I nodded.
Jay paled. “How the hell is he even getting into your dreams, let alone able to influence my men from a distance?”
“I don’t know, but he is.”
He faced the French doors. “Gina, I know you don’t believe I’m your mate. That you think my wires are crossed. They’re not. And deep down, I know if I don’t claim you, that fucking vampire is going to win. That in the end, he’ll rip you away from me.”
Opening my mouth, I intended to protest, but stopped, choosing instead to sit on the edge of the bed. Jay had respected my request for him to hold off on claiming me. It seemed like a stupid request now. Not to mention, I shared Jay’s fear, though it wasn’t for myself. It was for him.
If he didn’t claim me, Reynaud would hurt him. I just knew it.
Much to my surprise, my epiphany didn’t make me sick to my stomach. The idea of the man I was clearly in love with being hurt was what made me want to puke.
I stood. “Jayson.”
He looked at me, his entire body stiff and rigid.
“You’re right.”
He actually glanced behind him, as if I might not be talking to him. “Gina?”
I grunted. “Yeah, live it up. Those words won’t be said much in our marriage—at least not from me. I’m sure you’ll be saying them often.”
A tic started in his jaw. “What are you saying? Be very clear. No jokes. No sarcasm.”
“Seeing Reynaud use you in my dream, and just how much power and reach he has in his waking hours, freaked me out. The thought of you being hurt or controlled by him somehow…I can’t even wrap my mind around it.” I walked to him slowly. “Thank you for going out of your way to honor my request that you give us time to get to know each other on a sexual level before you give in to your wolf.”
He glanced away.
“But, Jay, you and your wolf are right. I’m not willing to risk your life in order to keep denying what I get now is true. I can’t promise the road with me will be smooth and without its bumps, but I can tell you I want to make the journey with you,” I said, my voice low.
“Gina, say it,” he said, his voice deep.
“You’re right. We’re mates. And I shouldn’t have asked you to avoid claiming me when it felt right to you.” I bit my lower lip, greatly disliking being put on the spot. I’d hoped he’d just grab me, fuck me, bite me and call it a win.
Trust Jay to pick that moment to control his libido.
“Jayson, if you still want me, I’m yours.”
He touched my cheek. “Are you telling me I can claim you? That you understand it will make you my wife, and me your—”
Grumbling, I nodded. “Yes, but if you think ‘honor and obey’ is going to come into our marriage, you are dead wrong. I’ll kick your ass if you pull that crap on me.”
His lips twitched. “Baby, I like everything I have attached to me. But you need to understand that protecting you is and will be my number one priority, and sometimes that will leave me coming off as controlling. Know that I’m not trying to be. And do your best to avoid blowing my cousin when you’re pissed at me.”
Laughter bubbled up and out of me. “I’d rather just obey.”
He snorted. “I swear you live to butt heads with me.”
“Someone has to. Or you’d be here in your ivory tower, losing touch with reality,” I said with a wink.
He drew me closer to him. “Gina, if we start this, I’m not going to be able to pull back like I did before—not with knowing how much danger you’re in. You’re either in all the way, or we don’t start the claiming yet and take our chances with Reynaud.”
“I’m all in,” I said.
He had me undressed in seconds, following suit.
He lifted me and took me to the bed, crawling up and over it, carrying me as he did. When he lay down, I was pinned under him. Jay slid up even faster and lined up with my core before driving home.
I cried out, clawing him, drawing blood as I did.
He wasn’t slow, and he wasn’t gentle, but he was what I needed him to be.
Alpha.
Pounding into me, he held me to him, drilling me into the bed. He was going to break me in two in the best way possible.
I was sure of it.
My lower half began to numb, and my toes curled. My inner thighs tingled, and I scratched him open more. I hit my zenith and orgasmed so hard that my pussy seized hold of his cock, making him moan, and me cry out.
Jay’s jaw went slack. He increased his pace and went balls deep.
I cried out from the bite of pain and the mix of pleasure.
He growled. “Mine.”
Something in me clicked. “Not yet, Jay! Hold it. Just a bit longer.”
The sensation of a thousand bees buzzing around me kicked into high gear. It felt as if the temperature in the room dropped as well. Something built deep within me, and fear for Jay consumed me.
I pushed at him, but he didn’t budge. “Off! Go! Jay!”
He grunted and kept fucking me.
I cried out—and something burst free from me. It felt like a charge of static. It went right at Jay, hitting him, going through him, making him cry out as well. I opened my mouth to scream, terrified I’d somehow hurt him, but what came out stunned me to my core.
“Do it now, Jay, take me and make me yours now, while my claim is riding hide in you!” I said, the static energy growing between us. “My side is done. Complete your half now!”
He caught my wrists and jerked my hands above my head, his cock ramming into me again. He pummeled my body in the best way possible. I felt every movement, each one drawing moans from me.
Jay was like a piston, and I fought for air in between gasps of pleasure. I managed to release my wrists and grabbed tight to him as the strange static energy in the air pulsed back and forth from me to him, over and over again.
Jay locked gazes with me. “Mine!”
I yanked on him, wanting his head down on my shoulder. I was like a possessed woman. My hands had a mind of their own, pulling on him. He dipped his head, and the slightest of pains washed through my shoulder before pleasure like I’d never known consumed me fully.
My body burst, and for a moment, I saw nothing but a pulse of white. Instantly it felt as if I was connected to Jay by a rope. I climaxed again and shouted out, holding his head to me, knowing he was biting me and sealing the deal.
My body tingled more, and the aches and pains I’d had from falling over the balcony and my scrape with the wolves eased.
Jay released my shoulder and licked the spot where he’d bitten me. He slammed into me as I hit culmination again, my entire body burning with pleasure. His cock twitched, and I knew he was coming.
I kissed the side of his face, keeping my legs wrapped around his waist.
His lips found mine, and he kept moving, slowly now inside of me, as he kissed me tenderly. When he broke the kiss, he stared down at me and grinned, dimples forming on both cheeks. “Gina, I swear to you, I’ll be the best damned husband ever.”
I knew he would be, but our relationship had always been founded on an odd sense of humor. I clucked my tongue on the inside of my cheek. “You better, or I’m going to blow—”
He laughed and kissed me again.
I touched his cheeks. “Hon, we should shower. I smell like the pool and wet dogs.”
“Mmm, you smell perfect.”
I groaned.
22
Freshly showered and wearing yoga pants and a fitted T-shirt that Jay just happened to have in my size, I sat on a stool at the long center island in his kitchen. My damp hair was drawn into a ponytail. I sipped the tea one of the men had made and stared at my bandaged hand. It hadn’t needed dressed but Jay had insisted. I humored him.
Jay was practically plastered to me as he stood there, his hands on my shoulders. He’d not stopped touching me since he claimed me. He’d refused to allow me to shower alone. He’d stood there, leaning against the wall in the bathro
om, watching the door as if Reynaud would come bursting in at any second.
Jay looked at the end of the island in the kitchen and took a deep breath. “Tell me everything you know about this vampire.”
Shaw and the two men who had come into the kitchen with him shared a look. “The vampire was my wife’s true mate.”
I stiffened, feeling bad for the guy’s wife.
Shaw sipped his coffee. “The first time I met her, she nearly killed me.”
I lifted a brow. That didn’t sound like the best way to start a relationship. Though, I’d had worse dates.
The smallest of smiles touched Shaw’s lips, and he ran his hand through his long beard. “She was a natural-born slayer, and I’d been chasing a were-coyote down a back alley. I leaped over a huge dumpster, and this tiny woman knocked me on my arse and held a knife to my chest, demanding to know what I was doing there.”
The men with Shaw laughed softly.
Jay kissed the top of my head as he continued to rub my shoulders. “How could you claim her if she was a natural-born slayer? I ran into that with Gina and needed some help from higher-ups.”
“Used my magik,” responded Shaw. “I’m nae proud that I basically tricked nature, but I wanted her and she me.”
Shaw paused his storytelling. His attention went to Jay, and he tipped his head in a way that screamed badass.
The next thing I knew, Romeo and Samuel were moving to each side of me, and Shaw’s men closed ranks around him. He growled. “Yer verra touchy-feely with her. And am I smelling a claim on her?”
Jay kept touching me. “You are, McKay. Though, I have to admit, I’m sort of shocked she let me do it. I figured she’d rip my nuts off before she even considered agreeing to be my wife. She might be the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met.”
Shaw’s eyes crinkled with mirth and the tension in him lessened. “Aye. My wife was much the same way. She too was a redhead. She told me no more than once too when I asked for her hand in marriage. Eventually, I wore her down. Dinnae dampen her temper any though.”
His men smiled.
“I remember how much you got on her nerves to start with, Shaw,” said the brown-haired man next to him. “She thought you were a smooth-talking ladies’ man who boned anything that moved.”
I couldn’t help but look up at Jay where he stood behind me.
He cringed and rubbed my shoulders more. “Baby, I’ve explained to you. That’s in the past.”
“Uh-huh,” I murmured. “It’d better be, or I’ll rip pieces of you off.”
The men in the kitchen grinned at Jay as if they thought me threatening his manhood was humorous. I’m not sure they understood I would and could follow through on it all.
“I recall my wife saying much the same thing to me. Och, she wouldnae listen as I tried to tell her that I’d nae look at another if she gave me a chance,” said Shaw, staring at the window in the kitchen as if deep in thought. “Took me a year to talk her into it. In that year, I watched over her from a safe distance, worried she’d be hurt in her line of work. I’d track the things that did her harm, and I’d make their deaths painful.”
Wow. The guy was basically the Scottish version of Jay. I refrained from saying as much mainly because it was freaking me out, but I was sure why.
Jay bent and kissed my cheek as if he’d read my mind.
“Over the year I followed my wife around, shadowing her, I saw how paranoid she was. How she never let her guard down,” he said, sighing. “It’s an occupational hazard to a degree, but she far exceeded normal levels of fear. One night, she confessed that she knew her mate. That she’d met him and that he was a monster. That he was a vampire who had done something—made a deal with darkness ages ago. It changed him enough that she was able to have feelings for me, and me her.”
The brown-haired man touched Shaw’s arm. “You loved her. She knew that.”
“Aye. It dinnae matter that she wasnae my true mate. I carry enough magik in me to override nature to a degree. I wed her in a church and before long, we had a wee one on the way,” he said, looking down at his coffee cup. “My wife wasnae excited to start. I dinnae understand why. I learned later that she’d begun to dream of her true mate again—Reynaud. In the dreams, he taunted her and threatened her. He threatened me and the unborn babe as well.”
My hand moved up and over Jay’s as I thought about the dream I’d had. He’d not been the man I knew and had deep feelings for. He’d been a stranger to me in the dream. A deadly man that I no longer knew.
Jay bear-hugged me. “Baby, I’d never hurt you. Know that.”
Shaw watched Jay as if prepared to strike. “You do nae have to keep touching her that much. It makes me uncomfortable and I find myself wanting to harm you greatly.”
“Ballsy considering you’re in my house,” reminded Jay.
Shaw shrugged. “Does nae change the way of it, Gonzales.”
Samuel snorted. “Wow. You’re getting cock blocked by a guy who just got here. Not that I’m complaining or anything.”
A growl sounded from Jay and he eased his hold on me. I stood quickly, putting myself between Samuel and Jay. I touched each of their chests. “Boys. Play nice. I’ve had a really crappy week. Can we maybe not argue?”
Samuel’s jaw set. “Yes.”
Romeo touched my arm. “You understand there is only so much Jay can tolerate from Samuel, right? It’s kind of a pack thing.”
I stepped in close to Jay. “I know. They’re cousins. They don’t need to fight. And let’s be honest, I’m not really worth arguing over.”
Shaw stood fast. “Do nae let me hear you talk of yerself that way again. You are worth everything. And if they do nae stop, I will handle both of them.”
“Shaw, take it easy,” said the blond with him. “This isn’t like you. What Jay and his woman do is their business. Not ours. Not yours. You’re acting like you’ve got a stake in this. You don’t, man.”
“Christian, I will nae take it easy. The lass thinks she’s unworthy of attention.” The way Shaw watched me, with emotions laid bare for all to see, was both unnerving and comforting.
I wasn’t sure why.
For a second, I could have sworn I felt his pain, his deep longing for something. It wasn’t sexual in any way. It was protective and nurturing. It also left me walking around Jay and taking the stool near Shaw.
My hand went to the man’s. “Thank you for what you said.”
I worried Jay would alpha out over me touching the man. He didn’t. He did narrow his gaze on us as he watched the scene unfolding.
Shaw took my hand in his and squeezed gently. “I have the sense you werenae told of yer worth enough. That you see yerself as disposable to others.”
Romeo cleared his throat. “She does. I think she lives life waiting for the other shoe to drop. Scared that yet another man she cares for will just walk out of her life. It’s what they’ve all done to her in the past.”
Samuel averted his gaze. He quickly busied himself by making a cup of coffee.
Jay stood stoic, no anger radiating from him whatsoever. Which surprised me, since he seemed to have great issues with me being near other men.
My attention went to Romeo. The urge to throttle him for sharing my emotions didn’t come. I had to wonder if being married to Jay was starting to mellow me out.
I shuddered.
Shaw took his hand from mine and touched my chin, turning my face to his. “Lass, yer nae disposable.”
Christian exhaled, long and slow. “Shaw, you’re going to freak the poor girl out.”
I grabbed Shaw’s hand and shook my head. “No. You don’t scare me.”
“Guid,” he said, standing and taking my head in his hands. He then kissed the top of my head. “You never have to fear me, lass. I’ll allow no harm to come to you again.”
A nervous laugh escaped me. “Thanks, but you don’t need to worry about me. I get by just fine on my own.”
Jay crossed his arms over hi
s chest, his chocolate gaze fixed on me. “You’re not alone, baby. You have me. You have the pack.”
Romeo grinned. “She’s apparently got Shaw as well. Interesting.”
I quirked a brow. “Oracle, you and I are gonna have a come-to-Jesus moment soon.”
Laughing, Romeo lifted his cup of coffee. “I’m sure of it.”
Shaw draped an arm over my shoulder. “Gonzales, you have a treasure here. Cherish her, or you will have me to deal with.”
I couldn’t help but laugh softly.
Romeo’s gaze slid to Shaw. “Very fatherly of you.”
Shaw squeezed me gently. “I have a soft spot for the lass. Get over it.”
Christian sighed. “Shaw.”
I looked up at Shaw. “Did your wife find a way to stop the dreams about Reynaud?”
He shook his head as sadness filled his gaze. “She lived in fear of him coming for her again. Her worry was for our babe and for me. When our daughter came, she was the joy of our lives. Such a gift.”
For a second, I thought the man would squeeze me until my head popped clean off.
He loosened his grip on me some. “Things were guid for my family for two years before it all changed. My wee one would wake, screaming from her sleep, leaping at me and clinging to me, shaking nonstop. The night terrors were so bad that I would sit in her room and hold her in a rocking chair while she slept,” he said softly, his arm still around me. “One night, I sensed it there, lingering near her toddler bed, near her.”
The brown-haired guy swallowed hard. “She was so tiny and so scared. Christian and I were powerless to protect her from it all.”
“Mason, I know you did all you could,” said Shaw. “I remember you there, in the doorway of her room, ready to step in and assist should the need arise.”
“She was just a baby then. Barely two years old, and that monster was terrorizing her from afar,” Mason said, looking at the counter. “I could feel it, but I couldn’t see it.”
Shaw continued. “Pure evil was there, hovering over my babe. It was then I knew the night terrors she suffered were from him. When my wife burst into the bedroom one night and told us what she’d learned in one of the dreams that bastard caused, I almost threw up on the spot.”
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