Startling Revelations

by Becca Van

  Every man in the room grinned and replied, “Yes.”

  “You’re so fucking sexy when you’re riled, mate. As soon as we’re finished here, we’re going home to bed,” Clint whispered.

  Of course, every single person in the room heard what he said because of their enhanced senses. Krista being the only exception.

  Bas, who was sitting on Krista’s left, scooted his chair closer. So close in fact, that his brother’s arm was brushing against their mate’s shoulder. Byron needed his woman’s touch, too, and decided to take a leaf out of his older sibling’s book. He moved his chair so that when he was sitting his leg was touching hers.

  Krista glanced at Bas, then him, and finally Beck before looking at Kiana. She sucked in a shaky breath and then started talking.

  “I shot and killed a gang member when they burst into the school I was teaching at and threatened my students. I didn’t mean to kill him. I only wanted to wound him so he and his buddies wouldn’t kill any of the innocent kids in my care.”

  “Did you get hurt, baby?” Bas asked as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  “No, I was lucky. One of the teachers was killed and some of the other teachers and two students were shot.”

  “Did the police stop them?” Beck asked.

  Krista shook her head. “There were only three of them, but the thugs were already wreaking havoc and spraying bullets everywhere. I couldn’t let anything happen to my kids. They’re all so young, had their whole lives ahead of them.”

  “Who took them down, sweetness?” Byron asked, but he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

  “I did. One of the guys was trying to get into my classroom, but I was able to get his gun and aim it at him before he could do something bad. One of his friends saw me and started shooting. I pulled the trigger as I aimed at the floor near his feet, but the kickback was too strong, and I fell onto my ass. I didn’t realize I still had my finger on the trigger until it was too late.” Tears welled but she brushed them aside.

  Byron could smell her pain and her guilt. He hated the ashy stench of her emotional pain and needed to do something to try and alleviate it. He surged to his feet, lifted Krista into his arms, kicked her chair back further from the table and sat down with her on his lap. Bas interlaced his fingers with hers, and Beck moved to where Byron had been sitting and held her other hand.

  “You have nothing to be guilty of, darlin’,” Beck said. “You did what was necessary to protect innocent lives.”

  Though Krista nodded, Byron wasn’t sure she believed anything Beck had said.

  “Did the police give you a hard time?” Bas asked.

  “No, they were great.” Krista swallowed audibly. “That night after I got home I noticed a beat-up car parked out the front of my apartment block. I peered out through the curtains as two men got out of the car and I knew they were part of the gang when I saw the patches on their leather jackets.”

  “They were fucking watching you?” Bas snarled.

  Krista flinched at his brother’s tone, but she didn’t try to pull her hand from his or get off Byron’s lap. “Yes.”

  “Did they do anything else, darlin’?” Beck asked.

  Krista nodded. “They started harassing my neighbors and put threatening notes in my letter box.”

  “Did you go to the police” Byron asked.

  She shook her head. “School was closed for the rest of the week, and I was too scared to leave my apartment. When men started breaking the windows of the downstairs apartments I knew I couldn’t stay. I didn’t want to endanger my neighbors’ lives.

  “I emailed my resignation to the principal effective immediately and started looking for employment elsewhere. I found this job and, lucky for me, you all hired me.”

  “How did you escape?” Bas asked.

  “I stood watch all night and when the watchers left at around three in the morning, I called a taxi and took off. I went out the back entrance and walked down a couple of alleys until I got a main road behind my apartment block where I told the cab driver to wait. I hopped on the first plane out of New York. Three to four days later, I arrived here.”

  “I can’t believe we didn’t hear about any of this. I’m sorry, Krista, but when you applied to be the teacher here I did a thorough background search on you, but I didn’t see anything in the news headlines. What’s the name of the gang, Krista?” Campbell asked.

  “The Immoral gang,” she answered. “The police asked the media to hold off on telecasting what had happened for a few days in respect for the dead. Plus, one of the teacher’s parents were out of the country at the time on vacation and the law didn’t want the deceased people’s names being leaked before the family was informed about the death of a loved one. The cops threatened to arrest anyone who leaked out what had happened. Plus, they got an injunction from a high-up judge. The paparazzi must have taken the threat seriously and held off broadcasting until they got the go-ahead from the police. After that it was a frenzy.”

  “Fuck, the Immoral gang are bad news,” Clint said.

  Krista sighed and gazed at Cam. “I understand why and aren’t upset about why you checked me out. I’d do the same thing if I had kids to protect.”

  Cam smiled at her. “Thank you.”

  She met each of their gazes. “Now you all comprehend why I couldn’t stay in New York. They’re into so many bad things, and now that I killed one of their members, whether an accident or not, those assholes aren’t going to give up until they exact revenge.”

  Byron tilted her face up toward his. “We’ll keep you safe, sweetness. That’s a promise and one I, we, intend to keep.”

  “Too right it is,” Bas said.

  “I’ll second that,” Beck said.

  “We’ll all be standing right beside you,” Campbell said.

  Krista shook her head. “I don’t want any of you getting hurt if trouble comes calling here.”

  “Stop!” Byron said. “We all know how to take care of ourselves and others. We’re trained SEALs, and we’re sabear shifters, darlin’. We’re very hard to kill.”

  “But you could be injured.” Krista frowned with worry. “What about your wi…mates? Some of the women are pregnant. I couldn’t live with the guilt if anything happened to them and their unborn babies.”

  “Nothing will happen to us,” Kailin said. “Our men won’t let us, our babies, or you get hurt.”

  “We have a natural semi-resistance against bullets, baby,” Bas said. “When we’re in our sabear forms, we’ve got a layer of fat that will protect our organs from being hit. We’re also very fast healers.”

  Byron knew they hadn’t convinced her when she began to gnaw on her lip. If the others hadn’t been here, he would have tugged her lip out from under her teeth and kissed her until they were both panting.

  “We need to head home,” Kiana said as she stood. “It was really nice to meet you, Krista. Try not to worry about anything. You’re in the best place to be since you have a target on your back. These guys,” she swept her hand about, “are the best. They know what they’re doing.”

  “It was nice meeting you all, too. Thank you for…listening and explaining things to me.”

  Everyone rose and one by one the groups of people left until just him, his brothers, and their mate remained.

  Krista had dark marks under her eyes, which were a testament to the fact she hadn’t been sleeping much, and he realized it was later than he’d thought. They’d been going to cook some dinner but had been interrupted by their curious visitors.

  “Why don’t you take a seat, darlin’?” Byron said. “I know you must be tired after all your traveling. We’ll whip up something for dinner so you can get an early night.”

  “What can I do to help?” Krista covered her mouth when she yawned.

  “Other than sitting and resting, nothing right now.” Bas pointed at one of the bar stools, and when their mate was seated, he headed toward the fridge.

  Between B
yron, Beck, and Bas, they had steaks and veggies cooking on the stove. As he and his brothers cooked, Byron pondered over what Kiana had told Krista about them.

  While he wanted to tell her they would all die or go crazy if she rejected them, he also didn’t want her to know. He wanted their woman to agree to mate with them because she liked them, not so she’d be saving their lives.

  How fucked up is that?

  Chapter Five

  Beck couldn’t stop staring at Krista. She was so fucking beautiful with her long dark hair and stunning blue eyes. His insides were churning after hearing what she’d been through, but he kept his fury to himself. If he let it out, he was sure to scare the love of his life.

  While he’d scented her pain just as his brothers had and she’d told them about the school shooting, he didn’t think that was the only reason for emotional turmoil. There was something else going on, and he hoped they’d be able to get to the bottom of whatever was causing her unrest.

  She’d only eaten half of the steak and some vegetables, and though he wished she’d cleaned her plate, Beck wasn’t about to give her any grief over the uneaten food. She was much smaller than him and his brothers, as well as being exhausted. His possessive, caring nature wanted him to pick her up and carry her to her bedroom, but not because he wanted to make love with and claim her. Although he wanted that more than anything. This time, he just wanted to tuck her up into bed so she could sleep the rest of the night through. Those dark smudges under her eyes made her creamy skin look bruised. He hated seeing her so fucking tired but hoped after sleeping for eight or more hours, they’d be gone.

  He and his brothers had finished eating long before Krista, and they’d had twice to three times as much on their plates. Being shifters, they had very fast metabolisms and needed more fuel to sustain their bodies. They could eat whatever they wanted and as much as they wanted without gaining an ounce. They could also drink alcohol like a fish and not become inebriated, which to his way of thinking was a good thing. Not that he’d ever tried to tie one on since he didn’t like being out of control, but he’d heard one of his fathers’ say he’d tried to get drunk and failed.

  Beck pushed his introspection aside when his brothers rose and started gathering up the dishes. When Krista stood, picked up her plate, and reached for another dish, he took them from her. “Why don’t you call it a night, darlin’? We’ve got this.”

  “Oh, but I’d like to help. You all were nice enough to cook for me.”

  “Not happening, baby,” Bas stated emphatically. “You’re nearly asleep on your feet.”

  Krista huffed out a breath, crossed her arms beneath her breasts, and scowled at his big brother. Bas’s expression didn’t change as he continued to meet her gaze with unwavering determination. Krista huffed again, uncrossed her arms, nodded, and left the room.

  Beck adjusted his hard cock and began to help his brothers clean up. When Krista had crossed her arms, her breasts had been plumped up under her sweater, and he couldn’t help trying to imagine what his sexy mate looked like naked.

  His sabear was trying to get him to follow her to the bedroom so they could claim her, but he ignored his animalistic side. Or tried to as much as he could.

  He was already feeling antsy and aggressive, and Beck wasn’t sure if that was because his mate was in danger or because his mating hormones were playing havoc on his system. If the mating heat increased each day and she didn’t want to be theirs, he and his brothers were fucked in more ways than one.

  Krista was the quintessential half to their hearts and souls. If she decided they were more trouble than they were worth, they’d be staring death in the face.

  Nevertheless, he wasn’t about to push her, because they could end up losing any chance they had at being happy and complete.

  Please let her agree to be our mate?

  Please. Please, please, please.

  * * * *

  Krista couldn’t believe how well she’d slept. She hadn’t had more than three or four hours a night since the school incident. As she showered, dried off, then brushed her teeth and hair, she tried to figure out why she hadn’t been plagued with nightmares like she had every other damn night.

  It took her a few moments to realize that she felt safe with Bastian, Byron, and Beck. She was also very attracted to them and just thinking about them had her blood bubbling in her veins.

  Was she reacting to them because she was their mate?

  She had no idea. There was no way she could refute how handsome and sexy they were with their buff, manly bodies and big muscles. Already her heart was beating faster, her breathing was rapid and shallow, but that wasn’t all. Her breasts felt as if they’d grown another size overnight they were that swollen, and her nipples were hard. Even though she’d just showered and put on clean clothes, her panties were already damp. If this kept up, she was going to have to buy stocks in a lingerie company. Of course, she had more than a week’s worth of underwear with her since she’d packed up everything she owned, even if it wasn’t much, but she might just have to buy herself some more panties considering she might have to change them regularly.

  When she was ready after making her bed, she headed out toward the kitchen. She knew before she even got there that the house was empty. How, she didn’t know, but she shrugged it off. There was a full pot of hot coffee warming on the counter and a note was propped up in front of it.

  We didn’t want to wake you since you needed the sleep. Help yourself to anything you’d like for breakfast. If you need us we’ll be working to the north-west of town where the new school is being built. Bas, Beck, and Byron. xxx

  Krista’s heart flipped when she saw the three kisses and her pussy clenched with hungry need. She groaned and leaned on the cool granite counter for a moment or two as she tried to get her desire under control. When she thought she’d be able to move without her knees trembling, she got a mug from the cupboard and poured herself a steamy cup of coffee. She sipped on that while she made herself a piece of toast with blackberry jelly and ate it standing up. When she’d finished, she rinsed her mug and wiped the counter of crumbs after putting the toaster away.

  Granted, she wanted to layer up against the cold and go in search of the three Tenant brothers, but she didn’t want to seem too eager and give them the wrong idea. Exploring her new home was a necessity, and afterward she could sit down and get to work on making a list of all the supplies she’d need to teach her students. She already had textbooks to use to prepare her classes with, but her kids were going to need paper, pencils, and a lot of other things.

  For the first time in a long time, Krista was excited about something. She’d learned to quell her enthusiasm when she was young, because she always ended up being belittled by her parents. She hadn’t seen them for over a year and had no intention of trying to clear the air with them.

  Pushing her painful thoughts aside before they took hold, she bundled up in her coat, making sure her gloves and hat were still in the pockets, and pulled on her fur-lined boots. As soon as she stepped out the front door and closed it behind her, she shivered. It was so damn cold her lungs hurt every time she inhaled. White clouds of air billowed in front of her lips every time she breathed out. Quickly donning her gloves, she wrapped her arms around her body and descended the porch steps.

  Just as she stepped onto the bottom step, her foot slid out from beneath her. Krista didn’t even have time to squeal. She barely had time to gasp with shock before she hit. Pain radiated into her ass, her back, and her head. She’d whacked the back of her head on the edge of a step so hard, she saw stars. Agony radiated into her skull, causing her to feel sick to her stomach. It was difficult to pry her heavy eyelids open, and she immediately wished she hadn’t. Everything was blurry, and no matter how hard she tried to focus she couldn’t. In fact, it was getting harder and harder to see.

  Krista couldn’t even take a deep breath without experiencing pain, and it wasn’t because the air was so cold. Her whole body
hurt from the roots of her hair all the way down to the tip of her toes. Though she knew she needed to get up, she didn’t want to move because she knew it was going to hurt a lot and she had a feeling she was going to end up tossing her cookies. Nonetheless, if she didn’t try she could end up dying from hypothermia. If she didn’t move herself, it could be hours before anyone found her. Cold wetness was already seeping into her clothes, and she was shivering. She had no idea what the temperature was, but it had to be way below freezing.

  Taking a deep a breath as she could to prepare herself for an onslaught of pain, Krista forced herself to roll over onto her side. Her head pounded so hard she lost her battle with nausea and heaved. She was hurting so bad she couldn’t even seem to care that she was probably being sick all over herself. The only succor was that she wouldn’t choke on her own vomit.

  She thought she heard someone calling her name but figured she’d imagined in since she so desperately wanted someone to find and help her. While she had no idea if she had her eyes open or closed, darkness swamped her, coating her mind in a blissful inky blackness as she passed out.

  * * * *

  Bas, his brothers, and all the other men had been working hard since early this morning. The frame of the schoolhouse had already been put up, and he, Beck, and Byron along with Ford, Flynn, and Floyd were getting the siding on the outside. Some of the other men were dealing with the electrical wiring and others on the plumbing. Once that was done, they’d heavily insulate the walls and start work on putting a kitchen and two bathrooms in. All in all, everything was going according to plan, and so far they hadn’t had any unexpected setbacks. They were moving along quickly and should have the school finished a day or two before the two weeks were up, if not earlier. The school would be ready for the new school term.