Doms of Dark Haven 2: Western Night

Chapter One

“Hey guys, hold up a minute!”

Daniel “Tex” Texiera hobbled along the grubby sidewalk, stomping his foot into the snug-fitting cowboy boot on his left foot. Damn wolves were always so impatient! He yanked his jeans down over the top of his fancy snakeskin boot, settled his Stetson onto his head, and scooped up his leather bag. He trotted down the street, catching up in just moments. He moved up next to Hunter and grinned as the other man veered away.

“We could probably have parked closer.”

“And you could have stayed in the shoes you were wearing when we came down.”

Ethan looked back at him, a grin warming his friendly face. He and Kurt exchanged glances and swerved together, their hands brushing.

“Look, you said it was a theme night. Don’t know how you expect to get in when you’re dressed like that.” Ethan wore a dark green T-shirt and black jeans. His green, catlike eyes glowed against the dark skin of his face. Kurt wore a black silk shirt and black trousers. His pale blond hair looked almost silver against the unrelieved darkness of his clothing.

Tex shook his head in mock disgust. “At least Hunter made an effort.”

The man next to him wore black jeans and cowboy boots, with a leather vest over his black shirt. Hunter always wore black. Tex wondered if it was a reflection of his mood or simply a lack of imagination. But then, black looked good on him.

“We aren’t going to Dark Haven to play, Tex. Xavier called Chase and said there’s someone of interest at the club.”

“Holly?” His heart jumped, but then he stifled the surge of excitement and firmly put it down. Dark Haven wasn’t the sort of place they’d find Holly in. Not with her history. They’d simply told him to get ready for a visit to Dark Haven. Now he felt a bit silly carrying his toy kit with him, but at least he’d blend in.

“He didn’t say.” Ethan shrugged one shoulder and kept walking.

Tex caught the scent of anxiety drifting from Hunter. The man had taken it hard when Holly had vanished. Funny thing was, Tex didn’t remember Hunter ever so much as exchanging a word with the girl, even though they’d grown up together. Of course, speaking with Holly was a one-sided proposition at best.

She’d been Tex’s favorite, though he’d never seen what she looked like as a human. He knew Holly as the leggy black she-wolf with soulful blue eyes. Their conversations had been one-sided, but Tex had always felt that she understood him. In a way, he’d felt like he understood her as well. She’d watch the pack members move through their days from the shelter of the porch. She’d watched Hunter in particular, her thoughts a complete and total mystery.

Inwardly Tex sighed. So they were here on business. But still, it was a diversion, and Lord only knew he needed one. He was reaching the point where worry shifted to despair as far as Holly was concerned. She was most likely not coming back, and it was time to accept that. A play night at Dark Haven would be a step in the right direction.

They walked on in silence. Early evening had settled over San Francisco, and he scented a vampire on the misty air. Technically the city was part of Harte and Eva’s Napa pack, but slowly they’d been blending their territory with Chase Montenegro’s lands, and their people had started to overlap as well. The vampires were tolerated as long as they behaved.

“I smell vamp.” Hunter’s voice was low. He always sounded a bit hoarse, as if he rarely used his voice. “More than one. Most likely a mile or so from here.”

The group slowed and then stopped. Kurt gazed around, looking into the faces of other pedestrians. His fair skin looked unusually pale. Ethan reached out and touched his hand reassuringly.

“You don’t have to go inside.”

Kurt was an empath, and the heightened emotions in the club would be painful for him to bear.

Tex shivered. He looked over at Hunter; the quiet wolf faced north, a look of intense concentration on his face. He wasn’t as tall as the other shifters, and his face bore the mark of many ethnicities. His dark eyes were upswept and almond shaped, but his smooth skin was brown. Blue-black hair waved back from his handsome face. His lips were full and sensual; high cheekbones gave him an aloof expression. He looked heartless, but Tex knew otherwise. A man didn’t kick and punch holes in walls if he had no heart or emotion.

At least he patched them up himself once Tex showed him how to use plaster and drywall. They were gonna have to talk about other means of self-expression soon.

“They’re moving away.”

Kurt nodded and led them forward. Within minutes they arrived at a simple door in a stark building. The sign over the door read DARK HAVEN.

A pair of young women entered the building; both were dressed as saloon girls. Tex held the door for them, winking at their speculative smiles. He glanced back at his small group. Kurt was breathing deeply, preparing himself. He paused and then nodded, following Ethan through the door. Hunter said nothing as he passed Tex, but the unmistakable scent of heightened arousal wafted to Tex’s nostrils.

It was tough not to get excited in a place like this. As they walked into the tiny foyer, the smell of sex, pain, and fear rolled over Tex’s senses. He took a moment to let it process and then stepped up to the desk. Ethan and Kurt were the de facto leaders of this evening’s business, but Kurt was focused on defending himself against the multilevel barrage of sensation. As always, Ethan was focused on his partner. They were each other’s strength as well as weakness.

“Hi, I’m Destiny. Do you have a membership?” The receptionist was cute, perky, and stark naked. Well…except for the boots and cowboy hat. And the toy badges that served as nipple shields. When he saw the plastic six-shooters strapped to her curvy hips, Tex grinned. She grinned back.

“We’re here to meet Xavier. He’s expecting us.” Ethan’s voice was low and smooth, and to Tex’s amusement, he was having a hard time not staring at those little badges.

She glanced around the desk and apparently located a note confirming his story, because she immediately picked up a phone and placed a call.

“My Liege. The guests you expected are here.” She listened for a moment and then hung up the receiver.

“My Liege?” Hunter muttered sarcastically.

The faint, nearly inaudible growl that reverberated through the air had a feline edge.

“You will show respect to your host.”

Hunter bowed his head submissively and nodded at Ethan. The receptionist looked from one man to the other, her eyes wide in surprise. When Ethan’s cat came to the fore, it packed a punch. But then, as the lone feline in a pack of wolves, Ethan had to be tougher than most.

The girl cleared her throat. “You guys can just step inside. Master Xavier will send someone for you in a few minutes.” Rather than looking frightened, the girl looked intrigued. Not good. They really couldn’t afford to blow their cover. Ethan must have been on edge.

Tex gave her a friendly smile and pushed past the curtain, then ushered the other men through. He stood, braced himself, and then grinned in delight. He’d been to Dark Haven before but had never seen it look as it did tonight. Cowboys and gamblers rubbed shoulders with saloon girls and schoolmarms. This being San Francisco, there were a few Chinese beauties in nineteenth-century dress as well.

Country music filled the air, and a mechanical bull was in motion. Over the blare of country music, cheers and laughter rose as the bull started its slow gyrations. As he watched, a seminaked woman slipped from the back of the bull and landed in a spill of white petticoats. As the small crowd cheered, she whooped, slipped out of her lace-up bodice, and gamely climbed back onto the bull. As it began to buck and dip, her bare breasts jiggled and bounced.

“Oh dayum!” Tex dropped the bag he carried and stepped farther into the room, checking out the place from floor to ceiling. There was a stair to his right and private rooms to his left. A small trio of scantily dressed subs performed a line dance for a group of doms. One young woman was topless, wearing only a thong, a hat, and boots.

He laughed again and then went still, the wolf on full alert. There were too many smells bombarding him to make out any single scent, but nevertheless, something suddenly set his nerves on edge. Hunter froze next to him, still and silent. They exchanged glances. He looked back at Kurt and Ethan, but they were focused on each other.

Hunter stood motionless, his cock clearly visible as it pushed against the front of his jeans. His bright gaze skittered from one side of the room to the other. He was conflicted, overwhelmed, and obviously excited. He licked his lips and met Tex’s gaze.

“You okay, Hunter?”

He nodded curtly. Tex turned away to hide the smile in his eyes. It seemed Hunter shared his interest in kink. It wasn’t surprising; most shifters had a taste for rough play and domination. It was all part of preparing for the mating process.

“Gentlemen? This way, please.” The spell was broken as a slender blond man approached. He was wearing nothing but chaps and a leather thong. His ass was pale and muscular; red lines showed that he’d been caned recently. Tex checked him out appreciatively, aware of Hunter’s sudden tension. Tex sighed and held back the suggestive comment that was on the tip of his tongue. Bisexuality was the norm among the male wolves, but he didn’t want to make Hunter uncomfortable. Not here and now, anyway. He’d get some mileage off this evening when they were home and relaxed. Maybe he could even get a laugh out of the quiet man.

They followed the young man through the back corridors of the club and finally arrived at an unmarked door. It was painted black and barely noticeable. The man opened the door and stood back as they entered. When the door closed, the room was hushed and quiet. The contractor in Tex had to admire the soundproofing in the room. The dom appreciated it as well.

A tall man reclined on a leather sofa, his long legs stretched out before him, and he looked utterly at ease. Looks could be deceiving, though, as his scent told a different story. He was tense but under complete control. Something big must have been up to have ruffled the mysterious owner of Dark Haven. He rose gracefully, nearly of a height with Ethan and Kurt, who were the tallest among them.

“Master Xavier.” Kurt extended a hand. If he was still overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the club, he’d hidden it well. “Allow me to introduce my family. This is Ethan, Hunter, and Tex. My name is Kurt.”

They all shook hands and gave one another appraising glances.

The man looked comfortable with the title of master. It suited him well. He was clad in dark Western wear, black trousers, a burgundy vest, and a ribbon tie. A frock coat was thrown over a chair; a low-brimmed hat rested on top of it. His long black hair was arrow straight and dropped down his back in a braid. He looked from one man to the other, but didn’t comment on the lack of surnames—or the obvious ethnic differences of the four “brothers.”

“Chase was not able to come into the city today, so we came in his stead. He didn’t tell us why you needed us to come.” Kurt’s slight accent was another anomaly. One would expect to hear a European tone to his voice. Instead, his was the French-tinged accent of the Caribbean. Xavier hesitated a moment before gesturing for them to take seats. The dom leaned against his desk, taking the higher position as the other men took spots on the sofa and chairs. He gazed at them; his hooded eyes were sharp and appraising.

“Sometimes unusual people drift into Dark Haven.”

Tex smiled to himself. He had no doubt the place drew some oddballs. But he held his tongue.

“It isn’t uncommon for people to wind up here seeking sanctuary.”

Eva, Harte’s mate, had done exactly that. She’d been chased in from the street by Abraxas hunters, their greatest enemy. She’d met the alpha of the local pack that night, leading to a strong and passionate mating.

Xavier looked into their faces. Tex noticed that he didn’t make direct eye contact with the other three men. But he met Tex’s gaze. The man had crazy-good instincts. Of the four, Tex had spent the most time in human environments and was least likely to take the eye contact as challenge.

“I have someone here who might belong to you.”

“A woman?” Hunter was on his feet. He moved toward Xavier until Tex reached out to hold him back. They didn’t need any sort of aggression.

Xavier gave the distressed man a sad gaze. “No, it’s not a woman.” He pushed away from the desk and indicated that the men follow. They left the office through a back door that opened into a break room, complete with food, chairs, and a cot. The room appeared to be empty, but Tex could smell…something. Something not human. Something uncanny and wild.

Hunter surveyed the room, his nostrils flaring. He looked toward the far corner of the room and stepped forward, then peered behind a large recliner.

He went still. Tex’s skin prickled. If he’d been in wolf form, his hackles would be up.

“Kurt. Ethan… You need to come here…”

There wasn’t enough room for all of them, so Hunter shoved the massive chair as though it was a piece of children’s furniture. When Tex saw what he revealed, his insides froze.

A child lay huddled on the floor, curled in a fetal position. His hair was paler than Kurt’s, if that was possible. His face was tucked into his arms, which protected his head. His scent was wild but not wolf. He was most certainly not one of theirs.

And yet…

Ethan stood, looking back toward Xavier. “We’ll take care of him.”

Now he was one of theirs. Tex closed his eyes and silently gave thanks to God that Chase and his men had co-opted the weak, leaderless Truckee Pack. Their new alpha was not only powerful, he was compassionate. His betas followed his example.

“I came in early to do paperwork, and he was here in the break room, exactly like this.” Xavier’s voice was soft and gentle. “The club is locked up tight after closing, and I didn’t find any evidence of a break-in. Nothing showed up on the video feed. He was so frightened that I was barely able to dress him. He hasn’t eaten or had anything to drink all day.” He cleared his throat.

The sharp scent of fear piss filled the air, and Ethan knelt beside the youth, not touching, but leaning close enough to offer comfort.

“Hey, kiddo, no need to be afraid. I’m Ethan, and I am part of Chase’s pack. Did someone send you here? Were you supposed to find us?”

In alarm, Tex glanced back toward Xavier and was relieved to see that he’d left the room. Last year the pack had stolen a youth from Abraxas. He’d been horribly abused, his ears and eyes sealed with glue. Deuce was still impaired visually, but his hearing had returned. All Abraxas had required from him was his sense of smell.

Fortunately this boy hadn’t suffered that particular abuse, though it was clear he’d been traumatized. He was wearing oversize sweats and a T-shirt, probably provided by Xavier.

The boy held out a trembling hand, letting his fingers curl open one by one. A small square of tightly folded paper had been wedged inside. Kurt gently extracted it from his hand and carefully unfolded it.

“He looks just like—” Hunter broke off, aware the boy was listening. The other men nodded, leaving Tex in the dark. Didn’t matter; he’d find out soon enough.

“Smells the same too. But he’s got shifter in him.” Ethan bent closer, peering at the boy’s face. Gingerly he raised the black T-shirt and examined the youth’s skinny torso. Tex swallowed hard. There was a crude tattoo on the kid’s chest. It was similar to the one on Deuce.

“‘W3.’ What does that mean?” Tex squatted, looking down at a face that was too delicate…too lovely to be of this world. The boy appeared to be in his pre or early teens. His skin was fair and far too pale. When he opened huge eyes, they were as gray as a storm cloud. His hair looped into huge curls that tumbled down into his eyes.

“Wraith. Experiment number three.” Hunter’s voice was choked and tight. “We all have similar marks somewhere on our bodies. Mine is on my neck.”

“Does that mean Wraith conducted the experiment or that he was the donor?” Ethan reached out to stroke the boy’s cheek, but he turned his head away.

Kurt cleared his throat. “‘Chase, take care of him for me. Please. W.’”

He continued to stare at the page. “Never thought of that bastard as a victim before.”

“Who’s Wraith?” Tex reached to the chair where Xavier had left a small stack of clothes. After a moment’s hesitation, he gently pulled off the boy’s pants and replaced them, wincing at his emaciated state. Bruises and scrapes peppered his skin, right down to the genitals. Carefully, he dressed him in fresh clothing. He’d need to visit Doc Briony first thing.

“Wraith is part of Abraxas, but not really.” Ethan stood and moved to the far side of the room. “He never really played their game. Came and went as he pleased. When they found Eva last year, he was part of their hunt squad. He had Eva in his hands and let her go.” He folded his arms across his broad chest and watched the boy. “Wraith isn’t human, and he’s sure as hell not shifter. This kid must be his son.”

“Or maybe they did some sort of gene-splicing.” Hunter stepped away as well, giving Kurt room to lift the boy from the floor. “Whatever the case, Wraith is invested in this one.” Hunter looked at the other men. “You think it’s safe to take him home?”

“Probably not, but we don’t have a choice.” Kurt passed the boy to Ethan, who readily accepted him. Within seconds the boy’s stiff posture began to relax. Whatever it was that Ethan did was working like magic. He stroked the blond curls, lulling the youth into a drowsy state.

“You think there’s a back exit out of here? I don’t want to take him through the club.” Ethan looked over at Tex.

He nodded and led the others down the corridor to a door that led out into an alley. Competent as Chase’s men were, they still weren’t aware of the little things in everyday life, like mandatory fire exits.

Kurt paused outside the door, scanning both directions. He turned to Tex and Hunter. “Did either of you scent something suspicious back there?”

Tex shrugged. “I didn’t, but something made my hair stand on end.”

“Same here. Too many scents to sort through, but there was something. You want us to check it out?”

Kurt nodded. “I felt something. Complex emotion that reacted when we came in. We’ll take the boy home in the sedan. You two check it out, then rent a car or catch a flight to Reno. If you think it’s Abraxas or anything out of the ordinary, call Harte and Eva. They’re closer and can give you a hand if you need it.”

Tex nodded and stood back, watching as the two men walked cautiously down the alley and to the street.

“You think anyone will notice two men carrying an unconscious boy?” Hunter looked up at Tex.

He shook his head. “Nope. This is a neighborhood with money; they watch out for their wallets and purses, not for other people. Besides, the kid looks enough like Kurt that no one will think to question them.”

He waited for Hunter to respond, but he was preoccupied. His eyes were closed and his head was tilted slightly. Like Deuce, Hunter had been valued first for his ability to track by scent and second for his uncanny sense of perception when it came to homing in on his quarry.

“We’ll start outside. Stay near me; my vision tends to narrow when I’m searching for my target.”

Tex nodded and matched strides with the tracker. His own vision was acute, and he allowed the wolf to rise just enough to sharpen his night vision. They’d scouted the block and were moving on when his cell phone vibrated.

“Tex here.”

It was Kurt. His voice was quieter than usual and fraught with tension.

“The note. It just changed.”

Changed? Tex stopped, knowing that Hunter could hear both sides of the call. Their eyes met, and Hunter’s were glittery with…what? Fear?

“Okay. Go on.”

“There’s another line. It says, ‘The girl is in danger. Find her fast, and get out.’”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. If it’s Holly, you two need to find her and bring her home. The last thing our girl needs is to get taken back to the labs.”

Kurt ended the call, and Tex tucked the phone back into his pocket. Without another comment, the men trotted back down the street and slipped into the front door of Dark Haven.

Chapter Two

Hidden by the shadows of the dungeon, Holly pressed the heel of her hand over her chest, struggling to catch her breath. Her heart pounded as though she’d been running for miles, and every nerve in her body fired off conflicting signals.

They were here.

She closed her eyes and counted to ten, gathering her self-control. When she opened her eyes, she glanced down at the handle of the leather strap she clasped and then looked at the rosy ass of the sub she’d been punishing. Slowly she circled him. He waited in a heightened state of expectation and anxiety. His cock was rigid, and his breathing came fast; he was just on the verge of the climax she’d forbidden. If she ran, Holly would draw more than a little attention to herself.

Especially if she left the poor man tied to the St. Andrew’s cross, wearing nothing but a blindfold, his cock waving in the air.

She pulled a breath and cast her enhanced senses through the room and then out through the building. They were here, but not in the same space as she. If she was lucky, she could finish the scene and sneak out the dungeon exit.

Holly replaced the strap with a tiny wheel that caused a prickling sensation on the skin. She loosened his bindings and placed his hands on top of his head. “Stay as you are. Do not move.” She ran the wheel up his quivering belly to his chest and gently rounded his nipples. In spite of her tension, she smiled as he trembled. She leaned down and trailed her tongue along the path of the wheel. He tasted good, like salt and sex and human. Good, but not what she wanted.

“Anthony, do you want to come?” she whispered into his ear.

He swallowed and nodded. His body was taut with need. A shiny drop of precum welled at the eye of his penis.

“Say it.”

“Mistress, I need to come. Please.”

“You’ve done very well, Anthony. You may come. Now.”

Without so much as a touch to his flushed, engorged cock, the sub arched his back, crying out in climax. Holly stepped to the side, watching the milky fluid spurt to the floor. She looked up into his face and, as always, was awed by the sheer abandon and ecstasy that came with orgasm. As she’d never before experienced it herself, it always delighted her to watch another carried over that mysterious edge. Someday she’d know what it felt like. Someday the aching in her body would find release.

Once she brought him down from the cross, he thanked her properly—with a kiss on each leather boot. Holly escorted Anthony to a cooldown space. Some needed more aftercare, but Anthony preferred solitude, wrapped in nothing but the wooly bliss of his subspace. He wasn’t particularly demanding or needy. He wanted nothing from Holly but dominance.

That was exactly what she’d needed tonight. Obedience and gratitude. The satisfaction of being the one to push him to complete sexual annihilation.

As she gathered up her belongings, Holly searched with her nose and ears and that other indefinable sense that had been grafted into her DNA. The men were gone, and she stifled a sense of disappointment. After all, she’d run away half expecting to be hunted. She should have known Chase would respect her need to leave the pack and find herself. He’d never hunted the other women who’d left and always accepted them back without question. Why should she be any different?

She had to laugh at her own capriciousness; she’d left in order to find herself, and yet in leaving Truckee, she’d left a good part of herself behind. She was in no position to be angry with the men. She’d gotten exactly what she’d asked for: space and time. Her ego had been bruised, but that certainly wasn’t their fault. It was perverse of her to expect them to follow her. But still… She shook that thought away. What were they doing here tonight?

Something must have happened to bring them here.

Of course, they might be here for fun.

Even as the insidious thought crossed her mind, she rejected it. They weren’t here to play, not with Kurt along. He was far too sensitive to expose himself to a place like Dark Haven. Ethan would never push him to do something like that.

Anxiety played at her nerves. She should go upstairs and confront the men, assert her independence. And she should find out what was wrong.

But two of the men upstairs were her reason for leaving the Truckee pack in the first place. She’d run away, and they hadn’t followed her. She bit her lip, debating what to do.

Step by step, she climbed the stairs, wondering if they would recognize her. Hunter would; he’d been the last person ever to set eyes on her human form. She might be able to slip past the others. And Tex… The thought of her gentle cowboy made her heart ache a little. Sweet as he was, he’d see only a complete stranger, not the wolf he’d grown to know.

As she climbed, the music grew louder. Men’s and women’s shouts rose above the cries and screams of the subs in the dungeon. It had taken weeks to desensitize herself to the raw emotion from that room. It had taken even longer to find the courage to submerge herself in classes on domination, force herself to pick up the tools of the trade. The ability to unlock a sub went a long way toward salvaging the broken woman. Holly knew she’d never be normal, but at least she could function. She could live a life among humans…hold a job, and maybe she’d be brave enough to love.

Upstairs a crowd had gathered around the mechanical bull, and in spite of her tension, she smiled at the spectacle. A bare-breasted woman rode the bull as it moved in slow motion. When she came off the machine, she fell in a tumble of ruffled skirts and lacy petticoats. Amid shouts and laughter, she cheerfully dropped her skirt and climbed back onto the bull. She wore nothing but a lacy pink thong. Strip bull-riding.

Holly rolled her eyes and laughed.

The rest of the sub’s clothing was scattered across the stage. She glanced over to the other stage; a sub was busy handing bundles of short pegging strings to doms while several submissives huddled in a group, waiting for Master Xavier and Master Simon to pair them up with their “cowboys.” Holly shook her head ruefully. That old Billy Ray Cyrus song blasted through the sound system, prompting a dozen nearly naked subs to gather in a slightly obscene version of a line dance. Looked like Master Xavier was in the mood for skin tonight!

“Mistress Holly?”

She paused and smiled at the young woman who waited, hands folded and head politely bowed.

“Yes, Jenna?”

The sub kept her eyes lowered. “We’re doing calf roping. Would you like to participate?”

Calf roping? Like in the rodeo? As she watched, a young woman darted out onto the stage, followed by a dom who quickly roped her, smoothly dropped her to the floor, and then caught her hands and feet with the short rawhide strips. He jumped up, hands in the air to stop the clock. Holly had never been to the rodeo, but she’d watched when Tex would turn on the television and cheer for his favorites.

Little Summer Aragon was staring wide-eyed at the gigantic dom she’d just been assigned. Holly frowned; the girl seemed a bit fragile for such a huge man, but Xavier was skilled in pairing the right sub to a Dominant. She stifled her concern. In this past year, the greatest thing she’d learned was to give and accept trust. Those two had to work it out together, knowing that Xavier wouldn’t mislead them.

“Not tonight, Jenna. But thank you.” She smiled a dismissal at the young woman and moved on. She took to the shadows, searching for men who were taller, more beautiful, and more fundamentally alive than the others in the club.

There.

She sensed that Kurt and Ethan were gone, but a tall, golden man sauntered into the room. Her eyes were drawn to Tex Texiera as though he were the sun. His walk was loose and confident, yet he was alert, scanning the crowd. He wore the sort of clothing that she’d frequently seen him in at home: boots and jeans and a cowboy hat. A battered leather vest was worn over his shirt, and a lariat hung from his hip. He carried a leather bag that looked suspiciously like hers. Tex looked comfortable in his skin. Comfortable in this environment.

She swallowed. Tex fit right in here at Dark Haven. She’d never suspected that he might be kinked. She chewed her lip, contemplating Tex topping a sub. In her imagination, the sub looked an awful lot like her. She shivered and continued to study her friend.

She knew his eyes were as blue as the sky against his sun-browned skin. She knew that when he smiled, a deep line would cut into the smooth skin of his cheek, and his smile would sparkle like the sun on water. She knew exactly how he smelled and even how he tasted. Her belly gripped, and for a moment, she gave herself to the arousal that washed through her.

A moment later, the second man entered and prowled toward the other side of the room. Hunter moved like a panther, smooth and sleek, not a motion wasted. Smiles were foreign to his face, though when they were young, he’d always had a smile just for her. Hunter was compassion and courage and justice all rolled into one single beautiful package. He was tragic and magnificent and heroic. He was as dark as Tex was bright, and when she saw the feral intensity on his face, she swallowed. He was hunting.

He’d caught her scent.

Holly went still, knowing that if she moved—if she breathed—he’d be on to her. As the men wove between tables and through the crowd, she moved in counterpoint, working her way toward the lobby. It wouldn’t be much longer before Hunter sorted her scent from the tangle of bodies and perfumes, particularly if he went downstairs, where she’d been running her scene. It seemed to take forever, but soon enough, she was able to slip into the darkness of the evening. She kicked off her secondhand boots and hid them and her bag behind a Dumpster in the back alley. She paused, scenting the faint trail that Ethan and Kurt had taken as they left the club. There was a third scent with theirs, but she didn’t take time to identify it.

Holly jogged down the sidewalk and ducked into another alley, then peered around the corner to see if the men had managed to track her outside the club.

And then she leaned against the brick wall, threw her head back, and laughed in delight.

They’d finally come.

“She was here. Right here.”

Hunter’s chest felt tight, and his heart pounded. Fear and relief mingled with fierce joy. Her scent was sweet and laced with the edge of arousal. These months that Holly had been gone had been the longest of his life, for he’d loved her for years. It seemed that he’d hurt for her so much longer. Holly had been the one constant in his life since they’d been children who’d been taken by Abraxas and warehoused in its labs. While they’d rarely been given access to each other, he’d always watched for her when he was moved around the facility. They’d formed a relationship that had survived even through her miserable pregnancies and the repeated rounds of torturous abuse they’d both suffered.

It wasn’t until that final day of captivity that he’d lost hope of her…for her. That last horrific, miraculous day when Chase’s men had raided the foul little lab complex they’d been housed in and had carried them to freedom and safety.

From that day on, Holly had been a wolf, and Hunter had remained a human. He hadn’t shifted a single time in the years of their freedom. He’d stood back and watched in impotent fury and painful jealousy as Holly’s wolf had turned away from him, going to Tex for comfort and companionship.

He wasn’t jealous of the other man for sexual or reproductive reasons, but simply because the big cowboy was so easy with his heart. He shared himself completely. Hunter had seen her falling in love with Tex, but Tex remained oblivious. Time and again, Tex would spend hours in her company, sometimes shifting and running with her. Time and again, he’d head off to the cities and bars to find sexual companionship. Tex would come home wearing the scents of the men and women he’d slept with, never noticing the devastation in Holly’s eyes when he returned.

Even now, Tex was aroused by the open sexuality that surrounded him. A glance at the front of his jeans told Hunter he was erect, half ready to take his pleasure with any one of the willing humans even though Holly was so near.

“She was with a man. I smell his seed mingled with her scent.” Tex’s voice was gravelly and rough. The wolf was rising. Finally he was showing some emotion. Hunter closed his eyes and focused on the scent of the human. It was stronger, and he was close. They moved through the maze of bondage apparatus and tables and followed the man’s scent to a small, dark room at the back of the building.

He saw the man reclining on a sheet-covered sofa. He wasn’t sleeping, but rather in a blissful state that reminded Hunter of someone high on drugs.

Holly’s scent was all over him.

Hackles rose on his neck, and a low growl rumbled from his throat. Tex reached out to gently restrain him, holding him back. He glared at the other man, and Tex shook his head slightly, leading the way back up the stairs.

“He was with her!” Hunter’s fury had him seeing red. Tex hauled him to a small round table and forced him into a chair. When a waitress started in their direction, he shook his head curtly.

“They were together, but not…together. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think Holly topped him tonight.”

Hunter looked up in confusion. He’d blocked some of the more disturbing impressions of the place from his awareness. It surprised him how quickly he’d grown blind to the nudity and deaf to the pleasured screams of the subs. He’d even caught the scent of blood, but had set that aside as well. He’d grown up surrounded by sex and blood and screams; this place was confusing in the amount of pleasure that lingered in the air like a haze. He looked around, somewhat surprised by his arousal. The sheer eroticism of the place washed over him, and suddenly, the night was rife with possibility.

“What’s that mean?”

Tex leaned forward and smiled. “That means he was her submissive. I’m not sure what’s going on with our little wolf, but it looks like she’s found a way to take control of her life.”

Hunter didn’t understand the vernacular of the lifestyle he was navigating tonight, but he understood Tex’s meaning.

Holly was exorcising demons.

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

His companion smiled, and as always, it was an expression that loosened the tight knot in his chest. He might feel jealous of Tex much of the time, yet he also had the unsettling awareness that his wolf took comfort—pleasure—in his company. He was at ease around the other man. If it hadn’t been for Holly, he might have thought of Tex as his friend.

“It’s good, but it would have been better if she hadn’t tried to do this on her own.”

Hunter gazed around the room, seeing but not really observing. Most of his brain was focused on Holly’s trail. As always, his vision began to fade around the edges as his gift kicked in, tuning itself to his chosen quarry.

“Maybe the only way she could do it was alone. Maybe we…the men…are too much for her.” He glanced up at Tex, taking in the now sober expression. “She wasn’t treated well, Tex.”

“I know that, Hunter. I know you all suffered in the labs.”

Somehow Tex did know that. He hadn’t been genetically tampered with like the rest of them, so how could he be so aware of what they felt?

“She had babies. They all died, either at birth or shortly after. One of them was mine.”

Tex didn’t say anything; he reached out and gently rested his hand over Hunter’s clenched fist. Hunter stared down, wanting to flinch away but needing that contact. For whatever reason, he couldn’t stop talking.

“At the end…she’d had the baby…my baby. It lived for three days, and then they took it.” He bit his lip. “Just before Chase came, they brought it back to her, and it died there in her cell. She screamed. She ripped at her own skin. I was just yards away and couldn’t do anything. That’s when she shifted and never turned back.”

Tex squeezed his hand. Holly had been an incredibly strong woman. She’d taken so much over the years. Only abject, utter despair could have forced her to retreat to her wolf like that.

“You never shifted again either.”

Hunter wasn’t ready to talk about that. Not now, and not with Tex. He slipped his hand away and removed it from the table. He’d done bad things while in wolf form. Vile things. He’d been released from his cell to fight for his freedom, and he’d wallowed in the blood of his captors. He’d torn through his tormenters as if skin were paper and bones were twigs. He’d taken their lives, and inside, the joy of the hunt had filled his heart. Finally, he was fulfilled. He’d become exactly what Abraxas had made him, and they’d paid the ultimate price.

Hunter remembered waking in the back of a tented truck as it trundled over the sodden road through a jungle, seeing and feeling rusty blood all over his arms and chest…his face. He’d worn the blood of his enemies for days. He’d tasted that blood in his mouth for years. Hunter never wanted to taste old blood again. He’d spent endless nights wide awake, unwilling to replay the carnage in his dreams. Now he hunted, but only in human form. He’d never trust the wolf again.

“She had to have shifted to human form to come here. She must have had help from someone in the pack.”

Tex heaved a big sigh. “Maybe Eva. I initially thought Briony might have helped her leave, but Doc Bree would be too worried about her. Eva’s been up at the compound every month visiting her brother Deuce.”

Irritation rose within Hunter. He liked Napa’s alpha female, but she wasn’t Truckee’s alpha, even if her brother was living under Chase’s protection.

“Eva has no business meddling with our pack. But if it was her, she’d have kept an eye on Holly.” Hunter rose, feeling back in control. Marginally. For a moment there, he’d been afraid he might take out his anger and jealousy on some innocent human. He closed his eyes and focused on the nearly imperceptible trail that existed only in his mind.

“She’s outside the club. We’ll pick up her scent out there.”

Tex nodded and headed out the door to the lobby, still carrying that small duffel bag of his. Hunter had thought he carried a change of clothing, but now he suspected Tex was more familiar with the BDSM scene than he let on.

To his chagrin, Hunter felt his cock slowly harden at the thought of what might be in that bag. The image of Holly on one of those crosses flashed through his mind, and he shut it down fast.

She’d spent too much of her life being abused by others. And yet when she ran, this was where she’d come. He took a deep breath and let it out, doing his best to focus.

“Hunter. It’s okay to be turned on. We’re wolves. We’re dominant by nature. Sex is our lifeblood. And we’re hunting.”

“But we’re hunting Holly.” He shook his head. “It’s not all right.”

Tex handed the human receptionist his bag and headed out the door to the sidewalk. He grinned. “Somehow I think Holly knows exactly what’s on our minds. And frankly, Hunter, I think this is exactly what she’s been hoping for.”

Chapter Three

Holly laid her trail carefully, taking a few side trips up rickety fire escapes and onto the roofs of various commercial buildings. The city wasn’t like her home in the mountains; she couldn’t use running water to mask her trail. But then, she wasn’t leaving a visible trail for the men’s sharp eyes, so the trade-off was good.

Briefly she considered a run to Golden Gate Park, where they could shift and race, but Hunter would probably stay on two feet. She felt a moment’s sadness for him. She’d taken to her wolf these past few years out of survival. He’d locked away his wolf out of fear.

She wondered which of them was more pathetic.

Tex, though, he was healthy. Perhaps that was why she’d always craved his company. They’d spent hours together, often in peaceful silence. Sometimes she’d been privy to his innermost secrets. She knew he’d been afraid for his best friend Rico when the man had fallen in love with the very human Briony. Turned out Briony had some mysterious secrets hidden under her milk chocolate exterior.

She thought about Doc Bree with a pang of loneliness. When she’d run, Briony had been blossoming into early pregnancy. With a jolt, she realized the baby would be born by now.

She didn’t even know if it was a boy or a girl. Eva hadn’t told her. Tears burned her eyes, and she wiped them away, angry at herself. If she’d stayed within the safe confines of the pack, Holly would never have been able to walk among her friends and family as one of them. She’d never have been able to summon the strength to consider a job or even take a lover. More than anything else in the world, Holly wanted children…children who lived. She wanted a man who cherished her and would keep her fears at bay. She wanted a man who could unlock the mysteries of her body. She wanted a man like Tex, who radiated goodwill and happiness.

To her consternation, she had come to realize that Tex wasn’t all that she wanted. She wanted Hunter too. Dark, moody, soul-torn Hunter, who’d been her silent shadow from her earliest memory. But like her, Hunter was damaged and broken, unable to embrace his wolfen nature. She saw it in his eyes: he thought she feared him after that wild, deadly rampage. He didn’t understand that any of them were capable of the same thing. He didn’t understand he’d been her salvation that horrible last day.

Holly made an agile leap from the roof of an old car and landed on the low rungs of a rusty ladder. From there she ran from landing to landing, jumping gracefully and with uncanny accuracy. Hunter hunted, and Holly could run. The thought made her smile. Perhaps she should shift and lead them to a park, or even down to the coast. If she moved fast enough, he’d be forced to change shape just to keep up with her. It offended her wolf that he’d rejected that vital side of himself. It crippled him, and Holly wanted him whole and healthy. She was willing to push him to the edge in a wild mating run. She could force him to shift and heal himself. But she realized he had to do this in his own time. If she forced the issue, she might end up alienating him.

Holly tilted her head, listening for the distant echo of pursuit. It was too late to change her plan; they were already coming.

She grinned and laughed in delight, looping in a giant circle, leading them back to where it had all started. Within minutes, she’d backtracked to Dark Haven.

“Damn, she’s good.” Tex’s voice showed his admiration. They’d trailed her through alleys until her scent would mysteriously vanish, only to pick it up several blocks away. Eventually Hunter had thought to look up, to seek the trail on another level. That had sped up the pursuit somewhat.

Tex was a pretty good hunter for having no enhancements; he seemed to have a knack for locating the most likely route she might have taken. Once, they found themselves on a fire escape that was so fragile, it barely held both men. Another time they ran swiftly over flat rooftops, leaping from building to building.

As they hunted, Hunter’s excitement increased, because, like Tex, he’d finally come to the conclusion that his little Holly was playing a game, leading them on a chase. This was flirtation and courtship, and she was initiating the game. It was the sudden awareness of what came at the end of the chase that had him aroused. Slowly but surely, they were heading back into the neighborhood from where they’d started.

When they arrived back near Dark Haven, the men moved at a silent, deadly pace, swifter than shadows in the darkness. They were only blocks away from the club when he spotted her.

“Is that her?” Tex’s voice held amazement as they slowed to a stop. He’d never seen her human form before. Hunter hid a grin at what his companion had in store, because Holly… She was beautiful.

They hadn’t caught Holly; she’d finally stopped running. And she now stood poised under the misty light of a street lamp. Wet asphalt glistened under her bare feet. She was waiting. His heart pounded frantically, unable to differentiate between lust and anger and flat-out joy.

There she was, beautiful as he remembered. Her black hair was long and sleek instead of cropped and dull. Instead of ragged bleached cotton, she wore tight denim jeans and a Western-style leather vest with nothing under it but skin and a lacy black bra. Though she was barefoot, he was willing to bet she’d left a pair of cowboy boots somewhere inside.

She saw them, and the wild emotions in her eyes reflected what he was feeling. She looked from one man to the other, and to his chagrin, Hunter realized she was equally drawn to them both. He glanced at his companion, almost amused at how transfixed Tex was.

“Holly?”

He was a goner. Hunter knew Tex had sought out Holly over and over again since they’d come to Truckee. Most likely his promiscuous behavior had been out of confusion—the subconscious knowledge that what he needed most was…somewhere. Never knowing she was right under his nose. Jealousy flared and then died at the dawning realization at what was happening right there and then. Something he’d never dreamed could happen…

Then she snared Hunter with that fathomless gaze, and likewise, he felt as frozen as a deer in the headlights. He was caught, and so was Tex. The knowledge wasn’t as painful as he would have expected. His inner vision of the future shifted, making room for one more.

“I always knew she was my mate. Just didn’t figure she’d be yours too.” His throat felt so tight, it hurt to talk.

Tex tore his gaze from the woman and looked at Hunter in shock.

“Two of us? I’ve heard that dominant females will claim more than one mate…but Holly?” He looked back at her in surprise. “Eva’s a dominant. She’s with Harte only.”

“Harte’s an alpha. He’s at the top of the pyramid in his pack. We’re lower in the hierarchy. Dominant, but not alpha.”

It made odd sense as the explanation came from his mouth. He’d grown up outside the normal structure of a pack, but it was clear once he was confronted with the reality.

Holly wanted them both.

Immediately his wolf rose in possessive jealousy. In reaction, Holly poised to run, drawing his hostility away from Tex.

“Oh no you don’t!” Tex crouched slightly, poised to leap after her.

She was off and running, with Tex only yards behind her. Hunter sprinted to catch up with the other man, leaping over trash cans and debris that littered the alley. They dodged back into the side streets, clambered over a chain-link fence and into a parking lot. She was fast, and she was agile, easily keeping out of their reach.

“Give me space…” Tex grunted, and Hunter drew back, watching in amazement as the cowboy began to loop his lariat through the air. He stopped, braced, and the rope shot out like a snake, then dropped down over her arms. With deft skill, he snapped the rope, pinning her arms to her sides. She jolted to a stop, shock in her expressive eyes.

“Wow. I thought that thing was just for show.” Hunter stood next to Tex, grinning as his partner slowly reeled her in.

“How’d you think I got a name like Tex?”

“Thought it was from your last name… Texiera?”

“Spent most of my summers on my grandparents’ ranch in Texas. We lived there full-time for years before I moved back to Truckee.” He smiled grimly. “Used to ride rodeo. Never went on the big circuits, but I could ride a bronc or rope a calf.”

“Or a filly.” Hunter couldn’t resist the joke, even though Tex shot him a look of surprise.

Holly struggled against the rope that pinned her arms in place. She wanted to laugh, and she wanted to scream. She wanted to rush the men and throw herself into their arms. As Tex hauled her closer, she eagerly examined their faces, wrestling with the conflicting urges that surged through her body. In seconds she was close enough to touch, but she couldn’t. Instead she stared at them boldly, summoning up every ounce of courage that she’d painstakingly cultivated over the year that she’d been on her own.

She tossed her head defiantly and gave them a pugnacious grin.

“Hello, Holly darlin’.”

At the sound of Tex’s drawl, her urge to struggle faded. All defiance fled when she looked at Hunter and saw the emotions ebbing and flowing in his eyes.

“Tex. Hunter.” She lifted her chin and challenged the two men. She knew what she wanted, and now that the men were here, it was so close, just out of reach. And damn it! She didn’t know how to ask!

“Why are you here?” She hadn’t fully recovered her voice this year. It was still harsh and low. The sound of it embarrassed Holly, but it seemed to light a fire in Tex’s eyes.

“Chase sent us on business. We caught scent of you and decided there was something more important to attend to.”

She flushed slightly. She didn’t ask what the business was; that could wait till later. Explanations could wait as well. Right now Holly had her two chosen mates standing in front of her, fire in their eyes and lust in their bellies. Deliberately she wiggled a bit, watching in satisfaction as their hungry gazes traveled down the length of her body.

This was a fragile moment, and she knew it. They’d both be reluctant to take her, fearing she might still be traumatized by her past. Hunter in particular. He’d seen her at her lowest point and had treated her like fragile china since.

Again she pushed away her doubts. That was the past. She’d wallowed in the past, relived every moment of pain and agony. She’d hidden away within her wolf for years, grappling with pain and loss. This past year, she’d held the wolf at bay, relearning to trust and live among humans again. She was ready. What Hunter didn’t recognize was that he’d washed her soul clean with the blood of those men who’d abused her for so long.

He was her hero.

If they’d waited just a little longer, she’d have been in her heat cycle. There’d have been no doubt, no hesitation. They’d have been hers. Now she could only hope that nature would overcome their hesitation. If not, she hoped that they could trust her.

Hunter broke first. He stepped up and grabbed her roughly by the arms, then examined every inch of her face. He cradled her jaw and then lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was clumsy and inexperienced, drawing tears to her eyes. All these years he’d waited for her, keeping his love—his lust—to himself. She knew he wasn’t a virgin; in the labs, virginity was only a state of mind. But if he’d taken a lover, she’d have known. As she’d done with Tex, she’d have scented it on him.

He forced his tongue into her mouth, and she felt his fangs drop slightly. She tasted blood—hers. If her hands had been free, she’d have clasped him close to her body. As it was, their bodies strained together. He held her tightly, as though he drew his life from her touch. She never wanted it to end.

He broke away with a gasp and staggered back, horror in his eyes. She stared and didn’t back down. Slowly she licked the blood from her lips and watched as his expression changed. The guilt ebbed away, leaving triumph in its place.

Cautiously she turned to Tex, who still held the rope that bound her.

This time he didn’t grin. He didn’t have a clever quip or a silly joke. The smile no longer lurked there in his bright blue eyes. He didn’t even reach out to touch her. He moved close to Holly, slowly pushing her in Hunter’s direction until she could move no farther. Her back was against Hunter’s solid form, her buttocks pressed to his groin. Only when she was securely trapped between the men did he lean down to kiss her.

It was slow and deliberate, yet she sensed that he channeled every bit of his passion into that kiss. It was fierce and intense and incredibly gentle. He dropped the rope, reached around, and drew Hunter’s arms forward around her waist. There they stood, in the darkness of an alley, three pieces of a puzzle that had suddenly been solved.

Chapter Four

Fog was drifting in, and they stood at the outer edges of a streetlight; the weak light gave the scene a sense of timelessness and magic.

Magic. Tex thought of the mysterious Wraith and written message that had suddenly changed. Maybe it was time to move this party inside. A glance at Hunter told him the other man had the same thought. He didn’t want to break the spell that held the three of them together; he didn’t want her afraid.

“Holly darlin’, have you been a bad girl?”

Those dark eyes of hers went wide, and he was snared, unable to look away. He moved forward just a bit more, closing the last bit of space between the three. The air was fragrant with their arousal. It was like perfume…like the ocean and the jungle and the mountains all blended into one.

“Bad?” she repeated. His eyes were drawn to her full lips. In the dim light, he couldn’t make out the color, but he thought they were probably the shade of a rose petal. Her eyes simply had to be blue. She reminded him of a flower in the misty light.

“You left without telling anyone where you were going. You never called or wrote. We didn’t know if you were dead or alive.” Hunter spoke softly. His breath made her hair stir. She licked her lips.

“Eva knew.”

“Still. You’ve been bad. I think you need to be punished. Don’t you think she should be punished, Hunter?” He met the other man’s gaze and smiled to see the slow awareness come into his face. Hunter might be new to the scene, but he was rapidly catching on to the spirit of play.

“Yeah. Yes, she’s been bad.” He leaned forward, inhaling her scent. “You played with someone… A human.” He pushed her hair aside and nibbled the base of her neck. His sharp teeth held; his eyes were as close to wolf as Tex had ever seen.

Holly gave a slow, low moan. Tex could see the pulse in her throat.

“You’ve been here all this time, playing in the club, topping humans. Maybe it’s time for Holly to learn a lesson about who’s on top.” Tex tilted his head and nipped her jaw. Her body jerked convulsively between the men. With a shaky breath, Hunter let her loose and nuzzled the spot he’d just bitten. Slowly he ran his tongue down the red spot, soothing and seductive.

Her eyes dropped closed, and Tex shivered in arousal. He was hard…throbbing. She knew it, because his hips were pressed tight against her belly. He whispered his lips along her jaw to her throat, then moved up to nibble at her earlobe. She was a dominant who was aching to switch for them. Only for them. But she was also a woman who’d experienced far too much pain in her life. Tex was going to have to be on top of his game with her.

“You okay, Holly? Is this too much?” He pulled back and stared down into her flushed face. When she opened her eyes, they were bright with arousal…lust. She nodded.

“Say it, darlin’. We need to hear you say it.”

“I’m good. I’m okay.” She swallowed.

“You know what’s happening here?” He continued to study her face…her beautiful face. He’d never seen her human form before, but he’d have known her anywhere.

“Yes, you’re…you guys…” She looked from one man to the other. “You caught me. You win.” A tiny dimple appeared in the middle of her cheek, and she was suddenly a roguish charmer. Even in the dim light of the alley, her eyes sparkled with mischief.

Tex stepped back and looped the lariat around her a couple more times, making certain she was secured. The rope was soft, not like a working lariat, so it wouldn’t abrade her skin.

He stood in front of her, looking down into her face. “This is what we’re gonna do. We’re going back inside Dark Haven. You may not speak without permission. If someone asks you a direct question, you wait for me or Hunter to give you permission to speak.”

She jerked her chin up in that defiant motion once again. She was fighting against her impulse to submit to him.

“Do you understand?” He whispered the question, his voice low with warning. Her gaze held his and then dropped.

“Yes.”

“Excuse me, darlin’?”

Hunter growled softly in her ear. He probably didn’t know what Tex was fishing for, but instinct told Hunter that she was still rebellious. Hell, she’d been a domme here for months, most likely. Now she was just days away from her heat and had managed to lure not one but two mates to her side. Hunter’s wolf already knew what was happening. If she wasn’t dominated thoroughly, she’d be a holy terror when her fertility was upon her. They could easily lose her to another. It didn’t matter what sort of power dynamics existed outside of sex; during mating, the male had to be dominant, or he’d run the risk of losing his woman.

“I understand…Sir.”

Tex gazed at her, taking in the thick fringe of black eyelashes that rested on her cheek. Her face was smooth and serene. Nope, she wasn’t there yet.

“Not good enough.”

The look she gave him was on the cusp of anger, full of heat.

“What’d that human call you earlier this evening?” Hunter’s voice vibrated with anger. Jealousy.

He’d moved away from her back and now stood side by side with Tex. She looked at them from behind her lashes, anticipation blended with anxiety.

“He called me Mistress.”

“Then you’ll call us Master.” Tex reached out and lifted her chin. “You’ll call us Master, and you’ll mean it.”

“Yes…Master.”

She said it, but she didn’t like saying it. Tex glanced up at Hunter and nodded. They each hooked a hand through an arm and turned her, then moved up toward the street and around the block till they came to the front entrance of the club. Hunter pulled the door open and let Holly and Tex precede him inside.

“Hey, Holly…” Destiny looked from her to the men as she trailed off. “Uh… Everything all right here, Holly?” She bent down to retrieve Tex’s toy satchel and handed it over.

Holly looked up at Tex for permission to speak. He nodded.

“I’m fine. These are friends from home.”

Suddenly the subby little receptionist became a wary tigress. She looked from Tex to Hunter and then back to Holly. “I was talking to her.” She stared Tex down. “Now, Holly. Are you all right, or do I need to call a dungeon monitor?”

To everyone’s surprise, Holly broke out into a smile—a sudden, tremulous smile. The expression shattered something inside of him; any residual anger that he harbored melted away like ice in the sun.

“It’s okay, Destiny. These guys… I’ve been waiting on them for a while now.” Her smile grew even bigger.

“That’s enough.” Tex tugged her arm, aware of the receptionist watching as they walked Holly into the club. He was grateful they cared for her, but impatient. He needed to get her downstairs. Now. He ignored the trembling of his hands and the racing of his heart.

Hunter followed them through the club and down the stairs, only peripherally aware of the music and dancing that surrounded them. A burst of cheers broke out; he glanced over and saw a poker game in progress. Apparently a dom had just lost his sub to the other player. He saw triumph flare in the expression of the winning player, and Hunter knew exactly how he felt.

Holly had been waiting. For them.

Damn! Why hadn’t they come looking for her sooner?

Shame crept through his gut. They hadn’t looked for her because once she’d left, he’d had absolutely no clue in which direction she’d gone. For the first time in his memory, his skills had deserted him. He’d always relied on that inner tracker to direct him, to give him the extra edge. With Holly, it had failed. That failure had haunted him, and the more he worried about Holly and his inability to track her, the less faith he had in himself.

Sometimes the only reason he got up and moved through his days was the incessant pushing from Tex. The other man had dragged him out on jobs, teaching him to put up walls and run wire through new buildings for Tex’s construction firm. Along with some of the others, he’d painted walls and installed flooring. One by one, Chase’s wolves had taken their tests and earned their certifications. Men and women who’d known nothing but fighting and abuse were now contractors and artisans. When they had time off, Tex pulled them all in to work on the main lodge of the compound, bringing it back to the former glory of its heyday.

If it hadn’t been for Tex, this last year would have been hell. The irony was, he treated Hunter no differently than any of the rest of the pack. He wondered if the cowboy had any clue what a difference he’d made in so many of their lives.

They descended the stairs, and the hush of the dungeon enfolded them. The party continued upstairs, yet it was as though they’d entered a different world. Spanking benches, bondage apparatus, and sex swings filled the room. There were small theme rooms for those who wished to play in private, and a giant, suspended bed for those who wished to share. Tex paused and glanced at him over his shoulder, the shadow of a grin starting on his face.

“So many ways to punish a naughty little wolf.”

Hunter felt an answering smile begin on his own face. After so many months of not knowing, he felt lighter. Seeing Holly in her human form, healthy and clearly happy to see them? Well, that nearly made his head spin. They approached the big X-shaped frame that held Holly’s scent as well as the scent of the human she’d pleasured. Hunter clenched his jaw against an angry growl.

He’d fought his wolf for so very long, and up until tonight, he’d been certain that he’d mastered it. Obviously the creature had simply retreated. It was back in full force, eager to claim, to punish, and to romance his mate. He looked around the room, seeing through both aspects of his vision.

The wolf was repulsed by the scent of the other man and wished to leave.

The human wanted to see her bound and punished and well fucked.

Tex took the decision from him, and oddly, his usually dominant wolf didn’t object. Hunter had long been one of Chase’s betas, standing above most of the other males in the pack’s hierarchy. To his surprise, the wolf was willing to allow Tex’s animal to take the lead here in Dark Haven.

But then, he’d been looking to Tex as a teacher for some months now. Was the big, easy-going wolf actually dominant to him? He swallowed, putting that thought aside for the moment.

The three of them stood for a long moment in front of the cross. All of them scented the human’s semen though it was shrouded under the stench of cleanser. After a minute or two, Holly glanced at them from under that fringe of heavy eyelashes.

“You made him climax.” Tex no longer smiled.

Holly swallowed and then lifted her chin defiantly. What was going on in that amazing mind of hers?

“I didn’t even have to touch him.”

Then Tex gave her a wicked smile. “You’re that good, eh?” He reached out and gently stroked her cheek. “Maybe someday you’ll show me just how good you are. But not tonight.” He let his hand fall away. “How d’you think you’ll do at the other end of the whip?” He then unwound the lariat, rubbing her arms where the rope had bitten into her skin.

Hunter watched her carefully, expecting her to show anxiety or even fear. Instead she tilted her head and folded her arms over her chest. His wolf growled again in aroused pleasure. She was excited, yes, but having fun as well. When had Holly learned to play? He then remembered the hours she’d spent with Tex, playing chase and tackle on the great lawns at home.

Tex had taught her to play.

“Bend forward; hold on to the cross.” She looked at Tex with a slightly mutinous expression on her pretty face.

“Don’t make him tell you again,” Hunter murmured.

Holly glanced at him and then reluctantly complied. She leaned forward from the waist, her heart-shaped bottom tilting up temptingly. He reached out tentatively, then lightly ran a hand over her jeans. She didn’t protest, nor did he scent much fear. She was excited and maybe a tiny bit afraid. Not in a bad way, though.

“Now there’s a pretty sight.” Tex set down his bag and then squatted to open it. He rummaged around, pulling out soft ropes and a few objects Hunter didn’t recognize. Even so, he had a pretty good idea what some of the items would be used for. Holly looked over her shoulder, her eyes wide.

“So first things first. Our girl ran off without telling us…”

“Chase knew. So did Eva!”

Anger sparked through Hunter. There was nothing he could do about Chase except maybe feel relief that his alpha had a hand in this. But Eva? She’d overstepped her boundaries. Still, he was reluctantly grateful that she’d been keeping an eye on their girl.

Tex brought a big hand down on her ass in a solid, satisfying swat. She bit her lip and turned away.

“Speak when you’re spoken to, sub.” He ran his hand over the place he’d spanked.

“So, Hunter. Our girl ran away without telling us and left us to worry all this time. What do you think her punishment should be?”

Hunter looked from Tex to Holly and back. Her bottom still swayed temptingly, and the entire scenario became crystal clear. Holly and Tex were playing. There might be a sharp, sexual edge to this sort of play, but it drew him as powerfully as it drew his wolf. His arousal surged. There was only one answer.

“Holly needs a spanking. One swat for every month she stayed away from us.” He glanced at Tex, glad to see he’d answered correctly.

“Ten swats, eh? And five more for running us around town, plus another five for talking back just now.” Tex stepped up next to her and gave Holly a searching look. “Twenty swats, Holly. Bare hand to bare ass.”

He nodded, and without comment, Holly stepped back from the cross and waited for one of them to lead the way. Tex stood, briefly debating between an A-frame apparatus and a spanking bench that reminded Hunter of a padded sawhorse. After a moment, he gestured to the bench.

“You need restraints, or you want to tough this out?”

Hunter had to admire the subtle insight he practiced on Holly. She’d spent plenty of time in restraints throughout her life. Personally, Hunter would have preferred her over his knees, but that might be too much intimacy for her.

“Bare hands?” she asked. Tex nodded. “I can deal. Master.” She reached down to unbuckle her belt. The jeans slipped down, revealing a pair of plain black cotton panties. Not a thong…panties.

Slowly she stepped out of her underwear and climbed up onto the bench. She lowered herself onto it and gripped the hanging leather cuffs. Tex’s big hand stroked, raised, and then he paused.

“Holly, what’s your safe word?”

“Safe word.” She frowned for a moment as though confused. “My subs always have their own.”

“How ’bout ‘bacon’?”

“Bacon?” Hunter and Holly sounded equally surprised.

“Holly always steals the bacon off my plate. And to slow things down, ‘eggs.’”

She turned around and looked at him in amazement. “Only you, Tex—Master Tex.” She turned back and rested her forehead against the padded bench. Her shoulders quaked as she laughed quietly.

“Hunter, if she says her safe word, everything stops. Period. If she says ‘eggs,’ that means you need to give her a break.”

Hunter nodded.

“And darlin’, if you’re good to go, it’s…”

“Toast.” She looked at him in mock solemnity.

“Sure. Why not. ‘Toast’ means she’s good to go.”

Hunter nodded in agreement. He swallowed and glanced around the room, noticing that people watched from the perimeter. He stood a bit taller. He wondered if these were Holly’s friends or maybe even her playmates. He wanted them to see. He wanted them to see that she was theirs.

“You ready, Holly?” Tex raised a hand over her bottom.

“I’ll start with the first ten. You count them off.”

She took a deep breath.

“Toast.”

Chapter Five

At first it didn’t hurt. Besides, Holly was no stranger to pain. She flinched slightly at the first strike and forced herself to relax. As she did so, heat began to spread, as did an insidious sting. The second blow stung more.

“Count, Holly.” Tex’s voice was hushed and intent. He smacked her ass a third time.

“Three…” Her voice was not only rough and low, but breathless as well.

“Nope. That was one.”

“No, it was the thir—Ow!”

“You didn’t count, and now you’re sassing me again. Count from one.”

The next slap came down, and she growled. “One.”

Hunter laughed. He laughed! If she hadn’t been so preoccupied with keeping track of Tex’s hand on her bottom, she’d have been shocked. What was more, every time his hand came down, her arousal came up. If she hadn’t been experiencing it, she’d never have believed it. By the time she reached the count of ten, her skin was hot, her face was flushed, and her cunt felt disconcertingly wet.

She knew some people got off on pain; she’d administered more than one spanking herself. But still, she was a top—a domme. Yes, it was the nature of her wolf to submit to its mates, but she—Holly—should be terrified at the loss of control. She wasn’t. As she finished Tex’s count, Hunter smoothly moved in.

To her relief, his first blow was tentative, almost gentle.

“No, not like that. Here… Feel this.” She heard the sound of skin on skin and knew Tex demonstrated, most likely on Hunter’s arm. She rested her head on the bench again, glad for the moment’s respite. All too soon it ended with a sharp, stinging blow.

“Twelve!” she shrieked. “Yow!”

“Was that too hard?”

“Did she say her safe word?” She supposed Hunter must have shaken his head in response, because another blow came down, as hard as the one before. When she finally reached twenty, hands came down on her skin, stroking and soothing. She took a breath of relief.

“For such a tough little she-wolf, you sure make a hell of a lot of noise.”

Holly almost shot him a dirty look, then pulled it back at the last minute. Tex was more than capable of punishing her, and right now, Holly needed a break.

“Can you see it?”

“What?”

More movement behind her, but she didn’t bother to track them.

“She’s wet. Excited. Look, it dribbled down her thigh.”

Holly suddenly caught the scent of her own arousal. She was nearly as gratified as she was embarrassed. She moved her hands to cover her face. She felt…good. A little fuzzy. She rested her head on the padded bench and became peripherally aware of people watching. Spreading her fingers, she peeked. People who knew her…and she didn’t mind at all. Wasn’t that odd? Only a year ago she’d have been quivering in fear at the idea of so many humans. She felt a warm sensation in her belly—pride. This had been an amazing journey.

“Now, Holly, did I tell you to move?”

Crap. She shook her head.

“What was that again?”

She swallowed. “No, Master Tex.” She returned her hands to the straps and gripped them tightly. She bit her lip and then lifted her ass just a bit, knowing what she was doing to the men. She hoped her smile was hidden, because they were both still afraid to touch her. If they knew she was deliberately teasing them, she’d be in for another round of spanking.

On cue, she heard the sharp intake of breath and a muffled curse.

“Off there. Now.”

Hands on her arms steadied her; hands on her waist lifted her carefully and braced her as she caught her balance. Tex looked her over, checking her face, her eyes. Hunter gazed intently, first at Tex and then at Holly.

He was an apt student.

“Limits, Holly. Hard and soft.”

She thought for a moment and then looked up into Tex’s blue eyes. The smile was gone. “I don’t really know. I suppose I’ll know when we get there.”

“That’s not good enough.” He moved away, quickly cleaned up the area, and gathered his belongings.

“I suppose…bondage. Not right away. Maybe later.” Too many bad memories there, but eventually she’d face them head-on.

“Floggers? Single tails?”

“I’m fine with either. I can handle caning. I don’t like to hear whip cracking.” Again, too much of the past there. She’d stood for various whippings as she’d learned to be a domme, but the crack of the whip frightened her. It was a trigger. She’d heard that sound too often in the labs, knowing that one of her friends was suffering. “No humiliation. Please. Master.” She’d almost forgotten.

“Holly, you don’t have to do this. Any of it.” Hunter stepped up and looked at her intently. “But…you want to, don’t you?” He had a look of wonderment on his face.

Briefly Holly considered what she’d want from a sub at a moment like this. Slowly, carefully, she knelt in front of him, both hands behind her back. She wasn’t completely comfortable with the position of subservience, but she glanced up at Hunter and saw the nearly feral gleam in his eye. And she winked.

“Naughty girl.” Tex reached out and tweaked a lock of her hair. He then stroked her head fondly. She fought the instinct to rest her head against his leg, but then gave in to the impulse, smelling Tex and the warm fragrance of his arousal. He smelled like leather and musk and wood. She looked up at his face, gauged his reaction, and was pleased. Hunter… He wasn’t quite so happy, so she sat back on her heels and gazed up at him. After a moment, his expression softened.

Who’d have thought she could manipulate them this way? A rush of satisfaction surged through her, and she dropped her gaze to the floor. While submitting to the men was natural and comforting, her inner domme grinned at the discovery. Her wolf grinned at the idea that she’d just outflanked the men.

“Very clever.” Tex stepped away, leaving her alone on the floor. “Our little wolf has just figured out how to top from the bottom.”

Hunter looked sharply in Tex’s direction, watching as the other man set his bag on a narrow table against the wall.

“Holly, come here.”

“Yes, Master,” she murmured. Feeling a bit deflated, Holly stood before Tex while Hunter was at her back.

“Tie her wrists in front of her. Not too tight.” He tossed Hunter a length of rope. She watched carefully as Hunter looped the rope around her wrists. Tex examined it and nodded in approval. “There’s more we can do with rope, but maybe another time. Rope is kind of a hobby of mine.”

She was fully aware that he knew how to use that lariat on his hip. A little flurry of alarm ran through her at the thought of what else he could do to her with that rope. Briefly, the memory of being bound to a table broke into her thoughts. She pushed it back, returning to the moment. This was Tex, and she’d always been safe with him.

Upstairs there was a winch for suspension play. She’d never learned much about rope work herself; it made her too uneasy.

“Hunter, there’s a hook up there. Raise her arms and loop the rope over it.” He’d lowered the hook to just the proper height for Holly. She was stretched, but not uncomfortably so. If she needed to, she could slip her hands loose. Her bare feet were planted squarely on the carpeted floor. Tex was starting her easy, challenging her fear of being bound but giving her a path to escape if she needed it.

Slowly tension began to seep out of her, and Holly looked at Tex. His face was neutral, but she sensed that his attention was sharply focused on her. She caught his gaze, nodded briefly, and dropped hers.

“Hunter, why don’t you show me what we’ve been dying to see all evening?” Tex was back at the table, rummaging in the bag. “Unbutton her vest.”

Hunter’s fingers hovered over the leather vest she’d bought for that evening. She’d saved tips for over a month and had found it at a thrift store on Haight Street. Hunter looked down into her face. “What part of breakfast are we at?” He stroked the top button.

“Toast.”

He lifted a brow.

“Master.”

He smiled at her response, and for a moment her heart stopped and time stood still. She wanted to reach out, stroke her fingers over that tight little smile…into the tiny dimple that played at the corner of his mouth. Had he ever smiled at her like that before? She blinked, looked down, and the first button was open. And then the second. Holly looked to where Tex leaned against the table, watching intently.

Cool air kissed her skin.

“Hunter, does the bra unfasten in the front or back?”

“F…front.”

Holly didn’t look down; she knew what they were seeing—the smooth, white mounds of her breasts, not too large or small. Unmarked and firm. Rosy tips peeked through the black lace of the demi-bra. She hadn’t taken care with her panties, not expecting to display them. Her bra, though, was meant to showcase her breasts behind the leather of her vest.

Hunter’s fingers trembled slightly as he unfastened the bra, but he smoothly peeled it to the sides. She dropped her gaze, suspecting that this was a powerful moment for both men. Closing her eyes, Holly felt her nipples draw up and pebble in the cool air. Her breath came a bit faster.

A warm hand cupped one breast; a warm mouth covered the other. Opening her eyes, she then saw Tex’s golden head and Hunter’s dark hand. Her legs went weak, but her weight was supported by the ropes that bound her wrists.

She groaned at the twin sensations and shivered as Hunter came down to her for a kiss—their second ever. Would she count every kiss in the future? She hoped there’d be too many to keep track of.

He was gentle this time, exploring, learning his way around her lips. He probed gently with his tongue, and she knew he’d been watching and learning from Tex. She hadn’t been kissed often, mostly allowing her subs to show their gratitude with a kiss to her hand or cheek. Never on the lips. That privilege had been reserved for the very rare man who’d appealed to her enough to pique her curiosity. And she’d never before been moved by the embrace. Now the sweetness of Hunter’s kiss brought tears to her eyes even as Tex’s mouth did amazingly carnal things to her breast.

Both men tasted and teased, one making her heart beat faster; the other drawing a twisting arousal to her belly. The heat from her buttocks softened to a seductive warmth that crept between her legs; she throbbed and swelled with excitement.

Before she could comprehend what was happening, their hands left her body, and she was left alone and cold. For the first time in her life, Holly understood sexual frustration. She nearly screamed with it.

Chapter Six

She was such a complicated woman.

Tex thought of himself as a simple man, and he found himself nearly paralyzed with the challenges he was facing. He hadn’t missed Hunter’s involuntary flinch when they’d briefly touched during the first moments of Holly’s seduction. In spite of the challenges she presented, Holly was proving to be less problematic than her other mate.

Tex moved back to the bench along the wall to take a few moments to sort out his next move. He watched Hunter, acknowledging that the man was truly beautiful. He was all restrained passion and repressed sexuality. Like Holly, he was scarred to the core. Tex sighed and briefly wished his friend Rico was here. The man had insight and common sense that Tex lacked. Holly’s fear was something she’d tackled head-on. She was in tune with her feelings and emotions. Hunter? The man hadn’t even been aware of the fact that he’d flinched from Tex.

If Hunter didn’t find a way to overcome his fear of being touched by other men, he’d not only split up the three of them before the relationship even got off the ground, he’d also live a life of higher stress and loneliness. Wolves not only liked touch, they needed it. Chase had designed the communal living room in the big resort with generous couches, cushions on the floor, and soft carpeting, all with the idea of puppy piles and casual contact. In the years that Hunter had been with the pack, Tex had never seen him voluntarily touch another person, not even his fellow betas.

He glanced up and saw Hunter looking at him impatiently. Holly was still suspended, her eyes downcast. She’d been watching him, though. And if Tex was right, she was most likely aware of his concern. Going years without speaking had taught her to observe and to listen. She also knew Hunter better than he did. He’d seek her advice, but not tonight.

Tonight was for other things. Tonight they were going to play.

He reached into his kit, deciding it was time to move Holly along. She had limits beyond those she’d stated, though she might not be aware of them herself. She didn’t like being bound, and Tex was certain she wouldn’t like losing her senses. He tossed a blindfold to Hunter.

“Put that on her.” He turned away, calculating how quickly he could push her out of her comfort zone. Most subs he’d played with in the past had clear limits and rules. Holly wasn’t afraid of pain, and she had a few true phobias he didn’t want to push. At the same time, she was dominant by nature. She wouldn’t break easily, so he could take some risks. He pulled a plug and lube from his bag and set it to the side. It was the last thing she’d see before she was blindfolded.

Hunter slipped the soft black mask over her face, and immediately Holly tilted her head, listening and scenting. With a grin, Tex slipped a bottle from his kit. He moved to her side. “Hold still.” He opened the small brown bottle and dabbed the roller on her upper lip, just below her nostrils. The scent of lavender floated into the air. It was a gentle way to confuse her sense of smell.

She sneezed.

He then opened a packet containing soft foam earplugs. He handed one to Hunter and then pushed back her silky black hair, admiring her graceful, slightly pointed ear before stopping it with the plug.

“Can you still hear me?”

She nodded.

“Holly, are you ready for a little more?”

She moved her head, clearly seeking out the sound of his voice. She could hear just enough to listen to his instructions. Her nipples grew tighter, and goose bumps rose along her arms. She shivered, but her scent held no fear.

“Hunter, move to her front; play with her gently.”

The wolf swallowed hard and nodded. Hunter played with her nipples, stroking and then pinching. She flexed and swayed. Her pale body was supple in the dim light.

“Lift her leg. Prop her foot on your knee.”

Tex picked up the plug and lubed it generously. It was slender, just enough to give her a slight stretch. He pressed the tip to her anus. Automatically she tightened against it.

“Relax. You’ve done this to subs before?”

“Yes, Master.”

Good. Then she knew the drill. In fact, if her mentor made her experience flogging, she’d probably worn a plug as well. He stroked the smooth skin of her bottom and started again. This time she worked with him, and Tex was able to insert the plug completely. He set her leg down, smiling as she wiggled a bit, getting the feel of the plug.

Tex breathed deeply. The adrenaline surged through his body, making him a little high. He chose a soft, thuddy flogger and a slender cane, which he tucked into his belt. Aware that Hunter watched, he stepped around and behind Holly again, taking a moment to admire her still-rosy ass.

“Spread your legs.”

After a short pause, she obeyed. He twirled the flogger and then softly swatted her bottom. She jumped. When he whisked her sharply with the cane, she quickly took her position again. Hunter leaned forward, pressing a kiss into her shoulder.

“Be still, Holly.”

She licked her lips nervously and nodded. Beads of sweat rose on her forehead. Tex began again, raising the speed of the heavy flogger, relying on Hunter to give him cues to her emotions.

Smoothly he changed back to the cane and tapped it lightly across her thighs. She went tense. After a series of light blows, he settled one single, stinging strike over the center of her buttocks. She went rigid but didn’t move.

“Good girl.” He stroked her skin and reached between her open thighs, smiling at the slick moisture there. “Very nice.”

He reached around and rubbed his wet finger over her lips, waiting till she opened her mouth. He slipped his finger into the warmth, nearly losing control as she tentatively tasted herself.

“Touch her.”

Hunter hesitated and then ran his hand down her belly, down to the dark curls at the juncture of her thighs. When Holly’s body jerked, Tex knew Hunter had found her clit. The wide-eyed expression on his face confirmed Tex’s suspicion that it was entirely by accident.

“Gentle there, Hunter. Just stroke softly. Let her body show you what she likes.” He reached down, and his fingers met Hunter’s hand. He covered the other man’s fingers and guided him, letting him explore and discover. After a moment, he let Hunter continue on his own. Clearly he was a quick learner.

Holly’s quickened breathing and heightened color confirmed her arousal. The sharp edge to her scent told him she was reaching her limit. Panic was struggling to assert itself. With his free hand, he removed one of the earplugs.

Immediately her tension dropped. He wanted her out of her comfort zone, but not distracted by fear.

“You feel what he’s doing to you, darlin’? You like what Hunter’s doing to you?”

She nodded rapidly. Sweat trickled down her neck, and Tex slowly licked it off. She whimpered.

“Holly, have you ever had an orgasm before?”

Too quickly, she answered, “Yes.”

He swatted her sharply with the cane.

“N-no. Never.” Her cheeks flushed red. He ran the base of the cane down her spine, grinning as she shuddered. Between Hunter finger-fucking her, the questioning, and the occasional punishment, she was completely off balance.

“Would you like to come tonight? Now?”

The gasp she gave sounded as though she’d been punched in the gut. He peered over, cupped his hands over her breasts, and watched her supple, muscular belly undulate.

She nodded. Before he could use the cane, she answered properly. “Yes, Master.”

“Good girl.” He bit lightly into the meat of her shoulder and then kissed her tenderly.

Normally he’d make a sub wait and earn his or her climax, but with Holly, just bringing her to orgasm would be a triumph.

“Hunter. Trade places. Hold her for me.”

When he moved to her front, Tex saw a ring of watchers throughout the dungeon. Possession and pride warred within. He didn’t want everyone to see his woman naked and vulnerable, yet he wanted to put his—their—stamp of ownership on her. Meeting Hunter’s gaze, the other man nodded. Hunter bent to her, then kissed and nibbled the back of her neck. Once again he played her nipples, pinching and stroking. He moved up behind her so close that he supported her entire weight. He rocked his hips into her ass. Not bad for a novice.

Tex lowered himself to one knee, just level with her lower belly. He ran his hands over her belly before leaning in and kissing her just above the line of her pubic hair.

“Make noise, baby. Tell me if you like it.”

She really didn’t make much noise, but her gasping breaths told him what he needed to know. Tex stroked her slick folds, running her juice back and forth, making her thoroughly, completely wet. He looked up and watched her face as he slipped his fingers into her channel and quickly found the swollen, raised region of her G-spot. When he pressed, her hips bucked, and the low, rough groan she released sounded more like agony than bliss.

But she didn’t object, didn’t call out her safe word. Her mouth dropped open, she panted, and her head fell back onto Hunter’s broad shoulder.

Without releasing the pressure, Tex bent his head and tasted her, gently played with her, avoiding the hypersensitive head of her clit. He slowly pressed and released, thrusting his fingers into her body.

“Tell him, Holly.” Hunter’s voice was rough with arousal.

“Good. I’m good. Toast, toast, toast…” For a moment she lost her words. “I need…I need… Oh dear God…faster…” Her voice was louder. She probably couldn’t tell how loud with the single earplug in, but Tex wanted to smile anyway.

Hunter held her tightly, not allowing her to move, forcing her to remain completely at Tex’s mercy. Her body arched and quivered, her hips shuddered, but he prevented her from thrusting. Tex looked up and saw that Hunter was watching. His eyes had shifted from human to wolf. He was as out of control as Tex had ever seen him, yet he was holding on, anticipating what Tex wanted from the scene.

He pulled at one nipple, and she cried out.

Now. It was time.

Tex burrowed, fluttered his tongue, and his fingers thrust into her and held while Hunter growled in her ear. Their gazes met, and Tex knew he’d found his perfect partner.

“Now, Holly!” Hunter clasped her soft breast hard.

Her scream was strangled. Heat radiated from her body, and Holly came. She climaxed on his fingers, against his mouth. He felt the rhythmic surges of her body, tasted the heightened adrenaline in her fluids. As she peaked, Tex gasped for breath, looking up to watch as she broke into pieces, sweat gleaming on her skin. She screamed again, and the cry tapered off to a sob. There were probably tears as well. She hung from the bonds at her wrists, and Hunter rested his forehead at the crook of her neck, whispering softly into her ear. Tex rose slowly to his feet. His erection was tight and painfully hard against the denim of his jeans.

He didn’t care. As Hunter unbound and lowered her hands, Tex leaned into her, letting her weight drop into his body. He almost lacked the strength to hold her, and they swayed until Hunter’s arms came around Holly and held them both upright. She twisted her hands loose of the rope and pulled the mask away, revealing that she’d been crying.

“Aw…darlin’…”

She smiled. She smiled! Her face was flushed and damp with tears, but she smiled at him.

Soft applause came from the outskirts of the dungeon.

Tex stifled a laugh.

“Can we maybe move this party somewhere else? I think…” Hunter looked around, glaring at their audience. “I think maybe that bed thing over there?” He gestured to the hanging orgy bed. The large, swinging platform bed was curtained by hanging chains. It would do.

“Take her on over. I’ve got to pack up.”

Hunter lifted Holly into his arms, and as they moved across the room, Tex watched them.

One barrier had fallen. It had been easier than he’d expected. He prayed the next part of his plan would go off equally well. He picked up the flogger he’d set on the floor and unhooked the cane from his belt. As he began to put his toys away, a presence at his back made him go stiff and still.

“I suppose this would be the appropriate time to ask, just what the hell do you think you’re doing?

Chapter Seven

It took Hunter a moment to catch his balance on the bed. He’d lifted Holly up, and she’d crawled up to the fluffy pillows; he awkwardly followed her. When he gingerly settled into place, he was frightened…worried about what they’d just done. Had they pushed her too far? He couldn’t pin this one on Tex alone, because he’d fully participated, following along as the other man took the lead.

His thoughts came to a screeching halt when a soft, lavender-fragranced body twined around his and cuddled close. He went stiff, his body protesting the sudden intimacy even as his cock went hard, willing him to take her right then and there. Slowly he forced himself to relax, willing the erection away.

He’d had plenty of practice at doing that.

He licked his dry lips. “How are you?”

Such a huge question in those few words. Holly dragged her head up to look at him, her black hair straggled over her face. He reached up to smooth it away, noting with wonderment that she didn’t flinch.

“Right now? High.” Her head dropped as though she hadn’t the strength to hold it up. “Melty. Empty, but full.”

She lay quietly for a moment, and he remembered the man they’d found earlier. Tex had told him the man was cooling down, that he’d reached a mental state called “subspace.” Judging by the expression on Tex’s face tonight, he’d gone to a similar place in his head as well. Hunter glanced over and could barely see him though the silvery curtain around the bed.

“Overall, I’m doing good.” Her voice was sleepy. She almost sounded drunk. “I thought you guys would have found me sooner. Some tracker you are!” She gave an indignant snort.

“Would you have been ready for this if we’d come sooner?”

She sighed gently. “No. No, I wouldn’t have. Still, why didn’t you come?”

“You left no clues for me. No scent trail. Nothing.”

Her hand crept up to his chest, and she played with the edge of his shirt. “I thought…I thought you could track without a trail.”

“I don’t know… It was like I was head-blind. I needed something. And your trail… It just stopped. You got into a car.” He huffed out a breath, his ego still a bit tender regarding that failure. If he could sense the movement of a vampire over a mile away, why had he been unable to follow Holly?

“Chase.”

He glanced over at her.

“Nobody seems to be able to keep a secret from Chase. When I ran, he was at the road, waiting for me. He told me I was on my own but never alone. I guess maybe he blocked you.”

Hunter frowned. Could their alpha do that? Hell, except for the normal, original pack members, they all had something a little extra. So if Ethan and Kurt could tag team on emotions, maybe Chase had been able to suppress Hunter’s skills long enough to let Holly have her time away from the pack.

He should be royally pissed, but looking at her, he simply couldn’t find the anger. If he’d found her and dragged her home, she’d probably still be a wolf sleeping at Tex’s feet.

“What do you think of all this? The club and all?”

He looked around, catching glances of movement, finally paying attention to the moans of the subs, the slapping of leather against skin. In the corner, Xavier stood swathed in shadows, surveying the room.

“I’m not sure what I think, but I get it. My wolf gets it.” He flushed with the confession. His wolf was a near stranger now. Tonight it had come forth as it hadn’t in years. He thought he’d mastered it—broken it and stored it away. When the damn thing had roared back to life tonight, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so alive. But still, the animal was a killer. He couldn’t expose Holly to it. And if they had children someday, would they even be safe?

“I’m not a sub, Hunter.”

“You’re submissive to me.” He glared at her for a moment, satisfied as her gaze dropped. He clasped her chin and forced her to look at him again. “You’ll do what I—what we—tell you.”

“Here, maybe,” she conceded. She wasn’t coy. She didn’t play games with her words.

He slid a hand into her hair and tugged till her head tilted back. Her blue eyes burned with anger and arousal. “Tonight. After we’re finished here, we’re going home.”

She sat up in alarm. “No… Hunter, I have a job and roommates! I’m finally learning to be myself!”

He loosened her hand from his arm, looking pointedly at the slightly tapered nails. Tiny spots of red blood began to rise on his skin.

“Chase didn’t send you for me, did he?” There was a tinge of fear to her voice. If Chase called her back, she’d be unable to say no. Seeing her consternation, Hunter took a breath, forcing himself to calm down. She’d left home to learn to be independent and find herself. Under normal circumstances, he’d be willing to move slower, to let her make the decision. Unfortunately times were changing, and not for the better.

“No, we came for another reason. Xavier—”

“Master Xavier,” she interrupted.

“Master Xavier called Chase. A kid kinda manifested in his office. He thought we might know something about it.”

True alarm showed on her face. “Abraxas?”

“Don’t know for sure, but we can’t take the risk. You need to come home. Tonight.” His skin prickled, and he looked up, then shivered as Master Xavier stared directly at them. To his mortification, Hunter looked away first. Holly noticed.

“Don’t feel bad. He’s a dominant. A true master. It’s a trait not many humans possess. I certainly can’t stare him down.” She looked over at Xavier, who smiled and nodded, then turned away. He’d been checking up on her.

They were both sitting up now, and Hunter gazed down at her body. She was lithe and beautiful, as comfortable in her skin as she’d been in her pelt. His hard-on hadn’t completely gone away since he’d first stepped into this place, and now arousal slammed into him once again. He swallowed, forced it back.

“If he was a shifter, he’d be an alpha.”

She nodded. “Not like most alphas, though. Like Chase. Someone who masters the other dominants.” Her gaze followed Xavier as he moved through the room in Tex’s direction. She slid back down on the bed and rested her head on Hunter’s thigh.

“So, here’s the big question. How are you?” She looked up at him, her eyes dark and intense. “You were close there for a while.”

“Yeah, I was… I am turned on. But that was for you.”

She smiled and reached up to stroke his face. “No, not close to orgasm. Your wolf. He was closer than I’ve sensed in years.”

Hunter moved away abruptly, letting her head slip from his thigh. “It won’t happen again. I promise.”

She reached out and clasped his arm, stopping him from leaving their temporary lair.

“That’s not right, Hunter. You need your wolf. You need to…” She sighed as he turned away. Hunter stared out at the room, seeing nothing.

“I need to stay in control. You know what I did, Holly.” He wanted to sound firm, maybe even angry. Instead he sounded small and pathetic.

“I saw what you did. You fought until you passed out.”

He flinched.

“You did what the rest of us wanted to do if we’d been free. Those people… They hurt me. They hurt all of us, Hunter.”

“They didn’t stand a chance.”

“No. They didn’t. But they knew what we were. And you know, we didn’t stand a chance against them. Not when they used control collars and drugs. Not when they killed us casually as though we were…rodents or bugs.”

Hunter sighed and rolled away to lie on his side. When she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his body, he remained motionless, torn between the peace of the moment and the confusion of emotions that raced through his mind. He couldn’t let the issue die. He didn’t turn to look at her as he spoke.

“Did they rape you?”

She was quiet for a long moment, her hand falling still on his chest.

“Not the same way they did some of the men. They’d come for me, knock me unconscious, and then I’d wake up back in my cage. A few weeks later, they’d test me. If I was pregnant, they’d leave me alone. If I wasn’t…” He understood what she wasn’t saying. Fury raced along his spine, but relief came over him as well. She’d been spared the humiliation of the sort of violation he’d endured.

As though he was unable to refrain from touching a sore spot, he forged on to the next fear that had been preying on him.

“Do you love him?”

“Tex?”

He nodded. He already knew the answer, already knew she’d chosen, and much as he might wish otherwise, she’d chosen them both.

“I initially ran when I realized I loved both of you. My wolf… She’d been growing…possessive. And when he’d come back from a town, I’d scent his lovers. I was furious. I was angry with you too.”

“Me? I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Exactly.” She gave a little chuckle. “You weren’t doing anything to connect with me. You watched and brooded. When Tex would come home, you’d be angry too, but you’d just turn away like it was none of your business.”

He rolled to his back, and his defensive anger faded in the face of her nudity. “It wasn’t my business, Holly.”

She lay there on her side, and the curves of her body mesmerized him. She stretched and then sat up, her face just inches from his.

“Tex was—and is—your business. He’s not your mate, and I know that being lovers with him isn’t on the table for you. But he’s your partner in this. Do you realize that every time he touches you, you flinch away?”

Hunter’s cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. Anger. He looked away.

“Don’t be angry at me, Hunter.”

Mutely he shook his head. Swallowed. He simply had no words to address this issue. He hadn’t realized he’d been so obvious. When the chain curtain parted, Tex lightly hopped on the bed, grinning as it swayed. Hunter wondered if he’d overheard.

“Kinda like being in a tree house. In the wind.” He lowered himself to sit Indian style. He’d kicked off his boots and socks. Hunter glanced down at his own black cowboy boots. All thoughts of play had fled.

“You two look a bit long in the face.”

Neither volunteered an answer, and as he watched, Tex’s bright eyes dimmed just a bit.

“Had me a nice conversation with that girl from the front. Desiree.”

“Destiny,” Holly corrected.

“Yeah, her. She’s a real nice girl; seems real fond of you, Holly.” He winked at Hunter. “Threatened to take off my balls with a grapefruit spoon if I messed with you.”

“Ow!” Hunter winced, bringing a laugh from both of them.

“So, little miss. She’s waiting over there for you to come tell her we’re the loves of your life…your knights in black leather. In your own words, of course.”

Holly smiled, leaned forward, and kissed him—once on the forehead, once on the lips. She turned to Hunter and gave him the same embrace. Without so much as a blush, she slipped from the platform.

“Be quick. And don’t forget to bring your clothes back,” Tex reminded her.

Holly ducked her head back through the chains. “Yes, Master.”

He chuckled as she left. When he turned to Hunter, the smile slowly faded. For a few heartbeats, he studied Hunter, and Hunter grew uncomfortable as the moment stretched out. His wolf…his wolf stirred, whined, and settled back down, leaving him with the uneasy feeling of abandonment.

“Hunter, my solemn vow to you: I will never, ever push you into anything you don’t want. I will do my best not to make you uncomfortable, but the reality is, if she shares her bed with us, there will be contact. I won’t initiate anything or do it on purpose, but it will happen.”

Hunter’s eyes stung. He looked away and watched Holly talk to the girl at the other end of the room.

“Do you trust me?”

Hunter looked down; his fingers were entwined. He was completely unaware he’d been wringing his hands.

“I do, Tex. I do. Since we came to your pack, you’ve been there for me…for all of us, but mostly for me.”

Tex nodded in agreement. He propped his arms on his knees, and his hands dangled down. They were tough hands, hardened by countless hours of hard work. Hunter rubbed his fingers together, feeling similar calluses on his own skin. When he’d first come to Truckee, he’d been wild still, shy and fearful. Frankly, he’d been pretty much good for nothing. Unlike Chase’s men, he hadn’t been trained for battle. He knew how to fight…he knew how to take orders. He’d fought his way up to become one of the pack’s betas. He’d fought equally hard to earn his place on one of Tex’s construction crews.

Why? To help the pack, or to bond with the other man?

“You’re bi. You like men.” He kept his gaze low, unwilling to see the expression on Tex’s face.

“I am, and I do like men. But being mated… That’s a big change in the game.”

“How?”

Tex sighed. “Hunter, my entire sexual focus is on her. If you were bi, we might eventually go there, but you aren’t.”

“And it doesn’t bother you?”

“Are you able to have my baby?”

Hunter looked at him in confusion.

“We aren’t human, my friend. At our core, we’re animals. We’re driven by the need to hunt, to stay warm and dry, and to reproduce. Everything else we are springs from that. Sex with you could be fun, but it’s not an issue of survival. To survive as a species, we need food, shelter, and we need to reproduce. My wolf can’t see past Holly. She’s my sexual focus, and you’re my partner.”

He made it sound so logical. And slowly, Hunter began to believe him.

“Are we friends?”

Tex laughed at his question. “Yes, we are friends, Hunter. Maybe not the way Ethan and Kurt are friends, but still, you’re my friend. Given the circumstances, I guess we’d better be, eh? We seem to be in it for life.”

Life. This was all about life and surviving and the next generations of the pack. He looked at Tex. The cowboy leaned back now, braced on his elbows. His eyes were closed. He appeared relaxed, but was undoubtedly in tune with the entire building.

That was when it hit him: Tex made him stronger. And he did the same for Tex. During Holly’s absence, they’d formed a powerful bond. It was something Hunter hadn’t anticipated, and yet it was precious.

“She told me she left because of us. She left because she loved us both.”

“And the two of us weren’t gettin’ with the program, were we?” He didn’t open his eyes as he spoke. “I was out fucking around, trying to figure out how to scratch the itch. You were lost in anger and confusion, and our darlin’ Holly was too afraid to risk taking her human form and claiming us as her mates.”

Hunter gnawed on his lip. “It wasn’t a bad thing, was it? We all came a long way this past year.”

“That we have.” Tex flopped onto his back. “What’s taking that girl? I think it’s time to move this party along.”

Hunter closed his eyes, remembering Holly’s orgasmic cries, and within seconds, blood was filling his shaft. He replayed the interlude, hearing her cries, tasting the salty sweetness of her skin and fluid. Those images segued into things that hadn’t yet happened: plowing deep into her pussy, her arms bound… Holly pinned beneath his weight. He imagined a bed… Four posters with stout leather bindings for her hands and feet… His skin went warm—and not completely out of embarrassment.

Uncomfortably he glanced at Tex, noting that his jeans were tight with his erection. Had he been having similar fantasies? A lifetime of want and need was coming to a close. A new path opened, and Hunter could barely absorb its meaning. He’d come to accept a future alone, and now he was looking at a mate and children. He was looking at a partner who watched his back and, more important, would help keep their family safe and secure.

His sexual frustration had an edge it lacked before. He was impatient. Knowing that culmination was within his grasp, Hunter felt nearly wild with need.

“Sometimes it’s the dominant who suffers the most,” Tex murmured, deep dimples showing in his cheeks. He reached down and unfastened the lariat from his hip. “I’m tired of behaving. How ’bout you?”

Chapter Eight

“Holly, in all the months you’ve been here, you never mentioned a boyfriend. You certainly didn’t mention two boyfriends!”

Destiny stood before her. She should have looked silly wearing nothing but cheap plastic nipple shields and toy six-shooters. She tilted her head, and a tiny diamond flashed on her upper lip. Like Holly, the curvy little woman was completely comfortable in her skin.

Tentatively Holly reached out and rested a hand on the other woman’s arm. She felt a frisson of…something. Destiny started to pull her arm away and then stopped to turn her hand to grip Holly’s arm.

“Really, sweetie, are you okay? You worked so hard to find your inner dommie self. Then these guys show up, rope you, and lead you around the club? It’s just…weird. Sexy as hell, but weird.”

“Not weird.” Holly smiled. “I’ve known Hunter most of my life. Tex…years now. I left home because my wo—I knew we were meant to be together. But they needed to figure it out without me in the way. Now they’re here, and it’s all good.”

She bit her lip, inwardly chiding herself for almost saying the word “wolf.” Hopefully the other woman hadn’t noticed.

Destiny folded her arms, a frown on her pretty face. She’d changed her hair again; the golden curls were spiked with purple. Holly briefly wondered about doing the same thing. Maybe blue…

“And you’re leaving with them?”

Holly looked away, unable to meet her friend’s gaze. San Francisco had opened a new world to her. Not only the club and the scene, but people…thousands of people. Traffic and buildings and gemstones of history hidden between decay and renewal. Music and art and food she’d never before encountered. Dim sum and high tea and a different museum every day.

Uneasiness stirred in her gut. What was the story with the boy who’d appeared out of nowhere?

Abraxas.

“I need to go home, Des. But in a way, this city’s my home too. We live only a few hours away. Near Tahoe. Maybe you could come visit me.”

She bit her lip after offering the invitation but then relaxed. Sometimes Briony had her friends up; one of the betas just ran a flag up the pole in the front yard, warning that there were humans on the grounds.

“Tahoe. That’s like…mountains and snow and wild things.” Destiny wrinkled her nose. “Maybe, but only for you.” She grinned.

Holly glanced back at the men. The silvery chains around the bed partially obscured them from her view. The bed was toward the back of the room and was barely lit. Her belly jumped, a feeling she was beginning to associate with arousal.

“I’ll call you, Des.” She turned back, noting that her friend’s smile had once again fled.

“What’s your number? Shit. That’s right. No cell. What a barbarian!”

“I’ll get one. Soon.” Feeling bold, Holly leaned forward and gave the shorter woman a brief hug. It felt awkward, but she was certain that with practice, it would become easier.

It was time to go. She felt them both watching…waiting. Neither had reached culmination, and surely they wouldn’t let her forget that. She turned from Destiny, and without looking back, she crossed the room.

“Hey, Holly! Your clothes!” Holly stopped and laughed, and then gasped when a rope settled over her head and torso then snapped tight to pin her arms. Destiny burst out into laughter. “Looks like you’re tied up again, baby!” She set the clothes on a bench near the stairs. “Come and get them when you’re ready.” With that, she started up the stairs.

A tug on the rope brought Holly’s attention back to the bed and the men who were waiting.

The game was back on. She stifled her grin, dropped her gaze, and walked obediently to the swinging platform. She dropped to her knees, waiting for the next command.

“Holly.”

“Yes, Master Hunter.” She didn’t look up but ran the risk of peeking through her lashes. Tex and Hunter reclined on the bed, both looking dangerously relaxed. The men were staring at her. Their comfort was belied by the intense expressions on their faces. She could see the shadow of their erections through the heavy denim of their jeans. Her belly quivered in both fear and arousal. She remembered the orgasm they’d given her, and her head went momentarily light. She’d never dreamed a physical response to stimulation would be so all-encompassing, surging through every cell of her body. She’d never expected it to shatter her emotions, bringing her to both laughter and tears.

“Check and see if any of the rooms are vacant.”

Tex’s voice pulled her back to the moment. She went high on her knees, straining to look over her shoulder. “Yes, Master Tex. The door to the Medieval Room is open.”

“Go there. Close the door and wait for us. We’ll join you shortly.”

She rose to her feet, puzzling over the rope that still pinned her arms. Was she to take it off? Leave it? Since Tex said nothing, Holly left the rope in place and walked to the room. She couldn’t use her arms normally, so she worked the soft rope with her fingers, pulling it into the room so she could get the door closed properly. She fussed with the door for several moments, then finally clasped the handle with her fingers and walked forward to drag it shut. Immediately she was surrounded by the hushed atmosphere of the little room.

She’d been in here a few times, mostly when she was working as dungeon monitor. Holly was more comfortable playing in the open. Too much could happen in privacy. Things could go too far when the lights were dim and the doors were closed. She swallowed. This time she wanted the privacy. She wanted the two men to herself, with no prying eyes to witness their consummation.

There were peepholes, mostly for safety purposes. This room wasn’t set up for voyeurism like the Victorian Room was.

She surveyed the space, finally deciding to wait right in the middle of the stone-paved floor. Would they want her on her feet or on her knees as she waited?

What would I expect of a sub?

She kicked a flat silk pillow to her chosen spot and lowered herself to her knees, then sat back on her heels.

There were furs and pillows piled all around the floor, as well as a low platform bed and a thronelike wooden chair. Large silver goblets winked at her in the muted light. A wooden box on a rough table held condoms and lube packets. Bindings and other accoutrements were tucked away in drawers and cubbies around the room.

Holly let out a breath and took in another, feeling as though she hadn’t had oxygen in weeks.

She wasn’t a virgin—not physically. That part of her had been taken away long ago. But in all the ways that counted, she was a virgin. That was something that could only be given, not taken. Her mouth was dry, and she still caught the scent of lavender; it blocked her sense of smell just a bit. When Tex had shut down her senses, she’d been forced inside her head, with only their hands on her skin to let her know where she was and who she was with. Sensory deprivation had allowed Holly to focus on what the men were doing to her. Otherwise she’d never have orgasmed.

Through the cushion, the rocks bit into her knees, but she tuned that out, remembering the sensation of their hands on her body, teasing her then making her come. Her heartbeat accelerated, and fluid began to trickle from her channel. Knowing how she reacted to them excited her more. She slowed her breathing, aware that her nipples had drawn up hard and tight.

Tex had wound her up, brought her to the edge, but it had been Hunter’s touch on her breast, his command in her ear that had pushed her over the edge. He was submissive to Tex only because he was learning. Given time, she’d have two men dominating her…taking control of her pleasure.

This time, she wanted to see. She wanted to touch and taste. She had to do everything just right so she could ask for permission to watch. She straightened her back and stretched the kinks from her muscles. As soon as she heard a hand on the doorknob, she bowed her head, checked her stance, and waited.

“You didn’t bring back your clothes.”

Tex didn’t sound pleased, and inwardly, she cursed. He’d roped her before she had a chance to go back! He entered the room, setting the small pile on the floor by the wall. Should she apologize?

“The sub seeks permission to speak, Master.”

“Permission given.” Hunter answered this time. Good; he was stepping up to his role.

She licked her lips nervously. “The sub made a mistake and wishes to offer her apologies.”

“Does the sub seek forgiveness?”

She thought fast. Is this how her subs worked her? Were they really as manipulative as she was?

“The sub asks forgiveness, but only if it is the masters’ wish.”

“Oh, very good, Holly.” Tex stepped in front of her and used two fingers to gently tilt her head up. “She’s setting us up to negotiate, most likely for something she wants later. What do you suppose our little sub is angling for?”

Damn! Holly slanted her eyes away. “The sub wishes only to please her masters.” Tex let go, and she dropped her head respectfully.

“Apology is accepted. Forgiveness…” Hunter paused. “Forgiveness is pending.”

He wasn’t talking about forgotten clothing or the game they played. Hunter was still angry she’d left them. She glanced quickly at Tex. He wasn’t smiling either. What had they been talking about in those few minutes she’d been gone?

Suddenly the game wasn’t frivolous anymore. For the first time, Holly realized there were dozens of ways she could have handled her situation last year. She could have simply shifted back to human and given them the chance to talk to her. Eva or Briony would have been glad to help her step back into life. Chase had given her his full support, but had warned against this course of action. Running away had not only been cruel and thoughtless, it had been incredibly dangerous. She’d been so proud of herself, had felt triumphant in her progress, that she’d never stopped to consider the effects of her actions on the men she loved.

“I understand.”

Looking down, she felt a tear fall from her eye and watched it drop onto the blue silk pillow under her knees. It made a spot that widened out on the rich fabric.

“The sub is ashamed of her behavior.” She didn’t raise her eyes to look at the men. She wasn’t trying to manipulate them any longer. She simply had to say what she meant.

“I am so sorry I left you two like that.” Another tear fell. “I thought it was the only way, but it wasn’t, was it?” She looked up, and the men both shook their heads. Holly couldn’t reach up to wipe the tears away, so they flowed freely down her cheeks. She blinked quickly and sniffed. “I just… Tex, you kept coming home smelling like sex and humans. And Hunter, you were just fading into the woodwork. All you ever did was stare at us and glare. I know there were other things I could have done, but one day, I just had to run.” She looked up at them, praying they’d understand.

“So maybe it was the right thing to do.” Hunter shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “Sure shook me up.”

“Me too.” He looked steadily at her. “I’m not going to ask why you ran. I understand I hurt you. I guess…I just felt so…confused. Needy. I thought it was because of Rico marrying and Briony getting pregnant. I thought I was just lonely. It didn’t occur to me that my mate was right there, waiting for me. It didn’t occur to me that you were the one.”

“I was just floating. Being angry and doing nothing… It was just the easiest path to take.” Hunter sighed. “I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to tell you I love you. I don’t know how to tell Tex I need him to show me how to live in this world and love you the way you need.” Hunter ran a hand through his thick hair, pushing it back from his face.

“Well, you just did a pretty good job by yourself, Hunter.” Tex reached out and threw an arm over his shoulder. And Hunter didn’t flinch away. “You know you can trust me and Holly to teach you.”

The men exchanged glances. Their male bonding moment must have been helpful. As her grief ebbed away, Holly felt a surge of triumph. Joy. Her future was standing before her, and it was good. Hell, it was better than good!

Chapter Nine

The silence in the room stretched out. Outside the walls, Hunter could hear other people in the dungeon—the sounds of sex and pain. More distantly he heard music and laughter. He closed his eyes and swore he heard the sound of three hearts beating in a synchronized rhythm.

“Remain where you are, Holly.” Hunter stepped forward till he was just inches from where she knelt on the floor. Her head was level with his groin, and he ached…ached to feel her touch on his body. Tex moved silently next to him. He was still barefoot; Hunter had also removed his boots. Now he felt the cold stone floor beneath his bare feet. Tex shook the rope loose from Holly. She remained perfectly still.

“Unbuckle my belt. Open my pants. Touch me.” Hunter realized he was no longer playing a game. It was time. And he was so afraid.

Holly reached up, her fingers trembling just a bit. In the small room, he caught the scent of her liquid arousal mixed with lavender. The flower would live forever in his memory. When her hand reached his belt, his belly jerked in response. Hunter shut his eyes, focusing only on the feel of her skin, the sensation of air drifting over the hood of his cock. When she gently slid the foreskin back, his cry was automatic. The years of desolation and denial washed over him. Tex was behind him, supporting his weight.

After a moment he regained control and held himself upright on shaky legs. Again she touched him, brushing along the skin of his shaft and then encircling him with her fingers. She twisted her hand as she stroked his shaft. His jeans slipped down, and he stepped out of them, opening his eyes to watch Holly in gratitude and disbelief.

“Put my cock your mouth. Suck…gently.” He wasn’t ready to come yet; he wanted to savor the experience.

She slipped her hands down and cupped his balls. Hunter panted and once again nearly melted as he was enfolded by her wet, warm mouth. She stroked with her tongue along the bottom of his cock, trailing along the intricate tracery of veins. Her suction was gentle but enough to cause blood to roar through him. He heard only the rush of his pulse in his ears. His entire focus was on that single point of his body where she touched him.

Holly sucked, sliding up and down, squeezing her hand around the base. His hips involuntarily thrust to meet her mouth. It was blissful and beyond what he’d fantasized.

“Stop. Now Tex.”

Hunter ached at the sudden loss of her mouth. Her hand remained, stroking lightly as Holly began to work Tex. She dragged her lips down the length of his erection, and she occasionally looked up at his face, seeking direction.

Tex groaned loudly. He dropped his head back and buried his hand in her dark hair. She was rougher with him, pumping him harder, letting him fuck her mouth freely. Desperately Hunter clasped her fingers where they wrapped around his cock and squeezed hard at the base.

“Back to me.”

Without pause, she swiveled on her knees and changed position. Hunter shuddered at the entire experience—the sounds, the scents of their bodies, the feel of her mouth on his most sensitive places. She moved faster, keeping her hand on Tex, pumping him at the same pace she went down on Hunter. Automatically he angled his hips, closing the space between himself and Tex.

“Switch.”

At his command, she moved again. Gradually the men drew closer. Hunter leaned against Tex for support, and their cocks bumped against each other’s, and he didn’t care. No flash of panic ran through him. The other man’s entire sexual focus was on the woman who knelt at their feet. Tex’s breath was rough and ragged, his tanned skin flushed with arousal. Hunter looked down at Holly. Sweat bloomed over her face; the fair skin over her chest was pink. Her dark blue eyes were huge in her face when she looked up at him.

Tex groaned. “Almost there?”

Hunter nodded. He’d been there since they’d started!

“Holly, bring us both… Use your hands.” Hunter spoke through clenched teeth.

Obediently she pulled her face back and pumped them both in a fast, matching rhythm. Once he’d given himself permission to climax, it came fast, faster than Tex’s. His muscles contracted, his back flexed, and through a haze of sexual pleasure, he watched seed spurt from his body to splash Holly’s shoulder and chest. He came and he came, and at some point, Tex was coming as well, his pleasure voiced in harsh groans. The men leaned against each other, and somehow they managed to stay upright. Hunter had one hand on Holly’s shoulder, the other fisted into Tex’s shirt. He opened his eyes and looked down. Holly still held them loosely. She looked from him to Tex. Her eyes sparkled, and her lips were swollen. She was elated.

“You’re a mess.” He felt shaky and weak. She glanced down at the milky semen on her skin and then back up into their faces.

“You marked me.” Her voice held wonderment.

“Yeah, I guess we did.” Tex reached out and slid a finger down her chest, leaving a trail through the shining fluid. “Guess that means you’re ours.” He offered his finger, and she opened her mouth to lick their mixed seed from his hand.

“I’m yours.”

Shaken, Hunter broke away from the two and slid to the pallet of furs that covered the bed. He knew otherwise. Yes, they’d marked Holly, but she wasn’t theirs. They were hers. He watched as Tex cleaned her off and then helped her to her feet. Hunter stretched and grinned, feeling the sumptuous slide of fur against his skin. This time, being owned didn’t feel so bad.

They wound around into one another, three naked bodies luxuriating in the animal furs. Holly felt like she was in a den, warm and safe and comfortable. Tex had his head resting on her shoulder, and he skimmed his hand down her body. At her other side, Hunter was propped on his elbow, looking down their bodies. His long leg tangled between hers.

Both men were fully erect, their cocks thick and heavy, gleaming in the dim light. They were as nature created them—uncut, and the sparse hair on their bodies was soft and untrimmed. She’d seen them nude before, but never in this context. Not while they were hungry for her.

Tex was muscular, lean, but bulked up from the heavy work he’d performed for so many years. He moved, and the light played up the golden highs and lows of his body. In keeping with the color scheme that nature had blessed him with, blond hair scattered his chest, trailing down to the nest at his groin.

Hunter was also muscular, but less delineated. He was made for moving swiftly, running and tracking through forests. His body was nearly hairless, his skin brown and rich. She suspected he had a good deal of Native American in his lineage. It showed in the arrogant tilt of his cheekbones and the arch of his nose.

She twined her fingers with theirs and rested them on her belly. So many months of tension—learning to work, to ride the bus, to pay the bills. All that tension was suddenly put to rest. She was loose and happy and content. Her glowing arousal was banked. But not for long.

Tex cupped her breast with his work-roughened hand, and she gasped when he plucked the nipple. Immediately Hunter caught her breath with his kiss. A hand…Hunter’s…smoothed the skin between her legs, then gently moved up to delve between her lips.

“So wet.”

“Wet enough?” Tex’s voice was lazy and low. “Wet enough for two?” He looked up at her. “Time for that plug to go.”

She rolled to her side, barely stifling a moan when Tex found the base of the plug and pulled it free of her body.

She ached. She was empty. Holly needed to be filled. Her heart stuttered and then raced. It was happening. This morning she’d woken up, gone to work, and then come to the club; her world was as normal as it could get. But tonight she had been hunted and captured, tied up, dominated, and pleasured. Now she was about to give herself to the men who had ruled her very existence for so long. Briefly panic flared, but she easily chased it back.

This was where she belonged.

Tex moved away, leaving a cold space at her back. She heard the sounds of a drawer opening.

Hunter gave a slight growl. “We don’t need condoms.” The foil packets landed on the bed.

“We don’t need them, but the club requires them.” Tex tore the foil, and she turned her head and watched as he slipped the sheath over his cock. “And believe me, given what we’re about to do, you’ll be glad for it.” His smile showed a bit of fang. His control was at the edge. “Holly, put it on him. Then straddle him.”

Her heart jumped; her belly twisted. Holly opened the packet and followed Tex’s instructions. Hunter looked a bit angry, and she realized he’d probably never had occasion to use a condom before. She focused on the sheath, easing it over his swollen head as gently as possible. When she was finished, Holly straddled his hips. She glanced at Tex, who had a feral expression on his face. He radiated jealousy and possession, but he was holding himself tightly under control.

“Take him.”

Holly clasped his base and eased Hunter’s cock into her body. She took a deep breath, stifling her fear. She’d used dildos before, but never, ever had she been penetrated by a man.

He reached up and clasped her arms. Hunter was flushed with his arousal. “God…I don’t know…if I can last…”

“That’s why we went earlier. The condom will help.” Tex was on his knees, reaching out, stroking her back gently. “Take him, darlin’; you’re doing good.”

She rose, used her fingers to open herself wider, and then lowered herself again. And then again. Every time she lowered herself, he slipped in a bit farther. Tentatively she rode him, feeling her inner walls growing wetter and more relaxed. She experimented with angles, finally discovering that elusive G-spot she’d never located with a vibrator. Beneath her, Hunter’s face had gone tight with his pleasure. His hands opened and closed on her arms. He pulled her down, kissing her deeply and completely. She broke away and buried her face in his shoulder.

“Oh…damn…” She felt the orgasm rising swiftly. “Oh…Tex…Hunter…please…may I?”

“Hold it.” Tex’s voice was soft in her ear. “Five…four…three…” He paused, and she made a sound that could only be called a squeak. She felt his fingers at her ass; pressure built as one, then two, and then a third invaded her body. He continued counting. “Three…two…one… Holly, come now!”

It washed over her, just as overwhelming as it had been before. More so since Hunter was deep inside her channel and Tex’s slick fingers were buried in her ass.

“Fuuuuckkk…” Every muscle in her body locked, clenching and then releasing. She felt the orgasm deep in her belly, in her womb. She heard voices, felt hands supporting her. She felt…love, and tears ran freely down her face. She opened her eyes to see Hunter watching her, and her heart very nearly shattered. She felt Tex’s kisses on her cheek, and she reached back, needing to feel him…to touch him. Maybe this was heaven. She was certainly seeing stars!

When the orgasm released her, she went limp and slid down onto Hunter, gasping as Tex’s fingers left her. She listened to the sound of her heart as it slowed, to the breath gusting in and out of her lungs. And yet, there was still a cock filling her pussy, and behind her, she felt the tip of Tex’s shaft bumping and sliding along the crack of her ass.

When a cool stream of lube slithered down, she jumped, no longer fatigued, no longer sated. Her heart sped up, and goose bumps spread over her skin.

“Lean forward.” She lay farther down against Hunter, offering her bottom to Tex. “You know how this is done?”

She nodded. “Yeah.” Her voice was a scratchy whisper. Had she screamed?

He pressed, and she pushed out, feeling the shocking sensation of her body accepting the invasion. Unlike the plug he’d inserted, he was warm and pliable, and so very, very large. And she was so full already.

Hunter gave a gasp and a groan, and she knew he was feeling Tex’s cock sliding against his. Her mind reeled with the improbability of the whole thing. If she’d been human, this would have hurt to no end! But she wasn’t human, and it felt…wonderful. He pulled out a bit, and she protested, whimpering when he returned to fuck her deeper and harder.

“Someday, we’ll do this again, but we’ll both be in your pussy. Someday…” His voice went too hoarse to continue.

“Someday, when we want to make a baby…that’s how we’ll do it.” It was Hunter who continued his thought. If she hadn’t been so overwhelmed by the dual penetration, Holly would have been amazed at his words and his willingness. For now, Tex was setting a slow, steady pace, holding the other two captive. When Hunter tried to move, the sensation was nearly too much for her. Ass, G-spot, clit—all were engaged and overstimulated. She cried out.

“You okay, baby?”

She looked down into Hunter’s sweaty face. He looked as wild and overwhelmed as she felt.

“Fine.” She gasped. “Just…faster…”

Tex took her at her word, and the faster he thrust, the deeper, the tighter she felt.

The orgasm started in her belly, then her back. Deep contractions built in her womb. Hands came around, pinching her nipples, making her cry out again. Hunter dug his hands into her hips, moving her in time to Tex’s tempo. She was without words, could only express herself with harsh cries and guttural moans. Deep inside, she grew hotter, wetter, and more desperately coiled.

A hand struck her ass in a sharp slap. She screamed. He slapped, and she screamed again. She heard Hunter’s answering cry. The pain released something deep inside. Tension built till she could barely bear it anymore. Tex’s hand came down in a final, stinging blow.

And then she came. Her vision went dark; stars sparkled and flashed behind her lids. She crashed down on the man beneath her, her teeth sinking into the flesh over his heart. Her hands flexed and claws reached back to score Tex’s bare thigh.

They were coming with her, fierce and savage. Sweat mingled with blood. Scratches stung, nerves hummed with ecstatic pleasure. She forced herself to watch as Hunter came. His eyes had shifted completely; the familiar brown was tinged with gold, the shape slightly altered. Panic flared and then receded as another wave of the climax crashed through him.

Tex had her in a viselike grip, his hips pounding into hers in a rapid, staccato rhythm. He arched, froze, and moaned harshly. Then he sank his sharp teeth into her shoulder. There was a crescendo of pain and ecstasy and sound as the three of them peaked…and then fell.

They were all limp and boneless, melting down into a pile of bodies, nearly indistinguishable from one another. There was an occasional shudder or sigh. A tongue ran over her sweaty skin. Holly’s cheek was sticky with Hunter’s sweat and the blood from the bite she’d left just over his nipple. Tex had his face buried in the crook of her neck. She felt him gently licking the wound on her neck. Hunter had left his mark on her collarbone.

“Hot dayum.” Tex’s voice sounded weak.

She smiled, seconding the sentiment. Hunter began to chuckle. For whatever reason, she joined him. Maybe the happiness just couldn’t be contained.

“I love you…” Three voices uttered the sentiment, slightly dissonant, but completely sincere.

Their cocks were finally soft and slipped gently from her body, leaving her empty but far from alone. Holly let her eyes drop closed, and she dozed, confident that she was in the one, single perfect place in the world.

Chapter Ten

They stood in the lobby of Dark Haven, fully clothed, the sweat and blood washed away from their skin. Yet they smelled like one person—one single entity.

Tex supposed this was the essence of a mating, when one became two. Or three, in their case. Hunter was bickering with Holly, but Tex knew she was simply saving face, allowing herself to be convinced to go home. He gazed out at the late-night street and watched the occasional taxi drive by. The fog was settling in, giving the city a haunted appearance.

“Hunter, I can’t just leave.”

“You can.”

She sighed in exasperation. Tex turned away from the door and looked at the curtained entrance. Destiny was back there listening. She was cute and all, but a little too astute for comfort. He nodded toward the curtain, and the other two ceased their argument.

“Holly. Chase will be expecting us before noon.” Hunter pulled out the big guns.

End of story. He saw her surrender at the mention of their alpha. She hung her head and nodded. The sub who’d tried so hard to please them had vanished, leaving behind a stubborn, very dominant wolf. She bit the corner of her lip.

“Can I go to my apartment and get my stuff?”

“Where is it?”

“Six blocks to the west.”

Tex and Hunter looked at each other, and he waited for Hunter to decide. Another power shift. The dark wolf was one of Chase’s betas; Tex was not.

“Our hotel is just a couple of blocks away. Tex will take you for your clothes. I’ll get a rental car and wait for you there.”

With a plan established, the three stepped out into the darkness, then paused to scent and to listen. Holly went still, her head tilted.

“Anything?” Hunter’s skill was different than hers, and he let her scan.

“There’re a couple of vamps living in the Mission District. They’ve got a few more hours aboveground. That’s it for paranormals.”

Hunter nodded, and they set off down the street. Tex carried both his kit and Holly’s. He surveyed the alleys and side streets while Holly watched the sky. Hunter trailed behind. They moved quietly and swiftly.

“What’s that?” He spotted red lights flashing strobelike in the distance. In moments, the scent of burned rubber and gasoline clogged his nostrils.

“Accident. Probably drunks. The police are there.” At Holly’s words, they veered away into a darkened alley. The wail of sirens announced the arrival of other emergency vehicles. Tex’s ears rang from the commotion. He grinned as Holly and Hunter both covered their ears.

“Looks like you’d better come along with us!” Tex turned away and headed for another side street. Holly and Hunter were still watching the street behind them. He turned back to wait for them.

Tex’s first realization that something was wrong was a flash of light and then a sting, a jolt, and he was on the ground, completely and utterly immobile.

Laughter carried over the noise of the sirens, and a dark figure bolted off down the alley after Holly and Hunter, who’d vanished into the shadows. Above him stood a man nudging Tex’s leg with the tip of his shoe.

He felt nothing.

“Well, that was easy.” The man was dressed in a dark suit. Expensive sunglasses dangled from the pocket of his starched, white shirt. This close, Tex could smell him—the scent that had hovered over the boy in Chase’s office. Unable to control his reactions, he growled, baring his teeth in impotent fury.

“Take it easy, boy.” The man fished in his pocket and came up with a disposable syringe. He twisted the off cap and flung it away.

“Nighty-night.” The needle was plunged into his neck, and Tex knew no more.

They went absolutely still and completely silent. Nevertheless, the litany ran through his head.

Shit, shit, shit. The car wreck had been a diversion. Unable to hear or smell over the sirens and burning rubber, they’d walked right into the trap.

Fear and fury emanated from Holly. She leaned over the edge of the fire escape, clearly planning to leap down onto the man below them. Hunter caught her arm and shook his head. She leaned dangerously far out, peering down the alley.

“They’ve loaded him into a car!” she whispered.

“They won’t leave. Not yet. They want us all.”

“Hunter, we can’t just leave him!”

He clenched his jaw. The city wasn’t his territory. The rules were strange and different here. Noises and smells confused him, and the familiar feeling of helpless impotence flooded him. As they watched, the sinister black sedan began to cruise slowly down the street. A powerful spotlight bathed the rubble and trash of the alley. Fortunately they seemed to have only the one car. Hunter crouched and focused every fiber of his being on Tex. He let the other man’s familiar scent wash over him. He bathed his senses in his partner’s aura—his very essence. He made the connection and held on tight. Even if they were out of reach, he’d be able to track his partner.

When the two men in the alley vanished, Hunter led Holly back down to the ground.

“Follow the car.”

“But—”

“The car, Holly. The men and the car will stay close. We need to stay close too.”

“I’m shifting. I can hunt better that way.”

He nodded, watching dispassionately as she slipped out of her clothing and stashed it behind a cardboard box. She picked up the two kits that Tex had dropped and hid them as well.

“You too.”

He simply shook his head. It wasn’t acceptable. When he shifted, he killed.

But maybe that’s what needs to happen.

No. His wolf was simply too dangerous. He couldn’t afford to lose control again. The distant memory of blood rose up, and he forced it back.

“You lead me, Holly.”

“You won’t be able to keep up.” She had her jaw set stubbornly. “You have to shift if you want to keep up with me.”

“Stay close to me, Holly. Do not get separated from me!”

She whirled on him. “Damn it, Hunter! He’s my mate. I’m not going to hang back because you’re afraid!” She moved up close and fisted his shirt. In the night, he heard the dull roar of the sedan’s engine. He swallowed.

“Holly, if I kill while I’m human, at least I’m making the decision. If I kill when I’m the wolf, I have no choice! Don’t you understand?” He stared at her bleakly.

She drew even closer and rested a hand on his cheek. “Hunter, don’t you understand that you are the wolf? Don’t you understand that you saved us all? That you’re my hero?”

He could only stare at her. He didn’t understand—not at all.

“We’ll save him, Holly, and we’ll do it without my wolf. But we have to stay together.”

Holly shook her head, dropping her hand from his face. With a single sad look over her shoulder, she shifted and landed smoothly on all fours. Her black fur gleamed under the misty light of the moon, and she melted into the shadows. Without looking back, she moved, and before Hunter could gather his breath, she’d vanished. She was too fast in this form. Too fast for him to follow.

“Damn it, Holly!” He started to run, praying he’d be able to track her by scent. If not, he’d lose them both.

Tex held very still, though not from a need to disguise the fact that he was awake. Every time he moved the slightest bit, his stomach roiled and pain lanced his head. He was tightly bound, most likely with chains. Some of the more superstitious idiots in Abraxas still believed that shifters were allergic to silver. He tested the bindings on his wrists and bared his teeth in a nasty grin. Silver was softer than many other metals. He felt them give way just a bit.

He was in the trunk of the car, and as it stopped and started again, his stomach lurched. He was unable to catch any scent outside; the myriad smells in the trunk created a disgusting stench. He smelled fear and illness and death. He smelled his own blood. In the few minutes he’d been unconscious, the man who’d Tasered him had also shaved some skin away from a spot on his arm.

The idea of what Abraxas would do with his DNA horrified Tex.

The car stopped. Doors opened and then slammed shut. Two men had gotten into the backseat.

“Any sign?”

“Nope. They bailed on this one. I reckon they’ve headed off to their den.” He spoke with an accent of some sort. English?

“Shit. Our source said they’d be inseparable.”

“Your source was wrong. We may as well head off to the airport. They’ll be happy to have this one; he’s fresh material for the program.”

The car jolted, and Tex gritted his teeth against the pain.

“The woman would be of more use.”

The third man snorted in humor. “Yeah, she would, since the bitches keep dying. It’s hard to make cubs without mothers to carry them.”

Tex growled. They must have heard him, because after a brief silence, all three men laughed.

“That accident was a good idea. Too bad about the bum who staggered in front of that car.”

More laughter.

“Hey… What the fuck!”

The car horn blared, and the sound of shattering glass filled the vehicle. More curses, and then complete, utter silence. Over the stench, Tex scented their fear. The car shuddered to a stop, swaying on its wheels. It rocked and groaned, as though something heavy was on top of the roof.

That was when the screaming started.

Hunter ran.

He ran until his lungs burned and his heart raced, but he couldn’t catch her. Her scent faded in and out, drifting on the breeze or obscured by the stench of human waste. He ran, fear and frustration battling with his natural instincts to hunt and chase.

He dodged into an alley, lost her scent completely, and vaulted over a parked car, homing in on something else.

Tex.

The scent was faint, but he locked in on the marker, letting every instinct of the wolf wash over him. If he found Tex, he’d find Holly. Hopefully he’d beat her. The idea of Holly confronting men with Tasers and drugs scared the hell out of him.

In frustration he kicked off his boots and stripped out of his jacket, letting it and his shirt fall to the ground. The chill air felt good on his skin, and fear flowed into determination. Confidence. Somewhere a wolf howled, and he knew she was coming fast. He couldn’t let her get there first.

The car was in sight now, just blocks away, prowling through the darkness. It moved a bit faster, picking up speed, and he knew time was running out. They were heading toward the freeway. If they left the surface streets, not even the wolf could keep up.

He ran, his feet pounding the asphalt, his frail human body straining to its limit. He scooped up a rusty pipe from a pile of trash and never lost his pace. He ran until he was behind the car…beside it…and then he gave a mighty leap, sending the pipe through the driver’s window. He shifted, twisting and snarling, and a huge brown wolf landed on the roof of the car.

Hunter scrabbled, clawing for his balance as the car careened around a corner and slowed to a stop. When the door opened and the passenger stepped out, gun in hand, he crouched, then attacked. Flesh gave way, bone broke, and he let go of the body to turn to the next. The man was out of the car and running. He’d dropped his gun on the wet ground; it spun and skittered across the asphalt. And then he was on top of the killer, his weight dropping the human to the pavement easily.

He caught sight of Holly; she’d just attacked the driver and was dragging him through the broken window. A scream pierced the night air and then stopped abruptly as her powerful teeth tore into him. A spray of blood rained through the air, black and oily in the darkness.

The man under Hunter scrambled out from beneath him and lunged for the abandoned gun. Hunter let him get just inches away before closing his jaws on the man’s wrist, shattering bone and severing arteries. He shrieked, and Hunter clamped his sharp teeth on the man’s neck, crushing his trachea.

And then it was over. He stood panting over the man, watching as he died. He snarled, knowing that that was the last thing the killer saw before he died.

Sickened, Hunter shifted back to human, and he swayed with exhaustion and adrenaline. He looked down at his arms and hands, stunned to find them clean. He touched his mouth and felt no blood. He took a deep breath and let it out. He’d done what he needed to do and had kept control of the wolf. He touched his face again, feeling the trail of tears down his cheek.

“Hunter?” Holly was at the back of the car, struggling to open the trunk. He shook his head to clear it and leaned into the driver’s seat, where he found the latch that released the trunk. In moments Tex was out, staggering, his hands over his belly. She hovered around him, touching and stroking his arms and his body. She pulled the tattered remains of the chains from his wrists.

“Oh dayum.” He turned away and placed one hand against a rough brick wall. “Seriously, my head hurts too bad to barf.” He breathed through his mouth, taking deep, gulping breaths. Hunter turned away and looked at the bodies scattered in the alley. He hadn’t realized how tight the space had been when he attacked. It really had been the perfect location for a fight.

But now…

“We need a cleanup.”

Tex and Holly moved to his side, looking at the battered car and its former passengers. Dawn wasn’t long off, and not even Eva and Harte could get there in time to help clear the scene. Fortunately there wasn’t much blood.

With a loud sigh, Tex bent down, hefted a body, and dumped it into the trunk of the car. “Fuck. My head.” He leaned against the car and rested his head on the cool metal.

“Ethan and Kurt usually handle cleanup. Ethan can always talk his way out of trouble with the police.” Hunter pulled out his phone and sent a quick text message. “If we leave now, we can get to I-5 before dawn. They can meet us in Dixon or someplace like that.”

Hunter lifted the second man while Holly dragged the third over. Obviously this model of car was favored by Abraxas for its expansive trunk space. There was plenty of room for three. He slammed the lid.

“Clothes. We need clothes.”

“Can you drive?” Tex eyed him doubtfully. “I’m still seeing double. Maybe triple.” He looked queasy and weak.

Hunter nodded.

“There’s a small bag here.” Holly lifted the case onto the backseat of the car. She opened it and tossed a T-shirt and sweatpants up to Hunter. He hated the stench of the humans but dragged the clothes on anyway. He brushed bits of shattered windshield to the floor, then slid into the driver’s seat. The car was still running. Tex climbed into the passenger side of the car and leaned his head back against the headrest.

“Getting Tasered sucks. I think that thing was loaded for elephant. They gave me drugs too.” He sounded decidedly sorry for himself.

Hunter snorted. He was well familiar with Abraxas’s shock treatments. Holly crawled over the seats and slid onto the bench seat between the men. She was stark naked.

“Put your seat belt on, Tex. You have any idea where you lost your pants, Hunter? We’ll need your wallet if we get pulled over.”

He looked at her in shock.

“And we’ll need money for the bridge tolls. And I’m sort of hungry.”

Tex groaned at the mention of food.

“My stuff is just a block or two from that wreck…”

Over her head, Tex grinned at Hunter. She was already managing their lives.

“My apartment’s not far. Maybe we could stop for a few things… I really liked that vest. And my kit… Yours too, Tex…”

“Holly…” he growled.

She looked up at him, eyes wide. “What?”

She was stark naked, and they had three dead bodies in the trunk of the stolen car. How could she be hungry at a time like this? Hunter jerked off the T-shirt and shoved it over her head. Holly sputtered, struggled, and frowned as her head came through the oversize armhole. He eased the car onto the street, squinting through the fog, looking for signs to the Golden Gate Bridge. The cool night air wafted in the window.

“This isn’t right…” Holly vanished into the shirt, wrestling with the stretchy material.

“The sign said the bridge was that way. Now where the hell are we?” He stared out the window in frustration.

“I can’t get my head loose!”

Tex started laughing, his head now resting against the window glass. “Oh, darlin’, I can’t wait to get you over my knee again!”

To his surprise, Hunter felt the very same way.

Epilogue

The dark brown wolf crouched in the high grass at the edge of the field, his belly brushing the ground. The woman he stalked froze, searching the trees and brush for the predator. When he burst from cover, she squealed, turning to run. He had her flat on the ground in seconds. She was pinned on her back by the massive wolf, who frantically licked her face.

Holly giggled, wiggled free, and dodged behind the mechanical bull that was being assembled in the middle of the lawn.

“How’d you manage to talk Xavier out of the bull?” Chase Montenegro turned from the porch rail and settled his long body into a wooden Adirondack chair that Tex had built. The cool breeze wafted through his black hair. Instead of his usual suit, he wore jeans and a flannel shirt.

“It was broken. I told him we’d fix it and store it up here till he wanted to use it again.” Tex gave his alpha a lopsided grin. “Told him I’d give some of the club dominants riding lessons if he’d let us use it.”

“But not the subs? That seems a bit unfair.” His words were disapproving, but a dimple played at the corner of Chase’s stern mouth.

“You know how it is, Chase. The sub has all the power. This is just a way to even up the playing field.”

“No, your sub has all the power.” He laughed and shook his head. “Does this mean we’ll have a steady flow of dominants visiting Truckee?”

“Nah… I’ll take it back down there before rodeo season in the spring. Gives us an excuse to take Holly back to the dungeon. We owe her a spanking or two.” Just the thought of Holly tied out properly had his cock swelling in interest.

“From what Kurt tells me, she saved your asses there on the highway. If she hadn’t distracted the CHP officer who pulled you guys over, they might have found the bodies in the trunk.”

“Uhh…yeah…” Tex stretched, hiding his discomfort. “I don’t think she meant to flash the police officer, but it worked anyway. By the time she finished explaining about the broken window, the clothing, and the dozen hamburgers, the poor man thought we’d been out partying all night and that Hunter was our designated driver.”

Chase smiled and looked out at the lawn. Several others had joined in the rowdy play.

“There’s something I need to tell you, though. When I was locked inside the trunk, I overheard the men talking. Someone tipped them off. Someone who was watching us at the club. They set up a pretty nasty trap with that car wreck.”

“They killed a pedestrian to do that. Do you have any idea who their source was?”

Tex sighed. “I doubt it was Xavier. If he’d wanted us, he could have set a trap early on.”

Chase nodded.

“There’s a girl that works there. A friend of Holly’s.”

“Destiny.” Chase’s expression was dark. “She’s a friend of Eva’s as well. I don’t like this at all. Even if it’s not her, we’ve got to warn the pack away from Dark Haven. Just in case.”

“Bummer.” Tex sat up in his chair and leaned forward to watch Holly and Hunter on the lawn. Both were in wolf form now, and they were gently teasing Deuce and the new boy. Deuce was mostly blind and hearing impaired, and Trey didn’t speak. Somehow, though, they’d formed a bond. Hunter darted in and nipped at Holly’s tail, and she scooted away, her bottom skidding along the ground. Both boys broke out in laughter.

“You taught them to play, Tex. Hunter and Holly were among the most broken of my wolves, and you fixed them.”

“They aren’t broken, Chase. None of them are. They just need time.”

Chase looked out over the lawn where a cluster of wolves huddled, watching the others play. “You and Briony are the only ones who’ve been able to get through to them.”

“Nah. They’re paying attention. Hunter and Holly know what they want; they just never learned how to recognize it or ask for it.”

“That must be why training as a domme helped Holly. Is it helping Hunter as well?”

“Seems to be. They’ve both learned to switch roles too. Hunter’s not too keen on taking the sub role, but he understands it’s part of his training. They’re both learning to communicate.”

Funny how a relationship could fail because of something as simple as failing to talk. To share. To tell your partner how you feel.

Tex hesitated, knowing his alpha wouldn’t like what he had to say next.

“We need a strong female, Chase. An alpha female. One who can manage the pack. When their heat cycles come, the women hide at that old cabin in the mountains because they’re afraid of the men. They’re afraid of having babies. An alpha female would draw them out and give them strength.”

“We have Eva.”

“Eva’s not ours, Chase. And she doesn’t have the mojo it’s gonna take. Frankly, I’ve only met one or two wolves with the kind of power you have. You need a mate that’s your match.”

He didn’t curse or glower as Tex expected. He simply watched his wolves, a serene mask hiding his feelings. After a painfully long minute, he stirred, rising up out of the chair.

“You may be right. Not about the mate part, but we do need a strong female in the pack.” He smiled sadly. “Guess I’ll be heading out on a hunt too.”

Chase went back into the house. Tex heard him calling his betas together for an impromptu meeting. He lifted a brow.

Chase was taking his advice? Now that was something new.

“Hey, Tex!” He stood and leaned on the sturdy wooden porch rail, looking out at where Hunter was pulling on a ratty pair of jeans. Goodness only knew who they belonged to.

“Get down here! Holly wants to ride the bull!”

“Really?” He started down the stairs, then landed on the ground at a run. “Dayum!”

~ * ~