by Gale Stanley
“We’re a pack, Kate. Not a large one, just a small group of survivors who followed an older boy west. But we do okay. Sometimes we find one of our own, and they join us. We want you to join us.”
Kate’s eyes went wide. She hadn’t expected any of this. Shaking her head, she pulled her hand away. “I have a home. I live here with Shiloh.”
“This isn’t living, Kate,” Gage said softly.
Kate sighed heavily. “We have a complicated relationship, but it works for us.”
Gage bit his lip. “He’s not—”
“I know you were with him last night.” She shrugged. “He likes men. I won’t stop him from going after what he needs to be happy.”
“And what do you need to be happy, Kate?”
“I am happy,” she said with finality.
Gage stood. “Will you at least think about it?”
When she looked at these men, her heart ached with grief and regret. Sometimes the hurt eased up, and she thought she was healing. Then something would happen, and back it came. Right now it was back, ripping her heart out again. And this time it was worse, because she hurt for these men as well as herself. But that didn’t mean she could live with them. Being near them made her long for a world she hardly remembered, but it was too late. She was more human than wolf.
Suddenly the house wasn’t big enough for all of them. She felt suffocated by life, by her grief and theirs. Kate stood and walked toward the door. “Thank you for coming, but I can’t leave here. Shiloh needs me.”
“We need you.”
His words made her feel guilty, and she had no idea why. They had gotten along without her up until now. She didn’t owe these men anything, and she steeled her resolve. “He takes care of me.”
“We’ll take care of you.”
Two pairs of sad eyes bored into her, and her mind churned with confused thoughts. What would it be like to live with her own people again? She couldn’t do it. She didn’t know how. “And who will take care of Shiloh?”
The men had no answer for her. They walked toward the door, their muscles rippling with the same sexual tension she felt. They focused on her like predators hunting their prey. She shivered, but her only fear was that if they didn’t leave now, she might end up begging them to stay, betrayed by her own body.
“I’m sorry if we upset you. Believe me, it was not my intention. I’d like to see you again.” Gage held out a hand.
Afraid to touch him, Kate looked at his hand like it was a snake. Finally she took his hand and made the mistake of looking up into his eyes. In slow motion, they moved toward each other with a weird, dreamy intimacy that she could no more resist than she could stop breathing. The first touch of lips joined them with the heat of a soldering iron to metal, and they shared a kiss full of passion and need.
As Gage explored her mouth, Tanner came up behind her and nuzzled her neck. She whimpered, and Gage broke their kiss. Long fingers grasped her chin and turned her head. She met Tanner’s golden gaze, feeling a slight tingle of alarm. Then she forgot everything as he slanted his head and his mouth closed softly over hers. She kissed him back, savoring the sweetness but burning for more. The magic of his taste overrode her inhibitions, and shocked at her own eager response to the touch of his lips, she let her tongue press for entrance. Tanner groaned and met her tongue with his. When he finally pulled away, she whimpered at the loss of contact. The kisses left her weak and confused, and Kate felt sure if she hadn’t been sandwiched between the men, she might have fallen.
She felt a wild surge of pleasure as Gage took her lips again and forced her mouth open with his thrusting tongue. Tanner pulled her hair back and traced the shell of her ear with his tongue, then nipped the lobe. His hands slid under her tank top and cupped her breasts, massaging them gently then rolling her nipples between his fingers until they were hard little points.
She hardly noticed when Gage swept her off her feet and carried her into the bedroom, then deposited her on the big bed she shared with Shiloh. He unzipped her damp shorts, breathed them in, and dropped them to the floor. She lifted her arms, and Tanner pulled her shirt over her head.
Lying back against the pillows, she watched both men as they stripped. Two pairs of boots were quickly kicked away, then shirts torn off, and buttons went flying. Lastly they shoved jeans over slim hips, and she was able to see the solid evidence of each man’s arousal. A moment of doubt crept into her head at the sight of the two highly aroused Lycans, both seducing her with feral wolf eyes, their long, thick cocks fully engorged. Gage climbed onto the bed and started crawling toward her, his amber eyes on fire, and all thought fled as his hungry mouth settled on hers, feasting like a starving man.
The mattress shifted as Tanner settled next to her. She released Gage’s lips, and Tanner leaned over her shoulder to steal them. The two men shared a deep kiss, and the sight stoked the fire burning inside her. They broke apart, and two dark heads bent, each sucking a swollen nipple into the wet heat of their mouths. Kate cried out as two tongues flicked her swollen nubs, lashing them to hard points and sending explosive currents to her pussy. Her hips bucked as she writhed against them, begging for more.
Gage drew her nipple taut, teased it with his tongue, then suckled harder. Tanner released her breast with a soft pop and shifted position. He settled between her thighs and pushed them apart. The first stroke of his sandpaper tongue along her damp folds surprised a desperate moan of need from her depths. Each swipe of tongue sparked a fresh jolt of electricity through her body and had her arching for more. While Tanner lapped at her pussy, Gage tortured her breasts, pinching her nipples and sucking one, then the other.
Tanner’s palms cupped her ass, bringing her sex closer to his mouth. He sucked her swollen button gently, and the sensation made her gasp and lift her hips. When he nipped her clit, he took her over the edge, and she cried out in a moment of pure ecstasy.
When she finally opened her eyes, both men were staring down at her, their smoldering eyes pinning her with heat. She stared back, knowing her eyes reflected the same heat back to them. A great, aching emptiness took her, a void that needed to be filled. Never before had she been so aroused, so excited, and so anxious to be penetrated.
“Tell me what you need, sweetheart.” Gage bent his head to brush his lips against hers.
“Whatever you want, baby.” Tanner echoed him.
Emotion had her on the brink of tears. Her men were both steel hard and probably hanging on to control by their claws, but their first thoughts were for her. “Fuck me.” She looked from one to the other.
Gage combed a hand through his long hair and frowned. “I don’t know…”
“You said whatever I wanted.” Her lip quivered. “Don’t you want me?”
“Oh, God.” Gage settled down next to her and held her tight against his body. The hard ridge of his cock pressed into her hip. “You have no idea how much I want you.” He rubbed circles on her back. “But I don’t want to hurt you. I know Tanner doesn’t either.”
Kate cupped his jaw. “You won’t.”
“Have you ever been with two men before?” he asked quietly.
The idea of having both of these men inside her at once made her shudder. She shook her head. “But I want to be.”
Tanner pressed closer, his erection nudging her butt. He nuzzled her neck. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure I want you, both of you.”
Gage kissed her tenderly. “We won’t hurt you, sweetheart.”
Kate pretended to pout. “How disappointing.”
“That’s my girl.” Grinning, Gage slapped her ass and lay flat on his back. “Climb on, you little minx. Ride me.”
Kate straddled his hips and gripped his cock like the horn of a saddle. Gage groaned and thrust up into her hands. “Fuck, baby. Keep doing that, and this will be over way too soon.”
“Oh no.” She released him like a hot potato. She wanted this, them, way too much to have it be over so soon. Her head spun as she hea
rd Tanner rummaging in the nightstand.
“Lube?” he asked. “Never mind, I found it.” The mattress dipped as he climbed up behind her.
“Kate?” Gage caught her eyes. “Do you want me inside you?”
“God yes.” This is what she’d been missing. Tonight she would have what had long been denied her.
“Ride me, sweetheart,” he urged.
Tanner gripped her hips and helped her to her knees. Positioning her weeping pussy over Gage’s stiff cock, she sank down on his length, impaling herself. They both groaned at the contact as Gage pulled her down, giving Tanner access to her ass. She shuddered as he spread cool lube between her cheeks and slipped a finger past the tight ring of muscle at her entrance.
Tanner stilled. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she whispered, a shudder rippling down her back. “Please don’t stop.”
Tanner pulled out and slowly inserted two fingers. “Still okay, baby?”
“Yes,” she hissed. “More, please.”
Tanner removed his fingers, and Kate felt the fat head of his cock press against her ass. For a second she froze. Then he pushed inside and stopped.
“Jesus, you’re so fucking tight.” Tanner growled. “You feel so good.” He pressed deeper, and she whimpered at the burn.
Gage murmured encouragement, and behind her Tanner whispered words of praise as he slowly worked himself deeper. The pain soon turned to pleasure, and an amazing feeling of fullness brought a moan from her throat.
Having Tanner buried deep in her ass and Gage filling her pussy brought on a surge of passion and belonging that blended into an intimacy she’d never experienced before. Tanner started moving behind her, and the pressure of his thrusts drove her further onto Gage, who growled at each thrust. Both men started moving in tandem, and she picked up their rhythm, caught between them in ecstatic pleasure.
The long, slow strokes and the heady smell of sex drove her into a frenzy. Her ragged breath came in pants. The hunger and emotions coming from her men grew more powerful. Their thrusts and parries grew faster and harder. She squirmed and writhed between them, balancing on the edge of climax. “Oh God, oh God, oh God.”
Gage tensed, and she knew he was close. “Mine,” he growled, his fingers biting into her thighs and holding her steady as he shouted out his release.
Behind her Tanner groaned, thrust, and then stilled. “Mine.” He pulled her hair aside, and at the moment of his orgasm, he sank his teeth into her neck.
The pleasure of his bite started the ripples that signaled her own climax, and all rational thought fled as her muscles gripped them with pulsating waves of pleasure.
They collapsed in a sated heap, and Kate luxuriated in the closeness of the two hard bodies flanking her. She felt safe and warm and womanly. They were right. She hadn’t been living at all. Soon it would be time to let them go, and she didn’t want to think about that, because despite the electrifying bond she shared with the Lycans, she couldn’t see them again. It would only be harder next time, and as deep as her feelings were, she still felt more human than wolf, and she couldn’t turn her back on the life she’d built with Shiloh.
Chapter Nine
“Expected high winds will challenge the crews trying to contain the wildfires spreading into New Mexico. Critical conditions remain, according to a spokesman for the teams battling the fires, and authorities have ordered the evacuation of residences in its path.”
Gage didn’t just turn the radio off. He threw it across the room. Tanner looked up in shock. “Hey, we’re not in the danger zone. Everyone is pretty confident the fire won’t spread here.”
Gage growled at his lover. “So I shouldn’t be concerned that Kate is right in the line of fire.”
Tanner flinched. “Fuck! I didn’t even realize…” His face crumbled. “We should have tied her up and thrown her in the truck when we had the chance.”
They had their chance two days ago when they claimed Kate and made her their own. She’d been a willing and eager participant, enjoying the lovemaking as much as they did. He’d been so sure that night was the start of something special between the three of them. But when the sun came up, Kate’s whole demeanor changed. Her words shocked him, made him feel foolish and used. “We had wonderful sex, but it doesn’t mean I want more. My life is here with Shiloh.”
Is that all their connection meant to her, a no-strings-attached hookup? He didn’t believe it, not for a minute, but Kate was adamant. Finally they had left, but it wasn’t over, not by a long shot. He had intended to give her time and space to think things over, hoping she would come to her senses. But now they had run out of time.
“What are we going to do?” Tanner pressed him.
“We’re going to bring her home,” Gage said decisively. “She’s got no choice, and once she’s here, she’ll realize this is where she belongs.” I hope.
“What about Shiloh?” Tanner asked softly. “He’ll come home, and everything important in his life will be gone.”
“I don’t know. I really don’t fucking know.” Gage scrubbed a hand through his long hair. “I care about Shiloh as much as you do, but we can’t bring him here. He’s not wolf.”
“Neither is Janis, but the Alpha allowed Wade and Noah to bring her into the pack.”
“That’s different, and you know it. Her brothers are mated to a she-wolf in Pennsylvania. There’s no way she’d put her family in danger.”
“I trust Shiloh,” Tanner insisted.
Gage was already headed out the door. “We’re wasting time. Let’s get Kate out of danger. Then we’ll decide what happens next.”
* * * *
In the distance, billowing columns of smoke reached for the heavens, but the sight was nothing compared to the nightmare landscape they witnessed the further they drove north. Smoke that found the right mix of gas and air ignited into giant balls of fire, setting the sky aglow. Kate’s land was in a hilly area surrounded by forest, the type of terrain that might increase the speed and intensity of fire. But the house itself was in a large clearing and might be safe for a little while. Gage just hoped the high winds would hold off until they had Kate out of there. It would only take one flying ember to set the house ablaze.
The New Mexico State Police had recommended a route around the fire, but Gage’s stomach sank when he realized how many miles the detour added to their drive. He urged Tanner to go faster, knowing his partner was already going as fast the old truck allowed.
When they finally crested the ridge, Gage panicked. A wall of flame surrounded the clearing. Kate’s truck was still there. “Do you think she shifted and ran?”
“Don’t know,” Tanner said doubtfully. “We have to see for ourselves. Do you want to get out and make a run for it?”
Did he? Memories overwhelmed him. He was back in the Pine Barrens, an inferno consuming his entire world. Terrified wolves howling in pain. Homes reduced to skeleton framework in minutes. Mass confusion. The stench of burning fur. Blackened forms twitching on the charred earth. He was in the bowels of hell, and he ran.
“Gage!” The heat was unbearable, and Tanner had rivulets of sweat running down his face. “We have to go through the fire. There’s no other way.”
Gage groaned under the weight of regret and remorse, grief and guilt. Despite being a kid when the Lycan village was burned down, he always felt like he should have saved everyone. Now he had a chance to save Kate, and he couldn’t make himself move. Oh God, Kweo. Is this some kind of test? He put his face in his hands. “I don’t know…”
Tanner put an arm around him. “We can do this together. We can save Kate and bring her home.”
Tanner’s voice brought him back to the present. Faced with his worst fear, he took comfort in the thought that his partner was there with him and together they were going to save their mate. With his wolf spirit in his heart and Tanner at his side, he could do this. It made all the difference. “Go!”
“Hold on.” Tanner gunned the motor and drove
down the rise and through the flames.
It was hotter than hell, with zero visibility. The cab filled with smoke, and they both started coughing and choking. The pickup stalled once, and Gage thought it was all over, but somehow Tanner got it going, and they ended up inside a ring of fire. The blaze burned and crackled, sending flaming embers toward the sky. He prayed they wouldn’t torch the house. Ignoring the burn of the truck’s door handles, he and Tanner threw open the doors, desperate to get inside and look for Kate before the house caught and went up in flames.
* * * *
Flames circled Kate like a fiery necklace of reddish-orange citrine. The hot, dry air seared her lungs, but her ears heard a roaring waterfall. It was all so surreal. Every animal instinct shouted run, but it was hopeless. In the space of a heartbeat, her situation had become desperate. Fire just didn’t spread this quickly. Could the right mix of terrain, fuel, and wind send a fire spiraling out of control? Or had the grim reaper come back to claim a life he’d once spared?
Overcome by a bizarre sensation of déjà vu, she watched a wall of flames reach for the sky in a taunting dance. She’d cheated death once, hiding in the woods while her family burned to death. Yet Kweo, the wolf spirit she’d forsaken, had given her a second chance, a path back to her people. She’d cast it aside out of fear and cowardice, and now he was punishing her, giving her the death she should have had sixteen years ago. The torment of hellfire was her destiny, and this time there would be no escape.
The thick smoke stole her breath and burned her eyes, but she preferred suffocating from smoke inhalation to burning alive. Stumbling through the door, she ran to the back of the house and crammed herself into a corner. Each choking inhale was harder to drag into her raw, sore throat. Time slowed, and darkness closed in on her like a warm, heavy blanket.
* * * *
Tanner didn’t think. He ran at the door shoulder-first, and it flew open. Glancing over at Gage, he saw his partner climb through a window that had shattered from the heat. They met in the living room, choking and stumbling against furniture in the smoky haze.
