Bound to Change: A Limited Edition Spring Shifter Romance Collection

by Margo Bond Collins

  When Gael withdrew I felt his absence keenly, but it was quickly replaced by Bodhi. I hadn’t even noticed him get into position but he was there between my legs when I looked up. There was a fierceness in his gaze that told me this wasn’t going to be gentle or careful, and I didn’t want it to be.

  “Fuck me, Bodhi,” I growled.

  “As my mate desires,” he responded, and damn if that didn’t almost send me over the edge again.

  With one long, slow thrust he seated himself inside me, stretching me even more than Gael did. “Fuck, you’re still so tight, Luna,” he whispered.

  “Luna?” I asked, making sure I heard him right as I worked on keeping my breathing even.

  “Selene is the goddess of the moon, so Luna. Sorry, it’s dumb,” he said looking embarrassed.

  I smiled. “Not dumb, just maybe don’t spring new nicknames on a girl during sex?”

  He chuckled at that. “As you wish.”

  His hands wrapped under my hips and lifted before flipping me over as though I was a rag doll. When he pushed into me again from behind I screamed into the mattress with pleasure. He was so big but he was still hitting everything that felt good. Once my body adjusted I started meeting him thrust for thrust until he stayed still and I was fucking him from my position on my hands and knees.

  As though he couldn’t decide what he wanted he lifted me up from where I was bent over until my back was resting against his chest and his hands were on my breasts playing with my nipples as he began to fuck me once more. This time the pace was fast and hard and I could do nothing but take it, and I loved it.

  I felt the bed move in front of me and saw Gael kneeling with a wicked smile on his face as he reached forward and began to play with my clit. The orgasm hit me out of nowhere, wringing a scream of pleasure from me that sounded almost feral as Bodhi thrust into me once more, his cock jerking as he spilled himself inside me.

  We collapsed onto the bed with him still inside me and lay there with me tucked into his arms, his cock buried in my pussy, until we passed out. Gael was stretched out next to me and I knew Ozzy was somewhere around us as well as we all left the aftershocks of pleasure lull us into sleep.

  Chapter 7

  OZZY

  Leaving Selene while she was sleeping was a bad idea. I knew it in my bones, but Bodhi and Gael were dead set on trying to track down the sonofabitch who hurt our mate, and I'd be damned if I let them go after him alone, especially not when our mate was safely tucked away in our home on the pack's territory. So we had all gone out to the woods where we had been running when we met Selene.

  The blood was dried and had lost some of its potency, in terms of smell, but it was still there, still trackable. Following the scent was relatively easy, there were only a few instances where the trail seemed to go cold, but the three of us fanned out until one of us picked it back up again. We'd been out there for a couple of hours when we spotted the cabin through the trees.

  "I see it," Bodhi responded after he heard my huff.

  I'd stayed in my wolf form since my shift when we lost the trail the first time. It was just easier this way. Plus, the wolf could give me some advantages the human could not, so while Gael and Bodhi ran around on two legs I stayed on four. We spread out as we approached the house, having already talked about the most tactical approach we could take if this guy was as dangerous as Selene thought. It wasn't that we didn't believe her, we did, but a female kitsune was a whole different kettle of fish to a male wolf, I didn't care how old she was.

  The cabin was an honest to god log cabin, I could sense it as we approached, the way the sound hit the thick tree trunks and reverberated back to my wolf ears. There were a few windows, but the one that drew my attention was the one that was broken with streaks of blood running down the few bits of glass that were left. Was that how Selene had escaped?

  Bodhi and Gael moved through the back door which was helpfully left unlocked and I followed closely behind. We made a quick sweep of the place. There wasn't much to it. A small kitchen, the living room area that was filled to the brim with books and DVDs. A small bathroom was at the end of a short hall which also connected to an empty bedroom. There were clothes thrown around the room as though someone had dressed in a hurry before they had to run out.

  The interesting part, the part I'd been avoiding looking at too closely if I was honest, was the door to the basement. The one that looked as though it was almost ripped from its hinges, its heavy, steel hinges. We descended quickly and quietly, only to find that it was empty. He was gone. Our hope that we’d had him cornered was dashed. I hadn't been able to hear if he was down there while we were searching upstairs because of the sound proofing that covered every square inch of the stairway and most likely the rest of the basement as well. Not finding him down there stung and made me want to tear the place apart. The question was where had he gone? I hadn't been able to get a clear look at the space before I felt Bodhi’s and Gael's wolves rise to the surface so fast it was like an explosion.

  "He kept her in a literal fucking cage?" Bodhi's voice was a low whisper, but there was enough of his wolf present to make his voice sound slightly garbled.

  They finally moved out of the way and I got to see what he was talking about. It was a full-on cage complete with padlock and iron bars that were as thick as my wrist. Inside there was a bed—although bed was being generous, it was more of a cot really—with a few blankets covering it. A couple books lay on the ground next to it and a TV was propped up in the corner outside of the cage, with the remote on the ground by the books. A toilet sat in the corner without any privacy whatsoever and a roll of toilet paper rested on top of a book on the floor. There was no closet or change of clothes from what I could see, and there definitely wasn't anywhere she could hide if she wanted to.

  I followed Bodhi and Gael as they peered in another doorway. It was a bathroom that sat at the edge of the space which was probably directly under the bathroom upstairs. A shower and a sink were all that comprised the area. The lack of shower curtain wasn't surprising given the lack of privacy around the toilet, but it was enraging nonetheless. He watched her shower and shit and wipe her ass, fucking perv.

  There was a low hum that was bothering me, since there was nothing in there that should be making that sound. I twitched my ears toward it and followed the sound, only to find a tiny and somewhat hidden security camera. I whined and the others came over to look. As soon as they saw what I did they both growled, their lips pulling back over their teeth. Part of me wanted to say that the expression looked strange on a human, but the truth was it didn't, it looked as natural as a smile. Maybe it was because I could practically see their wolves fighting for release.

  We turned to leave but I caught a whiff of something. Letting my nose lead, just as my ears had a moment ago, I followed it to the edge of the room. The floor smelled overwhelmingly of bleach, as though someone had just upended a jug of the stuff and let it sit. The problem with that kind of cleaning was that it wasn't thorough. A few tiny specks of blood had escaped whatever cleaning he had done, and I knew it had to be him because it was his blood I could smell.

  Warlock blood always scented of sulfur and mold. It was like the evil they participated in became so ingrained in their bodies that it suffused every aspect of them, even their blood. Now it was my turn to growl and huff as I tried to get the scent out of my nose without forgetting the unique identifiers that I could use to track him down.

  "Come on," Gael said, grabbing Bodhi by the crook of his elbow and turning him away from the cage he had been staring at while he just vibrated with barely contained rage. "I agreed to follow her trail to see if we could find him. We've done that and didn't find him, so we need to get back and check on her, hopefully before she wakes up."

  I agreed with Gael, hell, I hadn't even wanted to leave her, not really. She and I might not have the same connection that Gael and Bodhi did with her just yet, but it was there. It just needed a little nurturing and that wa
s only something we could do if we were together. I bounded up the stairs and out of the cabin before turning and waiting for them to catch up.

  Finally, after what felt like an age they appeared. I growled and snapped at the air to show my impatience. Something was making me anxious. It was more than just wanting to be back with my mate. As a bolt of fear slid down my spine I knew it wasn't me I was feeling in that moment but Selene. She was afraid. Because she woke up alone or was there more to it? As though the universe was responding to my question another bolt of fear rolled over me, although this time it was edging toward terror.

  Gael and Bodhi's eyes both went wide as they experienced the same thing. As soon as they were out of the house they both shifted leaving tatters of clothes on the ground. Gael's jet-black wolf darted forward followed by Bodhi's gray one. The three of us took off like a shot toward our house. Normally we would have taken the car, but with Selene's fear and the fact that we'd just discovered a cabin way too close to pack territory for us not to know about it, running would get us there faster.

  Trees flew past us as we zig-zagged through the forest. It was only as we approached our house that we slowed down. When I caught the warlock's scent in the air though, I had to suppress a howl so that we didn't alert him to the fact that we'd arrived home.

  Using the wolf sized entrance we all made our way into the house, and as soon as it closed behind us and the rest of the world quieted down my ears were assaulted by the whimpers coming from my mate. She was so quiet, as though the noises she was making were ones that she couldn't keep in but was afraid to let out. As we padded silently through the house, making sure our claws didn't click against the wood floor and the tiles, voices filtered down to us making my heart pound in my chest.

  "You let them fuck you?" a man's voice yelled. "I can see the stains on the sheets so don't lie to me you little slut."

  "Y-Y-Yes, sir," Selene said. When her voice reached my ears it sounded broken, like she'd given up hope. I tried to send a pulse of reassurance down our mating bond, but it was still new and I didn't know how to communicate with it yet.

  "Well, I guess your dirty whore heart will have to do. Have you got your last tail yet?" her captor demanded.

  Her reply must have been silent because I didn't hear anything.

  "Shift. I want to see your vixen."

  "No. You can kill me, but you'll never see her again," Selene replied. Her voice was strong even though there was a tremor to it as she spoke.

  "That works for me. Besides, if you've already dirtied yourself with these men then I may as well take my turn while I can. There are many things I'll do; I'll degrade you until you want to die, but fucking a corpse doesn't interest me, so you'll have to endure it all. When I'm done I'll cut out your heart and eat it. Or you could simply show me your vixen and I'll make your death as quick as I can."

  "They'll kill you when they find you." Her quiet, firm voice reached my ears and I couldn't help but explode into action as we reached the top of the stairs. I'd never been more thankful that we had rugs covering the floors upstairs because it kept my, our, approach muffled. When we burst through the door it was to find the warlock pressing her tear streaked face into the mattress we'd had sex on a few hours ago with one hand, while the other worked his belt buckle.

  Startled eyes met mine for the briefest second before I connected with the warlock my teeth sinking into his shoulder. I clenched my jaw, biting down harder and harder until I was sure my teeth should be connecting, but they weren't. His hands grabbed me by the scruff and yanked me away tossing me like a ragdoll toward the wall.

  Chapter 8

  Selene

  WHEN THREE LARGE WOLVES burst through the door of the bedroom I'd never had so many conflicting emotions at once. They were massive wolves which was terrifying, but not as terrifying as the man behind me. My kitsune knew they were my mates and told me as much, so I was also relieved, but I was scared about what the Beast would do to them.

  The blackish-brown wolf connected with him first. As the Beast was pushed back away from me I scurried over to the corner on the other side of the bed. The wolf's jaw had connected with the Beast's shoulder but he wasn't doing any significant damage, at least, not as much as he should have been.

  The jet-black wolf was next as he went for one of my captor's legs just as the Beast pulled the brown wolf off his shoulder and threw him against a wall. The sickening crack that sounded as the furry body connected with the wall was enough to turn my stomach and make me want to hide. I didn't understand why I had been able to injure him but the wolves couldn't.

  The Beast's other foot connected with the jet-black wolf's stomach as he awkwardly kicked across his body. The gray wolf hadn't burst in like the other two, he prowled in after they had launched their attacks, as though he was waiting to see what the outcome was. He briefly made eye contact with me and threw his head toward the door as though he wanted me to run. There wasn't a chance in hell of that happening, but I could at least go and get a weapon.

  I nodded and scurried out of the corner and the bedroom itself before taking off down the hall. A bellow of rage sounded behind me followed by growls and grunts as the wolves stopped him from following me as I raced down to the kitchen. It was the best place I could think of to look for a sharp object. I pulled drawers out and flung cupboard doors open looking for anything I could use as a weapon. The whole time I searched my kitsune was going crazy, demanding I get back up there and fight for and with my mates.

  The problem was I knew I had my last tail. I'd felt it when I was in bed with my mates, as if sealing the bond with them had pushed me into the final phase of my extremely long life. It wasn't like I was about to die or anything, well, not unless the Beast got his hands on me, but I would be complete, my kitsune would be done growing and aging. I'd stay like this for centuries now.

  Finally I saw the knives that were attached to the wall via a magnetic strip. I hadn't noticed them before because they blended in with the tile too well. I grabbed the longest, sharpest looking one and went to run back upstairs only to find the Beast standing in the kitchen behind me like he'd been watching my frantic search just because he was curious what I would find.

  There wasn't a single wolf in sight.

  My kitsune panicked for a moment, before realizing I could still feel them through the mate bond, so they were all still alive. What had he done to them to prevent them from coming after me though? It didn't matter. I would fight him on my own if I had to, or worst-case scenario I would kill myself so he couldn't have my magic.

  "Are you going to try and kill me with that toothpick?" the Beast asked.

  "I was able to use a butter knife to escape, so yeah, I think this will do a little more damage," I said, borrowing some courage from my kitsune.

  "Didn't leave any damage though, or didn't you notice?"

  I realized he was right. I hadn't noticed. He had a brand-new eye. My stomach turned as I realized he'd taken someone's eye. How did I know it wasn't his? That he didn't just regrow it or something? Because his eyes were as black as the filth that covered his soul and this one was a light green.

  If I started to think he was unbeatable though I would never be able to win. All I needed to do was incapacitate him for long enough to figure out how he was preventing himself from getting hurt.

  He jumped onto the countertop of the island, standing over me as though he were my lord and master, something I'd never let him be again. Without second guessing my instincts I ran, pushing to the left then running right to fake him out, while I reached out with the knife and sliced at his ankles, hoping to sever a tendon. I knew the knife hadn't found purchase, I'd felt it slide, like I'd tried to cut glass.

  As I ran he jumped down and grabbed my hair, hauling me backward against him. I flipped the knife around in my hand and tried to jab it back into him only to have it glance off and cut my side instead. I hissed in pain and my kitsune barked and shrieked inside me, demanding I let her out. Controlling h
er and fighting the Beast was becoming almost impossible, but something clicked in my head as I was doing both.

  He was wearing a ring. I'd felt it against my skin and seen it glint in the light. The beast never wore rings, or any kind of jewelry for that matter. I didn't know what to make of it. All I knew was that I wanted to get it off him. My gut instinct told me that it was the key to making him vulnerable. The only problem was making him let his guard down enough for me to get it off his hand.

  I swiveled in his grasp, practically rubbing myself up against him even though the thought made me want to gag. "Please," I begged as my hands pounded against his chest. "You can keep me, it's fine. I'll go with you, just let me live. I'll... I'll do whatever you want."

  His erection pressed against my belly as his hands reached up and grasped my own. "Why would I believe you, Little Fox, when you've been nothing but stubborn and ornery for the last four hundred years?"

  "Because I don't want to die. I never should have run, I'm sorry. I was just scared."

  "Prove it, prove you'll do whatever I want."

  I nodded my head frantically like this was exactly what I wanted.

  "We'll start with this. Let me touch you wherever and however I want. No fighting."

  "Go ahead," I said, the words competing with my gag reflex.

  He brought his hands up to my face cupping my cheeks as he stared down at me with warring emotions in his eyes. One moment his hand pulled away and the next it was cracking against my skin so hard my head whipped to the side.