Finding the Power Within

by C. C. Masters

  “Let me in on this.” Jason said as he stood up and stepped into the shower with us.

  I stepped back to let Jason all the way into the shower but bumped into Mason. “Guys, I don’t think the logistics of this is going to work out.”

  Jason gave me a wicked grin. “I know how we can make this work.”

  Mason pulled my hips so that my bottom was flush against him. “I can definitely make this work.” He murmured into my ear before kissing the side of my neck. His erection was pressed up against me so I couldn’t help but wiggle against him. He groaned but moved his hands up to cup my breasts.

  Jason surprised me by dropping to his knees in front of us. I had to lean my weight completely against Mason when Jason pulled one of my legs over his shoulder.

  Jason looked up at me to watch my reaction as he teased me with a finger, circling around my clit, but not touching. I was throbbing with need before he even lowered his mouth to me. He slid his tongue along my slit in one long lick before focusing on my sensitive bud. The sensation of his tongue tasting and teasing me was almost too much to bear.

  “Get her ready for me, Jase.” Mason murmured as he played with my breasts, teasing my nipples.

  I panted as desire flooded through me and heat pooled in my core. Jason was using his tongue to whip me into a frenzy and the sensation of Mason pressed up against me as he played with my sensitive nipples was almost too much to bear. My body was on fire with need.

  “I’m so close…” I gasped out. “I need..”

  Without warning, Jason sat back on his haunches before standing and backing up. I made a noise of complaint, but Mason was quick to spin us around and pin my back against the wall. He hoisted me up a few inches and I reflexively wrapped my legs around his waist. The tiles were cool against my back, but felt good with the heat of Mason’s body pressed against my front.

  I squirmed to rub against him, greedy to have him inside of my aching core. Mason reached down to guide himself into me but paused at my entrance. I could feel the tip of him pressing against me, driving me insane.

  “Please, Mason.” I cried out.

  He inched his way inside with excruciating slowness, causing me to moan with pleasure. The sensation of him working his way into my needy core caused my lower belly to clench, I had never wanted him as much as I did now.

  He paused again once he was fully inside me and my muscles clenched around him. “You okay, pretty girl?”

  “I will be.” I panted, I was overwhelmed with a sense of fullness but eager for him to really begin.

  He gave a dark chuckle and started to thrust inside of me, starting slow but moving faster with each stroke.

  My eyes met Jason’s as Mason found a rhythm that was quickly pushing me to the edge. “I love the sexy little noises you make. Are you going to cry out my name when I’m pounding my way into you?” He fondled himself as he spoke and I licked my lips at the sexy sight.

  The combination of Mason hitting exactly the right spot inside of me and Jason’s dirty talk was enough to push me past the brink and send me into oblivion.

  “Fuck.” Mason panted. “I can feel you squeezing me.”

  He gripped my thighs harder and came inside of me with one last thrust. We held still for a moment and just basked in the pleasure of being together. Eventually he let go of my legs but they were too weak to hold me up. I slid slowly down the wall, my legs like jelly.

  “I got her.” Jason said as he pushed Mason back and took hold of me. He claimed my mouth with his and the feel of his body pressed against me caused another wave of heat to crest over my body.

  Desire built up inside me once again as he turned me to face the wall and cupped a breast in his hand. “Anna, I want you so bad.” He crooned as his erection pressed up against my ass. I ground up against him so that he was pressed between my cheeks and groaned. I was more than ready to have him inside of me.

  I leaned forward to grasp the railing of the shower door and bent over, allowing him access to me. He moaned as he rubbed himself against my already slick center. “Don’t be gentle.” I urged him. Mason had gotten me more than ready to handle Jason being a little rough and I was eager for it.

  Jason followed my request and shoved into me with one stroke, filling me completely. He grasped my hips and the angle at which he drove into me made it feel that he was even deeper inside me. He thrust into me relentlessly and I held onto the railing for dear life. The feeling of his cock pumping inside of me brought me to new heights of delirious pleasure.

  I rode the wave of bliss higher and higher until an orgasm exploded through me, sending shock waves through my core. Wave after wave of endless pleasure crested through me and I felt Jason let go with a strangled cry.

  He slid out of me slowly once the agonizing pleasure had faded into a satisfied buzz. He wrapped his arms around me tightly as I stood up completely. With his face buried into my wet hair, I felt his ragged breath against my ear.

  “I can never lose you again.” He said roughly. “I wouldn’t survive it.”

  “You won’t.” I assured him, running my hands over his arms comfortingly as he squeezed me even tighter. I could feel his emotion as he clung to me and recognized his embrace for what it was. I had known for a while that the twins had abandonment issues from their past and losing me had triggered something inside of Jason. Something dark and desolate.

  I tapped his arms to let me go so that I could turn to look in his eyes. “Jason.” I said firmly as I cupped his face with my hands. “I will never leave you.”

  He searched my eyes with a hint of wild desperation. “I know, it’s just…”

  “Even if we are physically apart, I am still here with you in your heart.” I lowered one of my hands to place it over his beating heart. “I will always find you, and I will always come back to you. I love you.”

  That seemed to calm him, because he took a ragged breath. “Anna, I love you too. I just don’t have all the right words…”

  I smiled at him. “You don’t need to tell me with words.”

  He relaxed completely and gave me a more normal smile, the light coming back into his eyes. I squished his face to give him fish lips and he swatted me away with a huge grin.

  The three of us finished our shower properly and cleaned up. But not without accidently getting soap in each other’s eyes and elbowing each other in the ribs multiple times. This shower was really not made for three people. “Next time maybe we should go for the hot tub?” I suggested with a grin.

  Both of the guys perked up and gave me matching grins. “See, that’s why we need you, Anna.” Jason said with a smirk. “You’re the brains of this operation.”

  I rolled my eyes as Jason stepped out of the shower and opened the linen closet for some towels.

  While he was distracted, Mason grabbed my arm. “Thank you.” He told me with a serious look in his eyes. “We both wanted to hear that, but Jason needed it.”

  My heart melted. I’m sure that Mason would have had his hands full while I was gone, but a part of me bled for him. He was the one who would have kept it together while Jason panicked and acted out. He was the voice of reason between the two of them, but that didn’t mean that he suffered any less, or didn’t feel everything that Jason did. It just meant that he hid his feelings deeper inside so that his brother would have someone to lean on. It had been that way since they were two scared little wolf pups locked in a cage, terrified that they would never get out.

  I wrapped my arms around him. “I meant every word for both of you. I worried about you while I was gone.”

  He dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “I worried about you too, I’m glad you’re back. I promise that we’re going to keep you safe from now on.”

  I smiled at his words, but deep down I was worried. The guys couldn’t protect me from the threats to come. They were going to have to learn to rely on me to take the lead and keep our pack safe. I felt a flicker of self-doubt but quickly chased it away. My guys needed me
and I wasn’t going to let them down. I could do this – I wouldn’t let anything stop me.

  Chapter 25

  Anna

  I rubbed a towel through my hair and stepped out of the bathroom but Jason stopped me with his hands on my hips. “I need to make sure you have enough of our scent on you still,” he murmured as he rubbed up against me.

  I giggled. “Maybe you should just give me one of your hoodies to wear.”

  His eyes lit up and he gave me a quick peck on the lips. “Be right back.”

  I rolled my eyes as I headed into my closet to find some clothes but Mason trailed after me with a frown. “What about my scent?”

  I flung a pair of my most comfortable leggings at him. “Can you put your scent on these?”

  He rubbed them up against his face but still grumbled. “But you’re going to wear Jason’s clothes?”

  I sighed as I pulled on my panties. “His hoodie… and one of your t-shirts?” I was pretty excited to be home to wear my own clothes instead of the fae dresses, but honestly, I liked being wrapped in their scents just as much. It gave me the feeling of safety and home.

  Mason gave me a huge grin and tossed the leggings back at me. They hit me in the face because my hands were occupied getting my bra on. I pouted but Mace just kept grinning, so as soon as my clasp was secure I followed him out of the closet and threw a shoe at him.

  He grunted when the shoe hit him right on his naked ass and almost ran right into Austin, who was just stepping into my room. There was a moment of tension when Austin froze at the sight of Mason leaving my room while completely naked. Emotions flickered over his face too quickly for me to read before they settled into warning. I could tell they were using the pack bond when Mason held his hands up defensively and a second later Austin gave him a reassured nod. Mason slid out the door and I had Austin to myself.

  “Austin!” I shouted happily, wanting to break the tension. I was ecstatic to see Austin again, but nervous at his reaction to running into a naked Mace. I didn’t think it was a secret that I had become intimate with the twins, but knowing something and having in right in front of your face were two very different things.

  Austin’s eyes widened briefly when he realized I wasn’t completely dressed either, but this was a whole new Anna. My undies covered more than a lot of bikinis out there did and I wasn’t ashamed of what I looked like. Cody and the twins had been very vocal about just how much they enjoyed all of my curves, so I wasn’t embarrassed to wrap Austin in a hug. Whatever issues he had with Mason had been worked out for the moment.

  I could feel his hesitation for a split second, but then he relaxed into my embrace. I took a deep breath and inhaled Austin. He was warmth and strength, power and acceptance, the center of our pack. I laid my head against his chest, feeling the smooth fabric of his dress shirt against my cheek and listening for the comforting beat of his heart.

  Austin kissed the top of my head and rubbed my lower back. “Anna, I need to apologize to you,” he murmured quietly.

  I raised my head nervously. “For what?”

  His eyes were troubled as they met mine. “For failing to keep you safe.”

  Was that it? I smiled in relief and gave him a squeeze. “Austin, honestly there is nothing you could have done. Plus, things worked out for the best in the end.”

  He shook his head in denial and I could see the guilt in his eyes. “I promised to protect you. I promised that you would be safe here with my pack.”

  I pulled away to hold his hands in mine. “The fae are …impossible. But one of the reasons that Talen came back with me is to fortify our defenses against them.”

  Austin’s face darkened. “Yes, we’re going to need to talk about that. I’ve already spoken with Talen regarding the conditions for him staying here.”

  Jason burst back in the room and tossed a hoodie at me. Austin grabbed it out of the air before it could hit me in the face and handed it to me. Mason was only a few steps behind him with a t-shirt. Both of them were fully dressed, so it was just me that needed to make myself decent.

  I pulled on the t-shirt as I went back in the closet for my leggings. “As soon as I get dressed, let’s go down and get something to eat. I’m starving, and I have so much to tell you!”

  “Let’s be careful about what we say in front of our guest,” Austin cautioned me. “We can discuss things in detail later when it’s just us.”

  I stepped out of the closet, now fully dressed. “I kind of promised to keep him close,” I told Austin sheepishly.

  “Cody already told me about that.” Austin gave me a warm smile as he put an arm around me to walk me out the door. “We can give him a room in the house, that’s close enough.”

  The twins followed close behind me. “Cody said you can do magic now?” Mason asked curiously.

  When did Cody have time to tell them that? Maybe with the pack bond?

  “Do something cool,” Jason urged me.

  “You wanna see something really cool?” I asked with a grin, stepping away from Austin to get some space.

  Austin looked almost as interested as the twins did so I formed a mini-fireball in my hands and tossed it back and forth until it fizzled out.

  The twins watched with open mouths but Austin was more reserved. “I think we need a ‘no fire in the house’ rule,” he told me seriously.

  I just shrugged. I couldn’t really think of a reason why I would need to use fire other than to light a candle while in the house anyway. I bounced down the stairs with the guys following behind. I glanced behind me when I reached the bottom of the stairs and frowned when I realized they were using the pack bond to talk – probably about me.

  I whirled around and held out a hand to stop Austin when he was on the last step. He raised an eyebrow at me in question and I hid a smile. Austin wasn’t used to me being assertive, but he was going to have to get used to the new Anna.

  “I want to be included in the pack bond,” I announced. “There’s really no rational reason to exclude me.”

  I heard the twins make murmurs of agreement but they quieted down after a glance from Austin. He watched me for a moment and I started to lose hope. Had Austin changed his mind about me while I was gone? Was he having second thoughts?

  Because Austin was on a step higher than me, he was even taller than usual. I had to tilt my head up to search his eyes. I tried to look confident and hide the fact that his hesitation was tearing me up inside.

  “You’re right, Anna.” He finally told me with a sigh. “That was one of my biggest regrets after you disappeared. If I had let you into our pack bond sooner, then it would have been easier to locate you.”

  I let out the breath I had been holding but felt a little bad about pushing Austin when I saw the unhappiness on his face. I already knew that he was dealing with guilt about losing me to the fae. But being a full member of the pack was really important to me. I craved it with every fiber of my being.

  “When?” I asked eagerly.

  Austin gave me a smile. “With the six of us? Tonight. The rest of the pack can wait.”

  I bounced over to Austin and gave him a hug. I could tell that he was surprised – being physically affectionate was not something I had been comfortable with before. But he needed to get used to the new, fearless Anna. I had fully embraced who I was and a large part of that was my wolf half.

  That part of me needed physical touch from my packmates. My week with Cody in the fae world had changed how I looked at myself and made me more comfortable with everything that made me a wolf. His lessons on wolves had made me realize that so much of what I suppressed was perfectly natural and acceptable.

  After I pulled away from Austin, Mason mussed my hair. “Now we’ll never lose you.”

  Jason grinned. “You won’t be able to hide from us, even if you wanted to.”

  I just laughed and walked towards the kitchen, I could smell something delicious that was calling my name. Caleb had said he was in the process of making dinner
, and I hoped that it was almost done because I was starving. All the stress and magic made me work up an appetite – not to mention the welcome back sex.

  I turned the corner but stopped and stood still when I heard a feminine giggle. My eyes narrowed, and I stalked into the kitchen to see what female was in my territory. I recognized the deep tones of Cody’s voice mixing with the feminine giggle and I started to see red.

  My eyes were focused on the stranger when I entered the kitchen. What was a female doing here in my home with my wolves? She had better not think that she could take my place here.

  Cody stood up to greet me. “Anna, this is Gemma.” He gestured to a petite brunette with a shy smile.

  “From the Montreal Pack,” Caleb reminded me gently, looking a little alarmed at the steam that must be coming out of my ears.

  That’s right. I had forgotten that Trevor had told us about the female halfling that wanted to visit. I relaxed and realized how aggressive I had almost gotten over a harmless giggle. What had gotten into me?

  Gemma had definitely noticed my hostile attitude because she had taken shelter behind Cody. My vision tunneled on the hand that she had placed on his arm and I felt a surge of aggressiveness rise up again. Mine.

  Austin put his arm around me. “Anna,” he murmured to me. “It looks like you’ve become more in touch with your wolf instincts.”

  I blinked and shook off the weird emotions that were trying to overwhelm me. Is that what had gotten into me? Was this normal? “I’m sorry, Gemma. I guess I’m just a little sensitive about being replaced while I was gone.”

  Gemma gave me a small smile. “I understand,” she murmured before lowering her eyes to the ground.

  Austin wrapped his arms around me and gave me a kiss on the cheek before murmuring in my ear. “No one could ever replace you, you’ll always be our top female.”

  I relaxed again and the guys took that as a signal to start grabbing plates and setting the table. The kitchen was full of everyone in motion but I still watched Gemma warily. My instincts were screaming at me that she was an enemy, but I pushed those feelings away. Gemma was obviously shy and I was being rude. I should be welcoming her into my home, not acting like I wanted to attack her. I thought about Reagan and shuddered. I did not want to become her.