Bound by Two Alphas

by Lynn Hagen

  The side of Lucas’s mouth kicked up into a sexy smile, making me swoon. I spun back around, giving Casey a droll stare. “They are handsome, but what on earth would I do with two men?”

  Casey laughed. “Sweetheart, I could think of a dozen things I could do with both of them. And trust me, none of us would have a stitch of clothing on.”

  I gaped at him. “TMI!”

  “Sex deprived would be more like it.” He eyed the men at the booth. “And if they gave me the green light, I’d gladly insert myself between those two muscled hunks.” Casey fanned himself, making me snicker.

  Biting my bottom lip, I glanced over my shoulder to see Lucas wink at me again. Mikhia just sat there with a somber look on his face, but his eyes traveled up and down my body.

  “Sweetie, you better let them get into those virgin underwear of yours before you turn old and gray.” He shoved at my shoulder. “Go talk to them.”

  “Will you stop!” I hissed in a low voice. “Since when do you throw me to the wolves?”

  Casey rolled his eyes and dramatically sighed. Freaking diva. “Fine, die a spinster.”

  I stilled when I felt something hard and warm at my back. I hadn’t expected him to cross the diner and join me at the counter. But it seemed Lucas was one determined man. He leaned in close, handing Casey his empty coffee mug. “Do you mind if I get a refill?”

  Sweet baby Jesus. It felt as if my dick would jump out of my pants at any second. My cock throbbed like never before as Lucas placed a strong hand on the small of my back. I found it hard to breathe. My body had never reacted like this before, and I was seconds away from passing the fuck out.

  “Sure ’nuff, sugar.” Casey gave me a look that said I needed to grab the opportunity by the balls.

  “It’s a pleasure seeing you again, Dillon.” Lucas’s breath was warm on my cheek as he pressed his hard chest into my shoulder. “Some might say that fate is intervening.”

  I opened my mouth to argue otherwise, but instead of words, I made the weirdest noise. Mortified, I tried to push away, but Lucas kept me seated. He chuckled, and the sound shivered down my body and gripped my dick tightly.

  “Now that is the sound a kitten makes.”

  “Back off.” I pressed my hands into his chest, ready to shove him away when Lucas flexed under my fingers. I was momentarily stunned, my fingers itching to explore the man’s body at length.

  What is wrong with you?

  Lucas pressed his stubbled jaw close to my face, his lips tickling my ear. “You aren’t being thrown to the wolves, darlin’. I’m not that despicable breed. You’re being hunted by cats, and I plan to spend plenty of time petting and playing with you.”

  I immediately thought about my dream and the two panthers that sat beside Lucas and Mikhia. No, that couldn’t be true. There was no way a black panther could change into a man. That was lunacy. My dad would drag me kicking and screaming to the reverend if I uttered a word about this.

  “If you change your mind,” Lucas said in the most seductive tone I had ever heard, “I’m staying at the Hungry Motel…cottage 4B.” He placed a light kiss on the shell of my ear, and I couldn’t stop the shiver as it raced through my body. “And I am very hungry.”

  “Here you go.” Casey set the coffee cup in front of Lucas.

  Lucas backed off and returned to his seat, but his masculine scent still lingered in the air, blocking out the smell of food and everything else, leaving me with a hunger I’d never felt before. I could still feel the warmth from Lucas’s body as it slowly slipped away.

  “Well, did you set a date with them?” Casey asked, his blue eyes eager. “If I can’t find a good man to have sex with, I can live through you.”

  “Is that order ready yet?” I rolled my eyes, but inside, I was a quivering mess.

  Chapter Three

  Mikhia…

  I sat in the booth as the morning sun beat down on my back, my shirt clinging to my body with a layer of sweat. The diner was beginning to feel stifling, but so had this town since the moment we’d stepped foot in it.

  None of this felt right.

  I could sense an evil presence in this town, and I knew the creature that had killed my parents and sister was close. But I didn’t know how close or where it was. Lucas and I needed to kill Bodin and get out of Hungry. I had seen things I wished I could erase from memory, horrors that were going to haunt me for the rest of my days.

  I watched my brother over by the counter, petting Dillon’s back. It was frustrating that I couldn’t talk Lucas out of his plan to seduce the human. What did Dillon mean to us? Nothing. He was beautiful. I could admit that. But I wasn’t hell-bent on having him the way Lucas was.

  I began to bounce my leg as I glanced out of the window. The creature was here somewhere. I had seen it turn from a man into something demonic right before it had killed my fathers. It could shape shift, and that scared me to death.

  The creature could be anyone.

  Lucas might be able to set aside what had happened six months ago, but I couldn’t. I still had nightmares, still felt that evil presence as if it were crawling under my skin. No matter how many showers I’d taken, nothing had scrubbed away the grime I swore was crawling over me.

  Closing my eyes, I heard the screams of my father, of my sister. I heard the vow of my dad to avenge his mate’s death before his throat was ripped out.

  I planted my clammy hands in my lap, wishing Lucas would get back over here and leave Dillon alone. We had a minion to find and kill. This wasn’t part of the plan. But Lucas never listened. He was as stubborn as our fathers had been.

  Like you aren’t.

  I was, but I had a little more sense. I watched Lucas with a quiet intensity, trying my best to will my brother away from Dillon. The human didn’t look like he wanted to be bothered. His hands were on Lucas’s chest, telling him to back off.

  If you only knew just how determined he is.

  The walls of the restaurant were trying their best to close in on me. Everything was frustrating anymore. My body begged me to get out of this diner, to suck fresh air into my lungs. Pushing from the booth, I moved toward the door and left.

  Standing outside, I closed my eyes, tasting the blood that was spilled, hearing the screams, feeling the all-consuming hopelessness as the creature tore out Maxine’s heart.

  The door opened and closed behind me. “Breathe, Mikhia.” Lucas’s hand was on my back, reminding me that I wasn’t alone. “Come on, buddy. Take in a deep breath.”

  I knocked Lucas’s hand away as I stumbled a few steps forward. “Don’t you feel him here?”

  “As soon as we pulled into town,” Lucas admitted. “But we have to blend in, appear normal so we don’t draw attention to ourselves.”

  Rounding, I shoved a finger toward the door. “If we have to lay low, why in the fuck are you trying to grab some tail?” I hadn’t meant to shout, but the tension sang through my body, putting me on edge. No matter Lucas’s vow, I knew we couldn’t defeat that evil entity. All we had to do was kill Bodin and then get ghost.

  I didn’t want to see that creature again.

  A low, feral growl ripped from Lucas’s chest. “I’m here to avenge our family’s deaths, Mikhia. That hasn’t changed. But I’m not a goddamn monk!”

  I scrubbed my eyes, wishing the grime would wash away. There hadn’t been a day of reprieve since the killings. I just wanted one night’s sleep where I didn’t dream of death. I wanted one day where I didn’t feel dirty and worthless. Was that too much to ask? I felt like I was living with a constant knockout punch—eyes open but numb to everything around me.

  Lucas placed his callused hand on the side of my face. “Stay with me, Mikhia. Don’t lose it, man.”

  I had been okay earlier. Why had being in the restaurant brought all of this out? Curling and uncurling my hands, I nodded, cramming those visions and feelings deep down, just like I had been doing for months now. “I’m good.”

  The squeak of the wooden
door drew my attention. I looked up to see Dillon standing there, plastic bag in hand, giving us a concerned look. “Is he all right?”

  Just fucking great. I moved away from Lucas. I didn’t want to appear weak.

  “Just talking with my brother, kitten.” Lucas covered my abrupt leave smoothly. “Remember, 4B.”

  I gritted my teeth at the mention of our cottage number. Dillon shook his head as he turned and walked away. There was a faint scent of arousal on the air, but irritation was there as well, stronger than the first emotion.

  “I think he likes me.” Lucas tossed his arm over my shoulders and led me back to the restaurant.

  “You are one twisted mofo.” I stopped just as we reached the door. “Pay for our food. I’m done eating.”

  Lucas didn’t question my hesitation. He simply nodded and stepped inside. I didn’t get it. Lucas had suffered the same trauma as I had. We had both been tortured for days. But Lucas seemed to handle things better, able to sleep at night and flirt with a pretty guy while I felt like I was barely holding my shit together. We both had the same inner strength, both alpha born. So why was I freaking the fuck out all the time? My mind completely rejected me having severe anxiety attacks. That wasn’t what this was. No, these fits—or whatever someone wanted to call them—were just a lingering effect from the brutal way my family had died.

  Nothing more. Anxiety attacks were for people who couldn’t handle the real world. They were for the weak, the unequipped. I was equipped with sharp teeth and claws.

  But that didn’t help your family.

  Turning on my heel, I began to walk to the cottages. I was sick of feeling this way and wanted nothing more than to kill that minion. He was the one to attack our home. Bodin was the one who’d trapped us all. If it weren’t for that SOB, the creature wouldn’t have been able to kill three innocent people.

  They wouldn’t be dead if it wasn’t for Bodin.

  My mind kept playing those words over and over again in a dizzying cycle, like a short, annoying song on repeat.

  Lucas’s hand landed on my nape. “Come on. Let’s start checking things out. You don’t need to stay cooped up in that room.” He led us toward his car. “The sooner we start tracking him, the better. But we’re just observing today. If we spot him, we pull back and come up with a plan.”

  “Blowing his head off sounds about right,” I said irritably.

  “That sounds good, but then the good ol’ citizens of Hungry just might call the cops. We want to do this unseen, Mikhia.”

  I slowed when I saw a man in a white suit and preacher hat. It was the same man who had stopped Dillon outside the drugstore. The chubby man stood by the main rental office for the cottages, watching both of us with hard interest.

  “That guy gives me bad vibes.” Lucas stood by the driver’s door, his keys dangling from his hand. “There’s something very strange about him.”

  I couldn’t agree more. The greasy knot in my stomach returned.

  * * * *

  Dillon…

  I spotted Jason at the counter as soon as I walked into Casey’s Café. My brother was leaning in close to some redhead, whispering into her ear. The redhead laughed and then kissed Jason on his cheek. My brother blushed.

  Gross.

  I didn’t want to see was Jason picking up some girl. My brother had no direction in life, loved playing the field, and was immature as hell. Yet every woman in Hungry over the age of eighteen thought him the hottest thing on two legs.

  I just didn’t get it.

  “Hard day at work?” Kendrick asked when I took a seat at the counter, opposite end of where Jason was seated. He handed me a cranberry juice. “Drink up, hon.”

  “Thanks, Ken.” I took a sip as I glanced around the place. I saw the usual people seated at tables and some unknowns as well. In my opinion, the strangers must have gotten lost because no one in their right mind vacationed in Hungry on purpose. There was nothing to do in this town. No sights to see, no rides to ride. Hungry was not a tourist attraction.

  My heart skipped a few beats when I saw Lucas and Mikhia walk in. What was it about those two men that made my blood run hot? Suddenly I felt like belting back a drink, and I wasn’t a drinker. The temperature in the room rose a few degrees as I watched the two men take a seat at one of the tables in the middle of the café.

  God, they were downright gorgeous beefcakes. I had an asinine urge to go over there and rub my body over them. I wasn’t sure where that urge had come from, but I had to literally force myself to stay seated.

  Not only was I staring at two gorgeous men but my father would kill me if he knew I was having so many indecent thoughts right now. The town would latch onto that tidbit of information and run with it. I would become a pariah. So why wasn’t I the least bit concerned?

  Because you’re thinking about becoming a Dillon sandwich.

  I rolled my eyes and turned back around. I knew from earlier that Mikhia had issues. I didn’t need to get involved with someone who had baggage. And I had a feeling that if I took Lucas on, Mikhia was part of that package. I wasn’t even sure why I was considering them.

  “Sweetie,” Casey said as he came from the kitchen. “Those two men are back, and they are staring at you something awful.”

  I slid my empty glass toward my best friend. “And don’t you start about how I should throw myself at them.” Although the idea was stuck in my head now and I couldn’t seem to think about anything else. Maybe Casey had planted the seed earlier and now it was taking root.

  “You’re insane not to consider those two.” Casey grabbed my empty glass and refilled it. “You sure you don’t want me to put something stronger in that cranberry juice? It might give you some courage to talk to them.” My friend winked at me.

  “Let it go, Casey.”

  “Why?” Casey gave me a look of exasperation. “If I left things up to you, my dear Dillon would die a spinster.”

  “So your goal in life is to what, get me laid?” I took a long sip of my drink. “No thanks. I’ve seen the men you date.”

  Casey’s lips parted as he planted a hand on his hip. “Now what does that mean?”

  “Albert.” That was all I needed to say.

  “Don’t throw that two-timing bastard in my face, Dillon. We are all allowed to fall to the bottom of the barrel once in our lives. At least I can say that I tried. You’re just sitting there letting life pass you by.”

  “No fighting.” Ken stood next to Casey. He glanced between us and then asked, “What are you two fighting about?”

  Casey pointed toward Lucas and Mikhia. “Those two men are digging on Dillon, and he is acting like the Virgin Mary. Tell him to live a little.”

  A peculiar look crossed Ken’s face as he stared at Casey. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that Ken had feelings for his boss. His brother, Jack, walked behind the bar with an empty tray in his hand, setting it on the counter before he joined in on the conversation. I didn’t want those two bear-like men to know my business. But Casey wouldn’t let up.

  “Those two?” Jack asked as he stared toward Lucas and Mikhia’s table.

  Ken and Jack exchanged a look, and Dillon was certain both men had feelings for Casey. What a revelation. But it was none of my business. I wasn’t like my best friend. I wasn’t going to rat the men out. If they wanted Casey to know how they felt, they’d tell him themselves.

  “Give him a break,” Jack said to Casey. “Don’t force Dillon into something he isn’t ready for.”

  Again with that look.

  “There,” I said with triumph. “Jack knows what he’s talking about.”

  Casey tossed his hands up in surrender. “Fine, die a virgin.”

  I could feel the heat surfacing on my face and ears. I loved the man to death but wanted to kill him half the time. Jack and Ken had the decency to look away at Casey’s statement. I was ready to throttle my friend.

  Pushing my glass away, I got up and headed right for the door. Casey r
an around the counter, calling my name. I didn’t stop. I slammed my hand into the screen door and kept going. My friend caught me outside, grabbing my upper arm and stopping me.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you on blast like that.”

  I yanked my arm free, glaring at him. “Sometimes you can be a real shit, Casey.”

  “I know.” Casey hugged me. “Don’t be mad at me, sweetie. You’re the only friend I’ve got, and I can’t lose you.”

  I began to pace the parking lot, trying my best to let my anger go. “You remember Della Challan?”

  Casey nodded. “The people around here ran her out of town for having sex with the Coyt brothers.” Casey pulled back and shook his head. “But you can’t let these backwoods folks run your life, Dillon. If you want those men, go for it. I just can’t stand to see you living half a life.”

  “Who said I’m living half a life?” I asked, suddenly offended. “I’m doing just fine, Casey.”

  “Like hell.” He moved farther into the parking lot, leaning against his car. “You work, hang out around here, and then go home. Tell me. When was the last time you let your hair down and had some fun?”

  I hated that he was right. My life was so damn dull that I wanted to scream half the time. There was nothing to do in Hungry, and I wasn’t getting any younger. If I didn’t take some sort of chance, and soon, I feared I would die on my front porch, like Old Man Phillip had.

  But two men? Wasn’t that a bit extreme?

  “See,” Casey said. “You can’t even tell me.”

  I must have lost my ever-loving mind. Was I really considering going to bed with both men? “I wouldn’t even know how to approach them.”

  Casey gave me a smile that made me downright frightened. “You let me handle that.”

  “Casey, wait.”

  But my friend didn’t wait. He waltzed right back into the café as I began to pace the parking lot once more.

  What on earth was Casey up to? Taking a seat on a tree stump that was near the surrounding woods, I began to wonder if maybe I shouldn’t get into my car and go home.