Eternal Pleasure

by Nina Bangs

  Then they waited.

  Ty sensed his coming. And he wasn’t alone. Ty hadn’t expected him to be. Wolves were pack animals. Their leader wouldn’t hold an important meeting without the pack. Ty didn’t see any reason to object. He hadn’t come alone either.

  A man strode from the shadows a few moments later. Dressed in worn jeans and a sleeveless black T-shirt, he was big, muscular, and walked with the confidence all predators had. His tangled mane of dark hair lifted in the light breeze.

  He stopped in front of them. Travis backed away, giving his leader lots of room.

  Ty did a quick scan for obvious weapons and found none.

  The man met his gaze. “Macario. And you are?”

  “Ty.” He met Macario’s stare and held it.

  Kelly coughed. “When you guys are finished with your stare down, maybe we can get on with things? And aren’t you cold with just that T-shirt?”

  The pack leader shifted his attention to Kelly and simultaneously slid into a different persona. “Werewolf blood runs hot.” His voice was a husky murmur, suggesting things that no one could mistake. “Travis said you were beautiful.”

  Ty’s inner beast woke up and paid attention.

  “I’ve been looking forward to meeting the woman who wasn’t afraid to battle the red wolves.” Macario leaned closer to Kelly.

  Ty’s inner beast contemplated the fun of tearing this guy’s head off.

  “I love a woman who’s willing to fight beside her mate. Tell me your name.”

  “Kelly.” She looked impressed. At least she didn’t deny Ty mate status in front of Macario.

  “Look, you called Kelly, so I assume you had a reason.” Ty tried to keep the jealousy out of his voice.

  Macario looked at him then, all business. “Actually, Kelly told Travis to contact her. But after hearing what you did to the red wolves, I wanted to meet you personally. What are you?”

  Now that the pack leader’s attention was off of Kelly, Ty relaxed. “We’re otherkin.”

  “I’ve met your kind. But none of them could manifest their souls in a physical way, and their souls weren’t dinosaurs.”

  Ty grinned. “We’re different.”

  “Different enough to wipe out the red wolves. No big loss there. What brought you to Houston?”

  Ty kept it short. And when he was finished, the other man didn’t speak for a moment.

  Finally Macario exhaled deeply and nodded. “Three of my pack didn’t return last night. We can’t find them. Two of them left mates behind. There’s no way they’d walk away from their families. And a week ago we found Sara dead. She’d been murdered. If this immortal’s responsible for their deaths, I’ll help you get rid of him.”

  “We have something else to talk about.” Kelly looked a little nervous. “The red wolves bit one of our friends at Memorial Park. She was unconscious for a while, but when she woke up, she changed. She’s still in wolf form. How can she take human form again?”

  “Where is she?”

  Kelly glanced at Ty. He nodded.

  “In our SUV.”

  “Go get her.”

  Ty listened to the small rustles that meant the pack was moving closer. “Will your pack let us through?”

  Macario grinned. “Your senses are as good as ours.”

  Better. Because you haven’t sensed Q or Spin yet.

  “Pack?” Kelly looked startled.

  “They’re all around us. Let’s get Neva.” He turned away from Macario and guided Kelly back toward the car, breathing more easily once he sensed they’d cleared the waiting pack.

  Kelly’s gaze darted left and right. “Are they in wolf form?”

  “Yeah.” The parking lot was still empty except for Travis’s truck and their SUV. That meant the rest of the pack had parked elsewhere and walked in. He watched Kelly let Neva out. “Okay, Neva, we’ll see what this guy can do for you. His name is Macario.”

  All the way back to the clearing, Kelly imagined malevolent yellow eyes peering at her from the darkness. She was more nervous than afraid. After all, how scared could you be with a werewolf on one side and a T. rex on the other?

  Kelly stepped into the clearing and froze. The pack stood facing her, at least twenty gray wolves. And standing in front of them was the biggest of them all, a massive black wolf. His yellow eyes were fixed on Neva.

  Kelly put a steadying hand on Neva’s back. “Okay, work your charm, do your thing, and know we’re here for you.”

  Neva stepped away from them, but Kelly could feel her fear. Somehow, you just didn’t think of a werewolf being afraid of anything. But then, Neva hadn’t shown any real aggression since her first spurt of panic. Showed what Kelly knew about werewolves.

  The black wolf circled Neva, sniffing and studying her. Neva had enough sense to stand still and look unconcerned.

  Finally, the black wolf moved away and turned his back to them. Then he changed. It was so fast that the twisting and lengthening of bones and replacing of fur with skin were only a blur. Kelly clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her amazed gasp.

  As Macario walked to where he’d left his clothes, Neva’s gaze followed him. And if her interest seemed a little too intense, hey, Kelly understood. That was one fine male body.

  This time when the terror hit Kelly, she understood. She turned to Ty. “What?”

  Ty’s eyes were dark with emotion. “I want to tear him apart.”

  “Why? Is this a predator thing?”

  “This is a jealousy thing.” His voice was almost a snarl.

  Startled, Kelly glanced at Neva.

  “Over Neva?”

  “Over you.” He took a deep breath and looked away. “Yeah, I know. Stupid. But when I saw you staring at his body like that, my instincts went into overdrive. Don’t worry, I’ve got control.”

  Kelly didn’t smile. She really didn’t. A little jealousy was okay. Too much could destroy a relationship. Not that they had a relationship. But he was jealous over her. That counted for something. She counted for something with him. So she smiled inside.

  “I can help Neva.” Macario walked over to a small first-aid kit that rested beside a pile of clothes belonging to one of the other wolves. Opening it, he took out a bottle and syringe. After filling the syringe, he returned to Neva.

  He ignored everyone except her. “When you become one of us through violence, your awakening immediately triggers a change to wolf form. The trauma plus all the stress and fear make it almost impossible for you to return to human form until you relax. And yes, you might relax during sleep, but the change must be willed. You can’t will it while you sleep.” Macario glanced at Ty and Kelly. “Or when you’re dead. That’s why none of the red wolves regained human form after death.”

  Kelly frowned. “Relax? You’re kidding. Who could relax after waking up to find that Little Red Riding Hood is now the enemy? Neva probably has the willing part down, though.”

  “That’s where this comes in.” He held up the syringe. “We have a pack member who’s a chemist. He came up with a relaxant that works on us.” Turning his attention back to Neva, he moved closer. “It’ll make you a little loopy and free a few inhibitions, but it’ll also relax the hell out of you. Do you trust me to do this?”

  Whatever Macario saw in Neva’s eyes, he took it as a resounding yes. Kelly bit her lip as he injected Neva with the relaxant. Then everyone waited.

  After a few minutes, Neva sat down and opened her mouth in a wolfy grin. Looked pretty relaxed to Kelly.

  “Okay, now it’s up to you.” Macario retrieved a plastic bag from the ground behind him. “We all bring clothes for after the change. These are extras. I don’t know your size, but let’s hope they fit.”

  Oops. Kelly hadn’t even thought about clothes for Neva.

  The pack leader put his hand under Neva’s chin. “Now concentrate. Visualize yourself in human form.”

  For a moment nothing happened. And then the change began, slower than Macario’s, but a
transformation nonetheless. Kelly couldn’t tear her gaze from the wonder of it, incredible and terrifying at the same time. Neva had to be in agony as everything, even her skull, shifted and changed shape. And where’d the fur go when the skin appeared? Kelly searched for a scientific explanation and found none.

  “There’s untapped magic in all of us.” Macario had read her expression correctly.

  Kelly shook her head. “Not in me.”

  “You’d be surprised.” There was laughter in his voice.

  At last the transformation was finished. Neva seemed a little disoriented. Kelly rushed forward, scooped up the clothes, and helped her dress. The top was for a smaller woman, so Neva filled it to overflowing. At least the pants fit. The shoes were too small, but since they were going right back to the apartment, that wouldn’t be a problem.

  Something else was a problem, though. Neva was at her uninhibited best. She tottered over to Macario and just stared at him. Then she ran her hand down the middle of his chest. “You’re so hot I can feel my fantasies starting to sizzle, pack daddy.” She giggled. “Thank you.” Neva traced an S on his chest. “You’re my superhero.”

  The pack leader laughed as he reached out to steady her. “You’ll feel normal after a good sleep. Then I can teach you what you need to know.”

  The rest of the pack went suddenly still. Without warning, one of the wolves returned to human form. She was tall, naked, and spitting mad.

  Without worrying about clothes, she strode over to Macario and glared from him to Neva. “She isn’t pack. We don’t know anything about her. We don’t know anything about them.”

  Kelly figured she and Ty were them. She glanced at Ty. He looked as if he was enjoying the exchange.

  The woman swung around to face the rest of the pack. “These guys killed the whole red wolf pack. How’d they do it? I don’t believe the crap that Travis told us. I think we need to kill them all before they try to take over our territory too.”

  Macario’s expression said, You’re in a world of shit, woman.

  But she wasn’t paying attention. She was too busy trying to work the other pack members into a frenzy. “How many are with me?”

  The pack shifted restlessly.

  “Guess I need to stop this now.” Ty turned toward the trees and whistled.

  Startled, the pack stared at him. But not for long.

  Kelly heard Spin before she saw him. First there was the thump, thump of something really big coming and then the sound of branches breaking. He must be doing major damage to some of the small trees she’d seen along the path.

  The pack moved back as one.

  Then Spin appeared at the edge of the clearing. Even Kelly, who knew what to expect, gasped. Ty muttered something like, “Showboat.”

  Kelly wasn’t good with size, but Spin looked almost as big as Ty’s T. rex. He walked on huge, powerful back legs like Ty too. But unlike Ty, he had a long narrow snout and a bunch of skin-covered spines sticking up from his back. Each one had to be at least six feet tall. In the shadows, it was tough to see the man at the heart of the beast. She swallowed hard.

  Spin didn’t come closer; he just stared at the pack and then roared. Kelly winced. God, she hoped no park security or late-night joggers heard that.

  The wolves flattened themselves and stared from terrified yellow eyes.

  Macario studied Spin for a few minutes before looking at Ty. “What are you?”

  “A T. rex.”

  The pack leader rubbed a hand across his forehead. “And the red wolves attacked you?”

  “Two of us.”

  Macario shook his head. “The red wolves never did have any sense.” He turned on the woman. “Are you satisfied, Yvette?” Macario didn’t give her a chance to answer. “You challenged my leadership with the pack a minute ago. Does that mean I have to kill you?” He didn’t raise his voice, but the woman visibly wilted.

  She shook her head and looked around for support. The other wolves avoided her gaze. “But I’m the alpha female.”

  “If you die, there’ll be another.”

  “But alphas belong together.” Yvette sounded more whiny than wicked right now.

  Kelly could connect the dots. Yvette saw Macario’s offer to teach Neva as a sign of sexual interest. Evidently Yvette had already staked her claim on the pack leader.

  “I choose whom I take as mate. No one makes that choice for me. And last time I looked, I hadn’t chosen anyone.”

  Kelly winced. Talk about a public putdown. She almost felt sorry for the bitch. Almost. She watched as Yvette picked up her clothes and hurriedly dressed. Yvette didn’t say anything to anyone as she left.

  By the time Kelly stopped watching Yvette, Spin had disappeared and the other wolves were human again.

  Ty grabbed her hand as he walked over to join Neva and Macario. He fished a card out of his pocket and handed it to the pack leader. “This is Fin’s card. He’s our leader. Call him and maybe we can coordinate efforts.”

  Macario nodded, then looked at Neva. “Why don’t I drive you home?”

  “Sure, pack daddy. Hey, I don’t know what was in that shot, but wow—” She glanced around. “Don’t wanna go home right now. Why don’t we sleep right here on the grass, and I can go all earth mama on you?” Neva offered him a silly grin and did some serious wobbling. She managed to stay on her feet, though. Barely.

  The pack leader looked worried. “Forget your home. You need someone watching you until the relaxant wears off. I’ll take you to my place.”

  Kelly had opened her mouth to offer to watch Neva when she looked at the other woman’s face. Glazed eyes and all, Neva’s focus was only on Macario. She wanted the pack leader. Alpha girl hadn’t scared her off. Kelly closed her mouth.

  Neva glanced at Kelly and gave her a finger wave. “Thanks for the save, girlfriend. Owe you. Talk to you tomorrow night.”

  Kelly nodded and turned to Ty. “Ready to go?”

  “Yeah.” He still had her hand as they walked away.

  She savored his touch all the way back to the car. It was a different kind of pleasure than the intensity of last night. It was a kind of claiming, an act of admitting that you wanted contact with your lover’s body.

  Q and Spin joined them halfway back to the SUV. Spin looked smugly satisfied.

  “Did you see the looks on those wolves’ faces?” He grinned. “I would’ve come closer, but they were ready to bolt. Then that Macario guy would’ve had to chase their furry butts all over the park to get them together again. Didn’t want him pissed at me. I was hoping they’d be like those red wolves, dumbasses who thought they could take us.”

  “Be glad they weren’t. Too many battles and we’re going to run out of luck. Someone will see us who shouldn’t.” Ty returned his grin. “But yeah, I enjoyed it too. You put on a good show.”

  As they emerged from the trees, the guys were still talking about what had just happened. Everyone saw the man leaning against their SUV at the same time.

  Ty and the other men grew still, that eerie quietness only a predator could manage. God knew, Kelly couldn’t do it.

  “Oh, shit.” Kelly gripped Ty’s hand tighter. More weirdness. Because no one could mistake this man for human. He also couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than a dangerous hunter. It was something sensed, a dark coiled energy that thrummed with quiet power. She shivered.

  Since meeting Ty, she’d been tripping over gorgeous men. But except for Fin, they’d all had an earthy realness to them. Like Fin, this guy was so beautiful he brought tears to your eyes just looking at him. She was too far away to see eye color in the darkness, but the total impression was mind boggling.

  “Who are you, and what do you want?”

  Ty’s voice sounded relaxed, but Kelly sensed his readiness to spring if the man gave the wrong answer.

  He skipped Ty’s first question. “Wanted to talk to you.” He lifted his hands to indicate their surroundings. “This looked like a good place to do it. By t
he way, great show back there with the wolves.”

  Ty exhaled on a quiet hiss. “Why didn’t we sense you?”

  The man looked puzzled. “Because I didn’t want you to.” Then he grinned. “And you can come closer. I’m just here to talk. If I was going to do something, I would’ve done it by now.”

  Kelly watched Ty make his decision. He glanced at Q and Spin. Once they both nodded, he moved closer. Under normal circumstances, she would’ve demanded a vote, but they were the experienced ones when it came to fighting.

  Ty tried to push her behind him, but that was a little too much for her pride to accept. Yanking her hand from his grip, she moved up beside him and the others. “Why would he waste time taking me out when you guys are the dangerous ones?” She thought for a moment. “What are the chances he wants us closer because he’s planted a bomb under the car?”

  Ty shook his head. “I would’ve sensed it.”

  “Like you sensed him?”

  The man focused his attention on her and smiled. “Hey, I’m harmless. But I wouldn’t be surprised if you were their secret weapon, sweetheart.”

  If Fin were to be believed, that’s exactly what she was. And if she wasn’t busy lusting after everything Ty, that smile would’ve knocked her down and danced on her heart. Kelly’s motto: when rattled, say something. “And whose secret weapon are you?” Ulp. Maybe she should screen her comments before they came out of her mouth.

  He chose not to answer. Instead he pushed a few strands of long blond hair away from his face. Blond hair that seemed a blending of shades from intense to pale. If he wasn’t so scary, she’d find the tendency of his hair to curl in a mad tangle kind of endearing. But endearing wasn’t a term that fit him.

  He pushed away from the SUV and approached them. Ty’s tension didn’t increase. Evidently he’d chosen to believe that this guy just wanted to talk. She sure hoped his instincts were right.

  Up close, Kelly got her first look at his eyes. She couldn’t see too much in the darkness, but she’d swear they were a light color. As tall as Ty, he wore leather pants and a leather jacket that only added to a sensual aura that was way too potent. Once again, she thought of Fin. He and this guy didn’t look alike, but they had the same feel, whatever that meant.