Loving Lachlyn (Ashland Pride Two) by R.E. Butler

Regardless, he’d contented himself with just holding her while they slept.
    “No, I wouldn’t want you to be indecent, Sunshine.  There are a ton of people down there I don’t know.”
    She turned in his arms and rested her palms on his shoulders.  “Bears?”
    “No, the mountain lions that are friends with Don.”
    “Have you ever met a mountain lion?”
    “No.  You?”
    She shook her head and dropped her hands, taking one of his.  “Let’s go meet some big cats.”
    He snorted.  “Not big.  Normal. Human-sized really.”
    She laughed and gave him a playful slap on the arm.  “You’re just exceptionally big so that even if they were big for their kind, they probably look normal in comparison.  But they probably wouldn’t like being compared to humans.”
    He didn’t particularly care if he offended any of them.  He didn’t have plans to see them after tonight.
    As they walked down the wooden steps, their footsteps echoing around them, she said, “Oh wow, do you smell that?”
    She stopped walking and he did as well.  Taking a quick inhale, he shook his head.  “What, Sunshine?  All I can smell is your aunt’s roast.”
    “No, Jer, it’s something sweet and wild.  Yum.”
    She dropped his hand and rushed down the steps, her hand on the banister as she rounded the corner and then gasped in surprise.  He leapt down the stairs, worried she’d hurt herself, and found her in the arms of the male who Don had called Alek.
    Alek’s eyes were locked on Lachlyn’s as he held her.
    Jericho knew that he should have been pissed at Alek for holding Lachlyn for far longer than was clearly necessary, but he was strangely calm about it.  He joined them, putting one hand on Alek’s shoulder, which made Alek’s head snap up.  Lachlyn reached up and pressed her hand against Jericho’s, mashing his palm into Alek’s shoulder.
    He knew why he wasn’t pissed off.  Lachlyn had found her other mate, the third in their tri-mating.
    “Are you alright, Sunshine?” he asked, turning his attention from Alek’s face to Lachlyn’s.
    Her mouth worked silently for a moment and then her voice squeaked out, “Yes.”  Clearing her throat she answered again, “Yes.”
    Alek’s face flushed and he looked guilty as hell, but that didn’t make him release his hold on Lachlyn.
    “My name is Jericho, and this is Lachlyn.”
    “My name —” he said and winced as his voice cracked. He cleared his throat and continued, “Alek.”
    It was as if he suddenly realized he was still holding Lachlyn, because he cursed softly and slipped his arms away from her, once she was standing straight.  “Sorry.”  He all but growled the word, and Jericho was fairly certain he wasn’t really sorry at all.
    Alek turned and took a step away, and Lachlyn’s panicked face made Jericho reach out and stop him.  “Wait, Alek.  We should talk.”
    “I didn’t mean anything by it,” he said as he looked over his shoulder.  His face was calm, but his hands were curled into fists at his side.
    Lachlyn’s voice was gentle.  “Please, Alek?  I want to talk with you.”
    A man who resembled an older version of Alek came into the hallway.  “Is everything alright, Son?”
    “Yeah, Dad.  I’ll be out in a minute.”
    His father raised a brow, but said nothing, leaving them alone in the hallway.
    Alek turned slowly, his eyes darting between Lachlyn and Jericho.  He straightened, squaring his shoulders and said with a clear voice, “I meant no harm to your mate, Jericho.  If you’d like me to leave the house, I will.”
    Jericho admired a male with principles.
    Lachlyn gasped in dismay.  “You’d really walk away from me?”
    Alek’s firm resolve seemed to falter in the face of her words, and his voice was less steady.  “I don’t want to, but I will.”
    She reached her hand out and took Alek’s and then linked her other hand with Jericho’s.  “Please don’t, Alek.”
    Alek swallowed hard enough that the