by Becca Van
“So, it’s real?” Dusty asked in a near whisper. “I didn’t imagine or hallucinate Broden…changing into a bear.”
“Oh, it’s real all right,” Pixie said. “What I want to know is, are you scared of them?”
Dusty nodded her head and then shook it. She sighed before saying, “I think I was more shocked than scared. How did I end up in bed? Did I faint?”
“You did,” Emmy replied. “But don’t feel bad about that. You had a big shock.”
“I can’t believe that any of this is real. I feel as if I’ve been dumped into the middle of the Twilight Zone or maybe the Bermuda Triangle. Are they even human?”
Pixie giggled. “Yeah. Those men are as human as you and I are, with just a little bit of extra DNA thrown into the mix.”
“You don’t believe they’d hurt you, do you?” Emmy asked.
Dusty thought about that for a couple of minutes and then shook her head. “No, I don’t think they’d purposely hurt me.”
“They wouldn’t,” Pixie reiterated. “All of those men would stand in front of a bullet to keep you safe.”
“Especially Broden, Archer, and Airen,” Emmy piped up.
“Why? They don’t know me. Why would they do that?” Dusty asked.
She didn’t miss the look that Emmy and Pixie shared.
“Emmy told you how she ended up in Ambrose, didn’t she?” Pixie leaned back against the headboard.
“She did.”
“I was in a similar situation. I witnessed a doctor killing his girlfriend, who also happened to be my best friend. I ran to the police, but when I got there, I was so scared I couldn’t think straight. Turned out that the murderous doc had a twin brother who worked in the police department. I was terrified of doctors, but when I got to Ambrose, I was sick. If it hadn’t been for Broden and his brothers operating on me and removing my appendix, I would have died.
“Anyway, to cut a long story short, those fuckers had been killing women and covering up their crimes for years. If it hadn’t been for my mates and all their shifter friends, I’d probably be dead.”
“So would I,” Emmy interjected.
“The men in this town are retired soldiers who also happen to be shape-shifters of various types. They are the most protective, loving guys I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. They wouldn’t hesitate to take out any threat to us, and they have.” Pixie paused to take a breath.
“Why are you telling me this? What has any of this got to do with me?”
Emmy crawled over the bed until Dusty could meet hers and Pixie’s gazes without having to turn her head back and forth as if she was watching a tennis match. “Broden, Archer, and Airen are your mates, Dusty.”
“What does that mean?”
Pixie rubbed her arm. “Take a deep breath, girlfriend.”
Dusty wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer to her last question when she saw the serious expression on both women’s faces, but she sucked in a breath.
“There is one woman out in the world that is the perfect match for a shifter or shifters. You are that perfect match for Airen, Archer, and Broden,” Emmy explained.
“Are you talking about…are you trying…do you mean, like, their wife?” Dusty finally managed to ask.
“That’s exactly what we mean,” Pixie answered.
“To three men?” she asked a little stridently.
Emmy nodded. “Yes, to three men.” She tilted her head and studied Dusty avidly. “Do you have a problem with the way Pixie and I live our lives?”
“Of course not,” Dusty answered indignantly. “I don’t care if you have ten men, as long as everyone is consensual and in love.”
Pixie huffed out a breath. “You had me going there for a minute.”
Dusty licked her lips. “How do they know that I’m their…mate?”
Emmy tapped her nose. “The guys all have enhanced senses. Their sense of smell is out of this world, and their eyesight isn’t far behind. They are faster and stronger than the strongest non-shifter person on Earth, and they have heaps of stamina.”
“None of the shifters ever get any human illnesses, and if they do get injured, depending on the severity of the wound, they heal way faster than a normal person would,” Pixie explained.
“As soon as Broden, Airen, and Archer smelled your scent, they knew you were the one woman meant to be theirs,” Emmy said. “I know you remember them from the first night, because they aimed straight for you.”
“They scared the shit out of me.” Dusty meet each of the women’s gazes. “I thought they were part of the biker gang looking for me.”
“Biker gang?” Pixie quirked an eyebrow. “How did you get mixed up with a biker gang?”
“I didn’t.” Dusty covered her mouth when she yawned. “How is it possible…” She paused, not sure if she should finish her question in case she ended up offending Emmy and Pixie.
“Ask whatever you were going to, Dusty,” Emmy said. “You won’t offend us.”
Pixie nodded in agreement and then gently poked her in the arm. “Go on. Ask.”
“How do you mate with three men?”
“Willingly.” Pixie sighed as a dreamy look washed over her face. Dusty could see the love in her eyes as she thought about her men.
“As often as possible,” Emmy giggled.
“I just—”
“It’s okay, Dusty.” Pixie patted her hand. “We know what you meant. For a mating to take with a shifter, or shifters, the men need to make love with you and bite you in the crook of your neck and shoulder.” Pixie tugged the neck of her shirt down and revealed a bite mark on her skin.
“They bit you? They hurt you?” Dusty scrambled up to her knees.
“Calm down, Dusty.” Emmy placed her hand on Dusty’s thigh. “Let us explain before you decide to hunt our guys down and tear them a new one.”
“The bite doesn’t hurt.” Pixie sighed. “When my guys claimed me, I only ever felt pleasure. They’d rather rip their own hearts out before they ever hurt me.”
“That is so true,” Emmy chimed in. “They are so overprotective, they’re almost smothering.”
“But you wouldn’t have them any other way, would you, Emmy?” Pixie asked.
“Hell no. Declan, Brooks, and Jett are my heart and soul. I love them to the moon and back.”
“My mates treat me like I’m a princess,” Pixie said. “They love me, and I love them back just as much. They’ve filled a hole in my soul I didn’t know I had until I met them. They saved my life. They tell me each and every day that they love me and would be lost without me. Wouldn’t you like to have a relationship like that, Dusty?”
When her mom and stepdad had died, Dusty had stopped dreaming. When Luke had started beating on her and then tried to hand her over to that asshole, her faith in humanity had wavered. Was she brave enough to put her heart on the line again? Would she survive if it got broken? Of course I would. I’ve survived a lot a shit, and I’m still breathing.
“I don’t know,” she finally remembered to answer.
“Answer this question,” Emmy held up a finger. “Are you attracted to Broden, Archer, and Airen?”
Hell yes, she was attracted. Every time they were near her, her body felt as if it was about to go up in flames. Just thinking about how big and sexy and handsome they were had her body responding. Her breasts swelled, and her areolae tightened. Her nipples hardened and began to throb. Her pussy moistened, and her clit engorged before it began to pulse in time with her heartbeat.
“Oh, you so are.” Pixie inhaled through her nose. “Girl, you are putting off some serious pheromones.”
“What?” Dusty squeaked as her face heated with embarrassment.
“You have nothing to be ashamed of, Dusty. It’s natural for you to be physically attracted to your mates,” Emmy said.
“You can smell me?” Dusty felt as if her face was on fire, and tears of humiliation stung the back of her eyes.
“We know exactly how yo
u feel, Dusty,” Pixie said. “It took us a while to get over the embarrassment of knowing that the guys could smell our lust.”
“How come you can smell…desire? You’re both human, aren’t you?” she asked.
“We are.” Emmy nodded. “However, since we mated with our guys, we now share some of their DNA. Our sense of smell has become more enhanced. Not as good as our men’s, mind you, but way better than the average person’s. We won’t ever get another cold or the flu or any other human disease, and we heal quickly if we get hurt, but again, not as fast as our mates do.”
“Do I smell bad?” Dusty finally gathered up the courage to ask. She wasn’t about to go out into a room full of men and ask that question.
“No.” Pixie smiled and then leaned toward her. The other woman placed her nose against her neck and sniffed up big. She drew back and giggled. “If I was a bear, I’d have to say you smell good enough to eat.”
“Let me smell,” Emmy said just before she copied Pixie’s previous action. She drew back and winked at Dusty. “You smell like honey and hazelnuts.”
“I do?”
“You do.” Emmy pressed her hand to her belly when it grumbled and laughed. “You’ve made me hungry.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing,” Dusty stated.
Pixie and Emmy laughed. Dusty couldn’t help but join in.
“You’re going to love this bit of info.” Pixie shifted to her knees and then bounced up and down. “You can eat whatever and as much as you want and not gain an ounce of weight.”
Emmy nodded. “My guys are always urging me to eat more. There is no way I’d ever be able to eat as much as they do.”
“It’s almost sickening to watch them, isn’t it?” Pixie asked, and then shook her head. “That didn’t come out right. What I meant was, if I ate anywhere near what they did, I’d end up tossing my cookies.”
“They have fast metabolisms, and there is a lot of them to fill,” Emmy said.
“What do you both do with your time?” Dusty asked, changing the subject. “Do you work, or do you stay at home?”
“I’d be bored out of my brain if I stayed at home,” Emmy replied. “I help out behind the bar, wait tables and clean the motel rooms.”
“I’d go crazy if I had nothing to do,” Pixie said. “I work in the diner’s back office, making sure all the paperwork is up to date.”
“There’s a motel? How much to lease a room?”
“You want to leave?” Emmy frowned. “What about Broden, Archer, and Airen?”
“I don’t know them.”
“Won’t you give them a chance?” Pixie asked. “Why would you want to throw away what could be your only chance of finding love?”
“Have they ever hurt you or done anything to scare you?” Emmy asked, and quickly held up a finger when Dusty went to reply. “Other than change into a bear, that is.”
“No, but it’s too dangerous.” Dusty’s breath hitched. “I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me.”
Emmy shook her head. “It’s really hard to hurt a shifter, Dusty. Give the Higgins brothers a chance.”
“You don’t have to agree to mate with them or jump into bed with them right off,” Pixie said. “Get to know them, then decide what you want to do.”
Dusty knew the two women were right, and since she couldn’t go anywhere until the bus arrived in town, she really had nothing to lose.
Plus, they’d already proven what kind, caring men they were. They’d saved her life, for God’s sake. They’d taken her into their home when she’d been a stranger and cared for her until she was out of the woods.
The least she could do was give herself and the men she was highly attracted to a chance to become more familiar with each other.
Maybe ending up stuck in Ambrose had been the best thing. She definitely didn’t like that the people in this town would be in the line of fire if the biker gang members caught up with her, but according to Emmy and Pixie, the shifters could more than hold their own.
She’d be a fool to throw away what might end up being a once in a lifetime chance.
“What’s your decision, Dusty?” Emmy asked.
Dusty drew in a deep, ragged breath and hoped she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life. “I’ll give them a chance.”
Pixie and Emmy shrieked with delight at the same time, and then they pounced on her, hugging her between them.
Dusty decided then and there that if things worked out and she hung around Ambrose, she, Emmy, and Pixie were going to be great friends.
She just hoped that she didn’t end up getting either of the women hurt in the process.
Chapter Six
“Yeah,” Irish yelled when he heard the knock on the door. He sighed with relief when Bennie entered the room and walked toward the chair placed in front of his desk. “What’s up?”
“That drug shipment hasn’t come in yet. I got a call from the seller to say the ship has been delayed.”
“Fuck!” Irish ran his fingers through his hair. “When can we expect it?”
“Two days,” Bennie answered.
“Okay, we can deal with that. How’d it go with selling those bitches last night? Any problems?”
“Not a one.”
“Good. Did you put pressure on those two Edson pigs?”
“Yes. They were shitting in their pants when I handed them photos of their wives and kids. I didn’t have to say a word.”
“Do they have anything yet?”
“They’re following a trail and hope to have more info by the end of the week.”
“That’s too fucking slow.” Irish shoved to his feet and began to pace. “What if she squeals?”
“She would have done so by now if she was going to. Don’t you think?” Bennie asked.
“I’d like to think so, but who knows how a woman’s mind fucking works. They’re only good for spreading their legs.”
Bennie nodded in agreement and rubbed his crotch.
“Did the container of weapons leave the docks?”
“Right on schedule, boss.”
“Okay.” Irish sighed. “So other than the delay with the other cargo, are there any other problems I should know about?”
“Sonja was picked up by the pigs for soliciting. She’s out on bail, but I wouldn’t trust that slut as far as I could kick her.”
He met Bennie’s gaze. “You know what to do.”
“Already on it, boss.”
“Put more pressure on the Edson brothers. I want to know where the bitch is before the week is out.”
“Will do.” Bennie shoved to his feet and sauntered toward the door. “You have a meeting with the mayor at two.”
“Shit!” Irish glanced at his watch and then nodded at Bennie. “Thanks for the reminder. I’ll see you later.” As soon as Bennie had closed the door behind him, he sank back into his chair. Sometimes, he wished he’d never followed his old man’s footsteps into the biker gang. If it wasn’t for the perks and all the cash he made, he would have disappeared years ago. Curtis set up a line of coke and snorted up the white powder. The rush was taking longer and longer to kick in, but when it did, he could go about his day as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Most of the time, anyway.
He had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to totally relax until he had that fucking slut in his clutches. When she was no longer a threat to him and his businesses, he wouldn’t need to worry about anything ever again.
The Tucson mayor would see to that.
* * * *
Broden sat at the kitchen counter staring into his mug of coffee. Emmy, Pixie, and their men had left at least half an hour ago and still Dusty hadn’t come out of the bedroom. Airen and Archer were whispering between themselves at the dining room table, and while he probably should be worried they were up to something, he just couldn’t seem to find the energy to care. He and his brothers had tried asking the other two women what they had discussed with his mate, but they’d be
en tight-lipped. He could have been a real asshole and listened in on the conversation, but he’d decided to be the gentleman and give the women some alone time. He’d been hoping that Emmy and Pixie would be able to talk Dusty into staying with him and his brothers so they could all get to know each other, but he wasn’t sure that was going to happen.
When he heard Dusty asking about the motel room rates, his heart had sunk, and despondency set in. He’d tuned out after that and tried to prepare himself to say good-bye to the one woman meant to be theirs. Broden felt as if his heart had broken in two, and while he wasn’t normally the type of man to cry, tears were lingering in the back of his eyes. It wouldn’t take much for him to start bawling like a baby.
What have I ever done to deserve this? I’ve served my country, taking down as many assholes as I could, and helped patch up our own men. I’ve never hurt anyone that didn’t deserve it. Am I being punished for something I’m not aware of? Fuck!
Broden blinked at his steaming mug of coffee, lifted it to his mouth, and took a sip. He glanced out the kitchen window and stared at the snowflakes floating toward the ground. Even his bear was feeling rejected. His inner beast would have been urging him to get out and play in that winter wonderland, but he was curled up in a ball and sound asleep.
When he heard light footsteps heading toward the kitchen, he couldn’t stop himself from staring at the empty doorway, waiting for a glimpse of the woman of his dreams. He mentally cursed himself. He was a glutton for punishment, it seemed.
The second she appeared in the doorway, the despondency left, and lightness filled his heart. She was so fucking sexy with her short dyed-blonde hair and her fairy-like features. Her green eyes lit up when she met his gaze, and she smiled shyly at him.
Broden pushed his lust aside and tapped into his medical skills. “You’re looking better. How do you feel?”
Dusty moved further into the room. A blush spread up her neck and onto her cheeks. She gave him a sheepish look and, after climbing onto the stool beside him, said, “I’m fine.”
Broden would have loved to have helped her onto the stool, but he was worried if he put his hands on her, he would end up stripping her naked and ravishing her. The moment she’d walked into the room, his stupid Kodiak had lurched to his feet and started butting his head against his insides. His animal wanted his mate just as much as the man did. He swallowed a groan of desire when her delicious aroma drifted to his nostrils, and he shifted in his seat when his cock throbbed to life. In a matter of seconds, he was full, hard, and aching. It was pure heaven and hell having her next to him with her scent in his nose and lungs. He wanted to kiss her so badly he almost reached for her, but he tightened his grip on his mug until his knuckles turned white and the cup creaked as if it was about to shatter.