“I agree. Baby, I want you to be sure about this. It"s such a big decision to make in such a short period. But I don"t know how to get around it. Our Prime said he would send people with us to guard at the compound. Gorge wants you to feel the full Pride behind you. He knows you are having issues with your family. He said that you are a Pride member now, we are your family, and they will protect you. You can trust him.” Larkin said and kept looking at the ceiling.
“Can I meet him before we leave? I feel like I need to see who will be backing us up.” Jordan whispered and Romy turned and smiled at her.
“Hell yes. I would guess we would have a little going away party. Our Prime is proud that you are representing the cat nation on the New Council.” Romy said.
Larkin rolled and pulled his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and hit speed dial.
Gorge answered the phone on the first ring. “Hello, Larkin.”
“Jordan would like to meet you before she agrees to anything.” Larkin said into the phone and Jordan held her breath. She didn"t know the cats. Her father would have blown a nut if someone had asked to meet him before agreeing to anything. He prided himself on his power and fairness.
“Of course, I can come there if she would feel better.” Gorge said into the phone. Romy raised his eyes and nodded.
“Brunch in the morning?” Larkin said and looked around.
“I will be there with bells on at 10 am.” Gorge said. “May I bring my mate and second?”
“Of course, Prime. We will see you then.” Larkin held up the phone and disconnected before throwing it onto the ground and then rolled toward both of his mates and growled. “We have twelve hours before they are here, what shall we do?” He leered and grabbed Jordan"s foot as she tried to scramble away.
She squealed with happiness when Larkin threw her over his shoulder and walked into the penthouse and straight into the bedroom.
Chapter 12
Sid paced his parent"s living room impatiently. He was worried about his parents, his brothers, and his sister. All of them were upset. His father locked himself in the study and was working on Pack business, trying to ignore the fact that his only daughter was not speaking to him. His mother had not stopped crying since Jordan had stormed out of the house. Even with Casey trying to distract her with baby talk.
His brothers had flown back to Colorado this morning, saying that they would get started on Jordan"s house as a way to welcome her to the compound; they hoped she would at least talk to them about that.
Devon and Sid had done research on Jordan"s mates. They were pillars of the community and fit Jordan to a tee. They owned a book store and often held discussions on history books. Sid had been shocked when they pulled the men"s financials. They were very well off. He could not have asked for better mates for his sister.
The fact that she was not speaking to anyone in the family was a huge concern. He did not know what to do. Jordan had always been hotheaded, but she usually calmed down.
So far, all of his attempts to contact her had fallen on deaf ears. She refused to come to the phone when he called the penthouse, and her cell was turned off.
“You are making me dizzy. Stop pacing in a circle.” Devon said and laid his head back on the couch.
“Dev, what are we going to do? Quin and Jaden want her there like today, and she refuses to talk to us. Seriously, Jordan is hurt. I would not be surprised at this point, if she refuses to be on the Council at all. Then what? The whole Prophesy will be ruined and it will be my family"s fault. Like that is going to look good.” Sid said and threw up his hands. “Besides the fact that my baby sister hates me. We have always been the closest; this is killing me that she won"t even talk to me.”
“Sweetheart, her whole world was turned upside down. Give her some time. I think we should focus on getting her to Colorado and then we can work from there. Her safety is what is important. Our guys have been told to leave by the cats. We can only watch and guard her at a distance. This guy, The Master? He is making me nervous. I got into her chat room and he has been waiting for her to come back on. It"s kinda creepy.” Devon said.
“I know, so have I. I even tried to chat with him and he refused to answer. He is targeting Jordan. Casey needs to go back to Colorado too, she refuses to listen to reason either, today she, and mom are going shopping.” Sid said.
“Yeah, baby clothes. Your mother finally stopped crying long enough to actually focus on something else. Casey was proud of herself. They are going to some huge baby store in town.” Devon said. “Which reminds me. She is getting ready to leave. I have to get the guards ready. It may look like she is a celebrity, the amount of black SUV"s that will be surrounding her, but I don"t give a shit.”
“I"m going to try to call Jordan again. Quin and Jaden also want to talk to her. Cami is chomping at the bit to interfere. Apparently, Jo is a mess and refusing to believe that her father did such a thing. I think that we are going to have to figure out how this is all going to work.” Sid said looking out the window.
Devon sighed and stood up. “The Council is divided.”
“I know, but I have to side with my sister on this. If someone killed my parents I would certainly want their head served on a silver platter, no matter who the hells father it was.” Sid said. “This is my sister.”
Devon nodded and stood up. He embraced his mate and held him close for a few minutes. Sid sank into his embrace and was drawing on his energy. He was going to need it for the phone call ahead.
Chapter 13
Oliver paced the small cage that he was imprisoned in for the last few days. Honestly, he was happy to still be alive. If he would have been the Alpha making the decision, he would have instantly ordered his own death. He deserved it. How had he killed those innocent people? They trusted him. He wished he could remember what the hell happened that night to set him off.
Oliver turned as he heard the door to the prison floor open and close. It had to be Jo again. She had been down here every day, even though he told her to stay away. She could not afford to look like she was helping him or favoring him. She was part of the Council that would pass judgment. As one of the Chosen, she would be overseeing his trial.
“Father, good morning.” He heard Jo say quietly. He looked at her and grimaced. She had lost weight and looked pale and sick. She was not taking care of herself. Also, since her gift was to feel the emotions of the Pack, she had been bombarded with a wide range of feelings about his situation. Even Tey had been exhausted, trying to help her with her feeling.
“Jo, I thought I told you to stop coming down here. Every time you do, the guard"s gossip. They are going to start thinking that you can"t be neutral. Honey, I know this is hard. But I did do what they are saying. I can"t remember it, however I do remember every single moment of the time from when I woke up, to the time, I allowed Braden to cover it up. If nothing else, I should be punished for that. An Alpha should never put his well-being in front of the Pack. They are supposed to protect the weak. I was supposed to protect the weaker ones. I hired humans to work in the Pack house because I was trying to see if they would be able to handle being with wolves. I made a huge mistake. One that you are paying for now. I am so sorry.” Oliver said and cried as his daughter held out her hand to comfort him.
“Dad, I know you didn"t do this. I can feel your emotions; I can feel the goodness in you.
It"s all a misunderstanding, one that will be cleared up when we find the right person to talk to. Quin and Jaden have begun looking for everyone who was listed as being at the Pack house that night. Remember, that was your protocol. The records have to be somewhere. There are dozens of historical documents that they have to go through.
They are having some problems finding everything. But they assured me that until they found them, they would wait to hold the trial.” Jo said.
Oliver closed his eyes. “You do realize the person who would be the best person for the job is the child born in May. They are the historical ad
viser. Think about it. That is Jordan. I can"t put her through that. It would be like making her watch a video on the death of her parents and then saying that she had to defend me. It is cruel.” Jo cried and then looked around the cell. “Sid says his sister is rational. But she is refusing to be a member of the Council right now.”
Oliver groaned and pulled back. “That is why you need to stop coming down here.
There will be a rift in the Council. There is no way that can be allowed. Your destinies are joined. You have to work together.”
Jo smiled through her tears and said to her father. “I would never choose the Pack over my father. You should know better by now. After finding you and seeing the person that you are, I am proud to say you are my father. I hope that soon, you will realize that I will never stop fighting for you. You are more than worth it. You are a great Alpha.
Something has to be able to explain this.”
Oliver closed his eyes and held his daughter"s hand. After losing her and then finding her it was amazing that she had this much faith in him. She could have been angry and hateful about him not being able to find her. Her life had been hard. But she was such a wonderful person and a joy to be around, that she had forgiven him. Now they had a close relationship, his grandchild was amazing. He wanted to see his family grow.
They heard the door open again and Jo pulled back. She turned and then smiled tearfully at whoever came into the hallway.
“Braden.” Jo said and went to his Beta and hugged him. “Thank the Gods you are here.
My father has been accused of something horrible. You have to help him.” Braden smiled and looked down at Jo. “My dear, we will sort this mess out. Your father was in no way responsible for what happened that night.” Jo nodded and felt relief that her father"s closest friend and confidant was here finally and would be able to help them sort this mess out.
Chapter 14
Jordan stretched and woke up slowly. She smiled when she thought of the night before.
Her mates had truly showed her how they owned her body. They knew what to do to make her feel good. Jordan sat up and looked around. She loved them. Impossible as it sounded, in such a short time, she did love them. Not wanting to waste a moment of time for telling them, she jumped up and ran from the bedroom.
When she entered the living room, she smiled when she saw her mates moving around in the kitchen together making and arranging the meal for the Prime. Jordan walked behind them, pulled them both into a hug, and held onto them.
“I love you.” She whispered and smiled against their backs.
“Oh, baby girl, we love you too.” Romy said turning and kissing her.
Jordan stood on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and smiled. “Good to know since you are stuck with me forever.”
Larkin laughed and joined the hug. “Sounds like such a short time.” He said and kissed his mate"s neck. Stepping back, he slapped her on the ass and said, “Baby, you have about fifteen minutes before we have a house full of shifters. I think maybe you should get some clothes on.”
Jordan squealed and ran for the bedroom calling out over her shoulder. “Assholes, why didn"t you wake me?”
“First you love us and then we are assholes. Baby, we are crushed.” Romy called out laughing.
“Well, you are my assholes, so I guess that is all that matters.” She said and closed the door to the bathroom.
Jordan took a quick shower and dressed in a nice summer dress that showed off her curves. Her men seemed to like them so who was she to hide what she had. Pulling her long hair into a quick pony tail, she brushed a light amount of make up on and then smiled into the mirror. The dress showed off her mating marks also. She ran a finger over the bites on both sides of her neck and laughed when she felt a tingle run through them.
Someone knocked at the door and then Romy poked his head in and smiled when he saw that she was ready. “Nice.” He said and let his heated gaze roam over her body.
“The doorman called and they are on their way up.”
Jordan nodded and looked at herself in the mirror one more time and walked out to the living room to greet their guests. She was nervous. Jordan had only spent time with wolves; she did not know the protocol for cats. Shit, she had forgotten to ask too.
She looked at her mates with a panicked expression and then heard the elevator ding.
She had run out of time. Standing back, she waited while her mates walked forward to greet the guests. She would figure this out.
Jordan sucked in a deep breath when she saw two huge men walk into the room. They were taller than her mates were, standing at least six foot six. Both had thin, lithe bodies that had muscles in all the right places. Hell, if she had seen them on the street she would have thought they were models or football players. They looked like both.
One had long black hair that was braided tightly to his head. The other had almost white hair that was just as long. They emanated power. Then she noticed the woman behind the largest man. She was small and petite. She had long brown hair that was curly and messy. She looked like a little pixie. Next to the giants, she was adorable.
When she stomped her foot though Jordan felt a smile coming on.
“King of the Jungle, move aside please.” The woman said and pushed her way in between the men.
“Ariel, please, protocol.” The large man with black hair said and closed his eyes and put two fingers up to his nose and pinched it a little.
The small woman turned and growled at the man and said, “Really?” And raised her eyebrows.
Without waiting for a response, she turned and smiled at Romy and Larkin who were trying not to laugh. She approached them, held her arms up, and waved her hands as if to tell them they had to bend over. Romy responded first, grabbed the small female, and lifted her off her feet. The woman smiled and rubbed her head against his cheek and said. “I am so happy for you.”
Romy set the woman down gently and she turned to her other mate and held up her arms and did the same thing. Larkin smiled and lifted her easily and nuzzled her neck also. Jordan frowned a little and hoped like hell that was just a friendly greeting or they were going to have a bitch fight in a few moments.
“Uh, my Queen? I do believe their mate is getting a little pissed.” The blonde man said and smirked.
Larkin sat her down and the small woman laughed. Hell, even that was adorable.
“Don"t be silly. Jordan knows that I would never make a move on her mates with her present. Besides, Kingo over there would probably have kittens.” Jordan laughed when the man with the long dark hair groaned again. “Darling, please.” He whined and the woman laughed louder.
“Romy, introduce us.” The woman demanded and looked at Jordan for the first time.
Her eyes were bright blue. Like the sky. Jordan had never seen anyone with that color of eyes. They were mesmerizing.
Romy and Larkin came and stood on either side of her and took her arms pulling her forward. “Jordan, I would like to present our Primes and their Second. This is Queen Ariel and King Ryan. The man standing behind them is Blaze, and yes, that is his real name. His mother named him that because he came so fast into the world. We have all heard the story.” Romy said laughing.
“Assholes.” The large man said and frowned. “No respect.” Ariel stepped forward, held out her arms, and hugged Jordan. Jordan looked at her mates and then made motions for her to rub her jaw against the woman"s. Jordan complied and then smiled when she heard the small woman purr.
Ryan stepped forward and did the same thing and she responded. Finally, Blaze stepped forward and hugged her. When all the pleasantries and introductions were made, Jordan took a deep breath. Ariel heard it and laughed.
“Well, enough of the formalities. Jordan, let's go and take a walk in the garden while the men prepare a feast for us. I love their garden.” She said and put her arm through Jordan"s and pulled her to the door that led to the garden.
Jordan looked behind her and grin
ned at her mates. She liked the Queen. Ariel pulled her out to the garden and then stooped and took a deep breath.
“Oh it is lovely.” Ariel said and walked around the path. Jordan followed and smiled.
The little woman wanted to talk to her about something; she just had to wait until she decided to speak up.
They approached a bench and the small woman sat down and patted the place beside her. Jordan took a seat and leaned back.
“So, Jordan, everything is pretty fucked up right now, huh?” Ariel said and then laughed when Jordan looked at her like she was crazy.
“Well, I guess that is one way to put it.” Jordan laughed.
“Ryan explained everything that went on. He said that basically everyone you know and loved has been keeping this secret from you?” Ariel said.
“Yeah.” Jordan said slowly.
“Okay then, people make mistakes; you seem like a reasonably intelligent person. I think you can work all of that out. But as the Prime female of the cat nation, I am telling you that since you mated to my two favorite members that you are family now. If you ever need anything, you call me. I will never lie to you and always tell you the truth.
Even if it means telling you your ass looks fat in jeans.” Ariel said.
Jordan laughed and then said, “Thanks.”
“In all seriousness, I can understand what you are going through. Before I met King of the Jungle in there, I was in a very sick relationship. To make a long story short, I was being lied to also. It hurts. But when the pain lessens, you will talk. Things may not be the same. They may be different, they may be better. For now, you are hurting. As one of my Pride, I want to take your pain away. That is why I am offering you my friendship.
Not as you leader, as your equal. So tell me. How is sex with two men? I really would love to know that.”
Jordan smiled; she did have a friend now. Someone other than her mates that she could talk to. It made her feel lighter than air to know that Ariel was serious about being her confidant and friend. She was going to need one.