by Tara West
They lay together in the grass, watching the clouds part across the moon and listening to crickets buzzing nearby. Raine and Jax held her hands, kissing her fingers, while Frey clung to her leg, resting his head on her thigh. She’d never felt more content, more happy in all her life than at that moment. But her bliss fizzled as guilt drove a wedge into her happiness. Magnus should’ve been here with them, marking her, too, but they’d left him out, and she hadn’t even thought about him until they’d finished.
She looked at Raine, who was drunk with satisfaction. “Will Magnus be angry?”
“Hope so.” He chuckled. “Maybe he’ll fight for you if he smells your fluids on us.”
She turned back to the night sky. “Oh, okay.” That was one way of looking at it.
“Did you enjoy it?” Raine asked her.
She couldn’t help but smile. Cupping his cheek, she leaned over and planted a kiss on the tip of his nose. “Very much.”
“You seem upset,” Frey said.
“I’m sorry. Just worried about Magnus.”
“Don’t be,” Jax said. “He’ll come around once he sees what he’s missing.”
Raine sat up, lazily stroking her breast. “The sun will rise soon. We need to get you home.”
She bit her lip as her nipple peaked. “Okay.” She wasn’t ready to go. Her pussy still throbbed with need, and she wanted them to touch her again.
They washed off in the pond, playfully splashing and teasing each other, until she found herself groaning into their mouths. They climbed onshore, kissing and toying with each other. She had three more orgasms, and they ejaculated in her hair and on her tits. After another bath, they made the long trek home, sated and spent, their tails dragging.
Day was breaking by the time she reluctantly climbed inside her bedroom.
Leaning out the window, she gave them each long, languid kisses, groaning when they pulled back.
“May we come to you tomorrow night?” Raine asked.
She eagerly nodded. “Yes, please.”
Raine paused. “May we bring Magnus?”
“Of course,” she answered without hesitation. A small voice in the back of her mind told her she was being a lovesick fool. That she’d capitulated too easily. But another voice argued she hadn’t capitulated at all, that the struggle wasn’t with her mates but for her mates, and the fight had just begun.
Raine held her hands, his eyes darkening as he desperately searched her eyes. “Annie, I swear to you we will do everything in our power to make you happy. We will not let him ruin us.”
Without realizing she’d been holding her breath, she released a shaky sigh. “Thank you.”
“I’m damn sick of the sorrow,” he continued, “but now that you are in our lives, the Ancients have blessed us with a new start. I’m not about to let my father or Magnus blow it.”
When his brothers voiced their agreement, she smiled. “That’s good, because I’m in this fight now, too, and I’m not going to let them blow it either.”
She blew them kisses, then closed the window, not even cringing over behaving like a lovestruck pup. Feeling like a gutted fish, she fell into bed, surrendering to exhaustion and thanking her fathers for her mates. Now that she’d gotten to know them, they were actually amazing, and she couldn’t wait to see them again.
Chapter Eight
BALBAN WOKE FROM A much-needed nap and stretched, saddened to find that cumbersome set of testicles sticking to her thigh. She hated male bodies, even though they were generally stronger. She identified with women more. Their soft curves and sensitive nipples brought her great pleasure, and Aosoth liked touching them, too, which meant he was always in the mood to fuck. And Balban loved to fuck. So far Aosoth had not expressed interest in fucking her new body. This made Balban sad. Though she could never replace her long-dead mate, her beautiful and brave Sitri, who’d been the demon to rescue her from the fiery pit, she thought of Aosoth like a mate. She would never admit it, but she found comfort in his presence. She couldn’t risk losing him. She needed him to want her, so she needed a different body.
Speak of the devil. Aosoth was waiting for her in the hall with a lineup of dirty, chained girls.
She looked over their dejected, frightened faces with derision. None of them spoke English. What had they been expecting when they crossed the border? Did they really expect their bleak lives to get any better?
Aosoth’s white smile was a contrast to skin that shone like onyx. “Balban, I have picked several fresh bodies for you.”
She folded muscular arms against a flat chest, frowning at her lack of curves. “Why?”
“You don’t wish to remain in this man’s body, do you?” he said with a sneer.
She stiffened, not wishing him to see how much his rejection stung. “Of course not.”
“This is my first choice.” He yanked on a chain, pulling the girl forward.
The girl stumbled, then hung her head.
Balban shot him an accusatory glare. “I knew you’d pick her.”
She had the largest tits of the bunch, plus she had a pleasing, wide mouth and thick, pretty lashes.
When a sickeningly familiar smell wafted toward Balban, she backed up with a hiss. “I can smell her venereal disease.”
He shrugged. “She’s on antibiotics.” He licked his lips and stared down her deep cleavage.
She rolled her eyes. “You really need to get over your obsession with tits, Aosoth.”
“I can’t help it.” He pulled the girl to him, grabbing her tit so hard, she cried out. “You know I like squeezing them.”
The girl turned away, cringing when he licked her cheek.
A blade of jealousy stabbed Balban’s gut. He was going to fuck the girl, and she wouldn’t get to partake in the pleasure.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I will not be in this body for more than a day.”
Lines of his bald forehead scrunched. “Do you have a new body in mind?”
“Yes,” she said casually. “The half-human she-wolf.”
His mouth fell open. “You still think the amethyst darts will work?”
She tapped her head. “According to this human’s research, they are very effective.”
He latched onto her arm. “What if he’s wrong?”
She stiffened. “He’s not.” How dare he question her judgment? She had been in this agent’s body for more than twelve hours. She knew his deepest secrets and his darkest desires, and she planned on exploiting every juicy piece of information.
Aosoth’s eyes flashed red. “It’s dangerous.”
“Listen to me.” She wagged a finger in his face as if she were scolding a child. “If this works, we will be able to steal any shifter’s body, even the mighty protectors. Think of what we could do if we controlled the shifter race.”
“They will know.” His eyes darkened to the color of old blood. Clasping his hands together, he fell to one knee “They will wage a war against us. We haven’t been on their radar for a hundred years. They will hunt us down when they discover our existence, just like their ancestors slaughtered our kind in the medieval ages.”
What did he know of the dark slaughter? He’d still been in hell. Unable to stare at his pitiful face another moment, she turned from him. “I’m sickened by your cowardice, Aosoth.”
“And I’m sickened by the thought of burning in hell’s fiery pit for another ten thousand years.” His voice rose as he jumped to his feet.
“You forget, we know their weakness now.” She broke into a slow, seductive smile and fingered the large amethyst stone around her neck. “We know how to penetrate their magical barriers.”
A thudding door, followed by thunderous footsteps, echoed down the hall.
“Señor.” Their armed guard, a big Mexican named Miguel, with arms covered in skull tattoos, stood at attention while addressing Aosoth. He did not recognize Balban, which was good, as she wouldn’t be in her current body much longer.
“What is it?” Aosot
h snapped.
“You told us to tell you if we saw any lobos.”
She stifled a gasp. The wolves were here? They must have followed her men when they picked up the body, which meant they no longer trusted the Agent Roy Miller.
Aosoth’s eyes bulged. “How many? Where?”
“About three dozen a quarter mile from the compound.” Miguel pointed at the small window at the end of the hall.
“Shoot them,” Aosoth said.
“We can’t.” Miguel looked at his dusty boots. “They’re gone.”
Shaking a fist at Miguel, Aosoth roared, a sign of the wild, horned beast that lurked beneath his stolen mortal skin. “Hunt them down.”
The girls behind him whimpered, their chains rattling.
Miguel’s jaw slackened. “In broad daylight?”
“Bring me the guards who were watching the perimeter.” Aosoth’s voice dropped to an ominous baritone.
The color drained from Miguel’s face. “They’re dead.”
Balban’s knees weakened, but she refused to make a sound. Aosoth couldn’t know she was afraid.
“Dead?” Aosoth’s voice cracked.
Miguel frowned. “Mauled.”
“Double the watch,” he ordered. “And shoot anything that moves.”
Miguel nodded and hurried back down the hall.
Aosoth turned to her, eyes wide with fear. “They’re onto us. What do we do?”
She feigned indifference. “We relocate.”
“You need to get out of that body.”
Crossing her arms, she leveled him with a smirk. “You have no faith in me, do you?”
“I have no faith at all, Balban,” he said over his shoulder as he dragged his slaves back down the hall. “You should know that.”
ANNIE WOKE UP WITH a groan and stretched while rolling onto her side. Slowly she remembered last night’s events. Great Ancients! What had her mates done to her? What had she let them do? Crossing one leg over the other, she did her best to quell her growing desire as she recalled Raine’s intimate kisses. Whatever they’d done to her, she was determined they do it again and again.
After a much needed cold shower, she trudged into the kitchen, weary and sore. Ioana and Cesar were there, along with Tor. Judging by the sly look Cesar gave her, she had a feeling he knew what she’d been up to last night.
“Have a good rest?” Ioana gave Annie an exaggerated wink, a humorous lilt to her voice.
Cheeks flushed, she slumped in a seat at the kitchen bar and set her phone in front of her. “Yes.”
Tor looked up from his coffee. “You slept in late.”
“Did I?” She feigned innocence, thanking Ioana as she handed her a glass of orange juice. She drank and greedily ate a double serving of pancakes and sausage.
She was so consumed with breakfast, she hadn’t noticed they were sitting stoically, backs stiff as they watched the front window.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Ioana turned to her. “Our trackers haven’t returned.” She sat on a stool beside Annie. “They’ve been gone all night.”
Annie tensed. “Where did they go?”
“They followed the feds who took the redhead’s body,” Tor said gruffly.
“Oh.” Annie felt ten shades of selfish for forgetting all about the fact that demons had invaded their reservation. She’d been so consumed with her mates, she hardly thought of anything else.
Ioana jumped off her seat and ran to the door. “They’re back!”
Annie watched with envy as Ioana threw herself into Ben’s arms, plastering his face with kisses. Realization dawned that the Texas trackers had gone from tracking humans to a demon who could smell them, and she’d no idea what else it was capable of.
When Van gave Annie a sympathetic look, a nagging feeling told her that something had happened to Roy. Her knees gave out, and her limbs went numb with fear.
“Well, brother,” Cesar asked after taking Ben in a fierce hug. “What did you find out?”
Ben thanked Ioana when she handed him a tall glass of water. After drinking it all in a few gulps, he set it down and wiped his mouth. “The men who took her weren’t feds. The body was taken to a heavily armed ranch about halfway to San Antonio.”
Alarm bells went off in Annie’s head. Roy had said the feds were coming for the body. “This doesn’t sound right.”
Cesar turned to her. “Have you spoken to him?”
She checked her phone. No missed calls and no messages. “No.” She’d sent him one last night before bed, asking him to call and let her know he was okay. Panic and dread turned her veins to sludge. She’d been so consumed with her mates, she had totally forgotten about Roy.
She swiped the screen with a trembling hand. “Let me try again.”
Cesar latched onto her wrist. “No.”
She looked up at him. “Why?”
“Annie.” His gruff voice softened. “Something’s wrong.”
“W-what do you mean?” she stammered, though deep down inside, she knew what he meant. Roy was in danger, and it had something to do with the demons. Why hadn’t she warned him about them?
“We think the demon is holding him hostage,” Ben said.
Annie’s world tipped and then spun. Luckily, she was sitting, because she would’ve hit the ground had she been standing. She was so filled with fear and dread, she couldn’t think about crying. “Omigod, what do we do?”
“I’m calling a tribal meeting,” Cesar said.
“When?” she asked.
Cesar picked up his phone. “Now.”
She nodded absently, burying her face in her hands. When Ioana sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulders, her eyes exploded like busted water pipes. To think, she’d been running the canyon with her mates and enjoying amazing foreplay while Roy was in danger. She felt like the world’s worst sister, but her feelings didn’t matter. All she cared about was getting her brother back.
MAGNUS FURIOUSLY WHITTLED a piece of wood in the barn and tried not to think of the nightmare that had woken him, the same nightmare he’d been having several times a month for the past twelve years. Each time he’d tried to jump in front of the gunfire, and each time he couldn’t move fast enough, as if his legs were stuck in quicksand. The bullets had sliced through his hand and pierced his mother’s head. She’d crumbled to the ground without so much as a whimper, spasmed once, then shifted from wolf to human, her brains leaking out into the dirt. Magnus had scooped her up and run, tears streaming down his face as he howled for help while attempting to hold her brains in place with his one good hand. Fool that he was, he’d thought he could still save her, but her spirit had already passed. And just like all the other times, he’d awakened in a pool of sweat, crying to the Ancients to take him instead of his mother.
But they never did let her come back, though he’d have given anything to trade places with her. Because of his incompetence, his younger siblings had grown up without a mother, and his remaining alpha father had reminded him daily that her death was his fault. His baby sister had gone to live with their Romanian uncles at age eight, preferring to grow up in a third-world country rather than spend another day in their miserable house. Not that he’d blamed her, but he hadn’t seen her in eleven years, and he missed her almost as much as he missed Mother. She’d had her kind smile and gentle heart. His family had badly needed a woman’s soft touch. For too long they’d lived with their father’s abrasive cruelty.
He sniffled, willing the tears to subside while he whittled the piece of wood into oblivion. Damn. He’d been trying to carve a wolf. Cursing, he threw the mangled wood into the fire and picked up another. Usually his brothers soothed him after a nightmare, but they were nowhere to be found. Dawn had already broken, yet where were they? Their absence made his heart hurt even more, so much that he could hardly bear it. They’d gone to Annie without him.
He jumped when he heard footsteps outside. Throwing his tools on the bench, he stomped to the barn doors,
throwing them open and blinking against the blinding glare of the morning sun. His brothers, naked and in human form, wiped dirt off their hands, their satisfied smirks shooting a thousand tiny bullets into his heart.
“Where have you been?”
Raine shrugged, sporting a smug smile. “Out with Annie.”
A drum pounded so wildly in his head, he could hardly hear his own thoughts. “With Annie? And you didn’t think to include me?”
Raine looked away, his cheeks coloring. “We didn’t think she’d want you there.”
Magnus’s world imploded, and he let out an ear-splitting howl.
Jax and Frey were smart enough to back up, but Raine had the nerve to hold his ground, looking Magnus in the eye. That’s when he knew Raine was trying to assert himself as first alpha, maybe even the only alpha. Would his brothers really abandon him? Leave him to the desolate life of a lone wolf?
His throat was so tight, he could only speak with a strained whisper. “Where did you go?”
“We ran the canyon.”
Magnus’s head swelled with rage. “Are you trying to get her killed?”
“We’re not fools. We kept her safe.”
Magnus heard the censure in his brother’s voice. Even though Raine had always asserted their mother’s death hadn’t been Magnus’s fault, it was clear Raine blamed him now.
Magnus ignored the throbbing from phantom blade wounds in his back. “As opposed to me?”
“This has nothing to do with you, Magnus.” Raine chuckled. “The world doesn’t revolve around your insecurities.”
He released a low warning growl, standing toe-to-toe with Raine, and the smell hit him hard. No, it couldn’t be. His brothers wouldn’t betray him like that.
His lips pulled back in a feral snarl. “Why do I smell her fluids?”
Raine’s eyes held no hint of regret. “We marked her.”