How It Will Be by T. S. Joyce
Chapter Nine
Today had been something else.
Ren closed the tailgate of Moore’s truck and waved as they drove off. She put her hands on her hips and scanned the woods. Half of the pledges had been cut today, and the remaining ones had been sent off to find their own lodging for the night. She and Bron had hung back to help clean up, and now she got to just enjoy the quiet moment.
The sunset was casting the trees into long-stretching, peaceful shadows, and in the branches birds chirped softly. The breeze lifted the leaves in a soft song that said the woods were getting ready for sleep soon too.
“I like that smile on you,” Bron said from beside her.
“It’s nice here. It’s different.”
He nodded and told her, “When Krome first bought this place, we were a young Murder and none of us had much money. We had to all chip in. And back then, that was a big deal because we were all fighting for rankings. Just constantly brawling. Bunch of shit-head, testosterone-fueled Crow Blooded barely in control of our animals, much less our tempers. But we had this vision of being the Murder that stood as a line of defense between the bear shifters and humans. In our minds, we were the good guys.”
“You’ve always been a good guy.”
“You know how when we were younger, you always said everything happens for a reason?”
“I still say it.”
“Well good, because this next part is going to sting, and now it feels wrong to hurt you. More wrong than before.” He swallowed hard. “It hurts me when you’re hurt now.” He searched her eyes for understanding with his coal-black gaze.
The moment was about to be ruined. He had a secret, and he was going to take away from the fun day. The trash-talking, and the slight buzz she still had from losing to Cora and Trinity at beer pong. The betting on fights throughout the day, and the comfortable banter. The peace. He was about to take it away. She could tell.
She dropped her head and kicked at a tree root that stuck out of the dark soil. “Say it quick then.”
“We needed a down payment for this place. The deal was, Krome would pay us back as soon as the business he was building took off, but he needed help in the beginning for the investment on this place. It was going to serve as home base for this Murder, and until he paid us back, we could live here on the property too. I was doing the same shit back then I’m doing now. Working a construction crew when they needed extra hands, but my schedule was tricky because of my hours I was supposed to run surveillance on the bears, so I wasn’t rolling in the money at the time. I emptied out my savings and every penny I had for living for Krome. Almost twelve hundred bucks. The other boys brought about the same, some more, some less. But your brother…”
The blood drained from her face and she jerked her attention to Bron as it hit her what he was about to say.
“Laken brought ten thousand dollars and bought himself a spot as Second in this Murder.”
Chills rippled up her spine as she looked out into the woods again. She waited for them to turn dark and ominous, but they didn’t. The birds still chirped and the leaves still rustled, and the breeze caressed her skin like a hug.
“I always wondered where he got the money,” Bron murmured. “And now I know. He got it selling your pledge. You’re gonna look at this one of two ways. You’re either going to be stung, and let it keep stinging, and give it power to make you quiet and close up your heart to this place. Let it take that soft smile from your face when you look out at the woods. Or.” He squared up to her and his black eyes bore right into her soul. “You’re going to see this place as a part of you, because in a way, you’re the reason we’re here at all.”
She was stunned into stillness. What he said made sense. They couldn’t have bought this beautiful property without Laken selling her pledge to that awful Murder. Krome wouldn’t have been able to buy it for this Murder. Bron wouldn’t have grown into the man he was here. The bad stuff wouldn’t have happened with the coup, sure, but they wouldn’t have allied with the bears and their mates. Today, the first fun day she could even remember…wouldn’t have ever existed. She did believe in everything happening for a reason, and now she had a choice. She got to choose how she saw this place.
Hell or sanctuary.
And looking up into Bron’s face and swimming in the concern that pooled in his expression, it was impossible to feel any flames. Only the soft breeze touching her skin.
“Now Laken has no wings, and I have a safe place to land,” she whispered.
With a slight nod, Bron said, “Thatta girl.” He held out his hand, and on it sat a marble. It was clear with a black cloud in the center. She’d seen this somewhere before. “No strings attached,” Bron said.
She took the marble gently from him and studied it. “Is this the pledge token you give out to new members?” she asked. “Does this mean I can be in the Murder?”
“I wanted you to be the first we offered one to. Krome and Cora said yes. Usually Krome would do the offer, but it feels right that it’s me. No one will ever hurt you again.”
There was such a tone of finality and confidence in his voice when he said those words, she knew them to be true.
She was safe.
At last, she was safe.
“You don’t have to answer right aw—”
“Yes,” she rushed out, her voice echoing through the forest. Ren huffed a laugh and at a less psychotic volume, she said, “Yes, I accept.” With a squeal, she jumped up, and he barely got his arms up in time to catch her. She fell into a fit of giggles as she wrapped her legs around him and anaconda-squeezed him. His booming laugh filled her up, and he spun her slowly.
Wait. What was she doing? “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry,” she said, scrambling down. “You’re my brother’s former friend. You’re my childhood buddy,” she chattered. “I know we aren’t like that…huggy and stuff. You’re Bron!” Her heart was about to leap out from behind her dang breastbone right now. “And I’m Ren, and we’re Bron and Ren. Buds. Pals. I saw your pecker once. Skinny-dipping when we were teenagers. I did a cannon ball on top of you.” Yep, he was looking at her like she was crazy, so she should definitely explain better. “Not that you aren’t attractive. You’ve grown into a…a…very attractive man. Very handsome. And strong.” Why was she staring at his arm muscles right now? Focus! “And protective in a good way, and you can fight real good, and you have good energy to be around, and I always liked how loyal you were, and—”
Bron’s lips crashed onto hers, and her scrambled words got stuck in her throat. It was a hard kiss, with stiff lips and his hand gripping the back of her neck. It was two bodies frozen solid against each other. It was a three-count harsh kiss to make her be quiet, and then it was different. It morphed into something softer. His lips relaxed, and his grip on her neck turned to a gentle massage. She closed her eyes and let her lips move with his. Still clasping the little marble, she slipped her arms around his neck and lifted up on her tiptoes so he didn’t have to bend down so far. And that sexy man lifted her straight off the ground and hugged her tight against his taut body as he kissed the hell out of her.
The second he brushed his tongue against her lips in a gentle request to be let in, she melted completely. He could do whatever he wanted to her in this moment. She parted her lips and let off a little gasp as his tongue touched hers for the first time. He tasted so good, and this felt so right. She’d felt safe with his invite to be in the Murder, but this? This was something even more intense. Here in his arms, she knew without the shadow of a doubt that nothing could touch her.
Her toes were off the ground, and she relaxed into the kiss, crossing her legs at the ankles and switching the angle of her face. She trailed kisses down his jaw line and back up, just to test, and he allowed it. Bron was excited. The bulge of his swollen cock pressed against the seam of his jeans, and whoooo she’d never been more turned on in her entire life.
He didn’t push for more though. Bron took his time and just held her. Just kissed her. Just explored this moment and let her get comfortable with affection with him. And when at last he eased them out of the kiss, he didn’t put her down right away. Instead, he searched her eyes with this unreadable look on his face.
A second of panic took her. “This doesn’t have to change anything.”
His lips curved up and he angled his face away, allowed a wicked glint into his eyes. “Oh Ren. It has to change everything.” He set her on her feet and slipped his hands to her waist, squeezed her gently there before he disengaged and backed away. He dragged that hungry gaze down her body and back up.
“I’m going to give you some space to panic for a little while.” He twitched his head toward the direction of his cabin. “I’m gonna go start dinner. Come over when you’re done convincing yourself what we just did was bad.”
“I wasn’t going to do that,” she lied.
His smile showed his straight, white teeth. “I know you better than that.”
Ren crossed her arms over her chest and tried to control her erratic breathing. “Are you going to make more guacamole?”
Yep, he was going to win her with sexy kisses and guacamole.
“I sure am, if it’ll make you hurry up.” He bunched his muscles and his black cloud of smoke brushed her skin as he went airborne. His crow came out of the cloud and flew for the tree-line and disappeared above the tree canopy.
A slow clap echoed through the woods, and with a gasp, Ren jerked around to see Cora and Krome sitting on a porch swing, applauding.
“You should take a bow,” Cora called. “That was like a dang romance movie.”
Well, this was mortifying. “Ummm. I…aaaah…didn’t know you were still out here. So, I’m sorry for the make-out sesh on your front lawn.”
“Go get your guacamole!” Cora crowed.
Shoot me.
Krome told her, “You and Bron be here at eight tomorrow morning for the second round of pledge eliminations.”
“A beer pong tournament wasn’t enough to decide the entire fate of this Murder?” Ren joked.
“Nope. We’ve got a Slip-n-Slide flip cup tournament starting at the crack of dawn tomorrow to help us decide.”
She couldn’t tell if Krome was joking or not.
“Okay, you two have a good night,” Ren said with a nervous laugh as she tensed to change and fly her little guacamole-lovin’ ass to go meet up with the boy she had a huge crush on.
“Hey Ren?” Krome called.
She hesitated. “Yeah?”
“Welcome to the Crew.”
