Alaskan Sabears 1: No Contest [Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting] Page 13

  “Jenny thinks you hung the moon and stars and that was before you even came to visit Tammy,” Hodge said.

  “Really?” Celeste asked.

  “Really, baby.” Tarik kissed her again, this time wasn’t soft but passionate with lots of tongue. By the time he lifted his head, she was panting and wishing she didn’t have to get her ass moving. Tarik released her lips and then rolled from the bed before turning back toward her and offered her his hand. She took it and he helped her to her feet. Tarik wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up against his big, warm, hard body.

  “You’d better shower by yourself this morning, mate, otherwise we may not make it to one of Mom’s stealth meals.”

  “That would be bad,” Hodge said, as he came up behind her. “You never ever want to piss Jenny off.”

  “Why?” Celeste asked, although she’d already guessed that Jenny’s temper would match her fiery red hair.

  “She might not be very big,” Tarik said grinning, “but my mom’s temper would rival Mt. Vesuvius in full eruption.”

  Celeste smiled, stood up on tiptoes and patted Tarik’s face. “You’re so cute. I can’t believe a big guy like you would be scared of his mommy.”

  “I’m not scared of my mother.” Tarik scowled.

  “I am,” Hodge sniggered, before slapping Celeste on the butt and walking toward the door.

  Celeste giggled, went up on tip toes as Tarik leaned down and kissed him on the lips. She drew from his hold and then hurried toward the bathroom. She turned to look back over her shoulder when she heard her phone buzzing on the top of the dresser.

  Apprehension raced up her spine but instead of going to her phone she stepped into the bathroom and hoped that her stalker wasn’t sending her another message. A knot of dread formed in her heart and no matter how hard she tried to push it out, it wouldn’t budge.

  Celeste built up a wall in her mind and around her heart, hoping that Tarik and Hodge couldn’t feel how scared she was.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tarik knew something was bothering his mate as soon as Celeste walked down the hall where he and Hodge were waiting for her. Her face was so pale she looked as if she was about to pass out.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” Tarik asked.

  She shook her head. “Nothing.”

  He frowned at her and decided to wait her out because her answer had been a lie. She inhaled deeply and then started speaking again. “I’m just nervous about meeting everyone all together. I’ve met them all in small groups, but having so many people in one place is a little disconcerting. Especially when nearly all of you are tall muscular shape shifters.”

  Hodge hugged her from behind and kissed her neck. “You’ll be fine, love. Everyone’s going to love you.”

  “We’ll kick their asses if they upset you,” Tarik said in a growly voice.

  “You will not,” Celeste snapped.

  “Tarik’s just yanking your chain, love.”

  “We’d better head over before Mom sends Tammy or one of the others to get us.”

  Celeste followed Tarik out the door and tried not to think of the text message her creepy stalker had sent. She needed to have all her wits about her if she was going to meet the rest of Tarik’s stealth and spend time with his parents. She had no idea why she was so nervous because normally she didn’t have a problem talking with or getting along with other people. But that text message had made her feel so dirty and scared. Although she tried not to think about it the words were permanently etched in her mind.

  Twinkle, twinkle little star, You’re the sexiest woman by far. When I have you by my side, You’ll beg me to slide inside. You’ll scream my name before you come, and then you’ll never be able to run. You’ll be mine forever more, even if you breathe no more.

  Celeste felt guilty for not telling them or showing them the text, but she was so nervous about meeting everyone she wasn’t sure she’d be able to say more than a word or two without bursting into tears. That wasn’t her and it pissed her off to feel so emotional so suddenly. She frowned over how her feelings felt as if they’d kept her on a rollercoaster. Maybe all of this had to do with mating with shifters. Had their claiming of her somehow changed her demeanor as well as her DNA? She gave a mental shrug. Whatever, it didn’t matter. She would take some time to get her emotions under control and when she was sure she wouldn’t burst out into hysterics, she’d tell Tarik and Hodge about the text. She blew out a breath as the decision settled on her shoulders and the roiling in her gut eased a little.

  “You okay, love?” Hodge asked as he slung an arm around her shoulders.

  She met his worried gaze and then glanced up and Tarik. Both of her mates were frowning at her. She blinked, bringing her mind and her focus back to the present, and noticed they were standing at the bottom of the porch steps leading to Tarik’s parents’ house. Celeste forced a smile. “I’m fine. Sorry, I was lost in thought.”

  “Celeste!” Tammy yelled as she barreled through the open front door. “Come on inside before you freeze. I know you humans don’t take to these cold temperatures as well as we can.”

  It was only then that Celeste realized she was only wearing jeans, a long sleeve shirt, a sweater, and her fur-lined boots. She’d been so distracted by the sick text she’d forgotten to grab her coat. However, she wasn’t feeling the cold as badly as she had yesterday.

  Tammy grabbed her ungloved hand and started tugging her up the steps. She paused on the top step before turning around to face her again. She raised her nose into the air and sniffed loudly. “Oh!” Tammy screamed as she jumped up and down excitedly. “You’re mated. Congratulations!”

  Tammy stepped down until she was on the same step as Celeste and hugged her. “Now we’re officially related.”

  “Uh, thanks.” Celeste hugged her friend back.

  “Tammy, let them come inside girl,” Royal, one of Tarik’s and Tammy’s dads, ordered.

  “Sorry.” Tammy raced back up the steps and inside.

  Tarik placed a hand on her lower back and nudged her forward.

  The moment she entered the house, all her anxiety fled even though the living room was full of big, tall men. They were all smiling at her and her mates.

  Weird huffing and chuffing noises echoed around the room and then all the men rose from the various chairs and sofas on which they’d been sprawled. Talon cleared his throat as he entered the room and Royal hurried to stand at his side. Tammy stood in front of Talon and Jenny shoved in between her two husbands.

  “Congratulations, Tarik, Hodge, and Celeste. May the fates bless you with long happy lives and lots of cubs.”

  “Here, here,” the others replied, and then every single person in the room went down to their knees leaving Celeste, Tarik, and Hodge standing in the middle of the room.

  “You honor us by accepting our alpha and his second as your mates. You are now the queen sow. I pledge my life to protect yours and the future of this stealth.” Royal bowed his head with his hand over his heart.

  Tears burned Celeste’s eyes as one by one, each and every man in the room made the same vow. When the last oath had been made, Celeste wiped the tears from her face. “Thank you all for your acceptance. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do or say.” She met each person’s gaze and swallowed a sob when she saw that Tammy and Jenny were also crying. “I’m new to your world and all your rules, but I will do my best to learn my way as quickly as possible. If any of you ever need anything or just need someone to talk to, seek me out.”

  Everyone smiled and nodded before they rose and then went back to whatever and wherever they had been before. She still felt a little self-conscious since she caught the other men watching her but she figured that was to be expected since she was mostly a stranger to these people.

  “Do you want a drink, sis?” Tammy asked, as she came up beside her and bumped her hip.

  “Yes please.”

  “Come into the kitchen.” Tammy walked away.

>   Celeste met first Tarik’s and then Hodge’s gazes, her eyebrow raised in query.

  “You’re amazing, baby.” Tarik cupped her cheek and kissed her on the forehead.

  “So fucking special.” Hodge nudged Tarik aside and planted a soft chaste kiss on her lips.

  Their words pushed the last bit of self-consciousness away and she hurried after Tammy. It didn’t matter if she didn’t know these people very well. They’d opened their hearts and their homes and let her walk right on in.

  Celeste was home. This was where she belonged.

  * * * *

  Hodge wanted to pick his mate up and carry her back to their home, strip her down and make love with her. She had the biggest heart and when the rest of the stealth had honored her and their mating she’d cried. He’d had to blink back a few tears of his own, too, and that hadn’t happened to him since his parents had been killed.

  However, his and Tarik’s mate needed to get to know the other members of their group and though he’d known she was nervous he had no doubts she would fit right in. He glanced at Tarik as saw his friend was looking toward the kitchen as if trying or hoping to catch a glimpse of their woman. Now that they were mated Hodge was feeling very, very possessive, but he had a feeling that if he hovered, Celeste would get pissed at him. From what she’d said she was used to being on her own and it would take time for her to come to terms with how protective he and Tarik were.

  “Are you two going to stand there staring into space all day or are you going to join us?” Cal asked.

  “You two are looking downright sappy,” Fin said with a grin.

  Hodge smiled back as he flipped the other men off. “You’re just jealous.”

  “Too right we are,” Serge replied, before taking a sip from his coffee mug. “Who wouldn’t be jealous? You are the two luckiest bastards I’ve ever met. Your mate was—is a gorgeous supermodel who could have her pick of men with the snap of her fingers. Why she chose you two, I’ll never know.”

  Hodge rubbed at his chest because although the guys were mucking around, having fun with him and Tarik, they were also half serious. Women were outnumbered on the island by nearly three to one and most of the females of dating age were already in relationships or married. St. Lawrence wasn’t much of an attraction to tourists because of its isolated location and the well-below freezing temperatures. He hoped that one day soon, the other men would find their mates, too.

  He glanced over at Phelan and Hopper who were sitting sprawled in the armchairs near the big sectional sofa and wondered if they were ever going to make a move on Tammy. Tammy was their mate and had been since the moment she’d been born. It had to have been hard as hell for them to keep their distance as she grew up and even harder for them to let her go off to Seattle and college. Hodge was happy they hadn’t kicked up a stink when she’d revealed that tidbit of information, because if they had, he and Tarik would never have met the woman of their dreams. It was funny how things worked. Had it been fated or was it just a coincidence how things had panned out? He could question the gods until he was blue in the face and would never know the answer.

  Nonetheless, he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the face. He was happy and in love and had a lifetime to look forward to with Celeste at his side. They hadn’t talked about her staying with them either and though the topic needed to be discussed as soon as possible, Hodge dreaded approaching the subject. Their mate was used to living the high life and probably had more money than she could spend in a lifetime. For all he and Tarik knew, she had a mansion somewhere with loads of servants to cater to her every whim. Just thinking about her getting on a plane and flying back to the mainland had sweat breaking out on his forehead and a lump of lead forming in the pit of his belly.

  “What’s wrong?” Tarik nudged his arm.

  “We haven’t even asked if she’s willing to live here with us. What if she hates the isolation?” Hodge’s throat was so constricted he wasn’t sure he could keep talking. He drew in a deep breath and exhaled before inhaling again. “For all we know, she hates the cold. There are no shops or malls here or anywhere to get her hair or nails done. What if she wants us to move to the US with her?” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I couldn’t survive living somewhere hot or with hordes of people, and neither could you.”

  “She agreed to mate with us, Hodge, she must have realized she’d be living here with us?”

  “You’re assuming, but neither of us really know the answer to that.”

  Tarik nodded as he rubbed the back of his neck and then slumped back in his seat. “We’ll talk to her tonight.”

  Hodge nodded but he wished they’d already had this conversation with Celeste before mating her. If she didn’t want to live here with them, it would kill him. Figuratively and literally. His sabear would take over his human side and would end up pining away for his absent mate eventually turning wild and aggressive until all traces of the man—of his humanity, was gone. His beast would lose all reason and go on an animalistic killing rampage, and when it was too tired to move anymore, his sabear would curl up into a ball and hibernate until it starved to death. It was a long and horrible way to die. The only consolation was that Hodge wouldn’t be aware of it. His spirit would no longer be cognizant.

  * * * *

  Celeste loved watching Tammy’s and Tarik’s parents as they interacted. She could see the love they had for each other anytime their gazes met. Although she didn’t have parents of her own growing up—which made her feel more than a little envious—she was lucky to have found Tarik and Hodge. The thought of her creepy stalker finding her and hurting them or one of the others made her feel ill and pain sliced into her heart.

  That was the moment she realized she was deeply and irrevocably in love. Tarik and Hodge were her childish dream come true and she would do anything she had to, to protect them. Even if she had to leave and lead her stalker away.

  “Are you okay, daughter?”

  She lifted her gaze to find Royal—or Roy as he’d asked her to call him—watching her with a frown on his face. She forced a smile and hoped it wasn’t as tremulous as it felt and nodded.

  She glanced over to Jenny, quickly changing the subject and directing the attention away from her. “Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do?”

  Jenny shook her head. “Everything’s under control, sweetie. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy.”

  “Here,” Tammy said, and walked around the counter and shoved a glass of white wine in her hand. “Have a drink.”

  Celeste glanced at the clock on the microwave. It was just before one in the afternoon. She normally didn’t drink very much and definitely not before dinner, but with her emotions in turmoil, she figured it couldn’t hurt to have a glass to help her relax a bit. She wondered why they called this meal a stealth breakfast since it was lunchtime but wasn’t game to ask. Maybe the meal should have been called brunch since she, Tarik and Hodge hadn’t eaten breakfast. Maybe the others hadn’t either. She gave a mental shrug.

  “It’ll be your turn soon, baby girl.” Talon ruffled Tammy’s hair earning him a scowl.

  Celeste didn’t need to ask or be told that Tammy was Phelan’s and Hopper’s mate. Every time they were in her friend’s presence she could see the sparks flying and the air was so thick with sexual tension she could have cut it with a knife.

  “Stop touching my hair. I’m not two anymore.”

  “No, you’re all grown up.” Talon winked at his daughter, earning him a huff of frustration.

  “Not to some I’m not,” Tammy muttered, as she glared toward the empty doorway before grabbing a bowl of mashed potatoes and carrying it to the huge carved timber dining table across from the kitchen.

  “Can you go and tell the men that lunch’s ready, sweetie?” Jenny asked.

  “Sure.” Celeste slipped from the stool and walked toward the living room. She was just about to step through but ended up crashing into a big, hard body. Firm, gentle hands clasped her upper ar
ms to steady her and she glanced up to find Cal gazing down at her. “Sorry.”

  “No prob—”

  “Get your fucking hands off my mate!”

  Cal immediately released her, stepped back and put his hands in the air.

  “Hodge!” Celeste skirted Cal, walked toward Hodge and then stopped a couple of feet away. She poked him in the chest as she asked, “What the hell is your problem? Cal just saved me from falling on my ass. I crashed into him because I wasn’t watching where I was going. You need to apologize.” She poked him again for good measure.

  Hodge narrowed his eyes at her, his body tense and then he huffed out a breath and nodded. “You’re right.” He turned toward Cal. “I’m sorry for overreacting.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I understand.” Cal smirked at Hodge and then winked at her before entering the dining room.

  Celeste sighed with exasperation and then threaded her fingers with Tarik’s when he clasped her hand. “Hodge is feeling a little unsettled right now, baby. Please, don’t be too hard on him. We need to have a talk later and we’ll explain. Okay?”

  The knot in her gut got had begun to wane but it grew at Tarik’s words. When a man said “we need to talk” it usually ended in a broken heart and tears. At least that’s what she’d heard other women say. Since she had no experience with men or relationships she couldn’t be certain, but now she felt even more on edge.

  This day just kept getting better and better. Not.

  Celeste began to wonder what else could go wrong.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Tarik watched Celeste throughout the lunch his mom had put on to welcome his mate into their stealth, and though she smiled, laughed, and talked, he could see a shadow in her eyes. He wanted to drag her away from the room and then ask her what was wrong, but he didn’t want to make her feel self-conscious by making a scene. A grin tugged at his lips as he remembered the fire in her eyes as she’d put Hodge in his place when he growled at Cal. She was feisty when she needed to be and that was a good thing since he and Hodge could be overly dominant.