Chapter Two- The Deputy Sheriff

The drive to Virginia was over nine hours, so I started off early that morning. Teddy’s new family, the Hexom’s, we’re having a small family get-together this evening to kick off this wedding celebration, and I told Teddy I’d be there.

“Oh, shit.” The flashing red and blue lights crept up behind me from out of nowhere. “Dammit.” I was an hour or two from Teddy’s new home, and I didn’t feel like being bothered with this. I don’t exactly have papers on my car or a license, and I knew this was about to be a problem.

As the deputy of the rinky-dink town I was driving through got out of his car, I noticed that he was built like a brick house—a solid wall of yummy, uniform-covered muscle.

I chuckled at my incredible luck as I saw him approach from my side mirror. Humans are easy as hell to manipulate, so I opened my shirt a little and licked my lips as I checked my face in the mirror.

He leaned into my window, and I tugged at the chain that rested between my breasts. “Yes, sir, what can I do for you?”

He glanced around the inside of my car for just a second before his eyes followed my fingers up and down my chest. “You were going a little fast there, honey.”

My finger tapped on the forearm he had resting against my door. “Well, sir, you see, I was just trying to get your attention.”

He patted my hand then rubbed his fingertip up and down my thumb. “Well, you got it. I’m afraid I need to give you a ticket, though. You were going pretty fast.”

I pouted my lips and batted my eyes. “Isn’t there any way we can work this out, sir? I’m awful sorry.”

He looked around my face and then both ways down the road before he nodded to his car. “Follow me.”

When we got to the clearing at the end of the dirt road, he opened my door like a proper gentleman. “Thank you, dear.”

Lucky for me, that’s where his chivalry ended, though. Before I could say a word, that man had me pressed against my car with his tongue down my mouth.

I wasn’t sure if it was his sidearm or his massive bulge digging into my belly, and if I didn’t have somewhere to be, I would’ve stayed to find out. But the clock was ticking, and Teddy would have a stroke if I was late.

I snapped my fingers and watched the human fall to the ground like a bag of bricks.

Mortals are pretty much expendable to us supernaturals. We liked them certainly, even loved some of them. They made our long-ass lives interesting, but they’re kind of like ants crawling around on the ground. Sure, every living creature’s life has value. Still, you weren’t going to lose any sleep over squashing a few under your feet when necessary.

When I finally pulled into the Hexom’s estate, the sun was setting behind the mountains in the distance, and it made Teddy glow like a golden god as he rushed towards my car.

As soon as I closed the door behind me, he was grabbing me up into his arms. “I am so happy to see you.” With his lips pressed to my cheek, he rocked me back and forth. “Thank you for coming.”

Two enormous men with tribal tattoos down the length of their arms swarmed in behind him, and Teddy pulled me closer as he turned to face them. “Dads, this is my charming and beautiful sister, Tessa Mason.”

He was laying it on pretty thick, for my benefit, I’m sure. For the majority of my life, Teddy was my handler. He understood that I needed reminding, from time to time, to act classy. “Tess, these are my fathers-in-law, Robert and Warren Hexom.”

Fathers? Teddy hadn’t mentioned it before. Hmm! I definitely want to know more about this. Harem living is not unusual among Lycans, but I have never actually known anyone who belonged to one.

I had questions and ideas. That might be the only way I would ever settle down. It was definitely going to take more than one lover to tame this wicked witch.

I smiled and offered my hand to them both.

Be it the season coming for me or the fact that they were both unbelievably handsome, I fanned at the heat overcoming me.

Honestly, my heart was racing, and I was a bit weak in the knees.

With his arms across his chest, Robert gave me a quick look from head to toe. “So, we finally get to meet Tessa. How was the drive up?”

As Warren went to my driver’s side window and looked inside, I quickly recounted my trip, leaving out some of the more exciting details. “Had a little run-in with a deputy sheriff, about an hour from here but otherwise not too bad.”

Warren’s fingers rubbed the decal on the back of my car. “Fucking nice! You have good taste, Tessa.”

I joined him in admiring my prize. “I like to think so. I won it in a card game.”

These Lycan folks are humongous, tall, and muscle-clad. But I’m five feet tall and about a hundred and ten pounds or so soaking wet, and he nearly knocked me over when his elbow smacked at my shoulder. “You’re shitting me.”

I twisted my lips as I shook my head. “No, I’m not. I just happen to be a very, very good poker player.”

Robert laughed and slapped Warren on his back. “Oh, we definitely need to get a game going then.”

Teddy rubbed at his chin. I’d taken more money from my brother over our lifetimes than most people had ever seen in theirs. “Don’t do it. This little cheater will end up owning your whole territory when she’s done with you.”

That got a good laugh from both the fathers, but it wasn’t far from the truth. I’d take over and throw them all out on their assed if I cared at all about owning any property in the country. “Don’t listen to him. I never cheat. I’m just very lucky.”

Teddy gave me his disapproving brow and put his arm around me. He’d been trying to figure out my tricks all our lives, and it drove him crazy that he couldn’t. “Right.”

I was hoping to catch a glimpse of my beautiful Scandinavian twins, but they were nowhere to be found. “So, where’s the Mrs.?”

His hand wrapped around my elbow and gave it a tug. “She and her mother are inside getting things together. Come on.”

While Teddy led me away, I glanced back over my shoulder and gave the dads a wiggle of my fingers. “Was great to meet you both.”

Honestly, if my handsome duo didn’t work out, the two men inspecting my car would have been a good substitute. It’s hard to tell among our kind, but they only appeared to be a shade under forty, and their rugged good looks stoked the fire starting deep inside me. “Oh, I like them already.”

His hand went to the small of my back as he looked down over me while I passed through the doorway. “If you’re impressed by them, just wait until you meet the boys.”