Finally Home (14 page)

After showering and trying to shove all thoughts of Suzette and Bane to the back of her mind, she began to gather her tools in the kitchen. Jax had arranged for one of the kitchen assistants from the main house to come over and assist her. Right from the start, Fredi liked Tyra and they worked well together through the afternoon putting together several of the dishes. It was just what Fredi needed to take her mind off what was going on between Bane and Suzette.

***

Fredi was pissed and neither of the men knew why. When they returned from the main villa, she had been dressed and waiting, sitting stiffly in the living room, perched on the edge of the couch.

“
Hey, baby, why are you ready so early?” Bane said and walked to her side. She sat frozen while he kissed her cheek. He stood and frowned. “What is wrong?”

“
Nothing, you have about thirty minutes before the ceremony, you need to hurry,” she said dismissively, and then sat still when Marshall kissed her. She remained ridged, so both of them had to be in trouble.

“
No,”
Marshall
said briskly and sat down across from her. “We will find out what the hell is wrong first.”

“
No you won’t, get your asses up those stairs and get ready, I don’t have the time nor the patience to explain to our leader why we are late. We will discuss it later,” she said firmly and waited, staring at a spot on the wall.

Bane knelt next to her and tried to take her hand in his, but she pulled away. His frown deepened and waited until she was ready to talk. Neither of the men was going to leave until she did.

They sat in silence for five minutes, and she didn’t move. All she could think of was Suzette leaving her mate’s office looking smug and satisfied. After she arrived home, she called the main villa and was informed that both her men had been in Bane’s office and asked not to be disturbed. So they were both in there, all she could think of was them sharing her in some way. Cami and the others tried to talk to her through her powers, and she blocked them, shutting them out. Her sister was pissed, because she could hear her muffled screams, insisting on Fredi answering her. The one time she slipped and allowed the connection, she heard Jo threatening to get on a plane and fly over here if she didn’t talk to her.

Close to tears, she couldn’t answer, because if she started talking about it, then she would cry. Her thoughts had drifted to her mother, she had not been her father’s true mate, and he had slept with her, so she knew it could happen. It was ripping her heart out thinking one, if not both, of her men had been with that skank.

Vowing not to ruin the night for Cat by fighting, she turned with a dead expression and looked at both of her men. “I swear on all that is holy, if you do not get your asses up those stairs and get changed in the next five minutes, you had better learn to sleep with one eye open for a mighty long time. I am a chef and good with knives, Lorena doesn’t have anything on me.”

Bane barked out a laugh at her threat and then saw the look in her eyes and looked at Marshall with worry in his eyes, something was very, very wrong, and they needed to fix this fast.

Marshall sat forward and looked at her with a grim expression. “We are not going anywhere until you tell us what the fuck is going on.”

“
Fine, you want to know what is going on, I will tell you,” Fredi said, standing calmly and then looking at her mates. “I went out for a run today, and when we were on our way back, Thomas and I were both witness to your skank blood whore leaving your office. So would you like to explain that to me?”

Bane stood in shock and looked at Marshall. “Seriously, we weren’t even in the office. We were in Orfeo’s in a meeting with six other people, Tripp asked not to be disturbed. We were trying to get things settled for Mia’s arrival. Cat thinks she needs a therapist on-call when she arrives.”

Marshall stepped up to her and took her hand in his. “Baby, I am a one-woman cat, and Bane is a one-girl vamp, we would never cheat. I am kinda surprised you didn’t know that.”

Fredi felt the tears gather in her eyes, and looked at her men,
shit, she should have trusted them
. “I am sorry, I just couldn’t help it when I saw her walking out of the office, it just pissed me off.”

“Well yeah, you threatened to cut our dicks off. I would guess you were a little pissed,” Bane teased and then wiped her eyes. “We can talk about this later, but know I would never betray you in that way. I promise. Go fix your make up and
Marshall
, let’s get changed, we have about ten minutes to get to our own ceremony.”

They nodded, but before they could leave, Fredi grabbed them both and kissed them passionately, and then with a sniff, she let them go. She needed to get a grip.

Chapter Fifteen

“My fault,” Fredi called as they ran into the hall of the Main house. The other Senate members were waiting for them and were grinning. Obviously they were thinking something else had kept them and none of the trio set them straight, it would take way too long and they had a surprise party to get under way when they were done.

Jax had taken Cat shopping all day in an attempt to hide the decorations that were up around the villa. The plan was for the ballroom to be decorated and ready for the party with all the people inside waiting. They would perform the small ceremony and then Orfeo would say they planned a small dinner party in their honor, but when they opened the door, everyone would yell “Surprise” at Cat.

Orfeo and Tripp were currently looking smug as Fredi and her mates arrive, meaning only one thing, they had succeeded in keeping a secret from their mate. A huge undertaking and one they should be proud of.

They gathered at the small table Tripp set up and he hit his brother, Marshall, on the back.

“Simple,” Fredi said quietly, anxious to get to the party.

Orfeo nodded. “Together we stand, welcoming our new members into the Senate Council. On the authority of the New Council, we begin.”

He continued his formal speech and they all stood at attention listening. Each of them pledged faith to the Senate, and promised to fulfill their duties. When Orfeo grabbed the large challis sitting in the middle of the table, Fredi grinned.

“From my blood to your blood, our powers unite,” he said quietly, took a sip, and passed the cup. Each of the members of the Senate repeated and drank. When it came to Fredi, the last of the group, she said the words and drank. A whirl of power swirled around them and they all felt the bond snap into place.

“Well, holy shit,” Bane said and laughed.

‘
Can you hear me
?’ Cat asked grinning.

‘
YES
!!!’ Cami screamed and suddenly they were all holding their heads, the women of the New Council were chattering and cheering.

***

Cat had certainly been shocked when she and Jax had returned from an afternoon of shopping and went right to the ceremony. As soon as she opened the door to the main hall and set her bags down, she had been informed that her men were ready for the ceremony.

When Orfeo announced a small intimate get-together, she had been surprised and happy, and luckily led the way as they went into the large dining room. Just as the door opened, all of her friends and family yelled, “Surprise!” Both Orfeo and Tripp were standing behind her, each holding a single red rose. She was so overwhelmed she began to cry, which Jax promptly blamed on the pregnancy hormones. They all laughed as the hugs and well wishes began.

Fredi was now in the kitchen in the main house putting the finishing touches on her dishes. Marshall and Bane had briefly come in, each of them giving her a kiss and encouraging her to hurry and join them at the party. She had smiled and shooed them out as she had turned to pull another casserole out of the oven.

Now that her job in the kitchen was finished, she could find no more excuses not to join the party. She was hesitant, as she had not really gotten to know everyone yet. Just as she finished washing her hands, for the second time, when Cat and Jax came bursting through the door to the kitchen.

"Fredi, you're a genius!” Jax told her as she embraced her.

Cat shoved Jax out of the way, "Hey! It's my turn. Fredi, how can I ever thank you? Everything is so yummy and it's all my favorites!"

"Happy birthday, Cat,” Fredi said as she hugged her. "I'm so glad you're happy with it all. You have been so great to me, both you and Jax, this was a perfect way for me to show how thankful I am to have both of you."

"Oh, honey, you’re making me cry, thank you so much.” All three embraced each other this time, laughing and wiping their eyes.

"We had better get back out there, and you are coming with us, no more work. The staff has everything under control now so no arguments,” Jax said as she took each one of their hands and they headed out to the party.

As they entered the ballroom where the party was in full swing, Fredi saw her men speaking with Orfeo. Just as she went to go join them, she hesitated. Seeing Suzette this afternoon had shaken the foundation of her relationship with Bane. All of what had happened came rushing back. She needed answers. She watched Jax join her men, who were sitting in lounge chairs out on the patio talking with Orfeo's parents. The doors had been left open, as tonight was cool and comfortable.

Cat went up to Orfeo and flung her arms around his neck. He laughed and embraced her. Marshall and Bane turned as one and met her eyes from across the room. She felt the heat sizzle all the way down her spine. They came to her with determination in their eyes. She knew she was in trouble and that they knew something was up. She stood tall and raised her chin, defying them with her eyes.

Marshall took her hand and pulled her toward the library. Bane grabbed her other hand and when she tried to take it back, he gripped her tighter. They entered and walked over to an alcove with two cozy chairs sitting together. Marshall pushed her into one and then they both knelt in front of her.

“We love you, and only you. Today when you thought we were cheating on you, it nearly broke my heart that you didn’t trust us. I get that you have a past, but we are your future. Marshall and I are the only men who will ever love you, and the only men you had better ever love. We planned to do this in a much more intimate setting, but you know Mr. Impatient over here thought we should do it now. So, Frederica, will you do us the honor of formally marrying both Marshall and I?”

She felt the tears again gather in her eyes and Marshall held out a small box, inside was a ring, one she would have only ever dreamed of having. A diamond surrounded by sapphires fit for a Queen.

“Yes, yes, I will marry you,” Fredi said and fell into Bane and Marshalls waiting arms as they grinned.

‘
Thank the Gods, may we all get back to the whole party thing now. I was thinking even though Cat is pregnant, we need to begin planning a few things, we decided our first girls’ night needs to be in person—for effect. So we are planning a quick weekend trip
,’ Cami announced, and all the men groaned.

As they began to rise, a loud explosion rocked the room. Fredi froze as she heard the screams coming from what sounded like the front lawn. It seemed that everyone had froze for a split second in shock, then the men took charge.

Brin, who had been holding Jax on his lap, picked her up and began to run toward the kitchen. Fredi saw Orfeo grab Cat as Marshall and Bane reached her.

"Fredi! Come on!” Marshall grabbed her hand and pulled her along with the crowd as Bane came up behind her.

They enter the kitchen to see people heading down a back staircase into what she assumed was the basement.

"Where are we going?” Fredi's voice shook as she asked Marshall.

"There is a safe room downstairs where you will stay with everyone until we find out what is going on,” Bane answered her as they helped her down the stairs.

"You're not staying with me?” she asked with a hint of panic in her voice as she stopped at the bottom.

They moved to the side in order to give others a way to pass by them. Both men surrounded her, giving her their warmth and their love. She could feel the panic all around her, rising.

"Sweetness, we need to go see what we’re dealing with, what has happened. This is part of what we do. While we do that, we need to know that you're safe. This is the safest place for you. Thomas, Kurt, and a few others will be staying here to guard you,” Marshall told her as he laid his hand against the side of her face and kissed her softly.

Bane turned her and kissed her softly as well. "Stay here and we will come get you as soon as we're able."

She laid a hand on each of their cheeks and said, "I love you, stay safe."

She saw Thomas and Kurt step up to their side and she smiled and nodded at them. She watched as Marshall and Bane headed back up the stairs, and when they were out of sight, she followed Thomas and Kurt into the safe room.

Chapter Sixteen

When Marshall and Bane went out the front entrance, they found Tripp and Orfeo conversing with Veronica, one of the Head of Guards for the Ambrosetti Clan and Dante’s replacement. There were several men being helped into the main house that had been injured.

"What the hell happened?” Marshall asked Tripp as they approached.

"It seems that we had a bomb left at the front door, someone tried to take it as far away as they could and it went off. We have several injured from the blast and security is searching the grounds thoroughly,” Tripp informed him.

They heard a call over the radio for assistance in the back garden. They all turned and ran through the main hall and out the back. As they emerged through the patio doors, there was fighting everywhere. Shifters, vampires, all fighting assailants dressed in black. Dante yelled at Tripp and Orfeo to stay back. He began fighting with the closest man to him.

Brin grabbed Orfeo and Tripp and reminded them they needed to stay safe for the Senate. They both looked pissed, but knew he spoke the truth. Never had they backed down against a fight and it pissed them off that they were actually just standing there. Trying to at least be useful, Orfeo called to one of the guards who was coming through the door for a weapon. He would be damned if he wouldn’t try to take at least some of the bastards out the old fashion way.

The guard threw both Tripp and Orfeo a weapon and they grinned at each other, raised their weapons and fired. The Alpha of the New Council was talking calmly in their heads asking what the hell was going on. Orfeo could certainly multitask. He explained the situation and talked about adding more security while Tripp was counting gleefully in his head.

Brin had joined the fun, and together Tripp and him were picking off Rogues right and left.

‘
That would be five
,’ Tripp crowed.

‘
Ha, I have six
,’ Brin laughed and the two kept counting.

Marshall had jumped in with Bane right behind him, when they saw a group of four going around to the side of the house where the kitchen was located. They took off after them, yelling at Tripp to send more guards to the safe room door.

Shit, the little bastards were setting a trap for them
, as they rounded the corner, there were more men dressed in black clothing.