Arctic Spirit Read online

  “You like it?” Chris whispered beside her, his voice sounding anxious with anticipation for her answer.

  She looked over at Drew to see him in the same nervous state. “It’s absolutely breathtaking. I love it.”

  She was awestruck again when she stepped inside. A large foyer with a grand Viking-looking chandelier, which hung from the high ceiling, greeted her. She could see the railing and part of the second floor from her position. To the right, she saw a large dark, rustic-looking dining table with four chairs and a bench. Next to the dining area was a large kitchen with white finish, wood countertops, and stainless-steel appliances. It had an old feel to it, inspired by the days of the Vikings, with a modern twist.

  “This is so very you,” she remarked as they continued their tour.

  “But is it you?” Chris asked.

  She stopped mid-step, trying not to overanalyze his question too much. “It is,” she answered simply. She continued into the living room and was once again impressed by the large open space. The dark cherry-wood floors continued throughout the first floor, but this room had an abundant plush white rug that covered most of the area. The focal point of the room was a white-bricked fireplace with a flat-screen television hanging on the wall over it. A few picture frames and knickknacks were displayed on the mantle.

  “Our mom helped with some of the finishing touches and such,” Drew said.

  She stepped closer to the fireplace to get a better look at the photos, and one of the three of them from tenth grade nearly brought tears to her eyes. It was one of her favorites as well. The guys had their arms around her, all three of their faces flushed from a snowball fight they had just had. Charlotte’s nose was, of course, red from the cold, but she smiled widely and her eyes were shining with happiness.

  “That was a great day,” Drew whispered.

  Charlotte replaced the framed photo and walked over to the dark cherry apothecary-style coffee table to admire the design. “I have that photo framed, too.” What she didn’t say was that she kept it hidden in a drawer and only allowed herself to look at it once in a while. “You guys must really like the color white,” she remarked as she looked over at the white leather L-shaped couch, with brown accent pillows and a fluffy brown-and-white-striped throw blanket. It looked so cozy. She wanted to wrap herself and them in it while wearing nothing underneath. Her breath caught at the vision in her mind.

  She was quickly snapped out of her fantasy when she heard a pair of throaty grunts. When she turned to look at one brother and then the other, she found them staring at her intently, their nostrils flared.

  Charlotte cleared her throat and walked over to the large windows facing the back of their property, offering up a spectacular view of several acres worth of land, lush with trees and snow-capped mountains in the background. “It’s so beautiful here,” she whispered, her breath fogging up a part of the glass as she spoke. She absentmindedly drew a smiley face. “Um … you said we had a lot to talk about?”

  Chris came over to her and hugged her from behind. “We do, and we will, but I’m guessing you want to freshen up before dinner.”

  They were having dinner with Chris and Drew’s parents tonight. Their mom had insisted and would not take no for an answer, so Charlotte reluctantly trudged upstairs and not-so-reluctantly took a soothing hot shower. She made a mental note to redesign her own shower to accommodate extra showerheads with major massaging action like the guys had. Then she immediately felt a painful stab in her gut at the thought of returning to Florida alone.

  She hurried herself. Edna Malcom did not like tardiness. She remembered that well from her chastising her and the boys whenever they were late for dinner, which happened often as they constantly lost track of time when they were together.

  Charlotte was truly surprised that Drew and Chris had agreed to dinner tonight when their mother had called them while they were still on the ferry. She would have thought the guys might put it off until the next day despite their mother’s persistence, but they seemed eager to go.

  When the trio arrived, Edna and Nick were as warm and welcoming toward her as they had always been, but something felt very different within just a few minutes. After Chris and Drew’s parents had greeted her, they exchanged confused looks with their sons, who were grinning like loons. She noticed a few nods that were not so surreptitious. Nick’s smile widened before he took their coats and carried them into another room, while Edna’s confused face slowly transformed into first shock, then glee. The family seemingly just had an entire silent conversation that she was not privy to.

  The exchanges and nods continued for the next several minutes until they finally sat down to dinner.

  “I bet you’re happy to be home, aren’t you, Charlotte?” Edna asked her while they ate.

  Charlotte was grateful for at least getting in a few bites of the delicious roast beef before being bombarded with questions. And this wasn’t her home anymore, but it sure felt like it was and she was touched that Edna considered it to be as well. “It feels great. I really missed being here.” She took another big bite. “Mmm. Just as good as I remember, Mrs. M. And I know I smelled your apple pie when I came in.”

  Mrs. M smiled widely at her. “Sugar cookies, too.”

  They all laughed when Charlotte’s eyes lit up. “Yes.” She pumped her fist in the air before continuing to devour her roast beef.

  “A girl who can appreciate good food is a girl after my own heart,” Drew said.

  “Well, Charlotte was never one to count calories,” Edna added, “and she has kept her amazing figure.”

  “Mother!” Chris chided. Charlotte felt her cheeks flame.

  “What did I say?”

  “I myself never understood the need for counting calories,” Nick added. “Women should have meat on their bones for—”

  “Dad!” Drew rolled his eyes at his father as Charlotte continued to stuff her face in silence until a topic change came about. She was used to their candidness as a family. She’d missed it, and them. Still, she was relieved when the topic steered away from her figure to her job and then what some of their plans would be while she was visiting.

  “Well, we’re taking her sailing tomorrow and then maybe camping later in the week,” Drew said, then, turning to Charlotte, he added, “And we are going to try and let you get some work done in between as promised.”

  She explained that she managed to get a lot done working overtime so that she could have extra downtime with the guys. She felt warmth blossom in her chest at how happy that made them. Then she thought of something else she was dying to do. “Ooh, can we go to the diner for breakfast tomorrow?” If it wasn’t the fries with cheese and gravy she craved, it was their banana nutter pancakes.

  “Uh … sure,” Chris replied hesitantly.

  “What?” she asked. “Don’t tell me the diner closed down or something.”

  “No, nothing like that. It’s just, Jill Larkin bought out one of the owner’s shares and is now half-owner of the diner.”

  Charlotte snorted and huffed out a breath. “Great. Did she turn it into some organic kale salad and juice place?”

  Everyone at the table laughed, but as it turned out she wasn’t completely off the mark. Jill added some alternative items to the menu, but a lot of the favorites remained, mainly due to the other owner. She actually loved some of the healthier little cafes that had opened up near her home in Florida, but once in a while she just liked a little grease on the side of her salad. So she was relieved that she still could get some at her favorite diner, even though she’d have to deal with Jill. Perhaps she had changed, Charlotte thought.

  “That girl has only gotten more unpleasant over the years,” Edna said.

  So much for that!

  “Don’t worry. Bonnie still works there.” Chris rubbed her shoulder. “She’ll take good care of us.”

  After Charlotte and the guys had their fill of apple pie, sugar cookies, and coffee, they took their leave of Mr. and Mrs.
Malcom, but not before Charlotte promised to visit them at least one more time during her stay.

  “Oh, I know we’ll be seeing you very soon, dear,” Edna said.

  Again, Charlotte knew she was missing something, and very soon she was going to make sure all this cryptic stuff got completely unencrypted. She knew the guys wanted to tell her something, but it seemed they were waiting for something. The right time maybe, she speculated, or maybe they just wanted to give all three of them time to acclimate to each other once again.

  They had two weeks. She’d give them until then.

  Chapter Five

  Drew hadn’t been this happy in ten years, but even the times he and Chris had spent with Charlotte back then couldn’t compare. At the time, he and his brother both thought that eventually they would have to let her go.

  He snuggled closer to Charlotte on the couch as they finally settled on a disaster movie. She always did love watching them, which meant that neither he nor Chris ever had to be subjected to chick flicks, although he would happily endure any number of them if it meant sitting close to the love of his life.

  Thankfully, the initial awkwardness had already passed between them, but his desire for her, despite the catastrophic earthquake on screen currently bringing down buildings, was in full force. His dick pressed painfully against the zipper of his jeans making him shift uncomfortably throughout the movie. He bunched up more of the throw blanket to cover up his bulge and continued to breathe in the delicious scent of his mate.

  If he and Chris had known ten years ago that Charlotte was their destined spirit mate, they would never have parted from her, but there was no point in dwelling on it now. In fact, he didn’t want to dwell on anything tonight. “Tomorrow, Char,” he had said to her when they came back from dinner with his parents. “We’ll have a long talk tomorrow, but for tonight, let Chris and I just spend time with you.”

  She agreed. The thought of her freaking out and rejecting him and Chris weighed heavily on his heart, so he felt grateful for at least one more normal day with her. Regardless of whether or not she wanted to be mated to both of them, the knowledge to be imparted would alter her forever. He couldn’t help being weighed down by that either.

  “I don’t want to go to bed yet,” she said after the movie was over, despite the fact that her eyelids were half-closed toward the end. “Who’s up for another?”

  Chris sat up from his reclined position and looked at her. “You look like you’re about to pass out, sweetheart.”

  “No, no. I’m all good.”

  Chris glanced over at Drew and shrugged, and then he clicked through more disaster movies on Netflix. The one they settled on this time was an apocalyptic zombie movie. Charlotte shut her eyes just as all mayhem began to ensue.

  “Let’s put her to bed,” Drew said.

  “Yep, put me to bed,” she mumbled sleepily.

  “Come on, sleepyhead.” Chris lifted her off the couch and carried her upstairs, Drew following right after he turned off the television and the lights. He entered the bedroom just as Chris was planting a sweet kiss on her forehead and went over to her to do the same.

  “Don’t go,” she said in the same sleepy voice, as she gently put her hand on his. Her eyes opened for a mere second before she shut them again. “I don’t want you to go.” With her eyes still closed, she reached out for Chris.

  There was no way he could refuse her, nor did he want to. He and his brother had slept in the same bed with her several times in their senior year of high school when her mother went out of town to visit her dad. Mrs. Austen hadn’t wanted Charlotte to miss school or for her to be alone, and both sets of parents trusted that the relationship was strictly platonic and allowed for the boys to stay over her house. They were right. Other than the guys sleeping in the same bed as her—which neither set of parents knew—they wouldn’t have found anything to object to.

  Tonight would be different, however. Tonight, he and Chris would be knowingly sleeping in a bed with their mate for the first time.

  He looked over at his brother and could see that the significance wasn’t lost on him either. They crawled into bed on either side of her, all three having been dressed for bed before they sat down to watch a movie. Despite how adorable he thought Charlotte looked in her blue-and-white plaid pajamas, he couldn’t wait to see and feel her out of them. Her essence was driving him wild. He only hoped that sleep would come soon and put him out of his misery.

  Unfortunately, it didn’t come soon enough. With his brother huffing out his frustrations on the other side of her, and his own aching balls tormenting him, sleep had eluded him for several hours that night.

  ****

  “We need to get some coffee into both of you stat,” Charlotte said on the ride over to the diner in the morning. “You two look like you barely slept a wink.”

  Drew snorted from the backseat. She had no idea, he thought.

  “I, on the other hand, slept like a baby,” she added, “and am ready for a full day of sailing.”

  “It was worth it,” Chris said quietly.

  Charlotte looked over at Chris and smiled. Drew couldn’t have agreed more. In spite of the mostly sleepless night, he got to enjoy watching her sleep and to revel in the feel of her snuggled up against his chest, and the way she fit herself into him from behind when she was facing Chris. He tried not to berate himself again for not being able to see what was right in front of him all those years ago. It wasn’t his fault that a shifter couldn’t sense a mate until after a first shift. Regardless, the three of them had just always felt so right from the very beginning that he thought he should have picked up on it. Shifters also don’t typically have human mates, he tried to remind himself.

  Drew breathed out a sigh of relief when they entered the diner and discovered that Jill was nowhere to be seen. They barely ever ate there anymore, sick of her advances toward them, and especially after things ended so badly with her own mate several years ago. She wanted him and Chris, had wanted them both since high school, particularly since they had been two of the very few guys in school who had zero interest in her, even for just a fling.

  He always hated how Jill had looked at Charlotte in high school, like she wanted to rip her to shreds. And despite Charlotte’s not being any kind of pushover, she would have been no match for Jill. No human would ever stand a chance against a shifter. He and Chris did have the satisfaction of knowing that Jill and her little sycophants were rightfully afraid of them. Chris and Drew were far more dominant tigers and could easily rip them to shreds if provoked. Drew had to admit that he actually enjoyed the look of fear on Jill’s face when he had given her a deadly warning growl after she had been particularly nasty to Charlotte. His message had been clear: Fuck with Charlotte, and you’ll never be able to fuck with anyone again.

  “Oh, my goodness! Is that Charlotte?” Bonnie clapped her hands together when she came over to their table to take their order.

  Charlotte stood to give Bonnie a hug. “It’s so good to see you again, Bonnie.”

  Bonnie, a cousin of one of the original owners, remained at the diner and the tough older shifter helped to keep Jill’s ego in line. After Charlotte sat back down in the booth, Chris, who had playfully pulled her to sit next to him when they first walked in, put his arm around her and gave Bonnie a big toothy grin. Drew gave her what he thought was an imperceptible nod, answering her unanswered question, but of course, Charlotte picked up on it.

  “Do you guys have silent conversations with everyone in town?” she mumbled grumpily.

  She had always been too observant, Drew suspected, and perhaps never bombarded them with questions because she wanted them to tell her things of their own accord. That was just the way she was, and he loved her even more for it.

  Bonnie waved off her question and diverted to chatting her up instead, asking about her career and her family. She then took their order and went over to another booth to do the same.

  “Well, look at what the cats dra
gged back in,” came Jill’s annoying voice a few minutes later.

  Drew snarled low in his throat just as Chris possessively brought Charlotte closer to him. Jill widened her eyes and Drew could tell she had gotten the meaning.

  “Impossible,” she said.

  “What is?” Charlotte asked. “That you’re still as bitchy as you have always been?”

  Jill pursed her lips, her pale blue eyes glaring at Charlotte with a fierce hatred. Drew knew she wouldn’t just quietly accept their mating, especially since it would mean that not only had Jill lost, but she lost to a human. She deemed them beneath shifter-kind. He didn’t blame her completely, given the fact that she came from a family of self-entitled assholes who thought themselves above all others. Jill just never grew out of it.

  “You do not belong here,” Jill spat, looking directly at Charlotte.

  Charlotte crossed her arms and leaned further into Chris. “You’re not the only owner of this establishment.”

  “You don’t belong in this town,” Jill said in the same harsh tone.

  Charlotte snorted. “You certainly don’t own Taika.”

  Drew had had enough. He stood and got into Jill’s face. “Back off.” He then lowered his voice so that human ears could not make out what he said next. “I don’t need to remind you of the consequences of messing with someone’s mate.”

  Jill actually looked scared from the genuine threat. She hastily took a few steps back. “No. You don’t.” She gave Charlotte another look of distaste before she put on her best fake smile. “Enjoy your breakfast.”

  “Well. I can see she still has a thing for the two of you after all these years.”

  Drew reached out and took Charlotte’s hand from across the table. “And I am sure you can see that Chris and I still don’t give a fuck.”