Claimed for their Pleasure by L.V. Lane
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Gage
SOMEHOW, WE HAUL our asses out of the furs, clean up, clean Jessa up, and ride for my clan. Brandon lopes circles around us in wolf form, Jessa naps where she lays over my lap. I keep the horse to a walk, so it takes us a while.
Night is falling by the time we arrive. The Alpha on watch sends a lad ahead of us to let the village know. By the time we arrive at my home and hall, Pete is waiting.
“Hail!” he says, grinning. “You have been gone a good while.”
Pete’s gaze lowers to where Brandon takes a sentry position beside the horse, remaining in wolf form. He does not know the clan well, and he will be on alert until his wolf can be satisfied no danger lurks here.
Pete calls to a couple of nosy servants who have come to gawk. “Prepare the hall, a bath, and some food.”
They scurry off.
It might be helpful were Brandon to shift and take the sleepy lass from my arms. But alas, all he does is growl when Pete dares to take a step forward to hold the reins as I dismount.
“He is not going to hurt the lass, dumb mutt!” I grouch. Rousing Jessa, I put her in the saddle as I dismount before lifting her into my arms.
“I can stand!” she says, voice ripe with querulousness. She is tired and in need of rest in a proper bed. And a bath given her hair is a knotty mess of dried cum. As much as I enjoyed putting her in this state, she will feel better for being thoroughly clean.
“You weigh all but naught,” I say. To Pete, I ask, “Has there been any trouble?”
“Aye,” he says, nodding. “Jack sent his second, Glen, to find out if we had ought to do with Brandon and Jessa’s disappearance. I told them you had passed through with Brandon and Jessa, and that I would send a rider to notify him on your return.”
“Good,” I say. “Send a rider tonight. He will be here for the morrow. Better to get this over and done with.”
“You have bonded,” Pete says, eyes shifting to the bundle in my arm. “Her scent has changed. That the wolf is not trying to rip your throat out suggests he has bonded too.”
A growl rises from my chest when his eyes linger on Jessa. We have been friends since lads, and I have trusted this man with my life. Brandon, alert to my mood, moves to place himself between Pete and us. Curling his lips, he growls.
Pete lowers his gaze. “You have claimed an Omega,” he says. “It will take time for your people to adjust. I meant no disrespect.”
“We are newly mated,” I say. “It will take me some time to temper the feelings the bond invokes.”
Pete smiles, and his eyes meet mine without straying. “I expect that it will. This is a good sign that the Goddess has blessed the clan. The news will give our people hope.”
He turns to the side, where a servant casts a nervous glance at Brandon before turning to me. “The hall is prepared, sire,” she says.
“We will talk on the morrow, Pete,” I say. “Thank you for all you have done, and for having a level head in handling Jack.”
Bowing his head in deference, he takes his leave.
“Come on, mutt,” I say. I swear the wolf glares at me.
Jessa smiles. “He looks grumpy,” she says.
“Are you sure they can’t understand humans?” I say, taking the steps to the hall. Brandon’s claws clack against the wooden floor as he follows us in. “Mayhap, it is a shifter secret.”
A bowing servant swiftly pushes the door shut, just as a scrap of red fur darts inside.
Brandon yips.
The cat jumps up onto the oak table like he owns it and gives Brandon a haughty glare.
“Oh!” Jessa says. A moment ago, she looked like she was ready to fall asleep. Now she is wide-eyed and perky. “What is that?”
“A cat,” I say, thinking this is obvious.
“My cat,” I correct. “The little bastard has taken to sleeping on my bed of a night when he is not busy mousing.”
“Can I pet him?” she asks, trying to wriggle down.
Brandon and the cat are eyeballing one another. I hope the wolf has the sense not to try and eat it.
Do wolves eat cats? I have seen the cat eat rats bigger than he is. I’m confident Brandon’s nose will feel the sting of claws if he gets too close.
“No, you can have a bath and eat some supper before we rest.”
“Oh,” she says, sounding disappointed.
Rolling my eyes, I carry her through to the bedding chamber where a bath is steaming ready for her.
Brandon follows us in, still in wolf form, and sits down to watch. The cat darts in, making a beeline for the bed, and settles in to start his nightly cleaning routine.
I wash Jessa in the bath. She can’t take her eyes off the fucking cat! But I like this too, the homely feeling as I work the tangles out of her hair, watched by our audience. How my life has changed. Not so long ago, I was bitter, angry, and heart sore with the ways of my clan.
There is a deep pain in the center of my chest when I think about Danon, still a prisoner of the Halket clan. But that is a worry for another day. First, we must deal with the fallout from the Ralston clan.
After we are done, and she is squeaky clean, I take her to the furs and settle her down for sleep.
It is not long before the cat snuggles in behind me. A little later, as I am falling into a doze, the bed dips, and Brandon, once more in human form, presses in on Jessa’s other side.
