“It makes them smell really good,” Peata said. “I was immediately drawn to each of them, and found it extremely confusing.”
“They all smell like the forest, and like…” Jordanna didn’t know how to describe the unusual attraction she felt for them.
“Like you want to taste them,” Peata finished for her.
“Exactly. Does that make me sound weird?”
“The musk affects human mates as strongly as shifter ones,” Shana said. “It’s just confusing for humans as you don’t know what’s happening to your bodies.”
“Some shifters never find their mate, so when they do, it’s an exciting time for them.” Peata giggled as she paused. “Not just because we make them horny, but because they feel so lucky. The bond between mates is unbreakable. They are fiercely protective, too.”
Jordanna was reeling. They’d told her so much that she didn’t know where to start with all the questions she now had.
“We will leave you with your mates in a moment,” Shana said, “and they can answer all those questions you have.”
“Before we leave, is there anything you would rather ask a woman?” Peata asked, patting her hand gently. Jordanna could think of about a hundred, but what really scared her was the fact she was attracted to four men. She’d sworn off relationships after her disaster of a marriage, and that had been with one man.
“How many husbands do you have, Peata?”
“Three, they’re all brothers. Finn’s mate, Melanie, is mate to all four Fredrick brothers and my friend, Bethany, is mated to Doc and his two brothers.”
Jordanna still couldn’t speak the words for what she was thinking. She’d read novels about ménage relationships, but had never met anyone involved in one. Let alone imagined being in one herself.
“I was new to this type of relationship, too,” Peata said quietly. Jordanna could swear she heard pain in her voice.
“We’ve said quite enough now, Peata. Her men can answer all her questions now,” Shana said. Jordanna felt her move behind her.
“It’s all right, Shana, I can see that Jordanna is troubled by this.” Jordanna heard Peata take a deep breath in and she got the feeling that she was somehow distressing the woman. Before she had a chance to speak, Peata continued.
“I was drugged and assaulted when I was eighteen and spent the next four years too terrified to be in the same room as a man. But I could be near my men right from the first moment I met them. I felt safe with them. Honestly, except for my mates, I still have trouble being close to men.”
“I’m so sorry, Peata. For both your being attacked, and for you having to talk about it now.”
“You’re going to be one of my closest friends, Jordanna. I want you to know about me. You needed to know how truly powerful the mating bond is. Ultimately, it’s your choice to accept it or not, but the pull is very hard to resist.”
“You have the choice to accept their call, or walk away,” Shana said. “You’re safety is guaranteed no matter what you decide. No one in our pride would ever harm you and we’ll continue to protect you.”
“Thank you both for talking to me and for your honesty. If I decide to accept the mating I may have more questions that only a woman can answer.” Jordanna felt her cheeks heating.
“About the sex?” Peata said. Jordanna could have hugged her for understanding without her having to say anything further.
“Would you like to meet for lunch in town tomorrow? I know Melanie and Bethany are dying to meet you.”
“They know about me?” Jordanna couldn’t understand how, when she’d only been in town a few hours.
“Of course. Finding a mate is a really big deal. Melanie would have been here, but she was up all night feeding her new baby and Finn said he’d kill anyone who woke her. Bethany was throwing up all night with morning sickness, so Doc gave her something to stop it. She’s sleeping too.”
“I don’t want to put anyone to any trouble.”
“Believe me, they’ll be on your doorstep at sunrise if I don’t make arrangements for them to meet you.”
“Then thank you, I would love to meet for lunch. Will one of my…” She had no idea what to call them.
“Just call them, your men, or mates,” Shana said kindly, patting her shoulder. “That’s what they are, regardless of your decision to accept them or not.”
“I need to eat. I’m starving,” Peata said. There was a loud crash that made Jordanna jump in her seat.
“Why didn’t you say something, sugar?” Calder said. “We can’t have our cub wasting away in there.” Peata laughed as her hand was ripped from Jordanna’s grasp.
“Put me down, I’m far too heavy now for you to carry me around.” It was then that the pieces all fell into place for Jordanna. Peata was pregnant.
“You’re as light as a feather and I like holding you both in my arms.”
“We’ll see you tomorrow at noon,” Peata said, her voice getting fainter with the sound of retreating footsteps.
Jordanna gasped as she was lifted from her seat by the waist and crushed against a warm hard chest. She knew it was Gabriel.
“We warned you that shifters are a little overprotective of their mates,” Shana said. Jordanna could hear that she was smiling by the tone of her voice. “The Alpha knows how to contact me if you wish to see me again. It’s been good to meet you, young one.”
“Thank you, Shana.” That was all she had a chance to say before her lips were covered by Gabriel’s in a heart-stopping kiss.
Chapter 7
Gabriel felt as though he’d touched heaven when Jordanna opened her lips to his probing tongue. She tasted even sweeter than he imagined. The flavor of her burned through him and ignited his already fevered desire for her. He groaned as he released her lips to allow her to breathe.
“You seemed to have missed me, Gabriel.” His cat purred as it butted against the inside of his mind. His mate had recognized him.
“You knew it was me?” he said, his cat very present in the rumbling growl his voice had become.
“It just felt like you.” She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “But in all fairness, I had a one in four chance of getting it right.” Her smile lit up his world.
“You’re so beautiful, angel.” He rubbed the side of his face over her soft hair. “And yes, I did miss you. It was too long to be away from you.” He didn’t care if he sounded ridiculous, he’d missed her.
“I missed you too, sweetheart,” Rowan pressed up against Jordanna’s back and leaned into nuzzle her neck. Her sharply indrawn breath froze Gabriel’s blood.
“Fuck. I’m so sorry, Jordanna, I forgot about your back.” Rowan had stepped back immediately and looked thoroughly miserable.
Jordanna twisted in his arms and reached out toward Rowan. “Please. I liked having you near. It just hurt a little.”
Gabriel handed Jordanna to Rowan and watched as he carefully held her. She pulled his head down and kissed across his cheek until she found his lips. He moaned and deepened the kiss, not releasing her until they were both breathless. The musky sweet scent of her arousal filled the room.
“I think she’s forgiven you,” Caine said, walking over to stand next to Jordanna. Tilting her head with his hand he found the right angle for his kiss. The scent of her wet heat was making his already hard cock throb with pain. He couldn’t remember ever being so aroused.
“Does this mean your talk with the Shana and Peata went well?” Drake said as he nudged Caine aside to kiss their mate before she had a chance to answer.
“Yes,” Jordanna said, a little breathless when Drake finally released her lips. She rested her head against Rowan’s shoulder. “I’d like to meet them for lunch tomorrow if that suits all of you. They said that Bethany and Melanie wanted to meet me and I’d really like to meet them, too. They think I’ll have more questions by then.”
“We’ll answer all your questions,” Drake said, his eyes flashing with a hint of amber as he grew angry
. “We’d never lie to you.”
Gabriel felt his own eyes warm in defensive anger at Drake. He heard her heart rate speed up in alarm, her beautiful eyes grew wide. He wanted to roar at Drake for scaring their mate.
“Don’t be an idiot, Drake,” Caine said, cuffing the back of Drake’s head. “She wasn’t doubting us. She wants to ask them about the sex.” Caine was smiling broadly, and while Gabriel’s cat was very pleased she was thinking about them sexually, he didn’t like her obvious embarrassment.
“We’re very attracted to you, Jordanna,” Gabriel said, stepping closer to caress down her blanketed thigh. “But the mating is about more than sex.”
“We’re anxious to know everything about you, sweetheart,” Rowan whispered in her ear.
She sighed before looking up from Rowan’s shoulder. “I’m sorry about the kisses, I don’t know why I did that. It’s not like me at all.”
“To be fair,” Caine said, “Gabe started it.” Caine was still smiling, not sorry in the least that he’d lost control and kissed Jordanna.
“I didn’t mean to lead you on,” she said softly. “I don’t. I mean, I haven’t been with anyone since my husband died.”
“It was just a kiss, darling one,” Drake said. “The best kiss of my life, I might add. The mating bond will drive us all a little crazy at first. I’m sorry for snapping at you.”
Drake kissed Jordanna lightly on the cheek before they all left for home. Home. It actually felt like that again to Gabriel. He’d been alone and miserable for the last eight years, but Jordanna had given him back his family, and his home.
He tried to find the guilt and misery that had haunted him for so long. It was gone. It was more than just finding his mate that had made it disappear. It was also the unconditional love and acceptance his brothers had shown him.
After eight years of silence they had welcomed him back without censure or resentment. They’d deserved better from him. He owed his brothers, his whole family, a huge apology for the way he’d behaved.
* * * *
Jordanna sat in the circle of Drake’s arms for the short drive back to their home. He’d whispered his apologies several times now in her ear. The tickle of his warm breath against her ear and neck was a wonderful sensation. She’d forgotten what it felt like to be turned-on, not that she’d ever felt arousal like this before.
She’d been married right out of high school and had been a virgin on her wedding night. Nothing she’d experienced with her husband had ever made her feel as aroused as these men did. She’d sensed the depth of their desire when she’d kissed each of them. It was as though they’d each branded their names on her heart with just that one kiss.
She’d felt their raw and honest passion for her, and it had been a revelation. She’d thought that her husband’s abuse had meant he’d stopped loving her, but these men had shown her the sad truth with one kiss. He’d never loved her.
They described the town and surrounding area to her as they drove. Their words painting a picture of a mountain area with pastures and forests in her mind. It sounded lovely. As they talked, a heavy weight settled on her heart. The reality of her life now. The fact that she may never see anything again, finally sank in.
Caine was sitting next to Drake with her legs draped across his lap. He’d been stroking her legs while they drove and it drew her out of her thoughts when his hand stilled.
“As shifters we have keener senses than a human,” Caine said. “We can detect the differing aromas produced by emotion. Why are you suddenly feeling sad?”
She didn’t want them to know she’d been wallowing in self-pity. Not that she didn’t have good reason to indulge in the useless emotion, but she just didn’t want to share that fact. She opened her mouth to say that she’d been thinking about her home back in Sheridan, but no words came out.
She heard all of the men growl. It didn’t scare her now, it actually felt nice as the vibrations hit her. Drake’s especially, as she felt his chest vibrate against her side.
“I think we warned you that mates couldn’t lie to each other,” Caine said, stroking his hand up her calf to her thigh. It heightened her excitement and made her nipples tingle.
“That feels nice,” she said. Stunned that she’d spoken the words out loud.
“As we spend more time together, the mating bond grows stronger,” Gabriel said, his voice husky and deep. “It makes all of us more open and honest, which is vital if we’re going to spend a couple of centuries together.”
Those words sent ice spearing through her veins, dousing the fire that Caine’s touch had sparked. She’d be dead in just a few decades. Would they find another mate? Someone else to kiss? Someone else to caress? Jealousy hit her hard as she thought about them touching another woman.
She was in Gabriel’s arms without her having realized the truck had stopped. “I need you to slow your breathing, Jordanna,” he said. She barely heard him over the roar in her ears. “Get me a paper bag, Caine. She’s about to pass out.”
She became aware of a cool wetness on her head. She opened her eyes and was met with unending black. Her confusion vanished the instant she heard Drake’s voice.
“Jordanna.” His voice was strained, almost as though he was in pain.
“Are you hurt, Drake?” she asked, blinking her eyes in a useless attempt to see him. The idea of him being injured overpowered her feelings of self-pity and jealousy.
“Jordanna, you scared the shit out of me,” he said. “Did we frighten you?”
She didn’t want them to know how jealous she’d become, but she couldn’t have them thinking they’d somehow scared her. “No, I just got really sad.”
“That was not sadness, Jordanna,” Gabriel said. His tone was clipped, his arms tightening around her waist. She realized she was sitting on his lap. She leant back against him and moaned as the heat from his chest warmed her bare back.
She felt around with her hands, searching for what she was wearing. She was still dressed in the hospital gown. Lovely. At least she wasn’t naked.
“What were you scared of, Jordanna?” Rowan’s voice held the hint of anger.
“Fine, I may as well just tell you.” She knew she sounded angry, but she couldn’t help it. She was angry with herself.
“I got sad when I realized I’d never see the beautiful scenery you were describing. It finally sank in that I’d never see anything again.”
“That’s…”
“Please,” she interrupted Caine, “I need to tell you everything. My little pity-party was then raided by the jealousy police when I pictured you all with another woman after I was dead.”
There was complete silence. Jordanna felt her scalp prickle and knew with certainty that all four of them were staring at her. She could feel it. She pushed against Gabriel’s arms. She was leaving. This was too embarrassing. She had no idea where she was, or how to affect her escape, she just knew she wanted to be away from their disappointed stares.
Gabriel started to chuckle as he pulled her farther into his embrace. “We really need to explain more about the mating bond to you, angel.”
“My cat is so happy it wants to lick you up like cream,” Rowan said, his joy easy for her to hear.
“I’m sorry you were upset,” Drake said, no hint of amusement in his tone. “Can I get you something warm to drink? Then we’ll explain a few things to you.”
“You have nothing to fear, honey,” Caine said. “For the rest of our lives we’ll only ever be with you.” Caine sounded sincere, but she heard him chuckle and mumble something about storms and teacups.
No one spoke after Jordanna requested tea with lemon. She heard them opening cupboards and smelt the coffee they were making for themselves. She smelt wood burning and felt the room begin to warm. She couldn’t hear wood crackling, but the house had a fire somewhere.
When the chairs scraped and squeaked as the men sat down, Gabriel took her hand and placed it on a warm mug. “We let it sit for a bit, so you shouldn
’t burn yourself.” She lifted the cup to her lips, and found they hadn’t filled it to the top either, which was thoughtful, she might have tipped it down herself if they had.
The continued silence began to feel oppressive, and her guilt ate at her. She’d made a huge fuss over men she hardly knew. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. She felt like she’d woken up this morning a completely different person.
“I’m really sorry for my behavior. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“You’re perfect, angel,” Gabriel said, pressing his coffee-warmed lips to the side of her neck. It tingled all the way to her toes. “You’re behaving like a mate, and you have four men, and cats, who are beyond happy with your reaction.”
She found it hard to believe that anyone would be pleased with her overreaction, but he certainly did sound happy. He even felt happy. She could feel the hard length of his penis under her buttocks and it made her want to rub against him.
“Calder nearly ripped my and Caine’s arms off when we had to treat Peata immediately after they’d met,” Drake said. “I can truly sympathize with him now. Even though Doc is mated, with a baby on the way, we were all still growling loud enough to shake the plaster from the walls when he examined you back in Sheridan. We didn’t like another male being near you.”
“I called Caine for help last night, Jordanna,” Gabriel said. “As the paramedic transporting you to hospital, I had no reason to stay with you. But you were my mate, I couldn’t leave you.”
“Doc arranged for Gabriel to stay with you until we all arrived,” Caine said. “We had to bring you here to Eminence. The hospital in Sheridan wouldn’t have understood why four men you’d never met refused to leave your side.”
She could hardly believe it. They really did understand. “When I pictured you with someone else I was filled with anger and jealousy.”
“Nature makes it impossible for a shifter and their mate not to recognize each other,” Rowan said. “Even without your eyesight, you’re drawn to us. Your response to us is beautiful. You’re beautiful.” The empty mug was plucked from her hands as Rowan sealed his lips over hers.
Jordanna [Eminence Shifters 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 5
