Nessa's Two Shifters (15 page)

Slowly, she drifted down from the high that had enveloped her in a bubble so that she hadn’t even been aware that Joe had achieved orgasm as well. The sticky evidence of it was obvious though as he rolled her over so that she lay splayed on top of him. She no longer had to fight to breathe now, but words were still a little beyond her as she lay with her head against his shoulder. His hands absently stroked her shoulders and back. She felt his lips brush her cheek.

“Rest, baby. I’ve got you.”

She smiled then brought her hand up to push away some of his hair that lay across his face. The glimpse of something red on her fingers had her squinting to see what it was. She nearly screamed when she realized it was blood.

“What?” Joseph immediately reacted to her struggle to sit up.

“There’s blood on my fingers.” She looked at both of her hands and found that blood tinged the nails of both hands. “Oh, my, God! I hurt you. Let me see, Joe.”

He just smiled and grabbed her wrists in his hands. When he kissed her fingertips, she thought he was crazy.

“Let me look at you. I can’t believe I did that. I’m so sorry.” She tried to pull away from him so she could look at his back.

“Don’t, Nessa. I love that you marked me. I wish you would bite me. I want to wear your mark as you wear ours.” He kissed the shoulder he’d bitten when they’d mated.

“But…”

“Shh, baby. There’s nothing to worry about. It is the highest compliment you could have paid me. It means I did something right.” He actually smiled down at her. A real smile.

So taken by the sight of him when he smiled, she didn’t notice that Jess had walked into the room until he chuckled and commented on Joe’s grin as well.

“I like seeing you happy again, brother.”

“She’s worried about scratching me, Jess. Tell her she didn’t hurt me.” His smile of a moment ago turned serious.

“Nessa. We heal at an accelerated rate, even faster than you did last night. Marking Joe like you did only turned him on. Now he’ll work even harder to make you feel good so that you’ll do it again to him. You watch.” Jessup’s prediction that Joe would be burning up the sheets from now on set the blood rushing to her cheeks.

“Look at how easy it is to make her blush, brother. She’s cute when she gets embarrassed.” Jess pulled her off the bed. “Let’s get you cleaned up so we can introduce you to our parents. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“Parents? I’m going to meet your parents now?” She squealed and raced to the bathroom, leaving the men staring after her as she closed the door and leaned against it to catch her breath.

What was she going to say to them? They were like royalty from what she was learning about the pack. Did she bow or curtsey? What was she going to wear? She didn’t have anything to put on fit for royalty. How could they sneak that in on her like this?

“Nessa? What’s wrong?” Jessup’s muffled voice sounded suspiciously amused.

* * * *

Two hours later, Nessa stood between Jessup and Joseph in the living room as their parents walked in. Their other brothers were all standing around as if nothing of importance was going on. Maybe it wasn’t and she was blowing all of it out of proportion, but Nessa had never met anyone’s parents before, not a boyfriend’s, anyway.

A tall, graceful woman that didn’t look old enough to have eight sons their age all but glided across the room toward her. Her rich brown hair had a few streaks of grey embellishing it but did nothing to detract from her beauty. At about five foot eight inches, she didn’t need the added height of the nearly two inch heels she was wearing to make her look any more regal in Nessa’s eyes. The woman pulled off elegant even in the worn jeans and sweatshirt she wore. It threw Nessa off for a second to see someone as important as their mother was to the pack in something so—common.

Before she knew what to expect, the woman had her in an embrace and was close to cutting off her breath. The woman didn’t move like an older woman either.

“I’m so happy to meet you, Nessa. I haven’t seen Joseph look so relaxed in years and Jess is totally smitten over you.”

“Um, I’m honored to meet you, Mrs. Shoewater.” She barely managed to get the words out before their mother was popping her mates on the back of the head and fussing at them.

“What nonsense have you been telling her already?”

“We haven’t said anything, Mom,” Jessup said with a wide smile. “She’s nervous.”

“Don’t listen to anything those two say.” Their mother wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her toward the door leading to the kitchen. “Call me Andrea, or better yet, Mom.”

Nessa gaped but quickly closed her mouth before Andrea noticed. She hadn’t expected for the queen, or whatever she was, of the pack to act so casual and relaxed. It totally threw her off. She had no idea how to act around the woman now.

“Tell me, Nessa. Have they talked to you at all about what to expect being part of the pack? Knowing my sons, they were much more interested in claiming and bedding you than introducing you to pack life.”

Heat crawled up her face to hear her mates’ mother talking about their having had sex. She swallowed and tried to keep from making an absolute fool of herself by saying something untoward.

“Um, they told me that wolves are touchy-feely type of people. That touch is comfort to them,” she finally managed to get out.

“That’s true. We like to hug—a lot, so get used to it. Just try to avoid any unmated males around them. They won’t like it at all and may start a fight over it. It will take some time for them to adjust to the feelings they will have for you.” The woman smiled and shook her head. “Be prepared for them to prove that you’re their mate in front of others.”

“Prove how?” she asked.

“They will keep their hands on you as much as possible to show ownership. I expect they will kiss you a lot, and if there are unmated males close by, they will insist that you remain either between or behind them. Don’t fight them on it. It will only push their wolf into thinking you are rejecting them in favor of another wolf.”

“Oh.” Nessa gulped.

What had she gotten into? Fight over her? Surely not. She didn’t want them fighting over her. She didn’t want another man or wolf. They were all she wanted and needed.

“Expect them to need you all the time at first. Anything that pushes against their claim on you will set them off right now, so don’t argue with them if you can help it and stay away from other males. While sex is great, being taken more than a few times a day can get to be tiring not to mention hell on the body. Even with our ability to heal, the girly parts tend to get tender with frequent use.”

Once again Nessa had to force her mouth closed. The woman knew no taboo subjects evidently. She’d never even talked about sex with her own mother before she’d died. Having never had real friends to gossip about boys with, Nessa felt uncomfortable hearing such things from the woman who would be her mother-in-law.

“I can tell you’re shocked, Nessa. Don’t be. Wolves are very open about sex and such. You’ll see once you’ve been here for a while. I’ll introduce you to some of the other females closer to your age this weekend.”

“I’m sorry. I really haven’t, um, had anyone to talk to about these things.”

“Good Lord. You weren’t a virgin when they took you, were you? That would be too cruel. Our men can be a bit rough when they claim a mate. Are you okay, honey?” Andrea cupped her cheek in one hand.

“Oh. No, I wasn’t a virgin. I just haven’t been around other women a lot except at work.” She looked over her shoulder in hopes that one or both of her mates would show up to rescue her from their mom.

“Thank goodness. I’ve tried to instill into my boys the need to be careful when claiming their mate, but I know that the need rides them hard during that time and good intentions fall by the wayside.” She smiled then walked over to the refrigerator. “How about something to drink?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I should have offered. Should I fix something for the men?” Nessa felt like an utter failure in having forgotten common courtesy and offered something to Andrea.

“They’ll grab a beer from the beer fridge in the living room. I bet you didn’t even know there was one in there, did you?”

Nessa just shook her head as the woman made herself at home and poured tea into two glasses. She handed one to her and took a sip from the one she kept.

“Ah, Kindle made the tea this time. I can always tell the difference between his and Galen’s. Galen oversweetens it for my tastes.” She walked over to the kitchen table and sat down.

Following the older woman’s lead, Nessa sat across from her and sipped her tea. She waited to see what amazing things would fall from Andrea’s mouth next. Already she felt as if the woman was an old friend just by the way she’d accepted her as part of their family, um, pack.

“As the first mate of the incoming ruling family, it will fall to you to lead the females. Don’t panic. I can already see it in your eyes. I’ll help you, and I’m sure that Gabrielle will be happy to help you as well. She is a wonderful woman. I keep hoping that one of my sons will one day find themselves in heat over her.” She smiled and winked at Nessa.

“Um, what am I supposed to do?”

“Mostly just be their sounding board when they need to talk or cry on your shoulder. You’ll help with setting up any pack meetings or events. Don’t worry about this weekend. I’ll handle it. You’re being introduced. It’s not your time yet.”

“Do you think the others will accept me? I mean I’m human, not a were—um—shifter.” She barely caught herself that time.

Andrea burst out laughing. “I can imagine how calling them werewolves went over with Jessup and especially Joseph. Don’t worry so much, Nessa. Many of our females are not shifters. It’s nature’s way of keeping the gene pool fresh. Now that you’re mated though, you have some of our qualities just the same. You’ll heal faster, be harder to injure, you’re stronger, and have heightened senses. Oh, and you’ll age slower as well. What human female wouldn’t want a wolf or two as a mate?”

Nessa couldn’t help but laugh at Andrea’s irreverent statement. Had she not met Jessup and then Joseph, but learned about the shifters, she was sure she wouldn’t have been eager to capture one for her own.

One of the men who’d come with Andrea stuck his head in the kitchen. “Andrea, honey. We’re getting ready to go. I think your mates would like to meet Nessa now.”

“Of course, Dimitri. We’ll be right there.” She smiled and stood up as the man left. “That is one of our enforcers. Come meet the fathers of your mates. They are going to hug and scent-mark you as one of ours, so be ready when we leave for my sons to attack you.” She winked before reaching out to take Nessa’s hand.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about the attack part. She nearly rolled her eyes.

What am I thinking? Of course I’m all for them attacking me. Anything they want to do to me that involves them and a bed is fine with me.

As they returned to the living room, her heart stuttered at the heat that lay in the eyes of her mates. Her juices soaked her panties before she’d even made it all the way into the room with them. If their gazes were anything to go by, she was well and truly fucked once everyone had left.

“Nessa,” Andrea’s voice pulled her back to what was going on. “I’d like to introduce you to my mates, Deland and Phillip Shoewater. Deland is Alpha of the Wolf’s Pass shifters. Phillip is his Beta.”

Nessa gave a tentative smile to each of the men standing in front of her. She nearly yelped when Andrea gave her a little push toward them. She moved closer and was instantly engulfed in a hug from Deland that involved him rubbing his cheek along hers and sniffing of her neck. Instinctively she dropped her head back to give him access to it. It must have been the right thing to do, because he grinned before releasing her. She found herself once again pulled into an embrace that threatened to suffocate her. Phillip nuzzled her neck but she didn’t bare it to him. When he rubbed his face on her opposite cheek, she couldn’t stop the giggle that erupted from his whiskers.

She covered her mouth with her hand in horror at what she’d done. When she looked up, it was to find him smiling before he released her into her mates’ arms. She became aware of low growls and realized they were growling at their fathers.

“Hey! Stop it, you two. It can’t be nice to growl like that at family.” She tried to pull from their hold.

“You’re going to be a perfect addition to our pack, Nessa. Don’t let those two get away with anything.” Deland pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her. “Let’s be on our way before those two embarrass her by trying to mount her in front of us.”

“You wouldn’t!” Nessa glared up at Joseph.

“In a second, babe.” He and Jessup backed her out of the room even as their parents were laughing their way out the door.

“I can smell them on you. I want my scent on you,” Jess said, a low growl in his voice.

Nessa couldn’t help the flood of juices from her pussy with the way their voices dipped into a low rumble. It seemed to vibrate her cunt walls. Even like this, all growly and just a little bit intimidating, she wanted them.

“If you want to keep those clothes, you better have them off by the time we finish undressing, sweetness.”

“What?”

“He means that if you’re still wearing them once we’re naked, I’m going to tear them off your body.” Joe didn’t sugarcoat it one bit.

Nessa’s eyes widened, and she turned to run downstairs in hopes of saving the one decent outfit she had to her name.

Saturday morning, Nessa woke to the feel of someone’s tongue lapping at her nipple. She cracked one eye open and smiled. It was Jessup. When she turned to search out Joe, it was to find that side of the bed empty.

“He’s gone to help set up things for the meeting tonight. He’ll be back by lunch,” Jess told her.

“It’s just us?” she asked, attempting to appear innocent.

“Just you and me, sweetness. What shall we do all by ourselves?” he asked with a naughty smile.

“We should get up and make breakfast then maybe I should wash some clothes…”