by Jane Jamison
Ethan brought her onto her feet again then gave her a hard shove, propelling her through the door Brady had opened. “Go.”
He was gone before she turned around, running toward Dart, who was hunkered behind her car. The door slammed shut in front of her. Brady took her by the arms, forcing her attention on him. “Take care of your brother.”
She whirled around to find Harlen lying on their sofa. Dashing for the kitchen to get as many hand towels as she could, she heard the door open and close hard behind Brady. Shouts came from outside as well as sounds she couldn’t understand.
Are those growls?
Hurrying back to Harlen, she gently moved him onto his stomach. His shirt was soaked with blood. Smothering a cry, she tore the material away. Not having any idea of how to help him, she pressed the towels to his back to stop the blood loss.
“Hang in there, Harlen. You’re going to be okay. You have to be okay.”
More shouts rang out along with gunshots. The Rann men hadn’t had any guns. What if they were killed? Heartache hit her, tearing her apart. If she lost them, she wasn’t sure she could go on. Her brother’s face was ashen, his breathing labored.
I can’t think about them right now. I have to help Harlen.
She glanced around for a phone and found none, not a landline or a cell phone.
I have to call for help. But how?
Daring to leave her brother, she darted for the door and the cell phone on the table outside. She opened the door, ready to jump outside, grab the phone, and then get back inside. Instead, she froze and gaped at the two wolves hurtling their huge bodies toward two of the gang members.
The wolves tore at the men. Jackson stood as though frozen in place, his attention fixed on Dart. She stared, watching as Dart’s body grew blurry, his limbs twisting, the horrible sounds of his bones breaking.
Within a minute, Dart dropped onto all fours, transformed into an enormous black wolf. Snarling, he leapt at Jackson. She screamed as much in terror as in surprise.
Stumbling backward, she cried out again as she landed on her butt, her focus still locked on the wolf who had been Dart. The wolves turned their amber gazes toward her. Certainty struck her. The other two wolves were Ethan and Brady, men who could change from humans to animals.
Taking the chance to get away, Jackson, wounded and bleeding, scrambled to his feet and yelled at the others to get back to the car. The wolves tore their attention away from her and rushed after the men.
They’re werewolves.
Were the drugs still affecting her? Was what she was seeing real?
Although her heart accepted the truth, her mind couldn’t grasp it. As Jackson sent the car flying backward, the wolves shifted toward her. Fear swallowed her as she got to her feet and closed the door.
They’re werewolves.
And now they’re coming for us.
She couldn’t let them hurt her brother. Yet she hadn’t gotten the phone. How would she get help? Determined to save herself and Harlen, she rushed into the kitchen again. This time she searched for a weapon.
Finding a butcher knife in a drawer, she held it up, ready to fight. Facing three large wolves with one knife was impossible, yet she had to try. As the door opened, she flung herself in front of her brother, planted her feet apart, and prepared to die for him.
Brady, Ethan, and Dart came into the house, one after the other. Blood covered their torn clothes and skin. She hadn’t been aware before, but now it was easy to see the animals lurking inside them. They moved toward her, gracefully, as though still on padded paws. Their bodies were lean and muscled like the predators they were. Their eyes, amber flecks sparkling in them, held a fixed look telling of their fierceness.
“Stay away from him.” She’d tried to sound strong, but her voice had failed her. Instead, the sound came out a whisper.
“We’re not going to hurt Harlen.” Brady frowned at her, confusion etched in his brow. “Or you.”
“We’d never hurt you, sugar.” Using his foot, Dart pushed the coffee table aside, removing the barrier between them.
“You’re our mate.” Ethan stepped forward. “We’d lay down our lives for you. And for your family, too.”
She believed them. How could she not? Hadn’t they already proven they’d keep her safe?
“Give me the knife, darlin’.” Brady held out his hand, only inches from the end of the blade.
“I saw what you are.”
“We were going to tell you when you came over.” Brady took the knife, the blade cutting into his palm, yet he didn’t seem to notice.
“You’re werewolves.” Saying the word didn’t help her to understand, to believe. Not fully anyway.
“Yeah, we are.” Ethan let out a breath. “It isn’t the way we wanted to break it to you, but it’s out now. We’re werewolves, but we’re men first. Men who love you.”
“You love me?” Any other time, she would’ve rejoiced to hear that they loved her.
“We do. With everything we are,” added Dart. “Including the part of us that are wolves.”
Brady pulled her against him, holding her firmly. “Do you hear my heart, darlin?”
She nodded, exhaustion overcoming her. Her mind was clearing as the drugs finally wore off.
“It’s beating that fast because of you.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “Please help him.”
“We might be able to heal him.”
Pulling back, she stared into Brady’s eyes. “How?” She added, shaking her head, “I don’t care how. Just save him. Please.”
“We’ll have to bite him.” Dart sat on the edge of the sofa and tenderly moved Harlen onto his back. “If we bite him, changing him into one of us, he might have a chance.”
“Then do it.” She dragged in a hard breath. If changing her brother into a werewolf meant saving his life, then it was worth it. Even if Harlen hated her for telling them to do it, she wouldn’t care. At least he’d be alive.
“Do it, Dart,” encouraged Ethan.
Yet when Dart lifted his gaze from her brother, she knew. She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “No.”
“I’m sorry, Laney,” whispered Dart.
Rage filled her. She struck out at Dart, blaming him when she knew she was the one to blame. “Damn it. Bite him. Bite him right now. You have to save him.” Her vision blurred as the rage turned into tears.
“I can’t, honey. He’s gone.”
She screamed, the sound filled with her frustration, her despair, her pain. “No, no, no. He can’t be dead. He can’t be. You said you could save him.”
Ethan pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry.”
Her mind spun, not from the aftereffects of drugs but from mind-numbing, heartbreaking pain storming through her body, ridding her of the ability to move or speak. As a great shudder rolled through her, she collapsed against Ethan.
* * * *
After Harlen’s death, the men had taken care of her in their home, tending to her needs for two straight days. She’d heard them whispering to other people, but she hadn’t had the energy to get out of bed. Her grief for her brother had overwhelmed her, leaving her feeling empty and alone.
When at last the darkness had lifted enough for Laney to respond to the Rann men’s repeated attempts to talk with her, she’d told them that she needed to get out of the house. Going from the bedroom to the living room and seeing the space where the couch had rested took everything out of her. Although she appreciated the fact that they’d gotten rid of the blood-stained couch, the memory remained as fresh as ever, renewing the pain. Instead of accepting their offer to stay, she’d asked them to take her back to the B&B.
It was another five days before she’d managed to step outside the house. She’d become an empty version of herself, unable to do more than exist. It had taken yet another two weeks for her to get around town. That had been the second hardest day of her life. Although strangers had expressed their concern for her, she’d wishe
d that they’d stayed away, leaving her to bring herself back to the world. Somehow, with the Rann men always nearby, but giving her the space she’d needed, she’d gotten through the day.
The hardest day was when Shawna and Maddie Connor had driven her back to Atlanta for her brother’s funeral. Afterward, she’d found out that all the arrangements had been taken care of by the Rann men. Her parents hadn’t bothered to attend the graveside service. When Shawna had offered to let her stay on at the B&B indefinitely, she’d readily accepted, then packed up a couple of suitcases and gone back to Fate. Later, when she was stronger, she’d return to Atlanta and clear out her apartment.
“Hey, it’s good to see you up and moving around already.” Shawna pushed the screen door of the B&B open, her hands full with two large glasses of lemonade. “I thought you might be thirsty.”
Laney put on a smile as much in an attempt to feel better as to convince Shawna that she was all right. “Shawna, you’ve got to stop babying me. I’m doing a lot better. Good, in fact. Almost back to normal.” She wasn’t lying. She did feel much better. But would she ever be completely normal again? She doubted it. Not with Harlen gone.
“Bringing you a glass of lemonade is babying you? Shoot, I was itching to take a break and figured I’d do it with you.”
Laney took the cold glass then a sip, letting the sweet drink soothe her. “That’s really good. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
They rocked back and forth—it seemed almost every home in Fate had at least one rocking chair on the front porch—and sat together in comfortable silence.
“They called earlier.”
“I assumed they had.” The men called Shawna every day to check on Laney and to ask if she would talk to them. She’d always shaken her head when Shawna asked, knowing she still needed alone time. But today was different.
“They asked if they could call you.” Shawna tried to act nonchalant, but she fidgeted in her chair, her fingers tapping a rhythm on the arm. “I said I’d check with you once you got up and around.”
“Uh-huh.” She almost smiled to hear Shawna’s exasperated sigh.
“So? Do you think today’s the day? Are you going to put them out of their misery once and for all?”
Surprised, she twisted toward her friend. “Put them out of their misery? I know I haven’t wanted to talk to them, but I wouldn’t call it making them miserable.”
“Wouldn’t you?” Shawna narrowed her eyes, eyes sparkling with bits of amber.
Laney still wondered at it all. Not only had Shawna finally told her that she was a werecat, she’d pointed out other people in Fate who were shifters. Laney was still amazed that she hadn’t been terrified of them, but the time she’d taken to grieve had also given her time to think about the men and the animals that lay underneath their skin. At first, she’d been afraid, but the fear had turned to curiosity, then on to a kind of understanding.
She frowned at Shawna. “No. I don’t think so.”
“You’re their mate, the woman they’ve waited for their entire lives. They need you like they need air to breathe. Every time you turned them down, you might as well have shoved a knife in their hearts.”
“Aren’t you being a bit dramatic?” Yet didn’t she ache for them, too? But she’d needed time. Having them near her would’ve made her feel better in one way, but she’d known she couldn’t have given them what they needed. Not then.
But now she could.
“Not really. When werewolves find their mates, they’re all in. They want you, mentally, emotionally, as well as physically. As soon as they realized you were their mate, they committed to you. To deny them is like kicking them when they’re down.”
She couldn’t speak with the emotions spinning crazily inside her.
“You do love them, don’t you?” Shawna took another sip, letting her words sink in. “Or have you decided to turn them down?”
She’d thought about it long and hard. Although the idea of being their mate, of being with shifters was unnerving, she couldn’t shake one refutable fact. She loved them.
But what would being a mate be like? Exciting? Certainly. Trying? Even being with three human men would test her patience, but how much harder would it be with three who could change into wolves? From her questions to Shawna about shifters, she’d learned that she and the men could have children and that those children could be shifters, humans, or hybrids. The idea of raising shifter children was a daunting one, but one she found fascinating.
Shawna’s hand on hers brought her out of her thoughts. “Answer one question. I know it’s been a whirlwind and you’ve suffered through a lot, but try and put all that aside and listen to your heart. Answer me even if you won’t answer them. Do you love them or not?”
She swallowed, suddenly everything becoming real. “Yes. I do.”
“Well, hell, that’s a relief.”
Ethan.
Laney jerked her head up to find Ethan, Brady, and Dart standing on the front lawn. They stood side by side, their gazes fixed on her. “You’re here.”
Dart came to her as Shawna rose and lifted her glass in greeting. “Hello, boys. It’s good to see you again.”
“Shawna?”
“Sorry, Laney, but I got tired of playing go-between so I told them to come on over. I figured it was time you either fished or cut the bait free.” Lifting her glass again in a kind of salute, Shawna went back inside the house.
They came up the steps slowly, reminding her of the way they’d approached her as she’d gotten ready to defend her brother. Yet this time, she didn’t fear them. Instead, her pulse quickened for another reason as she put the lemonade down on the table between the chairs. She gripped the arms of the rocking chair, hanging on for dear life.
God, how she’d missed them. Had she taken advantage, sensing that they’d be there as soon as she gave in? “You’re here.”
“There’s nowhere else we’d rather be than at your side.” Brady knelt to her left with Dart leaning against the porch railing and Ethan taking Shawna’s chair.
“It’s been hell not talking to you, not being with you.” Dart shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I mean, we understood, of course. You’ve had a rough go of it.”
They’d been more worried about her than anything. Their kindness brought a lump to her throat. “Yes, it’s been hard. But I’m sorry. I should’ve talked to you before now.”
“It’s okay, honey. We understand. You needed time.” Ethan’s hand covered her much as Shawna’s had, but the sensation his touch gave her was unlike any other’s, aside from his cousins’ touches.
“We wanted to let you know what we found out about Jackson and his gang.” Brady sought out her eyes as though he could see into her soul. “They made it back to Atlanta, but most of them were, let’s say, torn up and needing medical attention. Hell, I’m surprised that a couple of them made it that far.”
“Anyway…” urged Dart.
She smiled, loving Dart’s impatience. “And?”
“Well, after we took care of your needs,” Brady glanced away then back, “and your brother’s, we called a friend of ours.”
“A shifter friend?” How many shifters were there in the world? She knew Fate wasn’t as unique as she would’ve thought.
“Right. Anyway…” Brady shot a scowl at Dart, catching him before he could get impatient again. “They found Jackson and his lot with the bag of pills, along with a stash of weapons and other drugs. They’re all cooling their heels in the county jail.”
“What about Harlen? Have they figured out who shot him?”
“Yeah. Jackson’s already admitted to shooting him.” Ethan squeezed her hand harder. “I’m sorry, honey, but at least he’ll have to pay for what he did.”
She let out a long breath, after holding it for what seemed like years. “Good. Will I have to testify?” She’d struggled through a couple of interviews with the state police while staying at Shawna’s, but she’d do anything
to make sure Jackson and his gang paid for Harlen’s death.
“Probably.” Brady crooked his finger under her chin. “But for the time being, let’s let the APD take care of them.”
Dart knelt in front of her. “We’ve got to know, sugar. You love us, right?”
“I do. I really do.”
“And you know we love you, right?”
She skimmed her fingers through Dart’s hair. “No doubt about it.”
“Again, that’s a relief.” Ethan smiled, the warmth in the gesture reaching all the way into her heart. “So? What do you say? Will you be our mate?”
“Yes.”
They let out whoops of joy. Dart pushed at the others, trying to be the one to bring her on her feet then losing out to Ethan. Enveloping her in his arms, Ethan pulled her against him.
He felt so right. So perfect. As though her body had been made for his. Her body, she knew, had been made for all three of them.
“You’ve made us the happiest men on the face of this planet.”
Grinning, she lifted onto the tips of her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Thank you for waiting for me.” Looking at Brady and Dart, she added, “Thank all of you for waiting for me.”
“We’d wait a lifetime, if we had to.” Dart made a relieved face. “Still, I’m sure glad we don’t have to.”
“How about we grab your things and take you home?” Brady started for the door but stopped when she took his arm.
“Not yet.” She eased away from Ethan. “I know this isn’t fair of me to ask, but I still need time.”
“What?” Dart’s crestfallen expression matched Ethan’s and Brady’s. “You’re not coming home with us?”
“I am.” She struggled, fighting against what her body wanted and what her mind told her to do. “I want to come with you, but you’re going to have to take it slowly. I’m not ready for sex again. Not yet.”
“Oh.” Brady looked defeated, but soon shook his head and adopted a happier expression. “Okay, sure. As long as you’re with us, we can wait for the other. At least, we can try.”