by Eve Langlais
Poor Ruth. Not realizing the wolf would never harm a hair on their heads, she trembled in his arms as her wide eyes peered in the darkness, unable to make out Joel’s furry shape. Worse, he couldn’t reassure her because sane people knew wolves were wild.
“Run. Go back to camp,” he whispered.
“I won’t leave you alone,” she bravely replied, her courage belied by her shaking frame.
“I’ll be fine. Don’t you worry about me. Now go. I’ll be right behind you.” Giving her a little push in the direction of camp, he added a sharp slap on her ass to get her moving. Okay, that was more for his enjoyment, but it had the desired effect as she scooted.
“What the hell was that?” Joel demanded, hands on his hips, unconcerned about his nudity as he confronted his friend.
“Not much, given someone came back too soon. You couldn’t have chased the cat for a few more minutes?”
“I would have if the damned thing didn’t take to the trees and disappear.” As they both headed back to camp, eyes and ears peeled for a return, they could hear Ruth’s chaotic flight ahead of them.
“Real or other?”
“I’d say the feline wasn’t of the tribe we’re looking for, but then again, having never met one of the ghost warriors, I could be wrong. The scent, however, was strong, unlike the smells from the campsite the girls were taken from.”
“A relief, I guess. Now, how do we explain a wolf in the jungle to Ruth?”
“I’d think you’d be more worried about explaining why you’re returning to camp with a naked guy,” Liam said, striding from the darkness, a bundle of fabric in hand. He tossed it in Joel’s direction.
“Thanks, dude. How did you know I needed something?”
“Ruth’s practically hyperventilating in camp about the wolf that’s about to eat Kendrick.”
“As if I’d let this mangy cur harm a hair on my head,” Kendrick joked.
“Cur? Ha. You wish. We both know who’s the more handsome wolf,” Joel joked as he pulled on the track pants.
“In your dreams.”
“Oh my God, you’re okay!” Ruth’s shriek hit him a moment before she did. One thing about her height, a man needed to brace himself when she got enthusiastic. Good thing for him, Joel caught Kendrick before he could tumble back. Even luckier, Kendrick got an armful of woman intent on hugging the life out of him.
“Are you hurt?” she asked, leaning back to check him for damage. He wished she’d go back to the hugging.
“I’m fine. Not a scratch.”
“Joel rescued you?” That quickly, she moved, transferring her embrace to his best friend, not noticing, it seemed, that he was shirtless and barefoot. “That was so brave.” She squeezed him tight before releasing him to plant her hands on her hips.
“Uh-oh,” Kendrick muttered. “Here it comes.”
And so it did, a harangue about them both being idiots for confronting the wolf without a weapon. However, Kendrick allowed it because for one, he knew she did it to relieve the fear she’d recently experienced, and two, because it showed him something really important. She likes me. Enough at least to not want to see him mauled by a wolf. Even better, she liked his kisses, which created a problem. One taste and Kendrick was addicted, but no closer to getting her in his bed. Or sleeping bag. Or against a tree.
Wherever they would finally end up doing it, he wasn’t any closer. And neither was Joel, a fact they both lamented as they washed up.
“Dude, at the rate we’re going, we’ll either die of blue balls or go mad with the mating fever,” Joel complained as he watched Ruth talking animatedly with the others in their group. Dead men, all of them, or so his wolf insisted.
“Maybe we should tell her we’re interested.”
“Both of us? Yeah, I can see that going well. She’ll probably call us perverts and go running in the other direction.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
Kendrick shrugged. “I’ve got nothing. And I’m tired of waiting.”
And so was Joel, it seemed, because he strode over to Ruth and declared, “From now on, you don’t go anywhere without me. It’s too dangerous for you to roam alone.”
Son of a bitch. “Or me,” Kendrick added, joining them. “We can’t take any chances with your safety.”
“My safety? You’re the idiot who pretended to sink into a bog so he could steal a kiss, then stayed behind to confront a wolf. It’s a good thing Joel came along to save you.”
“Yeah. Nothing messes with these pipes,” his best friend boasted with a grin and flex of said muscles.
She didn’t seem too impressed, facially at any rate. Her body, though? It smelled quite interested.
“Muscles won’t protect you from teeth,” she pointed out.
“And neither will your stubborn speeches. Or have you forgotten that we got into this mess in the first place because you wandered off, by yourself?”
“I was hoping you’d forgotten.” She tried an innocent look, and Kendrick fisted his hands at his side lest he grab her and kiss her for looking so damned cute.
“Sorry, honey, but from now on, either Joel or I, or both of us, will be glued to your side.”
“What happened to pull your own weight?” she grumbled.
“We’re men. We can change our minds.”
“I thought that was a woman’s prerogative.”
“Women’s lib put an end to that one, honey.”
“So who’s sleeping with you first?” Joel asked with a nonchalance Kendrick knew was false.
Ruth gasped, then choked, her face flushing. “Excuse me?” she stammered.
A half smile on his face, Joel repeated. “I said, who’s sleeping with you first? For safety reasons, of course.”
“No one.”
“How can we properly protect you then?” Joel countered.
“I am not sharing my tent or sleeping bag with you.”
“Ha. I knew she liked me more,” Kendrick crowed.
“Or you.”
His smile wilted. “Why not?”
“Because.”
“Because why?”
“Because you’re both driving me nuts and I don’t like it. Good night.” Her flounce would have worked a lot better if they didn’t stand in front of her tent. She took only a few steps before realizing that. Whirling, she refused to meet their eyes as she shoved them apart and dove into her tent, leaving behind only the scent of her arousal.
Whatever her claim, she wasn’t indifferent to them. She just needed a few more gentle nudges to calm her human morals before they got her right where they needed her. Naked and in their arms.
Chapter 9
After their declaration the night before, things went from insane to psychotic. It began right after she returned from her morning commune with nature – a.k.a., things best done in bathrooms where bugs didn’t bite tender cheeks. Despite their promise to not leave her unattended, Ruth didn’t catch sight of them peeking while she peed, but it didn’t reassure her.
Finishing quickly, she returned to camp to find her tent packed, bag zipped without the unsightly bulges, and a cup of coffee handed to her by Joel, a plate of meat by Kendrick, while the rest of the gang looked on with smirks. If she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn the pair engaged in a silent rivalry for her attention.
She sat down on a log to eat and drink. Her new best friends took up a spot on either side, and although the log had room, stuck close enough they branded her hips and thighs with their own bodies. She ignored them to sip her coffee.
“How’d you sleep?” Joel asked, chewing on a piece of dried fruit.
“Fine.”
“Did you dream of anybody?” Kendrick brushed an invisible piece of lint from the top of her leg. Innocent, yet her tummy fluttered.
“Nope. Dead to the world. Like a rock. You?” Query a tad too bright, she tried to concentrate on eating without dropping anything on herself.
“Oh, I had a hard time,” Joel admitted.
<
br /> “Worried about the wolf coming back?” she answered, discerning his unease right away.
“Um, no. Not exactly.”
“I was, though,” Kendrick rushed in to say. “Especially for your safety. I really wish you’d reconsider letting one of us share your tent, just in case.”
“Two would be better,” Joel argued.
“But wouldn’t fit,” she exclaimed. “Wait a second. Why am I even entering this debate? I don’t need anyone to sleep with me.” Although, their inadvertent offer of two did make her blood run hotter than it should.
“We’d make it fit,” she thought she heard Kendrick murmur.
“Who says we’d sleep?” Joel added.
Fatigue must have addled her wits more than expected because they sounded like suitors, lovers, men intent on making her body sing, together. No way. She was imagining things again.
“Are you sure I’m not dying?” she mumbled.
Joel, eyes crinkled in mirth, answered. “Maybe of unrequited lust. But, I can fix that anytime you need.”
She groaned. Forget embarrassment, at the rate she fielded innuendos and touches, she’d gone past blushing straight into disbelief. “Oh please. Don’t tell me that line ever works?”
At least Joel possessed the grace to look abashed. “Will you hit me if I said it did?”
She snorted. “I won’t hit you. You might tell me that’s a turn on too.”
“Nope. Not into the whole whips and chains bit. But I am not a stranger to violence, given I’m used to Kendrick’s sister. Naomi was a vicious little thing growing up. Still is. Her not so delicate nature explains the size and strength of her two husbands, though.”
“Two?” She choked on her coffee. “Oh my God, Kendrick’s sister is a Mormon?”
Startled, Joel’s eyes widened. “No. Um. Yeah. Mormon, eh? Kind of. I wasn’t supposed to mention that. I think. Although, I guess you would have found out eventually.” Joel teetered sideways as Kendrick reached around her to smack his friend.
She lifted wide eyes to Kendrick who shook his head. “Don’t listen to him. He’s an idiot.”
“For what? Telling me about your sister? Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone and get them in trouble with the law. I do have to admit to finding it fascinating, though, that she chose two husbands. Isn’t it usually the other way around?”
Having recovered himself, Joel rejoined the conversation with a snicker. “Explain that. You’re going to have to, eventually.”
“Explain what? You guys really aren’t making sense. Did you eat anything strange this morning? Did you boil your water?”
“We’re not sick.”
“Are you sure? You might not even realize it if you were.” Pressing the back of her hand against Kendrick’s forehead, Ruth’s breath caught, yet again, at the skin-to-skin touch. Why she kept having the oddest reaction to Kendrick and Joel, she’d not yet figured out. But, given the way she almost came when each of them kissed her, she really had to wonder how explosive sex with them would be, and at this point, given the heightened state of her libido, either of them would do.
“Well, now that you mention it, I’ve got a twinge in my chest.”
“A twinge? Are you having a heart attack? Is your side tingling?” Instantly, she pressed her palm against Kendrick’s ribcage. The steady beat of his heart, maybe a little faster than she liked, met her.
“Lower.”
“Wrong spot?” She slid her hand down, and despite her concern, couldn’t help but note the hard ridges of Kendrick’s abs. She paused over his belly button. “Here?”
“Almost.” He placed his hand over hers and slid it further to the waist band of his pants and—
She found her hand caught and her chin tilted away from Kendrick to Joel. “He’s fine. I, on the other hand, am obviously delusional. Maybe I should rest, but not alone, in case I get worse.”
Glancing from his hopeful grin to Kendrick’s scowl, she finally caught on. The competition again. With a sigh of exasperation, she pushed away and went to find a place where she could cool down and forget them. “You are both impossible.” And confusing. And arousing. And everything she didn’t need – but wanted.
Me, impossible? Joel wanted to respond with something along the lines of, ‘No, I’m most definitely doable.’ Given her confused and annoyed expression, very annoyed, he decided against it.
“This is not working,” he sighed to Kendrick as Ruth stomped off yet again, her damned humanity in no way affected by the fever consuming him alive.
“You mean your corny bar pick-up lines aren’t.”
“Corny? I’ll have you know, my lines work great, usually.”
“On drunk girls.” Kendrick snickered.
And therein lay the problem. Unused to relationships because he’d spurned long-term human ones, and unmated shape-shifters tended to more transient affairs, he didn’t know how to woo Ruth.
“I’m going to die of blue balls,” he moaned.
“You just need to change your method of operation.”
“But cheesy come-on lines are my thing. If I can’t use that, what can I do?”
“Do what your instinct says.”
“I’ve been doing that for days and I don’t think I’m any closer to claiming her.” His only consolation? Kendrick wasn’t either.
Kendrick sighed. “Well duh. She’s human. You didn’t just expect our girl to drop her panties at the first hello, did you?”
“I can smell her desire.”
“And? So can I, but she’s not a slut. This is the good girl mothers warn about.”
“You mean your mother. I thought it was a myth. None of the single girls I ever met teased me so bad.”
“She’s not teasing. She’s in denial, I think.”
“Denial about what?”
“Us. Think about it. The way she was probably raised was to date a boy first before letting him round the bases.”
“Date? Kind of impossible at the moment, don’t you think? Not to mention, I don’t know if I have the willpower to stop at each base.” Joel sighed.
“The problems don’t end there, buddy. Since she belongs to us both, we need to somehow let her know she doesn’t need to choose. That she can have us both, and do it in a way that doesn’t send her screaming into the jungle.”
“So what, we let her think we’re Mormons like Naomi?” Joel grinned.
“Dude, why on earth would you have encouraged her to think that?”
He shrugged. “Did you see the look on her face when I slipped about your sister and her two mates? I had to tell her something.”
“Fair enough. Actually, maybe it’s a good thing. If she thinks we’re Mormons, maybe she won’t think it’s so strange we both wanted her. Hell, it might make claiming her easier.”
“Do you think that will actually ever happen?” Because right now, given how she kept fleeing their every move, he had to wonder.
“Of course it will. Eventually. She’s fighting it right now, but at some point, she’ll cave, and then we’ll just have to make sure she enjoys it enough that she doesn’t think it’s weird when we ask it to be permanent.”
“How long is it going to take?”
Kendrick shrugged. “No idea. But in the meantime, we should stay close to her, and not just so we can help her.”
“Why? Do you think she’s in danger? We haven’t seen or smelled anything out of the ordinary other than the cat, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a shape-shifter.”
“As if we’d recognize it,” Kendrick replied dryly. “For all we know, half the scents around us don’t belong. I’d prefer not to just trust my nose with her safety.”
Good point. Joel’s eyes flitted to the trees towering around their camp. “What do you think the note writer really wants from her?”
“Honestly? Her. Maybe the Moon Ghosts liked the sister so much they wanted another.”
“What I still don’t get is how some savages in the jungle managed something like getti
ng a note, a map, and bus tickets out to her so that she arrived in time to meet the group. We’ve been walking for days without seeing a damned thing.”
“And yet, still keeping in touch,” Kendrick replied, wagging his phone. “We have only assumptions the Moon Ghosts are throwback primitives.”
“Have you asked your council contact about them?”
“Seth doesn’t say squat other than we have all the info required to complete our mission.”
“Figures. Even our secret shape-shifter government is out to hide things from us.”
“Back to Ruth, though. We’ll just keep chipping away at her. Showing her she can trust us.”
“Coming up with new corny pick-up lines.”
“Until we finally get her to sleep with us.”
“And we mark her. Then what?”
“Yeah, I’ll let you know when I figure it out.” For once in his life, Kendrick wished he had his sister here. She would have told him straight up what he needed to do. Or slapped him for being an idiot. Anything other than confusion would have worked at this point.
On second thought, why couldn’t he speak to someone from home? Hadn’t he just pointed out his link to the outside world via his satellite device?
He dialed his sister’s number, trying not cringe at how much his need for advice would cost the guys footing the bill for his phone. But hey, this counted as an emergency. At least, in his mind.
“Hello.”
“Ma?”
“If it’s not my good-for-nothing son, calling his sister instead of his mother to let her know how he’s faring.”
“Um, hi. Sorry I haven’t called. I’ve been kind of preoccupied.”
“Apparently.” Her dry reply made him wince.
“Try not to hit me, but I kind of was hoping to talk to Naomi about a problem Joel and I have.”
“Don’t tell me you and Joel got some local girls pregnant?”
“Ma! Of course not.”
“You did find the condoms I packed you?”
Unfortunately, yes, along with the note from his mom every boy wanted to read before sex, Keep your head covered at all times. “Yes, we found them. Thanks. I think.”
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong now?”