Every Which Way

by Sasha White

  The men moved the mattresses as if they didn’t weigh anything. Bethany helped get the sheets and blankets back on them, and curled up with Jonathan on the two they’d pushed together in the back of the room. Mac was closest to the door, so he could leave if he needed time and space to get control.

  Bethany was asleep before Ranger came to bed, and she didn’t know anything until her cellphone woke them all at ten the next morning.

  The men awoke alert and ready, but Bethany wasn’t able to put a coherent sentence together yet, and only glared at them when they dared speak to her.

  “Coffee?” Ranger finally asked, and when she nodded, he turned and went downstairs without another word.

  She put her underwear in her purse, her bra back on, and then donned her skirt and blouse. It took a few minutes to find her socks and boots, and she finally dug a hairband out of her purse and finger-combed her hair into a ponytail.

  The men were all standing around the kitchen when she went down. Ranger was watching the coffeepot, Jonathan was looking in the fridge, and Mac was eating a fist-sized hunk of cheese.

  “If I can get coffee in something with a lid, can one of you drive me home now? I’d rather shower at my house, with my stuff.”

  “We were thinking I’d take you home,” Ranger said, “and the other two could pick up breakfast and bring it to your house. We can all eat together once you’re out of the shower.”

  Bethany shook her head. “I have a lot to process from last night. I’d really rather take a shower and get ready alone. I have four appointments today and they all need my undivided attention. I need some time to think about everything so I can give it to them.”

  “We’d rather you process it out loud, with our help, over breakfast,” Jonathan told her.

  “Do ya’ll not work on the weekend?”

  “Sometimes,” said Ranger, “but not today.”

  She rolled her eyes. “How about a compromise? One of you this morning, and I don’t really care who. You can drop me off, go get food, and be back with it when I finish my shower. Or, if one of you can cook, my fridge is stocked and you can impress me with your culinary skills.”

  “I’m waiting for the rest of the compromise,” Mac said.

  “I’ll bring steaks home for ya’ll to cook on my grill, and I’ll fix the veggies and salads. You’re all welcome to spend the night. I have a king sized bed, and an airbed so Mac can sleep in the room with us. I also have furniture in every room of my house, and a kitchen table.”

  Ranger and Jonathan looked at each other a few seconds, and Jonathan said, “I’ll take Mac to the range, work on getting him certified so he’ll be able to carry for Drake once we get his paperwork handled. You go with Raggedy.”

  Chapter Nine

  “How long did it take you, before you could be around people?” Bethany asked Ranger on the way down the mountain.

  “I was a few months shy of thirteen when I was turned. I wasn’t allowed around humans for over a year. I saw my parents from a distance after a few weeks, and could be in the same room with them at around six months. I talked to them on the phone from the very beginning, but…”

  “Twelve? A twelve year old can’t give consent!”

  “My best friend’s parents pulled him out of school in the seventh grade and homeschooled him. I was allowed to go to their house, but he couldn’t come to mine, and they stopped allowing overnight visits. Towards the end of the year they started not allowing me to come over at all for a few weeks at a time. I now know they were expecting his first change, and making sure it didn’t happen around humans.”

  He glanced at her, back to the road. “Werewolves can be born, and when they are, they change after they hit puberty. The children are taught to control their temper from an early age, along with breathing techniques to cope with pain, and a lot of other tricks to help them learn control later, when their wolf kicks in.”

  Bethany waited for him to get through some traffic congestion and asked, “I take it they didn’t plan well?”

  “It isn’t their fault. He was feeling itchy one night and snuck out. We lived maybe a half mile apart, and he walked to my house and threw pebbles at my window. He already had extra strength and stamina, knew he had to keep it hidden, but they’d been waiting for him to change so long, he didn’t realize he was itchy because it was so close. It’d started becoming one of those things always on the horizon.”

  “So, you went out with him, he changed, and bit you?”

  “In a nutshell, yeah. The family had to explain it to my parents, and they blood bound them, so they couldn’t tell. My friend’s dad was a doctor and he falsified records so the school thought I had mono. There were only a few weeks left, so I finished the year with excused absences. I went to live with my friend, and we both learned to control our wolves together. He learned way faster than me, because he’d been prepped for it his whole life.”

  “I saw Mac’s hand, when they cut his fingers off. Some looked as if they’d been cut off a few days before. How does he have them, now?”

  “If I’m injured, as long as I can shift into my wolf, I’ll heal. When I come back as human, the wound or injury is gone. Even a gunshot wound, the bullet is usually pushed out during the change. When we rescued Mac he’d lost a number of fingers, toes, a hand, and most of one ear, as they’d been slicing pieces of it off at a time.”

  Bethany put her hands over her face, horrified, and Ranger touched her leg. “He’s fine now, Bethany. He was in a dangerous job and he knew the risks. He’d been trained for it, and he never gave up the information they wanted. He’s a hero and no one can ever know. I’m only telling you because it’s part of the secrets you got in the binding, and you won’t be able to tell anyone else. It’s classified, government stuff. Not just supernatural.”

  Bethany nodded and he continued. “The oldest amputation was four days old, but most of it had been done within the previous three days, which is usually the cut-off for how long you have to be turned and have the pieces grow back. It’s about your image of yourself as well as your DNA, and most people who’ve lost a body part in the past three days will grow it back if they’re turned. I gave him the option of remaining human and staying as is, or my turning him into a werewolf and possibly getting them back. No guarantees, but it was a good possibility. I explained the pros and cons, and was very clear about how long it would take him to gain control so he could go out in public again. I hadn’t counted on the control he’d learned through the agency — the control that let him keep secrets even when people were slowly cutting him to pieces, so he’s well ahead of schedule. Still, we have to be careful.”

  She pointed him to turn left into her neighborhood and said, “Shouldn’t there be, like, PTSD, or something?”

  “Yeah, there should, but he apparently has exceptional coping skills. He’s been seeing a supernatural friendly therapist who’s used to dealing with battlefield trauma, and while she hasn’t released him, she says he has a healthy handle on his psyche.”

  “You haven’t told me what happened with Duke last night.”

  “It worked, but we figure it probably also broke the binding he did on you. We’re going to leave it alone, for now. Mine to you is still strong, and that’s enough.”

  Bethany pointed him into her driveway, and she put the coffee thermos in the cup holder so Ranger could take it back. She’d finished it a while back, but had needed to hold onto something.

  She got out of the car, walked up her porch steps, and sighed as Ranger followed her in the front door. “You know we’ve broken all the one-night stand rules, right?”

  Ranger closed and locked the door behind them, looked at her a few seconds, caressed her cheek, and pulled her into his embrace. “Our binding wouldn’t have worked if you hadn’t meant it, but I’m sensing cold feet, now. What’s up?”

  “I don’t do relationships. I sometimes fuck guys for a few weeks, maybe even two or three months, but I don’t…” She pulled out of his
arms and headed towards her bedroom. “Life’s simpler when I just depend on myself.”

  Snowy, her cat, wound around her feet and spoiled her exit, as she had to bend down and pick him up to keep from tripping over him. She carried him to her bedroom, put him on her bed and loved on him a few minutes before getting into the shower, thankful Ranger hadn’t followed her into the bedroom. She needed time to think. What the hell had she promised last night, and why had she invited them again tonight? She wouldn’t mind a few more nights with these three, but she needed a few days to recover. Damn, she was sore.

  Thankfully, Ranger gave her space while she showered and changed. She was finishing up when he came to her bathroom door, leaned against the doorframe, and watched.

  She glanced at him, went back to applying her mascara, and said, “I’m trying to understand why you’re here. I don’t get it.”

  “Because I want to feed you this morning. I made pancakes, eggs, and sausage. They’re ready.”

  “If you left them in the kitchen without a guard then Snowy’s eating them by now.”

  Ranger smiled. “No. Snowy and I came to an agreement. He’ll leave the food alone.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “What did you do to my cat?” She put her mascara down and rushed to the kitchen to see her cat eating from his food bowl on the floor. He looked up, saw her, gave a happy meow, and went back to eating his food.

  She looked back to Ranger in question, and he said, “I’m part animal, remember? We came to an agreement. I didn’t hurt him, we’re friends now.”

  Bethany shook her head. “He only likes me and Gen. He never has anything to do with the guys. Ever. Gen thinks he’s jealous.”

  * * * *

  Bethany didn’t know it, but Ranger was treating her more carefully than he’d had to handle her cat. Bethany’s scent told him she was freaking out and terrified, and in danger of running from them, which was why they’d wanted to bring her home this morning.

  He turned her around, pulled her to him, and went a little Dom on her with his kiss, hoping it would remind her how great things had been last night. She resisted him a few seconds, but then gave herself over to him, and he deepened the kiss as his hand went to her ass. His cock throbbed to life, but he slowly ended the kiss and pulled her into him.

  He made a decision Jonathan and Mac wouldn’t be happy about, but Ranger’s instincts told him Bethany’s freak-out wasn’t going away. “Okay then, fuck us for a few months, exclusively us, no one else. Let us take care of you, don’t fight it, and if you still need to escape when we get to Memorial Day, we’ll break the binding we did last night and let you go on your way.”

  She let him hold her as she worked through what he was saying, but then her scent was a combination of relief and dismay, and he celebrated on the inside. She wanted them, but was scared. They could work with that.

  Before she had a chance to argue, he pointed her towards breakfast and complimented her for having real maple syrup.

  Chapter Ten

  Bethany checked her phone as she walked out of the medical building and saw a text from Mac, letting her know the guys had bought the steaks and other groceries, and wanted her to let them know when she was on her way home. Ranger had set up a group on her phone, so she could easily text everyone at once, so she sent them all a message with three words: On my way.

  She only lived five minutes from work, but stopped to get gas so it took a little longer. She bought the brand of beer they’d been drinking the night before, too. Still, they weren’t there when she arrived, and she wasn’t sure if she was relieved or frustrated.

  A few seconds’ thought and she decided she was relieved, as this would give her a chance to get out of her scrubs, take a shower, and put something a little more flattering on.

  She bought designer, fitted scrubs, and they fit her better than the boxy crap most wore, but they were still medical scrubs. She needed to look professional, and didn’t want to get massage oil on her everyday clothes, so she dealt with them, but wore fancy underwear.

  Her shower let her wash off the last remnants of work, and she dressed in peach underwear, her favorite jeans, and a t-shirt made of multicolored fabric that seemed to change colors as the light hit it.

  She sometimes envied Gen her smaller breasts, but today wasn’t one of those times as she looked in the mirror and thought her large breasts made her stomach and waist look smaller.

  Also, she remembered Jonathan practically worshipping them. She’d never been turned on when someone tried to fuck her breasts before, but last night had worked for her. Maybe it’s because there was so much going on at once, but his cock in her cleavage, lube pretty much all over her body, and everyone else’s… she was getting turned on again just thinking of it. She was tempted to pull Mighty Max out of her nightstand drawer and let a little steam off, except she was so damned sore from last night.

  The guys timed it perfectly, arriving as she stepped out of her bedroom, on the way to open a bottle of wine.

  Mac came in first, pulled her to him, and she forgot to breathe as his lips met hers. The other guys went on into the kitchen and left Mac and Bethany at the door.

  Bethany’s back hit the wall and her body took over, kissing him. She wanted him inside of her and felt as if the world might end if their kiss stopped. She lifted her left leg, wrapped it around his waist, and moaned into his mouth.

  Mac gave a wild noise, lifted her, and she felt his granite-hard cock through both layers of jeans. His frustrated growl let her know his need for her was just as bad as hers.

  “Too many clothes,” she said, and he let her down and started working on her jeans.

  She unbuttoned his jeans, slid the zipper down, and then pushed her own pants down her legs. Seconds later Mac had a condom on, her shoulders against the wall again, and was buried balls deep.

  And Bethany was in heaven, despite being so fucking sore.

  “Move!” she ordered, and he backed her away from the wall, wrapped his arms around her to hold her tight, and began fucking her like the world was about to end. She forgot the guys in the kitchen, forgot everything. Nothing existed except Mac, his arms, his cock. He let her lean back a little, her spine arching as an orgasm engulfed her. He kept pounding her, but held her so well she knew she could move however she wanted and he wouldn’t drop her. She pressed back a while, then leaned forward and held onto him, and finally found a way to ride him. He went still and let her have control, riding him slow, then fast. She gave herself another orgasm, and then he stepped forward, put her shoulders against the wall, and pounded her until they both found a screaming, growling release together.

  When she could breathe again, and realized the other two guys were in the kitchen, she asked, “Did you win the coin toss, or what?”

  “No, Bethany.” He kissed her cheek, pushed her hair away from her face, his eyes tender. “We won’t do that to you. You aren’t something to be won. This wasn’t planned, Cupcake, it just happened. Don’t go overanalyzing things, okay?”

  She still had her shirt and bra on, and stepped away from him to find her panties, which were still in her jeans. She looked down as she got dressed, and looked up to see Mac buttoning his jeans. She expected him to have a cocky look on his face, but she saw something else.

  Bethany wasn’t up for anything too deep right now, not after Mac had literally rocked her world, so she went into the kitchen to see what the guys were up to in there.

  Surprisingly, Ranger was out back working the grill, and Jonathan was rubbing a dry mixture into the steaks.

  “You’ve done this before,” she commented, and Jonathan looked up with smile as he said, “Yeah. This is my special recipe — sea salt, brown sugar, onion powder, fresh ground pepper, paprika, a little cayenne, and a touch of cocoa.”

  Her eyebrows rose, and she said, “I was going to make the veggies. I don’t want ya’ll doing all the work.”

  Jonathan put the steak down, stepped to her, and hugged her, his hands out so
he didn’t get anything on her. “Let us take care of you a little.”

  She melted into him, but asked, “You aren’t mad that Mac and I had a private moment? Without you?”

  He pulled her closer, snugged her to him. “Not at all, Raggedy. If we’re going to make this work, no one can be jealous. As a cat, I’ve been in a lot of ménage groups, and there are rules to keep the human side of us from screwing things up. Our cats are fine with it, it’s the supposedly civilized humans who screw things up. So, do me a favor and try to forget all the rules you’ve been taught. Tell us what you’re thinking, how you’re feeling. Be honest, and just go with it, okay? Can you do that?”

  Bethany shook her head. “No promises. I think I made enough of those the other night. I’ll let you know if I have a problem with something, and I expect ya’ll to do the same, but I’m not agreeing to tell you my feelings.”

  Ranger stepped in the door and said, “No pressure. Not today, anyway. Cats can be a little bossy and demanding, don’t hesitate to tell him to back down when he pushes.”

  “Ya’ll trusted Mac with me? Alone?”

  “It isn’t a matter of trust, Cupcake,” Mac said from behind her. “It’s about my control, which seems to be fine during sex. Still, we weren’t exactly alone. They were close.” Bethany turned to face him as he continued. “Now that you know what I am, it won’t be the end of the world if I change around you. I have enough control to know before I lose it, and if I tell you to get away, you know to get a door between us until I’ve changed. Once I’m calm, I’ll be safe around you, it’s only the first fifteen to twenty seconds there might be a risk. It used to take me a long time to remember who I am, after I turned wolf. Now there’s only a few seconds of confusion before I remember. Eventually, I won’t forget.” His eyes shot to Ranger’s, back to hers. “Or so I’m told.”

  Dinner was a nice, relaxed affair. The guys drank beer — they’d brought their own, as well as margarita fixings for her, but she insisted it was a wine evening. This led to a conversation about her favorite drinks, everyone’s favorite foods, and the news that shapeshifters metabolize alcohol so fast, it’s impossible for them to get drunk. If they work hard they can get buzzed, but that’s about it.