by Becca Van
Declan, Brooks, and Jett hadn’t lied to her. They’d been telling the truth, and while it was hard to believe what she was seeing with her very own eyes, she couldn’t refute it.
Declan, Brooks, and Jett were shape-shifters as apparently were all the men who lived in Ambrose.
“Can I pet him?” Emmy asked.
“Yes, darlin’.” Brooks skimmed a hand down her arm, encircled her wrist, and then guided her hand toward Declan’s polar bear.
Emmy didn’t even realize she was quaking until she saw her hand trembling, but she wasn’t about to let nervousness stop her from a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The moment her fingertips caressed the fur on the top of the bear’s head, her heart skipped a beat before beating fast and hard against her sternum. She sucked in a gasping breath, caressed over the top of the polar bears head and then sunk her fingers into the fur at the back of his neck.
She’d expected his fur to be thick and course, and while it was thick, it wasn’t rough. It was the softest fur she’d ever had the privilege of feeling, and she couldn’t help the nervous giggle escaping from between her parted lips.
Declan nudged her arm with the side of his face, and this time she laughed outright. She took a step closer to the bear and then smoothed her hand down his neck and over his massively muscular shoulder. She would have made the return journey, but that meant she would be petting him against the way his fur was growing. She didn’t think that would feel very nice, so she lifted her hand off before reaching up with both hands to scratch behind his ears.
The polar bear made a moaning sound and lowered his head so she could reach better. Emmy giggled and obliged by scratching faster and a little firmer. Declan pressed his head into her chest and nudged her. He was so strong he sent her stumbling back, and if Brooks hadn’t grasped her hips she might have fallen to her ass.
“Watch it, Declan,” Brooks reprimanded.
“He didn’t hurt me.” Emmy met gaze over her shoulder.
“I know, darlin’, but when we’re in animal form it’s sometimes hard to gauge our strength.”
Emmy nodded and looked back at Declan’s bear. The animal was swaying from side to side on his feet, and his head was moving from side to side, too. “Why is he doing that?”
“It’s just instinct,” Jett explained. “Change back, Declan.”
Declan moved back, and the transformation began to reverse.
This time she was prepared and wasn’t shocked as the polar bear began to diminish in size, or the when his face began to shorten. The white fur coat receded, leaving tanned flesh visible, and finally Declan was back.
He pushed up to his feet, and Emmy glanced away from his nakedness, a blush heating her cheeks. She was hot and bothered, not with embarrassment, but for an entirely different reason.
Her pussy was wet and clenching, her clit was distended and throbbing, and her nipples were hard and achy. She didn’t realize she was panting until Jett wrapped his arms around her torso, just beneath her breasts. She closed her eyes and tried to push her desire down deep, but it was impossible when all she could see in her mind was Jett lifting his hands toward her breasts.
“Are you okay, baby?” Declan asked.
When she opened her eyes to meet his gaze, she was half-glad and half-disappointed to see that he was wearing clothes again. He had the most amazing body she’d ever seen, and while she’d only ever seen one man naked in real life, she’d seen a few pictures. None of them compared to Declan in his natural form. If it wouldn’t have been brazen, she would have asked Brooks and Jett to strip off so she could see what they looked like in their animal forms, too. And wasn’t it a shame she would have had to have seen them naked before they shifted shape.
“Emmy?” Declan cupped her cheek.
She forced her heavy lids up and met his brown eyes before nodding.
“You smell so good, Emmy.” Jett groaned next to her ear, causing her to shiver, but when he nipped her earlobe she couldn’t hold back the moan in her chest. A frisson of heat raced up her spine when he sucked her earlobe into his mouth. “You taste delicious, love.”
Every carnal erotic sex act she’d read about in those romance books flashed before her mind, and just as she was about to do something very bold and out of character—like grab hold of Declan’s shirt to yank him down so she could kiss him—a thought struck her hard and fast.
They’d just told a massive secret, one that could change the way every human being saw the world. The question was, why?
“Why did you tell and show me what you are? Aren’t you scared I’ll tell someone?”
Declan shook his head. Brooks moved around from behind her and stood next to Declan. Jett tightened an arm around her ribs and splayed a hand over her flat belly, pressing her back tighter against his front. She gulped when she felt the hard ridge of his cock against her back, and while her first instinct was to wriggle and press against his erection firmly, she fought to keep still.
“We trust you, Emmy,” Brooks said.
“But you don’t really know me. How can you believe I would keep such an amazing phenomenon quiet?”
“Because you aren’t the type of person to go blabbing off to just anyone,” Jett answered.
“How many people have you told about what you’ve been dealing with?” Declan asked.
“What’s that got to do with any of this?”
“Everything,” Brooks replied. “You’re a very private person, darlin’, and you don’t trust easily, which is good for the most part. You can’t be too careful when there are so many people out to hurt or use others for their own greed.”
Emmy blinked when tears stung her eyes. She couldn’t believe how quickly these three men were picking up on her personality traits. “So, are you going to answer my question?”
Declan stepped forward, cupped her face between his big, warm, manly hands, and stared intently into her eyes. “You’re our mate, baby.”
* * * *
Declan couldn’t hold back any longer. From the first time he’d seen and smelled Emmy, he’d been craving a taste of those luscious lips. He slowly lowered his head, giving her time to draw back or push him away, but she did neither. From the way her eyes had widened and her pupils had dilated, she was either in shock, or she was craving his mouth on hers as much as he was. Or maybe it was both.
He breached the last of the gap between them and brushed his lips back and forth over hers, still giving her time to react the way she wanted. When she moaned and grabbed his T-shirt in a tight-knuckled grip and pulled him closer, he realized she was just as hungry for him as he was for her.
Emmy moaned and, when he swept his tongue over her lips, gasped, and Declan took immediate advantage. He licked into her mouth and groaned as the taste of her feminine desire coated his taste buds. His cock went from hard to full-on girth aching attention in less than a second, and while he felt more than a little light-headed as more of the blood in his brain raced south, he kept right on kissing her. His cock felt thicker than it had ever been before, and for a second or two, he was worried it was about to split open.
When Emmy melted against him his hard cock jerked and began to leak pre-cum. She mightn’t have realized what she was doing, but Declan sure did. Emmy was shifting on her feet restlessly, and every time she moved, her stomach was rubbing against his hard dick. Declan felt as if he was going to combust at any moment. He needed to slow things down before they got totally out of hand, because he wasn’t sure she was ready for more.
He drew his tongue from her mouth and back into his own, but before he could break the kiss, she followed. Declan growled and tangled her tongue with his before sliding along it, and then he suckled.
She whimpered and totally melted against him as if her knees had just buckled. Declan dropped his hands from her face, clasped her hips, and hoisted her up into his arms. Emmy wrapped her arms around his neck and hooked her legs around his hips. He groaned and began to rock his pelvis into hers.
; “Declan, you have to stop,” Brooks commanded in a soft deep voice, a tone so low Emmy wouldn’t have been able to hear it.
His polar bear was urging him to bite into the crook of her shoulder, and when he felt the tips of his fingers tingle, he knew Brooks was right. Declan was right on the edge of losing total control, and he couldn’t allow that. He released Emmy’s tongue and slowed the kiss until they were sipping at each other’s lips, and then with regretful reluctance, he raised his head.
“W-what was that?” Emmy asked breathlessly as she glanced from Brooks to Jett and back to Declan.
“If you don’t know what that was, then I didn’t do it right.” Declan winked and grinned as he tried to get his desire under wraps.
His inner beast was going crazy, and Declan wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his animal from taking over. When he glanced at his fingertips and saw that his claws had made an appearance, he turned away and headed toward the kitchen.
He inhaled deeply, trying to ignore the taste of Emmy still in his mouth, and swallowed the saliva pooling before he choked. He froze when he smelt pain and spun around to see that Emmy had her arms wrapped around her waist with her back to the room. She was staring out the living room window, and from the way her shoulders had lifted toward her ears, she was barely holding it together.
Declan rushed across the room, ignoring the pointed scowls Jett and Brooks were giving him, and after a brief hesitation, he clasped Emmy’s slim shoulders under his hands.
“What’s wrong, baby? Why can I smell pain on you?”
Emmy took a deep shuddering breath, and after a quick glance over her shoulder, she turned back toward the window and shrugged. That rapid look was enough for him to realize he’d fucked up somehow. He’d seen the tears welling in her eyes.
Declan didn’t stop to think but scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to the sofa. When he sat, he kept her on his lap.
Emmy pushed at his shoulders and scowled at him, but he had a feeling she was on the attack so she didn’t break down.
“Settle down, baby, and tell me what’s wrong.”
“There’s nothing wrong.”
“Liar.” Declan sighed and gently clasped her chin between his finger and thumb before bringing her gaze to his.
“How do you know whether I’m lying or not? You don’t know me.”
“You’re right. I, we, don’t know you that well, but our noses are better than the average bears and we can smell emotions.”
When Emmy’s fierce expression smoothed out and he saw the twinkle in her eyes, Declan knew he had her. He watched mesmerized as her lips curved up, and then she burst out laughing. The sound of her soft feminine voice sent heated chills coursing through his veins, and he hoped to hear her laugh every day for the rest of his life.
“I love hearing you laugh, Emmy.” Declan pressed his forehead to hers and then drew back again. “Please tell me what I did to hurt you.”
“You…didn’t hurt me.” Emmy glanced away and licked her lips.
“But?” He cocked an eyebrow expectantly.
“You kissed me, made a joke, and then walked away.”
Declan frowned. “And?”
“Are you that obtuse? Do I have to spell it out?”
“Obviously I am and you do, baby. Please, I want to know how me doing that hurt you.”
Emmy closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “I thought that we’d shared something special.”
Declan mentally cursed when tears pooled in her eyes again.
“How could you make a joke and then turn your back on me?”
His heart ached as the tears spilled down her cheeks. He cupped her face between his hands and swiped his thumbs under her eyes, wiping the moisture from her face.
“Hell yes, that kiss was special,” Declan stated emphatically. “But my polar bear was getting out of control and I was afraid that if I didn’t walk away, I would do something stupid.”
“Out of control? Stupid? How?” She frowned.
Jett and Brooks came and sat on the sofa on either side of them. Emmy glanced at each of them before meeting his gaze again. Declan grasped her hips, lifted, and turned her around so that she was straddling his hips and facing him. Having her in this position would be easier for her to see the three of them.
“My polar bear was pushing to get out so it could mate you. My claws were out, and I was seconds away from claiming you.”
“Oh.” Emmy covered her mouth, and Declan could see how shocked she was because her eyes were wide open.
He mentally cursed.
Had he just fucked everything up with their mate?
Chapter Six
Although Emmy was shocked by Declan’s proclamation, she was also horny.
She’d only ever had one boyfriend, and that had been a disaster from the start. She’d gone out with Steven for six months before she’d even thought about going to bed with him. She’d never forget that awful night for as long as she lived.
She’d been in her senior year of high school and hadn’t even thought about the boys in her classes or having, or even wanting, a boyfriend. However, she’d started noticing Steven Jenkins was wherever she seemed to be.
At first she’d been kind of creeped out, but when she realized he was attracted to her, Emmy had taken a good look at him. He’d been handsome in the boy-next-door kind of way, but since he’d been on the football team, she’d thought he would’ve been built. He hadn’t been but she didn’t care. He’d been really nice to her and didn’t feel right ignoring the guy. When he started talking to her, she’d shyly responded.
Emmy wasn’t easy and had made Steven work for her affectionate attention, but finally after three months she’d agreed to go on a date with him. It had been a fun night so when he’d asked her out again before leaving her on her mom’s porch, she’d said yes.
From then on, they’d been inseparable. Emmy had thought she’d been falling in love with him, and he’d done everything right for her to think he was feeling the same for her.
She’d never forget that horrible fateful night for two reasons. One, because after giving Steven her virginity, he’d rolled off the bed, grabbed her clothes, and thrown them at her. His parting words still made her cringe years later. “It’s been real, but I never want to work that hard to get into a girl’s pants again.”
Emmy had been mortified, humiliated, and had felt so dirty she’d wanted to throw up. She’d scrambled out of bed, dressed, and left. In the taxi on the way home, she hadn’t been able to keep her tears at bay and had let them free. The poor driver must have thought she was a basket case, but she’d ignored him, because she’d certainly felt as if her mind and heart had been splintering apart.
They’d been a block or so from her home when she’d seen a fiery glow in the sky and all thoughts of the asshole had fled. The closer they’d driven to her house the larger the knot of dread in her gut had become. By the time the driver had turned onto her street, she’d been sweating and shaky and barely able to breathe.
Emmy didn’t remember paying the cab fare or getting out of the taxi, but she remembered standing on the road outside of a neighbor’s house watching her home burn down. Emmy hadn’t been worried about her mom, because she was supposed to be working behind the cash register at the local liquor store. If she’d known her mom had come home early because she was sick, maybe she could have told the first responders and she might have been saved.
“Emmy? Where’d you go, darlin’?” Brooks asked as he threaded his fingers with hers.
This time when the tears welled she didn’t bother to quell them. A sob erupted from between her parted lips, and then she was being lifted from Declan’s lap onto Brooks’.
She hugged his neck, buried her face against the side of his throat, and cried. Once she started she couldn’t seem to stop. The tears, wails, and sobs just kept right on coming. It didn’t seem to matter that she hated crying and always tried to keep her emotions in check.
&
nbsp; Right now, there was no way to control her grief, her fear, or her exhaustion, and she had a feeling her tumultuous emotions were because for the first time in a good long while, she had other people worried about her. It had been so damn long since anyone cared about her one way or the other, and now that she’d found these three amazing, caring men, she just totally lost her shit.
“Shh, darlin’, I’ve got you,” Brooks crooned as he rubbed a hand up and down her back. “You’re safe with us, Emmy. We won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Shit, Emmy, you’re breaking my heart, baby.” Declan caressed a hand over her head.
“It’s going to be okay, love,” Jett whispered in her ear.
The storm finally slowed and then stopped. While Emmy felt a little ludicrous over falling apart, she also felt as if the weight of the world had eased from her shoulders. Who knew crying could be so cathartic? She certainly hadn’t. She sniffed and hiccupped and shifted so she could wipe her face with the back of her hands.
“Look at me, darlin’,” Brooks ordered gently.
She glanced up at him and then at Jett who’d moved to stand behind the sofa. He was frowning, and from the expression on his face, he was really worried about her.
“What was that about, baby?” Declan handed her a wad of clean tissues.
She nodded at him gratefully, mopped her wet cheeks, and then blew her nose.
“God, I’m sorry. I’m such a mess.”
Brooks nudged her gaze back to his. “Stop apologizing, darlin’. You’ve been under a tremendous amount of stress and you haven’t broken.”
Emmy snorted. “I just did.”
“No, you didn’t, love.” Jett cupped her cheek in his hand. “You just needed to unburden some of that load you’ve been carrying.”