Summer Shifter Nights

by Harmony Raines

  “But seriously, from the moment he saw you, Carly, Brady was head-over-heels in love.” He raises his glass. “To a lifetime of happiness as true mates.”

  We all drink, and Brady kisses me. As he takes it to impolite levels, he asks, “How much longer do we have to wait until I can take you upstairs?”

  I move my hand high up on his thigh, knowing the tablecloth keeps it discreet. Remembering my embarrassment earlier, I reply, “You keep this up, and everyone will smell what I’m thinking. Then it won’t matter.”

  After a few more humorous toasts, Brady and I are called to the dance floor for the first dance. Last week Donna gave us a quick lesson, and we found we move seamlessly together without much practice. Of course, Donna says that’s a mate thing.

  Brady’s strong arm pulls me tight against his chest, and our bodies meld. His large, warm hand envelops mine, and he tucks it against his heart. Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love” begins to play, and we let it lead us in our dance. Our bodies move fluidly as if they’re one. And for this moment in time, we are.

  Unspoken words flutter in our hearts as we feel each other’s muscles flex with the beat. When the song ends, Brady speaks in my mind. “I love you, Carly. We are one from this day forward. You are mine, and I am yours.”

  I reply, “Always yours, Brady, always. I love you.”

  The tempo of the music picks up, and people swarm to join us. We’re stolen from each other to dance with different partners. Brady has so many friends that after a few songs I let him enjoy them and seek out Sierra.

  Wind picks up and blows a strand of hair into my mouth. I glance at the darkening sky, wondering if another storm is coming. When I spot my friend, she’s dancing with a bunch of girls, and Victor is trying to get her attention. I shudder and watch from a distance as I slowly make my way over. When he takes her arm and leans into her neck, my anger surges. A rumble erupts from my chest, and I broadcast my communication. “You bastard. Get your hands off my friend.” Fabric tears as I shift, and various growls sound in my head.

  I move more quickly and notice his hands turn to claws. I’m upon them in a split second, but it’s too late. Victor’s fangs are dripping with blood, and Sierra has a bite on her shoulder. With strength beyond anything I’ve ever known, I throw him off her as my ears ring with my roar.

  Sierra’s face is ashen, and she begins to whimper. I catch her as she falls. “Carly, it burns. Oh God, it burns.”

  “Brady! He’s trying to change her and make her his mate!” I place my snout over her shoulder and suck with all my might. The metallic flavor of her blood fills my mouth as I spit and suck in hopes I’m taking away Victor’s venom. Brady’s voice speaks in my head. “We’re here.”

  I lift my head and bark out an order. “Keith, bite her mark. Now!”

  Keith’s claws rip her dress from her breast, and he sinks long white teeth into her flesh. Sierra shrieks in fear and probably pain. My heart clenches. Oh God, I should have protected her. She’s the only human here, and I knew Victor was dangerous.

  I hear Brady order Keith to bring her to our room. Annie speaks in my head. “What can I do?”

  Rage threatens to blind me as I reply, “Find Victor but don’t kill him. I want to tear his heart out.”

  Brady growls to us both. “I’m going to rip him apart limb by limb.”

  I hear Brady call to Laurent and the other warriors, and I’m tempted to join them on the hunt. But Sierra needs me. She’s about to go through hell, and I want to be there for her. My claws clatter on the kitchen floor as I lumber inside. Bones crunch while I move, and I’ve shifted by the time I’m upstairs. My dress is in tatters, and pieces of fabric flap against me.

  By the time I get to my room, I’m trembling with rage and fear for Sierra. Keith has her on the bed, and she’s thrashing. Her screams hurt my ears. He’s shifted back too, and his naked human form struggles to keep Sierra still. I find his shredded shirt on the floor, and fabric rips when I make strips to tie her down.

  My heart is in my throat as I remember what being restrained felt like. But her claws will come out and tear at her skin any moment now. She’ll want to scrape away the pain the way I wanted to. While Keith does his best to keep her safe, I tie her ankles to the end of the bed and her wrists to the sides.

  I sit beside her, and Keith steps away. Moments later a shirt Keith threw hits my side and startles me. I take it in my hands and clutch it as I make soothing noises. Sierra’s body is flushed with the changing and struggling to reject it. She passes out, and it’s suddenly quiet.

  The worn cotton of Brady’s tee slithers over my body like his embrace when I put it on. I imagine how awful it must have been wondering if I would die when I went through this. It’s a small comfort to know Sierra will live, although she may wish she hadn’t. I stroke her arm while I wait.

  Sierra is conscious again, and the bed groans as she begins to struggle. Her skin ripples with the bones growing underneath. Shrieks slice into my heart, and I wish I could endure the pain for her. Keith flinches at her cries.

  I offer him a solace. “She’s a fighter. She’ll get through this.” His brow furrows as he gazes at Sierra’s muscles flexing in what I know is torturous cramping. “If you need a break, I can do this alone.”

  Keith shakes his head with a small growl. “I need to be here for her.”

  Pride surges through me at his strength, and I think he joins me in silent prayers to the gods to end Sierra’s change.

  When she passes out again, I rise to pace. The music from the band has stopped, and growls are interrupted by occasional howls in a near-deafening roar. The party is over, and every able-bodied werebear is on the hunt for Victor.

  I look down at a peaceful Sierra. Her claws are extending and retracting as her body tries to shift. Hair is growing on her forearms and being swallowed up by her skin repeatedly, and for a moment I’m taken with watching the process. My sweet, beautiful friend. I never wanted her to have to suffer this.

  Anger licks at me as I replay Victor’s attack. Air rushes in and out of my lungs as I focus to keep from shifting. I wonder what this means for the Le Roux clan. Our secret about calling women to bear children is out.

  Oh God, what about Lily and Taylor? And any other woman who managed to tattoo the sign on her body? They aren’t safe.

  I glance at Keith and notice dried blood is streaked on his face where Sierra must have scratched him. His eyes rise up to mine. In a near whisper he says, “You’re an alpha. How can both you and Brady be the alpha?”

  I shake my head. “I don’t know. I think when he changed me, we became one.”

  Keith takes a quick breath, and his eyes widen. “What if we didn’t get to Sierra in time? What if she and Victor are one?”

  My stomach rolls at the possibility, but I don’t share that with Keith. “You’re her mate, Keith, not Victor.”

  He whispers, “You don’t know that.”

  I’m tempted to use my alpha voice and tell him I do. But I won’t lie and abuse the power. Instead I reach over and comb my fingers through Sierra’s hair to get it off her face. I know how she hates that. I ask, “How long will she be like this?”

  His hands clench, and I guess he’s struggling with shifting. “It took you about two hours to change. But this is taking much longer.”

  I stifle rage at my helplessness, and defiance makes me try to communicate with Sierra. “Don’t you leave me here after all of this. I can’t be the only one that gets wild bear sex.”

  Annie comes up to sit with us a while later. She’s brought a bowl of water and washcloths. Handing one to Keith and me, she offers us a small smile. “Donna’s outside handing out doggy bags to everyone as they leave.”

  Warmth soaks into terrycloth as I wet it to wipe Sierra’s face. I imagine Donna is best under pressure and ever the perfect hostess. Sierra moans, and I wince for her agony.

  I speak to Brady in my head. “Where are you?”

  “I’m calling off t
he hunt. Victor got away tonight, but we know where to find him. And we will. How’s Sierra?”

  “Still out.”

  “I’ll be back soon.”

  Sierra begins to thrash at the restraints. I speak softly. “Sierra, we’re here. You’re okay.”

  Her eyes open in fear, and she yanks at the ties on her wrists. “What the fuck?”

  Keith leans over and strokes her cheek. “Hey, not how I wanted it to happen, sweetie, but you’re a werebear now. I’m sorry.”

  We begin to untie her, and she says, “Holy shit, that hurt. I better be a sexy freak when this is all done.”

  I chuckle. “Oh, Sierra, I love you.” I pull at the final knot to let her free. When she is, Keith scoops her into his arms and holds her gently.

  Sierra reaches out for my hand, and I squeeze. From her puzzled look I guess Keith’s talking to her in his head.

  She smiles, and I could try to tap into their phone line but decide not to. It’s probably personal. He nuzzles into her hair, and Sierra rubs her wrists distractedly. “Love you right back.”

  I notice her hands are shaking when she suddenly stiffens. “Keith, honey, could you get me a glass of water, please?”

  “Sure.” He places her gently on the bed.

  Once Keith is in the bathroom, Sierra grabs my arm so hard her nails dig into me. Her eyes are wide. When we hear water run, she whispers, “Carly, Victor is talking in my head too.”

  Ice runs through my veins, and my heart skips a beat. I put my finger to my lips. I open my silent communication to Brady too. “Sierra, Victor can talk in your head all he wants, but you’re a Le Roux. He has no idea what he’s stepped into.”

  Part 3

  Carly Robichaux Cutler LeRoux? Stumbling on my biological mother was the last thing I expected when I moved to Maine. And boy is this discovery a doozy, because my DNA gave me more than just blue eyes. But that’s the least of my worries. Sierra’s living a nightmare that could destroy more than her sanity.

  Sierra Steele – werebear. I knew the transformation would be hell, but being bitten by the wrong guy brought evil along with it. Now I’m torn between two men – the one who has my heart and the one who’s invaded my mind.

  31

  Chapter 1

  Sierra

  I wake to find I’m restrained. I fight against the rough cotton strips, but my arms are so tired that they’re the consistency of overcooked noodles. I gulp in air and think I might hyperventilate. “What the fuck?”

  Keith’s unique scent is almost overpowering, and his concerned face hovers over me. He says, “Hey, not how I wanted it to happen, sweetie, but you’re a werebear now. I’m sorry.”

  When I move, every inch of my body aches as if I was run over by a freight train. I say, “Holy shit, that hurt.”

  Carly’s fingers work at removing the strips of fabric holding me down, and I recall my last conscious thoughts. I was at dancing at Carly’s wedding with girls from work. Victor interrupted me, and the vision of his hand sprouting hair made ice flood my veins, because I realized he was shifting. That’s when he bit my neck. After he did, hot pain stabbed at my neck, and fire spread through my body. I glance at Keith. He bit me, too.

  Keith’s smile is weak, and I wish I had the strength to touch his face to reassure him of my love. I smile up at him instead. He had to have been so worried about me going through the change. I know they restrained me to keep my claws from tearing at my skin, and I remember my bones feeling as though they were being broken a million times. The pain was so intense that I passed out more than once.

  I say, “I better be a sexy freak when this is all done.”

  Carly says, “Oh God, Sierra, I love you.” She’s finished untying me and is massaging my hand.

  Keith’s calloused fingers stroke my cheek, and his voice is in my head. “I love you. I wanted the first words you hear in your head to be that, so you’ll never forget.”

  “Love you right back.” Keith and I had talked about how he would turn me into a werebear when the time was right. He wanted it to be part of our marriage. Victor’s face flashes in my mind, but I shove the vision aside. I can get mad at him later. I try to communicate in my head to Keith. “Now we can sneak off for sex without everyone hearing our plans.”

  Keith doesn’t even blush at my words. He didn’t hear me? A voice breaks through, and I realize it’s Victor. “Ah, my precious. Good to know fucking was the first thing on your mind. I can’t wait to taste you.”

  A twinge of desire for Victor makes my blood run cold, and I swallow panic to speak out loud as calmly as I can. “Keith, honey, could you get me a glass of water, please?”

  “Sure.”

  Victor keeps talking. “What? No response?” His sinister laugh comes through, and then he says, “We’ll talk dirty later. Now that you’re my mate, we’ve got a lot to discuss.”

  The rush of water from Keith filling a glass in the bathroom sink sounds like a waterfall with my new supersensitive hearing. I grab Carly’s arm and whisper as quietly as I can, “Carly, Victor’s talking in my head, too.” Her eyes widen, and she puts a finger to her lips as she speaks in my mind. “Sierra, Victor can talk in your head all he wants, but you’re a Le Roux. He has no idea what he’s stepped into.”

  My heart races as I try to sort out what to do. I don’t dare think anything until I understand how communicating in my head works. The tumbler is cool in my hand when I take it from Keith. I gulp some down and say, “Someone explain how this head-talking thing works.”

  Carly hands me a T-shirt, and I realize I’m naked under the sheet barely covering me. She answers, and her words make me think she knows why I’m asking. “You concentrate on who you want to talk to and say it in your head as if you’re seeing them face to face.” She touches my arm to get my full attention. “Unfortunately, you can’t keep an alpha from hearing things if they want to listen.”

  She winks at Keith. “But Brady and I have to focus to do it. Your thoughts don’t just come through, and we won’t eavesdrop.”

  I pull the soft cotton shirt under my butt. “Wait, you’re an alpha? I thought only the prime in a clan could be the alpha.”

  “Apparently there are two alphas in this clan. We’re not sure how it happened to me.” Carly is bunching up the bottom of what must be a shirt of Brady’s. She’s not telling me something, but I know better than to force it out of her. She’ll tell me when she’s ready.

  I stretch my arms above my head, hoping to ease the tension in my body, but all it does is confirm that every inch of me hurts. “Sorry I ruined your wedding.”

  Brady speaks as he enters the room. “Sierra, you didn’t ruin our wedding.” His jaw clenches, and a low growl sounds. I wonder if Carly’s talking to him.

  Keith is clearly speaking to Brady by the way he’s scowling at him, and I wish they would say it all out loud. “Hey, anyone want to share what’s going on?”

  Brady says, “We sent men after Victor, but he got away.” He glances at Keith. “He tried to make Sierra his mate. We need to figure out why.”

  I realize I can’t keep the fact Victor can talk to me from Keith. This is the man I plan to spend the rest of my life with. I reach for his hand and notice it’s not searing hot anymore. “Keith, Victor can talk in my head too.”

  I watch as Keith’s jaw clenches, and his eyes turn stormy gray. He stands abruptly, and the chair he was in crashes to the floor. As he paces the room, his breathing is loud and deep, and I know he’s trying to stay in human form.

  I say, “I didn’t talk back to him.”

  Brady says, “Look, while he bit Sierra, he’s not mated to her. They have to have sex for that to happen. You need to do it first.”

  But the fact Victor can speak in my head is making my sweet bear rage with jealousy. “Keith, he still repulses me.” I shudder a bit. “His smell disgusts me.”

  I swing my legs over the edge of the bed so I can go to him. But he comes to me and kneels on the floor. I spread
my legs to let him come closer. His warmth against my thighs turns me on, and I know he can smell my arousal as I stroke his jawline with a finger. I take a deep breath. “If Victor and I were mated, I wouldn’t want to drink you in. Like this.”

  He rises up to me, and we kiss. Our tongues dance as we taste each other, and the sensations make me giddy with our love. I will it to flow into him and take away his anguish. I follow him a little when he breaks away.

  My nipples are aroused and hyperaware of the fabric of my shirt. My senses are in overdrive, and I’m so wet for Keith. I recall how his body tenses and the sound of his roar when he comes. I speak in my head. “Take me home and to your bed. I want to be in your arms with you inside me.”

  I hope Victor is listening so he’ll know I’m screwing Keith.

  Keith’s gaze is intense. “I will. You’re mine, Sierra.”

  32

  Chapter 2

  Carly

  Once Brady and I figured out we were both alphas, we should have told Donna. But my life has been crazy since Sierra and I arrived here from California in response to the call in our dreams—the call that gave me my first tattoo and a true mate.

  I crack an egg, and it sizzles when the contents hit the hot pan. Within weeks of meeting Brady, I became a werebear and got pregnant. And now I’m married.

  I flip my fried eggs onto a plate. Anger licks at me as I recall Victor at my wedding. I want to kill him for what he did to my friend. The moment I saw him touch Sierra, I knew his plan. He wants her for himself and tried to steal her from the Le Roux.

  I stab at the yolk to release yellow liquid. While the Le Roux have a curse that made all their women barren, the Veilleux are capable of reproducing to keep their clan strong. What does he want from her? Victor doesn’t need a human woman like Sierra.

  I recall meeting Marion Robichaux at the wedding and her asking about the stag pin I put on my wedding dress. When I told her it had belonged to my mother, she said “Charlotte” in my head. Is she the woman I remember reading to me when I was a small child?