by Kate Douglas
Xandi laughed. She’d shadowed Keisha since their departure, a comforting presence with so many new experiences. “It is beautiful, and this is my favorite time of night. After dinner, Anton, Stefan and I usually shift to our wolven forms and run. We’ve explored every inch of the forests around us.”
“You really do shift, don’t you?” Keisha turned and leaned back against the deck railing, her wine glass clasped between her fingers. “I still can’t believe it, though after seeing what you did yesterday, I know I have to accept. Will you run tonight?”
“If you don’t mind being left alone. Oliver will be here, but the three of us might be away for hours. Otherwise we can stay here until you feel more settled.”
Keisha took a deep breath. “I think I would like to see you shift. I want to feel what you feel when it happens. It might make it easier for me to accept.”
“Are you sure?” Xandi’s eyes practically bored into hers. Keisha nodded. Immediately Stefan and Anton joined them on the deck, and she realized they’d been listening to the conversation.
Anton stepped close to Keisha. “I don’t want you to fear us. There’s so much for you to learn, but I admire your willingness to see something that, for want of another word, is impossible.” He smiled, then slowly began to unbutton his shirt.
Keisha glanced quickly away, in Xandi’s direction. She was already naked, having only a silk sarong to unwrap. Stefan was slipping out of his pants, his shirt already neatly folded on a deck chair.
“What?” Her hand went to her throat, and she choked back a nervous giggle. She hadn’t expected them to undress first, hadn’t really thought of anything, but suddenly she was surrounded by three of the most beautiful people she’d ever known, all naked and grinning at her.
“We can shift while wearing clothes, but it makes a big mess. I hate to iron.” Xandi laughed, then suddenly it was happening all over again and she was melting, shifting, stretching and reshaping. It happened so fast, Keisha forgot to link to her mind, but she twisted around and caught Stefan’s thoughts as he went through the same process.
It all made sense. Strange and unusual, so hard to imagine, but when she linked to his mind as he shifted, Keisha realized she’d done this before.
She was the wolf.
She truly had killed three men.
She spun around to watch Anton shift, but he stood beside her, still in his gorgeous human body.
“Are you all right? I can stay here with you.”
Compassion flowed from him in waves. Compassion and warmth, so strong, so loving, Keisha basked in his healing strength.
“No. I want to go with you. I want to shift.” She felt a sob catch in her throat, realized the two wolves standing beside her and the man directly in front of her were caught unaware by her decision.
Are you sure? You don’t have to, not so soon, but if that is your wish, we’ll help you. All of us.
Xandi’s soft question washed away Keisha’s fear. “I know how to shift. I’ve done it before, though I must have blocked the memory, but I remember doing it now. I remember the power of the wolf. I want that power again.”
Shift with me. Link with my thoughts, feel what I do and let your body flow. It will be disorienting. You may experience a bit of nausea. Just relax and follow my lead.
Keisha nodded, her mind so completely linked with Anton’s, she no longer sensed the other two, no longer felt the wooden deck beneath her bare feet. Slowly she loosened the knot holding the sarong over her shoulder. It slipped to the deck, brushing her bare feet with shimmering coolness, a cobalt blue puddle of silk. She stood shivering in the warm evening, more aware of the molten heat in Anton’s eyes than of her own nudity.
His look was pure male appreciation, but he quickly banked the smoldering lust in his eyes and took Keisha’s hands in a light grip.
She felt the first tingling awareness that something about her body was changing. Following Anton’s lead, she concentrated on the shifting of bone and muscle into new lupine shapes. It happened so quickly, so completely, she was hardly aware of the shift completing before she was sitting on the deck, blinking at the coal-black wolf staring back at her.
Fascinated, she held up her front paw, turning it this way and that, to study the thick pads, the sharp claws. Her fur was very dark brown, as dark as Anton’s was black, though she noticed a reddish glint when she moved, as if there were fire hiding in the depths of her coat.
Her heart pounded. She wanted to run. Wanted to leave Keisha Rialto behind. Wanted to outrace the victim and find a new self in the darkness of the nighttime forest.
Stefan leapt first, sailing over the railing and landing in the thick lawn that circled the house. Xandi followed him, her muscles bunching as she cleared the three-foot fence with ease. Anton nudged her shoulder.
What the hell? Keisha followed, amazed her brain knew how to make this strange shape function with such fluid beauty. She landed in the soft grass beside Xandi, with Anton coming down just ahead of her.
He yipped, turned, nipped Keisha on the shoulder and took off running.
The night was clear and warm, the forest scents intriguing, the strength and power of her wolven body a pure, unadulterated joy. Speed—unbelievable speed—as they raced through the woods, leaping over creeks, slipping beneath brush and following trails barely visible along creek beds and canyons.
And always the link, the constant flow of information from one to the other. Sharing the scent of live things rushing out of their path, sharing the pure joy of the hunt. Keisha had never before felt this sense—of being one with the pack. Had not realized the power inherent in the pack link, the sensual beauty of streaking through the dark forest with eyes that pierced the night, with a brain that understood each different scent, each rustling sound, each tiny squeak and chirp.
They ran for hours, their bodies finding a rhythm that gave them strength. Keisha wanted to go on forever, but Anton’s quiet presence beside her was a reminder she should take care, at least this first time. Still, the pale rays of dawn streaked the sky when they finally flopped down on the damp grass in front of Anton’s huge home, tongues lolling, eyes sparkling, tails too tired to hold high.
Stefan rolled over on his back, his shaggy gray-streaked coat matted and dirty from their rush through a boggy swamp. With a teasing glint in his amber eyes, Anton leaned over and nipped Stefan’s shoulder.
The act was rife with sexual overtones, a sense of dominance and submission.
Xandi did the same to Anton, leaning her furry body close to his, then nuzzling Stefan as well. Keisha sensed it then, the strong, linked sexuality among the three of them. Anton turned and looked at her, his eyes wide, his mind open.
He shared the intimate relationship he had with both Alexandria and Stefan. Shared the sensual connection among all within the pack, the physical intimacies that were as natural to them as the shift from human to wolf and back again, the almost hedonistic rushes of desire that followed each of their runs through the forest together.
Keisha understood and accepted, aware at once of her own sense of heightened sensuality, her recently dormant libido raging almost beyond control. Somehow shifting, taking the form of the wolf, had reawakened the sensual side of her nature. A sensual side she was still unable to accept.
She felt no jealousy, only a sense of sadness, an awareness that what the other three shared so freely was not for her.
She wasn’t ready. Not yet. The assault was too recent, her body too newly healed.
Exhausted, she pulled herself to her feet and padded up the stairs to the deck. In a fluid motion, as if she’d shifted for years, she regained her human form and picked up the sarong she’d left the night before. She wrapped it lightly around her torso.
Her hair fell forward. She reached up to push it out of her eyes and realized it now cascaded in loose, corkscrew curls to her shoulders. Her hand paused over the unfamiliar texture. Gone was the short, coarse, tightly kinked hair she’d known all her life.
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Her laughter sounded shaky even to her own ears, and she knew her smile was just as wobbly. “Well, I guess this explains why I can’t keep a braid do for any length of time. They keep working themselves loose. It must be the wolf in me.” She bit her lips and blinked back the tears that filled her eyes. Everything was changing—her body, her mind, even her hair. It was too much, too intense. Too fast.
She took a deep breath and stared solemnly at Alexandria, Stefan and Anton, not even sure where to begin. “Thank you. Thank you all for something more amazing than anything I have ever imagined. It’s going to take me a while before I can really accept what has happened here tonight. I need to shower now, and to sleep. I want to replay every second of the night.” She started to leave, then turned around, grinning. “And I wanna do it again, okay?”
Anton shifted and raced up the stairs. He grabbed her hands in his and held them firmly. “Are you okay? We didn’t mean to upset you. Our feelings for one another are so natural, so much a part of who we are…I didn’t think. The last thing I want to do is make you feel uncomfortable.”
Keisha laughed and slowly looked him up and down. His body was streaked in mud and wet grass, his cock partially erect and jutting out from its nest of dark hair. He was masculinity incarnate, so beautiful she wanted to touch him.
When she was ready.
“Yesterday, seeing you like this would have terrified me. Today, it makes me miss what I’m not quite ready for. You’re not making me uncomfortable, Anton. You’re helping me feel again.” She cupped the side of his face in her palm. “Give me time, please. Just a little bit of time.”
He leaned over and placed a very chaste kiss on the side of her face. “For you, anything. Good night, Keisha. Sleep well.”
Keisha left Anton standing on the deck and went straight into the bathroom. Smiling, she turned on the shower and stepped beneath the spray. Her cheek still tingled from the tender brush of his lips.
Chapter 15
The sun was just peeking over the mountains when Keisha finally crawled between the cool sheets. Her room was off by itself, a beautiful space of peace and quiet, with a huge window and a view of the forest.
She still couldn’t believe she’d run through that forest, keeping pace with three beautiful wolves, their sleek coats rippling, tongues lolling between powerful jaws. She missed the feeling now, the sense of family she’d shared from the moment she became the wolf. Sighing quietly, snuggling into the thick down comforter, she let her mind drift, searching for Anton’s already familiar touch.
She found him, his mind seeking hers much as she sought his. The realization that he was looking for her made her smile.
Where are you? Would he answer?
I’m getting into bed. We ran far last night and I’m tired.
Are you alone?
There was a long, thoughtful pause.
No, I no longer sleep alone. Xandi and Stefan share their bed with me.
She knew that. She’d sensed the link between the three, though hadn’t completely accepted it for what it was.
Oh.
Would you like to join us?
Join them? Sleep with three strangers? Never. No. She couldn’t do anything like…
Not physically. Mentally. Maintain the link with me. Share the love with me. Stay there, in the privacy of your room, but feel the love the three of us have for each other…and know that you can be a part of it whenever you’re ready.
You would allow that? I would feel like a voyeur.
Keisha sensed the sound of his laughter, knew Xandi and Stefan shared the emotion.
You would be a voyeur. Is there anything wrong with that if you’ve been invited to watch?
It didn’t feel right. But it did. Dear Lord, it felt so right for her to be a part of whatever the other three shared. Keisha wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders.
No matter how it feels, we will share with you. You are our sister, Keisha. Our sister, our lover, our newest mate. Be with us tonight. Not in body. You’re not ready for that. Share with us in spirit.
She was still trying to comprehend Anton’s words when she suddenly realized she was in the room with Anton, Xandi and Stefan. The window was open, and the drapes floated softly on the morning breeze. Sunlight filtered through partially drawn shades. She saw through Anton’s eyes, knew he shielded her connection from the others, though they were well aware she was with them.
It was Stefan who moved first, leaning over Xandi and kissing her, his mouth moving over hers, his tongue parting her lips and slipping inside. Anton lay beside Xandi, close enough to encircle her in his arms as she and Stefan kissed.
Keisha realized, though she watched through Anton’s eyes, she identified with Xandi. She felt Anton’s growing passion, realized he was moving closer, his hand stroking Stefan’s lean flank, his mouth searching out Xandi’s taut nipple.
I want to be with Xandi. Do you think…?
Anton’s laughter was a gentle sound in her head, then Xandi was laughing with him.
Link with me, little sister. I have more fun than either of these guys.
Before she could compose an answer, Keisha was aware of Stefan’s lips on hers, of Anton’s mouth suckling her nipple. She felt the hard length of Anton’s cock pressing against her thigh and Stefan’s equally hard penis poised at the mouth of her pussy.
Her body stiffened, began to tremble. Her heart pounded a staccato rhythm, and she was flooded with images of her assault, images of terror and pain and…
Xandi’s soothing thoughts overpowered her fear.
Keisha, it’s okay. Take a deep breath. It’s not your body they’re touching. It’s mine. Keep the separation clear in your mind. Relax…you’re alone in your room. It’s my body they’re taking. Remind yourself, you’re just a little bug on the wall, watching.
Keisha sighed, her taut muscles relaxed, and she nodded her head against the pillow, knowing full well Xandi couldn’t see her but would know her feelings. A little bug on the wall. I can do that.
I know you can. Stay with us. Enjoy. Experience love without fear, the touch of two men who want nothing more than to please a woman. Let yourself be the woman, through me. No one will hurt you.
Rationally, I know that. It’s hard to accept.
Rationally, did you ever think you’d take the form of a wolf, racing through the forest? Gentle laughter followed Xandi’s dry comment. Sweetie, if you can accept that, you can accept anything. Darn!
Keisha heard more laughter. Look what’s happened. While I’ve been talking to you, the guys have found other things to do.
Once more Keisha saw through Xandi’s eyes. Stefan and Anton lay facing one another, embracing, their mouths locked together in a passionate kiss. Anton’s back was to her, his muscles rippling with each tilt of his hips. Xandi focused on the smooth line of Anton’s buttocks, followed the crease to the deep, dark red tip of Stefan’s engorged cock, sliding between Anton’s muscular thighs, riding smoothly in the slick sweat generated by their heated, straining bodies.
Mesmerized by the vision she saw through Xandi’s eyes, Keisha lost herself in the eroticism, the sensual magic, of two strong men loving each other. Their bodies were beautiful, glossy with sweat, all lean, hard muscle and masculine perfection. Stefan’s cock slipped between Anton’s thighs, the head larger, dark like a ripe plum, the tip glistening with the first drops of fluid. His fingers splayed across Anton’s muscled back, holding the other man close to him, as the two rocked together in perfect rhythm, buttocks clenching, bodies straining.
Keisha felt the first stirrings in her own body, the tension in her belly, the needy ache in her womb. Still caught in Xandi’s view, she reached down between her legs and found that she was wet, the tissues of her labia thick and unbelievably sensitive. She smiled to herself when she discovered even the once tightly woven nest of curls between her legs felt softer than it had before. Slowly, she stroked back and forth over her swollen clit, matching the rhythm between Anton
and Stefan.
Xandi shifted her position near the men, moving behind Stefan so that Anton’s face was now visible. His eyes were closed, his lips parted, still damp from Stefan’s kisses, so lost in passion that Keisha knew at once how he would look thrusting into her. Now, though, he jerked his hips faster, harder, matching Stefan’s tempo. Xandi changed her focus, showing Keisha the taut line of Stefan’s buttocks, the dark, moist head of Anton’s cock riding between his lover’s thighs.
Xandi slipped lower on the big bed, reached down and raked her fingernails across Stefan’s buttocks, flicking a nail over the head of Anton’s cock. She scooted closer and slipped her hands between Stefan’s legs. Gently, she squeezed his testicles, then found Anton’s and massaged his as well.
Joined by a strangled cry, both men stiffened, pumped hard against each other and climaxed. Keisha could practically feel the pulsing, throbbing orbs in her own hands. Panting, Stefan rolled away from Anton, and both men lay on their backs, laughing, gasping for air. Xandi straddled their legs, a hand wrapped around each cock, and slowly brought them down with smooth, pumping strokes, using their own semen to lubricate her erotic massage.
She leaned over and ran her tongue the length of Anton’s cock, then did the same to Stefan. “Okay, boys, our turn.”
Anton raised his head, one eyebrow cocked. “Our turn? Our who?”
Practically sobbing with frustration, Keisha thrust her fingers deep inside her wet and swollen pussy, then trailed them across her clit. So close! She was so close to coming, just from watching Stefan and Anton make love to each other. Watching them through Xandi’s eyes. She’d never dreamed two men together could be so damned sexy.
Sexy and dumb as a pair of stumps.
Who our? Who the hell did he think she was?
“Our, as in mine and Keisha’s. She’s still with me.”
A slow smile spread across Anton’s face. Keisha suddenly felt his familiar touch in her mind. I thought you’d gone. I didn’t feel you with me anymore.