Wolf to Wolf [Werewolves of Forever, Texas 15] (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting)

by Jane Jamison

  The men stopped, their hard gazes locked on her. She could feel her pulse racing. She could feel the strange sensation searing through her body even hotter than before, urging her to go to them. The connection was real, and she could no longer deny it. But would she heed its call?

  “We are. We’re werewolves just like them.” Byton seemed almost dejected to admit it.

  Darrold kept moving closer. Yet when she startled, he stopped, obviously unwilling to frighten her any further. “We’re also the men who love you. The men who want to make you their mate. The men who would never, ever hurt you.”

  “Mate?” she whispered. How could a word sound so wonderful and yet so frightening at the same time?

  Mike gave a short nod. “That’s right. Like we told you. You’re our mate. And we’re yours. Don’t let the word scare you. Think of it as being our wife. It’s the same thing.”

  Now it was her turn to shake her head. “No, it’s not. You’re men who can change into wolves. That makes it an entirely different thing.”

  “Give us a chance, sugar.”

  Every instinct told her to run, but she had to see for herself. Had to know that they were werewolves. “Show me.”

  Byton glanced at the other two. “Do you promise not to run?”

  She lied. “I promise. I won’t run.”

  They began to change. Their bodies morphed, blurring. Then the awful sounds of bones breaking and reforming hit her. Did it hurt?

  It didn’t take long before the men had transformed into very large wolves, broader and taller than any normal wolf. Darrold had changed into a glossy black wolf. Mike was a lighter brown color, almost the same shade as his human hair. Byton was a golden wolf, with his yellow hair just a shade off the color of his amber eyes. At first, she was entranced. She wanted to touch them, to feel their fur, to stroke their strong bodies. Then rational thought came back. They were werewolves. And she was a human.

  The fear took hold again, and this time, she didn’t hesitate. She yanked open the car door, ready to jump inside. But the wolves were on her too fast. Darrold shoved his body between her and the car, blocking her entrance. Mike and Byton took hold of her clothes, the material caught between their vicious jaws. She cried out and put her back against the open door.

  “You said you wouldn’t hurt me.” She would’ve sworn she saw pain in their eyes. Yet she had to be imagining it. They were werewolves now. Not men.

  At once, they stepped away from her, Darrold getting out the way of her entering her car. She took a chance and started to get inside. For only the few moments that she’d put her back to them, it was enough. They were on her. A hand clamped onto her shoulder.

  Chapter Five

  “You promised you wouldn’t run,” said Mike.

  The connection had a tight hold on her, sending lust filling her body. She had no option except to face him. “I lied.”

  “Don’t run from us, darlin’. It’ll do you no good.” Byton’s expression was unusually tense.

  As much as she wanted to stay with them, she knew there could be no future with men who were animals. She looked at Mike. “Please, let me go.”

  “If I do, when will I see you again? Maybe never? I don’t think I could survive that.”

  What he’d said touched her heart, but she couldn’t let him keep her there. Suddenly, she shoved against him, pushing him back. With a cry, she jumped into the car. But by the time she’d twisted around to close the door, Mike had hold of her legs. With an angry glint in his eyes, he yanked her out.

  “Sorry, baby, but I can’t let you go. You’re coming with us.”

  She let out a yelp as he lifted her onto his shoulder. “Put me down.”

  “Not happening.” He carried her back through the alley with Byton and Darrold on his heels.

  “Mike, you have to put her down. We don’t want to get our mate this way.”

  She pressed against Mike’s back so she could lift up and see Byton. Confusion reigned on his face, but despite his words, he wasn’t stopping Mike.

  Darrold stalked ahead of them. “We’re not going to force her to stay with us. I don’t want a mate like that. And neither do you, Mike.”

  Conflicted, she didn’t know what to think. A part of her wanted him to turn her loose, to let her go. Another part of her, however, wanted nothing more than to let him carry her back to his home and claim her as his woman. Here was the masculine, take-charge man she’d always wanted. Not only him but two others.

  Yet it didn’t matter what she wanted. No matter which way she was tempted to choose, she had no voice. Mike was in control.

  They passed the crowd who had now changed back into their human forms. They continued moving quickly past the others, ignoring the crowd’s cheers.

  Mike shifted her to his other shoulder. “Open the damn door, Darrold.”

  Darrold hesitated then did as he’d been ordered. “I still think this is wrong.”

  “I don’t give a damn what you think.”

  She let out another yelp as he set her down on the pickup’s backseat. Scrambling, she made it to the center of the seat before he grabbed her again.

  “Don’t even think about running.” His brown eyes, now dotted with amber, locked to hers.

  “You’re really kidnapping me? For real?”

  He frowned for a moment. “No. I’m keeping you from making the biggest mistake of your life. The biggest mistake of our lives.” He turned toward the other two men. “Get in.”

  Darrold climbed behind the steering wheel. He glanced once at her through the rearview mirror. “It’s going to be okay. I swear it.”

  “This is not okay,” she said. “You know it’s not okay.”

  “Maybe. But it’s how it’s going down, so just get used to it, sugar.”

  Byton jerked open the passenger side door, gave Darrold a telling look, then got inside. “I sure hope the hell you guys know what you’re doing.”

  Mike seemed to have calmed down a little. “I hope so, too.” He was beside her then, his massive body pushing against hers. “Keep calm and let us talk. If you do that, and you still don’t want to stay, we’ll let you go.” He tapped Darrold on the shoulder. “Get going.”

  Malia scooted to the other side of the cab. “As if I have a choice, but fine. Start talking.”

  She was angry, yet she couldn’t deny that she was also turned on like crazy. Hadn’t she wanted a man—hell, men—who were more aggressive, more commanding than Bill? Now she had them, and she didn’t know what to do with them. If she could, would she shoot them? Or demand that they take her right then and there?

  Mike drew in a long, slow breath. “The connection is never wrong. It brings together the men who were meant for that specific woman. We were meant for you just like you were meant for us. Tell me you don’t believe that, tell me you don’t feel it, and I’ll turn you free.” He clasped her wrist. “I’ll know if you’re lying, so don’t even try.”

  She opened her mouth to lie, to deny feeling anything, then slammed it shut. “I don’t know how I feel.” It was still a lie, but it was as close to the truth as she could get.

  “We want you as our mate. That means we want you as our wife, the woman we will love until the day we die. You’re the woman we want to have our children, the woman we want in our bed every night. You’re the woman we want to wake up to every morning.”

  She thrilled at his words, yet struggled to keep her excitement from showing on her face. “And Byton? Darrold? Do you guys want the same thing?”

  The two of them glanced at her and answered at the same time. “We do.”

  “But how can this ever work?” she asked. “You’re werewolves. How can we even…do things together?”

  “Darlin’, we’ve already done things together. Or don’t you remember?” The tension in Byton’s face relaxed with his smirk. “Trust me, it’s possible. All you have to do is look around Forever to see that it’s possible.”

  They wanted her for a lifetime. The
y wanted her for their children. But what would that life look like?

  “And what if I can’t? What if I don’t want to live that life?”

  Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me I can do it.

  Byton shifted around so he could see her. “You can do it. The connection wouldn’t have brought us together if you couldn’t.”

  “Where are we going? If I say no, will you take me back to town? Back to my car?”

  Mike released his hold on her then glanced away from her. When he looked back, disappointment filled his eyes. “It would kill me to lose you. I’m not sure I could stand it.”

  Her mouth fell open. “But you promised.”

  His smile was filled with sadness. “I lied,” he said, mocking her words.

  But Byton wouldn’t let his declaration pass. “We’ll take you back to town. If that’s really what you want to do. But yeah, Mike’s right. It’ll kill us.”

  The truck rounded the corner, and she could see that it was heading toward the ranch house. In a few minutes, they would be at their home. A home they were saying could be hers, too.

  Her mind raced, trying to come up with an answer. They had forced her into the situation, but they were offering her everything she had ever wanted. Could she give it up because they’d gone about it the wrong way? And yet, it had been the right way, too.

  But she wouldn’t be forced into anything, not even love.

  As the pickup slowed down, she did the unthinkable. Throwing her body against the door, she shoved it open.

  Mike shouted and grabbed for her. Again, he caught her leg, keeping her inside the cab. She twisted around, took hold of his arm, and lifted it as though to press his hand against her chest. “Okay, okay. I’m not going anywhere. I just wanted to see if you were serious about keeping me.”

  He frowned at her, obviously confused, but he let her keep his hand against her chest. His palm was hot against her, and for a moment, she reconsidered her idea.

  She lifted his hand up, smiling, acting as though she were about to press a kiss to his palm. Then, as fast as she could, she brought his hand to her mouth and bit down on it.

  Mike let out a howl and jerked his hand away. The sudden loss of his support holding her had her falling backward. She saw his surprised face as she fell out of the truck.

  Pain burned through her as she struck the gravel road. Rolling several times, she couldn’t catch her breath until she’d finally stopped. She sucked in a breath and wondered if it would be her last.

  Shit. What did I do?

  * * * *

  A strange haze occupied Malia’s head, but slowly the world around her made itself known. The clearer her mind became, the more pain she felt.

  What happened?

  She heard the sound of the men’s angry voices. She opened her eyes a moment but promptly closed them at the glare from the blinding light streaming through a nearby window.

  Where am I? How did I get here?

  “If you hadn’t acted like a damn jackass, she wouldn’t be lying in bed right now.”

  Byton sounded furious. In fact, she never would’ve guessed he could get so angry. He’d always seemed so laid-back and calm. At least, calmer than Darrold and Mike.

  “Shit, Mike, you really fucked it up. If she doesn’t wake up soon, I’m going to tear your damn head off.” Darrold’s voice was filled with anger, his tone low and soft, but that didn’t lessen the intensity of it.

  She had to tell them she was all right. If she didn’t, she was afraid of what they might do to Mike.

  “I get it. I fucked up.” The torment in Mike’s tone was all too apparent. “Now lay the hell off me.”

  “Don’t tell us to lay off. You should’ve held on to her,” accused Darrold.

  “She fucking bit me.” A growl followed Mike’s words.

  “So what?” demanded Byton. “Her bite can’t be that bad. Or did you think it would turn you into a woman?”

  “Watch it, man.”

  “Stop,” she whispered. She doubted anyone could’ve heard her. At least, anyone who was human.

  But could werewolves?

  “She’s awake. I heard her say something,” said an excited Byton.

  The bed dipped on both sides of her. She dared to open her eyes, this time slower, carefully. The anxious, worried gazes of Darrold and Byton met hers. She tried to sit up, but even that small gesture hurt. Her attention slid to Mike, who stood at the end of the bed. His expression was guarded as though he expected her to berate him.

  Darrold covered her hand. “Hey, daredevil, how are you feeling?”

  And then she remembered. She’d done a foolish thing by jumping—more like falling—out of the truck. “I feel like I fell out of a pickup.” Although she hadn’t meant it as a joke, their chuckles warmed her.

  “Why did you open the damn door?” Mike’s voice was harsh. “Why did you think you could get out of a moving truck?”

  Darrold growled. “Don’t go blaming her for your fuck-up. You never should’ve taken her in the first place.”

  More of her memory came back, swift and unforgiving. She sat up, ignoring the pain. Yanking her hand from Darrold’s, she pushed her back against the headboard, her glare centered on Mike. “You kidnapped me.”

  “No, darlin’.”

  She glared at Byton until he darted his gaze away from hers. “Yes, you did.” Flashes of memory hit her. Men and women changing into wolves. Miss Clara changing. Then the men transforming into amazing, stunning wolves. But that couldn’t have been real. Werewolves didn’t exist. The people of Forever might be crazy, but that didn’t mean they could do the impossible.

  “Yeah, we did.” Mike shrugged, but it was no nonchalant gesture. “There’s no use in trying to make what we did sound any different than what it was. We”—he glanced at Darrold then Byton—“I took you. I forced you to come with us.”

  “And you drugged me. You had to have drugged me.” She was grasping at straws, the truth lingering at the edges of her mind. She shoved that truth back, refusing to give it voice.

  “What?” Darrold shook his head. “What are you talking about?”

  “You drugged me,” she insisted. “There’s no other explanation.”

  “Explanation for what?” asked Byton.

  “For seeing people change into wolves.” Mike’s expression grew stoic. “That’s what you’re talking about, isn’t it, Malia?”

  She swallowed, suddenly so sure she was wrong. She hadn’t felt drugged, and they hadn’t given her anything to eat or drink. Had they given her a shot? No, that couldn’t be right. She would’ve felt a needle. Then what other explanation could there be? Hypnosis? Sudden insanity?

  The only explanation that worked was that what she’d seen had been real.

  No. It can’t be. I must have lost my mind. Is there something in the water? Something that will drive people crazy?

  Two explanations now, but neither one was palatable.

  Still…

  She nodded emphatically, as much to convince herself as to convince them. “You drugged me, and I hallucinated.” That had to be the answer. Not that it made her feel any better.

  “We didn’t drug you and you know it.” Darrold stood and paced to the far side of the room before confronting her. “What you saw was as real as I am right now.”

  Anger flared inside her. “Stop saying that. Stop lying.” She tried to throw the covers off her, tried to get out of bed, but Darrold stopped her.

  “No, sugar. You can go anywhere. Just not yet. That was one hell of a fall you took.” At her glare, Darrold lifted his hands up, palms out. “I’m not saying that we’re holding you here. I’m saying that you’re not physically ready to get out of bed.”

  She had to know. Either she was crazy or they had drugged her. If either one of those two explanations didn’t work, then only the ridiculous explanation was left. But she had to know which one it was.

  The truth pushed closer to the front of her mind. Again, she stubbornly fou
ght it back.

  “You’re telling me you’re werewolves.” She pulled herself higher, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them to her.

  “That’s right, baby,” answered Mike. “You know we are. You saw us. Can’t you believe your own eyes?” He studied her, worry replacing irritation. “Don’t you remember? Half the damn town shifted in front of you. We shifted.”

  No. Yes. Damn it.

  The truth doggedly made it to the forefront of her thoughts. She couldn’t deny it any longer.

  “I remember now.” She could try and deny what she’d seen, but what use would it do? She’d fallen for three werewolves. “And you expect me to become your mate. Is that right? You expect me to stay with you forever?” She giggled, more from frustration than humor. “In Forever?”

  Byton rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s our hope. But, again, we won’t force you to stay. We do, however, want you to give it some thought. Don’t let the initial scare run you off.”

  “You know you feel the same way we do,” said Darrold. “I can see it in your eyes. You want us as much as we want you. Don’t fight the one thing that matters the most in the world.”

  “I don’t know what I want.” She looked down, her mind going a mile a minute. And then she knew the answer. “I’m not drugged right now, am I? And I don’t think I’m crazy, either.” She blew out a long, hard breath. “Holy crap. What I saw was real.”

  “You’re neither of those things.” Mike crossed his arms.

  She hugged her legs closer, tighter as though that would give her the necessary courage to see it through. “Okay, then. Show me. I know I saw it before, but I want to see it again. Turn into wolves. Maybe seeing it again will make me believe you.”

  “Yeah, sure. If that’s what it will take to make you believe your eyes this time,” said Byton.

  Mike began undoing his shirt. “Showing you will convince you that we are what we are. But will it convince you to stay?”

  Her breathing picked up, excitement and a little fear running through her. “Let’s get past the first hurdle, and then we’ll get on to the next.”