Vagrant Wolf [Leopards of Leopold 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Fel Fern

  Fuck. When did Eli become the grown up? Nix’s head cleared a little. He took deep steadying breaths. Losing his temper was helping no one, certainly not Jen, who needed Eli and him the most.

  “Feeling better?” Eli asked him, peeling away a layer of his practicality to show Nix the concern in his eyes.

  “I don’t want to fucking lose anyone ever again, not to those bastards,” Nix finally managed, his voice choking up.

  What the hell was wrong with him? Then again, Nix realized he hadn’t been ashamed of showing weakness, not with friends and allies who could help Eli and he rescue Jen. Without knowing or understanding it, the Leopold pard had grown on him, just like Jen and Eli did.

  They were good folks, decent men and women who welcomed a wolf in their midst without a second thought after Nix established his rightful placed had been beside their own, beside Eli, Jen, and fucking adorable little Graham.

  Fuck. The bastard that took Graham better be ready for him, because he knew from Eli’s end of the emotions, he was long past forgiving and showing any shred of mercy to his traitor brother.

  “Smells like Diego, but the scent’s different though,” Ned Cantrell, one of the three loyal Cantrell brothers always who worked as the pard’s enforcers said.

  “Tainted,” Noah said with disapproval. “Leaving his mate alone to birth his cub alone was unforgivable. Doing this just proves he’s no longer one of us, or deserves our mercy.”

  “The time for sneaking around and being careful of not to step on eggshells is fucking over,” Lars agreed, leveling his gaze with Nix.

  “You came here to tend to unfinished business, wolf, but you end up mating with two of my cats.”

  Nix snarled, feeling Eli’s hand tighten over his arm in warning.

  Lex attempted to interrupt, but Lars continued, “My little sister vouches for you, but I can see you obviously care for Eli and Jen. I’m the last person to make judgments on who people chose to take as their mates. Jen is under my protection, but this is your dance and I’ll let you take the lead.”

  “Well. I’m not a fool. I’ll take up your offer, leopard king. Let’s gut these bastards.”

  Their group headed out, with Lars and the three enforcers saddled up in one car, Lex and her two mates in another, and Nix and Eli on his bike. Lars managed to borrow some extra muscle from Rafael, the alpha of the local wolf pack and while Nix didn’t trust the wolves for a second, he relied on the fact Rafael wanted the Bastards gone as much as they did.

  They rode up to the drop point, and to Nix’s frustration, found it empty. He shook up the rookie prospect taking watch. The boy’s eyes nervously darted to Nix, and then to the angry wereleopards and the werewolves. It didn’t take long for him to start talking. He blurted out the address where the Blue Bastard did most of their major operations—a warehouse near the docks, a part of the city left abandoned for years.

  When they arrived, the sound of their engines alerted the bikers, but they hadn’t been exactly going for stealth. Nix’s blood boiled as he swung a leg off his bike. Half a dozen men came at them, slinging shotguns and equipped with blades. The Bastards were made up of humans and a mix of different shifters, men who did dirty deeds, bound together by greed and profit. They lacked the discipline Lars commanded over his leopards, and their group easily took the biker group apart.

  “We have this covered, Eli and Nix. Go get your mate,” Nix heard Lex yell over the chaos of shouts, growls, and screams of pain.

  Nix peeled off his clothes as he ran, trading his human form for the powerful form of his wolf. At his heels, Eli kept up with his slender, feline form. Their coats brushed against each other, his gray fur against Eli’s black-spotted golden one, and Nix couldn’t help let out a savage growl of satisfaction.

  It felt right running together with his mate, to finally have someone at his side when the full moon rose. The only missing piece to their triad was Jen’s smaller, graceful form by his other side.

  They disappeared inside the warehouse now, along with the other leopards and wolves, catching the Bastards by surprise. Knowing Lex and her brother had his back Nix ignored the small fries and loped forward, deeper into the warehouse. Teaming up with Eli made them an unstoppable force of nature. Nix unleashed his claws and teeth on those foolish enough to get in their way, while Eli covered all his blind spots.

  Nix didn’t see the large gray wolf almost his size slam into him like a battering ram. Eli snarled in anger, but another wolf leapt at him before he could come to Nix’s defense. Nix and the unknown wolf collided, rolled, and tangled on the dusty ground. Pain streaked up his flank and neck, but he twisted in time to avoid the other beast’s teeth aiming for his throat. He growled, teeth snapping, claws struggling to gain the upper hand. Nix did a feint, letting the other wolf close, and seeing an opening, he sunk his canines into his opponent’s throat. The wolf screeched in pain. Nix tossed him aside, got back to his paws, and saw Eli finishing off his opponent.

  Battered, bleeding, and bruised, but still intact, in Nix’s estimation, was better than dead.

  Jen’s scent drew them closer and closer, like a candle flame drawing moths. She smelled hurt, too, and that made Nix pissed. They ran past a maze of corridors, breaths panting, pausing occasionally to check if Jen’s scent grew close or far.

  They burst into small storage room where Jen crouched in a corner, holding a crying Graham to her chest. A man Nix could only guess was Diego, held a gun against the side of her head. Another biker stood in the room and recognition hit Nix like a bag of bricks.

  The huge scarred biker broke into an ugly grin when he caught sight of Nix.

  “Been a long time, Nix.”

  Gill. The prospect he’d left in charge of watching Georgina and Maddy, who had mysteriously disappeared the day of their murder. Nix’s human brain refused to work. He unthinkingly lunged at Gill, not caring Gill fumbled for the revolver on his belt.

  A stray bullet hit Nix’s hindquarters, but he didn’t care. Nix had been waiting too long for his revenge. The barrel of the gun hit the side of his head and made his vision blurry for a while, but he latched onto whatever part of Gill he could get hold of. Gill shrieked as Nix held onto to the fleshy part of his arm, and refused to let go. Gill crumpled to the ground and Nix began to taste fur instead of skin. The bastard was trying to shift. He let go of Gill’s arm, felt Gill’s hands fumbling at his neck and Gill’s fingernails changing to the sharpened points of claws.

  If they were in an official and fair duel, Nix would have waited for Gill to finish shifting. None of this was fair. When Gill got George and Maddy killed, fair went out the window. He let go of Gill’s arms and his canines sunk right into Gill’s neck. Nix tore out Gill’s throat in one jerk. Pain flared into side. With his muzzle still full of Gill’s skin and blood, he grunted, seeing Diego’s furious expression and the gun pointed right at his head. The cowardly bastard used a gun on him?

  “No!” Jen screamed.

  A golden blur moved from the side of Nix’s vision—Eli leaping at his brother, claws unsheathed for a kill, as Diego’s gun roared to life. Nix fell with a thump over Gill’s corpse, chest heaving. The gun went off again, and Nix helplessly watched Eli roll on the ground and struggle with his brother. Like Gill, Diego began changing form, but unlike Gill, Diego finished shifting. Two spotted golden leopards tore at each other, their movements graceful but deadly. For one horrendous moment, Nix saw Diego howl in triumph atop Eli, but Eli managed to throw off Diego and have their positions reversed. Hearing Eli’s triumphant growl of rage and his golden form atop Diego’s body had been enough for Nix.

  Safe. Jen and Graham were now safe and he’d avenged Georgina and Maddy. Finally. Nix’s vision blurred. He reckoned dying was fine with him now that his business was done.

  Soft hands sank painfully into his fur, tugging at his ears, made him whimper. Nix forced his eyes open to Jen’s sharp and beautiful profile above him. “Don’t you fucking dare die on us, you have no right to
leave us. Didn’t you promise?”

  Smaller hands reached out for his fur, followed by tiny droplets. Tears, Nix realized with shock. Graham. Something warm pressed against his back, settling there. Eli pressed his nose against his spine, teeth nipping at him, berating him and asking him to live.

  God. Did a man like him really deserve to live?

  “Yes,” Jen said, as if reading his thoughts. “Don’t think for a second you don’t deserve to live. Dying’s the coward’s way out. Don’t you want us, Nix? To live in the future with us?”

  Fuck. Nix realized he did. He really didn’t want to die.

  The part of him he didn’t realize he still had, clawed and reached desperately for Eli and Jen’s cats. Nix almost expected them to pull away, but they only reached out for him with open arms. They dragged him back to the light, saying two simple words over and over again, two words that gave him the strength to live.

  Welcome home.

  Chapter Ten

  Grunting, Nix hefted the last box past the doorway of their new apartment and settled it with the other boxes stacked in the living room.

  “Are there any more?” Jen asked.

  “That’s the last of it.” Nix wiped the sweat from his brow and gave her figure appreciative glance. Freckled with paint and holding a brush in one hand, she looked gorgeous in a pair of denim cut offs and an old shirt Nix recognized as one of Eli’s favorites.

  The sound of her laughter warmed his belly and made his cock rise in his jeans. “A single look from you can even make a grumpy paint-covered woman feel sexy.”

  “Oh darling, you’ve barely scratched the surface. The things I want to do that fucking sweet body of yours is going to make your cat purr.” Nix was rewarded by the flush of her cheeks.

  Jen didn’t duck her head or looked away though. Without her bastard ex-mate weighing down on her, she only welcomed his attentions and let him see the dark desire in her eyes. God. To think Nix had nearly lost this gorgeous woman and Graham, who’d he begun to see as his own son.

  “Enough time wasted on teasing and ogling our woman, Nix. We got a lot of things to do,” Eli reminded Nix, his hands full of Graham, who chose today to be in leopard cub form. Graham pawed at Eli in annoyance, calming down instantly when Nix came over and rubbed his furry little head.

  “Lex is coming by to pick up Graham, and we finally have some work done,” Eli muttered, giving Graham a scrutinizing gaze. “Spoiled kitty.”

  “Oh yeah,” Nix heartily agreed. “I’ve already set up the bed and mattress in the bedroom, although any where’s fine really.”

  Eli gave him a wary look. “We’ve got about a hundred things to do. Furniture to set up, mind you, furniture you wanted us to assemble ourselves.”

  Nix shrugged, reaching out to band his arm around Jen’s waist possessively when she leaned by his side and made silly noises at her son. “Real men fix up their furniture, and besides women always swoon when their men do manly things.”

  “Definitely,” Jen agreed, leaning against Nix’s shoulder.

  Her proximity and her tempting scent practically drove Nix mad. Eli wouldn’t hold out long either, he knew, especially the way his leopard scented and stalked closer to his mates. Besides, it had been a week since the attack. Eli and Jen had done nothing but fuss over him, worried about his injuries despite how many times Nix complained he was fine and had taken worse hits.

  “We’re here, hand over the brat,” Lex announced by the doorway. Noah stood by her side, grumbling about a cub stealing away the attention of his female.

  Nix grinned, rubbing at Graham’s head again. Graham only licked at his fingers. “Going to miss you, little tyke, but it’s about time I spend some quality adult time with your mom and uncle.”

  “Too much information,” Lex said, taking Graham off Eli’s arm.

  Seeing Graham happily wiggle in Lex’s arm, Eli grunted. “Choosy little thing.”

  Once the front door close, Nix slipped his hand lower, down the hem of Jen’s shorts to finger the waistband of her panties. She sighed against him, rubbing her silky head against his shoulder.

  Eli bit his lip, staring at her, at the rise and fall of her chest, before resting on Nix. A tingle of excitement shot down Nix’s spine when he followed Eli’s line of sight from his pecs to the bulge in his pants.

  “So,” Nix drawled. “We going to fuck, or assemble some furniture?”

  “Bedroom,” Eli croaked.

  “I knew you’d eventually say that.” Nix grinned, turning to Jen. “Eli always cave in doesn’t he, sweetheart?”

  “He has trouble saying no to you,” Jen agreed.

  Their bedroom looked like the rest of their apartment—bare, with the exception of a bed and mattress, waiting to be furnished and filled with new furniture and new memories.

  Jen gave a low whistle of appreciation after Nix and Eli stripped off their clothes. She licked her lips. “Very nice.”

  “Why thank you, sweetheart. You’re wearing far too much clothing in our opinion,” Nix pointed out, making her giggle.

  Eli molded himself behind Jen’s back and she raised her hands so he could peel off her shirt. Nix unbuttoned her cut-offs, jerking the tiny piece of fabric down her hips impatiently along with her maddening panties. She sunk her fingers in his hair as he knelt.

  “Easy, love. We have all the time in the world.”

  Love. Just the sound of the word, full of affection and warmth on her lips made Nix lean his cheek against her thigh. He took a few moments to pause, to enjoy the sensation of her fingers stroking her hair and her surprised gasp when Eli took her lips.

  Nix raised his eyes and the sight of Eli plundering Jen’s mouth made his cock twitch again. Keeping her legs apart, Nix pressed his mouth to her pussy.

  “So wet for us already, baby?” Nix asked, tracing her wet pussy lips with careful deliberation before plunging his tongue into her pink folds.

  She buckled beautifully above him, held steadily by Eli, who began tugging and pinching at her nipples until they hardened to pebbles. Eli released her lips, beginning to pelt kisses on the side of her neck, licking and sucking his way down.

  Nix dragged his tongue upwards, circling Jen’s swollen nub. He pumped two fingers inside her slit while he closed his mouth over her clit and sucked hard.

  “Come all over Nix’s mouth, Jen,” Eli said.

  She gasped, entire body trembling just from the sound of his firm command. Nix lapped at her cream, savoring the sweet taste of her on his mouth.

  “God,” She muttered, eyes closing as she sagged against Eli. She opened them again when Nix placed a gentle kiss on her left inner thigh, before moving on to the right. While Nix enjoyed fast and hard most of the time, he wanted both worlds. He also wanted slow and sweet with Eli and Jen.

  “Have a taste, kitty.” Nix rose, leaning over to capture Eli’s mouth with his so he could taste Jen on his lips while Jen leaned against his shoulder, getting her bearings. Eli let his prodding tongue in, sucking down, Jen’s soft and slender curves between them. Fuck. Nix was really one lucky son of a bitch.

  Nix pressed his erection against Jen’s belly, feeling her fingers curl around it. He parted from Eli’s mouth, groaning when she began lazily sliding her hand up and down. It didn’t help that he was already steel-hard and he was betting Eli was in the same miserable state.

  “You ready to ride Nix while I take your ass, baby?” Eli whispered against her ear. She shivered, nodding, letting go of Nix’s shaft. Eli kissed the side of her jaw and her trembling bottom lip and sucked hard on the side of neck. Seeing the two of them sent a tingle of excitement down Nix’s spine, and he couldn’t help but mimic and retrace the steps Eli took. Jen sighed and looked at them dreamily when Nix captured Eli’s lips and deepened the kiss, and Eli sucked hard at his tongue. Perfect.

  “Enough foreplay. Nix, lie down,” Eli said, his voice rough when Nix let him go. Nix couldn’t help but smirk. He shared a secret look with Jen. It was so cute whe
n Eli thought he was the one in control. Eli pouted, as if he knew they were conspiring behind his back, but liked the attention all the same.

  “Please?” Eli asked, making Jen giggle.

  Nix lay flat on the edge of the bed, feeling Jen follow after, straddling him, the mood changing from playful to serious. “Ready?” Nix asked, lifting her by the hips. She lowered herself carefully down his erect member, gasping until she was buried hilt-deep inside Nix.

  “Fuck, Jen. You’re unbelievably tight.”

  She didn’t answer. Only rewarded him with a teasing smile and began to move, sending tremors of pleasure right into him. Nix groaned, spying Eli positioning himself behind her. Still inside him, Jen lowered herself against his chest while Eli began lubing her ass and preparing her for his access.

  After sliding his fingers and scissoring inside her, Eli slipped in. She moaned against Nix’s chest, while he gripped her hips and they began taking turns filling her, with Nix in her cunt and Eli filling her ass.

  “Fuck,” Eli whispered and Nix could tell he would come first. After Eli emptied his load, he collapsed beside Nix on the bed. Jen let out a gasp when Nix shifted slightly when he guided her down, hitting her sweet spot. She moaned against him, rocking back and forth.

  “Come together, sweetheart,” Nix said with panting breaths, tightening his hold on her hips, groaning when the muscles of her pussy milked him. “Christ.”

  The pressure building inside them burst free, drowning both of them in waves. Nix drew his softening cock out of Jen, pressing her against him as she sighed and laid her head against his chest. Beside him, Eli contently curled himself against his side, hand reaching out to clasp Nix’s hand over Jen’s spine.

  “That never gets old,” Eli commented, lazily stroking Jen’s back. She mewled contently against Nix, wrapping her arms around him.

  “Heh. I’ve got about a hundred other positions I’d like to try,” Nix threw back.