Nessa's Two Shifters Read Online Free Page B

him that frightened her to some extent. It was almost like he had a wild animal living inside of him that she had caught brief glimpses of in his eyes. She shivered when he turned his attention back to her.
    Looking away, Nessa focused on what Aaron was saying about security. They all seemed so solemn and on edge as if they were in the army or something. She just listened as they talked about taking turns pulling watch around the house. Finally Levi, the oldest, said it was time to finish making dinner.
    “Come, Nessa. You should rest until my brothers have the meal ready.” Jessup took her hand and led her back to the bedroom with Joseph following close behind them.
    She let him help her back on the bed without saying anything. She was tired, but didn’t think she would be able to fall back asleep. There was too much to think about. Why did Jessup insist she was now part of their family and what about all of the questions they still hadn’t answered, like what did he mean by mate and why was his twin going everywhere they went? How had Joseph known she was in pain and that she had been hurt? Everything swirled around in her mind as she closed her eyes. She would demand some answers to her questions later. They couldn’t keep her in the dark for long.
     
    * * * *
     
    Joseph backed out of the room as his twin carefully closed the door behind them. He wanted nothing more than to curl up beside her, but knew that wasn’t going to happen. He needed to keep his distance as much as possible. He would help Jessup claim her and then return to his home. Joseph would be able to care for her without him.
    His wolf growled inside at the idea of leaving without their mate. He would have a fight on his hands where the beast was concerned. The wolf lived purely on instinct, something he’d been doing as well lately. It didn’t understand how leaving his mate behind could be what was best for her. He was what was best for her.
    “She needs more rest. We can wake her in an hour when dinner is ready.” Jessup led the way into the large living area where they joined Levi and Aaron.
    “She is sleeping?” Aaron asked.
    “Yes. She has questions that we will need to answer tonight. I want her to eat first. She’s skin and bones. I doubt she’s had many decent meals outside of the diner at the truck stop where she works.” Jessup lowered himself to one of the chairs.
    Joseph glared at his brother before taking a seat on the hearth closest to the French doors that led to the deck out back. Why had his brother allowed her to continue working like that? She obviously needed care. Surely Jessup wasn’t so far gone into the mating that he hadn’t noticed.
    “She isn’t going back. You should never have waited to claim her.”
    “I didn’t know she was being abused, Joseph. I couldn’t very well tell her to quit work without bringing her home with me. She never would have agreed before. I’m surprised she did this time.” Jessup pushed his hair from his face as he leaned forward in the chair. “What would you have done if you’d been here, brother?”
    Joseph growled, fighting the need to attack his twin for leaving their mate in such a deplorable situation. It didn’t matter that Jessup was right and she probably wouldn’t have gone easily. He should have taken her.
    “I wouldn’t have allowed her to stay in that rat-infested trailer one more night. That’s for damn sure!”
    Levi stood up and stepped between the two of them when he and his brother jumped to their feet.
    “Stop this now! You’re going to wake her up again, and she obviously needs her rest.”
    “The issue now is to decide what to do about her stepbrother. He will be looking for her eventually.” Aaron tapped his finger against the arm of the chair.
    “I promised we wouldn’t go after him, but I didn’t say we wouldn’t take care of him if he showed up here,” Jessup pointed out with a grim smile. “I plan to make sure he knows where she is so we