at the possibility, and she thought again about all she knew of Ravager relationships. Did females really rule their packs?
“Malcolm?”
Malcolm shifted in his seat, his discomfort more than interesting. “Oh look, there’s Dom.” He took off like a shot, leaving her alone at her end of the table.
No one else approached, but she saw the curious looks, the smothered grins. As much as Vicki wanted to be annoyed at being the center of attention, she found herself trying to integrate into her new clan. And how fucked up was that?
Sex was really all she knew about these people, she thought glumly. Gran would have a field day with her new friends. Alpha males, animalistic Voiders who had sex wherever they liked. Family units comprised one woman and two or more males. Rarely did any of the females have children. Of those who lived in the city, there were a few more pregnancies, but not many. Oh and Vicki had been forbidden to leave without her husband’s—make that husbands’—consent. Yeah, right. Gran would tear her a new one for even thinking about staying here.
So why did leaving make her want to cry?
Vicki felt safe here. She felt home, content, loved. Not one of her pack had said a thing about how they felt about her, but she could sense the caring. The energy around her alleged mates pulsed with arousal, excitement, and adoration.
“Must be losing my freakin’ mind.” Because she felt it too, all that nice, messy love.
A body plunked down across from her. She looked up to see a male she didn’t recognize.
“Ah, can I help you?”
He gave her a toothy grin. “Flowers, right?” He nodded at someone behind him, and a dozen or more bouquets appeared on her table, surrounding her with roses, irises, orchids, and more.
“Thanks?” she said absently when he walked away.
“What the hell is all this?” Sean asked as he filled the seat the other Ravager had vacated. Diana sat next to him, and the pair looked surprisingly at peace.
“Who the hell are you and what have you done with my cousin?” Vicki asked him. She laughed when he flushed and looked askance at Diana.
“Come on. I haven’t been that much of an asshole.” At her silence, he blinked. “Have I?”
“That’s my cue to leave,” Diana murmured. “I’ll go grab us some dinner. Nice flowers, Vicki.” She left them alone.
“So what’s your deal?” she asked her cousin, greedy to spend some time with her other family again.
“Oh hell.” He groaned and clutched his head by his hair. “She’s brainwashed me. I can’t do anything without that woman’s face popping into my head at all hours.”
“Uh-huh.”
He lowered his voice. “And Vicki, she’s insatiable. It’s like she can’t get enough of me. And it’s mutual. I’m no longer normal.”
“As if you ever were. Do I really need to hear this?” Vicki contained her laughter at his pained expression.
“I’m serious. The other night, when you were being chased through the woods—and no, please do not give me any details. I’ve heard enough already.”
She blushed.
“The other night I think I turned into one of them. It was totally weird. We were, like, intimate, and the world went cloudy. I felt furry, I swear.”
“You turned feral.” She explained what Malcolm had told her. “Eric was powerful enough to pull that from me, but I’m thinking Diana must be pretty strong to pull that from you.”
“Yeah, or it could be because we’re Conduits. I mean, we’re ‘out there’ even as Conduits. We play with energy differently than others do. Might be why they were taken with us in the first place.” He glanced around her. “Um, what’s with the flowers?”
“I’m not sure.”
At that moment, another group of Ravagers approached carrying candles of every shape, size and color. They placed them around the table, snickered and walked away.
Vicki suddenly understood.
“Candles too? How…romantic.” Sean coughed to cover a laugh.
The table was littered with candles and flowers, a gluttonous display of overdone affection. It was so silly, and so wonderful she had to blink not to cry. Twice in one day with the tears, I’m going for a record.
Vicki cleared her throat. “Shut it, Sean. Look, I think we have to deal with life here as a new reality.”
“No, really?”
She would have belted him if the sarcasm hadn’t been warranted. “Are you planning on leaving Diana in the near future?”
He stopped smiling.
Chapter Thirty-One
“No.” Sean sighed. “You so eager to get back to town and deal with more retrieval work? Because earlier, Dom pointed me to