Nik looked at me, and I ran a hand through my brown hair. The next logical question, why not just meet us all at the same time? Why wait to introduce her to Jonas? All I could do was shrug; I didn’t know what to say, and I was glad my brother was taking the helm. We didn’t have alphas, but if we did, I knew it would be Nik.
“Jonas is…rough around the edges,” Nik said, putting it lightly.
“In other words,” I chimed in, “we don’t want you to think we’re all so…”
“So what?” Holly blinked, those eyes practically the size of a doll’s. She was drop-dead gorgeous in a way that made me want to shelter her from the world, and from Jonas. The brute would only hurt her. Give a monster a flower, and that monster could only tear the flower up and stomp on its petals.
“Jonas rarely has manners, and he’s a bit of a loner,” Nik explained. He rubbed his hands together, pursing his lips in thought. “He hardly ever goes into town, except when he has meat and hides to sell. He’s not a people person.”
“He’s not a shifter person, either,” I muttered, earning myself a harsh glare from Nik and a questioning stare from Holly. “Rude is what he is.”
Holly whispered, “Oh.” That single word sounded heartbroken, fearful, and anxious. She rubbed her arm, no longer touching the pasta before her. She seemed miserable, and I instantly hated it.
Before I knew what I was doing, I scooted to her side, closing the distance between us. My hand moved to her back, and she was slow to meet my stare. Holly didn’t pull away, but she wasn’t exactly relaxed under my hand, either. Still, I’d take it as a tiny victory.
“We won’t let him hurt you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I assured her, glancing to Nik, who simply cocked a single eyebrow as he watched me move closer to her. It wasn’t something that we could promise, but we could do our damnedest. Holly deserved that much, if not more.
She gave me a small smile, but I could tell she didn’t believe me. Why would she? We were strangers to her. She might be a shifter like us, but she didn’t know us, didn’t trust us. Nik and I had to prove ourselves to her and pray that Jonas wasn’t too cruel to her.
Holly asked, “But if you don’t live in the same house, how can you say that?” She was smart too, putting things together faster than I could think up ways to comfort her. It was almost like she was trying to see the bad in the situation. I knew I couldn’t blame her, because she’d left everything she’d ever known to come here. She was now, in a word, ours.
Ours to love, ours to protect, ours to cherish. She was not ours to hurt, or subdue, or ridicule. Holly would be treated well—at least with us. And when she was with Jonas…if I or Nik got wind of him hurting her, we’d have words. Oh, we’d have more than words.
Nik reclined back in the chair, a pensive expression on his face. “We’ll talk with him. He, uh…actually owns the cabin you’re going to be living in.”
Her face fell, so crestfallen it made my heart ache inside my chest. “I’ll be living alone?”
Nodding, Nik went on, “Yes. We assumed you’d want to nest, or…” He paused, and I noted the way his neck began to turn red. “…have some privacy, when we’re not together.” Mating. He was talking about when we weren’t mating with her. Or, in human terms, fucking.
Holly looked like she wanted to argue, but she must’ve kept it in, for she simply said, “Okay. Whatever you want.” Though she sounded agreeable, she didn’t quite look it. This was hard for her, and I couldn’t imagine what she was feeling.
I met eyes with Nik. I honestly couldn’t tell if this was going to be good or bad. Guess we’d find out soon enough, when we took her to Jonas’s.
Chapter Five – Holly
The fact that I had a third mate, a mate who refused to come see me, a mate who wasn’t a people person and sounded quite awful, made me want to be sick all over again. I ended up not eating much of the pasta Aster had made for me, not wanting to throw up in front of two of my mates.
Yeah…probably not the best thing for them to see, at least not on the first day.
Nikolas and Aster seemed alright enough. They didn’t outright jump me when they got me alone, though I supposed that could simply be due to me needing to meet Jonas first. In this relationship, they were all equal. Me? I didn’t think I was equal to them. Nikolas, Aster, and Jonas might’ve been equal to each other, but I was the low woman on the totem pole.
The low woman on the totem pole who’d be living alone, apparently. Alone in the snow.
It was great, really. It meant I’d have some time to myself, and if I could get some cable and some internet at the cabin, I’d be happy enough. It was probably too much to hope for, but Nikolas and Aster seemed like they would try to acquiesce to my needs. I didn’t want to put too much faith in them though, lest they disappoint me so soon.
Being a realist was awfully depressing, I had to say.
Still, I knew I’d probably be lonely. It was just something I’d have to suck up, among many other things. All for Lumi. This was all so my baby sister could have a shot at life. I was well aware that I was giving up my own life for hers, but if there was a single person out there who I’d do anything for, it was her. She was the kindest girl you’d ever meet, and ridiculously intelligent for a twelve-year-old. Life had dealt her a horrible blow, and I wanted to make things better for her, and for my parents, who’d been struggling to pay her bills since her diagnosis.
“When are we going over there?” I asked, needing to know sooner rather than later if my third mate was going to be the cruel and sadistic type. Better to yank the bandage off now before I got used to the kindness these two showed me. I’d rather know than not know. Not knowing was a torture in and of its own.
Nikolas coughed, and I found myself drawn to the sound. “Whenever you want,” he said.
Aster hadn’t moved from my side after his attempt at comforting, and I found myself turning my head to meet his amber stare. He and his brother were very dissimilar in appearance. Where Nikolas had white hair and clear blue eyes, Aster had brown hair and honey-colored eyes. They did have the same bone structure in the face, though. And with a quick look, anyone could tell Aster was a few years younger than Nikolas. Aster was probably only two or three years older than me, not that that was much consolation.
Or, you know, any consolation.
“Can we go now?” I asked, my heart in my throat. The two men near me were attractive, but I wouldn’t lose myself in those feelings. The true test would be how they treated me as time wore on, as the days blended into each other.
How long would they wait to claim me? Would they make me turn tonight, or were they going to have some elaborate ritual in the middle of the night like I’d heard wolves did? The claiming took place when everyone was shifted…but the mating could be done while in human form, too. I wondered if they’d take me tonight.
It wasn’t a good thought. It was too soon. I mean, I just met them. My body might react to theirs, but they were still strangers.
Sad thing was I wouldn’t have a choice if they wanted to. If they asked me to tear off my own clothes and get on my knees for them, I had to. There was no such thing as resisting here, not when they held the power.
“Sure,” Nikolas said, obviously not expecting me to ask that. “If that’s what you want.”
I nodded. “It is.” Hurt me now instead of later. Find the truth. Meet Jonas and predict how the rest of my life was going to go here. Sounded like fun, didn’t it? My life was a whirlwind of fun.
Nikolas and Aster stood, and I was slow to follow. I pointed at the plate on the coffee table, about to ask if I should put it anywhere, but Aster gave me the gentlest grin I’d ever seen, stopping me cold.
Or, I guess, I should say stopping me warm.
That smile was adorable, and he had dimples. Dimples. If he really was as nice and kind as he seemed, maybe this life wouldn’t be so bad, even if Jonas wasn’t so amiable. Maybe I could do this. No—I had to do this, no ifs, ands, or buts.
<
br /> “Don’t worry about that,” Aster told me. “I’ll take care of it when I get back.” When he gets back, because I won’t be coming back here with them. I’ll have my own cabin on Jonas’s property. Basically, it sounded like Jonas could visit me whenever the heck he wanted, which was great.
I was only a little nervous about meeting Jonas.
And by a little, I meant a lot.
I still wore my coat, and if I was honest, I started to shiver before we even made it to the door of their house. Nikolas and Aster exchanged looks, and Nikolas said, “She’s not used to the cold.”
“Huh,” Aster remarked, glancing at me. “A snow leopard not used to the cold.” And then he flashed another dimpled smile at me, making my stomach do a few twists. “I’ve never heard that one before.” He reached for a thin coat hanging near the door; Nikolas had never taken his off.
I folded my arms over my chest, not liking to be the odd one out, and not sure if I liked the way my body responded to these two.
It was as we went outside, greeted by the chilly air, that a horrible thought came to me. What if Jonas was cruel—and my inner leopard enjoyed it? It was hard to say what she’d enjoy, mostly because she wasn’t woken yet, but I think that thought scared me more than the mere notion that Jonas might be horrible to me.
Being tortured was one thing, but being tortured and reveling in it was another thing entirely. I wasn’t the kind of girl who enjoyed the rough side of life—I was…well, boring, I guess. Yep. I was boring. Vanilla as vanilla could get, innocent around these male shifters. As cliched as it was, and it was stupidly cliched—so cliched I hated even thinking it—I was a pure virgin, and they would deflower me and defile me.
Ugh. What the hell? If I was born human, I wouldn’t have to worry about this particular problem.
If I was human, I probably would’ve had to watch my sister die, or watch my parents drown in medical debt. Win some, lose some.
I chose to get in the backseat, and Nikolas yet again held open the door for me. Aster climbed into the passenger’s seat, and once Nikolas was in, he turned the heat up for me. Took a while for the car to get warm, but I was too lost in what was going to happen.
Jonas lived by himself outside of town. His place was practically a mile off the road, his yard covered in nearly two feet of snow. From what I understood, my cabin was much smaller than his, and it was even further back. The longer it took us to get up his driveway, the more I doubted being able to get a TV and the internet in my cabin. A longshot, definitely.
Nikolas parked the car in front of the garage, turning around his torso so he could look at me. “Why don’t you let me go in and talk to him first? Make sure he’s home. He might be out hunting.” I could tell by his voice he hoped the latter. He didn’t want to introduce me to Jonas yet.
“Hunting?” I asked.
“It’s how he makes his money,” Aster replied, and Nikolas got out of the car, leaving it running. Clearly, he wasn’t expecting Jonas to be home. “I think it’s so he can let off some steam, and the money’s his excuse.”
I lost myself in my own head for a few moments. It took me a while to say, “Do you think he’ll hurt me?” I hated how weak I sounded, how unsure and tentative I was, but how could I be anything but? The way Nikolas and Aster spoke of him, Jonas didn’t sound like a good guy.
He sounded like an animal.
“I…I don’t know.” Aster’s amber eyes met mine, and I felt my stomach warm up. I wanted desperately to have faith in him, but I knew I couldn’t. These guys might just think getting my guard down would make things easier. “I meant what I said, though. I know we’re strangers, but you’re important to me, Holly. You’re more important than you know.”
“Because I’m an unclaimed female shifter,” I spoke without thinking, instantly wanting to take it back. My eyes widened, but fortunately for me, Aster only looked amused, not angered by my bluntness whatsoever.
“Hey,” he said, “don’t sell yourself short. You’re also the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” Aster’s compliment came off his tongue easily, and I almost believed him. “And I can’t help but feel like our lives were nothing before you walked into them.”
A short breath came from my lungs, and I had to look away. This one was full of sappy compliments, wasn’t he? Hallmark movie proclamations and all that. I didn’t think I believed him, but I wanted to.
I wanted to believe every word he said.
Nikolas stormed out of the cabin within a few moments, getting into the car and practically slamming the door behind him. Judging from the look on his face, it didn’t go well. My guess was that Jonas was home and he didn’t want to play nice.
Which was great. Just freaking great.
“I take it didn’t go well,” Aster remarked dryly, breaking the awkward silence in the car.
“He’s home, but he doesn’t want to see her right now,” Nikolas muttered, his brows furrowed. “He wants us to leave her at the cabin.”
“What? No, that’s bullshit—”
Nikolas cut in, “He has the same right to her as we do.” He heaved an explosive sigh. “He said he wouldn’t see her until tomorrow, if that makes you feel any better.” Comforting his brother instead of comforting me. I wasn’t jealous, but I was ten times more nervous about this than I was mere moments ago.
“It’s okay,” I muttered, causing both men in the front to look at me. The brothers seemed nice enough, and that was more than I hoped for. Provided they remained kind, I could handle one asshole out of the bunch.
Maybe.
When neither of them said anything, I added, “Really, it’s okay. I don’t want to cause ripples, I just…” Saying I want everything to be okay didn’t feel right, because I knew things weren’t going to be okay. I was a female shifter, and I had a duty to my family to be here. This was the hand I was given, so I had to play it as best as I could.
Not fighting it seemed like the best option here.
Nikolas only frowned, and Aster spoke, “You don’t have to put on a brave face with us, Holly. You can come back to our house and—”
“No,” Nikolas finally said, meeting my gaze in the rearview mirror. “She’s right. She should stay here.”
I reached into my back pocket and found my cell phone. Still worked, though the signal was kind of spotty. “If you guys give me your phone numbers, I can call you if something happens.” That was assuming Jonas didn’t confiscate my phone like some kind of crappy high school principal. I was hoping to at least be able to call my parents and talk to Lumi every few days. If there’s anything I’d fight for, it was my right to make those phone calls.
They each gave me their numbers, along with the house number. I saved them away under their scrutiny, and after it was done, Nikolas turned off his car. We got out, and together we carried my luggage around Jonas’s cabin, trudging through the snow.
My cabin was apparently so small it didn’t even merit its own driveway. I didn’t wear appropriate boots, so my jeans were soaked with snow by the time we arrived at the door. No area around it was shoveled, and when Nikolas opened the door, a bunch of snow fell inside. We stepped in, and I shivered. The heat was barely on in this place.
Aster saw me shivering, and as Nikolas closed the door and dusted the snow off his pants, he went to turn the heat up. My luggage took up most of the space in the small front living room, and though the kitchen was connected to it, I could hardly call this place a home.
It seemed so small and cramped, not to mention lonely.
I moved down the hall, peering into the bathroom. The bathroom held a tub, a toilet, and a small vanity, none of which looked updated. Across the hall was the bedroom, along with another small room that was empty. That, I supposed, would be the cub’s room, once I had one. The master bedroom wasn’t so much of a master as it was a small square of a room filled with merely a dresser and a queen-sized bed.
No TV anywhere, I noticed, and no WIFI router.
I r
eturned to the living room, where Aster and Nikolas stood, both men studying me as if they couldn’t quite nail me down. I didn’t know why. I was a simple creature, really. I just wanted my family taken care of, and some TV would be nice, too.
“Are you sure you’ll be fine here?” Nikolas asked, cocking his head.
My gaze dropped, and for the first time, I noticed how well his jeans hugged his legs. He was a bit beefier than Aster, and he filled his jeans nicely. “Yes,” I said, quickly bringing my gaze up, lest he think I was checking him out. I kind of was, but I didn’t want him to know that. One of those pesky human traits, unfortunately.
“If you need us…” Aster began, but I knew what he meant.
“I’ll call,” I said, meaning it. I had no reason to lie to these guys. They were my mates, as awkward as it was. I was certain things would get less awkward as the time wore on. Once we were together physically, talks like this would be nothing.
Being with them physically. I…was especially nervous about that. I mean, what if I was awful at it? What if I was just downright bad, and they decided they didn’t want me anymore? Aster might’ve said I was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen, but I wasn’t sure if I believed him. I didn’t know if I ever would.
Aster scratched the back of his neck, glancing to Nikolas. Nikolas, meanwhile, took a step toward me. I blinked, and in the next moment I was being pressed against his strong chest, smothered by everything he was. Musky, manly, sex on two legs. Even though I wasn’t hugging him back, my body started to grow warm in certain places that had never acted up so much.
“I am glad you’re finally here,” Nikolas whispered, not prolonging the hug. He released me just as I was starting to lose myself in his iron grip, letting his brother take his place.
“Me too,” Aster whispered, giving me a dimpled smile. He was a few inches shorter than Nikolas, but still taller than me. Still wider than me. I felt like such a child compared to these men, these shifters. “Nik’s not the only excited one.” He wrapped me in his arms, breathing in my hair and my scent.
Promised to the Pride: A Shifter Romance Page 3
