Melanie [Eminence Shifters] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Ashley Malkin

  “Sorry, Finn, it just fucking flew out my mouth. I hadn’t realized just how incredibly tiny she was. Maybe that mouth-to-brain thing Melanie has is catching?”

  “No, Cooper, you’re just an asshole,” mumbled Dane.

  * * * *

  Melanie quickly used the facilities and washed her hands and face, thinking seriously about what she was doing. She was going into protective custody, with two law enforcement officers. Finn had said that he and Cooper were involved in the case, too. So she had no choice. She had to do this.

  Right. She should keep telling herself that. The fact that even now she wanted to be back in there holding on to them all had nothing to do with why she was doing this. Nothing at all.

  Stupid was what she was. After all these years of shutting herself off, she was stupidly allowing all of these feeling to take her over. The only explanation she could come up with for the compulsion to stay with these men was that the head injury must have destroyed quite a few thousand neurons.

  She knew there was going to be pain when she had to come home again. Pain like she had lived through four years ago. She had carefully avoided more pain since then, never getting close to another soul. But these men had made her feel again. Feel warm. She hadn’t even realized just how bone-deep the cold had gone until she had experienced their warmth. She decided that even if it was just for a few days, she would enjoy this feeling and hold on to the memory of their warm touch when the cold and loneliness returned.

  * * * *

  Finn carried his small mate in his arms through the hospital and to his waiting RV. His brothers formed a vanguard as they made their way to the vehicle. He could not believe he had finally found her. After nearly eighty years he was finally going to feel complete. She was shivering slightly in his arms, so he just hugged her closer to his heart.

  “Are you cold, sweetness? Would you like a blanket for the journey?”

  “No thank you, Finn, I feel cozy. I was just remembering is all.”

  “It’s all going to be fine now. We will not let anything further happen to you. Is there someone we need to contact for you, so they won’t worry about where you are?” He knew she was unattached, thanks to Hunter’s questioning her coworkers, but her parents or a roommate may be worried if she just disappeared.

  “No, there is no one. I live alone.” Melanie said that in such a small quiet voice that it made Finn’s heart hurt for her. He could feel her loneliness pouring over him, even without having yet finalized their mating. He vowed to himself that she would never feel that sort of loneliness again.

  “I hope that the four of us do not overwhelm you then. We intend to never leave you alone until this investigation is concluded.”

  “I think I will manage somehow, Finn. I don’t want to intrude on your lives, though. Aren’t I going to be a bother?”

  “You could never be a bother, sweetness. Only a pleasure.” This last sentence he whispered into her ear, enjoying the small shiver that ran down her spine. He knew that this was not caused by her being cold. He could scent the warm musky aroma of her arousal. He growled low in his chest, his mating musk starting to erupt from his skin.

  “You and Cooper must use the same cologne. You smell really good. Oh crap. Sorry, I can’t seem to stop my thoughts just spewing out of my mouth with you guys.” Melanie buried her face into Finn’s chest, breathing his smell in deeply despite her embarrassment.

  “Here we are, sweetness.” Finn strode up to the door of the RV that Cooper was holding open. He placed her gently on the backseat, buckling the seatbelt across her lap, avoiding her broken ribs and placing her injured leg across the seat to keep it elevated.

  He gently kissed the end of her nose. “You have been warned about swearing, Melanie. I will have to think of a suitable punishment for when you are healed.”

  “Punishment? You wouldn’t.”

  Cooper got into the door behind Melanie and snuggled her up against his frame, wrapping her in his big arms. “He would and he will, angel, so if I were you, I would try not to rack up any more punishments. He will be counting them.”

  She snuggled into Cooper’s arms away from Finn, her lips tightly closed. The last thing he wanted was her to be afraid of him.

  “I would never cause you pain, sweetness. My punishments will be all about your pleasure.” He enjoyed the small rosy tinge to her cheeks, and the scent of her arousal. Cooper’s sharp intake of breath told Finn that he had caught her scent, too, and he smiled sweetly at Melanie.

  “Rest now. Hunter and Dane are following in Hunter’s truck. We will all be home in a couple of hours.”

  He closed the door and got behind the wheel, feeling contented and happy to be taking his mate home at last.

  Chapter 8

  Melanie slept the trip away, falling asleep in Cooper’s warm, firm embrace, the chill sweeping away from her very soul as the miles took her away from her old life. She knew this was only temporary, but for as long as she had this feeling, she determined she was going to enjoy it.

  Finn gently lifting her from the back of the RV was what woke her. “We’re here, sweetness. Let’s get you bathed and tucked up into bed. Doc will be here shortly to check you over.”

  Melanie eased her aching ribs by curling up in Finn’s arms, trying not to breathe too deeply. She looked up at the house as Finn walked briskly up a snowy, fenced walk and up to some steps leading up to a wide verandah. The house was timber and looked more like a mansion to Melanie.

  “Do you live here alone, Finn?” She suddenly wondered if he had a wife and children about to run out of this beautiful home to greet him. Could she have taken his words as flirting, when he was just being friendly? Easily, she was an idiot.

  “No, sweetness, not alone. All my brothers live here with me. We designed this home ourselves, so it would be perfect for when we met our wife.”

  Melanie let out her breath in a loud sigh. Finn looked down into her pale green eyes and smirked. “You aren’t concerned about being all alone out here with us are you, Melanie? We wouldn’t want you to be worried for your virtue.”

  Cooper was walking up behind them. “I never even knew he had a sense of humor, angel. You are sure having an impact on the big guy.” Cooper opened the door and they all went inside.

  Melanie saw only briefly a huge lounge room with a log fire and a custom kitchen gleaming with stainless steel appliances. She loved to cook, and hoped she would get a chance to play in that wonderful space. She might need a ladder, though, to reach those top cupboards, what with the kitchen being custom-made for giants. She was then whisked upstairs and down a long corridor. Cooper striding ahead opened the last door of the corridor. Stepping inside, Finn paused. “Straight to the bath with you, okay, sweetness? Doc Jason should be here soon and I am sure you want to freshen up first.”

  “I would love a bath, Finn. I feel positively rank. But, well…” Melanie hesitated, not sure how to broach this subject. She felt very safe, and strangely at ease with all the Fredrick men. But how could she tell them she was not sure she was capable of undressing and bathing without help, and not come across as a hussy? “Never mind, it’s fine. Thank you, Finn.” Cooper had gone through to the adjoining bathroom and she could hear water running.

  “Melanie, you have been entrusted into my care by Dr. Smythe. If you have a concern, I hope that you will tell me.”

  “I’m embarrassed about the logistics of bathing. There, I said it. I am so sore I won’t even be able to undress myself. Plus I may pass out in the bath. You shouldn’t have to care for me like this. I am so sorry. I was wrong to come here in this condition. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Melanie began to cry, big sobs wracking her body.

  Finn rubbed her back gently, sitting on the end of the room’s enormous bed. Cooper knelt down in front of her.

  “We knew what we were offering, angel. You don’t need to be embarrassed. We would be honored if you would trust us enough to care for you. If you are too worried we can forget
the bath for now and our mother can come and help you with it later. She only lives about an hour away. I’m sure she would be glad to help you.”

  “No, Cooper. I want you and Finn to help me. I really do feel safe with you. I can’t imagine what you must think of me for feeling like that, though.”

  “We think you are just doing the sensible thing, and accepting our help,” Cooper replied. Then he continued without waiting for a reply from her. “Good, glad that’s settled. Come on, angel. I’ll help you tonight. Finn can go see how long until Doc arrives.” Cooper winked at Finn as he lifted her from his lap. She was placed gently on the carpet and he walked with her to the bathroom.

  “You use the facilities and I’ll be in in a minute to help you in the bath. Just call out if you need me. I’ll be right here.”

  Melanie closed the door behind her, glad for a minute or two to prepare herself. This was just a babysitting job for them. It was only embarrassing for her because she was becoming more and more infatuated with all of them. Four men. How could she be having feelings for four men? What was wrong with her?

  * * * *

  “You might have thought me without humor, Cooper, and I might have considered you without any sensitivity. But we were both wrong.”

  Finn stood and clasped Cooper on the shoulder. “Well done. She is feeling the mating bond toward us very strongly now, but being human she must be very confused about that draw to us all.”

  “We are going to have to tell her about us before we mate with her, Finn. I need her to know it all before she is bonded to us for life. I would never want her to feel trapped in any way.”

  “I have never heard of anyone denying the mating bond, Cooper. She will be fine. She is a strong woman despite her size. I am going to ask Shana to come over today. I need to ask her about us mating with Melanie tonight.”

  “She can’t cope with the mating now, Finn. She can barely walk.” Cooper was horrified at Finn even thinking it. He knew that their mating bites would alter her physiology, speeding up her healing processes. It would let her age at the same rate as them and be resistant to illnesses. But the mating would be grueling on Melanie with four mates. She was in no condition right now to undertake that sort of activity.

  Finn’s cat began to bleed into his eyes, turning them a glowing amber. The snarl ripped from him as he grabbed Cooper around the throat and lifted him a foot off the ground.

  “Do you think me capable of endangering our mate in any capacity? Especially for the purpose of my own sexual gratification? I would die for her.”

  Cooper lowered his eyes. “No, Alpha.”

  “I expected more trust than this from you.” Finn threw Cooper onto the bed and stalked from the room.

  Cooper got up and knocked lightly on the bathroom door, knowing he had been wrong not to trust Finn with Melanie’s best interests. He had just never felt like this before about a woman. She had somehow become his everything in the space of twelve hours, and Finn’s, too, apparently. He really would have to work on not being such an asshole.

  “I’m ready,” Melanie spoke softly from inside the bathroom.

  Cooper went inside and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. She was trembling slightly, but relaxed visibly when he touched her.

  “We will take this as slowly as you need, angel. The object is just to get you clean and warm. I will help you as much or as little as you need. Ready?”

  “Thanks, Cooper, you are being great. This is an amazing bathroom. I have never seen such a big shower or bath before.”

  “You wouldn’t have. We had this one custom made. We are all big men and we have always expected to share a partner, so we will all be in here together, a lot.” He let the statement sit as he turned his back to turn off the bath taps. “Perfect. Let’s get you in here.”

  She was staring at him a little loose-jawed. He just smiled at her.

  “I am going to slip this top over your head now, angel. Just lift up your arms and I will do all the work.” She complied almost in a trance. Bandages covered most of her torso. He knew this as he had been there to help her get them on. Just the top of her pale pink nipples could be seen above them. He tried in vain to tell his cock to stop filling. Lost cause, with the thought that he was about to see her naked butt.

  He pulled the drawstring on the pants, they fell to the ground, and he squatted down to her eye level. “Off with these panties.” He whisked them down her thighs and lifted her up and into the bath, giving her no time to be embarrassed before she was under the fragrant bubbles he had put in the bath.

  * * * *

  Cooper had Melanie undressed and in the water before she had even processed the word “share.” Damn, that was a perfect time to drop that bombshell. She may have been young, but she did read, and she was a nurse. She knew about some of the myriad ways people chose to live their lives. In fact, her one and only hobby was reading, and her choice of material was ménage romance.

  “Cooper, did you say that about sharing to shock me, or were you serious?”

  “Deadly serious, angel. Are you shocked and disapproving, or shocked and interested?”

  “I have never met anyone who chooses that lifestyle, but I am not a prude, Cooper. I think people of legal age, in a loving relationship, should be able to live their lives in whatever manner makes them happy. If you are lucky enough to find love in any form, I think you should grab it and never let it go.”

  Melanie then began to blush.

  “Have you any idea how amazing you are, Melanie? We can talk more later. Can I wash your back?”

  Cooper grabbed a washcloth off the side of the tub and began to gently wash her back. He then washed her face and down her arms and legs. He reached for a towel off the shelf above the sink and pulled the plug.

  “I feel much better. Thank you so much for your help, Cooper.”

  He reached in and lifted her out of the tub, wrapping the towel around her. He patted her dry and led her into the bedroom.

  “We don’t have any clothes for you angel, but Finn has left one of his T-shirts for you.”

  Cooper slipped it over her head. “It’s perfect. Thanks, Cooper.” Melanie turned and climbed up onto the huge bed.

  “I guess your lifestyle choice explains the size of this bed. Oh, I’m sorry, Cooper, I didn’t mean to blurt that out.”

  “You are correct, though. Don’t stop blurting. I want you to be honest with us, always.”

  “Honest works. I don’t seem capable of anything else around you, well, all of you really. Thank you so much for everything, Cooper. You have been amazing. The hospital, and now this. But it’s so incredibly strange. I just feel so relaxed when you and your brothers are around me. If you knew me, you’d know that I really don’t like to be touched at all, not ever.” She closed her eyes as Cooper sat on the bed and pulled her gently onto his lap.

  “You seem to like this, though, Melanie.”

  “I do. What is happening to me, Cooper? You told me to be honest, so I will be, and damn the consequences. Right now in your arms I feel more content than I have in the last four years. I am happy, and I am hoping that Finn, Hunter, and Dane are going to be here soon, as when you all touch me it’s like I am finally home.” Melanie rested he head back on Cooper’s chest, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. “Maybe it’s the head injury.”

  She felt in her awakening heart that it had nothing at all to do with any damn head injury, but she could save face this way, in case they all thought her a gigantic fool.

  * * * *

  “Doc and the guys are on the way up,” Cooper said. “We have a lot to discuss later, angel, and we will all be here together to discuss it with you. But know this, Melanie Cook, I believe that sometimes things are just fated to be, and you being here, in this house, in this particular bed, and in my arms is what fate wanted for me. I think you are finally home, too.”

  Cooper didn’t move as Finn opened the door and gestured Doc Jason in, followed by Hunter and Dane
. They all stood in the master bedroom, the one they had designed especially for when they finally found their mate. And until this day, it had never been used.

  Chapter 9

  Hunter watched his little mate try to hide her tears, his heart aching at seeing the sadness in her eyes.

  “Hello, little one, you miss me? Is that why I see tears?” Dane came up to Melanie, who had curled into Cooper’s arm, and kissed her lightly on the end of her nose. Melanie sighed and smiled at him.

  “You wish, Dane. I am sure she missed us all, didn’t you, sweetness?” Hunter came over, nudging Dane aside and kissed Melanie lightly on the lips. He licked his lips. She tasted even better than she smelt. Shit, his fucking cock had turned into an iron pole in his pants. God, she was just too irresistible. He wanted to throw himself on her and take her right now.

  “Excuse me, Hunter, may I see my patient?”

  Hunter felt like an animal. He had forgotten about both Melanie’s injuries and Doc being behind him, all from one little taste. Doc knew it, too, by the smirk he was giving Hunter.

  Wait until he finds his mate.

  But he couldn’t be mad. Seeing Melanie here in their future bed had made it all real for him. They had found their mate!

  “I am Doctor Jason Reed, but folks around here just call me Doc. How are you feeling after your journey, Miss Cook?”

  “Hi, Doc. Call me Melanie, please. I’m still suffering from a killer headache, and my ribs are sore, but the Frederick men have taken very good care of me since leaving the hospital.”

  “As they should. You are theirs to protect.” Doc proceeded to look in Melanie’s eyes with a light, have her follow his finger, turn her head every which way, and examine her ribs. Hunter found himself growling low in his chest at the sight of another man looking at his woman, but this was for Melanie, so he didn’t tear Doc’s heart out. His brothers were scowling similarly at Doc, and none of them relaxed until he pulled down Finn’s T-shirt to cover her chest, and stepped away.