She had pushed her bedraggled hair out of her face and had somehow managed to fix on a smile. It must have been enough to convince him that it was indeed Anastasia standing on his doorstep at 3:00 AM in the morning, for he had handed her the key without any further delay and then slammed the door shut.
She had dragged herself up the stairs and after a quick and much needed shower had collapsed face down on her bed. It seemed she had slept the day away, for when she had eventually come back to the living it had been to the insistent ringing of her phone. Maria had screeched down the phone at her, the minute she had picked it up.
"Finally! Where have you been? I have been going insane with worry. Jake and Carter said you were fine, and to give you space, but fuck it, girl. What is going on? Please don't tell me those dick-head brothers of mine have bitten you, ‘cause so help me, I will skin them alive and use their pelts to decorate my living room wall. Anastasia, talk to me. Please tell me you're all right."
"I would, if you'd let me get two words in edgeways." Anastasia had mumbled her groggy answer down the phone, earning herself a disgruntled harrumph from her best friend. The friend, who by very definition, had to be a cougar the same as her brothers. Bile had risen in her gut at the sudden realization that Maria had lied to her. Perhaps not in so many words, but a lie by omission was still a lie. So her tone had been much sharper than she had intended it to be.
"And don’t you start lecturing me. You, who've been lying to me about who and what she really is all this time."
There had been a long pause on the other end of the telephone line, and when Maria had finally spoken Anastasia had heard the trace of tears in her voice.
"I know, I'm sorry. I should have said something, but how can you just drop the fact that you can shift at will into a conversation? Look, I need to see you. I'm coming over, okay? You've been gone for three days, and so much has happened."
"Three days? You've got to be joking. It's only been a night."
Maria's answer had done little to reassure Anastasia, but she had expressly forbidden her friend to come ‘round. In the light of not being able to make any sense of what the fuck was going on she had done the only sensible thing and had gone back to sleep.
Clearly her time was now up, however, if the increased pounding on her front door was anything to go by.
Carter's growl vibrated through her, and she could have sworn the whole door frame shook as something hit the door again.
"Do not make us break the door down, sweetheart." Jake's worried voice had that edge she found unable to resist, and her bite marks heated and throbbed. Against her will she lifted her nose and sniffed the air. It seemed that as well as Carter and Jake, Maria was standing outside her door, and from the heavy perfume overlaying everything else, the bimbo who lived next door to her was also out there.
No doubt the bleached blonde was eyeing up Jake and Carter, and Anastasia's panther growled her annoyance at the thought. Her claws ran out, and she crossed the distance to the door in one giant leap. As she yanked it open, Carter fell into the room, caught as he had been in the action of shoulder charging her door, and some of Anastasia's anger fled.
God, he was a sight for sore eyes. With the grace and inherent elegance of his species he twisted his long frame at the last minute and landed silently on the balls of his feet. He spun her round to face him, his worried gaze running over every inch of her skin. In her frog print flannel pajamas she was hardly any man's sexual fantasy, yet his low growl and the way his gaze heated with raw lust, as he ran his hands over her body made her heart turn over in her chest in excitement.
Jake stepped up behind her, his large hands resting on her shoulders, and he lifted her hair out of the way and licked the mark on her shoulder. Her legs gave way, and she leant back into him, dimly aware of Maria shutting the front door on the astonished face of blondie.
"Stop manhandling my friend, and let me look at her, you dumb-heads. Which part of 'do not rush this and just give her mind-blowing orgasms' did you not get exactly? Jesus, you bit her, and then let her run off to do God only knows what? You know how volatile a newly turned shifter can be. Are you even listening to me, dammit?"
"We couldn't help it." Jake mumbled the words into her neck, and Anastasia closed her eyes as his scent intensified. Just like before she fell under his spell with a speed that left her breathless, wet, and needy. Carter rubbed his mark on her thigh through the fabric of her trousers, and she stroked his thick and already erect cock straining against the zip of his flies. Her hand slid lower until she hit the spot of her own mark on him, and he groaned.
"Oh for goodness sakes, I don't believe this. Are you three even listening to me? And is anyone going to tell her that James is dead?"
That broke through Anastasia's arousal fogged brain, and an ice cold fist clamped around her heart. She had been covered in blood when she got back to her flat, and it hadn't been her blood.
"Oh my God, what did I do?" The whispered words left her mouth before she could stop them.
Jake made a soothing sound in the back of his throat and turned her around until she faced him. Acting on instinct she nuzzled against his neck where an angry mark proclaimed her bite, and a shudder went through his long frame. Some of the tension left her own body. She sensed nothing but acceptance from the man surrounding her like a human shield, and even Maria held no censure in her tone.
"From what I can gather it wasn't you, so chill," Maria said.
"Oh, thank God. I don't think I could live with myself, had I killed him."
"Even though he deserved it." Carter grunted the words into her neck, his hot breath leaving tingles of need in their wake.
"And before you ask it wasn't us either," Jake said. He tilted her head up with a smile, and she lost herself in the emotion shining out of his beautiful eyes. As though she was the most precious thing ever, his gaze raked over her face and made love to her with just a look.
"No, it wasn't either of you, though you were all there, of course. Not that I expect you to remember that. The first time you shift you always lose a bit of yourself, especially when you come into your destiny as late you do. From what I could gather, after the event, you did seek him out. Presumably he freaked when he saw you." Maria gave a short laugh, as though she found something very amusing. "Well, I guess he would, being suddenly confronted by a panther. I have no idea what he was doing out in the woods that night, but anyway, he panicked and ran straight into oncoming traffic. The papers were full of the panther-like animal several witnesses saw. It will blow over, of course, but you may only want to shift on our private lands for now. Getting stun gunned and transported off to the zoo is no fun for any shifter, I tell you. Of course my dumb-head brothers should have explained all that to you, before they bit you and released your beast."
Maria's calm voice pulled Anastasia back to the here and now.
Let me go. I can't think when you're this close.
She projected her thoughts with astonishing ease, and the replies made her smile.
We're not close enough. I want to be eating that pretty pussy of yours.
Never mind that, I want her riding us so hard, she will be hoarse from screaming our names.
Would you like that, sweetheart? Two hard cocks filling you, mine in your ass whist Carter fucks your sweet cunt.
Hell yeah, what are we waiting for? Let's tell Maria to get stuffed.
She won’t do it until she had her say. She's as pigheaded as Mama.
The united groans in her head made her giggle and Maria snarled her annoyance. The brothers did release Anastasia, however, and her body went rigid with need seeing their sinful smiles.
As soon as she's gone you're ours, and be warned, you will lose a few more days.
I can't wait!
Her reply made both men groan and readjust their cocks through their clothing. Anastasia bit back a smile at Maria's narrow-eyed regard.
"You lot are having some sort of mated communication joke at my
expense, aren’t you?" she said.
"It would serve you right, if we did. Why did you not tell me what you were, Maria?" Anastasia asked. "I had a right to know."
Maria shrugged her shoulders and bit her lip.
"I'm sorry, but I didn’t know how to tell you. We had such an instant connection. I didn't want to lose that. Of course, had I thought about it, I'd have known you must have shifter blood in your ancestry somewhere."
Anastasia nodded.
"My grandfather, I think." Three pairs of eyes settled on her, and Jake and Carter took a hand each and squeezed. "And no, I didn't know this. I've only just figured it out. I met him just once. He was always persona non grata in our house. That day, my mother had run into town leaving me home alone, and he just turned up. It was funny, really. I was such a shy kid, but I didn't feel shy with him. It's as though I recognized him instantly. I remember he smelled so good. I couldn't stop sniffing him. He picked me up and gave me a cuddle and told me silly stories. When my mum eventually came back she'd been drinking. She did that a lot. Anyway, she went ballistic. Called him all sorts of horrible names and threw him out of the house. The next day she packed our few belongings, and we moved. We kept on moving until eventually, when I was ten, her drinking caught up with her. I came home from school to find her unconscious in a pool of vomit. She didn't make it, and I went into foster care. You know my story from there."
Maria nodded and drew her in for a hug. She did indeed know all this, and had no doubt told her brothers, because they did not seem particularly surprised by this news. Anastasia had confessed most of her miserable childhood to her best friend during one of their nights of drunken clubbing.
"That would certainly explain it." Maria said. "And if I'd had to hazard a guess, I'd have picked you as a panther. I always thought of you as one with your beautiful black hair and your complexion. And the whole Orgasm Project makes sense now. If you're a female with shifter blood in your veins, no matter how diluted, you will not reach sexual satisfaction with anyone but another shifter. I know it sucks, but I guess it's nature's way of making sure we don't dilute the blood lines further. Anyhoo, it's not really important right now, is it? Please tell me we're still friends?"
Maria traced the mark on Anastasia's shoulder, and she blanched when Anastasia shook her head.
"No, we're not friends."
Carter and Jake growled, and Anastasia's lips twitched at the anxiety she sensed in all of them. No doubt she would get her ass paddled for this, but by God it felt good to rile them a little.
She stepped away from them to give herself some breathing space from all those pheromones clouding her brain, and Jake's eyebrows drew together in a frown. Her breathing hitched, and she had to resist the urge to sink to her knees. Carters warning projected loud and clear.
You're playing with fire, little one.
Maybe I want to get burned a little, and besides, it serves her right. Let her squirm a little.
Anastasia, this is beneath you.
Jake's disapproval made her flinch.
She's our little sister, and bratty she may be, but she loves you dearly. She fought us for ages, when we tried to get near you. Said you didn't need two womanizers like us.
Anastasia gasped out loud at that, causing Maria to look from her to her brothers and back again.
"Will you three stop that! It's plain rude to have a conversation without including everyone. It's bad enough Mum and Dad do that all the time. I don't need my brothers to act like love-sick cubs, too."
Only because she hasn't met her mate yet.
Carter's amused voice in her head broke the tension, and Anastasia smiled.
And you have? I thought you're womanizers? She hated how unsure she sounded, even in her head, but she had to know.
In the blink of an eye both men pounced. Jake had her pinned against the wall, claiming her mouth before she could even exhale, and the kiss that followed curled her toes under with its intensity. The minute Jake released her, Carter stepped up. His hands roamed to her ass lifting her up, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and brought her legs around his hips. Instant lust swamped her system, and she ground her needy pussy against the hard ridge of his erection.
As quickly as the men had claimed her they released her, and she swallowed hard. Their beasts showed in their glowing eyes, the claws on their hands, and their toothy grins.
"Say good bye, Maria. We need to show our mate some manners."
Maria threw Anastasia a glance mixed with worry and amusement, and she smiled at her friend.
"I'm sorry, Maria, I shouldn't have wound you up. We still have a lot to talk about, but you were always so much more than just a friend to me. And I guess now, you're like my sister in law or something."
Maria's eyes filled with tears, and she nodded.
"Or something. I'm going to make myself scarce." She giggled and winked at Anastasia. "I guess the orgasm project worked a bit too well, huh."
The door shut behind her, and the world tilted as Carter threw Anastasia over his shoulder. The air left her lungs in a big whoosh, and she bounced on the bed when he threw her on it. Before she had even stopped bouncing Carter and Jake joined her on the bed.
Ours.
Their joined growls soothed any leftover doubt in her soul, and she smiled.
"Yours, always and forever."
The End
www.dorisoconnor.com
Other Books by Doris O'Connor:
www.evernightpublishing.com/pages/Doris-O%27Connor.html
If you enjoyed this book, you may also like:
The Alpha Takes a Mate by Sam Crescent
Claiming Their Mate by Stacey Espino
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Evernight Publishing
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The Orgasm Project Page 3
