“Have you talked to Melinda or Mimi?” Corbin asked.
“Not yet.”
“And what does your mother say?”
Laurie balled up smaller, like a child. Her arms hurt. Her legs hurt. Her entire body felt beaten and bruised. Had to be the flu. She gritted her words out. “She agrees with you.”
“Smart woman,” Zach grumbled.
“But I make my own decisions. I’m a grown woman. I’ll reach out to you on Monday, and we’ll renegotiate.”
“Renegotiate,” Corbin stated matter-of-factly. “Fine.”
Laurie flinched. She’d pissed him off. It couldn’t be helped, but she felt bad anyway.
Zach never said another word.
After a few moments, she shut her mind down and cut them off. It hurt. The silence was awful. But she knew she was doing the right thing. They would see. Everyone would see.
Eventually.
She thought about reaching out to Mimi or Melinda, but then thought better of it. They would try to talk her out of this thing. And she had her mind set.
Her mother stepped back in. “You okay?” she asked as she resumed her spot on the edge of the bed. “Zach and Corbin coming?”
“No.”
“No?”
“I told them not to. And I don’t want you conspiring with them. I need this. All of you are going to have to humor me and let me have my way on this issue.”
“You really believe your presence in town is affecting the weather?”
“Among other things, yes.”
“What other things?”
Laurie licked her lips again. So dry. “The entire town is in an uproar over our relationship. Without me there, they can settle back down to normal.”
“An uproar? Why?”
Laurie rolled her eyes. “They’re conservative. They aren’t taking kindly to three people moving in together. Nor are they particularly receptive to mixed relationships.”
Joyce flinched. “What? I thought that was a thing of the past now. I never would have gone back or brought you along if I thought there were still bigots in town.” She stood, setting her hands on her face. “You think they’re a danger? Are you talking about white people or Natives?”
“Mom, there will always be bigots. Just because the man who threatened you and chased you out of town has died doesn’t mean there aren’t others willing to take his place, or worse—a coalition of angry racists.”
Her mother’s eyes widened. “What did they do? Your grandmother told me there were issues, but I didn’t realize it was this bad.” She resumed her spot on the bed, twisting her body to meet Laurie’s gaze. “Tell me.”
Laurie shivered again and tried to control her shaking body. She stiffened her legs where they were curled up to her belly. “Both races are having issues with us. And both have attacked us.”
“Attacked you. How?”
“You want the bricks thrown into Corbin’s windows in the middle of the night, leaving his peers standing outside shouting at us to get out of town? Or do you prefer the group of religious zealots in Cambridge who turned on the gas and let the condo fill with fumes while we weren’t home. That opponent is even worse if they intended to light a match after we stepped inside.
“Mom, people won’t even come to the ski resort because they’ve fallen for these rumors. I’m afraid both my mates could lose their jobs if I continue to walk the streets. People are furious.”
“Why didn’t they react this way to Zach’s older brothers and their mates? I’ve never heard a tale like this from Melinda.”
“No idea. I’m guessing they weren’t quite clued in. Melinda and Rebecca have lived significantly under the radar. And besides, Rebecca did have issues. She even had to quit her job at the hospital in Cambridge and take another in Sojourn where more of the clientele are shifters and slightly less condescending.”
“Sweetie, I’m so sorry. I had no idea it was that bad.”
“Oh, it gets worse. I’ve had the Native American spirit visit me multiple times. More than any other shifter in the area, including Melinda herself. And the weather has been weirder by the day. It can’t be a coincidence. Evidence would point to me as the common denominator in everything. My hands are tied, Mom. I need you to let me rest and get over this bug, and then we’ll talk again.”
Joyce stared at her. She tucked the blankets around her shoulders tighter and patted her arm. “Okay. I won’t fight you on this, but I’m warning you that I don’t need to fight you. Your body will do all the fighting. I spoke to my friend, Jenelle. She said she went through this. It was ugly. She gave it up before the end of one day.”
“One day? I’ve already been gone one day. And I’m not dying. I’ll live. I really think I just picked up a bug.”
Her mother stood. “Fine. I’ll let you go with that for now. I’ll check on you again in a bit. You’ll need to eat, sweetie. Hopefully we can get something in you. Rest for now. I’ll be back.”
Chapter Seventeen
When Corbin and Zach approached Mimi’s front porch, the woman was sitting on her swing slowly gliding back and forth.
“I was wondering when you two might get here.”
Corbin wasn’t surprised. He’d heard stories about Mimi knowing when people were coming. The woman insisted she wasn’t psychic, but he would beg to differ.
“Who told you we were coming?” Zach asked.
Corbin glanced at his mate and chuckled. “No one told her.”
Zach took a seat on one of the porch chairs across from Laurie’s grandmother. “Can you help us?”
“If by that you mean give advice? Yes. If by that you mean try to talk some sense into my granddaughter, no.”
Corbin sat next to Zach in another chair. He was fidgeting and exhausted. His legs bobbed up and down, and he couldn’t stop them.
Mimi smiled, but ignored his anxiety. “When did she leave?”
“Yesterday morning.”
“So, it’s been twenty-four hours.” She tapped her lips, thinking.
“Have you not spoken to her?” Corbin asked.
Mimi shook her head. “No. She blocked me. I assume she blocked both of you too.”
“Yes.”
Mimi lifted her gaze to a spot behind them. “Melinda’s coming.”
“Of course she is,” Zach muttered. He stood and began to pace, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
“How did you both get off work?”
Corbin chuckled. “Did we have a choice?”
“I supposed not.”
A car pulled into the driveway, and Melinda jumped out and rushed onto the porch. “She left?”
“How did she keep this from you?” Corbin asked.
“She can block me same as anyone.” She dropped her purse next to the front door and sat on the porch swing next to Mimi, taking the woman’s hand. “And she didn’t reach out to you either?”
“No.”
“We assumed she was here with one or both of you.”
Melinda took a deep breath, leaned her head back, and closed her eyes. Corbin knew she was trying to reach her sister.
She righted herself. “Wow. She really won’t make contact.”
Mimi smiled, which annoyed Corbin.
“What do we do?” Zach asked.
“Nothing,” Mimi stated.
“Shouldn’t we go try to talk to her?”
“I’m betting she told you not to,” Mimi said.
Corbin nodded.
“Then I’d say no. Let her figure this out on her own.”
“What if she doesn’t?” Zach asked.
Mimi chuckled. “Son, Laurie’s very sensitive. I can’t believe she’s lasted this long. There’s no way she’ll survive many days without you. It will tear her apart.” She pointed at Corbin’s bouncing leg. “It’s tearing you apart. Mates can’t be separated. It’s that simple.”
“I asked my parents about it this morning,” Zach began, “and they said they’ve known only a few people t
o pull it off and only in extreme circumstances of incompatibility.”
Mimi nodded. “Abuse. Neglect. Not stubbornness.”
Corbin swallowed. “She thinks she caused all the problems in this area.”
“I know she does, son. And she’s wrong. But the only way to convince her of that is to let her prove it. Or disprove it.”
“So, what we need is another giant freeze or snowstorm.” Corbin lifted his face to the sky and glanced around. “I don’t see imminent evidence of either.”
“It will come,” Mimi said calmly. “In the meantime, I would suggest you both go about your lives. Sitting around waiting will only make things worse. Occupy your minds. Go to work.”
Melinda gave a small push off the ground, setting the swing in action. “If I wasn’t mated myself, I wouldn’t understand, but I did mate, and it was only six months ago. So, it’s fresh enough in my mind for me to remember how I felt one week into the process. No way in hell could I have walked away from my men. Lord, we were even fighting and arguing daily, and still I would never have been able to go without them for even one day.
“I don’t know how she has managed, but she can’t hold out long. Not with two men who adore her tugging on her heartstrings. I’ll call Mom in a while and get the scoop, but I wouldn’t worry. She’ll be back.”
Corbin wanted to believe Melinda. In fact, he willed himself to believe her. But he wasn’t sure. Laurie was stubborn. If anyone could break the bonds of a claiming, it would be her.
»»•««
Laurie rolled onto her back when her bedroom door opened. She squinted into the daylight a moment later when her mother more fully opened the blinds. “Mom, stop it.”
“It’s the middle of the day. You need to get up.”
Laurie groaned and rolled back into her pillow. Her entire body ached. And she didn’t even want to consider what it meant that her breasts were tender and her nipples hurt when they brushed against the T-shirt.
She gripped her legs together tightly, willing herself not to reach between them and take away the need for orgasm growing with every passing minute. It was insane.
“I’m sick, Mom. Leave me alone.”
“Heartsick. And it’s your own doing.”
She refused to believe that. It had to be a wives’ tale. Surely shifters didn’t really suffer from some sort of withdrawal when they separated from their mates.
Her body would argue otherwise, but she still had the frame of mind to deny that fact.
“Melinda called.”
“I’m sure she did,” Laurie muttered, closing her eyes and fighting the need to think about Zach and Corbin. If she focused on her mother’s words, maybe she could keep her need for her mates at bay. “What did she say?”
“That you can’t do this. Mimi too.”
“Can’t? Or shouldn’t?”
“Both. Does it matter? It’s awfully vain of you to think you can control the weather. Don’t you think?”
Laurie stiffened. “You know it isn’t like that.”
“Really? What’s it like then?” Her mom pulled the chair out from the desk, flipped it around, and sat. At least she didn’t sit on the edge of the bed and attempt to stroke Laurie’s hair or arm this time. The contact would have made her cringe.
“I’m not some sort of goddess. I’m just suggesting my presence is unwanted by the spirits.”
“And I’m suggesting that’s preposterous.”
Laurie flinched again. What did her mother know? She hadn’t been there. Hadn’t seen the things that happened right in front of Laurie’s eyes.
“Don’t you think there could be another explanation? Maybe the spirit guides are trying to get your attention. But couldn’t it be for another purpose? Perhaps they didn’t mean for you to leave but for you to lead.”
“Lead?”
“Yes. Guide the folks of both counties into a better world. Stay. Fight the hard fight. Win.”
“What fight?” Laurie was confused, but she concentrated on her mother’s words.
“Racism. Judgmental thinking. Obviously someone has to stand up against that sort of bigotry. Why not you?”
Laurie moaned. “Why me?”
“Because you’re a kind, sensitive soul. You always have been. You’ve never meant anyone a moment of harm in your entire life. It must be hard facing that sort of adversarial resistance. Especially for the first time. But you’ll face it—head on. And you’ll win. And it will happen again and again for the rest of your life.
“People are mean. They’re ignorant. You’re indeed a mixture of Native American and Caucasian. It’s who you are. You can’t change it. You can only fight against the flagrant racism that will occasionally be thrown at you.”
“I’d rather it not be in the form of bricks.”
“Me too. But don’t let them win. If you let them win, you’ll hate yourself.” Her mother paused, and then she lowered her voice. “And there’s another thing you can’t change any more than your race.”
Laurie held her breath.
“Your mates. You’re not human. You do not get to pick your mates. None of us do. At least not in the conventional sense. Sure, sometimes two shifters meet and fall in love and circumvent the system a bit, but in the end they’re still mates. We mate for life. It isn’t something you can break. Not without tremendous heartache that would last for months. Perhaps years. Debilitating heartache.”
Laurie didn’t respond. She tried to soak in her mother’s words and remain immobile.
“I’ll let you think about that.” Joyce stood. “If you need me, yell.” She left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.
Laurie closed her eyes. As usual, every time she did so, she was met with a running reel of her mates behind her lids, as though she were watching a film. It wouldn’t stop.
She smashed her face into the pillow and fought against the tears welling up behind her eyelids. She was losing this battle. She could deny it verbally all she wanted, but the truth was her body craved the proximity of her mates with a force out of her control.
The ache between her legs increased. She concentrated on the pulsing of her clit that had a life of its own. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was swollen and stiff. And the wetness between her legs was undeniable.
She tried to think of anything else—anything unpleasant that would take her mind off sex—cow dung, the smell of raw sewage, the swirl of city residue as it runs down the edges of the street.
Nothing worked.
Her mind wandered back to her mates. Visions she couldn’t control flooded her mind instead of anything distasteful.
She pictured Corbin’s hands on her hips, the way he gripped her and held her steady before pressing his cock into her wet heat.
She arched into the sensation as if he were in the room with her now.
Zach leaning over her body, spreading her knees with his before nestling into the V and suckling her nipples until they ached with need.
They ached with the same need now.
She flipped onto her back in frustration, unable to prevent herself from imagining her mates arranging her in the way they wanted.
Her legs fell open. Her panties were soaked.
As if her hand weren’t in her control, she smoothed it down her belly and over her mound. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t succumb to the need to masturbate, but she couldn’t stop it. Like a freight train, it came barreling forward. It seemed to slam into its destination the second her fingers landed on her clit and stroked the swollen nub through the thin layer of cotton.
God, it felt so good. Amazing.
She dug her heels into the bed and lifted her hips off the mattress. With her free hand, she pinched her nipple.
A soft moan escaped her lips, startling her. She pursed her lips to keep from crying out. She needed to come so badly. She was on fire, her body so hot it burned.
Her legs shook.
Her nipples were so sensitive she had to lessen the pressure on the ti
p.
The stroking over her clit wasn’t enough. In a frenzy, she shrugged out of her panties and whipped her shirt over her head. She was still under the covers, so no one would be able to see anything if they walked in. Plus, she couldn’t stop herself. She was past the point of no return. She needed release. And it didn’t matter how.
Shaking, she reached again for her nipples with both hands. She bit her lower lip and flicked the tips rapidly.
Her pussy pulsed with renewed need. Her legs fell open. She widened them.
Releasing her nipples, she smoothed her hands down her body and pressed her thighs open wider. As if she were a robot on autopilot, she spread her lower lips apart and arched her head back, exposing her neck to the visions of her men licking a path up her skin toward her ears.
It felt so fucking good. And she needed more.
She stroked a finger through her folds, coming off the bed. Her heels dug in deeper. She thrust her pussy upward. Sweet torture.
Unable to resist the need to come, she thrust two fingers into her channel and fucked herself hard and fast.
Not enough. It felt so good. Her vision swam. Her breath caught in her throat.
But it still wasn’t enough.
She reached for her clit with her other hand and rapidly flicked the tight nub.
Her mouth fell open wide. She squeezed her eyes shut against the light of day, causing her mates to come front and center in her visions.
The orgasm built.
Thrusting her fingers faster, she moaned softly.
So good.
So close.
Right on the edge. That place just before bliss. She held it. And she needed more. She needed to fall over the edge.
She fucked herself harder, her entire body stiff. The smell of her need filled the room. Lust. Female arousal. Potent.
Now.
Oh, God.
Now.
Please, God.
The ache in her belly grew worse. She tightened her muscles against the need. All her blood had congregated in her pussy.
She pinched her clit and cried out loud enough to have to bite her tongue. Too sensitive.
Her hand started to cramp. Her body shook violently.
She did not come.
In frustration, she finally stopped.
Laurie's Wolves Page 20
