Page 20 of Delivered to My Serpents

Finally, the woods on either side of the road ended as we reached the top of the slope. Before us lay a charming collection of buildings, more like my definition of a village than a town, but that didn’t matter in the least. “It’s so cute!”

“Cute enough that most residents have to order things they need online or go elsewhere to purchase them,” Drake said. “Still, it is ‘cute.’”

I cast him a questioning glance, but he didn’t seem to notice, just drove onto the main street and found a parking place in front of a toy store. I hadn’t even known toy stores still existed outside of the internet. “Can we go in there and look around?”

“Whatever you like.” Naga hopped out of the back seat and opened my door before I could do it for myself. They were such gentlemen in many ways, and I could easily get used to it. “After you, Jasmine.”

The store was amazing in every way. As soon as I walked in, a short, round man with large eyes and pointed ears stepped from between curtains at the back of the store to greet us. “Welcome! We don’t get many tourists here.”

I took the hand he extended and shook it. “Thank you so much. But I’m not a tourist, just here visiting with Naga and Drake. What a charming store you have here.”

He released my hand and shook each of the guys’, introducing himself as he did. “I’m William, and this is my shop. Everything you see here was either carved or created by me or one of my local friends. Please enjoy yourselves and let me know if you have any questions.” He disappeared into the back again, leaving me puzzled. It was such a small town, and he didn’t know the serpents? But then, they were single guys who hadn’t mentioned any kids in their families. They probably had no reason to visit a toy store.

After exploring all the beautiful handmade items, I selected a wooden sailboat and a set of brightly colored blocks. William came out front again to ring me up and took down shipping information for my brother’s address. “My nephews will love these,” I enthused. “The shipping makes it perfect.”

“It’s no trouble. Nearly all of our sales are online, so we’re all set up for that, the missus and I. We are the only brownies in the area. I see your mates are serpents, but what are you?”

He for sure did not know them, but he thought we were mated already? Well, nobody was perfect. “Ordinary garden-variety human, I’m afraid.”

“I guess it’s the connection with your mates that scents you as more. But sometimes mating with a shifter can have unexpected affects.” He finished the sale and didn’t comment on the fact I’d said I was visiting and he called us mates…or the fact that he hadn’t realized the guys lived locally. It was all too confusing for me.

We wandered from store to store, and I soon learned that Drake and Naga were virtual strangers here. The only person who seemed to know them at all was at the small general store, and she didn’t address them by name. How could they live here all this time and not get to know anybody? Heck, I already was on a first-name basis with most of the shopkeepers and, after our visit, so were they. We had lunch at the sweetest little cafe, and I bought a whole pie to take home with us after trying a slice of their wild blueberry for dessert. The chef/owner, Marty, a shifter of some kind I couldn’t identify and didn’t want to ask, gave me a hug when I told him it was the flakiest crust I’d ever eaten.

Finally, in the car on the way home, I asked the question that had been burning in my mind all day. “How do you manage to live here and be a total stranger?” Alarm bells were going off in my head.

And Drake’s answer, “Oh, we work a lot and order almost everything online” didn’t really ring true. Or maybe it wasn’t enough. Did they truly try to avoid people for some reason?

Chapter Eighteen

Jasmine

After another cozy evening at home followed by a night in their arms. They were so gentle, recognizing my need to recover from our previous sessions and focusing on my pleasure, bringing me to orgasm with their hands and mouths then gathering me close and talking softly until I drifted off.

In the morning, I woke up to find them gone again and got ready for the day, whatever it might hold. They had mentioned needing to work on something, so I decided I would do the same. But when I got downstairs, I found them at the table with coffee and muffins in front of them.

“Good morning.” Drake stood and kissed me then pulled out my chair. “We have some errands to run, but we wanted to have a little time with you first. How are you this morning?”

“Fabulous.” I accepted the cup of coffee Naga fetched for me. They’d already noticed the way I liked it, one more considerate thing that knocked bricks from the walls I tried to keep up. Most men did not realize how the small things mattered. Always having an extra roll of toilet paper in the bathroom for example. “So, where are you going?” I blurted it out before realizing it might not be any of my business. But we’d already established that they didn’t spend any time in the local town. I found it utterly charming and had already sussed out what things a person might need could be found there. A farmer’s market even on Saturday mornings, I had been told by one of my new friends in the shops. Their prices in the boutique, the florist, the bakery…probably a bit higher than the huge online shopping platforms, but wasn’t it worth it to support my fellow locals?

Theirs, not mine. I was only here for ninety days.

Keep telling yourself that.

“Just some work stuff,” Naga said, finishing his muffin and standing up. “Ready, Drake?”

“We should clean up first,” he protested, but I waved them off.

“I’m still drinking coffee and finishing up my muffin. I’ll handle it.”

They both kissed me and started for the door. “You’ll be all right on your own?”

I swallowed my bite of muffin and nodded. “I have a project I’d like to finish, so I’ll do that while you’re out.”

“Perfect.” Drake came back and dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “Then we’ll all be free to do something fun this afternoon. Maybe a hike?”

“Great.” I watched them go to the kitchen door and disarm it then go outside. “Do I need to reset the alarm?”

“No,” Naga called from the garage. “We can do it remotely.”

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