Others raced to join them, Annie’s brothers, Ricky and Mike, Luc and Tia Stone—all the members of the pack who lived here in the valley coming from all directions; Stefan and Xandi charged off the deck together, and two of their healers, Adam and Liana, ran out of the woods, all of them headed toward the fight taking place on the low hill just above their valley.
Lily and Anton raced ahead of the pack, and it took them less than a minute to cross the meadow and reach the fight. A massive wolf had Annie cornered against a fallen pine, but he bled from a ragged gash across his muzzle and another across his throat.
Alex was bleeding from a wound to his neck, but the wolf he faced was favoring his front leg, and one ear was torn almost completely away. Lily sensed more strange wolves in the forest, but she couldn’t be sure how many were out there or why they hadn’t joined their packmates in the attack.
Anton reached the fight first, but the two rogue wolves must have realized they were outnumbered. Spinning away, they raced into the forest with Anton chasing.
Lily shifted and went straight to Annie, who’d collapsed in a heap and lay on the torn ground. Alex limped a few steps closer and stood there, breathing heavily, head down, blood running from the deep tear at the back of his neck. Stefan and Xandi arrived and paused to converse silently with their son. Then they spun away and followed Anton in pursuit of the rogues.
Adam and Liana, both healers, arrived together and shifted to help Annie and Alex. Annie’s parents, Tinker and Lisa, skidded to a stop beside their daughter, but Adam already knelt at her head, his hands against her bloody shoulder.
Tinker and Lisa paced, both of them agitated and growling. Then Tinker’s hackles went up, and his growl sounded like thunder as Sebastian raced into the meadow. Lily shook her head. “He’s okay, Tink. He’s with me.”
Tinker’s hackles went down, but he glared at Sebastian with his ears flat to his skull, wary of an unknown among the pack in a time of danger. Alex stood alone, panting, his head down, his wounds still bleeding. His thoughts were a cauldron of anger and fear, worry about Annie, and frustration that they should have been attacked here on private property.
Mostly, Lily sensed his anger at himself for failing to protect her.
Adam’s mate Liana left Annie’s side and took over with Alex, settling him with her hands, pushing him gently to the ground. He lay down, but his gaze never left Annie, and he stretched his muzzle across the torn grass as if trying to reach her. Lily glanced at Sebastian, who stood off to one side, still in wolf form watching the activity. “Adam and Liana are healers,” she said to him. “They go inside and repair injuries at the cellular level.”
Sebastian moved closer to Lily and sat beside her, but he remained alert, watching the woods. Guarding them. Lily felt warmth blossom in her chest. He had to be wondering how it was that Adam did his healing, sitting as he was, silently beside Annie’s wolf, his hands pressed to her shoulders, his face blank of all expression. Sebastian didn’t question anything. He followed Lily’s lead and watched for danger.
Lily ran her fingers through Annie’s thick pelt, searching for more injuries.
I’m okay. How is Alex?
“Good. You had me worried when I saw you go down. I’ll check on Alex. Lie still and let Adam decide how okay you are, okay? Your mom and dad are here.” Tinker sniffed his daughter’s wounds while Lily moved aside and went to sit with Alex.
“What happened?” she asked him. “Where did they come from?”
No idea. Annie and I were heading down to your cottage when the two of them shot out of the woods on the right. There might be more. I sensed others holding back, but those two hit us without any warning at all. The big one bowled Annie over, and the other one got me by the neck. Annie’s tough, though. And really fast. She got away from him and managed to do some damage.
“That she did.” Lily smiled as she stroked Alex’s shoulder. Liana’s hands were pressed to either side of the gaping tear on his neck, holding the skin together as she worked from the inside to rebuild the torn flesh. Alex was so proud of Annie, he didn’t even seem to notice his own injuries.
She sensed the change in energy as Sebastian shifted and sat beside her. “So this is your Alex,” he said. He gently placed his hand on Alex’s shoulder, as if to comfort him. “His aura is strong, even as an injured wolf. I can see why you love him.”
She turned and studied Sebastian. There was no sense of jealousy, none of the typical guy reaction to the other man in a woman’s life. “I do,” she said. “I’ve loved Alex since we were children. Even when he’s not all that lovable.” The wolf growled and she laughed.
Be nice to me. I’m bleeding.
“Not anymore. Liana’s got you just about put back together.”
How’s Annie? She says she’s okay, but . . .
“She’s going to be fine. I have a feeling though that her mom and dad might want to take her home with them tonight. You okay with that?”
No, but I can handle it. She just said the same thing. She feels badly about scaring them like this. I understand, even though I’d rather she stay with me.
“I bet. I’m guessing things went well tonight?”
Oh, yeah.
She chuckled. “I don’t want you to be alone tonight. Do you mind if Sebastian and I stay with you?”
I’ll be okay. But thanks. I don’t want to mess up your date.
I don’t think that’s a problem.
She glanced at Sebastian who followed their interchange with avid interest. What would he say if she asked him to stay with Alex? If she asked him to share their bed? For Chanku, it was nothing unusual, but what if he wasn’t one of them? What if he was just what he said he was, a human with magical ability?
Sebastian?
She narrowed her thoughts so that only he could read them.
I really don’t want to leave Alex alone tonight. Do you mind if we stay with him?
He glanced at Alex and then at Lily and slowly shook his head. His hand still rested on Alex’s shoulder.
Of course not. As long as he doesn’t mind a strange man in his bed.
She hadn’t expected that. Not at all. But she smiled and leaned against his side, while her fingers tangled in Alex’s fur and Liana finished putting the torn wolf back together.
12
T
inker shifted before the rest of the pack had returned and lifted Annie, still in wolf form, in his powerful arms. Lily had told him about Tinker, but Sebastian hadn’t truly imagined the guy’s massive size and amazing presence.
He was, without a doubt, the largest African American man he’d ever seen, and when he’d made that lightning fast shift from massive wolf to huge naked man, Sebastian had almost gasped aloud. Tinker’s mate stayed in wolf form, but Sebastian caught her thoughts as she raced down the hill, that she was going home to make Annie’s room ready.
Tinker cast a quick glance at Alex, but he didn’t say a word, and Sebastian sensed Alex’s dismay. Was it guilt over Annie’s injuries? Did Tinker blame Alex? He hoped not. That didn’t seem fair. He’d been the object of speculation and accusation often enough to know how painful it could be.
Liana sat back on her heels, and Alex blinked, shook his head, and slowly struggled to a sitting position. He leaned close to Liana and ran his tongue across her cheek. She laughed and batted him away.
“Thanks, but no thanks, Alex. Now take it easy. Don’t overdo it, and you should feel fine tomorrow. Adam said Annie’s going to need some rest, too. You know how it works—we can put stuff back together, but it needs time to settle and stick where we put it.”
She kissed his nose, hugged Lily, and then turned to Sebastian and stuck out her hand. “I’m Liana. It’s nice to meet you, Sebastian. Even though we’re both starkers.” She laughed, and it was such a wonderful sound he found himself grinning in response, not feeling quite as naked as he had. “We’ll talk tomorrow, preferably with clothes on, but Adam is calling.” She smiled, and suddenly he was staring at a beautiful gray wolf. Then she was gone, racing after her mate.
Sebastian watched her go before turning to Lily. Alex lay curled up beside her, still a wolf, but Lily was every inch a beautiful woman. A beautiful
naked
woman.
Trying not to laugh, Sebastian wrapped his fingers around the back of Lily’s head and pulled her close for a kiss. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever been introduced to a naked woman before. Interesting, especially since I haven’t got clothes on, either.”
Lily kissed him quickly. “Get used to it. Unlike the werewolves of fiction, our clothing doesn’t shift with us. We essentially ignore nudity, unless we really want to see it.”
She raised an eyebrow and looked him over. “And I have to say, I love what I’m seeing.”
“That works both ways. Are you ready to go back?”
“Not yet.” Lily glanced toward the woods. “I want to give Alex a few more minutes to recover, and I’m waiting for the others to get back. I just heard from Dad. They lost the trail. It appears the rogue wolves must have gone into the caverns at some point. There are any number of tunnels connecting your father’s property and ours. If they’ve learned the tunnel system in these mountains, it could be really bad. They’re all connected, and it will make it almost impossible to guard against attack.”
“I had no idea there were caverns around here.”
“Their existence isn’t well known, but we’ve used them for years, as kids to play in, as adults for safety. The whole pack once took refuge in them when a forest fire ripped through this valley and burned my parents’ house to the ground. That was almost twenty-six years ago.”
He didn’t hear a sound, but before he could ask for details, the small hilltop was suddenly filled with wolves, slipping out of the forest like dark ghosts and gathering close around the three of them. Sebastian had no idea who they were, though he was almost certain the large black wolf in the lead was Lily’s father. Another wolf, similar in markings to Alex, stood beside the black one, but all obviously deferred to the black wolf. Lily had referred to her father as their
über-alpha.
The alpha shifted, as did the three wolves standing closest to him. Lily’s mother and father and two people he assumed were Alex’s parents quickly knelt beside Alex. Sebastian realized he still had his left hand on Alex’s shoulder, but the wolf was asleep and he didn’t want to disturb him. He left it there.
“Sebastian, you’ve met my parents, but these are Alex’s. Stefan, Xandi, this is Sebastian Xenakis.” She smiled at them. “He’s with me. His father owns the property next to this one.”
Stefan held out his hand, and Sebastian took it. He’d not seen Alex in his human form and wondered if he looked like his father. It was strange, realizing the people he was meeting were probably in their seventies or eighties. They all looked his age.
Keisha touched his shoulder. “This probably isn’t what you imagined when you came to see our daughter. I’m sorry this happened. Especially to Alex and Annie.” She glanced at the wolf. “Poor baby. Xandi? Do you need help getting him home?”
Before Alex’s mother could speak, Sebastian interrupted. “Lily and I were planning to take him to Lily’s cottage.” He glanced at Lily, caught her smile, and relaxed. Even though they’d talked about it, he hadn’t been entirely certain. “Liana said he’s healed, but he needs to rest. I can carry him down.”
“Good. That’s good. We won’t worry, then.” Stefan glanced at Anton and nodded, and he wondered what Lily’s father had said. It must have been all right, since the four of them stood and stepped away from Alex. Lily stood beside her father.
Xandi kissed Lily’s cheek. “I want to talk to you tomorrow. What’s going on between Alex and Annie?”
Lily flashed a big grin. “Excellent things. I’ll let Alex tell you all about it.”
Laughing, Stefan hugged Lily. “I’d rather hear it from you. He leaves out all the good stuff.”
“Not this time.” She glanced at Alex, who still appeared to be soundly asleep. “We’ll make sure he’s okay. If you need us, we’ll be at the cottage.”
Anton stared toward the forest and nodded. “Lily? I’ve asked Mei and Oliver to escort you back to your place. The wolves weren’t alone. We picked up some human scent back there, too, though they might have shifted to escape. Until we know what the hell is going on, I think you should have a couple of guards along, at least until you reach your place. Just in case the rogues reappear. I doubt they’ll bother you once you’re home.”
“Thanks, Dad. They’ll definitely think twice about bothering us with those two for backup.” The four parents shifted and headed down the hill with the rest of the pack following. Lily sat again and grinned at Alex. “They’re gone. You can quit pretending and wake up now.”
The wolf opened his eyes. He sat up, but swayed and quickly adjusted his feet to keep from falling. Lily grabbed his shoulder to steady him. “Blood loss,” she said. “That was too damned close, Alex. Sebastian, he’s awfully heavy. Are you sure you can carry him?”
“I think so.” He glanced at the big wolf who glared at him as if he’d like to take a big bite.
Lily tapped the wolf on the nose. “Quit arguing, Alex. You’re too weak to make it off the hill on your own, and I don’t want to sit up here all night and wait on you to feel stronger.”
The wolf sighed and slowly collapsed onto the trampled grass. Without another word, Sebastian slipped his arms beneath the huge creature and lifted him close against his chest before standing. Alex was heavy, but he didn’t struggle. Just the opposite, in fact, as he settled close against Sebastian’s chest and hooked his right front leg over his shoulder to hang on.
Slowly, picking his way along a well-worn trail in his bare feet, Sebastian followed Lily down to her cottage. He sensed the two who protected them, but never once saw the pair of wolves.
It wasn’t until they reached Lily’s tiny cottage, tucked in beneath a huge cedar, that he realized they hadn’t been flanked by wolves at all.
A beautiful pair of snow leopards drifted out of the thick undergrowth, stopped to take a look at Alex, sniffed Sebastian’s legs, and then silently headed toward the main house.
“Mei and Oliver,” Lily said. “Beautiful, aren’t they?”
Stunned, Sebastian stared after the two until they disappeared in the shadows.
Sebastian carefully laid the wolf on the big bed while Lily dug through the closet. A moment later she emerged with a pair of loose shorts for Sebastian to wear and a teal blue sarong for herself. Watching Lily as she checked over Alex’s injury, he slipped into the shorts, though he realized he’d not been at all uncomfortable with his nudity.
That was something new. Something he needed to think about.
Lily ran her fingers through the wolf’s bloodstained coat, and Alex opened his eyes. “I know you’re not that badly hurt, at least not anymore, so when you shift, do it outside, okay? I don’t want blood flaking all over the bed.”
Grumbling, the wolf looked over the edge of the bed and then made sad eyes at Sebastian. No words were necessary. Sebastian lifted the big animal to the floor and opened the front door of the cottage. Alex walked slowly outside and down the steps to a large tree, lifted his leg, and peed. Then he walked back to the house, stood on the grass just beyond the front porch, and shifted. Tall and beautifully naked, he stalked back inside the house and glared at Lily.
“There. Are you happy?”
“Deliriously so.” She kissed him and then looped her hand through Sebastian’s elbow. “Where are your manners, Alex? The least you can do is say thank you. Sebastian and I were just getting to the good part when we had to break it up to go rescue you and your ladylove. And then he carried your sorry ass all the way down the hill.”
Alex grumbled at her, but he turned to Sebastian and held out his hand. “She’s right, I guess.” He glared at Lily. “I hate it when you’re right. You were right about Annie, too.” Then he smiled at Sebastian as they shook hands. “My apologies, and my thanks. I really do appreciate everything you’ve done, but if I can’t pick on Lily, my life’s incomplete.”
“No wonder you two aren’t mated.” Sebastian grinned, shot a quick glance at Lily, and then laughed at Alex. “It would be incest. You two bicker like you’re brother and sister.”
Lily drawled, “Well, not entirely,” and Alex just laughed. She tossed a pair of pants at him. He caught them against his chest, shook them out, and put them on.
“Alex and I were born just three weeks apart. We shared a crib as babies and grew up together, but I was always well aware he wasn’t a blood relation.” She jabbed him with her elbow. “We were each other’s first sexual partners.”
“Long before our parents had a clue,” Alex added. “In fact, they still don’t know when we started—quite literally—screwing around, but we were . . . what’s the word, Lil?”
“Precocious. Highly precocious. Unfortunately, our parents have been lovers for years, and expected us to take our relationship to the next level and make it a permanent bond.”
“But we don’t love each other like that,” Alex added. “Not that I don’t love Lily, because I do and I always will, even when I want to strangle her.”
“Or vice versa,” she added.
While Alex continued as if she hadn’t interrupted, “But the dynamic between us wouldn’t make for a good mating bond. We’d end up hating each other.”
“Or dead,” Lily said. “It would never work, which is why I’m so glad you’ve found Annie. You and I are not meant to be mates.”
“You have no idea how thankful I am for that.” Sebastian’s dry comment had Lily giggling, so he wrapped an arm around her and planted a big kiss on her very kissable mouth. He knew he was a bit too obvious and it probably wasn’t necessary, but he had to stake his claim, needed to tell Alex in the best way he knew how that Lily was most definitely his.
Obviously agreeing, she turned in his embrace, wrapped her arms around his neck, and held him close, kissing him back with all the enthusiasm he could have wished for.
Alex cleared his throat. “Uh, wounded guy here? You’re not supposed to be ignoring me.”
Lily broke the kiss and stared over her shoulder. “That’s because you smell like a rank combination of wolf and just-got-laid male. Go take a shower. Then we’ll pay attention.”
Grumbling, Alex headed into the bathroom. Lily took Sebastian’s hand and led him out on the deck. They sat close beside one another on the top step. Lily leaned against his side while he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Thank you,” she said. “I really do appreciate your carting his ornery carcass off the hill.”
“Any time. I’m just glad it wasn’t you who was injured. Alex and Annie were pretty torn up.”
“They’ll be fine. Thankfully we had Liana and Adam close by.” She sighed, still playing with his fingers. “Sebastian, I’m not sure how much you know about us, though you’ve probably figured out that we are extremely open, sexually. Are you okay, sharing a bed with Alex and me? Sharing sex with the two of us? Because that’s where tonight is heading. He’s hurting, and he’s going to be missing Annie something fierce. We’ve all been through a hugely emotional evening, and for Chanku, anything like that really ramps up the libido.”
Sebastian took a deep breath, let it out, and stared into the dark sky. “I don’t know.” He laughed softly, embarrassed by the wealth of feelings storming through him when he thought of sex with Alex. “There’s one way to find out. I’ve never been with a man. Never even thought of it before. Your dad talked about that tonight, about the open sexuality of your kind.”
He shrugged. Maybe they were his kind, too. Hard to know. He’d only had the one capsule, but Anton seemed to think that since he’d been shifting by magical means, it might only take a few days for his Chanku nature to appear.
“How do you feel about it?”
Her eyes were dark pools, but her aura glowed like a multicolored halo around her, so many different splashes of color she reminded him of the aurora borealis. She was all light and magic, and her aura excited him, but everything about Lily Cheval was exciting. “If you’re there,” he said, “I imagine I’ll feel perfectly fine about anything.”
Her smile lit her entire face. “Good. And here’s something else for you to think about, what Dad wanted me to tell you.”