by Jenny Penn
Sea Island Wolves 3
Claiming Kristen Kristen Jakob knows better than to cross into Covenanter territory, but she isn’t planning on being caught. Jakob and Kort Nickel instantly recognize Kristen as their mate, and they don’t care if they have to trespass into Narin territory to catch her.
Big, dangerous and unrepentant about doing whatever is necessary to win, Jakob and Kort break every rule in their quest to claim Kristen. She plans on making them pay for that, but first Kristen has to figure out a way to resist them.
This extended version has been extensively rewritten and is at 90,000 words. (The short version of Claiming Kristen at 25,000 words is available in Tasty Treats, Volume 3 Anthology.)
Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 89,811 words
CLAIMING KRISTEN
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Sea Island Wolves 3
Jenny PennSiren Publishing, Inc.
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First E-book Publication: April 2011
Copyright © 2011 by Jenny Penn E-book ISBN: 1-61034-412-X
Cover design by Les Byerley
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
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In memory of Irene A., my grandmother, a woman who knew how to live life to its fullest. DEDICATION
CLAIMING KRISTEN
Copyright © 2011 Sea Island Wolves 3
JENNY PENN
Chapter 1
“You’re out of beer.” Tex McBane shook his empty can in front of Kort’s face, blocking out his view of the table for as long as it took Kort to smack the can out of Tex’s hand. He still had three jacks and that’s all Kort cared about right then.
“Yeah? So?”
* * * *
“So?” Tex repeated with obvious annoyance as he flopped back into his seat. “You invite us over to play poker. That makes you honor bound to provide refreshments.”
“We only invited you over here to keep you out of JD and Caleb’s hair for the night,” Jakob, Kort’s twin, shot back from his side of the table. “I fold.”
“I raise. Twenty.” Cal tossed a chip into the middle before shooting Jakob a smirk. “And I’m insulted. Tex and I have been behaving ourselves for months now.”
“You been obsessing over Lilly Masterson for months now,” Kort corrected before chunking two chips into the pile. “I see your twenty and raise you another.”
“Look who is the rich man,” Tex shot at Kort. “Got more than enough cash but can’t buy any stinking beers.”
“Shut up, Tex,” Kort snapped. “And save your complaining for the end of the hand.”
“And we haven’t been obsessing,” Cal corrected, completely ignoring his brother. “JD and Caleb asked us to keep an eye on her, and that’s what we’ve been doing. I call.”
“Well, take a look at this.” Kort laid out his three jacks with steady precision and a straight face waiting to break into a grin.
“That’s pretty nice.” Cal managed to hold a blank expression as he nodded over Kort’s cards. “But not as nice as this.”
Kort’s mood soured with each queen Cal revealed, and he couldn’t stop the growl that came out when all four had been laid bare. The sound triggered Cal’s stiff features to relax into a smile as he pulled the large pile of chips in his direction.
“About those beers?” Tex leaned in to obscure Kort’s view of his lost money.
“Yeah, I heard you the first time,” Kort grumbled as he shoved back from the table. Rising to his feet, he leaned forward to snatch a bright red chip off of Cal’s pile. “And since your twin here is so rich, he’s buying.”
“Fine.” Cal sighed. “But make sure you buy it cold, and don’t take too long. You still got a lot of money left to lose.”
“And pick me up a Mr. Goodbar,” Tex tacked on.
“Yeah, whatever,” Kort muttered, about ready to snatch up his keys when Jakob plucked them off the table.
“I’ll drive.” Jakob blocked Kort’s path, holding his hand out for the keys. “You’ve had a little too much to drink.”
“Don’t worry. I’m close personal friends with the sheriff,” Kort assured him, smoothly sidestepping around Jakob. “Hell, I could say that about the whole police department.”
So could Jakob, given he worked as a deputy sheriff. A job he took seriously, which probably explained why he slammed the front door shut when Kort tried to open it. Casting his brother a dirty look, Kort found Jakob still holding out his other hand in a silent, autocratic demand.
What the hell did it matter who drove? Kort just wanted to get there and back so he could wipe that smile off Cal’s face. If he couldn’t, then Kort would drink all Cal’s beers. Tossing the keys toward Jakob, Kort caved.
“Fine. Why don’t you drive?”
“You’re a reasonable young man,” Jakob patronized him in his best cop tone, lifting off the door so Kort could finally get through.
“Go screw yourself,” Kort shot back before storming out into the fresh, night air.
Jakob snorted and followed, obviously taking a certain amount of joy in antagonizing Kort as they headed out to the grocery store. Kort could give as good as he got, and thankfully, the store wasn’t ten minutes away. Still, that was long enough for Kort’s mood to have worsened by the time Jakob had eased the truck to a stop in the deserted parking lot.
Stepping through the automatic doors to find Anne Callie flipping through some magazine did
n’t help Kort’s annoyance. He was so not in the mood to listen to her inane prattle. Not that there was any escape in sight with the store looking completely empty. Nobody to hide behind but Jakob.
“Hey, Kort. Hey, Jakob,” Anne called out with a wave of the magazine she’d been reading. “What you guys doing coming in here so late?”
“Hey, Anne,” Kort shot back with a false cheeriness that he didn’t inject to the murmur he passed his twin. “I’ll get the beer. You get the candy bar.”
Just like that and feeling no ounce of guilt, Kort abandoned Jakob to listening to whatever mindless thing Anne felt like talking about tonight. Intent on getting his beer and getting out of the store in as short an order as possible, Kort cut down an empty checkout lane and headed straight for the bank of refrigerators showcasing a near endless variety of beers.
Even before he approached the mouth of the aisle, a sweet, feminine scent wafted over him. The smell of roses tinted with desire lured him forward, making all of his senses electrify and bristle with excitement as the beast inside stirred to life. With a growl, the wolf roused, sniffing the air and breathing more of that intoxicating scent deep into his lungs.
The mouthwatering aroma burned through his veins, making his blood boil with a need so deep and primitive Kort couldn’t control the beast as it reared up. It demanded to know what prey smelled so delicious, but it already knew. His mate.
Kort froze as that realization hit him. He didn’t need to see her, to know her name or even the sound of her voice, to know the truth. The lonely, echoing howl filling his head was proof enough. The wolf cried out, desperate for the prize it had searched so many years for.
All that time Kort had known what would happen if he found her. The tales of Covenanter mating were legendary and spoken with discomfort by most mated men. Control was a valued thing to the males in their pack, but it all slipped away, torn to shreds at the first sight of their women.
Even knowing that and braced for the impact, Kort was not prepared for the nearly catastrophic effect of seeing his woman for the first time. At first sight of those luscious breasts and that come-fuckme ass, the wolf almost ripped right out of him. It wanted to morph, to be released to hunt and feast on its mate.
Instinctively, without any proof, Kort knew the small brunette lingering in front of the wine bottles was a wolf like him, but not Covenanter. Not yet. Soon, though, it would have to be soon because Kort could not bear this agony for long. He ached like never before, wanting things he’d never desired as the beast flooded his mind with visions too erotic to be ignored.
All around him the air thickened with wolf’s musk as it fed off the growing scent of feminine arousal. She was wet, and he was hard, but most importantly they were made for each other. The beast inside him snarled, forcing his fangs to extend as it tested the very limits of Kort’s self-control.
It wanted possession, wanted to take command of Kort’s body and make its mate submit. The beast wouldn’t be denied. It wouldn’t be settled until he’d tasted her, feasted on her, gorged himself until he was limp and sore from riding her all night long. She’d be sweaty, sticky, crying his name and begging for more, for less, for anything he wanted to give her because she was his.
“Hey, Kort, you got that damn beer yet?”The loud shout jarred Kristen from the momentary stupor she’d fallen into. Shaking off the erotic visions that suddenly fogged her head, she snapped back to the rows of wine before her. She’d been looking for one to complement the frozen dinner she’d picked out and gotten lost somewhere in the process.
That was dangerous, given that she’d dared to stop at the grocery store in Covenanter territory, but her meeting had held her up too late to make it to the one in her home pack’s county. Why she’d gotten dazed while staring at the bottles and forgotten that she trespassed into a dangerous area could only be answered by the horrifying realization that she was not alone.
A second shadow grew from hers as something large shifted behind her. Whirling around, Kristen instantly took a step back at the sight of the man who watched her with the intensity of a seasoned hunter. He took one step forward, and she could only take one back before she bumped the shelf and sent the wine bottles tinkling with shudders.
The sound matched the electricity racing up her spine as the man cornered her, coming to tower over her with a silent stare. He was so tall and thick, she had to tilt her chin way up to keep eye contact with him, but she did it. She had to. Something inside her demanded it.
He had the most amazing eyes. They were whirling vortexes of green shards and blue lightning bolts. They trapped her gaze with their brilliant lighting show. As she watched, they turned greener and greener, going pale and beginning to glow with internal heat that she could almost feel like a sensual breeze across her flesh.
The slight shift of air carried with it an odor that had her tensing as her blood heated, gaining speed as it rushed through her veins in a torrent that drove her heart rate from a simple pound to a tormented pace. She couldn’t catch her breath or even a thought as her body began to melt under the heat of his gaze.
She could feel her breasts tighten. Her nipples puckered painfully with the ache to be exposed, touched, mauled by those too-perfect lips. God, the man was gorgeous. Bright eyes, dark hair, and hard features, but nothing compared to those lips. There was so much she wanted to do with those lips.
Those naughty, wonderful images began to pop through her mind again. Images of her naked with her hands buried in those soft, silkylooking locks, directing his head and those lips over her body until her arms locked and she buried his head between her legs. Her pussy quivered with the first shock waves of a mini-release.
She could almost feel his heated breath fanning across her cunt, that soft, devilish tongue stroking into her sheath, going faster, deeper, fucking into her, and twirling to hit that magical spot. Then those soft-looking lips would close over her clit and suck, just a little kiss…
Kristen gasped, her body going slack. The wine bottle slipped free and crashed onto the floor. Red liquid splattered across her ankles, her legs, and over the linoleum as a visible sign of her loss of control.
What the hell? She’d actually climaxed, even if it was a very small one, right here in the middle of a public grocery store. Her eyes darted back up to the man who hadn’t flinched under the sudden chaos of the bottle shattering. No, the man smirked, a smug, knowing twist of the lips.
Covenanter.
Kristen had known that minutes before. Some primal, primitive part of her had felt the shift around her, sensed the male werewolf pacing in dangerously close and knew what it wanted. Her, naked and at his mercy, because everybody knew that’s how Covenanters kept their mates.
For all the rumors Kristen had heard about the musk Covenanter males used to subdue and seduce their women, nobody had ever described it accurately. The thick, earthy scent filled her body, warming her with an intoxicating need to give this man anything he wanted. Given how kinky the Covenanters tended to be, that could be a very daunting list to have to perform.
Even as the wolf inside her whimpered, willing to lie down there and then and show him her submission, the human half of Kristen rebelled. The only reason her wolf thought in terms of mating was because of that damn musk. Everybody knew they could produce that scent at will, which meant she needed to escape now before the male figured out she had some sanity left.
“What happened?”
The grocery store manager appeared, rushing down the aisle and looking around at the mess before pinning them with a disapproving look.
“Look at this. I don’t need this. It’s almost closing time.”
“I’m sorry.” Kristen pulled herself together, forcing her focus to remain safely on the manager and not on the second Covenanter following the human down the aisle.
Identical to the one still towering over her, there could be no doubt about the twin’s breed or heritage. No eye contact with either of the Covenanters and get the hell out
of the store as fast as possible, Kristen told herself.
“That’s fine. I guess I’ll clean it up.”
The man had no grace, but right then Kristen didn’t have the energy to spare arguing with him. Instead, she took the high road and hoped it would get her out of this situation faster. “I’ll be happy to pay for the bottle.”
“Of course,” the little man snapped. “You broke it.”
That got a reaction from the man mostly responsible for her dropping the bottle. He turned his head, narrowing his eyes on the smaller man. Kristen could hear the growl building in his chest.
“The lady apologized. You should be a gentleman and accept it gracefully.”
It was almost comical that the man responsible for the most humiliating event of her life actually had the audacity to lecture anybody on manners. Kristen couldn’t relax to enjoy the bit of irony, but took advantage of the spontaneously growing argument to start backing down the aisle and away from all three men.
“I did,” the manager defended himself, puckering up with a pathetic show of indignation. That wouldn’t be enough, not when it came to being sandwiched between two snarling Covenanters.
While they turned on him, Kristen turned and fled, but not before snatching up another bottle. Hauling ass toward the back of the store, she curved around the endcap and went flying back down the next aisle over. Not five seconds later Kristen skidded to a stop at the register, staring from the food in the basket toward the cashier.
Unsure if she had the time but hungry enough to risk it, Kristen plopped the basket down on the counter. It would have helped her frazzled nerves if the attendant paid any attention to her, but the young lady appeared engrossed by her own hand.
“Can I ask you a question?” Before Kristen could respond to that, the girl held out her hand for Kristen’s inspection. “What do you think that is?”