Eminence Shifters 4

Jordanna

Cougar shifter Gabriel Prentiss is working as a paramedic when he finds his mate, Jordanna Morland, after she's mauled by a wolf. A wolf she witnessed kill after shifting from his human form. Calling his family for help in protecting his mate, Gabriel is shocked to find Jordanna is also mate to his brothers and cousin.

Jordanna's attack proves life altering. Not just because she is introduced to the existence of shifters, but because her attack has left her blind.

Her mates battle to get her to accept that her blindness doesn't lessen their love, and to keep her safe from the continued threats from the wolf.

The entire pride is then put at risk when the wolves decide to kill them all to get to Jordanna.

Ultimately, the strength and honour of the pride brings them a new ally who may help them to save Jordanna when the Alpha wolf finally succeeds in taking her from her mates.

Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Shape-Shifter

Length: 60,033 words 

JORDANNA

Eminence Shifters 4

Ashley Malkin

MENAGE AMOUR

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

IMPRINT: Ménage Amour

JORDANNA

Copyright © 2015 by Ashley Malkin

E-book ISBN: 978-1-63259-320-7

First E-book Publication: May 2015

Cover design by Harris Channing

All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of Jordanna by Ashley Malkin from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

This is Ashley Malkin’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ashley Malkin’s right to earn a living from her work.

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DEDICATION

To my wonderful family, who continue inspire me with their unconditional love and acceptance.

This book is also dedicated to all of us who have survived domestic abuse. Not everyone gets their happily-ever-after, but I write this book with the hope that it’s truly a possibility.

Love Ashley.

JORDANNA

Eminence Shifters 4

ASHLEY MALKIN

Copyright © 2015

Chapter 1

Jordanna found it hard not to explode with anger as her boss told her to stay back. Again. She loved her work, but not her boss.

“Of course, Clive, I’ll do the prep and lock up when I’m done.”

“Good. See that you get here by nine tomorrow. The fishmonger is coming at nine thirty, and then you can finish the day’s prep.”

Jordanna just nodded her head. If she tried to speak, she knew nothing nice would come out. He headed out for the night and left her to work alone in the kitchen.

Jordanna had been working at Pescare’s, an Italian seafood restaurant, since starting her culinary arts degree two years ago. She was still the most junior, which meant she got to stay the latest and arrive the earliest each shift.

Thunder sounded overhead. “Great, now I’ll miss the last bus and get to walk for an hour in the freezing rain. I am so lucky.”

Dreams of opening her own restaurant and treating her staff better than she was treated made the hours of extra work fly past.

It was past one in the morning when she was finally locking the kitchen door. The streets of Sheridan were deserted. The rain was coming down in sheets and the cold December air steamed her breath as she huffed out a curse.

Pulling her thin coat tightly around herself, she set out down the alley and started for home. She may have been heading to a tiny studio apartment on the very outskirts of Sheridan, but it was all hers.

She’d managed to hang on to the apartment by working long hours, hardly eating, and getting very little sleep. Her husband’s death from cancer two years earlier had left her with huge medical bills that she was still paying off.

“Just two more years. Just two more years.” She chanted the words over and over as her teeth chattered. But it kept her going as she trudged home in her soaked clothes. According to her strict budget, that was how long it would take to finish paying off her debts. Then she could begin to save for her dream.

The sound of raised voices broke into her thoughts. Wiping the rain from her eyes, she saw two men on the sidewalk ahead of her. She slowed her steps. From their body language and their shouting, it appeared as though they were close to throwing punches.

Jordanna was not a small woman, but these men were both big. She wasn’t about to wade in and attempt to break up their fight.

Deciding it was best to avoid them, she crossed to the other side of the street. When they began to exchange punches, she slowed her pace and contemplated calling the police.

She was reaching for her phone when one of the men howled. It wasn’t a cry of pain—it was the howl of an animal. It froze her on the spot. She watched, transfixed, as the impossible happened.

One of the men exploded. That was the only analogy her brain could find to explain what she was witnessing. He exploded in a shower of light, and was replaced by a giant wolf. A wolf that was now tearing at the other man’s throat. Blood joined the deluge of rain that fell to the sidewalk.

As the man fell to the ground with a wet splash, the giant wolf leaped on his chest and clamped its jaws around his throat. Even over the rain, she heard the wolf’s vicious growl as it shook its head and ripped away the man’s flesh.

The sight was so horrifying that she was incapable of stopping her terrified scream. The wolf lifted its giant head and fixed its glowing red eyes on her. Its lip curled, and it snarled as it stalked toward her. Its muzzle was red with blood, its exposed fangs long and gore-stained.

A sudden rush of adrenaline unfroze her muscles and she ran as fast as she could down the sidewalk. “Help! Please help!”

She hadn’t gotten but a few steps when a tremendous weight on her back pushed her to the ground. The sound of a sickening crack plunged her into darkness.

* * * *

Gabriel and his partner, Mark, were restocking their ambulance when another call came in. The night’s torrential rain and freezing temperatures had already caused a number of car accidents. As a result, they had just finished delivering their third casualty of the shift to the emergency room.

“Another busy Saturday night,” Mark said as he went to answer the call.

“They always are,” Gabriel muttered. He closed the back doors and joined Mark in the front of the ambulance.

He had trained as a paramedic after retiring from the army eight years ago. He’d been an army ranger, and needed to do something that would soothe his battered soul after seeing so much death, a lot of it at his own hands.

As a mountain lion shifter, he didn’t look ninety-three, but he felt it. He was weighed down with guilt, and the last eight years helping to save lives hadn’t eased that weight as he’d hoped it would.

“Apparently there have been two people injured in a dog attack. One of them appears to have been killed,” Mark said sadly. “I hope they’re not.”

“You and me both.” Gabriel had seen enough death in his long life. He worked extremely hard to prevent seeing more.

As they drove up to the scene, the police were already there. Only a couple of bystanders were braving the weather to watch the proceedings.

As Gabriel opened the ambulance door, he was hit with a wave of scent that struck him like a body blow. The scent of human blood was not a blow to his senses after all the years he’d spent as both a soldier and a paramedic. It was the scent of this particular human blood that hit him so hard.

“Fucking hell and damnation,” he said, wobbling on his legs as he got out of the truck. Was fate so cruel that he would finally find his mate, only minutes after she’d been killed? His cat was wild in its distress. Gabriel was fighting the shift with every ounce of his strength. He could not shift here.

As he fought his cat for control, Mark ran to the side of the closest victim. “You take the other one, Gabe.”

The rain was making it hard to tell which side of the street his mate’s scent was coming from. The sweet feminine scent seemed to be everywhere. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his kit and ran to the farther of the two bodies. A policeman was standing near the body and he nodded to Gabriel as he approached.

“I couldn’t find a pulse. I’m pretty sure he’s dead,” the officer said. Gabriel sagged in relief. He wanted to kiss the officer. He. This was not his mate. Which meant Mark was with his mate.

He continued to fight his cat. It wanted to turn around and go to her, and honestly, so did he. But he had to see to this victim first. Gabriel had to see if there was a chance he could be saved before he went to his mate. Once he was by her side he knew he’d never find the strength to leave her.

As he got closer, he could see the body was clearly that of a large male. Kneeling by his side in a bloody puddle, he saw that the man’s head had nearly been severed. His throat and spine had been torn out completely, only a small section of skin keeping his head connected to his body.

“I’m afraid you’re right, Officer. You can call the coroner.” Gabriel took a minute to cover the body with a plastic sheet before he sprinted, at human speed, to his mate.

He was scared of what condition he may find her in after witnessing what was done to the large male victim. This was not a dog attack. Gabriel had clearly scented wolf. Both the dead man and the attacker had been wolf shifters.

Chapter 2

Gabriel squatted on the opposite side to Mark and he looked at his mate for the first time. His mate. He felt unworthy of the gift that fate had just granted him. But now that he’d received that gift he would do everything in his power to becoming deserving of her.

She was unconscious, tall, skinny, wet, and covered in blood. Both sides of his nature were at war within him. Both he and his cat wanted to find and kill the wolf responsible for harming its mate, and they also wanted to hold her and never let her go.

“She’s got some deep lacerations to her back, but the head injury is what’s worrying me,” Mark said. He had already started an intravenous line and connected the heart monitor.

Gabriel forced himself to remain professional. It was how he could best help his mate. “Her heart rate and rhythm is stable,” Gabriel said, lifting her eyelids to examine her honey-colored eyes. “Pupils equal and reactive.”

“I’ll get the gurney and we’ll transport her now.” Mark jogged back to the ambulance.

“Did she have any identification, Officer?”

“We have her purse, and her wallet was still inside. Her name is Jordanna Morland. There are no medical alerts noted.”

“Thank you, Officer. We’ll take that with us.” Gabriel reached for his mate’s hand as soon as the officer looked away. He took her delicate hand in his and a growl quietly rumbled through his chest. He was swamped with feelings of both joy and possession in equal measure.

How the fuck am I going to leave your side?

The skin of his hand heated. His entire body began to buzz with excitement. With life. After nearly a hundred years, he finally knew what it felt like to be alive.

He stroked the long wet locks off his from his mate’s face. She was young, with only a few lines around her eyes. Her skin was a light, creamy beige. Mark had placed a dressing to an injury on her left temple, and it was already soaked through with blood.

His own blood heated in anger as he gazed at the injury. There was soon going to be a very dead wolf if he had his way.

“Let’s get her to the hospital,” Mark said, as he moved the gurney alongside her. “She needs a CT scan before they can work on those lacerations.”

“Fuck, I’d forgotten about those. Are they bad?”

“Her back is pretty torn up. She’ll need a lot of suturing. But it looks as though her head took a serious blow.”

After applying a neck brace, they lifted her onto the gurney and took her to their ambulance. “I’ll ride back here with her,” Gabriel said. He needed help and he needed it now.

He would not to be allowed to stay with his mate once they got her to the hospital, but he was not capable of leaving her.

He’d left his pride eight years ago, searching for a way to deal with the crushing guilt that consumed him. He hadn’t spoken to a single member since. Not even his family. But that was before he found Jordanna Morland.

Everything changed the instant he met his mate. He would call on all of his family, all of his pride if necessary, to keep him at his mate’s side.

* * * *

Caine was woken from a deep sleep by the sound of his cell phone. He was tempted to just let it go to voice mail, but work might need him to cover a shift, so he reached blindly for the phone.

“This better be life or death,” he said, his voice a deep grumble.

“Caine, I need your help.”

Recognition shot to his brain, followed rapidly by fear. “Fucking hell. Is that you, Gabe?”

“Yes,” came the terse reply from his brother. Gabriel had left Eminence eight years ago, saying only that he had to get his head on straight.

“Are you hurt?” Caine may have gone to bed with a few too many beers under his belt, but he was stone-cold sober now.

“No.” Caine heard his brother sigh, and knew without having to see him that he was running his hand through his hair.

“Good,” Caine said, calming a little now he knew his brother wasn’t hurt. “Just tell me what you need, Gabe. Whatever it is, I’ll do it.” Caine didn’t want his brother to feel that the eight years with no contact would in any way prevent Caine from helping him.

“I don’t deserve you, Caine. But I thank God I have you as a brother.”

“Drake feels the same, so does Rowan. Tell me what you need.” Caine knew that his younger brother Drake and their cousin Rowan would also drop everything for Gabriel. They all missed him terribly. They had all been waiting for the day he’d come home again.

“I’ve found my mate.”

“Gabe, that’s fantastic. But I need to tell you she may be”

“She’s hurt, Caine,” Gabriel said, cutting him off.

Gabriel couldn’t know how those words affected him. Gabriel had been gone this past year while some of their pride mates had found their mates. Mates that all the siblings shared. He was therefore unaware that he’d most likely found his and their brother Drake’s mate as well.

“I’m in the ambulance with her now. She’s unconscious. She has a head injury that’s the worst of her trauma. She was attacked by a wolf shifter.”

A low snarl bubbled from Caine’s throat, possessiveness swelling in him already. She may be Gabe’s mate alone, but regardless, a shifter had hurt someone he was destined to love in some capacity, and his cat was furious.

“I can’t leave her at the hospital, and they’re not going to let me stay.”

“I’ll call Doc; he’ll clear it somehow for you to stay with her. Where are you? I need to see her.” Caine’s voice came out low and husky with his cat riding him hard to go to its mate. It didn’t need scent confirmation. It needed her.

“I’m in Sheridan, Wyoming. I’m working as a paramedic there. I just met her on a call. We’re heading to Sheridan Memorial Hospital.”

“We’ll be with you in an hour or so.” Caine ended the call abruptly. He had too much to do to explain everything to Gabriel over the phone. If his cat was right, he was about to meet his mate.

He’d seen the way his friends lives had changed when they’d finally found their mates. He was elated that he would now be experiencing that sort of bond with his own mate.

He also had to find and kill a wolf shifter.

What was it about the mates in Eminence? All of them seem to have trouble stalking them.

It didn’t matter. Caine knew that he’d never let anything hurt her again. Dressing swiftly he went to wake his brother and Rowan. Fuck. I didn’t even ask Gabe her name.

* * * *

Gabriel marveled at the miracle Doc Reed had performed. He’d somehow obtained permission for Gabriel to remain with Jordanna until he arrived to take over her care.

He was immensely thankful to be sitting beside his mate’s bed in the emergency room and holding her small, delicate hand. As the only shifter doctor around, Gabriel needed her to be transferred to Eminence under Doc’s care. Nowhere else would they understand about the mating bond.

He knew the mating musk was pouring from him. She’d feel its effects as soon as she woke. It would draw her to him, even though he was a total stranger. He hoped it would be enough to prevent her from sending him away. He didn’t think he was capable of leaving her.

He couldn’t begin to imagine how he’d explain the attraction she was going to feel. As a human she would undoubtedly be confused. He began to hope that Doc would know what to tell her, because he had no fucking idea how to approach a human mate.

The floor began to vibrate, accompanied by sound of boots hitting linoleum. His brother was here, and it sounded as though he’d brought half the pride with him. Gabriel still didn’t understand why Caine was coming—he could have just sent Doc.

Gabriel stood, but kept hold of Jordanna’s hand, as his brothers, Rowan, Doc, and Axel Wilder all stormed into the bay.

“Thank, God, Doc. I’m going crazy here. No one will tell me anything. Oh, and thank you for getting me permission to stay.”

Jason Reed, the town doctor who they all called Doc, was a massive man, standing over six and a half feet tall. “It’s good to see you again, Gabriel. I’ll go and find out what’s happening and arrange for your mate’s transfer to Eminence.”

He left the room as Caine, Drake, and Rowan all approached Jordanna. None of them spoke, but all of their eyes were showing their cats. They glowed with a bright amber light.

“Fuck, Gabe. She smells fantastic,” Drake said. He went to the opposite side of the bed and gently picked up Jordanna’s other hand. He held it to his mouth and kissed it reverently.

Caine stood beside him, and embraced him in a one-armed hug. He enclosed his and Jordanna’s joined hands with his. “You found her, Gabe. Our mate.”

His cousin Rowan came to stand next to Drake, his hand running over Jordanna’s blanketed leg. He took a deep breath in, and a low growl erupted from his lips. His canines descended to protrude from his upper lip. “No one will ever get close enough to harm her again. We’ll protect our mate.”

Gabriel looked at his family. He had no idea what was happening, but he knew his cat was not even slightly troubled by them all touching Jordanna. It should have been. He’d nearly torn the hand off the doctor who’d sutured her back.

“What’s happening?” he said. This was not making sense to him. Our mate.

Axel Wilder, the pride tracker, stepped farther into the room, and Gabriel hissed at him.

“You’ve been gone quite a while, Gabe. A lot has happened,” Axel said soothingly, holding his palms out to him. “I’m mated now, as is Doc. We have a lot to tell you, buddy.”

Chapter 3

Drake gazed at the unconscious woman he’d now spend the rest of his life loving. She was stunning. Long, honey-blond hair, peaches-and-cream complexion, and the face of an angel. Her hand was small and fine-boned, but the contact was enough to inflame his entire body.

He brought her hand to his lips again and kissed it, inhaling the delicate honeysuckle and lavender scent that was his mate’s. It lit up his entire nervous system like he’d inhaled electricity. He was bound to this woman now. Forever.

Drake tore his eyes away from his beautiful mate to look at his brother. “You look good, Gabe. I’m glad you reached out to us.” He kissed his mate’s hand again. “Not just because you’ve found our mate.” He licked his lips and groaned at the taste of her, his cock hardening instantly.

“How is this possible?” Gabriel asked. “I can scent the mating musk coming from each of you. You’ve all started the bond.”

“My brothers and I all share a mate,” said Axel. “As do the Alpha and his brothers.”

Drake took in his confused expression and smiled warmly at his big brother. “It appears it’s not an uncommon event among shifters. A lot has happened in the last twelve months.”

“The Alpha has a cub, Gabe. He’s six weeks old now,” Rowan said, moving to Drake’s other side and stroking his hand down their mate’s face. “Axel’s going to be a dad in a few weeks, too.”

“I’ve been gone too long,” Gabriel said, looking down at where Caine’s hand still held both his and Jordanna’s. “Congratulations, Axel. I’m really happy for you and your brothers.”

“Thanks, Gabe. It’s really good to see you again.”

Drake had had enough of this mushy catch-up shit. “We can all have a group hug later, Gabe. What the hell happened here tonight?”

Gabriel told them what he knew of the attack on their mate, and the death of the other shifter. Luckily her cries for help had saved her life. His brothers looked as ready as he was to hunt down the wolf responsible.

“Axel’s here to try to pick up the wolf’s scent. He needs to have something of…” Drake looked down at his mate. “Fuck, we haven’t even asked you if you know her name.”

“Her name is Jordanna Morland, and she’s twenty-six years old. That’s all I know.”

“Jordanna. It’s beautiful, like her,” Caine said.

“I need to see if I can detect the wolf’s scent on Jordanna’s clothes,” Axel said.

Gabriel reached under the bed and handed Axel the sealed evidence bag containing Jordanna’s clothes. “The police haven’t been by to collect this yet.”

Axel opened the bag carefully and inhaled deeply for a few minutes before closing the bag and returning it to Gabriel.

“With all of the rain tonight, there’s little hope of finding his scent at the scene. I’ve got it though, definitely wolf shifter. I’ll recognize him if he comes near Eminence.”

“Thank you for everything Axel, safe trip home. We’ll see you soon,” Drake said.

“That you will. I imagine all of the mates are going to want to meet Jordanna as soon as she’s feeling up to visitors. Remember Finn’s edict.”

“We’ll be glad of the help,” Caine said with a grimace. “I have no fucking idea how to explain our world to her.”

Gabriel looked thoroughly confused by that statement, and Drake couldn’t blame him. So much had changed in Eminence in the last twelve months alone, let alone the eight years he’d been gone.

“The Alpha and his brothers are all mated to a human and they didn’t explain the mating well,” Drake said. “She ended up running from them. Finn has since made it law that Shana, at least, be present to help explain shifters to any future human mates.”

“We made a bit of a mess of explaining it to our mate as well,” Doc said, coming to stand next to Jordanna’s bed. He chuckled, and Drake saw the look of shock on Gabriel’s face. Until recently, no one had heard Doc laugh since he was a boy. “Believe me, you’ll want all the help you can get.”

“You and your brothers are mated, too?” Gabriel asked. Doc nodded, a wide smile on his usually gruff face.

“Being mated suits you, Doc,” Rowan said, walking up to give Doc a one-armed embrace. “I hope fatherhood suits you just as well.”

“You as well?” Gabriel said. “Congratulations, Jason.”

Doc took Gabriel’s outstretched hand and shook it. “Thank you. Bethany will be happier when her morning sickness eases.”

Doc sobered and looked at Jordanna. “Her head injury has caused some swelling in her brain. The effects of which are going to remain unclear until she wakes. We need to get her to Eminence.”

Gabriel and Doc left to organize for an ambulance to transfer Jordanna as soon as possible. Drake felt reassured that with four trained paramedics on hand, as well as Doc Reed, Jordanna would be safe throughout the journey.

He and Caine, along with their cousin Rowan, had joined the paramedics after returning from the service. They’d wanted to help save lives for a while after seeing so much death.

“I can’t believe we’re getting Gabriel back as well as a mate,” Caine said. “It seems she was meant to bring us all together.”

“You’ve changed already, Caine. You’re much more feminine in your thinking,” Rowan said with a laugh.

“Fuck off.”

Drake watched as they each kissed one of Jordanna’s cheeks. She moaned softly, and gripped his hand tightly. He could see her eyes moving beneath her closed lids. Her breathing became rapid and her heart rate spiked, making the alarms on the monitor sound.

“We’ve got you, my darling mate.” Drake bent and kissed her softly on the lips. “You’re safe now. You’ll always be safe now.”

“Nothing can hurt you, Jordanna,” Rowan said, stroking his hand down her arm.

Her breathing slowed and her grip on his hand relaxed. “Whatever she saw clearly terrified her.” He took a deep breath and his cat bristled at the taste of her fear in the air.

Gabriel ran back into the room and looked at the monitors.

“Is she all right?”

“She’s starting to wake up and she’s scared,” Rowan said, continuing to caress Jordanna’s arm.

“That fucking wolf nearly tore the other victim’s head clean off. I’m not surprised she’s scared,” Gabriel said, running his hand through his long hair in obvious frustration. “After witnessing that, it’s not going to make our job of explaining shifters very easy.”

Drake shuddered at the thought of poor Jordanna witnessing such a horrific attack. He hadn’t considered how much more difficult that was going to make their task of explaining the existence of shifters.

“We’ll just have to trust in the pull of the mating bond,” he said.

“I don’t need it. I’m so adorable she’ll be helpless to resist me,” Rowan said, kissing Jordanna on the lips.

“I’ve really missed you, Rowan,” Gabriel said, his lip twitching into a half smile. “I was away so long I forgot how adorable you were.”

* * * *

Rowan picked Jordanna up gently from the hospital bed in preparation for her transfer to the gurney. Gabriel transferred the intravenous infusion and disconnected the leads to the monitors. Holding Jordanna in his arms had his cat purring. She felt wonderful. His heart swelled and his cock followed suit.

When Caine had woken him to tell him Gabriel had found his mate, his cat had come alive in an instant. It had wanted to get to its mate, but Rowan had tried to remain calm and not lay too much hope that she would also be his. He hadn’t wanted to consider what he’d do if she was not his mate. The thought that he’d have to leave his adoptive brothers had simply been too painful.

He’d been raised by James and Anne Prentiss since his parents had died tragically in a rockslide when he was four years old. James was his uncle, and he and his wife had raised Rowan as their own. He’d always felt loved and cherished as a part of their family.

Even though he was a brother to them in every way except genetics, he’d been less than optimistic that he would share their mate. She had now bound him irrevocably to his brothers, and he loved her already for such a gift.

When he’d first walked into the hospital he’d scented her sweet aroma and knew she was his. The scent had rocked him to his core. It had called to both his cat and man, binding them and making him feel centered and whole. She’d made him a mate and a brother just by her existence. She was a miracle and he thanked God that fate had made her for him and his brothers.

She was tall for a human female, but weighed hardly anything. He could easily feel her ribs and spine against his arms. Her skin was creamy white, her hair long and silky as it flowed over his arm. He didn’t want to ever let her go. He stood in place, happily drowning in her scent.

“She’s too fucking thin. Has she been sick?”

“She doesn’t scent as being unwell,” Gabriel said. “But she doesn’t look as though she’s been looking after herself. Are you going to hold her all night or put her on the gurney, brother?”

Rowan smiled widely at Gabriel. “I like holding her. She feels amazing.”

“I can imagine. But we have to get her home before people start to wonder what we’re all doing here with her.”

“True enough.” Rowan reluctantly laid her on the gurney but kept a hold on one of her hands. They had her in the ambulance and were on the road within a few minutes.

The back of the ambulance was cramped with three giant shifters and the gurney. Rowan and Gabriel accompanied a scowling Doc, but they were not put off by his bad mood. They were just happy to be with Jordanna.

“I could have managed by myself,” Doc said for the tenth time, as he shifted a little to try to get more comfortable.

“Would you have left Bethany alone with someone?” The only response Rowan got from Doc was a low snarl. “My point exactly.”

“So you’re mated too, Jason?” Gabriel said. Jason relaxed as he talked to Gabriel about his Bethany. Gabriel had always been a peacemaker.

Rowan tuned them out and focused on the miracle of finding his own mate. The journey to Eminence would soon be over and they would be putting her in their bed.

They’d renovated a huge old house on their parent’s property and had lived there together for the past eight years since leaving the army. Six months ago, after three of the pride’s families had discovered they shared a mate, they had redesigned the upstairs to incorporate a huge master suite.

They’d enjoyed sharing sexual partners in the past and had hoped to be lucky enough to share a mate. The room had yet to be used. They’d saved it for her.

Gabriel being home to share in their mating was a joyful bonus. They’d all missed him terribly and had looked forward to the day he’d feel he could come home again. They understood his feelings of guilt, but knew them to be unwarranted. Unfortunately, he’d had to come to that realization himself before he could hope to move on from the trauma they’d all suffered in that fateful battle.

Chapter 4

Jordanna screamed and tried to get up. She had to get away from the wolf. Away from the man who had become a wolf.

“It’s all right, Jordanna. There’s no danger now. You’re safe.”

The voice was calm and soothing. She jumped when a warm hand gently stroked her cheek. Turning her head toward the voice and blinking wildly she tried to see where she was, but it was just too dark.

“Where am I?’ Her voice came out croaky and hoarse. Her head pounded painfully. She brought her hands up to either side of her skull and rubbed at her head in an attempt to ease the pain.

“My name is Doctor Jason Reed,” said another voice. “You are safe, Jordanna. You’re in Eminence, Colorado. How are you feeling?”

“Colorado?” That made no sense, and why were they keeping her in the dark like this?

“My name is Gabriel Prentiss. I’m a paramedic from Sheridan. I took you to hospital when you were injured. We’ve brought you here for your own safety while you recover. Please, can you tell us how you’re feeling? Are you in pain?”

That was a third person speaking. Despite the pain, she moved her head in the direction he had spoken. She could still see nothing in the dark room.

“You have the most beautiful eyes, darling. They’re the color of honey.”

This was a different person, speaking. She struggled to sit up and cried out as her back burned.

“Let us help, Jordanna, you have a lot of stitches in your back.” Hands gripped her gently behind her upper arms and pulled her upright. She heard the rustling of linen and then she was released. She found herself reclining against soft pillows, the burning in her back eased a little.

That had also been someone new. How many people are here with me? “Has there been some sort of power cut at this hospital? It’s so dark.”

“Excuse me, Drake. I need to examine Jordanna.”

“What’s happening, Doc?” Whoever that was, they sounded like they were in a great deal of pain.

“Jordanna, I’m Doctor Reed. Please call me Jason. I need to shine this light in your eyes. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine, Jason. It’s so dark in here.” Growling erupted all around her and she was instantly back on that wet street with a giant wolf stalking her.

She screamed and tried to get way. She thrashed her arms to prevent it biting her neck. She kicked at the sheets, trying to get up and run away.

“Fuck. Shut the fuck up, you’re scaring her.” Big warm hands grasped her forearms firmly. “It’s Gabriel. There’s no danger here, Jordanna. We won’t let anything near you.”

She tried to slow her breathing, but she couldn’t see that she was safe. She needed to see that the wolf was nowhere near. The warm hands left her arms and held her waist. She was lifted up placed on something hard. She couldn’t mistake the feeling of arms wrapping around her waist. She was pulled back against a hard chest.

“My name is Caine, Jordanna. I’m a paramedic here in Eminence. I’m holding you on my lap. Nothing can harm you here.” His warm breath tickled her ear as he spoke the soothing words. “The doc, Jason, is going to examine you now.”

She listened intently, but heard no more growling. She could only hear the sound of her own rapid breathing. Did I imagine it?

Relaxing a little, she tried to slow her breathing. The man holding her was huge. She rested her hands on the arms that encircled her waist. The arms were hard, muscled, and warm. She flattened her palms against his forearms, absorbing some of that heat into her cold hands. Her hands tingled as they warmed.

“I’m going to shine that light now.” She nodded her head and felt him gently place his fingers around one eye, then the other. She blinked, waiting for him to shine the light.

A cold shiver of dread trickled along her scalp and then down her spine. Someone had said that she had brown eyes. They could see her.

“I can feel your fear, Jordanna,” Caine said, tightening his hold on her waist. “We’re here to help you. You’re not alone.”

“You’ll never be alone, Jordanna. We’ll always be there for you now.” A warm hand took one of hers off Caine’s arm and held it against a hard muscled chest.

“Drake, can I please finish examining Jordanna? If you keep pushing me away, I’ll never finish.”

The chest under her palm vibrated, sending shivers down her arm. Not shivers of fear this time. The rumbling felt nice, almost comforting.

“Fine, I’ll just sit here next to her.”

The bed dipped and her hand was held firmly between two warm hands.

“What time is it? What day?” She really wasn’t sure she wanted to know. There was silence in the room. She didn’t hear anyone moving and Caine was as still as a statue under her.

“It’s Saturday, Jordanna,” Gabriel said, and she flinched in surprise as something brushed her cheek. “You were hurt only six hours ago, it’s eight in the morning.” He was brushing tears off her cheek with his thumb as his warm hand cupped her face.

“I can’t see.” She sagged against Caine as she spoke the words out loud. She used her free hand to touch her eyes. There were no bandages there. Her eyes didn’t hurt when she touched them. “Why can’t I see?”

“It’s Jason, Jordanna. Your eyes are uninjured, but you sustained a head injury last night. Do you remember hitting your head?”

“I remember everything. I saw two men fighting when I was walking home. I crossed the street to avoid them, they were really big guys.” She shuddered as she recalled what happened next. She knew what she’d seen, but who would believe her. She hardly believed it.

“My name is Rowan. My cousins and I are all paramedics. You’re safe with us, Jordanna. We need to know how you were hurt. Did one of the men attack you?”

“How many people are here?” It was very disconcerting to be in a room full of strangers and not even know how many people were there.

“There’re just five of us,” Rowan said. “My cousins are Drake, Caine, and Gabriel. The only other person present is Doc.”

At least she’d met everyone now. “Am I in a hospital?”

“No, honey,” said Caine, squeezing her a little tighter against his chest. “We’ve brought you to our home in Eminence. We thought you’d be safer here.”

“Do you think he’s looking for me? The monster that killed that man.”

* * * *

Caine held his injured mate tight in his arms as dread spread through his veins. As if things weren’t bad enough. He would come for her.

He looked up at his brothers and Rowan. They looked as grim as he felt. The consequences of her witnessing the man shift and kill, as well as her being blind, began to run through his mind.

“Before we have the police interview you, Jordanna,” Doc said. “I would like to do another CT scan to check on the swelling in the temporal lobe of your brain.”

“I have swelling?”

“Yes, but I’m hesitant to say too much more without another scan. I need to investigate your loss of sight. Do you feel well enough to come into town for a scan?”

“I’ll do anything you recommend, Jason. Will I get my sight back soon?”

“I really need to do another scan, Jordanna. I’m sorry I can’t offer you any further reassurances at this stage.”

“Gabe, can you take Jordanna? I’ll go and get the truck ready.” Caine stood with Jordanna in his arms and handed her to Gabriel. She was too thin; she weighed about as much as a child. He needed to speak to Doc.

He followed Doc downstairs and into the kitchen. “What’s happened to her, Jason?”

“I wasn’t lying, Caine. I need to do another scan. The blindness may be temporary. If you claim her, you may be able to reverse the damage.”

“Fuck. We can’t claim her until she knows about us, and after what I think she saw…”

“I know. It’s going to be difficult, Caine, but Melanie was attacked by a shifter and still felt no fear of her mates.”

“She didn’t see her attacker shift and nearly rip a man’s head off.”

“I’ll notify the Alpha. You need to have him and Hunter present before you ask her any further questions about her attack. She doesn’t need to go through it repeatedly.”

“I think we need Shana, too. Jordanna will need to be told about us as soon as possible.”

After Doc left, Caine brought the truck around close to the kitchen door and went to get Jordanna. He was devastated that she’d been injured so badly by a shifter. Her blindness was going to make their explanation much more difficult, but it didn’t affect how he felt about her.

She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her scent called to him on a visceral level, its sweet flavor one that drove him crazy with the need to taste her. He had inhaled her deep into his body as he’d held her on his lap. The scent now something he would crave for the rest of his life. He couldn’t wait to get to know her.

Gabriel carried her to the truck and arranged her on his lap to keep any pressure off her back. Her intravenous line had been removed and she was wrapped in a thick blanket to keep her warm.

“I’m sorry to be causing you all so much trouble.”

“It’s no trouble, angel. We want you to be safe,” Gabriel said, kissing her lightly on the top of her head as he tucked her under his chin.

Drake lifted her legs and draped them across his lap as he sat down next to Gabe.

“Can I ask what I’m wearing?” Jordanna said softly.

“I never thought hospital gowns could look good, but you seem to be pulling it off,” Drake said. She gasped and her creamy cheeks turned pink with a blush. “Especially matched with a pair of Caine’s boxer briefs.”

Caine laughed as he glanced at her in the rearview mirror while he drove. Her cheeks reddened further and she ducked her head against Gabriel’s chest. “We can get you some clothes in town while you have your scan.”

“I really don’t understand why you’ve brought me here. But I’m grateful for you looking after me so well. Thank you.”

“It’s our pleasure,” Rowan said, turning in the seat to look at her. “Do you need to call anyone and let them know where you are?”

Caine’s heart nearly stopped. He had a lump in his chest that was painful. He hadn’t seen a ring on her finger. Had assumed she would be theirs. She’s fucking gorgeous; of course she has a boyfriend. He looked across at Rowan and saw barely contained terror in his eyes.

None of the other mates had been involved prior to meeting their men, but really, how likely was it that a woman as beautiful as Jordanna was single.

“Darn it. I’m supposed to be at work at nine. I’ll need to call my boss.”

Caine tried to speak clearly through his clenched teeth. “No boyfriend or husband out looking for you then?” The words came out low and husky. Dread filled him as he stared at her face in the mirror.

She sighed deeply and sagged farther into Gabriel’s embrace. “I’m widowed. The only one likely to miss me is my slave-driver of a boss.”

Caine heard the inhalations as Rowan and his brothers all started to breathe again.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Jordanna. How long ago did you lose your husband?” Gabriel asked, kissing the top of Jordanna’s head so softly that Caine doubted she’d even felt it. He had a small smile of relief on his face. Caine was sure they all felt the same relief.

“It’s a long, boring story. He died two years ago, but I really lost him six months after we were married.”

“Nothing about your life would be boring to us, Jordanna,” Drake said, caressing her legs over the blanket. “But if it’s too sad to talk about, we’d understand.”

“I don’t really feel comfortable talking to strangers about it.”

Caine was unable to stop the small growl from erupting. When his mate referred to him as a stranger, his cat went crazy. He saw her stiffen and her eyes widened in alarm.

“I keep hearing him,” she said, her voice soft as she wrapped her arms around herself. She began to gently rock back and forth on Gabriel’s lap. Caine could smell fear tainting her sweet scent and felt like a complete asshole.

“There’s no one here except us, Jordanna. That was Caine growling,” said Gabriel. He glared up at him, but Caine couldn’t have felt any worse than he already did. “We all have a habit of growling when we’re upset about something.”

“I’m sorry, Jordanna,” Caine said sincerely, “I didn’t mean to frighten you.” She didn’t answer, just buried her head in her arms and shivered against Gabriel.

Chapter 5

As soon as Drake carried her into the clinic, Jason ushered them to the room with the scanner. The place smelled like a hospital. Disinfectant and medicines. She had never been fond of confined spaces, and not being able to see the walls of the scanner close to her head didn’t mean she couldn’t feel them.

“I’m terrified of small spaces, Jason. Is this going to take long?”

Jason squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry, but without the scan I’m not going to be able to give you any idea of what’s happened to your vision.” She swallowed past the lump forming in her throat.

“I’ll go as fast as I can, Jordanna. It will be quicker if you can manage not to move.” He withdrew his hand and she felt the loss of it immediately. She felt alone in the dark.

She tried to lie still, but was aching to move. She wanted to get away from this whole situation really. She’d just been walking home. She couldn’t believe this had happened to her. Damned Clive. You’re such a shitty boss. I bet you’re cursing me right now because you have to do the damned prep yourself. She was living in this nightmare because of him.

But she really knew it wasn’t his fault. It was just her shitty luck. Fuck. My life sucks.

She refused to dwell on the possibility that she might be permanently blind. She’d let the doctor do his tests before she began to try to imagine all the life changing ramifications that would entail. They were just too numerous to really embrace right now.

Then there was the damned werewolf. She knew it wasn’t possible, but that was what she’d seen. A man had changed into a wolf. A wolf she knew had huge claws. Her back was painfully aware of how real those claws were. She was sore from the nape of her neck right down to her ass. Maybe it was good she couldn’t see exactly what those claws had done to her.

“I’ll just check these images, Jordanna. If they’re all satisfactory, then we’re finished.” Jason’s voice came out of the speaker right by her ear. I want to be out of this damn machine and back in those warm arms. The thought came out of nowhere, and it shook her to her marrow.

She’d sworn off men after her husband’s death. Not because she missed him, but because she felt unable to trust her own judgment. She’d thought Garry was a nice guy. Thought that he’d loved her and that they’d have a wonderful life together. Wrong. All she’d had was years of abuse and misery.

Caine, Drake, Rowan, and Gabriel were kind and caring toward her. “They’re paramedics, you idiot.”

“Do you need something?” Jason said. “I’m all done. I’ll get one of your men for you.” The bed moved and she felt fresh air wash over her face.

She breathed in a sigh of relief to be out of the damn machine. Her men? What an odd thing to say. But even as she thought that, her pussy did a little clench. The unfamiliar but unmistakable feelings of arousal stirred within her. Her men.

She’d thought her sex drive long dead, but it appeared not. She heard footsteps and a door opening. More than one person had entered the room. She took a deep breath in and was rewarded with the smell of pine and forest. The cologne that all the men wore. Her pussy clenched again, harder this time. Sex drive was definitely not dead.

“Let’s get you into the conference room, angel,” Gabriel said. His voice was low and husky, she barely recognized it as his.

“You must be anxious to know what Doc has found on your scans,” Rowan said. His voice also sounded strained.

“What’s wrong? You both sound strange.” She heard a growl then from Rowan. “Are you angry?” They’d said they growled when they were angry.

“No, sweetheart, we’re not angry,” Rowan said, his voice soft, his breath tickling her ear. “You’re just smelling particularly delicious right now.”

She gasped in shock, both from his words and from being suddenly lifted into his arms. She wrapped an arm around his neck for balance as he cradled her against his wide chest, one arm under her knees, the other behind her back. She took a big breath in. Pine forest and musky man. Delicious described him, too.

“Thank you, sweetheart. You have no idea how happy that makes me. But you will shortly,” Rowan whispered into her ear. He nibbled gently on the lobe and she thought she’d melt. Her belly quivered and her nipples hardened.

She used her free hand to feel for his ear. He had soft hair that fell to his collar. “I’m sorry. I think it’s the head injury. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” She’d whispered the words into his ear, but heard Gabriel chuckle. Was he part bat?

“No, angel. Part something much bigger and way cooler,” Gabriel murmured.

* * * *

Drake waited in the conference room at the clinic with Caine while Gabe and Rowan went to get Jordanna. Doc said he’d be a few more minutes as he wanted to call a specialist in California. He didn’t like the sound of that one bit. He hoped that the head injury wasn’t going to prove fatal. He may not have completed the mating bond with Jordanna, but he already knew he didn’t want to live without her.

She was everything to him. She completed him in a way that nothing ever had before and ever would again. She had only been awake a matter of hours, but her sweet soul had already captured his heart. She was adorable, and he couldn’t wait to know everything about her. Excitement and arousal bubbled under his worry for her health.

He heard his brother and Rowan approaching, and scented the wonderful aroma of Jordanna’s musky sweet arousal. The mating musk was certainly working its magic on Jordanna. She was injured and without her eyesight, but the mating bond had still opened her heart and senses to them. Mates were unable to ignore the instinctual attraction they felt for each other. It allowed for open and honest communication and a deep unbreakable bond.

When they entered the room, he could see the flush of arousal on her cheeks. The small smile on her lips made his heart skip a beat. She was so beautiful.

“Doc is calling a specialist out of state,” Caine said. “He’ll be back soon.”

Jordanna’s smile faded, as did the color to her cheeks. Her pupils dilated and she paled instantly. “What’s wrong, Jordanna? Are you going to faint?” Caine asked, rising to meet Rowan and Jordanna.

She swallowed and shook her head. “I’m just anxious about the scan results.”

“We’re here with you, Jordanna,” Drake said. “We’ve arranged for the sheriff to come and take your statement while we’re in town. He should be here shortly.” He saw her shudder as Rowan sat down at the table and wrapped her in his arms.

“I don’t understand why I’m here or why you’re all being so nice to me. This is surely above and beyond the call of duty.”

Gabriel sat down next to her and stroked a hand down her arm to clasp her hand in his. “We understand that this must seem strange. After you’ve given your statement to the sheriff, we’ll explain everything, angel.”

Drake heard trucks pull up outside, followed by the unmistakable sounds and scents of members of his pride approaching.

“Jordanna, it’s Jason,” Doc said as he entered the room. “The sheriff and his brother are here to interview you. Do I have your permission to allow them to hear the results of your scan?”

Jordanna nodded and sunk back against Rowan’s chest. “You only have to tell us what happened this one time, Jordanna,” Drake said. He sat down on the other side of Rowan and held her other hand. She was so cold. Her fear was making her whole body shake.

“Nothing can hurt you now.” He was careful not to growl, but her fear was making his cat swipe and snarl in anger. It wanted to hunt down that damned wolf and end its measurable existence.

She looked in his direction, her eyes wide and shimmering with unshed tears. “I know I’m being a big baby about this, but it’s the last thing I saw. It’s like the images are burned into my brain and I can’t see anything else.”

“Once this interview is over, we’ll help you picture nicer things, sweetheart,” Rowan said. He kissed the top of her head again, and this time she definitely felt it.

“You’re a very affectionate paramedic, Rowan.” She tilted her chin up to look in his direction.

“Only with you, Jordanna. Only ever with you.”

The Alpha and his brother, Hunter, entered the room, leaving the other members of the pride who’d accompanied them in the corridor. Drake knew they would need them soon. Jordanna was looking in the direction of the voices. He couldn’t imagine how awful this must be for her. To be surrounded by strangers in an unfamiliar place.

“I’d like you to meet the sheriff,” Doc said, “then we’ll begin. Is that all right, Jordanna?”

Drake was impressed with Doc’s sensitivity and care. He’d never once excluded Jordanna. He’d follow that example and make sure she never felt separate from anything that was occurring around her just because she was unable to see it.

“Thank you, Jason. I don’t know how good I’ll be at remembering everyone.” She sat up straighter on Rowan’s lap and held tightly to his hand. Drake’s cat grumbled a satisfied purr that she was reaching out to him for support.

“My name is Hunter Frederick, I’m the sheriff of Eminence. It’s nice to meet you, Jordanna.”

“I’m Finn Frederick. We’re all very sorry you’ve been hurt. We will endeavor to have this completed as quickly as possible so your men can take you home to rest.”

“Everyone has been very caring, thank you.” She held his hand tightly and Drake squeezed it back in reassurance.

“I have reviewed your scans,” Jason said as he came to stand directly in front of Jordanna. “There is still a considerable amount of swelling in your brain, particularly around your optical cortex. This has caused what is known as cortical blindness.”

“Is this type of blindness permanent, or will it go away once the swelling goes down?” Jordanna asked, her voice was calm but Drake could feel her trembling.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you definitively right now. However, I’ve consulted with a specialist and we’re both of the opinion that the loss of blood flow you’ve already sustained to your optical cortex means the blindness will most likely be permanent.”

Jordanna’s only reaction was a shuddering breath and silent tears running down her face. “We’re all going to help you, Jordanna,” Drake said, clutching her hand to his chest.

“Will nothing help?” he asked, knowing Doc understood his unspoken meaning. He’d seen the curative properties of shifter DNA heal grievous injuries in the other mates. He could only hope that their mating marks would heal her, too.

Chapter 6

Jordanna felt as though she was suffocating inside her own body. She wanted to run away and leave her broken self behind. But that wasn’t an option. She’d felt like this before, and knew that railing against the world for all the shit it heaped on her would do no good. Years spent in an abusive marriage had shown her the truth of that.

“I see,” she said, in response to Jason’s diagnosis. Then she realized what she’d said. She may never see again. “Sorry, I mean I understand. Thank you for all you’ve done, Jason.”

The bubbling panic rose again. She had to run. She had to escape this nightmare. But she took a deep breath instead and tried again to reach for the calm, quiet resignation she needed.

“It’s not over yet,” Rowan said, breathing the words into her ear as a whisper. “We have a lot to tell you, sweetheart.”

He hugged her tighter against his massive frame. She wished she could see how big he was. She just knew that he felt huge. She was seated on thick muscled thighs and his arms around her waist were wide and hard.

“I know that this is terrible timing,” Hunter said, “but I need you to tell me everything that happened last night.”

“It’s fine, I understand that you have a job to do.” She pulled herself together, for now, and told them what happened after she left the restaurant last night. It was a short statement. Her whole life altered in the space of a ten-minute walk. Don’t go there yet. Being a blubbering mess will not make me sound credible.

When she got to the part about the man changing into a wolf she paused. Who am I kidding? They’re going to think I’m nuts.

“I don’t know how to tell you the rest.” She withdrew her hands from Gabriel’s and Drake’s hold.

“Just tell us what you saw, Jordanna.” Hunter’s brother Finn spoke for the first time since their introduction. His tone of voice so compelling that she blurted the rest out without hesitation.

“You’ll think it was all due to my head injury, but this happened before I was hurt. I saw one of the men change into a giant wolf. It killed the other man by ripping at his throat with its teeth. When I screamed, it came after me.” She shuddered as she recalled the blood dripping from its jaws as it stalked toward her.

“A werewolf chased me when I ran. That’s what attacked me.” She was actually glad she couldn’t see the expressions of disbelief that must be on their faces. The room was quiet, no one even moved. She imagined them all looking at each other in amusement. They were probably gesturing that she was crazy.

“I don’t care if you think I’m crazy. I know what I saw,” she said, trying not to sound too defensive.

“We know you’re not crazy,” Gabriel said, taking her hand again. Her hand was lifted and she felt him kiss the palm. Electricity shot down her arm at his touch. Her skin heated and tingled at the point of contact. “I clearly scented wolf when I attended to you and the other victim last night.”

“I think we’ve come to the point in our interview where we need the rest of your guests,” Finn said.

Jordanna’s brain was obviously malfunctioning. He scented wolf. What the hell? Were they werewolves, too? That was the only explanation she could think of.

“No, we’re not, honey,” Caine said. She felt a hand stroke down her cheek. “We’re going to explain everything in just a minute now.” She felt the brush of lips over hers, her lips tingling at the light contact. Her body wanted more. Her mind screamed for her to run.

“I know this is all overwhelming,” Drake said, “but we’ll always be honest with you. We can’t ever lie to you.”

“We wouldn’t want to even if it were possible, angel,” Gabriel said. She felt a warm hand press against her sternum. “Feel it in here, we won’t ever hurt you.”

She felt her chest burn where his hand touched her through the hospital gown. Her mind continued to fight against her burgeoning trust of them. She heard people entering the room and felt the air move as they walked past her.

“There are quite a few people here to meet you, Jordanna,” Caine said. “They are also here to help us explain what you saw last night.”

She wanted to run. She was frightened that no one was who they said they were. But logically, if they’d intended to kill her they could have done that when she was unconscious. She suddenly felt claustrophobic. She was trapped and wanted desperately to scream.

Cool hands gently clasped her face. “Breathe, Jordanna. You are safe. No one has deceived you.” The voice was a woman’s. She had a raspy voice that held authority and confidence.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Shana. I am an elder here in Eminence.”

“My name is Peata,” said another female voice. “I’m here with one of my husbands, Calder. Say hello, Calder.”

“Welcome to Eminence, Jordanna. I’m sure you and the other mates are all going to be good friends.” His voice was deep and grumbly. It came from the other side of the conference room.

Jordanna thought she probably looked ridiculous, swinging her head in all different directions, when she couldn’t see anything anyway. But surely it would be rude if she just stared straight ahead.

“You’re doing really well, sweetheart,” Rowan whispered in her ear.

“I’m not. I didn’t understand a thing anyone just said except their names.” She was trying to remain calm, but her fear was spiraling out of control again. Husbands—plural. An elder, and what the hell was a mate?

“That’s because we haven’t told you anything yet,” Peata said, her voice light and reassuring.

“Shana, I think Jordanna needs to hear from you first,” Finn said.

“Yes, Alpha. As you saw last night, Jordanna, there are people in the world who can change forms and become that of an animal. A wolf, for example.”

“A werewolf,” Jordanna murmured. At least they don’t seem to think I’m crazy.

“Strictly speaking, we are shape-shifters. Most of the things you know about werewolves from films and books is nonsense. Wolves are one type of shifter in the world.”

“We?” Jordanna said, her voice coming out as a squeak. They were all werewolves, shifters, whatever.

“Breathe slowly, angel,” Gabriel said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “You’re going to pass out if you continue to hyperventilate.”

He was right: her ears were already starting to ring. Rowan and Gabriel’s words were somehow still reassuring. She trusted them, despite what she was hearing. Consciously slowing her breathing she focused on what Shana was telling her.

“We are all from a pride of mountain lion shifters that has lived around Eminence for hundreds of years. Finn is the leader of our pride and we call him by his title, Alpha.”

“I only found out about shifters nine months ago,” Peata said, “when I was rescued from a fire by the men who are now my husbands. My mates.”

“You’re married to more than one shifter?” Jordanna had so many questions already but that had been her first. That’s because all four of the paramedics make my toes curl.

“Calder and his brothers are my mates. Shifters only have one mate in the whole of their long lives. We will never want anyone else now that we are mated,” Peata said. “Because I’m human, they married me as well. But being a mate is more binding than any human marriage. No divorce. The love between them is so strong that they die when she does.”

“Fate often gifts siblings with the same mate,” Shana said, holding Jordanna’s face again in her cool hands. “A mate is precious. The added protection ensures them all a longer life together. A mate is also the only one who can give them children.”

“We know that you witnessed a shifter kill a man,” Finn said. “Violence, however, is not the norm for our race. It is also forbidden to reveal ourselves to humans.”

Jordanna was momentarily seized by panic, but then she felt the reassuring squeeze of Rowan’s arms around her waist. They wouldn’t have bothered keeping her alive like this just to kill her for finding out that shifters existed. As she relaxed again she allowed her other senses to give her information.

There had been no tension or anger in the voices that had spoken to her. They’d all been kind and sympathetic. They’d revealed themselves as shifters when they needn’t have. If she had to describe how she felt at this moment, it would be safe. But there was a reason she’d been told everything about these people. She just didn’t know what that reason was.

“Why did that shifter kill someone and attack me?” she asked.

“We don’t know that yet,” Drake said. He raised her hand and she felt him kiss the palm.

“Gabriel said the other victim was also a wolf shifter,” Caine said. “We suspect you were attacked because you saw the murder. Hunter will liaise with the Sheridan police and continue to investigate.”

“Gabriel said he’d brought me here for my safety. Am I still in danger?”

“Yes,” Finn said. “We have the entire pride here to protect you. You would be defenseless back in Sheridan.”

“That’s not the only reason she’s here, Alpha,” Shana said. “She knows we didn’t reveal our nature as shifters for her protection.”

Jordanna couldn’t suppress a smile. “Either you’re psychic, Shana, or I have a terrible poker face.”

“I don’t believe I’m psychic. I’ve just learned to read people very well in the last three hundred years or so.”

“Oh my God, you mentioned you had long lives. But are you really three hundred years old?”

“She won’t say how old she is,” Peata said. “According to Finn’s parent’s she’s been saying she’s three hundred since they were children.”

“And my parents are a hundred and fifty,” Finn said.

“My age is not the reason we are all here this morning,” Shana said calmly. “We needed to inform you about shifters because of your relationship with the four young men of the Prentiss family.”

“We know you’ve only just met them this morning,” Peata said.

“Which is why I don’t have a relationship with them,” Jordanna said firmly. She heard the growls from Drake and Gabriel, and felt Rowan’s chest vibrate against her spine. She didn’t feel the same fear as she had earlier. The wolf wasn’t in the room.

“Of course you don’t,” Shana said soothingly. “But you must admit to feeling some sort of attraction to them. All of them.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Peata said. “Perhaps we should talk in private for a few minutes?”

* * * *

Caine watched Rowan reluctantly place Jordanna on a chair as they all left the clinic’s conference room.

“We’ll come back whenever you need us, sweetheart,” Rowan said. “We have exceptional hearing’ even when we aren’t cats. Just speak our names and we’ll hear you.”

“Really, Rowan,” Shana said sharply. “I think she’ll be fine without you for a few minutes.”

Caine would have laughed at Rowan’s behavior if he hadn’t felt equally reluctant to leave Jordanna’s side. He scented anxiety from all his brothers. They would remain insanely possessive like this until the mating bond was complete. Or maybe forever, if Calder’s behavior was anything to go by. Calder looked ready to kill someone.

As he took another step away from a furious Calder, his thoughts drifted to completing the mating bond. Of marking Jordanna as he made love to her. His cock was hard in an instant.

Drake spoke the instant Caine had closed the conference room door. “Will the mating cure her eyesight, Doc?”

It was a tight fit in the corridor with seven huge shifters standing there, but Caine had no intention of moving farther away from Jordanna. Calder was right by his side. Peata was only a few weeks away from delivering their first cub and he was feral in his protectiveness of his mate.

“Thank you for bringing Peata,” Caine said, acknowledging the man’s discomfort. Calder just nodded. He was still a prickly bastard with everyone except Peata.

“I have seen the shifter DNA heal grievous wounds, Drake,” Doc said.

“But will it heal this sort of optic nerve trauma,” Gabriel said.

“Does it matter to you either way?” Finn said sternly.

“Jesus, Finn,” Gabriel said, his eyes starting to glow. “I wouldn’t care if she was born blind, I want her so badly my body actually hurts. I was thinking of how hard life was going to be for her like this.”

Finn growled low in his throat and Caine saw the fire instantly drain from Gabe’s eyes. “I am still your Alpha, Gabriel Prentiss. I have a duty to care for all of my pride and that young woman is now its newest member.”

“I think there’s a chance she could recover at least some of her eyesight, Gabriel,” Doc continued as though the heated exchange hadn’t occurred.

“We’ll just have to wait then?” Rowan said, thumping the back of his head against the wall. “Is time a factor? I don’t want to rush her into the mating. She needs to get to know us.”

“I can’t answer that with any certainty, but it doesn’t matter, you can’t suggest she be your mate just to regain her eyesight.”

Caine wasn’t alone when he directed a snarl at Doc. He would cherish his mate for the rest of his life. He wouldn’t have her feeling coerced into their mating in any way. His abhorrence to the mere suggestion had Caine’s cat punching its claws from his fingertips.

“I suggest we don’t mention the curative properties of your saliva then,” Doc said calmly, seemingly oblivious to the fact he had four pissed-off cats glaring at him.

“I don’t think you’ll have to wait long,” Finn said with a small laugh. “The mating musk seems to cause a powerful and undeniable attraction between mates.”

* * * *

Jordanna missed the strength and heat of Rowan’s embrace the minute he sat her on the chair. She heard them all leave and felt strangely adrift.

“They are just outside the door, young one,” Shana said. “They won’t be able to leave you for long, so I suggest we get straight down to business.”

“It must be frightening to have lost you sight, Jordanna,” Peata said softly, as she sat next to her and grasped one of her hands.

“It hasn’t fully sunk in yet, I only woke up a couple of hours ago.”

“We need to explain what a mate is,” Shana said. She placed a cool glass in her hand. Jordanna drank the water immediately, only then realizing how thirsty she was.

“Are you sure you’re not psychic?”

“You should see how spooky my mother-in-law is,” Peata said, and Jordanna felt her shudder. “I think it’s a shifter thing.”

“Yes, Neva has a gift.” Shana cleared her throat. “Jordanna, I’m certain the loss of your vision won’t have affected the attraction you feel toward to your men.”

She opened her mouth to deny any attraction, but closed it again.

“It hits you hard when you’re the one,” Peata said. Jordanna imagined Peata had a dreamy look on her face by the wistful tone of her voice.

“Male shifters secrete what is called mating musk if they are lucky enough to meet their mate,” Shana said. “It is an instinctual response that they have no control over.”

“It makes them smell really good,” Peata said. “I was immediately drawn to each of them, and found it extremely confusing.”

“They all smell like the forest, and like…” Jordanna didn’t know how to describe the unusual attraction she felt for them.

“Like you want to taste them,” Peata finished for her.

“Exactly. Does that make me sound weird?”

“The musk affects human mates as strongly as shifter ones,” Shana said. “It’s just confusing for humans as you don’t know what’s happening to your bodies.”

“Some shifters never find their mate, so when they do, it’s an exciting time for them.” Peata giggled as she paused. “Not just because we make them horny, but because they feel so lucky. The bond between mates is unbreakable. They are fiercely protective, too.”

Jordanna was reeling. They’d told her so much that she didn’t know where to start with all the questions she now had.

“We will leave you with your mates in a moment,” Shana said, “and they can answer all those questions you have.”

“Before we leave, is there anything you would rather ask a woman?” Peata asked, patting her hand gently. Jordanna could think of about a hundred, but what really scared her was the fact she was attracted to four men. She’d sworn off relationships after her disaster of a marriage, and that had been with one man.

“How many husbands do you have, Peata?”

“Three, they’re all brothers. Finn’s mate, Melanie, is mate to all four Fredrick brothers and my friend, Bethany, is mated to Doc and his two brothers.”

Jordanna still couldn’t speak the words for what she was thinking. She’d read novels about ménage relationships, but had never met anyone involved in one. Let alone imagined being in one herself.

“I was new to this type of relationship, too,” Peata said quietly. Jordanna could swear she heard pain in her voice.

“We’ve said quite enough now, Peata. Her men can answer all her questions now,” Shana said. Jordanna felt her move behind her.

“It’s all right, Shana, I can see that Jordanna is troubled by this.” Jordanna heard Peata take a deep breath in and she got the feeling that she was somehow distressing the woman. Before she had a chance to speak, Peata continued.

“I was drugged and assaulted when I was eighteen and spent the next four years too terrified to be in the same room as a man. But I could be near my men right from the first moment I met them. I felt safe with them. Honestly, except for my mates, I still have trouble being close to men.”

“I’m so sorry, Peata. For both your being attacked, and for you having to talk about it now.”

“You’re going to be one of my closest friends, Jordanna. I want you to know about me. You needed to know how truly powerful the mating bond is. Ultimately, it’s your choice to accept it or not, but the pull is very hard to resist.”

“You have the choice to accept their call, or walk away,” Shana said. “You’re safety is guaranteed no matter what you decide. No one in our pride would ever harm you and we’ll continue to protect you.”

“Thank you both for talking to me and for your honesty. If I decide to accept the mating I may have more questions that only a woman can answer.” Jordanna felt her cheeks heating.

“About the sex?” Peata said. Jordanna could have hugged her for understanding without her having to say anything further.

“Would you like to meet for lunch in town tomorrow? I know Melanie and Bethany are dying to meet you.”

“They know about me?” Jordanna couldn’t understand how, when she’d only been in town a few hours.

“Of course. Finding a mate is a really big deal. Melanie would have been here, but she was up all night feeding her new baby and Finn said he’d kill anyone who woke her. Bethany was throwing up all night with morning sickness, so Doc gave her something to stop it. She’s sleeping too.”

“I don’t want to put anyone to any trouble.”

“Believe me, they’ll be on your doorstep at sunrise if I don’t make arrangements for them to meet you.”

“Then thank you, I would love to meet for lunch. Will one of my…” She had no idea what to call them.

“Just call them, your men, or mates,” Shana said kindly, patting her shoulder. “That’s what they are, regardless of your decision to accept them or not.”

“I need to eat. I’m starving,” Peata said. There was a loud crash that made Jordanna jump in her seat.

“Why didn’t you say something, sugar?” Calder said. “We can’t have our cub wasting away in there.” Peata laughed as her hand was ripped from Jordanna’s grasp.

“Put me down, I’m far too heavy now for you to carry me around.” It was then that the pieces all fell into place for Jordanna. Peata was pregnant.

“You’re as light as a feather and I like holding you both in my arms.”

“We’ll see you tomorrow at noon,” Peata said, her voice getting fainter with the sound of retreating footsteps.

Jordanna gasped as she was lifted from her seat by the waist and crushed against a warm hard chest. She knew it was Gabriel.

“We warned you that shifters are a little overprotective of their mates,” Shana said. Jordanna could hear that she was smiling by the tone of her voice. “The Alpha knows how to contact me if you wish to see me again. It’s been good to meet you, young one.”

“Thank you, Shana.” That was all she had a chance to say before her lips were covered by Gabriel’s in a heart-stopping kiss.

Chapter 7

Gabriel felt as though he’d touched heaven when Jordanna opened her lips to his probing tongue. She tasted even sweeter than he imagined. The flavor of her burned through him and ignited his already fevered desire for her. He groaned as he released her lips to allow her to breathe.

“You seemed to have missed me, Gabriel.” His cat purred as it butted against the inside of his mind. His mate had recognized him.

“You knew it was me?” he said, his cat very present in the rumbling growl his voice had become.

“It just felt like you.” She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “But in all fairness, I had a one in four chance of getting it right.” Her smile lit up his world.

“You’re so beautiful, angel.” He rubbed the side of his face over her soft hair. “And yes, I did miss you. It was too long to be away from you.” He didn’t care if he sounded ridiculous, he’d missed her.

“I missed you too, sweetheart,” Rowan pressed up against Jordanna’s back and leaned into nuzzle her neck. Her sharply indrawn breath froze Gabriel’s blood.

“Fuck. I’m so sorry, Jordanna, I forgot about your back.” Rowan had stepped back immediately and looked thoroughly miserable.

Jordanna twisted in his arms and reached out toward Rowan. “Please. I liked having you near. It just hurt a little.”

Gabriel handed Jordanna to Rowan and watched as he carefully held her. She pulled his head down and kissed across his cheek until she found his lips. He moaned and deepened the kiss, not releasing her until they were both breathless. The musky sweet scent of her arousal filled the room.

“I think she’s forgiven you,” Caine said, walking over to stand next to Jordanna. Tilting her head with his hand he found the right angle for his kiss. The scent of her wet heat was making his already hard cock throb with pain. He couldn’t remember ever being so aroused.

“Does this mean your talk with the Shana and Peata went well?” Drake said as he nudged Caine aside to kiss their mate before she had a chance to answer.

“Yes,” Jordanna said, a little breathless when Drake finally released her lips. She rested her head against Rowan’s shoulder. “I’d like to meet them for lunch tomorrow if that suits all of you. They said that Bethany and Melanie wanted to meet me and I’d really like to meet them, too. They think I’ll have more questions by then.”

“We’ll answer all your questions,” Drake said, his eyes flashing with a hint of amber as he grew angry. “We’d never lie to you.”

Gabriel felt his own eyes warm in defensive anger at Drake. He heard her heart rate speed up in alarm, her beautiful eyes grew wide. He wanted to roar at Drake for scaring their mate.

“Don’t be an idiot, Drake,” Caine said, cuffing the back of Drake’s head. “She wasn’t doubting us. She wants to ask them about the sex.” Caine was smiling broadly, and while Gabriel’s cat was very pleased she was thinking about them sexually, he didn’t like her obvious embarrassment.

“We’re very attracted to you, Jordanna,” Gabriel said, stepping closer to caress down her blanketed thigh. “But the mating is about more than sex.”

“We’re anxious to know everything about you, sweetheart,” Rowan whispered in her ear.

She sighed before looking up from Rowan’s shoulder. “I’m sorry about the kisses, I don’t know why I did that. It’s not like me at all.”

“To be fair,” Caine said, “Gabe started it.” Caine was still smiling, not sorry in the least that he’d lost control and kissed Jordanna.

“I didn’t mean to lead you on,” she said softly. “I don’t. I mean, I haven’t been with anyone since my husband died.”

“It was just a kiss, darling one,” Drake said. “The best kiss of my life, I might add. The mating bond will drive us all a little crazy at first. I’m sorry for snapping at you.”

Drake kissed Jordanna lightly on the cheek before they all left for home. Home. It actually felt like that again to Gabriel. He’d been alone and miserable for the last eight years, but Jordanna had given him back his family, and his home.

He tried to find the guilt and misery that had haunted him for so long. It was gone. It was more than just finding his mate that had made it disappear. It was also the unconditional love and acceptance his brothers had shown him.

After eight years of silence they had welcomed him back without censure or resentment. They’d deserved better from him. He owed his brothers, his whole family, a huge apology for the way he’d behaved.

* * * *

Jordanna sat in the circle of Drake’s arms for the short drive back to their home. He’d whispered his apologies several times now in her ear. The tickle of his warm breath against her ear and neck was a wonderful sensation. She’d forgotten what it felt like to be turned-on, not that she’d ever felt arousal like this before.

She’d been married right out of high school and had been a virgin on her wedding night. Nothing she’d experienced with her husband had ever made her feel as aroused as these men did. She’d sensed the depth of their desire when she’d kissed each of them. It was as though they’d each branded their names on her heart with just that one kiss.

She’d felt their raw and honest passion for her, and it had been a revelation. She’d thought that her husband’s abuse had meant he’d stopped loving her, but these men had shown her the sad truth with one kiss. He’d never loved her.

They described the town and surrounding area to her as they drove. Their words painting a picture of a mountain area with pastures and forests in her mind. It sounded lovely. As they talked, a heavy weight settled on her heart. The reality of her life now. The fact that she may never see anything again, finally sank in.

Caine was sitting next to Drake with her legs draped across his lap. He’d been stroking her legs while they drove and it drew her out of her thoughts when his hand stilled.

“As shifters we have keener senses than a human,” Caine said. “We can detect the differing aromas produced by emotion. Why are you suddenly feeling sad?”

She didn’t want them to know she’d been wallowing in self-pity. Not that she didn’t have good reason to indulge in the useless emotion, but she just didn’t want to share that fact. She opened her mouth to say that she’d been thinking about her home back in Sheridan, but no words came out.

She heard all of the men growl. It didn’t scare her now, it actually felt nice as the vibrations hit her. Drake’s especially, as she felt his chest vibrate against her side.

“I think we warned you that mates couldn’t lie to each other,” Caine said, stroking his hand up her calf to her thigh. It heightened her excitement and made her nipples tingle.

“That feels nice,” she said. Stunned that she’d spoken the words out loud.

“As we spend more time together, the mating bond grows stronger,” Gabriel said, his voice husky and deep. “It makes all of us more open and honest, which is vital if we’re going to spend a couple of centuries together.”

Those words sent ice spearing through her veins, dousing the fire that Caine’s touch had sparked. She’d be dead in just a few decades. Would they find another mate? Someone else to kiss? Someone else to caress? Jealousy hit her hard as she thought about them touching another woman.

She was in Gabriel’s arms without her having realized the truck had stopped. “I need you to slow your breathing, Jordanna,” he said. She barely heard him over the roar in her ears. “Get me a paper bag, Caine. She’s about to pass out.”

She became aware of a cool wetness on her head. She opened her eyes and was met with unending black. Her confusion vanished the instant she heard Drake’s voice.

“Jordanna.” His voice was strained, almost as though he was in pain.

“Are you hurt, Drake?” she asked, blinking her eyes in a useless attempt to see him. The idea of him being injured overpowered her feelings of self-pity and jealousy.

“Jordanna, you scared the shit out of me,” he said. “Did we frighten you?”

She didn’t want them to know how jealous she’d become, but she couldn’t have them thinking they’d somehow scared her. “No, I just got really sad.”

“That was not sadness, Jordanna,” Gabriel said. His tone was clipped, his arms tightening around her waist. She realized she was sitting on his lap. She leant back against him and moaned as the heat from his chest warmed her bare back.

She felt around with her hands, searching for what she was wearing. She was still dressed in the hospital gown. Lovely. At least she wasn’t naked.

“What were you scared of, Jordanna?” Rowan’s voice held the hint of anger.

“Fine, I may as well just tell you.” She knew she sounded angry, but she couldn’t help it. She was angry with herself.

“I got sad when I realized I’d never see the beautiful scenery you were describing. It finally sank in that I’d never see anything again.”

“That’s…”

“Please,” she interrupted Caine, “I need to tell you everything. My little pity-party was then raided by the jealousy police when I pictured you all with another woman after I was dead.”

There was complete silence. Jordanna felt her scalp prickle and knew with certainty that all four of them were staring at her. She could feel it. She pushed against Gabriel’s arms. She was leaving. This was too embarrassing. She had no idea where she was, or how to affect her escape, she just knew she wanted to be away from their disappointed stares.

Gabriel started to chuckle as he pulled her farther into his embrace. “We really need to explain more about the mating bond to you, angel.”

“My cat is so happy it wants to lick you up like cream,” Rowan said, his joy easy for her to hear.

“I’m sorry you were upset,” Drake said, no hint of amusement in his tone. “Can I get you something warm to drink? Then we’ll explain a few things to you.”

“You have nothing to fear, honey,” Caine said. “For the rest of our lives we’ll only ever be with you.” Caine sounded sincere, but she heard him chuckle and mumble something about storms and teacups.

No one spoke after Jordanna requested tea with lemon. She heard them opening cupboards and smelt the coffee they were making for themselves. She smelt wood burning and felt the room begin to warm. She couldn’t hear wood crackling, but the house had a fire somewhere.

When the chairs scraped and squeaked as the men sat down, Gabriel took her hand and placed it on a warm mug. “We let it sit for a bit, so you shouldn’t burn yourself.” She lifted the cup to her lips, and found they hadn’t filled it to the top either, which was thoughtful, she might have tipped it down herself if they had.

The continued silence began to feel oppressive, and her guilt ate at her. She’d made a huge fuss over men she hardly knew. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. She felt like she’d woken up this morning a completely different person.

“I’m really sorry for my behavior. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“You’re perfect, angel,” Gabriel said, pressing his coffee-warmed lips to the side of her neck. It tingled all the way to her toes. “You’re behaving like a mate, and you have four men, and cats, who are beyond happy with your reaction.”

She found it hard to believe that anyone would be pleased with her overreaction, but he certainly did sound happy. He even felt happy. She could feel the hard length of his penis under her buttocks and it made her want to rub against him.

“Calder nearly ripped my and Caine’s arms off when we had to treat Peata immediately after they’d met,” Drake said. “I can truly sympathize with him now. Even though Doc is mated, with a baby on the way, we were all still growling loud enough to shake the plaster from the walls when he examined you back in Sheridan. We didn’t like another male being near you.”

“I called Caine for help last night, Jordanna,” Gabriel said. “As the paramedic transporting you to hospital, I had no reason to stay with you. But you were my mate, I couldn’t leave you.”

“Doc arranged for Gabriel to stay with you until we all arrived,” Caine said. “We had to bring you here to Eminence. The hospital in Sheridan wouldn’t have understood why four men you’d never met refused to leave your side.”

She could hardly believe it. They really did understand. “When I pictured you with someone else I was filled with anger and jealousy.”

“Nature makes it impossible for a shifter and their mate not to recognize each other,” Rowan said. “Even without your eyesight, you’re drawn to us. Your response to us is beautiful. You’re beautiful.” The empty mug was plucked from her hands as Rowan sealed his lips over hers.

“Nature must also be leveling the playing field by making you blind as well, Rowan,” she said. “I was soaked to the skin before I was attacked, and I’m wearing a hospital gown. I can’t possibly be beautiful.” This time she joined them when they laughed.

“You’ll always be beautiful to us, Jordanna,” Caine said sincerely. “Always.” She was beginning to like the way they spoke of them always being together. It somehow felt right. But then there was the fact that she would die centuries before them.

“Shouldn’t you wait and mate another shifter? I’m going to die so much sooner than you.”

“Sweetheart,” Rowan said, cupping her cheeks with his warm hands. “Once we’re mated, you’ll age at the same rate as a shifter. You’ll live for another two hundred years at least.”

“Even if you didn’t,” Drake said, “we would never touch another woman. The very idea enrages both me and my cat. We mate for life. There will only ever be you.” She remembered now that Peata and Shana had told her that.

“How old are you now, thirty?” She’d felt their faces only briefly as they’d kissed her, but their skin had felt tight and smooth, if a little stubbly.

“Rowan is the baby at seventy-nine,” Gabriel said, kissing her neck again. “I’m the oldest at ninety-three.”

“Caine is eighty-five and I’m eighty,” Drake said.

“No way is that possible. You don’t sound that old and I’ve felt your bodies. You’re all hard and toned.”

“I don’t think you’ve felt my body, Jordanna,” Caine said in a deeply affected voice. “But feel free to rectify that any time you like.”

She snorted a little as she laughed. He’d sounded ridiculous. “If that was your idea of a sultry, sexy voice then you must be an eighty-five-year-old virgin.”

“It’s not my fault you can’t see the killer smile I’m flashing you.”

As Caine shot back the thoughtless retort, the other men’s laughter silenced immediately. You could have heard the proverbial pin dropping.

“Yeah, that would have really sold it for me,” she said, snorting again as she laughed even harder.

Chapter 8

Caine felt like a total asshole. But a total asshole who was madly in love with his mate. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, but his thoughtless quip had held the power to do just that. Jordanna, however, had only thought of him. She’d laughed at his faux pas, and made him fall even deeper in love with her.

As she sipped the fresh mug of tea he’d made her, her stomach gave an audible rumble. “Excuse me,” she said, her cheeks coloring an adorable shade of pink.

“Fuck, it’s nearly lunchtime and we haven’t even had breakfast,” Drake said angrily. “Sorry, my darling. Can I get you something to eat?”

“I’m fine with the tea. Thank you though.”

Jordanna was smiling and Caine could see that she really meant it. She was used to feeling hungry and it made his cat furious. They’d all noticed how thin she was and he needed to know why.

“Don’t you work in a restaurant, Jordanna?” he said. “I’d be enormous eating all that nice food.”

“I can’t afford to eat there, it’s really expensive.”

“Don’t they supply you with food if you’re working there?” Drake said.

Caine began to prepare sandwiches for their lunch. They all needed to eat, especially Jordanna.

“God, no. My boss would sack anyone caught eating the restaurant food.”

“Harsh. Have you worked there long?” Gabriel asked.

As she talked about her co-workers, studying to be a chef and the long hours she worked, she ate three rounds of sandwiches. She didn’t seem to have an issue with eating, so Caine tried to steer the conversation around to finances. If she wasn’t dieting, perhaps she couldn’t afford to eat regularly.

“Are rents high in Sheridan? It’s a much larger town than Eminence.”

“Close to the college they are. I’ve managed to hold onto the small one bedroom apartment my husband and I brought when we first got married. So luckily, I’m not renting.”

“Have you done a lot to it?” Gabriel asked. He tried to keep his tone light, but they all saw through his question. He wanted to know how hard it would be for her to leave Sheridan and stay with them here in Eminence.

“No, it’s even more of a dump than when we brought it six years ago. Garry was full of ideas on how we’d improve it when we moved in after our honeymoon. But in less than six months…”

Caine saw her visibly shiver. As he recalled her comment from earlier that day, about her marriage, his cat became increasingly agitated. He looked at Rowan and his brothers and saw that they were all on alert. With the mating bond stronger now, if they asked about her marriage, she’d answer. The bond made it impossible for mates to keep secrets. The open and honest communication enabled true mates to have long and happy lives together.

Gabriel was the first to speak. His eyes had begun to glow a pale amber. It lit the room around him with his growing anger. “What did he do to you, Jordanna?” That was Gabriel, direct.

Caine had no idea why Gabriel had asked that. But his cat quickly became as enraged as Gabriel’s. This was going to be bad.

“Do you want the long version or the short one?”

“We want the one that tells us the most about who you are.” Gabriel softened his earlier question and it made her smile.

“I was sixteen when we started dating. He was a senior, in his final year, and I thought he was wonderful. My parents didn’t approve, but they didn’t force the issue. They thought it was a crush I’d grow out of.” She took a sip of her tea, and felt around for the table before placing the mug down gently.

“We planned the marriage for right after my high school graduation. I wanted a white wedding, with all the inherent expectations, and that’s what I got. He’d worked at the local hardware store for two years, planning to go to college when I graduated and got a job.”

“Didn’t you want to go to college?” Drake asked. He got up and sat on the table in front of Jordanna, taking one of her hands and holding it to his chest.

“I always wanted to be a chef, but I was happy to work in a diner while he studied to be a teacher. Once he was qualified, it would have been my turn.”

“As you’re studying now, I take it things didn’t go as planned,” Rowan said.

“I worked double shifts most days to pay the mortgage and buy food, so I wasn’t home much. We’d been married about six months when I came home from work early with the stomach flu. Garry was supposed to be in a class, so you can imagine my surprise when I opened our front door to find him screwing my best friend on our kitchen table.”

“What a bastard,” Caine said. He couldn’t stand the hard expression on her face. He squatted next to her and held her free hand in his.

“I had the blinders lifted that day. It turned out he’d never even enrolled in college. He’d been spending his time, and our money, gambling. He beat me nearly unconscious for daring to be upset about his infidelity and lies.”

They were all growling now, the low constant rumble of their combined rage shook the glassware in the nearby cabinet.

“It was a long time ago,” she said in a quiet voice. She squeezed his hand in reassurance. Fuck, she was the one who’d been abused and she was comforting him.

“The time that’s passed still doesn’t make it all right, angel,” Gabriel said, his voice almost unrecognizable with his anger.

“I was so ashamed of my own stupidity that I didn’t tell anyone, not even my parents. I took to avoiding them at the times when my bruising was visible.”

“Jesus, Jordanna,” Rowan said, “he kept on abusing you?”

“How long, Jordanna? How long did it go on?” Gabriel took his arms from around Jordanna and placed his hands on the table. Caine saw why when the scent of blood drew his eyes to Gabriel’s hands. His claws were long and bloodstained where they protruded from his fingertips.

“Too long. But I was so young. At the time I didn’t know what else to do.”

“What did he do to you?” Caine said, his tongue scraping across canines that were now too long for his mouth. Her head fell, her hair shrouding her face.

“Please, Jordanna,” Rowan said in a low voice that dripped with pain. “It’s extremely hard for us to hear that you were abused, but if we have to imagine everything he did we’re liable to go insane.”

“What if it was one of us,” Drake said, kissing her palm reverently. “Wouldn’t you want to know everything?”

“I’m sorry.” She was shaking now, but Caine could only hold her hand and steel himself, helpless to do anything except hear the extent of her suffering.

“As the years went on, he became an alcoholic. He was an angry drunk and I dreaded going home, never knowing what mood he’d be in. I had barely seen my parents in years, but they came to the hospital to get me when he finally went too far.”

Tears dripped onto Caine’s hand. He leaned in and kissed her closed eyes.

“I didn’t go back to our home after that. My parents were wonderful. Garry died of a brain tumor, a year after I’d left him. Unfortunately I hadn’t divorced him yet so any money I have to spare goes to pay off his medical bills.”

“All of it, Jordanna. Explain what ‘too far’ was,” Gabriel whispered into the silent room.

“I was in the hospital a long time. He broke both my legs when I tried to run from him. I sustained a lot of internal injuries as well.”

Caine couldn’t stand it any longer, he growled louder than he ever had before and swept Jordanna off Gabriel’s lap. He held her tightly to him, keeping his hands away from the wounds on her back, and buried his face in the crook of her neck. The scent of her in his arms soothed his cat enough to allow him to speak. “He tried to kill you?”

“The public defender got him off the murder charge as he’d been diagnosed with the brain tumor by the time he went to trial.”

She wrapped her arms and legs around him and gently kissed his neck. It helped.

Drake came to stand behind him and Caine relinquished Jordanna to him. “I wish we’d met you sooner, my darling. We could have saved you years of pain.”

“It’s not your fault,” she mumbled against his chest. “I take responsibility for my own actions. I no longer trust my own judgment though. That’s why I haven’t had so much as a single date since I left him.”

Rowan took Jordanna from Drake and held her close. “I hope that doesn’t extend to us, sweetheart. What do your instincts tell you about us?”

“I’m still scared, Rowan. But I’m drawn to all of you. I feel like I need you all somehow, like I need air to breathe. God, that sounds so pathetic and adolescent.”

“It doesn’t,” Rowan said. “It describes exactly the way I feel about you.” Rowan kissed her lightly on the lips. “I’m sorry, Jordanna, but I’ll kill anyone who ever hurts you. Does that make me sound pathetic?”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” Her cheeks blushed bright pink and Caine knew she was serious. How could anyone have abused such a sweet person?

Gabriel rose and reached out his arms for Jordanna. “Do you have your shit together now?” Rowan said, staring pointedly at the blood that still stained Gabe’s fingers.

Gabriel held up his hands, his claws were retracted, but his eyes were still blazing hotly as he growled at Rowan. “I would also kill anyone who harms our mate.”

* * * *

Rowan loosened his hold on Jordanna and allowed Gabriel to take her into his arms again. She weighed close to nothing. It appeared that her deceased husband was still managing to abuse her. She’d have been able to buy food if she wasn’t paying off the useless bastard’s medical bills.

“I feel like I’ve made you angry,” Jordanna said softly. She was holding herself stiffly in his arms and Gabriel’s cat bristled at the scent of her fear.

“Angel, I’m not angry with you. I’m angry that it happened to you, and I’m ashamed of myself.” He sat down and caressed his hand down Jordanna’s soft cheek. She relaxed a little against him, but Gabriel scented the fear still clinging to her.

“I’ve been a coward these last eight years, and I owe my family an apology.” He looked at his brothers and Rowan. They were all shaking their heads.

“No, Gabe, we understood,” Drake said. “We just hated that you were hurting.”

“We missed you,” Caine said.

Jordanna relaxed a little more and his cat stilled in its agitated pacing inside him. She had no idea how strong she was. He was over four times her age and instead of facing his pain, he’d run off and sulked like a toddler.

“Last night, when I called Caine for help, was the first time I’d spoken to any of my family in eight years.”

Jordanna looked up at him, her sightless eyes clearly asking him why.

“Eight years ago we were all in the same unit of army rangers,” he said, stroking her cheek again, in an effort to calm his beast. The idea that someone had hurt this beautiful woman had his anger threatening to burn out of control.

“We were involved in a battle in Afghanistan that killed the rest of our squad. We were all injured, but our shifter DNA makes us stronger, allows us to heal much more rapidly.”

“Oh God, that’s awful.” She grew very pale. She sat up and pressed her hands to his face. “I need to see, are you’re all okay.”

“We’re all fine, Jordanna,” Caine said. He took one of her hands and held it to his face. “I’m fine.”

“I’m being silly, but I feel I need to make sure.”

“If I hadn’t already seen you naked, I’d be checking every inch of you, after what you just told us.” He was pleased to see some color come back to her too-pale face. He answered the question that was clear in her eyes again.

“I was the one who put you in that hospital gown last night.”

Her mouth popped open, but she didn’t speak. “I thought you’d been in a car accident, Jordanna. You have so many scars.”

“Fuck him,” Rowan said, his growls echoing around the kitchen. “Can we dig him up and kill him again?”

He knew his brother’s rage would be worse when they finally saw Jordanna’s body. He suspected her decision to never date, was not totally due to her fear of making more poor choices.

“I don’t understand why you stopped talking to your family, Gabriel?” she said softly.

“I was in charge of the mission. I felt like I’d failed everyone. I couldn’t stand the guilt I felt over all the deaths and injuries. Every time I looked at my brothers I felt guilty. So I went where I didn’t have to see them.”

“Fuck, Gabe,” Caine said, wrapping an arm around Gabriel. “We all had survivor’s guilt.”

“You should have talked to us, Gabe,” Rowan said, taking Caine’s place and embracing both Gabriel and Jordanna. “We could have helped you.”

“I knew that the second I saw you again last night, and Jordanna’s shown me what real strength and determination is. I never found what I needed by being away because it was here with my family that I would have found the peace and acceptance that I needed to heal.”

“Take it one day at a time, Gabe,” Rowan said. “One step at a time. We’ll do it together.”

“I can’t imagine going through anything that horrible, Gabriel. But I’m so glad you all survived. I’m glad I’m here with you.” She smiled up at him and snuggled her head into his chest. His cat purred and luxuriated in the feel of her, the sharp tang of her fear no longer an irritating scent in the air.

“Oh. Is that purring?” She pressed tighter against him.

“I’ve never done it before, angel. But yes, I believe I’m purring.” She owned him. In a matter of hours, the woman gifted to him by fate, had become the reason he now breathed.

“What does it feel like when you change into the cougar?”

“It feels wonderful,” Gabriel said. “That side of our nature loves to run free. Would you like to feel my cat? He’s dying to feel you.”

“That is so strange. Will it know me?”

“Yes, sweetheart,” Rowan said, taking his clothes off. “It’s still us. It’s just another part of who we are.”

“Rowan, are you taking your clothes off?” Gabriel watched her cheeks grower redder.

“You bet I am. Gabe’s not the only one whose cat is desperate to feel you. Mine wants to roll all over you.”

“Then that wolf… It was really a man that tried to kill me?”

“He was in full control, even when he shifted,” Caine said, pulling his sweater over his head.

“I get to hold you now, Jordanna,” Drake said, lifting her from Gabriel’s arms and sitting down on a nearby chair.

“I could have just walked here, Drake. It was what? Two feet away.”

“You can discuss that with the other mates tomorrow. It seems to be a side effect of the mating bond.” Jordanna smiled as Drake nipped at her neck.

“To be fair, I really wouldn’t have known where I was going.”

“You’re amazing, Jordanna,” Gabriel said. “Aren’t you angry about losing your sight, even if it turns out to be temporary?”

“I don’t think I really believe anything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours. It’s all so overwhelming. When everything stops, it will finally sink in, and then it won’t be pretty.” She sighed deeply. “You don’t want to be around for the fall out. There will be tears, and lots of snot.”

“If you’re in pain, we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, darling,” Drake said, nuzzling her neck.

Gabriel saw her shiver. The hairs on her arms stood to attention. The air became tinged with her arousal. His cat growled its approval and his cock hardened.

Gabriel leaned down and kissed Jordanna, tangling his fingers into her silky soft hair. She gave a startled gasp that opened her mouth. It was too sweet a temptation, so he thrust in his tongue to taste her again. She grasped his shoulders, her fingers curling into his skin, her fingernails pricking him. The small bite of pain made his cock jerk.

Reluctantly releasing her lips, he said, “Will you pet my cat like that, angel?” Her pupils were now dilated, her cheeks flushed a rosy pink. “So beautiful, Jordanna.”

He let his cat take over. Its need to feel her touch was wild and raw inside him. Just like the man’s.

Chapter 9

Jordanna felt the hairs on her arms rise and her skin tingle moments before a warm softness bumped against her hand. Stretching out her fingers, she felt fur.

“So soft,” she murmured, and found unending fur everywhere she moved her fingers. Reaching out with her other hand she attempted to make sense of what she was feeling. She found whiskers, coarse and long with one hand and a firm silky ear with the other. She was touching the head of a huge cat.

“Gabriel,” she whispered and warm breath brushed over her arm as he chuffed a very feline sounding response.

“That’s Gabe,” Drake said. A heavy weight landed unexpectedly on her lap, making she jump. “And that’s Rowan.”

She kept one hand stroking Gabriel’s head and the other she dropped to Rowan’s. Her heart was pounding and she felt short of breath. Not from fear. From excited wonder.

The rumble of a purr vibrated up her legs as she rubbed behind Rowan’s ear like she would a pet cat. “He likes that.”

“He likes your hands on him, I know I would,” Drake said.

She slid off Drake’s lap and knelt on the floor. She was suddenly surrounded by warm fur. The blanket slid from her, but she didn’t feel cold. They rubbed against her while she reached out to stroke whatever part of them she could. Their purring was resonating at a pitch that made her nipples peak and her clitoris throb.

“I want to feel you, too, Drake. Please,” she said, her voice sounding breathy in her excitement. “This is magical. It’s a sensation I’ll never forget.”

“You won’t have to remember it, Jordanna,” Drake said, grasping her face firmly between his hands. “You’re ours.” He breathed the words into her mouth as he kissed her.

He didn’t coax her into a response, he thrust his tongue deep and glided it over her own before breaking the kiss. She gasped at his sudden withdrawal.

“Are you sure you want me to shift as well. You won’t be scared?”

“You said you can smell emotions. Am I scared?”

His laugh was husky. “You smell so good I want to eat you.”

She heard his clothes rustle as they hit the floor seconds later. The prickle of electricity in the air was followed by a hot, wet, rough tongue licking up her cheek.

She laughed out her joy. She hadn’t felt this happy in years and years. “You don’t frighten me, pussy cat.” She reached for Drake and stroked the softness of his furry body.

She had always loved cats. She’d had a Siamese cat growing up that she’d loved to pieces. It had died when she was sixteen and she’d been brokenhearted at the loss. Being an only child, it had been more like a sister to her than a pet.

As the men all rubbed against her she was reminded of how her cat, Paisley, had done the same thing when it had wanted her attention. These cats were much bigger.

Even kneeling she had to reach up to stroke over their backs. Gabriel was the biggest, and his shoulders must have been five feet off the ground.

Drake licked down her back. The hospital gown had gaped open as she knelt to touch her cats. She laughed out loud that Drake had managed to find a piece of skin not covered by dressings.

“You’re so soft,” she crooned to no one in particular, “and you smell amazing. All pine and woodsy smelling.” She buried her nose in the side of Caine’s coat and took a deep breath. “Beautiful, Caine. You smell beautiful.”

As one, they all stopped moving. She stroked Caine’s coat and leant against Gabriel. “Did I do something wrong?” She couldn’t think of what she may have done, but she hoped she hadn’t ruined the magical moment by upsetting them.

A furry head caressed against her cheek and a hot rough tongue licked her neck. “Rowan, your tongue could strip skin from the bone.” She rubbed at the spot he’d licked—it felt as though it was grazed. She absently checked her fingers to see if there was blood on them. “Oh, damn it.”

Darkness, nothing but darkness. She felt her cheeks grow wet as tears spilled from her sightless eyes. She’d been completely lost to sensory pleasure. So immersed in her other senses, that in that perfect moment, she hadn’t needed her sight.

She felt electricity spark against her skin, and then warm hands wrapped around her arms and lifted her against a hard, muscled, and naked chest. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. Did I hurt you?” Rowan said.

“No, why would you even think that?” The words came out thick and hiccupped as she sobbed. Furry heads were rubbing against her legs as growls filled the room.

“You’re crying.”

“I warned you it would happen.” She sniffed back tears. “It just happened a little sooner than I thought.” She reached down and stroked Drake’s head. “I can’t see.” The words were garbled as she continued to sob.

“Jordanna, I don’t think you realize what you did.” Rowan lowered her until she knelt on the floor once more. She felt his naked thighs form a cage around her as he squatted at her back.

“I’m sorry. What did I do?” She felt her tears continue to drip off her chin. She was so caught up in her self-pity that she was having trouble focusing on what he was saying.

“You saw me. You saw each of us. You knew me when I was shifted.”

His words pulled her back to him. How the hell did I know who they were? Leaning back against his surprisingly hairless thighs, she reached out for his brothers. She found them mere inches away.

She stroked over Gabriel’s head. “Gabriel,” she whispered.

Moving her hand she sunk her fingers into the thick fur of Drake’s scruff. “Drake.” Reaching out with her other hand she stroked the side of Caine’s massive head. “Caine.”

“That’s right, Jordanna.”

She felt a shiver run down her spine. She didn’t know how she knew who they were, she just did.

“We haven’t told you anything about the mating,” Rowan said. He stroked his hand down her hair and against the bare skin at her back. “But right now, it doesn’t matter that we haven’t finalized the bond. I can feel mine is already there.” She gasped as he continued to stroke her back. The tingling sensation now a searing fire in her veins.

“You’re already in my heart, Jordanna. I’d die without you now.” Electricity sparked the air. The others had changed back.

“I love you, Jordanna.” Rowan breathed the words into her ear.

“I know that you must feel terrified that your eyesight might never return,” Gabriel said, “but regardless, I’ll follow you anywhere. We’ll all go anywhere you want. We just want to be there with you.” She felt his hands clasp her face and his gentle fingers wipe her tears away.

She felt overwhelmed. It had been a very long day. She was feeling things she shouldn’t be feeling for these men. For any man.

“Why would you want me? Especially now.”

“That’s not the Jordanna we’ve been with all day, darling one,” Drake said. He took her hand and she felt him raise it to his soft lips and kiss her palm. “That’s you mourning for the loss of your vision.”

“I’m so angry that he’s done this to you,” Caine said. “But if you hadn’t been hurt, we may never have found you. You’re the greatest gift we’ll ever be given.” She felt his breath against her cheek before he took her lips in a hard kiss that only left her wanting him more. Wanting all of them.

She sighed deeply when Caine broke their kiss. She was confused and tired. So tired.

“You’re exhausted,” Gabriel said. “We can see you’re about ready to drop. How about a bath and a sleep before tea?”

“A bath sounds wonderful.” She thought of the fact that she was still in a hospital gown. “Do you have something I could wear?”

“We’ll fight to see whose shirt you wear,” Rowan said, his voice low and husky. “We each want you wrapped in our scent.”

“Do you realize that you say the strangest things?” She decided shifters were hilarious as they all laughed at her question.

“Are you feeling up to meeting our parents for tea tonight?” Drake said quietly. “It must be killing our dad to have stayed away this long.” The silence weighed heavily in the air, all four of them very still. She could feel the weight of their gaze on her.

“I’d be honored to meet your parents. Will they mind that I’m not a cat like you?” Her hand shook as she reached for Drake. He held her hand in both of his. It gave her the courage to speak the rest of her fears. “Will they mind that you might be stuck with a blind mate?”

“You see us, Jordanna,” Drake said. “In the most important way possible for a shifter. You see our cats.”

* * * *

Caine ran the bath for his mate. The bathroom off the master bedroom was huge. They had recently renovated it in the hope that they would share a mate as others of their pride had. Having Rowan share in their mating was a surprise, but felt right to Caine.

He should be sporting a huge erection right now. He should be thinking of ways to keep his hands off Jordanna. He was, however, about to bear witness to the evidence of her abuse, so instead of feeling horny he felt a deep simmering anger.

Gabriel walked into the room, and raised an eyebrow at him in question.

“Is it as bad as I think it is?” Caine said, his voice pitched so low that only Gabriel’s shifter hearing would allow his question to be heard.

“Worse probably. But she’s ours now. Nothing will ever hurt her again. Focus on that.”

“Are you all still naked?” Jordanna said softly, carried into the room by Drake.

“It seemed redundant to dress when we were about to take a bath,” Caine said, forcing a lightness into his voice that he in no way felt.

Her cheeks colored beautifully and Drake whispered something in her ear that made her gasp. Drake placed her on her feet and looked to Gabriel, his eyes heating to amber. Caine scented anger, not lust, in the air. He was not alone in his anger at what Jordanna had suffered. He never would be, and that thought helped to calm his cat.

“Is it okay if we all bathe with you?” Caine asked. “We designed this room hoping we’d share a mate, so the bath is big enough for all of us.”

Her cheeks colored further, her creamy pale complexion now bright red. “We don’t have to,” Rowan said, stepping into the bath. “We can show you where everything is, and leave you to have a soak.”

Caine glared at Rowan, horrified at all the ways she could hurt herself in the huge room.

“I don’t mind, if you don’t. I actually don’t want to be alone right now, and Gabriel’s already seen me naked.”

“You just saved Rowan’s life,” Caine said, shaking his head. “I was going to kill him for even suggesting that we leave.”

“You’re safe with us, Jordanna,” Drake said. “We can see how tired you are. We just want you relaxed and clean so you can get some sleep.”

“Thank you. I’m sure I look as grubby as I feel.” She tried running her fingers through her hair, but Caine saw them catch on the knots and dried blood.

“I’m sorry we haven’t had a chance to do this sooner,” Caine said.

Gabriel reached for her hands and brought them to his lips. “We’ll wash your hair, angel. But you couldn’t look any more beautiful to me.”

Gabriel looked at each of them before reaching for the blanket still wrapped around her slight frame. “I’ll just get rid of the blanket and gown. Then I’ll hand you to Rowan. He’s in the bath already and it’s filled to the brim with lots of bubbles.”

She nodded and helped Gabriel unwind the blanket until it dropped at her feet. He spun her around to face Drake and Caine saw the dressings on her back reached from the nape of her neck to the curve of her behind.

He and Rowan both growled. “I’m sorry he hurt you like that, Jordanna,” Caine said. His voice rumbling with the growl of his cat.

Their mating mark would heal those wounds and probably leave very little scarring. Caine had seen its miraculous healing properties on the other mates. He felt a stirring of unease as he thought about the fact they’d withheld that information from her. He felt as though he was lying to her.

She’d been nothing but open and honest with them, and she deserved the same from them. Even if it didn’t restore her eyesight, he felt she deserved to know it was a possibility. As soon as Jordanna was asleep, he’d talk to his brothers.

Gabriel undid the knots at the back of her gown and slipped it from her shoulders. She bowed her head, her long hair hiding her face.

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Jordanna,” Drake said, lifting her chin with his finger. Caine saw his gaze sweep the front of her body. Amber flared instantly, hot and bright in his eyes. His fangs descended, but he kept silent.

“In you go,” Gabriel said. He picked her up and swung her around before handing her to Rowan. Caine saw her from the front for only a few seconds before Rowan sunk under the warm water with her, nestling Jordanna on his lap.

That few seconds had been enough for him to catalogue each and every scar she held. Being a paramedic he had easily attributed each scar to an injury. She’d suffered a collapsed right lung—the scar from a chest tube unmistakable between her protruding ribs. She bore long scars on her thighs caused by compound fractures to both femurs. The scar on her abdomen spoke of a ruptured spleen, the ones on her breasts looked to be knife wounds.

He looked at Drake, certain he must look equally as enraged as his sibling. He couldn’t imagine there would ever come a time he wasn’t incensed by the suffering inflicted on his woman.

The aching in his lungs drew his attention to the fact he’d stopped breathing. Taking shallow breaths, he searched for a way to calm his cat. He is already dead. But the monster who did this had not suffered enough for Caine’s liking.

Chapter 10

Rowan had felt enraged when he’d seen the extent of Jordanna’s injuries, but he’d kept it buried deep for her sake. She didn’t need to know how badly it pained him. She’d already suffered enough.

After their bath, he’d lain in their bed with her until she’d fallen asleep. Having her in his arms had served to calm both man and beast. Dressed in one of his T-shirts and a pair of his boxer briefs, she looked like an angel. He rose carefully and tucked the sheet and comforter around her.

He left the master bedroom without making a sound and went to his room to dress. They’d never used the room before today, but they’d move their clothes in there now that they’d found their mate. He wouldn’t sleep without her now, he craved her too deeply.

He found his cousins in the kitchen, preparing for the dinner with their parents. “Is she still asleep?” Caine said, handing Rowan a mug of coffee.

He nodded and slumped onto a chair at the kitchen table. “This has been some day,” he said softly. The emotional highs and lows had left him feeling drained.

“That’s the worst of it,” Gabriel said, sitting down next to him.

“We need to tell her about the healing properties of our mating marks,” Caine said. He looked angry, as if he expected a fight. He’d get none from him, he agreed wholeheartedly.

“I fucking hate not telling her,” Rowan said. “Even if doesn’t restore her eyesight, she needs to know it’s a possibility.”

“I’m with Rowan,” Drake said, “I hate this secrecy.”

“It feels like we’re lying to her,” Caine said, slamming his knife down onto the kitchen counter.

“I know,” Gabriel said. “But we agreed not to tell her.”

“She deserves better from us,” Rowan said. He felt the hairs at the back of his neck rise in warning.

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

They turned as one to see Jordanna in the kitchen doorway. Her eyes held anger and she scented heavily of pain.

“Jesus, how did you get down here, Jordanna?” Gabriel asked, striding toward her. “You could have killed yourself on all those stairs.”

She thrust her hand up in a stopping gesture and it froze Gabriel in his tracks. “Don’t change the subject. I obviously didn’t break my neck.”

She took a deep breath in. “Have I given you any reason to doubt my sincerity in anything I’ve told you about myself?”

Rowan and his cousins rushed to their mate. She moved back down the hallway, her hand skimming the wall. “We would have scented a lie, sweetheart,” Rowan said. He ached to touch her. To hold her and ease some of her pain. “We don’t doubt anything you’ve shared with us.”

“I see.” She stopped moving and rubbed at the cut on her head. Rowan scented the sweet honeysuckle and lavender fragrance of her blood.

“It’s a shame I can’t do the same then isn’t it? I actually thought I’d judged better this time. What a joke.”

Rowan growled low in his throat and reached for the hand that was rubbing at her head. She took another step back, shaking with anger and distress.

“Don’t you touch me, Rowan. Don’t any of you dare touch me.”

Rowan’s growl strangled to an abrupt stop in his throat. He gaped at Jordanna, and then gaped at his cousins. He hadn’t spoken to her. “How did you know that was me?”

He was tempted to wave his hand in front of her eyes to check if she’d regained her sight. But her unfocused gaze and the way she was smearing blood on the wall as she felt her way farther down the hallway convinced him she that she hadn’t.

“I want to leave. I want to go home now. I won’t tell anyone about you or the wolf.” Tears started to run down her cheeks.

Rowan looked helplessly at his cousins. He had never been in any sort of a relationship before. He knew what he wanted to say, but was afraid of making things worse.

“Well, I see this mating is going about as smoothly as all the others did,” said Anne. Rowan saw by his cousin’s shocked expressions that they’d all been completely oblivious to the arrival of their parents.

“Come on, boys,” said their father, James. “Let’s leave Jordanna and your mother alone for a bit.”

“I’m embarrassed to say I’m their mother. I have no idea how they manage on a day to day basis,” Anne muttered, placing her arm around Jordanna’s shaking shoulders and leading her into the sitting room. “No idea what-so-ever. I swear I didn’t drop any of them on their heads as babies.”

Rowan backed slowly away from his mother and mate until James pulled him sharply into the kitchen by the collar of his shirt. “What in the hell did you boys do to that poor girl?”

* * * *

Jordanna was gently led to a sofa. Her mates’ mother. Mates, what a joke. She felt so foolish to have hoped for better from these men. She should have known life held nothing better for her. She’d never felt like giving up before. Not in all the years she’d spent in an abusive marriage. But the hurt she felt now didn’t compare. It was a hundred times worse.

“My name is Anne. I’m just starting a fire. You’ll catch your death in those clothes.”

Jordanna nodded and listened as the kind woman shuffled wood and finally struck a match. She smelled the match burning, then the wood. She heard the crackle of the flaming wood but felt no heat. She was so cold. Cold all the way to a heart that had dared to begin to warm for four strangers.

The sofa dipped next to her and a warm hand clasped one of hers. “Would you like me to call Doc to come and look at your head? It’s bleeding.”

“No, thank you.” She wanted to say that her head was hurting, because it was. But she felt so flat, so numb. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. She’d only known them a day, how had she allowed them the power to hurt her so badly.

“I’m a shifter, Jordanna. I can scent how deeply you’re hurting. Why don’t you tell me what my fool sons have done?”

“They didn’t do anything, really. I don’t know why I’m feeling so devastated. Maybe it’s the head injury?”

“The look of guilt and fear on their faces tells me they did something, young lady.”

“They lied to me.” But Jordanna wasn’t really sure that was the truth. “They said they’d lied to me by not telling me about healing and marking. I didn’t really understand what they meant. But I heard them talking about it and I just…”

“You felt justifiably hurt, Jordanna. They lied by omission.”

That was it exactly. She felt like they didn’t trust her with something. “I don’t understand what they withheld, but the fact they didn’t trust me feels terrible. I’ve already told them so much. Things I’ve never even shared with my parents.”

“I can understand why they didn’t tell you, Jordanna.”

She recoiled from the woman, standing to run from further betrayal. She’d seemed so nice. Maybe they just don’t like humans.

“I would never hurt my son’s mate. Sit down, Jordanna, and let me finish.”

Jordanna sat straight back down at the authority the woman’s voice held. “Were you a teacher?”

She laughed and took Jordanna’s hand again. “I was actually. But that’s a story for another day. Today I’ll tell you everything I know about the healing properties of shifter DNA.”

Jordanna was amazed as Anne told her about shifter DNA and the way injuries healed in days instead of weeks. She blushed as Anne described how a mating mark was given. The mating bond being cemented with the exchange of semen and saliva during intercourse.

“The wounds to your back will heal in hours leaving no scarring,” Anne said. “I asked Doc about the effect it would have on your eyesight.” Anne paused and squeezed Jordanna’s hand. “He said there was only a small chance it would be restored. But there’s still a chance.”

“Why did they feel they were lying? I don’t understand.” She felt stupid for being upset at them over this. It sounded very much like a secret that shifters would be understandably loath to share.

“They didn’t want you to feel in any way forced into mating them only to then regret it for the next two hundred years.”

Now she understood. It fitted exactly with the way she had perceived them. They were caring, gentle, and sweet. They hadn’t wanted to pressure her. They wanted her to mate them because she loved them, and for that reason alone.

In that moment she knew why she’d been so hurt. She’d already begun to love them and it had made their seeming betrayal cut deep.

She felt her eyes burn and wetness on her face as the tears overflowed. “They love me. Don’t they?” Lesser men would have pressed their advantage. Used the hope of restored eyesight to get her into bed quicker. To bind her to them no matter what. “They’re good men, you must be proud of them.”

“When they’re not upsetting their new mate, I am.”

Anne helped her to stand and with a hand under her elbow, guided her back to the kitchen. Jordanna could smell coffee and hear the rumble of male voices as they drew closer.

“I’m so sorry, angel.” Gabriel suddenly swept her up in his arms and nuzzled his face into her hair.

“We didn’t mean to hurt you,” Caine said, his warm body pressing lightly against the damaged flesh of her back.

Drake and Rowan were kissing her arms where she had them wrapped tightly around Gabriel’s neck, and she wasn’t letting him go.

“I wanted to tell you so badly, sweetheart,” Rowan said, “but we didn’t want to rush you.”

“Mating is forever with us, Jordanna,” Drake said, “we wouldn’t want you to ever regret it.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry I got so angry,” she needed them to understand. “I’ve only experienced pain and deceit from a man who professed his love. I was wrong to think the same of you.”

Caine stroked both his hands lightly across her buttocks. The sensation was unexpectedly erotic. She pushed back against him without thinking and felt the rumble of a growl that was too soft for her to hear. She felt the hard length of his penis as it grew thicker and longer against her ass.

“Oh.” The word breezed into Gabriel’s ear as she buried her head into his neck, and enjoyed the tingling heaviness that she felt between her legs.

“We have company,” Caine whispered in her ear. “Shifter company, and you smell fucking delicious right now.”

She remembered they had mentioned they had enhanced senses, could they smell that she was getting aroused. Shit, their parents are here.

She quickly pulled her butt away from Caine’s very nice erection, only to feel an equally nice erection against her stomach. “Gabriel,” she said with a moan. Her pussy squeezed tight and she felt her juices leak onto her panties. Double shit. Rowan’s boxer briefs. How embarrassing.

“I’m so happy you’ve forgiven us,” Gabriel said. He moaned softly as he set her down on her feet and turned her around. “Jordanna, I’d like you to meet our father, James.”

* * * *

Gabriel stacked the dishwasher and marveled at what a loving family he had. It had felt wonderful to be back here with them all, and he couldn’t believe what a fool he’d been to stay away so long. It had felt as though the last eight years had never happened. His parents had accepted him back with love and affection, never once chastising him for the pain his long absence must have caused them.

Finishing in the kitchen, he turned off the lights and banked the fire for the cold night ahead. As shifters they didn’t feel the cold that much, but he wanted Jordanna to be warm. It had looked like it would snow when they’d waved good-bye to their parents. The property looked beautiful under a layer of snow; he would describe it in detail to Jordanna. If she couldn’t see it for herself, then he’d help her paint a mental picture.

When he arrived in the master bedroom, his heart swelled. The room was dark, but his enhanced eyesight let him see his beautiful mate. She was fast asleep in the center of the custom-made bed. Rowan was curled against her back and she had her head resting on Drake’s chest.

“She went to sleep mid-sentence,” Drake said, playing with a lock of her long hair. “She’s so perfect, Gabe.”

“She is,” Gabriel said. Stripping down to his boxer briefs, he approached the bed slowly. “How are we going to do this? I won’t sleep in another room, but this is a little awkward.”

Caine strode out of the bathroom smelling of toothpaste and mouthwash. “I’ll sleep next to Rowan if it means I’m in the same bed as Jordanna. You can lie across the bottom.”

That seemed like a sensible solution. Gabriel hadn’t slept in the same bed as his brothers since they were kids, but there really was no other way. He could ask the other mated men what they did. He tried to imagine how that conversation would go over with Finn, Calder, or Doc. Best to work it out for myself, I think.

He untucked the comforter and grabbed a pillow before making himself comfortable at the end of the bed. He stroked his hand down Jordanna’s calf. He growled—there was too much bone. “She’s too thin. No more going hungry for our mate.”

“She has a healthy appetite, so it won’t be long until she’s a healthy weight,” Rowan said. “That fucking husband has been abusing her from the grave, and it stops now.”

“I know we can’t rush her,” Caine said, “but what if the delay in mating is going to hurt her chances of regaining her eyesight?”

Gabriel had gone over and over this in his own head all day.

“There’s nothing else we can do, Caine.” Gabriel wrapped himself around Jordanna’s cool feet and felt them begin to warm against his chest. “She knows everything now, so we have to be guided by her.”

“Christmas is only two weeks away,” Drake murmured. “Having you home and having our mate here will make it perfect, Gabe.”

“Let’s make it perfect for Jordanna,” Gabriel said. Tomorrow he would ask her where she wanted to spend Christmas. If she wanted to spend it with her family, then they would have to find room for all four of her new husbands.

“The only thing that will make it perfect is if the bastard who hurt her has ceased breathing,” Rowan said.

Gabriel knew that to be the sad truth. All he wanted for Christmas this year was a dead wolf.

Chapter 11

Jordanna woke up feeling warm and well rested. She opened her eyes and thought, momentarily, that it must be the middle of the night. How the hell am I supposed to know what time it is? Then she felt guilty for her feelings of self-pity. There were millions of blind people in the world, and they managed just fine.

Harden the hell up, Jordanna. You survived psychological and physical abuse. With the help of the four wonderful men she now had in her life she would survive this, too. She would also never stop being thankful for this second chance at life.

She would just need to equip herself with the tools and skills needed to deal with her life the way it now was. Reaching out with her hands she found nothing but empty bed. She knew she’d gone to sleep between Rowan and Drake, and wondered where they were.

“We thought we’d have to kiss you awake like Sleeping Beauty,” Caine said. “I won the coin toss. So I still want my kiss.”

“Are you pouting?” She rolled in the direction of his voice, laughing at how ridiculous he sounded.

“I am. But on me it looks sexy.”

“Delusional again, Caine. But I will grant you a kiss if I get to brush my teeth first.”

“Princesses don’t get morning-breath.” She bounced wildly on the bed before strong hands stilled her. Caine had pounced on her.

He kissed his way across her cheek to her mouth before grazing her lips lightly with his. His breath smelled of coffee and it made her stomach grumble loudly.

“We need to feed you more.” She was gently lifted into his strong arms and she nuzzled her nose against his neck.

“You smell so good, Caine.” She gave in to the overwhelming urge to taste him and darted her tongue out to gently lick his neck.

He stilled and groaned loudly. “Keep doing that and I won’t be letting you out of this bed for hours.”

He tasted sweet. Opening her lips she pressed them to his neck and sucked him into her mouth. She felt him move his head to give her better access as he growled loudly. The vibrations against her skin made her nipples harden and tingle. She sucked harder at his flesh. Her mouth watered at the sweet musky taste on her tongue.

“Fuck. Stop, Jordanna.” His voice was low and demanding. She immediately stopped, reluctantly releasing his skin.

“I’m sorry, did I hurt you? I didn’t mean to. You just tasted so good.” She looked up at him, hoping he could see how sorry she was.

His lips crashed down on hers and he pushed his tongue deep into her mouth. She reached up and grasped his hair. The strands were soft, and long enough for her to grip, as she used them to hold him tight to her mouth.

He tasted of coffee, man, and sex. A desire she’d never known before rose like an inferno in her veins. She burned for this man. She moved against him, wanting to rub her aching core against him.

“Shit.” He stumbled and she fell a little before he caught her up and held her tightly against his hard chest again. “I nearly dropped you. Sorry.”

“I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“You didn’t hurt me, Jordanna. I had to stop you before I came in my pants. That was the one amazing hickey you gave me. I will wear it proudly, my mate.”

She felt her cheeks heat at his words. They said the strangest things. “Really?”

“You are an incredibly sexy woman. Fate was feeling particularly generous when she gifted you to us, Jordanna.”

She lowered her head. She’d been told by her only other sexual partner that she was a cold fish in bed. She’d never experienced the same level of desire for her husband that she just had with Caine.

A finger lifted up her chin. “What’s wrong? Do you doubt me?”

He took her hand and lowered it until she felt his jean covered erection under her palm. It was hard and pulsing. There was no doubting that.

“No, Caine. The way you kissed me was incredible. I could feel how much you wanted me.” She stroked his erection lightly and it twitched in response. His growl was low and slightly pained. It had her core pulsing and aching at its emptiness.

“I will come if you keep doing that.”

Her pussy leaked with her excitement. I want him inside me when he comes. She couldn’t believe that she was having these thoughts.

“It’s like I’m another person completely with you men. My only other sexual experience was with my husband, and…”

“And…” Caine kissed her gently on the end of her nose. “You can tell me anything, or nothing, Jordanna. We have forever to get acquainted with each other.”

She wanted them to know how inexperienced she was. Gabriel was nearly a hundred years old, so she didn’t imagine him, or any of them, was a virgin.

“Garry said I was cold because I never responded to him sexually. He only touched me when he was drunk, and I didn’t want him to touch me then. So I was…reluctant.”

Caine held her close to his chest and she could hear his heart pounding. His breathing was labored. He was angry. She felt herself begin to panic. Anger meant pain.

“Whatever you’re thinking, you better stop. I would sooner die than hurt you. I’m angry at your ex-husband. You know that rape is against the law, even if you’re married?”

“He always said it was my fault that it was so painful. He twisted it all around until I was the one feeling guilty and ashamed.” She could see now what he’d done. But it was years too late. “Should I not have told you?”

“You can tell me anything, Jordanna. I want to know every second of the life you’ve lived before we found you. Everything you’ve shared of yourself so far has just made me fall deeper in love with you.”

“Caine!” She had no words. He loves me? She was scared to admit it, even to herself, but it was there. If she dared to look at the heart her husband had previously shattered she’d see that the love she felt for these men was pasting it back together. She may love them all, and it terrified her.

“We have a luncheon appointment in twenty minutes, Sleeping Beauty. You slept right through breakfast.” She hoped he wasn’t looking at her with disappointment. She just wasn’t able to admit to her true feelings yet. It was too soon, and she was overwhelmed by the intensity of her feelings.

“We have forever, honey.” He whispered the words in her ear as he set her down onto cold tiles. She heard him close the bathroom door.

She worried she’d have to call him back to help her, but he’d set everything out in front of her on the bathroom cabinet. He’d thought of everything, even a hairbrush and hair tie. She didn’t know what color the clothes were that he’d left for her, but they were soft and smelled freshly laundered. She guessed they were sweat pants and a hoodie. They were only a little bit too big for her, so they weren’t their clothes.

Once she’d finished washing and dressing she felt around for the door. The bathroom was massive and she ended up in the shower stall.

“People in Eminence shower without clothes,” Caine said teasingly. “Perhaps they do it differently in Sheridan.”

“Making fun of the blind person. How politically correct of you.” She laughed at their exchange and suddenly found herself squeezed tight between cold tiles at her back and a hard chest against her front.

“You go from beautiful to completely stunning when you laugh, Jordanna.” Caine nipped the skin beneath her ear as he spoke. The clean panties she’d just donned grew damp. “I hope to see you do it frequently from now on.” He growled against her neck. The feeling was extraordinary.

“We better go before I have you appropriately dressed for this shower.” He kissed her lips in a hard, branding kiss. “With me balls deep in your sweet pussy.”

He picked her up as if she were a child and she wrapped her arms and legs around the hard muscle of his torso. As he walked, her core rubbed against him, making her clitoris swell and throb. By the time they reached the last stair she was close to an orgasm.

“You smell like heaven.” Gabriel pressed himself softly against her spine and wrapped his arms around her to fondle her breasts.

“She is a sexual dream,” Caine murmured into her hair. “I nearly came when she gave me a love bite.”

The pressure in her clitoris had built to painful levels and Gabriel’s fingers teasing her nipples were making it worse. “No,” she said, the sound of her voice unrecognizable as her own. She had never felt this frustrated and needy before.

“Do you need to come, angel?” Gabriel whispered, pinching her nipples and biting at the column of her neck.

“I can’t.” She’d swear this writhing creature in Caine’s arms bore no resemblance to Jordanna Morland, the woman who’d never before experienced an orgasm. The woodsy smell in the air grew thick and intoxicating. She knew that all her men were close now.

Reaching out with her right hand, she found Drake and stroked up his torso until she could grasp his neck. With the slightest tug from her, he lowered his head and groaned as she plunged her tongue into his open mouth.

She felt a hand squeeze between her and Caine and slide into her sweatpants. It pressed against her slit, increasing the pleasure even more. “Come, Jordanna,” Rowan said, the words a command as he unerringly found her clit and gently pinched it.

Drake took command of their kiss and stroked his tongue into her mouth as her orgasm hit her. Gabriel kept the pressure on her nipples, making them burn, as Rowan softly circled her clitoris. It drew out her orgasm, her pussy clenching spasmodically for what seemed like hours.

When she came down from her high, there were male bodies all around her. They were caressing her with their hands and placing gentle kisses on her face and neck.

“That was better than anything I’ve ever experienced before. Should I be embarrassed?” The words came out between small pants as she tried to slow her breathing. “Because I’m still too high to feel anything but good right now.”

“You’re funny when you’re all happy and relaxed,” Rowan said, kissing her eyelids. She hadn’t realized she’d closed her eyes.

“You look even more stunning when you come, Jordanna,” Caine said reverently.

“I didn’t think I could.” She looked up toward Caine and felt for his face so she could be sure she was looking right at him. “You understand?”

“I do, honey. I’m glad we’ve dispelled that misconception for you.” He kissed her gently on the lips and walked her into the cold air outside. The cooler air felt wonderful on her damp, heated skin.

She was glad now that she’d told Caine about her sexual inexperience when they’d been alone. She’d have been too embarrassed to talk about it with them all there.

* * * *

Drake followed on Caine’s heels as he walked out to the porch. Judging by the exchange that had just taken place between Caine and Jordanna, he had information about their mate, and it pissed him off to be in the dark about what exactly it was.

Gabriel and Rowan were right behind him, the stony looks on their faces showing they weren’t any happier about being ignorant of something to do with Jordanna.

“Did it snow last night?” she asked. “It’s so cold and quiet.”

Caine sat Jordanna on the porch railing and wrapped the coat Gabriel handed him around Jordanna’s slight frame. He turned to look at them and shook his head. So he wasn’t going to tell them in front of Jordanna. Drake gritted his teeth and nodded his understanding to Caine.

“Yes,” Drake said, handing Caine his woolen scarf for Jordanna. “There’s about a foot of snow on the ground this morning.” Caine’s reluctance to speak about it was unsettling. They obviously weren’t going to like what he had to share with them, but he felt a little calmer knowing he’d find out soon.

His cat, however, grew more enraged. It knew it with certainty that it was not something that had made its mate happy.

“I wish I could see the view, it feels open and smells so clean.”

“We have only three paddocks close to the house,” Gabriel said. “They are fenced in for our horses.”

“You have horses? Are they cold in the snow?” Her eyes were glowing and bright as she turned her head in the direction of the forest. Caine lifted her from the railing and walked down the steps to the truck with Jordanna in his arms.

“I can walk, you know?”

“No shoes, baby,” Drake said, and squeezed her foot through the thick socks Caine had left out for her to wear. “The barn is about a hundred feet from the house. We pass it on the way up the drive. We put the horses in the barn last night.”

“So they’re nice and warm, sweetheart,” Rowan said. “The paddocks surround the house, but on the other side is all forest.”

“We like to run,” Gabriel said. “The forest is full of Colorado blue spruce trees.”

“You mean as mountain lions. You run in the forest as cats. That’s perfect. Do you climb the trees?”

“We’re cats,” Drake said, opening the truck door and climbing in the back, “of course we climb. The maple and birch trees are perfect for climbing.”

“It sounds like a beautiful place to live. You must be glad to be back here, Gabriel.”

“I think I was punishing myself by staying away. I’m very happy to be home again.” Drake could see the calm settle over Gabriel’s face as he gazed out at the forest.

Caine handed Jordanna up to him and Drake fastened her seat belt snuggly around her. “Are you warm enough? We could get you a blanket.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her as close to his body as the seat belt allowed.

“You’re keeping me warm, Drake.” She tilted her face up for a kiss. His heart soared at the simple but openly affectionate gesture. He kissed her soft lips and opened his heart to her. He loved his mate and would die before he let any more pain come her way.

They were late for their lunch, as Caine had to drive slowly on the icy roads. Drake carried Jordanna into the diner and easily spotted the group they were to meet. “Peata is here, with her mate Max,” he said, trying to put Jordanna at ease. She’d been quiet for the drive over and Drake had scented her anxiety.

“It smells wonderful in here. It sounds crowded.”

“There are twenty tables, and they’re all full today,” Gabriel said. “Mind you, our group takes up four tables.”

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Peata said, rising to grasp one of Jordanna’s hands. “Please sit with us. Bethany and Melanie are dying to meet you.”

Drake guided Jordanna into the bench seat at Peata’s table, and she slid over until she bumped into Melanie. “I’m sorry,” she muttered and lowered her head.

“I’m Melanie. You met my husband Finn yesterday. I’m so sorry I couldn’t come and meet you then.”

Bethany leaned across the table and took one of Jordanna’s hands. “I’m Bethany, Doc is one of my husbands, and today I’m here with Samson.”

Once the introductions were made and the food orders placed, Drake talked to Hunter and Samson, but kept a protective arm around Jordanna. She quickly fell under Melanie’s spell. The Alpha’s mate was a bubbly and kind woman, who had the whole pride wrapped around her tiny finger.

Jordanna only seemed sad once, when Melanie was showing them all the latest photos of her baby on her phone. But Melanie’s promise to bring baby Matthew with her next time so Jordanna could hold him had brought the joy back to Jordanna’s face.

Jordanna accepted Melanie’s invitation to go clothes shopping at the town’s department store with the other mates. Drake volunteered to stay in the store with Max, Hunter, and Samson, while Rowan and his brothers went to the store for supplies. They had another mouth to feed, and they could get snowed-in over the coming days.

“I’m buying shoes first,” Jordanna said teasingly, as Drake carried her into the department store.

“We’ll still be carrying you around every chance we get.” He kissed her on the nose and gave her hand to Bethany.

“Thank you for offering to buy me some clothes.” She brushed her free hand over his cheek, the caress made him burn to have her naked under him.

“You need to turn off those eyeballs, Drake,” Samson said, slapping him lightly on the back. “We’re in public.”

Drake shook his head and tried to calm his cat. He’d wait as long as took for her to be ready to mate them, but it was going to be torture. Trying to subtly adjust his painfully erect cock into a more comfortable position, he talked to his friends and watched over his sexy mate. To the human population of Eminence, they all appeared relaxed, but they were anything but, with their mates exposed as they currently were. They assessed each person who entered the store for potential threats to their mates. Their mates were everything to them, they would die, or kill if necessary, to keep them safe.

Chapter 12

Jordanna couldn’t remember ever having so much fun shopping for clothes. The other women were so funny and sweet that she felt like she’d known them for years, not hours.

“I know they meant well, but honestly, who wears pink and orange together?” Melanie said, pulling at Jordanna’s sweat pants.

“Oh my God, is that what color they are?” She should have felt embarrassed, yet she couldn’t help but see the humor in the situation. So she laughed right along with them.

“They may be hot, but they must be color blind,” Bethany said. Jordanna froze when she heard a loud rumbling growl. “They’re not as hot as my men of course. Okay, Samson?”

“He heard that?” Jordanna asked.

“They can see, hear, and smell as well as their cats,” Peata said. “I meant to warn you about their sense of smell. You need to try not to get turned-on in front of other shifters.”

“I found that out last night when their parents came over.”

“Awkward,” Melanie said, laughing along with Jordanna.

“It’s happened to all of us,” Bethany said. “Luckily shifters seem very polite about such things. They never mention it.”

“They wouldn’t want to either,” Melanie said, “or we’d never let them touch us. Fuck, wouldn’t that kill them?”

“Princess, I’m still keeping score for Finn.” Jordanna didn’t know why the other women started to laugh. Hunter had sounded angry with her.

“See what I have to put up with? They’re so bossy,” Melanie said, but she sounded happy.

“You look worried, Jordanna,” Bethany whispered. “Don’t be. Her husbands don’t like her swearing, so Finn spanks her when she does.”

“So she swears at least five times a day,” Peata said, “but only when they can hear her. Let’s go try on these clothes.”

Peata led her into the fitting rooms, with Jordanna laughing as hard as the other women.

“They’ve told me to ask you about being carried everywhere. Are they going to stop doing that now I have some shoes?”

“No,” the other women all answered at once. That was what Jordanna had thought.

Bethany patted her on the arm. “I think they like feeling us in their arms.”

“I like being there,” Peata said wistfully. “You get used to it very quickly.” Jordanna knew what she meant.

“It’s like I’m addicted to them,” Jordanna said. ‘The more I’m with them, the more I need them.”

“That’s because you’re their mate,” Melanie said. She hugged Jordanna around the waist and she could feel how tiny the woman was. “They feel the same way about you. They’d protect you with their lives, too.”

Jordanna felt a tingle go down her spine at the thought of them caring that much about her. No one but her parents had ever protected her.

“So my men are hot?”

“Gabriel is the tallest. He’s nearly as big as Cooper, about six foot five. He has light brown hair and pretty green eyes,” Melanie said.

Jordanna tried to picture that in her mind and added it to what she had felt of Gabriel. “Thank you. I know he feels big and hard, but that’s all I could glean from touching him.”

“Rowan is a little shorter,” Peata said, “about Axel’s height and build. Slim and lean. He’s got olive skin and really dark brown hair, but has the greenest eyes. They shine when he looks at you, Jordanna.”

“Drake is about the same height as Rowan, but really solid, like Samson,” Bethany said. “He has an olive complexion and dark hair like Rowan, but he has dark brown eyes.”

“This is so exciting. I’ve got a mental picture of them now. They sound gorgeous. What does Caine look like?”

“Poor Caine. He has a big nose and hair coming out his ears,” Melanie said teasingly. That made them all start laughing again. Jordanna hadn’t felt this happy and free in years.

It suddenly snapped into place in her mind. I’m home. She’d felt it when she’d been snuggled up in bed with her men, but had refused to accept the reality of what she’d been feeling.

Being here with the other mates in this wonderful town, she could no longer deny it. She’d found her place in the world. The sadness and loneliness she’d carried inside for years was gone, replaced completely with love and friendship.

“Caine’s tall like Gabriel, but slim, with pale skin and dark red hair,” Peata said, their laughter finally slowing enough for her to talk.

“He could have been adopted, except he looks too much like Gabriel, even the same green eyes,” Melanie said.

Jordanna laughed with them, enjoying the unfamiliar happiness. These women were just a joy to be with.

“Excuse me, ladies, but I need to interrupt your scintillating conversation.” The voice was unfamiliar to Jordanna and it was pitched so low it was nearly a whisper.

Jordanna was pushed against a wall and felt the women all move in front of her.

“I think you need to leave, mister,” Melanie said. She sounded furious.

“Then I’ll bid you farewell.” As he spoke the words, Jordanna felt cold hands grasp her arms and pull her from the fitting room. The other women called her name, but their voices trailed away in seconds. Cold air was rushing past, her hair flying around her face.

She could feel the man was running, running fast, but his breathing was slow and even, showing no sign of any exertion.

She moved her hands to his chest and pushed against him, attempting to free herself. His arms were banded tightly around her. No matter how hard she pushed she couldn’t loosen his hold. He isn’t human. She knew it with a certainty that made her blood chill.

Seconds ago she was feeling happy, but now she was terrified. The wolf had found her. She wanted her men. She hadn’t told them that she loved them and now she’d never get the chance.

Fight, Jordanna, you’re blind, but not helpless. She kicked at his legs and reached up to gouge at his face with her fingers. She would fight for the chance to be with her men again.

“Sleep now, pretty one.”

The fight drained instantly from her as her body went limp and she followed his command.

* * * *

Drake and the other men all raced to the fitting room when they heard Melanie’s angry words. Drake’s cat was a snarling beast inside him. It took them only seconds to arrive. They found the women staring at the empty corner of the fitting room, their eyes wide with terror.

“He took Jordanna,” Melanie said, as Hunter wrapped her in his arms. “I’m fine, Hunter, he didn’t touch me. He just took her and ran.” Drake felt his knees start to buckle. He looked in every corner of the fitting room, even at the ceiling. She was gone.

“We pushed her behind us when he appeared at the doorway,” Bethany said, Samson crushing her to his chest. “But somehow he still took her.”

“He ran so fast, Max,” Peata said, her voice tremulous. She looked pale and sweat was beaded on her forehead.

“I’m sorry, Drake. She needs to see Doc.” Drake nodded his understanding as Max gently carried Peata from the dressing room. He knew the health of Max’s mate and cub had to come first for him.

“Which way?” Drake asked, his voice low and filled with the growl of his furious cat. Drake scented nothing but the women’s fear in the air. No unfamiliar scent of human or shifter. Nothing.

“We didn’t see him leave. He just seemed to disappear with Jordanna,” Bethany said. “He did smell funny though.”

“What do you mean by ‘funny’, kitten?” Samson asked, his voice also sounding of his enraged cat.

As a latent shifter, Bethany couldn’t shift, but Drake knew she still had some enhanced shifter senses, her sense of smell being her strongest ability.

“It was new to me, almost floral, but earthy too.”

Drake drew in a breath and caught the scent she described. He’d have thought it was simply part of the store’s ambient scents, like an air freshener, if she hadn’t drawn his attention to it. It was a scent he’d never come across before either.

“It’s no shifter I’ve ever encountered,” Samson said. “Go, I’ll get the others.”

Drake ran, following the distinctive scent of his mate’s fear and the strange scent of this unknown, but soon-to-be corpse. He couldn’t shift until he was out of town, but he ran so fast he’d be all but invisible to any humans he passed.

He was filled with rage. Rage for the creature that had taken his mate from him, and rage at himself for failing to keep her safe.

He knew that Hunter, as the town sheriff, and Samson as ex-special-ops, would mobilize all the necessary help he needed. So he followed his mate’s rapidly fading scent trail to the very edge of town before he surrendered to his beast’s need to hunt, and shifted.

* * * *

Caine, Rowan, and Gabriel drove to the outskirts of town and shifted. They’d been in Hunter’s office with Dane, getting updates on the search for Jordanna’s attacker when Hunter had called to say she’d been taken. Caine felt as though he would explode with the strength of his rage.

Caine had remained silent throughout the drive, consumed with fear and anger, until he’d shifted.

“Have you found her?” The questioned echoed in his mind as they all asked Drake the same question.

“No, and the scent trail is getting fainter. I don’t know what this fucker is, but he’s fast.”

“Axel was at home. You’re heading in his direction, so we have the intruder blocked-in,” Cooper said. As pride enforcer, he coordinated all of the pride’s security. Being able to communicate telepathically when shifted gave the pride a huge tactical advantage when hunting prey. All kinds of prey.

“Thank fuck,” Caine said. Axel and Calder Wilder were the best trackers he’d ever known. Axel would find her.

Gabriel ran past him and disappeared in a blur. He’d forgotten how fast his big brother was, but he’d never seen Gabriel run that fast before.

“We’ve never had a mate in danger before,” Gabriel said.

“He’s stopped with her by the stream at bottom of our summer paddock,” Axel said. “We also have company coming in via helicopter.”

“Is she harmed?” Caine asked, pushing himself to run faster.

“She looks to be unconscious, but I scent no blood.”

Snarls of rage filled both the air and his mind, Rowan’s being the loudest as he ran beside him.

“I’ll kill him slowly,” Rowan said, ice in his tone and rage in his scent.

“Finn is here and I can hear Gabe coming in fast. We have him surrounded,” Axel said.

“This is no creature we have ever before encountered,” Finn said. “Until we know what we are facing, surround him, but no one will approach but me.”

The command went against everything Caine needed to do. He wanted to tear the thing apart for taking Jordanna, but it was impossible to disobey their Alpha’s command.

By the time he and Rowan reached the small clearing by the stream, Finn was stalking up behind a tall, solid-looking man who was standing over a prostrate Jordanna.

The snarl remained in Caine’s throat as they all silently circled close. How a cat as huge as Finn could move soundlessly was a mystery, but their Alpha could do it.

“I didn’t expect to encounter any cats when I began this mission. Had I known, I would have taken appropriate measures.” The man spoke with a cool nonchalance. It didn’t reflect the fear he should be experiencing with an angry, three hundred pound, Alpha mountain lion salivating to tear out his throat.

Finn’s roar shook snow from the trees. “Gabriel, see to Jordanna.”

Gabriel stalked forward to stand protectively over Jordanna. The creature moved three feet away from her, his palms held out in a gesture of surrender. “She’s alive. She appears unharmed,” Gabriel said.

Relief washed through Caine, but his anger didn’t lessen. The creature had to die for touching his mate and trying to take her from them.

“Of course she’s unharmed,” the man said. “I would never harm a human. My mission was only to find and retrieve her.”

Caine growled, low and loud. His hackles rose higher and he shook with the effort of remaining in the tree line. What was this creature? He had seemed to have heard Gabriel as clearly as they had.

“Why did you take this woman?” Finn moved to within inches of the creature, but it remained motionless. Caine could scent no fear emanating from him.

“I’m sorry, but the thoughts of an Alpha remain shielded from me unless we share a blood bond,” he gestured to Finn with his hand. “Either shift back, or speak through one of your pride. Whatever you feel most comfortable with.”

“As much as I am loath to accommodate this pompous prick, I need to find out what sort of a threat he poses to my pride. Cooper, please come closer?”

The huge Beta stalked from between the trees to stand at his brother’s side. Caine was amazed at the lack of concern on the creatures face considering the combined threat that Cooper and Finn posed to him.

Finn shifted in a shower of light and approached the creature. He was a few inches taller than the man but nearly twice as wide. Finn was almost as imposing as a human as he was as a cat.

“Why have you taken a member of my pride from her mates?”

Caine saw fear flicker across the man’s face for the first time.

“I was not told she would be a mate! He’d recovered quickly from his shock and once again appeared coolly arrogant. They had all been witness to his fear and it seemed to make him less of threat. Whatever he was, he knew they were capable of causing him harm.

“But kidnapping a woman who is not a mate is acceptable to you?” Finn’s subsequent growl shook more snow from the trees that surrounded the clearing.

“She is unharmed. She is merely sleeping until I awaken her.”

Finn circled the man in slow strides, making him turn in a circle in order to keep his eyes on the Alpha.

“Interesting. How is it you seem knowledgeable in the area of mountain lion shifters, when I find I am unable to detect what form of being you are?”

“My kind shares in your desire to remain hidden from the human population.”

“Indeed. But that doesn’t answer either of my previous questions. Have you sent the helicopter away?”

Caine had been so focused on the man that he’d failed to notice that the helicopter was no longer approaching.

“I sent a text when I realized I was going to be unable to extract the human from the protection of your pride. At least not without there being bloodshed.” He nodded in Jordanna’s direction and Caine saw red. He took a step closer to the creature who held so little regard for his mate.

Finn fixed him in place with a flash of his amber eyes. Caine froze in place at the edge of the clearing. He ached to go to Jordanna. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it might burst, but he was unable to disobey his Alpha. Finn had placed as few of the pride as possible in harm’s way. He was a good Alpha, but Caine didn’t care about his own life; he only cared about Jordanna’s.

“I meant no disrespect, Alpha. I am simply unaware of the human’s name.”

“Yet you found her.”

“My kind are very good at finding things.” The man smirked, and they all snarled at the disrespect shown to their Alpha.

“That brings us to the crux of the matter. Why did you need to find this mate, and what ‘kind’ are you exactly?” Finn’s steely calm made him appear even more deadly.

“My name is Aiden St. John, I was asked to find this woman by the brother of a wolf shifter to whom I owed a life debt.”

Caine was able to move again. Finn had lifted his command. It allowed him to submit to his craving to be close to Jordanna. Caine was followed to Jordanna’s side by Drake and Rowan.

Caine licked her face, but she remained still. She felt cold under his tongue. “What has he done to her? She’s at risk from hypothermia dressed in these thin clothes.” The growls erupted around him like a chorus as Rowan and Drake joined him in expressing their anger.

Axel, Samson, Michael, Dane, and Calder stalked from the tree line to surround the intruder. No matter what sort of being he was, the eleven of them would still tear him apart if it became necessary.

“Would that be the same wolf that attacked her?” The air frosted with Finn’s breath. The cold air was being further cooled somehow. This creature is full of surprises. Caine hoped they could move Jordanna to safety before a fight ensued.

Caine scented blood and looked at their Alpha. His unsheathed claws now dripped blood onto the light smattering of snow in the clearing.

“No, the brother of the wolf that was killed the night this female was attacked.”

The cold air was still and quiet as Finn assessed the creature called Aiden St. John. Caine could detect no scent of deceit from the creature, but he barely carried any scent at all.

“She has suffered greatly from her attack. Did you not think your actions would further traumatize her?”

“The wolf that was murdered was the Alpha of his pack, and my friend.” Caine finally detected a scent from the creature. Sorrow.

“His brother sought my help in retrieving the sole witness to his murder. I agreed because I have a personal interest in seeing said murderer is punished for his crimes.”

“We have only your word on this. Your seeming reluctance to disclose exactly what sort of being you are hardly engenders trust on our part.”

“Like shifters, my kind has been talked about for millennia. Most of the facts about us have been fictionalized by literature and film to such a degree that it makes it easy for us to hide in plain sight. I am a vampire.” The man drew back his lips to reveal long white fangs where his canine teeth should have been.

Chapter 13

Drake had held Jordanna in his arms on the drive to Doc’s clinic. His higher-than-normal body heat had quickly warmed her and she was now safe in Gabriel’s arms in an examination room with Caine and Rowan standing guard.

He was barely containing his rage as he watched Samson begin his interrogation of the creature who had taken her. While he was glad she was returned to them, he remained enraged that the vampire had somehow rendered her unconscious and they’d been unable to rouse her.

A vampire. Fucking hell. Were aliens, fairies, goblins, and the damned Easter bunny out there as well?

Aiden glanced his way, a small curl to his upper lip.

Finn and Hunter joined them in Doc’s small office and the air grew thick with the scent of anger from all the shifters present.

Calder and his brothers were still in an examination room with Doc. Jason had assured them that Peata and their unborn child were in good health, which was the only thing that had kept Calder from instantly killing the vampire called Aiden St. John.

Aiden was seated behind Doc’s desk, Samson having offered him that seat as it was furthest from the door. He would need to get through a wall of shifter males if he decided to flee.

The vampire looked relaxed, but Drake could still scent sorrow coming from him. He knew his eyes were blazing amber, the heat searing into him with his cat’s fury.

“What have you done to my mate?” Drake said. He could no longer contain his anger and distress. They had been civilized long enough. The vampires reassurance that she was unharmed meant nothing if she remained unconscious.

“One of the gifts of vampirism is the ability to control the minds of humans,” Aiden said, meeting Drake’s fiery gaze with a cold stare. “It allows us the freedom we need to feed and then wipe their minds of the encounter. Thus ensuring our anonymity.”

“What? I ask again. Have you done to my mate?” Drake felt his canines descend and he was about to give his cat free rein to attack the vampire if he chose again to not answer him.

“I apologize, young one. I am attempting to answer.”

He looked sincere, not condescending, so Drake chose not to take offence at his being called “young.” Drake may be eighty years old, but age was a relative thing. He had no sense of what age the vampire himself may be.

“I thought to minimize any distress to the human”—he paused when Drake’s growl slipped out of him—“your mate, as I now know her to be. By placing her mind in a state of sleep until we arrived back in Wyoming.”

“Why hasn’t she woken?” Samson said. He glared at Drake, and he knew Samson wanted Drake to leave the interrogation to him.

“She will remain in that state until I release her mind from my command.” He looked at Drake before he finished his answer. “If I am killed, she will remain asleep for the remainder of her life.”

Drake growled at him again, but was silenced by a flash of his Alpha’s amber glare. “We are a peaceful race by nature,” Finn said, returning his gaze to the vampire. “But we are fiercely protective of all members of our pride. Especially our mates.”

“I will release the mate immediately. I will, however, need to touch her to do this.”

Finn fixed him in place with another glare, just as he was about to leap on the creature. The snarl caught in his throat and it felt as though he’d choke on it.

“As you can see, that is going to be difficult for her mates,” Samson said, moving to stand between Drake and the vampire.

Samson may be huge, but Drake would still try to get through him if the vampire threatened his mate again.

“I thought the wolves protective of their mates,” Aiden said, his tone even and calm. “But your species is truly ferocious in their possessiveness. It rivals that of my own race.”

“We are fewer in numbers than the wolves,” Finn said, speaking for the first time since they’d entered Doc’s office. He was leaning against the door, but he looked anything but relaxed. “It makes finding our mates that much more difficult. If we are lucky enough to find her, she is more important to us than our own lives.”

“My people have more in common with the cats, it seems, than the wolves.” Aiden looked at Finn, who nodded.

“Yes, I have heard that the wolves can take another mate if one dies.” Finn’s lip curled slightly as he said this. Drake felt appalled by this revelation.

What? He looked at Samson and Hunter and saw surprise on their faces, too. Drake’s cat shuddered in disgust at the thought of touching anyone but Jordanna. He had never known this about the wolves.

“We also join our mates in death, young Alpha. Have you found your mate?” Drake watched for any sign of emotion on Finn’s face, but none was betrayed. “I wouldn’t tell you either, had I been lucky enough to have found her.”

Drake finally saw an emotion on the vampires face. It was longing. He wondered again at the age of the creature. He’d waited eighty years for Jordanna. How long had Aiden St. John been searching for his mate?

“Difficult or not. I must touch your mate, Drake.” Aiden looked at Samson, not Drake as he said this.

“I have a few more questions for you,” Samson said, “before I allow you access to one of our mates.” Aiden opened his hands and gestured for Samson to continue.

“Please tell us your objective in taking Jordanna to Wyoming?” Samson had cut neatly to the heart of the matter. Drake wanted this over with. He needed Jordanna both safe and conscious.

“If the young cat would grant me a little more of his patience I will tell you the tale in its entirety,” Aiden said calmly.

Finn fixed Drake with a stare that was no longer a command; it was a question. His Alpha was fully aware of Drake’s torment and allowed the decision on to how to proceed to be his. Drake nodded in agreement. They needed to know everything before he could be allowed near Jordanna again.

At Finn’s nod, the vampire began. “My friend, Liam West, was the Alpha of his pack of wolf shifters. They live in the area around Sheridan, Wyoming. He had been their Alpha for nearly two centuries. I met him a quarter of a millennia ago when he found me near death in the forest on his land. He fed me and saved my life that day.”

“Thus the life debt you mentioned,” Samson said.

“The debt was at the beginning of our acquaintance, he had since become my friend. I was informed two days ago by Liam’s brother, Richard, that Liam had been murdered. He asked for my help in revealing the murderer’s identity by locating the sole witness to the attack. Said witness had apparently disappeared. The scent trail at the hospital clearly marked mountain lion shifters as being involved.”

“Gabriel discovered her to be his mate, and naturally, brought her to pride territory to protect her,” Samson said. Drake noted that he’d revealed nothing the vampire hadn’t already discovered. “Why did this brother not approach our Alpha for assistance? Surely that would have been the logical thing to do.”

“As the witness was taken by your pride, he felt you may have had some involvement in his brother’s death.” Finn’s answering growl shook a few books from the shelves beside Doc’s desk.

Aiden shrugged. “I am not accusing you, Alpha. I am merely telling you why I was sent for the woman. For Jordanna.”

“Why you, Aiden St. John?” Samson asked, his eyes sparking with the intensity of his anger—an anger they all shared at being accused of murder. “Why were you sent for the witness?”

“Another of my gifts is that I carry no discernible scent. I was able to take the woman and leave no trail for you to follow. You would have easily detected the wolves had they come into your territory.”

“But we did track you,” Samson said. He moved to lean over the desk, taking a deep breath. “It’s faint, but it’s definitely there.” Aiden’s surprise at this showed.

“I have never before been detected by a shifter. Another surprise you cats have delivered me.” His smile was warm and genuine. “I was unaware that my captive was a mate. I would not have simply taken her, had I known. I’m sorry for the distress I’ve caused you all. You especially, Drake.”

Drake found his anger abating and found his cat relaxing. It believed the vampire. Drake had to admit that since discovering Jordanna was a mate Aiden had been fully cooperative. Drake had been unable to detect any deceit from him, he’d appeared to answer all their questions honestly.

“If you would wake Jordanna, I think Drake and her other mates would feel more inclined to accept that apology,” Finn said. Samson took the cue and moved to stand at Aiden’s side, ready to escort him from the room.

The vampire rose from the chair and shook his head. “You cats are full of surprises. More than one mate? That was indeed a surprise to me.”

* * * *

Gabriel tensed as he heard a door open and heavy footfalls approaching. Jordanna was sleeping in his arms. Caine and Rowan were seated close enough to have a hand on their lovely mate.

They were all deeply troubled by the revelations of the afternoon. No one had imagined that vampires existed. The shock just compounded when he’d calmly agreed to accompany them to town and answer all their questions. He was a complete surprise in both his existence and his actions.

“A fucking vampire,” Rowan said, rising to stand in front of Gabriel and Jordanna. “He was damn hard to scent. If Bethany hadn’t been there we would never have discerned his scent trail.”

“She was though,” Caine said, coming to stand next to Rowan. “Thank God.”

They all tensed when Samson preceded the vampire into the room. Finn stood close behind him, blocking any means of retreat.

“I need to wake her,” Aiden said, “or she will remain in this state.”

Gabriel joined his brother and Rowan in growling loudly at the creature. He wanted him nowhere near his precious mate.

“I believe he means us no harm,” Finn said.

“He has proved himself quite capable of taking Jordanna at any time, if that were his intent,” Samson said. “He says he needs to merely touch her.”

“If this were Bethany would you be so agreeable,” Rowan said, stepping up to confront Samson.

Samson snarled and threw Rowan against the wall with one swipe of his massive arm. “I would if it meant she would otherwise remain asleep forever.”

Aiden used the distraction to dart forward and place his finger briefly on Jordanna’s forehead. He moved so quickly that Gabriel could barely see him, let alone hope to stop him.

He then stepped smoothly away from Caine’s swiping claws. The speed of his movements made them all appear as though they were moving in slow-motion.

Jordanna’s loud yawn drew his attention away from the vampire immediately. She blinked up at Gabriel. “Are you all right, angel?” His voice came out rough as his cat’s anger at the vampire was close to erupting.

“Gabriel? I was fighting to get away, to get back to you, and here you are.” She raised her hands and ran them up his shoulders and neck to grasp his face. She pulled him down to her lips. The taste of her exploded on his tongue, filling him with happiness.

“I thought I’d never get the chance to tell you that I love you, Gabriel. I love you all.” She reached out and found his brothers and Rowan.

As soon as Gabriel had established that Jordanna was unharmed, he handed his precious mate to Caine, who took her lips in a long kiss, as Gabriel went to stand in front of the vampire.

“I have some things to tell you,” Drake said, coming to stand at the vampire’s side.

Gabriel didn’t lift his gaze from the vampire’s eyes while Drake, Samson, and Finn told them what they had discovered about Aiden St. John and his reasons for taking Jordanna.

“I extend my apologies to you and Jordanna’s other mates for taking her from you. Ignorance is a poor excuse, but it remains the reason for my actions.” Gabriel could detect no emotional scent from Aidan, but if Samson and Finn had decided to trust him, then he would be a fool not to.

He still had other issues with the creature. “Have you led danger here to our mate?” Gabriel watched the vampire run his gaze around the occupants of the room.

“It is abundantly clear that your pride is not involved in the attack on my friend. I am still honor-bound to find his killer.”

Gabriel could scent the sorrow coming from the vampire, as well as the faintest crack in his schooled expression mirroring the emotional tell.

“I wish to ask your Alpha if he’d accept a meeting with my friend’s brother. He is now Alpha, in place of his dead brother.”

“The man who believes me complicit in the murder of his brother?” Finn raised a brow at the vampire.

“I have no doubt of your innocence in the murder of my friend, young Alpha. I will assure Richard of this. If he were allowed to interview the witness, I believe it would make him as certain as I am of your innocence.”

Gabriel growled at both the insult to his Alpha, and to the idea of a wolf shifter getting near Jordanna.

“Are your assurances going to sufficiently convince the new Alpha to come into my lands for a meeting?” Finn looked at Samson.

“I don’t want them anywhere near Eminence, Alpha. Best to hold the meeting somewhere neutral,” Samson said. “Somewhere on the edge of our territory, but defensible.”

“The issue of our involvement needs to be resolved,” Finn said. “I will meet with this new Alpha at the abandoned ranger station, halfway to Grand Springs. Samson will provide you with the coordinates.”

“Jordanna will not be attending,” Gabriel said. He would fight his Alpha on this point if necessary. He didn’t want her near any wolf shifter until he was certain of their intentions.

“No, Gabriel, she won’t,” Finn assured him. Gabriel looked at Rowan and his brothers and saw them all relax a little at Finn’s assurance.

“I would like to be there, Alpha. I need to be there.” Finn nodded in agreement and Gabriel felt immensely relieved. His Alpha understood that he needed to see for himself that the wolves would not present a threat to his mate before he let them close to her.

They left the Alpha with his brother and Samson to make the arrangements with the vampire and his wolves. Gabriel wanted to get Jordanna home.

He drove the truck and Drake held Jordanna in his arms the entire way back to their ranch.

“I can’t believe I slept through a meeting with a vampire,” Jordanna said sleepily. “Was he sparkly? Or was he the kind with a widow’s peak and flowing black cloak?”

“You’re hilarious, little mate,” Drake said, kissing the top of her head. “He looked a bit like Axel, actually.”

“Oh, so gorgeous?” Jordanna laughed as Drake nibbled on her neck growling. “Peata thinks Axel is gorgeous, I’m just repeating what I’ve been told.”

“He was creepier than Axel,” Caine said. He shuddered and Gabriel had to agree. He moved with the grace of a feline, but the lack of scent was unsettling to his cat. Plus he had a feel of age and weariness about him that eclipsed anything he had ever encountered before, even Shana.

The snow had stopped falling, but the temperature had dropped considerably. He needed to collect more wood from the barn so they could have a warm fire going through the night for Jordanna.

As Drake carried the now sleeping Jordanna into the house, Gabriel pulled Caine aside. “Come and get some wood for the fire with me. We need to talk.”

They walked to the barn with Rowan close on their heels. Rowan hadn’t forgotten either that Caine had something still to share about Jordanna’s past.

“You need to tell us what happened with Jordanna this morning,” Gabriel said. Caine didn’t pretend not to understand what they were talking about.

He held up one hand and counted on his fingers. “Five, four, three, two…” Before he got to one, Drake had skidded to a halt beside Rowan.

“She’s on the sofa. I’ve wrapped her in a blanket. She’s fast asleep,” he said.

“What else did that fucking bastard of a husband do to her?” Rowan said, his cat riding him hard, making his voice low and rumbling.

Caine sighed and rubbed at his temples. Gabriel growled. Not at Caine. His cat knew it was about to be enraged. “This morning she experienced her first-ever orgasm,” Caine said, “and I’m sorry it had to be with us.”

Gabriel’s growling stopped suddenly with his confusion. They were all staring at Caine now. Rowan even had his mouth open.

“Jordanna’s ex-husband only had sex with her when he was drunk, and when she was no longer consenting. He was an abusive rapist. I just wish that her prior sexual experiences had been good ones.”

“Fuck,” Rowan said between growls. “I need to kill him so badly.”

Gabriel waged a battle with his cat. It needed to seek vengeance for its mate. He was close to letting the shift take him. To letting his beast free. But he knew logically that it would be futile. There was no longer anyone to punish. He took deep breaths and calmed himself with the knowledge that brain tumors were extremely painful.

“I hope that fucker writhed in pain before he died,” Drake said coldly.

“It’s like you read my mind, brother,” Gabriel murmured.

“Fate chose her for us so that we could make it right. Show her what love really is. The love she rightly deserves,” Caine said. He gathered some chopped wood in his arms and headed back to the house.

“She stayed alive despite what that bastard did to her. We can’t ever forget how strong she is,” Drake said, “or she’ll kick our butts.”

“I don’t know how she’s still so loving and kind,” Rowan said.

Gabriel followed his brothers and Rowan back to the house. The cold air misted his breath and the snow crunched under his boots. He shuddered, not from the cold, but from the fear he felt creeping into his veins. Jordanna was safe in the house, but an ominous dread still plagued him. He stopped and stared at the beautiful vista, letting his feelings form into thoughts.

The fact that the murdered wolf had been an Alpha had been a disturbing discovery. According to Jordanna, the two wolves had been arguing when the Alpha had been brutally murdered. He would only have let a friend close in an argument. The Alpha had been betrayed by a member of his own pack.

He went inside to call his Alpha. They needed to be careful in their dealings with this entire wolf pack. Any of them could be the murderer.

He could almost hear the howl of the wolf that stalked Jordanna as he closed the door behind him. He had no doubt that it would come for her, and it would come soon.

Chapter 14

Jordanna woke to the sound of deep voices. They were mumbling, so she couldn’t understand what they were saying. She tried to sit up, but found herself wrapped up like a cocoon in a soft blanket.

She finally got one arm out, and used it to free herself. As she sat up she felt warmth on her face and could hear the crackling of a fire. Sniffing, she detected the aroma of food and burning wood.

She yawned. “I can’t believe I went to sleep. I must have slept all day.”

“Only another hour, sweetheart,” said Rowan, kissing the top of her head.

“What’s all the mumbling about? Has something happened?” She could picture them all looking at each other and trying to decide whether to tell her or not. “You may as well tell me. I’m sure it has to do with me and my safety. You go all grumbly and snarly when you talk about keeping me safe.”

She was gently pushed back onto the sofa by a huge snarling cat. She laughed out loud and ran her hands through the thick, luscious fur of Rowan’s stomach. He chuffed, his warm breath washing over her face.

“Rowan, I didn’t know a mountain lion could have coffee breath.” She laughed as he chuffed again and licked lightly at the side of her face. He remembered to lick softly so as not to hurt me. Her heart skipped a beat. She loved him so much.

He lowered a little and the warm weight of him covering her felt wonderful. She wrapped her arms around his sides and squeezed him in a hug. Her arms didn’t meet. He was huge. She laughed again as he rubbed his head against her face. It was such a feline show of affection.

She felt his weight lift and then he was gone. He had leaped off her and landed silently on his four feet. Sitting up, she reached out a hand to stroke hard male flesh. Naked Rowan.

“I liked those jeans,” he said, grasping her hand and pulling her to her feet. “But it was worth it to hear you laugh. I love your laugh.”

She was about to answer but he pulled her against him and kissed her deeply. He sucked on her bottom lip as his hands caressed down her back to grip her ass. He pulled her tighter to him, his erection thick and hard against her stomach.

She couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her lips. She just couldn’t resist them anymore. She’d been drawn to them from almost the minute she’d woken up.

The fact that she’d never seen them, and probably never would, had not lessened that attraction. It had heightened her other senses and they had all sparked to life around these four men. She loved the smell of them. The way they felt under her hands, against her skin. She loved the way the sound of their voices rippled along her nerve endings, igniting her passion like never before. They even tasted good, their kisses somehow addictive. She knew she’d never tasted anything as good as them before.

They all felt so hard. Bulging with muscles. She should have been afraid of strong men after what she’d been through with Garry. But they had done nothing but make her feel precious. They didn’t deserve the fear her ex-husband had planted in her heart for all men.

Without another thought she reached around and gripped the smooth round globes of Rowan’s ass, pulling him tighter against her. Her whole body tingled where it touched his naked skin. He was hot and hard, and so sexy.

She gasped as he used her ass to lift her off her feet. He plunged his tongue into her mouth with a groan and she wrapped her legs around him. Her pussy and clitoris were now rubbing against the hard length of his cock and she wriggled against him. It felt so good that she moaned and reached up to pull his face closer as she sucked on his tongue.

Her pussy clenched and it made her feel empty. “Rowan. I’m burning up.” She felt hot and needy. She’d never desired sex before. With Garry it had been painful and frightening. But she wanted to feel Rowan’s skin on hers. No. She needed to feel Rowan’s skin against hers before she screamed with the pain.

Releasing his face, she pulled at her top, trying to get it out from between their bodies. “Please, it hurts.” She was not above begging them to stop the pain. She was going to explode if she didn’t get out of these clothes.

“Have I hurt you, Jordanna?” Rowan sounded horrified, his body stiff with anxiety.

“We’ll help you, Jordanna,” Gabriel said, pressing himself against her back. “Rowan has started the mating, that’s what you’re feeling. You need to be sure.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry, Jordanna. I didn’t mean to…”

“I want you. I want to mate you. All of you. I want all of you to be mine forever. I love you.” She gasped as Gabriel pressed his erection against her back. The fire burned hotter in her veins. The darkness that she’d grown accustomed to in last two days blazed a fiery red.

She had a moment of doubt as the silence lengthened. Did they not want her as their mate? After everything they’d told her she’d thought that they did.

“You have made us the happiest men on the planet, Jordanna,” Gabriel breathed into her ear. She sighed in relief and the inferno fanned impossibly hotter inside her.

“I love you, Jordanna,” Rowan said, crashing his lips back onto hers. She heard the tearing of material and her top was pulled away in pieces. She pressed herself against Rowan’s chest and the burning heat cooled a little as she reveled in the contact. She felt electrified, her body enlivened from the feel of him against her.

There was the sound of more tearing and Gabriel’s naked chest pressed against the length of her back. She cursed the dressings that stopped her feeling most of him, but the parts of her back that he did touch sung with joy at the feel of him.

“I feel better now, but I need more. Please, I need you all.” She reached out her hands, seeking contact with Drake and Caine. She felt a pressure building in her heart but it released when they each took one of her hands. She stroked down Caine’s chest, finding one of his hardened nipples with her hand.

She leaned toward him until her head bumped his chest. Moving her hand she licked the hardened flesh. He groaned and she felt his hand grip some of her hair. “God, what you do to me. I am so hard right now, my sexy mate.” Caine’s voice was low and rough, the rumble vibrating against her tongue.

She pressed her lips around the hard bud and sucked it gently into her mouth. He moaned and she felt him grip tighter at her hair. Releasing her mouth from his nipple, she turned her face up and hoped he took the hint.

He used the hand in her hair, to guide her to his mouth. He licked along her lips before softly kissing her. “I would love to see those lips sucking on my cock like that,” he whispered.

Her pussy clenched again, more juices leaking onto her sweat pants.

They all growled. “You smell so fucking good, Jordanna,” Rowan said, his voice low as his breath came in gasps. He ground his erection against her.

The feel of him and the sound of their growls ignited her senses, making her skin prickle with the need to rub up against them. The need became so acute that she felt pain. Curling her fingers into her palms did nothing to ease the ache to feel them. Any of them. All of them. She needed them all pressing against her. She needed them inside her.

A confusing but primal drive rose inside her. She wanted to scream with frustration. What the hell is wrong with me? The fact that she couldn’t see them drove the need to touch them to a fever pitch.

Or is it the way they smell? She had the urge to bury her face into their hard, warm flesh and breathe the fresh scent of pine and man into her lungs. Into her soul. God, I’m going crazy.

* * * *

Gabriel thought he was going to be permanently disfigured by the zipper that was pressing deeply into his swollen shaft. He had never seen a sexier woman in his life. Jordanna was perfect.

He reached around to hold her perfect breasts in his hands. For such a slight woman, her breasts were large. They nearly filled his hands, the nipples hard and tight against his palms. She groaned and arched her back, pressing her breasts more firmly into his hands.

“We need to go upstairs,” Drake said. He kissed the side of Jordanna’s neck before nipping it with his teeth. “This is where I’ll mark you, my darling.” Jordanna’s flesh broke out in goose bumps. “I’ll sink my teeth in here when I come inside you. Then, you’ll be mine forever.”

“Yes, Drake. I want you inside me.” She moved her hand into his hair and pulled him down for a kiss. They were both breathless when Rowan broke their kiss by walking toward the stairs.

“If you rub your hot, wet pussy along my cock one more time, I’ll be inside you where we stand.” Jordanna blushed at Rowan’s words but moved her hands to his shoulders and wriggled against him.

“You just feel so good, Rowan. I can’t seem to help it.” She pulled herself closer and licked at his neck. “You taste so good. So sweet.”

Gabriel slapped Rowan on the back and ran up the stairs ahead of them. “You were the one who started the mating in the sitting room.”

He heard Rowan groan from down the hallway. Gabriel entered the master bedroom and turned on the light. It was only five in the evening, but the sun had already set. As a shifter, he had great night vision, but he wanted to see all of their gorgeous mate as they made her theirs.

Rowan entered the room and stumbled as Jordanna sucked on his neck. “I have you, angel,” he said, snatching her from Rowan’s arms. He laid her gently on the bed and pulled the sweat pants from her legs.

He had seen the scars left by her ex-husband’s abuse but rage still sizzled through him when he saw them again. He decided to use the rage he may never overcome to strengthen his resolve in keeping her safe from now on.

“You are so beautiful, Jordanna,” he said. “I promise to be a good mate to you.” He knelt at the foot of the bed and caressed his hands up her thighs, not avoiding the long scars that marred her flesh. They were a part of her. They showed her strength. Her determination to live. “So soft. So sweet.” He kissed up the inside of her thighs, as he gently spread them wider.

Drake and Rowan lay down beside her on the bed. Rowan took her lips in a passionate kiss, his hand teasing her nipple while Drake bent his head to her neglected breast. “God, I need you all,” she said. Fisting her hand in Rowan’s hair, she reached out with her other hand. “Caine?”

“I’m here, honey. I was just admiring the view. You’re so perfect.” He knelt by her head and took her outstretched hand. His eyes were shining brightly. Gabriel detected both arousal and anger from him. He saw Caine’s gaze was fixed on Jordanna’s scars. “I ache for you, Jordanna.” He lowered her hand to his cock and moaned as she wrapped her fingers around him.

Having reached the apex of her thighs, Gabriel licked gently at her engorged clitoris. It was pink and wet with her juices. She bucked her hips and moaned into Rowan’s kiss. The first taste of her arousal jolted his body with need. His cock grew impossibly harder. The bite of the zipper was torture.

“You taste so good, angel.” He moved his hands under her buttocks and pulled her against his mouth to lick at the entrance to her pussy.

So delicious. His cat breached his control for an instant, his claws erupting. He loosened his hold on her ass, afraid his claws would hurt her. “I could eat this pussy for days.” She jerked as he sucked lightly on her clitoris one more time. She is perfect. He kissed over her mound and along the scars on her abdomen. “You’re ours forever now, angel.”

Rowan released her lips as he and Drake moved back to let Caine position Jordanna in the center of the bed. Gabriel carefully lowered the fly of his jeans, groaning as his confined erection sprang free. Quickly stripping out of his jeans he knelt between Jordanna’s thighs and lowered himself above her.

“I wish I could see you, Gabriel.” She ran her hand up his chest to his face before cupping his cheek.

“You’d see the love I feel for you shining in my eyes,” he said. “You’d see my desire for you. My need to buried deep inside you.”

She wrapped her legs around him and drew him closer with her heels pressing into his ass. His cock slid into the entrance of her pussy. She was so wet. So hot. So tight.

“Gabriel,” she groaned, and bucked her hips. It drove him deeper inside her. He could feel the walls of her pussy stretching and pulsing around the head of his cock.

“Slowly, angel. You’re so tight.” He pulled out a little and thrust gently forward. Her pussy clamped tight around him as she called his name and came.

* * * *

Jordanna was in heaven, her whole body tingling as she slowly came back to her body. Her limbs felt heavy, and it was an effort to keep her arms and legs around Gabriel.

“Gabriel?” She could feel the thick length of him inside her, the heat of his body on top of her, but he wasn’t moving.

“Angel, you’re so beautiful when you come. You take my breath away.” He kissed the side of her neck and pushed himself a little deeper inside her.

“You’re not all the way in yet?” She had only felt his cock against her back, and it had felt impressive, but she was stretched so tight it was becoming painful. “You have to be. I feel so full.”

“I’m not even halfway. Do you need me to stop?” He stilled again and she felt him tense above her.

Fuck and damn. How small a dick did my useless excuse for a husband have? Their chuckles told her she’d spoken out loud again. She didn’t have a chance to feel embarrassed. She was burning again. The languid feeling she’d had after her orgasm was gone. She needed him inside her, around her. She just needed.

“Don’t stop, Gabriel.” She reached for his face and drew him down to her mouth. She connected with his nose, and moved her lips lower to his soft full lips. He groaned and she sighed as he started to slowly rock into her again.

She pulled him deeper with her heels again. She released his mouth and pulled him tight against her with her arms. She licked his neck, the taste of him sweet. She grew wetter, the slide of his cock smoother. He touched every part of her pussy with his cock now. Every nerve ending alive with the feel of him.

“Yes. Harder. You feel so good.” He pumped into her faster. He drove into her harder. She felt alive for the first time. Her orgasm rushed up on her. She ground her pelvis against him on each deep thrust. The friction on her clitoris exquisitely pleasurable.

“Mine.” The word came out of Gabriel in a near growl. He licked at her neck and she erupted as she felt the graze of sharp teeth on her skin. Her orgasm spiraled even higher as his teeth sunk into her flesh. She had never imagined anything could feel so good.

She screamed his name as his cock pulsed inside her. It ignited another wave of pleasure and her pussy spasmed again.

She felt hands caressing her. Gabriel licked her neck then kissed his way to her lips.

“You’re mine.” He kissed her hard on the mouth. His tongue sweeping over hers and making her pussy throb with pleasure.

“Yours.” She was panting like she’d just run a marathon.

“Are you all right, sweetness?” Rowan asked, lifting her hand to his lips.

“I’m wonderful.” She sighed, her body still humming with pleasure.

“Yes, you are,” Gabriel said. He kissed her softly. “I’ve never felt anything like that before.” She wanted to cry out when he slowly lifted from her and withdrew from her pussy. But the feel of a warm cloth wiping over made her pussy made her gasp instead.

“It’s just me, my darling,” Drake said. “We want you to feel comfortable.”

She began to burn where his hand sat on her hip as he wiped her pussy clean. She felt a twist of pain in her stomach.

“No. It’s coming back. The pain is worse now.” She didn’t understand what was happening, but she knew she wanted Drake inside her. She knew she’d die if he didn’t claim her.

* * * *

Drake watched the pupils of Jordanna’s unseeing eyes dilate in both fear and desire. She sat up pulled him to her, wrapping her arms and legs around him.

“We’ll make the pain stop,” he whispered. He moved to position his erection at the opening of her pussy. “The mating bond needs to be completed. Once we have all made love to you, the pain will be gone.”

“Trust us,” said Caine. He leaned over Drake’s back to kiss Jordanna. “We want to be mated to you just as desperately.”

Drake thrust his hips, his cock sliding easily into Jordanna’s sheath. Her pussy was slick and hot. “You feel so good. So tight and wet.” His cock twitched and his pre-cum slicked the way for him to slide a little deeper. His balls drew up tight, his spine tingling with his imminent release.

She used his shoulders to rise up and push herself onto his erection. He gritted his teeth and let her set the pace and depth for each penetration. He wanted to pound into her but she’d had trouble coping with Gabriel’s size and none of them were any smaller. He tightened his muscles and held off his orgasm.

When he finally felt his balls tap against her ass, he relaxed his jaw and started to move. “Nothing has ever felt so right, Jordanna.” He held her to him and caressed his hands down the uninjured parts of her back to her ass.

Holding a cheek in each hand he pulled them apart and thrust deeper into her. He rotated each time he was fully seated inside her, massaging her clitoris and making her moan in pleasure.

Her pussy started to shudder with small contractions. Thank God. He didn’t think he could have held off another minute. Licking at the top of her shoulder, he sucked at her skin and allowed his canines to descend.

She came the instant he pierced her soft flesh with his elongated teeth. The flow of her sweet blood in his mouth snapped his control and his own orgasm roared down his shaft.

He closed his eyes and held his precious mate as their joined bodies contracted in a shared rhythm. As he pumped each jet of cum into her tight cunt, she ground against him and moaned his name. Over and over she moaned until he felt her pussy finally relax.

He swiped his tongue over his bite to both seal the wound and make the mark permanent. She shivered and hugged him tighter. “I love you, Drake.”

“And I you, my darling. I will love you forever.”

* * * *

Rowan went and got a fresh cloth from the bathroom, each step sending a jolt of pain to his engorged cock. He had nearly come when Jordanna had, she was so fucking sexy.

When he returned to the bedroom it was to see her and Caine kneeling on the bed sharing a passionate kiss. His cock gave a painful throb.

Moving to kneel behind her, he wiped her pussy clean and threw the cloth in the direction of the bathroom. He sighed as his chest made contact with her skin. Kissing her neck he chose the perfect spot for his mark and sucked until a hickey formed. He reached around and teased her nipples with his fingers.

“Rowan, please.” She broke the kiss with a gasp and pushed her ass against his groin.

“We have you, Jordanna,” Caine said. He unwrapped her arms from around his neck and lowered them to the bed. The sight of her on all fours, her creamy smooth ass pointing right at him was both beautiful and torturous.

Running his hands over her ass, he dipped his finger into her pussy and dragged some of her juices to her anus. She jerked as he massaged her cream into her. “I’m going to love fucking this tight perfect ass, Jordanna.”

She shivered, the goose bumps rising on all the exposed skin he could see. Caine softly held her face in his hands and guided her to his cock. “She liked the sound of that, Rowan. She’s panting. Her blush is adorable.”

“I’ve never,” she said, gasping as Rowan pushed his finger a little deeper inside her. “Oh. It feels wrong.”

She pushed back, his finger going deeper inside her. Rowan placed the head of his cock at her pussy and thrust inside gently. She moaned around Caine’s cock, which he began to rock gently into her mouth.

He thrust his finger in and out of her ass in the same rhythm as he fucked her. Her pussy was slick. Each glide so amazing he was in pain from holding off his orgasm.

“You only think it’s wrong,” Rowan said, folding himself over her to lick the shell of her ear. “Your body knows it feels good.” She thrust back against him, releasing Caine’s cock from between her lips.

“Rowan,” she whispered his name. Her pussy fluttered around him. Her ass clamped tight on his finger.

“I need you, Jordanna. I love you.” He released his restraint. His canines descended and his balls drew up tight. She screamed his name as he bit into her neck. They came at the same time. Her pussy clamping and releasing, milking his cock as he came deep inside her.

When her pussy relaxed, he licked the last of her blood from his mark to seal it. The final drop of blood making another pulse of cum spurt from his cock. “Jesus. That was incredible, Jordanna.” He reluctantly withdrew his finger and cock from her body. “I could stay here and be ready to do that again in about thirty seconds.”

She laughed and looked over her shoulder to smile up at him. His cock twitched and began to fill again.

* * * *

Caine had never have felt anything as good as his mate’s hand and mouth on his cock. But that didn’t mean he could wait and let Rowan make love to her again before he got to feel her pussy as well.

He lifted Jordanna into his arms as Gabriel cuffed Rowan on the head and handed him a warm cloth.

“Sorry. You just feel so fucking good, Jordanna.” He wiped her clean and kissed her on the ass.

“How are you feeling, honey?” It may cripple him to wait, but if Jordanna needed time to recover, he’d give it to her.

“My back feels warm and tingly. But it isn’t painful at all anymore.”

He sighed, and kissed her on the nose. “That’s good, but it’s kind of not what I meant.”

“Melanie told me your secret, Caine.” She stroked her hands into his hair and played with the strands, a sly smile on her face.

“I love that cheeky look on your face. But I’m at a loss as to what secret Melanie may know about me.”

“She told me what you all look like, as I’ve never seen you.”

“Yes,” he said slowly. He had no idea where this was going, but she was so cute and happy that he just didn’t care.

She leaned in to whisper in his ear. “She told me you are unfortunate looking, with a big nose and masses of hair growing out your ears.” His brothers and Rowan all burst out laughing.

“I wonder what she said about us,” Gabriel said between laughs.

Caine laid her down on the bed and nibbled at her hipbone. Her giggles turned into shrieks as he found a ticklish spot. “Stop. I’m sorry.” She smelled even better when she was happy like this. The lavender and honeysuckle scents rich and sweet like nectar.

“Well, I’ve grown accustomed to it over the last eighty years.” He nibbled up her stomach and licked and sucked at her nipple, plumping the other breast in his hand. “You, however, will have to get used to the screams of horrified children as they run from me.”

She stilled and stopped laughing. She reached up and placed a hand over his heart. “I wouldn’t care if it was true. In here is where I know how beautiful you are, Caine. That’s what I’m in love with.”

He lowered himself on top of her and thrust his tongue and his cock inside his mate. The dual sensations made his whole body clench. “You feel better than I imagined,” he said, withdrawing his tongue to sip at her lips.

“I need you, Caine.” She clamped her teeth onto his chest and held on as he started to pound into her, harder and faster.

Her pussy was so tight he barely had room to move. If she hadn’t been so wet, he’d have been hurting them both. She bit harder at his chest. Her blunt nails were scratching at his back. He was close, his balls ached with the need to come, but he needed her to go first. His canines dropped and his saliva pooled as he readied himself to mark his mate.

Moving a hand beneath her ass, he used her overflowing cream to lubricate his thumb before massaging it over her tight, perfect asshole. He wanted very much to have his cock in there one day soon.

The mental image pushed him over the edge. He pushed a little firmer and his thumb popped through her muscles to stretch her ass. He sunk his teeth into the juncture of her neck and shoulder, her blood spurting into his mouth as his cum spurted into her clenching pussy.

She climaxed around him, her pussy massaging his cock and extending his orgasm until he thought he’d pass out with the pleasure. Making love to Jordanna and making her his mate was nothing like how he’d imagined a mating would be. He felt her deep in his heart, he felt her deep in his bones. His mate was now a part of him. Caine thought he’d felt the full measure of his possessiveness before they were mated. He hadn’t, this woman was his life. Nothing and no one would ever take her from him now.

Chapter 15

Jordanna woke with a start and wondered where she was and what time it was. She slowed her breathing and relaxed, focusing with her other senses. She stretched out her legs, but they didn’t touch anything except warm bed linen. Very warm, someone had been lying there not too long ago.

She sat up and looked at the fuzzy room around her. “Fuck.” She could see a doorway and a window framed in pale light. The bed she was lying on was huge. Everything looked very blurry, like she was looking at the world through a really dirty window. She closed her eyes and rubbed them, but when she opened them again, the room looked even more out of focus. I won’t do that again.

She heard footsteps running quickly toward her, and looked toward the noise to see the doorway fill with shapes.

“Jordanna, are you all right?” Gabriel asked, taking her hand in his. “We heard you call out.”

She looked down at their joined hands. She could see them. Not well, but she could see his hand was much bigger than hers.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Rowan asked. The bed dipped beside her and she saw his hand reach up and stroke tears from her cheeks. “Why are you crying?”

“Shit,” Drake said. “It was us. We hurt you, didn’t we?” She looked toward his voice and his face swam in and out of focus as he turned his head around to look at his brothers and Rowan.

She felt the tears flow now, and her breath caught in a small sob.

The bed dipped again and she felt Caine slide behind her and pull her onto his lap. “We’re going crazy here, honey. Can you try to tell us what’s wrong?”

She pulled her hand from Rowan’s and turned to straddle Caine’s lap. Grasping his head in her hands, she swayed back, and then forward again until she’d found the spot where she could see him the clearest. She squinted, but it didn’t make the beautiful sight in front of her any clearer.

She didn’t care that it was fuzzy and strangely in shades of gray, no color at all, because it was her Caine. She could see him.

“You don’t have a big nose.” She turned his head to the side. “Or hair coming out your ears. I’m going to have words with that Melanie.” She couldn’t help smiling as she watched his mouth drop open.

She heard the indrawn breaths around her. But other than that, the only noise was the pounding of her own blood as it thundered through her ears.

“You can see me?” Caine’s open-mouthed gape morphed into a huge smile. He was beautiful. A round face, with strong masculine features. His lips looked as soft and full as they’d felt.

She leaned in and kissed him softly on those sexy lips. She was suddenly surrounded by her men. They all hugged her at once and she laughed as she heard some heads knock together.

Gabriel turned her face to his. “You can see?” He looked nothing like Caine, his neck was thick, she couldn’t see his shoulders clearly, but knew them to be wide and thick. His eyes were soft as he gazed at her. Melanie had said they were green.

“I can’t see what color they are, but I can see your love for me shining out of them.” They grew brighter at her words and he leaned in and kissed her gently.

Drake hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her face up to his. “What do you mean you can’t see the color? What do you see, my darling?” His voice was filled with his concern. She saw his brows were furrowed, his lips pressed together to form a hard line.

She smoothed her fingers over those furrowed brows. “Truthfully, not very much. But it’s not nothing anymore, so I am beyond thrilled.”

She swung around and looked for her other mate. “Rowan.” His face appeared out of nowhere in front of her. “There you are.”

He had long hair like Gabriel but it appeared blacker, so she’d have known it was darker even if Melanie hadn’t told her. They were all gorgeous. She had felt their bodies. Felt every inch of their bodies, so she’d known how big and heavily muscled they were. But…wow. They were sexy.

She felt her pussy clench and leak a little. She looked down and blushed as she noted her state of undress. Her men all growled.

She swung her head around and found each of their faces. All of their eyes were shining a little. Like someone had lit a match behind them.

“Whatever you’re thinking,” Caine said, “it had better be about us.” She swung back around so she was once again straddling his hips.

“I was thinking that I now understood why small children scream and run away from you.” She laughed at the grin that spread across his face.

“Yes. It’s a burden.” He hugged her close and she closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of her beautiful mates. They smelt like soap and coffee and pine trees.

They all started firing medical questions at her until she put a stop to it by insisting she needed a shower and coffee before she could think of the answers to all their questions.

They grudgingly agreed to wait and removed the dressings from her back to check her wounds. She then sat still for the hours it took for them to remove the now-redundant sutures from her healed wounds. When she’d complained about how long they were taking, they’d insisted it had taken them exactly seventeen minutes. It had kept her from her shower and coffee, so it had seemed like hours to her.

The shower was wonderful; she washed her hair and body clean and put on the T-shirt someone had left on the counter for her. It smelled clean, but still faintly of Rowan. When she was done, she called for Caine. He’d insisted she not attempt the stairs on her own.

When she’d gone down the stairs before, she’d hugged the wall, and felt for each step with her foot. The way her vision was now was going to take some getting used to. Caine appeared suddenly, making her jump, a gasp escaping her mouth. He’d moved with complete silence. Catlike.

She threw herself at him and he caught her up in his arms and hugged her tight. “It will get easier, honey. You’ll get used to the way the world looks to you now.”

“I don’t care how it looks, as long all my mates are in it.”

She kissed his soft plump lips, and felt the truth of her own words sink into her like ice running down her back. They’d loved her and mated her as she was. Bound themselves to a blind mate for the next two hundred years. They’d truly accepted her for who she was. Not as a meal ticket, or a live-in maid. Just for Jordanna.

Her heart seemed to swell. It stuttered before it started to beat strongly again. They were with her now. She could sense them all inside her. Feel their love for her. There was so much love that it had nearly made her heart burst. She’d fully accepted their mating now. These men were her heart. Forever.

* * * *

Rowan felt his bond to Jordanna grow stronger and deeper. His cat purred and stretched inside him. Relaxing, in what felt like the very first time. Its mate had accepted their bond. He looked up at Gabriel and Drake to see them both rubbing over their hearts with big smiles on their faces.

“Fuck knows what Caine just did,” Gabriel said, his cat making his voice sound like a rumbling purr. “But I’m sure-as-shit glad he did it.”

The man in question entered the kitchen with a smiling Jordanna in his arms.

Rowan’s cock hardened instantly at the sight of her dressed in nothing but his T-shirt. He could see the curve of one naked buttock and he groaned as he adjusted his aching shaft.

“Are you hurt, Rowan?” Jordanna’s head snapped up and looked in his direction. He noticed her gaze had the same unfocused look to it that it had held prior to their mating. She really hadn’t regained much eyesight at all.

“I’m being tortured by the sight of you gorgeous bare ass, sweetheart.” He pulled out a chair for Caine to sit on. “Are you ready to answer all those pesky questions we have for you now?”

“I will if you give me coffee and food.” She smiled the instant his face was visible to her. She stroked her hand down his face. “I love you, Rowan. Thank you for the T-shirt.”

“You can have my whole wardrobe if you keep saying those words to me, mate.” He kissed her softly and went to get her coffee.

“Doc will be here in another few minutes,” Gabriel said. “Would you like to eat before he gets here?”

“I don’t need a doctor. I’m not sick.”

Rowan held out the mug of coffee for her and she just ignored it. Fuck, she’s still virtually blind.

He reached for her hand and placed it around the mug. “Is it too hot?” She looked up at him and smiled.

“It’s perfect, thank you.” As she sipped the coffee he looked at his cousins, they were all staring at Jordanna. They looked as shocked as he felt, at how little sight she seemed to have regained. She’d been so happy to be seeing them, that they’d overestimated the extent of her recovery.

“I don’t even know what time it is.”

“It’s nine in the evening,” Rowan said, helping her to put the coffee mug onto the table. “The beef stew Gabe made earlier is ready if you’d like some. None of us have eaten yet.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, didn’t I tell you I was a strict vegan.” She was smiling broadly.

“That would explain why you inhaled all those ham sandwiches yesterday,” Gabriel said, getting the plates from the dresser in the dining room.

“Also the half a cow you ate on your burger at the diner,” Drake said. She laughed, and the sound of her stomach growling loudly had them all laughing with her.

Rowan marveled that the appallingly small improvement in her eyesight had brought about such a huge change in her. She seemed lighter and happier. Then he rubbed at the pressure in his heart. It wasn’t the improvement in her eyesight that had brought about the change. It was them. He was feeling her love and happiness through their bond.

His cock hardened again, having softened when he’d seen how poor her eyesight remained. He wanted to make love to her. His cat wanted to rub himself all over his mate.

A truck pulled up, announcing Doc’s arrival. Option B then.

Stripping out of clothes took only a second. Then he let his cat have his wish.

* * * *

“Oh, I can feel that one of you just changed,” Jordanna said excitedly.

Caine squeezed her tightly to him as Gabriel opened the door for Doc. He wanted to see if she could still recognize them in cat form, so didn’t tell her who had shifted.

Rowan rubbed himself against Jordanna’s legs as they all kept silent. It seemed his brothers also wanted to test their mate’s uncanny ability.

He allowed her to slide from his lap as she pushed his arms away from her waist. She knelt between his knees and stroked her hands through Rowan’s coat.

“You are so soft, Rowan.” She rubbed her face against his side, inhaling deeply. “You smell amazing.” She laughed as Rowan turned and licked the length of her face. Caine smiled. Their mate was incredible.

“I wish I could see what color your eyes are,” she said, holding his face in her hands. “Are they still green?”

“No, Jordanna. Mountain lions have golden-yellow eyes.” Doc said, placing his medical bag on the table.

She jumped a little. “Jason?” She looked in his direction, but her gaze remained fixed as he moved silently around the table to stand behind Rowan.

Doc looked from Jordanna to him. “Thank you for coming, Doc. We’re concerned about Jordanna.”

“I don’t need a doctor. My eyesight has returned.”

“Clearly,” Doc said. She gasped and jerked her head to look at where Doc was now standing. Rowan growled and licked Jordanna’s face before turning to snarl at Doc. “Give it a rest, Rowan. You called me here, remember.”

Doc had changed in the last seven months since meeting his mate. He was now light-hearted and funny. But only with Bethany. For everyone else he still had a surly bedside manner. But he was a great doctor, and cared deeply for all of the pride. He just didn’t like to show it.

“Come sit up here and the doc can check you over.” Caine helped her to sit back up on his lap. “Do this for us, honey. We’re worried about you.”

Doc examined Jordanna for only a few minutes before packing up his bag again. They all waited anxiously for him to tell them what he’d found.

“I’m pleased the mating has given you back some vision, Jordanna,” Doc said. He’d squatted down in front of Jordanna, his face about twelve inches from hers. Too close.

The proximity had Caine’s cat snarling in his head, but Caine held back his cat’s anger. Doc was happily mated; he had to have a reason for being so close to Jordanna. Caine would hear that reason before throwing the man against a wall.

“I’m honestly surprised you’ve regained any vision at all. I find myself amazed, yet again, at the curative properties of shifter DNA.”

“That’s nice, Doc,” Gabriel said, not bothering to mask his growl of frustration. “Can you please tell us about our mate?”

“You vision is such that you would still be considered legally blind.” He paused as Caine drew Jordanna closer to him and wiped a tear from her cheek.

“That is just a term used to define severe visual impairment, Jordanna, I don’t mean to imply you will lose the vision you have regained.” He waited while Jordanna took a deep breath, and nodded to indicate she had her emotions under control.

“I understand, Jason. I’m sorry. Do you know why everything is in black and white now? It’s like I’m living in an old movie.” Caine kissed Jordanna’s head.

“You have what is termed acquired cerebral achromatopsia. It’s from damage caused by the original injury. Mating with your men is the only reason you’ve regained any of your eyesight. Your reaction to the light I shined into your eyes leads me to believe you also have hemeralopia. Which means in full daylight you will be completely blind.”

“I can live with that as long as the degree of vision I’ve already regained doesn’t get any worse.” Caine kissed her neck as she said this. She straightened her spine and looked mulishly at the spot where Jason had been standing.

“Excuse me, Jordanna,” Jason said, apologizing for his mistake. Caine noted he even turned a little red. So Doc does have a heart. “I don’t anticipate any deterioration.” Jordanna took a deep breath in and relaxed.

“Nor do I expect any further improvement. Really, it’s a miracle, even by shifter standards, that you can see anything at all.” He bid them all good night and Gabriel saw him out.

“Well, I’m starving. Can I see if that’s stew is as good as it smells?”

“I made it, so it will be delicious,” Gabriel said, he’d returned to the kitchen and set about dishing up their supper.

“Nothing is as delicious as our mate,” Drake said, bending to kiss Jordanna. She tangled her hands in his short hair and moaned.

Caine’s cock reacted immediately to her moan, filling rapidly. The room soon filled with the scent of her growing excitement. He released his hold from around her stomach and caressed his hands up to her breasts.

She moaned louder and pushed her now erect nipples into his palms. He took that as a sign to continue and teased her nipples with his fingers, plucking and pinching them as he nibbled at his mating mark. Her continued moans vibrated through his body and centered on his cock, making his erection throb and ooze with pre-cum.

“I need you,” she said. “Please. I need you now.”

“Fuck,” Rowan said as rose naked from his shift. “I need you too, Jordanna, but I won’t take you in the kitchen.”

Gabriel growled and swept everything in front of them on the table aside. “I don’t care where we are.” His voice was strained, his eyes ablaze.

Drake broke their kiss and tore apart the T-shirt covering Jordanna. “You’re so beautiful, Jordanna.”

Caine released Jordanna’s breasts and Drake lowered his head to one while Rowan did the same to the other. Caine wrapped an arm around Jordanna’s hips and lifted her until he could undo the buttons on his fatigues.

Gabriel moved to her side and grasped her head between his hands. He tilted her face up and smashed his mouth down on hers.

Grasping his cock, Caine guided it to her entrance. She moaned as she slid her wet cunt down his length until he was so deep he could feel the bump of her cervix at the head of his cock.

“Your pussy feels so good. My cock has never been so hard.” He felt her pussy clench and grow slick. “You like me talking dirty.”

“No.” The word came out strangled as she moaned and held Drake and Rowan’s heads to her breasts. He used the arm around her hips to lift her up and stroked his free hand down her side to her mound.

He pinched lightly at her clitoris and lowered her back down onto his cock, impaling her even further. He stilled and continued to circle her clitoris with his finger.

She tilted her pelvis and tried to move on him. He could hear her small moans of frustration as she continued to kiss Gabriel. He held her still, preventing her from moving on him.

“I won’t move until you tell the truth, Jordanna. Do you like me telling you how tight your cunt is? How much I want to pound my cock into you until I come so hard my legs shake?”

She broke her kiss with Gabriel and gasped as he teased her clitoris but he still refused to move. She clenched the muscles of her pussy, but groaned as it didn’t give her what she needed.

“What do you need, angel?” Gabriel asked, kissing his mark and making her pussy clench again. It was painful for Caine to remain still, but he liked teasing her, making her desire burn hotter.

“I need you to move, Caine.” She tried again to move her hips, but Drake and Rowan also held her still with their hands while they licked and sucked her nipples.

“Tell me then,” Caine said. “Tell me that you like it.” He caressed her clitoris, his cock throbbing inside her.

“Ah! I like it. It makes me wet when you tell me how much you desire me.”

Caine released his restraint and gripped her hips firmly to move her up and down in sync with his deep driving thrusts. She screamed his name as her orgasm ignited through her. The feel of her inner muscles pulsing around him pushed him to his own release. He roared as he came, his vision dimming and his knees shaking.

* * * *

Gabriel descended on Jordanna’s lips. Swallowing her scream, he kissed his mate through her orgasm. Drake and Rowan continued to tease her nipples, extending her orgasm until she finally sagged against Caine’s chest.

“You look so enchanting when you come, Jordanna. I’m going to relish every single one of your orgasms over the next two centuries.”

She smiled at him as he leaned closer. “There you are, my Gabriel.”

“I’m about eighteen inches away, angel. Is that when you can see us?”

“Not clearly, but where you are now is the best it gets. You’re so handsome. How did I get so lucky?”

He took off his shirt and wrapped it around her slight frame. The sight of her protruding hipbones and ribs sent a pang of guilt through him. She hadn’t eaten yet. He wasn’t fulfilling the promise he’d made to look after her.

“I’m handsome and a fabulous cook. I want you to taste the meal I prepared for you.” He watched her cheeks color as she played with the buttons of the shirt he’d wrapped her in. “What’s wrong, angel?”

“I would actually like to taste you.” Rowan and his brothers all growled softly, but he shot them all glares.

“Taking care of you includes making sure you eat, Jordanna. Then I’ll happily fulfill any and all fantasies you have regarding me and my body.”

She seemed to brighten when she realized he wasn’t rejecting her advances. They each took turns regaling her with tales of their childhood while they ate. She laughed so hard her eyes watered. When she had eaten everything on her own plate, they each took turns feeding her some from their own.

Caine handed Jordanna to him. “You cooked, Gabe, so we’ll do all the cleaning up.”

“Sounds good to me. Why don’t we go and see to the fire, angel?” He carried Jordanna to the sofa and made her comfortable before adding some more wood to the fire. He had plans for his little mate and he didn’t want her to be cold.

Sitting down next to her, he drew her into an embrace. She ran her hands over his naked chest and abdomen.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“The fire is warm, and shifters don’t really feel the cold that much.”

“I ate my meal.” She looked at him, her beautiful honey-colored eyes shining in the firelight. He’d been mindful of what Doc had said about bright lights making her completely blind, so he hadn’t turned the living room lights on.

“Yes, you did. Are you still hungry?” He could scent her growing arousal, the musky scent tangling with her natural lavender essence. She nodded, her blush spreading from her cheeks down her neck.

“Would you like dessert?” She nodded again, her hands stroking the top of his jeans. “We have ice-cream in the freezer.” She licked her lips and shook her head. “Tell me what you want, Jordanna.”

The air thickened with the scent of their combined arousal. His cock twitched as she stroked her hand over his erection.

“Tell me what you want, Jordanna.” He placed his hand over hers to still her movements.

She lowered her gaze and spoke so softly that only his shifter genetics let him hear the words of his shy mate spoke. “I want to taste you, Gabriel.”

He growled and undid the button and zipper of his jeans. His cock sprang free, the end shiny with pre-cum. She didn’t hesitate; she lowered her head and took him in her mouth.

“God, Jordanna, that feels so fucking incredible.”

She sucked him lightly, caressing the length that didn’t fit in her mouth with her hand. His balls drew up tight and he clamped down his teeth and muscles to stop himself from coming.

“You have me right there, Jordanna. I could come right now like a fucking untried adolescent.”

She bobbed her head a little faster, pulling her knees underneath her to wrap both hands around his shaft. She felt unimaginably good. He never thought his cock had ever been treated with such devotion. I’ve never been treated with such devotion.

“I’ll do the dishes every night if the sight of your naked ass is my reward, Jordanna,” Rowan said, coming to join them on the sofa.

Jordanna gasped around his cock as Rowan’s hand moved between Jordanna’s thighs. “Can we make love to you together, Jordanna?”

She nodded her head, and squeezed his shaft a little tighter in her hands.

“I want to fuck this beautiful virgin ass,” Rowan said, his voice rough. “I’m going to wait until Drake has made you come by fucking your tight pussy. Then I’m going to slowly push my cock in your ass until I’m balls deep.”

Jordanna whimpered and the vibrations nearly made Gabriel shoot into her mouth. “My cock is going to be in your mouth when they take you, angel.” He gently lifted her off his cock and unbuttoned his shirt that she wore so beautifully, exposing her full breasts.

“I love your breasts, Jordanna.” He tweaked her already hard nipples and she threw her head back and moaned loudly. The evidence of her arousal shone on her skin as she rubbed her thighs together.

“I want you, Gabriel.” She reached for him, but he slid away and rose to strip his jeans off the rest of the way.

“I’ve got you, my darling,” Drake said. He took Gabriel’s place on the sofa and lifted Jordanna until she straddled his naked lap.

She lowered herself onto Drake, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly open. Drake started a fast rhythm, pounding into her as she met him thrust for thrust, grinding against him with each downward stroke.

She reached her peak just as Caine returned from collecting the lube from their bedroom. He tossed it to Rowan and went to sit next to Jordanna. He stroked her back and nibbled on his mating mark as she continued to shudder from her orgasm.

* * * *

Rowan had waited for her first orgasm to relax her arousal, his cock becoming a tortured throbbing length in his fatigues. But now her ass was his.

“It’s time for you to take us both, sweetheart.” Drake slid a little lower on the sofa, pushing Jordanna’s ass further toward him.

He caressed the soft perfect globes and continued up the fresh pink scars on her back. He growled at the pain she’d suffered, but pushed those thoughts aside as she moaned and rose to meet his touch.

“We have to prepare you first.” He put some lube on his fingers as Drake started thrusting into Jordanna in steady deep thrusts.

She flinched as his lubed fingers connected with her tight asshole. He smoothed his other hand over her ass in firm caresses. “I’m going to stretch you, sweetheart, it will burn a little, but you need to relax.”

Gabriel kneeled on the other side of her and turned her face to his waiting cock. “I need your mouth on me, angel. I’m so hard it hurts. Will you make me come?”

She nodded and relaxed into Rowan’s massaging fingers. He had two fingers inside her when she started to thrust against his invading digits.

“You’re so tight, Jordanna. You’re going to feel so good when my cock’s inside you.”

She moaned around Gabriel’s cock and tried to speed up the rhythm. Drake gave her a small tap on the buttock and held her ass cheeks open. “We don’t want to hurt you, Jordanna. We’ll go at our pace.”

“Do you want my cock now, Jordanna?” Rowan asked, adding a third finger to stroke into Jordanna’s ass.

She nodded, but Rowan needed to hear her. “Say it, Jordanna. Tell me what you need.”

Gabriel’s cock fell from her lips with a pop as she panted the words he’d been longing to hear. “I want you in my ass, Rowan. I want you all so badly.”

“I want you just as badly, sweetheart.” Rowan removed his fingers and added lube to his cock before placing the head at her stretched hole.

“Here I come, baby. Take a deep breath and then slowly exhale.” As she finally exhaled, he pushed slowly but firmly inside her. “God, your ass is so fucking tight.”

Drake had stilled in his thrusts, waiting for Rowan to be fully seated in her ass. “You feel so good,” Drake said, releasing one of her ass cheeks to pinch and twirl one of her nipples.

Rowan pushed in and drew back until his balls were finally tight to her ass. He waited a few seconds for her to adjust before meeting Drakes gaze and starting to move. He countered Drake’s thrusts. Filling Jordanna alternately. Her skin heated and she broke out in a fine sweat.

“Suck me, angel, let them fuck your ass and pussy and just feel,” Gabriel said. She reached for his cock with one hand and brought it to her lips.

Reaching out with her other hand she found Caine and stroked her hand round his hips to his cock. She stroked down his length and Caine moaned in pleasure.

“I love your touch, Jordanna. Nothing compares to the way you make me feel.” Caine said.

She relaxed completely now they were all connected and Rowan and Drake increased the tempo and strength of their thrusts.

“Jordanna,” Rowan said her name and it felt like a benediction. The feel of being inside his mate like this had his orgasm rushing up on him. “You feel so good, too good.”

“Your mouth is fantastic, angel,” Gabriel said. The words mumbled as he ground them out from between his clenched jaws. “I’m going to come so hard for you.” He thrust gently between her lips and supported her head between his hands.

Drake and Rowan stilled as Gabriel roared out his release. Jordanna swallowed convulsively, until Gabriel pulled gently from her lips and kissed her forehead reverently. “You are perfection, my mate.”

Rowan and Drake took up their previous rhythm, driving them all toward their orgasms. Caine nuzzled at Jordanna’s neck. Rowan scented the sweet aroma of Jordanna’s blood just as she peaked from Caine’s bite. Her ass clamped around his cock.

Her orgasm sparked his own, her ass so tight he had to remain still as he emptied himself deep into her body. Jesus. This was more than sex. More than lovemaking. It was life-altering. How do mated couples ever leave the house? How do they leave the bedroom? How do they ever stop making love? He had never felt so connected to another human being. So loved. She had changed him from a man to a mate and he thanked fate for bringing him such a gift.

* * * *

Caine sealed his mark again and kissed down his mate’s scarred back. Rowan had roared his release and was kissing the other side of her back. Caine stroked over Jordanna’s ass and whispered in her ear.

“I’m going to go crazy if I can’t be inside you, Jordanna.” She shuddered at his words. “Where would you like me?” She opened her mouth, but he saw the words stall on her tongue.

“You can tell me, honey. Everything we do together is beautiful. I live to make you feel good. Tell me where you want me.” He added a command to his final question and she responded immediately.

“I liked the way Rowan felt.” She lowered her head and hid her face in Drakes neck. It was a start. It would take time and love for her to feel comfortable talking about their lovemaking. But she was a beautifully sexual woman and they would slowly put her in touch with that side of her nature.

Caine looked at Rowan and he moved aside to make room for Caine to slide into his position. “I loved the way you felt, sweetheart,” Rowan said, nibbling up her back to her neck.

Caine rubbed some lube on his aching cock and pushed into her ass in one smooth stroke.

“Caine,” she said, and sunk her teeth into Drake’s shoulder. She rocked between them as Drake began to stroke into her again.

“I can’t last much longer,” Drake said, “you’re unbelievable, Jordanna. Nothing on earth is meant to feel this good.”

Caine flattened himself against Jordanna’s back and thrust deep into her as he licked across his newly bitten mark. She released Drakes shoulder and moaned as another orgasm rolled through her.

Drake roared and jerked as he pumped into Jordanna and then stilled. Caine’s balls pulled up tight and his orgasm started at the base of his spine before it spread through his entire body as his cum pulsed into her ass.

Jordanna was more than he ever dreamed a mate could be. “I love you, Jordanna.” She smiled as he kissed his mark, her eyes fluttering closed.

“I love you, too, Caine. But I think you all killed me with pleasure.”

“Never,” Gabriel said. Stroking his hand languidly down Jordanna’s arm, leaving goose bumps in his wake.

“It’s just the beginning, my darling,” Drake said, kissing her cheek. “It gets better and better from now on.”

Her eyes popped open. “Better really would kill me.” She tried to sit up, so Caine pulled reluctantly from her body and helped her to sit on Drake’s thighs. “It couldn’t get better for me,” she said seriously. She swung her head around, but they were all too far away for her to see them.

“What is it, honey,” Caine said, moving closer until her gaze fixed on his face.

“It can’t get any better, because that was simply the best anyone could possibly feel. Ever. I love you all so much. Thank you for finding me.”

“I thank you, Jordanna,” Gabriel said, kissing her lightly on the lips. “I was the one who was lost and you have brought me back to my family and given me a home. You’ve given me a life.”

Caine watched as Jordanna’s eyes filled with emotional tears.

He knew he should talk to his brothers and Rowan first, but now was the perfect opportunity.

“We want you to marry us, Jordanna.” He looked at his brothers and Rowan, but they all had their eyes fixed on Jordanna.

“It would make us the happiest men in the world if you’d marry us,” Rowan said, taking Jordanna’s face in his hands and turning her toward him.

“I know the other mates refer to their men as husbands, but I thought that was just for the humans in town. How can I marry all of you?”

“You marry Gabriel legally,” Rowan said, “because he’s the eldest.”

“Then we have a ceremony where you marry us all in front of our pride,” Drake said.

“Would I live here?” She looked at Rowan and held her breath.

“We’d go anywhere with you, Jordanna. Live anywhere you want,” Rowan said.

Caine found himself nodding in agreement. I’m an idiot. She can’t see me. “Anywhere you are will be our home.”

“I want to live here. I haven’t even seen your home but I love it here. Being here with you feels perfect. In my heart I know I’m finally home.” She was bouncing on Drake’s lap in happiness and Caine had to force himself not to be distracted by the bouncing of her perfect breasts.

“We want to meet your parents. Would you like them to come here or shall we go to them?” Gabriel said.

“I want them to come here. To feel this place. Feel how special it is.”

“Christmas is in less than two weeks. Why don’t we have them here for a family Christmas?” Caine watched as her eyes filled and overflowed with tears. Her smile reassured him that he’d said the right thing. Their bond assured him his mate was very happy. Her joy was a warm glow inside him. He wanted her to feel this way always.

Chapter 16

Gabriel had slipped happily into sleep with Jordanna using his chest as a pillow after they’d all shared a bath. He was shaken awake softly by Caine, who silently motioned for him to follow. The clock on the bedside cabinet told him it was five am.

His brothers and Rowan had gone on patrol while he’d slept, but they were obviously back. He slipped from the bed and watched Jordanna curl into the heat he’d left behind. After tucking the comforter around her, he drew on his fatigues and went looking for Caine.

“Have this,” Caine said, handing him a mug of fresh coffee. “You won’t be going back to bed.” He took a sip of the coffee before nodding for Caine to continue. He was surprised to find Caine alone. Rowan and Drake should have been with him.

“The meeting with the wolf Alpha is set for seven o’clock. Finn is already on his way there with Hunter and Dane.”

“Where are Rowan and Drake?”

“Rowan is on patrol of the town, Drake is at Finn’s.”

“They aren’t coming here to protect Jordanna?” Gabriel’s unsettled feeling from the night before flared into life again.

“The Alpha apparently installed a safe room in his house after Melanie was taken by that bear shifter. He wants all the mates at his house so they can use it, should it become necessary.”

Gabriel felt his unease increase. “Does Finn expect trouble?”

“When doesn’t he? I think we should get a safe room too. We’re too far away from Finn’s if an emergency occurs and we need to put Jordanna somewhere safe so we can fight.”

Gabriel nodded in agreement as Caine continued. “I’m taking Jordanna to Finn’s and you’re to go to the ranger station now. He wants everyone there well before the scheduled meeting time.”

He went to his old room to grab a shirt and returned to find Caine pacing the kitchen. “I’ll wake Jordanna soon and take her to Finn’s. The other mates are going to be there by six.”

Finn and Samson had already considered that Liam West had been betrayed by his own pack. Gabriel had discovered this when he’d called Finn with his concerns earlier the previous day. Cats were suspicious and cautious by nature. So they were preparing for any possibility, despite the vampire’s assurances that the meeting would be a friendly one.

“Who will be at the Alpha’s with her?” He needed to be assured that Jordanna would be protected before he left her side.

“Cooper is staying with the mates, as is Calder, Michael, and Drake. You and Axel will join Finn and Samson in human form for the meeting. Dane, Max, and I will be outside the ranger station patrolling. Hunter and Doc are staying in town with Rowan. The rest of the pride are on patrol of either their homes or the town.”

They were not a large pride, but that still left twenty shifters patrolling Eminence, including his father. He felt easier knowing that the entire pride was on alert.

“I hate to leave her, but I have to hear what this wolf has to say.” Gabriel put down his empty coffee mug and picked up his keys.

“I don’t want to leave her either, but the safe room was approved by both Cooper and Samson, she’ll be safe, Gabe.”

Gabriel felt his unease grow. “I hope so, Caine. This feels wrong to me.”

* * * *

Jordanna woke to feel warm breath wafting across her face. Soft fur met her hand when she reached out. She found Caine. She couldn’t suppress the smile that spread on her face. He was just so beautiful. She held his face in her hands and tried to get her eyes to focus on her extraordinary mate.

“Caine, why are you all furry?” He chuffed at her, and she knew he was laughing. “Was this a test again?” She’d noticed last evening that none of them had told her it was Rowan who’d shifted. She was delighted with the fact she seemed to know them as cats.

The air filled with the electric sparks that told her he was about to change back and she released her hold on his massive head.

“My cat loves to see you all warm in our bed.” He kissed her lightly on the nose, but she sensed an emotional distance.

“What’s happened?” She felt the bed rock as he moved off it.

“We have to go over to Finn’s. The meeting with the wolf, Richard West, is in an hour and a half and we want you there well before it happens.”

Her heart leapt in fear. “Why can’t I stay here with you?” She didn’t know their house well at all, but she was more familiar with it than she would be with the Alpha’s home.

“He has a safe room, honey. All the mates are going to be there in case something goes wrong. They’ll take care of you.”

“Are you expecting something to go wrong? Are you all going to be safe?” She’d didn’t want something to happen to them. They’d become her world.

“We’re cats. We don’t trust easily.”

She sat up and felt him pull the covers off. He led her to the bathroom and he left her alone to attend to her personal needs and brush her teeth.

When she emerged from the bathroom he helped her to dress in some of her new clothes. Melanie and the other mates had carefully chosen the colors for her, so she knew that this time, her mate wouldn’t have her dressed in clothes that clashed. Not that that seemed important anymore.

She declined his offer of coffee and they set out for the Alpha’s home after Caine had draped her in a heavy, warm coat. She felt an increasing anxiety in her chest that she didn’t think was entirely her own. She sensed it was coming from all her mates.

* * * *

Gabriel arrived at the derelict ranger station well before the scheduled sunrise meeting. The morning air was freezing, his breath misting instantly as he parked his truck and walked around the crumbling building.

He couldn’t see any of his pride out in the forest, but knew Max and Dane would be out there if the Alpha had ordered it. He could scent that Finn, Axel, and Samson had already arrived and was about to step up onto the collapsed porch to join them inside when he heard the soft footfalls of paws on undergrowth. Many paws, and they were approaching rapidly.

Max and Dane moved silently. They were cats. These were not cats approaching. “Finn, we have company,” he said softly.

Finn, Axel, and Samson were beside him in an instant. The vampire also stood on the porch, his eyes closed, his face impassive.

“There are fifteen wolves approaching rapidly from the north,” Aiden said, his eyes now fixed on Finn. “Your cats are aware of their presence.”

Gabriel found it unsettling that the vampire was able to hear their thoughts when they were shifted, but in this instance it was proving advantageous.

“I don’t think there is going to be a meeting,” Finn said. He looked at Samson and Axel and nodded. They both shifted, their clothes disintegrating as the huge cats took their place on either side of Finn. “Tell Cooper to put the mates in the safe room now.”

“It is being done, Alpha,” Aiden said. Stepping off the porch Aiden approached Finn, but Gabriel stepped in his path. The creepy bastard was not getting near his Alpha.

“The wolves are enraged. They have come to destroy the pride,” Aiden said.

Before the vampire could say more, the sound of howling and snarling filled the air. The clearing around the ranger station filled with wolves.

* * * *

Drake was patrolling the grounds around the Alpha’s house when he heard Samson. “We have fifteen hostile wolves here. Finn wants the mates in the safe room now.”

“Jordanna hasn’t arrived yet,” Drake said. His cat wanted to run back to her, but he was here protecting the other mates and he wouldn’t leave them.

“I’ll call Caine,” Cooper said. Drake lost touch with him as he shifted to make the call. As pride enforcer, Cooper coordinated the safety of the pride in both shifted and human form.

Drake heard a howl of pain and ran into the tree line in the direction of the noise. Within seconds he found Michael standing over a bleeding wolf. “It won’t have been alone,” he said and climbed swiftly up the pine tree beside him.

Sniffing at the wolf, Drake saw it was breathing, its head wound already starting to heal. Michael informed Cooper while Drake leaped into the low branches of a nearby tree and waited. The wolves never looked up.

There was no good reason for the wolves to be here at their Alpha’s home. Which left only bad reasons. Drake had just settled into a crouch on the branch, being careful not to dislodge any of the snow, when the scent of wolf assailed his nostrils.

His rumble of anger was silent, but it vibrated through the branch he was perched on. A small trickle of snowflakes rained down. “Fuck. Cooper has shifted, we need to warn him.”

“He’ll hear the fight. There are at least a dozen wolves converging on the house now,” Michael said.

Tilting his head, Drake saw that Michael was right. He could hear the noisy canines running in from every direction through the forest. They were heading straight for the Alpha’s home.

Drake watched as three wolves changed course and ran toward their fallen comrade, the scent of his blood having finally reached them in the still morning air.

Drake pounced as soon as the last of the three wolves had passed under his branch. He howled long and loud as he tore his claws across the wolf’s throat. He wanted to make sure Cooper had time to get his mate and cub to safety, as well as Peata and Bethany.

Calder’s snarl shook the snow from the trees as Michael and Drake converged on the remaining wolf. Michael had disabled the first wolf and the remaining one was backing away from them. Its fear and uncertainty tainted the air.

“What the fuck do we do with her?” Drake asked. The female wolf was small, her eyes wide with fear.

“We leave her and go help Calder,” Michael said, bounding away toward the house.

They emerged from the trees to find Calder surrounded by five snarling wolves. Blood coated the snow from the injured and dead wolves at Calder’s feet.

Calder was a massive cat, easily half as big again as the largest wolf he was now facing. His size and the blood covering his coat had given the wolves reason to pause, but they were out to kill. They scented of rage, not fear.

Drake and Michael didn’t slow as they assessed the scene in seconds and ran silently to Calder’s aid. As Drake leaped and dug his claws into the hindquarters of an unsuspecting wolf, it snapped its head around and howled in pain.

Drake sunk his teeth into its side and tore out a chunk of fur and flesh. His aim was to disable, not kill. Despite the unprovoked attack on their pride, they would only kill when there was no other choice.

“We have wolves approaching the town,” said Rowan.

Calder shook his head, and the wolf in his jaws flew thirty feet in the air and collided with the brick footing of the Alpha’s home with a sickening thud. It didn’t move as Calder stalked toward the wolf nearest him.

“What the fuck is this all about?” Drake asked rhetorically.

“I fear, young wolf, that I have brought this danger to your pride,” Aiden said, his voice feeling strange in Drake’s mind. “I will kill those responsible, slowly, for making me a party to their deception.”

Chapter 17

“I don’t know the reason for this hostility,” Finn said, his voice frighteningly calm. “We are still willing to talk.”

Gabriel shifted as the wolves ran straight at them. They had paused only momentarily, their lips curled as their snarled and howled.

They were bigger than the wolves, but the dogs had the advantage of numbers. Samson stayed by Finn’s side until their Alpha shifted, and then he followed suit and moved forward to meet the attack.

Gabriel ripped the throat out of one wolf, as another landed on his back and dug in its claws. Gabriel spun and dislodged it, their heads smashing together as they each went for the others throat.

Max and Dane could be heard fighting in the forest. There were more wolves still coming.

The sounds of pain and the scent of blood filled the air. Gabriel swiped at the wolf, his claws severing the beast’s carotid. It fell lifelessly to the ground as another wolf bit deeply into his side.

He swirled in a circle, his speed dislodging the wolf. A chunk of Gabriel’s flesh ripped painfully away in the wolf’s locked jaws. He stumbled before facing the wolf. As he bunched his muscles to leap, Aiden appeared from nowhere, twisted the wolf’s neck, and disappeared.

Turning to meet the next attack, he noticed the clearing was now silent. “I want that one alive, Axel,” Finn said. Gabriel limped to Finn’s side, stepping over the dead wolves, the smell of blood sickening.

Axel was holding a wolf by the neck in his jaws. The wolf remained still, for if it moved it would have its throat torn out by Axel’s sharp teeth. It was a large wolf, but Axel was bigger. Samson padded to Axel’s side and shifted. He grasped the wolf by the head with both hands and Axel released him.

Max and Dane padded into the clearing. Max was dragging another wolf by its scruff. It struggled weakly, its whines filled with pain.

“This female did not fight,” Max said, disgust creeping through their mental link. “I didn’t, however, want her to leave and join the fight elsewhere.”

Aiden came to stand on Finn’s other side. His clothes covered in blood, his normally calm demeanor was gone. The vampire was seething with rage. His eyes blazed red, his fangs long and bloody. His hands sported bloody appendages that were more akin to talons than fingers.

“Any other survivors out there?” Finn asked, turning his head toward the trees.

“None that are conscious,” Dane said. He came to stand at his brother’s side, sniffing at the wounds Finn bore. “Are you badly injured?”

Finn shook himself. Blood sprayed off his coat as though he’d been swimming in it. “Thank you, Dane. Most of the blood is not mine.”

“If you wish to question the wolf, I am able to tell you his thoughts,” Aiden said.

Finn shifted, long scratches covered his body. The healing wounds still weeping blood. It ran in streams down his torso and limbs. “Thank you for your help today, Aiden. If the wolf will not shift, I would appreciate you communicating his answers.”

Gabriel thought it a measure of the trust the Alpha now held for the vampire that Finn believed Aiden would translate the wolf’s thoughts honestly.

Aiden had moved so fast that Gabriel had only tracked his movements by the trail of dead wolves he left in his path. Whereas the cats had all killed only if it were necessary, Aiden had offered no such mercy. He was apparently not a creature that forgave betrayal easily.

“Are you also able to keep me informed of the situation at my home and in the town?” Finn said. “Or is the distance too great?”

“I can hear your pride mates, young Alpha.”

Gabriel was anxious about Jordanna. She had left home with Caine, but had yet to been seen at their Alpha’s. He felt no distress in their bond, but he wouldn’t be happy until she was in the safe room with the other mates.

* * * *

Caine and Jordanna had only been on the road a few minutes when Cooper called him.

“The meeting at the ranger station was an ambush,” Cooper said. “We’ve had one wolf here, but Michael took him down.”

“Is Finn safe?” Caine looked at Jordanna and saw her eyes widen at his question.

“Unknown at this stage, they’re fighting. Be careful on your way here.”

Cooper ended the call. Caine knew Cooper needed to shift and check on his brother. The call had just been to warn Caine of the danger.

As he rounded a bend in the road, he saw a tanker truck parked across both lanes. The road was narrow with no shoulder, the tree line nearly meeting the road. He braked as hard as he could, but they were going to hit the truck.

Caine turned the wheel in an attempt to hit the truck on the driver’s side, but the wheels had locked. He had no time to shield Jordanna as they slammed into the truck.

* * * *

Drake looked up after releasing the dead wolf from his jaws. Cooper stood in human form on the porch of his home. He had a wolf by the neck in both hands, its jaws snapped inches from Cooper’s neck. “I will snap your neck if that is your choice.”

Cooper seemed to have the wolf under control as it stilled, hanging limply from Cooper’s grasp. The sound of whining was the only noise in the Alpha’s yard. Calder and Michael were doing a sweep of the bodies as Drake approached the house.

He was suddenly filled with fear. It squeezed at his heart and froze the air in his lungs. He snarled and shook his head. It was Jordanna’s fear. Then it was gone. “Gabriel?”

“Does anyone see Jordanna?” Rowan asked. “She was scared, but now I can’t feel her at all.”

“Is this about your mate?” Cooper said, his eyebrows furrowed. At Drake’s nod, Cooper continued. “I spoke to Caine only a few minutes before the attack. I’ll call him again.”

Drake remained silent as Cooper dropped the wolf on the porch and put a booted foot on its head. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed. The call went unanswered. Cooper’s scowl deepened.

“Everyone must remain where they are until we’re sure this is over,” Cooper said, his eyes a shining amber as he showed his anger.

“We have a live wolf here. Finn and Samson are going to find out what this is all about,” Gabriel said.

“Cooper can’t reach Caine,” Drake said. “He needs us all to stay where we are for now.”

Rowan and Gabriel roared in his mind, their anger and frustration joining with his own. But none of them questioned the decision of their Beta.

Drake thought he’d experienced pain when he’d been injured in the service. But that was insignificant compared to the pain he felt now. He needed to find his mate. But his duty to the pride meant he had to stay and protect the other mates, and Finn’s cub. Drake stayed silent and watched.

“We’ll find her as soon as we can,” Cooper said. His reassurance did nothing to soothe Drake’s pain. He channeled the pain into rage at the wolves who had again hurt his mate.

* * * *

Gabriel felt as though he was burning alive. He was so enraged that he wanted to tear apart the wolves that were still living. He wanted to find the truth of this whole attack by shredding them.

Finn raised an eyebrow in question at Gabriel’s sudden distress.

“They are unable to contact his brother, and he has felt fear from his mate,” Aiden said. He stalked toward the wolf Samson held. “Perhaps you could shed some light on that?”

The wolf stilled. It rolled its eye in Finn’s direction.

“He says he will shift and speak to the Alpha,” Aiden said. Aiden looked at Samson, who seemed reluctant to release the wolf. “I will kill him if he tries to flee, soldier.”

Samson looked to Finn for his decision. “You may release him, Samson.” Finn stepped closer to the wolf as it hung four feet from the ground in Samson’s hands. “But I will kill you if you try to flee.” His eyes flashed bright, his canines long and gleaming as he snarled at the wolf.

The wolf had begun to shift even before Samson had released him. A man now stood in the center of the circle of cats and humans. He was of average height, with dark hair and eyes. He was bleeding from the wounds Axel’s teeth had inflicted on his neck. He was also furious.

“Aiden, why have you betrayed your life debt by siding with his killers?” the man asked. He took a step toward Aiden, but froze when snarls sounded all around him.

Aiden stroked a hand over his chin as he surveyed the man. “Patrick Werner, may I introduce you to Finn Frederick, Alpha of the Eminence Pride.”

Patrick’s eyes flashed a bright green as he looked up at Finn. “The man who instigated the murder of your friend and plots to take over our lands?” He snarled at Aiden, his rage leaving its acrid scent in the air.

“I’d be interested to hear where you learned this from, wolf,” Finn said. His eyes blazed brighter than the wolf’s and his thunderous voice shook Gabriel’s bones.

“This is what you told our new Alpha, Aiden.” The wolf looked at Aiden’s furious expression and Gabriel saw doubt cross his features. “Is this not what you discovered when you tracked the witness here?”

Finn and Aiden both glared at the wolf, but Finn held his hand out for Aiden to speak.

“I arranged for a meeting between the two Alphas. That is all. They were to decide upon an appropriate venue to interview the witness,” Aiden said. “The witness is being protected because she is a mate.”

“I don’t understand,” Patrick said. “We have attacked the entire pride because we were told you said they were coming to kill us. Coming to kill our children. To wipe us from existence.”

“That explains the females who came to fight,” Finn said. He ground his teeth together in anger. “They have pups?”

The wolf merely nodded, the enormity of his mistake beginning to sink in. He looked behind Gabriel. “Richard West lied to us.”

Gabriel turned and saw that a few of the injured wolves had risen and were standing in a group behind him. Max and Dane stood guard on either side of them.

“Tell the rest of the pack and stop the attack on the cats immediately,” Patrick told the wolves. “What’s going on Aiden?”

“You need to find your mate, Gabriel,” Finn said. “You are all released to find her. We will help when we can.”

“Wait,” Patrick said. “Is this missing mate also the witness to Liam’s murder?” He continued at Finn’s nod. “Richard said you were holding her prisoner and planning to kill her for witnessing your attack on our Alpha. He has gone to free her from her captors.”

Gabriel relayed the information to his brothers as he started to run. They had taken her on pride land which meant the cats had the advantage of knowing every inch of their territory. They would find her. They had to find her.

* * * *

Caine was awoken by a burning pain in his side. “Jordanna.”

He was met with silence. Taking in a deep breath, he scented the sweet lavender of her blood mixed with his own. He blinked his eyes open and tried to make sense of what he saw.

He was still buckled in to the seat of his truck and suspended upside down in the air. The truck was upside down. Extending his claws he ripped himself free of the seat belt. The pain in his side increased as he landed heavily on the roof of the truck. Broken ribs.

He’d had worse injuries and survived. He scrambled out of the shattered windshield and looked for Jordanna. The tanker was still in the road, but Jordanna was nowhere to be seen. Her blood called to him, but his cat was better at following a scent. He shifted, his broken ribs snapping into place and making him yowl. His rage made his vision red, his focus acute.

His mind was immediately flooded with the anguished calls of his brothers and Rowan. “We crashed into a truck they set across the road at the bend near the Harris property. They have taken Jordanna.”

Caine listened as his brothers and Hunter told him of the wolf pack’s misguided attack. They were lucky not to have lost any of their pride. The wolves had greatly outnumbered them, but they had been a peaceful pack under Alpha Liam’s rule, so they were apparently not practiced at fighting.

With the mind link of the pride, it took less than a minute to be updated on the battle he’d missed. He’d followed the trail of Jordanna’s blood as he’d listened. “The trail of our mate’s blood ends by the tire tracks of a large vehicle. It headed north. There is a lot of blood.” His cat was snarling so loudly that he nearly missed the soft voice of the vampire as he spoke directly to him.

“Richard West drives a white Ford Transit Connect. I will join you in your search.”

“Have you tried to contact Jordanna through the mating bond?” Hunter asked. “It may not be possible, but you should still try.”

“We’ll try to establish a link with her. Thank you, Hunter,” Gabriel said, as he ran out of the trees to stand beside Caine.

“Jesus, Gabe. You look like hell.” Caine could see the open wound on Gabriel’s side; it was deep and still bleeding freely.

Gabriel raised his head and inhaled deeply. “Whoever took Jordanna is the same wolf who attacked her. I recognize his scent.” They both roared, and started to run, their cats becoming frantic with their need to find their mate.

“Then we find Liam’s killer when we find your mate,” Aiden said. Even his mental voice carried the depth of his anger.

They ran until Drake met them with their truck a few minutes later. They needed the speed of the truck, so they climbed in, but remained shifted so they could attempt to reach Jordanna.

“Jordanna, honey. It’s Caine, can you hear me?”

“Sweetheart, we love you. We’re coming for you,” Rowan said. He was running from Eminence toward them, keeping to the tree line along the highway. He assured them that a white van had not yet driven past him.

“Angel? Can you hear us? We love you so much. Don’t be frightened, we’re coming for you,” Gabriel said, pacing the bed of the truck.

Caine was squashed in the backseat of the truck, his whole mind focused on his mate. He tried not to dwell on the amount of blood she’d lost at the scene of the accident. Now they were mated she would heal rapidly from wounds. But she could still be killed.

“Why has the wolf Alpha taken Jordanna?” Caine didn’t really expect an answer; he was just frantic.

“I will make certain I have your answer, young wolf, before he is lost to the madness of his pain,” Aiden said. Caine shuddered at the tone of the vampire’s mental voice and resumed talking to Jordanna. He couldn’t lose her. She’d come into their lives and made them all whole again. He finally had everything and it was being taken from him.

“We’re coming for you, Jordanna. We’ll never let you go.”

* * * *

Jordanna was dreaming of her mates. They were all so angry and they were hurt. Her chest ached from the pain they were feeling. She moved her hand to rub at her chest, she wanted to ease the ache, but her hand wouldn’t move.

Forgetting again the futility of opening her eyes, she blinked them open to find herself staring at a hazy darkness. Fuck. Why do I keep forgetting I’m bloody blind?

“But you’re not, angel. You see us. You see our very souls,” Gabriel whispered to her.

“You’re awake,” said a harsh, guttural voice she was certain she’d never heard before. “We don’t have a lot of time. I won’t have that fucking vampire pet of my brother’s ruining my plans. I need to remind you of what you saw last week.”

Jordanna could hear the sound of an engine. The sound of tires on blacktop. Feel the sway and bump of traveling in a car. Her head was pounding and her body felt as though she’d been in a boxing match. She ached all over.

“Can you fucking hear me?”

She screamed as something slammed onto her shin. Her eyes watered and she gasped for breath, the pain threatening to make her sick to her stomach.

“Jesus, Jordanna. What the fuck did he just do to you?” Caine asked.

“Angel, we heard your scream. We felt your pain. Reach out to us with the mating bond,” Gabriel said.

“I don’t understand. What’s happening?” Jordanna gasped and swallowed the bile rising in her throat. Her leg throbbed painfully, but she managed to rasp out the words.

“I’m taking you to my pack elders is what’s happening,” the stranger said. “These fucking cats don’t know who they’re dealing with. Look at me when I’m talking to you, you dumb bitch.”

She turned her head toward his voice, but she saw nothing but a hazy outline of a man.

“I’m up to my fucking neck in shit and these cats have given me a way out. I thought you’d screwed everything up that night I killed my sanctimonious brother. But you fucking gave me the perfect scapegoat.”

Jordanna had no clue what he was raving about.

“Where are you, sweetheart? We’re searching for you,” Rowan said. He sounded hurt. His voice strained.

She turned her head searching for her men’s scent. When she tried to take a deep breath, her chest wall seemed to snap. She screamed at the stabbing pain in her side. Her airways filled with fluid and she started to cough. She tried to roll over and clear her throat but she couldn’t move. She felt like she was drowning.

Her arms were pulled tight above her head. Her wrists stung as she pulled against some sort of restraint. She coughed again, and it cleared her throat. She turned her head as much as she could and spat out the contents of her mouth. Very unladylike.

“What the fuck,” the man said. Her wrists were suddenly freed. Her hair was grasped tightly and used to pull her into a sitting position. She tried to move her feet, but they were stuck together. She was dragged by her hair until she felt cold metal at her back. He released her with another curse.

“You’re no fucking use to me dead. I need you to tell the elders you saw one of those fucking cats kill my brother. We scented him all over his corpse. It was perfect.”

More liquid ran from her mouth. Now that she was no longer choking she noticed its coppery-salty taste. It was blood. Why am I bleeding?

“Bleeding where, sweetness? I’m going fucking crazy here. Talk to us, Jordanna.” Rowan sounded frantic.

She inhaled shallowly, her chest aching. She couldn’t smell anything except sweat and gasoline. Her men definitely weren’t here with her. But she’d heard them. She’d heard them all except Drake. Her heart squeezed tight. Is Drake dead?

“No. He’s driving, honey. The rest of us are all furry. We’re looking for you,” Caine said. He used the same word she’d used this morning when he’d woken her. She wasn’t imagining them. She really could hear them, and they could hear her.

“Can you really hear me? Or am I having some kind of a hallucination?”

“Good, you’re breathing. Now, tell me who you saw attack my brother last Saturday.” She turned her head toward his voice. She wasn’t sure what to answer. She tried to remember what he’d been saying to her.

“There is a man here. He says that he’s taking me to elders. He says that he killed his brother and then he smelled of cat. I’m supposed to say something about seeing a cat. He said the cats were scapegoats.” She didn’t know if any of that would help her men find her, but it was all the information her pain-filled brain could remember.

“This idiot thinks he can take me from you. I know you’ll find me.” She wasn’t weak and alone now. The bond to her men was unbreakable. Their love would keep her alive until they found her. She would never be scared and alone again.

The throbbing in her leg increased as she felt a weight crush down on it. “Don’t make me repeat myself, bitch.”

She couldn’t remember what he’d asked. She screamed as the pain in her leg became unbearable. Reaching down she found his booted foot. He was standing on her leg. She pulled at his foot, trying to get him off her. When he lifted his boot she sighed with relief, but then it slammed down on her shin. She screamed until she ran out of air.

Chapter 18

Rowan thought he’d felt rage before, but when Jordanna’s scream was followed by silence he slipped into a maddened haze. He barely heard the vampire, his mind buzzing with so much unleashed savagery.

“I have heard that you have somehow communicated with your mate. Her mind is closed to me. What have you learned?”

Caine communicated Jordanna’s last words to Aiden word for word. His rage burned through him, he was unable to do anything but continue to run.

“If he is taking her back to his territory, then I will intercept him soon.” Aiden’s reassurance did nothing to ease Rowan’s fear and anger. Jordanna was being hurt by that wolf again. He’d vowed to keep her safe and he’d failed her.

He’d welcome death if she was no longer alive. But he’d make sure the wolf died first.

As if by magic the vampire appeared at his side. He was running in long easy strides, appearing to expend no effort. Rowan knew that he could run as fast as fifty-five miles per hour at top speed.

“Richard West’s van is approaching. You need to be ready to immobilize the driver once the van is stationary.”

“How are you going to stop the van without killing my mate?” She’d already been injured from the collision with the tanker. She may not survive another collision.

“I am going to block the road.” Aiden vanished.

“Fuck. The vampire moves fast. He says he can stop the van without harming Jordanna. We are at the south end of the Wilder’s property.” Rowan heard a thunderous bang and the ground shook beneath his paws.

Rounding a curve in the road, he saw a massive blue spruce lying across the road. Leaping on top of the tree, he could see a white van slowing as it approached the felled tree.

He couldn’t conceive of the strength it entailed to topple the massive tree, but he was glad the vampire was a friend.

“They’re stopping,” Rowan said. He stayed where he was, concealed in the branches of the tree, until the van had nearly stopped.

“I am five minutes from your location. The wolf Beta is accompanying me. Do not kill Richard West.” Finn’s voice boomed the edict. Rowan snarled his displeasure as he leaped to the driver’s side door and shifted.

The vampire had indeed stopped the van without harming his mate further, so he’d trust him now and follow his plan. His cat wanted to get to his mate. But the man knew this was the best way to ensure her safety when he was the only cat here. He would’ve gotten them both killed had he’d attempted to take her from the moving van by himself.

He ripped the door open and took in the surprised look on the driver’s face as he sliced through the man’s seatbelt with his extended claws and pulled him from the van.

Rowan heard the wrench of metal and saw the back doors of the van slide noisily down the road.

“Please don’t kill me,” the wolf begged. He was a large man, but still smaller than Rowan’s six foot three. Rowan easily dragged the man by his neck toward the back of the van.

“You take my mate from me and expect mercy?” The man in Rowan’s hands paled, his eyes widening. He scratched at Rowan’s arms with his extended claws in an attempt to free himself. Rowan had reached the open doors of the van and what he saw had him squeezing tighter on the neck in his hands.

The scent of Jordanna’s blood filled his nose and stoked the fire of his rage. In his peripheral vision he saw Aiden holding a large insensate man in one hand. His eyes moved to fix on Jordanna’s prostate form.

“Your brothers and Alpha are approaching. She is alive,” Aiden said. Rowan finally noticed the struggles of the man in his hands. The wolf’s claws had shredded his arms.

Relaxing his grip on the wolf’s throat, the man drew in a breath, his color changing from puce to red. Rowan had nearly killed him. He didn’t much care, except that he wanted the man’s suffering to last longer than just a few minutes.

* * * *

Gabriel leaped from the bed of the truck before Drake had skidded to a stop behind the van’s doors. They were lying on the road some fifty feet from the van. Even at this distance his mate’s blood cast a thick pall on the morning air.

He was at the back of the van in seconds, the sight of his unconscious mate driving a roar of both anger and pain from him. His gaze then fell on the man responsible for all her pain. Even over the thick scent of his mate’s sweet blood he recognized the scent of the wolf.

“I was the paramedic who attended to Jordanna in Sheridan last Saturday,” Gabriel said, directing his thoughts to the vampire.

Aiden’s eyes glowed red as his eyes snapped to meet Gabriel’s. “I am the witness you should have been seeking to identify the murderer.”

The murderer who was currently dangling from the vampire’s hand. His beast’s nature rose up in him with its primal need to avenge its mate. Caine’s roar shook the van when his brother came to stand beside him.

They were both too big to enter the rear of the cab and Gabriel was reluctant to shift in case more wolves were about. He ached with the need to hold his mate. Touch her. Heal her.

“She’s alive,” Rowan said, the words husky with the snarl of his cat.

Drake pushed between himself and Caine to climb into van. He knelt beside Jordanna with a first aid kit and gently stroked a hand down her blood-splattered cheek. “She’s so cold.”

Drake had only just begun to assess Jordanna when Gabriel scented their Alpha approaching. The stench of another wolf had Gabriel spinning around and readying himself for a fight.

Finn paused by their truck and shifted, as did the wolf. Gabriel recognized the wolf as the Beta they had encountered at the ranger station and he allowed himself to relax slightly. He raised his head and used all his senses to search for any other wolves.

Finn reached into the back of Drake’s truck and found some clothes. He drew on sweat pants and tossed some to the wolf before approaching the van.

“Jason will be here shortly to care for your mate,” Finn said. “I understand how hard this is, but I ask you to stay on guard until he and Samson arrive.”

Aiden moved to the back of the van. He still held the wolf steady in his hand. The man was big and solid, but Aiden held him with apparent ease. The vampire’s lithe frame belied his true strength.

“What have you done to our Alpha?” Patrick asked. He scented of rage and fear.

“My mind control has no effect on shifters but my fist does.” Aiden’s stare clearly dared the Beta wolf to make issue of the way he’d handled their duplicitous Alpha.

He jumped down from the van and came to stand in front of Finn and Patrick. “We were seeking the wrong witness. This young cat is the one you needed to identify your Alpha’s killer.”

Gabriel should have felt insulted by the vampire’s use of the word young, but he recognized that Aiden used it simply as a description. He wondered at the true age of the creature who looked to be no older than thirty-five.

Patrick looked past Aiden to Jordanna. “Richard did that to her?” His voice was a husky growl, his wolf very close to reemerging.

“I heard them speaking to their mate while Richard held her captive,” Aiden said, his lip curling in disgust. “He was using pain to coerce her into accusing the cats of Liam’s murder. He also admitted to her that he killed Liam.”

“I have known you a long time, Aiden. You place a great deal of trust in these cats?” Patrick said, looking at no one but Aiden.

“They have been honest and fair in their treatment of me,” Aiden said. “Even after I abducted a mate. If I had taken your mate would you have waited to hear the reason before simply killing me?”

Patrick looked at Finn and nodded. “I will listen to your cat.”

“Gabriel, please,” Finn said.

Gabriel shifted, the snarl of anger continuing from his cat to his human throat as he stared at the unconscious wolf.

“How do you know this man?” Patrick said.

“I don’t,” Gabriel said. “I worked as a paramedic in Sheridan. I was sent to care for the victims of a wild dog attack. That is where I first discovered my mate.” He glanced over his shoulder to Jordanna. Drake had inserted an intravenous line and Caine was still standing guard at the rear of the van.

“That is why you brought the woman here? She’s your mate?”

“Yes. I scented wolf on both victims. Jordanna was badly injured so I brought her to my pride for her own protection.”

“And this is the wolf you scented?” Patrick indicated the still-unconscious man hanging from Aiden’s hand.

“Other than the dead man’s. His was the only other scent I detected.”

“Aiden, I think we have a lot to discuss with our new Alpha,” Patrick said. His eyes began to glow a luminous pale green. His rage rolled off him in waves.

“He revealed a great deal already while torturing this mate,” Aiden said. “He used the paramedic’s scent on Liam’s body to convince you the cats were involved.”

“He also lied about your confirming the cat’s involvement and their plans to attack our pack,” Patrick said.

Gabriel began to understand how Richard West had convinced his pack to attack them. But it still didn’t explain why he’d killed his brother in the first place.

* * * *

As fascinating as the machinations of wolf politics may usually be, Caine didn’t give a fuck right now. He wanted Jordanna. He nearly collapsed with relief when Samson’s truck came into view.

Jason came straight to Jordanna. Caine may not have been able to shift and hold her, but he could hear what Doc said, and stand guard to keep her safe from further harm. It was enough to calm both cat and man.

Samson came to stand at Aiden side, his amber glare fixed on the perpetrator of today’s unnecessary bloodshed. “I’ve had to kill today because of this lying sack of shit.”

Patrick’s own illuminated stare grew brighter. “He has enforcers at our pack home standing guard over our pups and elders. Any who refused to fight for their pack were to be killed along with everyone in their bloodline.”

“Brutal,” Aiden said. “I will remember that threat in the months I dole out his punishment.”

Caine saw Finn raise an eyebrow at that statement. Caine didn’t know if it was the vampire’s ruthlessness that surprised the Alpha, or the fact that Aiden thought Finn would let the wolf Alpha live to leave his territory.

“Finn, I need Jordanna’s mates to accompany me to the clinic,” Jason said, stepping out of the van to stand beside Caine. “She has a hemothorax and a badly shattered right leg. You understand what is required?”

Caine knew what was required too. They needed to mark Jordanna again to speed up her healing. While her injuries were not immediately life threatening they were serious. The quicker she healed, the less pain she would suffer. Caine was anxious for her to be out of pain before she regained consciousness.

“Even though I believe you, Aiden,” Patrick said, looking toward Jordanna. “I feel I must still speak to the sole witness before I return home.” Caine’s growl drew the wolf’s attention to him. “Mates, as in more than one?” When no one answered him, he continued. “When she is well enough and only if her mates agree, of course.”

“I will discuss it with her mates at a time when they are not consumed with rage over your Alpha torturing her.” Finn nodded to Jason, and Caine was free to shift.

He met Drake as he carried Jordanna to their truck. She was wrapped in a foil blanket but her lips were still blue with either cold or poor oxygenation from the lung injury. He wanted to turn back and rip out Richard’s West’s lungs. Fill them with blood as his mate’s were. He noticed the splint on her right leg. First he’d break both his legs. He snarled at being denied his plans for revenge, for Finn had not yet lifted his edict.

He looked back at the man still suspended in Aiden’s grip and snarled again. Aiden smiled at Caine and gave a slight nod. Caine was certain that Aiden had just heard his macabre thoughts. So, it seemed they didn’t need to be shifted for the vampire to hear them.

Rowan handed his, now placid, captive to Samson, who lowered him to the ground, but kept his hand firmly around the man’s throat.

Caine was glad to leave shifter politics behind and get Jordanna treated. Once at his clinic, Jason aspirated the blood from Jordanna’s pleura before he x-rayed, set, and splinted Jordanna’s leg.

He then instructed them to take her home and mark her again. Caine was now carrying his precious mate into their bedroom, only an hour having elapsed since liberating her from the wolf.

“Doc was sure she didn’t need a chest tube, but she’s still so pale,” Caine said, sitting on the end of their bed with Jordanna in his arms. He kissed her blood-speckled cheek. Her head was the only part of her he could see; the rest of her was cocooned in a warm blanket.

Gabriel squatted in front of him. “Her breathing is regular and even. Our original mating marks have already accelerated her healing.” He rose and cuffed Caine’s head. “Do you want to call Doc and tell him he’s wrong?”

“I think we should shower her before we put her to bed,” Rowan said, joining them in the bedroom. “Drake is doing a sweep of the property before we all settle down with Jordanna for the night.”

“I don’t think the wolves pose a threat any longer. But…” Gabriel said. He stripped off his sweat pants and went to run the shower.

“I don’t fucking trust them,” Caine said, his cat adding a growl. Caine still felt ready to kill whenever he thought about what the wolves had done. Not just to Jordanna, but to the whole pride. They’d come here ready to kill on one man’s command.

“I can’t comprehend how the entire pack believed his bullshit,” Rowan said. Caine saw Rowan’s eyes blaze amber and he knew he wasn’t alone in his continued rage at the Sheridan wolf pack. Rowan unwrapped the blanket from around Jordanna and tenderly removed what was left of her clothing. Doc had cut away much of it already to treat her wounds.

“I know I’d have to be fucking certain of my facts before I slaughtered an entire town,” Caine said. He looked at Jordanna’s naked body. She was covered in deep bruises from the car accident they’d been in. Her clavicle looked to be broken from the seatbelt, but she’d have been killed had she not been wearing it.

There was a large lump on her head, too. “I hope she hasn’t lost what little eyesight she regained,” Caine said softly. He stroked gently over her tangled hair. “She was so excited about that.”

“She was,” Rowan said. “If that’s what’s happened then we’ll just have to love her so much it won’t matter to her.” He handed Jordanna to Rowan while he stripped.

When Caine took Jordanna back into his arms, she turned her face into his chest and took a deep breath in. She sighed and then smiled as she burrowed her head tighter against him. His heart skipped a beat and his cock instantly filled. She knew she was with her mates. His cat’s purr vibrated in his chest.

They gently washed her hair and body before drying her and settling her in the center of their bed. They had just finished their own showers when Drake returned.

“That is one fucked-up wolf pack,” he said before walking into the bathroom. He was out in less than a minute and dried himself while gazing down at Jordanna. “Finn has asked to come by tomorrow with the wolf Beta. I said yes, because I want the fuckers off our land.”

Caine snuggled up on one side of Jordanna and licked over his mark. She sighed and mumbled his name. His cock hardened again and he sucked on the skin of her neck before letting his canines extend and sink into her tender flesh. He swallowed the small drops of blood that splashed onto his tongue and growled at the sweet heady flavor.

“If you were awake, Jordanna, I’d be sinking my cock into your tight pussy as I marked you again as my mate.” He gently pulled her on top of him and caressed down her back to cup her ass. Her skin erupted in goose bumps and she softly moaned his name again.

“You’re killing me, honey.” He wrapped his arms around her hips and pulled her pelvis firmly against his throbbing cock.

“My turn, sweetheart,” Rowan said. He moved her long hair aside and licked up her spine to his mark. “When next we do this, you’ll scream my name as you come with my cock buried deep in your sweet ass.” Caine heard him moan as he marked Jordanna again.

“Rowan, now,” she said in a soft whisper. Caine moaned as his cock leaked against her stomach.

“Jesus.” Rowan moaned, licking the last of Jordanna’s blood from her neck and sealing her wound. “I just came all over your back, sweetheart.”

Caine smiled as a wet cloth landed with a squelching sound on Rowan’s head. When Rowan had cleaned Jordanna’s back, he kissed her on the ass and moved off the bed for Gabriel to lie beside Jordanna.

“That’s how sexy you are, angel,” Gabriel whispered to Jordanna. He moved aside her hair and cuddled close to her side. “I’m going to mark you now, angel. I want you healed before you wake and come back to us.”

Caine nibbled and kissed the other side of Jordanna’s neck. She moaned and dug her nails into Caine’s back when Gabriel marked her. “Then I’m going to fuck you hard and fast.”

“Gabriel,” she said, barely above a whisper. Gabriel told her he loved her and slid to the bottom of the bed.

“She needs to rest,” Drake said, sliding into bed beside Jordanna.

“Drake,” Jordanna said. Her arms reached for her mate.

“I have you, my darling,” Drake said.

Caine slipped out from under Jordanna and helped Drake to position her between them.

As they held her tightly between them, Caine felt a shudder run through Jordanna’s body. She whispered Drake’s name as he marked her, the musky scent of her arousal flavoring the air. His cock throbbed painfully, but he closed his eyes and reveled in the feel of holding his mate safe in his arms.

“Sleep, my love. We’ll never let you go.”

Chapter 19

Jordanna woke in the darkness. Only darkness now. It was becoming less and less of a shock as each morning passed. It’s my new life now. But on the plus side, I have four sexy mates who more than make up for anything I may have lost.

“I’m glad you think so, angel,” Gabriel said. She felt kisses rain down on her foot, making her squeal and pull up her legs. Only one leg moved.

“Oh, what’s on my leg?” She reached down and felt some sort of restraint attached to her right leg. She was warm and safe with all her men around her. She could feel them. Not just where they were all touching her, but in her heart.

“How much about yesterday do you remember, sweetness?” Rowan asked. She felt the bed move and then he was kissing her. His tongue drove deep into her mouth, driving all thought from her mind as her core clenched in need.

She moaned as he broke their kiss. She reached for him, but he slipped away. A bright light filled the darkness and her eyes started to water.

She quickly pulled her arm across her eyes. “I feel like I’m staring at the sun.”

“Rowan, dim the lights,” Gabriel said. “You know what Doc said about bright light.”

“Sorry, honey,” Caine said tenderly. He moved her arm from her eyes and kissed her closed eyelids. “We wanted to check on all your bruising.”

She opened her mouth to ask what they meant when her memory seemed to return in a flood of images. It replayed the horrific events in super-fast-forward. The car crash, the horrible man…

“I heard you,” she said, finding the one piece of the day that she wanted to dwell on. “Was it real or did I just want you all to be there with me?”

“We were there, angel,” Gabriel said. “We heard you through the mating bond. You were so brave.”

“Hardly, I screamed like a baby. It was so good to hear you all. I wasn’t alone this time.”

Last time she’d sustained a beating, she’d thought her husband was going to kill her. She’d become so isolated and alone in the years of abuse that it had been hard to find the will to live. This time she had felt her men’s love for her as a living thing inside her. It had given her the courage and strength to hang on, and they hadn’t let her down.

“You’ll never be alone again, darling,” Drake said. He dragged her on top of him and wrapped his arms around her. She kissed up his neck until their mouths met. It was a slow heated kiss, his hands lightly stroking down her body until he was caressing her ass. She wanted them. Her pussy throbbed and ached. Pulling back from his lips, she searched for the spot where his face was almost in focus. “I’m so glad you weren’t dead.”

His smile made it hard for her to think past her burgeoning lust. She had more questions. Lots more. She had no idea what time it was. What day. Had any of her men been hurt?

“Before I make you fulfill all those sexy promises you made, what happened after that man hurt my leg? Were any of you injured?” She slid her hands down Drake’s chest, but felt nothing but smooth, hard, delicious muscle. Her clitoris began to pound in time with her heartbeat. Their bodies really were so sexy.

“You heard what we said last night when we marked you?” Rowan’s voice in her ear was so soft and rough it sounded almost like a purr. His breath tickled her neck and she longed to have him bite her again. His cock was a heavy weight between the cheeks of her ass.

“Oh, God. Stop distracting me, Rowan. I need to know what happened before you come all over my back again.” She pushed her ass against his erection, and it slid through her wet folds to bump against her throbbing clitoris.

“That’s how sexy you are, sweetness. You made me come while you were unconscious.”

“You are incredibly sexy, Jordanna,” Drake said. “But the rest of us managed to control ourselves.” He thrust his pelvis against her and his hard shaft rubbed against her stomach.

Grasping Rowan’s face between her hands, she moved her head until she could see his smiling, beautiful face. It may have been blurred, but it was him. He looked perfect. He looked edible.

“I’m not going to be able to concentrate on sex until I know you’re all fine. Please, I need to know if it’s finally over.”

“The scent of your arousal speaks otherwise, angel,” Gabriel said. “But you deserve to know that you’re now safe.”

Gabriel gasped her waist and pulled her onto his lap. She felt the cool air on her naked front until Gabriel wrapped his big arms around her and pulled her tight to his chest. They were all so warm. He was careful with her injured leg.

“What is this thing on my leg?” It felt heavy like a plaster cast, but when she touched it she found it was made of some sort of metal.

“It’s a brace. The break will be fully healed in days, not weeks, so Doc uses braces instead of plaster,” Drake said.

“Do you remember the trip to Finn’s house?” Caine said. She nodded and he continued. “The wolf Alpha, Richard West, had parked a tanker across the road a few miles from Finn’s. We collided with it and the truck rolled.”

“Were you hurt, Caine?” She reached out her hand toward him and he took it between both of his.

“Only when I woke up to find you were gone, my lovely mate.”

“You were hurt if you were unconscious.” She wanted to look him over and catalogue his wounds, but her eyesight was just too poor. “Argh…this is so frustrating. I can’t see if you’re hurt. You need to be honest with me. Imagine if it was me and I wouldn’t tell you exactly where I was hurting.”

“We’re sorry, Jordanna,” Rowan said. “I’d go crazy if you did the same to me.”

“You have to remember that we heal very quickly,” Drake said. He ran a hand over her thigh, and stopped at the restraint on her leg. “Quicker than you.” She felt him kiss her leg through the straps on the brace.

“I cut my head when the truck rolled. But when I shifted to find you it healed,” Caine said.

“Thank you, Caine.”

Gabriel then told her of the ambush at the ranger station, and of his injuries. Drake told her about the attack on the Alpha’s house and Rowan continued with the attack on the town.

She insisted on looking at all their wounds. Gabriel’s was the only one she could really see. The wound to his side was large and scabbed over. It looked weeks old, not hours.

“So we still don’t know what it was all for?” Jordanna said. They’d told her everything now. She even knew it was only five in the morning.

“We only know that Richard West killed his brother and blamed us,” Drake said. He snarled and it made the hairs at the back of her neck rise and tingle. “Finn is coming over this morning with their Beta. He still wants to interview you.”

“Does he know his witness is blind? I’m not going to be able to identify anyone.”

The silence stretched for a few heartbeats before Gabriel finally answered. “We didn’t think to mention it. So, no, he doesn’t know.”

She couldn’t have loved them more. The fear that she’d still held deep inside that she couldn’t be a proper mate because she was blind just melted away. They didn’t think of her as their blind mate. She was just their mate. They loved her. They loved her exactly as she was.

* * * *

Drake watched the tears spill from Jordanna’s eyes and looked at his brothers and Rowan for the reason, because he was at a loss. They each shrugged at him.

“Did we do the wrong thing? We just didn’t think to mention it.” Drake caught Jordanna as she threw herself into his arms. Her mouth latched onto his neck and she kissed her way to his mouth.

“I don’t know what we did,” Rowan said with a laugh, “but it seems it was the right thing.” Rowan reached across the bed and took a tube of lube from the top drawer of the bedside cabinet. “Time to make good on all those promises we made.”

“Drake only promised to never let me go,” Jordanna said. She kissed back down his neck and groaned. His cock pulsed and he ached to be inside her.

“When you groan like that it makes my cat wild for you,” Drake said. A groan of his own erupted as she found his nipple and sucked it into the warmth of her mouth. “We are going to claim you again with our bites, my darling. You’re ours forever now.”

“You’re mine forever too, Drake.”

He wrapped his arm around her and drew her tight against him. He could feel her breath hitch as he pushed his straining cock against her.

Stroking his hand down her back he felt her melt against him. He loved the way she felt against his skin, the way it made him feel aroused just by the feel of her body touching his.

He inhaled the fragrance of her arousal in the air. “You smell like heaven when you’re turned-on. I want you so badly.”

Need rolled through him. He wanted to be buried inside his mate so badly. The need to claim her again pure and animalistic. “If you’re in pain we can wait.”

His gorgeous mate growled and kissed him hungrily. His control snapped and he held her to him as he lowered himself back onto the bed.

She broke their kiss and lowered herself onto his erection.

He groaned as her wet heat enveloped him. “Fuck, I could come right now, Jordanna.”

“Just a little cold, sweetness,” Rowan said. Drake held himself still as Jordanna moaned the whole time Rowan prepared her ass.

“Drake, please,” Jordanna said, moaning as she writhed on top of him. He grasped her buttocks firmly in his hands and rocked slowly and gently into her.

“It will feel even better when I’m buried in your ass,” Rowan said, kneeling between Drake’s legs.

“You promised,” Jordanna said. She gripped his neck with her teeth she moaned in time with his thrusts.

Caine and Gabriel knelt on either side of them. They caressed Jordanna’s back and arms as they all made love to their mate.

“So fucking good,” Drake whispered to Jordanna. Once Rowan’s cock had filled her ass he was free to thrust deeper and harder into her.

“We won’t ever let you go, Jordanna,” Gabriel said, “you belong with us.”

Jordanna’s pussy grew tight as her orgasm rolled through her. She released his neck and panted their names as her pussy clenched his cock. His balls drew up tight as his orgasm rolled through him. He sank his canines into his mating mark.

He held her tight with both his arms and his mouth as he thrust once more before pouring himself into her. Pleasure pulsed through him with each spurt of cum that shot deep into his beautiful mate, the taste of her blood driving his orgasm higher still. We can never lose you again.

Rowan roared as he too buried himself deep and came. Drake felt Jordanna’s pussy continue to spasm as Rowan’s orgasm prolonged hers.

She breathed his name and found his lips before giving him a gentle kiss. “I want to stay here with you all. Forever.”

* * * *

“We want that too,” Caine said. He freed her from between Drake and Rowan until she was kneeling in front of him. He kissed the soft skin of her shoulder. She looked relaxed and satiated. She looked so fucking sexy his balls were crawling up to his navel. His cock was hard and leaking, but his mate was still recovering from her injuries. He would wait to make love to her if that was what she needed.

“Would you like a bath, angel?” Gabriel said. Caine looked at his brother and saw the restraint it had taken to ask that question etched on his face. They all shared more than a mate. They all shared the same deep love for her.

“I still have two mates who have yet to fulfill their promises.”

“Are you sure, Jordanna? Aren’t you sore at all?” Caine pulled her into his arms.

“I’m fine. I need you and Gabriel inside me.”

Gabriel returned with a warm cloth and after he’d wiped Jordanna clean he knelt close behind her.

“You have no idea how wonderful it feels when you do this. Every inch of me touching warm hard skin.” She ran he hand down Caine’s back and reached around behind her to grasp Gabriel’s ass and pull him tighter against her.

“I think we do,” Caine said. His erection slid against her stomach, the leaking head of his cock marking her skin with his essence. His cat growled at the primal act of marking its territory.

“It turns me on, too,” she said, gripping his ass and squeezing. “But it’s more than that. I feel whole again. I don’t miss my sight when I can feel all of you around me like this. I don’t need it.”

Caine closed his eyes and let his other senses see Jordanna. His skin tingled everywhere the softness of her skin glided against his. He breathed in her unique floral scent, the sweetness and richness filling his mind with images of only her. The overtones of her musky arousal added images of her naked pussy, of her nipples hardening as he sucked them.

His cock jumped and leaked at the images playing in his mind. He bent his head and licked down the column of her neck. She tasted of sweetness and sex. Of Jordanna. He heard her breathing increase as he reached between them to tug at one of the hard nipples she’d been rubbing against his chest.

She was right, his other senses created a perfect picture of her. He would make sure he never forgot how important it would be for them to always touch her. To hold her and let her see them with her hands and body instead of her eyes.

“Please, Caine,” Jordanna said, her voice breathy with her desire. She was shimmering with perspiration, her own need coiled so tightly he knew she’d come as soon as he was inside her.

He couldn’t wait any longer. Nudging her thighs open with his knee, he pushed into her in one slow thrust, her juices making him glide smoothly into her. She screamed his name as her pussy clamped around him, then relaxed and pulsed in a sensual rhythm that brought him to the edge of orgasm without him even moving inside her. He clenched his pelvic muscles, holding off his own release until her pussy finally relaxed.

As soon as Gabriel was fully seated in Jordanna’s ass, Caine began to move. They both pounded into her in deep hard thrusts. Her moans were all the encouragement they needed to know that she was with them for every thrust.

* * * *

Gabriel held himself tight to Jordanna’s back, his cock pounding deep in her ass as Caine thrust into her pussy. He ran his hand around Jordanna’s waist to the juncture of her thighs until he found her engorged clit. He caressed around it in slow circles.

“Gabriel,” she said, her voice a soft whisper.

“One more, angel,” he said. She moaned as he continued to tease her sensitized clit. He would hold on until she came with him. The sound and feel of her were all his cat would ever want—all he had ever dreamed a mate would be and more. She was perfect. She was his.

Slamming his cock into her, he let their combined pleasure consume him. Everything disappeared but her as he made love to his mate.

“Come for us, Jordanna,” Caine said. Gabriel saw him lower his head to his mark on her neck. It was all she needed to ignite her orgasm.

He relaxed his restraint and let the clench and release of her pussy push him over the edge. He held himself deep inside her as he came so hard his balls hurt. His orgasm so intense he felt as though he’d broken into pieces. As the last of his cum pulsed into his mate, he felt himself coming back together, with her as his new heart. She would forever be the reason for its every beat. She was his, until death.

The mating bond may have drawn them to each other, but the strong resilient woman that was all Jordanna, she had engaged his heart in the bond, making it the unbearably beautiful thing it now was. It pulsed within him, strong and unbreakable.

“I think you fucked her unconscious,” Rowan said, bringing Gabriel out of his daze.

“Did not,” Jordanna mumbled against Caine’s chest. “I’m just trying to get my brain to function again. That was incredible.”

Gabriel felt himself smile as he slowly withdrew from her delectable body. He finally felt cleansed of all his pain. As Drake went and ran them a bath, Caine lay back on the bed and held Jordanna’s head against his heart. Rowan was caressing the globes of her ass, a huge smile on his face.

She had given him more than she would ever realize. She had given him back not just his family, but also his soul. He had a reason for living again. His guilt and pain were now a proportionate part of his distant past instead of consuming his present and haunting his future.

Chapter 20

Jordanna woke feeling achy and hot. She was alone in the bed, but she still felt the warmth on the sheets around her. Her men hadn’t been gone long.

Her men. She felt the truth of it in her heart. They were there with her even now, a constant presence radiating their love from deep inside. A feeling passed through her that was too wonderfully special to even name.

She hoped that they felt something similar from her, because she loved them with all of her being. They were her men and she’d happily be theirs for as long as they’d have her.

Scooting down to the bottom right-hand corner of the bed she counted out the steps to the bathroom in the same way Caine had shown her early that morning.

It worked perfectly and she’d soon taken care of business and brushed her teeth using the toothbrush and the toothpaste that Caine had told her would always be on the left-hand side of the sink.

Her vision was next to useless and she knew she’d have to learn to live as a legally blind person. She knew that her men loved her unconditionally, and it was making all the difference. They were also incredibly supportive. She would have to learn as much as she could before they had to go back to their work and pride duties.

After pulling on her clothes from the chair beside the bed, she hobbled to the landing at the top of the stairs and contemplated going down. The brace on her leg was going to make it even harder to negotiate the long staircase.

“You wouldn’t want to kill us all by taking a header down those stairs would you, sweetheart?” Rowan said calmly.

She went cold right to her core. “Oh my God. That’s right.” She started to shake and Rowan caught her before her legs gave out. They ran so fast that even if she could see she doubted she’d be able to see them move when they ran flat out.

“I’ve got you, Jordanna,” he said, kissing her hard on the lips.

“You’d all have died. And if that man had succeeded in killing me, he would have killed all of you as well.” She shuddered and snuggled closer to Rowan’s warm naked chest as he walked them downstairs.

It made reassess a few things. She’d never take unnecessary risks again. She wouldn’t endanger their lives in a stupid attempt at independence on her part. It also made her furious at the stupid wolf.

“He didn’t kill us,” Rowan said.

“You’ll also never be alone again, angel,” Gabriel said. He came to kiss her and he brought the smell of coffee with him.

“Coffee and her mates. A girl couldn’t ask for much more in the morning.” She heard them all chuckle and Caine and Drake came to kiss her as Rowan sat down and settled her on his lap.

“You all have jobs and lives to get on with. I don’t want to be the cause of you giving up your careers.” As nice as it sounded to never be alone, she wouldn’t hobble them like that. She lowered her head and spoke very softly. Hating how she’d feel if her next words came to pass. “You’d grow to resent me.”

“Ha,” Rowan said loudly, making her jump. “I’ve already had two careers. All I want now is to help you realize your dreams, my beautiful Jordanna.”

“We’re very old, Jordanna. Remember?” Gabriel said.

“I’ve had more jobs than I can name,” Drake said. “Eventually all of our pride retire to their ranches and try to keep pretty much to themselves.”

“We can’t stay in a profession for very long or the humans would notice we don’t age,” Caine said. He wrapped her hand around a warm mug.

She brought the mug to her nose and inhaled. “Coffee,” she said, moaning her pleasure.

“Dammit,” Rowan cursed. “We have the Alpha coming over in a few minutes. Moan like that again and I don’t think I’ll be able to stop myself from fucking you on this table, Jordanna.”

She felt the evidence of his arousal pushing into the crease of her buttocks. She couldn’t resist wiggling her hips as she tried for an innocent expression. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t look sorry, my darling,” Drake said. He took the mug from her hands before cupping her face and kissing her.

His hands caressed down her neck to her breasts as his tongue plunged over and over into her mouth.

She pushed her breasts into Drake’s hands as he gently fondled them. Her pussy throbbed and she felt her juices begin to dampen her clean panties.

“Good,” Drake said, breaking their kiss abruptly. “Now we won’t be suffering alone. Our company has arrived.” He chuckled and kissed the end of her nose.

“You’re mean, Drake, and I love you.”

“And I’ll never grow tired of you telling me that.”

* * * *

“You have quite a few people coming to see you, angel,” Gabriel said. He made sure Drake had straightened Jordanna’s top before he opened the kitchen door to their guests.

“Where is she?” Melanie said as she burst into the kitchen. “Shit, look what he did to you.”

“No, it’s good you can’t see what he’s done to you,” Peata said quietly.

“Do I look that bad?” Jordanna whispered to Drake.

“You look beautiful beyond describing,” Caine said. He swooped in and plucked Jordanna gently from Drake’s lap.

“We’re just mad that he hurt our friend,” Melanie said. “Where is that tall, gorgeous vampire? I want to know where he’s hiding the slimy wolf.”

Gabriel laughed as Finn and Hunter walked into the kitchen snarling. “Princess, I don’t think he’ll look very gorgeous if Finn and I tear him limb from limb,” Hunter said.

“I find that your mate has taste so exquisite that it is only rivaled by her grace and beauty,” Aiden said as he walked into the rapidly filling kitchen and bowed deeply to Melanie.

Gabriel started to smile at Hunter’s scowl, but he saw Finn’s expression and decided not to. Their Alpha turned and watched as Jason escorted his mate into the room, followed by Samson and three wolves. Axel and Michael drew up the rear and stayed close to the wolves.

“Jordanna, how are you feeling?” Bethany asked. She moved in front of Jordanna and took her hand.

“I’m feeling much better, thank you, Bethany.”

“I’ve brought Matthew to meet you,” Melanie said, taking Jordanna’s other hand. “Once all this business with the wolves is over Dane is going to bring him in.”

“That’s wonderful. Can I hold him?”

“Of course you can,” Melanie said softly. “You’re going to need the practice. If your men are like the rest of the cats you’ll be pregnant in no time.”

Gabriel saw Jordanna’s mouth pop open and stay open. They hadn’t discussed children yet, but they hadn’t been taking any precautions either. He decided they needed to have that conversation as soon as everyone had left.

“I think that’s a topic of conversation she should have in private,” Finn said. Melanie nodded and looked at the wolves standing awkwardly in the kitchen. “With her mates.” Finn smiled warmly at his tiny mate as she blushed scarlet.

“Sorry,” Melanie mumbled. Gabriel watched a huge smile spread across Jordanna’s face.

“Don’t be, Melanie. You really don’t consider me as any less of a mate?”

All three of the mates shared horrified expressions as they all tried to speak at once.

“I think you are the best friends I’ve ever had,” Jordanna said. Caine set Jordanna down on her feet so the smaller mates could embrace her.

Once the hugging had stopped and the stray tears had been wiped away, Finn cleared his throat. “Shall we let the wolves ask their questions? Then we can finally have this matter settled.”

Caine picked Jordanna up and sat at the large kitchen table with her on his lap. The other mates stood around her in a show of support that Gabriel admired them for.

“I will allow you to ask our mate your questions, wolf, but you will not upset her,” Gabriel said.

Patrick Werner stepped farther into the room before speaking. “I wish only to make certain of Richard West’s guilt.”

“Like you made certain of the cat’s guilt before launching an all-out attack on their entire pride,” Aiden said.

The temperature in the kitchen dropped to near freezing. Gabriel could see and scent nothing different about the vampire, but he was definitely responsible.

“We had no reason to doubt Richard’s word, Aiden.”

At the look Aiden leveled at him, the wolf pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and took a deep breath. “But you’re correct. We condemned the cats with no reason.”

“I hope you appreciate that we have been far more reasonable in our dealings with you than you were with us,” Finn said as he came to stand beside Aiden.

Although Finn was a few inches taller than the vampire and more heavily muscled, they seemed to emanate equal levels of menacing power. Gabriel found himself glad to be on their good side.

Patrick and his fellow wolves lowered his heads until the threatening waves of power directed at them abated.

“Ask your questions,” Finn said coldly.

“Thank you, Alpha.” Patrick walked toward Jordanna but Gabriel stepped quickly in front of him, as did Drake and Rowan. He held up his hands in surrender and took a step back.

“Can I ask what you saw the night you were attacked, Ms. Morland?”

Gabriel, Rowan, and Drake stepped aside so he could see Jordanna. “I saw two men fighting. One turned into a wolf and attacked the other. I ran and was also attacked by the wolf.”

“Would you be able to identify the man you saw shift if you saw him again?”

Jordanna just stared ahead as the other mates all gasped their surprise. “Finn?” Melanie said as she moved and stood in front of Jordanna.

“I don’t think anyone has thought to mention it,” Hunter said. He crossed the room and wrapped Melanie in his arms.

It was Aiden who spoke first. “You are a unique group of people. I tell you this, Jordanna, as it shows the nature of the pride you are now a member of.

“Of all the times you have been spoken of, or even thought of, not a single person has ever made reference to your injury.”

“Really?” Jordanna said, her eyes widening. Gabriel smiled at the joy he scented coming from his mate.

“I think you just revealed another of your abilities, Aiden,” Finn said, his lip twitching as he struggled not to smile.

“It was worth it.”

Gabriel couldn’t have agreed more.

“What are you all talking about?” Patrick Werner said. Gabriel could scent the wolf’s anger rising.

Gabriel reluctantly tore his eyes away from his mate’s smiling face to glare at the wolves. “Your Alpha’s original attack on my mate left her blind.”

* * * *

Jordanna was stunned. If the vampire could really hear thoughts, well, that was amazing. But that no one had thought of her as blind simply floored her.

He was right—these were a unique group of people. A wonderful group of people. She had everything she could ever wish for right here in Eminence. She was loved by her men and liked by her new friends for who she was.

She was drawn back to the events in the room by Caine whispering in her ear. “I love you, Jordanna. You are simply perfect.”

“Thank you, Aiden,” Jordanna said softly. He probably didn’t need her to speak the words, but she wanted him to know what a wonderful gift he’d given her with his words.

“After what Richard has done to you, it is poor recompense,” Aiden said. Jordanna heard the sadness in his voice.

“But he brought me my mates,” Jordanna said, leaning back against Caine’s hard chest and inhaling his woodsy scent. “I have no regrets.”

It was the truth. In the scheme of things, her sight was a small loss compared to everything she’d gained. She shuddered as she thought of how empty her life would have been had Gabriel never found her.

“And they would have had over two centuries of life without you,” Aiden said.

“Now do you understand?” Aiden had spoken the last words just to her. It felt strange hearing his voice in her mind. Which was odd considering how completely natural it had been to hear her mates. However, he got his point across. Now she understood.

They would have lived three or more of her lifetimes without having found their mate. Without love. Without the prospect of children. She may be almost blind, but that didn’t affect how much she loved them. It didn’t affect how much they loved her. She’d never doubt again. She was perfect for them no matter what.

“Don’t cry, darling Jordanna,” Caine said. He wiped away the tears that had run down her face. “That we did find you is all that matters to us.”

“I know, Caine. That’s why I’m crying.” She felt Caine shrug as he kissed the top of her head.

“Don’t try to understand women,” Aiden said. “I have more insight than you and I still can’t manage it.”

“She’s happy though. Right?” Rowan asked.

“Of course she’s happy,” Melanie said. “Can’t you see those are happy tears?”

“No,” was the emphatic response from every male in the room.

Jordanna and the other mates all started to laugh wetly through their tears.

Gabriel and Axel both confirmed it was Richard’s scent on Jordanna and Liam West.

“But you have been accused of killing the Alpha,” Patrick said, sounding frustrated.

“I think his answers when we question him, as well as his actions here are going to be enough to condemn him with the elders,” Aiden said.

“It’s a fucking mess,” Patrick said despondently.

“One that we can sort out without further imposing on the hospitality of the cats,” Aiden said.

“I am not yet in a position to offer you an apology, Alpha,” Patrick said. “But, once I am free to do so, I will give it to you.”

“Politics,” Melanie said with an accompanying huff. “Just say you were…” Her voice became muffled as Peata and Bethany laughed.

“Thank you, Patrick. I look forward to your offer,” Finn said. “I would also be interested to learn the reason behind all of this, once you have discovered it.”

“Cats,” Aiden said. “Always curious.”

* * * *

Drake stood looking at Jordanna as she held baby Matthew in her arms. She kissed his small hand where it wrapped around her finger. She was beyond beautiful.

He couldn’t wait for her to be holding their cub. She would be a wonderful mother. She smiled down at the baby and laughed as he returned her smile.

“He’s just so beautiful,” Jordanna said. “You must all be so in love with him.”

“Don’t change the subject again, Jordanna. We really need you,” Bethany said. “Say you’ll come and help us. Please. Melanie and I are swamped now that Peata’s had to stop.”

“I don’t know how much help I’ll be,” Jordanna said. “I might make more work for you.”

“I couldn’t even make toast before Melanie and Peata taught me what to do. You’re already a trained chef. You’ll be amazing.”

“A mostly trained chef,” Jordanna blushed and bent to kiss the baby’s head again.

“I feel terrible that I’ve left them with so much work,” Peata said. She moved to stand next to Jordanna and cooed at the baby.

Jordanna lifted her head and looked around the room. “What do you think?”

Drake stepped forward and cupped her cheeks. “I think it will only take you a couple of days to familiarize yourself with Melanie’s kitchen.”

“You think I can do this?” She looked up at him and he saw the excitement shining in her eyes.

“Of course I do,” Drake said, kissing her soft lips tenderly. “I think you’re capable of doing anything your heart desires.”

“Please say yes,” Melanie said, “I’m still not doing very much as Matthew keeps me so busy. So Bethany is basically doing everything.”

“I know we could stop altogether if we wanted to,” Peata said. “But we really love it. It’s become our own little business.”

“It’s only three mornings a week,” Bethany said, her tone pleading.

“I’ll give it a try.” The women all cheered and hugged Jordanna and the baby.

Drake stacked all the mugs in the dishwasher once everyone had left. Jordanna was sitting on Gabriel’s lap and Caine and Rowan were stacking more wood by the fire. There was more snow coming and they wanted to be sure Jordanna was kept warm.

The house they’d built finally felt like a home thanks to Jordanna. They just had one more thing to discuss with her.

“Can I ask you all something?” Jordanna said, as Drake sat next to her on the sofa and gently pulled her legs onto his lap.

“You can ask us anything,” Caine said.

“Do you all want children?”

“I was going to ask you that very same question,” Drake said.

“So was I,” Gabriel said, kissing Jordanna lightly on the lips.

“After seeing you with baby Matthew, I was wondering, too,” Rowan said.

“Well I asked first,” Jordanna said. Her forced smile didn’t hide the apprehension he saw on her face.

“I know we all want to have children with you, Jordanna,” Drake said. He was pleased to see her smile become genuine.

“You have a lot to adjust to, sweetheart,” Rowan said. “A new home, a new job, living without your sight. We’d understand if you wanted to wait a while before considering the possibility of starting a family.”

“We’ve already missed the boat on that one,” Gabriel said.

Jordanna laughed. “Exactly. But if I’m not already?”

“We can take precautions from now on,” Caine said.

“Or we could just abstain from sex altogether,” Jordanna said, her expression serious.

The room was silent except for the crackle of the fire and the beat of their hearts. Drake watched the smile spread across Jordanna’s face and he started to breathe again.

“I really wish I could have seen the looks on your faces,” Jordanna said, laughing as Gabriel nibbled on her neck.

“Witch,” Caine said, before lowering his mouth to Jordanna’s. When he broke the kiss they were both panting. The scent of their mate’s arousal made his cock begin to fill.

“I’d spank your delectable ass if you didn’t have your leg in a brace,” Rowan said. He moved forward to kiss Jordanna. Her moans had his cock thickening even further.

“Before I bury myself in your pussy,” Drake said, standing to adjust his growing erection. “You’re saying yes to children?”

“I’m saying yes.”

“Thank fuck for that,” Gabriel said. He raced up the stairs with their mate in his arms and they all followed. Her aroused scent was a siren call he’d never tire of.

Epilogue

Jordanna stirred her muffin batter and contemplated what flavor to make this batch. Reaching for the caramel she moved to the chopping board and started to chop the caramel into smaller pieces.

“It still amazes me how you do that without cutting your fingers off,” Bethany said from the other side of the kitchen. “I still cut myself on a regular basis. Samson has threatened to blunt all our knives.”

“I went through a lot of Band-Aids my first year at the restaurant,” Jordanna said.

She had only been cooking with Bethany and Melanie for the last two weeks and was beginning to feel comfortable in Melanie’s kitchen. She also felt that at some point she might be able to finish her culinary arts degree. With her mates loving and supporting her as they did, she felt like she could do anything she wanted.

“Do you think it will be much longer?” Bethany said quietly.

“I don’t know much about pregnancy and babies, but I think it takes all day. Maybe all night, too.”

“Poor Peata.”

Jordanna heard Melanie come into the kitchen. She was singing a lullaby, so Jordanna knew she had Matthew with her. “Have we heard anything yet?” Melanie said.

“No, not yet,” Bethany said.

“Finn had a call from Aiden this morning,” Melanie said.

“That was one sexy vampire,” Bethany said with a laugh. The other mates had talked a lot about the mysterious Aiden St. John, but never in front of their men.

“He still refuses to tell Finn where he’s holding that horrible wolf. But he did say he was begging for death on a daily basis. I think Finn kind of likes Aiden. They share a certain unforgiving and ruthless charm.”

“I wish I could feel sorry for him,” Bethany said. “But after everything he did I just don’t.”

“Did Aiden find out why Richard West killed his brother?” Jordanna asked, her voice betraying her emotions as the words came out shaky.

“Money and power, the same reasons humans kill each other. He had amassed huge gambling debts and needed the pack money to pay them off before the loan sharks killed him. His brother refused to give him the money so he killed him to get control of the funds as the new Alpha. Have you heard from your Mom and Dad?” Melanie said.

Jordanna was glad for the change of subject. She didn’t like recalling the danger her men and all her new friends had been in.

She told the two women the latest news from her parents. They had come to stay in Eminence over Christmas and had loved the town and all the people they’d met. Her parents had initially been concerned when Jordanna had invited them to meet her four boyfriends, but once they’d gotten to know them they were genuinely happy for her.

She hadn’t told her parents about her blindness until they’d arrived, so they’d been very upset at first. By the time they left after New Year’s they weren’t treating Jordanna any differently than before she’d lost her sight.

Jordanna’s men had made it a wonderful Christmas for her and her parents. She felt her eyes fill with tears as she remembered her men formally proposing to her after their Christmas lunch.

“Have you set a date for the wedding yet?” Bethany said. “If you have it soon, I won’t look like I swallowed a beach ball in my bridesmaid’s dress.”

“You’re a bridesmaid?” Melanie shouted, startling a cry from her baby. “Sorry, sorry,” she murmured to Matthew until he quieted again. “When did this happen?”

“I don’t know,” Jordanna said, containing a laugh. “Who else am I having as bridesmaids, Bethany?”

“Well, Melanie, of course.”

“Yippee.” Melanie cheered softly.

“And Peata. Naturally.”

Jordanna just nodded her head in agreement. “Naturally. Have you picked out the best man yet?”

“That would be silly. Your men have to do that.”

She jumped in surprise as Gabriel wrapped his arms around her from behind. “What do we have to do, angel?”

“Oh, shit. I cut myself,” Jordanna put the knife down and tried to see how bad the cut to her finger was. It only stung a little, so she guessed it was just a small nick.

Gabriel pulled her finger into his mouth and groaned. “Delicious. Jordanna and caramel.”

“Have you thought about putting bells around their necks?” Melanie said. “So they can’t sneak up on you.”

“Wouldn’t help,” Bethany said. “They’d still be able to move without making a sound.”

Their laughter stopped instantly as the phone rang. They all waited, but Jordanna couldn’t hear anything.

“Well that’s a relief,” Gabriel said.

“What’s a relief?” the women all said at once.

“Peata has had her baby,” Finn said. Jordanna jumped again as he seemed to have materialized from thin air.

“How is she?” Melanie asked. “What did she have?”

“She is fine, and she had a girl,” Finn said calmly. “Before you ask, they called her Lily and we are invited over to meet her after lunch.”

“Is your finger okay, Jordanna?” Bethany said. She reached out and took Jordanna’s hand. “I have a plaster for you.”

“Thank you. Does it need one?”

She felt Bethany wipe the cut with a tissue, and then she heard her inhale sharply. Bethany raised her hand and sniffed a few times.

“Well I’m not surprised,” Bethany said.

“Is it a bad cut?” Jordanna said. It hadn’t felt like she’d cut it deeply.

Gabriel took her hand from Bethany and she heard him sniff. Perhaps caramel and blood smells good to shifters? Ewww. Gross.

Gabriel lifted Jordanna until she was draped over his shoulder and raced out the kitchen door with her. Bethany and Melanie’s laughter faded away as Gabriel deposited her into his truck and closed the door.

“I’ll explain when we get home,” Gabriel said. She could hear the strain in his voice.

She waited patiently, and silently, for the entire fifteen-minute drive home. If she hadn’t been able to feel Gabriel’s happiness she would have been worried. Maybe this was to do with their wedding. Peata’s baby perhaps. No, surely not. She had no clue.

When they arrived home Gabriel had her inside their house in seconds.

“What’s up?” Rowan said. He hugged her from behind and Gabriel released her and ran off so suddenly she was left dangling in Rowan’s arms. “Fuck, Gabe. What’s happened?”

“I think its pre-wedding jitters,” Jordanna said, as Rowan placed her on her feet. “Did you hear that Peata had her baby?”

“No, that’s great. What did she have?”

Before she had a chance to tell him Gabriel was back and it sounded as though he was physically dragging both Caine and Drake.

“We were on patrol all night Gabe,” Caine said with a growl.

“Someone better have died,” Drake added.

“Someone was born,” Rowan said.

“Will you all shut up?” Gabriel interrupted. “This is important. Bethany noticed it first. She may not be able to shift, but her sense of smell is just phenomenal.”

“You’re a darling man, Gabriel. But we have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jordanna said. She walked in his direction, and as usual, he met her and scooped her up.

“I’m just so happy.” He buried his head in her neck and breathed deeply.

“Shit,” Rowan said. She felt him at her back. He lifted her hair to nuzzle and lick at the other side of her neck. “Shit.”

“May I?” Caine said softly. His voice was rough and growly. It rumbled over her and made her nipples peak. Rowan kissed her lips softly and stepped back. Gabriel handed her to Caine and he and Drake repeated Gabriel and Rowan’s actions.

Caine’s chest began to rumble with a rhythmic purr. She’d been patient long enough. She really had no idea what this was all for. It was obviously some shifter thing. From all the sniffing, she could assume she smelt different. Why would I suddenly smell different?

“Oh. Is my period due?”

“No.” Drake nibbled on her earlobe. “It’s not due for about eight months.”

“Have you got it yet?” Caine said. He kissed her and plunged his tongue into her mouth with such passion she climbed up his body to get closer to him.

When he released her lips she found herself wrapped around him, his hands kneading her ass. “Eight months?” she said.

“Sweetheart,” Rowan said. “We’re trying to tell you how happy we are that we’re going to be daddies.”

“Eight months.” She grasped Caine’s face in her hands and pulled him into focus. He was smiling. He was radiant. That was why Gabriel felt so happy. There really was no chance of lying to a mate. Their happiness positively exploded inside her.

She was so happy. She had their baby growing safe inside her. A piece of their love that they’d raise and love together. She was also relieved.

She hadn’t told them that her ex-husband’s final assault had damaged one of her ovaries so badly that they’d had to remove it. It hadn’t made her infertile, but she’d been told it may affect her chances of conception.

She knew it wouldn’t have made a scrap of difference to how much they loved her. She simply hadn’t wanted them to worry about her any more than they already did.

“I can feel that you’re happy, angel,” Gabriel said, as he pressed himself tight to her back. She could feel his erection against her ass. “But I can feel something else, too.”

“What is it, Jordanna? You’re scared,” Caine said. She could see his smile slip into a frown.

“Not anymore I’m not. I’ll tell you about it after we’ve celebrated.” She slipped her hand off his shoulder and down the front of his fatigues.

THE END

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ashley was born in England but has lived in Australia since she was three years old. Her love of reading has grown into a love of writing stories. All he stories will have a happy-ever-after, because that’s what she feels everyone deserves. She likes to call it “Ashley-World.” It’s a world of infinite possibility where love conquers all adversity. She hopes you enjoy escaping into her world for a little while.

For all titles by Ashley Malkin, please visit

www.bookstrand.com/ashley-malkin

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com