Every Sunset Forever (Hyena Heat Book 3) Read online

  “What’s keeping you guys? Oh,” Az said as he came into the cabin.

  Fade pulled away from the drugging kiss, much to his beast’s displeasure, and snarled at his brothers.

  Whisper snuggled a little closer and sighed. “I guess we should check out so we can get on our way.”

  Her adopted brothers had left after breakfast, and Bliss and Whisper’s biological brothers were heading directly to Ocean City to meet their family first and wait for them to bring Whisper the next evening. Whisper said that Bliss was too chicken-shit to go to Beyton to introduce her mates to her parents, and Fade could understand that. Even though Whisper’s adopted dad was welcoming them with open arms, he had to think it was odd for her to come home with multiple mates, considering that it was a foreign custom to wolves.

  They walked out to the SUV, and Nyte drove them to the registration cabin. Since they needed to check out as well, all four of them walked into the cabin to sign out. Whisper had enjoyed getting to know Ally, and wanted to say goodbye to her personally.

  Richard said, “I’m so glad that Whisper found her mates here. Ally’s been worried about her.”

  Troy said, “It’s a fucking thing she went through as a little one; I can’t imagine how insane I’d go if someone had kidnapped one of our boys.”

  Ally and Whisper were hugging and smiling, talking quietly, and Fade nodded. When they had cubs of their own, he’d be sure they were well-protected so that Whisper never knew the heartache her own family had suffered through.

  “We’re not just for gatherings,” Blake said. “We’re open for camping from April through the end of November. We’d love to have you all stop back sometime and visit.”

  Nyte thanked them for their kindness and promised that the clan would visit in the future.

  Fade took Whisper’s hand and said, “Ready to go to see your dad?”

  “Of course. The question is, are you ready to meet your mate’s father?”

  He grinned. “I promise that I’ll be appropriately respectful, since your dad is the alpha. I don’t know what it’s like to be part of a pack, but they took you in and treated you like one of them. That makes them golden in my book.”

  True, he was a little nervous about being accepted by her adopted family. He had no doubts that her biological family would welcome them because they were mates, but wolves were not the same as hyenas.

  Nyte and Az joined them. “Ready, baby?” Nyte asked, bending to kiss her cheek.

  “Absolutely.”

  With a wave to Ally and her mates, they ushered Whisper to the door, ready to begin the next leg of their journey to Dalton, where they could claim her as their own.

  * * * * *

  Quill led his brothers down the narrow trail through the woods towards the main cabin so they could check out. His brothers were feeling defeated, and he couldn’t blame them. How the hell long had they been looking for their mate? Gatherings all over the country since his youngest brother, Brin, turned eighteen — ten years ago.

  He was beginning to wonder if their dad’s insistence that she was out there somewhere was just folly. Their dad had been obsessed with Dawn for more than twenty years, and as a result, they had been as well. Determined to find their mate, who had been stolen from their father’s arms on the day she was to be brought to them.

  Quill vaguely remembered their father telling them that he was bringing their mate home. He’d been young, but the promise of having their mate to take care of had filled him with pride.

  “You’ll be good to her, so good, Quill,” their dad had said as he tucked Quill and his brothers into bed that night. “You’ll watch over her and take care of her until you’re all old enough to be mated, and then you’ll get married like I was married to your mom and shared her with my brothers.”

  “Mum and dads are with the angels,” Brin said.

  Their dad made a choking sound and then cleared his throat. “Yeah, they are, but little Dawn is going to be our salvation. A daughter to me, and a mate for you.”

  “She can have my blanket,” Brin said, lifting his yellow blanket with an elephant embroidered on it.

  Taking it, their dad looked down at it and smiled. “She’ll love it. I’ll wake you when I get back with her, boys. Sleep well. Tomorrow you’ll meet your mate.”

  The babysitter smiled from the doorway and closed the door after their father left. When they woke up in the morning, their father was distraught, saying that Dawn had been kidnapped and he didn’t know where she’d been taken.

  Over the years they had searched, their father becoming obsessed to the point of madness at times. Quill knew that he just wanted his sons to be as happy as he’d been before their mom and his two brothers had been killed. But he and his brothers were growing weary. They wanted to find Dawn, but what if she was dead all these years and they were wasting their lives searching for a woman who had long been in the ground?

  He stepped up onto the porch and reached for the door just as it swung open. A short brunette tumbled against him as she lost her footing, and she squeaked in surprise. “You okay?” he asked, keeping her upright. Then everything froze inside him as he stared down into her caramel-colored eyes.

  A large hand shoved him away forcefully as a male snarled and blocked Quill’s view of the woman. “Don’t. Touch,” he growled.

  Quill put his hands up and took a step back, his heart pounding in his chest. “Sorry.”

  The woman smacked the growling male on the shoulder. “Lighten up, Fade, I almost face-planted on the porch.”

  The male stopped growling and stooped, swinging her up into his arms as she giggled. “I’ll carry you forever then.”

  Their conversation was lost on him as they walked away to an SUV in the parking lot along with two other males. Quickly, Quill snapped a discreet picture of the license plate and then walked off of the porch and dialed his father.

  “I found her,” he said when their father answered. “I found Dawn.”

  Chapter 11

  Whisper took a sip of her drink and looked around the bar. The pack had turned out for her mating party, something her dad and brothers had put together. She was fairly certain that Kross and Kayne had headed home early from the gathering so they could plan a party. The pack never did anything half-assed. Twinkling white lights were strung from the ceiling, and the tables were set with candles and yellow carnations, her favorite flower. The stage was set, and she knew she could have sat out from playing since it was her own party, but she didn’t think she had too many more sessions left with her brothers and she wanted to play as often as she could.

  Her mates sat with her at a large table, with her brothers and Mack. He was talking to Nyte about the pack, and the strange circumstances that led to her finding her biological family. Az leaned close and kissed her temple. “What’s on your mind, sweetheart?”

  She twirled the stick in the drink and watched the ice circle the interior of the glass. “Tomorrow, I guess.”

  In the afternoon they were heading down to Maryland, where she was going to meet her birth family for the first time. The Skype session had been good and had given them all a chance to get used to the idea of finding her. She found it heartening that they’d never given up hope of finding her someday. She’d been so young when she was taken, but they’d loved her, that much was clear. Mack was in good spirits about the situation, promising that he understood her life was changing by leaps and bounds. She knew he loved her, though, and so did Kross and Kayne. No matter where her life took her, she would always have a home in Beyton, and a bedroom over the bar.

  “I’ve never been to Ocean City. Hell, I’ve never been to New Jersey before now, either. Have you been there before?”

  “No. I haven’t been to Maryland. Because of dad’s responsibilities to the pack, we never did any long vacations. We would go to Six Flags every summer, and one of the pack members has a big boat he keeps docked at a marina — we’d go out fishing and crabbing, swimming in the bay,
and hanging out. But outside of this area, I haven’t been too many places.”

  She had a feeling she was going to be doing a ton of visiting in the future. After going to Ocean City, they were heading to Dalton and then eventually down to Tennessee, to visit their family.

  “What’s your house like?” she asked, looking up at him. Her mates were gorgeous, with eyes in varying shades of green and the same straight noses. Fade was the most muscular of the three, with short, dark hair. Nyte was the tallest, and kept his body toned and his hair slightly longer. Az kept his hair the longest so that it dusted the collar of his shirt, and his slim hips and long fingers always made her think wicked things. Of course, since she’d met them, she hadn’t stopped having wicked thoughts.

  “We don’t have one,” Az said.

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  He half-smiled. “We rent a townhouse in Dalton.”

  “I’m confused. I thought you said that the baro always lived in the same territory.”

  Fade rubbed his thumb on the top of her hand. “That’s true. Our baro has a hundred acres in their territory in Dalton, and we could have built there when we moved in, but we didn’t.”

  “Is there a reason?” she asked.

  She didn’t miss the looks that her mates exchanged, including Nyte, who had joined in on the conversation when her dad went behind the bar to help out. Nyte finally said, “We don’t know why we haven’t built yet. I could say it’s because we’ve been busy at work, but that’s not entirely true. I guess we were just waiting for you.”

  Az nodded eagerly. “Now you can help us plan the house, and it can be anything you’d like.”

  She smiled, but inside she felt the same knot that had been with her since she agreed to go to the gathering. Her home was in Beyton. No matter that her biological family was in Ocean City and her mates were in Dalton, she couldn’t imagine living anywhere but here. Hunting with the pack. Teaching piano to kids at the music store. Singing on the weekends.

  Frowning, she shook the thoughts away. She’d known that her life would change when she met her mates, and wasn’t home where you made it, anyway? Couldn’t she make a life for herself with her mates? Of course. Would she trade her mates to stay in Beyton? Hell no.

  Feeling the tension around her, she smiled and said, “I’ve always wanted a bedroom with French doors that you can open at night and let in the fresh air. Maybe overlooking a patio, with flowers that bloom at night so everything smells sweet.”

  Nyte seemed to relax immediately. “That sounds awesome, baby.”

  Az said, “Whatever you want, we’ll make happen.”

  “When we get home, we’ll scout the territory and find the perfect place for us to build. In the meantime, the townhouse is nice, and I’m sure there’s a place for you to teach music lessons. If not in Dalton then somewhere close,” Nyte said.

  Kross stood and cracked his neck. “Come on, Mouse, we should start our set.”

  “Are you nervous?” Az asked as she stood, pushing the chair out with the motion.

  “A little, with you guys here. I’ve never played in front of people that I cared about.” Cared about was an understatement. She felt very strongly towards her mates. She didn’t love them – not yet – but she knew it would happen. After kissing her mates, she maneuvered through the tables to the stage where the band was getting ready. She climbed the steps at the side of the stage and took her place in front of the microphone at the center of the stage.

  Kross strummed his guitar, stepped to his own microphone and said, “Thanks for coming out tonight, everyone. We’re here to celebrate our little sister’s mating to three cool guys – Nyte, Fade, and Azrael.” The pack cheered and clapped, pounding their hands on the tables until the whole bar was filled with the noise. Kross winked at her as the sound died down, and Kayne counted off as their first song of the night began. Her nerves eased as she started to sing, and she lost herself in the music as she had so many times before. Sadness poked at her mind from time to time, because she didn’t think she had too many more of these sessions left, but she forced the thoughts aside. She was starting a new chapter in her life. It wasn’t a time for sadness, but a time to embrace the future, and she really, really wanted to do that. Finding her mates in the crowd, she smiled inwardly at their pleased looks.

  The night was just getting started.

  * * * * *

  Three hours, two sets, and more congratulations than she’d ever had before in her life later, she and her mates said goodnight to her dad and brothers and headed up to her apartment. Her brothers were staying at her dad’s home, which was on the bar’s property but tucked away from the building so he had privacy. She appreciated her brothers giving her the apartment, even though nothing more than kissing had happened between her and her mates.

  “Your dad invited us to breakfast, baby,” Nyte said as she unlocked the front door and he held it open.

  She grinned. “He’s going to make his famous cheesy scrambled eggs with cinnamon raisin toast.” It was her favorite breakfast meal and had been since she was little.

  They followed her into the apartment, and she flicked on the overhead light. At least her brothers hadn’t left the place in shambles after they’d come back from the gathering. “How long have you lived here with your brothers?”

  “Since I was eighteen. They moved in first. Mack built the bar when he first took over the pack to give them a place to go that wasn’t run by humans, and he lived over the bar until he met his mate and built the house for her. We always have dinner together on the weekends, and we’ve been singing at the bar for a long time.”

  “You were beautiful up there,” Fade said, stepping in front of her. His big body overshadowed hers, and she swallowed hard, looking up at him.

  “Thank you.”

  Nyte pressed against her back and pushed her forward gently until she was caged between them and Az took her hand and turned it over, pressing a kiss to her wrist.

  “What does this tattoo mean?” he asked, tracing the curved edges of the design.

  “The ‘C’ is for Callahan, and the wolf and hyena prints are for our different beasts.” She shivered as his fingers barely touched her skin.

  “It’s cool. Sexy.”

  Nyte’s lips touched her neck as his fingers slipped under the hem of her top. Fade caressed her jaw, his eyes smoldering with desire. Az’s fingers brushed lightly up her arm until she was trembling from all of their touches.

  “We should stop,” she said with a breathy tone.

  “Should we, little sweetheart?” Fade’s mouth curved up slightly.

  “You said,” she let out a short gasp as Nyte tugged her collar aside and licked the crux of her neck, “you said we couldn’t do anything until we were in Dalton.”

  Nyte’s hot tongue slid up her neck in a slow glide, and he nipped her ear. “I said we couldn’t make love until we were home, baby, but I never said we couldn’t touch each other. Every time we’re in bed with you, your little pussy smells so delicious that it’s all I can do not to allow us to clan you.”

  The button of her jeans was pulled apart, and the zipper lowered with a grating sound as Az undid it.

  She wasn’t surprised they could tell how much they affected her physically. Even she could smell her arousal, and knowing that they could turned her on even more. Her fingers flexed against Fade’s waist as she parked her hands there, unsure what they wanted to do or how far they wanted to go. She would have been on board for anything, except she knew they didn’t want to mate her here.

  Fade’s mouth descended on hers before she could think any further on the situation, his tongue stroking against hers in a possessive dance. Nyte’s hands slid around to her stomach, his fingers slipping up under her top to play across her heated flesh. She writhed between them as Fade held her captive, his hands framing her face, and Az slowly pushed her jeans down her hips. Nyte lifted her shirt until her breasts were exposed, the soft satin of her bra the only thing
separating her from the heat of his hands.

  As her jeans were pushed down her legs, Az knelt and undid her shoes, tossing them aside and divesting her of everything but her panties. Fade eased away from the drugging kiss with a groan, sucking on her bottom lip once more before saying roughly, “Fuck you smell good, Whisper. I could eat you up.”

  “Me first,” Az said, grinning as he straightened next to her.

  “She still has way too many clothes on.” Nyte squeezed her breasts, his hands molding the soft peaks. His brothers murmured their agreement, and her top was pulled off, the bra tossed aside. Fade hooked his fingers in the sides of her panties, gazing down at her with longing and heat. He drew them down her legs, kneeling as he went, kissing her legs here and there, sending little shivers of pleasure through her.

  Nyte’s hands cupped her breasts, his palms rubbing her nipples until they hardened further. He nipped her neck with his teeth then wrapped his big hands around her waist and began to walk backwards, pulling her with him until he reached the couch. He sat down heavily and pulled her into his lap, with her back pressed to his chest.

  She peeked back at him, and a small smile curled the corner of her mouth as his hands found her breasts again, his thumbs circling her nipples. Her head rolled against his shoulder as she closed her eyes, but then they flew open as she felt her legs being pulled apart and eased over Nyte’s until she was spread wide before a kneeling Az. Fade settled on the couch next to her and Nyte, his hand on her upper thigh, his fingers digging lightly into her flesh.

  Az’s hand rested on her other knee as he knelt between her spread legs. Nyte sank lower into the couch and spread his own legs further, making hers open wider for his brother.