Hour of the Lion

Fuck, it couldn’t be more than twenty degrees. She shivered, her feet burning on the frozen ground. Forget sex; find me a fire. She backed up to the threshold.

Calum’s eyes caught hers, darkened. “Trawsfur. Now.”

It felt as if he’d shoved her through that weird shifter door in her head. How did he do that? The tingling washed over her skin, sank deep inside, and she could almost feel her bones changing. She dropped to all fours and chuffed a complaint at him. But at least the snow didn’t freeze her paws. Her lifemating bracelets gleamed on her front leg, half-buried in thick tawny fur, and delight washed away her irritation.

Still in human form, Alec leaned over, stroked her back. As his scent curled around her, heady and powerful, she purred and butted her head against his bare leg. He put his hand underneath her muzzle. “Vixen,” he said. His grin was carnal. Dangerous. “Run.”

Without him? It must be part of the ritual. So she leaped away, bounding up the mountain, the snow flying behind her. Her muscles stretched and warmed, and a minute later, she heard the men behind her. The scent of their musk on the wind changed something inside her and heated her blood. Her leaps grew longer, stronger.

A shadow-Calum’s dark fur-flashed through the trees to her left. He ran in front of her, his powerful grace mesmerizing.

She barely saw a movement to the right before it struck, blindsiding her, and tumbling her onto her side. Her paws scrambled uselessly in the snow for a second. Too long.

Even as she rolled back onto her stomach, the golden cougar was on her. Alec. His teeth closed on her neck, holding her securely. His front paws wrapped around her, pinning her in place, and heat rose within her at the feel of his body on top of hers. She yowled, almost maddened by the all-consuming craving that roared through her. His purr deafened her ears as she lifted her hind quarters to him, need gripping her even more savagely than his claws.

He entered her, long, hot, and hard, almost painful with his urgency. She took him in, filled with him, the feeling dizzying. And suddenly, they were human, her breasts swayed with his thrusts, her hands buried in the snow. His grip-human fingers-tightened on her hips as he hammered into her from the rear, deep and fast. She braced herself on her forearms, pushing back to meet him. Each thrust sent shivers through her, the sensations more and more compelling, until she screamed as she exploded, coming over and over in massive shudders.

With the roar of a conqueror, he spasmed inside her, filling her with hot seed.

Shaken at the suddenness of the mating, the strangeness, she could only quiver under him and try to get her thoughts together.

As he withdrew, she hissed at the emptiness, the loss.

He rumbled a laugh. “Our mate.” He kissed her cheek before standing. As the moonlight glinted over his skin, he blurred into a cougar again. She felt the tingle and without warning, she was in animal shape.

Confused, she started to turn to face him. What the hell is going on? He bit her sharply on her hind leg, then again, spurring her up the mountain.

Bastard male. Running hard, she left him behind. She didn’t need him, didn’t need anyone, only herself and her powerful body. The moon rose over the eastern peaks, flooding the snow-filled forest with an eerie glow. The air was sharp enough to cut and scented with pine. Her blood sang joyfully with the rhythm of her paws.

As she ran beneath a cliff, something moved on the overhang, and a dark cougar landed on her, pinning her flat.

Calum. His muzzle rubbed over her fur, engulfing her in his scent, before he sank his teeth into her neck. She lunged forward, trying to escape, and his claws curled into her sides in warning. His fierceness sent need sizzling in her veins even as his heavy weight pinned her in place. Heat blazed through her, and she lifted up to receive his savage thrust.

Oh God. His penetration blasted awake every nerve ending, and she pushed up higher.

As his cock hammered into her, somehow, somewhen, they shifted to human, and his bare chest rubbed against her back. His hands were implacable on her hips, not letting her move or evade him. He was hard and thick, filling her almost too full, and she was still sensitive from Alec’s use. His fingers found her breasts, her nipples, pinching just enough to send hot jolts of pleasure to her core. The burning inside grew, pulsing with his thrusts, becoming unendurable. His knees pressed hers outward until she opened fully, and he could slide into her even deeper.

Panting, she tried to move, but one arm curled around her stomach to hold her in place. Growling, he slowed, each stroke sending her closer. And then, with one final intense thrust, he ground into her, so deep, and a blizzard of pleasure engulfed her, spasm after spasm, as his own release came.

Legs trembling, she sagged in his embrace. He nuzzled her neck, his beard shadow scratching and making her shiver. “Beautiful Victoria,” he murmured. “Our mate.” As he slowly withdrew, he kissed her nape, his lips soft against the burning bitemarks. And whispered, “Run.”

Over and over through the night, she’d bound away, escaping in the moon-dappled forest. Each time, they’d trap her and then take her, shifting back and forth between human and cougar, giving her pleasure each time until the moon disappeared behind the western mountains. Until her legs in either form shook and she staggered.

As darkness crept across the world, the two male cougars joined her, one on each side, maneuvering her back to the cabin.

Shifting to human, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. Her legs gave out, and only Calum’s quick grip kept her from falling. Lifting her easily, he carried her to the blankets.

As Alec tossed a log onto the fire, Calum pulled her into his arms. Alec snuggled on the other side, sandwiching her between them.

“You guys have a really warped notion of a honeymoon,” she whispered, shivering a little at the memory of teeth biting her neck, claws holding her.

Alec’s hand cupped her breast, comfortingly, possessively. “Only lifemates who are all the same animal get to mate in both forms,” he murmured. “I love you, Vixen.”

Calum’s big palm settled warm against her stomach, his voice rumbled in her ear, “I love you, little cat.”

Chapter Twenty-five

Married. She was married. Well, yeah, so they called it lifemated, but it was really being married.

Vic turned off the shower and dashed into the bedroom. Calum had already left, and the clock said three o’clock. Talk about running really late, dammit.

It was this married stuff doing it too. Married. Over the past few days, she kept repeating the word, and her stomach quivered like fucking Jell-O each time. Whatever happened to planning out major life-altering events?

She’d never been so happy. Ever.

After yanking on a shirt and jeans, she smiled. Her life had started to feel almost normal-as normal as some bizarre furred-thingie family with two husbands could be.

With a ready-made daughter as part of the package. That was like…like…she didn’t even have the words. Jamie had actually known about Alec and Calum’s plans and cheered them on. She’d immediately started calling Vic MomVee, all one word. Vic smiled, her eyes stinging. Hell of a name. Funny how she’d felt so proud at earning the rank of sergeant. Yet this mother title was even more rewarding since Jamie’s love had come with it. Vic couldn’t get from one side of the house to the other without collecting a hug from the girl.

Or from the men either. She’d married two men. Or would that be two cats? That Mother goddess of theirs must have a truly odd idea of humor.

Then again, maybe She just had a well-developed sense of fun. Vic shook her head. A few days ago, Alec and Calum had woken her and Jamie up in the middle of the night to play in the forest-pouncing, stalking, and hunting.