by Becca Van
She spun her head toward the doorway when she heard a loud gasp. Cedric and Hugh stood there gaping at her, their eyes wandering the length of her body, stopping in strategic places.
Olivia squealed, ran over to the shelf, and grabbed a big cloth, fumbling with it as she tried to cover herself. Once she was covered, she raised her eyes to the two men still standing frozen in the doorway.
“Don’t you two know how to knock?” she spat out.
Olivia saw when the two men finally came out of their glazed-eye stupor, looking into her eyes. She cringed back as they moved forward, until her shoulders hit the shelf behind her.
“We did knock. You didn’t answer,” Cedric answered.
“What are you doing?”
“You are so sexy, little one. You have a beautiful body. You have nothing to be ashamed of,” Cedric stated, his eyes once more traveling the length of her body.
“I am not ashamed, and stop calling me little one,” Olivia exclaimed.
“Well, compared to us, you are little,” Cedric said with a gentle smile.
“No, I’m not little. You’re two are fucking giants.”
“All right, we’re giants,” Cedric agreed.
“Now you’re just patronizing me. Stop it! I don’t like it,” Olivia stated petulantly.
“We are trying to make you happy, honey,” Hugh said.
“Stop it! I don’t want you to make me happy. Oh, for the love of…” Olivia muttered, realizing how immature she sounded. “You two are making me crazy. I thought you had to be somewhere. Why are you back here?”
“We’ve been asked to take you to our Alpha female. She is about to give birth and is asking for you,” Cedric informed.
“She did? Why does she want me? I don’t know anything about giving birth. What am I supposed to wear? I have no clothes with me. What does April want me for?”
“Shh, honey. Everything will be all right. Take a deep breath, hold it, and then let it out slowly. That’s it. You’re doing fine.” Hugh encouraged Olivia to calm down, keeping his voice low and calm. “We have some clothing for you. It’s laid out on the bed.”
“Oh, well, good then,” Olivia replied, sweeping past the two men and into the bedroom. She spotted the clothes where Hugh said they would be and picked up the short skirt and even shorter top. She spun around, holding the garments in her hands, staring at the two men standing just inside the doorway watching her. “You expect me to wear this? Are you out of your minds? These are indecent. You can’t expect me to parade around half dressed.”
“Olivia, have you seen any of the females dressed differently?” Cedric asked, his impatience evident.
“No, I suppose not. What is it with you lot? Can’t you afford to buy more material?” Olivia goaded then gave a snort.
“I am sick and tired of you running off that mouth of yours. If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything,” Cedric barked out.
“Well, excuse me. You’ll have to forgive my ignorance, because no one’s bothered to try and explain anything to me,” she retorted, glaring angrily at Cedric.
“You deal with her, Hugh. I’m at the end of my tether,” Cedric bit out then turned and stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him.
“Was it something I said?” Olivia asked innocently, but she couldn’t contain another snicker from escaping.
“You can goad and fight all you want, honey. You aren’t going to make us hate you. You can spit and scratch all you like, but we will always be here for you,” Hugh said, his tone adamant.
“Over my dead body.”
“Get dressed, Olivia. Your friend is waiting for you,” Hugh reminded.
“Turn around,” she demanded, glaring at Hugh.
Olivia heard his loud sigh but was thankful he did what she’d asked without protestation. She pulled the skirt up, dropped the material from around her body, and drew the top over her head. She tugged at the material, but it made no difference. It was still far too short. She gave a mental shrug, walked up to Hugh, and tapped him on the shoulder.
“I’m ready,” Olivia exclaimed.
“Good,” he said, taking her hand in his, leading her from the room.
“You know, I’m never going to be able to find my way around this place. It’s massive, and my sense of direction sucks.”
“If you find yourself lost, all you have to do is ask someone to point you in the right direction,” Hugh said, giving her hand a little squeeze.
“Hm, whatever. How long before we get to where we’re going?”
“We are here,” Hugh replied. He knocked on the door and waited.
The door swung open to reveal April and her mates. April was actually the one to open the door, which surprised Olivia and, by the look on his face, Hugh as well.
“’Bout time you got here,” April snarled, hauling Olivia into the room by her free hand then slamming the door in Hugh’s face.
“What the hell are you doing, April? Shouldn’t you be in bed?”
“No, I need to keep moving. It helps ease the pain and restlessness.”
“Okay,” Olivia replied soothingly, looking over April’s shoulder to her mates. None of them seemed to know what they should be doing. They just shrugged their shoulders. “Don’t you have some sort of midwife or medical person around here? Shouldn’t they be here instead of me?”
“I don’t…” April stopped, bent over holding her stomach, and groaned with pain. “Shit, that was a bad one. What did you say?”
“Doctor? Midwife?”
“Oh, maybe later. This room is full enough of people as it is.”
“Well, let me remedy that. I’ll just leave you to it,” Olivia stated, turning to the door.
“Don’t you dare leave me, you coward,” April yelled then doubled over groaning again.
“I’m scared, April. I don’t know anything about birth or babies.”
“You think I do?” April retorted. “I need you here with me, Liv. I’m scared, too.”
“Well, fuck, April. I hate it when you do that.”
“What?”
“Use emotional blackmail. You always did know how to get around me. Why don’t you come and lay on the bed? You can hardly stand anymore as it is,” Olivia soothed, placing an arm around April’s waist for support.
She had April in the bed, her clothes gone, propped up on pillows. Olivia climbed up onto the bed and lay beside her friend. April’s mates were still sitting at a small table near the window. They were making her nervous. They hadn’t spoken a word, but they kept their eyes on the two women. Their relaxed poses were all a farce. Olivia could see the tension in their bodies.
“Are they always this quiet?”
“Noooo,” April groaned loud and long. Olivia placed her hand over April’s belly and felt the tightening of her abdomen. She tried to time the contraction, but lost count. She knew it had been a long one. She rubbed over April’s tight belly, trying to soothe her friend and offer comfort and support.
“Does it hurt?”
“Like a bitch, and then some,” April replied. “I don’t want anyone else in here, Liv. I want you to deliver my baby.”
“What? You can’t expect me to…I have no idea…April! That’s just ridiculous. I don’t know anything about delivering a baby,” Olivia screeched.
“The healer will be here any moment. I’m not leaving everything to you. I just…I don’t know. I need you to do this for me. I know you, Liv.”
“But…Shit, April. You’re a bitch.”
“Yeah, but you still love me,” April said then burst out laughing. To her horror, her laughter turned to tears.
“Oh, good. I see you’re finally in bed,” a male said as he walked into the bedroom. “How are you feeling?”
“Just fucking brilliant,” April yelled.
Olivia glanced to the healer, smiled, and put a finger into her ringing ear. She was now partially deaf. She had no idea April could scream so loudly.
�
�What the fuck are you laughing at?” April snarled at Olivia.
“You,” she answered, bursting into laughter. “God, I’ve missed you.”
“Me, too,” April replied with a sniff.
“Oh, no you don’t. Don’t you dare start crying again. Those mates of yours are not going to want to have anything to do with you if you keep turning on the waterworks,” Olivia goaded. She and April knew each other too well for anyone else to understand their relationship. They used to goad each other all the time, especially when either of them became emotional. It made it easier for them to pull their emotions back under control.
“Screw you, Liv.”
“Now, that I’d like to see. Ew, actually, no, I wouldn’t.”
“Are you two always like this?” Ben called out to them.
Since April was busy with another contraction, Olivia answered. “Yes.”
“April was still single and so were you when you arrived on Terra-form. I would have thought you two would have been courted by hoards of men. What is wrong with the men where you come from? Don’t they have any balls?” Gage asked.
“Apparently not,” Olivia answered with a snicker.
The two women spent the rest of the morning and into the early hours of the afternoon hurling insults at each other. Even though they’d never admit it, Olivia could tell April’s mates were grateful for her presence. She had seen the anguish in their eyes and knew they were beside themselves with worry for her. She had stopped them from jumping up and offering April comfort, but Olivia had known that wasn’t what April needed right then. April would have broken down, but her friend needed to concentrate all her strength on birthing her child. April gave birth to a healthy baby girl, weighing in at a whopping nine pounds seven ounces, or four point two five kilograms. April was sore and tired, but mother and baby were both healthy. By the time the ordeal of April giving birth was over, Olivia was an emotional wreck. She wanted to do nothing more than curl up and go to sleep.
Olivia stepped out of April’s room and looked up and down the empty hallway, having no clue as to which direction she needed to go. She wandered the maze of connecting corridors, aware of the tears streaming down her face. She finally gave up, leaning against the wall, only to slide down until her ass plopped on the floor. She was asleep moments later.
Chapter Four
Cedric found Olivia sound asleep curled up on the floor. Her tearstained face made his heart wrench in his chest. He knelt down, scooped her up into his arms, and headed toward their room. He and Hugh had been nearly frantic when they couldn’t find their mate. They had searched high and low, too upset to think about using their sense of smell. Goddess, who knew finding our mate would turn our lives upside down? Neither he nor his brother had even claimed Olivia yet, and she was making them crazy. Cedric didn’t know how much longer he would be able to hold his beast off. It was pushing at him constantly, demanding control so he could claim his mate. His dick was permanently hard, and his balls were so full of semen they ached consistently.
Cedric kicked the door to their bedroom wide open. He walked over to the bed, placed Olivia down, and pulled the covers up over her.
I can’t believe you found her asleep on the floor in a hallway. What was she thinking? Hugh asked his brother telepathically.
She wasn’t thinking at all. Look at her face, Hugh.
She’s been crying. Who the hell upset our mate? Hugh growled, his voice rumbling deeper than before, indicating to Cedric that his brother was struggling with his beast, for control.
I think she’s just worn out, Hugh. She spent most of the day with our Alpha queen, tending her while she gave birth. She was so brave. Apparently both women were scared out of their wits, but instead of sniveling and whining, they spent the entire time hurling insults at each other.
That doesn’t surprise me at all. I’ve already noticed our mate uses her tongue when she’s scared. We have to do something soon, Cedric. My beast is fighting me for control. What the hell are we going to do if we can’t contain our panthers? She’s going to run if our cats get control, Hugh stated, running a hand down his face.
I know. Maybe one of us should make the change? Show her what we look like and reassure her we would never hurt her even in our beast form? Cedric suggested.
I’d agree, but remember what happened when Gage changed forms? April wouldn’t even look at him after what he did to her. I couldn’t live with myself if we scared Olivia like that. Hugh sighed.
So what the hell do we do?
Damned if I know, brother.
Olivia whimpering and groaning in her sleep drew Cedric from his telepathic conversation and over to her side. He watched her moving restlessly, arching her body, shifting her legs. The scent of her arousal drifted to their nostrils, causing groans to emit from deep in their chests. He looked at Hugh then back to his aroused, dreaming mate. He couldn’t stand to be so far away from her and figured Hugh felt the same as he climbed onto the bed, making sure his body touched at her sides.
Olivia must have felt their presence subconsciously, because she wriggled around, making firmer contact with their bodies. She sighed, arching her hips, her legs moving more and more, and one of her hands slid down beneath the sheet to the juncture of her thighs. Cedric was so horny he could barely contain his inner feline. Cedric could stand it no longer. He wanted, needed, to touch their mate. He and Hugh looked at each other, and then both removed the sheet covering their mate. The sight that met his eyes made his canines elongate and claws sprout from the tips of his fingers. Her skirt was rucked up around her hips, no covering over her wet pussy, leaving her bare to their eyes. Their mate had her hands in her crotch. She was trying to pleasure herself.
Cedric ran his hands over Olivia’s belly until her eyes fluttered open. He wanted her consent to touch her and wasn’t going to give her the chance to use that as a weapon against him.
“Will you let us love you, Olivia?” he asked.
“Yes. God, please touch me,” Olivia sobbed out.
Cedric gently removed Olivia’s hand from her crotch, only to replace it with his own. He was careful not to hurt her with his claw, making sure only the pad of his finger touched her slick, swollen flesh. He slid the pad of his thumb over her hard little nub, rubbing and swirling gently. She bucked her hips up into his hand, subconsciously begging for more. He saw his brother pull her top up, revealing her lush breasts to them, and bend his head to take one of the dusky-pink nipples into his mouth. Olivia moaned and the thrashing of her head from side to side on the pillow was more than he could stand. Cedric soothed his hands up and down her legs and was relieved when she opened her eyes to look at him once more. She offered no resistance as he moved and nodded her head, letting him know she wanted his touch.
Cedric was between Olivia’s widely spread thighs in the blink of an eye, his mouth on her cunt a second later. He thrust his tongue into her body as far as possible, groaning with delight. The taste of her cream was pure ambrosia. He withdrew his tongue and slid it up between her slick folds, swirling and lapping over her engorged clit. She screamed. Her body arched up into his mouth, her release satisfying his beast as he began to purr. He gathered every drop of her cum, not wanting to leave any behind.
* * * *
Olivia jerked, her own voice sounding loud as she moaned and bringing her to a fever pitch of need. The sight that met her gaze had her in turmoil when the fog finally cleared from her eyes. Cedric moved between her thighs and began to lick her pussy, and Hugh was suckling and pinching her nipples. She spread her legs wider, giving Cedric access to her cunt, and moments later she screamed with pleasure as her body shook with orgasmic bliss. As the last pulse of pleasure died away, her muscles went lax with satiation, her mind spinning in circles. The scent of sex in the air caused her embarrassment to increase. She flew from the bed, her legs feeling like cooked noodles, heedless of bumping Hugh with her elbow and Cedric with her knee. She grabbed at the sheet on the mattress, pulling ineffectua
lly as she tried to cover her nakedness.
“What did you do to me?”
“We pleasured you, mate.” Cedric growled, his voice deeper and more gravelly than usual.
“Why? Why did you do that? No one’s ever done that to me before. How could you lick me there? And stop calling me mate. I don’t belong to either of you,” Olivia grated out between clenched teeth.
“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong, mate,” Cedric responded, his body moving sinuously as he rose to his feet.
“Olivia, stay still. Don’t run,” Hugh ground out, his voice just as strange as his brother’s.
“What the hell is wrong with you two?”
“Our beasts are vying for control. If you run, they will take it as a challenge. We are on the edge of control, little one. We have not claimed you yet, and our beasts don’t like that.” Hugh growled.
“Oh. My. God,” Olivia said, her voice shaking with fear. Her first instinct was to turn and flee, but she was too scared to move. She could see their long canine teeth in their mouths and claws protruding from their fingers. The vision sent her into a panic. She couldn’t breathe. Her heart pounded against her rib cage, blood roared in her ears, and her lungs were incapable of taking a deep breath.
“What do I do? What do you want to do?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“We would never hurt you, Olivia, not even in our beast form. Please don’t be afraid of us. We want to bite you, and we want to love you.” Cedric growled. “We won’t do this if you say it’s not want you want.”
“But everything will change if I let you claim me. You won’t want me anymore just like everybody else. And if I decided to mate with you, I still won’t belong to you. I am my own person and I always will be.”