luscious hunks a once-over. There was something to be said for both men if you ignored their bossy attitude.
“Lacey, like it or not, you are going to shift with the next full moon.”
She waved off Hunter’s words, not wanting to hear any more. “I’m afraid of what’s ahead, what you’re not telling me. So spit it out, dammit.” As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Too many unexplained changes in her body and her senses had manifested over recent months. Too many to ignore.
“The change has already started. We can smell your scent.”
She scrunched up her nose. “Yuck.”
“It’s definitely not ‘yuck’ to us.” He tilted his head at Bryan. “He can barely contain himself around you, and now that my lion imprinted on you, neither can I.”
“Fine, fine, hang around, but no change.”
“Sorry, darlin’ there’s no force on Earth that will prevent it.”
“I mean, I have a life and, such as it is, it’s mine. I may shift, but my life can’t change. I’ll have to make shifting fit in.” She pulled the band from her shoulder length hair, shook it free, and combed her fingers through it.
“I’m not sure how we’ll fit in,” Hunter said with a worried scowl on his face.
“We’ll see.” Bryan didn’t look any happier.
“If this is going to be a relationship, and not just a seasonal mating between the three of us, we better spend time learning about each other.” She knew nothing about Hunter and had five years of misgivings to get over with Bryan.
Hunter took her hand in his. “Good idea. I think we should date.”
“Date?” Lacey and Bryan repeated.
“Together?” Lacey asked, looking at both men.
“As in a threesome?” Bryan asked incredulously.
“Two. Three. However. Whenever, bro.”
Hunter was cute when he was serious.
“He’s right. I need to find out about Hunter and you. Like, how much has all this changed you, Bryan?”
“I’m a fucking part-time mountain lion. How do you think it’s affected me? I’m more aggressive.”
“Really?” Lacey stared at him blankly. “As if you even had to mention that little bit of insight…”
He shrugged the tension from his shoulders. “But I’m working on my control. I’m getting better. I think. Usually, I’m better than this,” he added when she rolled her eyes.
“What about you, Hunter. Have you always been with the pride?”
“Yes. When we were babies, our parents were on a hunt. I’d wandered off on my own before some ranch hands stumbled across Bryan, who was obediently playing with his truck where Mom and Dad left us.”
“So you really are biological brothers?” They did look enough alike for her to believe it. Apparently, Bryan hadn’t meant “brother” as a euphemism after all.
“Yes,” Hunter said. “Our pride looked for Bryan for years without a trace. When he wandered back into our territory, we found him too late to help him through his first transition and too late to prevent the Were infection. Once he found out how the shifter gene can be passed during unprotected sex, he tried to find answers and a way to prevent it from happening to you.”
Bryan touched her cheek. “I checked back on you every year. Had Thomas promise to call if anything happened to you.”
“When I get my hands on that man…”
“Don’t blame him. I told him it was for your own good. I hoped maybe you’d somehow escaped. Then this year you started manifesting early symptoms.”
“How did you know?” she asked Bryan.
“Thomas called and Hunter’s been in touch with Doc.”
“Doc wouldn’t say anyth—”
“Not intentionally, and not directly about you, but Hunter claimed he was from the CDC. He asked Doc if he had a case that fit the symptoms and requested a blood sample. Wasn’t hard to guess it was you.”
Lacey’s scowl incorporated both men. “Like I said, I have things to do. I hope you brought formal clothes. The country club is hosting the diamond jubilee party, and I
“Lacey, like it or not, you are going to shift with the next full moon.”
She waved off Hunter’s words, not wanting to hear any more. “I’m afraid of what’s ahead, what you’re not telling me. So spit it out, dammit.” As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Too many unexplained changes in her body and her senses had manifested over recent months. Too many to ignore.
“The change has already started. We can smell your scent.”
She scrunched up her nose. “Yuck.”
“It’s definitely not ‘yuck’ to us.” He tilted his head at Bryan. “He can barely contain himself around you, and now that my lion imprinted on you, neither can I.”
“Fine, fine, hang around, but no change.”
“Sorry, darlin’ there’s no force on Earth that will prevent it.”
“I mean, I have a life and, such as it is, it’s mine. I may shift, but my life can’t change. I’ll have to make shifting fit in.” She pulled the band from her shoulder length hair, shook it free, and combed her fingers through it.
“I’m not sure how we’ll fit in,” Hunter said with a worried scowl on his face.
“We’ll see.” Bryan didn’t look any happier.
“If this is going to be a relationship, and not just a seasonal mating between the three of us, we better spend time learning about each other.” She knew nothing about Hunter and had five years of misgivings to get over with Bryan.
Hunter took her hand in his. “Good idea. I think we should date.”
“Date?” Lacey and Bryan repeated.
“Together?” Lacey asked, looking at both men.
“As in a threesome?” Bryan asked incredulously.
“Two. Three. However. Whenever, bro.”
Hunter was cute when he was serious.
“He’s right. I need to find out about Hunter and you. Like, how much has all this changed you, Bryan?”
“I’m a fucking part-time mountain lion. How do you think it’s affected me? I’m more aggressive.”
“Really?” Lacey stared at him blankly. “As if you even had to mention that little bit of insight…”
He shrugged the tension from his shoulders. “But I’m working on my control. I’m getting better. I think. Usually, I’m better than this,” he added when she rolled her eyes.
“What about you, Hunter. Have you always been with the pride?”
“Yes. When we were babies, our parents were on a hunt. I’d wandered off on my own before some ranch hands stumbled across Bryan, who was obediently playing with his truck where Mom and Dad left us.”
“So you really are biological brothers?” They did look enough alike for her to believe it. Apparently, Bryan hadn’t meant “brother” as a euphemism after all.
“Yes,” Hunter said. “Our pride looked for Bryan for years without a trace. When he wandered back into our territory, we found him too late to help him through his first transition and too late to prevent the Were infection. Once he found out how the shifter gene can be passed during unprotected sex, he tried to find answers and a way to prevent it from happening to you.”
Bryan touched her cheek. “I checked back on you every year. Had Thomas promise to call if anything happened to you.”
“When I get my hands on that man…”
“Don’t blame him. I told him it was for your own good. I hoped maybe you’d somehow escaped. Then this year you started manifesting early symptoms.”
“How did you know?” she asked Bryan.
“Thomas called and Hunter’s been in touch with Doc.”
“Doc wouldn’t say anyth—”
“Not intentionally, and not directly about you, but Hunter claimed he was from the CDC. He asked Doc if he had a case that fit the symptoms and requested a blood sample. Wasn’t hard to guess it was you.”
Lacey’s scowl incorporated both men. “Like I said, I have things to do. I hope you brought formal clothes. The country club is hosting the diamond jubilee party, and I
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