Trapped With the Alpha (Balfour Shifters Book 1) (15 page)

“Are you sure?” he asks, finally meeting my eyes.

Before I can answer his question, Caleb and Finn walk into the room carrying a large wooden trunk. Caleb looks to his brother and asks, “Where do you want this?”

Brody nods to the end of the bed. “Put it down there.”

The men do what he says before shooting a wink in my direction and walking out of the room, closing the door behind them.  

“What’s that?” I ask, leaning my head against his check. 

He lets out a little chuckle before dropping a kiss to the top of my head and releasing me. “It’s a surprise.”

Brody walks to the end of the bed and pulls the trunk open. He pulls out a light yellow dress that I’m sure has to be hundreds of years old, then looks up at me and smiles. “This was my mother’s. Aiden found it in one of the few rooms that weren’t destroyed by the fire.”

“Oh my,” I breathe out, walking over to him and staring down into the chest. 

He pulls out more dresses, laying each one carefully on the bed. Even though he is being gentle, I can see that some of the dresses are coming apart at the seams, the years causing the fabric to disintegrate from his touch. Finally, he reaches the bottom of the trunk and pulls out a small velvet bag. 

Opening it, he pulls out a beautiful golden broach and smiles at me. “My father gave this to my mother the day they were married. I want you to have it.”

Looking down at it, I can’t hold back my gasp. The Balfour crest is in the center, with bright rubies circling it. Before I look my fill, Brody flips it over and shows me the back. I gasp again as my eyes take in the stunning wolf gracing the back. His head is thrown back, as if he is letting out a ferocious howl. 

“It’s beautiful,” I whisper, taking it out of his hand. 

He gets up and stands before me, placing a hand on each of my cheeks. “You are more beautiful than anything in this world. No piece of jewelry can even compare.”

Tears prickle my eyes, and I rise to my tiptoes. “I love you, Brody. I will cherish it forever. Thank you.”

A knock on the door has Brody pulling back. “Come in.”

Aiden walks in, carrying an old book. “I think I found something.”

He comes over to us, holding the opened book out for us to see. “Elise sent me a few books. I found this in one.”

You will be forced to watch all that you love forget about you.

You will watch as life goes on, as if you had never existed.

 You will be stuck, stuck behind an invisible barrier, and no one will know you are there.

 No matter how loud you scream, or how hard you pound, no one will hear you. You will be trapped, completely and utterly trapped.

Reading over the passage, my heart skips a beat. “Oh my God. I remember those words.”

 “I do, too.” Brody pulls me into his arms, crushing me to his body. He then looks to Aiden. “She was there that night. She said these words, or something very similar to them. I’m not sure why I didn’t remember it before, but it’s plain as day now.”

“Elise figured this was part of the spell she used. She said it’s the base of a common binding spell. It binds one person’s spirit to linger with another person’s body, after a person’s death. With the two of you, she somehow bypassed the death part, but Elise isn’t sure how,” Aiden explains, flipping through the book. “This shows how the spell can be broken.”

I look at the words and nearly go to my knees. “Only with true love can this spell be undone.”

“What the hell?” Brody mumbles, letting go of me to run a hand through his dark hair. “That can’t be right. If all it took was love, the spell would have been broken as soon as she cast it.”

Aiden shakes his head, reading through more of the book. “I’m not a witch. I don’t understand all this. I’m just showing you what’s in the book.”

Brody pulls me into his side again, still looking at Aiden. “I want Elise here tonight. Tell her to expect to stay until this comes to an end.”

Brody

LETTING OUT
a roar, I power up into Izzy one last time and let myself go. She immediately falls against my chest, gasping for breath. We both lay still for a second, just enjoying being connected, before she runs her sweet lips over my collarbone. My hand runs up her slick back as I try to calm my racing heart.

She slowly rolls off of me and curls herself into my side. “That was amazing.”

“Hell yeah, it was,” I reply, brushing her beautiful blonde hair from her face.  

The first time I was with her, I thought nothing could be better, but I was wrong. A smile crosses my face as I think of how it gets better every time we come together. It’s as if we know just exactly what the other wants and needs. It’s more pleasurable than anything I could imagine. The sound of her stomach growling brings my attention back to her.  

“Are you hungry, babe?” I ask, placing a gentle kiss against Izzy’s bare shoulder. 

She lets out a nearly silent laugh before looking at me. “Well, you could say that I definitely worked up an appetite.”

“We sure did,” I say, slapping her ass playfully. “Get dressed, and I’ll get us something.”

She rolls out of bed and heads to the dresser. I watch as she pulls a tank top over her head and have to fight my dick from going hard again. Realizing that’s impossible, I climb from the bed and grab my jeans from the floor. I don’t even bother with a shirt, just button up and walk over to her. 

Just as she finishes buttoning her jeans, I grab her hand and pull her into the hall. We walk down the stairs, hand and hand. “What do you want to eat?”

She smiles at me, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m thinking just a sandwich and some chips. Maybe a beer?”

I lead her into the living room and nod to the couch. “Get comfortable. I’ll grab the food.”

She raises her hand and pushes a stray lock behind her ear. “Do you want me to help?”

I love being able to do things for her. For years, I was unable to take care of her, so now, I take any chance I can get. “No, baby,” I tell her, placing a kiss against her lips. 

I walk out of the room, a smile on my face. As I enter the kitchen, I see Finn sitting at the table, shoveling food into his mouth. “Hey, cuz. What are you doing here?”

He nods to his plate before answering. “Blair was cooking, so I figured I better come over here and grab something before I have to force her food down.”

Letting out a laugh, I pull out two plates. “I want you to do a little recon tomorrow.”

Finn looks up at me, a question on his face. “Anything you need, Alpha.”

“Izzy will always come first, but I can’t forget about the rogues. I want you to see if you can get information about their plans.”

“I already did that. Heard through the grapevine that they’re laying low,” he says, tossing back a drink. “Also heard they have been working with a witch.”

“Where the hell did you hear that?” I ask, annoyed that he waited to give me this information. 

“You know Blair and Elise are close,” he responds with a shrug. “They were talking on the phone last night, and Elise mentioned talking with her coven.”

“Don’t make me pull it out of you. Just tell me what you know,” I growl out, ready to sink my teeth into him. 

“That’s about it. She just told Blair that the rogues were working with a witch. She also said the witch wasn’t part of her coven or any other she knew of,” Finn says before filling his fork again. “I plan on going to the head of her coven and having a talk with him. Maybe he can put us on the track to the witch who did this shit.”

“Keep me updated,” I order, still pissed at being kept in the dark even for one night. “You call me the minute you learn anything.”

“I will,” he agrees, smiling my way. “You’re gonna have to sound proof your room, you know.”

I open the fridge, not looking at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Everyone is getting tired of listening to you and Izzy go at it. It’s hard to look her in the face when we’ve just spent hours listening to her beg you to fuck her harder,” he says, stuffing another bite into his mouth. 

“Whatever,” I mumble, realizing he wants to change the subject. “Learn to deal with it. I remember listening to you and Blair go at it non-stop ‘til you moved into the cottage. I put up with that crap, so can all the rest of you bastards.”

He lets out a laugh before standing up and bringing his empty plate to the sink. “When are you gonna let her out long enough to meet my mate?”

I knew this was coming. All the mates want to meet her, but I’m just not ready yet. It’s doubtful I ever will be, so I guess I may as well get the shit over with. “Bring her over tonight for dinner. We’re gonna have haggis, so you’d be here, anyway.”

He lets out a low whistle, leaning against the counter top. “Hell, I haven’t had haggis in forever.”

Shaking my head, I plate each sandwich then put everything back in the fridge. “Me either, but I can’t say I’ve missed it.”

“If you don’t like it, why are we having it?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Bile rushes up my throat as the thought of sheep innards hits my mind. “She’s been eating everything she can get her hands on, but she says she’s missing stuff from back in the day. If my mate wants haggis, that’s what she’ll get.”

“Gotcha.” Finn laughs, pushing himself off the counter then walking to the back door. 

I ignore his laughter and head back to the living room. Juggling the plates, I walk over to the couch and see Izzy spread across it, watching the television. Moving toward her, I place the plates, chips, and beers on the table and plop down by her feet. “Whatcha’ watching?”

Her eyes never leave the screen as she answers. “The Breakfast Club.”

I pick up my plate and take a bite, then pop open my beer. “I haven’t seen this in years.”

She finally moves, picking up her own plate. “I love this movie. It’s one of my favorites.”

I’m about to take another bite when a thought hits me. She’s been by my side since the day she was released from her prison. Hell, just leaving her to go make the sandwiches damn near killed me. I want her with me at all times, so I can protect her.

 “When did you have time to watch it?”

She places her plate on the table and turns to look at me, her eyes filled with aggravation. “How many times do I have to tell you, I was with you for every minute of every day for the last eight-hundred years?”

“I know that, but I didn’t realize you watched TV while you were imprisoned.” I wonder what her reaction was to all the pornos I’ve watched over the years. 

Her aggravation is gone when she says, “I saw it the first time, when you watched it down here with the guys. Then, I watched it dozens of other times when you left the TV on, while you were sleeping. It’s not like I had much else to do.”

Grabbing a handful of chips, I look to the TV. "I can’t believe, out of all the movies you must have been forced to watch over the years, this is one of your favorites."

She looks at me and shakes her head. “It’s amazing. It shows how we’re all the same on the inside. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Judd Nelson is such a hunk.”

My wolf lets out a little growl, letting me know he doesn’t like our mate looking at other men. “Which one is he?”

"The stoner,” she replies, taking a drink of her beer. “He’s the bad boy. Girls always love a bad boy.”

This time, he doesn’t just growl, he nearly rips my insides apart. “Well, you got your bad boy, so you can quit looking at him.”

The next thing I know, Izzy is in my lap and our plates are hitting the floor. “Is my wolf jealous?”

My lips meet hers, and I place a gentle kiss against them. “Maybe a little.”

She doesn’t say anything back. Instead, she deepens the kiss, letting me get a taste of her. My tongue explores her, tasting the beer and that sweet taste that is all Izzy. She presses her body up to mine, crushing her tits against my chest. My cock instantly goes hard, and I can’t stop myself from grinding into her. Even though I just had her, I want back inside her right now. 

She moans into my mouth, grinding down on my hardness. “I need you, Brody.”

I’m about to pick her up and carry her upstairs, when the sound of a throat clearing draws my attention. Pulling away from her, I look behind us and see my brothers standing there. They both have shit-eating grins on their faces. 

“What do the two of you want?” I bark out as Izzy laughs and buries her head against my neck. 

Aiden walks to the couch and takes Izzy’s empty spot. “We just wanted to spend some time with Izzy.”

“Yeah, you’ve kept her locked in your room since she got here,” Caleb says, walking over to sit on a chair beside us. “She’s our sister now. We should get to see her every now and then.”

I’m just about to tell them to fuck off, when Izzy pulls back and leans over to smile at my brothers. “Wanna watch The Breakfast Club with us?”

“Hell yeah,” Caleb mumbles, getting comfortable in his seat. 

Aiden grabs my beer from the table and takes a drink. “This movie is the shit.”

I let out a frustrated moan, leaning my head back to rest on the back of the couch. “Fuck me.”