Fated Redemption [Kindred of Arkadia 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (7 page)

“Doc, what’s wrong with them?” Bran demanded.

“It’s the Inner Court. Medical science goes out the window with them. But if I had to hazard a guess, it

would be postpartum depression, times five. It threw Rebecca into a manic state and Kate into a depressed

one. Rebecca’s case was exacerbated by the caffeine.” The men just stared at the doctor in a confused,

dejected horror.

“Look at it this way, gentlemen. It will never be boring.” He turned to Bran and Caleb.

“I’d make up guest rooms for Gabriel, his guard, Liam and Kent plus a few lions. Looks like everyone

is crashing here tonight.”

“We’ll take care of that Alpha,” Riley said, motioning between himself and Logan. Bran nodded his

thanks.

Maddox turned to Aleks. “You might want to let your Ma know she’ll have the boys overnight.” Aleks

rubbed his hand over his face and grabbed his cell phone.

Rhys almost flinched with the doctor turned to him.

“Can you call Gabriel? He’ll be worried about Ashby.” Rhys winced. He was hoping he wouldn’t be the

one to call his prince. He nodded.

“Sure.” He reached for his cell phone and dialed Gabriel’s direct number.

“Rhys? Is everything okay?” Gabriel’s concerned tone for him was warming.

“I’m fine, but Prince Ashby…” That was as far as he got.

“Where is Ashby?” The melodic voice turned dark.

“He’s at the pack house with the Inner Court, looks like they all got whammied by postpartum

depression and espressos. He’s sleeping it off with Rebecca and the others in the pack’s family room,” Rhys

explained, and even though he witnessed the morning first hand it still sounded impossible to him.

“He’s sleeping?” Gabriel sounded relieved.

“Yes, out like a light.”

“I’ll be there soon. Where is Arthur?”

“Ma is watching him, Aidhan and Lucian for the night.”

“Gods bless that woman. Rhys, stay with Ashby until I get there.”

“Of course my prince.”

The line disconnected.

When he turned to face his mate he saw that Moe was leaning against the wall next to the family room

door acting as a guard.

“Crazy day huh?” Moe asked.

“You know, last night I felt like you deserved so much more. That I was destined to be a burden on you

for all eternity.”

“Sounds like you changed your mind.”

“You have it better than Aleks. Even with my addiction.” Rhys smirked.

“Hey!” Aleks whispered harshly.

Moe simply covered his mouth and walked away. In the distance Rhys heard the faint sounds of

booming laughter. Felix simply cackled lowly, leaning against Maddox whose mouth was twitching.

Best. Morning. Ever.

Chapter 4

In the end they caught a ride back to town with Felix and Maddox since Felix had driven his group to

the pack house in the brand new car that Maddox had gotten him for Christmas. Rhys looked down at his

fingers intertwined with Moe’s. He had been able to joke about his addiction at the pack house, but he

hadn’t really meant it. The memories of the other night still haunted him.

“What the hell!” Felix’s startled voice had him looking out the window. They had parked alongside the

clinic facing the bar. Even from this distance he could see a crowd of people standing around the bar

entrance. They didn’t open for hours, so this couldn’t be good.

“Peyton,” Moe whispered, frowning. Rhys felt nothing but dread. They both opened their doors and

took off down the street toward the bar. Rhys could hear Maddox behind him, yelling for Felix to bring his

bag.

Pushing people aside, both he and Moe stepped into the small semicircle created by the crowd of

onlookers. In the center of that crowd were none other than David and Daniel, looking more pissed off

than Rhys had ever seen them in the hundred plus years he had known them.

At their feet lay a broken and bloody man. It took a second to realize due to the facial swelling, that the

man was Alpha Devon’s beta, Glenn. The only way Rhys knew he was still alive was the rapid rise and fall

of the man’s chest as he glared up at the twins. Behind them Finn Arkadion had a brotherly arm wrapped

around Peyton who looked like he was in shock.

“Who is the big man now?” Daniel pulled his foot back and kicked the beta in the face sending blood

splatter flying. Both of the twin’s eyes were burning scarlet as they circled the wolf menacingly. Their eyes

coupled with their red hair had the twins looking downright demonic. Holy shit! What had this guy done to

truly piss them off?

“Thought you could take us since we were smaller, didn’t you? You weren’t counting on vampiric

speed. You came after Peyton knowing the leaders were preoccupied with the Inner Court.” David kicked

the beta in the stomach sending the man rolling in the dust.

“Our leaders aren’t the only ones who defend this town. Maybe next time you’ll remember that before

you try to rape someone in Arkadia!” Daniel kicked again, this time aiming between the larger man’s legs.

As his foot connected every man in the semicircle grimaced, especially since the kick was so powerful it

shoved the beta backward five feet. David was about to take his turn and kick again when Maddox stepped

forward.

“I completely empathize and wholeheartedly agree with what you’re doing, but much more and it will

cease to be self-defense.” He spoke in low tones, even with his vampiric hearing Rhys nearly missed what

the doctor had said.

David growled and spit on the beta. Daniel did the same and they both went to Peyton. Finn

relinquished his place at Peyton’s side and walked over to Maddox.

“I got a panicked phone call from Peyton, Glenn was breaking into the bar. Since Moe and I are close

friends he gave Peyton my number as an emergency contact in case something happened. By the time I got

here David and Daniel had just thrown him through the window and were following him out onto the

sidewalk.” Finn jerked his head, indicating the large gaping hole in what was once one of the bar’s large

front windows.

“Sorry about that Moe. Gabriel will pay for the window and the door,” David offered.

Door? Rhys and Moe looked at the door. At first glance neither one of them could see anything wrong,

but upon closer inspection they could see large protruding dents in the door’s metal. Moe and Rhys turned

to look at David at the same time. He shrugged.

“We couldn’t throw him through the door, we did try though.”

“Yeah we did try the door a couple times,” Daniel confirmed.

“It’s a steel door. I thought I’d be safe with a steel door since I just had to replace the glass ones Duncan

and Emmett broke.” Moe sighed. Rhys was impressed that the doorjamb hadn’t given way first.

David and Daniel shrugged.

“Hey, people,” Duncan said, stepping into the circle.

“Duncan, we need to ban this piece of shit.” Finn growled low. At the sound of his brother’s anger

Duncan’s eyes shifted. They changed from green to the emotionless, glass-like black of his bear.

“What did he do?”

“He tried to rape Peyton,” Finn explained.

“That is pure hearsay! I demand you let him go.” Salsiby’s whiny voice rose above the crowd seconds

before he popped through the bodies to go to the wolf beta.

“Those monsters attacked him in an unprovoked sign of aggression!”

“How many eyewitnesses?” Duncan asked.

“David and I saw the attack, thank god we were on our way here to visit Rhys. Finn wouldn’t have

been in time.” Daniel’s eyes still blazed red.

“Monster!” Salsiby screeched at Daniel.

“Those boys aren’t monsters! Any man who would rape is the true monster!” Miranda shouted. The

clothing store owner wasn’t the only townsperson to have a change of heart where the twins were

concerned. They were the town’s darlings, having wormed their way into the shifter’s hearts with their

crazy antics. Miranda had come a long way from the time she had refused to be served by them at Sweet

Nothings.

“Get rid of him!”

“We don’t need his kind around here!” The voices of the other townspeople shouted out their

condemnation.

“Two witnesses are enough to be banned. Finn, can you help me drag his ass to the perimeter? I have

some rope in my truck.” Duncan grinned at his younger brother.

“You can’t mean to drag him with your truck, it’s not humane!” Salsiby protested. Finn’s head swung

around and the look he gave him had the man stepping back. Rhys had to avert his eyes, he had never seen

a more murderous expression.

“Neither is he.” Finn growled low.

“Damn, you learned ‘The Look’ from Pa. I’m jealous.” Duncan bent over and grabbed Glenn by the

ankle.

“Hey, Salsiby, I heard you were impressed with my shifting abilities,” Felix said, stepping forward. He

removed his coat and pulled his sweater sleeve up to reveal his forearm. Slowly the pale skin turned to dark

green scales.

“I’m going to the council!” Salsiby threatened before he turned and fled, stumbling away from Finn’s

dark gaze and Felix’s demonstration.

“Man, I love you like a brother, but damn. I hope you never look at the kids like that.” Moe shook his

head. Instantly Finn’s expression cleared. His eyes danced with humor.

“Only the teenagers, and only when they are doing something where they would get hurt.” Rhys

shuddered.

“Come on, Finn, we have to take the trash out.” Duncan began walking, dragging the slightly struggling

form of the wolf behind him.

“Try to avoid pavement if you can. We don’t want him looking too bloody when he goes before

council,” Maddox suggested. Duncan stopped and turned to Maddox pouting.

“Aww, Doc, you’re taking all the fun out of it.”

Maddox sighed and looked heavenward as if asking for help.

“I don’t know how his mother did it.”

“Can we please fuck now?” Felix demanded, his hands on his hips.

“Come on, Trouble, I seem to recall that you owe me.” Maddox’s grin turned feral. Felix shivered.

“Hell yeah! Later, peeps, I have a cock calling my name.”

“Felix!” Maddox exclaimed, embarrassed. He followed the redhead down the street back to the clinic

clearly admiring the view of his mate’s ass swinging back and forth.

Laughing, Finn turned to where Peyton stood with the twins.

“Peyton, I’m honored that you called. I wish I could have gotten here quicker.” Finn ruffled Peyton’s

hair and followed his older brother toward the truck to help him with the struggling wolf.

“Now Peyton, honey, you don’t have to be afraid. You are family. If anyone tries to hurt you again, you

just coming running to my store. I may be smaller and weaker than most shifters, but I have a double-barrel

shotgun behind the counter.” Miranda gave the startled man a hug before patting both David and Daniel on

the head. She turned and shooed the onlookers away.

“You can also come to me. I’m right across the street. I would have loved to lay into that guy.” Brice

Marshall stepped forward cracking his knuckles. The large man always managed to look comfortable in his

three-piece suit, despite having the build of a linebacker. Rhys had met the accountant on one of his trips to

Moe’s in the month leading up to his moving in. He was the only rhinoceros shifter he had ever met in his

centuries as a vampire. Even though Brice was in his prime, the man had a headful of silver, not gray, hair.

It gave him a sophisticated look without making him look old. His gray eyes were gentle when speaking to

Peyton, but Rhys would bet that even though he had a sedate accounting job, this man knew how to fight.

“I don’t, I mean I couldn’t,” Peyton stammered, hiding his face in Daniel’s back.

“I know we haven’t said much to each other, only wave from across the street. But you can come to me

if you need anything.” Brice’s voice was soft and non-threatening.

Peyton nodded and peeked out shyly from behind Daniel.

“Good work on that asshole.” Brice nodded to the twins and he too walked back to his office.

“Come on squirt, we brought our Xbox from home. We’re going to beg Rhys to play, you can join us,”

David offered.

“I’ve never played before,” Peyton whispered.

Daniel grabbed his chest as if faking a heart attack.

“Say it ain’t so!”

Peyton giggled.

“David, get the Xbox, stat!” David ran to where their car was parked outside the bar. He reached into the

back seat and pulled out a box holding the gaming console, controllers and wires and returned to where

Daniel stood.

“Peyton, this is an Xbox. It was created by god to ensure that men would not lose their minds from

boredom,” Daniel began. Peyton’s eyes widened.

“Like soap operas?”

Daniel looked startled but rolled with it.

“Sure, like soap operas. Let’s hook this baby up and we will indoctrinate you in the bloody warfare of

Call of Duty
.” Daniel grinned and all three turned to head into the bar.

Rhys cleared his throat. His mate was kind enough to let the broken window slide, but he wasn’t about

to let the twins play games while his mate cleaned up the mess.

“David, Daniel, I know that you weren’t going to start playing games before you cleaned up the glass