“What are you up to? Don’t tell me love potions are real.” One side of Harris’s mouth kicked up in a sexy smile. “They are, but that’s not what I’m doing. This is more like an opening yourself to new possibilities potion.”
“It won’t hurt her? It won’t be against her will?” he asked sharply. It rankled, using magic against his mate. He was a wolf, a natural enemy of magic users, but despite his relationship with Harris and the witches in Redhawke, he rarely saw it in use. He wasn’t quite suspicious of it, but it made him nervous. It felt almost like cheating.
“I would never hurt her. You know that,” Harris snapped. “Look, I’m not proposing that we give it just to her. That wouldn’t be fair, would it?” Ethan laughed. “She won’t take it if she knows about it.”
“Nope. She won’t. So we all take it.”
“And not tell her about it.”
“But we’ll all take it. You have a better idea?”
Gods. He shouldn’t even consider it. This was going to come back and bite him in the ass, wasn’t it? Harris mixed liquids while Ethan thought it over. It was a bad, bad idea, and he knew it.
“We aren’t messing with her emotions,” Harris said softly. “It’s not a love potion or animosity spell. Hell, it may not even work on werewolves.” But it might be their only chance. Harris didn’t have to say the words. Ethan knew. Gabby had resisted any relationship with them outside of sex for so long they would need an edge to breach her defenses. Sharing her while she was in heat was a good start—the opportunity to show how they could be together physically—but it wouldn’t be enough to get her to open her heart. She was too stubborn. Too determined to keep them at arm’s length. Harris finished mixing nd put the vials back.
“Now what? How do you get her to drink it?”
Harris grinned. “We take her to dinner.” He poured the liquid into an empty bottle, capped it, and stuck it in his pocket.
“What’s going on?” a sleepy voice asked from the doorway.
Harris took the small bowl he’d used to the sink, turned on the water, and rinsed it out. He moved with an easy, casual grace. Not at all like a man who would have been busted if she’d come in five seconds earlier. “Nothing.”
Ethan held his breath and faced her, hoping like hell he didn’t look as guilty as he felt. She was so pretty. And so damned stubborn. She looked tousled and well fucked. She practically glowed with satisfaction. His cock took immediate notice, aching and steel hard the moment her hooded, languid eyes met his.
“We were just talking about dinner. How about the pub?” he forced out, fighting the lust screaming through his body.
They could go to the one bar and grill in town, locally called “the pub,” or drive to the next big town. Ethan would prefer to just go back to bed, but he’d have to talk her there first. She’d put her dress and stockings back on, and her shoes dangled from her hand. At the mention of food, her eyes lit up.
“We could throw something together here,” she said. Right. Because going somewhere to eat might be too much like a date. It violated her “don’t get too close” rule. No way, baby, not this time. He wasn’t getting brushed off that easily. He’d had a taste of the way things could be, and that nibble was not enough. It left him starving for more. Harris might be on to something with his potion. If it made her open up to the possibility of a real relationship with them, then hopefully the next step would be to accept mating with them. It might be a foolish hope, but he’d take what he could get.
“We’d have to run to the grocery store. The pub is close,” Harris pointed out. “And the steaks are great. Might as well go there and save ourselves a sink full of dirty dishes.” She didn’t look happy about it, but finally she nodded, her reluctance easy to read.
Bending at the waist, she reached down to slip on her shoes, and her hair fell loose around her.
The memory of holding her hair, of thrusting into her mouth blazed in his mind. Dinner could wait. He took a step forward, but she was already straightening and moving into the hall, toward the front door. Harris gave him an amused, knowing grin and followed her.
Ethan heard the front door open, a murmur of voices. “Let’s go,” Harris called out, and with a growl, Ethan followed.
As soon as he stepped outside, he knew he had a bigger issue than getting back in Gabby’s pants. She and Harris stood on the sidewalk talking to a neighbor. A male, werewolf neighbor. It didn’t matter that Ethan knew the wolf was happily mated and old enough to be Gabby’s father.
The man was speaking to his mate, smiling and joking with his mate. Years of pent-up frustration and denial broke loose, and he snarled, low and vicious. Gabby took a wary step toward him, putting herself between Ethan and his quarry. That pissed him off more. What was she doing trying to protect the male?
She stopped a few inches from him and reached out to place her palm flat over his heart. It beat wildly, fast, threatening to burst from his chest, and her eyes widened, her nostrils flared to take in his scent, his emotions. “If I didn’t hurt so bad, I’d go home right now,” she said.
Her words stopped the snarl like he’d been doused in ice-cold water. He rested his hands on her shoulders and searched her face. “We hurt you?” She rolled her eyes. “Different kind of hurt.”
His confusion must have shown. She went on grudgingly. “It hurts. The heat. The need. It twists you up, and there’s only one way to relieve the pressure,” she ended on a bitter note.
He breathed her scent in deeply and knew she was telling him the truth. He lifted his hand and stroked her cheek with the knuckles. “We can go back inside,” he said softly enough the others couldn’t hear. It was a promise of the relief she sought, but she shook her head.
“I’m starving. I didn’t eat today.”
His hackles rose, threatening to let his feral protective instincts free again. She was his. He didn’t like her not taking care of herself, and if she wasn’t going to do it, he’d do it for her.
“Why?”
Over the top of her head, he saw the neighbor leave, and took her hand to tug her with him.
She shrugged but didn’t try to free herself, and he hid a grin. Progress at last.
“Too antsy, I guess. Nothing looked appealing.”
“Is that normal?” Ethan asked while Harris fell in on her other side. “She doesn’t eat when she comes to you?”
He ignored her blush of embarrassment at the question, and Harris shook his head. “Not in the first twenty-four hours. Sometimes after that.”
Interesting. Ethan had never heard that heat killed an appetite for food, but why would he?
The only woman he’d touch during that time always put him off, so he’d never questioned what was normal or not.
“Is it almost over then? Since you want to eat?” The idea disturbed him. He wanted a couple of days of mind-blowing sex. It might help mellow her outside of bed. Might convince her to give them a chance.
She scowled. “I should be that lucky,” she muttered before continuing in a firmer voice.
“This is the beginning. I have no idea why I’m suddenly hungry. I shouldn’t be.” He looked her over, assessing the little he knew. She was in heat so she was fertile, but even if they’d gotten her pregnant, her body wouldn’t be adjusting to those needs so soon.
Besides she would have taken steps to prevent pregnancy before she came to Harris. Lupines never used condoms. They were immune to the diseases that plagued mankind, and pregnancy could be prevented with a simple herbal brew. There was only one other explanation for her unexpected appetite, then. He hesitated to bring the subject up, but… “You haven’t been with your mate during heat before.”
He got an angry look for that, and she covered her neck with her hands, like she was afraid he’d marked her and she’d somehow missed it. “I doubt that’s it,” she grumbled. “And don’t get any ideas. This is not a permanent arrangement.”
Yeah, we’ll see about that. He exchanged a look with Harris and
knew he was thinking the same thing. They had no intention of letting her walk away. She belonged with them as much as they belonged with her. Going back to the way things were would cause a soul-deep pain he doubted he’d recover from. So they’d fight for her. It was a fight he couldn’t contemplate losing.
He didn’t want to make her angry enough she’d leave before they set their plan in motion, though, so he only nodded. By then they’d reached the pub, and he steeled himself to enter. He could already smell them. Men. Young, old, available and not. And under that, sinking talons into his mind, was Gabby’s scent. The intensity of the heat.
This was a bad idea, but she entered before he could stop her. He had no choice but to follow. Only the werewolves looked up at their entrance, and those gazes lingered over Gabby a moment. How many knew she was in heat? How the hell did he control his wolf’s instincts to grab her up, toss her over his shoulder, and get the hell out of here?
She didn’t give him a chance. Her gaze swept over the crowded space, and she set off for a booth on the back wall. He followed, managed to return the bartender’s nod as he passed, and took a seat with the wall at his back. Harris sat across from him and Gabby to his left, exposed to the room. He repressed a growl and nudged her to stand. She’d be by the wall where he could protect her. When she was on her feet, she glared and was anything but obliging.
“I’m going to say hi to Harper. Order me a beer, will you?” She took off before he could protest, and Harris grabbed his arm so he couldn’t follow.
“She’s fine,” he said softly as a waitress approached and set down three mugs. Was it good or bad the bartender knew them well enough to anticipate their drink order? Once she’d gone, Harris pulled the potion from his pocket and put an equal amount in every beer. He returned the bottle to his pocket and lifted the glass, tipping it toward Ethan. “Ready?” Ethan was not as eager, but he picked up the drink at the same time Gabby returned. This time he bullied her into the inside of the booth, but he got the feeling she was just humoring him and not accepting the protection of a mate. The waitress returned for their order, and they all drank. He didn’t breathe easy until, mostly done with her glass, she ordered another beer. There was no way she could skip drinking her whole share of the potion now.
They ate the meal with small talk, nothing of consequence, but it filled him with a sense of contentment even as he felt the heat rising in Gabby, faster and harder until it was consuming.
Harris paid before they were finished, and as soon as she took the last bite of steak, Gabby rose.
There was no lingering, and it was a damned good thing. Much longer and he’d take her on the table, demonstrate his mastery of her and show everyone she was already claimed.
Fortunately, it didn’t come to such a public loss of control. She’d probably scratch his eyes out if he attempted it. He let a grin slip as he followed her out. Maybe he should try. He suspected the resulting confrontation would be hot as hell.
Chapter Four
Gabby led the way back to Harris’s. If she had any sense, she’d get there, get in her car, and drive like hell. But despite knowing that would be the best thing to do, she couldn’t, and she couldn’t even blame it on the heat. She was curious. They were up to something. Something subtle and devious, and she had a sneaking suspicion she knew what it was. Inside the house, they tried to urge her in the direction of the bedroom. Her libido was all for that, but not until she had some answers.
She walked into the living room instead and sat on the couch. “So what did you put in my beer?” she asked Harris, then turned to Ethan. “And why the hell did you agree with it?”
“How did you know?” Ethan asked.
The confirmation enraged her, but the feeling of betrayal was so much worse. She’d trusted them with her body at the time she was most vulnerable. Her wolf side scratched at her mind, furious and spitting. It was much angrier than the woman. All it understood was her faith had been violated.
Gabby fought the urge to lash out, struggled to remain calm when she really wanted to scream. This was exactly what she’d tried so hard to avoid, leaving herself vulnerable to two men who believed they had the right to rule her life. To make her decisions.
“What was it?” she asked evenly.
They both had the grace to look guilty and contrite, which calmed the wolf a bit, but the feeling of treachery remained. It threatened to overwhelm her anger.
“It’s nothing so bad. We all took it,” Harris said, squirming under her glare for just a moment before his expression changed to one of resolve. “It loosens inhibitions.” She snorted. Right. Because during heat she was so inhibited. “Try again, bubba.”
“That’s it, really. It’ll…just make you open to possibilities a little bit more.”
She believed him, but there had to be some trick, some deception she was missing. “I’ve already been with both of you,” she pointed out. “I don’t think inhibitions are a problem.” He shrugged, and his voice was hard when he spoke. “For now. What happens when the heat is over? You disappear?”
Suddenly, the heat receded completely, and she was freezing. “Some kind of love potion?” she croaked out.
No, no, it couldn’t be. That was her worst freaking nightmare. She refused to get that close to either of them. Refused to love them. Everything would change, her life would change, and not for the better. They were too dominant. They would try to take her over, try to mold her into something she wasn’t, and when that didn’t work, the real misery would begin. She couldn’t imagine anything worse than having a mate who didn’t accept her as she was. Well, having two mates who didn’t would definitely be worse. She stood, jerked away when he tried to reach for her, and stalked over to the big window. There was a lump in her throat, and she focused on the scene outside.
It was a pretty little picture. A view of a wide, tree-lined road, boys tossing a football back and forth in the waning evening light. Serene. Nothing like the thoughts rushing through her head, the fury and confusion winding her tight. The utter disbelief and sadness that Harris would pull such a dirty trick on her.
“It wasn’t a love potion. I would never do that to you.”
“Why not?” She laughed bitterly. “Isn’t that what your people do? Fuck with everyone else’s life? Make them do things against their will?” His eyes glittered in anger, but she didn’t care.
“First of all,” he snapped, “it is exactly what I said. It will lower your inhibitions. Some. It won’t mess with your emotions. Everything you feel is all on you. Second, don’t ever insult me like that again, darlin’. You won’t like the consequences.” Consequences? Had he lost his freaky little mind? The wolf pricked at her skin, wanting out, wanting free. She could tear him apart, and he couldn’t do a thing to defend himself. Except use magic. But could he really hurt her with it?
“Whatever. Reverse it. I’m sure you know how.”
She looked him over. His anger was easy to read, but it wasn’t bright and uncontained anymore. He’d gone icy cold. Controlled. “There are conditions.” Oh, he really had lost what was left of his gray matter. She moved toward the door, but the deadbolt slid closed long before she got there. She banged on it once and turned to glare at him.
Then her gaze slid to Ethan, thinking he might help her escape. One glance and she knew there wasn’t a chance in Hades of that happening.
“What conditions?”
“You stop running.” Harris walked toward her. Slowly. Carefully. As if she had anywhere to bolt to.
“You take this opportunity to get to know me. Us,” he added, indicating Ethan, who now stood behind him.
“How about I wait for it to wear off?”
His responding smile was gloating and just this side of mean. “That could take weeks, darlin’.”
Weeks? She was so screwed. She could already feel her resistance weakening. Could she hold out against their combined effort for weeks? She didn’t have a choice, did she? Somehow she’d make it or convince h
im to reverse the potion. There was no other alternative.
Harris drew closer until he was just inches away, close enough to touch, broad shoulders blocking the hall at his back. Even if she did dart around him, Ethan would be there to stop her.
Panic shook her hard. She felt hemmed in, and that was a bad position to put a wolf in. She lashed out before the thought even finished, intent on space and breaking free. He caught her wrist as her claws connected to his neck. It was a small scratch, but she drew blood, and that pleased the wolf enough that she let her guard down. He yanked her close, pinned both her wrists in one hand behind her back.
“Why does it scare you so bad?” he whispered.
Snarling, she struggled to get loose, and he released her. It’s not like she could escape, could she? There was a bitter taste in her mouth. She pressed her back against the door and tried to find another solution, but there wasn’t any.
“Until the heat is over,” she offered, but he shook his head.
“I want a whole week.”
Oh gods, would she be able to resist for a week? Would she be able to keep her heart out of it? She kept her distance from them for good reason. She knew what would happen if she let her guard down.
“Three days,” she countered, desperately hoping he’d take it.
He just shook his head. “A week, darlin’, or we dissolve this arrangement altogether. Don’t come to me the next time you go into heat.”
She stared. An ultimatum, and the worst kind. He couldn’t do that to her. He wouldn’t, would he? She couldn’t go to someone else. Even if she wanted to, she didn’t think her wolf would let her. She’d become so accustomed to his touch during this time, another just wouldn’t satisfy.
“That would be the worst kind of cruelty,” she admitted, and his eyes softened a bit.
“Any less cruel than you showing up for two days and then sneaking out of my bed?” She couldn’t say anything to that, and for the first time, she felt guilty. She’d always taken what she needed from him when she was in heat and had never considered his feelings. Since he hadn’t pushed for more, she hadn’t believed he wanted anything but sex. She knew better now, but it didn’t change anything. It would be better to end things as soon as possible. Cleanly.
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