by Kate Douglas
The sky had reached that deep purple-to-black shade signaling the advent of nightfall. Jake hadn’t taken a flashlight. Shannon hoped he knew his way well enough to make it home in the dark.
The more she thought about Jake out there in the woods, the more she worried. Finally, Shannon went back into the house, grabbed a kerosene lantern, lit the wick and brought the lantern outside. Like a lighthouse on the shore, it might help to guide Jake home through the dark.
Shannon sipped her wine and watched the stars come out, one by one. She might have dozed, but suddenly she was wide awake and alert, aware of a sense that someone else was near.
“Jake? Is that you?”
She heard a low whine, out in the meadow. Shannon stood up and stared into the darkness. It was brighter than she expected, but still hard to see anything at all, even with the low glow of the lantern behind her. Shannon grabbed the lantern, turned up the flame and held it aloft until a golden light spilled out from the porch.
There, just beyond the bottom step, sitting calmly as if he owned the place, was her wolf.
Shannon walked to the top step and adjusted the wick on the lantern so she wouldn’t hit him in the eyes with the glare. His tongue lolled to one side, there was a mischievous glint in his amber eyes and what almost felt like a flirtatious tilt to his broad wolven head.
Though Jake had warned her against getting too close to a wild animal, Shannon stepped down to the bottom step, so that she was only about six feet away from the wolf. She set the lantern on the step beside her.
The wolf stood up. Its bushy tail wagged slowly back and forth, the ears pointed forward as well. There was no sense of fear, no threat in the animal at all. Mesmerized, Shannon sat on the bottom step. She wished she had something to tempt the animal, then realized the wolf had taken a step closer to her.
As she watched, he took another, then another. Shannon held her breath as the silver-tipped wolf closed the narrow gap between them.
She wanted to hold out her hand. Thought better of it. Couldn’t help herself. She reached out and let the animal sniff the back of her hand, as if she were approaching a large yet unfamiliar dog. The wolf’s tongue swept across her skin, raising chills along her arms.
There it was again, that strange sensation of skin crawling, bones aching, that she’d noticed most of the day. The wolf licked her hand again and Shannon forgot all about her aches and pains. Slowly she turned her hand and cupped the animal’s face in her palm. He leaned into it, his amber eyes focused intently on Shannon’s face.
Almost as if he wanted to talk to her. She thought of the strange link she shared with Jake, the emotional and mental communion of spirit during sexual climax. Almost without thinking of how it happened, Shannon opened her mind to the wolf. Gave him permission to come into her thoughts.
Suddenly he was there, a gentle yet very masculine presence in her mind. Vaguely familiar, yet alien all the same. Shocked, Shannon somehow slammed tight the barriers that protected her, closed her mind off to communion with the wolf.
She wasn’t ready. Not for something this weird!
The dreams she’d been having flooded her mind, intense, vivid dreams of racing through the forest, of lifting her nose to the sky and crying out in a long howling song, only it was a wolf’s nose between her eyes, wolven paws at the end of furred legs.
Blinking, suddenly chilled, Shannon scooted back on the step, putting distance between herself and the animal. She shivered, rubbed her arms, then her legs. This was definitely weird.
The wolf stared at her for a long, almost solemn moment. Then he dipped his head, raised it and looked at her again, his pink tongue once more hanging out between sharp canines. Shannon didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She wasn’t about to open her mind to him. For some reason, it scared the crap out of her, the thought of letting this animal have the same access to her thoughts she’d allowed Jake.
Only during sex, at the point of climax.
Yet she’d felt the wolf in her mind now, sitting here on the front porch.
The wolf sniffed the air, turned his head and sniffed Shannon. He lowered his nose from her breasts to her belly, then stuck his snout close to her crotch. She held perfectly still while he drew in a deep breath, then raised his head and stared at her, almost expectantly.
The moment felt surreal, as if she were dreaming while awake. Her body tingled with sudden, unexplainable arousal. Shannon rubbed her arms, more aware than ever of the strange irritation. She wished Jake were here, not only to ease the ache of need, but to share what could only be called magic.
The wolf was magic. Everything about him. Magical and mysterious.
The wolf leaned forward, ran his tongue along Shannon’s wrist, took another long look at her face, then abruptly turned and raced back into the forest.
Shannon released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. The night seemed terribly empty now that the beautiful animal was gone. Had she really felt him in her mind?
Impossible. But what of the dreams? The vivid dreams of racing through the trees, of being a wolf?
Chanku? What made her think of those stories Tia used to tell? Bedtime stories Tia had learned from her mother before Camille was killed.
Stories about wolves who changed into humans.
Hadn’t she picked the same word out of Jake’s mind? She tried to remember, but the memory wasn’t clear enough.
Shannon sat there for a long time, staring into the woods, wondering about the wolf, recalling Tia’s stories. Was it real, or just a very graphic vision, another of Shannon’s dreams? She ran her fingers along her wrist. Her skin was damp from the wolf’s saliva. Rubbing her fingers together, Shannon stared once more in the direction the animal had disappeared. Had it really tried to communicate with her? Maybe she should have let it.
More importantly, though…where in the hell was Jake, and when was he coming back?
The thick humus covering the forest floor scattered beneath the wolf’s paws as it raced along the narrow path. Eyes narrowed, tail stretched out behind, ears laid back against his broad skull, he ran as if the fiends of hell chased him.
Maybe they did. They were certainly spinning their disturbing spells in his brain. Maybe he deserved whatever evil befell him. Maybe his unforgivable act against his leader’s bitch condemned him always to run alone.
Maybe he was just a loser. Not the alpha male he’d imagined himself. Maybe he didn’t deserve a female of his own. Someone who loved only him.
What if Shannon couldn’t love him? Wouldn’t love him?
Just now, she’d shut him out, locked down the barriers of her mind, closed herself to the wolf, to that part of Jake that ruled his mind, his body, his heart. He was Chanku. So was she! No mere human would have the power to close her mind to the power of the beast.
She’d only had the pills for two days. Even Tia, whose parents were both Chanku, had taken a week before she made the change. Had she been ready earlier? How long did it take? Jake had needed almost two weeks of supplement before he’d understood the new way his body worked.
Luc hadn’t told him what was going on. Couldn’t, because if he’d guessed wrong, if Jake hadn’t been Chanku, Luc would have had to kill him.
Luc would have done whatever it took to keep their secret safe. Jake remembered the weird dreams he’d had, the strange sensation of his bones practically crawling beneath his skin. He’d been light headed, dizzy, his senses suddenly so acute he’d thought he was losing his mind.
The strangest of all had been the sex. His already powerful sex drive had gone off the charts. Though never all that attracted to men before, he’d still experimented with same-sex relationships since puberty, more to ease his need than anything else. Yet after a week of the nutrients, believing they were nothing more than vitamins, he’d spent a night with Luc that still rated as one of his best all-time sexual experiences ever.
Since then, he’d rarely gone without some form of sexual gratification for mor
e than a day, even if he had to deal with his needs by himself. His body demanded release, a need Jake accepted as part of who and what he had become.
Jake’s mad dash through the woods slowed to a trot, to a walk, to a complete stop beneath a thick stand of birch shining almost silver in the moonlight.
Shannon obviously had a sex drive far beyond what most women experienced. She had no qualms about sleeping with either men or women or combinations of both. Could that be one of the signs of the latent Chanku genes? That constant drive for physical release, for sex?
Merely thinking of Shannon, of her heated response, her warm body and delicious scent made him hard. Jake turned his head and stared back along the trail he’d just run. It was time to return. Time to make love to her again. To wait patiently for the supplement to complete the changes in her body that would make her Chanku.
He had to believe. Had to get over the paranoia, the fear that Shannon wouldn’t want him. Needed to figure out how he was going to explain to her that he’d made a decision that would change her life, made it without asking her, without consulting her in any way.
He’d started her on a supplement she’d need every day for the rest of her life. None of them knew what might happen should the nutrients be taken out of their diet. Would they regress? Lose forever the abilities that made them more than human? Would that special part of the brain just shrivel up and go away?
None of them knew. None of the pack was willing to take a chance. Jake remembered, on the few occasions when he’d forgotten to take the supplement, his body had cried out for whatever was missing. He’d been driven to find the nutrients he craved.
Nutrients only available growing on the wild Himalayan steppe…or in the little brown capsules Ulrich Mason supplied. Ulrich had actually gone a couple of months, but he’d been Chanku much longer than any of them. Eventually, the cravings had brought Ulrich back to the supplement.
Now Jake was forcing Shannon to the same future. Even though he was making it possible for her to have a life filled with experiences beyond anything she might have dreamed, he’d done it without her permission. Without giving her a choice.
But wasn’t that exactly what Lucien Stone had done to Jake? Had Jake ever regretted the huge change in his world? He held up one broad paw, the ebony nails covered with mud and tufts of torn grass and realized that if he were told he had to give up the part of him that was Chanku, he would rather choose death.
He turned and trotted back along the trail, back to Shannon. After only two days with the supplement, she was showing subtle signs of the physical changes in her body. She must be Chanku, or nothing at all would have happened. When Jake saw her rubbing the tops of her wrists and forearms, he knew exactly what she felt.
He’d tell her. Soon, in a day or two. The Chanku gene was dominant in females. Maybe they changed faster because of that factor. Maybe women were less resistant to changes in their bodies. There were so many variables, and no one to ask.
No one but Tia. Would she talk to him? Jake still needed to apologize. The wound on his throat had almost healed. It was time to work on the wounds that ran deeper, the betrayal of one friend over another. He would call Tia, find out how long it had taken her before the wolf emerged. Find out the best way to approach Shannon.
After he explained what an ass he’d been, and asked Tia for forgiveness.
The phone rang beside the bed. Luc raised his head in time to see Tia take the call. When he realized it was for her, Luc lay back down. Tinker threw one muscular arm over Luc’s hip and pressed close, disturbed only momentarily out of a sound sleep.
Tia grabbed the handset and walked out of the bedroom, talking quietly. Luc thought about following her, then changed his mind when Tinker’s lips found the back of his neck.
Obviously, you’re not sleeping as soundly as I thought.
Never sleep too soundly for this. Even Tinker’s mind talking sounded tired, but he continued his slow assault on Luc’s libido.
Exhausted from the trip back to San Francisco, the three of them had fallen asleep together in the big bed without more than a warm hug. From the pressure of Tinker’s cock pressing solidly against his ass and the increasing pressure of his lips, it was time for more than hugs and kisses.
Tia would let him know if she needed anything. Right now, Luc realized he needed Tinker as much as the big guy wanted Luc. Rolling over, Luc wrapped his arms around Tinker’s broad shoulders and thrust his hips forward. Their cocks met, hard, erect, trapped between their muscular bellies, heat rubbing against heat.
It wasn’t enough. It was never enough. Tinker groaned, then slowly pulled away and, kissing and licking his way down Luc’s belly, turned his body around to take Luc’s cock between his lips.
Luc reached for Tinker’s cock, ran his fingers over the silky skin then sucked and licked the broad head, spending an inordinate amount of time working his tongue around the sensitive underside. Sighing, his body straining under Tinker’s touch, Luc took Tink’s testicles in his mouth, one at a time, then rolled each globe with his tongue.
Tinker copied each move, his mouth hot and wet, his tongue a velvet brush backed by strength. Whatever sensual move Luc made, Tinker increased on Luc. He drew Luc’s balls between his lips, tonguing and licking, then wrapped his meaty fist around Luc’s cock to add slow, steady pulls.
Luc did the same for Tinker, sliding his fingers over Tinker’s dark skin, wrapping his fist around his lover’s thick cock. The two men found a rhythm, deliberately paced to build tension, to raise sensation to a peak. Behind the skilled touch of long familiarity and a deep, abiding love, not only for one another but for Tia, as well, was the quiet tension that always accompanied sex between the two of them.
A contest of wills, a battle for control. When Tia was with them, the macho posturing and testosterone battles remained largely under control, but her calming factor was currently talking on the phone in the other room.
Luc’s mouth curved in a smile around Tinker’s rock-hard penis. It was a game they played, a challenge between alphas. Who would come first? Which one of them could force the other to shoot his load? Ah, crap…Tinker’s tongue found the sensitive skin just behind his balls. Luc shuddered and pressed his finger deep inside Tinker’s ass.
He felt Tink’s body shudder and knew the big guy hovered on the edge. Luc pressed his finger deeper, ignoring as best he could the pressure of Tinker’s finger against his ass.
Impossible. No way in hell could he ignore the exquisite blend of pleasure and pain as Tinker’s finger dove deep. Nor could he avoid thrusting his hips forward when Tinker increased the pressure on Luc’s cock, sucking harder.
Close. So damned close and Tinker was in his head, multiplying sensation so that Luc felt what Tinker experienced. They hovered there, backing off just enough to prolong the sensation, holding one another on the very precipice of orgasm.
Tia walked back into the room. She flipped on the low light near the bed, and burst out laughing. “I can’t leave you two alone for a minute, can I?” Totally ignoring the fact both men were obviously ready to come, she held the phone out to Luc. “It’s Jake. He wants to talk to you. Should I tell him your mouth is full?”
Jake? Luc pulled his head back and stared at Tia. Tinker’s cock bobbed against the man’s belly, but Tink held on to Luc and it was hard to concentrate on what Tia had just said. Tinker’s mouth on his cock felt so good, Luc didn’t want him to stop, but he frowned at Tia. She’d been gone a long time. What the hell had Jake wanted to say to her now?
He did a quick little journey into her thoughts and came up against a barrier that stopped him cold.
Even more interesting.
“I’ll take it.” He grabbed the phone out of Tia’s hand just as Tinker ran his tongue all the way around Luc’s sac. Luc bit back a groan. “What do you want?” He hadn’t really meant to sound so aggressive, but damn. Tinker was really working him over!
“Sorry to interrupt. I know it’s late.”
Jake, you have no idea…
“I wanted to apologize. To thank you. I think Shannon is Chanku. She’s sleeping, now, but there are too many signs to ignore. I needed to talk to Tia, to find out what it’s like for a woman to make the shift. I needed to tell her I was sorry. I am, Luc. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Shit. Luc signaled to Tinker to back off, if only for a moment. “You know you’re forgiven. What makes you think you’re not? Do you think I’d have sent you to protect a potential mate if I was still pissed? Fuck, man…you worry about everything. You screwed up. You apologized. It’s over. Did Tia give you the information you needed?”
At Jake’s affirmative answer, Luc nodded. “Okay. You’ve got until Friday to make this work. I’d give you more time, but I’m worried about them finding you. Ulrich’s taken care of part of the problem, but the guy’s associates may not have gotten the message that the hunt is off. I wish I could tell you more, but without a secure line, I can’t risk it. AJ and Mik will fill you in.”
“Thanks, Luc. I just wish I had more time alone with her.”
Luc’s sigh carried across the line. “I know. I wish I could give it to you. Tia says women make the change faster then men. She thinks she was ready within about three or four days, a couple days before she actually tried to shift.”
“Did it go okay the first time?”
“Like clockwork. Remember though, when you mate, you bond. Whatever is in your head is suddenly going to be in hers. If you have a secret, any secret, it’s hers. My big mistake was the fact I wasn’t honest with Tia, didn’t let her know about my role in her mom’s death. I was afraid of what she’d think when she learned the truth, so I backed off. That’s why she was unmated when you were with her. Why you even had the opportunity. That never should have happened. Don’t let it happen with Mik and AJ.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, about her mother.”
“I know. Again, Mik and AJ will fill you in. Be careful. We know of at least six agents who might be searching for you. With their boss out of the way, there’s no one to call them off. Don’t let them get Shannon.”