Summer Shifter Nights

by Harmony Raines

  The beast in me timed the rise and fall, pressing harder, gaining more from each slow thrust. “That’s it, open up. She wants more, Drake.”

  Drake’s lips left my slit and gravitated toward Coen’s touch. I turned my head to the side watching the two of them. Drake’s mouth glistened under the fire. Coen never stopped, working deeper, harder. He released Drake’s hair, and skirted the swell of his chest. Drake’s cock was rigid, strong and thick. He moaned as Coen wrapped his long fingers around Drake’s girth. Hard and soft. Strong and yielding. I watched Coen’s hand, move slowly at first, gently easing Drake forward with a slow pull until I was boxed in by his muscled arms.

  Caged, the wolf snarled. She didn’t like this. But I needed this, watching them, touching them. My small hand was dwarfed by Coen’s as I reached for Drake. The smooth skin along his length slid underneath the motion, up and back… up and back. Drake’s clear blue eyes darkened, the presence behind them was feral and dangerous—wolf.

  The beast inside me howled with desire. I panted, opening wider, needing more… almost touching the animal inside.

  “Now, Drake. She’s ready now.”

  Drake’s hard length warmed my body where his mouth left. Coen’s hand left Drake’s cock to grip my hips until I felt the brunt of the blow against my slit.

  “Stop.” I twisted, writing under the pressure of Coen’s fingers and the thick length in his hand. “I can’t….”

  Drake never eased, trapping my body under his weight. He whispered. “It’s okay. Let me take care of your wolf.”

  His cock impaled me, driving deeper with a hard thrust. My beast howled, her claws felt real under my skin. The desire was gone in a rush of fear. I swung my hand through the air. The slap was louder than the impact. Drake’s head jerked to the side. His white teeth glowed under the orange hue of the fire as he pierced me with a savage gaze. “Hit me again.”

  My second strike jarred my elbow. Agony raced through my arm as Drake caught my wrist and wrenched me upright. Coen’s fingers slipped free as Drake pulled me over his lap and into his cock. His hands on my hips gripped tight, driving me down while he thrust.

  “That’s the way.”

  I slapped his back, raking my nails down his arms as the motion ripped through me like earthquake, what a cage couldn’t hold, flesh could. I had no control. I was powerless, trapped by flesh and need. Coen lifted his hand to pinch my nipple. His mouth grazed my neck before I felt the hard points of his teeth. My body quaked with the feel, sending fire to my pussy. His hand left the swollen ache of my breasts, to bury into my pucker. “Fight, Mia. Fight.”

  “Fuck you.” I screamed as he eased his cock where his fingers had been.

  “Slow, slow baby. Open up for me.” Coen’s hand on my back shoved me forward. Drake stretched my walls, his grip on my hips drove him deeper.

  My walls stretched the skin stinging under the pressure until pleasure melded with pain. I was nothing and everything, flesh and blood turned into something more. I felt the shift inside as the friction from these men stole my thoughts. My hold on the wolf slipped as I gripped Drake’s neck, riding the brutal blows until there was no line to divide me from her. We were one.

  My body spasmed, pulsing with life as Drake whimpered. Warmth filled me as Coen pumped, racing to catch up. “I… something’s wrong with me.”

  Drake held me. “Let go, that’s it baby. Let her go, she wants to be free. Don’t keep her caged forever.”

  A grunt behind me slowed the long draw and hard thrust. My body stretched wider, burning with the sting. Pain and pleasure mingled into one, shredding my skin, and wrenching something dark within me. I fell to the floor. Snarls ripped from my chest, mixed with shouts of fear, and they were not my own.

  Panic filled me. I scrambled to regain what I’d lost. I changed my mind… I changed my mind. But, there was no going back now. My bones snapped. The shock stole the pain, for a second at least, until it came back in a roar, wiping away my humanity with teeth and claws. The second felt like hours as I inhaled the dirt and the dust. My tendons tightened until I thought they would snap from the strain. She was hurting me, tearing me apart from the inside.

  “Don’t fight her, Mia, or she’ll kill you.” Drake screamed in my ear. All I heard was the distorted sound, fragments pieced together, enough for me to understand. I released my hold on my body and my mind, trusting that she needed me as much as I needed her.

  The pain lingered, but the fight was gone. I knelt on the floor and opened my senses to something more than I could perceive. The shift swept through me. I was carried away on a current I couldn’t control. My breathing deepened, skin turned to fur. I turned to peer at my wide back. At first my coat appeared mottled and brown, then the overcoat filled in over the wiry undercoat, auburn tipped with black. I took a step. My weight was different on four legs instead of two. My legs shook, fighting the urge to escape.

  A whimper wrenched my head up. The scent of wolf was all around me. Drake and Coen had shifted. Their fur shone against the dying fire. Their eyes remained fixed on me, amber and blue, waiting.

  I woke in a tangle of arms and legs. A steady breath blew against my face, the sound rhythmic and comforting. The arm around my waist weighed me down. I traced the muscles back to Coen. He grunted and sucked his cheeks in, only to blow the air back out. A soft whimper turned my head. Drake was naked and curled in a ball. He clasped his open hand, then relaxed, as though he reached for something or someone.

  I realized I’d slept through the night for the first time since I could recall. No nightmares chased away my sleep. I was no longer hunted by teeth and claws, but a new marksman found me. Doubt crept in. I’ve been dead for all my life. I’ve been caged in a room and left with only the harshest of moments. The fear of death was used to make me submit, but it isn’t death I fear now.

  It’s life.

  It’s freedom.

  6

  “Good morning.” Drake’s mumble was followed with the hint of a smile. He glanced at me, then closed his eyes again. “You survived, huh?”

  I couldn’t help but follow his lead with a grin of my own. “Yes.”

  “S’pose you’re hungry.”

  Hunger woke me hours ago, now I was ravenous.

  “It’s the change, you’ll eat more now and you’ll need to rest, especially at the beginning. Women shifters are different than men.” He yawned, and slapped his hand over his mouth, a little too late. “Okay, I’m up. Food it is, although I’m going to have to go out to get it.”

  “We should’ve stocked up last night when we had all that energy,” I muttered, glancing over at Coen.

  “You going to be okay here?” Drake’s question held an underlying tone of worry.

  “Sure, take your time.”

  He rolled out of bed and I stared at his body. His length was flaccid, slapping against his thigh as he pulled on shorts. I knew now from experience that it wouldn’t take much to turn his need for food into something else. He caught my stare as I muttered. “On second thought, you better hurry back.”

  That sheepish grin settled on his face. Gone was the relaxed look he had moments ago. Now, Drake came alive. His eyes settled on my bare breasts, the sheet barely covering the juncture of my thighs. I stretched out my legs, sliding the edge lower, revealing what his hungry gaze sought. He licked his lips and combed a hand through his hair. “Right, I’ll be quick, then.”

  I followed him, lingering on the doorway when he disappeared.

  “Gone for food has he?”

  I flinched at the sound of Coen’s voice. My heart hammered, I pressed my palm against my chest to quell the thunder. “You scared the life from me. He’ll be back soon.”

  “No need to hurry on my account.” The silence lingered before his leg trapped me, moving over my body as he straddled my thighs in one fluid motion. “It’s nice to have you all to myself. I’ve never been any good with sharing.”

  A shiver raced through my body. Those dark eyes held
me. “You seemed okay with sharing last night.”

  Coen dropped his weight, to kiss the side of my neck. “You still smell like her you know? I wanted you last night, right after the change when you were weak and vulnerable. I wanted to bite your neck and mount you from behind. I wanted to hurt you, fill you with pain and pleasure until you didn’t know where one started and the other one ended. I wanted you, only you, and I wanted Drake out of our way.”

  My body betrayed me, flushing with heat, it sent signals I wasn’t prepared to give. “Stop, Coen.”

  “Why? I’m just getting started.” His hand slid down my thigh, forcing my leg aside to find my crease with his fingers. The heat was fast, finding the path he made then left my body as he rose up. His arms shuddered as he forced his way inside. I was caught on the brand on his arm, but it was the mark on my arm which filled my mind. Memories were as brutal as his thrusts. The numbers were scanned before the tests, each one took a piece of my mind. How many had there been, hundreds, thousands?

  My breath caught from the hard stroke. There was no waiting this time. I gripped the sheets while he rammed his cock home, taking, taking. Everyone took… everyone except Drake.

  Coen slid his hand around my neck as though he tried to recapture what we shared last night. He set those cold eyes on mine. His force slammed me into the mattress. I bounced harder and faster, until with a shudder and a sigh, he came. Harsh breaths were the only thing we shared, mine in fear, his in excitement until he pulled free and rolled off the bed. He turned to the wardrobe, his voice dark and dangerous. “You love him, don’t you?”

  There was something primal in his motions as he stared at my sex. I could feel his fluid leak from my body. Some part of me wanted to cover myself, hide my true feelings, hide the true me. “No. I don’t know.”

  “But you feel different about me. Different than you do about him.”

  I swallowed. “I feel warm inside.”

  He dropped his head, one slow nod, then those bottomless eyes turned back to me. “That’s okay, that’ll all change. They told me it would be quick. He won’t feel a thing, that’s all you have to remember. He won’t feel a thing.” Coen strode from the room.

  I shook my head, staring at the empty doorway as I reached for my clothes. The cold touch snaked its way along my spine as I shrugged into the shirt and yanked on my jeans. The chemical smell pierced my nose, dragging me back to the hell I escaped from. My mind froze for a second as the sound of heavy boots filled the cabin.

  Navy blue uniforms filled the room. The radio blast hurt my ears. I dropped to the floor, trying to piece together what had happened.

  “You can’t come in here.” I snarled at Guard. “This is not your room.”

  Hands reached for me as I skidded along the floor. There were too many to fight. I raised my lip, my teeth bared as I felt the shift. I let her go. She’d fight and she’d kill.

  They told me it would be quick. He won’t feel a thing.

  Drake.

  “No. No, no wait! Don’t hurt him. Guard, don’t hurt him!” My body vibrated with my screams. I dropped to the ground, my hands twisting and turning. Claws grew from my nails. My skin turned darker in the sunlight as auburn hair broke through.

  “She’s turning! Hit her now. Now!”

  A needle pierced my skin. The pain sharp, digging into my arm. I lunged with teeth and claws, clamping on an arm that swung my way. Screams filled the room, blood seeped through his uniform as Guard bucked. A blow caught me across the face. Coen slammed into me, driving me into the floor. “Stop fighting, Mia. Stop, for fuck’s sake.”

  I gnashed the air, so close to his face. My voice distorted. “Why Coen, why?”

  “We can be together. There’s no fighting, no running. They’ll take care of us, now that you’ve shifted and survived. We’ll live like kings, Mia.”

  “No.” The hoarse rasp tore free. The room around me swayed in a sickening loop. I was stuck, half werewolf, half human as the drugs took hold. Drake was all I could think of. My vision blurred and tears slipped from my eyes as I was lifted, Velcro cuffs clasped my hands together. I was a prisoner once more.

  My feet dragged along the ground as they carried me from the room. I forced my head up and stared into Coen’s eyes as I passed. “Never turn your back on me. Because I’ll kill you the first chance I get.”

  My feet hit the ground. I half walked, was half carried. My feet couldn’t keep up. Still I wrenched my arm free and stumbled. Held by the binds around my wrist I forced myself to move. The forest crowded my vision, still I searched, inhaling the air, trying to get a bead on Drake’s scent.

  “It was either me or him, you know. They were waiting for him to radio in and tell them you survived.”

  Tripped by unseen roots I stumbled and regained my footing. “That’s a lie.”

  “Is it? Why do you think he was there that night, Mia? Why would we be holed up in some cabin in the middle of nowhere? We’re the net that captures the ones who get away. I’ve gotta admit, we were surprised when we got the call.”

  My feet stopped. I swayed under the effect of his words. Everything was a lie… every damn word. I touched my chest and stared at my fingers, expecting blood. The puncture was so brutal, I wasn’t meant to survive.

  I never escaped from that cell. I was never free. My feet moved, one foot in front of the other, but there was no life in the movement. I shoved the world away and slipped inside that barrier. My wolf mewled and brushed against me. My fingers found fur. Her orange eyes reminded me of the fire we shared hours ago. We let down our walls, and we welcomed Guard back in. Guard jerked me forward by my wrists. I stumbled to catch up, towed through the forest, we left the cabin behind.

  The radio chatter kept the silence at bay. Coen tried to talk to me, but I was gone, out of reach. They couldn’t hurt me in here. They could have the body. I sank my fingers in deep until the wolf and I were one and the same. We’ll be okay in here. They can have the body… its means nothing anyway.

  Amber eyes stared at me from inside.

  Guard stumbled, fell. He didn’t get up. I kept walking as the rope from my cuffs went slack. The radio chatter turned panicked. I was wrenched from my feet and thrown to the ground. Coen pressed me into the ground face first. His screams were deafening. “He’s out there somewhere. Fuck’s sake. I thought you said you took care of this?” Coen’s grip tightened around my arm. “Stay here, you got it? Stay right here. Do not fucking move.”

  Air rushed in. I turned, scanning the fallen bodies around me. Guard closest to me clawed the ground. An arrow jutted from his chest. Blood splattered his chin with each breath he took. His vibrant eyes fell on me as he fumbled for the radio at his hip.

  I yanked myself up and shoved the binding to my mouth as a howl tore through the forest. My wolf knew that howl. The radio blared, the voice on the other end demanding their location. Guard raised the handset, his finger on the button. I clamped my teeth on his shirt cuff and wrenched my head from side to side. This is your time. Do what you need to do.

  We were no longer divided, wolf and I. We were one and the same, woman slipped into wolf like a different change of clothes. I padded forward, steps light, scenting the air. Blood, danger were all around me. Guard opened his mouth as I approached. His lips moved, stuttering into the mouthpiece. I saw and felt everything now, his heartbeat thundered, inciting my own to the chase. I saw the branding on his uniform as though this were the first time.

  Carlton Laboratories.

  Guard.

  Guard lifted his hand. His eyes were empty, just like Coen’s. I peeled back my lips and opened my mouth as I stepped forward.

  “No, please. No… no. N—”

  The radio fell to the ground. The squeal on the other end could no longer help him. No one could. I lunged, clamping my teeth around his neck. With one fierce jerk, skin and sinew parted. The predator in me was one they created. No bars could hold me, not now, not ever.

  I turned from the wounded
and the dying and inhaled. Drake’s scent was tainted with blood. He’d come back for me. He fought to save me. That meant something. Another howl severed the air further off in the distance. My ears were pinned to the back of my head.

  My feet dug into the ground as I lunged, spearing through the forest. The trees were a blur, whipping passed me as I bounded over fallen logs, searching, hunting. Savage snarls drifted toward me. I pushed my body faster, pummeling the ground with hard pads of my feet as I raced to catch up. Their tails lifted like flags. Fur bristled. Brutal sounds ravaged my heart, spearing fear through my veins.

  Coen’s brown fur glistened with crimson, but the blood was not his. He dropped his head, eyes focused on Drake’s neck, tearing, shredding, forcing himself up on his hind legs to push Drake over.

  No! I raced forward, driving my head into the side of his body, forcing those granite eyes onto me. I clamped my teeth on his shoulder, fangs sank into the muscle, tearing my way through thick fur. Coen’s howl vibrated in my ear, then went silent even though his jowls hung open. I released my hold, only to skid back. One glance behind me released blue sky. Just a little more. I snarled and lunged, only to shuffle backward. Coen stalked forward. He had new prey in his sights.

  Come on, you piece of shit.

  Smooth rock replaced soft dirt. I skidded, finding my grip and edged back slowly. Coen shifted his gaze behind me to the open sky, then back to me. A spark of recognition gave those cruel eyes something to hold onto. My toes slipped. I scrambled for a hold. That voice inside whispered. Just let go. What will be, will be. There’ll be no more fighting, no more running— no more of anything.

  I drew him closer, like gravity. He stepped onto the ledge, as I skidded back. My whimper made those bottomless eyes sparkle. Coen sprang, taking me by surprise. His claws caught me across the face, my feet slipped. The rough pads of my paws were useless against the smooth rock. I clawed the jutting edges while my back feet slipped over the edge. Teeth ravaged me. I was powerless, caught between the fall and Coen.