Kiss Me, All Five of You

"I'll see you tonight," Kael muttered.

"This might just be a coincidence."

He pulled his dark shirt over his head, hiding the glowing silver mark I had just seen forming on his chest.

"Wait," I said, grabbing the edge of the sheet.

He paused at the door, glancing back over his shoulder. "Don't start acting needy, Liora. You know I have pack business."

"I'm not being needy," I snapped. "I just want to know what the hell is going on."

"You just want another round?" He smirked, his amber eyes flashing with arrogance. "Save your energy. I'll break the bed tonight."

"That's not what I meant," I argued.

"Rest up," he interrupted.

He didn't wait for a response. The heavy oak door clicked shut behind him, leaving the room in absolute silence.

"Who the hell is Liora?" I asked the empty room.

I tore through the unfamiliar bedroom. I yanked open the mahogany dresser drawers. Silk garments spilled onto the Persian rug.

"There has to be something here," I muttered.

I ripped the pillow from the nightstand chair. A small leather-bound book clattered to the hardwood floor.

I scooped it up and flipped the cover open. The name *Liora Mercer* stared back at me in elegant, looping cursive.

"This is her body," I whispered. "I'm trapped in Liora's body."

I marched to the bedroom door and yanked it wide. The hallway sat empty. I stomped down the corridor until I spotted a woman in a gray uniform polishing a side table.

I lunged forward and grabbed her wrist.

She flinched, dropping her cloth. "Miss Liora!"

"Who is Rhette?" I demanded. It was a name I'd caught on the diary's first page.

The maid's eyes widened. She tugged her arm, but I dug my fingers in.

"Miss Liora, you're hurting me."

"Answer the question."

"He's out of town," she stammered, staring at my grip.

"I didn't ask where he was. Who is he?"

"He won't be back for three days, Miss."

"Stop dodging the question!" I squeezed harder. "Who is Rhette to me?"

"He is your stepbrother, Miss Liora. Please."

I dropped her hand. "My stepbrother."

"Yes. Should I try to call him?"

"No. Leave me alone."

I spun around, retreated to the bedroom, and slammed the heavy oak door. I collapsed onto the edge of the mattress, opening the diary to the middle pages. I needed answers, and this book was the only thing offering them.

"Let's see what you were hiding, Liora," I said, tracing the messy handwriting.

*I have five mates.*

I read the words aloud, my voice cracking. "Five mates? You've got to be kidding me."

I kept reading, speaking the words into the quiet room to make them feel real.

"Each one has a specific scent. The mate bond makes it impossible to resist. The moment I smell them, I lose control. I crave them."

I dragged a hand down my face. That explained the intense, irrational pull I felt toward Kael last night. It wasn't just the alcohol. It was this supposed mate bond.

I turned the page. The ink here looked rushed, almost frantic.

"Today, when sleeping with Kael, I foresaw his disaster."

My stomach plummeted.

"No," I whispered. "No, that was just a nightmare."

But I remembered the flashes from last night. The blood staining Kael's chest. The roaring fire consuming a grand hall. The agonizing screams.

"It was real," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "The vision was real."

Intimacy triggered the premonitions. The physical connection with Kael—my first Alpha mate—unlocked a window into his impending doom. I wasn't just having bad dreams. I was seeing the future.

I flipped past dozens of blank pages to the very end of the book. A single sentence sat in the center of the final page.

"Want to go back to your world?" I read aloud, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Below it, underlined twice: *Save all the Alphas If you want to go back to your world.*

I desperately wanted to go back but...

I stared at the paper. "Save them? From what? How am I supposed to save five different men?"

I suddenly realized I had to foresee their dangers if I wanted to save them.

But to do that, I had to sleep with them?

Just like...

Me and Kael.

This idea was too crazy. I must be mad.

A sharp knock startled me suddenly. I slammed the diary shut.

The door cracked open. The same maid peeked inside, her face pale.

"What now?" I snapped.

"Mr. Rhette just arrived," she said, her voice shaking.

"You just told me he was gone for three days."

"His trip was cut short. He is waiting in the parlor. He wants you downstairs immediately."

"Tell him I'm busy."

"Miss Liora, please," the maid begged, stepping fully into the room. "You know how he gets when you make him wait. He will punish the staff."

I gritted my teeth. "Fine. Give me two minutes."

"Thank you, Miss." She vanished, pulling the door shut behind her.

I tossed the diary under the mattress. I stripped off the rumpled silk nightgown and threw on a simple pair of jeans and a fitted black sweater. I needed to face this stepbrother. I needed to figure out exactly what kind of mess Liora had left me in.

I stepped out of the bedroom and headed for the grand staircase.

"Just a stepbrother," I muttered to myself. "Nothing to worry about."

But with every step down the wooden treads, a strange sensation crawled up my spine. My skin flushed. A heavy, undeniable warmth pooled in my lower belly.

Then, the scent hit me.

Pine needles and dark rum. Sharp. Intoxicating. Overwhelming.

My knees buckled. I grabbed the wooden banister to keep from tumbling down the stairs. My pulse roared in my ears.

"Liora."