by Jane Jamison
“You have to stop,” ordered Marty. He strode into the small room but stopped before making it to the couch. Doug moved to his side while Jordan hung back.
She didn’t have to ask what he meant. They’d found out about the photos. Strangely, relief flooded her. No more lying. “No, I don’t. The world has a right to know.”
“Why? Because we’re different? Because we’re—” Doug’s expression tightened, his teeth gritted. “Because we’re animals? Or at least the world will think us animals.”
She drew in a long breath, hoping to settle her nerves. At least it was out in the open now. She was right. They were shifters.
“Because…” Yet she couldn’t finish her sentence. Why did the world have a right to know? Did they? Or was the truth uglier than that? She’d wanted to tell the world about shifters, to be the one with the astounding news. Fame and fortune would have come along with the revelation.
“Don’t do this.” Jordan moved closer, his silhouette becoming less, his features more pronounced. Instead of the fierceness Doug displayed, a sadness put a different kind of shadow on his face. “You don’t want to hurt these people. Celia, Emma, all the others.”
“Us,” added Marty.
They were right, of course. She’d struggled with the thought for nights, yet somehow she’d convinced herself that they would be all right, perhaps even better off once they could live out in the open.
“If you tell people about our town, our lives will be changed forever.” Doug crossed his arms, a defiant gesture. “Curious people, the news outlets, scientists will come from all over. We’ll be forced to scatter, leaving everything we’ve built here behind. Do you really want to do that? Do you really want to hurt us that way?”
She looked down, guilt swamping her, before forcing herself to look up again. “But what if the revelation made things better? Outsiders will bring money into the town, boost businesses.” Her explanation sounded hollow even to her.
Jordan chuckled, but the sound lacked any mirth. “Oh, yeah. That’s what folks around here want. Money and fame.” He tilted his head to the side. “You don’t really believe that.”
She had to struggle to meet each of their gazes. “I want to. Wanted to. But I don’t. Not really.” She glanced at her camera sitting on the coffee table, picked it up, and gave it to Jordan. “Take it. Destroy everything I have.”
She’d thought about Forever, the people and the men, throughout the night. Sleep had evaded her, but her heart had made the ultimate decision easier. She couldn’t hurt everyone she’d grown to love. Not for any amount of fame or money. Not even if the men she loved hated her for what she’d wanted to do.
“Well, hell, that was easier than I thought it would be.”
The soft smile that came to his lips sent the magical sensation to an even higher level. Her body screamed to take them, to force them to do her bidding. Her heart felt like it would burst any moment if they didn’t tell her they still wanted her. But what right did she have to hope? She’d betrayed her friends and now the men she loved.
I love them.
No words were ever as powerful as those.
“I think I knew almost from the first week. These people, your people, are too nice, too kind for me to ever do anything to hurt them. I just couldn’t let my plan go once I got started. Lying is like that. One lie leads to another and then, all too soon, it’s too late to turn back.”
“But it’s not too late,” added Jordan. “You’re proving it right now.”
She bowed her head. “How will I ever tell them?”
“You don’t have to. They already know.” Marty took the camera from Jordan and removed the card from it. “Emma, Celia, the rest of them. They know what you’ve been doing.”
Surprise filled her, followed swiftly by shame. She swallowed then struggled to speak. “But how? Did you tell them?”
“No. They told us. Besides, you’re not the first person to try this.” Marty shrugged. “Folks in Forever are good at keeping their secret.”
“Do they hate me?”
“No.” Doug’s mouth twisted as though he, too, struggled to speak. “At least not most of them. But you owe them an apology.”
She started to refuse. How could she ever face them again? Yet, she managed to nod, making a promise she wasn’t sure she could keep.
“Don’t worry, hon. We’ll be right by your side when you tell them. No matter what happens.”
“We’ll take you to the bar tonight and let you tell them yourself,” added Doug.
Could she go do it? Could she stand in front of strangers and friends and tell them the truth? But first, she had to hear another truth. “Tell me. Are you…werewolves?”
Marty came to her, taking her arms yet not pulling her against him as she so wanted him to do. “Does it matter? Are you one of those people who sees us as animals and not the men we are?”
“Maybe I would have before I came here. But now, after meeting all these nice people, after making friends, I don’t.”
“But what about us? We’ve become more than friends.” Jordan shoved the coffee table out of the way. “We know you’re the one for us. If you can believe that werewolves exist, then why can’t you believe there is a connection between us?”
“You feel it,” added Marty. “We know you do.”
What other explanation could she give for the strange bond between them? It was more than mere attraction, even stronger than a physical lasso around her body would’ve been. They were bound together as surely as if they were linked by chains.
“Tell us you feel it,” urged Jordan. “You’re our mate. Our woman.”
“Show me.” Not that she didn’t believe that they were shifters. Still, she had to see it. To confirm what she already knew.
“If that’s what it takes, then fine.” Marty cupped her cheek. “But first, tell us that you want us. Tell us that you know you’re ours.” He looked to the other two men. “And that we’re yours.”
Speaking the truth after so many lies came far easier than she had prayed it would. It was like a breath of fresh air had filled her lungs to flow the words out of her. “Yes. I know. You’re mine, and I’m yours. I can’t imagine loving anyone else.” Her palms skimmed along Jordan’s chest. “Now show me.”
“Outside where there’s more room.” Jordan motioned toward the door.
“More room?” Yet she wouldn’t question them further.
They stepped away from her, disrobing as they did, undoing their shirts then shrugging them off their massive shoulders. Boots were kicked to the side, and then they kept going, working on their belt buckles as they did. Moving through the door and down the porch steps, they dropped their clothes to the ground and began their transformations.
She’d seen other werewolves shift. Yet seeing the men she loved, the men she’d only just realized were her mates, still awed her. Their human bodies were magnificent. Strong, powerful, mountainous muscles built on more mountainous muscles. Every movement they made rippled through them, heating her body without a touch.
Once in the yard, they faced her again, their forms blurred as the change took over. She couldn’t see much but heard their bones cracking to reform into different angles. The shift came swiftly as fur replaced skin, fangs replaced teeth, and hands spread wider and sprouted claws. Only a few moments later, three incredible wolves stood where her men had been.
They faced her, their ears forward, their tails wagging, amber filling their eyes. Her breath hitched in her throat, yet only for a quick inhale. The moment passed quickly, the memory of them as men wiping that brief fear away. As men they were incredible, perfect specimens of mankind. As wolves, they were the same. Huge, beautiful wolves that were once huge handsome men.
They padded toward her. Doug’s fur was the darkest, a midnight blue-black she yearned to run her fingers through to see if it was as soft as it appeared. Jordan’s fur was dark, too, but there were red streaks highlighting the darkness. Marty’s golden f
ur was a contrast as he padded forward between the other two wolves.
They stopped a few feet from the end of the porch and, as though they’d planned it, tilted their heads to the side. Were they asking her the same question? Or were they wondering why she hadn’t come forward yet?
She smiled, her excitement making her hands tremble. No matter, she went down the steps, her arm outstretched, and reached for Marty.
His fur was an odd mixture of coarse and soft. Was that the way a “regular” wolf’s fur would feel? Or was it that way because he was a werewolf?
Doug complained, a sound somewhere between a moan and a growl. However, it didn’t frighten her. Instead, she thrilled at the sound and even tried to mimic it.
Did Jordan just smile? From the upturn of his mouth, it sure looked like he had. She smiled back and reached out for him. The texture of his fur against her hand was the same as Doug’s, yet she could feel him tremble, too.
It seems I’m not the only one affected.
The connection, the sensation as she’d begun calling it, was strong. Yet, it was different, too. Gone was the sexual desire. The longing for the men was still there but in a gentler way, a more loving way without the raw sexual overtones.
I love them.
The words came easily now. The fact that they were men who could change into wolves didn’t matter. Whatever form they took, they were still the men she wanted. Who cared what bodies the love came in as long as it was as true and sure as the love she felt for them? She’d decried the whole “connection” thing, but now she knew she’d been wrong to do so. Connection, sensation, love at first sight, however they wanted to refer to it, didn’t matter. She was theirs, and they were hers.
Marty growled, the sound rumbling out of him. When she didn’t immediately stroke his fur, he flicked his long, coarse tongue along her arm.
She laughed, loving the fact that she understood him even in his animal form. “Okay, okay. Don’t go getting jealous.” She stroked him along the neck, feeling the hard muscles under her palm. As though to prove they were jealous and not going to listen to her, they crowded closer.
“Easy, boys.” The invisible connection grew stronger. “You know we can’t do anything in your current state, right?”
As soon as she’d finished speaking, they began to change. They stepped back, taking the room to go through the transformation. Being closer to them, she could hear the cracking noises even louder and heard the soft moans they made as bones broke and changed and fur gave way to tanned human skin.
What did shifting feel like? Did it hurt? Or would a person get used to their body transforming, changing, breaking, and reforming in time?
Their transformations were almost over, the men straightening to their full heights, when the biggest, hardest question of all hit her. If given the chance, would she want to be a shifter, too? If it were possible, would she become one of them? She could imagine running on all fours, thrilling at lifting her face to the moon and howling. Would she change if she could? Yes. She would. She’d have to tell them as soon as she could. Along with asking them if they could change her, she’d ask them if they still wanted her—an answer she was almost positive she already knew—and if she could stay with them.
She’d had questions before, unsure of what would happen next, unsure if the town would forgive her for what she’d plan to do to them. But now, the only thing that mattered was becoming the men’s mate, both as a human and as a werewolf.
Standing, she reached out to the three men before her, the unbridled heat inside her burning to a bonfire. “I want to tell you guys some things.”
The hunger in their eyes was unmistakable. But she had to tell them before anything sexual could happen. She wanted them to know how she felt before she took their cocks to her again.
“After,” said Jordan, the growl all too human now.
They moved toward her, but she held up a hand, stopping them. “No. Let me talk first.”
Marty shook his head. “No. We need to have you. Now. We can talk all you want after we fuck you.”
They came so close the warmth of their breaths buffeted over her. That warmth couldn’t compete with the scorching blaze between her legs. “No. I have to say this.”
“Then say it,” ordered Doug. “But do it fast. We can’t wait much longer.”
“Shut up and let her say it,” argued Jordan. His still amber-flecked gaze met hers. Understanding glowed in their depths. “It’s important to her.”
She gave him a grateful look then began. “First of all, I want you to know how incredibly sorry I am for sneaking around and taking those photos. Now that I know you and others, I know that I would’ve never shown them to anyone. I like the people of Forever too much to ever hurt them.”
“Then you need to apologize to them, too,” said Marty.
She wasn’t certain she had the nerve to do that. Maybe she could talk them into apologizing to everyone for her. It was a coward’s way out, but at that moment, she couldn’t bear to see Emma’s or Celia’s or any other person’s face when she revealed that she’d been lying to them starting the first day she’d come to Forever. Their disappointment, their hurt would be too much for her to bear.
“You’ll apologize, right?” asked Jordan.
A pain speared her as she lied, yet again. She promised herself that it would be the last lie she ever told. “Yes. I will.”
“Good. Then we’ll get as many folks as we can to meet us at the bar. You can tell them tonight.”
She inhaled, alarm spreading. “Can’t I do it one to one?”
“That’ll take you forever. You might as well get it over with, darlin’.”
As much as she dreaded the idea, Marty was right. She’d have to get her courage up every day for a long time to tell everyone she was sorry for lying. “Okay. You’re right. It scares the hell out of me, but I’ll do it.”
Doug took her by the back of the neck. “Do you need to say anything else?” He pulled her close, his erect cock pushing against her abdomen. “If you do, you’d better hurry the hell up and say it.”
“I do. And it’s probably the most important thing I’ll ever say.”
He closed his eyes, paused, then opened them. “Then get on with it.”
“I’d tell him to take it easy, hon, but I know how he’s feeling.”
She glanced at Jordan then Marty then back at Doug. “I want to tell you that…I love you.”
Doug’s intense expression eased. “You do, huh?”
“Yes. I do.” She tugged her sundress up and over her head. When she met their gazes again, the fire burning inside her now burned inside them. She held the dress against her, suddenly shy. “All of you.”
Marty chuckled and lightly shoved Doug aside. “I thought it was all too fast? Plus, we got the impression that you didn’t believe in love at first sight.” His mouth parted as his gaze slid down and up her body.
She skimmed her hand along his thigh, and it found its way to his cock. The tip was wet with pre-cum. He tensed when she wrapped her fingers around its length. “You’re right. I didn’t. That’s what I thought, but I was wrong.” She glanced up at him slyly. “Do you know I had dreams about you?”
“You did?” Jordan eased around her, his hand gliding along her thigh then down to cup her butt cheek. “We had some dreams and fantasies of our own.”
“And now that I know what the connection feels like, I’d swear I sensed your presence even before we met.”
Marty’s face lit up. “Outside Milly’s?”
“Yes. So you were there?” She’d felt the connection, all right. And so had they.
“We were. I had lagged back when I felt dizzy and all. Didn’t know what it was then, though, or I would’ve run inside and found you.”
“It was the connection, hon. It was always the connection. It’ll always be the connection.” Jordan slipped his arms around her waist.
“And at the bar, too,” she added. “I didn’t know what it wa
s, but it frightened me enough to send me running.”
The men exchanged knowing looks. Jordan chuckled. “Shit. We just missed you. Hell, we even looked for you. Or, at least, we searched for someone that would give us the feeling. But then we got sidetracked taking care of a drunken friend.”
“Tucker, right?”
Doug shook his head. “Right. To think what might have been. Damn.”
“If I hadn’t run…if you had found me…” She sighed. “What’s done is done. We’re together now.” He felt wonderful. Strong and powerful, every inch a man’s man. And her man now.
“Enough.” Doug took her away from Jordan. “Have you said all you need to say?”
“I think so. I—”
His mouth crushed against hers. His hold on her tightened. A growl rolled out of him and into her as his sucked her tongue into his mouth. Losing the ability to stand, her knees going weak, she fell against him and clung to his shoulders.
Marty broke the kiss, tugging her by the chin away from Doug. “We’re going to have you now. Understood?”
She nodded even as Jordan’s hands found wonderful places to explore, to squeeze in and out of her dark hole. His cock rubbed wetness against her skin. “Can you change me?”
“Now? Today?” Marty’s gaze jumped to his cousins.
“Yes,” she murmured as Doug yanked her dress away and fondled her breasts.
“Not today,” said Jordan.
She craned her neck to see him. “Why not?”
“You just accepted the connection and us. You should take a while longer to make that decision. Once you’ve been changed, you can’t be unchanged.”
“Later.” Doug picked her up, surprising her. “Talk about that later.” Whirling around, he sat on the first step and brought her down on top of him.
She had no chance to prepare. Yet, if she had, perhaps it wouldn’t have been as good. Instead, surprise mixed with elation as he thrust his cock into her pussy.
“Damn, man. You’re not the only one in this,” complained Jordan.
“Let him have his fun for now.” Marty, his cock pointing straight at her, leaned against the post at the bottom of the steps. “You and I can take her next. Together, like mates are supposed to do.”