Page 92 of Claimed

“Yeah, we’re all here.”

“I want you to go and get an item of clothing from each of us. From the hamper, if possible. Chase?”

“Yeah, Mad?”

“I want you to take Cherry to her bed, it smells the most of us. Help Hunter dress her in our clothes, then tuck her in bed and tell her the story of how you mistook a squirrel for a bear.”

I turn to Chase, my eyebrow raised in question as I try not to laugh. “How is that even possible?” I ask him through the bond. He just gives me a mock glare in return.

“What were you guys doing when Bain called?” Maddox asks.

“Playing Monopoly,” I tell him.

“No wonder you were sad,” Gage yells from the background. “Could you guys have picked a more boring game?”

“It’s all we had,” I say in Hunter’s defense as I reach out with my free hand to squeeze his.

“Guys,” Maddox says, sounding serious again. “You need to keep her distracted. Tell her stories, ask her questions, keep her mind working.”

“We’re on it,” Chase replies.

“Baby, we’ll be seeing you real soon.”

“I love you guys,” I say before hanging up.

“I’ll grab the clothes and meet you in her room,” Hunter says, heading down the hall. “I’ll come back for our drinks and snacks afterward.”

Chase pulls me to my feet and leads me down the hall. As we step into my bedroom, he grabs me by the waist and lifts me up, setting me on the end of the bed as he takes a seat beside me and grabs my hands, turning his body toward mine.

I see the serious look on his face, and it makes me worried. “Chase?”

“I can’t wait to seal our mating bond,” he says, surprising me. “But I will.” He smiles as he reaches up to cup my face, his thumb rubbing my cheek. “I don’t want us to seal the bond while you’re worried about the others. It’s not fair to any of us. So let’s just take that off the table until they return, okay?”

My shoulders drop as some of the tension leaves me. “I love you, Chase.” I lean forward and he meets me halfway with a kiss that’s a little more than a peck.

“Alright, lovebirds, break it up. I’ve got the clothes.”

I bite my lip, smiling as I turn to Hunter. He holds up the clothing as I remember Maddox’s strange request.

Standing, I reach out to take the shirt he’s holding as I ask, “Why did—Oh.”

Chase snorts as I inhale Maddox’s leather, cedar, and ash scent, my eyes closing as my muscles start to relax. “Oh, wow,” I whisper, not realizing what an effect that would have on me.

My eyes open and I see Hunter holding a pair of Gage’s boxers and Bain’s socks. Suddenly, I’m desperate to have them surrounding me, and I quickly start removing my dress.

“Someone’s eager,” Chase laughs as he helps me strip. The second my bra and panties are off me, I yank on Maddox’s shirt so fast, I’m not even sure they got a proper glimpse of my body.

Hunter holds out Gage’s boxers after I give them a rather embarrassing sniff, followed by Bain’s socks. They might not be as ideal as a shirt, but the ring I wear around my neck still smells faintly of him too.

“You two get comfy, I’ll grab the snacks,” Hunter tells me as I crawl into the middle of my bed. Chase settles beside me as Hunter comes in and passes Chase his glass of water, setting ours down on the nightstand, then sets a bowl of jellybeans in my lap.

“Alright, Chase, I believe you had a story about a squirrel to share?” Hunter asks with a smirk.

I pop a jellybean in my mouth, already feeling better as I turn to Chase in amusement. “Yeah, Chase. Do tell.”

He leans his head back and groans, then takes a big sip of water before he begins.

“Alright, in my defense,” Chase says, pointing like that somehow makes this better, “it was dark. Like, we’re talking no moon, deep woods, couldn’t see a damn thing, sort of dark.”