“Uh oh. What?”
“The link grows stronger with time. Some of the oldest couples can hear every thought, or so we’ve been told.”
Her mouth dropped open again and Adam took the opportunity to catch her lower lip in his teeth. “Don’t worry. By then, I’m sure Levi and I will know you well enough to guess what you’re thinking anyway.”
Adam met Levi’s eyes, and Levi nodded in agreement, getting off the bed to stand with his arms open, ready to receive their woman.
Hope shivered as he gathered her into his arms. Already, she smelled of fresh arousal. “Where are we going?”
“To the shower. Now that we’ve claimed you, it’s our job to see to your needs in every way, so we’re going to wash you from head to toe.”
Hope’s nipples tightened to stiff points and her skin flushed. “And then?”
“And then back to bed, of course.”
Chapter 9
Sarah elbowed Hope. “I thought I’d never see you again. You’ve hardly been out of their house in the last couple of days.”
“I know. It’s crazy. It’s like we just can’t get enough of each other.” Hope didn’t add that she hadn’t wanted to leave their house for the pre-joining dinner, either. Only her love for her sister had driven her to get dressed for the first time in days and leave her mates’ home. She checked herself in the mirror while she waited for Sarah to finish getting ready. “Really, Sarah, I’m not exaggerating. I can’t seem to get enough of them. It feels like I’m in—”
“Heat?” Sarah blotted her lipstick and then turned to face Hope. “I know the feeling well. I remember thinking I was losing it. At the height of it, I thought my mates had broken me somehow and were just going along with it all to humor me.”
“I can’t believe this happened to you, too.”
“Oh, yes. Weeks and weeks of not wanting to do anything except my mates. Having every little touch get me started all over again and wondering if I’d ever be able to last more than a few hours without having one or both of them. Yes, been there, done that. It’s totally normal.”
“Really? How can this be normal?”
“After you meet your mate, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, there’s a bond, an attraction that draws you together again and again. It’s intense, and fighting it is hard. I know because I tried to fight it. But after the claiming, that desire ramps up to an unbelievable intensity. Don’t worry. You’re not broken or a permanent nympho or anything like that.”
“So it fades, then?”
“Yes, and no. A few weeks after the claiming, the need to couple every second backs off, but the intense desire for your mates doesn’t.” Sarah shrugged. “At least that’s how it’s been for me. And, well, you’ve seen Nikki and her men.”
Hope sure had. They were all nice and fun to hang out with, but they constantly found some reason to touch each other. “Well, you seem to have it together.” Sarah and her mates were very affectionate as well, but they weren’t constantly on the verge of running into the woods to mate.
“We’ve been together longer than Nikki and her mates, and we’ve learned how to…sort of control the need. But that doesn’t mean we’re not all over each other the minute we’re alone, and I am definitely looking forward to the hydan. That’s supposed to be…intense.”
“I really won’t see you for three weeks?”
“You might see me once or twice, but the hydan is all about having time to just delve into each other. Originally, it was meant to happen right after the claiming, and you can see why, but now, it just doesn’t always work out that way.”
“Well, I’ll miss you.”
“No you won’t. You’ll be too busy with your mates. But, there’s someone else who might need you to be strong and tear your attention away from them now and then.”
“Who?” Hope couldn’t think of a single person, other than Sarah, who would want her attention enough to disturb her heat period, as Sarah had called it.
“Mom.”
“Mom’s back in Philly.”
“Nope. She’s here, which is another reason I’m glad you dragged yourself out of bed.” Sarah clasped Hope’s hands. “We have to tell her. Tonight.”
Apparently, she’d missed a lot over the last couple of days. “I thought you told her to come another time because of the accident and all.”
“I did. But you know Mom. Just a little while ago, she called from her car, demanding to know why we weren’t home. Jackson and Wes went to get her.”
“She’s here? Now? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“She hasn’t been here that long, and you haven’t exactly been picking up the phone. Besides, I needed to talk to you first. She has to know before the joining tomorrow afternoon, so we need a plan.”
* * * *
The pre-joining dinner was held in the big dining room, which had been gussied up with lavender-and-ivory decorations and outfitted with a bar for the occasion. According to Adam, these events were typically held outdoors, but the extended summer they’d enjoyed was apparently over. The joining would be outdoors unless it rained, but the reception would be held in the lodge’s huge basement.
The pre-joining dinner was a feast, and Hope gorged herself. Her appetite had already started to pick up, though she had yet to complete transition. It was good to see her mother again and introduce her to Adam and Levi. Her mom didn’t bat an eye at hearing they were both her men. In fact, she smiled smugly, as if that had been her reason for sending her to visit Sarah all along.
After the big dinner, Levi and Adam went off to shoot pool with the guys, while she, her mom, and Sarah lingered at their table.
“This is lovely, Sarah. Who knew Jackson and Wes had so much family and so many friends? And you, Hope, I knew you had a little of me in you. I wanted you to find someone, for sure, but you did it one better.” Sandra winked, taking a sip of her cocktail before looking around the nearly empty dining room. “Hot damn! Not one but two tall drinks of water. Maybe I can snag a couple myself.”
“If anyone can, it would be you, Mom.”
Her mother had always been open-minded. She sure hoped she was open-minded enough to handle what they had to tell her. Thank God her mother had a strong heart.
Sarah leaned forward and took their mother’s free hand. “Look, Mom. I’m so glad you’re here. I’m happy you decided to come anyway, but I’d originally planned to have more time with you before the ceremony. It’s getting late and I’m tired, so I’m just going to put it out there.” She turned her gaze on Hope, raising her eyebrows in a silent plea for help.
“What is it, sweetie?” Sandra asked. “Oh, Lord, you’re pregnant, aren’t you?”
Sarah turned accusing eyes on Hope. “You told her?”
Hope shrugged. “I didn’t say a word.”
“No one had to tell me, Sarah. A mom knows these things. Stand up and turn around. Let me look at you.”
“Mom, I am pregnant, but it’s not that.”
“I said stand up and let me have a look.”
Sarah sighed but did as she was told. “Mom, we need to talk.”
Sandra stood and hugged Sarah tightly. “You’re not showing yet, but something told me I was finally going to be a grandmom. It’s about time.”
Once they were seated again, their mom beaming, Sarah tried again. “Okay, now I just want you to hear me out. Listen to everything I have to say before you ask questions.”
Hope nudged their mom’s drink closer to her. “Have another sip or two. Hell, maybe you’d better down the whole thing.”
“Stop,” Sarah said. “You’re scaring her.”
“If you’re expecting this to be easy, you’re delusional. She needs that drink. I could use one myself.” Hope looked over at the bar, prepared to go after one.
“Don’t you dare move, Hope. You promised to help me.”
Sandra’s eyes narrowed as she listened to their exchange. “Well, now you have my attention. Just spit it out. You know how I ha
te beating around the bush.”
Sarah took a deep breath. “There is no easy way to say this. Jackson and Wes are…well when we met they were…and then, they had to…so I’m, I’m a…”
Hope made a quick decision to put Sarah out of her misery. “She’s a wolf, Mom. A shifter to be precise, a person who can shift, or transform, into a wolf. And everyone else here is, too.” She held her breath, waiting for the scream or the faint that would follow. It never came.
Sandra threw her head back and laughed so hard tears came to her eyes. “What is this? Some type of prank?” she asked, looking around when she finally stopped laughing. “Where’s the camera?”
“Mom, I swear I’m not joking. All of those stories…all the things people think are just fiction? They’re real, and when I agreed to be with Jackson and Wes, they changed me, too. Just a few days ago, Adam and Levi changed Hope as well. Look, you’ve got to believe me. If you’re going to be around to see my baby, or babies, born, you have to accept the truth.”
More laughter. “What’s that show? Something about being a punk or getting a punk? I can’t remember what it was called. You girls always liked the practical jokes. Where’s the camera crew?” Sandra looked around.
Hope shook her head at Sarah. “I told you she’d never believe this. She’d have to be bat-shit crazy to buy it.”
“Well, then. Plan B. Hold Mom’s hand, Hope.” Sarah got to her feet and quickly stripped, which effectively stopped Sandra from laughing. The few others left in the room didn’t even pause in their conversation. This was normal in River’s Bend. No one cared. “So, here goes. Seeing is believing, right?”
Hope grabbed their mother’s hand and squeezed it tightly as Sarah went from pretty blonde woman to a white-and-gray wolf, right there in the dining room.
Sandra jumped up and pressed the back of her hand to her head. “Help me to my room, girls. Mom’s drunk.”
Hope took her mom by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Mom, you’re not drunk. That’s Sarah.”
Shaking her head as if trying to clear it, Sandra stared from Hope to Sarah and back to Hope again. Then she looked down at the floor where Sarah’s clothes still lay. “Sarah’s in there? In that wolf?”
“No, Mom. She’s not in the wolf. She is the wolf.”
Sarah moved forward slowly and bowed her head, whimpering, and Hope took their mom’s hand, guiding her in touching Sarah’s fur. Sandra gasped, turned to stare at Hope, wide-eyed, then promptly fainted.
Hope considered it an entirely reasonable response. In that moment, she found another reason to be happy her mates had claimed her. Thanks to her new, faster reflexes, she caught Sandra before she hit the floor.
* * * *
The weather behaved for Sarah’s joining. It was cool, but not too cold, and the sky was a clear fall blue. The fall leaves made a beautiful natural backdrop for the ceremony and Hope was pleased to stand in the front row of guests, watching as Sarah repeated the vows necessary to not only join with Jackson and Wes but also become a member of Clan Liekos.
Sarah wore a beautiful but simple long-sleeved joining gown, with a full skirt and a heavy lace bodice in antique white. Her mates wore tailored black tuxedos and matching looks of awe. Sarah seemed deliriously happy, and from Hope’s point of view, the ceremony was nothing short of perfect.
Levi leaned over to whisper in her ear, “That’ll be us soon.” She smiled and squeezed his hand. Adam stood to his right, and to Hope’s left stood her mother, a true mess of happy tears.
They’d sent for one of the clan nurses to check Sandra out after she’d fainted. She’d come to before the nurse made it there, though, and argued her way out of more than just a quick check of her vitals. It had then taken another drink and quite a bit of talking, but she’d finally accepted that she was neither drunk nor insane. Even now, though, she leaned over every few minutes or so to whisper in Hope’s other ear, “I can’t believe this is real.”
Hope had stayed with her mother long after Sarah had gone to be with her men, answering her questions as best she could. But she understood that sense of unreality her mom still seemed to feel. She’d felt it herself.
She listened intently to every part of the ceremony, not just because it was Sarah’s big day, but also because she wanted to know what to expect when it was her turn. She’d join with Adam and Levi a month after the end of Sarah’s hydan. Adam and Levi had wanted to have the ceremony right away, but Hope felt doing so would steal hers sister’s thunder. Even if she was wrong on that score, she wanted Sarah with her, not only for the ceremony, but also in the days leading up to her big day. Sarah had said she was willing to take time out from the hydan to support Hope, but Hope wouldn’t hear of it. Since she’d waited so long to join with her men, her sister deserved every second of the hydan.
Sandra’s tears proved contagious. Hope was in tears by the time the officiant—Eli, she thought his name was—concluded the ceremony and announced the trio to the guests.
“Gathered, please greet the newest member of our clan, Sarah Lowell, and her mates Jackson Lowell and Wes Liulfr. Welcome to Clan Liekos.” Sarah had decided to take Jackson’s last name.
Hope hugged her mother and then her mates. She was so happy for Sarah and overjoyed that after just a few hours of celebrating, she could be back in her mates’ arms again. Her mom, she hoped, would be tired after the party and not need her for the night. She stood with Sarah as she greeted guests who’d lined up for the chance to congratulate her, and then gave Sarah her own special congratulations.
Sarah beamed at her. “I’m so glad you’re here, Hope. I swear, I never thought this day would actually come.”
“I’m sorry you waited so long for this. I had no idea, Sarah. If I’d any idea you were putting your happiness on hold for me, I would have come right away.”
“Don’t worry about that now. It doesn’t matter anymore. Besides, it’s not like I didn’t have my men. We were mated in every possible way. The joining ceremony was just icing on the cake, you know? It just makes it feel more official. That’s all.”
“Not quite. Now you’re a member of their clan, too.”
“Well, there is that.”
“Hey, Hope. Can we steal her away?” Jackson and Wes looked at her expectantly. “It’s time for our first dance.”
“She’s all yours,” Hope said. “Congratulations, guys.” Hope hugged her new brothers-in-law. “Make her happy, okay?”
“Always,” Wes answered.
Hope watched them walk away, looking like a princess with two Prince Charmings. Then, she went in search of her own men, finding them inside at one of the buffets. Where else? she thought.
“Went straight for the food, huh?” She swiped a breadstick from Adam’s plate.
He shrugged. “We have to keep our strength up. We have a demanding woman at home.”
“You’re right. Better eat up.” Hope watched them pile their plates high.
“Are you hungry? We made a plate for you.” Levi pointed to another plate. Piled with less food than his own, it still held more than she could ever eat in one sitting, even with the increase in appetite she’d experienced since they’d claimed her.
“I’m hungry, but there’s no way I can eat all of that.” She laughed and shook her head. “Do you want a mate, or a huge bowling ball?”
Adam leaned over for a quick kiss. “Whatever you don’t eat, we will.”
Hope followed her mates over to a table just a few feet away from the dance floor. She took a bite of steak, sighing even as she chewed. “This day has just been so perfect, so beautiful. It was a lot like a wedding, but somehow it seemed more intimate, more personal.”
Levi nodded. “Our joining will be intimate and personal when it comes to the ceremony and the vows, but there will be a lot more people here.”
Hope looked around. There had to be close to two hundred shifters in attendance. “More people?”
Adam shrugged and popped an olive into her m
outh. “When a member of an alpha’s immediate family joins, most of the clan turns out for it.”
Levi took a bite of roast beef and washed it down with a gulp of dark beer. “And Adam is a top choice to become the next alpha, so that draws a lot more interest. But don’t worry, when we’re up there saying our vows, it will feel like just the three of us.”
“I hope so.” Hope thrilled to the thought of her joining day. She just wasn’t quite as excited about doing it with so many eyes watching, but she loved her mates and she’d do anything for them, including battling her own touch of social anxiety.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, sharing bits of food here and there.
“Are you going to eat that?” Adam asked once he’d cleaned his plate.
“Nope. If I ate that, I wouldn’t be able to walk home.”
“I love hearing you call it home.” Adam pulled her plate toward him and proceeded to devour her leftovers as well.
Levi lifted her hair and kissed her neck. “It does have a nice ring to it, but you know we can move if you like…to another house in River’s Bend. We can even build a home like Nikki and her mates are doing.”
Watching her men eat, feeling the way her body cried out for them, Hope once again felt like the luckiest woman in the world. “Honestly? It doesn’t matter where we live. Anyplace will feel like home, as long as I’m with both of you.”
That comment earned her a kiss from Levi and then Adam, both of whom reminded her that it had been several hours since they’d last made love. She squirmed in her chair, her panties suddenly wet, wishing, not for the first time that day, that it was time to go home.
Levi helped her to her feet. “Come on, future Mrs. Black. Let’s go dance before we forget where we are and take you right here on the table.” He led her to the dance floor. “You know, you look beautiful tonight.”
It had to be the seventh or eighth time he’d told her that, and Adam had said the same at least as many times. Hope didn’t think she’d ever get tired of hearing it. When he reached for her, pulled her close, and began swaying to the music, another rush of wetness gathered between her legs, and she fought for composure. She smiled up at him, then sighed softly when he took her mouth and kissed her softly, sensually.
Claiming Hope [Wolves of River's Bend 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 23