Forever Our Ever (21 page)

Kris took her hand, holding it tightly. “He didn’t mean that. He was just angry. He loves you.”

“I don’t think that he loves me as much as he once did. Ask me about Demetri later. I’ll think about it.”

“I will. Do you want to stay out here for a while or go back inside? I have to get going.”

“I would like to stay out here. The sun feels good.”

Kris stood, leaning to give her a kiss. He wanted it to be more sexual, but he was frustrated enough. It had been over two weeks since the babies were born and they had yet to have real sex. Dream sex was nice, but it was no longer possible. It would happen in time, but kissing her sexually wasn’t on his list of wise actions.

With a smile, he went inside to tell Liam that he was going.

“What did she say?”

“She wants to think about it.”

“That sounds like Ever. She will let us know. Are you sure this is wise?”

“No. But I think it will make her happy. It will be a third to protect her. I showed you the text from the ancient book that talks about the extraordinary alpha female who rules at the side of the third alpha son. She is definitely extraordinary, and I am the alpha who was born third. The book says that she should always be surrounded by three and with all that has happened, I’m not taking any chances.”

“Yeah, me neither. I’m gonna put the little ones down for a nap and then I will go check on her. Please bring her out something to drink.”

Kris nodded. “I will. See you later.”

* * * *

Ever really wanted to go inside, but the last person she had seen was Kris when he had brought her out a glass of juice. It was watered down, but it had been cold and tasted delicious. She had shimmied herself to the window, but Liam had made the mistake of lying down, and he was fast asleep on the bed with Avia on his chest. She didn’t want to knock on the window and startle him or scare the hell out of Avia.

She couldn’t see the boys, but figured they were asleep in their crib. Ever adjusted her feet so they were perfectly square to her body and then tried to push herself upward. She managed to stand for only a moment and then dropped back into the seat. It was so frustrating not to be able to walk, but she had feeling in her feet and legs and she was sure it would come.

Out of pure curiosity, she dragged her legs up onto the swinging bench. It was an effort that strained her arms, but she managed to do it. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on becoming a wolf, changing her body into a more compact form as her legs thinned and stretched to equalize out. It worked far easier than she had imagined, and as the wild side took over, she rolled to her side and stood up on the swinging seat. Just as she suspected, her mind and body were more in sync when she was a creature rather than a human. Her human body was having a problem with the connection of spirit and flesh, but that did not transcribe into wolf form. Ever suddenly realized that to get down, she was going to have to jump. It would have been far safer to lower her body to the floor and change there. If she didn’t have complete stability, she could very possibly get hurt or even break something.

She reluctantly turned back into a human and found herself staring at the back of the swing. Somehow she had managed to turn herself around during the shift and now she not only had to get to the floor, but she had to flip over without falling off. Ever began to wiggle around, trying to move her legs when she couldn’t sit up properly to use her hands to do it.

She got a painful stitch in her side and stopped moving, trapped by the pain halfway turned around. Her upper body was now facing the ceiling, but her legs remained where they were, bent into the back of the bench. Ever closed her eyes and tried to fight the tears of frustration that tore at the back of her brain.

Arms were lifting her in the air. Demetri sat back down on the swing with her in his lap. “What the hell are you trying to do?”

Ever rested her weary head on his shoulder. “I thought maybe I can walk as a wolf, but then I realized that I had to jump down and wasn’t sure if I could do it. When I was turning back, I somehow got turned around.”

His expression was far too amused. “It’s not funny.”

“I know it’s not. You are in such a hurry to get better. Most women would love the attention that is showered on you.”

“I’m not most women. I dislike not being able to do things for myself. That’s probably why I got so crabby before the babies were born. When I wasn’t sleeping, I was feeling completely helpless. That feeling is quickly returning. Why aren’t you at the shop?”

“It is an emporium, and we were slow, so I left Matilda to finish up the day and close up. You are never going to guess who paid me a visit.”

“Julius.”

His expression sagged. “How did you know that?”

“I had a feeling that he was back. He is coming over tonight, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he mentioned it. Did he call?”

“No. I was just sitting out here thinking, and I thought that he was back and he will be over tonight. I guess the thought was right. Can I ask you something?”

Demetri nodded, but she could tell that he had something on his mind besides her question.

“Are you wolf?”

“One quarter, why?”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“I’m more witch than wolf. Does it matter?”

“Not really. I was just wondering why you look so young.”

He was absently massaging her back with his palm. “Thank you. I didn’t know that you had noticed.”

“Oh, that is a crock of shit. You know damn well that I’ve noticed everything about you.”

His laugh was bordering on evil. “You have me there.”

“I also have two men who believe that I should have three men in my life. I guess every indication says that Mick is not coming back.”

Demetri had a true poker face on occasion, and this was one of those times. Ever had no idea what he was thinking.

“Okay, you just said what your men think. What do you think?”

“I think that you are a very attractive and interesting man. I think you are intelligent and knowledgeable. You get along very well with Liam and Kris. You are great with the babies and they love you.”

“None of those tell me what you want. I can be all those things and be nothing more than a friend. Do you want me as more than that?” asked Demetri.

“I want you to remain my friend and also be more.” He was not revealing his hand at all. “What do you want?”

A slight smile played on his lips. It was lofty and thoughtful, and then he turned his eyes directly to hers. “I want you. I have since the first time I laid eyes on your spirit. As far as sharing you with Liam and Kris, that I’m not too sure about. Do they want me to move in here or just continue to wear out my car driving back and forth every day?”

“I think they want you to move in.”

“So your men are initiating this move, or was it your idea?”

The idea had crossed her mind on more than one occasion, but…“Kris asked me about it, but Liam is in agreement.”

“It sounds interesting, but I need to give it some thought. Okay?”

She giggled. “I told Kris the same thing. I would like it, though. Then I wouldn’t have to feel guilty for feeling aroused when you touch me.”

That made him laugh and seemed to ease the somewhat solemn mood he had slipped into. “Do you want to try turning?”

“Yes.”

Demetri stood and carefully laid her on the porch floor. Ever closed her eyes and turned again, this time knowing that she was on solid ground. When she pushed herself to her feet, her legs held fine with no complaint at all. Maybe if she could get used to walking as a wolf, her human legs would follow suit.

She looked up at Demetri and was stunned to see him covered with fur. He stripped off his shirt and jeans and then dropped to all fours. Within a few moments, he was standing beside her as a wolf. He nuzzled the side of her face and licked her nose. Ever laughed, knowing the emotion didn’t translate well into wolf form. Demetri trotted to the stairs and looked at her, and Ever followed.

* * * *

Demetri was surprised how easily the shift had come back to him. He had learned how to turn as a child, and had once found it enticing to become another form of himself. Over the years, the amusement had worn off, but the moment he had put his mind to the task, his body had begun to change.

Ever walked over to him, following him down the stairs and out into the yard. He wanted to run with her and feel the breeze wafting over his fur as he had done when he was younger. However, he didn’t know the property and didn’t want to get lost in the woods. He walked around the open front yard instead, heading to the side of the house. He had been out back to see if he could find Daisy or Snow, but now it was only to move. Ever sprinted by him, racing around the back of the small house where the women lived. She was running the yard, which was marked by a horseshoe of trees, like a crazed dog, and he went after her.

She was fast, amazingly fast considering a few moments before she couldn’t even turn herself around. Ever reached the trees at the back of the property and turned sharply left to continue running. Her fur ruffled and wafted over her sleek flesh, catching shimmers of sunlight through the trees. She ran to the opposite end and as if controlled by an invisible fence, took a left and headed back along the side of the house. Demetri cheated, unable to catch her fairly, and went straight across the yard. He still only caught a momentary glance of her as she flew past his car and turned the corner to head to the back again.

At the rate she was running, it was going to be impossible to catch her. She was going to overdo it in her zealous need to be independent again and he turned around, figuring that he could head her off. As he ran into the backyard, he saw her racing along the back property line again. As she got closer, he howled to get her attention and in hopes of stopping her. Ever skidded to a stop in the fallen pine needles and then trotted exuberantly up to him. Her long, silky tail was wagging with joy and she was panting heavily.

Demetri turned and bumped her with his hip, walking back toward the porch. Ever trotted beside him, swinging her rear with each step to purposely hit him with her hip. She was a real live wire when she felt like it. She was also turning him on and he was going to have to scramble to get his pants back on before she saw his quickly rising cock.

His dick made him think about her offer again. He knew people who were in happy, monogamous ménage relationships, so it was possible. The question was, did he want to be with Ever bad enough to share her with the two weres? It was the only way he could be with her. He had witnessed their love for one another. He also really enjoyed their company. He had quickly come to think of Liam and Kris as friends after they had gotten everything out in the open. Kris was an exceptional man. He was an extremely well-rounded individual with a completely open mind. His love for Ever was infinite. Liam was funny and talented, his off-color jokes and comments mostly sexual in nature. He was really good with Ever and obviously respected his brother. It was a shame that Mick had taken off, but Demetri was secretly happy about it. He had an underlying theory that things would have turned out much differently if Mick hadn’t stormed out. With Mick gone, Ever had a place in her life that wouldn’t otherwise be available. It was also part of the reason that he was hesitating. What would happen to him if Mick came back?

Ever turned back into a woman and instantly collapsed to the porch. She grunted in fury, punching the bench and then pulling her hand to her stomach in pain. It had been a stupid thing to do, but she was now revved up and angry at her own body. She had hoped that running would remind her flesh that it was connected to her spirit, but obviously, it hadn’t worked.

Demetri shifted and hurried to her without bothering to grab his clothing. He had an amazing body, far more muscled than she had originally thought. It was the body of a young man, with no signs of ageing or sagging. Either he spent quite a bit of his life working out, or Kris was right. His magic fueled his wolf side and kept him healthy. Ever also took note that his dick was partially aroused and nicely substantial. He would be a good match for the men she had now. It was large, but not overly big, so there wouldn’t be a sense of competition between the men. In Ever’s mind, it wasn’t the size but the ability to know how to move it around that mattered. Obviously, men had different ideas on the subject.

“Are you hurt?”

She held up her hand, showing him her bloody knuckles. They had split quite badly on the corner of the swing leg. Demetri grunted at her. “What the hell did you punch it for?”

“I was angry because my legs refused to work. I want to stand and walk, and I want to have sex. It is frustrating not to be able to.”

“You can have sex without your legs working.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know. I prefer to have sex as a human, it feels better.”

“You have had sex some other way?”

“Yes, we went running as wolves one night and Kris had sex with me that way. We were both wolves, of course. It was interesting, but…”

He lifted her in his arms. Demetri carried her inside, shocking the hell out of poor Snow who was standing in just the right spot in the kitchen. Demetri retreated quickly into the bedroom. He put her down in the wide, cushioned chair and grabbed a baby blanket to wrap around his waist so he could go back out and get his clothing and her robe. He returned a few moments later and got dressed, handing her the robe to put back on. One of the women had taken it in for her and it fit quite nicely.

He knelt in front of her on the floor. “There are many options to sex without becoming a wolf.”

“I know, but Kris is suddenly afraid that I will break. He wants me to be healthy before he will consider it. Somehow, I think the added endorphins might be beneficial.”

“That might possibly be the case. What I’m actually trying to figure out is why you can run like the wind as a wolf, but your legs won’t work as a human. It really doesn’t make much sense.”