“Sorry,” Kade whispered in a voice that didn’t sound very sorry at all, but he did pull his fingers from Maggie’s ass as Gavin lifted her higher before lowering her onto Kade’s thick cock. She moaned as he pumped slowly in and out of her pussy, his cock pulsing excitedly when Gavin’s fingers found her clit and started to caress it gently.
Almost the moment Kade pulled out of her pussy completely Gavin slammed back in, fucking her like a wild thing before pushing deep and grinding his hips against hers. She gasped at the first slippery touch of Kade’s cock against her anus, trying to wriggle away from the expected pain.
“It’s okay, baby girl,” Hensen said as Gavin and Kade held her trapped. “It’s going to feel amazing when they’re both inside you.”
She nodded, surprised to realize that Hensen had stepped into the bath without her noticing. “Trust us. We’ll keep you safe.”
“I know,” she said quietly. Of all the confusing things that had happened in the past week, it was the one thing she was truly certain of. The realization helped her to relax her muscles, the feel of Kade’s cock sliding into her ass no longer frightening. He pushed to the hilt, holding still as her ass throbbed around him and her body adjusted to the unfamiliar sensation.
“That’s it, sugar,” Gavin said as he moved his cock back to her pussy and slid in slowly. He groaned as he filled her, the sensation of both men inside her overwhelming her emotions.
“Please,” she whispered in a soft voice, unable to stay still another moment when she really needed them to move. “Please fuck me.”
The slap on her thigh was expected, but it was the men’s sudden movements that tipped her over the edge. She held on tight to Gavin’s shoulders, letting them push her between them, one in, one out, over and over and over until she was nothing but sensation, a mewling, writhing thing made of pure need.
She felt her teeth lengthen, the overwhelming urge to bite Gavin, to draw him into her mouth and clamp down, to taste him for herself was intoxicating. She growled as another orgasm flowed over her, need overriding sense as she opened her mouth over the man’s throat and bit viciously, her teeth puncturing sinew and flesh, his blood filling her mouth as he bellowed his own orgasm and held her close.
Kade kept fucking her ass, moving harder and faster as his own need overwhelmed him and he throbbed inside her, his jolting, awkward movements setting off fireworks behind her eyelids, the tiny fizzing explosions only fueling her need once more.
But when Gavin wobbled, when his knees buckled and Hensen moved to scoop her away, she suddenly realized something was wrong. But she growled nevertheless, instinct telling her that she had to hold Gavin close, her taste for his blood making her fight against Hensen’s hold.
She was grateful for his strength, a part of her realizing that she was out of control even as she turned and tried to bite him, demanding release as something foreign and unexpected swept through her mind.
But then the sudden need to sleep flowed through her. She fought it, wanting what she wanted and denying all else. She didn’t even realize she was lying calmly in Hensen’s arms until the suggestion to sleep came again, this time washing over her resistance and forcing her tired body to comply.
* * * *
“What the fuck was that?” Kade asked as his entire body shook in reaction. He had his hands against Gavin’s throat, trying to stem the bleeding from the ragged puncture wounds Maggie had left with teeth they didn’t even realize she had.
“I’m not sure,” Hensen said, looking down at the woman now sleeping peacefully in his arms. “I’m not even sure what made her stop fighting me. One moment I’m struggling to get a grip on her and the next she’s curling into my arms like a sleepy kitten.”
“I think that was me,” Gavin said in a husky voice. He closed his eyes and seemed to be gathering his thoughts. “I’m not sure how I did it, and I have no fucking idea where the skill came from, but I planted the suggestion in her mind.” He leaned his head back against the edge of the tub, his lower half having slipped into the water when his legs had given out. He seemed almost asleep himself before adding, “Did she change forms?”
“No,” Kade said quickly, relieved to see that the bite marks on Gavin’s throat were closing over. His body was healing exceptionally fast for a newly made werewolf without the ability to shift yet.
“Good,” Gavin mumbled almost soundlessly. Kade glanced worriedly at Hensen as Gavin seemed to pass out.
“We need to get them inside the cabin. Can you carry Maggie?”
It was clear that Hensen was worried Maggie might wake and attack whoever was carrying her, but he couldn’t carry them both and he didn’t want to leave either of them out here alone. Kade nodded quickly and climbed out of the tub. Very carefully he took Maggie from Hensen’s arms. Hensen had a bit more trouble lifting Gavin—even in werewolf terms he was a big guy—and ended up having to carry him on his shoulders the way Kade remembered seeing a fireman do when he was just a human kid.
Mercifully, they made it back to the cabin quickly and without incident. Kade cautiously placed Maggie on her sleeping bag and then turned to help Hensen lower Gavin onto the solid wooden table at the far end of the room. They quickly checked him over for other injuries, thankfully finding none, and then covered him with a warm blanket.
“Did he lose a lot of blood?” Kade asked as he tried to replay in his head the last few seconds of their experience with Maggie.
“I didn’t think so,” Hensen said, “but considering his current state I’m no longer certain.”
“Where did Maggie’s teeth come from? They weren’t werewolf teeth.”
As far as he knew it was fairly common for a newly made werewolf to be able to bite almost straight away—Kade remembered the strange tingling sensation he’d had himself soon after being bitten—but Maggie’s teeth had been different, almost like those of a shark—sharp, pointed, and row after row after row. He’d never seen anything like it.
Kade couldn’t help the shudder that went through him. If Hensen hadn’t realized what was happening, Maggie could have torn Gavin’s throat out. Nothing in the world would have saved him from an injury like that. It was likely a miracle that she’d only punctured the flesh the way she had.
Hensen pulled him into his embrace, the shivering in his muscles suggesting he needed the embrace just as desperately as Kade did.
“I don’t understand any of it,”
Hensen admitted in a shaky telepathic voice.
“I’m hoping Gavin can explain at least some of it when he wakes.”
Kade nodded replaying over in his mind the final words Gavin had said just before he’d lost consciousness—
I planted the suggestion in her mind.
That definitely wasn’t a werewolf skill. Not even the mating link could give werewolves the chance to manipulate another so directly. Something else was at play here. Something unknown.
Kade held Hensen close and waited for their mates to wake up. Hopefully one of them could provide some answers.
Maggie woke slowly, her mouth feeling stuffed with cotton. A cool cloth wiped over her face, the gentle touch making her sigh softly.
“Swallow,” a male voice said as some type of tube was pushed into her mouth and soothing water trickled down her throat. She followed his bossy order gratefully as the liquid calmed her parched and aching throat. She reached awkwardly for the tube as it was withdrawn, but strong hands held hers, pushing them back to rest on her abdomen. Her stomach growled loudly, the pain quite uncomfortable.
“Hungry,” she managed to whisper even as she wondered why the hell she felt so bad.
“Give the water a chance to settle first, Maggie. You’ve been asleep for a long time.”
She tried to pry her eyes open but her body wouldn’t cooperate. Hell, she felt as weak as a kitten.
“What happened?” she mumbled, hoping the words were coherent. She’d had some pretty kooky dreams.
“Here,” the man said as he pressed a spoon to her lips, “this will help.”
She smiled at the sweet taste of honey and then opened her mouth wider to lick more sweetness off the spoon. It slid down her throat, coating the sore feeling and soothing her urge to continually swallow.
“What happened?” she asked again.
“You attacked Gavin,” another voice said as she tried unsuccessfully to roll onto her side.
“Gavin?” she asked in a mumbled voice. She wasn’t even sure she knew a “Gavin,” although the name seemed familiar in a strange kind of way. “Why would I attack someone?”
“We’re not sure, sweetheart.”
The endearment seemed familiar, but she couldn’t for the life of her place the voice. “Am I in hospital?”
“Maggie, what’s the last thing you remember?”
“I…” She hesitated, trying to piece together her scattered thoughts. “I…um…there was a wolf. I thought it was my wolf. I mean the wolf that sa—” She cut that sentence off, suddenly remembering all the pitying looks she’d gotten after she’d been rescued from the cliff that she’d fallen down. Everyone had simply assumed she’d imagined the wolf that kept her warm, some even speculating on the mind’s ability to fool the body into thinking it was warm. But she remembered. It didn’t mean she had to share that memory with these people though. “I…hang on, there was a man. He had blue eyes. He tried to save me when the wolf bit my thr—”
Panicked, she reached a hand to her throat only to find smooth skin. Again she had a déjà vu kind of feeling, almost like she’d been through this before.
“The man with the blue eyes, do you remember his name?”
She shook her head as the tears started to fall. Everything was all messed up in her brain.
“It’s okay, Maggie. Get some more rest. Things will be clearer soon.”
* * * *
Hensen reached for Kade as Maggie once again lost consciousness. They’d been through this four times in the past three days. The same questions, the same mumbled sentences, the same non-answers. It was like Maggie was stuck in some sort of loop. Physically she was very weak, but it was the fracture in her mind that worried him the most. Whatever had happened when she’d bitten Gavin had severed the telepathic link, so he couldn’t even try and sort through her scattered thoughts. Short of biting her again—and he had no idea if that would even work—he had no choice but to wait for her to be coherent.
Incredibly, things were even worse with Gavin.
He hadn’t woken at all, hadn’t even moved. They’d been able to get water, honey, and soup into Maggie, but Gavin wouldn’t even react to stimulus. They couldn’t risk pouring water down his throat for fear that it would flow into his lungs and cause even more serious issues than they were facing right now.
“If he doesn’t wake in the next twelve hours, I’ll go set the signal for Gideon,” Kade said as he lay down on the makeshift mattress and pulled Maggie close. Considering what had happened to Gavin it was probably a dangerous thing to do, but Maggie seemed to rest better when they held her.
“I don’t want you going alone,” Hensen said quietly. Kade would have to set the signal fire more than a hundred miles from here so that it would be seen from Shy River pack lands. Even running at top werewolf speed it would be a minimum eight-hour-round trip. Hensen knew they had no choice. Someone needed to stay with Maggie and Gavin, and he was far stronger in a physical sense than Kade. If Maggie did something unexpected again, he would be the only one with any chance of containing her. It didn’t stop him worrying about Kade though. This wasn’t pack land. Any number of dangers could arise and Hensen couldn’t even think of losing yet another mate.
“I’ll be okay,” Kade said, already hearing what was in his heart and in his head thanks to their mating link. Their bond seemed more precious now than Hensen had ever dreamed. Despite having lived his entire life without it, no longer having Maggie’s and Gavin’s thoughts in his head filled him with grief. If he hadn’t had Kade’s love and support, he doubted he would still be sane.
“Same here,” Kade said, proving that their link still went both ways. “Why don’t you try and get some sleep. I’ll call you if Maggie wakes again.”
Hensen nodded, leaned over to press a kiss to his lover’s mouth, and then turned to the table where Gavin still slept like he was in a coma. Hensen carefully climbed onto the hard surface, wrapped his arms around his mate and prayed for divine intervention.
* * * *
Gavin woke surrounded by strong arms. He didn’t even have to wonder who they belonged to.
“Morning,” he managed to mumble, a little surprised by how sore his throat felt. The arms around him squeezed tighter, and he smiled as he tried to open his eyes. “Hangover?” It was the only explanation he could think of for why he would feel so damn lousy.
“No, Gav,” Hensen said, his arms shaking slightly as he pressed a kiss to his neck. “Kade is getting you some water. Do you remember what happened?”
“Not really,” he said as he tried to get his brain working. He’d worked in some pretty horrible conditions before, but he couldn’t ever remember being this dehydrated. He tried to sit up when Kade stepped closer with the promised drink, but found his damn muscles wouldn’t work. It wasn’t until Hensen helped him into a sitting position and literally held him up that he realized they were lying in the middle of the huge dining table inside the cabin. “How long was I out?” It seemed the only viable explanation. Snake bite, maybe?