Fated Redemption [Kindred of Arkadia 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (2 page)

“Okay, okay. I packed you some of my personal favorites from my ‘video’ collection. There is one in

here that especially shows different positions when dealing with ‘big boys.’ I figure you may need all the

help you can get.” Daniel smiled up at his friend. Moe watched in fascination as Rhys’s eyes went from

Daniel to him to the box to Daniel and back to him. Moe couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Put that box back in the truck.” Rhys grabbed at the box but Daniel nimbly danced out of the way.

“No way, they complement David’s moving-in present.”

Rhys stopped chasing Daniel.

“What did he get me?”

“Triple XL butt plugs!” David yelled loudly from the third-story window, his voice carrying down the

street, causing more than one midday shopper to turn and look at them. Moe thought his poor mate would

melt into a puddle on the worn, wooden planks.

“David! Daniel! What did I tell you about behaving yourselves?” Roman barked, raising his eyes from

his clipboard.

“Bo-o-r-r-ring,” David sang, and disappeared from the window. Daniel took advantage of Rhys’s

distraction and ran inside. Rhys turned to Moe.

“Are you still sure you want to mate with me? I’m all fucked up, and well, you can see how my family

is.” Rhys pointed to where David was now spanking Daniel in the bar with a long double-ended dildo.

There was a faintly amused expression on his mate’s face. Moe was by his side in an instant.

He pulled his mate into his arms and took advantage of his height to rub his chin over Rhys’s blond

curls.

“You are not fucked up. You are recovering. I wouldn’t trade you for anyone. Fate not only chose you

just for me, she literally stepped in to make sure we could be together. You are my miracle.” Moe tipped

Rhys’s head back and slowly licked and nibbled his lips. He could feel the moment Rhys relaxed his

muscles. Moe simply wrapped his arms around him tighter. When Rhys opened his mouth and began to

suck on his tongue Moe could feel his control start to slip.

“Tear that face up. Woot! Woot!”

Moe opened one eye to see David and Daniel begin to gyrate and thrust their hips at imaginary dance

partners. Moe reluctantly pulled away. Rhys’s cheeks were pink and his lips swollen. Damn if his mate

didn’t look thoroughly dazed.

“I told you.” Rhys’s eyes danced with mirth. Moe could feel his heart expand. This was his mate. In the

past month between bouts of anxiety, outbursts of frustration and pain, this was the man that kept shining

through, with his kind eyes and ready smile.

“You forget, I volunteer with kindergartners. I can handle those two.” Moe brought Rhys’s hand up and

kissed it gently.

“Okay guys.” Roman walked up flipping pages on his ever-present clipboard.

“Kurt just finished installing the walk-in freezer for Rhys’s blood storage. The unit needs to maintain a

temperature between 33.8 degrees and 42.8 degrees Fahrenheit. With this temperature range the blood can

stay fresh between thirty-five and forty-two days, though I don’t think that will be a problem with everyone

donating.” Roman’s eyes softened when he looked at Rhys.

At first Moe was leery of the relationship between Roman and Rhys, but he had come to realize that

they loved each other like brothers. He couldn’t deny his mate any relationship that gave him strength,

especially now.

“Moe, we’re heading to the diner for lunch. Would you care to join is?” Gabriel asked as the vampires

waved at them and walked toward the diner.

“Rhys?” Moe asked, unsure if his mate would be okay surrounded by shifters.

Rhys nodded.

“Being around shifters doesn’t bother me anymore. As long as no one is gushing blood I should be

okay. It’s past time for me to rejoin the land of the living.”

“Great! I’ll see if Peyton wants anything. Then after lunch I can show you around your new home.”

Moe dropped a kiss on Rhys’s cheek and stepped inside the doorway. He looked over to the bar to see his

tweaky and slightly inept bartender washing his already clean glassware. Shaking his head, he called out,

“Peyton, Rhys and I are heading to the diner, do you want anything?”

Peyton looked up and then frowned as he thought before nodding.

“Pie and coffee.”

Here we go.

“Just pie and coffee?” Moe asked.

“Yes, umm maybe, maybe a sandwich too.”

“So pie, coffee and a sandwich. What kind of sandwich?”

Peyton’s face started to get a panicked expression.

“Umm turkey. No wait, ham.”

“Pie, coffee and a ham sandwich. Fries or chips?” Peyton’s eyes began to bug out and he shifted

nervously from foot to foot.

Moe had been working everyday with Peyton to get the small man to think for himself and to ask for

what he wanted. Ordering a lunch would have been beyond him months ago. He was proud of his little

buddy.

“Fries. No. Chips. Wait. Do they have meatloaf today?” Moe nodded patiently and slowly.

“I imagine they might.”

“Okay, a meatloaf lunch with mashed potatoes and extra gravy. With pie and coffee.” Peyton heaved a

huge breath and then looked up at Moe, beaming. He was so proud of himself.

“You got it, buddy.” Moe turned and walked over to Rhys who was gazing at him with a soft yet gentle

look on his face. He reached out and took Moe’s hand as they walked to the diner.

“You’re really good with him. He’s overcome so much. His abuse went on for years. Mine was just a

couple months.” Rhys sighed.

“You are both different people with different circumstances. He can handle more physical pain than

anyone I’ve ever known, but when he arrived in Arkadia his mind and spirit were broken. He never spoke

up, never made any decisions for himself. He is still afraid to leave the bar. So in that respect you are much

stronger.” Moe ran his thumb over Rhys’s hand. A slow smiled formed in his mate’s lips.

“I can’t wait to get to know him better.”

“I think having you at the bar will be good for him. Get him to open up more.”

“Did you see his face when David and Daniel were goofing off?”

Moe let out a booming laugh.

“That was more excitement than he’s had in a while. I hope they visit more with you here. If anyone can

bring that kid out of his shell it would be those two.”

“I’ll let them know.”

Moe swung their hands back and forth. He couldn’t keep the goofy grin off his face if he tried. He had

waited weeks to be with his mate like this.

“You’re excited just to be holding hands aren’t you?” Rhys asked, looking up at him.

“I’ve been alone for so long now, that this simple pleasure means a lot to me.”

“Then we’ll have to make sure that we do it a lot.” Rhys flushed.

“I mean.” Rhys stuttered, embarrassed at what his comment implied. Moe smiled.

“I know what you meant. I know I’ve told you this before, but we’ll take this mating at your pace. You

let me know what you’re ready for.”

Rhys breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you. It’s not that I don’t want you, I wake up so damn hard some mornings dreaming about

running my tongue over your tattoos I think my dick will fall off.” Moe stumbled on his own feet and

looked down at his mate. Rhys grinned at him wickedly for a moment before the light faded from his eyes.

“I’m afraid of what might happen in the heat of the moment. I don’t know if I trust myself yet.” Rhys

sounded so sad.

“There are other things we can do,” Moe said simply, and smiled at the surprised look on his mate’s

face. Without any further explanation he held the diner door open and they walked inside. They hadn’t

taken a couple steps when a small body launched itself at Rhys. Moe smiled at his bewildered mate as he

was strangled by their Alpha Mother. He looked around the diner to see that Rebecca, Sebastian and Ashby

had pushed three tables together to hold the car seats with their sons nestled inside, and they sat at the table

between the room and their children.

“I’m so happy to see you out of the coven house and with your mate!” Rebecca bounced, jerking

Rhys’s head around.

“Becca,” Aleks said cautiously. She whirled around, still partly dangling from around Rhys’s neck.

“What? He’s addicted to shifter blood, I’m the only one safe around him.”

The declaration fell flat in the diner with a giant thud. Moe looked over to Rhys, whose mouth was

twitching. Ashby slapped his hand to his forehead, shaking his head, and Sebastian rolled his eyes. It was

Liam who broke the silence with his laughter.

Rebecca looked around, confused.

“What?” She looked to Rhys questioningly.

“Nothing, ignore them. I’m happy to see everyone too.” He kissed her cheek. Rebecca glared at Liam,

who was still chuckling, and walked back over to where her son gurgled happily in the car seat next to his

friends Arthur and Lucian.

Moe walked with Rhys and they sat at the table close to the children. He hadn’t had a chance to see

much of the babies. They were absolutely adorable and so big already. Shifter babies grew much faster than

human ones. He could see that they were already sitting up, moving their heads about and tracking

movement. He smiled at the different parenting styles evident with each child.

Baby Arthur, Ashby and Gabriel’s son, had matching argyle car seat cover and diaper bag. His clothes

were immaculate from his baby corduroys to his tiny, plaid, sweater vest. Even the baby’s fine downy hair

seemed to be perfectly combed. His demeanor was quiet as he looked out at the diner floor solemnly.

Baby Lucian, Sebastian, Kent and Liam’s baby, had brightly colored mismatched jungle-themed

accessories. He had on a sensible Osh Kosh B’Gosh snap-up jumper with a long-sleeve T-shirt. A lion

blanket lay draped across a nearby chair in case the baby got cold. He played dutifully with Kent, sticking

out his tongue as if on cue.

Rebecca’s baby was giggling and waving his tiny hands about. He had a
Dexter’s Laboratory
diaper

bag, a Pooh Bear car seat and a
Toy Story
blanket featuring Woody as sheriff. His shoes were off, his shirt

was inside out and one sock was missing. He had a smear of what looked like carrots or sweet potatoes on

one cheek. But more than the other two babies, baby Aidhan exuded love. Moe couldn’t help but smile

when looking at the tiny baby. He stared at Aidhan’s bright purple eyes. He looked over to where Aleks sat

comfortably waving a tiny stuffed bear at Aidhan, making his son laugh and growl.

Aleks caught his look and nodded.

“We were surprised too. For thousands of years Arkadions have always had dark brown hair and green

eyes. Until Rebecca.” Aleks smiled warmly.

Rebecca rubbed noses with her mate and kissed her son on the top of his head before sitting down next

to her mate.

“You have been upgraded,” she said in a robotic tone. Behind the counter Connor laughed.

“I think his eyes are awesome. Personally, I’m hoping any children Madison and I have get her pretty

blue eyes.” Connor winked at his mate who blushed.

The diner bells chimed and a dejected-looking Rian and an exasperated-looking Damian filed in and sat

down.

“What’s the matter Rian?” Moe asked. Rian turned and glared at him.

“As if you don’t know.” Rian continued to give him the evil eye.

“Ignore him, Moe. Rian has been in a foul mood for weeks. Personally I think he just needs to get laid,”

Damian volunteered.

“I would except
he
broke my gaydar!” Rian pointed in Moe’s direction.

Rhys raised an eyebrow, his eyes shining with laughter.

“You did what now?” his mate asked.

Moe spread his hands in front of him in confusion.

“All those years I thought he was straight. Wasted!” Rian exclaimed.

“Rian I…” Moe started.

“All those years I could have been indulging in my fantasies of rubbing all those luscious muscles!”

“Rian!” Damian looked at his best friend, shocked, and then over to Moe and Rhys.

Moe just stared. He had no idea Rian had felt that way. Quickly, he looked over to his mate to see him

chuckling.

“Now I’ll never know what he’s packing!”

“Rian, dammit, his mate is sitting right there.” Damian moved a hand over Rian’s mouth.

Rian looked over to Rhys who waved away Damian’s concern.

Rian batted Damian’s hand down.

“Are you really okay Rhys?” Damian asked, concerned. Rhys just nodded.

“The reason why he’s so upset is because he’s regretting missed opportunities, which just proves to me

that he doesn’t poach.”

Moe stunned took a deep breath.

“Rian, buddy, I’m sorry. I had no idea you felt that way.”

“I don’t know if that makes things better or worse.”

“I thought you were like me. I never dated anyone in town, because breakups would have been too

awkward in the long run.”

“I am, but I would have made an exception for you. Now I can’t trust my instincts. I’ve known you for

years.” Rian pouted.

“If it makes you feel any better, I wasn’t exactly straight. I was bi,” Moe explained