The Island Of Alphas: A BBW Paranormal Romance (9 page)

"Anything. What is it?"

The next words out of my mouth absolutely shocked me with their boldness.

"I want one night with you and Nate, both. Both of you together at the same time."

With his coal gray eyes widening in surprise for just a split-second, Eric hesitated before responding. "All right. If that's what it will take to get you to stay, then so be it. You can have one night with us both at the same time. I've seen the way Nate looks at you when he's on guard patrol. I'm sure he'll very gladly agree to this.

“But, Liz...before we fully commit to this ménage a trois idea, you have to know that shifters possess sexual appetites and stamina far greater than the average man. If you really want to go through with this, I want you to be very well aware that you'll be having two very healthy, very sexually hungry shifters in your bed at the same time. You have to be prepared for anything and everything that might come along with that."

With a thrill racing through me, I thought about his words for a long moment or two. "I realize what I'm getting into, and I still want to do it. In fact, I still insist that this is the only way I'll stay on the island, if this demand of mine can be met."

"All right, then. We'll indulge your fantasy tonight."

Eric was soon called away to deal with another situation involving the Gray Forms, and I was left in bed alone, contemplating if I really
was
prepared for what was to happen that evening.

CHAPTER FIVE

It was a bloodcurdling scream that pulled me out of my reverie. It made me sit bolt upright in my chair in my little office in the clinic, gasping. Someone was in serious trouble. Someone was possibly being hurt.

All that afternoon, while attempting to review some test results, I'd been in a lazy, dreamy mood, deep in thought. I'd been deep in
fantasy
thoughts, really, unable to stop myself from recalling what Eric had said that morning. Somewhat to my surprise, he'd agreed to "share" me with Nate that evening. My fantasy about sharing a bed with two men was going to come true, and I could hardly believe it. I could hardly stop thinking about it. Though now, as the bloodcurdling scream I'd heard faded, I could hardly remember what I'd been thinking about two moments before. My entire focus was now bent on finding and helping the person who'd screamed.

As most days were on the island, the day was clear, sunny, and warm but not humid, and I'd opened all my office windows so that I could enjoy a little sun and a salt-scented breeze while I attempted to put my thoughts of Eric and Nate aside and do some work. Now, with adrenaline pumping through my veins, I jumped out of my desk chair and raced over to one of the east-facing windows, sure the scream had come from that direction. I peered out but didn't see anyone, just the rocky, sandy terrain adjacent to the clinic, thick copses of palm trees, and, to the east of the trees, the glitter of the ocean beyond the soft, sandy beach.

Despite not seeing anyone, I was sure I'd heard someone scream, and I was sure it had come from the direction I was looking.

So, I cupped my trembling hands around my mouth, praying that the person who'd screamed would be able to hear me, praying that they hadn't been knocked unconscious or something. "Hello! Is there anyone out there by the trees? Can you hear me?"

After a few seconds, there was no response, just the distant crashing of ocean waves, so I tried again.

“Is there someone out there? Are you hurt?"

Still no response, though after a long moment or two, my office door flew open.

Dr. Merriweather, or Bev, as she liked non-patients to call her, stuck her head inside, her normally rosy cheeks devoid of all color. "I heard you shout. What's wrong?"

I glanced from her to the window, then back to her. "I heard someone scream outside...like a scream of someone hurt or terrified. We've gotta go outside by the palms and investigate." I began striding out of my office, breaking into a sprint when I heard another scream. "We've gotta hurry!"

I began running down the clinic hallway, not even turning to check and see if Bev was following me or not, but maybe halfway down the hallway, she grabbed the back of my white lab jacket to stop me.

"Slow down, Liz! Just wait!"

I couldn't. There was no way. Someone was hurt, or being attacked, and they needed help. Bev had a pretty good hold on the fabric of my lab jacket, so I simply shrugged out of it and kept running, my wedge-heeled sandals clacking on the painted cement flooring.

"Someone could be hurt, Bev! We don't have a second to waste!"

"But just wait! Don't you think we should call Eric or one of the other men first? Don't you think-"

"No! There's no time! Eric and most of his men are dealing with a situation by the lake today!"

Specifically, they were dealing with a situation involving the Gray Forms, the supernatural beings who apparently lived in Black Lake, the lake the island was named for, if
lived
was even the right word. No one really knew exactly
what
they did, if anything, beneath the dark, murky surface of the lake. All anyone knew was that they frequently rose from the lake in shadow form, then eventually became solid and attempted to kill people.

While I raced down the hallway toward the main entrance, Bev continued shouting at me.

"The fact that most of the men are at the lake is precisely
why
you shouldn't go outside right now, Liz! One of the Forms could have escaped them and could now be-"

"I don't care!"

I really didn't. Throughout my entire life, I'd never been able to look away, slow down, or pause for even a moment when someone needed help. That just wasn't me.

What
was
me was to quickly take off in the direction of the person calling, and maybe that was reckless, and maybe that displayed a lack of prudence on my part, but I couldn't
not
do it.

Along with two men, I'd once helped pull an elderly woman to safety after she’d fainted and fallen on the subway tracks despite dozens of onlookers yelling for us to just wait for the police to come. But the two men and I hadn't waited, which had turned out to be fortunate. A subway train had come roaring over the tracks mere moments after the two men and I had pulled the woman out of harm’s way. The police, although they'd responded speedily, didn’t arrive until two minutes later.

Nearing the end of the long hallway, I glanced over my shoulder at Bev. "Whoever screamed out there by the palm trees can't wait for the men to return home!"

Bev, who'd stopped in her pursuit of me, grimaced, pushing a few strands of her shoulder-length gray hair out of her face. "Just wait until we can call some of the men back

to-"

"No time!"

I'd reached the two heavy double doors at the end of the building, and I now heaved one of them open and dashed out into the warm sunshine.

Earlier that day, Laura and I had been planting bright red hibiscus bushes in terracotta pots lining the walkway leading to the main entrance. Though we'd finished our task, we hadn't put away our planting tools yet; and I snatched up a fairly sharp garden trowel in one hand and a pair of pruning shears in the other, barely even slowing in my run. Glad to have these makeshift weapons, I tore around the building to the back, heading toward the palms.

I hadn't been bluffing when I'd told Bev that I didn't care if one of the Forms had escaped the men. If it was in the village, attacking people, I was going to try to stop it, no matter if it was in shadow form or solid form, and no matter if it was a woman Form, or a shifter Form.

Also, it didn’t matter if I was a mere mortal woman. I couldn't deny that I was more than a bit frightened, but not to the point that I was going to let my fear stop me. However, my hands were trembling so badly that I had to really work to keep a good grip on my weapons and not drop them.

The terrain behind the clinic was more sandy than rocky, and my sandals began to really slow me down, so I kicked them off. Not a moment later, I heard a very clear and distinct call for help coming from the direction of the palms. Accelerating my pace, I opened my mouth to shout that I was coming, but then thought and didn't. If there really was a Gray Form attacking someone, I didn't want to alert it to my presence. Ideally, I wanted to take it by surprise.

Though as I neared the palms, now walking stealthily, and could see what was going on, I realized that a sneak attack wasn't going to be possible. A dark shadowy figure shaped like a bear was circling a tall palm just a short distance into a dense copse of trees, and it saw me, and I knew right away that it saw me. However, it didn't seem to care, soon turning its focus back to something near the top of the palm. Clutching my weapons, I continued creeping closer and quickly saw what the Gray Form was looking at.

Maybe ten feet up the tree, a girl of about eleven or twelve was hugging the trunk, trying to shimmy even further upward.  I recognized her as a friendly, smiling girl named Kaylee who lived with her parents in a bungalow just a few down from mine.

She dug her bare feet into the fairly smooth trunk, moving one hand over the other, while glancing down at the shadowy bear. "Help!"

"I'm coming, Kaylee! Just hang on!"

Since the bear had already seen me, I figured that shouting wouldn't matter, but now I regretted it, because it seemed to make him angry. He roared, turning his attention from Kaylee to me. I didn't stop in my approach, though, and within a few steps, I was entering the palm copse, not more than a dozen feet away from him. To my growing horror, he was clearly becoming less shadowy and more solid by the second. He snarled, revealing very sharp, yellowish teeth.

Shaking like a leaf, I came to a stop mere feet away from him, maybe only six or seven feet away, and brandished my garden trowel and pruning shears. "Think you're going to attack a little girl? Think again. I'll cut you to ribbons before you can even get near her."

My words sounded stupid and pathetic even to me. I knew I was just an average woman with very insufficient weaponry. I knew I was likely going to be injured or even killed before I could cut the bear to ribbons or even take a good stab at him. Still, I wasn't sorry I'd rushed out of the clinic to help Kaylee. Maybe during the time that the bear was attacking
me
, she could get away.

As if wanting to mock my words, the bear, now in completely solid form, suddenly turned from looking at me and head-butted the trunk of the palm, hard enough to send it swaying. Grabbing at the trunk, Kaylee tried to hold on, but she couldn't. The bear's blow had been too powerful. She fell from the swaying tree and landed on her back in the sand.

Immediately, I leaped between her and the bear, brandishing my trowel and shears. "Take one step toward her, and I'll kill you,” I cried.

I knew I would sure try. I'd at least buy her some time.

With a low, menacing growl, the massive black bear began ambling over to me, dark eyes glinting in the sunlight, his razor-sharp claws sinking into the sand with every step. Within a half-dozen paces, he would be on me, likely clawing my throat out. I'd been breathing in rapid gasps, but suddenly, I felt like I couldn't breathe at all, or speak any more, either. Though somehow, I managed a shaky squeak, without taking my gaze from the shaggy black bear.

"Run, Kaylee."

Almost instantly, I heard the soft sound of her feet pounding the sand. The bear paused maybe two feet in front of me, so close I could feel his warm breath when he roared. I could see every single one of his enormous yellowish teeth. I knew it would do me no good to run. He would be faster. He rose up on his back two legs, pulled one mighty paw back, and began sweeping it forward in a downward arc, presumably to slash my face or throat.

Though terrified, I didn't even take a step backward. Willing my muscles to work in spite of my fear, I thrust my trowel forward, intending to try to stab the bear in the heart before he could hurt me.

However, before I could connect the sharp point of my trowel with his chest, something curious happened. Something I couldn't even comprehend at first. I heard a loud bang, and the bear fell backward, roaring. His right shoulder began pouring blood. Confused and shocked to the point of being dazed, I looked at the trowel like an absolute idiot, not even knowing what I expected to see. That was when I heard Bev shouting, twenty-some feet to my left.

She stood in her white lab coat, one hand cupped around her mouth, and the other holding a gun at her side. "Now, run! I'm out of bullets! That was it!"

Instantly, I did as I was told and broke into a sprint. I didn't get very far, though, before I felt something grab or trip my ankle, and I went down in the sand, face-first. Yelling, I flipped myself over and got on my knees.  And saw the bear. Still bleeding from his shoulder, he was now on all fours, growling. I'd dropped my trowel, but I still held the pruning shears. Amazingly, I hadn't stabbed myself with them when I'd fallen.

I began trying to stab the bear with them, but none of my stabs seemed to even penetrate the thick black fur covering his face and neck. After making a deafening roar of anger, he bared his teeth and put a paw on my chest, growling, knocking me onto my back. I screamed, still trying to stab at him with the shears. A split-second later, I heard another growl, though this one didn't seem to have come from the bear. It had come from some distance away, maybe twenty or thirty feet. My first thought was that another Gray Form had come to join him for the kill.

But it wasn't another Form. Stopping in his attack on me, the bear looked up, and I followed his line of vision.