The scent of him reminded her of their surroundings: fresh, clean, and uninhibited.
A smile formed on her lips at the feel of a tongue licking every one of her fingers. This was either the most fucked-up dream she had ever had, or the world she thought she knew had just stepped into the realm of bizarre.
They made their way back to the cabin in relative silence. The only sound that penetrated her thoughts was the sound of their feet moving over the ground.
The property came into focus, and she saw Paul lying unconscious on the garage floor. His hands and feet were secured with zip ties, but she knew he wouldn’t have been able do any more damage because his face looked like ground hamburger.
A shiver worked through her at the sight, and Thayer wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her away from the carnage.
Once inside she kept her eyes on Deacon. He was still in his snow leopard form, and with the lights surrounding him, she couldn’t help but appreciate the beauty of him.
All lean, hard muscle, monstrous fangs and claws, and a tail that looked dangerous enough to knock someone on their ass, made up only a part of this supernatural animal.
Their gazes held, and she felt the hair on her arms start to rise with the increase of electricity in the air. The air became charged, and she gasped in awe and a little bit of fear as Deacon’s body started to contort back into his human form.
Thayer stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to his body.
“It’s okay. This is our world, and who we are.” Letting his words sink in, she leaned into his embrace. “We want you with us, Jessa. That is all we have ever wanted.”
Deacon stood in front of her, his nude, human body still as incredible as it had been every other time before. Thayer stepped away from her, and she sensed him moving into another room.
Maybe to give them privacy? Licking her lips, she suddenly became so nervous. She should have been running in the other direction, but instead she found herself wanting to understand who and what they were.
In the next instant he stood in front of her. She inhaled the woodsy scent that came off of him.
All she could see was the animal that was part of him, lurking just below the surface.
“I would never hurt you, baby.” He cupped each side of her face and lowered his head to hers. Their foreheads touched, and she breathed in the same air as he did.
“I know that.” And she truly did, but how did someone accept something that seemed so unbelievable?
To think there were people out there in the world that could shift into animals was so beyond her scope of imagination, but here she was, caught up in the lives of two men who meant more to her than anything else on earth.
They had become her family when she had been alone in the world. Hurt and scared, they had taken her in and mended not only her life and health, but her heart as well. She could actually picture a life outside of the last five years.
The life she now envisioned was filled with Thayer and Deacon.
“I don’t know how our lives will be, or if I could fully understand what you two are, but I do know that I love you guys, and want to try.”
Deacon snapped his head back as if she had slapped him. For several long minutes they did nothing but stare at each other.
Jessa could still feel the electricity pulsing through the air.
“God, Jessa.” Deacon closed his eyes, and when he opened them again she saw the white flash of primal color behind him. “You have no idea how happy that makes me to hear you say that.”
“We love you, too, sweetheart, so much.” Thayer walked back into the living room and tossed a pair of sweats at Deacon. He grinned before slipping them on and wrapping his arms around her again.
“Damn, this feels good.” Deacon murmured against her hair. The sound and feel of him inhaling deeply made her feel so comforted. “I love you so much, baby.”
“Hey, let me have a turn with our girl.” Our girl. A teasing note laced Thayer’s voice. She was pulled from Deacon and pressed against the hard planes of Thayer’s chest. She was thankful that he had changed his shirt.
Maybe this life wasn’t “normal”, but it sure as hell wasn’t fucked up like her past life had been. She could handle a couple of leopards as her men as long as Thayer and Deacon loved her in return.
Yeah, she could handle whatever life threw at her, as long as she could walk side-by-side with these two men.