Nathan groaned as he rolled in his bed, his head throbbing painfully from a hangover to end all hangovers, but even more strange, his jaw and face ached as well. What the fuck happened? Fragments came back to him: the fight with Dana-another fuck-up in his courtship of her. He'd owe her an apology for acting like such an ass, something he should have done the night before instead of sending John straight into her arms while he turned to drinking beer. Lots of it. He recalled deciding to get sloshed once he realized John and Dana were making love and then mated. A pang of hurt, tinged with some jealousy, hit him. He'd truly wanted to be first, but instead, he'd allowed his stubborn nature to send another man to her when she was vulnerable. The rest of the evening was a blur as he'd drowned his pain in alcohol. But it didn't explain his sore face. He rolled out of his bed, a bed he didn't remember staggering to, and stumbled over to a mirror. He let out a low whis
Sitting in a dark movie theater with a mate on one side and a man she planned to mate with on the other proved interesting. Make that titillating. Dana held the popcorn bucket on her lap, and every time they dug into the buttery box, she couldn't help wishing their hands were diving for a different snack. The darkness thankfully hid her blushes, but it couldn't stop her arousal. John draped an arm over her shoulder and bent to whisper, "Are you okay?" She turned toward him and leaned in close, but instead of speaking, she kissed him. His body went rigid for a moment before he kissed her back. When she moaned against his mouth, frustrated that he wasn't stripping her for more, he pulled back, his breathing ragged. "Behave. We're in public." Dana made a face at him and slumped in her seat. A hand brushed her thigh from the other side, and she peered sideways to see Kody watching the screen as his hand flattened itself on her thigh then began sliding her skir
Dana giggled quite a bit as they hunted for their clothes and brushed them off. Her cheeks heated a few times at her mates' ribald remarks, but surprisingly, even now that the ardor had worn off, she didn't regret a thing. In the space of less than a week, she'd gone from hiding from a mating situation to becoming part of a polyamorous group with three men. Ain't love grand? They crowded back into the SUV with Dana sitting on Kody's lap in the front seat and John holding her hand and driving with his free one. A need to remain close to them imbued her, especially as the sky darkened and they approached the compound. Once again, she feared Nathan's reaction, especially once he realized she'd marked Kody. I've got to stop letting my hormones make my decisions because, in truth, making things right with Nathan should have come before her frolic and claiming of Kody. But nestled in his arms, his lips brushing the top of her head, she couldn't muster the strength to regret
Nathan dropped his duffel bag by the large oak in the clearing where, a lifetime ago, he'd made love to Dana. It seemed only fitting to him that he make his stand in the place where his life had changed and shaped him into the man who now needed to escape. The irony of the situation didn't escape him. She ran because she didn't want to be shared, and now it's my turn to run because my jealousy couldn't handle it. But he wouldn't leave until he could assure himself of her safety, and that meant clearing out the rogues. A part of him screamed at himself for stupidly coming to face them alone. How many times had he drummed into his pack the need to not leave the compound at night unless they were in large groups? What made him think he alone could handle the menace? Sure, he possessed more strength than his brothers of the fur, and he had the unique ability to half shift into a beast-an ability that only the ones with the most control could achieve--but still, he was only one wolf a
It didn't take long for John and Kody to assemble the wolves in the pack to search. Nathan hadn't taken a vehicle, which meant they could track him. They set out on foot to search for his trail. Well, Dana was on foot. The rest of the males adopted their wolf shapes. Dana trusted them to smell anything before it attacked. She had a different plan in mind. Nathan had tried to obscure his trail, and the wolves they'd brought along split into groups of four to follow the false leads. Dana trusted her instincts-and a tugging on her heart. She ended up leading John and Kody. Her pace through the dark forest increased as certainty of Nathan's location blossomed in her mind. Approaching the clearing where her whole life had changed, she slowed, not because of the voices she could hear but because of the sense of wrongness-evil-permeating the air. She walked carefully, lest she give away her presence, all the while straining to hear the conversation. What she did hear made th
Nathan held Dana and marveled that, after everything that had happened, she still wanted him. She'd saved him, not just from his monster of a father but himself. Nathan set her down and, when John cautiously approached, dragged him in close for a hug, a quick one. They were naked, after all. "Thanks for coming, brother," he whispered. Kody had no problem with a naked hug, and he tackled the two of them in his enthusiasm. "Woo! The terrible trio back in action again." It was only when they realized that Dana watched their naked huddle with twinkling eyes and a smirk that they broke apart with a lot of throat clearing and back thumping. "Um, guys, where did Roderick go?" Dana's hesitant words made them all whirl and peer, only to see that not only had Roderick disappeared, but the rogues had slunk off too. The question she wondered was did Roderick get up on his own, or did the rogues carry off their leader? The rest of the pack took that moment to show up,
Dana basked in the attention they laved on her. What a change. She'd gone from playing alone with herself to having three men-my mates-determined to please her. Kody and John had each laid claim to a breast, but while they both tortured her, their technique differed, from the way John liked to swirl his tongue around her areola to Kody, who liked to nibble. She would have arched at their touch had they not held her down. She craned to find Nathan, suddenly fearing he'd left, unable to handle the situation. But she found him, kneeling between her legs, stroking his cock. He caught her perusal and smiled, a slow, sensuous thing that made her quiver at the promise in it. He let go of his rod and bent forward, his mouth hovering over her sex. Dana moaned as he blew on it. He cupped her buttocks and lifted her up. She clenched tight, waiting for his touch, but when it came, it wasn't where she expected. He licked her anus, his wet tongue sliding across her rosette an odd s
Dana lay in a tangle of limbs that made her smile. How she'd made the jump from no mate to three, all at once, still baffled her at times, but she thanked her stars she'd come to her senses. It had been almost a month since the showdown with Nathan's dad, and while rogue activity had dropped, they were still constantly on guard. Dana had also taken to carrying a stake around along with her handy-dandy pistol. Nathan had confronted the Lycan council with the fact of his father's state of being, and things had turned ugly. For the council, that was. A number of packs backed him when Nathan asked for the entire council's removal and a trial for their misdoings, not that the cocky council members were admitting to anything. In the meantime, Nathan, along with some other pack leaders, had taken over interim leadership of the council. He'd already confided to her that if the post became permanent, the first thing he'd do was make changes to the pack laws to give women more rights
Days laterÉ Thaddeus surveyed his demesne, a house he'd never really shared, until now. And now? Now the place was overrun with vampires and wolves. Had he lost his mind along his tumultuous journey? No, but he'd definitely lost his heart. Toni slid an arm around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder. Through their bond, her love for him warmed and filled his heart-and his cock. On her other side, Marc appeared, his stealthy abilities increasing daily with practice, enough that even Thaddeus found it difficult to spot him unless he cheated and used the thread that tied them together. "A penny for your thoughts," Toni murmured. He gave her the disgruntled truth. "How did I go from loner to this?" He gesticulated at the rescued wolves, a quad of them, sparring with Sasha in the courtyard. Toni laughed, the sound so sweet he'd kill anyone who dared threaten it. "You fell in love," she stated. He sighed. "That I did." "Do y
If someone would have told Toni watching two guys bite each other with her sandwiched between them would be one of the most intense moments of her life, she would have scoffed. But even though neither of them had bitten her, she caught some of the backlash from their joining. She couldn't help but bask in the warmth of knowing they did it not just for themselves but for her. To be with her. Because they loved her. And to think I wondered why any woman would agree to more than one lover. Toni was more than ready to let them claim her. She wanted to join them and belong to them and have them belong to her. Not because of any laws or protection, but because she wanted them. She loved them. I want them to be mine. Marc might have thought to tease her or shock her with his words of making her wetter, as if that could happen. Her pussy had never hummed so strongly or felt so slick. She crooked a finger, beckoning to them both. On to the bed they came, on their knees b
Thad drove the last leg to the compound in their borrowed car. A two-seat sports car, which meant Toni got to sit on Marc's lap. His naked lap. His naked lap with an erect cock poking at her backside. Something about prevailing against death and danger was arousing. Stimulating. Having a wet woman, whose scent drove him wild, who kept wiggling deliciously and casting him sultry glances, just added fuel to the fire stoking him. Thad must have felt some of the simmering energy because his fingers danced along her thigh, skirting the vee between her thighs and causing Toni's breath to catch. They couldn't get to the compound fast enough. Oddly enough, Toni, her voice breathy and soft, spoke in the erotically charged silence. "That was pretty intense back there." "If you mean fucking scary, then, yeah," Marc noted. He wasn't too macho to admit he'd feared. Especially for her. And there was a moment where I wondered if I'd end up a vampire puppet again. Thankfu
Okay, perhaps offering the warm heart to his comrades was perhaps not the sanest thing he'd ever done, but in Thaddeus's defense, it was considered quite the compliment in the vampire world, as it meant he was willing to share his power. With grimaces of distaste, Toni and Marc declined. Their loss. With a shrug, Thaddeus finished his treat, feeling his strength return and his wounds healing. Nothing like partaking of a master vampire's warm heart to give a boost to a weakened body. The skies chose that moment to release their moist bounty, a cool, fresh rain pelting them and cleansing the blood from their skin. But even clean, Thaddeus stood apart, watching as Marc held a shuddering Toni, a woman who'd unleashed her savage side and watched him eat another man's heart. What does she think of me now? Thaddeus wouldn't make excuses for what he was. He was a vampire. Eating the flesh of his enemies was a part of his life. A need. Although, in this case, he could have don
Despite the knock to her head, Toni understood they were in deep shit. Just one problem, she was too muddled to do anything about it. Through the ringing in her ears, she vaguely heard the word ambush and Thad's admonition to stay in the truck. Thing was staying in the truck wasn't a guarantee of protection. Evil lurked outside, and she could feel the nudge of it at the edge of her mind. Knock, knock. Who wants in? It wasn't Thaddeus. She knew his touch; it was gentle and not creepy. This mind probe reminded her more of Roderick's methods. Like a battering ram coated in slime. Someone on the impromptu battleground was trying to take over her mind. But who? Taking in deep breaths, she managed to calm the spinning in her head, enough so she could open her eyes without wanting to throw up. She wanted to shut them just as quickly. Chaos met her gaze. Despite the darkness, the one remaining headlight on the truck lit the surrounding area enough for her to see a nasty
Marc had only seconds to call upon his wolf, which meant bye-bye to yet another set of clothes. However, if he managed to get out of this ambush naked but alive, he'd count himself lucky. His initial estimate of half a dozen to the left proved accurate, but not so for the right. Marc only had a moment to realize Thad was going to get swarmed before his first ghoul attacked. Knowing what to expect this time, he didn't waste time grappling; he went for weak spots. Throat if he could reach it to tear it out. A close second was the legs. If they couldn't walk, it made them less of a threat. His strategy proved effective. While ghouls twitched on the ground and reached for him, he managed to keep to his four furry feet and cause some damage, enough that he felt the need to leave his group of ghouls and head to help Thaddeus, who was practically buried in them. He had to hand it to the old bloodsucker though. Thaddeus wasn't going down without a hell of a fight. Partway the
An hour or so later, they were on the road, the vehicle they borrowed not exactly luxurious, but the pickup truck in the garage, with the plow hooked to the front was less noticeable than Thaddeus's car with the torn hood and roof. Marc drove this leg of the trip, with Toni seated in the middle and Thaddeus on the other side. Cozy, but surprisingly pleasant. Thaddeus was still trying to come to terms with the speed at which his immortal life had changed. He'd gone from a boring and dull existence, where his primary amusement was stalking miscreants and taunting Morpheus, to embarking on a quest to save his kind, stop a war, oh, and get romantically involved with a woman and another man. Or at least the woman. The fact that she came with a hairy attachment he had yet to kill was something he still couldn't quite comprehend. I have never been one to keep pets. In times past, Thaddeus would have easily solved the dilemma by snapping a neck and claiming her for his own. He had
Wakening to one side of Toni, while Thad slumbered on the other, didn't freak Marc out as much as he feared. What began as a dislike and rivalry with the vampire had transitioned. He wouldn't exactly claim to like the guy, but he did have more respect for him and could now see him as a person instead of just a vampire. It also helped that Toni made it clear she wanted both of them, or neither of them. She wouldn't tolerate jealous bickering. Or, as she told them when they entered into a staring, growling match, "Behave, or I'll take my pussy and play with it myself." Nothing like the threat of no sex to calm them the fuck down. Then again, Marc wasn't serious about staking the bloodsucker and sticking him out in the sun for a tan, but a guy had to have some fun. Easing out of the bed, careful to let her eke out as many minutes of sleep as possible, Marc took first turn in the shower then headed off to scrounge up some breakfast. Within a half-hour, Toni arrived in the kitchen, he
This time Toni recognized the setting for what it was: a dream. I just wish I could choose a nicer location, say like a five-star resort. But no, her subconscious apparently harbored a sadistic side, and once again, she found herself in her dreary cell, wearing a gauzy nightgown trimmed with red hearts and ribbons. Ready for a loverÉor two. Unlike her last visit, this time the door to her prison was open. A shame, she'd quite enjoyed Thaddeus's appearance, and Marc's. They'd opened her eyes in this dreamscape to the possibilities, and now that they'd shown them to her, she had to wonder why she'd held back. But back to her dream. Why was she here? Was there something to be learned? Done? Only one way to find out. She strode from her former cell, the silence around her oppressive but not threatening. It seemed the fear she'd lived with for so long was losing its grip. Apparently eating some dead guy's ashes, kicking some ghoul butt, and then having the courage to take