by Marla Monroe
“Ah, our little pajarito is nearly asleep on her feet, brother. Let’s settle her in our room and let her rest.” Rubio threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled just a bit before sweeping her up in his arms.
“Whoa! Put me down. I can walk on my own,” she complained.
“Nonsense, why walk when you have two handsome and very strong jaguars who can carry you around?” Rubio was really pouring it on.
“You’re always jumping ahead of things, Rubio. It is a wonder you aren’t slapped more often.” Marco’s teasing voice was mirrored in his dark eyes.
Taylor watched him over Rubio’s shoulder and swore he was stalking her from the kitchen the short distance to the bedroom. It thrilled her despite the weariness that washed over her from the long day.
Marco swept around them and pulled back the sheets of the massive bed just before Rubio settled her onto the amazing mattress. It seemed to not only support her but embrace her all at the same time. She would have to ask where they got it and order one for herself. She would sleep much better on this once she returned home.
“Mmm, very comfy,” she murmured around a wide yawn. “Sorry.”
“Nonsense. You’re exhausted. You can sleep with no worries of anyone bothering you. We will keep watch,” Marco told her as he patted the sheets into place.
There was that mating ritual again. They were promising to protect her while she rested. She really was going to have to set them straight—later.
“Do you think your Felix will take my Felix’s offer? The threat is very real for us.”
“I believe it is a very good chance he will, cariño. Now rest,” Marco told her with a voice as smooth as…
Chapter Four
“She’s perfect. Who would have ever thought twins would be destined for the same mate?” Rubio growled.
“I still can’t believe it’s a true mating. Those happen so rarely these days. We’ve got our work cut out for us though. A lot of how we proceed depends on our Felix’s decision. If he doesn’t agree to the Felix’s proposal, we will need to woo her to remain here. I’m not sure what the protocols are in the States when it comes to a cross-feline mating.” Marco shook his head as he paced up and down the hall leading from the kitchen to their bedroom.
“First let’s see what Jag decides. Then we can ask Diaz to intervene with their Felix if necessary.
“We have an even bigger challenge with our mate, brother. She’ll resist us if we stay here. She will not want to leave her Leap and all of her family and friends. I can understand that since she’d also be moving to a strange land.” Marco stopped pacing, and his head shot up. “Company, brother.”
Rubio nodded at Marco, who slipped back down the hall to stand guard outside their bedroom door. Once his brother was settled, Rubio turned to the door just before someone knocked. He took one sniff and knew it to be their Felix’s second, Diaz. He opened the door and nodded at the Jaguar standing on the other side.
“How are you, Diaz? Please come in.” Rubio took one step back and to the side to let the other jaguar inside.
“Rubio. Where is Marco?” Diaz asked, a deceptive smile lifting the corners of his mouth.
“He is here but down the hall watching over our…” Rubio couldn’t stop the hesitation in his voice. “Guest.” It wasn’t easy for him to not claim her as their mate.
“Ah, yes, that is one of the reasons I’m here.” Diaz walked over to the living area and relaxed into a club chair, seeming as at ease as any predator would be when they have the upper hand.
“Don’t beat around the bush, Diaz. What do you want?” Rubio dropped his normally easy façade.
Diaz lifted one dark brow, giving him a devilish appearance. The feline always enjoyed toying with others, but now wasn’t the best time to do that when Rubio had his potential mate under their roof. Especially when it obviously concerned her.
“Very well.” The feline dropped all pretenses at portraying the nonchalant second with nothing more than a request. “Jag is well aware that this female is probably Marco’s mate. There were far too many pheromones from him for it to just be a mutual attraction. Yes, she reacted to me a little, but it was only due to the intense pull of so much testosterone in the room.”
“She isn’t just Marco’s mate, Diaz,” Rubio informed him with a sneer. He hadn’t meant to bleed so much aggression into the room.
“Easy, Rubio. Are you sure? It would be easy for the pheromones from the two of them to influence you, as well. Perhaps you’re just picking up on the attraction and—”
“She is mine!” Rubio roared. Then softer, “There is no mistake in this. It is an entirely different scent between us than that of her and Marco.”
“I see. That may complicate matters then.” Diaz sat forward on the edge of the chair. “Jag is more than likely going to accept this Felix’s proposal. He talked with the other leader a little while ago concerning the process.”
“What has this got to do with Taylor? It will be good if we move there. Then there won’t be any problems to overcome other than courting our mate. What is the issue, Diaz?” Rubio was growing frustrated with the conversation. His mouth thinned into a tight line that pressed his lips against his teeth. It hadn’t helped that Diaz had questioned the mating.
“The Felix sent Taylor in hopes that our Felix would mate her and unite their Leap with our Shadow.”
Rubio would have attacked him had Marco not rushed to restrain him. He wanted to tear the other man limb from limb then move on to Jag. He would not take their mate. If necessary, they would leave and find their own place without the Shadow. With three of them, it wouldn’t cut so deep to be without others.
“Rubio.” Marco’s snarling voice in his ear warned him to stand down. He knew his twin was right.
“Marco, let me go,” he finally said, willing his voice to sound a bit calmer.
“I hope Jag knows that would be a bad idea,” Marco told the other man.
Rubio wasn’t sure how his brother could remain so calm under the circumstances. Yes, he’d always been the less volatile of the two of them, but this was their mate in the balance. Not a fucking kill or some other female.
“Marco, Jag is well aware of the potential mating, though I don’t think he would have anticipated it would be between the three of you. Still, he needs to discuss this with you.” Diaz looked over at Rubio. “Though I suppose it is between the two of you now.”
“We can’t leave Taylor unprotected. Once she has awakened, we’ll come talk with Jag and settle this.” Marco’s voice held a steel tone Rubio had heard only a few times in their lives.
“You realize this puts our Felix in a very precarious position.” Diaz stood with a cautious expression as his lips thinned into a tight line.
“We realize that it presents some difficulty with how to tell the Felix why he is not able to accept Taylor as his mate. I’m sure their leader will accept that she has true mates. Something so rare should never be interfered with.” Rubio felt his brother’s hand on his shoulder and took it as approval he’d been able to speak in a civilized tone.
Diaz lifted a brow before nodding. “I’ll let Jag know you will be over once Taylor is awake.”
“Taylor is awake and not at all happy with someone else deciding who I will and won’t mate.” They all whirled to find Taylor standing behind them with her hands fisted on her hips. “My Felix knows how I feel, so there must be some mistake in what your leader thought he heard.” The anger in her voice reflected the fury coloring her face a soft red, with flames of pure hell flashing in her eyes.
Rubio was in awe of her in that moment. Their mate did indeed have pasión and a backbone they would do well to remember. His balls ached as his cock hardened at such a display. He wanted to go to her and drink deep of her intense emotions right then. He felt his brother’s body tighten next to him. Marco would thoroughly enjoy bringing her to her knees in need of them. He would never break her spirt, just tap into it so she could fully enj
oy their lovemaking.
“As for you two, I will address your claims later. No one, and I mean no one, tells, orders, or maneuvers me into anything that I am not fine with. Tell your leader we will be there once I’ve had time to freshen up. You might warn him of just how pissed I am while you’re at it.” Taylor turned on one heel and marched back into their bedroom before slamming the door.
Rubio winced, as did both of the other males. Maybe Marco should rethink the commanding-her part of their wooing. Being on the wrong end of her ire wouldn’t be a good place to be. Especially if they hoped to gain her favor as well as her pleasure.
* * * *
Of all the lamebrained, stupid ideas her Felix had come up with over the last few years, this had to be one of the biggest he’d thought to put into action. The fact that the Felix was her great-uncle didn’t even bare mentioning since he barely recognized her as a relative now. He much more preferred to use her as an ambassador and glorified personal assistant instead. Uncle Roger felt better about ordering her around if he only considered her as another feline under his rule and not his great-niece.
“I’ll make sure he understands this time that I’m not part of any negotiation once I return home.”
He had no idea just how far he’d pushed her. She would resign everything he’d appointed her to and move to the other side of their territory where one of her friends lived with her mate and new baby boy.
I can’t believe it. He knows how intolerant I am when it comes to arranged matings. I nearly got killed the last time.
Her father had wanted her safe and protected when he’d learned he had one of the few fatal diseases that affected their kind. Feline cardiomyopathy affected the heart muscle and caused a deterioration, much like advanced aging. No one had been able to find a cure or even a method to slow the process down. He’d only a few months left and thought he was making the right decision for her.
Unfortunately, the feline male he chose had a mean streak no one had witnessed before. Well, no one but his family, who turned a blind eye until she approached the Felix. She would never allow that to be her fate again.
She heard the outside door open then close signaling the likely approach of the two conniving males she still had to set straight.
A soft knock startled her despite her expecting it. She almost didn’t answer.
“What? I’m about to take a shower and change clothes. I don’t want to see or smell either of you in this bedroom.”
“We understand, grillo. We just wanted to let you know we’ll be waiting in the living room when you’re ready. No one will disturb you,” Marco said through the door. “Oh and your overnight cases are in the closet on the right.”
Taylor didn’t bother answering him. Instead she opened the closet and found her bags just inside. She didn’t bother taking them out. Instead she rummaged around and found what she needed and walked to the bathroom to clean up. Every muscle in her body screamed with tension. She needed to relax so that she didn’t cause an international incident when she met with their Felix again.
“What was Uncle Roger thinking? Unbelievable!”
But she knew he was desperate to do right by his Leap. There weren’t enough strong males to stand up to the other groups, and none who could step in and fight the Leo when he challenged for leadership over their Leap
The hot shower went a long way in calming her righteous anger, but it still wasn’t enough to erase the bad taste in her mouth from all of the intrigue and betrayal she was faced with. There were too many felines involved and enough shifter politics to make her want to throw up. Taylor had never wanted any part of the intricacies of it. She’d traded in a death sentence for being her great-uncle’s glorified gopher. Well, it looked like she was finally getting her just rewards.
“Maybe death would have been the best choice after all.” But Taylor didn’t really believe that. She had too great a will to survive.
I wish my dad were alive to help me with this. Of course if he’d never died, I probably wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with.
Taylor’s mom had disappeared when she was only two years old. Most of the Leap thought she’d run off, not happy with being her father’s mate, but she’d left everything she had just like she planned to come back. She and her dad felt that something had happened to her. He’d never stopped believing that until the day he died.
Taylor dressed in the only thing she had that might pass as a power suit. The black slacks needed pressing, but she doubted the twins owned an iron. The blood-red blouse with three-quarter sleeves had no frilly lace or ruffles, so it looked a little less like a party outfit but dressier than the other blouses in her bag. Taylor hadn’t expected to stay more than one night, if that.
One last look in the mirror, and she was ready to face the almighty Felix and her supposed mates. Really. She was.
Chapter Five
“¡Carajo! This is bullshit.” Rubio paced the length of the living room, only to stop next to the kitchen island and kick it.
“Cracking your foot and damaging the wood will do nothing to help in this situation, brother. Rein it in before our mate catches you acting a fool.” Marco had never seen his twin this passionate about anything, much less a female. Yes, he often exaggerated and appeared much more emotional than Marco ever allowed himself to show, but this was more. Much more.
Of course this female wasn’t just any female. She was their destined mate. Marco felt much the same way Rubio did but wasn’t allowing his anger to overtake him. They had to appear confident and completely sure of themselves before they met with their Felix. Jag was fair, and though he didn’t like politics and tended to leave that area up to Diaz when possible, he knew how to play the game. Marco just hoped he didn’t plan to use their Taylor as a pawn like her Felix was doing.
“You’re right, Marco. I know this, but my anger has my jaguar enraged. I wish we had time for a run. He isn’t happy about not being let out to fight for his mate.” Rubio shivered all over, his fingers releasing their razor-sharp claws before he managed to absorb them back inside.
“Rubio. Mierda! Calm down. If you lose control and shift, we will lose her for sure. No female will respect us if we have no control.”
“Está jodido, Marco. I won’t stand still and let Jag or Diaz take our mate. I will remain in control so Taylor won’t reject us, but if our Felix doesn’t make it clear to her Felix that she is ours, we will take her and go.” Rubio pulled himself up straight.
Marco was pleased and a little impressed as his twin regained complete control. Even his hair relaxed, and the muscles of his face lost their tenseness, his mouth no longer pulled back in a sneer. He’d wondered if the sneer was going to become a constant expression with as much as he’d seen it this day.
Now that he is under control, I’ve got to get myself smoothed out. Times like this I wish alcohol worked on shifters. I don’t need enough to dull my senses like so many humans tend to do, just enough to help me relax. Rubio will never let me live it down if I am the one to lose control.
“Rubio, we will not lose our female. I honestly believe that Jag will make this right.” Marco prayed he was right.
“And if the Felix insists on the mating before he will continue with negotiations? What then, brother? You and I both know that the good of the many will outweigh the three of us.”
“And if after all of this Taylor refuses to accept us? What has it all been for?” Marco asked.
His twin’s face tightened once again. Rubio’s eyes narrowed, and when he spoke, his words were guttural. “She won’t refuse us. You’ve felt her sway toward us. It would only be verbal defiance and would change given time.”
Marco had a pretty good idea that his brother was correct, but how they treated their little fénix now would influence their future relationship with her. They couldn’t risk making a mistake that costly before they’d even secured her acceptance.
“Marco, there is one other way to stop this from happening if our Felix d
oesn’t agree.” Rubio’s face remained calm, though there was a narrowing of his eyes now.
“I’m not sure I want to ask what you’re thinking.”
Rubio’s smile was all teeth. “If she is carrying our kit, she can’t be forced to mate with anyone else. She may choose to, but she can’t be used as a bargaining chip or forced by her Felix.”
Marco couldn’t stop the wide smile that poured over his face even as excitement raced through his veins. His cock was pretty damn happy with the idea, as well.
“I’m a little afraid of what you two are up to.” Taylor’s sensuous, sexy voice jerked them both around in an about-face. “Yep. Up to something, and I bet I’m not going to like it. Am I?”
Marco had to rethink how to breathe then how to form words. That outfit would make a dead feline sit up and beg, and cats didn’t beg. The black slacks hugged every amazing curve on her body. That ass! He wanted to see it walking away from him just once. Then she had to always walk toward him. The dark slacks accented her soft, rounded belly that would swell with their kits one day if he had any say in the matter. Even now he wanted to rub his face all over her body.
“Nene, you are stunning. I am at a loss for words.” Rubio’s eyes followed her every move.
Marco understood why. Each move she made had the silky material of her blouse flashing a bit of skin here or a curve of her breast there. It seemed to move with her as if it were alive. No doubt it was so happy to be next to her skin that it caressed her with each movement of her body.
I would die a happy cat if I could be that blouse for one night.
“Let me see you, Taylor. You are a vision in red.” Rubio smiled and held out his hand. “That color brings out the green in your eyes so that they shine like the richest of emeralds. Yes, emeralds are the jewels you should be draped in.”
“There you are with the flattery again, Rubio. How can someone ever believe you if you spread it so thick all the time?” she asked with a quiet laugh.