Callie's Captors [Mountain Men of Montana 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (8 page)

“Yup.”

She nodded, thinking that it might encourage him to elaborate. But that tactic failed. “Great. Um, you’re a big, strong guy, huh?”

“Guess so.”

“I bet you have lots of women throwing themselves at you.”

He didn’t answer, letting his perplexed expression do his talking.

So much for getting more chummy with him
. “Do you think you could take me to him? Or to Blue or Raine?”

“Nope.”

She blinked, maybe because she’d just noticed that he hadn’t blinked at all. “Why not?”

“Can’t.”

I’ve never wanted to shake an answer out of anyone more than I do right now.

“Why can’t you?”

“Just can’t.”

The last thread of her patience broke. “Look, big guy. If you can’t, then how about you pointing me in the right direction and I’ll find them myself?”

“I’m yours.”

His large, flat face scrunched up in what she thought might be a pout. “I’m sorry? How are you mine?” Did every man she met in the woods want her?

“I’m the one Blue picked to watch you.”

“Oh, he did, did he?” But what did that mean? Again she had to wonder if Blue had gotten him to watch her to keep her safe? Or to watch her to keep her from leaving?

“Tell you what, Luke. I’m going to have a look around the camp.” She held up her hand in what she thought was the Girl Scout salute. “I promise I won’t go into the woods. Is that good?”

He nodded vigorously, shaking the mane of dark hair to spill around his face. His bare chest was even broader than Blue’s and covered with hair. He was a bear of a man in more than his size. “Stay in the camp. The woods can be bad at night.”

She didn’t bother asking how the woods could be bad since she had other matters to attend to. First, she’d find the men and then she’d extract a promise from them to take her down the mountain in the morning. Or at least put her in a place where she could find her own way home.

“Great. Then that’s settled.” She started past him when he thrust out a huge paw of a hand.

“Nope. Stay put.”

She fought back the urge to make a break for it. He was huge, but she’d seen big men who were fast. She had to find another tactic to use. “I thought you said I could walk around?”

“Nope. Changed my mind.”

She resisted the urge to ask him how big a mind he had. “I just want to see if I can scrounge up a little food. Is that so bad?”

His unibrow lifted skyward. “You’re hungry? Sure, sure.” Craning his tree-trunk-size neck around, he hollered, “Lyra, bring food!”

Crap. That didn’t work either.

Within a few seconds, a beautiful woman with flowing brown hair appeared out of the darkness carrying a basket. She was as tall as Luke with what would be considered a large frame for a woman, but the way she held her body, the way her emerald eyes sparkled, gave her a special appearance that was entrancing.

“I was already on my way.” She jutted out her chin. “And don’t you go yelling for me like I’m your slave, Luke Yahr. I may be your mate, but I’m not about to take orders from you.”

She ignored the fact that Luke tried to respond and shifted her attention to Callie. “I’m Lyra.”

“And I’m Callie.”

“I heard we had a visitor and expected that the Deacon brothers hadn’t bothered to think about food. What else would you expect from men?”

Callie liked her. Her warmth was genuine and her demeanor easy-going. “I guess. I don’t really know them since I just met them earlier.”

Lyra pushed her way into the tent and Callie followed behind her. She set the basket down on the bright blue quilt in the center of the tent nearest the fire pit then turned back with a smile on her face and a twinkle of curiosity in her eyes. “Really? Are you sure about that?”

Callie fought to keep from darting her gaze to the quilts where she and Pete had made love. Would Lyra be able to tell by how rumpled the blankets were? Or worse, to smell the lingering scent of their sex? “I’m not sure what you mean.”

That’s it, isn’t it? Like he’d said. It had felt more like making love than having sex. Like I’ve known him for a lot longer than a few hours.

Lyra gave her a secretive smile. “Would you like to eat alone? Or would you prefer to have company?”

Since she wasn’t going to get away from the tent, she might as well get as much information from Lyra as she could. “Please, join me.”

Callie settled on the quilt opposite from where Lyra sat and waited for her to open the basket. The tall woman pulled open the lid and started putting out a variety of foods, all of which were either vegetables or fruits. “The men should have a container of water around here. Ah, there it is.”

She reached over and grabbed a pitcher and two mugs off a low-lying shelf then poured them both a drink. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t have any meat to serve you.”

“So you’re not vegetarians?”

Lyra’s laugh sounded like a cackle, but it didn’t take away from her charm. “Some of us are. Not Luke or myself, though. Or the Deacon brothers. Tell me. What did you think of them?”

She hadn’t expected that question. “Like I said, I just met them.”

Lyra rubbed an apple on the skirt of her dress. “As soon as I saw Luke I knew he was the one for me. And he knew it, too. Although I think it took me a while to actually admit it. But that’s the way of it, isn’t it? Something wonderful comes in such a quick time that the logical side of you thinks it’s too good to be true.”

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean. Are you talking about love at first sight?” Surely, Lyra didn’t think she’d fallen for the Deacons.

“For me and Luke, it was. But for others?” She shrugged. “Who knows? I wouldn’t doubt that those men had their fair share of women who would’ve lain with them the first night of knowing them.”

Callie dropped her gaze to pick up a banana. Was Lyra hinting that she knew about her and Pete?

“They’re terrific men, you know. Better than most, I’d say. The woman who gets them as mates will be a very lucky girl.”

“You said that word before. Mate. Do you mean like a husband and wife? Or partners?” She peeled the banana then it hit her. “Did you mean one woman for all three of them?”

Lyra bit into her apple and took her time chewing the piece. “So how did you meet them?”

Way to avoid answering.

But Callie didn’t think she should push. “I almost hate to tell you.”

Interest brightened Lyra’s face. “Well, then, now you have to. It sounds like a good story.”

“Yes, I guess it is. Although it makes me feel a bit stupid for how it happened.” She took a bite before going on and took the time to chew and think about her answer. “I was hiking through the woods.”

“On The Outside.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

Lyra waved her confusion away. “Never mind. Go on.”

“Anyway, I saw this amazing buck with great antlers and I started to take his picture.” Did Lyra’s enthusiasm suddenly wane?

“But when I did, he saw me and charged. I was so stunned I barely thought to grab my camera. Once I did, I took off running and ran straight into a big hole.”

“No! Was it a deep hole? Like a pit or a trap?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“I’ve seen them before. So is that when they found you?” Lyra leaned forward, anticipating the rest of the story.

“No. It was strange, but first there was this animal who watched me. I’m not sure what it was.”

Lyra’s face darkened. “Did it have red eyes?”

“Yes, it did. Do you know what I’m talking about? Have you seen it?” Eagerness zipped through her.

“I have and you were lucky that it didn’t do anything other than watch you.”

The venomous tone of Lyra’s voice had her rearing back. “It didn’t seem all that vicious to me. What is it? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Is that when the Deacon men showed up? Did they run it off?”

It seemed Lyra was an expert at avoiding questions. But again, she decided not to push. “No. You’d think I’d sent out invitations. After the creature left, then three wolves showed up. That’s when I really got afraid.”

“Really? Did they act like they’d hurt you?”

She stopped to recall how they’d paced around the hole. Yet they really hadn’t done anything threatening. Even when the dark wolf had jumped into the hole, he hadn’t attacked. “No. Now that you bring it up, they didn’t. One even got within a foot of me and didn’t bite. I guess I was lucky.”

“You’re luckier than you know.” Lyra leaned back and rested her weight on her elbows. “Then what happened?”

“The wolves left, and after a while, that’s when the Deacon brothers showed up.”

“What a wonderful story.”

“You’re being nice. I look like an idiot. Hell, I am an idiot for running straight into a hole.”

Lyra finished her apple in a couple of bites that any longshoreman would’ve been proud of. “What else were you supposed to do? Let the buck run over you?”

“Thanks for saying that.” She took another bite of her banana then followed it with a long drink. “So what is this place, anyway?”

Lyra’s face lit up with joy. “It’s our home. I suppose others might think of us as a cult or some kind of commune, but it’s not that. We call our home The Hidden since we’re so protected from outside interference by the mountains. We like to live in a simple way without all the modern conveniences.”

She laughed at Callie’s shocked expression. “I can understand your reaction. At first you think, what will I do without a washing machine? Or a hot bath to soak in? But, trust me, this place has so much more to offer. I bet once you get to know us, you won’t ever want to leave.”

The remainder of her banana dropped to the quilt. “Wait a minute. You make it sound like I’m staying. I’m leaving in the morning. No matter what.” She’d added the last part as a challenge.

Lyra pulled back, her mouth parting in an
oh
. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Maybe I should go. The Deacon men should explain all this to you. Not me.”

She stood, not bothering to gather any of the food, and scurried to the exit. “Please enjoy the food.”

“No, Lyra. Stay. I have a lot more questions.” She jumped up after her and made it outside to see Lyra dashing away. Luke put his brawny frame in front of her, blocking her from leaving again. She scowled at him but didn’t try to get around him. What was the point? She’d never make it.

What the hell is going on?

* * * *

Blue stood next to his brothers and faced the members of The Council. Charlton sat at the low long table along with Xnax, the firemaker, Tina, a fairie, Wisa, a werecat, and Harrison, a werewolf that he and his brothers didn’t like very well. The newest member, Titto, one of the few elves in The Hidden, propped his feet on top of the table.

“As we were saying, we believe another opening has formed. Jerry said he felt it, too. We’ll send a few people back to the pit and see if they can locate it during the next Time of Leaving. If it’s true that it exists, we’ll need to come up with precautions to watch over it.” Charlton stroked his beard as he spoke, his blue eyes sliding from Blue, to Raine, and then to Pete.

Blue took a deep breath and confirmed what he thought he’d smelled as soon as Pete had walked into the cabin. He glanced at his brother, who in the same instant found the floor very interesting.

He had her.

Turmoil roared to life in his gut. On one hand, he wished Pete had waited, giving them time to explain where she was and how they might not be able to take her back down the mountain. On the other hand, he couldn’t blame him. If he’d had time alone with her he might’ve done the same thing. The whole time they’d walked to camp, he’d felt her allure and had fought against acting on his impulse to shove her to the ground and take her. She’d held a hold over him, one that he couldn’t explain. Not unless he considered the possibility that she was their intended mate.

If they were lucky, The Council wouldn’t pick up the scent of sex from Pete. That might make things even more complicated than they already were.

Could she be the one? If they’d met her on The Outside, they would’ve instantly known. The connection all werewolves felt for their mate would’ve taken hold of them and left no doubt. But it was different within The Hidden. The instant bond wasn’t felt the same way. Of course the attraction was there, but it was a different sensation, more a feeling that an emptiness had been filled. Yet wasn’t that how he’d felt when he’d seen her? Was he ready to admit that he’d sensed that special something about her? He wished he’d taken the time to talk to his brothers about it. If only he had experienced it, then it was nothing. But if all three of them had? Then that was definitely a sign none of them could ignore. He needed more time to find out.

“There’s still the question of how she was able to come inside without the help of one of us.” Titto’s red hair matched the ball of fire dancing in Xnax’s hand.

“Obviously, she has to be a supernatural. Or at least have it in her blood. Otherwise, she’d have never made it in.”

“Xnax is right. But if she’s not, then what happens when someone who isn’t one of us runs into this strange, invisible barrier? Will they get through, too? Will they even feel it? Will they touch it? Or will it keep them from getting near? A portal like this could be devastating.”

Everyone grew quiet and considered Raine’s questions. They couldn’t have humans running into the barrier then shouting about it to others on The Outside.

“That’s why we’ll have to watch over it.” Charlton twisted toward Harrison. “You have family near here. One who knows of The Hidden? Isn’t that right?”

Harrison jerked as though coming out of a trance. “Uh, yes. I could ask one of them to try and get through. Of course, I’ll have to wait for the next Time of Coming. But I wouldn’t mind spending a little time on The Outside.”

“Good. That part of our discussion is settled. We’ll send a party to check on the new portal and Harrison’s human family member will try and make it through.” Charlton rested his elbows on the table, but Blue could see that he wasn’t finished, but waiting for another matter to be broached.