by T. S. Ryder
The thought almost made her bolt back into the truck and leave, but she steeled herself and grabbed her weekend bag. If he had a habit of murdering people, Ryan and Killian would have told her, wouldn't they?
They didn't know I was coming.
She pushed that thought aside. He wasn't planning on killing her.
Inside, the cabin was bright and open, with a single room as the kitchen and living room, divided by a stone hearth that went from floor to ceiling. Everything smelled like pine sol. But it was empty.
"Hello?"
She looked around. Had she gotten the right address?
The light creak of a floorboard made Danita turn. McGrath was right behind her, a predatory gleam in his eyes. She jumped and backed away from him, her heart pounding in her throat. She couldn’t breathe as she stared at him, adrenaline flooding her system. Every instinct she had told her to fight him, run away and drive off.
He was a predator, and she was his prey.
"There you are." He reached out and brushed her hair from her face. "I was beginning to think you had changed your mind."
At that moment, Danita wished that she had. Her stomach clenched and she was sure that if he touched her again, no matter how innocently, she would end up vomiting all over him. Her legs felt wobbly as she set her bag on the floor.
"I have to bring some other things in from the truck." Her voice was hardly more than a whisper as she tried to edge around him.
McGrath caught her arms. "I don't think so. Do I look like I'm an idiot? Those two Bears went to the Lion for permission to kill me. You didn't think I'd let them get away with that, do you?"
"N-no!" She shook her head and wrenched herself free of his grasp. "They were just going to ask if he would stop you. They weren't going to ask to kill you."
"You're foolish to think that. They won't stop until I'm dead. So run, Miss Valdez. Run as hard as you can. When I catch you, I'm going to tear your throat out and leave your body for your precious Bears to find."
Danita stumbled back, her heart pounding. Her eyes widened as she stared at McGrath. He meant every word that he was saying. "They don't know where I went. They don't know I'm here."
"After I'm finished with you, I'll send them the coordinates. Now run–wait." McGrath tilted his head and his gaze swept down her body. "I still want a taste. Put on that little white number that I gave you, and then you can run."
No. He was going to kill her, and there was no way she was going down without a fight. She had made a deal with him to save her boys. If he wasn’t going to agree to his end, no way in hell would she consider letting him touch her. Danita clenched her fists, feeling the steel rise up her spine.
McGrath's gaze never moved. "Well?"
"It's in my bag," she replied.
Slowly, she bent over to grab it. She sucked in a deep breath and snapped up, swinging the bag at McGrath. He jumped back, but not fast enough. The bag hit him in the head. Danita sprang forward, slamming her palm to his nose. He cried out, stumbling. She punched him hard in the stomach and ran.
She had just made it down the front steps when a scream from behind her made her stumble. She turned to see a giant Leopard charge through the door. His fur shone with gold, the dark pattern was like midnight against the noon sun. He was easily as tall as she was. Danita ducked, just missing the massive paws that swiped at her face. The Leopard landed lightly, turning on a dime. He crouched on the ground, snarling at her.
Danita scrambled to the left, but the Leopard leaped lithely to block her. He advanced a step. She fell back one. His tail and whiskers twitched. This wasn't the end of his game. It was just the beginning.
"Please," she begged despite herself. "Please don't do this."
McGrath made a noise that sounded like a chuckle–and Danita heard the roaring of a vehicle. As the Leopard's head whipped around, she scrambled to her feet and ran. McGrath pounced on her. Fiery pain coursed through her shoulder and neck, and then he was gone. She saw him disappear into the trees.
Hot blood coursed through her body. Her head spun as the pain increased. An earth-shattering roar made her wince. Then a honey-brown Bear, easily twice as large as McGrath, ran past her.
Ryan. Danita stared after him in amazement. How had he found her? She tried to push herself up but the agony shot through her again, and she made herself lay still. The world tilted and swayed. Her eyes closed tightly, hanging to what little shreds of consciousness she still had.
Big, strong hands stroked her hair. They probed her neck and shoulder. The wound throbbed and she whimpered.
"Shh, Dani. You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay." Killian's calm voice wrapped her up in its embrace.
"Ryan," she whimpered.
"The Leopard doesn't have a chance against him. Just stay still. I don't think that it was a major wound, but I still have to clean you up and stop the bleeding."
Killian gently rolled her over before gathering her in his arms. He headed into the cabin. Nausea swirled everywhere in Danita's body, otherwise, she would have protested. She didn't want to be here, to imagine what might have happened.
But Killian was right. They needed to take care of this. He would protect her.
He set her down on the couch and got to work. Danita didn’t know if she fell unconscious or he was just that quick, but the next thing she knew, her nausea had subsided and the pain had diminished. Killian taped some gauze to her neck and nodded, as though satisfied with his work.
"Take this." He pressed a pill into her hand.
"What is it?"
"Painkiller. It's a superficial wound, but I bet it hurts."
Danita swallowed it down, choking a little as it scraped her throat.
"Stay here." He kissed her forehead. "I'm going to help Ryan. We'll be back shortly."
She didn't want him to leave her, but she also didn't want Ryan to get hurt, so she didn't protest as Killian left. He leaped from the porch, shifting mid-air into his huge gray Bear. Danita listened anxiously, straining her ears, but as soon as the sound of Killian moving through the brush was gone, all was silent.
***
Despite the situation she found herself in, Danita did end up falling asleep. The adrenaline sapping her energy, combined with the painkiller Killian had given her and the lack of sleep she had had the past few nights sent her unconscious quickly. When she woke, her mind was crisp, and she felt much stronger.
The sound of running water and a voice drew her attention. Fear grabbed her, flooding her with adrenaline yet again. She got to her feet and inched towards the bathroom door, which stood ajar. The water was too loud for her to make out the voice. What if McGrath had shaken off the boys and come back? Worse, what if he had hurt them?
She skirted the bathroom door and grabbed a knife before she hurried back to the couch and laid down again.
Right at that moment, the water turned off. A man grunted with pain.
"I can't believe you let him get the drop on you like that." Killian's voice. Danita jumped to her feet. "I told you to be careful."
"Yeah, yeah."
Danita ran to the bathroom, throwing the door open. Ryan was stiffly drying himself off, Killian half-supporting him. Neither had a scratch on them. With a cry of relief, she flung herself at her Bears. She was crying before she even realized what she was doing. They enfolded her in their embrace, holding her gently as she cried.
"How did you find me?" she eventually choked out.
"You left your slippers and Ryan found a torn note in the trash."
Her slippers. Danita actually laughed. She had considered bringing them but decided she didn't want her favorite slippers tainted by memories of what was going to happen here.
It was a good thing she hadn't brought them, or her boys may never have known to look for her. She began shaking as the weight of what might have happened crashed down on her.
"It's okay." Ryan kissed her. "McGrath is dead. And we're fine."
"Other than a couple brok
en ribs." Killian glared at his partner. "Because this one was an idiot."
"They'll be fine by the end of the day. Don't worry her."
"You're the one who worried—"
Danita laughed and covered their mouths. "None of this, now. No fighting. Take me home. I don't want to be here anymore."
The boys immediately turned to her. Both of them embraced her, Ryan getting her shirt damp. Danita wasn't about to complain. She was safe. She was well and truly safe.
Epilogue – Danita
The feeling of little feet kicking her ribs woke Danita before the alarm had even gone off. She groaned, rubbing her stomach. That only elicited more kicking and made her realize how much she needed to use the bathroom. Trying not to shift her Bears too much, she wiggled her way out from between then, going over the footboard rather than trying to climb over one of them.
They had gotten a king-sized bed to replace the air mattresses some time ago, but it was hardly enough room for her and one of the boys, let alone both right now. Despite it getting into winter and not having a reliable heat source for the house yet, they had to keep the bedroom window open at night, or it got just too hot, mashed between the two of them.
After she was finished in the bathroom, she kicked off her old slippers and dressed, trying to be quiet. Her boys were sound sleepers, but if they heard her moving, they'd be pulling her back into bed before she could wiggle into her overalls.
But she was not going back to bed. The alpacas needed to be fed, and the boys still spooked them from time to time if they smelled too strongly of Bear. Besides, she was still perfectly capable of working, even though the two shifters didn't like her doing it.
Now that she was seven months pregnant, they never let her do anything. It was starting to get annoying. But at the same time, it was sweet, and Danita tried to sneak away and do her own work as much to get them to stop her as to actually get the work done. It had become a bit of a game between them now, seeing how far she could get before they caught her.
The air was crisp outside, with the smell of snow that was always present at this time of year. A heavy frost covered everything, coating naked branches, the long, dead grass, the fences. There were even beautiful, delicate patterns of frost on the windows that looked like fairies had come and danced on them.
Danita loved winter. It was just so romantic.
As was usual at this time of day, the alpacas were all huddled together inside their section of the barn, wooly forms pressed together. They would get a good harvest next year. With McGrath gone, she had gotten that mortgage she wanted, enough to pay Amelia back and to survive the winter, along with buying supplies for the spring shearing.
"Hey, fellas," Danita trilled, patting Maria's head as the alpacas followed her from one end of the fence to the other. "How are you this morning? Hungry for some nice tasty hay and mineral supplements?"
The barn door opened just as she was cutting the twine off a hay bale. Her Bears came in, shaking their heads as they crossed the floor.
"You, Miss Valdez, are going to get yourself hurt." Killian jumped past her, grabbing the pitchfork before she could.
Danita put her hands on her hips. "You heard the doctor. A little work won't hurt me or the baby. It might actually help."
Ryan picked her up, cuddling her to his chest. She loved this, the ease with which they could pick her up and carry her around, even this far into her pregnancy. She wrapped her arms around Ryan’s neck and put her head on his shoulder as he began to pitch the hay to the alpacas.
"The doctor may have said that, but I'm not convinced that you didn't pay him to say that." Ryan's voice vibrated through her. "You need your rest, and you need to save your energy."
"I have plenty of energy. For chores, for other things." She nuzzled into his neck, kissing him.
Ryan groaned. "You're going to kill us, woman. You'd have us going all night every night if you could."
"What, can't handle little ol' me?" Danita laughed.
Killian laughed as he started adding the mineral supplement pellets to the alpaca feed. "We haven't been able to keep up with you since we first joined you here. You have more fire and passion than a thousand women. Give her here, I need some of that. It's freezing!"
"We can go back inside as soon as you're done feeding the animals. The rest of the chores can wait." Danita gladly moved from Ryan to Killian's arms and started kissing him instead. "Or we could stay out here."
Her boys exchanged exasperated looks. "It's too cold."
"We can make our own heat." Danita gave them both a sultry look. "The blanket's still out here."
The boys glanced at one another, and Danita could see their defenses break down. Ryan hurried to finish feeding the alpacas while Killian set her down and went in search of the blanket. She grinned as she watched them.
Less than a year ago, it was just her on a broken-down farm with dreams of the future but not much else. Now she had her farm–still not pristine, but workable and being improved little by little–she had her herd of alpacas, she had her boys, she had a baby on the way.
"Got the blanket," Killian shouted in glee, waving it over his head.
Ryan grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards the loose pile of hay. Danita laughed in delight. Yes, this was better than all her dreams come true.
*****
THE END
Her Two Wolves
Description
A BBW looking for love PLUS two hot werewolves who want to complete their Alpha triad PLUS a jealous opponent!
Amelia Fernandez is sick of the loser boyfriends her overprotective brother keeps sending her way. Determined to find a man who will treat her and her curves with respect, she signs up for a shifter dating site.
Only to catch the eye of not one, but two Alpha males in search of a mate.
Xavier Knight and Timothy Pond are the Alphas of the joint Rocky Ridge and Lakeland werewolf packs. For years they have been looking for a female to complete their Alpha triad but none suits them both. But when they see Amelia's profile, they know they've found the one.
Who knew the hardest part was yet to come?
Between the packs angry that their Alphas would look among humans for a mate, a jealous female who feels jilted, and Amelia's brother, who would much rather see her settle down with his best friend, there is no shortage of opposition in their way.
Not to mention their heated tempers that might tear them apart before they're even together. Can they overcome the hurdles life throws at them to find their happily ever after?
Chapter One
Amelia Fernandez loved the smell of ink toner in the morning. There was something about it that screamed, 'I survived the primordial swamp to be a foundation of civilization.' She always felt alive with the scent of ink in the air.
There weren't many people that became as excited for office work as she did. Being an insurance broker wasn't most people's idea of a good time, but Amelia loved her little cubicle, her personalized desk, and the view of the garbage bin in the alley below. She loved the constant hum of people on their phones or computers. She even didn't mind the angry customers shouting at her over problems in their claims that she had no control over. She loved everything about her work.
Today, though, she paid no mind to the delicate layers of coffee, perfume, or Jerry from two cubicles down, who thought showers were bad for his skin. She was too busy focusing on keeping her voice down so as not to disturb her co-workers while she chewed out her brother.
"I can't believe that you would do that to me," she hissed, clutching her cellphone to her ear so tightly it was a wonder it hadn't snapped already. "I told you I didn't want anything to do with Mr. Abs, yet you give him my number? What is wrong with you?"
She had been getting texts from Daniel Thompson all day. Or, as she liked to call him, 'Mr. Aren't My Abs So Great, I'm Too Sexy For My Shirt, I Don't Know How To Make A Sandwich, Hahahahahahaha, What Do You Mean You're Breaking Up With Me?' He was, unfortunate
ly, one of her brother's best friends.
Adrian still didn't understand why Amelia didn't want a boyfriend who constantly talked about how much he worked out and didn't know the difference between a broom and a mop. The problem was that all of Amelia's boyfriends had been exactly like Daniel, which was why, after months of frustration, Amelia always ended up dropping their loser asses.
"Daniel is a great guy," her brother said. "He's always been really nice to you. Not all men would overlook the fact you need to lose a little weight."
Amelia hissed through her teeth again, imagining bludgeoning her brother with a zucchini. Sometimes she wondered why someone who could be as sweet and protective as Adrian could be friends with someone like Mr. Abs, but then he said something like this and she could see it.
"Daniel is an asshole," Amelia replied bluntly. "It was always, 'Babe, get me a beer. Babe, I can't wash dishes because I worked out for three hours. Babe, why are you mad at me after working an 8-hour shift and then having to clean up the whole house because I had a party with my frat bros? My mother's chili is better than this, I'll get you a recipe.' Can't you just butt out of my love life? The guys you choose for me treat me like crap."
A sigh from the other end of the phone turned her imaginary zucchini to a baseball bat. She already knew what Adrian was going to say. He just didn't get it.
"Why do you always have to exaggerate everything? You're not going to find a guy that bows to your every whim. You need to stop being so picky and learn how to compromise."
There was nothing more to say to him after he made a statement like that, so Amelia hung up. She flicked her cell to silent and set her work phone to automatically go to voicemail. Adrian would no doubt phone back half a dozen times to chastise her for hanging up on him. She would sort out her clients later.