Shifting Snows

A Phases Story

By Brynn Paulin

Resplendence Publishing, LLC

http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

Resplendence Publishing, LLC

2665 N Atlantic Avenue, #349

Daytona Beach, FL 32118

Shifting Snows

Copyright © 2011 Brynn Paulin

Edited by Christine Allen-Riley and Jason Huffman

Cover art by Les Byerley, www.les3photo8.com

Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-451-2

Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Electronic Release: December 2011

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

For A, C and D

~~

Thank you for being so patient while B has been “missing”

Chapter One

Macy Lawson’s eyes went wide as she stared at the big cat in front of her—and it stared back. Snow blew around them and an icy wind lifted the beast’s whitish-gray coat, accenting the dark rosettes that peppered the gorgeous pelt. The animal’s massive feet didn’t sink into the deep snow though the weight of its large body should have pushed it into the drifts.

It remained perfectly still, its light green eyes studying her.

She swallowed, frozen as it watched her. A snow leopard! Not only was this it larger than normal, but it shouldn’t be here! Not on Mount Elbert in Colorado.

Her heart thudded in her throat as she shook. Semantics didn’t matter in the face of this carnivore.

She was dead.

That very thought propelled her into action. She’d never see her friends and family again.

They’d never know what happened to her. But she had to run; she couldn’t just stand there like some virginal sacrifice to a dragon.

Her breath clutched in her chest, her heart beating explosively in her throat as desperation drove her. Could she find some crevice to shelter her—a space too small for the huge animal—or a branch to wield as a weapon?

She’d need the supplies to get her off the mountain, but she shucked off her backpack as she ran. It had to come off if she hoped to squeeze into a tiny space. The snow hampered her, though. The deep drifts hindered her movements, slowing her gait and wearing her out even as adrenaline pushed her.

But it wasn’t enough. She heard the predator. Horrified, she glanced over her shoulder to see the snow leopard. The cat that shouldn’t even be on this continent, bounding gracefully over the snow-covered ground that separated them. Macy turned, fear adding speed to her feet as she ran. Suddenly, time froze on a soft burst of air as the sound of chase ceased. An impact drove her to the ground, her last recollection that of powerful, furry limbs wrapping her body and mighty jaws grasping her neck.

* * * *

“Shh…you’re okay.”

Macy’s eyes blinked open at the deep voice, and she looked up into light green eyes rimmed with coal-black lashes. A fur-trimmed hood covered the man’s head, but equally black hair drooped over his forehead. His face was too close to hers. Disoriented, it took her a moment to figure out why then she realized he was carrying her. His muscular arms were slung beneath her legs and behind her back as he held her close to his chest.

“You saved me,” she murmured.

He shook his head. “Not really. You weren’t in danger.”

“But…a…that snow leopard. It attacked me.” Fear trembled through her at the memory.

It had leapt on her, grabbed her neck, knocked her to the ground—

“He wouldn’t have hurt you,” the man assured her, his words faintly accented. “What were you doing out here alone?”

Her eyes narrowed. Always the same questions. Because she was female, no doubt.

That’s why everyone else asked.

“I’m a wildlife photographer. I’m up here all the time.”

“With no protection?” he demanded.

“I don’t need a man—”

“A man? How about a gun, pepper spray, or the like? Lady, there are coyote and black bear wandering this wilderness.”

Infuriated, she struggled out of his arms and landed rear-first in the thick snow. She scrambled to her feet. “And snow leopard apparently,” she said drily. She glanced in the direction they’d come, searching for her red backpack in the pristine white snow. “I’ve been up here a lot and never had any trouble. It was stupid, I know, but those things are in my bag—crap.

How far did we walk? I have to go back for my camera.”

He turned slightly to show her the strap slung over his shoulder. “Got it.” He took her arm. “Come on. Storm’s coming. We need to get out of here before it hits.” He sniffed and looked west. “It’s gonna dump a couple feet.”

Her brow furrowed. “And you know this how? The forecaster said there might be flurries.”

“He was wrong.” He didn’t pause as he pulled her along with him to God knew where.

Just great… She’d been rescued from a feral snow leopard only to be kidnapped by a…by a…damn it…really hunky crazy guy.

She tugged her arm away, panic clawing up her chest. “Look, I’m thankful you saved me, but I’m not going with you. Just give me my bag so I can go.”

“Right…” He eyed her, his bland expression vaguely amused. “Then I can risk my life saving your ass when you get trapped halfway down the mountain. No deal.”

“I doubt I’ll get trapped. And what does it matter to you, anyway?” Her gaze skittered between the man and the clouds that grew closer and darker by the second. Rampant nerves danced in her belly. The hike to where she’d left her car at the Lakeview trailhead would take five and a half hours in these conditions—not that she’d tell him that. The thought of navigating the mountain in near-dark unsettled her.

His jaw tensed. “It matters.”

Macy’s eyes widened as his deep tone stroked over her pussy like sensually callused fingers. A tremble, having nothing to do with cold, shook her and she took a step backward.

He stepped forward, and her womb fluttered.

“I need to go,” she insisted, taking another step away, but his strides were longer and they were suddenly chest to chest.

“You leave me no choice…” he muttered as he grasped her shoulders.

“No choice—” Her words cut off on a gasp as his lips covered hers. He’d had no choice but to kiss her? Before she could twist away, his huge hand cupped the back of her head. His tongue slipped between her lips that had parted in shock.

A garbled protest mumbled between them, despite the way his presence and commanding liquefied her pussy. But it wasn’t right. He shouldn’t be kissing her, even though his lips felt so firm and so perfect against hers. Grasping at her fleeting restraint, she shoved against his shoulders.

He growled in response, his lips forcing hers wider as his tongue rubbed over hers.

Macy’s vision blurred, and she would have stumbled had he not been holding her so tightly. She clung to him as she grew dizzy and warm. A muzzy feeling wrapped around her and she wanted nothing more than to rub herself against him.

In the far recesses of her mind, a faint whisper hissed that this was wrong…too fast…too much… It was drowned by the buzzing in her head, a weird non-verbal urging to just get closer to him, to climb inside him if she could. One leg lifted and wrapped around his legs as she tried to get nearer.

He sighed and pulled back, his green eyes dark with regret. His hands smoothed over her arms. She wished she could feel his skin without her coat and his gloves between them.

“Come with me,” he rasped, reaching for her fingers.

She readily linked them through his. “Uh-huh,” she replied, dazed by the kiss. He wanted her to come with him? Fine. He said it was going to storm anyway. She lifted her face and wet snowflakes pelted her cheeks. They swirled around them as thick as a wall. She had to believe this man—this wasn’t flurries.

Macy hurried along beside him as he pulled her toward wherever he was going. She didn’t know of any houses up here, but he must have some sort of shelter.

“Who are you?” she finally asked, a little embarrassed that she’d kissed him and rubbed against him like a cat in heat, yet didn’t know who he was.

“Sorin Tavian. My people have a settlement near here.”

She shook her head, wondering if she’d gotten lost in her wanderings today. Leadville was the closest town as far as she knew. And there were no access roads. The nearest one was a couple hours from here and only open from June to August. “I’ve been up here dozens of times in the past few years,” she mused. “I’ve never seen a thing.”

“It’s well protected.”

“Hidden, then?”

“In a way, I suppose.”

That seemed ominous. Macy’s feet dragged a bit as she contemplated walking right into a trap—a trap from which she wouldn’t escape. Sorin paused and looked back at her. His brows drew together as he contemplated her through the distance of their outstretched arms and the snowflakes whirling around them.

“Miss…” He shook his head as if reading her worries.

“Macy,” she supplied automatically, then mentally kicked herself for giving him the information.

“Macy…” he repeated, her name rolling off his tongue like a heated caress down her spine. “I’m taking you to my home as protection from the storm. You won’t be harmed, and if you want to leave when it clears, I’ll take you.”

Anyone could say that…

“Why should I believe you?”

He released her hand, and Macy had to fight the instincts telling her to step across the invisible chasm between them. He crossed his arms over his imposing chest. “You’re from a big city.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Do you always answer questions with a question?”

“Do you?” she asked.

“No.” He turned and continued along his way. After a few steps, he stopped. “It will get colder out here as the snow comes. Do you know how to dig a shelter?”

“Of course. I do have some survival skills.”

“Hmph,” he replied, and she suspected he didn’t believe her. Instead of commenting further, he continued in the other direction. Stubbornly, Macy watched him go, the red on his back fading through the deluge of flakes.

Red…

Oh for fuck’s sake!

“Hey,” she yelled, dashing after him. “You have my backpack.” Sorin didn’t hear her—or at the very least, he didn’t acknowledge her. She watched him disappear into a stand of trees. Her brow furrowed as she rushed after him. The pines grew against a sheer rock face. There was nothing there. Did he live in a cave?

Creepy…

But she needed her backpack. Her camera and supplies were in it. Even if she retrieved nothing else, she needed her car keys from the back pocket.

Entering the group of trees, she followed the patch of red as Sorin skirted the rock face.

Then suddenly, he disappeared. No! She moved faster, needing to catch him before he crawled into his lair to hibernate or something. With her freaking backpack. Jerk. He’d been all concerned about her protecting herself then he’d taken her protection!

She was seething as she stormed after him. In the dim light, she followed his footprints until they suddenly disappeared. Looking to the right, she saw he hadn’t entered a cave, but a strange crevasse where two slabs of rock seemed to meet. The gap was about three feet wide, with tall walls reaching up to the dark sky. Sorin’s prints had tamped down the snow, as had many others before him.

Macy took a deep breath. To follow or not to follow? That was the question. She rested her hand on the wall and stared down the empty passage. An opening beckoned on the other side.

Hot prickles sprouted across her back while her stomach twisted with nerves. It could be a trap.

She closed her eyes, remembering Sorin’s kiss and how it had made her feel. How he’d made her feel when he’d spoken to her. How he’d saved her…

Take a step, Macy. Trust.

Taking another deep breath for fortitude, she started down the path. Just because the news was full of murder and violence didn’t mean she had to paint everyone with that brush. At the end of the ravine, she was surprised to see another stand of trees veiling what appeared to be a huge open space that had been hidden behind the two rock walls. Sorin stood on the outside edge of the pines with his back to her.

He turned and smiled as she approached, his demeanor telling her he’d known she would pursue him. When he held out his hand, she took it. Immediately, something shifted inside her.

Startled, she looked up at him.

“It’s all right, Macy,” he assured her. “All is well.”

All was…weird, anyway. Still, she followed him as he walked into the clearing. To her surprise, the space was filled with at least a dozen homes, reminding her of some sort of small medieval village. In fact, the structures brought to mind the ancient models she’d seen when traveling Europe.

“Wow…” she breathed. “How many people live here?”

“Close to fifty. I’m their leader.” He shrugged as if that were no big deal, but she suspected it was. Before she could comment, he slid his arm around her waist and drew her into his side. His other arm swept before him to indicate the area. “Macy…welcome to Tavian Leap.”

Chapter Two

“Okay then, Mr. Rourke,” she muttered. “Is this Fantasy Island, or did I fall down a rabbit hole?”

“Fantasy Island? What’s that?” he asked, amused by the woman beside him. Her small, compact body fit perfectly to his side. Just as it should. He glanced down at her pale-skinned face, marveling at the dark lashes circling her eyes despite her auburn hair. Earlier, the sun had glinted off the red highlights and drawn his attention, pulling him toward her when he would have otherwise avoided interaction with a full human.

“Nothing. You’re better looking than him, anyway,” she murmured, a faint blush tinting her cheeks as she looked away.

“Thank you, I think,” he laughed.

She chuckled quietly. “Definitely a compliment. I just shouldn’t be blurting it. I don’t know you.”

That would change. The animal inside him stirred, reminding him once more that she was theirs. There had been no doubt of it as soon as he’d gotten close and breathed in her scent. He hadn’t been able to stop his animal from leaping on her and showing her his dominance. Then nuzzling her.

He frowned. She’d passed out by then.

“How long have you lived here?” she asked, blissfully unaware that he was the one who’d scared her into a dead faint.

“About three years. We came here to escape the oppression in our homeland. I found the place, and the others followed.” His kind had been hunted tirelessly for their pelts. So many had been killed that Sorin had known they must run or be obliterated. While he’d searched for a new home, several more of his leap had been murdered. It sickened him, making his heart ache with the needless loss—but here, high up on Mount Elbert in the Rocky Mountains, he’d hidden them.

There’d been no deaths in this hideaway.

She tilted back her face, letting the snowflakes brush her skin. “It’s beautiful. Like a hidden fairyland.”

“A bit.” He looked around. She had no idea just how magical his home was. His gut twisted, and he wondered if she’d like it here, if the enchantment would wear off. Would she be horrified when she learned she was his mate? Or that she would be shared with the men he considered family though they had no blood in common?

With her consent, of course. He would never force a woman into his bed, feral instinct or not. While mates were difficult to find, if she refused him, it wouldn’t mean a life-long solitary existence. She wasn’t his only option. She was just the perfect fit to his biological needs, and his animal recognized that. If she refused him, there would be others. If she accepted him, they would be linked for life.

As he guided her into the village, he wished it were as simple as her accepting him. There was much for her to understand before she said yes. If she said yes.

In the distance, he saw three men leaving the house he shared with them. Danel, Abel and Calin. His closest friends. With his keen sight, he saw them watching as he and Macy approached. Awareness stiffened their stances as their faces lifted slightly and they sniffed the air. He heard Danel hiss as he recognized her as a mate. He met Sorin’s eyes. Danel and Sorin were already joined and Macy would belong solely to them if she chose them.

“Who are they?” she asked as she and Sorin drew closer to the men. It was obvious the trio awaited them.

“My…family,” he replied, stopping just short of calling them his leap. While the whole of his people was called a leap, so was this smaller personal group—Sorin’s Leap, a group belonging to Tavian Leap. “Adopted family,” he clarified. “We’re not blood related.” He wanted that in the open before she saw him interact with Danel. Moving away from her, he rushed to his male mate’s side. They embraced one another and quickly nuzzled into each other’s necks. Danel chuffled softly then stepped back.

“Good hunt,” he murmured, glancing over Sorin’s shoulder.

Sorin smiled. “Quite.”

He turned to Macy and held out his hand. She took it like a lifeline and moved quickly to his side. He wondered if the pheromones he’d plied her with earlier were still affecting her. They had an immediate effect of compelling mates to want to be together. Over time, the need would be so deeply ingrained that if they were parted, it would seem as if a limb had been removed—but not yet. Perhaps he was merely a known in a strange situation.

“Macy, this is Danel, and these are Abel and Calin. Let’s go inside where it’s warm.” He knew others of his people would be about. Those in human form would be inside their homes, but those in animal form could wander through the square at any time. He hadn’t been the only one out hunting today.

Danel pushed open the door to their spacious home, and Sorin ushered Macy inside while Abel and Calin followed. The front door led directly into their large living room. While the house construction was ancient in design, Sorin had ensured the furnishings, while handcrafted, were comfortable.

“You have electricity up here?” Macy asked as she looked around. Sorin’s laptop was open on the coffee table and electric lamps stood on either side of the couch.

“Solar power,” he replied. “We have backup generators for each house as well, but honestly, we don’t need to use them. We have tradesmen who’ve ensured we have adequate conveniences. Plumbing was tricky, but we worked it out.” He was actually rather proud of that accomplishment. Danel had been instrumental in getting it done. “We’re fairly self sufficient up here. We have to be since we can’t exactly jump in a car.” Sorin took her coat as she slipped out of it. His gaze fastened on her slim form as she looked at the other men. She reached out a hand. “I didn’t get a chance out there,” she said. “But it’s nice to meet you.”

Calin took her hand. “A great pleasure, Macy,” he replied. “Welcome to our home.”

“Geez, so formal,” Abel laughed, grabbing her hand from Calin.

“Hey, Macy. I’m Abel.  I’ll be your official tour guide while these three decide what to do—we don’t get a lot of women up here,” he whispered, pulling her toward the next room.

“Abel,” Sorin called from behind them. “Are you going to let her meet Danel?”

“I’m sure we’ll get plenty of time to know one another,” Danel replied quietly since the pair was already in the kitchen. They could hear Abel demonstrating the coffeemaker Danel had begged for last summer. Of course, Sorin hadn’t been able to resist his lover.

Shaking his head at the banter in the kitchen, he hung Macy’s parka on the coat tree near the fireplace and set her backpack near it against the wall. Abel was the youngest of their group and his youthfulness shone through in his ebullient welcome. While the rest of them were worried about if they could bring Macy into the fold, Abel was excited for a new playmate.

Sorin glanced at Calin to see how he was taking his male mate’s behavior, and Calin shook his head, rolling his eyes. Of the four men, Calin was the most serious, generally deep into his studies of plant life and growing the produce to support their village. He and Abel kept a huge greenhouse behind their home and it sprawled the length of the leap’s enclosure, which was entirely necessary since they were feeding their people as well as creating hybrids.

In civilized culture down in the cities, Sorin supposed Calin would be considered a geek of sorts. He had the mad scientist look about him that was often characterized in the movies they saw from time to time.

“Kid with a new toy,” he mused, looking toward the kitchen, but he didn’t seem worried.

He and Abel had had a close relationship since Calin had saved the boy from hunters years ago.

As Abel had matured, they’d only grown closer until, finally, they’d mated last year. At first Sorin had questioned bringing Abel into their group since he was nine years younger than he, Danel and Calin, but seeing the love between him and Calin, Sorin knew it had been the right thing.

“Oh geez, they’re going into my workshop,” Danel muttered as they heard the pair go through the den, bypass Sorin’s office then skip the stairs. Danel’s space was where he crafted furniture for the people of their village and filled orders placed via the internet.

He hurried toward his sanctuary with Sorin and Calin on his heels.

“Abel,” Calin called, censure clear in his tone.

Their sharp ears picked up Abel’s sigh. “Okay, and the next thing…” And he shut the door.

“That stuff is gorgeous,” Macy told him.

“Yeah, Danel’s really talented. People from all over the world order his stuff. That’s how most of us work. Internet stuff. It’s pretty cool.” They heard him leading her up the stairs, and Sorin’s heart slammed against his breastbone as his awareness of Macy escalated. Abel paused in the hallway at the top of the stairs. “We snowmobile into town when we need to during the winter, and we take four-wheelers when it’s warmer, but Sorin has a guy who comes in by chopper every other week—you know, if the weather lets him—and picks up stuff to ship for us.”

Sorin’s eyes went wide as he sensed the direction of Abel’s words. He sprinted up the stairs with the others behind him.

“He’s like us,” Abel said.

“A loner,” Sorin cut in, with a pointed look at Abel.

“This place is amazing,” Macy commented. “It’s like stepping back in time, yet when you look around, you have all the comforts I’d expect nowadays.”

“I only showed you part of the downstairs, too. We’ve got lots of space for us and—”

“Why don’t we finish up the tour?” Sorin interrupted. Moving forward, he took Macy’s hand. “There are two bedrooms on this floor. They both run the length of the place.” He opened a door. “This is Calin and Abel’s room, and this,” he opened the other door and led her through it, “is the room I share with Danel.”

He heard Macy swallow, and her breathing sped up as she looked around the space. Her gaze lingered on the massive pine-wood bed. He inhaled and drew in the scent of her arousal.

Danel’s quiet hiss told him his mate smelled it, too.

Macy worried at her bottom lip. Her fingers stroked faintly at the skin exposed at the edge of her collar. “You’re, um, together?” she asked quietly. “I mean…” She shook her head, as if pushing away her confusion. She touched her lips, and her brow furrowed.

“You’re thinking of the kiss,” Sorin ventured. “You’re wondering why I kissed you when I’m committed to Danel?”

Macy glanced at Danel who smiled and moved closer to Sorin, giving them a united front. “Well…” She lightly cleared her throat and looked to the left of them. Her gaze landed on Abel and Calin then skittered in the other direction. She took a breath, bit her lip then sighed.

Nodding, she looked at Sorin and Danel again. “Yeah, I guess. Yeah. Why did you kiss me?”

“Because I like women. So does Danel. We share. And sometimes, we share with Calin and Abel, too.”

Macy stared at him then took a step backward, her face going first white then very red.

Her breathing accelerated as she stared at the four of them.

“Share?” she choked.

Chapter Three

“Yes,” Sorin confirmed. “It’s the way with everyone at Tavian Leap.” Macy’s mind raced faster than she could process the thoughts. She felt very much like Goldilocks suddenly confronted by the three bears—no, four bears! But they didn’t want to eat her they just wanted—well, maybe eating of sorts was part of their plan. Her eyes scanned over the four wide chests, the four pairs of muscular arms and equally thick legs, the four slim hips, the four prominent bulges…

Her vision narrowed, growing dimmer for the second time today. As her heart raced, it wasn’t fear making her lightheaded. It was the very idea that…oh man…she could have these men, all four of these men, and live out a forbidden fantasy, she wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to indulge.

And she would leave here as soon as the storm stopped, and no one would be the wiser. It didn’t matter that she didn’t know them. It would make it all the more exciting. Illicit. And after the past few years of working her rear off and having her ex leave her for a friend who happened to have conveniently spread legs while Macy was out of the country, Macy sure could use a little “illicit” in her life. A momentary pleasure. Time to forget the stress she’d faced at the magazine where she’d worked before going freelance.

But they hadn’t said they wanted to share her. Just that they shared women. “What does that have to do with the kiss?” she asked.

Sorin’s brow lifted. “I think you’ve guessed it already. I want you very much, Macy.” She looked around the small group who watched her avidly. Frankly, the expectation on their faces surprised her. They really wanted her—after what had happened with her ex, that was a major ego boost.

What wouldn’t be a boost was if they got close to her and wrinkled their noses. She’d been trekking about the mountain all day and that made for a pretty grubby hiker. “I don’t suppose there’s somewhere that I can take a bath…?” she asked.

The men’s expressions ranged in levels of surprise, but she supposed that was because what she’d asked didn’t exactly reply to what Sorin had said, but if they thought about it for a moment…

Sorin’s wide smile indicated he “got it” first, and Danel was quick on the uptake. “We have an outstanding—”

“Decadent,” Sorin cut in.

“—bathroom right over here. And lots of hot water,” Danel finished. “I think you’ll find it to your liking.”

She grinned, anticipating what would come. Her tummy fluttered with excitement as she went the direction he indicated. The door opened to a huge glass-walled room with a sunken tub set in the corner and overlooking a frozen waterfall and pond.

“It’s one-way glass,” Sorin said behind her.

He followed her into the room and pulled out towels and set them on the edge of the tub.

Turning the faucets, he ran the steaming water. With the press of a button, he started air jets and filled the basin with bubbles. Then he turned to her where she leaned against the counter, her hands braced on the edge.

“I’ll leave you to it,” he said quietly.

She shook her head, her throat suddenly dry as what she was about to embark on became more and more real.

“No?” he ventured, mimicking her motion.

“Kiss me before you go,” she said. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she stared at his mouth. It had felt so good against hers…drugging, seductive, full of promise. Never before that moment on the mountainside had she felt a kiss clear down to her womb. It had been as if he stroked her there, too.

Gently, his thumb pulled free the abused lip. “Not like that I can’t.” Immediately, he cupped her head and bent forward. She sighed into his mouth, closing her eyes, as pleasure slid through her once more. Her fingers curled in the front of the coat he still wore.

Sorin groaned, his mouth pushing hers open as he lifted her onto the counter. Her legs went around his hips as he stepped closer. Heat pooled in her pussy as tingles worked through her. Her head tilted back farther as he seemed to tower over her, possessing her, claiming her. In this position, he seemed so much larger than she was, an alpha male claiming his woman. She wanted to be his woman. For tonight. For the next few days.

His large hands splayed on her ass, clenching as his pelvis ground forward.

Yes, lord it was perfect. Her thighs squeezed around him and she forgot that she wanted a bath—he certainly didn’t seem to mind her condition if the thick cock pushing to her apex meant anything.

Anxiously, she shoved at his coat and he shrugged free of it then immediately went to work on her flannel shirt’s buttons. He growled when he reached the T-shirt beneath it. He yanked at the hem then tugged off both shirts and tossed them over his shoulder.

His light green eyes glittered, the pupils seeming odd-shaped as he stilled to survey her bared torso, covered only by a white, lacy bra. He lifted a hand and gently traced the edge of one cup with his fingertip.

The world silenced as they stared at each other, goose bumps lifting across her chest at his touch.

“It’s not cool to flood the bathroom, man,” Abel laughed behind them, and she realized he’d shut off the tub.

“It’s also not cool to start without us,” Danel added.

Looking over Sorin’s shoulder, she saw Danel standing near the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and his expression stern—though…he couldn’t seem to keep faint amusement from his face.

In addition to Sorin’s partner, Abel sat on the edge of the tub and Calin stood in the middle of the trio. Embarrassed, she moved to cover herself with her hands, but Sorin caught her wrists and held her arms at her sides.

“Don’t,” he said. “Unless you’ve changed your mind. Have you?” he asked.

She looked over his shoulder again, her teeth once more catching her lip. She definitely still wanted to try this. Belonging to four men at once… It was crazy, but it sent fire hissing through her. The idea of all of them was a little frightening, but even so, she sensed Sorin was their leader. And deep inside, she knew he’d protect her—and she couldn’t explain how she knew that.

“No,” she replied, shaking her head and looking into those clear, green eyes and mesmerized by the tawny striations. “I haven’t changed my mind.” Nodding, he slowly pushed one satin bra strap down her shoulder until it caught just above her elbow. The bra cup slouched down and he traced a line from her elbow to where the light brown of her areola peeked out. His fingertip scraped across her nipple as he tugged down the fabric and freed her breast.

A collective gasp echoed softly through the room as the tight tip appeared. As the four avidly stared, Macy wondered how long it had been since they’d had sex. Arousal tugged inside her as she realized this could be a hard, demanding fucking as they slaked their needs.

All the better…

She arched into Sorin’s hand, enjoying their attention. Her ex had never made her feel like dirt—except when he’d cheated on her—but these guys made her feel like the most desirable woman in existence.

Her breath shuddered from her as Sorin’s finger circled her nipple and occasionally flicked over the nub. Leaning forward, he covered it with his mouth. Roughly, he jerked down her other bra strap and freed her breast. Immediately, he cupped the mound while his tongue tormented her. Her pussy contracted, sending a flood into her heated folds.

Danel caught her eye over Sorin’s shoulders and stepped forward. He held the back of her head and crushed his mouth to hers, forcing his tongue inside though she opened quite willingly.

She wanted his mouth, his taste, his rough grasp in her hair. He rubbed against Sorin, and she felt Danel’s hand reach between her and Sorin. Danel yanked at Sorin’s shirt. He pulled it up, and Macy pressed her hands to Sorin’s ridged abdomen. Sweet heaven, he was ripped. Without seeing, she knew men would weep for his body, and her body wept for him.

For all of them.

Danel’s kiss intoxicated her as she writhed against Sorin and discovered Danel’s hand stroking the man’s length. His knuckles bumped repeatedly against her, and she moaned, pushing for more. Taking her cue, Danel tugged open the closure of her jeans. The zipper hissed as he pulled then his hand slipped inside. She whimpered into his mouth as his fingers pushed between her folds, sliding through her cream. He quickly found her clit and stroked it until her whimpers turned to desperate cries. Suddenly, he drove two fingers inside her and across her g-spot. Macy bucked, screaming into him. Her world rolled as reaction burst down her limbs.

She was still shuddering when she realized she was lying on the floor while the four men stood around her, disrobing. Feeling strangely languorous, she arched under their perusals and cupped her breasts. Needy sounds escaped her as she pinched her nipples, unsure what had removed her inhibitions. She wanted them, oh how she wanted them, but any self-consciousness or inhibitions were gone. She just wanted— needed—to fuck them all and the luridness of being here on the cool tile with only a few towels someone had put beneath her turned her on all the more.

Still cupping a breast, she reached down and slip the other hand over her tummy.

Bending and parting her legs, she pushed her fingers into her pussy while they watched. She pinched her nipple, closing her eyes as she moaned, and rubbed her clit.

“Holy hell, Sorin,” Danel gasped, and she opened her eyes to see the four men naked.

They stroked their cocks while they watched her give them their own personal show.

Her eyes locked with Sorin’s as heavy tension welled in her womb, threatening to burst.

“Bring yourself,” he urged, his half-lidded eyes hungry, and she knew her release wouldn’t stop him from fucking her hard. Her cream coated her fingers were at his command and her orgasm loomed, clouding her vision.

“Now, Macy,” he growled.

Her scream echoed off the walls as her hips shot upward on her fingers, her eyes slamming shut as release clawed through her body. Before the tremors ceased, she felt hands on her, and she opened her eyes to find all the men kneeling around her. Sorin and Danel were to one side while Abel and Calin were on the other. She trembled as the four stroked her.

As if by earlier agreement, Sorin crawled between her legs and forced them farther apart to accommodate his muscular body. She swallowed at the sight of the long, thick cock jutting from his body and curving to his belly. She lifted her hips toward him, even as Abel and Calin bent over her breasts. They pulled her nipples into their mouths, hard, while they kneaded the aroused flesh. The prickles of pleasure/pain delighted her.

Then Sorin’s tip pressed to her cunt, the wide head pushing to breach the opening. He groaned with her as he slid forward, and his girth forced apart the walls of her channel. His fingers tightened on her hips as he kept forward, never stopping until he was buried to the hilt.

Then he paused, and they breathed heavily together, their eyes locked. It was as if he saw inside her, saw how much she wanted him, how much she loved the feel of him inside her, and she never wanted to look away. Just as much as she felt he saw her thoughts, she saw something in him she couldn’t quite describe—something her brain refused to grasp. Possession? Belonging?

Definitely need…

Before she could contemplate with the small amount of power allowed by the overwhelming sensations, Danel’s hand touched the side of her head. She turned to look at him, and he lifted her slightly to his cock. Smiling, she knew what he wanted. Opening her mouth, she took the shaft between her lips while Calin and Abel supported her shoulders, their mouths never leaving her nipples.

As Sorin fucked her, she tried to match the rhythm on Danel’s cock, but it was impossible. Danel’s flavor and contours begged exploration and she grasped his base as she licked and sucked. Danel’s fingers tightened in her hair and she let him guide her as she split her attention between him, the wide cock pummeling in and out of her and the mouths on her breasts. She was a ball of sensation as her orgasm rolled into her once more and exploded from the place where Sorin’s pubis repeatedly struck her clit. Danel slid away from her as she cried out from the energy pulsing through her.

Once more, Sorin held her gaze, and she saw his reactions reflected in his eyes as he drew near to his own culmination while he powered through her clenching walls. A feral growl hissed through his teeth as he threw back his head. His fingers tightened on her hips, and she shuddered as his heat poured into her.

Instantly, she calmed and a satisfied moan rolled up her throat as she settled onto the floor. The towels had long shifted away, but she didn’t care. The tile had warmed beneath her body, and the hard surface anchored her in reality, something she really needed. Everything seemed so unreal…

Chapter Four

Sorin fought back a purr as satisfaction flooded his senses. His female mate was spectacular, and he was about to have the pleasure of watching her with his male mate. It would be a beautiful sight that would soon make him hard—and as soon as Calin and Abel departed for the evening, Sorin planned to take her again. Well, maybe after she’d rested a little, though the properties of his cum—and Danel’s, for that matter—would serve to rejuvenate her. Their union would make her feel better than she ever had.

As Sorin watched, Danel pressed his erection to her folds. It slipped over her slit, teasing her. Gripping his base, he guided the rod in a lazy up-down motion that had Macy clawing at the floor. Slowly, he pushed inside her. His size was similar to Sorin’s, and it appeared she easily took him. She groaned, shoving her hips against him until he reached the hilt.

Unable to resist, Sorin kissed her belly. As he moved between her navel and her mound, he felt Danel’s rhythm beneath his lips so clearly that it was almost as if he could open his mouth and have Danel slide right in. Sorin enjoyed the sensation as he explored Macy. Her tangy arousal filled his senses as he breathed her in, but it wasn’t alone. Her sharp scent combined with Danel’s deeper, darker musky aroma to wrap around Sorin like an elixir to the future. As if he had only to breathe it in, to taste them and happiness would be his.

Reaching for her pussy, he spread her further and fastened his mouth on her throbbing clit. Her tiny pulses vibrated rapidly against his sensitive tongue, testament to her excitement. He sucked that nubbin, occasionally stopping to flick out his tongue to taste Danel.

Calin bumped against him as he started to kiss Abel over the top of Macy—they never had been able to resist one another. She didn’t seem to care. Pausing, he glanced at her. Her eyes were closed, and her head rolled back and forth, her lips working silently as she shook with her reactions. Her hands fluttered over the other two men, stroking their shoulders, their backs, their necks. As he watched, she fisted her fingers in their hair. Sorin noticed that even though Calin and Abel had stopped momentarily to kiss, they still taunted her nipples with their deft fingers.

Their cocks bobbed, pre-cum shiny on the heads. Would they last until they fucked her?

Sitting back on his heels, he contemplated the men. It was his duty to share her with them if she was willing, but what if…

Angry denial trailed away his thought but it still lingered on the edges of his mind. He wanted to yell to the world that she was his, but what if…

He had to think it. He had to face it. What if mating with the other couple was more potent? It wouldn’t be a conscious decision, but what if Macy felt more drawn to the other pair, and less to Danel and Sorin? When they left for their own bed, she’d go with them without even intending it. It would just happen.

Suddenly, Macy screeched as she found release again, and Danel groaned, his hips pumping while his thumb moved rhythmically over the nub Sorin had neglected.

Sensing their time was near, Calin and Abel stopped kissing and watched avidly. Sorin knew without a word that they intended to take her together. Getting up, Sorin went to the vanity and retrieved a tube of lubricant.

“Be very careful,” he ordered, handing it to Calin. Being older, Calin had more experience and frankly Sorin trusted him more. Sorin refused to have Macy hurt, even if it was only by accident. He’d kick out his two friends before they touched her further if he had to, and that primal instinct to protect her reassured him.

“Don’t worry,” Calin said. “I’d sooner cut off my dick than hurt her.” Oblivious to them, Danel bent over Macy. They embraced, kissing fervently as they moved together. Reluctantly, Danel pulled away.

“You’re not done, sweetheart,” he murmured.

Macy grinned. “Bring it on! They’ve waited so patiently.” She winked at Abel, whom Sorin suspected would soon become her sidekick around the village. Sorin wasn’t sure he was happy about that, but he didn’t stop the younger man from lying beside her. Reaching around her, he brought her to rest on his chest. Her legs naturally straddled his hips.

“So you like it this way, do you, young man,” she teased. “You’re legal, right?”

“For six years now. Oh God—” he groaned as she slid along his shaft, teasing him. Sorin missed the rest of the exchange as Danel drew him aside.

“You disappeared there,” Danel said, his statement an unspoken question.

“Just thinking,” he replied.

Of course, his partner knew. His eyes narrowed, the gray turning stormy. “She’s ours. Can’t you feel it in your gut?”

Sorin glanced over, seeing how comfortable she was with fucking Abel while Calin rubbed his hands over her body. “I want to believe, but part of me keeps yelling ‘wishful thinking’. We won’t know until they go to leave.”

“Don’t even think it,” Danel growled again. “You’re the alpha. Inside you, you know. She’s ours.”

Sorin lurched as he saw Macy startle. They were so connected; they had to be mates.

Macy jumped as Calin’s cool fingers pressed to her anus. She’d been so focused on Abel’s cock, she hadn’t realized Calin’s intent. Abel felt good in her pussy. Not as perfect as Sorin and Danel but… good. Nice. Different. His shaft sent waves of soft pleasure through her as she rocked over him. Then Calin’s fingers…

She should have guessed. She wasn’t an anal virgin, but having two guys at once made her nervous. Slowly, however, Calin’s firm, gentle touch calmed her. He worked the digits in and out of her rear passage, loosening the tight muscles that hadn’t been fucked in years. When his slicked cock pressed to her anus, she relaxed, hovering above Abel’s cock.

A slight pinch made her wince as Calin pushed inside, and to her left, Sorin growled. She glanced over at him. He and Danel leaned tensely against the vanity and watched the trio on the tile. She grinned at them then returned her focus to Abel as Calin pushed farther inside her.

“Okay?” Abel asked.

“Just right,” she replied. And it was. The sweaty sordidness of the moment had shifted to muzzy happiness as she experienced all four men. “More,” she urged as soon as Calin was seated inside her.

“Want this?” Abel asked, teasing her opening much as Danel had.

Leaning down, she bit his shoulder then moved her mouth to his ear. “I have three others willing to give it to me,” she teased. “If you’re done…”

“Abel, you’re killing me here,” Calin grunted. He’d remained still as he’d waited for the other man to join him inside her. Grabbing her hips around Calin’s fingers, Abel worked his way inside her snug passage. Macy bit her lip, breathing heavily as she adjusted to their cocks.

Her back arched at the sensation of double penetration, making her breasts sway though they felt heavy with the sexual arousal flooding her. Each move brushed the rigid nipples of her small breasts against Abel. Shears of pleasure contracted her muscles around the men inside her, making them groan. It wouldn’t be long for any of them.

Calin pressed his hand into her back, pushing her forward into Abel. His fingers remained splayed on her back, holding her there while both men sawed into her in a counter-rhythm. God help her, the position turned her on even more. She nuzzled her face into Abel’s neck, screaming as the tremors started inside her once more. Calin swore as his fiery release poured inside her.

Beneath her, Abel bucked. His cock prodded her g-spot over and over, driving on her orgasm until her muscles burned from the exertion and still she wanted more as a larger release waited for her. It didn’t come as his cum filled her.

Calin stepped away from her, and suddenly, she was lifted off him and pressed to the wall. Only… it wasn’t the wall. Danel’s arms slipped around her as his newly erect shaft pressed into her stretched rectum. Sorin thrust into her pussy, fucking her hard and driving her to the final orgasm that had eluded her. Her head dropped back to Danel’s shoulder as she screamed, her vision dimming as every nerve ending fired.

Macy clawed at Sorin’s shoulders, barely able to breathe, her body a giant ball of sensation. Sorin’s sparse chest hair tormented her nipples, her limbs burned more intensely from the continued pounding, her pussy throbbed with the unbearable pleasure. Danel’s cock seemed so hot, so thick in her ass. Sorin seemed even thicker. She clung to him as she shuddered uncontrollably and hoped he’d catch her if she started to fall…

* * * *

Hole-lee-crap! That was all Macy’s dazed brain could fathom as she roused. Blinking, she realized she was on a bed, and someone had wrapped her in thick white robe. The arms hung past her hands, but the edges had been overlapped and cinched tightly to adequately cover her.

Pushing awkwardly to her elbows, she realized she was still in Sorin and Danel’s bedroom. It couldn’t have been long since the sex-a-thon, because the four men stood nearby talking quietly amongst themselves.

Leaving them, Sorin moved quickly to her side. He sat on the edge of the bed and gently pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Perfect, but what kind of a wuss am I? Passing out from sex?” How embarrassing.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Was a rather big ego boost for me.”

“You’re such a guy,” she laughed.

His eyebrow lifted. “You’d have me any other way?”

She shook her head then paused as she saw Abel and Calin heading for the door.

Scrambling around Sorin and getting caught in the voluminous fabric, she tripped from the bed then hurried after them.

“Hey,” she called, reaching them at the door.

Both turned, appearing somewhat stunned. Calin’s brows drew together.

“You’re just gonna leave without saying bye?” she asked.

“It’s just across the hall,” Abel laughed, and the corner of Calin’s mouth turned up as he relaxed. What was that about?

“Well, after what just happened, you can’t just walk off.” She cupped Calin’s cheek then kissed it. She did the same to Abel. “It was amazing. Thank you.” Calin gave a sharp nod then pulled Abel from the room. Leaning on the door, she watched them go then closed it. When she turned back to Sorin and Danel, they were staring at her.

Chapter Five

“What?” she demanded.

“We thought you were going with them,” Danel said.

“Why would you think that?” she asked when neither man offered further information.

Her brow furrowed as both seemed to weigh their replies, and neither said a word. “Do you lose a lot of girls to them? Surely not. I mean, look at you,” she spouted nervously with a wave of her hand at their naked forms.

The other two had dressed sometime while she’d been passed out, but Sorin and Danel hadn’t. Refusing to be distracted by that, she focused on their faces—though the truth of their state was clear in her mind. Naked, naked, naked, her thoughts taunted.

“There aren’t a lot of girls to lose,” Sorin finally answered. He walked toward her, and she backed away as a horrifying thought occurred to her.

“Was this a contest?” No…it couldn’t be. But then…she didn’t know them well. She didn’t know them at all! And she’d slept with them.

“No,” Sorin protested. His hands slid along her upper arms and despite her worry, his touch calmed her blooming anger. He seemed guilt-free. There wasn’t a trace in his strange-colored eyes. “There was no contest. There were four of us here. Why did you choose to stay with us?”

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. Why wouldn’t she stay? There hadn’t been a question in her mind about what room she should stay in. For some reason, her senses had connected with Sorin and Danel, deciding they were the pair she’d be with for the weekend. It hadn’t been conscious. A tenuous bond had grown between them that she couldn’t explain. She felt it with these two and not with the others.

“It just seemed right?” Danel ventured.

“Yeah. Weird, huh? I should take that bath now. I bet the water’s cold now.” The sooner they were off the subject of her oddball feelings the better. She must be hormonal or something—

Her eyes went wide, and she stumbled, reaching blindly for anything to keep her up.

Immediately, Sorin caught her to him.

“Macy,” he gasped. “What’s wrong?”

“You…none of you…” Tears filled her eyes as being hormonal and the act they’d just completed clicked together to form damning evidence of the stupidest thing she’d ever done.

“None of you wore condoms,” she rasped, barely able to get out the words. She placed the blame fully on herself. She should have made them stop, to wear protection. It was her body after all, and ultimately, she’d be the ones to bear the consequence.

“Baby,” Sorin soothed, kissing her temple. He lifted her into his arms. “It’s okay—”

“No it’s not!” she snapped.

“Yes, it is,” he continued, heading toward the bathroom. “None of us have diseases, and I can guarantee you that you have not been impregnated.”

“How can you guarantee that? I’m not stupid,” she argued. “Even if I did just do the most irresponsible thing ever. We had sex. There were no condoms. There could be repercussions.” But thank God, no diseases if he was telling the truth.

“My people are…advanced in procreation,” Sorin said slowly. “Right now, none of us is able to get you with…child.”

She blinked at him. It seemed too good to be true. And frankly, it sounded like a big fat lie, but she needed to grasp at those straws as fragile as they seemed. “Really?” she still asked.

“Really.”

“And your people didn’t think they should share with the rest of the class?”

“Only certain men can do it,” he explained. “The four of us can.”

“Hmmm.”

Sorin set her on her feet and untied the robe. “You don’t believe me.”

“No,” she replied. Hurt flared in his eyes then quickly subsided, but it made her feel bad for doubting him, even if there was a huge chance he was lying. “Sorry,” she offered hastily.

He nodded and lifted her again. The sensation of his warm skin against her almost distracted her from the topic, but not quite. His destination did, though.

“Sorin, it’s got to be freezing,” she protested as he climbed the first step to the tub.

“It’s not. Look, see the steam?”

Indeed, small swirls of heated moisture danced along the surface, testifying to his truth.

The one about the water, anyway. “How long was I out? Did you draw fresh water?”

“You were unconscious only a few minutes.”

Stepping into the bath, Sorin sank down with her still in his arms. She heard water rushing into hidden drains around the lip of the basin. Blessed heat seeped into her, and she sighed in pleasure, momentarily forgetting her worries.

“Nice…” she murmured, closing her eyes and resting against his chest. She didn’t stir as she felt the water shift and heard the slosh of Danel climbing into the tub, too.

“I installed thermal heating around it,” he said. “You can take as long a bath as you want, and it’ll never get cold.”

Again, something they could share with the rest of the world. It was as if she’d encountered the highly technological aliens who’d supposedly built the pyramids. And she liked their ideas. “I might stay here forever,” she laughed.

“Sure,” Sorin agreed.

His tone brought her back to the surface of reason and she opened her eyes to peer up at him. “I’m going home as soon as the mountain is clear enough to navigate.”

“Of course,” he murmured. He kissed her gently. “You may go whenever you want to. I told you that.”

His lips played over hers, and arousal stirred in her middle. She squeezed shut her eyes and tucked her head beneath his chin, trying to focus on the heat surrounding her and not the heat inside her. Her pussy muscles contracted, wanting his cock as it hardened beneath her thigh.

No way, she told herself. Not unless he found a condom for his magical, non-impregnating penis. She wasn’t taking unreasonable chances, even if it might be closing the gate after the horse, so to speak.

“Do you have condoms?” They hadn’t mentioned more sex, but it seemed kind of a given. Macy wanted to be ready—or get the hell out of Sorin’s arms and stay out.

She felt rather than heard Sorin’s sigh, and immediately, guilt slammed into her. She’d disappointed him with her lack of faith in his word. Maybe if it wasn’t so crazy…

“I think there are some in the storage closet downstairs,” Danel said. “From when we threw Tomas and Barra’s pre-wedding party.”

“Right…” Sorin chuckled. “Abel thought they’d be funny party favors. He watches too many American movies. It was his first wedding with our people since he became an adult. For a long time, in our homeland, it was unsafe for us to let down our guard long enough for more than a hasty union. There were no parties. Then when we came here…we’ve had only the one wedding.”

“If you don’t have bachelor parties, what do you do?” she asked, more than a little relieved they had protection somewhere in this house.

“We hunt,” Danel answered. “All the men who are without mates leave here and hunt until morning.”

“Mates?”

“Unmarried,” Sorin replied. He smoothed a hand over her head where it was tucked against her chest. Danel moved up behind her. A nubby cloth rubbed over her skin. As odd as it might be any other time, Macy relaxed and let him wash her. She’d had sex with four men at once; she could easily let one of them do this.

The scent of lavender and vanilla wafted around them. As much as she was ready for round two—or was it three—with them, she sank into Sorin’s embrace and let everything else drift away.

* * * *

Macy blinked rapidly, confused by the sun beaming down on her from overhead. She tended to sleep in absolute darkness and the light shouldn’t be in her face. Groaning, she reached to pull her pillow over her face.

“Not a morning person?” a deep voice asked, startling her. Immediately, memories of the day before pushed through the muzzy veil shrouding her almost consciousness.

“Sorin…” she murmured.

“Yes, love?”

“Why are we awake?” She remembered falling asleep in the tub then waking warm and toasty in bed. Sorin and Danel had been there, and they’d both loved her. Slowly. Tenderly.

Thoroughly. With condoms firmly in place. This morning, the best parts of her ached pleasantly from the exertions yesterday, and she’d never been so grateful for a snowstorm. Thank goodness, Sorin had saved her from that snow leopard and brought her here.

“I was sleeping until you yanked the pillow from under my head,” he replied.

She peeked at him from beneath an edge, and he grinned, not looking at all put out. To the other side of her, Danel snored quietly as he pushed his face into her shoulder. His hand was splayed on her naked belly.

It was so strange. She didn’t feel the least bit uncomfortable. That surprised her. Last night, she’d halfway expected morning-after awkwardness. Instead, it seemed perfectly natural to be here between the heated press of these two male bodies.

The pillow slid away as she turned on her side to face Sorin. Danel immediately snuggled to her backside, hugging his arms around her. His hand moved upward to cup her breast.

Surprised, she glanced over her shoulder at him while her nipple hardened into his palm. Arousal tingled along her spine as her awareness heightened.

In bed. With two men. Naked men. Touching my naked body.

The messages hit her in short bursts, shoving her from fuzzy warmth to the sharp edge of desire. As she watched Sorin reach over her and gently brush a lock of hair from Danel’s face, cream seeped into her pussy. More than having them fuck her again, she wanted to see them together—well, maybe equally as much as having them again. Her need was continual and so strong. But they loved each other, and the notion of watching them share that love aroused her more than she would have guessed before this morning. She almost wished she would be around long enough to observe them.

“He’ll sleep through anything,” Sorin told her, affection roughening his voice. “This past spring a huge thunderstorm blew in while we were on vacation. Lightning stuck a pine next to our cabin and he never stirred.”

A corresponding affection filled her as Danel growled quietly. “I heard it,” he muttered.

He nuzzled the back of her neck then nipped her shoulder. “I knew it was outside so I didn’t worry about it.”

“I can tell which of you is more laid back,” she commented, angling her neck and shoulder to give him better access for the pleasure-pain he doled out with his playful bites and kisses.

“Sorin’s always a little upt ight,” Danel told her.

“Hey!” the other man protested.

“It’s not his fault,” Danel went on. “He’s got a lot of responsibility with leading us all and doing his job.” He nibbled his way to the sensitive area behind her ear, eliciting a tremor that skated the length of her body. He chuckled and purposely repeated the action he’d discovered last night.

“Danel,” she protested as her body tightened. She tried to think, but he was making it damned difficult.

“Sorin’s a pretty amazing investor,” he went on as if she hadn’t spoken.

“You’re just saying that because you sleep with me,” Sorin laughed, taking the opportunity to kiss the base of her throat.

“That does have benefits, but you know I’m telling the truth—” Danel laughed as Sorin lurched at him over the top of her, and she giggled, caught in the heap while they wrestled.

Sorin kept his arm firmly around her, holding her in the pile as they tussled. Somehow, scuffle turned to tickling—her. Screeching with laughter, she struggled to get away while they sought out her sensitive spots. She bucked and twisted, trying to get them off while her body responded with surprising awareness. Her pussy tingled, and she wished one of them would tickle her there.

The room already smelled of sex, and as they grappled, the scent grew stronger.

Suddenly, they were both over her. The tickling turned gentle and exploratory. Fingers trailed over her. One man kissed her then surrendered her mouth to his partner. Each blanketed a half of her body. Her wrists were held above her head, one by each man. Their free arms slung around each other’s waists, and Macy was struck by the feeling of being part of a united circle. It didn’t matter who kissed her or who touched her where. They were one.

She moaned, parting her legs and wanted both of them at once. In her pussy together, but she knew that was impossible.

“How do you feel?” Sorin asked. Concern darkened his green eyes. When she glanced at Danel, his gray eyes had also clouded. His tongue swept over his bottom lip before he drew it between his teeth. Last night, she hadn’t realized how adorable he was.

And Sorin… He was so protective, so tough, yet she saw a vulnerability inside him. He hid it, but she wondered if Danel saw it, too. Sorin wasn’t as secure as everyone portrayed him.

She just wanted to hug him and worm herself inside and assure him. Didn’t he believe he was doing a good enough job for his people? It was obvious he was.

“Macy?” he prompted.

“What? Oh! Yeah, I feel great. Ready for ten more rounds.”

“Ten?” Danel laughed. “Sorin, you must have done something wrong.” A shadow crossed the man’s face, but he chuckled then shoved Danel and climbed fully over Macy. His head angled to the side as he sealed his lips over hers. His tongue thrust into her mouth, and she hummed in pleasure as a familiar languid but needy state filled her. Nothing would do but to have them both. Right now.

Her legs parted farther, cradling him between her thighs. Groaning, she arched into him, molten heat pulsing to her core. Her pussy ground to his cock. He had to feel how wet she was for them. He had to know she was ready.

“Not like this,” Sorin growled.

She gasped, disappointment spearing her as he climbed off her, but it was immediately replaced by dark pleasure as he flipped her and tugged her ass into the air. He kneed apart her legs, opening her and leaving her vulnerable. Danel laid beside them. His head rested on hers so his lips were near her ear, and one of his large hands held her wrists together while she rested on her elbows. His other arm, slipped around her. He twisted and plucked at her nipple while she waited for Sorin to plunge into her, to take her body, to claim her once more this morning.

She heard him put on a condom, and her cheeks turned red. After all her insistence yesterday, she’d almost forgotten. What did these two do to her?

Instead of his cock, he shoved three fingers into her cunt. Her hips jerked as she cried out, illicit tremors raking over her skin as he pumped them in and out of her well-fucked passage. Her cream eased his thrusts, though a welcomed pinch accompanied his rough possession.

Her pelvis canted toward him then rocked with his drives as she fucked his fingers. She mewled into the sheets, squeezing shut her eyes as she trembled.

“You like that, baby, don’t you?” Danel whispered in her ear, his deep voice rumbling in the darkness behind her lids.

“Yes.” She couldn’t believe she was letting two essential strangers have her like this—any way they wanted. As rough as they wanted. As hard as they wanted.

“You want his big cock deep inside you. So deep you’ll feel him forever. You want to be his.”

Her breathing increased, growing choppy as her pussy rippled around Sorin and prickles erupted down her spine at Danel’s dark knowledge of what she wanted. What strange rabbit hole had she fallen into out on the mountainside?

“Answer,” Danel commanded, pinching her nipple.

She gasped, the sensation tugging at her clit. “Yes,” she whimpered. “Sorin, fuck me!” she begged.

“He won’t. Not until you come all over his hand,” Danel promised. “Fuck his fingers harder. Squeeze him.”

His breath blew over her ear as he sighed the last word. Macy’s pelvis lurched into Sorin, need twisting tight in her belly. “Oh…oh God,” she screamed. Her pussy clenched around Sorin’s pumping digits while Danel pulled and twisted her hard nipple. Her body shook as the orgasm rolled over her.

Sorin pulled his hand free and grasped her hips. His cock drove deep into her spasming pussy while she howled. Danel moved, slouching against the headboard. His ass rested on her hands, and he pushed her mouth to his cock. She loved the illusion of being their prisoner, their sex slave. She almost grinned. She was their willing captive.

“Suck me,” Danel demanded.

Obediently, she took his cock deep while Sorin fucked her hard. Her tongue flattened against Danel’s underside before she drew upward and drew hard on the glans. He grunted, his fingers fisting in her hair.

“Fuck,” Sorin gasped. “Whatever you’re doing, keep at it. Our little cat likes it rough.

Her cunt is so tight around me.”

Macy whimpered, shuttling her mouth faster over Danel’s cock. She took him as deeply as she could, fighting her body when she might have gagged. She wanted all of him.

Behind her, Sorin parted her cheeks. She made a small sound at the exposure then another sharper, muffled cry as his thumb pressed to her anus.

“Don’t stop,” Danel said, guiding her head when Sorin distracted her. Her teeth scraped over him in response and he groaned. His fingers tightened. “Yeah, like that, my sweet little bitch.”

His dirty talk delighted her, and she repeated her action. His fingers dug into her shoulder. Pulling upward, she purposely caught the edge of his head with her bottom teeth.

“Take it deep, little cat,” he urged, and she tilted her head, taking as much of him as she could and holding him there until her eyes watered and she had to breathe. “Again,” he demanded, and she knew sex with these two would get dark if they kept on for a long period.

They had a shadowy, commanding side they hadn’t revealed last night. She wanted it. It resonated the danger she’d sought in her years of travel and work to risky places. She’d never tried alternative sex.

Release thundered through her. It gushed around Sorin as her discovery brought her to the edge and shoved her over into a chasm of no return.

She was theirs for whatever they wanted.

Danel fucked her mouth relentlessly, keeping pace with Sorin’s driving cock. Suddenly, he pushed deep and his cum flooded her throat. She swallowed convulsively, her eyes watering with the need to breathe and the happiness of the place where she’d landed.

Sorin grunted, his hips snapping into her, his fingers digging into her hips. His cock pulsed inside her as his cum flooded from him. She lifted her head, her scream echoing off the walls as Macy Lawson was reborn.

Chapter Six

Danel barely noticed the cold as he held Macy’s hand while they walked to the village square. Sorin was home working, and truly, he needed to. Since Macy had arrived last week, it had been sex, sex, sex and then for a change, a little more sex. He grinned thinking of it. No one in the household had gotten much done, though Abel and Calin had gotten in some work because they only joined the romps in the evening before retiring to their room.

Macy never seemed to tire of the couple, but that wasn’t so strange. She’d gone into heat within minutes of Sorin kissing her, as was the case with prospective female mates seeking their partners. She couldn’t get enough of him and Sorin and it thrilled him that she craved their rough, dominating sex. It also pleased him that she wanted it only from them. She never pushed for anything dark with the other two men.

The only niggling thing was that he and Sorin hadn’t completed the mating process.

Macy wouldn’t be fully theirs until she chose to be, and she couldn’t choose them until she knew who they were—who they really were. He and Sorin had debated just shifting in front of her to see what happened, but Danel felt that it would terrify her. Since they couldn’t come to an agreement, they just hadn’t revealed the ability.

Understanding she needed to know more, Danel had insisted that Macy be introduced to the village and their way of life today.

“There don’t seem to be many women,” she commented as they entered the square.

“Only eight. Well, nine with you here.”

“That seems to be a bit of a disparity.”

“Are you surprised? You see how we are. All the people of Tavian Leap practice ménage. Each woman has two husbands, who may or may not share her with their two closest friends—a bit like Sorin and I share you with Abel and Calin. Of course, it’s always with the female’s consent.”

“So no one is shocked by the goings on at the main house,” she observed.

“Mostly, they expect it. None of our men have ever taken a woman just for himself. Does that shock you?” he didn’t think it would. Macy seemed adventurous. Over the past week, she’d told them about her travels around the world and her photography work. He wondered when she’d discover the batteries had been taken from her camera to prevent her from taking pictures of Tavian Leap. So far she hadn’t even tried.

“Shock me? Not really. I’ve seen polygamous relationships in other countries. There are plenty of tribes who practice multiple-partner marriage as the norm. We have them here in the US, too, though not openly and generally with multiple wives, not multiple husbands.” She kicked a drift of snow as she stared at the ground.

Danel wondered what she was thinking. They’d gotten over two feet of snow since she’d been here. Though she seemed to be comfortable, he and Sorin still waited for her to tell them she had to leave. They knew she’d have people worried about her, though she’d used Sorin’s satellite the first day to contact her father and let him know she was safe and staying with friends.

“Okay?” he asked.

“Me? Yeah. Just thinking. About all the snow. The ménage thing doesn’t really bother me.” She grinned. “Well, obviously. The group of us has been all over each other and I haven’t blinked. I’m quite enjoying it actually. But I’d guess you know since we’ve barely left the bed.”

“Bed” being metaphorical. They’d had sex everywhere in the house, even in his workshop. He, Sorin and Macy had declared sawdust unsexy. The workshop was off-limits now.

“No complaints from me,” he said.

“I was just wondering…” She sucked in her lip and sighed. Her foot kicked into the snow again. “There’s a lot of snow. Am I wrong to suspect it will be a while before it’s clear enough for me to make it down the mountain?”

“We’re snowed in.”

She was silent, nodding as she looked pensively at the ground. The animal inside him growled for him to demand what she was thinking as her brows drew together. Before he could say anything, they reached the town center. Several of the children were ice skating together. The leap had eight children and the six younger boys were here. The other two, who were fourteen, leaned against one of the nearby trees and watched. They’d recently shifted for the first time and were too cool for something as “childish” as skating.

“Luka, Mattie,” Danel called, pulling her toward them. He wondered how long before she noticed all the children were boys. Their people only produced males, much to the chagrin of the women who wanted little girls. Macy was sharp. She’d see it soon enough.

One of the boys straightened and scowled at him. “It’s Matthias. I’m not a little kid anymore.”

“Right. My mistake,” Danel said. “I wanted you to meet Macy.”

“Is this your woman?” Luka asked.

“She’s hotter than I figured you and Sorin would get,” Mattie— Matthias—went on.

“Oh really?” Danel replied.

“Yeah, dude, you’re butt-ugly and not very talented,” Luka said.

“Brat. Macy, this is my nephew, Luka, and his obnoxious friend, Mattie.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Macy said, holding out her hand. Luka immediately pulled her into a hug and Mattie hugged them both. Danel suspected the two boys would eventually be mates, but he could be wrong. Tavian Leap wasn’t the only leap with boys their age.

“Mmm, she smells good,” Luka said as both teens stepped back. Macy did, but Danel knew Luka was trying to get under his skin. He glanced over at Macy. Her cheeks were red, and she had a bemused smile on her face. He let go of her hand and put an arm around her waist, pulling her to his side.

“Isn’t your mom calling you?” he asked his nephew.

“Nope.” Luka leaned against the tree and smirked.

“I know you have chores.”

“Man…Danel…why do you have to be a jerk?”

“My job as alpha mate. Get to it, men.” He nodded toward a nearby wheelbarrow and a pair of shovels.

“What are they doing?” Macy asked as she and Danel walked away.

“Clearing away snow. They’re not the only ones to shovel, but we do what we can to keep the living area clear. Gets a little claustrophobic otherwise.” Deep drifts also made it more difficult for the females and children, who were non-shifters, to get around, but that was a part of Tavian Leap yet to be revealed.

“Looks like there’s more snow on the way, too.”

“It’s that time of year. It’s the Snow Moon and that means lots of snow. Merry Christmas,” he quipped.

“Oh!” Macy put her gloved hand over her mouth.

“What?”

“I didn’t think about that. I’m going to be stuck here for Christmas.” It rankled him that she used the word “stuck”. He pushed it aside. He supposed if he had family elsewhere, he’d feel a little stuck too.

“I guess so,” he said. They wouldn’t even get a helicopter in until at least March. Frankly, he was a little worried about that. They’d run out of condoms soon.

“I’ll have to call and let my dad know. He’ll understand. It’s not the first time I’ve been away over a holiday. Do you decorate?” she asked, hopping to the next subject.

“Not usually.”

“Oh.”

Guilt sank into his stomach. Wasn’t he just the spirit crusher? First, he told her she was stuck here then no Christmas fun. “We could though…” he offered tentatively.

Macy’s amber-brown eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Sure. We can bring in a small tree and you can find stuff in my workshop and around the house to decorate it. You can decorate however you want, actually. My sister-in-law, Marta, is our school teacher. She might have some glitter or something. We need to head over to see if she has some spare clothes.”

Macy hadn’t had much need beyond the garments she’d worn in, shirts she’d borrowed from him and Sorin and the bathrobe she’d commandeered, but she needed regular clothes for getting out and about in the village.

Pulling her into his arms, he cupped the back of her head and kissed her. It had been at least an hour since they’d been together and he was already feeling needy. He liked it when she just wore his shirt. Maybe, he should just take her home.

No… She needed to meet people. That was his task for the day and his torture to bear.

“I’ll go find a tree while you visit with Marta.”

And maybe a romp through the frigid mountain air would cool his libido a little.

* * * *

No one had a right to be this content. Macy hummed happily as she surveyed the five-foot tree Danel had placed in the corner of the living room. Sorin had looked at him as if he’d lost his mind, and Abel had snickered. Calin, however, had quickly produced a couple strands of white twinkle lights from the wedding a few months ago, earning himself a kiss that made the others jealous.

“Hey,” Danel had pointed to himself. “Supplied the pretty tree.”

“Right,” Macy had agreed. She’d drawn his head down, kissing him thoroughly.

“And got it set up,” he’d added.

“I’ll do the lights for you,” Abel had offered.

Sorin had just shaken his head and left the room. She looked up now as he reentered, carrying a blue blanket with gold embroidery. To her surprise, he draped it around the base of the tree.

“A bit of our homeland,” he said, as she studied the Himalayan design. “What do I get?” They’d all get something. She bit her lip, pleasure filling her. “Abel? Close the curtains, will you?”

She reached for the hem of the dress she’d borrowed from Marta and skimmed it up her thighs as the room dimmed. Automatic lights popped on to softly illuminate the room—another of Danel’s contributions.

Before she revealed her lack of panties, she dropped the skirt and reached for the dress’ zipper. Calin was immediately there to help her. His hands smoothed over her bared back, and she was suddenly happy she was small enough to go braless—especially when his palms reached around to cup her breasts.

“I’m first today,” he said. “I brought the first gift.”

“I don’t know,” she hedged, teasing. “Danel brought the tree.”

“You can ride me and give him what he likes,” Calin suggested.

She tipped down one shoulder and let the dress fall then shrugged the other, letting the garment tumbled to the ground. “Sounds fair. Who has a condom?” All four men pulled packets from their pockets and held them up.

“Good boys,” she laughed. “Okay, Calin. On the floor.”

“Ooh,” Danel laughed, with a playful shudder. “I like when she gets all demanding like that.”

“Hmph,” Sorin laughed. “We’ll see who’s demanding later.” Macy shivered at his dark promise. Last night, he’d threatened to tie her up. Maybe tonight…

She focused on Calin who’d shoved down his pants and dropped to the small area rug.

His hand stroked over his cock to roll on the protection.

Mmm…she liked his partially undressed condition. Maybe she’d be the only one naked.

The sex seemed naughtier that way. Smiling, she mounted him backward, facing his feet. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of sinking onto his wide shaft and feeling the full sensation deep inside her. Slowly, she rocked and enjoyed him. She played with her nipples as the others watched.

Sorin knelt over Calin’s legs and leaned his mouth to her ear. “Somebody likes being bad,” he whispered.

“Yes…” she hissed. Her eyes locked with Danel’s over Sorin’s shoulder and she crooked a finger at him. “Pants down,” she ordered.

Sorin chuckled, and his lips brushed her ear again. “Someone wants a spanking.”

“Sweet heaven, Sorin,” Calin exclaimed. His hands grasped her waist as she rode him faster. “What did you say to her? She’s like a fist.”

“Just promising presents.”

“The kind of presents that make her scream,” Abel commented. “We hear her at night.” A flush crept over her chest and prickled up her neck. “Abel,” she retaliated. “I think you should let Calin suck you. I want to hear you scream.”

“Sorin?” She drew his ear to her. “Will you fuck Danel while I suck him?” He didn’t answer, but kissed her hard, then rose.

She glanced over her shoulder to see Abel kneeling over Calin while Calin wrapped a hand then his lips around his partner’s long cock. Somehow, she managed to keep his hips moving with hers. She closed her eyes for a moment as her pussy slid over his length. She loved this fucking, laidback and easy. No one was frenzied. That would come. Tonight. She had a feeling Sorin would pound her hard; he had that look in his eye, and she wanted him just as badly.

Her pussy squeezed Calin.

She pulled Danel closer and leaned into his cock, taking him deep. His hips jerked as she worked him with her tongue and teeth the way she knew he liked. From her peripheral vision she saw Sorin grasp Danel’s hip. There was a thunk as Sorin tossed a tube of lubricant to the floor then Danel’s choked cry echoed through the room.

It turned her on. She jerked faster on Calin as her orgasm sped up on her. Grasping Danel’s thighs she fucked her mouth up and down his cock with the driving speed Sorin used.

She wanted to match Sorin and blow Danel’s mind.

Behind her, Abel screamed as Calin brought him. Her reaction fisted around Calin and he grunted as his release poured from him while her channel spasmed around him.

Danel’s moans flooded the room. She focused solely on his cock as he thrust into her, impelled by Sorin’s shaft shoving into him. Carefully, Calin pulled from her, and she readjusted her stance as she shot her tongue over Danel’s glans. She reached up and cupped his sac, rolling and squeezing his balls as they worked him. He swore and rewarded her with his rough fingers in her hair. He tugged and guided as he fucked her, mindless as Sorin pegged him.

She didn’t care. This was the out of control man she loved. Purposely, she nicked the underside of his head with her teeth. Danel lurched. His salty cum sprayed onto her tongue and she swallowed it, taking as much as she could, though some escaped to fall to her breasts. It trickled down the slope to roll to her stomach.

Pulling free, she looked up, watching him. One of Sorin’s hands splayed on Danel’s belly and his other wrapped under Danel’s arm, grasping his shoulder. Danel’s face contorted with tortured pleasure.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she sat back on her heels and watched them. Sorin’s head rested beside his partner’s as he took him. Both of their eyes were closed, and Macy didn’t think she’d ever seen such a beautiful thing. The two of them together were awe inspiring, and more than anything before now, she wanted to capture a photo of them together like this. Their faces were… This was magic. Intense. Feral. United. Totally in love.

She wanted to be that in love someday. She wanted someone that in love with her. Her heart ached with the need. Captured by their rapture yet feeling outside of it, she watched them.

She ignored her longing and focused on their passion, determined to find the same for herself.

Chapter Seven

After cleaning up, Macy finished putting the lights on the tree then put on warm clothes.

She needed a walk to clear her head. She’d always been so self-contained, this need for all-consuming love startled her. What disturbed her, though, was that she wanted it from Sorin and Danel. As she’d watched them reach their culmination, it had hit her as hard as a speeding train, giving her no time to dodge or deny it. The knowledge was just there.

She had to get away and think.

Over the past week, she’d grown close to Danel and Sorin and even felt the dawning of what could truly become love. She didn’t want to push that or explore that. Not yet. It still seemed so nebulous, and she was afraid it was only their forced proximately. Conversely, she had discovered that you learned a ton about a person—or persons in this case—when you spent nearly a week in bed with them.

She grinned. She liked spending time with Sorin and Danel, clothed and unclothed.

Still…they were holding something back. She saw it in the looks they sometimes exchanged. It undermined her security with them.

Sighing, she wandered across the village, the dry snow crunching beneath her boots. She smiled at Luka and Mattie as they came bounding through the opening that led to the outside.

When they saw her, they frowned. Consternation furrowed their brows then they glanced behind her and their faces cleared. With a wave, they raced off, running behind a row of homes.

The outside. That was what she needed. A wide-open space.

The corridor path was hard packed and she traversed it quickly while the snow fell around her much like that first night. She wondered if perhaps it was possible for her to make it down the mountain. Her heart protested. No way! She wasn’t leaving them.

She stopped short, blinking. She. Wasn’t. Leaving. Them?

They hadn’t even asked her to stay. They loved each other. Why would they ask her? She rubbed her gloved hand over her face. She had to stop making things difficult. This was sex. She was here until the snow cleared enough for her to pass. Period. The end.

Shaking her head at herself, she left the stand of pines that hid the opening in the rock face. She waded between two large drifts, quickly seeing the truth in their determination that the mountain was impassible. She’d just decided to turn back and walk around the trees when a menacing growl raised the hair on the back of her neck. A trio of wolves emerged from an outcropping of boulders.

Her heart leapt into her throat as panic froze her.

“Macy!”

She swung around at Sorin’s voice. He and Danel ran from the trees, leaping past her.

She swung back around as electricity sparked the air around her, accompanied by sickening pops and tears. Where her men should have landed, two snow leopards dropped to the ground, planting themselves between her and the wolves. Their teeth bared, they hissed.

The wolves growled, hunching and backpedaling as the larger animals advanced.

They wouldn’t let the others at her, but as her terror receded, her mind grappled with what she was seeing.

Sorin and Danel.

Huge snow leopards.

That first day…there’d been a leopard….then…Sorin…

Many of the villagers were from Sorin’s “homeland” where he’d said they were “hunted”. She knew they’d come from the Himalayas, and she knew snow leopards were indigenous to that region, not Colorado.

They were shifters.

She watched them stalking forward, their gorgeous smoky-gray coats with black rosettes mesmerizing her as they walked. Their long, thick tails swayed slightly as they moved, barely sinking into the snow when they crossed it as easily as if they wore snow shoes. Wait…

Sorin and Danel had tails…

She gasped as the truth hit her again then she did the only thing her brain commanded her to do. Run! Just run! Run, run, run!

Behind her, she heard the screams of the cats as they attacked the wolves that had come after her and the yelps and howls of the injured canines. And she ran, moving as quickly as she could through and around drifts.

Her lovers were something that shouldn’t even exist; an impossibility. Part animal. And she had to get away. She’d never outrun them, but maybe she’d find somewhere to hide. A crevice somewhere… Just a week ago, she’d had the same thought before Sorin had taken her down.

He was the cat. This was what they’d been keeping from her. This was the vulnerability she’d seen in Sorin and the frustration Danel had silently communicated to him. Danel had wanted to tell her.

And Sorin had refused. He’d known exactly how she’d react. She slowed as her thoughts rolled faster, and she replayed everything they’d said the past week. How they’d often called women “mates” instead of wives. How they’d spoken of male mates and female mates. The way they liked to chuffle at her. How dizzy in love she felt when they kissed her—it had to be pheromones.

Macy stopped. She dropped to her knees, hunching forward and burying her face in her hands. What was she going to do? It wasn’t just when they kissed her that she felt in love. It was all the time. She just didn’t want to believe it; it was so fast. Well, and they were cats.

She took a deep breath. Did that really matter to her? Could she live with it? Did they even want her to? Maybe they didn’t feel the same about her as she did them.

A headbutt to her side knocked her over, derailing her thoughts. A huge paw pinned her shoulder while pale green eyes stared down at her. Almost afraid his huge teeth would take off her hand, she reached out and touched the pure white fur beneath his neck. Her fingers sank into his thick fur. To her surprise, he nuzzled her arm and a vibrating purr rumbled against her palm.

“Sorin,” she said, looking into those soulful eyes as he pressed his face closer. Another head pushed in and she recognized Danel’s gray eyes. Though it still freaked her out a little, she appreciated that they were beautiful animals. “Danel,” she acknowledged, petting him, too. “I don’t know how to deal with this.”

Danel growled quietly then dropped heavily to the ground with a loud huff of air. He rubbed his large face into the side of her head, neck and shoulder, purring loudly. Standing over her, Sorin did the same.

“Seriously?” she asked, dryly, her shock completely fading at their primal behavior.

“You’re marking your ownership? Now?”

Sorin lifted his head and stared down at her, and she was sure if a cat could, he would have been smirking down at her.

Okay, so they wanted her. “This is a lot to take in,” she protested. “Even if I can accept this and it is convenient having guard cats—hey!” she exclaimed as Danel headbutted her. “Even if I understand this, you live on a mountaintop. I have to go home sometime.” Both leopards pulled back. Their fur lifted as they bared their teeth and hissed, eloquently communicating their displeasure.

Okay, so they wanted her, and they wanted her to stay.

Sorin looked at Danel who stepped away then Sorin sank his teeth into the shoulder of her coat and started dragging her up the mountainside toward the village. Danel bounded ahead of them and neither listened to her screeching demands to release her.

Abel and Calin stood just inside the village entrance as Sorin hauled her inside. An embarrassing amount of others watched as well. No one moved to help her.

“Sorin, let me go,” she pleaded. This time, he released her then transformed while standing above her. She would have needed to close her eyes to avoid the sight, but she couldn’t and in seconds the man stood over her, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Well, well, look what the cat dragged in.”

“Very funny,” she snapped scrambling up. Ignoring Danel, who now stood nearby, she stormed into the house. It would have been very satisfying to stomp into her room and slam the door, but she didn’t have a room of her own. She shared with Sorin and Danel. She wasn’t sure what she was so mad about anyway—well, except for Sorin hauling her back to town like some prize elk he’d taken down. Frankly, she understood the secrecy and somehow, she’d come to terms with the shifting. The pack mentality suddenly made so much more sense.

She was standing in the middle of their bedroom when the two came in behind her.

“We’re sorry we didn’t tell you,” Danel said.

Her shoulder lifted, but she didn’t turn. “I understand why.”

“But you were leaving anyway,” Sorin accused. “Before you even knew.” At that, she swung around. “I was thinking, not leaving. I can’t think when I’m with you, except to wonder when we can have sex again—stop smirking!—and I needed some space to clear my head. It wasn’t until a few minutes ago that I realized you’ve been blasting me with pheromones.”

“Not really,” Sorin replied. “Only just that first time when we met on the outside.”

“What did you need to think about?” Danel asked.

She sighed and pushed her fingers through her hair as she walked away.

“Macy…” Sorin chided.

“It’s embarrassing.”

“Turning into a Snow Leopard isn’t?”

He had a point, though she doubted it was embarrassing. “I was considering my place in this relationship. You two love each other so much—it’s obvious. I don’t want to be a third wheel.”

“Baby,” Danel exclaimed. He pulled her to the edge of the bed and sat, tugging her to take the place beside him. Sorin stood in front of them. “You’ve heard us talk. Sorin is my male mate. We’ve never found a suitable female—until you. It’s not one or the other. Yes, we love each other; we’ve been together since we were sixteen, but we’ll love you just as much.”

“How can you know that?”

The side of Sorin’s mouth lifted. “A snow leopard knows. We can scent our mates a mile away. Why do you think I was stalking you that day? I knew. You’re our one.”

“You just have to give us a chance,” Danel added.

“My whole life is out there,” she whispered. She didn’t want to say no to them, but she couldn’t ignore the obstacles.

“Sweetness,” Sorin said, his tone placating—she’d smack him for that later. “We don’t spend all our lives on the mountain. You don’t have to give up everything. You’re just…moving to the country, so to speak. You can go see people when you want to, you can visit relatives, shop in big malls. But most of the time you’d be here with us. We can promise more excitement than the big city. And before you say it…telecommute. You can work from here.”

“You have all the answers, don’t you?”

“I’m the leader of Tavian Leap. I have all the answers but one.”

“What’s that?”

Danel lifted her hand and kissed her palm. “Will you give us a chance? That’s the one question.”

Epilogue

Wildflowers bloomed on the mountainside as spring made itself known. Still bundled in a warm jacket, Macy sat beside a small, icy stream and thought of the day she’d said yes to her men. That was almost six months ago, and every day since, they’d proved that she made the correct decision. Whether in bed, in their home, or around the village she was their mate—their well-loved mate. She never questioned that they adored her. And she loved them, too. More and more every hour.

“You’re going to be late.”

Macy fell onto her back, stretching and looked up at Marta, who stood a few feet away.

“Do you think they’ll shift and come get me?”

“Probably, and let me tell you, getting dragged across this ground isn’t nearly as pleasant as getting hauled across the snow.”

No one would ever let her forget that. “It wasn’t pleasant.”

“My point.”

“Okay, fine. I don’t want to needlessly upset them anyway.” She grinned, feeling happiness clear to her toes. “I’m getting married today!” she exclaimed.

“I know,” Marta laughed. She and Macy had become close friends over the past months, and Marta liked to tease her incessantly, which was fine because Macy gave as good as she got.

The two of them had gone to New York to find Macy’s dress and she couldn’t wait for her guys to see it.

“Mom, are you guys coming or what?” Luka called, disgruntled at having to be on guard duty when he wanted to be with Mattie.

“We’re on our way,” Marta replied calmly. “Remember this next time you and Mattie want to run around taunting wolves. There are consequences. You could have gotten your alphas’ mate killed. Now, you have to guard her.”

Luka sighed in the disgusted way only teenagers mastered well. “Fine. Can we go?”

“Of course,” Macy replied. “I have to marry your butt-ugly uncle and his friend. They were out hunting last night and I missed them.”

“Gross,” Luka muttered. Marta smacked his shoulder while Macy laughed.

* * * *

An hour later, Macy stood in a grotto formed by stone and curving tree branches, and watched as Sorin and Danel prowled toward her in leopard form. Benches to either side of them were filled with their people.

She turned to face the minister as her men stopped on either side of her. Energy crackled over her as they shifted, each tall and regal in their black tuxedos with tails and white tie. They each took one of her hands and kissed her fingers.

“We’ve come to claim this woman,” they announced.

“And do you accept them?” the minister asked her. Marta had explained that most of the ceremony fell on Macy’s shoulders, so Macy was ready.

“I do. I commit to be their mate, to respect their roles as alphas to our people and to keep the leap’s secret to my death. I will love and cherish them always.” Danel squeezed her fingers as she sniffled, and Sorin kissed her hand again.

“Will you love, cherish and protect your mate and any children you might beget?”

“We will,” they replied.

“Your right hands.”

All three extended their arms, and the minister moved them so they were joined, Danel’s on the bottom, Macy’s in the center, and Sorin, their leader’s on the top. The man bound them with a gold cord, whispering an incantation in Nepalese. Macy gasped as the same energy she felt when her men shifted shot over her. It lingered, tingling over her skin until the cord was removed and Sorin then Danel kissed her.

Ignoring their guests, they led her to the house. Macy guessed that was tradition since revelry erupted behind them. She didn’t care that she was missing the party. She hadn’t been with Sorin and Danel for two weeks as they’d observed a traditional sexual fast before the wedding. It had been hell, needing them but unable to have them, but she’d passed the test—they all had—and she was grateful to stand in their arms now.

Danel stood behind her while Sorin kissed her. He deftly unbuttoned her while Sorin’s drugging essence made her lightheaded. “I love you,” Sorin whispered against her lips.

“I love you,” she replied. He pushed her dress from her shoulders while Danel kissed his way down her spine.

“I love you,” Danel vowed with every touch of his mouth.

“I love you,” she promised.

The dress dropped to the floor, leaving her in only her garters, stockings and silk panties, all as virginal white as her wedding dress was.

“Beautiful,” Sorin breathed. “Are you ready to be truly ours forever?”

“Yes,” she replied.

Together, the men led her to the bed. While she didn’t quite understand, they tied her outstretched arms to the bedposts then left the bed.

“Forever,” Sorin vowed then suddenly shifted.

Danel placed his hand over his heart, his gray eyes holding hers. “Forever,” he said, his gaze never leaving her as he too shifted. They both leapt to the bed and the mattress groaned beneath their weights. Macy watched them, trying not to be scared.

Sorin watched her, his green eyes holding concern she couldn’t decipher. He nodded slightly then suddenly, both leopards dipped their heads to her shoulders. Macy cried out as teeth sank into her skin. Pain sizzled through her. She arched, her fingers fisting as she refused to scream.

In moments, it was over. Sandpapery tongues frantically cleansed the bites then both men shifted.

“It’s part of the ceremony,” Danel explained quickly. “No one’s allowed to tell.”

“It’s the final test,” Sorin added. He kissed her shoulder then they both released her hands. Bemused, Macy looked at the bites, expecting angry wounds. Instead of red, bleeding bites, gray rosettes colored each of her shoulders.

Her lips moved soundlessly as she tried to process, but like so many things the past months, what was just was.

She smiled slowly as the most important thing sank in. She was theirs. For always. She reached for them, needing the consummation that would seal the marriage in her head—they had their way; she had hers.

Sorin growled as he rolled her beneath him. “Please tell me no more condoms.”

“If you stop to grab one, I’ll…I’ll…go find new mates,” she threatened.

“No, you wouldn’t,” Danel laughed, nipping one of her nipples just the way she liked.

The pleasure-pain tightened the peak beneath his mouth, making it impossible for her to form a coherent retort. Instead, she moaned as Sorin sank into her, stretching her pussy with his wide cock. He rolled, bringing her over him.

Beside them, Danel fumbled with lube then crawled behind her. He kissed the small of her back while Sorin thrust in and out of her. When she expected Danel to press his cock to her ass, he surprised her.

“Relax,” Sorin urged. He stilled as Danel’s cock slid against his, working its way inside her already stuffed pussy. They were all breathing heavily when he’d pushed as deep as she could take him. The three of them were one.

And as Sorin and Danel started to move, Macy watched Sorin. “Forever,” he mouthed.

This was her husband. She looked over her shoulder and Danel kissed her. This was her husband, too. Her protectors, her lovers, her men, her shifting snows. No one had ever been luckier, and as the three of them spiraled into release, she was sure, no one had ever been happier or as much in love as she was right now.

And she’d only had to climb a mountain to get there.

About the Author

When it comes to books and movies, Brynn has one rule: there must be a happy ending. After that one requirement, anything goes. And it just might in her books.

She lives in Michigan with her husband and two children, who love her despite her occasional threats to smite them. They humor her and let her think she's a goddess...as long as she provides homemade chocolate chip cookies on a regular basis. Brynn has conducted workshops at several writers’ conferences around the country and enjoys mentoring and meeting new people.

According to Brynn, her writing success can be attributed to an eclectic collection of music, her local road construction crews, a trusty notebook, and of course, her husband, Mr. Inspiration, who puts up with a lot in the name of research.

Brynn loves to talk to her readers and can be found at www.brynnpaulin.com.

The Phases Series

Now Available from Resplendence Publishing

Taken by the Pack by Cheryl Dragon

Phases: Book One

Danny loves Alaska, but it doesn’t seem to love him back. The full Wolf Moon sparkles over Fairbanks, but he’s alone for those long nights. He wants to come out of the closet and date, but his frail family might implode. All he wants is the right man in his bed.

Brandon and Justin are lovers and wolf shifters native to Alaska. They’re out to protect their way of life, and sometimes that means extreme measures. When Danny’s brother proposes aerial wolf hunting, Danny enters their sights. Danny was the closet case in high school, and now, he’ll be their sex toy. The shifter pair is ready to do whatever it takes to stop the hunting and maybe add a sexy human man to their pack.

Coyote Savage by Kris Norris

Phases: Book Two

February's full moon is rising, only this year, it's bringing a new brand of hunger...

For coyote shifters Caden and Talon Brady, the upcoming hunger moon has ignited a different kind of appetite. They've been waiting several years for a chance to court their intended mate, and now that she's finally in their sights, they'll stop at nothing to win her over. But when local livestock start disappearing, their coyote refuge is put in the hot seat, and more than just their way of life is suddenly in jeopardy.

Sheriff Rebecca Savage never planned on returning to Beckit Falls, or for falling for two handsome men. But fate seems to have different plans for her. Unfortunately not all of them are sexy and look fantastic in jeans. The local mayor is trying to run the Brady boys and their coyote refuge out of town. Nothing seems to make sense, but when she starts digging deeper, a new danger rises with the full moon—one that just might get them all killed.

Unchaste by Mia Watts

Phases: Book Three

The mystical Portal of the Gods transports Flynn Chula, shifter and descendant of the Cahokia Indians, six hundred years in the past. Right into a tribal feud between Amaro and Koda, warriors of the empire. While Flynn finds his new circumstances impossible, Amaro and Koda know exactly what to do. Their culture dictates that shifters have to be tested, proving their place among the people--as priests. Only one high priest can rule the empire at a time, but the current apprentice reigns with blood sacrifice and fear.

As the sexual preparations begin, Koda and Amaro do their duty to rid him of any possible heterosexual leanings...by giving themselves to him wholly. Flynn, who's never wanted a woman in his life, can't believe his luck. Two hunky men can't get enough of him, and their eager to learn all the tricks.

When the blood priest discovers the plot to overthrow him, will Flynn, Koda, and Amaro escape alive, or will more than blood be lost on the altar?

Awakening Delilah by Abigail Barnette

Phases: Book Four

When Delilah Lewis moved from Atlanta to Gwinn Close, a sanctuary for shifters in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, she knew there would be an adjustment period. She just never thought getting shot at by poachers would be a part of that adjustment. When two sexy shifters come to her rescue, things get even more complicated. Delilah is a good girl, with a good-girl upbringing, and both men make her want to be very bad...

Miguel and Darius are in a committed relationship, but once they meet Delilah, they want more.While Delilah wonders if Gwinn Close is right for her, Miguel and Darius do everything they can to convince her to stay. But secrets from their past threaten a future with the woman they both crave. And while she struggles to let go of her boring former life, both men work to bring out the wild animal in her...

Horny, Hard and Hare-y by Mia Watts

Phases: Book Five

It's time for the annual race, and tortoise shifter, Duncan, is finally going to catch some tail—

hare shifter tail, otherwise known as Charlie. With Gibbs, their owl shifter friend, keeping an eye out overhead, they're off and running. But Charlie is as spontaneously careless as the fairytale hare and finds himself caught by local DNR officer, Ben.

The full moon is rising, and if Charlie stays collared through the Hare Moon, he'll remain an animal forever. It's up to Duncan and Gibbs to free him before time is up. But in telling their secret, will they lose Ben forever? It's a foursome waiting to happen, where Ben reconnects with a mysterious lover, and the tortoise finally catches his hare.

Summer Surrender by Bronwyn Green

Phases: Book Six

Hollis Chambers came to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to teach summer school at a small rural high school. She’d planned on hanging out on the shores of Lake Superior, taking walks in the woods and studying the wildlife. She never imagined that she’d meet one man, let alone two, to have a hot summer fling with.

Lynx shifters Daniel Cichosz and Josiah Wilder know a good thing when they see it and they’re fairly certain that the gorgeous, full-figured substitute teacher is just who they’ve been looking for. Hollis surrenders to their seduction, but how will she feel about being mated to shifters, particularly when Daniel’s brother is added to the mix?

Snared by Kris Norris

Phases: Book Seven

July’s Thunder Moon is holding true to its name. But will the rash of lightning reveal more than just the landscape?

Veterinarian and bobcat shifter, Tayen Locke, has devoted her life to saving animals, but a rise in poaching has spurred her down another path. She’s been spending her free time in her animal form, searching the nearby forest for illegal traps. She’s well aware of the risks—she just never thought she’d end up snared by her potential mates.

Rangers Quinn Harrington and Rogan James know exactly what they want…they just don’t know how to convince Tayen it’s her. Ever since they moved to town two years ago, they’ve had their sights set on the sexy vet, who for the last six months has turned down every offer they’ve made. Though they know she’s interested, they’re losing hope she’ll ever change her mind.

But an unexpected storm changes the nature of the game. It seems Tayen’s been keeping a secret, and now that the cat’s out of the bag, literally, there’s no where left for Tayen to run—except straight into their arms.

Striped by Abigail Barnette

Phases: Book Eight

Sean has never put down roots and he's not sure he wants to, especially in a place like Gwinn Close, where everyone seems so happy and well-adjusted. When Jason and Mitchell offer to help tame his tiger impulses with discipline and a firm hand, Sean isn't sure he can submit sexually without losing himself completely. But how can he resist their offer when giving in feels so good?

Harvest’s Pride by Brynn Paulin

Phases: Book Nine

Hanna Herst joins rock band Harvest’s tour under the guise of doing an interview on the lead men, Kaz and Myan Ruslan, but in reality, she’s searching for her sister who disappeared from their crew. Little does she know, the disappearance and the interview are only a cover to get Hanna within Kaz and Myan’s circle.

Kaz and Myan know Hanna is their mate. They’ve spent the last year maneuvering her into their camp and she’s arrived just in time for the Harvest moon, the time when shifters in their pride must claim their mates. Now, all that remains is to convince her that she’s theirs—now and forever.

Autumn Sacrifice by Bronwyn Green

Phases: Book Ten

When Brenna Alten returns home to attend her cousin’s wedding, she expects to reconnect with friends and family. She doesn’t anticipate hooking up with her adolescent crush Caleb Mahingan or his brothers. Despite a night of sizzling hot sex, Brenna believes this can’t turn into more, but Caleb has other plans for her. As Alpha of his small pack, he knows she's his mate and he doesn't intend to give her up without a fight.

Moonlight and Mustangs by Cheryl Dragon

Phases: Book Eleven

Mustang roundups by the government are nothing new out west. When two horses turn up on Diane’s ranch, she isn’t shocked until they turn into hot men then have sex in her barn. The shifters ask for her help but letting them stay the night turns into much more. All the extra hands help with the chores and fulfill her needs…but wild mustangs deserve to roam and Diane won’t saddle them—bareback is a much better ride!

Shifting Snows by Brynn Paulin

Phases: Book Twelve

When photographer, Macy Lawson, climbs Mount Elbert to take pictures, she doesn’t expect to come face to face with a snow leopard, an animal that shouldn’t be roaming the Colorado Rockies, let alone the United States. The animal charges her, but Sorin Tavian appears out of nowhere to save her. He takes her home to escape a coming blizzard and introduces her to his partner, Danel and their friends Calin and Abel.

Soon, Macy discovers Sorin prefers to share his women with these men, and they all want her.

Far from home and stranded in the wilderness, she decides to take the leap, live a fantasy and try out ménage.

But Sorin has a couple secrets he hasn’t shared. He didn’t save Macy from a snow leopard. He is the snow leopard. There’s a strong possibility Macy’s his mate, and if that’s true, home will be with him and Danel, not in some far off city where leopards can’t roam free.

Also Available from Resplendence Publishing

Overlord’s Chosen by Bronwyn Green

Dark Destinies Book One

Elizabeth Louden has been chosen to provide Micah Bleddyn, the Overlord of Maelgwn, with an heir. However, she’s not interested in the honor. In a land where only men are allowed to use magic, women found to possess supernatural abilities are punished—often by death. She knows it’s only a matter of time before her secret is revealed.

Micah has no desire to rule his father’s empire, but after his older brother vanishes, he has no choice. Faced with invading forces, treachery among his own people, and now, a mate hell-bent on escape, he’s had enough. Realizing they have no allies but each other, Micah and Elizabeth reach a reluctant truce in their bid to stay alive and keep Maelgwn safe.

Out of Control by Emma Hillman

Scared she'd always be too human for the five shape-shifting lions who wanted to claim her as a mate, Jade left the Pride who’d adopted her as soon as she turned eighteen. Now she's back, and only just realizing how much her departure affected them all.

They're so intent on seducing her, she's having trouble resisting. One, maybe she could have, but five sexy men eager to claim her?

Surrounded by men who won't take no for an answer, and with the future of the Pride in jeopardy, Jade needs to decide who she can trust…starting with herself.

Bride of the Wolf by Abigail Barnette

Commanded to marry the son of Lord Canis, a powerful ally of her father and King Edward, Aurelia knows she is about to venture into a den of wolves. For the men who live at Blackens Gate are no ordinary men, able to change at will into enormous, bloodthirsty beasts…and as a mere human, Aurelia is a reviled outsider.

When the wolves escorting his brother’s bride to Blackens Gate turn on her, Sir Raf Canis finds himself in the unlikely position of rescuer. After losing his leg—and his place in the pack—Raf refuses to bring himself further shame by failing to deliver the lovely Aureilia. But the innocent maiden proves to be a temptation even he cannot resist.

Within the dark, dangerous forest, a love begins that neither can deny. To protect Aurelia, Raf must betray everything he has come to believe about his life among wolves, and risk death to save the only woman ever to touch his wounded soul.

Reawakening by Charlotte Stein

Forever Dead Series, Book One

June has spent the last two years of her life trying to avoid death at the hands of murderous psychopaths and ravening zombies. So when Jamie turns up on the scene, careless, still whole and promising her safety on a little paradise island, she isn’t quite sure she can trust him.

Especially when he tells her that it’s just him, and his equally big, burly, handsome friend Blake.

But Jamie and Blake are even better than her wildest dreams—sweet and funny and charming.

And worst of all: sexy as hell. Though they're trying to be gentlemanly with her, all she can think about is how much she wants to get tangled up in them, and forget the nightmare the world has become. She's waiting for her reawakening—back to life and happiness and love.

And they seem like just the right sort of men to wake her—body and soul.

Three Ways to Wicked by Melinda Barron

Bestselling Author Krisily Carmichael needs a break from her life. Her horrid ex-boyfriend sold naked photos of her, and now she’s plastered all over the nation’s largest skin magazine. So when an advertisement for a rental cottage near Bath appears in her mailbox, she snatches up the offer.

When she arrives at the remote English cottage, she finds a charming country home with a huge botanical garden…complete with four magical beings trapped inside.

Victim of a wayward spell, the Sorcerer Uriel and his alchemist cousins, Bythos and Acolius, have spent centuries trapped inside their garden with an evil witch who wants their secrets.

Krisily’s arrival sets off a string of events foretold to bring about the witch’s end. Unfortunately, they have to contend with the witch’s curse, which took one sense from each of the men.

But the four of them find a way to communicate, and they come together in a blaze of passion that helps them to destroy the witch and meet their destiny.

We Kill Dead Things by Sommer Marsden

Zombie Exterminators Series, Book One

Poppy thinks her life is weird working the food court at Parktowne mall, until in one brief moment of creeper killing, things change forever. Now she's a freelance zombie exterminator along with her long lusted after co-worker Garrity (her not-so-secret crush), a somewhat lusted after bad boy Cahill, and pretty gay boy Noah.

When the four are hired to do a ballsy zombie clean up at St. Peter's Hospital, Poppy finds out just what's more scary than creepers: The Evoluminaries, a zealot cult who think zombies are part of God's chosen, who happen to end up thinking Poppy might make a mighty good zombie incubator. She finds herself finally sleeping with Garrity, being hunted by a crazy preacher man and stumbling over the fact that Cahill and Noah have become lovers somewhere in the chaos.

And that's all on the job.

Just another day in the life when you kill dead things...

Oriana and the Three Werebears by Tia Fanning Oriana Ricci has taken over the family business—flying cargo and rich tourists around Alaska’s barely inhabited Kodiak Archipelago. When her plane malfunctions and she’s forced to make an emergency landing, she finds herself stranded in the middle of a National Wildlife Refuge. With no civilization for miles and no hope of rescue, she thinks all is lost… Until she stumbles upon the entrance to an underground bunker.

Jack, Jordan, and Jonathan McMathan own and operate a secret intelligence firm contracted by the US Government. Hidden away in an old Cold War spy station located the middle of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, the brothers are not only able to do their top secret jobs safely without fear of discovery, but are better to protect their other, more personal secret: They have the ability to shift into Kodiak bears.

Like a fairy tale gone bad, the brothers return home to find their lunch tasted—or eaten, their computer chairs adjusted—or broken, and a beautiful blonde sleeping in one of their beds. This situation poses a big problem for the brothers… Their location is now compromised. But more importantly, what are they to do with the lady?

www.ResplendencePublishing.com

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Epilogue

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Epilogue

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Epilogue

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Epilogue