Every Angelic Moment Page 7

  She opened her mouth to ask if they were sure, but Brin put his finger on her lips and silenced her. “This is the right choice for our family, sweetheart. It’s what we want, and what you want. What better choice could we make?”

  Her eyes stung at the sweet gesture.

  She was falling hard for her mates. She marveled at how quickly a word like ‘mate’ had become normal to her. As a human, she’d always thought the word odd and unappealing. Something more feral than romantic. But now, after being with them, after feeling the surge of possessiveness that the word evoked, she knew it was feral, but also romantic. Romantically feral? Or ferally romantic? Either way, she loved the word, and she was quickly coming to love her mates.

  Brin rubbed her bottom lip gently and smiled. “As long as you’re happy, we’re happy, and I think that goes both ways.”

  “It does.” She could practically feel their happiness in the center of her being. “Do you need to give notice to your boss at the construction company?”

  Quill said, “I called yesterday and told the foreman that we’d been offered jobs elsewhere. I offered to give him two weeks’ notice, but he said that since we were near the end of a job anyway, it was good timing, so we’re ready to start. Tomorrow, of course.” He gave her a wink and she grinned.

  “Of course.”

  After finishing their light breakfast, she cleaned the table and pushed in the chairs while Brin did the dishes. “Can I just say that I hope the cabin we pick has a dishwasher?”

  She clucked. “Getting dishwater hands, honey?”

  He barked out a laugh and flicked suds at her. “Yes. But mostly I hope that it does so I can have more time to make you smile.”

  She reached for the towel on the counter and dabbed at the bubbles that stuck to her shirt, then dried the dishes. She liked being in the kitchen with him. It was nice to share something mundane with someone she liked so much.

  Brierley came into the kitchen, yawning and rubbing her eyes. “Morning,” she said, half grumbling the word.

  Angel turned to look at her. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her mouth was drawn into a frown. The normally cheerful female looked miserable. Immediately she wondered if their late-night tumble in the sheets had woken her up. A blush heated her cheeks. “Are you okay, B?”

  Letting out a long sigh, Brierley said, “I had a weird dream.”

  The heat left her cheeks. Thankful that their late-night pleasures hadn’t caused Brierley’s unhappiness, Angel put her hand on her shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Brierley blinked big blue eyes at Angel, looking both impossibly young and far too old at the same time. “Thanks, but no. I don’t think talking will help me sort anything out, and I just want to get something to eat and go back to sleep. Are you guys leaving?”

  “We’re going to look at the larger cabins and pick one. We’ll have to spend a few days cleaning, and then on Saturday we’re having our mating ceremony, so we’ll be out of touch for twenty-four hours.”

  Brin said, “Longer than that, actually. After the ceremony Saturday night, we’ll spend twenty-four hours locked up together, and then we’ll be too exhausted to do anything but rest after that. So maybe we’ll be around Monday night.”

  Brierley smiled. “I’m glad you found your mates.”

  “I hope you find yours, too,” Angel said.

  After saying goodbye, she and Brin walked to the front door.

  “Ready, sweetness?” Ian asked when they met him and Quill at the front door. Quill held the map.

  “You bet,” she said.

  They left, opting to walk to the cabins instead of driving. It was a beautiful morning, and she was looking forward to the walk. Each chance she got to talk to her mates only increased her feelings for them. They weren’t just sexy, they didn’t just rock her world every time they touched her – they were sweet and amazing, the sort of men that she’d read about in romance novels as a teenager. She hadn’t thought guys like them really existed.

  It took three hours for them to check out the five available three-and four-bedroom cabins. It was at the last one, on the other side of the campground from the cabin she shared with Brierley, that they all agreed they’d found their place. It was a four-bedroom, with a large porch, partially surrounded by big trees that made it seem more private than the others.

  The family room was large, with a stone fireplace and a mantel made from a polished log. The eat-in kitchen had a breakfast nook that overlooked the woods and to Brin’s happy discovery, a dishwasher.

  Three of the bedrooms were on one side of hall, along with a bathroom, and the fourth bedroom, which turned out to be the master suite, was on the other side of the hall. There were french doors that led to a small deck, a bathroom with a glass-enclosed shower, and a four-poster bed.

  “Finally, a king-sized bed,” Brin said as he sat down, bouncing with the motion. “Let’s christen it.”

  Angel laughed but wrinkled her nose. “Um, ew. Other people have slept on those sheets and done who knows what else on them. We need new sheets first.”

  Quill raised a brow. “I know they clean the sheets between guests.”

  “Yeah, but still. We need our own, new sheets.”

  Brin grinned. “Sure I can’t tempt you?”

  “You know you can,” she answered.

  Ian lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “New sheets first. Then we’ll start off the christening in here.”

  “Oh?” she asked, heat singing through her at the simple touch of his lips to her skin.

  “Bed first. Then shower, then family room and kitchen. Plus the deck.” He wiggled his brows.

  “We’re going to be busy,” she murmured.

  “Extremely.”

  Quill said, “Sweetheart, is this the one you like best?”

  She turned and leaned against Ian’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her with a contented sigh. “Yeah. It’s perfect. Private, plenty of bedrooms, plus that fireplace will be wonderful in the winter. Do you all like it? To be honest, I’m happy to be anywhere, as long as we’re all together.”

  Ian’s hands flexed against her, a soft growl vibrating against her back. “We’ll always be together.”

  She sighed, a most feminine sound, and said, “It needs to be cleaned top to bottom. Plus new linens. Do you think we can finish in a week?”

  “With all of us working, of course,” Quill said.

  “You’ll have responsibilities here, though,” she pointed out. They’d been offered jobs, and they weren’t going to be paid to just take care of their own clan.

  “We’ll manage, sweetheart,” Brin said. “We absolutely want to mate you properly on Saturday night, and that means the house will be ready for us. There’s a lot to do, but we’re just the males for the job.”

  “Okay. Let’s go check in with our bosses and then get to work.” It would be Saturday night before they knew it, and she wanted the house to be perfect for them. She was uncertain what the ceremony entailed, but she knew that Ally would answer any questions she had, and her mates would tell her whatever she wanted to know, too.

  Chapter 8

  On Tuesday morning, Brin carried a load of groceries through the campground’s main cabin and the large kitchen beyond the front desk. Richard, who was the oldest of his brothers, had assigned duties to Brin and his brothers. Brin hadn’t needed to ask to be assigned to cleaning with Angel, because that was the job that Richard had given him. There were thirty cabins in the campground, along with spaces for RVs and campers, with hookups for electricity and water. He and Angel would be cleaning the cabins for the gathering in November, as well as preparing the cabins that were reserved for guests staying at the campground before the gathering. Fall was their busiest time of year, with most guests staying anywhere from a long weekend to a full week. Aside from activities provided by the campground, such as hiking, fishing, and nature walks, the town of Little Hope had plenty to offer, including restaurants and s
easonal festivals.

  Ally had asked for someone to make a grocery run that morning when they’d reported for duty, and Brin and Angel had been happy to volunteer. The campground was self-serve when it came to food, each guest responsible for their meals, but Ally cooked two meals a day for their baro and had needed to restock supplies.

  “I found a roadside stand with fresh eggs,” Brin said as he set a reusable fabric grocery bag on the island. “I picked up three dozen.”

  “That’s awesome! I thought it would be fun to raise chickens here, but you wouldn’t believe how terrified they are around predator shifters,” Ally said.

  Angel followed, her arms laden with bags. She set them down and then handed Ally her credit card and receipt. “The only thing they didn’t have on the list was blackberries. The produce manager said there was a problem with the crops in the area this year, so they’ve been hard to come by.”

  Ally nodded. “Too much rain and then not enough. I guess I won’t make blackberry cobbler this weekend.”

  Brin and Angel brought in the remainder of the groceries for Ally. “We’re going to head to Cabin One to clean for the guests coming in tomorrow,” he said.

  “Don’t forget to stop by for lunch. I’m making grilled chicken wraps.”

  Angel waved and they left the kitchen, heading to the storage room where they picked up the gear they needed to clean. In minutes, they’d looked over the bosses’ cleaning checklist, divvied up the duties, and gotten to work. Angel liked to listen to music while she cleaned, and Brin did too.

  If someone had told him six months ago that he’d look forward to cleaning a cabin for someone else to sleep in, he’d have suggested a mental health checkup. But working with Angel made everything better. It was easy to tell that he was falling for her. She was everything he’d ever wanted, and she brought him and his brothers closer together.

  “What’s that sweet smile for?” she asked as she pushed the vacuum into the hallway outside of the bathroom he was cleaning.

  “Just thinking how crazy I am about you.”

  She gifted him with the smile he loved the most, the one that made her eyes dance and a dimple form in one cheek.

  “I’m crazy about you, too.”

  When they finished cleaning the cabin, they dropped off the supplies in the next one, which they would start on the following day. Then they headed to eat lunch with their bosses. His brothers were already there, talking to the others about the work to be done around the campground. Ian was helping Richard and Troy with a cabin remodel. One of the cabins had a leaky roof, which had significantly damaged the interior. Quill was working with Harry, Mark, and Taylor on clearing out one of the hiking trails, and cutting wood.

  Angel kissed his brothers, and they sat down at the large kitchen table.

  “How’s your day been?” Angel asked.

  “Great, sweetness,” Ian said. “Yours?”

  “Good. I can’t wait to get to our new place and get it cleaned up.”

  Quill said, “Us, too. Saturday will be here before we know it.”

  Ally said, “Oh! I have a surprise for you four.”

  She stood and walked out of the kitchen, returning a few moments later with a stack of dark green fabric. “Brierley and I found these in an old storage box in the attic last weekend.”

  Angel took the fabric and set it on the table, and then lifted one section. “Curtains! I love the color.”

  “I think we bought them for one of the cabins but must have never put them up. I don’t think they’ve ever been used. You’re welcome to them if you’d like.”

  Angel smiled. “I think they’ll go perfectly in the master bedroom. It’s Quill’s favorite color.”

  He winked at her. “I’m a little more partial to blue, now.”

  Her blue eyes twinkled at the compliment.

  Conversation turned to the things that needed to be done that week, and Brin leaned over and kissed Angel’s cheek. “I like blue, too.”

  She wrinkled her nose as she smiled. “I don’t know what to do with all these compliments. It’s giving me quite an ego.”

  “Get used to it, sweetness,” Ian said. “We’ll never stop.”

  * * *

  Quill knocked on the open door of the office. “Hey Richard, got a minute?”

  Richard looked up from the monitor. “Sure, Quill. Have a seat.”

  He sat down in a padded leather chair across from Richard’s desk. The large office had four desks, but was empty save for the oldest brother. Quill cleared his throat, trying to dislodge the sudden emotional lump. “I wanted to talk to you about the mating ceremony.”

  His brows rose. “Sure. What can I tell you?”

  “I…my brothers and I don’t know much about the ceremony. I mean, we know the words, but we don’t know how to get the supplies or what the tattoos are supposed to look like.”

  “Your dad didn’t share that with you?”

  “He wouldn’t talk about his mating with our mother and other fathers. Every time he thought about that time, it choked him up so badly that he had to leave the room. When I was sixteen, he finally said that he thought it was time I learned about the ceremony.” Davion had written down the words for the ceremony. As the oldest male, it was Quill’s job to lead the ritual and recite the vows. As Davion had described it to him, he’d grown increasingly forlorn and then stopped, saying he couldn’t continue. That had been the first and last time their dad had wanted to talk about the subject. “I know the words, and after having been at gatherings, we’ve heard some of what goes into the ceremony, but I’m feeling really lost right now.”

  Richard nodded. “I’m sorry that you’re floundering, but don’t worry. My clan and I are here for you.”

  He opened the desk drawer and pulled out a pad of paper, then clicked a pen and began to write. “You need soap made of rosemary. There’s a shop in town that sells handmade soaps, I’m pretty sure there will be rosemary soap there. Then you need black clothing – a skirt and top for her, something that is stretchy and doesn’t get in the way of the markings – and you and your brothers will wear black pants. We have the iron platform to use for the ash marking; you can borrow ours. The platform will hold the flame that you use to burn the rosemary and a lock of hair from one of you and Angel.”

  The ceremony was simple but special to their people, and as Richard explained the parts of it, the knowledge eased Quill’s mind.

  “You’ll close up the house for twenty-four hours. And by ‘close up,’ I mean that you shut every door in the house, and you cover up the windows so it’s kind of like a cave. Of course, you’ll leave the bathroom open, but otherwise you don’t leave the den. Once it’s been twenty-four hours, clean up and go to bed. You’ll need your rest.”

  Quill chuckled. “Did your parents help you plan the ceremony?”

  “Yeah. Our mom was so happy when we found Ally. They were the best of friends until she passed away a few years ago. I’m thankful that Angel and Brierley came here to live. Ally always wanted to have more kids, a little girl she could be close to, but it wasn’t in the cards for us. When the girls came here, it meant so much to Ally to have some female friends. I think it’s hard being surrounded by so much testosterone.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  “Now, about the tattoos,” Richard said. He lifted his hands and showed Quill the black tattoos on his ring fingers. “The left ring contains the names of our clan members in the ancient language of our people. I’m writing down a website for you which will help you find the symbols and print them out for the tattooist. The right ring is the vow that you’re making to your clan: to keep your mate, your children, and each other safe.”

  “Is there a tattoo shop in town?”

  “Not in Little Hope, but in Foster there’s one, and the fellow who owns it – Barney Fitzgerald – is a rogue wolf shifter with a great reputation. I’m writing his number down, too. If you tell him that we sent you, and what the tattoos are for, I’m sure he�
��ll be able to fit you in. It’s important that you don’t show the tattoos to Angel until you’re done with the ceremony on Saturday night, so you’ll want to have gloves on after you get them done, either Friday or Saturday.”

  Quill sat back and exhaled. “There’s a lot to accomplish.”

  “Yes, but you’ll do fine. The ceremony is important because it bonds your hyenas to her fully in the ways of our ancestors, but what really counts is the physical marking with your fangs. Everything else pales beside that.”

  His beast wanted to bite her all the time, wanted to see the mark in her flesh and know she was theirs forever.

  “Thank you for everything.”

  “You’re welcome. Angel is like our adopted daughter, and so is Brierley. So that makes us family. When you’ve settled in after your mating, we’ll ask you to join our baro officially, so keep that in mind and discuss it with your clan. We’d love to have you.”

  Quill had never been part of a baro. For some reason, his parents had never been part of one, and it had always just been their clan. He’d been jealous of baros, the groups of clans that lived and worked together, because they had each other for support.

  “That’s awesome, I will.”

  Richard stood and shook Quill’s hand. “I’ll talk to Ally about the clothing for Angel. She’ll know exactly what she needs, and I’ll send Troy over with the iron stand later tonight. Let me know if you need anything else.”

  Quill thanked him again, took the paper he’d written the instructions on, and walked outside. A big weight had lifted off his shoulders. Now that he’d reached out to Richard and gotten the information he needed to mate Angel properly, he could breathe easier.

  He stopped by the cabin that Ian was remodeling. “I’m going to run into town for some supplies for Saturday.”

  “You get the details from Richard?” Ian asked.

  “Yeah. Saturday can’t come fast enough.”

  Ian nodded. “I just have to get through Friday first. Then I can focus on what we need to do.”