“They kicked you out, then,” the scowling, tattooed brother said, letting his shirt cover his brand again. “Why else would you be in a hotel?”
Rani’s chest pulled tight. She looked from the dangerous brother to the gentle one to the smallest who was still smiling wryly, as if everything amused him. “Are you,” she began, having to swallow to get the words out past her nerves, “are you my mates?”
The middle brother nodded, but it was the mischievous one who said, “Yep. All three of us. Lucky us, we get to share you, gorgeous.” He winked, and Rani blushed, feeling embarrassed and overwhelmed and wholly stunned.
“You have a place with us,” the middle brother said, everything about him calm and grounded. Rani found herself relaxing as she met his eyes, something in her settling. “If you need it. Since you’re staying in a hotel ... is Nigh right, were you exiled?”
Rani’s face grew hotter, tightening as tears built so suddenly that she couldn’t fight them. She nodded. “I don’t have anywhere else to go. I don’t have—anything anymore.” Her voice caught, the words snagging like barbs in her throat.
“Bastards,” the tattooed one growled. “I knew it.”
The serious brother sighed, his eyes going soft, and he swept Rani into a hug. She froze, about to shove this stranger away from her, but comfort hit her so intensely that she slumped against him, her arms falling to her sides as her head rested on his shoulder. His arms were wrapped around her with the perfect amount of pressure, his palm spread across her lower back as if he instinctively knew what she needed. And if he was her mate, Rani supposed he did.
Tentatively, she reached out with the brand on her bicep, exploring the bond between them, and he inhaled sharply as energy surged between them.
Swallowing, her face red hot, Rani stepped back. His scent of old paper and bittersweet chocolate filled the space between them, both comforting and seductive—especially for a bookworm with a sweet tooth. “You said your name was Eri?”
His eyes crinkled as he smiled, everything about him patient. But affection shone in those mismatched eyes, too. “Erivian Mahon. What’s your name, treasured mate?”
She swallowed, glancing at his brothers instead. The tattooed one was watching her with narrowed eyes, his hands shoved in his jeans pockets. The other one met her gaze with twinkling baby blue eyes, running a hand through his long white hair. Rani wanted to know how it felt, wanted to run her own fingers through his hair, and she flushed at the thought. She’d met them minutes ago, and she was already thinking of them as hers. As if a mate bond meant they wanted her.
Once they learned her shifter form and magic, they may not look at her the same way.
Well, the tattooed scowly one would still probably scowl at her.
“Rani,” she replied, daring to look back at Eri. “My name’s Rani Rose.”
The tattooed brother took a step back, and Rani stared in surprise as he recoiled. He met Rani’s eyes, his a deep blue-violet that were rare and gorgeous, and then without a word, he turned and walked away.
A pang went through Rani’s chest. No—through the brand between her collarbones. She watched him stalk away, not sure what she’d done to offend him.
“Don’t take it personally, love,” the smiling brother said, his grin softening slightly. “He’s naturally miserable.” He came closer, draping an arm over her shoulder, and Rani froze at his warmth, at how good it felt to have him touch her. “You’re staying with us from now on. You don’t need a hotel, you have somewhere to stay.”
Rani appreciated the thought but... “I paid sixty pounds for this room.”
He tilted his head, long white hair sliding over Rani’s shoulder and making her shudder. It wasn’t unpleasant. Far from it; heat swept her body and not from her brands this time. “Good point,” he said. And while she was caught off guard, he strolled past her into the hotel room. She didn’t get the chance to protest. “I’m Tom, by the way. Grumpy arse is Nigh. I’ll take the left side, Eri you get in on the right. And you, beautiful, can sleep between us.”
Rani’s mouth fell open.
They climbed into bed without further discussion.
She stood by the door, staring, for a long minute. But if two hot guys wanted to cuddle up to her tonight ... Rani would be mad to complain. And it wasn’t like they were a danger to her—the bonds between them literally forbade them to harm her, and vice versa.
She shut the door and climbed into bed.
Nigh
When Rani woke up, there were three men in her hotel room. There’d only been two when she went to sleep, nestled between two affectionate, sinfully sexy men, but now a male cat—pure white, perfectly groomed, with deep indigo eyes—was watching her from the table opposite the bed.
Rani’s stomach flipped.
Okay. Three strange men. Three mates. She could do this.
“Morning,” she said awkwardly, trying to extricate herself from the tangle of limbs around her. But moving only made them tighten around her, Tom at her back letting out a soft, throaty complaint.
Nigh didn’t reply, didn’t even blink. He just stared at her.
“You don’t like me,” Rani said, averting her eyes. “I get it.” The rejection from her mate hurt, but at least she’d braced for it. “I wouldn’t like being branded to someone with midnight magic, either.”
She’d explained her situation to Tom and Eri last night before she fell asleep, and though they hadn’t run off screaming, they’d turned quiet and contemplative. She realised this was the first Nigh was hearing of it, though, and winced.
At least her being a regular cat wasn’t an issue; all the brothers were domestic cats too.
The white cat sighed and jumped off the table, transforming from feline to man in one graceful movement. His transition was fluid, effortless, and Rani stared in awe.
“How do you have clothes?” she breathed.
“Magic.” Nigh shrugged absently, still dressed in the jeans, leather jacket, and V-neck from last night, tattoos peeking out from the neckline and arms, and his chin-length white hair mussed. “What makes you think I don’t like you?”
He leant over Tom and helped her climb out of bed, ignoring the hiss his brother made in his sleep.
“Um,” Rani replied, staring at him as she slid off the edge of the bed. “Everything? The scowling. The clipped sentences. The way you stormed off last night. It’s alright, of course you wouldn’t like me. We just met, you don’t know me—”
He kissed her.
He kissed her. Rani made a muffled sound of surprise, her hands flailing before they landed on his chest, her sleepy mind struggling to figure out how they’d gone from simple conversation to Nigh’s tongue caressing hers in a way that made her pussy throb.
“Um,” she said when he drew back, his vivid eyes flickering with some hidden emotion. “Okay. Maybe you do like me.”
Nigh nodded sharply, but he didn’t move out of her personal space, his hands still resting on her hips and burning into her like shivery fire. Her heart beat fast, the brand on her chest—and his—flaring brighter. “Good. I’m your mate; don’t doubt me again.”
“See, this is why I thought you didn’t like me,” Rani said, gesturing at him. “You always sound angry.”
“Because I usually am angry,” he replied wryly. “Do I need to kiss you again?”
Rani’s eyes flew wide. “I...”
“Cute.” He smirked, his eyes dancing. “You’re fun to wind up.”
“Oh, so that’s what you’re doing?” She shoved him, ignoring the feel of his blazing hot chest under her hand. The feel of smooth muscle. That V neckline was so low that the material could barely be considered a shirt.
Her eyes went right to the paw print blazing there, and Nigh noticed her attention, brushing a fingertip over his brand. “This means you’re mine, and I’m yours. Don’t doubt me again.”
Rani threw up her hands with a sigh. “Fine, caveman. But don’t think you can boss me around and
I’ll just go along with it.” She blushed intensely as his full attention settled on her, somehow intent, dominant, and sensual at once, but Rani stood her ground. No way was she letting gender roles cage her into obeying her mate’s every command. Nope. Not happening. She didn’t grow up in Janey Rose’s house for nothing.
He snorted.
“I mean it,” she said sternly.
“Cute,” he reiterated and bent over her, capturing her mouth in another searing, mind-blurring kiss. He nipped her bottom lip and Rani groaned, clinging to him as their kiss turned heated and frantic, her fingers twisted in the leather of his jacket and pulling him closer. The brand on her chest warmed, fizzing with energy as Nigh growled and hauled her flush against him, his hands digging deep into her wide hips.
“Goddess,” he swore. “You’re something else, woman.”
“Mm,” Rani agreed, still a little dazed.
Being kicked out of cat shifter society? Bad. Being kissed senseless by the mate she’d only found because of being kicked out of cat shifter society? Holy shit amazing.
“You’re coming home with us,” he said gruffly, tracing his fingers over her pyjama shirt where his brand glowed blue-violet through the fabric. “I want you in bed with me tonight.” Rani’s mouth fell open, and misreading her complaint, he said, “Tom and Eri slept beside you last night. Tonight you’re mine. That’s fair.”
“Um.” Rani swallowed. “You know I’m not a thing to be passed around, right? I’m a person. I might have ... a few qualms about sharing the beds of strangers.”
“Better a stranger’s bed than no bed at all.” Nigh stole another kiss, this one swift but just as bruising, and then transformed into a pristine white cat between one blink and the next.
“If you think that’s how you’re going to win arguments, mister,” Rani said, her hands on her hips, “you have another thing coming.”
Nigh just jumped onto the table again, lifted his paw, and began to clean himself.
“Scoundrel,” she muttered.
She could have sworn his eyes twinkled.
Dark Star
Apparently the brothers owned an apartment in a factory conversion in Shoreditch. Tom told her all about it after Rani checked out of Travelodge and they headed to Richmond station, his hand wrapped tight around hers and his eyes glinting every time he looked at her. Rani hadn’t worked him out yet—was he really so amused and mischievous all the time or was it a facade?
She wasn’t wheeling her own suitcase. She’d tried to, but Nigh and Eri had got into a heated argument over it as Rani rounded up her toiletries from the bathroom and shoved them into her bag. It seemed to be a position of honour—suitcase wheeler. She’d just shrugged and let them figure it out, only mildly protesting when Nigh had torn her bag out of her hand and proceeded to sling it over his shoulder, his consolation prize for not winning the suitcase debate.
“We have really high rafters,” Tom was saying, his thumb running back and forth over her knuckles as they neared the station. “The highest in our block—we checked. Good for sleeping on, and hiding in, and knocking things off of.”
He seemed really proud of that so Rani made sure to smile and look impressed. “Why would I want to knock things off a rafter though?”
Tom tilted his head, long white-blonde hair spilling over his shoulder. “Because it’s fun.”
“Tom likes to cause carnage,” Eri explained with a soft laugh, his chest puffed out and pride shining in his eyes. The look had been there ever since he’d wheeled her suitcase out of her hotel room. It had to be a mate thing, or a Mahon brother thing. Maybe even a domestic cat thing. Rani didn’t know much about them—she knew much more about big cats, since she’d expected her shifter form to be one.
So far, it seemed cat shifters came with the personalities—and hobbies—of house cats, too. Not that Rani could talk. She remembered having a kitten when she was younger that always used to lay in squares of sunlight on the carpet. She thought of how she was always seeking out the brightest, sunniest spaces herself.
“I can land without even trying,” Tom bragged. “Even from the highest beam.”
“Impressive,” Rani said with a little laugh. “I think I’ll pass on that, though. I’ve never been the most physically gifted person.”
“I think you’re beautiful,” Tom said, gravely serious now. “The most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh,” Rani replied weakly. “Thanks.”
His expression turned cheeky, his blue eyes gleaming. “I bet you look even better naked. We should find out when we get home.”
Rani blushed so fiercely that her ears tingled.
“Don’t be a letch,” Eri chided. “Rani, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Including being kissed by forceful barbarians.” His voice didn’t change one bit, but it still gave Rani the sense that he was bitter over her and Nigh’s shared kiss. Well, kisses plural.
Nigh barked a laugh. “Maybe she likes forceful barbarians, ever think of that, brother?”
Eri’s mouth thinned, but a gentle laugh whooshed through his nose. He looked affectionately at Rani and said, “If my brothers do anything you don’t like, tell me. I’ll throw them in the bath.”
Tom recoiled; even Nigh hissed.
“You’d drown them?” Rani asked, aghast.
Eri laughed loudly, his smile fond and amused. “No, treasured mate. I love my brothers too much to drown them. But they hate water. We all do.” He shuddered.
Rani laughed at the horror on their faces. “Cats and water. Got it.”
Tom was staring at her like she was an alien. Or a queen. Either awe or horror—she couldn’t tell. “You don’t hate it?”
“Nope.” She shrugged, moving aside on the pavement to avoid being stepped on by a very urgent looking man who seemed to have every intention of walking through Rani. “I like water.”
“Strange creature,” Nigh said, but Rani thought he was teasing.
“At least I know where to go if I want some space,” Rani said, laughing. “The bath.”
Tom looked confused that she’d want space; Nigh looked offended, scowling and stomping ahead, her bag still dangling off his shoulder.
“We’re not far now,” Rani said, since she was the one who lived in Richmond and the guys weren’t as familiar with the town. “The station’s just a few minutes away—”
A ripple went through her. It was hard to explain; as if she was comprised of strings and someone had just plucked one.
The guys reacted, too. Eri gasped. Tom went still, forcing Rani to stop or lose him to the crowded pavement. Nigh turned and ran back to her, cupping her face as fury and fear rushed across his expression. “Stay behind us,” he ordered, holding her gaze so she could see how serious he was. “Do as we say.”
Rani was too freaked out by their urgency and the way they’d reacted as if danger was nearby to argue. She nodded quickly, holding tight to Tom’s hand. Was it Corinne after all? Had she come to kick Rani out of London for good?
“What is it?” she whispered, her eyes wide and gobbling up the details of everyone around them. Most people were annoyed at them for stopping in the middle of the street, but at the end of the road, the pedestrians were parting, like water around a rock, to let a pale-haired man in a long black coat through. “Who is that?”
“Dark Star,” Nigh spat. “I knew it wouldn’t be long until he came.”
“Dark Star?” Rani repeated, staring as the people on the pavement continued to part to let him through, like repelling magnets. “What kind of name is that?”
“An alias,” Eri answered grimly, his face wan. “Stay behind us, Rani, don’t draw his attention. If you know how to use your magic, push it down deep, hide it.”
Rani’s mouth went dry. “My ... magic?” Her heart beat faster. “Is this because I have...”
“Yes,” Nigh snapped. “And so do we. Now be quiet, woman.”
Rani did so only because the man had got close eno
ugh to hear them. Why weren’t she and the brothers running? Was this man so bad that running wouldn’t work? Would he catch them anyway?
Her breaths came hard and fast, her hand shaking in Tom’s.
“Boys,” a friendly voice greeted, the opposite of the dark rasp Rani had been expecting, and she froze in surprise. “Always nice to run into you. And you’ve found a lady, I see. Your mate, is she?”
“Back off,” Nigh growled, the words coming from deep in his throat. “She’s ours. You can’t have her.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Dark Star replied with a laugh that urged Rani to laugh too, bright and infectious. “I don’t go around kidnapping young women. I’m not the villain you boys think I am.”
Rani didn’t like the way he said boys, so belittling.
“I’d just like to introduce myself,” Dark Star went on, his smile so charming that Rani froze as he aimed it at her. Her heart thudded in her chest. “Hello, sweet thing. What’s your name?”
“You don’t need to know her name,” Eri replied coolly. “You can call her our mate.”
Dark Star’s mouth quirked up. “Well, in that case, hello mate of my sons.”
Wait ... he was their father? Rani frowned, confused as she glanced from the tense men arrayed protectively around her to the blonde, smiling man in front of them. He didn’t seem dangerous at all; why were they being weird?
“Oh, they didn’t tell you that, I see,” Dark Star said with a frown. “They like to pretend I don’t exist.”
“Because you’re a maniac,” Nigh spat.
Tom nodded, hauling Rani closer. “Why would we want to see you after what you’ve done? Don’t come near our mate, don’t come near us, don’t even try to contact us ever again—”
Dark Star’s face crumpled, and Rani believed it was genuine.
“That’s a horrible thing to say to your father,” she whispered, feeling bad for him. “I’m—”
“No,” Nigh gasped, half turning and lifting his hand in warning.
“Rani,” she finished.
Dark Star’s sadness was replaced in an instant with a wide smile, so dazzling that it startled her. “Hello, sweet Rani. It is such a pleasure to meet you. You should come with me.” His smile dialled up even further and Rani’s eyes widened. She took a half-step, but Tom wrapped his arms around her waist and held her back.
Bound to Change: A Limited Edition Spring Shifter Romance Collection Page 71
