Three Fur All (9 page)
“What about Elliot?”
The thought of his friend hadn’t crossed his mind. “We’ll have to let him know in the morning.”
“Let him know what?”
“That you chose me over him.”
“What if I don’t want just you? Would that bother you?”
Mika’s brows lifted
. Does she really mean what I think she means?
“Well . . . you’d have to see how he feels about it. But that would mean you staying here.”
“I know. Never mind. We’ll talk about it later.”
He nodded and listened to her heart. Its even rhythm helped to keep him calm, but what was not said haunted him. Mika tried to think about it more, but his brain was shutting down, and sleep was taking over.
Chapter Nine
October opened her eyes to discover Mika wasn’t in bed with her anymore. The spot next to her was still warm when she trailed her hand over it. Her body ached, but in a good way, from their lovemaking. It had been a long time since she had let anyone get close to her. At first, when she saw his eyes glowing yellow, her heart had nearly stopped. After facing those fears with Mika, she knew that he wasn’t going to hurt her. She ran her hands over her body and then looked at her wrists. The bruises were yellow and purple in some places. They didn’t hurt the way they had in the beginning. Even her ankle was getting better. She didn’t need the crutch as much as she had. Thinking about running brought up the conversation they had the night before. Discovering they were wolves had nearly thrown her into a panic. When Mika had dashed off, she started thinking it was because she had hit a raw spot with him.
She had retreated to her room after Elliot left her alone. It put everything into perspective. They hadn’t hurt her. They were hunting the creature who had kept her captive, and she believed them. Not to mention she was highly attracted to both of them. Contemplating going back to her life now was almost like returning to an alien way of life. First being held captive had jarred her reality. Then she had escaped and walked into a fairy tale where she was Little Red Riding Hood surrounded by wolves at every door. They had asked her to choose between them. It was mind-boggling for her to wrap her head around that she had slept with Mika. And it had been wonderful. Then there was the other man she wanted to take into her bed. Elliot was kind and gentle, even if he was hiding behind a stone heart. It was softening. If she left now, then he would remain behind the ghost that still haunted his heart. October wrapped the sheet around her since Mika had torn the buttons off her nightshirt. She tested her ankle and found it was still tender, but she was able to stand on it. She hobbled into the hallway, when she walked right into Elliot.
“October, hi.
Is everything okay?”
She saw his surprise. “I’m okay. I’m sorry about last night.”
Elliot flashed
her a
smile. “No apologies needed. You weren’t expecting us to be wolves. At least you didn’t run off in the middle of the night. I expected you might. Not that you wanted to steal Mika’s tiny, beat-up car.” He chuckled. “Are you hungry? Mika’s making waffles downstairs.”
“Yeah.”
She tried to move forward, but stumbled. Elliot caught her. His warm hand on her shoulder made the breath hitch in her throat. His hand traveled down her shoulder and then across her back. She leaned in closer until she stared into his eyes and saw the barriers breaking down around his heart. It was going to be tough to resist those gray eyes of his that looked out from such a kind soul. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body into him. He felt the same way that Mika had. Everything was right being in his arms. October brushed her lips along his and waited for his reaction. He returned the kiss in a slow meeting of their mouths and flicked his tongue across her bottom lip until he pulled away and shook his head.
“We can’t do this.” He tried to put a little bit of space between them, but she didn’t let go of his neck.
“Why?”
“Because you’re Mika’s.
I can smell you all over him. You made your choice.”
“No.”
“We can’t have this.”
She placed a hand on his cheek and felt the warmth of his skin seep into her palm. He turned his head into her hand and sighed. “Yes, we can. I never said I was going to pick one of you.”
“It doesn’t work that way among wolves. We choose one mate for life, and that’s it.”
“Hey, October if you’re hungry—”
Elliot and she glanced over. Mika was dressed in jeans and no shirt. Flour was smeared across his chest and his left cheek. It appeared he had made the waffles from scratch. His jaw clenched when he noticed the two of them together. The veins in his neck were bulging. He opened his mouth to respond, when October unwound from Elliot and went to Mika. She slid her arm around his waist and kissed the line of his collarbone. Underneath her hand, his muscles were still rock-hard and wound tight. She flicked her tongue across him, tasting the remnants of the flour on his skin. She stood up on tiptoe and licked the tip of his ear. He quivered and looked between her and Elliot.
She followed his gaze and saw the hair was standing up on Elliot’s arms. His eyes were glowing yellow. He was breathing heavy, and his lips were pulled back in a snarl. His fists were clenched at his side. The testosterone between the two of them was so heavy she could smell it. The fur was about to fly, and she was in the middle of it.
“Whoa!
Both of you just need to back off.”
“He had his hands on you,” Mika growled.
She put her hands on her hips. “Now is not the time to get into a fight over me. I might have spent the night with you, but that does not mean that you have the right to claim ownership over me.”
“You said last night—”
“I said no such thing. Both of you stop this. I’m attracted to you and Elliot. Mika, you need to calm that wolf of yours. Both of
you,
chill.”
Mika took a deep breath, and so did Elliot, but they were still facing off. October shook her head and went into the bathroom, trying to understand what had just happened. She hadn’t realized they were so territorial. It was scary to think they were going to fight over her. She’d never experienced that before. When she came out, Mika was waiting for her. He had an apologetic look on his
face,
and her clothes in his hands.
“I’m sorry about that. After last night, I thought that you wanted to be with me.”
“Well, I don’t know what I want. So keep your claws sheathed, you two. You can’t get expect me to choose either one of you. Remember, once I’m healed, I have a life that I have to go back to. I sleep with who I prefer. Whether it’s you or Elliot . . . Hell, it could be both of you. If I make that decision, then you can’t go all crazy.”
“You okay?”
“No. I’m not used to this. I’ve never been in this situation before, wedged between two men who I like. You get all grr when I’m in between you. What if I don’t choose between you?”
He put his fork down. “If I were Mika, I wouldn’t want you going with anyone else either. Wolves are territorial by nature. Mika and I have been friends since we were pups, nearly littermates, and I count him as a brother, but I’m not going to fight him for you.”
“So if someone came up to me and claimed me
for their own,
then you wouldn’t fight him for me.”
“What you’re saying . . . of course I would, but you slept with him last night and not me.”
October got up and grabbed his face. She was tired of hearing about what wolves would and wouldn’t do. She pulled him to her mouth and kissed him.
I’m not going to be claimed by anyone.
Elliot wound his fingers in her hair and ground his lips against hers. He tasted like blueberries and maple syrup. He pushed his tongue into her mouth and met hers while they tangled together. She fumbled with his shirt and pulled it from his jeans. She slid her fingertips along the divots of his muscles, trying to feel all of him. He released her hair and then dragged her down on top of him in the chair. His cock rested against her thigh. His mouth sought her pert nipple through her shirt. October moaned as the warmth he stirred in her grew into a wildfire and blazed along her nerves until she didn’t know if she could take it any longer. Elliot’s teeth sought her pert bud and bit through the fabric. A moan slipped from her throat as she forgot everything that had happened between her and Mika the night before. Elliot’s fingers scraped down her belly and tried to get at the button on her jeans. She dragged her nails down to his pants and pushed the button through the hole, but his zipper got caught. She shoved her hand under his waistband and felt his cock. He shuddered and looked up at her.
Elliot was about to speak, when there was a knock on the kitchen door. He glanced at it, and she followed his gaze. October heard footsteps upstairs from Mika coming down to get the door. Elliot dropped his head against her chest.
“Let them knock,” she whispered.
“I can’t. Besides, Mika’s coming down. I don’t think it’s a good idea for him to see us together.
At least not yet.”
“So you’re not about to let him have me.”
He shook his head. “I’ll try to talk to him about it, but you might not want to be around when we do. I don’t know how it’ll go.”
October nodded and then kissed him quickly. She got up off of him and settled into her chair. She straightened her shirt and then focused back on her waffles. Her cheeks were still burning from the encounter. Elliot answered the door. From the table, she saw a man in a sheriff’s uniform standing in the doorway.
“Samuel, what can I do for you?” Elliot asked.
“Dawn was telling me about a woman you found by the roadside about the same time you got into an accident.”
October felt the color drain from her face. Dawn had sold her out. Mika stopped short when he saw the sheriff. He motioned for her to go back onto the porch. They didn’t want the sheriff to know she was there. She went out the glass door, hoping the other man wouldn’t notice her. She limped down the stairs, gripping the railing, and then sat under the deck on an old picnic table. The trees around her were losing their leaves. The heat of her encounter with Elliot lingered. October trailed her fingers over her lips, feeling her bottom lip was a little plumper than normal from where he had been kissing her. She licked her lips and still tasted the blueberries. To imagine they were going to make her choose between them was unthinkable. It was going to take everything in her not to go to Elliot, but it would be like barring Mika from her. Seeing that cop there, she knew she would have to deal with the reality of her fairy tale and face up to the beast that had kidnapped her.
She ran her hands over her arms and stared at the wilderness around her. A stick broke in the woods. Fear gripped her. Evil beasts lurked within the shadows of the forest. When she peered deeper into it, a wolf emerged. It was jet-black, and its eyes were yellow. It drew back its lips and showed its teeth. October shrank back. The wolf kept on coming. A scream tore from her throat.
The animal advanced on her, but she heard the stomping footsteps of the men above. Then a silver wolf flew down the last few stairs and bounded after the wolf in the backyard.
October felt the tears streaming down her face. Strong arms enfolded her in a protective grasp. Mika held her close, and she took comfort in his arms. There were no other footsteps.
“It’s okay. He isn’t going to hurt you. I swear it.”
Elliot reappeared a few moments later, out of breath. “I lost him.”
“He knows I’m here. He won’t stop until he gets me back or I’m dead,” October whimpered.
Elliot also wrapped his arms around October. At that point,
him
being naked didn’t matter. Being in the men’s arms, she knew this was where she was supposed to be. It didn’t matter how werewolf culture was. In the end, once she overcame the trauma of her ordeal, then she would think about making her life with them.
Elliot kissed her forehead. “He’s not going to get you. He’ll be dead before he ever lays a paw on you.
The same with his partner.
Nothing will harm you.”
“So
this
is the girl you found.”
October drew back further, and Elliot protected her with his arms.
“Samuel, I thought you’d left.”
The sheriff laughed. “I’m not going to hurt her, Elliot. That the wolf you hit with your car?”
Elliot nodded. October studied the sheriff. He had tanned skin and was dressed in a brown uniform. His gun was at his side. Deep wrinkles marred his forehead, and crow’s-feet stretched out by the corners of his brown eyes. Samuel had a long, beaky nose and a cleft in his chin. His hat hid the color of his hair.
“What’s your name?” the sheriff asked.
