“It’s already far past due.” Jude placed his elbows on the table. “And judging by the way you’re lookin’ at us, we don’t have a lot of time left this go ‘round.”
“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say. Why you keep mentioning my wolf. I don’t have a wolf.”
Jude glanced at Ethan. His buddy nodded, lowering his feet and reaching forward to thread his fingers through McKenna’s. He gave her hand a squeeze, her reaction a visible surrender. At least her wolf recognized them as her mates, submitting to their unspoken claim. Ethan motioned toward his lap and she shuffled over, settling on his thighs with a contented hum. Jude chuckled. Leave it to Ethan to read McKenna’s wolf better than anyone. Bastard had a knack for it.
Ethan wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her neck. “God, you smell so damn good.” He nipped at her skin. “Sweet, with a hint of wild. Because you are, sweetheart. Wild.”
She frowned. “Wild?”
“As in we’re not the only ones with a wolf hiding inside us. You’re a shifter. You just don’t know it yet.”
She snorted, looking at the two of them as if they’d lost their minds. “Sorry to disappoint you boys, but I’m not a shifter. I’ll concede that I inherited some anomalies—the healing. My reflexes. But I can’t change, not like you.”
Ethan smoothed his hand down her hair. “Just because you haven’t, doesn’t mean you can’t.”
McKenna shifted on Ethan’s lap, her growing unease palpable. “If there was a wolf lurking inside me, why the hell didn’t it show itself when I got shot? I’ll admit I don’t know much about shifters, but I saw my great-grandmother change more than a few times, and she swore one of the triggers was becoming injured. That the shift helps speed the healing, in either direction if I recall correctly, which she said could be a blessin’ or a curse.” She shook her head. “If you two hadn’t bonded with me…”
Jude clasped her hand, hoping to stop the panic in her eyes from spreading. “We’re not denying that our mating didn’t enhance your natural abilities. But that doesn’t negate the fact you’re a shifter—a white wolf if our guess is right. And the mating seems to have woken it.”
She shook her head again, scrambling out of Ethan’s hold as she made her way across the room, stopping at the far wall. Her back stiffened, a shiver trembling through her. She took a few shaky breaths, finally glancing at them over her shoulder. Tears glistened in her eyes, the sight like a knife to Jude’s soul.
He stood, stalking over to her, getting as close as he could without actually touching her. “McKenna.”
“You’re wrong. I’m not a shifter. Whatever’s happening to me is just a side effect of you two biting me. I can’t be what you boys need. I’m sorry.”
Jude growled—the sound echoed by Ethan as the man stepped up behind him.
Ethan stalked past him, palming his hands on either side of her body, trapping her against the wall. The firm flex of his muscles told Jude his friend’s wolf was in control. “Do you honestly think we give a damn whether you’re human, a shifter or somewhere between? Mating is for life, and it’s not a choice made lightly.”
She met his challenge head on. “Your wolf chose me. And based on what? My scent? My skill with a revolver?”
“We both chose you. Make no mistake about that. And your scent might have been part of the draw, but there’s so much more to you than a pleasing aroma. You’re smart, compassionate. You have the courage of a dozen men. Hell, you were willin’ to sacrifice your life to save us after knowing us for all of ten minutes. Mating doesn’t have to be justified or explained. It’s one of the gifts of being a shifter. We just know. You’re just scared to admit you feel the changes within you.”
She took a few raspy breaths, glancing at Jude over Ethan’s shoulder as he settled in beside the couple. “If there’s a wolf inside me, why is it just showing itself now?”
“Maybe what happened when you were fifteen trapped it inside you? It’s not impossible. But it’s probably emerging now because we’re close. The urge to complete the bond is unparalleled. By biting you that first night without being intimate—your wolf felt as if it’d been rejected. Now it needs to reassure itself we’re here to stay. That’s why you marked us.” Ethan waved at his neck, then his chest. “Why you scratched me. It’s the same for us.”
Her mouth gaped open, her hand rising to Ethan’s neck. She traced the small set of scars, then trailed her hand down his torso, brushing the pads of her fingers along the faded red lines crisscrossing his chest. “I did this?”
He placed his hand over hers, holding her tight. “You didn’t hurt me. And they’d be fully healed if I’d shifted. But you damn near made my wolf howl with pleasure.”
She closed her eyes, allowing her head to connect with the wall. “So the tinges of red in my vision? The incessant scratching in my head and the tingling under my skin?”
Jude smiled. “All due to your wolf vying for power. It just doesn’t know how to break free, yet.”
“And you’re sure I’m a wolf?”
“Looks like it, though it doesn’t really matter. Whatever you are, we’ll love that side of you, too.”
She opened one eye. “Even if I’m some kind of cat?”
He laughed. “I think you’d be purring instead of growling at us, but yes…even if you’re a cat. We’ll work it out. But you have to trust us. Shifting for the first time can be frightening, especially if your animal is reluctant. You need to stick close to us until you have this under control. Sprouting fur in the middle of a gunfight might scare away your opponent, but you’ll have the entire town huntin’ you. There’s a reason we isolate ourselves from others.”
“Is that why you and Ethan are partners?”
Ethan scoffed. “I’ve been stuck with Jude’s sorry ass since childhood. But it is the reason many shifters discover they like to share…professions and mates. It helps ensure our secret isn’t revealed beyond what’s necessary.”
“And here I thought I was special.”
“You are. Never doubt that.” Ethan leaned in, giving her a quick kiss. “Come on. You look like you’re about to pass out on us. Battling with your wolf, even if you don’t realize you’re doing it, takes a lot of energy. We’re actually surprised you’re still standing.”
She kicked at the floor, finally sighing out a long breath. “I still think you boys are just seein’ something you want to, but… I’ll sleep as long as you’re with me.” She rolled her shoulders as if her muscles were too tight. “I feel…off when I think about being in that bed alone.”
“Jude will stay with you.”
Her body twitched, a low resonance barely audible above her breath. “Where are you going?”
He crowded closer. “Just going to make sure nothing’s out there that shouldn’t be. Prepare the horses for our trip tomorrow. We need to get that warrant on you cleared up before any other lawmen come lookin’.”
She snagged her bottom lip, revealing slightly elongated canines. “Okay.”
Jude reached for her, pulling her between the two of them. “Ethan won’t be long. Promise.”
McKenna nodded, tiptoeing up to give Ethan a kiss before heading for the bedroom. Ethan gave Jude a shake of his head, followed by a smile as he grabbed a shirt off the floor and walked out the door. Jude watched his friend leave, glancing back at the bedroom. Their girl had a rough few days ahead of her if her wolf kept pushing without making a full appearance. He only hoped they didn’t run into trouble before she made her first change or she’d be in a lot more danger than facing down a dozen men on her own.
Chapter Ten
McKenna walked into the saloon—hat tipped low, her jacket open, twin revolvers on her hips. She focused on the patch of wooden floor in front of her as she headed for the bar. A dozen sets of eyes watched her amble through the tables, a hushed murmur going through the crowd. She nodded at the barkeep, ordering a whiskey as she settled in a seat near the far end, the feel of something other than a saddle beneath her soothing some of the tension in her shoulders. She glanced around, fighting the urge to run back out the door and down the street. Ethan had been explicitly clear in his instructions, and none had involved her doing anything more than sitting in the tavern as they dealt with the warrant on her head.
Footsteps sounded near her, and she palmed her gun as she looked in the mirror behind the liquor bottles, sighing when a man stopped beside her, a sloppy grin on his face. She’d hoped to go unnoticed until Jude and Ethan had talked with the Marshal they’d heard was in town from Bisbee. But after her display with Will Tanner, she’d feared some of the folks might recognize her.
The man slapped his hat on his leg, taking the seat beside her. “Well, I’ll be damned. Ms. Buchanan, isn’t it?”
She gave the man a curt nod. “Mayor.”
“Didn’t think we’d see you back this way again so soon. Don’t suppose you’ve come back to reconsider our offer for employment?”
“Had some business to attend to. And you made the returning part rather difficult, gettin’ the Marshals involved. Hear there’s a warrant out for my arrest.”
The man’s smile faded. “Didn’t have much of a choice. Seems Tanner wasn’t the first outlaw you’d dealt with. And I did tell those gentlemen I thought you’d make a good sheriff.”
“So they mentioned.”
The mayor glanced at the door as if trying to look up the street. “You didn’t…”
“Do I look like the kind of person who kills lawmen for sport?”
He sighed. “You look tired. Rumor has it you’re targeting the members of the Wilson brother’s gang. Hell of a bunch, those boys. Deadly, too. But haven’t seen any this way since Tanner. Heard they’d taken up roots in Tombstone.”
“Already had the displeasure of meetin’ them there. Didn’t go quite as planned.”
She smiled, images of Jude and Ethan flickering through her mind. Something inside her scratched at the skin, but she pushed it away. She’d promised them she’d stay put until they’d handled the situation. Hell, it’d been the only way Jude had agreed not to babysit her at the saloon. She’d known Ethan had thought it best they both give testimony as to her state of mind—how she’d only acted in self-defense. Ethan hadn’t seemed worried about the outcome, but she was. Justified or not, she’d known from the start that she’d probably die for her actions, and she couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling that there was something amiss in Ralston. The air felt charged, and she’d learned to trust her instincts. A rumble sounded in her head, the agreeing rasp making her fingers twitch.
“So what brings you back to town? You do know that the Bisbee Marshal is here. Saw those other two Marshals who came lookin’ for you ride in earlier, too. Might be best if you made yourself scarce.”
She turned to look at the mayor. She wasn’t sure if she should acknowledge her connection to Jude and Ethan before they’d gotten her properly pardoned. She didn’t want to implicate them in any wrongdoings. “That’s why I’m in here. They seemed pretty busy amongst themselves. Reckon they won’t be headin’ this way anytime soon. Just having a quick drink before moving out again. Looks like there’s another storm brewin’. Thought I’d treat myself to a hot meal. Never know when it’s going to be your last.”
The man sighed. “Hell of a way for someone to live, especially a lady. We’re still in need of a sheriff. I could talk to those men if you’d reconsider.”
“Thanks, but…”
Her voice keened into a shout as pain shot through her head then into her limbs, an ear-splitting growl sounding in her head. She arched backwards, her skin feeling as if it were being ripped apart as a volley of sights and sounds assaulted her senses. An image flashed in her head, nearly taking her to her knees—Jude and Ethan trapped inside a building, smoke curling up from their revolvers. Gunfire popped in the distance, the stench of sulfur and blood heavy in the air.
She stumbled to her feet, crashing into the mayor as her balance shifted, slamming her against the bar. Pain flared through her shoulder and into her side, settling where her body had recently healed.
The mayor grabbed her shoulders, steadying her. “Ms. Buchanan, are you all right?”
She choked back the bile that crested her throat, doing her best to hold off the scratchy sensation under her flesh. “Something’s wrong. Men…” She resisted the howl clawing at her chest, the urge to run outside overwhelming. She turned to the mayor, noticing the way his eyes widened as his hands fell away from her body. “Where are the Marshals?”
He took a couple of steps back, his hand rising to his mouth. “Your eyes…”
“The Marshals. Where are they? Trouble’s coming. I need to warn them.”
“Trouble…”
The beat of horses’ hooves drowned out his words, a cloud of dirt and dust rolling down the street. McKenna glanced out the window, instincts taking over as she darted to the door, watching a gang of riders gallop into town. They raced past the saloon, guns drawn, bandanas hiding half their faces. A growl rumbled in her chest, and she turned back to the mayor, stalking toward him.
“Where. Are. The. Marshals?”
The man’s face paled. “They’re in the sheriff’s office. Nearly all the way at the end of the street on the left.”
She palmed her revolvers, letting the feel of them calm her. “Keep everyone inside and away from the windows.”
He snagged her arm as she moved past him. “There must have been over a dozen men. You can’t take on that many alone.”
“I’m just buyin’ those lawmen some time. Even the odds a bit. Stay put.”
She ran up the stairs, heading for the rear of the building. Her vision faded into varying shades of gray, the edges tinged red as she barged through a door, running for the window. Gunfire popped to life outside, angry shouts mixing with the hollow sound. She opened the window, eyeing the drop. Her body convulsed once, her muscles cramping to the point of pain as she fell to her knees, the throbbing in her head dragging her under.
She clenched her teeth together, feeling the tips of her canines press into her lower lip. She forced in a few quick breaths, panting through more pain. “For god’s sake, if you’re really in there, you fighting me isn’t helping. I need control. We’ll save them…whatever it takes, but right now I need you to pull back.”