Protect and Serve Shifting Forces (3 page)

“Well, yes. It certainly looks that way, now doesn’t it?”
He’s handsome enough, but maybe he was standing behind the door when brains were handed out
.

“How are you feeling?” The professional. Taller and leaner than the other guy, deep blue eyes and collar-length dark hair. He’s built like a runner, where the other guy looks more like a football player.

“I feel…” Nothing. Everything.

I look down to my shredded slacks, covered in blood. The smartly tailored gray pants that I saved up weeks for are split all the way up to the waist on one leg. And where the werewolf attacked me is a shiny red scar in the shape of a handprint, surrounded by what looks like fingerprints. That’s it. Just a slight sting and the pull of newly-healed flesh on my inner thigh.

“Who are you guys?” I touch the scar gingerly, and then poke at it, wondering why it doesn’t hurt. A startling rush of heat flushes through me as I contemplate the mark. My nipples peak with desire, so tight they almost hurt. I can feel my pussy getting wet, swelling with need. Even the light silk of my panties as I move chafes me into a ravenous state of sexual craving. Finally, I look up at the men. “And what the hell did you do to me?”

Their eyes burn with interest, their nostrils flaring as if they can sense my desire. I squirm uncomfortably. It figures. I play the enforced role of a nun for the past three years while all the “real men” flee the city. Then here, in the middle of a battle, I have two -- count ’em --
two
sexy heroes who look ready, willing and able to fulfill my every dark, dangerous desire.

A bullet whizzes by, just missing the professional. Several more pepper the edge of the roof. “Get down! They know we’re up here!” Growly-voice ducks as he whispers loudly to the other guy. He pulls me behind a battered roof vent, sheltering me behind his very broad back.
Oh damn
… a silent thrill runs through me. I love it when a guy goes all he-man on me.

He glares at me when I peek my head out, and another bullet hits the vent. He shoves me back. Yeah, being manhandled is nice -- but only up to a point.

“Maybe we should get out of here before explanations. Any suggestions?” I glance between the two paranormal-specials-of-the-day, forcefully cooling my jets. Hopefully they have an escape route in mind.

“I’ll carry the girl. You already used enough energy healing her.”

The professional nods, shifting with a flash into the phoenix I recognize from my rescue. He shimmers with heat as he waits. I feel my temper overriding my good sense as I turn to the other one. Yes, they saved my life, but that doesn’t negate common courtesy.

“My name is Aurora Monroe, not
the girl
.” Another bullet nicks the roof. “Hurry up, will you? I don’t plan on dying today.” The military guy grins and salutes, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Yes, ma’am!” He shifts in an instant, rising into the air.

Smart ass
. Still, I can’t help but be impressed. “Wow, a gryphon and a phoenix! How cool is that?”

The gryphon picks me up and we take off, gaining altitude and heading north. The phoenix follows beside us as sounds of battle fade into the distance.

Varick’s Blog (4)

Untempered fire heats my blood with both desire and rage as we wing our way north. I fight the urge to attack the gryphon, though we already agreed he should carry the girl. He’s bigger and stronger, and it makes sense. Doesn’t mean I like it, though.

Need floods through me as I look at her, smell her,
feel
her. She’s marked now.
My
mark. But she has the gryphon’s mark, too. A combined mate-marking? I’ve heard of them before -- they’re rare. Always within the same species, though, and never with a human. What the hell are we going to do?

Phoenixes usually don’t make a permanent bond, although it’s possible. Since we tend to have a hard time sticking around, it’s kinder to not do it in the first place. While this isn’t our normal way of marking, I feel the connection nonetheless.

She’s an interesting-looking woman. Early to mid-twenties maybe. Auburn hair, curly, shoulder-length. Nicely rounded body, a full ass, and thighs meant to wrap around a strong man -- or strong shifter. I inhale deeply as her scent stirs me.

The gryphon glares. He’s got to be feeling the same confusion I am.

“Can we pull over for a bit? I need to rest.” The girl sounds exhausted and a little embarrassed, though her humor is obviously still intact.
Pull over, indeed
. We’ve been flying for ages, and the sun set half an hour ago.

The gryphon has more stamina than I’d have thought. He motions toward a clearing in the forest up ahead, starting his descent. “We’ll stay here for the night.”

I bristle at his tone, but it looks like a good place. We set down, shifting back to human form. I adjust my clothing, thankful for once that it shifts with me as I catch the woman staring.

“Where are we?” The sound of a river comes from the forest surrounding us, and a cabin with a wood porch sets back underneath the trees. I know we’re somewhere near Washington, but I’ve never been this far north before. Pretty -- and pretty remote. Looks like a good place to claim a mate to me.

“This is my place. I haven’t been here in a long time, but my family keeps it up for me, so it should be habitable.” He leads us up the porch, opening the door.

“It’s not locked?” Aurora’s shocked question turns the gryphon around with a smile.

“Nobody locks doors up here.”

“Wow. My parents told me stories, but I figured they were probably just making it up.” She shrugs her shoulders. Times have changed, and not for the better. “So, both of you know my name, but I don’t know either of yours.” Her direct gaze pins me to the spot, as if I’ve done something wrong.

“Varick Gerard.”
Why the hell do I feel guilty
? We saved her life. There wasn’t time for the niceties.

“Kender Russell.”

Her nod acknowledges our introductions. “I shouldn’t have gone to the rally, I know that now. Thank you both for saving me. I should have said it right away. But I was… a little distracted.” Her face reddens and the scent of her arousal grows stronger.

The gryphon clears his throat, as distinctly aware of her desire as I am. The muscles in his jaw clench as he watches her -- his fierce gaze one of predatory determination. He wants her, bad. So do I. This isn’t going to end well unless we get some things cleared up. Saving her life is one thing, but sharing a woman for life is something else entirely.

“I’ll get some dinner going. I let my family use the cabin when I’m not here, so the kitchen should be pretty well stocked. Varick, I assume you can start a fire?” He motions toward the fireplace where wood is already laid, then heads through an open doorway.

The clang of pots and pans in the kitchen accompanies the smell of burning wood. Tossing the burned match into the growing fire, I hear Aurora chuckle behind me. “You’re a phoenix and you use
matches
? Isn’t that kind of like a fish drinking water?”

“Just because I
can
doesn’t mean I
should
, Aurora. Paranormals use their gifts when they need to. In some ways, we’re a lot like humans. It’s easier to use matches or a lighter. I like convenience as much as the next guy.”

“Well, you’re obviously
not
like the next guy. Neither of you are.” She drops her sweater on the couch as the fire starts warming the room. “How about you tell me what’s going on? I think I’m due an explanation, don’t you?” She touches the mark on her thigh, closing her eyes slightly. “Whatever you did to heal me… it’s… I…” Her brow furrows. “I’m usually not at a loss for words. And I am
never
out of control.”

I let out my breath -- didn’t even realize I was holding it.

“How much do you know about shifters, Aurora?” The gryphon’s voice breaks in as he enters from the kitchen.

“Not a lot, I’m afraid.”

He sits on a well-used chair near the fire. “I’m not quite sure how to tell you this…” He meets my eyes, and I see the question in his. She bears both our marks. As odd as it sounds, it feels right.
Our mate
. I nod to him; it’s beyond our control. But we’ll do what it takes to keep her safe… and ours.

I toss a few more sticks in the fire, trying to think of how to explain it to her. “We had to cauterize your wound to stop the bleeding. Kender’s hands over mine kept the heat in long enough to staunch it. If we hadn’t, you’d be dead. But in the process of saving you, apparently we marked you as our mate.” I tense, waiting for her reaction. I know it’s not going to be good.

“Mate? Like in
wife
? What the hell do you mean by that? I’m nobody’s mate. I’m a free woman!”

Even the gryphon cringes at her angry outburst. I’m surprised smoke isn’t coming out her ears.

“It wasn’t intentional. There’s nothing we can do about it now, anyway.”

OK, so maybe the gryphon isn’t Mr. Diplomacy. That little comment won’t do anything to help our cause.

“Oh, you’re so wrong.” To my surprise, she sighs and sits back on the couch. Her hair is mussed where she keeps running her hand through it, tempting me to mess the rest of her up in a torrid romp. “You may have marked me, but I don’t have to do anything about it. Just drop me off in the nearest town and I’ll be out of your hair.”

Kender half rises in anger, the shimmering magic of a shift teasing his outline.

I feel out of control too, but I know she doesn’t understand. “It doesn’t work that way, Aurora. A marking isn’t something you just walk away from.”

“I’ll walk away if I want. You can’t stop me if I want to go.”

Damn. Denial I can deal with. Outright defiance, however, is just waving a red flag in front of a bull when it comes to shifters.

The gryphon is on her before I can breathe a warning. He wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her up off the couch and hard against him. His other hand slides into her hair, tilting her head to whisper harshly in her ear. “Yes. We can.”

Kender growls as he takes her mouth, slanting his lips over hers and devouring any protest. The strength of his arms as he locks them around her holds her still. A shocked moan rips from her throat.

The outright eroticism pulls me to their side, blood filling my cock with rigid need. Moving behind her, I pull closer, feeling her deliciously curved body hot and tense against me. She smells… wonderful. Delicious. Needy. The heated fragrance of her skin, the liquid rise of her desire, all of it makes the animal inside me pant with the urgency to impale her on my cock.

“I have to taste you, Aurora. You’re driving me nuts.” Her auburn hair slips through my fingers as I move it aside, baring her throat. The pulse pounding in her neck races as I lower my head to lick her. Lave her. Nip her. Her breathy moans and the further tilt of her head bring me nearer. Her skin feels soft as I slide my hands underneath her blouse from behind. She pushes her hips back toward me as I suck on the sensitive junction between her shoulder and neck. She grips my hair -- hard -- when I try to move my lips to another place.

“No, don’t move yet. That feels so good.” I smile, looking up to see her staring at me, her lids half lowered in passionate contemplation.

“Don’t worry, I’ll come back to it, and more, baby.” I run my hand up her cheek to frame her face, dipping to taste her lips. Gently, we explore each other as Kender moves his way down her body, touching her waist, her hips, learning her curves. She opens her mouth to me, her lips already warm and swollen from the gryphon’s possession. Her tongue meets mine in a questing demand for equality.

Aurora pushes closer, wrapping her arms around my neck. Her breasts rub against my chest like hot embers, her nipples stiff as they rake across me.
Yes
! I hiss at the sensual contact, grabbing her hips to deepen the meshing of our bodies. She feels good, but it isn’t enough.

She has no choice.
We
have no choice. The shifter inside me rises sharply, demanding Aurora’s submission. The soft friction of fabric isn’t what I need. I need her naked, panting, on her knees with my cock planted balls-deep inside her, begging me to fuck her harder.

“Damn you, let me go!” Her guttural command comes between panting breaths, forced out when Kender pulls her arms behind her, trapping them with his to slide his hands over her shirt toward her breasts.

The desperate need in his eyes as he steps back defines his strong sense of will. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to, Aurora. We want to give you pleasure. Make you happy. If you need a little more time to come to terms with the marking, fine. Just know this -- our mating will happen.” The gryphon’s voice is gruff.

I force myself to pull back. He’s right -- again -- as much as it pains me to admit it. “Aurora, I know this probably isn’t how you planned your life.” I rub the scruff of my unshaven cheeks. “Hell, it’s not how I planned
my
life. Finding a mate is special, in any of our worlds. And finding something like this -- like us -- is almost unheard of. Our situation is… unusual, but we can deal with it. You feel the bond like we do, right?” I know she does, but I need her to confirm it, to recognize and acknowledge it.

“I don’t know what to call how I feel. I desire both of you, obviously. Hell, I want to drop right here in front of the fire and screw you both so hard you won’t come up for air until next Sunday.”

“Well, I don’t have anything planned before Sunday. Do you, Varick?” Kender’s grin threatens to split his face in two.

“That’s the problem. I don’t know how to control it.” She moves out of our arms to pace around the room. “We moved all the time when I was a kid. No permanent friends, switching schools all the time. I always said when I grew up that I would control my life. I’ve worked hard for that. Now with everything going on, that control is slipping away again.”

I can tell she’s doing her best to stay on top of her emotions. It kills me to see her upset. I move closer, but she holds her hand up to stop me in my tracks. “No, I don’t need comforting. I don’t need anything. My life is just how I want it, how I always planned. And I certainly don’t need even
one
, let alone
two
, paranormal mates.”