Chapter 16
Sunlight peeking in from a nearby window shines brightly on my face, drawing me out of a deep sleep.
Cool, silken sheets are draped over my body, and I revel in the softness against my skin.
My stirring body brushes up against a large warm one.
Strong arms tighten against me with my movements, as if anchoring me to them so I don’t drift away.
My eyes crack open, and I’m met with an unfamiliar room. Alarmed, I turn over quickly to see who is in bed with me. Don’s ocean blue eyes stare back at me, and my sudden anxiety eases.
“Hey, you’re ok. We stayed over at Brent’s,”He tells me, like he already knows what I’m going to ask. He draws me back down into his arms, but I startle up again, trying to leap out of the bed.
“Fuck, work!”
“Woah, hold on, baby. We took care of that, we called in for you.”
My brow furrows in confusion.
“What? How would you know how to do that? I don’t have any sub plans, oh my god. I’m so fucked.”
“Baby, calm down. Look at me, please.”
My lips tremble slightly, and I desperately try to hold it together as best I can.
I just manage it before I chance a look into his eyes.
He is sitting up in bed now, and distractingly naked.
I can’t help it as my eyes travel down his perfect, rugged body.
He doesn’t let me stare long, though, before he brings my chin up.
“I called your principal. I told him you were very ill, in another city, and would be stuck there until you were better enough to travel. He said he would talk to your department chair and get something set up while you’re gone.
It’s all taken care of. I had no way of knowing how long you would be out, and I knew you would be upset about work.
I figured you could use some time to process what happened yesterday. ”
My mouth gapes open a little at how thoughtful he was about getting my work figured out.
“Now come and lay back down. I need to hold you a little bit longer. You scared the shit out of me and the guys last night.”
I can’t argue with that, so I snuggle back down and use my finger to trace along the lines of his chest tattoo.
“Don?”
“Hmmm?”
“Did you really turn into a black horse last night?”
I’m secretly hoping it was all a fever dream.
He sighs and pulls me in tighter, my face smooshing a little into his hard pec.
“Well, I’m not actually a horse. I actually shift into a Kelpie.”
I snort at the ridiculousness of that statement.
“Really? You’re gonna talk semantics with me now?”
“Yes… completely different species.”
I groan, thumping my head lightly against his very hard chest, which flexes under my forehead as he chuckles.
“And Aiden really turned into a wolf?”
“Yes.”
“God, none of this makes any sense. How is this possible?”
Before he can respond, the door clicks open, I yelp and burrow into Don. With his back to the door, I’m completely covered from view, but I still hide.
“Did someone say my name?”
Aiden strolls in, plopping down on the bed behind Don.
Don rolls over giving him a reproachful look, but by Don rolling over, I lose part of my body shield.
I scramble to grab as much of the covers as possible and pull them up under my chin.
I don’t care how comfortable they were with nudity; I’m not. Cam peeks in shortly after.
“Oh, hey, are we having a meeting?”
Aiden grins at Cam and nods, and before Don can tell him no, Cam yells down the hall for Brent.
I’m completely mortified, silently wishing that I could turn myself invisible and run far, far away. Wait, are invisibility powers a thing, too? I’m going to have to ask about that.
Don looks back at me, taking in my beet red cheeks. The ass just grins at me.
I whisper-yell, “What the fuck, Don?”
Yet again, I get no answers because Brent struts his way into the room, taking in the scene before him.
“Come on, guys; you are stressing her out.”Don tries to reason with them, but it lacks conviction.
The other three just exchange looks and grin at each other.
Suddenly, as if they choreographed it, Camden and Brent take a running leap, tackling Don and Aiden onto the bed.
With roars of laughter, they jostle and wrestle around.
My precarious hold on the sheets fails and my tits and ass are now on full display.
Seeing more than one hungry gaze, I shriek. I’ve had enough. Abandoning Don, the covers, and the bed, I make a break for it to the en-suite bathroom and slam the door shut.
Bracing my back against it, Don yelling at the others comes through clearly from the other side,“Gods damn it, you fucking idiots, this is not the time for your fucking childish tactics.”
Thuds are next to filter in, like fists hitting flesh. My best bet is to just hang out here for a few, collect myself, and maybe find some food when I’m brave enough to go back out there. My stomach gurgles in hunger.
Checking that the door is actually locked, I straighten and walk over to the vanity, groaning as I look at myself in the mirror. Honestly, I’m pretty sure I’ve looked worse.I guess that’s a plus. My hair is definitely a mess and needs a good brushing.
Surprisingly, I still look like me. My outward appearance doesn’t betray what I went through last night.
I wonder how long I actually slept. At least my eyes aren’t fucking purple anymore. What is going on with me?
Steeling myself and taking several deep breaths, I decide to work my way through the shit show that is currently rocking my life.Pulling from my years of experience with compartmentalizing, I unbox everything one at a time.
Alright, Kinley, do we get the fuck out of here and ghost the shit out of him? Or do we take a shower, put our big girl panties on and figure out why we are a shit magnet all of a sudden?
“Holy shit! They turn into animals,” I whisper to myself, trying to keep quiet, and then my mind goes to some of Don’s more interesting attributes.
Don turned into a Kelpie horse thing… oh my god, is that why his dick is so big… what the fuck, Kinley… way to stay focused.
“Ughhhh, fuck my life! Shower it is. I can’t walk away from all of this. I can’t walk away from him.” I rub my face, trying to ease some of the tension at my temples. This is all so much to deal with, but I can’t deny what I’m feeling for Don.
Guess my compartmentalization skills are rusty.
With my mediocre mental pep talk complete, I turn to the shower and pray that I’m doing the right thing.
The shower restores a little bit of my confidence, and when I can’t justify staying under the warm water jets any longer, I get out and brace myself for what I’m going to find beyond that door.
I wrap myself in a very fluffy towel that shockingly wraps completely around me. If I remember, I’m definitely asking Brent where he gets his towels.
Steeling myself, I unlock the door and find Don sitting on the bed, waiting for me. He must have also showered while he waited, since his hair is wet and he also put pants on, but his upper body is still bare. All his muscles and ink are on display and so very distracting.
“Come here, baby.”
He holds his arm out for me, beckoning me to come closer. I don’t hesitate. Iwalk right up to him and rest my head on his shoulder as he wraps his large arms around me, cocooning me in his warmth and surprising safety, even after everything that happened last night.
“I got you some clothes. They’ll be baggy, but you’ll be cozy.”
He stands up, tilting my chin up so he can softly kiss me on the lips.
“I’ll let you get dressed. We are just finishing up making breakfast. Come out when you’re ready.”
He closes the door gently and leaves me in silence.
It doesn’t take me long to get dressed, and a few minutes later I’m making my way out to find the guys. It doesn’t take me long, I just follow the noise and the delicious smells.
Pausing in the doorway to the kitchen, I watch everyone work together to put out the food. Aiden spots me first and comes up to me, putting an arm around my shoulders and giving me a little squeeze.
“You doing ok? I know we are a lot, and what we sprung on you last night is probably messing with your head.”
“I’m coping, for now, but I have so many questions.”
“Good. We will help as much as we can. You can count on all of us, not just Don. You are Clan, and we protect our own.”
I still don’t really know what that means, being “Clan,” but I feel his sincerity. He gives me a reassuring smile before leading me into the kitchen. Camden spots us then, scooping me up in a big hug, causing me to squeak. I have been making the most undignified noises lately.
“Umm, Cam, why are you cuddling me?”
I hear a quiet, trilling sound. Was that coming from him? I search for Don. I don’t really need him to rescue me, but it’s still a lot at once. Before he can intervene, Brent snatches me from Camden. He gently sets me on my feet.
“Don’t mind him, he’s just a little touch-deprived since his break up.”
“Why are you all being so affectionate all of a sudden?”
Brent is the one to answer, “It’s a Clan thing, and with as much power as you were throwing out last night—Well, it’s been a really long time since we have all been around such a powerful female, so we are kind of soaking it up still.”
“We don’t get home very often, and females are kind of like power supplies. We get a recharge when we are around them. The more powerful the female, the bigger the recharge,” Aiden adds.
“Ok, firstly, we need to talk about this whole Clan thing, because you all say it like it means something to me, when it doesn’t. And um, secondly, this isn’t gonna turn into a reverse-harem type of thing, right? Because you guys are great, but…”
I drop off, getting embarrassed when every single one of them gives me heated looks.
Don growls and quickly tells me, in a very deep grumbly voice,“Fuck no, you’re mine. They can get their own.”
Brent, still next to me, brushes up against me as if he can’t help himself.