Dark Refuge (12 page)

None of them had known the truth, not until someone in the pack had told them who and what they were. His father and Alex’s dad, Stefan, had been the first, but they would have been lost without Alex’s mom, Xandi, who forced them to see the truth, and Keisha, his own mother, who had saved Anton from his own personal demons.

No wonder they loved so powerfully. Gabe had come to realize he wanted—no, needed—that same kind of love. And he thought of Em, took a deep breath and inhaled her sweet scent, nuzzled his chin against the dark silk of her hair. This was all so new, this almost frightening emotional connection he was beginning to feel for her.

What if she didn’t feel the same? And what if the darkness inside her wouldn’t let her love him the way Gabe feared he already loved her?

His roiling thoughts scattered when the bed dipped on the opposite side from where he lay, and he heard Alex get out. A minute later he was back from the bathroom, but he crawled in behind Gabe.

“The girls are asleep. I know you’re awake.”

“I was planning to go back to sleep?” Gabe said it as a question, but he grinned into the pillow and rotated his hips against Alex’s groin. It had been way too long, and Em and Annie were still out like the proverbial lights.

“Go ahead. I won’t keep you awake.” Alex stroked his flanks and slid his hands around to Gabe’s belly, then lower, tangling in the hair at his groin, tugging lightly and then cupping Gabe’s balls in his left hand. He slid his right hand beneath Gabe’s flank and stroked his suddenly wide-awake cock.

Gabe bit back a groan. He didn’t want to disturb the girls, and as isolated a life as Em had led, he wasn’t all that sure how she’d take two men fucking in the bed beside her.

It’s as good a time as any to find out, don’t you think?
Alex’s chest bounced against Gabe’s back with his silent struggle to keep from laughing

Whether it’s a good time or not, there is no way in hell I’m gonna let you stop doing what you’re doing. Goddess but that feels good.

I’m stopping right now. Sorry.
He slipped his right arm from beneath Gabe’s hip and gave a final soft squeeze to his sac.
I found some lube in the bathroom. Top or bottom.

I’m fine right where I am.
And he was, with Em snuggled close against his chest, her hair cascading over his arm, her lips pressed against the base of his throat. He felt each tiny puff of breath, the tickling flicker of her eyelashes against the side of his throat as she dreamed, and he wondered what her dreams were, if they were good or bad.

Alex’s fingers slipped between his buttocks and he shivered when one well-lubed fingertip pressed against his sphincter. He clenched his muscles, a reflexive action as that same finger entered, slowly opening him, relaxing the taut ring. Alex added a second finger and then a third until Gabe was gently panting with the strain not to fight entry, not to awaken Em. His heart raced with the thrill of Alex’s touch, with the knowledge of what was coming.

The pressure was subtle at first, but he breathed deep and slow when he felt the broad crown of Alex’s cock putting gentle pressure against his ass. He pressed back, bearing down to allow Alex in, and felt the stretch, the sharp burn of entry. He imagined the sound when Alex passed through the straining ring of muscle—he knew it was entirely silent, but in his mind there was a subtle pop as everything suddenly relaxed and Alex slid deep inside, past that sensitive barrier of nerves, a long, slow, steady push that didn’t end until Alex’s groin rested against Gabe’s buttocks.

The two of them paused, both breathing deeply as Alex fought for control, as Gabe struggled to hold still, not to disturb Em.

It didn’t work. Em raised her head, blinking owlishly in the half-light, and then she smiled. “Is Alex doing what I think he’s doing?”

“Alex is,” Alex answered.

Gabe chuckled. “Sorry, babe. I was trying not to disturb you.”

She nuzzled his throat. “I’m not disturbed.” Then she scooted lower in the bed and planted a kiss on his belly, just above his cock. When Gabe groaned, she moved a bit lower and licked the full length of his erection.

Let me know if I do it wrong. I’ve never done this before.
She wrapped her lips around the crown and circled it with her tongue.

“Oh, Goddess . . . did you have to tell me that?” Groaning, Gabe managed to get out a simple thought as Alex pulled halfway out and then went deep again.
Doing great, Em.

Alex, why do I get the feeling he doesn’t want to discuss technique?
This time she cupped Gabe’s balls in one hand and held the base of his cock with the other. And then she sucked him deep inside her mouth, all the way to her fist.

Gabe could only whimper, but Alex was laughing when he answered, “He doesn’t?”

The bed dipped. Annie got out on her side, walked around the bed and then crawled in behind Alex. “You know I hate it when you play without me.”

Alex cursed, and drove hard into Gabe. “You were asleep, Annie. Goddess, woman. How do you expect me to last when you do that?”

“I don’t.” She giggled as Alex bit back a curse. “You should try this on Gabe sometime, Em, when he’s topping one of the guys. Play with his balls and he’ll be like putty in your hands.”

“It’s not just the balls . . .” Alex took a few deep breaths. “She’s got her finger up my ass. Crap, Annie. You used to be such a sweet, innocent young thing.”

“Corruption is so much more fun. Like that, Alex?” He cursed, and Annie laughed and said, “How ya doin’, Em?”

Can’t talk with my mouth full.

At that point, Annie started giggling, Alex’s strokes went from slow and deep to short and fast and Em squeezed Gabe’s balls and swirled her tongue across that most sensitive part of his cock, the tiny, nerve-rich frenulum where the foreskin attached to the glans.

Gabe tried to pull free of Em’s grasp as his orgasm hit, but Alex was on the downstroke and Em kept her lips closed tightly around the upper half of his cock while she rhythmically squeezed with her fist resting on his groin. And damn, but she was gently rolling his balls in her other hand, and there was no holding on. No way, nohow. He groaned and gave in to the pleasure as she sucked him deep and swallowed every bit of his ejaculate.

They lay there in a sweaty, messy heap, the guys gasping for air, the girls laughing about how easy it was to make a guy come, whether he wanted to or not. Gabe turned his head and glanced at Alex, still sprawled across his back. “We shouldn’t have to put up with such insolence.”

“I agree. Don’t worry. They know payback is coming, but they also know we’re going to make them suffer first. A lot.”

“Ooh . . .” Annie scooted off the bed. “I am so scared.” Then she headed toward the bathroom.

Em leaned close and planted a kiss on Gabe. There was something undeniably sexy about tasting himself on her lips. “I’m not,” she said. “In fact, I think I’m looking forward to it.”

And then she sauntered after Annie with that long black hair swinging across her perfect butt, and it came to Gabe like a high-voltage shock. There was no way on earth he was ever going to let her go.

He glanced at Alex, who’d finally rolled to one side and was still blowing like he’d run a mile. “You’re outta shape.”

Alex rolled one eye at him and grunted.

“How did you know, Al? You know, with Annie? How did you know she was the one?”

This time Alex laughed out loud. “I hadn’t seen her in years. One afternoon I was in Kalispell and three big bruisers had her cornered. I didn’t recognize her, but she was obviously a woman in trouble. I fought them off, and then I realized it was Annie.” He rolled his head to one side and grinned at Gabe. “Ever run into a brick wall? That’s how it felt. I just knew, and there was no way I was letting her go. Luckily, it turned out she’d had a crush on me for years, so she didn’t fight me off too much.”

“That must have been some scary shit when Aldo Xenakis kidnapped her.”

Alex spun around and sat on the edge of the bed. “I still can’t think about that without breaking out in a cold sweat. She’s really special, Gabe. She makes me a better person. I can’t explain it.”

Gabe pushed himself up against the headboard and nodded. “I know. Crap, Alex. Em makes me feel the same way, like I can do anything because she thinks I can, and I don’t want to disappoint her.”

“Exactly.” He glanced up as the girls came out of the bathroom. Both of them were wrapped in towels and had wet hair. They threw their towels on the floor, stood over them and shifted to wolf, then back to their human forms, only now their hair and bodies were dry.

“I have to remember to tell Sissy how that works.” Em grabbed a warm robe and pulled it on. “C’mon, boys. The day is growing old and we need to get everyone fed and at least Gabe and me up on Mount Tam with our newest packmate. Sissy needs to go for her first run.”

Annie slipped Alex’s T-shirt over her head and followed Em out the door. Alex laughed and punched Gabe’s shoulder. “Yep. That’s the same look I used to get on my face around Annie.”

“Used to?” Gabe shook his head, laughing. “You’ve still got it. C’mon.”

• • •

Sissy couldn’t believe she’d slept so well last night. She lay there in bed, feeling loose and relaxed, which was hard to believe after all the trouble she’d had falling asleep. She’d been so wound up all evening after their rescue, her body practically twitching with excitement, and the knowledge of who and what she was had kept her head spinning in circles. She was Chanku, an alien species with an almost unlimited life span, with the ability to shift into a wolf at will. In fact, she could become any number of predatory creatures, once she learned how, but for now a wolf was just fine.

Someone knocked on her bedroom door and she jumped, and then she started giggling. She was safe here. Safe, for the first time in forever. She opened the door and Em handed her a steaming cup of coffee.

“C’mon, lazy. We’re going for a run.”

“Thanks.” She took the cup and inhaled the wonderful smell. This was obviously much better than the coffee the guys had bought for them at the apartment. She took a sip. Delicious, but she shook her head. “I can’t run. I don’t have any running shoes.”

“No, silly.” Em turned away and headed down the hall toward the kitchen. “Your wolf is going to go run. Alex, Gabe and I are going to take you over to Mount Tam. It’s a beautiful day, and it shouldn’t be too crowded, but even if it is, the people around here know we’re not going to hurt them and they leave us alone. You need to eat first, though. You’ll burn a lot of calories.”

“Annie’s not going?” Sissy followed Em into the kitchen. Annie was scrambling eggs in a huge frying pan. This place was definitely designed for a crowd.

“Nope.” Annie turned around and pointed to an empty seat. “Sit. I’m bringing you breakfast. You’re going to need the calories today. I’m staying here with the girls, we’re going to talk about options for the ones who aren’t Chanku, possible jobs, that sort of thing.” She set a plate mounded with eggs and bacon in front of Sissy and went back to the stove.

Sissy stared at the pile of food for a moment, along with the big pill on the table beside it. “Will I have to take these every day?”

“Nope.” Gabe slid into a chair beside her and Em took the one across the table. Alex wandered into the kitchen, but he stopped to kiss the cook before taking a seat next to Em.

Gabe scooted over and made room for him. “After a couple of weeks,” he said, “all the changes in your body will have been made, and while you might crave the nutrients on occasion and want to take a few pills then, once you’re Chanku, you’re that way forever.”

• • •

Sissy thought about that later, when Em pulled her little SUV into the parking lot on the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, the fact this was her new reality. She wasn’t human, had never been entirely human. She was Chanku. A shapeshifter.

She got out of the car and stood beside the door, taking deep breaths of the clean air. The rugged slopes of Mount Tamalpais loomed high above them and she thought of the last time she’d hiked here, the day Russo darted her and turned her from a young college student into a sex slave. She’d been studying to be a teacher because she loved working with little kids.

Maybe she could do that again. She’d already gotten her degree and was in the credential program. She wondered if the Chanku sent their children to public schools, or maybe taught them in private schools. She’d have to ask. Soon. She stretched her arms over her head, then bent to touch her toes. The Pacific sparkled in the sunlight, but the December air had a real nip to it. She was too excited to feel cold, too wound up to sit still.

Gabe and Alex both crawled out of the backseat, moaning dramatically about their long legs and lack of space as they stripped out of their clothes right there in the nearly empty parking lot. It made sense now, why they’d worn nothing but old sweats and sandals, but they tossed everything into the backseat and then shifted.

Sissy did the same, feeling a bit exposed here in the lot on the side of the road, but she undressed quickly and threw her clothes inside as if she’d always done such a thing, standing naked in a public place. She shifted, calling up her wolf so naturally that it felt as if she’d always done this. She sniffed noses with Alex and then Gabe, and would have laughed if she could when Gabe raised his hind leg and peed on the back tire.

Does that make it your car now?

Gabe merely gazed at her over his shoulder for a moment before he answered.
Actually, I’m thinking of taking Em shopping for a grown-up-sized car. This thing’s a joke.

“It’s not a joke,” Em said as she tugged her sweater over her head. “It’s a practical, economical car, perfect for driving in the city. And you get to wash the tire when we get home.”

Sissy stepped away from the car and trotted to the edge of the parking lot. She was shivering, not from the cold but from the desire to run, to experience the feel of the well-packed trail beneath her paws, the myriad scents teasing her sensitive nostrils. She’d not felt free for much too long and her body thrummed with excitement. Not only was she free, she was going to run as a wolf.