Shifter Fever Complete Series (Books 1-5)

by Selena Scott

  Many sweaty, breathy, desperate minutes later, both of them lay on top of her dress, panting and kissing and tangled.

  She made a noise into his mouth that had him yanking her on top of him like he needed even more of her weight.

  “I thought of something else you could do.”

  “Hmm?” She was still floating somewhere up where the stars lived.

  “Something else you could do to make all this more bearable.”

  “What is it?” She propped her head up, anxious for anything that lightened his load.

  “Be my girlfriend.”

  “What’s a girlfriend?”

  He laughed. “Sometimes I forget that we’re literally from different worlds. It’s when two people are together romantically. If you were my girlfriend then I’d take care of you as best as I could. In every way. And I’d be faithful to you. And you to me.”

  “I would never do this with someone else!” She looked royally insulted, looking down her nose like that.

  “Good,” he chuckled, nestling his face into her neck. “Then say yes.”

  “You’ll take care of me and I’ll take care of you?”

  He nodded. Took a deep breath and let it out nice and slow. “And we’ll love each other.”

  Her heart skipped. “Yes.”

  “Yes to which part?” He cleared his throat.

  “All of it. Yes to all of it.”

  They fell on each other, rolling and kissing and loving.

  Alayna cleared her throat. When she came back to the here and now, Griff’s warm, bare foot still covered her socked one.

  She took a step back from him.

  “Well, I don’t know how it works on Earth, but—”

  “On Earth you have to break up. Or else you’re still together.” Maybe he was being kind of a dick. Because that’s not exactly how it worked. Under most people’s definitions, vanishing without a trace for eight years, willing or not, would be grounds for dissolving a relationship. But, perhaps stupidly, he hadn’t thought about it that way through all this time. He’d stayed loyal to Alayna. Because he wanted to. Because he loved her. And because they’d made promises. It was that simple.

  Suddenly, perhaps irrationally, Alayna wanted to punish him for making this all so hard. Why couldn’t he have been indifferent to her? Why couldn’t he just slink away quietly? And worst of all, why oh why couldn’t he have just stayed in the damn past?

  He was here now. Warm and more handsome than ever. With that perfect beard and crinkly, night-blue eyes.

  And she just wanted him to squirm a little.

  “Well, if you’re still my boyfriend then you won’t mind if I get changed for the day?”

  His eyes flared, recognizing the no-touch challenge, and he took a lazy step toward the bed where he sat right down. “Do what you need to do.”

  Alayna scowled at him and began slipping off her PJs. There wasn’t much to it, but the second she kicked off the pajama bottoms his eyes went so hot that she realized she didn’t particularly want to race right through this experience.

  She stood there in white cotton panties and a white tank top. Griff’s expression could have cracked glass. But she recognized it. That was his I’m-so-turned-on-I-could-step-on-a-red-ant-hill-and-not-notice look.

  She turned her back and slowly, very, very slowly slipped her tank top off. Her heavy braid thwacked her ass as she tossed the shirt to the floor. She turned halfway and held his eyes as she brought her underwear to the floor. And then she was naked.

  “You got thick,” he groaned in a voice so deep and gravelly she could barely hear it.

  “Excuse me?”

  “That’s a very, very good thing. You got juicy and I really like it.”

  She looked down at her full hips and breasts, her belly that was fit but not flat. Self-confidence had never been an issue for her, but she could see how much she had indeed changed since they’d last made love as teenagers.

  “You got bigger, too.” She reached past him and picked up her clean underwear. As she bent, she felt a weight at her back and she knew he’d brushed a hand down her braid. He’d always liked her hair.

  “I grew a few inches since then, yeah.”

  “And your arms and chest, too. You look older.”

  “I am older.”

  “And more tattooed.”

  “You don’t like them?”

  They both fell silent while she wiggled into her underwear and then picked up the bra. She was still figuring out the Earthly undergarment; things were simpler on Herta. She let out a little noise of frustration until Griff came up behind her and deftly clipped the bra without touching her skin.

  “I like the tattoos,” she admitted. She figured she was torturing him enough already.

  Next she tugged on the pants, which fit like a second skin. And then the blouse, a deep red that she liked just fine.

  She sashayed out of the bedroom and he followed, just like both of them knew he would.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Milla invited me over this morning. She said she had a bunch of clothes from when she lived in the city that she thought I’d like.”

  “Alright. I’ll come by the Eagle tonight.”

  She turned back in surprise. “You’re not coming with me?” She immediately wanted to retract the question–it made her sound needy. But she couldn’t.

  Griff’s eyes warmed. “No. I told Matt I’d check on Inka and the kids. He’s in the city for the day. And then I’m off to work.”

  “Where do you work?” She felt dumb for having to ask. It seemed like the kind of thing she would have known in a different world.

  “I work construction with Ansel. And whenever we have new shifters here, I stay with them and try to re-acclimate them to Earth.”

  “Like you did with my group.”

  He nodded.

  She couldn’t help but remember that night. The night he’d fallen to his knees like his life was over. The night he’d thought she was dead.

  “You don’t have to come to the Eagle.” The words were sharper than she’d intended.

  He ignored her. “See you tonight.”

  And then he was gone.

  Alayna told herself she was relieved.

  ***

  “It’s kinda hot if you think about it.”

  “What is?” Griff asked Inka as she flopped on the floor beside him. She’d just had an epic showdown getting Carmen down for a nap and now she needed one herself. Griff and Mateo were curled up on the shag rug in her small cabin and that looked like the perfect place for Inka to be.

  “The whole no-touching thing.”

  Griff had just explained everything to Inka. She was the person he was the most verbose with. Even more than Ruby, probably. But there was just something about Inka that put him at ease. He was pretty sure she put everybody at ease. She’d been his first friend in the Keto family. The only one who eased his pain. The others distracted him from it, but Inka had actually relieved it time and again.

  “How do you mean?” He couldn’t believe he was having this conversation.

  “Boundaries are hot, you know? When certain things are off limits. If you think about it, it’s vaguely bondage-ish.”

  “Uh.”

  “Yeah!” On a roll now, she rolled up onto one elbow and tickled her son’s newborn belly. Both of her children looked exactly like Matt and she couldn’t have been happier. Or more in love with all three other members of her family. “I think you just need to be a little more creative.”

  “I don’t get the impression that she wants me to work harder. I kind of think she wants me to stop trying.”

  “Really?” Inka looked at him like he was crazy. “That’s not the vibe I’ve been getting. I think she’s all twisted up about something. But I’m not so sure she wants you to give up entirely.”

  “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” He flopped onto his back. “She did sort of strip for me earlier today.”

  Inka threw her
head back and laughed. Really laughed. “And you think she wants you to stop trying? Trust me, you don’t strip for a man you don’t care about, unless you’re a professional.”

  “Hm.” Something to think about.

  “Oh! I’ve got it.” Inka’s whole face lit right up. “Wear gloves. Just go get some from the pharmacy.”

  “Like medical gloves? Oh my God, Inka, that’s horrible. I’m not going for a serial killer vibe here.”

  Her brow furrowed. “Maybe you’re right. What about some black leather gloves then?”

  “OJ gloves, you mean?”

  She grimaced. “Okay, no on the gloves thing. But I’m telling you. The no touching skin to skin doesn’t preclude touching. I really think there’s some things you could work with in that category.”

  “Maybe I should just give her space.”

  Inka sighed. “Honestly, Griff, you’re the one who knows her the best. I can’t tell you what to do, other than be respectful, which I know you’re already gonna be. The only thing I really know about her is that she comes from Herta, has great hair, and wants an iPhone.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “She keeps playing with all of ours.”

  “That makes sense,” Griff smiled to himself. “She’s always liked shiny things.”

  He made a face at the baby and pretended to eat those little baby fingers.

  “Hi,” Matt called from the front entryway.

  Inka lifted her head. “What are you doing here? I thought you had that big meeting?”

  “They canceled when I was an hour outside of town.” He tried not to let his disappointment show through too much.

  “Oh, Matt.”

  “It’s alright. I didn’t need their funding anyways. Not if they were gonna be as controlling as I thought they might be.” He crawled right down to the floor beside them and nestled his face into his son’s gurgly little face. “Anyways, let’s talk about something better. What were you guys talking about?”

  “Bondage and strippers,” Inka answered instantly, making Matt’s ears go pink.

  “Bondage, huh?” he asked, valiantly keeping his voice level. “With the lovely Alayna, I presume?”

  “I wish,” Griff answered, much more candidly than Matt might have expected out of his typically reserved friend.

  “By the way,” Matt said, “do you think she would let me study her?”

  “What?”

  “I want to run some tests, see if I can’t learn anything about her gift.”

  “Oh. She’s pretty sensitive about it, from what I can tell. But I don’t think asking would hurt.”

  “Bring her something shiny when you ask,” Inka suggested helpfully. “Griff says she likes that.”

  “Ah. Okay.”

  “I’ve gotta get going to work, if you two are all good here,” Griff said.

  But even as he spoke, he rose and watched as Inka and Matt were curled together around their baby, one of his big hands resting on her side.

  And he saw it. He saw exactly what he wanted.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Why are you just giving all this stuff to me?” Alayna asked in complete amazement as she let her hands trail over the gorgeous silk shirts, the tailored skirts, stylish pants, baby soft sweaters. Everything was in colors that made her eyes want to weep with happiness. Made her mouth water.

  “I think the better question is why the hell you want it,” Valentina quipped from where she sat curled on Milla and John Alec’s humongous bed.

  Milla laughed from across the room where she was digging out a box of jewelry she never wore anymore. “I’m giving it all away because it’s remnants of a life I don’t live anymore. I was a business woman in Manhattan and I needed all this stuff. But my life with John Alec isn’t like that anymore. I don’t need any of it. And it’s all just sitting in my closet, so if you’ll wear it…”

  “I will definitely wear it!” Alayna insisted immediately. A thought occurred to her. “Should I pay you for it?”

  Milla frowned at her. “Of course not. We’re basically family.”

  Then it was Alayna frowning. No, they weren’t. She didn’t have any family anymore. Alayna avoided Valentina’s perceptive eyes and switched the subject.

  “If you aren’t a business woman, then what do you do for a job?”

  “Oh,” Milla looked behind her at Valentina as if she couldn’t believe they hadn’t explained this yet. “We rescue shifters from Herta. I mean, John and I used to train Griff when he was still working on his shift. But after Kain took over on that front, we mostly just spent all our time working with Valentina to free shifters.”

  Alayna looked back and forth between the two women. She’d heard something of the sort from them before, but staring in their faces now, the reality of it was raining down on her. “You voluntarily go back into Herta.”

  “Yes, of course,” Valentina nodded.

  “And you too, Milla? Even though you’re a shifter?”

  Milla nodded. “It’s my responsibility. I’m strong enough to fight. So I do. Ketos aren’t as affected by Herta as some shifters are. So we do everything we can to get shifters the hell out of there. Plus we have Matt on our side. Who invented the portal-making tool and all that.”

  “I assume Herta was very painful for you as a shifter,” Valentina spoke to Alayna. “But if you survived there for so long after your shift, you must have some kind of tolerance for it?”

  “I’m not sure.” Alayna held up a deep blue blouse, admired the way it changed colors in the light. “I think it’s because of my healing abilities. I think it heals me, too, from Herta. I was never completely comfortable. But I wasn’t in danger of falling slave, either. The way some people are.”

  “Like Griff.”

  Alayna snapped her head up to Milla. “Griff survived Herta for a year.”

  Milla and Valentina exchanged eye contact. “Back then. Not anymore.”

  Alayna was about to ask more but Milla spied the time. “Shoot! Alayna, you’re gonna be late for work. I’ll drop you off and then drop all this stuff off at the guesthouse, alright?”

  Alayna nodded, her mind full and getting fuller. The last thing she wanted to do was to stick to the plan. But the plan was pretty much the only thing she had right about then. It was the only thing she could count on.

  ***

  Sure enough, Griff was there for her entire shift. From the damn top to the damn bottom.

  “He your man?” the bartender had asked her about an hour into this shift.

  She’d eyed the look in the man’s eyes, the sleazy smile, the careful slick of his hair. “Yes,” she’d answered without hesitation. She didn’t care if it got back to Griff or made things more complicated. She wasn’t sure how interactions between single people on Earth worked and she really didn’t want to get caught up in something she wasn’t prepared for.

  “How do relationships work between single people on Earth?” Alayna asked Ruby the second she and Ansel sat down at Griff’s table.

  Ansel inhaled the beer he’d gotten from the bar and coughed it out as he watched Griff’s expression harden.

  “Uh, you mean single people who are interested in each other?” Ruby asked nervously.

  Alayna waved her hand through the air. “I don’t know the rules on Earth and they seem very… specific.” She ignored Griff’s gaze. “I don’t want to agree to something or get stuck in something or—”

  Ruby rose and tugged Alayna away from the table with the men. “Let’s talk away from Griff so you can drop all the coded language.”

  “Oh, okay.” Alayna tucked her empty tray under her arm and glanced behind her at the bartender. “The bartender wanted to know if Griff was my ‘man’ and I didn’t like the way he was looking at me so I said yes.”

  Ruby blinked. That was good news. She wouldn’t have said that about Griff if she found the idea abhorrent. “And you’re worried because…”

  “I don’t want to get caught up in some
thing with someone right now. Things are so complicated with Griff and I wouldn’t want to add more to my plate.”

  Ruby furrowed her brow. “You mean like a one-night stand? Sleeping with a stranger for just one night?” She clarified the last part when she saw Alayna didn’t understand.

  “No! No. That’s not for me. I just mean,” Alayna looked down and messed around with the sparkly silver bangles Milla had given her today. “When Griff asked me to be his girlfriend, I had to say yes or no. And then when I did, it was a promise to each other. And I honor my promises. So, I’m wondering if there are other levels that I should worry about. Like if someone asked me to be their ‘something’ and I didn’t know what it was, and accidentally said yes would I be obligated to—”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Ruby gripped Alayna’s shoulders. “You’re talking like being in a relationship is some kind of verbal contract or something. No. Alayna. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. With anyone. And nothing a man asks you or says to you will change that.” Ruby bit her lip. “When did Griff ask you that? To be his girlfriend?”

  “When we were in Herta together.”

  “Eight years ago?”

  Alayna nodded.

  Well, she’d come this far. So Ruby figured she might as well finish it. “And when you say that you honor your promises, you mean that you’ve never been with anyone else?”

  Alayna nodded again. And a whole lot of things fell into place for Ruby. Why Griff was such a lone wolf. Why they’d never seen him with a woman. Why he wouldn’t even talk about love. Why it had always been a little painful for him to be around all the happy Keto couples. She’d wondered if it was because she and Griff had been such a tight unit growing up and then he’d come back to Herta to this huge extended family. But now she wondered if he’d been lonely on purpose. If he’d kept himself back because of how he felt for Alayna.

  “Wow.” Ruby tried to picture not having sex for eight years. And then she asked herself if she’d do that for Ansel. “I mean, I get it. But that’s really lonely.”