by Jane Jamison
Is this it? Is this what we’ve been waiting for? Is this the connection?
He’d heard about the connection that brought shifters together with their intended mate. Most described it as being hit by lightning. Others said it was like having their balls squeezed hard, but impossibly in a good way, until they wanted to scream for mercy. He would’ve said it was a combination of both.
Is this the real deal?
How could he know? If he was actually feeling the connection, then his mate—hopefully, their mate—was nearby. He scooted out of the booth and onto his feet.
“What’s going on?” asked Marty.
“She’s here.”
“What’d you say?” Doug’s tone was filled with irritation.
It wouldn’t matter if he’d irritated his cousin, though. Once Doug understood, he’d forget all about the ranch’s finances.
“She’s here.” Jordan repeated it. Didn’t they understand? Was he suddenly speaking Chinese?
“She’s here?” Marty was on his feet seconds later. “Where? Are you sure?”
“Don’t you feel it?” Jordan glanced at his cousin. “It’s like you described, man. Like a bolt of lightning just struck me.”
“Where?” Doug came to their sides. “There are too many people in here. I don’t see anyone new.”
“Beats the hell out of me.” Frustration mixed with the strange yet wonderful sensation. “We have to search for her.”
“Spread out. Text if you find anything,” ordered Doug. “Or, better yet, her.”
Jordan stayed where he was. Could he pinpoint where he should go? Doug had already gone to the left toward the back of the building. Marty had taken to the right and was slowly angling his way toward the front of the bar.
“Jordan?”
He blinked, thrown off-balance as though getting ice water dumped on his head. At once, the sensation was gone. Fear as well anger worked through him.
No. I can’t have lost her. Not now.
“Jordan?”
He blinked again, finally realizing that Emma Carr was talking to him. “Uh, yeah. What’s up, Emma?” His gaze slipped past her, going from one person to the next.
“Never mind.” Emma bit her lower lip and cast her gaze toward the front door.
He didn’t have time for whatever was on Emma’s mind. He had a mate to find. “Okay. If you’re sure.” He didn’t give her time to say otherwise. “Excuse me, but I need to get going.” As Emma looked like she was about to say more, he darted past her, relieved not to get tied up in a conversation.
Where is she? Who is she?
Am I sure I felt it?
Yeah. Damn sure.
Then why didn’t Marty and Doug feel it, too?
Maybe his cousins had been too preoccupied with the ranch’s books. Maybe they’d had more beer than he had, numbing their senses.
Or maybe they weren’t connected to her. Shit.
He shoved the terrible idea away. First, he had to find her. Then he’d worry about her not connecting with his cousins.
He kept moving, his blood pumping, his inner wolf howling to be set free to join the hunt. Reaching the middle of the dance floor, he stopped and turned in a circle.
Come on. Give it to me again.
He wanted the sensation to return. Needed the sensation to return. Without it, how would they find her?
Doug appeared by his side then motioned him toward the bar where Marty was already waiting. “Anything?”
“Not a damn thing,” answered Marty.
“This can’t be happening.” Jordan kept sweeping the area, hoping against hope that he would see a woman he didn’t know. But, sadly, they were all either locals he’d already met or women who looked as though they were mated to the men around them.
“Are you sure you felt it?” asked Doug.
He whirled toward his cousin, his fangs coming out. He barely kept from shifting. “Damn straight I felt it.”
“How do you know it was the connection? You’ve never felt it before.”
He understood Doug’s skepticism, but he was certain. Nothing else could’ve made him feel torn apart and yet pulled together at the same time. “I’m positive. I can’t explain it, but it couldn’t have been anything else. Right, Marty?”
Marty had already started nodding before he’d asked. “Yeah, it’s got to be it. I wasn’t sure the other day, but now that we’ve both felt something incredible, not to mention strong, I’m positive. What else could it be?”
“Yeah.” He narrowed his eyes at Doug. “The strange part is that you haven’t felt it.” If Doug didn’t feel the connection, it would mean one of two things. Either she wasn’t his mate—which would be almost as bad as never finding her—or what he and Marty had felt wasn’t the connection. Either of those options wasn’t good. Either of those options could spell the end of their future, their hopes of having a mate and a family gone.
“Are you sure you didn’t feel something?” asked Marty. “Anything?”
“No. I didn’t.” Doug snagged a bottle of beer off the tray of a passing waitress. She glared at him but didn’t protest, since the bottle was already at his lips. Instead, she sighed and headed back to the bar for a replacement. “I didn’t feel the connection, but I think I might have seen her.”
“Where?” Excitement sprang fresh to Jordan. “Why the hell didn’t you say so?”
“Because I didn’t see her here.”
Jordan glanced at Marty, who shrugged. “Then where?”
Doug took another long swig. “I saw her in a vision. At least what I think was a vision.”
“A vision? Are you fucking kidding me? Since when do we believe in visions?” Jordan’s excitement faded faster than a popped balloon.
“Vision. Daydream. Whatever. I don’t know what the fuck to call it. Maybe I was still half-asleep. I don’t know. But I saw her lying in her bed, waiting for us. It was like she was dreaming about us.”
“So you saw her face?” Maybe there was still hope.
But Doug crushed that chance, too, when he shook his head. “No. I couldn’t see her face. But it was her. It had to be.”
“Why didn’t you tell us before now?”
“About a vision?” Doug snorted then took another drag of his beer. “And catch shit like I’m getting right now?”
Jordan glared at his cousin even though he could now understand why Doug had kept quiet. “Can you remember anything about her? Is she a brunette? A blonde? Skinny or fat? Anything?”
“I didn’t see her face, but her body was perfect. Just the right amount of curves.”
“Damn.” Marty’s attention refocused on the crowd. “Well, what do we do now?”
Jordan had been wondering the same thing. But they really had only one choice. “We keep looking. She’s here, and that’s a good thing. In a town the size of Forever, we’ll be sure to run into her sooner or later.”
“And when we do?” asked Marty.
“Then we never let her go,” answered Jordan.
* * * *
It was one thing to run, but it was an altogether different thing to run when she didn’t even know why she was running. At least, not specifically why. Too many emotions warred inside her for her to make sense of them.
Fear.
Need.
Confusion.
Shock.
All the emotions had become enveloped inside her with such an overwhelming power that she’d lost control.
Shenna kept running until she was in the middle of the parking lot of the Moonstone Bar. Her body was in as much turmoil as her mind.
Who were those men? Why did she have such a visceral feeling toward them?
As soon as she’d seen them, she’d been hit with a blast of electricity. At least that was what it had felt like. It was as though a power line had freed itself from the pole and lashed out at her. The surge had gone through her, diving straight for her pussy then splintering outward to jolt her arms and legs, electrifying her skin.
For a split second, she wanted nothing more than to throw her body at them, to beg them to tell her they wanted her, to plead with them to fuck her. Thankfully, Emma’s arm had been entwined in hers. Her friend holding her, unknowingly keeping her back, had saved Shenna a world of embarrassment.
What would the other people at the bar have thought if she’d acted on her unleashed inhibitions? Would they have thought her a slut, or would they have enjoyed the show? Yet what was even more frightening was that she doubted she would’ve cared who watched. She would’ve torn her clothes off and spread eagled on top of a table. Caring who watched would’ve come later after she’d regained her senses. If she ever regained her senses. She had the feeling that those men could drive her crazy for good.
Then fear of the unknown, the fear of not being in control, alarm at her wild thoughts, sank in.
Even now she had to resist turning around and rushing back inside.
The sensation she’d felt the other day in Milly’s had come back. In fact, it had grown stronger, harder, consuming her with a primal need. She trembled as the waves of sexual current rippled through her. She sucked in air, determined to get a grip.
Had she met them before?
She searched her memory, doing her best to understand. The answer to her question was an absolute no. Who could ever meet those men and then forget them? And yet, she did know them. She knew them on a gut level, in an instinctive way.
But how?
It didn’t make any sense.
If she had the courage, she’d go back inside, walk right up to them, and ask them if they’d met before. But courage failed her. Leaning against a car, she waited as the odd yet oh-so-wonderful sensation slowly dissipated.
A sound to her right startled her. She whipped toward that area of the parking lot. Had they followed her? If they had, what would they do? What would she not do?
“Fuckin’ shit.”
She lowered her body behind the car, using it as cover, and stared into the darkness. A dark shape stood between two pickups. As a man stepped into the light of the overhead lamppost, he tugged off his shirt.
Tucker Lawson, one of Kate’s men, tossed his shirt into the back of one of the trucks. He mumbled, yet the only words she could make out were “gotta run.” With a few quick moves, he whipped off his belt and sent it flying to join his shirt. Tugging on his boots came next. She didn’t realize what was happening until he started undoing his jeans.
He’s going to shift.
Irritation at herself flooded her. Instead of wondering about three men she didn’t know, she should’ve been paying attention to Tucker and the other two men.
She gritted her teeth and silently admonished herself. She had a reason for being in Forever and she wasn’t going to forget that reason now.
But were they with him? She glanced around but didn’t see anyone else. From the sound of Tucker’s voice, he’d had more than a few drinks. Hopefully, that would help her.
Bending over and staying low, she rushed to her car and opened the trunk. She cringed when the old hinges made a creaking sound then paused while holding her breath. Tucker hadn’t noticed as he moved closer to the tree line. If she didn’t hurry, she’d lose him.
Please don’t shift just yet.
Getting her camera ready, she got as close to him as possible and prayed he wouldn’t pick up her scent or hear her footsteps on the gravel.
The shift came, and as she had before, she was lost in the incredible awe-inspiring moment. Who wouldn’t be stunned and amazed? Unlike most humans, she was about to see a man change into a wolf. But getting lost in the moment wouldn’t get her the photos and video she wanted. She lifted the camera and started clicking.
Tucker stopped a few yards from the trees. She didn’t know why he stopped, but she was glad of it. His body morphed, limbs cracking, going in strange angles, then reforming as fur spread over his body. She switched to video mode, praying he wouldn’t bound into the forest. Trailing other shifters had been hard enough while in their human forms, but she doubted she could follow him in the waning light of the moon and definitely not once he shifted.
Tucker was halfway through his transformation, his face a strange mix of human and canine features, when the sound of men’s voices turned him toward the bar’s front door. Amber eyes blazed, and a snarl came to his lips. Shenna crouched behind another truck and hoped the shadows would hide her.
“Damn it, Tucker. What the hell are you doing?”
It’s them.
The three men who had gripped her with such intensity strode toward Tucker.
Tucker growled and shook his head, baring fangs. He snarled something more, sounds half-animal and half-human, but she couldn’t understand the garbled words.
Damn, but they’re hot.
Thankfully, she was crouched down when the sensation struck her again. Heat swamped her again, engulfing her pussy then spreading outward. Whatever it was she was feeling was more than a simple reaction to three sexy men. Attraction was certainly there, but they were more. But more what? What was she experiencing?
Two of the men grabbed hold of Tucker as the third, the blond one, snatched Tucker’s clothes from the bed of the pickup. Again, Tucker growled. Yet instead of completing the transformation, he reversed it.
“Let’s get him back inside.” The man stood well over six feet, his black hair shining under the lamplight. “Kate’s going to give him hell for shifting in the damn parking lot.”
The two men supported Tucker between them as he shifted back to his human form. He cursed at them, but they ignored him.
Suddenly, the blond pivoted toward her. She ducked down then scurried backward, doing her best to put distance between them. If he saw her, if he came toward her, she wasn’t sure what she’d do.
“You coming, Marty?” The taller of the two men called over his shoulder.
“Hang on a sec, Doug.” Marty frowned, narrowed his eyes, and started toward her again. “I think I feel—”
Tucker picked that moment to regurgitate most of what he’d drank that night. Doug and the other man let out a string of curses as they tried to keep Tucker on his feet while jumping out of the way of the splatter.
Marty swiveled toward them and let out loud laughter. “Did he get you?”
“Get the fuck over here and help us,” yelled Doug.
Marty’s laughter died as he tilted his head and looked back in her direction again. “Yeah, but hang on.”
“Fuck that! Get the hell over here. Now!” shouted the other man.
Yet Marty still hesitated. She ducked even lower and held her breath.
“Damn it, Marty, haul ass!”
“Fine. Hold your horses. I’m coming.” Marty scowled then darted over to them and took Tucker’s right arm. He held up Tucker’s clothes. “For fuck’s sake, get him dressed first before you take him back inside.”
Shenna breathed a sigh of relief when the men finally got Tucker dressed and ushered the stumbling man back into the bar. When she tried to stand, she found that her legs were too wobbly.
But was she shaking because they’d almost seen her? Or because they hadn’t?
* * * *
Celia Ray was one of Shenna’s favorite people in Forever. From her quick wit to her short red hair, Celia was the kind of woman Shenna respected. Celia knew her mind and spoke her truth.
“Hi, Celia,” Shenna leaned back in the rocker on the front porch of the rental home, propped her phone against her ear, and took a swig of her beer. The home was surrounded by trees and fairly secluded. After living in Dallas, she’d found that the quiet of the countryside had, at first, unnerved her. Now she liked listening to the crickets and the animals that dared to get near the house.
“What’s up?”
Shenna smiled at Celia’s upbeat tone. Did she ever not smile? Or get sad? Every time she’d talked to Celia, the optimism was always there. She guessed Celia was a glass-half-full kind of girl. “Not much. Just relaxing with a cold brew.�
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“Sounds good to me. Are you calling me to meet you for a drink? I haven’t been to the Moonstone in a long time.”
After what had happened in the parking lot the night before, Shenna was in no hurry to take the risk of letting her emotions get the better of her. “Sorry. I’m not up for being in a crowd.” Or the possibility of running into the men. Of course, that didn’t mean she wasn’t up for a fishing expedition. “Say, do you know a guy by the name of Marty? I don’t know his last name.”
“There are a few Martys around these parts, but the younger one, the one around our age, is Marty Beckett. He’s blond, and he’s not bad on the eyes, either.”
Then again, from what she’d seen, most of the men in Forever weren’t bad on the eyes. Yeah, not bad on the eyes was an understatement. In fact, they were really, really good on the eyes. Marty and his friends were drop-dead, sexy-as-hell men. Still, she needed to play it cool. “Yeah, I think that’s the one.”
“Uh-huh. And where’d you meet him? Tell me more. Details. I need details.”
She needed to be more subtle. Celia wouldn’t hesitate to pump her for information if she got wind of anything more than a casual interest. Maybe she should’ve kept her mouth shut. “Oh, I just heard the name around town. He and another guy came up in conversation. I think the other one was named Doug or something.”
“That would be Doug Beckett, Marty’s cousin. Doug and Marty are fairly new in town.”
“Oh?” Did she sound casual enough?
“Yep. They and a third cousin by the name of Jordan Beckett bought the Hidden Hills Ranch.” She paused. “Why do you ask?”
“No reason.” Hadn’t she already asked that question? “Just trying to get to know more of the folks around here.”
“Uh-huh.” Suspicion laced Celia’s voice.
“Don’t go getting ideas, Celia. I don’t have any interest in any man right now. At least not until I meet my deadline. If I don’t, my editor’s going to have a fit.” The words slid out easily. Was she getting good at lying? She pushed the guilt away as she usually did and reminded herself that she had a job to do. A job that needed secrecy. Still, she hadn’t counted on getting to know and like so many people. People she had to lie to.