Tallulah Falls Read online

  My jaw hits the floor, my eyes are wide from her confession. Is she serious? I manage to stutter out, “What?”

  One glance at my expression has her laughing. After a minute, she tones it down to giggles and taps my knee. “Darling, my boys have loved you since they first clapped eyes on you as a baby. Their love for you has only gotten stronger over the years. Once you find your bearings as bond mates, they’ll be glued to your sides.”

  She angles her body towards mine, mirth slipping from her face. Serious, she takes both my hands in hers. “We need to have a different talk, woman to woman.” Her eyes move rapidly over me as if inspecting a puzzle. “Because you’re a virgin.”

  Her words bring a flush of embarrassed heat, and she squeezes my fingers. “Sweetie, don’t go blushing. I can’t imagine your father would have this type of conversation with you, and I want you to be safe. With all that has gone on around the four of you, a baby is not the sort of extra stress and worry you need right now. Even if I’d love a little pup running around the house.

  “For now, our conversation can wait. Eat up, and get some rest. You’ll need it for tomorrow.” The whirlwind that is Rosalina stands, brushing her hands over the slight creases in her trousers. “Oh, and don’t worry about your father’s outburst. He’s as upset as you are over the situation. Have a good sleep tonight, for tomorrow’s a fresh new day.” Briskly she strides out of my room, closing the door behind her.

  What just happened? Absentmindedly, I scarf the cookies and drink the milk. Not in the mood to hunt for toiletries or move my sore body, I manoeuvre across the bed and climb under the covers. I fling the wet pillow to the floor, then grab and bury my head under a new, dry pillow to try to shut out everything that has happened.

  ~

  Bad dreams plague me. When I jolt awake, I quickly realise I’m not alone in my bed. My body shakes with fear, and I open my mouth to scream.

  “It’s me, Tally.”

  My mouth snaps shut at the sound of the familiar whisper. I peer around in the dark, trying to rid myself out of the nightmare. What the hell is Theo doing in my bed?

  “Theo?” I croak out. “What…” I clear my throat to rid it of sleep and try again. “What are you doing in here?” My eyes finally adjust, and I make out the outline of Theo on my bed, lying on his side with his head propped up on one hand.

  Movements slow and deliberate, he reaches out and slips his fingers through mine. “I was grabbing a drink when I heard you cry out.” Hesitantly he squeezes my hand. “Do you remember what the dream was about?”

  Swallowing the lump in my throat, I mumble, “Yeah, but it doesn’t matter.”

  Theo shifts in the dark, tugging me closer until I face him. My pillow dips as he moves to share my pillow. With another shift of my shoulders, I make more room for him, but he quickly reaches around to stop me. Silently, he rests his head right next to mine.

  The only place our bodies connect is his hand firmly on my back, where his touch fizzes. His minty breath fans across my face, and I can finally make out his eyes in the dark, firmly fixed on me. If I lean forward ever so slightly, I’ll be able to kiss him. I squeeze my eyes tightly shut against the overwhelming and completely irrational thought. When I slowly open them again, I catch the twitch of Theo’s mouth.

  Am I really that easy to read?

  The chuckle that escapes his lips confirms it. His low, husky voice teases, “I’ll let you kiss me if it’s what you really want, Tally.”

  As I swat at his arm, it rings out loudly in the quiet room, but my hand bounces off his muscle.

  “Ouch.” I let out a whine and rub my hand against the bed sheet between us to ease the sting. “I’m sure you say it to all the girls, Theo.”

  It shocks me when my voice comes out bitter and laced with jealousy. My stomach clenches painfully, visuals conjured up of the three of them with other girls flashes through my mind.

  Theo’s hand slips from my back, cold air stealing the warmth from his absent touch. Just as I’m about to sit up, he catches my still smarting hand and cups it tenderly in both of his. He lifts it to his lips and places a small kiss to my palm.

  “There’s only ever been one girl for the three of us, Tally.” His grip tightens on my hand when I attempt to pull away from him. “You, Tally. Only you.”

  Would he lie to me? Is he only telling me what I want to hear?

  “I won’t lie to you, Tally, some girls thought we were conquests or some sort of trophy. Because of who our parents are, they were desperate to have whatever our status could offer them. But we couldn’t, wouldn’t, because they’re not you.”

  Narrowing my eyes at him, I say, “So… You’ve never been with another girl?” I squash down the bloom of hope that flutters throughout my body.

  “They’re not my mate. You are.”

  I stare at him, gobsmacked. I don’t know how I’m supposed to respond.

  A flirty grin spreads across his face. Even in the dark, I can tell his eyes sparkle with mischief. “I promise. The three of us vowed to wait for you. Another girl would’ve been pointless. We couldn’t offer them short or long-term relationships, and we didn’t want to. You’re the only one for us.”

  Half terrified by his words, another, hidden part of myself, is excited. The prospect of my three mates being intimate with me for our first times… The kisses, touches, and more… My cheeks heat, and my body throbs with that last thought. Oh, hell. I need to get my desire under control. This constant yo-yo is likely to grow old fast. One minute I want to strangle them, the next I want to jump their bones.

  Stupid hormones.

  Theo’s face grows serious, and he tuts in reprimand, “Anyway, stop distracting me from my question. What did you dream about?”

  It takes a few moments for my brain to catch up and register what he asked. I shake my head to get rid of the lingering dirty thoughts and concentrate on the question. “It’s stupid.”

  He frowns and scolds, “You might think it’s stupid, but I still want to hear it, Tallulah.”

  He won’t give up until I answer him. It’s my turn to grip his hand tighter. Once he knows my fears, he’ll finally realise I’m not the one for them.

  “I guess today caught up with me, and my mind shoved it all together into a nightmare.” Uncomfortable, I try not to stammer, “I ran to get to my dad and then to you, Kenji, and Quimby, but I couldn’t find you. In the forest, black wolves chased after me, but I had no weapons. I couldn’t fight. I couldn’t protect any of you.” My heart races with remembered panic, and my muscles tense. The nightmare is still too fresh in my mind. “I’m weak because I can’t shift.”

  Swiftly, Theo yanks me flush against him and wraps his arms around me. I bury my nose in his chest as he croons softly, gently brushing my hair off my neck. I take luxury in the fact I’m in his arms, that I’m safe in this moment. My body slowly begins to relax.

  Once my chest loosens, I lean back just as his head drops. His breath wisps out against my face. Pressed so close, I feel his heartbeat rapidly increase in tempo with our movement. Goosebumps pop up all over my skin. The tingles erupt over my body.

  With all that’s happened, I just want to forget, to be with Theo, if only for a few short moments. I throw caution to the wind and take the bull by his horns, or in this case, the wolf by his tail. Tentatively, I close the distance between us and place my lips on his. Greedily, Theo takes over the kiss, and the butterflies take full flight in my stomach.

  He grabs my hair firmly at my nape and angles my head. His tongue swipes across my lips twice asking for entrance. Parting them, our tongues slip together, his warm and firm, exploring every crevice of my mouth. Worry chases pleasure as it slides through me. Is this as good for him as it is for me? His tongue brushes across the roof of my mouth, and my brain stops functioning. A moan escapes me, and it spurs him on as he does it again.

  Heat pools between us, and we desperately clutch each other close. My body stiffens slightly. Are we about to have se
x? Theo must sense it because he slows the kisses down before pulling back and gently places kisses on my cheeks and forehead. Breathing heavy, he snuggles me close and rests his head against the top of my own.

  His voice comes out strained. “I didn’t mean to push. None of us want to force you into this. We agreed to wait until you’re ready. To go at your pace.” His chest presses against mine as he takes a deep breath.

  “My brothers and I have done a little research on human mating rituals. We know they don’t have bond mates, but they do take someone they’re interested in on dates. They like to woo each other. We want to date you.”

  I frown at his words and shift away until I’m able to make out his face better in the sliver of moonlight streaming in the window. “You want to date me? Woo me? But I’m your mate. You don’t need to do stuff like that.”

  Theo pulls me back and tucks my head under his chin once more before he pulls the blankets up over my shoulders. “We don’t normally, no, but you’re our mate, and you’re also half human. We don’t want you to miss out on your mother’s traditions. We spoke briefly with your father about when he met your mother, and he explained how he’d take her on dates. They ate food, talked, and danced. We want to do the same things for you.”

  Tears well up in my eyes, but I manage to blink them back. “You want to do all that, for me?”

  I sense the smile in his voice when he responds. “Of course, we do, beautiful girl. We love you.”

  No amount of effort will blink back the tears now. I open my mouth to respond in kind, but no words come out. With all that’s gone on, it’s not the right time. Deep down, I do love them, but I don’t want to say it back out of some form of obligation. It wouldn’t be right. Instead, I wrap my arm around him and squeeze. Hopefully, he doesn’t hate me because I don’t say it back.

  A kiss lands firmly on my head. Cosy, I snuggle in closer to steal Theo’s body heat. It’s not long before his breathing levels out into sleep.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  - Tallulah -

  Slowly, I begin to wake. Overheated, my sleep top sticks to the sheen of sweat covering me. I attempt to stretch my arms and legs out to cool off, but I’m unable to move. I can only ever recall feeling this hot once, back when Theo, Kenji, and Quimby used to curl around me when we took naps as youngsters. The guys used to snuggle around me because they’d always be worried I’d get cold. It’s another difference between us; my body temperature runs lower than theirs because of my half human DNA.

  I stifle a groan when last night’s event rushes back. It’s childish, but I refuse to open my eyes, not wanting to face the embarrassment of how I reacted yesterday. The heat begins to suffocate me, so I wiggle to gain some sort of relief.

  When a hand moves slightly on my waist, I immediately still. That can’t be right…

  Blindly, I clumsily reach out and bump into bare skin of the body in front of me. Tingles dance along my fingers as I trace them lightly across bare skin and follow up the curve of his back, Theo. My fingers carry on in their exploration from his shoulder to his short clad hips. His body shifts, and my hand freezes in its search. I must have disturbed him. As he moves onto his side to face away from me, the hand on my side slides off.

  My body loosens and relaxes into the softness of the bed, and I start to drift back to sleep. Movement on my side jolts me fully awake, once again too scared to move. The air in my lungs freezes. Whatever it is that touches me slides over my hip, across my stomach, and tucks itself underneath my shirt. As soon as the hand settles skin to skin, my body comes alive with tingles. I’m about to jump away when another hand drifts over my sleep shorts and settles on the exposed skin of my thigh. Unable to stop the delicious shudder that rolls through me, I press tighter against the person behind me.

  He groans, and something presses on my lower back. The hands clutch my body to anchor me more secure against them. Restless in sleep, Theo flips on the mattress, and the movement of the bed rolls me flush against the person behind me. I barely stifle my moan at the friction.

  When a loud sniff sounds from behind me, my eyes snap open. In front of me, Theo’s nostrils flare with his own sniff, and his eyes snap open. My body immediately stiffens up. His eyes darken, and a predatory glower spreads over his face. The tingles react to Theo, firing sparks all over my body. Unsuccessfully, I try to smother them down.

  Several things happen at once, but I’m lost in the moment. The hand on my leg adjusts until it presses between my thighs and firmly pulls my leg up, opening me up to them. While the hand on my stomach slowly flutters down until it rests on the waistband of my shorts. Fingertips barely brush under the band of my underwear, and I gasp.

  Theo leans closer until our noses bump together; his eyes are the blackest colour I’ve ever seen. Happy to get lost in their depth forever, I curl forward to press my lips to Theo’s. He gets the message, and his tongue invades my mouth, battling for dominance against my own. The tingles explode uncontrollably over my body. I grip Theo’s bare shoulders desperate to ground myself to something solid.

  The hand at my underwear edges farther under the waistband. My core throbs, and I hold my breath in anticipation.

  The door bangs open, and we all jump. I squeak and attempt to jump up, but only succeed at almost knocking the guys behind me off the bed. A quick glance over my shoulder shows Quimby is the one anchoring my hips to his. On the other side, Kenji curls over the two of us. My face flames from embarrassment. The person who barged in ignores my mortification to run and jump onto the bed.

  “Lulu! Oh, hey, Theo!” Mylo excitedly bounces on the bed. “You gotta move! Alpha Henry said breakfast’s ready!” He grabs my hand and shuffles backwards, awkwardly dragging me with him until I shift onto all fours and manoeuvre myself down the bed.

  Three groans echo from behind me.

  Abashed, I limp slightly as I follow Mylo, but almost trip over him when he suddenly stops in the doorway. A deep frown sets upon his face, and he stares at the bed.

  He scratches his ear nervously and whispers, “Why are they in your sleepy spot, Lulu?”

  How do I explain why all three of them are in my bed? Especially when I’ve no clue how two of them got there in the first place, and Theo was only there because I had a nightmare.

  Kenji speaks up from the bed and saves me from the dilemma of the question. “It’s a new house, and we didn’t want Tally to be on her own. Just like you had a bunk buddy with you.”

  Mylo glances between the four of us for a couple of moments, and I pray he doesn’t ask any more questions. I’ve no clue how I’d answer more awkward questions. Relief spreads through me when he finally nods.

  Eagerly, he takes my hand in his much smaller one and drags me out the bedroom towards the kitchen.

  We walk down the hallway back into the main living area. The sun streams through the windows, bounces off different ornaments and vases, and casts an assortment of beautiful colours around the room. As we near the kitchen door, I make out the voices of the guys’ parents.

  Anxiety pools in my stomach. Will they know Theo, Kenji, and Quimby slept in my room last night? Will they be able to tell what almost happened this morning?

  Unaware of my hesitation, Mylo pulls me along for the ride. I glance nervously behind me one last time with the hope one of the guys have followed us and might come to my rescue. When I don’t spot them, I let out a sigh of defeat. Looks like I’m facing the firing squad on my own then.

  Would it be bad if I used Mylo as a puppy shield? Surely, they wouldn’t want any adult talk in front of little ears, would they?

  Mylo doesn’t give me any time to dwell because he drops my hand and barges through the kitchen door, like what he did in my bedroom. Only the kitchen door, similar to those used in restaurant kitchens, swings back, and I barely catch it before it hits me in the face.

  That’s all I need is another knock to the head. It wouldn’t be a terrible thing at this point. I could hope it’d knock me out, so I wouldn
’t need to face the parents. The only thing worse would be my dad being in there as well.

  Will the food entice Mylo enough to forget about me, and I can sneak away? I turn to make my escape, but stop short.

  “Lulu!” Mylo shouts excitedly through the door. “These pancakes are just like yours!”

  I sigh in defeat and timidly push the door open so I can step into the lion’s den, or rather the wolf’s den. Alpha Henrique and Beta Leverette sit at the ten-person table already loaded with plates of bacon and link sausages stacked high. Luna Rosalina stands over at the old style double oven, cooking what I imagine are the pancakes Mylo mentioned. Cautiously, I step further into the room, and none too gently plonk myself into the closest empty chair.

  Henrique and Leverette take noisy sniffs and start to cackle like a couple of old ladies. I overhear one of them mutter to the other, “So that’s where the boys snuck off to last night. They certainly didn’t waste any time.”

  It’s then I remember how impressive their sense of smell is. Could they smell what happened earlier too? Oh God! I should’ve showered before I came here. Now, they most likely assume I’m some sort of trollop.

  Rosalina lets loose a snort and turns briefly, her eyes bright with mirth. When they land on me she smirks. Her attention drawn back to the pan in front of her, she calls over her shoulder, “How’s that leg of yours today, Sweetie?”

  Grateful, I latch on to the subject change almost desperately. “It looks a little angry still, but at least I can support myself and walk on it.” I glance down at my leg and angle it to inspect the bite.