“If it’s a shifter, it wouldn’t fear humans. It’s part human. Did you hurt him?” Grady asked.
“No. Fired a few shots to scare it off.” Trey shook his head. “You need to put it down, though. It didn’t shift to human at all. Pure animal is all we saw.”
“Probably hungry. It’s feeding a lot. We’re working on a search party to trap it tonight.” Grady nodded to his team.
“Trap it? You think you can cure this thing?” Sam asked.
“Until we know what’s wrong, we don’t know.” Grady shrugged.
Dani cleared her throat. “I can help you find it. Track it.”
“With all due respect, Miss, we don’t need any help tracking our own. It’s the catching that’s the problem. We don’t put down pack members unless there is no alternative. We have our own rules. We’ll get him tonight,” Grady said.
Ben felt the conversation end. “Fine. If you don’t get him tonight, we’re back on it.”
“Don’t mess with pack business.” Grady stood straight and met Ben’s gaze.
Ben smiled. “Don’t let your pack run wild, killing off animals all over Houston. That thing is dangerous if an owner is watching their herd, trying to protect them.”
“Fools. It’s only a little money. We’ll get our guy back, then decide if we need to put him down.” Grady’s voice cut like orders, not reassurance.
Ben nodded. “Do it tonight or it’s open season. What I saw wasn’t interested in a cure. It was out to kill and nothing more.”
“It’s something we’ve not seen before.” Grady’s mother stepped in from the house.
“We can’t take any chances,” Dani said.
“The men are trying. No humans have been hurt yet.” The older woman nodded.
“Fine, try it your way. But any more attacks, and we’re on the hunt.” Ben turned to leave.
“Nice to see you have a lady to keep things socially acceptable.” Grady chuckled.
“Excuse me?” Dani asked.
“People talk. Four men running a ranch is one thing. Without any women, though, it looks funny.” Grady’s mother smiled at her. “This is good.”
“Good day, ma’am.” Ben nodded to the shifter matron. He led the group back to their truck.
“That was weird. No one has said anything to us,” Rodney said, once they were in the vehicle.
“They aren’t going to say it to our faces.” Trey kicked the back of the front seat. “We’re probably the talk of the town.”
“Who cares? No one is harassing us. Either they respect us or fear us -- doesn’t matter to me. Dani is a great addition, but it’s not about appearances.” Ben put an arm around her.
“She never said she was staying.” Sam looked out the window.
“I don’t think we’ve even talked about it. Look, everyone relax. I’m not running away. I highly doubt you’re using me for a token girl. I have to see the lawyer this afternoon in order to get the will straightened out. Staying, if you want me to, is a big decision. We can talk later. We’ve got a night off.” Dani looked around at the men.
Ben smiled. “Hope those shifters get the job done. Maybe we’re off the hook. Not that it’ll help Rodney.”
“I would like to know exactly what that is.” Rodney folded his arms. “Keeping Dani around is much more important though.”
“Since when do you care about your reputation?” she asked.
“I don’t. We’ve always liked girls. It’s been hell waiting for you. We couldn’t go back,” Rodney said.
“Thanks, you’re so subtle.” Sam chuckled.
The group laughed. Ben hoped Dani didn’t feel any pressure. The love and desire to keep her was real, but she had to be happy here.
Chapter Six
Dani woke at one in the morning. Curled up with four men, she felt right at home. The problem was her dream. The creature had attacked again. If it was real, it was too late to stop him. It had to be a nightmare.
Rubbing her eyes, she tried not to disturb the men. They’d talked late into the night, trying to convince her they wanted her to stay. She never doubted they loved her. It was as if they’d had a vision of life with her. Still, she couldn’t commit to anything.
Part of her suspected she was a distraction. Not to mention, an upsetting reminder to Sam. Her talents certainly helped in the work of these men, but she’d left for a reason. Texas had certain expectations. The shifter pack matron had reminded her of that. The men were so strong, living together. She loved it, but could she stand being the lady of the house?
“You okay?” Sam’s arm wrapped around her.
“Yes. Are you?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I don’t need you to heal me. I hate being the victim.”
“I know.” She trailed her fingers down his back. “You’re not one. Rodney just wants to take away your pain. The ankle sprain was recent. The limp is kind of sexy.”
Sam kissed her cheek and nuzzled her neck. “I wish everyone would forget about it so I could. That injury could’ve happened to me at any time, sabotaged equipment or not. I can still ride. The pain isn’t that bad.”
“You were such a dare-devil. Half the girls in town were in love with you.” She brushed his hair back. “I’m not encouraging it, but if you want to ride, everyone here would support you. Cheer you on.”
He shook his head. “That injury was good for me -- the best thing that ever happened to me, actually. I was going to try bareback the next week. No stunt satisfied me. I wanted more danger. More adrenaline! I’d have broken my neck or killed myself.”
“You were good and you loved it. It’d be like me denying my visions. I had to learn how to manage them so they didn’t take over my life.”
“You’re right. I just couldn’t seem to manage my urge for a thrill. In the end, I wanted more to my life than a great ride with an early obituary. I wanted a life. If I’d kept riding, I’d never have gone to college or seen Rodney for the deep sexy genius he is. This work wouldn’t have interested me at all. I was a selfish kid.” He shook his head.
“Are you serious?” Rodney asked.
“They’re all awake, aren’t they?” Sam asked.
She nodded. “No secrets or this group thing won’t work.”
“She’s right,” Trey yawned.
Sam looked across the bed at everyone. “Fine, okay. I don’t want you guys trying to heal me or anything. I’m glad my leg got messed up. I’m alive. I’m here doing good with people who make me happy. Being a rodeo star sounded fun as a teenager. I’m happy. I’m fine with a limp. I don’t need to be fixed.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” Rodney slid between Dani and Sam. “I wanted to take the pain away. It hurts me to see you deal with it. You’re not broken.”
Dani cuddled with Ben and Trey.
“Feel better?” Ben asked her.
“Much. The tension held back the spell. It impacted our powers a bit. We’re all perfect as is.” She watched Sam and Rod kissing like teenagers making up after a fight.
“Don’t worry, Sam. It’s not like you’re a horse with a bad leg. We couldn’t run this place without you.” Trey snuck a hand in, cupping Dani’s breast. “We just need to convince Dani the positive of us outweighs the Texas issue.”
She rolled onto Ben and Trey climbed on top to squeeze her. Giggling, she wiggled to tease them. “Don’t start on me about staying. This is complicated.”
“What’s complicated? You talked to the lawyer. You’ve got some insurance money coming your way. Plenty to move you back here. Ben will spoil you rotten.” Trey rubbed his hard cock against her ass.
“It’s not about money. I’m glad the business is done.” She kissed Ben as she let her hips play.
“You can’t leave,” Sam groaned.
She looked over to find Rodney had taken the midnight chat to a new level. His cock was buried in Sam’s ass. The tender kisses plus slow sex showed her how deep this love was. All her life she’d wanted that sort of love. Dani
needed to feel special in a good way instead of a freakishly gifted witch way.
Trey held still and kissed her shoulder. “What’s wrong? Tell the truth.”
She smiled. “Nothing. Just enjoying the show over there. You four don’t really need me.”
“The hell we don’t.” Rodney kissed her before pulling her over to kiss Sam.
Ben and Trey held her tight. Dani felt the love and lust. “Okay, fine. You want me. Love me. I love you guys. That’s not the problem. It’s complicated. People will talk if I move in here. With your support, I could handle it. You four were better than my family ever was. You still are.”
“So?” Trey grabbed a lube packet from the stash of supplies Rodney had tossed on the bed before taking Sam.
Dani let the anticipation fill her. When Trey rubbed the slick substance over her asshole, she moaned. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for the job. Battling evil things. I fainted a lot in school. Maybe I’m not strong enough?”
“You don’t have to go into battle with us. We can use your gifts at home. We’ll keep you safe.” Ben slid on protection.
“No. I need to be there.” Without hesitation, Dani eased onto Ben’s cock, taking it all. She was so wet from the pillow talk and man-on-man love, she needed relief. Grinding on Ben’s cock, she moaned. A lady didn’t beg for sex or go after men, but she’d never wanted to be a good southern lady like her mother was.
“We want you safe.” Trey pressed his cock to her ass.
“I’m safe with you. If I get information there, it might save your lives. No. I just don’t want to let you guys down, distract you.” She relaxed her body as Trey filled her.
The press of both men made her dizzy, but she knew she wouldn’t faint now. The sex was too good. Her brain wanted to experience it. She fainted when things turned evil scary. Luckily those visions were rare.
The grunts and groans from Sam and Rodney took over. Dani watched as they came in a muscle fest of manly love. The pleasure was written all over their faces, but Rodney didn’t stop with his climax. He jerked Sam’s cock until he came all over his chest.
Dani dipped her fingers in the glistening pool. Sam grabbed her hand and waited until she looked him in the eye. “We can watch out for you until you get your battle legs. I might limp, but I can catch you if you faint. I’ll carry you to safety. You’ll get stronger when you get that rush of protecting people. Your power comes out when you’re helping them. We can control ourselves on the job.”
Nodding, she felt her eyes glisten. If he could fight, she could. The throbbing between her legs and deep in her body demanded her attention. She rocked on the two cocks, making the men work hard to get her off. Trey’s fingers worked her clit while Ben sucked her breasts, biting her nipples.
“Oh God, you guys are good.” She squeezed them tight. Finally she relaxed as she held her hips still.
The men got the hint. They took over fucking her. She felt them pressing to each other through her body. The coordinated thrusts made her gasp. Dani held on, digging her nails into Ben’s shoulders. The men won, sending her into a climax that made her vision blur. The light-headed feeling hung in as Trey shouted but stayed deep in her ass.
Then Ben cursed as he held her hips so tight she couldn’t move if she wanted to. Ben lifted her along with Trey off the bed as his release took hold. Trey’s fingers teased her clit again until Dani panted for more. She couldn’t form words but felt another orgasm teasing her.
“One more,” Trey said.
She nodded. “Please,” she replied.
One arm wrapped around her torso as his fingers flicked her clit again and again. Ben pinched her pussy to add more pressure. Her body jerked as the sweet release blotted out worries, challenges, or anything but the four hot men she belonged with forever.
“We’ll keep you so happy, all the women in Texas will envy you,” Trey whispered in her ear.
“They already would if they knew how good you are to me.” She turned her head and kissed his mouth. After one long slow kiss, she leaned down to give Ben the same treatment.
“You’re gorgeous when you come that hard.” Rodney kissed her neck as he climbed off Sam.
“Shut up. Don’t watch me.” She felt her cheeks burn.
“You watched Rod fuck me.” Sam kissed her hip and licked up to her breast.
Dani shivered as she kissed Sam hard. “I’m the only girl. It feels like I’m putting on a show.”
The men chuckled. They were a unit. She had some catching up to do with the inside jokes.
“If we wanted you to put on a sex show for us, we’d tell you. We want to be in there getting off too.” Trey pinched her ass.
“Good. Less pressure.” She smiled.
“We do love to watch though.” Sam winked at her.
* * *
“Damn! Wake up!” Ben’s voice cut through Sam’s happy sleep.
The bed bounced with more weight, and Sam opened his eyes. With Rodney’s hard body still beneath him, Sam had no desire to move.
“What?” Dani’s head popped up.
Trey groaned in defiance. “We were up late.”
“Look.” Ben dropped the paper in the middle of the bed.
“Who gets a paper newspaper anymore?” Dani rolled her eyes.
Ben laughed. “Call me old-fashioned. Just read the headline.”
“Man attacked by coyote-like animal.” Sam read on. “A witness reported it looked like a chupacabra. Police are investigating.”
“Oh no.” Dani buried her face in her hands.
Sam knelt and held her. “Are you okay? Is it a vision?”
“No, it’s a dream I had. Last night I dreamt about the creature, but I thought it was the stress. It wasn’t like a premonition. Is the man okay?” she asked.
Trey grabbed the paper. “The unidentified male is in stable condition after receiving over seventy stitches to his neck.”
“Think the shifters got the creature afterward?” Ben asked.
Dani shook her head. “I don’t know. Let me check.”
She got out of bed and headed for the door. Sam whistled at her.
“What?” she asked.
“The cleaning lady is due here today. We don’t mind you roaming around naked, but she might not like it.” Rodney chuckled.
“Oh. I’ll shower and get dressed. If we have to go hunt this thing, I definitely don’t want to be naked.” She went into the bathroom.
Sam kissed Rod’s chest. “Think she’ll stay?”
“I could try casting a spell on her, but she’d break it. Once this creature is taken care of, we’ll just have to work extra hard to make her want to stay.” Rodney smiled.
Trey rearranged the pillows under his head. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem. If anything makes her leave, it will be the memories of Texas, not the current situation. I was friends with her brother. She was the family freak, and as much as they loved her, they tried to hide her. It wasn’t just the crap we all saw at school.”
“So what are we doing out here?” Ben headed for the bathroom. “That shower holds us easily, one more is nothing. Let’s show her we made this house to fit our unconventional relationship.”
That motivated the men to get out of bed. While Sam’s leg tightened with pain, he refused to let it slow him down.
* * *
Ben parked the truck at a dingy motel on the north side of Houston. Dani’s nose scrunched up.
“Are you sure it’s here?” Sam asked.
She nodded. “The creature is alive. This is where I felt it. I was hoping it’d be with the pack under observation and lock down.”
“You lead. We’ll go for the catch.” Trey tested his stun gun. “Ready to stun or tranquilize. Too many people here to let it get out of control.”
Rodney leaned to Dani. “Can you feel it?”
“Yes. It’s here. It’s hungry.” She shivered as she opened the car door.
Sam stayed close to Dani, holding tight onto the tranquilizer
gun. They climbed the stairs to the third floor where they heard some very wild sounds. Dani walked right by them to the room on the end.
The muffled voices from inside gave Sam a rush of energy. The housekeeping cart outside the room was a bad sign. When Dani raised her hand to knock, Rodney pulled her back. Trey kicked in the door.
Sam rushed in first. He saw a vampire feeding on the motel maid. The group rushed the room. Suddenly the vampire dropped the woman. Maybe they’d found the wrong evil, but it was evil. Without stakes, Sam took a shot to tranquilize the vampire.
The dart landed in the wall of the motel as the vampire changed before their eyes. It shifted to that creature they’d seen on the ranch before it bolted out the door, knocking Rodney to the ground. Sam helped Rodney up as the creature leapt from the third floor straight down to the parking lot and ran off on all fours.
“What the hell is that?” Dani pressed a towel to the maid’s neck.
“I’ll call an ambulance.” Trey grabbed the motel phone.
“Wow, it really is a chupacabra!” Rodney shook his head.
“How? I thought it was a shifter. Now it’s a vampire?” Sam rubbed his forehead. “That thing is really dangerous.”
Ben leaned on the wall. “Clearly the shifters can’t handle it. Tonight we’ll do another stake out. Try to capture it.”
“Capture?” Trey asked, as he hung up the phone. “That thing needs to be staked and burned just to be sure.”
“Ambulance?” Dani asked.
“On its way.” Trey took over applying pressure to the wound. “I think she’ll live. Might need some blood.”
Rodney walked over and studied the maid. “I think this chupacabra is a shifter who was turned by a vampire in human form. That explains why it doesn’t look like a coyote. It craves blood, not meat. It can’t shift properly anymore so it turns to that weird gray thing with red eyes that can be on four legs or two.”
“So stake it? Burn it?” Ben asked.
“Both to be safe. That should work if we have to do it. I’d like to take some samples if we can cage it.” Rodney used his smartphone to take a picture of the wound when Trey checked the bleeding.
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