Passionate Craving

  Marisa Chenery

  Edited by Marisa Chenery

  Cover design by April Martinez

  Copyright 2014 Marisa Chenery. Published by Forever More Publishing, 31 Wycliffe Place, Kitchener, Ontario, N2M 5J6, Canada. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author.

  ISBN: 978-1-92785-951-3

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  For Memphis, a simple trip to town turned out to be a whole lot more than buying items on his shopping list. Being mate branded and finding his mate in the center of a disagreement with some of the townsfolk within minutes of each other hits him like a ton of bricks. From then on, his life won’t ever be the same.

  As a wildlife biologist, and working for a foundation to protect the wild gray wolves, Tori was used to butting heads with those who didn’t agree with her opinions. Having a gorgeous hunk come to her rescue was new, though, and something she liked more than she cared to admit.

  Having convinced Tori to stay at his place to study the new species of “wolves” he’d told her about, Memphis soon learns his mate will do anything to protect them. Even if there’s risk to herself.

  Chapter One

  Memphis turned his 4x4 pickup truck onto the gravel path that led up to his youngest brother’s cabin. Talon was supposed to be waiting outside for him. They were going to make the short trip to the small town of Canyon Creek, where they lived in Montana, to pick up a few items at the general store. Since they both needed to go, they’d decided to drive together.

  Talon stood from where he’d sat on his porch as Memphis stopped in front of the log cabin. After his brother climbed into the passenger side, Memphis did a three-point turn to leave the way he’d come.

  “So no mate brand yet?” Talon asked once they were on the main gravel road on their family’s land.

  “No. Don’t worry. You’ll be the first person I tell when it happens.” Memphis shot Talon a hard look. “And you can stop asking me every damn day. It’s starting to get on my nerves.”

  Talon and his family were wolf shifters, which meant they were born wolves with the ability to take on human form. He had five brothers. They’d all been born in the same litter thirty years ago. Once a male of their kind reached that age, they became mate branded, the sign that it was time to find the woman meant for them. The brand, when it’d appear on his neck where it met his shoulder, would be black. It’d have intricate Celtic-styled knot work in a circular design that surrounded a pair of wolves that stood and faced each other with their heads thrown back on a howl. After he claimed his mate, the black knot work would change color, taking on the jewel tones of reds, blues and greens. The same marking would appear on her in the exact same place on her body.

  Male siblings born at the same time were mate branded in order of birth. Since Memphis’ three older brothers, Kiel, Cyrus and Gage, had already been and had found and claimed their mates, he was next in line. After him would be Rhett and then Talon, the last born. His brother wasn’t exactly keen on finding his mate. No matter, though. Whether Talon wanted it or not, it would happen. And he would claim his mate. He’d have no choice. Once the brand appeared on a male’s skin, he had three weeks to find and claim his mate or he’d lose his humanity forever. He’d then be no different than the wild gray wolves that roamed free in this part of Montana.

  Talon let loose with a low, rumbling growl. “Excuse me for wanting to be prepared for when my doom hits.”

  Memphis chuckled. “Being branded and having to find and claim a mate isn’t something I’d consider a male’s doom.”

  “Speak for yourself.”

  “That wandering eye of yours, and other body parts, will soon be brought to a stop. Since you’ve practically worked your way through all the unmated females in the three closest wolf shifter packs, and left some of them not in good terms, you’d better hope your mate ends up human.”

  Their three older brothers had human mates. As far as his family knew, they were the first not to have claimed a female of their kind. Memphis had a feeling his mate, along with Rhett’s and Talon’s, would be human as well. It stood to reason that all six of them would since they were from the same litter. That in itself was a bit of an oddity for wolf shifters as well. Most litters consisted of four cubs, not six.

  “If I had my way, I wouldn’t have a mate. I really don’t know if I can be happy with just one female. There’s a good chance I’m not made to be mated.”

  Memphis shook his head. “Don’t be an idiot. Once you’re mate branded and find your mate, you’ll be changing your tune. It’s not something you’ll be able to ignore. Look how far Cyrus went to claim Jaimie.”

  Cyrus had become mated not that long ago. When he’d found Jaimie, she’d been in the hospital, days close to death from cancer. Unable to lose her so soon after finding her, Cyrus had bitten Jaimie to claim her with the hopes of saving her life. Human mates were able to heal at a much faster rate, and from just about anything, once claimed. It’d worked, and the two of them were more than happy.

  “I know I won’t be able to just wish it away,” Talon said. “It doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.”

  Memphis smiled. “I still think you’ll be singing a different tune when your time comes.”

  They’d arrived in town, and Memphis pulled into a parking spot on the street close to the front of the general store, which was a coffee shop and Laundromat as well. It wasn’t until he’d shut off the engine that he noticed the group of people standing by the entrance to the building. They seemed to be having a heated conversation with lots of hand waving and stern faces.

  “What do you think that’s all about?” Talon asked.

  “I have no idea. I guess we’ll find out soon enough since they’re standing right where we have to go.”

  He and Talon got out of the pickup and headed for the sidewalk. As they walked down it, Memphis easily heard the loud conversation taking place. Since their voices were raised, he didn’t need his sensitive wolf shifter hearing to do so. He and his brother stopped a short distance away from the others.

  A pretty woman with long, auburn hair appeared to be arguing with some locals about the hunting of wolves. She was against it while the locals were for it. It was a subject Memphis and his family felt strongly about, and were on the side of the woman.

  “The wolves need to be protected,” the woman said when Memphis and Talon had almost reached the group. “They could easily become endangered once again.”

  “They were delisted from protection under the Endangered Species Act so obviously the government doesn’t think they will,” retorted Brad, one of the locals who raised cattle. “The damn animals have taken down some of my livestock. I have no sympathy for them when they jeopardize my livelihood.”

  Even though she was tall for a woman—Memphis guessed her to be around five-foot-eight—Brad still was a few inches taller and had a heavyset frame. He’d gotten right up into her face as he’d spoken, but that didn’t have her backing down at all.

  “They still need to be protected,” she shot back.

  Brad glared at her. “Who are you to come here and tell me how I manage my land? You don’t live in Canyon Creek. You have no understanding of what it takes to make a living here. So don’t think you can arrive in our town and make demands on us.”

  The way the woman glared at Brad, Memphis could see this situation easily getting out of hand. It didn’t look as if any of the other spectators were inclined to step in before that happened. Memphis decided it was time for everyone to go their separate ways and cool off.

  He went to take a step in the woman’s direction and had two things happen at once. The urge and craving to mate slammed into him, causing him to come to a sudden standstill and catch his balance. The need was so bad he had to force himself to breathe through it. The burning sensation on the left side of his neck where it met his shoulder had him quietly hissing with pain as he brought his hand up and covered the spot. That only lasted a few seconds, but the arousal hadn’t diminished a bit.

  Memphis knew exactly what had happened. He’d been mate branded. Talon, who’d come up to stand beside him, turned his head in Memphis’ direction and sniffed the air.

  “Ah, man,” his brother said with a scowl. “You’ve got to be kidding me? Now? Like right now?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Damn, you stink.” Talon took a step away.

  Memphis did his best to ignore the next wave of arousal that hit him. As expected, his cock remained soft. His ability to get a hard-on was now gone until he found his mate, then he’d be back in working order. Until such time, his mind would be willing, but his body wouldn’t.

  The wind changed direction and blew the woman’s scent toward Memphis. He sucked in a sharp breath as his cock instantly went rock hard. The third surge of arousal that tore through him was more intense than the last, and had his scent stronger as well.

  Talon looked at Memphis, then at the woman and back again. “No way. She can’t be your mate.”

  “It would seem that she is. Something is ‘pointing’ right at her.”

  “What are the fucking chances that you get branded and then a few seconds later find your mate? At least your human likes wolves since she’s here hoping to protect our wild cousins.”

  Memphis didn’t reply to what Talon had said as he walked toward his mate. Brad was entirely too close to her for his liking. It was his right to protect her, and at this moment, Brad was a threat.

  He pushed his way between Brad and the woman, facing the other man. “Back off, Brad.” It took a lot of his self-control not to curl his upper lip in a snarl and growl as a warning.

  “Taking her side, Memphis?” Brad asked as he turned his gaze on him. “As a trapper by trade, I’d think you’d be against her the same as I am.”

  “My family and I don’t trap wolves, and we’d never go out of our way to hunt them.”

  Brad snorted. “Oh yeah, I forgot. You allow the wolves to live on your land. That could be one reason we have a problem with them killing our cattle.”

  Memphis had made the mistake of forming an acquaintance with Brad a few years ago. It was after he’d learned that the other man was a loudmouth and liked to throw his weight around did Memphis try to keep his distance whenever they both were in town. Usually he and his family didn’t go out of their way to be friends with the people of Canyon Creek. As wolf shifters, their lifespans were a lot longer than a human’s, at around a hundred and fifty years. After a while, it’d be noticeable that his family and he didn’t exactly age the way everyone else did.

  “You can say whatever you want,” Memphis said as he reached behind him and blindly took hold of the woman’s wrist. Just that small amount of contact sent a surge of pleasure through him. “I think the two of you have said everything you need to say on the subject of the wolves.”

  Without giving the woman a chance to agree or not, Memphis turned from the group of townsfolk and walked away as he pulled her along with him. Talon fell in to step on his other side as Memphis adjusted his grip on her wrist. She had to walk at a fast pace to keep up with his longer strides.

  Once they were a short distance away from the others, she said, “Thanks for diffusing the situation back there, but you can let go of me now.”

  “Not yet.”

  He kept her walking until they were half a block from the general store. He stopped and turned to face her. Memphis ran his gaze over her face. Blue eyes stared back at him. She had a pert little nose and lush lips he craved to taste. Her long, auburn hair was shoulder length. He itched to touch it to test its softness.

  His gaze still on hers, he asked, “What’s your name?”

  *

  “It’s Tori.”

  Tori met Memphis’ gaze and tried not to let what she felt show on the outside. Her heart beat at a faster rate and she was a little breathless. It had nothing to do with the fact she’d had to walk at a fast clip to keep up with him.

  No, it had everything to do with the fact she found him utterly gorgeous. First laying eyes on him, her body had stood up and yelled, Hell, yes. Memphis’ straight, black hair was on the longish side, and his light green eyes were enough to have her breath catching when they were focused on her. He was also tall, somewhere close to six-foot-five, which at her height she liked. Same with his very muscular body. She couldn’t forget about that.

  “Nice to meet you, Tori,” he said. “I’m Memphis.” He gestured toward the man with them. “And this is my brother, Talon.”

  Talon had similar looks as Memphis, right down to the same hair, eye color and build. There was no mistaking them as siblings. Talon gave her a smile Tori was sure had made more than one woman weak in the knees.

  “Hi,” said Talon. “It was pretty gutsy of you to take on Brad and the others like that.”

  She shrugged. “That’s what I do. I work for a foundation for the preservation of wildlife that are threatened with extinction or when their numbers decrease because of humans. Be it from hunting or loss of habitat. We go to affected areas and try to educate people to prevent a species from dying out.”

  “So you’re an animal activist,” Memphis said.

  “I wouldn’t say we go that far. I’m a wildlife biologist and specialize in wolves.”

  “Which means you study them as well as try to protect them, correct?”

  “Yes. I have my degree in wildlife biology from the University of Montana.”

  Talon looked at his brother and said with a laugh, “She specializes in wolves.” He waggled his eyebrows.

  Memphis rolled his eyes. “Grow up, Talon. Why don’t you go to the general store and pick up the things we need while I stay here with Tori.”

  “Fine. I’m going. Meet you back at the truck.”

  Talon turned in the direction they’d come and walked away. Tori stared after him, not sure what he thought was so funny about wolves being her study of choice. She turned her gaze on Memphis.

  “Ignore Talon,” he said. “He likes to be a smart ass at times.”

  “Okay,” she said. “Well, thanks again. I guess I’ll see you around since I plan to be in Canyon Creek for the next four weeks.”

  “Where are you staying?”

  “I thought to look for a bed and breakfast in town.”

  “There isn’t one.”

  “Oh.”

  Tori hadn’t thought to check first to see if there was when she’d planned this trip. She’d just assumed there would be something available. Most other towns had had at least one B & B. She had to admit Canyon Creek was the smallest she’d been to. Now she’d have to find a place to stay.

  She then remembered what Brad had said about Memphis and his family allowing wild wolves to live on their property, and that Memphis had said they didn’t trap them or go out of their way to hunt them. Part of her trip to Canyon Creek was to study some of the wild gray wolves that lived in this part of Montana.

  “The closet hotel is in—”

  Tori hurriedly cut Memphis off. “What about your land?”

  He gave her a questioning look. “I don’t follow.”

  “Would you and your family allow me to stay on your property? I can buy everything I’d need for camping and sleep in a tent. I can use it as a base to study the wolves in the area.”

  “I can answer for all my family and say you can, but if you really want to do that, you don’t need to sleep in a tent. You can stay in my cabin. I can sleep somewhere else if you aren’t comfortable with me there.”

  Tori shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. I actually like camping. I don’t want to put you out. A tent is fine.”

  “If you insist, but I’m going to suggest you don’t camp too far out in the bush. Bears do come onto our land from time to time. A tent isn’t much protection against one. Plus, that way you can come to my cabin to use the bathroom and eat your meals.”

  “All right. If you can give me directions to your cabin, I’ll meet you there in a few hours. I don’t suppose I’ll be able to buy the camping equipment here in town?”

  “Not really. You’re best to go to Helena to find the things you’ll need. It’s about a half hour from here.”

  “I know. I passed through the city on the way to Canyon Creek.” Tori took out a notebook that she kept in her purse and a pen and handed them to Memphis. “You can write the directions to your place in this.”

  Once he did, he handed the items back. “I’ll see you in a few hours then. I’ll inform the rest of my family so they won’t think you’re trespassing.”

  Tori smiled. “Sounds good. See you later.”

  She left Memphis and headed toward the general store where she’d left her car. Tori resisted the urge to look back at him. The arrangements she’d made with him were perfect. It would have her close to the wild wolves, and gave her access to Memphis. She definitely wanted to get to know him better. The entire time they’d spoken, she’d had to repeatedly stop herself from wanting to get closer, to bury her nose against his chest and take a big sniff. He’d smelled so damn good, and it had gotten even better the longer they’d talked. His scent had made her wet, and had filled her mind with thoughts of hot and sweaty sex that would last all night.

 

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