Her Stepbrothers Are Cowboys Read online

  “Yep, I have to agree with Sandra. This is not going to be pretty,” Haven gritted her teeth and stepped forward to confront Sasha, but the stench of the Chelonas came close to Landon and Haven.

  One moment Sasha was standing there and the next her body was ripped in shreds, blood splattered all over Haven, Landon and Cody.

  “Damn it, Landon, you promised I’d be able to handle Sasha,” she screamed as he shifted and dove, covering her body with his as blood poured all over them from the skies.

  “What the hell is going on? Is this normal?” Haven asked peaking out seeing severed body parts falling from the sky. When she turned her head she noticed Tarn moving in front of them.

  He glanced back at them and then at the invisible thing in the sky, wrecking havoc with the blood suckers around her childhood home. “No, this is not normal. He’s putting on some sort of display for you it would seem.”

  Landon growled. “For Haven?”

  “Yes, and that cannot be good.”

  Tarn moved toward the middle of the front yard, staring up at the sky.

  Chapter Seven

  Haven was covered in blood and stood behind Landon, while Cody stood behind her. Every one of Reynold’s men was dead, but it appeared that Reynolds’s father had gotten away.

  “You allowed him to escape while you put on a show, why?” Tarn said in a calm voice, but even Haven could tell the man was furious.

  At first, she heard and saw nothing, but then a gentle breeze brushed her hair away from her face. Haven stood there still, as everyone turned to look at her. “What? I haven’t done anything?”

  “This has never happened before.” Tarn glanced at Landon and Cody. “Chelonas live on a small planet and keep to themselves. Hunt, but rarely visit other planets. But to have one mated to the three of you?” Tarn said.

  “Excuse me? I didn’t hear you right.” Haven growled, which made Cody reach over and place his hand over her mouth, as he whispered in her ear. “Shhh, he might find your growling exciting,” Cody said, placing a kiss on her cheek.

  “It’s obvious he’s already excited, if this isn’t a norm,” Haven said, frowning and staring at her old home. “Do you think it’s safe to go into the house?” she started to move towards her old home, but a bulking figure appeared out of nowhere, stopping her.

  The man/creature had to be over eight feet tall and was covered in blood. His eyes were glowing green. “No, not all gone.” He turned his head towards the house. “Hiding, keep her here.” The creature glanced back, this time to look at Landon. “Take her home.”

  “Excuse me, but you do not tell me what the hell to do,” she glared at the thing. “Plus, I need to go in there. We were never allowed to go into my father’s office after he was killed. I need to face this, finish it. So, back off.”

  Landon yanked her back behind him, growling. “Behave!” he ordered, before turning to the thing in question. “Tell me!”

  “Never hurt her or you three, mine,” the creature turned towards her old home. “Many hidden and traps not safe for humans or our breeder.”

  “Breeder, why fucking asshole. I’m not a breeder to anyone,” Haven yelled and squeezed past Landon to step up to the creature. She poked it in what she hoped was his massive chest. “My name is Haven. Use it or don’t speak with me again. Breeder, pfft.” Haven turned and glared at Landon. “I need to go to his office, please. He’s…” She pointed her finger at the man/beast behind her that had seemed to step closer to her and was sniffing her neck right now. “Cut it out,” She tried to push him back with one hand but he didn’t budge.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, counting to three before once more glancing up at Landon who had a damn grin on his face, which pissed her off more. “This is not funny. I need this,” she turned and walked away from them, going around to the other side of her old home, with tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared at all the damage to the once-beautiful place.

  Haven knew she was being followed but didn’t care as she moved around the pool to stand in what used to be her own private goldfish pond, but now every single one of her six pets lay floating in the dirty water. She knelt down to the pond. “Henry, Sally,” she whispered reaching out to touch one. She was suddenly lifted up and put into Landon’s arms as once more death claimed another of the bastards who had taken her family as he sprung out of the water.

  The growl sent a shiver up her spine as she buried her face into Landon’s chest and cried. “Take me back,” she managed to get out.

  “I’m coming baby. We’ll meet you at the boys’ home,” her mother said and Haven could hear the sadness is her voice.

  “Sorry momma, you don’t have to come back. Enjoy yourselves I’ll be fine till you come back. I just want to rest now.” Haven looked up at Cody who took hold of her as Landon shifted. Once he was transformed into the magnificent stallion, all shiny black with a little white around his hooves, Cody placed her up onto his back.

  “Hold on Little Filly, we’ll get you home,” Cody said, squeezing her hands before stepping back and shifting as well.

  With a high scream, Landon took off into the sky as his group of men and Sandra following around them. “Well, it looks like we didn’t get to do much of anything did we?” Haven asked, lowering herself down over Landon’s neck and hugging him tight. “What are we going to do about our other mate?”

  “For right now you worry about hanging on. As for our mate, we have many things to discuss, because if he is going to stay with us, he sure can’t go around killing people like he did back there. It’s going to take weeks to clean up that place, let alone to make it safe if what he said is true.”

  “If he even thinks again of calling me a breeder, I swear I’ll bite his ass, then again he might like that,” Haven growled. “I’m no one’s breeder, Landon. I mean it. Make sure you speak with him.” Haven looked up at the clouds. “Do you think he got Dean’s father, because that bastard is going to hunt us down if he’s not dead. I sure don’t want that man anywhere near me.” A cold chill went up her spine, as she shivered and clung to Landon.

  “Calm down, Little Filly, we’ll straighten this out. Are you cold? I can drop lower if you are?” he asked, seeing all even though she never saw him turn his head to look at her.

  “Silly, I don’t need to see you to feel if you are uncomfortable. It’s what mates are supposed to do.”

  * * *

  “What are we going to do about this? Did you have any idea this could happen?” Cody asked.

  “Not a clue and I believe Tarn was just as surprised as we were” Landon said.

  “Then we are all in the dark here. But you do have to admit it will be funny to see how he considers you as mates, maybe even a little sexy. Two handsome cowboys, with an alien being,” she teased, shocking the crap out of him.

  “It would seem our bond has grown stronger if you can hear Cody and me speaking to each other,” Landon said.

  “Or it could be the blood that is connecting us. After all ,I did feed from Cody and once that happened there was a connection between us. With donors I usually just seal the connection. I’m tired. How much longer,” Haven asked.

  “Not much longer, but Little Filly we need to work this out,” Landon said.

  Haven didn’t say a word, for the rest of the way home. As soon as they landed in front of the house, she was off his back, heading towards the house. “Hot shower,” he heard her mumble as she almost ran into the house. The blood on them had disappeared as soon as they had shifted, but Haven had to let it soak into her as they brought her home.

  Landon and Cody shifted, heading towards the house when Sandra stepped in front of them. “Excuse me, but I’d like to offer a suggestion. She needs time, alphas. If I’m not mistaken your woman is reliving everything again. What she experienced today, well it’s something that shouldn’t have happened.” Sandra glanced at the door. “Even though her friend betrayed her, there were still feelings there that she needed to vent
and now it’s all buried deep inside,” Sandra said, turning to look up at them with tears in her eyes. “Believe me, I know.” Sandra walked into her mate’s open arms.

  “Excuse us, Sir,” Warden scooped up his mate, turning away from them, whispering words of comfort to Sandra.

  “Damn it, I hate this,” Cody growled as his father landed in front of the porch with Haven’s mom on his back.

  “She needs to regroup,” Paris said, stepping up on the porch, reaching out and patting Cody’s arm. “Please allow me?” she asked and he nodded, standing aside as his stepmom went in search of her daughter.

  Landon moved to the end of the porch, looking up to the sky where the sun was coming up. His horses were nervous and were digging their hooves in the ground. Their calls could be heard even on the porch. “He’s here,” Landon said, shifting and taking off towards the sky, but what he wasn’t expecting was for him to appear right in front of him.

  “You may call me Moro, as my family did. I can shift into many forms if I wish and speak many languages,” Moro said as he appeared to them in the shape of a man at least seven feet tall. He floated around Landon, staring at him. “This form isn’t bad,” Moro looking down below.

  “The woman, our woman is not happy, is she?” he asked.

  Landon, sighed and moved to the ground, shifting, knowing Moro followed him. “No, she lost her father and home to those you killed. Has been hiding and preparing to die today. I honestly don’t think she believed she’d have a chance at a life. She needed closure, to say goodbye to her father. She was just waiting to make sure her mother was taken care of before our woman took off. Then there is the fact she now has three mates, not one, or two,” Landon informed Moro as he set down next to him as his father and Cody joined them.

  His father stared at Moro. “I thought your species didn’t associate with any others? How is this even possible?” he questioned always protective of them even when they were adults.

  “Dad, please,” Landon asked, but he ignored him, waiting.

  Moro smiled and his eyes glowed. “You are just like my father, very protective. It is true, we don’t leave our world much, but we do help out when it is needed. But it has happened before when one of us have found our mates outside our world. It’s not easy, since we are different. Our women are protected no matter what as with our children. Their place in our society is that of the breeder, taking care of our most trusted treasure our children.”

  Cody cleared his throat. “I have to suggest you do not say that word around our woman, if you are truly serious about her. Our society here on Earth has come a long way and to call a woman a breeder is more or less an insult. It means you just want to more our less have sex with her for only one reason for a child.”

  “But that…” he stopped and turned to Landon. “You’re growling mad, why?”

  “Because you were going to say that is why you have a mate and then I’d have to deck your ass,” Landon growled again.

  “I would too,” Haven said, from the porch. Her mother was next to her glaring at Moro.

  “I just might have to take a shotgun to him, baby,” Paris snarled.

  “No, this is between the four of us. I can understand his people are different and I’ll give him time, but he will not say that word again to me, understood.” Haven’s eyes started to glow and he smiled glancing at his brother who nodded.

  Their mate was changing, but it would seem Moro was not having a good day. “I don’t understand. It’s an honor to be a…” he stopped from saying the word.

  Haven closed her eyes and sighed. “Mating, being with someone, should be about the two of you.” She opened her eyes and stared at Moto. “Loving each other, getting to know each other, and if a child comes from this love, that is fine. But mating is not just for getting me pregnant. I work, I like to do things and I’m not going to change. I’m sorry, but maybe this isn’t going to work.” She glanced at him. “Mom and I would like to borrow a few of your horses. We’re going to go riding. We need some quiet time to just talk.”

  Moro glanced to the left. “I don’t think it’s safe. The one I was sent to go after has not been found.” He turned and stepped towards the porch stairs till he was standing in front of her. Even with her up on the porch his head came to her shoulders. “I don’t mean to hurt you,” he reached up and ran his finger down her cheek. “You’re so delicate and special. The thought of you being hunted, hurt…” His growl was loud. Their horses whinnied and started to pace back and forth in the corral.

  “Moro, stop. You are upsetting our animals,” Landon growled. “We all feel that when we think of our woman in danger, but we must work with her if she is going to be happy having us as mates.” Landon glanced at Haven. “Would you allow us to trail behind you? I know it’s a pain, but I’m afraid Moro is right.”

  Haven frowned. “But Dean’s father couldn’t get here this quick? Or do you believe he has men here?” she asked.

  “He is more than what you believe. I wouldn’t have been called otherwise. He is not like you at all, more dangerous,” Moro informed them.

  “Is he from this world?” Landon asked, as he joined Moro, his father and Cody at the porch.

  “No, even his son was not from this world. They are lucky they got away, or he could have just been playing with them too. But since his son was fascinated with our mate, now he is dead.”

  “How dangerous is he?” his father asked.

  Moro looked at his father who now stood next to Paris, his arm around her. “Very. If you really need this, I’ll stay in the sky, even though it’s against everything in me,” Moro told Haven. “And I’ll try not to use that word, but I’m afraid when we visit my world, you will hear it.” Moro said right before he disappeared.

  Haven glanced at her mom. “Maybe we should just stay here. I can’t lose you mom and he might try to get to you to hurt me.”

  Paris looked up to her husband and nodded. “I’m afraid I have to agree. Come, why don’t we cook up a big breakfast since it’s obvious we are going to have company.” Paris glanced behind Landon and he smiled, knowing that his friends and family hadn’t left, but were now spread out around the house.

  “Thank you everyone,” Landon said, stepping up to Haven. “Soon you will be able to run as much as you want, I promise.”

  Haven nodded and turned to move back into the house, her mom right behind her. Landon didn’t have to turn around to know Moro was there as well. “Your friends, family should be able to spot him or smell him if he decides to make an appearance here…”

  But his words were drowned out by the screams in the house.

  Dread filled his heart as he ran inside. A trail of blood leading into the kitchen had him holding his breath when he spotted Haven on the floor crying and rocking back and forth. “Billy,” she whispered as her mother hugged her tight.

  “He was a little boy she was teaching. My daughter is amazing with children. They love her and Billy was one of her students, a special case,” Paris said, tears rolled down her cheeks. “I just don’t understand. We were just in here, how could he do this in minutes?”

  “Because he is one of us.” Moro said, kneeling down and lifting the little boy up. “Your Billy will rest in peace and is now in a new world where he will not suffer.” Moro glanced at Landon. “He’s watching now. Do not leave this house. Warn your people to be on alert. He won’t hesitate to kill anyone, especially the female.” Moro said, disappearing again.

  “Damn, Warden get Sandra in here now,” Landon yelled going to his mate and lifting her up in his arms. He moved her into the family room where there were no windows. He sat on the couch holding onto Haven tightly.

  His father came in with Paris and Cody followed. “What are they? If he can get into this house and move like Moro?”

  “He is one of my kind,” Moro once again appeared in the room, sitting down across from them on the table. “Sometimes one of us gets a taste of all this and decides to leave our homes. I
t can change us, and not for the better, I’m afraid.”

  Haven leaned over, frowning at Moro. “And this would happen to you if you stayed here? You can’t stay, you have to go back to your people,” she said, reaching over and squeezing his arm. “Nothing is more important then you being you. Go home Moro, forget me, us.”

  Moro smiled, reaching over and touching her hair. “I can’t. I am bonded to the three of you, but if we make regular trips back to my world for visits, I will be fine. You do care about me?”

  “I don’t know you Moro, but I wouldn’t want anyone one hurt because of me.” Haven sat back and sighed, before looking up at him. “How are we going to catch him? He can pop up anywhere anytime.”

  Landon was about to stand when Moro stood and swung around as something flashed into the room. “Father,” Moro said, but in a language, Landon shouldn’t have known, but did.

  Chapter Eight

  Haven watched the interaction between Moro and his father. Haven didn’t know how she could understand the men as they stood there speaking, but knew she wasn’t the only one that could as Landon and Cody watched the interaction between father and son.

  She knew she’d been a bitch saying what she had to Moro. Haven would apologize, but she was still trying to figure out how they had known about Billy. It was her fault the little angel was dead.

  “Stop it,” Moro glanced over his shoulder, staring at her. “He did this, not you. All of this could have been prevented if he had gone back to our home and taken better care of himself.”

  “This is why my son shouldn’t stay here. You are his mates, a breeder should be protected by all of us on our planet,” his father said, glancing towards her, and she growled.

  “Little Filly now is not the time to argue,” Landon whispered in her ear and placing a kiss on her neck.

  “Enough. My mates and I will discuss this between ourselves. Why have you come?” Moro asked his father, as he turned, giving the creature in front of them his attention.