by Jane Jamison
Merle took her chin and forced her to look at him. “That’s all right. I don’t mind sloppy seconds. It’s not like we’re planning on making you our mate.”
She struggled again, but just like before, he held her tight. “Please. Let me go. You don’t want to do this.”
“Now that’s where you’re wrong, bitch. I want to do this real bad.” He grabbed her breast and squeezed. “The only question is whether I want to fuck your pussy or your ass first.”
“Dibs on her pussy.” Gabe took hold of her shorts and jerked the material to the side.
She tried to kick him, but it was no use. A moan that had nothing to do with pleasure escaped her when he slipped his tongue over her mons.
“See there? You like it.” Merle chuckled then leaned over and nipped at her nipple through her top.
“No. Stop. Please, let me go.”
Gabe pushed her legs wider. “You hang on to her, Merle. I’m going to give her a little taste of what my cock’s going to feel like.”
She shut her eyes and tried to prepare for whatever they would do to her. Their hands were all over her, their tongues, their teeth, and their mouths skimming her flesh. She whimpered and pushed her mind away.
Don’t think about it. Just keep breathing.
Don’t think.
Don’t think.
When she heard the growl, she wondered why it sounded so far away.
Don’t think.
Another growl came after that one, and despite trying to put her mind anywhere other than where she was, she couldn’t stop herself from opening her eyes.
Three huge wolves stood side by side on the street only a few yards from them. Their amber eyes glowed in the night and their fangs shone in the moonlit darkness. They were all dark, with varying gray over their bodies. Their heads were held low, their ears back, and their tails dropped between their legs. The largest one in the middle, a black diamond shape in the middle of his forehead, lowered his body and took a step forward.
Merle kept hold of her as Gabe jerked away, came to his feet, and zipped his pants up. Merle tensed, his fingers digging into her skin.
“What the fuck do you three want?”
Why was he talking to the wolves?
“Yeah, man. We ain’t doing nothing different than anyone else.” Gabe’s voice broke as he inched his way around to the other side of the car. “Just leave us be.”
The other two wolves came even with the middle one. They were like a band of warriors, ready to follow each other into battle.
Did the big one just shake his head?
She had to be imagining it.
“She’s ours. We found her and we aim to have her.”
The wolves came closer still. As one, they tilted their heads at her as though seeking an answer to an unspoken question.
“Damn it all. This ain’t fair. How do you know the moon don’t affect us, too?”
He is talking to the wolves.
Christy jerked her arm and was surprised when Merle turned her loose. Keeping her back to the car and not letting either Merle or the wolves out of her sight, she put distance between her and the men. She glanced at the alley leading back to Milly’s apartment, but if she ran for it, the wolves might come after her.
Their growls started low, filled with warning. The three animals took another two steps toward Merle, their growls growing louder and more menacing.
“Merle, come on. She ain’t worth it, man.” Gabe danced on his feet, ready to take flight.
“You gonna let us go?”
The captor had become the captive. She couldn’t believe it. Merle and Gabe were going to leave her with the wolves. She’d gone from one threatening situation to another.
The middle wolf jerked his head up and down. Was he answering Merle?
“Let’s go while the gettin’s good, bro.” Yet Gabe didn’t wait for Merle. He spun around and dashed away, glancing over his shoulder once.
“I’m going.” Merle lifted his hands, palms out, and started shuffling to the end of the car. Once he was there, he took off running in the same direction Gabe had gone.
Christy glued her attention to the wolves. They hadn’t gotten any nearer, but they hadn’t moved away, either.
“Nice wolfies. You won’t hurt me, will you?”
Now I’m talking to wolves.
She took a quick glance at her car. Even if she tried to jump on the hood and get back inside, the wolves would have no problem leaping after her. She searched the street around her and wondered where everyone else had gone. If she ran, they’d cut her down before she could make it back to the alley. That just left standing as still as she could and hoping they’d go back to wherever they’d come from.
Her breath was too noisy to her own ears. For a wolf’s sensitive hearing, she had to be making a racket. She had no doubt that they could sense how frightened she was. Predators had a way of smelling fear on their prey.
She stayed as still as possible. If only someone would come along and help her.
Even after promising herself that she’d stay motionless, she still jumped when the middle wolf padded up to her. She could see his whiskers, and that the outline of the black diamond shape against his forehead didn’t have a solid edge. The amber in his eyes glowed even brighter and she could hear his breaths as he tilted his head and studied her.
Is he thinking about how good I’ll taste?
She blinked, forcing that awful thought gone. She had to stay as calm as she could. Maybe, just maybe, she’d get out alive.
Yet when he jumped up, landing his paws on either side of her, she couldn’t help but let out a squeal. She squeezed her eyes shut, ready to feel pain as the first claw dug into her skin.
When that didn’t happen, she peeked open first one eye, then another. The wolf’s face was right in front of hers. His breath warmed her skin and his unblinking eyes stared straight into hers.
Oh, mamma.
She swallowed and tried to make her body one with the car.
When he licked her, she almost passed out.
He licked me like a pet dog would.
Something about his eyes settled into her and a strange comfort came over her, ridding her of her terror. She was still leery, still ready to scream, but she was no longer terrified for her life. If he’d wanted to kill her, he could’ve done so ten times over.
Knowing she might be risking a bite, she lifted her hand as slowly as she could and placed it against his massive jaw.
A jolt of energy swept into her hand and she jerked it away.
What the hell?
And yet, she wanted to feel it again. Like a memory that came out of nowhere, she knew where she’d felt that same kind of electric touch. The way she felt when she’d touched the wolf reminded her of how she’d felt when she’d touched Duncan and Grant. The idea was insane, but she couldn’t deny it.
He tilted his head again and she would’ve sworn he’d done it to press his face harder against her palm.
“Lord, help me.”
His mouth twitched. On a human, the gesture would’ve looked like a smile. But that was just another ridiculous idea.
Breathe. Stay calm and he’ll stay calm.
“Hey, boy. Thanks for coming to my rescue.” She relaxed even more when he wagged his tail. It was working.
He tilted his head again, this time in the opposite direction, and snaked his tongue over her neck. She jerked a little, then calmed down when she realized yet again that he’d meant her no harm.
One of the other wolves growled and shook his head. The third wolf spun in a circle, then barked.
“I don’t think your friends like us doing this.” She dared to slide her hand along his neck. His fur was coarse, not as soft as it appeared.
Another snarl from one of his friends had him dropping back to the ground and padding over to them. Her breathing evened out and her fear left. Even so, she again wondered if she was risking life and limb as she pushed away from the car and start
ed toward them.
The three wolves watched her approach, but once she was within two feet of them, they whirled as one and dashed down the street. Their dark forms disappeared into the night.
“Wait.”
She’d spoken far too late. Lifting her hand, she studied her palm, the tingle of the touch still lingering over her skin.
Please tell me I didn’t get turned on by a wolf.
* * * *
Christy shut the apartment door behind her and noticed how badly her hand was shaking. After what she’d seen and what had almost happened to her, it was understandable. The only surprise was that she hadn’t fallen apart.
Backing away from the door, she placed her hand on the spot where the wolf had licked her. Nothing made sense any longer. She couldn’t figure out how the slick of a wolf’s tongue could make her feel the way Duncan’s and Grant’s touches had.
But what had she felt? A tingle of excitement? When she’d had the feeling with the men, she’d thought it was an attraction like no other she’d ever experienced. Her insides had gone wild as though they had flicked a switch and turned her on from her very core to every inch of her skin. It had been lust, but so much more, an acknowledgment that they were what she’d yearned for. The sensation was more than mere sex. It was like they’d shared a past, a present, and a future together. Like they’d been meant to come together.
Was that what people called soul mates?
She blew out a breath. She’d never believed in love at first sight and had, in fact, laughed at the silly notion of a perfect someone for everyone. But now she wasn’t so sure. If someone had asked her when she was near them if not only one of them, but maybe all three of them, were the men she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with, she would’ve had to fight the urge to say yes.
She made it to her bed a second before her legs gave out.
It was her imagination. That was the only thing that had any rational sense behind it. Gabe and Merle attacking her had thrown her mind into confusion, making her see and think things that weren’t possible.
She forced herself back onto her wobbly legs and stumbled into the tiny bathroom. After turning on the shower, she disrobed then got under the warm spray. She had to wash the touch of Merle and Gabe off her skin before it drove her crazy. She scrubbed her body hard for what seemed like forever and finally felt clean.
After toweling dry, she walked into the bedroom and made sure the mini-blind was closed as tightly as it could go. Shutting out the rest of the night, the rest of whatever might happen, was the only way she’d get through until the morning.
Was there an amber moon she couldn’t see? Was that what was going on?
Once again, Milly’s words came back to haunt her.
“When the amber moon is out, people get to do anything and everything they want.”
If people were able to shed their inhibitions, would they go so far as to have sex out in the open? People did it all the time, from public displays of affection to those freer spirits who dared to be exhibitionists. Yet could an entire town act that way because of the moon?
“That just can’t be real.”
She lay down, tossing off the towel to cover her still-trembling body with the sheet. After the night she’d had, after almost getting raped by Gabe and Merle, she wasn’t sure what to believe.
Fangs. Amber colored eyes. Those were the things supernatural stories were made of. Before tonight, she would’ve scoffed at the very mention of them. But now?
“I’m just really tired, that’s all. I couldn’t sleep so I went for a walk when I was dead on my feet.”
If she tried hard enough, she could convince herself that the reason was sound. At least for the fangs and eyes part of the night. But there was no talking away the fact that two men had tried to rape her. Or the fact that three larger-than-normal wolves had come to her rescue.
For a second time, she touched her neck. The wolf had licked her. She could still recall the coarse texture of his tongue as it slid over her flesh.
No. There was no mistaking that as her imagination. She wasn’t that exhausted.
And yet, even as she had the thought, her eyelids drooped and she had to jerk them open. She couldn’t think any longer, couldn’t make her brain function enough to sort through all the questions tumbling around in her mind.
“I’ll ask Milly tomorrow. She’ll tell me that I imagined the whole thing. Then she’ll tell me what…”
She was asleep before she could finish the sentence.
* * * *
Lance shifted, going through the transformation with ease. Without waiting for Grant or Duncan, he walked into their ranch house and continued up the stairs.
“Fuck no you don’t.”
He paused, knowing that going upstairs would only delay the inevitable. He might as well face Grant’s anger and get it over with. Turning, he stayed where he was and confronted his scowling friend. As he’d guessed, Duncan wasn’t upset. In fact, judging from the smirk on his cousin’s face, he’d found the whole exchange with Christy amusing.
“Who told you to put your paws on her?”
“Well, first of all, I didn’t put my paws on her. I licked her. That’s using my tongue, not my paws.”
Duncan covered a chuckle as he bounded up the stairs past Lance. “You’re just baiting him.”
“I know.” Still, he didn’t like it when Grant acted like he was the one in charge. At least not where Christy was concerned.
“You know what I mean.”
“Sure I do. But you don’t go telling me what I can and can’t do with our mate.”
“She’s not our mate yet.” As with any other wolf, Grant wasn’t bothered about standing naked in his foyer, talking to his friend. They were used to seeing each other in the buff. “You keep pulling that kind of shit and she won’t hang around long enough for us to make her our mate.”
He didn’t want to admit that Grant might be right. “So shoot me. At the time I thought it was a good idea. What’d you want to do? Stand by and watch while Merle and Gabe took her?”
“Fuck you. You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Come on, man. Didn’t you see her? She calmed down after I licked her. She needed me to touch her.”
He couldn’t resist baiting Grant a little more. The man made it so damn easy.
“Or should I say, she calmed down in one way. But I could smell her heating up in a whole other way.”
“Damn it, Lance, we need to do this the right way.”
“Yeah, I get that.”
“We were supposed to stay out of sight.”
They’d agreed on that. Unable to stand going back to the ranch and not being near her, they’d come to the conclusion that they should watch over her. For her sake, of course. Like it didn’t have anything to do with the possibility of getting to see her again.
“Bullshit. That was a lost cause when we saw her in the window.”
Grant’s eyes clouded over at the memory. His own cock jerked to life just thinking about how her face had looked. Although they hadn’t been able to see what she’d been doing with her hand, her arm movements and the ecstatic expression on her face had told them everything. She’d watched the trio in the alley and had pleasured herself. After that, nothing on earth could’ve made them leave. He was surprised they’d managed to come home at the first sign of the sun coming over the horizon.
“Still…”
“Still nothing, Grant. If we hadn’t stuck around, those damn werebears would’ve had her. After we skinned them alive for touching her, all hell would’ve broken out. Hell, we not only saved her, but prevented a war.”
The idea of the shifter bears from Shatland touching her still made him want to hurl. He couldn’t bear to think of what would’ve happened if they hadn’t been there to save her. “You know I’m right.”
Grant had a temper on him, but he was a reasonable man. “I’m glad we were there, too. I’ll give Jackson a call lat
er and let him know. Those damn bears aren’t affected by the amber moon. They’re just using it as an excuse to act like the beasts they are.”
“Yeah. Jackson needs to get hold of them and let them know we won’t tolerate that kind of shit.”
He stayed, sensing that Grant wasn’t finished saying his piece.
“You felt it, didn’t you?”
He was talking about the connection. Lance nodded. “Yeah, I did. When I licked her. And I know she felt it, too. Just like she did with you and Duncan.”
“Then we’re sure. She has the connection with all three of us.”
“I’m as sure as I can be. She’s the one.”
They’d waited a long time to find her. He couldn’t help but think fate had a place in that. After all, what were the chances that her car would go bust just as she made it into their town?
“Good. Then let’s make it through the weekend without taking her. We don’t want to risk the amber moon blowing everything sky-high.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Lance wasn’t sure how he could hold out another day and night. It’d been hell to do that last night. “Now, if it’s okay with you, I’m going to grab a little shut-eye before I head on out to handle the herd.” He wasn’t really asking permission and they both knew it.
“Yeah. I could use the rest, too.”
Lance took the steps two at a time and strode down the hallway. He stopped for a second in front of the door to the master bedroom. They’d never used the room before. They were saving it for their mate. For Christy.
“Just a little while longer, babe. And then you’re all ours.”
Chapter Six
Christy couldn’t wait for Milly to come around. Instead she hurried down to the diner and ran into Milly as she was opening up.
“Wow. You’re up early.”
Christy was dead tired. She’d only gotten an hour or so of sleep. “Yeah. I didn’t plan it that way and I could sure use a cup of coffee.”
From the look Milly gave her, she wasn’t fooled by her excuse. “Really? You do realize that the coffee in the apartment is the same brand I use in the diner, right?”
