Authors: Kate Douglas
Wolf Tales 11
Aphrodisia Erotic Romance
Wolf Tales
“Chanku Rising” in
Sexy Beast
Wolf Tales II
“Camille’s Dawn” in
Wild Nights
Wolf Tales III
“Chanku Fallen” in
Sexy Beast II
Wolf Tales IV
“Chanku Journey” in
Sexy Beast III
Wolf Tales V
“Chanku Destiny” in
Sexy Beast IV
Wolf Tales VI
“Chanku Wild” in
Sexy Beast V
Wolf Tales VII
“Chanku Honor” in
Sexy Beast VI
Chanku Challenge” in
Sexy Beast VII
Wolf Tales 9
“Chanku Spirit” in
Sexy Beast VIII
Wolf Tales 10
Zebra Paranormal Romance
DemonFire
Hellfire
“Crystal Dreams” in
Nocturnal
Starfire
Kate Douglas
APHRODISIA BOOKS
are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
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New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2011 by Kate Douglas
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Aphrodisia and the A logo Reg. U.S. Pat & TM Off.
eISBN-13: 978-0-7582-6811-2
eISBN-10: 0-7582-6811-4
First Kensington Trade Paperback Printing: January 2011
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
Acknowledgments
Wolf Tales 11
marks the twentieth story in my ongoing tales of the Chanku shapeshifters. During the course of the past five years since this series was first conceived, the characters have ceased to be creatures of my imagination. They’ve taken on lives of their own since that very first story when Alexandria Olanet ran her little car off the road and ended up in the arms of a most amazing gentleman.
When I write them now, each character speaks to me in his or her own voice, so that I actually hear them as I write their lines of dialogue—Anton Cheval with his amazing self-confidence and superior air, Oliver and his clipped British accent that’s never quite faded away, Keisha’s warm self-assurance, Mei’s cockiness, Manda’s soft yet unyielding strength—I hear them telling me what to write as if they’re living, breathing creatures, which makes it all the more important that I get their stories right.
And that’s where my amazing beta readers come in—those wonderfully diligent women who are willing to find time in their own busy schedules to read my stories, find my mistakes, and keep me on track. On this book, my sincere thanks go to Ann Jacobs, Jan Takane, Rhonda Wilson, and Rose Toubbeh, who, because I was late meeting my deadline (yes, life does occasionally get in the way), jumped in at a moment’s notice to give my manuscript a very careful read and make excellent suggestions that vastly improved the story.
Producing a book—especially one that’s part of a series—is truly a community effort. My thanks, as always, to my terrific agent, Jessica Faust of BookEnds, LLC, my wonderful editor, Audrey LaFehr, and her amazingly efficient assistant, Martin Biro.
And last—but always first in my heart—my sincere gratitude to the world’s most patient husband. Sweetie … I can’t imagine doing this without you … so I won’t.
Tiny motes of dust sparkled in shimmering beams of morning sunlight, stirred by the silent departure of the man who’d joined with them throughout a most enjoyable night of sexual excess—as if sex with his lady love and one of his dearest friends could ever be considered excessive.
Smiling at such a ridiculous idea, Adam Wolf stretched out on his left side and rested his right arm over the smooth curve of Liana’s hip. He gazed at the brilliant sunbeams and thought of Igmutaka and the night just past as he softly stroked Liana’s warm skin. The spirit guide generally left before the morning sun touched the windows of their small apartment, returning to his cougar form and the freedom of the Montana mountains.
Igmutaka knew he was always welcome in their bed, desired as much by Adam as he was by Liana. With memories of the night fresh in his mind, Adam leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Liana’s shoulder. She tasted of salt and glistened with the soft dew of perspiration; her fair skin showed the subtle marks of sucking mouths and grasping fingers, even a few reddish nips from sharp, wolven teeth.
Marks Liana would wear with pride. She was, after all, a powerful and much loved Chanku bitch. She sighed in
her sleep and turned to him. Her lips pressed against his chest in a sleepy kiss, reminding Adam of the convoluted twists and turns that had led him to this time, this place, this perfect moment.
If anyone had told him just a couple of months ago that he would love this woman who now held his heart, Adam would have cursed them as a liar. If someone had suggested that the cougar prowling the huge Montana estate Anton Cheval and his Chanku pack called home would manifest himself as an absolutely beautiful, albeit somewhat androgynous male, and insinuate himself into Adam’s life—and his bed—he would have laughed outright.
But Liana, once a goddess and the woman responsible for his mate’s death, had claimed Adam as thoroughly as Eve had once held his love. And Igmutaka, that son of a bitch, had not only unveiled his human side, he’d revealed an affinity for sex matched only by Adam’s own.
Laughter bubbled up out of his chest. He rolled to his back, body shaking and eyes tearing with the effort to keep himself quiet.
Liana rolled over, opened her eyes, and stared balefully at him. “What, my love, is so damned funny?”
Still fighting the laughter that wouldn’t die, Adam shook his head. “Us. This.” He leaned close and kissed her. “Igmutaka and that damned Louisville Slugger of his.”
Obviously biting back a grin, she raised a very expressive eyebrow and dryly offered, “He is quite impressive.”
“A little more than impressive when it’s shoved up my ass.”
Liana shrugged daintily. Then she raised her arms over her head and stretched her lithe body along his full length. “As I recall,” she whispered, “you were the one who introduced him to the pleasures of the flesh.”
He grunted, nuzzling her neck. “The son of a bitch took to those pleasures pretty damned fast, if you ask me.”
“Something for which I will be forever grateful.”
Chuckling softly, Adam inhaled her seductive scent. He couldn’t possibly be getting hard again. Not after the night they’d just spent—one that had involved very little sleep. Kissing his way along the smooth line of Liana’s throat, he took another deep breath. “Actually,” he grumbled, “you were the one who suggested he join us in a little ménage à trois. If you’ll recall, Ig didn’t have a clue what was coming next.”
Laughing softly, Liana rubbed against Adam. “I do recall. One of my better suggestions, don’t you think? I wouldn’t worry about Igmutaka. He handled himself beautifully.”
“Handled himself? I don’t think so. More like he was handling
you
and
me
!” Adam snorted, and then both of them were laughing and touching and kissing. Somehow Liana managed to slide her body over Adam’s full length with an almost sinuous grace, until she covered him like a living, breathing blanket.
The hard tips of her taut nipples tickled his chest. The tuft of tightly curled blond hair between her thighs brushed the ridge of his now swollen cock and tangled with his own damp thatch of hair. Laughter died and thoughts of Igmutaka fled as Adam’s erection rose between Liana’s slightly parted thighs and she slowly arched her spine, sliding her damp heat along his full length.
Groaning, he wrapped his arms around her back and rolled her beneath him, slipped the thick length of his erect penis between her buttery folds, and thrust hard into her hot, sleek channel. Her muscular vaginal walls rippled along his cock as she adjusted to his length and girth. Both of them shuddered deliciously when the sensitive tip of his penis brushed across the hard mouth of her womb.
Adam closed his eyes, fighting for control. He knew he must look like a man in pain as the cords in his neck tightened and his lips stretched into a flat grimace from his efforts. He arched his back and flexed his arms to keep from flattening Liana’s slight frame with his weight.
She sighed and shifted her hips, tilting just right to accommodate his size. Adam took a deep breath, then another until he felt he could hold on, but damn it felt good, the heat and the life of her, the free and loving welcome he felt whenever he entered her body.
The body of a goddess.
She’d been the one he prayed to, the one the packs had looked to for help and guidance. The one who had proven herself to have feet of clay—she had failed her beloved Chanku too many times to count.
Failed in many ways, yet been reborn in others.
She’d been cast out of her immortal office and into Adam’s arms. Now Eve, once his mate, excelled in Liana’s old role. Eve ruled now, with a firm hand and a vigilant yet loving eye. She answered prayers and worried and watched over the Chanku from that other dimension where gods toyed with the lives of men.
