I think it’s quite clever and ask, “If there wasn’t a Veilleux heir, what would happen to the clan?”

  “After the prime and prima died, it would dissolve, and members would have to petition another clan for acceptance.”

  Victor hands me a whiskey I didn’t ask for. “Need this now?”

  I say, “Thank you.” I ask Tokala, “What happens if the alpha dies before the heir is determined?”

  Tokala winks at me as if we share a private joke, and I fight the flush rising to my cheeks, because he can’t know I’ve entertained the thought of killing my husband. “The prima runs the clan. I’ve heard she can even take on alpha tendencies if necessary.”

  His answer makes me uncomfortable, so I get back on the subject of custody. “So it seems we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place with the children, aren’t we?”

  “For now.” Tokala grins at us, and Victor lets out a belly laugh that makes me jump.

  I watch the men chuckle and wait for them to explain what’s so funny. When my husband recovers, he dabs at his eyes with a handkerchief and says to me, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat, my darling.”

  I glance at Tokala, and he nods as his eyes bore into me like a warning. His gaze doesn’t leave mine as he says, “Never underestimate the element of surprise.”

  24

  Chapter 4

  Sierra

  I think I might be alone for the first time since I gave birth last month. Taylor came over this morning and offered to babysit, since she can’t train anyone to fight while she recovers from her recent concussion. I called Donna in just to be safe and left the two able women with my kids. The coffee machine at Ink It gurgles as it fills my mug, and the lock of the front door clicks open as Carly enters the tattoo parlor.

  With the holiday coming, our calendar is clear of appointments, but we decided to take walk-ins today. Most likely we’ll hang out and talk about our babies while we enjoy the chance to sit without anyone needing our attention.

  We’d moved on to our children when Annie bursts in the door, followed by a nearly nude man.

  Her face is flushed from the cold. “Please tell me you have sweats big enough for this—this—” She huffs in a fit of anger. “Person. Bear.” Annie’s curls bounce wildly as she turns to look at him. “Whatever he is!”

  The guy is even bigger than the Le Roux men and has hair so blond it’s almost white. But his icy blue eyes capture your attention. They twinkle with amusement as he holds Annie’s hat over his groin.

  Carly says, “Ian probably has something.”

  She glances at me, and I don’t want to leave before finding out what’s going on. This guy has clearly got Annie flustered, and I’m sure it’s good. But I know Carly will alpha order me if she has to, so I tilt my head toward Kick It and say, “Right this way.”

  Annie lets out a noise of disgust as I lead the guy away. He says, “I’m Tristan De Rozier, and apparently I’ve upset Miss Annie.”

  I lead him into Ian’s office and turn to face him. I can’t help but scan his body with my gaze. “I’m Sierra and married with children, so don’t take this as a come-on, but I guess you’ve probably upset her in all the right ways.”

  He breaks into a grin that displays a mouthful of white teeth. “I’m sure I do. She may not know it yet, but I’m her true mate.”

  I snort. “Could you puff your chest out any farther? You’re such a man.” I toss a pair of sweat pants at Tristan. “Thank God, though. She needs you more than you could even know.”

  He throws the hat at me and steps into the pants without an ounce of modesty. Annie stomps her way around the corner toward us with Carly, and she says, “Please tell me you found something.”

  I hand Tristan a Kick It T-shirt and notice the sweats are tight over his massive thighs and… attributes. I wink at him just before she gets to us. “He’s covered, but you should probably get him back to your place and let him run wild.”

  Annie glares at me, and I think she wants to stamp her foot. “You are no help at all.” She turns to Tristan and sweeps her hand toward Carly. “This is Carly Le Roux, the prima.”

  He reaches for Carly’s fingers. “It’s a pleasure.”

  He kisses the top of her hand, and she says, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Tristan. We’re thrilled to have you.”

  Annie rolls her eyes and says to him, “Come on. Hopefully your sister is waiting at home with your things.”

  Tristan raises his eyebrows at me as I cover my mouth with my hand in an effort to hide my snicker. He says, “I’ve got my orders. Nice to meet you, Sierra.” He turns to Carly. “Mrs. Le Roux.”

  As they walk out, I speak in Carly’s mind. “True mate.”

  Her laugh rings loud and clear before she says, “That explains a lot. This should be entertaining.”

  Carly goes over to the coffee station to make herself a cup and says, “I just realized we should have gone gift shopping today.”

  “I did all my shopping online. No way do I want to deal with the crowds.” I grab candy-cane coffee creamer from the mini fridge and splash some in my mug.

  “Good point. I only need the stocking stuffers for Brady, but I can get them tomorrow.” We wander back to Ink It. “I have something kind of cool to tell you.”

  The aroma of mint wafts up as I sip my coffee, and she says, “I’m kind of a witch.”

  “Kind of? Aren’t you either one or not?”

  “Well, I prefer to call myself gifted, and yeah. I am one.” She walks over to the couch to take a seat.

  “That is pretty cool.” I move to the chair opposite Carly. “What can you do?”

  Carly nods her head toward the books on the table between us. “Watch.”

  I’m expecting a small fire or something, because she doesn’t do anything but stare at the albums. Then I notice one rise above the pile and hover in the air. “Whoa.”

  It drops with a thump. “Neat, huh?”

  “Can you fly one of your babies in the air to you in the middle of the night?”

  Carly chuckles with me and says, “I haven’t tried that yet. Right now I’m torturing Brady and Annie by clearing the table instead.”

  “I can just imagine. Break anything yet?”

  “No. But by the way Annie freaks out so easily, I’m tempted.”

  As we laugh, someone pushes open the front door of the shop, and I glance over to see a dark-haired girl enter. “Hi there. Are you here for a tattoo?”

  Carly asks, “Tori, right?” She pats the space next to her on the couch.

  “Yes.” The visitor’s zipper hums as she unzips her jacket and joins Carly on the sofa. She glances quickly at Carly’s wrist and points. “I’m here for one of those.”

  I scoot to perch on the edge of the chair. She’s one of us, and I’m anxious to induct her into my crazy sisterhood. “Do you know why?”

  Tori’s eyes are big as she says, “I’m not sure.”

  Carly asks, “You have a dream with this in it, don’t you?”

  “Yes. And it has a bear, too, so I thought it was a sign I should come to Orono. You know, because the university’s team is the Black Bears.” She slips out of her coat. “But the dream didn’t go away.”

  Of course not. She’s been called, and Donna’s going to do what she can to get this girl hitched and pregnant by next summer.

  I ask, “What does your guy look like?”

  Tori’s cheeks get pink with a flush. “Um. He’s huge.” She covers her face with her hands. “I mean, like, tall and—”

  I interrupt her. “I’m sure he’s big all over.” I chuckle.

  “Oh, God. That’s not what I meant to say.”

  Carly grins at Tori and says, “Sierra and I used to get the same kind of dream. She’s just teasing you.”

  “So you’ve been having this dream since last spring?” I ask.

  “Yeah, and I can’t fight it any longer. I need to get that tattoo before I go crazy.”

  Carly says, “Okay, but I have to warn you. The dreams don’t stop until you also meet the guy.”

  “Oh.” Tori bites her lip as she drops her gaze.

  Poor thing is too shy to ask what she wants to know, so I help her out. “They’re just as hot as in the dreams. Promise.”

  Tori frowns as she glances at me. “Why am I dreaming about him?”

  “You’ve been called. Think of it as kind of like cosmic matchmaking. But don’t worry. If you end up not liking the guy, you don’t have to date him.”

  “So how do I meet him?”

  I wink at Carly. “We can help you out with that. But first, let’s give you a tattoo.”

  25

  Chapter 5

  Carly

  One of the things Kimi and I are working on is my ability to sense true emotions from telepathic communications. As soon as I opened my mind to my magic, I discovered that I see colors in my head associated with the things people say. So it’s no surprise that Annie’s voice is laced with red when she sends a message from home.

  “Isabelle is here, and she brought Tristan’s clothes. And he just announced they’re staying through the holiday. Of course I was polite about it and invited them to remain at our house. But that man!”

  What’s interesting is that her words are also mixed with purple, which is the color I’ve seen when Brady is sexually aroused. I wonder if she’s figured out that Tristan is her true mate. I reply. “Sexy, isn’t he?”

  I chuckle to myself as I power down the laptop at Ink It, and Annie says, “He sure thinks he is. But I find him annoying as hell.”

  My sweet sister-in-law is in denial, because I know how the true-mate attraction feels, and she’s in for a wild ride with Tristan. I’m still grinning when Sierra comes out of the tattoo room with the garbage. We’ve decided to close early and get some last-minute Christmas shopping in after all. I wasn’t above bribing her with the promise of coffee and cake at our favorite bakery.

  “What’s so funny?” she asks as she reaches for our coats on the hooks.

  “Annie’s all worked up about Tristan. It’s cute.” The nylon of my jacket is smooth to the touch, and my arm slips in quickly.

  “He’s more than cute. That guy is beyond hot. And did you see his cock? He might rival Keith at full mast.”

  “You’ll have to tell Donna.” I push the door open into the cold for us to exit.

  Sierra giggles. “Poor Annie. She’s in for a lifetime of teasing.”

  The lock clicks shut, and my keys jingle as I drop them into my purse. “Yup, and it makes me so happy for her.”

  “Me too. She deserves a steamy relationship. And boy oh boy, is she going to get it. Do you think—”

  I hold up my hand to stop Sierra, because Donna’s voice is faint in my head as if she’s too far away to reach me. I can’t make out the words or determine the meaning of the color surrounding them. It’s a deep maroon that I haven’t encountered yet. “It’s Donna, but she’s not clear.” I call out to her mentally, but she doesn’t reply.

  “She’s probably distracted. She’s babysitting for me.” The sun is bright, making us squint at the reflection off the snowbanks that line the sidewalk.

  “That makes sense. She might not have realized she was tapping into me.” We’re headed to a bath and beauty shop a block away so I can get stocking stuffers, and I decide I’ll pick up something small for the De Rozier twins, too. I ask, “Do you think we should check on Donna?”

  “No. We’d know if something was wrong. Taylor’s there, too. She’s still got an obsession with being a mother, and I guess she decided she needs to practice.” Sierra shrugs. “I don’t mind. It’s nice to have time off.” She links her arm in mine. “Can we get cake first?”

  “No way. You’ll ditch me before I get my errands done, and I need your help.” We’ve reached the boutique, and I pull the door open for us. “Let’s find some sexy bath salts for Annie and Tristan.”

  “Oh, good idea.” Sierra stops and inhales the aroma of soaps and lotions. “Spicy—I think that fits what’s ahead for them, don’t you?”

  I chuckle. “You’re as bad as Donna.”

  Sierra winks at me. “Probably worse.”

  An hour later, we’ve managed to finish my shopping and are at the Cat’s Meow. The French-inspired cafe is busy this afternoon, and the noise level is higher than usual. I sip a decadent hot drink made with real cream and imported chocolate. I recall the shopping trip Sierra and I took last year, which ended in a mall coffee shop.

  I say, “This is a far cry from what our lives used to be.”

  Sierra licks her fork, which is covered in cream cheese frosting from her carrot cake. “Um-hmm. Who’d have thought I’d be married to the love of my life and have triplets?”

  “And me.” Being in public means we can’t talk about werebears, but I don’t have to say anything more, because Sierra’s been with me through just about everything that has happened since we decided to take our crazy road trip last spring.

  Sierra reaches across the table and grabs my hand with a tight grip. “Promise me we’re going to do this every year and that one day our children will roll their eyes at the things their ridiculous mothers say and do.”

  “Of course.” I take her hand while I trace a finger along a flower on her lower arm and remember how I gave her the tattoo. It was the first of many.

  “That one will always be my favorite. It reminds me of what a treasure you are, Carly. Thanks for being my best friend.”

  My eyes water, and I glance at the shiny gaze of the woman who is my best friend, too. She’s been with me through the good and the bad, and she’s never left my side. “Every girl should be lucky enough to have someone like you.”

  Sierra sniffs. “We’re getting sappy in our old age.” She breaks off another piece of cake, and before she bites, she asks, “What did you get Brady for Christmas?”

  I’m about to answer when Donna’s voice screams in my head. “Carly! Brady! Sierra’s babies are gone! And I think Taylor took them.”

  The shock must show on my face, because Sierra doesn’t ask why when I throw a twenty on the table and say, “We need to get out of here. Now.”

  26

  Chapter 6

  Taylor

  My plan started off so well. Sierra jumped at the chance to get out of the house when I offered to babysit. For a moment, I thought there might be a problem when I discovered she had invited Donna to help me, but the reality was I needed the assistance. Three babies are a lot of work. When I got the chance, though, a sleeping pill in Donna’s tea was a cinch to pull off. But I really should have kept her awake long enough to load the babies into her car. Because right now, I can’t get the child seat to snap into place on the base.

  How the hell does this thing work? I glance down at Jackson’s blinking eyes. “Too bad you can’t talk. I could really use your help.” Plastic grinds as I jiggle the carrier around trying to find the right spot. A loud snap tells me when I do. “Finally!” I quickly load the other two kids and climb into the driver’s seat of Donna’s BMW. Nice car. I hope it can handle the back road to Patricia’s cabin.

  I glance at the huge bag full of diapers, formula, and clothes. I’m not sure if I got what is needed, but it’ll have to do.

  Inexperience with babies was almost my downfall. As soon as I got Donna to sleep, the children started wailing, and I realized they needed to eat. And that triggered three diaper changes, along with a change of clothing for some. Apparently not everyone can contain the velocity at which their contents decide to explode. Motherhood is no joke. By the time I was done, Donna had started to moan, and I wasn’t sure how long I had before she woke up.

  I flip on the radio, and loud rock music blares. “Shit!” I quickly turn down the volume and glance in the rearview mirror to see if it bothered the babies. But the darn kids are all facing backward, so I take the lack of screaming as a good sign. “Sorry, guys, I think I just taught you your first swear word.” I chuckle at the absurdity and scan the radio stations for a classical one to counteract my profanity.

  A driver of another sedan waves as he passes, and I wave back as if I’m supposed to be taking Donna’s grandchildren to a remote cabin in the woods. Donna’s day is about to suck, but it can’t be helped. Sierra’s babies belong to the Veilleux, and Patricia and I are going to make sure they end up with Victor.

  Snow flurries dance in the wind ahead of me. Another storm is coming, and I’m glad I managed to get on the road before the brunt of it hits. The route to Patricia’s is engrained in my memory, but having never driven it, I pay careful attention to the side streets so I don’t miss my turn.

  As I get closer, the speed limit decreases, and the clear pavement becomes snow-covered dirt. I wince as Donna’s BMW bounces over potholes. It’s murder on her alignment, and I make a mental note to get that fixed for her later. Later? An uneasiness settles in me. What the hell am I doing? The traction is getting progressively worse, and my wheels slip, causing me to slow down to avoid fishtailing.

  A horn blares, and I glance in my mirror to notice a large truck behind me. The lights flash on and off, so I slow down to pull over and let him pass. But when I stop, I realize the guy is still behind me.

  I get out of the car to see what the man wants. He calls out to me as he walks in my direction. “Taylor?” A long gray ponytail hangs over his shoulder and rests on his chest, and his ear-flap hat with dangling braided yarn ties looks like it’s decades old.

  A tidal wave of fear mixes with that nagging feeling you have when you are about to do something stupid but can’t stop. I blink and shake my head to clear my confusion. I say, “Yes, that’s me.”

  “I’m Tokala. I’m here to get you up the road. Your car won’t make it much farther.”

  “Oh, good. I’m afraid it’s already having trouble.”

  “You’ve got three babies with you, right?” He smiles at me, making his eyes almost disappear in the wrinkled skin of his ancient face, and the previous fear grips my heart. Something’s definitely not right.