New Year's Kiss (9 page)

The small distance between them soothed the beast enough that Mikhel could again seize control. He had to get out of here. Before he did something crazy—like kill Zach and fuck Taylor. Not that fucking Taylor was so crazy—but the way he wanted to do it, hard, unrelenting. Until she screamed her acceptance, until she acknowledged his ownership of her.

Fuck, these weren’t the thoughts of a rational human and Mikhel was nothing if not rational. Last night not withstanding. And last night was an anomaly he wasn’t ready to accept. He’d fucked Taylor. Shared her. It was inconceivable. Pack law said the Alpha could fuck any female in his pack but he’d never heard of two males sharing a female.

But you aren’t in a pack, he reminded himself. So the rules were different.

He looked at Taylor and Zach and remembered Zach fucking her, his cock sliding in and out of that tight pussy.

He felt his eyes burn and knew they were glowing red. This wasn’t good.

“How you doin’?” Zach sounded cautious and slowly approached, leaving Taylor behind. Mikhel felt his teeth stretch as Zach drew near, the pulse in his neck throbbing, telling Mikhel exactly where to strike to cripple the male. He shook himself, trying to break free of the emotions that demanded he take Zach down.

He grabbed for his human side and clung to it.

“Mikhel?” Zach’s voice was close. Mikhel nodded and forced himself to meet Zach’s eyes. To look at his friend and remind himself that he wasn’t going to hurt him. “Holy shit. Your eyes—”

“I know. Something’s wrong. I don’t know if it’s the full moon or being so close to Taylor or what but I’m about to lose it.” He pressed his shoulders back, trying to ease the tension that clawed at him. “And you don’t want to be near when that happens.” It was as much warning as he could make himself give.

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“I’ve got to get out of here.” The room was closing in on him. Maybe if he ran, if he let his wolf free, he’d burn up some of the furious energy. “Can you make sure Taylor gets home?”

“Of course. Where are you going?”

“Uh, I don’t know.” But he did. “The lake property. I need to run. I can’t wait for the moonrise.” He took a deep breath and again the scent of Taylor flooded his head. “I’ve got to get away from her.” He patted Zach’s shoulder. “So you take her home, I’ll go to the lake house. That should be far enough away that not even the wolf can sense her.”

Zach nodded. “I’ll make sure she gets where she needs to be.”

Chapter Eight

Mikhel ran, letting the wolf lead. Letting the animal use his strength and power. They were safe here. The land once owned by his father’s pack was his now, his territory. He sniffed the ground, tracking a rabbit, scenting another wolf had come this way but it had been days ago.

For hours he used the wolf, burning off the strange fury that had consumed him at brunch. He’d been ready, eager to rip out the male’s throat.

He padded back toward the house. As he got closer, a tantalizing smell urged him on, like a pounding in his heart. The wolf loped forward, the pace increasing until he was at an all-out run.

Sheer strength of Mikhel’s will slowed the wolf as it approached the clearing that surrounded the house. The compulsion to hurry was so strong that Mikhel didn’t trust it. He sampled the air and surroundings with his wolf senses and found nothing out of place. The delicious scent was closer now. As well as the familiar smell of another wolf. His wolf catalogued the smell and dismissed it. It was a friend not a threat.

Needing all his mental capacity, Mikhel fought the pull of the moon and forced his body back into human form. Groaning as his muscles and bones stretched and contracted, returning to his human shape. Naked but dismissing the cold, he scanned the backyard. Moonlight stretched down across the clearing, brightening the cold winter night enough to show the outline of the deck that stood off the dining room. Lights glowed through the back windows. Mikhel watched for a long time. He didn’t remember leaving that many lights on. He hadn’t even gone into the living room but the lamps were lit and the flickers of light across the window showed a fire was burning in the fireplace.

Who…?

Had to be Zach. Mikhel took a deep breath, focusing his senses—still strong but not quite as precise now that he was back in human form. Zach was definitely in the house. But he wasn’t alone.

Taylor.
The compelling perfume that had drawn him to the house, had lured him forward, was Taylor. The beast in him—the creature beyond the human and beyond the wolf—roared his possession.

His mate and his rival.

Mikhel’s legs carried him closer until he was near the back door. He blinked and looked around, not sure how he’d gotten there. He sniffed the air and growled. It wasn’t just Taylor he scented…it was her pussy. Wet and aroused.

He licked his lips, wanting to taste, to bury his face in her cunt, drive his tongue into her passage.

Zach’s voice—low and sexual—reached through the door and grabbed his throat. The scent of Taylor’s cunt and Zach. The bastard had his face between her legs, he was licking the pussy that belonged to
him
.

Rage exploded inside and his world shattered.

* * * * *

Taylor flinched at the animalistic scream, almost howl, that reverberated through the air. That sounded very close to the house. She looked at Zach, the wicked orgasm he’d just brought her to evaporating at the frightening noise.

“What was that?” she asked.

Zach raised his head, her pussy juices bright around his mouth. He stood, easing himself from between her legs, letting her long flowing skirt drop down and cover her knees.

“We get wild animals around here,” was all he said though he walked to the window and looked out. Anxiety invaded his body as he scanned the backyard.

“Can it get in?”

“You’re safe,” he answered instead. He’d been doing that all day. Giving her half answers, not explaining. And she’d gone along with it, partly because she trusted him and partly because she didn’t want to return to the real world. The real world where she had to face the fact that she’d slept with two men last night. And at least one of them seemed to be intent on repeating the procedure. Mikhel she didn’t know about. He’d disappeared.

“Where’s Mikhel?” she asked, sitting up. The heat from the fire warmed her skin, keeping the shivers that threatened at bay. “You said he’s meeting us here.”

“He should be here any moment.” Zach spun around and stared at her, the light in his eyes was hard and serious. Frightening. “Listen, you’re about to see some things that may seem impossible and they will definitely seem scary but know that neither of us will hurt you. This is something that Mikhel and I—”

He never got to finish his sentence. The side door exploded and a creature—the stuff of nightmares—came through. It was big, over seven feet tall, and steel gray. Long arms ended at human-like hands—with claws. The legs were bent like an animal’s but the creature walked upright. Its face was shaped like a wolf’s but there was something distinctly human in the eyes.

Taylor, not caring that she looked frightened, jumped behind Zach.

“What is that?”

“Oh shit.” Zach’s curse seemed out of place considering the beast that was advancing across the room. The creature opened its mouth and roared, rattling the windows and revealing a full set of huge, canine teeth. “I wasn’t expecting this.” He backed up, pushing Taylor with him.

While he seemed surprised at the beast’s arrival, he wasn’t shocked or stunned or any of the other things that Taylor was feeling. “What were you expecting?” She punched her fist into his side, letting her anger out. “What the fuck is that thing?” Hyperventilating seemed like a real possibility. Her heart was already pounding and tears—of anger and fear—were threatening.

The beast locked its eyes on her and started its halting stride toward her.

“You’d call it a werewolf.” Zach glanced over his shoulder at her then back at the beast. “You’d also call it Mikhel.”

“You want me to believe
that’s
Mikhel?”

“Yes.” He put his hand on her shoulder and shoved her away, pressing her toward the wall as he walked the other direction. “Just remember, Taylor, neither of us will hurt you.”

He was abandoning her, leaving her to face the beast. The werewolf came closer. Taylor backed up until she hit the wall and could go no farther. The creature bent down and sniffed, his head dropping down below her waist. She didn’t let herself move, not even breathe as his nose brushed against the material of her skirt. The creature raised his head and stared at her, the crystalline blue of Mikhel’s eyes looking back at her. This was truly Mikhel?

It snarled and swung around as if searching. Again the fearsome beast sniffed the air then turned his gaze to Zach. Zach stood in front of the windows, his body tense, prepared for battle. Did he really think to fight this thing? Even if it was Mikhel, it didn’t appear to have any human frailties.

The werewolf growled and stalked forward. Zach braced himself and then slowly began to change, his body stretching, his face elongating. The pale tan of his skin faded to gray as the same frightening creature took over his body.

“Oh my God.” Neither man, creature, looked at her. There was no hesitation now. As if Zach becoming a full werewolf had somehow freed Mikhel, he lunged forward, grabbing Zach and throwing him head first through the window. Taylor’s scream was drowned out by the sound of shattering glass and Zach’s howl. Mikhel strode toward the gaping hole in the back of the house and peered out. He howled and jumped, following Zach through.

Taylor stood frozen, alone in the house. What did she do now? Call the police? Hell no. How would she explain the two things that were fighting? Grunts and growls echoed through the opening and finally she couldn’t stand the suspense any more.

Zach had been right. Neither creature had hurt her though Mikhel had had more than enough opportunity. She ran to the window and looked out. The two werewolves were on the back lawn, fighting in the bright light of the full moon. This far away she had no way of knowing who was who. One of the creatures, slightly bigger than the other, slashed his claws down and ripped four stripes in the other’s chest. Taylor screamed as blood flowed but neither creature noticed.

She ran through the living room and out the broken side door. Glass crunched beneath her shoes as she approached the two werewolves. The fight was vicious, leaving blood dripping from wounds.

It was like mirror images fighting each other. But one of them seemed to be just a little stronger. Enough that when the other weakened, tripping backward, the bigger animal capitalized on the stumble and lunged, grabbing the smaller creature by the throat and throwing him down, pinning him. He tipped his head back and howled, the sound clearly a challenge to the world. Then his eyes dropped and he stared at the beast beneath him. Blood dripped from his jaw as he opened his mouth and roared.

Taylor froze, watching, knowing one of them was going to die. The werewolf on the ground snarled but didn’t move. Long breathless moments passed then the bottom werewolf tipped its head back, baring his throat, rolling onto his back. A surrender.

The creature on top lowered his head as if he wasn’t sure whether to accept the surrender or continue killing the rival beast. He sniffed and growled then slowly backed away—leaving the wounded werewolf behind.

Taylor watched the insane tableau before her. Two creatures from the pages of a horror novel. Then one changed. The process reversed. The skin lost its metal gray color and the body shrunk, collapsing down into Zach. His blond hair glowed in the dark. Mikhel’s beast reared back and screamed.

The sound died in the air and he ran, loping off into the forest, crashing through the trees with little care about the noise or damage he caused.

Taylor stayed frozen for a moment until her concern over Zach jolted her forward. She ran to his side, kneeling next to his wounded body. His eyes were glassy with pain as he looked up at her.

“Oh my God, Zach, are you okay? How badly are you hurt? I’ll call an ambulance.”

“No. I’ll be fine.”

“Zach, he almost killed you.”

Zach smiled. It was a strange reaction to the near-death experience. “But he didn’t.” Wincing, he lifted his head and looked around. “Where is he?”

“He ran off.”

“Damn. You’ve got to go after him.”

Taylor rocked back on her heels. “Are you crazy?”

“No.” More wincing as he sat up. “Follow him. He needs you.”

“That thing—”

“That
thing
is Mikhel. A very upset Mikhel but still it’s Mikhel.”

She felt a little shamed at his reprimand.

“Zach—”

“Trust me, Taylor.” He put his hand to her cheek and she saw the blood running down his arm. “He’s never turned into the
were
form before.”

“You mean that thing?”

“Yes. Normally we turn into nice, relatively gentle wolves. The fact that he’s changed into the third form means his emotions are running way high. I’m not sure he’ll know how to come back.”

“And you want me to go after him.”

“Seeing you will remind him what he wants, that he’s human. Trust me, honey, if Mikhel didn’t attack you in the house, he won’t.”

She felt the edges of her eyes tighten, silently demanding the rest of the story.

“You had my scent all over you. I knew that would make him challenge me.”

“You knew that would happen?” She thrust herself up, no longer feeling quite so sympathetic toward Zach.

“I expected him in his wolf form. I didn’t expect that.” He pointed in the direction Mikhel had run and she remembered Zach’s surprise when the werewolf had attacked. He’d definitely been expecting something but what he’d gotten wasn’t it.

Now Mikhel was in the forest, alone, trapped inside that thing. She couldn’t believe she was even considering it. The thing was a killer—except it hadn’t killed Zach when he’d had the chance.

“Fine. But if it hurts me, I’m coming after you.”

“If it hurts you, Mikhel himself will kill me.”

She glared at Zach, not liking the amusement in his voice. “Will you be all right?”

He nodded. “We heal very quickly. I’ll go get cleaned up.” That’s when she realized he was naked. His clothes were probably lying on the floor of the living room. “Go.”

Taylor took a deep breath and faced the forest. It was dark but the light of the full moon gave her guidance. She walked down the path that Mikhel had crashed through, her steps moving a little faster as she left the safety of the backyard. She didn’t know if Mikhel was any safer but being in the woods at night by herself was definitely creepy. The path seemed relatively well established and newly broken branches led her toward Mikhel.

He wasn’t hard to find. She followed the path to a small clearing. The beast paced the tiny area, his strong body nearly vibrating with rage. Oh she wasn’t sure about this. Zach’s statement that this was Mikhel reverberated through her and she stepped forward. Her foot cracked a twig and the beast spun around, starting at her.

She raised her hand and waved to it. “Hi!”
God, can you be more inane?

The werewolf’s head dropped down as his shoulders rose as if he were preparing to attack.

“Mikhel?” she called, trying to keep her voice from trembling. “Are you in there, Mikhel?” She went a few more feet into the clearing and stopped. The thing hadn’t moved but it was looking at her like it wanted to eat her.

He walked slowly across the small clearing, his clawed hands reaching out toward her. She braced herself for the ripping and the tearing, knowing she couldn’t move. Couldn’t run even if her mind told her that was the best idea. His fingers closed around her upper arms and he pulled her close, the long snout of the creature moving closer, giving her an up-close view of the many teeth, sharp teeth, that lined his jaw.