by Jane Jamison
What is it about the men in Fate?
* * * *
The way Laney figured it the Rann men were either stalking her or protecting her. Maybe she was wrong to do so, but she couldn’t help but hope they were protecting her. After seeing those two men outside the diner staring at her, she’d hurried toward Shawna’s place. She hadn’t gone far before she realized that she was being followed. Not only by the two men but by the Rann men.
At first, she’d thought maybe the six men were going after her together. But when she heard a commotion and spun around, she’d seen the Rann men pushing back against the other two men. Sensing possible danger, she’d spun around and run the rest of the way back to the B&B.
Having the men watching over her gave her an unexpected feeling she hadn’t experienced since leaving her parents’ home. Since then, more times than she’d like to admit, she’d felt lost, alone, and frightened, especially when dealing with her brother’s problems. And now she was dealing with his most challenging problem of all.
If only the place had a fireplace. She’d finally decided to burn the pills, but she couldn’t burn them just anywhere. Certainly not in the stove in the B&B. Burning outside would be risky. What if someone saw her? What if having a controlled burn was illegal? Calling attention to what she was doing could cause even bigger problems. Did Fate have a police force? So far, she hadn’t noticed any policeman, but that didn’t mean the town didn’t have a sheriff. Questions whirled, yet every time she peeked out the window and saw the Rann men across the street, she felt calmer, safer. She was smiling when she answered her phone.
“I’m here.”
“Harlen? Where? You’re in Fate?”
“Yeah. I’m right outside. No one’s answering the damn door. Come out and bring me my duffel bag.”
Laney peeked out the window of her bedroom. “Where?” She scanned the street, skipping over the Rann men and searching the rest of the area.
“Right in front of the place.”
She lowered her gaze to find Harlen waving at her. She started to warn him about the Rann men then decided not to. Her brother was her problem, not theirs, and she’d handle him. “You shouldn’t have come.”
“I need my stuff back. Now.”
What was the point of arguing? She wasn’t about to give him the drugs. But at least she knew he was safe. “I’ll be right down.” One way or another, she’d make him listen to her.
* * * *
Ethan lounged against a tree outside Shawna’s B&B. “All three of us don’t need to be here, you know.” Truth be told, he’d love it if Dart and Brady left him alone. Although they were meant to share Laney as their mate, he wouldn’t have minded spending some quality one-on-one time with her.
“We might let you take the late watch.” Dart eyed him suspiciously. “Or is that what you’re wanting? You’re hoping she’s going to come out and you’ll get to talk to her without us around. I’m right, aren’t I?”
He didn’t bother denying it. His cousins knew him too well. “Could be. But it’s getting late, and we haven’t seen a sign from her.” They’d given her a head start after leaving the diner and then had followed her. “I already feel like a damn stalker.”
“We’re keeping her safe.” Brady tipped his cowboy hat back, away from his forehead. “After catching Moses and Carl watching her when she left, it’s what we had to do.”
Not that it was a chore, but Ethan didn’t say it out loud. “Why do you think they were following her?” He had his own ideas and suspected his cousins would, too.
“They’re trying to get under our skin.” Dart chuckled. “They know we’ll go ballistic if they actually do anything more than whistle and howl.”
“As long as that’s all they do, I’ll stay calm.” Yet Brady’s tone was laced with anger.
“Same here.” But that was as far as he’d let it go. Ethan didn’t like what Carl and Moses had tried to do by baiting them, but it would be worse if they let their shitty scheme succeed.
“Hey, who’s that?”
Ethan followed Brady’s nod to find a young man moving quickly toward the front of Shawna’s place. He paused for a moment then hurried up the stairs and knocked on the door. The knocks, however, soon turned into pounding.
“What’s going on?” asked Dart. “Who the hell is that?”
Ethan shook his head. “Beats the hell out of me.” Sure enough, the door opened and out stepped Laney.
“Damn it. Do you think he’s a boyfriend? Or, worse, a husband?” Dart groaned, but the groan changed into a growl when the man took Laney’s arm.
“Let’s find out.” Ethan started across the street, ready to tear the man’s arm off for touching Laney. He’d just stepped off the curb when a hiss drew him up short.
“Stay put, wolves.”
Chapter Four
Ethan spun around, fangs bared, ready to do battle with anyone trying to keep him away from Laney. The world began filling with amber as his wolf started taking over. If Brady hadn’t grabbed him, growling a low warning, he might have clawed Shawna’s face.
“Fuck.” Transitioning was always difficult, but even worse when it was an abrupt change from man-to-wolf then back. “Don’t do that, werecat.”
Shawna pulled back her lips into a hiss. “Get out of sight.”
The last thing Ethan wanted to do was to leave Laney alone with the unknown man, but he and his cousins slipped into the shadows with Shawna. “You’d better have a damn good reason for keeping us from her.”
“If you hounds would listen, you’d find out.” The werecat’s eyes blazed with amber, her inner animal close to the surface. “He’s not going to hurt her.”
“How do you know?” asked an equally nervous Brady.
“Seriously?” She shot him a look. “You know we cats have a second sense about danger. One far better than any werewolf’s.”
“Do you know who it is?” Ethan kept looking at Laney. She’d come outside, and from the way she and the man were gesturing, along with their stiffened body language, they were arguing.
“I’ve got a good idea.” She fluffed her hair, growing silent.
He hated how werecats loved drama. “O-kay. So tell us,” he said between clenched teeth.
Shawna batted her eyelashes. “If you ask me nicely, I will.”
Ethan’s low growl mixed with his cousin’s. “Damn it, Shawna.”
“Please tell us,” asked Dart then shrugged at Ethan’s glare.
Shawna caressed Dart’s cheek with the backs of her fingers. “Of course I will, sweet puppy.” She ignored another round of growls from Brady and Ethan. “I think that’s her brother.”
“Go home, Harlen. You’re my brother, and I love you. I’m doing this for you!” shouted Laney.
“See?” Shawna gave them a very catty smile. “I overheard a conversation she had with him.”
Overheard a conversation? She’d probably been eavesdropping. “What else do you know?”
“I know that duffel bag of pills isn’t hers.” Shawna grew serious. “It’s her brother’s, and he’s a drug dealer.”
“Are you sure?” Ethan had expected something bad was going on, but he’d never thought she’d be involved in selling drugs.
“Hey, at least now we know she’s not ill,” quipped Dart, trying to lighten the mood.
“Is she helping him sell them?” Brady’s frown lines grew the more earnest he became. “She’s not trying to sell them around Fate, is she?”
Ethan couldn’t imagine any shifter wanting to take pills. They rarely became ill, and when they did, it didn’t take long for their bodies to heal naturally. Not that they were immortal, but it took a lot to take a wolf out of commission. Like his throat being ripped out. Or his head blown off. Or even a bullet directly to his heart. Taking pills for anything, much less to get high, wasn’t something shifters did. But there could always be a first time.
“No. She took them from her brother to keep him from selling them. I think he�
��s part of a gang in Atlanta.”
“You think? Why don’t you know?” Ethan fought his inner wolf. With her brother getting louder in the argument, telling her over and over to give him his “stuff,” his beast was getting harder to control. If he turned, he’d bound across the street and attack her brother.
“Because, unlike what you wolves seem to think, we don’t have super hearing. Sure, our hearing is better than yours—”
Debatable. But arguing wouldn’t help.
“—but it’s still very difficult to hear the other side of a phone conversation.” Shawna mellowed, looking a little contrite. “As far as the rest of it goes, I have the right to go into a guest’s room without permission if I think there’s a need. Luckily, I also got a peek into that duffel bag while she was in the bathroom and hadn’t yet put it in the trunk of her car.”
“So you spied on her. And went through her things.”
Ethan felt the same way as Brady. As much as he wanted to know what was going on with her, he wouldn’t violate her privacy the way Shawna had.
“I had a right to do what I did. After all, a pretty girl shows up unexpectedly with no real luggage and no clothes. You don’t have to be a cat to smell suspicious all over that. How did I know she wasn’t some homegrown terrorist about to plant a bomb in downtown Fate?”
“Right. Because blowing up a small Georgia town is high on ISIS’s list of targets,” joked Dart in a humorless kind of way.
“I was right, though, wasn’t I? She is in trouble.”
“We had a feeling something was off.” Brady tunneled a hand through his hair. “Damn it. I can’t stand here any longer and watch him yell at her.”
Ethan couldn’t have agreed more. Carefully moving past Shawna, he started toward Laney and her brother.
Laney, however, ran up the steps of the B&B. She whirled around when her brother was hot on her heels. “No, Harlen! I’m not changing my mind. You have to find a place to lay low until I can get this problem fixed.”
Ethan, Brady, and Dart stopped in their tracks. As long as Laney was handling the problem, they’d do best to hang back.
“Give me my fuckin’ drugs!” yelled Harlen.
“Great. Now the whole neighborhood’s going to know,” lamented Shawna. “I need her out of my place of business before tomorrow night.”
Yeah. As if she won’t tell the rest of the town soon enough.
She stabbed a finger against Ethan’s chest. “She’s you three’s mate. Take care of this problem.” With a hiss, she spun around and stormed into the shadows.
“No! Get out of here!” Laney slammed the door in her brother’s face.
The men stayed at the edge of the shadows, ready to act if Harlen dared to break into the house. Shawna was gone—no doubt on her nightly prowl. Fortunately for Laney’s brother, he had enough sense not to break and enter. Instead, he paced back and forth a few times, staring up at the room where the only light in the house shone. After more pacing, he let out a string of curses and stalked down the sidewalk toward an old rust-laden pickup.
“So that’s the story. Her brother’s into selling drugs and she’s stolen his stash hoping to stop him.” But there had to be more to the story. “I’ll bet anything he’s got his dealer after him to get the drugs back or pay him his money. In cold cash or in warm blood.”
“Yeah. I think you’re right.” Dart cursed softly, his eyes glowing amber. “We should’ve done something. Hell, we can still do something. Let’s go right now and get those damn drugs away from her. We’ll handle her brother’s troubles.”
“As much as I’d like to, we can’t.”
“Why the hell not, Ethan?” Brady’s eyes were losing some of their amber flecks, but his wolf was still close to the surface, his voice gravelly, the tips of his fangs peeking out from between his lips.
“Because she doesn’t trust us yet. Hell, she hasn’t even talked to us long enough to get to know us. Nah. We need to back off this for the time being.”
“We have to keep her safe.” Dart dragged in a long, tortured breath.
“And we will.” Ethan checked up and down the street. “I think the show’s over for tonight, but I’ll stick around and take the first watch. Dart, you come back around midnight, and Brady will take over around four in the morning.”
“Fine. As long as we don’t leave her alone,” added Brady. “Maybe one of us should track down her brother and make sure he’s not causing more shit.”
“No. Leave him alone for now.” Ethan was giving orders as though he was the leader of their own small pack, but his cousins knew better. They’d always listened to each other and had decided together.
“Okay.” Dart jerked his head toward their pickup. “Come on, Brady.”
Ethan nodded his good-bye, his gaze intent on the second-story room. The light went out, signaling that Laney had probably gone to sleep.
Whatever it takes, we’ll keep you safe.
* * * *
Ethan’s still out there.
Laney had watched as Dart and Brady had gotten in their pickup and driven off. Peeking out the window yet again confirmed what she already suspected.
Yep. Still there.
Once again, she wondered if she should think of their involvement as stalking. But she couldn’t. They’d come on strong in person, yet she’d sensed that they really cared about her. They didn’t strike her as the type of men who would harm any woman, much less her.
As she’d watched her brother rant and rave in front of the house, shouting for her to come down, she hadn’t been able to resist checking on the Rann men. And she’d seen them slip into the darkness.
Why hadn’t they helped her with Harlen?
Still, she had to believe they’d done the right thing by hanging back. Although knowing they were near had helped her feel strong enough to resist her brother’s demands, any interference from them would’ve set Harlen off even more.
She could trust them. After watching them tonight, she was sure of it. But now that they’d seen and heard Harlen, they’d be sure to have questions. What would she tell them?
She wanted to tell them everything. But to do so would be taking a risk, not only with her future but with her brother’s. Could she chance it? Once she explained the situation, would they help her? Telling them would make her feel so relieved, but should she chance it? Until then, she had to make sure her brother didn’t get the drugs back.
Leaving the lights off, she slipped out of her room and headed downstairs. If Harlen hadn’t already thought about it, he would soon enough. He’d break into her car and see if the drugs were hidden there. She had to get the duffel bag before he did.
After checking outside for any sign of her brother, she eased through the front door and hurried to her car parked at the curb. Her skin tingled as though she could actually feel Ethan watching her.
Would he speak to her? Or would he remain hidden in the shadows? Should she call to him, letting him know she knew he was there?
Instead, she pulled the bag out of the trunk, forcing herself not to glance in his direction, then hurried back into the house. Once inside, she leaned against the door and caught her breath.
He’s still there, all right. Like a guardian angel watching over me.
Smiling, she rushed to her room.
* * * *
Dart, Ethan, and Brady came to Laney from out of the fog billowing around her. They moved cautiously, yet powerfully, animal-like in their gracefulness. The swirl of fog made them seem even more mysterious, sexy, and dangerous. Yet she didn’t fear them. In fact, the exact opposite was true. She trusted them with her life, her body, and more.
Ethan slipped his hand down her spine and turned strange amber eyes toward her. Suddenly, her nightgown vanished. Yet she wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed at her nudity. Having him touch her naked skin seemed natural, right.
“We’ll keep you safe.”
She nodded at Brady, yet strangely it felt as though all three of them
had spoken the same pledge. “I know. But why do they want to hurt me?”
“Because you’re ours,” answered Dart as he turned toward the fog, a snarl lifting his lips.
“Why am I naked?” she asked, not complaining.
“Because we want you.” All at once, the men were naked, too, and she was on the ground. Soft grass cushioned her body as the fog formed a circle around them, staying just out of her reach.
“Are they watching?” She felt the presence of others who were close enough to harm, but too afraid to try.
“Yes. They’ll watch and then they’ll know. You’re ours and they can’t hurt you.” Brady inched his way between her legs. His fingers found their way between her folds, then into her hot wetness. His thumb massaged her aching clit.
She no longer cared who was near them. No longer cared for anything except her men’s caresses.
Dart took a nipple into his mouth as he gently pushed her onto her side. His warm breath flowed over her breast. His fingers probed her dark hole. “Ours,” he said against her flesh.
“Ours,” repeated Ethan. He sat back on his heels, his cock in his hand.
She accepted his offering and slipped his thick length into her mouth. His taste was wild, earthy, primal. She sucked, taking as much of his flavors as she could.
Brady eased closer, exchanging fingers for his cock. Slowly, with his gaze fixed to hers, he slid his cock inside her pussy. In the same moment, Dark entered her from behind. She inhaled, but kept her mouth on Ethan’s cock, her hand wrapped around him to run up and down, letting his loose skin glide along her palm.
The fog attempted to grow closer, but with every thrust, every pleasured moan, it was pushed back. Low growls came from somewhere in the fog, but she didn’t worry. Her men would keep her safe.
Their grunts, her sighs mixed together as their bodies moved rhythmically, taking the same pace, a push here, a thrust there. The heat between them grew hotter until perspiration dropped from one body to the next.
