by Marie Harte
“Or me,” Jesse added.
“You kept putting yourself in danger. It was driving me nuts.” He glanced away from Kate to Jesse. “Jesse and I knew we needed to do something. When I realized he wanted you as much as I did, it all made sense.”
Jesse cleared his throat. “We petitioned Eric to make you take your own pack.”
She blinked. “You did?”
“We wanted you, but you were hiding behind Prime. And his head was so far up his own ass about his mates, he couldn’t see how much trouble you were getting into.”
“Well—”
“Kate, Will nearly captured you when he tried to kidnap Vicki. And what about all your unsafe trips into the woods to spy on us?”
“You two fuck like clockwork,” she said.
Logan could feel her amusement at his discomfort. It made no sense, but around Kate, he’d always felt a little bashful about admitting to her what he and Jesse did. No wonder Jesse made so much fun of him. Even for a Ravager, Logan’s weird feelings were, well, weird.
Jesse turned on his side and positioned Kate closer to him, making her straddle Logan so he could look up at her. He nodded to Logan. “We have to fuck a lot. He needs it.”
“I do not,” Logan argued. “I just like sex.”
“Yeah, and you need it.” To Kate he said, “If our mate doesn’t get it regularly, he’s not right at all. It seriously messed with his guer when we went without for so long, waiting on you. Shut up, Logan. It’s true.”
Logan tried to rise but Kate wouldn’t let him. She clamped those strong thighs around his waist and held tight.
“Kate, it’s not true.”
“It is,” Jesse said firmly. “It’s not a weakness, it’s who you are. Deal with it.”
Kate kissed Logan’s chest. “Don’t be angry, Logan. I like any excuse to make love to you.”
“Make love?” His eyes searched hers. Though he felt it, and she’d said it, he wanted proof he wasn’t just an obligation. A weakness that had to be coddled or protected. It pissed him the hell off when Jesse made such a big deal about his raging libido. All Ravagers needed to fuck. So what, Logan did too. But when Kate said make love, he could feel that she literally meant the love part.
“Have sex?”Kate offered.
“Make love.” His wide grin made her smile. “I like that. Now if we can get Jesse to use those exact words, we’ll have made a miracle.”
Jesse flipped him off. “Fuck you.”
“That’s next on my list.” Kate licked her lips. “I’ve lain awake at nights, unable to sleep, fantasizing about watching you two up close, directing you. I want to push Jesse’s cock up your ass, Logan. I want to watch Logan lick you all over, Jesse. Everything I say, you do.”
“Yeah?” Jesse’s erection brushed Logan’s hip. And he was the one always needing sex? “So what do we get if we make all your fantasies come true, Kate?”
Logan felt her anticipation, and he groaned when she rocked that warm pussy over his arousal.
“You make my dreams come true, and I’ll do the same for you.” She leaned down and put her wet pussy in direct contact with his dick. Logan couldn’t help himself and shoved up inside her. “Yeah, that’s good, Logan.”
But she didn’t move.
“Fuck, Kate.”
“Oh we will. But I know what you two really want. You want to take me together. All of us joined.”
“Yeah.” Jesse held himself in a tight grip.
“Then I guess it’ll be one huge orgy when we get home, hmm?” She purred as she took Logan to bliss, then did the same to Jesse. For as much as they’d come inside her, Logan knew they might have started new life inside his mate. Though most females wouldn’t conceive during a first heat, the new queen’s hormones had been having a strange effect on the females in the clan. Women were popping up pregnant all over the place, and Logan could almost smell Kate’s ripeness. The thought of her carrying his or Jesse’s young thrilled him to no end. And that made him even more determined to keep Will Lawless far away from Kate.
Jesse reached for his hand and pressed a kiss to his palm, for once leaving his guer wide open. “We’ll take care of her, Logan. Ours, finally. And we’re not letting her go.”
Logan nodded, in lust, in love and in danger of losing his mind should anything happen to Kate or Jesse. Now more than ever, he would be strong. He refused to be the weak link anymore. And in their new pack, he didn’t have to bow to anyone. Not the Prime, his guard, or their queen.
He’d rip Lawless apart one inch at a time if the male looked the wrong way at Kate. Voids love him if he didn’t.
* * * * *
Will Lawless waited for his contact at the police department to show. He’d been searching for a press release for hours, but for some reason the Salinas were keeping quiet about the woman’s death at the hotel.
An average-looking man rounded the corner and nodded. “Evening.”
“Well?”
The man glanced over his shoulder then around him. “Word had it Chen interrupted everything.”
Will didn’t know what to say. This was one angle he hadn’t anticipated. “Chen? What the hell would a crime boss want with three insignificant Ravagers?”
The cop shrugged. “No one knows. The girl’s death has been swept under the rug as a random attack. They’re playing it like a druggie gone crazy. No hint of Voider involvement, though as soon as it hits the tabloids that’s all they’ll be talking about.”
Will swore and nodded at the cop to leave.
“Same time and place?” the cop asked.
“Yes, yes.”
The man practically ran from the alley, overjoyed he’d receive payment soon enough. The bastard got off on pain, and it took little for Will to hurt him. Frail humans. So undeserving. For a simple ass fuck and a few scratches, the human would sell out his fellow officers and do anything Will needed.
Had the humans been less concerned about presenting a good face to one and all, the cop could have found the freedom to live in the open about his wants and needs, like most Ravagers. Eric Savage might be a complete shit, and a stupid one at that, but at least he’d had the balls to take a human as mate out in the open.
Though Will hated his guts, he also respected the male for his grit. Savage was wrong, but had conviction.
But none of that mattered, now that Will’s prey had gone to ground. He’d need to get with some of his older contacts to flush Kate from wherever it was Chen had hidden her. The sooner he had her away from the other Ravagers, the better. He didn’t much care if one of them happened to get her pregnant. He’d rid her of the pup easily enough, but some females could be fierce about their young. And if he was forced to abort her fetus, he’d have to work that much harder to earn her loyalty.
He didn’t want to invest that much time in a breedmate. Not unless he absolutely had to. Will had other plans. Other hungers to assuage. He headed for the Tombs, knowing he’d find what he sought there. And if he were lucky, he might just find Kate as well. There’d be time enough to kill Logan and Jesse Savage later. And then the rest of the cards would start falling into place. He was sure of it.
* * * * *
They spent the remainder of their short time together fucking, laughing and finally getting clean. Of course, the small shower dared them to be at their most creative. Logan had banged his head and scraped his knees, but he’d had Kate begging for mercy before he’d fucked her good and hard.
A few blowjobs for Jesse and his mate was in a mellow, sated frame of mind.
They all dressed and lay together on the bed. Kate stroked Logan and Jesse wherever she could reach, giving them the soothing contact they needed. Ravagers loved touch, but being handled by his sexy mate made everything right. Logan loved Jesse like nothing else, but Jesse wasn’t soft. He rarely did gentle or tender. Rough, domineering, sexy and hard. The man could be brutal, a stone-cold killer if need be. But he was always there for Logan, no matter what. So Logan could wait on tha
t “I love you”.
Through his guer Logan shared with Kate his concerns, and she understood. They’d both somehow been corrupted by sentimental humans. Logan’s parents had cared for one another, but they hadn’t loved. Not like the people did here. Not like he did Jesse and Kate.
Life in the homeworld had been filled with fun and play. Carefree affection that had gotten them all but killed when the Dekken arrived to slaughter everything in their city.
Through blind chance he’d found one of the Voids deep in the Ravager forest. He’d landed in Cross Step just a few years after Jesse, just in time for Eric to make him pack. Their years together had only strengthened their bond. In the serious-minded male, Logan had found someone to share with, confide in and care for.
Someone who needed him.
They hadn’t talked much about Jesse’s past, but Logan knew it hadn’t been anything like his. Logan had a feeling Jesse’s pack had been brutal. One of the traditionalist savages living out in the wild, away from civilization. For all that the people on earth called Ravagers animals, the homeworld had been filled with an advanced social structure.
Yet some, like Jesse’s family, tried to live as the animals in their guer. Too much human or too much animal could make a Ravager weak. Just like too little sex could craze the mind.
Logan studied his companions with a sigh, wishing he wasn’t always the one needing help. But from the beginning, he’d needed more attention, wanted for sexual care. Otherwise, he had trouble focusing. His guer simply needed to exercise that very physical part of him. And the Voids knew he’d been quite popular finding his way. Until Jesse had taken him under his wing.
Though they’d shared their sexuality with other males, namely the prime and his second, Jesse was always there to watch or take part. A protective lover, a determined friend.
“Relax, Logan. It’s okay,” Kate said as she petted his arm.
Jesse gave him a sharp glance.
“I’m fine, just eager to get back and make all your dreams come true,” he teased her.
She shivered, and the concern on Jesse’s face turned into lust. That quickly, arousal returned.
The scrape of metal outside the bedroom shattered the sense of intimacy, if not the mood. Someone banged on the door.
“Yeah?” Jesse called out and stood protectively between them and whoever was behind the door.
Logan sighed, wondering just when Jesse would start to see him as more than someone to protect, but to stand beside.
Kate glared. “Hey, I can defend myself you know. Why all the caution? Logan, I thought you said Chen was a great guy?”
Logan smiled at her, amused that Jesse’s defense annoyed her too. “I honestly liked him, but he’s still Tommy Chen. Relax, Kate. We know you can handle yourself.” He shot Jesse a look to behave. “But it makes us feel big and manly to protect you.” Logan joined Jesse, adding another body between Kate and the door.
She huffed. “Whatever. Just try not to get blood all over me if you need to get rough.”
“I like rough,” Jesse muttered and tore off his shirt. He shifted into his guer in seconds. In this form, his muscles grew, his bones elongated, and he sprouted fur, fangs and claws. His eyes were midnight black that shone in the dark. Logan felt a huge wave of lust crash over him all over again.
“Wow, is he sexy or what?” She gripped Jesse’s ass and his cock rose.
He chuckled and swore. “Damn, girl. It’s going to be hard to look threatening when my dick is leading the way.”
Logan glanced down to see his own erection bulging in his jeans. “True, but maybe you can disarm the enemy by taunting them with that huge cock.” Logan stayed in his human form with Kate, ready to deal with Chen if he needed to. He’d always found a sharp mind almost, if not more, important than sharp claws.
The door opened and the familiar scent of home wafted through. Dominic Savage, the prime’s mate and second in command, stood with a few of their clan at his back. Dom took a deep breath and smiled. Logan knew what that grin could do to his libido, and he glanced quickly at Kate to see how she reacted.
But his mate only stepped closer behind him and scratched his back with comforting, sharp nails. Her guer settled his but not Jesse’s apparently, because Jesse hadn’t turned back into his human skin.
Kate patted his back and Jesse growled a warning for the others to keep away and slowly shifted back.
“Claimed them both, eh, Kate?” Dom’s smile was genuine.
“Yes, I did.”
“Good.” Dom strode forward and took Jesse in a huge hug that lifted him off the ground. Seeing that, the rest of the small party entered and gave congratulations. Yet they kept their respectful distance from Kate.
Pleased, Logan returned the slaps and handshakes and hugs.
“Damn. Guess this means you’re off limits now?” one of them asked Logan. “Kate doesn’t look like the type to share.”
“I’m not,” she snapped, and the Ravager grinned at her with a good-natured leer.
Jesse stepped back, keeping her behind him. “Settle down, Kate. Terry’s just teasing.” He focused on Dom. “So you know what’s going on then?”
Dom nodded. “I’m up to speed. Now let’s get you three back home where you belong.” As they walked, Logan noted the empty warehouse. Dom shook his head at him. “Logan, I’m just warning you. Eric is beyond upset you were implicated in a human murder. It’s taken Vicki and Malcolm nearly sitting on his ass to keep him from hunting Will down and ripping his head off.”
The other Ravagers behind them muttered their approval of the idea.
“Why doesn’t he?” Kate asked.
Jesse answered, “Because that’s my job.”
Logan blew out a loud breath. “Our job.”
“Right. Sorry. Our job,” Jesse agreed and shocked Logan into missing a step. “As your mates, it’s up to us to seek retribution. You’re used to the old pack, when Eric led. But this is your pack, Kate. We’re your protectors now, so it’s on us to make this thing with Lawless end the right way.”
“What right way? Just rip his guts out and be done with it,” Kate barked.
“Now that’s a real Ravager female,” Terry said with approval.
Logan didn’t like his tone and shoved an elbow in his gut.
Terry coughed. “Easy, Logan. Damn, I’m not touching. Just admiring.”
“From a fucking distance,” Jesse growled.
Kate grinned.
Dom groaned. “Save me from the idiocy of the newly mated.”
“Um, Dom? Didn’t you just get tied to Prime, the queen and Malcolm a month ago?” Terry asked.
“Yeah, so I know what the hell I’m talking about.” Dom glared at Terry, who quickly slid to the rear of the group. “Now let’s get home. Being in this dump sets my teeth on edge.”
“Now is that any way to talk about the man who saved your kin?” Tommy Chen stepped out of the shadows. A dozen of his men stood behind him, armed to the teeth.
Dom didn’t break stride. He walked right up into Chen’s space. “Problem?”
“Not at all. I just found myself ending a meeting earlier than expected and thought I’d send my well-wishes to your happy little group.”
Chen’s men snickered.
Damn if the lot of them didn’t project “mean” like a marked scent. Logan moved closer to Kate, ready to tear into anyone who so much as breathed wrong in her direction.
Chen stood with his arms crossed, a smirk on his face. His dark eyes had a weird shine, an iridescent green that appeared and disappeared at random in his pupils. The guy was as big as any Ravager in human form, and he had muscles on top of muscles. Logan had found him a surprisingly pleasant and intelligent host.
“Logan, good luck. Jesse, Kate.” Chen nodded to each of them as if Dom and the rest of their clan weren’t there. “And Logan, make sure to tell Vicki we’re done. But if she even thinks about working for her ex-client again, I’m not going to be as forgiving.”<
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Logan knew Vicki had a history with Chen. The first time they’d met her, she’d been on the run from the crime lord. Apparently she’d stolen something from the guy on behalf of a client, and Chen was a less than forgiving Voider. Couple that with his warning against Vicki—not just their queen, but Dom’s mate as well—and Logan expected trouble.
He wasn’t surprised when Dom started to shift into his guer. The prime’s personal guard, Dom was a formidable male, the only blond in the entire clan, and a Ravager with psychic gifts that protected his prime and his mates like no other could. Chen threatening Vicki wasn’t a smart move.
“Not a wise thing to say just now.” Logan was aware his fangs were showing. He didn’t like anyone threatening their queen either.
Chen, the bastard, smiled and stepped right into Dom’s space. “Easy, Dominic. I meant no disrespect, only a reminder to stay clear of my business unless you want real problems.”
Before Dom could rip Chen’s head from his neck, Chen latched onto Dom’s upraised wrist, and Dom’s transformation stopped mid-form. Chen’s tattoos began swirling around his forearms, the ink almost alive. Dom stared as if hypnotized.
“Time for the Savages to go,” Kate said in a loud voice, and the scent of her need broke through the thick tension in the room.
Chen blinked, released Dom and stepped back.
Logan didn’t understand what the fuck was happening, but his guer didn’t like it. Chen felt wrong, powerful, dangerous. He seconded Kate’s idea. Time to go. “We’ll give Vicki the message.”
Dom stumbled. Logan and the clan gathered around him for support, keeping Kate safely in their midst.
To Logan’s surprise, he saw that Chen’s men continued to remain in the background. Not one of them had stepped forward to interfere.
“Nice guards you have there,” Jesse said wryly.