Bethany [Eminence Shifters 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Ashley Malkin

  His rage slowly receded with each mile they put between her and the threat in Tijuana. With his anger lessened, he regained his power for rational thinking. He needed to inform Michael that he’d found his mate. As twins, it was almost certain that his tiny passenger was also his mate. Michael was home on leave at present, so he would be there when Samson arrived. He couldn’t begin to guess if she was Jason’s mate, but with recent pride history, it was a strong possibility.

  He’d called his superior first, and informed him that his cover had been compromised, and that he’d forward all the intelligence he’d gathered when he arrived home. He’d also requested to take leave, starting immediately. Getting his mate to safety was his mission now.

  Chapter 3

  Michael Reed finished clearing the table and began to stack the dishwasher. He looked over at his elder brother, Jason, and wondered why he even came to eat with him. He was sitting at the table, poring over medical journals, and had been doing so the whole way through their meal.

  He used to be a happy guy, open and excited about life. But since his last tour in Afghanistan, five years ago, he’d become a different person altogether. He was still a great doctor, even though his bedside manner now left something to be desired. He refused to tell them exactly what had happened, but one of the men from Jason’s unit had told them that a nurse he’d been seeing had been killed. Jason had left the service after that and come home.

  Whatever had happened, Jason had returned a changed man. He and Samson were mostly away, and it had left Jason alone too much, never having to deal with the event.

  Michael had decided he was leaving the service. After seeing members of his pride happily mated, he felt as though he was wasting time. He wanted a long and happy life with his mate.

  The missions Samson was sent on would eventually lead him to an early grave. He was going to ask Samson to leave, too. At only seventy years old, they could look forward to a couple of centuries of mated bliss. There was just the issue of actually finding her.

  “Anything interesting there, Jase?” Michael said, trying to engage his brother in conversation. In the three days Samson had been away, he had yet to get more than a few words out of Jason.

  “Not really.”

  His cell phone rang, stopping him from his attempt to pry the stick out of Jason’s ass. He was surprised to see that the call was from Samson.

  “Samson, aren’t you supposed to be in deep cover watching some Mexican shit-head?”

  “I’ve just crossed the border and am heading home. I ditched the assignment.”

  Michael looked across at Jason. With shifter hearing, he would’ve heard Samson clearly, even from across the room. He looked as concerned as Michael felt.

  “Are you hurt? Do you need me to come and get you?” Michael asked.

  “No, to both. But I’m coming in fast. I expect to be with you in ten hours. I need Jase to be there when I arrive.”

  “What aren’t you telling us?” Michael said, growling to punctuate his rising anger. Samson was never one for melodrama, so this was beginning to piss him off.

  “I’ll give you all the details when I get there. Michael…I found my mate. She’s been drugged. She’s still unconscious one hour after they dosed her. Her breathing is regular, but shallow.”

  Michael froze, he had no words. Samson had found their mate. In Mexico. She was hurt. His cat wanted to shift, and run to them, but the human part of him knew that would be counterproductive.

  Jason appeared beside him and took the phone from his unresisting hand. He had yet to regain his power of speech.

  “Keep her warm. If she wakes, give her something to drink. We’ll be here when you arrive.” Jason ended the call. “Go for a run, Michael, just be back inside ten hours. Perhaps you should go to the Alpha and inform him that the mate epidemic is apparently spreading.”

  The bitterness in Jason’s tone snapped him out of his stupor. “She may be your mate, too, you know?”

  “She’s not,” Jason said, his tone certain.

  * * * *

  The trip to Eminence was uneventful. Samson had stopped for gas, but nothing else, single-minded in his desire to get his mate home. His cat had not calmed any in the long drive. It became increasingly anxious as the hours went by and she still hadn’t woken.

  Michael had checked in every two hours, exactly every two hours. He’d asked for her status and their current location. Samson knew the ten hours must have been torture for Michael. He hadn’t spoken to Jason, but knew his brother would be prepared for their arrival.

  As he pulled into their property, he could see Michael pacing the yard in front of the house. Finn’s truck parked out the front showed him that one of his brothers had thought to inform their Alpha. This mating shit is scrambling my brain. I should’ve informed the Alpha of what had occurred.

  As he pulled to a stop, the back door was opened instantly. Michael peeled the blanket off their mate and gazed down at her.

  “She is so tiny, and she smells so fucking good,” Michael said, taking a deep breath. “She’s also beautiful. You neglected to tell me that.”

  “She’s all those things, Michael. But after breathing her scent for the last ten hours in this truck, my cat is going crazy.” He groaned as he got out of the truck and adjusted his painful erection in his fatigues. His body’s instinctual reaction to its mate had made it an uncomfortable journey.

  “No change?” Jason asked, holding open the front door to the house.

  “No, nothing. I don’t know what the fuck they gave her, but I suspect it was too much for her.”

  Samson stood back and let Michael carry their mate into the house. He knew his brother would be desperate to touch her. It would also help to calm his brother’s cat.

  As he entered the house behind Michael, he saw Finn standing in the living room. His lip curled in the beginnings of a snarl. His cat’s hackles rose in response to a possible challenge for its mate.

  Finn raised his eyebrow. “Samson, you know I am no threat to your mate.”

  “Sorry, Alpha,” he mumbled, lowering his gaze. His feelings remained very territorial, however. He followed Finn into Jason’s home surgery, where Michael had placed their mate on the examination table.

  “I don’t suppose you want to give me some room, Michael?” Jason said, trying to get close enough to examine the woman.

  “Not really, can’t you manage?” Michael said, but he moved to stand by her legs.

  Finn waited outside as Jason performed his examination, took some blood samples and inserted an intravenous line.

  “She’s extremely dehydrated. Hopefully, with some fluids we can flush out whatever they gave her. I’ll get working on these samples,” Jason said, as he turned and abruptly left the room.

  “You seem remarkably calm, considering what has been done to your mate,” Samson called after him.

  “She is not my mate.” Jason shouted as his footsteps continued down the hallway outside.

  Samson stared after his brother. He’d seen Jason’s body react to the woman. He’d quickly fought to suppress the amber glow in his eyes, but Samson had seen it. The arousal brought on by the mating bond had caused mating musk to leak from every pore in Jason’s body.

  “Michael, I can scent his lust like it has a life of its own. What the fuck is Jase playing at? Of course she’s his mate.”

  Chapter 4

  Jason left the exam room as calmly as he could and informed Finn of the woman’s condition. Their Alpha left, asking to be informed of any change in her condition.

  He then went straight to his home laboratory. As shifter blood couldn’t be sent to any regular testing facilities, Finn had supplied the funds for the installation of state-of-the-art equipment in his home.

  The instant the laboratory door was closed behind him, his knees finally gave way. He knelt where he’d fallen and brought his hands to his face. He breathed in deeply, savoring his mate’s deliciously sweet scent as he’d been unab
le to do before. His hands still tingled from where he’d briefly touched the luxurious softness of her skin during his examination.

  I am so fucking screwed.

  He hadn’t wanted a mate. Not ever. He’d always found the whole idea abhorrent. It would take away his right to choose his own life partner, and he’d chosen that woman five years ago. He’d chosen Judith.

  Fuck. What the hell is happening in this town?

  He knew he should be happy for his little brothers. He should be happy for himself. But when Judith had died, he’d vowed to stay true to her. That was before today. Before he’d come in contact with his mate.

  He fumbled with the blood samples and somehow got the tests running. Stripping his clothes as he went, he stepped out the back door and shifted.

  As he ran through the forest surrounding their home, his cat was fighting him to turn back. It wanted to be with its mate. But Jason would not be ruled by his beast. He was a man. He was more than just pheromones and animal instincts. He would not take a mate. He’d made that vow on Judith’s grave and he’d honor it now. His cat would just have to shut the fuck up.

  He ran hard, determined to exhaust his cat into submission. When he returned home, he would be in control of his cat once more.

  * * * *

  Michael was sitting opposite Samson, each of them holding one of their mate’s hands. She was tiny for a shifter, but her lean frame was toned with muscle. She looked strong, and Michael hoped she hadn’t been harmed by the drugs she’d been given.

  His cat snarled again as he thought about the attack on his mate. When Samson had described her attempted abduction, Michael had been furious. He’d been involved in gathering the background intelligence for Samson’s assignment. He knew exactly what Cristian Renta had planned to do with this young woman. With his mate.

  “If you don’t calm down, Michael, you’ll destroy that chair, too.”

  He looked down at his empty hand and found Samson was right. His claws had erupted again and were embedded in the leg of his chair. He’d already shredded one chair when Samson had described their mate’s attack. He took a deep breath and retracted his claws.

  Jason had left to test their mate’s blood, but they’d heard him leave the house thirty minutes ago, and he still hadn’t returned. Michael wanted the results of those tests. He needed to know their mate was going to be all right.

  Michael had no clue as to why Jason had denied she was his mate, but he hoped he came to his senses soon. No shifter would ever be so cruel as to deny its mate.

  Michael was suffering no such delusion. He’d known the instant he opened the truck door that she was his. Her scent had ignited a fire in his veins that he’d never felt before. He knew, in that moment, that he was finally alive. He may have existed for the last seventy years, but until that instant, he had not been living.

  “I need to know what to call her. This is killing me,” Michael said. “You really know nothing about her?”

  “I told you everything. I didn’t even know she was our mate until I’d broken cover and gone to save her.”

  “That was very out-of-character for you, Samson. Do you think that maybe you knew, on some level, that she was yours?”

  Michael had been wondering about that since Samson had told him what he’d done. His brother had never broken cover or blown an assignment before.

  “I only know that the sight of this little pixie had me distracted from the instant I saw her. I had to fight not watch her the whole fucking time. It was very unsettling.”

  “I bet,” Michael said, trying to suppress a laugh. “Especially for you.”

  “She is mesmerizing. The way she moves. The way she dances. Her smile lit up the entire club.”

  “I never thought to hear you wax poetic, brother. Mating is going to suit you,” Michael said, stroking his hand down his mate’s face.

  Samson flipped him the bird.

  “I want to see that smile,” Michael said softly, running his fingers through her silky hair.

  “She’s still so cold,” Samson said, rubbing her hand between both of his. “I wish I’d positioned myself closer. If I’d scented her earlier, I would’ve gotten her out before they attacked her.”

  * * * *

  After two hours had passed and their mate had still not stirred. Samson decided that they’d been idle long enough. Michael went to his office to initiate a search for information on their mate.

  Michael was the brains to Samson’s brawn, and his computer skills were unrivalled. That, coupled with his extensive network of contacts, made him an invaluable intelligence asset. Whatever information was available on the small blonde waitress working at The Sunshine Club, Michael would soon have it.

  Unable to simply sit and hold her hand any longer, Samson stripped off his fatigues and shirt and cuddled under the blanket with her. He shuddered when his naked flesh finally made contact with her. The sensation alone was almost enough to make him come.

  He justified his actions by telling himself that her cat needed to feel its mate. It would be soothed, as his was, by the contact. She felt so good in his arms that he wanted to purr. But Samson Reed didn’t purr. He was a machine.

  As he positioned her head on his chest, he stroked his hand through her short blonde hair. It was so white it was almost colorless. He caressed his fingers over the pale skin of her face. She was a beautiful young woman. Very young. There were no age lines on her delicate face. Her features were fine, her small ears slightly pointed at the top. He chuckled. No wonder he’d thought she looked like a pixie.

  He wondered what color her eyes were. She had large eyes, the lashes thick and a few shades darker than her hair. It was her lips that held him captive, though. They were a dusky pale pink. Full and lush.

  His cock twitched in his boxer briefs. He was as hard as stone, and fixating on all the things he wanted to do with those lips was not helping.

  * * * *

  Michael was both pleased and disturbed by the information he’d uncovered on their mate. He wanted to give himself some time to decide how he’d inform Samson of what he’d discovered, but he was unwilling to be parted from Bethany a minute longer.

  Bethany. It suited her. So he rushed back to the clinic to share the good, the bad, and the ugly news with Samson.

  When he entered the clinic, he was stunned to see his unemotional and hard-as-stone brother tenderly holding and caressing their mate.

  “She looks like an angel,” Michael said.

  “Yes, she does. Now tell me what have you’ve found.”

  That was the brother he knew. “The name she gave The Sunshine Club was Bethany Granger.”

  “Bethany,” Samson said, running the tips of his fingers across her lips. “It suits her. What else? You’re stalling.”

  “She’s been in Tijuana for about three weeks. Kept to herself and worked hard. According to the other waitresses, she’s a little crazy.”

  “Did they elaborate?”

  “Oh, yes. They said she loved working at the club, which was enough to make them think she was nuts. However, she told one of the girls that she’d run away from a mental institution, so that cemented their opinion. Having said that, she was well-liked. They were all quite protective of her.”

  “Just more puzzles for us to work through, Michael. Anything else?”

  “You’re not going to like this next part. I think we should step out into the hall.”

  Samson just scowled at him, but Michael remained unaffected. Samson’s notorious temper didn’t faze him.

  “Your target was Cristian Renta. Correct?” At Samson’s nod, he continued. “Apparently he spent most of his time in the club last night, putting our mate up for sale to the highest bidder.”

  Chapter 5

  Samson carefully extracted himself from Bethany’s side and pulled on his fatigues. He would not have her being collateral damage to his rage. By the time he’d pulled on his T-shirt, Michael was waiting for him in the hallway.


  “Explain,” Samson said, a low growl rumbling from his throat and chest.

  “Explain what?” Jason said, joining them outside the clinic.

  Samson had been so enraged he’d failed to hear Jason return.

  “Our mate is still unconscious, so I used my contacts to find out what I could about her,” Michael said.

  “Michael, please.” Samson emphasized his plea with another growl.

  “Sorry, Samson. This idiot may be in denial, but we both know he needs to hear about Bethany,” Michael said soothingly.

  “Bethany?” Jason asked.

  Samson endeavored to be patient as Michael re-capped, bringing Jason up to speed. “Now that we’re all caught up, tell me everything you know about this sale.”

  “Renta posted a picture of Bethany at the club last night and started the auction. It was all happening live while he conducted his usual business out of the club.” Michael ran his hands through his short-cropped hair.

  “I managed to get hold of the pictures he uploaded to his website, but the bidding was all done directly to Renta’s phone. The auction was closed last night at 0100 hours, local time.”

  “That’s when the fucker left the Club,” Samson said. He was furious with himself. He’d known from the way Renta had been looking at Bethany that there’d be trouble.

  “He posted the winning bid on his website,” Michael said softly. “It was for ten million dollars. He has her listed as a virgin. I have no way of knowing if that’s true, and I suspect neither does he. He was probably just trying to jack up the price.”