Precious Angel (Alpha Province #4)(17)

       
           



       

She crawled back up into Jordan's lap and traced a finger over the long  scar starting under his left eye, down over his cheek, chin and down his  neck. The line ended at his clavicle. "This mark shows how brave and  selfless you are, Jordan. There is nothing about you that is ugly or  would make me ever turn away from you. Any of you. You make me ache and  burn with need. You've made me dream of my own happy ever after. I would  be honored, proud to be mated to you. To all of you." Kenzie leaned  forward and pressed her lips to his. She was still throbbing with lust,  but it had tempered while she'd tried to convince her men they were  worthy of her love and respect. When she released his lips, she shifted  on his lap until she could see all of them.

She met their gazes again, one after the other. "Did you all hear me? Did you all hear what I said?"

Jayson and Jenson nodded but remained sitting still as statues. She  lifted her gaze to Jordan's and frowned up at him. He cupped her chin in  his hand and kissed her on the forehead. "We heard you, mate and while  we would love nothing more than to lie you down, bare your body, and  claim you, we're not going to."

Kenzie bit the inside of her lip as she crossed her arms beneath her breasts and tried to cover her gasp of pain by coughing.

"That's why," Jayson said in a hard voice. "You're in pain and we aren't  about to add to it. You've been moving and crawling about the bed no  doubt ignoring the ache in your ribs, in your body as you tried to  convince us we were, are, valuable beings. I thank you for that, honey,  because you have me, us believing. However, you are going to lie down  and rest. There will be no love making or claiming until Broden gives  you the all clear."

"Damn, you're bossy," Kenzie muttered under her breath as she scowled at Jayson.

"Better get used to it, honey. You've agreed to be our mate and we aren't about to let you change your mind."

"Damn straight," Jordan agreed.

"You're stuck with us, sweetie. I hope you know what you in for. We  aren't biddable human men. We are used to getting our own way all the  time. There's no doubt we're going to butt heads from time to time, but  when it comes to your health, we're not going to budge."

Kenzie was pissed. They'd got her all hot and bothered, made her burn  and ache, and after she'd practically bared her heart to them, they'd  changed their minds. She knew why they had, and while she was grateful  they were looking after her, she just couldn't seem to get rid of the  anger coursing through her blood. She didn't regret telling them all how  wonderful and commendable they all were, and she hadn't lied, but she  was hurting, in more ways than one.

She didn't think about what she was doing as she slid sideways from  Jordan's lap and immediately regretted her spontaneous action. Pain  ripped into her side. The agony was so sharp she couldn't even draw a  breath. Sweat formed on her brow, upper lip, and between her breasts,  and dark spots flashed before her eyes.

"Fuck, baby, you shouldn't have done that," Jordan grasped her upper  arms and gently eased her down onto the mattress. "Call Broden. Now!"

Kenzie wanted to tell them not to bother, but she couldn't. The stabbing  pain was so bad, she was in real trouble. When she was finally able to  inhale, she hurt even worse and one of her lungs felt weird. She  wondered if her broken ribs had moved and pierced the organ. The  darkness before her eyes got thicker and wider until she wasn't sure if  she had her eyes opened or closed. Wooziness assailed her and when she  tried to draw another breath into her lungs, the blackness reared up and  enveloped her.





Jayson nearly panicked when the scent of her blood grew stronger after  Jordan helped Kenzie to lie down. Jenson was already on the phone to  Broden and even though Jay wanted to pick his mate up, run to the truck,  and drive her to the clinic, he was scared to move her.

He loved her so fucking much. If he and his brothers lost her now, after  she'd accepted to be their mate, and they didn't get the chance to  claim her, he wasn't sure he wouldn't go insane. He wasn't sure he'd  survive if they lost her before they even had her.

"Broden and Dusty are on their way," Jenson said after he disconnected  the call. "He said to keep her warm and monitor her pulse."

Jay climbed from the bed, and with Jordan's help pulled the quilt up  over Kenzie's unconscious form. He sat next to her hip, rested the tips  of his fingers on her pulse, and counted the beats. It was strong and  regular, but he wouldn't breathe easily until Broden had examined her  and told him she was going to be all right. Thankfully, they didn't live  far from town and minutes later he heard Broden's truck in the drive,  then two doors slamming closed.                       
       
           



       

"What happened?" Broden asked as soon as he entered the bedroom.

Jenson explained how they been cuddling and talking and Kenzie moving wrong.

"Fuck!" Broden nudged Jayson out of the way and pulled the covers back.  He sniffed the air with a frown and reached for the ties on Kenzie's  hospital gown.

Jordan growled at the Kodiak bear shifter.

"Stop it, Jordan," Dusty ordered. "He doesn't have designs on your  woman. He's trying to help her." Dusty walked around the bed and pushed  Jordan's shoulder. Jordan moved aside with a huff and then Dusty unlaced  the ties before pushing the material away from Kenzie's side. "Oh God."  Dusty sobbed before covering her mouth with her hand. Her side was  black and blue with blood just under the surface of her skin.

"Motherfucker!" Jordan snarled.

"Shit." Jenson growled.

"Help her," Jayson ordered.

"She has a punctured lung. The fastest way to help you mate is if you  all give her the claiming bite. It'll take weeks for her to heal if I  have to operate."

"They can't do that, Broden." Dusty rubbed a hand over her pregnant  belly. "Kenzie has to be able to choose. If they take her choices away  from her, she is going to be so hurt and angry. That's no way to start a  loving relationship."

"She agreed to be our mate," Jenson said as he moved closer to the bed.  He cleared his throat and continued. "That's what we were talking about  when this happened."

"Are you sure our claiming bite will be enough for her to heal?" Jay  asked. "I thought we had to make love with her for everything to connect  into place."

Broden shook his head. "No, making love to your mate is to diminish the  pain of the claiming bite. If she's agreed, then you all need to bite  her. Now!"

Dusty got off the bed and moved out of the way.

Jay, Jenson, and Jordan climbed up onto the mattress.

"Will we hurt her more if we lift her?" Jordan asked in a hoarse voice.

"Not if you're careful," Broden said as Jordan lifted Dusty into his  arms. "We'll wait in the living room. Call as soon as you've claimed  your mate."

Jenson helped Jordan lifted Kenzie into Jay's lap, being gentle and  careful of where they placed their hands. Once she was situated in Jay's  lap, he cradled her body against his, making sure she wasn't going to  move if she woke while they bit her.

Jay took a deep breath and nodded to his brothers. Jordan lowered the  hospital gown from her shoulders exposing her soft, creamy skin and  brushed her long, blonde hair away from her neck.

"Should we do this all at the same time?" Jenson asked uncertainly. "If so, one of us will need to bite her elsewhere."

"What do you suggest, Broden?" Jordan asked.

"I'm not sure if it'll make a difference, but if I was you, I'd do it together."

"Just make sure you don't mark her in a prominent place where everyone  can see it," Dusty said. "Although I'm sure Kenzie wouldn't mind, but  she'll get some weird looks if humans see the bite marks on her skin."

"Dusty's right," Jay said. "Who wants to bite the inside of her wrist?"

"I'll do it," Jenson said as he clasped Kenzie's hand, lacing their fingers together.

"You ready?" Jay asked.

"Yes," Jordan and Jenson answered simultaneously.

"On three," Jordan said. "One, two, three."

Jay's panther leapt forward and since his canines had already elongated  in preparation, he bit deeply into Kenzie's right shoulder. Jordan bit  into her left and Jenson her inner left wrist.

His dick, which had started to soften engorged with blood so fast and  hard, he got light headed. He moaned as Kenzie's blood flooded over his  tongue, his taste buds and his cock twitched as it leaked pre-cum.

Kenzie whimpered but that was the only sound she made, and she didn't  move. He was glad she remained semi-unaware, because the last thing he  wanted to have to do was restrain her. Jenson and Jordan growled and  yowled with joy, the sounds muffled against their mate's skin. If he  hadn't still had his teeth buried in her flesh, he would have been  roaring with triumphant joy, too.