Oh shit! In my state of confusion at them coming at me because of a smell. I hadn't considered that my dress was so loose that when they lifted the skirt, they'd be able to see up to my ribs.
"Answer me, dammit!" Vanquish roared.
"What is it?" Racer was dying of curiosity. He dropped to his knees to peer under as well.
I closed my eyes against the humiliation. "Old cloth."
"You've no underwear but you have that?" Hunter asked incredulously. "Bad plan."
"What are you hiding, Rabbit?" Vanquish demanded.
"Just-just me." I stuttered out.
My body. I was trying to be unassuming.
"You're trying to hide what you look like?" Racer sounded almost insulted.
And they all looked it.
***
"Hold her." Vanquish barked. "I'm going to find out what the hell is going on here."
While he unclipped his dagger from the sheath at his hip and withdrew it, Racer had sat atop my thighs and quickly unknotted the rope at my waist. Peeling open my cloak.
"I've never seen her open this thing." He murmured. Realizing it.
I'd been in their village for a little under a year and no one had seen me without the cloak. I'd taken the Border Guard's words to heart. And wore it always.
He saw the bodice which was half laced so it hung limply to keep from emphasizing any shape and to accommodate the thickness around my waist.
"We gotta see what's going on under here." Racer twisted to give Vanquish a long look before the green-eyed one of them headed underneath my clothes. Curiosity made Racer frown.
Racer hopped forward to straddle my hips just under my breasts. Pinning me so I couldn't get away from what Vanquish was doing.
"No! Get off me!" I pushed at his chest to dislodge him.
He looked at me with a quizzical glance. Looking at my hands then my face under the hood of my cloak. "You actually thought you could move me? You're too bloody tiny."
He's right. I was starting to panic.
Vanquish had headed under my skirt with the blade and I could feel his hot chest against my pelvis and thighs.
Making me writhe slightly against some odd ache low.
"Damn woman, contain yourself!" Vanquish was muffled under my skirt. "Your scent is destroying me."
What does that mean?
I felt jerking at my waist and my back being lifted as he pulled and cut at the cloth encircling me.
A sudden rush of air along my flat belly told me he'd freed my skin.
He paused. And I felt the sudden brush of fingertips along my crease. Where the ache was generating.
He made a low purring sound before climbing out from under my clothes on his elbows. Dragging the length of cloth with him and pitching it over his shoulder as he sat up.
"What'd you find up there?" Vanquish asked.
Hunter had rose to walk next to Racer and was staring down at me. He hooked a finger under my bodice and peered beneath it. "There's more up here."
***
I closed my eyes and felt my cheeks burning hotly as I realized they knew I’d been binding my breasts to keep them as flat as possible.
They were acting like hiding my figure from them was sacrilegious.
Pulling his dagger again, Vanquish climbed to his feet and walked around.
“Not that!” I covered my face. “Please don’t.”
“I think it’s the least of what we’ll be doing to you in a few days’ time.”
The Mating Moon? What torture did they intend for that day?
"Hunter, figure out what's going on with her face and hair."
As evil as they had been to me, they'd never bothered me about the cloak or that I always kept the hood down over my face. Though Vanquish had often eyed it in annoyance.
He doesn't like me not meeting his gaze.
Hunter's feet appeared in my peripheral and he hooked my hood with his toes. Pushing it back to expose the scrap of cloth I tied over my hair.
"Get that thing off her!" Racer spat in annoyance.
***
Hunter leaned over and plucked it off my head. "Well, look at this!"
My silvery blonde hair was bound back in a ponytail which I rolled around my crown. Now it flipped loose and rolled into the leaves next to me.
Racer leaned over my chest to catch the cloth tying my hair in the tail and jerk it out.
I was startled to feel something hard tucking against my breasts as his hip dug into my chest as he leaned over.
"What's that?" I asked.
He sat back up and rubbed it up and down. Grumbling more to Hunter then to me. "All this discovery and wonder is getting me excited."
"Me too." Hunter admitted.
Vanquish knelt near my other shoulder and tipped to peer under my bodice.
"Racer, fold that thing over."
Racer complied. Catching the top of the stiff material and bending it back. It was stiff enough and laced so loosely that it slid down until bumping into him sitting atop me.
Oh, no. Make them stop. I willed. Closing my eyes as tight as I could. Hoping it was some awful nightmare.
Vanquish stuck the blade in the shadow of my smashed cleavage and carefully twisted it up. Leaning over intently as he gave a couple sawing motions.
The cloth ripped the last bit and tossed open. My white breasts bursting free and the nippled peaks coming to rest against the bend of my bodice.
I struggled underneath Racer. Trying to reach up to cover myself from the three pair of eyes watching intently. But Racer's knees were pinning my arms to my sides. I tossed my head.
"I want her now." Hunter whined.
"We all do." Vanquish dismissed. Dropping the few inches to suck my nipple into his mouth. Lathing it and then drawing it deep into his mouth.
I gasped in horror. My back arcing as though he'd put a hot iron to me.
Marta was willing to follow Lorem to the ends of Ferus.It made me consider how far I’d go to be loyal to my mates.What would I do for them?How many awful things would they have to do before my image of them changed?My instant thought was that they would never do something like what Lorem had.It’s not even a comparison.I looked at Marta.“My father should’ve banished you from the pack with Lorem.” Draven murmured. “I wonder how you’d have fared then?”“I’d have been with him.” She clawed at Fury’s grip but that was like trying to get a tree to release a trunk.He’s unmoveable.“What you want to do with her?” Fury asked.“Take her with us.” Draven said. “We’ll give her to the NightHunters and let them toy with her awhile.”Marta looked intensely nervous despite all her bravado.I bit my lower lip. Pitying her a bit for her fate.***Fury, Killian and Aviari had been talking ahead of us. Our army of wolves and mages were tromping through the woods so loudly that there was no mistak
“Her smell has changed.” Draven was staring at me as he announced it.I skittered into a sitting position. Reflexively drifting backward to put more space between he and I. Trying to protect myself.Which I’d suddenly had a much stronger urge to do, today.“I know.” Vanquish said. Rolling to lean up and give me a warm look over Hunter’s shoulder.I flushed. Biting my lip.How can they already know?I’m not even sure yet.“The Asara’s first pups are being carried by the Gallion Princess.” Vanquish murmured proudly. Meeting my gaze with infinite tenderness.My males all stretched to reverently place their palms over my flat belly. Rubbing it soothingly in a way that had me leaning back. Offering myself to more of their touch.I subconsciously flattened back out and ducked my forehead against Racer’s chest. Avoiding everyone’s permeating study and finding comfort in the warmth of my mate.Lyra Lani’s voice rose. “That’s why you’d not share the drink!”I nodded slowly without looking at h
I knew I’d hugged Lyra Lani a bit longer than I needed to but it was so nice to receive affection from a female after so long with only my mates for company. I gave her another quick squeezer before letting her go. She slid her hands down my arms and did the responding squeeze to my fingers right before she let them fall. Reassuring me that I had her support. And that she’s here. Her kindness nearly brought a tear to my eye. Hearing Killian’s voice behind me, I peered back at him. He bobbed his head in greeting and waved his hands in a motion for me to come to him. I did. Returning to hug him just as eagerly. I didn’t know how many times I’d embraced he and Aviari and BailaLae now, but I was beginning to feel like it would never feel like enough. Probably because I’m so scared of losing them again. Giving his dark, waving hair, a fond caress before turning my attention back to the girl
“Perhaps they do.” Killian nodded to the three identical males stepping into the small grove. My blood coated mates. They, all three, looked exhausted but unharmed. Thank Heavens! I was incredibly relieved to see them okay. Glad that the sounds of battle had died down. We won. Seeing how shaken I appeared, Vanquish immediately whirled to see the others appearing from the camp. “What’s going on?” He backed up toward me. Casting a worried glance over his shoulder before eyeing all the mages pouring from behind trees and the edges of the camp. Looking at them all just as warily as he had the first time, he’d seen them.
I flattened my back against the tree and held my breath. Praying that no one would hear me. That my bits of torn clothes wouldn’t guide them. And that I would still be whole by the time my mates returned from ambushing the camp. Please. I held one hand over my stomach. The other over my mouth to hush any sound escaping my throat. Boiling fear nearly paralyzing me. Making me feel choked as if I’d never get another breath of air through my throat. I felt the urge to move one of my legs, to alleviate the ache boring through me from my mates loving last night but I didn’t dare move. Stay quiet. I was reminding myself over and over in a steady chant. I’d never been so relieved when I saw the face of the dark-haired girl peek around a tree a distance from me and meet my look. I blew a relieved breath. Recognizing her immediately as my brother’s mate. Jade was her name. I recalled. Feeling my whole body rela
Just then Hunter scampered up to us. “I got his line.” “Which way.” “Headed North.” “Toward the WildWood?” Vanquish asked in surprise. “He must be thinking if he can make it there, we won’t follow him in.” Racer suggested. “We can’t.” Vanquish agreed. “Not with the wolf-hunting-Roamer there.” “What’s that?” I asked. “A troll. I think.” Racer murmured. “A giant. He hunts anything with fur and ears that seems like it might be a wolf.” “Why?” “It’s said that a vicious mage cursed him to forever be trying to destroy the Moontower Mob.” I gave him a questioning look. “Really?” Vanquish groaned. “Memory loss.” I tapped my head pointedly. “There was a castle beyond the WildWood-” “It’s still there.” Hunter injected. “I’ve glimpsed its ramparts now and then.” “Truly?” Even Racer looked surprised. And he’s usually the historian amongst us. V