Sassy Ever After: All About That Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) (The Pride Commands Book 1)

by Michele Bardsley

  “They are yours,” intoned an elderly female voice. It bounced off the craggy walls, straight into Cyn. Of course, she thought, I’ve been waiting for them.

  The cougars got up and padded to her, one settling on each side of her. She lay with them, their soft fur tickling her naked flesh. She sank her hands into their luxurious coats. Her body rippled with sensual awareness.

  Then each werecat gave a low, possessive growl, and licked her breasts.

  “No,” said Cyn. But they wouldn’t be denied. The bigger one put his paw on her rib cage, and his companion followed suit.

  Their broad, flat tongues tortured her breasts and nipples, making her tingle and ache.

  Then she felt a tongue lick up her neck, to her ear, and a male voice said, “You’re beautiful.”

  The werecougare was no more. Deliciously naked, the man’s long, thick cock pressed against her thigh. His skin was the color of coffee with too much cream, and his tousled hair was black, as dark as his eyes.

  “Hmm,” said another male voice. “She tastes good, too.”

  This man, as corded with muscle as his friend, had the mischievous gaze of the smaller cat.

  They took turns kissing her, their hands stroking every inch of her heated skin. And when one of them parted the slick inner folds of her pussy and stroked her clit, she moaned, and closed her eyes, and fell down, down, down…

  * * *

  “She survived,” said a male voice, laden with sarcasm. “Yay.”

  Cyn pried open her eyes and had barely realized she was laying in the middle of a comfortable bed when she felt the mattress dip. She looked at the man sitting inches from her.

  Fuck.

  Cyn sucked in a shaky breath, and tried to slough off the miasma. “W-what happened?”

  Yep. It was Hottie No. 1, the dude she’d tried to off. Her gaze flicked beyond him, to the guy leaning against the hotel room wall. His glare clearly indicated that he wished she’d explode. Yeah. He’d been the one attempting to track her. Hard to do when she was in the trees with the battering rain washing away her scent and masking her movements.

  She smirked.

  He pushed himself off the wall and stalked toward the bed.

  “Relax, Aris.”

  Blue Eyes stopped, pivoted, and threw himself into a chair tucked into the corner of the room. He crossed his arms and glared at her some more. Nice.

  “I’m Kane,” said the man on the bed. “That’s Aris.” He studied her face. “We’ve got you. So cooperate.”

  “Or what?” Her voice sounded like rusty hinges. She tried to clear her throat, but the effort hurt. It felt like she’d swallowed a whole bag of cotton balls. Kane helped her to a sitting position and handed her a glass of water. It had the metallic taste of tap water. What? She didn’t rate the ten-dollar bottled water? Still, she sucked down every drop. She toyed with the idea of slamming the glass against Kane’s gorgeous head, but he plucked it out of her hands. Oh well, it wasn’t like she could take them both down, not without weapons or in her weakened state.

  Her traitorous heart beat steadily, not revealing its weakness. She’d been so close to getting on that beach. Now, she was gonna bite it in a hotel room. Heh. Bite it. Yeah, that was probably the literal interpretation of how she would breathe her last. What a way to end an otherwise stellar career.

  “Thanks for the water.” Her voice sounded normal, and she was feeling a smidge better. She looked down at herself, and her lips quirked. “And thanks for leaving on my bra and panties. I usually like to get to know my killers personally before going nude.”

  “You must be naked a lot,” Aris said.

  “No one’s ever gotten the drop on me,” she replied. “How about you?”

  Kane chuckled, but it wasn’t a nice sound. “You have the distinction of nearly besting two of the best werecougar guardians on this side of the Mississippi.”

  “If you do say so yourself.”

  “If it’s true, it’s not bragging,” said the one called Aris.

  Warrior werecats? Like the regular kind weren’t badass enough. Wow. She sure could pick ‘em.

  Cyn sat up. Then she heard a rattle and something flew at her. She snatched the prescription bottle out of mid-air.

  “What are they for?” asked Kane.

  She stared at the label. Kane had given her the meds. He could’ve let her die, right there in the parking lot, and gotten his revenge. Why had he saved her? So he could kill her himself? If that was true, the dude’s ego was way too big. She didn’t get that vibe, though. What a waste of energy and resources. If a target died of a heart attack instead of a bullet headache so much the better.

  She put the bottle on the nightstand. She was gonna die. What was the point of lying? “My name is Cyn. And before you ask, yeah, it’s just Cyn. I’m twenty-eight. I’ve been a paid assassin, trained by my father, since I was seventeen. I’m dying. My heart’s giving out, and I have maybe a couple months to live.”

  Both men exchanged a look. “Why were you at the residence of Gareth Harper?” asked Kane.

  “Who the hell is Gareth Harper?” Cyn remembered the huge cougar checking the cabin’s perimeter. She realized these guys hadn’t been protecting the house at all. “Harper’s the kitty. And you’re not his friends, are you?”

  Kane and Aris exchanged a glance. Then Kane said, “As a matter of fact, we are.”

  “Yeah. Sure.” She shrugged. “I was there to take out Thomas Moore. His ex-girlfriend offered to change me if I killed him.” She laughed, a bitter sound. “I wanted to live so bad.” Sighing, she flopped back to the bed and stared up at the ceiling. “I wonder if that’s what people think right before I put a bullet in their skulls. I want to live.”

  “These people you killed,” said Kane. “They deserved it?”

  “Yeah. I choose my jobs carefully. All but this one.” She turned her head. Kane was leaning against the wall now, his eyes on her. Aris’s baby blues glittered with an emotion she couldn’t define, but at least he looked less hostile. “So what’s going on here, boys? ‘Cause if you ain’t gonna do me, then I have a beach chair and a mai tai with my name on it.”

  “Do you?” asked Kane with a sexy growl that made her scramble off the other side of the bed.

  “Whoa there. Do. As in kill.” Cyn had nowhere to go. She’d fight like a rabid bitch, but she knew her odds. They’d get what they wanted. She planted her hands on her hips and glared at them. Her heart skipped a beat then started fluttering like a trapped bird.

  “I prefer the alternative definition,” said Kane.

  “You saved me so you could fuck me?” Her voice was a mixture of outrage and astonishment.

  “Not quite.” He hadn’t moved, but she got the distinct impression that both he and Aris were fully prepared to leap from their positions. The energy of the room had changed. Tension was so thick that she was nearly breathing it.

  “I swear to God if you touch me, at least one of you will die.”

  Chapter Nine

  Both men’s expressions turned to shock.

  “You think we would force you?” Aris rose from the chair and stared at her. The fury was back, although for a different reason.

  “You kidnapped me and stole my clothes.”

  Aris settled down. “Well, there’s that.”

  Kane’s gaze hadn’t left Cyn’s face, and he was making her nervous.

  “I’m a prisoner,” she pointed out, feeling unaccountably defensive. “You could’ve let me die, but you didn’t. And apparently, you’re not trying to kill me. What am I supposed to think?”

  “We have a proposal,” said Kane.

  Aris snorted and plopped back into the chair. He crossed his arms and took a supreme interest in the ceiling.

  “I’m listening.” Cyn stayed where she was, between the wall and the king-sized bed. Wary didn’t begin to cover how she was feeling. What the hell did these guys want?

  “We were sent by our leader to kill Gareth.”

>   “Your friend?”

  “Gareth was our leader’s half-brother. He was banned from the colony.”

  “Too much competition for that asshole,” said Aris.

  “Gareth impregnated a human female. That’s a sin too great to forgive for our leader.”

  “Vampires can’t have kids,” she said slowly. The woman was pregnant. And if Kane was right, the woman wasn’t the vampire’s pet. She was in a threesome with a werecat and a vampire. Hmm. Maybe she was a little crazy. Well, she would’ve been safe from Cyn. No kids. Ever. And that included pregnant women.

  It appeared these shifters didn’t have the same policy. Her gaze flicked over Kane, who looked as stoic as a statue. She didn’t understand werecougar politics any better than she did the machinations of vampire. “So, you’re gonna kill Gareth for knocking up a girl? That’s harsh.”

  “She’s a human,” said Aris. “Apparently not fit to carry our spawn.” Aris sounded disgusted with the whole enterprise. Her respect for him went up a notch. Then she realized what he was implying.

  “You’re supposed to kill her, too?”

  “She carries a half-werecougar,” said Kane. He didn’t sound too sure about this part of the plan.

  “And I thought the vampires were fucked up.”

  “We’re not doing it.” Kane’s sudden, fierce declaration made Aris’s gaze swing toward him.

  “Our true purpose has been accomplished,” said Kane. “We found her.”

  Cyn’s eyebrows went up, but the men weren’t paying attention to her. Aris stood up and put his hand on Kane’s arm. “What about Craig? He’s gonna be pissed.”

  “Screw Craig. We’ll go to Gareth and tell him the truth. We’ll have to if we hope to save Cyn.”

  Save me? Cougar say what now?

  “We’ll be in hiding forever.” Aris’s expression wavered between relief and worry. “And so will Gareth and his family. With the half-breed alive, Craig will never stop looking for them.”

  “Well, I’m not killing the vampire, either.”

  Both men turned to her. Cyn realized she should’ve kept her trap shut. Even though she’d been plotting to kill Thomas, she’d never met the guy. She had no investment in his life or the lives of those he loved.

  Cyn thought about the vampire, the werecat, the human, and their baby. She felt a catch in her throat. She’d never been in love. In brief relationships, sure, and maybe a crush or two as a teenager before her first kill, but she’d never had the opportunity to fall in stars-in-the-eyes love. Just another regret she added to the “wish I had done this” list.

  “Well, if we’ve decided everyone’s going to live,” she said, “then I’d like my clothes.” She paused. “And my gun.”

  “You haven’t heard our proposal.” Kane looked at her, his expression suddenly thoughtful. “You’d already decided not to kill Merrick. That’s why you left after you attacked us.”

  “I decided it was time to listen to fate. I’d rather go have some fun before the ol’ ticker gives out.” She tapped her wrist as if it held a watch. “And now, you’re wasting what little time I have left. So … clothes?”

  “I like you better without them on,” Kane said. Aris leaned against the wall and studied her.

  Once again, the atmosphere in the room shifted. The tension was there, but it was definitely the lustful kind. Cyn felt vulnerable. And though she’d spent every waking second being decisive, she found herself waffling. Were they offering a night in their bed? Was she insane for even thinking about how awesome fucking two werecougars would be?

  Aris’s gaze flicked to Cyn. “I want her,” he admitted. “I want the one who can make us better warriors, men, cougars. She won’t put up with shit. She’s fast and strong.” He grunted. “And, you know, pretty.”

  “Yeah. Um … hello? I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’m not afraid to walk outta this hotel in my bra.”

  “You said you’d decided to follow fate,” said Kane. “So have we. You don’t have to die, Cyn. We can make you a werecougar.”

  “Not us, per se. Only royals have the changing bite.”

  She laughed. “You’re going to ask Gareth, the dude you were sent to kill to save the girl who’s supposed to off his whole family? That’ll be good.” Cyn looked at Kane, at the desire glittering in his eyes. Apprehension warred with hope. “What’s the price of this gift?”

  “You must agree to be our mate.”

  “Mate?” asked Cyn, flabbergasted. “Is that cat talk for wife?”

  “Yeah,” said Aris. “But not in a human sense. There is no divorce. If a mate dies, the surviving spouse can marry again, but other than that… it’s practically forever.”

  “So, I’d be married to both of you? Forever?”

  “Yes,” said Kane.

  “Will I be expected to do housework or cook? Because I don’t do that kind of crap. Or knit. Or garden. Or grocery shop.”

  “It’s not a subservient role,” said Kane. “You would be our partner in all ways.”

  Cyn couldn’t believe she was even considering this crazy proposal. She shook her head. “I guess being a werecougar is better than being a bloodsucker, but I was sorta resolved to the whole dying thing.”

  “Give us a chance. Maybe you’ll find we’re a better alternative to death.” Kane motioned to Aris, who joined them on the bed.

  Cyn’s eyes widened. “You want me to sleep with you?”

  “Not sleep,” said Aris. “Fuck.”

  Chapter Ten

  Kane let out a long-suffering sigh. “Stay the night. Willingly. In the morning, if you decide not to mate with us, we’ll let you go.”

  “What, exactly, does mating involve?”

  “Biting,” said Aris. He shucked his Nikes and socks, and then pulled off his shirt.

  Cyn got a gander at his body, which she’d seen in the darkened forest, and in the glare of the hotel room lights it was even better. Her gaze flipped to Kane. He, too, was getting undressed. He was broader in the shoulders and chest than Aris, and probably a few inches taller. Both of them were handsome and muscled. And when she mentally put herself in the middle of that particularly tasty sandwich, her body went hot and tingly.

  Hoo-boy.

  “What about your heart?” asked Kane. “Will it fail if we… um, push it?”

  “I exercise all the time and it’s held so far. And if it fails during --” Aw, crap. Had she just admitted she was gonna do the naughty thing with them? “-- er, during, you know, then hey, what a way to go.”

  “We go gentle,” he told Aris. “After she becomes cougar, we’ll play hard.”

  Cyn’s stomach flipped. Play hard? Ooooh. These were her kind of boys. But she hadn’t necessarily decided to hitch herself to them for all eternity. So, they’d just have to play hard now, while she could enjoy it.

  They took off their jeans and both climbed onto the bed.

  Without another word of protest, she wiggled off her panties and unsnapped her bra. Then, naked, she crawled into the bed between them. Kane was the first to skim his palm down her side, splaying his long fingers over her abdomen. His hand was warm, and her skin contracted from the light contact.

  Aris was obviously the impatient one. He kissed her. He was aggressive, plundering her mouth with his tongue and nipping at her lips. She cupped his face and gave back as good as she got, sucking on his lower lip before ravaging his throat. And when she found that vulnerable spot beneath his throat, she bit him.

  The low growl sent chills straight through her. Excitement coiled. Oh, he was gonna hold back until Kane let him loose. She raked her nails down his back and licked the bruised skin. She turned more fully toward Aris, pressing against him, while Kane stroked the skin of her back, buttocks, thighs.

  Aris’s fingers tangled in her hair and he drew her up for another brutal kiss. She loved it. Heat streaked through her, leaving her flushed and yearning.

  And when he put his teeth against her throat and growled, her womb
contracted.

  “God, you’re wet,” said Kane as he slipped his hand over her hips and delved into her swollen pussy. “She likes it.”

  Aris reached across her to touch Kane, and she turned, giving Aris her backside, and kissed Kane. Aris shifted so that his thick cock slid between her ass cheeks. She wrapped a leg around Kane, and he teased her weeping pussy with his sizable cock.

  He bent to lave at her aching nipples, lightly biting the distended peaks. Pleasure shuddered through her.

  Her senses whirled as the men worshipped her with hands and mouths. She could barely breathe. Barely think. She rolled again to face Aris and slid between his thighs so she could taste his cock.

  He moaned, grabbing the bed covers in his fists, his eyes closing as she sucked his length into her mouth. She relaxed her throat, and took him all the way down to his balls.

  “Damn,” he managed. “Damn.”

  And as she sucked and licked on Aris’s yummy cock, Kane positioned himself behind her, lifting her hips until she was kneeling with her ass up, and he -- thank the ever-loving gods -- pierced her swollen cunt. His penis filled her, stretching her to the limit.

  “Oh, hell,” she murmured.

  It was an interesting rhythm. Kane plunging into her from behind, and Aris thrusting into her mouth. Nothing had ever felt so good. It was like she’d been searching for a place to belong her whole life, and she’d found it. Here, with them.

  She felt Kane leaned down and sink his teeth into the back of her neck. Aris’s teeth pierced the top of her breast. They bit her, growling, and she felt the energy around them snip and snap and then they bound. She knew it to the core of her soul.

  “I’m going to come,” cried Aris. “Cyn, baby. Please.”

  She grabbed his shaft at the base and suckled his quivering head. Then he was groaning, shouting, and shooting hot seed down her throat. She swallowed and swallowed, and sucked on him until he was dry.

  And still Kane pounded into her. He’d forgotten gentle, thank heavens. Aris scooted out from underneath her, and she planted her hands on the bed, and closed her eyes.

  Sparkling pleasure coiled in her womb. She could hardly draw in a breath. Then Kane cried out, and pierced her deeply. Damn. She felt his spasms as his come filled her.