Summer Surrender (Phases Series, Book Six) (2 page)

He sighed. He was as almost as bad as Josiah, but there was something about Hollis that pulled at him. Something that demanded he touch her. That he taste her. However, that something needed to be ignored. At least for a little while. He didn’t want to scare her away. Not when she might be the one they’d been waiting for. Instead, he showed her where everything in the room was and gave her keys to the supply closets, managing to fight the urge to drag her in there and taste her. Barely.

* * * *

Hollis set the swing on the back porch of the cottage into motion as she watched the sunset spread brilliant fingers of red and purple across the sky. The colors shimmered in the lake below, making the water appear almost otherworldly.

As the sky continued to darken, she set aside the curriculum notes for the biology class and stared out over the lake. Bats swooped from the treetops, indistinct shapes gliding through the air on nearly silent wings in the darkening sky. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so peaceful. It definitely beat sitting out on the fire escape at home. Honking geese had replaced horns, the scent of pine and clean air replaced the odor of exhaust fumes and the only illumination came from the occasional set of headlights and the lights at the diner next door. Off to the west, stars began to sparkle in the twilight. She couldn’t recall when she’d last seen stars. The light pollution in the city obliterated almost all traces of them. Smiling, she laid her head back against the swing. She could stay here forever.

Movement out of the corner of the eye caught her attention. Two, huge dark shapes detached themselves from the distant tree line and crept toward the house. She tensed, watching the shadows prowl toward her. They were too big to be wolves and too sinuous to be bears. She had no idea what they were, but they sure as hell weren’t human.

Slowly so as not to frighten the animals, she reached down by her feet and felt around for the flashlight she’d brought out with her. Raising it just as slowly, she pointed it in their direction and quickly turned it on. The bright light cut through the darkness, illuminating the two creatures. Lynxes. Hugeass lynxes. She’d never heard of one getting that big, let alone two. Weirder still, they didn’t dart away when she turned on the light.

Instead, they stared back at her, lazily blinking their tawny eyes. Tufts of black fur sprouted up from their ears and huge ruffs framed their faces. It was impossible to make out the rest of their markings in the falling night. The sound of footsteps had them lifting their noses scenting the air.

Hollis turned the flashlight toward whoever was approaching and immediately blinded Lucas as he rounded the corner. Quickly, she turned back toward the lynxes, but they were already gone.

“Maggie and Quinn are finishing up at the diner,” Lucas said, “but they wanted me to see if you needed anything before we headed for home.”

“Actually, I could use some information. How big do lynxes get up here?”

“What?”

“I’m pretty sure I just saw a couple that were as big as tigers.”

Lucas’ eyes widened slightly then narrowed as he scanned the land between the cottage and the lakeshore. “Well…we do have some huge animals up here.”

“I hope they come back. I’d really like to get a closer look at them.”

He frowned. “Just don’t get too close, okay? Wild animals are unpredictable at best, deadly at worst. I don’t want to see you getting hurt.”

“I’ll be careful,” she promised. But mostly, she was excited. The only animals she saw on a regular basis were pigeons, rats and cockroaches. Yeah, they were bugs, but some of them were big enough to be dangerous. She tried to tamp down her excitement. The lynxes and surrounding wildlife had just become her summer research project.

Chapter Two

Josiah crouched in the shadows outside Daniel’s house and willed himself to shift. Muscles tore, bones lengthened and reformed and fur receded. The sounds of transforming between his animal and human forms were nauseating. The pain was worse, but it would soon dull to an ache before vanishing altogether. Stretching his stiff neck muscles, he rose and turned to where Daniel was already standing, staring at his brother, Dylan, who waited for them on the porch, shaking his head.

“What?” Josiah demanded.

Dylan raised an eyebrow. “You two. Sniffing after the city girl. Even on the off chance that she
is
your mate, she’s gone at the end of the summer. What are you going to do? Follow her to New York?”

Josiah hadn’t even considered that Hollis might be their mate, but he could tell from the sudden tension in Daniel’s shoulders that he’d contemplated the idea.

When neither man responded, Dylan continued. “I can just see it. Giant lynxes creating panic and chaos in Central Park. Crackpots and wildlife biologists would be crawling out of the woodwork searching for you. Is that what you want?”

Daniel sighed. “I know you’re worried, but everything is fine. She’s not Kelsey.”

Dylan’s face clouded over, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

Josiah wouldn’t say it aloud, but Dylan hadn’t been the same since his fiancée had died. He’d always refused to talk about it. Since then, there were very few women Dylan trusted. Josiah understood it, but he didn’t agree.

Granted, they barely knew Hollis, but he felt a pull toward her like he’d never experienced before. And he knew Daniel felt it, too. It had been a while since they’d both been interested in the same woman, but they’d shared before, he was pretty sure they’d do it again. He just hoped Hollis would be game. He was dying to lose himself in the soft warmth of her body.

He took a step forward and locked eyes with Dylan. “I know you’ve got our best interests in mind, but she’s not a threat.”

Dylan scowled at him. “And you know this from one short meeting with her?”

Josiah couldn’t deny that in most any other circumstances, Dylan would have a point, but not this time. He was sure of it. Another thought occurred to him. “How do you even know about her anyway?”

“Small town,” Dylan muttered. His glare softened slightly. “Just be careful.” He closed his eyes and let the change take him. Smooth skin and tightly corded muscle replaced fur and claws in a matter of seconds, and he disappeared into the night.

Even though Josiah had the same ability, seeing the shift from human to animal never failed to amaze him. And that was the real problem. If an untrustworthy or terrified human were to witness it, his and Daniel’s lives as they knew them would be over. And if unscrupulous scientists or biologists ever got their hands on a shifter, his or her life might even be forfeit.

But he couldn’t believe all people would respond the way Dylan’s lover had. For instance, Maggie didn’t seem to have a problem with Lucas and Quinn. Josiah couldn’t believe she didn’t know. It was impossible to be intimate with someone for that long without realizing something was up.

Daniel sighed and pulled on his jeans. Josiah followed suit staring in the direction Dylan had disappeared. “He’s just Moody McMoodSwing, tonight, isn’t he?”

Daniel snorted. “And this would be different than any other night?”

“Point taken.” He paused to tug his shirt over his head. “You know, if anyone needs to get laid, it’s him.”

“No kidding.” The other man tossed Josiah a bottle of beer. “I don’t see it happening any time soon. It’s like he blames himself for what happened to Kelsey, and is determined to punish himself forever.”

Josiah sighed. Daniel was probably right, but no one could have predicted what had happened. No one could have imagined that Kelsey wouldn’t stop to listen to Dylan. That she would have been so freaked out and driving so recklessly that her car had ended up in the river. But no amount of disbelief could change what had happened or how it affected him now.

Daniel didn’t talk about it much, but Josiah knew it ate him up inside. He’d been the one pressuring Dylan to come clean to her about their true nature. Josiah had only met Kelsey a few times while he and Daniel were in graduate school, but he’d liked her. She was a sweetheart. The whole thing was just such a fucking waste.

* * * *

Hollis sat at her desk while the students turned in their assignments and filed out of the room eager to start the weekend.

“Don’t forget,” she called out, “we’re doing fieldwork on Monday. Make sure to wear appropriate clothes. No sandals, please.”

It had only been a week, but her class was doing beautifully. It was amazing since she’d only had three days of actual prep work. The regular science teacher hadn’t left much in the way of a lesson plan, but Hollis had reviewed the district’s curriculum and managed to come up with a ten-week plan that would cover the most important course work.

Granted, the fact that there were only nine kids made the teaching a little easier, but most of the students seemed engaged and were working hard. With any luck, they’d all pass and be able to move to the next grade level with the rest of their classmates.

Hollis was doing well, too. She’d thought she might have a hard time adjusting to rural life, but the only thing she really missed was Starbucks. Between spending time with Maggie and hanging out with Daniel, Josiah and some of the other teachers, she didn’t lack for company. She’d even managed to catch up on some of her reading. So far, it had been the perfect working vacation.

“Thanks, Miz C. I finally feel like I’m getting this now.”

Hollis smiled at Travis, the last student straggling up to her desk. “Well, it helps when you come to class.”

Color bloomed high on the boy’s cheeks, but he returned her grin. “Yeah. Yeah, I know. I’ll see you Monday. Have a good weekend.”

“You, too.”

Travis nodded and waved as he headed out of the classroom, nearly running into Daniel as he entered.

Her tummy fluttered wildly as he approached. The lake and trees weren’t the only gorgeous scenery around here. His bronze complexion and high cheekbones hinted at what was surely Native American ancestry. Tall and leanly muscled, his body had a runner’s grace with a tightly coiled energy that lurked beneath the surface. For lack of a better description, he always seemed ready to pounce.

“I’m really impressed with the progress you’re making with the kids,” he said as soon as Travis was out of earshot.

“They’re great kids. Some of them aren’t particularly motivated, but I’m hoping to get them all to the point where they can pass this course and move on to the next grade.”

“I think you’ve made more progress here in a week than I’ve seen some people make in months.”

She waved away the compliment, trying to ignore the pleasure his words brought. It shouldn’t matter to her what Daniel thought of her. But she’d be a liar if she said it didn’t. Annoyingly enough, it mattered what Josiah thought, too. Between the two of them, she’d had plenty of fantasy material.

“Thank you, but they’re doing all the work,” she said, forcing herself to stop imaging a threesome with him and Josiah. She’d clearly been spending too much time with Maggie and her guys since sex seemed to be all she could think about lately.

Daniel’s lips curved upward as he half sat half leaned against her desk, his groin right at eye level. She tilted back in her chair. It was easier to keep her eyes on his face that way. Not that keeping her gaze on his face was a hardship.

She shifted in her seat as she peered up at him. The man was gorgeous—closely cropped black hair, brown eyes so dark they were almost black and firm lips that she couldn’t help but imagine covering her own. Oh hell, she’d been imagining those lips doing more than that. Mentally shoving aside the fantasy of Daniel baring her breasts and drawing her nipples into his mouth one after the other, she tried to focus on what he was saying. Soon, she’d need to throw herself into the icy waters of Lake Superior to cool down and keep her imagination under control. She tuned back into reality in time to hear him say, “So did you decide to come?”

Before she could open her mouth to respond, Josiah bounded into the room carrying a cardboard box and looking as if he’d been slugging down all of the coffee she’d been longing for. Hazel eyes glinting with amusement, he shoved his dark brown hair off his face.

“That seems like an awfully personal question,” he said as he perched on the other side of her desk.

Hollis felt her cheeks flush. The man was a ridiculous tease, but she knew he didn’t mean anything by it. He was just one of those guys who flirted with any woman he came across. Of course, he didn’t behave inappropriately with his students, so at least he had some control.

Daniel reached across and cuffed Josiah across the back of the head.

Josiah laughed. “Just kidding, sweet cheeks. I know he’s talking about the cookout tonight.”

So did she, now that he’d reminded her. Daniel had invited her to the “We Survived the First Week of Summer School Cookout” a couple days ago over lunch. She’d heard some of the other teachers were going, too.

“What should I bring?” she asked.

“We’ll have plenty of food,” Daniel said before the other man had a chance to speak. “You don’t need to bring anything.”