Van, Becca - Her Norland Warriors (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (4 page)

Jess hesitated when they came to a large room filled to capacity with men. She began to feel self-conscious when she saw no Norland females, but sighed when she saw the other passengers and crew from the space transport sitting at a large table in the back of the room. Dagr placed a large hand on the small of her back, literally propelling her through the room. She could have moved aside and toward her own people, but she was curious about the three brothers and wanted to go with Dagr. He led her to a long table at the front of the room, where Hakon, Loki, and several other giant men were seated.

Dagr seated her in an empty throne-like chair next to Hakon and took the empty chair on her left. The room quieted, the chattering of male voices diminishing until there was total silence. All eyes were on her.

Jess squirmed in her seat, uncomfortable with all the attention, and then froze when Dagr and Hakon placed their large palms on her thighs. She began to feel warm, her blood heating, but what astounded her most was to find herself feeling calm. Hakon removed his hand from her thigh and stood.

“I would like to introduce our bond mate, Jessamine Flanagan,” Hakon stated.

The cheers and whistles which followed his statement were deafening. Hakon began again once the men quieted, and Jess listened intently.

“We were lucky enough to find her on the space transport that was in trouble. We have decided to stop our pirating for a few months. I know many of you are still without bond mates and that some of you have been lucky enough to meet them on our raids for cargo, and for that, I am sorry. But if we keep raiding, the Earth people will not travel, and then none of you will find your mates. My brothers and I have decreed to wait four months before we will allow raiding to begin again. By then the stratosphere messages advising of our raiding will have ceased. I am sorry to give you this bad news. I know how hard it is to not have a bond mate, as do my brothers. But in the long run, we will have more females to meet and the chance to woo them into our hearts and beds. Now it is time for celebration. Bring the feasting food, and let the celebrations begin.”

Jess watched as young men, boys really, brought in platter after platter of strange-looking food. The tables were ladened with it. She had never seen so much food in her life, but then she had never seen so many men in one room either. She was conscious of the stares in her direction and began to squirm and fidget. She wrung her fingers together, her body beginning to shake. She had never been a confident person, and to be up in front of the staring Norland men and her traveling companions from Earth was rather disconcerting.

“Breathe, Jess. Take deep breaths and let them out slowly,” Hakon said, placing a hand on her back between her shoulders.

Jess wriggled in her seat, trying to dislodge Hakon’s comforting touch. She didn’t want to be comforted. She didn’t want to eat. She didn’t even want to be here up in front of everyone. She wanted to be with the others. Her breath rasped out of her constricted throat, and her skin was covered in a sheen of perspiration. Her heart was jumping and pounding rapidly in her chest. Maybe she was dying. She felt as if she was having a heart attack. Then two more hands were on her body. Dagr had placed his hand on her thigh, and Loki had reached over to take her hand in his.

The panic began to recede. Her breathing slowed, as did her heartbeat, and her body began to relax. She felt too languid now. She was in danger of falling asleep. Her eyelids were heavy, her muscles lax. Loki gave her a smile and withdrew his hand. Jess felt the sleepiness leaving her. She was on her feet before they could stop her.

“What did you do to me?” Jess asked suspiciously.

“Sit down,” Dagr said, taking her hand in his and tugging her back into her seat. “We were only trying to calm your panic, and we succeeded. Why would that bother you?”

“Why? Why? What else have you been doing to control me? How is that even possible?”

“We are empathic, Jessamine. And we have the skills to calm hysterical women,” Hakon told her.

“Do you mean to tell me your powers, whatever they are, only work on women? That’s not fair,” Jess wailed.

“That’s not what I said. You are making a spectacle of yourself, Jess. Now, if you have any questions, we will answer them, but do not yell them at us. You would do well to learn to have a bit of respect for your bond mates,” Dagr stated firmly.

“Well, excuse me. Of course I’m going to be happy with the men who brought me to a strange planet, claiming I am their mate,” Jess said petulantly. “What’s empathic mean?”

“Being an empath means we can feel everything you are feeling. We have the ability to calm you if we deem it necessary,” Hakon replied.

“You can feel everything? You mean when I’m scared, you feel it?” Jess asked incredulously.

“Yes,” Loki answered, leaning toward her so she could hear him. “We also feel when you are aroused.”

“Shit,” Jess screeched, standing again, and then struggled against the men’s hands when she was pulled back down to her seat.

“You cannot escape what you feel for us, little one, so don’t even bother trying,” Hakon said with a gentle smile.

Jess felt tears of frustration prick the back of her eyes. What the hell had she gotten herself into? All she ever wanted was to have one decent vacation. Look where that had gotten her. She blinked rapidly, determined not to let her tears fall. She sat with her head lowered, her eyes on the white, brocaded tablecloth.
At least you’re alive, Jess.
Oh God. What am I going to do? How can I want them to touch me and love me when I don’t even know them?

Jess flinched when Dagr reached for her plate, and she watched with dismay as he began to load it with food. There was no way in hell she was going to eat it. She had no idea if it was even safe to eat. Her stomach growled loud enough for Hakon and Dagr to hear, because they turned to her and gave her a smile. She felt her cheeks heat and knew they were tinged red with embarrassment. She looked down at the plate Dagr placed in front of her, studying the food. The smells were tantalizing her nostrils as she inhaled. Her mouth began to salivate, her body preparing to consume the fuel it needed. Jess gave a mental shrug. If she was going to keep them at arm’s length, she would need to keep her strength up.

She picked up the shiny prong-like utensil, obviously their imitation of a fork, and stabbed a purple rose-looking piece. She lifted it to her nose, sniffed delicately, and placed the small morsel in her mouth. Ambrosia. That was the only word which came to mind. She sniffed at the next morsel as she chewed, only vaguely aware of the moans she made as she ate. She placed piece after piece of food in her mouth, totally oblivious to her surroundings. She ate until she was satisfied—only a quarter of the food gone from her plate—placed the fork on her plate, wiped her mouth with the napkin, and sat back, totally sated.

Jess lifted her eyes to see the three Sigmund brothers staring at her. She shifted in her seat, uncomfortable with the attention, raised her chin, gave each of them a glare, and said, “What?”

She sighed when none of them answered her. They just gave her smiles and shrugs then concentrated on their own food.

Chapter Four

Jess followed behind Loki as he led the way back through the long corridors, Hakon and Dagr on either side of her. The feasting had gone on for hours and Jess was so tired, she knew she would fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. But what she wanted most of all was to have a shower. She felt grungy, and she would kill for a change of clothes. She lifted her arm and sniffed. She wasn’t too bad, but she definitely needed to clean up.

She stopped when Loki came to a halt outside a pair of large, ornate double doors. The pattern of runes on the door was so beautiful she couldn’t prevent herself from moving closer and reaching out to trace the indentations. She looked so far up and got a crick in her neck to see Loki smiling down at her.

“Did you do this, too?” Jess asked.

“No, I did not. These were done by the ancient elders long passed from this realm,” Loki replied.

Jess reached out and took Loki’s hand in hers. “You do beautiful work, Loki. The statue in the garden is exquisite. I am beyond words on how to describe how it made me feel, to see it, and know you were the one to create such beauty.”

“Thank you, Jessamine. I am pleased you like it,” Loki said, his smile lighting up his face.

Jess moved back as Loki opened the doors to the bedchamber and bowed low, sweeping his arm out, indicating she should enter. Jess stepped through the door and walked over to the other side of the room, to stand staring out at the garden through the open doors. She knew the three brothers were in the room with her, but was determined to ignore them. Little good that did her.

“Jessamine, please come. We will show you where we have clothes waiting for you,” Dagr said from close behind her. “We know you wish to bathe and change clothing.”

Jess turned and stumbled when her nose connected with Dagr’s chest. She would have fallen and was grateful when he reached out to steady her. Dagr slid his hand down her forearms and took both her hands in his. He led her over to a wall on the left side of the huge bed then pushed a clear button, and Jess gasped as the whole wall slid away to reveal a large closet. The closet was full of clothes. There was row upon row of men’s clothing, and a quarter of the space was filled with an array of brightly colored cloth.

“This is your clothing,” Dagr stated with a sweep of his hand. “You may choose anything you wish to wear. The rest, of course, is ours.”

“Yours? This is your room? You share a room, a bed? Gross,” Jess said in shock, and then lightning struck. “I am to share a room and a bed with you?”

“Yes. You are, little Jess. You are our bond mate, and we have need to have you at our side. We do not want to be separated from you. We will not touch you unless you wish it,” Hakon said in a gentle voice. “Choose what you wish to wear and we will show you the bathing room. We know you have already found the commode room. If you had investigated further, like we thought you would, you could have bathed and changed clothing before now and felt more comfortable. I do not wish you to feel anything but happy with us.”

“Well, excuse me. My brain has been fried from finding myself in this predicament. I’m on a strange planet. You would be hesitant if you found yourself in my position,” Jess stated sarcastically. “No, maybe you wouldn’t.”

“Choose,” Hakon breathed into Jess’s ear.

Jess didn’t bother looking through the clothes. She just grabbed at a gold piece of cloth and hugged it to her chest. She didn’t want to study the outfit. She didn’t want them to think she cared what covered her body and how she looked, by taking her time over choosing. She didn’t want them to think she was trying to please them by what she chose to wear. Dagr reached out and took the material from her, turned, and headed across to the other side of the room.

“Follow me,” Dagr threw over his shoulder.

Jess sighed with resignation and followed. She watched as he pushed another clear button and the wall receded, seeming to slide within itself. The room revealed was an oasis of paradise. There were many colorful plants around the steamy room, emitting floral scents. She found a large shower cubicle tucked away in the corner of the room and wondered why the bathroom was so elaborate and just outside of the shower was a large bench big enough to seat five people.

Jess turned to see Dagr place the gold material she had chosen onto a high platform near the bench and then turn toward her. “Remove your clothes.”

“What? You want me to get naked and watch while I bathe?”

“We want to be able to take care of you, Jessamine. We wish to help you bathe. You are our mate. You have nothing to be embarrassed about,” Hakon breathed in her ear.

Jess jumped and spun around since she hadn’t been aware of Hakon’s presence. She was nervous about revealing her body to these three men. She knew she wasn’t built like the other women of her planet who had had their DNA changed. The three brothers all moved like great cats, light and silent on their large feet.

“But I can do it myself,” Jess replied nervously and took a step away from Hakon. “I am quite capable of washing without any help.”

“Jessamine, you have no need to be ashamed of your body. You are perfect. You were made for us,” Loki said, his heated stare traveling the length of her body.

“Um,” Jess squeaked as her back slammed into another warm, hard, immovable object. She tilted her head back to see Dagr standing over her, his front plastered to her back, and he had a feral smile on his face.

Jess didn’t think. She leaned against Dagr, her body softening with need. She sobbed with surprise when she was lifted from her feet. She was panting with arousal by the time Dagr had her back to the outside wall of the shower cubicle. He clasped her wrists in one large hand, pulled them up above her head, and wrapped a muscular arm around her waist. She wanted their touch on her body, but she was nervous about them seeing her naked with all her flaws exposed.