Authors: Stacey Espino
Wesley picked her up and held her steady despite her
struggles. “Not a
Chupacabra
, Helen. It’s a wolf.
Marco’s a wolf.”
“How?
Oh
my God. What the hell’s going on?”
He walked closer, his wolf desperate for the
acceptance of its mate. It stung when she jolted back in fright. His beast
scented her fear, and for once it didn’t please him.
“There’s no way he’ll hurt you,” said Targus. “I
know him too well. Go on. Touch him.”
Marco tried to stay as still as possible so not to
spook her. He craved to feel her hands through his fur—no fear, no hesitation.
After a few minutes of initial panic, she settled down, her body less tense.
She kept close to Wesley, watching Marco intently.
“Can he understand me? Can he hear me?”
“Of course, sweetheart.
It’s
still Marco. He’s still the same man when he shifts,” said Targus. “It’s our
secret. That’s what’s different around here.”
“You’re all…?”
“It’s a shifter town,” said Wesley, wrapping his
arms around her middle. He kissed her temple. “You’re the only human who
knows.”
“I heard one of the princesses mated a human male.
Wasn’t it Freya?” asked Targus.
Wesley shook his head. “He
was
a human. She used her royal blood to change him. He’s a shifter
now.”
Nothing they could do would change Helen, not that
Marco wanted such a fate for her. He was quite happy with his little human. She
may be delicate, but he had the strength to protect her. All he needed was her
acceptance.
“Why has no one heard of you or this place? I don’t
understand? How can you change from a human to an animal?”
“Like I said, it’s a carefully guarded secret,” said
Wesley. “One you need to keep.”
Chapter
Ten
Helen stared at the dark wolf. She had to admit it
was beautiful. It kept its yellow eyes trained on her, and she couldn’t deny
the fact it felt like Marco staring at her. One moment he’d been standing naked
in front of her, and the next minute he contorted into a wild animal. It was either
magic or something she couldn’t comprehend.
Her mind processed all the events since she arrived
in the backwards town, and everything started to make sense. The strange
behavior of all the men was due to the territorial nature of their animals.
They wanted to claim her as their mate in some feral ceremony. It was a lot to
process, but she was intrigued.
She cautiously reached forward when prodded by
Targus and combed her fingers into the lush fur by the wolf’s neck. It felt so
good, soft and thick. The wolf didn’t snap or even move. She squatted in front
of it, any fear she had fizzling away. “Is it really you?” she whispered. Part
of Helen thought they were pulling an elaborate joke on her and the real Marco
would jump out from behind a wall at any moment.
The wolf lifted an oversized paw and rested it on
her knee.
She smiled. “Marco?”
It tilted its head to the side, a look of
intelligence lighting its eyes. Helen suddenly realized she’d just fucked a
wolf—two wolves, if what they said were true. How much was actually hidden from
her in her daily life back home? Was anyone who they claimed to be? She wasn’t
sure what to believe any more.
“He likes you.” Wesley wrapped his hands around her
when she stood back up. The contract grounded her when she felt lost. “I know
my beast would like you, too.”
“You’re a wolf like him?”
“No, something much better,” said Wesley, licking
the exposed side of her neck. “Wolves don’t have barbed tongues, but panthers
do.”
A
panther?
She’d seen those menacing animals at the zoo,
pacing back and forth with death written in their eyes. Even though he was
still a human being, she could feel the rough swipe of a barbed tongue. It
wasn’t just the erotic sensations sparking to life along her erogenous zone—it
was his voice. He had a deep, gruff tone which promised hours of depraved
pleasure.
The wolf in front of her began to shake, its limbs
elongating and the fur receding. She closed her eyes for the rest, her stomach
already starting to do flips. When she reopened her eyes, Marco was back in
front of her, no different than before the shifting ordeal.
“A wolf
and
a man.
I can’t believe it,” she said with awe.
If anyone had of told her what she’d just witnessed, she’d call them a liar to
their face. But she’d seen it
happen,
watched as a
flesh and blood man turned into a wild animal of the forest.
The few lights in the cottage suddenly shut off with
a zapping sound. The darkness blinded her, all her other senses increasing.
With her nerves already on edge, panic wasn’t far behind.
“What was that?” she whispered, afraid to hear her
voice in the dead silence.
“I don’t know,” said Targus. “Marco, it sounded like
an electrical short. Check the panel outside.”
She heard Marco’s steps as he walked toward the main
door. How could he see so well in the pitch black? Helen couldn’t even see her
hand in front of her own face.
“Wesley?” His presence was still behind her.
Although she could feel his heat, she needed to know he was there.
“Right here, baby girl.
Stay
in the house. I’m going to take a look outside.”
She wanted to grab him and beg him to stay with her.
Being left alone in the dark wasn’t an appealing prospect, especially with
visions of wolves, panthers, and shape-shifting men dancing in her head.
There was a scuffle outside after Wesley joined
Marco. Something banged against the side of the cottage, the floor boards
vibrating under her feet.
“What was that?” she asked, her arms outstretched at
her sides.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t like it. Ever since that
Royal Elite started sniffing around here, we’ve had trouble,” said Targus.
“Don’t go out there. What if you don’t come back?”
Targus moved towards her, the floor creaking with
each step. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Helen. Don’t you believe that? I’ve
been trained to protect my mate since adulthood.”
And did that refer to
her
now? Was she actually the mate to wolves, a panther, or both?
Did she want this craziness in her life? Could she ever walk away?
“I thought it was just a power surge.” Helen wrapped
her arms around Targus’s waist as soon as he was in reach. She held him
securely, resting her head on his chest. “What else could it be?”
“Wesley’s looking for a rogue wolf gunning for the
royal princesses. He even thinks it could be me or Marco, which is ridiculous.”
“Could it be the rogue wolf? What would he want with
any of us?”
“Gods know. We mind our own business but trouble
still shows up on our doorstep.”
He led her effortlessly through the darkness to the
sofa, holding her close to his side once they were both seated. It was
nerve-wracking, waiting to find out if Wesley and Marco would return unscathed.
Her happiness was now intermingled with all these men. She needed them, wanted
them, and even though it had only been a couple days, she couldn’t imagine a
future without them.
“Will they be okay?”
Targus chuckled. “Wesley’s a Royal Elite, one of our
most extensively trained guards. Marco’s a brawler. Not too many shifters dare
to step in his path.”
She liked knowing how capable her men were. It
aroused her knowing such virile men wanted her when they could have their pick
of women.
“I guess being able to change into a man-eater
helps.”
Targus cradled the back of her neck, steering her
into a kiss. “You’re too cute, Helen.”
She leaned against him, breathing in his unique
scent. He smelled like the great outdoors and a masculine musk that drove her
crazy.
“What happens when I have to leave?” she dared to
ask. It was stupid to expect any sort of commitment when she’d only just met
him, but these men were different. They already acted as if they owned her.
“You don’t have to go anywhere. I’m more than
capable of taking care of you.”
“And Marco?”
“I expect he’s just as capable.”
She was about to ask about Wesley when a wolf howled
outside, the eerie sound bringing her nerves to the surface. She sat up
straight, listening intently. “What was that?”
This time Targus wasn’t laid back. His body turned
stiff and he kept quiet. “It was Marco.”
“Is everything okay?”
The door burst open. Targus was on his feet faster
than she could think. There was a scuffle, banging, and cursing. She stayed
rooted in place since it was too dark to start wandering around the cabin. A
flame finally flickered and an oil lamp was lit creating a warm bubble of light.
She watched as Marco lit a second.
Helen rubbed her eyes, adjusting to the light. All
three men were in the room…and a very naked woman. She sat up straighter,
suddenly needing to hold her breath. The strange woman was beautiful, with long
black hair and a near-perfect figure. Helen suddenly felt very short and
frumpy.
“What’s she doing here?” asked Targus.
“This is our little trespasser,” said Marco, now pacing
back and forth. The woman was crouched in the corner, watching their every
move. “She’s been skulking around our place all day and night. I assumed the
wolf scent was male, but—”
“Do you realize how much trouble you’re in?” asked
Wesley. “Threatening the royal family is punishable by death.”
“I had nothing to do with any threats! I told you I
was hoping to find a mate.” The mystery woman was riled up, not cowering in
fear as she’d expect with three angry men surrounding her.
“So you stalk
our
house?” asked Targus.
“I thought I made an impression on Marco yesterday
at the bar, but obviously not. When I followed his scent out here, I wasn’t
expecting to find a
human
female.” She
said the words with such distaste that it was like a slap in the face for
Helen. Being human suddenly felt very inferior. “I’m sick and tired of
competing with humans for shifter males. It’s not natural.” She glared at Helen
from across the room.
“She’s none of your fucking business,” said Marco. “And
I don’t remember warming up to you, either.”
“What can she offer you that I can’t? I guarantee
that soft-skinned outsider couldn’t please you like I could.” The woman stood
up and flipped her hair to her back with a confident air.
Helen didn’t know where to look. It was one thing to
stare at her gorgeous men naked, but this woman was competition for their
attention. She had an hour-glass figure, free of pudgy belly and wide hips. A
burning jealousy and anger grew deep in Helen’s gut. She wanted the woman
gone, gone, gone
. The she-wolf expected
the men to fall for her charms, her beauty, and her obvious offer of sexual
favors.
But they didn’t.
“Human or not, she’s our mate,” said Targus. “If you
had eyes in your head, you’d see she’s marked. You better start playing nice.”
She laughed without humor. “Claiming a human? Does
she even know what you really are?”
“Of course she does,” Marco snapped. “And you’re
overstepping your bounds. This is private property, and we’ll fight for our
land and our woman.”
“What about you, Elite? They’ve broken your laws by
exposing our kind to a human. Shouldn’t you be dragging their asses to the
palace dungeon? Or should I be reporting all three of you?”
Wesley had stood on the sidelines the entire time.
“Watch your tone, little she-wolf. I don’t take well to threats.” His voice was
deep and authoritative.
“There’re a ton of shifter females in town without
mates, including me. Don’t tell me you’ve succumb to a human, too. I just don’t
understand the allure. Is it the temptation of the forbidden fruit?”
“The mating call can’t be forced on a person. It
comes without reason or warning.”
“Bullshit!” Fire grew in the woman’s eyes once it
was clear all three men were only interested in Helen. She crouched lower and
began to quiver and stretch like Marco had, her body growing a coat of fur as
her bones shifted into the shape of a wolf.
“I’m breaking out the fur,” announced Targus as he
began his own magical transformation. She watched with awe, eager to see his
wolf first hand. But before he changed into his animal form, the crazed
she-wolf sprinted across the room and leapt onto Helen. Her breath was knocked
out of her, the weight of the animal making it difficult to breathe. It sank
its razor-sharp teeth into her flesh without mercy. It was nothing like the
gentle, intoxicating love bites from Targus and Marco during their night of
sex. This was searing pain that shot through her entire body like hot pokers.