Jungle Freakn' Bride (25 page)

A dose of her own medicine.
How pleasurable.
His cat purred.

Leaving behind two men who’d gotten their big
‘
O
’
s cut short
– and feeling a little guilty about it
–
Carlie
found her way back to the main group
,
Acat and Chaob
not far behind her.

As she strolled alongside the warrior toting her sister, her wanna-be husbands thought to lecture her.
“You will not tell her we are shape
-
shifters or speak of it unless she undergoes the ritual.”

“She is not undergo
ing
the ritual.”
On this
,
Carlie just wouldn’t budge.

“It’s too late for that. The
males
already accepted the challenge. Fear not, the outsiders are strong. They might prevail.”

Judging by the bruises marring the returning party,
and Acat’s previous colorful black eye,
Carlie judged they’d do better than that.
Hopefully, they didn’t believe in a forced forever
-
after l
ike her pair and would bring Ruth home safe and sound
,
i
f a little more worldly than before.

“Why does she have to stay drugged?”
She cast worried glances at her sister, who snored softly in the arms of the guy who carried her.

“Only tribe members may know the location
of our village
.
”

“I wasn’t a tribe member and you let me see.”

Acat turned a smug smile her way. “As my bride, I knew it was only a matter of days before I claimed you.
”

“Cocky.”

“Sel
f-
assured.”

“
What are you going with?” she queried Chaob who strode alongside her.

“Undefeated.” He shrugged as she laughed. “What can I say
?
That is one tradition we did flout.
Once we found you, no way were we letting you go to someone else.”

Damn him for making such a caveman claim sound so bloody attractive.
She stomped off ahead of him only to realize she should have dropped back because his words also stirred her simmering arousal
.
S
he should have moved downwind so the jerk wouldn’t have chuckled when he smelled it.

In her ultimatum, and revenge, Carlie forgot a few things. One, if she wouldn’t give in to sex to punish them, then she also punished herself. Two, they’d proven themselves masters before at resisting her charms.
How many nights did they sleep beside her, hard
-
ons against her ass, without going any further?
J
ust another reason to hate them.

While she suffered hot flashes, neither of
her
supposed mates
attempted to touch her. Or kiss her. Other than sleep with her between them, neither
of
the jerks
did a thing at all.
Sure, she could have blamed it on the fact they traveled with others
,
t
hat they respected her wishes
to keep their hands – and dicks – to themselves
.
I think they’re trying to punish me.
Ha. Let them try. She didn’t need sex.

Tell that to her raging hormones that just wanted one or both to slam her up against a tree and screw her until she saw stars.

How she hated the effect they had on her.
Hated
,
yet craved it.
Carlie wasn’t a choi
r
-
girl when it came to sex. Far from it. She’d enjoyed her share of sexcapades from committed to casual to somewhat kinky. But none of it compared to the inferno and satisfaction she found in Acat
and
Chaob’s arms. Alone they
made her melt. Together
?
They m
elt
ed
her in
to
a puddle of goo
.
S
he wanted to
slap
herself for the ultimatum she gave them.
She should have threatened them with something other than no sex, because damn it all, she ended up
tortur
ing herself worse than them. Or so it seemed.

Were they truly as cold and uncaring as they wanted to appear?
When they stopped to rest for the night, s
he waited until Chaob went on watch to find out.
Rolling over, she flung an arm and leg over Acat. He instantly went rigid
,
b
ut he didn’t move away.
She snuggled closer and nibbled
the edge of
his bristled jaw.

“What are you doing, datura?”
he rumbled.

“What does datura mean?”
she asked instead of replying.

“
Flower. It is usually a term to indicate your delicate nature, but I wonder at times if perhaps we should have chosen something else.”

She laughed against his cheek as her fingers stroked the firm ridges of his chest. “
Perhaps you should add prickly before it.”

He caught her fingers and brought them to his lips. “Prickly? No. Stubborn…” He nipped
her
digit before sucking it into his mouth. Her breath caught.

“It’s not stubborn to stand up for your rights,” she managed to say as she fought not to imagine those lips elsewhere
,
nibbling.

“
It is when it goes against everything I believe in. Everything I was taught.”

“
Then let me go and find you
rself
a docile girl to marry.”
Never.
For some reason
,
she hated her own suggestion
.
Je
alousy r
ose
inside her at the mere thought of him looking at another
woman
.

“I don’t want another.
You’re mine.”

His firm possessive claim should have annoyed her. Instead
,
she purred and rubbed against him.
Yes, mark him.
“If I’m yours, then why haven’t you tended me?” Surely she didn’t say that out loud?

He chuckled. Crap, she
had
.
“You were the one who forbade us from using sex
to tame you
.
Have you changed your mind?”

“No.”
Yes!

As if sensing her inner battle, he made it even harder to think. “What if I told you that once we get to the village, I will let you stay with
your
sister in the bridal hut while the battle is conducted
?
But
only
so long as you don’t reveal our secrets. Chances are
,
your sister will leave with the men who came with her. They are decent warriors and laid first claim.”

“Why not just let her leave with them period?”

“
I can only do so much.
And this is more than I should even allow. Brides are not supposed to speak to anyone
from the tribe
.”

“I know.” Her dry reply saw him brushing a hand down the side of her face. She turned into it, letting his palm cradle her cheek.
“Did you even care I was freaking?”

“Very
much
.” His thumb brushed her lower lip. “
It is not easy to see someone you admire and want to cherish worry. But at the same time, I admired you for the strength you displayed. You didn’t give up. Your spirit never lagged. You’re a fighter.”

“If you know that and like it
,
then why do you keep trying to change me?”

“
I don’t mean to change
you
, but I do have a responsibility to my people. You, with your modern demands and unwillingness to listen, make things difficult.
”

“For you?”

“For everyone who trusts me. I know what we ask is not easy. You are giving up everything you know for something entirely new.”

“Understatement,” she interjected.
“And again, there you go assuming I’m not going back.”

“Are you?”

“I’d say that’s my choice.”

So quickly did he move, she couldn’t even squeak before she found herself rolled to her back, his large bod
y
atop hers, his lips so close his words
vibrated
against her mouth.

“You. Are. Mine. I’ve claimed you, Carlie.
We are bound. You will go where I say. When I say. Or I will find you. And when I do…”

Despite the quiet threat, Carlie didn’t fear. Acat wouldn’t hurt her. Not physically.
Try to dominate, yes. Use his body to lull her and seduce her into getting his way
?
Oh
,
deliciously yes. But, Carlie never did like taking orders.

“
Fuck you, Acat,” she whispered back, hearing him suck in a breath at her harsh language. “
I’ll do what I want
w
hen I want
.”

“Then you will face the consequences,” he growled before taking her mouth
.

About freakn’ time.

Unfortunately, the torrid kiss and press of his hips against her core were all she got to enjoy.
With a snarl, he sprang from their nest for the night and stalked away, but not too far.
His scent always stayed within reach, his and Chaob’s, watching over her.

Despite the fact they butted heads, she fell asleep with a smile.

Carlie really tried to hold on to her anger at her abductors
-
slash
-
husbands. After all, they forced her to travel with her drugged sister
, claiming it was better for her as she wouldn’t panic and they’d make better time.
As for the two
guys they
kept tied and blindfolded
,
Acat had this to say
:

“The sleeping
powder
doesn’t
affect
them
. They’re shifters and their metabolism is strong enough to nullify its effect
almost
immediately.”

“It worked on me,” she grumbled.

“It used to. I doubt it will anymore.”

For some reason
,
that perked her right up. It was also j
ust one of many
shape
-
shifters facts
they taught her as they traveled.

“
So, when I’m a jaguar,” she asked during a question and answer period
she initiated
. “I hunt things
,
a
nd eat them. Are those things still like in my stomach when I change back? If I yak, would it come out?”

Acat didn’t deign to reply, h
is disdain clear for
questions
he thought of as
frivolous. Chaob, a shadow of a smirk in his lips,
never had a problem
answer
ing
. “Yes. Things you ingest remain the same. So, try and not puke. Raw meat is really not pleasant when it comes back up.
But it’s the hairballs from licking your s
ac
that really suck the most.
”

As she turned green and fought not to heave, he chortled, pleased with himself.

“
Stop teasing her,” Acat growled.
“It is bad enough she treats her
jaguar
with such levity without you adding to the problem.”

“Oh ho, talking
to me
again
,
are we
?
” she sassed.

“
Ask some serious questions and I’ll reply.
”

She blew him a raspberry.
“
Lighten up, Mr. Kitty.”

“I thought we’d ascertained my name was Acat.”

“Only when you’re not acting like an asshat. Excuse me if I’m not properly cowed by the awesome gift you bestowed upon me.” She rolled her eyes. “
Get over yourself.
I have questions, and frivolous or not, I want answers. If you don’t like my attitude, too bad. Laughter and joking
is how I deal with
a lot of
stuff.
I also like to toss in a
little bit of sarcasm
from time to time
. I would have thought you’d like it better than sobbing or screaming.”