Walking into the diner, they took a seat at a booth toward the back of the small interior space. They sat across from each other and leaned back against the high backs of the booth, each man settling tensely as exhaustion filled him.
Hunter looked around the diner, taking in the lack of patronage. Only one other booth was occupied by two girls who couldn’t be more than twenty years old. He saw the way the women looked at him and Clay and growled softly.
“What’s wrong?” Clay asked him, turning to look in the direction that Hunter’s gaze currently was focused. He saw the women smiling back at him and turned to face his partner and shook his head slowly.
“I have no patience for their flirting,” Hunter told him angrily, his voice deep and filled with frustration and pain. “I only want our mate.”
Clay nodded and faced Hunter with complete calm. “Finding Abbey has given us a better perspective on our lives,” he admitted. “I keep thinking about how she felt in our arms.” He looked out the side window of the diner and watched silently for a moment as a white SUV with tinted windows drove by and headed into the alley between the diner and the small Laundromat that was next door. “I can still feel the way she ran her fingers through our hair. I keep remembering how our baby moved under my hand.” He turned to face Hunter once again. “I want to feel that again. I want to feel that right now.”
Hunter nodded, unable to speak. The waitress saved him from having to respond as she came over to their table and handed them the laminated menus.
“Good afternoon, sugar,” she said, winking at Hunter as he took the menu from her. “Can I start you both off with a cup of coffee?”
“Just water,” Hunter told her, barely looking at her.
“And you, sugar?”
She turned her attention toward Clay, her eyes roaming over him and taking in his physique. It was an appreciative appraisal that had been given to both of them time and time again over the years. It had never given Clay such a sense of cold emptiness before.
“Water is fine,” Clay told her, taking the menu from her hand and looking down at it. “We’ll be ready to order in just a minute.”
“Okay,” the waitress answered, smiling. “Just crook your finger at me when you’ve decided. I’ll be ready when you are.”
Clay lifted his head and faced Hunter, his blue eyes flashing with anger. “I can’t believe how pissed off that makes me.”
He looked at the waitress and saw her looking back at him from across the diner as she stood in front of the main counter. She gave him another wink, and he couldn’t prevent the deep growl that escaped him. He agreed with his wolf. He was not about to look at another woman. They had already found their mate. There was no one better than Abbey, and no one they wanted to be with more than the woman who was fated to be theirs.
The corner of Hunter’s mouth began to quirk up in a half smile. “I hear you,” he told him, chuckling softly. He smiled a little more when he saw the way Clay struggled to control himself before the anger slowly left his expression.
“You okay?” Hunter asked him softly.
“I will be.”
“You think so?”
“Yup. Abbey’s going to make it better.”
Hunter looked at his partner and nodded slowly. He had to believe Clay’s words. Not believing them would hurt too much.
* * * *
Abbey turned over to lie flat on her back. She kicked the blanket off of her and whimpered as the heat that filled her made her more than a little uncomfortable. She wiped at her face in frustration, her hand coming away wet from the perspiration that covered her. She tugged at her sweatshirt and pulled it over her head, leaving her wearing only a snug, teal T-shirt. The less clothing helped somewhat, but she was still overheated.
Hunter wrapped his arms around her as she stood between him and Clay. Clay pressed against her back, successfully trapping her against Hunter’s chest. He kissed the back of her neck and opened his mouth to bite down on her shoulder lightly.
“You can’t get away from us now, Mate,” Hunter told her, leaning down and taking her lips with his, intensifying the kiss and growling against her lips when she opened her mouth and submitted to him.
His kiss owned her. She knew it and accepted it. When he pulled back slightly and ran his tongue across her bottom lip she couldn’t help but giggle with delight. Pulling away from him and smiling up at him as he looked down at her, she saw how his brown eyes filled with warmth.
“Now why would I want to get away from either of you?” Abbey asked him, reaching up to touch his face gently before threading her fingers through his dark locks and gripping the softness of them tightly. “I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you, sweetheart,” Hunter whispered back, leaning down and touching his forehead to hers. “So damn much.”
“Good thing or I would have to seriously hurt you,” she told him, smiling at the immediate grin that came to his sensual lips. She loved it when she made him smile.
She released his hair and turned in his embrace, sinking into him as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly to him while she faced Clay. She winked up at Clay and smiled at the happiness that quickly filled his blue eyes, making them sparkle.
“I need you to kiss me, Clay,” she told him gently, her heart racing as her desire for him spiked.
“Whatever you need, honey,” he told her softly as he leaned forward and took her lips hungrily.
Abbey melted against him, glad that Hunter’s arms held her upright because her legs were suddenly unable to support her. She wrapped her arms around Clay’s waist and dragged her nails down his back, smiling at the growls that left him and rumbled through his chest.
“Love it when you growl,” she whispered against his lips. “It makes me think I really turn you on.”
“Oh, honey,” Clay whispered. “You more than turn me on. I want you so much I ache.”
Abbey pulled back and looked up at him, her eyes soft with the love she had for him. “I feel the same,” she admitted with complete honestly. “I love you, Clayton Forest.”
“Damn, baby,” he growled. “Love you, too.”
“Abbey,” Hunter moaned against the back of her neck, biting down on it lightly.
“Love you, Hunter,” she whispered, whimpering lightly as her desire for them both overwhelmed her.
“You’re ours,” Hunter told her, squeezing her tightly against his chest.
“Are you two going to show me how much you love me?”
She squealed with surprise as she suddenly found herself lifted and tossed down on the biggest bed Abbey had ever seen. She looked at both men as they settled on either side of her, laughing as she realized that they were all naked and her men were definitely aroused. She reached down and took hold of their shafts as they pressed against her hips and did her best to encircle their girths but failed miserably.
She squeezed gently and pulled up on their lengths, loving the silky hardness of their cocks. She swiped the pads of her thumbs over the mushroom heads and did some growling of her own as she gathered the moisture that was pooled there.
“I like this,” she told them, looking first at Clay and then at Hunter.
“What, sweetheart?” Hunter asked, groaning as she pushed down on his shaft and released it to gently caress his balls.
“Being with you,” she told him, never stopping her tender exploration of him. “I love making love with you. I love when you both fill me up. I love when we’re connected.”
“Honey, we’re going to love you together,” Clay murmured against the side of her neck and biting down on it lightly. “We’re going to make a baby tonight.”
“Clay,” Abbey whispered. “Do you really want that with me?”
“Yes, honey,” he answered without hesitation. “I do. We both do.”
“We’re going to fill you with our cub, Abbey,” Hunter told her. “You’re going to be even more beautiful than you are right now when our baby is insi
de of you.”
A loud noise permeated the beauty of their bedroom. Both men’s attentions were pulled from her as they looked toward the commotion, their brows drawn in confusion.
“We need to check that out,” Clay told Hunter seriously.
Hunter nodded and returned his attention to their mate. “Stay here, Abbey. You have to stay safe. Clay and I will be right back.”
“I don’t want you to go,” Abbey pleaded, pulling at their forearms as she tried to keep them with her.
Their arms whispered away in a mist that drew Abbey up as she watched her men walk away from their bed and head toward the door.
Everything suddenly changed. They were no longer in their bedroom, and they were no longer naked. She was on the ground, kneeling as she faced her men. It was bright out, attesting to the afternoon sun.
Abbey crawled toward her men, watching as they walked toward the glass door of the diner that was nestled between the flower shop and the Laundromat that she had used just that morning to launder her small bundle of clothes. They were wearing jeans and black T-shirts, and Abbey struggled to understand how and why everything had just changed.
“Don’t let them go out there, Abbey,” the voice of the beautiful woman who had appeared to her along with Abbey’s father not so long ago warned her gently. “Your mates are in danger. You need to stop them. Another wolf pack is waiting to ambush them. They will not be so lucky this time. If they go into that alley, they will die.”
“No,” Abbey moaned, getting to her feet and running after her men, trying to make up the distance down the busy street as they disappeared through the diner’s doorway.
She chased after them, turning the corner and running into the alleyway between the shops just in time to see six men open fire on her mates. Hunter and Clay crumbled to the ground, blood escaping their bodies from a multitude of wounds. She watched in horror as the life slowly dimmed from their eyes.
Abbey screamed.
Chapter 9
Abbey bolted upright in the bed. The sight of the two men who had shown her such gentle caring lying bleeding on the concrete ground made fear slice through her. She had to get them. She had to prevent them from getting ambushed. The beautiful lady had commanded her with such intensity, she didn’t doubt the realness of the vision. These kind men were in grave danger. She couldn’t allow them to get injured or killed. She was not going to question the vision. Pushing aside her hesitation and wariness of the past week, she knew what she had to do.
Grabbing the key to the hotel room that she had left on the small table, she pulled open the door and ran from her room. The door slammed behind her as she raced away from the hotel and ran toward the diner at the end of the street. She had never run so hard or so fast in her life. Pure fear filled her and drove her. At least she didn’t have her backpack and duffle bag to slow her down this time. She had thought that she had run fast during her escape from her husband. That was nothing compared to how her fear drove her now.
She said a quick prayer to the beautiful lady, asking that She would help her make it to Clay and Hunter in time. Just the thought of the men getting injured made her sick to her stomach. Her mind screamed at her that they were meant to be her future. She tried to ignore the pull they had on her, but she couldn’t deny the deep connection she felt toward them any longer. They had wrapped themselves around her soul. She had first felt the connection when the men had found her in the woods, and she had felt it strengthen during her time in the hospital. It felt almost as if there were soft ribbons tying the three of them together.
She reached for the large handle of the diner door and tugged it open, rushing inside. She immediately spotted Hunter and Clay in the back booth against the far wall. The ribbon she had felt before snapped completely into place and drew her closer to the men’s souls. Without a moment of hesitation, she ran toward them.
“Clay,” Hunter whispered, his eyes widening in surprise as the door of the diner was wrenched open and Abbey ran inside. For a split second, he was unable to speak as the shock of their mate actually running toward them caused the loss of his ability to process the information.
“What?” Clay asked, his words cut off abruptly as the scent of their mate bombarded his senses. His head snapped up in shock. In that moment, he could feel the bond of their triad snapping into place. He turned and launched himself from the booth in time to catch their mate as she threw herself into his arms.
Hunter was beside them immediately, shocked and pleased when Abbey pushed slightly away from Clay, threw herself at him and tugged him closer so that she fiercely held both men around their waists. He felt their bond tighten, and he growled as his wolf howled and leaped inside of him.
“Come with me now,” Abbey demanded.
The sudden commotion of a loud crash in the alley beside the diner drew everyone’s attention. The panic that filled Abbey was immediate. The dream was coming true. She couldn’t let it happen. She couldn’t allow her men to be injured or killed.
Her men? Hell, yeah!
She was done denying her feelings, her dreams, or the guidance of her father and the beautiful lady. She would figure it out later. Hunter and Clay would help her figure it out.
We have to get the hell out of here. Now!
Abbey’s thoughts were nearly sending her into a state of complete panic. She jerked on their waists and tried her best to pull them toward the front door, but the men remained frozen in their spots.
“We have to leave,” she told them firmly, tugging again but getting nowhere.
“Abbey,” Hunter whispered softly, reaching up to touch her face gently before twining his fingers in the length of her beautiful hair and fisting it tightly. His wolf snapped, demanding he take their woman and claim her immediately. Hunter was in complete agreement. The growls rumbling within his chest were testament to the feral need he had to keep their mate close. He wouldn’t chance that she might disappear again.
“Mate,” Clay growled, reaching up and touching her hair lightly before taking firm hold of the back of her neck and pulling her closer toward his chest.
Abbey struggled against their hold despite the immediate sense of need that filled her at being held so tightly. She was able to pull back enough so she could look up at them. The intense look on their faces sent a shiver of emotions through her. Their constant, rumbling growls and the way their eyes were completely golden told her that they were more than men. It should have frightened her, but it didn’t.
“We have to leave. Please.” Her voice was soft as she did her best to soothe them, but the urgency of the situation was scaring her deep down to her soul.
“You’re not going anywhere without us,” Hunter told her firmly, fighting with all that he was to control his wolf. He was deeply caught up in the feeling of their bonding tightening around them, but he wasn’t about to lower his guard and possibly lose her again.
Another explosion of sound brought everyone’s attention toward the side of the diner. Both men straightened and looked toward the commotion, their training invading their thoughts and pushing their wolves down momentarily.
Abbey panicked. She could tell the police officer in each of them would demand that they investigate. She had to play hardball.
She pushed at their chests and stepped back, relieved when both men’s grips loosened enough for her to break their hold on her. They took a step toward her, lifting their hands to reclaim her in their embrace. She took another backward step, glad when the men matched each one of her steps with one of their own. The constant growls coming from them made her know that she had their complete attention.
Thank goodness.
“Am I your mate?” she asked them firmly.
“Yes.”
Both men answered together, their voices solid, their growls punctuating their answer.
“Then if you want me to be your mate, you’d better come and get me.”
With that, she turned and ran through the diner, pushing open the doo
r so that it crashed against the building, not stopping until she was outside and on the far side of the parking lot. If she had to get them to chase her in order to get them to safety—then that’s what she would have to do. She ran with determination, turning right and racing with all her might away from the diner and the danger that she knew awaited Hunter and Clay.
She only made it to the edge of the parking lot when four arms surrounded her and slammed her back against the solid steel wall of muscle of both men’s bodies. Their constant growls were becoming more intense and feral. Despite that, the only fear Abbey felt was that they weren’t far enough away from the pack that was waiting to kill her men.
“Where’s your car?” she asked them, petting their forearms as they surrounded her waist.
“My truck is over there,” Clay told her, his voice barely human.
Abbey turned in their arms and looked at both men. She saw the expressions of pure need on their faces, and her heart raced at the thought that those feelings were directed at her. Reaching up, she touched their cheeks lightly, mesmerized by the way their eyes had turned the most beautiful golden color she had ever seen.
The sudden growls behind the diner made Abbey’s heart pound in fear. There was no time left. They had to leave.
“Please. Take me back to the hotel,” she pleaded.
She barely got the words out when both men pulled her toward Clay’s truck, opened the door, and lifted her to hurriedly place her inside. Clay took his place behind the steering wheel, starting the engine quickly and putting it in gear. Hunter had barely climbed in on the other side of Abbey and slammed the door shut behind him when Clay peeled away from the parking lot.
“Turn right,” Abbey yelled, grateful when Clay followed her direction without question.
Abbey's Protectors [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 11