Chapter 9

Chapter

Nine

GRANT

I s she sick?

Connor shrugs at my thoughts.

I pass a cup to Connor for him to dry and put away, listening for any distress from Reece in case something is wrong. Being a shifter has its advantages, like strong hearing.

I begin working on a plate; it drops from my hands into the sink as the echo of Reece’s heart pounding reaches my ears. I storm out of the room, following the sound. I know where it’s coming from even before I get there.

At first, I’m worried something is wrong.

Then the scent hits me inches from the bathroom door and I freeze.

She’s in heat.

The scent of her arousal gets stronger by the second.

I hear a growl from the kitchen, followed by Connor’s tense voice, “Grant.”

This is why I always try to stay in control. While my bison is ready to claim her, pacing in the back of my mind, and my cock is harder than it’s ever been in my life, I have the strength to keep myself from breaking down a door to get to her.

Connor, on the other hand, is five seconds from losing it.

“Everyone, breathe!” I command loud enough for both Connor and Reece to hear me.

“The more I breathe, the more I smell it!” Connor yells back.

Reece’s panicked voice reaches me from the bathroom. “What the hell is wrong with me? It’s so hot and the pulsing between my thighs… Oh, my God. This is it, isn’t it? I’m in heat?”

I step closer to the door so she can hear me without yelling. “Yes. Just try to relax.”

“Relax?” she echoes. “I feel like I’m going to explode. I can’t believe this is all fucking real!”

“Make yourself come. It will only get more painful if you don’t release the sexual tension that’s ramping up your hormones.”

Listening to her moans and visualizing what she’s doing will kill us and the relief will be short-lived for her, but it’s better than nothing.

“Grant,” Connor growls behind me.

I whip around, unusually off-guard, as I was concentrating too hard on Reece. His pupils have shifted into the bison oval-shape and enlarged. He breathes heavily through flared nostrils.

Shit .

“Get out.” I point to the front door behind him. “Go run, or head-butt a tree, whatever you have to do to calm yourself down. She’s not ready.”

“I can’t do this!” Reece bolts out the bathroom, startling both of us.

She pauses, wide-eyed, as she sees Connor. Her hair looks like she’s been running her fingers through it. I can see the dampness on her forehead from sweating and her breathing is as rough as his.

Trying to act quickly, I place a hand on her arm to guide her back to the bathroom. “Lock the door and don’t come out until I tell you it’s safe.”

Her eyes move down to where my hand is touching her; she shivers. Instead of walking to the bathroom, she looks back up at Connor.

“His eyes…” Her words are a whisper of awe.

A smile curves my lips. “That’s his bison. He wants to claim you. He can smell your arousal.”

“You’re not…” Her eyes widen as she looks up at my face. “Holy shit, you’re fucking hot when you smile.”

She quickly slaps her hands over her mouth like she didn’t mean to say that out loud. My smile widens, but I don’t comment. She’s embarrassed enough. I nudge her a little more to go back to the bathroom.

She goes, but then stops. After a long pause, she asks, “If we sleep together, this will stop, right?”

I swallow. Is this a trick question?

“It’s physically painful, Grant,” she whines with flushed cheeks.

I take a deep breath, but immediately regret it as I’m assaulted by her sweet scent. “Yes, but we’re not doing it if you’re not ready. We won’t force you, and I’ll kill him before I let his bison take over.”

I point to my brother, whose hands are fisted tightly by his sides. He looks ready to pounce, but he’s trying to control it. We both know that if he can’t, I’ll have to be the one to stop him.

Reece bites her bottom lip and lifts her feet off the ground as if she’s marching in place, but I know she’s simply trying to rub some relief between her legs. It doesn’t help. Her arousal only grows and the scent of her wetness slams into my senses.

I’m so unprepared for the wave—too busy trying to concentrate on keeping Connor calm and Reece away from him until she’s ready—that the moment it hits me, a deep, primal growl escapes me at the same time as Connor does it.

Her pussy gets wetter in response, and I’m seconds away from losing it like Connor is.

“Oh, fuck it!” Reece tosses her shirt on the floor. “I don’t care if we just met. Let’s just do this.”

My gaze is glued to her heaving breasts, encased in a white cotton bra, until Connor slams into me, trying to ram his way to her. Thankfully, I’m in his way, or he’d have hurt her. I shove him back, roaring in his face. He roars back.

“Don’t test me!” I tell him, feeling my eyes shift to match his.

“Do something!” He stomps off, pacing through the hallway and raking his hands through his hair.

Looking at Reece, I ask, “Are you sure?”

She shrugs. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done something questionable, and I could do worse.”

She motions to us as if to say having sex with us wouldn’t be so bad. I’d be offended if I wasn’t so fucking turned on.

I give her one last chance to change her mind because I know it’s not her speaking. It’s the heat. Her lust is driving her to do things she’d normally think through first. I want to make sure she understands there’s no going back. Once the mate bond is complete, we’ll be inseparable.

“Say you give consent to us claiming you,” I instruct her.

She swallows, then breathes out. “I willingly give you permission to do whatever the hell you want to me. Fuck me, pleasure me, and even leave bruises if you want. I don’t care. Just end my agony!”

Whether it’s the heat or not, I can’t control myself or my bison any longer. I decide to take her word on it and turn to Connor.

“You can’t claim her until you pull your bison back, so get it together now.”

By the time we’re done with her, she’ll be so high on her orgasm that it won’t matter if she said yes because of the need coursing through her veins or not. She’ll be ours forever.