Rae, Beverly - Howling for Sara [Night Runner Werewolves 1] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Special Edition) (7 page)

Sweat dripped from their bodies onto the bed. He realized he wouldn’t last much longer and hated that he couldn’t stay inside her forever. Tensing, he fought against it, failed, and gave in to the bliss of his orgasm.

Exhausted, Michael fell to her side and watched as Nick and Max slumped to the bed around her. She was where she was supposed to be, surrounded by the men of her pack.

Wanting to have one more moment of possession, Michael pulled her closer, wrapping his arm protectively over her. He cupped her breast and bent forward to give her a kiss.

“Are you okay?”

She snuggled into him. “Definitely.”

Max sent Michael a grin then gestured for him to tell her what needed to be said.

“William, Ranlon, and Jimmy are going to want time with you, too.”

She let out a breath, then shuddered. “I know.”

“And you’re okay with us? I thought since you didn’t leave, since you welcomed us into your bed…”

“I’m fine. Just give me time to get used to this. Going from no man in my life to so many is unnerving. But I’ll get there.”

“Then why do you tremble? Are you still afraid? If they have to, they can wait. We’ll keep them away from you…somehow.” Keeping werewolves away from their alpha-female wouldn’t be easy, if not impossible.

“It’s just that I’ve never done anything like this before. And what about the dreams?” Her eyes widened. “Oh, my God. We didn’t use a condom. What if—”

He stopped her, hoping to tamp down her alarm. “It’s okay. And I’m not just saying that like a lot of men do. Nothing, pregnancy or otherwise, can happen until…” He let his words trail off, keeping the remaining words “until you go through the Change” unspoken. She wasn’t ready to handle that yet. “You just have to trust me on this.”

She shook her head, worry and confusion mixing with the tiredness in her eyes. “Oh, hell. I don’t even understand enough about what’s happening to ask the right questions.”

Michael tucked her hair behind her ear, his palm cupping her face. “I know this is hard to get your head around, but you’re one of us now. You were meant for us.”

“You keep saying that, but I don’t know what ‘meant for us’ means. How am I meant for you?”

He started to tell her more then saw the tiredness in her face. “Don’t worry about it for now. We can talk later when everyone’s here.”

She looked at him with trusting eyes and he vowed to do whatever he could to keep her safe and contented. “I don’t understand what you’re saying here”—she pointed to her head—“but I do in here.” She placed her hand over her heart. “It’s strange, and I don’t know why, but I believe you. I’ve never felt so wanted.”

He smiled, hoping to show her how happy she’d made him. “You’re the one and only female we want.”
For now at least.
Maybe he should go ahead and explain the rest to her. She needed to know how the others would bring more females into the pack, but how she would always be the one they favored the most. “Sara, listen—”

“Michael! Nick! Max! Get down here!”

* * * *

Michael, Max, and Nick hurried from the room. Although Michael ordered her to stay where she was, Sara hopped out of bed and almost stumbled over her suitcase. Just as Michael had said would happen, one of the men had retrieved it from her car and left it in her room.

She flipped open the lid and threw a pair of shorts, a white tank top, a thong, and the only other pair of shoes she’d brought—thin flats—onto the bed. Dressing as quickly as she could, she tiptoed down the first flight of steps that led to a landing halfway between the floors. She froze, sensing the men were close and that something wrong had happened.

Trying not to make a sound, she peeked around the wall to spy on the group gathered in the foyer. She pressed her back to the wall, told herself she wasn’t prying, then listened in.

“Damn it, Jimmy. I told you not to go into town alone.” Michael’s tone was low, ferocious. “I knew there’d be trouble.”

The young man with blond hair and bright hazel eyes standing in the middle of the group shrugged. Bruises and gashes covered his body, but his injuries didn’t appear to be life threatening. “I needed to get school supplies.”

Max lifted Jimmy’s face up and snorted. “Who would’ve thought Tom’s Market was a dangerous place?”

“Carlos and his bunch jumped me as I was leaving, dragged me into the alley, and starting kicking the shit out of me. They’re blaming us for the slaughtered cattle. I tried to tell them we had nothing to do with it. I told them it was a bear, but they wouldn’t listen.” He touched a purple-and-black spot on his battered face and winced. “The stories about us are back, and a lot of people believe them.”

“It makes the stories easier to believe when they’re true.” Michael paced to the other side of the foyer, then back. “What else?”

“They tried to make me change.” Jimmy’s eyes glistened as he thrust out his chin. “But I wouldn’t let them goad me into it. Still, by the time they were finished with me, I couldn’t crawl much less make it back here. So I hid out behind the market until I had the strength to change this morning and run home.” Jimmy yanked away from Max and groaned at the effort. “Still hurts like hell even after shifting to speed up the healing.”

William, his eyes flashing, threw his car keys on the table next to him. “I found him about a half mile from home, curled up in a ball, his tail between his legs and shivering like he was sitting on ice. He’s damned lucky they didn’t kill him.”

“They might not be so lucky,” snarled Nick. He whirled around, snatching up William’s keys. “I say we give them what they want. I say we let them see what hurting one of the pack gets them.”

William grasped his arm, yanking him around to face him. Nick drew back his lips and growled. William reacted, snarling his own defiance. “Stand down, Nick.” His words were garbled, his tone guttural.

Sara stared in disbelief. The men sounded like animals. Fear gripped her, making her itch to run as fast as she could, uncaring where she went. Was she wrong to have trusted them? Had she walked into a trap?

She started to ease away when Michael looked her way. Jerking back just in time, she held her breath. She hoped he couldn’t hear her pounding heart.

But what had she seen before she’d fallen back? Had his eyes really changed color? Were his eyes the amber eyes of the man in her dreams?

Sara was sure they’d hear her, but she couldn’t turn away. Not until she looked again. She had to be wrong. Although she could believe people could have amber flecks in their eyes, no one’s eyes could turn completely golden. Except those of the men in her dreams and their eyes were a result of her imagination. Michael’s eyes were dark, right?

Still, hadn’t Michael told her they’d come into her dreams? Hadn’t Michael said they’d waited for just her just like the men in the dreams had done? Then maybe…

Yet in the dreams, the men had always changed, turning into wolves. Could that part of her dreams be real?

She edged around the corner and gasped at what she saw.

Three black wolves and one red wolf paced the floor next to piles of clothing, their tails swishing, their ears twitching. They were larger than any wolves she’d ever seen and moved with an intelligence far beyond any animal’s.

“Before anyone does anything stupid, let’s take a run and clear our heads. We have Sara to think of now. But be careful. Running during the day can be dangerous.” Michael kicked off his boots then added his jeans to pile on top of the shirt he’d already tossed to the floor. “Jimmy, you remain here with Sara, but stay out of sight. I don’t want her seeing you like this.” He got on his hands and knees.

Sara squinted. Was she losing her mind? Michael’s body seemed to grow blurry, shortening even as black fur spread over his skin. She clamped a hand over her mouth, panic stiffening her body. Michael’s body morphed until he’d changed into a black wolf.

Werewolves!

Alarm gripped her, and yet another side of her couldn’t help but thrill at the idea. The sexy men who’d given her so much pleasure were shape-shifters. Even now she could remember their unusual, wild scent, so unlike anything she’d ever smelled. She could still feel their hands on her, pushing her to new heights of passion and making the dreams of the past come to life.

She glanced down, fought to understand her feelings, then looked back at them.

Five wolves padded around Jimmy. Growls and snarls erupted, and their amber eyes blazed as they flashed their fangs at each other.

Jimmy walked over to the front door and opened it. “Go.” The wolves darted outside as he stood in the doorway and watched. Soon several howls filled the air.

Chapter Four

Sara eased the back door closed, careful to keep from making a sound. Sneaking downstairs hadn’t been difficult, although she’d hated having to leave her suitcase behind. But she’d travel faster without it.

Hearing running water from a shower in one of the bedrooms closest to hers, she knew Jimmy was preoccupied and unaware of her plan to escape. Pausing for a moment, she checked the area around the backyard, took one last look at the house, and dashed toward the field.

She still couldn’t believe what she’d seen. The men who had taken her in, the men she’d started to believe she was meant to be with, were werewolves. Their conversation rang through her mind, recalling words they’d used.
Change. Tail. Pack.

Her harsh pants echoed in her ears as she ran and she hoped she was heading in the right direction back to the road. If she was lucky, she could hitchhike her way to the nearest town.

But then what? She couldn’t tell anyone about the werewolves, could she? They’d think she was insane.

Still, hadn’t Jimmy said people were telling stories about them? Could the stories be about men changing into wolves? She ran on, the frantic pace making it harder to think.

She wasn’t certain how long she ran. She wasn’t even sure if she’d taken a straight path and hadn’t run in circles. At last, however, the stitch in her side grew too painful, and she collapsed. The hard, dry dirt and pebbles dug into her hands and legs.

Closing her eyes, she tried to calm down, tried to make sense of everything that had happened. Her world had turned upside down, going from the unexciting, safe life of a schoolteacher to a woman who’d spent the night with a pack of werewolves.

Sara stretched onto her side.
I had sex with a werewolf. Oh, hell. I had sex with more than one werewolf.

She trembled, first out of fear, then out of need. Yes, they were animals inside, but the human side of them, the men who’d already found a way into her heart, were there, too. She could see them in her mind and she remembered the way Michael had looked at her. Like she was the only woman he’d ever want.

Had she made a mistake in running? Had she let her fear overwhelm her? Should she have stayed and let them explain? A tear coursed down her cheek. Michael, handsome, caring Michael. Could she stand never seeing him again? She hadn’t realized how much he’d already taken of her heart.

But was what they shared enough? Could the human side of them be enough for her to forget the beastly side? Remembering the way their hands, their mouths, their tongues had felt shook her. She was sure she’d found happiness. Could she give it up?

She drew her knees to her chest, adopting the fetal position, and closed her eyes tight as though she could force them from her memory. But she couldn’t get rid of their faces. First came Michael with his dark, worried eyes, then Nick with his infectious grin. The others floated behind the first two men, Ranlon with his steadfast composure, Max with his wickedly sexy smile, then serious William, and young Jimmy. Would she ever find any man who could make her forget even one of them?

All at once their eyes changed, morphing into glowing, amber orbs. She lurched upward, her nerves jangling.

“Hey, I didn’t startle you, did I?”

Sara gasped, scrambling to her feet as the man approached. His dirty, brown hair was cut in a short military style and his black eyes glinted as though he laughed at a private joke. The black shirt and jeans he wore needed cleaning, and she tried not to analyze the slick stains on them. Crossing his trunk-sized arms, he stopped as she started to back away from him. The bemused expression he wore transformed into a concerned one she’d bet wasn’t sincere.

“No. Yes. But it’s okay. I’m fine.”

He lifted his eyebrows. “Really? You seem lost.”

Could she trust him? Although her gut told her to be cautious, she had to take the risk. What other choice did she have? To continue to wander on her own? Maybe he could help her find her car. “I guess I am a little lost. I was hiking and got turned around.”

“You don’t look like you’re dressed to go hiking.” He scanned the length of her, staying a moment too long to linger on her breasts. “Especially those flat shoes. I bet you can feel every little pebble in those things.”

“I didn’t plan well, I guess.”

“I guess not.”

“Could you point me in the direction of the road?”

He took a step closer. “Which road are you talking about?” He narrowed his eyes at her, making her even more leery.

“I’m not sure. Any road leading to the closest town would work.” She had to force herself not to back away again.