“Doesn’t help that our tech guys decided to take the night off,” Andrew mumbled as he took a sip of his coffee.
“My bad,” Riley gave a timid, demure smile at him and Andrew only winked at her.
“It’s fine. They can just work all day today,” Brenton chuckled, pulling her into him and getting a long morning kiss. “We’ll work this out.”
“Of course,” Riley kissed him back, then went for her own coffee. Andrew poured it for her and gave her a plate of food for breakfast.
“You did really good last night, Riley,” he whispered to her.
“Is it bad that I feel more annoyed by what happened than anything else?” Riley snorted. “I mean, it was insulting.”
“Seriously?” Troy walked in and glared at her a little bit. She shrugged. “You were almost killed last night!”
“I had it under control!” Riley hissed. “And they were so fucking arrogant about it. The first guy was smug as shit. He didn’t even have his weapon drawn when he walked in. He said something cute-like about how he wasn’t there for the food, he was there for me. It was fucking dumb, and he paid for it. So did his stupid friend.”
She was glaring at Troy now, while the other guys just watched the exchange.
“You need to take this seriously-” Troy snarled, but Riley cut him off.
“I am,” Riley snapped. “And yeah, I know I could have died. But I didn’t. I’m standing right here, happy and healthy and they’re dead. I agree with Brenton’s lockdown, for fuck’s sake. Do you see me trying to leave and get into more trouble?”
Troy broke eye contact with her, and Riley felt something shift in the pride. She looked at Gabe behind his brother, and he also moved his eyes first.
She out ranked them. She was the more dominant shifter in the pride compared to the brothers. When had that happened?
She walked to her spot at the bar and sat down quietly. When Brenton tried to touch her shoulder, she jerked away, causing him to grab her harder.
“Riley,” he growled in her ear, “let them worry about you.”
She shook her head.
“No. I’m either a trusted member of this pride who can handle herself like all of you do, or I’m not.” Riley felt her stubbornness steel her spine.
“You are, but that doesn’t stop any of us from worrying. That’s because we care about you, not just because we’re in the same pride,” Brenton kept his voice quiet. “And we wouldn’t snap at you for worrying about us.”
She nodded and began to eat. They all ate quietly. She had changed since this started. She felt it. She was stronger than ever, she was decently skilled in protecting herself and she wasn’t afraid to do what needed to be done. But they hadn’t. They still wanted to treat her like the scared girl with a sharp wit as her only defense.
“I don’t need to be chastised for being honest,” she whispered after finishing her food. “I don’t. You would have all been insulted by it, too. Was I worried that more would come for me? Fuck yeah, I was, but you guys got there first.”
“I’m sorry,” Troy mumbled. He looked like she’d kicked him. “Fuck, it’s just so hard to deal with you in danger.”
“It’s okay, Brenton is right. I shouldn’t have snapped. You all are my family and have the right to worry,” Riley murmured back, feeling bad for getting so angry. She would need to talk to Brenton later, in private, about what had happened. She didn’t know how comfortable she was with being higher ranked than any of the guys. “Apology accepted.”
After breakfast, she made sure to give both the brothers a kiss and ensured they knew she wasn’t mad at them. She then followed Brenton into his office.
“I want to talk to you.” She held his stare for a long moment before looking down. It was disrespectful to hold eye contact longer than necessary with one’s Alpha. The Alpha would always win as well. Breaking eye contact was a sign of submission, a lack of challenge.
“I saw. And yes, you are more dominant than Troy and Gabe.” Brenton sighed and sank into his chair behind his desk. He watched her for a moment. “Sit down. I wasn’t expecting them to ever let you rise over them, but you have.”
“What does it mean for me and them?” She sat and looked at Brenton, hoping he would ease her suspicions.
She was afraid it would change what she had with them. She was fine being bottom of the pride rankings, as long as she was respected. This felt… powerful, and she wasn’t even in the top half of the pride.
“Nothing.” Brenton smiled at her. “The Walkers have never been a very dominant pair of shifters. They like their position and they’re comfortable with it. I have a couple of questions that you might find ease your fears. Some things I think should be pointed out.”
She nodded and waved her hand for him to continue.
“When you are with them, how do you feel?”
“They… They treat me like a queen, like the center of the room. The only thing that matters,” she mumbled. Brenton nodded wisely at her.
“And do they often listen to your suggestions around the house or while you help them in the workshop?”
“Yeah, they do. They are probably the most helpful guys in the pride without complaint.” She smiled at the thought.
“Beautiful, they gave you a position higher than themselves because they like to serve.” Brenton smiled at her, taking one of her hands. “They have always been that way. They submit and work hard and listen to others. And you’ve always been above them, I think. But now it’s noticeable.”
“So where do I stand now?” She whispered. “Technically.”
“Above them and somewhere below Andrew.” Brenton shrugged. “Though, I have a feeling you and Andrew are pretty similar in this regard.”
She jerked her head up to look at him again. He was still smiling.
“Andrew is a lot like you. He’s a bit more dominant, more self-assured than the average feline shifter, this gives him the ability to take charge. But he doesn’t want it like Zachary does. Both were born a bit stronger, bit more dominant but not Alphas. It makes them good seconds. But Zachary wants it, and Andrew doesn’t. This does take out some other rules, but the principle applies just as well.”
“How is that like me?”
“You are feisty, and, as you grow and adjust to the shifter world, you are growing more confident in yourself. However, you don’t want to be in charge, and you aren’t. You sit in the middle of the pride. You don’t have to be stronger than another shifter to out rank them. You have to be more dominant. You have to secure a spot where those beneath you are comfortable there, and those above won’t let you pass.” He grinned now. “You’ll never pass Zachary, that I’m pretty certain about.”
“Obviously. I mean, it’s fucking Zachary.” She chuckled and leaned back in the chair. “So, do you have advice at handling my new place in the pride?”
“Order them around in the bedroom,” Brenton waggled his eyebrows a little and Riley laughed. The eyebrow thing killed her. He never did that. It was the silliest shit she’d seen in weeks.
She had to wipe tears from her eyes and pull herself back in the chair when she was done.
“Damn it, Brenton!” She couldn’t handle it and the laughter wouldn’t stop. “That doesn’t work for everyone.”
“Of course. You will never order me around in the bedroom, but I think it will help you feel more confident in your place to order them around a little.”
“Awful man,” she chuckled, shaking her head. “Anything else?”
“No. But…” He motioned for her come around the desk. She stood slowly and walked to stand next him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to stand between his legs. “I am kind of hard at the idea of you ordering them around.”
He grazed his teeth over her nipple and she was thankful for the bra protecting her.
“I think you should help me with that while I call a few people,” he growled. She smiled and rolled her eyes. Then she got on her knees.
&n
bsp; By the time she left, Brenton was thoroughly ready to take on the day and so was she. She really had nothing to do, so she wandered to her bedroom and played with Star for an hour.
“Aren’t you the best little tripod kitty.” She chuckled as Star chased an electronic mouse across the floor. She wasn’t the steadiest cat without one of her back legs, but she was still a good cat.
Then she went to her small art section and put up a new canvas. She’d secretly been working on paintings of all the guys in their feline forms. They let her go on a walk with them and she took hundreds of reference images over an entire day. She had filled up two memory cards with pictures of just them.
Then she spent weeks sketching and learning how their bodies worked and moved. That took three one hundred-page sketchbooks.
And she was finally ready to paint. She wanted to finish all these painting before the guys knew about the series. But she didn’t know how to keep it a secret. They could come in see one drying.
She pondered this for a long moment, then turned her easel around so that her back was to the window. Now, if they walked in, the painting wouldn’t be completely visible. And if she asked them to leave it alone, they should respect her privacy on it.
She grabbed her paints and one of the sketchbooks. She was going to go in order of rank so that it would be organized.
When she found her favorite sketch, she pulled it out and taped it to the top of the easel. Putting a canvas in landscape position, she began to paint.
Something had changed since she’d shifted and her senses had gotten more and more heightened. She saw colors just a little differently now, and the world was sharper, so she could capture even more detail. She also had a steadier hand with the oils she was using.
Over the morning, the shape began to form as she painted. It was a field at sunset and standing in the center was a massive lion. Her lion. Brenton’s mane was being blown around by the wind and he stared directly at her. She was already four hours into the painting, but it would take a week of that for it to be finished. She would need to let what she had dry before she could continue, as well. She picked it up gently and slid it into her canvas rack, so it could dry in private.
She washed the paint off her hands and changed into something clean. When she collapsed on her bed, she knew this was going to be a long lockdown. She was already bored as hell.
A knock on her door woke her up from her nap. She opened the door to see the brothers.
“We wanted to talk. Brenton told us you figured us out.” Gabe was giving her a bit of an insecure smile.
“Come in,” she held the door open and they strolled in. She pointed to the two couches she had placed with the TV, between the bathroom and closet door. They moved without a word, and she raised an eyebrow.
Once they all sat down, she just looked at them, waiting for them to speak.
“We don’t like being above others,” Troy mumbled. “We like to help, and since you’ve come in, you’ve been getting more secure and…” He couldn’t find the words, Riley realized.
“So yeah, we’ve let you step over us and into the position under Andrew,” Gabe shrugged. “And we like you there.”
She considered what Brenton had told her and blushed at the thought. Then she thought about how she was mean to Troy earlier, and she knew how she could make it up to him. This would certainly kill time during the lockdown.
“Come here, Troy.” She leaned back in her chair and spread her legs, stretching them out. Brenton had done this to her more than once. Troy walked over to her, wary.
“Yeah, pretty girl?” Troy was in front of her now, between her outstretched legs. She smiled, the blush still on her cheeks. She watched the boys’ nostrils flare as they smelled how hot her idea was making her.
“You and I argued earlier, and I want to make it up to you,” she hooked her shorts with her fingers and slowly pulled them and her underwear down. “And I know how much you like to eat.”
He growled softly and fell to his knees like she had for Brenton earlier. She could see why Brenton enjoyed this so much.
“And maybe if you do well enough, we’ll head over to my bed.” She bit her bottom lip. “Gabe, come sit next to me.”
He prowled to her, smiling, and fell onto the couch next to her like she’d asked.
“You are going to help your brother, but you don’t get to eat,” she murmured in his ear. She felt him shiver in anticipation. “But you can definitely watch, since I know how much you like to.” Gabe was purring loudly as Troy pulled her shorts off the rest of the way.
He licked and sucked on her clit, making Riley gasp, her head falling back. Gabe groaned and played with her breasts, kissing her neck.
“Harder, Troy,” she commanded, trying to sound firm. His tongue dove into her, fucking her just as well as any cock. He held her legs on his shoulders and one of Gabe’s hands went down a rubbed her clit while Troy ate her out.
She climaxed harder and faster than she’d expected. She was panting at the end of it.
“Good boys,” she purred, and that made both men insanely happy. She could see the pleasure dancing in their eyes as they looked at her. “Let’s go help you guys.”
Gabe carried her to the bed and laid her gently down on it. She watched him strip as Troy did the same on the other side of the bed. Troy laid on his back and rolled her on top of him, facing away. Oh shit. He held her hips there as Gabe got in front of her.
As she took Gabe in her mouth, Troy forced his cock up and into her. They weren’t as big as Brenton, Zachary, or Andrew but they had skills. They knew exactly how to move and thrust to make her wild.
Troy pumped up into her, forcing her to bounce on his cock. She moaned on the cock that was sliding in and out of her mouth. Gabe’s hands were gentle in her hair, not pulling like Brenton or Zachary did. She knew these two were just gentler, in general than the big dominant guys in the pride and she enjoyed them for that.
They held this fast, but not rough, pace for a long time until Gabe pulled out a little and came in her mouth. He was panting and fell back. Troy took his chance and turned her around. She was now looking down at him. He pulled her head down to kiss him, not caring that his brother just came there. She wondered if he liked it.
Gabe used two fingers to rub her clit as Troy made her rock on his dick.
When she came, she saw stars and Troy followed her, filling her with the delicious heat of his cum.
They were all sweaty and panting in the end.
“Fuck, gorgeous,” Gabe groaned. “Who gave you that idea? Fucking ordering us around? It was hot.”
“Guess,” she laughed.
“Brenton,” they both said it at the same time and then laughed.
“Well,’ Gabe groaned. “I have to get back to work.” He stood slowly. “Troy, you’ve done everything you can, so don’t worry about being in the security room with me.” Troy nodded slowly, still trying to catch his breath.
“Have you learned anything?” Riley was sprawled on Troy’s chest, circling his nipple with her finger.
“No,” Gabe sounded frustrated. “Nothing at all which is worrisome. Normally these guys use forums to talk about different hunts and shit they want to go on and who the target is. But we don’t show up at all.”
“Oh,” she mumbled. That didn’t sound good. How did they find out about the pride?
“Yup. It’s concerning,” Gabe leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. “No worries though. Eventually they’ll just move on when they know we’re on to them. And once they figure out you killed their little buddies.”
She spent the rest of the day in bed with Troy, trying to lighten his mood. It worked.
BRENTON
Brenton stared at the bear in front of him, who looked pretty furious.
“Sheriff,” he spoke carefully. “What’s wrong?”
Sheriff had shown up unannounced right as the pride was going to sit down for dinner. They had been on lockdown for three days now, and
everyone was getting antsy, but there was nothing Brenton could do for them without taking risks he didn’t find acceptable.
“Fifteen of them,” the bear growled. “I saw all of them partying in the woods last night. Recognized the ones we saw from the diner. Luckily, as a sheriff, I could tell them to break it up. I had to call in deputies to help out.”
“And?” Brenton was now leaning forward. Something wasn’t right here.
“They asked about all of you. Asked why I would protect a bunch of ‘rich, privileged freaks’. I told them I protected every citizen of Wild Junction and personal lives weren’t my business unless they were breaking the law.” Sheriff ran a hand through his hair. “They also don’t believe their buddies are just lost in the woods somewhere. Andrew hid that truck well, so they have no idea what happened to their friends. They know something is going on there that they can’t see.”
Brenton groaned and nodded.
“Alright. Fifteen hunters. Fuck us,” Brenton rubbed his face. “Stay for dinner, Sheriff. We’re about sit down. We have enough food, unless you want to get home to the misses.”
“I’ll stay. I sent her to our son’s in North Dakota this morning. I didn’t want her to be a target. You know how some hunters can be.” Sheriff followed Brenton into the dining room.
“Yeah, I do,” Brenton mumbled.
He did. The SHS was full of fucked up people. Normally, they just tracked down shifters and shot them but for others it was more personal and evil. They enjoyed the thrill of fear in their prey; and they could detach themselves from the feeling of it being murder, since most of the prey was in animal form. Others even killed humans who associated willingly with shifters, killing wives, employees and other friends to stop the ‘shifter infection’ from spreading. Most hunters didn’t know a thing about what they hunted, only that they could turn into animals and should be hunted like them.
Shifters had absolutely no way to ‘infect’ others. Nothing had ever worked, and some shifter scientists did some really fucked up shit to try. Half-breeds were the reason hunters believed there was a possibility of infection. Half-breeds were regular humans until the Fever happened or an Alpha pulled the animal out of them for the first shift. This freaked hunters out, who didn’t have the brain capacity to actually talk to a shifter and learn anything. So hunters would see a regular human one day and the next the person would be a shifter.
Wild Fire (The Kingson Pride Book 2) Page 5