Gamichee pulled up beside the other cars.
"I suppose it would be ideal to say hello and not be rude."
"You know how this will end, don't you?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I blame you for this."
"Did you pack a bag?"
"I did not."
Merissa chuckled and got out of the car. With her bag in hand, she made her way to the exterior of the group. Kegan was wrestling with a packet of biscuits when he looked up and saw the lovely Merissa and Gamichee approach.
"You came!" He said eagerly. "Adley said that you were having issues with some jerk watching the place. That's pretty scary, right?"
"Yeah, it sure is."
"Well, never mind. You're on wolf turf now. No vampire in their right mind would come here unless we invite them. Unless they want to be dinner, am I right Meech?"
"Absolutely," Gamichee said dryly.
Kegan tilted his head with a wry smile.
"You look like a man that needs to ditch the suit. You're staying for the weekend, right?"
"If I must."
"You must. Let me just toss this out to the horde and I'll find something for you. As for you my dear, you would be needing a tour guide. Frey honey," Kegan called out. "Look who's here."
Freya waddled over, gripping her back with both hands. The giant mound jutting out from her body had grown considerably. Merissa's eyes widened.
"Good grief, my skin is never going to recover, is it?"
"You knew the consequences."
Gamichee offered a smug smile then turned to follow Kegan.
"Merissa," Freya said in a soft, breathy tone. "It's wonderful that you could come. Adley seemed so upset when he got here but we said that you have to do what is right for the safety of you and the babies."
"Yeah," Merissa murmured uneasily. "Where is Adley?"
"Oh, the boys went to town to get some supplies. They'll be back soon. In the meantime, you need to get ready."
Even though Freya carried a heavy mound on her tiny frame, she was fast on her feet. Merissa caught up, uncertain as to why it was such a rush.
"What's going on?"
"The babies are coming tonight."
"But the full moon is tomorrow night."
Freya nodded as she walked past the dome that faced the fire pit and continued down the path. Merissa looked back, frowning with confusion.
"It is but my doula gave me a pre-birth check-up. Those little devils are eager to get out and it looks like it's tonight."
"But aren't werewolves born on a full moon?"
"Not always. Sometimes it can depend on how big they are and how many there are in the womb. It is extremely cramped in there."
Reaching the end of the path, Merissa's mouth hung open wide. She thought that she'd spend the weekend in something like the dome hut that they'd just passed. It was not the case. Merissa looked around at the small buildings, there were several of them with paths leading in all directions with more rooms.
The buildings were off the ground with a few steps up to a small deck, a glass sliding door would open wide and create a larger space for the living room. Freya slowly walked up the few steps and leaned on the rail.
"This is you and Adley. We'll put your dad over in that one."
Merissa turned to the building opposite, seeing Kegan showing her father through the place.
"These are the single-room buildings. When you've got those kids out, you can stay in one of the buildings with a few bedrooms."
"Sure. I'll be quick so I don't know, keep those legs together."
Freya snorted with laughter.
"I've tried that before. Trust me, it does not work."
As Freya began the slow waddle back to the fire pit, Merissa turned into the little cottage-style building. She could see Adley had been here, put away his clothes and pulled the mosquito netting down over the bed. Merissa gently touched the fine mesh as her fingers curved over the footboard.
Rather than dwelling in thoughts that could spiral at any moment, Merissa put her bag onto the cabinet and opened the drawers. Adley had set everything to one side even though he did not expect Merissa to be here.
Carefully she laid her clothes into the drawers and then changed into the white dress. When she emerged from the dwelling, Merissa looked across the stone path and giggled. Her father was not impressed. Kegan had found Gamichee a pair of white chinos and insisted that he rolled them up until they were at the knees. The dress shirt was open a few buttons and Gamichee had a relaxed island vibe going on.
"I blame you entirely." Gamichee grumped. "But, you look stunning Merissa."
"Thanks, dad. You're looking sharp."
"No, I'm looking beach chic, apparently. He's lucky that I find him entertaining."
Merissa tilted her head with a slight frown. Gamichee rolled his eyes and continued down the path with her.
At the end of the path, Kegan was setting up a table. With the legs refusing to budge, he was struggling to get the object unfolded. A lumbering figure crossed the area and pulled on the legs, freeing them within seconds. Merissa stood at the end of the path, her heart racing as she watched Adley stand upright again. He hadn't seen her and she was positive that he had no idea she was here.
Kegan gave his son a friendly whack on the shoulder as gratitude then turned to start stacking the food on it. Feeding a tribe took a lot of effort. Adley turned back to what he was doing and saw that he was not alone. He was stunned into silence when he saw Merissa and Gamichee. With a smile and a nod, Gamichee wandered off to find a place to sit and drink his private stash of whiskey blood that he'd brought with him. Gamichee was a vampire that was always prepared, except for bland beach-chic clothes, that is.
Adley took a wary step forward, closer to the woman that looked like an angel. Dressed in the white dress that he'd suggested for tomorrow night, she looked incredible. The light of the fire glowed against her body, highlighting her beauty more than Adley thought possible.
She smiled but Adley could see the pain in her eyes.
"I was wrong," She said softly. "It was rude of me to be like that and I'm sorry if I was disrespectful. I didn't want to be like that, it's just all new to me and you're right, I should have known this was my future. It was pointed out to me that I was a terrible friend if I didn't know what happened in your life because this is not a new thing. So, here I am, ready to grovel."
Adley said nothing, watching as Merissa took a step closer. She still had that pained smile on her face, tears welling in her eyes.
"The uh, agent rang. We got the place so that's good, right? Yay for us."
When she stopped, Merissa felt like letting it all out. The tears, the pain and suffering. He hadn't said a word.
"Come on, say something. I came here for,"
Her words were muffled as Adley swooped, kissing her harshly. Wrapped up tight in his arms, Merissa was not going anywhere. As the passionate kiss deepened, Adley growled softly. His hand curved over her body, pressing against her backside. The movement caused a fluster within Merissa, feeling his desire in physical form pressed hard against her hip.
She mewled within the ardent embrace having never kissed someone with such intensity. Their lips pressed tight, sliding over the skin as their tongues lashed against each other. With each passing second, the couple's need for more grew but it ended with the sound of a woman complaining about how much pain she was in.
Merissa looked up at Adley who gave her a soft smile before leaning in for a more chaste kiss.
"I missed you too," Merissa whispered.
Adley chuckled, then hugged her as he lifted her lithe body off the ground and spun her around. Merissa gasped loudly.
"We got the place?"
"Yeah," She groaned. "Time to put me down."
He'd barely put Merissa's feet back onto the grass when breakfast began to rise. Adley watched with dismay as Merissa found the nearest bush.
"You, my son, are now in a world of trouble. Welcome to the club."
With a merciless chuckle, Kegan playfully smacked Adley's shoulder. His name would be mud for a few weeks.