Nessa's Two Shifters (13 page)

“Let’s get you dried off, sweetness. Joe should have something to snack on by now.”

“I’m not really hungry.” She was tired though and ready to go to sleep.

“You’re too thin, Nessa. You obviously haven’t been eating enough for some time now. We’re going to make sure you are healthy. A few bites of something won’t hurt you.” Jessup smiled despite the frown she aimed at him.

Once they were both dry, he picked her up despite her fierce refusal to be carried and did just that, carried her into the bedroom, where true to his word, Joe had what amounted to a feast laid out on the table between the two chairs arranged as a sitting area. There was no way she could eat her share of that much food.

“Kindle and Galen made this for us to celebrate our mating,” Joe said.

Instantly Nessa felt heat race up her neck into her face. She hadn’t thought about the fact that the other brothers would hear what they were doing. There was no way they would have missed her scream or Joe’s howl.

“Look, Joe. Our mate is blushing. Wonder what caused that?” Jessup asked as he sat down with her in his lap.

“Put me down,” she demanded.

Before she could stop him, Joe picked her up from his brother’s lap and sat down in the opposite chair with her secure in his arms. There was no use struggling. The man was made of steel and iron. When he picked up a bite of cheese and held it at her mouth, she thought about refusing but realized that was being childish and she wasn’t going to be accused of that. She took a bite of the delicious cheese and realized that she actually was a little hungry.

For the next fifteen minutes, the men took turns feeding her bites of cheese and fruit. One would give her a morsel to eat then the other would lift a glass of wine for her to sip from. By the time she’d finally convinced them that she was full, Nessa was sure she was a bit tipsy. Her body felt light while her head felt heavy.

“You got me drunk,” she accused.

Jess chuckled. “That wasn’t our intentions, but it will help you to sleep.”

Joe pulled her into his arms when Jess slid her into bed. When he didn’t join them, she frowned.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll be right back. I’m just going to put away the dishes, precious.” He kissed her lightly on the nose then padded out of eyesight.

“Are you in pain, Nessa?” Joe asked.

“Nope. I’m good.” She knew she sounded silly. She couldn’t stop herself from wiggling her butt against Joe’s already hard cock.

“Careful, baby. You need your rest, and I’m not strong enough to resist you tonight if you keep that up.”

“Maybe I don’t want you to.” She couldn’t believe what was coming out of her mouth.

Jessup chuckled not far away. “She’s going to be a handful, brother. Mark my word. She’s going to have us eating out of her hand in no time.”

“Speak for yourself, Jess. One of us is going to have to be the voice of reason, and I expect it’s going to be me. You won’t be able to deny anything she says.”

“Why should we deny her anything she wants?” Jessup asked as he climbed into bed beside her.

“That’s right. Why would you deny me what I want?” she asked, pushing her lips out in what she hoped was a pout.

Jessup burst out laughing. “What in the world is that face, precious?”

Joe’s face even relaxed into something like a smile. “It looks like she sucked a lemon to me.”

Nessa frowned and attempted to cross her arms, but they were tangled up in the covers, and she couldn’t make them work. Finally, she gave up and burrowed deeper into Joe’s side as Jessup curled around behind her. The last thought she had was to wonder if she would become a wolf now that they had bitten her. She’d forgotten to ask.

* * * *

The smell of something delicious wafted across her nose, waking Nessa from one of the best nights of sleep she’d had in a very long time. In fact, she opened her eyes and carefully moved her body around on the bed. Nothing really hurt her as far as she could tell. She slowly rolled over to the edge of the bed and sat up then eased off the edge to stand. Even her ribs felt fine. She strode across the room to the spacious bathroom she’d barely glanced at the night before. Besides the giant whirlpool tub, there was a massive walk-in shower with multiple showerheads. Her tiny bedroom in the trailer would have fit into the bathroom without a problem.

Nessa stared at her reflection in the mirror and gasped. Almost all of the bruising from before was gone. No wonder she had slept so well. She didn’t have the aches and pains from her last beating at the hands of her stepbrother. Did this mean she was going to turn into a wolf on the full moon? She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She needed to talk to her mates about it.

The word mate slipped easily into her vocabulary, much to her surprise. Nessa wouldn’t have thought she would be able to wrap her mind around the knowledge that were—um—shifters existed so readily. She quickly finished in the bathroom then pulled on a pair of warm-ups before bracing herself to find out what all of this meant for her future.

By the smell of things, at least one of her mates was cooking. It didn’t take her belly growling for her to appreciate the fact that they could cook. Right now, Nessa felt as if she could eat a cow all by herself. Was that a part of turning into a wolf?

When she rounded the corner into the kitchen, she slid to a stop. Jessup and Joseph both wore low-riding, tight jeans without a shirt. The sight of all that tanned skin stretched taunt over hard muscles had her mouth watering and her pussy dripping. She licked her lips before she even realized what she was doing. Jessup’s chuckle jerked her thoughts back to the present and her eyes to their faces. Heat burned its way up her neck to warm her face. Busted.

“Hungry, sweetness?” he asked.

“Um, yeah. My stomach is growling. I don’t remember being this hungry since I was a kid.”

“I think you might be hungry for more than just food, baby,” Joseph said with a knowing look.

“Am I going to turn into a wolf now?” she asked, blurting it out before she could stop herself.

Jessup’s chuckle from earlier sounded quiet compared to the belly laugh he let out now. She frowned at him, feeling like an idiot now.

“No, Nessa. You won’t turn into a wolf from a bite. Wolves are born. They aren’t made.” Joseph’s quiet answer soothed her ruffled feathers to some extent.

“Why do I feel different then? I mean, I’m not sore anymore and my bruising is almost completely gone.” She lifted her T-shirt to show them. “Plus, I’m ravenous, like I haven’t eaten in days.”

The two men looked at each other with startled expressions before returning their gaze to her. She took a step back.

“Is something wrong? Is this not supposed to have happened?” she asked.

“Nothing is wrong, precious. It’s just that changes to a mate’s body are subtle at first. Normally it takes several weeks for a mate to notice the changes.” Jessup stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.

“Enzymes in our saliva enter into your body through the bites and slowly make changes to your immune system so that you are better able to live in our world with the added dangers as well as be able to carry our cubs to term.” Joseph stared at her as if he were studying her.

She couldn’t help but squirm from Jessup’s arms at the intense scrutiny of his brother. He’d mentioned that word again, cubs. They had assured her the night before that she would have a human baby, not a wolf pup, but hearing them called that made her nervous. Nessa scolded herself for letting it worry her. It would be a while before they had children. They needed to get used to each other first. Besides, she was on the birth control shot, so it would be about three months before she had to decide if she planned to take another one or not.

“Are you disappointed that you’re not going to be able to change into a wolf?” Joseph asked.

She shivered and shook her head. “No. I wasn’t too keen on the idea. I don’t mind that you are wolves, but if I had to deal with turning into one I think I would freak out. There are too many rules as a human without adding wolf rules into the mix.”

Jessup grinned. “Sorry, sweetness, but you will still have to learn about pack rules since you are now part of the pack as our mate.”

She frowned and crossed her arms. “Can we talk about it over breakfast? I’m
really
hungry, guys.” Her belly gurgled loud enough that human ears could hear it.

“Sorry, Nessa. Let’s get you settled at the table and we’ll bring yours over to you.” Joseph herded her over to the rather large table across from the kitchen end of the room.

Once she was settled in her chair, the men brought several platters of food over along with plates and silverware. Jessup served her first then they dug in as well. Soon, nothing but the sounds of eating with the clanking of utensils on plates could be heard. Nessa soon forgot all of the questions she had as the taste of the food captured all of her attention.

“Everything tastes amazing. Which one of you is the great cook?” she finally asked around mouthfuls.

“We both cooked, but I doubt it’s really our cooking. It’s probably the changes in your body. It enhances everything for you. Everything will seem, I don’t know, more. Colors will be brighter and food will taste better,” Jessup told her.

“The sex will be more intense as well,” Joseph added, his serious eyes traveling over her body possessively.

“Oh!” Nessa wasn’t sure what to think about that. It had been pretty amazing as it was. She wasn’t sure she would live through anything more intense.

“I love how your face warms to a pretty pink when you’re embarrassed,” Joseph said.

She didn’t have anything to say to that. Instead, Nessa stood up so fast she nearly turned her chair over in the process. Grabbing her plate and silverware, she started to escape their amused glances by carrying them to the sink. Joseph stood up and stopped her, taking them from her and nodding for her to sit back down.

“I’ll take care of the dishes, baby. You and Jess go sit in the living room and find something on the TV to watch. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

She turned to where Jess was already standing by the table waiting on her. She wasn’t used to being treated this way. Usually she was the one who cooked and did the dishes. Guilt tugged at her as Jess took her hand and led her out of the kitchen.

“What’s that frown for, sweetness? I don’t like to see you unhappy.”

“I’m not unhappy. It just feels strange for someone else to cook and do the dishes.”

He smiled and kissed her lightly on the nose. “Get used to it. You don’t always have to take care of everyone but yourself now. We take care of you. You’re precious to us, Nessa.”

“Why me, Jess? I mean, what made us mates when I’m not a wolf?” she asked as he settled her next to him on the couch.

He picked up the remote and switched on the TV before turning to answer her question. She could see the seriousness in his expression. It served to drive home the fact that this wasn’t a game, she was really their mate and everything had changed. She just didn’t know what everything was yet. Maybe that was what had her a little worried.

“Nessa, I’m not sure why mates are attracted to each other, but can you deny that you felt close to me the first time we met? Hell, my brother is intimidating to say the least and yet you are attracted to him and aren’t really scared of him. A little uneasy at times, but you know deep down that he wouldn’t hurt you.”

“I guess. I mean, I do feel connected to both of you and I feel—safe is the word I guess. I haven’t felt safe in a long time.” She couldn’t look at him when she said that.

“We will always protect you, sweetness. You’re our life. Don’t forget that.”

“Especially when we make you mad at us because we tell you that you can’t do something.” Joseph’s voice startled her.

She looked up and over to where he stood leaning against the door frame watching them. He seemed so imposing and unapproachable, but somehow she knew that he was vulnerable to her. Her acceptance of him had bound them together even as their bite had bound her to them. She had the power to hurt him in ways that no one else would ever have again. It humbled her.

“Are you going to tell me I can’t do something that I want to do?” she asked, staring at him.

“Probably before it’s over with. Keeping you safe is very important to us. Even when it means you will be mad at us. Alive, unhurt, and mad is much more acceptable than the alternatives.”

“What does being your mate really mean for me, Joe? What is going to change in my life that I need to be ready for it? I can’t believe that it’s all positive. Nothing in life is really that easy.”

“Everything, baby. Everything about your life is already changing. You’re right, though. Nothing good comes without a price. I just pray that you can live with that price,” Joe said as he stalked closer to where she sat.

Joe knew he was being an asshole, but he needed to be sure she understood the seriousness of her new life. Being the mate of a shifter wasn’t easy. Being the mate of a pair of shifters in the ruling family among the pack was much harder. Not only would she have to deal with him and his volatile moods, she would also need to be able to help with pack business. As the only mate among his brothers at the moment, she would be looked on as the alpha female to lead and direct the other females in the pack.

Looking at the apprehension evident on her face, Joe worried that she wouldn’t be able to handle everything right away. What they were asking of her was almost unheard of. Usually, the alpha of the family would already have mated by the time the rest of the family found their mates. Instead, Nessa was going to have to step up and handle everything without the luxury of the alpha’s mate to aid her. Not only that, but she wasn’t a shifter and wouldn’t know the customs and routines already ingrained in shifters by the time they reached her age. He and his twin would need to prepare her for what to expect and Jessup seemed more intent on coddling her than teaching her.

“I know that look, Joe.” Jessup pulled Nessa closer to him. “It isn’t realistic to expect her to step in and handle the females right off the bat.”