Stray Cats [High-Country Shifters 2] (18 page)

“The temperature is constant down here, and there are no threats. Without cars whipping by, it’s safe for little kids to be running around.”

Gage cocked a brow. “You have no crime?”

“We do, but it’s from our own people. Mostly it’s from those who are too lazy to work. Some things don’t change from one reality to the next, I guess.”

When they came to her parents’ house she merely pointed it out. “Here’s where I live.” She was almost embarrassed to be residing in one of the largest homes on the block.

“Nice. Can we go in?”

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want to subject you to my mother. She’ll grill you.”

Gage laughed. “Some other time then.”

The problem was that there would be no other time. Her heart slowed, and that queasy feeling filled her again. She wondered if she’d ever feel the same again. Even when she went home at night, she’d stand here and remember how in awe they were at just about everything. “I guess we should head back. We’ve had a long day, and I don’t want to tire you two out.” As much as she tried to keep upbeat, her voice failed to come out cheery.

Gage pulled her close. “The only thing that took any energy was making love to you.” He leaned over and kissed her. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat, even if I was near to death.”

She was so going to miss this closeness. “You sure you two don’t want to live here?” She added a laugh to show them she was kidding, but deep in her heart she was serious.

“Sella, if we could make a living and have you in our lives, we would be here, but we own a company that needs running.” Gage dragged a finger down her cheek, and her damned pussy leaked.

She knew he’d say that. The tram arrived just in time for her not to have to respond. If she said anything, the tears would come, and she wasn’t ready for that kind of good-bye just yet.

When they got back to the tree house, Kellum was inside cooking. He looked up and smiled. “You all look like you had a good day.”

He had telepathic powers, but he couldn’t know what had transpired near the waterfall. “We ran into Jalen.”

“Oh, yeah? He up to his old mind tricks again?”

She laughed but immediately sobered when the two men frowned. “Kind of.”

Kellum chopped the vegetables. “I was near the alignment point this afternoon. It should be close enough by tonight.”

Her legs weakened, and it felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach. Will must have seen her visceral reaction and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“I guess we better gather our gear.”

She wanted to follow them in and watch them, but she thought they might need some time to themselves.

* * * *

As soon as they both got into the room, Will closed the door. “I want to stay.”

Gage had been expecting his reaction. “We can’t, and you know it.”

“Why?” He folded his arms over his chest, an action that spelled trouble.

A strange urge to shift and pounce came over him, but he knocked down his animal instinct. “We are so out of our element here. Could you live underground with no money and no ability to make money?”

“We could join Taryn and Kellum’s security detail.”

“We suck at fighting.” Why would he want to put his life in constant danger when he didn’t have to? While he hadn’t been severely injured, the wounds still hurt like a bitch. He couldn’t imagine the pain Malik must have suffered. “We have a great life in Miami. Are you willing to give up the view of the ocean, the salt breeze in your face, the sand between your toes, and the power of the WaveRunner under you?”

Will stepped forward and for the first time ever, a shiver of fear raced down his body. Gage had never seen his brother’s body this intense—until now.

“Yes. For the right woman, and Sella is that woman. I love her and I want her.”

Shit
. He did, too, dammit. He stabbed a hand through his hair. “She turned my world upside down, but there has to be a way to make all of us happy.”

“Sella belongs in this world. She’s pure and sweet and wonderful.”

His mind raced, trying to find a solution. “She wants adventure and loves learning new things. If that wasn’t true, we wouldn’t have found her in Spirit in the first place.”

His gut churned, and he paced in front of Will. Perhaps together they could figure out what to do. He wanted to spend a week in bed, holding her and making sweet love with her, but the longer they stayed, the more she’d be able to hook her claws into them. Sella never wanted them for their possessions, only for who they were. She wanted to make them see their potential, and for that he could never forget her.

“Ask her to come to Miami.”

He stopped pacing and weighed the pros and cons. “She’ll never say yes. Don’t you see how much she loves her family? Lara is like a sister to her.”

“How about if we promise to bring her back for a visit when Lara’s baby is born?”

The idea had merit. He wanted to say yes, but he wasn’t sure if he was thinking with his dick or with his brain. The logistics would be a nightmare. She had no ID. Hell, she wasn’t even from this reality. It gave new meaning to being an illegal alien.

Gage shook his head. “What if she says no?” His stomach roiled, and he tasted bile in his mouth. Never had a woman turned him inside out like this before. She was light and everything good.

Will straightened his shoulders. “Then I’ll stay. You go back to Miami and run the business yourself.”

He was tempted to shake some sense into his brother. The problem was that he thought the same thing. “We’re a team, bro. We’ve always been together.”

“I think she’ll come with us. We have a connection that is strong. Besides, I think she loves us.”

“If only that were true.”

Will punched him lightly in the arm. “Let’s ask her.”

They had nothing to lose. If she told them no, they’d be devastated.

* * * *

The men returned looking way too somber.

“Come with us. We want to talk with you.” When Gage raised his gaze at her brother she guessed he wanted to talk to her in private.

“Sure.”

She followed them back to the bedroom. This was the moment she dreaded. Saying good-bye was going to be so hard.

“Please sit on the bed. We want to talk to you about something.” Gage had turned so serious.

“Okay.” She clasped her hands on her lap and tried not to bounce her leg.

“Will and I have been talking.” He sat on the bed next to her while Will pulled up a chair and faced her. “We adore you. You are everything we want in a woman.”

She knew there was a
but
coming. When he didn’t say anything, she felt obligated to fill in the silence. “Thank you. I adore both of you, too.”

He let out a breath. “Here’s the thing. We don’t belong here, but you love adventure. How about living with us in Miami?”

Gage squeezed her hand. Her mind whirred with so many thoughts they kept colliding with each other. “I don’t know. What could I do for a living?”

They both smiled. “You don’t need to do anything. You could walk on the beach, soak up the sun, read, or do whatever you want to.”

That wasn’t the way she was programmed. “I’m not the type to sit around all day. I have to feel useful.” She caught the twinkle in their eyes. “And I don’t just mean in the bedroom. I could cook and clean for you if you let me stay with you.”

Gage’s cheer disappeared. “We aren’t looking for a housekeeper. We want to show you how wonderful it can be in our world.” He pulled her close. “Look, give it a try. If you aren’t happy, then you can always return.”

She was so tempted. “It’s not that easy. I can’t find the alignment point, and there is no way to contact my brothers once I’m in Spirit.”

“We’ll come back with you. We can find the point for you, or so you claim.”

They seemed to have all the answers. “Can I think about it?” Her stomach was in knots, and her pulse was racing. The adventurous spirit in her wanted to go, but her common sense told her she’d be lost. She loved her family and relied on them for so many things.

Will got up from the chair and pulled her to her feet. “Come here.”

His hug sent warmth through her body. Her nipples pebbled against his bare chest and bubbles of pleasure rippled up her body. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to remind her of what she would be missing.

“I really want to, but—”

“We don’t have much time. I wish we could give you a month to talk it over with your family, but we need to know now.” He nuzzled her neck and let his hands caress her back and then her ass.

She closed her eyes and inhaled, trying to imagine what it could be like. Life would be exciting and adventurous. Their willingness to return her home would give her an out, but could she leave everything she held dear?

Sella’s mind raced. So much of her wanted to say yes, but in the end she knew she’d be a hindrance. She belonged in Anterra. She, too, had a successful business, though she supposed she could always find a way to start a new one.

Damn
. Why did she have to make a choice like this?

“So what will it be?” Will asked.

She stood and faced them. “I can’t. I would beg you two to stay, but I know that you don’t belong in my world any more than I belong in yours.” Tears streamed down her face and clogged her throat.

Kellum knocked on the door and pushed it open. “It’s time.”

Her body filled with lead, making it impossible to move. Both men nodded and picked up their gear. They’d dressed in their winter gear, reminding her of when she’d met them. Will and Gage both hugged her at the same time.

“Are you going to come with us?”

Seeing them walk through the alignment point would completely rip her heart in half. “I can’t.”

“I understand.” Gage pulled her against his chest and hugged her so tight she could barely breathe, but she never wanted him to let go.

“You’ve changed both of our lives.”

“I can say the same. I can never thank you enough.”

Will placed a hand on her shoulder. “I will never forget you.” The kiss was long and tender.

“You need to go.” A bubble formed in her mouth. If they didn’t walk away right then, she’d start blubbering.

She was certain the shimmers in their eyes were tears.

“I’ll be back, Sella.”

She couldn’t even make eye contact with her brother. Instead of seeing them to the door, she threw herself on the bed and wailed.

* * * *

If it hadn’t been for Gage, Will bet he would have relented and headed straight back to Sella. As it was, it took three tries to shift since his concentration had turned to shit. Thanks to Kellum and his guidance, he was able to refocus and become a lion. That wouldn’t have been necessary if the alignment point hadn’t been up in a tree.

“When you leap, there will be another tree on the other side. Good luck, my friend.”

That was almost the same farewell that Jalen had used. He would have liked to have had the time to sit down with the bear shifter and asked him questions on how he’d been able to confuse them so well.

He mentally shrugged.
Maybe next time
.

Let’s go.

It was still bizarre to be able to communicate with his brother without talking. There were so many things they were going to miss. They’d already discussed that if no people were around when they got to the path, they would shift back into human form right away. They couldn’t be sure there wouldn’t be wolves around, nor could they be sure they wouldn’t be seen by others since most of the trees lacked foliage.

Gage went first. As soon as his brother disappeared, he leaped. Gage was already halfway down the trunk when Will landed on the branch. The moment Gage reached the ground, he shifted. Will followed suit.

The cold air snuck down his jacket. In the week they’d been in Anterra, he’d gotten used to the balmy weather. He’d be glad when they got back to Miami.

It was no surprise that his brother said little as they traveled down the path. Knowing what they’d left behind, Will’s heart turned heavy. Sure, they could come back next year, but Sella would surely have moved on. A woman as special as her wouldn’t stay single for long.

When they returned to their hotel room, the first thing they did was check online to find the next flight out. Neither one wanted to stay longer than need be. The first flight left tomorrow morning and wouldn’t get in until midnight, but that worked for him. The sooner they left, the less temptation there would be to change his mind.

Gage pulled out his credit card. They’d already missed their return flight home, so Gage purchased two one-way tickets.

“You want to catch a bite to eat?” Will asked.

Gage shrugged. “I’m feeling a little out of sorts, but Sella did say we’d not feel too good after we crossed over.”

“We need to eat.” If nothing else it would take their mind off leaving the woman they loved.