Read Online Rated: X-mas: Twice Blessed by Rachel Bo - Free Book Online Page A

other for a while? Get to know one another better, before we talk about making this kind of decision?”
    “I wish we could.” Damien sighed. “If you were fully human, it would be easier. But you’re not. Weyr Blood has much of the beast in it, and the Blood in you speaks to us stronger each day. Devlin and I try to keep that part of us controlled, but it’s very difficult.
    Especially since we’ve been looking for you for seven years.
    “I meant it when I said there are no accidents. We were fated to meet, Jen. The three of us belong together.” He took her in his arms again, burying his face in her hair. “We never forgot you. Your voice. Your scent. We walked into that party and knew instantly that you were there. And when we saw you in the garden, and realized for the first time that you were of the Blood …” She felt him tremble slightly. “We almost Bound you, then and there.”
    He drew back, looking into her eyes. “You have to understand. Devlin and I can Bind you to us whether you want it or not. And once made, this Bond is broken only by death.
    But we love you. We want it to be your choice. But the longer we see you, the harder it gets.
    Devlin was able to stop me tonight. He might not be able to next time. He might not even want to. That’s what he’s afraid of. That’s why he hasn’t Changed.” Damien’s gaze bore into hers, and the depth of the desire Jenny saw there sent a chill down her spine. “Because the danger hasn’t passed.”
    “You’re the alpha, aren’t you?” she whispered. “That’s why it’s harder for you, isn’t it?”
    Damien nodded. “The urge to Bind you, Jen, it’s --” He shuddered and turned his face away, as if to hide what she might see there.

    54 Rachel Bo
    Jenny felt a terrible fear building inside her -- not a fear of Damien, but of what he was trying to tell her. “What’s the bottom line, Damien?” she asked softly.
    His voice was hoarse when he answered. “If you’re not willing to make this relationship a permanent one, we can’t see you any more.”
    She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Ever?”
    Damien’s silence was her answer.
    “When do you have to know?”
    Jenny started shaking her head even before he said, “Tonight.” He caught her face between his hands. His eyes were full of pain, but his tone was determined. “We can’t take another chance. We love you. If Devlin and I ended up forcing the Bond on you, it would destroy us.”
    She looked down. Saw her nakedness and suddenly felt very vulnerable. “I’d better get dressed.”
    Damien let go reluctantly. Jenny stood and walked to the truck. While she was gathering her clothes, Damien reached behind the driver’s seat and pulled out a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt and tugged them on. Jenny dressed, her mind racing, while Damien gathered his and Dev’s torn clothes and stuffed them into a plastic bag.
    How could she say yes? Her heart ached at the mere thought of turning them away, but how could she be sure this was love? She might have been dreaming about Devlin and Damien for seven years, but the reality was a whole new ball game. There were things stirring inside her, knowledge barely sensed over the years, and often repressed. The Blood was singing to her now, and she knew instinctively that the Bond was not just a different word the weyr used for marriage. The Bond was something much more complicated, an immense commitment and responsibility. Something so completely different from the plan she had envisioned for her life that she couldn’t take it in. Couldn’t accept it. Couldn’t submit to it.

    Rated: X-mas: Twice Blessed
    55
    When she was dressed, she turned to face Damien. Devlin stood and shook himself, then padded over to sit beside his brother. Jenny had to swallow several times before she felt she could trust her voice not to betray her. “I’m sorry.” She stared at a point past their heads, unable to look them in the eye. If they saw how hard