Protect and Fur [3xtasy Lake 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Corinne Davies

  “Get the fuck back here. There’s been a shooting! A hunter tagged one of the Guardians on patrol. They just brought him in. Oh, god, hurry. It’s Alec Carmichael.”

  “On my way. Over.” Brenna flicked on her hazard lights, tromped on the gas, and the SUV roared down the road. Let Officer Walker catch her this time. This was the second shooting this week. The first, they thought was an isolated event. If it was some poacher hunting out of season, her father had the Guardians watching. Something gnawed at her senses about this. The first victim survived. Why hunt in these woods when Algonquin Park was a short distance away? There were hundreds of places in the park where you could poach and have a better chance of getting away with it. That’s if Jaxon, Kaden and Sloan Henderson didn’t get wind of it.

  She’d had an argument with Sloan the other day when she’d overheard him planning to do a bit of hunting on his own. Brenna did what any woman would do when a man wasn’t being rational. She called his wife. Carol freaked at the possibility of her husband putting himself in that kind of danger, and that was the end of that. Sloan was a strawberry tiger and would stick out like a sore thumb in the forests this that of year. Everything was lush and green right now. Fall was a much easier time for his red fur to blend in.

  A cruiser raced up behind her with its lights flashing and siren screaming. If he thinks he’s pulling me over right now, he’s crazy. But instead, Officer Walker flew past her in his cruiser and cut in front of her. His voice crackled over the CB’s radio. “Brenna, keep up.”

  Running his siren, he cleared the traffic out of the way as she raced behind him. He led her in the back way to avoid going directly down Main Street. There were several vehicles parked in front of the clinic, and she pulled in and barely had the SUV turned off before she was running into the building.

  Several people were yelling in the waiting room, and her father was standing at the door of the examination room. He was dressed in nothing but a pair of jeans, which meant he had been in wolf form not too long before.

  “In here, baby girl.” He looked as though he’d aged since she’d been at the house for breakfast this morning. His tall, lean form was rigid, and his hands were clenched into fists. Blood smeared his upper body, and she could see claw marks on his chest and arms.

  “Dad, are you hurt?”

  He pulled open the door. “No, honey. Go help Alec.”

  She entered and a wave of calm washed over her. She knew she had to switch off her emotions in order to do her job. Alec Carmichael was one of the oldest members of the pack. He lived alone and never had a family of his own. He wasn’t the nicest man in town, but she always suspected his negative, gruff nature hid a lot of pain.

  “Multiple shot wounds or just one big wound, I’m not certain.” River, her assistant, had already hooked an IV up to the large wolf on the table. Carol was passing River gauze and towels as they tried to stop the bleeding. “I’ve got him sedated and under anesthesia.”

  The large wolf lay on the table, completely still. Brenna stepped up and starting working on him. River recounted what medication had already been given to Alec as Brenna quickly washed up. She didn’t have to worry about transferring germs since their bodies didn’t carry or catch diseases like humans did, but it was a habit she’d developed since not all her patients were shifters. “How much blood has he lost?” she asked as she inspected the wounds.

  “Too much,” River replied.

  “Carol, I need donors.”

  “I’m on it.” Carol rushed out of the room to make calls to those who matched Alec’s blood type. Brenna had made a database for the entire town in case of emergencies like this.

  River moved out of Brenna’s way and took over handing gauze and instruments. Brenna worked as fast as she could, trying to stop the bleeding and dig out the shrapnel. “This is more like a claymore mine than buckshot.”

  “His vitals are dropping.” River updated her.

  Brenna worked as fast as she could. If I can get him stable he can shift, and that would heal all these wounds. But she needed to get all this nonorganic material out of his body. She cleaned out another wound, but it wasn’t closing. “Why aren’t these wounds starting to heal?” Even in human form he should’ve started healing.

  “Brenna.”

  “Just a minute more. I can get him stabilized as soon as I figure out where else he’s hit. Could they be coated with something that prevents clotting?”

  “Brenna.” River grabbed her wrists.

  Brenna snarled at her assistant, baring her teeth at her audacity to stop her from trying to save this man. River shrank back, fear wafting off her, but didn’t let go of Brenna’s wrists. “He’s gone, Brenna.”

  “No, that’s not acceptable. Get the defibrillator paddles. I’ll finish this, and we’ll shock his heart. He’ll stabilize and then shift.”

  “It’s too late.” River’s voice shook as tears caused her eyeliner to run creating black lines over her cheeks. She let go of Brenna’s hands and wrapped her arms across herself.

  “Get me the epinephrine.” Another growl vibrated in Brenna’s throat as she fought the truth to River’s words. Her wolf wanted to fight. She couldn’t let Alec die like this. “Brenna, it’s too late.” Her father stepped up next to her and pulled her into his arms. I failed. The reality of the situation sank in, and she felt herself slump against her father’s strong form.

  “Come here, River.” He lifted one arm and waved over the other woman. River leaned against his other side and started sobbing in earnest. Tears coursed down Brenna’s cheeks as well.

  Gordon hugged them both tight against his chest. “You both did everything you could. I’m proud of you.”

  Chapter Two

  Brenna slouched in a lawn chair, a bottle dangling from her fingers as she looked out over the lake. The sun was setting behind the trees, drawing great shadows across the already black water. She’d grown up in these forests, playing in the hidden streams and climbing rocks and exploring. This had been years before she matured into a shifter and then started to explore the possibilities outside of this small town.

  But, no matter where she went in the world, this was and always would be home. Her sanctuary. Ecstasy Lake had its secrets and quirks, and she loved everything about it. Her hometown was changing, but certainly not for the bad. New people found their way here and were making a life for themselves. Carol and Mai had moved here last summer and were now mated. Max Shay opened the Double Decker Fries, and there was a small microbrewery they finished building out past the Solfalvis’. She hadn’t met the McNamara brothers, but her father said they were good men who were working every minute of the day to get their brewery up and running. Every person in this town was like her extended family, and she would do anything to keep them safe. That was why she’d become a veterinarian, because she’d felt she could help keep the local shape-shifters healthy and be here if someone new arrived and needed help.

  Normally, she enjoyed sitting in the quiet, contemplating life. Only today, she was contemplating the loss of one. She wiped the tears from her cheeks with her hand. Despite washing them a dozen times, she could still smell Alec’s blood on her skin and the burning sensation of death under her fingertips. Losing Alec today broke her heart on so many levels. He wasn’t the nicest man in town. He was gruff and negative and far too aggressive, but he’d picked wildflowers and braided them into a wreath for her head when she was a kid. Every winter, he would hook a large trailer up to one of his horses and take all kids, both young and old, for a hayride during the first snowfall.

  She’d heard gossip that Alec lost someone he loved decades before and that hurt had cut him so deeply he never recovered from it. She could understand that pain considering the Mate-inflicted scars she already carried. It only reinforced her desire to steer clear of anything that had to do with bonding of any sort.

  Her moms and dad had wanted her to stay at their house tonight, but she wanted to be alone with her guilt. If she hadn’t bai
ted Craig, then she might’ve gotten there sooner. She could’ve saved Alec’s life instead of playing games with Craig. .

  The water stirred at her feet, a slight rippling wave that foretold she wasn’t going to be alone much longer. What normally would’ve thrilled her, she didn’t think she could enjoy today. But, Blavet had a knack for knowing when she was trying to hide.

  She knew all the stories, having grown up in this town, and she also knew that the creature that inhabited this lake didn’t take lightly to appearing in front of everyone. A sleek head broke the surface by her feet, followed by a long elegant neck. He was scaled and almost dragon-like in his appearance, not that she’d ever seen all of him. But she somehow knew he was male. Maybe it was the way he looked at her sometimes?

  “Hello, old friend.” She tilted the bottle in her hand to her lips and drew a long swallow off it. Blavet simply blinked at her and grunted. He narrowed his gaze at the bottle and sniffed before jerking his head back.

  “I’m not happy today, Blavet.” I haven’t been happy in a long time. “If it’s so offensive to you, then go away and let me drink in peace.”

  In a blink, Blavet dropped down beneath the water’s surface, hardly leaving a ripple, breaking her heart in the process. I make everyone leave. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be such a bitch to you.”

  “I’m getting used to your bristly attitude, Brenna.”

  She twisted her body to look behind her and spotted Craig Walker stepping out of the forest. Hopefully he was the reason behind Blavet’s abrupt disappearance and not her attitude. She didn’t even smell him coming, but she’d managed to dull some of her senses with alcohol.

  “What are you doing here?” She turned and flopped back against her chair. The world shifted slightly, and her stomach rolled dangerously. She put the cap back on the bottle and dropped it onto a bed of moss next to her. It chinked softly against the empty one already lying there.

  “I came to check on you.” He squatted down next to her hair and fished out the bottle. “I stopped by your dad’s first, and he told me where I might find you.” He pulled the cap off and sniffed at the top before taking a long draw off it himself.

  “You’re not supposed to drink on duty.”

  “I finished my shift an hour ago.” He looked at her over the bottle, and she tried her best to ignore the incredible way he smelled. Her wolf staggered to its paws and lolled against her senses. She wanted to roll around in his scent and cover herself with it.

  The alcohol buzz she managed to gain was already wearing off, and her senses were picking up all sorts of subtleties with him right next to her. His scent drew her attention and made her wolf howl in her head. She remembered the feel on his teeth on her neck with vivid clarity and the way he easily pinned her hands in his.

  “You know there wasn’t anything else you could’ve done.”

  “I could’ve have gotten there sooner.” Anger at herself churned in her stomach burning away the tendrils of desire that had started to form. “Every second counted. A couple more and it could’ve made a difference between life and death.”

  “Do you honestly think that, or is this an easy excuse for you to go drink yourself sick and feel sorry for yourself?”

  Brenna lurched to her feet and she growled at Craig. “You don’t know anything about me, and don’t assume you do. I came here to be alone and think. I didn’t want company or I would’ve put up a neon sign pointing to my location. I have no interest in your opinions, Officer Walker. So you can turn around and leave me, too”

  “Too?” He looked out over the lake. “Who else’s been here?”

  Brenna tried to grab the bottle from him, distracting him from looking out over the water. Not that she needed to, Blavet would be long gone by now.

  Craig lifted the bottle over her head and smirked at her much the same way he had earlier. That was enough to spark her temper. “Fuck you, Craig Walker.” She balled up her fist and punched him in the stomach.

  He grunted and hunched forward, giving Brenna a moment of satisfaction before she realized her mistake. The playfulness melted off his features and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her forward against his body.

  She heard the bottle hit the ground, and then his other arm locked her against him. “No one likes a nasty, violent drunk, Brenna.”

  “I’m not a drunk.”

  “So you think that domestic violence is acceptable if the woman is doing the hitting? Because I bet a year’s salary you wouldn’t accept it if I punched you in the stomach.”

  He was right and was embarrassed by her behavior. She stared at the ground next to them and tried not to think about how good it felt to be in his arms. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I had no right to take my anger out on you.”

  “I think you need to kiss it better.”

  Brenna jerked her gaze up to his face. “What?”

  “I’ll accept this as settlement.” He dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers. She expected an angry bruising show of dominance, but the feather-light graze she felt left a burning in her soul. Her wolf clawed at her senses, demanding more. Need grew in her like a hunger for the forbidden.

  Craig stroked her neck, and his gaze bore into hers. “You feel this, don’t you, Brenna? What’s going on between us?”

  She nodded slightly, not breaking the connection. She knew exactly what he meant, and it wasn’t just a physical attraction. There was a part of her that needed to see him whenever she could, even if it was to harass him and piss him off. She’d acted outrageously a number of times to get a reaction out of him, unlike Aiden, who had no trouble walking away from her. She hated herself for it because she knew she was only setting herself up again. There was a single blazing reason why she craved his attention. But she refused to even think about it. No, it can’t be.

  “Brenna, you’re my—”

  She gripped his shoulders and used them as leverage to close the distance between their lips, stealing the words he was trying to say. He tasted like whiskey and caramels, but his scent was as wild as the trees around them. He took control of the kiss almost immediately, pressing her back against his arms as he slipped his tongue into her mouth and stroked hers.

  She pulled on his shirt and drove her hands underneath the material to the hot skin underneath. Her fingers splayed along the sleek muscles of his back, and she could feel them bunch and move under her hands. He was built like a Greek god, carved from the most beautiful marble. She slid her hands all over his back as he plundered her lips. He pressed his thigh between her legs, and she gratefully pressed her aching pussy against the hard muscle. She reached down and cupped the hard bulge in his pants. His hips jerked, pressing himself harder into her palm.

  “Oh, god, that feels good, Brenna.”

  She tilted her head and allowed him better access to her neck, wanting to feel his teeth there again. He kissed and nibbled his way along the muscle, sending pulses of need along her body and straight to where she rubbed herself against his thigh like a bitch in heat. Pressing the heel of her hand against his cock, she curled her fingers around the waistband of his pants and felt the tip of his cock reaching for her. She could make him want her, so why not take advantage? She needed to feel a burst of pleasure to drown out the self-loathing she was suffocating in. She couldn’t save a life, but she still knew how to fuck. “I want you.”

  He gripped her hand and pulled it away. “Not yet. Soon.” Before she could pout over his denial, he dropped to his knees in front of her. “I want a taste first.”

  She loved the roughness to his voice and the way it danced along her skin. He nuzzled her tummy and pressed kisses along the exposed skin above her waistband. She watched him as he unbuttoned her shorts and pressed a kiss against the newly bared skin. “Hurry.”

  “Hell, no. Do you know how long I’ve waited for this? Your delicious scent teased me when I pulled you over earlier. I wanted to press you back and strip your clothes from you right there on the side of the roa
d.” He tugged the material and she felt her shorts drop to her ankles.

  She shivered in awareness. No one had touched her intimately since that night—Stop thinking about it! She felt starved for touch. His callused hands stroked up the inside of her legs, caressing the backs of her knees as he pressed an openmouthed kiss to her hip before nipping at the sensitive skin below it. His fingers lightly traced a path along the cleft in her pussy. Not pressing deep, he teased the edges. As if he knew exactly how he was making her feel, he glanced up at her and smiled. Craig wasn’t classically good looking, and his features were rougher than would be described as beautiful, but he made her shiver and want.

  “Would that’ve gotten me out of a ticket?”

  “Behave.” He smacked her ass, and the sharp flash arrowed straight to her pussy. She could feel his fingers slipping against her as he fingered her sopping pussy. In a flash, he’d swept her feet out from under her and laid her on her back, before rising over her. “Next time, I’ll spank your ass instead of giving you a ticket.”

  He pushed a quick kiss to her lips before pressing kisses down her body, and any retort she might’ve thought of disappeared when Craig ran his tongue between her pussy lips. He anchored her hips to the ground with one hand while he delicately swirled his tongue around her clit, teasing her with the lightest of touches. Brenna dug her heels into the ground next to him and lifted her hips to his face. Her body ached with the need to feel more, to be filled with his cock. She wanted him with an intensity she only felt one other time. It both excited her and terrified her.

  “Fuck me, Craig. Please.”

  He growled against her pussy and the vibrations danced over her swollen skin. She grasped at his head but couldn’t get a grip on his short hair. She felt his teeth scratch her skin and almost came. She didn’t need to be coddled or petted like a delicate little kitten. She needed to be fucked, and the harder the better at this point.