by Abby Blake
“But it doesn’t anymore?” Adam asked, touching her face with the back of his knuckles.
“Not really. Not anymore.” She shook her head as tears filled her vision. “I mean, I used to feel like I was working toward something, building a home, building a life.” She hesitated, embarrassed to say it out loud even though a part of her still understood that she was essentially talking to herself. “I…I feel like I missed my chance. Like the future I was planning somehow passed me by.” She closed her eyes as the tears leaked down her cheeks. “I feel like I got left behind.”
Chapter Three
Thomas glanced at Adam’s face and saw his determination to do right by their mate. It was obvious that he intended to claim her as soon as this assignment was done. If Thomas didn’t make the right decision, there was a very real possibility that he would be the one left behind this time.
Surprised at how much the thought affected him, Thomas held Jennifer closer, comforting the woman crying in his arms even as he made plans in his own mind.
He wasn’t ready to retire from the PUP squad, and he suspected that despite his earlier words that Adam wasn’t really ready either—not completely. They both enjoyed the work too much, but maybe, like many of their squadmates had found recently, they could find a compromise that would make working possible while still having a private life.
“Babe,” Thomas said, “you haven’t been left behind. We’re coming—”
But she cut off his words with a hand over his mouth. “Don’t make me any promises. Please just hold me, for now.”
Willing to give her anything at that moment, Thomas tucked her head under his chin and closed his eyes. And suddenly he could see the future he truly wanted, one that involved a couple of children and a happily ever after. He’d never really given any thought to married life. Finding one’s mate was quite rare so he’d always just assumed that he’d choose not to have those things in his life. But now, with the woman in his arms, it not only seemed possible, but also something he truly wanted.
He heard Adam’s soft laugh a moment before he realized he was once again naked inside Jennifer’s mind. He tried to remind himself of all the reasons it wasn’t a good idea to follow through on what they all wanted, but then Jennifer lifted her lips to his, and all sensible thought was lost.
He groaned at the delicious feeling of having his woman warm and naked in his arms. He took control of the kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth, exploring the dark cavern as his hands roamed over her naked spine.
She wriggled closer, her breath catching when Adam did something that lifted her onto her toes. She broke the kiss, gasping as Adam picked her up and thrust his cock straight into her pussy. Adam held still for a moment, holding her close, letting her body adjust, and pressed a lingering kiss to her neck, before pushing her forward and fucking her hard and fast.
Jennifer made a sound of surprise, giggling when she reached for Thomas’s cock and opened her mouth. He almost couldn’t wait to feel her hot mouth sucking on him, but he placed a hand under her chin and tilted her gaze up to his.
“It doesn’t hurt,” she said with a wide smile before he could ask if she was all right. Adam was still slamming into her from behind, and it was obvious from her flushed features and soft moans that she was enjoying it, but they would never take her like this in real life.
“It’s the mating dreams,” he said with a wide smile of his own. “It means we can play as rough as we like without hurting your human body.”
Adam stilled for a moment, pulling Jennifer close against him. “Of course, once you’re a werewolf, we won’t have to hold back.”
“I can be a werewolf?” she asked breathlessly.
“Of course,” Adam said as he started fucking her again. Jennifer groaned, and reached for Thomas’s hard cock, this time getting her lips around him and sucking hard. She caressed him with her tongue, one hand on his thigh, the other wrapped around his balls, rolling them gently in his sac.
He pushed deeper into her throat, watching her closely, making certain that she didn’t gag. Despite the mating dream it was still possible for the mind to react in a realistic way, but instead his incredible mate swallowed, caressing his cock with the back of her throat, taking him deeper than he’d ever imagined possible.
Thomas groaned, lifting onto his toes, threading his fingers through her hair, ready to explode.
* * * *
Adam couldn’t believe how incredible it was to fuck his mate inside a mating dream. Even though he was taking her hard and fast, it wasn’t affecting the way she sucked on Thomas’s cock. In real life this position would have been awkward, but inside the dreamscape it was absolutely, fucking incredible.
“Stop,” Thomas growled a moment before dragging Jennifer’s mouth away from his cock. “I want inside you.”
She nodded, pushing back against Adam, apparently trying to finish him off so that Thomas could take over. He slapped her thigh, riding her harder for a few moments before pulling out altogether. He glanced over his shoulder, saw the bed materialize, and moved to lie down on his back.
“Come here, beautiful,” he said as Thomas helped her onto the bed so that she was straddling his thighs. He lifted up, ramming his cock back into her pussy, smiling as she gasped. “That’s it, Jen, come for me.”
Adam took her mouth savagely, thrusting his tongue past her teeth, forcing his cock deeper into her pussy. She began shaking, her body vibrating against his. He slid a hand between them, found her clit, pressed it with his thumb, pushing against the tiny nub as he fucked her faster and faster and faster.
She screamed, her orgasm pounding through her, overwhelming her as her pussy dragged at his cock, milking him, tempting him, nearly taking him with her. He ground his teeth together, resisting, denying, holding back his orgasm.
Finally she lay sprawled over the top of him, her pussy pulsing spasmodically, her breathing harsh, her energy completely spent. She sighed sleepily.
“Oh no you don’t,” Thomas said with a soft laugh and a harsh slap on her ass.
* * * *
Jennifer bowed her back, rearing up with the pain as the sting warmed her bottom and swelled her clit even more.
“Hey,” she protested even though the slap had been more erotic than painful.
Thomas slapped her again. She went to move away but Adam wrapped his arms around her and held her still. The next slap was even harder. She wanted to demand they stop, wanted to deny her enjoyment, wanted to moan with her need, but embarrassment held her back.
“That’s it, babe,” Thomas said as he caressed a warm hand over her heated skin. “Don’t hide from us. I know you’re enjoying this. Say it for me. Ask for more.”
She hid her face in the crook of Adam’s neck, but couldn’t stop her bottom lifting into the touch of Thomas’s hand. Adam laughed, the deep rumble vibrating through her entire body.
“He’ll wait all night if he has to.” He lifted a hand, caressing her scalp for a moment before tangling his fingers in her hair and tugging her into a position where he could see her face. Whatever he saw made him smile. “Ask him, beautiful. Ask him to spank you to orgasm.” A deep, naughty thrill ran through her, the aching, tingling sensation bouncing over her again and again. Adam lifted his mouth to hers, kissing her harshly. “Ask him,” he demanded in a rough voice.
“P–Please, Thomas,” she said shakily. She’d hoped that plea would be enough, but they both waited, staying still, watching her closely. She said the words very quickly, embarrassed by a need she’d never expected. “Please spank me to orgasm.”
The first slap was heavenly, the second even more so, and then time lost all meaning as the blows came thick and fast, Thomas’s incredible hands forcing her toward orgasm. The arousal left her breathless, shaking, shivering, quaking all over, her ass and thighs burning, her clit throbbing. And then the dam burst. Wave after wave of liquid heat washed over her, the cycle never ending, the pleasure compounding, expanding, exploding throu
gh her as every nerve ending buzzed with her release.
She was almost done, her climax gradually receding, but the cock pressed against her anus had her rearing back once more. Thomas pushed in slowly, her ass pulsing around the invasion, the feeling of being stretched and filled more amazing than anything she’d ever imagined.
“Fuck,” Thomas moaned as he sank his full length into her back passage. “I love mating dreams—no lube required.”
Jennifer couldn’t speak, the emotions overwhelming, the feeling of belonging incredible. She felt full and stretched and aching and exhausted and so god damned aroused that she couldn’t stop herself from moving. She pushed back, taking them deeper, moaning as they began to move inside her. They started slowly, gliding into and out of her pussy and ass as she whispered how much she loved them.
Her confession stilled them for a moment, her words seeming to stun them, but then they sped up, thrusting into her harder and faster, taking her, making her theirs, ruining her for all others.
She screamed as they both slammed into her, grinding against her, holding her trapped, their cum pulsing deep into her body as orgasm swept over her once more. She sighed at the incredible feeling, the deep lassitude of incredible sex stealing her voice, possessing her heart, and completely taking her ability to feel anything other than the men surrounding her.
Tiredly the three of them rolled sideways, the men’s cocks still throbbing inside her as she closed her eyes and tried to remember that this wasn’t real. But it felt so perfect to lie here in their arms that she couldn’t quite convince herself it was only a dream. Safe and warm in their embrace, she eventually let go of her worries and fell into deep slumber.
* * * *
Adam wasn’t certain whether to growl in frustration or laugh in relief when the woman between them faded from the dreamscape she’d created.
“I’m not sure what that says about us,” Thomas mused with a grin.
“It says Jennifer hasn’t been sleeping well. I got the impression last night that the nightmare she was watching was a fairly regular occurrence.”
“I thought that, too,” Thomas said with a nod of agreement. “Do you think she’s been trying to cope alone all this time?”
“That would be my guess,” Adam said as he tried to imagine who the woman might turn to for help battling her nightmares. Her sister, Skye, was probably the only person she could talk to about that night, but if Skye had known, Adam had no doubt the fledgling vampire would have told them. There was no way Skye would have missed the way Jennifer had reacted to Thomas and Adam that night. Even if she didn’t know they were Jennifer’s mates, she knew they cared deeply for the woman.
“Maybe we should speak to Skye.”
“Maybe,” Adam said slowly, “but I’m thinking Jennifer doesn’t want her sister to know. They’re best friends, but from everything Skye has told us Jennifer has always taken her role of big sister very seriously.”
“It would make sense. I doubt Skye knows that Jennifer feels like she got left behind. In fact I reckon we’re probably the only ones she’s told and then only because she doesn’t think we’re real.”
“True,” Adam said, wondering how best to handle this new situation. When he’d realized Jennifer missed them, he’d wanted to get to know her better, but now that he understood how unhappy she truly was he wanted to ignore everything else and race to her side.
Thomas looked around as if finally realizing they were still inside the dreamscape of Jennifer’s mind. “I’m going to go for a run,” he said as fur grew all over his body. “We’ll talk in the morning.” He dropped to all fours, the transformation complete almost before he landed, and then he loped away into the darkness.
Adam stayed where he was, both anticipating and dreading Jennifer’s return. But as the hours dragged on and the woman continued to sleep dreamlessly, Adam finally withdrew and sought deep rest of his own.
* * * *
Jennifer dragged a hand through her hair and tried to appear less freaked out.
Physically she felt great. For the past three nights she’d slept well, her usual nightmare replaced with sexy encounters with her dream lovers. Each night they talked for a long while, getting to know each other as if the Adam and Thomas she imagined were actually the real people. And then they’d make love to her, bringing her to heart-pounding, bone-shaking, shuddering, screaming climax several times before simply holding her until she’d fall into a deep and dreamless sleep. Physically she actually felt better than she had in months.
The trouble was she was fairly certain she was heading for some type of emotional breakdown. She knew the relationship was in her head. She knew that she was making up their personalities within her own mind. But somehow she was having trouble separating dreams from reality. They’d said they would find her, they would come as soon as their current assignment was over, and even knowing that it was a detail she’d imagined, a part of her sat ready, waiting, anticipating their arrival. Every time the door to the office opened she glanced up hoping it was her men.
It was the disappointment that was killing her.
Even knowing it wasn’t real, every time someone came through the door who wasn’t Adam or Thomas she felt a little piece of her sanity break off and dissolve into nothingness.
“Are you okay?” a young male asked. Shocked by the unexpected voice, Jennifer nearly fell off her chair as she stared at the seven- or eight-year-old boy standing beside her desk. It wasn’t unusual for kids to get lost wandering around the resort, especially after their parents had imbibed one too many cocktails in the cabana lounge, but they didn’t usually make it all the way to her desk.
“Um…sorry, you startled me.”
“Are you okay?” he asked again, his eyes showing far more maturity than one would find in a person so young. A closer look suggested that despite his diminutive size she was dealing with an adult, not a child. He seemed maybe midtwenties but his eyes suggested he was much, much older. Trying to plaster on a polite smile, Jennifer waited for the man to explain his presence. She had salespeople drop by all the time, but they usually made an appointment. She was still trying to tamp down her niggling fear when she realized he was waiting for her to answer his question.
“Sorry, yes, I’m fine. Just woolgathering.” He gave her a perplexed look, so she forced the smile back onto her face and asked, “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Are you Jennifer?”
“That’s right,” she said, smiling at the man’s pronunciation of her name. He put more emphasis on the final syllable almost like he’d never heard the name spoken out loud.
“Jennifer Hastings?” She smiled and nodded again, finally realizing that he was reading her name off the plaque on her office door. “Your sister, Skye, she’s a vampire now, isn’t she?”
“Who are you?” Jennifer said, leaping from her chair and taking a step back. She wasn’t sure what this man was, but she was beginning to suspect he wasn’t human. “What do you want?”
“I want to know what happened to my daughter,” he said in a tone that suggested he was very much older than he looked. “I want her back, even if it’s just so we can bury her.”
“Your daughter?” Jennifer asked, feeling completely bewildered. “I don’t even know your daughter. Why would you come to me?”
“Because,” the man said very tiredly, “your sister knows where she is.”
“Oh,” Jennifer said, still wondering how the hell this man would think she could help. If Skye did know where this man’s daughter was, it was very likely classified information that she wouldn’t be able to tell Jennifer anyway. “I guess I can call her and ask.”
“No need,” the man said as he moved quickly, his hand landing on top of Jennifer’s a moment before the world spun violently and everything went black.
Chapter Four
“Jason’s the traitor?” Adam asked for the hundredth time. The news that Dyson had shared just didn’t seem possible. The warloc
k had been working with PUP Squad Alpha for five decades. Why would he turn against them now?
Thomas looked even more stunned than Adam felt.
“I don’t know what to tell you,” Dyson said, scrubbing his hand through his close-cropped hair. “Benjamin said it. Wilson, Darian, Amber, and Jed confirmed it. The evidence is apparently overwhelming.”
Dyson glanced over his shoulder just as the door to Kristen’s bedroom opened up. Angus didn’t say a word. He simply nodded that he’d heard, gave them a concerned look, and went back to guarding Kristen.
“The good news is that they’ve discovered that the Oracle’s receptacles are safer as a group. Benjamin has ordered me and Angus to transport Kristen to just outside of Sugarvale via slip travel in a little under one hour. They have a house already set up and waiting for her.”
“So the assignment is complete?”
“As soon as we slip from here, you two are relieved of duty. Benjamin wants you to call in for new orders tomorrow.” He handed them each a new cell phone still in the box.
“Sure,” Adam said, wondering why they weren’t being transported back to headquarters. Dyson must have seen his bewilderment.
“I told the boss you had a personal matter to deal with. He gave you twenty-four hours.”
“Thanks,” Adam said, glancing around the apartment they’d stayed in the past few days. Their assignment had seemed to be never ending, yet all of a sudden it was done, and they were free to go to their mate.
Suddenly an hour seemed far too long to wait.
* * * *
“She’s not at work and she’s not at home,” Thomas said impatiently into the phone. “Where else could she be, Skye?”
“You said you were her mates. I thought wolves could sense their mates,” Skye said, obviously trying to remain calm but failing. She sounded as freaked out as Thomas felt.
