Winter of the Wolf (55 page)

Although he jumped down, her paws seemed stuck to the damp meadow grass, not letting her move. As Zeb came up behind her, her tail went sideways in a strange manner. Her nerves flared with heat; her mind was smothered under the rush of instincts. She started to pul away.

A wolf blocked her. Shay. As he licked her nose in reassurance, the power of the alpha ran through her.

She shivered. Zeb’s paws held her shoulders, his heavy weight anchoring her in place. His cock pressed against her, seeking entrance, and she instinctively lifted her hind end higher to give him access.

He slowly penetrated her, and his shaft grew longer and thicker with each thrust.

She trembled, the sensation different, primal. His paws curved in front of her, holding her as his thrusting grew harder.

Then, she felt the shimmer of change and realized she was on hands and knees in the soft grass, her bracelet sparkling on her wrist. Zeb slid one palm around to cup her breast, his bare chest rubbed on her back. “Our mate,” he growled in her ear and plunged deep. His arm lifted her hips up to him before he moved his hand lower.

Oh God. His fingers slid over her mound and pinned her clit. Her center balanced on a razor’s edge and burst in a blast of pleasure. He laughed, hammered deeper, and his cock jerked with his own climax.

Good grief
. Her arms trembled, and her head hung down as she panted.

He bit her nape, making her shudder before he kissed the tiny pain away. “I love you, little female,” he whispered into her ear, sending warmth of a different sort through her.

her ear, sending warmth of a different sort through her.

As he puled out, she whined, wanting to be taken again.

The cool air against her heated sweaty skin made her shiver, and she started to stand.

He set his hand on her shoulder.

“What?” she asked.

Lifting her chin, he ran his finger over her lips. His dark gaze met hers. “Trawsfur.”

Again? But his eyes held her pinned, and she couldn’t deny him. The door to her animal shape hadn’t completely closed, and she slid into wolf without thinking. Happiness radiated through her as Zeb stroked her fur and tugged on her ears.

He stepped away, and she glanced around for Shay.

There
. The rush of lust startled her, but God, he was beautiful. He stood in the center of the meadow, ears forward, tail raised high, the moonlight gleaming on his silver-gray fur. Her heart sweled with love as she trotted over. A second later, Zeb joined them, his dark fur rustling against hers.

Shay barked once and loped through the silky grass, startling rabbits and mice as he led the way out of the meadow.

Bree folowed, paws hitting the soft grass, tail high. The feeling of running with her mates was heady. Powerful. She could remember the slow decline in her health, her exhaustion could remember the slow decline in her health, her exhaustion at the end of each day, and her loneliness. Now she was healthy, loved, and mated.

With every footfal, she tried to give the Mother her gratitude.

The trail wound upward and upward until they came out onto a grassy-covered knol, high above the valey where they’d been. The moon lingered over the mountains, her light a soft caress. Dark forests and white covered peaks surrounded them.

Zeb went to sprawl in a grassy spot. As she started to join him, Shay moved closer to her. His body was huge, radiating heat and power. He circled her slowly, sniffing, licking her nose and chin. His scent was musky and heavily masculine, waking everything in her to a searing need. And then he was behind her, his breath on her hidden areas. She moved her hind paws apart, her tail easing to one side.

With one lunge, he was on her, far heavier than Zeb. She was slick and ready as his cock slid into her, and with each thrust, it thickened until it was almost more than she could take. His front paws pinned her as he pounded into her, and her head spun with the joy of being taken, of being wanted.

God, she loved them both so much.

His teeth closed on her ruff, sending a shiver down her spine. Then everything blurred, and she was human again.

Her arms gleamed white in the moonlight. She saw Shay’s Her arms gleamed white in the moonlight. She saw Shay’s tanned, thick forearm next to hers for a second before he gripped her hips. He lifted her higher, yanking her back onto his shaft, and she gasped at the sensation.

Her arms turned rubbery, and she dropped to her elbows as his rhythmic pumping took over her body. The pressure inside her grew, higher and higher until an overwhelming eruption ripped through her, sending pleasure flowing along her veins as if she’d absorbed the moonlight itself.

As she panted, Shay’s hands tightened painfuly, and he thrust deep and hard. He came with a low growl that changed to a croon of love as his forehead leaned on her back. “
Tha gaol agam ort
, little wolf.” He rose and puled her to her feet. Wrapping his arms around her, he molded her against him. In his usual embrace, he fondled her ass as he kissed her thoroughly. With a pleased sigh, he passed her to Zeb.

After Zeb finished kissing her, he pushed her sweat-streaked hair off her forehead. His teeth flashed white in his dark face. “You look confused, little female.”
Who me
? She shivered at the memory of paws on her furry shoulders, of the scent… “We were wolves. I mean, we made love and—”

As Shay nuzzled her neck, Zeb ran his knuckles over her cheek and said, “Under the Mother’s moon, lifemated shifters of the same animal can mate in both forms.” shifters of the same animal can mate in both forms.”

“It’s another blessing of the Mother.” Shay looked at the moon, barely over the top of the mountains. “Let’s sing her down.” He shifted, shook his fur out, and paced to the edge of the knol over the meadow. Zeb stood next to him, dark fur next to the light, and then Bree.

Shay barked three times, lifted his nose, and gave a long lonely howl. Zeb joined him, lower and rougher. Then Bree added hers, and their voices twined together, filing the valey with a primitive melody as beautiful as the world around them.

They sang until the last glimmer of moonlight disappeared from the mountaintops.

Chapter Forty

Cold Creek, North Cascades Territory

Unwiling to be apart, they’d al piled into Shay’s truck for the final day of their trip back. As Shay drove, Zeb stared out the windshield, trying to ignore the ache in his chest. The trees on each side of the road whipped past, too quickly for his liking. Bringing them to the end. Overhead, the sun broke through the morning rainclouds like a beacon of hope.
A
through the morning rainclouds like a beacon of hope.
A
beacon of hope
. Zeb snorted.
As if
.

Bree sat between him and Shay, and her eyes glistened with tears. Zeb took her hand and squeezed gently.

Last night, they’d crossed into Calum’s territory. The welcome from Herne and the Mother that every shifter got when returning to their home territory had been wrenchingly strong. Although the Olympic forest had been beautiful, everything inside Zeb reverberated with the knowledge that the North Cascades Territory was where he belonged.

Bree hadn’t been ready—hel, neither had he. He’d never felt such a sense of coming home before.

She’d cried. His sweet female who faced everything head-on had wept so hard that she’d broken his heart. She’d never had a home—and she knew they hadn’t either. Between her feelings of loss and her guilt about them, she’d made herself sick. They’d ended up camping right there in the forest.

Undoubtedly, Calum had felt them enter his territory, but Bree couldn’t have known or she’d have been more nervous.

At least, the Cosantir hadn’t sent a cahir to hunt them down last night. Zeb wasn’t sure if he was relieved or not.

Shay put his hand on Bree’s knee. “We’l speak to the Cosantir, then pack up and leave. Quick and easy.”

“Of course.” Her chin came up as if she weren’t leaving the first home she’d known.

Zeb’s lips tightened. Not fair. She hadn’t done anything wrong. But sometimes that was where the trail led. “We’l be together,” he said roughly.

“Thank the Mother for that,” Bree murmured.

“Finaly got your gods sorted out?” Shay asked with an amused look.

“Yeah, wel, after this last week, it’s hard to deny Her.” Shay drove through Cold Creek and turned onto Main Street. “Uh-oh.”

Two sawhorses blocked the street by Angie’s Diner. A sheriff’s car was parked to one side with Alec leaning against it. People—mostly shifters, some humans—lined the sidewalks.

In front of the sawhorses, alone in the center of the street, the Cosantir waited, arms crossed over his chest.

“Guess we’re expected,” Zeb muttered. His stomach tightened. He and Shay had assured Bree that Calum wouldn’t drop them dead in their tracks, but the Cosantir had the power and the right if he chose to do so.

“Looks like an old-fashioned hanging.” With a scowl, Shay parked on the side of the street. He gave Bree a lingering kiss before getting out.

Zeb did the same. Before he closed the door, he ran his knuckles down Bree’s soft cheek, needing to touch her one last time. Just in case. Then he tapped her chin. “Stay here.

Do
not
get out of the truck.”
No matter what you see
.

He caught up to Shay, then shoulder-against-shoulder, He caught up to Shay, then shoulder-against-shoulder, they approached the Cosantir. His eyes held the black of the God, and Zeb felt his heart sink.

Calum glanced behind them, and his brows drew together ominously. “Did you tel her to stay in the truck?” Fear burst in Zeb’s stomach. Did the Cosantir plan to punish her as wel? He swalowed.
Beat me, kill me, don’t
hurt Bree
. “Yes, I did. Cosantir, please…” The Cosantir smiled faintly. “It didn’t work.” A second later, he heard pattering footsteps, and then Breanne shoved between him and Shay. “Cal—Cosantir. It was my fault they left, al my fault, so if you need to kil someone, it has to be me.”

“Indeed.”

Criminy, this isn’t going well
. Bree shivered as Calum’s eyes, a black without any glint of light, held her gaze. The power in him was a rumble of thunder in her bones.

“Were you seen by any humans?”

“Only in human form to warn them about a murderer in the area,” Shay replied. “We didn’t trawsfur at al.” The black gaze wandered across their bodies, lingering on the Zeb’s arm even though his sleeve covered the wound.

“The helhound?”

“Dead. We left its body in Bree’s apartment,” Zeb said.

“We wiped her revolver clean and tossed it into Puget

“We wiped her revolver clean and tossed it into Puget Sound,” Shay added. “The humans might be confused, but nothing wil point to the Daonain.”

“Cosantir,” Bree said. The guys had assured her they’d be al right, but she could tel the Cosantir was going to make them pay. She had to get her men out of here. “I had to go back. It was kiling my neighbors while searching for me.” She put her arms in front of her men, as if she could block him from hurting them. “Zeb and Shay were just trying to keep me safe. It’s not their fault.”

His expression didn’t change. She’d never realized how cold his face could be. “Breanne. Since your actions did not expose the Daonain’s existence and as you are a new shifter, you are forgiven.”

She felt the men relax and knew the dummies weren’t worried for themselves, just for her.

“Thank you, Cosantir,” Shay said, echoed by Zeb. The gratitude in their voices made her growl. They stepped forward, pushing her behind them, as if scared he’d change his mind.

“
Kneel
.”

The men dropped to their knees as if their legs had given out.

A chil ran through Bree as the memory of how Klaus had died filed her. “No!” She went around them, dodging Zeb’s grab for her. Stepping in front of the Cosantir, she pressed grab for her. Stepping in front of the Cosantir, she pressed her hands together on her chest in a plea. “Cosantir, please, they were only—”

With a werecat’s uncanny speed, Calum grabbed her left wrist and held it up in the air. Her silver bracelets gleamed in the sunlight. “Breanne, are Zebulon and Seamus your lifemates?”

Her eyes rested on the two gleaming bands, her heart too ful to keep the joy from spiling into her words. “Oh, they are,” she whispered.

The flash of satisfaction in Calum’s face disappeared too fast for her to be certain of what she’d seen. He released her arm. As the blackness in his eyes turned silvery-gray, he puled the sawhorse barricade to one side.

Bree stopped breathing, hearing only the pulse of her pounding heart. No one moved.

“Cosantir?” Shay asked after a long moment. He was so brave. “Are we forgiven then?”

“You are.” Calum’s lips quirked. “Herne won’t step between a female and her lifemates. The Mother would have his…antlers.” His mouth curved into a real smile. “Cahirs, Breanne, welcome home.”

As relief ripped through Bree, she staggered. “We can stay? Realy, realy stay?” She wrapped her arms around Calum and hugged him tightly. “Oh, thank you.” He chuckled, hugged her back, and pushed her gently He chuckled, hugged her back, and pushed her gently through the sawhorses. She heard Jody’s whoop of delight, was caught in hard hugs from Angie and Vicki, and kissed on the cheek by Bonnie. A second later, Bree was engulfed in women.

Shay grinned as the females surrounded their alpha, and their happiness flowed into him like a bubbling creek.

Standing quietly, the males of his pack waited, and their support and pleasure at his return were a low hum in his bones.
My pack, my mate
. The hard shoulder rubbing against his completed his world.
My brother
.

As he rose to his feet and yanked Zeb up, he noticed the storeowners were bringing tables and chairs out. Bowls and platters of food appeared from various cars and stores.

After checking the Cosantir who’d moved aside to talk with his littermate, Shay lowered his voice, “A bhràthair, either Cold Creek likes watching their Cosantir kil people or