"Are you always so easy to…?" he asked, a combination of curiosity and teasing.

  "Now you know why I was so popular," she replied and leered up at him. "Though, honestly? I think I just set a personal best. Somebody definitely learned you a little technique. Most guys your age don't have that kind of experience or staying power!"

  Troy snorted. "You know you're younger than me, right?"

  "Ummm…" she said, suddenly a little embarrassed.

  "But if it's any consolation, yeah. My dad's large and in charge, so I got a lot of attention. Then of course Mom Jo is a tantric witch, and once I figured that out, I realized a lot of her friends would be more than happy to teach this young lycan all sorts of things, seeing as he was so willing to help them recharge their magic.

  "Now, how about round two?"

  "And then three and four and five!" She giggled as he unpinned her legs.

  "Insatiable, are we?" he teased as he rolled over, pulling her on top of him.

  "Let's just say, I want to show you everything I've learned!" She giggled.

  "Oh, I think I like the sound of that!"

  Troy lost track of how many times they coupled. Mira was a bit frenzied, and was doing everything she could to prove to him how much she wanted him.

  Which was obviously a lot.

  He found out that her surname was well deserved, whether by chance, or an urge to live up to the moniker her father had stuck on her before walking out the door, he had no idea. He'd thought Healy had been good at it, but Mira was without a doubt the best.

  When she finally stopped being manic and slowed down long enough to cuddle, he tucked her under his chin, wrapped his arms around her, kissed her on the top of the head, and got comfortable.

  "Why so frantic? Not that I'm complaining, mind you, it's nice to have that kind of attention turned on you."

  "Umm, wellllll, knowing you're the last man I'll ever bed kinda lit my fires," she admitted sheepishly.

  "Oh? Should I ask?"

  "I, um, got passed around a lot."

  "I sorta got the impression that the lieutenants in your old pack were sleeping with you."

  Mira blushed again. "It wasn't just them. It was them, their friends in the pack, any other lycan males in the area they liked, a couple of magic users…" She gave him a guilty look. "By the time my alpha threw me out, I hadn't slept in my own bed at home in over a year. It wasn't just that they were after me, and it wasn't just that I was willing, it was that I was brazen and in their faces about wanting them."

  "Why?"

  "Because when I was born, my father took one look at my coat, accused my mom of cheating on him, and left her, the pack, all of it, and was never seen again."

  "What?"

  "Brindle coats like I have are recessive. As I understand it, based on the color of his coat, there's no way he could have fathered me."

  "What did your mother say?"

  "No idea," Mira said with a shake of her head. "She was so shamed by what had happened, she ended up leaving before I was two. She couldn't deal with the repercussions and the stigma of it, because a lot of folks took my father's side. Or so I've been told. Her brother raised me, and he was never quite sure what to do with me, though he tried really hard to be a good father. But when all the boys started wanting me, and then the men?" She sighed. "I'd gotten a lot of teasing over not having any parents, you know how kids are. I grew up constantly being told no one wanted me, and then suddenly, after I got tits, all the men wanted me, and," she looked a little sad, "I wanted to be wanted."

  "So you let them all bed you," Troy said, the concern in his voice evident.

  "Oh, it wasn't bad. It was actually a lot of fun. I mean, they were men, adults, experienced, not a bunch of clumsy kids who'd brag to all their friends. They not only knew how to show me a good time, they treated me like I mattered. Though I'll admit, I got a little thrill out of some of the kids who'd been the nastiest to me finding out that their father had been screwing my brains out in a motel across town instead of kissing them goodnight or helping them do their homework," Mira said with a bit of a wicked gleam in her eye.

  "Settled up a few scores, did we?"

  "More than a few. It took me a year to realize that getting thrown out of the pack was as much for my own good as it was for the good of the pack. I was so ready, willing, and able, that it never occurred to me that I was sowing discord and destruction in my wake. I just kept thinking of the bad things that'd been said to me, and how my mom had been 'forced' to leave because of her shame.

  "It wasn't until after that thing with the colonel, whose wife hadn't deserved the havoc I'd caused for her, that I realized I'd become the very thing my father had accused my mother of."

  "From the way you were acting when we first met, it didn't look like you'd slowed down any," he teased.

  "I avoided anyone who was married or in a relationship. A year ago, hearing that you were married wouldn't have stopped me at all."

  Troy nodded, remembering how shocked she'd been.

  "Honestly, Troy? Even after you said you wanted me to meet Nadi, I figured it'd just be a kinky weekend, and then you'd kick me to the curb after you were done."

  "Never had a boyfriend before?"

  She shook her head. "It was years before I realized anything even existed beyond just being a goodtime girl. I couldn't even understand why those guys' wives were mad at me. It wasn't like I could keep any of them for more than a night at a time. I wasn't stealing them, I was just, I guess you could say, borrowing them."

  "You realize you're never going to sleep with another man, any other man, than me, right?" Troy said with a hint of a growl.

  Mira got a dreamy expression on her face and hugged him. "I know! It's my biggest wish finally come true."

  "Oh?"

  She snuggled into him. "Of course it is. I finally found a man who not only wants to keep me, and won't share me, but he'll kill anyone who tries!" She kissed the side of his neck. "I'm going to do everything in my power to make you the happiest man on Earth, Troy Valens."

  "Well, Mira Valens, I can't be sure I'll make you the happiest woman, but I promise to at least try," Troy said, putting his arms around her. He suddenly had an inkling of why Nadi had thought she was worth his time. They were opposite sides of the same coin. Where Mira had been with a lot of men willingly, Nadi had unwillingly. Nadi understood her sexuality; she'd been trained to be what she'd been. Mira had just sort of stumbled into it unwittingly, not understanding any of it.

  They'd both been taken advantage of. Perhaps it wasn't mean-spirited; Mira had been willing, and for Nadi, it had been her culture, but that didn't change what had happened. Nor did it change the hurt and the pain they'd both gone through. But there was one thing he could do, and he knew that from his own family: he could accept them as they were, warts and all. He could take the time to get to know them and love them for who and what they were, and encourage them to be whatever it was they wanted to be.

  He was just drifting off to sleep when the door opened, and Nadi and Healy came into the room.

  "Ah! Good! You're still conscious!" Healy said with a giggle.

  "Somehow, I get the feeling I won't be for much longer," Troy replied with a sigh, though he couldn't help but smile. "So did you pick a paint job?"

  "That and more! Wow, your Mom Daelyn is amazing! Did you know, she used to fly Blackhawks, too? She even has a custom one she said I can borrow until she finishes my new Osprey!"

  Troy nodded slowly; he seemed to recall she had one stashed in one of the hangars around here that she used for local trips. He noticed that Nadi was also looking a little excited.

  "And what did you learn from Mom Jo?" he asked her.

  "Apparently she can teach me magic!" Nadi gushed.

  "Oh?"

  Nadi nodded. "Yes! All this time, I thought I couldn't do magic because I had so very little, but she said she'd teach me how to get more. She said it's both fun and easy, and now that I have a husband and two wives who are lycans, I'll always have more than I need!"

  "So she's going to make you a tantric witch?"

  Nadi nodded happily.

  "But your magic doesn't feel like tantric magic."

  "Yes, I remembered you saying that and told her. She said djinn tantric magic is different. In fact, she was surprised no one had ever tried to teach it to me before, because all the original tantric witches were djinn. Apparently, it's quite common with us."

  "Huh. Well. I guess this calls for a celebration, then, doesn't it?"

  "Umm, I've never shared before," Healy said, looking just a little nervous. "Have you, Nadi?"

  Nadi shook her head.

  "You, Troy?"

  "Nope!" he said with a grin. "Mira?"

  "Once," she admitted a little bashfully, "but I think this time will be a lot easier."

  "Oh? Why's that?" Healy asked.

  "Because we're all married," she said, and then suddenly giggled, "and my name is no longer 'Great Head'!"

  "Huh?" they all said and looked at her.

  "The last thing my dad did before he left home was name me Mirabilis."

  "And?" Healy prompted.

  "It means wonderful in Latin, so my name is actually ''Wonderful Head'."

  "And now I feel like such an idiot for all the head jokes," Healy, said blushing.

  "Oh, I'm sure you'll have lots of time to make it up to me!" Mira said, snickering. "Now, this party ain't gonna start itself, so lose the clothes, and come join Troy and me in bed!"

  Troy figured it wouldn't be too bad. There were only three of them, and his father dealt with more on a regular basis…

  …then again, his father had a lot more years of practice.

  Friday

  Troy yawned and stretched as he got out of bed, putting his hands out way in front of him as he hit the floor on all fours, and arching his back. He slowly stretched out his spine, arms, and legs. It was early yet, and popping back up to his feet, he stopped a moment to glance at the three women sound asleep on his bed, then trotted out of his room, down the stairs, and out the back door, and broke into a jog.

  He ran down the hillside to the small river that ran around the mountain, then followed that a few miles, until he hit the road, and ran up that until he made it back to his family's compound. His warm-up run completed, he went straight to the gym, and immediately set to working out on the weight machines.

  "Hey! T-Roy! Where you been hiding yourself?"

  "Hey, yourself, Jock-o!" Troy said, glancing over at JJ who was using the free weights. "How's things up north?"

  "Eh, about the usual, maybe a little quieter since your brother popped Mountain Top. What's this I hear you got married?"

  "Yup, couldn't let Mihalis have all the fun!"

  JJ snorted, racking the bar he'd been using. "Great, now my mom's definitely gonna start in on me about finding a wife!"

  "Why would she do that?"

  "Because whenever she'd bug me about it, I'd always tell her when you got married, I'd think about it. I mean, really, Troy! You were supposed to be a safe bet!"

  "After all these years, you'd think you'd know better!" one of the wolves called out.

  "Oh, come on, Troy getting married? There wasn't even a betting pool on it!" JJ retorted as several of the wolves, and even a jag or two laughed. "So, is it that gal you were at the party with?" JJ asked, turning back to him.

  "Yup. Not all that long afterwards, either."

  "Damn, she must have really rocked your world!"

  "Eh," Troy said as he did reps, "it was just one of those things. One moment you're just having fun, and the next moment you're mated, and happy about it."

  "Still, I though you had a thing for that black gal your brother saved."

  "Still do. Think I'm gonna go visit her this afternoon and pop the question."

  "What? Two? You think she'd go for that? Hell, what about your new wife! What'll she say?"

  Troy set the bar down and looked over at JJ, who was getting ready to do some heavy lifting. He waited until JJ had the bar moving up.

  "She said 'Troy, you really need a fourth wife, three is such an unlucky number.'"

  JJ's eyes bugged out, and he lost his balance, and dropped the bar. The others around him quickly got clear as a couple hundred pounds of barbell hit the floor and bounced. JJ swore and looked at him as he laughed.

  "Did you have to do that while I was lifting?" JJ growled.

  "Yup!" Troy said, continuing to snicker as he moved over to his next set.

  "So, when do I get to meet 'em?"

  "Sometime this weekend, probably. I need to get back to that project I was working on for SJ come Monday. If nothing else, I'll invite you to the wedding."

  "Wait, you're going to have a wedding?" JJ said and stopped picking up the barbell from the floor.

  Troy noticed that a lot of folks in the gym were suddenly looking at him.

  "Well, yeah, why the hell wouldn't I? It makes the girls happy, and I get to have a nice, big party!"

  "Anything for a party! Right, Troy?" yelled Ken, one of the other scouts who was working out.

  That got another laugh.

  "Hey, I may be getting married, but I'm still me!" Troy said with a big-ass grin.

  When he got back to the room, the girls were just waking up.

  "Where were you?" Mira asked.

  "Morning workout. I got up an hour ago."

  "But you only went to sleep…" she glanced at the clock, "four hours ago."

  Troy shrugged. "I always work out when I'm at home. I try to do it when I'm out on assignment, too. Let's hit the shower, then breakfast!"

  "What's the rush?"

  "I figured you and Healy might want to do some shopping?"

  Two blurs streaked by Troy suddenly as Mira and Healy, whom he hadn't even known was awake, ran to the bathroom.

  "You said the magic word," Nadinc said, giggling.

  "Breakfast?"

  "No, shopping!"

  Troy almost laughed. "This is going to take some getting used to."

  "Are we going to head to Las Vegas again?"

  "No, this time I think we'll just head in to town. I'm thinking of flying up to Chico to see if I can convince Chloë to join our little pride here."

  "You're afraid she'll turn you down, aren't you?"

  Troy shook his head. "The last time we talked, she told me she didn't want to see me again unless I was serious."

  "Why'd she say that? I mean, you two were sleeping together a fair bit during the time she was here."

  "You noticed?"

  "I think everyone noticed," Nadinc said with a smile. "Chloë is neither meek nor quiet. I think the word 'flamboyant' was made just for her."

  "I wanted her to stay; something about her just kept drawing me in."

  "So why didn't she?"

  "She wanted a commitment and…" Troy looked embarrassed, "I wasn't ready."

  "You sure committed to me fast enough."

  "Yeah, I guess I realized my mistake and didn't want to repeat it," he said, coming over and giving her a hug as she sat up on the bed.

  "I guess that means we're going to show her that now you are. Serious, that is."

  "Yeah, but what will she think about being number four?"

  "You let me worry about that," Nadinc said and smiled as she kissed him. "You just worry about letting her know you mean it. Now, is that shower big enough for four?"

  "Easily."

  "Very good, because you're all sweaty, and I still stink from last night."

  #

  Chloë grumbled as she left her class. The teachers here didn't know a damn thing about music or music theory. Well, that wasn't being fair. They knew more than the average student, she couldn't argue that point, but they didn't know more than she did; hell, they didn't even know as much. She'd been traveling with her dad since she was twelve, and he'd started teaching her why he did the things he did when she was only ten.

  She'd been helping him actually write songs since she'd turned seventeen!

  College had sounded like fun when she—against his wishes, no less—had decided to go. It had been fun, too, at first. Then that Arnie guy had kidnapped her, and all sorts of bad shit had happened to her after that.

  She missed Jade. Jade was about as solid as solid got, and they'd become fast friends, but after they'd been rescued, she'd made it clear that she was going to get with the lion who'd saved them and never let him go. She had to admit, she'd had a good time with him, too, but he scared her. She'd seen a lot of big guys, and a lot of bad guys over the years of traveling, and even performing with her dad. Musicians always seemed to attract certain elements. But that Mihalis dude?

  Yeah, he had 'em all beat. Definitely not her thing. Jade? Oh, yeah, she could see Jade being all up in that. Especially after Arnie 'disappeared'. The police had been looking for him, but seeing as his car, his phone, his wallet, everything, was still in his apartment, it'd been ruled foul play.

  Chloë had to laugh at that. Yeah, no shit.

  She'd once heard her father telling some young dude that you never appreciated life until you almost lost it. She'd thought that was just some quaint saying; her father had a few of those after so many years on the road. Only now she knew, and here she was, wasting it at a place where they had nothing to teach her!

  For the first time since she'd left, she was starting to regret having left the Valens' Estate. Troy had been a lot of fun, and was definitely a lot more her kinda guy. She could see it in him, but he hadn't been serious about her. She wouldn't to let him string her along—something she'd seen her father do to dozens of women, her own mom included. For all that she loved her dad, she knew he was not the kind of man a woman could build a relationship with.

  Then there was the fact that he was a lycan, and she was a human, and she'd heard a lot of the rumors that those kinds of relationships never worked out.

  Until she got that letter from Jade, telling her that not only had she gotten her Mihalis, she'd gotten 'infected' by Troy's mom, and now she was a lycan, too.

  Yeah, she'd actually sworn at that. Loudly, and long enough that her roommate in the dorms probably thought she'd gotten Tourette's. She hadn't known that was an option! Apparently when your new father-in-law was a rich and powerful lion, certain exceptions to the rules could be made.