Tasty Treats, Volume 3

CHAPTER 1

The automatic doors whooshed open and a breath of frigid air breathed out. The cold shiver barely made a sigh into the thick, soup of the hot, humid night air. Kristen rushed under the icy blast of arctic air coming from the vents over the door.

Even as she made it into the more comfortable side of the grocery store doors, she didn't allow her feet to slow down. They shuffled quickly forward with the momentum of her fear and apprehension. She'd entered Covenanter country. If her brother, Alpha of the Narin pack, found out she'd strayed into these dangerous waters there would be much unpleasantness to face.

He wouldn't find out unless she got caught. The only ones around to do such a thing would be a Covenanter. If a set of Covenanters caught her then her brother, Derek, would be the least of her problems.

They wouldn't catch her. It was 10:30 and most of the citizens of Collins County had already put their tired bodies to rest. Kristen would have been part of that group if it hadn't been for the business meeting in Savannah that had run over. The location of the meeting was what had really screwed her.

If it had been in Charleston, like they normally were, then she would never have had to cross into Covenanter territory. She had no choice tonight. With an empty refrigerator waiting for her at home and a stomach that wouldn't stop growling, she'd made the decision to violate one of Derek's most strongly asserted rules.

She'd parked her car and entered the Covenanter's Food Lion. She had to do this. She had no choice. This was the last grocery store on the way to her house that was open. At least the place was empty.

She didn't waste time with shopping aisle by aisle. She barely managed to pause long enough to swipe a basket from the stack near the entrance. This had to be a hit and run experience. She couldn't get caught by a Covenanter. She'd just buy the essentials and get out. Five minutes, that's all she needed.

Five minutes and she'd be back in her car safe. Five minutes, that shouldn't be too much to ask the fates to grant her after the shitty day she'd endured. Five minutes just to get something to eat…and a toothbrush.

She needed a damn toothbrush to replace the one she'd dropped by the toilet this morning. Surely fate had enough mercy to let her at least wake up tomorrow and brush her teeth. It was little enough to ask, but Kristen didn't trust fate that much.

Her heals clicked and clacked a rapid gunfire across the linoleum floor as she cut through the banks of registers and headed straight for the frozen food aisle. There was no time to be picky and her eyes cut darted between pre-made, boxed crap lining the cooler shelves in panicked frenzy.

Italian. Pasta, sauce and meat in one damn bag.

That was about as good as it was going to get. A frozen log of garlic bread might make the meal more palatable, but wine definitely would.

Dropping the both frozen delicacies into her basket, she paused only long enough to snatch a box of frozen waffles out another freezer door and grab a bottle of chocolate syrup off the end cap as she turned the corner into the beer and wine aisle.

The stately rows of bottles drew her into the shelves stacked with a seemingly endless variety. After today's hectic schedule, she deserved to sit in a good soak in a tub with a large glass of wine.

Large glass of white wine.

Doesn't go with Italian.

Get a different dinner.

Hmm. What would I get?

Is this going to take long?

It certainly can't take long to cook. I'm hungry.

The hell with it, just get two bottles of wine.

Hey now, there is an idea.

At a distance she heard the harmony of deep male voices and the high pitched chatter of a female, but it didn't really register. Her eyes glimmered with the possibilities as she studied the labels. She needed a strong red wine to help take the hard edge off. Then something soft and sweet to relax with while she let the warmth of her bath soak her through.

When she got out of the tub, there wouldn't be a part of her that didn't feel soft and pliant. It would be perfect. She'd curl up underneath the covers naked, keeping all that warmth tucked in around her. The only thing that would lull her into a peaceful slumber with more ease would be an orgasm.

Just a small one, an easy one. She could reach down with her own hand and rub her clit to release, but wouldn't it be so much better to have a real man do it? Even as the thought whispered through her mind the unbidden images of some hard bodied male pressing into her, running his callused hands softly over her while his lips feathered kisses, she could almost feel him surrounding her with his heat.

Something prickled at her senses, the subconscious recognition that the air around her had warmed with a deep, masculine scent. Her shadow along the rows of bottles thickened and the click of her heels as she shifted on the linoleum floor was softened by the shift of another set of feet.

None of it penetrated the static of the gathering fantasies entertaining her brain. They had her so roundly mesmerized that she could have stood there all night. She certainly didn't have the willpower to break the spell that had woven its thick cocoon over her. She needed the helpful prod by an impatient person to get her moving.

«Hey, Kort, you got that damn beer yet?»

Kristen snapped back to the reality of her situation. She'd trespassed onto dangerous territory and forgotten it. The ramifications of that stared her in the face as she watched her shadow separate, becoming two for a moment before shifting back into one impossibly thick outline. Whirling around she stepped back to take in the sight of the man who had matched her stance with the perfection of a well seasoned hunter.

To match their size in the perspective of their shadows, he'd had to stand back. Now that she faced him, he stepped forward and she stepped back. The clinking tinks of the wine bottle swaying ever so slightly into each other told her that her second step back had been her last.

Cornered, Kristen could feel her heart begin to race over that realization as the male came to a silent stand-still, towering over her. Kristen swallowed hard as her head tipped back to keep eye contact with the man. She had to. Something inside her demanded it.

He had the most amazing eyes. They were whirling vortexes of green shards and blue lightning bolts. They trapped her gaze with their brilliant lighting show. As she watched they turned greener and greener, going pale and beginning to glow with internal heat that she could almost feel like a sensual breeze across her flesh.

The slight shift of air carried with it an odor that had her tensing as her blood heated, gaining speed as it rushed through her veins in a torrent that drove her heart rate from a simple pound to a tormented pace. She couldn't catch her breath or even a thought as her body began to melt under the heat of his gaze.

She could feel her breasts tighten. Her nipples puckered painfully with the ache to be exposed, touched, mauled by those too perfect lips. God, the man was gorgeous. Bright eyes, dark hair, and hard features, but nothing compared to those lips. There was so much she wanted to do with those lips.

Those naughty, wonderful images began to pop through her mind again. Images of her naked with her hands buried in those soft, silky looking locks, directing his head and those lips over her body until her arms locked and she buried his head between her legs. Her pussy quivered with the first shocks waves of a mini-release.

She could almost feel his heated breath fanning across her cunt, that soft, devilish tongue stroking into her sheath, going faster, deeper, fucking into her, and twirling to hit that magical spot. Then those soft looking lips would close over her clit and suck, just a little kiss…

Kirsten gasped, her body going slack. The wine bottle slipped free and crashed onto the floor. Red liquid splattered across her ankles, her legs, and over the linoleum as a visible sign of her loss of control.

What the hell?

She'd actually climaxed, even if it was a very small one, right here in the middle of a public grocery store. Her eyes darted back up to the man who hadn't flinched under the sudden chaos of the bottle shattering. No, the man smirked, a smug, knowing twist of the lips.

Covenanter.

She had known that minutes before. Some primal, primitive part of her had felt the shift around her, sensed the male werewolf pacing in dangerously close. Those instincts prickled to life with a vengeance, making her way too aware of every detail of this man.

She didn't doubt why he affected her to this degree. Kristen had heard all the rumors, all the stories. They all failed to truly describe the experience. Oh, God, she was in deep shit now. If she didn't escape while she had the opportunity the bastard would take away her will to resist and she would be doing any kinky ass thing he wanted.

«What happened?»

The dufus from the manager station groaned as he appeared at the head of the aisle. He had his own shadow, a replica of hers. The twin had appeared. Identical in appearance, there could be no question now of just what these men were or what they were capable of.

«I don't need this. It's almost closing time,» the man muttered to himself.

«I'm sorry.» Kristen pulled herself together. No eye contact with either of the Covenanters and get the hell out of the store as fast as possible. «I'll pay for the bottle.»

«That's fine. I guess I'll clean it up.»

That got a reaction from the man mostly responsible for her dropping the bottle. He turned his head, narrowing his eyes on the smaller man. Kristen could hear the growl building in his chest.

«The lady apologized. You should be a gentleman and accept it gracefully.»

He's going to lecture somebody on how to be a gentleman?

«I did.»

Wrong response, buddy.

«She shouldn't have to pay for the wine. It was an accident.»

My God. Look. He's moving.

Moving away from her, the Covenanter began to crowd the little clerk back into his brother. Apparently the human didn't find the Covenanters' show of aggression impressive. He tilted up his chin defiantly and argued back.

«Accident or not, she broke the bottle and I certainly can't sell it now.»

«Then you pay for it.»

«Me? Why should I pay for the bottle she broke?»

«It was an accident.»

Oh crap. Now the other one is growling.

«That's irrelevant.»

«But I'm not.»

«Listen here, I don't have to take this from you. If you gentlemen have a problem with the policies of this store or the service, I suggest you take your business elsewhere. As for the woman, she pays for the wine. If you have a problem with that, I would be happy to call the police to help explain the matter to you.»

Wow, wrong thing to say, but bravo for the balls to actually say it. And what am I waiting for?

Both brothers began to close in on the little guy, leaving her the opening to grab another bottle of wine and shoot off down the aisle. She had to go the long way around because she didn't dare pass by the Covenanters and risk drawing their notice again.

She ended up going down the health and beauty aid aisle to get back to the front of the store. A stroke of luck, she needed a new toothbrush after she dropped hers on the floor that morning. Not bothering to even look at the one she selected she tossed one into the basket. A display of bubble bath on sale caught her eye and she snatched a bottle of that, too. If ever a night deserved some bubbles, this one did.

She skidded into the register only to be brought to a sudden stop by the cashier. She had her shirt pulled half way up to reveal her too-tight tank top beneath. That part actually didn't disturb Kristen half as much as the fact that the young girl had one arm bent over her head so she could look at her pit in the mirror she held up.

When the young girl turned her gaze on Kristen she could see the vast emptiness dulling her brown eyes. It helped prepare her for what came next as the girl ignored the basket before her on the conveyor belt and began to talk to Kristen in a too familiar way.

«Can I ask you a question?» Before Kristen could respond to that, the girl turned to present her arm pit for Kristen's inspection. «What do you think that is?»

Kristen blinked. «A rash?»

«Yeah.» The girl turned like a puppy chasing its tail as she tried to get a good look at it. Worse yet she began to touch the raised, reddish mass. «It feels lumpy. I wonder if it will spread.»

Kristen looked down at her basket, her toothbrush and dinner. Yeah, she wondered the same thing. «Never mind about the groceries.»

«What?» The girl blinked then glanced over her shoulder. «Oh, hey, Kort. Did you find the beer you wanted? Jakob was telling me you were going to steam some oysters in the beer. I got to tell you I love oysters. Have you ever…»

Oh, God. They're behind me.

Kristen could feel the heat, smell the scent of male and knew that if she didn't get the hell away now it would be too late.

«Hey, where you going?»

Kristen ignored the cashier's call as she fled for the door. She didn't even care if she were making an ass of herself or amusing the Covenanters. It didn't matter what it cost, she had to escape.

«What about your groceries?»

«Way to go, Jakob. You scared the little lady off.» Kort dumped the twelve-pack into the bed of his truck. «I thought when I saw the way you were looking at her we were going to have a little dessert with our dinner.»

«We are.» Jakob ignored his brother's mocking as he climbed into the truck.

«Really?» Kort asked as he piled in behind the wheel. «Did I misread the signals and you actually got her number?»

«I don't need her number. I already know who she is.»

«Who? How?»

«I saw her picture in the paper before. She's Derek Jacob's sister.»

«Derek Jacob? As in Alpha of the Narin pack?» At Jakob's nod, Kort sighed and turned over the truck's engine. «Well there goes that fun time.»

«She's our mate.»

The truck stalled out with a jerk as Kort's foot slipped from the gas pedal. «You're sure? Derek's sister? Do you know what that means?»

«We wasted twelve years in the Marines traveling all over the world to find what was right next door the whole time?»

«It means that our mate is in Narin territory and if Derek doesn't have our asses for trespassing, he'll certainly try to chew them off for touching his sister.»

«JD and Caleb will help smooth that over. After all, we're talking about our mate.»

«JD and Caleb wouldn't back us until she bears the mating mark. Until then she's a Narin and under Derek's protection. You know how he feels about our kind messing with his women.»

«Yeah.» Kort grinned. «I guess we're going to have to break some rules, huh?»

«Some Narin rules.»

CHAPTER 2

Kristen made the rest of her forty minute drive home in half that time thanks to her complete lack of regard for any kind of speed limit or traffic law. She almost drove straight to Derek's house. She was that freaked out.

She couldn't do it though. Telling Derek what had happened would not only be embarrassing, but it would send her brother on the warpath. For the most part, things were good between the Narin and Covenanter packs. They each had a strength the other lacked. The Covenanters tended to be stronger, more powerful werewolves, but they had a mating curse on them.

That issue had always been the weak point for the Covenanters. They couldn't just claim any woman as mate. They had to find their perfect mate and once found she must be claimed by both brothers for there to be any offspring. The unions always bred another generation of twin males and only twin males.

Given their need for just one specific woman and their inability to breed their own women, it made the Covenanters desperate when it came to finding their mates. It made them unconcerned about technical or legal details such as abduction or adultery. If a Covenanter found his woman, it didn't matter if she were married, mated or even gay. He would musk her into submission and carry her off to his home. That was any woman that wasn't part of the Narin pack.

Derek had secured a blood oath from the McBanes that no woman mated to a Narin would ever be seduced away from her mate by a

Covenanter. While the Narin males might find it easier to find their mate and could technically claim any woman they wanted as such and still bear children by her, once mated, the male couldn't become aroused by another woman. If his mate left him, his life would suck. Only with her death could the mating bond be lifted.

Kristen wasn't mated though, which made her fair game for the Covenanters. Still, she lived and worked in Narin territory. Any male Covenanter who pursued her into her home territory would need Derek's consent or would be in violation of the pack bonds. That technicality did not reassure her as she parked her car under the carport.

Get real. They wouldn't chase you all the way here for a quick screw.

Even if they hadn't had the advantage of their musk, those two men could easily have gotten laid by more than a dozen women. Kristen reminded herself of that fact as she got out of the car. She scanned the darkness, scenting for any sign of interloping males.

Nothing. The night around her smelled of the usual after scents of dinners gone by, of cars parked and clothes being cleaned with fragrant dry cleaning cloths. The only movement was the tips and dips of the flowers and the tree branches under the gentle persuasion of the humid breeze.

There was absolutely no reason to run to her door and jam the key into the lock with a rush as if her life depended on getting into her house, but she did anyway. Once secured behind the solid wood door, Kristen finally breathed an easy breath. Something about being in the familiar embrace of her house comforted her, as if nothing bad or wrong could happen now that she'd come home.

Dropping her purse on the little table by the door, she kicked off her heels and padded into the kitchen in her stocking feet. The refrigerator might be empty of food, but it still held a bottle of white wine with barely a glass worth in it. Forgoing the waste of a glass, Kristen took the bottle with her and headed straight down the hall toward her bedroom.

Barely five sips later, the bottle was empty. Submerged in a tub full of bubbles thanks to half a bottle of shampoo unloaded under the faucet, Kristen nevertheless finally began to relax. Everything would be all right. She'd made a dumb mistake and treaded into dangerous waters, but she'd gotten out with her dignity intact even if it had taken a slight dent.

No matter how small the climax, the very fact that she had one publicly, without being touched by a man or even herself, would go down in her hall of fame for shameful moments. The good news was it had happened in a grocery store she'd never been to before, one she would never go back to. Nobody knew her there. Nobody would be able to spread any God awful rumors about her. It would be like it never happened. If only she could forget that it actually had.

The wine helped with that. What little there had been still managed to help her down the road to amnesia. It diluted her brain enough to make it stop thinking and left her body two stages past pliant, almost to the edge of sleep. She'd have drifted off into that wonderland if it hadn't been for the soft squeak of a floorboard being pressed down under the weight of somebody's foot.

Kristen's head snapped up, off the rim of the tub as she looked toward the bathroom door. All around her silence reigned. She sniffed the air, but all she could smell was the overpowering floral scent of her bubbles.

It didn't happen. I imagined it.

Even if she hadn't, she had an old house that tended to groan and bemoan its age.

But it never squeaked.

She had to go see. It was probably nothing, but she needed to know that with absolute certainty. Plucking her robe off its hook as she rose out of the tub, Kristen didn't bother to dry off before she shrugged into the short, silken garment. All she bothered to do was pull out the clump of wet hair raining water down her back and belt the thing.

With the ability to shift into a wolf within seconds, she felt no fear at opening the bathroom door. After all, there was nothing to fear because it was just her overactive imagination playing tricks on her tired mind after a long day spent in a strange and stressful courtroom.

Everything in her bedroom was as she left it. The little lamp on her nightstand bathed the room in a warm, golden hue. Her bedspread, her discarded clothing, nothing had been disturbed. She eyed the closet door, not fully closed and fought the urge to go check for monsters lurking behind its white painted surface.

To give into the urge would be to give into childish fear. Even with the pungent odor of flowers clogging her nostrils, she'd have smelled anybody if they lurked in there. Forcing herself to behave like the mature adult she knew herself to be, she moved on into the hall.

Peeking into each room as she made her way back toward the living room, she had to fight the urge to do a thorough inspection. If she gave into the fear she'd be on her hands and knees looking under each guestroom bed.

The only reason she even thought such silly thoughts was because of those damn Covenanters. They'd freaked her out, especially the one who'd mesmerized her with his gaze. It hadn't been lost on her that in actuality he hadn't said one single word to her. No, he'd watched her the way a hunter watched its next meal.

At the time she'd been too overwhelmed by his stupid musk to be unnerved by his silent gaze, but that insanity had faded. Now a new one had taken its place. One where she blindly feared he intended to hunt her down. Why would he? No reason.

Just like there is no reason to look under the…oh, shit.

Kristen froze in the doorway of her kitchen. She'd left the light on, hadn't she? Did it matter? She knew she hadn't bought groceries tonight, so the big, brown paper bag proudly bearing the Food Lion logo hadn't been placed on the counter by her.

Paralyzed by conflicting urges, Kristen stood there just staring. She didn't know whether to rush toward the bag to see what was in it, run for the door to escape into the night, or dive for the phone and call for help. The chaos in her mind condensed around one certainty, he was behind her.

Spinning around, her eyes widened at the sight of the Covenanter who had dared not only to enter her pack's territory, but break into her house. Words should have come easily to her, accusations, threats, demands. They all died as that alluring scent began to wind around her. She could feel her mind begin to slip away from her as lust once again began to drive wanton images into her thoughts.

She barely had the breath much less the reason left to speak. Still she managed to get the question out that burned through her brain.

«Why?»

Kort almost smiled at her whispered plea. He knew the answer. It was just as Jakob had said. She was their mate. Their short, delicious mate flushing all pink with desire as the scent of her arousal sweetened the overwhelming scent of flowers coming off her body.

They'd interrupted her bath and the water still dripped down over all the smooth, luscious looking skin revealed by her short little robe. That was not all that the robe revealed. Its silken fabric clung indecently too her body, leaving him in no doubt of the fullness of her breasts, the sweet roundness of her stomach or the heavenly V between her legs.

Kort wanted to see it all, though. He wanted to know what color those puckered nipples were, wanted to see the creamy smoothness of her stomach and to know what color of fuzz blocked the path his mouth was about to make down her body and to that delicious little pussy already creaming for him. He would know, he would see, touch, taste and know all of his woman before this night was out.

He stepped forward intent on removing that robe and beginning the celebration. She spoke again though, surprising him that she still had the ability to form words. He knew the musk had thickened in the air to dizzying proportions, an uncontrollable reaction to being so near his mate for the first time.

«Why?»

She asked the simple question for a second time. Kort reached out to grasp the edges of her belt as he answered her. «Because you are mine.»

«No.»

She shook her head in denial but made no move to stop him as he pushed the robe off her shoulders. She was perfection. So very beautiful he hesitated to touch even as his cock swelled to painful proportions in a silent demand that he do a good deal more than simply touch. He needed to feel her beneath him, every soft, rounded curve of her.

When he stepped into her, she stepped back, surprising him again that she had any will power to offer even the weakest of defenses.

«No.»

«Are you denying me?» The thought was untenable.

«I…I…» Her eyes closed as if she needed darkness to help find the words.

Kort didn't plan on letting her find them. His hands burned so badly with the need to feel her that he was just as helpless in this moment of desire as she. He let his hands trace over the beautiful swell of her breasts. So full and flushed, he growled in response to her whimper as his fingers flirted lightly over the hard, puckered points of her nipples.

She arched into the caress in a silent demand for more. He ignored temptation as his hands slid down into the curve of her waist before tracing the flare of her hips. Soft and resilient, his fingers bit into the padded flesh of her ass and dragged her forward. Her legs shifted around his thigh and the moist heat of her pussy pressed into his muscle.

Then she did the most arousing thing, she stroked herself against him. With slow, little rolls of her hips his mate pressed her sweet folds against his thigh so tightly they split and he could feel the intimate contours of her pussy.

This time she tilted her head back and moaned as her body instinctively began to move harder against him. Rubbing her tight little nipples into his shirt, he could feel the tension building in her body as she humped herself along his thigh.

Oh God, she was going to push him past his control with those enticing motions. He couldn't let that happen. Not yet. Not until Jakob joined them. What the hell was taking his brother so long? He should have been here by now.

If he didn't show up soon, he'd miss all the fun. There was only so much patience Kort had. He had almost none left as he felt his little mate's motion grow more frantic as she approached the pinnacle of her arousal. Grasping her neck in a firm hold, he forced her head to tilt back and forced her heavy lidded gaze up. He wanted to watch those beautiful features as she came.

And she would come. Many, many times tonight. Right now would only be the first.

Fanning his fingers across the swell of her ass, he settled his other hand into the graceful curve of her spine. With his hold he forced her cunt tighter against his thigh and helped guide her motions into a faster pace. Her lips parted as she began to pant with her growing need and Kort took immediate advantage.

Sealing the lush curves of her mouth with his own, he tried to go slowly, to commit the feel and flavor of her kiss to his memory. Kristen wouldn't allow him that little treasure. Too frantic with her own desires, she locked her lips around his tongue and sucked the control right out of him.

With nothing left but the fiery burn of naked need ruling his actions, he repeatedly plundered the sweet, moist depths of her mouth. She nearly came undone in his arms as he stroked deeper and faster into the heaven of her kiss. The motions mimicked the push and pull of her thighs over his as she ground herself in time with the ever increasing rhythm of his kiss.

He wanted to push her over that edge, to watch her completely lose control, to hear her climax, feel it as it soaked through his jeans. His hand spanned over her ass, bouncing her up over his hard thigh faster and faster until she tore her mouth away to pant out moans of her escalating pleasure.

Her arms twined around his shoulder, her nails digging into his muscles. She clung to him even as her hips lifted under his prodding, leaving his hand just enough room to slide along the seam of her ass and discover the hot, molten well of her desire.

«Your pussy is so soft, so hot, so wet. It begs for my touch.»

Kort slid his finger upward, through the thick river of her cream to the opening from which it wept out of. At just the brush of his fingertip he felt the tiny opening contract and gasp in a silent plea to be filled. He answered the plea with a deep thrust of three fingers deep into her clenching sheath.

Kristen screamed and arched, bouncing her ass as she fucked along his fingers. Kort kept her pinned to his thigh, forcing her pussy lips to stay open and leave her clit vulnerable to the rough rub of his jeans. She went wild in his arms, screaming and thrashing as her climax broke over her.

Kort shifted fast to his knees. That was his release and he planned to taste it.

CHAPTER 3

For a second, Kristen thought she might actually be floating through the air. She'd lost contact with the hard male body keeping her grounded and felt the world shift. Without his support she'd have floated off, but that gravity pulled her back into the thick, secure arms of another man.

She couldn't wonder or worry over him. Not when her body had shattered into a thousand tiny fragments, all swirling in the frantic beat with the vortex of rapture sucking her deeper in. It spilt wide and shot her screaming out into the ether at the feel of a soft tongue licking straight up her slit.

«Such a tasty, little pussy.»

She felt the words more than heard them as they were growled out against her tender folds. Then all she could do was feel. Feel his tongue tasting her, tracing over every line, gliding over every curve as he learned every intimate detail of her pussy.

With gasps and panted moans, she arched against him, following the movements of his tongue like the mesmerized doll she had become. Lured by the slow, sensual discovery of her nether lips, her head rolled across the hard bone of a man's shoulder. When her forehead bumped into a rigid jaw line her eyes fluttered open.

It was him. The other one. The one who had hypnotized her with that intense gaze back at the grocery store. Just like before the jade crystals condensed, darkened and began to glow with an unholy light. The transformation enthralled her. Rational thoughts faded along with the blue, leaving nothing but naked need controlling her motions.

Her body continued the smooth arch and grind of the primitive dance inspired by the beat of the hungry mouth tasting her pussy. The beat shifted, changing tempos in such slow degrees she could define every single sensation. His tongue slid around her clit, pressing it up for his teeth to rake over.

The tiny nibble electrified her, making her jerk out of the sensual rhythm. Two, large, callused-tipped hands formed an anchor around her breasts and jerked her back into the solid warmth of the brother behind her as his brother's kiss disintegrated from a sweet exploration to a ravenous devouring.

Relentlessly he toyed with her clit, licking, nibbling, sucking on the little bundle of nerves until she cried out, blindly fighting the hold of the man behind her as her body erupted into wracking shudders. She could hear the incoherent words tumbling out of her lips as she tried to beg, plead, say anything that would bring the moment to a head and release her from the bone crushing tension spiraling out of her womb.

A finger dipped into the opening of her cunt and widened her just enough to snap the ties of reality. She became a thing of wanton needs, desperately flexing her hips as she fucked herself along the solid length of first one, then two and then four fingers. They pushed back, pressing into the sensitive walls of her sheath spasming around them.

She could feel the utopia cresting over the horizon of her soul when his fingers slid from her body, leaving her on the precipice of the greatest orgasm she'd ever experienced. He didn't give her time to cry out any denials, before his mouth slid down and a warm, soft, playful tongue in to fill her aching pussy.

Gasping she twisted in the arms trying to hold her still. As nice as the fingers teasing her nipples were, as sweetly playful as the tongue tormenting her sheath was, none of it filled the hard demand in her body for the rough, pounding that would send her over the edge.

His fingers, wet and sticky with her own cream, followed the crease from her clenching cunt to the tight pucker of her anus. Kristen's eyes widened. Her entire body stilling as he pressed one finger into her hidden back entrance. The usual pressure sent thousands of little tiny pain chills scampering over the edges of her pleasure, sinking into it and mutating the nearly orgasmic weight of ecstasy's wavering wing.

Kristen didn't know if she enjoyed this new direction or not. The brothers didn't give her time to make a decision. They upped the ante. First, the fingers teasing the tender tips of her breasts became rough and demanding, sending out sparks of pained mixed pleasure. Then the little tinge of dark hardness electrified the sparkly pleasure radiating out of her womb.

As the two waves of sensations crashed into each other they collided, spiraling tightly together until she couldn't tell one sensation from another. Pain became pleasure and the pleasure became painful as her body twisted and writhed beneath the heated whips of ecstasy beginning to sear across her body.

The tongue dancing deep inside her began to roll and plunge, fucking into her with greater and greater speed. It mutated the pressure coming from her ass into a beautiful tension that had her twisting to attain a little more. He gave it to her, widening her back sheath with another and then another finger until she felt impaled on rapture's peak.

Everything blurred as those amazing fingers began to move. Kristen screamed as the lover kneeling before her began to fuck her twice over in a ceaseless rhythm of push and pull, rotating front to back with no relief in either direction. She just grew tenser, more desperate. Then in a one blinding moment his fingers pressed down as his tongue pushed up. Both hit a sweet spot that had her body shattering.

The reality of the world around her ripped apart as the pleasure holding her captive vaulted her up into the heavens. The sensation flashed through rapture to project her beyond into the captivating brilliance of the heavens beyond.

Threatened by the fear that all her control had been shredded, her mind began to revolt with apprehension at the warm, liquid utopia drowning her body in its sweet embrace. Her anxiety didn't have a chance to shred the beauty of the moment. A protective, cosseting, masculine presence wrapped around her to fill her with a strangely comforting sense of security and strength.

The warm scent of him soothed over the ragged threads of her sanity while his smooth, deep voice worked over the frayed edges of her control. He whispered dirty, dark, forbidden desires that twined around her, filling her mind with erotic images that heightened the ecstatic pleasures thrumming through her body.

«I can smell your pussy, the sweet odor of your release. You think that felt good, wait until I bury my head between your soft thighs and devour that sweet flesh. I'm going to stretch you out across my bed, tie you down and then feast on you for hours.

«I won't be rushed or hurried. I won't show mercy or compassion as your voice goes hoarse from screaming with pleasure and begging me for a just a moment, one moment to rest. I'm not going to stop until you're a limp rag-doll, completely obedient to every command, every wish, every perverted little need I have.

«I'm going to own your body. While you lay there weak and sweaty, I'm going to come over you and take you with a slow deep fucking that you wouldn't be able to resist. You'll whimper and whisper that you can't take any more, but you will.

«Just like you are going to now. I'm going to let my brother have first dip into that pussy. He's going to bury his thick, hard cock deep into that tight little cunt of yours and I'm going to let him. I'm going to take something else.

«I'm going to take this lush ass of yours, sweetheart. I'm going to fill you to capacity where no man has ever taken you before. It's going to hurt a little at first, but I'll feed you one more inch and then another until you're so packed full of cock you don't know where we end and you begin.

«For a moment, just one perfect moment of silence will pass as we all savor the sensation. It's going to be wonderfully tight and hot. You'll tremble between the both of us and before you can stop yourself, you'll flex driving the whiplash of need up our cocks. Heaven have mercy on you girl because we're not going to.

«We're going to ride you hard and fast, deep and rough, from front and back. You're going to come apart at the seams. You'll be so hot, so hungry, your sweet little holes will be trying to suck our dicks back in every time we pull out, leaving you empty and aching for more. You'll beg to be filled again, beg for every goddamn inch we feed you.»

Kristen shuddered as his words took on meaning. As she drifted slowly down from the peak of insanity her mind returned to her body and began to take stock of the situation at hand. It picked up on traces and pieces because of the magnitude of what had just happened.

Given time she might have come completely to her senses, but the two men holding her body captive didn't give her the chance to make that last final plummet back to reality. They were lowering her, right over a pair of hard, rough, denim covered knees and directly onto the harder, thick shaft of a cock.

Her thighs shifted slightly, instinctively making room for the bulbous head that brushed over her pussy. It pressed against her clit sending a shower of almost painful sparkles of pleasure through her pussy. She didn't know if she could endure any more. The question popped with both fear and desire as his thick head settled against the opening of her sheath.

With a little push and sigh, she melted down over him. Her body lost all its strength and she sank into her lover's lap. Collapsing onto his chest, Kristen moaned as the rigid shaft settled deep inside her. Thicker, longer than any cock she'd ever known, the satin covered steel stretched her wider, igniting nerve-endings that had never been charged before.

Her hips flexed, rotated, trying to adjust her position to a more comfortable angle. Instead of comfort, she discovered a whole new world of popping, sparkling pleasure. The sizzling tingles were addictive and she rotated her hip again, enjoying the pressure of having a hot, hard rod rolling against the walls of her ultra-sensitive sheath.

Faster and faster she swung her hips until her ass lifted and she'd have started to hump and grind as the primitive instinct in her body demanded. She wanted to fuck, needed to, would do whatever it took, even doing the deed herself. Big hands clamped around her waist, holding her motions still. Kristen growled over the contrary grip and bit down on the side of the man's neck.

«Frustrating, isn't it, baby? To want something so bad and be denied.»

She bit him harder and jerked against his hold. All she succeeded in doing was to amuse him. He chuckled over the assault as he pulled backward. The hands on her waist kept her following him until she was seated on him with her knees bent while he stretched out over the floor.

«Go on and bite me if it helps, but things are about to feel a whole lot better.»

A second set of hands palming her ass cheeks left no doubt about just what he meant. Kristen's eyes fluttered open as her mouth went slack. Surely they didn't meant to do this, here and now on the kitchen floor. There could be no mistaking the urgency of the finger filling her back entrance with a cold, sticky lubricant.

Kristen's eyes focused on a pair of boots resting near the doorway. Even as she felt the hard slide of a cock down her split cheeks her eyes rose over the long, thick denim clad legs. Her eyes traced over the taut, smooth planes of a wide, t-shirt covered chest as she felt the thick, rounded head lodge against her back opening. Deep, dark chocolate eyes captured hers just as she felt the painful pressure of being over stuffed by cock.

An inch in and then withdraw, the pattern set up as Kristen felt herself opening up in a way she'd never been. All the while she stared, panting, at the dark haired Adonis watching this scene of depravity and perverseness. She could see the image they must have painted, one naked, wanton woman trapped between the clothed, hard bodies of the two men penetrating her.

The image moved, flashing over the movement of those big, leather boots coming closer. The rasp of a zipper being lowered over her head drew her gaze up. A big hand came to hold her chin, to brush a finger over her lips.

«Open up, baby, let me in.»

Her lips parted, her tongue peaking out to taste his thumb only to be greeted by the salty tang of man. She kept her eyes open, locked on his so she could watch his gaze turn from molten chocolate to dangerously black as she licked the evidence of his desire from the head of his cock.

He snarled as she licked him again, his fate growing tighter as the glint of carnal threat sparked to life in his eyes.

«Lick it,» he growled, sounding more beast than human.

With tender, slow laps of her tongue she explored the naked length of flesh before her. She tasted the many different textures of his cock. Savoring the salty fluid dripping out from the slit, she stroked her tongue over and around the smooth, heated head before dipping down over the crest and discovering the vein-ridged satin of his stalk.

He tasted different here. More tangy, spicy, she could almost taste the tightly, coiled tension strengthening his cock. Such a powerful thing of pleasure she let her mouth worship its length, learning every intimate shift and ripple of his length.

Still she watched him. Could see his stomach muscles tighten, quiver, and then his jaw clenched and his body hardened just a fragment more beneath her kiss. His breathing roughened to a chop as her head dipped and her lips surrounded the soft sack of one of his balls. She'd barely sucked when the hands in her hair jerked her painfully away and back up the length of his dick.

When the tic in his strained cheek muscles stilled and his lips began to move, she knew the words she couldn't hear over the ringing in her own ears…

«I'm in, baby.»

In a blink, the fantasy dissolved before her and the dark-haired Adonis zoomed back into focus across the room. She lay there crushed between only two men. One buried deep in her pussy with the other's full length burning her from backside down.

«Oh, God, baby. So damn tight.»

The words growled into her neck made her jerk, setting off a cluster bomb of popping utopia balls. They snapped with little, addictive explosions that made her jerk again. She found her motions once again stopped short by a set of rough hands clamping down on her hips.

«Hold still, baby.»

Kristen let her hips go lax enough to fool the man into loosening his hold. With a quick twist and pull, she found the freedom to chase after those euphoric little detonations. The man behind her growled. This time his arm fastened around her waist.

«Damnit, woman, be still. I'm trying to be considerate here.»

«That must be quite difficult for you.»

She hadn't responded. The words floated past her in the opposite direction, but she didn't bother to focus on who had said them. Her concentration remained fully on trying to break free of the arm holding her back from the pleasure she desperately needed.

«You don't know the half of it. If she doesn't stop wiggling,» the arm tightened around her stomach, «she isn't going to be able to sit for a week.»

«I say fuck her. I can't hold on much longer.»

«No, damnit. This is her first fucking time and I'm not going to let urgency ruin it.»

She had no idea what they were talking about. Her whole focus remained fixated on breaking free of her bind. She twisted, bucked, arched her head back on his shoulder and just pushed in an attempt to be let free.

For a moment she thought she had gained an advantage when his arm slipped. A second later a warm palm was fitting between the top of her mound and the pelvis pressing into it. One lone, callused finger tip wormed its way down to cover her clit.

Oh, God.

Kristen collapsed against the man's chest in total submission as he began to rub her sensitive little bud around. The drum beat of rapture's march began to beacon out of her womb. Quivers turned to ripples and wound into sharp lashes of pleasure as her body began to tremble and writhe beneath the onslaught.

Her hips shifted, lifting fractions off the cock filling her from behind only to grind the cock in her pussy that little distance deeper. Small as the motion was, it set off a magnificent shower of pleasure that spider-webbed across her body with a greedy demand for more.

An inch this time, but not nearly enough. She chased the need filling her every motion, driving her to thrust and buck between the two men. They grunted under her motions, finally releasing her to chase the frantic rhythm set by one lone finger circling her clit. Then it snapped out of existence and sent her spiraling further in an uncharted rampage.

«Oh, man, that's fucking tight. So damn good, baby.»

The words were grunted into her ear from behind. Dark and dirty, they matched the rough hands that came to grip her hips, setting a fast-paced bounce that had her fucking herself not just along his dick, but his brother's as well.

«Take it just like that. Oh, fuck, yes. You love it like that don't you, baby? Nice and hard.»

He slammed his hips upward on the last word, meeting her downward glide with a savage thrust that embedded him hard and deep into her. The motion snapped the leash holding in her first climatic detonation. They boomed one right after another, gaining in speed and intensity as the men began to actively fuck her back as she bucked between them.

Between the grunts, the slap of sweaty bodies against each other, and the dirty little words whispering through her ears, she felt the men surrounding her growing tense. As they pressed her body more firmly between them she could feel their muscles shaking. A moment later the last explosion went off as she felt the sharp twin points of fangs begin to pierce her skin on either shoulder.

With a sonic boom, Kristen shot right out of her own body. She could hear the shattered fragments of reality tinkling down around her as she burned past. Past the bright colorful world into the soothing abyss of space, she sank into the blackness with a sigh.

CHAPTER 4

Kristen came awake with a start. Her mind snapped to the reality of her situation even as she still felt the invisible touches of her dream lovers. Perhaps, that was all they had ever been. Naked and laying in the middle of her own bed, her head jerked around looking for any sign of another person.

Nobody.

Awaking alone should have reassured her, but as she tried to discern memory from fantasy the details merged and she couldn't manage it. Her head felt like it had been stuffed full of cotton balls and left to gather dust. Most of her body felt weak, but some parts felt sore. That was all the answer she needed. Groaning with both discomfort and disgust, Kristen dragged herself out of bed and went to confront the evidence in the mirror.

There they were. Two identical bite marks, a physical brand of ownership she would wear the rest of her life. Everything as she knew it would be irrevocably altered from now on. It could only be worse with two Covenanter mates to attend to.

Kristen knew all about them and their tendency toward sexism and machismo. It would never work between them because she would never be reduced to a simple baby making machine the men kept locked up at home.

She had a career that kept her mind sharp and engaged, a house where she could relax and be herself, and a community that had all she'd ever known of comfort and security. She'd be damned if she would let them get away with this.

It didn't matter how good the sex had been. Kristen jerked her head.

No thinking about sex.

Great sex did not compare with everything she'd have to give up. Worse, it wouldn't be like she was trading her good life for a better one. If she had to give up everything then it wouldn't be to become imprisoned by two overbearing Covenanters. She'd rather revel in her freedom and just haul ass.

Which is exactly what she should be doing since, miracles of miracles, it didn't appear her mates had lingered over their morning coffee. Dashing about in a crazed fashion, she still managed to get showered, dressed and out the door within twenty minutes. A personal best without any coffee propping her up.

She'd been too unnerved by her own memories to even look toward the kitchen. She knew the first thing she would see would be the memory of that third man watching. Just watching. Conflicting shivers of both fear and desire make her jerk and slam the door behind her without ever looking in that direction.

She'd get her coffee somewhere else. Coffee and then a plan. There had to be some way to undo what had been done. If there was, there would be only one person who might know about it.

«You did what? Why I ought to clock you two bone heads together and make some firewood. How completely dumb can two men be?»

Kort shifted under that harsh reprimand. For the first time since bumping into Kristen at the grocery store, he actually felt a little bit of guilt. Damn. His eyes lifted to JD McBane and he felt a moment of pity for his Alpha.

«I'm talking to you three jerks and you'll do me the honor of looking at me when I'm speaking!»

Kort's eyes snapped toward Samantha McBane. She filled out that doorway with her overgrown stomach. Like a little avenger she fairly glowed with her rage.

«Samantha,» JD sighed as he shoved out of his chair. «What are you doing out of bed?»

«Don't try to change the conversation on me, JD. I want to know how you are going to punish these three jackasses and, don't be smiling like that Tex.» She shouted right over JD's shoulder. «I know all about you and Cal's little obsession. Best you wipe that smug smile off your face and get out of my sight before I say something I might regret.»

«I don't know what she's talking about,» Tex denied even as he stood up. «Still I think I'll take my ass out of here while it's got enough padding to keep the seats from hurting. Good luck, guys.»

«Sit down, Tex,» JD snapped before turning on his mate. «And you don't order my men around.»

«Don't you tell me what to do. I'm lugging around thirty extra pounds right now as I attempt to grow your future heirs, so why don't you be a little grateful and help me to my seat.»

«You are going back to bed.»

«Not until this matter is resolved.»

«This is a pack matter. A matter between the men. Meaning you have no place in the conversation.»

«Ah!» Samantha shrieked. «How dare you! I have no place in this conversation? Do you mean to say that I can contribute nothing of value?»

«No, I didn't-«

«What am I? Too dumb to participate?»

«I didn't-«

«It's because I'm a woman. You like to claim we're not bright enough to understand the intricacies of male mind, well I hate to break it to you, but a two year old could understand your motivations. You're all greedy, selfish, sons-of-bitches. You just walk in and think you can musk a woman into having sex with you and that gives you the right to suddenly rule her life?

«Did it every occur to any of you that if you just asked the girl out on a date she might agree to go and then she might respect you in the morning, or at the very least, didn't think you were the total scum of the Earth? Huh? Did it ever?

«Now you're going to sit here and talk about it like it's all some big deal when the facts are fairly obvious. Those two jerks broke into a woman's house, drugged her, fucked her in front of that dumbass and then mated her. As if that wasn't criminal enough, you're all going to sit here and discuss her fate without ever once asking the woman what she thinks.

«And don't even growl at me like that JD! I'll show you a growl. I got that right. I know exactly what all you brilliant male minds are going to come up with. You're going to snatch that poor girl up. It's not bad enough what those two did last night, you're going to help them commit an even greater crime and steal her away from her life.

«You think you control everything. Well I got news for you, JD. If you don't do what's right here and now, I'm going to put you on suspension.»

«On what?»

Kort could hear the indignation in his Alpha's question and cringed.

«Suspension. Until this wrong has been righted, you can sleep in your own bed.»

With that dangerous proclamation, Samantha turned and stormed off. It surprised the hell out of Kort when JD didn't chase after her. Instead he muttered obscenities and slammed the door shut. Continuing with his low growled tirade, he dug a little notebook out of his back pocket and went for a pen on his desk. Aggressively he began to scribble with sharp, hard jerks of his hands.

«What's that?» Kort leaned in to Tex to ask.

«That's her punishment list. JD's been keeping a detailed list of every single punishment she's earned through her pregnancy.»

«And she's going to suffer with each one,» JD snarled as he snapped the notebook closed. «All 83 of them.»

«Now see.» Tex grinned. «That's the kind of diligence a mated man has to have. It's going to be months before Sam will be able to put up with that kind of sexual activity, but JD's not going to forget. Are you?»

«No.» JD leaned across his desk. «Let me tell you this, for as annoyed as I am with my mate, she has a point. You two really screwed this up. Why didn't you come to me first?»

«Because we knew you wouldn't get involved until she was mated.»

«And so the best you could come up with on your own is breaking into the girl's house and drugging her into submission? You do know her brother is the chief of police, right? While I might give you some leeway around here, Derek isn't going to be as tolerant, especially when his sister is the victim.»

«She's not a victim. She's our mate.»

«Well, I guess that depends on how she tells the story. How do you think she'll tell it? You think she's going to look kindly on two men who basically assaulted her in her own house. Add on that you brought along a witness and then ran out before she even woke up. What do you think her reaction to you two is going to be?»

Kort cringed. It did sound bad in the light of the day, but last night with heat and need fueling his blood the plan had actually sounded quite good. It certainly had gone well. It had gone well many times after they'd shoved Tex out the door and carried their little mate off to the bedroom.

She'd been asleep and they hadn't been gentlemen enough to let her stay that way. They'd taken her together again in her not-so-big bed. Then in the shower, against the bathroom door, and, his favorite position of the night, bent over the bed. Oh, yeah, that had been good.

«Then we'll use leverage. I mean she can't possibly want to start a war between the two packs. Especially with her brother being recently mated and a new father.»

Jakob, always the thinker, had an answer. Even if it wasn't a very good one as JD pointed out a second later.

«I see, so on top of assaulting her, you're going to threaten her family as a way to make sure she tells the story you want. That's really great. What are you going to do when Derek finds out the truth?»

«That's the whole point. That's only between the four of us and Kristen. If nobody talks-«

«And Samantha. What do you think my mate is doing right now? I'd bet you money she is up there on her cell phone already relating every detail to her friend Claire Jacob, who just happens to be the mate of Derek Jacob who is for the second time the police chief. You two are really screwed.»

«Are you saying you won't back us?»

«Of course, I'm going to fucking back you. I got no choice, but right now you're going to take your sorry asses home and wait for my call. Don't go anywhere and especially do not go into Narin territory. I'll get you your damn mate, so don't do anything dumb.»

Normally Kort would have taken exception to that reprimand. JD was his Alpha though, and that gave him the right to say pretty much whatever he wanted. Besides, he had a point. So far his generally thoughtful brother had done nothing but come up with one short sighted move after another.

Short sighted and totally irresponsible, the rewards had been sweet. Sweet and addictive. JD better come up with something soon before the itch came back to lure them into another act of stupidity.

It had been nothing short of stupidity to go to Claire. She'd needed a woman to talk frankly with. There had been no other choice, but still she should have held her worries inside and come up with a plan. Despite the release of just telling somebody the insanity that had spun out of control last night, Claire had been no help.

She'd wanted to do just what Kristen didn't want her to do, tell her husband what had happened. Derek would flip out and very likely demand retribution. Real people could get hurt.

Her own brother could be hurt and he had a family to look after, a family that could also feel the repercussions from the turmoil. All because of her. That knowledge weighed heavily on her shoulders as she pointed her car toward home.

Lost in her morbid thoughts she didn't know what her speed was, but guessed it had been excessive when a set of blue and red lights went off behind her. The cop gave her the normal single wail of his siren and then tracked her car into the grassy shoulder bank. Kristen knew the drill and began digging through her purse for her license. She'd just leaned over to find her registration in her glove box when a knock on the window alerted her to her company.

With a sigh of recognition that life just intended to crap all over her, she rolled down the window. «Good afternoon, officer. I got my license and-«

McBane.

The words froze in her throat as her eyes widened over the unsmiling face of the Covenanter Alpha. It couldn't be a coincidence after what happened last night that her mates' Alpha now stood glaring down at her.

Damnit! I knew I wasn't speeding.

CHAPTER 5

«Sheriff-«

«Please step out of the vehicle.» He cut her off, opening her door for her.

«I don't think-«

«Now.»

Kristen obeyed the harsh command of an officer of the law without thought and then immediately regretted her actions. She hadn't broken the law or taken any vows to obey the Covenanter Alpha's authority, but with her submission she created the appearance that she had.

«Listen, Sheriff McBane, I don't-«

«This way.» He took her elbow in one large hand and tried to direct her toward the back of the car.

«I'm not going anywhere with you.» Kristen jerked free of his hold only to be captured again a second later.

«Don't make this more difficult than it need be.»

«Make what more difficult?»

McBane didn't answer her. He just tugged her along, continuing on with his own conversation. «Your brother will be here shortly.»

«My brother?» Kristen could feel the blood rush out of her head at that statement.

«We'll have this all sorted out when they get here.»

«They? Sort what out? Damnit! I demand to know what is going on here.»

As if in answer to that, the passenger side of the patrol car opened up. It could only have been worse if one of her mates had stepped out, instead it was him. The one who had watched.

The witness.

It made sense now, what that smug bastard had been doing there last night. He had bared witness to everything and could tell anybody the details.

Kristen paled even further with that realization. Shame paralyzed her. It wasn't just the fact that he had watched or the reason behind it that humiliated her. The fact was she had enjoyed being watched and from the satisfied little twist of his lips, the man knew it.

Being drugged and forced into a sexual embrace could be forgiven. Her brother would see her as the victim, the innocent at the hands of perversion, but with desire quaking to life in her body there could be no hiding the horrifying truth she had enjoyed it. Nothing prompted her arousal but her own needs and wants.

If she didn't get herself in hand, it wouldn't just be her own kin that knew her dark secret, but the Covenanters as well would be able to scent the creaming of her pussy.

Oh, God. Save me now.

A prayer, too little, too late, wouldn't help her get out of this situation. Obviously her mates had rushed off that morning to go tell their Alpha of their adventure last night. She wouldn't get the reprieve she had hoped for. Just the opposite. Thos maniacal bastards had planned this down to the witness. If they were here she'd blush to the very tips of her roots.

That's exactly what she did as a large pick-up pulled in behind the sheriff's car. She could see quite clearly through the windshield, enough to know that her mates had just arrived. The code red strobe light flashed in her eyes. The countdown to the nuclear explosion had begun. Detonation would occur when Derek arrived.

Oh, God. Think, Kristen, think! Is there any way to save this situation?

No. Nothing she could come up with but the very obvious. If she admitted to the mating, accepted them publicly before both JD and Derek, her brother would have no choice but to accept the situation. Hell, he might actually be somewhat happy for her. The desire to find one's mate drove most werewolves to search long and hard.

Not Kristen. She'd have been happy never to mate. What did she need one for, really? She had a good life. The only thing a man could have contributed were a few orgasms, something she could find whenever the urge struck her. She certainly didn't have to take on the permanent of a mate for that reason.

«Keep an eye on her.» McBane shoved her at the last man she wanted to be with. «I'm going to go keep the Nickel brothers entertained.»

«The Nickel brothers?»

Hell. That must be her mates' last name. How sad was it that she had just now found that out. Pretty sad from the disgusted look McBane shot her. Her babysitter in the mean time snorted back a laugh. McBane's annoyance shifted it to the man behind her.

«Behave yourself, Tex.»

With that, the sheriff strutted off toward the two men climbing out of the truck and left her alone with a man who had watched her in her most intimate moments. Watched her, but not been intimate with her. It didn't help that she could feel his eyes on her. On her inappropriate locations.

«Stop staring at me,» Kristen hissed.

«How did you know I was looking at you? You weren't looking at me.»

«Just stop it, okay?»

Kristen couldn't stop herself though from looking over her shoulder to study her mates. Daylight didn't reveal any flaws that detracted from their mesmerizing appeal. If anything, the golden rays highlighted the streaks of honey lightening their rich, chocolate colored hair. She bet their eyes really sparkled now.

She'd know if at least one of them would look her way. They didn't and the shame of that slight snub had her glancing back to the ground. She felt worse than humiliated now. She felt defeated. They'd won.

They'd gotten just what they wanted from her, a mate, and a vessel for their children. She was nothing more to them than a means to an end. Her importance ranked so low, they couldn't even bother to say hello when they showed up.

She had no choice but to put up with it. Here, with all these men, she was outnumbered and outmaneuvered. Even when Derek showed up, she wouldn't be able to escape the nightmare. With their witness standing by and the evidence of their mating marks, the Nickel brothers had all the power. If she tried to deny their claim or object to their methods, she'd only be making others pay for the decisions she'd made.

She couldn't do that.

«Just so you know, if you ever need an itch scratched, I'm always available.»

Tex's smooth comment had Kristen's head snapping up to catch him staring at her body with that knowing smile back on his face.

«Excuse me?»

«I'm just saying. You are one passionate little package and if those two can't keep you satisfied, I'm always available.»

«You have got to be kidding me. You realize that I'm mated to them.»

«I never let technicalities get in my way. Given your reputations as a lawyer, I'd say we have that in common. It would seem to me that two attractive, intelligent individuals such as ourselves could find a way around just about any obstacle.»

Technicalities? Obstacles? This guy's arrogance knew no bounds. «You realize they'd kill you if they found out, right?»

«You sure about that, beautiful?»

«They're Covenanters. They don't share their mates.»

Tex shrugged. «I'm Covenanter and I don't mind sharing their mates.»

Kristin blinked for a moment, trying to follow that logic. «What?»

«Problem is finding a mate. Those boys wear out their women, but I got hopes for you. You did pretty good last night.»

She didn't need any help understanding that statement. Her reaction was instantaneous. She cracked the side of his cheek so hard that it blossomed a beautiful shade of red before it had finished swinging to the side.

«Don't even think about it.» JD blocked Kort's path with a shift of his body. «We're about five minutes from getting you your mate. Now the party is about to get bigger and there are going to be some contestants trying to get into the ring. Just you keep your head and remember fighting isn't going to get that woman in your bed tonight. You hear me, Kort?»

Kort's eyes shifted from where his mate and Tex stood to JD. He didn't relax, but he did step back. A silent signal that he had heard. Even if he didn't like the words, he would abide by them. He could kick Tex's ass for whatever had caused Kristen to slap him like that later.

Right now, he had to remain focused on a single goal, keeping his temper from screwing him out of having a pleasant night. JD's speech earlier had really gotten to Jakob and he'd been drumming in his ear all day about what they could do to make things right with Kristen. Hell, he'd go along with just about anything once he fucked the desperate need clawing at his balls.

After that, he would be happy to wine and dine the little woman. Hell, he would pull off pretending to be happy with the relatives and be tolerant of some male's more provocative actions. He would play the perfect good boy just as soon as he wore out the desire fueling his aggression on Kristen's little, pink pussy. It would be pussy for him tonight. All he had to do was survive the next five minutes then he could have her naked and riding his lap on the drive home.

Kort focused on that the way a dog focused on a treat, allowing it to remind him of why he stood only twenty feet from his prey and yet hadn't pounced. The will power holding him back got tested under the strain of a new arrival.

«Remember, let me handle this,» JD muttered before turning and leading the brothers into the path of a charging police chief.

«What the hell do you think you are doing detaining my sister like this?» Derek roared at JD. Not giving him the time to respond before he turned to snap at Kristen. «Get over here, now!»

Kristen moved to obey, and Kort couldn't help the growl that escaped his throat. It drew a dark look from JD and a startled one from Kristen. Derek turned on him with a look darker than hell itself.

«What the hell do you think you are doing?» Derek demanded. He didn't pause for an answer but snapped back to Kristen. «Damnit, Kristen, get over here!»

Kort couldn't help it. Seeing his mate move toward another man, respond so instantly to his command, made the wolf inside him growl with aggression. It didn't matter that the other man was her brother. The beast wanted her just for himself.

«If you growl at me one more time, I swear to God I'll-«

«She's my mate.»

«Mate?» Derek's eyes widened before snapping toward JD. «What the hell is going on here?» There wasn't even a whole second before Derek's attention turned toward Kristen. «You mated a Covenanter?»

«She did.» JD grunted, not only answering for Kristen, but moving in on Derek just as she'd been ordered to. «What of it?»

«Was it consensual?»

«Are you implying my men would do anything dishonorable?»

Derek jerked around to get into JD's face. «Don't play me, McBane. I know enough about you Covenanters to know you don't think the rules apply to you. Now I want to know if my sister consented to this mating or if it was forced upon her with that mind altering musk you guys like to use on women. Tell me now, Kristen!»

«She is no longer a Narin and no longer under Narin rules. She is a Covenanter and now under my authority. You do not command her.» JD turned toward Kristen. «Answer your brother, Kristen.»

«You don't command her!» Derek roared.

«As a mate of two Covenanters, that brings her into my den and under my authority. If you do not respect that bond then you will be breaking the good-will between our packs and calling for unnecessary hostilities considering the fact remains she is mated to my men and that is an unbreakable bond.»

«Not if it was forced. Was it, Kristen?»

Kort tensed as Kristen hesitated. He could see her weighing the threat JD had made against the need to tell the truth. If she made any comment, any small movement that indicated she would not accept their claim, there would be bloodshed today. He could feel the wolf beating on the reigns of his control.

It had been hours since he'd last satisfied himself on her, too long to curb the desire fueling his every breath. Each inhale brought the tent of her sweet scent. The slight odor of her arousal fueled the beast in him. Demanding that he take now what was his, capture it, defend it, devour it.

«Answer him,» JD snapped, visibly jarring Kristen. «Tell him if you were forced into this mating.»

Kristen's mouth opened and Kort could feel the tension of the moment as every male readied for the fight her words might bring. It all got cut short by the blaring honk of a horn and the sudden squeal of breaks. The rush of motion had all the men jerking with an instant need to react.

«Hey, honey!»

Kort watched as the brunette yelling and waving out the window of her old Mustang as she pulled the tank to a stop on the opposite shoulder.

«Oh, crap.»

Silently Kort echoed JD's groan.

CHAPTER 6

«Ah, crap.»

Kristen heard the sheriff mutter to himself about the inconvenience of females as he stormed off toward the car that had just pulled up. She didn't have to cram her neck around the sheriff's massive frame to see the stomach that first emerged out of the door. It was followed by the rest of a very pregnant, dark haired woman.

A second, skinnier woman came around the bumper to help. Kristen's eye widened over the sight of her sister-in-law giving the pregnant lady a helpful tug to get her out of old Mustang. What the hell was Claire doing here? Did it really matter? The situation had gone from bad to worse from the very beginning. Why not let it sink a few feet deeper?

«Samantha.» JD intercepted his mate with what could only be best described as restrained tolerance. «You should not be here.»

«Don't you even start with me, JD.» Samantha might have been a foot shorter than her mate, but she pushed past the oversized male as if he were barely a pebble in her path. «I'm going to have my words with you later. Right now I have duties to attend to.»

«Your only duty right now is to stay off your feet and grow my babies,» JD snapped back at her.

«I'll certainly attend to that once I'm done here. Now you can either threaten my fragile condition further by annoying me more and elongating this moment or you can behave as a gentleman and help me expedite this matter.»

Wow.

Kristen had to admit that she was impressed. She'd heard a little bit about Samantha from Claire. As two converted werewolves, both queens of their own pack, the women had formed a bond over the months. Claire had often commented on how much Samantha amazed her for not just putting up with one arrogant ass, but two of them. Seeing her stand up to her mate in person, Kristen bowed her head to the woman's gumption.

«Kristen.»

«Don't touch my sister.»

She barely had a chance to recognize the brush of a hand along her arm before Derek smacked one of her mate's hand away. Suddenly she found herself the only barrier between two snarling, bristling males.

«She's my mate. I can touch her whenever I want.»

«Over my dead body.»

«That can be arranged.»

«Hey! Hey, hey.» Claire pushed her way between Kristen and her brother, saving the moment when all Kristen could was stand there in a stupor. «There is not going to be any death arranging today. Okay, guys? Why don't we give Kristen some room? You,» Claire pointed at the Nickel brother, «whoever the hell you are, why don't you back up and stand right over there. Then we'll,» she began to pull Derek backward, «go over here and leave Kristen right there in the middle. Nobody will touch her and she wouldn't show any favoritism by moving. All right?»

Kristen didn't think the men were really all right with the situation, but they obeyed, backing off and giving her some room. She stood there in the middle of the dangerous debacle she'd helped create like a silent twit. It hurt to admit that in this moment she found herself obeying the dictates of others.

Normally she'd be barking at all of them, breaking skulls and holding her own. Today though, she felt anything but normal. Her body begged to be taken back into her mate's embrace while her emotions rolled in the opposite direction, wanting to rail at them for doing this to her. It was her mind though that caused her the most grief.

The constant turmoil held her paralyzed as her brain churned painfully fast. Then suddenly it all blinked out of her consciousness when a hard bulge hit her stomach and she suddenly found herself engulfed not only in a hug, but in the insanity that had to be Samantha McBane.

«Welcome to our pack.» Samantha jerked Kristen back to arm's length with impressive strength. «I'm Samantha Hark-McBane and I'm here to help.»

«Samantha, you have got to let me handle this situation.»

Samantha turned and gave her mate a bright smile. «By all means continue to handle it, dear. I'll just take care of Kristen.»

«You don't understand. I-«

«I understand. Kristen is mated to Jakob and Kort, right?»

«Technically, yes,» JD growled.

«Then technically that makes her a Covenanter bitch and under my authority. Now given the details as I know them, I would say that Kristen has a valid grievance against her mates for their treatment of her.»

«What the hell does that mean? How did you treat my sister?»

«I'm not sure that's proper for us to discuss outside the individuals involved.» Samantha lopped her arm around Kristen's shoulders and pulled her close.

«I'm her brother!»

«Really?» Samantha had to be faking that surprise. She'd arrived with Claire after all. Still the woman pulled it off like a seasoned actress. She turned to flash Kristen a big smile. «Let me congratulate you on your fine and proud heritage. Sister of the Narin Alpha is quite a position. I'm sure your family will be pleased to learn that you have mated second lieutenants in the Covenanter pack. Such strong and capable men will give you many fine sons, however-«

«Samantha, please let me handle this.» JD groaned. It sounded more like a plea than a command.

«Oh, I am. I'm going to let you handle Derek and the details of how this marvelous event took place. I'll see to Kristen's comfort.»

«That's her mates' job,» JD growled.

«That's my job.» Derek corrected him.

«Actually it's my job.» Samantha overruled both Alphas without blinking. «As the authority of the pack rules give me, I am completely in my rights to govern over any complaints a female brings to me and am allowed to grant judgment on how to handle the matter without question.»

«What the hell are you talking about, woman?» Derek snapped. «What complaints?»

«JD will answer all your questions.» Samantha shot her mate a too bright smile. «After all, that's his area of authority.»

«You are pushing it, Samantha.»

Kristen guessed Samantha liked to push it. «After due considerations of all the details, I think I have come up with a perfectly acceptable conclusion to the problem as it presents itself.»

«You do?» JD obviously tried to glare his mate into submission as he stepped dangerously close to her. Not too close, her stomach wouldn't allow for that.

«Yes. Given the situation as it is, I think Kristen should live with us until such time as she agrees voluntarily, as in without being musked, to move into her mates' household.»

«That's insane!» JD erupted.

«I like it.» Claire declared loudly. «Don't you, Derek?»

Obviously, Derek didn't like it. JD though overshadowed anybody else's objection.

«No. I forbid this.»

«You can't forbid it. This is my right, if you interfere in this ruling you will be breaking Covenanter law,» Samantha shot back. «This woman is as of now under my protection and she'll be staying with me.»

«If you do this, Samantha, I'll-«

«What? What will you do?»

«You don't want to find out.»

Samantha shrugged off her husband's threat with amazing ease, Kristen thought. She'd seen a lot of men make threats in her lifetime. That had been a vow. Instead of worrying over her husband as she probably should have, Samantha turned her attention to the other three Covenanters lurking about.

«As for you three, let me make this quite clear. There will be no scheming, no manipulating, and no mischief making. Even if you get around my ruling with such underhanded methods, you will be showing an even greater level of disrespect for your mate then you already have. Trust me, I won't need to punish you after the hell your life will become.»

Kristen's eyes widened at that and she stared in amazement down at the petite sized woman.

«From this moment on, Kristen Jacob is under my protection. She'll stay at my house until she decides otherwise. While she is under my protection you will not musk her, not force her in any way to desire you or do anything she has not consented to in a rational frame of mind. You will treat her with the dignity and respect that her position demands. If you fail on any of these accounts then I will have to consider you unschooled pigs and sign you up to take some deeply needed manners classes. Understand? Good.»

Talk about a Napoleon complex. Hail to the chief.

Out of everybody there worth following, Samantha had proven herself to be the most worthy one. She'd found a way around the mess that had become Kristen's life. Without a single objection or even word, she allowed the other woman to drag her off to her car.

JD followed along, bitching to his wife while Claire appeared to dance excitedly about. Kristen barely noticed them. She was too busy enjoying the sudden escape she'd just been given.

«What did you do to my sister?» Derek growled, stepping into Kort's personal space.

«Nothing she didn't beg me to do.»

«I can testify to that.» Tex chipped in, sounding way to happy not to ignite the flare of The Narin's temper.

Jakob sighed as Derek and Kort went down in a flailing of all fists. He didn't really care to join his brother in an ass whopping. What he cared about was getting his mate back. With every intention of forcing JD to see the wrong in what his mate had just done, he went after his own Alpha still standing across the road, watching the fading tail lights of Samantha's Mustang.

«You got to do something about this, JD. It ain't right to separate us from our mate.»

«You think I like this?» JD snorted, before shaking his head and turning toward Jakob. «Now I got your damn woman in my house when it's already overfilled with my damn woman.»

«Well, then do something. Go stand up to your woman.»

Instead of lashing back at him for that disrespectful remark, JD snickered. «Yeah, right. You want me to go have words with my seven-month-pregnant mate for your ass? I tell you what, whenever you want, you come on over and tell my mate exactly what you think of her decision. Okay? You try to handle her.»

Jakob rolled his eyes at that. «Yeah. I'm going to go piss off your mate, so she pisses you off, and then you take a strip out of my hide.»

«Well then I guess you better figure out something else to convince your mate to live with you.» JD smirked. «And might I suggest that the next time you manage to get the clothes off her back, you leave Wonder Boy, here, at home.»

«Hey.» Tex puffed up as he came to join the party. «I happen to think the little woman liked being watched.»

«Shut up, Tex,» Jakob snapped.

«Don't worry. He'll get his reward some day. If there is any justice in this world, she'll make him suffer.» JD monitored the fight still raging between Kort and Derek. They'd rolled off the grass and into the sandy ditch. A quick look had Jakob seeing his brother needed some help. Instead of stepping in, he kept his attention on Tex.

«You stay away from my mate or I'll give you your reward now.»

«I ain't going to touch the little woman,» Tex snorted. «I don't have anything, but respect for the mating bond.»

«Then why'd she smack you earlier.»

«Just a little misunderstanding.»

«Better not be anymore misunderstandings in the future.»

«Don't worry.»

«How can I not when I know the Casanova of Collin County is sleeping next door to my mate?»

«Well, then why don't you sleep there?»

«What?» That jarred JD's attention. «No. Hell no. My house is not a bed and breakfast, okay? You cannot just invite whoever the hell you want to stay there, Tex.»

«Ah, think about it. It is the perfect solution to the problem. It not only puts Jakob and Kort in perfect position to seduce their mate freely, it will also piss off your mate with a taste of her own medicine.»

JD appeared to consider that. «Fine, they can move in, but everybody is going to be double bunking. I'm not undoing the nursery to make room for all you people. So Cal and Tex will share a room and Jakob and Kort will have the other one. You don't like that, go stay at the Holiday Inn. Now help me separate these two before one of them actually gets hurt.»

CHAPTER 7

«This is very nice.»

Kristen looked around the room Samantha had shown her. Claire had taken off to pack up her stuff for her and get it brought over before nightfall. At least that was what she'd said. Kristen suspect Claire was really in a rush to get everything done before Derek caught up with her.

Kristen didn't blame her. She knew Claire and Samantha intended to help with this little intervention, but she'd seen the look in her mate's eyes. Jakob's haze had been a beautiful kaleidoscope of vibrant blues and greens. The whirling chaos had been focused completely on her and beneath his gaze she'd seen the intelligence clicking to life as he planned his next move, a move that would ultimately end in revenge.

His gaze had unnerved her. Kort's gaze had terrified her. The blanket aggression she'd seen kept his gaze crystal blue. Like a beast on a leash, he watched her with barely restrained ferocity. Just the memory of that look had chills swirling through her stomach. Fear blended into the lust just being near her mates had awakened in her.

She'd been controlling her reaction to seeing her mates for a while, but the need was getting to where she actually regretted not going with them. What stupidity was that? What sane woman would go off with two men who couldn't even be bothered to tell her their names before they screwed her?

«I remember that look.» Samantha had both arms locked in perfect support beam mode as she lowered herself into the oversized reading chair placed under a window at a perfectly tempting angle. «That totally disgusted look which means you are probably wondering how you could possibly desire two men who annoy you so damn much.»

«You a mind reader?»

«No. I just saw it in my reflection enough to recognize the look.» Samantha smiled. «Trust me there isn't a single Covenanter mate who doesn't get that look on their face at the beginning.»

«That common of a condition is it?»

Kristen smiled at the thought as she settled down on the bed. Samantha was easy to be around. She drew Kristen in. Maybe it was the pregnancy, but Samantha glowed with an inner spirit, a spunky aura that made Kristen feel somewhat bonded to her.

«Yeah. They're so annoying at first with their arrogant ways and sexist attitudes. They irritate the living hell out of you, but you still want them. That just makes you even madder, doesn't it?»

«If being around them didn't make me so damn horny, I'd kill them.»

«While I understand that impulse, I must tell you there are a lot more interesting ways to get your revenge.»

«Like what?»

«Do not answer that question, Samantha.»

The deep authority of that command had Kristen snapping her head to the door. A replica of the sheriff filled the passageway. With his dark look and arms crossed, he didn't look anymore happy than his brother had. Thanks to the all black military dress, he created the same dangerous, intimidating image JD had in his sheriff's uniform. Thankfully this one's attention remained solely focused on his mate. In fact, he acted as if Kristen didn't exist. That kind of smarted.

«I would like to have some words with you, wife.»

Samantha rolled her eyes and shot Kristen a smirk. «He only calls me that when he's displeased.»

«Do not think that just because you are pregnant, I'll tolerate such disrespect.»

«Lighten up, Caleb. You're beginning to sound just like JD.»

Right before her eyes the couple disintegrated into an argument that had Caleb promising certain types of threats that Kristen didn't think she should be hearing. Despite the improperness of such behavior, Kristen couldn't look away from the scene.

Samantha amazed her. She gave back to the towering Covenanter as good as he was giving. It impressed Kristen and also depressed her. She could see a lot of herself in Samantha, the same strength and desire to rebel against the authority of men. At the same time, Kristen didn't want to live her life bouncing from one argument to the next.

As much as she could tell, Samantha and her mates thrilled at the challenge of testing each other. That was not a life Kristen would enjoy living. She got her kicks in the courtroom. Her very job demanded her to be in constant competition with the prosecution, so when she came home, she liked to relax and be happy.

Samantha burst into sobs jarring Kristen out of her introspection to watch as the girl fled out of the room. Caleb exhaled a deep breath before shooting Kristen a dirty look and storming out after his mate. He nearly knocked over Claire, but she stepped out of the way at the last minute. Kristen caught her smile as she filed back into the doorway behind Caleb.

«What's that grin for?»

Claire dropped the suitcase she'd been holding and held up a hand for patience. With a cock of her head, they both listened to the heavy footsteps charging down the hall. A second later a door opened and immediately got slammed shut.

«I taught her that move.» Claire grinned. «And I must say Samantha has become an expert at it.»

«What move?»

«Promise you wouldn't tell Derek or any other living male.»

«Cross my heart.»

«After several months of pregnancy, trust me, you'll be able to cry at the drop of a hat. It's the greatest revenge you'll ever know. Men can't handle the emotional tears of their women, especially their pregnant women. You can end any argument with tears and before it's over not only will they be apologizing for breathing, but they'll be agreeing to any damn thing you want. It's the golden phase of pregnancy.»

«It sounds kind of cruel.»

«Sometimes that's just what love is.»

«Love? This isn't about love.»

«Yes, it is. That's why Samantha gave you this opportunity to adjust, but you are going to have to work at it. It won't be long before those men come up with something, some way around this obstacle-«

«Too late, doll. They already have.»

Both Claire and Kristen jumped as Tex strolled into the room.

«How long have you been standing there?» Claire rose off the bed with barely restrained aggression.

«Long enough to know just how beautiful you are in profile. I have to say, I give my compliments to The Narin for picking such a delicious looking mate.»

«Watch yourself, Tex. I know all about you.»

«Do you now?»

«Lilly's clued me in on some details.»

«I'm honored to know that such a beauty as Miss Masterson would take note of my details.»

«I wonder how she'll take note of your adventures last night.»

That, for some unexplainable reason, finally wiped the smile off of Tex's face. The man actually appeared to grow nervous as he considered Claire's threat. «There isn't any reason she needs to be informed.»

«I guess that depends on whatever future details might occur, doesn't it?»

Damn. Look at him shrink.

Almost right before her eyes the man seemed to lose the cocky, self-assured attitude. «Fine. No more details, but you can tell Lilly I'm going to be giving her details one of these days.»

With that he jerked to the right and stormed off through a side door, Kristen had thought led to a closet or bathroom. She could see clearly as he threw open the door it simply led to another bedroom. Her eyes cut to Claire who still glowered at where Tex had been standing.

«Is he sleeping there?»

«No. We are.»

Kristen spine straightened as her head snapped around to confront her two mates as they filtered through the door. The bruises and cuts over Kort's face only amplified the rugged cut of his features. Sexy in one complete hard-bodied package with eyes so intense and focused, it sent the desire whipping through her with merely a look.

In an instant she went from somewhat relaxed to itchy and edgy. Conflicting needs tore at her soul. Desire surged forth, undeterred by doubt and fears, but it only fed them with its intensity. She'd never felt a pull this strong and it made age-old instincts fire off demands to flee and hide.

Kristen looked quickly away, avoiding Jakob all together. Instead she focused on her hands, taking deep breaths to try and calm her clamoring nerves.

«Where the hell is my mate?» JD had arrived in no better mood then when she'd last seen him. «And what the hell are you doing here?»

He must have been talking to Claire because she responded instantly. «I brought over some of Kristen's things and Samantha was a little upset so she retired to her room.»

«A little upset. She's going to be a whole lot upset when I get done with her.» JD muttered before his voice rose into a bark. «Get out of my way. You two jackasses might be staying in my house, but don't ever, ever get in my way. I don't want to hear shit out of you while you're here. You're ghosts, you got that? And you. I believe your mate is looking for you? Perhaps I should give him a call and let him know where he can find you.»

«No need.» Claire retorted. «I'll be happy to find him myself.»

Before Kristen could think of a way to hold onto her remaining barrier, Claire was hugging her and whispering, «It'll work out. Just give them a chance to do right.»

Then she was gone and so was JD. He stomped off down the hall muttering all sorts of threats to himself in obvious practice for the coming confrontation with his mate. A moment later the bang of a door slamming shut shook the walls. Kristen kept her eyes on the floor, tensely waiting for her mates to make their move.

«Kristen.» She felt the bed depress beside her even as the warm, spicy scent of a man enveloped her. «I'm…will you please look at me?»

She didn't want to, didn't trust herself to behave in a rational sane manner with those brilliant eyes mesmerizing her. She didn't want to appear to be weak either. She'd shown enough of that disgraceful characteristic already. Squaring her chin, she lifted her face with steely determination not to disgrace herself.

«What?»

«I'm…I'm Jakob Nickels and I'm sorry for how I handled our previous introduction.»

Kristen waited for a moment, but when he didn't say anything more she couldn't believe it. «That's it? That's all I get? Sorry? That's the best you can do?» She jerked off the bed with indignation. «After our previous introduction, as you so politely refer to your breaking into my house and molesting me on my kitchen floor while you let that,» her hand waved off toward the open door, «ogre watch-«

«I can hear you,» Tex shouted out from the other bedroom.

«I don't care,» Kristen roared back.

«I told you it wouldn't work,» Kort grunted, drawing Kristen's enraged attention in his direction.

«What? What wouldn't work?»

«Apologizing.» Kort shrugged. «You don't really want to hear how sorry we are because we all know we're not. We'd do it again. We'd do it here and now. If we could get away with it, we'd have you naked and begging on all fours while we fed you cock anyway you wanted it. Hell, if Tex wanted to watch again, none of us would think to stop him. Not even you.»

That did it. She charged him. While it impressed her that he went down under the impact of her body, the arms that snaked around her waist to take her with him made her doubt that he hadn't volunteered to go down. The ramifications of that had the fight turning in her and she battled to break his hold.

It was impossible. He rolled and a second later she found herself pinned to the floor with her wrist trap in his hands. He held her still even as she tried to find a break in his unshakable hold. The effort did little more than wear her out.

«See,» Kort stated as she calmed down. «You don't want apologies. You want revenge.»

«Damn right I do,» Kristen spat.

«You have a right to it.»

«After what you did, you're damn right about that.»

«And we're going to give it to you.»

That took her a minute to process and even then it left her suddenly quite confused. «You are?»

«It's got to be good though,» Kort warned her. «I don't want to spend the rest of my life with you lording how we met over us. So you got to have enough revenge now to get it out of your system completely.»

«Kort.» She could hear the groan in Jakob's voice. «Don't tempt the woman.»

«I'm not.» Kort released her so he could turn and confront his brother. «We tried it your way, but it's like I told you on the way over here. This ain't going to be fixed with a few flowers and some humble words. She's our mate. She's like us. We'd want revenge and that's what she wants. Right, Kristen?»

Slowly, not at all sure of what was being negotiated at that moment, she sat up. «I guess it depends on what kind of revenge.»

«Well, like I said, it's got to be good.»

«Damnit, Kort, don't give the woman any ideas.»

«Oh, yeah.» She couldn't help but smile at the worry in Jakob's voice. «It's going to be good.»

«Obviously, it's your revenge, so you got to be the one to figure it all out,» Kort fairly purred.

«Yeah.» She liked the sound of that. «It's my revenge and I'm in control.»

«I don't like the way she is smiling, Kort.»

«Just don't make it bloody or fatal and we'll roll with the punch.»

«No blood or death.» She could live with that.

«It's probably going to take you some time to come up with something.» Jakob sounded almost desperate now.

«Hmm.»

«At least you want some time before you spring it on us. After all the surprise lends something to the act.»

«Oh, you're going to be surprised.»

«That's going to make you happy?» He sounded resigned now.

«Very happy.»

«Well, until then, can we just build on that emotion and try to work on settling into being mates?»

«What?» Kristen blinked the world back into focus at that. They'd lured her in with their talk about letting her get her revenge and now they'd sprung their trap. Their negotiation techniques had been somewhat amateurish in their obviousness, but they'd made up for that with their offer.

She could have her revenge, but they would still get their mate. Not a completely even swap in her book.

«I don't think so.» Kristen used Kort's shoulder as a support post as she pushed herself back onto her feet. «I'm not just going to move into your house and play happy Mary housekeeper because you agreed to let me have my revenge. You don't have that power. It's my revenge. I have a right to it and it's at my discretion whether or not I exercise my right.»

Jakob rose to his own feet as he confronted her. «Fine, you don't want to move in with us, we'll all stay here. But can we at least proceed on a course that would lend itself to one day moving into our own house?»

«What course is that?»

«Doing what mates do?»

So that's what he wanted. «I'm not having sex with you.»

«I'm not talking about sex,» Jakob snapped.

«Excuse me?» Kort scrambled to his feet. «I want to talk about sex.»

Too bad nobody wanted to talk to him. Kristen kept her focus on Jakob who continued on with a certain amount of indignant air. «I'm talking about the normal things, like eating dinner together, talking about our day, vegging out in front of the TV together. You know normal, everyday things.»

«Like getting naked at the end of the night and having some fun,» Kort retorted over Kristen.

«Shut up, Kort!» Jakob snapped.

«At least I agree to that,» Kristen snorted

«To what?» Jakob rolled his head slightly as he emphasized his point. «To Kort shutting up or to what I was saying?»

«To both, actually. I mean what you're talking about is going to happen regardless. After all, we are living together.»

«Yes, but it could happen without a constant tense, bickering. We could actually try to be nice to each other.»

«I'm sorry. I can't do nice with this boner bothering me.» Kort interrupted again, this time drawing Kristen's complete attention as he continued to complain about his hard cock. «I mean I can try, but I'm not going to be able to truly relax and be a pleasant fellow until my dick gets a little loving from my mate. That's just the way it is.»

«Is it?» Kristen demanded stepping into him. «Is it really that way? You can't function without sex? That's all you think about?»

«Well, I didn't say-«

«What you did say was that you were a pathetic loser who can't even go a day without getting distracted by your own raging hormones.» With each word she stepped closer to him. She'd have walked right into him if he hadn't started backing up. «Poor little baby, can't function without getting screwed every hour because all your brains are in your pants. Well how about this for revenge? How about I screw your brother without you? What if I make you wait weeks, months, whole fucking years before I let you back in my bed? What do you think of that, Mr. Blue Balls?»

By the time she was done, she was screaming at him. All the anger she'd pent up that morning unleashed itself and she shoved him hard right through the open door. This time when he landed on his ass, she knew she'd put him there. It felt good. Almost as good as slamming the door in his startled face.

Turning, she breathed out a deep sigh of release and faced Jakob. He looked pained but patient.

«I accept.»

«What?»

«I accept the terms of your offer. We'll put the past behind us and start on a new foot in the morning. You can court me and I'll be receptive, but we both know I'm going to get my revenge.»

«Um, I kind liked the revenge you just mentioned to Kort.»

CHAPTER 8

Jakob jerked the towel off the rack and wrapped it around his waist with angry motions. Two weeks. Two weeks of playing nice, being charming, letting his mate set the slow paced tune that he had danced to and what had he gotten? A sore palm and a tension that just wouldn't let go until he'd buried himself balls deep in his mate's heat.

When Kort had suggested giving her the time to think up some revenge, Jakob had anticipated that they'd spend that time in bed. Hell, the woman had a right to her pound of flesh. Jakob had figured he's let her claw it off his back while he screwed her into the mattress.

By the time Kort and him finished with her, she'd have been so grateful to find her mates that she'd have forgiven them anything. That had been the plan.

Leave it to a woman to ruin a perfectly good plan. No sex and I still have to endure whatever unpleasantness she can dream up.

As if walking around with a fricken hard-on all day wasn't unpleasant enough. There could be no hiding it. He'd gotten shafted. So had his brother, but that dumbass had created the situation they found themselves locked in. Now instead of helping Jakob bring this insanity to some kind of end, his brother worked on making it worse with all his lewd and suggestive come-ons.

It had to stop. They were the running joke through the pack now. There wasn't a twin set in Covenanter country that hadn't heard about what their Alphas' mate had done to the Nickel brothers.

Every male had taken a deep breath as the reality that their queen had offered sanctuary to a newly mated female settled in over the horror that their Alphas had done nothing to stop her. Covenanter males were a lust lot. Dividing the men from their mates was an aggression worthy of killing over. To do it to a newly mated couple…that was just evil.

What the hell had he done to deserve such persecution? He'd found his mate and overcome every obstacle to claim her. Despite whatever feminine sensitivities might have gotten bruised along the way, he hadn't done a damn thing different than any other man would have done. Including his Alphas.

When he'd made that point last night to JD and Caleb, they'd both snickered. Neither had been motivated to put a stop to this nonsense. Just the opposite. They'd suggested he take his points up with their mate.

Like I'm that masochistic.

Jakob snorted to himself as he yanked on a pair of jeans. He'd had enough problems without getting out a whip and a chair to go confront his queen. His main problem made it difficult to button up his damn pants, the lingering effects of taking a shower right after his mate.

The steam enclosed room had drowned him in Kristen's sweet scent, citrus spiced up with the faint tones of arousal. That little undertone had him thinking how soft her body had been, how delicious tasting, how all he had to do was turn his head, brush his lips over hers…sweet nectar of the gods, that's what she tasted like.

He could so easily lose himself in her, knew she would get lost, too. Like a delicate bud rising with sensual grace toward the sunlight, she'd open up to him, press her body into him as she kissed him back. Kristen had that smooth subtle way of rubbing against a man that let him feel all her secrets, the firm roundness of her breasts, the hard tips of her nipples, that sweet little pussy humping against him with each slow, sultry rotation of her hips.

All those little instinctive motions she made that had driven him wild. The details of that first night haunted him. Awake, asleep, it didn't matter. He walked around in a state of perpetual hardness and he'd gotten tired of it.

It was way past time to lay down some rules and bring this insanity to an end. If Kristen felt the need to get revenge then she could have it. He'd gladly give it to her right after he fed her every single aching inch of his erection. That was exactly what he would be doing five minutes from now once he found where his mate hid.

Despite JD's house rule that no man could go about the place minus any article of clothing, Jakob stormed out of the bedroom with nothing more than his jeans on and even they were only half buttoned.

It was just after three, which meant Kort wouldn't be getting home from the station for another couple of hours. Nobody could or would stop him. Not even Samantha. Her and her little pious rule about not using the musk, suggesting that to use it would be disrespectful.

What crap.

He respected Kristen. He respected her so much he'd make sure she came three times, hell four, before he gave her any rest.

With single-minded determination he tracked her scent through the house. Finally, he ended at the door to the den. About an inch open the sound of his mate's voice had him stilling.

«I don't think I can take this any longer.»

«Be strong.» Samantha's voice sounded unusually cheery.

«I'm trying, but every time one of them comes around I get all itchy.»

«That's just part of the mating. Thank your stars you were lucky enough to get two Covenanter mates.»

«Are you serious?»

She should beg on bended knee.

«Why wouldn't I be?»

«Because Covenanters are known for being aggressive, arrogant, outspoken beasts. From everything that I have seen of my mates that is exactly what they are.»

«But you like them, right?»

Of course she does. She's our mate.

«Sometimes.»

What?

«Only sometimes?»

«Well, I have fun with them. They're both so different they sort of fit into my different personalities.»

«But?»

«But you know how men are. They put on a front when they're dating. That's when they're their most attentive, their most charming. You can't trust that.»

That's why she was holding back?

«So you are afraid they're going to change once you agree to move into their house?»

«It's not just that they may change, but that my whole life will change.»

«Hasn't it already?»

«Yes, but I know this is temporary so it feels safe, you know. Once I agree to leave, everything will change. I'll be moving into their house, forming my life around them, their rituals and habits. What if I disagree about something or want to change something? It's two against one. My opinion is basically pointless.»

«You don't know that. They're twins, they don't share one mind. Besides you guys seem to get along fabulously here.»

«That's because they're on their best behavior.»

Jakob eased back from the door. An idea had just come to him. A very good idea and he was actually kind of proud of himself for having it.

«Would you at least tell me where we are going?»

Kristen told herself she was a fool to let Jakob guide her out of the McBanes' house. The house represented security to her. She didn't trust herself alone with either brother. She'd actually gone through great pains over the past couple of weeks to make sure she was never alone with either Kort or Jakob.

As long as there were other people around, she knew she'd control herself. No matter how much she wanted Kort and Jakob, there was a part of her that just wouldn't let her have them. A part of her she hadn't had the strength to reveal to Samantha earlier because it was a weakness.

Raised in an active werewolf pack, she knew all about and understood a male's need to mate. Rationally she could accept what Jakob and Kort had done, had been driven to do when they first met. Emotionally that acceptance left her hurting. That first night had been so intense, so special, but it hadn't been anything more than instinct.

They hadn't chased her down and brought her to a quivering mass on her kitchen floor because of who she was. It hadn't been her breath-taking beauty that demanded their focus. Nor had her charm and quick wit captured their attention. No. She had at some level been completely irrelevant.

That stung. It made her hesitate with her mates. Part of her wanted it to be something special the next time they were together. She wanted them to want her more than need her. She just didn't know how she'd ever be able to tell if she'd gotten that.

«I already told you it's a surprise.» Jakob's oversized hand kept her much smaller one protected in his grasp. The warm, callused palm rubbed against hers causing little rivulets of pleasure to roll down her spine.

«We're walking there?» It was the obvious conclusion when Jakob began escorting her down the long drive. Still her surprise had the statement coming out like a question.

«We're just going a few houses down.»

«Friends of yours?»

«You are impatient. Haven't you ever enjoyed waiting for the surprise?»

«No. As I already told you, I'm not a fan of surprises.» She added just enough annoyance to her tone to make sure he didn't get any ideas.

Kristen suspected he just might be. His thumb had shifted to rest over her wrist, right against her beating pulse. He's already started a small, mesmerizing rub over that sweet spot. The tiny little ripples of pleasure cascade up her arm and through her body.

«You'll enjoy this one.»

«That's what all the men say,» Kristen muttered to herself.

«Excuse me?»

«Don't look so injured and don't think I'm not keeping my guard up for any fast moves you might try to pull.»

«That's insulting. Have I tried any moves on you in the past two weeks? No. I've been respectful and a gentleman.»

«Only because you had to be. We're alone now and I'm trusting you. Don't blow it.»

«I'll try my best.»

Kristen couldn't help but smile at the tinge of indignation that colored his stiff response. Jakob could be so cute when he got huffy. She'd always thought of Covenanters as being sort of dark and mysterious, but Jakob broke that mold for her. With his honest responses he had a tendency to give it all away. Not just what he felt, but what he thought, too.

«After these past few weeks, you'd think I earned a little trust instead of losing even more.»

Kristen rolled her eyes at the insult he affected in his tone. «I do trust you, Jakob. It's that oversized bulge in your pants that I don't trust.»

«That oversized bulge just wants to be your friend.»

«Does it?»

«It likes you, Kristen. It means you no harm.»

«Just remember to keep it on its leash.»

«You're the one keeping it on the leash.»

Kristen clenched her jaw fighting the seductive charm of his voice going lower, deeper as he turned to whisper in her ear. «At some point, sweetheart, you're going to have to let it off to play.»

Kristen dug her heels in and came to a stop. She knew how to handle this, knew she had to handle it right up front. The problem was that was getting harder and harder. Jakob wasn't the only one who wanted to play. For now, though, she still had enough resistance left to sound authentic when she snapped back at him.

«That is not being on your best behavior.»

«Give a man a break, Kristen. You're not naked and moaning in the middle of the street. I consider that a hell of an accomplishment.»

«Accomplishment? You think I'd really let you strip me here in the middle of the-« Kristen stopped short. Jakob's eyebrow had risen slightly, his lips kicking up into a smirk. Best not to turn this into a challenge. She didn't have the defenses left to hold him off.

«We're here.»

«What?» Kristen looked around the street before focusing in on the large, darkened house in front of her. «Here?»

«Come on,» Jakob began pulling her up the driveway.

«It doesn't look like anybody is home.»

«That's because we're not inside.»

«What? Wait a minute. Is this your house? I didn't agree to go home with you, Jakob.» She said it. She meant it, but she didn't put up any resistance as he prodded her up the front steps.

«Just relax, Kristen. It's not what you think.»

«It's exactly what I think. I trusted you not to take any advantage of the situation and what do you do? You blow it by taking me to your house and you think I don't know what that means? I know what you're trying to do, buddy. It ain't going to work. I'm not going in…it's empty.»

Her indignation ran flat when he finally managed to open the front door. She could see straight through the massive great room and right out the towering windows on the other side of the house. It was a breathtaking view. The floor to ceiling windows framed the pink and purple hues of the sunset over the marsh with such warmth and vibrancy that it almost drew her straight to them.

«You like?» Jakob asked from behind her as her hands smoothed over the glass.

Kristen looked back at him. Her eyes traveling across the distance realizing just how easily he'd lured her into his den. Now he filled in the doorway, blocking her only exit. She could almost sense his anticipation.

«It's an amazing view.»

She turned back to admire the rest of the room, all but dismissing him. Completely vacant it appeared oversized with a kitchen made for feeding a small army off to the right. Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, it looked as empty and void of all personality as the great room did.

«Is this really your house or did you just buy it?»

«It's where we live, but technically the pack owns the house.»

Kristen nodded her understanding. She knew the Covenanter's were a wealthy pack that pooled their money to assure that all their members were provided for, but this was more than she imagined.

«It has five bedrooms, four baths and an extra two rooms that can be used as offices or game rooms or whatever you want to make them into.»

«Me?»

Jakob ignored her question and gestured down the hall. «You want me to give you the grand tour?»

«I don't know,» Kristen glanced down the darken hall. «Are there anymore surprises waiting for me?»

«I just want to show you the house.»

Reluctantly, she gave him her hand and let him lead her into the shadow mysteries of the house. It didn't remain a mystery any more than it did a dark suggestion. Flipping on the lights as he went, Jakob showed her one oversized bedroom after another, one opulent bathroom after another, until they finally came to the end of the hall and the stairs that led up to the two extra rooms.

Only one door remained unopened on this floor and as Jakob turned the knob, Kristen held her breath. Just as she suspected the last bedroom in the series was an even grander version of the rest. Here the ceiling soared up to a point.

«Wow.» Kristen couldn't help but be impressed. This room had it all, elegant architecture, amazing views, a platform for the massive bed seated just opposite the windows.

«This is what you will wake up to every morning as our mate.»

There could be no hiding the pride in Jakob. Whatever uncertainties that had kept him a little nervous had faded. He knew he'd scored with this room.

«Wait until you see the bathroom.»

She could imagine, but first she had to take her eyes off the bed. The only piece of furniture in the whole house and it was already made.

«I don't get it.»

«What?» Jakob hesitated on the other side of the room.

«Why the bed?»

«What do you mean? Why the bed?»

«There is no other furniture in this house, but I can smell Kort and your scents everywhere. This is your house, but where is everything?»

Jakob smiled gently as he closed in on her. «This was Kort and my house, but now it's ours.»

Kristen shook her head, confused and softening beneath the look in his eyes. «I still don't get it.»

«We're going to make a new life together, Kristen. Not yours or mine, but ours.» His words warmed some part of her that had been stiff and cold for the past two weeks. She could offer no resistance, but melted into his touch as he cupped her cheeks.

«But the furniture?» Kristen whispered, not wanting to break the spell she could feel weaving its way around this moment.

«I had it packed up and sent to a storage unit. We can go through it together and figure out what we want to keep and what we want to change. There will be a lot of changes in the future, Kristen. For all of us.»

«You're willing to change? For me?»

«For only you. Don't you understand, Kristen? It's important to me that you're happy. If you're not happy, then I'm not happy.»

«How do I know that isn't just a line?»

«Well, you're going to have to trust me.» He started this little hypnotic rubbing motion with his thumb over her lips. «Haven't we earned a little trust? We've obeyed all of the rules so far, haven't we?»

They had. They had earned a little bit of trust. She'd earned a release from all the tension staying away from them had caused her. Kristen couldn't fight it anymore. Her defenses had been worn down not just by Jakob's sweet words or grand gesture. Her own desires had been pecking away at her willpower for days.

There was simply nothing left to hold onto but Jakob. She wanted to hold onto him. He was solid and strong and so damn appealing to all her senses. When his head dipped, she couldn't have been sure it hadn't been her who had moved first.

It didn't matter. When their lips met, Kristen knew she wanted this, needed it.

CHAPTER 9

Jakob brushed his lips over Kristen's gently. Very gently, giving her time to withdraw. Instead of moving backward, she pressed herself inward. Curving her body in to his, her arms twined around his neck. All signals were a go, but still he held back.

He feared rushing her and scaring her off. His plan had come together so well, too easily. He just didn't trust it. Slow and easy that was the way to capture a wild mate. Slow and easy, it was the hardest thing he'd ever tried to do.

His muscles trembled under the strain as he traced the delicate curve of her mouth, teasingly sucking her lower lip. He captured the plump sweetness in his teeth, biting down ever so gently even as his fangs ached to be released, to be allowed to pierce and mark her once again as his.

Kristen whimpered under the restrained assault and pressed herself even closer against him, molding her curves perfectly into his angles. His cock jolted inside his jeans, his hips reflexively grinding against the softness of her stomach.

Another whimper preceded the tentative flick of a warm, wet tongue along his lips. The playful of caress was an invitation he could no longer resist. He reached up to cup her face and hold her steady as his lips broke open over hers. The sweet exploration quickly flamed out of control.

Kristen matched his passion as he stroked deeper into her mouth. Their tongues tangled and danced until he felt like he was drowning in her taste. Just as it had been that first time, he couldn't get enough. He couldn't control the rampaging need for more.

He'd fuck her right now, standing right there if he didn't have his damn clothes on. The layers of fabric saved her from the savage screwing that his cock wanted to give her. The wolf howled, growling at the leash he held it back with. He couldn't let the wildness break through. Not this time. This time was for Kristen.

That vow got lost in the static of pure lust that swamped him when her lips closed down over the tip of his tongue and sucked him straight into her moist depths. The sharp edge of her teeth scraped over his sensitive taste buds, firing each one with a tinge of pain and too much pleasure for him to remain focused on holding the wolf back.

Deep down in his balls he could feel the punch of desire flare almost painfully hot as if he'd been tapped with a red-hot poker. His muscles tightened, tingling with the need to transform as a primal growl fluttered out of his chest. He felt the snap as the wolf began to burst free of the silken strands his control had become.

God bless her, Kristen didn't understand the danger she was in. If she had she'd never have reached down to mold a hand over the hard length of his erection. With her hand encasing him, squeezing him, he could barely catch breath much less think clearly. Thinking was a waste. Right now all he wanted to do was to feel, to taste. His lips returned to hers again. A savage taking, he'd lost control of the beast. It reared its head, demanding its turn at plundering the sweet, moist depths of her mouth.

Delicious.

Her flavor only fueled the beast into more reckless behavior. There were still too many clothes in the way of the fucking he needed. The beast knew how to solve that problem, rip the damn fabric out of the way. He heard the tear of her shirt even as he recognized it was his hands curling over the edges of her collar.

Sanity surfaced briefly when he felt warm liquid slip over his fingers. The strong scent of blood overpowered the sweet scent of her creaming pussy. He heard her groan, felt her tremble against him.

Shit.

Jakob jerked backward. He'd cut her. He could feel the claws his fingers had twisted into and see the jagged line of broken skin along her shoulder. He'd meant to rip off her shirt. Instead he'd ripped into her. Horrified by his own actions, by his own loss of control, Jakob stumbled further away from Kristen.

«Jakob?» Kristen's lust hazed eyes blinked, clearing as she looked at him. «What's wrong?»

Jakob couldn't believe she had to ask. He'd hurt her. He'd hurt his mate. His mate, the woman he had sworn to protect, to cherish. She bled because of him. Shaking his head, he turned and fled out of the bedroom.

«Jakob!»

He heard her running after him.

«Wait!»

«Stay away from me, Kristen.» Jakob made it to the great room and put the full width of the oversized room between them before turning to face her.

«Why? What's wrong?»

«Stay back! You can't trust me right now, Kristen. You have to stay back.»

«But I do trust you, Jakob. I trust that you will ease this ache that has been paining me.»

Jakob closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight of her without giving into his own aching need. He couldn't risk it, not until he had the wolf under control. Neither could he close his ears. With every huskily whispered word Kristen ripped off another layer of his barely there control.

«I can't take it anymore, Jakob. I need you. I need you deep inside me, stroking in and out of me, going deeper and harder with every thrust. I need you to fuck me, Jakob. Now.»

He knew she stood in front of him, barely inches from him. He'd felt the heated glide of her breath, could smell her own seductive musk creaming out of her pussy. Every muscle tightened in memory of how hot, how tight she'd been. That ravenous little pussy sucked in every hard inch of cock he'd given her and demanded even more.

«Please, Jakob.»

He flinched back from the hand that warmed a spot right over his heart.

«Don't.»

«Why not? I can feel how much you want it. Your heart is racing.»

«Too much,» Jakob managed to growl the words out as a last defense as she cornered him against the wall. «I want you too much, Kristen, but I don't want to hurt you.»

«Hurt me? The only thing hurting me right now is being left empty and unfilled.»

«You don't understand.» Jakob's eyes popped open. He tried to implore her not just with his words, but his eyes as well. «I can't control the beast, Kristen. If I take you now, it wouldn't be me.»

The slow, seductive twist of her lips sent shivers of both excitement and fear up his spine. «Who said I would object?»

«You don't understand.»

«Don't I?»

«Kristen-«

The words, whatever they had been, got strangled in his throat. His mate stole the very idea of them when she raised a hand to the thin line of blood bubbling out of the cut on her shoulder. She swept a finger over the tiny, little droplets.

«Is this what you are afraid of? A little blood?»

She lifted the finger to her lips and he groaned as she sucked off the red liquid, her tongue swirling out to catch the rivulet that tried to escape. When her skin shined golden and wet, no blood left, she gave him a smile that made him shudder.

«Do you think I'm afraid of a little blood, Jakob? Don't you remember? You already made me bleed once when you sank your fangs in me and marked me as your own.»

He did more than remember. He relived the moment anew as she pressed her warm, willing body into his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed, showing him just how unafraid she was.

«Remember when you sank those teeth into me?» She breathed against his lips before taking a little nip. «Remember how you sank your cock deep into my ass at the same time? Remember how I exploded around you? I loved every second of it. I've craved it every second since. Don't deny me any longer, Jakob. Give me what I want. Give it to me hard and rough. Let the beast free.»

He couldn't deny her or himself any longer. Her demands overwhelmed any consideration or worry he had for her. As he took the lips teasing his in a brutal kiss, his hands skimmed down over her hip. With a hard grip he curled his fingers into the firm, well-rounded globe of her ass. He'd take her there again but not tonight.

Tonight he would drown in a more rapturous heat. With a rough grip, his hands dipped and bit into her thigh. Dragging her upward, he lifted her until her soft heat pressed into his throbbing erection. Kristen returned the demand with one of her own. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she ground herself against him, igniting the wolf's savage need to mate. Mate now.

It couldn't be delayed even long enough to divest her of her clothes properly. This time he shredded every piece of fabric that barred his hands from feeling the soft, silken feel of her flesh. She fought him. Not in an attempt to escape, but to keep herself pressed tightly in his embrace.

He had no choice but to take her to the floor, to pin her down as he tore the clothes from her body. Despite her flailing struggles he managed to reveal the lush beauty of her body to his eyes, his touch and taste. Oh, but she was the sweetest fruit the wolf had ever devoured.

With long, sensual swipes of his elongating tongue he discovered the addictive taste of his mate's neck all the way down to the flushed, heaving globes of her breasts. A nip at the tip of one lush globe had her moaning, arching as her hips flexed upward over the band of his jeans to grind her pussy into his stomach. The damp heat of her desire burned through the thin fabric of his t-shirt to scald his flesh with the proof of just how wet she was for him.

With the scent of arousing cream flooding his head the erotic motion of her hips had him growling, clamping his hands over her waist and lifting her ass straight up until he could taste the intoxicating proof of her arousal on his lips. The wolf had no tolerance for hesitation, no room for restraint. The beast plunged it oversized tongue deep into the delicious cunt that had offered itself up to his feasting.

His mate groaned, twisting as her back flexed and her neck strained under the extreme arch he'd dragged her into. He growled back a warning to the woman to be still, to not resist or fight the tongue fucking he gave her. He wouldn't tolerate such defiance. This pussy was his. His to plunder, to savor, to taste and take at his leisure.

Even if his mate doubted, her cunt knew it. The long, velvety walls of her cunt tightened down around his tongue, sucking him deeper and fighting to hold onto him when he withdrew. His cock swelled with angry demand at the seductive motions of her sheath. Swelling with blood, the angry tyrant demanded release, release from his jeans, release to plunder her sweet depths and find release buried deep inside her.

His own jeans suffered his annoyance when his fingers came to rip at the zipper blocking his path. The stiff denim was no match for his claws and he shredded the material until the cool air breathed over his naked flesh. Cold wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to bathe himself in his mate's liquid heat.

With a jerk he forced her hips back down and plunged himself deep into his mate, eliciting a scream from her even as her cunt pulsed and wept over his invasion. Too absorbed in finally being able to touch heaven, he didn't have the attention to notice her response.

In that moment, all he could feel was the strange mixture of emotions buffeting him. The beast had never felt these things before-a sense of closeness, of perfect completeness as though they had truly become one. She was his mate, as precious a gift as any beast could hope to have. In that moment, the wolf felt a gentleness it had never known.

His eyes drank in everything, savoring the sight of his woman flushed and panting, twisting with the hard tips of her breasts pebbled and becoming, and the beautiful sight of the swollen pink folds of her pussy split wide around the darkened length of his cock. He'd never seen such an amazing sight, never dreamed of feeling it.

In a move that he wasn't expecting, his mate pushed herself off the floor. Her hands latched onto his shoulders as she used his solid strength to straighten up so that he no longer impaled her. Now she controlled the moment, sitting straight up on his lap with his cock filling her completely.

She caught his mouth in a questing, hungry kiss. Catching his lip in her teeth she sucked it into her mouth at the same moment she flexed and fucked herself along his length. With the force of a lightning bolt striking him, pure heat shot down his spine to engulf his balls in an inferno of flames that licked their way down his cock forcing him to move.

Taking control once again he began a slow, steady pattern of withdraw and return. He relished in the small moans of enjoyment that broke from her lips over his. She twisted and writhed, trying to force him to increase his speed. He wanted that, but he enjoyed the soft demands that she panted out.

Sweat beaded between his shoulders and trickled down his forehead as he exerted more control then he had ever expected himself to be capable of. The pain of holding back was worth it as her sheath tightened even further around him, forcing him to forge through the tight fist of her muscles. Still he managed to hold back, to maintain his rigid control until she began to beg. Her lips fell from his to settle on his shoulder. In a perfect imitation of the mating bite, sharp, little fangs pierced his skin and broke the beast's willpower.

With that tiny little bite she shattered him, reducing him to a thing of wild need. He gave into the unquenchable hunger plaguing him and began to pound into her helplessly. Faster, harder, deeper until the sweat rolled off him in waves and his ears rang with the cries of her passion and the erotic slap of flesh against flesh.

Drawn to the mating mark he'd left on her weeks before, his lips locked over the healed wound. His tongue lapped at the sweet skin seconds before he pierced her with his fangs, driving his cock deeper than ever before at the exact same moment. Beneath him his mate screamed as her cunt pulsed and spasmed into complete chaos.

The feel of his mate coming apart beneath him had the beast roaring seconds before its own release had crashed down over him. The tidal wave of pleasure seared through flesh and bone to fill his soul with a primal sense of victory, possessiveness. She was his.

The satisfaction, both physical and emotional, had his balls swelling anew, firing out another shot of seed deep into her very womb even as the beast trembled and collapsed on top of his mate. If he'd been in wolf form, he'd have rolled onto his back for a long nap, so content was he.

The man though resurfaced, taking enough control to recognize Kristen's small body, flattened beneath his own, still twitched and trembled with the aftershocks of her own climax. Jakob rolled, taking Kristen with him so that she draped over him like a sweaty, heated blanket. The soft feel of her secure in his arms had him chasing down that nap the wolf had suggested.

Thoughts, however, got in his way. He'd never had a release like that. Not even before when they'd mated her. That first time had been good, setting a new standard in pleasure for him that he'd never imagine he'd surpassed.

He had. Tonight the Earth had shattered beneath him and he'd flown with the angels to very heights of Heaven's peaks. He'd lost complete control, another first. Even more frightening he'd almost allowed the full change to sweep over him. His gut told him that would have been disastrous, but maybe not. Kristen had surprised him more than once tonight with her own savage nature.

His fingers followed his eyes to the mark on her shoulder. Blood swelled up from the puncture wounds as the skin around darkened into the deep, somber shades of a bruise. Unable to help himself, he leaned down to lick the small hurt clean. He heard the wolf growl in contentment and only realized that it was Kristen a second later when she curved inward, arching her neck to give his lips better access.

He nuzzled her abused skin gently, feeling a tenderness he'd never experienced before flood through him. Kristen was his mate, but she was more than that. In the past two weeks she'd slowly started to fuse into him, making him feel incomplete and strangely empty when she wasn't near.

He needed her. He would always need her. As his lips parted, his throat stumbled for the words to tell her how he felt, he heard the front door slam open.

«There you two are. I brought dinner, but I guess I'm too late for dessert.»

«I don't know about that.» Kristen smiled up at Kort as he sauntered over to tower above her and Jakob. Kort and Jakob really were good men. They'd shown that to her in so many small ways over the past two weeks, but this final act had left no doubt in her mind. She'd really been blessed.

She had needed time and they'd given it to her. She had needed some small gesture to show they cared about how she felt and they'd given it to her. They understood, more amazingly Jakob had understood. There might be rough times ahead, but she knew they'd weather them.

The one thing she'd come to realize in the past two weeks was that she needed them, felt incomplete without them. All the fears she'd held onto had been nothing more than an attempt to avoid the truth. She'd started to fall in love with her mates and she hoped they just might be feeling the same way.

«Are you offering?» Kort asked and she could hear the caution in his tone.

«Anything you want.»

«But her pussy,» Jakob corrected. «That's all mine tonight.»

«Greedy bastard,» Kort smirked.

«There is always tomorrow,» Kristen promised.

«Only if we get you to tomorrow whole and healthy enough to play with.» Kort jostled the grocery bag in his arms. «Which is why I have this offering for you.»

«Offering?» Kristen didn't want to move much less think about something as complicated as getting an offering.

«I got your favorites from the store.»

«My favorites?»

«An Italian dinner, garlic bread, red wine, chocolate syrup and even the bubble bath to help get whatever syrup I failed to lick off your body.»

Kristen smiled. She liked the sound of that.