Maybe Shane finally accepted his aberration and embraced his baser nature because he loved her. Yet, sometimes Cheyenne thought he needed another male confidant, especially now that Jasper had died. Finding another shifter wouldn't be enough. He needed someone he could trust. Someone they could both trust.

  At the top of the stairs, the women were gathered in the entertainment room over the garage. At the pool table, two played a game of eight ball while the others lounged on a sectional sofa and on the floor in front of another big screen TV.

  Casually, she sauntered in and loitered near the pool players.

  A short, sturdy blonde slammed the eight ball in the corner pocket, ending the game. "Hey, Hon," Eva said, tossing her cue at Cheyenne. "I need some competition."

  Eva visited the Raven frequently. Her old man, Toby, was a charter fisherman. She kept his books and scheduled his trips. After that, she was a pool shark.

  Cheyenne had played against her a couple of times and held her own, but never won. Eva's invitation provided an ice breaker into the group. She raised the cue, accepting the challenge and took a deep breath.

  "You break." The blonde gave her first and chose another cue. Normally, the winner of the previous game broke, so she'd given her an advantage.

  Bending, she lined up her shot toward the triangle of balls. A barrage of comments sifted through the room. Who's bitch is she? Watch Eva run the table on her skinny ass. Who's cock did she suck for that Harley jacket?

  Cheyenne broke, sending the six ball skittering into a corner pocket while the two ball dropped in one of the sides.

  After her shot, she offered the room a cocky grin. Showing fear among this group would set her up for hard times to come. "Shane bought the jacket for my pole dancing ass because he's addicted to my fellatrix skills."

  Snickers rumbled through the group. With a hard smile, she turned to the table and fired her second shot.

  Before Eva took her stance, she smacked her pool cue over Cheyenne's stick and winked then ran the table until she scratched on her next to last ball. Cheyenne gave chase. They were even up when she missed the eight ball in the side pocket. Eva quickly sunk it, winning the game.

  Senses on full alert, Cheyenne caught the familiar scent of ocean and sandalwood. Her man leaned casually against the doorframe, sporting a shit-eating grin. How long had he been there? Long enough to hear her proclaim him belonging to her? Shit.

  "Ladies." He stepped through the crowd and made a display of grabbing her supposed skinny ass. "How about a private dance?"

  He winked and bent down tossing her over his shoulder. Cheers and Whoops erupted as they left the room.

  Nothing like breaking the ice…

  * * * *

  The band returned from break as Shane stepped outside and lowered Chey's feet to the deck. A melodic rock ballad floated through the air as stars blinked in rhythm against a black velvet sky.

  "You're braver than I thought." He snaked his arm around her waist and headed to the beach.

  "I've had experience with rough crowds."

  Her tough girl attitude at the pool table had a railroad spike poking at the zipper of his jeans. Why hadn't he ever thought to ask her to dance for him before now? "Yeah, so how about that private performance? Promise you can leave the jacket on," he said darkly.

  They crossed a large grassy dune and found a secluded basin between the other rangy hills. A gibbous moon rose in the east as a perfect spotlight for the show. The heat in Chey's sea-green stare had his groin tightening.

  She smiled at the next tune. Slowly licking her lips, her head dropped back as her lean hips swayed to the heavy bass line. He dropped cross legged, on the sand.

  She seductively worked her jacket down her arms. The soft leather hit him square in the chest to taunt. Her purple sweater followed. He swallowed hard as pert nipples strained against her sheer black bra.

  As she continued her sensuous striptease, he leaned on his elbows and stretched out his legs enjoying the show, while the recesses of his mind wondered where he should install a dance pole in the tiny house. Lord help him.

  A boot flew to his left. Another to his right. Slowly, she unzipped her jeans and turned shimming from her shapely thighs. As she stepped free, her hair swung just above the cleft of her luscious brown ass where her thong string disappeared.

  Shane sucked in a breath.

  She came close and shook those sweet cheeks within inches of his face. Driven in lust, he nipped the tight flesh.

  "No touching the dancer." She turned and her lacy thong landed on his face. The spicy scent of her arousal made him groan.

  Her eyes narrowed. In total control, she dropped her wispy bra in the sand. Moonlight bathed her breasts in a sexy glow. Shane's mouth watered as they swayed in invitation.

  Her dark wine nipples puckered in the cool of the evening. He ached to suck the tender buds and bury his tongue between the bare folds of her pussy.

  She yanked her new jacket from his lap and caressed her body with the supple animal skin before slipping it on. She was a dark angel of seduction.

  "Baby, you're a wet dream."

  "Let me see how hard you are." Her command shot lust straight to his balls.

  Oh, hell yeah.

  He stood to obey. Drew off his long sleeve T-shirt and unzipped. His shaft jerked against her fingers as she teased the ridged head. Her tongue swept her ripe bottom lip.

  "Suck me," he ordered.

  She knelt and sheathed him in one swift motion. Her cat green eyes painted him with primal adoration. He could have come right then. Twisting her hair at her nape with one hand, he admired how she worked his pole. Slow agonizing strokes tortured him, stripping his control. When her tongue delved into his weeping slit, he thought his balls would implode.

  "Wanna ride?" He asked cockily, trying to regain some semblance of power. Two could play alpha.

  Her breath hitched as he pulled her up and palmed her firm rear. Lifting, he drew her into a fierce embrace. Her legs wrapped around his waist as her hands locked around the column of his neck. The broad tip of his erection teased her slickness.

  "Mmmm." Chey tilted her hips against him.

  He slipped inside her … to nirvana.

  * * * *

  She was on the verge of orgasm when sapphire eyes shone through the sea oats. The form of an animal became clear. Deep chest, pointed ears and an unmistakable snout defined a huge wolf that loomed atop one of the dunes.

  "Baby?"

  Shane stilled, turning his head to follow her gaze just as the intruder vanished. She uncoiled her legs from his waist and he pushed her behind him.

  She'd never seen him so predatory. He raised his head and sniffed. "Stay here." He growled.

  He transformed and his shrill cry echoed as he vanished into the night.

  With a shiver, she reached for her clothes. But fear for Shane won and she left them where they lay. The night became instantly clear as her powerful hind legs propelled her after him.

  Minutes later, she slowed as she spied two men in a thicket of trees on the other side of Highway 12. Both were naked. She shifted back to human form needing to comprehend their conversation.

  She recognized Jim as Shane gestured angrily at his friend. Shifting back to human, she crept closer and listened.

  "What the fuck, Jim! You freaked the hell out of Chey."

  Jim seemed tense, but his words were calm. "I didn't mean to spy. I thought I heard a woman in trouble. You know how some of the guys get at these parties." His gaze fell. "When I realized it was you and Chey, I was about to leave. Then I heard others, so I shifted."

  "I'm not talking about spying, I'm talking about being a goddamned shifter." Shane paused. "You're a fucking wolf."

  Jim narrowed his eyes. "Works both ways, my feathered brother."

  Shane exhaled.

  "Does Cheyenne know?"

  She stepped from hiding. "Yes, I do."

  Jim's jaw dropped. "Cheyenne?" His eyebrow arched. At that instant she transformed into a doe again and walked toward them. With a gentle hand, Jim stroked her head, his blue eyes widened.

  Shane chuckled, patting her neck. "Told you she was different."

  "This is the real reason you're worried about Dory's hunting expedition."

  "We think she knows. She might have seen us shift." Shane ensnared her by the waist as she returned to human form.

  "Sorry Cheyenne, Shane asked me to keep an eye on you, because of Dory.

  She couldn't ignore his muscular physique and nice package. Geez, are all shifters gifted with porn-star cocks?

  "Is that why you were watching us, Jim?" Cheyenne asked with a teasing smile.

  "It wasn't intentional. I thought you were in trouble. By the time I realized you were with Shane," he shrugged, "people were approaching." He cleared his throat.

  She'd sensed his protectiveness since they met, but thought it was because of Shane. Now she understood that Jim really cared about her. "It's okay."

  "She's just a little spooked at seeing a wolf who's our friend," Shane said.

  "Sorry." He kept his gaze off of her.

  "Your secret is safe." she said.

  "I've got your back, brother." Shane laid a hand on his shoulder.

  "Always." Jim nodded. "I should go." He morphed into a beautiful gray wolf and disappeared into the forest.

  "You didn't know about him?" she asked, trembling from the encounter.

  "No, and I wasn't going to share your secret, but…" His lips brushed the top of her head. "Now, he knows why I'm so concerned."

  "I always felt there was something mysterious about him."

  "A woman's intuition." Shane sighed. "It's good that Jim knows…In case…" His adam's apply bobbed.

  Cheyenne had never considered the possibility of Shane's death. The dark night closed in around her like a cloak of loneliness.

  Shane drew her into his embrace and smoothed his hands down her back. She melded against his warmth.

  "Don't worry, baby. Now we've got someone in our corner. Let's finish what we started."

  Cheyenne's gaze fell to his straining erection. "Let's go, baby, wouldn't want you to get frostbit." She winked.

  Chapter 13

  The last rays of sunlight cast a long shadow of Bodie Island Lighthouse over the park grounds. Cheyenne removed her helmet while Shane engaged the Harley's kickstand.

  Jim had agreed to meet them for a run, but hadn't shown. It worried her that he might be uncomfortable in her company, especially since he hadn't stopped by the Black Raven in the last couple of weeks. She'd hoped Shane and his friend would grow closer after discovering their similarities.

  She morphed among the brush and hid her clothing. Shane followed and then took to the sky. She took to the nearby woods to hunt for food. Shane circled above, on the lookout for Jim.

  Beneath scrubby live oaks, she grazed on acorns unaware of the approaching storm. The wind shifted forcing angry branches to clatter overhead. Startled, she scampered for a clearing.

  Her feathered lover's cry echoed from above as he swooped into view. A downpour of cold rain followed him from the sky. As if on cue, jagged streaks scarred a blackening sky.

  She raised her nose against the stinging pellets of rain. With a loud mooing grunt, she alerted her lover to the human scent. Sharp golden eyes zeroed in, and the hawk flew toward the danger like a shot.

  He squawked a warning as deafening thunder shook the ground beneath her. Cheyenne turned her head. A hiss pierced the air.

  An arrow whizzed past her ear. The stench of sweat and fear rode on it. Through the bushes, she spied a hunter. His fingers quivered as he aimed a second shot. The bow sang as death stalked her.

  She leapt an instant too late.

  * * * *

  The jagged point ripped a line across Chey's throat, spinning her around. Her knees buckled. Already in a dive, Shane arrived too late. A dark line of crimson stained her white fur as she collapsed into the tall grass.

  He squawked a cry that pierced the night through the chaos of weather. Wings folded back, he aimed for his lover's assailants.

  A flash of lightening illuminated a pelt of blonde. Instinctively, he knew the human's identity. Shane extended his long talons, angling for Dory's head.

  With blinding rage, he raked. Gouged. Ripped. Tore. She fought, but her hands were no match for his iron-like talons. Shane mangled with intent to kill.

  He'd forgotten about the bowman until a searing pain tore through his wing. Stunned, he tumbled through the air and landed in a sandy clearing.

  Quickly, he righted himself and snipped the protruding missile with his sharp beak.

  Dory writhed on the ground her while accomplice tried to help her. Shane spied the bow and took flight. Swooping low, he snatched it from the ground and dropped it in a nearby treetop.

  Then he aimed for the hunter.

  Using short diving attacks, his razor like talons ripped flesh until the man abandoned Dory and sprinted for the beach. Over dunes, sea grass and brush, Shane pursued in anguished flight.

  His strength faded as he approached the ocean. The man dove in instantly consumed by the dark Atlantic. Shane circled above the waves to be certain his attacker didn't surface.

  With fear lodged in his breast, he flew to Chey.

  His heart nearly stopped when he spied her standing at the crest of a dune.

  His Little Doe. Luminescent in the storm. Only a thin line of crimson marred her beauty.

  He descended to the sand. Relieved. Exhausted. He shifted with the last of his energy.

  She approached, trembling and bleating. Why wouldn't she change? Suddenly lightheaded, his injury proved more threatening than he'd thought.

  Chey nipped his hand, exposing her blood scored neck. Encouraged him to drink. As he suckled the warm liquid, her wound the pain in his bicep ebbed, restored his strength.

  He blinked and she transformed. Naked and lovely against the tempest storm. She knelt and brushed her lips against his. With a firm tug, she drew the broken arrow from his arm. His wound healed before his eyes.

  Shane lovingly pushed her onto the sand. Pinned her arms above her head, and suckled her neck.

  "It's not the same when I'm human, stud." She wriggled beneath him.

  "I wouldn't say that. I'm hard as hell." His eyes raked her.

  In invitation, she wrapped her thighs around his hips and he slid home. Adrenaline sang through his veins, heightening every sensation.

  His heart pounded with renewed hope.

  She held him captive, like a bird on a tether. Mistress and master. How he wished they could unite in flight. Mate in the air as they spiraled to back to earth during climax. Defying death.

  Mist rained upon his heated skin as thunder pounded the beach like a bass drum. His knees ground onto the sandy shoreline thrusting deep.

  A primal need to possess.

  Chey surrendered even as she owned him. Her silken heat enslaved him until he was lost. His essence became a part of her. A crescendo of thunder and lightning melded them into one.

  Chapter 14

  Sunday morning, Cheyenne sat at Nona's breakfast table. Laden with flaky biscuits, white gravy and her special breakfast casserole. The spread was something her great-grandmother hadn't cooked since Jasper's death. Shane and her mother loaded their plates with gusto.

  "Did you hear the news? They found Dory's body by Bodie Island Lighthouse," Nona said. "They think she died a few nights ago in that vicious storm. Got lost in the woods and was attacked by a wolf or wild boar. They only found parts. It took dental records to identify her."

  Cheyenne raised a brow, swallowing hard. Shane had only clawed Dory's head. He'd blinded her at the most. She flicked a look to him. "Weird."

  "And her lover, Ed, washed up on the beach a few miles south," Tegan offered with a smack of lips. "Minus his liver."

  "Ed?" Shane frowned.

  Shane had told her he didn't know the identity of the man he'd chased into the ocean. Thank goodness, Dwayne had decided to avoid Dory's sick web of treachery.

  Ed was an upstanding member of the community, except for leaving his wife for Dory. What had possessed him to get involved in Dory's quest? And who had eaten his liver? The phone rang, startling her.

  Nona answered. "Wonderful. When? I certainly will." Her face beamed at Shane as she ended the call.

  Cheyenne held her breath, noting her lover's frown.

  "The tribe voted Shane our new chieftain. Cheyenne, you'll take my place as medicine woman."

  How much influence had Nona used over the tribe? The council? Cheyenne placed her hand atop of Shane's and gazed into his eyes with admiration.

  Nona continued. "Our elders didn't care for Ed, you know. His family disputed our ancestry. He persuaded our town's historical society to the same conclusion. The tribe wasn't invited to participate or be active in historical celebrations. At any rate, Shane will become our new chief at the next full moon."

  * * * *

  How's is the steak?" Shane asked, setting another beer in front of Jim.

  "Rare, the way I like it," he replied, cutting into the juicy meat again before meeting his and Cheyenne's gaze across the table.

  Until now, everything had been small talk. No mention of the night of the Pirate's party. Nothing about shifting.

  "You didn't meet us at the lighthouse the other night." Cheyenne used a light tone while smothering her baked potato in butter, yet her eyes searched him intently.

  "Oh, yeah sorry," he said, like he'd forgotten.

  "Jim, Chey and I are happy to have a friend who's like us."

  He sighed and shook his head. "Really? I gotta be honest; I'm embarrassed at how everything went down."

  "Because you caught us fucking?" Cheyenne grinned at his friend.

  Shane chuckled. "Well, bro, she is beautiful woman. I have a hard time tearing my eyes away from her, too."

  "He did ask you keep an eye on me." She winked.

  Pointing his fork, Shane nodded.

 

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