Danger and Mayhem

by Becca Van

  “I saw Weldon shifting from his wolf to his human half. I don’t think I’d know unless I’d seen him.”

  “I’ll bet that was a shock,” Elsa said.

  “Understatement of a lifetime,” Sierra muttered under her breath.

  Sage and Elsa giggled. Sage sobered first. “I’ll bet you my next paycheck that they haven’t told her that they fell in love with her instantly.”

  “I’m not willing to risk anything on a sure bet,” Elsa replied.

  Sierra stared at the women with wide eyes, and when the two women nodded their head, she shook hers.

  “You can’t think of them as human, Sierra, because they’re not. They’re half animal. The second they smelled your natural perfume, they were hooked, and nothing you do or say is going to change that. Neither is the way you’re attracted to them. The attraction is just going to get more intense, and the longer you fight it, the more painful it’ll be,” Sage explained.

  Elsa took over. “You’ve probably already started going into mating heat. The arousal you’re feeling now is nothing compared to how strong it’s going to get. You’ll end up aching so bad it’ll hurt, and you’ll do almost anything to get some relief.” Her cheeks turned pink. “Masturbating doesn’t do anything. In fact, if I remember rightly, it’ll only make matters worse.”

  “Justice, Rhys, and Weldon will never be able to look at or touch another woman sexually now that they’ve met you,” Sage said. “Once they meet the one woman meant to be theirs, that’s it, whether you accept them as your mates or not.”

  “The Channing brothers have only lived in Ambrose for two to three months, I think, but they’re good men. They have honor and morals just like all the other shifters do,” Elsa explained.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Sierra uttered before she could stop herself.

  “You don’t have to decide today, Sierra,” Sage said.

  “You’ve been in Ambrose for how long?” Elsa asked.

  Sierra glanced at the clock on the oven then answered, “Just on twenty-four hours.”

  “Well, it’s no wonder you’re can’t make any decisions.” Sage leaned over and patted her hand. “Give yourself some time to get to know your men. We aren’t going to judge you if you choose not to be their mates, because it’s your choice.” Sage met Elsa’s gaze.

  “But please, think long and hard before you say one way or the other what your decision is. Those three men are already deeply in love with you, and I don’t want to see them moping about with broken hearts.”

  Easy for you to say, Sierra thought. The women said they weren’t judging her and it was her choice, but she felt as if she was bowing under the weight of the pressure on her shoulders. She stood and smiled at the women, hoping they didn’t see that the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “It was nice meeting you both, but I should be getting back.”

  “Do you know your way back?” Elsa asked.

  Sierra gave her a chagrinned smile, a genuine one this time, and shook her head. “I was so lost in tumultuous thought, I didn’t take any notice of where I was going. Could one of you point me in the right direction?”

  Elsa tilted her head and her eyes glazed over. She was statue still, and Sierra began to worry about her. She took a step toward the other woman but stopped when Sage held her hand up. Just as she was about to ask if Elsa was all right, she blinked and met Sierra’s gaze.

  “You don’t need to worry about getting lost on your way back. Your men are here. Preston probably contacted them through the communal pack link and let them know where you were.”

  Sierra stumbled back to her chair and sank down into it. “What?”

  “They didn’t tell you shit, did they?” Sage asked.

  Sierra shook her head. Again.

  “If you want to know something, you’re going to have to ask,” Elsa said. “You have to remember that the men have been shifters all their lives and take their abilities for granted. If you want to know about what they can do, or if you’re unsure, ask. If you don’t want to ask them, Sage and I will be here to talk with. Okay?”

  “Okay. Thank you, both of you. I felt like I was going a little crazy.”

  Elsa and Sage laughed. “We know exactly what you mean,” Sage said.

  Elsa glanced toward the door, then looked into Sierra’s eyes. “They can talk to each other telepathically on a communal link. Our mates can also talk to us in our minds and us them. It was quite a shock when I started hearing voices, but I wasn’t scared, not of my men, anyway. They were able to communicate with me when my life was in danger. They helped keep me calm, and then they took down the enemy.”

  “They can smell emotions and when we’re aroused,” Sage whispered and blushed. “I was kind of freaked out over that revelation, but I’ve learned to not even think about it, or I would be embarrassed all the time. You have to remember that the men are part animal and aren’t exactly…normal.”

  “They’ve got enhanced senses and abilities that still astound me sometimes,” Elsa said. “They’re all way faster and stronger than any other human in this world, but Justice and his brothers would never hurt you. They’d rather rip their own hearts out before they did that. Separation and divorce don’t exist in a shifter’s vocabulary. Once a shifter mates, it’s for life. They will never look at another woman or want to be with anyone else.”

  “Just give them a chance,” Sage said. “Please?”

  After hearing everything the other women had told her and because of the powerful attraction she had to the three Channing men, she decided to bide her time and get to know them a bit better. It was the least she could do after they took her, a stranger, into their home when she had nowhere else to go. That, there, told her they were trustworthy and noble, even if they’d offered because she was their alleged mate. They’d believed that she wasn’t going to steal from them and had taken her at face value. She could only do the same. Before she had a chance to reply to Sage, three very large men stalked into the room, and right behind them were Justice, Weldon, and Rhys.

  Sierra only had eyes for the Channing brothers. They moved with an unconscious masculine fluidity that called to her on a physical level she’d never imagined existed until she’d met them.

  When she realized that she was staring at them as they stalked toward her and she couldn’t take her eyes off them, she knew she was screwed.

  She wanted them more than she’d ever wanted any man ever before.

  All she had to do was tell them she would be their mate, but that was much harder than she’d expected. Her mouth dried up, and no matter how hard she tried to say yes, her tongue and brain wouldn’t coordinate enough for her to speak.

  Then she remembered the reason she was in Ambrose after all.

  If she mated with the three men, she’d be putting them in danger just by association. She’d always wanted to help people and had studied hard to do just that. Putting innocent bystanders in danger went against everything she stood for.

  Sierra was glad she hadn’t been able to say what she wanted. One, because it was inappropriate when there were other people around, and two, that last thing she wanted was the three brothers getting hurt because of her.

  It was best that she try and keep her distance, and when the bus came back through town, she was going to be on it.

  Chapter Six

  “Are you okay, darlin’? Weldon asked as he squatted down beside Sierra.

  “Yeah.” She nibbled on her lip, gazed at his brothers, then met his eyes. “I’m sorry for taking off like that. I just needed a bit of time to myself.”

  Weldon cupped her cheek to reassure himself she was okay. He’d never been so frenetically worried about someone in his life. Sure, he’d worried about his brothers while they’d been called to separate missions, but because they were shifters and had fast healing abilities, he hadn’t been too concerned.

  He’d tried to give Sierra the space she needed to come to terms with everything they’d told her but had only las
ted about fifteen minutes before the urge to search her out and follow her had become too intense to ignore. When he’d realized she’d gone further than he’d suspected, he’d scanned his surroundings to make sure there was no one around, stripped off his clothes, and called to his wolf. He’d followed her scent all the way to the Louis B&B.

  Preston must have smelt or seen him coming, because the Kodiak bear shifter had been standing on his front porch waiting for him. After he’d explained that Sierra was safe and was chatting with Elsa and Sage, he felt untold relief. While he’d wanted to set eyes on her to make sure for himself that she was safe, he hadn’t wanted to shock her by walking inside as naked as the day he’d been born. Also, he was sure Preston and his brothers, as well as Sage’s mates, would have been pissed at him if their women had seen him naked.

  Of course, he’d scented the air and to make sure Sierra was in the house even though he hadn’t doubted Preston or his word, but he was feeling very possessive of his and his brothers’ woman.

  As soon as he’d partially appeased his wolf and his human side, he’d run back home, stopping to shift back and dress, then he’d raced the rest of the way to the house. Justice and Rhys had been waiting for him, and they’d all piled into the truck.

  Now here they were at the B&B to collect Sierra and take her back home where she belonged.

  Weldon was so deeply in love with her he could barely breathe, but he had a feeling trying to convince her that he and his brothers were the men for her wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

  She was still holding back from them, not talking to them and keeping an emotional distance as much as she could. It didn’t seem to matter to her that she was attracted and aroused whenever he and his brothers were close.

  Weldon had no idea how she was able to ignore her lust for them. Each time he was with her, the craving to make love with Sierra and claim her for all time got harder and harder for him to disregard. His cock was so fucking hard it was almost painful, and his balls felt full and heavy, as if they’d turned to stone.

  “You don’t need to apologize, darlin’. We’re the ones who should be saying sorry for overloading you with everything at once.” Weldon got to his feet and held his hand out toward her. “Are you ready to go home?”

  He could almost taste his brothers’ tension in the air, and he hoped he didn’t look as uptight as they probably did. Yet, he had a feeling he did since he was hardly breathing. If Sierra refused to go back home with them, he and his brothers would be so lost and lonely. They’d spend the rest of their lives watching all the other shifters in love and happy with their women, while they had no one. Their wolves would probably end up so angry that they’d get more and more aggressive until they were a danger to everyone else. He’d rather take his own life than be responsible for hurting some innocent because he and his animal were pining away for what could have been.

  The air backed up in his lungs exploded from his mouth in a relieved sigh when Sierra placed her hand in his. She trusted him enough to take his hand, and hopefully soon she’d trust him and his brothers enough to tell them what she was running from and accept them as her men.

  Instead of pulling her into his arms like he wanted to, he helped her to her feet and slung an arm around her shoulders. He gazed down at her with surprise when she stepped closer, but as soon as he saw that she was watching Preston, his brother Gabe, and Bladen, one of Sage’s mates, he realized she was intimidated by the other men. He could smell her anxiety and so could all the other guys.

  Weldon bent down to whisper in her ear, “You don’t need to be scared of the men, darlin’. They’d never hurt you.”

  She nodded and swallowed audibly, but she didn’t take her eyes of their friends. Weldon’s wolf started growling, but he didn’t let the sound escape from his mouth in case he frightened Sierra more.

  Sage and Elsa must have scented Sierra’s nerves, because the women rose and walked over to their respective mates.

  “What have you been up to?” Elsa scowled up at Preston.

  “I haven’t been doing anything.”

  “Huh, likely story.” Elsa giggled when Preston growled at her, then he swept her up into his arms and kissed her on the lips. When the couple pulled apart, the love they shared was in their eyes for everyone to see.

  Weldon glanced at Sierra again. She had relaxed a little more with the byplay between Elsa and Preston. As soon as Preston set Elsa on her feet, Gabe wrapped an arm around her waist, dipped her back, and covered her mouth with his. They kissed passionately until Justice cleared his throat. When they broke apart, Elsa was blushing, and though Gabe was grinning, he was also staring at his mate with hunger.

  “We’ve all been so rude,” Sage said. “I’m sorry, Sierra. This is one of my mates, Bladen. And with Elsa is two of her men, Preston, whom you’ve already met, and Gabe.”

  “Hello.” Bladen nodded.

  “It’s nice meeting you all,” Sierra said politely.

  “You too, Sierra,” Preston said.

  “Hi Sierra,” Gabe greeted.

  “Are you ready, baby?” Justice asked as he stepped up to her other side.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sure you’re tired after your long walk.” Rhys moved in behind her.

  Weldon hoped that she didn’t feel as if they were crowding her again. He had a feeling that was one of the reasons she’d taken off earlier.

  He and his brothers were going to have to be careful with her. If they pushed she was probably going to run again. He just wished that she’d push back instead of turning away from them.

  Weldon, Rhys, and Justice were all very authoritative men and used to giving orders. The other shifters didn’t know it, but he and his brothers hadn’t just been Marines. They’d been the best of the best. They’d been sent out on missions no one else would take, and they’d infiltrated and taken down the enemy. They were used to giving orders and being obeyed, but they were retired and no longer in service. It was going to be difficult to temper their domineering ways, but if that was what it took to win Sierra over, he’d do it in heartbeat.

  He wasn’t so sure that he’d be able to sway Rhys and Justice, though. Weldon wasn’t as serious or as uptight as his brothers, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be. He liked to joke around and make people relax. Their mom had always said, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,” and he’d never forgotten that saying.

  He pushed his thoughts aside as he guided Sierra out of the B&B after telling everyone good-bye and decided to broach the subject of eating out at the hotel or the diner so their woman could meet the other women mated to shifters.

  The more informed Sierra was, the more he was hoping she’d be swayed to agree to be theirs.

  He just hoped his dreams didn’t turn into nightmares.

  * * * *

  Although Justice had been worried sick about Sierra, he was also glad she’d found her way to the Louis B&B and met Elsa and Sage. They were nice women and would be more understanding of how shocked and confused Sierra would be since they’d both been in her shoes.

  He couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering to the rearview mirror to gaze at his mate. Ever since he and his brothers had gotten into the truck, she’d been quiet. He slowed the truck and turned onto the driveway, drove close to the house, and parked. Rhys was out of the front passenger seat and opening the back door for Sierra before he’d even turned the ignition off.

  Justice and Weldon got out and followed Sierra and Rhys to the front door.

  “Do you want something to drink, honey?” Rhys asked.

  “Coffee, please.”

  Rhys led the way to the kitchen and started brewing a fresh pot of coffee. Sierra sat on a stool at the counter, and Justice sat beside her. Weldon got mugs from the cupboard.

  “Did we scare you, Sierra?” Justice asked. He couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. He needed to know what he and his brothers had done to send her running from them.

 
She met his gaze. “Not really.”

  “Explain it to me, baby. I want to know so it doesn’t happen again.”

  “I was pretty overwhelmed by everything you told me. I just needed some time alone to think about everything.”

  “Okay, I respect that, but all you had to do was tell us to back off. We would have given you space.”

  “We’re men, honey, and sometimes you have to hit us over the head to get our attention,” Rhys said. “We’re used to being in charge and giving orders while serving our country. It became a way of life for us, and it’s hard for us to change.”

  “I don’t want you to change,” Sierra said. “You all need to be true to yourselves. If people don’t like you the way you are, then that’s their problem.”

  “We’re only worried about one person right now, darlin’.” Weldon passed her a mug of coffee and then leaned against the counter, sipping on his own.

  Rhys walked from the kitchen, around the counter, and sat on Sierra’s other side. Justice was glad that she didn’t tense up.

  “We signed up just after I turned eighteen,” Weldon said. “Justice was twenty-two, and Rhys was twenty.”

  “You’re all so brave,” Sierra said.

  “We weren’t brave, honey,” Rhys said. “We were scared shitless, but our parents died and they had no life insurance. After the estate was settled, there was nothing left. We were working here and there, but times were tough and jobs were scarce since we lived in a town not much larger than this one.”

  “I’m sorry.” She met their eyes one after the other.

  “What are you sorry for, baby?” Justice asked.

  “That you lost your parents.”

  “Thanks.” Weldon shrugged. “It was a bad time, but we got through it. It was a shock because I thought our dads were invincible and that they’d always protect our mom. They did, of course, but there was nothing they could do when the plane they were on developed engine trouble. Even if they’d crashed, our parents may have had a chance of surviving, but there was a fuel leak and a fire started in the engine and got into the fuselage. All two hundred and eighty passengers, as well as five flight crew, including the pilot and co-pilot, were killed when it blew up.”