"Why would you?"

  "All the original pilots lived with us out on the hill, back before we were forced south into the Minden airfield. Well, the guard pilots weren't, but they weren't all that far away, and again, when we all went to Minden, they were housed together in the same area we were."

  "Well, as that was before I was born, I don't think I'd remember him," Troy teased with a smile.

  "Guess we'll find out at the wedding, then?"

  "Wedding?" Mira said, looking a little surprised.

  "Yes, wedding. Apparently, my Troy here thinks once things settle down a little, you'd all like a wedding."

  "Umm."

  "Mira," Troy said in a soft voice, leaning in, "you're my wife. Anyone you don't want there won't be, and anyone who gives you any grief is going to be introduced to the business end of my fist."

  "But…"

  "And that includes former alphas and commanding officers."

  Mira looked back and forth between him and Roxy.

  "And if he doesn't, his father surely will," Roxy said with a chuckle. "Now, how about telling me a little about yourself?"

  "Well, I'm from the Northern Idaho pack; one of my uncles was a pack lieutenant, so I erm…got to know more than a few of the lieutenants, and some of the other important members of the pack. So as soon as I turned seventeen, I was told to 'volunteer' for the Lycan Army by the alpha."

  "Why was that?"

  Mira blushed. "Umm, you see, according to what I was told, apparently, some of the lieutenants' wives didn't like the way their husbands were looking at me. Or, umm, spending their time with me. I mean, they were all so nice to me and everything that, well," she blushed again, "looking back on it, I was probably doing things with them I shouldn't have been."

  "So because a few of them couldn't keep it in their pants, you got in trouble?" Roxy asked, looking a little concerned.

  "It wasn't just that. I was winning awards at school, and had really high grades, but there were people saying I was getting them only because I was sleeping with the teachers, or because I was so pretty. They kept saying I didn't deserve any of it.

  "So when the alpha told me to drop out of school and sign up, I was more than happy to get away."

  "Did you ever finish high school and get your diploma?"

  Mira sighed and shook her head.

  "Once Troy finishes this project for his older brother, we'll see about fixing that."

  "Do you think I should? I mean, won't they talk again? I'm Troy's wife, and well, I don't want them saying I'm only doing well because I married him. It wasn't very nice last time."

  "Trust me, there won't be any talking or anything at all like that. We're not going to send you back to high school. We've got a lot of teachers and tutors here, and we'll have you tutored privately. I'll take care of everything, don't worry about it."

  "Also," Troy added while giving her a hug, "your last name is Valens now, and we very much take care of our own."

  Mira nodded, gave a small sniff, and cuddled into him a little. He didn't miss the look his mother gave him. Either Mira had confided in Nadi, or she'd figured it out on her own, but what she'd just said fit in with what Nadi had told him.

  "I told you everything would be fine, didn't I, Mira?" Nadinc said with a smile in a very warm tone, leaning over to pat her on the leg.

  "Thank you, Nadi. And thank you, Roxy."

  "So, Mom, has anybody gone through the stuff the djevels were smuggling out last night?"

  Roxy frowned and gave a short nod. "Yes, and it wasn't good. They were either eggs to be cultivated somewhere, or those things they use to possess people, both the ones they use on traitors and the ones that rip out a human's soul and replaces it with a djevel."

  "They can still do that latter one? I thought they had to gate through for that or something?"

  "No, it seems Basun is still able to produce them, they're just not very experienced anymore. Estrella explained it to me. However, it's not a pleasant subject. Basically, they were smuggling out demon seeds. Some would be planted in the ground, and some in people, I guess you could say."

  "Well, they were also smuggling out the råge and the bonde we killed as well. I bet they weren't supposed to come back."

  "Maybe, maybe not. They do smuggle in some tech, and who knows what else."

  "Did they find any bottles?" Nadinc asked.

  "Bottles? No, why?"

  "Djinn," Troy said. "If they were using djinn to smuggle anything out, they put them in bottles. Smaller and lighter to carry."

  "Oh, right. Hmm, I'll check, but the report I read didn't mention bottles, broken or otherwise, among what was found."

  Troy nodded again and thought about that. Maybe Basun wasn't using djinn? But then, who was, and how?

  "We're landing!" Daelyn called out over the speaker in the back, and a moment after that, he felt the faint bump of them settling on the landing gear, and as the rear ramp started to drop, he could hear the engines spooling down.

  Standing up and stretching, Troy waited for Healy to rejoin them. By the time she did, she was accompanied by Daelyn, and the two of them were happily talking pilot stuff.

  "I can't believe how easy that was!"

  "It's those upgraded flight computers," Daelyn replied. "They make it so much easier nowadays! When I first learned, these ships were a bit more of a handful, but now? For an experienced pilot like yerself, piece o' cake."

  "Should I ask?" Roxy said, looking over at the two of them.

  "Dae let me land her!" Healy said, smiling. "Oh, I'm so gonna enjoy learning to fly one of these!"

  "So another one is corrupted and brought over to the dark side," Troy intoned.

  "Hush, ya!" Daelyn said with a grin. "After dinna, I'll take ya by my workshop and show ya my latest project."

  "Ummm," Healy said, blushing.

  "I already warned her, Mom."

  Daelyn looked at Troy. "Why'd ya' do that?"

  "I didn't want her to have a heart attack. Your gifts have a tendency to be a few miles over the top, you know."

  "I can't help it if I like makin' stuff for folks!" Daelyn said with a chuckle.

  "Oh! Speaking of making stuff, any chance I could weasel you into making me a sword like Mike's?"

  "I thought ya liked that Fey sword?"

  "I saw what he did to that raseri djevel. I'm starting to think Mom Cali might have the right idea. Plus, that's a lot easier to haul around. Sure, I'm strong, but Mike's stronger, and yet he still plays to his speed. Well, I'm faster than him, so…" He shrugged.

  "Good point. I'll look into it, but not until I'm done with this."

  "That's fine, wives come first, right?" He grinned.

  "Right!" Daelyn and Roxy chorused together, and then laughed.

  "Is that a pride thing?" Healy asked.

  "If you want to keep 'em happy, it is," Troy said with a smile. "Now, let's go out there and meet the rest of the family."

  Nadi and Healy smiled, and even Mira looked excited at the prospect.

  Going down the ramp, Cali, Peg, Jolene, Estrella, and Roberta were waiting, along with his father, Deidre, and even Sheila, which made him smile. SJ was there with Rania, Dania, Cheryl, and Halyna.

  He took his time making introductions. Healy was a little nervous when she met his dad, and Mira was almost terrified. Nadi on the other hand hugged him, gave him a peck on the cheek, and called him 'Father'.

  That surprisingly caused Mira and Healy to settle right down.

  "Let's go inside," Rachel said as they finished introductions. "I thought we'd do an early dinner tonight, so the girls and I can get started, while the rest of you relax for a while."

  With that, they went in and got comfortable in the living room.

  For Troy, it was interesting to watch things progress. Nadi was the first to join the conversation, as she was already comfortable here, and was quickly getting more so. Healy was naturally gregarious, so she was easily drawn into the conversation. Mira took a little longer, and it took him more than a little while to figure it out. She was quite relaxed talking to SJ, and even his father, but seemed a little more cautious when talking to Peg, Cali, Esti, or any of the other women in the room who hadn't gone off with his mom to make dinner.

  He thought back to the way she'd been around him when they'd met, which was straightforward and open, almost aggressive. But when there'd been other women around, she'd been quite shy. He was starting to realize, after hearing that little story of hers, that Mira's issues were more with women than with men, because all her conflicts had come from other women, at least from her point of view.

  It had probably never occurred to her that the men in her family's pack were driving a fair bit of it with their actions towards her. That would have been hard for the females in the pack not to pick up on, or react to, which had probably driven her even further into the arms of the men. They wanted to sleep with her, which in turn made the women even angrier.

  A social feedback loop gone out of control.

  That made him stop and reevaluate her old alpha's actions of effectively kicking her out of the pack. He hadn't done it out of meanness; he'd probably done it out of necessity. Mira had undoubtedly been heading for a serious confrontation with the pack's older females, and was far too young and naïve to realize what kind of trouble she was in.

  And if the alpha running that pack was anything like Chad or Claudia, there were probably a number of males in the pack who'd been taught a nasty lesson about their behavior. He'd heard the stories of how Chad had ruthlessly taken over the western pack, and how Claudia maintained hers, also at times ruthlessly.

  It made him glad, once again, that he was a cat and not a lion, who often engaged in the same pack dynamics.

  "I'm gonna go check on dinner; excuse me a minute," he told the girls, and getting up, he went into the kitchen, where Moms Roxy and Daelyn, along with Rania and Dania, were making dinner.

  "So, what do you think of 'em?" he asked his mother, pulling her away from the others for a few minutes.

  "Nadi is definitely flowering, and Healy is another good match."

  "Mira?" he asked.

  "I think that girl's been used and abused a bit too much," Roxy said with a sigh. "You didn't just pick her for her good looks, I hope?"

  Troy gave his mother a look.

  "Really, Mom?"

  "Troy, I'm still getting used to the idea that my son, the one who used to make me pull my hair out at night, suddenly decided to grab a woman everyone was afraid to make eyes at and turned her into a perfect wife."

  Troy smiled. "Yeah, me too. As for Mira," he shrugged, "when I laid it on the table that she was interviewing for a wife position and not just a 'one and done', something seemed to click for her."

  "So she needed you more than you needed her?"

  "Yeah, she needs me. I think I've figured that out on my own!" Troy said with a smile. "But Nadi likes her and told me to get her. Said I wouldn't regret it. I'm starting to think maybe Nadi sees a bit of herself in Mira? Mira's pretty smart, Mom. She's just a bit naïve, still. I think she's only now starting to realize that all the men she was sleeping with only wanted her for her body."

  "Which you don't?"

  "I haven't slept with her yet."

  Roxy laughed. "How did the shallowest of my sons suddenly become so deep?"

  "Pure dumb luck, and my mouth living a life of its own," Troy said, grinning back at her. "Though I definitely have plans for her after dinner, while Mom Dae over there is trying to steal my Healy away with the kind of gift I don't think I'll ever be able to match!" he said, raising his voice slightly, causing Daelyn to giggle manically—which she was rather good at.

  "Still, it is rather sudden, seeing you with a pride and all."

  "I blame Mike. Suddenly, it felt like something was missing in my life."

  "So, going to go for the full seven?" Roxy teased him.

  Troy shook his head. "I think I've already bitten off more than I can chew. However, before everyone gives me the 'three is an unlucky number' lecture, I think I'm going to go visit Chloë. But that's it."

  "And if she turns you down?"

  "That's it. I know I can make it work with her, but I'm not willing to chance it with anybody else. If three means I gotta work harder, I'll work harder. Oh, there is one thing I want to ask."

  "And that is?"

  "If Chloë says yes, would you infect her for me?"

  "Only if she agrees."

  "Thanks, Mom."

  He gave her a hug, then gave Mom Daelyn one, too, as well as Rania and Dania, and he headed back out to the living room, going over the list of things in his head he needed to deal with. First there was Chloë; he needed to make up his mind, and then go find out what her mind was on the subject. Second there was Mira; he really needed to take her to bed and consummate their marriage. Actually, Mira was first, everything else came after her. Then he could think about Chloë. Third he needed to sit his butt down, look through his stats program, and see what, if anything, he'd unlocked with this whole 'lion power' thing. Then there was finding the next tunnel, that was fourth. Fifth, what the hell did the djevels want the djinn for, and why the hell was he getting a bad feeling about it? Same for all those women Mike had saved. Why the hell were they getting women? If it was just food, why not men? Or were they taking over their minds and using them like they'd used Cruz's wives before Stewart had saved them?

  Oh, and sixth—or was he up to seventh now? He needed to find out what kind of magic Nadi had.

  How the hell had his life become so complicated?

  Shaking his head and putting on a smile, he went out to the living room. After dinner, he'd drag Mira off. Maybe he'd ask Jolene to check Nadi's magic out first. She could do that while Healy was oohing and aahing over the stuff in Mom Dae's workshop.

  Dinner was nice. Sam showed up with her boyfriend, John, which of course meant his brother John, Sheila's youngest, got demoted to 'Johnny' at the supper table. Lisa was there with her Jaguar boyfriend, Cajun. He noticed she was still wearing the collar Cajun had been wearing at the party. Combined with the way they were acting like a couple, he figured she really had found a keeper.

  Ian and Craig managed to show up, obviously interested in meeting his new wives. Natalie wasn't there, however everyone younger than her was, well, except for Cinnamon. So that was sixteen of his siblings, which made for quite the gathering. Nobody gave any of his wives the third degree, though Ian had a few questions for Nadi about life among the djinn and some culture questions.

  Troy figured the twins were probably checking out the other three. Maybe he'd ask, but that could wait. Cyra and John's birthdays were coming up next week. Cinnamon's was actually on Sunday, but she was off with Mike.

  When dinner broke up, he flagged Jolene over, while Daelyn snagged Healy.

  "Let me guess, you want me to see if I can figure out what kind of magic Nadi can do," Jolene said with a smile.

  "So you heard about that then?"

  "Yes, Rox mentioned it." Jolene turned to Nadinc. "So, interested in finding out what you can do?"

  "Do you really think I can do magic?" Nadinc asked, looking a little surprised.

  "Nadi, you can do magic, I've felt it," Troy said, giving her a hug. "I'm more interested in seeing if you can be trained to be better at it."

  "Oh!"

  "Come on, Nadi," Jolene said, taking and linking her arm around hers. "We can go someplace quiet and talk, then try a few simple tests."

  "Take your time," Troy said, putting an arm around Mira. "Mira's earned a little personal attention!"

  "Oh, have I!" Mira said and pulled on him.

  "Remember, Mira, take no prisoners!" Nadinc said with a giggle as she and Jolene left.

  Mira all but dragged him up to his room; the only reason she didn't was because he had to tell her where it was. The moment they got inside, he grabbed her, pulled her close, and kissed her nice and long. After he got that initial kiss out of the way, he walked her backwards towards the bed, which he noticed his mother had already replaced for him with a much more suitably-sized one.

  When the backs of Mira's legs hit the bed, she all but ripped off her top, as he shed his own clothing just as quickly. Once he was done, he helped her out of her pants, and then slowly worked his way up her body, exploring every last inch of her skin, as she was in human form now. Then again, so was he.

  "Finally, I get you!" she said in a husky voice. "I was starting to worry!"

  "Just saving the best for last," he teased.

  "Oh, you better believe it!" she said, and then moaned as he went down on her, putting her legs over his shoulders. He found that she tasted of apricots as he put his fingers, lips, and tongue to good use as she panted and moaned louder and louder, until suddenly she grabbed his hair with both hands and tugged on him, urging him to move up and cover her.

  "In me, Troy! Please! I need you! Claim me, already!"

  "Far be it for me to disregard a woman's requests," Troy muttered, and licking his chops, he moved up quickly to cover Mira's body with his, her hands releasing his hair and guiding him inside her tight heat.

  The moment he hit bottom, she went off on him, her hands grabbing his ass and pulling him into her as she bucked beneath him, her knees pinned to the bed to either side of her head.

  "More, more," Mira gasped, and pulling back against her hands on his butt, he drove back in, and set a hard and fast pace as she continued to urge him on loudly. He was quite surprised that she didn't last very long and came again. To say she was lively would have been an understatement, and she was gripping and squeezing at his shaft with a lot more strength than he'd ever run into before.

  He kept pounding away, and she climaxed again, then a few minutes later, yet again.

  He lost count of how many times she hit her peak before he finally hit his with a loud groan, and she called out loudly for him to take her and breed her, and for a moment he wondered if he could tap the power pool and do just that, as she shuddered and shook beneath him.

  "Somebody needed that," he said once he'd finally caught his breath.

  "Oh, yasssss," Mira mumbled, and grabbing his ears, she pulled him down into a kiss.