He didn’t let his gaze drop further, his cock was already suffering with the heady scent of his mates. It matched his relief at seeing them in human form and how they stared at him with keen interest.
Before he could get lost in the staring competition they had going, Ben glanced toward where his brother who was waiting quietly behind him. “Clothes, what have you got that will work for Nico and Teilo?”
The focus needed to be on what came next, not on what his body wanted. He followed his brother who headed to retrieve one of the large packs. Ben really wanted a cuddle, only his mates had lots of stuff forced on them and as their interest was in sandy beaches and the sea, that was something Ben could give them. The cuddling could come when they were alone…hopefully.
It was easy to see that Nico was the more dominant with his protective behavior towards Teilo as Nico led the way towards Nori. Not that Teilo wouldn’t be as lethal as Nico, Ben was sure with how his gaze continually moved around the place, as if checking for danger.
Both eyed Nori up and down as he stepped closer to them holding out shorts and T-shirts similar to the ones Ben wore. “These are clean and should fit as the shorts have elastic waists.”
Neither cat reached for the clothes. His feet still bare, Ben moved soundlessly over the floor to take the clothes from Nori.
Nori arched one brow at him. It didn’t take much to guess what he was thinking. The two cats were going to be a handful. Nori had heard part of the conversation as well.
Was it wrong to hover and listen when Nori had alerted him to the fact the two cats had disappeared from the couch? The moment of panic had disappeared the second he’d seen them both cuddled together. He’d stood and listened to part of the conversation. That they wanted to take him with them, it heartened both him and his panther. Who was back to pushing at him to surface, he didn’t want his two mates out of their sight.
Patience. We need to be patient with them.
They need to be ours.
And they will be. After everything they’ve been through, it has to be on their terms. Got it!
The growl in his head was the only answer. He offered the clothes to his mates, and they finally reached for them careful not to touch him.
“We need boots, strong boots,” Nico pointed out, his gaze on Nori’s booted feet.
Nori shrugged. “I’ve sneakers in the bag.” His gaze dropping to the floor. “They should fit, and if not, you can tighten the laces. It’ll have to do for now.” He glanced at Ben and pointed. “He’ll sort you out later on with everything else.” He winked playfully. “He’s the one with all the money.”
Ben chuckled and shook his head. “You have just as much as me.”
“Whatever,” Nori answered, his grin wide.
The two cats eyed them both like they were creatures from out of space. An engine sound in the distance got the two cats to drop what they held, going into attack mode. The switch from curious to deadly was instant. The lethal light in their eyes sent a shiver through Ben, and it wasn’t fear.
He held up his hand. “It’ll be Kylo.” Neither cat moved, not a twitch as they stared at him. “My brother. He went to get a vehicle.” Ben wasn’t sure what they’d got of the conversations he’d had with his brothers while in a dehydrated and starving state.
Still nothing. It was unnerving how perfectly motionless they were.
“I’ll check it out,” Ben said when Nori moved towards the door. If anyone was going to protect his mates, it would be him.
When he reached the door, the engine noise had ceased. He carefully eased it open, his nose scenting the forest. His panther surged at the unfamiliar smells coming from four humans they didn’t know. The first shot hit the door frame next to his head, wood splintered as his ears rang. He had no time to register anything else when the second bullet grazed his shoulder as he shifted and leaped out of the cabin screaming his fury.
Stealth would not be the game here. Whoever was in the forest wasn’t here to mess about.
There was a blur of fur passing him on either side. His panther growled as his mates disappeared into the foliage before he could blink. Then the horrific sounds of screaming rent the air and sent whatever birds were in the trees fleeing, quickly followed was an unnerving silence. The kind that set off every instinct in Ben.
He slunk low to the ground and followed his mates. The strong coppery scent of blood led him directly to them. The two cats had shifted, and blood dripped down from lethal-looking claws that remained out. Smears of red covered their lower jaws, and the four men they’d made quick work of lay in a heap of body parts that left little to the imagination as to what had happened to them. They’d torn them apart, quite literally.
Their eyes held nothing but disinterest as Ben shifted and eyed the bloody mess.
The following growls that came from his mates sent goosebumps over his whole body. They were next to him in a flash.
Teilo stroked over the bloody streaks over his left shoulder, making it worse with the blood already coating his fingers. “They hurt you,” he rasped past elongated, deadly-looking incisors.
Ben hadn’t registered the sting of healing as his body thrummed with the feel of Teilo’s fingers tracing over the slight wound. When Nico came forward and lapped at the wound, the world around him could have been exploding and he wouldn’t have noticed. The rough texture of the tongue was all cat and while Ben got that it was to heal him, his cock… that was a totally different matter. The scent of his arousal couldn’t be masked by the scent of death.
He wasn’t sure why he wasn’t freaking out or why Nico wasn’t as he lapped at the blood of those they’d killed as well as Ben’s. Nico’s gaze held his and Teilo made a small whimpering sound as Nico’s tongue lapped at his fingers too.
Holy fuck!
