Past, Present, Future [Haven Ranch Sovereignty Island 2]

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” Dudley called out as he looked behind one curtain and then another, his pink ponytail flapping left then right.

Dudley was a trip and always made Stix laugh, even if he didn’t have much to laugh at lately. He dressed in bright colors, always wore his make up like a model, had his fingernails and toenails freshly painted some outrageous colors and his hair… Stix had no idea how he held all his hair up on the sides, so it was long and hanging down his back with a scrunchie or some other thingamajig. Dudley had a smile for everyone and skipped around in the house all the time. Stix had no idea where he got all his energy, but he wished he did. Hell, Stix could bottle it up and sell it for a fortune.

Stix watched as his friend searched for Georgy in their cute little game of hide and seek. Stix saw Georgy peek out from behind the television and quickly placed his finger to his lips and shook his head. Georgy immediately returned to his spot, and Stix continued to act as though he was looking at something interesting on the internet.

Dudley walked close to the television and Stix took that opportunity to ask, “Have you heard anything from Alex?”

Dudley looked at Stix, giving Georgy the opportunity to race out from behind the television and go behind one of the curtains Dudley had already searched. “No. He and Edmond are still out near that oil rig. The last time I talked to Alex, he said that people were all over the place on the thing.”

“That’s because they are getting everything they need to drill.” Stix muttered.

Shaking his head, Dudley replied, “I don’t see how. It’s too close to Haven. Eddie says that he won’t allow that to happen.”

Stix snorted, “Eddie, says a lot of things. Too bad it’s never anything pertinent.”

“Don’t be like that, love. You know as well as I do that Edmond is the King of Sovereignty Island and that makes him a very busy man.” Kornell said.

“He may be king, but he is also our…” Stix sighed when he saw the hurt look in his mate’s eyes,

“Fine, he’s a busy man.”

“Stix are you alright? Is there a problem between you and King Edmond?” Dudley asked in concern as he continued his search for Georgy.

“Nope, not a thing is going on between me and the king.” Stix said, then muttered, “Not what should be at least.”

“Stop it Stix. We talked about this. When Edmond is ready he will come to us.” Kornell interjected when Dudley left the room in search of Georgy.

Stix turned to his mate, saying, “And then you fell out of bed and your wet dream was over. If King Edmond had any intention of coming to us he would have done so by now. He has had opportunity Kornell, he just chooses not to.”

Kornell stood up and turned to Stix in frustration. “He’s trying to save this island and protect his people and you know it. Ever since that oil rig was put next to the island border he’s worked nonstop to get it removed. He barely sleeps or eats and what little time he has he spends with Georgy. You also know there are ways you could be helping and instead you sit there doing a crossword puzzle like you don’t have a care in the world.”

“I’m reading the financial section of the Journal, Kornell, not doing a puzzle. We may not have much to call our own any more, but I still have stocks. I figured I might be able to sell some to get us the financing we may need if Edmond doesn’t come around. There’s no way we can stay here and I figured maybe we could get with Midnight and his brothers to see if there might be a place we could buy off the grid. In order to do that we would need money and it’s all I could think of for now.”

Stix stood up and went to the bar, pouring himself a drink, “As for talking with Edmond, any time I get within ten feet of the man he runs for the hills. What is it I can do when the man won’t even come near me, let alone talk to me?”

Kornell placed his hands on his hips, saying, “You know exactly what you can do. Tell him! Yell it if you have to. Sit and talk at the dinner table when he comes home for dinner. Maybe if you did, Edmond would be done with those oil people and have time to come to us. I know if he just spent time with us he would see we are worthy of his heart.”

“Kornell, you are worthy of ten men’s hearts. Edmond just doesn’t want us. I don’t know why, but it is what it is.” Stix gently replied.

Kornell began to sniffle and get choked up with tears. “I refuse to believe that, Stix. He has to.

We’re his mates. He just doesn’t know us well enough to decide. Maybe if you weren’t so stubborn he would… Wait, that came out wrong.”

Stix snorted, “No, I understand what you’re saying. You think it’s my fault Edmond won’t give us the time of day. Maybe you’re right. Maybe if I came down for dinner he would see how great a catch I am.” Stix snorted, waving the glass around, “Well, we both know that isn’t true, Kornell. Did you ever think that maybe… just maybe, he stays away from us because he can’t find the right words to say it’s me he doesn’t want? I come with a lot of baggage, we both know that. Hell everyone on this f*****g island knows that.” Slamming his empty glass down, Stix poured himself another, sadly saying, “I can’t change what’s happened to us, or who I am Kornell.”

“Stix I didn’t mean it that way... just… I’m going to go get dinner ready.” Kornell said in a strained voice.

Stix sighed as he watched Kornell leave the room and go to the kitchen. Kornell was the best thing that ever happened to him. He never complained about the twist his life took when they found each other.

They had been mated for just over a year now and things had not been easy for them since the day they met. Stix had been involved with another man… Palmer Dumont. f*****g, abusive asshole. Ever since he broke it off with the fucktard, the man had done everything to ruin Stix’s life. The son of a b***h had forced Stix to leave his position at one of the biggest and best law firms in North America. He had even attempted to kill him and Kornell on more than one occasion.

They had run from one location to the next, taking odd jobs wherever they could find them. Until one day Stix had been bussing tables and overheard a small group talking about going to Haven Ranch. They said that it was a place for shifters and it was guaranteed safety.

It sounded great, but Stix knew it wouldn’t work for him and Kordell, because they were the damned. The cursed. The Bashkuara. Shifters that shifted into not one animal but two or more combined. It happened many centuries ago, when shifters didn’t believe in mating outside their race.

Alyona was a beautiful young wolf shifter and daughter to the alpha, Nikolai. However, Alyona met her mate and fell in love with a human named Matysh. Knowing how her father felt about mixed matings, she held back her relationship from him until she became pregnant with his child.

Alyona ran away with Matysh and mated. They were living happily together until Nikolai found them and took them to his pack. He gathered everyone together, including his sons and forced all that were there to watch what happened when you disgraced the pack by mating outside your kind. Then the sick f**k forced Matysh and everyone there to watch as he cut the child from his daughter’s womb allowing it to fall to the ground killing his daughter and his unborn grandchild.

Matysh struggled with his captors to no avail and Nikolai then cut the man’s head from his body.

What no one knew was that Matysh was not human. He was the son of a god… Damu.

Damu appeared from the sky and took revenge on the death of his son, daughter-in-law and unborn grandchild. First he killed Nikolai, and then he told everyone there that since they sat and did nothing to help Alyona, Matysh and his grandchild, he would curse them all and the next thing they knew they were no longer wolf shifters, but combined animals known as the Bashkuara and not only were they cursed, but any family they had would also be cursed.

The shifter world refused to accept them into their world. They were terrified that they were contagious, and they too would become a combined animal, so they became the hunted and had to flee into hiding or face death.

This was why Stix knew Haven Ranch wouldn’t be a place to welcome him and his mate with open arms. That was until one of the men brought up Sovereignty Island. They were shocked that the owners would find a place for the cursed ones, but they had and it was on penalty of death that anyone tried to kill their kind—unless it was proven to be self-defense.

Stix had rushed home to Kornell and told him what he had heard. They packed up that night and left. An island on Haven property couldn’t be hard to find, and they were right.

Kornell and Stix had been placed in a cabin and had started to rebuild their life, thinking they could raise vegetables to sell to the islanders. However, it didn’t take long before s**t started happening. Crops were destroyed and when they had been at a royal style wedding, their home had been burned to the ground. Maybe… Maybe Kornell would be better off without him?

Maybe if he was out of the picture, Edmond would see what a wonderful man Kornell was and…

“Earth to Stix. Earth to Stix. Come in Stix. This is your captain speaking.” Dudley yelled out.

Stix turned to Dudley, “Huh?”

“I asked you a question and you were a zillion miles away.” Dudley said.

Sighing, Stix replied, “Sorry, I was thinking about something. What was your question?”

“Well, first I asked if Georgy came through here since I last searched, because I still haven’t found the little bugger and then I asked if things were okay between you and Kornell?” Dudley asked looking under the couch.

“No, I haven’t seen Georgy and as far as my mate and I… Kornell and I are fine.” Stix muttered.

“Are you unhappy here?” Dudley asked.

Stix could hear the concern in his friend’s voice and hated the sadness he detected. Stix quickly said, “I’m fine here, Dudley. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“If it’s all the stuff the person has taken from you that has you so upset, I might be able to help. I can have some of the men help get a new garden ready and you can plant some things. I don’t know what grows this time of year, but I’m sure we could get something going.” Dudley said with a smile, as he looked left then right.

Shaking his head, Stix replied, “No, but thank you, Dudley. I don’t think I’d have made much of a farmer anyway. Besides, it isn’t about that anyway. Honestly, things will be fine.”

Stix did his best to give Dudley a reassuring smile. The man was too sweet with a heart of gold and it was those attributes that almost cost Dudley, not only his mating, but his life as well.

When his and Kornell’s home had been burned to the ground, it had been Dudley who had offered them a place inside the castle to live in until they could figure out what to do. That’s how they had met Edmond.

When Stix had first met the man, he could see the shock then want in the man’s eyes. Then Edmond had returned to the castle with his son crying and soaking wet. He and Kornell immediately offered to help Edmond with the boy, but Edmond had given them an empty look and turned away without a word. Edmond had done everything, from that day on, to not just ignore Kornell and Stix, but to avoid them at all costs.

Mrs. Houser walked in yelling, “Georgy, it’s time for lunch.”

Georgy didn’t come out and Mrs. Houser quickly said, “After you eat your lunch, I have a nice hot fudge sundae just for you.”

Georgy took off from behind the curtain and ran into the kitchen, giggling, “You didn’t find me.”

Dudley laughed, “No I didn’t you little bugger. Maybe next time.”

“K, Udley.” Georgy said as he left to get his lunch and ice cream. Hopefully in that order.

Dudley waited for Georgy to leave before saying, “I so knew he was hiding there.” Letting out a breath Dudley sat next to Stix, “Now that the young one is gone, you and I need to talk.”