Trevor
Trevor fought to get Smoke’s disgustedly grinning face out of his mind. Knowing that freak made love to Lindsey on a daily basis and worse, that she accepted and encouraged him, stabbed Trevor deep to his heart, like a twin silver bladed knife. Images of Smoke and Lindsey fucking in that damn cabin in Minnesota carved a permanent place in his head. He recalled how Lindsey rode Smoke as if she loved it, but the toughest thing for Trevor was seeing Smoke’s mark on her shoulder. It killed him, leaving a heavy weight inside his chest.
He kicked out his fury, foot meeting chair, and it slammed into the wall twenty feet away. Just then Jase sauntered into the Ops room.
“What the heck, Trev.” Jase strode over to the chair. “You need to get laid, man. Forget her and move on.” Jase picked it up and bent it back into shape. He set the chair legs on the floor. One second ticked by, long enough for Jase to make it back beside Trevor, and the chair busted in half, making both men jump. “Good grief! That liked-ta scare the fur right off my gonads.”
Trevor chuckled at Jase’s exclamation, his non-use of cuss words. It’d been a good month since he’d heard the sound of his own laughter. And, it didn’t seem to help his ache or the hollow heaviness. He sighed and turned to leave.
“Whoa, where ya goin’ in such a hurry? We need to plan an attack. Get those Lycan scumbags to the Elders so they can be dealt with good and proper.” Jase sidled closer, eyes wide, brows high and his mouth a thin line, an expression Trevor recognized as seriousness.
Trevor knew the kid’s look after mentoring him enough to understand what the young Lycan was up to, but being pulled into something else would never alleviate his loss. He trusted Jase to have his back, but didn’t want any part of a plan that involved Smoke or Lindsey. The little scrapper would have to find someone else. Trevor considered the younger man standing too close, in his space, and gave him a shove. Jase’s butt hit the floor and skidded across the room, stopping beside the chair remnants. Before Trevor blinked, the wiry shit stood in his face again.
“Stop acting like a husk of the Lycan-wolf we all know you to be. You’re setting a crappy example for the rest of us loners.”
“Then maybe it’s time I set out on my own. Take up with another pack.”
“You know you can’t just leave us. You belong in this pack, Trev. We all… No, I depend on you for teaching me the wily ways of women. Stop leading me astray.” Jase chuckled and then went all serious again, but Trevor waited him out until the usual playful grin took over Jase’s face.
“Jase, stop. Can’t you see I’m not in the mood?”
“Shit, you have moods. Good gods, isn’t that female crap? Fuck.”
“And since when do you talk such trash? I’ve never heard you swear…and now, suddenly, you’re choking on those damn words.” Trevor studied Jase, realizing his friend worried about him. He wondered at the possibility of making love with someone else after finding and losing his primal-mate to another. Would his body even allow it? Guess there was only one way to find out. Maybe having Jase along would be a good back-up plan. “Fine, how about we go scare up some tail? What do you think about sharing a female? I understand it’s every woman’s dream.”
Jase’s face lit every which way, from twinkling eyes to his shit-eating grin. “I’m in. It’s like hands-on with a master, watch, learn, and play at the same time.” Jase chuckled. “How can I go wrong?”
“Wearing those duds for one. Go shower and change…I will, too. Meet you at my truck in twenty.”
“Maybe you should cut your hair and shave while you’re at it,” Jase called after Trevor.
“Not in the cards,” Trevor mumbled, more to himself than Jase.
* * * *
Cigarette smoke hung in the air outside Coyotes Bar & Grill. Laughter, excited conversations, bottles clinking, muffled country music, and pool balls cracking against one another welcomed them upon entry. They wandered over to the bar, both men nodding at familiar faces.
“What’ll it be, gentlemen?” Jeb, the owner and their friend, a rotund fifty-ish bartender, leaned over the counter. He curled his forefinger, signaling them to get closer. “Look over at that hot little number.” Jeb nodded his head toward a sweet filly, tall and slender, short blonde hair striped in hot pink and wearing next to nothing. Her open weaved dress left little to the imagination.
“Holy shitski, my cock can’t breathe.” Jase’s wide-eyed stare and open mouth pulled another chuckle out of Trevor. “Come on, Dad…can she be the one? Can she?”
“Who is she?” Trevor asked, turning back to Jeb.
“Her name is Victoria Russell, but she goes by Ria. She’s staying in one of the Clemmings’ cabins. Not sure which one, as they have quite a few scattered around the area.” He bent farther over the bar and lowered his voice. “She’s been here for about a month. No one knows what she does, and no one sees her during the day. It looks and sounds like she might be earning a wage in the evening hours.” Jeb’s brows waggled. “If you catch my meaning…although, so far…no one has shared a damn thing.”
Trevor plopped onto a barstool and turned it toward the crowd around the pool table, where Ria slammed the eight-ball into a side pocket. She stood up. Her gaze crossed the room and settled on Trevor. To his amazement she kissed her hand and blew on it in his direction. Next to him, Jase moaned.
“If that ain’t an invite, I don’t know what is. All I can say is, don’t forget about your ménage partner.” Jase gave Trevor a half-shot to the arm, as Jase’s attention never wavered from Ria. “Oh gods, here she comes.”
Trevor acknowledged Jase’s continued use of profanity as he watched Ria make her way through all of the staring women and gawking men. She stopped between his knees. Only the edge of the barstool kept her more than ample breasts from a full frontal assault on his chest, mere empty inches from her puckered elongated nipples.
“I don’t believe we’ve met.” Her British accented voice, low and sultry, sliced through the ambient bar sounds as if they were non-existent, or maybe his keen wolf hearing went into overdrive. “I’m Ria, challenged by the light and yet a lover of the night.” The tip of her tongue slowly slid across her full upper lip, leaving a shiny glaze in its wake.
Jase groaned, capturing Ria’s focus. She smiled at him, and Trevor thought Jase might melt onto the floor.
“Are you two boys together?” She looked from one to the other and then back at Trevor.
“Miss Ria, we came here lookin’ for a good time tonight. What’s on your agenda?” Trevor spoke up, although his heart wasn’t really into it, other parts of his body acted interested. Plus, he didn’t want Jase mucking things up with tongue-tied gibberish, like what happened every time Jase attempted to mingle with females.
“Well, I’d say you’re in luck because I just opened my evening for two good looking men. Are you hungry? I love a good sandwich, don’t you boys?” She maneuvered between the two bar stools, pushing her breasts into Trevor’s arm and shoving her ass against Jase’s knee. “Let’s go to my place,” she whispered next to Trevor’s ear.
Trevor shivered and even toted the beginnings of a woody, but his mind rejected passion or sensuality. He lusted, needing an outlet, but nothing more. Ria settled her palm over his crotch.
“Come on big boy, show me what you got.” She squeezed his cock and angled her face upward, pressing her lips over his. “I’m drenched for you,” she whispered against his mouth. Abruptly, she broke away and headed for the door. Her steps pronounced, sky-scraper heels working her calf muscles like a model walking down a runway, hips swaying her well-sculpted ass.
“Is it always this easy, Trevor?” Jase jumped off his seat, already following.
“Never.” Suspicion belted through Trevor, but he shoved it down. It bothered him she held no scent, but what can one woman do against two Lycan?
Olivia
Olivia lifted her head from Chance’s shoulder and stared at him. She loved this man-wolf with her entire being. In only a matter of months she’d met a Lycan, her soul-mate, consummated her love to him, shifted into wolf-form for the first time, and now her womb carried his children. A tear trickled down her face. She’d never been so happy, filled with endless joy and passion.
Chance opened his brilliant amber eyes and met her gaze, warming her insides all the way down to her toes.
“What’s wrong, love?” He straightened in the plane seat, a look of concern etched across his handsome face. His hands framed her face. “Are you in pain?” His thumb brushed the tear from her jawline.
The plane dropped in altitude. Chance pressed Olivia’s body into the seat. Stormy winds and rain beat against the skin of the jet, as if fighting to overtake the constant hum of the engines. She’d never flown much, and her insides took a sudden nose-dive. She quickly covered her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Are you going to be sick?” Chance, ever so attentive, grabbed a puke bag from beneath his seat.
Olivia yanked it from his hands and opened it just in time. Chance jumped out of the seat next to her and vanished. A moment later, he was back with a cool damp wash cloth and another bag.
“Here, love, I’ll trade you.” They made the exchange and he disappeared again, only to return seconds later with another wet cloth. “We’re almost home. It’ll be better once you get your land-legs back. Flying in this kind of weather can rock even the toughest traveler.”
Olivia turned away from Chance and wiped her face, embarrassed over her weakened condition. For all she knew, the culprit of her queasiness could be the pregnancy, or any list of things her body might still be adjusting to as a new Lycan. Everything about her relationship with Chance, the pack, the Elders, all seemed surreal. She stared out the window, watching rain drops, lots of them, and whispered a little prayer to the Divine Source, requesting guidance, love, and support for their unborn children. Chance slid into his seat, twined his fingers in her hair, moved it to the side, and kissed the back of her neck.
“Are you doing better?” he whispered next to her ear.
She turned toward him and gazed into his warm amber eyes. “Yes, I’m feeling fine now. Thank you for your quick response or there would have been a real mess.”
He leaned over, chuckled, and then hugged her. “Eventually, we’ll need to discuss your options, Olivia. I want you to understand the risk you’re taking.”
He looked at her, stare meeting stare, and her defiance flared to life. He’d already given his support in the matter. She refused to rise to the bait and instead, settled into a relaxed state.
“If you’re okay for now, I’m going to run up and see how Captain Damen is faring.”
“Oh, for goodness sake, go check on Damen.” Her tone came out sharper than intended. “Give him some crap about making me sea-sick when we’re not even on the water.” She smiled in hopes of lightening her mood, at least giving Chance a show of it.
He kissed her forehead. “I love you, dearest.” Then Chance moved off to the front of the plane, studying her before entering the cockpit and closing the door behind him.
* * * *
Olivia stood in the middle of their suite after unpacking, wondering what next. The last month ripped by in a blur, too much to process. Breanne wanted them to fly back to France for the birthing. She needed to plan on it happening in twelve weeks, as she was already four weeks along according to Breanne.
She stared down at her cell phone setting on the table, its ringtone insistent, her sister, awaiting an answer. Olivia hesitated, wondering how she could tell Lacey any of what had been happening. She’d put her sister off at every turn, but the time was coming for a full confession. Maybe she’d give Lacey something to think about for a while.
“Hi, Lacey.”
“So…have you and Chance set the date?”
Olivia heard the smile in Lacey’s voice, and it didn’t help the guilt at not being honest with her from the start. “We’ve already went and done it. Teeny ceremony.”
“What? Without me?”
Like Olivia could have told her the ceremony was all about marking the body, exchanging blood, going through a complete body shift, and then consummating things. “No worries, we’ll have a get together soon…like a small reception.”
“I can’t believe you. You’ve put me off for a month and now you tell me this. You’d go and get married without me even there?” Lacey’s distraught voice twanged at Olivia’s heartstrings. She knew her sister well and recognized near hysteria. Bless Lacey to death, but she was the most dramatic woman Olivia had to deal with, ever.
A light tap on the door shoved Olivia into motion. “I’ve gotta run right now, Lacey. I’ll call you soon and let you know all the details.”
“Don’t you hang up!”
“I love you, Lacey, but we’re off to our honeymoon. I promise to call you later.” With that, Olivia ended the call and crossed the room to answer the door.
“Hello, Olivia, you in there? You awake, hon?” Jasmine’s voice carried through the closed door.
Olivia opened it, and Jasmine charged at her, arms reaching and squeezing around her. They broke apart and Jasmine patted Olivia’s stomach area, a big smile stretching across Jasmine’s face.
“That sly ol’ wolf finally went and did it. Got his Lycan Goddess knocked up on their first primal-mate consummation. Olivia, the whole pack is gloating over it…everyone is so excited for our Alpha and his mate.” Jasmine’s gaze connected with Olivia’s. “How are you feeling about it? Are you afraid?”
“Not at all. Ignorance is bliss as far as the difference between Lycan pregnancy and human for me…what I don’t know, won’t hurt me, right?” She chuckled. “Come in and sit with me for a bit. I do have a couple questions.
“We didn’t visit long with the Elders. Chance was in a hurry to get back here…I’m thinking it’s about getting the search going for Smoke. Anyway, I didn’t get an opportunity to ask questions about what to expect, only that gestation is sixteen weeks long and I’m already four weeks into it.”
“Chance told us you’re carrying a male and a female. Oh, Olivia, I’m so envious. Dir and I have been trying for over a year, and I’m not sure it’s going to happen for us. We’ve never been checked out, but I’m thinking one of us got damaged somehow. In the kind of work we do, I guess anything’s possible. Even an un-repairable injury to a Lycan’s healing body.”