Katie's Mates (3 page)

“Go to my office, Ryan. I’ll be there in a minute.” After a minute Nathan continued. “That was mean, Katie. Trust me when I say that he is the nice one. I’m going to lock you in the guest room, and I’ll bring you something to eat after we have a quick chat about what we’re gonna do with you.” She heard the door open and saw the carpet color change. She knew they had arrived. He walked farther into the room, and before she knew what was happening, he tossed her off his shoulder and onto the bed. She bounced for a minute, trying to get her bearings as the blood rushed from her head. When she opened her eyes, the door was closed. She heard a click of the lock.

Chapter 2

Nathan leaned his back against the door and listened as Katie banged on it, crying. She sounded so sad, and what he really wanted to do was to go back into the room and comfort her. The whole situation had deteriorated, especially after Ethan and Lucas had joined them. Katie hadn’t even realized her reaction to seeing them.

She was angry, her words slashing out like venom when she realized that his brothers had been on a “date.” How in the hell were they going to explain that to her? She was their mate, and she caught them with another woman. He didn’t even know where to begin, first Ryan bringing her home under false pretenses, then his twin brothers with another woman, and now he had locked her in a room. This was going to get a lot worse before it got better.

Katie was sobbing behind the door, and from where he was standing, he could tell that she was sitting on the floor now. He didn’t want to leave her yet, not until she was calmer. He didn’t have to be in the same room to know what she was feeling. The animal in him could smell everything. She’d been so turned-on when he walked into the living room. Her sweet pussy had beckoned him. If only that was what he was scenting now. Instead, he could tell that she was scared, confused, frustrated, and angry. All the things he never wanted to have his mate feel. He’d been waiting for this moment for so long, had rehearsed it in his mind almost daily. He touched the door, sending her comfort the only way he could at this point.

When he heard her move away from the door, he hoped that maybe she would lie down on the bed and relax for a bit. He needed to get to the office. His three brothers should be there by now, waiting for him. They had some planning to do. He pushed off the door and headed back to his office. When he walked in, his three brothers were sitting in different places, not speaking.

“Okay. I’m not sure where to start. Ryan, how did Katie end up in our living room? Let’s start there.” Nathan thought it best to start from the beginning, that way everyone could be on the same page. There couldn’t be any confusion where Katie was concerned. They all needed to know every detail.

“I wish I wouldn’t have brought her here. She drove up to the gate, asked if I remembered her sister. She was trying to find her. Her smell…I’d never smelt anything so amazing in my life. My only thought was to bring her here, and now I wish I hadn’t. She’s so upset with me.” Ryan placed his forearms on his thighs and leaned down, putting his face in his hands. Nathan knew he was upset but only because their mate was.

“You did the right thing. Now we just need to figure out how to keep her. Of course, you two idiots bringing a woman here. Have you lost your mind? When Katie knows that you two are her mates and that another woman was here with you, she is going to freak out.” Nathan shook his head. “We only had one rule. Now, you saw her reaction. She wasn’t unaffected.”

“That can’t be held against us. We hadn’t even met her. She is gorgeous, though. I can’t wait to claim her,” Ethan said.

“I’m sure she’ll understand,” Lucas added.

“You two can’t possibly believe that? Seriously? She is totally going to freak out. Even if you hadn’t met her, you shouldn’t have had a woman in this house. This is Katie’s house. You were completely disrespectful.” Ryan’s words were harsh but true. Nathan agreed completely. When Katie knew that they were her mates, she’d probably want to burn the house down, knowing another woman had been here with her men. They belonged to her already. Maybe he should start building a new house for her.

“It wasn’t her house earlier. Yes…we made a mistake. I told Emily that it would be better if she didn’t come over again. She feels awful. She knows how serious mates are.” Ethan stood up and started pacing around the room. They all felt a little out of it. Since meeting Katie, he felt as if his skin was tight. He needed to go for a run and get rid of the nervous energy he was feeling, he needed to be at his best for their mate.

“We have to tell Adam and Brandon that she’s here. We have to say something. Otherwise, we’ll be inviting all kinds of trouble we don’t need.” Ryan had always been the rule follower in the group. Nathan wasn’t worried about trouble, though, at least not from his cousins. They weren’t allowed to take Katie from them. She was their mate, and mates were a rare thing.

“We will, not right now, soon though. First, we need to give Katie time to calm down, and then we need to spend lots of time wooing her. We will go to Adam and Brandon soon. Let’s give them time with their mate first.” He hoped that then they would catch them in a good mood and maybe they would give them more time with Katie. Although, they couldn’t take her away from them.

“Fine. Do you have a plan? You do realize that she’s going to be pissed, right?” Ryan asked. Nathan realized that both Ethan and Lucas weren’t talking. They seemed to be staying away from this particular issue. Both of them had spent years sowing their oats, mostly together, on a single woman. They were all a lot older than Katie was, as well. She looked like such a child compared to them, especially with her big doe eyes and innocent pixy face. How she managed to stay that way in today’s society was astounding. He was the oldest at forty, then Ethan and Lucas the twins at thirty-seven, and Ryan was the baby at thirty-two. They didn’t even know how old she was. He never even thought to ask.

“Did you already take her bag to the room?” Nathan asked Lucas.

“Yeah, but don’t worry though, I went through it. The only thing she had was a driver’s license and clothes. Nothing else.” Nathan knew his orders would be followed, but he had hoped for a moment that maybe he could learn more about her. “I know that look, and yes I got all her information. Her full name is Katie Ann Kaltman. She’s twenty-six and lives in Portland, Oregon.” Lucas shot him a sly grin, and Nathan nodded, giving him the unspoken version of a job well done.

“At least she’s legal. I can’t believe how young she looks. For a minute, I was nervous.” Ryan said the exact thing he was thinking. She was almost half his age. Would that turn her off? Would she find the age difference too much and deny him? The thought of the possible rejection had the beast in him snarling. It took a few deep breaths to calm down, something he was finding harder and harder to do with her being so close.

* * * *

Katie lay in the middle of the large bed, staring at the ceiling. She hadn’t removed the layers of clothing and was now feeling sweat trickling down her back. She wanted to blame Ryan, Nathan, and those other two men, but she knew this was her fault. She’d always been too naive, too trusting, and now she was paying for it. She let a virtual stranger drive her here to his house, and now she was locked in a bedroom. She didn’t even know these men. They could be killers or rapists, and she’d actually been lusting after them, wanting to beg Ryan to pull over so that she could feel his large hands rub her naked body.

She rolled to her side, feeling disgusted with herself. Her eyes felt swollen from crying, and she knew she probably looked like hell. Whenever she cried her nose turned bright red and her eyes would get so swollen she could barely see straight. It was ridiculous. She finally allowed herself a minute to look around the spacious room.

The furniture looked to be solid oak, and the walls were painted a moss green. The carpet looked like it could almost be shag. It was thick, and she knew that walking around barefoot would feel wonderful. There were also two huge windows overlooking the forest, the view spectacular.

Katie slowly rose from the bed and walked to the windows. She looked around, seeing that she could open them. She looked to see if there was a safe way to get to the bottom floor without killing herself. She needed a plan. After walking around the room multiple times, she decided to strip the bed and tie the sheets together. She remembered watching a movie once that had someone tying sheets together, tying them to the bed frame, and then going out a window. If only she could remember if they were successful or not. That would be a good piece of information to have.

By the time all the knots were tied, she was really sweating. All the layers were killing her, but she couldn’t remove them. She needed to get out the window. It seemed as though hours had passed. The sky was almost completely black, and she wondered if this really was a good idea. None of the men had come to check on her, and she knew it was only a matter of time before someone did.

Katie opened the window and pushed out the screen, taking her time, trying not to make too much noise. She made sure the knot was tied tight around her waist, pulling hard a few times, trying to get her bearings. She was scared. Her heart hammered in her chest. She needed to get out of the room, away from the house, and away from the four men keeping her prisoner. She stepped over the windowsill and tested her footing, making sure the roof wasn’t slippery. When both feet touched the roof, she crouched low, trying to keep her body balanced.

The cold air whipped at her, and the power of it was almost hard enough to send her falling off the side of the roof. She wasn’t sure she had the courage to go through with this experiment. She didn’t want to end up with a broken leg or, worse, dead. She gave herself a quick pep talk, took a deep breath, and started moving along the roof, looking for the best place to climb down. There didn’t seem to be a place that she could jump down without getting hurt.

Katie steeled herself against the inevitable. She was going to get hurt, but it would be worth it to leave. She hoped. She moved down the deep slant of the roof, making her way toward the edge, one small step at a time. She looked down at the hard ground that awaited her and realized that she was higher than she originally thought.

“Stop! Don’t move, Katie. You’re gonna get yourself killed.” Nathan’s voice broke through her thoughts, and he made her feel powerful. She jumped without a second thought. She could hear Nathan yelling as she fell closer to the ground. “Go outside! She jumped!” His voice was frantic, and she could hear it laced with worry. When she hit the ground, Katie tried to untie the knots she’d tied. Her heart was pounding, and she could feel the blood racing through her system. She needed to move faster. Time was running out. When the last of the knots were free, she started running toward the forest, wanting to hide in the trees.

She had always been athletic and knew she could run for hours if she needed to, but for some reason her legs weren’t moving as fast as they should be. She felt weak, and she knew something had to be wrong although she wasn’t feeling any pain. She moved closer to the trees and away from the house. She could hear footsteps and voices approaching, but she never took her eye off the prize, never looked back once.

A white streak caught her eye, and Katie turned her head. What she saw had her screaming and scrambling back. A huge, eight-foot polar bear stood to her right on his hind legs, growling at her, moving in her direction. Different thoughts flashed in her mind. She didn’t know if she should run or play dead. As the bear moved toward her, Katie dropped to the ground and rolled into a ball, the decision made. She couldn’t run. She was panting, and her muscles protested as she moved her body tighter on the ground. She heard heavy breathing and she closed her eyes tight, willing herself not to move.

Katie felt something touch her bottom, and her eyes shot open. She didn’t want to move, afraid that the bear might attack her. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she was shaking, not just from the cold but also from the situation. She stayed firmly planted in place as the bear moved around her, circling her. The only reason she knew he was moving around her was that the bear’s large body brushed against her. He stopped next to her and rubbed his body against hers. His actions were confusing, unless that was how bears played with their prey. He used his big paw, rolling her over, and she laid there unmoving, staring at him.

She couldn’t take her eyes from him. His huge teeth gleamed, and his face looked fierce, a complete predator, and she was his victim. She went from one bad situation to another, and she had nobody to blame but herself. She had come all this way to see her sister, and now she was going to die and nobody knew where she was. Her last words to her sister were angry, and she didn’t get the chance to kiss her mom good-bye. Katie’s vision blurred as tears welled in her eyes and leaked out.

The bear didn’t move. He cocked his head to the side and watched her. She stopped crying and feeling sorry for herself and used a different tactic. “Nice bear. You’re a nice bear. You don’t want to eat me. I taste terrible.” The bear growled low, and she kept talking. “Please, please, please, don’t eat me.” The bear moved back a little, watching her closely. She could hear voices moving in and turned to see Nathan. She’d never been so happy to see anyone before.

“Are you okay, Katie? Are you hurt?” Nathan’s voice was the sweetest thing she heard.