by A. Mashburn
“What?” Jade was not expecting that response.
“If you have a second chance, then we will find her. I will not allow our ungrateful, cur of a brother to rob us of happiness again.” His eyes hardened, “I will go with you, and we will find her together and bring her home.”
Unsure he understood correctly, Jade stared into his brother's eyes. “Are you telling me you will allow me to have my second chance without interference, even though you have not found yours?”
“Why are you looking at me like that? Yes, of course, I would. One of us deserves some happiness and to continue our line.” His words seemed sincere, and he truly appeared to be appalled that Jade would think he would not allow this to happen under his roof. “Jade, brother, you have to understand. This madness within me, the Mood Goddess, will not give me a second chance. There are three sides to me fighting for dominance; one day, one will take control and she will not want one of her females in the crosshairs and ending up like Malcolm did today.” His shoulders slumped in defeat. This was the brother Jade would walk through the fires of hell for. “First, Nicoli and then the Hunters. Combined, they took away any chance I ever had of finding a mate. I will walk this life alone and I have accepted that. You, however, may have been presented with an opportunity to bring light into our life after all this time.”
Jade observed the slight shifts in his brother's face and resolved, “Why not pick a chosen?”
Jayce smiled mirthlessly and stood to look into the full-length mirror. Blood dripped from his black hair, splattered across his face and on his once pristine clothing. “Look at me, brother, would you wish me to subject a female to this daily?”
Jade started to object but Jayce continued, “When you bared your neck to me in submission, I wanted nothing more than to overpower you and drink you dry. You may have been able to stop me after a time; a female, however, would have died at my hands. How many females would have to die before that side of me was sated?”
Jade had no response. He just rose from his knees, clapped his brother on the shoulder and gave a slight squeeze; to which Jayce said icily, “I do not want your pity, brother.”
“And none shall you have,” Jade said calmly. “We will find her together,” they both inclined their heads in agreement.
“Together,” Jayce said with finality in his voice.
The day was spent making plans, for tonight, they would track down their brother and the female.
Fuck, Jade thought.
Gretchen, Nicoli and Mo flew past the stores, shops, restaurants and plazas at breakneck speeds, not sparing anyone or anything a second glance. Gretchen's face was flushed, sweat beaded her brow while her heart thudded like a jackhammer in her chest. She looked at her companions as they approached the gym parking lot. Her Jeep was right where she left it, and she unlocked the doors for them to put their things in.
“Nic,” a familiar voice sounded through the air.
The trio turned on their heels and saw Boomer with Joel right behind him as they raced towards them. “Nicoli, what the hell is going on? There are new scents all over the fucking place here. Over fifty that are not rogue, but not normal in this territory.”
“Fuck, we may need some help, man. I’ve got to get Gretchen out of here.”
“Yeah, I had an inkling this may have had something to do with her when I found out she was with you. Is she going to be okay?” Boomer asked, as he risked a glance in Gretchen’s direction.
“Not if I can’t get her the fuck out of here. I can’t hold them off if I’m worried about her being taken.”
“Why the fuck would they want to take her?” The look on Boomer’s face was filled with undiluted rage at the thought.
“There’s so much to explain,” Nicoli responded, clapping the man on his shoulder. “I know you care for her, and we could use your help. The scent of the wolves is getting closer and—”
Boomer shook his head and clasped Nicoli’s forearm. “Say no more; we’ve got you.” He whistled, and about thirty people emerged from the gym. “I’ve already linked with my pack,” Nicoli nodded his head gratefully.
Boomer walked over to Gretchen, “Hey, Trouble.”
She smiled at him warmly. “Listen, Red. There’s not a lot of time to explain. You’re about to see something that will be pretty shocking, but none of us here will hurt you; understood?”
She nodded her head in acknowledgment. He cupped her cheek in one hand and squeezed her hand with the other. He ignored the warning growl from Nicoli as he continued, “This place you stumbled upon so many years ago is a gym for our kind. We’re going to shift and keep the wolves at bay while you guys get out of here.”
“A-all of you?” She looked at the mass of bodies outside the gym.
“Yeah, all of us.” Her eyes widened in shock, and he snickered. “We’re all over the place.”
“You’re like me?” She remembered what Mo said about not asking what kind, so she stayed quiet.
“In a way,” he shrugged one large shoulder.
“Well, that explains a lot.” Her face reddened, remembering the nights they’d shared. As if he knew what she thought, a cheeky grin appeared on his handsome face.
“Not gonna ask me what kind?” Boomer asked.
“Uhm,” she glanced at Mo briefly, “I was told that’s rude.”
He laughed at her innocence. “I’m a bear, Red. When I shift, I’ll be about as big as your Jeep here.”
“A bear? Oh my,” Gretchen’s lips turned up at the corners as she remembered her nickname for him. He must have thought about it, too, because he chortled again. “Yeah, Boo-Boo was pretty appropriate considering the kind of shifter I am. Odin, however, was a bit miffed and thought he should have at least been Yogi, considering his size,” he teased, swiping a hand through his thick dark hair.
“We’ve got to go,” Nicoli said stiffly, apparently not too fond of the familiarity between the two.
Gretchen stepped out of the vehicle eyeing Nicoli and wrapped her arms around Boomer’s waist. In return, Boomer buried his head in her red hair and inhaled. He straightened himself as he gazed down at her with adoration shining in his eyes and a hint of mischief. “Ready Red?”
“Ready for—”
“Shift,” he bellowed.
Right before her very eyes, each of the people before her began to shift. Bones snapped, bodies elongated as tails, wings, fur, feathers, talons and teeth all sprouted from their bodies. Within moments, there were animals that stood in the place of their once-human forms. Wolves, panthers, bears and at the end, a snow leopard paced back and forth among the crowd. Each animal was beautiful and massive.
Boomer squeezed Gretchen’s shoulder as she stood in awe of the majestic creatures that now stood before her. “We’ve got you, Little Red. This is my pack. We’re a bunch of misfits, but we got you.” He kissed her softly on the top of her head and stood back. “Remember, I won’t hurt you, and neither will Odin.”
She stood back as his body began to shake and expand. She could hear the snapping of bones, and she cringed but stood her ground as fur began to sprout from his body, and a giant bear took Boomer’s once humanoid place. He chuffed in her direction, laying on his belly.
“We don’t have time for this,” Nicoli complained as he knocked on the hood of the Jeep.
Gretchen looked to him then back to Odin. He was magnificent, and huge was an understatement. Boomer was taller than her Jeep in width, and length. He was such a beautiful luminescent shade of white, like a fresh snowfall. But his eyes were the same electric honey brown she had become accustomed to over the years, and her heart leapt with excitement. She walked closer to him and buried her face in his thick fur. She heard Nicoli groan from afar but pulled on Odin’s neck and he bent so that his ear was close to her mouth.
“Can you understand me like this?” she asked. He chuffed in response, which made her giggle. “No wonder you were such an animal in bed, your stamina was—” a growl interrupted her teasin
g, and she turned to see Nicoli’s turquoise eyes staring daggers at Boomer. However, Odin seemed unconcerned as his shoulders quaked, and a repeated grumble came from his chest.
Meanwhile, Mo had tears in her eyes and she held her stomach, cackling like a madwoman. “I’ve never heard a bear laugh in his true form. That’s fantastic.”
All at once, the ground began to quake beneath their feet, and Nicoli roared, “Get in the fucking car!”
The shifters in front of her became fierce, readying themselves for battle. Boomer nudged her to the door with his big head. “Be careful,” she said to him as he turned and walked away. He let out a fierce roar that echoed through the trees; once the first signs of wolf peeked through the forest Odin charged and the others followed suit.
Whereas Nicoli didn’t spare the fight a second glance, he focused solely on the twists and turns of the road ahead of them; Gretchen couldn’t help but watch as the bodies of the beasts collided and flesh tore. Odin took one mangy wolf and threw him against the trunk of a tree nearby and two others jumped on his back. He quickly discarded them and crushed one with his giant paw and snapped the other wolf's spine with his teeth. It was mayhem and her heart thudded in her chest as she sent a prayer up to anyone listening that no one would die on her behalf. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that it was a lost cause, though. There was no way that a fight could be so vicious and not lose important people; her eyes began to mist over at the thought.
“Honey, Boomer will be fine,” Mo caressed her arm assuring her friend. “He is a strong shifter, one of the strongest. You saw his size and believe me, as gentle as he was with you, he can be vicious when needed.”
Gretchen closed her eyes and prayed that Mo was right. “Where are we going, Nicoli?” He reached over, grasped her hand, and held it to his lips. “We’re going to Mount Marcy. It’s the highest peak in New York. It will make things easier for us when it’s time to take off. Plus, I’ve got a friend close to there who will be able to keep your vehicle safe for us and provide the needed provisions for the trip.”
Mo dug through the back for the blanket she packed and the small pillow, then passed it to Gretchen. “Snuggle up and get some sleep if you can. It’s going to be a long ride,” Mo suggested.
Gretchen took the sleeping provisions from her friend and looked over to Nicoli as she studied his profile. Good Goddess, he is one sexy specimen, Genesis cooed in their shared mind. All Gretchen could do is grin at her partner in crime. He must’ve felt her eyes on him because he glanced her way, eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“What are you grinning about?” he snipped.
Ooohh, he’s mad atchu Honey-pie, Genesis cautioned playfully.
That shocked Gretchen to her core. But, why? What did I do?
You reminded him you were with other men, namely an exceptionally large, very sexy bear shifter.
Shit.
Yep —fix it. Genesis stated matter-of-factly.
How?
I don’t know, but you’ve got to figure it out.
You’re not helping, Gretchen grumbled.
I didn’t help get you into this mess either, Genesis huffed. He will forgive you, don’t fret. He’s just jealous.
What?
If I weren’t inside your head, I’d wonder if you had something wrong with your hearing. He-is-jealous. Wolves are a very territorial species, as are bears, and you fucked one Alpha and almost fucked another. Bad form, my little one, bad form.
As Genesis faded from her mind, she inwardly groaned. After all, she wasn’t entirely wrong. Great.
Most of the ride was quiet with Nicoli silently brooding over the way Gretchen interacted with Boomer. Gretchen felt awful for how she made Nicoli feel, so there wasn’t much for her to say either. Mo, however, was passed out in the back—snoring—seemingly without a care in the world.
“Are you sure one of the bear shifters didn’t sneak in the back?” Gretchen muttered.
Nicoli eyed Gretchen as she tilted her head back and rolled her eyes towards the sky. He grinned a little at her frustration. Suddenly a sly smile spread across her face and he knew she was up to something.
“Gretchen, what are—” Nicoli started to ask but stopped short as he watched her grab the lever on the seat and slam it into a reclining position, smooshing Mo in the process. He laughed as Gretchen sat up quickly and acted as though it was an accident—while Mo sat up snorting and sputtering as she looked around frantically.
“Oh, Mo, oh, my goodness. I’m sorry, I was trying to recline a little, and it just collapsed. I’m so sorry. I am never on this side of the car; I didn't realize—” Mo glared at her, and Gretchen grinned from ear to ear.
“You’re a pain in my ass,” Mo grumbled.
“And you sound like a damn chainsaw when you snore. You told me to rest and you’re back there, sawing logs like nobody's business.”
“I knew you did it on purpose, bitch,” Mo grinned.
Nicoli smiled at the twosome's playful banter. They really were like sisters.
The rest of the ride went smoothly, the three of them chatted as though they were on a road trip just for fun. That was until Gretchen decided to ask Mo, “So when you say ride you, what exactly do you mean?”
“Easy, I mean you’ll get on my back, and you’ll lay down until we get there.”
“But—”
“Nope, it’s easier to show rather than tell. But Alice will have everything we need.”
“Who is Alice?”
“Just a friend,” Nicoli answered quickly, glaring at Mo as he dared her to say otherwise.
Gretchen watched as Mo glared right back, “Yep, a very good friend.”
Nicoli took a drink of his water and that was when Gretchen decided to state what she had felt was obvious, “So you guys fucked?” She directed the question to Nicoli.
He choked on the water he had been drinking and coughed so hard he had tears in his eyes which forced him to pull over to the side of the road. Mo was in the back laughing hysterically, sounding something like a demented donkey with the way she shrieked between laughing fits.
“I mean, it’s not that big of a deal, Nicoli,” Gretchen shouted after him as he walked up the road trying to—Well, she didn’t know what he was trying to do except maybe put some distance between them, which was just silly because they were both adults. It’s not like they hadn’t had sex before they met each other, and they weren’t an item. Nicoli acting this way just didn’t make sense to her.
Once Mo finally calmed down a bit, she placed her hand on Gretchen’s shoulder, “Go talk to him, Sweets,” she said, and pointed to where Nicoli was pacing near the tree line.
Gretchen got out of the car, walked over to Nicoli and held out the water bottle. “You good?” she asked as he took a gulp.
“Yeah, just took me by surprise, is all.”
“I'm not blind and I’m not an idiot, Nicci.”
His eyebrows popped up in surprise. “Wait, why did you just call me Nicci?”
“I don’t know, it just seemed right. Why?”
“You used to call me that when you were young, that’s all.” He leaned back against the tree.
“Well, back to the first topic. I could read between the lines of what you and Mo were saying. You guys aren’t particularly good at talking in code. Also, I’m not naïve enough to think you haven’t ever slept with someone before. I know I have—” She paused and frowned at the growl that rumbled from his chest. “Nic, come on; be realistic. I’m almost twenty-one years old, have been through college and had several boyfriends. I’m no virgin and I’m sure you aren’t either.”
He stood straight peering into her eyes, “How do you know?”
“Huh?” The intensity of his stare made her insides quiver.
As he stepped towards her, he repeated, “How. Do. You. Know?”
“What? That you’re not a virgin?” She took a step back to try to maintain distance. The look on his face reminded her of a predator
stalking its prey. For the first time she experienced fear. Not fear of him, but fear of the way her body was reacting towards him. His gaze ignited an inferno of want that she couldn’t explain away.
He took another step towards her. She took another step back. She felt the rough bark of a tree against her spine.
“Yes,” Nicoli said softly.
“Well, for one, you’re half-animal. You have instincts and needs—” Another step and he was within arm’s reach.
“So?” he said, staring into her eyes.
She continued to explain her logic, “You’re what; ten or eleven years older than me? Do you expect me to believe you’ve lived that long and not been with a woman?” She forced her voice to remain even, as though she were unaffected by his closeness.
He gripped the nape of her neck and slammed his lips to hers while he reached down with the other hand and lifted her up against the tree; bark scraped her skin through the fabric of her shirt. She didn’t care, as his lips traveled to the sensitive spot on her neck, she breathed out, “Virgins, do not kiss like that.”
A rumble emitted from his chest as he smiled into the crook of her neck and placed her on her feet. He put his forehead against hers with their lips mere inches apart, “You don’t quite understand our kind, Love. When you’re more in the know, I will explain my story to you. For now, just know that there’s nothing between Alice and me, not like that. She is a very good friend though, and I care about her very much.”
That little green-eyed monster started playing volleyball in her stomach again, but she nodded her head in understanding and he placed a short distance between them as he grasped her hand. “Let’s get back to the car before Liz comes after us.”
They made their way to the Jeep, and as soon as they were within eyesight, Mo yelled, “Well, that was quick, pup!”
They both rolled their eyes and got back on the road. Nicoli drove with his hand placed possessively on Gretchen’s thigh and only took it off to switch gears. The warmth from that large palm sent shivers of excitement through her body but also a sense of calmness that Gretchen couldn’t explain. She focused on the peace within her heart as she finally, blissfully, drifted off to sleep.
