Nikolas and Aster were motionless, watching me go with open mouths, neither one of them believing what I was about to do. I didn’t want Jonas to win, but I didn’t want to dig myself into a deeper hole when it came to him.
I was trying to play nice. I had no idea whether playing nice would actually make my life easier in the long run, but I was willing to take the chance. Right now I wasn’t so much worried about how Nikolas or Aster would treat me. It was Jonas.
Once I made it to his front door, my gloved hand curled into a fist. I was seconds from knocking when Jonas yanked open the door, frowning at me. He looked just as intimidating as I remembered him being a few hours ago.
A few hours? That was all it had been? Jeez. It felt like ages since he had me curled onto his lap.
“How—” I didn’t get the rest of my question out.
“I heard you coming,” Jonas spoke with a glower. “You’re not the quietest one around.” It might not sound like an insult, but the way he spoke it, it definitely was. He studied me, my new puffy coat and hat. He could hardly see my body beneath it all, which I bet he wasn’t too fond of. If he had his way, I was sure I’d be waltzing around naked every second of the day.
Do not let him intimidate you. Not yet, at least. This is just a friendly invitation, not a challenge to his authority.
“We’re going to the lake,” I spoke, swallowing any unease I had in speaking with him. It was impossible not to feel scrutinized beneath his emerald gaze, to not feel a warmth blooming in my lower stomach. “I figured you might want to come.” When he gave me a questionable look, I added, “Not to practice, because I’m sure you know the area well, but…uh—” I shrugged. “—you know. You could keep a lookout, if you want. Or you could practice. I’m not saying you shouldn’t. All three of you should have the chance to win—”
Oh, God. I was rambling now, wasn’t I? That just made this ten times worse. I hated looking like an idiot, and before meeting my mates, I’d never made myself feel quite as stupid as I did right now. Then again, no other male had affected me so much. My mom could settle for a human mate, but apparently it took these shifters to get me worked up.
Jonas said nothing, only staring at me with those intense eyes of his.
“Well,” I coughed, “we’re going now. So…okay then.” Way to finish the invitation like a winner. I shook my head to myself as I turned around, annoyed with myself for letting my hormones get the best of me. Just because my body reacted to his didn’t mean I had to be a blubbering idiot in his presence.
I returned to Nikolas and Aster after trudging through the snow. My hands were stuck in my coat pockets, and together the three of us walked to the same lake where I’d encountered the bear. If that bear knew what was good for him, he wouldn’t come back. Even if Jonas didn’t come—and it looked like he wasn’t going to, since I couldn’t see him following us—I was confident Nikolas and Aster would be able to handle it. Two against one was better odds than one against one…although, comparably, Jonas was practically Aster and Nikolas put together.
The lake looked even more beautiful than it did earlier. Though there was no pink reflecting off the surface of the frozen water, the wind had picked up, swirling snowflake-filled breezes around. If I had to guess, I’d say the lake was at least a mile in diameter. I had no idea how long it was around, nor how long it would take them to run around it. Snow leopards weren’t the fastest animals.
Either way, I really hoped one of the men beside me could pull it off, because if I could choose who would awaken me and get to claim me first, I’d have to choose either Nikolas or Aster. Not Jonas.
Time would tell.
Chapter Eleven – Aster
Nik was busy walking around the lake, stopping only if he needed to clear the path. Any straw logs or rocks beneath the snow that might hamper the race were tossed to the side, further away from the frozen lake. I stood near Holly, not wanting to leave her alone. I knew these woods held some aggressive animals, and I included Jonas in that number.
Besides, I couldn’t get enough of her presence. It was like she was a drug, so intoxicating and entrancing that I was helpless to defend myself or stop myself from needing my next fix.
If someone would’ve asked me what I thought about love at first sight a few days ago, I probably would’ve laughed. I’d witnessed more than enough of the humans meeting in the local bar and going home with each other—and then the aftermath of their hookups—to be doubtful of such a thing. But the moment I saw Holly, my feelings about that changed.
How could anyone look at her and not fall in love with her? She was gorgeous, and even though the situation wasn’t exactly a good one, she wasn’t running from it. She was brave, and her smile made me warm in places I probably shouldn’t mention.
Holly was everything I wanted in a mate and more. Nik had warned me not to get my hopes up about our mate, and I’d tried to listen to him. I’d rather be pleasantly surprised than vastly disappointed, but deep down, I couldn’t help it. I was excited, and my hopes were high. I wanted us to be happy, and I wanted a mate that would fill the vacant spot in my heart.
That was precisely what Holly did. My inner leopard connected with her within seconds, ultimately and quickly deciding: she’s mine. That was it. That was all it took for me to practically worship the ground she walked on. I didn’t know if it would be considered instant love, but I did feel for her very strongly, especially considering she hadn’t even been in my life a month.
Shifters were like that sometimes. Feelings grew and sprouted instantaneously. We weren’t like humans, who waffled back and forth with their feelings and their fears of commitment. With us, everything was more straightforward. Our inner animals either connected or they didn’t. Once she was turned, once her leopard was released, I could only imagine my feelings for her would intensify with the strength of a thousand suns.
Dramatic? Maybe, but wholly true.
Holly’s eyes were on Nik, even though he was half a mile away. I watched her for a few moments, spotting the color in her cheeks. Even though she was bundled up like a human, she was still cold. I bet the temperature here wouldn’t be a problem once she turned. Nik and I rarely wore hats or gloves, and our boots were mainly worn just to keep the snow out of our socks.
There was nothing worse than a wet sock, except two wet socks.
“How are you handling all this?” I asked, wanting to make sure she was doing alright. She seemed relatively strong, but I didn’t want to overload her. This was all new. Hell, it was new to us, and I bet it was ten times scarier for her. Female shifters should be worshipped like goddesses, and yet, just like in the human world, they were seen as lesser, as things to control.
Sexism was not merely a human trait, sadly.
“Honestly,” Holly spoke, finally tearing her gaze off of Nikolas to bring it to me. Her eyes were a crisp blue, a lighter color than my brother’s stare. Whereas Nikolas’s were the hue of the waters in the tropical oceans, hers were the color of a clear blue sky. “I’m okay. I came here expecting the worst.”
I let out a chuckle. “And meeting Jonas like that wasn’t the worst?”
She had her arms crossed, looking a bit silly with her puffy jacket. Beneath it, she shrugged. “He was right. I shouldn’t have gone for a walk by myself. I really wasn’t trying to run.” She bit her lower lip, and I wondered what it would feel like for those teeth to nip at my lips. “I don’t want you guys to think I was trying to run.”
I knew why she was so worried about it. The deal of this pairing was that we continued to send money to her parents, money for her sister’s treatments. I didn’t know what her sister was sick with, but I knew it was something big, and she cared for her sister a lot. She couldn’t run, she wouldn’t, lest we stop those payments. Holly wouldn’t allow that to happen.
Reaching for her, I set a hand on her back. Or, rather, on her ridiculously puffy jacket. “I know you weren’t, and Jonas…give him some time. He’ll believe you too,
but in his own way. He’ll never admit that he was wrong, so if you’re waiting for that, you’re going to be waiting a long time.”
“I can see why you two were worried about me meeting him,” she said. “He isn’t at all like you two.”
I chose to take that as a compliment, because how else could she have meant it? “No, he’s really not.”
“How did the three of you wind up here?” The moment she asked, she quickly said, “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me. I don’t want to overstep.” Again, acting meek, as if she thought that’s how she was supposed to act. Jonas might want her to be a meek little servant, but I wanted her to be who she was. I wanted her true self.
I glanced to Nik, who was now about halfway around the lake. “We lived a few hours from here growing up. Our parents were…” It was hard to bring it up, mostly because it happened nearly ten years ago. Neither of us had been of legal age at the time, so the Pride had to work its magic to keep us out of the system. “Killed.”
“Oh, no,” she said, sounding immeasurably sad. “I’m so sorry.”
I nodded. I was sorry about it too. “They died protecting us.”
“From what?” Beneath her hat, her eyebrows creased.
“Humans,” I muttered, only able to vaguely recall the day. My adrenaline had been pumping at the time, I’d practically blacked out. I was certain it was only because my brother was better able to handle himself in situations like that that we both lived to tell the tale. “They knew what we were. They called themselves Hunters.”
An expression of disgust drew across her features. “And they hunted shifters?”
I couldn’t blame her for sounding so aghast. We might have inner animals, but we were people. We were living creatures of both human and animal design, and not just wild animals. But those bastards didn’t care. “Yes,” I muttered. “While our parents distracted them, Nik and I were able to get out. By the time the Pride came to investigate, it was too late. Our parents were…gone.”
Holly moved closer to me, one of her gloved hands finding mine.
“The Pride told us they had a place for us a few hours away, with another leopard shifter. We really had no choice but to come here,” I said. “Jonas wasn’t the most welcoming, but he showed us the ropes of Fairbanks. I’m just glad the Pride set us up in our own house, because I honestly think that either Nik or I would be dead if we had to live with Jonas.” I gave her a smile, not wanting to keep talking about such depressing things.
She leaned her cheek on my upper arm, and for a moment, we stood there in silence. She gazed out at the lake, at Nik, and I gazed down at her. Our time in Fairbanks had been quiet, and yet I knew without a doubt that if something happened here like what happened to my parents, history would repeat itself.
For Holly, I would stand and fight, just to make sure she got away. I would do anything for her, even die.
Yes, I was aware that it was a bit too soon so say I’d die for her, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t ashamed of my feelings. I’m sure Nik was right behind me in them, though he probably wouldn’t admit it out loud for a while. My brother was the more logical one.
“No matter who wins this race,” I said, praying to God it would be me for both our sakes, “I want you to know that I’m glad you’re here.”
Holly turned her face up at me, giving me a smile that could knock me down. A smile like that could make you lose all your thoughts, make you forget about your surroundings and what you were doing. A smile like that was one that made you warm all over, one you dreamt of. I knew I’d be dreaming about this girl for the rest of my life.
My mate. My Holly. My life.
“And I’m glad you’re here,” she whispered, still smiling. “You’re not what I expected, Aster, but in a good way.” She lifted her head off my arm only to tug on the hand she was holding. She made me bend down, only to give me a soft peck on the cheek. A single, gentle kiss that made me forget everything I was going to say.
When her lips left my cheek, I couldn’t help but feel dazed. My skin tingled where her lips had touched, and I was about to say something when Nik finally finished going around the lake and made his way over.
“Hey,” Nik said, kicking the snow between us as he walked over. “I saw that. You two bonded, didn’t you?” He sounded properly jealous, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Holly, though, must’ve thought he was serious, for she asked, “I could kiss your cheek too, if it would make you feel better?” Her hand left mine, and she started toward him, as if going to do it.
Nik gave her a shake of his head. “No, I’m just giving my brother a hard time.” A slow smile spread across his face, and as the wind whipped by, his almost white hair swayed with the breeze. “You and I will have our moment, Holly, I’m sure of it.”
She was about to say something, but a third male’s presence cut her off. We all turned to watch Jonas walk through the woods, glaring at us as he emerged from the snowy distance. He’d thrown on a small jacket.
Oh, well. Great. The bastard’s here. Just wonderful.
If looks could kill, I’d be a goner. Nik would be a goner. Even Holly would be a goner. Jonas gave us all glares as he walked up, tilting his head as he zeroed in on Holly. It was as if neither Nik nor I were there, as if he thought Holly was his mate and his mate alone.
Oh, fuck no. That bastard couldn’t win this race. My pride wouldn’t let him.
Chapter Twelve – Holly
“You came,” I said, stepping away from Nikolas as Jonas met us near the lake. Somehow, I didn’t think he would. He didn’t look too thrilled at the mention of Nikolas and Aster practicing, so I just assumed he wasn’t coming.
Then again, he’d never told me yes or no, so I supposed I was just an ass for assuming.
“You think I trust you out here with these two?” Jonas spoke gruffly, shooting evil glares toward Aster and Nikolas, who both rightly looked insulted. “In case you forgot, I’m the reason you’re still standing, Mate. That bear would’ve got you if it weren’t for me.”
“Bear?” Aster echoed, sharply glancing at me. “You were attacked by a bear? Why the hell didn’t you think to tell us this before? Are you alright?”
“Because she was running away and didn’t want to tell you, probably,” Jonas muttered, moving past us to gaze at the lake. “I see you cleared a path.”
Nikolas’s gaze darted between me to Jonas. “Yes, I didn’t want anyone to get hurt while practicing.”
No pain, no gain. I expected Jonas to come back with something like that, but Jonas remained quiet. For a moment, I stared at all three of my mates. They were so different, not only in looks but personalities.
I coughed, causing all three pairs of eyes to turn to me. “I brought my phone,” I said. “I can time you, if you want. We can see who’s the one to beat today.” I wasn’t sure if timing them would help or not. This was not a situation I expected to encounter when flying out here.
A race would decide who turned me, who claimed me first. A race, like I was some prize. In a way, I was, being a female shifter, but still. I didn’t want to be a prize. I wanted…well, maybe it was stupid, but I wanted these guys to want me not because they had to, but because they wanted to. I didn’t want to be an object to them. I wanted to be everything to them.
No, that was stupid, at least where Jonas was concerned. I’d never be anything more to him. With Nikolas and Aster, maybe. I already got the vibe from Aster that he’d do anything for me, and I couldn’t help but want Aster to win this race. To dominate the practices and show Nikolas and Jonas that just because he was the smallest out of the three, the youngest out of the three, that he wasn’t to be taken lightly.
It was probably too much to ask, and definitely too much to hope for.
Jonas glanced to Nikolas. “Go. See how fast you can run.”
Though I wasn’t standing between them, I detected the hint of challenge in Jonas’s voice. Usually, the bigger one was, the slower one was. Jonas w
as thick and built, impressive when it came to sheer strength, but speed? I doubted he was that fast. I’d seen him dash toward the bear, but until I watched my other two mates run, I couldn’t truly compare them.
“Fine,” Nikolas said, giving his own glare to Jonas. His glare, I noticed, was nowhere near as dour and severe as Jonas’s, but it served its purpose. He unzipped his jacket, handing it to Aster. Then he took off his shirt, and I couldn’t help but watch.
Nikolas was a fine male specimen. His chest was chiseled in all the right places, not overly muscled like Jonas, but just enough to make me wonder what it would feel like to run my hand down that chest and feel his abs. Because he did have them—abs, I meant. Since his hair was so light, it was like his torso had not a speck of hair on it, the perfect kind of chest to lean into and cuddle with.
Not that I would know much about that, because me and cuddling? Never happened with another guy.
Nikolas’s gaze met mine as he undid the buttons on his pants. I should really look away, I knew I should, and yet I couldn’t seem to force myself to. I knew what a man looked like naked—I’d seen bits and pieces of Jonas, but not all of him, since he had me flustered with his hand around my throat—but it wasn’t like I was naive about it. Like I’d told Jonas, I might’ve been innocent, but I wasn’t naive. I grew up being friends with humans. Humans were frisky, and they gossiped about everything. Shape, size, whether the dick was cut or uncut.
Yep. Definitely not naive.
A tiny smile grew on Nikolas’s face as he pulled down his pants. I didn’t get to see much, because the moment his pants and boxer briefs were pulled, he shifted.
No fair. I was kind of excited to…
That particular thought trailed off when I realized both Aster and Jonas were watching me, as if waiting for me to swoon or say something about Nikolas’s body. Crap. Was my face red? It was probably red because of the cold…I hoped.
I pretended like I didn’t see Aster and Jonas watching me, putting my focus on Nikolas, who was now in his snow leopard form. He leaped from his clothes the moment he shifted, landing in the snow a few feet away. As Aster went to fold his clothes and set them on his boots, I couldn’t help but be in awe of him.
Promised to the Pride: A Shifter Romance Page 7
