Rise to Embrace [Rise of the Changelings, Book 3] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) (3 page)

Willow Toreno leaned against the wall trying to breathe. It wasn’t easy. She knew the two men, who had stared at her like she was some strange entity, were human. She could still feel their eyes burning into her even though they were in the other room.

Her reaction made absolutely no sense. Not only was it forbidden for any coyote under Garrett’s ruling to fraternize with outsiders, but Willow had never been attracted to humans before. If any of her fellow coyote breed knew how her heart was beating furiously in her chest, the outcome would not be favorable.

She would be beaten to death by the other female coyotes. It was law. Garrett refused to allow any of them to mate outside their own breed. Willow wasn’t even sure why she was thinking about all of this. It was just a fluke reaction. She had seen two strong males and had been instantly attracted to them.

That was all.

Besides, even if she was interested, it couldn’t go anywhere. She had Harmony to think about. Her three-year-old niece depended on Willow. Harmony’s mother had died giving birth, and since Willow was Sahara’s sister, Harmony’s care had been placed in her hands.

Harmony was currently over at Garrett’s loft playing with the alpha’s niece. She knew for a fact that if it became known that she was attracted to the two outsiders, two humans, she would never see Harmony again.

The two men standing in the other room were human. They wouldn’t know she was interested from her scent, but the changelings would. She had to get her racing heart back under control.

Taking in a deep and cleansing breath, Willow walked back into the living room and into the small kitchen. Garrett had charged her with seeing to the outsiders’ comfort and to make sure none of them succeeded in escaping.

She was basically their babysitting spy. She wasn’t stupid, though. She knew Garrett had taken Harmony to play with Tabitha to separate her from her niece. It was his way of ensuring she didn’t fail.

Grabbing the pitcher of lemonade from the cooler, she set it on a tray along with a dozen glasses and carried the tray into the living room, setting it on the table. The human male with eyes the color of heated lavender and hair as dark as midnight came to stand next to her, brushing her hand with his own as he grabbed a glass. She quickly controlled her pulse, but the heated smile he gave Willow couldn’t be interpreted as anything other than interest. She pulled her hand back, slipping it behind her.

The other human with light-grey eyes and sandy-blond hair came to stand on the other side of her. Their masculine bodies blocked her in, creating a wall of muscled flesh Willow was dying to run her hands over and explore.

“Excuse me,” she said as she tried to push past them. Both men moved back, but it wasn’t enough. She would have to brush against both of them if she wanted to get away. The temptation to touch them was like a fine tremor beneath her skin, building into arousal that she knew the others would scent if she didn’t calm down.

“Thank you for the cool drink,” the one who had tried to coax her name out of Willow said with a lazy smile. His amethyst eyes raked over her face, and then he leaned down, pouring a glass of lemonade. His deep baritone voice tightened Willow in places she would rather not think about.

It was a precarious slope Willow was slipping on. Her body was reacting to the two men, even when her mind was fighting against the heat she could feel coming from both humans. Willow had no choice but to touch them as she backed away. She may be the only coyote in the room, but she wasn’t the only changeling. She was already receiving odd looks from the other strangers.

She didn’t know them and therefore didn’t trust them not to say something about her reaction to the two human soldiers. “Dinner will be ready soon. Please, relax.”

“You kidnap us and then expect us to relax?” the large man with dark brown eyes and short black hair asked.

“Edward,” their alpha warned. “I’m pretty sure she had nothing to do with this.” The alpha turned to Willow. “Did you?”

One of the short juveniles scented the air and then smiled. “She’s scared, but I don’t smell hatred or deception on her.”

“You like her, Benito,” the other juvenile teased.

“She has kind eyes, Miguel,” Benito replied as he poured a glass of lemonade. “No one with kind eyes purposely kidnaps anyone.”

Willow glanced at the two humans who had blocked her in. They were silently watching her as she turned and headed toward the bedroom. “Dinner will be ready soon,” Willow reminded them over her shoulder. She had to get out of there. Not only were two very hot men tempting her, but she couldn’t take the way Miguel and Benito were looking at her as if she wouldn’t betray them.

She didn’t even know them. Although Willow was not a mean person, Garrett had her niece. She would do whatever it took to keep Harmony out of harm’s way. Willow wasn’t sure if the alpha would hurt her niece, but she wasn’t going to take any chance. If a man ordered a woman to be beaten to death because she mated outside of her breed, there was no telling what he would do if he found out Willow was interested in two human males.

The man had already proved how truly cruel he could be by making Willow keep the darkest secret of them all.

But her mind betrayed her and wandered back to those two gorgeous males.

They were only giving her heated looks. That was all. Why was Willow making such a big deal out of this? The people in the other room were prisoners of Garrett’s. Although she wholeheartedly disagreed with what he was doing, Willow could not and would not jeopardize Harmony. Her little peanut was waiting for Willow to come get her.

Willow was startled when Trisha walked into the bedroom.

“Have they given you any troubles?” Trisha asked when she found Willow in the bedroom. This wasn’t her aerial loft, so the bedroom Willow had been hiding in was just a guest room. She knew what Trisha was probably thinking when she found Willow leaning against the wall, taking in controlled and even breaths. Willow had totally forgotten to take care in watching the time, and Trisha had caught her off guard. Thankfully her desires were well-hidden by the time the young juvenile had come in.

“No,” Willow replied as she pushed her dark red hair out of her face. She was honestly glad for the help Trisha came to offer her, and the distraction. They had dinner to prepare for the prisoners.

“Alpha Garrett says that werewolf changelings are the worst breed there is,” Trisha began, her words becoming excited as she spoke. “I’m surprised none of them have tried to eat you.”

Willow shook her head as she exhaled. “I’ve told you time and again, Trisha, that there are no bad breeds, just bad people.”

“But, Alpha Garrett—”

Willow held up her hand. “I understand he is your alpha, young one, but that doesn’t mean he knows everything.”

Trisha’s deep brown eyes grew round as she stared at Willow. Sometimes it was hard convincing a fourteen-year-old that their alpha was not omnipotent. Willow had lost the polished way she had viewed Garrett after his betrayal to her. She knew he was a monster. But when he had a female coyote beaten to death to pay for her betrayal when she fell in love with a werebear, Willow had known that Garrett was Satan himself.

“Fine.” Trisha looked like she was pouting as her bottom lip slid out. “I know how you feel about our alpha, so I’ll leave the subject alone.”

“Thank you,” Willow replied. “Now help me get dinner ready so we can feed our guests.”

Trisha stopped walking and turned, a mahogany-brown eyebrow high on her forehead. “Is that what we are calling them, guests?”

Willow swatted at Trisha, making the young female run from the room. It was bad enough Trisha still looked at Garrett as if he was her protector. Little did the teen know that Garrett was the bad guy in all of this. But Willow tried her best to protect Trisha. It might not be the wisest thing to do, but she hated to see Trisha robbed of her innocent youth.

Shaking her hands out and telling herself she could do this, Willow walked from the bedroom and made a beeline for the kitchen. She didn’t look into the lounging area. She refused to search out the two men. Nothing could come of it, so she needed to leave good enough alone.

* * * *

Brooke watched the female coyote as she moved around the kitchen. There was nothing he wanted more than to run his hands through her wild, dark red hair. It was dark, almost a brick color, but so vibrant that his fingers itched for just one touch.

His eyes slid to her waist and hips. She was the most curvaceous woman he had ever seen, quintessentially female. She wasn’t petite in the slightest. She was thick and voluptuous, just the way he liked his women. Her skin was flawless and screamed to be caressed, kissed, and touched.

But what had pulled him in and sucker punched him in the gut were her emerald-green eyes. That was the first thing he had noticed about her. They were big and frightened. All Brooke wanted to do was pull her into his arms and protect her from the world.

It seemed Deluca had the same idea. They had always shared the same taste in women, so it didn’t surprise him when his friend boxed her in on the other side. For them, it was giving her a protective wall, but he could tell that the woman had become nervous. That was the last thing he wanted her to be.

Benito had been right when he said she had kind eyes. Brooke could tell she didn’t want any part of this. That only endeared her to him.

“I need to know her name,” Deluca said from beside him. “It’s driving me nuts not knowing.”

Brooke smiled. “We could always send Benito over there.” And then Brooke frowned. “I think we intimidate her.”

Deluca’s blond brows shot up. “I didn’t pick up on that.”

“That’s because you’ve always been thickheaded,” Brooke replied as he sat back on one of the large pillows. “When it comes to women, you, my friend, are clueless.”

Deluca snorted. “I’m very damn sure I know what to do with a woman.”

Brooke shook his head. Deluca was still clueless. “I didn’t say you didn’t know what to do with a woman. I said when it comes to women you are clueless.”

“I don’t get it,” Deluca replied.

“And that’s my point,” Brooke said as he glanced back over toward the kitchen area. “Two strong males surround her and she backs away like a frightened kitten. We’ll have to approach her very carefully.”

Deluca nodded. “I can do that.”

Brooke smiled at his friend. “I’m going to find out her name.” He stood, knowing that all eyes were on him. Rick sat with Dorian nestled between his legs. Edward had Isabelle tucked close to his body. The two juveniles were smiling like Cheshire cats at him. Mason was talking quietly with Omar and Howard. Brooke walked past them all as he entered the small area where the woman he intended to make his and Deluca’s stood.

“Do you ladies need any help?”

The teenager glanced at him and then quickly shook her head. “No, we can manage. A man isn’t supposed to help a woman in the kitchen.”

Brooke was a little surprised a teenager had that view. In today’s modern world, women worked as well as men. The chores around the house, along with cooking, were shared. Brooke had grown up with old-fashioned values, and he knew when he found the right woman, he didn’t want her working. There was nothing wrong with the woman being a homemaker while the man, or men in his case, were the breadwinners.

“I used to help my mom sometimes,” he admitted. “I wouldn’t mind helping you two.”

The teenager turned to the redhead, looking totally lost. “What do you think, Willow?”

Willow.
Brooke liked that name. It fit the woman standing in front of him perfectly. She looked like a flower child. Her hair was long and unruly. It reminded him of waves in the ocean that had caught fire.

“Trisha and I can handle dinner,” Willow said, but wouldn’t turn to look at him, “but thank you for offering.”

Brooke stood there a moment longer, but when she didn’t look his way, he walked back over to Deluca and took a seat.

“She likes you,” Benito whispered.

“How can you tell?” Brooke asked. He knew the nonhumans had heightened senses and reflexes. Brooke had witnessed those attributes since joining this small rebellious group. There were times when Miguel or Benito moved faster than humanly possible, or one of the changelings would lift their head and sniff the air.

It was strange seeing anyone exhibit traits only an animal was known to have, but he had to admit, it saved their asses quite a few times. Brooke was growing used to it now and wondered if Willow would scent the air or if her reflexes were fast. His cock jerked at that thought.

“Because I can scent her arousal,” Benito answered.

Brooke narrowed his eyes at the juvenile. “There will be no scenting anything about her.”

Benito and Miguel laughed. It was Miguel who spoke this time. “I can smell yours and Deluca’s as well. Sorry, but her sweet scent is thick in the air. We can’t help but smell it.”

Brooke had an overwhelming urge to plug everyone’s nose. He didn’t want anyone except him and Deluca knowing what Willow was feeling.

“Her name?” Deluca asked.

“Willow,” Brooke replied. “The teenager with her is Trisha.”

“Willow.” Deluca said her name, as if tasting it on his tongue. Brooke winked at Deluca, knowing exactly how his friend felt. There was nothing more Brooke would love to do than take Willow into the other room and explore every inch on her shapely body. Maybe she had never been with two men at once and that was what frightened her.

Brooke was going to make damn sure she was calm and relaxed when he and Deluca finally bedded her.

But it was more than that. Brooke didn’t want to just bed her. From the feelings rising inside of him, he knew he wanted to keep her. He glanced at Deluca and saw the man watching Willow with interest. She may be the woman of their dreams, but did Deluca feel the same as Brooke, or were his thoughts only centered on sex?

Brooke caught Rick staring at him, and then the alpha jerked his head to the side, telling Brooke he wanted to speak with him. Getting to his feet, Brooke crossed the room and sat down beside Rick.

“I’m not sure of your intentions with the werecoyote female, but we are not staying here long enough for you to sway her to your bed. By tomorrow, help should be here. So if you have plans on keeping her, you better move fast.”

Brooke glanced over at Willow and then back at Rick. “Can every fucking body in this place smell us?”

Rick gave him a narrowed look. “Your three scents are so damn strong that it makes me want to take Dorian into the other room. So tone it down.”

Brooke wasn’t sure how. He couldn’t help the way he felt and as long as Willow stayed in the room, close by, he knew his arousal wasn’t going to dissipate anytime soon.