Luke couldn’t bear it. He sat up and ran his hands through his hair, as he listened to Kayley in the next room. She tossed and turned in her sleep and every now and again a low tormented moan left her lips. His extra sensitive hearing easily picked up every sigh, every subtle movement.
She’d stayed over last night, more relaxed after they’d watched two movies. She’d spent the day, mostly with Will, but Luke witnessed her growing ease around Sean. The two joked and laughed as they lounged by the pool. To Luke’s dismay, he still sensed her caution whenever he personally spent any time around the young woman.
After a lazy day, the pack retired to bed late, sated by a large meal and copious wine. Now Kayley dreamed, and it wasn’t a good dream. He could smell her fear, more; he could sense her distress on a deeper level. So quickly did he grow attuned to her emotional frequency, despite trying to hold back?
He gave a low, almost moan in the back of his throat, body on edge, wanting to run in there and soothe her, hold her. Just to be with her.
“Luke?” Sean touched his shoulder. “Slow, remember?”
“I know but she’s in pain in there.” Luke bit his lip as a louder cry emanated from the room beyond.
Images flickered into his mind for a brief moment, of a man leaning in, fists clenched. One blink and they were gone. At times like these, Luke cursed his so-called sight.
His powers were not easily controlled. Partly because he’d never fully trained them. Sometimes, he read people’s feelings; at others they were closed books. His visions were vague, and mostly came to him in dream form. Often they were mere flashes that only made sense after the event occurred. The only truly powerful glimpses of the future he received had come from the dreams featuring his mates. Then he’d feel the bond as strongly as if they were with him in the flesh. He’d wake with an aching heart as he once again lost the connection to two people he knew were out there in the world somewhere.
His mother wanted him to improve his skills, honor his Shaman blood, but Luke preferred to focus on his physical strengths.
He rubbed weary, gritty eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. A headache pounded behind his temples. Finally, after sixty long, hard years of intense dreams, he’d found both his mates. Sadly, one of them lay separated by a thick wall and so much hurt and baggage he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to break through.
A wave of love swept over Luke as he remembered how accepting Sean had been of the situation when Luke had told him he’d always dreamed of having two mates. “You come first. You know that right?” He propped himself up on one elbow as he stared down at Sean. “If you told me right now to forget this, to turn around and go back to Alaska? I would.” And he would, he’d put Sean first. However painful.
“You mean that, don’t you?” Sean’s voice was sleep gruff as he leaned into Luke, inhaling deeply and tickling Luke’s neck. “It would half kill you, but I really believe that you mean it. If I asked you, you’d walk away.”
“Of course.” Luke ran a hand through Sean’s hair, loving the feel of his familiar waves. “I know what you went through before we found one another. I know what that bastard you used to have to call a mate did to you. I’ll never make you feel like nothing, like your opinions don’t count, like you don’t count.”
“I know, and I love to hear you say so, but I kind of like her myself and…” A hand snaked into Luke’s hair as Sean trailed off, and pulled him down, taking his mouth in a kiss. Luke responded instantly, deepening the kiss further as he pushed Sean against the mattress with a guttural sound.
Sean arched up into him. He flicked his tongue against Luke’s lips and swept in when Luke parted for him.
“Luke?” Sean pulled away, his eyes wide and pupils dark in the dim light of the room. “I don’t want you to worry about me.”
Luke groaned, not wanting to stop as he ground into Sean again, and kissed him once more, cutting him off.
Sean laughed softly against his mouth, and it tickled his lips. “I’m trying to talk here. It’s always the sex with you. You’re like a firecracker; always ready to go off.”
“You lit my fuse.” Luke tossed Sean a wink, and continued to run his hands over bare, warm skin as he willed himself to listen.
“I love to hear you’d do it, for me, but I don’t want you to walk away. Hell, I don’t want to walk away. Maybe at first I would have, when we were together at the start.”
Sean pushed himself up slightly and rested back against the pillows. “If I’m honest, I didn’t love the idea of sharing you back then, but now? Now, I share your connection to her, through our bond. I’ve dreamed of her, too, and I’ve spent time with her since she came here, and I like her. I’m attracted to her too, which let me tell you is weird for me, with her being female and all.” He chuckled. “Still doesn’t change things. We need to take it slow. She’s Will’s cousin. This is a messed up situation. I’m still not sure why you didn’t sense her for all those years. Why our dreams stopped for so long. There’s something weird about the whole thing.” He chewed his lip and Luke bit back his desire to kiss him all over again.
“Maybe we’re wrong about her?” Sean said. “I mean…a human? Shifters don’t often mate humans, and she’s such a fragile girl. She’s spent years struggling with panic attacks and Will says she needed antidepressant medication for—”
“Of course!” Luke sat up. “The med’s.”
“What?” Sean looked lost.
“Will told us Kayley took antidepressants for years, right?” As he spoke, Luke believed he’d found his answer. “She’s only recently come off them. They could be why we lost all sense of her. Maybe the drugs muted the connection somehow? I’m no scientist but it makes sense.”
Sean slowly nodded. “Maybe. Or, perhaps the trauma itself caused it. She shut down so much we lost her? Either way, it’s yet another reason we need to take this slow.”
His mate might be right, was right, but it still hurt to put the brakes on. Kayley had suffered through something so devastating, Luke only wanted to love her and keep her safe, but in order to have any chance to do so, he needed to stamp down on his alpha nature and let her lead. His wolf growled at the idea. Yeah, yeah, calm down, Luke told it.
Sean worried him, too. What if he only thought he wanted this? Because Luke wanted it? God, the way he idolized Luke it wouldn’t be a stretch. But then it wasn’t surprising after the shit Sean had gone through at the hands of his old alpha.
Sean had suffered the misfortune of spending years mated to James McFarlane, leader of the Scottish Crows pack. That man was one brutal bastard, and he’d tormented Sean for years while they’d been mated.
Deep down, Luke feared he and McFarlane weren’t a million miles apart. He possessed the same need to own, to take what he craved. Sean would never know how many times Luke came close to losing it and simply claiming the blond as he gentled him, as Sean put it. Sean might see the good in Luke, the ruthless control he held over his alpha nature, but Luke knew what lurked beneath his tightly locked down surface.
A cry echoed from the room next door, followed by a sob and a clear no.
“Do you think I should go get Will?” Sean frowned, the vertical worry crease between his eyebrows deepening.
“You go.”
“What?” Sean’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “What part of take it slow don’t you understand?”
“I am taking it slow. It’s why I’m sending you.” Luke couldn’t resist and leaned down to brush his lips over Sean’s mouth again, tasting toothpaste and the faint cinnamon flavor of Sean himself.
“Kayley needs to get to know us, to learn she can trust us if we’re to ever have a chance of being together. That’s the bottom line. You go in there, wake her up, be friendly, comforting. Do your Sean thing.”
“My Sean thing?” His partner stared at him as if he’d grown another head.
“Yeah. You know what I mean, don’t act all innocent. You’ve got this thing going on and it makes people warm to you, trust you. You can take candy from a baby.”
“I’ll have you know taking candy from a baby is a piece of cake. I bet even a big, bad scary wolf like you could do it.”
Luke chuckled and nipped gently at Sean’s earlobe, relishing the gasp Sean made in response. “Christ, I want you. Want to flip you over and fuck you ‘til you can’t speak.” He ground his aching cock into Sean’s hip, letting him know how true his words were.
Another low sob reached them. Luke groaned. “But you need to go see if she’s okay.”
Sean licked his lips. “You sure you’re okay with that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know? The whole possessive alpha deal?” Sean ground back against him, slow and sensual.
Luke savored his mates answering erection pressing into him, his cock twitching in anticipation of a treat it wasn’t about to get.
“Do you think I’m going to stop you two getting together without me? If we bond there’ll be times you two might get it on without me there, and I’ll be okay with it. In fact.” He grinned down at Sean. “The idea makes me horny.”
“Everything makes you horny,” Sean said.
“Nah. Not true. You make me horny, she makes me horny, that’s about it.” Suddenly an image flashed into Luke’s mind, violence so brutal it made him reel. “Fuck.” He pressed his palm against his forehead, willing the pictures to stop and trying to hold off the searing pain accompanying them.
“What is it?” Sean grabbed hold of his bicep, steadying him.
“You’ve got to go wake her up; she’s having a terrible nightmare. She’s dreaming about the attack.” He forced the words out through clenched teeth.
“Okay. I’m going. I know you won’t relax until I go and look after her. And if my presence doesn’t help, I’ll go get Will or Julie to sit with her. I love you.” Sean gave him a last lingering kiss before sliding out the bed and stepping across the room to pull on his pajamas.
“Take a painkiller or your head will split all night.” He gave a small wave as he left.
Luke rested his head back and sighed deeply. In truth, he wasn’t completely okay with Sean going in there without him. Not because of jealousy, but because he couldn’t bear being apart from them both, knowing they were mere feet away. But he thought Kayley would be more comfortable with Sean. He’d picked up on how much more relaxed she’d become around his mate as the day progressed.
Another flash of imagery assaulted him. He turned his face into the pillow and scrunched his forehead up against a fresh wave of pain.
* * * *
He ran at her, arm raised, crazy grin on his face. “Don’t fucking talk to me like that, you bitch.” Kayley tried to get away but he grabbed her, held on hard. Dane’s features twisted in hate as he backhanded her across the face. She fell to the floor, fear twisting her gut. Suddenly the room changed, she wasn’t in their old apartment anymore, she stood in a bright, airy condo and all around her were dead bodies. She recognized Julie, her throat torn open, eyes staring unseeing, Taylor was laying in a pool of blood and Will, oh God Will, was curled on the floor, unmoving.
Dane advanced on her; a demonic grin covering his face.
“They’re all gone. No one to protect you now.”
She knew it couldn’t be true. Luke and Sean, they weren’t part of the carnage. They would come, they would protect her.
“I’m going to kill you. Finish the job off properly. You can’t ever escape me, Kayley. Do you hear me? Never!”
She screamed and screamed.
“Kayley? Hey, Kayley!”
A cry escaped her as the fog of the dream lifted, jerking her back to reality and leaving her dazed. Kayley gasped as she surfaced to full consciousness, heart hammering, and skin damp with perspiration. Safe. She was safe, in her room at the beach house, visiting with Will.
Sean sat on the edge of the bed. The lamp he turned on cast a warm glow over his features. Normally her instinctive reaction to any man other than Adam in her bedroom would be unease. Somehow though, Sean’s presence soothed her. His open, friendly face made her want to reach out, connect with people again.
“You were dreaming. You were screaming and shouting in your sleep, I thought I ought to wake you up.” He didn’t try to touch her, and she slowly relaxed.
“I had a bad nightmare.” She didn’t feel like sharing further. Simply wanted to stop shaking.
“You need anything? A drink of water? Brandy?”
“No…thanks. I think I’ll try and sleep some more.” A wave of melancholy so strong she could taste it slammed into her. Loneliness and sadness had her belly clenching so hard, she wrapped her arms around herself and held on.
“Don’t be sad.” Sean did reach out this time, and he stroked a gentle hand through her hair. “You’re not alone.”
How did he know?
“I can stay if you like? For a while, until you fall back to sleep.”
Before she could reply, Sean pulled his whole body up on the bed, curled around her and held on. It should panic her, this stranger wrapping her in his arms. It didn’t. It felt so very, very good.
The comforter separated them, the situation not remotely sexual, and this put her at ease. Instead, Sean offered warmth and friendship. Years of not getting held, not being touched, except for the odd hug, fell away as the warmth of contact with another person seeped into her, bone deep. His unique scent curled around her and warmed her inside as surely as his arms heated her outside. It reminded her of baking cookies. He smelled as delectable as he looked.
“You should go. Shouldn’t you? I mean won’t…won’t Luke be angry?” She paused for a moment not liking the niggling fear worming its way back into her gut. “He might take this the wrong way. He’s your partner, and you shouldn’t be in here cuddling with me.”
Sean laughed, the sound taking her utterly by surprise. “Oh, baby girl. Luke sent me in here, to see if you were okay. We heard you shouting out. He gets the impression you’re more comfortable with me, that you’re still maybe a bit wary of him.” Sean’s voice dropped as he spoke. “He won’t be angry. Shhhh. Close your eyes and relax for once. You’re safe now, here with us. Will’s your family and he’s part of our team, which makes you part of the team too. It’s how we roll.” He yawned against her hair, his body relaxed and boneless against hers.
A few moments wouldn’t hurt. It wasn’t as if he’d try anything sexual, he had a partner, and his partner happened to be extremely male, so clearly Sean didn’t go for the feminine type. Just a few more moments of his delicious heat, the wonderful sensation of strong arms encircling her, the gentle, reassuring sounds of another human close by, heart beating, breath gently moving in and out. Only a few moments…then she’d make him leave.
Gulls cried out noisily. Kayley remained completely still, reveling in feeling relaxed and rested for once. She’d not slept so well in years.
As she’d drifted into oblivion, her last memory was the sound of the door clicking softly shut behind Sean as he went back to Luke. He’d held her for a long while before leaving. Sean didn’t do anything but wrap her in his arms and stroke her hair and it had been comforting, and friendly, and warm, all those nice things.
Now though, his lingering scent on the sheets worked like some sort of voodoo, unleashing an erotic kaleidoscope of images. She shivered as she threw the cover back, her skin alive with the idea of Sean doing much more than merely lying beside her. Flashes of him touching her, kissing her, trailing his strong hands over her skin flew behind her closed lids. With a determined shake of her head, Kayley snapped her eyes open and banished all such thoughts. A cold shower beckoned.
By the time she’d showered and dressed, and gone downstairs, Kayley found an empty house. She glanced at the table and saw a note addressed to her in Will’s familiar hand. She picked it up and quickly skimmed its contents. Will, Taylor, and Sean had gone for supplies. They’d be back in an hour or so. That left her alone with Julie and Luke, but there wasn’t any sign of them. Perhaps they’d gone out together? She could only hope. The thought of Luke still put her on edge and made her anxious…slightly off kilter. Something about his powerful presence both attracted and unnerved her in equal measure.
Opening the fridge, Kayley grabbed a carton of orange juice and poured herself a large glass. Sunshine streamed through the windows, inviting her outside. The morning sun hit her skin, warming her as she walked through the double doors and out onto the steps leading to the pool. It looked like they were due another unseasonably hot day.
Ah, the blessed warmth! She tipped her head back and smiled. She still loved the light and heat of Florida, even after all these years. Light danced across her skin as she walked toward the pool, followed by the welcome ghost of a soft breeze. The sun lounges looked inviting, and she guessed it wouldn’t hurt to sit while she finished her juice.
A splash caught her eye, and she turned to see Luke slicing powerfully through the water, his long, lean form sleek and purposeful. Just her luck to run into the one person she didn’t want to see. She turned and headed quickly back toward the house.
“Hey.” His deep voice called out to her.
Crap. She pivoted around slowly; one foot perched on the first step, her torso twisted.
Luke started to pull himself out of the pool. She could hardly run back to the house now. With trepidation, she headed over to a chair.
Luke popped out of the water as if he weighed nothing. He shook himself, the way a dog might, drops sparkling as they fell from his body. As he moved toward her, Kayley tensed, on full alert.
On the one hand, she’d walk into a war zone with Luke by her side. She barely knew him, but she was aware, deep in her very soul, he’d protect her. Physically, she’d never felt safer with anyone, but a man like Luke could be very dangerous indeed to her fragile emotions. He’s too sexy by far and you’re out of your depth girl, a little voice in her brain chided.
She frantically tried to think of something to say about the previous night and Sean’s visit, but the sight of Luke walking toward her, wearing not very much, short-circuited her brain. Christ, look at him. The man would put a Greek god in the shade!
What really got her staring was his ink. The work caught her eye as he sat down next to her. She’d seen the wolf mark on Taylor, but Luke carried much more art on his body. A large shark wrapped around his meaty right bicep. It looked Inuit in style, like the wolf. Above his left pectoral muscle a bird of prey perched, profile on. Utterly uncompromising in their beauty, they reminded her of Luke himself. She could also see some sort of design on his right calf muscle but couldn’t make it out clearly from the angle.
“Did you sleep okay?” He didn’t seem angry as he spoke to her, his low voice dragging her gaze away from his artwork to his face.
“Yeah. Look…I’m sorry I woke you. And erm…Sean…he…” She trailed off. She honestly didn’t know what to say.
He considered her for a moment, gray eyes calm. “You were making awful noises. Must’ve been a bad dream.” His words were measured, his tone gentle. She could taste the powerful force of his personality though, even as she sensed he held it back. Charisma rolled from him in waves, so different to the warmth and open friendliness of Sean.
“I’ve had the nightmare before, or versions of it. It seemed more intense last night. So real.”
“Do you want to tell me about it?” Those gray eyes found hers again, holding her captive.
Not sure why, Kayley suddenly did want to talk, to spill her soul to this man with the compelling eyes and the beautiful smile. Words she’d not uttered for a long time tripped off her tongue, as if he pulled them forth by magic itself.
“I was attacked four years ago by my boyfriend, Dane. It came completely out of the blue. He’d never been violent before; with me, I mean. He was kind of a bad boy, part of the appeal, I suppose. He used to get into fights with the boys but never anything serious, so far as I knew. I found out later he was head of a local gang. One night he and I tossed back some beer with his friends, and he lost big at a card game, so I teased him some.”
Hands shaking, she lifted her glass to her lips and took a slow sip of the sharply sweet juice. Luke had probably learned the basics from Will, but she told him anyway. “I made a stupid, joking comment after his friends left, and he lost it. Came at me, kicked and punched me. I fell over, and he just carried on kicking me while I curled up in a ball trying to protect myself.”
Luke made a low sound. It reverberated in his chest as a muscle ticked repeatedly along his jaw. It fascinated her, so she watched it for a brief moment.
“The last thing I remember is Dane grabbing a bottle from behind and bringing it down on me. I dream about it over and over again. About him.” She felt her voice break and tried to wrestle back some control. “He cut me, while I was passed out. On my stomach, over my side and my back. Made a mess of me.” She paused, needing a moment to compose herself.
“I blamed myself, you know. At first at least, because of teasing him. But I learned his actions were nothing to do with me, and everything to do with his anger at the situation he found himself in. The police told me afterward that he’d lost three members and a stash of drugs to a rival gang the day before. He took it all out on me.”
“He deserved to die. If he weren’t already dead, I’d find him and do it myself.” Luke’s face twisted, the savage, guttural words shocking her with their intensity.
Not sure what to say to such an impassioned vow, she stared down at her hands.
“I’m sorry. Forgive me. I scared you.” His words were odd, stilted. Sometimes, he reminded her of the characters in old black and white movies, formal and removed. As if his words, his very being even, were just a façade covering up a much more primitive creature altogether. “Please, go on.”
To her surprise, despite his violent words of moments before, she found herself doing as he asked. “I find it hard to trust people now. Find it hard to sleep through the night. I can’t travel. I’m so pathetic I’ve not left the city limits in four years? I ran. I can’t forgive myself for running instead of staying and fighting,” she sighed, nibbling on her cheek.
Luke reached forward and took hold of her hand; his warm skin tingled against hers with the same exchange of energy she experienced whenever they touched.
“You’re not pathetic. You left everything behind and came somewhere you didn’t know anyone, and you did so partly to protect your family, according to Will. And instead of giving in, you made a new life for yourself, far away from loved ones and while still healing from something terrible. That takes strength. It’s not the absence of fear that makes us strong, it’s coping with the fear. You did cope with it and you survived. You’re a survivor, Kayley.”
She’d never looked at it from such a perspective. Instead she always felt as if she were somehow weak, because of the flashbacks and night terrors and places she couldn’t bear to be.
“You know.” He paused, glanced down before looking right at her, his incredible eyes sparkling with amusement. “I’ve got a fear of spiders. And they’ve never done anything to me! Now who is pathetic?” He laughed.
“Spiders?” She joined in with his laughter. “You?”
“Yep. No spider has ever harmed me, but I can’t stand the creepy bastards. I always get Sean to kill them. No one else knows. Be bad for my image.”
“I’ll keep it between the three of us.” She crossed her heart, secretly thrilled at the idea he’d shared something personal, no matter how small.
“Why don’t you take some time out, laze around the pool, and relax.” He shot her a blinding smile, white teeth flashing and dimples winking on either side of his delectable mouth.
Relax? Easy enough for him to say. How could she relax when his pheromones were wreaking havoc on every system in her body? Right now, she didn’t want to relax. Right now all she wanted to do, ached to do, was touch. To let her fingers trail over all his tanned, smooth skin. To discern those powerful muscles as they flexed and shifted.
Boldly, hand shaking, she reached out and tentatively stroked down the lines of his bird tattoo, over his pectoral muscle and down toward his nipple. He followed her progress with hooded eyes, and when he looked up, his expression blew her mind.
Predatory didn’t come close to describing it. He didn’t look like he wanted to catch her. No, he looked like he’d already caught her and wanted to eat her alive. Desire zipped through her, a lightning bolt shooting from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She squirmed for a second, startled by the power of the sensation. With a move so sudden she didn’t see it coming, Luke snaked out one hand and grabbed her wrist, stilling her exploring fingers. He covered her hand with his, and she felt his heart beat, strong and sure, beneath her palm.
His gaze cleared, focused, as if he’d snapped out of a daze. He gently laid her hand on her knee, thumb stroking the inside of her wrist for one long beat, before he let go completely and stood.
“Let me fix you breakfast.” He stretched and flexed his muscles.
“No. I’ll fix breakfast. After all, you’re all so friendly, letting me stay so I can see more of Will. Besides, I make a mean hash brown.”
His stomach rumbled noisily and he glanced down with a smile. “It’s Pavlovian. Mention hash browns and I’m all yours.”
Oh, if only it were so easy. She hid her smirk and followed him up the steps and into the chill blast of the air conditioning, letting it cool her overheated skin and calm her overwrought mind.