Van, Becca - Keeley's Opposition [Terra-Form 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (13 page)

“Stop, okay. I’ll be there in a minute,” Keeley answered and slammed the door closed. She nearly tripped over the sheet as she hurried over to her clothes. She dropped the sheet and pulled her clothes on. She didn’t bother about her hair. She just gathered it behind her head and pulled it into a knot at the back of her head. She flung the door open and followed Ben.

A knot of anxiety had lodged in her chest, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t shift it. By the time Ben slowed down, she was breathless. They had gone up a flight of stairs and traveled the never-ending corridors. She had no idea where she was, and she had to run to keep up with his long-legged strides. He stopped and turned toward her and Keeley looked behind him to see they were near a balcony of sorts.

“I will keep you safe, Keeley. By bringing you here you are still in our house but your mates will be able to see you are well. Please, come out and show them you are unharmed,” Ben said, holding his hand out to her.

“I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you. If you want me to leave, I will,” Keeley stated. She took another deep breath and reached for Ben’s hand. She felt her knees shaking as he led her out onto a large semicircular balcony. With her free hand, she gratefully grasped the rail surrounding the edge. They made her feel a little more protected.

She looked down and saw her mates staring up at her. They had fire in their eyes and started to growl when they saw her holding Ben’s hand. Keeley released Ben and moved closer to the rail. She stood staring back at her mates and felt a deep yearning. She wanted to go to them and hold them. She wanted them to hold her and make her feel safe once more, but she couldn’t.

She wasn’t about to force the members of their pride to put up with her when it was obvious they hated her. She’d never felt the mating bond, so maybe the pride was right that she didn’t belong.

“Keeley, are you well?” Liam asked.

She gave a slight nod of her head because she didn’t think she could have spoken at that moment. Her breathing was choppy, and her chest and throat were so tight with a huge lump of emotion that she couldn’t get enough oxygen.

“Keeley, we are sorry for the treatment you have received from our people. We didn’t know what was happening. We have only just learned of the rumors that vicious she-bitch spread about you and have corrected the situation,” Lucius explained.

“What rumors?” she asked and cursed the fact she heard her voice waver.

“You didn’t even know?” Bradford asked.

She shook her head again and waited for one of her mates to explain what they were talking about. Liam’s voice drew her attention back to him.

“Sweetness, we are so sorry for what you have been through. I am even sorrier that we didn’t know what was happening.”

“Baby, that bitch told everyone you had tried to kill us and that she had to step in to defend us,” Bradford informed.

Keeley was stupefied by that statement, and then she began to laugh. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard, but what was worse was that the pride members had believed that woman’s lies. She laughed so hard she was bent over at the waist clutching her stomach. She had tears streaming over her cheeks, and then, to her dismay, her laughter turned into great gut-wrenching sobs. Her knees buckled. She was oblivious to her surroundings as she cried out all her pain. She was vaguely aware of Ben trying to comfort her, but then he backed off when she didn’t respond to his overtures.

All of a sudden she was surrounded by heat and comfort. She was wrapped in Liam’s arms and pulled onto his lap. Lucius and Bradford were stroking her arms and back. The storm of emotion wound down and finally passed, until she was left breathless and the occasional hiccup wracked her body. She looked up into the concerned, anxious faces of her mates and wondered how they had gotten up onto the balcony with her. She looked down at the ground and then back up to her mates.

“We are shifters, baby, we have abilities humans don’t,” Bradford stated.

“Where’s Ben?” she asked as she looked around her mates.

“He left us with you when you didn’t protest our presence,” Liam replied.

“Keeley, we are so sorry. Will you please come back home with us? We need you by our sides. We can’t be without you, honey,” Lucius avowed.

“They will never accept me. I can’t live where I am not wanted,” she sobbed.

“You are wanted, baby. They just didn’t know the truth. We have corrected the lies told about you. All the warriors and the pride people are very ashamed that they were taken in by that she-bitch’s lies. They know they were wrong. They know you wouldn’t have tried to kill us and even if you had you wouldn’t have been able to,” Bradford stated.

“But they will be accepting me on your say-so, not on who I am. They don’t know me and yet they wanted to believe the worst of me. I have spent most of my time in your bedroom healing. What makes you believe they won’t do this again at the first sign of trouble?”

“Keeley, please come home. We will deal with situations as they come up. Please, just give us and our people another chance,” Liam pleaded.

“Like they gave me?” she asked angrily. She pushed away from Liam. Keeley rose to her feet and began to pace. “They didn’t trust me and they don’t trust you. How can I live there and not be under their suspicions again and again?”

“Honey, please calm down. You’re going to make yourself ill. Our people do trust us and they will trust you. They’ve hardly seen you and they don’t know you like we do. I think they were going by instinct when Louisa spread those rumors. They just wanted to protect us. They will learn to love you the way we do. Just give them time to get to know you. You are such a sweet, loving person, Keeley. Please, will you forgive us and come back home where you belong?” Lucius begged.

Keeley stopped pacing and turned to look at her mates. The thought of never being in their arms again, of never experiencing their loving touch and not having them by her sides, was too much to bear. She wanted to love them freely, she wanted to have their children and grow old with them. She would go back with them but she was going to ask for time to see if what they said was true. Lucius had said they loved her, but she knew the pride didn’t. Their actions spoke louder than any words. She looked at her mates and said, “Okay.” She would go back with them, and if things didn’t change she would try to find her way home.

She saw the gleam of satisfaction in their eyes and hoped like hell she had done the right thing.

Chapter Thirteen

Keeley felt her tension increasing the closer they got to the pride home. Her mates had taken turns carrying her, and she was currently in Bradford’s arms. Her muscles wound tighter and tighter, until she was afraid she would snap.

“Put me down. I want to walk into that house under my own steam,” she whispered.

“You have nothing to be afraid of, baby. No one will harm you,” Bradford informed.

“Actions speak louder than words, Bradford. The past results speak for themselves,” she muttered and was grateful when her feet touched the ground. She looked up at Liam and Lucius as they moved to her sides and Bradford moved behind her. She felt some of the tension leave her body and began to walk toward the house. She could just see the roof peeking out in between the large trees. She held her head high, jutted her chin forward, and pushed her shoulders back. There was no way she was going to cower in the presence of the pride members.

Keeley hesitated slightly when she saw the front steps lined on either side with warriors. She wondered how they knew she had been on her way home. As she walked up the steps, each warrior knelt down and placed one arm across his chest in supplication to her and her mates. She wondered if this had been arranged for her benefit. She gave a snort and ignored them as she entered the house. She nearly stumbled when she saw the hallways were lined on either side with more warriors, and as she passed they each knelt and saluted her in their warrior way.

She nearly laughed when her stomach growled. It seemed like forever since she had last eaten. She’d only had enough time to bathe, brush her hair, and dress, but she did get time to thank April and her mates for the hospitality, and to peek in on Olivia and her mates, as well as see newly born, baby Ryan. She had rushed out the front door, hoping her men hadn’t cause any trouble while they waited for her.

Now she led the way to the dining chamber and took a seat at the head table. The warriors had followed behind and were now streaming in through the double doors. There wasn’t a noise from amongst them.

Keeley took a seat, and her mates sat down beside her. Liam was to her right, and Bradford was to her left. Lucius surprised the hell out of her by pulling her chair back, lifting her up, and taking her seat for himself. She was about to move off in a pique, but he stopped her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I need to feel you in my arms,” Lucius replied.

“I can’t eat like this,” she stated.

“Yes, you can. I’ll help you.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Yes,” Lucius replied with a grin and then began to fill the plate in front of him from the platters which had just been placed on the table. When he had the plate piled high, he picked up a utensil, retrieved some food, and guided it to her mouth. Keeley sighed and leaned back against his chest and shoulder. She let him feed her.

She was aware of the eyes on her, and when she looked up and glared at the pride, they would smile and nod at her. She didn’t smile back. By the time the meal was over she was too tired to care what they thought of her. She’d been on an emotional roller coaster since the night before, and that was more exhausting than actual physical work. She shook her head when Lucius tried to feed her more food and covered her mouth when a yawn crept out. She snuggled into Lucius and laid her head back on his shoulder. Her eyelids were too heavy to keep open, so she didn’t even bother to try. She drifted into sleep moments later.

* * * *

Lucius felt Keeley’s body relax against his, and then he heard her breathing change. His precious mate was asleep. He cuddled her tighter into his body and looked down at her beautiful face. He was so happy to have her back in their home, but he knew they still had a long way to go to get her trust back as well as earn her love. He had been watching their pride members intently to make sure they behaved with the appropriate respect his mate deserved. He’d had to bite his tongue so he wouldn’t burst into laughter when he caught Keeley glaring at their warriors, but was glad his men had just smiled and nodded to her.

Lucius loved Keeley with his whole heart and knew their people would love her just as much. Who wouldn’t! She was such a gentle, even-tempered woman, and even though she’d been maligned and attacked she hadn’t said one bad word about anyone. She sighed, and he smiled as she snuggled into his shoulder. He wanted to go on holding her for the rest of his life, but knew he was going to have to relinquish her from his arms and put her to bed. He wanted his mate to get a good night’s sleep, and maybe tomorrow she would be willing to bear their touch. He needed to strip her down and bury his aching cock into her tight, wet heat, but he also craved her to desire him back. Maybe the new dawn would bring a brighter day for all of them.

Lucius rose to his feet and pushed the chair back with his foot. He saw his brother and Bradford rise as well. He headed out the door and down the hallway and waited for Liam or Bradford to open their bedroom door. He hadn’t wanted to risk jostling his mate and waking her.

He strode over to the bed and gently placed her on the mattress. He began to remove Keeley’s clothes with Liam’s help, and then he picked her up again while Bradford pulled the covers back. He put Keeley back onto the bed and covered her naked body. He stripped out of his clothes and climbed in behind her. Bradford disrobed and got into bed on their mate’s other side. He looked up to see Liam getting into bed at the end.

Lucius pulled her back against his front and kept his arms around her waist. Bradford had his back to their mate and inched his way back until she was sandwiched between them. Lucius knew Liam would touch Keeley in some way as well.

He closed his eyes and let his body relax for the first time since their mate had disappeared. She was back where she was supposed to be, with him, his brother, and Bradford. Now all they had to do was make Keeley believe they loved her and wanted her to stay by their side.