Blake, Abby - Suddenly Bear (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read Free Page B

himself that he needed this woman in his life.
    “Okay,” Declan said with a nod.

    * * * *

    Jayden held her close as the mixture of his and his brothers’ magic healed her injuries and her disease and returned her back to health. She woke slowly, obviously embarrassed to find herself lying on a bed surrounded by three men, two of them strangers. She tried to sit up, but Jayden held her in his arms a moment longer, unwilling to let her go. She looked slightly confused, but then memories of what had happened with Bruce must have filled her mind, and her hand immediately touched the part of her skull that had most likely taken the brunt of Bruce’s furious blow.
    “It’s okay,” Jayden said, pulling her hand away from the now uninjured area.
    “Did I pass out?” she asked tiredly, unable to hold his gaze as she blushed, and embarrassment overtook her once more.
    He held her in his lap, wrapping himself around her so that she was cocooned in his warmth. He felt her begin to shake violently as she obviously remembered the details of everything that had happened. Jayden rocked her gently as his brothers tucked a soft blanket around her, and stayed close as Violet went into shock. He lost track of time as he held her in his arms, but slowly the shaking subsided and eventually she lay tiredly in his embrace.
    “I’m sorry,” she said in a husky voice.
    He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Don’t be. You did nothing wrong. Sleep, babe. You’re safe now.”

    * * * *

    Brandon watched his brother hold the woman and couldn’t believe the jealousy running through him. Violet was a complete stranger to him. They hadn’t met before tonight, and considering the fact that she probably didn’t even know that Jayden’s brothers were even here, tonight didn’t count.
    But his bear knew who she was—his mate.
    Trying to control his need to tear the woman from his brother’s arms, Brandon glanced around the room and wondered what the hell to do now. Grinding his teeth, he tilted his head, indicating for Declan to follow, and then left the room quietly.
    “We have a problem,” Declan whispered as they stepped into the kitchen. Stunned to hear the words he’d been about to say come from his brother’s mouth, Brandon just tilted his head and waited for Declan to elaborate. “I think she’s my mate.”
    “Mine, too,” Brandon said as he ran a hand down his face. “And if what my gut tells me is right, she’s Jayden’s mate, as well.”
    “Three mates? What the hell?”
    Despite the pain tearing his gut in half, Brandon had to smile. Until a few months ago, he would have reacted in exactly the same manner, but with Louise and her friend, Andrea, both having three mates each, he was starting to see a pattern. Fuck. Maybe there really was something in the water back home.
    “Look, I think we should head home.” Declan looked angry enough to beat him to a pulp, so Brandon hurried to explain his reasoning. “It’s obvious that Jayden loves her. We both think she’s our mate, but what if we’re wrong? What if we get home and realize it was just a reaction to healing her, that she isn’t actually our mate, and we’re just feeling an echo of Jayden’s feelings for her?”
    Declan nodded his head slowly, obviously trying to reconcile his emotions with his logic. Neither of them wanted to hurt their youngest brother, so they needed to step back, take some time, and at least make certain of their own emotions before disrupting all their lives.
    “Fine,” Declan said tiredly. “We’ll head home and get some perspective, but if we’re right…” He didn’t need to finish the rest of his thoughts out loud. It was pretty obvious to Brandon that Declan had every intention of coming back and claiming his mate if it turned out to be true.
    Unfortunately, so did Brandon.

    * * * *

    When Violet woke, it was full dark outside. Disoriented to find herself in Jayden’s bed, she glanced around the