Cat's Choice: The Chosen's War

by Jana Leigh

  As he made his way to the emergency door, Cloe and the Enforcers reached over to pull Kira and Lacy from where they were hanging over the railing. Cami was yelling down to the guys, tracking Diavolo’s progress. “He’s almost to the door, damnit ; somebody stop him!” While down below, Abaven kept shouting, “Die now , coglione! Go to your Master, the Devil!” each time he’d swung his sword or shoved a stake in an opponent. He wasn’t trying to kill outright; he was happy to maim them for others to use their finesse to kill. He threw his lance and scooped up a battle axe, taking off arms, legs, and heads left and right. Seeing Cloe up above, he shouted, “Isabella is hurt, go to her!” A group of Enforcers followed behind and ran stakes through the Vampire s left writhing on the ground. They were newly turned and didn’t know how to deal with their wounds. Diavolo didn’t care enough about them to teach them.

  Diavolo made it to the exit with a struggling and screaming Caterina in his arms. He pushed her ahead of him out the door, confident that his followers would prevent anyone coming after them, giving him time to get away. All at once, he felt Caterina being pulled away from him. As he stepped through the door with two of his followers, he was confronted with Tripp and Orfeo. Tripp was holding a lance and Orfeo a sword.

  Orfeo immediately attacked, and he sent his two vamps to Orfeo while he went towards Tripp and Caterina . He saw that the lance Tripp held was made of Ash, the symbols etched down its length proving that it was magically blessed. He would have to be careful and fast. He dodged forward and could hear one of his men die. He pushed the lance to the side , reaching for the wolf’s throat when he took a punch to the face and a kick to his knee, debilitating him. He heard his second follower go down.

  Diavolo could see that he wouldn’t be able to fight them both. He could hear the fighting approaching the door behind him. He knew then that he was defeated in his aim. He hoped his other team had been successful in grabbing some of the children. He pulled out his dagger and baring his teeth at Orfeo; he threw it straight at Caterina’s heart and shifted into a bat and flew away.

  Orfeo, using his Vampire speed, leapt in front of Caterina and took the knife in his chest. Being taller, the knife hit him a little lower. He stood there staring after Diavolo, yanking the knife from his chest and holding a handkerchief over the wound. He didn’t want to alarm his mates, and it would take a day or so to heal without a blood donation. Pressing against the wound, he turned to where Tripp was helping Caterina to her feet. He smiled at them both and said, “A bat, how cliche. How do you feel about returning to the Pack house? We’ll call the game a draw.”

  Tripp gave him a sharp look; he could scent Orfeo’s blood. For Caterina’s sake, he held silent. She was quietly weeping. “Caterina , it’s all over. Let’s go back to the Pack house and see if everyone else is okay.”

  Abaven and a few others came out the back door and took in the scene. Not wanting to go back into the building, they made their way around to the front. They quickly climbed into one of the Pack vehicles in the parking lot and took off. As they reached the compound, they could see some other vehicles ahead. It took a few minutes as they were still clearing a wreck from the attack at the gates.

  Caterina was huddled in the front seat while Tripp drove. Abaven and Orfeo were in the middle seat, and two Enforcers were in the back. She’d had a shock. She couldn’t believe Orfeo had stepped in front of her and Tripp like that. Even getting to know him over the last few weeks , deep down, she had still supposed him to be like Diavolo. Now she knew he was not. He was a good man; he loved her, and he happened to be a Vampire . She would work harder at overcoming her aversion to having him take her blood. She could hear Abaven and Orfeo in the back seat talking in low voices. Then Abaven said loudly, “You are as stubborn as a mule! You need blood to heal that wound properly. It was a magical blade.”

  Tripp, waiting on the trucks in front of him to move, turned off the engine and got out. He immediately opened the back door and demanded to see Orfeo’s injury. “There is nothing to worry about , mio lupo. I will recover quickly.”

  “You’ve taken my blood before, handsome, so no arguments.” He looked into the back. “Eric, you’ll need to drive as this will make me unfit for the next half-hour or so. Abaven, let me have your place . You might want to run ahead and find Isabella.” At that, Orfeo looked up in surprise. “Abaven, your mate is injured! Leave me, I’m in good hands, go to her! That is an order.” So Abaven jumped from the vehicle to find his Isabella.

  Tripp climbed into his place; he turned and brushed the hair out of Orfeo’s eyes. “Come, my mate, I need you whole now. You will not be taking for this is my free gift to you. Drink all you need to heal yourself.” And he gathered Orfeo against his own chest and tilted his head to the side.

  At first, Orfeo licked and kissed the spot to numb it, then sank his fangs deep, and drank from the flow, suckling from the opening in the skin. He knew Caterina was watching from the front seat and prayed he wasn’t scaring the daylights out of her. A minute later, he began licking Tripp’s neck to close the holes. They had already started to scab over and would be healed by morning.

  He then reached up and gave Tripp a deep kiss, knowing he was flying on the high of the bite and wanting to thank him. Tripp was so far gone that he reached for Orfeo’s cock and started to rub it through his clothes. Orfeo stopped his hand and the kiss and asked, “Mio lupo? Tripp, how do you feel?”

  Tripp looked up into his eyes and said, “Wanna fuck.” Tripp then gave him a big grin, and then he slumped against Orfeo’s now nearly healed chest and passed out.

  Orfeo looked over at Caterina and said, “Do not worry , Cara; he will only be unconscious for about fifteen minutes. I took more than I should have.”

  “But you didn’t take enough. You’re not healed,” she answered.

  “It will heal the rest of the way by tomorrow night, the cursed properties that were poisoning my system are gone; that is the important thing.”

  At this point, the SUV began moving again and was soon through the gates and speeding to the Pack house. Caterina hopped out and ran in because she was worried about her friend Isabella. She ran to the basement door and was told where to go by an Enforcer in the hall. She quickly ran down the stairs, as she approached the door, she heard Attilio say to Abaven, “The wound is very serious. Without blood, she could be in bed for weeks.”

  Then, as she stood in the doorway, she looked in and saw them clustered around a bed where Isabella lay on her stomach. Abaven kneeled on the floor by the bed, afraid to touch her, in case he jostled her or the bed, causing her to feel more pain. Isabella was moaning softly, and Caterina could see that she was trying hard not to make even that small sound; she could see the tears flowing down Abaven’s face.

  Cloe then spoke up. “I’ll give her my blood.”

  Sofia, who was standing next to Attilio with a rosary in her hands, looked up at Cloe. “Thank you , Cloe; that will help. What she really needs is human blood, but the shifter blood will lessen the pain. It won’t heal the wound, but it will take away the magical poisons that were on the sword.”

  At that point, Caterina heard enough ; everything she’d been through and seen and experienced came together in her mind. Making the decision, Adolfo spoke of was actually very easy, and she was starting right now. “If what Isabella needs is human blood, then she can have mine. I will happily donate blood to my friend.”

  All eyes swung towards her. Abaven’s eyes were filled with hope, and looking over her shoulder, with pleading. Sofia and Attilio ‘s held surprise and approval. Cloe’s were filled with a quiet satisfaction. And looking behind her was Tripp and Orfeo. Tripp was grinning like a fool and Orfeo was holding a smile full of promises. “Go , Caterina , help your friend, and thank you.” He then leaned down and gave her a light kiss on the lips. “I will take our mate and put him in bed. Its two doors down on the left. You will want to sleep after donating, and I’m sure Tripp will want to awaken with you in his arms as usual
.”

  At that, Caterina looked up at him shyly, “I’ll want yours around me too, my mate.”

  When she said that, Orfeo was grinning as widely as Tripp, who he then steered down the hall while she stepped over to the bed. As she came near, Abaven moved away so she could be close to Isabella’s head. When she saw the deep slash in her back, she gasped. She must be in so much pain, she thought. “Isabella, I know you’re newly turned and may not be used to taking blood. I want to give you my blood so you’ll heal.”

  She leaned close to the mattress to hear Isabella speak, “No, you’re scared of giving blood, of being hurt again.”

  “Not any more. You’re going to drink what I have to give you and not argue with me about it.” She turned to Sofia for help i n persuading Isabella.

  “Bella Caterina, I will lick your wrist and make a very small bite, like a pin prick. The call of the blood will do the rest.” And she took the wrist that Caterina held up, kissed it, blessed it, licked it, and then bit down gently.

  Caterina then carefully leaned closer and held her wrist up to Isabella’s head. Sofia was right, within moments Isabella moved her head and bit down, deepening the holes and cutting into the vein. She drank deeply, and as Caterina watched her friend take this life-giving substance into her body; she was filled with a euphoric joy like she’d never known before. Oh wow, no wonder Isabella n ever minded giving blood, she thought, and then she giggled. She relaxed into the high and would have slumped over, only Abaven caught her. A few minutes later, Sofia leaned over and took her hand away from Isabella’s mouth, closing the wounds with a few licks of her tongue. Turning, she saw her son standing in the doorway. “Come and take your mate to bed , Orfeo. She has healed her friend and performed her first duty as your mate. She will be a fine addition to the clan Ambrosetti.”

  “Grazie mamma, I knew she would be perfect. Is she not beautiful?” he said, looking down at her. He didn’t hear their answers, which was fine, as he was talking mostly to himself. He took her down the hall and put her on the bed next to Tripp. He’d removed all of Tripp’s clothes, but he’d remembered Tripp saying she was shy. So after stripping her, he put her in the top of one of his silk pajamas. Then he put on the bottoms himself and another pair on Tripp.

  He then climbed into the bed next to them and rolled over on his side. Propping his head in his hand, he spent the next several hours just watching them before going to sleep himself.

  Chapter 13

  The first thing she realized when she woke up was that both of her mates were with her. Then she realized they were both awake. Looking up at them, she grinned and then held up a hand, when both of them went to kiss her.

  “Wait, I have to take care of a few things,” Cat said and ran for the bathroom, stopping only to grab a clean shirt and underwear. She looked in the mirror and groaned; her hair was a tangled mess from sleeping . Grabbing a brush , she quickly brushed through her hair until it gleamed. Then she brushed her teeth and made herself as fresh as she could without taking a shower.

  This was it; she was going to go out into the bedroom and ask for them to be fully mated. She was ready for anything. Feeling her confidence rise, she looked in the mirror one last time and could have sworn she saw a misty shadow over her shoulder. When she turned her head , Adolfo stood before her, kinda. She wanted to giggle a little at the thought of talking to a ghost in the bathroom. After all that had happened , she should have not been surprised.

  “Adolfo,” she said softly.

  “My dear, I’m coming to you now, before you mate. I wanted to tell you what a wonderful friend you were. In the years we were together, I felt like we were family. Just know that I will always be watching over you, but my time has come to leave this place , ” Adolfo said, and she grinned.

  “I’m good; I have my mates now,” Caterina laughed. “I know you would never have thought I would be a mate to a Vampire . But he ‘s a good man, they both are.”

  She could still see the twinkle in his eye as he nodded, and said, “Of course they are, or I would be haunting them, not saying good -bye to you. Now, off you go, and I will be only a thought away.”

  “Say hello to my family,” she said and then turned around, when she looked over her shoulder for a last good -bye, he was gone. Feeling the joy of her decision, she threw open the door and ran to the bed and jumped back in between her mates.

  “Who were you talking to?” Tripp teased, thinking she had been talking to herself, and she decided it was best to leave it alone.

  “No one, just singing with happiness, now, where were we?” Caterina said and held open her arms so her mates could move closer to her.

  “We were holding you and wishing you were awake,” Orfeo said and kissed her shoulder.

  Tripp grinned and said, “That’s not really what I was thinking, but hey, I ‘m easy.”

  “Yesterday, I still doubted our mating; I guess I really didn’t know what these intense feelings were all about. Now, it may sound stupid, but everything is so much clearer. I can see the evil that kept me f r om trusting you both completely. Orfeo, I know I have drug this out, and I am sorry. Can you ever forgive me?” s he whispered and turned to her mate.

  “Caterina, there is nothing to forgive. I understand what happened in the past, it was painful. If I could have changed it, I would, I hope that we will move on from here. I believe we will have issues, but I think we will be able to work things out,” Orfeo said.

  Tripp turned her head back to him and kissed her. “I know we have not talked about this, but I think we should. You know I feel for Orfeo the same way I feel for you?”

  Caterina nodded and she got a grin on her face, “Duh, Cloe and I talked, she explained a lot to me. I am looking forward to watching you two together.”

  “Oh, I think maybe our mate has taken to the Dark Side, as Cami likes to call it,” Tripp said to Orfeo, who smiled.

  “Uh, can I see you two kiss?” she said quietly, looking up at them through her lashes.

  Orfeo smiled and leaned forward, capturing Tripp’s mouth with his. It had been much too long since he had tasted his mate; the need was beginning to ride him. He hoped that soon Caterina would feel safe enough to mate with him. This whole celibacy thing kinda sucked, as Tripp would say.

  When they broke apart, both men were panting and looking intensely at each other. Caterina already made up her mind; it was now or never. She needed to allow her mates to claim her and begin to take her place in the family. She loved both sides and was looking forward to actually calling someone mother again.

  Her men stared at her with love in their eyes; she did n’t doubt their emotions and refused to allow them to doubt hers. “I have come to love both of you so much, I am ready to put the past behind me and start a new life with you, my mates.”

  Her men both looked at her with a need that made her shiver. They were both so intense and sexy; she knew that their life would be filled with passion and drama, and peace and love.

  Just before they kissed again, she grinned and said, “It’s time we do the biting thingy.”

  Orfeo felt his eyes grow large, and he looked at Tripp whose eyes had turned deep amber. “Let’s do what our mate says; I would hate to start off on a bad note.”

  “I think we have to, if she says it is time to do the thingy, then I guess it is,” Tripp teased. But when she felt their touch, she stopped laughing and began to feel.

  Tripp kissed her first and ran his tongue across her lips before pushing in and taking command of her mouth. She happily let him and groaned when she felt Orfeo drag the shirt up her torso. Breaking the kiss for long enough to throw the shirt on the floor, she sank back into their waiting arms and smiled.

  She only wore her small panties that she had bought, Tripp and Orfeo seemed extremely fascinated with the two ties on either side of them. They ran their hands up and down each side of her, tugging on the strapped as they went. She gasped when they both began to run their fingers around her nipples slowly
and then teasing each nipple. She could feel the pool of desire flow between her legs.