“What happened?” Troy demanded as he joined them.
“Wra,” Doug growled.
“I’m going after him,” Troy said, his voice full of cold fury.
“No!” Doug stopped Troy. “I think we’d better take Marcy home.”
“Yes, please, take me back to your house,” Marcy said, her voice reflecting her distress. “Just take me back.”
“Of course,” Troy said. He put a hand at her back as Doug supported her with his hand under her forearm.
Once they were in the truck Troy drove straight home.
Doug hoped she waited until they were inside the house before she asked any questions. He wanted her safe at their house before they told her the truth. Finally, they arrived at their driveway.
“What’s that car doing here?” she asked, sounding shaky and suspicious.
“We ordered it for you so you could drive around town in a new car,” Doug said. “We thought you’d enjoy having a Bugatti like ours.”
She didn’t say anything, just stared as if it didn’t mean anything. Doug worried about her. Seeing Wra morph had been quite a shock to her. The reality of it was probably impossible for her to grasp yet. They should have told her sooner that they were werewolves. They might have been able to soften the blow, and she wouldn’t be suffering such grief.
“Let’s go inside, hon, and we can talk about what happened,” Troy said. He took the keys out of the ignition and Doug helped her out of the truck.
She started up the walk to the front door and stumbled. Doug caught her.
“I’m all right,” she said, pulling against his hands.
He let go of her and followed her to the front entry. Troy unlocked the door and they all walked inside.
“We need to explain what happened,” Doug said. “You need to know.”
“Let’s go in the kitchen and get a drink,” Troy suggested.
She headed that way, moving like a sleep walker.
Doug grabbed bottles of soda from the fridge and poured them into glasses. He added some wine to each one and stirred in some ice. “Here, babe, this will help.”
She grasped the glass and took a big swallow of the mixed drink.
“Before we say anything more, Marcy, we need to tell you how much we have grown to love you,” Doug said. “We never want you to leave us. You mean everything to us.” Doug stopped talking as his voice became rough with emotion. The hurt look in her eyes was killing him. He didn’t know if anything they said would help her.
“I love you, Marcy, as much as Doug does, although I can imagine we’re not what you want in your life right now,” Troy said. “We didn’t mean to hurt you. I promise you that we will love you forever, even though we know we’re not good enough for you. Just know that we will love you for eternity, even if we can’t have you with us, or if you don’t want us now.”
Marcy heard what they were saying, but she couldn’t balance what had happened at the steakhouse with their professions of love. She had thought she loved them, but now all she could feel was confusion about what that horrible old man had said, brutally hurling it at her. The two men she loved had verified what that awful man said about them, and what he changed into as he ran away. Forced to deal with the shocking event and what it meant, their relationship was the last thing she could deal with now. She couldn’t fathom what that old man had said, but especially Doug and Troy saying it was true, basically giving credit to what that horrible man had said about them being monsters like he was.
“We’ll love you forever, Marcy, no matter if you can’t love us back,” Doug said.
She shook her head. “What’s happened,” she began, “is so incredible that I can’t grasp it. I can’t believe it, or what I’ve just heard, not only from that abusive old man, but also from you guys.” She paused and then she continued. “I’m shocked by what you’ve told me. I love you both, but I don’t know what I’m going to do. We’ve worked on some incredible projects, and the most recent is dear to my heart. I have enough money saved, and maybe I should go back to college for a while and finish for my degree.” She paused for a moment, thinking about what had happened and that she was talking about what she would do as if she were in a dream, and would wake up and discover it had all been a nightmare. “The truth is I wanted to live with you both because I had fallen in love with you. At the moment, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I can’t bear to think about never loving you again, or even having to leave you.” She heard Troy and Doug release shaky breaths. “Is this shape-shifting thing real? Are there other people in this town who are shape shifters like you are supposed to be, according to that awful old man?”
“You’ve met Austin and Rex, and they’re shape shifters,” Troy said quietly. “Cheryl knows they’re shifters.”
She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I want to talk to Cheryl. Maybe she will help me make sense of all this craziness. I think I’ll go to bed now and try to get some sleep. I want to call Cheryl first thing tomorrow and see if she has time to talk with me.”
“We wanted to give you something that would show you how much we love you,” Doug said.
Troy reached in his pocket and took out some car keys. “Here are the keys to the car we got for you. It’s a gift we want you to have.”
Tears filled her eyes as they stood quietly waiting for her to accept the keys. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to cry. It’s just a little frustrating how thoughtful you guys are when I’ve been through this mind-blowing shock this evening. I’m just too overwhelmed to make sense of it and come to grips with it.” She accepted the keys from Troy. “Thank you for such an amazing gift. Good night. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Night,” they both said.
After she walked haltingly down the hall and Doug heard her bedroom door close, Doug gave a sigh of relief that she had at least accepted the Bugatti from them. He turned to Troy. “Seeing Marcy so near that bastard this evening at the steakhouse made me aware of exactly how much I care about her.”
“I feel the same way,” Troy said. “The jolt of fear I felt in the pit of my stomach when I saw him standing so close to her, talking to her, shook me to the core. I knew I couldn’t survive if we lost her to the clutches of that murderous criminal.”
“She has become the most important person in our lives,” Doug said. It would kill me if she was hurt, or if anything else bad happened to her. We may have lost her love and trust forever, but we have to keep her safe.”
“We will make sure she’s safe, no matter what the cost to us,” Troy said, his voice rough with his determination. “We need to call Mike and let him know what Wra has done.”
Chapter Seventeen
Marcy paced the width of the big bed in her bedroom. Her bedroom wasn’t really hers though. It belonged to a couple of guys who had just told her they were werewolves. Good god, what was she going to do?
She realized she’d been horribly shocked when the nasty man had hurled what turned out to be the surprising truth at her, and the two guys she loved most in the world had verified what that man said. She’d even been willing to give up her independence and live with Doug and Troy if they’d asked her. Nothing was as it seemed. She had no clue how to deal with what had happened this evening.
The shock of Troy and Doug telling her what they had hidden from her had overwhelmed her. Now she must deal with it, and she didn’t know what she would decide to do. She needed time to think, and to come to some sort of terms with all they’d told her.
She hated to think of actually leaving them. She paced across the bedroom as she thought of all that had happened. She had worked hard with them to accomplish fantastic designs and construction, and it had been amazing. They’d paid her well for her work on the retirement home. She now had enough money saved to pay for attending college and finishing her degree.
Except, the thought of leaving them hurt so much. She couldn’t bear thinking about leaving them. She needed advice. The only person she knew to talk to w
as Cheryl. She’d call her in the morning.
Right now she wanted to collapse on the big bed and sleep. She wanted to forget what had happened tonight.
After finally getting into bed, she tossed and turned. The night was long and sleep didn’t come. By morning she just wanted to get going. She dressed and headed for the kitchen where Doug was already making breakfast.
“How about some coffee?” he asked softly, looking like he wanted to comfort her.
“No thank you. I’m going into town. I need to talk to Cheryl and get a handle on what you guys told me last night. I’ll come to the store after I talk with Cheryl.”
“Okay,” Doug said.
Troy stood at the other side of the kitchen listening. “Be careful,” he said. “We’ll see you at the store.”
“Yes,” she said and turned and headed for the front door. She decided she’d take her own car because she’d be more comfortable in it. Right now she didn’t know if she could accept their gift of the Bugatti. Maybe talking with Cheryl would help her figure out what she should do.
The door to the entrance of the steakhouse and dance hall was open and she walked inside. There were some old cowboys sitting at the bar drinking coffee. She could smell bacon and eggs and the homey atmosphere squeezed her heart.
“Hi,” Cheryl greeted her as she walked quickly toward her. “What’s happened?” she said softly when she reached Marcy. “You look troubled.”
“I found out last evening in a shocking surprise delivered by an old man who was coming out your front door as we were ready to come inside, that Doug and Troy are more than they seem.”
Cheryl put her arm around her. “Come in my office and we can talk.”
Marcy walked down the hall with Cheryl to her office.
“Let’s sit here,” Cheryl said, indicating the comfortable looking sofa against the wall to the side of her desk. She sat down and Marcy joined her.
“Have you talked to Doug and Troy about what happened?” Cheryl asked.
“Yes, they told me a little last night after it happened and talked more when we went straight back to their house. They said that yes, they were werewolves.” Marcy looked up and met Cheryl’s gaze. “I was so shocked by the whole incident that I could hardly deal with what they told me. That’s why I came to talk to you. I thought you could help me figure this all out.”
“What else did they tell you?” she asked, a concerned look in her eyes.
Instead of answering, Marcy asked Cheryl, “Do you know what Austin and Rex are?”
Cheryl nodded. “Yes,” she said without hesitating. “I know that they’re shape shifters. I fell in love with them before I found out, but it didn’t change how much I loved those two crazy guys.” She smiled as she shook her head.
“So they’re werewolves, too?” Marcy asked, amazed.
“No, they’re not,” Cheryl said. “They’re shape-shifters, yes, but one is a jaguar and the other is a black panther.”
“Oh!” Marcy found that interesting in spite of the craziness of all of this. “So, they’re all four shape-shifters, but different animals.”
“Yes,” Cheryl said. “But I haven’t seen that side of them since they rescued me from a dangerous old man who wanted to control the shape-shifters using me to do it.”
“It sounds like the same old man who stopped us last night. The shape-shifter side of them doesn’t make a bit of difference to you, and you love them dearly?” Marcy asked.
“That’s right,” Cheryl said, smiling. “I’m crazy about them. We have a fun and loving life together, and I know they would give their lives for me. That’s how much they love me. I love them just as much. I would rather be with Austin and Rex than anywhere else in the world.”
“That’s the way I felt before all this came up last night,” Marcy admitted. “Now I’m so frazzled by this new reality that I can hardly imagine that living with Troy and Doug would work. At the same time I want to find a way that would make life with them normal, or as normal as possible, considering the circumstances.”
“I can’t tell you what you should do,” Cheryl said. “But I can tell you that I loved them before I found out about their shape shifting, and I still loved them after I found out. It took a little getting used to for me, but our love for each other was so strong, that I decided it was worth working out. And I’m not sorry I did. They are protective of me, yes, but they are also so loving that I couldn’t ask for more. I adore them and they’re very considerate of me. I can’t say for sure if it will work the same for you, but I can say that I haven’t been sorry at all that I decided to stay with them.”
Marcy took a deep breath and sighed. “Thank you for telling me about your experience. I feel so much better now about Troy and Doug and what they are. I’ve read articles about the shape-shifters that people have seen over hundreds of years, but I’d never put any credit in the descriptions or stories. I guess I need to rethink that.” She paused and took another deep breath. “I don’t feel like I need to run away from the situation now. Thank you so much for discussing this with me. I feel so much better. I’m going to go talk to Troy and Doug now and see where they stand with our relationship. They said they cared very much for me. I already know that I love them.”
Cheryl smiled at her. “I think if you give them a chance you’ll be happily amazed. They’re good guys. Don’t be afraid of what they are. They’re wonderful, hardworking, generous men. I hope it works out for you and you find your happiness with them.”
“Thanks, Cheryl.” Marcy smiled at her. “You’re a good friend.”
“If you have any more concerns or questions don’t hesitate to come to me. We gals can always use a good friend.”
Cheryl walked with Marcy to the door of the steakhouse. “Come see me any time,” Cheryl said.
“I will, thanks.” Marcy smiled and started down the steps of the front entrance and headed for her car. She needed to tell Doug and Troy that she could accept them totally, so that they could continue loving her, and she could love them back. She hoped she hadn’t discouraged them to the point that they no longer wanted to have anything to do with her. She hurried to get to her car so she could drive to the store.
“No you don’t,” a gravelly voice said from behind her as her arm was clasped tight and the man’s other arm went around her neck.
“Let me go,” she yelled and tried to slam her elbow backward into the man’s body to make him release her. It didn’t work.
“Shit, she’s strong,” the man rasped.
“I’ll get her,” another man said.
“Let’s get a blindfold on her quick, before she sees us,” a third man said.
“Let me go!” she yelled. Terrified by what was happening, Marcy could only think that she needed to keep fighting them so she could get away. One of them covered her nose and mouth with a rag and tied it behind her head pulling on her hair. She could hardly draw in a breath of air through the rag. Another one blindfolded her.
“Let’s get out of here,” one said, his voice gravelly.
When Marcy continued to struggle, one guy slapped her. The pain slammed across her face as burning aches ricocheted down her neck. She refused to let them know they’d hurt her. She couldn’t yell, but she could kick. She fought as they dragged and pushed her into a truck cab and pushed her down on the floor. Suddenly, the truck jumped forward and it felt like the tires were racing down the highway. How could she get away?
Doug’s cell rang and he noticed the call came from Austin and Rex’s steakhouse. “Yeah,” he answered.
“Doug!” Cheryl cried. “Marcy has been kidnapped from the parking lot of the steakhouse.
“Damn!” Doug swore, as fear for Marcy tore through him. “What are they driving and which way did they go?”
“They’re driving a dark silver pickup and they headed west down the main highway. She was just leaving here and I saw what happened but couldn’t stop it and none of the men in the steakhouse could get to Marcy in time
. Austin and Rex were unable to catch the truck. It raced out of the parking area.”
We’re after ‘em,” Doug said, his voice sounding lethal. “Tell Austin and Rex we may need all of the shifters to help us if we don’t find her.”
“I will,” Cheryl said. “Be careful.”
“Thanks,” Doug said, and ended the call. “They’ve got Marcy,” he told Troy.
“We’ve got to catch them before they hide her somewhere,” Troy said, running for their truck and sounding as desperate as Doug.
Doug drove their pickup and raced down the main road as fast as he dared. He passed cars and trucks as he sped west. They didn’t see any dark silver pickups. “There’s too many roads off of this one to follow every single one and hope we’ll find her. We better contact Mike and ask for a gathering of the Alphas.”
“Having their backup is a good plan, and meanwhile we can continue searching for her,” Troy said, making the call.
They drove down every road leading from the highway and searched for her until it was late in the day and getting dark. Finally, they returned home to think about what they might have missed. Somewhere, they lost the trail.
“I can’t think what the safest way to find her and rescue her would be,” Doug said, scared for her safety.
“We can’t lose her,” Troy said, his voice rough with emotion.
“Maybe we could think of something in our parents’ room,” Doug said.
Troy headed down the hall and Doug followed. Doug glanced around the room at the mementos they’d arranged there. Nothing came to him. He sat down in one of the easy chairs and Troy took the other one. “We’ve got to figure out where she is or how to find her before they hurt her,” Doug said, desperate. “We’ve spread memories of our parents around this room with the objects we’ve collected. I don’t see any answers. Nothing is coming to me.”
Troy looked at him. “I think what we have to do is ask the other shifters to spread out in all directions around town and search for her scent.”
“That’s it,” Doug said. “I’ll get a piece of her clothing.”
Alpha Thunder [Alpha Protectors 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 11