Obsessed with Fur [3xtasy Lake 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Corinne Davies

  The officer lowered his window to yell at them and Marcario recognized his voice as the one who called earlier. “Come on, follow me!”

  He fired up the truck and pulled in behind the cruiser. They drove in line and tore down the roads back into town. Jess lay quietly in his brother’s arms. Her face looked calm, but really pale. An angry-looking scrape lined her cheek and jaw, and a patch of dried blood stained the skin beneath her lower lip. To him they were proof he wasn’t there when she really needed him.

  Jelani whispered about how much they loved her into her ear. Marcario tried his best to pay attention to the road and follow the racing vehicle ahead of them.

  They pulled into a parking lot and Marcario glanced at the sign. Ecstasy Lake Animal Clinic. “Jess doesn’t need a fucking vet! She’s not a dog, goddamn it! We’re taking her home. You could do a better job, Jelani. You take care of her.”

  “I don’t know anything about shifter physiology. I might do more harm than good. This is a good idea, Marcario. Between the two of us we’ll figure everything out.”

  As they reached the front door, it was thrown open by Carol Henderson. Marcario felt a bit of relief at seeing a familiar face.

  “Oh my god. Is she okay? Brenna and River are waiting for you all. Go straight down the main hall and to the second door on the left.”

  A gothic-looking woman stood by the exam room door and waved them in. “Lay her here. This bed will be a good size for her.”

  Another woman rushed into the room. “Hi, I’m Brenna. You must be Mai’s brothers.”

  “This is Marcario. I’m Jelani and I’m a trained nurse-practitioner.”

  “Perfect. Jessica will have the best care now.”

  Jelani laid Jess down as gently as possible, and Brenna immediately went through a standard series of tests, checking Jess’s pupils as Jelani checked her pulse.

  “She’s running a bit fast.”

  “That’s normal for shifters. We tend to be a bit higher temperature, too.” Brenna replied to Jelani’s comment.

  Marcario stood there feeling as helpless as the night that the clinic was attacked. He didn’t manage to save any of those women, like he couldn’t save his own woman. At least Jelani had the medical background to be of some good. Like many other people past and future he felt completely useless when he couldn’t do anything constructive. Brenna and Jelani spoke in shortened medical codes, but Marcario noticed that his brother didn’t seem quite so stressed anymore. That was typical for him, though. Throw him in the middle of a medical emergency and he would be the calmest person in the room.

  The officer stepped into the room and nodded for him to step out with him

  “Who the fuck are you?” Brenna snapped out the question as she froze in everything she was doing staring at the cop. Her face drained of colour and Marcario feared she might pass out.

  “Are you all right?” Jelani asked, and she snapped her attention back to Jessica’s body on the table.

  “I’m fine. Officer, you may leave. We’ll take care of this woman.”

  Officer Walker didn’t seem too shocked by her outburst, which was odd. “Of course, Ms. Roberts. Marcario, can I speak to you?”

  “No, we need him here. He is her mate, and she needs both of them to be close. You have to go. They will speak to you when it’s convenient for them.”

  The officer nodded slightly and then stepped out of the room.

  “Do you know him?”

  “No, he must be new. I’ve never seen him before in my life.”

  Marcario wasn’t impressed by her bitchy attitude, but if she took good care of Jessica, he didn’t care how rude she was to anyone. “How’s she doing?”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “I don’t have any hard facts and details.” Marcario filled her in with the small amount of information he had regarding what had happened before.

  “Physically, she seems to be fine, but she couldn’t shift her form earlier, and that is when she really got agitated.”

  “That’s understandable. Our animals are like another one of our senses. Imagine if you lost your sight or”—she looked at Marcario—“you lost your hearing.”

  Terrified for Jessica, Marcario moved to leave the room. He would call his brothers-in-law and see if they had any suggestions. He didn’t make it three steps when River grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. “Don’t be scared. She needs you close.”

  “I don’t want to get in the way.” He placed his hand on Jessica’s ankle and then slipped it under her pants hem so his palm rested was on her calf.

  River smiled her approval. “You’re a natural. Jessica is a doe, which means she isn’t a predator like me and Brenna.”

  Brenna cleared her throat, and River grinned. “Okay, like Brenna. Because of that, she needs to feel secure and safe. Sensations like fear and anxiety are much more difficult for her to process, and that is why her inner animal went into hiding inside her. As soon as she feels safe again, she’ll be able to shift and that will heal her.”

  “Would it be impolite to ask what your animal is, River?”

  “Yes.” River grinned impishly. “But I’ll tell you anyway, because I’m a nice person. But if you ask one of those grumpy predators, you might get your face bitten off for your curiosity. I’m a fox.”

  Brenna lifted her stethoscope and handed it to Jelani, who didn’t hesitate to listen to Jessica as well. Brenna stepped back and waved Marcario closer. “Come on up here so she can smell that you’re near. I’ll step back because my wolf might make her more nervous right now, and we need her calm.”

  “What about if she shifts into a deer? What do we do then?”

  “Talk to her. It’s still Jessica. She needs your support. If you can’t handle the fact that you are her mate then step away tomorrow and leave her alone. Don’t you dare back down now, when she needs you most.”

  Marcario didn’t like the tone Brenna was using or the way she seemed to be assuming that he or Jelani were going to go anywhere. Well, they were, but she was going to come with them. He couldn’t keep her safe if she went off on her own. “We’re not going anywhere, Ms. Roberts. Jessica is ours as much as we are hers, and we’ll keep her safe.”

  “Good. She has a wonderful soul and I’d hate to see it trampled again.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” Jelani stroked his hand along the side of Jessica’s neck, and she sighed softly.

  “Do that again, Jelani.” Marcario leaned close and placed his lips against her ear on the other side. “Jess, baby, I swear you are safe here now. We have you and you’re going to be fine, but we really want to see that pretty doe you keep hidden inside.”

  “I know you’ve been coming around the house, Jessica.” His brother stroked her neck again as he spoke. “I know you’re the doe in the woods. You don’t have to hide from us anymore.”

  There was a flash of heat under Marcario’s lips, and he felt a soft bit of hair against his skin. Opening his eyes he was looking at the neck of a deer. He jumped slightly and stood up straight. He hadn’t expected her to shift so quickly and without warning. Standing here looking down at her, his brain struggled with the truth of it all.

  The doe…no, Jessica, lay there staring up at him with her big brown eyes and long black eyelashes. She might look like a deer at the moment, but those were Jessica’s eyes looking up at him. “You are so pretty, baby.” He stroked his hand along her neck and Jelani did the same. Her body calmed and stopped shaking. It looked like the air around her filled with glitter. It reminded him more of sunshine reflecting off Saran Wrap and then Jessica lay on the table.

  “There you are.” There was an uncertainty to her gaze that made his heart ache. He smiled down at her and cupped her jaw carefully. The scrapes had healed, and he gently drew a damp cloth over her cheek, wiping away the bloody residue.

  “You scared us, Jessica.” Jelani was still in medical mode and ran her through a series of standard tests that Marcario knew were secon
d nature for his brother. It was Jelani’s way of reassuring them both that she was all right.

  “I knew you would find me.” Jessica grabbed his hand, and then his brother’s. “I trusted that you would come.”

  “We didn’t do a very good job of protecting you, Jess. It took a few pissed-off wolves to end this.”

  “No, it took a few pissed-off wolves to end this without endangering either of you. If I didn’t believe in you both, then I never would have survived that.”

  “We’ll always come for you, Jessica.”

  Marcario didn’t understand why his brother’s comment would cause a flash of pain to appear behind her smile. She said she trusted us, so what is holding her back?

  “Without you I don’t think I would have come back.”

  “Yes, you would have, and we would still be waiting for you. Don’t think we are ever going to let you go now.”

  “You’re ours as much as we are yours. Can you sit up?”

  Jessica nodded and they both slowly lifted her into an upright position. Brenna strode in and looked her over. “Now that you’re back in human form, Jelani is much better equipped to take care of you.”

  Jess rubbed her forehead and Jelani reached for the blood pressure cuff and strapped it on her arm. Pumping it up, he checked her out further before allowing her to get to her feet.

  “That was a waste of time, Jelani.” Marcario scooped Jess into his arms. “She isn’t walking anywhere anyway.”

  Carol rolled her eyes at them. “Looks like Alpha males can’t stand to see a woman walk, regardless of species.”

  “Guys, it’s okay. I can walk.”

  Carol patted Jessica’s arm. “Don’t bother arguing, hun. I tell that to my guys all the time and I swear they ignore me on purpose now. Lay your head down and enjoy it. If you fight, you’ll never be on your feet again.”

  “Are you feeling better, Jessica?”

  “Now that we are alone, yes. I don’t like being hovered over, and Brenna’s been really grumpy lately. You are much gentler, Jelani.”

  “Now we are taking you home, and I don’t want to hear any more about it.”

  “What are we going to do when we get there?”

  “Go to bed. You’re going to snuggle down between us and pretend that you like it.”

  “Oh, the hardships you two make me endure.”

  “No more, Jessica. We are taking you home and putting you to bed where you belong, right between us. That is where you are going to stay until we are certain you are completely healed.”

  * * * *

  “Hey, I’m not a weak little human you can push around.”

  True to their word, Marcario and Jelani had driven her home and fussed over her every moment. They’d made her something to eat and ran her a bath. Her feet hadn’t touched the ground since they had insisted on carrying her everywhere. They had been treating her like a pampered princess, and she was already sick of it. “I might be a deer, but I’m not a broken one.”

  “You’re right, you’re not, but we don’t give a shit if you are a deer or a wolf. You need sleep and we need you to be between us so stop arguing and get into bed.” She could feel the anxiety radiating off of Marcario as he snapped at her.

  “If you two are doing this out of some misplaced sense of guilt, then I’d rather go home.”

  Marcario stood there with his arms crossed over his chest like a true alpha. Jelani mimicked his pose and they both glared at her. She glared right back, but stepped closer to the bed. They were right, and she realized she was pushing their buttons. She really didn’t want to leave, especially when she knew that she never felt safer than when sleeping between the two of them. Maybe that creature that made up her inner voice needed reassurance that they were able to protect her best interests. Neither of them threatened her in any way. In fact, they were forcing her to do what was best for her. “Okay, you win this time.”

  Both of them broke out into the most breathtaking grins. “I’ll take a win when I can get it.” Jelani stepped back and pulled the covers down the bed as Marcario walked around it. “Come on, into the middle where you belong.”

  She followed their lead and lay down facing Marcario. “You’re not going to win all the time, you know.”

  He laughed. “I know, and I’m okay with that, but you know I would have tied you to the bed if you tried to leave.”

  She could almost envision what it would have felt like if he had. What would it be like to be restrained and then loved by them both?

  “Next time I won’t give in so soon.”

  The heated look he gave her sent a pulsing warmth straight to her pussy. Jelani slipped under the sheets behind her and wrapped himself around her. His chilly body sucked all the heat out of her. “Holy hell, Jelani. You’re freezing.”

  “Babe, you are better than any electrical blanket. You’re like snuggling up against a hot water bottle.” He wriggled against her and kissed the back of her neck. “Sleep now and then tomorrow you will see everything will be fine.”

  A twinge of concern clenched her heart. But what if it isn’t?

  Marcario lifted her hand and kissed her fingertips. “Stop worrying so much. I believe in you. Now go to sleep, Bambi.”

  She glared at him in mock anger even though he wouldn’t see her face in the dark. “Don’t you dare start calling me that.”

  Jessica lay there in the dark, thinking about everything that happened. Officer Walker stopped by earlier and dropped off the messenger bag she left in the driveway. Marcario brought it to her and she acted nonchalant, but felt so relieved. She wanted to show them, but wasn’t up to the emotional upheaval she always felt when she looked at those memories.

  Jelani’s hand ran down her side in long strokes from her ribs to hips over the blanket. His fingers would reach the bottom of her bottom, make a small circle, and then move back up her body to her ribs. He might have meant it to be a soothing gesture but it made her want more.

  “You are so beautiful, Jessica.” She felt his breath on the back on her neck when he spoke. The sensation sent tendrils of awareness along her skin, and she wished his hand was under the covers against her skin.

  “I looked better before.” The moment the words slipped from her lips she wished she hadn’t said them. Jelani’s hand ceased moving and she could feel Marcario’s gaze despite the darkness of the room.

  “You don’t really see yourself that way, do you?”

  She usually didn’t worry about that, but Cheryl’s fat comment stuck in her memory. Of all the things to be obsessing about, that seemed rather trivial, but she couldn’t help it. “I’m not fishing for compliments. I see the changes every time I look in the mirror.”

  “I wish you could see yourself the way we do.” She felt Marcario toy with a bit of hair along the side of her face. She was still tucked up under his arm, which was fine, because she didn’t think she could have this conversation if she was looking at them.

  “I don’t see how that would differ.”

  “Jess, I’d like to take your picture.” Jelani voice was quiet in the dark, and she could detect the guarded way he asked.

  Jessica cringed at that idea. “I hate pictures of myself.”

  Jelani nuzzled his lips against the side of her neck. “But they would be for Marcario and me. Would you let me?”

  “I guess, as long as you don’t let anyone else see them.”

  “I promise I wouldn’t show a soul without your approval first.”

  “Are you going to tie me up first, Marcario?”

  His entire body tensed up. “I would love to, Jess. I’ll let you pick out which ropes you like the best, and we’ll use those.”

  She thought about it for a moment. Some of the pictures she saw on the Internet were incredibly beautiful, and she was more than simply curious about it.

  “Can we do it in the morning?”

  “No.” She could hear the humour in Jelani’s voice and feel his smile against her skin.

 
“Why not?”

  “Because I need to know that you are prepared,” Marcario answered. “There are a lot of safety precautions to take care of. You need to have a good breakfast and keep your fluids up. Not too much because once I start wrapping the ropes then you won’t be able to leave for a long while.”

  “Oh, I can see where that might be a problem.”

  “Marcario is very careful. You would be completely safe.”

  “I’m not worried about that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I trust you not to hurt me. I don’t believe you would put me in danger, either.”

  Marcario tilted her face upward and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips. “Thank you, Jess. You know the trust goes both ways. I have to trust you to tell me if you are uncomfortable, light-headed, or if something hurts. I need to know that you won’t suffer through something because you think I want it that way.”

  “When we first met then you wouldn’t have been able to trust me not to lie about that but I’m much better now. I promise that if I don’t feel right then I’ll say so right away.”

  “I know you will, Jess. I’m proud of the strength you have regained. It makes you glow.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Are you comfortable, Jess?”

  She nodded unable to look away from the intensity of Marcario’s gaze. He seemed so playful when talking about doing this earlier today. The two of them sat on the bed talking about different ropes and how they would feel against her skin. He explained what they would be doing, and he and Jelani installed support rings into the cross frames in the ceiling.

  Standing here now, she felt a shiver run down her spine. She was about to place herself in a position of great risk with him. But it wasn’t fear that danced along her skin. It was anticipation. She wanted to feel his large hands on her. She needed to know that he would do this and keep her safe.

  “I want to hear the words, Jess. You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. It won’t change how I feel about you. Jelani has spotted me on many occasions, and we will be very careful with you.”