232

Ally made herself comfortable in my house, like really comfortable. I didn’t talk to her about sleeping next to me since Echo said there really wasn’t anywhere else for her to sleep and he ignored me when I pointedly looked at the other couch.

Milo went with me on the weekly grocery run and it felt like old times again. Milo and I hadn’t talked about that fight and I wasn’t going to bring it up either. We’d both suffered enough and there was no reason to relive the past.

“Put that back.” I glared at Milo as he held the offending object in his hand.

“You don’t have one, therefor you need one.”

“I don’t need a purple apron.”

“Well maybe since you knocked up my sister, she can wear it.”

“You knocked up my sister too, Milo.”

“True. Although, I did make an honest woman of her.” He grinned at me and placed the apron in the trolley as I shook my head and walked away from him.

We finished our shopping and loaded everything into the SUV as Milo kept glancing at me. I ignored his looks all the way to the house as I parked and started unloading the car. Ryder stood in the kitchen with a cup of coffee as we placed the bags on the kitchen table.

“Wynter?”

“In the kitchen, Chandra!”

Chandra walked into the kitchen and looked at me from the other side of the kitchen island. “Just the man I was looking for.”

“My cupboards are all yours.”

Milo and Ryder stood to one side and watched our exchange as they both smiled at her. “I need your expert opinion this time.”

Chandra lifted her shirt as I turned around and after a few seconds I closed my mouth. “What do you think of this one? It’s new and I want to surprise Lauren tonight.”

I looked at the see-through black bra she was wearing, her nipples very hard and evident through the material. It left absolutely nothing for me to imagine or fantasize about and I swallowed as all three of us stared at her breasts.

“You have to feel the material, it’s amazing.” Chandra stepped closer to me and took my hand and placed it on her breast.

My hand tightened around her breast and she closed her eyes for a second as I tried to reign my mind back to something resembling normalcy. “It’s uhm … fantastic.”

“Great! Thanks!” Chandra pulled her shirt down and walked out of the kitchen as if nothing had just happened.

“I need to find me some lesbian best friends.”

Ryder slapped Milo behind his head as I laughed and tried not to think about Chandra in her bra or without it. I stood motionless for about two minutes before the fog cleared from my mind and I started to put the groceries away.

“Now I’m not so sure that I want to move here.” I turned to look at Ryder as he spoke hardly believing my ears.

“What?”

“Nova and Abby’s out with Lauren, looking at houses.”

“You’re giving up the farm to move to Chehalis?” Pure shock filled my eyes as Ryder shrugged.

“Family needs to stick together, doesn’t matter where it is.”

“Screw the moving plans, I want to talk about what just happened in here!” Milo was still rubbing the back of his head as he stared at the empty doorway leading to the living room.

“Milo, don’t be an idiot. She asked Wynter’s advice on her lingerie for her girlfriend.” Milo’s mouth opened and closed a few times.

“You’re a big, fat liar, Wynter. I saw the reaction on your face when you touched her, it was the first time you did!”

“I never said anything.” Ryder was grinning at the both of us.

“Semantics.”

The women returned and the house that had been peaceful suddenly erupted with voices as they all sauntered into the kitchen. Lauren placed her handbag down on the counter and started the coffee machine like she lived here.

“So once you’ve decided, you can just pop over for coffee and we can sign the offer to purchase.” Lauren opened cupboards, knowing where everything was  and proceeded to make coffee, moving around me with ease.

“Then finish that coffee so we can sign the paperwork.” Nova smiled at Ryder and I was surprised that he hadn’t gone with her.

“What’s going on with you, Milo? You look flustered.” Abby stepped closer to him and peered into his eyes.

“I … uhh … I’m still in shock over Wynter touching Chandra’s boobs right here in the kitchen in front of us.” I closed my eyes briefly as Milo looked up suddenly and found Lauren’s gaze before clamping his mouth shut.

“Can I talk to you in the living room?” I nodded at Lauren as she walked past me into the living room and shot Milo a glare. He mouthed ‘I’m sorry’ to me as I closed the door behind me.

“Listen Lauren …”

“Shh. You’re welcome Wynter although you won’t be making a habit of touching us. We’re working with a plan here so just play along for now.”

Lauren laughed seductively and walked back into the kitchen and I stood there a bit dumbfounded. What plan? I followed her back into the kitchen as Milo gave me a look and I shook my head. Ryder and Milo both gave me questioning looks.

Ally only glanced at me as Hunter stood in the doorway, looking unsure. I caught his eye and he looked down; that was something I had to change and quickly too. No son of mine was going to look down, not even to me.

“Grandpa?”

“What’s up, Hunt?”

Hunter beckoned to him and disappeared into the living room. I hated the fact that he felt so awkward around me. Ally had sent me a text to say that she had told him about me and that they’d be staying in Chehalis for a while so we could get to know one another.

She hadn’t brought over their luggage so I had no idea why they had slept here the previous night or what her game plan was but staying a while wasn’t going to work for me. The conversation about the two houses had continued and Ryder signed the offer to purchase without saying a word.

I could vaguely hear Ryder talking to Hunter in the living room, about me, and I looked at Ally. The rest of them were all talking about the houses and Ally avoided looking at me. Ryder was telling Hunter that he needed to accept me and that I would love him no matter what. The kid was scared and that pissed me off.

“That, in there, is all your fault!” Ally looked up as I started to speak and I could see the hurt in her eyes as I stormed out of the kitchen through the back door.

I walked down to the river and sat down on the wooden stumps that Joey and I had left there for our fishing days. I lowered my head into my hands and I screamed inside my head to try and get rid of the rage and frustration.

The first vampire jumped over the river and tackled me off the wooden stump just as I lifted my head at the sound of a twig breaking. His fangs snapped at my neck as I held him at arm’s length away from me. We rolled and grappled and I managed to push him off me.

“Give the woman back or you will die, hunter!” His voice was laced with venom and the hatred in his eyes spoke volumes.

“Come and get me, leech.”

My hands morphed into claws as he swiped his sharp nails across my chest. He was faster than Milo and easily the strongest vampire I’d ever fought or I had lost my touch. I stuck my hand into his chest but he gripped my wrist and pulled it out before I could grip his heart.

He fell over backwards with the wound bleeding profusely, he’d heal slowly now unless he got blood. Two more vampires landed on the ground in front of the first vampire and my head snapped to the side as the first one got up and stared past me.

“I’ll save you, Daddy!” Hunter was running full speed toward me and the blood drained from my face.

“Hmm a snack.”

The vampire turned towards Hunter as the other two vampires sped towards me. I turned and started running towards Hunter. “Hunter! Run!” He seemed determined to reach me, his eyes blazing yellow, no fear evident on his face.

The first vampire jumped on my back and sent me propelling forward as Echo separated from me. I grabbed Hunter in my arms and rolled with him, coming to a stop with me on top of him. The second vampire bit my arms as he tried to reach Hunter.

They were all on top of me now and Echo blazed the fire from his throat over us as Ryder and Milo both screamed. The flames billowed out over my back and the three vampires screamed as they burnt to death.

The flames died down quickly and I stood up with Hunter in my arms just as they all reached us. Ally grabbed Hunter as she cried and hugged him tight against her. Ryder slammed into me from one side and Milo from the other gripping my arms and shoulders.

“You didn’t burn.” Ryder touched my face, disbelief etched onto his features.

“We’re immune to the fire.” I had only realized that the day I burned Luciana.

“Where the hell did they come from and what did they want?” Milo was scanning the far side of the riverbank but I already knew that these three were all there were.

“They wanted some woman. I don’t know.”

“Pity Echo burned them, now we’ll never know who they were.”

Echo stomped on the charred remains as pieces broke off and their ashes rose into the air, carried away slowly by the rising breeze. He snorted smoke from his nostrils and then merged with me again. He was pissed off and I felt his anger rising at the attack.

“Where’s Riley?”

“She’s with Chandra and Lauren. Nova and Abby are there too.”

Ally was already halfway back to the house with Hunter in her arms as Ryder raked a hand through his hair. He looked guilty for not getting to us sooner and the whole setup puzzled me. I’ve had peace here for three years and within a few days of my family arriving, I get attacked.

“We didn’t hear anything. We realized Hunter had left the house and only saw what was happening as you grabbed him.”

“They must’ve blocked us off somehow.”

“It’s not good, three vampires attack you out of the blue for some woman. There will be more, Brother.” Milo was right. I also had the sense that more were coming.

“Chandra will shield the houses. Nobody leaves the house alone anymore, especially not the kids.”

“I’ll take post in the kitchen, with your large windows you can see almost every angle.” Milo was best suited for the job since he didn’t sleep and when he needed to rest, it would be during the day.