CHAPTER1
Aaliyah
Not a bad way toend the year. Saying goodbye to one year with fun, sun, a pool party, good food, alcohol, and great company. Surrounded by my mates, my daughter playing with other club kids, and the Jackals getting loose after a heavy year of treachery, and threats from both the Wolves and the police. Threats eliminated by the hard work of my men.
Okay, I earned a little credit too for dealing with the corrupt Bathurst cops the best way my goddess and I knew how. Infecting them with demons, descending them into madness, and locking them away for life. That way, I prevented them from doing harm, and somewhat stuck to my oath to do none.
Harming a person had many facets that Castor would debate me from a legal and moral perspective. Arguments I didn’t care to get into. From my standpoint, every person infested with the trafficked women’s demons deserved the consequences.
And, at the end of the day, I served Isis’ will, and as the mother goddess, she protected her flock. I healed the trafficked women and delivered punishment to those who harmed them like a true queen of Egypt. If I went againstherwill or abusedherpowers, she would discharge me as her avatar. I smiled to myself. Still her avatar. Still her servant. Officially a badass bitch.
Seated opposite me at Slade’s outdoor setting, Zethan sipped from his Corona, looking miserable at the festivities. Parties and crowds weren’t his thing. Odd, considering he spent so much time in the Underworld judging clusters of souls.
Behind us, Slade grilled up a feast on the barbeque, his War god loving the heat, coals, and gas… even on a summer’s day. He chatted to Rusty and Pitbull about the new chapter the Jackals set up, outlining financial and performance goals. I shook my head. The man never stopped talking business.
To feed almost forty guests, my fiery mate started cooking at five and didn’t stop for almost two hours. Roasted lamb, pork, beef, and chicken sat under mesh screens, protected from flies and errant fingers. Barbequed meats tantalized me… hamburger patties, sausages, steaks, kebabs, and Texas-flavored chicken wings. My mate went all out when it came to parties.
Castor and I took care of the salads, with an array on offer, including potato, roast pumpkin and greens, summer, fruit, Mexican beans, Greek, chicken and avocado. Daddy and I catered for every taste and made sure the club and my mates ate healthy. No canned crap for our guests like the bikers had a habit of eating.
Club wives and girlfriends pitched in and brought desserts, cakes, ice cream for the kids, and platters of cheeses, olives, and smoked meats.
Alaric worked in the backyard all day, mowing, tidying the garden and grass. Protective mode kicked in when the kids arrived, and he stood guard by the pool, ensuring Mia’s safety and that the club kids didn’t get rough or out of hand.
Squeals echoed across the backyard, and I was positive Slade’s elderly neighbors would bitch and moan at him tomorrow for so much noise. Meh. Didn’t happen all the time. And it was a New Year’s celebration, after all.
Wanting to make this a little bearable for Zethan, I nudged him with my sandaled foot. “Can I share your beer, Hellhound Dick?”
Rusty chuckled, thinking it was a funny nickname, not understanding that the enforcer was a hellhound shifter. Truth the club would never find out. Or Mia, for that matter.
Zethan stretched forward to pass me his beer. I took a long drink from it to meet where his lips touched. Resentment burned under my skin at our fucking curse keeping us apart, the separation from my mate unbearable. New Year’s resolution time: hunt for a cure to ease the weight on Castor.
Despite Zethan’s misery at the party, I felt the relief in his heart, the lightness in it for the first time in years. Releasing his burdens erased the wrinkles etched into the corners of his mouth and along his brow. Sunset caught the gold in his sandy hair, and I wanted to curl it over my fingers. Hell, doa lotmore than that.
“Looking forward to moving into your new home, baby?” Zethan reached down, caught my leg, lifting it for a brief massage before the damn curse kicked in, leaving us both unsatisfied and needy for the other’s touch.
My men surprised me on Christmas day with the best present anyone ever gifted me. A massive, shared home—mansion, really—set on eight regular house-sized lots, a total of over two acres of land. More space than we needed, really. Separate wings for each of my men, and Mia and me, for the times when we needed our own space. Since this was coming out of their personal finances and not the club’s, my men were going all out.
Once Slade once promised me five houses or something ridiculous like that on a date to the National Park. I shouldn’t have humored him. The man delivered on his promises.
“Yeah, I am.” Although I needed a good massage after a long day on my feet preparing ten salads, I wanted to be in my man’s lap. Sitting on Zethan’s meaty, muscular thighs, running my hand between his pecs and earning a long groan and his mouth sliding against mine. No fucking curse or counter spell so we could be together. Just us. Always.
The house would be ready in late January, and we already started to pack up our things into boxes. Non-essentials only. Castor grumbled when we packed up his books, wanting us to leave those until last. Pfft. It wasn’t like he hadn’t read them at least twice, and my booknerd man had a photographic memory for any book he read.
Yesterday, my men took Mia and me to the construction site to check the progress of our mansion, and boy, was it big. Soil cleared of grass and weeds, concrete slab laid, footings and structure up, with the walls and roof in progress. Plenty of room for pets for Mia, a pool, a shed for Zethan to tinker with his old cars and bikes, and greenhouse for mine and Castor’s magical herbs. A massive outdoor deck and entertainment space with room for Alaric’s telescopes and Slade’s barbeque set-up. Plenty of space for club partys. Just about anything a family could want.
I had to put my foot down at the number of pets Slade wanted to get Mia. Two sheep to eat the grass, rabbits, cats, and dogs. My fiery mate would turn our new home into a menagerie if I didn’t stop him. I loved his generosity, but sometimes it got out of hand.
Of course, I was Grouchy Mom because I said no to everything, which just made Slade flash those dimples, and Castor wield that dark smirk. Fine. I’d take the title of buzzkill if it kept my mates on a leash, otherwise the competition between Daddy and Mr. Vincent would get out of hand, and Mia would become a spoiled princess.
“Oh, that’s good,” I told Zethan as his fingers worked out the tightness in my calves from standing so long. Whatever good he did on my body was spoiled by his proximity setting off additional cramps.
Longs shifts at the ER built strong leg muscles to cope with standing the entire shift, but staying with the Jackals made them weaker and me lazier. I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Hello, my Underworld god.
The way his emerald eyes sparked with love and affection, roving over my body promising me pleasure once the party wrapped up. I couldn’t wait. T-minus three and a half hours until my mates and I met for some fun to welcome in the New Year and crank up Castor’s spell that allowed Zethan and me to be close.
Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, I got out of my seat, and settled onto his lap.Screw the curse and pain!
