Theron
Dawn bloomed behind the mountains, setting the colors alight. Buds were just starting to unfurl on branches, and the first flowers of spring had started to peek their tiny heads out of the muddy earth towards the sun.
The house, on the other hand, was a mess. The blue tarp that covered the roof had pulled away, and had been singed by dragon fire. It was lucky that it had been such a wet autumn, otherwise half of the buildings on the Ironwood property would have probably burned.
I pressed my hand into the small of Whisper’s back as she dug in her pockets for the key. It wasn’t necessary, there were two windows out next to the front door. But my little mate ignored those and fitted the old key into the lock, giving it a little extra umph to make it turn.
“Might need to replace the lock,” she huffed as she tugged on the key to get it back out. “Definitely need to replace the lock.” Whisper wiggled and pulled, but the key seemed to not want to come out. “Doesn’t matter, no real reason for it to be locked in the first place.” With a shrug, she pushed the door open, to a hallway that must have been grand when it was first built. Now it looked like a bit of a hazmat situation.
“How much work did they need to do on Fitz’s house?” I asked, looking at the damp wood that seemed to have moss growing up one side of the paneling.
“Full gut.” She went to flick the lightswitch, but I stopped her. “Probably doesn’t work.”
“Probably would burn the house down if it does.” I nodded and took her hand, guiding her further into the house. “It’s huge.”
“This street housed the doctors and their families,” Whisper mumbled. “Kai and Les’s houses are nearly identical. A formal living room opens into the dining room, then kitchen and a den. And upstairs are four bedrooms. Powder room is situated under the stairs, and to the right is an office or study.”
I peered through the french doors that led into the study. The woodwork there looked as sad as the hall, moss growing along the floors and creeping up into an old empty bookcase. “This was supposed to be Kai’s brother’s house?”
“Yeah.” Whisper twisted her fingers around, reaching out to open the door to the study, but pulling it back. “There was an accident,” she sighed, tucking one of her dreads back behind her head and tying it around the others. “Kai doesn’t talk about it, but he lost all three of them in one day. They had been gone for about a year when I came here. I was offered this house a couple of years ago. I had become family, and they wanted me to have it, instead of going to someone else.”
“But you didn’t move in.”
“I can’t,” she giggled, waving her arm around the living room. No moss, but the paint was peeling off the wood in strips. “This place is a fucking mess. I’m not even going to try and go upstairs. But if you want the layout, it's the same as Kai and Les’s houses.”
“It’ll be a beautiful house when it's done, my love.” I pulled her back to me, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and breathing in her scent. “I would be honored to raise our cubs here.” With a little twirl I danced her around the squishy floor of the living room, into the dining room. None of the woodwork was salvageable, but both Kai and Kafka had assured us that the bones were good. “I’ll talk to Kai about starting the roof work.”
“I haven’t had a house of my own before,” Whisper breathed, letting me spin us around the old kitchen island. The marble was cracked and the spigot for the sink had been pinched at some point, but I could see how it could look. Dark woods, bright counters, glass fronted cabinets. “Not since mama died.”
I pressed a kiss to her lips and hummed. I had once had a home. Not as grand as the one we were pulling from the rubble, but a nice one. I vowed as we rocked back and forth, lips touching in a sweet moment, that this one I would keep safe. In the heart of Ironwood, behind magic wards, I would keep my family safe from harm.
“Let’s go call Kai,” I whispered against her lips, nipping at the bottom one before I pulled away just enough to look into her eyes. Bright, clear blue. Through our bond I could feel Frigga playing with my griffin. She was settled, warm and calm in our middles. My beautiful mate might still look like the punk princess that I had fallen in love with the moment our eyes met, but she had come such a very long way in the month we had been home.
Home.
In Ironwood Heights.
* * *
We sat around one of the bar room tables, Bella to Whisper’s left, letting my mate feed her little Harper. The baby had the most luxurious curly hair, just like her mother. Les was growling from the open kitchen door, as he looked down at Joey, her tray filled to the brim with hamburgers.
“You wanna say that again, little bear?” he growled at her. The girl in question just laughed and skipped out of the room, food perfectly balanced on her shoulder. “I’m talking at you, girly.”
“Uh oh,” Joey laughed, setting the tray down next to our table and handing out burgers. “Daddy Les is cross with me.” She gave him a pout over her shoulder. “If you don’t want me calling you names, then be quieter in the bedroom, my man. My room is right above yours. How does Jade sleep through it? I can hear the smack on leather on skin through the floor. It’s like having porn on the radio, all fucking night.”
“Just sore 'cause you ain’t getting laid.” Kafka came by and nicked a pickle off the tray, crunching down on it as he pulled Joey into a hug. “Maybe ask Cherry for a little help with some battery operated friends.” He pressed a kiss to the top of the club girl’s head and swanned off, grabbing another pickle on the way.
“I know for a fact that you aren’t getting laid either,” Joey growled, snatching the pickle back and grimacing. “Bad choice.”
“Serves you right.” Kafka just picked up another one, and shoved it in his mouth. “I am perfectly content with my celibate status.” He raised a brow at her. “Are you?”
“Fuck off.” She dumped the last plate on the table, the bun of my burger bouncing, then tipping off to the side. “Enjoy.” She grabbed the empty tray, and proceeded to chase Kafka around the room with it, smacking him periodically on the ass.
“Not the usual clubhouse entertainment,” Finn said, dropping down at the table next to us, Xander sound asleep on his shoulder. The big biker pet down the back of his son’s head with two fingers, a bright pink burp cloth draped over his shoulder.
“You got a little spit up there on your cut, friend.” Whisper popped a fry in her mouth and pointed. “Just missed the mark it seems.”
Finn stood and tried to look, spinning twice before he gave up, cheeks a tiny bit pink. Huh, bikers blushed. Was kinda cute, with the baby wearing his little sleeper with a teddy on his tiny behind.
“Holly’s gonna kill me if it dries again.” He gave a loud huff and handed Xander off to Kai, stomping into the kitchen only to be chased out by a frazzled looking Les.
“Someone needs to rescue Izzy,” Bella whispered behind her hand, watching the kitchen doors. “I know we offered to give Mama Bear a break, but maybe next time not leave Les in charge next time.”
“At least not with Joey, after a night of Cherry screaming in the bedroom.”
“Let's all just celebrate that Cherry wants to scream in the bedroom,” Peach said, taking Xander from Kai and sitting down with a bottle. “Honestly, the fact that half the women in here want to play games in the bedroom is a fucking miracle,” she cooed down at the little boy, popping the bottle into his mouth. “Just so much trauma in one room, eh Xand-man?”
“Holly back at work then?” Whisper asked. Watching as Finn tried again to sneak into the kitchen. A cleaver made a thunking sound in the kitchen door, just inches from the biker’s head. “Should I?”
I pressed my hand to my mate’s shoulder, keeping her seated. “How about we leave Les alone for a while.”
“But Izzy…”
“Can take care of herself,” Kafka muttered, dropping down in Finn’s empty seat and snatching Kai’s pickle while the other man was grumbling and heading towards the kitchen. “She’s tougher than she thinks. And Les is all bluster.”
“He threw a knife at Finn.”
“Won't throw a knife at Iz, though.” Kafka shoved the pickle in his mouth and chewed. “Against his code.”
“Truth.”
The front doors banged open, two suitcases dropping down followed by a woman. “Liz.” Bella stood and practically ran to her friend. “What?” The moment that Liz looked up, I knew she was staying. Mascara streaked down her face, the bruises from her time with Broken Oath showing through her running makeup. “Let’s get you settled.” Bella pulled her friend into a hug, the other woman breaking down in her arms.
“I’ll be back.” Whisper stood and handed Harper back to her father, then dropped a kiss on my lips. “Don’t let Kafka eat my dinner.”
“I will guard it with my life.”
Silently, my mate picked up the two suitcases and made for the stairs, Bella and Liz following behind.
“I was afraid of that,” Kai sighed, watching them just as closely as I was. “Her husband has made a few comments that Bella’s shared with me. Not everyone will be okay with shifters, and it looks like the divide is wider than I would have liked for Liz.” He rocked his baby girl back and forth, those baby blue eyes slowly closing with the movement. “Not going to be a safe place to land for everyone.”
“Change is hard.”
“This ain’t just change, Scar,” Kai grumbled, his eyes meeting mine. “This is a whole fucking new world. And the growing pains are going to get worse before they get better.”
I just nodded, picking up my burger and taking a bite. “Les might be a cantankerous son of a bitch when he’s in charge of the kitchen, but he makes a fucking good burger.”
“Amen.”
* * *
Kai didn’t even need his gavel when we all filed into Church the next morning. I swear the man actually pouted when we sat quietly around the old wooden table. Bella sat to his right, with her friend Liz tucked up against her side. The woman looked haunted, hollow. The bags under her eyes had turned a sickly green as her human body slowly healed her injuries. But it was more than that. There was a fragile brokenness behind those eyes that called to my clan bond.
“The gentleman who was taken to the hospital seems to be doing just fine,” Kai started, placing his gavel on the table with barely a tap of the wood. “From what we were told, he’s had to undergo two separate surgeries relating to internal damage from the attack, and will have a long road to full recovery, but he’s awake and his family is with him.” The MC Prez rolled his shoulders and took a long breath. “Unfortunately, there is very little good news from there. The nature of the attack and the very public way that Broken Oath came at us is pushing the vote for special consideration regarding laws pertaining to shifters, to a vote. If passed in the House, the Senate already has a majority in favor, it sounds like our current president may have no choice but to sign it into law.”
Kai leaned back in his chair, slowly pulling his palm down his face and looking at us each in turn. He slowly shook his head and held out his hand to his mate, who locked her fingers with his. “With each passing year, this club becomes more about family. Ousting Prez was our first step into starting a new era. And with that, I feel we need to come up with new bylaws to govern us. If the world can vote on our right to exist as free people amongst them, then we can vote on how this club will be run.”
“I make a motion that mates have voting rights equal to their partners,” Finn said, standing, looking down at Holly who was cradling their son.
“All in favor?” Kai asked.
“You need a second,” Zero growled from the back. “Can’t just vote.”
“I fucking second, dipshit.” Les saluted, Jade sound asleep on his shoulder. “Sit the fuck down.”
“Asshole.”
“I heard you,” Les contered, flipping the idiot child the bird.
“All in favor?” Kai asked again with a long, suffering sigh.
The entire room coursed with “Aye.” A singular ‘no’ grumbled from the back.
“Motion passed.” Kai went to pound his gavel, but Cherry was quicker.
“I’ll just keep this.” She smirked and sent Kai a wink. “I motion to promote Lesleigh to VP.”
“You can’t do that, you’re his mate.” Zero was really cruisin’ to get punched in the face with a chair.
“I motion to promote Lesleigh to VP,” Bella drawled, clearly as annoyed as everyone else in the room. “And I motion to make Zero the bathroom monitor for all future LOKI parties.” She stood up, Harper held to her breast and pointed at the man in question. “And if you say I can’t make a second motion, before we vote on the first, I will get the cat o’ nine tails that Les got me for Hanukah this year, and beat the fuck out of you with it, hear me?”
“Aye,” came the miserable response from the back.
“I second both motions,” Peach chimed in.
“Do you get a vote?” Misha asked, leaning over our friend.
“I vote with Cherry and Les. I am their platonic life mate.” She folded her arms across her chest and nodded. “Zero, you want to be a shit stain, or are you going to keep your mouth shut?”
“You all suck.”
“I take that as his assent.” Kai smacked the table with his open palm, only to get smacked on the back of his head by his wife. “Ow.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Cat o’ nine tails, really?”
“Cherry showed me how to use it.” She wiggled her brows at him.
“All in favor?” he asked.
“Aye.”
“Which one?” Zero shouted.
“Both. Congratulations, Bathroom Monitor, I’ll get your patch on order this week. Les, yours is in my office. Been meaning to fucking do that.”
“Cherry nicked it already,” Les chuckled. “You need to lock your fucking door.”
“Okay.” Kai leaned forward again and took a deep breath. “All joking aside, I have been meaning to vote on a VP. In any instance of a club member being voted to a higher position, it is on the Pres to fill the now vacant seat. Finn, you are hereby given the appointment of Sgt at Arms.”
“Appreciate it, boss, but I nominate Kafka to take Les’s spot,” the man said. He smacked the man on the opposite side of his mate on the shoulder. “He’s got the connection and the presence here at the clubhouse that I just don’t got now. Plus, he’s a smart-as-fuck asshole.”
“Seconded,” said Holly, beaming at her friend.
“Motion passed, shut the fuck up Zero.” Then the Prez stood, pushing his chair back and leaning forward on the table. “This shit is all going to get worse before it gets better. As such, we’re stepping up reconstruction of our walls. We are moving back into our homes, and we are banding together as a community. We are a clan first and an MC second, and I think over the last decade we’ve forgotten that. But the more families that come and settle in, the more mates we draw, be they bears, birds, or bunnies. Though, fucking hell, Holly I love you, I want you the last fucking bunny mate in my club, 'cause we cannot do that shit again. But we are a clan. We have a wide and scary world out there that now knows about us. There is strength in clan, there is strength in bonds. It's time we started living like it.”
“Here here!” shouted Fitz, causing every single baby in the room to burst into tears.
I looked over to Kai, who looked like he was ready to start shouting. Instead he pinched his nose, and I could almost see his lips counting to ten.
“And because there is strength in clan, I’m calling back our Nomads.” He waited for the room to settle. “I’m calling back our Nomads to LOKI. Ain’t all bears, but they sure as fuck are family.” He slammed his hand down on the table. “Dismissed,” he growled. “We got a brand new fucking world out there. Shit’s changing fast. We gotta adapt faster, got me?”
“Got ya, boss,” Les smirked, patting Kai on the shoulder.
“It's like talking to kindergarteners. Fucking Harper listens better.”
“Harper is five months old.” Bella rolled her eyes. “She eats, sleeps and poops.”
“Truth.”
I left the meeting with Whisper under my arm, looking down at her. “You good?” I asked, her mouth turned down in an unsatisfied moue.
“It’s rather unclear if we get a vote,” she mused, tipping her head to the side. “I don’t have a rank, and you aren’t MC. I mean, technically I’m more dominant than Kai, so I could just take the clan, but we all know that’s not going to happen. Gods, the stress that would be.”
“You have a vote.” Les tipped his little sister's chin up. “You vote with House of Hicks.”
“You’ve been watching Game of Thrones again.” Whisper rolled her eyes. “I can’t vote with you, I’m not your platonic life mate.”
“You’re my fucking sister, and Kai’s, and the idiot twins’,” Les reasoned.
“We can hear you,” Finn grumbled, coming up behind us with a whimpering little man in his arms.
“I know,” was all Les said before he pulled Cherry up the steps. “House of Hicks, Whisper. You vote with me.”
“Guess that clears it up,” my mate mumbled, still looking distressed.
“What else is wrong?”
“Things are changing, Scar,” she told me, her eyes flashing up to meet mine. “There’s a stirring in my gut that says they aren’t going to be for the better.” Her arms wrapped around her middle, and squeezed.
Stopping in the middle of the front hall, I gathered her up in my arms and held on tight. Her little face borrowed against my neck until she found her claim mark, and ran her tongue over the divots of skin. “What’s the human vow?” I mused, rocking us back and forth as members flowed around us. “In good times and in bad?”
“You asking me to marry you, Theron?” she whispered, her blue eyes blinking away worried tears. “It's a little human, but I would say yes.”
“Marry me, little bear,” I purred against her lips.
“Yes.”