STORY EXCERPT

Jumping to her feet, she ran for one of the French doors, threw it open, and then bolted outside. As she darted across the back deck, she heard the exclamations of surprise and the movement of everyone. She just needed to stay ahead of everyone.

Fur erupted on her skin as she willed her bones to contort. As she changed, her body bulking up, she heard the tears of material and soon the scrubs that she wore were left behind in tatters. It was only a few seconds before she was down on all fours hurdling over the railing and landing on the lawn behind the house. She leapt over the fence and out across the pasture toward what was left of the forest.

It had been ages since she had run free as her cat. Living in the big city in these times, when people were in the parks jogging at all hours of the day and night, it was a big chance running around as a cougar. Wolf, bear, and other shifters must have been having the same problems. No wonder Thomas Passion moved out here from New York City way back then.

He had created a wonderland for shifters and humans alike. Passion was a town where people had to be tolerant of others, although about half the townsfolk knew about shifters and another quarter probably suspected. Sightings of animals could be explained off to tourists and those remaining citizens, but no one was called a liar or pushed out.

The cool wind in her face and ruffling through her blond coat felt refreshing as her legs ate up the ground she ran over. It hurt that she was running over charred land instead of brown dirt, but she knew, come spring, green would begin to sprout up along the forest floor. But for now, she was content running free.

Reveling in the feel of freedom, she released a growl. God, that felt good.

Twigs snapped behind her, announcing company. Cade and Cole were cougars, so they were the quickest of the five other people in the living room. Jasper and Dante were shifters also, but they were grizzly bears, and they weren’t able to run as fast as cougars. Marlowe wasn’t too sure what Coraline was capable of at the moment since she was recuperating from the chemo and radiation.

Marlowe dodged to the left, hoping to throw the brothers off, but it was a brief distraction, as they were right behind her again. She leapt over downed trees that had stood sentinel in the forest for nearly a century, along with burnt brush. Her playground as a cub was gone, replaced with black, broken, and dead equipment.

Panting grew louder from behind her, and she could feel hot breath on her tail. She was losing the race. However, it was the body that struck her from the left that caught her off guard and had her tumbling down the hill. She pounced back onto her paws, but both large cats were circling her, giving her very little room to try to escape. Hanging her head, she ceded the chase.

Cole and Cade continued to circle her even after she sat down on her haunches. She watched them warily. Despite the little show of dominance they were putting on, Marlowe raised her face up to the sky and closed her eyes. The air was still acidic with the aroma of smoke and burned wood, but she could smell the fresh air here. The sun was also warm on her face, which was something she missed. Looking around the mountain and the valley below her, seeing the town, lake, and river, she realized just how much she’d missed it. Even the people here.

She also had to admit that, even in her animal body, she couldn’t deny the attraction she had to the two Younger brothers, whether in their human form or their animal. Since she came into contact with them on Main Street, she had absorbed their scents into her body, and she had gotten aroused. Just like she was now.

A cold breeze swept down the mountainside as she sat appreciating her freedom. The two males around her were irritating. They weren’t leaving her alone, and she had to wonder if it was out of friendship that they remained or a sense of guilt. Could she still trust them as friends?

Winter was going to be here very soon, something she missed greatly. San Francisco was where she lived, but it wasn't home, and she had known that for a long time. She missed nature, the seasons, the ability to release herself into it all at a moment's notice.

This was home. Coraline's words swirled in Marlowe’s brain about the guys. Perhaps she was mature enough to deal with everything. Actually, she was going to have to since Jasper was basically accusing her father of murder.

Strength had been her lighthouse for so long Marlowe found she wanted to cry, to rant, to give in to her grief and hurt. For the first time in years, she needed someone.

Leaping up, she took off down the slope, fully aware of the twins behind her. When she was back at the Younger house on the deck, she glanced behind her to find the guys were no longer there. She knew they were giving her privacy to change.

As she shifted to stand on her human legs again, a smile crossed her lips. She could remember a time when the boys would hide and spy on her to get a glimpse of her after she shifted and was naked. A thrill went through her at the thought they could be doing it now, even though she was still pissed at them.

ADULT EXCERPT

She had always loved this time of the day. It was a time to reflect and then the anticipation of the new day to come set in. This was Marlowe’s life at the moment. Reflect on what had been and anticipate the change in her life.

On either side of her were the two most important people in her life now. She had turned her back on them, and yet, they had steadfastly waited for her to return. Love filled her heart that they had so much faith in her when she didn’t have it in herself or them. Even Coraline had faith in her.

Taking a sip of the sweet beverage, she felt as if she were drinking liquid courage. Here, in this part of the world, nature was a big part of life. When needed, shifters let their animals take over, but now, Marlowe was letting her lust and love rule her.

She handed the mug to Cole. “Can you put that aside for me, please?”  Once he did, she slipped off the beautifully crafted wooden rocker to her knees.

“What are you doing, kitten?” Cole inquired as he watched her with curious amber eyes. Shock registered in those same eyes when she put her hand on his thigh and began to slide it to the inner part and up toward his crotch.

Smiling up at him, she moved her other hand up and began to undo the button and zipper of his jeans. “I’m embracing life. But Cade needs to move over here.”

A giggle escaped her as Cade jumped up and moved to the chair she had vacated. He spread his legs in anticipation.

Marlowe breathed in bravery for this wasn’t something she had done before. Sure, they had fooled around, but she hadn’t pleasured them like what she was planning.

Once she had Cade’s jeans undone, she looked up at him. He seemed to understand what she wanted without her having to ask. He stood, and she pulled the garment down until it pooled at his feet, and then he sat back down.

His cock was hard and thick, jutting out from a thatch of dark blond curls. His sac was full and heavy. She started at his knees and began to slide her hands up his inner thighs until her fingers brushed his balls. His prick had a mind of its own, and it bounced against his stomach. She used her fingertips to move up his shaft, feeling the silky skin that covered hardened steel. She marveled at the contrast.

Leaning in, Marlowe used her tongue to follow the path her fingers had taken, from his balls to the head. She found the sensitive “v” beneath the helmet-shaped head, and she flicked her tongue there several times and enjoyed the groans she was causing. After a few moments, she continued her journey and moved up to the tip, and she tasted the drop of pre-cum that had appeared. He tasted salty and tangy.

Cole slid his fingers into her hair and held her close to him. She found she liked that. Liked the possessiveness that both men showed over her but the freedom they gave her also.

She grasped the length of him in her hand and was surprised to find that her fingers barely met with the girth. After sliding her tongue around the head several times, she opened her mouth wide and engulfed him. She let her mouth adjust to the feeling, and then she took most of him in until he touched the back of her throat. She gagged a bit as she pulled up on him until just his head remained in her mouth.

“Easy, kitten. You don’t have to take all of me if it’s too much,” he murmured as his fingers massaged her scalp. “But your mouth feels like heaven, Marls.”

A smile spread on her lips the best it could since she had something large in her mouth, but she reveled in his compliment. She bobbed back down on him until he was close to her throat, and she pulled back. This was going to be a lesson on how to suck cock, and she would have to get used to it.

Finding a rhythm, she pistoned up and down on his dick and felt him grow in her mouth. His breaths were becoming staggered as he began to pump his hips. She moved a hand down to cup his balls and then rolled them in her palm. She continued to bob up and down on his cock as he caressed her hair until she felt his balls harden in her palm and they became hotter to the touch. A couple of seconds later, Cole was holding her head down to him. She felt his cock throb in her mouth right before hot jets of cum spurted into the back of her throat as he shouted out his release. She tried to swallow as quickly as she could, but some of it leaked from her mouth.

Cole held her head still a few more moments before releasing her. Marlowe looked up at his eyes and found them closed, and he had a relaxed, peaceful expression on his face.

When she pulled off of him, she licked him clean, finding she liked the taste of him. She turned to Cade and began to undo his pants. His face was red, and his breathing staggered. He had watched her perform oral sex on his brother, and by the looks of it, he was thoroughly affected.