Three Fur All (14 page)

She held up her bound hands, and Mika sliced through the rope. He carefully undid the bindings around her. Cooper knelt down next to them. Mika glanced at the pack leader and then nodded.

At the same moment, he scooped up October, and then Cooper set the body on the plate. It all seemed seamless. They glanced at one another. Mika heard a faint click.

“We gotta go!” Cooper yelled and took off down the hallway.

They raced against time. The first explosion rocked the cellar. Mika was halfway up the stairs when he felt the heat of the flames. October whimpered, but he made it up another couple of steps before he leaped to solid ground and landed safely. The rest of the pack was nowhere around. He tried to catch his breath, but felt the earth rumbling beneath his feet. He and Cooper met eyes and then kept on running. They didn’t stop until they were safely away from the cellar and Cooper had rejoined the other wolves. Dawn was looking over the girls, who were being cared for by other members of the pack. Mika set October down. She looked up at him and then went over to Elliot and kissed him. A pang of jealousy went through Mika, and he couldn’t help the small growl that escaped his chest.

“If you love her, then you’ll figure a way to work it out. You have to fight our instincts.” Cooper motioned toward them.

“I don’t want to lose her because I’m being an ass. Thank you for coming.”

Cooper eyed him. “You have more balls than I gave you credit for. You did something that even my best hunters couldn’t. I’ll take that into consideration when I meet with the council. Maybe we can think about reversing the decision about you being banned from the pack.”

Mika nodded, not sure what else to say. He had never expected any praise from the pack leader. Cooper walked away. Mika joined Elliot and October. He ran his fingers over her face and then looked at Elliot. His friend’s muscles were tensed as if he was waiting for Mika to strike out at him.

He offered his hand to Elliot. The other man smiled and then pulled him into a hug.

“Why don’t we get October back home and get her cleaned up? I think our girl needs to get some rest.”

October glanced at both of them. “I’d like that.”

Mika kissed her cheek. He would do anything to keep her happy. Even work out whatever schedule they needed so the three of them could be with one another. However it was going to work out, he would make an effort for the love of the woman who was with him.

Chapter Thirteen

October had been questioned by the pack leader and the other cops in the town. It had been another week, and she was still recovering from the last incident of being abducted. The superficial wounds had healed, and her ankle was finally sound. Mika and Elliot had left her alone for the last week, but she sensed the tension in them. They wanted to make her happy. She had wanted to make them happy too, but so much had happened. She had to get away for a while and see if she could reintegrate back into a normal life. Questions ran through her mind. Was her attraction to them brought on just because they had rescued her? Did she really love them? Her heart screamed yes, but her head dictated her actions, and she needed normalcy, where there were no woods, no wolves, and no dark cellars. The hustle and bustle of the city called to her. October was tempted to fly back to Massachusetts, to her family, but that seemed too far. So she was heading back to Charlotte for now. Once she figured it out, then she would make up her mind.

She zipped her bag and then headed out to the dining room, where Elliot and Mika were waiting.

Elliot’s face was blank. The walls were up around his heart once more. Mika’s eyes burned with rage and with wanting. She could see it. Dawn stood in the kitchen and smiled at her.

“All packed?” Elliot asked.

She nodded.
“Yeah.”

“I’ll put your things in the car.” Dawn grabbed her bags and headed outside, leaving her with the two men.

She glanced at Mika and Elliot. She brushed a kiss along their cheeks. Everything she wanted to say to them stuck in her heart. “I need some time to figure all this out.”

“Of course.
Take all the time you need,” Elliot choked out.

“We’ll be here.” Mika gave her a stiff hug.

She wiped the tears that slid down her cheeks and then went outside to meet Dawn. As they pulled away in the car, she looked in the mirror and saw the men on the porch. Dawn and she drove for a while. The knowledge of what she had done to Mika lingered in October’s mind, but she couldn’t judge her just on that. Dawn had been kind to her and helped treat her. She had brought her clothes, and now they were going back to her apartment.

“Running away from the wolves?” Dawn asked.

“I’m not running away. I’m trying to get my life back. I need to figure things out. You would too after
you’d
been kidnapped. I just want normal for a bit.”

“So you don’t love them?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You going away like this
is
hurting them both.
Mika especially.”

October glanced over and saw the hard look in her eyes. “What do you care about Mika? You’re the one who threw him to the wolves. No pun intended.”

“I did what I thought was right at the time. I loved him once upon a time. I wanted to make his life a living hell. I never expected him to almost die or to meet you. Then you broke down the walls around Elliot’s heart. I didn’t think that was possible. I loved him like a brother. Still do because he was going to marry my sister. Now you’re leaving, and that wall will go back up. He’ll never open up again.”

“I’m not leaving them all alone. I just need some time to think. I’m not used to all this supernatural stuff. Give me a break.” October stared out the window and didn’t want to think about what she was leaving behind. It hurt her heart enough, but it was something she had to do.
I slept with both of them, and I know I feel something for them, but is it love?
Thinking about it only made her want to turn around and head back to them. She shook her head, knowing she was doing the right thing.

They didn’t talk for the rest of the ride home until they pulled up outside of her apartment building.

She got out and thanked Dawn for the ride. The other woman smiled and pulled away. October looked up at her residence and then took a breath. She had told her roommate she was coming back today. Hopefully, she could settle back into her old life and find another job. Once all the rubble cleared in her head, then she would head back up Lupine Gorge.

* * * *

October tapped on the keyboard again and tried not to let the boredom of her temp job overtake her. After trying to get her job back, her boss was sympathetic, but he had already fired her. He gave her some great recommendations and said that he hadn’t wanted to let her go, but when she didn’t show up, he had had to fill her position. The references had been great, but in this economy, she wasn’t getting anything permanent. So she was making rent the best way she could.

Each day that passed, her thoughts turned more toward Elliot and Mika. She missed the way their hands roamed over her body. How their lips felt on hers. Ever since she had left, part of her was empty, a vacant hole that needed to be filled with their warm presence. A tear slipped down her cheek as she thought of them, but she wiped it away before it could ruin her mascara. It didn’t matter that they were wolves. The idea of being away from them any longer was grating on her soul.

She had claimed she wanted to get back to a normal life. Now she was back, and the craving to be immersed in the world she had discovered consumed her more and more each day. October pulled out her cell phone and looked at their numbers. She had their address too.
Being away from them tugged at the very fabric of her being.
She was getting more depressed by the day and had never thought a
man,
or even two men, would have such an effect on her. Her roommate tried to cheer her up by setting her up on blind dates. The men she had seen hadn’t ignited any sparks.

That’s it.
She punched in the navigation and then looked at how long it would take her to drive there. Two and a half hours. It would be after dark and late when she arrived.
I hope they’ll be there.

The rest of the day passed slowly as she tapped in the data the job required of her. At her apartment, she changed into T-shirt and jeans. She packed a bag for a couple of days and didn’t care if she was blowing off her job. The compulsion to see Mika and Elliot drove her forward as she made her way closer to the men she loved. Darkness pressed around her. Rain had started falling when she got into the mountains. Lightning bounced off the peaks. A bolt struck a tree, and it blazed into flames. She jumped, but sped past the natural light show. She got off the exit and made her way down the two-lane road where she had emerged after escaping her kidnapper. It was good to know the wolves had dealt with him. That meant his partner was still on the loose, but she couldn’t think about him. If she did, then she wouldn’t move past the trauma that lived within her nightmares. Her roommate had asked her about what had happened, but October couldn’t bring herself to tell her all the details.

Maybe I wanted to see if I could put it all behind me, but that didn’t dull my attraction for them. Maybe I figured it would. But it didn’t
. She bit her lip and continued driving until she arrived at the entrance to their long driveway. Her heart beat in time with her blinker. It was now or never. She could turn around and head back to her apartment or go down the driveway and make her life go in another direction. That small fear of the unknown almost held her back, but the thought of never seeing Mika or Elliot again broke her heart. She couldn’t do that. They might have been big bad wolves, but they would blow any house down to get her if she was in trouble.

October turned into the driveway,
then
shut off the engine. It took a minute before she got out of the car. When she did, the cool November air cut through her. The house was dark. The clouds were distorting the moon. In the distance, she heard another rumble of thunder, and then underneath that, the howl of wolves. She remembered the jacket in her trunk. She grabbed it and then followed the driveway around the back. She glanced up and saw the deck and bit her lip.
Maybe it’s open.

Taking a chance, she climbed the stairs and looked at the balcony. Their clothes were folded neatly on different chairs. She picked up the first shirt and held it to her nose. Elliot’s musky cologne filled her nostrils. Images from the past two months filled her mind. She placed the shirt back on the chair. October went to pick up the second shirt, when she noticed a third set of clothes. They belonged to a woman. She felt the color drain from her face.

Of course.
How could I expect one of them not to find someone else after I left? They would forget about me and probably find someone else who is their same species.
She ran her hand over the plaid shirt and wondered if the woman was with Mika or with Elliot. Tears burned her eyes.
What am I doing here?
October turned and studied the spectacular landscape. She had missed the quiet and magnificence of the mountains. All that was left was for her to make the long drive back to the city and find the store open late where she could get a pint of butter pecan ice cream
.
 
She turned back to the stairs, when she heard them squeak. Her back went rigid, and her heart hammered on her breastbone. All she could think of was that the other man had found her.

“October?”
Dawn stood naked before her.

She averted her eyes. “Hi. Umm . . . sorry, I didn’t know you were—”

“Could you hand me my clothes?”

“Sure.” October grabbed the garments and held them out to her.

“You don’t have to be shy. We’re all used to seeing one another naked around here.”

“So how are you?”

“I’m good. So are the boys. They should be along in a minute. You can look now.”

October forced a smile and then looked down at the tree line. Two wolves emerged from the forest.

One silver and one dark.
Her heart stopped as their forms shimmered. While they walked, they changed from man to wolf.

“They’ll be happy to see you. They’ve both missed you, even if they don’t admit it. I’ll be seeing you.”

“Wait. You’re not going to stay? I thought . . .”

Dawn laughed as her eyes widened.
“Oh no.
Sweetie, they are all about you. Just be careful. If you’re not in this for the long haul, then I’d turn around and leave now.” She squeezed October’s shoulder and then bounded down the stairs.

October watched her disappear into the woods. Her heart
hiccupped
when Elliot came up the stairs first, and then Mika. The clouds overhead parted and bathed them in silvery moonlight as if they were gods. They were so beautiful. It made her realize that they were supernatural creatures and she had been privileged to learn about them. They got to the deck, each naked, and then stood before her. Their amused looks changed from surprised to stone-faced. Mika stepped forward. Her gaze traveled down his body to his semihard cock. She bit her lip and then dared a look at Elliot. He was growing firmer just looking at her.