by Scarlet Day
She didn’t know how long they stayed there like that after the powerful surge of their orgasms faded. No one tried to move. Arms encircled her from above and below. Chests rose and fell as breathing steadied. A peace like Paige had never known came over her as she lay there in the embrace of these two men who she barely knew, but who had been intimate with her in a way that no one ever had. Her cat curled up in a corner of her mind and purred a contented, lazy sound.
That’s when Paige knew she was in trouble. Big, big, trouble.
Chapter Nine
Dylan grabbed a cup of coffee and hoped it was extra strong this morning. He turned his attention to the long breakfast buffet tables and piled a plate high with scrambled eggs, bacon, and a few of the homemade biscuits the resort’s kitchen churned out by the hundreds every morning. Once he was sure nothing else would fit on his plate, he scanned the crowded tables, looking for Paige.
Many of the tables had already filled up with guests eager to hit the ski slopes, go horseback riding, or just enjoy being able to shift into their alternate forms without fear of exposing themselves to normal humans. Besides the BDSM club, that freedom was one of the main attractions of the resort. For those shifters who lived within the confines of urban cities, having a place like this available to them was even more important.
He didn’t see Paige, so he assumed she must be sleeping in. She deserved it. A grin slid across his face as images from last night flashed through his mind. Yes, she deserved every bit of sleep she could get. If Dylan had anything to say about it, she wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight, either. He might even bring up the topic of Dominant/submissive roles and find out what her reaction would be to learning about the lifestyle.
He spotted Matt, sitting by himself at a table next to the floor-to-ceiling windows in the far corner, so Dylan headed across the room toward him. Matt appeared to be nursing a cup of coffee. Dylan grinned. His friend was probably just as wiped out from last night as Dylan was. As he drew closer, though, he saw a full, and uneaten, plate of food that Matt had pushed aside. Dylan frowned. That was unlike Matt, who was usually ravenous after a full night of sex.
“Mornin’.” Dylan nodded toward the untouched food when Matt glanced up. “Not hungry?”
Matt shrugged, but didn’t respond. Dylan set his plate and coffee down and claimed an empty chair, digging into his hot food as soon as his butt hit the seat. He was starving, since he’d missed dinner last night. He suppressed a grin. It had been worth it, though.
Dylan shoveled in several bites of food and then washed it down with coffee before looking back up. He glanced over at Matt and realized his friend wasn’t just nursing his coffee, he was staring into it as though his best friend had drowned in its black depths. Dylan set his half-empty cup down and studied Matt warily. He looked tired, all right, but it seemed more like a weary and worried kind of tired, rather than exhaustion from an amazing night with a beautiful woman.
“Problems?” Dylan knew that if Matt didn’t feel like talking about whatever was bothering him, he wouldn’t talk.
Matt sighed and pressed his lips into a hard line. Creases formed between his eyebrows. “I’m not sure last night was such a good idea.”
Dylan cocked one eyebrow and stared at Matt. He wasn’t sure how to respond to that statement. In his mind, last night had been a great idea, one he hoped to repeat. “Any particular reason?”
Matt took a deep breath and let it out slowly, never lifting his gaze. “It’s complicated.”
Dylan quickly gathered that this was going to be harder than he’d hoped. “How complicated?”
Matt finally glanced up, but the haunted look in his eyes actually scared Dylan. “Very.”
“Okay.” Dylan realized that they were obviously going to do this the hard way. He chose his words carefully, not wanting to drive Matt away from the table before some answers were provided. “You can’t deny it was different with her.”
Matt huffed under his breath and shifted in his seat, before dropping his gaze back to his coffee. He opened his mouth, but then closed it again. Dylan waited. Matt huffed again. “I’m not denying anything.”
“Then help me understand the problem.” Dylan took a gulp of coffee, needing more caffeine if he was going to get into a serious discussion with Matt this early in the morning.
Matt pressed his lips together and looked up, his stare boring into Dylan. It felt as though Matt was trying to decide what, or how much, to say. “She’s Tucker’s niece.”
Dylan choked on his coffee. “She’s—she’s what?”
“Told you it was complicated.” Matt closed his eyes and let out a long breath.
Dylan stared at Matt, waiting for him to say more. He didn’t. “But, I thought she was dead. Her whole family died that night.”
Matt scoffed. “Apparently not.” He looked back down into his coffee cup, his shoulders slumping. “Tucker’s planning on talking to her today to see what he can find out.”
Dylan leaned back in his chair, trying to understand what this meant. “Okay, so she’s his niece. That’s good, right? I mean, it’s good that she survived. That should be something to be happy about, right?” Dylan’s question didn’t get any reaction from Matt. “Are you worried that Tucker will be mad that you’re involved with his niece?”
Matt grimaced. “No, Tucker’s not like that. And it’s not like she’s his daughter or anything.”
Dylan was out of ideas as to why any of this was a bad idea. He waited for Matt to elaborate, but his friend just continued to stare into his coffee mug. Obviously, Dylan was going to have to push a little harder. “Then I’m confused. Why is there a problem?”
Matt closed his eyes and sighed. When he looked up, the haunted expression was back. “I don’t know if Tucker would want me telling you this, but seeing as how you’re involved…” He took a deep breath, as though he were preparing himself for something. “Her father is the one who tried to kidnap Laci.”
Dylan stared at Matt, unable to speak. Or even think. All the excitement from last night drained out of him. He felt like a balloon that just had all the air let out of it. A sick knot twisted in the pit of his stomach.
“Well…damn.” Dylan didn’t really know what else there was to say. He looked down at his food, and a wave of nausea washed over him. He pushed the plate away, his appetite completely gone.
Matt lifted his coffee cup in a mock salute, looking as sick as Dylan felt. “Welcome to the club, my friend.”
Chapter Ten
Paige closed the door of her room and walked down the hallway, toward the lobby. She was anxious to see Dylan and Matt this morning, but she had something important that she needed to do first. What she’d experienced last night had convinced her that she couldn’t go back home, but she still didn’t know if she would be welcome to stay here. It was time to find out.
When she got to the lobby, she veered toward the front desk. The woman working behind the desk smiled as she approached. “Good morning, Ms. Matthews. What can I do for you?”
“Um…” Paige took a deep breath, shoring up her resolve. “I need to speak with Tucker Steele.”
The woman—Traci, according to her name badge—looked at her questioningly. “Is it anything I can help you with?”
Paige shook her head, her already anxious nerves winding up tighter and tighter by the second. “No, it’s…um…personal.”
Traci smiled and nodded. “Okay, let me see if he’s in his office.” She opened a door behind her and slipped through it, leaving Paige alone with her tumbling thoughts. What if Tucker rejected her? What if he made her leave? Where would she go?
Before she could think of even one answer to any of those questions, the man she had come here to see walked through the door, followed by Traci. Tucker walked around the end of the front desk and approached Paige.
He stopped in front of her, his gaze scanning her face. “Why don’t we talk in my office? It’ll be more private.”
Paige
nodded and followed him behind the front desk. Neither of them spoke as he led her through an administrative office and then into his office. He closed the door behind them.
Paige’s gaze flitted across the room. There was no mistaking that this was a man’s office. Thick navy carpet spread out under her feet and dark wood paneling covered the walls. Well, three of them, anyway. The fourth wall, directly behind Tucker’s large wooden desk, consisted entirely of floor to ceiling windows with a view of the snow-covered mountain range and the ski slopes.
Tucker gestured toward a sidebar along one of the walls. “I was just about to have some coffee. Would you like some?”
Paige nodded. “Black, please.” She didn’t know if her nervous stomach would let her drink anything, but she really needed something to do with her hands.
Tucker poured both of them a cup and handed one to her. “Please, make yourself comfortable.” He led her over to a seating area in front of a fireplace and motioned toward the comfortable-looking leather armchairs. They were the kind of chairs Paige could imagine curling up in and spending hours reading a good book. She sat down and took a sip of her coffee, not really knowing how to start the conversation she’d come here to have.
Fortunately, Tucker started it first. “I don’t know if I should hug you or if I should start interrogating you.”
His statement startled Paige. “You already know who I am?” She guessed he must have recognized her name from her registration.
“I knew who you were the second I saw you.” Tucker’s knowing gaze never left her.
“Oh.” She took a deep breath. “Well, considering the circumstances, I think you probably have more reasons to interrogate me.”
Tucker narrowed his eyes and nodded. “You’re probably right. For one thing, I thought you were dead. Would you like to tell me how I could have been wrong all these years?”
Paige swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat. Tucker wasn’t going to wade into this slowly, it seemed. “I don’t know all the details.” She lied, but only partially. She really didn’t know all the details. Unfortunately, she knew enough. “I only remember pieces of that night. I mean, I was just a little girl. We were running a little ways away from the rest of the pack. I remember Devon wanted to run closer, but our father wouldn’t let him. When the-the shooting started, he made us run away.”
Fleeting images, long buried, surfaced in Paige’s mind. She trembled at the horror of those memories and lowered her head. “It was awful. The guns scared me, and I hid behind a rock with my brother. I heard the screams of the other cats as they were hit. My mom tried to run back to the pack, but my father pounced on her and held her down. When the shooting stopped, all I could hear was men laughing. The hunters were laughing.” She hadn’t realized she was crying until the hot tears dripped down onto her hands.
Tucker set his cup down on the side table. He leaned forward and covered both of her hands with his. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like to be there when it happened. It was hard enough to see the aftermath.”
Paige took a shuddering breath. “Father made us stay hidden while he went to see if anyone was still alive. When he came back, he told us we couldn’t go back home. He was so angry.” A tremor shook her as she remembered being on the receiving end of his wrath.
Tucker stared at her with pain etched into the lines on his face. “But why wouldn’t he go back home? After what happened, why would he just take all of you away from the pack?”
“He said he didn’t think there was anything left of the pack worth going back to.” Paige shot an apologetic glance at Tucker. “But there was something else.” She hesitated, fear shooting through her at the thought of her next words. “Like I said, I don’t know the details, but I do know my father had something to do with what happened that night.”
Tucker’s face went blank. Seconds passed, maybe even a minute. Then his face started to turn red and his nostrils flared. He bolted out of the chair and crossed the room, pacing back and forth with long, agitated strides. Paige’s fear intensified, and she wondered if this was when he’d throw her out. Or worse. How big of a price would she pay for her father’s sins?
Tucker finally stopped in the middle of the room and took several deep breaths. “Why did he try to kidnap my mate?”
Paige licked her dry lips. “I think he was trying to secure a mate for Devon. My brother hasn’t had any luck finding one on his own.” She leaned forward, needing Tucker to understand. “But please don’t blame Devon. I’m positive he didn’t know anything about it, and he wouldn’t have gone along with it if he had.” Her gaze dropped to the carpet, and her voice lowered. “He hates our father as much as I do.”
Tucker walked back over to the chair and sat down, leaning forward so that only a foot separated them. “And what about Aunt Liz, your mother?”
Fresh tears sprang to Paige’s eyes. “She’s gone. She had a stroke last year. I think it was one too many concussions from my father.”
Tucker’s hands balled into fists, so tight that his knuckles turned white. “Paige, I need to know if he’s still a danger to this pride.”
Paige looked up into Tucker’s eyes. “If he finds out I’m here, then yes.” She swallowed against the hard lump in her throat and forced her next words out. “So I should probably go.”
Tucker gripped her hands in his and squeezed tight. “Do you want to leave?”
Paige stared at her uncle. There was a fierce protectiveness in his intense stare. She’d never felt or understood the sense of protection a pride leader had for his pack members, but she could see it in his eyes. “No. I don’t want to go.” The words were barely a whisper.
Tucker grinned, a predatory determination in his eyes. “Then you’re part of this pride. And you’re not going anywhere.”
Chapter Eleven
Matt sat on a large boulder overlooking the valley below. The cold breeze ruffled his fur and tickled his ears, but the sun warmed his back just enough to relax the knot that had been forming between his shoulder blades all morning. He often came up to this perch, where he could be alone with his own thoughts.
The lodge seemed small from up here, insignificant. But Matt knew all too well that the resort was anything but insignificant. The Shifter Sanctuary Resort lived up to its name in ways most guests, and even a few employees, never even realized. Most of them didn’t know the history or the tragedy that had brought Tucker, Colt, Matt, Dylan and the few remaining pride members to this valley. They had sought a sanctuary, a hiding place. Somewhere they could lick their wounds, pick up the pieces, and try to put their lives back together. And they had found it. Not just in the land or the buildings and the business that had been built, but in the remaining bonds they had clung to and strengthened over the years. It hadn’t been easy, but they had survived and found some semblance of peace.
That peace had been turned upside down and inside out for Matt since Paige had arrived. The mere thought of her name sent quivers through his stomach and caused his chest muscles to tighten up. He sniffed the air, still able to detect the distinctive scent of her pheromones on the stiff breeze. That scent had put him into a tailspin the moment he’d smelled it, and he wasn’t sure he was happy about it.
Matt had never expected to respond so strongly again to another female lion. He’d loved Anne, his teenaged sweetheart, who had gone into her mating phase at a younger than normal age. When Matt had lost her, he had lost a part of himself. The hope of having a life-mate, of someday having children, had died with Anne.
That hope had been rekindled with Paige. It had sparked to life the long-dead possibility of having a mate and all that came with that honor.
A lone figure exited the lodge below and trekked out across the snow-covered land. Even from this distance, Matt’s sharp eyesight told him it was Tucker. His friend was in human form and wearing snow shoes to keep from sinking knee-deep into the fresh snow. Tucker looked up, his face directed toward Matt’s perch, and lifted one hand
in a wave. Matt didn’t respond, but continued to watch Tucker make his way toward Matt’s slope until he disappeared into the cover of the tree line below.
Matt flexed his claws and blew out a tension-filled breath. Tucker wasn’t in his lion form, which meant he wanted to talk. Matt just wasn’t sure he was ready to listen. He knew Tucker had planned to speak to Paige this morning to see if he could get some answers. Those answers were the only reason Matt could think of for why Tucker would search him out today.
Matt waited, knowing it would take Tucker a good half hour or more to reach his perch. The trepidation he felt grew with each minute that passed. What if the news was bad? What if Paige knew about Laci’s kidnapping? What if she had been part of the plan? Matt shuddered, not wanting to confront the implications. If Paige had been part of it, Matt was sure Tucker would already have thrown her out of the resort. Tucker would never harm a female, but Matt knew he’d make it clear she would never be welcome back, regardless that she was his niece. It would also mean Matt would likely never see her again. Not that he would want to if she had been part of the kidnapping plan, but still, the thought of her being gone forever made the tightness in Matt’s chest grow worse.
Matt had let his hormones and Paige’s pheromones overtake his better judgment last night, but the light of day had shone brightly on all the reasons he should have been more cautious. He wasn’t a kid anymore. He should have known better. When he’d first woken up this morning, he’d had the urge to tell Paige about the lifestyle he led and find out if she was interested. And then reality had hit him. He might as well have been punched in the gut.
The muffled sound of crunching snow caught Matt’s attention, and he twitched his ears in the direction of the noise. Tucker emerged from the dense trees and continued making his way toward Matt’s outcropping. Matt sighed, knowing he’d have the answers soon, whether he liked them or not.