STORY EXCERPT

“That is just absurd,” Eve said again. She had said it about five times, but no one seemed to be listening.

“I don’t want it to be true, hun, but I have my doubts,” Noah said as he settled down at the kitchen table.

“You really think one of the pack would have done this?”

He shook his head. “No. Not the immediate family. But, we do have issues with some outcasts, and people like Gabe.”

“Fuck off,” the giant bear said with no animosity.

“Either way, the last attack was a little too much for some of the pack to take. I think most of them would be smart enough not to randomly kill leopards.”

“So, you think it might be another setup?” Shane asked. She glanced in his direction and noticed Jason. He looked like he was in a daze. She wanted to say something, but Noah caught her attention and shook his head.

“I think it might have been,” Vic said. “Until we can get some of the freaking leopards to answer questions, we can’t get anything done.”

“This is just getting out of control,” Noah said. He sighed, the sound so tired that she wanted to just drag him off to bed for a rest. As Alpha of the Dillons—not to mention the leader of the shifters—he had taken a lot on his shoulders. It was definitely starting to wear on him. “I’m going to have to call a meeting. We just had one, but with this, we need answers. I can’t trust the leopards to police their own.”

“You think they would cover it up?” Eve asked, unable to keep the horror out of her voice. The idea that they might have been hiding information while shifters and wolves were being murdered was unthinkable.

Noah shrugged. “They’ve always been sort of antisocial when it comes to the rest of us.”

“It’s because they aren’t indigenous,” Gabe said. “They always feel like they aren’t a part of the shifter council.”

“I can’t do anything about that, and I can’t do anything about their inferiority complexes. It is unacceptable that they have been hiding this.”

“What do you mean hiding this?” she asked.

“They apparently knew there was some kind of unrest among their own. There have been some challenges to Alejandro. He kept that from me.”

“He didn’t want to show weakness,” Jason said. It was the first words he’d said.

Everyone turned to him, and he seemed to hesitate for a moment before he said anything. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“If they told Noah what was going on, they would look weak. He needs to make sure he can run his group, without us sticking our noses in there. He naturally distrusts us.”

“What do you mean naturally?”

“They’re cats. They aren’t about to trust us. Plus, they will always be considered outsiders by many in the group.”

“It’s so damned stupid,” Gabe said. “They were welcomed into the group without a problem by everyone.”

Noah stirred. “No, they weren’t. There were many of the groups who didn’t want them here. They were afraid they would try to take over.”

“But your father defied that?”

“There was enough of a faction that wanted them here. We were having more and more humans move into the area, and truthfully, we didn’t trust them.”

She thought it odd that he counted her as one of the pack and not one of the humans. It amused her.

“So, they have inferiority complexes. They need to get the fuck over it,” Gabe said.

Noah chuckled. “Yeah, and since they are a bunch of men, that should work.”

“So, what should we do now that this has happened?” Gabe asked.

“We need to call a council meeting, get everyone on the same page. We have been diligent, but I’m not sure we’ve been proactive enough. I think that maybe we need to start hunting the bastards,” Noah said.

No one else seemed to notice when Jason withdrew from the conversation. She did. It was easy that she was noticing his pauses, or the times he seemed to disappear. Since he’d been injured, she was more than a little worried about him and his health. She knew without a doubt, he was in pain. Not physical, not anymore, but now, he hurt in his heart. He would never admit it, but she knew the attack had left him vulnerable.

“I think we need to get back. Make sure we get a meeting set up, and I want Alejandro there. It’s about fucking time that the pain in the ass put some of those damned lazy cats to work.”

With that, the meeting broke up.

An hour later, Eve couldn’t seem to get her mind back on work or even their problems. She had a report to write up, but for the life of her she couldn’t concentrate. Heck, she couldn’t even remember what she was supposed to work on. Jason’s demeanor was really starting to worry her.

She went looking for him and found him in his bedroom.

“Are you going to talk about what is bothering you?”

He glanced at her and gave her a quick smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Nothing’s wrong, hun.”

She knew he was lying. Ever since he woke up, he had been trying to keep a distance between them. He was always the quiet one, but now, it was even worse. She was sure that his brothers and cousins didn’t even notice it, but she did. Still, she didn’t know how much to push him. He claimed he still had amnesia from the attack, but did he?

“I can see that mind of yours going crazy, but I promise, it’s nothing. I had a headache when I woke up today. And, of course, it’s my first day out to patrol since the attack. I’m a little apprehensive.”

He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“You worry too much, Eve,” he said, brushing his thumb across her cheek. His eyes were serious now, his demeanor completely changed. “Every now and then you have to let us take care of things.”

With that, he left her standing in his room knowing that whatever was bugging him wouldn’t be solved anytime soon.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Are you going to spend all night in that tub?” Noah asked.

“I might, if I want to.”

He let one eyebrow rise. “Is that so?”

Oh, he was such a Dom and Alpha. That look said so much and she had to fight not to laugh. She was still irritated with them all, but she could never resist them. Her need for them increased each day. She was afraid she would never be able to leave when her time ended.

She pushed those thoughts aside. She didn’t want to think about that. Not when they were looking at her as if she were the meal they had been craving for days.

“Ethan, it’s time for Eve to get out of the tub,” Noah said as he turned back into the bedroom.

She just stared at his retreating back and then smacked her palm against the water. “Does he think you are just going to—hey!” she shouted as Ethan reached in and pulled her up out of the water. He was still dressed, but apparently he didn’t care. He pulled her body against his as he took her mouth in a hot, wet kiss.

Ethan set her on the bathroom counter as she wrapped her legs around him. It didn’t take much, just a kiss and her body was yearning, screaming to be taken by them. It was something that bothered her when she had time to think about it, but right now, she didn’t give a damn. All she wanted was to be touched, tasted, and taken. The low pulse of lust was beating through her blood.

Ethan pulled back. She frowned and opened her eyes to find Jason taking his place. He was already naked, and Ethan was pulling off his clothes as he walked into the bedroom. She looked at Jason, and his smile had her heart melting. God, he was so sweet, and sexy, and she couldn’t even think when he looked at her like that.

He set his hands on the counter on each side of her and leaned closer for a kiss. He didn’t close his eyes as he nibbled on her bottom lip, teasing her with each nip. She was already burning for him, needing him, and he was just taking his time to drive her insane. Jason was always the one who liked to do that. He loved to play in bed, and she had missed that from him the last few weeks.

He squatted down in front of her, laying his hands on the insides of her thighs. He pushed them apart and then set his mouth on her cunt. She slipped her hands through Jason’s hair as he thrust his tongue into her over and over, teasing her clit, moaning against her. The tiny vibrations feathered over her skin. Tension gathered in her stomach, then dropped to her pussy. With just one more thrust of his tongue she knew she would come.

But he drew back and stood up.

“You sure are tasty, Eve,” he said. The smile on his face and the tone of his voice made her heart do a little dance. It was so wonderful to hear it.

She smiled and slipped her hand down between them. Wrapping it around his cock, she started to stroke him. A groan slipped from his mouth, and she smiled as she leaned away from him.

“You want to mess with me, Jason, I am going to mess right back.”

She kept stroking him. His erection grew and she clenched her pussy. Her legs were far apart, and she couldn’t squeeze them together for comfort. She was so damned close to coming, and being in this position tortured her even more.

Jason’s eyes closed and he released a long breath. “Eve.”

“Hmmm?”

She stroked him a few more times before Noah stopped her.

“Bring her in here, Jason.”

Eve glanced at the doorway and found him watching her. He was smiling, but she could see the heat in his eyes. It still amazed her that none of them had a problem with her being with one of the others, but apparently, it was even more of a turn-on.

Jason gave her a quick kiss, then picked her up off the counter, and carried her in his arms into the bedroom. Ethan was waiting there beside Noah.

“Put her on the bed, Jason.”

He did as ordered.

“No, naughty Eve, on your stomach. “

Heat unfurled within her as she did as ordered. He pulled her to the edge of the bed, so that she lay across the mattress and her head was right on the edge.

“Jason, I think she was pretty naughty teasing you like that, so she needs to fulfill that promise.”

Jason tossed his cousin a smile and then walked to the bed, his hand stroking his cock.

“Open up, babe.”

She licked her lips as she pulled herself up to her elbows. Most women would probably be disgusted that they talked to her like that, but it turned her on. There was something about it that had her pussy dripping with need.

She took the head into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the very tip. His head fell back and he groaned again. The bit of pre-cum whispered over her taste buds, and she moaned against his cock. She knew Jason could feel the vibrations of it against the shaft. But, just as she was getting into it, she felt the first slap against her ass.

The heat of the smack feathered out over her skin, and the second she could feel in her cunt. Her clit was throbbing, her pussy so wet already, she felt as if she would come right then and there.

Then, she felt someone move her hair to the side and the soft kiss on her back. She knew without turning around it was Ethan. She wrapped a hand around the base of Jason’s cock and gave in to the pleasure she could share with him. Noah’s smacks started to burn, but in the way she loved. The pain metamorphosed into pleasure as the heat of it spread throughout her body.