Nikolas’s shifted form was a bit special, I think, because of his lighter-than-average hair. The fur that should’ve been a light grey was a dusty blonde, his spots a bit lighter than they should’ve been. Still, on all fours, he was impressive, built perfectly. One of the most beautiful creatures I’d ever seen.
I watched Nikolas move to the edge of the frozen lake, and he turned his furry head towards us, staring squarely at me with eyes that were a metallic, bright blue. Something inside of me twisted as I remembered: that’s one of my mates.
“I think he’s waiting for you to start the clock,” Aster chimed in, shooting me a playful, dimpled smirk.
Right. Whoops.
I pulled out my phone, needing to pull off a glove to get the phone screen to work. Once I had the timer pulled up, my thumb hovering over the start button—holy heck, was it cold outside—I lifted my other hand. The moment I gave him the thumbs-up sign, I pressed the start button, and Nikolas took off.
He took a leaping start, running off as fast as his legs could take him. Snow leopards weren’t that big of an animal, just over two feet tall and about four feet long, from snout to tail. Bigger than a housecat, but nowhere near as big as a lion or a tiger. Absolutely mesmerizing in every way, though.
“Come on, Nik,” Aster muttered. “You can go faster than that.”
Though Nikolas was too far away to hear him, it was like his brother spoke to him telepathically. Nikolas pushed himself further, picking up speed, and we watched him round the lake and make his way back to us. The moment his big paws hit the same snow he started off on, I stopped the timer.
Just over three minutes.
I showed the timer to Aster and Jonas, and to Nikolas after he put his clothes on. I was too busy watching for Aster’s and Jonas’s reaction to his time to ogle his naked body. Once he saw his time, he said, “It’s a longer distance than it looks, okay?”
Aster rolled his neck and made a big show about cracking his knuckles. “My turn.” He practically tore off his clothes, giving his back to us as he shifted. His ass was…cute. Looked firm. Once he was shifted, he flicked his long tail at us, meeting eyes with me before letting out a chirping sound.
I giggled, and Jonas glowered. Nikolas, I noticed, was still out of breath a bit. It was a longer distance than most snow leopards could run at full speed, I think.
As Aster situated himself in the same spot his brother had, I made the same thumbs-up gesture as I hit the start button again. My eyes followed him as he rounded the edge of the lake, his legs picking up speed quickly. Unlike Nikolas, Aster hadn’t opted for a leaping start—maybe that was what would win this. Technique and not outright speed.
“He’s fast,” Nikolas muttered, glancing at Jonas, as if wordlessly taunting him.
“We’ll see” was all Jonas said, but I could tell as he watched Aster round the opposite side of the lake, he was concerned. He thought he could beat Nikolas, but Aster seemed just a hair too fast.
Aster made it back in two minutes and forty-five seconds, almost a full ten seconds quicker than Nikolas.
Once he got his clothes back on, Aster was giddy to see his time. He knew he was faster than his brother, and he let out a triumphant laugh when he saw it. He was acting like a sore winner, for sure, even though there was still one more man who had to race.
“That’s the time to beat,” Aster spoke proudly, glancing at Nikolas and then me. He ignored Jonas completely.
Jonas’s wide chest let out a rumble. “Move,” he said, about to take his turn. Unlike the brothers, no one offered to hold his clothes, so as he shed them, he had to put them in the snow. He was…well, obviously he was the biggest out of the three. The widest, the tallest, the strongest. And when he shifted, he was still the most impressive.
Being so jaw-dropping must mean he had the right to be the biggest dick around, huh?
No, I shouldn’t think that. That was wrong of me…even if it was true.
Jonas’s paws were the largest, and I could see his claws poking out into the snow as I cleared the timer of Aster’s time. I was about to give him the thumbs-up sign, the same sign I’d given both Aster and Nikolas, but Jonas took off before I could. I quickly pressed the start button, knowing he was trying to give himself a head-start.
Wasn’t going to work, though. I could tell, in just the first few moments, that Jonas wasn’t faster than Nikolas, and he definitely wasn’t faster than Aster. His muscles weren’t as sleek, and it took more to keep his body moving.
By the time Jonas finished the lap and I stopped the timer, when I glanced down to see his three minutes and thirty seconds time, I knew. I knew without a doubt that Jonas wasn’t going to win the race, Aster was.
I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t get any satisfaction from it.
Chapter Thirteen – Holly
Every day before work, Nikolas and Aster came to practice. They both wanted to win, it was clear, and they both tried to beat their best time. Every day they managed to shed a few seconds off, but each time Aster was still the winner. Jonas refused to venture out onto the lake again after losing so badly, instead choosing to pout in his house. That, or disappear all day hunting.
I didn’t mind too much, because I got to spend more time with Nikolas and Aster. The more time I spent with the brothers, the more I grew to like them. Neither one of them ever made comments similar to the ones Jonas had that first day, and I was grateful for it. One asshole of a mate was enough; I didn’t need three.
It was one day after the practice races when we sat in my tiny cabin. Both Aster and Nikolas had to leave for work soon, but for a few minutes more, at least, I had them to myself. Granted, I hadn’t heard many stories about female shifters and their mates, but I knew I was fortunate to have two good ones.
And it was only because they were kind that I felt comfortable asking what I did next.
“Do you think you could get some cable hooked up in here?” I asked. I sat between them on the couch. Right across from us was where I’d have the TV hooked up, hang it on the wall, maybe. Could you do that in a log cabin, or did you need drywall for that? Eh, I didn’t care. I just needed TV. When I was alone, the days were boring. Lumi was in school a lot, and at the hospital a lot. I couldn’t text her nearly as much as I wanted to. And by that, I meant she didn’t always text back.
When neither Aster nor Nikolas said anything, I went on, “It’s just boring in here, by myself. I need TV, or the internet. Preferably both, actually.”
“Well,” Nikolas started, rubbing the back of his neck. He had his legs crossed, one arm on the cushion behind my neck. “I suppose we could ask Jonas about it.”
“What?” I whined, shooting Aster a pleading look.
Aster held one of my hands, lightly running a finger over my knuckles. “It is Jonas’s property. He’d have to get it set up for you.” He noticed my frown, and he leaned toward me, pressing his lips onto my cheek. “I know, I know. It’s not fair.”
“It’s not,” I agreed. Going to Jonas for anything didn’t sound like my cup of tea, especially with the way he’d been acting ever since losing the practice race. I was a bit afraid he’d lash out, and I didn’t want my good memories with Nikolas and Aster to be tarnished by Jonas’s dour self and actions.
“We can go with you,” Nikolas said. “We don’t have to leave for another ten minutes.” He stood up, his hand brushing my shoulder as he got to his feet. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” Neither he nor Aster enjoyed dealing with Jonas, which I found odd. I mean, they were all my mates, so we’d have to suck it up eventually.
Still, it did kind of suck, and it wasn’t fair.
We got up, and I shrugged on my big, fluffy coat, along with my knee-high boots. I still wasn’t used to the weight of the coat, but the boots were actually warm and comfortable. I grabbed a hat, just intending to stick my bare hands in the jacket’s pockets during the walk to his cabin. Once Aster and Nikolas were ready, we left my place to head to Jonas’s.
<
br /> It still amazed me that Jonas’s cabin was so much bigger than mine. I was jealous he actually had room to breathe in it.
Nikolas knocked once before stepping in, and as Aster and I filed in behind him, he tilted his head. “I don’t hear him. I don’t think he’s home.”
“Well,” Aster said, moving to the couch—which was ten times comfier than mine, “we can wait a bit.” He kicked up his feet, having not taken off his boots, getting a bunch of snow on the coffee table, which I was pretty sure was made from real wood.
Jonas wouldn’t be happy about that.
Nikolas smirked at his younger brother, turning his emerald gaze to me. “You okay with waiting here? We can always come back later, be your backup, if he doesn’t come back before we have to leave.”
Their offer was kind, but I shook my head. I didn’t need them to be near me every time I was with Jonas. I had to learn to fend for myself when it came to my third mate, and besides, I didn’t think Jonas liked either of them. So having them here might just make it impossible for him to agree to let me have cable and internet.
No, I could brave Jonas alone. I’d have to learn to do it eventually anyway.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, moving to sit near Aster.
Nikolas dusted off the coffee table, sitting on its edge. He took my hands in his, drawing my full attention. “He might try something. I don’t trust him.” Beside me, Aster was busy nodding along.
“You have to trust him. He’s a part of this, too,” I said. “If he tries something, I’ll be fine.” I wasn’t sure if I believed it, but it was what it was. In less than three days I’ll be claimed anyway, so if Jonas tried something, well. It would just be an introduction as to how my life would be after the race. “As long as he doesn’t push himself on me—” Actually, in me. “—he’ll still be a man of his word.”
The harsh truth of reality was there was a way around everything. Plus, in the end, I couldn’t stop any of them from doing what they wanted. Even once I shifted, I wouldn’t be as strong as they were.
“And if he tries anything,” Nikolas started, “we would have every right to punish him. Don’t know exactly how we’d do that, but it would be…”
“Within our right,” Aster finished, puffing up his chest. “I can feel my muscles getting stronger from all of that practicing. I think I can take him down one-on-one now.”
Both Nikolas and I laughed at that, and I worked to take off my huge, puffy jacket, tossing it to the coat holder near the door. It landed on the floor with a soft thud, and I reclined back on the couch, exhaling as I closed my eyes.
Once I shifted, I’d be able to differentiate between my mates’ smells, the way they walked, even how they breathed. I would be connected to them in a way I just couldn’t be now. I was both deadly nervous and excited, which I never thought I would be. Nervous? Yes, of course. I was me. I’d gotten sick multiple times before coming here. But excited? That was unexpected, and I think I owed my excitement to the two leopards sitting beside me.
After a long while of silence, Nikolas said, “Well, Aster and I have to get to work. One of these days you should come with us.”
I opened my eyes, meeting his. “I’d love that,” I said, meaning it.
“Yeah, we can mix you a few drinks, play you some old, crappy music on the jukebox,” Aster started rattling off. “Maybe you’ll even see a bar fight. Doesn’t happen often, but they’re fun to watch. Less fun to break up.”
Nikolas and Aster went for the door, asking me if I was sure I wanted to wait here. Yes, yes, and yes. I was desperate for TV at this point. If Jonas wanted me to dance naked and do the hula, I would. I was not above begging for a TV. That cabin was that boring, believe me.
Or maybe I was just used to life’s wants, having grown up pretty much like a human.
They each gave me chaste kisses before they left—on the cheek, of course. They were holding back until the race. I knew once the race was over, once I was turned and claimed, all bets would be thrown out of the window. My two knights might not act like knights in shining armor at all.
One thing at a time. First, hopefully cable.
When they were gone, and I was alone in Jonas’s house, I found myself meandering around. I shouldn’t snoop. Snooping was bad, and if Jonas caught me snooping, there’d be hell to pay. Still, this might be the only time to try to figure out what he was like underneath that prickly exterior.
He kept his house clean. The kitchen was spotless. I poked my head in the refrigerator, finding some lunchmeat. I pulled out a slice before putting it back, biting into it as I went down the hall. I’d never seen the rest of his house before, just the kitchen and the front living room with the fireplace. The place was so large, I knew he had to have a bunch of other rooms.
And he did.
The first room I passed was a workout room, full of machines with weights and medicine balls that I knew I couldn’t lift. Jonas worked on his body; he didn’t just wake up and magically keep his impressive figure.
The bathroom in the cabin was almost three times the size of mine. The toilet, tub, and vanity were not squeezed in together with no room in between. His vanity was wider, though it wasn’t a double since it still had a single sink. And the freaking tub? The tub had jets. What the heck? I was even more jealous of the cabin now.
I passed his bedroom, which I knew I shouldn’t go in. Still, as I finished up munching on the meat, I couldn’t help it. I felt drawn to the room, needing to go in and see just what made Jonas tick. Was it his fitness? Was he just going through life like a zombie, not finding joy in anything? Why did the Pride let him live here by himself before they sent Aster and Nikolas here?
There had to be something. Had to be.
I stepped into his bedroom, the wide, open space full of dark furniture all carved from wood. The sheets on his bed were made, and not a single thing hung on the wall. Nothing that shouted he had a personality besides doom and gloom.
I moved toward the window, whose blinds were shut, running a hand along the wooden dresser as I went. When I opened them, light flooded the room, warming the space up. Maybe I should turn the heat up in this place, I thought, shivering. It was freezing. Jonas must not be bothered by the cold at all.
Going through his drawers seemed a little much, but the closet? Surely I could open the doors to the closet, have a little peek, and see if there was anything of note in there? This was probably a bad idea, but I had to know if Jonas was really that bad, or if there was a secret reason for his prickly side. Maybe he’d been through some traumatic things as a child, like Aster and Nikolas. Not everyone who had traumatic experiences as a child grew up to be such mean-spirited adults, but everyone was different.
I moved to the closet, setting both hands on the doors. I pushed them apart, peering inside. The first thing I noticed, strangely, was a suit hanging in the corner. A suit. A freaking suit. Why did it feel weird to see a suit hanging in Jonas’s closet? He didn’t seem to be a suit-wearing kind of guy.
Although, I thought, he’d look devastating in a suit. I bet it would hug his back muscles perfectly, make his legs look even longer. Oh, yeah. I was certain he’d be a knockout, the kind of man every girl dreamed of growing up. The kind who made you get on your hands and knees, and you were all too willing to…
Whoa. Did that thought come from me? Holy crap. I needed to take a step back and reevaluate my life, I think, because that came out of nowhere. Out of left field, totally unexpected.
My eyes lifted, and I saw what looked like a binder. It sat on the shelf above the clothes, and it felt like a weird place for a binder. I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach it, and once I did, I nearly dropped it on my head.
Smooth, Holly.
I moved to the edge of the bed, sitting on it with the binder in my lap. The more I looked at it, the less it looked like a binder—and that was because it wasn’t a binder. It was a photo album, which was about as strange to me as seeing that suit in the closet. Jonas seeme
d like the last person on earth who’d care about keeping a photo album, and I meant the last.
I ran my hand over the front of it. Old leather, frayed at the ends. Whatever was inside it, it was old. I felt guilty as I opened it, but I was already this far gone, and the album was already on my lap. There was no turning back now. I’d passed the point of no return when I nearly dropped it on my head.
Besides, I was desperate. I wanted to know if there was more to Jonas. I needed to know if he’d ever warm up to me, or if he was just a mean, horrible shifter and I’d have to shut my brain off when I was near him after the claiming.
The photo album held some old pictures. Yellowed a bit, but still—all the memories on them were frozen, and I was a kid in a candy shop. The first picture I saw was of a baby boy, swaddled in blue blankets.
Was that cute, cherub-faced boy Jonas?
The deeper I went into the album, the more I knew. This album chronicled Jonas’s life, and I saw him growing up with smiles on his face. He looked happy, and I couldn’t imagine seeing the grown-up Jonas of today smiling like that. He was a cute kid, too. His dark blonde hair ruffled. There was even a picture of him and a girl in a frilly dress, like they were going to a high school dance.
Jonas had lived a normal life, so then why…
The pictures abruptly stopped, about a quarter of the album left, their pages white and ready for more pictures. The last picture was of Jonas and his parents, smiling over a birthday cake that said Happy Seventeen, Jo.
Jo.
I couldn’t imagine calling Jonas Jo.
I stared down at that picture for I didn’t know how long, wondering what happened to him. Jonas had to be around thirty years old, so there was more than a ten-year gap between this picture and now. Something must’ve happened, but what?
Promised to the Pride: A Shifter Romance Page 8
