by Sky Winters
“Don’t stop,” she moaned. “Keep going, just like that.”
He voice was breathy and plaintive, as if she was beginning him to give her the release she desperately craved.
Nick reached forward and took hold of one of her breasts as he pounded her, rubbing her nipple and making it go hard as soon as his fingers grazed the sensitive skin.
This slight touch was just what Cassie needed to cum hard. The orgasm erupted through her body right at the same time Nick came, his cock pulsing into her as the pleasure lit up every nerve inside of her. She felt him explode, spraying his seed into her, the feeling of him cumming like nothing else.
When their orgasms faded Cassie’s body would allow her to do nothing else but collapse on the couch in a heap of moaning, panting flesh. Nick moved his body next to hers, his huge chest rising and falling as he recovered.
As the pleasure faded, the feeling of safety and security returned. She nuzzled her head into him, a smile spreading across her face. Minutes passed, and she felt like she could fall asleep in his arms, just like that.
“I hate to spoil the mood,” he said. “But things are about to get bad.”
Cassie nodded, knowing he was right.
“Then we’d better get moving.”
CHAPTER 18
JOSH
The sports car ripped down the highway that led to Burlington. Josh’s eyes were narrowed, fixed on the road ahead as he drove through the pitch of the night, the twin cones of headlights cutting through the dark.
“Tell me again what Nick said,” he said to Caleb, who was in the passenger seat.
“Just like I said before,” he responded. “He said that one of the Redfangs attacked.”
“And the girls are safe. Cassie’s safe. He’s safe.”
“He said Cassie was shaken up as hell, but otherwise all right. Said the girls didn’t even wake up. And that he overpowered the Redfang and sent his ass packing. And he said he activated the security system of the house. Not a chance the Redfangs are getting anywhere near the property unless they’ve got a damn tank.”
Josh let out a sigh of relief. It was all information he already knew, but hearing it again made him feel better.
“Thank God we had Nick stay with the girls,” said Caleb. “Don’t even want to think about what would’ve happened if he hadn’t been there.”
Josh said nothing, the idea of Cassie and the twins being home alone and defenseless when the Redfangs attacked too much for him to even consider.
“What’s the map say?” asked Josh.
“Says we’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Fuck,” hissed Josh.
He gunned the engine, taking their speed just a little bit higher. He knew it was a bad idea to drive this recklessly, but he needed to get home. He needed to see that Cassie and the twins were okay. He was a little surprised at how protective he felt over Cassie, but he wasn’t in the mood to puzzle out his emotions.
They soon reached the turnoff leading to the mansion, and Josh slowed the car down to not have it flip over as he took it. After a little more driving, the mansion appeared in the distance. Sure enough, the property was drenched in spotlights and the windows were covered by steel barriers.
“That security system’s got to be some of the best money we’ve spent,” said Caleb.
“You’re damn right about that. But still, we can’t stay boarded up in there forever. This situation with the Redfangs isn’t going to resolve itself.”
Caleb nodded in agreement as the car slowed to a stop in front of the house.
The two men climbed out of the car and ran to the front door. Josh flipped open the panel on the keypad next to the steel-covered entrance. After typing in a passcode and confirming his identity with a thumbprint reader, the barrier in front of the door opened and the two entered the house.
Cassie, Nick, and the girls were in the living room, the girls both wearing an expression that was at once sleepy and frightened. But the girls were quick to leap out of their seats and rush over to Josh and Caleb, each of them throwing their arms around the waist of one of the two dads.
“Thank God you’re both safe,” said Josh.
He placed his hand on the back of Sam’s head, his heart calming knowing she was close and secure. Then his eyes flicked up to Cassie and Nick. There was something off about them, something that made him think there was something more going on than what they’d discussed on the phone.
Josh put the matter out of his mind and returned to the situation at hand.
“Tell me what happened,” he said. “Tell me everything.”
Nick and Cassie shared a look that seemed to say: “Well, not everything,” which made Josh even more suspicious. But he was more concerned with the Redfang situation.
“It happened like this,” said Nick.
Josh listened to the story of how one of the Redfang bears showed up, this time crossing onto the property and attacking. Josh’s blood boiled in his veins as he listened. He wanted revenge, and he wanted it now.
But he knew it would have to wait.
“And…she knows,” said Josh, his eyes moving to Cassie.
Cassie tensed up, as if expecting she was in trouble.
“She knows,” said Nick. “She saw everything.”
“Shit,” hissed Josh. “Then again, I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later.”
Josh stepped over to Cassie and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m…physically, I’m fine,” she said. “But…”
Then she trailed off.
“I know this is a lot for you to take in,” he said. “And it’s like as though you’re going to have time tonight to process it. But this is who we are. Once this is over, we can send you on your way if it’s too much for you to take. Right now, however, you could very well be in danger, and I consider it my duty to keep you safe.”
Cassie nodded slowly, clearly still trying to wrap her mind around it all.
“What happens now?” asked Cassie. “What if the bears –the other bears- come back?”
“We’re going to go to Boston,” he said. “We have another place there that we recently purchased in preparation for the expansion of our company. It’s more than big enough for the six of us, and it’s more secure than this house. We can stay there until the situation is resolved.”
“How is it going to be resolved?” asked Cassie, a tinge of fear to her voice.
“That’s something you don’t need to worry about. You’ll be safe once we get to Boston, and once we’re there, Caleb and Nick and I will take care of the rest. For now, I need you to get any essentials ready to go. Be ready in twenty minutes.”
With that, the group set to it. They reconvened in the living room with their things, and once ready, split up in three cars separate cars - Nick and Sam in one, Caleb and Amy in another, and Cassie and Josh in the other.
The drive was silent at first, Cassie simply staring out into the black on her side of the car. About a half hour into the drive, Cassie broke the silence.
“I don’t get this,” she said. “I don’t get this at all. You’re bears? You can change into…bears?”
“That’s right,” said Josh. “All of us –even the girls- are bear shifters. We don’t know how we got this power, or where it came from. We only know that it’s passed down through the blood.”
“Is it a full-moon thing or something?” she asked. “Can you only change at certain times? And are you still…you when you’re a bear?”
“We can change at will. And we still retain our human minds when we’re in bear form. You’re in no danger from us when we’re shifted.”
“Then, that night I saw the bear pack in the woods – that was you and the rest of the family?”
“It must’ve been. We try to shift together as a family when we can. If we keep our animal sides suppressed for too long it can be…difficult.”
“And the girls…�
�
Josh nodded.
“The girls recently gained their shifter powers, so it’s very important we guide them through. Especially without their mother here to help us.”
“And she was a bear, too?”
“Right. She contracted a rare disease that only affects our kind, and her passing was sudden and tragic. She’s left a hole in our lives that we’ll never be able to fully fill.”
Cassie nodded slowly, processing this all.
“And…these other bears?”
“Other clans in the area. We’ve been at peace with most of them, but this clan, the Redfangs, have been trying to take usurp our status for years. Our company is in the process of expanding, and once we do we’ll have more power and resources than they can hope to match. We’ll be able to unite the clans of the northwest and push them out. And they want to destroy us before we have a chance to do so.”
“This is all so bizarre,” she said.
“I understand it’s a lot, more than you signed on for. And if the circumstances were different, I’d tell you that you’re free to leave. But with the situation as it stands, we’re going to have to keep you with us until I can guarantee your safety.”
“I get it,” said Cassie. “But I wouldn’t want to leave, even if I could. I’m too attached to those girls, and there’s no way I could leave them behind just like that.”
Josh felt a smile spread across his lips. This was just the answer he was hoping for. He’d seen that Cassie and the girls had very quickly formed a tight bond, and he was pleased to hear it from her own mouth.
Maybe she was the one, he considered.
They continued on, and soon the convoy of three cars approached the Boston city limits. They drove through the city, eventually making their way to downtown.
“There we are,” said Josh, pointing up ahead to a large tower of steel and glass. “This is going to be our new home once the expansion is complete.”
“You’ll be moving out of the house, then?” asked Cassie.
“No,” said Josh, “We’ll be keeping it. But if we expand to Boston and then New York, we’ll need something more central. But sometimes I worry we might be spreading ourselves too thin.”
The group pulled up in front of the sleek, modern tower. Valets arrived to take their cars and staff helped them with their bags. The girls were asleep, one in Nick’s arms, and Caleb carrying the other. Cassie followed them into the huge, gorgeous lobby and onto a private elevator which took them directly to the penthouse.
Once the doors opened and the group stepped inside, Josh felt a wave of relief wash over him – he knew that, for now at least, they were safe.
“Wow,” said Cassie, stepping into the vast expanse of the apartment. “Nice place.”
Josh allowed himself a half smile. She was right. The penthouse apartment was a monument to modern luxury, with the latest in trendy appointments and amenities, along with a sweeping view of the Boston skyline. Though it lacked the large tract of land the Burlington house had, it was just as large in terms of square footage.
And the building had twenty-four-seven security which would mean the Redfangs wouldn’t be able to get to them.
“Nick, why don’t you show Cassie to her room.”
“Sure,” said Nick. “Come this way, Cassie.”
Josh watched as Nick gave Cassie a smiled that seemed to suggest there was something going on more than just hi being polite. He hated to think he was being paranoid, but he’d been wondering about Caleb’s relationship with Cassie as well. They’d seemed very close, very quickly. At first, he chalked it up to them both being artistically-inclined, but part of him thought it might be something more.
He decided to put the matter out in the open, figuring their things had already been turned upside down tonight, so what was a little more chaos?
“Caleb,” said Josh. “Put the girls to bed and meet me out on the balcony. I’ll make us a couple of drinks.”
“Damn, a drink sounds like heaven. Give me a minute.”
Caleb scooped up the sleeping girls and took them down the hallway that led to the bedrooms. Josh stepped into the kitchen and prepared a couple of whiskey cocktails before going out onto the balcony. The evening was quiet, no sounds aside from the soft din of the city below.
“Let me at that thing,” said Caleb as he stepped through the balcony door, shutting it behind him and reaching for the drink.
Josh handed it over and Caleb took a long sip.
“Shit, that hits the spot,” he said.
The two of them sipped their drinks in silence, their eyes on the city.
“So, what’s up?” asked Caleb. “I got the impression you wanted to talk about something.”
“You’re right about that,” said Josh after taking a sip of his own drink. “I want to talk about Cassie.
A hush of silence passed.
“I had a feeling she was going to come up sooner or later,” he said. “Let’s hear what’s on your mind.”
“I think you know what’s on my mind,” said Josh. “I’ve noticed you and she have been getting pretty close over the last week. And I want to know the exact nature of what’s going on.”
“This is like one of those lawyer questions,” said Caleb. “One where you don’t ask the question unless you know the answer.”
Josh said nothing, intending for him to go on.
“We’ve been seeing each other,” he said, blurting out the words. “But only a few times.”
Josh nodded, a tinge of jealousy running through him, but no anger.
“And it’s pretty clear that Nick’s been up to the same thing.”
“It was pretty obvious something had happened when we walked in,” said Caleb.
Josh sipped his drink again, letting the whiskey wash over his tongue.
“How do you feel about that?” asked Josh.
“You’d think I’d be pissed,” said Caleb. “But I’m not. That girl has something about her, something I just couldn’t fucking resist. And Nick probably felt the same way.”
Then Caleb raised his eyebrows.
“And you?” he asked. “You’re feeling the same thing?”
Josh took in a slow draw of air and nodded.
“I knew it from the moment I laid eyes on her,” he said. “And when she hit it off with the girls so quickly, it only confirmed what I’d been suspecting.”
“You…you think she’s the next one?” asked Caleb.
“How else would you explain what’s been happening with us?” Josh asked. “And I’m sure the Redfangs are eager to stop our expansion, but they’ve only attacked in the last week. I’d bet you anything that they can detect the presence of Cassie.”
Josh took in another breath.
“Of a new mate,” he said.
“Shit,” said Caleb. “I hadn’t considered that this was what had been going on. I just thought she and I had hit it off.”
“You have,” said Josh. “And so has Nick. There’s a reason I wanted him to spend time with her – it was to see if he’d be drawn to her in the same way.”
“And he was.”
“He was. And now there’s only one more thing to do.”
“You mean…”
“I need to be close to her, to see if we’re drawn together in the same way.”
“And if you are,” said Caleb. “If you and here end up forming a bond, then she’ll have been with all three of us. Just like Rosemary.”
“Which means she could be the one to bring new life into the clan. New life from all three of us, like the girls.”
“I suppose there’s only one way to find out,” said Caleb.
Josh knew he was right. And tomorrow, he’d begin.
CHAPTER 19
JOSH
It was a couple of days later. Josh had decided to give Cassie time to settle in, as well as give himself time to make sure the Redfang threat had passed for the time being.
When he felt both of those events had taken place,
he decided it was time to put his theory to the test. He’d let himself spend time with Cassie. He was attracted to her, sure, but Josh had never had trouble restraining himself around beautiful women.
If she was what he thought she was, however, it would be much harder. The animal within would be drawn to her, and all the will in the world wouldn’t be able to keep them apart. Josh imagined Cassie was going through total confusion, wondering why she’d felt so comfortable sleeping with Caleb and then Nick, both of them so soon.
But if he was right, then she was drawn to them both in ways she’d never been drawn to men before. Josh hoped his theory was true, if only so he could reveal what he knew to Cassie, to give her peace of mind.
He knew he’d only find out in time, however.
Josh awaited Cassie at the kitchen table overlooking the city. He had his paper in his hands and his coffee in front of him. Nick and Caleb were looking after the girls.
“Morning,” said Cassie, stepping into the living room.
She was dressed in nothing but a long t-shirt that stopped midway down her creamy thighs. Josh cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, her beauty already having an effect on him.
“Sorry,” she said, looking down at her bare legs. “Nick and Caleb told me they’d have the girls and they insisted I sleep in. I just assumed I’d be alone in the apartment when I got up.”
“Not a problem,” said Josh. “Come – have a seat.”
Cassie took the chair across from Josh, her eyes drifting over the skyline.
“How are you taking everything?” he asked. “I know you’ve had a couple of days, but I figured you might’ve come to terms with everything by now.”
“It’s completely insane, but I think I’m adjusting,” she said. “As weird as it sounds, this is all, I don’t know, settling in my mind really easily. I was shocked at first, but it all feels normal.”
Josh was pleased to hear this. He knew it might mean her mind was already prepared for their world. And what might come next, if he was right about Cassie.
Just being near her, Cassie’s cat-like eyes locked onto him, made Josh feel a certain way. He found himself clearing his throat again and shifting in his seat once more.
