by Bonnie Vanak
“Well?” He gave the auctioneer an impatient look.
“Going, going, gone.” The auctioneer banged the gavel, wiped his forehead.
It was over. But apparently not, because Rodney, the tipsy bear shifter, stood again.
“Aw hell, sweetheart, you cheated! I want to see skin! Take her clothes off!”
Time to go. But as I stepped off the dais, the bear shifter raced up the steps. Claws extended from his fingers. With one mighty yank, he tore off my robe and nightgown. Fabric parted, slithered down to the floor, leaving me stark naked.
Frozen to the ground, I couldn’t think. Breathe. All I could do was stare into the crowd, which had gone from flashes of amused purple and relaxed blue to hot, hungry red.
My nipples hardened, not from arousal, but the chill in the air. Fisting my hands, I glared at Rodney.
The bear leered at me. “That’s better. Nice package.”
Dante leapt onto the stage before I could blink. Even though Rodney was a half foot taller, Dante yanked Rodney by his collar. He lifted him as if the shifter was a package of rump roast, rattled him, and then tossed him onto the floor.
The crowd roared. Literally roared. They were shifters, after all. .
Red auras flashed with black. My mind felt numb from the surge of hard male energy, cranked up to two levels. I saw two trains of thoughts amongst the shifter males.
Fight or fuck.
Fight and fuck.
“Norm,” I yelled, not for me, but out of fear for the crowd, which would erupt into violence any minute. Someone could get killed.
I had never witnessed this kind of violent aura energy since working here.
Dante shrugged out of his dinner jacket and placed it around my trembling shoulders.
Fortunately, Rodney’s alpha, Sam, ran over. He shook his younger brother some more. “You numbskull.” He jabbed a finger at his brother’s chest. “How many times did I warn you? Do. Not. Touch.”
Sam shook his brother again. “Apologize to the lady. And Dante.”
Staring at the ground, Rodney muttered a half-hearted apology.
The bear alpha shook him again. “Louder, you nit.”
Rodney took a deep breath. He looked straight at me, and then Dante. “I’m sorry.”
Dante nodded.
Sam nodded back.
Whether that was some secret shifter thing, an alpha acknowledgement, I didn’t know. Or care. The important matter was the crowd’s auras faded to a mild yellow laced with red.
No more black. Shoulders sagging with relief, I released a small sigh.
At least I could feel safe now. Facing a room filled with angry, cranked up shifters wasn’t pleasant for anyone, let alone a human who couldn’t change into a wolf.
Or a bear.
Or a tiger.
Or a lion.
Or a panther.
Or a coyote.
Even a snake shifter like Norm could defend himself better than I could against fangs and claws.
“When we get home, you’re scrubbing the bathroom floors on your hands and knees. With a toothbrush,” Sam admonished his brother.
Sam dragged his red-faced brother away. The rest of the clan surrounded him and they left in a hurry.
Saying nothing, Dante watched them. When they had exited the room, he studied the crowd.
“Peyton is ours. Understand? The next shifter who dares to touch her will leave here in a body bag.”
Ours?
“Ah.” I struggled to find my voice. “Dante, what is this about… ours?”
His dark gaze flicked to me. He offered a reassuring smile that did nothing to reassure me.
“I’ll see you soon, Peyton. I have to settle with Norm. Go to the room, get comfortable.”
Surprise shot through me as he stepped forward, and pressed the sweetest kiss against my cold cheek.
He turned and leapt off the stage. I could almost envision him as alpha wolf, leaping onto the floor on all four paws.
A cold chill shot down my spine.
Ours?
What the hell had I gotten myself into?
6
Alexander
Peyton was scared, and that rattled me.
I could smell her fear, like every shifter in the room could. Smelling fear amps up a shifter’s instincts. If it’s prey the shifter is after, then the chase instinct is triggered.
For some males when they smell fear in a female, it gets them erect and violent, ready for sex.
For others, good shifters like my alpha Dante, it triggers what Gabe calls the do not fuck with her or I’ll rip your arms out by the sockets instinct.
Fortunately, Sam, Rodney’s brother and alpha, diffused the situation. And by covering Peyton with his own jacket, Dante not only shielded her nudity, but said in a very loud gesture that she was covered by his protection.
That shock of seeing Peyton naked, though. Good thing I was sitting down. All that creamy, smooth flesh, those round breasts tipped with coral nipples…
As enraged as I was over the violent crudeness of her being stripped bare, my very male brain triggered another very male instinct.
I had to fight hard to get my impulses under control. I had to warn my dick to calm down, which is rather hard when it’s straining against my trousers, eager to mount and claim.
Fortunately, most likely because Gabe felt the same, he delivered a good, hard kick to my shins. The kick served to remind me of the abuse I’ve endured, and my erection slowly faded.
I watched as a stage hand hustled her away. No fear that the stage hand would take her to a back room to claim what was rightfully Dante’s, for I knew that all the stage hands Norm selected for this event were mated.
They would no more think of fucking another female than they would their own mothers.
Shifters seldom, if ever, cheat on their mates.
But that glimpse of Peyton’s naked body served as reassurance. She is definitely the female for me. Not only does she possess the kind nature and emotional strength I need in a lover, but she’s sexy and arouses me in a way no other female has.
When Dante originally proposed his plan, I agreed. Not because he’s my alpha, or it was an excellent way to solve the lack of mates problem in our pack.
I agreed because Peyton, at the heart of her, is the kindest, sweetest female I’ve ever met. Shifter or skin.
She also has a killer bottom, the type that drives me wild. Merely thinking about that plush, shapely bottom nestled against me as I clasp her hips to slide my cock deep inside her tight vagina…
Damn. There goes my erection again.
I’m not the type of male shifter who test drives dozens of women before selecting a mate. I enjoy sex, crave it like any other healthy male. But spending a year in hell, betrayed by a woman who said she loved me, tends to make a male wary.
When it comes to sex, I’d rather read, and when the need strikes, seek out a female the other guys have found for me. It’s rather like riding a horse that the stable manager said is gentle and tame.
If that fails, there’s always my fist. Better that than to risk getting caught again by a female skin who holds me captive.
Tortures me while she laughs.
But Peyton, she’s different. We’ve traded books back and forth, our own private lending library. She likes modern poets mixed in with T.S. Elliot and e.e. cummings, while I prefer the classics, such as Shakespearean sonnets or Lord Byron.
We once argued about poets, and I let it slip that I enjoy reading aloud poetry before I make love. Peyton’s green eyes glinted with mischief and interest. That interest made me think she was more than a friend.
Perhaps she desired me as I desired her.
Then she teased me that Byron was a Regency dandy who was more interested in putting on clothing than taking it off.
When Peyton teases me, I laugh.
There was no laughter coming from me in the cage where my former lover imprisoned me.
Dante and Ga
briel both know and understand this. They have always been considerate around me. I owe them both my life. Dante took me in and gave me a home and a place where I could earn back self-respect.
Gabriel taught me to fight, not merely in wolfskin, but in human skin so no one will ever take advantage of me again.
I know their sexual habits.
I’ve seen Dante fuck a woman at Crossroads against the wall in his clothing, moving subtly against her so you wouldn’t even know he’s fucking her, but for her bare legs wrapped around his waist. He will leave her limp and sated and hounding him for more an hour later.
I’ve seen Gabriel give oral sex to one of the strippers until she begged him to stop. Or not stop.
Sex to us isn’t something to hide in the bedroom. It’s freeing, wild and open.
But once we select a mate, we have sex only with that mate. Werewolves mate for life.
Gabriel will sometimes talk with me late into the night after he’s home from a prowl. He will share information about how he tied up his latest lover and spanked her, or how he made her scream for more when he used his infamous collection of anal plugs.
Gabriel has the largest collection of anal plugs known to shifters. He’s proud of it, as one would collect postage stamps.
On those nights I listen, as a younger brother would listen to an elder brother brag about his sexual conquests. But I’m not like him.
I’m not like them.
I’m different.
I enjoy sex, but my partner has to be trustworthy.
At the same time, Gabe is like a brother to me more than Dante’s beta. We work together as a team to keep the pack safe, and happy.
And make Dante happy and relaxed as well.
Dante knows what I like. What makes me feel safe and yet like a worthy male again. When he rescued me from my former life, I gave him my allegiance.
I gave him my loyalty and with my knowledge of investments and analytics, I gave him, and the pack, a means to make a considerable amount of money.
I would give my life for my alpha.
And what would he do for me?
He would give his mate for me to be my own as well.
I only hope she will agree to our proposal…
7
After the stage hand led me backstage, into the largest Champagne Room, my nervousness returned. The stage hand fished through a closet and handed me a white satin robe. Then he left, closing the door behind him.
Soft lighting from lamps set about the room showed what looked like a bedroom.
I’d been back here a couple of times to check the residual psi energy before clients used the rooms for sex. Shifters are sensitive and if there’s been rough sex in a room with a willing partner, sometimes it triggered a shifter’s wild side.
I’d never been in this lavish suite.
A king-sized bed covered in red satin dominated the room. Soft ecru and red accented the walls, and the Cherrywood bureau and dresser were bare. A built in bar with a mirrored wall sat off in the corner, glass shelves lined with wine and liquor. Crystal glasses hung overhead, sparkling in the quartz lights accenting the bar area.
It looked like a bedroom, not a suite for sex.
Until I looked up and saw my own reflection. Mirrored ceiling.
Trying to contain my nervousness, I opened an adjacent door. Bathroom. Shower large enough for two, or three, with double shower heads. Lined in marble, the fixtures gold. I felt as if I’d walked into some billionaire’s party mansion.
Maybe I should help myself to another drink. Then again, was I allowed? I had been purchased by Dante for the night. What if he didn’t want me drinking and one drink made him demand a refund?
What if I turned out to be colder than the stainless steel mini fridge by the wet bar?
Which reminded me…the lube the good doctor had given me.
Fumbling in the robe’s pocket, I realized it wasn’t there. Oh dear. It was in the pocket of the robe Rodney the bear shifter had ripped off me. I imagined it lying on stage, lights glinting off the sleek black tube.
I buried my face into my hands. What if I was too nervous and scared for Dante to arouse me? Would he be angry?
Somehow I didn’t think so. Dante was a powerful alpha, tough and commanding, but he’d never been inconsiderate.
No, that was left up to the horny bear shifter who wanted to see my bare breasts.
The door opened and Alex walked in. I belted the robe tighter around my waist.
“Hi.” I gave a lame wave. “Here to keep me company while Dante pays the bill?”
Gabriel came on his heels, closed the door. “We’re here to make sure you’re okay, hon. That was a close call with that goddamned bear.”
Concern clouded Alex’s dark gaze behind his glasses. He cupped my shoulders and stared into. “Are you certain you’re all right, Peyton?”
He was so sweet. I gave a nervous laugh. “Fine. You don’t need to worry about me. Teflon Peyton here.”
He brushed a lock of hair away from my face. “Those bears have claws that rip and shred. When bears get excited, they can unintentionally hurt their partners.”
“Or intentionally.” Gabriel paced, looking more agitated than I’d ever seen him. “We need to check and make sure Rodney didn’t hurt you.”
“May we?” Alex asked.
At my nod, Alex slipped the robe off my shoulders. Gabriel walked behind me, lifting my hair, running his fingers over the bare skin of my neck.
Alex’s hands gently caressed my face and then he touched my neck.
“Bears can leave marks. Sometimes it’s intentional. They mark women they intend to claim later in bed,” he murmured.
Behind me Gabriel snorted. “And they mark prey they intend to later kill.”
A shiver raced down my spine. “I’ll skip both, thank you very much.”
Gabriel’s big hands skimmed down my upper back and I heard him mutter under his breath.
Alex stepped aside as Gabriel crossed in front of me, hesitated. “I need to make sure he didn’t hurt you, Peyton. Any part of you.”
He reached for my robe. I trusted them, and I was about to become Dante’s lover. His prize.
The robe fell to the floor in a whisper of satin, puddling at my feet. My body was far from perfect, with the extra pounds I carried, the curves and the thatch of hair at my groin. Most guys like naked women without any body hair.
Alex and Gabriel’s hot gaze swept up and down my front.
“No time for a Brazilian,” I muttered, feeling self-conscious.
“I’ve never had a Brazilian in bed,” Alex said, frowning.
Gabriel punched his arm lightly. “She’s talking about a wax job, you nit, not the country.”
Alex punched Gabriel back. “I know, nit. I was joking.”
Their banter eased the tension in me and I smiled. Then they stepped forward.
Gabriel ran his hands over my body, his touch gentle and barely felt. It wasn’t sexual, but a small thrill went through me as I stood naked before him as Alex watched.
At my left breast he stilled his hand, then swore under his breath. Gabriel rubbed a tiny spot near my hardening nipple.
“There. He got her.”
Anger resonated in his voice, turning his normally cheerful tone dark and sinister. I shivered.
Alex stepped forward, stared at my left breast. Gabriel stopped rubbing and jammed his hands into the pockets of his dinner jacket, swearing again.
Alex touched my breast, his touch gentle as he rubbed circles on the tiny bruise Rodney had left.
“Does it hurt, Peyton?”
His voice came as a bare whisper.
Truth was, I barely felt it.
Then Alex’s thumb lightly grazed my nipple. He circled it, rubbing softly. I bit back a moan. That I felt.
It felt good.
Too good.
Truth was, I was getting aroused from these two shifters inspecting me, touching me. Their concern touched me, but their
touch left me edgy and wanting.
The thought bothered me. I was Dante’s for the night. Would the alpha get furious if he strode inside and found his two betas alone with the naked woman he’d spent half a million to claim?
“I’m fine.” Thrusting out my hands, I stepped back. “Maybe you should leave before Dante gets here.”
A tiny frown puckered Alex’s forehead. “He asked us to stay with you, Peyton.”
“He asked us to make sure you’re ok and Rodney didn’t hurt you,” Gabriel added.
Alex’s gaze darkened. “He asked us to get you to relax, and take care of your needs.”
Oh wow. I wondered where this was going.
Barely had I thought about it when Alex bent his head and kissed the bruise Rodney had left. His tongue flicked out, licked the mark. Then he delivered small kisses across my breast.
My nipples turn diamond hard. When Alex ran his tongue over my left nipple, I bit back a shocked gasp.
My vagina clenched in hard need. This was so not good.
But it felt amazing. I wanted this, I wanted to draw him closer, let him touch me all over.
When Gabriel stepped forward and nuzzled the right side of my neck, shock pummeled me. His hand skimmed my right breast as Alex began to suckle my left breast. Wetness filled my core, and seeped outward, preparing me for penetration.
Penetration by Dante, who owned me for the night. But these two shifters, his best friends, were the ones arousing me, making me gasp and moan as they tenderly licked and kissed my breasts.
My legs felt wobbly and I wanted more. Needed more. I had thought about what my first time would be like, and always longed for something special.
But this went beyond expectation.
Gabriel cupped my bottom as he kept kissing his way down my body. Alex suckled me harder, the exquisite pressure making me throw my head back and arch, as if I offered myself to him.
Two sets of warm, firm male lips upon my untouched, untried body.
Two pairs of hands roaming over my bare skin. Tendrils of their energy, pure, vibrant crimson from their auras, drifted upward. I stared at the ceiling, seeing their mirrored energy intertwine like lovers. Seeing these two strong, handsome shifters pleasuring me.
