Page 88 of Shrouded in the Dark

He looked up with a sad expression that he wiped clear. “Yeah? Sorry, I didn’t think my input would make any difference.”

Cody usually was full of energy, confidence, and humor. It was strange, and worrisome, to see him acting so withdrawn.

I wiggled out of Axel’s lap and moved into Cody’s. He brushed my hair back from my face. He relaxed almost instantly. I leaned forward and kissed him gently.

Kissing Cody reminded me of right before all of this had happened, when I’d still been human. I wanted him again, and by the feel of his hardening cock, it seemed like we were both on the same page.

His hands gripped my hips as I moved my ass against his cock as our kiss deepened. Another hand gripped the back of my head, tightening around my hair, and pulled me away from Cody, who moved his lips to my neck. I stared up into Axel’s heated face.

“Ahem.” Wyn cleared his throat. “Maybe you can do that after I’ve left the room?” A hint of jealousy leaked through his tone.

I shook my head. What was wrong with me? I was as horny as an old goat. “Why can’t I stop touching you guys?”

“It’s the mating bond.” Jasper stood, grabbing his dirty dishes. “I think we all underestimated how strong her animal is. I can barely keep my fox under control.”

“Mating bond?” My mind felt a little fuzzy. All I wanted to do was move in Cody’s lap for more friction. “She keeps talking about mates. What does this mean exactly? Besides wanting to jump your bones. We talked about all of us being together before this happened to me. Does it have anything to do with it?”

Jasper stood from his seat, collecting his dirty dishes. “It has to be. My fox wanted you before this happened to you, all of our animals did. But now, it’s like we can’t resist this call that you’re sending out.” He picked up Seth’s dishes as he moved into the kitchen to place them in the sink.

“A call?” My eyes started to shut as Axel rubbed his fingers in my scalp where he’d been holding my hair. “That feels so good.”

“Now that you’re a shifter,” Seth’s voice was soft. “Your animal seems to be in heat already. She wants to mate right away.”

I pulled away from Axel’s touch so that I could look at Seth. “I’m in heat? So, you guys don’t even have a choice in wanting this?”

They all laughed. Including Wyn. That hadn’t been what I expected to happen.

“Baby,” Seth stood, drawing my eyes to his body. “You’re coming with me. Cody, you need to rest. Jasper, Axel, please, show Wyn where he’ll be staying while he’s here.” He moved to stand in front of me, offering his hand. The intensity of his gaze made all thoughts disappear as I slid mine into his. He pulled me from Cody’s lap, turned, and walked us across the room up the stairs.

I could hear Wyn’s low voice talking to Jasper, but I couldn’t make out the words as my whole attention focused on Seth’s ass. It was taut and I resisted the urge to sink my teeth into the cheeks.

I stumbled as we got to the second floor. Seth turned to catch me around the waist with a soft chuckle. “Let’s talk on the couch for now.” He picked me up before depositing me on the soft cushion and sitting next to me.

“Seth?” My body moved on its own and I straddled his waist. His muscles were taught as I settled. My hands ran down his shoulders, my claws had receded at some point and now, I dragged my normal nails down his biceps. “What are we talking about?”

The heat from his skin was intoxicating.

He gripped my wrists in his hands, stopping me from exploring his upper body anymore. His head tipped back on the back of the couch and a strangled groan escaped him.

“Becca, I need to make sure you are sure about this before we move forward.” He squeezed my wrists gently enough to distract me from moving my pussy along his crotch. “You know that we all like you, that we all want you more than we can express. You agreed that you wanted us before you were changed, but I have to make sure this is what YOU want, not just your animal.” He pressed a kiss to my inner right wrist that made me melt into his chest. “If we mate, the way that she’s trying to do, there’s no going back. When you were human, you could have walked away from us at any point.”

I looked into his devastating blue eyes. “What do you mean?”

“When shifters mate, it’s for life.” He searched my face, trying to convey how serious he was being. “Our own animals mated with each other long ago. If you become our center with yours, it’s forever. No going back. The good news with mating is that you can’t become pregnant until you and your animal agree.”

“Okay.” I shrugged. “Not becoming pregnant is good. The other thing, I kind of figured that was how it was going to be anyway when we talked about this back at the cabin. Unless you guys have doubts?”

“No!” Shouts from downstairs had me giggling as Seth rolled his eyes and his lips twitched as he fought a smile.

“So, I don’t see a problem. Except,” I paused. I should get this over and done with now instead of waiting to pull off the Band-Aid. “You do know that Wyn is my mate, too, right?”

Chapter 20

Seth

Ifought to keep my calm as Becca’s warmth pressed against my straining cock. Her touch was everything I ever dreamed of. Her scent as a shifter was intoxicating just as much as it was distracting.

A snarl lifted my upper lip at her statement. I’d suspected. Especially with the way Wyn had been watching her since he’d first laid eyes on her. He’d dropped enough obvious hints that it wasn’t that hard to understand.