by Becca Van
“You have no need to feel ashamed, Jessamine,” Dagr rasped out from behind her. “Come, we will bathe you.”
Jess didn’t want to let go of Hakon, but she had no choice, as Dagr grasped her by the waist and pulled her away from his brother. She ended up cradled in his arms, one muscular arm supporting her back and the other beneath her knees. She felt compelled to look at him, and even though she fought it, she found her head lifting to stare into his eyes.
“You are very beautiful, Jessamine. I will enjoy bathing you.”
Jess lowered her eyes again as Dagr carried her around the cubicle wall and into the large shower The steam drifting up from the floor tickled her nostrils, and she inhaled, trying to clear her passion-fogged brain. There was an elusive, familiar scent permeating her senses, but she was too satiated to name it. The perfume seemed to have a calming effect on her. She closed her eyes and sighed as the warm water streamed over her body, making her languid, her cares floating away on the steam rising above the water.
Jess let Dagr carry her over to the far side of the shower and place her on his lap when he sat on a bench she hadn’t seen along one wall of the massive cubicle. She could feel his hard shaft poking into her hip but was surprised when she felt no embarrassment. Instead she felt the embers of her so recently satisfied arousal begin to stir, making her squirm as her libido flamed even hotter.
“I can feel your need, little one, but also your disquiet. You have nothing to worry from us,” Loki stated as he sat on the other side of her and Dagr. “You are very precious to us, Jessamine. Please, do not be afraid.”
“I am not afraid. I am nervous. I have arrived on a strange planet and don’t know any of you. You are claiming I am your bond mate, and you can calm me with a touch. I’m not usually like this. How are you doing it? How are you all making me crazy with desire?” Jess asked on a sob.
Jess couldn’t believe the way she was acting around the three giant, handsome men. It was so totally out of character for her. She knew they had to be the ones making her feel like she was, and she didn’t like it. Not one little bit. She was a virgin for goodness’ sake. She had never wanted to be with a man before, let alone craved the touch of the three men claiming to be her bond mates.
“We are not doing anything to you, Jess. It is natural for a female to crave the touch of her bond mates,” Hakon explained as he took a seat on her other side. “We are not controlling your body in any way. We are able to keep you calm, and yes, we do feel what you are feeling, but we cannot control your body’s responses to us. That is all your own doing, little Jess.”
“But…what if I don’t want to feel these things? What if I don’t want to mate with you? I can’t grasp the thought of being dictated to by one man, let alone three. Don’t I have the right to have a choice?”
“Well, yes and no,” Dagr replied. “Yes, you can say no, and we would leave you alone. We would never do anything you don’t want us to do. Your need for release was too much for us to ignore, and since you did not protest, we could not let you suffer the way you were.”
“But that’s not fair. You have the unfair advantage of feeling what I feel. I don’t want you to be able to feel my desires and anger,” Jess said and heard the tremor in her own voice.
“Ah, little Jess, but that is what a bond mate is supposed to do. We could not have tended to your needs if we were not able to feel what you do. You were aroused, and we could not ignore your desires. We felt the ache of your body, the desire to have our hands and mouths touching you, easing the longing you felt. You were not denying us with your mouth. You did not say no to our touch when you could have, but your body and mind were begging for our touch,” Loki explained.
“Well, that just stinks. I don’t want you reading my mind and feeling what my body wants,” Jess stated peevishly.
“You can’t stop it from happening, Jessamine. It is part of the mate bonding for us to feel your needs. The more we are together and the more we touch you, you will also begin to feel our needs, our desires. Once we have joined together in body, you will feel our emotions as well. So then you won’t be at such a disadvantage,” Dagr explained.
“I don’t want to feel what you lot feel. I have enough of my own problems and my own emotions without having to sort out who is feeling what. I don’t know what I want or need at the moment. I am so confused.”
“You can deny it all you wish, Jessamine, but it will not change the fact that you are our bond mate,” Hakon said firmly. “Now let us bathe you. You are tired and need to rest.”
Jess was surprised at the fact the three men claiming to be her bond mates weren’t pushing themselves on her. She had been afraid they wanted to have sex with her now, tonight. But apparently they weren’t as insensitive as she believed. Maybe they weren’t so bad after all.
Chapter Five
Jess wandered the long rabbit warren–like corridors, trying to find her way to the large dining room so she could have some breakfast. She had no idea where she was going or even what time it was. She had been surprised to find the large bed empty when she had awoken that morning and had bathed, dressed, and headed out. She wished she knew what the runic signs at the end of each corridor said. She felt as if she had been traversing these endless corridors for hours. She was about to give up and turn around, when she saw a tall, large, blond-headed man walking toward her.
“Oh, thank you, God,” Jess muttered under her breath, then began walking toward the man at a quick pace. “Excuse me, can you help me find my way to the dining room? I seem to have lost my way.”
“You are new here. I have never seen you before. What is your name, female?”
“Jess. Who are you?”
“I am a visitor. I hail from the northern realm of Norland. I am the leader of my people. My brothers rule at my side. My name is Nadal Highmond. I am pleased to see you, Jess. You are a very beautiful woman,” Nadal stated, making Jess move back as he stalked toward her.
“What are you doing?” Jess asked, her voice rising with panic when her back hit the wall behind her. Shit, she was trapped.
“You are not bonded with anyone. Why is that? I think you would do well with me and my brothers,” Nadal stated, leaning down and sniffing at her neck.
“Back off, buddy. I may not be mated as yet, but I’m sure Hakon, Dagr, and Loki would not like what you are doing to me,” Jess stated through clenched teeth, more than surprised at how calm she sounded. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, and she was very afraid at what she saw in the man’s eyes as he looked down at her. She kept her eyes on his as he moved his big arms to lean against the wall, effectively caging her in with his big body.
“Why should I care what they like or not? You are not bond mated. Therefore, you are up for grabs. I would like very much to join our bodies together,” Nadal stated, his head lowering to hers.
Jess had had enough. She didn’t like to feel trapped and helpless. She gave the man a sweet come-hither smile, leaned into him as if she were about to kiss him, then brought her knee up and slammed it between his legs. His roar of pain was satisfactory, and she sidestepped him as he fell to the floor, his hands in his crotch as he writhed in agony on the tiles.
“Next time I tell you to back off, you’d be wise to listen,” Jess spat out, then turned and slammed into another hard male body.
“Are you all right, Jessamine? Did Nadal hurt you?” Loki asked as he ran his hands down the length of her body and back again.
“Do I look like I’m hurt? Stop that,” Jess said, slapping at Loki’s hands. “I’m perfectly fine.”
“I felt your fear, Jess. I had to make sure you were okay,” Loki said, but Jess saw his eyes were on Nadal.
His glare could have killed a human from a hundred yards away. Jess was glad not to be on the receiving end of his ire. And she had thought Loki was the lighthearted, easygoing brother.
“What the hell is going on?” Dagr roared as he ran down the length of the corridor and stopped be
side her. “Are you well, Jess? I could feel your fear. What did he do to you?”
“I’m fine, and he didn’t do anything to me. I wouldn’t let him,” Jess said with a smile. Maybe she could get used to them sharing her feelings and emotions after all. To have two—no wait, make that three, she amended in her mind, as Hakon raced the length of the hallway toward her—men concerned for her well-being, made her feel special for the first time in her life. She found herself sandwiched between Loki’s and Hakon’s bodies as they protected her from Nadal. She leaned out to the side in time to see Dagr bending over the supine man, and she winced as Dagr hauled Nadal to his feet with ease by a hand on his vest.
“You are a visitor in our home, and yet you cannot treat our bond mate with respect. You will leave and will never be allowed to return. Is that clear?” Dagr roared.
“I did not know she was your bond mate, cousin. If I had, I would never have tried to touch her. Your bond mate prevented me from doing her any harm. Please forgive me, Jess. I ask for leniency from you, cousin, as no harm was done.” Nadal lowered his head in obeisance.
“You have tried my patience too far this time, Nadal. Cousin or not, you should not have accosted any female you came across in our house. You are banned for one month, and that length of time is up for review before you will be allowed to step foot back on our realm.”
“Dagr, Nadal has apologized already. Give the man a break, it’s not like he committed murder. For goodness’ sake, the man didn’t even touch me. I was the one that did the touching,” Jess said with a roll of her eyes.
Jess slipped back in between Loki and Hakon as Dagr turned his angry gaze on her. Oh shit. What have I done?
“You touched a man who is unfamiliar to you?” Dagr roared.
Jess dug in using the whole weight of her body when she felt Dagr’s hand clasp her wrist and pull her from between Hakon and Loki. She slapped at his arm but stopped immediately when she saw the look on Dagr’s face. He looked furious, but there was underlying pain in his eyes.
“I did not lay a hand upon your cousin, Dagr,” Jess said gently, reaching up to touch his cheek. “My knee connected with his balls, so I could escape from him, but your cousin did not get the chance to touch me.” Jess watched as the tension left Dagr’s body. His muscles relaxed, and then he was pulling her into his arms. He held her so tightly her nose was being crushed into his chest.
“You are hungry,” Dagr said as Jess’s stomach gave a loud growl. “Come, I will take you to the feasting room.”
Jess let Dagr lead her away from Hakon, Loki, and Nadal. She knew Hakon was reading his cousin the riot act, but he kept his voice too low for her to hear. She gave one last look over her shoulder, but had to turn back when she stumbled. There was nothing she could do to help Nadal now. She only hoped that Hakon and Loki weren’t too harsh on the man. Nadal was part of their family, and Jess didn’t want to be the cause of a rift between the cousins.
Dagr seated Jess at the same table as the previous evening, but she was thankful to find the room wasn’t filled to capacity as it had been last night. There were only a few tables of men lingering over the morning meal, so Jess found herself more relaxed this time around. No sooner had they taken a seat when a young male came forward and placed a laden platter in front of them, bowed, and left.
“Why are there no women or young girls?” Jess asked curiously.
“We do not know. The last of the interplanetary wars seemed to have an effect on our male’s genetic makeup. Our females were of our mother’s generation at the time, and most of them became sick and died. Our females are very rare. We have only a handful left, now. And the females lucky enough to fall pregnant only ever gave birth to more males. A female has not been born on our planet in over fifty years. We have scientists working on the problem, of course, but they have not been able to find the answer,” Dagr replied.
“So you’ve had to resort to meeting females on your pirate raids and trying to woo them so you can bring them here to repopulate your planet?” Jess asked rhetorically. “I understand why you’ve had to be so arrogant and dominating, but where are the women your warriors have bonded with?”
“The males of this planet are very protective of any female, as I’m sure you can now understand. They are very precious to us. The warriors who were lucky enough to find their bond mates on board the transport were given time away from their duties to spend getting to know their mates. More than likely, they haven’t even left their beds,” Dagr explained with a lascivious wink.
“What? Do you mean the single females from Earth on that spaceship have agreed to bond with your men?”
“Yes, some of them have agreed, and the others are close to accepting the bond mate with our warriors.”
Dagr’s statement gave Jess pause to ponder why he and his brothers hadn’t taken the time to spend with her other than last evening. Then she remembered they were the leaders of the southern realm of Norland, and as such would have far more duties and obligations than the other warriors.
Jess took a deep breath when she saw Hakon and Loki walking toward them. They were sex on legs—the way they pinned her with their heated stares as they stalked toward her, the muscles in their strong thighs rippling beneath their tight black pants. The movement of their abs and striations delineated as they walked made her pussy soften, and she shifted in her seat to relieve the ache in her cunt. She could feel the juices from her sex seeping out onto her thighs. She wished she’d been able to put her panties back on, but she had only thought to wash them out this morning. She lowered her eyes down to her plate as Hakon and Loki took seats at their table. This time Loki took her other side and Hakon sat beside Dagr. If her traitorous body kept belying her head, she knew the ache in her womb and pussy would never cease. She wanted to let go and give in to them. She wanted them to love her until she was so totally exhausted and never wanted to move again.
“I can feel your need for us, little Jess. All you have to do is say the words, and we will ease your desire,” Loki whispered in her ear.
Jess couldn’t contain her shiver as Loki’s warm, moist breath caressed her flesh. She rubbed her thighs together and shifted in her seat.
“I can smell your pretty little cunt dripping from here. Just say the words, and we will appease your ache.” Dagr breathed into her other ear.
Jess’s body was on fire. Her pussy clenched and released as another gush of fluid wet her thighs. She wanted nothing more than to beg them to love her, but she had never begged for anything in her life, and she wasn’t about to do it now. She lowered her eyes and concentrated on eating. Her stomach was so empty it hadn’t stopped growling, and she was sure everyone nearby could hear it. She picked up her glass of water and drank deeply, soothing her dry throat and mouth with the cool liquid. She began to eat and totally ignored the men on either side of her.
Jess hoped the three men hadn’t been too hard on their cousin. He hadn’t really done anything wrong, and the thought of Nadal being banished because of her didn’t sit well. Not that she did anything wrong, but she still felt guilty.
“Stop it, Jess,” Dagr commanded, calling her attention to him. “Our cousin knew the women in our household are not to be touched. It’s not the first time we have caught him trying to accost one of the females in our house. He knew the consequences when he tried to touch you. He would have done the same if we had been in his household and tried to touch any of the women under his protection.”
“If he knew what would happen if he was caught, then why would he want to risk trying?” asked Jess.
“There are fewer females in my cousin’s household, and he and his brothers haven’t as yet found their bond mate. I think your beauty and body were just too much of a temptation,” Dagr clarified.
“Oh, for crying out loud, I’m nothing special. I don’t even compare to the other women who have had enhancements done on their DNA. You don’t have to lie,” Jess muttered with a roll of her eyes.
Jess�
��s eyes widened warily as Dagr rose to his feet beside her then glanced at her now-empty plate and back up to meet her eyes with his own. He reached out and took her hand into his, helped her to her feet, and began to lead her from the room. She didn’t try to stop him. She was curious to see where he was taking her. She had to run to keep up with him and was breathless in no time. That is until he must have heard her panting, because he spun around, picked her up, and slung her over his shoulder. She yelped in surprise and placed her palms on his back to steady herself. She placed both her hands onto his lower back, palms flat, and tried to push herself into an upright position. She caught sight of Loki and Hakon following behind. They were both staring at her with heat in their eyes and wicked grins across their faces. What the hell?
Chapter Six
Jess’s world spun around before her eyes, and she closed them to stop from becoming dizzy. She literally flew through the air and came to a soft, bouncing halt on the mattress as the bedroom door slammed closed. She opened her eyes to see all three brothers stalking toward her. She scrambled like a crab up the length of the bed until she was crouched into a ball against the headboard, staring at them warily.
“What is going on? What do you think you’re doing?” Jess panted out.
“We are going to show you how beautiful you are, baby. I don’t know who has filled your head about your looks, but whatever they told you, they are wrong,” Dagr rasped out as he crawled onto the end of the bed.
