by Becca Van
Her shoulders shook while she cried silently. She took a deep ragged breath trying to quell her misery but ended up sobbing instead. Bas grasped her shoulders, turned her toward him, and held her in his arms and against his chest.
She hadn’t been hugged in so long. The last time someone had cuddled her was her ex, and he’d only done it as a prerequisite after having sex with her but not for very long. The heat radiating from his body was immense and for the first time in years she didn’t feel cold. Krista had been cold inside for so long she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt warm, and she wasn’t talking about the weather.
It would be so nice to have a man, or maybe three men, to lean on, talk with, and love. She wanted to tell the three Tenant men yes to being their mate, but she bit her tongue instead.
Krista never wanted to see another person look at her as if she was something they stepped in or as if she didn’t measure up ever again.
She couldn’t handle any vitriol or disparagement from Bastian, Beck, or Byron.
It would devastate her if they didn’t think she was up to par.
Chapter Four
“What the fuck did we do?” Beck frowned at Bas.
“We overwhelmed her,” Bas replied.
“I’m not sure that’s why she’s crying.” Byron sniffed the air. “Can’t you smell her pain?”
Bas inhaled deeply and almost snarled when the ashy odor of pain drifted through his nostrils and into his lungs. What the fuck? “Why are you in pain?”
Krista tensed, sniffed, and gazed up at him through her reddened eyes. “I’m not in pain.”
Beck and Byron moved closer.
“You might not be in physical pain, but we know you’re in pain, sweetness.” Byron tapped her nose. “We can smell it, Krista.”
Krista shrugged and looked away.
“What’s going on?” Kiana asked as she entered the living room. Thankfully, she shooed her mates and the others back into the kitchen. She hurried around the sofa and nudged Bas and his brothers out of the way. “Why don’t you all go and finish your coffee?”
Bas didn’t want to leave Krista, but he hoped their mate would tell Kiana why she was so upset if he and his brothers weren’t around. Women were more understanding and compassionate than most men were and maybe having Kiana listen to her was what his woman needed. However, he had every intention of listening in. If he could glean information on how his mate’s mind worked, then so much the better.
His poor mate hadn’t even been here a full day and they’d bombarded her with so much. Perhaps after she’d eaten and had a good night’s rest, she would feel better.
Bas reluctantly led the way from the room, glad he didn’t have to tell his brothers to follow him. The other shifters and women had frowns of concern on their faces, but he ignored his guests. Even though he knew he was being rude, he also knew that their visitors would understand why his priorities weren’t them. Krista was the most important person in his world and that would never change no matter whether she accepted them as her mates or not.
* * * *
Krista wanted to run to her room and hide but that would’ve been childish. Since she wasn’t a kid, she held her ground as Kiana approached. The other woman gave her a tentative smile, clasped Krista’s hand, and guided her back to the sofa.
“What are you running from, Krista?”
Of all the questions Kiana could have asked, Krista didn’t think that would have been it. How the hell did this woman know she was running from something? She couldn’t know that for certain, surely?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied stubbornly.
“I’ve been in danger, Krista. I witnessed a murder. I was sent to St. Lawrence Island from Nome by a wonderful detective to protect me, because I was being hunted. Although I hated that a woman was killed, being sent here was the best day of my life even if I didn’t know it. All these men own and run a security company. Each woman here has been in jeopardy of some sort. Keisha was being targeted by her thieving boss. Kenna and her brother Ben were unlucky enough to be in a bank hold up. She had to kill to save her brother’s life. Kailin was being stalked. I used to have those shadows in my eyes, too. I saw them every time I looked into the mirror.
“We can help you, Krista. Bastian, Byron, and Beck and all the other guys are retired SEALs. They’re also shifters, which means they have enhanced senses, as well as being faster and stronger than any man alive on Earth. They can and will keep you safe. The Tenant men would all die to make sure you lived.”
“I’ve nothing to tell you,” Krista said as she tugged her hand from Kiana’s, stood, then paced away.
“That’s total bullshit!” Kiana snapped. “Those three men in there,” she jabbed a finger toward the kitchen, “love you more than their own lives.” She gave a harsh laugh. “If you don’t pull your head out of your ass, you’re going to end up killing them.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Krista asked through clenched teeth.
Kiana walked closer, grabbed Krista’s wrist, and started dragging her down the hallway. “Come with me.”
Since she didn’t seem to have much choice because Kiana was way stronger than she looked, Krista began to walk instead of trying to resist.
As soon as they were in the bedroom with the door closed, Kiana released her, leaned against the door with her arms crossed beneath her breasts. “When a sabear meets his mate, they instantly fall in love with the other half to their heart and soul. I know they don’t know you very well or you them, but that doesn’t matter. They’re not totally human, and they knew you were their mate immediately.”
Krista sat on the bed and rubbed her wrist. Kiana hadn’t hurt her, but she didn’t like the way the other woman had manhandled her. She’d had more than enough of that from her father.
“They won’t pressure you, Krista, but I want you to think long and hard about accepting them into your life.” Kiana paused to inhale. “If you reject them, they will die. Their animals will become so despondent, they just quit living. They won’t eat or drink, and even though polar bears don’t hibernate, their beasts will. They’ll be so depressed they’ll virtually will themselves to die. Starvation and dehydration will eventually take them from this world.”
Krista covered her mouth with shocked horror. Why hadn’t Bastian, Beck, and Byron told her any of this? They’d been upfront with her about everything else. Why hold information back?
“Or their sabears will become angry and aggressive. If that happens, those men will lose every ounce of their humanity and all that’s left will be their animal side. They will become so wrathful they could end up killing innocent women and children. If that occurs, their friends are going to have to hunt them down and take them out. Do you want that? Have you no compassion in that cold, closed-off heart and don’t care about anyone but yourself?”
Krista lowered her gaze to the floor and rubbed her hand over her thigh. Tears threatened, and while she tried to keep them at bay, they rolled down her face. She didn’t want the Tenant brothers dying or being killed because she hadn’t given herself time to get to know them. She knew deep in her gut that they were wonderful, caring men. They’d been so gentle with her and so honest, but she couldn’t just agree to be with them when she’d only known them a few hours. She didn’t work that way.
She might be highly attracted to them, but she didn’t know them well enough to jump into the deep end with both feet. Plus, she had a group of assholes after her.
She didn’t think the Immoral gang would be able to find her, but she couldn’t be certain. If those bastards managed to find out where she was hiding, she’d be putting everyone on this small, remote island in peril.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Kiana said as she sat beside Krista. “I’m sorry for being so harsh.”
Krista shook her head, sniffed, and wiped the tears from her face. “You weren’t harsh.” She gazed at Kiana. “Well, not overly so anywa
y.”
“Actually, yeah, I was and I’m sorry. But Beck, Bastian, and Byron are my friends and the thought of them dying hurts my heart.”
“I understand,” Krista said honestly.
Kiana searched Krista’s gaze for a moment then nodded. “Yeah, I think you do.” She sighed and stood.
Krista clasped Kiana’s wrist. “You were right. I’m in trouble. I’d leave to keep you all safe so I wouldn’t be endangering Bas’s, Beck’s, and Byron’s lives.”
Kiana sat back down and held Krista’s hand between both of hers. “Tell me.”
Krista explained about the gang who’d infiltrated the school and how she’d shot one of the members to protect her students.
“That was a very brave thing to do. I’m sure all the kids’ parents think you’re a hero.”
Krista shrugged. “I’ll never know. The school was closed down for a week after the incident. When I started seeing gang members on my street, I knew I had to leave. They’ve targeted me to get revenge for killing one of their own.”
“Do they know where you are?” Kiana frowned.
“I don’t see how they can, but I can’t be sure.”
“We need to tell the guys. They can start looking into the gang and find a way to keep the bastards from coming here.” Kiana’s face paled. “Is Krista Oscar your real name?”
Krista frowned. “Yes.”
“Then they know where you are. People like that will do anything to get what they want and they won’t give up. They could have informants within the police, and if they don’t, they’ll find someone to search for you.”
“What am I going to do?”
“Let’s go and talk to everyone. You need to tell them what’s going on.”
Krista found it hard to swallow since she was scared that the Tenant men and the other people were going to be angry with her for the threat to the small town and everyone in it.
“Can you promise me something?” Kiana asked.
“If I can.”
“Please give Bas and his brothers a chance. Get to know them. They’re good people and deserve to be happy. There’s a lot of pros to being a sabear’s mate.”
“Such as?” Krista quirked a brow.
“Besides the mind-blowing sex, you’ll end up being faster, stronger, and will have enhanced senses.”
“How is that possible when I’m not a shifter?” Krista gaped at Kiana as a thought occurred to her. If she agreed to be their mate was she going to turn into a shifter, too? “Are you trying to tell me I’m going to be like them?”
“No,” Kiana replied emphatically. “You won’t become a sabear, Krista. The stories about shifters being created from a bite is just that. It’s a myth.”
“Thank god.” She sighed with relief.
Kiana smiled. “You got that right. If you accept them as your mate’s, when they claim you, they’ll bite you here.” Kiana pulled the neck of her T-shirt down to show Krista the crook of her neck and shoulder. There were a couple of faint teeth marks right next to each other.
“Didn’t that hurt?”
“Yes and no,” Kiana said.
“What do you mean, yes and no?”
“When my mates initially claimed me, they made love with me, and as I climaxed they bit down into my flesh. Because I was at the pinnacle of pleasure, it lessened the pain of the claiming.” Kiana glanced away when she blushed.
“Initial claiming?”
Kiana cleared her throat. “For the bond between sabears and their mate to take they have to claim you twice. First one by one and the second time all together.”
“How the hell…” Krista’s face felt as if it was on fire when she realized how three men could claim one woman. She quickly held her hand up when Kiana parted her lips to speak. “Don’t answer that, I’ve already figured it out.”
“Thank god,” Kiana breathed out and then giggled.
Krista chuckled, and then they were both laughing so hard they had tears leaking from the corner of their eyes. When they’d sobered, Krista asked, “Do they really love me, or were you just—”
Kiana interrupted. “They really do love you, Krista. I wasn’t feeding you a line. Oh, there’s something else I have to tell you.”
“What?”
“Byron, Beck, and Bas are going to start getting snarky. The longer you hold off on accepting them, the angrier and more aggressive they’ll be. I’m not telling you this so you make up your mind faster, but I thought you should be aware. My mates think this is nature’s way of taking care of the mating dance. Campbell told me he thinks that fighting with one’s mate is like an antagonistic foreplay which will eventually lead to sex and the claiming. I’m not sure I agree with that, but I’m not half animal, either.”
“That’s…that’s…”
“Fucked up?” Kiana asked. “It sure is. Are you ready to go and talk to everyone?”
“I don’t like being the center of attention,” Krista said. “I don’t have much, if any, self-confidence.”
“I’ll tell them if you’d like.”
“No.” Krista wiggled her shoulders trying to ease the tension in her muscles. “I think it would be better coming from me.”
“I agree.” Kiana nodded. “Don’t ever fear the Tenant men or any of the others. They’re all very protective. They can also be a little too authoritative at times, but their hearts are in the right place. Oh, and if you do decide to mate with them, they’ll be able to feel your emotions, and you theirs. That can be a plus and a negative, but try not to block them, because they don’t like not being able to feel what you are. We found that out the hard way. The guys go a little insane if they’re blocked from their woman for too long. You’ll also eventually able to communicate with them telepathically. Don’t ask me how that works, I’m not really sure. I think it’s because the men share some of their DNA with us women when they bite us. It could take days or maybe even weeks for that ability to kick in.”
“There’s so much to remember,” Krista said.
“Don’t worry if you don’t recollect it all in one go.” Kiana smiled at Krista over her shoulder as she opened the bedroom door. “Ask if you aren’t sure or want to know something. The Tenant brothers or any of us will be more than happy to answer.”
Krista nodded, sucked in a deep breath, and motioned for Kiana to lead the way.
She just hoped that the other men and women didn’t get pissed at her when she told them she’d probably put them all at risk.
* * * *
Even though Byron was annoyed at Kiana for taking Krista into the bedroom because he and his brothers could no longer hear the women conversing, and he wanted to creep down the hallway to eavesdrop, he remained seated on the stool at the kitchen counter.
Beck and Bas had moved to sit at the dining room table with their friends once they could no longer listen to the two women. While he stayed seated, he couldn’t sit still. He kept shifting from side to side, then he’d leaned his elbow on the countertop and his head in his hand only to straighten up again.
No matter what he did, he couldn’t get comfortable, but it wasn’t because he was in pain or anything like that. He was worried about his mate. He’d heard her telling Kiana that she wasn’t in trouble, and though he knew that had been an out and out lie, he wasn’t sure she was going to open up to discuss why she was scared.
There was one consolation, though. Krista was no longer frightened of him and his brothers. She’d been terrified of them at first and so fucking skittish whenever any of them touched her. He couldn’t help but think that she’d been the victim of abuse.
If he ever found out who’d hurt his mate, he’d let his sabear free to rip them to fucking shreds without compunction.
The sound of light footsteps reached his ears long before the two women came into view. Before Krista and Kiana entered the kitchen, he signaled his brothers to let them know they were coming.
Kiana came into the room first, with Krista right behind her.
> The conversations slowed and finally stopped as Kiana walked toward her mates, and after giving each of her men a kiss on the lips, she pulled a chair out to sit down. However, before she could plant her ass on the chair, Campbell snagged her around the waist and tugged her into his lap.
“Hey!” Kiana frowned.
Byron rose and slowly walked toward Krista. She had her gaze lowered and looked really uncomfortable with all the attention, because she was shifting nervously from foot to foot. “Are you all right, sweetness?”
“I’m fine,” she replied, still not looking at him.
Byron put a knuckle beneath her chin and nudged her eyes up to his. He frowned when he saw the salty tracks of tears marring her cheeks. “You’ve been crying.”
He glared toward Kiana as anger surged, heating his blood. Just as he was about to ask what the hell was going on, Clint let out a low rumbling growl. Clint shoved to his feet, his hands curled into tight fists as he scowled toward Krista.
Byron and his inner beast took exception to such a slight to his mate. He snarled loudly and took a threatening step toward Clint.
“Back the fuck off!” Kiana shouted as she jumped to her feet. “You two can stop the fucking pissing contest right now. You’re both going off half-cocked without having any of the story. Sit the fuck down!” Kiana poked Clint in the stomach, once, twice, three times. “Now, buster!”
Byron smirked when Clint did as Kiana ordered. The smile left his face when she turned her ire his way.
“Don’t you fucking smile.” Kiana shook her finger at him. “You’re just as bad as he is. There’s no need for all this male posturing. Now, be a fucking gentleman and seat your mate.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Byron took Krista’s elbow and guided her to the empty seat at the head of the table. When she was sitting he sat down to her right. When he saw her lips twitch, he gazed into her sexy blue eyes. There was a twinkle of amusement in those pretty blue orbs.
“Good, now listen up,” Kiana said. She was still standing, and she crossed her arms beneath her breasts and met each of the men’s gazes. “Krista wants to tell us all something, and you all are going to keep your mouths shut until she’s finished. Is that understood?”