Winter of the Wolf (25 page)

His lips were as warm as his hands. Propped up on his elbow, he lazily indulged in his kiss, teasing and then demanding a response. His hand moved from her waist upward, brushing the side of her breast. With each slow stroke, her skin grew more sensitive, until her nipples were tightly bunched and aching. Her back arched her up toward him.

The thump of footsteps on the porch announced the arrival of Shay.

Bree sat up quickly, staring at Zeb. “Go sit in your chair,” she ordered.

A crease appeared in his cheek as he ran his finger over her lips. “You look wel kissed, little female, and no wolf could miss the scent in this room.”

The scent
. A flush scalded her face. As Shay opened the door, Bree jumped to her feet and escaped up the stairs.

Chapter Eighteen

Cold Creek, North Cascades Territory ~ Full moon

“Vicki didn’t return today.” Shay strode into the library

“Vicki didn’t return today.” Shay strode into the library corner of the lodge. His guts felt as if the fly fisherman had tied them into intricate knots. “Calum says she wrenched her ankle. She’s staying in Elder Vilage for a few more days.” Zeb’s book dropped to the floor, and dread roled over his face like black thunderclouds. “You’ve got to be fucking joking.”

“No joke. By the God, Zeb, we have to warn Breanne about what to expect. We shouldn’t have put it off.” But waiting for Vicki had made sense, since just a year ago, she’d been human, and she could have explained Gatherings.

Now they were caught in their own iron-toothed trap.

“Does Breanne have
any
female friends?” Zeb considered. “A couple of the wolves, but the alpha bitch ordered al the females to stay away until Bree does a public apology. To finish off her
lesson
.” Pack politics. Shay’s teeth snapped together. He’d like to sink his fangs into Thyra and shake some courtesy into her.

But only the alpha male could do that. “Nobody else?”

“No females.” Zeb scowled. “We should’ve pushed harder, brawd. Kissing and fondling aren’t enough to prepare her for tonight.”

“If we’d pushed, she’d have run. At least she trusts us.” Shay paced across the room. “She’s newly changed. Maybe the heat won’t hit her yet.”

“Maybe. Or maybe it’l overcome her fears.”

“Maybe. Or maybe it’l overcome her fears.” Shay kicked the edge of the rug, wishing it were Thyra.

“There’s nothing we can do.”

“Nope.” Zeb frowned. “Oh fuck.”

“What?” Shay glared. “We don’t need anything else.”

“Damn fucking right.” Zeb scrubbed his face like an annoyed raccoon. “Did you talk with her about lifemating or male-female ratios?”

Shay stared at him, dismay rising. Humans only mated one male to a female, but shifters… “By Herne’s hooves, surely she’s noticed?”

* * *

The diner’s customers had cleaned out the pastry shelves, and Angie had reported they’d begged for more. Bree couldn’t stop smiling as she trotted up the steps to the lodge.

Her smile faded. Angie had also said she wasn’t alowed to chat until Bree publicaly apologized to Thyra. Angie’d been pretty steamed about the decree, but apparently, the alpha female had the power to enforce her rules.

Mood spoiled, Bree closed the lodge door with a slam.

The thought of apologizing to the bitch unsettled her stomach worse than the rat she’d eaten a few days ago. But she couldn’t find a way to avoid it. Not if she wanted to make friends with the women in the pack. Thank God, Vicki was a friends with the women in the pack. Thank God, Vicki was a cougar and not under Thyra’s control.

After hanging up her coat, Bree took a step and stopped.

Shay sat at the library table where she’d set up a jigsaw puzzle, Zeb in a chair nearby, both watching her with concern.

Worry slickened her palms. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Shay rose. “We need to talk to you about something.”

“Okay.” Did they want her to leave? Her feet dragged as she crossed the room. She sat on the couch next to Zeb’s chair. “What’s up?”

“It’s…” Zeb looked at Shay helplessly.

Shay sighed. “We’ve been teaching you the way of the Daonain. How to trawsfur. How to be a wolf. But there’s more to our customs.”

“Like the pack laws?”

“Not just pack,” Shay said. “Al the shifters—men and woman. I’m talking about mating.”

Oookay
. Her stomach tightened. “I’m not totaly inexperienced, guys.” And thank goodness she’d had sex a few times before being raped. “I remember how it goes. A man meets a woman. They like each other. They make love

—or mate. Right?”

“Not exactly.” Shay joined her on the couch. His weight compressed the cushions, sliding her until her hip bumped compressed the cushions, sliding her until her hip bumped against his. “By Herne’s antlers, this is hard to explain.”

“Bree.” Zeb’s gaze captured hers. “Each ful moon, fertile Daonain females come into heat.”

Heat
. “Like a dog or cat comes into h-heat?” Zeb nodded. With a glance, he tossed the conversation back to Shay.

Shay’s warm hand closed around Bree’s icy fingers. “The ful moon is tonight, and your body wil want to mate with a male. Wil require a male.”

A bitter laugh broke from her. “Wouldn’t that be a change? That’s not—”

“Before, you only had humans around,” Zeb said.

Shay agreed. “Daonain aren’t attracted to humans.” The idea derailed her growing anxiety for a second.

“That’s why I never wanted a guy? Because I’m a shifter?

That’s why with you two, I—” Oh God, what had she almost said?

Darn Zeb for that slashing grin. “That’s why.”

“Conceited creepazoid,” she muttered to her hands. “So I’m going to get al horny tonight and might jump one of you?”

“Not that easy,” Zeb muttered.

“By Daonain law, each territory holds a Gathering at ful moon,” Shay said. “There, each female mates with the males she chooses.”

she chooses.”

You’ve got to be joking
. Bree swalowed. “What if no one suits me?”

“Your body wil choose. Your head wil not.” Zeb’s voice was deep, firm. “And your body wil choose more than once.”

She yanked free and rose. Her heart hammered inside her chest so hard her lungs couldn’t get air. She gasped in a breath. “No. Absolutely not.”

“Easy, a leannan.” Shay stood, obviously hoping to calm her. “The Law requires only that the unmated spend the night at the Gathering. If you don’t want to mate, no one can force you.”

“Yeah?” Bree started to breathe again. She could just hang out quietly. Let them have their orgy without her. “Okay then. But I want you to know—this sucks.”

“Does, doesn’t it?” Shay ran his hands up and down her chiled arms. “Being able to trawsfur into a wolf is a wondrous thing. And the animal nature has benefits—an extra forty years of life, improved healing, better senses and strength. But it also has drawbacks.”

“So what’s with the law stuff?”

“Our traditions and laws ensure Daonain survival. Our fertility is much lower than humans’, and five times more males are born to us than females. The only thing that saves us is that most births are twins or triplets. And the Gatherings.”

Gatherings.”

His matter-of-fact voice soothed. Bree rested her hip on the table. “Am I going to run into more weird laws at this Gathering?”

Zeb thought for a second. “No possessive behavior is alowed.” He gave her his half-smile. “Any other time, however—al bets are off.”

Shay continued. “Males may fight to win a female’s favor, but the Law forbids kiling or maiming. The penalty is being cast out.”

Was that why Thyra had stopped? “Cast out means you have to leave the territory?”

“Worse.” Zeb’s voice roughened. “No Daonain wil see him, hear him, or speak to him.”

She shrugged. “So he’d move somewhere else where no one knew him.”

“The Cosantir slashes them.” Zeb curved his fingers and drew them across his cheek. “Herne turns the scars black.” Shay added, “If the Mother eventualy forgives the crime, the scars turn white, and the shifter can return.” Cold fingers closed on Bree’s spine as she imagined wandering a world of people who didn’t acknowledge her existence. “That’s horrible.”

“Many die,” Zeb agreed softly.

“Enough of this.” Shay rubbed his forehead against hers.

“You won’t be fighting, little wolf. Tonight is for mating.”

“You won’t be fighting, little wolf. Tonight is for mating.”
I’d rather fight
.

Zeb’s gaze met hers in perfect understanding.

“The moon rises in two hours,” Shay said. “Let’s clean up and eat. We’l walk to the tavern together.” She couldn’t move. The men there would pressure her to have sex. She knew it.
I can’t do this.

“Little female,” Zeb snapped. “A male does not bother a female who is uninterested.” A crease appeared on his cheek, and his gaze warmed. “I showed you how we know.” She stared at him, remembering the day outside the cabin when he’d held her wrist, inhaling the scent. A lick of heat flared in her bely.

The corner of his lip puled up. “Exactly.” Wel, okay. She wasn’t interested in any guy, so no one would bother her.
It’ll probably be like Amelia’s
bachelorette party at the strip joint. Lots of drunken
horny woman and happy men. I’ll sit at the bar and
watch.

* * *

Bree stil held strong a couple of hours later as she and the men walked up to the tavern.

Ignoring the “CLOSED FOR PRIVATE PARTY” sign, Shay opened the door and shooed her before him.

Shay opened the door and shooed her before him.

One step inside, she stopped. Welcome to Cold Creek’s meat market. Women and so many, many men. Turning in a circle, she gawked. One guy wore skin-tight jeans that cupped his ass. A tal blond had skipped a shirt and wore only a vest over a muscular chest. One had a trimmed beard, another a five-o’clock-shadow that her fingers tingled to touch.

The scents were overwhelming. Zeb was right. She could smel arousal. Testosterone had a scent too. Dark and musky. Every inhalation warmed her until she felt as if she’d lowered herself into a hot tub. Her skin felt odd, as if sunburned and sensitive. When she moved, her clothes teased her with new sensations. Her bra rubbed until her nipples tightened painfuly.

She tried to ignore it al. Jeez, she wasn’t an animal to be ruled by hormones.

“Give me your coat, lass.” Shay puled her jacket off with a smooth tug.

Mmmh, his eyes were steely blue, so intent, and…
Get a
grip, dummy
. “Um.” Her voice came out disconcertingly breathy, as if she’d jogged over a mountain. “How about a beer?”

Because, darn it, she needed alcohol. Or ice water. Calum must have set the furnace thermostat at ninety degrees. “How long do we have to stay, anyway?”

long do we have to stay, anyway?”

Shay chuckled. “Long enough to at least get inside the room.”

Snorting in agreement, Zeb set his hand on the holow of her back and pushed her farther into the room. The heat from his palm, the very feel of his hand was as if he was reaching inside her and stroking her to arousal.
Oh heavens, what is
happening to me
?

With a grave look, Zeb studied her.

Bree stared up at him. His hard jaw was incredibly masculine, slightly darker than the rest of his face even though he’d shaved. His lips curved. She remembered the feel of his mouth on hers and wanted it again. She ran her fingers down his chest, savoring the hard bunching muscles.

He made a rumbling noise, and his hand closed around her wrist. He lifted it to his face. Inhaled. “Little female, I don’t think you’re going to manage to leave.”

The sound of his deep, grating voice dragged on her nerves, and she swayed toward him. Then her mind untangled the words. “Leave? Yes, I’m leaving. I’m not staying here, Zeb.”

He pressed a kiss to her wrist, sending her senses spinning with the feathery touch, the wash of warm breath. She inched closer to him.

“Good to know.” He glanced at Shay. “Commandeer a corner?”

corner?”

“That’s the plan. Gonna be harder than I thought though.” Shay’s low voice was a smooth stroke of hot silk, puling her to him as if he’d tugged on a leash.

She stepped closer, breathing the fresh icy scent that was his alone. He smeled like a man. Al man. His chest was twice as broad as hers, his shoulders blocked out the room.

His unrelenting stare made her knees weak. “Breanne, come with us.”

River rock
. Zeb’s voice was jagged granite, Shay’s was like river rock, al round and smooth, but stil hard.

“Breanne?”

“Oh.” She blinked, shook her head. “The corner. Sure. I keep getting…sidetracked or something.” Every nerve in her body was firing ful-time. “Sensory overload, I guess?” Shay’s fingers curled around her bare upper arm. The abrasion of his caluses was heady, and she moved closer.

“You’re kiling me here, a leannan,” he murmured. As they threaded through the crowd, she caught more scents. Men.

Everywhere. They stared at her, their gazes like fiery tickles against her skin.

In the front corner by the fireplace, Zeb shoved tables around to create a blocked off area with a smal entrance.

“You sure, Shay? Make her start with a stranger?”

“By Herne’s antlers, I’m not sure of anything. I just know that if one of us tries and she panics, she’l feel we betrayed her, and she won’t have anyone here she trusts.” Shay her, and she won’t have anyone here she trusts.” Shay sighed. “If she can handle one or two males, we’l see if she’s stil interested in two rough cahirs.”

“Good enough.”

Bree heard their conversation, but their words flowed like water, slipping past her understanding. Yet lovely. Like with wolf song, their voices wove around each other, creating a beautiful pattern.

Zeb stepped closer. He cupped her chin to tip her face up, caught her gaze, and she fel forward into eyes the color of the night sky.

“Fuck.” He growled, and the sound shivered through her, making her want.
Need
.