Three’s a Clan (17 page)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Shelly

No one wanted to need me. There was always another option they’d choose if they could. I usually preferred to stand alone, but this time I reached for Amber and Mary. They’d reached for me too.

“Well that was all kinds of horrible.” Mary was looking at her clothes like she expected to still see blood.

“At least the alternate world negates the need for a stain stick.” Amber was between us.

“I’m not sure where to go from here. I have to go bring my Family back. If they want to come back to a Family without a Matheo. If we are still a Family.” The miasma told us we wouldn’t be until we sought out a new leader.

I thought about how strong Amber was. Hmm. Interesting thought, but no way I could bow to this chick. Something inside me just said
hell to the no
.

“I would say sorry about your father, but I can feel you now.” Mary said. “You never really thought of him as a father.”

Mary was right. Our emotions were tangible here. I could tell that she was ready to get back to her mate. She also wanted to check on Kari.

Amber was grateful to know that her baby would grow up without fear of a psycho coming to tear her apart. She knew it was a girl. Mary had told her.

Mary wasn’t sure how she knew.

Amber was getting irritated that I could read her thoughts.

Mary was really hoping this mind meld thing only happened in this realm.

“Okay. That’s weird.” I said. “Please talk out loud.”

“Technically we are all talking in our heads.” Mary cringed. “Our bodies are probably face down in the Matheo’s blood.”

I wasn’t looking forward to leaving this place due to the ick factor alone. Most of the time swimming in blood would be my equivalent of a chocolate river to humans, but vampire blood was more comparable to motor oil. Similar consistency, and just about as tasty.

Werewolf blood wasn’t usually good eats either, but I found myself wondering if it would taste great to me during sex. Bloodsharing with a mate was heaven. Images of Richard and Trevor were brought forward by the miasma. Maybe I could test that theory out before I had to run.

“Gah! Shelly, if you don’t knock that shit off, I am going to vomit all over you and kick your ass on this plane and any other one we happen to astral project to.” Amber covered her ears as if that would do anything. “No sexy thoughts here. Agreed?”

That was like trying not to think of an elephant. Before I could stop it, the feeling of Trevor’s fingers sliding inside me alongside Richard’s cock as he readied me snuck in there. Then, at the look of horror on Amber’s face, I thought about the moment Trevor breached my ass.

The image was replaced with that of my brother fucking Amber along the railing of the bird watching tower.

“I did not need to see that, Amber.” I scrubbed my eyes. “You know I have miasma memory. That will never go away. Someone needs to change the topic of mental dialogue.”

An image of Craig and Mary fornicating by a campfire blasted in.

“Well at least I’m not related to him.” I said. Impressive body too. “Great catch, little witch.”

Mary smiled. “Always happy to help.”

Amber rubbed her belly. “Sex is not why we are here.”

“I think that is the first time you have said that, Amber.” Mary bumped elbows with her.

All it left me thinking was that I was pulled into their relationship and I couldn’t fathom how I belonged here. Mary answered my unspoken fret. This plane was a dangerous place.

“You belong here, Shelly. We belong together because we are people who didn’t belong where we were supposed to. I didn’t learn much from the time I spent with the covens, but I learned that your spirit will find its home. Even if it takes many lifetimes to do so.” Mary reached for me, but I stepped back.

I didn’t want to connect with anyone any more than I had to. I needed to go. I needed to stop thinking. My thoughts were on loudspeaker.

Mary frowned. “I think we found each other because we can create where we belong. Exclusion seems to be the norm in the supernatural world. Hell, it’s like that for humanity too, y’all are just a lot more formal about it. Women had to fight for the vote, and the right to hold the same jobs as men. Maybe someone needs to start the feminist movement on the supernatural side of things.”

“My mild mannered bestie is going all girl-power warrior?” Amber laughed. “I thought wiccans were supposed to be hippie nature lovers? Thought the motto was
Do no harm
.”

“That is the Wiccan Rede.” Mary thought about how it didn’t really fit with this world. “But my version is more like,
Do no harm, but take no shit
.”

“So if we are starting the supernatural feminism movement, who’s our Gloria Steinem?”

Thanks to the mind meld magic of the place Mary and I didn’t even have to respond. Amber was the touchstone. She would build it. After all, she was the stars.

I had been born into magic. I had been raised in magic, but waking up surrounded by our mates was like a bad
Hangover
parody. Wiping drool from my mouth, I separated myself from the other two women.

In seconds, Amber was enclosed in Jake’s arms, Craig was crushing Mary in his, and I put another row of bricks on the wall around my heart as I saw Trevor stall in his rush to get to me. My neck burned with his mark, and without me calling for it, the blood in my system began rushing to the surface of my skin.

My body was responding to him. I wasn’t in control. I had to be in control for what was next. Trevor took a deep breath and stepped over the dried blood on the floor. He had something in his hand, and I was never more grateful for the small black water bottle. I swallowed the blood inside. My conscience sighed as I realized it was from Maria, who was a human on our protection detail that gave us regular donations. There was also something else. I held the bottle back with a crease in my brow. It wasn’t like I could see through the sides, but my unasked question didn’t go unanswered.

“I put a few extras in there.” Trevor’s hands pressed into his pockets. “It will help you regain your strength. Astral projection is taxing.”

The tension in my shoulders eased a bit as the witch we’d saved made her way up the stairs and through the doorway to join us as well. For some reason it was important to me that she was okay. It was important that destroying one life saved others. I drank more of the blood. It wasn’t good to feel this attached.

“Kari.” Mary broke free from her wolf and tackled the woman that should have looked much frailer than she did.

“Shouldn’t you look, more…almost dead?” I asked.

“You weren’t the only ones involved in that chant and absorbing the Matheo’s power.” She winked. “Between that and the herbs in the garden, I’m fine. Or better, at least. And with our blood in proper storage, those that had lost too much are being treated with transfusions. Thank you for helping with that by the way.”

Richard stood behind her in the doorway. The light from the wall sconce behind him barely had room to squeeze a weak beam around his shoulders. I took another drink from the bottle and tried to build another layer of strength to my wall. It was hard to keep it steady when I could feel both of my wolves hacking at the bottom. Now it was Trevor who had the lead in trying to break through. He was too close.

I needed space or I would just crumble on top of them. I wasn’t the kind of girl that was caught when she fell. I was more the kind that crushed the world around her. Looking at the love and beauty emanating from the people in this room with me made me want to protect them from what I would inevitably do to it all.

“Not a problem. I was finishing up with the wolves.” He kicked his chin up to Amber. “There are more than fifty hybrids we have to find a place for.”

“There’s more than enough room in the mansion.” I offered. “And it’s not like the Matheo is going to object to them. Once we scrub him off the floor, I think it’s safe to say he’s no longer a part of this place.”

Alpha Paulson cocked his head to the side and looked me up and down. The attack he and Trevor were throwing at my walls increased. I couldn’t let them through. His right eyebrow began to twitch, but he didn’t let anyone know what was going on between us.

“Most of them don’t want anything to do with this place.” He dropped our mental battle and went back to work. That was when I knew he would be okay without me. He had responsibilities that I would just interfere with. It was high time I started thinking of something other than myself.

“I can look into group hotel rates.” Craig didn’t let go of Mary, but she squeezed from his grip.

“I want to head down and help the women who were being drained. Maybe I can lend some…whoa.” Mary staggered and held out her hands as if an earthquake had hit. “What the hell was that?”

Jake and Amber flinched too. Turns out all the boys had been busy while we were out of commission.

“I may have been telling some of the hybrids about our Clan.” Jake nodded to one of the stains on the floor. “They helped with the bonfire.”

The couple both took a breath in unison.

Amber looked a bit nervous as she asked, “Did you tell them we were giving out free cookies or something? That’s a lot of hybrids.”

Jake just shrugged. “They like the idea of a choice. Leadership that meets mentorship. Having a gorgeous woman leading them doesn’t hurt either.”

Richard’s face softened for his daughter. “She’s been the one who was meant to be the leader all along. I think I was just holding your place for you, sweetheart.”

The talk continued. Who could retain a building nearby? Were the hybrids in control of both sides of themselves? Could Doc work with those who were having trouble? Was there anything the witches could do? How many witches needed to return to their covens? How many wanted to stay and begin one here?

“They can have the mansion if they want to stay here.” The way everyone turned to me, it was obvious that I had been keeping a bit too much distance from the conversation. I like to think they were giving me space, but realistically they needed to push me out. I was a member of the Family that had caused all this in the first place. There was no room for me. I didn’t technically have a Family until another Matheo was chosen. I owed it to the vampires my father had sent away to help them transition.

“This is your home, Shelly.” Kari kept pressure to a stubborn wound on her wrist as she spoke. “We don’t want to intrude like that.”

“It’s not intruding.” I drank some more of the blood and wiped my mouth. “I will sign over the deed to you or whoever else might want it. I won’t be bringing my Family back here once I find where the Matheo scattered them all. I know you all won’t retaliate, but in instances like this, I don’t want them to feel how much pain they caused.”

“Don’t you think we should talk about where we are going first, Shelly? It will take a long time to get the Pack set up where it needs to be.” Trevor—
Doc
, I needed to start thinking of him as Doc again—threw out the line that I had to cut.

I could feel that connection I had in the dungeon where the witches had been kept. I could only hope distance would lessen its strength. That and letting their blood work its way out of my body were my only options.

“You won’t be coming with me.” I would have made a graceful exit at that point, but Richard stood in the doorway and he didn’t look of the mindset to reasonably step aside. “Excuse me.” Still not looking reasonable.

He reached out and cuffed my arm. He was in full human form, but calling that hand a paw wasn’t being overly dramatic. The man had
huge
hands. Alpha nodded to Doc and I was dragged outside. Guess they didn’t want to have such a public goodbye.

I didn’t know if I would be able to survive a private one.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Rick

What the hell did she mean we weren’t coming with her?

I could feel the panic coming at me from Doc. I didn’t need panic. I needed control. Guess I was about to have to have enough for the both of us.

I blocked him. I blocked everyone. I shut down the connection as much as I was able to without severing it completely. I needed my Pack, and if this went bad, I would need them more than ever.

By the time we reached the bottom of the dark wooden staircase, I had myself on lockdown. The large circular driveway outside should be a place for extravagant parties to welcome guests with valet parking. It was covered in blood now. I reached inside and felt the magic still running through me. I used it to block off the scent. I made my body as still as I could. Across what had been our battlefield, I mirrored the smiles from the wolves and hybrids, but I didn’t feel their joy.

Shelly wasn’t fighting me. It threw me off balance. Shelly always fought me. She fought me for sport. I didn’t know how to handle the fact that she was letting me drag her back through the woods. We covered ground quickly.

Trevor and I didn’t speak. The only communication we had was my push of authority through our Pack connection. The silence let him get a grip on himself. By the time we reached the workout room and propped up the door again, Shelly was the one who was building barricades.

That rough exterior was back. The woman that had blossomed and erupted beneath our hands just hours ago, the woman that wore our marks, was still as death. She didn’t breathe. She didn’t blink.

The punching bags were new. You could tell how much frustration was building in the Pack by how many spare punching bags we kept on hand. Right now, the wall was lined with them. If our mate tried to walk out of here, more than a punching bag would be destroyed.

“Talk.” I demanded.

Her stoic exterior softened enough for a petulant huff. “Unless you shoved your hand up my ass and I didn’t notice, I am not your puppet. And I am not a member of your Pack, so you don’t just get to use your Alpha mojo on me and expect me to bare my soul.”

“Arguing is still talking. Now, can we discuss how wrong you are that you think this is over?” The strength in Doc’s voice let me breathe easier. Let my pulse slow a step. He was with me.

“I have to go find out where the Matheo sent my Family.” She didn’t fidget. She just stated what she actually thought she was going to do. “He was feeling chatty before Mary made his skull burst, but we didn’t get to that topic.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Then give us some time to clean up, and we’ll all go.”

“What? Are you going to bring the whole Pack with you? Don’t you think my Family is a bit unnerved now that they have no leader? We don’t have the same connection as a werewolf Pack, but they will know something is wrong.” Her shoulders straightened, and she made some kind of decision with herself. Too bad it was the wrong one. “I have to go to them. Having them come back here will just cause more confusion and possible fighting. The blood that was spilled out on the lawn will smell for months. The witches can take over the house. Those human noses won’t even notice the rankness of the blood. Maybe they can even do some kind of witchy cleansing kumbayah crap. Besides, coming home to the stink of a war fought outside your house might cause some issues. On all sides.”

I ran my hand through my hair. It was a good thing being a wolf afforded me a fast growing abundance of the stuff. I was pulling some strands loose of their hold just listening to this.

“Does the fact that you are our mate not matter to you?” I asked.

She took a breath and looked anywhere but at me and Trevor. Before she could pull back, I saw the wetness coming forward in her eyes. It destroyed me. I knew everything there was to know about culling your emotions. For her to lose that control for even a second…I could feel how crushed she was.

I didn’t care right then that she didn’t want me. I didn’t care that I had mated with a vampire, or that she had taken on my Beta as her second mate. I just wanted to comfort her. Despite the hate she felt for him, she had just killed her maker. That was no light task.

My arms were around her before either of us could throw our walls up high enough. Trevor took advantage and lowered his head to her neck. She gasped as he began to worship the matemark he had put on her body. The deep maroon lines twined around her neck, like petals of the most exquisite flowers. Both sides were kissed with a symbol of us. My mark had fewer lines, but they were wider, stronger, with sharper angles. I looked at the more supple movement on Trevor’s mark. They should look strange, but they complemented each other and Shelly’s pale complexion perfectly.

When Trevor moved his mouth over the entirety of the mark and let his teeth trace the lines, Shelly’s gasp turned to a needy groan. The sound and knowledge of what he was doing shot straight to my cock. I was hard. No, I was granite.

My hips shot forward without my control and Shelly squirmed beneath me. I tucked her soft blonde hair behind the ear that was straining toward her shoulder. She arched into Doc’s mouth. Her pleasure built mine, and I knew this was how we could prove to her where her place was. This was how we could show her this was home.

Her skin was so soft beneath my fingers. I inhaled the sweet smell of desire that filled the room. She couldn’t deny wanting us. I turned her head toward me. Those steely silver vampire eyes melted. A tear traveled down her cheek and I caught it with my thumb before putting my mouth over hers. She fought me only for a second before it was she who sought me out. Her tongue darted into my mouth and she mewed a little sound of frustration against my lips.

The rustling of fabric didn’t make sense until Trevor told her, “Step out.”

The scent of her pussy, hot and wet and ready, engulfed me. She wasn’t wearing pants anymore. I wasn’t about to be as patient. I gripped her shirt and ripped it open.

“Ooohh. We will pay for that. I know that was expensive.” I felt Doc’s hands brush me as he moved to grip her breasts. “But something tells me you don’t care right now.”

I dragged my eyelids open. I was drunk on this kiss, but I was at overdose level when my fingers found her core. She was so hot inside. My finger just clued me into what it would take far too long to get to with my cock. I couldn’t get there soon enough. I couldn’t touch enough of her. I wanted to surround her. Her gasp of pleasure made me realize that I didn’t have to be enough for her myself. I had Trevor. Together, we could overwhelm her the way she needed. We could bring her the pleasure that she wouldn’t have with just one or the other. Moving in harmony, his hands worked her breasts while mine began to prepare her for what we needed in return.

I lowered myself to put my nose against her clit. My tongue darted around her soft pussy lips. Her taste exploded against my tongue with every crease I explored. Before she could slow enough to protest, Trevor turned her head. It was his turn to claim her mouth.

I looked up to gaze in wonder as her breasts bounced with her struggle to get enough breath for the noises she had to make. Her skin was turning pink, the blood coming to the surface. She was primed for us, ready for pleasure. I sunk my nails into the cheeks of her ass and pressed her forward into my face. Her heat, her smell, the need to be with my mate all overwhelmed me in a way that I wanted to experience for eternity.

The rough grip on one of my hands shook me out of my heaven, but reminded me that if I wanted this to last longer than a pup’s first run, I needed to calm myself. Shelly gasped as her hands were pulled behind her, but I couldn’t help but chuckle at the huff that came next when Trevor placed my hand over her wrists and told me to hold her there while he went to get something.

“You don’t think I can’t escape you if I wanted?”

Cocky. “Don’t flatter yourself. I have an iron grip.”

“So do I. Get your dick inside me and I’ll show you.” She wiggled her bare lips against my chin, and I almost gave in.

“Patience. I want to show you how right this is.” I dropped my defenses, and I felt her uncertainty, so I slammed them back in place. The magic was fading with how much I was using it, but I couldn’t know that she wasn’t sure. Not now. Now I needed her with me, even if it was pretend. I’d remind her that she didn’t have to choose tonight, and then tomorrow we could talk. I couldn’t talk right now.

She didn’t say anything else either, but she stayed. That was enough for now. The lube that Doc walked back with and his lack of clothing would also be to my benefit in this seduction.

“You would think that having our marks on your neck would let you know that we will take care of you and give you what you need.” He ripped the seal off the new bottle with his teeth.

“Whether I want it or not, apparently.”

Trevor grabbed her hands from mine. I fell back on the floor, because I knew exactly what he was going to do, and I needed it to happen just as much as he did. Only problem was I still needed to get out of my clothes.

Shelly bent forward at the waist. As he pushed her arms in the air above her head, her body leaned forward and her attention zeroed in on the zipper barely containing me. I didn’t care to struggle and strip completely. I didn’t need to. As soon as I unzipped and pulled my cock from its confines, her eyes fell to it. Seeing her watch me had me aching more. She licked her deliciously pink lips and I couldn’t take it any longer. I knew that Trevor wanted to place her on me, but I needed her to taste me first.

He cursed as I got to my feet. “I know I am second in command here, but fuck, can you get back on the ground?”

“She needs something in her mouth. She’s hungry. Aren’t you, Shelly?” I swallowed at the thickness in my throat as she raised her eyes to me and opened her mouth. I was happy to help. “You need something to fill your throat with. Well here I am.”

I don’t know if she had opened her mouth to protest or swallow me, but once the head of my aching shaft passed over her tongue, she swirled that wet velvet around and over me until my eyes began to cross. I let her play for a minute, but I had to grab her hair and force a retreat before I shot come down her throat.

“Her mouth feels amazing, Trevor. Give our little vampire a reward.” I pulled her hair harder as she stuck her tongue out to reach the drop of precome that dripped from me. “Don’t bite. I want to have those teeth in me, but not right there. You have got me so hard I might just pop.”

“I think I have a way to distract her.”

Shelly moaned across my dick. I gripped her hair harder and slammed to the back of her throat, while releasing a growl that was mimicked from the other side of her. Trevor had hit home. The pleasure between us all was electric. We needed to back off for a second. I wanted to be somewhere other than her mouth when I finally let go.

Hell, there was no way I was able to move from where I was. Back and forth, we slid Shelly like the cataclysmic being of sex she was. She moaned, she writhed, she sucked on me so hard my brain slipped down somewhere into my stomach. It was all so good. But it wasn’t enough yet.

“Trevor, lay down.”

He continued to thrust. Shelly’s pussy made an incredible wet slap as she slammed her ass against his stomach. They were both almost there. Not yet. I reached underneath her swaying body and put one hand on her breast and one hand against her clit. I let the hard nubs slide against my palms as she moved. The blood pooled in her nipple. I could feel the beat of the pulse in her clit. Right before she could orgasm against us, I pinched both. She screamed.

“Not yet. I want you to come when we are both inside you. Feel that edge? That is the one we are going to push you over in just a moment. But you are going to stay right there for me so I can fuck that hot little asshole of yours. You want me in there, don’t you? I will be in there.”

I ticked my chin over by Trevor’s feet. “Use that lube you grabbed. Keep fucking her, but go slow. Work her open for me.”

I could feel her teeth lengthen. The sharp points began to grow. I pulled my cock from her mouth. No need to have her worry about hurting me. I pinched harder and she panted through the pain. She moaned low and long, and I watched over her hips as first one and then two of Trevor’s fingers disappeared inside her ass.

A drop of precome dripped to the floor at my feet. My cock was drooling at the thought of getting inside her again.

Trevor looked in pain. “She is clamping down on me. It is insane. You have got to get in here. I might lose it.”

“No you won’t.” That Alpha command came in handy at times. I felt some of my strength and control flow to the man that was so much more than my second right now. He was my partner, and with him we could keep her.

He pulled from her body with a pop. He lay on the ground, but his cock stood straight up waiting to impale our little vampire.

“Get ready, Shelly.” I spoke in her ear as I positioned her over my Beta. “You are going to explode for us.”