Claiming Kristen

by Jenny Penn

  “You are pushing it, Samantha.”

  Kristen guessed Samantha liked to push it. “After due considerations of all the details, I think I have come up with a perfectly acceptable conclusion to the problem as it presents itself.”

  “You have?” JD obviously tried to glare his mate into submission as he stepped dangerously close to her. Not too close, her stomach wouldn’t allow for that.

  “Yes. I think Kristen should live with us until such time as she agrees voluntarily, as in without being musked, to move in to her mates’ household.”

  “That’s insane!” JD erupted.

  “I like it,” Claire declared loudly. “Don’t you, Derek?”

  Obviously Derek didn’t like it, but JD’s reaction continued to overshadow anybody else’s. “No. I forbid this.”

  “You can’t forbid it. This is my right. If you interfere in this ruling you will be breaking Covenanter law,” Samantha shot back. “This woman is as of now under my protection, and she’ll be staying with me.”

  “If you do this, Samantha, I’ll—”

  “What? What will you do?”

  “You don’t want to find out.”

  Samantha shrugged off her husband’s ire with amazing ease, Kristen thought. She’d seen a lot of men make threats in her lifetime. That had been a vow. Instead of worrying over her husband as she probably should have, Samantha turned her attention to the other three Covenanters lurking about.

  “As for you three, let me make this quite clear. There will be no scheming, no manipulating, and no mischief making. Even if you get around my ruling with such underhanded methods, you will be showing an even greater level of disrespect for your mate than you already have. Trust me, I won’t need to punish you after the hell your life will become.”

  Kristen’s eyes widened at that, and she stared in amazement down at the petite-sized woman. Out of everybody there worth following, Samantha had proven herself to be the most worthy one. She’d found a way around the mess that had become Kristen’s lifeline. Without a single objection or even a word, Kristen allowed the other woman to drag her off to her car.

  JD followed along, bitching to his wife while Claire appeared to dance excitedly about. Kristen barely noticed them. She was too busy enjoying the sudden escape she’d just been given.

  Chapter 10“What did you do to my sister?” Derek growled, stepping into Jakob’s personal space the second the Mustang spun around in the middle of the road and shot back off in the direction it had come.

  Kort stepped back, leaving his twin to deal with their outraged brother-in-law while he stared after the black muscle car disappearing into the horizon. Lost in thought of how this new twist would work out, it took him a moment to understand his brother’s responses. When it hit, though, it caught him as a very stupid thing to say, especially for Jakob.

  “Nothing she didn’t beg me to do.” His twin gloated in the face of The Narin’s snarl.

  * * * *

  “I can testify to that,” Tex chipped in, sounding way too happy

  not to ignite the flare of Derek’s temper.

  Kort sighed as Kristen’s twin and his went down in a ball of

  flailing fists and wheeling kicks. He didn’t really care to join his

  brother in an ass whooping. Hopefully, Derek would vent all his rage

  on Jakob and forget about him. Considering that it would help if he

  moved out of the way, Kort sought safety on the other side of the road

  where JD lingered, glaring along with Derek’s commanders at the

  fight taking place.

  “You got to do something about this, JD,” Kort finally

  commented after a moment.

  “Ah, Derek won’t kill him.” JD dismissed Kort’s concern, falsely

  guessing at its source. “Least, I don’t think he will. He might unman

  him, though.”

  “I’m not talking about Jakob,” Kort snapped. “I’m talking about

  your mate’s plan to separate me from my mate. It isn’t right.” “You think I like this?” JD snorted, turning his full attention on

  Kort. “Now I got to put up with your damn woman’s attitude when

  my house is already being terrorized by my woman’s damn attitude.

  The way things are going, I’m going to have to build another fucking

  house just so I can get some peace.”

  “Well, then do something,” Kort shot back, brazenly asking for

  his own ass whooping. “Go stand up to your woman.”

  That was a bold thing to say to his Alpha, and it rightly deserved a

  smack for the level of disrespect. Instead of taking offense, JD only

  snickered. “Yeah, right. Why don’t you go stand up to my woman?” “Because he is afraid of her.” Tex smirked, his eyes twinkling as

  he informed JD of the quiet whispers that had been circulating

  amongst the men in the pack. “Ever since the doctor told that woman

  to stay in bed, she’s become scary. Now all your men quiver in their

  boots whenever Samantha comes near.”

  Both Kort and JD could have taken exception to that statement.

  JD clearly waited for Kort to deny it or at least rebut Tex in some

  way, but Kort couldn’t. Tex hadn’t lied. Apparently, their Alpha knew

  it from the way he finally shrugged off Tex’s insult.

  “Wait until your mate’s pregnant,” JD muttered with a hard look

  at Kort. “I bet that’s going to be some fun to watch.”

  It sounded more like sheer terror. He’d handle it, though. Like a

  solider headed to war, Kort would face pregnancy with the knowledge

  that all the pain and suffering served the greater good. After all, it

  wasn’t like Kristen would stay pregnant forever.

  “Look, JD, you made him turn green.” Tex chuckled, nudging

  Kort in the ribs with his elbow. “Look at it this way, with Samantha

  making sure she stays out of your bed, it’s not like you can

  impregnate her.”

  “Thanks, Tex,” Kort shot back with a look of complete disgust at

  his Alpha’s cousin.

  “But don’t worry, man. With Cal and I sleeping right next door to

  the lovely, we’ll make sure nobody else gets a chance, either.” It was the wink that pushed Kort’s temper too far. Without

  hesitation, he struck out at Tex, catching him in the same spot that

  Derek had landed his punch. It had about the same effect, sending the

  large wolf wheeling back on his heels as he gripped his chin and

  cussed around his grin.

  “Don’t waste your time,” JD ordered, making sure Kort didn’t

  follow up the sucker punch with anything more painful. “Tex likes to

  be hit.”

  “No, I don’t,” Tex shot back.

  He staggered for a second more before starting to pull himself

  upright. Releasing his already swollen chin, he rolled in, obviously

  testing for a break. Too bad he didn’t have one, because it might have

  actually wiped the smile off his face. Kort raised a brow at Tex’s

  smirk, wondering if JD didn’t have it right.

  “What?” Tex asked, staring right down into Kort’s look and

  seeming to read it for what it was. “No. I don’t like being hit, but the

  threat of it doesn’t dissuade me from being me.”

  “How about being killed?” Kort retorted calmly. “Because that’s

  what you’ll be if you go anywhere near my mate.”

  “Well, it’s not like I can avoid her, given I live with him.” Tex

  nodded over Kort’s shoulder toward JD. “I could move my bedroom

  across the hall—”

  “I’m not undoing the nursery for either of your sorry asses.” JD

&nb
sp; shot down that idea before Tex had a chance to finish suggesting it. “Or the one next door to it,” Tex offered only to be immediately

  dismissed by JD again.

  “That’s set up as Samantha’s office, and it’s the only thing

  keeping her sane right now, so forget it.”

  Tex shrugged. “Nowhere else to go, ‘cause Cal’s in the last room,

  unless, of course, I slept with him. That’d only give us one room gap

  to where your delicious mate sleeps.”

  “I said don’t,” JD snapped when Kort surged forward, ready to

  break Tex’s jaw this time. At Kort’s growl, a clear sign of disagreeing

  with his Alpha’s orders, JD shoved him back. “I said no. I know he

  deserves it, and hopefully one day he’ll find a woman that gives us

  the chance to piss him all the way off. That day is not today.” That promise didn’t satisfy Kort in the least, but he heeded his

  Alpha for now. Shooting Tex a hard look, he made that clear to

  everybody. “You stay away from my mate or you won’t ever find that

  day.”

  “I ain’t going to touch the little woman,” Tex assured Kort. “Of

  course, I don’t see you getting a chance to touch her, either, in the

  near future.”

  “Tex,” JD growled. “Enough, or I really will let him kill you right

  now.”

  “And piss off your mama?” Tex snorted. “I don’t think so.” The two of them broke off into their own argument as they both

  disagreed over how many of Tex’s Covenanter relations would either

  be upset or relieved at his demise. Yesterday Kort would have been in

  the upset column, but now a part of him would have been relieved. He

  was just that desperate to assure that his mate didn’t sleep within

  seducing distance of the Casanovas of Collin County.

  Kort knew for a fact Tex and his twin, Cal, had earned their

  reputation the hard way, doing it one woman at a time. Of course they

  had more opportunity than most of the Covenanters, given they

  weren’t full blood. Despite JD’s assurances that some woman might

  turn the two half-breeds on their heads one day, almost everybody

  else had concluded that the feral half of their blood had shown true,

  leaving Tex and Cal unburdened with any mating curse.

  Not that Kort truly envied them. No packs wanted them or would

  claim them, not even the Covenanters. They were tolerated only as

  relations to the Alpha family, but were not ever considered pack.

  That’s just why Kort didn’t trust them. When it came to protecting his

  mate, Kort didn’t trust anybody but himself.

  “I’m moving in.”

  “What?” That jarred JD’s attention away from insulting his

  cousin. Turning startled eyes on Kort, he shook his head. “No. Hell,

  no! My house is not a bed-and-breakfast, okay? You cannot just book

  a reservation and show up.”

  “Ah, think about it,” Kort coaxed, working on the fly since he

  really hadn’t thought it through. “It is the perfect solution to the

  problem. It not only puts me and Jakob in perfect position to seduce

  our mate freely, it will also piss off Samantha with a taste of her own

  medicine.”

  “You are assuming I want to piss off my mate,” JD growled. “Or

  that I even have to do something to piss her off.”

  “The quicker we seduce our mate the faster all three of us will be

  out of your hair.”

  JD appeared to consider that. “Fine, move in, but everybody is

  going to be double bunking. I’m not undoing the nursery to make

  room for all you people. You don’t like that, go stay at the Holiday

  Inn. Now help me separate these two before Derek actually does kill

  Jakob and all the women end up pissed off.”Standing in a room large enough to be considered a master in most homes, Kristen tried to figure out what the hell she was doing there. Samantha had shown her to this so-called guest room with the declaration that it was now hers to call home. Except Kristen had a home, one that she liked and wished she could return to. This room might be nicely decorated with gorgeous views of the marsh outside the bay windows, but that didn’t change the fact that it had become her prison.

  “Kristen,” Claire sighed, straightening up from the corner she’d dumped Kristen’s luggage into. “You really need to relax.” “No, I don’t,” Kristen shot back, casting Claire a dirty look for even suggesting such a thing. “I need to figure a way out of this nightmare.”

  “Is that what you’re going to do? Look for some miracle cure?” Claire came around the edge of the king-sized bed to lay a pitying hand on Kristen’s shoulders. “Because you know there isn’t one.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Claire she wouldn’t believe it until Lilly had exhausted every option. That kind of information would only pass through the other woman and back to Derek. Riling her brother’s temper wouldn’t help her situation, but it could make it worse.

  “I know,” Kristen stated softly instead, trying to sound somewhat accepting. “It’s just, I have a life, you know? A house, a job, and friends, what am I supposed to do with all of that? Just forget about it and accept this is my new home?”

  “No, because it’s not your home.” Claire squeezed her shoulder before releasing it to give the room a good look. “It’s kind of like a nice hotel. Look, Samantha’s just trying to give you some time to figure everything out.”

  “You mean to accept that I’m screwed,” Kristen corrected, not buying the hotel bit in the slightest.

  She’d heard enough from Samantha to know the woman might be hell on wheels, but she was also completely in love with her men. The woman couldn’t see beyond her own happiness to realize that Kristen’s situation wouldn’t end up the same.

  “Well, that is the fun part of having a mate,” Claire retorted dryly. “And from the way Samantha goes on, I think you will be well compensated for whatever trouble those men cause you.”

  “You think a good fuck is going to make up for having to give up my home, my pack, the only community I’ve ever known?” Kristen laughed, unable to stop the disbelief from popping out of her. “Trust me, I think I’ve seen the best those men can do, and it isn’t worth it.”

  “Burn.” Both Claire and Kristen jumped as Tex strolled into the room. “Now that’s something I wish Jakob could hear. Maybe I’ll have to tell him just what his mate thinks of his skills. I’ll have to say it in a very crowded bar and speaking very loudly. That should be some fun.”

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Kristen demanded to know. Just the sight of Tex’s cocky grin made her bristle.

  “Live here, dollface,” Tex informed her as his gaze swept over her room. “’Course, Cal and I don’t have such nice cells, but then again we’re free to leave whenever we want. So I guess we all have something positive in our lives.”

  From the way Claire growled, Kristen knew she wasn’t the only one Tex rubbed the wrong way. The other woman had tensed, stepping forward as if to protect Kristen from him. “How long have you been standing there eavesdropping?”

  “Long enough to know just how beautiful you are in profile,” Tex replied, all smooth and charming despite the women glaring at him. “And let me give my compliments to The Narin for picking such a delicious looking mate.”

  “Watch yourself, Tex.” Claire took another step forward, clearly challenging him. “I know all about you.”

  “Do you, now?”

  “Lilly’s clued me in on some details.”

  Hearing Lilly’s name brought back Kristen’s nervousness. If anybody found out she’d been to see the detective, they’d freak o
ut. The only thing that could be worse was if anybody found out why she’d gone and what kind of payment Lilly had asked for.

  Apparently, though, she wasn’t the only one who worried over Claire’s threat. For the first time since she’d met him earlier, Tex looked concerned. His smile might have remained in place, but it lost its relaxed curl. The way he tensed made a lie out of his too-sweet response.

  “I’m honored to know that such a beauty as Miss Masterson would take note of my details.”

  “I wonder how she’ll take note of your adventures last night.”

  That, for some unexplainable reason, finally wiped the smile off of Tex’s face. The man actually appeared to grow nervous as he considered Claire’s threat. It made Kristen wonder, because the only reason he’d be worried was if he had some designs on Lilly. That actually didn’t sound so insane. They were both annoying as hell.

  “There isn’t any reason she needs to be informed.”

  “I guess that depends on whatever future details might occur, doesn’t it?”

  Almost right before her eyes the man seemed to lose the cocky, self-assured attitude. “Fine. I’ll keep my mouth shut, but you tell Miss Masterson if she keeps playing her stupid games, she’s going to see the end of my temper.”

  With that he jerked to the right and stormed off through a side door Kristen had thought led to a closet or bathroom. She could see clearly as he threw open the door it simply led to another bedroom. Her eyes cut to Claire, who still glowered at where Tex had been standing.

  “Is he sleeping there?”

  “No. We are.”

  Kristen’s spine straightened, her head snapping around to confront her two mates as they filtered through the door. They’d startled her into looking in their direction, and it was just as bad as Kristen anticipated. Last night’s memories had blurred their features until all she’d been able to recall was the smell, the feel, the taste of them. They were large, rough, and intoxicating.

  Worse, they were good looking. She’d forgotten that fact, along with how dangerous it could be to make direct eye contact with either one. Too late, she recalled that last one only after her gaze had swept over the battered male limping through the door.

  Her eyes raced up his hard length, taking in his torn and filthy clothes. Spotted with blood and ripped to reveal gashes and bruises marring the tan skin beneath, they told the tale of the thrashing he’d taken. It was his ice-blue eyes waiting to capture hers in their stare that spoke of revenge.