Wolfen (49 page)

 
"It's definitely one of us,” Con growled, nudging his chin at Balin and Dakota. “Or maybe all of us,” Dakota said pointedly.

 
"That narrows it down!” Dr. Billings snapped sarcastically. “She's human, though. I doubt she's carrying one of each—maybe if she was wolfen.... What am I saying? If she was wolfen, she wouldn't have let any of the others near her once she'd settled on a sire! If she was wolfen, it would be
possible
, given a scenario where she was in heat and the alpha that claimed her was usurped by another while she was still fertile.... This is giving me a headache I don't need!

 
"For her sake and the safety of the pups, the five of you are either going to have settle who's alpha and who's her primary caretaker, or figure out how you can divide her time without putting too much stress on her. If she's willing and feels up to it—twice a week—maximum—and that's just for right now. The further along she gets, and the bigger, the harder it's going to be for her, the more uncomfortable she's going to be, and the greater the chances that she might be pushed into premature labor by bedroom gymnastics. We'll have to play it by ear."

 
"He's doing a lot of fucking assuming,” Con growled when they'd left the office.

 
"Obviously, he's laboring under the completely false assumption that Dani's as angelic as she looks and that
we're
calling the shots,” Balin agreed irritably.

 
"Threatened to cut you your dick off and shove it up your ass, too, huh?” Dakota growled, though there was a thread of satisfaction in his voice beyond the irritation.

 
"Not recently,” Balin retorted. “I'm keeping my balls
and
my dick under careful guard."

 
Xavier nodded. “Sleep with one eye open and one hand on the jewels."

 
[Back to Table of Contents]

 
Chapter Twenty

The wolves were too busy tearing at each other to notice Danika when she arrived at the clearing, drawn by the ferocious snarls and growls. She studied them for several moments in horrified dismay, feeling her heart leap into her throat suffocatingly as the huge black clamped his wicked jaws on the throat of the white and gave his head a shake. Lifting her tranq pistol with a shaking hand, she aimed at the rump of the black wolf and fired.

 
The report of the pistol startled all of the wolves. They broke off their battles and whipped around to stare at her as she wilted shakily to the ground. The black wolf's swift reaction saved him from the dart. It hit Con right in the hip. He let out a yelp and leapt away, twisting around to pull the dart out with his teeth.

 
They shifted. One moment five wolves stood in the clearing, the next five stunningly handsome and well built men—naked. She'd found their discarded clothes on the way to the clearing.

 
"Gods damn it!” Con snarled in a voice already slurring. “You shot me in the ass! Again! That's three times, gods damn it, baby!"

 
"Sorry,” Danika said with a shrug. “The white makes you an easier target. I was actually aiming at Balin, though."

 
"Well next fucking time
hit
Balin!” Con growled. “I'm getting tired of getting shot in the ass!"

 
"What are you doing out here?” Balin growled.

 
"I came to watch. That's customary, isn't it?” Danika asked calmly.

 
The men glanced at one another.

 
"Y'all are trying to determine who's the alpha—and who gets me, right?” she said in a voice now shaky with anger. “Well, you know what? I can settle this right now! Nobody! You can all go to hell!"

 
Con fell face first in the dirt.

 
Danika heaved a sigh and got up a little clumsily. “Somebody needs to drag Con back to the house."

 
"He'll be fine,” Xavier said dismissively, stepping over him and heading toward her. “I'll give you a hand back in. The ground's rough. You don't want to trip."

 
"I don't
need
a hand!” Danika said through gritted teeth. “I can manage just fine by myself!"

 
Balin fell into step beside her. Grabbing her arm, he bent in the same motion, scooped her against his chest, and headed back toward her house. She glared at him but looped her arms around his neck since she knew arguing was useless and she didn't see any sense in trusting his grip alone. He couldn't drop her if she was holding on.

 
He carried her into the house and into her bedroom, settling her on her bed.

 
"You're cold. You shouldn't have gone out in no more than this,” he said angrily, tugging at the short sleeve of the oversized t-shirt she'd worn to sleep in.

 
"Go back and fight some more!” she snapped, waving a hand at him dismissively. “Although I'll be damned if I see the point of these weekly battles of yours! None of you want me!"

 
Balin frowned, crouching beside her and studying her face. “That's not true, baby. You know it isn't."

 
Her chin wobbled. “It
is
true!” she wailed. “Not
one
of you has touched me in all the time you've been here! Weeks! I'm so horny I can't stand it!"

 
Balin chuckled.

 
She punched him on the shoulder, nearly oversetting him, shot to her feet, and stalked around the bed. “Go away!” she snapped, crawling in and pulling the covers over her head.

 
Balin climbed into bed beside her. She glared at him and flopped onto her other side, presenting him with her back. He slipped an arm around her and dragged her against his length, nuzzling his face against her neck and curling his hips to press his erection firmly against her buttocks. “Does that seem like lack of interest to you?” he growled near her ear.

 
She sniffed. “It's not doing
me
any good there!"

 
He curled his hand around her shoulder, tugging at her. She resisted but finally rolled to her back, looking up at him. “You're not going to have evil designs on my balls if I put this where I want to, are you?” he murmured, amusement threading his voice as he nudged his engorged member against her hip.

 
She uttered an inelegant snort. “You didn't take me seriously?” she asked a little doubtfully.

 
He grimaced. “You seemed pretty serious.” He brushed his lips along her temple, breathing in the scent of her hair.

 
Danika swallowed with an effort. “No more fighting ... please? It gets on my nerves so bad ... and I'm scared."

 
He lifted his head to study her face, stroking her hair. “Of what?"

 
"Everything,” she said, her face puckering up again as she turned to him, burrowing her face against his neck.

 
He settled his hand along her back for a moment before he started stroking it soothingly. “I don't believe that. No woman who'd run to a downed wolfen in the middle of a battle, with rogues running lose everywhere, is afraid of anything."

 
"I was afraid
for
him,” she said a little petulantly. “This isn't the same thing."

 
His hand settled on her waist. “You're afraid of the birthing? Or worried about the pups?"

 
She dragged in a shaky breath. “Both."

 
"They're strong, growing stronger. And you have Dr. Billings. He knows what he's doing. You don't have any reason to worry."

 
"Easy for you to say. You don't have to deliver them!"

 
He pulled away to look at her. “It
isn't
easy for me,” he growled, abruptly angry. “The only thing harder than enduring pain is to watch someone you love endure and know that there isn't anything you can do."

 
She wasn't sure she agreed with that, but she was completely distracted from those doubts by what he'd said. She swallowed with an effort, wondering if it had only been a slip of the tongue or if he meant it, afraid to ask. His gaze flickered over her face. Lifting his hand, he traced a small circle along her neck. “This means love, Dani, and this.” His hand drifted down to trace another circle on her breast. “What do you think we've been fighting over all this time? What do you think keeps us here?"

 
She studied him a little doubtfully, swallowing against the hard knot of emotion in her throat. “That was the other thing I was afraid of.” Her face crumpled. “I thought you'd leave. I thought you were all just waiting to see who'd fathered the babies."

 
"Choose, Dani. Choose me."

 
She stared at him and burst into tears. Rolling away from him, she gathered her pillow against her face and wept. “That's the other thing I was afraid of. I can't! I don't know what I want! I just know I love you."

 
Balin stared down at her shaking shoulders, trying to master the rage that welled inside him. “And the others."

 
It wasn't a question, and she didn't answer it. She didn't have to. He knew that was why she was torn. He rolled onto his back, dropping an arm across his eyes, struggling with the resentment he felt against her, the rage against the others—the gods, the fates. She couldn't, or wouldn't, choose. They couldn't settle it, though the gods knew they'd tried to beat each other to a pulp plenty of times by now. There was never a clear winner. Beyond being evenly matched in skills and strength, they were an uneven number that made a fair match impossible—and no one was willing to bow out to even things up. Maybe in time—but not any time soon.

 
The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him. None of them had been able to choose a mate before they'd met Dani and now found the one they wanted claimed tenaciously by another four powerful contenders. He could've taken a mate within his own tribe without any serious competition—any of the others could probably have said the same thing.

 
He couldn't just walk away. He'd chosen her with heart and mind, consciously made the decision to follow his heart and bind himself to her all the while completely aware that he couldn't bind her the same way.

 
Or maybe, fucking idiots that they were, they
had
? Maybe that was why Dani couldn't choose. They'd taken that option away from her by fighting among themselves and hardheadedly marking her—all of them—binding her tightly to all of them.

 
He doubted it, but it was possible, he supposed, and hard to deny as a possibility when it was obvious to him that she really did care about them.

 
He dropped his arm after a moment and rolled over to soothe her. “Don't weep, baby. It isn't good for you."

 
She sniffed, lifting her head to look at him with red-rimmed eyes. “You don't hate me?"

 
He struggled with his temper and pulled her into his arms. “No, Dani."

 
She snuggled against him gratefully, yawning.

 
Amusement flickered through him. “Go to sleep."

 
She traced a finger along his chest. “You didn't give me a nightcap."

 
He stilled. “Are you propositioning me?"

 
"Yes."

 
"Good!” he murmured. “Because I've got blue balls from hell."