Alaskan Sabears 4: Match Point (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting) Read online

  “Shit!” The guy holding her elbow cursed. “Get Ward or Serge. She’s in shock.”

  Pepper tugged her arm from Green Eyes’s hold as she said, “I’m fine.”

  “I’m Finbar Stark, but everyone calls me Fin.”

  “My name’s Calloway Walden. Call me Cal. And you are?”

  Cal’s eyes were no longer glowing, so she put that down to her imagination. However, there was no way she was imagining the two men wearing way less clothes than they should have been considering the wild stormy blizzard. There was something really strange going on here, and Pepper was determined to find out what it was. She cleared her throat and finally managed to answer Cal’s question. “Pepper Silverton.”

  “I’m very pleased to meet you, Pepper.” Fin held his hand out to her.

  She eyed his large paw warily, and even though she didn’t want to shake his hand, she did. Good manners had been drilled into her from a young age.

  Her mom had taught her manners before she’d died and then the strict nuns had instilled the good morals her mother had taught her. She’d only been five when she’d ended up at the orphanage and sometimes she wished that the place had never been sold. The moment she set her small hand in his she knew it was a mistake. Searing heat zapped her palm and fingers before traveling up her arm and into her chest. She stifled the instinctive gasp that formed and the way her breasts seemed to fill out and the aching throb in her hard nipples. If she hadn’t been so good at controlling her reactions, she also would have squeezed her thighs together to stop the pulsing in her engorging clit. The hair on her body stood up on end, but not in that bad “danger is near” way. She’d only ever had this reaction when she listened to a singer as lyrics and an amazing voice washed over her. It totally pissed her off that she was reacting to a strange man when she’d never reacted to any member of the opposite sex before, but there was no fucking way she was going to let on how a simple handshake was turning her on.

  Pepper scowled and tugged her hand from his. When she met Fin’s green eyes once more, the scowl turned to a frown. Were his eyes glowing again?

  “Fin, we need to get Pepper inside where it’s warm,” Cal said.

  “Shit!” Fin spun toward the door and jumped from the plane to land in the mounding snow. He reached his arms up toward her. “Come on, Pepper, I’ll help you down.”

  “I don’t need any help.” She walked to the edge of the entrance and looked down at the snow and ice-covered ground. The jump wasn’t that far, and if she was lucky, she wouldn’t skid on the ice and end up landing on her ass.

  “Let Fin help you, Pepper. You don’t want to end up with a broken leg.”

  She knew Cal was right, but she’d never let herself depend on anyone but herself. She didn’t like taking help when it was offered. She didn’t like being beholden to another person. And she didn’t like having anyone touch her. Especially Fin.

  You liked the way he made you feel. Admit it! Pepper pushed her internal voice aside. Now wasn’t the time to be distracted. She had a feeling she was going to need all her wits about her with these two men around.

  Before she had a chance to respond, Fin grasped her waist and lifted her out of the aircraft. She squeaked with surprise and scowled as she met his light, glowing green eyes. She gaped at him as the glow got brighter, and then she snapped her teeth together after blinking and seeing the glow was gone.

  Had she imagined that ethereal light that made his eyes glow?

  As soon as her feet were back on the ground, she shoved his hands from her waist and sidestepped. If she hadn’t bumped into another large, hot male body, she would have kept moving until there was a lot more distance between her and Fin and Cal. She lifted her gaze to Cal’s dark blue eyes, and when she saw his eyes had lightened and were also glowing, she knew that she hadn’t imagined that anomaly. Pepper had never been fanciful with a vivid imagination. She was a “what you see is what you get” kind of girl. She’d never believed in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, or fairy tales. And she definitely didn’t believe in love or happily ever after.

  What the hell is going on? Who—or the better question is what—are these people?

  She’d learned that the hard way since she’d grown up in an orphanage as well as numerous foster care homes from the age of five. No one had ever looked at her twice when adults had come to the orphanage looking to adopt a child. Pepper had often thought that she was invisible, somehow hidden in the shadows where she would remain alone in the dark. She’d accepted her fate and set out to make a life for herself, all alone, dependent only on the one person she could rely on. Hard work had gotten her to where she was.

  Nonetheless, right now she felt as if her world was spinning out of control in more ways than one. It didn’t matter that her legs felt as if they had the consistency of rubber again. Nor that her heart was racing and her breathing had escalated. It didn’t matter that even though she was cold to the bone, she was also sweating. None of that mattered. What did matter was that she kept her fears and emotions locked up inside where no one could see. That way she would never feel the pain of rejection again.

  Fear skittered up her spine, and though the urge to move farther away from the two men was stronger than needing to take her next breath, she wasn’t about to show them she feared them. She never showed anyone what she was feeling, and she wasn’t starting now.

  Cal shifted until he was standing at her side. When she saw him lift his arm as if to put it around her shoulders, she jerked away. She didn’t dare meet his gaze, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t see the frown on his face or the concerned gleam in his eyes, since she was watching him from beneath her lowered lashes. Pepper hadn’t meant to react the way she had, but it had been knee-jerk, instinctive. She didn’t like people being in her personal space or touching her in any way. She knew her personal space was a lot bigger than the average persons was, but she wasn’t apologizing for the way she was. Pepper had decided long ago, when she was barely in her teens, that if someone didn’t like the way she was, then that was just too damn bad. She wasn’t changing for anything or anyone one, no matter how good-looking they were.

  “Come on, Pepper,” Fin said in a quiet, deep voice. “Let’s go inside where it’s warm.”

  She nodded her acquiescence since she was beginning to shiver. If she didn’t get warm soon, she would be in danger of hypothermia. “Lead the way.”

  For some reason, Cal and Fin looked reluctant to go first, but she held her ground and crossed her arms beneath her breasts and stared from one man to the other. Cal gave a frustrated or resigned sigh as he threaded his fingers through his snow-dusted black hair, and Fin made a weird growly, chuffing noise before spinning around and storming off.

  Cal followed Fin a few seconds later, and then Pepper trailed along behind.

  Although it was hard to see with all the wind and snow flurries flying through the air into her face and eyes, she couldn’t seem to keep her squinted gaze from staring at their amazing bodies as they walked. They were so huge compared to her diminutive size, and they were so muscular that they put her in mind of linebackers, but they moved with an animalistic grace that was mesmerizing. While she forced her eyes to the ground so her lashes could shield them from the snow, her gaze was drawn to them again, and again, and again.

  She ended up angry with herself and gave herself a mental berating, but it didn’t help. Time after time, she found her eyes wandering up and down their tall brawny bodies, from their broad muscular shoulders, down to their firm delectable asses and long powerful legs. Each time her body responded, and though she tried to convince herself to keep her eyes on the ground, it seemed to be an impossibility.

  Pepper was once more watching their muscular ass cheeks flexing as they walked and not watching where she was going. That ended up being a big mistake. Her foot sank into a mound of snow until it was up to her knees, and as her foot landed on a patch of ice beneath, she skidded. Her feet went flying out from beneath her, and be
fore she knew what was happening, her ankle twisted and searing pain shot from her ankle into her foot and up her leg. The agony was so intense she couldn’t even cry out, and then she was on the ground, rolling from side to side as she clutched at her leg.

  Chapter Three

  Cal knew as soon as he smelled Pepper’s scent and looked into her gorgeous brown eyes that she was their mate. His sabear was moaning and chuffing and turning in maddening circles. However, he knew he’d fucked up when her mouth had gaped open as she’d stared into his eyes. He didn’t need anyone to tell him that his eyes were glowing. It was evident by the shock on his mate’s face. His sabear head-butted his insides and when that didn’t give him the freedom he was craving, he raked his long, thick, black claws down the inside of his belly. Luckily, he and his animal were one, even if they were two separate entities, because if they hadn’t been, his beast’s antics would probably have been agony and ended up killing him. As it was, the claws scratching at his tissues was more annoying than painful.

  He glanced at Fin and saw that his best friend was having the same struggle he was, but when Pepper ordered them to lead the way, sadness at her mistrust had his animal retreating. He turned and started walking toward their house where Serge and Ward said they were waiting to check Pepper over after her harrowing flight and bumpy landing. His sabear snarled, but this time Cal was able to get control, and he shoved his animal down hard.

  He didn’t need to look over his shoulder to know that Fin was following only a couple of steps behind, nor to hear that Pepper was about five paces or so behind Fin. He’d wanted to wrap his arms around her to shelter her from the cold and snow, but the wariness in her eyes had made him hesitate. However, when Fin had gone to do the same, she jumped away so fast it looked as if she were trying to avoid a striking rattlesnake.

  When he heard a dull thump, he spun around, only to find Pepper gone. He raced back toward the plane with Fin at his side, and his heart flipped with fear when he saw Pepper writhing in the cold wet snow. She was shivering and moaning and holding onto her leg. He didn’t care how much she protested, but he wasn’t about to leave her out here to succumb to hypothermia and die. He bent down and gently scooped her up into his arms. His inner beast chuffed with satisfaction, this time rubbing against his belly and chest as if he was trying to rub against their mate. He turned for the house with ground-eating strides as he stared down into her pale, pain-pinched face.

  “What happened?” Fin asked. “Where are you hurt?”

  Pepper didn’t or couldn’t answer and just shook her head. Tears welled in her eyes and, as they trailed down her cheeks, froze. She was shivering so hard her teeth were chattering, and her lips were starting to turn blue. Cal began to jog, being careful not to jostle his mate in case he hurt her more than she already was. Fin pulled ahead of him, leapt over the steps leading to the porch, and after opening the front door, stepped aside.

  Cal hurried into the house and was relieved to see Ward, Serge, and Katerina waiting for them in the living room with a fire roaring in the fireplace.

  “Move the sofa closer to the fire,” he ordered Fin.

  Fin nodded and moved the large piece of furniture with ease.

  Cal reluctantly set Pepper on the sofa, grabbed the throw rug from the back, and settled it over her. She nodded gratefully before tugging the blanket higher.

  “I’m Kat,” Katerina introduced herself as she walked over to Pepper. “My ma…guys are EMTs. Where are you hurt?”

  “My ankle.”

  “This is Serge and Ward. Will you let one or both of them check you over?” Kat asked.

  Pepper nodded.

  Ward knelt on the floor near Pepper’s feet, and though Cal wanted to growl at him, he swallowed the angry possessive urge down. He and his sabear shouldn’t feel threatened by any other members of their stealth, but he couldn’t seem to quash the jealousy surging through his veins.

  “Pepper slipped on some ice,” Cal explained as he moved to stand behind the sofa, figuring that the piece of furniture between him and Ward would keep his friend safe from his angry beast.

  “Your name’s Pepper?” Kat asked.

  Pepper nodded again.

  “I like it.”

  “Thanks,” Pepper croaked and then sucked in a pain-filled breath when Ward tugged the black shoe from her foot.

  “Sorry,” Ward apologized. “I don’t like hurting you, but I need to see what we’re dealing with. I’m going to push the leg of your pants up and take off your sock. Okay?”

  “O-okay,” Pepper stuttered.

  “Take a deep breath for me, Pepper,” Ward ordered.

  Pepper inhaled deeply and as she released the breath, Ward pulled her sock from her foot and shoved the leg of her pants up to her knee.

  Cal was the one sucking in a breath when he saw that her ankle was already starting to bruise and swell.

  “You could have a bad sprain, or you might have a fracture.” Ward met Pepper’s gaze. “The only way to find out is to have your ankle x-rayed.”

  “It’ll have to wait until I get back home then,” Pepper muttered.

  “Like hell it will,” Cal snarled. “You’ll have an x-ray now.”

  “What gives you the right—”

  “Pepper, you need to know if your ankle is broken,” Fin interjected calmly. “Ward and Serge have an x-ray machine in their clinic.”

  “Why the hell didn’t you say that in the first place?” she mumbled as she continued to scowl at Cal. Pepper nodded to let Fin know she’d heard him, but she didn’t stop glaring at Cal.

  Cal took a deep calming breath and bit back the smile wanting to form on his lips. Their little mate was going to keep their life very interesting. He just hoped that he and Fin would get the chance to court her. As much as he hated the blizzard weather, he was glad for it, too. If the storm kept up, then Pepper wouldn’t be able to leave. Plus, there was the fact that he and Fin needed to check over her airplane and fix it. If more parts were necessary for the job, they would have to wait for them to be shipped in. Jarvis flew a completely different plane from their woman, and they didn’t have any spare parts on hand.

  For the first time in forever, Cal prayed to the fates that the low-pressure cell hovering over the island would stay there until he and Fin had a chance to court their mate.

  * * * *

  Pepper couldn’t believe the audacity of the man. Couldn’t believe that the arrogant Cal was ordering her around after knowing her for mere minutes. What gave him the right to tell her what to do? Asshole.

  She also couldn’t believe the bastard was able to stare her down. Hating herself for doing it, she was the first one to look away in their silent battle of wills. That had never happened before, and though she tried to figure out why she was the one backing down, she couldn’t say.

  “So, who’s going to carry Pepper over to the clinic?”

  “No one,” she answered quickly and emphatically.

  “There’s no way you’ll be able to walk over there by yourself. Not with an injured ankle,” Fin said as he moved toward her and lifted her up into his arms.

  She bit the inside of her cheek to hold in the moan bubbling up in her chest. Fin and Cal both smelled so good, and every time they were close to her, she found herself inhaling again and again, even though she tried to order herself not to. What was it about these two huge men that set her body to simmering? That had never happened to her before, and she didn’t like it. Not one little bit.

  “Put me down,” she ordered in a harsh tone.

  “No,” Fin replied as he started carrying her toward the door.

  With a sigh of resignation, she looped her arm around his neck and braced herself for the cold just before he opened the front door. How he’d managed to do that without jostling her or putting her down, she had no idea. She sucked in a breath of awe when she felt his big muscles rippling and flexing. Her mind immediately turned traitor on her and tried to envisage what Fin and Cal would look lik
e without any clothes on. When her breasts swelled, her nipples hardened, and her clit started to throb, she quickly pushed those thoughts from her mind and thought about the next scheduled flight she had. However, her concentration was shot to hell, and she found her thoughts going back to Cal and Fin time and time again.

  She shivered as the cold icy wind streaked through her clothes and wondered how the hell Fin wasn’t starting to turn blue by now. She could feel the heat seeping from his big, muscular body into hers, and he was only wearing a long-sleeve T-shirt, jeans, and boots. Why wasn’t he affected by the well below freezing temperatures? She glanced over at Cal and eyed his handsome, bulky form and realized that he was dressed similarly to Fin. Her gaze landed on Ward, Serge, and Kat as they hurried forward toward another building, and she gasped when she noticed they weren’t dressed for the arctic conditions either. There was something very, very strange going on with these people, and once she’d had her throbbing ankle seen to, she was going to start asking some hard questions. She just hoped that she would get the answers she was seeking.

  Her lungs were hurting from breathing in the cold air, and she sighed with relief as Fin carried inside the clinic. The outside wasn’t much to look at, but inside was set up the same as any modern doctor’s office. There was a desk and a few chairs for waiting patients to sit on, and the décor was stylish and modern. When Fin carried her into the room Ward and Serge had disappeared into, she spied the large x-ray machine hovering over a bed.

  Fin gently eased her down onto said bed, and though he straightened up to his full height of six foot five or so, he clasped her hand, drawing her gaze. “Cal and I will be right outside the door, Pepper. Just call if you need one of us.”

  Pepper nodded and frowned up at him. She hadn’t needed anyone’s help for a long time and didn’t need help now. Why would he think she would just while getting an x-ray? These people were weird.