Page 4 of Halloween With the Siren
Rubbing a palm over my face, I let out an exasperated, “Bash.” I glance over at Silas, who can’t hide the twitch of his smile fast enough behind his mug of cinnamon tea, before I damn near plead, “Please don’t mention that to the siren. We’re meant to make a good impression and show her that we’re a trustworthy pack she can feel safe with.”
Bash dips his head in an apology as he sets his drink back down on the low wooden table in front of us. “Good point. First trust, then cocks and knots. Gonna have that motto on repeat.” Fidgeting with the clasp on his nautical rope bracelet, Bash’s voice drops to a nervous whisper. “Do you think we stand any chance at all?”
I wish I could tell him she’ll pick us, but I never lie. Our pack has always valued honesty and open communication, and I’m not going to change that to give him false hope.
Sensing my struggle, Silas places a tender hand on my thigh as he tells Bash, “There’s always a chance. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves either. On paper, we’re very compatible with her, but we need that in-person meeting for any real chemistry—from both our sides. It won’t be fair to anyone to agree to enter into a heat if there’s no spark.”
Squeezing our younger packmate’s shoulder, Silas softens his voice further. “And I agree with Killian. Let’s try to make a good first impression today. Give her an idea of who we are and what we are about. Ease into the sexual nature of the conversation we need to have.”
“Yeah, a little bit of wooing never hurt anybody.” Bash's mouth sets in a determined line, though he can’t hide the ever-present glimmer of his playfulness. “Besides, I can behave myself. For a little while anyway. Sometimes I like being a good boy.”
Choosing to ignore the double entendre, I lace my fingers with Silas’s and silently thank him for his gentle guidance. “That would be ideal. I’d love for her to feel comfortable so we can discuss consent before our primal instincts take over.”
“That’s the plan,” Silas says. “But let’s take it moment by moment, just for today. We can always dream again tomorrow.”
Bash stares toward the entrance with his big puppy dog eyes. “I have such a good feeling about her. I bet she’s really pretty too.” If he shifted right now, I know his tail would be wagging away at a mile a minute.
“Me too,” I admit softly.
The three of us have been a pack for a few years, but we’ve always felt like something,someone, was missing. Even though this is just a meeting about assisting the siren through her heat, I hold the tiniest hint of hope in my heart that we might be meeting our missing piece today.
We sit in companionable silence for a couple of minutes as we sip slowly on our drinks, my hot apple cider acting like a familiar balm to my nerves. Bash’s hazel gaze stays on the entrance as he absentmindedly sucks on his metal straw while I pretend to study the water feature on the wall as I subtly flex my biceps.
We can do with all the help we can get, and if the siren is into muscly guys, then I hope my physique will count in our favor. Not like the other guys are lacking in that department, but I am the bulkiest—and most disciplined—of us three. Combine this with my direct way of talking, some creatures assume that I’m the leader of our pack, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Silas has this quiet and gentle way of leading us, of makingsure we’re all happy and healthy, and balancing my grumpiness and Bash’s effervescence with his dependable strength.
Silas’s hand pauses on the rim of his mug of cinnamon tea, and his eyes flick up. “I hear footsteps. Lauren’s coming back.”
As a fox shifter, Bash has the most sensitive hearing in our pack, but Silas is by far the most observant and is quick to pick up on the smallest of details that we can easily miss.
Smoothing out my black shirt and trousers, I stand with Bash and Silas as Lauren, the heat coordinator for Nesting Grounds, approaches.
“Hi, Pack Morgan. Sorry for the wait. You still doing okay over here?” they ask in an almost ethereal voice. Even though the elf seems laid-back with their loose linen clothing and soft smiles, I find them intimidating. I am fully aware that their eyes and ears catch everything we say and do, and if we put a paw out of place, they’ll have us out the door before we can even say, “knot.”
I clear my voice and clasp my hands in front of me. “It’s no problem at all. We can be as patient as the siren needs us to be.”
Lauren gives me an approving nod. “That’s a very encouraging sign. Let me just go through a couple of protocols with you before our siren arrives.”
The blond elf takes a seat and we follow suit. If they can hear the way our hearts are hammering in our chests, they don’t say anything.
Scrolling through what I assume is our file on their tablet, Lauren asks, “I see this is your first heat. Is that right?”
“If we get chosen, yes,” I confirm, swallowing against the ball of nerves gathering in my throat.
Lauren meets my eyes and gives me a rather encouraging grin. “That’s no problem at all. We value all our members who offer to assist our creatures in such a vulnerable time for them.” Voice taking on a stern quality, they add, “Now, about today’s meeting. There are two rules we can narrow everything downto: No touching, unless they consent. No asking for personal information beyond what you need to know related to her approaching heat.”
“Like, don’t ask her where she lives but ask her how she likes to take a knot?” Bash jokes with a ridiculous wiggle of his brows.
I squeeze my eyes shut and growl out softly, “For fuck’s sake, Bash.” Turning back to Lauren, I bow my head. “I apologize for him.”
“Please don’t apologize. Comments like that are exactly what I mean,” they say approvingly, giving Bash a thumbs-up. “This can be very stressful for all parties involved, and a little bit of humor can go a long way to put not only our siren at ease, but help relax you gentlemen too.”
Bash gives me a cheeky wink, looking smug as fuck.
Lauren gestures at their tablet. “It seems as if the four of you are sexually very compatible. Feel free to have some further discussions regarding each other’s preferences today. This morning I gave our siren a tour of our facilities and showed her the different nests we have available upstairs. She’s found one that appeals to her and has chosen to have her heat here instead of her home. Is this option okay with you?”
“Yes,” we answer in unison, attention fully trained on Nesting Grounds’ heat coordinator.
“Great. If everything goes well and she chooses you then you’d need to take about a week off to see her through her heat, this likely includes a day or two for rest and recovery. We ran some tests and it seems she’s due pretty soon, maybe about two weeks from now. Could your schedules accommodate that?”
