Seeing Eye Mate (11 page)

Caelan snarled; Eli burst out laughing.

“Nobody but me will ever touch you,” Caelan growled.

“Sweetheart, I’m not ready to die.” Eli reached a hand down and pulled Caelan to his feet.

“What does that mean?”

“Wolves mate for life.” Caelan winced at his gruff attitude, but goddamn, share her? Never. He helped her off the floor and guided her to the sofa. He needed to sit and have a drink after nearly having his heart ripped out. When she’d said dogs, he’d immediately assumed she wasn’t looking at dogs, but wolves. Rogue wolves on the prowl and looking for another kill.

Eli scratched his head and sat across from them. “What it really means is that as a Prime’s mate, you are the alpha bitch. The only way I’ll
ever
get to touch you is for me to fight Caelan to the death and take over the pack. I’m really not all that intrigued by the prospect.”

Tieran turned away from Eli. “Did he just call me a bitch? ‘Cause I really don’t think he’s known me long enough to make that kind of presumption.”

Caelan choked on his mouthful of beer, spitting it across the room. “Only you,” he said when he could breathe again, “could make that kind of statement and totally ignore the part about him killing me.” He threaded his fingers through hers and gathered her closer until she was tucked under his arm.

Her scent was driving him crazy. If he didn’t get inside her soon…

“Don’t you have a meeting with Mr. Christian, E?” Caelan shifted on the sofa, pulling away from temptation for the few seconds it would take to throw his brother out the door. He stood to do just that.

He had some business of his own to take care of. The sexual variety, but there would be no negotiating involved.

Eli looked up and grinned. “Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?” He slapped his hands on his thighs and stood also, extending both arms above his head in a long stretch.

“Exactly,” Caelan answered with a nod. “Call me later with the details.”

“Aye, aye, captain.” Eli gave a two-fingered salute, his face glowing with mischief as he turned to look at Tieran who rolled her eyes.

“Are you guys always so rude to each other?”

“Always,” they agreed in sync.

Eli turned back to Caelan. “Do I have long enough to use the john before you kick me out the door?” He spun on his heel and left the room without waiting for an answer. His chuckle followed him down the hall.

Caelan barely refrained from growling. Instead, he curled his hands into fists and with supreme effort, sniffed the air without looking like he was sniffing the air. Tieran’s essence permeated the room, aroused, musky and ripe for his taking.

She gasped when he fixed his gaze on her tight, beaded nipples beneath his T-shirt. He licked his lips, eager to suck them.

“Do you mind?” She crossed her arms over her chest, covering the delicious peaks from his view, and tapped a slim, bare foot.

The wolf in him howled.

The man in him groaned.

They were caught in a snare where time seemed to stop. In four long strides, Caelan crossed the room to stand in front of her, oblivious to everything around them. He grabbed both her hands and guided her to her feet.

“I need you.” His nostrils flared when the tip of her pink tongue poked out along her bottom lip. He wrapped a hand in her hair and pulled her closer until their mouths touched.

She moaned and angled her head for a better fit. Her hands came up, one twisting the fabric of his shirt at his chest, bunching it up and exposing his abs, the other gripping at his shoulder. Tieran pressed her body more firmly against his, straddling his thigh and grinding her pussy on him.

Caelan burrowed his free hand under her shirt. He cupped the precious weight of one breast and rubbed his thumb over her nipple until her body jerked in his arms.

At what sounded like a gunshot, they rocketed apart.

“Holy mother of God!” Eli’s muffled yell sounded from behind the hallway bathroom’s door.

Tieran stumbled backwards, her eyes wide, her lips red from Caelan’s form of punishment. He reached out and caught her before she could fall, then stormed past, his gun already in hand.

“What the hell was that?”

“Stay here,” he said pushing her back.

She ignored his command and chased after him down the hall.

“Jesus Christ. A little help here!” Eli yelled.

The intense sound of rushing water reached their ears the closer they got. Caelan shouldered open the door and his feet flew out from under him. He landed on his ass in a growing puddle of water with Eli above him trying unsuccessfully not to laugh, his hands shielding his face from the assault.

Her faucet had become a fountain. Caelan groaned, both his pride and ass bruised. This is what he got for trying to help out his dunderhead brother.

“Oh, now that’s a real shame. Get the men some towels, Tulla.”

Tieran cringed at her grandmother’s mock-sympathetic tone.
“You did this?”

Water sprayed out in spectacular geyser fashion where the faucet had once been. Eli did a poor job of covering it with his hands while Caelan disappeared beneath the sink to try and shut it off. By the time the water stopped flowing, both of them were soaking wet and breathing heavily. From her vantage point outside the door, Tieran remained relatively dry.

She pursed her lips in an attempt to keep from laughing at the dripping men filling the small space of her bathroom.

“Don’t you dare laugh,” Caelan grumbled, a big drop falling from the tip of his nose.

Tieran snorted and covered her mouth with her hand. She cast her gaze to the floor, staring at the black and white tile beneath the water. The shag bathmat was waterlogged, having absorbed a ton already, or they would be standing in a half-inch of water.

“What the hell did you do, E?” Caelan ground out. His face was as red as a beet and Tieran was tempted to lick the trickle that ran down his chin. Her tummy did a little flip-flop just looking at him. His shirt was plastered to his chest and his hair stood on end. In a word, he looked yummy.

“What did
I
do?” Eli demanded. “It’s this freaked-out house, I tell you—”

“Hey, I take exception to that fact.” Tieran stopped just short of stomping her foot. Eli’s slander of her home broke through her thoughts of throwing Caelan down on the floor and having her way with him.

“That’s right. Fact,” he said, stabbing a finger at her. Caelan growled low in his throat and Eli immediately curled his finger into his fist, dropping it to his side. His cheeks reddened beneath his tanned face. “Sorry.”

At least he had the gumption to apologize, even if he wasn’t really sorry at all, and his brother had prompted it. Twins, equal, yet there was clearly a division in the hierarchy here. She remembered them talking about Caelan being some kind of Prime.

Tieran cleared her mind and took a deep breath. Who was she kidding? Her house
was
“freaked out”. Had been since before her grandmother had moved in forty-five years ago.

“Hey, now I’m taking exception.”

“For what? Your house is weird. Always has been, always will be. Get over it.”

“Tieran Annabelle Jones, my house is not weird.”

“Oh yeah? What about the front door? The space in the closet that doesn’t like clothes? Oh, and let’s not forget the lamp that turns on and off with no explanation.”

“Hmmph. The door is old, for Pete’s sake, the rod is crooked, and the lamp has a short in it.”

Tieran snorted.
“The only thing with a short in it is you.”

“Tullabelle!”

“Gramama!”

“Hello? Earth to Tieran.”

She jerked her head up. Caelan was waving his hand in front of her face and snapping.

“What?” She felt her cheeks flame with embarrassment. They probably thought she was a fruit loop, the way she kept going away. Of course, they did turn into wolves…

“Where’d you go just then?”

“Hmm?” She nibbled on her lip and picked at an imaginary hangnail.

“Tieran.”

She jumped, startled by the reprimand in Caelan’s voice.

“Do not keep things from me, my own.”

“Keep what from you?” Geez, did he think he owned her? Besides, she’d already told him who she talked to when she “went away”. Weren’t they listening? They had to have been. Part of their makeup was supersonic dog hearing, wasn’t it?

She shrugged. “Look, it’s no big deal about the faucet. These little ‘things’ that happen are the story of my life. Forget about it.”

Eli cleared his throat. “I would, except it didn’t happen to you this time. It happened to me, and things like this,” he grumbled and waved his hand at the mess surrounding them, “don’t happen to me. Ever. Period, end of story.”

“Yes, but you’re here, in my house, with me. My…whatever you call it…rubs off on you by association.” She propped her hands on her hips, satisfied with her rebuttal. They didn’t need to know her gramama had somehow caused the disaster. She’d get to the bottom of that later. There had to be a reason behind her grandmother’s intrusion.

Eli ran both hands through his hair, making the ends stick up in wet spikes all around. “I’ve got a meeting to get to.” He pulled at his drenched shirt. “Looks like I’m going to need to borrow some of those clothes I just brought you, Cael.”

“Clothes? What clothes? Why did you bring him clothes?” Oh goody, the babbling idiot was back.

“We’ll talk about it later. Among other things,” Caelan muttered as he easily pushed by her and headed for her bedroom.

Eli dropped two towels from the bar onto the floor to sop up some more of the water. Acting like a human mop, he did a dance on the towels. At the same time he peeled his shirt up. The muscles of his abdomen rippled as he stretched the clinging fabric over his head. Tieran’s gaze riveted on him and her jaw fell. They really were identical, perfect pieces of flesh any artist would be thrilled to get their hands on.

She itched to rub her fingers over his belly then shook herself. This was Eli. Not Caelan, Eli. She had no business thinking of him like this. Not twenty minutes ago she’d been grossed out by the thought of them sharing, and now she was lusting after her mate’s brother.

Tieran groaned at her use of the word mate. They’d brainwashed her, pure and simple. In less than twenty-four hours, Caelan had somehow convinced her brain she was his mate. His powers of persuasion were incredible.

“Caelan did not brainwash you and you know it. Deep down inside you feel connected to him, Tulla. Be honest with yourself.”

“You be honest, Gramama, you aren’t standing here lusting after your mate’s brother. Geez, there I go again. Do you see what I’m up against?”

“Yes, Tulla, I do. The big picture, not how afraid you are of getting serious with Caelan, but how much your lives are about to be impacted. Trust. It will all come down to trust. Trust in each other, Tieran. Never forget that.”

“Here, put these on.” Caelan threw a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt at Eli, who caught them in one hand. Somehow in those few seconds, Caelan had managed to change his own clothes.

“Thanks, Bro.” Eli’s hands slid the length of his torso before reaching for the zipper on his pants.

“You gonna stand there and watch, my own?” Caelan’s chest rumbled against her back when he came to stand behind her. His hands rested on her shoulders, his thumbs rubbing lazy circles on her nape. Then his insanely sharp teeth bit into the crook of her neck making her catch her breath.

Mortified, she turned her cheek into him, dislodging his mouth. “Crap. I’m sorry, it’s just…you’re both… God, you’re exactly the same.” She shivered.

Eli spun around, giving them his back while he worked on getting the wet material of his jeans off.

Tieran gasped. A long, thin, pink, puckered scar marked his left shoulder blade. A sense of déjà vu slid over her. Where had she seen something similar? The answer, just on the tip of her tongue, eluded her.

Eli looked over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised either in question or concern. “Something wrong, Tieran?”

“No, I…your shoulder. What happened?”

“A fight.” He grinned, reminding her of what he and Caelan were. Wolves. “Don’t worry, sis, I won.”

“Hey.” Caelan lifted her face with a thumb under her chin. “Let’s get out of here so E can get changed. We’ll clean this up later, okay?”

Tieran nodded, gaze still glued to the scar, but couldn’t speak.

“Find your own way out of the house, E.”

Caelan’s low growl was so palpable she felt it. Eli chuckled behind them, making her stomach churn. She took one last glance at the scar as Caelan led her away. Her eye twitched.

“No, please. Not another one.”

“‘Fraid so my dear.”

Suddenly her body felt heavy and weak. Her legs wobbled and threatened to crumple. A second vision so quickly following the previous one might leave her incapacitated for a lengthy amount of time.

“Whoa, baby, I’ve got you.” He scooped her up, snuggling her against his chest.