was aware of was Teague’s gentle stroking between her legs, this time with a washcloth to actually clean, not tease. Then the flow of water over them ended and they wrapped her in an enormous, fluffy bath towel.
After that, she was only peripherally conscious of being fed yet another tasty meal and put to bed, where she fell asleep within a breath.
10
Jacob
Jacob had always known that if he and the others found a mate they could share, they’d have to face their birthrights once and for all. It was probably the only reason he hadn’t been too put out that Gerri Wilder had taken so long to match them with someone. In the process of waiting, they’d discovered their love for training and had established careers for themselves. Careers none of them wanted to give up.
But now that they’d found the perfect woman, her desires made it difficult for him to follow through on his promise to his father to take over their clan’s leadership once he found a mate.
The leader of the Green Hill clan had been making overtures of retiring ever since he’d found a new mate in Nina Baxter, the mother of the famed chef who was one half of the team who’d designed the very diet they fed all their trainees. The other half was Pomona Maurin, the mate of the Hot Wings duo, who were still the reigning champions in their division as far as he was concerned, no matter how many matches Silver Fangs won.
Nessa probably wouldn’t say it out loud, but he knew her mother had been itching to spend more time with her grandchildren and that Jacob’s father’s responsibilities were standing in the way.
But he couldn’t just stop training now, especially not when the woman of his dreams had finally shown up and the one thing she wanted most in the world was to be a champion.
“You’re brooding, buddy. What’s up?” Teague asked, leaning into Jacob’s office with both hands braced on the jamb. He stepped inside and sauntered around the desk, then made a “hm” sound when he saw the picture Jacob was staring at: one of his father snuggled up with Nina Baxter outside the Green Hill Clan’s lodge with the sunset and the rolling hills as a backdrop. They looked happy, which made him happy, but it complicated things.
“I’m afraid if I tell Ksenia, it’ll put too much pressure on her when she fights tomorrow. But we’re going to have to talk about it soon.”
Teague perched on the edge of Jacob’s desk and crossed his arms. “You always know best where the logistics are concerned. But keeping secrets doesn’t sit well with me.”
“Even though we all know Ksenia’s hiding something? She’s been cagey as hell about her origins all this time. She evades the subject when we bring it up, telling us yet another crazy story about fighting silt vipers instead. I believe those are true, but no one I’ve ever heard of goes looking for a fight with those nasty creatures on purpose. You’d have to find an old mineshaft, for one thing, and you’d never go alone, so there have to be other people who’ve done it. Where are they?”
Teague sighed. “She’s different. I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt that she has a good reason, and that she’ll tell us when she’s ready. We need to tell her, win or lose, we’ll still love her and support her career. Gunther and I can pick up the slack if you need to take the reins for your father.”
“And I appreciate that, but you know it won’t last. The moment I do, yours and Gunther’s dads are going to come asking why you two haven’t stepped up too. I don’t want to jeopardize what we’ve built, and there’s only one way I can get Dad to back off.”
Teague pursed his lips and shook his head. “Maybe don’t say anything until after we see how her first match goes. I believe she’ll win no matter what. We’ve seen what she’s capable of in the simulated matches she’s fought. She’s a damn natural, and I’ve caught her scouring the rule book for the last three nights before we called her to bed. When the tournament’s over and we’re celebrating our victory, your dad will change his tune. Having a tournament winner in the family will give him too much shit to brag about to step down for at least another decade.”
Jacob nodded, but it didn’t make him feel any