Vegetarian Mate [Pack Law 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (2 page)

“Take the set of stairs up the first landing and turn left, follow the hall down to the end, and take a right. The bathroom is the fourth door down on the left,” he stated. Rochelle did her best to listen from the semitrance she was in, drowning in the blue depths of his eyes. The spell only broke when he closed those eyes and inhaled as if he was sniffing her. Rochelle frowned, but she was too desperate to question what he was doing.

Rochelle literally ran up the stairs and took a left. After that she took a right but forgot which door he said led to the bathroom. She cautiously opened each door and was thankful when she didn’t encounter anyone. By the third door, she was so close to peeing herself she didn’t think she could walk another step. She walked into the opulent bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her, and scanned the interior.
Shit. Shit. Shit. No toilet. I can’t wait.

Decision made, Rochelle unsnapped her jeans and pulled her pants down. She lifted her ass over the edge of the sink, used her hands to grip the sides, and scooted back a little. Her feet left the floor, and she ended up with the cold sink digging into her legs at midthigh from beneath and sighed with relief. The sink would have to do. Just as she was about to get down from her precarious perch, a vibration made her clutch the rim tighter. She hit the floor with a squeak, and pain exploded in her head. That was the last thing she remembered as she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * * *

Malcolm Friess had gone for a run before dinner to relieve the stress after a long day at work. He and his brothers, Jarrod and Braxton, all worked at the Aztec Sheriff’s Department. Earlier that day they had attended a traffic accident and, much to their horror, children had been injured. The kids would survive, thank God, but he hated knowing about or seeing any form of injury to a child. After changing forms, he had lit out around the grounds of the den house, trying to relieve the ache and tightness in his muscles. Just as he neared the entry gate, he heard a car slow and saw headlights gleaming through the wrought-iron gate.

Malcolm wound his way along the fence line and stayed out of sight while sniffing the air. The tension which had only just left came back in full force, but this time for an entirely different reason. He stepped into the clearing and stared intently at the delectable woman on the other side of the gate. She was so close and yet so far away. Her delicious scent wafted toward him on the breeze, hardening every muscle in his body. His cock filled with blood, and he kept to the shadows as he crept closer to the gate. The sound of a car door being opened caused his ears to twitch forward. He stood still as her light-blue eyes pinned him with nervous intensity and then heard the intercom buzzer being pushed.

Jarrod answered the call, and since he wanted to get closer to the woman on the other side of the fence, he spoke to his older brother, using their private mind link.

“Mate!”
He pushed the word to his brothers and stepped onto the side of the gravel drive. Her eyes connected with his, making her jump, and he knew without a doubt he was going to do everything within his power to keep this woman at the pack house.

Malcolm listened to her talk to Jarrod and watched her return to her car. He backed up and merged with the shadows once more, not wanting to frighten her in his animal form. Keeping pace with her car, he ran alongside the drive, knowing she wasn’t even aware of his presence. Staying at the edge of the trees, he watched as Jarrod greeted Rochelle Murphy and led her into the den.

Malcolm ran around the side of the house and changed back to his human form. Brax was waiting at the side door with his clothes. After quickly dressing, he rushed inside, joining his brothers as they stood at the bottom of the stairs. Inhaling deeply, he groaned as his cock pulsed and his balls ached. The scent of raspberries assailed his nostrils, ratcheting up his desire even more. Just as he was about to ask his brother if he had talked to her as he led her inside, a rumble sounded, and then a loud crash and a thud reverberated against his eardrum.

Malcolm and his brothers sprinted up the stairs and down the hall. Jarrod burst into the bathroom, the lock giving away beneath his weight, with Malcolm and Brax right behind. His mate was out cold on the floor with her jeans and panties down around her ankles. The sink which had been on the wall in the bathroom was broken in pieces behind her. He felt like laughing and also felt deep concern for his unconscious woman.

Obviously she hadn’t been able to find the toilet and had used the facilities on hand. “Shit,” Jarrod growled, but his lips twitched and his eyes twinkled with amusement. “Help me get her covered up and call Blayk. We need him to check her over.”

Malcolm reached out for her panties and moaned as his hand connected with the silky-smooth skin of her calf. He let his eyes wander over her as he and Brax pulled her undies up. Her hair was a combination of gold and darker blonde and long enough to reach the top of her ass. Her eyebrows were light golden, and her lashes, which formed crescents against her pale cheeks, were a contrasting ebony. She was average height with full hips and shapely thighs, which he could just imagine wrapped around his hips.

He inhaled her sweet fragrance once more, and his eyes alighted on the light sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her lips were a pale pink, and he wanted to lean down and taste her but restrained himself. Malcolm didn’t want to take advantage of her and was growing even more concerned that she didn’t show any signs of coming around.

Jarrod carefully lifted her hips so that he and Brax could pull her jeans up and fasten them. When she was once more decent, his brother picked her up and carried her out of the bathroom, along the corridor, and back down the stairs. He followed in Jarrod’s wake to the back of the house, where Blayk’s office was set up.

One of the others must have signaled the doctor, since Blayk was waiting for them. Jarrod carefully placed her on the exam table.

“What the hell happened?”

“Uh, she had an accident,” Jarrod replied in a strangled voice.

“Well, I figured.” Blayk frowned at Jarrod. “Can you be more specific? I want to know how you found her.”

“I think she hit her head on the floor in the bathroom,” Malcolm stated through a tight throat.

“How the hell did she end up on the floor?” Blayk muttered as he examined their mate.

Malcolm couldn’t answer. He was torn between concern and hilarity and was having a hard time controlling his mirth.

“She has a good-size knot on the side of her head, just above her right ear. Other than that she appears to be fine.” Blayk lifted her eyelids and flashed light onto her pupils to check their response. “She has a slight concussion. She’ll need to keep quiet for a couple of days. Who is she?”

“Mate,” Brax snarled at Blayk, who quickly withdrew his hands from her and stepped back.

Rochelle moaned and drew in a deep breath. Reaching up, she winced when her fingers connected with the lump on her head.

“Shit a brick. What the…”

“Are you all right, Rochelle?” Jarrod asked, concern evident in his voice.

Rochelle’s eyes popped open, and she slowly looked from Jarrod to Braxton, himself, and Blayk.

“What happen…” she began to ask and then must have remembered. Her cheeks turned first pink and then a bright-red hue. Covering her face with her hands, her shoulders shook.

Her voice came out muffled. “God sakes.”

Malcolm bit his lip when he heard a gurgling noise come from Jarrod. He smiled at the quirk she had put to the familiar phrase “for God’s sake.” Obviously their mate wasn’t a woman bound by conformity. He looked up at his brother and saw he was barely containing his humor. Brax shifted at his side, drawing his gaze. His brother had a smile as wide as Texas on his face. That was all it took.

Malcolm burst out laughing, and once he started he couldn’t stop. He fell to his knees clutching his stomach and hoped his mate understood he wasn’t laughing because she was injured. Tears rolled down his face, and he glanced at his brothers through misty eyes as their raucous laughter joined his. Blayk was standing off to the side of the exam bed looking totally perplexed, and that only made him laugh harder. Malcolm couldn’t even stop when his mate sat up on the bed, glaring at them.

Blayk reached out to steady her when she stood and swayed. That wiped the amusement from him in an instant. His hilarity turned to deep growls until Blayk just glared at him and helped Rochelle to sit on the side of the bed before she fell down.

For some reason his growling made his mate’s mouth twitch, and she went from glaring daggers at him and his brothers to amusement and then full-blown joviality. But her humor didn’t last long. She groaned and then clutched her head in obvious pain.

“God, how embarrassing,” she whispered. “I’ll pay for the damage.”

“Shh, it’s okay, baby. We’ll cover it,” Jarrod told her with a smile.

“No. I will pay for the damage. I need to get moving.”

“No. You can’t drive with a concussion, ma’am. I wouldn’t want you on the road with a head injury. You’ll be a danger to others as well as yourself.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Dr. Blayk Friess.”

“Oh, well then at least you know what you’re talking about,” Rochelle muttered and closed her eyes.

“Thanks. I think.”

Jarrod snorted and moved in close to Rochelle. She looked up quickly and winced at the movement. “Rochelle, these are my brothers, Malcolm and Braxton. Since you aren’t allowed to drive, why don’t I take you up to our spare room and you can get settled in for the night?”

“Who found me?”

“My brothers and I did,” Malcolm answered, moving forward. He held out a hand in greeting and nearly went to his knees with a groan when her skin met his. His wolf pushed at him, wanting him to claim his mate, but he got the upper hand and pushed his animal back down.

“Shit,” Rochelle whispered, pulling her hand away from his and slipping off the table, only to sway once more. “I can’t stay here. I have to leave. Just let me get my checkbook from my car and I’ll cover the cost of the damage.”

“You aren’t driving anywhere, young lady. You had better let these three settle you into their spare room and lie down before you fall down,” Blayk said sternly.

“Who are you bossing around?”

Talia, Blayk’s mate, stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips and her chin lifted. Malcolm held in a grin as she ignored Blayk’s eye roll and shoved her way in between him and Jarrod.

“I’m Talia Friess,” she said, offering her hand. “The bossy guy over there is my husband.”

Malcolm watched as Rochelle hesitantly reached out and shook hands, introducing herself.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“I’ll bet you’re hungry and thirsty. Why don’t you come on out to the dining room and we’ll get you something to eat?”

Malcolm heard Rochelle’s stomach grumble, and she sighed as if with resignation.

“Thank you so much. I don’t want to put any of you out.”

“You’re not,” Talia replied with a smile. “Come on. You can lean on me. Your head must be killing you.”

Malcolm and his brothers followed Talia and their mate out of Blayk’s office, down the hall, and into the large dining room. All the way there, he cursed himself for not suggesting that Rochelle lean on his shoulder instead.

Rochelle leaned against Talia as she was led into a large dining room which was connected to a massive gourmet kitchen. Even though her head felt like a bass drum had taken up residence where her brain was supposed to be, she was actually quite hungry. Cringing internally as each step she took made the throb behind her skull worse, she felt her cheeks heat again as she thought over how Jarrod and his brothers would have found her.

She was such a klutz. She was embarrassed to think the three Friess brothers must have found her on the floor with her jeans and panties around her ankles. Her full bladder might have been uncomfortable, but now she was in even more pain and feeling very humiliated as well.

She must have looked one hell of a sight when they found her. She didn’t blame them for busting a gut laughing, but why did it have to be such incredibly handsome men who found her? Jarrod with his tall, muscular body, bald head, and that roguish scar was matched in good looks by both his brothers. Malcolm had collar-length brown hair, green eyes, wide shoulders, and long legs, which kept drawing her eyes. Braxton’s eyes were more green than blue and his hair was a sandy color. He wasn’t as brawny as Jarrod, but none of the men were lacking in the muscle department.

The Friess brothers were so similar in looks they might have been triplets, except that Malcolm looked to be a couple of years younger than Jarrod, and maybe a year or two separated Jarrod from Braxton. Malcolm was an inch shorter than Jarrod and Braxton was an inch taller. Who knew she would meet such gigantic, sexy men when she had left her hometown? Not that she was complaining. She liked eye candy as much as the next woman.

You’re staring, girl. Get a grip!

Talia’s voice drew her from her speculation. “Come and meet my other husbands.”

What? Husbands? She has more than one?

Talia led her over to the humungous table and introduced her to Chris and James Friess, her
other
husbands. She had already indicated that Blayk was her husband when she had come into the clinic.