Claiming Their Cat (20 page)

Lucy watched the
very sexy vampire walk out of her house and wondered if insanity ran in her family way back when?
She couldn’t find any trace of it in her recent g
enea
logical tree. The fact that she was even tempted to get up close and cozy with a mythical creature spoke volumes for her mental state. He was charming, extremely handsome, a tad arrogant, and somewhat amusing.
If he weren’t a figment of her imagination, she’d undoubtedly jump his bones.

After turning off the lights, she headed for her bedroom. A bath and
a bed
was the only thing she needed tonight, not an imaginary man with an attempt to
seduce
her—a darned
good
attempt
,
by the way
. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs. More red rose petals were sprinkled on the stair steps.
Did he actually think she would take him up on his offer?
For some reason, she was compelled to
follow
the
beautiful
trail that led directly to her bedroom. Out of the three, how did he know which one was hers?
It was nice and neat like she liked it.
Was his nose as
good
as the romance novels portrayed? She’d have to ask him because not knowing the answer would bother her.

The door was slightly ajar. She pushed it open. Vases of red roses and white candles filled her entire bedroom. No
space
was
unadorned
.
The smell was heaven.
She had to admit it was beautiful, would even be sweet—if he was real.
The comforter was pulled down, and the rose petals were elaborate against her white sheets.
A single long-stemmed red rose was propped against her pillow.

On a whim, Lucy threw herself on the bed. What would it feel like to have an imaginary Draco make love to her on a bed of rose petals? If the petals weren’t real, they sure smelled
genuine
. She bit the inside of her lip.
Why not play out the fantasy—without the hero, of course.
She popped up from the
bed
and shucked her clothes. The candle light was just right, not too
bright
, and not too dark.

She found her favorite dildo and lubed it. Tonight, she was in a hurry. Not slow. She needed it
wild
and
rough
, knowing that Draco wouldn’t go slowly. After lying down on the scented bed, she flopped her legs over the side. Just for fun, she drizzled a handful of petals on her breasts, her belly, and then her curls.
They tickled, and she could only imagine Draco doing this.

Lucy pinched her nipple, hard like she knew Draco would do.
He would be a
powerful
lover, of that she was sure. She turned on the vibrating dildo and ran the head over her clit.
So good.
Just as
good
as Draco’s lips would be.

When she couldn’t
handle
the vibe on her bundle of nerves anymore, she angled her hips and shoved the dildo into her pussy, harder than she’d ever had before. She swirled her other hand on her clit. All her senses were firing.
Pleasure coiled tightly.
The only thing missing besides Draco’s cock was his—fangs. Would they
enhance
her pleasure too?
As she imagined his fangs sinking into her neck, she bucked with her orgasm, a strong, violent one.

Draco stood in
the corner, a voyeur, his dick in his hand.
She was beautiful under the candle light with her body shifting and straining.
His fangs ached just like his cock, both needing to
sink
into her hot flesh. His balls were snug against his body, aching for release. Her pleasuring herself was a turn on. When her body convulsed, and his name slipped from her lips, he came fiercely in his own hand, something he’d never done before. Masturbation was
unfamiliar
to him, but something he would
explore
more with his mate.

He smiled. It felt
great
to get out of the batter’s box
.

Creed caught the baseball and flung it back at his brother. It was a game they’d played since they were old enough to
challenge
one another. Sitting six feet apart with only a desk between them, Rio snagged the ball before it hit his nose. “You trying to mar my handsome face?”

Creed couldn’t help but
grin
.
“Well, it’s not like you’d be permanently disfigured.”

“No, but Cat would be disappointed until it healed.”

His brother threw the ball wide and Creed almost jerked his arm out of the socket to
catch
it. The
competitive
wolf would not
allow
him to miss.
“So, we know Cat probably grew up or lived in North Carolina.”

Rio nodded. “But that’s all we know. Since Draco has found a
mate
in Lucy, he refuses to pressure her into giving him the letter.”

“Well, we could bring our mate to the brink of orgasm over and over until she told us.”

“That will never work with Cat.
She keeps secrets really well.
She’d make us pay, and
the price would be too steep
.”

“You mean withholding her body from us?”

Rio nodded. That was probably true.
He sensed her indecisiveness whenever they seduced her.
She wanted them, but
she always held back
.
This morning, he’d
barely
waited until she’d showered, and then stalked her in the steamy bathroom. She hesitated, the battle clearly in her eyes, but once he had her bent over facing the mirror, watching him take her, she’d eagerly melted.
“I really need to bite her.”

“I know. My wolf feels the same way. Ila said it wouldn’t hurt the baby, but I don’t want to take any chances. We can do it at the same time after the baby’s born.”

Yeah.
Make everything equal.
He had to fight his wolf, so he wouldn’t bite her, and Rio had to do the same.

The plans were set. All they needed now was the
birth of her
baby
, a couple of months for Cat to
heal
,
and then
both
could
mate
her
. Oh yeah, kill the bastard who wanted Cat’s baby
.

His wolf heard the glide of little feet in the hallway. Rio hitched his brow. Creed bounded up and opened the door two seconds after her timid knock. “Something wrong?” he asked.

Not giving her time to respond, he pulled her into the study, over to his chair, and then into his lap. Her back was ramrod
straight
until he started nibbling on her ear. His wolf loved the smell of her. Peace. It reminded him of peace.
A soothing, tranquil lake after a summer rain.

Creed rested his hand on her belly. Amazing life grew there. He couldn’t wait until she carried his pup. And
then
Rio’s, of course.

Rio shifted in his
seat
obviously adjusting his cock. “Do you need something, baby?”

“Well, I was wondering if we had a plan…you know…to get to the hospital?”

Creed’s heart along with his brothers shifted into high gear. “Is it time?”

“No.
No.
I just want to know how far the hospital is from here
. So I’ll know when we should
leave
.”

“It’s an hour away, so the minute you feel anything, you tell us,” said Rio,
panic
clearly etched in his voice.

Hell, what had they been thinking?
What if something went wrong?
A wolf couldn’t
b
ear
the loss of a child. The pack was a
tight
community, even though he and Rio had pretty much left the
pack
at an early age. The need to
touch
, especially their
mate
and her
child
, was a powerful force. Losing a child would shred the wolf.

“Do you feel like going outside today?” Rio asked.

“Of
course
.”

“Go put your sweats on and meet us at the backdoor.”

“What are we going to do?”

“You’ll see.”

She unfolded her legs and Creed helped her
stand
. His wolf
instantly
missed the skin to skin. Creed waited until she was out of earshot. “How close do you think she is?”

“When I see Ila, I’ll know its time.”

Creed was relieved that Ila would come and take
charge
like she always did.

“So bro, where are we going?”

Rio grinned. “Fishing.”

Fifteen minutes later, the three of them were peacefully gliding in a boat to the middle of the lake.
Cat
reclined against Rio, more comfortable with Rio than himself. He couldn’t fault her for that. Rio had several days head start with her, but he planned to change that.

“It’s beautiful
. T
he sunshine makes the water look as
like it
’s covered in diamonds,” she said.

He refrained from replying with something corny like
‘not
as beautiful as you’ even if it were true. Once they were in the middle
of the lake
, he pulled the oars in and opened the coffee can.

Cat watched him like a hawk. She scrunched her face when he threaded the worm on the hook.
She sat up, and he handed the cane pole to her.
“What do I do?”

“Swing the hook out and let it plop in the water like this.” Rio helped her. “Now, just
watch
the cork. When it goes under, that means you’ve got a
bite
.”

Cat seemed fascinated with the orange bobbing cork.
And when it dipped, she snatched the
pole
up just like he knew she
would do
.
Rio grinned behind her, and Creed did the best he could not to laugh.
Creed and Rio had learned the same
lesson
many moons ago.

“No fish. What happened?”

Creed grinned. “You, my little Cat, had a nibble.”

“A nibble?”

“The fish swam by, took a small bite, but not the whole thing. Now
throw
it back out there and wait until you
feel
him grab hold and try to
run
.”

The cork landed on the water with a plop. She watched it intensely and commented when a dragonfly lit on the end of her pole. Creed’s wolf eyes saw the
big
bass
circle
the worm. Rio did too, so he eased his hand down on hers. The strike was
subtle
. Cat jerked anyway, but Rio held her
steady
. “Wait,” he whispered against her hair.

“I’m trying,” she said. “Patience wasn’t something I was born with.”

Creed wished Cat could see the
strike
like he and Rio
would see
. Maybe one day, if she wanted to be converted. The fish circled back and in a flash, swallowed the hook. Her
pole
bent over as the
bass
dove deep. Creed was pretty sure that if Rio hadn’t had his hand on the pole, it would have went swimming.

“Ooh. Ooh. I
got one.”

Rio grinned at the excitement in her voice. Even humans
were
fascinated with the lazy art of fishing.
The wolf in
Rio would have played with it before hauling it in, but he didn’t think she’d wait that long to see her
prize
. He helped her
lift
the
good-sized
bass into the boat. She quickly scooted
away
as it flailed in the bottom.

“Ew, it stinks,” she said.

Her
comment
pleased Rio. She was a girly girl, a female whose softness was through and through. He didn’t
want
a kick-ass woman. Just someone who he and Creed could
cherish
and protect. Yeah, he was a chauvinistic bastard, but fuck anyone who dared give him shit about it.

“You want to keep it or throw it back?” Creed asked.

“I don’t know. Is it
big
enough to eat?”

“Yes, but the way Rio and I eat, we’d need four or five more this
size
. I can tell you’re getting tired, so I don’t think we’ll have time.”

Cat’s eyes rested on the fish. “
Okay.
Throw him
back
before he suffocates
.”

Rio’s grin matched Creed’s. Creed removed the
hook
and released him. “You want to try again, or nap?” asked Rio.

“How about a nap right here?”

Creed washed the fish
smell
off his hands and grabbed the oars. “I think you’ll be more comfortable in
bed
or on the couch,” he said.

Cat reclined against him and let her hand
trail
in
the water. Her love for the peacefulness of the lake swelled him with
pride
. Movement caught his eye on the back porch at the same time that Cat cried out in pain, a
sound
that raked nails down his soul.

She bolted upright and grabbed her
belly
. “I think it’s time.”

Cold fear swept through him, and Creed rowed like the lake was on fire.
Rio’s stomach cramped as the boat landed on the shore. A slew of
terrible
things raced through his mind. What if there were complications?

Water splashed as Creed jumped out to steady the
boat
. After Rio
helped
her
stand
, Creed swooped her up and headed for the house. Ila held the door and
quietly
issued
efficient
orders like a lieutenant in the armed forces. His grandmother ordered them to Rio’s room because she’d changed the linens.

“What can we do?” Rio asked as he shoved his hands through his hair.

“Absolutely nothing except get out of here and close the door behind you.”

He started to protest, but thought better of it. What could he and Creed
possibly
do? Besides
pace
.

The door closed with a snick as another soft moan
ground
from Cat’s lips.
Creed turned almost white.
Rio leaned against the wall, and Creed paced. Cat’s grunts and groans were ripping a hole in them. Her pain permeated the air like a thick, heavy blanket.

“I know Ila said to stay out here, but shouldn’t we be in there for—I don’t know—moral support maybe?” asked Creed.

“Going against Ila has never worked out for us. If Cat wanted us in there, she would have asked for us.”

A muffled scream from Cat sent the
brothers to the kitchen
where they
grabbed the entire case of beer before moving to the back porch. “Do you think we should override Ila and take Cat to the hospital?” Rio asked.

“That thought has merit, but I remember Ila delivering many pups for the pack.”

“But Cat’s not a werewolf. She’s physiologically different from us. Humans
are
fragile
. She’s
fragile
.”

Creed took a swallow of his beer before answering. “If things go to shit, we’ll just convert her, the baby too if needed.”

Rio had never heard of an attempt to
convert
a newborn. But if things went south, what choice did they have? Doing nothing was out of the question. Rio chucked his
bottle
onto the grass, something he would never do, but he didn’t feel like being
nice
right now. He wanted to
channel
his fear into violence, take the easy way out.
If Alvarez were here, he’d take the motherfucking bastard apart piece by piece.
And if she died because of that piece of shit, if somehow he and Creed couldn’t save her, Alvarez would learn how long it actually took a body to die.

Wolf ears were a bitch. Cat’s grunting and panting was more frequent now. Rio didn’t remember any pack members delivery taking so long, but then again, he and Creed hadn’t stuck around to find out.

After several hours and
a
whole case of beer, Rio was about to
rip
the boards off the porch. He fought his wolf. Staying away wasn’t the
pack
way. Then his
expert
hearing
picked up the
soft
cry—of a
baby
.

Creed almost trampled him to
get
inside. Taking the steps three at the time, they both slid to a stop at the closed bedroom door. “Fuck. Should we go in?” asked Rio.

“No,” replied his
brother
. “She’ll summon us when the coast is clear.”

His brother was
right
.
They didn’t need to embarrass
their
mate
. Hearing Ila bustling around in the room didn’t calm his nerves. Was something wrong? How was Cat doing? His wolf ears and
nose
couldn’t tell.

Rio held his breath as the door opened. Ila stepped out with a little bundle in her arms. Her smile was bright, brighter than he’d ever seen it.

Ila pulled the blanket back to reveal the cutest little nose he’d ever seen. “I introduce you to your son.”

“Wow,” said Rio. “She had a boy.”

“No, this is your son.”
Ila pushed the
child
toward him, and he had to take him.

Had Ila fallen and conked her head? “What are you talking about?”

“S
niff
.”

Rio looked at his brother and then dipped his head. This baby smelled like him. This was his son. “How can this be? I didn’t
mate
her
.
”

His brother went still,
ice cold
, and he would have done the same thing. “I didn’t lie to you, Creed. I didn’t
mate
her.”

To Creed’s credit, h
is nostrils flared
. “I believe you, bro.”

“How can this be?”

Ila shrugged. “Maybe the human mated her instead of the wolf.”

“That’s never happened before—has it?”

“Not that I know of, but it doesn’t change anything. Eventually, you’re going to have to tell her how this baby is yours, the sooner the better. She thinks this precious thing belongs to a
maniac
. Can you imagine the joy she’ll feel after she finds out the truth?”

Did Cat hate the
baby
because it was Alvarez’s? She’d never acted like she didn’t
want
the child, just the opposite.

And yes, she’d be elated, and when she found out he was the man in the brothel, she’d probably cut him a new hole.

“I’m going to
make
some coffee because you two
need
it. Go see your
mate
and I’ll be back in five minutes.
While I’m taking a break, I’ll make a list of baby things that we need.
”

Rio looked at his brother. How dumb could they be? Of
course,
they needed baby stuff.

“How is she?” asked Creed.

“She’s
fine
. Just exhausted. She’s sleeping, which is why I only have five minutes before she wakes.”

Creed glanced at him giving that how-does-she-do-it look. Then Creed stepped up and peered at the baby. “He’s beautiful, bro.”

“He’s yours too, you know.” It sounded even lamer when he heard his own voice with his own ears.

“We’ll worry about all that
later
. Right now, let’s
check
on
our
mate.”

Creed pushed the door open, and Rio followed his brother inside.
Her physical pain
still
permeated the air.

His brother sat on the bed and brushed the hair out of her face. Her eyes fluttered open. “Hi,” she said.

“How are you feeling?” Rio asked.

“Like I’ve been beat
en
.”

Rio moved to the other side and eased down. Her eyes went
soft
when she saw the
bundle
. “Isn’t he the most beautiful thing you
’ve
ever seen?” she asked.

Relief washed through him. “He’s as beautiful as his mother.”

“He doesn’t look like me,” she said.

That was true. He looked like Rio and Creed’s baby pictures.
The same skin tone, the same dark hair.
And the
dimpled
chin was a dead giveaway.

She scooted up and held out her arms. Rio handed her the
child
. “Does he have a name?” Rio
asked hoping
it wasn’t something wimpy like Rufus or Harry or Henry, Timmy, Julius.