Mate Claimed su-4

by Jennifer Ashley

  She pulled Iona to her for a warm, cushy hug, which Iona returned less hesitantly. As with Nicole, Iona breathed in the fragrance of Cassidy’s child inside her, and Iona’s sharp need to mate rose up to bite her once more.

  “You’re half-Shifter,” Cassidy said as she released Iona but held her by the hands. “Your father?”

  “My father was the Shifter, yes. Panther.” Somehow, Iona knew Cassidy would want to know that.

  The woman’s green eyes warmed. “Welcome, Iona. This is my mate, Diego Escobar. You called him the other day, about Eric. For that, I thank you.”

  Diego was very attractive—okay, he was hot—his liquid dark eyes and handsome face complementing his dusk-velvet voice. “We took care of it,” Diego said. He glanced at Eric. “Am I supposed to say the thing?”

  “Technically,” Eric said.

  “Then I acknowledge and respect the claim.” Diego held out his hand instead of trying to embrace Iona, but he clasped her hand between his strong, warm ones. “From one person who’s been sucked in by Shifters to another, welcome to their world. It’s a fine place.”

  The second Latino man shouldered his way forward. “I’m Xavier, Diego’s better-looking younger brother. Call me Xav. I acknowledge and respect the claim, and I’m hugging you, because I like Shifter ways.”

  Xavier pulled Iona into a hearty embrace. “Don’t worry,” he said, when Iona came out of it, breathless. “You get used to it.”

  Iona thought she possibly might, until she got to the bears.

  “This is Shane,” Eric said. “Bears don’t have last names.”

  Shane was big, about seven feet tall, broad of chest, thick of muscle. He had black hair flecked with brown that looked shaggy even though he cropped it short, and chocolate brown eyes.

  “Welcome to Shiftertown, honey,” Shane said. He opened his big arms and scooped up Iona, giving her a…bear hug.

  Shane lifted Iona off her feet and swung around with her but didn’t let go even when he set her down again. “Keep in mind—when things don’t work out between you and Eric, come see the grizzly next door.”

  “There’s two grizzlies next door, bro.” The second bear shoved his brother aside, and Iona got another enthusiastic and dizzying hug. “I’m Brody. Remember, once you go bear, you never go back.”

  Eric did and said nothing while the bear brothers hugged her, but he stood close. Very close. Iona bumped into Eric’s hard body when Brody finally let her go.

  They must have seen something in Eric’s face, because Brody lifted his hands in a sign of surrender. “Hey, we acknowledge and respect the claim, oh great leader. No Challenges here.”

  “But keep your options open,” Shane said to Iona.

  The large woman pushed herself between them. “Shut up, boys. Don’t scare her. I’m Nell, sweetie.” Nell was not as tall as the two bear males, but she looked as strong, and she shared the brothers’ black and brown mottled hair. She pulled Iona into a somewhat gentler hug. “Half-Shifter, and you’re just learning how to deal with your Shifter side, aren’t you?”

  So true. Iona was ready to collapse after her long day, the wedding, her increasing hunger, kissing Eric in her office, Graham’s violent interruption, and now this sudden introduction to Shiftertown.

  She swallowed. “It’s been rough, yeah.”

  “Well, if it gets too bad, you come and see me. I got these two through their Transitions and their first mating hunger, and don’t think that wasn’t pure hell. Helping you will be a joy, sweetie, compared to hosing down a couple of frenzied grizzlies.”

  “Mom, come on,” Brody said. “You only needed to open the fire hydrant twice.”

  Nell pulled Iona into another hug, this one warmer. “Really. Don’t let Eric intimidate you. If you need help, I’m here. And you can always turn down his mate-claim. Males don’t get to have it all their own way.”

  If Nell and Cassidy were anything to go by, Iona believed that.

  Nell let Iona go, but she glared over at Eric. “You making her stay in your house? You don’t have to. I have room.”

  Eric’s hand landed on Iona’s shoulder again. “I know you do, but I don’t trust McNeil to play by the rules. She stays in my house, under my protection.”

  “In your tiny bedroom?” Jace asked. “You can’t turn around in there without bumping into yourself. She can have my room—it’s much bigger. Tonight though, me and Shane will stay at Iona’s place and make sure Graham doesn’t do anything stupid. I’ll need keys and directions.” He held out his hand to Iona.

  “You and Shane?” Iona looked at the grizzly, who grinned at her with a mouthful of pointed teeth.

  “Don’t worry,” Shane said. “We’re litter trained. You have cable?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sweet. Let’s go, Jace.”

  Jace took Iona’s house keys and gave her another hug. “Welcome to the family,” he said. Then he and Shane were gone, Jace behind Shane on a Harley, the bike roaring down the quiet street.

  Eric could see that the mating need was getting to Iona as they ate some dinner. The kitchen smelled good, Diego cooking again. He made a mess of burgers slathered in salsa, and Xavier went behind him and fried up a batch of sopapillas dripping with cinnamon and honey.

  Iona sat down and ate every morsel, then followed Xavier back to the kitchen to see if she could find more.

  Cassidy had been like this when she’d first hit her mating years, Eric recalled, watching Iona and Xavier banter in the kitchen. Cassidy had eaten everything in sight and had been crabby when she couldn’t find anything else.

  Cassidy’s mating need had been high. She’d been on the prowl to get it out of her system, though she hadn’t found a mate of her heart until she’d met a Shifter called Donovan, who’d passed the year before she’d met Diego.

  Xavier finally went home—actually to his mother’s house to help her with something or other. Cassidy offered to lend Iona some clothes, and the two women shut themselves in Cassidy’s bedroom so Iona could change. Apparently, this involved a lot of giggling.

  Eric looked back from gazing longingly at Cass’s bedroom door to find Diego planted on a living room chair next to him. Eric had lounged back on the couch as usual, beer bottle balanced on his stomach, practicing his ability to look completely casual, almost half-asleep, while at the same time being more alert than anyone on the street. But Diego had known Eric long enough not to be fooled.

  “She came with you willingly?” Diego asked him.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Eric’s human brother-in-law was smart, practical, and not easily intimidated, damn him. “She didn’t want to, but Iona understands the danger,” Eric answered.

  “You had to bring her here? Couldn’t you protect her in her own house?”

  “The thing is big and has too many entrances, too many windows. No place to hide.” Eric took a sip of beer. “I’m surprised you humans have survived this long.”

  “Humans have alarm systems, big dogs, and hired security to protect them.”

  “All useless against someone like McNeil.” Eric opened his eyes all the way to give Diego a stern look. “Understand something, Diego. McNeil is dangerous. He’s exactly like me, except I can be calm because I’m secure in my place as leader. He’s not anymore, so he’s looking for any way to push me out so he can rule. That means that no one connected with me is safe—not you, not Cass and your unborn cub, not Jace, and now, not Iona. I can protect you best if you’re all in one place. If I’m forced to divide my attention all over town, McNeil will slip in somewhere and gouge me, using one of you to do it. You’re all fair game to him.”

  “So you decided to meet him at a fight club?” Diego asked, eyes showing his anger. “What happens if you lose?”

  “I won’t lose.” Eric stopped. “But in case I do, make sure Iona rejects his claim loud and clear, in front of witnesses. Then bring her back here, under Cassidy’s and Jace’s protection. If I’m badly hurt or killed, Cassidy will
become leader, which means McNeil will go after her. You and Jace will have to protect Cass too, with everything you’ve got. Get Shane and Brody and Nell with you—Nell’s pretty much fourth in dominance, or maybe even above Jace, I don’t know. But between all of you, you can keep Iona and Cassidy safe.”

  Eric slumped back into the sofa, the speech tiring him. But he had to say it, and say it quickly, cutting through whatever protests Diego was about to voice.

  “All right,” Diego said after a time. “Cass and I will look out for Iona if something happens to you. There must be something you can do about Graham, though. You’re Shiftertown leader. Arrest him or something.”

  “It’s a tricky situation. It’s not Graham’s choice to be here, and if I grab him and confine him to a hole—or get the humans to arrest him—his Lupines will never forgive me. There would be retaliation battles for years to come. I need to win in a fair fight against Graham. Leaders don’t resort to tricks.”

  “Sure, Eric,” Diego said. “What if he touched Iona?”

  “Then I’d kill him.”

  Diego nodded, knowing Eric wasn’t joking. “All right, then. You need a second at this fight? Can a human be second?”

  “Yeah, thanks. You and Shane can back me up. I don’t want Jace there, in case Graham tries something underhanded. I don’t trust him to fight fair.”

  “Done.”

  Eric had never liked humans before he’d met Diego, but his brother-in-law was proving that humans could be as strong, loyal, and protective as Shifters.

  Iona came out of Cassidy’s bedroom, and Eric’s thoughts about the upcoming fight dissolved. Cassidy had given Iona a cropped top and skirt, Cassidy being too tall to lend Iona any jeans. The skirt bared Iona’s athletic legs, and the top showed a slice of slim belly that Eric wanted to lick.

  He was up off the couch and at Iona’s side before Iona could leave the hall. Cassidy squeezed around them, amused, and headed for Diego, but Eric leaned Iona back against the wall.

  “My home is the best place for you,” Eric said, liking how she fit inside the curve of him. “Under my protection.”

  “We’ll talk about it,” Iona said.

  Eric breathed in her scent, something tight inside him loosening. “I’ll tell Jace to stop on his way home and buy us some chocolates.”

  Her eyes went dark, her scent filling with need. “If you want the truth, I can’t taste chocolate without thinking of you.”

  “Good.” Eric licked the corner of her mouth. “I only like it when it tastes of you.”

  “We could find a hose,” he heard Cassidy say to Diego.

  “You’d just get the hallway all wet,” Diego answered.

  Iona blushed. Eric touched a kiss to her mouth. “Ignore them. Cass likes to tease.” Eric could tell that Cassidy was pleased with Iona though.

  Iona shivered and rubbed her arms. “I’m still hungry.”

  Cassidy rose from the arm of Diego’s chair and headed for the kitchen. “Sweetie, when I went through my first mating heat, I wanted to eat everything in sight. Now that I’m pregnant, I want to eat everything in sight again. I say we have ice cream.”

  Eric didn’t want to let Iona go. He wanted to lean against her there, in the hall, absorbing her warmth, her smell, the taste of her.

  But eating would help her metabolism, which was going crazy, as all females’ did when the mating urge first touched them. Soon Iona would want to slake her hunger a different way, and Eric would be right there to help her.

  Diego and Eric watched from the living room as Cass and Iona devoured a tub of ice cream at the breakfast bar in the kitchen.

  The two women were already getting along, Cassidy talking in her open way, asking Iona about her family, the construction company, and her life growing up as a half Shifter. Iona, who always told Eric to mind his own business, readily answered Cassidy’s questions.

  Then Cass and Iona put their heads together and started talking softly to each other. Occasionally they’d glance up at the two men in the living room, and snicker.

  Females.

  After the ice cream, Iona started yawning and declared she’d go to bed. She was exhausted from the wedding, the reception, the mate-claim, meeting all these Shifters…

  Eric let Iona enter Jace’s bedroom alone. He knew that if he followed her in, he wouldn’t want to leave. He’d kiss her again, savoring more than he’d been able to in the hall, then he’d take her down to the bed, burrowing under her clothes and completing the mating.

  In Iona’s current state, she wouldn’t fight him. But Eric didn’t want only a casual encounter with Iona, she looking to ease her frenzy. When Eric took her, he wanted it to be as full mates. Then he’d make Iona his, forever.

  Iona looked a bit surprised that Eric only said good night and watched her walk into Jace’s empty bedroom, but she quickly closed the door behind her. And locked it.

  A groan in the middle of the night woke Iona from a sound sleep.

  Jace’s bedroom was the first one in the hall, with Eric’s bedroom, a narrow space that looked like a converted closet, next to it. Iona had seen, when she’d followed Cassidy to the bedroom she shared with Diego at the end of the hall, that Eric’s room held a bed and that was pretty much it.

  The groan had come from Eric’s bedroom, through the wall separating Iona from him. A groan of pain.

  Iona scrambled out of bed, the hem of her borrowed sleep shirt brushing her thighs. The clock on the nightstand—an old-fashioned folding travel clock, nothing digital—told her it was three thirty.

  She stepped into the hall, surprised by how quiet the house was. No sound came from outside—no cars, trucks, motorcycles, or trains, and they were a long way from the airport. A faint breeze blew through the eaves, but that was it.

  In the silence, Eric groaned again. She paused to see whether Cassidy or Diego would respond, but she heard no movement from their bedroom at the end of the hall. Either they were heavy sleepers or the fairly large bathroom between them and Eric’s room muffled the sound.

  Iona walked softly to Eric’s door and opened it.

  In the near darkness inside, her Shifter sight took in the bulk of Eric’s bed with him on top of it, his naked skin gleaming. The bedcovers lay in a pale heap on the floor beside the bed, where he’d thrown them off.

  “Eric?” Iona whispered.

  A stifled groan answered her. Iona quickly crossed the room to him and touched his shoulder.

  She pulled back in alarm. Eric’s skin was burning and drenched in sweat. “Eric, are you all right?”

  Eric’s hand closed on her wrist, fingers shaking but his grip strong. “No, I’m bloody well not all right.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Hell if I know.” His words cut off as a spasm wrenched his body. “I don’t know what the fuck this is.”

  “Your Collar?” Iona touched it, finding the black and silver band cool, the Celtic knot at his throat quiet. “Is it malfunctioning?”

  “Like I said, hell if I know.” Eric tried to rise but fell back to the pillow. “This is killing me.”

  Iona rubbed his shoulder, wanting to do something, but she didn’t know what. “Let me take you to a hospital. I’ll get Cass.”

  “No.” Eric grabbed her again as she started to straighten up. “A hospital won’t know what to do with me, and I don’t want to see knives or needles ever again.” He tugged at her. “Stay with me, Iona. Touch me. You’re already helping.”

  Iona sat on the edge of the bed and put a tentative hand on his chest. His heart pounded beneath her fingertips, his skin roasting hot.

  “Can you shift?” she asked. “Will that help?”

  “I tried. Made it worse.”

  Iona smoothed her hands across his hard chest, remembering how she’d enjoyed teasing his nipples with her tongue. His nipples were soft now, Eric nowhere near excited.

  She drew her fingers down his abdomen, finding the smooth indentation of his navel. Farther down
to his lower belly until she touched the cock below it.

  “Mmm,” Eric said. “Better.”

  The sweat on his face and his rapid breathing didn’t convince her. “Are you sick? Shifter flu?”

  Eric shook with silent laughter. “No such thing. I haven’t felt like this since…” He trailed off, his laughter dying.

  Iona lifted her hand from the base of his cock, sensing he didn’t need sexual play right now. “Since when? Since your mate died?”

  “No, that was different. This was later, when we first took the Collar.”

  Eric closed his mouth abruptly, as though he didn’t want to talk about the Collar. Iona lightly rubbed his stomach. “Tell me about your wife. Mate, I mean. What was she like?”

  Eric didn’t answer right away. He hesitated so long that Iona thought he wouldn’t answer at all, but then he spoke softly.

  “Kirsten was—amazing. Hair like sunshine, but her eyes were black. She could run like nothing I’d ever seen before, and she didn’t take any shit from me.”

  “What kind of cat was she?” Iona kept rubbing his abdomen, noting that his nearly frantic breathing had finally slowed.

  “Leopard. Not a snow leopard like me and Cass, a gold and black one. Leopards are one of the smallest wildcats, even among Shifters, but they’re the most dominant. Kirsten had…personality. A lion Shifter was after her once, a huge guy, both in his human and wildcat form. She pretty much told him what to do with himself. That was fun to watch.”

  “You loved her.”

  “I did. With everything I had.” Eric stilled Iona’s hand with his large one. “Why do you want to know this?”

  “It tells me what kind of person you are. And it’s making you feel better.”

  Eric drew a breath and relaxed. Then, at the bottom of the breath, his body went rigid with pain, his hand closing hard on hers. “Son of a bitch.”

  “Let me get Cassidy.”

  Eric’s hold tightened. “Don’t leave me. Stay with me. Please.”

  The grating cry wrenched Iona’s heart. She lifted their joined hands and kissed his fingers. “Keep telling me about Kirsten.”