Let the Wild Out

by Madelyn Porter

  Douglas drew his body up, taking full advantage of her position. He shoved his cock into her hard, not testing the depths as he controlled her hips. He seemed to grow inside her. Her nails dug into William’s thighs. He jerked, finding release.

  Rachel gasped for breath. Douglas pumped into her from behind, and they soon met with trembling climax. She collapsed on William’s chest, hearing his heart pound beneath her cheek. Douglas stretched behind her, touching her hip. She reached for his hand, holding it lightly as she closed her eyes. William’s even breaths lulled her to sleep.

  Chapter Five

  As worldly as she wished to appear, Rachel found herself feeling quite the opposite. She blushed in embarrassment as she tried to untangle her limbs from a sleeping Douglas. William was gone, but the imprint of his body was still visible on the covers. And even as she told herself she wouldn’t spend all day thinking, what have I done?, that was exactly the thought that ran through her brain.

  Her inner ears popped, and she looked towards the small window. The plane was descending. Douglas moaned and sleepily reached for her. He tried to pull her back down.

  “We’re landing,” Rachel said, evading his hold. When she swung her legs over the side, her foot landed in a wet puddle. The beer bottle and sandwich were gone, but the floor was still wet from the spill. She reached for her clothes and began to tug them on. “Where exactly are we landing?”

  “UK,” Douglas answered with a yawn. She stumbled a little, trying to keep balance as the plane angled. “Someplace safe until…” He didn’t finish as he reached for his clothes.

  “Until?” she prompted. She’d never been to Europe, and this wasn’t exactly the way she envisioned taking such a trip. Considering much of what she owned was now burnt to the ground, including her passport, credit cards and driver’s license, she wasn’t sure how exactly they planned on sneaking her through UK customs. And how exactly was she going to get back into the US when the time came for her to go home?

  “Damn,” he cursed, bracing himself. “They should have told us to prepare for landing.”

  Rachel leaned against the wall, holding on to a ledge. She closed her eyes tight, hating the turbulent feeling of descent as it jarred her body. She much preferred to be in control. Thinking of Douglas and William, she knew she had never been more out of control in her life.

  *

  William stepped off the plane. The private runway was surrounded by English countryside, thick trees and dense shrubs that gave way to an open meadow. The tall grasses were green and spotted with random flowers. He’d missed the smell of home, the fresh air and nature. America hadn’t been bad, but it smelled differently. This was home. It was part of him. He glanced at the plane. And he was going to share it with Rachel.

  He jogged across the landing strip towards Magda. She stood, holding a briefcase. Her stern face gave nothing away, well, nothing to an outsider. William could see her concern. She looked past him, as if waiting to get a glimpse of the American woman under his protection.

  While Rachel slept, he’d had a long talk with Douglas. They would share her, so long as she would have them, and if she would have them, they would offer her everything. Neither of them could imagine a more perfect match to two chiefs. A surge of protectiveness washed over him. With her strong blood, the people would accept her, or would come to in time.

  “Well?” Magda asked, handing him the briefcase.

  “We’re safe. Chief Douglas is in the plane with Rachel.” He glanced down to the case, unable to shake the feeling of being a kid about to be scolded. Magda was the only person who had that affect on him.

  “Rachel?” She gave him a pointed look, knowing full well the influence she had on the younger shifter.

  “Do not pretend you haven’t already looked up everything there is to know about her.” William lifted the case. “I assume the fruits of your research are in here?”

  “It is,” Magda nodded. “She is American. Her family—”

  “I don’t care about that,” William said. “I know what I need to know.”

  “Your clan cares. Her ancestral bloodline is strong. That will please them. But she has not mingled with the shifter kind. In fact, I’m sure her blood is diluted. It is not known if she can even shift. She might even be human. Her family, that Elvie…” Magda frowned. “Her aunt was known to be flighty. She was best placed exactly where she was in the woods, away from society.”

  “Rachel is not Elvie, Magda.”

  “Elvie raised her after she was orphaned.” Magda didn’t look so sure.

  “And she can shift,” William told her.

  “Oh? Into?” Magda prompted.

  William hesitated, unwilling to break Rachel’s confidence and feeling only slightly less guilty about lying to Magda. “I believe she is a trout or something like that?”

  “Fish?” Magda arched a brow and gave a small shiver. She refused to say more, but her lack of comment spoke volumes. “I have your car ready. There are instructions in the case. The driver doesn’t know where he’s taking you.”

  “We’re to go into hiding?” William glanced back towards the plane. “Have you told the Duncanis?”

  “Trust the Duncanis with a secret? No. Let them worry about their own. Send the Duncanis chief away if you like, but I will not advise you to involve his clan. For all we know, it is his people who hired the mountain lion to come after you.”

  “You still don’t know?” William asked in surprise. “You have had three days to look into it.”

  That should have been two and a half days longer than the old shifter needed to discover the plot. Magda frowned.

  “I’m teasing you,” he said to lighten the full force of his shock.

  Her frown deepened. “She looks…rough.”

  William felt Rachel before he saw her. The woman stepped onto the private runway, shading her eyes from the sun. “She is recovering from her injuries. They were severe and we did not have time to let her run. Once we’re in the forest, she should be able to heal herself.”

  “Hm.” Magda did not look convinced. “Don’t you mean swim?”

  “I’ll be in touch,” William said, turning to go. Part of him had hoped for Magda’s blessing, or a kind word, but he was not surprised by the cold reception towards the American shifter.

  “Not before you are safe to do so,” Magda ordered. She pointed meaningfully at the briefcase. No doubt it was full of specific instructions that he would not exactly follow.

  *

  Douglas watched the trees passing by the limo window. He didn’t like being out of control, but William was insistent that this place would be safe. Hearing a soft sigh, he glanced at William. The man stared at a file pulled from the briefcase Magda had given him.

  “What?” Douglas asked. At the sound of his voice, Rachel looked at William’s lap. William handed the file to Douglas. Taking it, he discovered a bridal prospectus of eligible women in Europe. It was written in the old language.

  “What is that?” Rachel asked, frowning as if she stared hard enough at the words, she’d suddenly understand them.

  “Clan concerns,” Douglas said. It wasn’t exactly a lie. Everyone was concerned with the future mate of the chiefs. For some reason, he didn’t want to tell her that.

  “Does this have something to do with the fire?” she asked.

  “No.” William reached for the file. “Some people wish for us to find a wife in Europe. This is a list of candidates.”

  Douglas cringed.

  “Wife?” Rachel asked. “You’re getting married?”

  “Of course,” William said. “We both are. It is our duty to choose a chieftess.”

  “So you’re not engaged, though, are you?” She seemed to pull back from them.

  “Not yet,” William said.

  “And you?” She looked at Douglas. Her eyes were slightly rounded, the pupils large. He wanted to kiss the expression off her face. Actually, he wanted to throw the inept, young chief out of th
e moving car and then kiss the expression off her face. He swallowed his jealousy, knowing that he’d have to get over it soon. A very male part of him wanted Rachel to choose him above all others, but he didn’t live in a fairytale world where a man and woman got a monogamous happily-ever-after. No, his world demanded sacrifices of him. All he could hope for, all he could ask for was to be one of the two loves of her life. To have otherwise would be to set the clans at war. He would not rip his world apart because he couldn’t share.

  “We will marry the same woman,” William said, clearly surprised. “Don’t you know of our ways?”

  Rachel looked blankly from one to another.

  “The two chiefs must share a bride,” Douglas explained. He glanced towards the front divider, listening briefly to the singing driver. Somehow hearing a big, beefy lion shifter’s rendition of a teenage pop song was disconcerting. He turned his attention back to Rachel. “It has been our way since the old clan battles. One bride to two chiefs. She is the intermediary between the clans.”

  “And children?” she inquired.

  “The oldest goes to the oldest chief to be raised in the traditions of that clan,” Douglas explained. “The second child to the youngest chief, back and forth, repeating until there are no more children.”

  “Wait.” Rachel glanced between the two men. “That would make you two…”

  It was easy to see what she what thinking—that two brothers had been in the same bed as her.

  “No,” William said. “I was adopted. We are not bound by blood.”

  She sighed with relief. “Good, because that was going to be a little much for me.”

  “What happened between us is not the usual custom,” Douglas said. “It would be best if we did not speak of it.”

  “Agreed,” William said.

  “All right.” Rachel was more hesitant. “I don’t know who’d be asking.”

  He shared a look with William. Almost any shifter in their kingdoms would like to hear the gossip Rachel could tell.

  “Oh, you mean when you marry.” She turned her attention to the window, looking a little too hard at the distance. Her expression was stiff and her tone dropped. “I won’t say anything about our time together.”

  “We live our lives under a lot of scrutiny,” Douglas said. “It’s not like when we were in America. Here, people watch us more closely. They might try to get information out of you if they find you’ve been in our company.”

  “I understand,” she said.

  “We can never give the others reason to doubt us,” William added. “If they think we are weak, that we can’t uphold our customs, they will demand not only our throne, but our blood. It is not an easy life.”

  “I said I under—” Her words were cut off by the sound of squealing tires. The car skidded, throwing them to the side. Douglas slammed into the window. Rachel fell into his ribs, accidently bruising them with the driving force of her elbow. He automatically wrapped his arms around her, trying to hold her tight. The driver jerked the wheel and they flew into the other direction. The sound of breaking glass and bending metal clashed with the roar of an engine. Bodies were thrown around the inside of the car. Douglas didn’t let go.

  *

  Rachel groaned, opening her eyes. The car had stopped scraping over the pavement. She pushed against the door, hearing the crunch of glass beneath her stinging palms. The hard road was beneath her, pressed tight to the overturned limo. Shattered crystal glasses and bottles were strewn around her, wetting her bloody hands with the painfully stinging throb of liquor. Douglas lay unconscious in a crumpled heap of limbs. William was gone.

  “Help!” Rachel croaked, reaching to untangle herself so she could check on Douglas. A drop of blood fell across his pale cheek and she looked up. William leaned over, reaching down his hand. Crimson trails ran over the side of his face, dripping from the deep gash in his head.

  “Rachel? Are you—?”

  “William, he’s not moving. Help me. I smell gasoline.” She hoisted Douglas’s body up the best she could. William grabbed Douglas beneath his arms and pulled him out of the vehicle. When William again appeared to help her out, she said, “He was trying to protect me.”

  “Of course he was,” William answered, as if such a thing would be common knowledge.

  She grabbed his hand, jumping up as he pulled. She leapt out of the window to land on the car door. Pain racked her and she cradled her ribs. Standing, she looked around the forest. Douglas lay on the ground, unmoving but breathing. She focused on his neck, seeing the gentle beat of his pulse. Smoke trailed from the dented hood of a green pickup several yards behind them. The instincts of the wolf surged within her. She crouched down, turning her attention to the trees.

  “Running,” she said, pointing into the woods. “There. Two on four legs.”

  “I hear them,” William answered, breathing hard. She heard the shift in his voice.

  “Driver?”

  “He’s dead,” William said. “Shot.”

  “You?”

  “I was thrown from the car. I’ll live.”

  “Douglas?”

  “Will live.”

  Rachel felt her body start to shift. She let the anger consume her. “Chase.”

  “No. Not now. We must get Douglas to safety.”

  She growled, but resisted the urge to track their attackers. When she looked at William, his silver-filled eyes were just as hungry as hers. They were both breathing hard, as they fought their primal urges. Concern for Douglas finally broke through the animal and drew her attention back to the moment. As if a cloud lifted from her mind, she began to tremble. She leapt from the car, landing next to Douglas. She touched his head.

  “They shot our engine,” William said. Rachel didn’t remember hearing gunfire during the crash. “I’ll check the truck. See if you can wake him.”

  “Douglas?” she asked, stroking his face. He lay on the side of the dirt road. It couldn’t have been comfortable, but she wasn’t sure if she should move him. “Can you hear me? Open your eyes and look at me.”

  The truck engine tried to turn over, struggling and sputtering each time William turned the key.

  “Dougl—” Rachel tilted her head, listening to the distance. The feet had turned. The attackers were circling back. “William!”

  “I hear them. Stay with him. I’ll go. We don’t know who we’re up against.”

  “No. You stay.” Rachel shot to her feet and took off running. She ignored the pain, knowing it would be temporary. “I’m faster.”

  “Rachel, stop!”

  She didn’t stop. Spreading her arms, she leapt into the air. Her clothes fell away and feathers sprouted all over her body. She flapped her wings, soaring into the sky. The soreness from the crash melted away with the shift. Trees blurred beneath her as she followed the sound of running feet. A flash of fur revealed the mountain lion, St. Joan. Douglas had called her an “American claw for hire”. What was the mercenary doing in the UK? And why was she trying so hard to kill them? Was it as Douglas had implied? Was it because they were two chiefs and some wanted them dead for political reasons? Then why the great lengths to keep her with them? If they were the ones in danger, and both chiefs wished to see her safe as they claimed, then why did they keep her in harm’s way? She wasn’t stupid. For whatever reason, whether it was association or simple bad luck, she had become a target too. Their three fates were intertwined.

  Another blur caught her attention. William had shifted and ran towards danger, undoubtedly wanting to rescue her before she did anything stupid. She hesitated and lost a little bit of her control. Should she go back to Douglas or help William? Rachel began to descend. She was losing energy and wouldn’t be able to maintain the falcon form for long.

  Deciding to go where she saw the immediate danger, she circled down. She landed hard, tumbling over herself. Feathers flew around her like lost hairs as she transformed to human. Then, not bothering to lift off the ground, she rolled the other direc
tion, coming to her hands and feet as she shifted into a wolf. With a growl, she burst forward, running through the forest. She heard a wolf’s growl and ran faster to heed William’s call. The mountain lion answered with a strange, screechy cry, like a demon child calling out for its mother. It sent chills over Rachel’s flesh.

  Rachel dug her paws into the earth, pushing harder, running faster. As she came upon the brawl, William faced St. Joan and the male leopard beside her. She breathed hard, but the sound of it only excited her already frayed nerves. She wanted to fight, protect, scar. The mountain lion had destroyed her childhood home, the only place she’d felt truly loved and protected. Now the she-bitch was coming after Douglas and William, the two men she…

  Well, she couldn’t say she loved them, but they did make her feel protected. And she felt a connection to them, a deep, strong, almost feverish connection. Perhaps it was because they were going through something traumatic together. Maybe it was because they were the first shifter boyfriends she’d ever had, the first multiple boyfriends she’d ever had. Or maybe she would feel connected to them no matter the circumstances.

  Now was not the time for such contemplation.

  The leopard tried to turn as William got in his way. Growling, Rachel lunged, her teeth bared. She landed close to him, forcing him to turn back. St. Joan screeched, slashing her claws defensively seconds before the true brawl began.

  Rachel didn’t think, didn’t hesitate, not like last time when she faced St. Joan and got a claw to the face. Everything she needed to know about fighting was in her blood. She merely reacted. A claw slashed, she ducked. Teeth snarled, she lunged for the soft tissue of a neck. Bite. Growl. Hiss. Claw. There was no order to the chaos. Rachel snapped at the mountain lion before turning her attentions to the leopard. Her teeth hit flesh. Blood filled her mouth, dripping over her chin and neck. The cat yelped and wriggled free, but the gesture only tore the flesh at his own throat. At the sound, William turned his attention to help Rachel. The cat made a gurgling noise as William bit the leopard’s back leg and dragged him away from Rachel. St. Joan darted off into the forest.