by Avery Gale
There hadn’t been more than a heartbeat between the press of his warm lips over hers and the primal scream she felt burst from her chest. Kit had experienced intense orgasms countless times with her mates, but this was something far beyond anything she’d ever known before. This was a fusion of their souls, an almost ethereal melding of their beings and Kit felt the emotional firestorm that burned their names into her heart as if they’d actually been branded there. Both men followed her over the edge and in the back of her mind their muffled shouts of release brought her an even greater sense of satisfaction. The intensity of the moment slid quickly into oblivion and Kit felt her eyes flutter open to meet Jameson’s dark orbs, they were filled with love, but her mind had barely had time to register the concern that filled them when the darkness at the edges of her vision closed quickly to the center and she fell into the respite of sleep.
Jameson wasn’t surprised when Kit’s eyelids slowly lowered and he felt her mind drift into a deep sleep. The last several weeks had been difficult for her and then everything that had happened earlier in the day had been a tipping point. Added to the incredible sex they’d just shared—hell, it was a wonder the whole lot of them weren’t in a coma. They took turns cleaning up, because he nor Trev ever wanted to leave Kit alone in the bed after they’d made love to her. She was incredibly strong, but the crash she always had after being taken by them together invariably left her feeling particularly vulnerable. From their first night together they’d vowed to make sure one of them always held her after they’d taken her at the same time. Jameson loved the way she burrowed closer, as if she couldn’t get enough of his touch, feeling her settle when he tightened her in his embrace was one of the most satisfying things he had ever experienced, and it certainly wasn’t one he’d willing give up. When he returned to the bed he couldn’t help looking down on the two people he loved above all others, save his children, and for just a moment he was overwhelmed. He’d dreamed of this for so long there were still times when he just could barely grasp the fact he’d been blessed with so much after feeling as though he’d never smile or laugh again. After they’d lost their parents, Jameson and Trev had both struggled to regain their footing—hell, it had taken months and months for them to bounce back to anything that even vaguely resembled their normal selves.
There had been too many people to remember who had tried to engage them, friends who had worked tirelessly to draw them back into the fold, and attempted to remind them of all they had. But it had been Marcus Hines who had really helped them see how self-destructive their grief had become. Their friend and mentor had been brutally honest, telling them to step back, get their shit together, and get on with the life their parents would have envisioned for them. Little had they known at the time, Marcus had actually known exactly what their parents had wanted for them because they’d been personal friends.
As he started to climb into bed he noticed the message light blinking on his phone and, against his better judgment, he picked it up and then instantly wished he hadn’t.
Chapter Twelve
Kit knew before she’d ever opened her eyes the day was going to be a train wreck. When she’d reached out and found nothing but cool, empty space surrounding her, Kit knew there had been some sort of problem because that was the only reason she’d be alone. Another one of the perks of having two mates was that they made sure she never went to sleep alone, and certainly she never woke up alone—unless there was a problem that required both of them. Wishing she could just pull the pillow over her head and block out whatever was coming, Kit groaned when she heard the bedroom door open. “If you aren’t here to set my body on fire again, go away.”
Trev’s chuckle filled the distance between them, “Sorry, baby, I promise we’ll play with matches as soon as we can. But we need you downstairs, bright eyed and bushytailed in half an hour, so you need to get a move on.” When she didn’t move, Trev landed a sharp swat to the center of her ass causing her to jump from the bed spewing curses about his parents’ marital status at the time of his birth. As she made her way to their large bathroom she saw him disappear into her closet and cringed. If he was laying out her clothes for her, then there really was something big going on and he was making sure she wouldn’t be late. Great, just fairy flippin’ great.
Kit felt as though she’d been through one of those assembly lines she’d seen on The Jetsons—where George was popped out of bed like a piece of toast and then scrubbed from head to toe before being dressed in a flash of robotic wonder before being thrust out into the world. Damn, she really shouldn’t have spent all those Saturday mornings watching cartoons as a kid. When she opened the door to her mates’ office, her second mug of coffee in hand, she froze when she saw the number of people already seated around the large room. A flare of panic moved through her and she frantically sought out her parents and grandmother before whispering, “Where are Ryan and Adana? Are they alright?”
Trev’s warm arm came around her as he spoke, “They are fine, baby. No one has been hurt. This is about a rather significant security breach—I’m sorry I didn’t explain that upstairs. We didn’t mean to scare you. Please sit down, you need to hear what Devin has to say.”
Kit’s attention jerked to where Devin sat in front of Jameson’s desk. Holy hell, how had she failed to notice him? The shit must have really hit the fan if the wizard they’d been so worried about bringing into the mansion was sitting in her mates’ office sipping from a large mug of steaming tea. As she approached, he set the mug aside and stood, “Good morning, Kit. I’m sorry to interrupt your morning, but I’m afraid this couldn’t wait.” She spent the next hour listening as Devin related what he’d seen and heard outside the seal his brother was locked behind as well as his conversation with his brother. Kit knew Devin was taking a huge risk by coming to the estate without knowing who else might be working with his brother and she appreciated the fact he’d taken the chance because he was worried about Damian’s increasingly erratic behavior. It hadn’t taken long for the young witch to be identified, Nick Michaels was immediately dispatched to her living quarters to bring her in and Jameson had assured the Supreme Council they would be able to take her as soon as he and Trev had an opportunity to speak with her alone. Kit cringed knowing the young woman was in for a tough lesson in the importance of pack loyalty.
By the time Devin had finished relating the events of the previous evening, Kit was trembling and she wasn’t sure whether it was from paralyzing fear, blinding anger, a deep sense of betrayal, or some combination of all three. She was grateful Nick had secluded the young woman in a small room across the hall from the office, because Kit wasn’t convinced she’d be able to rein in her temper, and evaporating the woman who had betrayed the pack that was every bit as important to her as her own family was certainly on her short list of options. Candles around the perimeter of the room were already starting to spark to flame, it was definitely time for her to step outside and dispel some of the energy swirling around inside her.
Jameson leaned back in his enormous leather chair and listened to Devin explain the rapidly escalating problem he believed his brother was becoming. The only time the wizard had seemed unsettled was when Marcus entered the room. The men might be half-brothers, but it was obvious they didn’t know one another well. Jameson had studied Devin closely and was impressed he hadn’t seen any hint of deception, nor had he caught that particular scent. One of the great things about being a shifter was the enhanced sense of smell—and something few people considered when they were trying to be deceptive was the fact their body’s reaction to lying set off a chain reaction of chemical changes, and those changes were usually fairly easy for a shifter to pick up if they were paying attention. From all appearances, Devin was truly worried about his brother’s potential to cause chaos and his words had clearly made an impression on the members of the Supreme Council who had joined them via a hastily established internet-meeting link.
‘He’s legit. And I think we’ve jus
t gained an unlikely ally. I’m glad for a lot of reasons, but I’m particularly pleased that Kit’s observations about the man have been validated.’ Jameson agreed with Trev’s comments and if the look on their sweet mate’s face was any indication, she considered Devin a friend despite all of their warnings to remain cautious. ‘I guess we should have met with him personally sooner, perhaps we could have saved ourselves a lot of groveling.’ And wasn’t that the truth. For the first time in a long time, Jameson understood how humbling leadership could be. ‘Don’t you remember the dads telling us that this was how we’d know we were making progress? That anytime you are humbled you are learning?’ Jameson had struggled to hold back his chuckle, because he did indeed remember that particular lecture—and oddly enough, in this situation he found it comforting.
After the room cleared of everyone but Jameson, Trev, and Tristan, Nick led the young woman who had been working at the estate for the past several months into the room. They had known she was a magical, but her references had checked out so they’d hired her as part of the household staff. And now, in hindsight, it terrified him to think about how much access she’d had to his family. Jameson was sure Tristan and Nick were every bit as angry as he and Trev were, but they seemed to be holding their feelings in check—at least for the moment.
Jameson looked across his desk at the young woman who’d been seated across from him and knew they weren’t going to get anything useful from the conversation. Everything about her had transformed right in front of his eyes. Gone was the mousey twenty-year-old he’d hired and in her place was a defiant woman without enough good sense to know she was sinking quickly in a cesspool of her own making. Jameson wasn’t sure what the Supreme Council had planned for her and frankly, he didn’t really give a rat’s ass, but some of the things he’d heard mentioned didn’t sound entirely pleasant. Evidently the Council had a special facility for what was called “re-programming” and even though he didn’t know the details, the pinched expressions on the older magicals faces had given him the impression it wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience for her.
The more defiant her body language became the angrier Jameson felt himself becoming. If he wasn’t careful, he wasn’t going to be in such a rage there wouldn’t be anything left of her after this interview. Taking a deep breath, he leveled a look at her and saw a small flicker of fear in her dark eyes. Good. She has good reason to be wary of me. I’d just as soon tear her limb from limb as look at her. There’s a good reason wolves kill those who betray the pack.
“Do you know why you are here, Pamela?” The woman sitting in front of him shuttered her expression and her total lack of emotion sent a chill through him. She looked at him with such disinterest, he wondered if she cared about anything but herself.
“Mr. Wolf, I’m not going to play games with you. If you have something to ask me, I suggest you just get to it, because I’m quite sure I’m being relieved of my duties here and I need to pack.” Fuck me, what an ice cold bitch. And if she thinks she is walking out of here to set up another scheme she can think again.
“Check the attitude. I’m already walking a fine edge here. There isn’t much holding my wolf back at this point.” Jameson was confident that the implied threat was clear enough and took a perverse pleasure from the fact she paled significantly. “Tell us how you managed to join forces with one of the darkest wizards to ever live? And more importantly, what the fuck were you thinking targeting a member of our pack? Did you think helping Damian use a member of our family to lure in our mate would go unpunished?” By the time he’d finished his voice was practically a growl and he could feel the need to shift crashing over him in waves to rival a tsunami.
In his entire life, Trevlon Wolf hadn’t seen his brother as close to losing control as he was now. He watched his twin struggle to hold his change back and he could feel the battle waging within him. Trev was also angry with the woman responsible for Angie’s kidnapping, but as the senior Alpha, Jameson was taking on more of the blame for not protecting those around him—and Trev knew it was a very bitter pill to swallow. ‘If you kill her, we’ll never find out who else is involved.’
‘I’m trying. Really fucking trying. But she’s hurt two of the most important women in my world—women who have never done a damned thing to her. She used Angie as a pawn—a fucking pawn. She didn’t care a twit about the sweet woman Angie had grown into or all the children who depend on her. And that isn’t even considering all those in the future who will benefit because they have somehow managed to cross Dr. Angie Michaels’ path.’ Jameson took a deep breath and refocused on Pam Wing. “Who else in our employ knows what you were doing?” She just stared at him blankly without responding and Jameson didn’t doubt that was how she’d respond to every question he asked, so he decided to save himself the effort and aggravation.
Turning to Tristan and Nick, he nodded, “She’s all yours. Perhaps she’ll be more inclined to answer your questions, quite frankly I don’t give a flying fuck what condition she’s in when you hand her over to the Supreme Council. After you search her room, please donate anything of value to a local charity and destroy the rest. If she thinks she can betray us without any consequences, she needs to learn differently.” He turned his attention back to the traitor he’d just as soon take out as turn over to the magical community’s governing body.
“As for you, until you learn the importance of honor and loyalty, stay away from our pack, our family, and our friends. You so much as breathe in a way that draws our attention and you’ll find yourself facing a pack of angry wolves. It isn’t a threat—it’s a guarantee. There won’t be a corner dark enough for you to hide in. We will find you.” With that, he stalked from the room with Trev right behind him. He doubted the woman was going to be nearly as smug after the Michaels brothers finished with her—but frankly he just didn’t care.
Chapter Thirteen
Kit had known when she woke up alone things were not right in her world, but she’d be damned if she’s ever dreamed things had spiraled this far out of control. How had things gotten this screwed up in just a few short hours? The fact Damian had managed to get help on the inside of the estate terrified her, and Kit hated the fact she now looked at everyone around her with a measure of suspicion. “Damn, I really need more coffee if I’m going to get through this without going postal.” Braden’s snorted laugh sounded from beside her, letting Kit know she’d spoken aloud. He waved his hand dismissively and her cup filled with the steaming chocolate coffee mix he knew she favored and she couldn’t hold back her own chuckle.
Braden’s magic was quickly becoming so second nature to him that he often didn’t even realize he’d was using magic to accomplish simple tasks. Kit was certain that Cecil’s influence had helped the young man realize his upcoming role in the magic world, and she thanked the Universe for the older wizard mentorship of the teen. There were so many negative influences in the world and Braden had been exposed to so many of those he could have easily turned his back on everything he was destined to become. Just as she started to tell him how proud she was of the man he was becoming Jameson stalked through the room headed to the backdoor, his face contorted with a rage she’d never seen before and she unconsciously took a step to the side.
Jameson hit the doors with such force she worried they’d tear from their hinges before she saw his clothing shredding around him. She watched in fascination as he leapt from the large deck and shifted in mid-air. The remnants of his ripped clothing fluttered to the ground seconds after he’d already landed on the grassy turf at a dead run. She stood frozen in place, her mind spinning with questions. In all their time together, Jameson had never moved through a room where she was standing without at the very least acknowledging her, and it was highly unusual for him to have been this close and not touch her. In that moment, Kit realized how spoiled she’d become—how much she’d taken that attention for granted. Just as her breath caught, she felt Trev’s arms come around her, “No, baby, this wasn’t
about you—well, not directly.”
Turning in his arms, she tilted her head back to look up at him, “What does that mean? He looked mad enough to take a bite out of granite? I swear the entire house rocked on its foundation from his fury.” Even as she spoke the words something in the back of her mind flickered to life.
“Oh he’s pissed alright. Hell, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that close to completely losing it. But, baby, he isn’t pissed at you, he’s pissed for you. Well, for you and all the other members of our pack that he feels he’s let down because he allowed that woman into our home. She was the first non-shifter we’d ever hired and knowing her deception allowed Angie to be taken is tearing him up inside.” When Kit started struggling to free herself from his embrace, he tightened his arms around her like steel bands. She wanted to follow her mate, assure him that none of this was his fault. Hell, none of them had expected Damian to strike at a collateral target. Kit had been so confident Damian would come after her that she’d focused far too much of her training into fighting him face to face—a mistake she intended to correct immediately.
Trev’s lips brushed over her temple before he spoke, “No, baby, let Jameson run it off. He needs this. Running is how he expends the negative energy that’s feeding his anger. He’ll need you more when he returns.” Kit felt herself melt. Damn it all to dimwitted demons anyway. She felt him laugh against her and, try as she might, she couldn’t hold back her own laughter. “The way your mind works fascinates me, baby. The sheer randomness of it is awe-inspiring.”