And then the stench finally faded. A Skin stepped out of the woods onto the path. She recognized the big, brutish man in leather pants and jacket. The biker she’d seen earlier, the same one from Spuds.
The Skin looked around, sniffed the air. Seemingly satisfied, he waved at the woods.
A beam of moonlight shone on a tall woman joining him. She had long, dark hair and wore a leather dress and boots. Her features were coarse, yet she wasn’t unattractive. Striking, perhaps.
The male grunted, the rough sound ruffling Arianna’s fur. Her wolf wanted to rush the creature and defend her territory. But the woman inside the wolf cautioned patience.
“Safe now,” the biker said in a gruff voice. “Tell me what happened.”
The woman shuddered. “I was walking through the woods, following a trail, and the ground gave way. It was a trap dug into the ground. Clawed my way out. I ran and hid until I smelled you coming.”
Oh yeah, you could smell him coming from ten miles away, Arianna thought.
“Arlene, Diane and Gail safe?” the woman asked.
“Yeah. They’re back with their mates. We found ‘em locked in a cage near some rocks. Freed them. I told the others to leave. I’d search for you.”
Insight hit Arianna. The male Ogres on the mountain weren’t attracted to her or the pheromones she emitted. They’d been searching for their mates.
The duo suddenly transformed, shifting to their true forms. Arianna’s eyes widened and her wolf suppressed a snarl of disapproval. The female’s ass was big. Bigger than two basketballs taped together.
And Darius thought she looked like this? Terrific.
The Ogres shuffled away on the path leading down the mountain.
In wolf form, Kyle turned to her, nuzzling her throat in an affectionate, reassuring gesture that asked, “You okay?”
He gently licked her nose. Suddenly she envisioned Kyle in Lupine form thrusting hard and heavy, knotting deep inside her to ensure his seed took root.
Shocked at the visceral reaction, Arianna closed her eyes. Desire had come to her many times in Skin form, but always accompanied by terror. As wolf, she had no fear of the larger, heavily muscled male who could easily mount her. All she felt was the raw, earthy desire to submit to his sexual demands.
She rubbed her head against him, her tail held high and to the side. His nostrils flared and he growled low as he scented her desire.
Then he moved behind her, and she felt his hot breath against her bottom.
Shocked, raw pleasure filled her as he began licking her slit, his tongue rough and wet as it dragged over her pulsing flesh. Arianna stilled, her senses careening. Arousal pounded into her. Bathed by the silver moonlight, she lifted her head and gave a long, low howl into the night.
Oops. Way to go. Let the whole world know there was a female ready for mating.
Kyle stopped and trotted onto the path. Not now, she wanted to scream, the woman inside the wolf desiring more of the delicious friction of his rough tongue.
Though his red, shiny wolven penis slid from its sheath, he stayed his distance. When Arianna joined him on the path, he gently nudged her toward the cabin.
But she was too filled with joy of sexual excitement without the accompanying dread. Panting, she turned to regard his wolf. Arianna playfully dropped to all fours, feeling a rush of heady excitement, and yipped, her tail wagging back and forth.
She wanted to run wild with the night.
As the timber wolf advanced, she raced away. Paws crunching the pine needles, she felt wild abandonment, the earthy smells filling her nostrils.
At the cabin, she bounded up the steps. Wagging her tail, she watched Kyle leap over the railing and land on the porch. She shifted back, not bothering with clothing, and sat on the steps.
He shifted back as well. Muscles flexed as he crouched down, his body hard and taut, his penis semi-erect. Her loins felt full and heavy.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
She ran a hand through his thick, dark hair. “It was good. My wolf craved it. I wondered, I wanted... I wasn’t afraid. Just not sure what to do.”
Unsmiling, he regarded her, his expression intense and hungry. “Later, I will teach you,” he said huskily. “I will show you the pleasures of mating in Lupine form.”
Pulling her upright, he herded her into the cabin and clothed himself. Doing the same, Arianna heaved a disappointed sigh. She could stare at his naked body all day. Odd how shifting into a wolf had released her inhibitions.
Kyle glanced at the stairs. “Now I know they’re not safe. The wizard who wanted them has to be the same who captured the female Ogres. I’ll call Aiden, tell him to send the parents to the cabin. Cell reception sucks up here, except by the wood shed.”
Retrieving his backpack, he fished out his cell. “Be back soon.”
But she took the phone from him. “I’ll call them.”
“With Ogres and Skins running through these mountains, I’m not taking chances. You stay here.”
Arianna sighed. “Me go. Jane, you stay here. Dial it down, Tarzan wolf. I need to do this. And I need a little space to think things through.”
With the edge of a thumb, he stroked a line down her throat. “Okay. But if you’re not back in ten, I’m coming after you. And I’ll hoist you over my shoulder and drag you like Ogres do to their mates. Got it?”
“As long as you promise not to spray rotting cabbage at me.” She wrinkled her nose. “How can Darius think my ass is that big?”
“It’s not,” Kyle said quietly.
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
His gaze darkened to midnight as Kyle grabbed her ass and squeezed. Veins stood out on his neck and his breathing was ragged.
“It’s not big. It’s damned sexy and every time you wiggle it, I get hard as a rock.” He dropped her hand to the bulge in his jeans. Stunned, she felt his erection.
Arianna dragged her startled gaze upward.
“You made a promise to me back in the woods, Ari,” he said in a deep voice. “I’ll be indulging my favorite fantasy with your sexy ass. Warm oil will definitely be involved. Consider yourself warned.”
His gaze gleaming, Kyle let her go.
Her skin tingled with anticipation as she softly closed the door behind her.
Even by the shed, the cell phone signal was weak. Arianna glanced upward. The wood shed’s roof was sloped, but not as sharply pitched as the cabin. Maybe if she got high enough...
She climbed onto the roof, then dialed Beth’s cell. When her best friend answered, Arianna fended off joyous squeals and relentless questions and explained the situation. Then Dale, Beth’s mate, got on the line. “You okay? We’re all worried about you, Arianna.”
A lump clogged her throat. Her adoptive family. Her only family. “I’m fine. But you need to tell Aiden—”
“Aiden’s in the barn. Let me get Darius.”
Sounds of scuffling, shouts and then the pack beta’s deep voice sounded. “Arianna. I’m so glad you are all right. Damn, we were worried about you. You okay?”
“Never better.”
“Right. If Kyle hurt you in any way...”
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “Kyle would never hurt me.”
“Maybe not in Skin or Lupine form, but the hunter does have a wild streak,” Darius said darkly. “If you get scared and need us, say the word and we’ll come right away, no matter how much he warned us to stay away. You’re pack, sweetheart.”
Now the lump turned into a baseball. Her fingers tightened around the phone until her knuckles whitened. “I’m pack. So what does that make Kyle?”
A moment of silence. Finally Darius spoke quietly, “He’s a hell of a good ranch hand, Arianna, and a good friend, but he’s not pack. He made that clear the day he hired on.”
Tears stung her eyes. For all he contributed, all the respect he’d earned and the friendships he’d made, Kyle was still an outsider.
“He’s pac
k to me,” she told him in a brittle voice. “And I trust him more than anyone. I don’t need rescuing, I need you to contact the parents of those scared young and tell them how to get to this cabin.”
“Right. Soon as I get off the phone with you.” A pause and then, “So, did the big bad wolf do the big bad deed?”
Sly bastard. “That’s private. Stop trolling for info.”
“We’re worried about you, Ari. Tristan doesn’t mess around. We have to protect you.”
Though the beta could be snarky, his words were sincere. Warmth spread through her chest. She had peeps who cared. And Kyle, who cared the most.
“Dumbass. Like you can fend off Tristan’s silverfire. With what? A battalion of fire trucks?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of getting him laid,” he quipped back, sounding more like the old Darius. “A great distraction that always worked for me. Good night, Ari. Take care.”
“Thank you. Oh, and Darius? One last thing. Kyle says my ass is sexy, not big as an Ogre’s.” She lowered her voice. “But his penis? That’s a different. It’s big. Like a damned flagpole. You should salute it in homage.”
The Lupine’s deep, amused laugh was cut short as she hung up.
Overhead, pale stars danced in the moonlit sky. Kyle’s sensual promise heated her from the inside. She set down the cell and smiled, imagining what he planned. Her wolf had enjoyed the slow strokes of his tongue between her legs. Slow, sinful and deliberate. If only her Skin side could enjoy such pleasure as well.
For several minutes, she lay on her back, staring at the sky. A rare, peaceful feeling stole over her. Arianna closed her eyes, so relaxed she did not detect the two intruders until a rough voice broke her solitude.
“Little shits have to be around here someplace.”
Suppressing a startled yelp, she flattened against the roof. Fear-spiked adrenaline rushed through her veins, making her heart bang painfully against her ribcage.
They’d gotten the drop on her, the hunter who detected squirrels scampering across the forest floor a half mile away. They never would have gotten the drop on her wolf.
Moving quietly, she inched over to the voices near the front porch. Arianna raised her head and peered down.
Clad in dark clothing, two men stood by the shed. The second man turned, exposing his face in the moonlight. Arianna froze, a whimper rising from her throat.
A face from the past she remembered, the cruel tilt of his flat mouth, beady eyes narrowing as he set down the shotgun with a satisfied grunt.
Crimson staining pure white fur, trickling onto the ground...
Get a grip, get a grip. Nails digging into her palms, she forced herself to look again. No gun in hand. Shaky relief surged. Not the same Skin from long ago, but like him, perhaps a family member.
Old fears crested. Breath sawed out of her lungs, but she tried to keep quiet. If they couldn’t see or hear her, maybe they’d go away.
Please go away.
The men drew closer. One glance upward and they’d see her.
As the men began to turn, Arianna’s nerves snapped. Helpless to prevent the act, she shifted into wolf, remembering Tristan’s ominous warning.
Third time, you’re out.
CHAPTER 10
No, Ari, don’t!
Kyle watched in frustrated rage as the intruders started to look at the roof where Arianna transformed into a wolf. He shouted, jerking their attention toward him.
“Hey, assholes!”
Sure enough, they turned. Of course. They recognized their names. Gripping the shotgun he’d grabbed from the gun cabinet, Kyle advanced toward the Skin pair.
“Who are you, and why the hell are you trespassing on my land?” he demanded.
Lupine night vision enabled him to clearly see the shorter man’s derisive expression. “Your land? We ain’t seen no warnings.”
“Then you’re either blind or illiterate or both.” Kyle pointed to the No Trespassing signs nailed to several trees.
The shorter Skin scratched the stubble on his round chin, as if trying to puzzle out the words. “So? Signs don’t matter. Who says it’s your land?”
With one hand, Kyle racked the shotgun, the ominous clacking echoing through the glade. “I do. And so does she.”
A low growl rumbled from the shed roof.
Now the two did glance up, and Kyle swore they paled. Sharp white teeth glinting in the moonlight, Arianna looked like a Skin’s worst nightmare.
And his own personal wet dream.
“Meet Remington.” He pointed the gun at the men. “And his companion, Fluffy. Remington has a limited range, but Fluffy is pretty accurate from anywhere you stand. Unless you want Fluffy to tear you a new asshole, say, where your throat is, get the hell out of here.”
The taller man held out his hands as if directing an orchestra. “Say, hold on. Skip here didn’t mean no harm. He loses his manners when he gets impatient. We’re searching for a trio of younguns, kids who ran away. Got a fix on them a few miles back and thought they might have headed here for shelter. See any kids around?”
“Who are they to you?”
“Belong to friends of ours, lost hiking in the woods,” the tall man said.
Kyle narrowed his eyes as the unpleasant scent of something metallic hit his nostrils. Dark magick, he thought absently. “You with an official search team? Have identification?”
“What ID? Who the hell are you to ask?” asked the shorter man named Skip.
The taller one elbowed his friend. “Pardon my friend. He’s very worried about some strangers snatching them. Never know these days what some pervs might do.”
“Right.” Kyle’s voice deepened. “Maybe pervs happening to wander through the woods at night, looking for kids.”
Tall Skin gave a nasty smile. “Might wonder the same about a man out alone in these woods with a big wolf. But hell, I don’t care if you keep company with something that’s only good for skinning. All we’re interested in is those kids. Care if we take a peek inside your shed?”
“Yeah. I care. And so does Fluffy.” He whistled. “Fluffy, down, girl.”
Arianna jumped to the ground before the men, landing on all fours. The deep growl in her throat made them back away a few steps.
“Make yourselves invisible,” Kyle warned.
“What the hell you think, we’re magicians?” Skip spat out.
No, but you know someone who is. “You don’t want to hear my next words.” He gave a slow smile. “But I’ll say them anyway. Fluffy, sic balls.”
Jaws snapping, Arianna lunged forward. The men screamed and tore through the forest.
“Ari, stay,” he warned, as the wolf turned to chase them.
For once, she followed directions. Kyle cocked his head to listen, and when he could no longer hear the men, put the safety on the shotgun. Arianna trotted toward him, tongue hanging out, ears back and her tail tucked way down. Damn, she was scared. He crouched down and scratched her ears, glad to see them perk.
“I’ll get the phone.”
After retrieving the cell, he returned to the cabin, Arianna at his side. Taking the steps two at a time, he opened the front door. She loped inside and shifted back. Naked.
She always forgot her magick when spooked.
Arianna sat on the sofa before the fireplace, shivering violently. Adrenalin dump. He replaced the shotgun in the gun cabinet, locked it and put the key away.
Man, oh man, he wished she’d put on some clothing because her naked body made his dick stand up and salute the inside of his jeans.
Kyle took a fleece throw and draped it around her trembling shoulders. He forced his primitive, savage need into a deep, dark corner. Ari needed him sane and functional, not an animal bent on satisfying sexual urges.
He squatted before the fire, feeding it fresh logs and kindling. Finally he stood and dusted off his hands. Pale and shaken, Arianna stared into space. Kyle sat beside her and took her cold hands into his, chafing warmth into
them.
“Little pint, what is it?”
A choking sob rose in her throat. “He killed them, Kyle. He killed them. That bad man, he killed them.”
Arianna barely felt Kyle’s warm, calloused hands rubbing hers. His voice was low and soothing, but it didn’t matter, because all she heard was screaming in her mind.
“Which one, sweetheart? The tall one or the one named Skip?”
“The shorter one. He looks like him. Oh, he’s not the same. The other one’s dead.” Arianna jerked her hands away and hugged herself, rocking back and forth.
“What other one?”
Mute, she shook her head, words caught in her throat.
“Oh no, Ari. You’re not shutting down on me again like you did years ago. You’re stronger than that.” His steady gaze burned into her. “Get it together, sweetheart. You can do it. You must, because what you remember can help those little ones. I know it’s tough, but you have to let it out.”
She didn’t want to. Wanted to remain shielded and swathed in oblivious amnesia. Let Kyle shield her from the past.
Deep inside, her wolf growled a protest.
It’s easy to hide because Kyle always protected you. You never had to worry.
She’d never had to deal with her feelings or worry about danger since Kyle had found her and brought her to Aiden’s pack. When would she finally cease hiding? How could she expect to have a real life if she never faced her fears?
Memories flashed through her mind like a shuffled card deck. But now they were clear; oh, so painfully clear.
When she finally spoke, her voice cracked. “The man called Skip, he must be related to Josh, the man who killed my parents. When he turned his face in the moonlight, he looked exactly like him.”
“His father?”
“No, younger. A brother, I think, who probably found out from Josh about the girl who ran with wolves.” Arianna clutched the fleece in a death grip. “I was in Skin form when Josh grabbed me. My dad tried to stop him, but Josh shot him and then shot my mom.”
Dark and Dangerous: Six-in-One Hot Paranormal Romances Page 21