Chasing Peace, Love & Fur [3xtasy Lake 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
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3xtasy Lake 8
Chasing Peace, Love & Fur
Clara Fitch is terrified of the violent side of her nature and has worked hard to suppress her primal instincts. The iron control she’s kept on her inner bear is starting to fray, and she now fears for the lives of every living creature who comes in contact with her.
After spending years looking, Luc, Georges, and Nouel Benoit had given up on their dream of ever finding a woman they can share. When a beautiful enigma of a woman arrives on their doorstep, they can’t believe their good fortune, but there is more to her than delicious curves and a sharp tongue.
The Benoit brothers know that Clara is their Mate, but she has suppressed her inner animal to the point of inhibiting her natural abilities. Has she driven her inner bear mad? Can they convince her that her animal side is nothing to fear and learn to trust herself while embracing the idea of being their Mate?
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 54,455 words
CHASING PEACE, LOVE & FUR
3xtasy Lake 8
Corinne Davies
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
CHASING PEACE, LOVE & FUR
Copyright © 2014 by Corinne Davies
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-492-0
First E-book Publication: March 2014
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
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Regarding E-book Piracy
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DEDICATION
Many thanks to Lisa Carter for her beta reading skills and comma-slaying talent, Lynn Ray Lewis and her husband for helping me with all my questions regarding classic Mopar, and Crystal Conkie for her insight into New Zealand and for introducing me to the TimTamTrick.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
About the Author
CHASING PEACE,
LOVE & FUR
3xtasy Lake 8
CORINNE DAVIES
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
“Come on, baby, you can do it.” Luc Benoit caressed her as his fingers manipulated her core. It had taken years of careful planning to get her to this point, not to mention the ton of cash he’d spent on her, determined she would be the one. “Give over, babe. Purr for me.”
A cold breeze feathered his hair but he ignored the quickly dropping temperature as he concentrated on the object of his desire. He stroked her and focused on one single goal, making her ignite. Instead of roaring in success, she sputtered and died under his hand.
“You’re going to have to find a new one, Luc.” His brother, Georges, called out from where he sat watching. “No amount of fondling is going to get her to turn over.
“Fuck.” Luc straightened up and gave his brother a dirty look as he grabbed the rag from his back pocket and rubbed the grease from his hands. He’d fallen for the ’71 Roadrunner the moment he saw the piece of junk abandoned in a field and had spent the last two decades trying to get her up and running. Seduced by the unseasonably warm weather, he’d taken her out earlier to see what she could do and from the moment she started losing power, he’d known what was wrong.
He’d known, but hadn’t wanted to admit it. It wasn’t going to be a simple or cheap fix. Original replacement parts were getting harder to find and could mean some serious money. It wasn’t like this was for a customer who would cover the cost. This was his baby.
“Isn’t it a little strange to ask a car named after a bird to purr for you?”
Luc glared at his brother as he checked the oil. The traces of coolant he saw confirmed his concern. “Where the hell am I going to find an original head gasket at this hour?”
Georges smacked him on the shoulder as he passed. “You’re not. We have eight hours before Noeul’s flight arrives and Cris is bringing Tara’s Volvo into the shop for a tune-up first thing in the morning.” He grabbed onto the chain to close the large garage door. Luc had been in too much of a hurry to look under the hood and see what was wrong to bother closing it.
“We just tuned up that car less than eight weeks ago. It doesn’t need it.”
“Weren’t you listening to the radio earlier?” Ecstasy Lake’s local radio station was run by their friend Cris Beauvert. He and his best friend Lars had found their Mate, Tara, the previous summer, along with a son Cris hadn’t known about. “Zack announced that his mom’s pregnant. I’m surprised Cris and Lars are even letting her drive but I got a call this afternoon that they want a full overhaul on it.”
“Why is it a baby will turn normally
rational men to turn into complete neurotic basket cases?” Luc felt a twinge of envy in his chest for his friends. Tara was a sweet woman and an incredible mom. He and Georges had volunteered to babysit Zack on a number of occasions over the past months. Partially to help give the newly Mated trip some privacy but also they felt the need to make up for their part in the deception that initially stopped Tara from leaving town. Cris might have been the one to ask for their help but he and Georges were the ones to blow the secret. He’d never forget the look of betrayal in Tara’s expression that day. Their son, Zack, was a lot of fun and scary smart for someone his age.
Any guilt Luc still felt about his part of the big lie to keep Tara in town disappeared with the news of her carrying a child. Mates were the most important part of life, something he and his brothers had wished for. They weren’t certain they’d be as lucky as so many of the families here in Ecstasy Lake.
“Don’t look at me like that. I don’t have any nor do I want one.” Georges stood leaning against the wall while looking at a business card he had in his hand.
Luc knew his brother was full of shit or at least he hoped so. They’d given up looking for their Mate a long time ago and this was Georges’s way of dealing with it. Complete denial and disregard. Their youngest brother, Nouel, had taken off to live with relatives in New Zealand a few years ago. Luc wasn’t sure why his brother had suddenly decided to return but he was glad. Talking to their youngest sibling via Skype wasn’t the same as sitting across a table from him.
“Miss Poppy gave me this today.” Georges held out the business card he’d been analyzing. “Miss Lily wants to get a Harley in the spring and I popped in today to talk to her about it.”
“You mean talk her out of it?” Luc commented, taking the card. The three elderly McGuigan sisters owned a yarn store in town and had to be in their eighties if they were a day. They hadn’t physically changed a smidge since he was a kid, and that was over thirty years ago.
“Of course, the thought of her getting on a hog scares the hell out of me. What’s worse is when I got there she was trying to convince Poppy and Lavender to get one as well so they’d match.” Georges might have sounded horrified by the idea of three senior women roaring through town on high-power choppers but Luc knew his brother was more concerned about their safety.
“I’m sure Lars and Cris have already tried to convince her not to get one. The more people that want to talk them out of it will only inspire them to prove you all wrong.” Luc looked at the business information on the card and shook his head. “I’d call this coincidence if it came from anyone else.” The card was for a small business out east that specialized in original Mopar accessories and replacement parts. The three sisters had an uncanny way of knowing when someone needed help and he was sure they probably meddled in more than one person’s life in town without their knowledge.
“What’s that?” He nodded at the colourful lump Georges had dangling from his other hand.
“Miss Lavender gave it to me today and asked for our help.” He held up the odd-shaped garment. It looked like a child’s sweater with too many arms, or a misshapen glove for a giant. Blocks of bright colours and stripes further confused him.
“I have no idea what I’m looking at.”
Georges looked down at it and then laughed. “Sorry, I have it upside-down.”
He turned the thing around and it took a couple more moments before Luc realized what it might be. Miss Lavender and her sisters were the sweetest ladies and he’d known them all his life, but he was starting to wonder if the ageless women weren’t starting to lose their marbles. “You’re kidding me? Please tell me that isn’t an antler cozy.”
“Not bad. She had to tell me what it was. She’s entering a contest for something she called…yarn bombing.” Georges shrugged slightly and frowned as he obviously didn’t know what that was either. “She said she needs a picture of you in this for it.”
Luc had a sneaking suspicion that Georges had been the one asked to model the knitted monstrosity and was trying to pass it off. There was no way he was going to wear it. “We’ll get Nouel to do it.”
“Good idea.” Georges checked his watch again as he rolled up the knitted monstrosity. “I’m going to go and make something to eat. You hungry?”
Luc looked back down at the card in his hand. Ursa Autobody. The hair on the back of his neck tingled as if he was looking at something very special. There wasn’t anything magical about the wording or the star constellation in the corner. Weird. He wasn’t sure why the elderly sisters had taken a sudden interest in motorcycles and cars, but he’d be willing to bet their business he was going to be able to get a head gasket from this place.
“Luc?”
Georges’s voice snapped him out of his musing. “Right, food. Yeah, I’m starving. There’s nothing more I can do about the car until I call this place.” Luc reached through the pocket of his overalls and tucked the card into the back pocket of his jeans. “I’ll wash my hands and be right in.” Grease was easier to remove if washed off right away instead of letting it sit and allowing it to stain the skin.
“Okay, I’ll cook. You do the dishes.”
“Yup,” Luc replied, only half listening to his brother as he headed to the sink installed in the wall. The tingle along the back of his neck didn’t subside. What are the McGuigan sisters up to? He wasn’t interested in having his life meddled with. Things were good and were about to get better now that Noeul was coming home. He and Georges would convince him to stay and enjoy the life they’d made for themselves here. It wasn’t glamorous or all that exciting, but it was a damn sight better than being on their own and being hunted like common animals in the bush.
Ecstasy Lake had developed into a tight-knit community of shape-shifters. There were still lots of humans here, and even more in the summer time, but it was a sanctuary of sorts. The kind of place where the residents didn’t have to worry about being hunted or dictated to by an overlord. There had been a couple of dustups over the last year, including a psychotic Guardian stalking their forests and a small group of wolves that thought they could take over, but the town had banded together. It had made everyone a little closer and more aware. They didn’t take their freedom for granted as much but trusted that they were reasonably safe.
With the next generation starting to make their appearance, Luc wasn’t certain that wouldn’t bring some more outside attention to the town. The Guardians were a force to be reckoned with, and not all of them had the purest of motives either. As long as they stayed away from their little town, Luc would be happy. Even though a few Mates had wandered into town over the last couple years, Luc and his brothers still didn’t hold out much hope.
As moose, their species didn’t interact well with each other and tended to live solitary lives. Bulls tended to fight over females even if they weren’t Mates. They’d lost their oldest brother because he’d gone feral in a fight over a woman. There were a lot of things a shape-shifter could heal from, but no one came back from a bullet between the eyes.
That was why Luc, Georges, and Nouel decided a long time ago that they wouldn’t ever let a woman come between them. Seeing the McNamara and the Henderson brothers find their Mate had tempted him into believing there was hope for them, but he didn’t want to be disappointed again. And as the oldest brother now, he refused to lose the two brothers he had left because of a woman.
* * * *
“Let Clara deliver it.”
“That’s a ridiculous idea. She doesn’t need to go anywhere. In fact, you should want her here so you can keep an eye on her.”
Clara Fitch practically ground her teeth together as she stifled the growl her primal side wanted to express, pushing the violent creature back behind the walls she’d created between them. She would not lower herself to their level. Besides, it would give away her hiding spot. This wasn’t the first time she’d eavesdropped on one of her father’s conversations. It was also how she found out her supposed best friend
had arranged—no, bartered to have her. Bartered me like I was a freaking cow or goat.
“Joseph, I know how to handle Clara. She needs a firm hand. This bit of a rebellion she’s going through right now is a part of her trying to fight the inevitable. What she’s doing to herself isn’t healthy.”
She clenched her fists and pushed back against the fury that threatened to shatter her carefully crafted shields. There was nothing wrong with how she was living her life. The animal side of her was not going to control her or her actions. The same as no male was going to dictate to her what she was going to do with her life. Her mother had tried to convince her that the best way to handle a husband was to let him think everything was his idea. Clara couldn’t be bothered with that sort of game so she played another one. No bear worth his honey wanted a female who wouldn’t bare him strong cubs so she did everything she could to be the opposite of what an Ursus would want. What amazed her is it had worked. She’d known Eddie most of her life and when he confided in her about not wanting to live like the clan dictated, she told him about her plan to thwart any interest in her as a wife.
“Let her have this little adventure and get the restlessness out of her system. She’ll be happier for it and when she gets back we’ll settle the paperwork. She’ll be more inclined to sign it and I’m sure all this rebellion will settle down as she matures.”
“And what if she gets it in her head not to come back?” Clara heard the creaking of the floor as her father was pacing back and forth. Eddie must have been sitting down in one of the big chairs as she couldn’t hear him move at all.