Winter of the Wolf

by Cherise Sinclair

  “No, cariad. I just need a kiss. Now, please.” His vocal cords sounded as if they’d shattered.

  What had happened? On tiptoe, she curled her arms around his neck. Her fingers tangled in his straight black hair as she puled him down to her mouth.

  He kissed her hard, puling her to him tightly, and she felt his cock lengthen against her stomach. She had a momentary wonder of how quickly these guys hardened before he kissed the thought right out of her.

  Giving a low sigh, he set her on her feet. Shay pressed against her from behind, his hands cupping her breasts. She looked back at him, and he took her mouth in a plundering kiss as intimate as Zeb’s had been.

  When he released her, her body hummed with need. She staggered a little, feeling the breeze cold on her bare skin staggered a little, feeling the breeze cold on her bare skin where a second before two male bodies had been. She shook her head, trying to get her bearings. “Guys, what is…?”

  They were kneeling in front of her, side-by-side, Shay’s huge body next to Zeb’s leanly muscular one. Light and dark, day and night. Both deadly. And wonderful.

  “What’s going on?”

  Zeb glanced at Shay with the expression that meant, you do the talking.

  The moonlight made Shay’s eyes glimmer like jewels. No laughter showed in his face. “You know that some brothers lifemate—marry—the same female, sharing her for al their lives.”

  Her breathing staled, and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold down rising hope.

  “Zeb and I…we love you, Breanne. We want you to be our female. Our lifemate.” On his palm was a bracelet, the tiny silver discs lit by the moonlight. A bracelet like the one she’d been found with. Zeb opened his hand to show one as wel.

  “I—” Her throat closed off, and she couldn’t get the words out. Oh God, was this realy happening? They were serious; they realy wanted her. Forever. “I…” A frown started on Shay’s face.

  Zeb’s free hand fisted, and he scowled at her. “The Zeb’s free hand fisted, and he scowled at her. “The answer is yes, little female.”

  As laughter weled up in her, she could finaly speak.

  “God, I love you,” she said to Zeb, “you domineering brute.” She turned to Shay. “And you’re just as bad, Mr. Alpha, and I love you just as much.”

  She’d frozen them in place. Now that was new. Her lips curved as the word came easily. “Yes.”

  Shay sprang to his feet. He carefuly slid the bracelet onto her left wrist, then his hands closed around her upper arms and he lifted her up onto her tiptoes for a long, wet kiss.

  “Tha gaol agam ort.” He crushed her against his massive chest. “By the God, I love you.”

  The words turned everything inside her to pudding, and she blinked back tears. She saw Zeb waiting, his face expressionless, but his eyes…his eyes burned. Shay released her, and she took a step toward him.

  Zeb slid the bracelet over her hand. “I never thought I’d do this.” He puled her into his arms, holding her as if he thought she wasn’t real, was afraid she’d disappear. With a shuddering breath, he started to let her go, then snatched her back to rumble in her ear, “Our mate. I love you.” When he finaly released her, she was light-headed from being squeezed so hard. “Wel.”

  Shay smiled and held out two bracelets. “These are for you to put on us.”

  you to put on us.”

  She remembered seeing the one on Calum’s arm and grinned. My men—marked and everything. She put one on Shay’s big-boned wrist and the other over Zeb’s corded wrist, and nothing had ever looked so beautiful. “They’l shift with us?”

  “That’s right.” Zeb ran a finger over the metal discs on her arm, leaving a trail of tingles behind.

  When she looked up, the two men were smiling at her in a way she’d learned to recognize. One that sent heat streaming to her lower body. Excelent idea. She stepped forward and rubbed her breasts against Zeb’s chest. His face darkened with hunger.

  Shay stopped her. “Not quite yet, a chuisle mo chridhe.” His eyes were half-lidded. “We’re going to run while the moon is up, so the Mother can bless her new bonds.” He cupped her breast, his thumb teasing the nipple and sending heat through her. “Trawsfur.”

  Now? But the moonlight shimmered around her like warm rain, and when she shifted, she felt it more clearly—the Goddess’s approval and love.

  The other two trawsfurred as wel.

  Shay loped away from the creek, through the forest, moving higher into the mountains. When they reached a tiny meadow burgeoning with silky-soft, new grass, he stopped.

  Bree stared up at the black sky. Stars had been scattered Bree stared up at the black sky. Stars had been scattered with a liberal hand, and the crescent moon in the west lit the white-topped mountain peaks with gold. What a world. And so very, very beautiful in this form.

  When she looked for her companions—her mates—Shay stood close, mouth open in a canine grin, bowing his front quarters down, butt in the air. It was an invitation to play, and she reacted instinctively, springing forward to nip at him before darting away. He yipped happily and sprang at her, even as Zeb did the same, and they played in the moonlight.

  Danced.

  The dancing slowly changed. The males’ nips changed to licks over her nose and chin, then to nuzzling along her body…everywhere.

  Oh Lord, her body went on alert. Need pooled inside her and unfamiliar instincts had her brushing against the wolves, enticing them to chase after her. Zeb slid up beside her and set a big paw on her back. He mouthed her nape, sending shivers through her. His musky wolf scent washed over her, and she whined, her fur feeling as if it had grown nerve endings.

  Although he jumped down, her paws seemed stuck to the damp meadow grass, not letting her move. As Zeb came up behind her, her tail went sideways in a strange manner. Her nerves flared with heat; her mind was smothered under the rush of instincts. She started to pul away.

  A wolf blocked her. Shay. As he licked her nose in reassurance, the power of the alpha ran through her.

  She shivered. Zeb’s paws held her shoulders, his heavy weight anchoring her in place. His cock pressed against her, seeking entrance, and she instinctively lifted her hind end higher to give him access.

  He slowly penetrated her, and his shaft grew longer and thicker with each thrust.

  She trembled, the sensation different, primal. His paws curved in front of her, holding her as his thrusting grew harder.

  Then, she felt the shimmer of change and realized she was on hands and knees in the soft grass, her bracelet sparkling on her wrist. Zeb slid one palm around to cup her breast, his bare chest rubbed on her back. “Our mate,” he growled in her ear and plunged deep. His arm lifted her hips up to him before he moved his hand lower.

  Oh God. His fingers slid over her mound and pinned her clit. Her center balanced on a razor’s edge and burst in a blast of pleasure. He laughed, hammered deeper, and his cock jerked with his own climax.

  Good grief. Her arms trembled, and her head hung down as she panted.

  He bit her nape, making her shudder before he kissed the tiny pain away. “I love you, little female,” he whispered into her ear, sending warmth of a different sort through her.

  her ear, sending warmth of a different sort through her.

  As he puled out, she whined, wanting to be taken again.

  The cool air against her heated sweaty skin made her shiver, and she started to stand.

  He set his hand on her shoulder.

  “What?” she asked.

  Lifting her chin, he ran his finger over her lips. His dark gaze met hers. “Trawsfur.”

  Again? But his eyes held her pinned, and she couldn’t deny him. The door to her animal shape hadn’t completely closed, and she slid into wolf without thinking. Happiness radiated through her as Zeb stroked her fur and tugged on her ears.

  He stepped away, and she glanced around for Shay.

  There. The rush of lust startled her, but God,
he was beautiful. He stood in the center of the meadow, ears forward, tail raised high, the moonlight gleaming on his silver-gray fur. Her heart sweled with love as she trotted over. A second later, Zeb joined them, his dark fur rustling against hers.

  Shay barked once and loped through the silky grass, startling rabbits and mice as he led the way out of the meadow.

  Bree folowed, paws hitting the soft grass, tail high. The feeling of running with her mates was heady. Powerful. She could remember the slow decline in her health, her exhaustion could remember the slow decline in her health, her exhaustion at the end of each day, and her loneliness. Now she was healthy, loved, and mated.

  With every footfal, she tried to give the Mother her gratitude.

  The trail wound upward and upward until they came out onto a grassy-covered knol, high above the valey where they’d been. The moon lingered over the mountains, her light a soft caress. Dark forests and white covered peaks surrounded them.

  Zeb went to sprawl in a grassy spot. As she started to join him, Shay moved closer to her. His body was huge, radiating heat and power. He circled her slowly, sniffing, licking her nose and chin. His scent was musky and heavily masculine, waking everything in her to a searing need. And then he was behind her, his breath on her hidden areas. She moved her hind paws apart, her tail easing to one side.

  With one lunge, he was on her, far heavier than Zeb. She was slick and ready as his cock slid into her, and with each thrust, it thickened until it was almost more than she could take. His front paws pinned her as he pounded into her, and her head spun with the joy of being taken, of being wanted.

  God, she loved them both so much.

  His teeth closed on her ruff, sending a shiver down her spine. Then everything blurred, and she was human again.

  Her arms gleamed white in the moonlight. She saw Shay’s Her arms gleamed white in the moonlight. She saw Shay’s tanned, thick forearm next to hers for a second before he gripped her hips. He lifted her higher, yanking her back onto his shaft, and she gasped at the sensation.

  Her arms turned rubbery, and she dropped to her elbows as his rhythmic pumping took over her body. The pressure inside her grew, higher and higher until an overwhelming eruption ripped through her, sending pleasure flowing along her veins as if she’d absorbed the moonlight itself.

  As she panted, Shay’s hands tightened painfuly, and he thrust deep and hard. He came with a low growl that changed to a croon of love as his forehead leaned on her back. “Tha gaol agam ort, little wolf.” He rose and puled her to her feet. Wrapping his arms around her, he molded her against him. In his usual embrace, he fondled her ass as he kissed her thoroughly. With a pleased sigh, he passed her to Zeb.

  After Zeb finished kissing her, he pushed her sweat-streaked hair off her forehead. His teeth flashed white in his dark face. “You look confused, little female.” Who me? She shivered at the memory of paws on her furry shoulders, of the scent… “We were wolves. I mean, we made love and—”

  As Shay nuzzled her neck, Zeb ran his knuckles over her cheek and said, “Under the Mother’s moon, lifemated shifters of the same animal can mate in both forms.” shifters of the same animal can mate in both forms.”

  “It’s another blessing of the Mother.” Shay looked at the moon, barely over the top of the mountains. “Let’s sing her down.” He shifted, shook his fur out, and paced to the edge of the knol over the meadow. Zeb stood next to him, dark fur next to the light, and then Bree.

  Shay barked three times, lifted his nose, and gave a long lonely howl. Zeb joined him, lower and rougher. Then Bree added hers, and their voices twined together, filing the valey with a primitive melody as beautiful as the world around them.

  They sang until the last glimmer of moonlight disappeared from the mountaintops.

  Chapter Forty

  Cold Creek, North Cascades Territory

  Unwiling to be apart, they’d al piled into Shay’s truck for the final day of their trip back. As Shay drove, Zeb stared out the windshield, trying to ignore the ache in his chest. The trees on each side of the road whipped past, too quickly for his liking. Bringing them to the end. Overhead, the sun broke through the morning rainclouds like a beacon of hope. A through the morning rainclouds like a beacon of hope. A beacon of hope. Zeb snorted. As if.

  Bree sat between him and Shay, and her eyes glistened with tears. Zeb took her hand and squeezed gently.

  Last night, they’d crossed into Calum’s territory. The welcome from Herne and the Mother that every shifter got when returning to their home territory had been wrenchingly strong. Although the Olympic forest had been beautiful, everything inside Zeb reverberated with the knowledge that the North Cascades Territory was where he belonged.

  Bree hadn’t been ready—hel, neither had he. He’d never felt such a sense of coming home before.

  She’d cried. His sweet female who faced everything head-on had wept so hard that she’d broken his heart. She’d never had a home—and she knew they hadn’t either. Between her feelings of loss and her guilt about them, she’d made herself sick. They’d ended up camping right there in the forest.

  Undoubtedly, Calum had felt them enter his territory, but Bree couldn’t have known or she’d have been more nervous.

  At least, the Cosantir hadn’t sent a cahir to hunt them down last night. Zeb wasn’t sure if he was relieved or not.

  Shay put his hand on Bree’s knee. “We’l speak to the Cosantir, then pack up and leave. Quick and easy.”

  “Of course.” Her chin came up as if she weren’t leaving the first home she’d known.

  Zeb’s lips tightened. Not fair. She hadn’t done anything wrong. But sometimes that was where the trail led. “We’l be together,” he said roughly.

  “Thank the Mother for that,” Bree murmured.

  “Finaly got your gods sorted out?” Shay asked with an amused look.

  “Yeah, wel, after this last week, it’s hard to deny Her.” Shay drove through Cold Creek and turned onto Main Street. “Uh-oh.”

  Two sawhorses blocked the street by Angie’s Diner. A sheriff’s car was parked to one side with Alec leaning against it. People—mostly shifters, some humans—lined the sidewalks.

  In front of the sawhorses, alone in the center of the street, the Cosantir waited, arms crossed over his chest.

  “Guess we’re expected,” Zeb muttered. His stomach tightened. He and Shay had assured Bree that Calum wouldn’t drop them dead in their tracks, but the Cosantir had the power and the right if he chose to do so.

  “Looks like an old-fashioned hanging.” With a scowl, Shay parked on the side of the street. He gave Bree a lingering kiss before getting out.

  Zeb did the same. Before he closed the door, he ran his knuckles down Bree’s soft cheek, needing to touch her one last time. Just in case. Then he tapped her chin. “Stay here.

  Do not get out of the truck.” No matter what you see.

  He caught up to Shay, then shoulder-against-shoulder, He caught up to Shay, then shoulder-against-shoulder, they approached the Cosantir. His eyes held the black of the God, and Zeb felt his heart sink.

  Calum glanced behind them, and his brows drew together ominously. “Did you tel her to stay in the truck?” Fear burst in Zeb’s stomach. Did the Cosantir plan to punish her as wel? He swalowed. Beat me, kill me, don’t hurt Bree. “Yes, I did. Cosantir, please…” The Cosantir smiled faintly. “It didn’t work.” A second later, he heard pattering footsteps, and then Breanne shoved between him and Shay. “Cal—Cosantir. It was my fault they left, al my fault, so if you need to kil someone, it has to be me.”

  “Indeed.”

  Criminy, this isn’t going well . Bree shivered as Calum’s eyes, a black without any glint of light, held her gaze. The power in him was a rumble of thunder in her bones.

  “Were you seen by any humans?”

  “Only in human form to warn them about a murderer in the area,” Shay replied. “We didn’t trawsfur at al.” The black gaze wandered across their bodies
, lingering on the Zeb’s arm even though his sleeve covered the wound.

  “The helhound?”

  “Dead. We left its body in Bree’s apartment,” Zeb said.

  “We wiped her revolver clean and tossed it into Puget

  “We wiped her revolver clean and tossed it into Puget Sound,” Shay added. “The humans might be confused, but nothing wil point to the Daonain.”

  “Cosantir,” Bree said. The guys had assured her they’d be al right, but she could tel the Cosantir was going to make them pay. She had to get her men out of here. “I had to go back. It was kiling my neighbors while searching for me.” She put her arms in front of her men, as if she could block him from hurting them. “Zeb and Shay were just trying to keep me safe. It’s not their fault.”

  His expression didn’t change. She’d never realized how cold his face could be. “Breanne. Since your actions did not expose the Daonain’s existence and as you are a new shifter, you are forgiven.”

  She felt the men relax and knew the dummies weren’t worried for themselves, just for her.

  “Thank you, Cosantir,” Shay said, echoed by Zeb. The gratitude in their voices made her growl. They stepped forward, pushing her behind them, as if scared he’d change his mind.

  “Kneel.”

  The men dropped to their knees as if their legs had given out.

  A chil ran through Bree as the memory of how Klaus had died filed her. “No!” She went around them, dodging Zeb’s grab for her. Stepping in front of the Cosantir, she pressed grab for her. Stepping in front of the Cosantir, she pressed her hands together on her chest in a plea. “Cosantir, please, they were only—”

  With a werecat’s uncanny speed, Calum grabbed her left wrist and held it up in the air. Her silver bracelets gleamed in the sunlight. “Breanne, are Zebulon and Seamus your lifemates?”

  Her eyes rested on the two gleaming bands, her heart too ful to keep the joy from spiling into her words. “Oh, they are,” she whispered.