Page 20 of Marked By Feral Monsters
And that's what does it. I suck in a shaky inhale and nod to Mara.
"I'll put them in the second Earth room. I'll bring them in through the back. If you change your mind, let one of the trolls know." Then she squeezes my arm and heads outside to talk to the wolves.
My wolves?
It's just the three of us. "What now?" I ask.
"Now, you let five werewolves have their way with you."
My cheeks burn. I'm getting used to talking so freely about sex with these two. With complete strangers as well. But it's always been about their sex lives. Not mine.
"So, I go from having no sex to sex with five complete strangers? Werewolves, at that?"
"Yes," they both say simultaneously.
I laugh. "That's just—that just seems—"
"You're doing it again, Lil. You're hiding in your box. You already saw half their junk, right?"
Right.
These five were the ones… is that why it felt so intense in the lower deck? Because I was their supposed, fated mate? Flashes of that night, working them over, two of them, anyway. It was… more than fun. It more than turned me on. It flipped me upside down. So much so that I had to leave work when I felt like the other three rejected me. I say this to Braden and Keely, and they wave off my concern.
"So go ask them why they left. I have a pretty good guess, but I think it would be better to hear it from them. Besides, it will give you something to talk about before they all start fucking you into oblivion."
Heat spikes inside me, a sharp spring coiled tight, twisting with need between my legs. I try to brush it off and stay focused, but it curls tighter the harder I try to ignore it. "But what about—" I point at the door, toward the bar out front. I'm still clocked in. It's a pathetic excuse, though, and truly, I'm getting excited—though nervous might be more accurate. Five werewolves who want to be with me? Get to know me?
Could it really be so bad?
I'm relieved when Braden and Keely both say they'll help Eli tonight.
The werewolves must be in the room by now. I picture them two nights ago, with their legs dangling. How strange it was. How fun. How I felt, looking at them, the rush of need between my legs, the confusion at my sudden attraction to complete strangers, wondering if it was normal to react that way.
The nosedive my emotions took the moment I returned to that empty room, left the club and headed home.
"This can't all just be about sex." I mutter, more to myself, but Keely responds.
"It's not. None of this is," she waves toward the club. Toward the monsters. "It's about belonging. Safety, support, love. If you took away all the stigma, all the expectations, and just went with your gut, with how you feel, what would you do?"
I think on it for about five whole seconds.
Keely squeals with delight when I leave the break room. My steps are measured at first. But then I'm practically running toward them. In my gut, I know exactly how I feel.
It's like something has clicked into place inside me. I rush because I can't get there fast enough.
I dodge busy tables, and nod to the troll by the hallway that leads to the private rooms. And I find the one I'm looking for, take a deep breath, then turn the knob.
Knox
The door clicks open. We knew she was on her way, we could scent her getting closer. But we also knew, even if she wasn't a were, she would come. She belongs to us. We belong to her.
I stare at the door as it cautiously opens. In steps Lily, our beloved new mate. Her hair is long and messy, artfully so. Her thighs are thick, showing off in her short skirt, and she's tall for a human woman. Excitement grows deep inside me. I picture her in our home, waking in my bed. Cooking together. Playing games. Watching movies. Going on trips.
I picture our life together. It all unfurls, rapid fire, like our future is unfolding, and it's all decided, it's all fated, because she said yes and she's standing here now.
She's still cautious. Her shoulders pull back, and she blurts, "Why did you leave?"
None of us knows how to answer that. And so we don't. But it's hard to miss the insecurity, the way her voice shakes. It's West who finally answers, taking a step toward her.
