Page 21

The transformation she had witnessed had been seamless.

One second there had been a shimmer, and Van’s body had flowed from his wolf form to his human form.

She closed her eyes as she remembered the expanse of firm muscle.

His skin wasn’t as dark as Mitchell’s, but it was a contrast next to Peterson’s.

The two men were what she imagined night and day would look like in human form.

With her eyes still closed, she placed her empty cup on the ground next to her. She kept the image of the two men in her mind and slid her hand up over her stomach. Her body felt feverish and heavy again; just as it did whenever she was near them.

Sliding her hand under her clothing, she ran her fingers along the soft curls protecting her womanhood.

A low moan slipped from her when she fingered the hidden nub.

She scooted down far enough so she could spread her legs.

The stretchy fabric of the trousers she was wearing were no match for her desperate need for release.

Living in a small clan, it was impossible to not know about sex.

Soft moans of need were guaranteed to ignite the curiosity of the young.

She had learned how to satisfy any need herself after her mother explained that coupling with a male could lead to a child.

She swore that would never happen and had avoided encouraging interest with any of the males in her clan.

Her lips parted on a gasp as the heat inside her built. She imagined it was caused by the two men. One between her legs while the other suckled on her aching breasts. She shoved her hand up her blouse, grasping her swollen nipple and pinched it.

She bit down on her lower lip to keep from crying out. Her body trembled, this time from arousal. The explosive force of her release bowed her back. Her fingers stilled, even as her vaginal channel pulsed. A shudder ran through her body and she opened her eyes.

The vision of Van and Peterson was replaced with decay. An aching denial froze on her lips as a tear slipped down from the corner of her eye as reality raised its ugly head.

She was not locked in the warm embrace of two men. That fantasy would never—could never—become a reality. She and Ella had sworn they would never bring a child into this world. Ella had broken her vow, but she wouldn’t. Besides, she now had a greater mission to fulfill.

“I had to escape,” she whispered, pulling her hand free and laying it out far enough that the rain could wash the evidence of her weakness away. “They aren’t the ones casting a spell. It is my own desires—my body—that is betraying me.”

She lifted her hand, watching dispassionately as a droplet of cold water clung to the tip of her finger before falling to her cheek. It was icy cold, unlike her tear. The cold was a shock to her still heated skin.

“I must never let them catch me. I must never go back.”

She rolled onto her side and sat up, feeling the hard stone beneath her. Reaching out, she cupped the rainwater in her hand and wiped her face, feeling refreshed. She twisted up onto her knees and scrubbed her hands with the icy water until she could no longer smell her release on them.

The chill on her skin sank deeper until she felt like a wall of ice had formed around her heart.

Knowledge was power. Armed with the realization that her attraction to them may be a part of the catalyst for them being drawn to her made it easier for her to accept.

After all, she had witnessed the same laws of attraction in nature.

Ty and Ella, as well as Mitchell and Tracy’s joining proved that just because she was a human and they were shifters—it could happen.

“I will not fall in love with them. I will not fall in love with them,” she whispered.

With the determined chant on her lips, she hung her damp jacket and clothes to dry near the fire.

There wasn’t much she could do to create a cushioned bed.

She scraped as many of the dried needles that were left into a pile and fashioned a makeshift pallet using one of the ultra-thin silver blankets she had taken from the storage room and the few pieces of dry clothing that she had.

Pulling her knife out, she cut away more bark and sticks from the belly of the trunk and added them to the fire.

Once her small space was as comfortable and dry as she could make it, she unfolded a second silver sheet, laid down next to the fire, and draped it over herself.

She held little hope that the thin sheet would actually provide warmth and protection from the elements.

The blankets had been an unexpected discovery, tucked away in the corner.

According to the pictures, they were supposed to be warm and had a light-weight design.

Something that would keep her alive until she could find a place to stay long enough to hunt and gather the items she would need to survive.

It didn’t seem possible that something so thin and flimsy could work the way the pictures said it would.

She curled her arm under her head to act as a pillow. Her backpack was too wet to use. Thankfully, the dry bags worked just as they said they would, keeping her food and clothing dry.

To her surprise, a few minutes later she was beginning to feel warm. Her fingers curled around the edge of the blanket, keeping it close to her head. She pulled the wool scarf her mother made her closer and tucked her hands into it.

“Six months. I have maybe six months to prepare for winter and decide where I will stay,” she calculated in a sleepy voice.

Her mind wandering from one thought to another at random. The ambience of the rain, the low roll of thunder, and the combined warmth of dry clothes, the fire, her exhaustion, and the blanket soon lured her into a trance-like state where she was caught between two worlds.

Just as I am with them, she mused before sleep finally claimed her.