyway.” He shrugged. Rian rolled his eyes. Gavin was blunt as always.

  “Damian and I are going to see if they have t
he new man-love books we ordered. Don’t leave the store. If a hyena comes in we’ll be able to smell them a mile away,” Rian said as Rebecca started to go through the shelves. Damian nodded.

  “Lord knows they smell enough.” Damian shuddered.

  “Come on, Damian, the man-love books are calling for me,” Rian said, heading towards the counter. Damian laughed and caught up with him.

  Rebecca had started on the second shelf when she felt someone standing close behind her. She turned around and stepped back into the shelf of books. A man was grinning down at her.

  “You know when you bend over like that I can see your pretty blue lace underwear,” he said. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with lust. Rebecca felt her stomach roll at the idea of this man seeing anything so intimate of hers.

  “Enjoy the peep show, because that’s all you will ever see,” she said, looking over his shoulder desperately hoping to see Rian or Damian.

  “Come on, baby, I can take real good care of you,” he said, rubbing his crotch. Rebecca shuddered.

  “I’m sorry, I have a ma…a husband,” she said.

  The man looked at her empty left hand and his eyes narrowed.

  “You’re a lying bitch. You’re not even wearing a ring. What, you think you’re too good for me?” He grabbed her arm and yanked her close.

  “Get your hands off me!” she exclaimed, trying to pull away.

  “I think you like my hands on you and you like it rough,” he said, leaning his face close to hers. Just when she was about to scream, the man’s face went pale and his hand released her. He looked past her and started to shake. She felt someone beside her gently pull her backwards. She turned to her left and gasped. The man who held her gently was exquisite. His black hair held a slight curl and lightly brushed his shoulders. He stood about six foot five, but his frame was lean and firm, not bulky. His eyes glowed red. The man stumbled backward and ran out of the store. If she weren’t so concerned about the man beside her, she would have laughed at the comical way he tripped out of the door.

  “Are you well?” The man turned his gaze to her and his eyes went from a pale teal to a brilliant blue. His voice soothed her and calmed her down.

  “Yes, thank you so much! That guy was just creepy,” she said. He smiled and nodded in agreement. She eyed him carefully. She knew he wasn’t a shifter since Gavin and the others didn’t smell him.

  “What exactly are you?” she asked, looking up at him. He smiled and two white but sharp-looking fangs peeked out from his sensual lips.

  “Oh my goodness, you’re a vampire, aren’t you. That is amazing, I’ve always wanted to meet one,” she said, grinning up at him.

  “You want to let me feed, don’t you, to thank me,” he said, taking both her hands in his, his eyes never leaving hers.

  The feeling of calmness spread. She looked down at their hands and saw he wore a heavy and ornate ring.

  “That is so cool! That ring has to be an antique. Where did you get it?” she asked, tilting her head at him. A surprised look crossed his face.

  “You’re mated, aren’t you?” he asked, stepping back as he dropped her hands.

  “Yes, he’s a bear. Why?” she asked.

  “My gaze didn’t work on you. It doesn’t work on strong paranormals or their mates,” he explained.

  “Oh. Did you still need…you know.” She tilted her neck. His eyes widened and he took another step backwards.

  “No, that’s okay, I’ll be fine. Here is a flyer for my club. We’re new in town. It’s paranormal only. You and your mate are welcome to come.” He handed her a printed post-card-sized flyer.

  “Let them know Gabriel invited you, and they will take good care of you,” he said.

  “Thank you, Gabriel, I’m Rebecca,” she said, taking the flyer and tucking it in her bag.

  He took her hand and raised it to her lips.

  “It was a distinct pleasure to meet you, Rebecca,” he said. The sound of a stack of books tumbling had Rebecca turning away for a second. When she turned back, he was gone. Shaking her head, she made her way to the counter. Gavin had three laminated posters rolled up under his arm as Rian and Damian excitedly discussed their new purchases.

  “I absolutely love your world. Shifters and vampires are freaking awesome!” Rebecca said when she got to their group.

  “Glad you feel that way, because you’re stuck with us,” Rian said, laughing.

  She struck up a conversation with the store owner about placing a bulk order. She arranged for it to be packaged and delivered to the store and for her to be called when it was ready to be picked up. She couldn’t wait to get home to tell Aleks about her day.

  * * * *

  “Rebecca, Gavin, boys, dinner’s ready, go wash up,” Ma said, pointing to the bathroom. Gavin, Rian, and Damian headed to the bathroom to wash their hands, and Rebecca, not wanting to wait, went to the kitchen sink. Hands washed, she looked around the family room, trying to find Aleks. She was spun around and a warm pair of lips crushed hers. Sighing, she wrapped her arms around Aleks and held on while he kissed the life out of her.

  “I missed you, baby,” he whispered before teasing her neck. She melted in his arms.

  “I missed you too!” she said as he led her to the table to sit down. Everyone was spooning out food onto their plates.

  “Liam dropped off Sebastian at the house today while you were out. That cat doesn’t like me,” he said, sitting down.

  “Liam likes you,” she said, sitting next to him. He laughed.

  “Not that cat, the other one, Sebastian. That thing growled at me,” Aleks explained. Rebecca looked at him, shocked.

  “Sebastian is the sweetest cat I’ve ever seen.” Her eyes narrowed. “What did you do to him?” she asked.

  “Nothing, I swear,” Aleks said, his eyes wide. His brothers and Rian were laughing at the end of the table. He growled at them.

  “Maybe he is scared by your growling. You are very growly,” Rebecca said, scooping out some potatoes.

  “Is growly a word?” Aleks asked no one in particular. “So besides an extremely boring public works meeting and getting hissed at by Liam’s Mini-Me, my day was peachy. How about you, baby?” he asked.

  “My day was crazy,” she said, digging into her corn.

  “Craziness at a bookstore. I can’t wait to hear,” Aleks said, his eyes dancing with laughter.

  “Well I was looking at the quality of books that the store had to offer when this creepazoid came up behind me saying he could see my underwear. Then he was grabbing his crotch and saying he could show me a good time. I told him I had a husband, but he got mad and said I was lying because I wasn’t wearing a ring. Then he grabbed my arm, and I think he was about to kiss me when this absolutely gorgeous man showed up. His eyes were all glowy red, and I swear he made creepazoid piss his pants. Come to find out he was a vampire. He tried to get me to feed him until he realized I was a mate and couldn’t do his mind-control thing on me. I offered to feed him anyway since he saved me and all, but he said that was okay. He said his name was Gabriel and gave me a flyer to his club. He said it was for paranormals only. I want to go. Do you think we can go tomorrow?” she asked hopefully.

  Everyone stared at her.

  “Aleks, calm down, she didn’t know,” Pa said in the most serious voice Rebecca had ever heard from him. She looked around and everyone’s face was frowning. Rian, Damian, and Gavin looked especially pale.

  “What? What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “What’s wrong is you offered to feed that damn bloodsucker,” Aleks yelled. Rebecca flinched. Aleks had never yelled at her before.

  “So? He saved me, Aleks, I was trying to be nice,” she said. Aleks’s eyes had shifted, and she noticed his hands had shifted into claws. He stood, knocking his chair to the floor, his clawed hands flat on the table’s surface.

  “Only you would find a way to be saved in a damn bookstore,” he said, growling.

  “What in the hell is that suppo
sed to mean? It’s not like I go looking for trouble you know,” Rebecca said indignantly, her eyes filling with tears.

  “She shouldn’t have needed a bloodsucker to come to her rescue. Where in the hell were the three of you!” he demanded, his gaze swinging to where Rian, Damian, and Gavin sat.

  “Don’t get mad at them! If I had a wedding ring he probably wouldn’t have even approached me,” she said, her arms crossed over her chest.

  He turned to face her.

  “Human marriage is nothing compared to the bond created when mates are claimed. Humans can fall in and out of love and divorce. The bond of human marriage is a façade. It’s a stupid human custom!” His canines dropped and it looked like his body was expanding.

  “Son, go! Out back now!” Pa yelled, pushing him out the back door. Aleks ran for the back door as a human anguished yell turned into a loud roar. Connor and Duncan started pulling off their clothes and shifted before running out the back.

  Rebecca looked around the room. Everyone showed a mixture of anger and sadness. She was about to speak when the doorbell rang. Benedict went to answer the door. Rebecca couldn’t get Aleks’s tortured yell out of her mind. She didn’t even realize she was shaking until a warm pair of arms wrapped around her. She looked up, tears streaming down her face to see Ashby sitting there with a kind smile. Unable to hold back, she threw her arms around his neck and began to sob. Nicholas stood behind the pair, running a hand over her hair.

  “Come on, sweetie, you can stay with me. Aleks won’t be coming back tonight. He’ll probably sleep in bear form with his brothers outside,” Ashby said, wiping away her tears.

  “She belongs here, Ashby,” Ma said.

  “Ma, I don’t doubt for one second that you love Rebecca and think of her as a daughter. But I also don’t doubt that between the two, Aleks will always come first. She is still new to this family and feels outnumbered. I’ll take her to my home and calm her down,” he said, standing and pulling Rebecca to his side. Rian and Damian stood behind them with Nicholas.