Microsoft Word - Book 12 FINAL Read online

  Trace laughed and rolled his eyes. The night they had gone back to her place to rest after the attack had been good for them. Though they hadn’t been able to formally claim her yet, they had at least progressed past the hand holding stage. He thought it was adorable how traditional she was. She wanted to wait until their home was complete before they claimed her. But, after discussing things further, they had to make some adjustments. Bama knew they would be talking about the situation tonight. She knew what she had to do for her men Trace needed to claim his spot on the Council every day they delayed put the Council and the prophecy in danger. And to be honest she didn’t really want to be separated from them. She needed them.

  "Yes, Bama, you will be able to decorate. In fact, if everything is good today, I have a present for you," Trace said and laughed when she grinned at him.

  "Hmm a present, Shane, what kind of present is Trace planning for me?"

  Shane looked at his mates and laughed. Trace was the serious one on the trio; he was the voice of reason. Bama figured them out quickly. Shane was more relaxed and tended to give away secrets that Trace had, like the rings they had bought her. Griff, the jeweler in town, had brought them out for Trace and Shane, so they could present the rings formally to her. They planned on making a night of it and then formally requesting to claim her from her mother. But Shane and his big mouth got in the way.

  Bama's mother, who had come for a short visit, had been happy and gave her blessing when she found Bama with the rings in her hand. After Shane had picked them up at the jewelers, he’d accidentally left them on the table where she found them.

  They learned very early that their mate was not patient when it came to things like this.

  Trace and Shane had taken the rings and hid them until they picked the right time to give them to her. Not that it stopped her from looking; she would try to be sly about snooping in their rooms, saying she needed a book, or a pen, and be gone for an hour.

  When they returned to their rooms, Shane and Trace would find things out of place. She may be a good spy on the outside, but with her mates, she didn't care if they knew she was looking for things.

  They talked to her mother. It was customary in her country to have a full wedding mass and then as the eldest daughter of the Peck a special Harpy ceremony. From beginning to end, the joining ceremony could last almost six hours. The current state of affairs with the Council would make it impossible for them to be away for long periods of time.

  So they compromised. Bama's mother would come to the ceremony for the people who needed to bear witness to their mating. That much of the harpy joining ceremony would be preserved and instead of a full mass, they would have a simpler wedding with a priest and a shaman speaking words and blessing their union. At some point in the future, they would go to her homeland and mark it with a traditional celebration.

  Trace pulled her to him and kissed her gently, then looked at Shane. "Ready?"

  "Not quite yet,” he said and pulled Bama to him and kissed her softly too. "I just needed a good morning wake up kiss."

  Bama laughed and then grabbed both of their hands and pulled them behind her. "No more stalling. I need to see my new nest."

  Both men smiled indulgently at her and followed. She was a force to be reckoned with.

  So far, they played by her rules, formal courting and all. But they were not going to wait for much longer, and they suspected neither would she. In the last few days, their goodnight kisses had grown to the point where they had all been unsatisfied. Trace and Shane was the ones to stop them, not wanting to give her a reason to push anything back.

  They drove to their piece of land they had picked, and Trace smiled when he heard her gasp as it came into view. The land that Trace picked was lush with trees. It was needed for the kind of design he requested from the architect.

  Their huge house would sit on top of tall stilts and surrounded by trees. The windows peaking out through the leaves would be the only indication that there was even a house there. They saw a group of cars parked by the construction trailer that had been dropped off earlier in the day. Trace slowed the car and pulled into the circle of cars; the trailer was brought to the site to serve as its headquarters.

  "Oh, they’re all here; I am so excited, and who is our main contractor?" she asked.

  "Sid's oldest brother, Brian. He is right there in the middle, and our architect is the short man; his name is Sam. The other guys are crew chiefs for the separate building phases framing, plumbing, electrical, etc." Trace said. "Let's go and see what they have."

  The three got out of the truck and then walked to where the men were gathered waiting for them. Trace introduced everyone to his mates, and Brian showed them where he’d spread out the plans on his truck's tailgate. They all gathered around.

  "Trace wanted a special garage, so this top one is the plans for it," Sam started and explained the bottom floor of the house. It was circular, and spaces for their cars were clearly marked. Bama nodded when she saw the drawing and began to picture it in her head. Sam pointed to the middle of the drawing and said staircase where there was none drawn.

  "What staircase?" she asked when she saw the notation on the sheet.

  "This one,” Shane said and pointed to a separate page. Sam began to explain how the stairs would be in the ceiling, and descend when they pushed a button. That was a part of the garage that no one was allowed to park, because it would be for storage and also the descending stairs.

  "This was my idea; I didn't want you to have to walk outside when the snow came," he said sheepishly and then pointed to another place on the wall.

  "You see, we have to park on that side of the garage," Trace said and pointed. She was glad to see there was plenty of room for three cars if they parked right. She nodded.

  "This is very, what's the word, cool?"

  Trace laughed and then nodded and asked the architect to continue with the explanation. "If I may, I have a 3D rendering of what the place will look like when it’s finished. It would be easier to show her, so she can make changes if she wants to."

  Trace nodded when Bama clapped. "Of course, apparently my mate agrees also."

  The small man took out a computer and set it up, so he could show them frame by frame how the house would look. Trace grinned when he saw that he had it saved under a bird symbol, he could tell Sam had worked on the other's houses also, because there were wolves of different colors, and bears, even a small wand for a witch.

  "First the stairs," the man said and showed her how they would descend from the ceiling. She grinned as she pictured it in her mind from the animation, it looked real but with no color, and she was all about the color. It really was 'cool', she thought, and then frowned when she saw the other door in the basement.

  "And that?" she asked.

  "Oh, that is another thing your mates insisted on, was an elevator, so you won't have to walk the stairs when you’re pregnant," Sam said and blushed.

  She turned to her mates, and they saw the glistening of tears forming in her eyes at their thoughtfulness. Sam continued to explain what she was seeing. The stairs entered the center of their nest. She looked at the 3D program and smiled. The wide-open rooms made her happy. On one side, there was a large open living room area. She smiled when she thought of the ways she could decorate it and make it into a home for them.

  Then in front, there was a wall that separated the rooms and led into a dining area. She could not wait to have their friends over for a meal. The kitchen was off to the left. It was huge; she loved the black marble and the wood floors shown her in the rendering. It was just like the floor samples; she and her mates had looked at and chosen. It was great that the architect had this software, so they could do this virtual walk-through of their home. She looked forward to visiting the decorator showcase building the other ladies had told her about. Now that they had approved plans, she could begin picking out wall colors and fabrics, furniture and decorative items. She also had ideas of things she
wanted to bring from Venezuela to show off her heritage as well as items to showcase the heritage of her mates. They shaped their home as an octagon per Navajo practices. She moved the mouse turning the computer's viewpoint, and she could see another staircase and two other rooms behind it.

  Bama smiled and said, "What are those?"

  "Offices, one is yours, and one is Shane’s and mine. We have it all set up with the internet and everything you will need. It’s going to be a smart house with the electronics and wireless built in.” Trace said.

  Bama grinned and began thinking about the furniture she would get for her men's office; they deserved to have rich cherry oak desks that made them look like kings. Her vision was coming together. She raised an eyebrow at the stairs, and Shane laughed.

  "That would be the bedrooms and a media center, as well as a gym."

  She clapped her hands and said, "Amazing. I love all the windows; we can see all around us. Some of the eagles already know this is where we’ll be they have already begun nesting."

  Trace smiled indulgently and said, "They started them when we picked out the site.

  Shane and I have made sure no one will disturb their nests."

  This was a place she could relax and feel at home. Bama was so excited to get started. It was as if they could read her mind because Trace said, "Well, should we give them the okay to begin?"

  She gave the plans another complete full inspection. She loved everything about it making only a few adjustments and requests of the architect and builder. As she realized that, all her dreams were coming true; she became more and more excited.

  Bama turned to her mates and grinned. They had done everything she had asked them, no matter how strange. Bama nodded and after that hugged her mates and began to plan. It was never too early to get things moving, and they would just have to store the things she bought so they would be ready when the house was done. They finished the meeting, and then when the men all left, the three of them stood in the place that their house was going to be and looked around. Bama fell in love with the place; it was going to be perfect.

  Most shifters would have demanded the mating weeks ago. But her mates had held off and courted her. Dinners, dancing, and moonlight strolls. The stolen kisses and small petting drove her to the breaking point the other night. If they had not called a halt to it, she knew she would have demanded her mating that night.

  Not that it mattered; it was just something she had been raised to think. Her mother was very old-fashioned, and she had raised Bama in their traditions, as Bama was the eldest daughter of the Peck, she was also required to set an example for others. She knew her mother wanted her daughter to be happy. Bama could almost hear the lecture that her mother would give her. Her men had been respectful and done exactly what she asked. She knew they had received a little bit of ribbing from the other men on the Council. But they had taken it well and then pointed out the men’s lack of romance when it came to their mates. It had become a contest of sorts, one that was supposed to begin shortly. She was not aware of the specifics, but she had overheard them planning.

  Bama had thought it was funny and talked to the girls about it. They had plans of their own to tease the men. All-in-all, it was turning out to be fun and the light-hearted competition was what they all needed right after the challenge, attacks, the battle, and the loss of Oliver. But the others on the Council were far worse off than she.

  Shaking off her thoughts, she took another look around the site and the plans. She asked the architect to send her the rendering, so she could use it to make design plans and get measurements. A shopping trip was going to be in order. She pulled out her cell, texted Cami to let everyone know the decorator would be here in the afternoon, and then they would get to go together to look at fabric samples and color schemes for her nest. Most of the other ladies already chose and purchased their furnishings, only she and Skye; we're starting from scratch though. Skye said Argus, and Jacob was planning on bringing some favorite pieces from the house in Texas. This was going to be fun.

  Trace moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Shane came and stood in front of her so her men surrounded her. She felt a deep connection and contentment.

  This is the way it was supposed to be. Her mother had been right when you found the correct mate everything could be wonderful.

  Shane leaned in and kissed her gently at first. She loved how they both felt differently.

  Shane was gentle and firm when he kissed her. In their cultures, the females were dominant. And she was definitely not a shrinking violet, but her mates took a firm hand with her when it came to mating. She was looking forward to giving control over to her mates in this most private and personal part of their lives together; Bama knew that in the future it would be her release. To be able to give over the control and power for a while knowing the result would be a great pleasure for all of them. Regardless of Trace's spot on the Council, she had other responsibilities.

  Bama was opening a shop in town that sold clothes, and she was looking forward to working with her soon to be mother in law. She loved having designer things and dressing in a feminine manner. And just because she was moving to another country didn’t relieve her of the duties to her family and their Parliament. Her family was very politically involved with the shifter community and so therefore so was she.

  She leaned into Shane and accepted everything he was giving her and then sighed when she felt Trace begin to kiss her neck and shoulder. She loved how he kissed; also, Trace was a lot more dominant than Shane was. She smiled to herself when she thought of them all together. It would be nicely choreographed by Trace; he was a little particular about it. She didn’t mind, and Shane seemed to be easy going enough to not to mind either.

  Trace let his hands roam around to her front and cup her breasts from behind. She was taller than both of her men were, but they didn’t care. Shane pulled her head to one side and deepened the kiss. She wanted to jump for joy at the feelings she was having.

  Seeing all the other mated Council members had made her long for the closeness that they would feel.

  "Baby, I can't wait to claim you as mine. I’m counting the days to our wedding and getting a serious case of blue balls with all this waiting.” Trace whispered in her ear and then nipped her lobe. She felt a shiver run through her at the thought.

  "Shane and I have already talked about it. We want the first time to be special. Until we can stretch out this pretty little ass, so we can take you together, we are going to overwhelm you with sex. You are not going to get out of our bed for a week when we finally take you. And it is gonna be soon. I don't think we can put it off much longer, for several reasons. One being I have to officially take my spot on the Council, and second, I don't think I can keep my hands off you for much longer. The cold showers aren't working any more. I think your first purchase should be a king-size bed and a refrigerator full of prepared food."

  Shane pulled back and smiled down at her, "And lots of whipped cream."

  She laughed and said, "I won’t forget the chocolate sauce either."

  "Good, now give me a kiss. We have another meeting in a few minutes, and I don't think I can wait for that long,” Trace said and turned her around and smiled at her.

  Bama grinned and whispered to him, "Now we can't have you missing out."

  ***

  "Seriously Bama, you’ve decided not to wait until after the wedding?” Cami exclaimed loudly when Bama, and the others were lying on all the mattresses to see how they felt.

  "Jo, look up the betting stats and tell us who won the pot?”

  Bama gave Cami a look “What pot and what does cooking have to do with betting?”

  Cami and the others just laughed, and she explained, “We all knew you wouldn’t last until the wedding Bama, not with those two hunky men you’ve got. I’ve seen several of the unmated females pant after they’ve heard Trace’s drawl or laughed at one of Shane’s corny jokes. So we started a betting pool on how long it w
ould be until you gave in.” At the look on Bama’s face, they all started laughing again. “So Jo, tell us who won.”

  Jo looked up from her cell phone where she was checking the bets, “Bama will you be claiming your mates before or after midnight, on Sunday?” She asked with a twinkle in her eye. “Because Trinity has Sunday, and Jordan has Monday.” They all laughed and then Trinity spoke up. “That’s okay, since the winner was going to spend the money on a gift for Bama anyway, I’ll split it with Jordan, and we can help each other pick out the perfect gift. Anything more would be too much information!” and she blushed bright pink. Bama let out a relieved breath; she firmly believed in privacy behind bedroom doors; that's what soundproofing and locks, were for.

  “You totally have to get this bed delivered today along with all the other bedroom furniture and linens that you want. Since your house won’t be ready for a couple of months and me and my mates already have our house set up, we’ll turn over our suite at the B&B to you and your mates. So you’ll have your privacy with your guys and your new furniture and things around you. So hurry up and buy it, and then we can go see Willow and all buy lingerie, she’s started to stockpile inventory for when you open your store. Come on girls we have a mission here. Bama is finally going to take the plunge. I think we can get everything ready Sunday if we put our heads together."

  They all laughed. Bama felt so included in the pack, as they all chuckled and started running around and pointing out bedside tables and sheets to get her approval. Though they had all chosen the basics for their homes, they had all been impressed with Bama’s decorating skills. So far, they had at least four trucks of furniture that was loaded into their houses earlier. Bama and a local decorator worked together and actually made plans for each of them, focusing on their separate personalities and those of their mates.