Harvests Pride

by Brynn Paulin

  Every ache, bruise and strain screamed at her as she slowly pushed herself upright and lifted her hand to wipe her eyes. The business card was still curled in her hand. Angrily, she tossed it aside.

  They thought they’d seen stubborn? They hadn’t seen anything yet. She just needed a plan. This was not the end. Kaz promised to be there if she needed them? Well, damn it, she did. She needed them a lot.

  Determined fury driving her, she wrenched a sundress from the closet and pulled it over her head. She didn’t bother with her hair. If it looked wild, she fit right in with them. They might play it cool, but they were as wild as men came. And they were not going back on the road where they’d be surrounded by groupies, not if she wasn’t by their side.

  They were hers. Period.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, she pulled on the sandals she’d kicked off at some point yesterday. The card caught her attention, and she reached for it. She’d need that number a lot sooner than they’d guessed. It wasn’t until she picked it up that she saw the ink…and Myan’s writing.

  You have to choose us, it said. It has to be your decision.

  He’d underlined the your. That was it? She had to decide to be with them and until then they’d leave her be? What kind of a messed up system was this? They could have told her rather than killing her.

  Outrage dimmed her vision. They picked her, marked her, mated with her then abandoned her to pick where she wanted to be? They needed their heads knocked together. How could they not realize that she had chosen them?

  And they’d left her. Suddenly, she heard Kaz’s words again as she replayed what had just happened. We’re not exactly good with this…

  He wasn’t talking about leaving women. He was talking about leaving her. They weren’t really okay with it. It was what they had to do because she had to pick them this time. Myan had been trying to give her a hint with the note.

  That was it…

  She rushed for the door, hoping the nosy desk clerk would be able to help her get transportation into the nearest city. If she hurried, she might even be able to catch the same flight as Kaz and Myan.

  She whipped open the door then froze, staring at the pair before her. The most beautiful men in the world leaned against the railing that ran opposite her room. Their faces were tense as if they were unsure what she’d do. All they’d had to do was listen to her thoughts…

  She knew instantly that they’d purposely stayed out.

  “You’re still here,” she breathed finally. Life seemed to flow back into her at just seeing them, just having them close enough to touch.

  “We hoped that if we waited a few minutes that you’d come after us because you didn’t really want us to leave,” Myan confessed. “When you didn’t… Well, we were just about to go.”

  “Don’t. You. Dare,” she ground out.

  Kaz smiled. “We were waiting.”

  “Hoping,” his brother enjoined.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at them, never so happy in her life. But she wasn’t giving easily. “You knew I’d decide for you, didn’t you?”

  “Kinda,” Myan confessed. He grinned and reached for her. She went willingly, burying her face in his chest.

  “You guys suck,” she grumbled, pushing as close to him as she could humanly get. They sucked, and they were the best men in the world.

  Kaz crowded behind her, sealing her between them and right where she wanted to stay forever. “Such loving words, sweetness.”

  “Hmph,” she snorted. “Don’t ever leave me like that again. I couldn’t take it.”

  “Never,” Myan promised. “We’re connected and unless you change your mind about us—”

  “I won’t,” she interrupted.

  “Unless you change your mind about us,” Kaz continued, “you’re ours. Forever.”

  She bit her lip and let her feeling of joy flow from her and into them. Their minds were open, and she showed them the depth of her feelings and exactly what forever meant to her.

  Kaz growled and lifted her into his arms. “I think we have time before our flight.”

  “They can’t start without you.”

  “They don’t matter,” Myan said, kicking shut the door. “You are our future.”

  “He writes all our songs,” Kaz whispered in her ear.

  “He sings in his sleep,” Myan countered.

  Hanna grinned, opening her arms to both of them as Kaz dropped her on the bed. “Sometimes I get rides from strangers and take cross country trips,” she said.

  Both of them growled, their eyes dark with primal possession, “Not anymore.”

  Epilogue

  A Year Later

  Kaz’s long hair swung around him as he turned and crouched slightly, his guitar over the juncture of his thighs as he let loose a riff that had the crowd screaming. His bare, tanned chest glistened in the klieg lights as they beat down on Harvest, and the muscles bulged inside his black leather pants. Not to be outdone, Myan stepped to the mic and belted out the wailing bridge of their hit song, Gonna Get What I Want. Dressed similarly to his brother, he drew even more screams as he gyrated into the mic stand.

  The Ruslan brothers were H.O.T. Hot! She’d said it before and she was blessed to think it every day as she spent time at their side and in their arms. If anyone thought anything of her being with two men, they didn’t say a word, and it never occurred to her to worry about it. If people knew the thing that had initially concerned her, they wouldn’t have questioned her being with two men either. It was small in comparison. And it was their secret.

  She pressed her hand to her belly as she watched them perform. She had another secret, too. Kaz and Myan were ecstatic.

  Her sister had given birth to twins last month. Hanna had been shocked to learn that both Costin and Petre has impregnated her—though impregnated seemed rather clinical for the fun they’d had. Myan had assured her it was a cat thing. His and Kaz’s DNA would help it happen for her, too.

  Would it? She hoped, but even so, she knew she’d be a mom in less than a year. Myan and Kaz had already started coddling her.

  They swung off the stage and hustled her to the limo they’d ordered to be waiting for them after their second encore. After they’d climbed in, Myan reached into the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of water which he thrust into her hands.

  “Drink up, love,” he told her. “We plan to keep you busy all night.”

  “Oh really?” she asked, thinking that sounded like a wonderful idea.

  “Oh really,” Kaz confirmed. His lips brushed her ear. “You might not be affected by the Harvest moon this year, but we are. I hope you don’t have any plans for the next three days.”

  Pursing her lips, she looked at the ceiling and pretended to think. She couldn’t quite hold back her smile—it seemed she smiled all the time now. “I can’t think of anything, just getting naked with the men I love. Maybe running with a couple lions…”

  “We’ll have the compound to ourselves,” Myan told her. “I’m making love to you in the field this time.”

  “And on the kitchen table,” Kaz added.

  “And in the hallway.”

  “In the music studio. I want to record you…”

  Hanna shivered, delighted by it all. “How about in bed?”

  “Definitely in bed,” they replied.

  She hit the privacy screen to separate them from the driver. It was a long drive across state to the compound. “And how about in the limo?”

  Leaning back, she waited, eyes closed. And just as she suspected, they showed her they were kings of Harvest’s pride and over her. Definitely over her.

  About the Author

  When it comes to books and movies, Brynn has one rule: there must be a happy ending. After that one requirement, anything goes. And it just might in her books.

  She lives in Michigan with her husband and two children, who love her despite her occasional threats to smite them. They humor her and let her think she's a go
ddess...as long as she provides homemade chocolate chip cookies on a regular basis. Brynn has conducted workshops at several writers’ conferences around the country and enjoys mentoring and meeting new people.

  According to Brynn, her writing success can be attributed to an eclectic collection of music, her local road construction crews, a trusty notebook, and of course, her husband, Mr. Inspiration, who puts up with a lot in the name of research.

  Brynn loves to talk to her readers and can be found at www.brynnpaulin.com.

  The Phases Series

  Now Available from Resplendence Publishing

  Taken by the Pack by Cheryl Dragon

  Phases: Book One

  Danny loves Alaska, but it doesn’t seem to love him back. The full Wolf Moon sparkles over Fairbanks, but he’s alone for those long nights. He wants to come out of the closet and date, but his frail family might implode. All he wants is the right man in his bed.

  Brandon and Justin are lovers and wolf shifters native to Alaska. They’re out to protect their way of life, and sometimes that means extreme measures. When Danny’s brother proposes aerial wolf hunting, Danny enters their sights. Danny was the closet case in high school, and now, he’ll be their sex toy. The shifter pair is ready to do whatever it takes to stop the hunting and maybe add a sexy human man to their pack.

  Coyote Savage by Kris Norris

  Phases: Book Two

  February's full moon is rising, only this year, it's bringing a new brand of hunger...

  For coyote shifters Caden and Talon Brady, the upcoming hunger moon has ignited a different kind of appetite. They've been waiting several years for a chance to court their intended mate, and now that she's finally in their sights, they'll stop at nothing to win her over. But when local livestock start disappearing, their coyote refuge is put in the hot seat, and more than just their way of life is suddenly in jeopardy.

  Sheriff Rebecca Savage never planned on returning to Beckit Falls, or for falling for two handsome men. But fate seems to have different plans for her. Unfortunately not all of them are sexy and look fantastic in jeans. The local mayor is trying to run the Brady boys and their coyote refuge out of town. Nothing seems to make sense, but when she starts digging deeper, a new danger rises with the full moon—one that just might get them all killed.

  Unchaste by Mia Watts

  Phases: Book Three

  The mystical Portal of the Gods transports Flynn Chula, shifter and descendant of the Cahokia Indians, six hundred years in the past. Right into a tribal feud between Amaro and Koda, warriors of the empire. While Flynn finds his new circumstances impossible, Amaro and Koda know exactly what to do. Their culture dictates that shifters have to be tested, proving their place among the people--as priests. Only one high priest can rule the empire at a time, but the current apprentice reigns with blood sacrifice and fear.

  As the sexual preparations begin, Koda and Amaro do their duty to rid him of any possible heterosexual leanings...by giving themselves to him wholly. Flynn, who's never wanted a woman in his life, can't believe his luck. Two hunky men can't get enough of him, and their eager to learn all the tricks.

  When the blood priest discovers the plot to overthrow him, will Flynn, Koda, and Amaro escape alive, or will more than blood be lost on the altar?

  Awakening Delilah by Abigail Barnette

  Phases: Book Four

  When Delilah Lewis moved from Atlanta to Gwinn Close, a sanctuary for shifters in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, she knew there would be an adjustment period. She just never thought getting shot at by poachers would be a part of that adjustment. When two sexy shifters come to her rescue, things get even more complicated. Delilah is a good girl, with a good-girl upbringing, and both men make her want to be very bad...

  Miguel and Darius are in a committed relationship, but once they meet Delilah, they want more.While Delilah wonders if Gwinn Close is right for her, Miguel and Darius do everything they can to convince her to stay. But secrets from their past threaten a future with the woman they both crave. And while she struggles to let go of her boring former life, both men work to bring out the wild animal in her...

  Horny, Hard and Hare-y by Mia Watts

  Phases: Book Five

  It's time for the annual race, and tortoise shifter, Duncan, is finally going to catch some tail—hare shifter tail, otherwise known as Charlie. With Gibbs, their owl shifter friend, keeping an eye out overhead, they're off and running. But Charlie is as spontaneously careless as the fairytale hare and finds himself caught by local DNR officer, Ben.

  The full moon is rising, and if Charlie stays collared through the Hare Moon, he'll remain an animal forever. It's up to Duncan and Gibbs to free him before time is up. But in telling their secret, will they lose Ben forever? It's a foursome waiting to happen, where Ben reconnects with a mysterious lover, and the tortoise finally catches his hare.

  Summer Surrender by Bronwyn Green

  Phases: Book Six

  Hollis Chambers came to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to teach summer school at a small rural high school. She’d planned on hanging out on the shores of Lake Superior, taking walks in the woods and studying the wildlife. She never imagined that she’d meet one man, let alone two, to have a hot summer fling with.

  Lynx shifters Daniel Cichosz and Josiah Wilder know a good thing when they see it and they’re fairly certain that the gorgeous, full-figured substitute teacher is just who they’ve been looking for. Hollis surrenders to their seduction, but how will she feel about being mated to shifters, particularly when Daniel’s brother is added to the mix?

  Snared by Kris Norris

  Phases: Book Seven

  July’s Thunder Moon is holding true to its name. But will the rash of lightning reveal more than just the landscape?

  Veterinarian and bobcat shifter, Tayen Locke, has devoted her life to saving animals, but a rise in poaching has spurred her down another path. She’s been spending her free time in her animal form, searching the nearby forest for illegal traps. She’s well aware of the risks—she just never thought she’d end up snared by her potential mates.

  Rangers Quinn Harrington and Rogan James know exactly what they want…they just don’t know how to convince Tayen it’s her. Ever since they moved to town two years ago, they’ve had their sights set on the sexy vet, who for the last six months has turned down every offer they’ve made. Though they know she’s interested, they’re losing hope she’ll ever change her mind.

  But an unexpected storm changes the nature of the game. It seems Tayen’s been keeping a secret, and now that the cat’s out of the bag, literally, there’s no where left for Tayen to run—except straight into their arms.

  Striped by Abigail Barnette

  Phases: Book Eight

  After spending much of their lives feeling like outsiders, Jason and Mitchell have finally achieved their dream in the founding of Gwinn Close, a community for shape-shifters in the wilderness of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. But the only way the community works is by staying low profile and friendly, and the new shifter in town is a toned, tattooed bad boy who doesn't want to play nice.

  Sean has never put down roots and he's not sure he wants to, especially in a place like Gwinn Close, where everyone seems so happy and well-adjusted. When Jason and Mitchell offer to help tame his tiger impulses with discipline and a firm hand, Sean isn't sure he can submit sexually without losing himself completely. But how can he resist their offer when giving in feels so good?

  Also Available from

  Resplendence Publishing

  Overlord’s Chosen by Bronwyn Green

  Dark Destinies Book One

  Elizabeth Louden has been chosen to provide Micah Bleddyn, the Overlord of Maelgwn, with an heir. However, she’s not interested in the honor. In a land where only men are allowed to use magic, women found to possess supernatural abilities are punished—often by death. She knows it’s only a matter of time before her secret is revealed.

  Micah has no desire to rule h
is father’s empire, but after his older brother vanishes, he has no choice. Faced with invading forces, treachery among his own people, and now, a mate hell-bent on escape, he’s had enough. Realizing they have no allies but each other, Micah and Elizabeth reach a reluctant truce in their bid to stay alive and keep Maelgwn safe.

  Reawakening by Charlotte Stein

  Forever Dead Series, Book One

  June has spent the last two years of her life trying to avoid death at the hands of murderous psychopaths and ravening zombies. So when Jamie turns up on the scene, careless, still whole and promising her safety on a little paradise island, she isn’t quite sure she can trust him. Especially when he tells her that it’s just him, and his equally big, burly, handsome friend Blake.

  But Jamie and Blake are even better than her wildest dreams—sweet and funny and charming. And worst of all: sexy as hell. Though they're trying to be gentlemanly with her, all she can think about is how much she wants to get tangled up in them, and forget the nightmare the world has become. She's waiting for her reawakening—back to life and happiness and love.