by Kiera West
“Must have had a nightmare,” he said. He brushed his lips against her temple and slid his arm around her waist. “Nothing that bad.”
“Shane.” She pulled back from him and stared up at him as she took his face into her hands. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
He nodded, hoping that she didn’t see the blush that was creeping over him right now. Shame filled him as he realized the weakness he showed by having another of the nightmares. It needed to stop, and it would only do so when he was man enough to make them. Damn it, he didn’t want to go down that spiral again.
“Fine, just bad. Don’t even remember it,” he said, lying through his teeth.
She opened her mouth, but he said, “Let it go, Eve. Not everything has an explanation.”
Even in the darkness he could see the hurt he’d caused her, and he sighed. He needed to get away, do a run to work out the last remnants of the dream. As she dropped her hands and started to pull away, he grabbed her hands.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what it was, but it left me kind of pissy.”
“You would tell me if it was something important, right?”
He wouldn’t let it be, ever again. That part of his life was done and over with. He nodded. “I would, babe.”
Something he couldn’t decipher moved over her face. He could tell she wasn’t convinced but with a sigh, she slipped down back on the mattress. He followed her, wanting nothing more than to pull her close and feel the warmth of her body next to his. But the moment he touched her he lost all of those intentions.
He kissed her deep and long. Then there was a slant of light into the room.
He pulled back and frowned.
“Is everything okay in here?” Noah asked.
“Yes,” Shane said as he watched his cousin walk into the room and then around the bed, settling on the mattress next to them.
“Did you have fun tonight?” Noah asked Eve.
Shane nuzzled her neck.
“Yes,” Eve said. “Shane gave me a night to remember.”
Shane leaned back as Noah reached out and brushed Eve’s red curls out of the way. Shane thumbed her nipple, happy to feel it already hard.
“I think Shane and I can probably continue on that theme.”
Noah leaned down and pressed his mouth against hers as Shane slipped down her body. Her skin was so damned soft and sweet. He needed to taste her passion, wanted to feel her come apart again. He settled between her legs. He smiled at her damp curls. He knew that it was fresh, that she wanted them even without understanding. It had his cock already throbbing. He pulled her pussy lips apart and sighed when he saw her glistening cunt. With a groan of pleasure, he pressed his mouth on her pussy. The first taste of her need had his arousal soaring to new heights. Sweet as a new strawberry in summer and as tempting as the most luscious chocolate.
She moaned, but it was muffled. He looked up her body and saw his cousin slipping his cock into her mouth.
“Yes, take me, Eve, take all of me. Damn. She has the sweetest mouth. She knows just how to suck you, doesn’t she,” Noah said as he moved in and out of her mouth. Noah palmed her breasts as Shane took her clit into his mouth.
She moaned again, and he knew just what it was doing to his cousin. He knew the little vibrations she would cause, racing up and down his cock. He felt her orgasm approaching, but he heard Noah say, “Do not come unless I give you the right.”
He pulled out of her mouth as Shane rose up. Noah directed him to replace him. Shane was ready to comply. He loved seeing Noah push Eve to her limits. No one knew how to push her buttons as well as Noah.
He took his cock into his hand and tapped it against her lips. She swiped her tongue over the top of his cock. He felt the delicate touch all the way to the soles of his feet.
“You’re being naughty, Eve,” Shane said. He looked at his cousin, who was watching the byplay. “She’s being a bad girl, Noah.”
Noah nodded in his direction, and Shane pulled back. Noah turned her over and pulled her to her knees. Without waiting, Noah raised his hand up and smacked her hard on the ass. The sound was loud in the quiet room. It was an amazing aphrodisiac.
Noah smacked her again, then said, “Turn over, Eve. Shane, you have some restraints, get them.”
Noah’s tone told him he was ready to fuck her until she couldn’t move. But, ever the Dom, his cousin was ready to push her to her limits.
Shane pulled the apparatus from beneath the mattress. It was something they had not used on her before, something he knew Noah had been saving. It buckled across the head and foot of the bed. Each of the straps had two cuffs, one for her wrists and another for her ankles. Her eyes widened as they belted to the bed.
“Get her wrists, Shane,” Noah ordered as he took care of her ankles. When she was tied up, Noah smiled down at her with satisfaction. “Now, we get to make you pay for being so damned naughty.”
He slid his hand down her belly to her pussy. Then, he slapped it. She gasped then groaned as Noah slipped his finger into her. The musky scent of her arousal was filling the room and Shane couldn’t help but lick his lips.
“Such a sweet little cunt. Don’t you get hard just thinking about tasting it, Shane?”
He nodded and watched as his cousin slapped her pussy again. He knew what it did to her. It would send little shivers of pleasure racing over her, making her cunt more sensitive.
Noah bent his head and licked her then smacked his lips.
“Taste her, cuz. Nothing like it. Oh, and remember, don’t come, Eve.”
She made a sound that was half irritation and half pleasure. He was smiling as he settled between her legs. He said nothing as he slipped his tongue into her cunt. She was beyond wet. He teased over and over. She shifted her legs as much as she could. When he felt the telltale signs of an approaching orgasm, he pulled away. The cuss word that came out of her mouth had both he and Noah laughing.
“What naughty talk,” Shane said, even as she seemed to vibrate. He knew she was so close she would probably come with no problem. Eve loved to be pushed to the edge.
Noah moved to her legs, releasing them. He nodded toward Shane and he knew to move to her head. “Take Shane’s cock into your mouth.”
She did as ordered, eagerly opening her mouth and taking him in. Shane leaned his head back and groaned as he sunk into the deep, warm, wet recesses of her mouth. He felt the back of her throat against the top of his penis. She stilled, and he opened his eyes. Noah was entering her, his hands on her hips as he started moving in and out of her. Shane slipped his hands into her hair and started moving again. She slipped her tongue over his cock, twirling it over the head. Damn, the woman was lethal with that tongue of hers. He could feel his orgasm approaching. Two more thrusts and he lost it. He held her head as he poured himself into her. She lapped it up, greedily.
Noah pulled her legs up to his shoulders. His thrusts increased, the headboard slamming against the wall. Shane lay down beside her and kissed her.
“Come now, Eve. Come,” Noah ordered. “Fuck!”
She moaned against Shane’s mouth but he knew that she was frustrated. Her entire body seemed poised for release, but she had slipped into a state where she needed to come, more than her next breath, but she couldn’t.
He raised his head and stared down at her. He brushed a few strands from her face. She opened her eyes and he said, “Come, Eve, come for me.”
She continued to stare into his eyes as the first shivers of her orgasm shook her body. Then, she arched against Noah and moaned. It was one of the sexiest things he had ever seen. Watching Eve come, to give herself to pleasure, was beyond anything he had witnessed before. She sobbed out Shane’s name as she came, her body still arched, the perfect image of pleasure incarnate.
Noah released her legs and slipped beside her, kissing away the tears on her cheeks. Then, as if knowing what was needed, he settled back and let Noah take her in his arms. He knew now the nightmares would be held at bay that n
ight.
Chapter Six
The first thing Eve heard a few days later was the low murmur of men talking. She pulled herself out of the dream she was having and slowly opened her eyes. It was still dark, of course. The sunlight was staying around longer, but there was still more dark than light.
“Where did they find them?” Shane asked. She could feel Noah moving out of the other side of the bed.
“Just on the other side of the Choctaw Pride land. Same MO,” Ethan said.
When she finally had gotten herself awake enough to sit up, all three of them were moving out of the room.
“Hey, all of you stay right where you are.”
She heard Noah mutter something under his breath. She slipped out of the bed and grabbed her robe.
“What happened?”
They all turned around and she could tell from their expressions, they were planning on lying.
“Don’t even think about it. You can’t expect me to stay in the dark about stuff like this.”
Noah frowned. “We weren’t going to keep you in the dark.”
She settled her hands on her hips and glared at him. “And just what were you doing sneaking out of the room? And why didn’t Ethan wake me up?”
Ethan and Shane both took a step back, leaving Noah to face her alone. Ethan looked concerned while Shane was smiling.
“Now, honey, we were going to tell you.”
“Noah, don’t bullshit me.”
Shane snorted. She rarely used curse words, and as usual, it sounded funny when she did.
“I’m going with you.”
She turned to get dressed.
“No.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “I either go with you, or I go on my own. I might be able to add something to the investigation. I’ve been brushing up on animal mutilation. I might be able to help.”
“She might be able to help,” Ethan offered.
Noah was shaking his head, but Shane was stepping up to help her case also. “If the three of us are there, the Redfoots, and lord knows the leopards are going to be there, she’ll be safe.”
She saw from Noah’s expression that he knew that he had lost.
“Ten minutes, or we leave you behind.”
“No problem.”
She was ready in eight and appreciative of the travel mug of coffee Rand had for her. Noah grumbled as he turned and walked out the door. She assumed Ethan and Shane were waiting for them.
Rand gave her a kiss as he handed the mug to her. “Be careful out there. And don’t get too close to those leopards. They’re sneaky.”
She tried not to smile, given the situation, but it was hard not to. All of the Dillons were territorial and while she’d never thought she would be one for knuckle dragging, when one of them did it, she was thrilled.
As quickly as she could, she donned her gear, making sure that they didn’t leave her. She didn’t put it past Noah to leave her. When she stepped out into the cold, she felt a frisson of satisfaction when she saw Noah’s frown. Shane was waiting for her by the passenger side door. He helped her up into the SUV and then got in behind her.
There wasn’t any music playing, and she had a feeling if she turned it on, Noah would snarl at her. Instead, she turned to Ethan.
“Same thing, slaughtered?”
He nodded. “Same odd mixture of scents. One of the Byrds found it. Even with their horrible senses, they picked up on it.”
“Birds? I thought you said this was on the leopard land.”
Ethan smiled. “B-y-r-d. That’s their last name.”
“And, these are snow leopards?” She frowned as she mentally went over what she knew about big cats. “There aren’t any here in Alaska.”
“Not naturally, but the Choctaw Pride moved up here several generations ago, they moved up here from South America. They had been hunted to the point they were worried about extinction in a generation or two. So, we had the preserve, they came here.”
“There aren’t any snow leopards in South America,” Eve said.
“They weren’t snow leopards when they got here. They were regular leopard shifters,” Ethan said.
She chuckled. “Yeah, regular leopard shifters.”
“They adapted.”
“But, that should take hundreds of years,” Eve said.
Ethan shook his head. “Think about what you are saying. We are not the norm. We adapt faster because of our DNA. Only took them a generation to have their fur change to help camouflage them.”
She nodded. “I have a feeling they’re bigger, like you?”
“Well, not as big,” Shane said, amusement filling his tone. “But bigger than the average snow leopard.”
She nodded again and turned around. She glanced over at Noah who was still stoic, still irritated.
She leaned closer, resting her arm on the console. “You can’t stay mad at me forever, and you agreed to let me know about these things.”
“You shouldn’t be here.” Noah’s jaw jutted out, and she knew what that meant. He wasn’t going to let her go without a little bit of a fight. Well, bring it on, she thought.
“Why not?” she asked.
“You shouldn’t see the evil. It shouldn’t touch you.”
Her heart softened. All of them wanted to protect her, and she shouldn’t be so prickly about it. He was a big idiot, just like the rest of them. They all had her best interest at heart, even if they did things wrong. It was hard getting used to people taking care of her.
She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I love you.”
His shoulders lost some of their rigidity.
“But, this already has affected me. As I said, I’ve been reading up on this. Attacking animals and mutilating them is the first sign of a serial killer.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Ethan said.
She turned to face him. “I’ve been reading some books and papers on serial killers.”
“The first killings weren’t like these ones,” Shane remarked.
“You’re right,” she said. “They were almost amateurish. I kind of wonder if we are even looking at the same killer. The first few killings seem random, made to look as if it wasn’t an animal. Then the one outside of the house, where we saved the one, that seemed personal. That was the first time any of you sensed the different animals. The confusion.”
“Could have been that we confused it at first. Didn’t detect it,” Ethan said.
“No. I think we would have picked up immediately on the different animal scents,” Noah commented.
“I have to agree. I think we might have two killers, either with separate goals or one of them killed the other.”
“Two serial killers,” Ethan said. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“I don’t like the term serial killers,” Shane said.
“I don’t either, but I have a feeling that might be close to what we have. I didn’t see the last two, but they upset Vic. He was a bit unnerved,” Ethan said.
“What would make a serial killer? Especially a wolf?” he asked.
She studied him a moment and knew there was something about this subject matter that was bothering him. She wasn’t sure what it was, though. He had never been squeamish about it before.
“They still aren’t sure. There are some indicators that people are made that way. Childhood trauma seems to be a factor. An authority figure that does something physically or sexually to the victim. There is an argument that they are born with some issues already, but in the hands of a neglectful parent or guardian, they push it to the extremes. There are so many factors.”
He nodded and looked out over the terrain. It was so unlike him to be this still, this quiet. She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong when the flash of bright lights filled the SUV. She turned and found a group of men standing around an opening in the trees. Before they stopped and opened the door, she smelled it. Death hung in the air. The scent of blood filled her senses. It was so strong she felt her stomach roll.<
br />
“What?” Ethan asked.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Sorry. Just, the scent.”
Noah parked the vehicle. “You can stay in here if you want to.”
“You know your senses are becoming a little more sharpened being involved with us. We should have prepared you.”
She opened her eyes and looked at Ethan. She knew there was something he wasn’t telling her still. Some little secret he was holding back, but she let it go.
Vic was already trudging to the SUV and her side of it. Shane growled and slipped out and had his hand on her door. The smile he gave the bear had no humor in it. “We don’t need your help with our…with Eve.”
He opened her door and helped her down. She looked up at Shane and saw the stark expression on his face. What the heck was going on with him? He said nothing. He didn’t even look at her when he led her to the scene.
She recognized some of the wolves who nodded in her direction and a few of the bears. Then, she saw the leopards.
They stood as a group on the other side of those gathered. Lord, another group of gorgeous men. They were tall and built. From the faces she could see, most of them had darker skin, speaking of the South American origins. The tallest separated himself from the group and walked toward them. All of these shifters moved with amazing grace for such big men. Ethan and Shane both growled, but Noah shook his head.
“Let it go.”
Noah’s command wasn’t taken well, but both his brother and cousin settled down.
“Dillon,” the leopard said and nodded at the group. He glanced at her but said nothing before turning back to Noah. “We found them about two hours ago. Out on regular patrols like you suggested.”
He motioned toward the wolves, and Noah followed. Eve moved to do the same, but Shane held on to her arm.
“Shane, let me go.”
“No.”
There was a tone in his voice she had never heard before. She glanced at him and was alarmed when she saw the feral look in his gaze. His face was stark white. His hold on her arm became painful. His fingers were digging into her skin.
“Shane?”
He visibly shook himself and looked down at his hand.
