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Crosby dropped down on all fours and changed right in front of me back to his natural human form. It was still hard to witness his transformation.
He was licking the blood from his hands with his mouth covered in it. It was ghastly but I couldn’t seem to look away, like a traffic accident on the side of the road.
“I took care of the problem but they will come with reinforcements. The car is waiting for you back about 100 yards. I will stay behind as bait. Don’t make any decisions until I get back.” He hugged me, with his nudity a comforting blend of inappropriate behavior and protection.
Despite my best efforts, there was no talking them down from their course of action. They were humans and I felt bad. The truth was in how they were trying to kill me.
I made my way up to the logging road where the car was waiting for me with the keys in the ignition. I started it up and it came to life with a roar of eight cylinders under the hood of the black Chevy. One press of the accelerator and I was launched down the road with the mud flying behind me. I didn’t know where to go until a robotic voice revealed my destination one turn at a time.
Chapter Twelve
It was an old church and I thought it was going to burst into flames. They had converged by the altar with 10 groups of three waiting with their proposals written clearly for my perusal. They were laid in my hands and I sat there in one of the pews trying to take my mind off of the bloodshed.
Each one tried to convince me to join their Clan but I dismissed several of them. I slowly and meticulously went through everything turning over every rock. Three family names stood out from the bunch. The legacy of each one had a long and storied history dating back centuries.
The Black family was known to have the pulse of the community in the palm of their hands but they were not the only contenders vying for my affection. I shivered at the thought of being intimate with complete strangers. Those three voices teaching me valuable life lessons growing up were something familiar to me. It didn’t mean I had to choose them but I was leaning in that direction.
Donovan and his family name of Nicholson was one of the few who could say they could wield power with distinction. Their proposal was well written consisting of concise sentences with proof of what they were capable of. It was a balancing act with one family over the other tipping the scales.
The clock was ticking and they were all a little impatient, talking in hushed tones amongst themselves. I could see they wanted to say something t
o speed things along but this was a decision that was going to affect the rest of my life. Nobody was going to rush me and I had to make the best decision with the information provided.
“We only have about ten minutes left. You don’t have to look at me like I have three heads. There’s an easier way, instead of letting clinical facts choke you to death. The proof is in the kiss.” I looked at Callan with confusion and a cock of my eyebrow.
“I just bet that is what all of you want from me. Do you really take me for being that gullible? I think I’ve learned my lesson from what happened with Daniel to go down that road again?” He was the first man to weasel his way past the armor I had built around my heart to protect me.
“This is a circle of trust and you must realize we all have your best interests at heart, except for a select few which will remain nameless. These clans have come here in good faith to provide you with all the information you need to make a conscious decision. In the past, it has always come down to chemistry and one kiss for each of your paramours is the answer you are looking for. Let your heart guide you and it won’t let you down.” Callan made sense even though the words coming out of his mouth sounded foreign to my sensitive ears.
“I don’t see how this is going to help but I don’t see any reason not to placate you. There’s not a bad looking guy amongst you but I don’t think it’s a good idea to use superficial means to make this decision. Sometimes a kiss is just a kiss.” I stood up, shaking my head in disbelief that it was all going to come down to some kind of unknown factor like butterflies in my stomach.
“I know I haven’t given you any reason to trust me lately but this is the one time you should listen to me.” Callan touched my shoulder and there was this instant gratification of electrical surges throughout my body.
He knelt and kissed me, most likely to give me a better understanding of his unfettered desire. There was no doubt the chemistry was there and fighting it was making me feel an acute case of withdrawal. The first taste of his mouth and the feel of his tongue forcing its way between my lips was making me breathless with abandon.
Wesley and Crosby were right there and I welcomed them with open arms. They were different but there was something unique which touched me right where it mattered. I thought he was crazy to propose this fairy tale notion.
All three of them had the magic touch, with soft and demanding lips to keep me coming back for more. They were gentle and caring but I sensed they wanted their kiss to be something to compare to the rest. It was going to be hard to beat what I had already experienced and I pretty much made up my mind with one glaring omission. I still had several young men from different clans waiting with fresh breath and this need to make me see them differently than all the rest.
I was wildly popular and each guy stood in line like some kind of kissing booth. This was a once in a lifetime experience and there was little hesitation when they presented themselves. I think they were a little startled but I was slightly enjoying the way they nervously took their position in front of me.
Callan stood back with his brothers not saying one single word although I could see the spotlight of their jealousy. Ignoring them wasn’t easy when I had different men trying their best to seal the deal. Each one put their best foot forward but there was only one other family to capture my attention like lightning in a bottle.
Donovan and his two brothers, who were mysteriously absent during our first meeting, were making me crack under the pressure. They had power and they knew how to use it, wielding it with authority to keep me at a loss for words. Donovan was the frontrunner where his two brothers were a little more callous about their approach.
It finally came down to my decision, with my heart beating wildly in my chest threatening to burst out of my body. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone but whatever I decided somebody was going to be left looking in from the outside. It would cause bad feelings and there was no telling what my decision would bring about. Civil unrest was easy to see and there was no love lost between the Black family and the rest of the clans. Most likely they would fall in line realizing there was nothing they could do to change my mind but there would obviously be exceptions to the rule.
“You have had the chance to be moved by the kiss and by what you have learned in those documents provided freely and without hesitation. It’s rather extensive and we wanted you to have a good understanding of what is happening. This is only the start and the next few days will test you beyond anything you have ever known before. Each of those tests will prepare you but you will be imbued by the strength of the three you choose.” He wasn’t coming out and saying it but Callan was making mention of how our bodies would intertwine into tangled limbs under the sheets.
“Just give me a few minutes to go over everything in vivid detail one more time. This is a very difficult decision to make and I don’t want to make the wrong one. Following my heart isn’t necessarily the right way to go when there are factors contributing to my decision. Five minutes of silence is all that I ask.” I turned my attention back to the documents but I wanted to touch my lips to feel the heat of their embrace.
Callan raised his hands in mock surrender and backed away, obviously feeling my trepidation like a cold knife buried in his chest. He probably thought his influence over the last few years had made all the difference and he wasn’t wrong. How could I forget everything they had taught me, to prepare me for this day without really saying anything at all? They had purposely kept me in the dark and I had to take that into consideration also when I weighed all the facts together.
The other documents of no interest to me were in a small pile and I concentrated my efforts on the Black and Nicholson family.
All three of the Black family had shown real interest in me outside of the physical but I couldn’t say the same thing for the Nicholson family. Donovan was a force of nature but his brethren didn’t feel the same way about tradition. It was obvious in their kiss. They were going through the motions for the sake of appearances but they couldn’t hide their disinterest.
Those five minutes I had requested flew by and the clock was nearing the stroke of midnight. I didn’t want to do it but I had to picture myself with the men that I was ultimately going to end up with. Only three came to mind with vivid clarity like a light bulb moment over my head. I didn’t enjoy making their lives miserable.
