“Hey, sis,” her brother, Kade, said softly as he sidled up next to her.
Following werewolf custom he’d spent his early twenties with another pack and had just returned to replace Baker, one of the other soldiers who’d decided to go wandering. This was the first she’d seen Kade in three years, and her heart soared to have her twin brother home. Though she was tempted to pull him close in a hug, they were both staying out of the way of the fireworks behind the house and therefore drawing no attention to themselves. They didn’t want to get pulled into the middle of it. They’d learned that lesson well over the years. “How’s it going?”
She shrugged. The argument before them drifted around to the front of the house, and he followed her further into the yard as their parents moved away. “The usual. You?”
He tilted his head to one side, and she groaned at his no bullshit look. She wasn’t getting out of this one. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’ve never shown up for one of these little shindigs smelling of two different men.”
Thank god for turtlenecks. “So I had a fun weekend.”
She’d left Harris and Ethan before dawn despite their protests and Harris’s reminder of the deal. But her duties had been abandoned for two days, and she couldn’t delay returning. She’d been running all day playing catch up. She hadn’t even had the chance to come find Kade until well after lunch, and now they wouldn’t have much time to talk. The pack was having an impromptu party to welcome Kade home. She would meet her mates there later.
He grinned. “Fun and marked are two different things.”
“Who said anything about marked?” She glared. Twin brother or not, he was pushing his luck.
“I wouldn’t be able to scent a man on you if he wasn’t your mate,” he said, voice hard and cold, all protective brother. She was reminded that if he’d stayed the last few years he’d probably occupy a higher space in the pack than her, and she was right at the top in fifth place, right after Jonas. It made her uncomfortable to consider Ethan and Kade could both probably have challenged her for her position long ago too. But for now Kade was just her sibling, she outranked him, and this was none of his business. Ethan…that was a worry for another time.
“Not your problem. Or your concern.”
He snorted and nodded to the back patio they’d been avoiding. “Tell them that.”
“It isn’t any of their business either.”
He hooted with laughter. “You tell the dads that. You tell Mom that.”
He didn’t get it, of course. Hell, he was guy. She was pretty sure their mother would understand exactly the nature of her reticence. She was a female soldier mated to two soldier males, and as near as Gabby could tell none of them had ever been happy. They wanted a submissive woman. Her mother tried; it just wasn’t in her. Gabby had fought so hard to stay unmated because she’d seen exactly how bad it could go.
Her brother nudged her shoulder. “Hey, who’s that?”
She looked over to see Harris exit the path into the yard, Ethan right behind him. “Shit,” she muttered.
Her brother cocked his brows. “Really? Not invited, huh?” He thought it over and then smiled. “Gutsy. I like them.”
But his nostrils flared as Harris approached. “Wizard,” he snarled.
Gabby grabbed his arm when he stepped forward and hissed back, “Mine. And they were invited. I just didn’t expect them yet.”
Holy shit, what was she doing? She’d hoped she’d have more time to brace herself before dealing with Harris again, but she’d be damned if it was someone else who got rid of him. And the idiot man had no sense. None at all. He swaggered into the yard, walked as if he had every right to be there, zeroing in straight for her. His entrance actually stopped the argument between her parents, and she hurried closer, Kade at her heels. That was bloodshed she didn’t want to witness or take responsibility for. He looked at her, his eyes calm, expression almost serene before he smoothly turned to her parents and held his hand out to introduce himself. She held her breath and edged close enough to listen in.
“You bear the scent of family, wizard.”
“I imagine I do.”
Robert, one of her fathers, still didn’t take his hand. “Why is that?”
Harris turned to give her a small, tight, furious smile. “Because she’s my mate.” His words were hard and certain, proprietary, and made her belly flip-flop. He looked back to her parents, meeting all three gazes carefully. “We have met before. I’m the police chief in Redemption. Harris.”
“We know who you are,” Steve, her other father, snapped. “Though I haven’t heard any reason why we should let you live.”
She rolled her eyes and stepped into the fray. “Get over it. You’ve been complaining about me being single for years.”
They finally seemed to notice her and both fathers turned on her at once, nostrils flaring, eyes narrowing. It seemed an eternity before anyone spoke. “You took two mates? And you kept this from your family?” Robert asked, sounding hurt.
“It just happened,” she said meekly. She hated to hear that tone in her voice, but hell, he was her father. Harris stepped up behind her and squeezed her shoulder. Silent support, but she felt it bone deep and tilted her chin up. Then Ethan stepped up to her other side, nodded, and said hello.
“And Ethan too,” her mother murmured, a hint of approval in her voice. She stepped forward, took Gabby’s hand, and drew her into the house before another word could be spoken. Gabby wasn’t so sure leaving the men alone was a good idea.
They walked into the kitchen. Its big windows and glass doors overlooked the yard, and Gabby hovered near them, watching the four men out there. They circled each other, speaking every now and then, though of course she couldn’t make out the words from this distance and behind glass. Feeling each other out, she realized. She turned to her mother, who stood at the counter pouring coffee. She took both mugs to the table and motioned Gabby to join her.
They had an unimpeded view of the yard. Where had her brother gone? She searched and found him off to the side leaning against a post. Five keyed up males. All that damned testosterone. It made her teeth hurt she was gritting them so hard.
“Is it too much to ask for a normal life?” she whispered. “A nice, peaceful, calm life?”
Her mother laughed. “Wolf, wizard, human. Doesn’t matter, they’re all men. That out there is perfectly normal.”
The woman had surely lost her mind, and Gabby was sure her expression matched that belief because her mother chuckled again. “Before I mated them, I went out into the world. I dated nice, normal human men. Who it turns out are just as possessive, some just as dominant. Just as mule headed,” she added with a wink.
Gabby was stunned. She’d never considered her mother had had another life. “If you broke free, why did you come back?”
Her mother gave her a quizzical look. “Who said I broke free? You can leave the pack, but in the end, we are pack creatures.” She took a deep breath and shook her head. “No, I needed some place I can be a wolf. Some place I can run when the urge strikes. And people who understand that.”
Gabby could relate to that, but… “But, Momma, the way they treat you.” She stopped. How could she explain without hurting her feelings? “I don’t want to spend my life fighting for independence or proving my place.”
Her mother gave her a tiny smile and sat back in her chair. “Is that what you think? Well, I suppose it is. We’ve all screwed up then.”
Gabby scowled. It wasn’t perfect, okay, but she wouldn’t go that far. “What do you mean?”
Her mother shrugged. “I will never be as dominant, as high up the chain of command as you are. I had the strength maybe, but I just didn’t want it. They weren’t holding me back, baby, don’t think that.”
She hadn’t thought that exactly. Had she? No, she’d always known she’d go higher than her mother and her fathers had. “No. It’s the rest of it.”
Her mother frowned. “It’s complicated
, but I promise you I’m happy with our relationship, baby.”
She was stunned. “Happy fighting all the time? Happy always having to fight for even a little independence?”
Her mother gave her a frank, assessing look. “Even as a little girl, you always were a peacemaker,” she murmured. “I may be your mother, but I’m not perfect. We argue sure. A lot of the time it’s over stupid little stuff. Most of time it’s even good-natured. It’s never physical, and we’re rarely angry for more than an hour.” She took a deep breath and stared out the window.
“I think I understand where this is going,” her mother continued finally. “You’re one of the strongest in the pack. Willing to fight, but you hate personal conflict. That peacekeeper gene again.” She smiled. “That’s the problem with your mates, right? You’re afraid it’ll be a constant struggle for dominance.”
“I don’t know how to deal with it,” Gabby whispered. She couldn’t deny her concerns. “The other high-ranking females, they all seem to have these relationships that are a constant struggle. I don’t want to live like that.”
“You could submit,” her mother said. Gabby growled. Submitting was impossible. Not in her nature. Her mother smiled and shook her head. “Does it have to be all or nothing? Who says it does? Be the she-wolf defender when it comes to pack defense, but when you go home? Be whoever you want. You think they don’t know the difference?” She looked out the window to watch the men, her gaze assessing. “I think they know. And I think they will give you whatever you need.”
Gabby wasn’t so sure about that, but she knew they had to find a way to make this work. Standing, she bent to kiss her mother’s cheek. “Thank you, Momma. I’m getting them out of here before there’s bloodshed.”
Her mother laughed. “Call me, baby. I’m always here for you.”
She knew she was. She left with a smile, collected her men with minimal conversation with her fathers, and led the way home.
Chapter Seven
She took them to her cabin. Shaky. Nervous. Was her mother right? Could she be one thing to the pack and something else in her private life? She’d never thought that possible. Never even considered it. She was strong and independent. A soldier. Didn’t that bleed into every aspect of her life? Except, she remembered, her pussy clinching, in bed. She clearly did not like being in charge there. Even her wolf side liked the mastery of her two mates.
The question was how far could she take it? Privately how much could she bend and still feel like herself. Like she wasn’t betraying herself. No. That wasn’t the question. She could bend, she already knew that. The question was how much she could adapt to their needs and still respect herself. Huh. She’d never looked at it like that. It had always been an either/or question.
She was lost in thought when she opened the door and wandered in. They seemed to realize she needed some space, and no one protested when she went to her room and ran a bath. The idea intrigued her. Dominant publically, submissive privately. She liked it. Liked it more than she thought she would. Or should. Shit. She was in trouble if she was giving in so easily. If they were going to make this work, and it was too late to back out now, there had to be some ground rules.
She sank into scalding hot water, leaned her head back, and closed her eyes with a moan. The water felt great. Soothing. Relaxing. She was always sore and tired when the heat was over. This time more than ever after slaking her desire on two men. She smiled. Who would have thought this would happen to her? Despite her unanswered questions, her concerns, Harris’s potion, despite everything…she’d never felt so sexually satisfied. It went bone deep, and she wondered how long the effects would linger. She felt languid and sexy here alone in her bath. So good in fact, she didn’t react at all when Ethan walked in. His scent wrapped around her, bringing the forest and an odd sense of comfort inside.
“Did you get to talk to Kade today?”
She turned her head and cracked an eye open. “I got there right before y’all. I had a ton of stuff to catch up on today.”
He grunted. “Me too.”
“Did you see him earlier?” Something made her ask.
He gave a brief shake of his head and scrubbed his hand over his face. “No.” He sounded down, resigned.
“What’s wrong?”
His smile was forced. “Nothing. Not a thing.”
“Liar.”
She expected him to deny it. He laughed but he sounded more resigned than amused. “Yeah. It’s just…Kade and I were best friends for so long. I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me for mating his sister.”
She scowled, suddenly suspicious. “That doesn’t sound like him. What did he say after I went inside?”
He flashed her a grin, his amusement a sharp scent in the air, on her tongue. “That if I ever hurt or upset you, he will rip me into tiny little pieces.”
She rolled her eyes and stood up, reaching for a towel on the nearby shelf to wrap around herself. “Like I need someone to defend me.”
“Oh, I don’t know, baby,” he drawled, stepping forward and pulling her towel loose. “We could all use someone to stand up for us every now and then.”
He first dried her front with slow, soft rubs of the towel, then moved to her back. “Someone to take care of us,” he whispered against her nape.
Even as her mind rejected the idea, her body responded with a delicious curl of heat. She turned in his arms and looked up at him, for the first time not irritated that she had to look up when she stood this close. He lifted a hand to her shoulder and brushed his thumb over his mark. The fleeting contact made her heart race and her middle summersault. And, damn the man, he knew it. His smile was sexy and satisfied, his eyes yellowed with an answering heat, and his scent changed to match hers. Spicy. Alluring. Inviting.
“Just the way I like you, darlin’,” Harris said from the doorway. “Naked. And hot.”
As a wizard, he shouldn’t be able to scent her arousal like Ethan could, but she had no idea what his mind was capable of, and she was struck by a sudden curiosity. She tilted her head to one side and studied him. “How do you know I’m hot?” Wasn’t much point in denying it, was there? “I thought you said you weren’t a telepath.”
He shook his head. “No, but sometimes I can feel others’ emotions.” He gave her a cocky grin. “It’s much stronger with you. Always has been.”
“So you know how I’m feeling, but not what I’m thinking?” She didn’t think she liked that idea, but was it any different from Ethan being able to scent her moods?
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“That’s disturbing.”
He looked contrite at least. “I’m sorry, darlin’, nothing I can do about it.”
He hesitated a moment, then took her hand and pulled her into the bedroom. She sat on the edge of the bed, and he took a few steps back, leaving her confused. She was naked. On a bed. And neither one of them was making a move.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m going to tell you something, but I don’t want you to freak out, okay?”
She arched her eyebrows, suspicion and disquiet making it hard to answer. Making it hard to breath. “Tell me,” she ordered, crossing her arms over her chest when his gaze lingered too long.
“The most powerful of my race can create a mental bond with a person. A mate.”
“And you did this? Is it the same as a lupine bond?” She remembered a surge of power. It had left her feeling branded and connected. The sensation wasn’t much different from the bond with Ethan. He hadn’t even hinted he could bond with her. His keeping that secret from her hurt and made her angry.
He shrugged. “Basically. It’s unbreakable. Lets me know how you feel. I could probably track you through it. In that way, it’s no different from a werewolf’s bond. But mine is based on the power of my mind, not blood.”
Unbreakable. So even after she gave him his week to get to know each other she didn’t have a choice, did she? There wasn’t any deciding if she wanted more. L
ike Ethan, he’d taken that decision out of her hands. An angry reply caught in her throat, and she stood, jerking away from his hand when he tried to stop her as she passed. She needed the armor of clothes, needed to get away from them for awhile so she could think. She veered away from her closet, though, when a better plan occurred to her. They followed her into the hall and to the back door.
“Whoa, baby, what are you doing?” Ethan asked as she yanked it open, but she was already shifting and couldn’t answer.
Her muscles contracted and reshaped, bones snapped and reformed. Fur raced across her skin, and claws popped from her fingers, which shrunk into paws. When Ethan made to follow her, ripping his shirt over his head and unsnapping his jeans, she showed him the sharp points of her teeth in a low, mean snarl. He dropped to his knees and stared into her eyes.
“Fine, baby, go run it off. But when you get back, you’re going to tell us what pissed you off so bad.”
She tossed her head, spun around, and took off into the woods. Scents were easier to pick up in this form, and she knew a group of juveniles cavorted nearby. She went in the opposite direction, deciding she’d run the outer perimeter where she was much less likely to run into anyone. Where she wouldn’t slip and take her anger out on someone who couldn’t handle it and didn’t deserve it.
As her fast legs took her farther away she expected her anger to dissipate. It always did when she gave her wolf free reign to master its world. But this time was different. This time the wolf shared the woman’s fury. It felt caged, cornered, and didn’t like it one damned bit. They’d tied her to them without her permission, without even asking. And at the time, in throes of passion and the thrall of the heat, she hadn’t been capable of protest much less reasoned thought.
Damn them both.
She pushed them out of her mind, legs stretching to race for the border fence. She let the wildness rise, let the wolf’s joy fill her mind as she tested her limits, and felt them merging together. The forest quieted as she flew by, the chatter of small animals and insects abruptly cutting off, but she barely noticed. When she saw metal gleaming in the sun, tasting the tang of the bitter scent on her tongue, she slowed to an easy lope.
Spellbound Moon Page 23