KEEPING YOU: Howlers Motorcycle Club 1: A Werewolf Shifter Paranormal Motorcycle Club Romance (2 page)

The engine was on fire. Flames and smoke rose into the air, choking me as they blew through the open window. Pushing open the door with one hand, I reached for my seatbelt with the other, but it wouldn’t come loose.

Oh god, oh god, oh god.

It must have gotten jammed in the wreck, I realized. It had tightened, trapping me against the seat. It was too hot. Panic roared through me as I fought with my seatbelt, my slippery hands unable to get purchase. When I tried to wiggle out of the seatbelt, it only locked tighter. I was going to die only inches from my open car door and freedom.

A low growl made me turn my head. A gray wolf stood watching me, his fur gleaming in the light of the flames. He cocked his head to the side.

Too hot. My head swam and my eyelids drifted. Keeping them open was an enormous effort, so I let them drift closed—just for a minute.

Another growl—this one close to my ear—forced my eyes open and I gazed through them blearily to see the wolf standing with his paws in my lap. I was too far gone to be scared, just regarded him with dull eyes as he lowered his mouth to the belt trapping me to the seat. He chewed at it, tugging until it loosened, then went to work on the top strap. My body slumped forward as it was freed and I tried to crawl out of the car after he moved back, away from the flames.

I was too weak. Could only slump against the bloody airbag.

He whined and came back, taking hold of my belt and pulling me from the car. My body hit the ground hard, rocks and dirt cutting into my arms. The wolf kept tugging, yanking me back through the trees and toward the lake. Once we’d gotten close to the sandy beach surrounding it, my car erupted in flames and twisted metal. The sound of the explosion hurt my ears, and I clapped my hands over them to ward off the sound. Lying there, curled up on the beach, I watched bits of flame and sparks light up the sky like fireworks, then lost consciousness.

When I woke up again, I was lying on the hard-packed sand. I edged over to the water and used it to clean my face, neck and arms. It didn’t matter that the water soaked my shirt and chilled me in the night air. The smell of soot and blood was overwhelming. When I’d done what I could, I moved back onto the sand and put my head on my arms. I must have passed out again, though I meant to just rest for a second.

My eyes opened. I wasn’t at the lake anymore. I wasn’t anywhere that I recognized. The wolf had dragged me into the woods with his jaws around my belt. It was unbelievable that he was able to drag my dead weight seemingly effortlessly, but, then, this wolf was much bigger than the sleek animals I’d seen in documentaries and at the zoo.

His shoulders were formed from powerful muscle that bunched and stretched as he dragged me, walking backward through the forest. His teeth were large and ended in dangerous, glittering points.
My, what sharp teeth you have
.

Wanting to be free, I moved my body. When he realized I was awake, no longer a dead weight, he dropped my belt and sat back on his haunches, studying me with his golden eyes.

“Thank you,” I said, my whisper sounding like a scream in the quiet forest. “You saved my life.”

He cocked his head to the side like he had when he’d seen me trapped in the car.

“I’d like to leave now.” I pushed my hands against the ground and forced myself to my knees, taking deep breaths to clear my head. Once it felt possible, I lurched to me feet, stumbling but staying upright. “Goodbye, wolf.” I backed away, keeping my head down. Didn’t that stop them from turning aggressive?

He growled, a low warning rumbling out of his throat. I stopped immediately and the growl ceased. I walked toward him. No sound.

I backed away again.

More growling.

He walked to me and nudged me with his snout, pushing me toward the copse of trees he’d been heading for. I moved along next to him, dragging my hiking boots through the soft soil. Part of me screamed to run.
Get away
. But I knew better.

I couldn’t outrun a wolf.

He herded me to a cave and I walked inside. There was a fire built in the middle, crackling and popping. It reminded me too much of my car for comfort. I looked around for a man—a hunter, maybe—because everyone knows wolves can’t build fires. No one was there.

A soft pile of leaves lined one of the walls. I sat on it and watched the wolf curl up on the other side of the fire. I could see the moon, large and yellow, shining through the trees that guarded the ridge outside of the cave. The pines stood straight and tall, like guardians who’d protect us from whatever else lurked in the woods.

The longer we sat without him attacking me, the calmer I felt. Of course, part of me was a little concerned that he was keeping me for a nighttime snack.
Do wolves eat humans?

If I’d had my phone, I’d have looked it up on Wikipedia. Unfortunately, it was in the burning tangle of metal that used to be my car. Along with my ID, my camera and the collection kit I needed to earn part of Jeremy’s bonus. The bonus I now needed to replace my car, assuming I wasn’t wolf food by dawn.

A howl sounded in the distance and my entire body tensed, my head turning to look out into the dark woods. The wolf heard it too. He stood and approached the mouth of the cave, turning back to look at me. He whined softly, then stepped out.

Five minutes passed. Ten. I rose to my feet and winced at the crackle of leaves under my shoes. Paused. Waited to see whether he’d stalk back in on padded paws.

No sign of him.

I cautiously approached the mouth of the cave and stepped out into the crisp night air. My thoughts went again to the trapping kit in my car, but I knew that even if I’d had it, I wouldn’t have gone back out for the insects Jeremy wanted. There were wolves out tonight.

I backed away from the cave, keeping my eyes in the direction the wolf had gone when he walked away. Then I smacked into a hard wall of muscle and turned with my heart in my throat.

Holy crap
.

He was more than six feet tall with dark, careless hair and glimmering golden eyes. I felt my mouth drop open as I slowly moved my gaze up and down his body, taking in the sinuous muscles, the way he stood with a regal grace. The man was the most incredible thing I’d ever seen. His sensuous lips parted as he raked me with a throbbing stare of his own.

I felt that look in every inch of my body: through the strands of my messy hair, over the soft curve of my breasts and in the secret space between my legs, which lit up and smoldered. Before I could move, he brought his hands up to grasp my shoulders and pulled me toward him.

“Let go,” I said, struggling against the hard heat of his body. As my breasts rubbed over his chest, my breathing changed and I felt the fire below blaze out of control. “Please,” I said softly, stopping my motions lest I embarrass myself. I couldn’t remember ever having been so turned on, and the man before me hadn’t even said a word.

He put his nose to my hair, scenting the tumbled locks, then moved his head to the side and took my ear between his teeth. The pressure on my soft skin made me shudder against him, overwhelmed with the sensation. “Who are you?” I asked him as his mouth went lower, nuzzling my neck and dipping into my cleavage where he took a deep breath, inhaling in my scent. “Wh-what do you want?”

“Mine,” he growled, standing back up. I knew I should run—but, like the wolf who’d brought me to this man’s cave, he was a creature of speed. I knew that I had no chance of escaping him. And, though I was loathe to admit it to myself, part of me was dying to know what this man was offering when he rocked his hips against mine and I felt his erection hard against me.

“Follow,” he said, and pulled me toward the cave. I reached up on tiptoes to press my mouth against his ear.

“There are wolves.”

“Safe,” he said in a guttural tone, and I believed him. I followed him into the cave.

The thick scent of the fire and the wet ground outside were forgotten when he raised my head with his iron grip and brought his lips to mine. I was overwhelmed with his scent: earthy and masculine. It teased my nose as his lips descended, molding mine until I was straining against him. Then he slipped his tongue between my lips and stroked softly. I melted into the touch.

No kiss in my life had ever felt so wild, so wanton. All my doubts, all my fears about the animals in the wood drained away. They were lost in the perfect, commanding beauty of his kiss. His fingers went to the base of my t-shirt and he grasped it, then yanked it over my head. For a moment I was lost in a sea of green cotton, but then my head came free and I could see his warm eyes taking in my plain white bra.

He growled, then turned me to face the wall, sucking on the pulse point at my neck. I shuddered. Never had a man’s mouth made me want to take him inside me. Sex was always okay in the past, but I’d never wanted to climb on top of a man and ride him until he came. I’d never had the urge to get down and just fuck—but now there was nothing I wanted more.

I felt him cut through the straps of my bra. The cups fell, exposing my breasts so the pink-tipped crests touched the cold rock wall. They hardened into painful points, and then his hands wrapped around them. His sharp nails bit into my skin and I bucked, moaning at the sensual assault. It was all I could do to stay on my feet.

He opened my shorts and delved his fingers down to find me behind the black cotton panties that were soaked against my fevered skin. I moaned when he made contact with my wet slit, sliding one big finger back and forth until finally—finally—he stroked my clit. Shivering hard, my palms braced against the stone, I pulled my head to the side to give his mouth more access to my pulse points. Could he feel the thud of my racing heart? Then all questions evaporated as he sank a finger inside me while thumbing my clit, and I came, shaking against the hard wall of muscle behind me as explosions wracked my trembling body.

His hand came to my stomach and he guided me around until I was facing the mouth of the cave. I stepped out of my panties and shivered as cool air rushed across my skin. The man pushed me to my knees and I was filled with excitement at the thought of being able to taste him—but then he moved me so I was on my hands and knees. A soft breeze blew across the exposed skin of my sensitive pussy, the light touch making me moan.

I heard a zipper lower. The man knelt behind me and took my hips in his hands. I was wet, supple from my orgasm and ready to feel his enormous erection inside me. I was aching for it. Aching to have him deep inside me, making me helpless with pleasure.

He pushed in, thrusting as deep as my body would allow. My walls pulsed around him, gripping him so that he made a sound low in his throat. I could feel the way his body shook as he moved in and out of me. It made me hot. It made me crazy.

I’d never wanted anyone so much.

I forgot that we were in the woods. That I’d almost died. That we could become meals for hungry animals. I just braced myself on the hard ground and let him take me. His hands came up to play with my hard nipples, tweaking and stroking them before running them down my stomach and fingering my clit. When I was panting, his hands returned to my hips. He held me tight and I knew there’d be bruises there tomorrow.

He said nothing, just thrust. Just made deep sounds in his throat like growls.

I came again, the wave crashing over me and making me drop to my forearms, offering him everything. The sex was animalistic. Every time he pushed his shaft into me, I’d squeeze the pulsating head. When I was nearly insensate with lust, he reached up and grabbed my shoulders, slamming into me in long, luscious motions until he came, shooting deep inside me as my pussy clamped down on his cock, squeezing it tight with my own orgasm.

The man dropped to his hands, his body wet against mine, his breath chuffing in my hair. It hit me then, exactly what I’d done with this stranger. A man whose name I didn’t know. But I couldn’t will myself to move, to leave the cave and hot foot it back to civilization. So I waited, and then it was too late. He stood up and kicked his jeans aside, leaving them on the ground so that when he reached for me, I finally saw his naked body.

It was a masterpiece. Hard edges and shadowed plains glistened with sweat in the light of the fire. A black tattoo curled over his chest and around his forearm. I wanted to follow its lines with my tongue.

I held up a hand so he could help me up, but he didn’t grasp it. Instead, he threw me over his shoulder and carried me into the dark forest. I struggled, but it didn’t move him. He’d said he would keep me safe and all I could do was hope that wherever he was taking me, he’d keep his word.

Oddly, I believed he would. Despite the strangeness of the situation and the adrenaline still coursing through my veins, being held by him felt safe. Felt right.

At least, I thought, whatever odd place we ended up at, there wouldn’t be any more wolves.

Three

Sam

I cracked my eyes opened and hissed against the bright light streaming in through a broken slat in my blinds. “Fucking sun,” I groaned, slapping a hand to my forehead. The morning after a transition is the worst sometimes—like a hangover, except I don’t get the beauty of introducing myself to a new bottle of Jim Beam first.

Michael would give me a rain of shit that wouldn’t stop for days if I didn’t drag my ass out of bed and get to the meeting. That’s my only beef about being the Vice President of Howlers Motorcycle Club—I can’t skip a meeting without a damn good excuse.

Broken bones, I thought. That might be good enough. If they prevented me from moving.

Heaving my legs over the side of the bed, I sat up. There was just enough time to grab coffee and wash the furry feeling out of my mouth before I headed over to the clubhouse at the center of the compound.

A scent hit me, distracting me. I closed my eyes and inhaled, the sweet fragrance captivating me. It was the best thing I’d ever scented in my life. Like perfume on crack.

Then I heard her.

No.

Another whore. How could she smell so good? I closed my eyes and groaned again, louder. I was so fucking careful to stay away from women on the night before the full moon. When I wolf out, I want to eat and run and fuck. The first two are okay, but the third one is a no go—until the transition fades and I turn into Neanderthal Sam. Little verbal ability. Driven by impulse. Semi-amnesiac.

Last cycle, I’d brought home a bartender who’d gawked at my brothers before I drove her back to the city. My fault for choosing to run in the streets where there was a chance I’d end up around women who had a thing for cavemen. Should stay away from people anyway, because you never know when the need to hunt will overcome you. Networks of alleys and streets make for such good mazes and something about the scent of fear is intoxicating when my wolf is out.

That’s why we moved to the compound in the first place. Michael got sick of cleaning up other peoples’ messes and I wanted a forest to run in. We were safe here, but isolated. Sometimes one of the woman mated to a brother went for a grocery run into town, but in the years since we’d come to the compound bordering the state park, I hadn’t left except for ill-advised runs through town or to drop off mistakes at their homes.

It was safer that way.

The beast inside me laughed. He knew.

“Hello.” The girl had a soft voice. I took a deep breath; my muscles were tense and knotted. The beast must have had fun last night. I’d at least try to be nice to this one before getting rid of her. I turned.

“Jesus,” I said, stunned. The wolf was stunned too, but recovered faster. He curled up inside, content, while I was left to deal with reality.

She was a walking wet dream. Her tits were barely covered by the thin sheet she’d drawn up around herself and I could see her hard pink nipples behind it. Her mouth was pouty, pink like the blush that spread over her skin while I took her measure. Sharp cheekbones. Tangled black hair. She looked like a sexy version of Snow White.

Suddenly I wasn’t eager to evict her. I took a deep breath and got her scent again, all apples and lavender.

She’s the one.