by R. E. Butler
She explained that information related to the curses cast by deities was solely accessible in the fae realms. Treasure’s father had possessed books on the gods and goddesses, and while they couldn’t bring the books themselves into their realm, she and Treasure were able to copy the information and bring it back with them.
Owen reached for her and drew her into his arms. She exhaled shakily as he apologized, his voice low and sweet in her ear. “I know you’ve got a tender heart for the other females, but you can’t put yourself in danger. We just got you; we don’t want to lose you.”
“I promise,” she said. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, her cat relaxing as Ben and Nathan joined the embrace. “And I’m sorry.”
Owen kissed her and shook his head. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.”
She smiled at him, her unease at his anger slipping away. She could see it now for what it was – he’d been panicked that she was hurt or in trouble, and now that he knew she was safe, he was mad she’d kept it from him.
“I didn’t like keeping it from you,” she said, taking a step back so she could look at all three of them. They kept their hands on her, and she reveled in their touches. “I had this idea of talking to you guys once the sun was up and telling you about this awesome and safe trip we took to get the details on how to break the curse. I thought you’d be a little pissed at me, but I didn’t really think about how you’d feel if you realized I was gone and went looking for me. I feel like an idiot, and I’m genuinely sorry.”
“Let’s just forgive and move on,” Nathan said. “Now that you’re home and safe, we promise that we think you’re awesome for wanting to help the females. Our people have been under this curse for far too long, and if we can help you break it, we’re all in.”
Ben and Owen nodded, and she blinked back tears. “I’m so lucky to have you three in my life.”
“We’re the lucky ones, trust me on that,” Owen said.
After explaining to the family members who’d gathered to search for them what she and Treasure were doing in the fae realm, and apologizing for freaking everyone out, Hope asked if her mates could stay for the night. The four of them slept together on her queen bed. While she was thankful that no one was still angry about what they’d done, she was very aware how dangerous her adventure with Treasure could have been, and she vowed to not take her own safety for granted again. As she drifted off to sleep entirely surrounded by her mates, she thought about how, even while she was so concerned with freeing the females, she was still a little bit under the curse herself because of the poisoning she’d endured at age four. She decided to talk to her mates soon about what the future held.
Chapter Four
Ben wiped the ice and water from the bottle of soda with a napkin and shut the cooler lid with his elbow. He straightened and joined Hope and his brothers, handing her the orange soda she’d asked for.
“Thank you,” she said, smiling sweetly at him as she popped it open and took a drink.
It was the Fourth of July, and the pride had gathered in the field behind the boarding house with umbrella chairs and coolers to watch the fireworks show put on by the town council. The panther clan were seated nearby, including their cousin Jilly and her mates, Wyked and Fate. Their kids joined the pride kids, playing with sparklers and glow sticks while they waited for the show to start.
Although they hadn’t been together long, Ben felt like he’d known Hope in his heart forever. It was crazy that she’d been coming to Ashland for years but their paths had never crossed. He was tempted to curse fate for that ridiculousness, but in truth he was just so damn thankful to have her now that he didn’t care how long they’d waited.
And they’d been waiting a long time. He’d never given much thought as a youngster to who his mate would be, but once their father, Aaron, and his brother Grant had mated Sam, he and his brothers had discussed with their cousins what their futures might be like. In the end, they’d decided that the three of them would share a mate, just as their dads shared Sam. Their parents had been supportive of them, even though they’d cautioned them from time to time about jealousy within multiple partner matings. There was only one quartet mating in the pride, and that was Hunter, Dylan, and Chase, who’d mated a lioness named Cris. They’d made it work, and Ben and his brothers would, too. Because Hope was already that important to him. He couldn’t imagine his life without her in it.
“I’ve been thinking,” Hope said after taking a long, slow drink of her cold soda.
“About what, sweetheart?” Nathan asked.
“Mating and marriage. And living arrangements.”
He and his brothers scooted their chairs around a bit until they were able to look at her fully for what seemed like a seriously important conversation.
“What about them?” Owen asked.
Their voices dropped so they weren’t broadcasting their conversation to the pride, but Ben knew it didn’t really matter. Shifters had excellent hearing, and the fact that no one was paying attention to them was just a courtesy.
“I don’t want to live at the boarding house,” she said.
Ben could understand that. The hundred-year-old house had belonged to a banker and his family during the Depression, and when he’d left Indiana for work, his wife had turned the house into a kind of hotel. At the moment only Ben, his brothers, and their cousins, lived on the third floor, though. The other family groups all lived on the second floor.
“We didn’t think you would,” Nathan said. “What did you have in mind?”
“I was talking to Treasure about it earlier today, and she told me she had a dream that we were neighbors and our kids were playing together. Lisa overheard and said there was room to build a home near Treasure’s on their property, and I was wondering if you thought that would be a good idea. The alternative would be to look for a house in town to buy, but honestly, I like being near pride members. I don’t want to live completely away from everyone, I just want some privacy.” She gave them a hopeful smile.
Ben picked up her hand and gave it a squeeze. “We can definitely build a place together. I think that would be awesome.”
“Yeah?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” Owen said. “We’ll get together with Rhett, and then we can use the contractor that Treasure and her mates used.”
“Building will take a while,” she said. “I’m staying with Rhett and Lisa until Treasure’s mating ceremony, and then I think I’d like to move into the boarding house.”
“You just said you didn’t want to live here,” Owen said, his brow furrowed.
“I meant in a forever sort of way.”
Ben couldn’t stop the happy rumble from his cat. “We’d love that.”
“Yeah? It’ll be pretty cramped,” she said. “The boarding house is crazy full of people.”
“True,” Owen said. “But it’ll only be for a few months until our house is ready. We’ll help as much as possible, so it’ll go even faster.”
“We’ve lived in the boarding house for years,” Ben said. “Sharing a bathroom, not to mention the family room, kitchen, laundry, and backyard, is all normal for us. You’re used to living in a house with just your parents, and no one else vying for the use of whatever room you’re in.”
“You mentioned mating and marriage,” Nathan said. “If you move in with us in ten days, when would you like to get married?”
Her brows rose and a half-smile curved her lips. “You’ll need to ask me first.”
“Of course,” Nathan said.
“Then I think that considering we’re going to do the spell to contact the goddess on August first, that we should have our ceremony on the first Saturday.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and opened the calendar app. “That would be the fifth. How’s that sound?” she asked.
“Perfect,” Owen said, as Nathan and Ben nodded in agreemen
t.
She cleared her throat and then spoke, her voice a bare whisper but laced with enough heat to make his body respond. “This is all sounding very business-like and not romantic, so how about we go somewhere more private?”
Ben and his brothers stood up so fast their chairs flipped behind them. Hope laughed, her eyes dancing, and took their offered hands, rising to her feet. With a few quick goodbyes, the quartet headed into the boarding house to see where the night took them.
* * *
Ben walked up the stairs with Hope, his brothers hurrying ahead to open the bedroom door. While his brothers pushed their beds together, Ben cupped Hope’s face and smiled.
She grasped his wrists and held his hands to her face. “I’m so crazy about you.”
“Me too, sweetheart,” he promised. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“And me,” Owen said.
“Me three,” Nathan said.
Ben leaned close and brushed his mouth over hers, and she parted her lips and flicked his with her tongue. In moments they were kissing fully, their tongues dancing against each other as they wrapped their arms around each other and held tight. He’d had some spectacular kisses with his beautiful mate, but this one seemed particularly significant because of what lay ahead of them that night.
She let out a groan. He pulled from the drugging kiss just enough to see that his brothers were tugging her clothes off. He gave her another quick kiss and dropped to his knees, settling his trembling fingers on the waistband of her shorts. Excitement and nerves spun inside him. He’d never wanted anyone more than Hope, and the desire to make tonight amazing for her had him questioning every move he made.
Taking in a deep breath, he caught the sweet scent of her arousal. He smiled inwardly, shaking off his nerves, and unfastened her shorts. Hooking his fingers in her panties, he drew both down her legs, and she leaned against Nathan and stepped free of the fabric. He looked up at her, watching as Owen undid her bra and flung it away. She giggled at their eagerness, her hips tilting in invitation.
Nathan cupped her chin, and she leaned back to kiss him as Owen’s fingertips brushed her breasts, the rosy nipples taut and begging for attention.
Ben wanted to say something profound; something sexy and romantic. But his cat was yowling with need, and his brain was misfiring. All he could think about was making her come, and finding out what she sounded like when she fell apart.
He grasped her hips and leaned in until the soft dusting of curls at the apex of her thighs tickled his chin. Pressing kisses to her belly, he slowly made his way downward, sliding his hands to cup her butt and draw her to his mouth. He eased his tongue between her folds and found her clit. When she hooked one leg over his shoulder and laid her hand on his head, her nails scratching lightly against his scalp, he knew he was right where she wanted him.
Running his tongue in a slow circle around her tight nub, he spread the fingers of one hand across her butt to hold her in place, and slid his other hand up between her spread thighs. She arched against him as he slipped a finger slowly inside; her hot, slick walls gripped him as she moaned. He closed his lips around her clit and sucked gently, adding a second finger and twisting a little every time he pushed inside. Listening intently, he heard her sharp intake of breath as he stroked his fingers against her walls, and rubbed more firmly, increasing the pressure. She fisted his hair a second before she came, her cry of pleasure muffled by one of his brothers kissing her.
Owen and Nathan maneuvered her to the bed while Ben stripped swiftly, easing into the cradle of her hips and her open arms, sinking to the hilt in one deep thrust. Everything inside him quieted and roared at the same time, his whole being focused on his gorgeous mate, flushed with pleasure and eyes bright with passion. He curled his arms under her back, lifting her to kiss him as he began to move, his hips gliding back and forth into her slick heat. Her ankles crossed at his lower back, pulling him into her even harder and faster. His spine tingled with pleasure; the desire to keep making love to her warred with the knowledge that his brothers wanted to be with her, too. He didn’t want to wear her out.
Well, he did, but he wouldn’t be selfish. This time.
Letting go, he thrust deeply. Their bodies pressed tight against each other as he came, clenching his teeth to hold back the roar of triumph from his cat and the sheer, sweet happiness that cascaded over him. She slipped her hands into his hair and drew him to her lips, kissing him gently.
“I love you, Ben,” she whispered against his lips.
A happy purr stuttered in his chest, and he kissed her back. “I love you too, Hope.”
“I want us to mark each other,” she said, glancing at his brothers, who were sitting on the beds with them. “But maybe all together?”
“You want us to mark you at the same time?” Owen asked.
“Yeah. Maybe when we’ve all made love and I’m super worn out?” She wiggled her brows. “But I could mark you separately.”
“Mark me now, sweetheart,” Ben said. “I’m all yours.”
Her thumb slid down his throat, setting off a riot of sensations. He tilted his head, offering her his neck. She leaned up, licking his skin in a slow stroke, and then she struck, sinking her fangs into him and purring in satisfaction. It hurt, but in a strange way it was also pleasurable. Maybe because it meant that he was hers now.
She extracted her fangs and licked the mark, and then kissed him sweetly. “When you mark me, we’ll all share blood, and the curse that’s got a small hold on me will be broken completely. I want to belong to you guys in every way, and I want you to be mine, too.”
“I’m so totally yours,” Ben promised. He kissed her again and then eased away from her, settling at the head of the bed and propping himself up with pillows as Hope reached for Owen. When they’d each made love individually and she’d marked them all, she sat on her heels in the center of the bed and he and his brothers each bit her neck, so she had two marks on one side and one on the other. After they marked her, she winced and pressed the heel of her palm to her forehead. He knew from what he’d learned about the goddess’s curse that breaking it came with some pain, as memories and emotions were returned to the female. Because Hope had been poisoned with the females’ venom only once, as a four-year-old, she didn’t experience the same level of pain as females who’d been fully poisoned, like her mother and Jilly.
“Ah, those bitches,” she said. Her eyes glittered with tears, and she inhaled deeply. “I can’t imagine what the pain was like for my mom, or how confused she was when Holden and Jax broke the curse for her. I want the curse broken so badly for them all. It’s terrible to go through life with your emotions stunted.”
They made themselves comfortable, surrounding their mate and reveling in their mating. “You’ll call the goddess, and she’ll break the curse,” Ben said.
“I hope so,” she said.
“It’ll happen,” Owen said. “We believe in you.”
She smiled and then covered her mouth as she yawned. Snuggling down between them, she yawned a second time and said, “We’re mated now, right?”
“Yep,” Nathan said. “We’re wearing each other’s marks. When we get married, they’ll recognize our mating officially, but we’re definitely mated.”
“Good,” she said. “Treasure and the guys are waiting until their wedding night to mark each other, and I didn’t want to do that.”
“We didn’t either,” Ben said. “But we would’ve waited if you wanted to.”
“Waiting has its benefits, I guess,” she said, “but I’m glad we didn’t.”
Ben kissed her goodnight and settled on his back. Hope was between his brothers, and for a moment he was jealous. But then she reached over Owen, seeking out his hand, and he linked their fingers with a smile, kissing her fingertips and then resting their joined hands over his heart. His sweetheart was an amazing person, and he was so glad she was theirs.
Chapter Five
Hope had neve
r been in a wedding before, and being chosen as Treasure’s maid of honor made her even more excited for her own wedding. As she watched her best friend walk down the aisle in her beautiful dress, her long blonde hair naturally highlighted with purple and pink like her fairy wings and dragon scales, she thought she’d never seen her look more beautiful. Her bestie was glowing from the inside out.
When the ceremony was over and the reception in full swing, everyone was surprised to see a dragon male suddenly appear through a portal. The pride males jumped to defend Treasure and ensure that everyone at the party was safe. Hope stayed with her mates, but she was profoundly worried about her bestie.
It seemed like forever, but eventually Treasure and her mates returned to the reception, promising that everything was well and the party should continue.
Hope walked up to Treasure and waited her turn to give her bestie a hug.
“Are you really okay?” she asked, brushing stray tears off Treasure’s cheeks. “What did he want?”
Treasure sniffled. “I’m really okay, I promise. He came to offer me a way to be safe forever. Me and any future offspring.”
“How?”
Treasure lifted a pouch. “This contains a protection spell that will essentially cut me off from the fae realm. No one, dragon or fae, can open a portal to find me.”
“Wow, that’s great!” Hope said.
But it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that there was more. She gave Treasure an encouraging smile.
“I’ll never be able to open a portal myself. Never ever.”
“You’ll be cut off from the fae realm?” Hope asked.
Treasure nodded.
“That’s a good thing, though. Why are you sad?” Hope put a hand on Treasure’s shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.
“I just always had the connection to my parents’ place in the fae realm. Even though I had zero plans to go there ever again, I…liked knowing it was there. That I could go, even if I didn’t intend to.”