by Tara West
Eilea forced a smile. “Of course.” Hopefully the shifter didn’t decide to curse her instead.
Clasping her hands in front of her, Nakomi’s features softened. “I’m not judging you, but I wanted to share with you a little trick I learned from my Ethiopian auntie.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“When it is time to drink,” Nakomi continued, “mix your blood in the cup and have them drink it. It will have the same effect as them taking your virginity.”
“Okay...?” She couldn’t help but sound skeptical after everything Nakomi had put her through. Maybe the shifter was just trying to sabotage their wedding.
“I know it works,” she said, lilting humor in her voice, “because my mates and I couldn’t wait until the ceremony.”
“Thanks,” Eilea said, not bothering to hide her skepticism.
Nakomi made a face, like she’d just sucked on a sour lemon. “I have also come to apologize for misjudging you. I realize now not all humans are the same.”
Was she for real? She shared a questioning look with Amara, who shrugged, a faint smile tugging at her lips. Eilea tried to determine if she saw deception in Nakomi’s eyes. She hadn’t sensed any malice in her words. Could the African shifter be sincere? Nakomi had made her life hell, but no use holding onto a grudge. Katarina had held onto a grudge, and look where that had gotten her.
She took Nakomi’s outstretched hand. “Apology accepted.” They shook.
Nakomi wouldn’t meet Eilea’s gaze as she picked up the canvas bag at her feet. “I’ve brought you wedding gifts. A habesha dress from Ethiopia and matching wolf jewelry in silver.” She pulled a bundle wrapped in tissue paper out of the bag.
Eilea unfolded it and gasped when she saw the shimmery royal fabric bordered with silver trim. “Oh, it’s too beautiful.” She tried to hand it back. “I can’t accept this.”
Nakomi backed up. “You can, and you will. My mates would’ve died without you. Our entire tribe would’ve perished.”
Eilea said, with a glance at Amara, “I had a lot of help.”
Nakomi pulled out another wrapped bundle and handed it to Amara. “These gifts will never be enough to repay you for your kindness and bravery, but please accept them.”
Amara took her package with a squeal, ripping it open like a kid on Christmas. “Eilea!” She held up the shimmery orange dress with gold trim. “They have little wolves stitched into the fabric.”
Eilea examined her gown again. Sure enough, the silver trim had been stitched in the form of wolves, joined head to tail and circling the bottom of the gown, the sleeves, and neckline.
“It would make a perfect ritual dress,” Amara said.
“It would,” Eilea admitted. It sure beat the hell out of her cocktail dress.
Amara set down her package and latched onto Eilea’s zipper. “Help me change her.”
Together they helped Eilea into her new dress. Nakomi accessorized the outfit with silver wolf earrings and a wolf necklace.
“Now you look like a bride,” Nakomi said with a smile.
Amara clasped her hands together. “A fairytale bride.”
Turning in front of the mirror, Eilea admired her new dress, thinking she looked like an African princess. Granted, her neck wasn’t as impossibly long as Nakomi’s, but her grandmother had said she had pretty eyes. They stood out better with her hair pulled back, and her earrings caught the flecks of silver in them. When Nakomi put a silver clip with blue flowers in her hair, her look was complete.
“Thank you, Nakomi.”
“It is my pleasure.”
When Nakomi unexpectedly hugged her, Eilea hugged her back.
“Ready?” Amara asked.
Eilea admired her reflection one more time. “I hope so.”
UNCLE JOE WAS WAITING in the hall for her, hands clasped behind his back. He looked so handsome in his tuxedo, exactly like she remembered her father, with the exception of the graying hair cropped close. He smiled, his eyes lighting up and crinkling in the corners.
“You look beautiful, niece,” he said as he took her arm.
She sucked in a shaky breath, smoothing trembling hands down her sides. “Thanks.”
When he walked her to the auditorium and stopped at the door, she froze when she heard four familiar howls.
“They’re ready for you,” he said with a wink.
She didn’t know why she’d been expecting the traditional wedding song. Nothing was traditional about marrying four men at once. Hell, it wasn’t even a wedding. It was bonding, which her mates had told her was like a wedding, only better.
Her knees wobbled when he opened the door, revealing a crowd of people gathered at the bottom of the auditorium. Tor stood on a dais, dressed in a colorful robe and clutching what appeared to be a scroll. His brothers and sons stood around him. In front of the dais stood her mates, looking longingly at her.
She swallowed nervously, focusing instead on Amara, Annie, Mihaela, and Tatiana, who came to greet her. Amara and Mihaela wore colorful robes similar to Tor’s, but Annie and Tatiana had on white gowns. White represented their virginity, and she felt self-conscious that she wasn’t wearing that color as well. Uncle Joe joined Tor and the other men on the dais.
What the hell was she doing, marrying four men and moving to a foreign country? She didn’t even speak Romanian. She had to have lost her mind.
Giggling, the women placed flower petals in her hair, then laid a trail of petals on the floor for her to follow.
Focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, she couldn’t bring herself to look up at her mates for some reason. Walking and breathing had become hard enough.
Once she reached her mates, she bit her lip, giving Amara a pleading look as she backed away, sandwiching her between Marius and Geri. What the fuck had she been thinking? She didn’t even speak Romanian.
“Hey.” Geri entwined his fingers through hers. His smile was dazzling. “It will be okay. Promise.”
Nodding, she released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
Marius took her other hand. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks.” She managed a tremulous smile, then felt hands on her shoulders. She cast a furtive glance at her two large alphas. This was it. No turning back. She was trapped in a stud sandwich.
Tor began. “Brothers and sisters, we are gathered here today to witness the bonding of sister Eilea Johnson with brothers Boris, Jovan, Geri, and Marius Lupescu.”
Skoll handed Tor a familiar looking silver goblet inscribed with images of wolves. It looked exactly like the goblet she’d drunk from when she’d turned. Leaving the dais, Tor held the goblet in both hands, Skoll following him with a long blade. The hairs on her neck stood on end.
Boris rumbled in her ear, “Relax, Eilea. We will keep you safe.”
She absently nodded. Skoll pricked the thumbs of each of her men, then dipped their thumbs in the goblet. When he came to her, she held out her thumb and closed her eyes. He obviously knew Nakomi’s little trick. Why was she acting like such a baby? She’d closed a demonic portal, for Ancients’ sake.
“Ouch!” She instinctively jerked her thumb back.
Tor held out his hand with raised eyebrows. She let him dip her thumb in the cool liquid, then silently berated herself for causing a scene.
After swirling the blood and wine, Tor handed the goblet to Boris. “Repeat after me,” he said. “We take the blood of Eilea, binding our souls to hers. We vow our love, honor, loyalty, and protection to our mate from now until eternity.”
Each one repeated Tor’s words and took a sip of the wine.
After Marius was finished, he handed the goblet to her, an anxious look in his silver-touched eyes.
Clasping the goblet like a lifeline, she looked into the swirling liquid, knowing this was a turning point. A fork in the road. She’d downed a similar drink once before in hopes of saving her mates. Now all danger had passed except one, the risk she took in committing herself
to four virile, possessive shifters.
“Repeat after me,” Tor said to her. “I, Eilea, take the blood of my protectors, binding our hearts and souls as one. I vow my love, honor, and loyalty to my mates, my protectors, from now until eternity.”
She numbly repeated the words, heart hammering in her ears. Though her mates said not a word, their expressions said everything. They looked at her like men longing for the chance to be happy, to be loved. Who was she to deny them?
Tilting the goblet to her lips, she drank every last drop. The taste of her mates’ blood mixed with the sweet wine wasn’t bad at all. In fact, she swore she felt a jolt of energy pass through her. Handing the empty cup to Skoll, she wiped her mouth and smiled.
You did it! Geri’s voice echoed in her head.
I did! Her hand flew to her throat. Omigod! I can hear you in my head.
When she heard all four of her mates howling in her head, fear transformed into pure happiness and she laughed with joy.
Chapter Twenty-One
EILEA GNAWED ON HER lip as the guests filed out of the auditorium.
Boris scratched his head, looking at a large bed covered with white sheets. She hadn’t even noticed it before.
Marius flushed. “This is usually the part of the ceremony where we take your blood.”
Leaning up on her toes, she kissed his red cheek. “But you already took it.”
“That’s okay.” Jovan flopped on the bed, patting the space beside him. The thick pole jutting from between his legs made his colorful robe look like a circus tent. “We can still pretend.”
She frowned. I’d rather not pretend. I’d rather you take me for who I am.
We do, they said in her head.
Oops. She hadn’t realized until it was too late that she’d projected her thought.
Geri stroked her lower lip. I love you for exactly who you are, Eilea, incredible witch doctor and my mate. Then he tugged her toward the bed.
She’d never felt more awkward in her life than when she sat between Jovan and Geri. She’d never had sex with more than one man at a time before. How would they do this? Take turns? All at once? “This is strange, having sex here.”
“This is how it’s done,” Geri answered. “All packs take their mate’s vir... uh, make love to their mates in the ritual room right after the bonding.”
There it was again, the issue with her virginity.
Then we shift and run through the forest for the first time as a pack, Boris said in her head.
She hit the side of her head, like she was trying to drain water out of her ears. “Hearing you in here is weird.”
“Would you rather we spoke normally?” Jovan asked, tickling her palm with his finger.
“For now. This will take some getting used to.” She hugged herself, feeling self-conscious. “What do we do in the forest?”
Jovan shrugged. “Play, hunt, bond.”
Bond? Her mind raced with possibilities. “We don’t have doggie sex, do we?”
They chuckled.
Boris gestured toward the bed. “We prefer it this way.”
She released a shuddering breath. “Good.”
Marius grabbed a bottle of wine and filled the ritual goblet. “Here.” He held the drink out to her. “You need to relax.”
“Thanks.” She greedily drank, then burped and laughed. She fell back on the bed, looking up at Geri as he moved over her.
“Feeling better?” he asked, stroking her thigh.
She nodded, feeling less anxious.
He gently massaged her leg. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked up at Marius.
“Let me rub out the tension,” he said.
“Okay.” Her veins were turning to liquid sludge. She wasn’t much of a drinker. Maybe she shouldn’t have had so much wine.
She groaned when Marius pulled back her hair and kneaded her neck, working out each knot. Her shoes fell off, and Jovan and Boris each grabbed a foot. Soon she was getting the most relaxing body massage she’d ever had. She relaxed, her bones turning to putty as they worked their magic.
“There’s no rush on this, Eilea,” Boris said as he worked a knot out of the sole of her foot. “If you’re not feeling comfortable, we can wait.”
Marius nibbled on her ear. “Do you want to wait?”
She looked at him. “Do you?”
“It doesn’t matter what we want,” Jovan said.
“Of course it does.”
“We’ve wanted you for over a year,” Boris said.
She batted her lashes. “Then take me.”
THROWING HER HANDS over her head, she heaved a sigh as they stripped off her gown. She laughed when Jovan became frustrated with all the knots. Luckily, Marius had more patience and eventually figured them out. After she’d been stripped down to her bra and panties, she felt self-conscious again.
She flinched when Marius traced the thin scar across her back.
Eilea, he asked in her head, what’s this?
She pretended the souvenir she’d received the night the drunk driver had taken her family meant nothing. “It’s an old scar,” she said, still feeling weird speaking to them telepathically.
“Why did you wince when he touched it?” Jovan said.
“I don’t know. I just do.” She jerked away when Marius touched it again. “Could you leave it alone?”
Does it hurt? Marius asked.
Fuck. Why did they have to bring this up now? The last thing she wanted to think about on her wedding night was that bleak part of her past. “No,” she snapped. “I just don’t like anyone touching it.”
I’m sorry, Marius said. It must have hurt when it happened.
She spun on him, her inner-wolf growling. “Why do we have to do this now? It’s a painful memory. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay.” Marius held out his hands n apologetically. “I’m sorry we brought it up.”
No longer in the mood, Eilea snatched up her gown, tears welling when she tried and failed to figure out the many folds.
“Eilea. Look at me.” Jovan clutched her shoulders desperately. “We’re sorry. It wasn’t our intention to upset you.” The others voiced their agreement.
“Amara told us about the accident.” Marius stood beside his brother, gently stroking her shoulder. “We know your emotional burden. We only wanted to help you carry it.”
Marius’s eyes were so large and luminous, her heart nearly broke. She wiped her eyes. “It is a heavy burden,” she finally admitted, “and thank you for wanting to share it. Maybe one day....” Her anger quickly dissipated when she realized she was truly blessed to have mates who cared so much about her.
When Marius wrapped his strong arms around her, she buried her head in his shoulder, letting tears fall while she clung to his neck like a lifeline.
Her other mates closed in, taking turns holding her and surrounding her with a cocoon of love. She’d never felt safer or more cared for.
One day she would tell them all about her dark past, but their bonding night wasn’t the right time. She wiped away the last of her tears and smiled. “Are we going to enjoy our wedding night or what?”
Boris said, “I’m more than ready to enjoy this night with you, lubirea mea.”
When he slid a finger under her bra strap, she backed away, wagging a finger. “You’re not taking off any more of my clothes until I get to take off yours.”
Boris frowned down at his robe. “Our attire is simple, Eilea.”
She ran her hands down his broad chest, loving how solid he felt under the thin fabric.
“There’s a clasp in the back,” he said to her, reaching behind him.
Ducking under his arm, she smacked his hand. “Don’t tell me how to undress you. I made it through med school. I think I can handle this.”
She unfastened his robe and pulled it down over a broad back and a perfectly round ass. There was nothing under that robe.
She walked around him, admiring the massive erection
that jutted toward her like a heat-seeking missile. Flattening her hand on his chest, she slid it along a line of pale hair down to his naval. “You have a beautiful body.”
He slid a bra strap over her shoulder and brushed his fingertips across the swell of her breast, his eyes turning from blue to silver. “Let us see the rest of you,” he said in a deep protector baritone.
She swayed toward him like a reed in the wind, fighting the urge to obey. “Not yet,” she teased before moving to Jovan.
He stood stoically while she unfastened him, his mouth hitching up in an impish grin when his robe fell to the floor, his glorious pink torpedo jutting toward her, head glistening with moisture.
He breathed in harshly when she dragged her finger across the wet slit, rubbing the moisture down the length of his cock.
I’m going to shove it down your throat.
She was unable to hide her smile. Are you? I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait your turn.
When he lunged for her, she skipped away, whistling an innocent tune.
Leaning up to kiss Geri, she groaned into his mouth when he returned the kiss urgently, sweeping her into his arms. When he deepened the kiss, fucking her mouth with languid strokes of his tongue, she fumbled with the clasp and pulled his robe down. He wasn’t as tall or broad-shouldered as his brothers, but what he lacked in size, he certainly made up for with passion. After removing the robe, she clasped the hard globes of his ass, pressing his thick length into her thigh. Chest heaving, she finally came up for air when he squeezed her tit, trying to pull her bra down.
She went to Marius, gingerly removing his clothing, suspecting he preferred gentle lovemaking to rough, dirty sex. They shared a deep, sweet kiss.
Strong arms wrapped around her waist, and a stiff cock jutted into her backside. She tilted her head back and looked into Boris’s glowing eyes.
“It’s time,” he said, taking her breast in a bruising grip.
Jovan wedged himself between her and Marius. Jerking the fabric off her breast, he pinched her nipple hard, stretching it until she cried out. Then he led her to the bed, eyes gleaming.