A Lynx in Their Den [Shifting Desires 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Marla Monroe

  “She hasn’t changed a bit. I should have known she’d end up an alpha female somewhere,” Aaron said.

  Creed shook his head. “You’re welcome here as long as you pose my sleuth and my mate no harm or ill. You are family to her therefore you are family to us. Don’t force us to sever that tie. Now, as soon as we get settled, how about you giving us a few pointers on how to handle her.”

  This time when Shayne wrapped his arms around her, pinning hers to her sides, he meant business. It was a good thing, too. She was ready to teach Creed what she’d taught her brothers years ago. The only thing serene about her was her name.

  “I’d watch my balls for a few days if I were you,” her brother drawled before Creed stepped all the way inside and to one side.

  The second Shayne released his hold on her, she barreled into the entrance hall and jumped into her brother’s arms. He didn’t even take a step back to account for her weight. He’d filled out even more since the last time she’d seen him.

  “I’ve missed you so much!” she cried, hugging him tighter.

  “Easy there, kitten. You’re choking him,” Creed pointed out.

  She turned an evil eye on her ex-mate and loosened her hold around Aaron’s neck.

  “Thanks,” he choked out. “I’ve missed you, too. Mom and Dad really miss you. Maybe you can bring your mates and come see them soon. It would really mean a lot to them,” he said.

  Despite being angry with Creed, she looked over at him before answering her brother. They would make decisions together. She had to embrace that rule as well. When he nodded she smiled and wiggled to urge her brother to let her down.

  “We will. There are some things here that have to be taken care of first. They just moved in when everything happened, so they’re behind on getting set up.”

  Aaron nodded and grinned down at her. “I swear, tiger, you’ve gotten even shorter than you were before. What did you do to shrink like that?” he asked in a teasing voice.

  “You’ve just gotten taller. Are you sure you don’t have some giraffe in you?” she asked in retort.

  “I’m sure you two have a lot to catch up on,” Creed said. “Why don’t you take him down to the family den to talk? We’re going to find out what all is going on before we join you.”

  “I can’t stay. I was supposed to head back yesterday, but Otto told me you were planning to return today, so I waited. I need to get on the road.” Aaron smiled down at her. “When I didn’t hear back from you, I loaded up and came to check out what was wrong. I got your e-mail that you were fine but about to move a few hours before I arrived. I wasn’t going to just turn around and head back since I was already nearly here.”

  “I’m sorry. You know how I get when I’m working. I let time get away from me and hadn’t checked my e-mail in a while.” She hated that it had happened, but at the same time, she was glad. She missed her family, but most of all, her brother. They had always been the closest of all the siblings.

  “I’m not going to say anything to our mom and dad since the Rufus might ask them point blank about you. They wouldn’t be able to keep anything from him and from what they’ve told me while I waited on you, he’s trying to mess with you. I don’t want you coming without your mates with you. Do you hear me?” he asked with a stern expression so unlike his normally relaxed face.

  “Don’t worry, Aaron. She won’t be going anywhere without us close by. We are already making plans where he is concerned.” Creed rested a hand on her shoulder.

  “Good.” Aaron looked back to Serenity. “Love you, tiger. Mind these two. Don’t give them gray hair with your crazy shenanigans. I’ll see you soon.”

  Serenity hated that she’d had no time with her brother, but understood his need to return home. If you were part of a den or pack or whatever, it was nearly impossible to be away for too long without the pull of it weighing heavy on you to return. At least that was how it was with her den. For all she knew, that was just because of their controlling Rufus. She’d have to ask her mates about that.

  Even as she watched her brother leave with her mates on either side of her, Serenity had the odd sensation that someone was watching them. Before she could say anything to her mates, it had disappeared. She decided it was just her nerves over everything that had happened.

  “Before getting deep into business,” Bane began. “We want you to see something first.”

  She frowned up at Shayne as the cinnamon-haired bear led the way to the stairs that would take them down to what she now knew was the family den. Seth was right behind him and the rest of the bears filed in behind her and her mates. It sounded like a freight train as they descended the stairs. What were they up to, she wondered.

  Bane and Seth turned the opposite direction from their current suite to walk down the hall leading to their new rooms. He and Seth stepped to the side in front of where her dream spa would one day be so that Creed could see. Then he turned his massive body around and picked her up, twisting her around so that she could see what the bears had been up to while they’d been bonding.

  “Oh. My. God!” she whispered in a hoarse voice. “It’s perfect. It’s just like I dreamed it would be.”

  Creed let her slide from his arms when she wiggled in an effort to get free. Stepping into the massive spa-like bathroom was like waking up in the middle of a wet dream. She could almost feel herself soaking in the massive pool that surrounded by earthy rock colors and glass that partitioned off the giant walk in shower complete with multiple shower heads, hand holds and a stone bench seat. The three raised sinks looked perfect in the stone counter. Warming bars held towels all along one wall complete with hooks for robes and a place for their house shoes.

  She touched and stared at every square inch before slowly turning around and walking out of the room between her two mates. She went to each bear and hugged him, telling him how much she appreciated her surprise. When she got to Otto, he looked as if she was going to murder him with a dull knife, but she smiled and hugged him anyway. Then she turned to Locke.

  “Don’t look at me. I wasn’t part of this. They did it all on their own,” he said.

  She just shook her head and hugged him anyway. “Nothing goes on that you don’t know about and you had to deal with us these last few days while I was, um, indisposed.”

  Shayne filled in, “While we were fucking like bunnies.”

  Serenity turned and shot him an evil eye with a slight push of her power. He just took a step back and grinned.

  “Speaking of bunnies,” Warren began. “Eason thought you might like to know something.”

  Creed and Shayne both turned to the two bears hanging at the back of the group in the crowded hall. Serenity could tell that Eason wasn’t too excited about whatever it was and that had her mate’s eyes narrowing as he spoke.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Uh, Nothing, I don’t think,” Warren said, frowning as well. “At least I hope it’s not anything wrong.”

  “Just spit it out, Eason,” Shayne said, taking a step closer to Serenity.

  Eason licked his lips then spoke up in a raspy voice, “The Ursa is breeding. She’s carrying cubs.”

  Dead silence greeted the bear’s announcement. Eason took another step back, his eyes growing brighter as anxiety leaked from his pores.

  “Easy,” Warren said, moving closer to his friend. “It’s okay. They’re just shocked.”

  “How do you know?” Shayne finally asked staring hard at his brother.

  “I’m not sure, but I’ve always been able to tell things about others like when they were breeding cubs or when something was wrong inside of them. I’m not a healer, but sometimes I know things. I get pieces of emotions and stuff like that,” he said, slowly regaining control again.

  “I’m pregnant? With cubs? No kits?” she asked looking closer at the bear.

  He smiled softly. “Not this time. You’re having two male cubs and they’re hungry.”

  Chaos erupted as
everyone started talking at once. Creed all but smothered her in a hug that Shayne had to make him back off of. Then Shayne did the exact same thing, burying his nose in her neck and inhaling stronger than a Dyson vacuum cleaner.

  “Move, everyone. She needs to eat,” Creed finally called out, picking her up gently in his arms and carrying her in long swift strides to the stairs leading to the main floor.

  Serenity giggled as the bears cleared a path then followed, a returning locomotive roaring up the steps. It was slowly sinking in. She was going to have cubs. Not kits, but that was okay. How long would she carry cubs? If it was longer than she would have carried her kits there would be hell to pay. She had a business to run. Then she sighed in contentment. She was going to be a mom and have a family just like she’d wanted. Now she could honestly say that all of her dreams had come true. First she’d received her much longed for spa and now she was going to be starting a family with her mates. Life was good.

  * * * *

  Long after everyone had split up for the night, Serenity had soaked for over an hour in her new tub with her mates on either side of her. They’d laughed and teased about becoming parents and diaper duty, of which Creed certainly would do his share of changing diapers, Shayne informed them. After they’d dried her off, carried her to their temporary bedroom, and made slow, torturous love to her, Serenity relaxed between the two toasty warm bears and contemplated the next few months of her life.

  “What has your tongue, sweetness?” Creed asked.

  “Because a cat can’t have their own tongue,” Shayne pointed out.

  Serenity rolled her eyes at their cheesy humor and sighed. “I’m just thinking about how much my life has already changed, and how much more it’s going to change in the next few months.”

  “Are you sad about it?” Shayne asked watching her face closely.

  “No. God, no! I’m happy. I never realized that I wasn’t before. I was just content with what I had before, but now I’m truly happy and excited about the future. I never really thought about the future that much except for dreaming about that spa. Now I have a real future ahead of me,” she told them.

  “So do we. We wanted our mate but figured it would be months or even years before we found her. Then when we did, I was a little worried about it being too soon. How were we going to get the sleuth set up with a new mate to tend to? But you don’t need tending to,” Creed said.

  “You just need reining in every so often,” Shayne added with a grin.

  She snorted but grinned. They were both right. She didn’t need someone to watch over her every second or someone to tend to all of her needs. She could take care of herself and if she needed something, she knew at least ten bears she could call for help. They still had the uncertainty of what the future would hold in relation to their sons’ status and the hunters finding out that their way of life might soon be over. How would the majority of the other shifter groups take learning about the return of a ruling family and council of sorts?

  She snuggled deeper between her mates and vowed not to worry about it just yet. She had at least fifteen or so years before they might have to start worrying about that. Right now her only job was to love her mates, bring their sons safely into the world, and manage her business, admittedly on a scaled-back level. Oh, and there was the little perk of being Ursa with inside knowledge on the possible love life of the members of her sleuth. Serenity wasn’t about to let everyone think she’d finally grown into her name. She knew of at least two bears who had a crush on a certain wild dog female. She’d start making plans first thing in the morning to rattle some chains.

  THE END

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Marla Monroe has been writing professionally for about eleven years. Her first book with Siren was published in January of 2011 and she now has over 60 books available. She loves to write and spends every spare minute either at the keyboard or reading. She writes everything from sizzling-hot contemporary cowboys, emotionally charged BDSM, and dangerously addictive shifters, to science fiction ménages with the occasional badass biker thrown in for good measure.

  Marla lives in the southern US and works full-time at a busy hospital. When not writing, she loves to travel, spend time with her cats, and read. She’s always eager to try something new and especially enjoys the research for her books. She loves to hear from readers about what they are looking for next in their reading adventures.

  You can reach Marla at themarlamonroe@yahoo.com, or visit her website at www.marlamonroe.com

  Her blog: www.themarlamonroe.blogspot.com

  Twitter: @MarlaMonroe1

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/marla.monroe.7

  For all titles by Marla Monroe, please visit

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