Triple Dog Dare [Triple Trouble 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Tymber Dalton

it.
    When Lina got off the phone she stared at the empty mirror. No visions had come to her to explain Maureen Pardie’s apparition.
    No unexpected visits from Baba Yaga.
    With a sigh, she left the bathroom. This mystery could wait for another day. She had too much on her plate now as it was.

Chapter Eight
     
    At dinner that night, Ain took a deep breath. He sincerely hoped Elain, who sat next to him on his right, wouldn’t argue with him about this. “I went and talked with Mark Telford today,” he told everyone. “I laid it all out for him. He’s in agreement that we need to go to Maine and talk to Lacey before the wedding. She needs to meet Elain and settle the question about her being a shape-shifter once and for all.”
    “We’ll take her,” Lina immediately piped up before her men could react. “I haven’t seen Lacey in a while. I’d love to visit her.”
    Elain stared at Ain. “Who is Lacey again?” She thought she’d heard them mention that name before, but with all the recent events, she’d be damned if she could remember who it was.
    Ain started to answer. “She’s our Clan’s Seer—”
    “Sort of like me, only without the firepower,” Lina quipped. “You’ll like her.”
    “Lina,” Ain said, “while we appreciate the offer—”
    She gave him a look that silenced him. “Dude, chances are that Fat Boy is keeping an eye on the house. If you three leave, Fat Boy will know something’s up and follow you. She goes with us, chances are no one’s going to realize she’s even gone until we’re safely on our way. It’s safer.”
    Brodey nodded. “I have to admit, Ain, that’s a good idea.”
    Ain felt the situation rapidly slipping out of his control. “But—”
    Cail threw his opinion into the ring. “They’re right. If we leave, anyone watching the place will follow us.” He nodded toward Liam and Carla. “Let them go, too, with Lina and her guys. Elain can lie down in the car and hide until they’re out of town and know no one’s following them.”
    Ain didn’t like it. “I don’t want Elain away from us for that long.”
    Elain, surprisingly, held her temper in check. “Ain,” she gently said, “I think Jan, Rick, and Kael are more than capable of protecting me, along with Lina. They’re frickin’ dragons .”
    “And Liam,” Carla piped up, favoring him with a smile. “We’ll go, too.”
    Zack snorted. “Hey, what am I?”
    “Eye candy,” Kael quipped without hesitation.
    The entire table laughed, breaking the building tension and giving Ain a moment to think about it. He looked at Liam. “You understand my concern, correct? I hope the Clan will rule in our favor on this, but considering it’s a blood oath, they might not.”
    He solemnly nodded. “I do. I realize it’s hard to place trust in me considering ye just met me. Believe me when I say I’d die to protect her. We’ll do our best not to reveal any more than necessary to the Clan.”
    Elain looked at Ain. “Please?” she quietly asked. “It’s not that I want to be away from you guys, but…” She shrugged. “I would like some time with my mom and dad. And with Lina and them, too. It’s crazy around here. It’d be nice to get to know them better.”
    “When we’re up there,” Lina added, “we’ll have Blackie and Callie with us, too. If you don’t think she’s safe with all of us, then she’ll never be safe with just you three.” She leveled her gaze at Ain. “Don’t worry. We will bring her back, safe and sound. I promise you that.”
    With the gravity of the situation and suspecting Elain wasn’t grasping the full ramifications if the Abernathys challenged them for her, Ain hated admitting Elain made valid points. “Okay. When do you want to leave?” he asked Lina.
    “I’d prefer late tonight or before dawn in the morning. That way it’s easier to see if anyone’s following us. We can put her in Carla’s car with her and Liam and have them drive between our two cars. You