“How about we take it easy,” Odhran said, and took a step in front of me, as if he wanted to shield me from the overexposure of everything.
“Oh my God, we are totally scaring the shit out of her.” It was Darragh who spoke, and I leaned to the side and looked around Odhran’s arm to see her sporting a terrified expression on her face.
“I’m fine,” I said, and placed a hand on his arm as I stepped around him and gave the females a smile. “It’s just being around people after everything is a little—”
“Overwhelming.” Luna offered a gentle smile. “We’re overwhelming the hell out of you. Please forgive us.”
I exhaled and smiled in return. “No apologies needed.” Odhran placed a hand on my hip and pulled me back so I rested against his chest, feeling his heat and strength, and smelling his scent all around me.
“We brought you some things,” Evie said, and went over to the door to bend down and grab a large canvas tote.
I stepped away from Odhran and made my way toward the women. “You brought me gifts?”
“It’s just some things that we love, or find comfort in, or hell, just enjoy as a whole.” Evie stopped a few feet from where I stood and offered me the bag.
For a second I just stood there looking down at it, the emotion I felt so overwhelming I couldn’t breathe. It could have been a bag full of bricks and I still would have felt this way. It wasn’t what was inside the tote, but the thought these three females had at bringing me creature comforts to help me feel better.
After being captured, comforts weren’t something I’d had, and gifts, kindness, wasn’t something I’d been familiar with during my time in captivity. My eyes watered, and that prickling in my face warning that I was about to cry rose up.
“Thank you,” I managed to say.
Luna laughed softly. “Honey, you haven’t even seen what’s inside yet.”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter.” I felt Odhran behind me, his hand on my waist again. I knew he needed to be there for me, touching me in some small way just as much as I did. “The fact you thought about me and wanted to bring me things means a lot. So thank you.” I looked at each of them. “Thank you so much.”
Everyone was silent for a few seconds before Darragh was the one to clap and stepped forward. She crouched and riffled through the duffle before pulling out a large leather-bound book.
“I didn’t have any family growing up, no one but Evie.” The two women looked at each other and smiled. “But when I came to Scotland, I finally met my father, I met my mate, and got a whole new family.” She looked at Luna and I saw the way her eyes softened. “I gained a mother, and for the first time I felt like I belonged somewhere.”
She handed me the book and I took it, the weight substantial, the leather smooth and cool in my hands.
“It’s the history of the Lycans, family trees, lore, any and all details that go back centuries and centuries. It brought me a lot of comfort when I felt lost and didn’t know what was going on. I felt like I’d been thrust into a crazy world where I didn’t belong, and I can imagine maybe you feel the same way in some regard.”
I kept smoothing my fingers along the top of it. “Thank you. This is so special and I’ll treasure it.” Before I knew what I was doing, I embraced Darragh and said, “thank you,” again, much softer this time. When we stepped away Darragh looked just as choked up as I did.
“My turn.” Evie was still grinning as she reached inside the duffle and pulled out another book as well as a plastic container that smelled of oats and chocolate. “So I made you cookies. I can’t guarantee they are the best things in the world, but Cian eats a whole trayful so maybe they aren’t so bad.”
Darragh snorted before saying, “Girl, you know your mate would eat a mud pie if you made it. That man worships the ground you walk on.”
“Says the chick who made dinner, burned it until it was all but blackened and crispy, and still her mate ate the entire thing and asked her to make it again.” There was a second of silence before both women started laughing.
“Anyway,” Evie said, her cheeks pink from laughing. “I wanted to give you something to snack on as you looked through this.”
I gave Odhran the book Darragh had given me before taking the one Evie handed over. “A world history book,” I said as I smoothed my fingers over the embossed cover.
“I’m kind of a history fan, even taking classes online for it.” She shrugged as she stared at the book. “I didn’t know Darragh planned on giving you a book or I would have changed things up, but…” she said, and there was this mysterious teasing in her voice that piqued my interest. I watched as she grabbed something else out of the bag before handing it to me.
I felt my eyebrows hit my hairline as I stared at the three paperbacks with half naked men on the covers. “Oh,” I whispered and heard Odhran make a gruff sound behind me. When I glanced over at him, I could see his brow furrowed and a look of displeasure on his face as he stared at the books.
“Easy, tiger,” Evie said and laughed. “They are just romance books. Your manhood is safe, don’t worry.”
“Romance books?” I said and looked back at Evie. She leaned in and whispered in a conspiracy-laced tone. “Smutty romance books.” When she pulled back and winked, I couldn’t hold in the half-snort, half-laugh that left me.
I didn’t tell her I had enough heat and romance with my mate to last a lifetime, even felt my face heat as I remembered all the things Odhran and I had done together. And of course my mate scented that arousal because he made a deep sound and tightened his fingers on my waist.
“Thank you,” I croaked out, and all three women laughed softly.
“Okay, it’s my turn and then we’ll leave you two alone.” Luna stepped forward and grabbed a bouquet of flowers held together with tissue and twine. The scents instantly burst all around me and I took the offered flowers. “Because I can’t have a traditional garden, for obvious reasons,” she winked and grinned, flashing her fangs, “I have a night blooming garden that I created shortly after being mated to Banner. My flowers bring me comfort, and I wanted to extend that to you.” She started pointing out each one. “This is Evening Primrose, which you can make some lovely oil from. This is Gardenia Jasminoides, and Chocolate Daisy.” She named a few more, and I was transfixed on all the different colors and appearances of each beautiful stem and bud.