The Secret (3 page)

“We’ll find her.” He and Asa had been through way too much shit together for Declan to abandon him now.

“You’re gonna be busy enough.” He laughed. “But when y’all head home, I’m staying.”

He started to protest, but Asa stopped him. “I have to, Dec. And you have your own life to get on with.”

Friends didn’t abandon each other, though. He shook his head. “No.”

Asa grinned. “How did I know you’d say that? I have a feeling, Dec, this is the trip I’ll find her. So maybe it won’t even be an issue.”

Chapter Three

Sunny breathed a sigh of relief when they finally reached the safe house in southern Florida. For more reasons than one. It was the only house on the street not decked out for Christmas.
Not
her favorite holiday. She hadn’t celebrated it since she was sixteen. Had never seen the point, since she was always alone. It looked like this year would be different though. Unfortunately. If anyone insisted on decorating She cut the thought off. It felt a little too Scrooge-like, even for her. Things were bad enough without borrowing resentment and loneliness.

What the hell had possessed her to get in the car with Carlos, anyway? The feline oozed sex appeal. It wasn’t like she didn’t have an open invitation from Declan anytime she wanted to take it up. Asa too for that matter. She’d been tempted more often than she dared to admit. So tempted she was itching to take them up on it. She’d thought Carlos might make a good distraction on the drive down. Not.

She was in worse shape now.

She was a victim of her breeding and her secrets. Well, her breeding, or more to the point, her DNA,
was
her secret. Tradition said females were never weres. But apparently, tradition had nothing on evolution. Once the stories and legends had probably been true, but like everything in nature, shape-shifters were evolving. She only knew of one other female shifter, but they couldn’t be the only ones, and she was desperate to find her. Her twin sister. It was why she kept making these foolish trips to Florida with Carlos, Asa, and Declan.

She had vague memories of werelions from her childhood. Like them, her cat craved touch and companionship and was all about making it a group event. The woman was distrustful, though. What kind of danger would she be in if she fell under the control of anyone who discovered what she was? Would she be allowed freedom? Would she be allowed to make her own choices? She just didn’t know who to trust, and she’d kept the secret so long, it was ingrained in her to walk her own way. Yet the cat fought her for control. It liked these men. It trusted them. And maybe that was why she was so reluctant to hop into bed with either of them. She was pretty sure it would be the best sex of her life. She needed time to think it over. Time to decide what she should do. Try it out or run away?

She didn’t wait for any of them before jumping out of the car and walking up the front step. The house was one of many her boss, Julian, owned for his people to use while on a hunt. She had the key and twisted it in the lock, pushed the door open. Carlos grabbed her before she could step over the threshold.

The hold triggered an instinctive reaction. Fear. Anger. Fight. He caught her elbow before she could shove it into his stomach.

“Whoa, baby,” he whispered against her ear. “I know you’re keyed up, but you know better than to just walk in without making sure the place is clear.”

That damned voice of his. Sinful. Sexy. And in this case, right. She hadn’t used any caution. Hadn’t drawn her weapon. Hadn’t done an outside sweep of the property. She’d just wanted some distance from the men making her crazy with desire. Finally her mind and body fell back under her control, and she stilled.

“Let me go,” she ordered softly to keep her voice from carrying in the quiet predawn morning.

She set her hand on the butt of her pistol and felt his reluctance to set her free. Once he did, she drew the weapon and they entered together, quickly moving through the house to ensure no unwanted guests had taken up residence. Her heart stuttered when she checked the only bedroom. It was nearly filled with a giant, king-size bed. The only one in the house.

She backed out quickly, before her unruly body could get any ideas. Carlos, Asa, and Declan were waiting for her in the living room. One of them handed her a beer, and she sat in the only chair, leaving them to the couch, though none took it. The room was tense and silent. The men seemed to put as much distance between themselves as possible. They all looked a little stiff, like they were hopped up on adrenaline and preparing to jump into battle. She rolled her eyes. If she wasn’t sure she’d tear him to bits, she might wish for a nice, calm, biddable beta male. Instead of opening her mouth and inviting disaster, she sipped the beer.

“Should we toss a coin for the bed?” she asked, weary, on edge, ready to get some sleep. Sick of fighting the heat in her body. Why the hell hadn’t Julian warned her about the sleeping arrangements? Or was he still in matchmaking mode? He’d been incredibly pleased with himself since Gia and Anthony got together.

“That’s not quite what I had in mind.” Carlos’s deep, carnal voice could drive a woman to insanity. She wondered if he was half as good as he thought he was, but she didn’t get the chance to think about it long.

Declan and Asa both bristled at the werelion’s words, at the intent clear in them. Hoping to steer everyone away from trouble, she stood and tried to move between them and Carlos. The lion gave her a low snarl and pushed her behind him, snapping
don’t
when she tried to move around him.

The situation could go from dangerous to deadly in a matter of seconds, but at this point she was more irritated than afraid. She pounded a fist on Carlos’s back, realizing when he purred he might find it an invitation, not a protest.

“What the hell are you doing? We’re all friends now, remember?”

The werewolves and humans had been working together for months, and the werelions were a recent and not entirely trusted addition. New or not, trusted or not, she wasn’t about to let anyone start a feud.

“Let her come out where we can see her.”

Carlos shook his head. “Not until you give me your word you won’t interfere.”

She wasn’t sure whom the bitter laugh belonged to. Maybe Declan. “Cat, we promised Julian she’d be safe with us.”

Her palms were pressed to Carlos’s back, and she felt him stiffen at the insult, the implication he’d do anything to harm her. She tried to intervene. “He wouldn’t”

He twisted a little to look down at her. “Shh, kitten. Let me handle this.”

She narrowed her eyes. First she was baby, and now kitten? Did he think she was a child who needed taking care of? He faced the wolves before she could ask.

“There are some things that can’t be interfered with. Y’all know that.”

“Only mates,” Declan replied.

“Yes.”

Oh no. No way. She didn’t know as much as she should about the werelions. She’d been only six when her father had taken them away, but if they were anything like the wolves, anything like her hazy recollections, there was no way in hell she’d mate with one of them. She just wanted to fuck him. Was that too much to ask? Sick of being ignored and talked around, she slid her hands under his shirt and scratched to get his attention. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite what she’d been aiming for.

He purred again, and she yanked her hands back, knowing she’d awakened that sleeping hunger she’d so often glimpsed in his eyes. Ignoring the wolves, he spun around to face her. “Don’t stop now, kitten.”

“I don’t think I want to start,” she whispered, knowing she should back away, put some distance between them, but unable to resist the pull she felt toward him and so damned curious about what it would feel like if he touched her. Again, that need she’d been feeling since Halloween struck her. Her nipples were painful points, her pussy wet with desire. She wrenched her gaze from his, casting her eyes down, only to be caught by the bulge in his jeans. There was no doubting he wanted her.

He groaned. “Sunny.” She looked up into his oddly glowing, gray eyes.

Shit, she was in trouble here. The rational woman in her was fascinated by him. The cat even more so. The dual urges were making her crazy and were just compounded by the cat’s interest in Asa and especially Declan. They’d been dancing around each other for months. She cared for them both, found it harder and harder to resist the invitation in their eyes. Her feline side preened under the attention. It liked sex and intimacy, believed they should be lavished with care and attention. It basked in it. The woman would have protested less if the men in question weren’t werewolves.

“Wolves don’t share well.” Declan’s words snapped her back to the ongoing conversation.

She saw Carlos relax with a slow, lazy smile.

“Cats do.”

After a short pause, Declan nodded and exchanged a look with Asa, who followed his lead. God, had the three of them just decided to share her? She didn’t know if the sudden thumping of her heart was from fear or excitement.

“Anyone care what I think about this?” She resorted to sarcasm to cover her confused reaction, her cat clamoring for freedom, hissing at her for standing in the way of sexual fulfillment. It didn’t care anything about morals or reputations or broken hearts. Between it and them, she was pretty sure she’d give in to temptation if she didn’t get some space soon. Hell, she wouldn’t be there at all if not for her missing twin, right? She had to get the hell out of there, but wasn’t surprised when he tried to stop her at the door.

“Where are you going?”

Of course, she wouldn’t get out unnoticed. “I need a shower. And sleep. And y’all need to chill out. It ain’t gonna happen.”

She wasn’t fucking any of them. No way, no how. She’d just end up too involved to walk away when the time came. She might be willing to compromise her safety and freedom, but never her sister’s.

* * *

Carlos watched her walk into the dark hallway, sensing her trying to pull back, but his more immediate concern was the pissed-off wolves behind him. When he heard the door open and close, heard the lock clicking into place, he turned to face them.

“She’s mine.”

“You’re a cat. You don’t mind sharing,” Declan reminded him, his tone heavy with anticipation.

“True. But if you get involved with us, and it will be
us
, what happens when you do find your mate?”

Declan’s expression closed down, and Carlos felt a pang of sympathy for the other man. “She’s dead. A long time ago.”

Carlos wanted to offer him comfort but figured it would be rebuffed, so he returned to the current issue. “If I let you join, you have to recognize my dominance.” He offered a brief smile that he knew was just shy of menacing. “Do you know what that means coming from a cat?”

There was a long pause and a flicker of knowledge in both wolves’ eyes. Asa shook his head, his expression rueful. “You two may be willing to share her. But I’m not getting involved in a mated group.”

So he knew how these things worked in a lion pride?

Carlos watched the two werewolves exchange a long glance and realized with a surge of excitement that these men were, at least occasionally, lovers. And Asa was stepping out to allow him to have Declan. His arousal spiked to a level he’d never experienced before.

“I think I’ll run a patrol,” Asa said and left the house. His respect for the wolf grew. He almost regretted Asa’s decision. He might have enjoyed watching him and Declan fuck.

It wasn’t unusual for a dominant cat to keep several lovers in his wider circle of friends, for his and his mate’s pleasure. It was expected. And as the king’s brother and second, you couldn’t get much more dominant. It didn’t hurt that he’d hunted with these two. He respected them. Even liked them. Oh well. It was Declan he really wanted. Declan he was beginning to crave with increasing intensity.

The wolf was watching him, waiting silently, and Carlos couldn’t ignore the fact he was a strong, dominant male in his own right. It was a heady thrill knowing Declan was ready to submit to him. His cock was so hard it hurt, and he fought the urge to pound into someone. There was no way his human mate could take that, but the wolf could, and he could see the excitement, the expectation in Declan’s eyes. He walked to the overnight bag he’d dropped near the door and pulled out a bottle of lube.

“Strip. Now.”

Declan followed the order without saying a word, but his eyes flashed in irritation.

Carlos smiled. “Who do you think is more dominant?”

Declan’s eyes narrowed. “Right now? You.” It was clear the other man expected to reverse roles someday soon. Carlos unzipped his jeans and squeezed the base of his cock to keep from coming.

“We’ll deal with that later.”

He’d allow that—under certain circumstances. Ground rules could wait for another time, though. Both men were naked in seconds. There wasn’t a soft dick in the room. He gestured to Declan to step forward.

“On your knees. Suck me.”

When Declan took his cock in his mouth, Carlos groaned. There was no buildup. No gentle suction. No soft licks. Declan sucked his cock into his mouth hard. With teeth. Carlos felt an orgasm building, tingling in the base of his spine, and yanked Declan’s head away. His eyes glowed, the wolf moving in them, and Carlos flipped him over, pulled him to his knees on the floor.

Carlos moved into position behind him and dropped to his knees also, the lube gripped in one hand. He squeezed a few drops around Declan’s puckered asshole and worked a finger inside, then two. His muscles tightened around the invasion.

“If you don’t relax, it’s gonna hurt,” Carlos promised, somehow knowing this wolf welcomed pain.

With a full-body shudder, Declan relaxed enough for Carlos to work in a third finger. He slowly withdrew and pushed back in, twisting his wrist as did, spreading his fingers to stretch Declan for his cock. When his big body started to move with Carlos’s thrusts, he pulled out long enough to lube his cock. Then he gripped his hips and slowly slid in. Declan’s head fell forward as he gasped. Was it pain or pleasure? Carlos held still and gripped his hips harder.