Page 1 of Emerald Treats
Chapter 1
Saige
The seasons had abruptly shifted, and autumn, tired of waiting, pushed summer out of the way. The leaves crunched beneath my leopard print flats as I made my way through the gardens on my property. My fingertips trailed lovingly over the remaining flowering buds that would be drooping sadly come morning. The first frost was due, and the bite in the late evening air promised to make good on that.
With a sigh, I glanced at the bushy chrysanthemums and smiled. They'd be around for another couple of weeks, at least. Fall and winter were kind of a difficult time to be a green witch, especially when you lived in Emerald Lakes, where we got the full four-season experience each year.
A gust of chilly air whipped across the yard, picking up a rainbow of leaves and promptly depositing them all right in my hair.
"Come on," I lamented, attempting to rid myself of the crunchy foliage. "Ah, shit." I winced as my ring got tangled in my red hair, and I carefully freed my finger. Holding my left handin front of me, I started plucking the few hairs that were now caught in my ring.
Light suddenly flooded the area as the solar spotlights on the barn kicked on, and I grinned at the beautiful piece of jewelry as it dazzled and glinted in the light. Intricate metal strings were wrapped together in a rainbow of colors, and at the center was a gorgeous crescent moon. The jet black stone was so polished that the flecks of color within sparkled brightly.
"I'm getting married," I whispered to myself.
Slowly, I lifted my gaze to my cottage, and my heart squeezed at the sight. The large kitchen window, which allowed a direct line of sight to the garden, was illuminated, allowing me to be an unknown observer in that moment.
A man with short, dark hair, two-day-old stubble, and ice-blue eyes was pacing back and forth, two tiny babies in his arms. I could see his mouth moving, and I didn't have to be inside to know he was singing his daughters to sleep.
My growly, grumpy grouch of a mate had turned out to be the biggest softie of them all. Hell, I didn't even know Sloane could sing, but once those little girls arrived and had a bout of colic, we'd tried everything to calm them down, but nothing worked—until he sang to them, and now they expected it every day.
Two more men entered the picture, and my heart melted as Bram peeked at the girls and smiled at Sloane when he saw they were fast asleep. Bram was saying something when Sloane abruptly shook his head no and tried to step back. Bram gave him a stern look and held his finger up to his lips.
A puff of laughter escaped me when Bram wrapped his arms around Sloane and the girls and hugged them all. I could see Sloane's body stiffen all the way from here. The third man didn't wait for an invitation and took his shot, wrapping his arms around everyone from behind Sloane's back.
I wiped my cheek, surprised to find my fingertips wet. When I looked back at the window, I found three pairs of eyes glued to me with concern. Kai's normally dark brown eyes were already flashing with hints of yellow, but I lifted my hand and waved at my guys in reassurance.
I knew they couldn't hear me, but I said, "I'm fine!" All of their shoulders relaxed, and I waved them off. Squatting down, I gathered up my gloves and some garden shears, deciding it was time to call it a night.
Returning to the barn, I thought about how happy I'd been since my postpartum had improved. I could still hardly believe that all six of my mates had not only accepted me and the depression I'd been battling, but they also showed me such love and support. It was hard to believe this was my life, that I'd gotten this lucky.
I stepped through the door of the barn and heard a soft noise. It was probably just one of the barn cats that we'd recently adopted, so it didn’t concern me. I walked over to my work counter and set down my gloves. Just as I placed the shears on a hook, I heard a thud. That noise did not come from a cat. I froze in place, and a chill ran down my spine as I realized someone was in here with me.
"Hello?" I called out, my heart racing as I quickly scoped out my dark surroundings. "Gran? Is that you?"
Silence was the only response I got. I frowned as I scanned the space, not finding anything out of the ordinary. My stomach growled, and that was enough to make me forget about the noise and head inside for some of the apple pie that Kai had been baking earlier.
I was nearly to the door when a dark figure dropped from the ceiling and landed right in front of me. A skull face stared back at me. The scream that left my body was so loud I startled myself.
"Boo!" the figure yelled before immediately bending over and laughing hysterically.
With a hand over my pounding heart, I stared at him in disbelief. I was seconds from speaking when a dark flash blew through the open barn door, and the masked man was pinned to the dusty barn floor with a mouthful of sharp white fangs in his face, prepared to rip him to shreds.
"Bagheera!" I said sternly. "It's okay. Let him up."
The big cat's massive head swung my way, his glowing yellow eyes examining mine. Slowly, he backed away, releasing his prey.
"What the fuck is going on in here?!" Fischer, my empathic mate, exclaimed, rushing into the barn.
"Oh gods, you should've seen her face." We looked at the hooded man as he pushed himself up, still chuckling. "Whew, that was a good one!"
"Faris," he hissed. "What the hell?"
Faris reached up and pulled the hood off, along with the mask, revealing his wicked grin.
The sounds of voices carried through the open door, and the rest of my mates flooded into the barn in seconds, making it feel much smaller than it actually was.
"We heard a scream," Cam barked in the authoritative tone that he usually reserved for work. His green eyes immediately found mine, and when he saw I was fine, he slowly took in Faris.
