Summer Shifter Nights

by Harmony Raines

I yanked open the cabin door and stared at the world gone black and white. I looked through not my eyes, but the wolf’s. Pine needles crunched under my feet. The smell of the forest stung my nose. She seized control over my senses, sharpening scents and leeching color from the landscape. A squirrel moved in a tree to my right and, a bear sharpened its claws on a nearby tree. I jerked my head, my gaze following one thing and then another. The dark earth called both the woman and the wolf, urging me to run. I tensed my body, resisting the urge to fall on all fours.

  I walked fast and headed north. The cabin disappeared, blending in with the trees until I couldn’t see it at all. My thighs burned, but I kept the pace, using my senses and following the sweet, crisp smell of water. The small river had to lead somewhere. The tiny tendril became wider as I worked my way north. Animals needed water, so did humans. I followed the vein north, working my way closer to the mountains when I picked up a scent beside me. My skin itched with the exposure, but the light held few surprises.

  I scanned the trees. There was no sound, but instinct reigned. Blood. The thin tendril reached me and I drew the scent in deep. There was an older wolf, male, moving like a ghost in the distance. I dropped to my knees at the river’s edge and scooped the water into my mouth. A wolf’s scent grew stronger. A strange scent filled the air. Danger.

  The wolf inside bared her teeth and wrapped her tail between her legs. A snap of a branch cut through the trees behind me. I spun, catching the beast’s charge. Ground-eating strides closed his distance. I froze, feeling the thunder in the earth, feeling the heat of hunger over me, until the snap of a branch had me stumbling to my feet.

  Teeth filled my vision. I was knocked backwards and slammed into the ground. Stars and teeth filled my vision. I clawed for a hold. Dirt flew into my mouth. I was a feather and he was the storm, bending, breaking.

  The wolf yanked along the ground, taking me closer to the forest. I aimed for his eyes, spearing my fingers through his fur. My fingers slipped on the wet pelt, falling away. His jaw tightened. A blur of yellow hit the beast, the blow was brutal, tearing his teeth from my arm. Gut wrenching sounds filled the air. Brutal snarls turned into sickening howls as end over end they rolled. I clutched my arm in a blur of teeth and claws sharpened. Blue eyes held me for a second before the sandy wolf returned his attention to my attacker.

  My attacker lay panting, but the rise of the thick chest slowed. One heartbeat faded to nothing, and all I could hear was a single rapid tattoo. The dark alpha swung his huge head my way. His steps were slow, soft whines were pleading as he glanced at my arm. His sinewy legs thickened with muscle. His pale coat sank into tanned skin as the wolf disappeared and left a man.

  Drake stumbled toward me, dropping to the ground. His naked body glistened with sweat and blood. I shifted my gaze as he sank to his knees and cradled my arm.

  “Jesus Christ. You could’ve been killed.”

  I stared at the bloody mess behind him, as I trembled. I held my arm, fighting the tremor which threatened to swallow me. My arm was gouged with two deep wounds. Drake grabbed me around the waist and stared at the bloody mess. “We’ll get you in the water and see how bad this is.”

  “Who was that?” I stared at the still form.

  “An omega. A lone wolf, cast from his pack. They turn vicious on their own. They kill their own kind.”

  He lifted me to my feet. My mind was numb, the ground disappeared under my feet. The icy water soaked through my jeans as I sank to the riverbed.

  “It’s not too bad. See, it’s not too bad. Jesus, it could’ve been worse. You could’ve been killed. When I found you were gone, I went a little insane. Don’t do that again. Okay? Don’t do that again.”

  Those blue eyes pierced through my greyed-out world, shimmering with tears. No one had ever cared like this. “Why. Why do you care if I left, one less mouth to feed? One less responsibility.”

  Drake bared his teeth. The words slipped through in a growl. “Is that what you think you are? My responsibility?”

  My mind raced with answers as I stood in the freezing water. The movement caught me by surprise. Drake touched my face, lifting my jaw to his. His lips were soft, careful, taking no more than I was prepared to give.

  “I wanted to do that since the first moment I saw you take on those two men the other night.”

  I jerked my head up. Something wasn’t right. My thoughts were racing. “Coen was the one who saved me.”

  “Coen cut his arm and I helped him heal. It was his blood on my shirt, that’s why you thought it was him. An easy mistake. I was out hunting and heard you crashed through the trees. I thought you were being chased by a damn bear. When I saw you break through the clearing, with those three after you, I had to stop them. They would’ve taken you back, wouldn’t they?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “I couldn’t let that happen.”

  My arm throbbed with the pain. I chased the empty feeling inside. I didn’t want to feel for this man, but his words were sharp, piercing the loneliness and desperation. I shook my head, and jerked away from his hold. He looked so pathetic standing there, arms out, ready to save me for the second time. “You can’t save me.”

  His throat muscles worked, swallowing the hurt. “Everyone needs saving, Mia, they just don’t know it.”

  My tone was cold. “Can you stop the change?”

  “No. No one can.” The spark of hope faded from his eyes.

  I turned away. “Then you can’t help me.”

  “It doesn’t have to be this way. We can help you. Coen will know what to do. Please, Mia. Just let me try.”

  I scanned the forest, finding movement where there’d been none before. I couldn’t go on, not like this. I glanced to his bare chest. “Okay, but the lack of clothes is a little distracting.”

  That spark of hope in his eyes returned. His smile made the harshest of days inside the cage fade from my memory. “Okay, the wolf has a little more covering. I can’t have you tripping when you’re looking at my ass, now can I?”

  I climbed to my feet, staring back at the way I’d come. Trying my best to hide the grimace which was the closest thing I had to a smile. “You’re right. You’re a hazard to walking.”

  I headed through the trees, Drake trotted to catch up. The walk gave me more time than I needed to think. Out here I was as good as dead. Back in the compound was no different. Living in a cage was no life. At my side Drake chuffed, shaking his head as though he could read my thoughts.

  The ache was a dull roar in my arm. Pain seeped like poison into my veins, filling my chest and wrapping around my heart. Drake trotted closely, guiding my steps. He didn’t need to. This black-and-white world turned to color at night. Shades of grey now buzzed with energy, leaving a trail for me to follow. The scent of smoke filled my nose. I scanned the dark forest, finding a flicker of light, before I pushed through the last trees.

  The yellow hue filled the bare window, white smoke drifted from the chimney. The crackle of fire shot like a gun into the night. I breathed a sigh of relief and stumbled for the door, leaving Drake behind.

  A struggle sounded behind me, but the fight was between Drake and his wolf as he shifted to human form. I pushed through the door. My gaze chased the flicker of orange flames from the fire and scanned the room.

  “So, you’ve come back.”

  I flinched at Coen’s hard tone and scanned the darkened room. Shadows clung to the corners, revealing the outline of his body. I kept his gaze and stepped inside. A shiver passed through me as he moved into the light. There was something strange about him. Those cold black eyes glinted with rage. I kept my voice steady, fighting the fear. “Yes, I came back.”

  His gaze shifted to my arm. “And, wounded again, I see. “

  Heat rushed to my face. “I never asked to be rescued. I’m not some weak, pathetic animal.”

  He closed the distance between us before I could react. “But that’s just it, isn’t it? You are a weak, pathetic creature. You leave yourself weak by the ver
y thing you run from, don’t you understand that by now? She’s close, you can feel her shifting under your skin. You can smell her, see though her eyes. She wants to be you, share you.”

  I flinched. The spark in his eyes caught fire. “You see through her eyes, don’t you?”

  I shook my head as Drake stepped inside the room. He glanced from Coen to me, his brow furrowed. “What’s going on?”

  Coen’s hand was around my neck before I could move. His grip tightened as Drake moved close. “Stop right there. This has to be done Drake. She’s fought too long, if she doesn’t change now, she could die, or….”

  The color ran from Drake’s face, making him look jaundiced under the fire’s glow. Coen moved his face next to my ear. Hot breath tickled my neck. “There’s another way to force the change. You know what I mean, don’t you?”

  I jerked my head forward, shifting underneath his grasp. “Stop Coen. Don’t do this.”

  “She was so close last night. I almost brought on the change myself. But, I can smell Drake all over you, in your hair. On your clothes. The wolf wants what the wolf wants.”

  Something passed between Coen and Drake. His blue eyes drifted to mine, then back to Coen. “What are you doing? She’s not ready, you can’t force the shift if she isn’t ready.”

  Coen shoved me forward, cloth tore, leaving me in my bra. “Do you have any idea what we’re up against here? Do you know who they are?”

  I opened my mouth to argue, but the scent of Drake’s excitement hit me like a blow. Coen speared his hands through the cup of my bra, releasing my breasts from the confines of the cotton. My body hardened under his gaze, dragging something darker to the surface.

  “This is what she needs. This is the only way she can change without killing herself.”

  Coen wrenched my head to the side. His lips trailed down my neck as his fingers worked my nipples to a point, his words uttered against the warmth of my skin. “She needs to be broken, Drake. We can do that for her. We can help her.”

  I didn’t hear his words, stolen by the hard pull on my breast. The pain mingled with something else, a darker longing that enticed to explore. The wolf wanted this. I leaned into his touch and shuddered. This was what I was afraid of.

  His hand didn’t stop as my bra clasp sprang free. Drake took a step toward us, his outstretched hand mimicking those on my body, wanting to get skin to skin, and yet, he held back.

  Coen took control, sliding his hand along my stomach and over the front of my jeans. My spine bowed, as he gripped the hard ridge of my mound. The crease of my jeans rode up, rubbing some part of me that sent fire along my skin.

  “Coen,” I whispered.

  But I was lost, falling under the magic of his hand as Drake closed the distance wedging me in tight between the pair. I was trapped. Succumb. The voice inside my head urged defeat. But the fighter in me kept me still.

  Coen’s hand never stopped moving and the warmth generated by his touch locked me in place. The wolf inside whimpered and the sound slipped from my lips. Coen eased my body to the side, never once ceasing that wicked touch. Coen’s hand kept me tied to him… to them. I was drawn by the motion of Coen’s other hand as he brushed the inside of Drake’s thigh. The same motion which made my legs tremble. Against my thigh Drake’s body hardened.

  “You want to fuck her, don’t you, Drake? Tell her. Tell her how bad you want to peel the clothes from her body, how bad you want to taste her and have her ride your tongue. Tell her your balls are aching with the thought, they’re tightening while your cock hardens. ‘Cause I know I want to. I want to spread her wide and pound that pretty little slit. I want to watch her pussy drip with your cum before I take my turn. I want to fill her until I’m empty and I don’t ever want to be empty, not with her, not with our Mia.”

  My nipples were on fire, hardened and sore. Coen left them to grip my throat, pulling my head up to look into Drake’s eyes. “We’re going to take turns, Mia. We’re going to ride that little body of yours until you can’t even whisper for us to stop. We’re going to break that beast inside you, make her submit—make you submit. And tomorrow we’re going to do it all over again. We’ve waited for someone like you our whole lives and now that we have you, we’re not letting you go.”

  His words slipped under my skin and raced through my body. My heart thundered. The sound was deafening inside my ears. Drake’s gaze locked on Coen’s hand around my throat while the Coen’s hand kept moving between us, rubbing, drawing Drake closer.

  “I don’t think she wants this, Coen. Look at her. She looks terrified.”

  His voice is like a growl inside my head, pressing harder against the wall I so carefully built. There was a beast in there, one which wanted to own me… one that wanted to own him.

  “Look at her. Touch her, she’s so wet I can feel her through her jeans.”

  Drake reached for the juncture of my thighs. His eyes were wide. The clear blue sky was filled with lightning. He slid his hand along the crease, following Coen’s path.

  My waistband tightened for a second before the zipper slid down. Skin on skin. I didn’t know whose hand touched me. One finger slipped down the tip of my crease, rubbing something tender and throbbing.

  Drake’s hard breath blew the hair from my eyes. The grip around my throat tightened, filling my head with the throb of my heart which mimicked the beat against Drake’s finger. My jeans slid down and Drake’s finger left my body as he knelt, pushing my pants all the way to the floor.

  I followed his gaze. He looked up at me for a second before he lifted my legs one at a time, pulling my jeans free.

  “She’s beautiful, isn’t she? She can be ours, just the three of us.” Coen whispered.

  Drake’s thick fingers slipped through the lips between my thighs, carefully pushing until he was inside. I moaned as he withdrew. His fingers came away slick and glistening.

  Coen’s grip around my neck pushed me toward the floor. My legs buckled, but my weight was captured by Coen’s arm around my waist. We fell with a thud, all arms and legs, me against Coen’s chest. Someone’s thick thigh pushed my legs apart. Drake’s deep chuckle ended and a hiss filled its place. His gaze was fixed between my legs, so focused, so raw.

  “Taste her. She loves it.”

  The hurt look in his eyes was a spear to my chest. “I guess I should’ve expected you’d beat me to her.”

  “She wants you, Drake. I saw it as soon as you both walked in.”

  “Does she?” Drake snarled. “Is this what she really wants, or is this what we want?”

  “Does it matter?” The words slipped from my lips.

  I saw the fight in Drake’s eyes, lie, truth, which would he say? He answered. “No.”

  “No.” Coen echoed from behind.

  In this moment there were no lies, no uncertainty. This was their confession. There was no escape, I wouldn’t make it far if I ran and the wolf inside didn’t want to. I arched my back, pulling on the grip around my throat. My wolf circled cautiously, trapped between Coen and Drake. She bared her teeth, ears twitching, waiting.

  “Don’t fight her, Mia, relax. We’re going to take good care of you. Both of you.”

  Drake reached for my foot. His touch was so light, his fingers trembled. “I can feel her calling me. I….”

  Fire blazed in those blue eyes as Coen released my throat, moving to knead my other breast. His feather light touch had me reeling between the contrasts, searching for the moment when they released me from my cage.

  “Do you know how beautiful you look right now?” Drake’s question dragged me from the pressure of Coen’s fingers, from his nails against my skin and the heat against my back. I struggled against the inner pressure, just as the wolf inside fought the confines of my skin.

  “Don’t fight it, Mia. Don’t fight us.”

  Coen squeezed my breast until I whimpered, flooding the juncture of my thighs with heat. Warm breath tickled the insides of my thighs. I opened my eyes to see Drake starin
g up at me, his lips so close. I ached, waiting to feel the first soft touch of his tongue. His gaze sharpened, capturing something in my eyes… in her eyes. The world stopped. I no longer felt Coen’s touch. I no longer felt the confines of my cage. My wolf disappeared, yet she remained. In this moment we were one.

  “Please.” The word slipped out in a snarl. Desperation mixed with hunger.

  I wanted what she wanted.

  We were both woman and wolf, both caged and free, both flesh and the shadow.

  My body shivered before I felt the touch of Drake’s lips, before the tip of his tongue slipped into my pussy. Coen shifted to the side, holding my shoulders against the crook of his arm while he watched the intrusion. “That’s it. Jesus, that’s it.”

  Coen’s arm tightened while he scooted to the side, working his pants down with eager thrusts. Drake moved his mouth over the top of my slit and sucked, building a slow rhythm, he thrust his fingers inside and withdrew. Heat was my axis, pulling the flame from the center of my body as his teeth grazed my most tender flesh. Sweat broke out along my brow, the itch of fur just under my skin drew me from the motion of his tongue.

  “Lie back, just let go.” Granite eyes followed me as Coen laid my head against the floor. I reached for them and settled against a thigh. I’d seen pictures of the naked form before and traced the curve of a chest, the rump or the thigh of Guard. But the energy was different now. The touch between my thighs so warm, so selfish, so giving. A finger speared my body. I lifted my head, glancing down between my legs as Drake’s fingers followed the trail of his mouth.

  I followed the curve of a thigh, reaching up through the downy hair to grip his length. A shuddered sigh touched my skin as Coen reached for Drake, brushing his fingers through his hair, until he clenched his fingers. Drake moaned at the sudden shock when Coen yanked his head forward, sending vibrations through my body. Drake’s mouth pressed harder, tongue sliding deeper.

  His breath blasted my body, snorting as Coen’s cruel grip rocked his face hard against me. “Fuck her harder, Drake. Use her. Use her.”

  Coen shoved my leg wide, slamming my knee against the floor before rubbing a calloused finger down my slit to my ass. The pressure against my opening increased. He wormed the tip of his finger through the tight hole, then pulled out and spat on his hand. His finger probed, slipped easily inside. A moan slipped from my mouth. I opened myself as he sank deeper. I was washed away with Drake’s tongue on my clit and Coen’s hard fingers thrusting.