A Mate Among the Enemy

by Marla Monroe

  What is wrong with me? I can’t believe I’m doing this. Oh, God! Evan’s mouth is like a hot coal burning me down there. I feel like I’m going to explode.

  This had to be a climax. She’d heard and read of them, but knew nothing about what to expect. It was amazing.

  “My turn, Evan. I need to taste her.” Lee lifted her head from his lap and scooted down to the foot of the bed.

  “Brother, she’s exquisite. She tastes like candied fruit.” Evan licked her one final time then climbed back up to the top of the bed and kissed her, sharing her taste. His kiss was soft and gentle then turned fiery as she groaned into his mouth. When Lee began licking her pussy then stabbed into it with his tongue, Shay nearly screamed into Evan’s mouth. It felt too good. She’d die if they kept doing this to her. She bucked her hips despite Lee’s arm across her abdomen.

  Shay pulled from Evan’s kiss and grabbed at Lee’s head with her fingers. She clawed at it then pulled on his hair. The way she was acting mortified her, but she couldn’t stop herself from forcing the man’s mouth on her pussy. When he touched her clit with his tongue, Shay felt as if her entire body went up in a raging inferno. This was a climax. She hadn’t felt this before.

  “Evan! Dear, God. So good.”

  “See. I told you we could love you without anything that would hurt you. We don’t have to claim you to make you feel good.” Evan kissed her cheek then brushed a soft one across her lips.

  “I never knew it could be like that.” She panted, trying to catch her breath as Lee climbed back up the bed. “What about you?” She looked from Evan to Lee. “I mean, you’re both hard. Doesn’t it hurt?”

  “We can handle being uncomfortable for a while. It will eventually go away,” Lee told her.

  “I want to make you come like you did for me.” She wasn’t sure how to do that, but Shay had read enough to know it was possible for her to suck on them and make it happen.

  “You don’t have to do anything, babe. Just relax and get some sleep.” Lee kissed her cheek.

  “Once we talk to our brother later in the morning, he’ll probably want us to return home. Then we’ll finish the claiming in our own bed.” Evan pulled the covers up over them.

  “Wait. I need to put my PJs back on.”

  “There’s no need for that now. We know your body, Shay. We’ll keep you warm and safe.

  Shay wondered who would keep her safe from them. They owned her now just as surely as if they’d bought her. Nothing would ever feel as good as what they’d done to her. All she had to do now was convince their Alpha that she was harmless and hadn’t wanted to hurt anyone. If she didn’t, what would she do then?

  I’d have to leave. I don’t want Evan and Lee to leave their home. They’ll get over it and go on with their lives.

  But will I?

  Chapter Ten

  “You kept this from us knowing she was important to us. Why?” Their Alpha’s voice didn’t give away whatever he was thinking. Lee was fairly sure it was anger, though.

  “She’s our mate, and we didn’t want to get into it over the phone. We felt this was something to discuss in person,” Lee told him.

  “How is she part of this?” Their Beta spoke up, staring intently at both Lee and Evan.

  Lee was glad they’d stashed Shay in their bedroom for this. “Her father, brother, and cousin hunt shifters and kill them. They may be joining up with HAS. According to what we found out over the last two nights, they are planning to attack us on the mountain.”

  Lee explained everything they’d overheard. The Alpha and Beta exchanged looks. Lee looked over at Evan who’d remained quiet. Lee was thankful that for once he was following Lee’s advice. Normally Evan would be out of control over something like this. It was obvious that the other shifter didn’t like being quiet.

  “Are you sure she is your mate?” the Beta asked.

  “We’re sure. We would like for the Sylphies to scan us since we are sure there was some sort of magic when we were out looking for them when they slipped away. Evan felt something in his wolf form.”

  “Go and get your mate and”—he pointed to one of his guards—“have Galen and Kindle bring the Sylphies and Sienna.”

  Their Alpha wasn’t taking any chances. He wanted it done right away. Lee didn’t blame him. Too much was at stake, and they’d already had enough surprises of late. He was sure his brother would agree that finding out where they stood with the Alpha now rather than later would take a lot off of their minds.

  Lee nodded at Evan to go get Shay and waited until both their mate and the others arrived. The moment Shay walked into the room, his wolf felt better. Evan urged her to stand next to Lee with him on the other side of her. They had her within their protection and prayed it went well.

  Once the Sylphies and Sienna walked into the room, Lee felt their power. They entered searching and evaluating instead of waiting to be asked to check those in the room. He was sure it was deliberate in order to catch anyone hiding something unawares. They had nothing to hide. Shay wasn’t a witch, but she was their mate. He was as sure of that as he was that Evan was his bond mate.

  “Ariel, we need for you to check Evan and Lee for any magic attached to them, and their mate, as well. Would you please do that?” The Alpha’s voice gave nothing away.

  Ariel and her sisters stood in front and behind of first Lee then Evan. Then they scanned Shay. Their mate fidgeted under the intense stare of the two.

  “Do you mind if we touch you?” Ariel asked Shay.

  “Um, no. I don’t mind.” Shay shrugged then looked up at Lee.

  Lee nodded and waited as the three sisters laid gentle hands on Shay’s back and over her heart. It felt like thirty minutes, but in reality only about two minutes passed before they moved away to stand in front of their Alpha.

  “What have you found?” he asked.

  “Lee is free of any outside influences. Evan has a tinge of magic that is some type of spell that relaxes his wolf for some reason. I suspect it would dampen his ability to fight should he need to. We can remove it, but that will require a longer time. The female mate is a bit of a surprise.”

  “What do you mean?” This time the Beta spoke up.

  “She’s a Halfling. I’ve never met one before. She also holds a great deal of guilt within her. She’s burdened with it.” Ariel shook her head. “I don’t know why or if she is truly guilty of anything.”

  “Thank you, Ariel. What do you need to rid Evan of the spell?” the Alpha asked.

  “Just some time. We can do it once you are finished with your meeting.”

  “Thank you. I would appreciate that.”

  They waited while the Sylphies left the room with Galen and Kindle, then the Alpha spoke again.

  “What is this guilt you feel, Shay, mate of Lee and Evan?” he asked.

  “I learned that I could tell shifters from humans when I was young. When I told my father, he started using me to locate them so he could lure them to him and then kill them. My mother was killed by a shifter, and my father hasn’t gotten over it. I’m guilty by association even though I never killed.”

  The Alpha and Beta exchanged looks. Then their Alpha shook his head.

  “The shifter didn’t kill your mother; your father did. Do you want to know how we know this?” he asked.

  What? My father killed my mother? Why?

  “Y—yes. I don’t understand how you would know.” Shay reached for both Evan’s and Lee’s hand.

  “You’re a Halfling. It happens very few times, but we’ve had them in our pack in the past. As such, you are half human and half wolf shifter. Your real father was that wolf you talked about that your supposed father killed.” The Alpha paused. “He must have found out that your mother had taken the wolf as a lover and killed them both. When you revealed that you could tell the difference between humans and shifters, he realized that you weren’t his child after all. He used you, from what Evan and Lee have told me, to track our kind.”

 
; I’m part shifter? I don’t understand why I wouldn’t know this.

  The Beta spoke up next. “Your mother and that wolf were mates, or there wouldn’t have been any chance that you were conceived. We can’t produce children with anyone but our mate.”

  “You’re saying I’m really part shifter? I guess that makes some sense. My father—my stepfather, I suppose—seemed to hate me once he found out that I could sense shifters. He used me but wasn’t nice to me.” Shay looked down at her feet.

  “Lee said he hit you at times when you wouldn’t give him a shifter to chase,” the Beta said.

  “Sometimes.”

  If he didn’t, it was my brother. I bet he knew about it, as well. That was why he bothered me just as much as Charlie did.

  “While we are not completely satisfied with this mating, we aren’t going to stand in the way of a natural one despite your association and assistance with the killing of our kind. You obviously didn’t understand what you were doing at a young age, then tried to stop once you did. The fact that you are a Halfling weighs heavily in your favor. I can’t promise that you will be well received among some in our pack, but no one will harm you.” The Alpha nodded at Lee. “Count yourself lucky that I don’t punish you any more so than putting one of you on guard duty for the next few months. You can switch up so that one of you is with your mate at all times.” The Alpha stood up. “Evan, have the Sylphies rid you of this magic, then you and Evan are dismissed for twenty-four hours. After that, report to Aaron for your assigned area.”

  * * * *

  “I don’t understand. Why would my mom stay with my—” She couldn’t get the word father out. “—stepdad if she was the wolf’s mate?”

  “You have an older brother. More than likely, she didn’t want to leave him. It had to be very hard for your real father to leave his mate and his offspring there in the first place. She wouldn’t leave, and that put all of you in danger,” Lee told her.

  “And you’re sure I’m half shifter? I don’t understand. I don’t feel like I’m part shifter or wolf.” Shay shook her head. It was all too much to take in at one time.

  “It explains a lot of things, Shay. You can tell a shifter from a human. You wanted to scent mark us when we were going out the other night, and you’re reacting to us more like a shifter than a human. Most human-shifter matings produce shifters. Our genes are stronger than a human’s. Your mom’s genes must have been very strong in order to produce a Halfling—namely, you.” Lee wrapped his arms around her.

  “I still can’t believe it.” She looked over at Evan then up at Lee. “I’m sorry you’re being punished because of me.”

  “It’s nothing. More than likely with the threat against us, we would be on guard duty anyway. Don’t worry about it, babe.” Lee pulled her closer.

  “What did the Sylphies do to you, Evan? You’ve been quiet since you got back.” Shay reached out for his hand without even realizing it at first.

  Evan evaded her hand and walked over and sat down across the room. “They removed the magic that was clinging to me. I didn’t feel much when they did.”

  “What’s wrong? You aren’t looking at me.” Shay’s voice nearly broke.

  She could tell that he had distanced himself from her. It hurt, and she didn’t know what had happened to lead him to act that way.

  “Nothing. I’m trying to deal with the pull you have over me. I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.”

  “Lee?” She looked up at him.

  “Evan. That doesn’t make sense. You can’t hurt your mate.”

  “I want to mark her right now. I don’t want to wait until she’s ready. She’s threatened, and that angers my wolf.” Evan stood up once again and paced the length of the room. His strides were long and deliberate. “If we don’t claim her soon, I’m not sure my wolf will wait.”

  “What does he mean, Lee?”

  “He wants to bite you even without the mating. His wolf needs to show everyone that you belong to us so that you will be safe in our pack. He’s afraid someone will want to harm you with all of the danger to our way of life.”

  “Will it hurt?” she asked.

  “Without the mating, it will.” Lee squeezed her closer to him. “That’s why we won’t do it until we claim you.”

  Shay could tell he was emphasizing it more for Evan than for her. Evan really was struggling. His lips had pulled back from his teeth, and he kept bunching his hands into fists then letting them relax again.

  “What if we do that tonight? Will that make your wolf feel better?” she asked Evan.

  His head jerked up, and he stared hard at her. “Yes, but if you’re not ready, I don’t want to do it. Once you’re ours, we will never let you go, Shay.”

  “Your Alpha has agreed to let me stay. Why would I ever want to leave you?”

  “I don’t know, but we’d never let it happen. We’d leave with you. Defy our pack for you. You won’t always like what we say, but if it pertains to your safety, our word is law, Shay.”

  She pulled from Lee’s arms to go to Evan. When she was within reach, he reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into his body. Shay felt right there just as she had with Lee. Deep down she knew they were hers, but on the surface, she still struggled with there being two of them. A part of her told her that it didn’t matter; they were hers as much as she was theirs. It had to be the wolf part of her talking. The fact that she was half wolf had to be the reason she felt so attuned to them, so attracted to them.

  What of her human side? How did she feel about them? All Shay could tell was that she was attracted to them and wanted them on a sexual level, which was entirely new to her. She’d never been the least bit interested in sex before. Now she thought about it a lot. It had to be because she was their mate.

  “I can understand that. How do I know that you won’t change your mind and want a full wolf some day?” she asked.

  “Mating is for life, Shay. We’ll never want another female for as long as we live. Our happiness is centered around yours. If you are unhappy, we will do whatever we can to make you happy.” Lee walked over and flanked her as Evan held her against his chest.

  Shay loved being between the two of them. She felt cared for and safe. Nothing could bother her as long as they were with her. She was ready to be wholly theirs. Now. This moment.

  “Take me. Make me yours,” she said.

  “You’re sure? There’s no going back once we do this, Shay.” Lee kissed her cheek.

  “I’m sure. I want to belong to the two of you. I’ve never really belonged to anything before. Not my family, and I never went to school to be a part of that.”

  Without saying anything else, Evan moved his hands to her waist then slowly inched them up her sides beneath the T-shirt she wore. The first touch of his warm fingers against her skin drew a sigh from her. God, his touch ignited sparks throughout her body. She swore she could feel his fingers on her breasts and on her pussy.

  Evan ran his hands up her abdomen on the other side of her. Together they mapped her torso, spreading their heat over her entire body. When Evan’s hands reached her bra, he cupped her breasts through it. Then Lee was releasing the hooks and running his hands up and down once her bra was open.

  Lee shoved at the cups to get to her bare skin. Shay sensed the urgency in his hands and arched toward him.

  “The shirt has to come off.” Evan’s gruff voice had her scrambling to get between their hands to pull it off.

  In the end, Lee helped her. The bra soon followed. She gasped when Evan’s mouth closed over her breast, taking in as much as he could before sucking and biting at her mounded flesh. He was like a mad man, desperate to swallow some part of her body. Shay reveled in his loss of self-control. It made her feel like a real woman and not the shell of one that she’d been for the last few years.

  “Slow down, Evan. We’ve got all the time we need to make her ours. This is her first time. She needs to be prepared so that she doesn’t feel any pain,” Lee whispered.<
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  “Need her.” Evan’s voice came out guttural, almost a growl.

  Shay cried out when Evan sucked on just her nipple before nipping at it. The sensation, so close to pain, had her pussy dripping in less than a second. She needed them inside her. How, she didn’t know, but was desperate for them to be a part of her. She arched into Evan’s mouth.

  “Let’s get her on the bed, brother. We still need to take off her pants.” Lee seemed to be trying to manage something that couldn’t be managed.

  Evan let go of her nipple then picked her up to walk into the bedroom of their suite. He laid her back on the bed and knelt to remove her shoes. Lee unfastened her pants and started shimmying them down her thighs along with her panties. She thrashed her head from side to side with something akin to desperation.

  She needed them.

  She ached for them.

  I’m going insane with this need. How can I want two men who I’ve only just met? It doesn’t make sense, but right now, I don’t really care.

  Maybe later, after, she would.

  When she lay completely naked before them, Shay felt a moment’s unease. They both stared at her as if they would eat her alive. Evan’s eyes grew stormy and dark as Lee’s seemed to glow. Together they climbed up the bed to lie beside her. Lee leaned in and kissed her, sucking and stabbing his tongue deep inside her mouth, then sucking and nipping on her tongue.

  Evan sucked on her earlobe and mouthed her neck down to her collarbone, where he sucked then nipped his way back up her neck. Lee repeated the process on her other side while Evan claimed her mouth. The dual sensations nearly overwhelmed her to the point of passing out. Nothing could have prepared her for these two men.

  “Oh, God. What are you doing to me?” It came out in a guttural whisper.

  “Loving you, Shay. We’re claiming you for ourselves,” Lee told her in an equally raspy tone.

  Evan nipped her chin and sucked his way down the long column of her neck to her chest. He sucked and nipped along the tops of her breasts and around them to lick beneath her breasts then blow on the wettened area. She shivered.