Power Awakened (The Feral Book 2)

by Charlene Hartnady

  “Enough,” Cadon forced out through clenched teeth, keeping his tone as soft as possible.

  He felt the female shiver.

  This wasn’t going well at all. “Another word out of either of you and there will be serious consequences.”

  Locke huffed out a breath and Zaire turned to face forwards.

  The female relaxed back into her seat. “So where are you from?” she asked. Her voice just as soft and sweet as she was.

  Cadon shifted slightly so that he could look at her. They would stick to their plan. “Switzerland.” He wanted to tell her the truth. It would be much easier if their secret was out in the open. He needed to speak with Leukos in the morning. Once Kerry was settled and calm, he would come clean about being shifters. Humans knew about shifters. Hopefully in the light of day, she wouldn’t be scared off. His males were essentially good. Thy had honor. He was sure she would see that. He hoped, at least.

  “Oh. Interesting. I don’t know anything about that side of the world.”

  Thank fuck because neither did he. Only what he had read.

  “What about the two of you?” She looked first at Locke and then at Zaire, who kept his eyes on the road ahead.

  “Belize,” Cadon quickly answered. “Locke and Zaire are brothers.”

  “That’s a small country on the Mexican border, right?” She frowned. “I think.”

  Good. She didn’t know much about Belize either.

  “That’s the place,” Locke pitched in, throwing her a casual smile before shutting up. Well done! So they did listen to a few things he said.

  “And what about you—” Cadon began but the driver pulled over and stopped.

  “This is it, right?” the male asked. Cadon had been so worried about someone slipping up, he hadn’t paid any attention to where they were.

  “Yep, this is it,” Zaire said.

  “Thank you.” Cadon nodded once. “Can I help you with that?” He looked down at her bag.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I’m fine.” She clutched the bag like a lifeline.

  They climbed out of the vehicle and headed for the entrance. Zaire and Locke had already headed inside. He held the door open for her. “Um, the guys are…”

  “I wouldn’t call them Neanderthals.” She smiled, trying not to move her bottom lip. “They’re just a bunch of guys living together in a bachelor pad. I know exactly what to expect.”

  “You do?” He highly doubted it.

  “My best friend in high school had three older brothers. I know exactly. I—”

  One of the males gave a cat-call. Sounded like Zaire. This was followed by laughter. What were they up to? “Maybe I should check first before…”

  “I can handle it, and if I can’t, then I have no place working in this house, right?”

  “You sure?” His eyes drifted to the bruises on her neck. He wanted to flip her collar out of the way so that he could get a better look. “Do you need me to take you to the Emergen—”

  “I’m fine.” She cleared her throat. “It looks worse than it is. Thankfully my brother-in-law intervened or—”

  “I think you should give me this person’s details.” He heard the gruff edge to his voice. Felt his jaw tighten and his eyes narrow. Why? It wasn’t his business. None of it was, and yet, here she was. His rage was real too. The need to hurt the male who had inflicted this harm rode him hard.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I’m pressing charges this time. Hopefully Jeff ends up behind bars. That would be for the best.”

  An animal like that deserved to be caged. “Good, I…”

  There was more cat-calling. This time it sounded like more than one of the males. What the…? Both of them turned in the direction of the noise.

  “So, I take it you’re the person I’m going to be reporting to?” she asked, ignoring the shouts.

  He nodded. “Yes. If any of the men give you a hard time, you need to talk to me.”

  She licked her lips, looking fidgety and unsure.

  “Not that any of them would try to hurt you. I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “Of course.” She nodded once.

  “It’s just, they might try to pick you up ‒ flirt with you ‒ and they’re not very good at it.” He shook his head.

  She frowned heavily. “I’m pregnant. There’s not much attractive about me at the moment.”

  “Oh, but there’s plenty that’s attractive,” he blurted. What was he saying? “I mean, I doubt it would stop them. Back to the part about them being Neanderthals.”

  She widened her eyes. “Okay. I’m not normally this timid. I’m sure I can handle them.”

  “Talk to me otherwise.”

  “I will. Thanks, by the way.” She licked her lips again. “I know this isn’t a real job. I know you’re only helping me out.”

  “It wasn’t initially a real job, I’ll admit that, but the idea has grown on me.” True, even though he wouldn’t have hired anyone else.

  “So, you really are doing this to help me?”

  “Yes, you need the help. I could do with some help as well. We’ll be helping each other.”

  She nodded once. “Fair enough.”

  “I might live to regret this, but after you.” He gestured for her to go inside.

  As they walked down the long hallway, it became apparent what the males were up to. He doubted Kerry would be able to hear it yet. Her human hearing not being as good as his. “Let me go ahead of you…”

  She ignored the request and kept on walking, right into the living room. “Such big mammary glands,” Zaire moaned. “They look amazing,” he added with another loud groan.

  The large, flat-screen television took up much of the back wall. The sound was set to low. That was something at least, because the female on her back was shrieking every time the male thrust his prick into her. Her head was flung back. Her snatch was glistening. Her mouth was open wide. Her very large breasts were flopping backwards and forwards.

  “I’m so sorry,” Cadon said. Kerry gaped. She clutched the bag tightly to her chest. Her skin looked pale. “What are you watching?” he yelled, turning back towards the males who hadn’t so much as glanced their way.

  “It’s called porn,” Andy said, grinning, not taking his eyes off the screen. Not for one second. “Isn’t it wonderful? You missed the part where she rides him. And the part where he has her on her knees.” His eyes were still glued to the television. “The best part was when another female actually licked her until she climaxed. I didn’t think watching two females would turn me on, but it—”

  “Stop!” He held up a hand. Cadon scanned the room, trying to find the remote. “Turn this off.”

  Everyone ignored him. The female’s shrieks were becoming louder, her eyes rolling back in her head. Then she was being flipped over onto her knees, her large breasts swaying as the male thrust into her. He gave up on the remote and pulled the plug out at the wall.

  The males began moaning and shouting. “I was enjoying that!” Andy yelled. “She was about to climax again. That or the male was going to spill his seed on her.” He sounded let down.

  Cadon turned the main light on and almost wished he hadn’t. There were shoes and socks littered all over the floor, along with shirts. The table was covered with soda cans and pizza boxes.

  “Who’s she?” Andy jumped to his feet, looking Kerry up and down. “What happened to your face?”

  “You have the same eyes.” She pointed at Andy. “You do too.” She pointed at Worth as well. “It’s a strange color, odd you would all have it.”

  Blast and damn! He’d forgotten all about that. None of the males he left at home were wearing their contacts. Good thing he had researched an answer for that. “We’re related. Our eye color is a genetic anomaly.”

  “Oh, I see.” She didn’t quite look like she bought it.

  “Where is Orrick?” he asked, noticing that the male was not in the living room.

  “He went to masturbate,” A

ndy said. “I think I am going to go and do the same.”

  Cadon squeezed his eyes shut. That was it. It had to be. The ‘final straw’, as the human saying went. Kerry was going to grab her bag and run a mile. He couldn’t say he—

  Kerry giggled. She actually giggled.

  What?

  He cracked open an eye and peeked at her. Kerry’s eyes were glinting with humor. She had a finger pressed to her lip to stop it from splitting open all over again. “You were right, I think you need my help. You really do.”

  “Who is this? Why have you brought a female home? Is she yours?” Andy asked.

  His.

  His?

  He felt a pang. He missed having someone in his life. Missed it more than he realized. “No. This is Kerry.”

  “She’s ours then?” Andy took a step closer.

  “No!” he yelled. “She is here to help out around the house. Cooking, cleaning and the like. We’ll discuss it tomorrow in our meeting.”

  Andy smiled at Kerry. “Okay. I have a big bed, you are welcome—”

  “Kerry will have her own room. She is with child.”

  “Oh, so you are mated?”

  “Mated?” Kerry frowned. “That’s a strange way of putting it. Are you from Switzerland?”

  “Yes,” Andy nodded.

  “Okay, that would explain it…I think.”

  “So, where is the child’s father?” Andy frowned.

  “He’s not in the picture. He doesn’t want anything to do with the baby.”

  “What a horse’s ass!” Worth growled, making Kerry jump. She seemed to quickly recover, pressing a finger to her lip, her eyes glinting with more humor.

  “He had better not show his face here,” Zaire grumbled.

  “He is definitely not very intelligent if he let you go.” Andy looked at Kerry with open interest. “That means you can share my be—”

  “Stop!” Cadon interrupted the male before he could try his luck again. “There will be no flirting with my employee. Kerry will be living with us and working here.”

  Zaire shrugged. “She will work during the day. That leaves night free to…”

  “There are plenty of rooms, no need to share anyone’s bed.” Cadon needed to beat some sense into each of these males. They had definitely forgotten their place. That, or he was becoming soft.

  “No, but it’s warmer and much more fun that way.” Andy bobbed his eyebrows at Kerry, who giggled some more.

  “You guys are really funny.”

  “See,” Andy grinned. “Kerry is warming to us, to me in particular.”

  “I’m not interested in sleeping with any of you, but thanks for the offer,” she said.

  “Any time,” Andy said. “And I mean that.” He winked at Kerry. “You let me know if you change your mind.”

  “Same goes for me,” Zaire said. “I am the better looking of the two. I have a bigger—”

  “Stop right there.” Cadon sucked in a deep breath. “Kerry has a room with a perfectly good bed.”

  “You just want her for yourself,” Andy said making his blood ignite.

  “Bullshit! No more stupid talk and no more pornos. Clean up this mess.” He turned to her. “Let me show you your room,” he said, ignoring the grumbles and mumbles of the males. Ignoring how her cheeks had turned pink.

  Kerry nodded.

  “This way.” He pointed to the stairs.

  “This place is huge,” she gushed, eyes darting around. “I can’t believe how long we drove after entering at the main gates.”

  “It’s fifteen acres, that’s why. Belongs to the company. I’ll give you a tour in the morning. I’m sure you’re tired after the day you’ve had.”

  She nodded. “You’re right. I’m pooped. A hot shower followed by a warm bed sounds amazing.”

  My bed.

  Where in feather’s name had that come from? All that nonsense the males had been on about, no doubt. It was nice to have a female’s companionship. This was the right move. The males could learn so much from Kerry.

  They walked down the hallway. “Here it is.” He pointed to a door that was slightly ajar. “You have your own bathroom. I’m across the hall if you need anything.” He pointed to his own room.

  “I’m sure I’ll be just fine.”

  “We’ll go over everything in the morning.”

  “Okay! I’m sure you’ll want me to sign some sort of employment paperwork.”

  He nodded. “Definitely.” Blast, he would need to find out about that. “Just one thing that warrants mentioning…”

  “Yes.” Her eyes were locked on his.

  Leave it alone. Just leave it. In the end he couldn’t. “No sex with any of my men.” His voice was gruff. Why did it even matter? They were all adults. Yet, the thought irritated him. It might cause fights amongst the males as well. No, he couldn’t have a female under this roof if she was having sex with any of the males. It wouldn’t work.

  She looked affronted. Her whole stance turned rigid. “I’m here to work. If I gave you any impression that I was interested in anything other than doing my job, I apologize. Sex is the very last thing on my mind, I assure you.”

  “Of course. I apologize as well. It needed to be said though. You are an attractive woman in a house full of bachelors.” He shrugged.

  “You have nothing to worry about.” Her eyes still glinted with a hint of anger. “Nothing at all.”

  “Then we’ll get along just fine.” They said their goodnights. Cadon stared at her closed door. What was he doing?

  Helping her and helping them too in the process. It made perfect sense. He needed permission from Leukos to come clean about everything though. This female needed this position and she would therefore be trustworthy. He could feel it.

  Chapter 10

  At first, she didn’t know where she was. It took a couple of seconds for everything to come back to her. Kerry just lay there, taking it all in.

  Crisp white linen on a bed in a huge room with no other furniture. Wall-to-wall built-in cupboards. Plush carpets. A solid oak door that led to a big en suite bathroom. It came complete with spa, corner bath and a double shower. Yes, double. As in two shower heads and a tiled seat. Why would someone need a seat in the shower? This was some bachelor pad.

  She could hear shouts and yells coming from downstairs. One look at her phone told her it was already nearly nine. There were several messages from Susan, checking in to make sure she’d survived her first night okay, even though she’d messaged her the moment she walked into her room last night. She answered briefly saying she was fine because she needed to get ready. Kerry was late for her first day on the job.

  A job.

  She had a job. A smile pulled up the edges of her mouth, but she didn’t give into it because of her lip. Didn’t want it bleeding all over the white linen. There was no time to bask though, there was work to be done. Kerry groaned as she started to stand; her lip pulled, making her groan again, more carefully this time. Her neck hurt when she moved. Her whole body felt a bit stiff. There were purple welts around her wrists. None of it mattered. Her luck was changing. Things were going to be better from here on out. Despite her aches and pains, she climbed out of bed and went through the motions of getting ready.

  The zipper on her jeans only went up about halfway. Using a hair elastic, she fixed it through the button hole, latching it onto the button so that it could hold her pants in place. Next, she wrestled into her sports bra.

  It was ultra-tight. Breathing might become optional one of these days.

  She pulled a loose-fitting ‒ make that used to be loose-fitting ‒ sweater over her head, pulling it over the jean zip-hack.

  There was more yelling downstairs. Maybe the guys were watching another porno. Kerry brushed her hair and pushed her feet into her shoes. She’d relaxed once she got back to the house last night. The pieces all fit. Everything seemed legit. The men weren’t from around here, so that explained their strange mannerisms. They worked in security which explained their size. Wow! It seemed being six and a half feet was a requirement to become a bodyguard. Much like the eye color, it obviously ran in the family.

  The best thing of all was that they definitely needed her. The place was a complete pigsty. Every surface in that living room had been covered with rubbish. There were muddy footprints on the floor. She expected to find the kitchen in a worse state. The piles of laundry would be obscene, but at least she’d have something to focus on. At least she could earn her keep.

  Kerry made her way downstairs.

  “Hi!” Andy waved as he caught sight of her. Like last night, he was wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. It seemed that you need to be both six and a half feet and ridiculously muscled to become a bodyguard.

  “Morning.” Locke turned and waved at her with a large fork which was clutched in his hand.

  Oh my!!! He was cooking something at the stove and wearing only a pair of briefs. That was it. Black briefs. Her gaze fixed on his meaty rear-end for a second before she looked away, cheeks heating.

  “What is the matter?’ Andy asked. “You seem embarrassed.”

  “Um…a little. Locke is only wearing his underwear.”

  “For your information, Cadon insisted that we cover our cocks at all times. We normally walk around butt naked in the morning,” Zaire piped up. At least he was fully dressed. His eyes were blue. She could have sworn they were brown last night.

  A mountain of a man grunted from a chair in the corner.

  “Oh.” Andy rolled his eyes. “That’s Orrick. You didn’t meet him last night.” Oh yes, the guy who was masturbating when they came home. Her cheeks heated some more. This type of thing was to be expected in a house full of men. Just like at Angela’s house all those years ago. Her friend’s brothers could be rude. They could also make her blush, but it had toughened her up.

  “Hello,” she said in his direction.

  “You were right, Andy, she is very pretty.” The big guy’s lips twitched but he kept the same murderous expression.

  “What did I say?” Andy nodded. “She’s gorgeous.” He winked at her.

  Kerry couldn’t help the laugh that escaped as she walked deeper into the kitchen. She was right. The whole sink area was piled with dirty dishes.

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