Winter of the Wolf (54 page)

Zeb pinched her clit, and she wiggled.

Shay growled, low and dangerous. “Breanne, the way you feel around me…” He leaned forward, nipping her neck, kissing her shoulder, and the movement drove him deeper.

She whined.

Shay stiled, although his cock was pulsing, demanding that he take her hard. But if she was in pain, he needed to stop.

Yes, many females seemed to like this, especialy with Yes, many females seemed to like this, especialy with another male involved, but he’d had one female who hadn’t.

“Does it hurt?” He slid in and out, and her body quivered. So soft. So female.
Mine
.

When he’d been young, he hadn’t thought of females except in terms of sex. Not for friendship and love. Then, once oathbound, he’d tried not to think of al he was missing.

But now… “Breanne.” He ran his hands up and down her sides, massaged her hips as he thrust gently. “You’re more than I ever dreamed of,” he murmured and laid his cheek on her hair.

“Hel, you made her cry again.” Zeb’s voice sounded exasperated, but the rasping sound said he felt the same. “I think she needs a diversion. We’re supposed to be nasty, remember?”

Breanne’s entire body stiffened with alarm as Zeb started to work his cock into her cunt.

Shay put one foot up on the bed, his knee against her thigh, stabilizing himself. He tightened his hands on her hips.

The pressure around his cock increased as Zeb carefuly filed her.

“Oh God, I can’t breathe.” She leaned her forehead against Zeb’s chest, her voice shaking.

Zeb froze.

But she was breathing just fine, Shay realized.

Zeb lifted her face and studied her for a moment. He Zeb lifted her face and studied her for a moment. He smiled and glanced at Shay.

“Too much to process?” Shay said lightly. “Let’s add to it.” He nodded at Zeb who put his hands on her breasts.

Her insides clamped down so hard that Shay almost came right then. He groaned and puled out slightly, waited for Zeb to slide out before he pushed back in. As always with his partner—his brother—their movements came together, and within a few strokes, they were in a perfect rhythm.

Breanne’s whole body trembled, but he caught no scent of pain or fear. Stil, he wanted her to come with them, al of them together. Shay straightened slightly so he could reach around her side. There was the little nub of nerves. She was so wet his fingers glided easily over her clit.

She made a heat-inducing mewl, and her ass contracted around him. As he continued, her hips bucked, making his head spin. Damn, she was tight, especialy with Zeb at the same time.

Zeb’s eyes met his, and he nodded. They could keep this up longer, but she’d be too sore to walk. The joining in this way was what he’d wanted, celebrating that they were alive and together.

Zeb picked up the pace, and he folowed, using his fingers to tease her clit back into hardness. Zeb did the same with her nipples, and he could only imagine how overwhelming it al would feel. Her legs quivered.

al would feel. Her legs quivered.

“Oooooh, God.” She’d braced her forehead, and her back arched. Shay felt her asshole tighten at the base of his cock, and then her climax hit, rippling around him, battering his shaft softly. She let out delightful high yips as she came.

He grinned at Zeb, sharing the joy of having satisfied their female. Then Zeb thrust faster; Shay folowed. Zeb came first, the cords on his neck standing out as he pushed deep.

Shay gripped Breanne’s hips, plunging deeper. His own climax dug claws into his spine, flooded through his bals, and through his cock as he filed his female with his heat. He held on for a moment: thrusting gently, emptying fuly, and savoring the feeling of being clasped.

When he finaly puled out and released her hips, she colapsed with a groan. Laughing, Zeb wrapped his arms around her, keeping her against him and filing the need females had of being held afterward.

Shay shook his head—as if males didn’t need it also. He cleaned himself and washed her as wel.

Finaly, he slid into bed. Zeb was curled around Breanne from the rear, sound asleep. She roused long enough to give him a sleepy kiss and an “I love you” before fading away.

He stared at her. She’d said it. She loved them—oh, he’d known it—but she’d actualy said it. His heart felt ful enough to overflow. He pushed closer, enjoying her softness against his chest and the scents of their love-making in the air.

his chest and the scents of their love-making in the air.

There they were: his mate and his brother
. In his bed.

Sound asleep. He settled beside them with a long sigh of perfect happiness.

Chapter Thirty-nine

Olympic National Forest

In the faint moonlight, Zeb crouched on the creekside in the Olympic forest, enjoying the show.

Bree was trying to fish. Her tail would wag hopefuly as she spotted one of the shy trout, and then she’d pounce.

Water would splash, the fish would slide through her paws, and she’d snap futilely at the escaping prey.

Hopeless. Just as wel he’d stayed as a wolf, or he’d be strangling with his attempts not to laugh. Her soft blonde fur was drenched and dripping, but she hadn’t given up. Not Bree—she never gave up.

Stubborn and brave and loving.

They’d spent the last four days and nights in the Olympic Mountains as wolves, hunting and playing and piling in a heap to sleep. Occasionaly, they’d trawsfur and make love in the lush grass of the meadows. Afterwards they’d bask in the sun lush grass of the meadows. Afterwards they’d bask in the sun and talk.

He’d learned more about his brother and Bree. Like him, they were survivors of pain and death, stil fighting back.

Fuck, he loved them. Each night, he thanked the Mother for her gifts: for his brother, for finding this little female, for her love for them in return. For being alive.

Bree missed another fish. When she looked at him, Zeb put his chin on the ground and covered his eyes with a paw.

She gave a tiny growl and snapped her jaws at him for the insult.

Truly, it was good he’d stayed wolf.

As the moonlight glimmered over Bree’s damp fur and danced along the splashing water, Zeb caught Shay’s scent.

’Bout time. Before dark, he’d gone back to the truck, evading Bree’s questions as to why.

He broke from the forest, and Zeb saw metal gleaming on his leg. Anticipation sweled within him. Last night, the moon had been a sliver, almost too smal to be seen. Tonight, the crescent of a waxing moon showed clearly. It was a time for new beginnings.

As Shay reached the bank, a flopping, fat trout landed in the grass. Bree bounded over, tail high in victory Zeb’s ears went back. Neither he nor Shay had thought she’d succeed. Hel, they’d never hear the end of this.

As if she’d heard his thoughts, she shook hard, splattering As if she’d heard his thoughts, she shook hard, splattering him and Shay with cold creek water.

Zeb growled, looked at Shay.

Shay dipped his front quarters, darted around Bree, and flattened on the ground beside her.

Zeb charged, shouldering into her on the opposite side, knocking her off-balance. She tripped over Shay and fel.

Her breath grunted out and then they were both on her, nipping at her bely and flanks. With one on each side, she couldn’t rol over or escape. Soon her paws scrambled in the air as if trying to run.

When her tail slapped her bely, Zeb changed to nuzzling her neck and licking her nose. Setting a paw on her chest, Shay did the same.

She shifted. “Sadistic cretins,” she sputtered between giggles. She brushed dirt from her shoulders in a way that made her breasts bounce enticingly. “I’l get you back, I swear.”

Zeb trawsfurred and couldn’t keep from laughing. Fuck, she was the cutest female he’d ever met.

After Shay changed to human, he studied the moon in the dark night sky and nodded at Zeb. It was time.

Zeb’s hands went cold. He and Shay thought they knew how Bree felt about them, but she’d been raised human. And she was female. He’d never understood either. What if they were wrong? Would doing this mess everything up? Pul them apart? His body felt awkward, as if he’d shifted into skin that was too smal.

By the God, how did males ever manage to do this? As his courage drained away, he needed to touch her, to feel her against him. He puled her to her feet. “Bree, I need a kiss.” Standing close enough to feel the heat radiating from Zeb’s body, Bree looked up at him. His eyes were shadowed in the dim moonlight, his jaw muscles tight. He’d been laughing a moment ago. She laid her hand on his cheek. “Is something wrong?”

“No, cariad. I just need a kiss. Now, please.” His vocal cords sounded as if they’d shattered.

What had happened? On tiptoe, she curled her arms around his neck. Her fingers tangled in his straight black hair as she puled him down to her mouth.

He kissed her hard, puling her to him tightly, and she felt his cock lengthen against her stomach. She had a momentary wonder of how quickly these guys hardened before he kissed the thought right out of her.

Giving a low sigh, he set her on her feet. Shay pressed against her from behind, his hands cupping her breasts. She looked back at him, and he took her mouth in a plundering kiss as intimate as Zeb’s had been.

When he released her, her body hummed with need. She staggered a little, feeling the breeze cold on her bare skin staggered a little, feeling the breeze cold on her bare skin where a second before two male bodies had been. She shook her head, trying to get her bearings. “Guys, what is…?”

They were kneeling in front of her, side-by-side, Shay’s huge body next to Zeb’s leanly muscular one. Light and dark, day and night. Both deadly. And wonderful.

“What’s going on?”

Zeb glanced at Shay with the expression that meant, you do the talking.

The moonlight made Shay’s eyes glimmer like jewels. No laughter showed in his face. “You know that some brothers lifemate—marry—the same female, sharing her for al their lives.”

Her breathing staled, and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold down rising hope.

“Zeb and I…we love you, Breanne. We want you to be our female. Our lifemate.” On his palm was a bracelet, the tiny silver discs lit by the moonlight. A bracelet like the one she’d been found with. Zeb opened his hand to show one as wel.

“I—” Her throat closed off, and she couldn’t get the words out. Oh God, was this realy happening? They were serious; they realy wanted her. Forever. “I…” A frown started on Shay’s face.

Zeb’s free hand fisted, and he scowled at her. “The Zeb’s free hand fisted, and he scowled at her. “The answer is yes, little female.”

As laughter weled up in her, she could finaly speak.

“God, I love you,” she said to Zeb, “you domineering brute.” She turned to Shay. “And you’re just as bad, Mr. Alpha, and I love you just as much.”

She’d frozen them in place. Now that was new. Her lips curved as the word came easily. “Yes.”

Shay sprang to his feet. He carefuly slid the bracelet onto her left wrist, then his hands closed around her upper arms and he lifted her up onto her tiptoes for a long, wet kiss.

“
Tha gaol agam ort
.” He crushed her against his massive chest. “By the God, I love you.”

The words turned everything inside her to pudding, and she blinked back tears. She saw Zeb waiting, his face expressionless, but his eyes…his eyes burned. Shay released her, and she took a step toward him.

Zeb slid the bracelet over her hand. “I never thought I’d do this.” He puled her into his arms, holding her as if he thought she wasn’t real, was afraid she’d disappear. With a shuddering breath, he started to let her go, then snatched her back to rumble in her ear, “Our mate. I love you.” When he finaly released her, she was light-headed from being squeezed so hard. “Wel.”

Shay smiled and held out two bracelets. “These are for you to put on us.”

you to put on us.”

She remembered seeing the one on Calum’s arm and grinned.
My men—marked and everything
. She put one on Shay’s big-boned wrist and the other over Zeb’s corded wrist, and nothing had ever looked so beautiful. “They’l shift with us?”

“That’s right.” Zeb ran a finger over the metal discs on her arm, leaving a trail of tingles behind.

When she looked up, the two men were smiling at her in a way she’d learned to recognize. One that sent heat streaming to her lower body. Excelent idea. She stepped forward and rubbed her breasts against Zeb’s chest. His face darkened with hunger.

Shay stopped her. “Not quite yet,
a chuisle mo chridhe
.” His eyes were half-lidded. “We’re going to run while the moon is up, so the Mother can bless her new bonds.” He cupped her breast, his thumb teasing the nipple and sending heat through her. “Trawsfur.”

Now? But the moonlight shimmered around her like warm rain, and when she shifted, she felt it more clearly—the Goddess’s approval and love.

The other two trawsfurred as wel.

Shay loped away from the creek, through the forest, moving higher into the mountains. When they reached a tiny meadow burgeoning with silky-soft, new grass, he stopped.

Bree stared up at the black sky. Stars had been scattered Bree stared up at the black sky. Stars had been scattered with a liberal hand, and the crescent moon in the west lit the white-topped mountain peaks with gold. What a world. And so very, very beautiful in this form.

When she looked for her companions—her mates—Shay stood close, mouth open in a canine grin, bowing his front quarters down, butt in the air. It was an invitation to play, and she reacted instinctively, springing forward to nip at him before darting away. He yipped happily and sprang at her, even as Zeb did the same, and they played in the moonlight.

Danced.

The dancing slowly changed. The males’ nips changed to licks over her nose and chin, then to nuzzling along her body…everywhere.

Oh Lord, her body went on alert. Need pooled inside her and unfamiliar instincts had her brushing against the wolves, enticing them to chase after her. Zeb slid up beside her and set a big paw on her back. He mouthed her nape, sending shivers through her. His musky wolf scent washed over her, and she whined, her fur feeling as if it had grown nerve endings.