Ryan was surprised he had held out as long as he had. When he felt Ken’s large hand slide between him and Talia, he knew it wouldn’t be much longer. The feel of Ken’s knuckles brushing against the base of his cock as he rubbed Talia’s clit had Ryan gritting his teeth, but he finally lost it when Talia threw her head back and screamed. The feel of her cunt clenching and releasing his cock as she came had Ryan spurting deep inside her. Ken’s roar told Ryan that his mate wasn’t too far behind them.
They all just stood there panting until the water turned cold. Ryan was glad Ken had enough strength to move them because his legs still felt like jelly.
“Holy crap! We’re definitely doing that again.”
The moment Ryan finally worked up enough words to string together a coherent sentence, he planned on agreeing with Talia. In the meantime, he grunted and hoped she took that as an agreement. He planned on doing that every chance he could get. Ryan and Ken still had several other things on their list they wanted to try and if any of them were half as fun as what they had just done, then Ryan would die a very happy man.
Chapter 10
Percival leaned back until he rested against the trunk of the tree he was currently sitting in and lowered his binoculars. He hated the things, but getting close enough to the house so that he could see what was going on with his own two eyes wasn’t going to happen. He wasn’t willing to risk giving away his location until the timing was absolutely perfect.
In the meantime, Percival leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He should have been living in luxury. All his plans had been in place and he had been days away from carrying them out, but now, he was sitting in a tree in the middle of nowhere. He was dirty, hungry, and thanks to the pills he was able to smuggle out of his last safe house, even Percival could admit he stunk. The last didn’t bother him as much as the first two, though. The pills were a little creation one of his scientists had come up with to mask his scent. So far, they had worked beautifully. He had been on Mitch’s property for almost two weeks now and hadn’t been discovered once. He’d had to hold his laughs in when the so-called enforcers had run past time and time again when he had set off the alarms. For having the reputation of being the best of the best, it had been pretty easy for Percival to outsmart them all.
Now, all he had to do was sit back and bide his time. He was wearing them down, and it was only a matter of time before they all started making mistakes. Only then would Percival reveal himself and prove that he was far superior to any shifter alive. He would make all of the enforcers pay along with their mates for ruining his plans. Once everyone one in the house was dead, then he would disappear until he could rebuild his empire. He may have had to put his plans on hold, but that didn’t mean Percival was giving up his goal of world domination. He had no plans of stopping until every human was enslaved to the shifter race.
The sound of a baby crying had Percival sitting up on his perch. He lifted his binoculars and grinned at the sight before him. Mitch was slowly walking back and forth on the porch with a baby in his arms while his mate sat on the swing with a pathetic smile on her face as she watched them. Percival felt adrenaline start to pump through his veins as he grew excited. It seemed Mitch had a new addition to his family, one that Percival had no remorse in exploiting in his quest for revenge.
A plan started forming in his head as he watched a sappy smile cross Mitch’s face when the baby squealed. Percival had been patient and bided his time. Now it seemed fate was rewarding him by giving him everything he wanted. When he carried out his plan, Percival would have the ultimate revenge. While he watched the light fade out of Mitch’s eyes as he took his last breath, Percival would hold that baby in his arms while he smiled down at Mitch. The man would die knowing that the child he fathered was going to be raised by Percival and there was nothing he could do about it.
Yes, it would be the ultimate revenge. Percival shifted on his perch. The excitement was hard to contain, but for the first time since his plans had been ruined, things were looking up. His goal of revenge was within reach, but up to that point, he hadn’t thought past that. Now, he had something to look forward to. Glee filled him at the thought of Mitch knowing his child would be raised by a man he despised. Percival planned on letting the child know that every breath it breathed and every day it lived was a gift from him as well.
“Soon,” Percival mumbled to himself. It was almost time. Then he could move on with his life and get back to his ultimate goal.
* * * *
Talia’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much. The muscles in her jaws weren’t used to the movement, but the soreness didn’t seem to deter her grin as she rubbed the ultrasound wand over Jacqueline’s swollen belly.
“I know that smile isn’t because you can’t wait to find out what I’m having,” Jacqueline teased her.
“You’re supposed to be watching the screen,” Talia scolded. She tried to force herself to stop smiling, but her grin only grew.
Jacqueline waved off her comment and continued. “Being mated will do that to you. One minute you’re all depressed and miserable, and the next, you have someone in your life that will annoy you one minute and make you smile the next.” She reached over and patted Ben, who was too focused on the screen in front of him to pay attention to their conversation, before turning back to Talia. “I’m happy for you.”
Talia blinked back the tears that threatened. She was done crying. In the years that she lost her mate, Talia had done enough crying for a few people. Now, she had been given a second chance. She was mated again and she promised herself that she wasn’t going to dwell on the past anymore. Changing the subject, she pointed at the screen. “Now, let’s see what you’re having.”
After moving the wand around, she finally got the baby into the correct position and pointed at the screen before looking over at Ben. “I don’t think I have to tell you what that is. It certainly isn’t a third leg.”
Ben whooped and ran to the door before he stopped. He ran back over to lean down and kiss his mate before he was off again and out the door yelling, “It’s a boy!”
“Two male shifters,” Jacqueline shook her head. “What am I going to do with two of them.”
Talia knew it was more of a statement than a question, but she answered anyway. “Hope that your son takes after you and not your mate.” Jacqueline’s belly shaking as she laughed made it hard for Talia to clean off the gel, but she managed. When she was done, the other woman stood and rubbed her belly. “Now who’s the one with the silly grin on her face?” Talia teased.
Red colored Jacqueline’s cheeks before she spoke. “I can’t help it. After everything that Ben and I have gone through because of my father, this baby is a blessing. I never thought I would survive my father let alone be mated to a man that I couldn’t live without and be pregnant.”
Before Talia could respond, the door to the exam room burst open and Ben was followed in by a clearly pissed off Mitch. “You just keep your boy away from my perfect daughter.”
“How do you know it won’t be you daughter sniffing around my awesome son?”
Talia looked at Jacqueline, who rolled her eyes and headed out of the room. She took that as her queue and followed the pregnant woman out the door, closing it behind her but not before she heard a snort and Mitch’s comment.
“Please. Have you seen my princess? I’m already sharpening my claws.”
“I’m not getting into the middle of that,” Jacqueline said as she waddled off.
Talia quickened her steps when she heard a snarl on the other side of the door. That was an argument that neither shifter was going to win, and she had no plans of being in the middle of it either. Instead, Talia went to track down her mates. Not surprised when her nose led her to their bedroom. She was disappointed when she opened the door to find both her mates stretched out on the bed fully clothed.
“Darn, I was hoping to catch a show.” She pouted as she crawled between her two men. When neither of them commented on h
er blatant sexual innuendo, she frowned at them. They both had serious looks on their faces as they stared down at her and Talia felt herself deflate. Whatever they had to tell her wasn’t going to be good. “Just tell me and get it over with.” She didn’t want to hear any bad news, but there was no point in dragging it out either.
Ken took the lead as Ryan pulled her into his arms. “There has been something that we’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you. It’s about Alexander.”
When her dead mate’s name was mentioned, Talia wanted to stick her fingers in her ears and sing “la la la la,” over and over so she didn’t hear what they had to say. Instead, her muscles stiffening at the sound of his name was the only outward sign of her distress. The pain of hearing her mate’s name was like a soft blow instead of the gut-wrenching twist it normally was and she had Ryan and Ken to thank for that. It still hurt that Alexander had died, but Talia no longer felt the need to grieve his death thanks to her mates.
When it was clear she wasn’t going to become hysterical, Ken continued. “It seems that his death and the death of his best friend are connected to the man that we are chasing. It was one of Percival’s rogues that killed Alexander, and when Enforcer Donovan got too close to finding out the truth, Percival had him killed as well.”
It took a few tries, but Talia was finally able to speak. “How do you know all of this?” The lump in her throat caused her to sound like a pack a day smoker.
“We found an e-mail that Donovan had sent himself when he realized what was happening. We think he sent it as evidence in case something happened to him.” Ryan’s voice rumbled in her ear.
Talia swallowed. “Why are you telling me all of this?”
“Because you have a right to know.” Ken paused. “You’re our mate and we wouldn’t ever keep something like this from you.”
“I love you guys.” It was all Talia could say. She knew it was the right thing when Ken’s face cleared of concern and he sighed in relief. Talia had a feeling that keeping the news from her was affecting them just as bad as they thought it was going to affect her when they told her. They had been worried about her reaction and she had surprised them all, including herself. Instead of being overcome with grief and sobbing uncontrollably, Talia was calm. It hurt to hear that her mate and his best friend’s deaths were the result of a mad man, but she didn’t get the urge to cry into her pillow and stay in bed for days.
Instead, Talia could feel her anger growing for a man she had never met. “I want him to pay for what he’s done. This man has affected so many lives, he needs to be stopped.”
“It’s only a matter of time.”
Talia heard the threat and the promise in Ken’s words and nodded. The growl at her back told her Ryan agreed. She trusted her mates to do what it took to keep Percival from ruining any more lives. Knowing something needed to be done to lift the depressing mood in the room, Talia moved away from Ryan and Ken and sat on her knees in the center of the bed. “I’d like to see your animals.”
“I think that can be arranged.” Ryan stood and began removing his clothes. “My lion has been dying to meet you.”
Talia watched as Ken followed and tried not to drool as each inch of skin was revealed between her two men. She was pretty sure they could smell her arousal, but they both continued to strip as if the scent of lust flooding the room didn’t affect either of them. Their erect cocks proved otherwise, but Talia didn’t comment. She had plans for the two of them later on, but the knowledge that she was finally getting to see them shift was enough of an incentive to keep her from stripping right along with them.
When they both stood gloriously naked, Ryan was the first to shift. Once he finished, in his place stood a golden lion. Talia knelt down when he moved toward her. “Wow, you’re beautiful.” She ran her hands through his tawny mane. “So soft,” Talia whispered and she could swear the lion preened at her comments.
Warm breath on the back of her neck had her turning to stare into the eyes of Ken’s bear. She had been so caught up in Ryan’s lion that she hadn’t even realized he had shifted. It was hard to miss the large grizzly taking up the majority of the space in the room, though. Leaving one hand buried in the lion’s mane, Talia used her other to rub the bear’s jaw. She moved up to scratch behind the bear’s ear before his large paw caught her attention.
Talia whistled and reached for his paw, but the bear moved back a step before she could touch it. She looked up and frowned until she realized what he was doing and smiled. It seemed that her mates’ animals were just as protective of her as the men. “You won’t hurt me,” she told the bear before reaching for his paw again. Talia ran her finger over one of the three-inch long claws. She had seen Ken sprout claws during the throes of passion while he was still human, but those were tiny things compared to the bear’s. “Those are some wicked claws,” she said in awe. She had heard that Ken preferred to fight in shifted form rather than use weapons, and she saw why. With those deadly claws, he didn’t need anything else.
When the bear settled on the floor, Talia sat next to him and laid her head down on his neck. She watched as the lion leaned down and rubbed his head along the bear’s face before doing the same to hers. Talia laughed when the hair from his mane tickled her nose and pushed Ryan’s lion away. “Okay, okay,” she told him. “You made your point. We carry your scent. We’re yours.” Her words seemed to satisfy the lion more that his scent marking had and he finally curled around her and started to purr. With one hand still wrapped around one of the bear’s claws and the other buried in the lion’s mane, Talia let the soothing vibration lull her to sleep.
Chapter 11
Talia hummed as she changed the baby’s diaper. She could hear Nico in the background giggling as he rolled around on the floor with Tiny. She smiled, thinking of Mitch’s reaction when he had walked in on the same scene a few days ago. The man had been terrified thinking that the “zombie cat” had been attacking his son. When he realized the two were only playing, Talia couldn’t hold back the laugh as she had watched the mighty enforcer’s face quickly shift to horror at the thought of anyone getting near the cat.
It seemed Nico didn’t have the same aversion to the cat, and Tiny was eating up all the attention. Talia shook her head. After years of comforting her while she wallowed in depression, Tiny was probably happy to be around anyone that was in a better mood than she had been.
A soft cry drew Talia out of her thoughts. She finished buttoning the snaps of the baby’s jumper before picking her up and cradling her to her chest. Talia took a deep breath, drawing in the sweet scent of the baby as she slowly walked back and forth. That moment was the reason she became a midwife. There was nothing better than being able to snuggle a soft, warm, sweet-smelling baby to her chest and know that the baby had made it into the world safe and healthy. She wanted that for herself. Talia knew she wasn’t ready for a child just yet. She was still working through her issues, but with the help of her mates, each day was better than the one before. Eventually, she wanted a house full of tiny shifters running around that she could call her own.
She thought of her mates. They were on guard duty. Ken was out running the perimeter while Ryan was on the roof. Ben and Mitch were both napping with their mates while Talia watched the children. Talia missed Ken and Ryan even though they hadn’t been gone but a few hours. They were her world now and each day with them, the ache in her chest for her first mate eased a little. Talia knew she would never forget Xander, but she also knew that he would want her to go on with her life and be happy. It took her a long time to realize that, but with the help of her mates, Talia was starting to figure that out. Tragic things happened, but life went on. She was determined to make the best of the second chance she had been given.
A sharp hiss and a deep-throated growl shocked Talia. She had never heard those sounds coming from Tiny and turned quickly to see what was going on. Fear made her freeze at the sight of the strange man standing in the nursery between her and Nico.
Her first reaction was to get the kids to safety, and Talia pulled the baby tighter to her chest. Tiny already had Nico backed into a corner on the other side of the room and the hefty cat had puffed up to almost twice his size. The rolling growl coming from his throat would have been enough to make any sane person think twice about what they were about to do, but Talia had a feeling that the intruder was far from sane.
“What do you want?”
“Quiet,” the man whispered, never taking his eyes off her. “This has nothing to do with you. I came to get what I’m owed then I will leave and you never have to see me again.”
Talia didn’t like the way the man’s eyes looked. They were pure black. She couldn’t help the shiver that went down her spine. The man was evil and based on what she had learned of him, she knew he was willing to do anything to get what he wanted. Talia tried not to panic, but her thoughts kept turning to her mates. Where were they? How had this man gotten past them? She felt her throat closing up as she began to pant. She knew a panic attack was coming, but Talia fought it. She forced herself not to think of her mates and the fact that they could be hurt or worse. Instead, she focused on the children and what she needed to do to keep them safe. Just in case the man was able to slip past her mates without them knowing, Talia knew she needed to stall. Eventually someone would realize something was wrong and come help.
“Percival, I presume.”
It wasn’t a question, but the man answered with a huge grin anyway. “Ah, I see the enforcers have told you all about me.”
Talia nodded, but kept quiet. It seemed Percival was all too willing to talk.
“Well, did they tell you that they ruined my plans? Did they tell you they took everything from me? Look at me.” He pointed to himself and pulled a twig from his hair. “I look like common trash having to live in the woods like some animal. Constantly running because every enforcer in the country is hunting me!”
Until the End of Time [Council Enforcers 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 11