Human and Freakn'

by Eve Langlais

  “I’ve been in the wild before. I know how to take care of myself.” Jellystone National Park did so count. Or was that Yellowstone? Who cared? They both had bears.

  Again, he smiled. “You think you can protect yourself? Even against untamed animals? They’re all around, you know. Hungry for a taste of your flesh. Chomping to take a bite.”

  Cheeks flushed, she fought the heat his warning created because either her hormones were making her hear things or he was coming on to her. “Any animal that comes near me better be prepared to get tranquilized.” She patted her hip and the holster slung on it.

  Joel laughed. And laughed some more, enough that Kendrick across the camp shot him a dirty look.

  “As if your little gun will stop a wild predator intent on tasting your skin.”

  Odd way of putting it. “Then maybe I’ll stand behind you and let him sate his hunger on your carcass first,” she snapped, tired of the skepticism.

  “Ah, querida, what a time and place to meet you. I will admit, though, this adventure is finally looking up. Way up,” he chortled. Still grinning, he saluted her and wandered over to the others. Only once she felt their scrutiny veer elsewhere did her shoulders slump and a faint tremor shake her hands.

  She’d survived the confrontation. Gotten her wish to stay on the trip. Now, she just needed to back her claims that she possessed the toughness required to survive.

  See, she might have lied a teensy tiny bit. Yes, she’d gone on trips – with large groups at well-established sites where the wildest thing was Harry Summerville after a few glasses of wine. Also, while she wore the tranquilizer gun at her hip, she didn’t have the slightest clue how to use it. It was just part of the package a village woman handed her when she arrived, along with some camping supplies. It seemed whoever wanted her on this expedition didn’t want to give her any excuse to back out.

  Several times during the frightening trip out, she’d wondered at her decision. She only had to read the note and look at the hand-drawn map to bolster her resolve. A map she’d hoped not to tell the group about and keep as her ace in the hole. But Kendrick ruined that plan.

  Still, all was not lost. His refusal to let her come along stemmed from some ill-conceived notion she couldn’t keep up because she was a girl. To be fair, she wasn’t sure she could either, but she wouldn’t give up. Not only did Ruth have her sister to wonder about, but who she suspected took Carlie. A tickle in her gut told her the rumors of the Moon Ghost tribe, a mysterious group of Mayans with an ancient culture and seeming riches weren’t entirely baseless. And what a find they would be. Are they the ones who sent me the note? Who took Carlie? The treasure left behind seemed to say yes, but she’d never find out sitting in a dusty hotel room.

  So what if she’d had to tell the guys about her map? Safety in numbers, after all, because despite her brave words, she knew she wouldn’t survive alone in this dangerous place. I need to find the mysterious tribe quick – or let them find me. Shouldn’t be too hard if it’s true they steal women and take them as brides. So sue a girl for having hope. If they thought Carlie’s tall frame was good enough for one of their men, then maybe Ruth stood a chance, too.

  What a sick fantasy. Hoping for a kidnapping indeed. She really needed to lay off the romance novels. You know you need a love life when even the idea of getting kidnapped and forced into marriage with a stranger sounds romantic.

  I need a life. Or at least sex. Something to quell his ridiculous hard-on.

  Wandering back to Kendrick, Joel’s mind spun, and not because of their mission. A scent, her scent, clung to him. The touch of her skin when he’d grabbed her arm seared his hand.

  Holy hell, the human’s my mate. Or at least that was the most likely reason as to why his wolf took up howling in his head.

  A mate. A human. A chubby human. A freakn’ Amazon of a woman with the waviest blonde hair, the biggest, bright blue eyes, a perfect handful of tits, rounded hips, and a height that wouldn’t give him a damned crick in his neck. God, imagining those thick thighs of hers wrapped around him, squeezing …

  Joel tripped over a root and went sprawling. His first thought? Shit. I hope she didn’t see that. Wait, why do I care what she thinks? The fact he didn’t want to appear foolish in front of her meant nothing. Blame that on the whole testosterone deal. No guy wanted to look inept in front of a girl. He didn’t give a rat’s ass what she thought of him because she wasn’t his mate. No way. No how. Not in a million years. His wolf gave a snort of disbelief and told him to prove it.

  What? Mutiny from his inner beast? He’d show his other half who was boss. Joel let himself glance her way, saw her crouched with her full ass filling out her stretched cargo pants, and his wolf surged with an excited yip. Ours.

  No way. She wasn’t even his type. And she was human. Human for God’s sake!

  Joel popped to his feet and brushed off. Trying to feign nonchalance, he peeked back in Ruth’s direction, saw her luscious buttocks up in the air as she pawed through her bag. Bigger than he usually chased, he couldn’t help imagining the white expanse, spread for him as he speared her with his shaft, his tanned skin distinct against hers. His cock, already semi-erect since he’d touched her, went to fully engorged in one second flat. Joel shuffled his bag to hide it.

  Ah, freakn’ hell. Despite the turgid evidence in his pants, he refused to believe for one moment the human woman was his to claim. Perhaps he’d caught some kind of jungle illness. They’d gotten pretty scratched up during their trek. Maybe some kind of toxin lingered. He did feel kind of hot.

  “Dude, feel my forehead.”

  “What the heck for?” Kendrick asked.

  “Because either I’m running a fever or that woman is meant to be mine.”

  Joel told his best friend the truth because he knew Kendrick would save him from a fate worse than death. Mated to a chubby human? As if he’d repeat the same mistake as his father.

  “Impossible,” Kendrick snarled, not seeming at all pleased.

  “Yeah, I’ll admit, it seems unlikely given she is one hundred percent non shifter, but damn it, my wolf is losing its mind inside here.”

  “It just needs to go for a run.”

  “I don’t know. It seems pretty sure. And it’s not the only part of me reacting.”

  “So go for a swim to cool down or put up your tent and whack off. Horniness does not mean that woman is your mate.”

  “Why are you so convinced I’m wrong?” Joel asked.

  “Why are you determined to think she is? Let’s face facts. You’re overdue for some sex. You broke up with your last girlfriend about six months ago and haven’t gotten close with anybody since.”

  “Hey, my five friends and I get plenty of exercise,” Joel protested, wiggling his digits.

  Kendrick snorted. “Like a fisting compares to the real thing. Reason number two your dick is waving like a flag is because she’s hot.”

  His eyes widened. “Hot? Whoa buddy, maybe this illness is contagious, because since when do you think chubby girls are hot? I thought you liked yours short and skinny.”

  “I do. But we’re not talking about me,” he growled. “Reason number three, you’re feeling protective toward her because she’s a girl and you have that stupid chivalrous streak that always gets you in trouble.”

  “Us in trouble, you mean. And laid. But you’re one to talk. You’re worse than I am when it comes to protecting women. How many guys did you beat up in school because of your sister Naomi?”

  Kendrick grinned. “I never said I wasn’t a knight in shining armor, I was just explaining the attraction.”

  “So you think I’m mistaken?” Joel’s query emerged with a dubious lilt.

  “Dude, she’s human. Fate wouldn’t be so cruel to you twice in your life.”

  God, Joel hoped not. He’d barely survived his mother ditching him as a child, how would he survive a mate doing the same? “Maybe it’s this freakn’ heat.”

  “Probably. Drink something t
o make sure you’re not dehydrated. And go for a swim. Clear your head. Get a good night’s sleep and see how you feel in the morning.”

  Despite his friend’s reassurance, Joel doubted anything would change. He just had to look at Ruth, struggling to get her tent to pop up, to know. Chubby or not, she’s my freakn’ mate. Question was, what would he do about it?

  Nothing, and for many reasons.

  First and foremost, Joel doubted he possessed the needed social skills to make a woman happy for life. His ex-girlfriends all said the same thing – ‘You’re emotionally detached,’ ‘I don’t feel like you give a darn about me,’ ‘This is just about sex.’ Truthfully? They were right.

  Raised by his father, Joel knew he lacked some of the manners only a mother could impart, and while Meredith, Kendrick’s mom, did her best, only an idiot wouldn’t recognize Joel came from a different world than his friend. In Joel’s reality, violence, hunger, and shame made him do things he wasn’t always proud of.

  Then there was his father. Dear old Dad. Did he dare bring a woman, any woman, human or not, anywhere near the toxicity known as his father? He could just imagine the things he’d say to the poor girl. “Good for nothing human whore.” Imagine that. Dad still held a grudge against Joel’s mother, the mate who left him.

  Not that it was entirely her fault. Joel’s mother was human. One hundred percent, never knew about the shifter secret, human. Mated, if unknowingly, to a wolf, she never got the same overpowering need to claim her man. Never felt the sting of separation when she left his father, screaming, “I can’t take the secrets anymore, or your jealousy.” Never cared she left a little confused boy behind with a man who went slightly crazy. A man who lost a part of his soul and would never get it back.

  Yeah, Kendrick was right. She couldn’t be his mate. He wouldn’t let her. Wolves and humans should never mate because it hurt too much when they left.

  Of course, as he noticed later in his tent, pain came in many forms. Blue balls, while a cute term, didn’t feel good at all, but they were preferable to the alternative.

  Sinking my cock into her velvety heat and pounding into her flesh. Hmm, he needed a better visual if he was going to stay away. Unfortunately, all his possible scenarios ended up with her naked. It made for a very long – and hard – night.

  Momentarily distracted by the female, Kendrick finally recalled his initial haste in finding the group.

  “Where’s your guide?” he asked Liam, having met the other members of their group while setting up his sleeping roll and grabbing a bite to eat.

  “Right over …” Liam frowned as he swiveled to look. “Hold on a second. Now that you mention him, I don’t recall seeing him since your arrival.”

  The news didn’t surprise Kendrick. “Notice anything peculiar about him? Was he nervous? Did his scent seem off?”

  Liam shook his head as his face turned thoughtful. “No, but I’m assuming you have a reason for asking.”

  “His father was leading Joel and me in the wrong direction. When I confronted him about it, he spouted off some nonsense about your group going where it was needed, then took off. We were worried he was leading you into an ambush, so we high-tailed it over.”

  “Nothing weird other than his bailing on us. We are in the right spot, though, at least according to my GPS.”

  “Mine too. Odd. Perhaps it’s a language thing and I misunderstood.”

  “Well at least you made it in time for sunset. Good thing too. It gets pretty freakn’ murky out here. I don’t know what it is about these woods compared to the ones back home, but damn they’re dark. And noisy.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “West coast. Vancouver Island to be exact. Fernando is from the plains and Peter is from Toronto.”

  “I’m an Ottawa boy. Any idea how we were chosen?”

  A roll of Liam’s shoulders told him he knew as much as Kendrick.

  “What about that whole note and map? What the hell is that about?” Who thought to throw obstacles in their way? For what purpose did someone want Ruth in the jungle? Was it truly about her sister, or was something else afoot? Kendrick didn’t like playing games, especially not the type with the potential for a deadly outcome.

  Ruth belonged anywhere but here in the jungle with a group of shape-shifters, about to confront who knew what. Did they need to worry about ambush, and not just from bipedal creatures, but wily four-legged ones too? Where had the guide disappeared to? Did he give signal that the foolish outsiders took the bait? Even now, did they prepare to strike? He kept his doubts and questions to himself for the moment.

  “We should set a rotating watch,” Kendrick said. “Rotating shifts of two hours.”

  “I take it we’re leaving the woman out of the line up?”

  Kendrick snorted. “What do you think? She might think herself brave, but she’s no match for our kind. Nor would she catch them sneaking up.”

  “She’s pretty though.”

  Kendrick hadn’t even blinked when he found his arm across Liam’s throat, his nose almost pressed to his. “Hands off the woman.”

  “Holy shit, man. Calm down. I didn’t know she was claimed.”

  “She’s not. But she’s human, and is now our responsibility whether we like it or not. So hands off.”

  “No hands. Gotcha. What about helping, though? She’s kind of clueless.”

  “She wants to act stubborn and claim she can do it on her own, then let her. No one lifts a finger. Understood? It’s time Ms. Anderson learns the jungle isn’t a place for a lady.”

  “No, it’s not,” Peter agreed as he joined them. “However, she looks damned cute trying to pretend she’s not afraid and knows what she’s doing.”

  And that quickly, Kendrick flung another arm over someone’s throat and repeated his no touch rule.

  Peter rolled his eyes. “Oh, this is going to be a great trip.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Kendrick growled, eyeing Ruth as she picked up a rock, saw something she didn’t like, and smashed the rock back down. She squealed and hopped around, stamping her feet. A part of him wanted to laugh, maybe mock; however, another part, with his wolf leading the charge, wanted to race over and save her from whatever bug caused her such distress.

  “Nothing. It’s going to be a blast.” Peter smiled.

  Eyes narrowed, Kendrick waited for him to expand, or say something about Ruth again. Peter didn’t, but his wolf still rumbled, upset these males dared look at her in a carnal way in the first place. While he’d never admit it to Ruth, she was under his protection now, which meant no one would touch her.

  Except us, his wolf agreed.

  No, not us, Kendrick replied.

  Why? whined his wolf. Ours.

  Not ours. No. No. No. No.

  He kept repeating it, but his wolf kept denying it. Over and over.

  Some food and a two-legged run later, Kendrick hadn’t shaken off his wolf’s belief that the stubborn human was their mate. Nor could he do anything about his disbelief when Joel stated he thought she belonged to him too.

  It wasn’t bad enough the mating affliction confused a human for his mate, it wanted to also drag his best friend along. Sure, ménages existed in the shifter world. Hell, his sister and brother both belonged in committed polyamorous matings, but Kendrick never imagined it as a possibility for himself. Two dicks, one hole? He wasn’t crazy about the odds on that one.

  Angry, confused, and more than a little aroused, Kendrick stalked off in search of a spot to throw his sleeping bag down, as far away from the chubby blonde as possible. Nowhere was far enough, not with his wolf yipping at him to claim their woman before Joel did.

  Maybe both he and Joel were mistaken. Perhaps the air of the jungle messed with their usual senses, or they’d been bitten by some bug that made him think tall blondes with big asses were sexy. Not usually an ass man, Kendrick, nonetheless, couldn’t help picturing Ruth’s rounded bottom bent, naked of course, the plush cushion of her
cheeks welcoming his thrusts.

  Damn his dirty mind. Lying on top of his sleeping bag, with no privacy to take care of the problem in his pants, it occurred to him he’d probably feel better after a swim. Despite the greenish cast, the water beckoned his sweaty body. Shedding his clothes – while watching the curvy problem on the shore – he couldn’t help but grow harder when her shocked eyes stared at him as he stripped down. His hands hit the waistband of his pants and her cheeks turned pink before she looked away. Her reaction made his wolf toss its shaggy head in amusement.

  Glad you think this is funny, my canine side. Blushes or not, the human is not for us. We’re on a mission, so get your head in the game. His wolf’s reply to his chastisement? An image of a swollen head getting between her thighs.

  Despite orders and her wishes, he should have had Joel toss her over his shoulder and march her back to the village. But, he couldn’t, not when he didn’t doubt her words. She would follow them. She made her determination on that clear. When given the choice between letting her ineptly stumble around in the jungle on her own or keep her under his watchful eye, he chose the route that would torture him most. He kept her close.

  But now that meant keeping an eye on her without getting too close, fighting his unthinkable attraction, keeping Joel’s teeth to himself, oh, and saving three girls from shape-shifters who’d probably already claimed them.

  And to think he’d craved this adventure. Given the mishaps, he renamed Joel and Kendrick’s Awesome Adventure to Jungle Misadventure.

  Chapter 4

  Waking in the morning from dreams rampant with a glowering Kendrick and a smirking Joel – in various states of undress – Ruth crawled from her tent, her hair a tangle of curls, mouth pasty, dry slobber possibly on her chin, and her body much warmer than the climate warranted. Stretching in her tank top and shorts, feet already clad in her boots – because it only took stepping on something squishy once to cure her of the bare feet she enjoyed usually strutting in – she noted her companions already busy at work. Everywhere she looked, evidence of their camp disappeared as they packed up.