Claire felt her whole body turn cold as all of her blood drained from her face. Her mouth fell open. Her feet felt rooted to the spot.
“You’re scaring the humans,” Leukos snarled. “Go!”
Instead of doing as instructed, the creature began to fold in on itself, changing into a human. He wasn’t human though. That’s when it sunk in. Truly sunk in…none of these men were.
“I said to go!” Leukos snarled again. If she had thought his voice was commanding before, she’d been wrong. It was commanding now.
The half-creature, half-man took a step back. Like it was a struggle to do anything other than obey. In the end, he finished his transformation. What had once been a fierce griffin turned out to be a massive guy with a shaven head and a full, black beard. He stood before them, his barrel of a chest rising and falling in quick succession.
Naked.
Huge muscles seemed to bulge from everywhere. His glowing yellow eyes were narrowed and filled with anger. “It’s not fair!” he boomed.
“Orrick, don’t do this,” Worth pleaded. “I told you—”
“This is proof to me that you are not ready,” Leukos spoke softly and carefully, his voice even more steely somehow than before.
“When?” Orrick took a few steps towards them. All three shifters moved in front of the women. All of the men had clenched fists.
Amy gripped Claire’s arm and whimpered. Her face was pale. Pauline was crying. Adrenaline buzzed through her system, making her want to run…and fast. “Let’s move back,” she whispered, following her own suggestion. The other women moved with her. Slow and easy.
“I want a female.” Orrick turned his yellow eyes on them. “Why do you get to have one and not me?” He bashed a hand against his chest. “I will make a good mate.”
“You need to learn how to behave around humans. I had to learn that lesson myself,” Leukos said, his back to them.
“A couple more training sessions and you’ll be ready,” Locke tried.
“I think you’ll make a fantastic mate,” Worth spoke softly, “one day. Not right now. You aren’t—”
Orrick screeched. It wasn’t as birdlike as before. Somewhere between a manly shout and a bird cry. It was weird. It had the hairs standing up on her arms and Pauline sobbing louder. Mascara ran down the woman’s cheeks.
“I’m going to give you one last chance before I lose my temper.” It sounded like Leukos was speaking between clenched teeth. “If that happens, bones will break and blood will spill.”
Bones breaking?
Blood spilling?
Yikes!
Orrick’s eyes narrowed even further, and his muscles seemed to rope and bulge. His gaze moved past the three men, focusing on them. “I’m not sure I believe you. I don’t think you ever plan on giving me a chance. I might not be good with my words and charming like Worth or Locke, but I am a good male.”
“You can prove it now by turning around and walking away,” Locke said.
“Listen to us. Listen to me. I’m your friend. Have I ever lied to you?” Worth asked.
Orrick shook his head, his eyes moving off the women and back to the three men.
“Exactly,” Worth said. “You are scaring the humans. You can see that they are afraid, right?”
Orrick nodded. He finally pushed out a deep breath. “I will train some more. I hope you mean it when you say I’ll get a chance.” He narrowed his eyes on Leukos. “I am sorry I scared the females, my lord. I am sorry I disobeyed, but it is difficult for me. I am trying to be patient.”
“It is difficult for everyone. You need to show more control.”
Orrick nodded again. Within seconds he had changed back into a massive griffin. There were a couple of sharp cracking noises and the change was complete. Then he spread his huge, feathered wings and took to the sky, gone in an instant.
The three shifters turned. They all had a look of concern on their faces.
“I’m so sorry,” Leukos muttered, lifting a hand. It was the first time she noticed that his shirt had split open along the biceps. He’d been so on edge he’d burst out of his shirt? Was that even possible?
Wow!
All three of their eyes were glowing a little, again reminding her of the sun. They were actually quite beautiful. All that gold against dark irises.
“I think it’s better if I go,” Pauline stuttered, still crying. She looked a mess, her cheeks were black smears. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this.” She flicked her hair.
“I wish you would reconsider,” Locke tried.
“We’ll go inside, and Orrick won’t bother us anymore.”
“What? Up there.” She pointed to one of the huts on stilts. “I don’t think so.” She shook her head vigorously. “I think I made a mistake. No, I know I made a mistake. There’s shifters and then there’s that.” She pointed in the direction of where Orrick had disappeared. “I’m not interested in having anything to do with that. You people are barbaric,” she spat, her nose wrinkling in distaste.
“Hey,” Claire couldn’t hold back, “that’s not fair. You can’t paint a whole species with the same brush.”
“Why would you paint us?” Locke asked, his eyes murky with confusion.
Amy giggled. “They’re cute. I’m staying.” She beamed.
“I will arrange for transport to take you home,” Locke said.
“Great!” Pauline snapped, taking a shaky step towards a chopper.
“And just so you know,” Worth added, “we are an incredibly wealthy species with resources. We will sue you if you divulge any of this to anyone.”
Stilettos opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally nodding. She licked her lips. “Wealthy?” She looked around them. “You don’t look like you have anything of value.”
“You are standing outside in an open field. Maybe you should have waited and seen for yourself. It is too late now.” He shrugged, looking like he didn’t care either way.
“Oh…I suppose you’re right.” She licked her lips. “Maybe I will stay after all.” She put on an anxious-looking smile and took a step back towards them.
“Too late,” Leukos said, eyes blazing. “It’s done!” He snapped his fingers and two shifters she hadn’t seen before jogged up. “Look after this female until she leaves. You too, Locke.”
Both shifters nodded once. Their yellow eyes resolute.
“Certainly, sire.” Locke looked down at his feet, looking disappointed.
“Next week,” Leukos added. Claire wasn’t sure what that meant but Locke nodded.
“B-but—” Pauline tried.
“But nothing. Shall we?” Leukos asked, gesturing towards the lake. “We built a little cabin to house humans. Thought you might be more comfortable there.”
Chapter 4
A little cabin.
Little?
Not hardly. This place was a mansion. “Wow!” she breathed the word rather than said it.
Amy’s eyes were wide. Probably just as big as hers. “You can say that again,” she gushed. “This place is something. Do you feel like a cappuccino?” She pointed at the fancy machine on one of the kitchen counters as they walked through it. “Or maybe you’d prefer a cocktail.” There was a bar as well. Amy disappeared behind the counter.
Claire could hear the sound of cupboards opening and closing. “What are you doing back there?”
She popped her head up, a wide smile on her face. “There’s champagne. As in the real kind, from the region of the same name in France. Do you want some?”
“No! We can’t open that.”
“Why not? They said to help ourselves to whatever we wanted. And look out there.” Amy pointed at the long line of glass windows that ran along the entire length of the front of the house. “It’s a huge deck with stairs to one of those infinity pools.” She walked over to the window and gasped. “And a jacuzzi!” Amy turned to her. “We have to pop a bottle and—”
“And what?” Claire laughed. “We don�
��t have our bathing suits.”
“When in Rome.” Amy grinned. “You heard Jenson warn us about nudity…which reminds me, how big was that guy? The crazy one,” she added.
“Orrick.” Claire widened her eyes. “He’s huge.”
“Everywhere.” Amy giggled. “No wonder they won’t let him date human women. Aside from being…all Neanderthal-like, he’s too big in the…you-know-where department.”
“You mean you looked?” Claire had to laugh.
“Of course I looked. You can’t tell me you didn’t.”
“I didn’t look. I mean…I tried not to.” Claire sounded flustered. “But it wasn’t like I could help it. It was there. Like a third limb…and he wasn’t even…erect.”
Amy choked out a laugh. “I know! Thing is, I didn’t really analyze what I was seeing at the time. I was too busy shitting myself. It wasn’t until after, when I had a chance to think about it. Surely he’s too big to be able to have sex with a human woman? I know I said it already, but I definitely think that could be one of the reasons they won’t let him date us.”
“Could be.” She shrugged. “Surely they would have said so though, instead of giving him those other excuses?”
Amy wrinkled her nose. “You’re probably right. What did you think of the others? Are you happy you came, or do you wish you had stayed with the wolves and the bears?”
“All I can say is that non-humans are really good-looking. I prefer the Ferals to the other shifters. Even though the whole Orrick thing happened. I didn’t enjoy that much. I can safely say I’m glad I came.”
Amy giggled again. “I also prefer the Ferals! There’s something about them. I mean, their eyes are freaky but they’re attractive anyway.”
“Very much so!” Claire giggled. “The ‘regular’ shifters were great. Really sweet and everything, but they didn’t have that raw…I don’t know…power, danger. Ferals give the term ‘animal magnetism’ new meaning.”
“You hit the nail on the head.” Amy pointed at her.
“So, there has been no mention of who we’re going to date while here.”
“I think it’s obvious. It’s Worth and Leukos. Don’t you think? I hope so, the two of them are gorgeous. I’m not sure how they’re going to decide between us.” She shook her head looking unsure. “Are we going to draw straws or something?”
“Did you notice that Leukos was called ‘sire’ and ‘lord’? What do you think that means?”
Amy made a face. “He’s the boss. The top dog. He can’t be royalty. I know the vampires have a hierarchy. I’m not sure about the Feral. They seem too…I don’t know…”
“I know what you’re trying to say. I agree. Pauline was right about them being a bit barbaric… Surely they don’t have royalty?”
“You never know.” Amy looked like she was thinking it over. “Who would you prefer between the two guys? If it’s them.” Amy leaned over the bar counter, her big green eyes firmly on her.
She wanted to blurt Leukos’ name but refrained. “They both seem really sweet. I would date either of them. It’s not like we know them yet so—”
“So, you haven’t decided?” Amy looked curious.
“It’s a little early for that isn’t it?” Claire was really attracted to Leukos, but it didn’t feel right to ‘choose’ someone based on looks. Although Worth was attractive too. It was just that Leukos had something extra. Something interesting.
“I’m glad you—”
There was a double knock on the door. “Can we come in?” A man’s voice.
“Yes!” Amy yelled. “Sure you can.”
“We wanted to give you some time to look around the place,” Worth said as he entered. Leukos followed right behind him. He’d changed into jeans and a button-down shirt. This one was a very light lime-green color and looked fabulous on him. Holy moly!
“We’ve been here all of ten minutes.” Amy was smiling, she looked at her watch. “Okay, make that fifteen.” She laughed.
“What can we say,” Leukos said wryly, “we couldn’t wait anymore. We were desperate to spend some time with you.”
“Desperate?” Claire asked. That was a strong word. She felt her heart race hearing it. Good lord, it seemed like she had a little crush on Leukos and only five minutes after meeting him.
“Eager is probably a better description.” Worth winked. Definitely the more charming of the two.
“I’m not sure if you had time to venture through the whole house,” Leukos commented. “Did you see the bedrooms?”
Right! This should have alarm bells going off. Why was he talking about the bedrooms?
“No, not yet.” Amy frowned.
“Don’t get the wrong idea.” Worth raised a hand. “My…Leukos didn’t mean it like that. You’ll find that there’s a walk-in closet in each of the bedrooms. There’s a selection of clothing in each one as well.” He sucked in a breath. “Various styles and colors, from casual wear to…” He looked like he was trying to come up with the right word. “To formal attire. I failed to mention that your bedroom,” he looked at Claire, “is at the end of the hallway. And yours,” he looked at Amy, “is the first bedroom on the left. The clothing has been purchased especially for you.”
Amy chuckled. “That’s why we had to put down our measurements on the questionnaire. I thought we might get a T-shirt or something.”
“You got a whole closet,” Leukos said, “and it’s yours to take home should you choose—”
“They’re yours for agreeing to coming through and meeting with us,” Worth interrupted, “regardless of how long you decide to stay.”
“We’re here for the weekend, aren’t we?” she asked.
“Yes,” Leukos nodded, “that’s right. Now, we are your…dates…in case you hadn’t realized.”
“Oh, we realized…or at least, suspected,” Amy said.
“Good. Hopefully, you’re okay with that.” Worth looked unsure.
“Of course!” Amy nodded enthusiastically.
Both of the shifters turned to her. She swallowed thickly. “After what happened with Orrick, and Pauline choosing to leave, we weren’t so sure you would both feel that way.” Leukos ran a hand through his styled hair, squeezing the back of his neck. His yellow eyes bore into her, putting her firmly on the spot. “We can be intense as a species. We’re ultimately not human.”
“We’re part-human.” Worth laughed.
“There’s human in here somewhere.” Leukos stayed serious, two lines had formed on his forehead. “Having said that, we love to shift. We’re in our animal forms a lot. You’re here because we want to date you. Moreover, we want mates.” He let the statement hang in the air.
Claire heard Amy gasp. Then again, maybe the gasp had come from her as well. It was obvious once he said it, and yet it still shocked her.
“Not just a weekend then?” Amy sounded excited.
“No rush though, and you wouldn’t be pushed,” Worth muttered, he didn’t look thrilled with Leukos’ admission. He, too, was looking her way.
“Would you still be interested in dating us, even with that in mind?” Leukos asked. “You are welcome to go home right now. We wouldn’t stop you.”
“Yes, yes and again, yes!” Amy shouted bouncing up and down on the spot.
“What about you, Claire?” Leukos asked. “Would you be okay going on a date with one of us?”
Chapter 5
She was exquisite. Tall, with cascading hair like sunshine and very feminine. Leukos felt his palms turn sweaty and his mouth turn dry while waiting for her to respond. It was a simple question. Maybe she wanted to leave after Orrick’s display. He wouldn’t blame her. Leukos held back a sigh when the female finally nodded. “Yes, absolutely. You both seem…nice.” She looked from Worth to him and then back again. “If there is no pressure, then I would be happy to agree to a date.
Nice.
A date.
As in one date.
What kind of a word was ‘nice’? By feather! Tha
t wasn’t great. ‘Nice’ was a word used for friends, or to describe something mundane. Blast, but he needed to get out of his own head. If only there wasn’t so much riding on this. He needed to relax and ease up a little. Pushing too hard is what had driven females away in the past. He really needed to not be so forceful. Humans didn’t like it. Using words like ‘desperate’. Tar and feathers, what had he been thinking? He’d also referred to the bedrooms. That was verging on creepy behavior. Thank fur he hadn’t mentioned underwear. It had been on the tip of his tongue when talking about clothing.
No! Leukos needed to take a deep breath and to calm down. He’d planned on announcing that Claire was his choice. That he wanted to go on a date with her. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her since she had landed. Now, he realized, such demanding behavior might be detrimental. He had learned a few lessons in recent times. Human females did not like pushy males who came on too strong.
Leukos cleared his throat. “We thought we would leave it up to the two of you to decide who you would prefer to spend some time with.” He tried not to look at Claire too much as he spoke. “It wouldn’t be set in stone, though.” He tried to keep the steel from his tone at the thought of Claire picking Worth, either now or after dating himself. Even worse if it happened after. He clenched his jaw for a moment, seeking calm.
Worth’s forehead creased in confusion as he spoke. That wasn’t what they’d discussed earlier. He’d told Worth in no uncertain terms that he was picking Claire and that Worth would get Amy. Thankfully the male had seemed okay with that.
It didn’t matter. Leukos had changed his mind. He wanted Claire but he wanted her to feel comfortable at the same time. He was hoping she would pick him. Banking on it!
“What do you mean?” Claire frowned. “I could end up going on a date with both of you?”
Blast! He was already jealous. Over a female he didn’t know. It was most likely because it had been so long since he had last been with a female. Many, many years. Maybe he should have listened to Worth and eased this raging need inside him first. Now that he was better at dealing with the species, now that he knew them better, he was sure he would have had better luck securing one for sex. It didn’t interest him, though. He wanted a mate. Not a good time.
Hate Awakened: Book 3: The Feral Page 3
