Wild Threesome: (Paranormal MMF Menage Romance) (Wolves on the Prowl Book 2) (3 page)

Seconds ticked by. After both men caught their breath and their heartbeats returned to normal, Leo released Chris. When Chris turned, he found Leo cleaning himself off with a tissue. Of course. That was his lover, all right. Always prepared. He gave Chris some clean tissues, and he did the same.

When they were through, Leo backed him against the tree and kissed him stupid. Then he leaned away and said, “I love you.”

There was something tremulous in the words, something that made foreboding stab at Chris. “I love you, too.”

Leo’s mouth curled into a rare smile. Then his eyes went wide. A pained gasp escaped as he staggered sideways.

What the --

A woman stood there, silent, practically a shadow despite her height.

She moved fast. She yanked the silver dagger from Leo’s back, and tossed the other glinting blade toward Chris’s throat.

He caught it. “You little bitch!”

She kicked him in the solar plexus. Hard. His lungs nearly collapsed and he bent over, dropping the second knife. She scooped it up, and plunged both blades into Leo’s kidneys as she double-kicked behind his knees.

Leo collapsed. He was too much of a warrior to scream, but the silver was doing its job. He was shaking, obviously in excruciating pain.

She jerked out the knives and went for Leo’s carotid artery.

Chris snarled and dove at her.

She whirled away, sheathing the blades. Then she turned and ran, not away into the woods where he could scent and catch her, but to the nearest tree. She grabbed the lowest branch and swung up, catching another limb with gloved hands and using it to climb further into the tree. He heard her thrashing, the scrape of her boots against the trunk, and then she jumped into a nearby oak.

And she kept going.

Even as fury pounded through him, he was damned impressed by her skills. She wouldn’t get away, no matter how fancy her moves. And when he caught her, she was getting a throat full of his teeth.

Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be tonight. Not with Leo injured.

Heart hammering, both pissed and worried, Chris knelt next to his lover. “C’mon. I’ll get you to safety.”

“Get. Her.”

“I’m not leaving you.” Chris was gonna take Leo back to the rental car. It was a clusterfuck now. The Tribunal couldn’t be mad at their failure if some crazy bitch had tried to off them first. Why had she attacked them? Was she protecting March? That didn’t make any sense. March was more than capable of kicking ass, and he’d never give the job of protecting himself and his mate to someone else.

What the fuck was going on here?

Leo gripped his arms and used Chris’s strength to help him sit up. “Can’t. Leave.” He struggled to take breaths and Chris felt panic well. Leo sucked in a breath. “I’m healing. Go… g-get her.”

“I’ll kill her.”

“No!” Leo shook his head. His teeth were chattering and his lips turning blue. It felt like a hundred degrees out here even with the storm brewing, so it was bad that Leo had taken a chill. “Just restrain her.”

Chris wanted to argue. Instead, he zipped his lips. Leo was in pain, his body trying to heal the effects of the silver. She’d jabbed three times, deeply. The wounds on Leo’s back were blackened -- one of the results of silver touching werewolf skin.

“I’ll stay here. Need t-to heal.”

“Dude. You look like shit.” He didn’t want to leave Leo. What if his body didn’t detox the silver?

“Been through this before.” He gulped in air. “Can’t let her go. Might warn March.”

“All right, already.” Chris could give two shits about whether or not March knew they were there. Maybe he could talk some sense into Leo. But right now, he just wanted Leo to feel better because Chris was seriously freaking out.

He helped Leo to the same tree where he’d been sitting earlier. Leo leaned against the trunk. He was taking deep breaths, and he’d stopped shaking. He really was healing. Okay, that was good.

“You’re w-wasting time.”

Chris grabbed Leo’s hand, turned it upright, and kissed the roughened palm. “I’ll get her.”

“Alive,” reminded Leo. He grasped Chris’s wrist and drew him in for a quick kiss. “Got it?”

Chris nodded. When he caught the woman, he’d keep her alive, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t punish her for what she’d done. Still breathing constituted alive, right?

You can run
, he thought as he stood up and began the change from human to wolf,
but you can’t hide
.

R
AVEN PAUSED
AT
the top of a pine tree, and sucked in steadying breaths. Her heart hammered, skipping its beats, letting her know it was gonna fail her… maybe right now.

That so hadn’t gone well. She’d severely underestimated the werewolves. Freaking paranormals. Those dagger wounds would’ve killed a human. Not to mention she would’ve been able to deliver the killing blow.

The other guy had moved fast. He’d snatched the dagger right out of the air and if he hadn’t been distracted by his partner’s injuries, he might’ve actually gotten her. She’d seen the animal glinting in his eyes. She’d seen her death in those eyes, too.

Before that, though, she’d seen the two of them kissing and touching. And then fucking. She’d waited, just to see how far they would take it. Watching them together had made her hot. She told herself it was because if they had sex, they’d be relaxed and less likely to pay attention to her movements. She’d been right.

But if she was honest, she’d been a total voyeur. Holy fuck, it had been a really long time since she’d had sex. She’d always harbored a fantasy of getting freaky between the sheets with two guys. Even now, as she contemplated her failure, her panties were getting soaked just thinking about what it would be like with those werewolves. Inappropriate as hell. They were targets. This whole thing was too jacked up.

What to do? Complete the assignment? Or bail?

There was no way to tell if she could get to the house, kill Theo, and get out before the wolfies caught up to her. Still…

If Theo Lowder was into any kind of technology, it sure as hell didn’t show. Her brief immersion into the vampire court revealed a big reluctance to adapt to modern times. Most vamps dressed and acted as they had during the time period they’d lived as humans. Queen Fiona encouraged such behavior, not because she wished to honor the desires of her subjects, but as a way to control them.

Queen Fiona had an iPhone. But she still dressed like she was freaking Marie Antoinette -- with the powdered wig and everything.

Raven’s heartbeat was still erratic, and panic was threatening. It probably hadn’t helped to think about doing those two hotties. She took calming breaths, and imagined that the organ was steadily beating, that it was healthy and whole. After a long moment, the rate stabilized. It was getting harder and harder to use that technique. Her heart had stopped listening to her Jedi mind tricks.

If she didn’t complete her assignment she was dead. Queen Fiona would send someone to finish Theo
and
Raven. Even if she did manage to kill Theo, Raven’s heart could fail before she could get back to the court and go through the change.

She chewed her bottom lip as she looked at the house. Inside was death for Theo and redemption for her. Only she wasn’t sure she wanted it anymore. Squatting in a tree, listening to the thunder roar as the air thickened with rainy intent, she was just tired.

Her father had been black ops, part of a small group of agents who were in the deepest of the deep within the CIA. He’d demonstrated how she should protect herself, trained her to kill quickly and efficiently, and helped her shape perspective not only about the job but also about her own life. He showed her that mercy wasn’t a weakness. Bradley Cull had also explained one of the most important rules in the world of assassins: know when to get out.

“Okay, Dad,” she said, blowing out a breath. “I’m out.”

The choice was clear now. The choice she should’ve made when the cardiologist gave her the bad news.
I’m not meant to be here anymore
.

She still didn’t know how Queen Fiona had found her. New Orleans had been one of her bases of operation, and that was where she’d gotten the diagnosis. The next night, the queen herself showed up and spouted off ridiculous crap like “I’m a vampire.”

Then she’d proven it. The queen had opened the door into a whole new world -- a world in which Raven could live. And she had badly wanted to live.

After a month of hanging out in the court, even with its occasional atrocities, she hadn’t been turned off enough by the lifestyle to chuck it as an option. Just because other vampires acted like they owned the afterlife didn’t mean she had to do the same. There were ways to ingest blood that didn’t include killing innocents. She’d spent a good deal of her time putting bullets into skulls, but she’d chosen her jobs, and could say that most of her targets had been real dickheads.

So thirty days with the vamps, and she’d figured she knew enough about them and werewolves to get the job done. It wasn’t like she had forever to plan and execute. The doc hadn’t been able to pinpoint exactly how long she had to keep breathing.
Three months, if you’re lucky,
he’d said
. I’m sorry
.

Now, that meant two months. Maybe. Probably less.

She’d go somewhere with a beach, gorgeous men in Speedos, and fruity umbrella-laden drinks. Definitely someplace where sunshine was so plentiful, no vampire would even think of hanging out there. She’d soak in every moment until her heart gave out.

She’d wasted enough time, damn it.

The rental car was parked all the way down the hilly drive, and around the corner, tucked into a fast food lot. It seemed a hundred miles away, especially with the werewolves tracking her.

Maybe they weren’t. She’d injured the big dude badly. And his lover, angry as he was at her, seemed like the loyal type. He wouldn’t leave his bedmate to chase after her.

At least she hoped so.

She’d stick to the trees until she got to the road. Then she’d run for it. Despite the doc’s advice about exercising, she’d kept up her workouts. Her heart had survived the weight training and runs up till now, right?

Rain burst from the thick morass of gray clouds, and she grinned. That would definitely help mask her scent. She climbed out on the branch, gauged the distance, and leapt.

C
HRIS LOPED BACK
to the tree where Leo still rested, and shifted into his human form. “Fucking rain.”

“You’re not a pup,” rasped Leo. “You know how to find prey during storms.”

“Yeah, if they’re on the ground. She’s in the goddamned trees.” Despite Leo’s protests, Chris helped the older man to his feet. “She’s some kind of ninja gymnast.”

Leo chuckled. “We need to find her.”

“We’re going to the rental car and back to the hotel,” said Chris. He was mad. Mad that some chick had gotten the drop on them. Mad that Leo had gotten hurt. Mad that he hadn’t been able to find Miss Stab-and-Run. “Don’t give me any shit about it.”

They’d wrapped their clothes in plastic, but still had to get dressed in the pouring rain. They were soaked to the skin by the time they’d made it to the road.

“Why’d we park at McDonald’s?” Leo asked. He’d kept up the hurried pace Chris set, but it was obvious he was still dragging ass.

“Can you make it, grandpa?” asked Chris.

Leo’s dark eyebrows winged upward. “Grandpa?”

“The way you’re moving? Yeah. You kinda remind me of my gramps.” He glanced over. “You want me to go get you a walker? Maybe a cane?”

“Fuck you.” Leo started to run.

Chris caught up easily. He knew that Leo was still in pain; he was running to prove he could. Good. Chris needed his partner strong because they were going to find ninja girl… and deliver some payback.

When they jogged into the parking lot, Chris grabbed the car keys from Leo and slid into the driver’s seat. It said a lot about how his lover was feeling that he didn’t even offer a token protest. The storm had definitely cooled things off, but the mix of heat and wet was making him itch for a shower and a beer.

“Do you think she contacted March?” he asked, half-hoping she had so that they could drop this insane mission.

“We won’t know her purpose for being there, or for trying to kill us, until we catch her.” Leo took Chris’s hand.

Chris blinked at the rare sign of affection.

“There’s something I must tell you.”

Shit, shit, shit. Here was the moment when Leo finally told him what was going on. The big something he’d been grappling with for the last week. Chris’s stomach cramped. He had a feeling he wasn’t gonna like the news.

“The Tribunal has chosen a mate for us.”

“
What
?” Chris sucked in a steadying breath. “Who?”

Leo shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I went to Leona.”

“The mumbo jumbo lady? She’s crazy.”

“She’s our pack’s shaman, and she has the sight. She told me you and I would find our mate when we went to kill the outcast.”

Chris felt like he’d been punched. “You knew? Even before the Tribunal made the decree?”

Leo’s eyes begged for understanding. That was so weird, Chris could barely fathom it. He never asked Chris to understand anything. He just did whatever, and Chris followed along because he’d learned Leo was nearly always right. He trusted him without question. Then a few pieces of this whole strange puzzle clicked into place. “You asked them for the job, didn’t you?”

Leo nodded. “The Tribunal knew none of us would willingly kill March. But I agreed only on the condition that you and I could choose our own mate.”

“This mystery woman?” Chris tried to yank his hand out of Leo’s, but his lover held on, refusing to release his grip. No wonder he’d been so moody. The motherfucker felt guilty. “We’re supposed to be partners.
Mates
. You shouldn’t have made this decision without me. You should’ve told me. Damn it, Leo! We could’ve come up with a plan together.”

“I know. I didn’t want…” Leo swallowed. “I was afraid you would leave.”

Shock blasted through Chris’s anger. “Leave? You thought I would leave you, and the pack, because the Tribunal assigned us a mate?” He gaped at him. “Are you on crack?”

“You admired what March did,” he said softly. “You said you were glad he told the Tribunal to go fuck themselves. You’ve made it clear that you hate the idea of bringing a female into our relationship, even though it’s pack law. We must breed.”

“I’m not March,” said Chris. Had he really made
Leo
feel insecure? He’d just been mouthing off, which he did all the time about everything, for fuck’s sake. Maybe this time, he’d somehow struck a nerve. He’d never thought in a million years Leo would be afraid of losing him.

Of the two of them, Chris was the one who needed affection and reassurance. He wasn’t a wimp; he just liked to know he was loved. Leo never seemed to need confirmation about Chris’s feelings. And because the jackass had feared the worst, he’d gone off and made the decision he thought would make Chris happy.

Chris was caught between being really pissed off, and utterly amazed. He turned in the seat and looked at Leo. “I love you, you stupid prick. I wouldn’t leave you. I never want to leave you.”

“Okay.” Leo looked relieved. “I suck, all right? But I didn’t want us to marry Hannah.”

“Hannah? They paired us with her?” Chris blanched. Hannah was the black widow of the pack. She’d had three husbands, all of whom had died. No one would mate with her, though some had taken her into their beds.

Chris never considered himself the superstitious kind, but she still gave him the heebie-jeebies. Aside from the propensity of her husbands to kick the bucket, Hannah also seemed to be barren. She’d never gotten pregnant, either within a marriage or during her bedroom romps.

“She can have kids,” said Leo, apparently following Chris’s line of thinking. “She admitted to the Tribunal she used several birth control methods to prevent conception.”

“So, they want her to have two husbands? That way at least one of us will live and she’ll have double the chance of breeding?” Disgust edged his voice. Hannah was the last living child of the Delgato wolves. The warrior blood of her father flowing through her veins in combo with another warrior’s bloodline would make strong children. And strong children meant a strong pack. Her bloodline, not to mention her beauty, was the reason three men had married her.

“Had you
asked
me, I would’ve agreed that she’s not our mate.”

“I’m sorry. I should’ve consulted you.”

Chris’s eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline. “Did you just apologize? You never apologize.”

Leo struggled to respond. Finally, he offered, “I’m sorry. Really damned sorry.”

“Shut up, pussy.” He leaned forward and kissed Leo.

“I know I don’t say it, but you’ve made me the happiest I’ve ever been.”

“Okay. You’re freaking me out. Enough with mush.” But he kissed Leo again, and his whole body caught fire with need. He wanted to fuck him again, and then they’d both know for sure who loved whom.

“Get in the back,” growled Leo.

Chris wasted no time climbing over the console and into the SUV’s huge bench seat, but as he ripped off his T-shirt, he asked, “What about your injuries?”

“Gone,” said Leo as he settled next to Chris and took off his own T-shirt.

Chris didn’t have a chance to say another word. Now that Leo had confessed his sins, his guilt -- and his sexual reluctance -- was gone. He shoved Chris down and covered him, kissing him roughly as he unbuttoned his jeans and freed his cock. Chris wriggled down his pants, not so easy since they were wet, and his damp ass squeaked across the leather seat.

They laughed.

“I missed you,” Chris breathed against Leo’s throat. He kissed his warm skin, flicking his tongue along the rough underside of his jaw.

“I missed you, too.” Leo tried to adjust his position. “God, this is uncomfortable.”

“You wanna go to the hotel to finish?”

“Hell, no.”

Chris snorted. He ran his hands over the taut muscles of Leo’s back. Desire burned through him. It was so good to be in Leo’s arms, to feel his mouth raining kisses on his neck. “By the way, how are we supposed to meet this mate of ours? Do you think March will introduce us before we rip out his throat?”

“Don’t be facetious. We’ve already met her.”

“Impossible. We haven’t--” Chris grabbed Leo’s head and lifted it. Leo’s eyes narrowed. “The woman who tried to murder us? Are you fucking kidding me?”