Scarlet - Alpha Marked, Book I by Celia Kyle

a garbled mess, but she managed to
decipher them. Apparently her mate was easygoing when it came to
anything but her. At least he was human once again. She had to be
thankful for that fact.
    “ And that’s why they tapped
on the door. It’ll give us a chance to get decent before we let
them in. Besides, I’m in your clothes. What are they gonna see?”
They’d wanted her naked, but she’d negotiated and ended up in a
pair of Keller’s boxers and Madden’s t-shirt.
    If they couldn’t feel her skin, she
had to wear their scent, and that was final.
    If she had to wear their
clothes, then they were taking a two hour nap to heal, and that was
final.
    Sighing, she scooted to the end of the
bed and frowned at them when their growls grew in
volume.
    “ Stop it.” Hey, they
listened. Well, that’d come in handy. “You feel like swinging free
in front of your guards?”
    Scarlet opened the door to allow a
wolf to push a table laden with covered dishes into the room. He
kept his gaze averted, and she noted a faint tremble going through
his body.
    She also realized Madden was back to
being growly. “For the love of God, Madden, quit it.” The guard
gasped, but she kept on going. “He’s feeding me. You should say
‘thank you.’ And if that’s too hard, the least you could do is not
growl at the poor wolf.”
    Thank goodness for her lessons from
her mother. If she let the wolves get away with anything from the
get go, they’d act like that for the rest of their lives. There was
no way she could deal with snarly men every day.
    “ Don’t like him close to
you.” She heard the grumble.
    “ Then you should have
gotten dressed and beat me to the door.” She gave the wolf a wide
smile. “Thank you for bringing dinner. I’m sure they appreciate it
even though they’re cranky when they just wake up.”
    The guard’s Adam’s apple traveled down
his throat in a slow procession and, even without a wolf’s extra
senses, she could tell he was nervous. “You’re welcome, Alpha
Mate.” He bowed. Well, half-bowed since Keller decided to growl
then.
    The guard spun then practically ran to
the door and out of the room. Scarlet turned toward her mates, the
men still wrapped in blankets. “What’s your problem?”
    “ We don’t like anyone close
to you.”
    “ Then you should have
gotten out of bed. Didn’t we just have this conversation? I know we
just had this conversation.”
    Madden shrugged. “We’re trying not to
overwhelm you.”
    She tightened her lips and turned to
Keller. “Your idea?” The wolf blushed. “I want you guys as you are.
You don’t get to modify each other’s reactions. That’s my job. Even
then, I won’t be trying to change you, just keep you from killing
anyone. With me, you can be yourselves.” She propped her hands on
her hips. “Did you guys not get the Marked Handbook?”
    That earned her two wolfish
smiles.
    “ Being ourselves means
dragging you to bed and making you ours.” Keller’s smile was wicked
and matched Madden’s.
    Scarlet took a step back, shaking her
head. “Nope, no nooky until you’ve eaten and we can check your
wounds. Plus, talking would be a good idea. Fun even. Like, gee
Scarlet, how has this mating disrupted your world?” She answered
herself. “Well, I have to give up my job as an administrative
assistant as well as my life in Tampa, that’s all. Maybe my cat.
Will you eat my cat? Burger is really sweet when he’s not peeing on
things.”
    The reality of her situation hit home
and panic slithered along her veins. She’d really, truly, holy
shit-ly be giving up her life for these two men. Fear and
excitement fought, and she wasn’t sure which emotion was winning.
At the moment, it resembled an even tie.
    She ignored their expressions, the
difference between the two easily visible. Keller’s sadness and
regret. Madden’s hunger for her and confusion. She was going to
have her hands full with these two.
    Pretending they weren’t tearing her
apart