“You okay, baby?”
She looked down into Hunter’s sweaty face. He looked as wild and overwhelmed as she felt.
“Fine.” She gasped. “Just…faster…”
Tex took her at her word, and the faster he thrust, the deeper, the tighter she felt.
The orgasm started in her belly, then her back. Deep contractions built in her womb. Hands came around, pinching her nipples, making her cry out again. Hunter dug his hands into her hips, moving her in time to Tex’s tempo. She was without words, could only express herself with harsh cries and guttural moans. Deep inside, she grew hotter, wetter, and more desperately coiled.
A hand struck her ass in a sharp slap. She screamed. He slapped, and she screamed again. She heard Hunter’s answering cry. The pain released something deep inside. Tension built till she could barely bear it anymore. Tex’s hand came down in a final, stinging blow.
And then she came. Her vision went dark; stars sparkled and flashed behind her lids. She crashed down on the man beneath her, her teeth sinking into the flesh over his heart. Her hands flexed and claws reached back to score Tex’s bare thigh.
They were coming with her, fierce and savage. Sweat mingled with blood. Scratches stung, nerves hummed with ecstatic pleasure. She forced herself to watch as Hunter came. His eyes had shifted completely; the familiar brown was tinged with gold, the shape slightly altered. Panic flared and then receded as another wave of the climax crashed through him.
Tex had her in a viselike grip, his hips pounding into hers in a rapid, staccato rhythm. He arched, froze, and moaned harshly. Then he sank his sharp teeth into her shoulder. There was a crescendo of pain and ecstasy and sound as the three of them peaked…and then fell.
They were all limp and boneless, melting down into a pile of bodies, nearly indistinguishable from one another. There was an occasional shudder or sigh. A tongue ran over her sweaty skin. Holly’s cheek was sticky with Hunter’s sweat and the blood from the bite she’d left just over his nipple. Tex had his face buried in the crook of her neck. She felt him gently licking the wound on her neck. Hunter had left his mark on her collarbone.
“Hot dayum.” Tex’s voice sounded weak.
She smiled, seconding the sentiment. Hunter began to chuckle. For whatever reason, she joined him. Maybe the happiness just couldn’t be contained.
“I love you…” Three voices uttered the sentiment, slightly dissonant, but completely sincere.
Their cocks were finally soft and slipped gently from her body, leaving her empty but far from alone. Holly let her eyes drop closed, and she dozed, confident that she was in the one, single perfect place in the world.
Chapter Ten
They stood in the lobby of Dark Haven, fully clothed, the sweat and blood washed away from their skin. Yet they smelled like one person—one single entity.
Tex supposed this was the essence of a mating, when one became two. Or three, in their case. Hunter was bickering with Holly, but Tex knew she was simply saving face, allowing herself to be convinced to go home. He gazed out at the late-night street and watched the occasional taxi drive by. The fog was settling in, giving the city a haunted appearance.
“Hunter, I can’t just leave.”
“You can.”
She sighed in exasperation. Tex turned away from the door and looked at the curtained entrance. Destiny was back there listening. She was cute and all, but a little too astute for comfort. He nodded toward the curtain, and the other two ceased their argument.
“Holly. Chase will be expecting us before noon.” Hunter pulled out the big guns.
End of story. He saw her surrender at the mention of their alpha. She hung her head and nodded. The sub who’d tried so hard to please them had vanished, leaving behind a stubborn, very dominant wolf. She bit the corner of her lip.
“Can I go to my apartment and get my stuff?”
“Where is it?”
“Six blocks to the west.”
Tex and Hunter looked at each other, and he waited for Hunter to decide. Another power shift. The dark wolf was one of Chase’s betas; Tex was not.
“Our hotel is just a couple of blocks away. Tex will take you for your clothes. I’ll get a rental car and wait for you there.”
With a plan established, the three stepped out into the darkness, then paused to scent and to listen. Holly went still, her head tilted.
“Anything?” Hunter’s skill was different than hers, and he let her scan.
“There’re a couple of vamps living in the Mission District. They’ve got a few more hours aboveground. That’s it for paranormals.”
Hunter nodded, and they set off down the street. Tex carried both his kit and Holly’s. He surveyed the alleys and side streets while Holly watched the sky. Hunter trailed behind. They moved quietly and swiftly.
“What’s that?” He spotted red lights flashing strobelike in the distance. In moments, the scent of burned rubber and gasoline clogged his nostrils.
“Accident. Probably drunks. The police are there.” At Holly’s words, they veered away into a darkened alley. The wail of sirens announced the arrival of other emergency vehicles. Tex’s ears rang from the commotion. He grinned as Holly and Hunter both covered their ears.
“Looks like you’d better come along with us!” Tex turned away and headed for another side street. Holly and Hunter were still watching the street behind them. He turned back to wait for them.
Tex’s first realization that something was wrong was a flash of light and then a sting, a jolt, and he was on the ground, completely and utterly immobile.
Laughter carried over the noise of the sirens, and a dark figure bolted off down the alley after Holly and Hunter, who’d vanished into the shadows. Above him stood a man nudging Tex’s leg with the tip of his shoe.
He felt nothing.
“Well, that was easy.” The man was dressed in a dark suit. Expensive sunglasses dangled from the pocket of his starched, white shirt. This close, Tex could smell him—the scent that had hovered over the boy in Chase’s office. Unable to control his reactions, he growled, baring his teeth in impotent fury.
“Take it easy, boy.” The man fished in his pocket and came up with a disposable syringe. He twisted the off cap and flung it away.
“Nighty-night.” The needle was plunged into his neck, and Tex knew no more.
They went absolutely still and completely silent. Nevertheless, the litany ran through his head.
Shit, shit, shit. The car wreck had been a diversion. Unable to hear or smell over the sirens and burning rubber, they’d walked right into the trap.
Fear and fury emanated from Holly. She leaned over the edge of the fire escape, clearly planning to leap down onto the man below them. Hunter caught her arm and shook his head. She leaned dangerously far out, peering down the alley.
“They’ve loaded him into a car!” she whispered.
“They won’t leave. Not yet. They want us all.”
“Hunter, we can’t just leave him!”
He clenched his jaw. The city wasn’t his territory. The rules were strange and different here. Noises and smells confused him, and the familiar feeling of helpless impotence flooded him. As they watched, the sinister black sedan began to cruise slowly down the street. A powerful spotlight bathed the rubble and trash of the alley. Fortunately they seemed to have only the one car. Hunter crouched and focused every fiber of his being on Tex. He let the other man’s familiar scent wash over him. He bathed his senses in his partner’s aura—his very essence. He made the connection and held on tight. Even if they were out of reach, he’d be able to track his partner.
When the two men in the alley vanished, Hunter led Holly back down to the ground.
“Follow the car.”
“But—”
“The car, Holly. The men and the car will stay close. We need to stay close too.”
“I’m shifting. I can hunt better that way.”
He nodded, watching dispassionately as she slipped out of
her clothing and stashed it behind a cardboard box. She picked up the two kits that Tex had dropped and hid them as well.
“You too.”
He simply shook his head. It wasn’t acceptable. When he shifted, he killed.
But maybe that’s what needs to happen.
No. His wolf was simply too dangerous. He couldn’t afford to lose control again. The distant memory of blood rose up, and he forced it back.
“You lead me, Holly.”
“You won’t be able to keep up.” She had her jaw set stubbornly. “You have to shift if you want to keep up with me.”
“Stay close to me, Holly. Do not get separated from me!”
She whirled on him. “Damn it, Hunter! He’s my mate. I’m not going to hang back because you’re afraid!” She moved up close and fisted his shirt. In the night, he heard the dull roar of the sedan’s engine. He swallowed.
“Holly, if I kill while I’m human, at least I’m making the decision. If I kill when I’m the wolf, I have no choice! Don’t you understand?” He stared at her bleakly.
She drew even closer and rested a hand on his cheek. “Hunter, don’t you understand that you are the wolf? Don’t you understand that you saved us all? That you’re my hero?”
He could only stare at her. He didn’t understand—not at all.
“We’ll save him, Holly, and we’ll do it without my wolf. But we have to stay together.”
Holly shook her head, dropping her hand from his face. With a single sad look over her shoulder, she shifted and landed smoothly on all fours. Her black fur gleamed under the misty light of the moon, and she melted into the shadows. Without looking back, she moved, and before Hunter could gather his breath, she’d vanished. She was too fast in this form. Too fast for him to follow.
“Damn it, Holly!” He started to run, praying he’d be able to track her by scent. If not, he’d lose them both.
* * *
Tex held very still, though not from a need to disguise the fact that he was awake. Every time he moved the slightest bit, his stomach roiled and pain lanced his head. He was tightly bound, most likely with chains. Some of the more superstitious idiots in Abraxas still believed that shifters were allergic to silver. He tested the bindings on his wrists and bared his teeth in a nasty grin. Silver was softer than many other metals. He felt them give way just a bit.
He was in the trunk of the car, and as it stopped and started again, his stomach lurched. He was unable to catch any scent outside; the myriad smells in the trunk created a disgusting stench. He smelled fear and illness and death. He smelled his own blood. In the few minutes he’d been unconscious, the man who’d Tasered him had also shaved some skin away from a spot on his arm.
The idea of what Abraxas would do with his DNA horrified Tex.
The car stopped. Doors opened and then slammed shut. Two men had gotten into the backseat.
“Any sign?”
“Nope. They bailed on this one. I reckon they’ve headed off to their den.” He spoke with an accent of some sort. English?
“Shit. Our source said they’d be inseparable.”
“Your source was wrong. We may as well head off to the airport. They’ll be happy to have this one; he’s fresh material for the program.”
The car jolted, and Tex gritted his teeth against the pain.
“The woman would be of more use.”
The third man snorted in humor. “Yeah, she would, since the bitches keep dying. It’s hard to make cubs without mothers to carry them.”
Tex growled. They must have heard him, because after a brief silence, all three men laughed.
“That accident was a good idea. Too bad about the bum who staggered in front of that car.”
More laughter.
“Hey… What the fuck!”
The car horn blared, and the sound of shattering glass filled the vehicle. More curses, and then complete, utter silence. Over the stench, Tex scented their fear. The car shuddered to a stop, swaying on its wheels. It rocked and groaned, as though something heavy was on top of the roof.
That was when the screaming started.
* * *
Hunter ran.
He ran until his lungs burned and his heart raced, but he couldn’t catch her. Her scent faded in and out, drifting on the breeze or obscured by the stench of human waste. He ran, fear and frustration battling with his natural instincts to hunt and chase.
He dodged into an alley, lost her scent completely, and vaulted over a parked car, homing in on something else.
Tex.
The scent was faint, but he locked in on the marker, letting every instinct of the wolf wash over him. If he found Tex, he’d find Holly. Hopefully he’d beat her. The idea of Holly confronting men with Tasers and drugs scared the hell out of him.
In frustration he kicked off his boots and stripped out of his jacket, letting it and his shirt fall to the ground. The chill air felt good on his skin, and fear flowed into determination. Confidence. Somewhere a wolf howled, and he knew she was coming fast. He couldn’t let her get there first.
The car was in sight now, just blocks away, prowling through the darkness. It moved a bit faster, picking up speed, and he knew time was running out. They were heading toward the freeway. If they left the surface streets, not even the wolf could keep up.
He ran, his feet pounding the asphalt, his frail human body straining to its limit. He scooped up a rusty pipe from a pile of trash and never lost his pace. He ran until he was behind the car…beside it…and then he gave a mighty leap, sending the pipe through the driver’s window. He shifted, twisting and snarling, and a huge brown wolf landed on the roof of the car.
Hunter scrabbled, clawing for his balance as the car careened around a corner and slowed to a stop. When the door opened and the passenger stepped out, gun in hand, he crouched, then attacked. Flesh gave way, bone broke, and he let go of the body to turn to the next. The man was out of the car and running. He’d dropped his gun on the wet ground; it spun and skittered across the asphalt. And then he was on top of the killer, his weight dropping the human to the pavement easily.
He caught sight of Holly; she’d just attacked the driver and was dragging him through the broken window. A scream pierced the night air and then stopped abruptly as her powerful teeth tore into him. A spray of blood rained through the air, black and oily in the darkness.
The man under Hunter scrambled out from beneath him and lunged for the abandoned gun. Hunter let him get just inches away before closing his jaws on the man’s wrist, shattering bone and severing arteries. He shrieked, and Hunter clamped his sharp teeth on the man’s neck, crushing his trachea.
And then it was over. He stood panting over the man, watching as he died. He snarled, knowing that that was the last thing the killer saw before he died.
Sickened, Hunter shifted back to human, and he swayed with exhaustion and adrenaline. He looked down at his arms and hands, stunned to find them clean. He touched his mouth and felt no blood. He took a deep breath and let it out. He’d done what he needed to do and had kept control of the wolf. He touched his face again, feeling the trail of tears down his cheek.
“Hunter?” Holly was at the back of the car, struggling to open the trunk. He shook his head to clear it and leaned into the driver’s seat, where he found the latch that released the trunk. In moments Tex was out, staggering, his hands over his belly. She hovered around him, touching and stroking his arms and his body. She pulled the tattered remains of the chains from his wrists.
“Oh dayum.” He turned away and placed one hand against a rough brick wall. “Seriously, my head hurts too bad to barf.” He breathed through his mouth, taking deep, gulping breaths. Hunter turned away and looked at the bodies scattered in the alley. He hadn’t realized how tight the space had been when he attacked. It really had been the perfect location for a fight.
But now…
“We need a cleanup.”
Tex and Holly moved to his side, looking at the battered car and its
former passengers. Dawn wasn’t long off, and not even Eva and Harte could get there in time to help clear the scene. Fortunately there wasn’t much blood.
With a loud sigh, Tex bent down, hefted a body, and dumped it into the trunk of the car. “Fuck. My head.” He leaned against the car and rested his head on the cool metal.
“Ethan and Kurt usually handle cleanup. Ethan can always talk his way out of trouble with the police.” Hunter pulled out his phone and sent a quick text message. “If we leave now, we can get to I-5 before dawn. They can meet us in Dixon or someplace like that.”
Hunter lifted the second man while Holly dragged the third over. Obviously this model of car was favored by Abraxas for its expansive trunk space. There was plenty of room for three. He slammed the lid.
“Clothes. We need clothes.”
“Can you drive?” Tex eyed him doubtfully. “I’m still seeing double. Maybe triple.” He looked queasy and weak.
Hunter nodded.
“There’s a small bag here.” Holly lifted the case onto the backseat of the car. She opened it and tossed a T-shirt and sweatpants up to Hunter. He hated the stench of the humans but dragged the clothes on anyway. He brushed bits of shattered windshield to the floor, then slid into the driver’s seat. The car was still running. Tex climbed into the passenger side of the car and leaned his head back against the headrest.
“Getting Tasered sucks. I think that thing was loaded for elephant. They gave me drugs too.” He sounded decidedly sorry for himself.
Hunter snorted. He was well familiar with Abraxas’s shock treatments. Holly crawled over the seats and slid onto the bench seat between the men. She was stark naked.
“Put your seat belt on, Tex. You have any idea where you lost your pants, Hunter? We’ll need your wallet if we get pulled over.”
He looked at her in shock.
“And we’ll need money for the bridge tolls. And I’m sort of hungry.”
Tex groaned at the mention of food.
“My stuff is just a block or two from that wreck…”
Doms of Dark Haven 2: Western Night Page 19