Claiming Emma [Novikov Clan 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (17 page)

Following Takoda out of the booth, Mahkah stood and waited for Chayton and Emma to join them. His heart beat rapidly in his chest, but somehow he was able to control his breathing and remain calm. Just thinking of Emma made his pulse jump and his heart race frantically. Their one moment together in the shower wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy him. He needed her, wanted her beyond reason, and hoped the waiting would end soon.

The animal inside him started to rise, and Mahkah beat it back, having a silent war inside his own body. He was trembling slightly, and his heart grew tight in his chest. Seconds turned into minutes as he stood frozen, and then warm, beautiful brown eyes made contact with his. The shaking stopped, his heart immediately slowed, and the animal that was so close to the surface stared with him at their mate. Warmth flooded through his system when she smiled, and for the first time, Mahkah was able to exhale. The panic was gone, and in its place the realization that he would do anything for the woman sitting in front of him. His mate.

* * * *

Emma could feel Mahkah staring at her. His gaze was a living, breathing force, and even though she was upset with him, she moved away from Chayton and stared at him. He looked calm, but his eyes told a different story. The color kept changing, and she wondered what he was thinking. She could feel his love like a heavy blanket, and as she gazed back at him, she smiled.

These three men had crashed into her life and turned her emotions inside out. Looking at them now, she was grateful. She had no family or home any longer, and they were offering her everything she could ever want or need. She would be stupid to turn away, to not forgive. Chayton climbed out of the booth, and Emma followed his lead until she was standing in front of Mahkah and Takoda with Chayton standing at her back. She could feel his heat, and it comforted her.

Without much thought, Emma held out her hands to Mahkah and Takoda, and they instantly reacted, moving closer and twining their fingers. Feeling more confident, she looked over her shoulder and winked at Chayton before heading toward the front door of the small bar. She was ready to go to home. The last thing she wanted was to run away, to leave these men. She knew deep down, if she did, she would always have regrets, always wonder what could’ve been.

Takoda opened the front door, and the four of them walked out together into the clean, fresh air. She lifted her face and closed her eyes briefly. It felt good to let the sun soak into her skin. Everything was going to change. She knew her whole world would be different. She waited for the usual questions to arise, but her mind was silent for the first time. She wasn’t thinking of any what-ifs. Instead, she was in the moment, focused on the present.

“Let’s leave your truck here, Takoda. We can take mine back to the house, together.” Mahkah opened the passenger-side door, kissed her hand, and helped her up. “Scoot over, baby. You get middle.” Mahkah winked and stepped back, walking around the front of the truck.

Stepping up, Emma crawled in the cab and moved over, leaving plenty of room for Takoda. She knew that Chayton would sit in the back seat. He wanted to give both of his brothers a chance with her, and she was feeling more open to the idea of all three of them. Sitting silently in the cab, she half listened to the men chatting. Why had she been against the idea of the three of them? Was she nervous to be with them at the same time? Did she think that her love for Chayton would somehow diminish once she opened herself up to Takoda and Mahkah?

“You’re thinking too hard,” Takoda whispered in her ear, and she jerked her head around and bit her lip. Reaching out, he rubbed the line that formed on her forehead every time she was deep in thought. It seemed that these men really did watch her too closely. She wished she could stop thinking, stop overanalyzing, stop worrying, but she couldn’t seem to. “Everything is going to work out.” His calm voice washed over her.

Emma leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder. “How do you know? I mean…how can you say that?”

“Things are confusing right now because this is still so new, but after a little bit, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without us. We are going to love, cherish, adore, and take care of you forever,” Mahkah told her, his voice firm, and she believed him.

“I love you,
ciqala
, we all do,” Chayton’s sweet voice said from behind her, and Emma couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face.

“I love you, too.” And she did love him. Maybe she would be able to say those three little words to Takoda and Mahkah someday soon. After all her time with Chayton and then the last week with his brothers, she was finally open to the idea of loving more than one man.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the house. Smoke billowed out of the fireplace, and Emma felt exhausted. Her mind and body were shutting down, and her stomach was empty. She just wanted to have some normalcy in her life. Exhaling loudly, she followed Takoda out of the truck and soon realized she was having trouble standing.

“It’s time for Emma to eat and go to sleep.” Takoda swung her up in his arms and headed toward the house.

“That was my plan earlier.” Mahkah stopped himself from finishing the sentence. That had been his plan. He’d wanted her to shower, eat, and then sleep before she ran off. Emma cringed, resisting the thought that ran through her head. Chayton’s betrayal. No, she wouldn’t think about that now. She knew he loved her. What he did was wrong, but his reasoning was from the heart. Mate. That made her think of so many things, but her head hurt, and she could barely keep her eyes open. She would, however, think about it tomorrow.

Takoda sat her down on the soft bed and immediately knelt in front of her. He removed each shoe and sock before rubbing her feet. Mahkah and Chayton stepped in then, stripping her down until she was completely naked. Immediately, her brain went to her dreams and these three men taking her, claiming her. Instead of taking advantage of the moment, they gently pushed her back and pulled the blankets up under her chin.

Takoda, Mahkah, and Chayton each took a turn kissing her good-night before turning away and leaving her alone. The silence was deafening, but it didn’t take long for Emma to close her eyes and fall asleep.

Emma ran through the dark forest. Everything was familiar, and she knew where to go…

Gasping, Emma sat straight up and looked around. Her heart was pounding, and she was aware of a strong feeling of déjà vu. How could a dream seem so real? Everything about it was just as before, the chase, the excitement, the knowing. She was so deep in thought that she didn’t hear the door open.

“Hi there.” Emma gasped and jerked the covers up over her nakedness. She looked up in to Bev’s shining eyes.
Their mother was in her room?
Unsure of how to react, she just lay there, clutching the blanket like a lifeline. Bev smiled and walked further into the room. “I’m sorry to bother you. I thought you were sleeping. I was just dropping off some food for you to enjoy when you awoke.”

“That’s fine. You didn’t bother me. I was already awake.”

Bev brushed her hands on her skirt and smiled. “Well, enjoy the meal. I’ll leave you to eat in peace. I’m sure you don’t get much privacy with the boys here.” The older woman turned to go.

Emma stammered. “Wait…Um, can I ask you something?” That was all the encouragement Bev needed. She came back in to the room and gestured toward the edge of the bed.

“May I?” Emma immediately slid over to give her ample hips some room. She smelled of sunflower. It was a pleasant scent. Emma really looked at her for the first time. She had beautiful skin and tiny crow’s feet around her eyes. She looked good for her age. Her hair was in a single twist on the back of her head, and her smile was contagious. Emma found herself smiling back.

“It’s about the dreams, isn’t it?” Emma’s mouth fell open, and she gaped at her.

“How did you know about my dreams? I haven’t even talked to the guys about them.” Bev laughed. It was a sweet tinkering sound that reminded Emma of bells.

“All mates have them, dear. It’s more of a vision than a dream. Are they similar in nature, your dreams?” Emma could only nod. She was so blown away by what she’d just heard. She couldn’t speak for a second.

Finding her voice, she asked, “How do you know when it’s right? I mean, how did you know?” Emma felt color stain her cheeks, but she had to ask.

Bev simply said, “It’s in here.” She laid her hand over her heart. “Do you love them?”

Emma was fairly certain that she did. “Yes.” That one word brought the twinkle back to Bev’s eyes. She stood so fast that Emma almost dropped her covers. “Wait.” Emma had more questions.

“Follow your heart, pretty one. It never leads us wrong.” With that, she backed out of the room, leaving a shocked Emma to stare after her in wonder.

Emma jumped up and ran to the window to peer out. With her mind made up, she grabbed some clothes and began to dress. Fully clothed, she stared at herself in the mirror. What was she doing? Getting dressed, preparing to run through the forest, hoping her mates would chase her. Did she want to belong to all three of them? Yes, she did.

She could barely stand to be around Mahkah and Takoda and not touch them or want them. Biting her lip, Emma took a deep breath and nodded at her reflection in the mirror. This was what she wanted. She wanted to be with Mahkah, Takoda, and Chayton. No doubt about it. She craved, wanted, and needed them.

“This is the first day of the rest of your life,” she said to her reflection. She headed out of the bedroom. The hallway was dark, and Emma took her time walking down each step, giving herself a little pep talk as she made it to the front door.

Without looking back, Emma headed out into the chilly night. She looked around as she went, taking in her surroundings. The rocks and ice crunched under her shoes as she headed toward the big, thick forest in front of her. Every dream she had played in her mind, and this was exactly where she wanted to be. Outside. In her gut, she knew that her men were out here somewhere. Were they hunting together? Soon enough, they would scent her and follow her trail.

Smiling, Emma moved through the trees. The path was clear, just as it had been in her dreams. A feeling of déjà vu fell around her like a cloak, and her heart started beating in anticipation. She was excited. Picking up her pace, she started jogging, maneuvering around fallen trees. The forest came alive around her as if she was expected. Her goal was obvious. She needed to make it to the clearing to complete the ritual.

Deep growling noises followed by the crunching of fresh snow got her attention. She pushed herself to run harder and faster. Emma laughed, the sound echoing throughout the forest. She belonged to them, just as they belonged to her. She was close to the clearing, and Emma tried to calm her breathing as her heart beat frantically. The dreams had prepared her. She was ready.
Stopping, she froze in place. A warm body crashed into hers, and Emma went down but her body never touched the ground.

“Turn over,” he bit out, his voice slightly distorted, and she
obeyed him. Looking up, he leaned over her. In her dreams, he was gigantic, and that didn’t change in reality. His eyes were black, no white at all. His breaths were low, deep rumbling growls. He was a mixture between man and beast. She could see the bear lingering like a shadow.

“Arms above your head,” he grated, and once again Emma obeyed without question. Looking around, she saw both Takoda and Chayton stalk into the clearing. She couldn’t see their faces yet, only their bodies rippling with muscles as they moved forward one step at a time. These were her men, Mahkah, Takoda, and Chayton.

The ripping of clothes pulled her back to the moment, and she looked back at Mahkah. He sliced open her clothes, stripping her, snarling and growling while she stared at him. He stood up for a minute and tore his jeans from his body, and she stared at his hardening length. His cock was hard, pointing at her, and Emma licked her lips. This was exactly what she wanted, had been waiting for.

Positioning himself over her, he bent down and kissed her, licking her neck and nuzzling his face against her, inhaling her scent. Takoda and Chayton moved closer but didn’t join them. This was all part of the ritual, the marking. As Mahkah moved above her, she wanted to tempt him, to go to her hands and knees in front of him. It was the strongest force she had ever felt, and she could barely control her own actions. She tilted her neck, presenting it to him and showing her submission. He dragged his rough tongue across her neck, and she arched her back. Her pussy flooded.

“Turn over,” he commanded, and Emma did it immediately.

He growled, and Emma smiled. She pleased him by following orders. Shifting her hips, she waited for him to touch her, all the while getting wetter from the anticipation. She ached, feeling empty and desperate to be filled. Large hands caressed her hips, moving up her back, and finally cupped her breasts, tweaking her nipples. With a gentle push, he pressed her shoulders against the ground. She laid her head on her jacket and relaxed her body. Mahkah was going to claim her, mark her.

Slowly, taking his time, he pressed two fingers into her, and Emma stayed still, panting. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion.

“You’re so wet for me.” Mahkah groaned.

“Yes…take me, please,” she begged him. “Mahkah, I need you. I need all three of you.”