Van, Becca - Taming Olivia [Terra-form 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (2 page)

Chapter One

Olivia’s eyes flew open, and she blinked several times, making sure she was actually seeing what she thought she was. She was lying on a large bed, the room more luxurious than anything she’d ever seen before, and her best friend was sitting in a chair beside her.

“April, wha–what the fuck? Where am I? Where are you? How did we get here?” Olivia stuttered as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

“Now, Olivia, take some deep breaths. Everything will be all right. I promise. At least you have me to help you through this fantastical shit. I had to go through this by myself. As far as my mates and I can figure out, we are on an alternate reality to Earth. We are in Terra-form in the year 2012. I don’t know how we came to be here. All I can tell you is I felt as if someone had drugged me. I felt as if I was walking through quicksand, my eyesight diminished, and when everything was back to normal, I was here.”

“Shit, I felt like that, too. I was so angry when I first saw you standing in the forest with your arms wrapped around that bear. I’ve missed you so much, April.”

“Oh, Liv, I’ve missed you, too.” Standing, she moved over to Olivia and wrapped her arms around her. The two women hugged and cried over the near loss of each other.

“Did I see what I thought I saw in the forest? Did I see a bear change into a man?” she asked, her voice sounding hysterical even to her own ears.

“Yes, Liv,” April answered as she pulled away from Olivia. “All the people on this plane of Earth can shift shape. My three mates can shift. Two are panther-shifters, Gage and Saxon Kian, and the other, Ben Koku, is a bear-shifter.”

“You have three mates? Does that mean what I think it means?”

“Well, probably. I did lend you my erotic romance books, so if you’re thinking by mates I mean husbands, then you would be correct.”

“You’re shitting me. You have three men, to yourself? They’re your husbands?”

“Yes. And you have at least two men, too,” April stated.

“What? What are you talking about, April? I don’t have any men. You know I don’t have relationships.”

“Yeah, well, about that,” April began, then stopped and turned her head toward the door that had just slammed against the opposite wall.

“Ah, you’re awake. How are you feeling, little one?”

“Who the hell are you?” Olivia asked, staring at the two men who’d just entered the room.

They were so tall and handsome, and Olivia felt her pussy softening and leaking out her juices. She’d never reacted to any man before, and to have her wayward body doing so now, in front of these two hunks, pissed her off even more. One of them had to be nearly seven feet tall. He had light-brown hair and light-green eyes. His shoulders were nearly as wide as the doorway, and he was packed full of rippling muscles, which she had trouble keeping her eyes off of. She slid her eyes over to the other man. He was just as hot as his brother. She could tell they were related as their features were similar, but he was slightly shorter, his hair a darker brown, and his eyes a mix of green and brown. He was more muscular than his brother, and the way the two of them looked at her made her shift uncomfortably.

“I am Cedric Kiath, and this is my brother, Hugh. Are you feeling well?” he asked, stopping when he reached the side of the bed, staring down at her as if she was his last meal. He was the taller of the two, with light-brown hair and green eyes. The heat in his eyes making her squirm as her body responded.

“As well as can be expected, I suppose,” Olivia answered and turned her face away from Cedric and Hugh to look at April with a raised eyebrow. She suspected that Cedric and Hugh were her mates.

April must have known what she was asking, because she gave a slight nod of her head, affirming Olivia’s suspicions.

“Fuck, April. How can…” Olivia began.

“What has you so upset, little one?” Hugh asked, crawling onto the end of the bed and looking at her with concern.

“Oh, for the love of…Is it always like this?” she asked April.

“Usually worse,” April replied. Olivia glared at her when she saw her trying to hide the smile on her face.

“You must continue to rest, little one. We want you to be well again,” Cedric said.

“Will you stop calling me little? I have a name, Olivia Hammond. Use it,” she snapped.

“Of course. Sorry we have displeased you, Olivia Hammond. That was not our intention,” Cedric stated.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Olivia muttered, making April giggle.

“You are angry. Why?” Hugh asked with a frown.

“Oh, gee, I don’t know. Maybe it has to do with the fact my missing best friend is sitting next to me, about to drop. And two, I’ve entered the twilight zone,” she stated sarcastically. And she’d had enough of the two men staring at her adoringly, making her traitorous body awaken for the first time since…ever.

“We don’t understand what you just said, Olivia Hammond. Would you care to explain?” Hugh asked.

“First off, no, and secondly, call me Olivia or Liv, not Olivia Hammond,” she snarled.

Olivia had learned to become even more aggressive with her mouth, using her sharp tongue and wit as a shield against anyone who threatened the defenses around her heart and ended up hurting her. She was often thought of as a total bitch, but she didn’t really care what others thought.

“But that is your name, is it not?” Cedric asked, a frown on his handsome face.

“Yes, it’s my name. But we only use one,” she answered.

Masculine voices in the hallway drew everyone’s attention to the door. April stood up when three very large, sexy men entered the room.

“April, we have been looking for you everywhere. We should have known you’d be here with your friend. How are you feeling, baby?”

“I’m fine, stop fussing. Gage, Saxon, Ben, I’d like you to meet my best friend. Olivia Hammond, these handsome men are my mates,” April introduced.

“Olivia, we are pleased to meet you. We are glad you are here. April has been very worried about you,” Gage said, stepping forward and shaking Olivia’s hand.

The growls that emanated from Cedric and Hugh as Olivia shook hands with Gage made her jump with fright. She leapt from the bed and backed away. She kept her widened eyes on the two men and stopped when her back hit the window.

“Knock it off. You’re frightening my mate’s friend.” Gage growled as he stared down the two men.

“We are sorry, Alpha, but you know how we work. Our reactions were instinct,” Cedric replied, dropping his eyes.

“I understand, and so does April, but others may not. Try to have a little more control,” Gage suggested.

“Yes, Alpha,” Cedric and Hugh replied at the same time.

“Like you did?” April asked then burst out laughing. She turned on her heel, walked up to Olivia, and gripped her hand. “We are going to find something to eat.”

* * * *

Cedric turned to watch as the two women left the room. When they were out of sight, Cedric and Hugh slumped down onto the bed.

“You both need to take it easy with Olivia,” Saxon stated. “She’s not as hard as she makes out. She’s been through a tough time.”

Cedric glanced at Hugh and then back to their Alpha. “Would you care to elaborate?”

“It’s not my place. Olivia will tell you if and when she is ready. Just be cautious,” Saxon reiterated.

“As you wish, Alpha,” Hugh replied, bowing his head with submission.

* * * *

April led Olivia through the vast hallways in the palatial home. Every question imaginable ran through Olivia’s head.

“Is this a palace? Where are we going? You’re a mate to Alphas? Does that make you an Alpha, too?”

“Olivia.” April pulled them both to a stop. “Breathe, girlfriend. Everything will work out in the end. You’ll see. For now, let’s just find something to eat. I’m starving.”

Olivia burst out laughing, patted April’s belly, and pulled her friend into an embrace.

“God, I’ve missed you,” she whispered, all choked up.

“Oh, no you don’t. Don’t start getting all emotional on me. I’ve been emotional enough for four people. Hormones,” she said, patting her huge belly.

“When are you due?” she asked, glancing at April’s protruding stomach.

“Seven days. I, for one, can’t wait until this baby makes an entrance into the world. I’m sick and tired of feeling so fat. None of the clothes on this plane cover a person decently enough. The members of this clan no longer talk to me. They talk to my belly,” April said with a grimace.

“Oh, April, I love you. You humor was always the best medicine. I can’t believe we found each other again,” she said with a smile.

April returned her smile, hooked her arm into Olivia’s, and began waddling down the hallway. They reached an archway into a huge dining room. The area was bustling with people sitting around tables, obviously waiting for a meal. The smell of food wafted through the air, and Olivia spied another doorway, which she surmised led to the kitchen. April led her to a raised table at the far side of the chamber. She sat down and patted the seat beside her.

Olivia became aware of the quiet in the room and raised her head to see everyone staring up at her. She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. She had always detested being the center of attention, and it looked like some things never changed. April leaned toward her.

“Don’t worry, Liv. They’re just curious. When my mates introduce you, and they know who you are, they won’t be so curious.”

“Shit, April. I don’t know if I can do this. You know I like to keep to the background.”

“As much as I’d like to help you there, you are going to be more in the spotlight than you want. Your mates are first in command to my mates. You don’t have a choice, Liv.”

“Gee, thanks for the words of comfort. I think I’d rather go back home than deal with this shit.”

“Believe me, I know how you feel. I don’t know how many times I tried to escape before I was happy to stay.”

“They held you against your will?” she yelled then lowered her face, her cheeks warming with embarrassment as everyone stared at her.

“Well, not exactly. I really had nowhere else to go. It was worth it, Liv. You’ll see,” she stated.

“I don’t know about that. But it seems I have about as much choice as you did. Oh shit, here come Frick and Frack,” she muttered under her breath. She knew April had heard her when friend burst out laughing.

Olivia watched from beneath lowered lashes as Cedric and Hugh made their way toward a table close by. They sat down, their seats facing the raised table, leaned their heads on their hands, and stared at her like lovesick puppies.

“They’re pretty hot, aren’t they?” April whispered in her ear.

“Oh yeah,” she replied automatically.

“You have it bad, girlfriend. You don’t stand a chance.”

“We’ll just see about that.”

Olivia’s eyes were drawn to the arch. April’s mates had just entered the dining room. They stalked up to the raised dining table and stood, commanding silence without having to speak. When all were quiet, April’s mate Ben, the bear-shifter, stepped forward around the end of the table from his place beside Olivia.

“We have a guest who is to be treated with courtesy and respect. I would like to introduce you to April’s best friend, Olivia Hammond,” Ben said, then swept a hand toward Olivia.

Olivia tried not to cringe as everyone clapped and cheered. She smiled politely, gave a little wave, and lowered her head.

“Breathe, Liv. It’ll be over soon,” April whispered.

“Easy for you to say. They treat you like a queen,” she replied quietly.

“To our clan, April is their queen,” Ben whispered from her other side.

“You heard that?” she asked, stupefied.

“We are shape-shifters, Olivia. Our senses are much more advanced than a human’s,” Ben replied with a gentle smile.

“Great. Just fucking great,” she mumbled. “Hey, since you are so almighty, do you think you could get Frick and Frack to stop staring at me?”

“Who?” Ben asked, obviously puzzled.

“What are their names again?” Olivia turned to April, surreptitiously indicating the two men staring at her.