Climbing the Ladder
Page 5
Sammy was wearing out, her body getting heavy against him. It had been a long couple of days.
He started pushing her back toward the tent. At this stage she might wake up wolf, might wake up human. They needed her contained.
She moved slowly, tongue dragging. Tired. She was so tired.
It echoed inside his head.
He barked, encouraging her. Come on, love. A few more steps.
She made it to the tent, stumbling in before curling into a tiny ball.
Mesa stopped to mark outside the tent before pushing Kody inside.
Kody settled with a sigh, nose on Sammy’s flank. Pretty girl. Mesa curled around them, almost long enough to manage it.
Then they slept
* * * *
Naked.
She woke up naked.
Naked and sore and having the weirdest dreams.
She gathered her clothes up, determinedly not looking at Kody or his lover. Who were naked too.
Naked and lying in front of the goddamned flap of the tent.
She got her panties on, a pair of shorts, then a tank top. Okay. Okay, she could make it. She slipped around Kody, not even breathing.
Mesa moved lightning fast, hand coming to grab her ankle. “No.”
She yelped, jerking away. “Let me go!”
“No. You have to stay and talk about this. Otherwise, you could get yourself hurt. You can’t just pretend this didn’t happen.”
Kody woke up, reached for her hand. “Come on, huh? Sit a second?”
“You explain, and then I’m going home, okay? I’m sore, and I need some time alone with a bathtub.”
Kody’s eyes looked so warm, and she just wanted to curl up with the boys and ignore all the rest of the world, ignore the voice inside her that whispered that something inside her had changed.
“We can do that as long as you understand what’s going on.” Kody eased her down between them—between their naked bodies—one hand sliding along her thigh.
She shivered, wiggled. “Stop that. Talk.”
Mesa’s breath felt warm and good on the back of her neck. That just wasn’t right. “Mate, she smells like Heaven.”
Kody chuckled. “I know.”
“That’s enough. Don’t laugh at me.”
“You’re not the same as you were a few days ago, honey.”
“No.” She shook her head; she would not believe that. It was all some weird drug-induced fucking dream. Possibly insanity. “You’re not the same, Kody.”
“I am. You just didn’t know.”
“Okay, so you’re queer, or bi. Whatever. But…I would have understood, man. I thought you loved me.”
“I do.” There was unshakable faith there, in Kody’s voice. “I love you.”
She shook her head. Psychics. She should have listened to Becky and all the girls when they told her she’d lost her fucking mind. How could she have believed in psychics, let alone all this?
“He means he’s different in a completely unusual way, honey. Just like you are.”
“What does that mean? Who the hell are you?” Besides tall and wild and shaggy and huge and incredibly motherfucking hot?
“I’m Kody’s best friend from when we were kids. The one who played practical jokes on him when he was a teenager and helped him put Nair in his father’s shampoo bottle.” He looked her in the eye. “And his Alpha.”
“Alpha?” Oh, for fuck’s sake. She was not going to have gone through all this for some fucking leather and paddle sex thing. “Well, I suppose I wish you the best.” Either that or boils. Big, nasty painful boils.
“No, honey. I told you, we’re werewolves.”
That patient tone made her want to beat him.
“Kody, werewolves are for teenage girls, fur fetishists, and movies. You know that.”
“Thank God most people think that,” Mesa murmured.
“I guess.” She refused to look at Mesa, focusing on Kody. “Look, I’ve really been as patient as I can. You have someone else. Great. I just want to go home and get on with my life.” The shame of being taken for an idiot had to fade eventually, right?
Mesa growled. Actually growled, sounding like the vampires on “Buffy” always did.
An answering sound—one like she wasn’t aware she could make, but fuck knew she’d never once been this angry before—rumbled in her chest. “Back the fuck off, asshole.”
“No.” Mesa bumped against her, crowding her against Kody. “I don’t think so.”
She braced herself and pushed back. “I said back the fuck OFF!” Nobody was going to fucking intimidate her. Nobody. Not here, where she didn’t even have a bra on.
Mesa caught her, holding her when she would have struggled. “Stop. Come on, honey. Just stop.”
“Don’t call me honey!” Jesus Christ, she was two seconds away from screaming at the top of her lungs and possibly just tearing Kody’s balls off.
Kody caught her from behind, and a wave of calm settled over her. She knew it was unnatural, but that was okay. Kody’s fingers trailed through her hair. “There. There, Sammy. You’re okay.”
She wasn’t okay. She wasn’t. But she wanted to believe she could be. The touches kept coming, distracting her, relaxing her. It was insane.
“No. No, it’s natural. It’s okay.” Kody sounded like he was echoing inside her.
“See? You just have to let it go.” Mesa nuzzled her neck.
“You drugged me.” That was the only logical answer.
“No.” Mesa hummed, the sound echoing in her skin.
“You had to. I told you I’d let you go, Kody…”
Kody kissed her ear, her jaw. “But you can’t.”
“We need to be three.” Mesa kept snuggling her.
“Three what? You’re pretending to be werewolves. I’m an investment banker. You’re bi men, I’m very into cocks and have boobs. We’re not a match.”
“Yes.” Mesa bit her, making her shiver. “We are.”
“You bit me.” She blinked, staring at Mesa.
“I did.” Mesa’s teeth slid over her skin. “I’m going to do it again and again. Kody was right, you taste sweet.”
Her eyes felt like they were burning. “I just want to go home to take a bath.”
Drink herself stupid.
Mesa sighed. “Kody. Aren’t you supposed to have a mind-whammy now?”
Kody chuckled softly. “She’s sitting here, isn’t she?”
“Don’t laugh at me!” The tears were close, and they made her furious. “You cheat on me, drug me, kidnap me, and now you’re laughing at me?” Kody broke her fucking heart.
“We didn’t fucking drug you!” Mesa bared his teeth. “We may have kidnapped you.”
She lurched out of Kody’s arms, he elbow whacking his chin, and ran out the flap of the tent and into the darkness, her heart pounding hard.
“What the fuck!” She heard the scrambling, Mesa cursing.
She landed on her hands and knees, sobbing, shoulders heaving. Enough. She’d just had enough.
“Sammy…” Kody’s hand was on her back, soft, warm. It made the rest of her skin feel so cold.
It wasn’t Kody that picked her up, though. It wasn’t Kody that lifted her and held her.
No, it was the big guy, cradling her against his chest. He made her warm all over. Kody kept touching her, though, petting her shoulder, her hair. He was whispering to her or something, his voice everywhere.
She clung to Mesa’s shoulders, tears taking over. She sobbed until she couldn’t cry another tear.
Mesa took her back into the tent, never letting her down, keeping her close. He was making different sounds from Kody, but she felt them all through her. “That’s it.” Mesa eased her down in the blankets. “That’s it.”
Kody pressed next to her, Mesa over her. Everywhere. They were everywhere. She thought she should be scared, but she was too tired, too overwhelmed.
“We won’t hurt you, Sammy.” Kody kissed her temple.
Kody pressed behind her, his body fitting hers like it always had. Perfectly.
“Such a good girl. So strong. So brave.” Kody’s words just came over and over.
She wanted to rest. With them. She wanted to run. She didn’t know what to do. “Everything is weird. I have to be at work in a few hours.”
Mesa’s hands were so big. “No. No, you have the week off.”
“I do?” God, this was so confusing.
“Kody called. We knew this would be hard.” Mesa stroked her hair.
“What do you want me to do? Do you want my house?”
“No. We want you to come home with us.”
She tried to understand. “What?” Her mind felt fuzzy, her nose twitched, itched.
Mesa huffed out a breath. “We want you with us.”
“You don’t have to understand, honey. Not right now. You’ve had a big day. You played hard.”
“Play?”
Mesa’s lips brushed her jaw. “Yes. It was good to see.”
She panted softly, soft sounds rumbling from her.
“We like to play. Wolves.” Kody kept murmuring.
“You said. I thought that people played vampires more. You don’t have the dice and stuff at home, though, not that I’ve seen.”
“There’s a werewolf game, actually.” Mesa was grinning again.
“Is there?” She wasn’t into that sort of thing, and Kody was stroking her hips.
“Yeah. It’s so bad. Really cheesy.” Mesa was kissing her throat.
“So…” She shivered, arched, her belly rubbing against Mesa’s muscle. “You shouldn’t do that. Kody, tell him.”
“You’re good, honey. Follow your instincts.”
“So pretty. Kody did so good.”
“So good?”
Kody pressed against her back, hot, solid, lean.
“He did. He found you. Kept you safe.”
“I found him. At a faire.” Kody couldn’t keep a rabbit safe.
“Then you were so smart. So good.” Mesa praised her, nibbling her ear.
“It was love at first sight.” She didn’t want to think about that, about how it might not be true. She wanted to believe Kody had loved her, too. She just wasn’t thinking clearly at all, so tired.
“It was. I wanted to howl to the moon how much I loved you.” Kody smiled gently. “I still do.”
“You know you’re not really a werewolf, right? You’re not really insane?”
Kody shook his head. “I might be a little crazy, but not about that.”
“But werewolves aren’t real.” She loved him; she didn’t want him to be crazy, a liar. A cheater.
“We’ll show you, honey.” Mesa stroked her hair some more. The touches made her eyes cross.
Kody moaned. “That’s it, love. Our Alpha.”
There was something about being here with them, like this. Something that did and didn’t make sense. It made her head hurt to think about it, too, to worry. She laid her head against Mesa’s shoulder and let Kody whisper to her.
* * * *
Mesa sighed when Sammy finally dropped off to sleep like a puppy in his arms. Finally.
Wasn’t this supposed to be easier now that they were all together? Granny had told him things would be weird, but this was exhausting.
Kody looked at him, eyes red-rimmed, put pleased, he thought.
Mate. The touch to his mind was like a drug.
Mesa reached out with his hands and opened up, letting Kody touch him all over. Love and need and happiness poured over him, Kody flooding him. He could see Samantha in his head, lovely and wild, beautiful. That was it. Better. He didn’t say anything aloud, afraid the sound would wake her. He liked her better like this.
Kody pinched him. Hard. “She’s scared.”
“Ow.” Like he didn’t know that. “How are you?”
He got a smile, wide and feral. “You’re here.”
“Mmm. I am. Did I tell you I missed you?” Seeing Kody in his wolf form had been exhilarating, taking him back to days when they had no idea about pack structure, and who was Alpha of Beta or needing a third. When they’d just been able to run.
“Yes.” Kody cuddled in, licked his lips. “Sammy was beautiful. So fine.”
“She is.” She was strong, too. Wicked strong.
“She let you hold her.” There was nothing but satisfaction in Kody’s eyes.
“She has good instincts. She just needs to stop fighting.” And fighting, and fighting, and thinking, all the damned time.
“She doesn’t believe.” Kody shrugged. “And she’s a scrapper.”
“I know. I don’t know how to make her.” He’d never dealt with a wolf who wasn’t one from birth.
“She has to. She’ll change now, whether she wants to or not, right?”
“She will, yeah, but what if she can’t connect her wolf to her?” He had no idea if that could happen.
“Then we all go insane, and someone else gets the Clan.”
“Oh.” Mesa blinked. He’d have to work harder.
Kody’s hands were everywhere, touching him, teasing him. Loving on him.
“Love. Love you.” Mesa needed to say it.
“Still? Even after everything?”
“I never stopped.” That was so true. He’d hated Kody for maybe a week, but he’d loved him still. He felt Kody’s pleasure; it hit him like a runaway freight train, right in the balls. That made it all worthwhile. Just like he knew Sammy’s care and love would be good. Eventually.
There would be Pack. Puppies. His Kody in the water, in the moonlight, in the mountains. Kody nodded, smiling, loving on him right there in his mind. Sammy murmured, reached for Mesa, pressed closer.
Just like that. Mesa hummed, vocalizing low, giving her warmth and security. She relaxed, melted against him, and Kody moaned, curling in behind her.
“She really does have good instincts.” He petted Kody’s hip.
“She does. She’s a stunning woman.” Kody sighed. “When do we get to head home, do you think?”
“Soon. She’s not going to go willingly any time in the near future, so we just have to take her.”
“Do we just disappear? Go back and pack?” Kody met his eyes. “I’ll do whatever you ask, Mate.”
“I won’t ask you to do without anything that’s important to you, baby.” He wouldn’t. Mesa had never needed stuff, but he knew Kody had made a life.
“There’s nothing that I need, but she’s…a girl.” And human.
“Okay. We’ll get some stuff so she feels there’s something familiar.”
Kody nodded. “Home.” That smile was angelic.
“God, yes.” He was so ready to go home.
Kody’s fingers trailed over his forehead, stroked his skin. Sleep.
They needed to sleep.
“Yeah.” He closed his eyes, his body relaxing down on the blankets.
Love.
The word echoed inside him, made him smile.
Yeah.
Love.
Chapter Six
Sammy woke up, and Kody and his lover were both asleep. Sound asleep and she hummed. That’s right.
That’s right.
Sound asleep.
Resting.
She knew what she needed to do. There was something wrong here, wrong with them—drugs, maybe, or some sexual thing she didn’t understand, but she had to run away.
When she thought the words, Mesa growled, fingers wrapping around her ankle, and she made herself relax. Think about the moon, about sex, about sleeping.
About being so tired.
So very tired.
So heavy.
Mesa started snoring again, and she slipped to the backpacks. She knew Kody, knew he’d have rope. God, yes. She tied Mesa’s wrists first, whispering softly to them both about how tire
d they were, how sleepy. Comfortable. Tired.
She didn’t have the slightest idea why it worked, but it did and she wasn’t going to complain about it. She was losing her mind, she’d let them touch her, she’d loved it.
Loved it.
She bound Kody’s arms next, her lover so easy, so trusting. She cried as she did it, mourning as quietly as she could. Tears fell on his skin, and he moaned in his sleep.
“I loved you, Kody, so much. I really did. I…I always will.”
He shifted, long, blond eyelashes fluttering and she shook her head, resting one finger on his lips. “Shh. Shh. It’ll be okay now. I promise. It’ll be okay.”
She’d take herself out of the equation, make things easier.
Just run away.
* * * *
He woke up yelping, hands numb behind his back. Bound.
He scrambled to his knees, crying out, the nerves in his head screaming. Mate. Mates! Kody thrashed, panicked, barking out his pain, his terror.
“Kody. Kody, you have to calm down.” Mesa snarled at him, but the tone snapped him out of it a little.
“She’s gone. I’m tied down! Tied down!” He face-planted on the floor of the tent, feeling rough bark under the nylon ripstop fabric.
“I know, baby. I’ve been trying to wake you. I thought I’d lost you for a few.” Mesa was trying to soothe him, but he couldn’t make it stop.
He cried out, the nerves in his head raw and screaming.
“Shh. Baby. You have to breathe.”
“Mates…” He couldn’t believe she’d left them. Sammy. She’d run away.
“She doesn’t know.”
It made him laugh a little hysterically, that Mesa was defending her. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could hear her, telling him it would be okay now. Like this pain could be okay.
“I know.” He breathed hard, trying not to scream. “Can you untie me?”
Please? Now?
“I can if you can get around to my hands.” Mesa slid over to him.
“Okay. Okay. She left, Mesa. She left me.”
“She’s scared, Kody. She thinks you left her first. Scoot over.”
He scooted, whimpering softly, the pain in his head easing when Mesa touched him.