Ella and Her Shifters: A Reverse Harem Shifter Romance (Once Upon A Shifter Book 1)

by Aria Winter

  His eyes sweep to Nyx. “Nyx is the one who should train you. He is the one who learned fastest when we were younger. He helped each of us to master our skills.”

  Nyx dips his chin in acknowledgement and then turns to me. “We will start tomorrow if you wish.”

  “Why not now?”

  He cocks his head to the side to regard me. “You were injured yesterday. Your body is still healing.”

  He’s right. “Tomorrow, then.”

  “Tomorrow,” he confirms. “In the meantime, I believe you would benefit from more healing balm.”

  “I’m fine. It already—”

  “Your skin has knitted back together where your wounds once were, but the muscles beneath would benefit from the healing properties of the salve even now.”

  He gives me another tin of healing cream and I walk upstairs to the bedroom. Cash and Finn follow silently behind me, and I’m glad for their company. Nyx’s words replay in my mind. I shudder inwardly as I think on the fact that someone wants me dead.

  I turn back to Cash and Finn and make a decision. Nothing is certain. I could be killed tomorrow. I’ve decided that I’m going to live my life how I choose. And that means taking whatever happiness I can, and denying my heart no more.

  Chapter 21

  Ella

  II take a warm bath and then allow Cash and Finn to apply the healing balm over my skin. It carries the delicate fragrance of honey and jasmine and feels like silk as they spread it over my flesh.

  When they’re finished, I lay down in the bed and they lay on either side of me like before. Finn in front and Cash behind me. Each of them with an arm around my waist.

  “Are you tired, Ella?” Finn asks.

  I shake my head. I reach out and cup Finn’s cheek. In my heart, I already know that I love him and his brother, but I need to know if they truly feel the same in return. “You told me last night that you have strong feelings, but... do you love me?”

  “Yes,” Finn replies without hesitation.

  I search his eyes. “Then how could you just stand by and offer me up to another man? How could you send me into the arms of the prince? I understand why Kai did it. He thought it was his duty as your leader to make sure the prophecy was fulfilled. But you?” I turn and look back at Cash as well. “Why did you both go along with it?”

  Finn clenches his jaw. “Because I thought he would give you the kind of future you deserve. One full of love and happiness and—”

  I press a finger to his lips to silence him. “Are you saying you couldn’t give this to me as well?”

  He looks to his brother, an uncertainty in his gaze. I roll onto my back to stare up at Cash. He reaches down and touches my cheek. “All of us love you,” he says. “But we thought the prince would give you a life that we never could. One of wealth and—”

  I give him an incredulous look. “What do riches matter to the heart? Love and happiness are more precious than all the gold in the world.”

  “It is forbidden for a shifter to take a human mate,” Finn says. “We would have to hide you from both our world and yours.” He pauses. “And the Elders told us you were the Chosen One. The one who must marry the prince and bring peace to both of our realms.”

  “They were wrong,” I snap. Blinking back tears, I turn onto my side and hug my knees to my chest as I swallow back a sob. “Even if the prince is not dead, I refuse to be passed off like—” My voice breaks, and I stop abruptly as the first tear escapes my lashes.

  Finn pulls me into his arms and gently strokes my cheek. “Ella, I am so sorry. We all are. If we had known, we would never have left you alone with him. Forgive us, please.”

  “Promise me you’ll never try to give me away to someone else,” I murmur against his chest. “I don’t want to go with anyone but all of you. I refuse. You are the only ones I feel safe with. You are the only ones I love. No one else.”

  He stills. “What are you saying, Ella?”

  “I’m saying that I love you, Finn. I love you and Cash. And I know it’s wrong to love more than one person, but I can’t help it. That’s how I feel. And even if it’s the bond making me feel like this… it doesn’t matter.” I place my hand to my chest, directly over my heart. “I feel it in here. But I feel it for you both. Is that wrong?”

  Finn’s gaze holds mine as he threads his fingers through my hair. “It is not wrong in our world to love more than one person.”

  “In fact,” Cash adds, “it is not unheard of for a female to mate each of her guards.”

  “It isn’t?” I ask as hope fills me.

  “No,” he replies. “It is only you humans who believe it is wrong to take more than one mate.”

  I draw in a shaking breath as the horrible memory returns of the wolf shifter disguised as the prince. “When I was with him, it felt wrong,” I whisper, recalling what went through me while I was at the castle. “It felt wrong because I knew that I wanted you. Both of you. But I thought you wouldn’t want me, especially since you had done everything to make sure that he noticed me. That he picked me and—” my voice catches.

  Finn pulls me tight to his chest as Cash wraps his arms around me as well, holding me between them.

  “If you loved me, how could you just give me away to someone else?”

  “You think I wanted to let you go?” Finn asks. He grips my chin and lifts my eyes to meet his. “It was the most difficult thing I have ever had to do. And when I saw you with him in the garden, I... I thought I would die of a broken heart. It was so hard to see you with him. And I knew... I knew that I would never want another as I want you. I love you, Ella. We both do.”

  “He’s right,” Cash murmurs, as he touches my cheek. “You have ruined us for all other females. We are bound to you, heart, mind, body, and soul.”

  I turn onto my back. Each of them are propped up on one elbow. They stare down at me as I reach out for them. Gently, I stroke my hand up and down Finn’s arm as I touch Cash’s face. “Before he tried to kill me, the wolf shifter tried to seduce me. My first time would have been...” I blink back tears. “It would have been... not what I wanted. It felt wrong when he touched me. I want my first time to be special. And I want it on my terms.” I pause, looking at both twins. “All I could think is that if given a chance, I would have been with one of you first instead of him.”

  Finn’s eyes go half-lidded as I trail my hand down his bare chest. My fingers tracing every dip and curve of his heavily muscled form. I reach out and skim my fingers along Cash’s bicep. The thick cords of muscle flexing beneath my touch.

  I move my hand lower, and when I reach what should be the waistband of Finn’s pants, I do not feel anything but his skin. My brow furrows in confusion as a smile tugs at his lips. “Our clothes are an illusion. Part of the form we take when we shift to make you feel comfortable,” he explains.

  He explained this before and I forgot that they are always naked, even when they appear to be clothed. My face heats as I stare up at them. “I want to see you,” I whisper. “All of you.”

  I watch in wonder as their clothes fade away to reveal their completely nude forms.

  Finn’s gaze follows mine to his cock. I know I have seen it before when he was injured, but this is different. Now it is hard and fully erect and so much larger than I realized. My thighs involuntarily squeeze together as I wonder how he might feel inside me. “Forgive me, Ella,” he whispers. “You are so beautiful I—”

  I give him a quick kiss to silence him. “It’s all right,” I whisper against his lips. When I look at Cash, his cock is hard and fully erect as well.

  I wrap my hands around Finn’s length. He is so large my fingers do not quite reach all the way around him. Liquid beads at the tip then runs down his shaft.

  Breathless with anticipation, I look between them both. “Touch me,” I command.

  Cash smooths his hand up my thigh as Finn gently pushes the top strap of my gown off my shoulder. His intense green gaze holds mine as he cups my breast.r />
  He leans down and closes his mouth over the soft peak, laving his tongue across it until it turns into a hard bead. I run my hand through his hair as I arch up against him, wanting more.

  Cash’s hand skims lightly up my inner thighs, but he stops just before he reaches my center. I want him to touch me so badly, I open my legs and stare deep into his eyes. A low moan escapes me as Finn continues to tease his tongue over my nipple and creates a gentle suction, driving me mad with desire.

  “Touch me, Cash,” I barely manage to breathe.

  He stares at me with a heavy-lidded gaze as he dips his fingers into my already slick folds. I gasp as he brushes his thumb across the small bundle of nerves at the apex. He presses his lips to mine, swallowing the soft whimper of need that escapes me.

  “May I taste you?” he asks, and I barely manage to nod as Finn moves his attention to my other breast.

  Cash moves down between my thighs and runs his tongue through my folds. He concentrates on the small pearl of flesh at the top until I’m breathless and panting beneath them.

  Finn lifts his head, and his green eyes meet mine. “I desire more than anything to be bound to you, Ella,” he whispers. “I want to be yours.” He cups my cheek. “Your kiss will seal us as your guards, but I… I want to be more than that. I want to be your mate, Ella.” He darts a glance at Cash, his green eyes already watching me with a possessive gaze. “We both do.”

  “I want you,” I barely manage to breathe. “Both of you. More than anything.”

  “You are certain?” Cash asks, hope shining in his eyes.

  “Yes,” I reply without hesitation.

  “First, you must bind us as your guards with a kiss of intent.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “You speak the words: I bind you as my guard,” he explains. “Then you seal this vow with a kiss.”

  “And what about taking you as mine?” I ask because I want them both forever. I don’t want the prince, and I don’t care what the prophecy says. I want Cash and Finn as my mates.

  Cash runs his fingers through my hair. “Are you certain you want us?”

  I cup my hand to the back of his neck, pulling his mouth back down to mine. “I bind you as my guard,” I whisper.

  He captures my lips in a searing kiss and I gasp. When I open my mouth, his tongue finds mine, deepening our kiss.

  “I love you, Ella,” he whispers between kisses.

  “I love you too, Cash.”

  Finn lifts his head, and his eyes meet mine full of uncertainty.

  I smile down at him. “I love you too, Finn.”

  He moves up my body and stares down at me with a look of intense love and devotion. I pull his mouth down to mine and seal him to me with a kiss.

  Finn touches my cheek, staring down at me with an intense look of love and devotion. “If we mate with you, Ella, it will bind us to you always as your mates. Do you want this?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  Carefully, they both help to remove my gown. Once I’m bare before them, their eyes travel over my naked form, full of desire and hunger.

  Finn moves over me. I open my thighs, and he settles between them. I look down my body and see the crown of his cock. Hard and erect, it is so large I’m not sure how he will fit inside me. As if sensing my concern, he cups my cheek. His green eyes stare down at me full of love. “I will go slow, Ella. But if it hurts, you must tell me, and we will stop.”

  “I trust you.”

  Anticipation moves through me as he fits himself to my entrance. His gaze holds mine and the breath stutters from my lungs as he slowly enters me. At first, everything is so tight it’s uncomfortable. I dig my fingers into his arms as I try to force myself to relax. He stills. “Do you wish me to stop?” he asks, his voice rough and uneven.

  “No,” I tell him. “I want you.”

  He rocks his hips back and forth as he moves deeper. Cash closes his mouth over my breast, gently teasing the stiff peak. Small ripples of pleasure travel down my body to my core, and I begin to relax, adjusting to Finn’s invasion as he slowly sheathes himself completely inside me. I wrap my legs around his hips, enjoying the sensation of being joined to him like this. I’ve never felt so full, and I love the way he stares down at me as if I were the most precious thing in the world to him.

  Cash cups my breast with his other hand, and I turn to kiss him long and deep as Finn rolls his hips against mine.

  The delicious friction of his length deep in my channel makes me moan. He stares down at me, his gaze fiery and possessive as he begins to stroke inside me.

  Cash’s tongue wraps around mine, stealing the breath from my lungs as Finn continues to move over me. Each stroke becomes longer, deeper, and more forceful. Heat builds deep within me as pleasure coils tight in my core.

  A burst of heat deep inside me makes me gasp and arch up against him. It feels so good as it spreads throughout my body. My toes curl, and my eyelids flutter softly. “What was that?” I barely manage.

  “My precum. It will soften the entrance to your womb to receive my essence,” he says. “To seal the bond, your body must take in my seed.”

  Desire churns deep inside me. I want all of him. Everything he will give me. I look to Cash and know in my heart that I want them both. I want to bind myself to them.

  Finn’s eyes search mine. “Tell me that you are mine, my beautiful Ella.”

  “I’m yours.”

  He smiles and kisses me with a passion that steals the breath from my lungs as he thrusts up into me. Each stroke sends sensations so intense I’m gasping and panting his name.

  Finn groans as I wrap my legs tighter around him. He changes the angle of his hips, sinking impossibly deeper inside me. A low growl rumbles in his chest.

  He clenches his jaw, and I can tell it is taking everything in him to maintain his control. “Need you to come for me, Ella. Open for me and receive my essence, my beloved.”

  Cash closes his mouth over my breast as he cups the other one in his hand. The small muscles of my channel begin to flex and quiver around Finn’s length before clamping down firmly.

  My head falls back as waves of intense pleasure overcome me. I cry out Finn’s name as the sensation ripples through my body. His cock pulses deep in my channel, and I’m flooded with a delicious warmth as he erupts inside me. He roars my name as he fills me with his essence. Heat blooms deep in my core. It feels as if it goes on forever, and I hold tightly to him, afraid to let go because it’s so intense.

  He collapses on top of me, and I love the feel of his body pressed against mine. But Cash’s gaze is full of hunger as he stares down at me on his side. He touches his brother’s shoulder and Finn pulls away from me.

  I whimper softly at the loss of his cock from my body, but I only have a moment to miss him before Cash moves over me. He notches his tip at my entrance. His eyes meet mine, seeking permission. “Do you want me, Ella?” he rasps.

  “Yes.” I reach up and cup this cheek. “I want you, Cash.”

  My mouth falls open as he begins to push into me. He rocks his hips back and forth, moving deeper each time until he’s fully seated inside me. Everything feels more sensitive now, and I gasp as he begins to move.

  A soft moan escapes me at the delicious feel of his hardness rubbing my channel in all the right ways.

  Finn cups my cheek and turns my head to face him. A moment later, he captures my mouth in a searing kiss as Cash continues to pump into me.

  “You feel so good, Ella,” Cash rasps. “You’re perfect, my beautiful mate.” His green eyes stare deep into mine with love and devotion. “Open yourself to me, Ella. Take my essence and bind us together.”

  I spread my hips a bit wider as he drives even deeper. He cups my backside to lift me from the bed as I wrap my legs around him. The angle of his hips makes everything that much more sensitive. I close my eyes as delicious sensations move through me with each thrust of his body deep into mine.

  He grips my hip firmly in h
is hands, pinning me in place as he strokes long and deep, dragging me closer to the edge. My body goes taut like a bowstring, and then I’m coming. My release roars through me so intense I cry out his name.

  His cock pulses in my channel; heat blooms deep in my core as he floods my womb, filling me with his seed. Just like with Finn, it feels like it goes on forever.

  When he pulls himself free of my body, I immediately miss the feel of him inside me. Finn moves over me, and as he gently parts my legs, I stare up at him in wonder. “Again?” I ask, stunned that he has recovered so quickly. I’ve overheard enough of the staff on the estate, before my stepmother let them go, to know that men require a refractory period before they can make love again, but it seems like this isn’t the case for shifters.

  Finn’s eyes meet mine. “I have to have you again, my beautiful Ella. Do you want me?”

  I cup his cheek and smile up at him. “Always.”

  Chapter 22

  Ella

  When I wake in the morning, Cash and Finn have their arms wrapped tightly around me. I love being nestled between them. The area between my thighs aches, but in a good way, reminding me that I’ve been sealed and bound to them both.

  As if sensing I’m awake, Finn’s eyes slowly open, and he smiles at me.

  Cash’s lips caress my neck in a series of tender kisses as his hard length presses against my backside. I push back against him, loving the press of his body to mine.

  “If you keep doing that,” he whispers against the shell of my ear. “I’m going to have to take you.”

  I smile and push back again. “I want you inside me,” I whisper, taking him up on his challenge.

  He guides his length into me from behind. A low groan escapes him as he sheathes himself entirely inside me.

  Finn’s cock is hard against my abdomen, and I wrap my hand around his length as he captures my mouth in a claiming kiss.

  Cash grips my hips as he pumps into me, sending small ripples of pleasure through my entire body, and I begin to stroke Finn’s shaft.