by Maia Dylan
Melaina dropped her head, and Grant had the feeling she was fighting some kind of internal battle, but he had no way of knowing what it was. After a tense moment, she lifted her gaze to theirs, and Grant was almost taken to his knees at the look in her eyes. She looked at them with a look of longing and vulnerability that left him breathless.
“I’m not sure what the coming days will bring,” Melaina said in a voice that shook, “but I am going to have to move soon. My window of opportunity is closing rapidly and I sure as hell can’t tell the future. But for just once in my life, just this once, I want to feel what it is like to be wanted.” She swallowed and Grant’s heart began to beat a little faster. “I want to know what it is like to be loved, just for tonight, and I was hoping that you would both feel the same way.”
Grant shared a quick look with Kyle and knew they were on the same page. They both moved in her direction at the same time and didn’t stop until she was standing between them. This was the place she was meant to be from now on, and where Grant would do everything within his power from that moment onward to ensure that she stayed.
* * * *
Present day…
Grant groaned as he fought his way back to consciousness, despite his desire to actively avoid the pain he knew was awaiting him there. As he neared the surface, the wounds he nursed roared to life. He swallowed, feeling the collar around his neck and cursing it. Whatever that fucking thing kept injecting into his system not only shackled his wolf but left him weak, inhibited his ability to heal, and he couldn’t speak with his Alpha, his brother, or their mate.
With a growl of anger, he forced his eyes open and fought back nausea that threatened at the light. It wasn’t as if the cell they were being held in was well lit, but even the dim glow from the single bulb in the middle of the room was enough to drive shards of pain through his skull.
“Grant.” Kyle’s voice sounded from the other side of the room, and he turned his head to look across at him. They were both secured with metal cuffs and chained to laboratory tables. They could move around the immediate area around their tables, but no farther. Grant cringed at the damage left on his brother’s face by their last go-round with the huge fuckers who came in every now and then to take their blood and “play.”
“Damn.” His voice was gravelly from disuse. “Do I look as fucked up as you do? Because I gotta tell you, brother, you look like shit.”
Kyle chuckled and it turned quickly into a grimace and he put a hand to his ribs. “Ouch, you bastard, don’t make me laugh. And yes, you, too, look like shit, so take some solace in that.”
Grant smiled, then groaned as he forced his abused body to an upright sitting position. “Well, that’s good, because I feel like shit, and I do like to be consistent. Did I miss anything good?”
Kyle grinned slightly lopsidedly due to his bottom lip being twice its normal size. “Tomas and Diego are being held in the same place as Melaina.”
Grant grinned back. “How do you know that?” If the Reyes brothers were in the same place as Melaina, then her odds of getting out alive had just increased significantly.
“The asshole that was going to town on you mentioned that he hoped the other team was having just as much fun with the other two shifters at Parklands. Then one of them reminded him that the facility was in lockdown because of operative reprogramming. That has to be Tomas and Diego, and I would bet my left nut that the operative is Melaina.”
“At least she’s not there alone. That means she has a chance,” Grant closed his eyes and thought about their mate. Despite the fact she was kick-ass lethal with abilities he had no chance of ever truly understanding, she was vulnerable and sweet and the thought of her being hurt or worse had him feeling decidedly homicidal.
Grant felt a flutter within him and knew it was their mate reaching for them down their link. Gritting his teeth he pushed back as hard as he could, sending her strength and warmth and telling her how desperate he was to find her. After a moment, the frail connection was lost and he gasped, dropping his head into his hands. Over the roaring of his own blood in his ears, he heard his brother’s growl from across the room.
“Goddamn it,” Kyle’s voice rang with frustration.
Grant looked up at him and knew that the desolation and desperation he saw on his brother’s face would be mirrored in his own. “We are going to have to think of something, Kyle. We can’t keep this up. Melaina is in trouble and we have to do something. We can’t rely on Tomas or Diego being there. We need to get the hell out of this place and go get our mate.”
The side of Kyle’s face clenched as he gnashed his teeth. “Yeah, I know. “
Grant sighed. “You blame her for all this, don’t you?”
“I don’t want to, Grant, but if she had just talked with us and let us in on her plan, I can’t help but feel like all of this could have been avoided. But instead, she made a mockery of our claiming, she’s ended up back in the hands of her fucking father, and we’re locked up and continually being drugged in this hellhole. Not to mention our continual starring roles as fucking punching bags. All of this could have been avoided and it pisses me off.”
Grant nodded. There was no denying that, but there was more to it than that. There had to be.
Chapter Three
One month earlier
Melaina couldn’t stop shaking. It had taken everything within her to knock on their hotel room door, but she’d done it. Tomorrow she needed to put her plan into action, and who knew what that would mean for her? She watched Grant and Kyle share a look, moments before they moved toward her and Kyle reached up and cupped her face with his hands and Grant stepped in to press his chest against her back. The feeling of being completely surrounded should have had her freaking out, or at least swinging to be free. To stand vulnerable between two tall, large men went against all the hours of training she had undertaken over the years.
But the only thing she felt was…settled. Everything within her seemed to calm, and for the first time in her life, she felt at peace.
“I’m not sure you really know what you’re asking of us,” Kyle murmured, holding her gaze with his beautiful green eyes, and Melaina leaned into him. When his eyes darkened, she felt a spark of female pride shimmer throughout her body.
“Why do you think that?” Holy shit. Was that her voice sounding all sultry and sinful?
“Blue Eyes, you and I have only just met.” Kyle placed his thumbs over her cheekbones in a tender move. “Hell, you and Grant haven’t exactly spent some quality time with each other either, and yet you want to give yourself to us? Be with us?”
A sliver of doubt crept in and Melaina tensed. “Do you not want to be with me?”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous, woman, of course we do!” Truth. “As soon as you walked into this room and I caught your scent, I wanted to throw you to the bed and fuck you until neither of us could walk. You are not only the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on, but I have very strong suspicions that you are our mate.”
Curious, she asked, “How can you confirm that?”
She felt Grant move closer to her back and felt his breath on her neck as he spoke. “We would inhale your scent, close to your skin, and the Quickening will strike for both Kyle and I. Do you want that? And you had better think long and hard about that before you answer, because once that happens, Mel, you’re ours. There is no getting away from us then.”
Melaina’s heart began to pound. She thought she had been prepared to simply do this, to get the claiming she needed and then move on. But now that she was here, standing in front of these two strong men who were so dangerously handsome they made her want things she had never wanted before, like a future, everything seemed anything but simple.
Did she want that? Did she want to really belong to these wolves like Xanthe did to Dane and Hunter? She had never thought to ask herself that question, and now that she had, the answer surprised her. She wanted to belong to them. Now. With a deep br
eath, Melaina kept her expression open and as honest as a woman could be, and she nodded.
“Blue Eyes,” Kyle murmured lowly, the deep timbre of his tone sweeping heat through her body, “I find myself in a position I have never been before. I am unsure as hell and don’t want there to be any mistakes between us. So I’m afraid I am going to need the actual words.”
Melaina really liked the fact that this big, brave wolf shifter was admitting to a vulnerability she hadn’t even suspected. She smiled gently. “I think this must be a night for being in new and exciting positions.” She grinned when both men smiled at her wolfishly—pun intended. “My answer is yes. I want you both to see if I am your mate, and if I am, I would very much like it if you would f-fuck me. Claim me as yours and show me what it is like to be the mate of two Grey River wolf shifters.”
Both men leaned in, pressing their faces close to each side of her neck, and her eyes closed as she was bombarded with sensations. She felt them both inhale and then shudder at the same time, their hands clenched against her.
“Mate,” they growled in unison and the bond she had felt snap into place within her when she’d first met Grant seemed to surge with energy within her. She wasn’t completely tethered to these men, but the fledgling bond had certainly strengthened.
“Jesus, mate,” Kyle groaned as he pressed soft, sweet kisses against her neck, making her shiver, “you smell so fucking delicious. Like summer and apples and every damn thing me and my wolf want in life.”
Grant groaned as he pulled her back slightly, rolling his hips against her. “We can sum that up in one word. Ours. You smell like ours, and from this moment onward, that is exactly what you are. Now, you asked us to show you what it was like to be wanted.”
“We’ll be more than happy to show you exactly how that feels,” Kyle murmured as he lowered his head to hers and claimed her mouth. There was no hesitation in his kiss. It was a statement of dominance and ownership, and Melaina melted into it, leaning forward and moaning into his mouth.
Kyle growled lowly and the vibration shook her slightly as he stepped closer to her and tilted her head to the angle he required. He was only slightly taller than her own six feet, but he made her feel petite and cherished, which was something she had never felt before. When Grant pressed even tighter against her and pressed an open-mouth kiss to the tender flesh of her neck, she shuddered, her hips rolling in figure eights of their own accord. She felt the hardness of their erections with the move and her pussy wept at the sensation.
She shifted and felt a zing of pleasure ripple through her from the anal plug she wore. At the thought of the sex toy, she tensed and both men felt the change in her. Kyle ended the kiss and left her breathing heavily. She had been wearing the toys for the past week, gradually working her way up to the size she had in now, knowing from conversations with her sister that they would want to take her at the same time, one in her pussy and one in her ass.
Melaina knew what that meant and had researched what needed to be done to ensure maximum comfort for both her and her lovers with an almost clinical thoroughness. That was, after all, how she had been trained, but now that she was pressed between them, the butt plug firmly in place and sparks of pleasure radiating through her as she moved, she wasn’t sure how they would react.
“Blue Eyes?” Kyle murmured. “You okay?”
She nodded quickly, not wanting them to think she was backing away from them. “Yeah, I’m okay. I want this more than you know. And I came prepared.”
Grant stepped back and turned her so that he could see her face too. “In what way, Mel? You brought condoms?”
“No, um, well, yes, I did, but that’s not what I meant.” Melaina started to wring her hands together, struggling to find the words. Jesus, she could break down an M16-A2 service rifle blindfolded and identify the function and description of every single piece of the rifle by touch. And she could sure as hell put one back together a lot faster than she took it apart. So why the hell was it so hard to talk to these two?
“Mel, it’s okay, if you want to stop and just talk we’ll be okay with that,” Grant offered, and Melaina caught the look Kyle shot him and read it clearly as saying What the fuck are you talking about? and she laughed. Well, giggled more than laughed—and it felt good. Both men looked surprised for a moment and then their expressions softened.
“No, I don’t want to stop.”
“Thank Christ for that!” Kyle said with a grin, making her giggle again. “But something definitely had you tensing, Blue Eyes, so why don’t you just come on out and tell us what it was?”
Nodding, she took a deep breath and just said it. “I’m wearing a butt plug.” The brothers were very similar in appearance and their twin jaw drops were almost comical. If she hadn’t been on the edge of her seat waiting to see how they would take her announcement, she probably would have laughed out loud again. But nerves got in the way, and she started babbling. “Xanthe told me about what it was like to be mated to two men. She told me that you like to take your mates at the same time, and that meant one of you would take my ass. I researched that and I learned that this way your pleasure would be heightened and so would…um, mine.”
The brothers continued to stare at her and she swallowed. Had she not done the right thing? Then, just as she was about to run from the room, potentially sobbing, Grant reached forward and pulled her tight against him. She managed one squeak before his mouth descended on hers and his kiss ignited a fire within her. She was vaguely aware of Kyle moving to stand behind her, his hands sliding around her to gently cup her breasts before moving up to the front zipper of her hooded sweatshirt. By the time Grant had released her, and she stood for a moment trying to regain her equilibrium, Kyle had her sweatshirt off and had reached around and undone her jeans.
“The hottest damn thing in the world,” Kyle murmured as he reached around her to slide her sweatshirt from her shoulders, “is knowing that a woman plugs herself for her men. Do you fuck yourself with the plug, honey? Do you drag it in and out of your hot, tight ass and think about what it will feel like when it’s my cock? Or Grant’s?”
Melaina’s heart pounded so hard that she wondered if it was at all possible for it to actually burst from her chest. “Yes, yes, I did.” Both men growled at her admission and a spark of feminine power the likes of which she had never experienced before ignited through her system. “I-I’ve been thinking a lot about the two of you, watching you both from afar.”
Kyle hummed close to her ear and she trembled as his chest rumbled against her back. “Although I am not too crazy about the fact that you were out there, just looking at us, and not coming over and letting us take care of you, I have to admit, knowing you’ve been watching so closely certainly turns me the fuck on.” Kyle rolled his hips against her ass and Melaina felt the hard edge of his cock rub against her.
Grant stepped back slightly and removed the black tank top she wore beneath her sweatshirt. Once the shirt was off, Kyle gently pulled her hair back loving the feel of the silken strands in his hand. Then he reached for the tie she had used to secure it in a ponytail and released her hair. She closed her eyes as he used his fingers to comb through it, loving how gentle he was.
Kyle sighed, a happy and contented sound that had Melaina smiling. “This hair is so damn beautiful, black with just a hint of midnight blue. It catches the light and moves like it’s actually fluid.”
Grant reached for the front snap of her bra and released it before sliding the straps off her shoulders. “Well, shit, would you look at that? The most perfect woman in the world for us, and of course she would have the most perfect pair of breasts I have ever seen.” He gently gripped her by the shoulders and turned her toward Kyle, and Melaina was quickly learning that she loved being the center of attention for them both. It made her entire body heat in the most delicious way. “Wouldn’t you agree, brother?”
Kyle bit his bottom lip and growled lowly before lifting his gaze to hers. His eyes shimmered wit
h heat, and his salacious grin was contagious and she couldn’t help but grin back. “Most definitely. But I want to see the whole delicious package.” He reached out, his gaze never leaving hers, gripped the waistband of her jeans at both her hips, and gently pulled them down, sliding them down her legs until he knelt before her.
Grant let out a low whistle. “Hot. So fucking hot.” He pressed a finger against the base of the plug she wore and all remnants of the doubts she’d had about the damn thing evaporated beneath the sparks of pleasure that ignited within her. She stepped out of her jeans and shoes, then stood breathlessly waiting for what came next.
Kyle’s gaze dropped and he moaned. “Fuck me. You don’t wear panties? Christ, I may never let you leave a room without fucking you on the closest flat surface again. And, baby, I love that you keep your pussy bare. It means that you were completely open to us.”
Grant reached around to cup her bare breasts and Melaina moaned as he rubbed her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. A jolt of lightning zinged into her pussy at the move and her hips shot forward of their own accord.
“Kyle’s gonna make you feel really good, Mel, and I’m going to hold you hard against my chest. I want to feel every shudder, every shiver of pleasure you feel when you come for us. You had better not bite back any of those sexy sounds you make. I want to hear every last gasp.”
Grant leaned in and bit gently into the soft flesh of her shoulder and Melaina inhaled sharply, only to cry out as Kyle opened his mouth against her pussy. She shuddered when Kyle used his tongue against her engorged clit and her orgasm began to build within her, larger than she had ever experienced at her own hand, and she sure as hell had never come with a man before.
With a few short strokes of his tongue, Kyle had her approaching her orgasm at a million miles an hour. Desperately, she tried to halt it, not wanting the feeling and the attention to end, but then, almost as if it were planned, Grant pinched and tugged her nipples, adding a slight bit to her pleasure as Kyle gently bit down on her clit. And that was it.