Night of the Wild Stags

by Golden Angel

  She thought she understood what he was trying to say, even if she didn't understand why he would feel that way. It was so far and away from what she would expect, from what she was used to, she couldn't quite comprehend his reasoning. But she also knew she didn't want him to go.

  Her body ached in a way it never had for Sebastian, her doe interested in and encouraging the proceedings in a manner she'd never exhibited before. Despite all the very good reasons she had for not wanting to get attached, Kiara really wanted to forget all those arguments she’d come up with. Just for right now. Gavin seemed willing to do whatever she wanted. When could she be sure she would ever get this chance again?

  Maybe he would have pity on her if she just asked. He thought she was brave, so she would be brave and say what she really, truly, secretly wanted.

  "Will you stay with me tonight?" She could hear the plea in her voice. "Please? All night?"

  Just once, she wanted to sleep with a man in bed with her. Maybe even snuggling with her, the way she'd read about humans doing. Her heart sank, her shoulders hunching in when he didn’t answer immediately and she tried to pull her hands away, but he wouldn’t let her go.

  “It’s not that I don’t want to,” he said gently, keeping his fingers laced through hers, using them to pull her towards him instead of letting her curl into a little ball of embarrassment. “I’m just not sure why you’re asking.”

  “I don’t want to be alone.” The truth blurted from her lips before she could stop to think how pathetic she sounded. Because she wasn’t just talking about not wanting to be alone tonight. She was talking her whole life up until this moment. While her mother had been loving, she also hadn’t been a physically affectionate person, which was something Kiara found herself craving more and more as she’d grown up.

  The four Walkers had already given her touch-starved senses more satisfaction than her mother and Sebastian combined. The way Alec had held her, Riley had held her, and now Gavin—refusing to let go of her hands. Only Dorian had been standoffish about touching her, but she was used to that.

  What she wanted was more of what Gavin was already giving her, more of being held while she slept, like Riley had done. But… without the panic when she’d been startled awake.

  “Okay, sweetheart,” Gavin said, his eyes softening. “I’ll stay. Just, give me a minute to go change and I’ll be right back.”

  Keeping her squeal of delighted excitement quiet, Kiara let his hands go when he pulled them away and watched him exit the room, her heart pounding as she put the laptop on the nightstand. Part of her was sure he was gone and wouldn’t be back, but she was finding it easier and easier not to listen to that part of herself. The self-doubting, insecure part who thought she shouldn’t put her heart out on the line again, not after what had happened with Sebastian.

  These males were nothing like Sebastian. They liked her. They showed her they liked her. And she felt safe with them. Cherished. Even though she hadn’t realized Sebastian had lied about actually mating her, that the female deer in her community hadn’t had real mates, she’d definitely never felt this way with him. And she’d been one of his so-called ‘mates’ for almost two years before she’d left.

  Still, even with her doe and her logical side pushing down her doubt, she still felt a wave of relief when Gavin came back in to her room and shut the door behind him. It was immediately followed by a wave of desire. He’d changed into a pair of grey sweatpants and a white tank top which clung to his upper body and did very little to hide the bulk of his muscles. This was the most Kiara had ever seen of a man who wasn’t Sebastian.

  Sebastian had similar musculature to Gavin, but he definitely hadn’t sent her doe into a frenzy the way the animal was now. Kiara surreptitiously wiped her hand over her mouth just to make sure she wasn’t drooling. Her thighs were pressed tightly together underneath the covers as her lower body pulsed with need.

  We’re not fulfilling that need tonight, she reminded herself and her doe, ignoring the little huffy sound her animal made. She’d asked Gavin to just sleep with her and he’d made it pretty clear he wasn’t here for sex.

  Sitting in the middle of the huge bed, which somehow already felt smaller even though he wasn’t in it with her yet, Kiara felt remarkably shy. She didn’t really know what to do or say.

  Gavin just sauntered over to the bed and lifted up the covers to climb in. Part of her felt like she should scoot over, but there was really plenty of space even with her in the middle. Scooting over would be silly.

  So instead of moving over, she moved down so she was lying flat on her back, feeling stiff and awkward. Gavin chuckled, turning out the light on the bedside table as he slid between the sheets.

  It felt like all the air had squeezed out of her lungs when she felt his large, hot body moving beside hers.

  “Relax, beautiful,” he said, finding the top of her head even in the darkness as he curled his body around hers. Kiara nearly whimpered at the feel of hard muscles tensing and moving against her body, and then let out a little squeak as she was turned onto her side and pulled so her back was pressed up against his front.

  The rigid length of his erection pressed against her buttocks, and she waited for him to do something… but he just lay there. Holding her.

  Hand on her stomach.

  Nose in her hair.

  His breathing slow and regular.

  It felt amazing.

  Breathing with him, she could feel both herself and her doe relaxing. The need to sleep rose up, overcoming her physical arousal, and she dropped off to sleep in his arms.

  ******

  Mmmmm. Kiara’s body was hot with desire and she undulated against a hard male body.

  Sebastian? In bed with her while she was asleep?

  “Kiara… wake up, beautiful.” A soft groan. “Kiara, I need you to wake up sweetheart, you’re killing me.”

  The husky voice was definitely not Sebastian’s. Sebastian would have never stayed the night in her bed anyway.

  Gavin.

  His body against hers, hips rocking against her soft belly, hard cock throbbing between their bodies. Kiara’s eyes flew open, but all she could see was tank top, man chest, and a little bit of dark chest hair.

  She and Gavin were pressed front to front and she was clinging to him, with both arms and legs. Kiara almost pulled away, embarrassed, but… he felt so good.

  Her body undulated again, rolling her mound against the length of his cock and making him groan again, his hands tightening on her back.

  “Kiara… sweetheart, that’s not nice,” he said, his voice strained with pent-up desire.

  “Maybe I don’t want to be nice,” she murmured, squirming against him to try and get a better position. To try to feel more of him. She rubbed her nose in his chest hair and felt his whole body shudder. “Maybe I want to be a bad girl.”

  She was just mimicking words she’d read in books, pretty sure she understood the sentiment behind them. It seemed to work.

  “Sweet Mother of all that is holy,” Gavin muttered under his breath as he rolled both of them over.

  Darkly handsome, looming over her, his body between her thighs, rigid cock pressed against her swollen pussy through their clothing, he absolutely took Kiara’s breath away. His dark eyes were burning with heat and lust. Now this look she recognized, it was similar to one Sebastian would sometimes give her, but Gavin’s expression was so much hotter, so much more intense.

  He didn’t just look like he wanted to mount her, he looked like he wanted to claim her, to possess her. The tension in his body created an equal tension in her, and she stared up at him—but the sound of knuckles rapping on her bedroom door made her squeak with surprise as Gavin’s expression changed to one of chagrined disappointment.

  “Don’t come in!” she called out, sitting up and clutching the sheets to her chest. Inside her head, her doe was kicking up a serious fuss about being denied the sweet fulfillment she’d been sure was about to come her way. />
  “Kiara? Is Gavin in there with you?” Dorian’s deep voice didn’t sound judgmental, but she still winced, blushing and feeling guilty.

  “Yeah, I’m here,” Gavin said, sighing as he stood up out of the bed. The door opened as Gavin moved towards it, to reveal Dorian standing there. The twins looked at each other, Dorian’s goatee twitching slightly at the corner of his mouth. Turning back to Kiara in the bed, Gavin gave her a little smile. “See you later, beautiful.”

  Blinking, Kiara felt like whining as she watched him walk away. They’d just slept together all night, she’d had his hard cock pressed up against her body, and… that was it? Her doe snarled in agitated disbelief.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” Dorian said, echoing his twin’s words, although he didn’t move from his spot at the door. His dark eyes drank her in the same way though; almost possessive, even from a distance, which Kiara didn’t understand at all.

  She scowled at him, annoyed both at being interrupted and at his careless assurance. Even if it did look good on him, that didn’t make it less frustrating. As much as she wanted to ask him what he wanted, in a way that made it clear his presence was unwelcome, she couldn’t quite bring herself to be so rude. No matter how welcome the males all tried to make her feel, this wasn’t her house, it was theirs’.

  “Good morning,” she said, although her tone didn’t quite match her words. To her supreme annoyance, his teeth flashed as he smiled widely. And he just kept standing there, looking at her. “Was there something you needed from me?”

  “No. Just enjoying the view.” His gaze drifted down to her breasts, and Kiara yanked the blankets up as soon as she realized her t-shirt did nothing to disguise her hard nipples poking through the fabric. The man’s arrogance was breathtaking. Unfortunately, some part of her also found it charming. When his eyes met hers again, his gaze widened, and she frowned in further confusion.

  “I thought…” Her voice trailed off. Dorian cocked his head at her, almost daring her to continue. Well, fine then. Her chin tilted up. “I thought you didn’t like me.”

  To Kiara’s shock, he didn’t respond verbally, instead he strode across the room in a few quick steps and then was leaning over the bed. His hand reached out to catch her braided hair, from which quite a few strands had escaped, and he used it like a piece of rope to reel her in towards him. When their lips were almost touching, her wide eyes staring directly into his, even her doe was struck silent by the sheer, dominant force of his gaze.

  “I like you just fine, sweetheart,” he said silkily. “But you aren’t ready for me yet.” Just as abruptly as he’d come in, he released her braid and was off the bed and headed for the door, tossing one last comment over his shoulder. “Get dressed and come on downstairs. I’m making waffles.”

  Dumbfounded, more than a little turned on, and completely sexually frustrated, Kiara slumped back into the bed. Just for a moment. She was practically dizzy with confusion.

  These males made no sense.

  Chapter 5

  After taking a shower, during which she found a little bit of relief using her fingers, although it wasn’t nearly the release her body was truly craving, Kiara headed downstairs to find Dorian making waffles as promised. Not just regular waffles either, he'd arranged a number of toppings on the counter to top them with. Blueberries, chopped strawberries, miniature chocolate chips, whipped cream, sour cream, caramel sauce, bacon...

  She eyed him a little warily, not sure what to think of him. Out of all the men, he was the hardest to read. Especially because she truly thought he was the most standoffish and indifferent to her, but he'd just proved that theory wrong upstairs. Her lips still tingled from the kiss he hadn't delivered.

  "Here," he said, holding out a plate with two large waffles already on it. Kiara took it, although she was a little doubtful she'd be able to finish such a huge portion. On the other hand, she was really hungry, and Dr. Tran had told her to try to eat and sleep as much as possible these first few days. So far, she was doing better with the sleeping than with the eating. She piled her waffles high with blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream but put the slices of bacon on the side.

  Yum. Bacon.

  "Where is everyone else?" Kiara asked as she sat down at the table. Dorian was only a few steps behind her, seating himself across from her. He'd separated his two waffles out into savory and sweet. One had bacon, sour cream, and chives, the other had strawberries, chocolate chips, and whipped cream. To her amusement, he pushed the 'dessert' waffle to the side and started in on the other one, as if one really was his meal and the other dessert.

  "Riley's out tinkering in the garage," Dorian said, jerking his head in the direction of the door leading there. "Gavin's out running a patrol and Alec is still asleep. He had the latest shift."

  "The latest shift?" she echoed, a little confused.

  "Patrol shift," Dorian explained. The smile he sent her way was reassuring. "We're not too worried about someone from The Company actually knowing where we are, but just in case, one of us will be checking regularly to make sure no one is wandering around on our land."

  The possessive, protective way he said 'our land' almost made her feel like he was more interested in keeping any trespassers away than anyone else. Kiara had actually almost forgotten about The Company. Any of the smaller shifters who had been 'cured' by Dr. Montgomery were desperately wanted by the shadowy entity. Secrecy was the easiest way to keep her safe, so as few people as possible knew Kiara was anything but a regular deer. Apparently, the stags felt it was better to be safe than sorry.

  So now there were two things to be worried about—Sebastian finding her and The Company finding her. But at least while she was here, she could feel secure.

  "Are you all taking turns guarding me too?" she asked, half-teasing and half-curious, because they'd also seemed to have some kind of rotation going on with her.

  Dorian grinned at her and winked. "No, we're all taking turns letting you get to know us."

  ******

  Seeing Kiara's pretty mouth drop open in surprise, Dorian couldn't help but think about exactly what he'd like to do to her mouth.

  But not yet. She was still recovering, still getting to know all of them, and her life experiences before now had been both harrowing and had left her very innocent in a lot of ways. He wasn't sure she even realized her scent had started to mingle with theirs. All of the men had been comparing notes as they could, keeping each other apprised of each little tidbit they learned about her. It had added up to a fairly alarming picture.

  With as skittish as she was, Dorian hadn't been sure how she'd feel about him. He'd done his own little test this morning, and he was pretty sure her response had been submissive excitement, but that didn't mean she knew what her reaction had meant. Especially considering her previous experience with the male who had misrepresented himself as her mate, playing on her ignorance. It was enough to make Dorian wish he could go storming off and go rescue all the females she'd left behind.

  On the other hand, the Pudu deer's extreme isolationist tactics had also kept their community safe and disease-free, unlike so many of the small shifter communities whose limited contact with others had still led to devastating results. Maybe some of them were just doing the best they could under the circumstances. At least, that was how he felt in his more charitable moments.

  In his less charitable moments, he wanted to question Kiara about her 'mate' and go find the man and rend him limb from limb. Let his stag have free rein and make use of his antlers, the way the seething creature wanted to. His buck was very upset at the idea that someone else had dared call Kiara 'mate.'

  Gavin would help him bury the body.

  Actually, Riley might be the better choice. Not for burying a body, but actually disposing of it in a manner which would destroy all evidence and make identification next to impossible. Riley knew some scary things. Most people assumed that his quiet, scientific nature meant he was less of a threat than the rest of
the Walkers; most people assumed very wrongly.

  "So, what are we going to do today?" Kiara asked, a little warily, interrupting Dorian's blood-thirsty thoughts.

  "Do you need to work?" he asked. She'd mentioned she did all of her work online and he knew she had been worried about falling behind. When she nodded, looking a little relieved, he felt a surge of satisfaction at anticipating her needs. "Alright then, once you're ready to take a break, let me know and we can go for a run. I'm sure your doe would enjoy the woods here."

  The way she brightened made him grin. He was looking forward to seeing her doe. All the men had looked up Pudu deer online the moment they'd been able to. Pudu deer looked tiny in the photos, he and his stag were unbearably curious about what she would look like. Especially with the changes made after creating a hybrid. Would any of the jaguar show through?

  Although, his curiosity was nothing compared to Riley's. His cousin had already made the request to be informed if they went for a run. Dorian had a feeling Alec would even roll himself out of bed for the opportunity, and he'd be surprised if Gavin didn't meet up with them while they were out there.

  "We could go for a run now and I could work later," she said almost hopefully.

  "Work first, then play, little doe," he said sternly, hiding his amusement as she made a face at him. Rising, empty plate in hand, he went to do his dishes, just barely catching the tongue she stuck out at him.

  Sassy little thing. Life hadn't beaten her down at all, no matter what she'd been through. His stag approved. So did Dorian. She was amazing.

  While Kiara worked, Dorian pulled up his own emails to make sure everything was going well back at Lakewood, as well as sending Dr. Tran a report on how Kiara's recovery was going. His team leader, Ginny Wright, had sent him an update from Eli. So far, no sign of The Company, no indication that anyone who shouldn't know about Kiara's transformation had any inkling there was another hybrid now running around, and no sign of the rest of Kiara's community. She hinted that Eli was going to want to talk to Kiara eventually, especially about her community. Probably when he wasn't so focused on taking down The Company.