Forrest, Dawn - Alphas' Prize [WeresRus] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (15 page)

If any bastard werewolf was holding her daughter against her will, she would slaughter the son of a bitch. He wouldn’t live to regret it. Her beast began to rise, and as claws extended from her fingers she found it hard to hold and re-check her special clips of silver-nitrate bullets. She’d had them specially made and fully intended to pump them into any werewolf stupid enough to come between her and Jo. The bullets were designed to shatter on impact, and the liquid silver would enter the bloodstream and have a much greater impact than solid silver bullets. A mother’s righteous rage burned hot, vanquishing the cold misery that had seized her. Yes, like a demon of retribution, she would see them all in hell.

She made a conscious effort to retract her claws and slapped home a cartridge of regular bullets into her gun. It was time for a little target practice. She went outside and with renewed energy and purpose she squeezed off round after round. Each projectile thudded with precision into the paper. She resolved that she wouldn’t wait. Regardless of the coming full moon, if she didn’t hear from Jo within the next twelve hours, then she was taking the fight to the Packs. For too long she had acted against her nature and taken on the role of prey, but Katherine Akara knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was a predator.

Chapter 9

Jo awoke slowly with the delicious scent and warmth of her mates permeating her body. It was both arousing and comforting. She lay on her side with Vlad behind and Yuri facing her and their bodies touching in several places. Her head rested on Vlad’s big bicep, and he gently stroked her hip and butt. Yuri had one hand entwined with hers while the other absently played with her nipples. The palm of her hand rested against his firm chest. His eyes never left her face, and he watched her intently, as if he didn’t want to miss a thing. She gave him an unpracticed slow, sexy smile and knew that the delight she was feeling must surely be showcased in her eyes for him to see. His lips moved only a fraction—a veritable Cheshire-cat grin for him—but his eyes shone with mirth and satisfaction, and her heart danced an erratic flamenco, thumping in her chest. The romance of the moment was interrupted when her stomach grumbled loudly, announcing her hunger.

Vlad chuckled behind her and shifted so that he kissed her neck and his warm breath teased her ear.

“We have hunger and must eat,” he murmured between kisses.

“Mmmm,” she agreed. She was hungry all right and not just for food.

“What would you like to eat?” Yuri asked.

Beef, lots of male beef.
She almost giggled, but she did have a hankering for a juicy, rare steak and suggested that, with a side salad and fries.

“I order from main house,” Yuri announced as he jumped off the bed with a swiftness and grace of movement that she had never seen before.

She was unfamiliar with male werewolves and their capabilities, but she understood with certainty that the twins were formidable and possibly physically outclassed her. That was something no man she’d ever known could do, and it emphasized the fact that they were something else entirely beyond her meager experience and knowledge. She would have to start learning fast, in fact they all would, because she knew they had never met a woman like her either.

Yuri first checked the contents of the small fridge in the kitchen. With a pleased sigh he liberated a bottle of vodka, a six-pack of Cokes, and a large bar of dark chocolate. There was also some bread, crackers, cheese, and a variety of fruits, altogether the makings of a hearty snack. He then picked up the phone and ordered six large rare steaks, one salad, roasted vegetables, and fries. She smiled, thinking that it was great to be around people with a similar high metabolic rate and appetite. When he had finished the food order he asked for it to be delivered by a female or mated male. She had the feeling that any unmated male would end up on the menu.

Yuri moved back to the kitchen and busied himself cutting bread and piling goodies onto a tray. She sat up with her legs curled underneath her and watched him move. He was a splendid specimen of male beauty, completely nude and unselfconscious. He didn’t look naked or vulnerable with all that solid muscle and free, long, straight white hair that ended at his waist. His skin was all over the same translucent white as his muscular, taut ass, with no blemishes except for the odd scar. He looked every inch the mythical warrior that he actually was, though maybe more vampire than werewolf. She licked her lips and heard Vlad chortle.

“You are liking what you see, Joanna? He has a very good body, does he not?”

“Mmm, yes.” Then she understood his joke and with a sardonic drawl added, “and so says his identical twin.”

“But I am thinking that my cock is bigger than my brother’s.” His smug expression made her laugh. “Do not be accepting my word, you must be making careful examination and comparison.” He nodded thoughtfully.

 
She cocked her head and gave a mock frown, liking this playful side of him.

“You know, they say that self praise is no praise.”

“I care not what
they
say, only what you say.” He took her hand and held it to his heart.

She was sure that he didn’t need any reassurance about their good looks, but somehow she understood that he needed to hear from her that she found him attractive.

“Vlad, you and Yuri are”—she waved her free hand at them as if conjuring up the right word—“magnificent.”

He smiled with what looked a lot like deep satisfaction and a smidgeon of arrogance and inclined his head, gracefully accepting her praise.

“And you, my mate, are very beautiful. You are my life’s longing and heart’s desire made real.”

Wow, a charmer.
But
she knew he meant it.
Oh hell, I’ll never live up to what they are expecting.
She couldn’t help but imagine a tall pedestal with her on top crashing to the ground. It suddenly hit her that they knew next to nothing about her, and she knew even less about them.

Vlad somehow sensed her unease. “We have much time to learn of each other.”

He wasn’t kidding, because it could be hundreds of years. His large, warm hands gently stroked her hair. Both men liked physical contact, and she realized with surprise that she welcomed their touch.

“I am twenty-three years old. How old are you?”

The actual number wasn’t so important, rather what those years represented in terms of their life experiences. Vlad’s hand stopped midstroke.

“You are very young, but it matters not. We were born in Russia in 1888.”

“Wow.” For a few seconds she didn’t know what to say. Her mates were much older and more experienced than she was. They’d lived through the deposition of the Tsar, the Russian revolution, the creation of the Soviet Union, and then its dissolution in 1991. She thought of the ancient Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” They had certainly done that. She suddenly felt gauche, unsophisticated, and immature.

Vlad took her hand. “We will make many new experiences together.”

Jo appreciated his attempt to make her feel more comfortable.

“Yes, we will.” She smiled at him. “I couldn’t help thinking of all the changes that you have lived through.”

“
Da.
We survived because we stayed in a remote, harsh environment, and our Pack is strong. Now that Russia has market-based economy, we buy back our land, and our Pack is living very well. Our land has many natural resources.”

Harsh environment?
That didn’t sound inviting
.

“Where exactly do you live?”

“Siberia, near—”

“Siberia!” She’d thought that it was just their Pack name taken from the Siberian wolf or something, not where they actually lived.

All she knew about Siberia was that it was cold and bleak. It was a large area within which the Soviet Gulag had deported and exiled many people to live, work, and often die in forced-labor camps. It wasn’t on her list of holiday destinations, and it sure as hell wasn’t where she wanted to live.

“It is very much beautiful,” Vlad said as if sensing her distress.

Yeah, in a stark, freeze-your-butt-off kind of way.

“It’s very much far away,” she mumbled, aware that she was falling in with their pattern of speech.

Now that some of the sexual pressure had been released and the mating fever had eased a little, she could think more clearly. She had two Siberian mates, they were Pack Alphas, so presumably they would have to return to Russia, or more specifically Siberia. Where did that leave her? Probably suffering from cold extremities.
I can’t even speak Russian.
Yet the thought of being separated from them didn’t sit right either, and her beast fretted and paced at the very notion. Her human side began to worry about the logistics.

Yuri strode out of the kitchen area with a tray of snacks and drinks. She grabbed a glass of straight vodka, and, forgoing any cola, she slugged it down. It was like fire in her throat and heated her belly. She stifled a cough. Her metabolism would burn through the alcohol quickly, but it might help to avert the panic that she felt rising within her.

“Ha, see, like Russian already,” Yuri said.

“What is to worry for, my Joanna?” asked Vlad.

“My mom.” It was the truth, just not all of it.

“Why not call her? Use my phone.” Yuri put the tray on the bed and bent over to retrieve his phone from his pants.
It might be worth going to Siberia to see that fine ass and impressive set of balls every day.
With only very recent firsthand knowledge of such matters, she briefly wondered how they fit between his thighs without getting uncomfortably squashed but then snapped her attention back to the conversation.

“Can I trust you not to speak about my mom to anyone?”

They nodded.

“I’m serious, guys. If I don’t have your support to help my mom, then our relationship is going to get very difficult.”

Yuri bristled. “We are with honor. We give our word.”

She nodded and accepted his phone with his declaration. First she accessed her emergency e-mail account and with utter relief saw her Mom’s short message. It meant she was alive and well and sticking to their plan. Then she called her mom’s phone but was diverted straight to voice mail. She left a brief message saying that she was well, unharmed, and would be addressing the Council tomorrow. She mentioned that Ashok Khan had been picked up alive but was no longer a threat at this time. She did not say anything about finding her mates, which, judging from the straight, tight line of Vlad’s mouth, did not go over well with him. Yuri’ s poker face was expressionless, but she could feel his disappointment.

“You are not happy and being proud for our mating?” he asked when she finished the call.

She sighed heavily, and her shoulders slumped. How could she explain something that she didn’t totally understand?

“On an instinctive level I know that you are…right for me, that I am yours and you are mine.” She noted a flicker of emotion, surprise, and happiness in his eyes when she declared that they also belonged to her. “I guess that any female would feel honored to be your mate. I feel safe, sexy, complete, and dare I say it…content, with you near. The thought of you not being near fills me with an irrational dread.” She snorted. “I’ve been independent nearly all of my short life, yet I get palpitations at the mere thought of being parted from you. It’s hard to believe.”

“What is this ‘palpitations’?” Vlad asked.

“When your heart beats irregularly and there’s a fluttering in your chest.”

“Yes, I am knowing this feeling. I experienced it for the first time a few hours ago when I could not get to you. When I was shot.” He sounded a bit pissed as he snarled that last part but then smiled at her. “We feel same way, but are not being confused by it. We are waiting many years for you. You are our hope for our future and our life now, and we are being very happy about it. We have honor to be your mates, and we will protect you always.”

Mmm, but who will protect me from you?
She began to wonder how much independence her mates would allow.

“Well you see, I only ‘became’ last month, and I haven’t had a lot of time to really get used to the idea of turning furry. I mean, my mom and I guessed I might because all the physical indicators pointed that way, but we kind of lived in hope that I wouldn’t be a werewolf.”

“What you are is rare, precious, and to be revered and cherished, not hunted and used. I am sorry for what your mother has experienced,” Yuri said, frowning when he saw that she deleted the last call and connection information from his phone, indicating that she didn’t totally trust them.

“I do not want to leave my mom if she is vulnerable and alone. I can’t abandon her.” She handed his phone back to him.

“You are loyal. That is very good thing. We will help.” He stroked her shoulder and neck. “We offer sanctuary, but it would be much more easy if she was finding her mate quickly.”

Jo bit her bottom lip. She couldn’t ask for more than that, but it was unlikely her mom would go to Siberia. Jo wondered how often she would be able to come home and visit friends. Home, where exactly was home now? When she thought about it she’d already said good-bye to the few good friends she had, because once she had “become” she’d had to abandon a normal, settled life. Even if she didn’t have mates she wouldn’t be able to keep up with her friends and could only see Lynne infrequently and irregularly. Only with Yuri and Vlad could she possibly have a stable home. They were not taking anything from her that she hadn’t already lost. They were her saviors, giving her the possibility of a happy, settled life. Still, did it have to be in Siberia?