Van, Becca - Her Norland Warriors (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (8 page)

“Well, that’s just fucking great. Why the hell didn’t you tell me this before we bonded? I’m going to have to have sex with you just so I won’t become ill? Thanks very much, guys. I really appreciate you telling me all of this,” Jess spat out, turned, and began to move away, muttering beneath her breath the whole time. Once she reached the end of the cubicle, she left the shower, wrapped a towel around her body, and left without once looking back. She knew if she looked at her mates now, she would lose control of her temper.

Jess stomped over to the closet, dressed, and headed outside. Her life had just changed so drastically, and she felt like she was riding an emotional roller coaster. She didn’t know what to think or feel and she’d rather risk the mating fever than have those three buffoons in her mind all the time. She knew she was partly to blame for the situation she found herself in. She hadn’t asked enough questions, and even though they were a different species than her, it seemed men universally forgot to provide pertinent facts when they wanted something. It was not as if she didn’t want to be bonded with them, she just hadn’t been told everything she considered important about the bonding. She didn’t really believe the stuff they had been spouting about the mating fever. She suspected they had made that up because they wanted to have sex with her regularly.

She gave a sly smile as she remembered reading how to build a mental wall in her mind in one of the ancient paranormal erotic digi-novels she’d read. She sat down when she came to the fountain and concentrated on building that wall one brick at a time.

* * * *

“She is trying to block us out already,” Hakon said as he and his brothers got out of the shower cubicle. “She is going to end up sick if we let her.”

“How are we going to stop her?” Loki asked, worried for their mate’s health.

“I don’t know if we can,” Dagr replied.

“It may not come to that. We can seduce our mate. She will crave our touch from now on. Maybe she’s not as strong as she thinks. She may give in before it is too late,” Hakon suggested.

“She is quite adept. I can feel her mental barrier getting higher even as we speak. She is uncertain of her place in our lives, as well as lonely and bored. Maybe if we find something for our mate to do, she will forget the wall in her mind, become happy with us, and not be so belligerent toward us,” Loki suggested.

“I think you have something there, brother, but what are we to give our mate to do? How do we make her feel worthy?” Hakon asked with a frustrated sigh.

“She needs to feel needed and loved for who she is. She has not had the love of a father, only that of her mother. I feel her need to love as well and be loved in return. Let us hope you have planted your seed in her womb, Dagr. Our mate will make a wonderful mother, but in the meantime, she needs something to occupy her time. If we weren’t so busy with our duties, we could each take time out of our schedules to be with her,” Loki stated as he and his brothers dressed.

Hakon reached for the handle just as a knock sounded on the door. He pulled it open to find Baldr and Ari, two of his security warriors, standing in front of him with worried expressions on their faces.

“What is the problem?” Hakon asked.

“Sir, we’ve had a breach in the household. Fenris is sounding the alarm as we speak,” Baldr stated just as the alarm blared.

“How the hell has this happened? Why wasn’t the perpetrator stopped before getting inside?” Dagr asked from behind Hakon.

“Sir, we believe the breach was made by another species. We don’t know how they were not picked up from our orbital scanner or even if they have landed a ship.”

“Find out and have all warriors on alert. Get Fenris to organize a search, and use the warriors in training and the serving boys. In fact, all males over the age of fifteen cycles are to help out,” Hakon barked out.

“Yes, sir,” Baldr and Ari replied, then took off at a run.

“Fuck, where is Jessamine? We have to find her,” Dagr shouted.

Hakon raced toward the open glass doors on the opposite side of the room, his brothers on his heels.

* * * *

Jess jumped as an alarm pierced the air around her. She jumped to her feet and saw warriors running every which way in the distance. She wondered what the hell was going on, but then just sat back down, covered her ears with her hands, and hoped the screeching would soon be turned off. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as the alarm finally stopped. She pulled her hands from her ears, thankful for the blessed silence. She turned her head and looked all around, trying to see if she was being watched. She could feel eyes on her but couldn’t see anyone, and her skin had goose bumps all over. She suddenly felt so afraid and alone, so she stood up, intending to go back to her mate’s room.

She didn’t take more than two steps before she slammed into an invisible wall, nearly falling on her ass. The fine hair on her nape now stood on end, scaring her out of her wits. She turned and fled, not knowing what she was running from, but the knowledge she wasn’t safe was beating at her. She made it to the other side of the fountain, and then she slammed into another wall. She skirted the whole area, her fingertips following the unseen barrier, and knew she was somehow trapped. Dagr, Loki, and Hakon sprinting toward her eased some of her anxiety, but she didn’t know if they could help her. She rushed toward them and stopped when she couldn’t go any further.

“Stop,” Jess yelled when they were within reaching distance. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I’m trapped in some sort of bubble. Maybe it’s a force field of some kind. I can feel pulses of electricity through my fingertips. I don’t want any of you getting hurt.”

“Are you all right, baby?” Dagr asked as he reached for her.

Jess screamed as Dagr was flung through the air, landing with a loud thump yards away from her. She wanted to run to him and make sure he was all right, but knew she couldn’t. Tears pricked the back of her eyes and spilled over to run down her cheeks.

“Dagr, are you okay?” Jess called out as he sat up.

“Yes, baby. I’m fine. What the hell is going on?” Dagr roared with fury.

Jess gasped as the air to her right shimmered, and a large man materialized next to her. His size put her mates’ to shame. He was massive, with long silver hair and pale-pink eyes, and he was so thick with muscle it was a wonder he could move. Jess stepped back and kept right on going as the man turned toward her.

“Who the hell are you? What are you? Why are you doing this?” Jess sobbed out.

The man just looked at her and tilted his head as if he didn’t understand her. Then he began to move toward her. Jess kept backing up, too scared to look away to make sure she didn’t back into anything. This guy was really freaking her out. She came to a halt as her back pressed up against the invisible barrier. He reached out to her with a massive hand, and Jess couldn’t help flinching away. She closed her eyes and sucked in a gasping breath. She could hear her mates yelling at the stranger to leave her alone, that she was their mate and not to be touched. Little good that was going to do, as no one could get near her. She wondered if she was about to meet her end. Maybe if she could just stay calm, she could reason with the Neanderthal.

“What do you want from me?” Jess asked calmly.

The large man just tilted his head the other way and blinked at her. He then reached up and pressed against his ear and smiled, and Jess realized he must have a universal translator implant he had just turned on.

“I am Drakon D’arque from the planet Gore. I have come to learn of your species. I mean you no harm, female, but since the interplanetary wars, the females of our species have been dwindling. We have need of females to mate with. I heard about the Norland warriors rescuing your people through the stratospheric waves and decided to see if the females of your planet would be compatible to mate with the males on our world.”

“Did you have to make such a ruckus? Couldn’t you have just knocked on the front door?” Jess asked, rolling her eyes. What was it with males from other planets being so melodramatic? The people on Earth knew about species from other planets. Why couldn’t these people learn to negotiate? She walked toward the seat at the fountain and sat down. She could hear her mates yelling at her, but just continued to ignore them. She felt a touch to her mind, and then her brain began to ache as her mates tried to breach the wall she had built up. She held firm against them, giving herself a pounding headache as she continued to block them.

“What do you want to know?” Jess asked, turning to look at Drakon.

“If you would allow it, lady, I would like to scan your mind. That way you do not have to spend hours telling me of your women and I can extract the information I need painlessly in a matter of seconds.”

“My name is Jessamine, call me Jess. I would like to know more of your planet and people before I allow you into my mind, Drakon. I will not put my people or myself in the path of danger before I have more knowledge.”

“You are very wise, Jess. If you give me your hands I will allow you to read my mind,” Drakon said, holding his hands out to her as he sat beside her.

Jess hesitated and looked into his eyes. For some reason she believed everything this strange man told her. She could see the sincerity in his eyes. She took a deep breath and placed her hands into his. She felt her anxiousness fade away to be replaced by a peaceful calm and somehow knew Drakon was responsible. She looked into his eyes as he brought her hands up to his temples, placing her fingertips to his head.

Jess gasped as rapid pictures flew through her head. Her mind was bombarded with so much knowledge and information it was almost too much for her to comprehend. Drakon’s race was a peaceful lot and had suffered much from the interplanetary wars. What he’d said about the dwindling numbers of females was true, but what made her apprehensive to let him have knowledge of the females on Earth was the way they gained their nourishment. It seemed the people of Gore were a race of vampires, needing blood as well as food to help in their survival. She had no doubt that if the females of Earth were taken to this planet that they would be safe. She just wondered if they could handle the thought of the existence of vampires.

“You can go out into sunlight, and you drink blood, but you also eat food,” Jess murmured as Drakon lowered her hands and released her. “You will have trouble convincing the females of my planet you mean them no harm. There are ancient myths and stories which decree people like you as monsters on our planet. I will allow you to read my mind and garner whatever information you need. But please promise me you and your people will never harm my planet or our people.”

“You already know we will do no harm. I thank you for your trust in me, and please be assured females are very precious to our race,” Drakon reiterated and slowly reached out to take Jess’s head between his hands.

Jess had no idea how long it took for Drakon to read her mind. She sat on the bench, feeling so calm and at peace. It could have been hours or mere minutes before he pulled away from her. He bowed to her and then just seemed to disappear before her eyes. Jess could now hear her mates’ frantic yelling much clearer. It was as if Drakon’s presence had dulled all her senses, and now that he was gone, everything was back to normal. Well, almost. Jess was suddenly so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. She was aware of her mates reaching her and knew the barrier was gone. She reached out to Dagr, since he got to her first, and slumped against him as he scooped her up into his arms. She gave a tired sigh, snuggled her head against his chest, and fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter Eight

“Loki, get the healers to meet us in our bedchamber. I want our mate to be examined at once. Supreme Being only knows what that bloodsucking bastard did to her. He read her mind, and she let him. How could she have allowed him to do such a thing? She protests to us about us being in her mind, but then she lets that motherfucker into her head without a qualm,” Hakon said, snarling.

“Brother, calm down, you don’t want our mate to see you so angry and upset if she awakens,” Dagr replied. Hakon watched Dagr place Jess on the bed and then strip Jess of her clothes, cover her with a sheet then turned toward him. “She must have had a good reason to do what she did. We could not hear everything he said to her.”

“I know. It’s just so frustrating. She built a damn mental wall to keep us out then lets a stranger read her mind. Doesn’t that irk you, brother?”

“Yes, but we need to find out what went on before we take our anger out on our mate. She obviously had a good reason to do what she did,” Dagr reiterated.

Hakon was about to reply but turned toward the door as it opened. Loki and several healers walked into the room and over to the bed. Dagr and Hakon moved back to let the healers examine their mate. After several moments of watching the healers, the elder of the trio turned to Hakon.