by Abby Blake
Zeek barely managed to not roll his eyes. Of course he saw the damn footage. That’s why he’d gone into town in the first place. “I did,” he said, unable to hide the deep anger the footage had left him with, but he was grateful to learn that Ruby had no memory of it. In the video she’d obviously been drugged. Her eyes had been glassy and unfocused, and her voice had sounded breathless, almost that of a frightened child, not the twenty-six-year-old party girl the television had reported her to be. He’d heard the audio on the radio every hour on the half hour, seen the full video on the Internet, and caught snippets in every news flash that crossed the TV screen in every store that he’d gone into.
Nearly everyone in town had been talking about the missing heiress, and only his reputation for being a little odd had kept him from being drawn unwillingly into the conversations. Even the nosy old biddy in the general store had barely taken enough time to collect his money before going back to gossiping with her friends. He explained all this to his brothers in as few words as possible.
“So now what do we do?” Levi asked.
“Maybe we should get her to call her father. At least let the man know she’s safe.”
“What if her father is the one behind it?” Zeek asked as anger at the man’s behavior drilled through him once more. When Ruby had said her father didn’t negotiate with terrorists, she hadn’t been kidding. But from where Zeek stood, it looked like the man was willing to gamble his daughter’s life for some extra advertising.
“We need to talk to her,” Nickolas said with a small shake of his head. “Although I have no idea how we’re supposed to ask the woman if her father might be trying to get her killed.”
Chapter Three
She’d probably just missed the biggest opportunity to escape that she was likely to get. Zeek had dropped his car keys in the basket by the front door, all three of the brothers were out the back of the property, and all she’d needed to do was grab the keys and run.
But she’d hesitated and she was kind of finding it hard to regret.
Something about these men just seemed trustworthy. Of course that could probably be traced back to her own libido revving up anytime one of them entered the room. They were a seriously good-looking, muscular, yummy bunch.
So of course, like a ridiculous, lovesick dork, she’d given herself about a million reasons why she shouldn’t run—all the way from “she didn’t like driving in the dark” to “stealing cars is wrong.” Unfortunately after that little denial session with herself, she was seriously beginning to doubt her own sanity.
Ruby sat up as all three brothers came into the room.
Did she really think these guys were protecting her? She had no memory of last night. No memory of how she’d gotten where they said they’d found her. No memory of being bitten by snakes—other than her usual strange dream. And she had to face it. It was very likely that she’d called out during her nightmare and given them the idea. She literally had no real proof of any kind. The lingering effects of the drugs could easily explain the way she’d imagined Zeek turning into a black bear.
What if it was all an elaborate hoax to gain her trust? What if they really were the men who’d drugged and kidnapped her? She only had their word for it that she was in danger from someone other than them. They’d even convinced her not to call her parents until they understood the full situation.
Crap. When had she become a trusting, naïve little fool?
“I want to see the bear again,” she demanded before any of them could tell her what they’d come to say. All three men looked startled by her sudden vehemence, confirming that what she’d seen earlier couldn’t possibly have happened.
She scrambled off the sofa, taking the blanket with her as she tried to take a step away from them.
“Ruby?” Nickolas asked in a concerned voice. “Honey, we need to talk to you.”
“Not before I see the bear.”
“Ruby, turning into a bear inside the house usually ends with broken furniture. You saw the bookshelf Zeek destroyed this morning. Why do you need to see one of us shift again?”
“Why are you avoiding the subject?”
“I’m not avoiding it. We need to ask you some questions.”
“And I need to see you change into a bear. Now! Right now.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Nickolas said as he dragged his clothing off. Ruby tried really hard to keep her eyes above his waist, but it seemed that her curiosity was something she couldn’t quite control at that moment. At first she thought he really was changing into a bear but blushed when she realized the changes in his body seemed to be of the human male variety. She watched for another three whole seconds before she realized what she was doing. “Now!” she demanded in what she thought of as her best spoiled-diva voice. It had taken many years to perfect the tone. It was what the public expected. Who was she to disappoint?
But she felt every drop of blood drain from her head as the man in front of her sprouted thick dark hair all over his body and seemed to grow in size. She jumped back, grateful for the strong arms that wrapped around her until she realized they belonged to another man who claimed to be a bear.
“Shhh, darlin’,” Levi said as he tightened his hold on her.
Ruby couldn’t bite back the frightened whimper as a full-grown, adult black bear moved closer. The bear stopped directly in front of her, its deep-brown eyes never leaving her face. Holy shit, this had been far easier when she’d thought she was dreaming.
“Okay, ch–change b–back now, please,” she said in a much shakier voice than she’d intended. Thankfully, Nickolas did exactly that. He didn’t even try to hide his hard cock, but at that very moment Ruby didn’t have concentration enough to be embarrassed.
Her whole world, everything she’d ever known, had just been turned on its head. There were men on this planet who could change into bears. Really. Change. Into. Bears.
“Um.” She wasn’t exactly sure what to say. Thankfully, Zeek came to her rescue, as Nickolas dragged his clothes back on.
“Not what you were expecting when you went out for dinner last night, huh?”
“No,” she said on a long exhalation. She giggled slightly at the incongruity of the thought. Get dressed for dinner and dancing, get abducted and drugged, meet a bear or three. Nope, not her usual night out. But as the ridiculous humor of the situation worked through her mind, so did the realization that somebody really had tried to kill her.
Her giggling turned just a little bit hysterical. She sucked in a halting breath, her bottom lip quivering and her eyes filling with tears as she tried desperately to hold herself together. Fuck, this wasn’t what she’d planned when she’d demanded to see the bear. She’d had some sort of hazy notion that they’d been lying. But seeing Nickolas change into a black bear in front of her eyes had nullified the little pep talk she’d so recently given herself.
Nickolas stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her without taking her from Levi’s embrace. “It’s going to be okay, Ruby.”
“S–Somebody tried to kill me.” She swallowed hard, unable to dislodge the lump of emotion clogging her throat.
“It’s okay, princess,” Zeek said from somewhere beside them. “We won’t let anyone hurt you. Never again.”
And somehow she believed him. Maybe it was the warmth of their arms, or the safety she felt in their combined embrace. Hell, maybe it was even that “mate” thing they’d mentioned. But whatever it was, Ruby wanted to stay with these men. All three of them.
Almost as if they’d read her mind, Levi lifted her into his arms and carried her into a bedroom she hadn’t yet seen. Nickolas pulled back the covers and Levi placed her in the middle of the mattress.
“Don’t leave,” she said urgently as Nickolas and Zeek went to exit the room.
“It’s okay, princess. Get some sleep.”
“No,” she said belligerently. “Not without you.” The other two looked stunned by her announcement until she added, “All of you.
”
The brothers looked at each other for a few moments, but then almost by some silent signal all three moved toward the bed and lay down. They climbed onto the top of the covers, effectively pinning her in place, but not uncomfortably so.
“Sleep now,” Nickolas said as he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.
She wanted to deny her exhaustion. She wanted to pace the floor, throw things around, and complain very loudly. Hell, she still wanted to rant about someone having the audacity to try and kill her, but Levi threaded his fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp gently as Nickolas pressed soft kisses to her eyes. Zeek smoothed a hand up and down her legs in sweeping, hypnotic motions and, even though it was the last thing she thought she wanted, sleep quickly claimed her.
* * * *
Nickolas held his mate in his arms. She’d been asleep for the last several hours while he, Levi, and Zeek had taken turns lying beside her. Levi had managed to salvage dinner, and Nickolas had left Ruby’s side for all of the three minutes it took to gulp down the slightly burned steak and overcooked potatoes before rushing back to the bedroom.
As soon as he’d stretched out beside her she’d rolled into his arms, her leg bent at the knee and resting on his upper thigh, her arm across his chest, her warm hand against his neck. He could barely believe how lucky they were to find the woman. Not only did she move in extremely different social circles, she’d almost died before they’d met her.
They’d healed the woman not knowing she was their mate, and would have taught her about bear-shifters and cared for her regardless, but discovering she was their mate made the entire situation incredible. He’d never truly believed the legends his grandmother had shared about the Great Spirit, but it seemed too big a coincidence to be simple chance.
Ruby stirred in his arms, cuddled him closer for a few moments, and then lifted her head to press a kiss to his jaw.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“What for?”
“For not freaking out when I started accusing you guys of horrible things.”
“That’s okay, Ruby. We are total strangers after all.”
She sat up, resting her forearm across his chest as she looked into his eyes. “See, that’s just the thing. You don’t feel like strangers. Something inside me wants to trust you all. Without any proof, or even a decent reason, I wanted to believe in you and Levi and Zeek.”
“That’s probably got something to do with your bear side. Your bear half recognizes its mate, the same as ours recognize you.”
“Really?” She levered away from him and arranged herself cross-legged beside him. Even though she quickly pushed the shirt down to cover her modesty, he couldn’t erase the quick glimpse of her pussy. He tried hard to think of something else as his body reacted way out of proportion to her unintentional flash of femininity. “I thought I dreamed that part. Will I really turn into a bear? It seems kind of incredible.”
“I suppose it does seem incredible, but the amount of healing magic we needed to restore you to health has also gifted you with the ability to shift. It’ll take months before you can do it successfully, but eventually you’ll be able to change at will.”
“Wow.” She ran a hand through her hair, stopping to untangle a messy knot. A soft blush crept up her neck as she suddenly looked at anything but him.
“What is it, Ruby?”
She looked startled by his observation, but finally managed to squeak out the words. “Does the attraction go both ways? I mean…um…is it just me being silly or do you and…your…um…brothers all feel…um…” She let her words fade, her face nearly fire-engine red as she dipped her head in embarrassment.
Nickolas glanced at the doorway, glad to realize that his brothers had been listening from wherever they’d been in the house.
“Yes, princess,” Zeek said as he came into the room. “We are all very attracted to you. Hopefully, one day when you’re comfortable with us, you’ll let us show just how attracted.” He placed a hand against Ruby’s neck and slowly moved it across her collarbone and down her arm. She shivered in reaction, and Nickolas had to suppress his desperate need to take her now, to make her his hard and fast. She needed time.
“Zeek bought you some clothes while he was in town. I’ll go grab them so you can come eat some dinner.”
“No,” she said, lifting her hands to the buttons of her shirt. Nickolas practically had a heart attack when she unbuttoned the top one. “I want to explore this…” She waved a hand around, indicating the four of them. “I want to understand. I need to…” She ran a hand through her hair as her blush crept up her neck once more. “I don’t know what I want. I just know I want it.”
* * * *
Ruby held her breath. She had no idea what sort of reaction to expect from these men. She’d never done anything like this before. Although, considering she was suggesting a ménage à quatre, she suspected it wasn’t something most women even thought about. They’d said she was mate to all of them, but as they hesitated, she suddenly wondered if they’d meant three separate relationships.
“Darlin’, there’s no rush. We can wait until you’re ready.”
“But…” She glanced at all three men, trying to read their minds even though she figured that probably wasn’t part of the whole bear-shifter package. “But I want to. I’m tired of being alone.” Ruby hadn’t even realized she was going to say the words until they were out of her mouth. But once released into the air she understood just how true they were. Despite the fact that she’d met these men only hours ago, she felt closer to them than anyone else she’d ever met. And she certainly felt like she fit in here better than anywhere else she’d ever been.
The thought was kind of depressing.
She tried to convince herself she was acting like the self-centered bitch the tabloids accused her of being with the whole “poor little rich girl” routine, but couldn’t quite keep the tears from her eyes or the emotion from her voice.
“I’m s–sorry. Maybe I misunderst—” Before she could get the words out, Zeek pulled her to him, settled his mouth over hers, and kissed her like he wanted to inhale her. By the time he let her up for air, every inch of her vibrated with the need to belong to these men. But hadn’t Zeek said he didn’t want to be her mate? She glanced at Levi and Nickolas.
“He’s an idiot for saying it, but he didn’t really mean it.” Levi smirked at his brother’s reaction. Obviously Zeek finally realized that Ruby had overheard him earlier today.
“I’m sorry, Ruby. I shouldn’t have said any of what I said. I…” He seemed to be trying to find words to explain his behavior, but in the end he touched her face gently, and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I can only plead temporary insanity and beg you to forgive me.”
Ruby smiled. She’d never met anyone like these three brothers before. She had absolutely no idea why she seemed to be rushing headlong into something so unusual, but it just seemed right. She’d done everything that had been asked of her all her life. She’d always been a good girl, despite her tabloid reputation, and she’d almost died last night. Maybe it was time for her to be just a little bit bad.
“Can you fuck me now?” She could feel the wide smile on her face, and hoped that it looked at least a little bit sexy. All of her reading and self-exploration hadn’t really prepared her for the reality. She stifled the nervous giggle, but couldn’t help noticing that this being-naughty stuff was kind of freeing.
“No,” Zeek said with a very serious expression on his handsome features. At first glance she thought he seemed annoyed at her request, but then he leaned over and nipped her earlobe with his teeth. “No, I’m going to make love to you this first time.” But then he ruined the seriousness of his whispered declaration by adding, “We can fuck like bunnies later.”
She laughed with him, almost forgetting they weren’t alone until warm hands pulled at her borrowed shirt and lifted it over her head. In less than a second she was completely naked, sitting cross-legged on
the bed, the small patch of curls between her thighs not enough to hide her arousal.
“Lie down, darlin’.” Levi helped her to turn around and lie back, so that her head was resting comfortably on the pillows. He stretched out on the mattress on her left. Nickolas lay down on the right and propped his head up with one hand. He caressed her stomach with the other as Levi did the same, smoothing his hand a little higher, caressing the underside of her breasts as her breathing faltered.
Awash with tingling sensation, Ruby wasn’t even certain what Zeek intended to do until his warm tongue touched her inner thigh. She squirmed, embarrassment heating her blood as Levi and Nickolas caressed her legs and pulled them open for Zeek to get closer. He wedged his shoulders between her knees, effectively holding her wide open for his exploration, before he lowered his mouth over her already-swollen clit and slid a single finger into her pussy.
Her muscles contracted, caressing the invading digit as Zeek’s tongue laved the swollen bundle of nerves. She wriggled against the mattress, the sweet stirrings of orgasm rushing at her. But she panted, amazed as the sensations grew exponentially, becoming more powerful than anything she’d known before. And still they wound her higher. Levi and Nickolas sucked her breasts, flicking her nipples with their tongues. The fast and hard motions of Levi’s tongue clashing with the slow, loving strokes of Nickolas’s made her body burn even hotter.
Her breath caught in her throat as they took her to heights she’d never even imagined possible. Every nerve ending screamed her need, every cell shook. Her breath caught, jamming in her chest as her spine bowed, her feet curled, and her lower body shook violently. Suspended at the precipice of release, they somehow kept her there, teasing, tormenting, driving her wild with need. She wanted to yell, to scream, to rage at them, but her voice, her breath, her very essence seemed out of her control.
“Come for us, Ruby,” Nickolas whispered in her ear.
Heat exploded outward, her midsection shaking violently as every nerve ending sang with release. Her entire body buzzed, the tingling, shaking, rolling sensations going on and on and on as she panted and held her men close with shaking arms.