by Jess Buffett
Both men shifted uncomfortable and Tessa had to beat down the urge to not throttle them. When the silence became too much, Tessa made to get up off the bed. Sage’s hand on her arm stopped her, and she allowed him to gentle pull her back.
Her Alpha mate swallowed visibly. “I don’t know, but you almost smell like...prey?”
The way he left it as a question startled her more than anything. “You don’t know?”
“I’d have to guess at some kind of bird,” Leontis offered, looking just as uncomfortable.
Tessa had a dreaded thought that perhaps they were suddenly regretting mating her. Was there some kind of law that said hunters shouldn’t mate with prey—or those who smell like it? Not that she even knew how that was possible. Her distress must have reached them because suddenly she found herself with an armful of mates, each of her men nuzzling a side of her neck. She was surrounded.
“Never think we don’t want you, honey,” Sage murmured against her skin. “We’re just worried because we don’t know what that means. I’ve only ever known of one case where something like this has happened, but even that is...not the same.”
She chuckled at his word choice. “Nice save there.”
Tessa felt Sage’s grin against her. “Thanks.”
“So, how is this...not the same? Explain it to me, please. Left to my own devices I will come up with far worse scenarios, I promise.”
Sage huffed out a laugh.
“She has a point, given I’ve never seen anything like this, I’d feel better knowing too, Sage,” Leontis injected, concern lacing his voice.
Sage sigh in defeat, settling his back against the headboard and beckoning them both to him. Tessa curled up into his right side, while Leontis took the left. “We always believed my brother-in-law, Evan, was human. Summer had known he was her mate for a while, but never said anything. Since Evan was human he couldn’t tell. It was a whole mess, which ended with Summer being attacked and Evan manning up. After they mated Evan’s scent began to change, he still smelled like him, and even like Summer since she had claimed him, but there was...more.”
Tessa took that in and thought about it. “So my scent isn’t more...it’s actually different?”
“Yeah.”
She looked at both of them. “And neither of you have ever heard of something like this before?”
“No,” they answered in unison.
“Well, that’s comforting,” she muttered.
The arm around her waist tightened to the point she had trouble breathing. “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure it out. I’ll call Ruth later and we can see what she says. Maybe she can come out and see you.”
“Ruth?”
“Our seer. She’s a bit…” Sage seemed to struggle for the right word before he burst into laughter, “God, I want to say different, but I’m honestly afraid of being hit for it.”
Tessa rolled her eyes, but smiled. “I think you’re safe. For now.”
Tessa just hoped that she was.
*****
Sage rolled over in the bed, arm reaching over his mate’s body. He smiled when he felt the large, solid frame of his lion mate. Even as he nuzzled further into Leontis’s side, he continued to pat around for Tessa, frowning when he came up with nothing. Peeling one eye open, Sage groaned at the bright light.
He grunted. “Dammit. Forgot to close the blinds last night.”
He felt more than heard the rumble of Leontis’s chuckle under his cheek. “Not a morning person?”
“Nope.” Sage buried his head further into his mate’s chest. “Where’s Tessa?”
“She left.”
At that his head shot up. “What?”
“Relax.” Leontis dragged a hand down Sage’s spine, drawing lazy circles along the base. Such an intimate move. “She needed to go see the kids. Though I don’t think we should be expecting her to move in just yet anyway.”
Sage sat up, the sheet pulling to his hips. He scrubbed a hand over his face. “No, you’re right. This is a lot for her. Regardless of what is happening to her scent, Tessa is human, thinks human.”
“So much has happened to her lately.” Leontis’s face twisted into a snarl. “And there are those bastards who killed her parents. Do you think we need to worry about them?”
“I’ve already got people looking into it. They won’t be a problem.”
“That was quick.”
Sage snorted. “Let’s just say dealing with Aidan has encouraged me to prepare for all possibilities.”
“Will we have problems with him once he finds out about Tessa and I?”
Sage went on after, growling low. “If he comes near either of you I will rip his throat out.”
“Shhh, that wasn’t meant to rile you up.” Leontis sat up and kissed him on his shoulder. “I just want to be prepared myself. I may not be Alpha material in human form, but my lion…”
Sage peered at his mate. There was something about the way he hesitantly mentioned his lion. And then it hit him. Swiveling around, Sage moved to straddle the larger man’s body, cupping Leontis’s face in his hands. “Hey. No. Be proud of your lion. Don’t hide it from me.”
Leontis wore a wary expression and Sage mentally cursed himself. He had done that. His first reaction had marred how Leontis thought Sage would see him.
“I was an idiot, and it all came from stupid fear. But we aren’t doing that, remember? I freaked out and I shouldn’t have. In fact it was an extremely un-Alpha thing to do.”
Leontis nodded, but Sage knew he had more work to do there. “Well, I’m not going anywhere.”
Something tightened in Sage’s chest. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. And Tessa will too.”
“At least with the mating heat kicking in, she won’t stay away for long, and then we can use our time with her to convince her we’re everything she wanted.”
“So confident?”
Sage leered at his handsome mate. “I’m the Alpha. I know what I want.”
“And you just get it, huh?” Leontis’s raised brow wasn’t so much of a challenge, as it was an invitation.
“You can bet your sweet, chocolate arse I do.”
“Well then, Alpha, please don’t let me get in your way,” Leontis drawled, sweeping a hand down his body.
Sage didn’t waste any time staking his claim. Repeatedly. And when Tessa returned only a few hours later, he and Leontis proved to her that there was nothing better than a shifter's stamina.
*****
Two weeks later found Tessa sitting on the porch of Sage’s home surrounded by his entire family and Pride. It was a daunting and overwhelming experience. The gathering was in full swing, some of the guests having already shifted into their animal forms. tigers, lions... Tessa was waiting for a bear to suddenly lope through the tree line.
A slightly hysterical laugh bubbled to the surface when she realized her life had somehow turned into a real life Wizard of Oz. And a part of her didn’t know if she wanted to wake up like Dorothy or stay.
She knew her mates could sense that hesitation in her. Tessa hadn’t been able to bring herself to move into the main house like Sage and Leontis had all but begged. Explaining to them the kids needed time to adjust hadn’t been an outward lie, but it hadn’t been the whole truth. Tessa’s world was spiraling out of control. She needed to take that next step, could see the pain it caused her men every time she left their bed and ran back to the granny flat. Hell, even the kids had asked why they hadn’t already moved in. Tessa suspected Oliver had been secretly in their ears about it. Why couldn't everyone understand, she needed time. Her parents were gone, she found herself suddenly thrust into the paranormal world full-time. It was one thing to be best friends with a shifter, but now she smelled different and found herself mated and falling in love with two…
Whoa, say what now!
Tessa’s heartbeat frantically. Falling in love? Had she, already?
“Tessa?”
Her head shot up, surprised to find Sage�
�s sister, Summer, standing next to her chair. Tessa hadn’t even heard her sneak up.
“Tessa, are you okay?”
“I, ah, I…”
Summer gave her a sweet smile, nodding to the chair next to her. “May I?”
“Oh, of course.”
The beautiful woman, so much like her brother with her honey-gold eyes and chocolate brown hair, sat fluidly into the seat reminding Tessa of the feline she was.
A thought hit her. “You haven’t shifted tonight?”
“No,” Summer chuckled, “I’m pregnant. You don’t feel the pull as much if you are pregnant.”
The woman’s hand came down to rest on her lower stomach.
“Oh, how far along are you?”
“Only a few weeks. I’ll be going for an ultrasound soon. So we’ll know for sure then.” Summer glanced back up at her. “So, back to my previous question, just so you don’t think you had distracted me. Are you okay?”
Tessa grinned, liking Summer’s bluntness. She was definitely Ella’s sister. “Oh you know, the usual. Just having a minor freak out over the possibility of being in love with your brother.”
Summer nodded seriously. “Yeah, I could see how that could make anyone want to freak out.”
She shot Tessa a sideways glance before both women threw their heads back in laughter.
“Oh, you’re horrible,” Tessa barked.
“I’m a little sister,” Summer said with a wink. Her face sobered when she continued, “In all fairness though, you have had a lot to deal with. It’s okay to need time. Makes it hard when you're fighting the mating heat and all you want to do is bump-uglies with them, but that doesn’t mean you can automatically accept what's going on.”
Tessa sighed. “I just hate the looks on their faces, you know? I can tell they think they’re hiding it, but…”
“It’s hard for shifters to remember not everyone is raised the same way. You were raised human, you don’t have the same instincts we do. We know when it’s right, when we have our mate. We expect it from birth, pray for them to come, and when they do, it is only naturally to latch on. Hell, I was madly in love with Evan for years, but he was human, or at least we thought so. Evan didn’t know I was his mate, hadn’t been raised to understand what that meant. And he had experienced a great deal of pain losing his family, he needed that time. Something I didn’t understand in the beginning.”
Tessa rolled Summer’s words over in her head. “Sage told me about Evan. How you all thought he was human, but latent powers became active after you mated him.”
“Yes. And Sage told me about your scent, not that I wouldn’t have been able to tell by now. My tiger can smell the slightest hint of bird.”
Tessa grimaced. “Does that mean you want to eat me?”
Summer let out a strangled snort, “Ah, no.”
“Good to know.”
A second later Sage’s mother came over interrupting them, eyes glued on Summer. “Are you alright, sweetheart? Do you need anything?”
“Mum. I’m okay. Tessa and I are just relaxing.”
“Oh, okay.” The woman continued to fuss for a moment, smiling at the both of them. “Well, you just call if either of you need anything. No strenuous work, okay?”
“Yes, Mum,” Summer said sweetly. A little too sweetly and Tessa had to hide her grin.
“Everything okay?” she asked once Veronica was out of earshot.
Summer gave a pitiful groan. “I love the woman, but…she is driving me freaking mad, I tell you. I’m pregnant, not an invalid.”
“I think it’s sweet how she dotes on you,” Tessa snickered.
The other woman glared at her. “Just wait. Wait until it’s your turn and then tell me how sweet it is.”
Tessa’s chuckled died quickly. “Oh God.”
“Yep.” This time it was Summer’s turn to snicker.
A sudden growl had them both turning to see Summer’s mate, Evan, stomping around the place, looking under furniture, turning up cushions while grumbling. “Stupid bloody cat.”
“Ah...he’s not talking about you, right?” Tessa asked.
Summer laughed. “No, he would last about five seconds if he tried that.” Her mate’s sister winked. “Evan is having...issues with his cat, Ally.”
“Ally, the cat?”
“Ally is his familiar.”
Tessa gaped. “They really have those?”
“Yep,” Summer sighed. “They are a witches only true weakness. Control the familiar, control them. Now Evan freaks out every time he can’t find her, especially since our incident with Aiden.”
Tessa frowned. “The neighboring Alpha, the one Sage warned me to stay away from?”
“Did he tell you what the man did?”
“Some,” she grimaced. “We haven’t exactly covered a lot.”
Summer chuckled. “Ah, the mating heat, yes. It does get in the way, doesn’t it? Though, what a distraction.”
“You can say that again.”
“Say what?” Leontis asked, taking the seat on Tessa’s other side.
Summer grinned. “Two words my friend. Mating. Heat.”
Leontis growled low, making Tessa shiver. Dammit, not again.
Shaking her head in an attempt to clear it from the lust filled haze threatening to take over, she turned to Summer. “So, Aidan?”
“Aidan is a bad person. He tried to kill my unborn child and Evan. All of this after trying to arrange for his brother to claim me against my will.” Summer shuddered. “It was close, both times, but Evan...he saved me.”
The loving smile Summer sent in Evan’s direction made her stomach clench. She recognized that look. Sage and Leontis gave it to her all the time. Could they really love her that much already? One glance at Leontis said it was entirely possible.
“Why would Aidan want to do all that, though? Sorry, I just don’t get it. Was it over territory or something?”
Summer gave an elegant shrug. “The prophesy.”
“Prophesy?”
Summer’s eye widened like saucers. “Oh, God, tell me he told you both about the prophesy?”
Leontis raised a brow. “Of course I know about it. I’m a shifter. We all do. Everyone knows just how important the last of the White Tigers are. How important you all are. I know a fair amount of information on the prophesy has been lost over the years, but we’ve all been told the stories as cubs. About the cursed ones, the gifted children of the last White Tigers. It’s why I was so shocked at first to discover I was mated to one of you.”
“Ah, hello,” she snapped, waving her hands about. “Human here. Remember? No, I have no idea what you’re all talking about. Dammit.”
Summer and Leontis shared a chagrined look. “Oops. Sorry.”
“Yeah, sorry, babe.” He leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “You just handle all of this so well, sometimes we forget.”
“Well, it’s getting to the point where I feel like I should wear a bloody sign. Only human,” she muttered, disgruntled.
She could tell Leontis was trying to hide his grin, obviously knowing it would only serve to find him in more trouble. Wise man.
“Are my mates enjoying themselves?”
Sage unexpected whisper near her ear caused Tessa to squeak. Damn cat was too stealthy. “Oh, we’re something all right.”
Leontis cleared his throat. “We, ah...might have forgotten to mention a certain prophesy to our mate.”
“Oh shit.”
“Oh shit, is right,” she muttered.
Chapter Nine
Sage fumbled for words at the furious look on Tessa’s face. “I honestly wasn’t keeping it from you.”
“You know, that might mean more if I actually knew what ‘it’ is.”
He shared a look with Leontis, then sighed. Moving around the chairs, he planted himself on his knees in front of his mates. Reaching out, he laced his fingers in each of their hands.
“The prophesy is one that was spoken of centuries ago. It state
s when the last family of White Tigers find their mates, their children will become more powerful than anything the world has seen. They will protect the earth from an ultimate evil, which lays in rest.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me this?” she hissed. “Christ, Sage. We haven’t exactly been the poster kids for safe lately.”
He paled a little. Damn, she was right.
“Seems you’ve been a little distracted lately, Alpha.”
The familiar and censored chuckle had Sage trying to tamper down a blush, his gaze shooting to Ruth’s.
Clearing his throat, he stood. “Ruth. You finally made it. I was beginning to worry.”
Ruth waved his concerns away. “You know very well I can handle myself, boy. So, I hear you have a few questions, starting with your new mate.”
“Ah yeah, like why I smell different?” Tessa muttered. “No one can seem to answer that.”
Ruth gave Sage a droll stare, “Honestly, you tigers are a bit dense sometimes.”
Sage bristled. “What is she, Ruth?”
The older woman studied Tessa, and Sage could feel his mate fidget. “I’m not exactly sure, I can’t quite seem to get a lock on her.”
There was something about the way Ruth said that, that didn’t sit right with him. He felt the seer knew more than she was letting on. “What does that mean?”
“It means whatever she is, is not unlocked yet.”
He frowned. “Like Evan?”
Even as he said it though, it didn’t seem right.
“Not quite. Whatever she is cannot be unlocked by mating like Evan’s, but by something greater.”
“What the hell is greater than mating?” Sage asked incredulously.
Ruth sent him a curious look. “You will see.”
Crap. He really didn’t like it when Ruth went all cryptic on him. Things never ended well.
*****
Tessa was still struggling with the revelations Ruth dumped on them an hour or so ago. Needing space, she excused herself from her mates and made her way over to get a drink. The night air was cool, the breeze washing over her as she attempted to steady her breathing.
Everything felt like it was spinning out of control.