Nita's Redemption, page 32
“Give them my love. Next time, bring them with you,” she admonished with a wag of one finger.
“I’ll see you in an hour at the training arena. I’ll announce the news when you get there,” his father muttered.
He kept his laughter to himself, wanting to get back home and feed his female and the twins. Abe and Link could eat as much as him so he was happy Lorna had made two extra casserole dishes for him to take and enough bacon he could make a dozen sandwiches if he chose, which he wouldn’t.
Outside their home, he stopped at the sweet tone of Nita’s laughter followed by Abe and Link. The three of them were in the living room. The sound of a video game was drowned out by their joking, and he wished he was inside.
“Get your ass in here and tell our female we are the best marauders in all the universes,” Abe yelled.
“You keep yelling that loud, and we’ll need to replace the windows with thicker panes, jackass.”
Tank hurried to the door. Nita held it open with a smile. He bent, giving her a kiss on her full lips. Shit, he missed her, and he’d only been gone for an hour or so. Now he understood Lorna’s blue balls warning. He would never be able to resist Nita, nor would he ever get enough of her. If she ever held them at arm’s length, it would surely make his dick ache worse than when the twins had ambushed him and slashed him down both sides when they’d been pups learning to fight. His father was sure they’d scar him, but his Lycan had healed faster than any of them had realized.
“Whatever you brought us smells delicious. I’ll get plates and stuff while you bring it to the counter. Ps. Thank you in advance for the food. These two were sure you’d bring us something, so they said to just get some orange juice and offered to teach me the art of war via this.” Nita pointed toward the huge television.
He followed Nita into the kitchen, leaving the twins to argue over some Borg invader.
Chapter Twenty Five
NITA HELPED LOAD THE dishwasher while looking at the clock. Although she could feel the time of day, they all set times to be places otherwise most wolves would be perpetually late. Tank had told them what the important meeting had been about, and in all honesty, she was happy that Brock and Zeus had taken the needed steps to secure the entire territory even more.
Abe crossed to her, his face lighting with love and affection. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her from behind. “You smell delicious.”
The moment Abe stepped back, Link took his brother’s spot, wrapping her up in his arms. “My brother is right. You do smell wonderful,” Link said, nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck.
Tank pushed his way between Link and her, wrapping her up into a bear hug. She could feel his big body shudder against her own. “They’re both right, but that’s not the only thing about you that’s wonderful.”
She looked up, marveling at the glow in his eyes. “Well, I think I have the three most fantastic males any female could ask for. Thank you for taking care of me, all three of you.”
Why she had a moment of shyness, she wasn’t sure, but right then and there, her head dipped, and she rested her forehead against Tank’s broad chest. A rumble worked through him, but he didn’t say anything just hugged her tighter to him.
“Thank you,” she whispered, knowing all three of her mates would hear her.
Stepping back with his arms still around her, Tank studied her like she would’ve a new creature she stumbled upon. Even with her dark skin, color had to be creeping up her face, hell her entire body felt hot as he stared down at her. “Don’t make it a big deal. I’m fine; we’re all fine. It’s all fine,” Nita said.
“Of course we are. I love you, Nita. We all do,” Tank whispered, hugging her back.
Nita let go of Tank. The kitchen was clean, and there was no excuse for them to be late to training. Well other than the four of them didn’t need to train as much. However the alpha had made it an order, therefore they had to go.
The sound of feet on their porch brought Nita’s head around. She recognized the pitter patter of the six smaller feet. Worry had her hurrying to open the door before they could reach it. She opened the door to find three beautiful little nuggets standing on the porch wearing varying shades of ‘I didn’t do it’ expressions, which clearly meant they totally did something. “What are the three of you up to, and how much trouble am I going to be in if I help cover your tracks?” She asked Selena’s children.
“Hiya, Nita. Whatcha doin’?” Lil bit, or Zoe asked. It depended on how well you knew Selena’s little girl as to what you called her.
Nita ran her hand down the dark hair of the tiny little angelic child. Although Zoe looked like a fairy with dark hair and sparkling silver eyes, she was usually the one who came up with the wild plans the three children got into.
“Um, you see, Zoe said we were needed here because there was a heifer with nefarious deeds in mind in regard to our bestie, so poof, here we are.” Markos said, making an explosion sound at the end while his twin brother imitated the action with his own hands. Max, never one to be outdone, jumped into the air, and landed on his back, shaking as if he was having a seizure or stroke.
Zoe turned and kicked her much larger brother in the side before facing Nita and rolling her eyes at her brothers’ antics. “Ignore those two. My mama said they’re full of spit and vinegar.”
“Hey, everyone loves salt and vinegar chips, hence everyone loves us,” Max declared after he jumped to his feet.
Nita looked back at her males who were all laughing silently if their own shiny eyes and shaking shoulders meant anything. She pointed her finger at them then at her eyes. Abe broke first, a chuckle rattling out of him.
“Hi, unka Abe. You look very happy this morning.” Zoe skipped around Nita to jump up into Abe’s arms.
Nita shook her head while the other two little guys followed Zoe inside. “One question for the three of you and I expect the truth and nothing but the honest whole truth. Do your parents know where you are at this very moment?”
Zoe looked up at the ceiling while Markos and Maximos did a little feet shuffle that meant their parents in fact did not know.
“Children,” Nita growled in her best intimidating voice.
“Wait, our Papa is aware of where we are,” Zoe said.
Nita stared at the tiny little thing who looked even smaller in Abe’s arms. A small little shred of doubt niggled at the back of her mind. There was something in the way Zoe said the statement that made her want to question them further, but then their alpha hit them with a call to get their asses to training.
“Shit, I can’t take these three to the arena,” Nita muttered.
“I’ll tell my father you had a surprise visit from these three. I’m sure he will excuse you, and if he doesn’t, well then he’ll have to get the fuck over it.” Tank’s chest seemed to swell with his Lycan pressing forward.
Nita moved closer to her mate, worry over how close his beast was to the forefront, consumed her. “Are you alright?”
Tank gave a nod and sighed. “I’m good. You three take care of our female, okay?”
The two little guys lifted their chests as if they were preparing to battle a dragon or worse, and then they did the cutest little chest pound with their fist and agreed to protect Nita with their everything. She kept her grin hidden, knowing they were taking Tank’s order seriously while Zoe again rolled her gorgeous silver eyes at her brothers’ antics. She was such a little spit fire. Many would’ve found it most disconcerting, but not Nita. She loved them for all they did, even putting the fire in two tiny gods and the smallest goddess she’d ever seen, probably ever born.
The trio’s lips twitched like they were in on a joke the others weren’t, which Nita knew she’d have to figure out, and hope their amusement wasn’t at someone else’s expense especially hers.
She watched all three of the kiddos hop up onto the counters looking calm and cool. Yet each one of them couldn’t seem to control their knees from bobbing up and down. Nita eyed Zoe’s face, which was calm as can be, same as her brothers, but them knees bobbing just slightly told a different story. It was as if they had too much anxiety flowing through them, or adrenaline might be the better word for it. Nita was, or rather is like that too, especially after she did something new that stretched her abilities. Like the first time she’d burst into a couple dozen ravens, that had totally caught her by surprise. Afterward, when she’d returned to her human form she’d been unable to sleep for at least twenty four hours. The next thing she’d accomplished, which she’d never shared with anyone else, was to jump out of a plane without a parachute. Of course, she’d been with several others who’d chartered the plane, only she had no intention of using the parachute like everyone else. Luckily the pilot and the others who had been flying with her had no clue. Freefalling had been exhilarating and wholly scary on another level. She’d waited until she’d almost hit the ground before she’d shifted to her wolf. Her males would probably have heart attacks if they knew.
“You have a weird expression on your face. Are you constipated?” Zoe asked.
Nita coughed, nearly choking on her own damn tongue. “Do you even know what that means?”
Markos grinned, showing off pearly white teeth and two dimples that was surely going to be the downfall of many females in the years to come. Nita held up her hand, stalling the little bugger from answering. “If you say anything that you shouldn’t that includes curse words, I will have to punish you appropriately.”
She was totally bullshitting, but it appeared to make the three kiddos stop and think. Markos gave a hard nod, then he inhaled before he spoke. “What I was going to say was when you go to the shitter and you can’t shit, but since those are probably bad words, I will say it’s what my Papa says about my daddys’ when he is upset with them and says they make him constipated.”
This time she had to turn away, or she’d be unable to hide her mirth. Hell, her jaws hurt from keeping the laughter at bay. The little shit, pun intended, knew exactly what he had done and still did it in a way. She wasn’t sure if she should get on to him. Which meant, she couldn’t.
Nita turned back around, shaking her mom finger at him. “You are such a stinker. Now, why don’t you explain the reason you’re here?”
Three very earnest faces held her gaze. “Bakra is sick, and nobody is saying what happened, but we know it was after she was here. So we came to find out what happened to our B. Do you know what made her so sick?” Maximos asked, his dark gaze boring into hers as if he could see her soul.
Nita’s hand went to her chest, searching for the part of Bakra that was within her. The demoness females had all given her a part of them to make her whole again. She wasn’t sure if the pack was aware, and frankly she didn’t give a single fuck if they did or didn’t. The part of her that held a part of Bakra was still warm, still alive. Nita didn’t know if it would shrivel up if Bakra was no longer alive, but she did know that if Bakra wasn’t somewhere in the universes, then her own world would be a lot less bright.
“Can you take me to her?” she asked, fear for her friend made her eyes sting with unshed tears.
Zoe’s sigh was loud. “No, we need to find a cure here since this is what made her sick. What did it to her? Were you with her?”
The accusing silver orbs held Nita prisoner while she felt the child enter her mind. She wanted to protest the invasion, hating the things the child would see, what no child should see, or endure. Hell, it took the power of several demonesses and their blood mixing, along with help from Zeus himself to cure her. It was years before she was able to build up walls around the memories that threatened to kill her as a child. Now the horror was right there in front of her, running as if on fast forward while the grandchild of Zeus plucked out every bit of her past.
Anger, pain, humiliation, distrust, and a burning rage flowed through her. Her skin tingled, fingers itched to unleash her claws. She took a step back and then another until her back hit the counter behind her. “I have to go. You three stay here so you are not in the path of... me. I’ve called my mates and Jaklyn to come to your aid here. I—I must go.”
Zoe’s chin wobbled, tears leaked from her eyes making them shine a bright silver. “I’m so sorry. So sorry, NitaB.”
The little girl had her arms out as if she needed Nita to hold her. After the things she’d seen and heard, Nita knew she needed comfort but not from her. Nobody needed to be near her, maybe ever, but especially not now. Fuck, she had to get out of there before her males show up. She allowed her body to become less than molecules. The light filtering through the windows became her muse, and she followed it.
“Where did she go?” Markos asked.
Both boys launched themselves down from the counter, spinning in circles with their arms raised in front of Zoe who they’d lifted down and placed between them. Oh, she knew they’d seen what Zoe had plucked out of her mind. And the sickness that Bakra had, it wasn’t from her. Although the children didn’t know that. She’d realized what had made B sick while Zoe fucked with her head. The bitches who’d come to fuck up her life.
She didn’t flow out the window since they were closed, and time was of the essence. Her males would be able to track her, maybe. Nita burst out the small space under the door, using a similar speed which sound would travel, but on a smaller level, since she didn’t want to go over seven hundred miles.
When she came to a stop, she waited to get her bearings before she reformed. Shit, she wasn’t sure what to shift into right then, a wolf, a raven, a snake, or stick to air. Air was safe. Air nobody could lock up, or kick, burn, starve, or give others permission to harm.
The sound of leaves rustling in the wind mingled with animals scurrying about brought her out of her mind. She was not that helpless child, dammit. Yet she’d left a helpless child with the images and memories of the horrors she’d lived through.
She recognized the forest she’d stopped within. It was a good hundred miles from their own pack territory but unclaimed by another pack. This was human land and therefore a space where she couldn’t just flash into a human without causing a stir. Her mind filled with memories of how the land ran and where it connected with the towns before her pack land was. If she’d been human or on two feet, it would’ve taken her all day to cover the ground she’d streamed across. On four legs, it would have still taken hours, but her males were not regular males, so she didn’t know if they’d find her scent and if they did what they’d do.
Once she’d assured herself she was alone save for four-legged animals, she shifted to a small wolf. No way would she shift into that of a prey animal, nor did she want to stand out in case some human stumbled upon her in her normal wolf form. Nita shook out her shiny black coat, looking at the terrain through wolven eyes. She really didn’t want to trek back home with her tail between her legs. Something had led her to where she’d come. Instinct demanded she follow her gut even if that gut was air, animal intestine, or human. Bakra was sick because of her and the bitches who might be her biological family. Nita would find the cure, kill the females, and make Bakra better. As for Zoe, Markos, and Maximos, she would ensure Zeus fixed them. Nobody deserved to live through her hell, especially those beautiful babies.
ABE DUCKED UNDER HAYZE’S beefy arm, barely missed getting his head busted open by the other shifter. His mind was a swirling mass of confusion, hurt, and roiling rage. Only it wasn’t his, Link’s, or Tank’s feelings he was being bombarded with. “Fuck,” he roared, dropping to his knees seconds before Hayze lunged at him. The other male flew over his back, raking claws across his shoulders and drawing blood. Abe didn’t feel the pain.
“What the hell is going on? Why are you screaming like a bitch?” Hayze stormed up to him, his leg pulled back as if he was going to kick Abe in the face.
“Because, our female is hurt,” Abe rumbled, grabbing the other male’s foot in one hand, twisting it hard to the right. The sound of bones breaking while he stared toward their home wasn’t registering. Nothing did except the need to get to Nita.
“Fuck, let go of me,” Hayze roared.
Abe released the male, mumbling an apology that was half-assed at best. They were fighting for fuckssake. Pussy.
“What the fuck, Tank. Your friend nearly ripped his foot off during a mock battle.” Hurricane’s loud yell followed him while he exited the arena.
“Our female is hurt.” Tank’s explanation was short and sweet. Abe felt his two brothers following his run through the trailerpark. He’d felt Nita’s pain and sensed her essence streaking away shortly after she’d called them to come for the children.
Tank swore as he too must’ve felt Nita’s form fleeing from the pack territory. His pulse raced, his own fear making it almost impossible for him to think straight.
“What the fuck has happened?” he asked a few trailers from theirs. Wind had picked up, but it was blowing the opposite direction of them, which meant they didn’t pick up a scent. His wolf screamed for him to follow the wind.
“The triplets are running this way. Shit, look at their little faces. If Zeus sees them first, he’ll kick our asses. They’re bawling and they aren’t criers.” Tank dropped to his knee with his arms out.
Abe exhaled getting down on his knees next to Link and Tank who both held the three kids between them. Zoe was crying hysterically while the two boys were trying noy to cry and wiping their tears as they tried to explain. “What do you mean it’s your fault? Zoe, Nita loves you and would never be mad at you. Tell us what happened okay and just know that none of us will be upset. We all love you like our own.”
Zoe lifted her face from Tank’s chest, her eyes so full of fear and tears Abe wanted to wrap her up in his arms and reassure her again, but his wolf was growling to go to the wind. Fuck.
“Bakra is sick. That...that’s why we’re here, and so I thought since Nita didn’t tell us that maybe she didn’t know she knew. I thought I’d just look in her mind and find out what we needed and then we could fix Bakra. Only I messed up and I saw...oh my goddess, the things she suffered. I didn’t know, I swear. I didn’t know I’d unlock them from where she kept them. It’s awful, and now I can’t unsee them, and they looked in my mind, and now they know, and please, you gotta find her. She’s in so much pain.” Zoe pressed her hand against her stomach. She looked around frantically.
