Furever After (6 page)

James sighed again. “You know I rose to this position long before Ethan showed up. He has no desire to be the pack leader. We just travel together, that’s all.”

“Shut the hell up,” Clay said. And then he began to change. His hands clenched and unclenched, his fingernails extending into claws just as golden-yellow hair burst forth along the back of his hands and his forearms. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. His face shifted into a snout, hair springing from along his neck. He looked like he was half-man, half-lion, but neither James nor Ethan seemed surprised. In fact, Ethan looked
bored.

He leaned against the wall, occasionally poking one of the fallen thugs in the ribs with his foot, yawning every so often. James just looked annoyed.

In the blink of an eye, Clay lunged forward, his hand-claw swiping through the air with a force and speed I could feel even from across the room. James stepped aside to avoid it, seemingly unaware of the danger he was in should the claws make contact. Clay missed, his momentum causing him to stagger, and James spun and landed a kick in Clay’s side that sent him flying across the room with a sickening crunch. Clay seemed to change back to normal in seconds.

James walked and stood over him. “You know the penalty for losing a fight, Clay. Especially one forbidden by Clan Law. You’re hereby exiled. Now get out of here and never let me see you again. Next time, you won’t live to walk away.” James landed another vicious kick in the man’s side, making Clay cry in pain. There was no telling how many broken ribs he had.

James opened the door, and Ethan leaned down and picked up two of the thugs, lifting them as though they weighed nothing, and tossed them through the door. The two of them systematically picked up the fallen fighters and deposited them onto the street outside, before turning to the overturned furniture. “Well, this will be hard to explain,” James said.

Ethan looked up and made eye contact with me. “Maybe not as hard as you think.”

James followed his gaze to my bewildered stare, and sighed. “Well then.”

I didn’t know what to say. The two of them were as nonchalant as if they had only asked for coffee, rather than beaten an entire gang of thugs senseless on their own. What was wrong with them? Actually, what
were
they? James turned one of the table and its chairs upright, and then gestured for me to come sit down. “Liz, I have some things to explain to you.”

Ethan shot him a surprised look, and it was one of the few times I’d seen genuine expression cross Ethan’s face. “Are you sure about that, James?”

He only nodded. “After what she’s seen, nothing but the truth will suffice.”

I took my seat next to James, and Ethan sat down across from us. Now that I was close, I noticed a few scratches and bruises that both of them bore. Still, considering the state of injuries the others involved had, I’d say they got off easy. “You’re hurt!”

“It’s nothing,” James said dismissively. “Now, tell me what you say.”

I relayed the story back to him from my perspective, that I had seen a man seemingly transform into a…large cat. Or at least partially. James only nodded in agreement, murmuring encouragement to me as I continued to talk. When I finally finished, he said, “You aren’t far off. That man was a shifter.”

“Like…a shapeshifter?” It seemed unbelievable, like something out of science fiction.

“Yes,” said James. “They do exist, despite what society at large believes.”

“What did he mean when you called you the alpha? And what did you mean about Pack Law?”

Ethan chuckled. “She’s a lot more perceptive than even you thought, James.”

James ignored his friend, continuing to explain the situation to me. “Well, it means that I’m a shifter too, for starters. They call me the alpha. I’m the leader of a pack. It’s the most desired position, similar to CEO or president, I suppose. I resolve disputes, handle feuds, etc. I’m basically king.” As he said that, James allowed just a glimmer of arrogance to shine through. Ethan scoffed and rolled his eyes. “To become the alpha,” James continued, “You must defeat the current leader in combat. That means that young upstarts are always attempting to take me on. Clay was no different, with one exception: he split off from the pack and formed a splinter group. They’ve been chasing me and Ethan ever since.”

I shook my head, trying to take in all of the information. “So, assuming I take this all to be true,” I said, “Then you two are running?”

Ethan laughed. “Not at all. Like we said, we’re just traveling. Those idiots are the ones who wanted to follow us.” He turned somber for a moment. “I do apologize for the mess we made to your restaurant, Liz.”

I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it! But…if the alpha is the most desired position, why don’t you try to take on James?”

James shot Ethan a look, and I was afraid I’d asked the wrong question. Ethan looked at James, raised an eyebrow, and chuckled. “Why don’t I take you on, James?”

James answered with a sigh. It felt like he was used to dealing with Ethan’s antics, and knew how to handle him. “Ethan could defeat me if he tried. He’s actually the stronger of us. Lucky for me, he has no desire to be leader. And it’s a good thing for everyone, too — he has no patience.”

Ethan was drumming his fingers on the side of the table. “He’s right. I can’t stand all the politics involved in the role. I want absolutely nothing to do with it.”

“I have just one last question. How can you tell if someone is a shifter?”

They were both silent for a moment, and answered in unison: “The eyes.”

“A shifter has different eyes from a normal human, and the eyes are always the first to change. Watch.”

As I stared at the two men, their eyes grew slightly more slanted and took on a golden color, gleaming in the restaurant lighting. James’ eyes were yellow and sharp, like those of a lion on the prowl. Ethan’s bore similar qualities, but his right eye was more orange, with green tints to it that James didn’t have. I thought it was strange, but I didn’t ask.

After that demonstration, their eyes turned back to normal. I sat in silence for a for a moment, reeling at the information, and also at the fact that I accepted it without hesitation. Nothing about these two men smelled of deceit, and given what I’d seen, I’d either wake up in the morning and realize this was all a dream…or I’d carry a new perspective about the world. And that made me realize another question. “Wait a minute. Why did you tell me this? What happens if I tell anyone?”

James smirked. “What happens if you tell someone you saw a group of men fighting and a few of them turned into half-man, half-cat hybrids? They’ll think you’re crazy, most likely.”

I realized he was right. “That must be convenient for keeping things secret…”

“It really is,” was all James had to say. I shook my head, having come to a decision, and grabbed them by the arm.

“Come on, back to your room. This can be cleaned up in the morning. We need to treat those injuries.”

“That really isn’t necessary, Liz.”

“Now!” I barked, more harshly than I meant to. I heard Ethan laughing behind us.

“Better listen to the lady, James. She might be able to take both of us out.”

I led the two men to their bedroom and instructed them to sit on the bed while I went to fetch the first aid kit, flipping the “Open” sign to “Closed” along the way. I just needed a moment to myself, to gather my thoughts and figure out how to approach the situation. So there was an entire world of people out there who possessed abilities that seemed impossible, but there they were. And two of them were in my restaurant. I had asked for excitement, and it had certainly been delivered. What was the Chinese curse? “May you live in interesting times?”

I found the first aid kit in the kitchen and carried it back upstairs. “Okay you two, let’s see those injuries. James, take your shirt off.” I blushed a little bit while saying that, but he had a cut along his neck that ran below his shirt, and I needed to have better access to treat it. James shot a glare over my shoulder, so I guessed Ethan had done something to taunt him. While he seemed reluctant, he pulled the shirt up and over his head, revealing a body criss-crossed with scars, but chiseled out of solid stone. His chest was the most built I’d ever seen, with pectorals bulging outwards, defined in well-cut lines that tapered to eight huge, perfectly-outlined abs. He had the body of a Greek god, and it was amazing to look at. I could feel the blush rushing up my face, the heat radiating from my skin. I saw a smirk twitching at the side of his face, and I knew James was well aware of the effect he had on me.

“Is there a problem, Liz?” he asked, quietly. I shook my head no, ignoring the heat burning deep in the pit of my belly. I was shocked at my body’s own reaction; I had gotten instantly wet looking at him. I focused on his injuries, lightly dabbing the cotton ball at the thin cut. It looked as though it was already healing, the wound slowly closing.

“You heal quickly,” I said.

“One of the traits of being a shifter,” he said. “Particularly the alpha. I suppose you could say it was magic. That’s what most of the clans believe.” Something about his tone made it clear he disagreed.

“What do you think it is?”

“Genetics. The alpha is the leader. Perhaps there is an underlying genetic aspect that triggers when you become the leader that allows you to heal faster. That’s what I think. So many of the others are wrapped up in tradition that they can’t see modern science for what it is.”

“To be fair,” I said, “You’re something from a fairy tale.”

James chuckled quietly. I finished applying the ointment to his injuries, and checked the rest of his torso for any other wounds. If he had any, they seemed to have healed already.

“Okay, all done,” I said. “Ethan, it’s your turn.” Ethan nodded, sitting up from his reclined position on the bed. James put his shirt back on — thankfully, I thought — and I turned to his traveling companion. Ethan had his shirt off in seemingly no time at all, and if James looked like a Greek god, then Ethan was the Pantheon.

His torso rippled every time he breathed, clean-cut lines of muscle dancing under the skin. It was incredible. I wondered how often he worked out to achieve a physique like that, but realized it probably had something to do with his status as a shifter. Strange how easily I accepted such ideas. Ethan bore a nasty bruise on his right arm, but even it had already faded to a yellow-green hue, a far cry from the angry black and purple I had seen earlier. He followed my gaze and grimaced.

“Yeah, one of those bastards managed to catch me off guard. It won’t happen again. I think it cost him a few teeth.” I kept quiet, dabbing topical painkillers onto the spot, but it was hard to believe how violent this otherwise gentle man could be.

I gasped when I looked up. Ethan had leaned down, his eyes to mine, and I saw they were once again that strange color and shape. “Thank you, Liz,” he said. If I didn’t know better, it almost sounded like purring. He raised a hand to my face, cupping it gently in his hands, and kissed me.

The touch came quickly and unannounced, and I could barely react for the shock. James made a sound behind us that sounded like a strangled cry, but I felt like it hardly mattered. Ethan’s tongue pressed against my lips, and I gladly opened them, allowing him entry even as his tongue wrestled over mine for dominance. He prodded and explored the inside of my mouth, his hands stroking the skin of my face. Every touch of his hands seemed to set me ablaze, and I felt my mind growing hazy even as lust exploded inside me.

Another touch tugged my attention away, and I realized James had come up behind me, his hands sliding up and down my sides. He leaned forward, close to my ear, his breath hot and moist. “Battle has another effect on shifters — it drives our libido through the roof. However, Ethan and I are gentleman, though we may not always seem like it. Should you object to this at any point, simply say so.”

The knowledge that these two incredibly sexy men wanted
me
was enough to stifle any objections I may have had. My tongue slid over Ethan’s, but he clamped his lips down on it, suckling gently on the tip. I couldn’t stop the moan that escaped my mouth, and James made it even more intense by cupping his hands around my ass and giving it a quick squeeze. “Soft,” he said, sliding one hand up the front of my shirt and cupping my breast through the fabric.

I could feel James’ cock pressing into my ass, and I rocked my hips backwards to try to feel more of it. He was thick and long, and the heat radiated through our jeans in a way that was echoed only by the temperature of my pussy. I could feel the aching, burning desire there, and I knew I wanted them both.

Ethan broke the kiss, drawing back and staring me in the eyes with that calm, confident smirk he had. Nothing needed to be said; the way he looked at me, and the passion of his touch, said it all. James spun me around in place, his mouth taking the place of Ethan’s, while Ethan reached around from behind me and cupped my pussy with his hand, stroking it firmly through my jeans. I moaned, grinding my hips down.

If those two didn’t take things further soon, I’d be in a bad place. I could feel my juices soaking through my panties, and I couldn’t remember a time my nipples had ever been so hard. The two men continued to tease me, but James’ kiss kept me so unfocused on anything else that it was difficult to object.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Ethan removed his hand — despite my moans and protests — and unsnapped the front of my jeans. He opened them just enough to slip his hand inside, stroking me through my now-completely-wet panties. He let out a sound of surprise. “Wow, Liz. You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” He chuckled, stroking me again and making my moans turn into near-screams of ecstasy.