by Scott, Talyn
His lips met hers. Through the dimensional magic of the werewolf, his human lips - expanded by the canines - loved her with fluid balance. His nature was kind, but his sister had confused and controlled him to get her way. “Want you,” he groaned and glided his erection over her vulva. In his way, the werewolf was seeking approval. He could have mauled her, could have taken her, yet; he sought a mutual consent. “Thirsty,” Tatum spoke next to his lips.
What happened next was the source of nightmares. Mike brought his wrist to his mouth and deeply bit. Tatum heard a slight crunch and smelled, well, not exactly blood. It was a heady mix of the finest wine touched with sugar. He placed it across her lips, and she screamed. With his free hand, he wedged his index finger in the corner of her mouth to keep it open. “Drink,” he commanded. She couldn’t close her mouth. Inevitably, his rich, dark blood drizzled across her lips and sank into her throat. Shocked that it tasted so delicious, Tatum fought the urge to suck his wet flesh. Her instincts were all fired up, telling her to get on with it. One drink, one little drink, and she would talk him out of this. One lap, then another caused him to shake above her. Mike was clearly enjoying himself, more than enjoying himself. Tatum couldn’t understand why she wanted to drink his blood. It certainly didn’t taste like blood, and her body was enjoying itself, as well.
Her womb clenched and burned. It wasn’t in a bad way, but excitingly different. Across the fog of her mind, she, once more, thought of Bren and Jayce. She loved them. She needed them. Fighting the peak of arousal influenced by her heat and Mike’s intimate cocktail that flowed down her throat, Tatum reminded her body that she needed to get away. Obviously, Mike wasn’t going to hurt her, so she thought, but Jody? Jody was in her own devious world. Tatum couldn’t prove it, but she was ninety-nine percent sure that Troy lost his life at the hands of her captor, not Jayce or Bren. Inside her body, the need for revenge rang true. She didn’t want to turn Jody in to the authorities. No, she must admit that she wanted Jody to die by her hands. If Jody were to have killed the men she loved, she was going slowly to torture her, before she broke her neck. How civilized was that?
CHAPTER 18
Gage had age advanced powers on his side. When he had been tranquilized like an animal, he could snap out of it in a manner of hours. Others would have needed days, not his wolf. Now, even under his extraordinary control, the beast tasted blood. The need for revenge was high and unrelenting, since he was under a solid silver net with none other than his Alpha and business partner. When he had come to, all three werewolves were in a state of disaccord. They smelled their mate on his body and wanted to shred him to bits.
He couldn’t blame them.
Bren was in fits. Jayce, as Alpha, had its advantages, since he could somewhat control Bren’s actions. Sitting in a crouch, Bren snarled and snapped his rage until the pit filled with the sour stench of ranting male. Jayce had taken a mid-trans form to further questioned Gage.
“You’re sure she could leave the hospital?”
“Positive,” Gage was in mid-trans, as well. It wouldn’t suit to be unable to flash with the state of control that Bren exhibited. “And the human that we paid off, he’s dead.”
Jayce startled, “Her ex?”
Obviously, Bren and Jayce hadn’t killed Troy. “Yeah, his remains cover half of lighthouse beach.” Gage braced his back against the dank earth. The sand was so loose that when the tide came in, they were bound to drown if the current weren’t strong enough to lift the silver. “I wish I knew who drugged me and took Tatum.”
“No guesses to that,” Jayce hissed, “Jody’s our girl.”
“You’re kidding,” Gage dug a palm through his blonde dishevelment. Jody had been with the pack since birth. Frankly, he had never paid much attention to her, although, she had been around him in one fashion or another throughout her life. An unwelcome chill hit his spine. “Motives?” he questioned.
“She threatened to kill Tatum,” Jayce threw both palms on Bren’s shoulders, holding him back and keeping him steady. “We’re going to bring them down,” Jayce soothed his friend. “Jody and her brother will die this night.”
“Her brother?” Gage stepped forward.
“Mike Carter, a fellow pack-mate, is her half-brother,” Jayce braced a forearm against Bren’s throat. “I felt a connection of sorts. I think that he’s….”
“Her third mate,” Gage groaned. “Fuck it all. He’s her third mate. So, why do this? You had everyone at the compound, practically from day one. He had a chance to speak for her. Why wait?”
“Jody,” Jayce answered. “She’s behind all of it. If Tatum were out of the picture, Jody would be queen.”
“Never,” Gage spat.
“You’re right,” Jayce agreed. “If Tatum weren’t ours, Jody still wouldn’t be queen. I can’t stand her, and I don’t know why Bren felt obligated to keep her on Sanibel.” Bren fought against Jayce’s hold. “He was friends with Mike, we all were. Even Tatum’s new brother-n-law, Wilson, was his friend. Jody took him with her. Now we have no other choice than to destroy them both. He can’t attack the Alpha and live.”
“I know the rules,” Gage slouched. “If one attacks the Alpha, one must die. Either the Alpha or the pack-mate will fall.”
“It’s not going to be me,” Jayce snarled.
“No doubt,” Gage mused. “We have to get out of here. “If they were the ones that drugged me, then they have Tatum. Jody is so unstable; I believe that Tatum’s life is in danger.”
Jayce questioned, “Even though Mike is probably there and possibly her mate?”
“I have that feeling,” Gage looked over Jayce’s shoulder. Bren was in bad shape. “His beast is volatile. What happens when he finds Tatum, and she smells of another male? The laws of nature are against her survival. What’s to prevent him from killing her as well as Mike?”
Jayce stormed, “Us; Tatum‘s coming home tonight. Mike will die.”
“Then,” Gage whispered. “There’s something that I must confess.”
“We have to figure another way out of here,” Jayce grimaced. “Confessionals will have to wait.”
“I subscribed to Troy’s live feed.” Gage had seen the blow before it landed, although; he did nothing to stop it.
“You son of a bitch,” Jayce growled.
“Leave my mother out of this, and we can remain friends.”
Jayce fought for control. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“It wasn’t the right time. You were courting her as your queen and needed help neutralizing Troy.” He swiped at the blood that trickled his upper lip.
“You’ve been alone with her,” Jayce threw his shoulder into Bren’s chest. Two on one wasn’t acceptable unless a life-threatening situation. As Alpha, he still followed the rules, well, most of the time.
“I have,” Gage agreed. “I would never steal the mate of an Alpha or my best friend. I’m not confessing indiscretion,” he shook his head. “I’m admitting to love,” he helplessly shrugged.
Shit, this was something Jayce didn’t want to hear. With the look that scattered Bren’s face, Gage was a dead man walking. “Briefly, explain the circumstances.”
“It was over a period of two years,” Gage began. “Just as we know, Troy manipulated her and put her online. For a while, I didn’t know if she was aware of it. That changed sometime later. It was obvious that she didn’t know, and it was too late for me. I couldn’t even be with another woman without picturing Tatum in my mind,” he lifted one shoulder and then let it slouch. “It’s pathetic. When the feeds stopped, I tried to find her. I got a name and waited for the investigator to pony up with the info. Sooner than expected, I met her at your compound. You were offering a right of mate with her, but I wasn’t disappointed that she didn’t belong to me.”
“Why is that?” Confused, Jayce drew his brows together.
“I think…that over time that I watched her, I found her untouchable. Fate aligns us with our mates. We don’t have
a choice if we want to breed,” Gage continued. “I suppose that viewing Tatum is…was enough. Maybe, as old as I am, I can find happiness just as you two have.”
“That’s sanctimonious bullshit and I don’t believe a fucking word of it,” Jayce spat. He was at full body thrust against his best friend’s wolf. Bren wanted a piece of Gage, yesterday.
“It’s mostly true,” Gage leaned his forehead against the damp earth. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ll find my mate. And truth be told, the dominant show that you exhibited on the beach…well, let’s just say that I enjoyed it, as much as you did.”
“Fucker,” Jayce punched an overlarge fist through the pit wall.
“You wanted honesty,” Gage turned. “I can find her. We need to get out of here…and I can trace her.”
“You drank from her?” Jayce didn’t know whether to kill him now or later. In all honesty, he should have drunk from her the moment they found her. He cursed his stupidity.
“A trace…when I didn’t know if I wanted to keep her,” he threw his palms out in defeat. “I wondered about hiding her. If I disappeared, you would have been suspicious. If I were to come around you with her scent, I would have given myself away. So yeah, I thought a few things through, before I brought her back here to find you.”
“You thought a few deceptive things through. First things first….”
“Which one will win me?” Jody flounced above the pit.
“The bitch is back,” Jayce pumped his fists on his hips.
“Did you say all three of you?” She smiled, and it was ugly.
Bren responded. His anger had left the red depths of wrath to ascend the blue flame. The hottest of fire, his werewolf was going through the silver net. Screams ensued. Screams the likes the world has never heard, much less the little island of Sanibel. “Die,” Bren snarled. The net, somehow, wasn’t wrapped around Bren. Instead, thank God, Jody was infused with her own poison. She couldn’t move, couldn’t talk and couldn’t run. Shit, no one should piss off Bren. If they were ever to think of doing so in the future, they should remember that silver, deathly poisonous to werewolves, vamps and shapeshifters alike, just pissed Bren off.
“What the fuck?” Gage cried. With the silver net touching Jody’s body in every possible direction, she would burn to the bone. The stench of rotting flesh wafted his nose.
“We’re so out of here,” Jayce wrapped a palm around Gage’s throat. “You track her and nothing changes between us. You try and deceive me again. You're dead.” It was simple and to the point.
“Yeah,” Gage stepped away. “We’re wasting time.” Fully transforming, the flickering image of Gage’s werewolf speared the marsh. He could easily track her, since she hadn’t left the island. Thank God for huge favors. He picked up speed and blurred between the palms and rough vegetation of the wetland.
Never missing a beat, Jayce and Bren pursued. The night was half over. If Mike were to have mated with Tatum, their time was running out. Either way, make no mistake, Mike‘s family wasn’t going to have anything left to bury.
Renee was tired. Scratch that. Renee was drained. Granny, her favorite person in the whole world, had been cryptically mumbling bullshit all the way home. Thank God, that Renee found her “easing tablets," A.K.A. prescribed nerve pills to shut her up. Beddy bye she went. Renee informed the front office to peek in on her and left that place as if her ass were on fire. It undoubtedly was. Bane, hot as sin, insisted that she come back to the bed and breakfast; even more insisting that she allow him to remain in her room. He claimed that Troy had threatened Tatum, and he was under direct orders to watch over her. She believed part of that story.
The shower it was. Drenched, soaped, tired, and worried about her sister, Renee felt the heated water soften her weary body. Although, a prickly sensation at the nape of her neck said she wasn’t alone. Pulling back the shower curtain, she eyeballed the room. Nada. Refocusing on her relaxation, she thought a few more minutes of aqua therapy would help. Let’s face it. If she were to be able to stay in said shower all night, she would. Bane was getting to her, but in what way? She didn’t know. The shower, yeah, was a perfect hiding place.
She was flaming hot, oven hot. Damn, but she turned the faucet and cooled the water. Brisk water tightened her pores. It didn’t work. It was a strange breath. A scorching breath licked her skin. Rubbing a palm over the back of her neck, she took the other hand and touched her core. She didn’t know why. Bane was in the next room, and she was going to masturbate. She pulled away. The breath from the ghost that she didn’t believe in traveled to her right nipple.
Imaginary teeth scraped her tightened bud. She cried aloud? Did Bane hear her? Swallowing hard, she felt a balmy deluge between her thighs. Her arousal and the ghost tongue were sinking deep, still from the ghost that she didn’t believe in. Dizzy, oh so dizzily, she laid her body against the cold porcelain tub. No matter how chilly the water, she couldn’t cool her skin. Hand going back to the drawing board, she touched her clit. Biting her lip until she tasted blood, Renee held in her moan, scream, of pleasure. She had never been this sensitive before. What was going on south of the naval border? The tongue was getting stronger as it licked, rasped, and curled inside her body. Longer and longer inside her sheath until it reached her….
Tendons straining the sides of Renee’s neck, she bucked and clasped the sides of the tub. Cool water hitting her pussy and hot, moist, haunted mouth sucking her clit, she flew into a merciless, teeth-baring orgasm. Orgasms were a rarity for Renee. Believe her, she had tried everything to achieve one, including having her privates waxed. But this one? Oh, this was off the wall incredible. Damn, but she could light up even though she didn’t smoke. Yeah, she could feel her vaginal walls clenching on absolutely nothing. It didn’t matter. She was utterly, eternally sated. Well, maybe not eternally - but close. Her throat hurt from screaming. Weakly, she reached for the faucet and turned off the chilly spray. Embarrassment mingled with satisfaction. Let him be outside the room. Oh, please, let him be outside the room. With well-greased joints, flushed skin, dripping sheath and hell yes, a strut in her hips, she fumbled for her clothes.
After working his magic, Bane inhaled. Yes, it damn well was his magic. He finally gained the needed knowledge that he had required. Thought about it every occasionally. Maybe he was ready. On the other side of a thinly paneled, white-painted door, a female dripped with arousal.
Since she dripped with said arousal, he now knew the answer. Good or bad, happy or sad…he had a mate. Fuck it all. Was that why he was so attracted to her? Was nature fair that way? Was it purely luck that combined the two? Another deep breath, a cracking in his joints, the beast knew. The werewolf wanted to shift. Fuck the getting to know you stuff. Animals were just that, animals. The full moon…wolf was ready…Renee smelled like an innocent. He frowned and took a step back.
Could a woman past twenty still be a virgin? He hadn’t smelled a male on her at all, and the arousal scent confirmed it. If she were, she was in for a crude awakening. Bane was different. No apologies made. He was a rough bastard. Even though he'd never hurt her past erotic pain, this could be a tricky situation. She didn’t know what she was, or for that matter, she didn’t know what he was. Didn’t that beat all? When tonight of all nights, he would give his last leg to mate with her. Grinding his jaw, he thought of every variable against him. It could be quickly overcome with a quad of cuffs and a nice, intricate, wooden bench, much like the one at his house, yes, very much like the one at his house.
Mentally unlocking the door that separated him from his nature given possession, he leaned against the frame and took a gander at his female. The earth moved, and Renee held the anchor.
“Go away!” she hitched, as she tugged impossibly at her sweats.
“They won’t go over wet skin,” he stepped forward. “Allow me.”
“Go the fuck away.” This time it was a growl.
“You see,” Bane picked up a towel before carefully drying her back. “I onl
y take orders from one being, and that‘s not you. So from this moment forward, you’ll be taking them from me.”
In the dimness of the forest, the fog settled and shifted to highlight the full moon. The growls to her left, no to her right…maybe from behind her, grew to an alarming scale. Jayce and Bren were frightening. However, the third player, the one that she didn’t know then, she knew now. Digging black nails into her upper arm, he drew her close, so close. “Come with me,” his breath touched her ear. Warm and sweet, Tatum shivered in result of the contact. “I can’t,” she turned. “He’s your friend, too. Bren will never leave me alone.” Tatum blinked and focused; she focused a second time, then a third. Mike Carter misted into the night. In her far memories, she watched the bluest eyes diffuse and blink away in disappointment. A tugging of detachment and vulnerability latched onto Tatum‘s memory, but why?
