by Marla Monroe
“I take two cups of cream and slowly warm it on a low temperature so as not to scald it. Once it begins to get a tiny ring of bubbles along the outer edge next to the sides of the boiler, I turn off the heat and add two tablespoons of dark cocoa, a dash of cinnamon, and a tablespoon of sugar.” She watched him as he followed through with the steps.
“It smells delicious, Rubio.” She felt her mouth water, and her leopard began to purr.
“Don’t beat it, rather slowly stir it until everything is mixed to perfection.” He poured the mouthwatering concoction into a mug and handed it to her. “Drink up while it’s still warm.”
She sipped the steaming drink and smiled as the delicious flavor of fresh cream and cocoa laced with a bite of sassy cinnamon awakened her taste buds. How had she not known about this? The packaged hot chocolate mixes she’d used in the past would never be enough for her again.
“Heaven, Rubio. I swear this is how heaven will be when I die.” She took another sip, allowing the rich mixture to roll around in her mouth and tease her taste buds.
She watched the big feline grow a size taller under her praise. His chest swelled even as his eyes darkened. It seemed that she’d woken the jaguar from his slumber. As much as she’d love another romp, the human side of her was exhausted. She hadn’t gotten a full nap in earlier. Taylor was operating through a ton of stress on less than six hours of sleep in the last twenty-four hours.
Rubio must have picked up on her weariness since he took the empty mug from her hand and swung her up into his arms with ease. He nuzzled her forehead as he walked from the kitchen, down the short hall, and pushed open the bedroom door with one foot.
“She’s just about asleep on her feet, brother. Settle her in, and I’ll be right back once I’ve cleaned up after the cocoa. I can’t wait to snuggle with her all night. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to sleep.” Rubio handed her off to his brother.
“I take it she enjoyed your concoction.” Marco turned with her and settled her onto the comfortable mattress. She moaned for him, snuggling deeper beneath the sheets.
“You could say that. I’m honestly not sure if she truly tasted it or just conked out and was too embarrassed to tell me.”
“Not true. I tasted it, and it was very good. Don’t you remember?” Taylor yawned, covering her mouth with one hand. “But I am sleepy. I’ll just shut my eyes while I wait on the two of you.”
Taylor heard their soft chuckles before she lost the fight to remain awake and drifted down a lazy river of dreams.
* * * *
“We need to consider our businesses, brother, and how we’ll deal with them from the States. I think we should sell the medicinal plant business to Jorden. He’s been exceptionally loyal to us and has worked as if it were his business ever since we hired him. Handling that type of business from such a distance would be nearly impossible. Timing is essential with it.” Rubio spoke to him in a soft voice so as not to disturb their sleeping mate.
Marco nodded. “I agree. I can tell you’re working under the assumption that we’ll be moving to the States.”
“I believe we will. I’m not sure in what capacity that will be, but we’ll be moving. Did you notice how on edge Diaz appeared this second time we met with Jag? There’s something more going on besides this mating issue with the Washington Felix.” Rubio rinsed off the boiler then the mug.
“I still want to ask Taylor what she meant about something not being part of their agreement. I’m thinking it has nothing to do with this initial mating she was in or the actual appeal to our Felix for his assistance in securing a leader for his Leap.”
“We’ll ask her in the morning. Right now she needs sleep more than she needs another interrogation by either of us. We’ve got to cement our relationship with her before we even attempt to work on the other issues at hand.” Rubio dried the boiler before picking up the mug and putting it away.
“I agree. I’m not sure how we can do that, but we need to figure it out sooner rather than later.” Marco walked across the room to peek through the door and down the hall to where their bedroom door remained firmly closed. “Taylor will have to be treated equally with us. She’s headstrong and independent to a fault. Any attempt we make at clipping her wings will damage our worthiness in her eyes.”
“I have no problem seeing her in that light. She’s intelligent and isn’t afraid to speak her mind.” Rubio closed his eyes, and an image of her giving him a verbal tongue-lashing while riding his cock sent a wave of need coursing through his bloodstream.
“I don’t even want to know what you’re thinking about over there.” Marco’s amused voice interrupted a very satisfying daydream.
“Create your own wet dream, brother. I’m not sharing mine.” Rubio snickered when the dishtowel his brother had aimed at him fell short of its mark. He grabbed at it and jerked it from his brother’s hands.
“What of the transportation boats? Those won’t handle well from abroad either. Even if we found someone we trusted, by the time news reached us of any problems, it would be too late to fix them.”
“You’re right. It’s possible one of the pilots will want to buy out the boats from us. The remainder of our businesses are easily handled from anywhere in the world. It will take some time, but it’s doable. Securing our passage to the US will take time for visas and all the other paperwork that goes along with moving from one country to the next.”
Marco jerked his chin in the direction of their sleeping mate. “I’m ready to curl up with Taylor now. We can put our plans into action first thing in the morning. Nothing can be accomplished tonight.”
“I’m going to scribble a few notes so we don’t forget what we’ve decided. I also want to start a list of things we need to talk about tomorrow. Taylor will need to be involved in most of them.” Rubio shoved his brother toward the doorway leading to the hall. “Go on and keep our mate company. I’ll be along in a few minutes.”
Marco didn’t have to be told twice. He folded the dishtowel he’d caught when Rubio had tried to pop him back with it earlier. Leaving it on the counter, his twin stalked toward their bedroom with mischief dancing merry in his eyes.
He could imagine what his brother might be up to and hated that he might miss out on all the fun, but planning for their future took precedence for the moment. Moving from one side of the rain forest to the other took major planning, but moving the entire household across a country’s border would be an entirely different challenge.
Where before they had only their own preferences and needs to accommodate, now they had a mate’s wishes and requirements to consider in the equation. Hers would even take precedence over theirs as long as they didn’t involve her safety or well-being.
I will make it my priority in the mating to make sure she has everything she needs and never has to worry about anything. She will come to trust us once she sees that we are serious when we tell her we will be loyal to her and any kits we’re blessed with. I have no wish to ever look at another female with our mate standing in front of us.
She’d hurt his pride when she’d questioned his intentions. That she had every right to do so and a lot of reasons to wonder hadn’t helped at the time. Now, as he stood back and thought about Jaguar history, he could see her concerns. It was only recently that males no longer wished to roam, spreading their seed and their affections with almost any willing female. Instead, they’d begun to settle down with one shadow and help raise the kits.
He wondered what had changed with their species. Neither he nor his brother had ever felt the urge to roam. Almost from the moment they’d discovered the joys of a female’s body they’d planned to find their mate and make a home with her and their offspring. There’d never been any question between them.
Rubio vowed right then to make sure their young knew the value of a secure home with both a female and a male or two as role models. Their sons would treat females with respect to be protected, cared for, and even spoiled to some extent. Though their p
adre hadn’t been around, their madre had drilled it into them as young cubs to always respect a female and that mating meant creating a home with both parents, not just a madre as they’d had. She’d drilled it into them that it was their responsibility to provide that home for their mate and cubs.
It was a lesson he and Marco had never forgotten. He only wished their madre could have met Taylor and known that they were fulfilling her wishes for them. Rubio finished the lists and looked up toward the ceiling.
“We will honor your teaching, Madre. We are making a home with our mate.”
Chapter Nine
Taylor stretched from her toes all the way up her legs, her back, and up her arms as she reached high above her head. It felt good to finally be standing on two feet without a pair of rutting males nosing her all over. She grinned despite how tender she was in places. They’d definitely worked hard to provide her everything she might need in order to conceive.
When they weren’t busy screwing like rabbits all over the bedroom, Rubio was plying her with food and reading from one of his many lists for her approval. Marco kept Rubio from organizing them to death and provided the meat for the meals his brother cooked for her.
They’d waited for three days to hear from the shadow’s Felix on what his answer would be to her great-uncle. Three days with no word or hint of his plans had them antsy and a little worried. It had been Marco who suggested a run. Taylor was onboard with that idea. The males were eager to introduce her to their world and her leopardess tugged on Taylor’s control.
Right now, the two jaguars were out making sure there was nothing too dangerous in the area where they would run. Marco scouted farther out while Rubio remained close to her in case she needed him.
As if. I’ve been taking care of myself since I was twelve. Someone had to when Papa began to shut down. I can hold my own in any fight or attack. I’ve had to be able to since there was no one I trusted enough to watch my back.
That ended now. She had not one devoted mate, but two. She wouldn’t have to always watch over her shoulder for threats. Her mates would share the burden of keeping guard. The relief that flooded her soul when she finally realized that nearly sent her to her knees.
“Taylor! Cariño.” Rubio’s husky voice always gave her goosebumps.
“In here. I just finished dressing.” She strode toward the door, but Rubio threw it open before she made it there.
“Whoa. Where’s the fire, Romeo?”
He stopped and stared down at her as if she’d lost her mind. “What fire? There’s no fire.”
Taylor burst out laughing even as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “That’s the whole point. You’re racing around as if something’s on fire that you need to put out. Slow down, mate. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’m excited to show you our home. Marco is ready, and I can’t wait to introduce you to some of our nature friends. They all know us in our jaguar form, so don’t be disappointed if they refuse to allow you close at first. We appreciate your uniqueness, but some of them will need a little time.” Rubio wagged his brows up and down as his dark eyes grew thick with emotion.
“Let’s go! I’ve needed this for nearly a week now.”
Taylor followed Rubio through the house and out the French doors leading from the living room out onto a covered veranda of sorts. Marc remained in his shifted state, a work of art displayed before her. His shiny black coat held a hint of palm-sized rosettes beginning low on his sides and circling beneath his belly. The sun sifting through the canopy overhead sprinkled shards of golden light that almost reflected off his rich black coat.
“Wow! You’re gorgeous, Marco.” She turned to stare up into Rubio’s eyes. “Change for me. I want to see you both with my human eyes first.”
Rubio grinned, and then the corners of his mouth turned up in a smirk. “You know Marco is going to make you pay for calling him gorgeous. We’re males. We’re handsome or amazing or viral. We aren’t girly names.”
“I calls ’em as I sees ’em, Romeo. Now strip!” She stepped back as Rubio shucked his clothes in seconds then flowed into his cat.
She’d never seen anything that sensuous before in her Leap. No one she knew was able to transform that quickly and with so much grace. Rubio’s shift had progressed in one fluid movement that didn’t even appear to hurt.
How did he do that? I wonder if Marco can do that, as well. I hope they can teach me to shift like that. A-fucking-mazing!
“Wow. Just, wow.”
She stared at the two sleek but muscular cats, their mouths slightly open as they took in as much of her scent as they could through their nose as well as their oral cavities. Saliva dripped from their massive teeth, but neither of them posed the least bit of danger to her. She was their fated mate. They’d kill for her and die if it were necessary. She prayed that never became a question in their lives.
Marco took a step forward and lifted his head and chuffed at her. It was obvious he was anxious for her to change, as well. She smiled, crossed her arms to grasp the hem of her shirt, and pulled it over her head to drop it at her feet. Then she removed the shorts she’d just put on and progressed to her bra and panties.
“Look, guys. I can’t change like you to do. You make it look so easy, like pouring water from a pitcher over some round rocks. I can’t compete with that.”
Rubio padded over to nudge her at the hip. He whined and nudged her again. It was obvious he was just as impatient as his brother.
“Okay, okay.” Taylor knew this change would be a little harder than normal because she hadn’t been able to shift in nearly a week now.
As she pictured her leopardess in her mind, she relaxed her muscles and breathed out as the cat inside of her ran up her body to pour out until she’d taken over her human side completely. It sounded just as if hers had been just as fluid and serene as the twins’, but in reality, it hurt—a lot since it had been so long between her shifts. She could also tell it had been jerky instead of the smooth transition the males had exhibited.
The two jaguars pushed against her from either side. Rubbing their heads up and down her body, back and forth around her neck and at her tail end. Her leopardess snapped at Rubio when he shoved his nose where it didn’t belong. Marco made a huffing noise that sounded like a laugh to her.
She was tired of sniffing and took the lead when she suddenly broke out into a run. Where the jaguars could easily keep up with her for short distances, they would tire faster than she would due to their size. She had more endurance since she was smaller, less bulky, and because she had a better lung capacity to work with.
Some other differences were in their coats. Where she had lovely rosettes, as well, theirs had small circles in the middle of them. Her tail was longer than theirs, and her muzzle was a little longer than their more compact head housing massive and powerful jaws that could crack a skull.
As she raced through the jungle, Marco nudged her shoulder to turn her in a different direction. Rubio remained on her other side, keeping her between them as they raced through the foliage, easily jumping over logs and avoiding thick vines.
A whiff of something exotic and mouth watering curled in her nose.
Prey.
She chuffed and slowed to get the general direction of the wind and the location of potential food. The two males slowed with her and lifted their noses, as well. Marco nodded his head and sent a guttural clicking noise her way. He was on board with a hunt. The only question she had now was if they would allow her to take it down.
Mine. Kill.
She lowered her head and stalked around to ease up down wind of their prey. Dinner proved to be a tapir. She’d never had one before but instinctively knew it would be good to eat. She hunkered down to the ground to get an idea of where everything was around her and waited for the animal to turn in the opposite direction to give her time to sneak up. She could sense the two jaguars hanging back to let her have the fun.
She silently eased closer and clo
ser to the animal until she was able to make a short dash and catch the animal unawares. One powerful bite to the tapir’s neck and the snap of his neck was sweet music to her ears. A clean kill was always welcome. She stood over her meal and sang out her triumph to her two mates. Then, as they loped toward her, she grinned and snatched up her dinner and dragged it across to a tree before she carted up to drape it over a branch and began eating.
The look of confusion and amazement by the two males below her was well worth the verbal lashing she might get later for not sharing. She’d share, but only after she’d gotten her fill. It was, after all, her kill.
The two males huffed and chucked at her then stretched out to wait for her to finish. She could get to like living here if that became necessary. The hunting was much more fun and interesting.
But I’d miss my friends. And I’d worry about what happened to them if the Felix decides not to accept the offer.
That quickly killed her appetite after only a few good bites of the tasty meat. She nosed the meat over the limb so it fell just inches from poor Rubio’s nose. He hissed at her but quickly pulled the remains over so that Marco could share with him. He looked up as if expecting her to join them on the jungle floor, but she liked the vantage point she held in the tree. She’d wait on them to finish eating then follow them.
Their world was so different from hers. How would they react to living in Washington? The forests there were a little like the jungle here but with different types of vegetation, but there wasn’t near the selection of prey there. Would the hassle of relocating and possibly needing to fight other challengers outweigh whatever issues they had here? She knew that the cartels were a problem, but she didn’t know much more than that. They’d mostly kept their problems to themselves.
What would she do if they ended up staying here or even moving to the New England states? She didn’t think they’d like the winters there, but if the situation here was dire enough, they might seriously consider it. Could she leave everything she knew to be with them?