Rogue Shifter [High-Country Shifters 3] (20 page)

The last option didn’t appeal to her yet. “How about if we see Lara? Would that be okay?”

“Sure. It’s the closest, and I’m sure you’d like to rest.”

When they stopped and Cavon waved a hand over what looked like a tree trunk, she never expected the tree to open and expose a platform.

“Step on up.”

All three got on, and she held on to the pole. She let out a little yelp when it rose for what seemed forever.

“Don’t look down,” Cavon said.

He had a damned smirk on his face. “Thanks. Do they know we’re coming?”

“Yes.”

She forgot they could telepath their intentions. When the so-called elevator stopped and the door opened, they stepped inside. She probably would have looked around, but when she saw Lara with the baby, she let out a small scream.

Lara stood with the baby in her arms and rushed over to her. “Oh, my God. I can’t believe you’re actually here.”

Cavon held out his arms to hold the baby, and Lara handed her son to him. Amy and Lara hugged, and then she held Lara out at arm’s length. “You look fabulous.”

“Life here is quite different, but I love it.”

Malik cleared his throat. “Honey, would you mind if we leave you two to chat while we take care of some business?”

She glanced to Lara who nodded. “That’s fine.”

“Just have Taryn and Kellum tell us when to come get you.”

They each kissed her good-bye, and, once they handed the baby back to Lara, they left.

“Come sit down and tell me everything.”

A tall, classically beautiful man came from the back. “Hello. I’m guessing you’re Amy. I’m Taryn.”

They shook hands. He faced Lara. “Why don’t I take him so you two can talk?”

Lara smiled. “He just ate, so he’s probably ready for a nap.”

“I’ll take care of him.”

Once he disappeared, they both talked at once. Amy wasn’t sure if there was even one second of silence. They had so much catching up to do. When the sun started to set, another giant of a man came through the front door.

He smiled and came over. “I heard we had another Earth visitor. Welcome. I’m Kellum.”

“I’m Amy. I’ve heard so much about you.”

He glanced lovingly at his wife. “I hope all of it was good.”

Lara rolled her eyes. “Only some was good.”

Amy hadn’t realized how late it had turned. “Would you mind contacting Cavon and Malik? It’s getting dark, and I’m supposed to meet their parents.”

Lara laughed. “I remembered my first introduction to the Anterran family ways.”

“Uh-oh.”

She waved a hand. “You’ll love Fadin and Renella. Fadin used to work with my father-in-law. Together they used to be the law around here before Kellum and Taryn took over. Both sets of dads were a little hard to get used to, but they each have a good heart.”

“Thanks for the warning.”

It only seemed like seconds before her two men arrived. “Ready?”

They were dressed only in loincloths. “Wow. You two look hot.”

“Not in these we aren’t.”

She laughed, figuring they thought she was talking about temperature. She stood and hugged Lara good-bye.

“Come back soon,” Lara said. “It’s been so good to catch up.”

She said her good-byes to Kellum and left. “How did you get here so fast?” She didn’t think they had cars.

“Lions, my dear, are fast.”

She’d forgotten about that. Once at the bottom, they hiked to their house, which was similar in structure to the one Lara lived in, though not quite as large. They showed her to one of the bedrooms in which the bed took up half the room.

“Love the setup.”

“We’ll try it out tonight, but my mother insisted we bring you over tonight.”

Apprehension gripped her. Even if she were on Earth, meeting her in-laws would be hard. “Do you really think she’ll like me?”

“Yes. We’ve already told her how much we’re in love with you. She’s giddy with excitement.”

“Are you parents okay with us having a wedding on Earth? Do you think they’d come?”

Cavon smiled down on her. “My parents would never venture that far, but they will be there in spirit, no pun intended.”

That made her laugh.

Malik wrapped an arm around her waist. “I think the celebration tonight will be a ceremony of sorts to them.”

They came to a tree. “Ready?”

“They live in a tree?”

They laughed. “Not quite. Anterra is an underground city for the most part.”

He ran a hand across the tree and a door opened. Instead of a pole appearing like it had at Lara’s home, there were three steps that led to a tunnel. “This reminds me of our subways.”

“So Lara has said.”

A tramlike vehicle arrived. The door whooshed open, and several people got off. This was what Alice must have felt like in Wonderland. Malik motioned she take a seat. Even though the seats to her right and left were vacant, they stood in front of her. The tram jerked for a second, and then it moved forward in a smooth ride. She tried to see what was happening outside the window, but it was moving too fast. They stopped, but neither man made a move to get off. A couple of people got on. She tried not to stare at the topless women. They stared at her for a moment then seemed to lose interest.

“Change your mind about taking off your top?”

“Hell no. I’m happy to be naked in front of you two, but that’s where I draw the line.”

Four stops later, they pulled her to her feet. “Time to meet the parents.”

As soon as she stepped off the tram, she couldn’t get over how much it looked like home. Tall trees lined the streets. “You sure we’re underground?”

“Positive. We’ll have to bring you back in the daylight. It’s quite nice.”

They walked down a side path and up some steps to a nice home. The door opened before they got to knock. Two smiling people stood at the door. From the gleam in their eyes, she knew she was going to love Cavon and Malik’s parents as much as she loved their sons.

“Welcome, Amy.” She guessed the very tall woman was their mom. She gave Amy a hug and led her inside.

Wow. There must be twenty people inside. Even though the Anterran women went topless, these ladies were all dressed, probably as a concession to her.

Malik and Cavon led her to the sofa that was surprisingly empty. An older gentleman stood and held out his hand. “I’m Fadin, Malik and Cavon’s father. I welcome you to my home.”

His smile was so genuine that she found it hard to believe he’d been some tough warrior. For the next two hours, all the friends and relatives pummeled her with questions. They truly seemed fascinated with every aspect of Earth. She supposed that if things had been reversed, the same thing would have happened. Hell, she asked a million questions of her men, too.

She was enjoying herself so much, that when Malik and Cavon pulled her to her feet, she was almost disappointed to go.

“Amy needs her rest. I promise to bring her by tomorrow.”

Renella looked so disappointed. “We were going to have a tiny ceremony, but I see it’s late. Come back tomorrow, and we’ll toast to your marriage.”

She liked that idea. After another round of hugs, they left. As soon as they were back on the tram, Malik and Cavon pulled her into an embrace and kissed her. It didn’t seem to matter that others were there to watch.

Cavon leaned over. “Are you ready to experience love on Anterra?”

“As long as it involves two cocks, I’m game.”

They both laughed, and she’d never been happier in her life.

THE END

Unlike most other authors, I started writing late in life. Writing stories in high school and college was not for me. Only after I graduated did I fall in love with romance novels. For the next twenty years, I read voraciously. It got to a point where my book-buying habits cost as much as my groceries. At that point, my husband suggested I write a book. Hey, it looked easy, right? All the stories started in the same spot (hero and heroine at odds) and ended the same way (happily ever after). Only it was anything but easy. Eleven years and fifteen completed romantic suspenses later, I finally published. I never would have gotten that far had it not been for two local chapters whose generous members shared their amazing wealth of knowledge.

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