by Lia Davis
“I think if I had known Brutus was a bear, I would have been concerned about her, too.”
Although Jenny knew she could approach the herd, and every part of her wanted to go up to Lars, she would send the wrong signals to visitors, and she didn’t need questions from rangers. A couple of days into this world and she already knew the gauntlet she had to run to keep everyone safe.
Morning turned to afternoon, and as her shift ended, Lars stood and staggered off the common and up the hill. He stopped to glance at her once before leaving with the herd following.
Her shift finally ended and by the time she went home, changed, and packed a bag. Lars waited for her outside her dorm. “You are beautiful.”
She ran to him, pulled his face to hers, and kissed him hard. “All better?”
“Well enough to take care of the raging needs coming off my mate in waves.” He lifted the bag from her shoulder. “We’ll have to discuss living arrangements.”
“What is wrong with the cabin?”
“Nothing, if it’s where you want to be.”
“The cabin works for me.” She’d never needed a big house or material things.
“When is your next day off?”
“Thursday.”
“We’ll move you in, then. We can head into town and get things to make the cabin more homey.”
“The only thing I need to make anything more homey is you. Besides, once I am more in tune with my other side, we can sleep out under the stars more often.”
“I can’t wait. But, for the time being, we should stay inside. We think we captured all the hunters, but we can’t be sure. Until we are, the herd is still confined to buildings at night.”
“What happened to the man who shot you?”
“His body has been discovered outside the park.”
“He’s dead.”
He nodded. “Had I gotten to him first, I would have gored him through the heart. I might not like hunting, but I understand the need for it. This is neither hunting season nor a place where it is ever legal. Everything aside, he had my mate in his scope.”
“I worry about repercussions for the park.”
“There will be none. The wolves found his companions with guns inside the park. The bears helped escort them to the local authorities.”
As they came within a couple of hundred yards of the cabins, the music and laughter of a giant party could be heard. She paused and gripped his shirt for dear life. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”
“Ready for what?” He glanced at her, one eyebrow raised.
“Ready to meet your people, to deal with the scrutiny.”
“First, they are our people. Second, I think you’ll find less scrutiny than you think.”
“Erin said the very thing.”
“She is my strongest beta. I’d believe her. You are stronger than you think. And you know them. Maybe you don’t know them in their human forms, but you have watched over their elk forms, over their young, for two seasons. They adore you already.”
She didn’t want to get into this again. She already knew some were not happy, but she had strength enough to deal with them. Growing up, it had been her and her father. She had few friends, and it wasn’t until she started working for the Department of Forestry she found those likeminded people who understood her. Now she had a group who she belonged to. She had no control over whether they accepted her or not.
Erin stepped forward, hugged Jenny, and took the bag Lars carried. “She is making the point that although she is top beta, you are the alpha’s mate,” he murmured.
The girl who had shown no liking for her came forward, her head slightly lowered. “Alpha.”
“Amanda.”
“I came to apologize to you, Jenny,” she said, her voice low and shaky. “I shouldn’t have attacked you. I’ll admit I was jealous, but whatever the fates declare for our alpha, I must accept. And I should have had faith in him. When you shifted yesterday, I knew how wrong I had been.” The woman trembled. “If you ask me to leave the park, I’ll be gone in the morning.”
“Leave the park?”
Lars rested a hand on the small of her back. “As my mate, you decide who stays, who joins the herd, and the punishments for those who act against the herd.”
“But you are alpha.”
“I am, but elk are run by the women. We understand the true power is in those who create life. My job is to protect and govern, but it is yours to make sure the herd is taken care of.”
“Of course you can stay, Amanda,” Jenny said, because why wouldn’t she? But she and Lars would have to have a long discussion about what other jobs were hers.
She met more people than she could remember, had a long chat with Quinn and Shauna, and realized although she and Quinn were both mated to shifters, their situations couldn’t be more different. She didn’t broach the fact she could shift with her friend but assumed her husband had mentioned it. Perhaps one day she would feel in a better place to discuss it openly, but she needed more time to come to terms with her changes herself.
Two hours later, Lars signaled her to join him in the cabin. “Are you all right?” she asked, pulling up his shirttails to examine his wound.
He stilled her hands. “I’m fine, but it’s time for me to be with my bride.”
“Oh?”
“Our mating night was cut short by your inner beast finding itself. The next morning, the hunter had me in his scope, and tonight there were too many people vying for your attention, when all I wanted to do was to throw you over my shoulder and have my way with you in here.”
“I wish you had.”
Clothes fell to the floor as each of them fought the other to get to buttons and zippers first. When they were gloriously naked, he lifted her into his arms and eased her down onto his erection. No need to ask if she was ready; with their link now complete, if one had a need, so did the other. One ready to mate, the other couldn’t wait. He walked them to the bed. “Bottom or top?”
“Top,” she panted, holding on as he lowered her to the bed. He lay beneath her and gasped as he brought her down deep and hard onto his cock. The friction against her clit heightened her need but didn’t offer enough to bring her to satisfaction. He took one of her breasts into his mouth, sucking until she believed she would lose her mind. He repeated the action on the other and, as she threw back her head in pleasure, he gripped her hips hard.
The pressure increased as he forced her to take more of him and brought her to the brink. He pressed harder and deeper until she whimpered. She may be on top, but he held the reins. “Tell me what you want.”
“You,” she managed through gritted teeth, fighting him for control.
“You have me. Tell me what you need.”
“I need to come,” she demanded.
Gripping her hair, he brought her lips to his and kissed her hard and demanding. His hips tilted, and he hit the right spot but pulled away too quickly for her to take her pleasure. He repeated the action, over and over, until she thought she would lose her mind. Then he lifted her face away from his, met her eyes, and took one last thrust. They both crested together, eyes locked, until the pleasure became too great.
They shook and came down from their orgasms. Lying in bed at his side, she knew they would be locked forever in each other’s arms. She belonged where she hadn’t before, and he would always understand her. She had the large family she’d always wanted, and this man, this alpha would see to her every need while she saw to his.
They would figure out life hand in hand. But life could wait. For now, all she wanted was to sleep, his heart beating in perfect time with hers.
The End
Note from the Author
Welcome to the world of the Shifters of Yellowstone. Though this is the third story in my series, please know each story stands on its own, with its own happily ever after. You can catch up with the bears in their stories Bear with Me and Bearing the Hunger. So, whether this is your first visit to this world
or your third, happy reading.
About the Author
Award Winning Author, Dominique Eastwick grew up a US Navy Brat, so if there was a Naval base that was probably home. She currently resides in North Carolina with her husband, two children, crazy lab and lazy cat.
www.DominiqueEastwickAuthor.com
Choices
H.M. McQueen
I dedicate this story to my dear author friends Jordan K. Rose and Ciara Knight. Thank you for believing in me and your constant support.
Chapter 1
Thanks to the streetlights, Roderick Bronan could see what went down clearly. Not everyday one got to witness a sex against the wall scene. His Gore-Tex biker boots crunched noisily on the gravel as he moved closer. Cue the loud throat clearing. Nope, the couple was too busy going at it and didn't hear him approach.
The blue tinge of the male’s skin was a clear giveaway. A dark Fae, more commonly called a demon. Shit, sometimes killing one could be awkward. Like right now, for instance. Did he clear his throat again and allow the couple to disengage before striking down the male? Or maybe behead the fucker while he was in full throttle. Either way, it would probably send the female into hysterics.
Shit.
The woman moaned, definitely enjoying the tryst. "What are you doing?" his partner's voice hissed in his earpiece.
Roderick moved away from the couple. Other than some pretty gritty sex, the male was not feeding on the woman. She wasn't in danger at the moment. "I'm trying to decide when to kill a demon. Before or after they get off."
Cynden Fraser's Scottish-accented voice came across loud and clear. "I hate when that happens. Why don't people get a room? Heading your way now, nothing much going down over here."
Instead of watching the action, Roderick stalked around the corner and leaned on the building. He pulled his headphones on and an instant later Dr. Dre's voice boomed in his ears. Who would have thought a centuries-old Spartan would be listening to rap at night while stalking around the moonlit streets of Atlanta hunting monsters that came out to kill, fuck or just cause trouble when needing to feed.
Then there was the messed up realization humans, his original race, were more like cattle upon which others preyed. And wasn't that a bitch?
That he could separate himself from all of them, human or otherwise, was sometimes good. Sure he was immortal and from a people that no longer existed but, first and foremost, he'd been human. Funny what centuries of living did to a person.
Out of the corner of his eye, his partner came into view. Spitting out sunflower seed shells as he scanned the side streets. No one would be stupid enough to bother the huge Scot. Blond with icy blue eyes, he'd never be mistaken for anything other than a badass biker.
Roderick cut off his music and waited for Cyn to approach. As his partner passed the side street, the Scot peered in and his eyebrows hitched. His lips twitched as he approached Roderick. "Damn they're having a good time. Too bad for them, it’s about to be interrupted." He motioned with his head across the street where a patrol car pulled up and two officers got out. With purposeful strides, the cops crossed the street toward the couple.
Other than a wary glance in their direction, the boys in blue continued on toward the still oblivious couple.
Cyn laughed. "Someone must have reported them. Good citizens trying to get a good night's sleep and what do they hear? Sex noises outside their window."
Roderick nodded. "Someone's head banging against the glass is sure to interrupt a good slumber. Look, let's go check that out." He watched a new scene unfold across the street. Dark-figured intruders climbed through a second story window. "Check that out."
"Why would anyone break into an abandoned warehouse? Hmmm, maybe it's a party. I'm hurt we didn't get invited." Cyn continued rambling as they went around the back of the industrial looking building. "Could be one of those clubs that fly under the radar. Gotta love the Atlanta nightlife."
"Shut up Cyn," Roderick whispered as they approached from the dark alleyway.
"Shutting."
"Too many of them," Roderick said. They looked through a half-broken, dirty window.
A couple dozen demons congregated inside. They'd collected old couches and tables. Not seeming comfortable, they moved around the large room not speaking to each other. Instead, they appeared to be waiting for some sort of announcement.
"Looks like some sort of meeting," Cyn whispered. "I'll buzz Thor and the Moor." He jogged away to make the call.
Thanks to their keen night vision, darkness was their friend. Not only did the world become clearer, but also every action seemed magnified, as if slower. As the Protectors burst through the doorway into the large, dank warehouse, chaos broke out.
Swords were drawn, the sounds of metal slashing out of scabbards resounding as if choreographed. The flashes of the meager light reflected off the long blades adding to the ambience of danger and beauty. It was a dark beauty, which could only be appreciated by killers and fighters.
Thor's battle roar echoed louder than the curses and groans of pain. Roderick's long, silver hair sailed around him as his sword sliced through a demon that flew at him. Just as a demon went to cut Cyn down, the stealthy Moor, whose presence had yet to register to most of the fighters, took it down.
Outside, a car drove by, its loud thumping of the bass speakers filtering into the room; the bumps of each drumbeat sending vibrations into the empty warehouse. Cyn growled as he pulled his broadsword from the chest of a demon and lifted it up across his face to deflect a strike.
From across the room, Roderick met Thor's luminescent gaze for a second. Both turned to the side and simultaneously cut down demons, then looked back at each other and grinned like idiots.
Roderick crossed the space and scanned the area to ensure they'd not missed anything. Thor looked past him to where Cyn fought three. "Should we help him?"
"Nah, he needs the training," Roderick replied, but kept an eye on his partner to ensure he wasn't in trouble. "Looks like he’s down to two now."
Thor nodded, attention on a nasty gash on his left shoulder. "One of the bloody bastards got lucky."
"Getting slow, Viking?"
"Fuck you." Thor frowned. "Where's the Moor? He better not have left me."
"Rode bitch?"
"Hell no. We were out in his Jeep. Night off, were about to have dinner."
It was hard to picture a Viking and a silent Moor out to dinner. Maybe a biker bar or a diner, but he couldn't picture them at Olive Garden.
Cyn neared, his chest expanding and contracting with each breath. "You fuckers could have given me a hand."
Thor shrugged and Roderick attempted not to laugh. “Yeah? We figured you had matters under control. Thor got sliced, so I was checking on him."
“Whatever. Since when did you become Florence Nightingale?” Cyn stalked away. "We need to get rid of any bodies left."
With daggers fisted, they struck the demons in the chest. Immediately, each one evaporated; blue smoke the only evidence they'd existed. Well, that and the smell, a combination of rotted eggs and tar.
They hurried through a now doorless entryway. Roderick took a deep breath when they walked outside. "That's some awful shit."
A black Jeep pulled up and Cyn neared it. The Moor, with long dreads and a scowl, hitched his chin in greeting. It was the closest to a bright smile they'd ever get from him.
"Hey. Where you going to eat?" Cyn was oblivious to the Moor's scowl. "I'm hungry."
Thor answered for his partner. "We were heading to an all night diner. He likes one of the waitresses."
The comment earned him a scowl, but other than that, silence as usual.
"I don't think we need to be around anyone right now. We stink," Roderick told them.
Cyn nodded. "True. I'm thinking we're more along the lines of ordering pizza right now."
Roderick looked back to the building. "They're organizing. Never seen so many coming together. We should let Julian know."
&n
bsp; "Maybe it was a one time thing," Cyn said. But by his lowered brows, he'd thought the same thing.
Thor let out a groan. "That's all we need. If hundreds of them get organized, we're screwed.”
The truth was stark at times.
Chapter 2
Atlanta holiday traffic was a killer. Rachel Andrews held her breath and floored the accelerator to get from in between two tractor-trailers. Her cell phone chirped and she hit the answer key on her steering wheel while watching a car zigzag between two other cars in an attempt to get to the nearest exit.
"Hello."
"Hey girl, did you make it out of town yet?" Her best friend Deborah's voice came over the car speakers. In the background, she could hear the hum of voices and jazz. Her friend worked part-time at a local club as a bartender on weekends. It made Rachel smile to know the PhD liked to spend her days off pouring drinks. "Hellooo?" Deborah repeated.
"Hell no, I'm not out of town. It's bumper-to-bumper traffic. I'm barely past Alpharetta. I figure another few miles and the traffic should cut down drastically. Not many people go to the wine country for the holidays. This time of year, it’s cold and rainy."
"I still can't believe you're going alone. Why would you want to spend Thanksgiving by yourself in a cabin? I'm so sorry I had to cancel, but with my parents visiting from Chicago..."
"Stop apologizing. I'm looking forward to a week in the mountains. I plan to catch up on sleep and reading."
"Sounds delightful." There was a wistfulness in Deborah's voice. They talked for a few minutes and by the time her friend hung up, the traffic had lightened up considerably.
The setting sun made it hard to see clearly. Rachel dug in her purse with one hand then cursed when the bag fell off the seat and onto the floorboard with all of the contents spilling. Thankfully, there was a wide shoulder so she pulled over.