Shapeshifter

Teimoni pursued me aggressively and it was flattering. His method of operation wasn't sexual at first. He was smarter than that. He knew Luka and I, living in the remote town of Volcano, didn't have a phone so he showed up one day and befriended her in the front yard. He invited her to dance at his brother's birthday luau. He said they would pay her a hundred dollars. She agreed. She'd never earned that much. She was so excited she didn't drink for the rest of the day. For the first time in a long time, things were nice between us.

She was fantastic that night. She danced like Laka herself, goddess of the hula had blessed us all with her attendance. Luka was the center of attention and she loved it. She agreed to another dance. As she performed, Teimoni's brothers beat their gourd drums, drinking their beer. Teimoni beckoned me and I followed him to the river at the far back edge of his property. I stood, watching my wife through tree branches, trying not to make too much noise as my big, hot Samoan lover knelt on the ground and moaned when he released my cock.

He sucked me in through his big, pink lips. The bliss of being in his mouth again was indescribable.

"Oh, Teimoni…" I even loved to say his name. I came within a few minutes. He sensed it, tightening his mouth around my cock. Even being inside my wife never felt this good. I couldn't even breathe as I came. The pressure from his mouth was deep and intense. I held his head to me with both hands, my mouth open, when I breathed in finally, I inhaled the scent of kalua pork and island flowers. Tiki torches flickered, the drumming intensified.

This was fucking music. It made your blood boil, inflamed the loins…through hazy eyes, I watched Luka swaying, gently turning her hands in the motion of flight. Yeah, I was her bird and I'd flown the coop.

"Mmm…I think you missed me," Teimoni said, taking his big, wet mouth off me. "So much come for me, Paden. May I have some more?"

My body ached for him. I held onto the branch of a huge 'ohia lehua tree. The male-female tree. How apt. I was now sexually confused, yet also aroused in a way I never had been before.

I caught a glimpse in the distance of Luka looking for me.

"Teimoni," I said with great reluctance. "I have to go."

It was hard lying on my bed willing myself back to the rainbow. I lay on my back, focusing on breathing, keeping myself relaxed.

Track appeared. “You know I have a hard time staying away from you.”

My hand went straight to his cock. “Hard is exactly the way I enjoy you most.”

“You are so bad,” he said.

“Not as bad as I’m gonna be.” I kissed him, loving the way his mouth responded to mine. His cock strained toward my hand. We’d been so rudely interrupted before and I planned to make it all up to Track and the sweetest cock I’d ever tasted. I moved my mouth over his slender body. His muscles were defined beneath his taut skin, but his was not the kind of body made in a gym. His body seemed molded by work, hard spiritual work. The kind of body that had wandered in the wilderness until we found each other.

I wanted all his senses heightened. I kissed and licked my way over his contours, liking how unglued he became when I clamped my mouth over first one nipple, then the other. My hand strayed between his thighs. He was still shy about hand to ass contact. As much as he liked it when I touched him there, he always hesitated.

Now I forced his legs open and he gulped.

My fingertips brushed at his opening. His chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing. One more kiss on his wide, open mouth and then I moved between his legs. I licked his ass. He jolted at first, but he didn’t move away. On the contrary, he fucked my mouth with his increasingly wet ass. I couldn’t believe how good he tasted. Oh, I couldn’t keep my mouth off him and yet I needed to lick his balls and move on to the main course, his cock.

Track went berserk when I left his ass, his cock poking me in the eye in his haste to get it inside my mouth.

“Oh, yeah….oh, Paden.” He hardened with each mouth-stroke. The sound of sucking intensified. He began to wrestle away from me. As shy as he was about my hand or tongue near his ass, he was not shy about licking mine. He wanted to fuck. I knew he wanted me badly. He moved down and sucked my cock as I stayed on my knees. I held my cock down for him and he licked it, lapping up and down, finally taking his tongue upward until he reached my ass hole again. His hand gripped my cock, jerking on it between my thighs.

“Please…I need to come inside you,” he said.

Her eyes opened to see the two werewolves hovering over her. "This has to be the weirdest dream I have ever had. But usually I am alone with the guy and there is no girl."

            Sirnel applied the compress that his sister had obtained, "We aren't part of a dream, and there are Magi on your trail. There has been an alert that an Archive is loose in the world and they are ready and willing to fight to possess you."

            "But how did they find me? For that matter, how did you find me?"

            "Your grandmother knew that knowledge of your existence was only a matter of time, and so she met with our Alpha to arrange for a bodyguard for you. Years ago. But, as long as you remain on your grandmother's property or our lands, you are free from their intervention. But not free from ours."

* * * * *

"From yours." Her mind was whirling "Your clan wants something from me? "

            "They want possession of the only living Archive."

            "Well, I am currently in your custody." Her tone ended with a hopeful note. She knew that there was more to it, but she could dream. "Will that do for now? "

            "They want it on a permanent basis, Melissande."

            "What does that mean?"She raised a hand to hold the compress to her head and she turned to his sister for clarification. "What did he mean, Rebecca?"

            "In two days, all interested unmated males of the clan will make a play for your affections by holding a games day. Each game designed to highlight the strength and abilities of the wolves involved. Only the five highest scoring participants will be presented to you for choosing."

            "Oh, great. Speed dating for complete idiots." She closed her eyes and shook her head; she couldn't believe that she had forgotten her grandmother's property was within a pack territory. Her grandma had been pressing her to start dating seriously, but she had just brushed it off as grandmotherly pestering. Apparently, Grandma had taken matters into her own hands.

            "Sirnel, maybe you should get some of the other alpha females here to help out. I don't think that the guys will be much use. "Rebecca shook her head at her brother and frowned.

            "Why do you say that?"

            "Well if you had been able to get your brain out of her pants for more than a few moments, I would say let you stay. But we can't contaminate the games by getting her too familiar with you. It would be cheating." She smiled slightly as Melissande coloured brightly, red flooding into her cheeks.

            A heavy sigh broke through him. " Yes, I guess you are right. I don't want her sent off with someone who won' t respect her just because I became too familiar."

            "He 's leaving?" Disappointed was a mild word. Crushed was the only one that fit.

            "Yes, Melissande, I have to leave. That way I have a chance to be presented to you at the games, if I am a winner." He sat next to her and leaned forward for a delicate kiss. She tasted his breath for an instant, spicy and wild, then his lips gently pressed into hers. Her lids fluttered closed and her entire focus was the soft strength of his mouth on her. It was as if her entire body was using that light touch as a spur to its arousal. Her pulse pounded in her veins, and then he was gone.

He shifted her weight and she heard the coverlet get folded back. It was with some amazement that she figured out that he had used his tail to manipulate the fabric.

Perhaps I should take the lead?

He didn’t give her a chance to reply before standing her on the bedding and unwinding the fabric that still covered her from waist to ankle. Well, it had been covering her. Now she was quite naked, but not cold. The lust in his eyes warmed her in a way that outer coverings could never do.

Beautiful. More lovely than I could have imagined in a thousand dreams.

Pleasure and pride filled her at his thoughts, her chin lifted, shoulders went back and her stomach tightened in anticipation of his touch. He didn’t keep her waiting long. He trailed his fingers over her forehead, across her cheeks and down her jaw line to her throat. Inch by inch he caressed her, her position on the bed gave the effect of her being on a pedestal.

No part of her body was left untouched except for the soft folds of her sex, he saved those for last. He flipped her onto her hands and knees for that exploration. Holly was blushing to her roots, but he couldn’t see it.

He didn’t explore her with his hands, but he tasted her with the tongue that had kept her own entertained in their spine-melting kiss. Wet heat flared inside her, prompting more moisture as he lapped and lapped at her sex with mind-numbing attention. Her elbows shook as she tried to keep her torso on level with her hips, but she had to give up and lean her head on the bed. This had the effect of spreading her knees more and Kevik took full advantage of her opening to him. His tongue was dancing across her clit, swirling and flicking, then moving into her channel to lap and suck with fervent action. Her orgasm hit her like a freight train, knocking the breath out of her and sending her flat to the bed.

Soft kisses crept up her spine, across her shoulders and the back of her neck. When she could move again, she groaned loudly. The deep snicker near her ear was full of masculine smugness. It was well deserved.

Holly smiled into the sheets. She had never had a lover who had gone down on her before. It had been quite a revelation. Wow didn’t even begin to cover it.

Something prodded her backside, and she knew that it was the cock that had escaped her viewing in the ambient light of the room. His erection was leaving a wet trail along her hip and buttock. Out of reflex, she opened her thighs to accommodate him.

He took the invitation instantly, settling his chest against her back and his hips between her thighs, but scooping a hand under her to support her as he raised her to her knees again. His erection thrust against her opening once, twice, and then their combined lubrication let him inside her.

"Valentine? What the hell is going on?" Mythos's concerned voice was echoing through her door and she flung it open, facing her soon-to-be lover like a tiger attacking its prey. He was startled to say the least.

She advanced on him and he retreated while his eyes feasted on her body from head to toe over and over. "Me? I am tired of you talking to me like an invalid. I am a woman, I have needs and, based on the erection you get whenever you see me, you have them, too."

His mouth opened and closed as she backed him into his bedroom. She paced forward silently and pushed him back on the bed. First, she stripped him of his shirt, then his trousers, and when they got stuck, his shoes. She should have remembered the shoes. It had slowed her own disrobing rather dramatically.

"You know, it is very convenient that elves don't like underwear or that could have taken a lot longer." She crawled on top of his silent form, then rubbed her body against his like a cat. He groaned and she smiled. "We are going to make you a new memory of my body and you are not going to say a word until I am done. Then we will discuss it." She leaned forward and nibbled on his jaw. "Nod if you agree."

His nod came without hesitation, and when she rubbed his cock against her cleft, so did she. Her body was wet, ready and adrenaline was pulsing through her so she settled her opening on his erection and let her body weight push him into her body.

A few twinges of pain flickered through her and Mythos's hands gripped her hips as if to stop her. She grabbed his hands and pulled them away, pushing herself onto him completely. Whew. That had taken some of the edge off her lust, but seeing her lover's eyes closed and head thrown back gave her more than hormones, it gave her strength of purpose.

She braced her hands on his belly and lifted herself almost completely off him. On the down stroke, sweat began to bead her belly. So that was what all the fuss was about. She did it again and again. Mythos groaned heavily, his hips arching against hers. Valentine rode him until sweat was flying from her and their bodies slapped together in a steady beat. Her hands gripped her breasts to keep them from bouncing and that was when he made his move. He reached two fingers between them and rocked them against her clit…

Shaking her head at the fanciful turn her thoughts had taken, she moved away from the dragon prints and off to the stand of trees. The first tree was too tall. The second was too lopsided. The third reminded her of her fourth grade teacher. The fourth tree was just right. Six feet tall with a big bushy base. She started hacking at the base and it shook snow on her with every stroke. When it dumped down the back of her shirt, she squealed and jumped back. Dropping her axe, she shook it out as best she could with her parka in the way.

"What is it? What is wrong?" The deep baritone hummed out of the darkness.

Maggie shrieked and looked down for the axe. It was deep in the snow and she couldn't get it out in a hurry. "Who is there?"

"Syrus. We met this morning." He came out of the shadows to meet her wide-eyed gaze with his own.

"You are dressed. I distinctly remember you being naked." She was stupefied. His dark shirt and pants looked centuries out of date and yet perfectly suited him. His hair blended with the fabric and framed his face. She was going to say more when the tree she was working on shifted alarmingly. She squeaked in surprise when he swept her into his arms and away from the falling pine.

"Why are you chopping a tree in the dark? It is most unwise."

"I started when it was light. I would have been done if you hadn't surprised me." She was a little defensive and mildly irritated that the thickness of her clothing kept all contact with his body in her imagination. Damn it.

"You are very light," he said it almost absently as he shifted her to one arm and grabbed the tree with the other. "Where did you want this tree?"

"Ideally, in my house in one piece. It's my Christmas tree. Tomorrow, I decorate it and put the presents my friends gave me under it."

He began striding to her cabin, her cradled with one arm and the tree with the other.

"My axe, the toboggan…"

"I will retrieve them later. A holiday tradition isn't something to die over and you cannot see in the dark like I can." Irritation coated his tone and he stopped at her door.

She could opened it for them. Inside, he slid her down his body, the puff of her coat seemed to frustrate him so he removed it. Maggie shucked her gloves and touched his skin for the first time. She cupped his jaw line and stroked his flesh, amazed at the smoothness of his skin. No five o'clock shadow or trace of a beard dared to interrupt the texture of his skin.

She traced the outline of his wide mouth with her fingertips and his tongue flicked out to touch her, taste her. Evidently he liked what he tasted because he sucked her fingertip into his mouth and twisted his dexterous tongue around it. He stroked her digit for a moment and then released her.

"I see you are less frightened of me this evening."

"I have decided that if I have gone insane I am going to enjoy it."

"Well, far be it from me to deny you your hallucination."

Apparently, for an imaginary dragon, that constituted foreplay because he lifted her up and wrapped her limbs around his waist, then walked her to her bedroom with his erection rubbing against her clit through her jeans.

It wasn’t the heat of the sun that woke her, it was the heat of a mouth on her breast, kissing, licking and suckling at her. Her body became alert far before her mind did, rolling to her back to allow her dream lover full access to her flesh.

He took full advantage, running his hands across her skin in a feverish pattern that left her gasping. His fingers parted her thighs, slipping between them to delve into her channel in a hard motion that had her arching and mewling for more. She tried to open her eyes and found them bound by a soft length of fabric.

“No. This time I control and you feel.” Baileez’s husky voice thrummed along nerves deep in her sex. He had had this effect the first time that she had met him. Seducing him had never been an arduous task. Laying still for his touch was beyond her however.

“I don’t know if I can stay still.” She was writhing under his touch, arching to meet his fingers as they pumped into her, shifting so that his free hand could play with a breast.

“Then simply feel and react. Just don’t take off the blindfold.” Steel was in his voice while he said that and then his mouth was at the side of her neck, licking and sucking his way down her torso. Goose flesh was all over her, each inch of skin called to him, wanting his touch. She mewled in surprise as his tongue wormed its way into her navel and raised her hips to his chest in reaction. He used both his hands to hold her hips to the bed, then raised her weeping centre to his mouth. His tongue lapped at her, parting the lips of her sex as she panted and strained against his grip. She tried to undulate against him, to bring his tongue deep into her, but he held her still.

She reached down to hold his head and found thick fur there instead. His ears were more canine and pointed, but as long as he didn’t stop doing what he was doing, he could grow another head for all she cared. She spread her thighs wider and pulled his head toward her. He laughed again.

His tongue lapped at her, swept to lap her clit and then returned to delve into her. She was mindless with sensation and, when her orgasm began to sweep over her, she screamed her release. The second that her body began to convulse, he moved up and the head of his cock parted her, driving deep. The palpitations of her release kept time with his thrusts and soon she reached another peak. She wrapped her legs around him and held him close, feeling the brush of fur against her flesh.
 

He was breathing deeply as he got closer, as if her scent was drawing him. It took defying every instinct that she had not to draw away when he approached her. His kiss was worth staying for, his tongue teasing at the seam of her lips before dipping inside to taste her. He held her head still for his kiss, leaving her to grip his arms for support as her knees buckled when he sucked on her tongue.

Athon leaned forward, pushing Sarah back and she tumbled to the bed, her fingers still clenched on his arms for balance. Her body also wanted to keep him close to her so, when he sprawled on top of her, it positively purred. Oh wait, that was his purr.

Sarah felt her eyes widen as the happy noise pervaded her senses. He nuzzled at her chin and neck until she squirmed under him. Then his attentions shifted back to her breasts, the right one to be precise. His tongue lapped at her and then he settled in with a harsh suction that shot a bolt of sensation from her breast to her womb.

She was wet already and could faintly smell the heat coming off her body. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment when her scent started to combine with his. She hoped he wouldn't notice.

The left breast was now treated to the ministrations of his mouth and she almost came at the first harsh pull on the nipple. As it was, she felt a spiralling of heat and moisture gather between her thighs, which shook as Athon parted them so that they would bracket his torso as he slid lower.

His goal was obvious as was his intent to drive her out of her mind. When he first blew a stream of warm air across her damp flesh, she jumped, but the second time, he followed the air with his tongue and she was a gonner.

Sensations that she had long since forgotten rioted through her. Her body gripped the stimulus eagerly and rocketed her to completion in only a few slow deliberate licks. She shuddered as waves of sensation ran through, over and under her. She felt her body heat up and shook with the effort to control her talent.

He moved up to kiss her and she tasted her dew on his lips. He reached down to free himself from his trousers and she groaned as the heat of his body flamed hers higher. The blunt probing of him at her entrance was uncomfortable until the head of his cock had spread her moisture enough to cover him. When he started to enter her, she widened her eyes only to see the burning red coals of lust in Athon's own gaze.

Time hung suspended between them as he moved inside her, thrusting slow and deep, the eternal rhythm taking over, crossing species boundaries, until the moment when she tightened around him to hold his cock inside her. The instant that he felt her gripping him, he bit her.

His teeth held her still as his cock twitched and spurted inside her. She squeaked in response to his claiming and held perfectly still. When he removed his teeth, he licked and nuzzled at her neck. She sighed and slipped her hands up and down his back as Athon calmed her and himself.

"I will do better by you next time." His lips were on her temple when he murmured that one.

"Ah, but will you get your pants off?" She was exhausted, her limbs limp with their exertions and the transport wrap. He chucked and bumped his nose against hers. She went cross-eyed trying to keep eye contact.

"Probably not. I am sorry that we had to get acquainted so rapidly, but I look forward to again feeling your heat."

She almost laughed, but she was fading rapidly. "May I sleep now? I am really quite exhausted from the transport." He had no idea how hot she could get.

"Rest. You have provided the service for which you were purchased."

She yawned heavily. "Is that what I did? I just thought I lay here while you gave me a nice, slow fuck."

Their drive was quiet. The mountains and trees flew past the windows, the suspension of the car was so tuned that she felt like she was floating on air. Their drive could have lasted two hours or two days, all she knew was that when he pulled up in the rotunda of the home that was still under construction, she whistled in amazement.

She was home.

Her soul recognized the structure jutting from the stone as its resting place, a place of peace and introspection.

When she looked over at Zenner, she saw the same thing in his eyes. He knew that she belonged here. He had built this for her before they had met.

"Cordis Exitor. The soul's awakening. I named it the day that they first cut the earth to lay the foundation. Would you care to see inside?"

"I would love to. Please. Show me your soon-to-be home."

He held his elbow out to her and she took it, unsurprised as the doors to the house opened without his touch. The air was thick with magic up here. Fewer humans to dilute and waste the purity of the energy.

"Wow. The entry hall is amazing. Those staircases are hand carved? They look incredible."

"Everything here was done by hand. Few craftsmen around that will do it my way, but I pay very well."

"I imagine that you do. Where do you get your money? A huge pile of gold that you used to sleep on?" He was silent and she started to laugh. "Seriously? Wow. Stories about dragons are not exaggerated."

"Only a few of them. The rest we put out there for propaganda." He twirled her into an arc that had her laughing. When she swung back, she was flush against him and her laughter quickly stilled.

"Would you care to see the bedroom?" He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Of course. But if it is a thorough tour, will I lose my maiden's status?"

"Not until you are free of your clan and can come to me willingly and eagerly." He wrapped his arm over her shoulders and steered her up the left staircase. There were no carpets in the home, but the smell of polished wood was everywhere. The entire house was made of granite and oak and it seemed to be made of light as well.

"The goblins that I hired to work here only work nights. Their craftsmanship is better after dark."

"Goblins? Goblins are real?" A whole new world was starting to open to her. Not just the insular world of werewolves, but she was here with a dragon and his contractor was a goblin. Life just kept getting weirder.

"Yes. Most mythical or fairytale creatures are real." The double doors to what must be the master bedroom swung open at their approach.

"That's a nice touch."

"The bedroom and the kitchen are the only finished rooms so far. I like to fly up here and look out over the mountains. The view is amazing." He steered her past the enormous bed in the centre of the room and out onto the balcony.

With the wind blowing, the sun setting and the mountains keeping them safe, he went to one knee and proposed.

"Arabel Marx, once we have freed you from the mire of you clan, will you marry me? Will you be my wife, my partner and my lover forever and ever?"

"I will see how long forever lasts for me, but Zenner-Arial-Ifical, I will marry you until my last and final day passes."

Before she could lean down to kiss him, he took her left hand and slid a ring of incredible beauty into place. "A mere trifling of the wealth at my disposal, but a rock that I dug out myself for the woman who would take my heart and hold it within hers." He stood and lifted her at the waist for a kiss. She wrapped her arms and legs around him to return the kiss and the friction as he walked was driving her out of her mind.

If sex is off the menu, why is he dropping me onto his bed?

"You know, even though I intend to save the best for our first official night together, I have been dying for a taste of you."

With only a few quick movements, her sweatshirt and bra went flying and he was working at her jeans with incredible dexterity. She was leaning back on her elbows and watching him, then looked away and blushed furiously as her jeans were removed and her underwear with them. She had no idea when her boots and socks had disappeared.

She couldn't make light of the intent look in his eyes as he stroked her shoulders, collarbone and trailed his way down to her breasts. He leaned forward and nuzzled her breasts, warming them with his breath as he moved from the left to the right. Ary brought her hands up and caressed her own flesh gently as he worked his way down her torso to rest between her thighs.

His breath heated her sensitive core, the petals of her sex opening with moisture under his intense scrutiny. The embarrassment of having her body getting slick with someone watching went out the window when she first felt the touch of his tongue.

She gripped the bedding with both fists as his mouth began to stroke her in places that her own fingers could never reach. When he licked her, she mewled and as his tongue worked into her and started to undulate. She cursed his dragon heritage.

Unlike the ones generated by her own hands, this orgasm caught her by surprise with both its suddenness and its strength. A keening cry came from her mouth as she arched her back in abandon. Zenner kept licking her until he had licked her dry. Her body was sweaty, exhausted and singing with the tune he had taught it.

She didn't know if she would be able to move again. Ary didn't know if she wanted to. "This is a good place to die. I think I will just lay here forever."

The patter of claws woke her from her trance. Tiern was back.

"Hey, fuzzy butt. How has your day been going?" Her chipper tone froze him in his tracks.

The enormous lion strode toward the little nest she had made on the bed and he elongated as he walked, shifting to two legs when he reached the dais that supported the round mattress.

As a man, he was extremely tall. Over six and a half feet if she didn't miss her guess and all taut skin and rippling muscle. One appendage caught her gaze and it was definitely taut, but not a muscle. A deep silver cock seeped a liquid that was reminiscent of mercury as he approached.

His chiselled features and high cheekbones flattered his dark brows, aquiline nose and full lips. An intricate design of tattoos marked him on face and body. Tiern was meant to be seen as a whole and not divided into parts. He was beautiful.

"Wow. You're pretty." It slipped out of her mouth before she could say anything intelligent.

He preened. There was no other word for it as he flipped his waist-length hair behind him and bowed formally to her. "And you have a beauty like no other I have seen. You glow from within, Lora of Terra."

"You looked me up. Was it the tattoos?" She glanced down at her belly and grimaced. The solar system that she had grown up in was stylized on her abdomen.

"That and there is a bulletin out for your safe return. A reward has been offered and all Alliance outposts have been alerted. You Terrans are quite the commodity." He was coming to her slowly, stalking her.

She couldn't help but respond by backing away from him until she was against the headboard and he was crawling toward her with disturbing feline grace.

"I am guessing that you are not going to be in a hurry to collect the reward."

He was slowly moving until he was hovering over her. His hands in the sheets at her side and his knees between hers. How she had let him get the better of her, she didn't know, but she was not upset about it. Her body was reacting to him, she wanted him and judging by the heat and hardness pressed against her, he was reacting to her as well.

"You have guessed correctly. I have never tasted a woman like you before."

She was instantly suspicious, it didn't sound flattering. His mouth was hovering over hers when she asked, "Why, what do I taste like?"

He leaned back and his eyes glowed dark silver in the light of the dome, "Mine."

Damn! If he wasn’t so pressed for precious time, he’d pursue her. A little recreational sex was just what the doctor ordered. He’d loved watching her. Then she’d gone and disappointed him by eating too quickly and leaving barely ten minutes after they arrived. Still, by the way she carried herself, he’d bet she was beat. Even the dark circles under her eyes couldn’t detract from her loveliness. It merely brought out his protective instincts. His cock grew hard at the mere thought of sinking into her moist heat.

Nick leaned toward him, his telepathic link clear, Will you stop it already?

Adam’s eyes widened. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I’d connected with you.

Well, you did. Don’t you usually connect with me when you see a prime specimen like her? Nick gave a snort of derision. Now my cock is near to bursting with no relief in sight. It’s been years since I’ve felt such an intense craving for a woman. I want nothing more than to seek her out, bury my head between her legs and lap up her woman’s thick cream like a cub.

Adam could only agree with that idea. It wasn’t until they both saw the woman slinking through the darkness on their way to their room that their suspicions were aroused. He held up his hand, silently stopping Nick in his tracks.

Drace inhaled sharply. Was she trying to kill him or just unman him? Her passage wrapped around his cock like a tight, wet velvet fist. He gasped when she wriggled again and her muscles grasped him tighter. Sweet Jesus, if he didn’t regain control soon, he’d come before Griffin seated himself into her ass.

“Ride him, Aliana.” Griffin moved behind her, straddled Drace’s legs and kissed her neck. “Ride him. Make him come deep inside you.”

What the hell was Griff thinking? Drace stifled a groan as she raised and lowered herself over his hips. Her breasts jutted proudly upward, her dusky nipples dark against her pale skin. Sexy.

Honey blonde hair fell over her shoulders in glistening waves. Reaching up, she pushed her fingers through her hair in an effort to toss it back over her shoulders. The action thrust her breasts up and outward, the pouting tips rose and fell with every move, like an invitation to lean up and feast upon her creamy flesh. Unable to stop himself, he rose up and took one hardened peak into his mouth. His cock jerked inside her tight channel as her muscles gripped him tighter once again.

Giving the small diamond-hard bud one final flick of his tongue, Drace lay back and concentrated on nothing but holding back his inevitable release. If it were up to Griffin, he’d have him coming deep inside her luscious channel and they wouldn’t have the opportunity to take her at the same time. Drace couldn’t allow that to happen. He needed this. He needed the closeness of a triad bond, now more than ever. There was nothing like taking a woman together. The sensation, the sense of closeness to his best friend was unlike anything else he’d ever experienced. Now there was more. He wanted to feel the closeness, the rightness of it all with both of them. He could only pray she would accept them both into her life permanently once this was all over.

Gritting his teeth, Drace tried to keep himself from climaxing. He imagined everything from insects to battle and still found it difficult to detach himself enough to keep her from milking his semen from his body.

Her scent, the feel of her silky skin sliding against his was nearly enough to lose himself in her. Finally grabbing her hips to keep her still, he held Aliana close against his hips. Every time her silken channel gripped him tighter, every time her passage pulsed around his shaft seated so deeply inside her, his cock bucked, begging for its release.

“Use her own cream to ready her for your entry, Griff.” Drace gritted his teeth. Sweat beaded on his brow and his body grew more rigid by the moment. A soft whimper escaped Aliana’s lips and she wriggled, driving him even closer to the edge. Soon nothing would stop him from shooting his release deep inside her waiting channel and she would be his, theirs, to share if she would have them.

Her lips moved over his bare chest, inciting a riot of feeling deep in his gut. He wanted this woman more than he’d ever wanted another female before in his life. Gentle hands brushed over his sensitive nipples, a curious tongue following shortly after. Supple fingers traced the lines of his face and jaw. He drew one into his mouth, then the other, suckling, waiting, needing to feel Griff’s slow invasion of her perfect ass.

* * * *

The sound of Drace’s hoarse command drew Griffin from his trance. The sound, the scent of his best friend and the woman he intended to take to mate making love had his senses reeling. His cock jerked, bucking upward as if it couldn’t wait to sink inside her beautiful ass.

He watched as Drace gritted his teeth and did his best to hold her unmoving and still she managed to wriggle about and make him groan. He stroked the length of his cock and shuddered, unable to stop himself from imagining the way she would feel. His cock was longer, bigger than he’d ever seen it before. If he thought on it much, he may think the same of Drace’s. Not that he paid much attention to the size of the other man’s erections. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that they both were finally making love with the woman they intended to take to mate. Or perhaps, he thought with a wry grin, it was just because she made them horny as hell. Whatever the reason, he didn’t care.

Reaching down, he thrust two fingers between the two already joined. Aliana whimpered and wriggled downward. Cream seeped from between her legs and he pulled it from where Drace’s cock was firmly seated within her to her back entrance. Smearing the slick cream over her tight rosette, he inserted first one, then two fingers. After making sure they moved easily within her, he scissored his fingers back and forth, stretching her even more.

Aliana groaned, wriggling her ass down onto his hand and he smiled. Our mate is passionate, Drace. Can you feel how she begs me to enter her?

Drace nodded, his eyes closed and teeth clenched. Corded muscles stood out on his neck. Are you trying to kill me?

Griffin chuckled. Doesn’t the anticipation make it better?

Of course it does. Drace glared at him over Aliana’s shoulder. But that doesn’t mean you need drag it on indefinitely.

If Merrick had told Matt that Gemma would plop down on his lap and kiss him stupid before dinner, he wouldn’t have believed it. Hell, if he’d known telling her so little of their missions would make her react like this he may have said something a week ago. Still, there was something to be said for anticipation.

Matt took over the kiss when she nibbled his lips. Opening his mouth, he slid his tongue inside her mouth, reveling in her exquisite taste. The scent of raspberries and vanilla clung to her. Probably from the pies she’d baked for the guests earlier. He managed to keep things rather tame until she wriggled on his lap, grinding her hips against his in a blatant invitation.

Standing, he almost smiled when she wrapped her legs around his waist and nibbled her way over his jaw to his ear.

She whispered breathlessly in his ear, "The bedroom is out the door and to the left. You can’t miss it."

Matt wasn’t anyone’s fool. He headed for the door, barley able to keep from running.

Lying back on the bed, he cupped the back of her head, tilted it to the side and suckled her neck.

Gemma groaned when he moved his lips to her ear and laved the delicate shell. She shivered, goose bumps covering her arms as his hands skimmed down their length. Moving his hands to her hips, he pulled her tight against him pressing his cock against her lower stomach.

Rolling over, he looked down into her eyes. "Do you want this, Gem? Do you really want this?"

She gazed up at him a glazed look in her eyes. "I want you, Matt. I’ve wanted you for as long as I can remember. Even when I thought I hated you, I wanted you and hated myself for it."

Gemma stood and began to undress as she smiled down at him shyly, her face turning red.

Matt didn’t need an invitation, as he too stood and shed his own clothing in record time before turning with the idea to help Gemma with hers. She was already in the bed, the blankets drawn up to her chin when he turned his attention to her.

Matt smiled, almost chuckling at her uncharacteristic shyness. Even when she’d been a virgin she hadn’t been this shy. The smile faded when he remembered what caused her reticent behavior. She needed a lot of care--a lot of comfort to overcome the fear those men instilled in her.

One day he would make the men pay. Now though, he intended to make her forget. At least for a little while.

Crawling into bed beside her, Matt took Gemma in his arms and held her tight, reveling in the sensation of her bare flesh against his. Her breasts pressed against his chest.

He kissed her then, poured every bit of the love he felt for her into it. His hands skimmed over her back, moving around to cup her breasts, gently pulling and twisting her distended nipples.

Gemma groaned into his mouth when his hands slid over her gently rounded stomach. His cock bucked at the knowledge that she must still practice her belly dancing. It had been both a source of desire and pride that she’d been able to dance privately for him--and most likely Merrick as well.

When his hand brushed the soft curls at the apex of her thighs, she opened her legs, and groaned as his fingers gently swept past the moist, plump lips between her legs. He stroked her flesh tenderly, his finger and thumb grasping her clit and pulling gently as he thrust his tongue into her mouth and swallowed her cries.

So intense was his own pleasure, Matt couldn’t stop himself from groaning into her mouth. He spread the soft folds of her nether lips and slipped his fingers inside her, while his tongue danced with hers. Gemma turned her head, sobbed against his shoulder as he leaned down to kiss her breasts and suckled her diamond hard nipples.

Matt worshipped her with his lips as his fingers danced over her smooth flesh. His fingers slid in a circle over her slick flesh, around her pulsating clit, until she writhed against him totally mindless and covered in a thin sheet of perspiration. He purred against her breast, laving the tight bud at its crest.

Bending down, she began to straighten the magazines, clearing her mind of all thoughts of supernatural beings. Instead, she concentrated on reading the headlines to keep from betraying herself to him.

She felt the vampire walk up behind her. It was as though a broad circle of energy surrounded him. The moment he got close, she felt his aura brush hers. Lightning shot down her spine. Electrical current passed between them, causing her aura to jump and spark. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled and she began to stand. To ignore him, would give her away. Tori didn't know how she knew that, she just did.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

His voice was just as deep and smooth as she remembered it. Like a shot of well-aged scotch. It burned through her mind, making a slow circuit over her body, causing heat to pool low in her middle and goosebumps to rise on her flesh.

She stood abruptly, banging her head on the underside of the table. "Ow! God that hurts." She straightened slowly, rubbing her head. At least it gave her an excuse to keep from looking up into his swirling black and gold eyes. He reached for her. She stepped back quickly.

He chuckled. "I don't bite." Then he winked. "Hard."

Ha! Yeah, right. Tori looked up through her lashes. "Can I help you?" She knew she had to put something, anything, between them to keep from looking directly into his eyes. She had dreaded this moment since the day she turned sixteen when they rejected her. She knew she couldn't give herself over to him or his usual companion. The thought of being someone's food made her skin crawl.

He could kill her, probably would kill her if he found out what she knew. His eyes narrowed to mere slits and he looked at her, really looked at her, for the first time in years.

"Do I know you?" he asked, his head tilting to the side. He reached up to push the hair from her face.

Tori flinched.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

The expression in his eyes seemed so real, so sincere, part of her wanted to believe him, but how could she? He was one of them. He drank blood to survive. Both he and his friend fed off innocent humans, calling their victims to them like cattle to slaughter.

He placed a finger under her chin, applying gentle pressure, forcing her to look up. If she resisted, he would know. If she looked into his eyes, he would know. Whatever move she made, she was either dead or at the very least, dinner. Well, she refused to go out meek and frightened. Tori raised her chin and met his gaze, her own defiant.

The man stared deep into her eyes and obviously realized she couldn't be mesmerized this time. She hadn't been susceptible to any vampire's siren call since he and his friend had set her aside all those years ago. Either they had accidentally made her immune to their mind control or her mind had just grown stronger. Whatever it was, she was glad to know she'd never fall under another vampire's spell. Even if it meant her death.

"Who are you?" he asked as he leaned closer and sniffed the air near her neck.

She pulled away from him with a grimace. "I don't see how that's any of your business." Turning, she walked back to the stand's opening and reached up to pull the metal front down, determined to try and ignore him until he decided what to do with her.

It was past time to close and she needed to be inside somewhere secure. The other vendors were already gone and it wasn't safe to be out on the streets alone. She looked over her shoulder at the vampire who regarded her with more than curious interest and shook her head with a sigh. It was too late to worry about that now.

He reached out, grabbed the large metal door and pulled it down, holding it against the bottom of the stand while she locked it in place. Tori straightened and he grabbed her arm in an unyielding grip.

"You may be able to get away with saying that to me, but others will consider you a threat." A muscle jumped in his jaw as he looked her up and down. "Who are you?" he asked again.

Tori refused to turn and face him. She even tried to jerk free before she turned her head, then glowered up at him when his grip held fast. How could she turn and face him when she knew what was coming, what he wanted? "Tori," she began, then took a deep breath. "Victoria Sheridan." The others would consider her a threat? Did that mean he didn't?

He bent, sniffing the air around her. "We have met before."

Tori swallowed thickly, her gaze darting everywhere but his face. Every time she looked into his eyes, she saw the raw desire there and it frightened her. He frightened her. Very gently, he tilted her head back with his thumb, forcing her to look up at him as his eyes bored into hers.

"You know when. Tell me."

Tori jerked again. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break free. "I don't have to tell you anything," she gritted out between her teeth. She averted her gaze, didn't dare even peek into his probing eyes.

"No, you don't," he breathed into her ear as he put his face into the crook of her shoulder. "But there are ways to make you tell me. Ways I don't think you will like." Bending, he licked her neck.

Tori felt her pulse jump and bit her lip to keep from moaning. She didn't know if it was from fright or sexual arousal. Sensual heat pooled in her groin and her panties grew wet. Hell, it was time she faced the fact that she'd lusted after this man and his friend since she was fourteen. Tori couldn't help but stare every time either of them grew near.

If she were truthful, she'd admit she wanted this man inside her since the day she turned sixteen. Even though she knew he was a vampire and drank blood to survive. How sick was that? She didn't even want to contemplate how perverted she was to want them both.

"Besides," he added, "if you don't tell me, I can't protect you. You may fall into the hands of someone less…desirable," he whispered the words close to her ear.

That smooth, deep voice did things to her insides that should be illegal. Little streaks of lightning shot through her blood and invisible tendrils of desire winged their way through her traitorous body straight to her groin as she fought desperately to keep her emotions under control.

Tori bit her lip, fighting the urge to press back against his hard frame as he stood behind her, his body heat radiating into her. She could feel the hard, sculpted muscles of his body against her back as he held her. What was she thinking? She knew what he was. He was reading her mind now. He had to be. He was doing everything she ever fantasized about, everything she ever dreamed of. Her neck tingled where he'd licked her. What would it feel like to have him feed from her? Would it hurt or would it be like in the books she'd read and movies she'd seen? Would he give her an orgasm just from the feel of his teeth sinking into her neck? He pushed his lower body against her bottom, the hard ridge of his sex riding in the cleft of her behind almost made her groan.

"Why don't we go somewhere a little less conspicuous?" he whispered.

His breath fanned her ear, causing a tremor of desire to skitter over her skin as he turned slightly and directed her to look across the street.

He motioned to a man and woman, both dressed in Goth style, their black vinyl clothing shining brightly in the dim glow of the streetlights. They were the epitome of the kind of people who hung out at casa el Diablo. "Do you see that couple over there?"

"Yes." Tori nodded, fighting the urge to press back against him and ride the tempered steel of his rigid cock. How in the world would she ever keep him off her if they went somewhere more private? She was almost ready to jump him.

"They are hunting." His right hand slipped lower, cupping her bottom as he kept his left arm lodged firmly under her breasts. "And they don't care if they cause pain and sometimes…most times, their prey doesn't survive."

Tori inhaled sharply, pulled her head up from where it had fallen back onto his shoulder and tried to focus her gaze. He'd given her a choice. She could go with him to some place more private or he would leave her alone with those two beasts on the prowl. She closed her eyes and licked her suddenly dry lips. How did she get into these situations? "And if I agree to go with you, how safe will I be?" She half-turned in his arms, darting a look toward his too-handsome face.

"Do you really have a choice, Victoria?" he whispered, leaning closer.

His breath brushed against the side of her cheek, causing gooseflesh to rise on her sensitive skin as her eyes glazed over with need. She shook her head, trying to clear it.

Glancing at the demonic-looking couple across the street, she made her decision. "I suppose not." She had to look at this logically, if he planned to hurt her, would he really care if the others did? "Better the devil you know." She sighed, resigned to the fact that, like it or not, he was her only hope of surviving this night.

"You know, it's funny you should say that." As he smiled, he showed his sharp incisors and his eyes began to glow a strange iridescent red.

Reaching down, he closed his fist around the base of his shaft and began his nightly fantasy. Up then down. Up then down. He moved his hand rhythmically over his shaft. Darren slid his other hand down over the hard ridges of his stomach, past the springy hair that surrounded his cock and fondled his balls.

With the pillow over his face and Penny's scent filling his lungs, it was easy to imagine the warmth of her mouth closing around the head of his cock, her tongue licking the pearl-like drop of moisture from the tip. His right hand moved faster as he envisioned her mouth sliding up and down the length of his shaft. The familiar tingling crept down his spine and wrapped itself around his balls. Just a few more seconds and he would--

"Oh, my God! What in the hell do you think you're doing?"­

* * * *

Draven and Derek jumped up at the sound of Penny's screech. It sounded more like outrage than fear, but any outburst was cause for investigation.

"Where's Colby?" Derek looked around, obviously confused.

"How the hell should I know?" Draven snorted. "I don't have the Colby watch."

"Apparently one of us should have," Derek replied just before they burst through the door.

Penny stood just outside the open bathroom door, her skin still pink from the heat of her bath. With a huge towel wrapped around her head and wearing the large bathrobe the lodge provided, she looked tiny. Her mouth stood open in a surprised oh and her eyes were wide as his mother's tea plates.

It was when he followed her wide-eyed gaze that his own mouth fell open in shock.

Darren was on the bed on his back, his not-so-hard cock in his right hand. Panting, he held his left arm across his eyes in either embarrassment or frustration.

Draven wasn't sure which. He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of their situation. A year ago, neither he nor Derek ever contemplated sharing a woman permanently. Now here they were, staying in a hotel room with the woman they both wanted to share their lives with and a man who, if his actions were any indication, was so attracted to Penny he couldn't control his base urges.

"Let's just stay calm, everyone." Derek moved into the center of the room, wanting to keep Darren from shifting and wreaking havoc on the room or their flesh.

Darren stood up and tucked himself back into his jeans with shaking fingers. "I'll go." He sighed and shook his head. "I can't stay here anymore. I think the el calor is upon me. I won't be safe to be around until…" He glanced at Penny and stopped, a growl rumbling in his chest. "I'll leave and send someone else to help you with this matter."

"Where do you think you're going?" Penny stepped forward, obviously unwilling to be ignored. "And what is el calor?"

Draven moved farther into the room before he answered. He didn't want their little bird to fly away when he told her what that was. "It's the heat." He paused, carefully watching her expression. "The mating heat."

Her brow furrowed. "Mating heat?"

Darren stopped in front of the door, still facing outward. He kept his back to them all.

Draven wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or if the other man just couldn't bear to turn and face Penny's censure.

"Things are different here in Paradise." He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. "We all aren't what we seem."

"I already knew that," Penny said with a snort. "I don't know exactly what goes on here, but I do know that all of you aren't quite…" she paused and bit her lip before continuing. "That you're not quite human."

Not quite human. That was something that Draven himself wondered at times. He'd never questioned his humanity before last spring. Before then he'd gone through life happily believing he was human. Hell, even the blood tests he'd had hadn't told anyone any different. However, since coming to Paradise and meeting the people here, he realized that for some reason blood tests couldn't tell the difference between a shifter and a human. He'd never discovered the whys of it.

Still facing the door, Darren explained. "I am full leoparo. There aren't many of us left. The old council decided to change our way of life as they tried to make us stronger. Instead, it made us weaker as the people left Paradise and scattered among the human population. Most of them are still in hiding. I can't believe that many of them have told anyone what they are. When they breed with someone who is not their mate or when they do not bring their mate over by completing the mating ritual, their children lose something."

Draven stood still, listening to the story he'd already heard at least a dozen times, but not wanting to interrupt. Darren was close to the edge of his control. Draven could sense it.

"Their children aren't quite human, but they also aren't quite leoparo. They live in some in between state. Sometimes they are aware of their differences from the humans around them, sometimes they are not."

"What has this got to do with you masturbating on my bed?" The anger was gone from Penny's face now. Her expression was wary. She stood near the bathroom door, her arms crossed beneath her breasts, the position pushing the creamy globes up to the vee in the opening of the robe.

Darren finally turned.

The bleak expression on his face had Draven feeling sorry for the poor bastard.

"Because you are my mate and every minute in your presence is driving me mad. The el calor is upon me every minute of every day. If I don't leave, sooner or later I'm going to pounce on you and take you whether you want me to or not." Then he glanced at Draven and Derek and sighed. "And I can't take you if you can't accept us all. I am a man of honor and I will not take you only for myself when I know others need the solace of your body just as much as I do."

"All of you?" Penny squeaked. Color rushed to her face and she nervously licked her lips as she looked them all over slowly as though actually contemplating it. "At the same time?"

"It doesn't have to be at the same time. Though, if you want to be brought over and Derek and Draven want to be brought fully over, we would have to all make love together at least once."

Draven was surprised that she'd taken this so well. She hadn't run from the room screaming…yet and she was still standing. Barely.

He grunted, then glanced out over the railing. His body stiffened and he grabbed her arm. “Get into the room. Now!”

Niki didn’t argue. These men were here to protect her and if he saw something that set his senses on alert, she wouldn’t quibble over a few lost breaths of fresh air. Standing, Niki took a step toward the glass doors when a dark blur caught her attention just before it knocked her to the floor.

Tony grunted with pain as something hit him, too. Blood spattered her face and she screamed. Not knowing whose blood only made things worse. If it was Tony’s, it could only mean that he was badly injured. If not, then there was still one more…thing here that could harm her. Whatever it was that knocked her to the ground, wasn’t alone. It had company and she had no idea what to do.

“Get to the room. Don’t worry about me. Get inside, lock the doors and get Jarrod out of the damned shower. I’ll be fine.”

Doing as she was told, Niki crawled to the door, dragged herself through it after kicking the…thing from her foot and slammed it before the dark furry animal could follow her and attack again. She didn’t know what it was. It was the size of a medium sized dog, but it had a tail like her gerbil. Niki shuddered and locked the door as instructed.

Standing, she spared a short glance at her aching ankle. Whatever the thing was, it clawed her good and took a good-sized chunk out of her skin. Limping to the bathroom, she pounded on the door. “Jarrod, something’s attacking Tony. He needs help!”

Immediately the door swung open and Jarrod strode out wearing nothing but a towel. “Follow me to the door and lock it behind me.” He grasped her shoulders. “And whatever you do, don’t leave this room. We don’t know if there are any in the hall.”

Shivering with fear, Niki nodded her agreement. “Okay. I’ll stay here and I won’t open the door for anyone but Kameron.” Even if he was an overbearing jerk with delusions of grandeur. Niki could do nothing but watch as the man she’d come to know and respect over the last few days stepped through the door into harm’s way to protect her.

She couldn’t bear to watch. In fact, she went to the bed, sat down and stared at the latch on the door. What were those things? They looked like some sort of giant rodent, but she’d never seen a rat that big in her life.

After a few moments, there was a tap on the door and she turned to look. She couldn’t help herself. She had to know how they fared against those…things. When she glanced through the doors, she couldn’t help but grin. Tony and Jarrod stood on the other side looking in. Tony stood behind the other man, blocking the view from below. At some point during their scuffle, Jarrod had lost his towel.

Taking advantage of the impromptu show, she took her time standing and walking over to the door. Jarrod’s muscular frame never failed to make her heart race and her blood heat. In fact, she could feel the heat suffusing her face even as she took a slow but thorough inventory of his attributes…and he had many. Reaching the door, she couldn’t help her up-close-and-personal look at his nether regions. Whoo buddy! After unlocking and opening the door, she looked up into his eyes, then hurriedly glanced away.

Placing his finger under her chin, Jarrod said softly, “I hope you liked what you saw, Niki.”

Swallowing thickly, she tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her.

“I’m going to see if I can find Kam,” Tony said as he headed for the door. “We’ll get ourselves a room, hopefully just next door here and try to get a good night’s rest. You two look like you need to talk.”

Niki felt her whole body flush. Heat suffused even her arms and legs. Tony was leaving them here so they could have sex. The question was, did she really want to have sex with a man she’d only known three days? She looked up into Jarrod’s eyes.

Oh, yes.

When she looked down at herself, Samantha couldn't help but notice that her bruises were gone, her cuts, scrapes and welts were also healed. Reaching up, she pushed her hair from her face with a trembling hand.

"Now I know I'm dreaming." Tears filled her eyes and slid down her cheeks as she sat next to the man she loved and looked down at her body, no longer marred with the visual reminder of her time at that hellish camp.

"I do wish this wasn't a dream," she whispered. Pulling her robe tight, she lay back down next to Aiden, determined to enjoy the comfort of his presence while it lasted, even if it was only a figment of her imagination.

"You aren't dreaming, baby," Aiden said, his voice heavy with sleep. He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed gently. "You're in a hotel somewhere in West Virginia. Sabrina is in the adjoining room. Most importantly, you're both safe."

"It's a dream." She shook her head. "You're not real. This isn't real. It can't be. I had…" Swallowing thickly, she cleared her throat. "There were…"

"Cuts, bruises, welts from where they beat you?" he asked gently, then shook his head. "They're all gone, all healed. There's nothing left of them but your bad memories and even those I did my best to heal."

Samantha inhaled sharply and examined her memories. He was right. Even the worst of them seemed softened somehow. It was as though a lot of time had passed--a year, maybe two. She felt…healed. Inside and out. "Can you…do this for Sabrina?"

"I don't think so. I don't know if I can get into her mind. If I can, I can heal her mind if she'll let me in." He shrugged. "However, you wanted me in your mind. You reached for my touch as I entered your thoughts." Rolling onto his side to face her, he gave her a crooked grin. "Somehow, I just don't think your sister is going to appreciate my help."

"Then heal her wounds."

His smile faded. "I can't."

"You can't or you won't," she asked, then thinned her lips. It was no secret that there was no love lost between the two of them, but she never thought he would let her sister suffer if it was in his power to stop it. She didn't want to think him so petty as to hold a grudge like that, but why else would he refuse to do it?

"Okay then. I won't do it." He sat up, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and sat with his back to her. "For one thing, neither of you would allow it."

"Bull chips! I just asked you to." Standing, she clenched her fist so hard it hurt. Never had she ever been so mad at him. Circling the foot of the bed, she moved to face him. He wasn't escaping this so easily. If it killed her, he would look at her and tell her why he wouldn't help her sister.

He shook his head. "Neither of you will like how it's done. Especially her."

Samantha opened her clenched fist and showed him the red crescents on her palm. Blood slowly seeped from the new wounds where her nails dug into her tender flesh. She shoved her hand into his face. "Then show me how it's done and let me decide." Never had she thought him capable of refusing to help someone who needed it before today. He'd always helped everyone he could as long as it was within his power to do so. But not today. Why?

"Fine," he bit the word out between clenched teeth.

A muscle popped in his jaw and his emerald gaze shot green fire at her. The glint in his eyes told her that maybe, just maybe, she should have left well enough alone.

"Put your hand in mine. Later, you aren't going to deny that you asked me to do this."

Samantha rested her hand in his. Two years of trusting this man made it easy to decide to keep doing so.

Circling her wrist with his fingers, Aiden bent over her hand, turned it over, and pressed a very long, very wet, and intimate kiss against her palm. Warmth swirled through her hand and up her arm as his tongue moved slowly over her palm.

Liquid heat pooled low in her middle. Her body's cream slid sinuously from her channel to coat her upper thighs. She had never thought to feel this way again. Not once since her capture had she dared to dream that she could feel this way again. Even for Aiden.

When her legs would have given way, he wrapped his arm around her as his mouth continued to feast at her wound. Everything fell away as some part of her remembered his healing from the night before. His mouth and tongue on her damaged flesh, giving instead of taking, healing instead of harming.

This was what Aiden was deep inside. He wasn't a man, a shifter, but rather, her salvation, her healer…her lover. He was the gentle man who always gave more than he'd ever taken for himself.

Slowly, he pulled away, looked up into her eyes, his own a deep, emerald green. "Look at your hand, baby."

He held it up for her to see.

"That's how I healed you last night. Do you still want me to heal your sister?" He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, his breath sending tendrils of desire coursing through her blood. "Do you really want my mouth on her skin? Does she have bite marks on the tips of her breasts as you did? Will you want me to suckle them as I did yours?"

Samantha's nipples grew to hard peaks and she groaned. Just thinking about his lips on her flesh last night made her wet. She leaned against him and began to pant.

Reaching up, Aiden pushed the robe aside and cupped her breast, his lips settling over the hard nub. For a moment, he suckled gently, then stopped and looked up into her eyes. "Tell me you want me to do this to your sister."

Samantha shook her head. She wanted her sister healed, but, God help her, she couldn't bear the thought of Aiden touching any other woman but her this way.

This was right. What she did with Aiden was something beautiful, even spiritual. Nothing could convince her otherwise. Wrapping her arms around his head, she held him to her. She hoped, even prayed that he was right and this wasn't a dream.

Her head dropped back onto her shoulders as he continued to suckle her breast. She couldn't think, could barely breathe as his gentle mouth and tongue took her to the edge of a familiar precipice she hadn't dared hope to visit again.

Angel met Mace's dark, feral gaze with no little amount of trepidation. The look he gave her was unsettling, but it wasn't nearly as disquieting as Derek's penetrating amber gaze. The look he gave her reminded her of the predator he was in his other form. It was almost as though he had her in his sights and didn't plan to let her get away. The feeling was both frightening and exciting. Exhilarating may be a better word.

Her heart began to pound so hard she feared it would leave her chest. She was sure they could hear it. It was so loud. Ignoring what that look did to her wasn't just difficult, it was nigh impossible. She wanted nothing more than to act as though nothing was wrong. That not one thing between them was different. But she was forever changed.

How could she pretend she didn't want them? To pretend as though her body was not betraying her arousal as liquid heat slid silkily from her core to soak her panties, making her slick with need. If they bothered to lean close, they would smell it. She could smell it. Or maybe it was her imagination.

What could she do? She had to do something before she fell apart in some weird hysterical mess. Instead of doing nothing, standing there, in front of the stove, twisting her hands together and lusting after these two men, she decided to do something. Anything was better than giving herself away. How would she ever live with herself if she made her arousal known and they rejected her? What if they thought the same thing Jacob thought? That she wasn't even adequate in bed. Could she live with another rejection like that?

Angel wasn't sure she was strong enough to handle their dismissal, no matter how gently they did it. Not knowing one way or the other was better than a rejection any day. Besides, how would she ever choose between them? They were both hot, with a capital H.

Finally picking a course of action, she decided that searching the cabinets was a good idea. She hoped to find some vinegar that she could turn into a dressing of sorts. She'd never made any with butter before, but butter and vinegar dressing over her dandelion greens and plantain would be better than nothing.

Glancing back at her pile of greens, she decided to steam them instead. Steamed greens would taste much better with butter instead of some strange vinegar mixture she tried to use as a salad dressing. Then there was all those mini-bottles of hot sauce that came in every MRE package. They could make use of that as well.

She'd just finished washing the greens and set them on a burner when Derek reached around her waist and turned the burner off.

His breath brushed her neck as he leaned closer and inhaled. "You always smell so good. Even using our soap and our deodorant, you always seem to smell sweet." He lightly brushed her shoulder with his lips.

Angel's knees almost buckled at the contact. She grabbed the counter for support before she melted into a puddle on the floor where she stood. What in the heck was happening to her and why did she seem so powerless to stop it?

Mace moved closer and pressed his lips to her other shoulder, nibbling lightly. "Did you know that we can smell your arousal? The sweet cream that slides from your slick channel smells as sweet as you do and intoxicates us. You cannot hide it."

Derek growled against her neck and she shivered at the sensation of his warm breath brushing the sensitive skin there. It sounded so strange, so primal she could almost believe they were something more than they seemed. She shook her head to clear it. They were so close. Too close. Their proximity made it hard to think, to breathe. Even the air seemed thick. Too thick to draw into her lungs as she attempted to gather her failing wits.

"You cannot deny wanting us. It is there in the way you move, the way your heart pounds when we draw near. It is in your very breath."

Goodness, Derek could talk. If she wasn't careful, he would talk her straight into one of those beds. Suddenly, a vision of the two twin beds pushed together into a king-sized bed, filled her mind and she almost groaned. She couldn't do this. She couldn't be with two men at the same time. She was too staid, too boring. Even Jacob had known that.

What had he called her? Vanilla. That was it. He'd said she would always be vanilla and why should he settle for someone so plain, so boring as she, especially when she wouldn't put him above all else? If he thought saying that would make her change her mind, he'd been mistaken. His cruel words merely fueled her desire to train for the marathon. To prove that she wasn't just vanilla. A marathon winner couldn't possibly be something so plain. Could she?

Now she knew what he meant. She finally figured it out. She wasn't exciting enough in bed for him. He'd callously taken her virginity, not bothering to see to her needs, then called her a prude. Angel didn't like to think of herself as a prude. Maybe she was just inexperienced. The thought gave her pause. What if she did sleep with these two men? She could hardly get farther from vanilla than that. Having a menage a trois was definitely not vanilla. It was at least strawberry, wasn't it?

When they each cupped one of her breasts and feathered their thumbs over her erect nipples, she was lost. Nothing could convince her she was something plain ever again. It took courage to do what she'd done over the last few days. She'd had the courage to fight her way free of her captors and she had the courage to stay here with these men for the last few days. Now, she would have the courage to grab onto this opportunity and hold on tight.

Didn't every one of her friends at work fantasize over this very thing? What would it be like to have two men dedicated to seeing to her pleasure? Perhaps now she would find out.

The two hands at her breasts and the two mouths nibbling at her neck were enough to make her moan. The sound came from somewhere deep within her. Being so daring felt strange, yet wonderful. Never in her life had she had the courage to step forward and take what she wanted like this. This time, however, she intended to do just that.

He and Luke were already up by the time the sun peeked over the horizon. Taking a deep breath, he bent to wiggle the toe of Sabrina’s boots. It was the only way they found to awaken her that didn’t send her into a screaming fit that scared the boys.

Before he touched his mate’s toe, he glanced over at the two cubs, barely four years old, and decided to let them wake her instead. If she intended to be their mother, she would need to get used to them disturbing her sleep.

Moving to the boys’ bed, he gazed down at them for a moment, wondering what it would be like to be their father—one of their fathers—and decided he liked the idea. They were good boys. The two of them were cubs he would be proud to call his own and one day bring them fully over into their world.
Get a move on in there, will you? I’m fucking starving and home isn’t getting any closer, dammit!

Daniel mentally shot Luke the finger, then reached down to wake the boys. The moment they woke, he entered their minds and took charge. He didn’t want to mess with their memories, but was painfully obvious that giving them time wasn’t helping much.

He found the memories of the pair of cougars mutilating, then devouring the boys’ parents and dulled them to the point that it would seem a distant memory—more like a bad dream than the frightening reality they had lived through. Neither of the boys said a word since Sabrina found them. Like it or not, today Sabrina would see some good come of his being a shifter.

His arms tightened around me. Big strong arms too, I might add. My clit twitched with delight. I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore it. I do have a brain in my head and I’m not about to let my nether parts tell me whom to sleep with.

Against my will, my left hand left the confines of my right armpit, where I’d stuck it for protection. It slid sensuously up over his chest and shoulder, before it slowly wrapped itself around his neck.

To my complete surprise and mortification, I buried my hand in his hair and brought my head closer to his.

“Why can’t I stop myself?” I asked, just before I pressed my lips against his.

“You find me irresistible,” he growled against my mouth. His voice was compelling. The low timber crawled through my body like a living thing. It made me want to do all sorts of interesting things with this man. His tongue dueled with mine, both of us wanted to win a war of dominance.

When our lips met, I felt much as I did with Brock, but with Micah, I felt . . . more. I wanted to kiss him, to fondle him. To know I gave satisfaction as much as I was receiving it.

With Brock, it had been different. I had wanted nothing more than to feel his huge cock as it pounded inside me.

“Stop thinking of other men,” Micah said, against my mouth as he playfully nipped at my lips.

I looked around and noticed, for the first time, that I was lying on my bed. Either I hadn’t paid attention while he searched the upstairs for my room, or he had a great sense of direction. I’m pretty sure it was the former.

I pulled away and fought for my next breath. I needed space. I needed to get away from him to think. I couldn’t concentrate when he was so close, when I could feel the heat from his body as it seeped into mine. It sent little licks of flame through my blood.

It wasn’t normal that he could read my mind. Sure, I’ve heard of telepathy but I’ve never met anyone with it. The whole idea was absurd. If I believe that, the next thing he’ll tell me is that we can communicate without talking. It was all I could do, not to snort.

He ran his hand through my hair and pushed my bangs back from my face to look into my eyes.

“You must rid yourself of your virginity. It is a weakness – a weapon that can be held against you.”

“Now I’ve heard it all,” I laughed derisively and pushed at his chest. “All of my life, my father, my grandmother and the church have told me to abstain. Then suddenly you come along and tell me that I have to have sex to save my life? Puhleeze!”

This is too much!

I slid out from under him and tried to avoid his roaming hands. Then I stood up, walked to the window and looked out through the darkness. I wrapped my arms around my churning middle and wondered how many more impossible things I was expected to face in one day.