by Lynn Hagen
When I broke the kiss and panted with closed eyes, Lucas growled softly. The sound was feral, and I felt a bolt of electricity sizzle along my spine.
“He is so beautiful, isn’t he?” Mikhia said as he gazed down at me.
“I wouldn’t have steered you wrong, Mikhia.” Lucas said.
Mikhia kissed the palm of my hand. My breath hitched again. At this rate I would pass out before either of their dicks penetrated me. I couldn’t help it. They were so freaking handsome, and they wanted me.
I wasn’t going to let my fear take over. Besides, the combination of their deep voices was making my hole quiver. I could listen to Mikhia and Lucas speak to me for days on end and never tire of their voices.
“Fuck me, Mikhia,” I begged into his mouth as I pulled him down for another heated kiss.
Mikhia reached between us and grabbed his cock, lining it up to my hole. At the same time, Lucas turned my head to face him. Lucas was right next to me, kneeling there, directing his hard dick toward my lips. “Suck me, kitten.”
As I took Lucas’s cock into my mouth, Mikhia pressed forward, and I felt something spurt against my hole. Mikhia hissed, and then I cried out around Lucas’s shaft as Mikhia inched his way inside me.
My eyes rolled to the back of my head as Mikhia’s cock sent me to the edge of pain. That wasn’t an exaggeration. The man was hung, and I felt every damn inch of him stretching me. I started to call a halt, to tell Mikhia to back away, but when he pulled back then punched his hips forward, my nerve endings sang with pleasure.
Oh my god! I’d died and gone to heaven. That had to be the only explanation for how I felt, for what the two gods were doing to me, for how they were making me feel.
As Mikhia thrust his hips, I sucked Lucas’s cock to the back of my throat. My eyes watered, and I gagged once or twice, but neither man said anything. Neither of them teased me about my inexperience. Lucas looked down at me with pure rapture in his eyes, as if my mouth around his shaft was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.
That emboldened me, made me feel as if I wasn’t letting them down.
Mikhia plunged hips hard, driving his cock deep inside me, causing my body to scream with pleasure as I experienced an overload of sensations that made me cry out around Lucas’s cock.
Then Mikhia leaned forward and sank his canines into my shoulder. I jerked and bucked, letting Lucas’s erection slip from my lips. Mikhia continued to punch his hips forward, and I felt the moment he came. He buried himself deep as he eased his canines free and licked the wound.
But the fun wasn’t over yet. When Mikhia pulled back, Lucas was on me, driving his cock deep inside my ass, smiling down at me with that wicked grin that made my insides melt. He scooped me into his arms, pulled me close, and hammered his cock into me, rattling my brain.
“Come for me, sweetheart,” Lucas whispered in my ear. “Come all over me.”
I had no idea where Mikhia had gone, but I lost myself in Lucas, in his voice, in that purr that seemed to make every word he spoke sound exotic.
Then, he, too, sank his canines into my other shoulder. Just like with Mikhia, there was sudden pain, then it washed away with a pleasure that rocked me.
I would think about them biting me after the two were done having their way with me. Until then, I shelved the thought and threw myself into what Lucas was doing to me.
I couldn’t hold out any longer. I arched my back and shouted Lucas’s name as I came so hard my head started pounding.
Lucas dug his fingers into my hips and pistoned into my ass, as he pulled his canines free. Lucas gazed down at me as I watched the man’s body jerk and Lucas cry out his own release.
My body was racked with aftershocks as I fought for air. Lucas pulled me to my side, sliding an arm under my head to use as a pillow. Then heat was at my back as Mikhia joined us, spooning me.
I was sandwiched between them and couldn’t have been happier. I wanted to ask about the biting, but talking wasn’t something I was capable of doing.
Besides, I didn’t want to break the spell I was under. But I would have to. I had to find the strength to wiggle free and make it home. I’d had fun, and being with two men had been thrilling, but it was time to return to reality and go our separate ways.
I didn’t want to stick around and wear out my welcome or make things awkward between us. But I would do that after I rested, because the two had sucked out all of my energy and the only thing I wanted was some sleep.
* * * *
Mikhia…
“Did you feel that?” I waited until I knew Dillon was fast asleep before I got up and slid my underwear on. My hands trembled as I blew out a breath and stared down at the sleeping human.
“The binding?” Lucas rubbed his bearded jaw before he got up and slipped his underwear on, too. “Yeah, I felt it.”
That wasn’t the answer I’d wanted to hear. I’d wanted Lucas to tell me I was tripping, that I’d imagined that all-consuming fusion of our souls, that I’d just gotten caught up in the moment and had imagined things.
“He’s our mate, Mikhia.”
I cursed. I knew every shifter had a mate. In our world, it was always a threesome. We’d grown up with two fathers and a sister, so sharing someone hadn’t been shameful to us. That was just our way of life.
But fuck. Now? When we were trying to track down Bodin, who’d tried to kill us, and the creature who ordered the minion around. The creature who had taken our fathers’ and sister’s lives.
Dillon was our mate. We’d claimed him. We’d fucking claimed him, which meant he would conceive our child. Did it matter who had actually gotten him pregnant? No. That never mattered in our world. The babe would belong to both of us, would grow up loved and cherished.
But if I’d known Dillon was our mate…would I have done things differently? I’d thought he would just be a good time, a way to pass the time while we were in Hungry.
Now all of that had changed.
I stumbled backward, pressing a hand to my chest. The stakes had just gotten higher. I couldn’t put myself in that kind of danger again, the kind where I’d visited the pet-grooming place to find Bodin. Now I had to use my head, think two or three moves ahead.
“Do you think he conceived?” I looked at Dillon again.
Compared to my and Lucas’s muscular frames, Dillon looked so small lying in the center of the bed. Protectiveness welled inside me. I would do whatever I had to in order to keep Dillon safe. I’d failed Maxine. I’d failed our fathers, but I wouldn’t allow Bodin or the creature to get their hands on our human.
“You notice the guys behind the counter at the café?” Lucas asked.
“Bear shifters.” I nodded.
“I think we need to enlist their help. We now have a pregnant mate on our hands, if he conceived, but that’s only a matter of time, and we can’t take any unnecessary risks now.”
He was referring to me going to the grooming place on my own.
“We also need a house, Mikhia.” Lucas walked toward the bathroom. “We can’t keep living out of a motel room.”
“You want to set down roots here?” I asked in disbelief. “The name of the town should give you shivers. The people are ass backward, close-minded, and aside from the bears, I haven’t sensed any other shifters in town.”
Hungry, Louisiana. Hungry. Who in their right mind had named the town? Hungry for what? I couldn’t believe Lucas was thinking about getting a house and making this Podunk town our home. I wanted to take Bodin and his boss down and then get the fuck out of Dodge.
“We’ll talk about all this later,” Lucas said. “Just think of how it felt to be ripped away from everything that you knew and loved. Do you want to do the same thing to Dillon by dragging him away from this town?”
Lucas disappeared into the bathroom, and a moment later, I heard the shower cut on. I walked to the window and gazed out of it as I tried to come to terms with everything that had just happened.
A shifter didn�
��t know who his or her mate was until they’d slept together. Lucas must have sensed something. That was the only explanation of why he’d been so determined to have Dillon.
Dillon.
My stomach knotted.
He would conceive. He would carry our child. I was going to be a father. The world tilted sideways at that thought. A father. I scrubbed a hand through my beard, telling myself that I had to get my head out of my ass. I was still mourning my loss, but Dillon needed us, and I wasn’t going to let him down.
“Mikhia.”
I looked over my shoulder at Dillon. His eyes were still closed, but his breathing was labored. Was he dreaming about me? I hadn’t expected that. Dillon seemed more comfortable with Lucas, and who could blame him? I hadn’t exactly acted very friendly toward him.
When Dillon became restless I went to him and sat on the side of the bed. “Hey, you’re dreaming.”
He scooted closer, and I curled my arm around him. My panther purred quietly, as if telling me that Dillon was now the most important person in the world to me.
Fuck. I hadn’t seen this coming. Not in my wildest dreams. Then again I had been so hellbent on revenge that I had been blinded by everything else around me.
But now that I studied Dillon in his sleep, I had to admit he was gorgeous, innocent, and didn’t belong in this fight. It was too late. Not only had we claimed him but Bodin and the creature in charge knew of Dillon’s existence and, for unknown reasons, were after our mate.
Lucas walked out of the bathroom, a towel curled around his waist. “He still asleep?”
“He was restless for a second.” I brushed my hand over Dillon’s hair. “Did you have any idea when you decided you wanted him?”
Lucas dried off then dug through his duffel bag for fresh underwear. “I was attracted to him,” he admitted. “But no. I had no idea he was our mate.”
I stretched out next to Dillon, and he burrowed under my side. I inhaled his scent as I slid my arm over him. An overwhelming need to protect Dillon gripped me.
“We won’t let anything happen to him,” Lucas said, as if reading my mind. “We’ll enlist those bears to help us. I’m gonna head over to the café to talk to them. Call me if you need me.”
Lucas finished dressing. I was glad he was the one going to talk to the bear shifters. My brother was more of a people person, whereas I preferred to fade into the background.
Lucas kissed Dillon’s cheek but spoke to me. “I’ll be back.”
When Lucas walked out of the cottage, I pulled Dillon closer, wrapping my arms around him. “Don’t worry, kitten. No one is getting to you.”
Chapter Seven
Lucas…
“I’m Kendrick Michaels, and this is Jackson. Everyone calls us Ken and Jack.”
I shook Ken’s hand then his brother’s. Ken had blondish-brown hair, whereas Jack was dark-haired. They both had tattoos, but Ken had the kinder eyes. Jack looked as if he was expecting an invasion at any second.
Jack’s gaze kept bouncing around, and then I noticed that he was watching Casey move around the café. He was watching the human’s every move.
“I’ve seen you and your brother in here once or twice,” Ken said. “It’s nice to finally officially meet you.”
“Same.”
This wasn’t a social call, and I was anxious to get back to the cottage. Bodin and his boss were somewhere in town, and I didn’t feel confident leaving Mikhia and Dillon on their own. So, I got down to business and told my story.
“I’m willing to bet Reverend Goodstocke has something to do with it,” Ken snarled. “I get a bad fucking vibe every time I see him.” Ken crossed his arms. “I’m sorry about your loss, Lucas. No one should have to go through that.”
I hadn’t gone there looking for sympathy. I needed allies. People who could help fight against those who were after us. I’d left out the part about Dillon being some kind of chosen one. I still wasn’t sure what that was about, and until I knew, I’d keep that tidbit to myself.
“What do you need from me?” Ken asked. “I’ll gladly help you rid the town of that Bible-thumping con man.”
That was good to know. “Mikhia and I need to kill the minion,” I said. “He’s strong, though. We barely made it out of the Smoky Mountains alive.”
“And what about his boss?” Ken asked. “This creature you talked about?”
That was a whole different ballgame. The creature—because there was no other way to describe him—was even stronger than Bodin. I would have to think of a way to kill it, but right now, I was focused on Bodin.
And Bert. That son of a bitch had to go. Anyone foolish enough to work for something wholly evil didn’t deserve to live. In my opinion, Bert had no soul for conspiring with the enemy.
“I’m still working on a plan.” I looked toward the back wall as if I could see the cottages from where I sat at the counter. “I just wanted to enlist as many shifters as I could.”
Ken smiled and winked. “Why didn’t you say so? I know two wolf shifter cousins who’d gladly get involved. They hate the reverend more than I do. Their names are Delvin and Joshua Bailey. I’ll give them a call.”
I wasn’t sure what I’d expected when I’d walked over to the café, but damn, now I had four people willing to throw down with me and Mikhia. Maybe this small town wasn’t so bad.
When I heard Jack snarl, I spun in my seat and watched him storm across the room.
“Shit,” Ken said.
“Trouble?” I arched a brow as I brushed strands of my hair from my face. I really did need to get a haircut.
“Casey’s ex,” Ken spat the words. “Guy has a death wish. No matter how many times Jack or I tell him not to come around, the idiot still shows up.” Ken leaned in closer, resting his arm on the counter. “I would’ve killed him by now, but he hasn’t done anything wrong. Not enough to warrant a death sentence.”
Jack curled his lip as he stared at the ex. The guy had enough common sense to walk out. Casey whispered something to Jack, and by the expression on the human’s face, he was upset.
“You just let me know when and where,” Ken said, pulling my attention away from Jack and Casey.
“Thanks.”
“Let me throw some food into a few containers. I’ve always liked Dillon, and he’s Casey’s best friend. Food is on the house.” Ken walked away and headed into the kitchen.
He returned with a large plastic bag and handed it over. My stomach chose that moment to rumble.
Ken grinned. “Sounds like I made the right call.”
I took the bag and thanked Ken before heading out. The café was located on the far edge of town, and the cottages were within walking distance.
As soon as I stepped outside, I felt eyes on me. It could have been any number of people watching me. The reverend, Bert, Bodin, or that creature. It seemed my list of enemies was growing. But at least now I had the bears on my side, and maybe the wolves, too.
That would hopefully even the playing field.
I walked faster, ready to get back to Dillon and Mikhia. Before I reached the path that led to my cottage, a blur raced past me, knocking me on my ass and making me lose my grip on the bag of food.
I shoved to my feet, crouching, and looked around. The branches creaked from the wind. An owl hooted somewhere in the background. I could still hear the noises from the café, but I didn’t see who had knocked me over.
Slowly, I stood, and grabbed the bag from the ground, thankful none of the containers had spilled open. I took a step toward my cottage and then stilled.
The noxious odor of evil filled my lungs.
The minion was somewhere close by.
“Told you I wasn’t done with you yet, pussy cat.” He stepped from behind a large tree, his smirk sending chills down my spine. “Nice of you to follow me to this backward town. Now I can finish what I started. I’m really hoping you squeal just like your sister did.”
Red-hot rage filled me at the mention of Maxine’s
torture and death. I wanted nothing more than to rip the bastard apart, but knew I couldn’t defeat him on my own.
I knew Bodin wasn’t human. I just didn’t know what kind of entity he was. A demon? Maybe. I’d heard of demons, but I’d never run into one.
That didn’t mean I would back down. You were pissed that Mikhia went after him on his own and now you’re trying to play hero?
“Why are you here?” I was stalling, hoping my brother joined us before Bodin attacked. So much for the creature’s warning not to touch me or my brother. It seemed Bodin had a hate boner for us and wouldn’t let anyone or anything stand in his way.
Bodin threw his head back and let out a bark of laughter. “You wish I would spill my guts to you.”
I smirked. “No, but you will have your guts spilled if you keep fucking with me.”
I was talking major trash considering I wouldn’t be able to defeat him on my own. After setting the bag on the ground, I rolled my shoulders and then took up a fighting stance.
The cottage door behind Bodin opened, and Mikhia stepped out. He closed the door behind him and glared at the minion. My brother had been dying for payback, to kill Bodin for what he had done to Maxine and our parents.
It had technically been the creature who had killed our family, but Bodin had been a part of that.
I wanted revenge, too, but I also wanted to stop him from taking another innocent life. I also wanted to keep Bodin as far away from Dillon as possible.
“You have no idea what’s going on,” Bodin said. “Do you think two pussy cats are going to stop us? Nezat will destroy you before you can interfere.”
Was that the creature’s name? Nezat? The one who called all the shots? The one who was even more powerful than Bodin? The one who had a monstrous face hidden behind a gorgeous one?
“Nezat is a myth.”
I looked over my shoulder and smiled when I saw Jack and Ken heading my way. Thank fuck I’d talked to them before Bodin had showed up. Hopefully the playing field was even now.