that somehow appeared on the inhospitable Himalayan steppe so many eons ago, everything had changed. It was hard to say what was the biggest thing that had happened—shifting into a wolf, or meeting Adam, a man so tender and loving he made her ache with wanting. A man who claimed his only desire was to fix things.
Eve wondered if it was too late, if now that she’d left him, would he ever be able to fix her? Would he even want to?
Not if you keep running away, you idiot.
Nothing quite so sensitive as an inner critic. Eve moved the washcloth to her right breast. Her nipple tightened almost painfully when she scraped the sensitive tip with the cotton cloth, so she repeated the motion. Again. And again.
She shifted her hips against the wrinkled bedspread and her body felt all itchy and achy. She wanted to run. Wanted to shift and become the wolf and race through the forest. She hadn’t run tonight. She wanted the wild and cool forests of Montana, not the hot and humid parks and gardens around Tampa, Florida.
She wanted to hunt for rabbits and deer, not worry about stepping on a cottonmouth snake, or running full tilt into a hungry alligator.
What the hell was she doing here, anyway?
Idly rubbing at her taut nipple, Eve reached between her legs and stroked her clit with her other hand. The tiny nub stood upright, hard and slick with her cream. She bit back a frustrated moan. Her fingers weren’t enough. Her needs were too great, her body too desperate, aching for the heat and weight of a man.
She thought of the new vibrator in the table beside the bed. She’d never even used this one. Big and thick and perfectly formed to give her release, according to the advertising. Crap. Who was she trying to kid? It would take a lot more than plastic and batteries to ease the ache building inside.
Why had she even come back? When she was eighteen, she hadn’t been able to get out of town fast enough. Away from the foster care system, from abuse and emptiness and a sense she was always searching, always looking for something just out of reach. Keisha had referred to it as quiet desperation, that knowledge buried deep in the heart, always calling to those who shared the Chanku genetics. Hinting at more, at something just out of reach, some visceral knowledge yet to be discovered.
She’d found it in Montana with the pack of Chanku shapeshifters. Once she’d started taking the big, ugly brown capsules Anton gave her, once her body had received the nutrients it needed, completed its changes and she’d finally been able to shift, Eve discovered a side of her life she’d never imagined. Never dreamed existed.
She should have been happy there, finally at home. She could have been happy with Adam and Oliver, if only she’d been able to ignore the tugging sensation deep in her heart. She’d thought it was her need to be her own woman, to succeed entirely on her own. Now that she was here, living alone and feeling lonelier than she ever had in her life, Eve knew that wasn’t it at all. There was something more, something still unexplained.
For whatever reason, it had called her back to Tampa. Until she knew what fate held in store for her, Eve knew she couldn’t leave.
She sat up on the edge of the bed, her mind filled with thoughts of Adam. She missed him. Damn, she hardly knew the man, yet the image of his tall, rangy body filled her heart and her mind. Made her body anxious and miserable with wanting.
Did he feel the same? Had he missed her over these three long weeks? Would he come to her? Why should he? Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. He’s just found his sister and his mother, and a new family in the Montana pack. Why would he come after me?
She glanced toward the window. Through the slightly parted curtain she saw the cherry ‘51 Ford pickup parked outside her room. Black and shiny beneath the parking lot lights, it gleamed with lots of chrome and expensive paint. The truck had been a loan from Anton Cheval, but he wanted it back by July 20, in time for his packmate—and lover’s—birthday.
Stefan’s birthday was just a little over a week away, and Eve still wasn’t sure why she was even here. She really didn’t want to go back without finding out what had drawn her to Florida in the first place, but she’d promised Anton she’d return the truck.
Unless, of course, she couldn’t. Maybe because it wasn’t running?
Grinning broadly, Eve grabbed a fresh cotton gown and slipped it over her head. She went outside, lifted the hood on the truck and stared at the myriad bits and parts of whatever made the darned thing run.
She shrugged, looked around to see if anyone was watching her. Then she reached inside and pulled a few wires loose. For added measure, she tugged a couple of unidentifiable things completely free and tossed them inside the cab. Then she went back inside her motel room and placed a call to Montana.
Adam threw an extra pair of clean jeans into the sports bag and zipped it shut just as Oliver walked into the room. He glanced up. “Are you ready, Ollie? Got your bags packed?”
Oliver shrugged and sat on the edge of the bed. Small and dark, yet always meticulous in both dress and action, he took a moment before answering. “Are you certain you want me to come? I invited myself along when you said you were going after Eve. I did it without thinking, but I don’t want to intrude.”
Adam shook his head, but he couldn’t hold back the laugh. Damn, he was going to see Eve again whether she wanted him or not. Of course, if she’d called Keisha to say the truck wasn’t running, she must have known who would be sent to fix it.
“You’re going with me, bud. We’re taking the Jeep and someone needs to drive it home. I’ll be traveling back with Eve. I’m not letting her out of my sight once I find her.”
“You’re certain?” Oliver sat a bit straighter.
“Of course. That is…do you think Anton will let you go?”
Oliver smiled. “Unlike my first master, Anton doesn’t own me, but I checked to be sure. He said he and the others will manage without me. However, he didn’t sound happy about it.”
“Who’s going to cook?” Adam sat next to Oliver and bumped his shoulder companionably. Oliver quirked one perfect eyebrow. Adam grinned, imagining the somewhat pompous magician and his pack dealing with the intricacies of Oliver’s household duties. “They’re all going to starve.”
“I hope not. Stefan volunteered to cook. I’m hoping he knows what he’s getting himself into. They can always shift and feed in the forest. The woods are full of game this time of year.”
Adam flung his arm over Oliver’s shoulders and felt the smaller man stiffen, but he didn’t pull away as he might have a couple weeks ago. Adam wondered if Ollie would ever grow used to the touching and closeness that was so much a part of the Chanku pack. Having lived as a eunuch most of his life, Oliver had held himself apart from everyone. The adjustment to his new sexuality, to full status within the Chanku Montana pack, couldn’t be an easy one, but of all the things Adam had been able to fix in his lifetime, returning Oliver’s manhood had been the most fulfilling. “I want you with me, Ollie. I wouldn’t think of going after Eve without you beside me.”
Oliver merely nodded. Adam wondered if this wealth of feeling was as hard for Oliver as it was for him. He felt his throat tighten and sucked in a deep breath. A burst of emotion washed over him and he struggled for control. This past few weeks had changed everything Adam had ever known, ever believed, about his life and his own sense of who and what he was.
It
