by Helena Ray
“I am so happy, Marta. More than I ever thought I could be. As for the ménage, yeah, I know it’s a more than a little outside what we were raised with, but it’s necessary.”
A cold chill came over Marta at Chelsea’s words. She sank onto her bed—the bed where her three men had caressed her only hours before—and held her knees against her chest.
“Is that why you did it? Because of the curse?”
Chelsea was quiet for a moment, doing nothing to calm the uneasiness in Marta’s stomach.
“Yes and no,” she finally answered. “The curse was part of what drew me to Roarke and Oliver. You remember how nervous and lonely and hurt I was when we came to the Valley in September. Without the call of being their mate, it would have been hard for me to get over my fear and anxiety and meet the two men who were made for me. You see, mates are sort of…hardwired for each other. I know it sounds silly, but when I met Roarke and Oliver, it was like we’d always known each other. We just…well, I just fit with them.”
“So I’m just under some Shoshone spell?” Marta’s breathing hitched. “I’m not really falling in, well, I’m not—”
“You didn’t let me finish, silly,” Chelsea said with a laugh in her voice. “Yes, the curse is drawing you to them and them to you, but they aren’t animals. They’re still humans, and so are you. All of you have free will. Everything you’re experiencing is real.
“I didn’t agree to marry Oliver and Roarke because I was their mate. The shifters can mate just fine without being in a committed relationship. I agreed to marry Oliver and Roarke because they’re the loves of my life. The thought of a single day without them…I don’t even want to contemplate the idea.”
Chelsea’s words vibrated in Marta’s head. Her best friend, always the voice of reason, believed all of it, the ménage, the shifters, the lions, everything. Even though she hadn’t known them for long, it seemed preposterous that any of the Popes would lie to her. No, Chelsea was right. Marta hadn’t stumbled into a bizarre dream universe. She had stumbled into something much, much better.
“And did I hear you say that you’re falling in love?”
Marta felt herself blush at Chelsea’s words. The L-word had always frightened her, but not now.
“Um, maybe?” Unusual shyness crept into her voice.
“Marta Verner! You’re in love! I always knew it would happen.” Chelsea sounded ecstatic. “Oh, and you’re part of the pride, too. You’re going to love it, I swear. Everyone’s so great. I bet you’ve seen everyone, what with working at the diner and all.” She suddenly went quiet. “Wait. You’re planning to stay in Savage Valley, right?”
She had turned the question over and over in her head so many times that day that the words were losing their meaning.
“I want to be with them. I know that. And what’s tying me to Memphis? My mom’s in Florida now, you live here, and my publisher went under. I have a chance at a new life here, and I think it might be a great one.”
Chelsea let out a high-pitched squeal. “Oh, I’m so happy! We’re really going to be family now. You’re gonna love all the Popes so much, and I can’t wait until you really get to know Oliver and Roarke. Marta, you’ve made me an even happier woman.”
Marta could only chuckle at her friend’s enthusiasm.
“Yeah, well, I’m not mated yet.”
Silence.
“Drop the phone, Marta.” Chelsea tone lost any hint of giddiness.
“They said I could come over anytime toni—”
“I’m serious. Drop the phone and run over there. You’re in love, and that’s all that matters. Go over there and show those Pope brothers that you mean it.”
Marta slowly climbed from her bed and went to her closet.
“Okay.” She let out a long breath as she selected a powder-blue dress. “Nothing to lose, right?”
“And everything to gain.
Chapter 10
Marta’s worth it, right? Worth putting all the shit behind us and working together?
A wide expanse of dusty, barren land stood between Mel and the Pope family cabin. He watched the flames from the fire burning inside casting waves of orange light onto the earth from the one window on the east wall of the cabin as he gathered the courage to enter. Phil paced by, anxiety creasing his normally still features. Always the levelheaded brother in a family of fiery tempers, Phil had only worn that expression a handful of times through the years.
Or maybe only once, Mel thought. Two years ago, their first night since they moved into the cabin when theirs became the ruling generation, and the last time Mel set foot in his family home. That night, with their mom and dads’ help, they had cleared out all the fabric dividing walls and lofted beds that had previously divided the nineteenth-century abode into several small spaces. The cabin had only been built for two, and fitting a modern family of six into the cramped space had required a great deal of ingenuity over the years. That night, though, the space had seemed cavernous.
It had also been the day Sam first came to Mel not as a brother, but as a client. And that had been the day Mel turned away his brother’s business. He knew now how stupid that was, but at the time, it had felt like a cathartic rebellion. All his life, Mel had picked up Sam’s slack when the brothers hunted. Sure, Sam was actually a pretty good tracker, but he had no taste for the kill. That had always been Mel’s strong suit. Time after time, Sam would take the lead, finding the perfect prey for the feast, and Mel would sulk in the shadows until the moment of attack. He loved the split second when his muscles would snap, sending him flying through the air. The deer would never expect it when he landed on their back and took their necks in his strong jaw. Although it repulsed his human mind, his leonine conscience delighted in savoring the meal he had made. But when they all came to and their fathers showered their praises, Sam would take the credit.
Sam, with his blond hair and intimidating stature, had always been the golden boy of the family. While Mel spent most of his school career skipping class with Cleve and Ezra, Sam had been the perfect student, becoming the first of the Pope family to finish college. After Sam and Phil bought their fathers out of the diner, the split between the brothers deepened. Mel had no interest in business or in the diner. No, he longed for the day he could travel and could see all the places he wanted to see, meet all the people he would never find in rural Colorado. Watching Phil perform his duties as the generation’s pilgrim only intensified his distaste for his two brothers and the conflict that came to a head when Mel denied Sam’s business and Phil took his older brother’s side.
* * * *
Two years earlier…
The three of them stood in the center of the cabin, eerily silent after the ever-present chaos that Mel had known all his twenty-five years. For a long time, none of them uttered a word to break the silence. The tension was too thick to allow speech.
“Why didn’t you just take the money?” Sam asked. “You’ve been selling to all the lion-shifters for years. Don’t think that we don’t know about you and your motley crew of covs.”
“It’s not like we have to answer to the Better Business Bureau.” Mel stared at his brother, silently challenging him. “We have the right to refuse service to whomever we please.”
“You talk like you’ve actually refused a paying customer before.”
“We have.” Mel crossed his arms, and Sam continued glaring wordlessly at him. “When we’ve run out of product.”
“I saw the deer, Mel. I know you had plenty to sell.”
“So what if I did?” Mel felt the anger mounting inside of him as he curled his hands into fists. One fingernail extended into a claw involuntarily, and the sharp sting on his palm snapped his tenuous rein on his fury. “I’ve been covering for you all my life while you go off and make Mom and the Dads proud.”
Sam suddenly turned penitent. “And I am so grateful for that. You’ve been a real help in allowing me to do my duties to our family and to the—”
“N
ot buying it, Sam. Not one bit. I’ve been out there hunting day in and day out my entire life. I’ve kept lions from dying. How does what you do compare to that?”
“I think you’re forgetting that I’m the one who keeps you out of trouble. If I hadn’t convinced Oliver to turn the other—”
“It doesn’t compare,” Mel said, ignoring Sam’s comment. “So what if your little diner business is sanctioned by government and pride law so everyone thinks you’re some fucking upstanding citizen? After what you did today, you’re just as much of an outlaw as I am. Don’t go around pretending you’re anything else but a pathetic, weak lion that depends on stronger lions to take care of your responsibilities.”
Mel regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Sam’s hurt expression made his stomach twist in guilt and remorse.
Phil, of course, tried to step in and resolve their conflict.
“Okay, okay, calm down.” He stepped between the two of them and held out both of his hands. “I think everyone’s said some stuff that they don’t mean tonight. We’re probably just a little wound up about the first hunt tonight.”
“I know Sam is.”
“Fuck you, little brother. I don’t need you. Cleve and Ezra think that my money’s just as green as anyone else’s.”
The shift was dangerously close. Mel’s skin tingled all over, and all of his fingernails had extended into claws.
“You don’t need me. Really?”
“No, I don’t.”
Phil had stepped back, allowing the oldest and youngest Popes to square off.
“Let me get this straight. You and Phil don’t need me.”
“No, for all we care, you can go to hell or wherever it is you hang around with Cleve and Ezra,” Sam said without so much as a glance to Phil.
“You don’t need me for anything? There is absolutely nothing, nothing that applies specifically to what we are that you need me for?”
“God, Mel. No, I don’t need a goddamn thing from you.”
“Well, then, I think college boy needs a refresher course on the treaty.”
“Sam,” Phil said softly, “think about it.”
“If you’re so insistent on my ineffectuality, then I’ll just leave.”
“Fine. Leave.”
Mel walked to his unmade bed, picked up his still-packed suitcase, and made his way to the door. Just before he opened it, he turned back to where his two brothers still stood in the middle of the room.
“Good luck with your mating, then. Enjoy the dead kittens.”
“Wait—”
Mel shut the door on Sam, Phil, and his childhood.
* * * *
He hadn’t entered the cabin since. Every footstep on the hard ground seemed to echo around him, the vibrations from the sound signaling a new chapter in Mel’s life. Yes, there was technically still some doubt as to whether or not Marta would present herself for the mating ceremony, but Mel didn’t worry about that. Her adventurous spirit was what drew him to her and, if he was completely honest with himself, made him fall in love with her. Mating three shape-shifters presented the ultimate adventure, and his mate would never turn that down.
Finally he reached the door. It opened before him, revealing Sam as tense as Mel had ever seen. The waves of anxiety rolled off of him, and even in human form, Mel could sense how much this moment meant to his brother. Hell, to all of them.
“We need to talk.”
Sam nodded as he stepped away from the door, allowing Mel access to what he knew would soon be his home again. Two beds had been pushed together along the back wall, creating a large surface for what was to come. Seeing the mating bed laid out before him, Mel felt a rare worm of doubt wrap around his intestines. This was it. This was a decision that affected the rest of his life, his children’s lives, his grandchildren’s lives. Decision? Who the hell do you think you’re kidding?
From the moment he laid eyes on Marta, it hadn’t been a decision. It was his destiny.
“How does it feel to be home?”
Phil’s question drew Mel back to the present.
“Odd,” he answered. “It feels like standing in the middle of a dream.” He glanced around the room. “Everything is familiar, but it’s not like I remember it.”
Sam still hadn’t spoken. His desk chair squeaked painfully as he turned from his desk in the far corner of the room. Mel looked into his brother’s eyes—really looked—for the first time in years, and the feeling it created surprised him completely. He felt the same type of completeness he had felt when he first saw Marta, but without the bodily reaction. God, why hadn’t he realized it before? There was a reason behind the treaty, a reason why the Shoshone insisted that all brothers mate the same woman. His brothers were a part of him, too, and no matter what happened in the past, they’d always be there for each other.
After this epiphany, there was only one thing left for Mel to do.
“I’m sorry, Sam.”
For what seemed like minutes, Sam said nothing, only cocked his head and stared at Mel. Phil, normally eager to dispel tension in situations such as this, stayed quiet.
Finally, Sam stood and walked to where Mel still stood near the cabin’s entrance, never breaking eye contact. When he reached Mel, he nodded gravely and extended his hand. A wave of relief crested over Mel like he’d never known. Without even a conscious effort by Mel, his hand found Sam’s and shook it vigorously.
“Thank you, man,” Mel said, shocked at his own vulnerability. “I never should have said those things, and I definitely made a mistake when I walked out of here.”
“I’m the one who should be apologizing. It was wrong of me to say that I didn’t need you.”
“Because we all need each other,” Phil broke in. “We’re family, and in a few minutes, we’re about to have our own family.”
“And what makes you so sure she’ll be here?” Sam asked, releasing Mel’s hand.
“Let’s just say, I may have persuaded her a bit this morning.”
“Why, Phil, I didn’t know you had it in you.” Mel elbowed his brother in the ribs, sparring as if he were a kid again.
“You two aren’t the only two Pope men of this generation, thank you very much.” Phil smiled smugly, and quickly sharing a glance, Sam and Mel burst out laughing.
“Oh, that’s a good one,” Sam said between gasps of laughter. “This coming from the gangly teenager who took home ec instead of shop.”
“Hey, I got to cook in home ec, and I never came home smelling like a sweaty piece of timber.”
“What do you think, Sam?” Mel quirked an eyebrow at his brother, who responded with the same gesture. “Were Phil’s budding culinary proclivities enough to balance the fact that he had to sew an apron?”
“Nope.”
Sam punched Phil in the arm playfully, and Phil countered his attack with an equally friendly shove. Soon, the three of them riled in the same sort of tumbleweed of play fighting that they’d indulged in as young shifters—Mel refused to think of himself as ever having been a kitten.
“I wasn’t that gangly,” Phil protested as they scuffled. “And at least I filled out.”
“That you did.”
The three of them halted midskirmish. Mel looked to the source of the words and heard the door creak open. It revealed Marta, beautiful as ever in a powder-blue dress and her denim jacket. Her hair was down, cascading over her shoulders in thick, brown waves. Her dress hugged her curves, accentuating that she was most certainly a woman, not a scrawny child.
In the midst of the long-overdue roughhousing, Mel had missed his soon-to-be mate’s arrival. He jumped to his feet and took a few long strides to where she stood just outside the door. His brothers followed suit, but Mel was the first to wrap his arms around their mate. He forewent kissing her right away and instead buried his face in her neck. He released his mate and gazed into her surprised countenance. He couldn’t wait to glimpse her pretty mouth opened in shock again and again and again.
&
nbsp; They still hadn’t talked about the future, about whether or not Marta would stay with them, but Mel could sense it with every iota of his being. She would be in his bed every night and every morning for a very, very long time.
Starting tonight.
Chapter 11
“Hey, sweetheart.”
Marta didn’t have a chance to respond before Sam lowered his face to hers and caught her lips with his. His tongue demanded entry right away, prying into her mouth and stroking against her tongue. She let her hands drift to his lower back, smoothing them over the hard, rippling muscles there. His teeth grazed her lower lip, and her pussy flared to life. She flattened her body against his, needing the pressure against her swelling clit and hardening nipples.
Another body closed behind hers, pressing her closer to Sam, and two hands landed on her ass and began kneading. The lithe frame and soft touch told her it could only be Phil. He stepped forward, molding her body to Sam’s, and something very hard and very large pressed into her stomach. Shit, was there any way he could be as turned on as she was?
She tore her mouth away for a breath of air, and Sam’s lips immediately went to her neck. He kissed and licked and nibbled down to her collarbone before changing his mouth’s trajectory to kiss toward the back of her neck. With Sam’s hands on her waist and Phil’s on her ass, it could only have been Mel’s hands that swept aside her hair to allow Sam to lave at the back of her neck. The sensation sent spirals of electric shocks soaring straight to her pussy that was now convulsing with desire.
Mel sneaked a hand between her and Sam, and she found herself being turned around. Now, she faced Phil. He smiled at her, the expression accentuating his high cheekbones and setting his bright blue eyes ablaze. Funny, Phil could look like the friendliest, sweetest man in the world at the same time his gaze burned with predatory desire. His lips brushed against hers in a soft, gentle kiss. He parted them, allowing her lips to caress his at the same time. Just enough suction drew her lower lip into his, and the deliberate swipe of his tongue against her lip made her wonder what that tongue could do to other parts of her, other parts that were currently dripping wet.