Page 10 of Second Shooter (Betas in Waiting #28)

When they returned to a clothed state, they sat and braided a lock of each other’s hair with blood coating the segments. They had to take turns on Draven’s hair. His darkening locks were waist long. Win’s hair was only to the small of her back. Her lock was from the centre at the back of her skull, but Draven’s was at his temple, nice and proud. Wellyn’s was behind his ear, and Atil’s was at the base of his neck as well.

When the braids were done, there was a strange sensation in their minds, and they all started grinning. Draven’s eyes were wide. “Wow.”

Knowledge was flowing into him, and Win was getting more magic from him. They were all sharing power levels.

It took everything in her not to crawl back into the messy bed with them. She sighed and checked her phone. “Oh, holy shit. Lady Fen is calling me. Lots.”

She made a face when Wellyn said, “Better you than me.”

She looked at him as a thought occurred. “Some of the stuff with Lady Fen and the family is going to involve you guys being along for the ride.”

She walked into the living room and made the call. It rang twice, and someone picked up. “ Hello? ”

“Hello, I am returning Lady Fen’s calls.”

“ Lady Win? ”

“Yes, I suppose that is what happens. Yes, I am Win.”

“ Just a moment. She’s right here. ”

There was a fumble, and then Lady Fen said, “ Win? How are you?”

“Mated.”

“ Ah. That explains it. Well, Lyric is my granddaughter. My son, Bolin, was into fetish clubs and swingers’ nights. I have had a discussion that I never thought to have with him. He recalls the likely couple and is eager to meet his daughter. Will you contact her? ”

“Sure, but all I am focusing on is that I get to call her Aunty.”

Lady Fen paused and then burst out laughing. “ You are interesting. I still want your aunties to make you something appropriate for either form. Can you come into the city? ”

She looked at Atil. “Can we come into the city?”

“Yes. My SUV is here.”

“Lady Fen, we can come in. Where are we going?”

There was a chuckle. “ I will send you the address and meet you there.”

“Okay. We will be there—” She looked at Atil.

“Twenty minutes. We also need to go for dinner.”

She looked at the reddening light. “Oh. Right. Lady Fen, we will go to the address, and then we will head out to dinner somewhere. I will take suggestions.”

She heard a chuckle. “ I have a few. You are four? ”

“We are four. Maybe five if Lyric is still around.”

“ Very well. I will meet you at the shop. Goodbye. ”

The call ended. “Well, I guess we are heading out for clothing and dinner. Let me call Lyric, and we can get out of here.”

She made the call and gave Lyric the information. After a moment of silence, Win asked, “Did you want to come to the shop today?”

“ Uh, sure. When and where?”

“I will send you the text, and we are getting there in the next twenty minutes.”

Atil took the hint, and a moment later, a vehicle roared to life outside.

“Okay, we are heading out. I am sending you the address.”

Lyric asked, “ How was mating day?”

“I wish I didn’t wear jeans.”

Laughter spilled through the phone, and she said her goodbyes.

Wellyn put his hands on her shoulders and steered her out of the house to where a very tall SUV was waiting for them.

Draven held the door for her and helped her in, then went around the vehicle to get in his own seat. Wellyn was up front, and they were on their way.

Draven took her hand and ran his fingers across her palm. He smiled. “Busy day for you.”

“Yeah, when I sleep, I am going to go down like a felled tree.”

Wellyn murmured, “Eventually.”

“Right.” Her nose brought her the scent of the leather seats and the men around her.

Draven smiled. “Sense of smell is back?”

“Yeah. And taste. I am not gonna say that I can taste the difference between you three yet, but I can definitely pick you out in a dark room.”

They all laughed.

She was pretty sure that her sense of taste would improve over time.

They drove into the city, and she grinned as she knew what kind of disapproval her clothing was going to bring. She was looking forward to it. Acceptance was neither requested nor required.

She entered the shop and smiled at the women. “Hello, Lady Fen has asked that I show up here.”

The women looked at her, at her guys behind her, and then at a photo on their phones. “You are Win?”

She wrinkled her nose and grinned. “Yes. I am both short and tall. Depending on the need of the moment.”

The ladies stared and closed their mouths with a snap. “So, you get this tall?”

“Yes, but I like these jeans and am fond of this shirt, and both forms need clothing. I worked a daily blue-collar job, and my wardrobe has precisely one dress to use when I photograph events.”

She smiled, and Lady Fen came in from the back room. “Win! Excellent. How are you feeling?”

“Fine. A little tired.”

Lady Fen looked at the men behind her and raised her brows. “A little?”

Win smiled. “A little.”

Fen patted her cheek. She looked at the two ladies and began to rap out orders on what she wanted her great-granddaughter to wear.

After sending the ladies scurrying, Fen said, “Now, gentlemen, what would you like your mate to wear on an evening out?”

The guys thought about it, and Win smiled when Draven said, “Silk. Lots of silk that moves when she moves.”

Wellyn shrugged. “Leather.”

Atil grinned. “As little as possible.”

Win smiled. “A camera.”

Lady Fen snorted. “Just a moment.”

Fen wandered off with her phone, and Win looked at Atil. “Really?”

He shrugged. “Honesty is the best policy.”

She snorted. The two aunties pushed out racks of clothing and then eyed her. “Come with us.”

She smiled sweetly. “Lady Win.”

The women blinked. “Come with us, Lady Win.”

She grinned and followed them to the changing area. The next hour was one outfit after another, and the guys got the vote because Win didn’t care.

When Lady Fen returned, she sat on a comfortable couch and waited with a slight smile. She put in her vote for the dresses and shoes. Win felt weird dressing all fancy, but she knew her running shoes were waiting.

She twirled in a few of the flared dresses and laughed when the ladies presented her with stockings and garters. The next time she twirled, all three of her guys leaned forward.

Win put her hands on her hips. “Ya’ll have issues.”

Wellyn sipped his tiny cup of tea and shrugged. “We have all been given an enthralling hobby. Adding layers of surprise is just fun.”

There was an arrival at the door, and Win froze. “Oh. Darn.”

Alexi was there with Nikolai and Alita, and Alexi was carrying a camera bag.

Alexi smiled at Win, and she saw the genuine warmth in his eyes. “Win, I was told this was for Lady Fen’s great-granddaughter.”

“Um, that would be me. They tested my blood after certain events. There was plenty of it around.”

Nikolai’s dragon appeared in his eyes, and he inclined his head. She blushed and nodded. “Yeah, thanks again.”

Alita looked between her mate and Win. “She was the one?”

Win shrugged. “I get taller.”

Alexi walked up to her. She started to blush hot pink.

Her guys were amused.

“Lady Fen asked for this to be selected for you. There is an extra battery and memory cards.” He extended the camera bag.

“Um. Thank you. I am really sorry you had to go out of your way.”

He smiled. “You look good with white hair and mercury eyes.”

She felt her skin get darker. “Um, yeah. Contacts and hair dye did a lot of work.”

Alita was looking at her and started to smile. “Oh. Win. You—”

Niko’s dragon must have finished a download, and Niko shuddered. “Oh, well, that is funny.”

Win slumped her shoulders. “Not particularly. Circumstances are circumstances.”

Alexi frowned. “What am I missing?”

Win blurted out, “I have a crush on you. There. Done. Now folks can stop giggling about it.”

She nodded formally. “Thank you for selecting the camera. I won’t take up any more of your time. And feel free to change directions if you see me at events.”

One of the aunties took pity on her. “Lady Win, let’s try some of the other dresses.”

She kept her head down and went back to the dressing room.

The next dress was a wrap and several inches too short for her, but it was a standard dress for going shopping, cocktails, or whatever else didn’t need formal wear.

She turned from side to side and remained in the change area until she heard the front door open and close. She stepped out and found the alpha, beta, and omega seated to one side, Lyric grinning at her and her own glamour of elves looking at her with kind expressions. They could feel how hard that was for her.

She flapped her arms. “The dress is a little short.”

The aunties were staring with wide eyes.

Draven held up his hand, and there was a tablet. “I think she would be good in something like this.”

The auntie stared, looked at her, and nodded. “We can do that. Colours?”

Her three said, “Black, grey, and white.”

Win smiled at the auntie. “Colours by body weight.”

The woman blinked and smiled slowly. “Lady Win, are your ears pierced?”

“Yup. Six in each side.”

“Can you return to the back so I can take measurements?”

“Sure.” She returned to the back of the changing area, and another auntie came in with some lovely fabric over her arm.

“Your alpha gave us permission to dress you in traditional clothing. It will be short, but I think it will be comfortable.”

“Well, it isn’t like I am not going to stand out anyway.”

She smiled, and the auntie helped her put on the wrap with the wide band of embroidery, the wide sleeves, and a wide sash. The lower portion ended just above her knees, but it covered everything if she bent over.

The auntie then sat her down and piled her hair on her head, wrapping the link braid up and over the mass to hold it in place. Earrings were pressed into her ears. A chain linked to one that swung to the side of her ear and made her smile. Ticklish.

When she went out again, she took her sneakers and put them on while the women shook their heads in amusement. “Like I need to be taller.”

Dressed and glittering, she walked out, and appreciation shone in her guys’ eyes. Lady Fen’s eyes teared up, and her hand was on her chest. She quickly straightened and took a picture.

“Where did Lyric go?”

“Her measurements were taken, and she is off to meet my son.” She smiled. “Two omegas in the family on the same day. We are blessed.”

There was a click to her left, and Alexi had a camera focused on her. She turned bubble gum pink again, and he smiled and took another picture.

She exhaled. “So, if you guys want to make fun of me, can you get it over with?”

Niko, Alita, and Alexi looked at her in surprise.

Alita asked, “Why would they do that?”

“I dunno. The last time I had a crush on someone, I was a teenager. That was the protocol for unwanted advances.”

Lady Fen ignored everything and asked, “Can you go to dinner like that?” She paused. “Please?”

Win looked at her three. “Will you guys promise to keep this skirt from riding up?”

Wellyn got up and walked to her, sliding his hand down her backside while she glared at him. “Absolutely not.”

“I can and will destroy you if I need to, and then it will just be me, Atil, and Draven.” She chuckled. “Or I will pull your magic and leave you as a motorcycle-building alpha fella.”

He grinned. “You aren’t really mad. I am checking for it.”

Niko was staring. “You were the elf drenched in blood.”

“Yup.”

“He just told me who you were. What you were. He really is...”

She held her hand up. “And no, I am not going to do that, and if I find out he was encouraged, I will fill him with enough energy to turn him into an alpha who can break rocks. And you will have to deal with that.”

Alexi paused. “Are you talking about me?”

“Yup. The dragon wants to make a bridge between our groupings, and you are the way. Having elves to call on helps him when it comes to dealing with other groups for territory. Or... other dragons.”

She looked at him and smiled. “And by telling you, I have dispersed any interest that you had, so it is no longer an issue.”

The dragon stood and hissed, “Lady, please.”

“No. I am my glamour’s conduit to power. It is unfair to make Alexi the same.”

Alita paused. “Alexi, how do you feel about this?”

He paused. “I like Win. Well, not this one. The small one. This one is stunning, but Win and I get along. We can talk about photos, and her work capturing souls is amazing. She smiled shyly at me as we talked, and I believed we could have evolved more than friendship.”

Win smiled. “Coulda, shoulda, woulda. Didn’t.” She looked at Lady Fen. “Where did you recommend for dinner?”

“Hynura. The banquet room has been reserved, and your family is waiting to greet you. Niko, your gathering is invited as well. You helped bring her to us.”

Alexi frowned. “What?”

Lady Fen smiled. “I believe that Win described it as a dragon fire bukkake.”

Niko blurted out a laugh, and Alita’s eyes widened. Alexi clenched his eyes shut. “Am I picturing that right?”

Niko nodded. “That is what it looked like, but Erik just had wings, no scales.”

Alexi froze. “That image of her. Why is she wearing my tattoo?”

Niko paused, understanding crossed his face, and then started laughing.

Win went hot pink and put her face in her hands. “This day just doesn’t get better.”