Bite Me (4 page)

There was no fear in her, but when she inhaled deeply something rose in her body, something fierce and strong. It was something she’d never felt before. Her heart raced, her palms became sweaty, and her breasts felt heavy.

God, what’s happening?

She could have tried rationalizing what was happening, that it was her mind “playing tricks on her”. Or she could even say it could have been chemicals in the air, or pressure in the cavern. She could have thought of a dozen different scenarios that would make her feel like this, but she knew none of them were correct. How she knew she didn’t know, but she felt that certainty fill every space in her body.

She followed Clint, but just as she entered the tunnel, her light muted in the inky blackness of the small confines, she tripped, her leg twisting, and she fell down hard. Her head cracked forward on the hard, icy ground, and her legs screamed out in pain. The darkness that surrounded her had nothing to do with the coffin-like surroundings, and had everything to do with the blow to her head.

Chapter Six

Ruby didn’t know what woke her, but she found reality rushing back to her swiftly. Slowly opening her eyes, she was first greeted with a rock ceiling, ice crystals bouncing off the light, and casting prisms on the cavernous walls.

Memories slammed into her, and she lifted slightly up and looked down at her leg. She’d fallen, had hurt herself badly. The pain had been serious, enough to have tears filling her eyes. But then she’d passed out.

Where am I?

She braced herself on her hands as she lifted her upper body off the ground. She was lying on something soft, and looked down to see it was thick blankets. A glance around the cavern she was in showed her someone clearly lived here. Her head pounded slightly from the movement, but that discomfort faded pretty quickly until it was just a dull ache.

How bizarre.

How could anyone live in this mountain, in these conditions?

Aside from the pallet bed she was on, there were other “modern” things set up in the massive space. Propane tanks were next to a small stove that would be used for camping. Coolers were beside that, as well as two other pallet type beds. A basin big enough for a person to sit in was across from them. There was also a rack that held meat and fish.

Where the hell am I?

She tried to move, but the pain in her leg finally became known again, as if it didn’t want her to forget it was all screwed up. Gasping and reaching out to place her hand on the bandage that was wrapped around her leg, she gritted her teeth and looked at it. Someone had cut her pants and thermal gear, and although she realized she wasn’t wearing a coat, she didn’t feel the chill in the air.

And then she heard the sound of someone approaching—no, not
someone
, but more than one person approaching. She snapped her head toward the only tunnel in this cavern, her heart seeming to still in her chest, her throat feeling like it was closing, and her mouth dry.

Should she try to hide? She pushed that thought away as she knew she wouldn’t even be able to stand on her leg, let alone make a run for it. Ruby did look around for something to use as a weapon, but anything she could have used was on the other side of the cave, and she wouldn’t have time to grab it, even if she could have moved before whoever came got to where she was.

So it seemed all Ruby could do was sit there with her heart in her throat.

And then she saw them, three men, huge, partially naked aside from the leather pants they wore. Recognition slammed into her. She knew them … from her dreams.

They were the three men that had filled her dreams for the last several years.

How is this possible?

They had no shoes on, but it was clear the cold wasn’t bothering them. Once the three were out of the tunnel they stopped and stared at her. Their hair was on the messy side, with the longer strands reaching to their ears. But it was their bodies, their massive muscles, the fact they had ridges and hills, valleys and dips that had something in her rising up swiftly.

“You’re up,” one of them said and took a step back.

She rose, not caring that her leg ached. It wasn’t as bad as when it first happened, but it was still uncomfortable, tight even.

“Your leg should be healed within a few hours,” the second man said, but didn’t move.

She looked down at her leg, not sure how he could know that. Even a sprain would take a few days to heal.

“Surely you’re not surprised by that news?” the third one finally said, his voice deep and scratchy, just like the other two.

“Where am I, and what do you want?” She kept her voice calm, steady, and strangely enough it was fairly easy. Although she was in this situation, not sure what these men planned on doing to her—with her—Ruby didn’t feel the kind of numbing fear she assumed she would have.

They all moved away from the cavern entrance and went over to where pallets were set up. But they didn’t sit down, and instead just stood there and watched her.

“Where am I?” she asked again.

“We brought you back to where we live, to be with us,” one of the men said.

She shook her head, although she didn’t know what she was saying no to.

“You’re here because you were meant to be here,” said the first one that had stepped forward. They were all similar in appearance, resembling each other with their dark hair and light blue eyes. They had to be related. “You’re here because you’re our mate and we’ve been waiting for you.”

She knitted her brows, not understanding any of this. “What? Mates? I am here because I was meant to be?” This made no sense. She thought about Clint, about where he’d gone off. Surely he’d heard her fall? Had he just left her there? Had he come to help her but these three, clearly unstable, men had done something to him?

One of the other men came forward, confusion on his face. She could see that same expression on all of their faces now, and could smell it in the air.

Wait, what?

She inhaled, and the scent that came from them was this light, citrusy aroma that tingled her nose. She instantly recognized it as confusion, although she had no clue how she knew that.

“You don’t know what you are, who you are?” one of them said.

“You have no idea what we are to you?” another said.

“How does our mate not know us by instinct alone?” the third said, addressing them, but also addressing her.

She curled her hands into tight fists at her side, her anger rising, this power moving through her. “What in the hell is going on?” she finally said, her voice raised, her confusion, annoyance, and agitation real.

And then the citrusy scent changed to something darker, more intense and pleasing. She recognized it as arousal.

“I’m Stanis, and these are my brothers, Casis and Malachi.” He took another step closer.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” she said, feeling herself shake as emotions and sensations bombarded her.

He stopped a few feet from her. “You want to see what you are, what we are?”

She nodded, not sure if she did, but right now needing some answers. “I don’t know what’s going on, and I’m feeling like I’ll explode.” Maybe a bit dramatic but at this moment she did feel like that, felt like she could tear away her skin and it wouldn’t even faze her.

“But you’ve dreamt of us.” He said it without making it a question.

Ruby found herself nodding. “I have.”
Why am I telling them anything about myself?

“For years,” he said again and took a step closer.

She nodded once more. “Since I was eighteen.”

He made this low sound, almost animalistic in quality. “You know nothing of your past, of where you came from?”

She shook her head, not sure why she felt such ease amongst these three strangers.

Because he knows so much about me already.

“Tell us your name,” the one named Stanis said.

Ruby licked her lips and found herself answering, even though she shouldn’t have told them anything. She had no clue who they were, or what their real intent was with her. “Ruby.”

There was this vibration that filled the room, and she realized it came from the three men.

“Tell us more,” Casis said.

“I was abandoned, put into foster care, and know nothing of my past or my family.” She swallowed, feeling her wall break down, her emotions spew forth. She couldn’t stop herself. “I stopped looking for answers a long time ago.”

The man took another step forward, but she shook he head. He stopped instantly.

“You want to see where you come from?” one of the other men said and moved forward. The third man did the same. She looked among the three of them, saw them glance at each other, and felt the air thicken, heat.

“You want to see what you are?” Stanis said, and she found herself nodding, even though she had no clue what he meant.

But hearing him say that clicked inside of her, and it was like this recognition filled her. “Yes,” she whispered.

Stanis took a step back, as did the other two, and then they stood in a line. A second passed, and then they started breathing harder, faster. She felt sweat bead between her breasts and down the length of her spine.

“I hope you’re ready, mate.”

I’m not.

There was this popping sound, as if electricity coursed through the cavern. Their bodies grew bigger, taller, their muscles becoming even more pronounced. Claws tipped their fingers, fangs touched their bottom lips, and their eyes became black, their pupils eating up the blue irises.

Oh my God. What am I in the middle of? Why am I still standing here?

The flight instinct kicked into overdrive. She didn’t think, just ran out the tunnel, thankful they’d been on the other side of the room. She pumped her legs hard and fast, pushed past the discomfort in her leg, but heard them behind her. They were coming for her, and she knew they’d catch her.

Chapter Seven

She could run, but they’d find her, catch her. She was confused, not afraid, but unsure of the situation. Maybe they should have taken things slow, but they’d waited their entire life for her.

Stanis ran faster, took the twists and turns of the tunnel, following her scent. His brothers were behind him, the low rumble of excitement and need leaving them all. They anticipated this, were eager to catch her. Stanis hadn’t known she’d run, because he figured a mate would instantly want them.

They wanted her the moment they’d scented her in the mountain.

But she hadn’t been brought up like them, hadn’t lived the shifter life. She was a human in the sense she had been raised by the inferior species. She may not shift like them because she was female, but he’d seen her wolf rise up, probably for the first time in her life. He’d scented the strength, the power that filled her. He’d seen her eyes change, seen the start of her fangs. He couldn’t blame her for being afraid.

He supposed if he’d been in her shoes he would have been as well.

But Stanis and his brothers had been waiting for their mate—
her
—since they entered their prime, which had been since they were seventeen years old. They had a lot to talk to her about, a lot to explain. But they had all the time in the world.

“She can run, but she won’t get far.”

He heard Casis’s voice in his head. Once in their shifted forms they could communicate telepathically. When Ruby finally accepted who and what she was, and embraced her she-wolf, she’d realize everything that came with being what they were. She was closed off, though, and that was a barrier she needed to break through.

“Let her get this raw energy out,”
Malachi said.

“She’s frightened of herself, of us, and confused on what’s going on. She can run, but I agree, we won’t let her go.”
Stanis was the one to reply, and picked up his speed.

She didn’t know the caves, but from the way her eyes changed he knew she could see in the darkness as well as if it were filled with light. But she’d get turned around and find herself right back in the cavern. They’d decided to make their home in that particular spot for that reason, because the tunnels twisted and turned, and it was difficult to even get to it if the location wasn’t known exactly.

It was only a matter of time before she accepted all of this, before she didn’t have a choice. And when she did they’d be theirs in all ways.

****

Ruby felt like she was running in circles, but what shocked her out of this entire situation, what had a tight hold on her, were several things.

She could see in the dark … perfectly.

She knew she was running far faster than a human should.

And she could hear them right behind her, hear their breathing, and smell their scent.

There was also the fact that instead of fearing for her life, instead of being scared to death, all Ruby felt was heat moving through her, and an arousal the likes of which she’d never felt before.

Pumping her arms harder, moving her legs faster, Ruby took another turn, feeling like she was going in circles. And then she came to an abrupt stop when she ran right into the place she’d been running from … the cavern.

Her chest rose and fell, her heart raced, and she felt that wild, powerful energy in her rush through her veins. Moving further into the cavern and looking around, she felt like everything she’d ever known, ever thought was real, was all a lie, a dream.

She heard them approach before she saw them. Staring at the cavern entrance, Ruby curled her hands into fists, knowing she needed to stay calm. Ruby had questions, and she knew these men where the ones that could give answers to her.

Then they stepped into the cavern, and everything in her stilled, but also heightened. Her emotions, the feelings moving through her, all of it rose up like a tsunami about to level everything in her.

Ruby watched them, their bodies so big, their half-human, half-shifter selves something she should have feared. But she didn’t. She actually felt so wet over the fact they looked primal, dangerous.

A high unlike anything she had ever felt moved within her, stole her breath, and made her body shake with anticipation. She’d found out the truth of who and what she was, and as unbelievable as it may seem, it also felt so right.

Her pulse seemed to beat everywhere, but was far more pronounced in her pussy, her clit, and every other erogenous zone in her body. Malachi stepped forward, his body already half shifted, his pupils dilated, and his wolf right there at the surface. He didn’t look like a monster; none of them did. He looked like a male she could relate to, a species she had come from. For so long she’d harbored this confusion, this nagging in the back of her head. And now she knew why that was. Now she knew what she was.

Casis and Stanis came forward, as well, and her pulse pounded at the base of her throat, the sound filling her ears. Despite the fact they were still in the mountain, ice surrounding them, all Ruby felt was warmth.

“You ran,” Malachi was the one to speak.

She looked among the three of them, their bodies so big, their eyes completely black, and their fangs pronounced.

They were shifters—wolf shifters—but they weren’t the creatures she’d ever read about in fiction. They weren’t man turned into beast, but more a combination of the two.

“You ran from us, and we won’t accept that,
mate
,” Casis said, his voice distorted because he was this man-wolf creature.

Yes, she had, but how could they think she wouldn’t have? A part of her was afraid, but not of these males, rather of what she felt.

This was all so strange.

They wore only leather pants, and it was clear the three of them were aroused for her, their erections pressing against the material. She should have felt shock, maybe even disgust that these strange men made no qualms about showing off their arousal. But Ruby felt nothing of that. She just felt this power moving through her.

Looking down at her leg, she felt no more pain.

“It’s because your wolf side came out, took over. It healed you from the inside out,” Stanis said.

God, is this real? Maybe I’m dead and in some limbo? Maybe I’m lying in some dark tunnel hallucinating?

It just seemed so fantastical, but as strange as it all was, Ruby could honestly say she didn’t want it to end.

And isn’t that the craziest part of all of this? Isn’t it insane to just … accept this?