“The past few days have been real hard on him,” Lucas agreed.
He smiled at her tenderly. She looked so vulnerable lying there, and his bear bristled again at the thought of what had almost happened to her. More than anything, he longed to take her into his arms, to comfort her and help her to forget the trauma she’d suffered. But he felt that it wouldn’t be right.
“Shall I turn the light out, little one?” he whispered. She nodded.
“Please.”
He flicked the switch, plunging the room into darkness. She was silent. He strained his ears, trying to figure out if she was awake and feeling sad or scared, but before long, her breathing became heavier too. At last, he allowed himself to relax, his sore, aching body surrendering to the comfort of the soft bed.
But while the darkness brought sleep to the others, it brought only anxiety to him. He began to worry that this would be the last time he’d get to lie so close to her. She’s mine, his bear told him over and over, and he had to stop it from reaching across the bed and holding her in a possessive grasp. He imagined life without Jessica and he felt a physical pain in his heart. All he wanted was to love and protect her, forever.
Chapter Twelve
Jessica awoke to discover that her face was pressed against Lucas’s arm, while her legs were kind of entwined with Christian’s. She was lying almost diagonally in the bed, which indicated that her sleeping self must have made a deliberate effort to stay physically connected with each of the guys. She smiled, liking the feeling of being between them, keeping her safe from harm. They were both making little rumbling sounds, which were less like snores and more like bear noises. She smiled, enjoying the familiarity of it. And then her smile turned into a grin, as she realized that the sound was familiar from her teens, when either of them had stayed in her room overnight. At the time, and unused to sharing a room with guys, she’d assumed it was a guy thing: guys go to sleep; they rumble. She giggled at her naivety.
She looked at each of them. They both looked to be deeply asleep. She sighed. She felt like she’d slept very heavily, and she was now wide awake and eager to be doing something. She didn’t even have her phone to surf the internet. She was going to get up. She scooted up the bed until her legs were level with the top of the comforter, then she eased herself out and crawled down the bed, exiting at the bottom. Neither Christian nor Lucas stirred. She was still fully dressed, in her torn shirt and black skirt. They were a little creased from spending a whole night in the bed, but it could’ve been worse. Her bra was a different story, and as she unfastened it and rearranged the uncomfortable wires, she regretted having been too shy to remove it the night before.
She went to the bathroom to shower, then got dressed in the same clothes again. She congratulated herself for always keeping mascara and eyeliner in her purse as she did her make-up. Then, she went down to the kitchen to see if she could fix breakfast.
But as she entered the black and white tiled, impeccably clean room, she stopped dead. Christian’s mom was sitting on a stool beside the island, drinking a cup of coffee and eating granola. She looked really tired, with dark hollows beneath her eyes.
“Hi, Mrs Taylor,” Jessica said in a tight voice, her stomach knotting.
“Jessica!” she exclaimed, seeing her at the same time. She put her coffee cup down, stood up and strode across the room, sweeping Jessica into an embrace. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Christian told me what happened last night, and I’m so grateful that you and Lucas were there to warn the clan about the ambush.”
“Oh, it was nothing,” Jessica said, her face crushed against the tall woman’s shoulder. Mrs Taylor drew back and held her at arms’ length. “I can’t believe what almost happened to you. On our territory as well. It’s barbaric. Bears aren’t like that at all. I hope you know that?” Jessica nodded vigorously, eager for the slightly intimidating woman to like her.
“Of course I do. If most bears are like Christian and Lucas, then I think bears are pretty great,” she replied. Mrs Taylor stared at her, and for a moment, she thought that she’d offended her somehow. But then the woman threw back her head and laughed.
“I’ve always loved your humor, Jessica. You’re such a smart girl.”
“You used to like me when I was a kid,” she blurted out, before she could stop herself.
“Of course I did. And that’s why I saw you as such a danger to Christian’s heart. I just wanted him to find a bear mate. His father believes so strongly in keeping the shifter legacy alive. Having a human mate doesn’t actually dilute it, but he worries that involving more outsiders in the clan will lead to the kind of incidents that happened last night.”
“And you?” Jessica asked, sensing that she was softening. “What do you believe?” The older woman pressed her lips together.
“My family always believed strongly in fate. We tried our damnedest to keep you and Christian apart. Yet you found each other again. And I think that has to say something. My son’s happiness is very important to me too. And he obviously thinks the world of you.” Jessica blinked, not trusting herself to say anything. “In fact, I think there’s something he wants to discuss with you. We were talking it over last night, but I had to leave for the hospital, so we didn’t finish. But I feel it will be positive for you both.”
Jessica bit her lip, a wave of guilt hitting her. They’d obviously been talking about Jessica becoming an acceptable mate in his parents’ eyes. And now she was about to drop another bombshell.
“I – I –” she stammered, not sure how to begin. But then, a hand landed on her shoulder.
“Morning, mom, Jessica,” Christian said, through a giant yawn. She turned to look at him, and was relieved to see that he’d put a dressing gown on.
“Feeling better, honey?” his mom said, eyes softening as she looked at him.
“Much. How’s dad?”
“Same. He’s very heavily sedated at the moment, so I can’t get much sense out of him.”
“Did you get much sleep?”
“Yes. I actually slept pretty well on that hard couch in his room. Although I wished a dozen times that I could’ve shifted.” The two of them exchanged quiet laughter, and Jessica was yet again reminded with a jolt that she was an outsider and understood so little about their shifter lives. Mrs Taylor was so elegant that she often forgot that she was half bear. “Now, what can I make you two for breakfast?” she asked.
“Oh, granola’s good,” Christian answered.
“I love granola,” Jessica said quickly, not wanting her to go to any trouble.
“I’ll whip up some eggs as well,” Mrs Taylor said. “I’m sure the pair of you burned enough calories last night that you’ll be running on empty.”
They gave up on trying to persuade her to take it easy and sat at the table. Lucas came down and joined them, and for the next half hour they discussed the night before, going over how the ambush had happened and how it could be avoided in future.
After they’d cleared the breakfast dishes away and Mrs Taylor left them, Christian peered at them seriously.
“I’m not sure why, but I get the impression that you guys came here to tell me something, not to save me from an enemy clan attack?” he said, and Jessica saw a flash of tension in his intelligent eyes.
“Jessica wants to tell us both something. I’m none the wiser,” Lucas said. Jessica nodded.
“I did. But before I tell you, would you help me find my glasses? I feel a little seasick without them.” Christian leapt to his feet.
“Of course! Operation Find Jessica’s Glasses. Let’s go!” the others laughed and followed him through the patio doors and into the garden. Jessica used to love it when Christian got really animated and had these bursts of craziness.
“Do you think we need to shift?” he said to Lucas as they reached the edge of the woods. Lucas took a deep sniff of the air.
“No, I think I got her scent,” he said. Jessica blushed, a little uncomfortable at the thought that her sce
nt was lingering in the woods, strongly enough that the guys could pick it up the next morning. “Let’s shift as a last resort. I’m not sure if my skin could take it right now.” Their injuries did look a lot better than last night, the crimson claw marks already dulling to brown. They hadn’t been exaggerating when they said that shifters healed unusually fast.
They walked into the forest, one or other of the guys keeping hold of her hand, worried that she might stumble without her glasses on. She wasn’t unfamiliar with holding the guys’ hands – there had been a hundred reasons to cling onto them when they were teenagers – like when she and Christian went ice skating, or the time that Lucas took her to a heavy metal concert, and there was such a big crowd of tall guys that he was worried he’d lose her in the crush. He’d clung onto her hand the entire time and never once let her go. But now, it felt different – full of excitement and promise.
“Are you still tracking my scent?” Jessica called, after they’d been walking for 20 minutes.
“Yup!” the guys called in unison. After another five minutes, they stopped dead.
“Be careful,” Lucas called. “This is a little beyond the spot where we found you, so hopefully your glasses won’t be far away.” They slowed their pace to a crawl and fixed their gaze on the forest floor.
“What’s that?” Jessica muttered, seeing something glinting in the sunlight, like a shard of glass. She bent down and grasped it. And it was her glasses. “Wow,” she exclaimed, holding them up to the light and checking that they weren’t damaged. “Talk about finding a needle in a haystack. Good going, guys.”
“Operation complete. Status: successful,” Christian said. Jessica slapped him on the back.
“You’re such a geek, Taylor,” she said happily.
“Guilty,” he said.
They started walking back, and after a while they came to a clearing. Jessica looked around anxiously, not wanting to be back in the place where she’d been attacked. But it was a different clearing. There was grass underfoot, and a gap in the canopy of trees overhead where the sun shone through. There were also several large, flat rocks positioned in a loose huddle. It was a lovely, peaceful place.
“Lucas and I used to come here a lot when we were kids,” Christian said. “It was where we went to make serious decisions.”
“Like which Star Wars movie we liked the best. Or what food we’d choose if we could only ever eat one thing again.”
The three of them naturally took a seat each on the rocks. The sun shone right into Christian’s eyes, revealing all the different hues of brown, as he looked at her very directly.
“So what did you want to say to us?” he asked. Jessica took a deep breath, aware that her palms were sweating. Okay, here goes.
“I’m well aware that our friendship has turned into something deeper. And I want to be your mate, Christian. More than anything. But I also want to be Lucas’s mate. I can’t choose between you, and I wouldn’t want to, due to the hurt that I would cause the other one. And the hurt that I’d cause myself if I lost one of you. So, what I’m proposing is that I become the mate of both of you. That we have a triad. Tamika suggested it to me, as of course, I’d never heard of such a thing before. And I think it could be a really great solution.” She felt like she was babbling, but she was fighting an attack of nerves, brought on by saying the words out loud to them both. She watched them both anxiously, every nerve attuned to deducing their reactions.
A look of absolute joy came to Christian’s face.
“Funnily enough, that’s what my mom was discussing with me last night. I told her why you were having a hard time agreeing to be my mate, and she told me about triads. There hasn’t been one in the bear shifter world for several generations, but it’s not forbidden.”
“And your parents would be okay with it?” Lucas said, his voice full of mistrust. Christian shrugged.
“Me being in a triad as the clan’s alpha, no. My parents say they’ll only accept an alpha triad if both bears are part of the clan.”
Jessica and Lucas’ faces fell.
“So it’s not a solution?” she said. Christian took a deep breath.
“It is if I relinquish my leadership to my younger brother.” Lucas thought of how fiercely his brother had fought the night before, how strong and calm he’d seemed.
“How do you feel about that?” Jessica said.
“I’d never considered the possibility. My upbringing has been all about preparing me for leadership. It seems almost anticlimactic to pass it on to Grayson.”
“I understand. It’s like you’ve been denied all these things, and being alpha is supposed to make up for it.” He nodded.
“But, on the other hand, Grayson is happy to be alpha. He told me yesterday that he’s been jealous of me all his life because I’ve had all this attention on me, and he sensed that I didn’t really want it, while being a leader is all he’s ever wanted. My mom agrees that he’d make a good alpha too.”
“Then that’s the right solution, isn’t it?” Jessica said.
Christian stood up and walked around the collection of rocks, his hands laced behind his head. He came to a stop in front of them.
“How would you feel about moving to Wynter Hollow? I don’t want to abandon my clan entirely, and they need a firefighting service here.” Jessica nodded slowly, thinking. Then a huge grin spread across her face.
“I would absolutely love to live here with you!” she exclaimed, feeling like sunbeams were shooting from her heart. The look on Christian’s face was pure joy. He’d never looked so handsome before, or so alive.
“And you, Lucas?” Lucas shrugged.
“Well, it would be weird to live so far away from the other two members of my triad, so I guess I’ll be selling that little old house I just bought in Hope Valley.” Jessica looked at him, concerned. “No, seriously, Wynter’s home, like it or not. And now you’re going to be here too, I like it!” he said, grinning.
“So, this is it? I’m going to be the mate of both of you?” she said, looking from one to the other. She could scarcely believe what they were agreeing to, sitting together on the rocks so calmly, talking like mature adults. What happens now? she wondered and she was hit by a tidal wave of shyness.
“Jessica.” Christian held out his hand to her and she took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet. He laid his large, muscular hand on her head and brushed her hair back from her face. “You’re going to be our mate. If you’re sure that’s what you want?”
“It is,” she murmured, almost hypnotized by his deep-brown stare.
“If you’ve got any doubts, you’d better tell me now, because you can’t imagine what a hard time I’m having keeping my bear under control right now.” Her lips parted in a smile.
“I have no doubts at all,” she said. He held her head very gently in his massive hands and dipped his head towards her, until his lips met hers. At the first contact, he let off a rumbling purr. His kiss wasn’t gentle; it was searing, his teeth grazing her lips, his tongue urgently seeking out her own, and it filled her with a wild hunger. He wasn’t her best friend anymore; he was a man-bear, who desired her as she desired him. He tangled his hands in her hair, and ran them all the way down her back, pressing her close. And then there was another pair of hands on her hips.
“Jessica,” an equally deep voice growled in her ear. Suddenly, Christian was no longer kissing her, and her head was being tipped back, and being met by another hungry mouth. As Lucas’ tongue slid between her lips, another bolt of desire shot through her body. Both men kissed differently, but with an equal need. As Lucas kissed her, Christian’s hands roamed over her body. She was sandwiched between them, as she had been up on that windy hill in London so long ago, and it felt so right. Exciting and safe and exhilarating all at the same time. She sensed the power that resided just beneath their skins, but she knew they wouldn’t hurt her. Little growls and snarls escaped their lips as they kissed and caressed her, and she felt their need, press
ing hard against her body.
One pair of hands began to lift the hem of her shirt, and she froze. The thought of these men knowing her body as intimately as they knew her mind was as terrifying as it was arousing. They stopped immediately, sensing her reaction, and she marveled that they were capable of keeping their desire under control.
“Are we moving too fast, Jessica?” Lucas muttered, his breath hot on her ear. “Do you want to wait until we’re indoors?” She looked into Lucas’s gray-blue eyes, and then into Christian’s dark ones.
And then she cast a glance around the clearing. It was a special place for the guys, and she felt that it possessed a kind of spiritual calm. For her first time with them, it couldn’t be more perfect.
“No. I want you to mate me now. Here,” she said, her voice a little shaky but clear, and desire running in her veins.
Slowly, gently, Lucas lifted up her shirt and pulled it over her head. Then he and Christian whipped their shirts off too. As two muscular, velvet-skinned torsos pressed against her own, she let out a sigh of pleasure. At last, she dared to touch them, running her hands all over Lucas’ chest while Christian stroked her soft belly and waist, before cupping her breasts through the lace of her bra. As his fingertips grazed her erect nipples, she let off a moan. It was wild, like the cry of an animal, and the guys both responded to it, Lucas crushing his mouth on hers, and Christian tugging at the waistband of her skirt.
“I want to be gentle with you,” Christian growled in her ear. “But we’re bears, and when we mate, our basic instincts take over.” As he spoke, his hands suddenly felt like claws at her hips, and her clit began to throb.
“I like it,” she gasped. “I want you to mate me as the bears you are.” They both made a sound of satisfaction. And as Christian’s tongue explored her mouth, Lucas’s fingers deftly unzipped her skirt and eased it down. He wrapped his hands around her waist and, through her fog of arousal, she figured out that he wanted her to sit down, and she let herself fall down, into his arms. Christian came with her, and the three of them sank into a soft patch of grass and leaves, spread over with the guys’ shirts. The air smelled sweet, mingling with the rich, musky scent of their bodies. It was incredible being caressed by two men at the same time. Her attention flitted from one to the other and, while she was occupied by Christian gently stroking her full cleavage, she barely noticed Lucas unfastening the clasp of her bra. She tensed a little as he slid it off her shoulders, a little self-conscious about the size of her breasts, but as it fell down, exposing them to Christian’s gaze, there was no mistaking the approval in his eyes. He purred as he cupped them in his hands, weighing them, chafing her nipples. With a snarl, Lucas turned her bodily, lifted her up and drew her left nipple into her mouth. He was a little rough, and she gave a squeak of surprise, before surrendering to the blissful sensation of his mouth on her.
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