Authors: Dixie Lynn Dwyer
She attempted to run for the door but was pulled into an embrace by Maximus. Luther and Dante stood on either side of him. Luther laid the palm of his hand on her left ass cheek while Dante placed a hand on her right. The fact that they acted as if they possessed her both turned her on and scared her.
They stared down at her. Their size, their Alpha position, and everything they stood for had her shaking with confusion.
By the gods, what is happening to me?
“Do not run away from us, Charity.” Maximus spoke calmly. Her body was wedged up against his, and the hardness of his erection against her stomach caused her to catch her breath. Her body shook, but she held his gaze.
“We knew you were special from the moment we first saw you. Each of us was instantly attracted,” Luther stated.
“It is rare for triplets to share the same mate, but it seems you are our chosen one,” Maximus replied.
Charity nearly fainted. He had no idea how accurate he was about her being the Chosen One. This was ludicrous.
“We have shared the same woman before but never felt the same connection or desire,” Dante added.
Oh great! Just what I wanted to hear.
Charity felt the instant jealousy at his declaration. It was no big deal to them, but to her, this was a first. She had never been with any man, and she needed to get away from these three and think.
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” she asked, annoyed that her voice cracked. She was supposed to be stronger than anything, and yet these three men weakened her. Thank the gods that the triplets were not the enemy.
Luther laughed.
“I do believe our little goddess is jealous.” He touched her cheek then took a strand of hair between his fingers as he held her gaze. She nearly allowed his charm to sidetrack her. His comment annoyed her, so she pushed his hand away, causing him to release the strand of hair. She knocked his smirk off his face at the same time.
She eyed him angrily. The light green of his eyes sparkled with mischief. Her belly fluttered.
Maximus pulled her against him and covered her mouth with his own. The kiss was deep but quick. Maximus released her abruptly. She nearly lost her balance until a smirking Luther grabbed her to him and kissed her just as thoroughly. By the time he was finished thoroughly exploring her mouth while his hands reached under her skirt to caress her bare backside, she was breathless. As his palm grabbed a handful of her rear then pressed lower, she jerked away from him to break his hold.
Luther’s eyes glowed, and his nostrils flared. That’s when she heard Dante. He made some strange sound like a half-chuckle, half-moan. Before she could step further away, Dante snagged her around the waist and pulled her hard against him.
Her heart hammered in her chest, but her body was turned on by their macho, controlling behavior. She felt the liquid drip between her thighs just as Dante covered her mouth, being sure to give it as much loving as his brothers.
The feel of them around her, passing her from one to the next overwhelmed her senses. She felt as if she were on a roller coaster.
“Maybe you’ll think twice about leaving us before we’ve dismissed you,” Maximus stated firmly. They were smug and conceited, and she’d had her fill. Placing her hands against Dante’s chest, she pushed him away. He released her lips but not his hold.
Their gazes locked. “I can’t seem to resist touching you. I foresee a problem.”
“So do I. The only way to resolve this is to keep you with us,” Luther replied then chuckled as Charity’s eyes widened in shock.
“You may think this is a game, but I do not.”
She pulled away from them and walked toward the table. Images of her displayed “buffet style” on it earlier, like a feast for their taking, had her feeling faint. She grabbed onto the edge of the table and tried to control her breathing.
Dante caught her around the waist. The show of possession and masculinity heightened her arousal. When had she become so needy for intimacy?
“I think you need to rest a bit longer. Stay.”
Her powers gave her insight into most people’s emotions and personality. Although sometimes blocked, this wasn’t the case at the moment with Dante. Dante was caring and empathetic. How would he be when she revealed who she really was?
She reached up and touched his cheek. Her fingers gently stroked his skin, and he smiled, causing his dimple to show. She nearly got lost in his eyes. He was sexy and appealing.
“I need to go. I need to think about this. I never…I just need some time to think.”
Luther walked closer, but Maximus stood at a distance, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He emitted dissatisfaction and an air of arrogance. Yet she still found him irresistible.
“It’s understandable. You have probably never had such an experience, he stated slyly, but she sensed his question about her sexual experience.
Instantly she was annoyed. She may not have been as experienced as these wolves obviously were, but she would not be embarrassed by her lack of experience. She was a lady, not some piece of meat. And a princess for that matter. There was a certain protocol princesses followed, and indiscretion with were beasts was unacceptable. Fun, but unacceptable. She nearly smirked to herself.
Her thoughts got the best of her, and when she looked up to see all three Alphas smirking at her as if they read her thoughts, she panicked once again.
No way would they get to her that easily. She was strong, independent and—
“You enjoyed yourself, Charity. What’s the hurry?” Maximus asked as he took a few steps toward her. His condescending tone got her anger fired up. What a pompous wolf!
Charity grabbed her files and cleared her throat.
“For your information, Alpha, no man has ever touched me like that or anywhere the three of you did. This might be some big joke to you, my experienced, ‘I get to pick from a room of women who I can screw around with’ Alphas, but to me, this is completely new. So excuse me if the virgin finds the situation a bit disturbing and confusing.” She poked him in the chest as she spoke then hurried toward the door. The three Alphas stared at her as if letting her declaration sink in.
She used the distraction to leave the room and run down the hall and back to the safety of her room.
The spirits better speak to her soon because right now she wanted to leave the Venificus mansion.
* * * *
“A virgin! Holy crap, this is not normal,” Luther exclaimed with a smirk.
“Stop joking around. It’s obvious she’s never been with a man or a wolf for that matter,” Dante stated angrily at Luther’s lack of empathy toward Charity.
“We still don’t even know if she is a wolf,” Maximus replied.
“I couldn’t decipher while I was tasting her,” Luther added with a grin as he leaned on the table. His smile said it all.
Dante laughed. “Me either, I think another taste test is in order.” They looked toward their brother, Maximus.
He was straight faced and concerned.
“What is it, Maximus? Did you sense something?” Dante asked.
“She didn’t falter at my stare.”
“What?” Luther asked, standing straight and no longer smiling but now concerned. No one was immune to their brother’s hypnotizing spell.
“It worries me.”
“This is a concern. Perhaps there is a reason for her immunity to it,” Luther added.
“Like what?” Maximus questioned.
“She is our mate and destined to be ours, the mother of our children, the continued growth of our pack. She would have to be strong to be in such a position,” Dante stated.
“She is so feminine and small. Like a delicate crystal I worry we will break her when the time comes to mark her,” Luther stated.
The brothers were silent a moment, as if sharing the thought.
“She is strong and has the characteristics of a warrior,” Maximus added.
“Yeah, like the way she yelled at you, Maximus, and pointed in your chest, Luther. She does not fear her Alphas.” Dante chuckled.
“That is something we will take care of immediately. If it turns out that she is not a wolf and something else, then she will learn the rules and customs of the pack. In the future, if she chooses to make any such public or private show of disrespect, then she must be punished and made an example.” Maximus walked toward the desk.
They heard the seriousness of the Lord Alpha’s tone.
“Let’s get ready for the day’s festivities. It is nearly time.”
Chapter 7
“So, did you learn anything from the meeting?” Conrad asked Ferlow as they stood alone near the Backus room. Most of the guests had gathered by the fireplace in the main living room or were already preparing to head outdoors and enjoy the cool fall evening.
“It was aggravating, actually.”
Conrad glanced at Ferlow and crinkled his eyebrows, indicating that Ferlow caught his interest.
“I was nearly made a fool of by that mysterious blonde. She practically destroyed everything I have worked so hard to achieve until she managed to piss off Maximus.”
Conrad smirked.
“She sounds interesting. Did you find out exactly who she is?”
“No. But neither did the Venificus brothers.”
Conrad rubbed his chin until he caught the strange facial expression on Ferlow.
“What is it?”
Ferlow was hesitant before he spoke.
“I think that they are attracted to her.”
“That’s understandable. She is a sight for the eyes. Her appeal is obvious, Ferlow.”
“It is rare for the brothers to simultaneously be attracted to the same female. Doesn’t this warrant concern?”
“From what I understand of the brother’s behavior, sharing a woman is not uncommon.”
“Sharing at different times, no. But at the same time is rare. Those three Alpha weres are selfish and tend to be jealous of other weres sharing what presently interests them.”
“I really don’t see the problem with this.”
“I didn’t say it was a problem. I do believe that if they are attracted to her, then they would want to protect her. She could be of use to our master.”
Conrad widened his eyes in surprise.
“Keep this between us for now. The night of the hunt is a big night for our master and for us. Upon Dante’s death, the slow and painful demise of the Venificus begins. If we need to do further damage, then we can make the master aware of the woman and see what he commands.”
Ferlow smiled. It was invigorating to be part of such an historical event. The master’s promise of power and control over the new V-Con had been convincing enough to make Ferlow forget his blood ties. Although he was a cousin of the Venificus brothers, he had no true power in his pack. He thought of himself as powerful and strong. He didn’t see anything wrong with advancing and being a leader. There were too many blood rules and traditions to follow. He wasn’t even liked among his people. The triplets had become the most powerful leaders. They were well respected, honored, and looked to as the greatest asset to the were packs. If someone was to destroy them and begin to weaken their reign, then it would instantly prove that leader’s power and capabilities. From there, the leader would begin to annihilate other powerful Alpha packs and eventually gain their pack members’ support. They would have no choice but to follow, unless they chose death as an option. His master had the abilities to succeed in this, and he would be by his side along the way.
They departed and prepared for the activities scheduled at the mansion.
* * * *
Charity had taken a long, hot bath and tried to rationalize her behavior with the triplets as she dressed in dark slacks and a warm black wool sweater.
She had allowed the Alphas to seduce her. It seemed she was weak in their presence, which indicated her need to rationalize her behavior today. They were handsome, powerful, and so darn sexy that every ounce of her being craved their touch. But were they destined to be her mates and she theirs? How could something like this work? She had a crazy schedule and would often have to pop into another realm if someone was in need. She had the vampire ball in Transylvania coming up next month. Then there was the fey wedding of Goddess Sabrina to Fey Knight Miguel in six weeks, and the list went on and on. Never mind all these attacks and the negativity surrounding the Venificus family.
She sighed at the realization that settling down and mating just couldn’t happen right now. At least not until the realm was safe and the evil culprits at hand were captured or destroyed.
She glanced at the clock, realizing that she promised Alexis that she would accompany her on a shopping trip into town. Grabbing some money and her purse, she headed out of the door.
Walking down the hallway and toward the staircase, she noted the sound of music and laughter. As she descended the stairs, she saw numerous guests dancing and singing to some traditional folklore music. It was pleasant.
“Hey, I was waiting for you. Are you all set?” Alexis asked.
Charity smiled. “I suppose so. But remember, I warned you that I’m not much of a shopper.”