by Crymsyn Hart
Orianna shook her head. “I can’t rely on you alone.”
“Let the three of us feed you,” Ryker said, surprised to hear the words slip from his lips. If the three of them could feed her, then she would never have to worry about going hungry.
Her eyebrows lifted, and her mouth formed a small O. “Are you sure about that?”
He nodded. For the first time in his life, he was sure about one thing. Ryker yearned to keep her safe and close to him for the rest of her life. He knew that he and his two mates could keep her happy forever.
Chapter Fifteen
Orianna looked at the three men surrounding her. Her hunger raged through her. The vampire and the cat were coming together. She was aware and yet not aware when she had shifted and pounced on Mason. The power of the union had rushed through her, which gave her the strength she needed to beat her hunger. The integration had left her heart beating at a slow pace. Her body was warm once more. Knowing that the men had wanted to feed her so she could heal made her care for them even more. She wanted to keep them with her forever.
While she was lying on the bed, she had overheard some of their conversation. She was surprised to hear that Ryker thought of her as a mate and wanted to be with her. After everything he had said and the way he had treated her, now he had come to the realization that he desired her. That warmed her. There was a link between them now. The more she exerted herself, the more her hunger raged inside of her. She licked her lips at the thought of the warm blood.
“Yes, I want to feed you,” Ryker confessed. He knelt down and offered his neck.
She touched his throat, feeling the pulse underneath his skin. Orianna took his wrist and dragged her nail across his flesh. The crimson liquid rose to the surface and trailed down his wrist. She pulled it to her mouth and watched Ryker to see how he would react. He didn’t wince. After a moment, he groaned and his eyes rolled back in ecstasy. His heartbeat increased, and his passion ignited inside of her. His blood was strong and flowed to the other injuries inside of her. Her ribs began to heal, as did whatever internal injuries she sustained. She took a couple of more mouthfuls and then released him.
“You can take more,” he panted.
“No. I could drain you dry, and I wouldn’t want that.”
Pierce offered himself up next. She did the same with him until she had taken her fill. With Dallas she didn’t have to agonize about the venom of her fangs hurting him. He moaned and held her close. His hard body and warmth made her want to fuck him there on the bed with the other two joining them. It would bring them all closer together. Dallas placed a hand on her chest. His gentle touch helped her to stay anchored in her flesh. Orianna stopped and felt her body healing from all of the wounds. I’m never going near holy water again.
“How are you feeling now?” Pierce asked.
“Wonderful. Thank you all for your donations. I appreciate you coming to my aid. I wasn’t sure that you would.”
“Of course we would. We weren’t going to leave you with your ex-mate. He was going to kill you,” Pierce said. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hard hug. He wound his fingers through hers. Pierce’s lips found hers and he kissed her with a passion of a man who thought he had lost his wife. She tried to return it with as much fervor, but she heard her sister cough in the doorway. Orianna pressed the sheet to her chest and savored Pierce’s lips one last time and then broke away.
“Can I talk to my sister, please?”
The three men glanced at her, but remained where they were. They looked at one another. Dallas had his arms crossed over his chest. Ryker’s jaw was set, and Pierce hadn’t let go of her hand.
“It’s fine. Go on, you three.”
The others exited the room, and Patty came in carrying some clothes. “You left these here. I confiscated them before Mason could burn them. I was worried. No one is sure what’s going to happen with the elders of the clan. Right now you’re the leader.”
Orianna shook her head and looked at the outfits that her sister laid on the bed. She hadn’t killed Mason to take over the pride. Now that Mason was dead, she was free of him. A weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Patty was still on her side. It was nice to have someone in the family to talk to.
“I don’t want to rule the pride. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to shift again. I was lucky this time.”
“Mom said that you had a great destiny ahead of you. I bet you’ll keep shifting. Something has changed, and it’s still consolidating in you. Your scent has even been altered. Your men are wonderful, by the way.”
A smile played over her lips. “Pierce and Dallas are great. Pierce was the one who tracked me down at the motel and got Ryker to suggest bringing me back to the house. He was too shy to do it himself. Ryker is coming around, too.”
“Sweetie, he worships the ground you walk on. Ryker pushed Mason through the window to get him off you. He’d do anything for you. I wish you the best life from here on out.”
Orianna hissed when she sensed someone at the door. When she recognized the scent, she relaxed. “Elma, is everything okay?”
The older woman smiled. “It is good to see you well, Orianna.”
“Thank you. Have the elders come to a decision over the pride?”
“Yes. Although your mother left you all of the pride’s property and you defeated Mason, the pride needs a leader who can still have children. We all saw you transform into the cat, but you’re still a vampire and therefore can’t reproduce. Patty, the leadership now passes to you.”
Her sister’s mouth dropped. “I’m not ready to lead the pride. I wasn’t supposed to lead.”
“Orianna, do you have any objections to this?”
She shook her head. “No, Elma. I will cede everything over to the pride as long as you grant me and mine safe passage through pride land and a portion of the assets so that we can be financially supported for as long as me and my mates are alive.”
Elma stroked her chin. “What percentage are you talking about?”
“Just what I would’ve been entitled to if my mother was still alive. Five percent. I think that’s fair after everything that has happened to me.”
“I would agree to it,” Patty said.
“I’ll talk it over with the elders. I am sure we can come to some decision.”
“Thank you,” Orianna said.
Elma left the room. Orianna took the clothes her sister had brought her and stretched to feel the muscles in her body moving. Her body was still warm. She had never thought that her heart would beat again. It was thudding once a minute. She wasn’t as hot as she had been before, but she wasn’t room temperature either. Her mates had allowed her to reconnect with her inner lioness and had given her the ability to shift again. Yet she was bound by the vampire nature and would never have children. Maybe over time she could go in the sun. Maybe the holy water would no longer have an effect on her. A small fear lingered in the back of her mind that her mates might disown her the same way that Mason had done. I talked myself into loving Mason. He admitted that he married me because he wanted to be pride leader. Maybe I convinced myself that Pierce, Dallas, and Ryker cared for me. How can they love me after what I am?
“What are you going to do now?” Patty asked.
“I have to go back with Dallas, Pierce, and Ryker. They made a home for me. They came here and went through hell for me. I don’t belong here anymore. If mom was alive, she’d try and make me stay, but the others won’t be welcoming me back with open arms.”
“But we’re still going to talk, right?”
“Of course,” she hugged the other woman. “You’re my baby sister. I’m always going to be available to you when you need to talk. I want to be here when you have your first litter.”
“God, don’t talk like that.” Her sister blushed. “I don’t even have a mate yet.”
“You’ll do fine as leader, and you’ll have them rubbing at your feet to get your attention. Just tell me when you find a go
od man, and please have the wedding at night so I can come. Don’t want me to burst into flames.”
“No, I wouldn’t want that. I don’t want you to go right now. Other than the funeral, I haven’t seen you in five years, and now you have to run off again.”
She put her hands on her sister’s arms and looked at her. Patty resembled their mother more than she did. It was a good decision for her to lead the pride. Patrick deserved what he got. He had been the one who had pulled down the drapes in her bedroom and exposed her to the sunlight. She shivered when she thought of all the pain she had experienced in the last twelve hours. She hoped she would never have to go through it again. All she wanted to do was settle down into a life where she didn’t have to worry about having anyone hunt her down.
“I don’t have a choice. I’m only a phone call away, and the elders will want to work out the monetary decisions between us. Thanks for the clothes.” Orianna walked out of the bedroom and into the living room where her three mates were mingling and talking to Elma. All three looked over at her when she entered. Ryker broke from the group. He stood a little way from her, but close enough that if he wanted to touch her, he could.
“Are you ready to go?”
She nodded. “You sure you want me to come back with you?”
He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “I want you with us. I need to make up for all of the things I said to you before.” He nipped at her flesh and then released her hand. Orianna saw the lust in his eyes and felt his attraction for her whirl through her mind until it inflamed her skin. She felt her cheeks burn, and that hadn’t happened in a long time.
“Oh. Well, good. I’d really like to get out of here for now. Do you mind us going?”
He led her out of the house. The car had been pulled up. Dallas slipped into the driver’s seat. Ryker sat in the front, and Pierce settled next to her. Her sister waved good-bye. She lifted her hand and watched her past slip behind her. Her future was before her. Orianna laid her head on Pierce’s shoulder and relaxed.
During the drive home, not much was said among the four of them. It was strange to think that she had a home again. She was still trying to process the events of the night. Feeling her cat content in her mind was another thing she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Pierce ran his fingers through her hair while they drove home. It was nice to know that she had three mates who wanted to keep her safe. The tension within the silence wasn’t something she knew how to address. What are we going to do next? How are we going to keep our relationship fresh? Will they want me after five years? Ten? How am I going to please them all?
“Whatever you’re worried about, you don’t have to. We’re always going to be there for you.” Pierce kissed her cheek.
His smile helped soothe her worry. It seemed they were all trying to settle into the rhythm of what to do next. When she stretched out her mind, she could feel the three bonds that connected with the three men. Their emotions were guarded. Pierce ran his fingers across her neck and began to massage her. He kneaded out the knots that had settled in her shoulders. He knew just where to push to break the tension that kept her tense.
“What can I do for you?” Pierce asked her. His soft breath brushed against her throat.
Her lioness growled as it turned inside of her mind. It wanted to cement the bond between all three of them. But getting Ryker into the mix might be the challenge. Orianna wasn’t sure how deep his feelings ran. Was he feeling them because of the others, or was he feeling the combined love of her other two mates? When she first met him, she assumed he was the one who was going to entice her into bed, but it was Pierce who had pined for her.
“Nothing. I’m happy with the way that everything is.” She sat up and saw his concerned gaze. The small lines that formed between his eyes gave him a pinched look. Orianna wove her hand through Pierce’s hair. A spark of lust ignited inside of her. The lioness purred, and that slid through her lips. Pierce’s eyes widened. She rubbed her cheek along his and then tugged on his ear with her teeth. She ran her other hand over his flat chest and cupped his straining cock. “I want you. I want to show you how much I appreciate you coming to my rescue.”
A warm hand glided across her knee. Orianna saw Ryker’s hand on her leg. “I hope you wouldn’t mind if I joined the both of you.”
She saw the truthfulness in his eyes and heard it in his voice. This was such a different man from the one she had first met and who had opposed her being with Pierce. A slight burn peppered her. She touched her cheek, still in shock her body could do this. Everything about her new existence was taking her by surprise. Pierce placed his hand on his mate’s and glanced back at her. The need in his eyes was apparent. He wanted her to accept Ryker’s offer, too. After a moment, she placed her hand over both of theirs.
“I’d like that.”
“You do know that I’m not going to let them handle you all by themselves, right?” Dallas chimed in.
She saw his smile in the reflection of the rearview mirror. His grin was infectious, and it lifted her spirits even more. She licked her lips and thought about his blood sliding over her tongue. It aroused both of her natures. Soon she wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two anymore. “If all three of you think you can handle me, then so be it. It might have to be tomorrow night. The sun will be rising soon, and I don’t want to collapse in the middle of our tryst.”
Ryker leaned farther back in the seat. He rested his fingers underneath her chin and pulled her toward him. She almost resisted, but then leaned closer until their lips touched. The sweet taste of him ignited her hunger even more. He swiped his tongue across her mouth. She opened her mouth a little wider and drew his tongue deeper into hers. Her teeth shifted and grew. Orianna pulled away and covered her mouth. He grabbed her hand so that she would look at him.
“You have no need to hide what you are from me.”
She shook her head. Orianna slowly uncovered her mouth. He really does want me the way I am. “It’s a habit. No one has desired me until you. Mason never loved me. I was eager to have a mate, and he was eager to get into bed with the pride leader’s daughter. Then no one wanted me. I was a freak in both communities.”
He ran his finger down her cheek. “You don’t have to worry about that ever again. We want you with us. I want you with us.” Ryker slipped his index finger along her lips and then pushed it into her mouth. He pressed the tip into her fang until she tasted his blood. She moaned and sucked his finger farther into her mouth.
His blood had a spice that made her want to drink him dry. But she fought that urge and pulled his digit from her mouth. “I’m glad to hear that. I think that you need to focus on the road. If you don’t, then I might just pull you into the backseat with us, and that would make Dallas very jealous.”
Ryker sighed and turned back around in his seat. Dallas squeezed his knee. “She’s right. I would be a resentful prick if you were to start fucking her right now. We have all the time in the world to get home, and then we can play around.”
Orianna snuggled into Pierce’s arms and closed her eyes. She could feel the oncoming day pushing the night away. The warmth didn’t seem as bad as it normally was during the time of night.
“Shit. I just thought of something. We didn’t fix up the guesthouse after Mason and the others tore it apart. You’re going to have to sleep in the house,” Dallas commented.
“I think we can manage a place for you in the house. And I don’t mean just for tonight. We do have another room in the house that we aren’t using. Why don’t we use that?” Pierce asked. “Of course, Dallas, you’d have to give up your closet space, and Ryker, you’d have to move a couple of your pieces.”
“You don’t have to go to any trouble. I can sleep in a closet. Trust me. I’ve slept in worse places. Cellars, ditches, graves, crypts, and bug-infested . . . ” She stopped and shivered as she thought about the awful places she had gone to ground.
“You don’t need to worry about that again,”
Ryker said. “I should’ve had you in the house before, but I was being an ass. It won’t happen again. Well, it might, but I promise to get better at it.”
Orianna smiled, feeling that her life was finally coming together. “I’d like that. Being inside sounds wonderful because I’d be so much closer to you three.” She stifled a yawn.
Pierce nuzzled her neck. “Then it’s settled. No more sleeping in the guesthouse. We’ll be back before the sun rises. You have nothing to fear. We’ll always watch over you.”
Chapter Sixteen
Ryker watched Orianna as she slept peacefully now that the sun was up. He had been keeping vigil over her for the last hour. Pierce and Dallas had made a makeshift bed for her, and he had made sure that the windows were blocked so no light could get in. He wasn’t sure with her changed nature if she would have some tolerance to it, but they didn’t want to take a chance. Every few minutes she drew in a breath. Her skin was warmer than it had been before. He ran his hand down her cheek and felt the satin of her flesh like the velvet of an antler on a deer, but she wasn’t prey. She was his mate. Rolling that around in his mind, he was surprised to feel such an intense emotion for her. It was the same for the other two men who inhabited the house.
Dallas and Pierce were in the guesthouse cleaning up the mess that Mason had made. Having her close was something he was looking forward to. “It nearly took losing you to make me see how closed-minded I am. You make me want to be a better man.”
“Wow, it takes a woman for you to admit that. I am shocked. I told you for years that you were too closed-minded, and you finally listen to her.”
Ryker glanced back and saw Dallas leaning in the doorway watching him with Orianna. A pang of guilt washed over him as he thought about what his mate had said. It was true. He had been an ass to Pierce when he first came into their lives, and he had been one again when Orianna was involved. It was still hard for him to open up and trust people.
