Buck Naked
Author: Evangeline Anderson
Date: 2017-04-04 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Paranormal; Shapeshifters; Paranormal Romance; Romance; Fantasy; Contemporary; Erotica; M F Romance; Adult; Supernatural
Description: Sadie Becker is not herself. A 40-year-old, divorced mother of two, Sadie wakes up one morning and realizes that she looks and feels like she did in her twenties. Suddenly she’s unable to walk around in her new town of Cougarville without men falling at her feet. Confused and alone, Sadie isn’t sure who to turn to…except answers to her problems might reside with her broodingly handsome reclusive neighbor, Mathis. An alpha shifter, Mathis lost the love of his life, and he knows he’ll never find another mate. But his innocent new neighbor clearly doesn’t know the danger she’s in, and he's the on
Publisher: Swerve

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Dedication

To Opal, for introducing me to Rose and for being a wonderful friend

One

“This isn’t right. This can’t be happening. What the hell is going on?”

Sadie Becker stood in front of the mirror on her fortieth birthday and stared at her reflection in disbelief.

Her boobs were getting firmer.

There was no doubt about it—it was true. She’d been noticing subtle differences ever since her divorce had been finalized about a week ago, but she’d put it down to the new diet and exercise routine. Now that her ex, Jeff, was out of her life, she was determined to start a whole new lifestyle. But no diet or exercise routine in the world completely erased stretch marks and molded your breasts back to where they’d been when you were in your twenties.

“Just look at them,” Sadie muttered to herself. “They’re actually perky.”

She wiped at the steam on the bathroom mirror and then decided she wasn’t getting a good enough look. What she needed was a full-length view. Luckily, there was an old-fashioned freestanding mirror in her bedroom. The mirror had a carved wooden frame and claw feet, matching the rest of the antique furniture in the cabin she’d inherited.

The heavy carved oak furniture wasn’t much to Sadie’s taste but she wasn’t complaining. The cabin with its outdated furnishings and decorations had been a godsend—an inheritance from her mother who’d been dead for twenty years. Sadie hadn’t even known the cabin existed until after her divorce, when her mother’s lawyer had handed her the deed.

She still missed her mom, even after all these years. She’d almost cried when she found out she had someplace to go. Someplace she wouldn’t have to see Jeff and his new, much younger girlfriend making a spectacle of themselves back in her hometown of Tampa. The only person she missed was her twin sister, Samantha—Sammie for short, but only to Sadie. No one else was allowed to call her by the cutesy nickname. But since Samantha was a busy trauma surgeon at Tampa General, it wasn’t like she had much time to hang out anyway.

Speaking of Samantha, she ought to call her twin—it was her birthday too.

I’ll call her in a minute, Sadie promised herself. First I need to figure out what in the world is going on with me.

Wrapping herself in a towel, she padded from the bathroom to the bedroom and stopped in front of the ancient freestanding mirror. There wasn’t quite enough light in the dark bedroom and the bedside lamp only made more shadows. With a sigh, Sadie dragged the mirror, creaking and protesting, over to the window and opened the curtains.

She wasn’t worried about anyone seeing her—the cabin was located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, about ten miles north of the tiny town of Cougarville, North Carolina. It was quiet and isolated with only one road going in and out and a single neighbor—a surly giant of a man named Mathis Blackwell who had wild, tangled black hair, a close-clipped beard, and shoulders at least twice as broad as her own. Sadie had only seen him twice and both times he’d only grunted at her greeting and gone stumping off into the woods that separated his property from hers.

At night she could faintly see firelight flickering from his cabin windows, which looked warm and cozy and reminded her that it was cooler here in the mountains than it had been back home in Tampa.

No, this is my home now, Sadie reminded herself, frowning. Good old Cougarville.

The actual name of the town she’d moved to was North Lewiston, though there wasn’t any South Lewiston that Sadie could see. Scrawled in looping graffiti on the green welcome sign that led into town were the words, Welcome to Cougarville!!! The name had apparently stuck since everyone she’d met since she’d gotten here had welcomed Sadie to Cougarville, rather than North Lewiston.

Sadie was happy to be here—even if her new home was out in the sticks. In fact, she rather liked the solitude. It was different from the constant crawl of traffic on Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa. Also, where else could she feel free to walk around naked if she wanted to and not worry about anyone seeing her? Couldn’t do that in the city!

As if to prove the point to herself, Sadie dropped her baby-blue bath towel, letting it puddle around her feet, and took a really good look at herself in the mirror.

Sure enough, her breasts were definitely perky now. Perky like they hadn’t been since she’d breast-fed her twins almost twenty years ago. Graham and Anna—fraternal twins ran in Sadie’s family—had both gone off to college just a few months ago. Graham to MIT and Anna to Baylor, where she hoped to get into med school and become a doctor like her Aunt Samantha. Sadie was immensely proud of both of them, though having two at the same time hadn’t been easy. How many times had she joked about her crazy twins giving her gray hair?

Speaking of gray hair . . . Sadie leaned forward, frowning at her face in the mirror.

“Where is it?” she muttered, turning her head from side to side. “Where’s my gray?”

The silvery strands that had begun showing up in her long dark brown hair around her mid-thirties were somehow gone, even though she was certain they had been there the night before. She’d been planning to go into town to pick up a box of dye, meaning to cover them as usual. But now, if her mirror was to be believed, there was nothing to cover.

Not only that—her wrinkles were gone too! Or at least, they were fading. She could still see some tiny laugh lines around her eyes but the really deep line—almost a furrow—that had crept up between her eyebrows over the years was magically erased.

What the . . . Sadie turned in front of the mirror, trying to see what else had changed. Well, for one thing the little pooch of her belly was nearly flat and the old pregnancy stretch marks had been smoothed away. Her ass looked higher and firmer too. And her thighs were cellulite-free!

How could this be? How was it even possible?

Sadie took a step back and weighed her breasts in her hands, checking to be sure she wasn’t dreaming or imagining it. Nope—as firm as could be. She’d always been a full C cup when she was younger, but after having her kids and breast-feeding both of them, that C had become more of a droopy D. Now she was back to where she’d been in college, before she met Jeff and let him talk his way into her panties one night, ending her dreams of being a high-powered attorney when she found out she was pregnant with the twins.

What could be causing this? It was as if her body were magically reverting to where it had been in her early twenties. But that was impossible—right?

Just then she became aware of a movement outside her window. There was so much wildlife here—deer and birds and squirrels. Just last night she’d been sure she heard a wolf howling and maybe some kind of wildcat screaming. It was—

Sadie’s thought was cut off abruptly when she turned her head and saw it was no bird or squirrel looking in her window.

Her surly neighbor, Mathis Blackwell, stood about fifty yards away by the line of trees that separated their properties. He had an armful of firewood and a surprised expression on his face as he stared at the extremely naked Sadie, who was still juggling her boobs in her hands.

“Oh my God! Oh, no!” she gasped, reaching down to grope blindly at the floor for her discarded towel. She wanted to look away from Mathis but for some reason, she found she couldn’t. Their eyes were locked together through the thin glass of her window as she scrabbled for the towel.

At last she found the towel, but she was so freaked out she couldn’t seem to get it wrapped around her body again. Instead she clutched it to her chest, her heart pounding as she continued to lock eyes with her neighbor.

Finally Mathis shook his head, like a man coming out of a dream, and gave her an awful scowl. Without a word—or another look—he turned and went stomping back to his side of the tree line, his broad shoulders hunched as though to ward off some kind of attack.

Sadie snatched the curtains closed and sank down on the big, old-fashioned bed with its carved wooden posts, nearly hyperventilating.

God, what must he think of me? What did it look like I was doing? Nothing very nice, that was for sure! Ugh, how absolutely humiliating—to be caught by her nearest neighbor examining herself naked in the mirror and playing with her boobs!

Your only neighbor, whispered a little voice in her head. And there’s nobody else around to hear you scream if he decides what he saw was some kind of invitation.

Somehow, though, despite his wild appearance, Mathis didn’t strike her as the type to break into her cabin and hurt her. Not that knowing he probably wouldn’t try anything made her any less embarrassed. She still felt absolutely mortified to be caught in such a position, especially since she was usually a very modest person.

What’s wrong with me? My body is going through some bizarre change, I’m walking around in front of the window naked, I couldn’t look away when he was looking at me . . . I feel like I’m going crazy!

Sadie put a hand to her drumming heart, trying to still her rapid breathing. Okay. Everything was going to be okay. True, the thing with her neighbor seeing her naked was beyond awkward, but he didn’t seem to want to talk or be neighborly anyway. So maybe if she just avoided him for the rest of her life—

The shrill sound of her cell phone made Sadie jump. The Grey’s Anatomy ringtone was Samantha, probably calling to wish her a happy fortieth birthday.

Or maybe she had sensed something was wrong.

Sadie and Samantha weren’t identical twins—Sadie had brown hair and brown eyes and Samantha was blonde with blue. Sadie was a respectable five foot seven while her sister barely topped five three. Sadie, while never exactly skinny, was still more on the slim side, while Samantha was what she liked to call “curvy” with a defiant light in her blue eyes.

Because of their physical differences they’d never been able to switch places with each other and they didn’t have a secret twin language or anything weird like that, but they were pretty close.

Sadie could usually tell if something was wrong with her sister and Samantha seemed to know if there was anything amiss in her life as well. She’d called Sadie not five minutes after Jeff had shoved the divorce papers at her and stalked out of the house to be with his new girlfriend. Likewise, Sadie had called her sister just moments after their mother’s fatal car crash. Somehow they just knew.

“What’s wrong?” Samantha asked the moment Sadie picked up the phone. “What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing. I mean, I’m fine.” Sadie didn’t want to worry her twin—or tell her about the embarrassing incident with her neighbor seeing her naked.

“Bullshit.” Samantha was always frank and to the point—a by-product of being a woman in a male-dominated field. “You’re freaking out about something—I can hear it in your voice. And, well, I felt it.”

It was the closest that the practical, down-to-earth Samantha would come to talking about their invisible connection.

“I, uh . . .” Sadie didn’t know how to say it. Finally she asked, “Is there any kind of disease that makes you look younger?”

“A disease that makes you look younger?”

“I know it sounds weird,” Sadie said quickly. “It’s just . . . I woke up this morning and all my gray hairs are gone—just gone. And my wrinkles and stretch marks—they’re gone too. Not to mention my chest looks like I got a boob job and my tummy is flat for the first time in years.”

“So you lost some weight and you’re looking better? Sounds like a symptom of an ex-asshole-ectomy to me.” Samantha sounded like she was smiling.

“Stop it, Sammie—I’m being serious!”

“I am too! Of course you’re looking better—you finally got rid of Jeff! That asshole has been dragging you down for years.”

“Actually, he was the one who got rid of me,” Sadie reminded her. “Traded me in for a younger model.”

“So you do the same,” her sister shot back. “Look around for a little action in that tiny one-horse town you’re living in.”

“Sammie, I’m forty,” Sadie protested.

“So am I,” her twin reminded her dryly. “Forty isn’t dead. Why don’t you find somebody and have some fun? Aren’t there any hot guys around there?”

For some reason the image of Mathis and his intense stare popped into her mind but Sadie pushed it quickly away. Besides being a grumpy loner, her neighbor was also at least ten years younger than her. At least she thought he was—it was hard to tell with the wild black hair and the beard.

“Some,” she admitted. “But the ones my age are already married and taken. And all the rest are too young.”

“Please—who cares about age?” Her sister made a raspberry sound on the other end of the phone. “It’s just a number.”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” Sadie asked. “Besides, you’re one to be talking about finding a guy—you’re married to your work. I bet you can’t even tell me the name of the last guy you slept with.”

“It has been a while,” Samantha admitted. “But that’s only because I’m always so busy. You, on the other hand, suddenly have some time to get busy.”

“I came out here to heal,” Sadie pointed out. “Not find a hot young guy to screw my brains out.”

“Who says they’re not the same thing?” Samantha laughed. “So how’s the cabin Mom left you? I still can’t believe she kept it secret from us for all those years.”

“It’s nice,” Sadie said, looking around the bedroom. “It’s kind of old and antique-y but not in a bad way. And it’s really quiet—at night you can hear all the animals moving around in the woods outside. And . . .” She winced. “There are, uh, plenty of windows. Lots of natural light.”

“I bet it’s gorgeous.” Samantha sounded wistful. “You almost make me want to cancel the hip-nailing I have scheduled today and come see it.”

“Come anytime,” Sadie told her sister. “You know Mom didn’t just leave it to me. She said in the letter that came with the deed it was for both of us if we ever lost our husbands and needed a place to stay.”

“She’d probably be disappointed I never got a husband to begin with,” Samantha remarked.

“No, she wouldn’t! She’d be incredibly proud of you for fulfilling your dream instead of getting pregnant before you even got through college.”

It was an old sore spot with Sadie. She loved her sister dearly but she couldn’t help being a little jealous sometimes. They had both had big plans after high school but Samantha had made hers a reality while Sadie had wound up staying home to raise the kids. She had gone back when they were teenagers to get a degree in accounting, but being an accountant was a far cry from the high-powered corporate attorney she’d dreamed of becoming.

“Are you kidding?” Samantha said. “She’d love you for giving her grandkids instead of wasting your best baby-making years in school.”

“It’s not too late if you want to start a family,” Sadie pointed out. “Women are having babies into their forties now—you know that.”

Samantha snorted. “Not this woman. You know I love Graham and Anna but being the cool aunt is as close to motherhood as I ever want to come.”

“I don’t know . . . rocking them to sleep, soothing them and feeling them snuggle up in your arms . . .” Sadie sighed. “Babies are sweet. It’s just too bad they grow up so fast.”

“You sound like you want another one yourself,” Samantha remarked.

Sadie shook her head, even though her sister couldn’t see her.

“Nope, my baby-making days are done. And so are my man-chasing ones. I just want to settle down in this little town and make a new life for myself. One without any trauma or drama or craziness—you know?”

Of course, she hadn’t made a very good start to her resolution—flashing her neighbor before breakfast—but that had been an accident. And what she told her sister was honestly what she wanted—just a quiet life by herself.

“I can do without the drama but without the trauma I’d be out of a job,” Samantha said. “Speaking of which, they just brought in an emergency trauma consult. Looks like another kid jumped off a trampoline and landed wrong—might be a broken femur. I’d better go.”

“Okay. Well thanks for calling. And happy birthday,” Sadie said.

“Happy birthday to you. Go have fun for both of us—looks like I’m going to be in the OR all day.” Samantha didn’t sound unhappy about it. She loved her job with a passion.

“Talk to you later and come up to see the cabin anytime,” Sadie told her.

“Soon, I promise. But not until after my lecture at the trauma surgery seminar in Las Vegas. Sin City, baby—whoo-hoo! I might see action before you do after all.”

“I have no doubt you will,” Sadie said flatly.

Her twin laughed. “Either way it’s always fun to get away for a while—I’m looking forward to it. Oh, they’re calling me—I really have to go.”

“Have fun in Sin City,” Sadie told her, but her twin had already hung up.

With a sigh, she put the phone back down on her night table. She’d gotten up early with the intention of getting some exercise but the grandfather clock in the corner of the bedroom let her know it was time to get ready for work.

There was no time for breakfast either, but it wouldn’t have mattered if she had all the time in the world. She hadn’t wanted to bring perishables on the long move up from Florida so the only food in the house was an ancient dusty box of Count Chocula breakfast cereal and a pack of Gatorade gum. Both items looked like they had been left over from the late seventies or early eighties, which was presumably the last time the cabin had been inhabited.

Sadie fully intended to go by the only grocery store in town—which happened to be a Piggly Wiggly—and do a full shop to stock up later. But for now, she was focused on her first day of work.

Going to the closet, she pulled out a modest business skirt and jacket combination. It might be overkill for her first day on the job but she wanted to look nice.

She frowned as she tried on a bra that no longer fit exactly right. Well, maybe Samantha was right and her body was just reacting favorably to her recent divorce from her ex. Maybe it was a—What did you call it? One of those things that happened to your body because of your mind? Oh right—maybe it was a psychosomatic reaction to getting away from Jeff.

Deep down, she had doubts about that but she refused to let them bother her. After all, she was looking and feeling better—why complain? Better to just try to make a normal life and routine for herself in Cougarville.

“No drama, no trauma, no craziness. Nothing but smooth sailing from here on out, Sadie,” she said, addressing her image in the mirror as she finished getting dressed.

Though she didn’t know it, she had never been more wrong in her life.

Two

Mathis Blackwell let out an irritated growl as he stomped back to his cabin and dumped the load of firewood he’d been carrying onto the neatly stacked pile on his front porch. Goddamnit—why couldn’t he get the image of his new neighbor out of his head?

He snorted. Like she was a real neighbor and not just a plant by Keller. The leader of the local Den was getting too fucking big for his britches lately but this was a completely unexpected tactic.

The cabin next to his land had been vacant for years—since before he’d bought the land, built his own cabin, and moved in. It had been held in trust by some unknown person who didn’t seem likely to ever appear, which was just the way Mathis liked it. The empty cabin and nonexistent neighbor had been one of the main selling points—the reason he’d bought his property in the first place, ten years ago after his mate had died.

Mathis winced. The thought of Kathleen was still painful, even after all this time. Remembering her was like poking a half-healed wound with a sharp stick. Some might say it was his own fault—that he never allowed the wound to heal. But his kind mated for life and he wasn’t about to forget his wife and his love for her just because she’d been gone for a while.

Which was one reason he was so pissed off about the show his neighbor had been putting on that morning. Damn it, he didn’t need to be thinking about that when his love had died with Kathleen.

Unbidden, his mind showed him the scene that was burned into his brain. His new neighbor’s full, lush curves and the long dark hair that fell in a rippling waterfall down to the small of her back . . . her big brown eyes . . . the way she’d been cupping her full breasts, almost like she was offering them . . .

He shook his head, trying unsuccessfully to push the image away. This was it—the last straw. Keller had been angling for a fight for a long time, trying to find a way to annex Mathis’s land, which bordered the other Alpha’s hunting grounds. But this . . . this was a really low blow.

Mathis had always stoically ignored the other male’s goading, no matter how Keller needled him. Bucks were patient and slow to anger, unlike the yowling Cats overrunning the town. But damn it, this was too much. Planting a Juvie in the cabin right beside Mathis’s land to antagonize him was going a step too far.

At first he’d thought he could ignore her. And the two times she’d tried to speak to him, that was exactly what he had done. Just turned his head and kept on walking, even when she called his name.

Which was probably what had made her decide to put on that little “display” this morning. Just remembering it made his cock throb angrily in his jeans, like a clenched fist.

Probably wasn’t her idea. Keller probably put her up to it.

The little Juvie had probably told the other Alpha she was getting nowhere with Mathis, so Keller had told her to step up her game. Hence the little peep show, just at the time when he gathered firewood every morning.

The timing couldn’t have been worse. It was only days until the full moon and worse, it was early autumn.

Rutting season.

Well, it’s not going to work. With angry movements, Mathis stripped off his jacket and stomped to clean his boots before walking into the snug bachelor cabin he’d built with his own hands. I don’t care how gorgeous she is—no fuckin’ Juvie is gonna mess with my head.

He walked through the living room and kitchen and headed straight for the bathroom with its huge soaking tub and stone walls. The tub in particular came in handy. Nights when he changed were always strenuous—Shifting was painful and hard on the muscles. Come sunrise after he cantered home, he liked to draw a steaming hot bath and soak until he felt like himself again.

But it wasn’t a bath he was after now. Going to the medicine cabinet, Mathis opened it and took out a brown bottle half filled with gel capsules containing a green and brown powder. He dry swallowed one and then, after considering a moment, took another.

There—that should take care of business.

He leaned against the sink and waited for the anti-rut meds to work. Fiona ShadowTree, Cougarville’s resident pharmacist slash medicine woman, made them in her compounding pharmacy over on Main Street. The woman was half Irish, half Cherokee, and all witch, if you believed the rumors.

Mathis didn’t. Fiona might be a little mysterious at times but she was a damn fine pharmacist—the meds she’d made him had never failed. Not in the ten years since his Kathleen had died had he gone into rut. And he didn’t intend to break his record now.

Unfortunately, his cock had other ideas. An hour later, it was still hard, distracting him from the work he was trying to do on the latest project in his woodworking studio. It was a custom-built rocking chair and the order was due soon—he had to get it done. But his damn libido kept distracting him.

Mathis laid down his tools and stared at his crotch, frowning. Fiona’s medicine had never failed him before. In fact, it usually took only about ten minutes to work. What the hell was going on?

He went back to the medicine chest and looked at the plain brown bottle. Well, these were left over from last season. Maybe they’d lost their effectiveness.

Only that had never happened before. What if they weren’t going to work this time? Fiona had warned him repeatedly about flouting the will of Lady Moon but Mathis had always ignored her—he didn’t believe in that mystical mumbo jumbo. Sure, a lot of Shifters believed there was a higher power—usually connected to the moon—that watched over them but he’d never seen any evidence of such an entity.

If there was a Lady Moon, where had she been when his Kathleen got sick? When the doctors couldn’t save her? Where was the miracle he’d begged and prayed for? The moment his mate had died, any faith he’d ever had had died with her.

And I’m not going to start being superstitious now. Mathis shoved the pills back. It’s that damn Juvie—she’s the reason I’m having this fucking problem.

He thought of her again—her firm, high breasts and long brown hair. And most of all, the enticing scent that wafted from her cabin to his, calling to him like a genie let out of its bottle, promising to grant his every sexual wish. God, it was fucking indecent the way she paraded around, letting her scent out in public like that. And it was only getting worse—stronger as the full moon got nearer.

It was enough to drive any male crazy, and it was all Keller’s fault.

Well, if it didn’t let up, Keller was going to get the fight he’d been spoiling for. The Cat had better beware. Giant Elk might be herbivores and thus slower to anger than carnivore Shifters, but once you got one roused, you were calling down the wrath of God on yourself. Or at least, the wrath of a nine-foot-tall, fifteen-hundred-pound Buck. Add razor-sharp hooves and a twelve-foot rack of antlers into the equation and you had a threat not even the most intrepid predator would care to face.

As Mathis threw another log on the fire and watched the sparks fly upward, he swore to himself that Keller was going to be sorry he’d pulled this move.

Very fucking sorry indeed.

Three

Work was dead—completely dead. Sadie didn’t have a single customer the entire morning.

Around lunchtime, she threw down her pen and stood up from the small wooden desk that had come with the office. She was more than willing to work through lunch if there was any work to do, but since no one was there she decided to go out and get some fresh air.

Opening the glass door—which she had paid to have painted with BECKER ACCOUNTING in elegant, businesslike script—she stepped out into the crisp fall afternoon.

It was a gorgeous day—cold enough to make her nose tingle but with a cloudless blue sky overhead and plenty of golden sunshine pouring down. The kind of day you never got in hot, sticky Tampa, Sadie mused. It made her want to stroll down the street, breathing in the deliciously chilly air while she explored her new town—not that there was much to explore.

Sadie had used some of her divorce settlement to rent a tiny office space in downtown Cougarville on Main Street for her new one-woman accounting firm. It sounded prestigious until you realized that Main Street was nothing more than a two-lane road with a single traffic light.

The road was lined with quaint small-town businesses—a diner called the Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy; the Sweet Stems Florist shop; the Friendly Bean coffeehouse; a compounding pharmacy called the Cougarville Chemist; Fox’s Auto Body Repair (YOU BROKE IT—WE CAN FIX IT! proclaimed their sign); and a tattoo parlor called Bad Decisions.

This last business seemed a little out of place among the picturesque shops but it was near the end of Main Street, right beside a bar and grill called the Cougar’s Den.

Sadie was intrigued by the Cougar’s Den, which looked more like a biker bar than a small-town local tavern, but not quite intrigued enough to venture in. She’d seen some pretty rough-looking types going through the bar’s dead-black door—somehow it didn’t look like a safe place for a woman alone. Or a place a middle-aged woman would want to hang out, for that matter.

Not that she felt middle-aged anymore. At this moment, standing in the chilly, bright autumn day and breathing in the crisp, clean air, Sadie felt better than she had in years.

Her lower back had bothered her since her early thirties, when she’d tried to lift something too heavy and had gotten a bulging disk for her pains. She’d also begun to develop bursitis in her right shoulder in the past few years and she had one creaky knee that was always stiff. But now these nagging aches and pains, which had been with her so long she’d begun to take them as a matter of course, were suddenly gone.

It was weird—almost as weird as the way her body seemed to be firming up and the way she was losing her wrinkles and gray hair. But Sadie felt so good—so alive and energized and young and free—that she couldn’t find it in herself to be worried. She couldn’t remember feeling this good since college—way back before she’d met Jeff.

Even the fact that she’d had no customers on her first day couldn’t dampen her mood. So what if she didn’t have any customers? She would damn well go and get some. Surely there must be one or two businesses up and down Main Street that could use the services of an accountant.

Ducking back into her office, Sadie put on her coat and grabbed her purse and a stack of freshly printed business cards. Then she put out the little BACK SOON sign she’d bought at the hardware store and locked up to go explore Cougarville.

“I tell you, they’re not working anymore! I took twice the recommended dosage and they’re not doing a damn thing.” Mathis slapped the bottle of green-and-brown pills down on the counter of the Cougarville Chemist and glared at the proprietor.

Fiona ShadowTree was a woman of indeterminate age with a cable of thick auburn hair shot through with skeins of the purest silver—not white and not salt-and-pepper—silver. As usual she was wearing a colorful flowing caftan under her white smock coat and enough silver and turquoise jewelry for five women.

On anyone else it might have looked odd, but Fiona had a certain gravitas about her—maybe it was her large dark eyes or the way she carried herself—her chin held high and her narrow shoulders straight and proud. For whatever reason, the look that would have screamed “crazy vagrant cat lady” on anyone else made Fiona look ancient and wise—like a gypsy princess or the medicine woman of some lost tribe.

Now she turned those large dark eyes up to Mathis and shook her head.

“I’ve told you over and over, my darling, you cannot circumvent the will of Lady Moon forever. I can make you a new batch of medicine but I doubt it will work if she doesn’t will it. Shifters are rare enough as it is without one of her finest Alphas withholding his seed.”

Mathis rolled his eyes. He liked and respected Fiona but sometimes the mystical way she talked really got under his skin.

“Look, I’m not ‘withholding my seed’—I’m just trying to keep my urges in check. Damn it, Fiona, you know why I don’t want to go into rut.”

“Yes—you wish to abstain in order to preserve the memory of your lovely mate, gone these ten years. But Mathis, you’ve had time to grieve her many moons over now.”

“It’s not just that and you know it,” he protested. “I wouldn’t be able to form a life-bond with another female. I’ve had my shot—it’s over and done.”

She shook her head thoughtfully. “I don’t think so, Mathis—your mating with your beloved Kathleen was of a very short duration. I wouldn’t be surprised if you have a chance to form another bond, sometime in the near future. In fact, I think this rut is Lady Moon’s way of telling you she wants to grant you a second chance at love.”

“Even if I believed in all that Lady Moon mumbo jumbo, who would I find?” he growled and for some reason the image of the tempting little Juvie next door flashed before his eyes. He pushed it irritably away. “Cougarville is tiny and all the female Shifters and Shifter-sympathizers are taken,” he pointed out.

“Are they?” Fiona gave him a penetrating stare, which made him look away uncomfortably.

“Well . . . yes.” He raked a hand through his rough black hair. “If I wanted to get mated again I’d have to go out and find some outside female. Then I’d either have to lie to her about being a Shifter, or explain what I am and hope she doesn’t think I’m crazy. Which, let’s be honest, almost anyone who doesn’t know about us would.”

“There are those among the non-Shifters who are believers.”

“Right. Mostly Goth girls who want to believe in vampires and werewolves and any other damn paranormal thing they think can get them off. I’m not interested in dating some freak. And even if I could find a female who’d take me as I am, it’s not like I could pass on the Shifter Gene,” Mathis pointed out. “You know only females who have the Gene and have gone through Rejuvenation can bear Shifter babies.”

“And you’re certain there are no Rejuvenated females you might set your sights on?”

She lifted her eyebrows and looked past him, out the plate-glass window of her shop, which proclaimed COUGARVILLE CHEMIST in red block letters.

“None that I—” Mathis turned around to see whom she was staring at and the words died on his lips. Coming into the shop was his new neighbor.

The bell over the door jingled and then she was there, her cheeks pink and her brown eyes bright from the nippy air outside. Her long dark hair seemed to crackle with life and her hourglass figure, wrapped in a snug navy peacoat, was enough to make his palms itch to cup her curves.

But it wasn’t the way she looked that got to him—it was the way she smelled. Her scent—that ripe, devastatingly feminine fragrance of a female going through Rejuvenation—suddenly filled the air of the small pharmacy. A gust of wind blew through the door as it swung shut behind her, carrying the maddening fragrance straight to Mathis’s nose.

He was instantly and painfully hard.

“Hi there,” his neighbor started, her eyes fixed on Fiona. “I’m Sadie Becker and I—” Then she saw Mathis and the bright smile on her lovely face flickered. “Oh, um . . .” Her pink cheeks grew absolutely red and he could hear her heartbeat start to pick up.

Wait a minute—how can I hear her heartbeat? Shouldn’t be this attuned to her—I don’t even know her.

Which was how he wanted to keep it. But Fiona was already motioning for the Juvie to come in.

“Hello, my dear! I’ve never seen your face before. Are you new in town or just visiting?”

“I’m new.” The Juvie bit her lip uncertainly. “But if this is a private consultation I can just go. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Nonsense! Come in at once so I can get to know you. I’m Fiona ShadowTree,” Fiona said, beckoning eagerly to her.

The Juvie—Sadie, she said her name was Sadie, Mathis thought—took another hesitant step into the somewhat cluttered pharmacy.

Fiona mixed Western, Eastern, and holistic medicine liberally so there was always a menagerie of mismatched items on her shelves. There were healing crystals and dream-catchers alongside the extra-strength Tylenol and the Pepto-Bismol. Packets of dried herbs from China and Taiwan shared shelf space with NyQuil and Robitussin. Knee braces were right beside neti pots. But of course, all of that was just extra. What the Shifters came to Cougarville Chemist for was Fiona’s expertly compounded medicines, tinctures, salves, and serums formulated to their specific needs.

“Come on, dear—don’t be shy,” Fiona urged, beckoning to Sadie again. “We’re all friends here—we want to get a good look at you.”

“Thank you.” Sadie glanced at Mathis uncertainly and finally came forward.

Mathis glared back at her, remembering exactly how good a look he’d gotten at her that morning. The memory of her lush naked curves and dark pink nipples made his cock throb again and he had to bite back a muffled curse as it pressed insistently against the denim of his jeans.

“So where are you from, Sadie?” Fiona asked, her many silver bangles jingling musically as she held out a hand.

“Tampa originally.” Sadie shook with her. “But I live here now—I opened up an accounting firm just a few doors down from you. Well . . .” She laughed self-deprecatingly. A soft, feminine sound Mathis couldn’t help liking even though he didn’t want to. “I say ‘firm’ but it’s really just me. I’m a CPA.”

“Is that right?” Fiona nodded thoughtfully. “Well we could use someone like you in this town. I can’t speak for Mathis here, but my own books are in an awful snarl.”

“Really?” Sadie leaned forward eagerly, her long hair brushing against Mathis’s arm, sending another surge of desire through him. “Because I’m good at untangling snarled books. I used to do all the accounting for my husband’s business. Uh . . .” She stopped, the eager expression leaving her face. “I mean my ex-husband.”

“You two had a parting of the ways, did you, my dear?” Fiona tsked sympathetically. “A pity. But as Lady Moon wills beginnings, so too, does she will endings.”

“Um . . . sure.” Sadie was looking uncertain again.

“And I see that she has willed a beginning here—I’m sure we’re all going to be great friends.” Fiona gave her a warm smile.

“Well thank you.” Sadie smiled back, just as warmly. When Fiona looked at you that way, it was hard not to respond, Mathis knew. “But I really didn’t mean to interrupt. I should probably get going.”

“Nonsense, my dear. Why, Mathis here was just consulting me about his special pills.” Fiona tapped the bottle of green-and-brown anti-rut pills with one shapely fingernail. “They usually help him a lot but just now they don’t seem to be working—isn’t that what you were saying, darling?”

She looked at Mathis who shifted uncomfortably.

“You said you’d make me a new batch,” he growled. “I think those have lost their, uh, usefulness.”

“I’ll do my best but I can’t promise anything,” Fiona said. “So tell me, Sadie—you say you’ve just had an ending with your husband—how old are you anyway?”

It was a question Mathis would never have asked a female—some of them could be so touchy about things like age and weight. But Fiona made it sound perfectly natural.

Sadie flushed but answered readily enough.

“I just turned forty. In fact, today is my birthday.”

“Well, many happy returns, my dear!” Fiona smiled and gave Mathis a meaningful look before turning back to Sadie. “And tell me, when was the last time you and your husband were intimate?”

“Excuse me?” Sadie’s eyes widened and she darted a sidelong glance at Mathis who was still standing there, feeling like he couldn’t leave for some damn reason. It was just because his business with Fiona wasn’t finished, he told himself. It had nothing to do with the irritating little Juvie and her bewitching scent.

“I mean when did you last have sexual relations?” Fiona clarified her question.

Again, it was a question no one else could have asked and gotten away with. But Fiona made it sound so natural—so innocent.

This time, however, Sadie seemed at a loss for words. She just stood there, her cheeks extremely pink. Almost as pink as they’d been when he had seen her naked that morning, Mathis thought, and then tried unsuccessfully to banish the enticing mental image.

“Just tell me this, my dear—has it been at least six months since you had relations with a male who claimed you as his own?” Fiona asked.

“Um . . . yeah. Yes, I guess so.” Sadie’s voice was nearly a whisper.

“At least six months . . .” Fiona leaned forward, eyeing her with even greater interest. “Well isn’t that something?”

“I guess it is.” Sadie looked like she had no idea what to say to extricate herself from the awkward conversation.

Mathis had a flash of pity for her—Fiona was wonderful but when she got going on you, it wasn’t uncommon to feel like you’d been run over by a steamroller. He wished briefly that he was a different kind of male—charming and suave like Keller or funny like Reese Cooper who ran Fox’s Auto Body. Someone like that would have been able to think of something witty to say to break the tension. But Mathis wasn’t like that—or he hadn’t been since Kathleen had died, anyway.

The memory of his lost mate brought him up short. Why was he having pity for this female when she’d been nothing but a thorn in his side since the moment she moved to Cougarville? He glowered at her again.

“Well, Sadie, my dear,” Fiona said, apparently willing to keep up the conversation on her own, despite the awkward pause. “Tell me something else. Do you—”

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Sadie said quickly. “But I really should be going.”

Fiona opened her dark eyes wide. “But why, my dear? You just got here.”

“Well, I . . . I . . .” Sadie seemed at a loss for words. Then she took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. “I only have an hour for lunch and I want to explore as much of my new town as I can. And meet my new neighbors. Speaking of which . . .” She turned to Mathis and a determined look came over her lovely face. “Before I go, you’re Mathis Blackwell—correct?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” Mathis heard the growl in his voice and didn’t care if she did too. This little Juvie had been tormenting him from the moment she moved in—and she was still at it. Her scent was making him want her so badly he felt like he was going to crawl right out of his skin and she just stood there like it was no big deal to torment a male that way.

“Why, Mathis—you never told me you had a new neighbor.” Fiona looked at him accusingly.

“Yup—I moved in beside him a little while ago.” Sadie nodded. “But we’ve never been, um, formally introduced. Until now, I guess.” She held out a hand. “I just want to say I’m sorry about any . . . misunderstandings. I really am pleased to meet you.”

Mathis glared at her small hand, keeping his own clenched into fists at his sides. Damn it, he didn’t want to touch her—not even to shake her hand. It would make everything exponentially worse if he did.

“Mathis, where are your manners?” Fiona scolded. “Take the lady’s hand.”

When the wise woman turned the full force of her large dark eyes on him Mathis knew he couldn’t refuse. Unwillingly, he extended his own large, hard, work-rough hand and enclosed Sadie’s delicate cool one.

A surge like a bolt of lightning went through him—an electrical rush of lust so overwhelming he nearly came in his pants like a horny teenager.

“Oh!” Sadie gasped. Her big brown eyes—doe eyes, he couldn’t help thinking—went wide with shock and she nearly collapsed. In fact, she might have fallen right on the pharmacy floor if Mathis hadn’t reached out and grabbed her upper arm, hauling her to her feet before ripping his hand away from hers.

“What . . . ?” She looked at him, her face stunned. “What did you—”

“Gotta go,” he growled, heading for the door.

“Mathis, darling—don’t forget your special pills,” Fiona called, tapping one shapely fingernail on the high pharmacy counter.

He shook his head. “Forget it. They don’t work anyway.”

“I’ll make you a new batch like I promised and bring them over,” she called, but he was already out the door, the bell jingling angrily behind him.

Four

Sadie wobbled on her feet, feeling like her knees were made of spaghetti. What the hell just happened to me?

She had no idea but it had been completely bizarre. One moment she was confronting her surly neighbor—and God, he was absolutely huge close up—and the next she was almost knocked to the ground by a massive jolt of pleasure so intense it felt like her lady business had been electrocuted.

I think I just came, she thought dizzily. Either that or I had some weird kind of below-the-waist stroke. What’s wrong with me?

“Are you quite all right, Sadie, dear?”

The proprietor of the shop—Sadie still couldn’t guess her age—was looking at her with mild concern.

“I think so.” Sadie kept a hand on the counter to steady herself. “Something strange just came over me all of a sudden.”

“It’s understandable,” Fiona replied obliquely.

Sadie wanted to protest that she didn’t understand at all but she didn’t want to get drawn into another long strangely intimate conversation. God, she still couldn’t believe Fiona had gotten her to admit not only her age but the fact that she hadn’t had sex in over six months—and right in front of the glowering Mathis too! It was so damn embarrassing—almost as bad as him seeing her naked that morning.

“I really should go,” she said. “I wanted to grab some lunch before my hour is up. What do you recommend—the Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy or the Cougar’s Den?”

For the first time, Fiona looked genuinely alarmed.

“Oh no, my dear—don’t go into the Cougar’s Den! That isn’t a safe place for an unmated female at all.”

It seemed strange to Sadie that she would say “unmated female” instead of “unmarried woman” but she supposed maybe it was just Fiona’s slightly eccentric way of speaking.

“Okay,” she said, forcing a laugh. “The Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy it is.”

“That’s a good idea—a safe place.” Fiona got a worried expression on her face. “Well, relatively safe, anyway. Are you sure you didn’t pack a lunch? Maybe it would be better to eat in your office. Alone.”

“I . . . didn’t have time to pack one.” Sadie was taken aback. “Besides, I wanted to get to know the other people in town. I live here now and it seems like a small, tight-knit community. I figured the sooner I started making friends the better.”

Fiona sighed doubtfully. “This close to the full moon? Well, I guess you can try.”

What’s that supposed to mean?

But Sadie was too well bred to say it out loud.

“Thank you for your advice,” she said politely, heading for the door. “I’ll be sure to keep it in mind.”

“You do that, dear.” Fiona’s dark eyes danced, as though she was laughing at some private joke. “Oh, and come back at the end of the business day, around five, won’t you?”

“You want me to come back?” Her hand already on the knob, Sadie looked back in surprise. “Why?”

“Why, to talk about the state of my books, of course!” Fiona gestured with both hands, her bangles jangling. “I told you they’re in a dreadful snarl. I need a good accountant to straighten them out.”

“Oh, well . . .” When she put it that way, Sadie could hardly refuse. After all, a client was a client—even if she was an extremely eccentric woman with a habit of asking embarrassing personal questions in front of complete strangers.

“I’ll see you at five.” Fiona nodded comfortably, as though it was a done deal.

“All right.” Sadie nodded. “Five it is.”

“Thank you. Oh, and when you go to the Lemon Squeezy, be sure you try to get a slice of their lemon icebox pie—it’s world famous. Won first prize in the state fair five years in a row.” Fiona smiled.

“I will. I love lemon pie.” Sadie smiled—maybe small-town life wouldn’t be so bad after all. She opened the door, jangling the bell, and a gust of fresh fall air swirled around her smelling of dried leaves and sunshine.

“And tell them I sent you—that way they might actually serve you,” Fiona added. “Goodbye, dear.” And she bustled back behind the rows of shelves behind the pharmacy counter, leaving Sadie to look after her uncertainly.

“I know it was you that sent her, and I want this to stop right . . . fucking . . . now!”

Mathis charged into the Cougar’s Den, more like a bull than a Buck. He centered himself directly in front of Liam Keller, the head of the local Den and owner or part owner of most of the businesses in Cougarville.

Keller looked up, irritated, from the round of poker he’d been playing with several other Cats as well as Reese Cooper.

“What are you speaking of, Blackwell? What’s chapping your oh-so-sensitive hide now?” he drawled.

Around them the business of the bar had come to a hushed standstill. The friction between the town’s largest herbivore Shifter and its most influential carnivore was well known. Of course, the enmity between prey and predator was understandable, though no one in their right mind would look at Mathis as prey. A whole pack of Keller’s kind might bring him down—if the damn Cats weren’t too lazy and self-interested to work together—but a single Cougar alone wouldn’t stand a chance.

Nevertheless, Keller continued to make a fucking nuisance of himself, especially during full-moon nights when all Mathis craved was a little privacy. He was sure that the other Shifter had decided if he could annoy Mathis enough, he might pack up and leave. When that hadn’t worked, he’d brought in the Juvie, although damned if Mathis knew where he had found her—unclaimed Rejuvenated females were as rare as diamonds in dirt around the Shifter community.

“Cut the bullshit, Keller,” he growled, looming over the other male menacingly. “You know damn good and well what I’m talking about—you wanted my property and when you couldn’t get it, you brought a Juvie out to move in right beside me and make me crazy.”

“A Juvie, you say?” Keller’s sleepy pale green eyes—like the silvery underside of a new leaf—were suddenly wide awake and interested. He rose and came around the poker table to stand eye-to-eye with Mathis.

Though Mathis was six foot seven, the other Shifter matched him in height. He had dark brown hair and an almost Nordic slant to his eyes. An air of sleepy menace hung around him like a cloud of pheromones.

“Yes, a Juvie!” Mathis snarled. He wasn’t buying the other male’s oh-so-innocent act. “You thought she’d drive me crazy enough to move out—well it won’t work!”

“The trip to crazy appears to be a short one for you, my friend.” Keller grinned insultingly, showing the extra-long canines of his kind. “And I have no need to drive you—you are doing an excellent job getting there yourself.” He raised an eyebrow. “But I would like to know more about this Juvie.”

Mathis wanted to wring the other male’s throat—clearly Keller wasn’t going to admit to anything. Which wasn’t surprising—Cats were as twisted and conniving as they came and Keller was one of the worst of his kind.

“Just tell her to back the fuck off or you’re both going to be sorry,” he snapped, poking the other male in the chest. “I mean it.”

Keller ignored the obvious threat and looked at Mathis in wide-eyed innocence.

“I would be happy to pass on your warning if only I knew who this enchanting creature is. You say she moved in beside you? Is she unattached?”

For the first time Mathis felt a touch of unease. Was the other male telling the truth? Did he honestly have no idea who Sadie was and where she’d come from?

“Forget it,” he said. “Just drop it, Keller.”

“But how can I drop such an intriguing subject? Especially so close to the full moon.” Keller had a hungry look on his face—the look of a predator that scents a weak, wounded creature and wants to devour it whole.

Mathis knew that anything he said would only make things worse but he couldn’t help himself—he had to answer the other Alpha’s threat.

“I said leave her alone,” he said flatly. “She’s on my property.”

“Which adjoins my property, as you may remember,” Keller was nearly purring with interest now.

“That’s not saying much—everything in this town adjoins your property, Keller,” pointed out Reese Cooper, who was watching the confrontation from the poker table.

“Just stay away.” Mathis knew now he’d made a mistake—a serious one. He’d just drawn the attention of the most dangerous male in town to the little Juvie. But there was no way to change that now. “Stay . . . away,” he repeated, glaring at the other male.

“Why should I?” Keller demanded. “Have you claimed her?”

Mathis thought of the powerful jolt he’d gotten just from shaking her hand. It was what Fiona would call “a telling sign” but it in no way denoted any kind of claim or ownership.

Keller seemed to take his silence for a negative.

“So you haven’t claimed her.” The hungry light in his eyes grew. “Have you given her any gifts? And has she accepted them?”

“No,” Mathis growled unwillingly. “But . . . she’s under my protection.”

“Oh, really?” Keller raised an eyebrow skeptically. “First you come in here demanding that I get rid of this female—this Juvie—and then you change your tune and claim she’s under your protection. Forgive me, my friend, but I have a difficult time believing your assertion.”

“Believe what you want,” Mathis said shortly. “I’m leaving and I’d better not see you on my land. Or anywhere near it.”

He turned and marched out of the Cougar’s Den, trying to ignore Keller’s soft laughter, which came floating after him.

Damn it—he’d really stuck his hoof in it now, declaring the Juvie was under his protection. Such a declaration was binding in the Shifter community. It was probably just the rut coming on, making him act like such an idiot, but it didn’t matter—there was no excuse and no taking his words back.

He’d just bound himself to a female he didn’t even know and wanted nothing to do with.

What the holy blue hell was he going to do?

Five

“Well that was a day from hell.”

Sadie sank back down behind her desk, her earlier good mood completely evaporated.

Other than her trip to the Cougarville Chemist, her afternoon on the town had been a complete and total disaster. After leaving Fiona behind her counter, she’d decided to cross the street to visit Sweet Stems Florist shop.

There was a nice-looking older man behind the counter with slightly stooped shoulders and a touch of silver at his temples. Sadie could see him through the plate-glass window, arranging a large vase of roses.

She opened the door, causing a little bell to jingle, and he looked up.

“Well, hello! Welcome to the . . .” His words trailed off and he just stared at Sadie. His eyes widened, his nostrils flared, and a hungry look came over his face.

“Um . . . hello?” Sadie wasn’t sure what to say or why he had suddenly stopped talking and started staring. “I’m Sadie Becker, your new neighbor across the street.” She gestured in the direction of her office. “I’m a CPA and I—”

“Sadie! What a lovely name.” The man’s paralysis suddenly broke and he rushed forward to greet her. His elbow caught the huge vase and it crashed to the floor, spraying glass, water, and roses everywhere. Yet, strangely, he barely seemed to notice.

“Oh!” Sadie gasped, jumping back from the spreading puddle. “Your roses!”

“They’re nothing—nothing, dear Sadie! Not nearly as beautiful as you.” He reached for her hand, as though to shake it but before he could, a woman about his age came out from the back room of the shop.

“Buford! What in the world—” she began. Then she caught sight of Sadie. Her nostrils wrinkled and she glared. “What do you want in here?”

Sadie was taken aback. “I-I just stopped in to say hello,” she stammered. “I’m new in town and I wanted to meet—”

“Wanted to meet whatever eligible males you could before the full moon, did you? Well you can just cross this place right off your list, missy.” There was a spark of anger in the woman’s gray eyes. “My Buford isn’t even an Alpha, and besides, he’s taken.”

Sadie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was the woman actually insinuating that Sadie was here to steal her elderly husband? What would make her think such a thing?

“I just wanted to introduce myself,” she said. “But if this is a bad time—”

“You know damn good and well it’s a bad time! We’re closed so I’ll thank you to go.” The woman glared at her.

“All right.” Sadie stepped out of the shop and the woman bustled after her. She locked the door as though she thought Sadie might try to come back in. Then she flipped the sign hanging on the door from OPEN to CLOSED and pulled down a shade, covering the window.

Feeling stunned, Sadie walked a little way down to the Friendly Bean. Well, at least she was sure of getting a good reception here. It was one of the few shops she’d already gone into—she had gotten herself a delicious mochaccino the day she moved in and signed the papers to rent her office.

She stepped inside confidently enough and took a deep breath. The small, snug space was filled with the warm, delicious smell of freshly brewed coffee. Three couples sat sipping their beverages at the little round tables scattered around. There were faded vintage movie posters on the walls and a shelf of lending books with tattered covers in one corner. In the far rear of the establishment was a battered leather couch where you could sit and read or just drink coffee. Sadie couldn’t imagine a cozier spot.

Standing at the counter was a vaguely familiar man. He was probably about Sadie’s age with broad shoulders and an open, honest face with kindly brown eyes.

“Welcome to the Bean,” he called, just as he had the first time she’d come in. “Glad to . . .”

He stopped talking, just as the man at Sweet Stems Florist had. At the same time, a hush fell over the three couples sitting around sipping their coffee. They all looked at Sadie, staring at her as though she’d grown a second head.

What in the world are they staring at? She looked around uneasily. Nothing like this had happened the first time she had come into the Friendly Bean. Then the other customers had barely glanced up from their drinks and the counterman had served her with a pleasant smile. Now all their gazes were pinned on her and most of the expressions on their faces were anything but cordial.

“Juvie,” the woman sitting in the table nearest to her hissed. She looked Sadie up and down, her lip curling as though what she saw disgusted her. “Come on, Jason!” She grabbed the hand of the man who was sitting with her—staring at Sadie with the same, strange hunger she’d seen on the florist’s face—and dragged him up. “We’re leaving.”

She towed the man, who must have been her husband, out the door, shutting it hard behind her.

As though the woman’s exit was some kind of signal, all the other patrons of the Friendly Bean got up and left too—the women pulling their men behind them just as the first one had. At last only the counterman was left.

“I . . .” Sadie looked at him uncertainly. “I’m so sorry. I don’t . . . I’m not sure what just happened.”

“Worry not, my lovely.” He came around the counter, holding out a hand to her. “Allow me to offer you a drink on the house. Any drink—or all the drinks. Just tell me what you want—everything I own and everything I am is at your complete disposal.”

“Um, that’s very kind of you but maybe I should just go.” Feeling thoroughly confused and more than a little creeped out, Sadie started to back toward the exit.

“No! You must stay!” The kindly coffee attendant wasn’t looking so kindly anymore. He caught Sadie’s hand and began to tug her to the back of the shop. “Stay with me,” he growled hungrily. “I want to get to know you better. Much better!”

To Sadie’s horror, she realized he was dragging her over to the battered leather couch, clearly with less-than-honorable intentions.

“Wait! No!” She tried to fight him but he was immensely strong—even stronger than he looked. “Let me go!” she gasped as he pushed her onto the couch. “What are you doing? I don’t even know you!”

“Soon you will know me—all of me—as I will know all of you,” he promised, fumbling with the buttons of her navy peacoat.

“Stop it! Stop!” Sadie batted his hands away but he wouldn’t stop. Before she knew it, he started to climb on top of her.

“Help! Help me!” She couldn’t believe she was being assaulted by the nice counterman who had given her a mochaccino with a friendly smile the last time she’d seen him. What was wrong with him? With everyone in this town?

Her cries for help brought someone from the back. There was a sound of footsteps and then, suddenly, an angry woman with short black hair came into view.

“John!” she exclaimed, whacking the counterman on one broad shoulder. “What in the name of Lady Moon do you think you’re doing?”

The counterman didn’t answer. He just continued pawing at Sadie’s clothing and trying to climb on top of her. The woman ran off and for a horrible moment Sadie thought she was just going to leave her to her fate. She came back, however, holding a steaming cup of coffee in one hand.

“What are you going to do?” Sadie gasped, still fighting off the man’s advances.

The woman didn’t answer. Instead she threw the hot cup of coffee straight into the counterman’s face.

He howled in pain and scrambled back, clawing at his eyes and face.

“Get up.” The woman with dark hair jerked her head at Sadie. “Get up and go, quick.”

“I . . . I . . .” Sadie made herself stand on shaky legs. She tried to straighten her clothing, which was rumpled from the sudden unprovoked attack. “Thank you for saving me,” she offered at last.

“I shoulda left you to it—serves you right coming in here like this. But my brother’s a good man even if he’s not an Alpha—he’d hate himself when his head cleared,” the woman said grimly.

“Cleared from what? I don’t understand.” Sadie shook her head desperately.

“Well, understand this—I don’t know where you’re from, Juvie,” the woman said. “But in Cougarville you just can’t act this way.” She motioned at the door. “Now get out and don’t come back until you’ve got your situation sorted.”

Sadie had about a million questions she wanted to ask but the overly friendly counterman was showing signs of getting over the hot coffee his sister had splashed in his face. He was eyeing Sadie hungrily and sniffing the air as though he smelled something particularly good to eat.

“Go!” the woman said again.

Fearing another assault, Sadie went. She dashed out of the Friendly Bean and found herself on the street once more, her head reeling and her heart pounding.

What was going on here? Was everyone in Cougarville crazy? Why would a seemingly nice, ordinary man suddenly attack her? And why did the women of the town—or at least the ones she’d met aside from Fiona—seem to hate her so much?

Thinking of Fiona, she remembered her cryptic words about how she might be able to get served at the Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy diner if she mentioned Fiona’s name.

Should I even try? Sadie looked across the street uncertainly. She could see through the large glass windows of the diner—there was no one there but a slim boy with bright red hair who looked like he was just barely old enough to be in high school.

A rumbling stomach reminded Sadie that she had skipped breakfast and there was absolutely nothing to eat in her office. Still, she hesitated, watching the boy, sizing him up. He seemed harmless enough and he wasn’t nearly as big as the counterman at the Friendly Bean or any of the other guys she’d seen in town. The men did seem to run on the large size here in Cougarville. Maybe he just hadn’t gotten his growth spurt yet.

Her stomach growled again.

Well, if he comes at me like the guy in the Friendly Bean I can run out again, she finally decided.

Squaring her shoulders, she walked across the street and opened the door of the diner.

“Oh, hello.” The red-haired boy looked up with a smile. “Welcome to the Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy diner. What’s your pleasure today?”

“Um . . .” Sadie hovered just inside the doorway, waiting to see if he would make a rush at her the way the florist and the counterman at the Friendly Bean had.

The boy laughed.

“Yeah, I know it’s a mouthful but my mom makes me say it. She’s the owner of the Lemon Squeezy and she’s really strict about how it’s run. Would you like to come in for lunch?”

He seemed so nice and normal that Sadie dared to come all the way through the front door and into the diner.

“Thank you.” She gave him a tentative smile and added, “Fiona sent me. She said I should try your lemon icebox pie.”

The boy smiled. “My mom makes that fresh every morning and it’s usually gone by noon. But I think you’re in luck—we’re slow today so I might have a piece left.”

By now Sadie could tell he wasn’t going to freak out and attack her so she let down her guard—just a little.

“Thank you,” she said, smiling at him. “And if it’s not too much trouble, could I get a turkey sandwich too? Hold the mayo. And I’ll take both the sandwich and the pie to go.”

It seemed safest to get the food and get back to her office and out of the public eye. Sadie had no idea what had happened in Sweet Stems and the Friendly Bean, but she most certainly didn’t want a repeat of it here at the Lemon Squeezy if anyone else came in.

“Coming right up,” the boy promised. “You want that on white or wheat? And any toppings?”

“Wheat is fine, with lettuce and tomato,” Sadie said.

He nodded and went to work behind the counter at the front. The Lemon Squeezy looked like a classic fifties diner with round stools lining the counter, old-fashioned black and red vinyl booths, and a bulky chrome jukebox in one corner.

Sadie went over to examine the songs on the jukebox while she waited for her order. Lots of classic rock mixed with some oldies and even a few songs from the eighties. She was just thinking of putting in a quarter to play a Tears for Fears song when the boy spoke again.

“So, you new in town?” he asked as he worked on her sandwich.

“Yes.” Sadie looked up for a moment and smiled. “I’m in an office not far from here. I’m a CPA—do you know if your mom is looking for an accountant?”

“Well . . .” He made a face. “I don’t know about that. Mom’s kind of a control freak, you know? I think she does that kind of thing herself. But I can ask her.”

“Here’s my card.” Sadie went over and laid a business card on the counter. “Just in case.”

“Sure.” He nodded as he finished wrapping up the sandwich. “I’ll give it to her.”

“Thank you.” Sadie felt a glow of real pleasure. This was more like what she had envisioned when she first stepped out of her office looking to meet her new neighbors. It felt so nice and normal she was beginning to think the incidents at Sweet Stems and the Friendly Bean were strange anomalies.

“Here you go, that’ll be $8.99.” The boy was just in the act of handing her a plastic bag containing the pie and sandwich when the door opened and a woman with platinum-blond hair done up in an elaborate beehive stepped inside.

“Timmy,” she called to the boy. “I just heard from Nora over at the Bean there’s a Juvie in town causing all kinds of trouble. So if anyone—” She stopped short when she saw Sadie. Her nose wrinkled and her eyes widened. “You!” she exclaimed, taking a step forward.

“Um, hello.” Sadie eyed her nervously. “You must be the owner of the Lemon Squeezy. Your son here has been helping me—you must be so proud, he gives excellent customer service.”

She’d meant her words as a compliment but she seemed to have said the exact wrong thing. The woman turned on her, enraged.

“How dare you come in here flaunting your Juvie ass and trying to corrupt my son!” she shouted, storming up to Sadie. “He hasn’t even reached maturity yet, you disgusting, horrible—”

“What are you talking about?” Sadie demanded, stung into defending herself. “All I wanted was some lunch! I was trying to compliment you on what a nice, polite boy he is.”

“Well he’s one boy you won’t sink your claws into! And as for your lunch . . .” The woman grabbed the bag her son was still holding, dumped it on the floor, and stomped on it. Lemon pie filling squirted across the floor and the sandwich was flattened, red tomato oozing out from between the slices of wheat bread. “Get out!” She pointed a trembling finger at Sadie. “Get out and don’t you bother my boy again!”

Sadie fled—what else could she do? She ran back to her office, not bothering to change the sign to open, and sank down behind her desk with her head in her hands.

And that was pretty much where she had spent the afternoon, cowering in her office with her stomach rumbling, wondering what the hell was going on. She felt like she’d been dropped into some weird soap opera as the villain and she didn’t understand the plot.

Had she made a huge mistake moving to Cougarville? It certainly seemed that way. Why was everyone treating her like she was a pariah? Or all the women did, anyway. The men all seemed to want to hump her leg or worse. But why?

“God, what have I done to myself? I uprooted my whole life to come to a town full of crazy people!” Sadie moaned, rubbing her temples. A dull, throbbing headache was building like a thunderstorm inside her skull.

She looked at her cell phone longingly, wishing it would ring so she could explain everything to Samantha. But the very fact that her sister hadn’t felt her distress and called her by now told Sadie her twin was probably completely immersed in some surgery or trauma case. She couldn’t pull Samantha away from something like that just to moan about her poor life choices.

At last the clock on her office wall read five o’clock and Sadie decided it was time to go. Her head still throbbing, she got up and gathered her things. What a dreadful first day at work—she just wanted to go home, take a hot bath, and try to relax—after she took about six ibuprofen for this awful headache, that was.

Thinking of ibuprofen made her remember the pharmacy and her promise to Fiona at the Cougarville Chemist.

Sadie stood in the doorway of her office, debating on whether she should go back and talk to the older woman or not. She really didn’t feel like it—her head really hurt. Then again, it seemed Fiona was the only person who would talk to her in the whole town. And maybe she’d have some idea of what was going on.

Reluctantly, Sadie headed for the Cougarville Chemist. Time to try to get some answers.

Six

“Well, well—what’s got you looking so blue?” Fiona asked brightly when she stepped into the shop. “Did you have a rough day?”

“Yes, I did.” Sadie came over to the counter, weaving her way through the overcrowded shelves to do so. “And a very strange day too.”

Fiona nodded sagely. “Well, we all have those. It is only a few days until the full moon, you know, dear.”

“The full moon?” Sadie seemed to remember someone else mentioning the moon too. “What does that have to do with it?”

Fiona opened her dark eyes wide. “Why, everything my dear. Just everything.”

“The people in this town . . . is there something going on with them?”

“Oh, always, dear. Cougarville is a busy little spot—yes, it certainly is.” Fiona smiled.

“Yes, but . . . when I tried to go meet them . . .” Sadie stopped, trying to think how to phrase her sentence without sounding like a little kid in school complaining about being picked on. “They don’t seem to like outsiders very much,” she said at last. “At least, they didn’t seem to like me.”

“Well, no—they wouldn’t, would they? Not so close to a full moon and considering what you are.”

“What? What do you mean? They don’t even know me!” Sadie was getting more and more annoyed by the oblique way the other woman was answering—or rather not answering—her questions.

“Not yet they don’t.” Fiona smiled and patted her hand. “But they will—don’t worry, my dear. They will.”

“I give up.” Sadie threw up her hands. “I’m going to go home.”

“What? Not before you look at my books, surely,” Fiona protested. “You promised you would, you know,” she added reproachfully.

Sadie sighed. “Yes, I guess I did. It’s just been a long day. But all right—I’ll take a quick peek. Where do you keep them?”

“Back here, my dear.” Fiona motioned for her to come around the counter.

Sadie followed her around into a back storeroom of sorts. If she’d thought the front of the pharmacy was cluttered, it was nothing compared to the back, which looked like a hoarder of epic proportions and very strange tastes lived there.

Shelves and cabinets were overflowing with all kinds of dried herbs, jars, and bottles filled with colorful liquids. There were piles of animal bones, hooves, claws, and antlers in different heaps and large, dusty books stacked on almost every available surface.

The room looked like the mind of a mad alchemist but Fiona seemed completely at home in it, weaving around the different piles and leaving Sadie to trail after her.

“Back here.” Fiona led her to a small, surprisingly neat desk at the very back corner of the large room. “I try to keep my workspace uncluttered,” she remarked, obviously seeing the surprise on Sadie’s face. “Even though all my different materials take up a lot of space.” She sighed. “I wish I had a young person to help me catalog all of it—I’m kept so busy mixing and compounding medicines I barely have time for anything else.”

“That must be . . . difficult.” Sadie settled herself at the desk. “Your books?”

“Here they are.” Fiona produced a tiny silver key hung on a long chain around her neck and unlocked one of the desk drawers. Then she took out a large black ledger and laid it on the desk. “See what you can make of that. I do my best but come tax time, nothing seems to add up.”

Indeed, it didn’t. Just looking at the straggling columns of numbers with multiple blotches and scribbles made Sadie’s aching head hurt even worse. It appeared that Fiona ordered her exotic ingredients from around the world and many of the amounts in the book were listed in yuan, dinars, pounds, euros, pesos, lire, kronor, and rupees, not to mention a few currencies Sadie didn’t even recognize.

“I’m sorry,” she said at last, after paging through the book and trying to make heads or tails of it. “But this is going to take some time, and it’s getting late. Do you mind if I start fresh tomorrow?”

“Of course dear, just come over and get the books first thing tomorrow morning, and you can work on them in your office.” Fiona smiled brightly at her.

“Thank you.” Sadie smiled back gratefully. Despite the crazy state of Fiona’s books, at least she now had one client. It made her day seem less terrible, even if only by a little. She stood up from the small desk and her head throbbed.

Sadie put a hand to her temple and swayed on her feet. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such a bad headache.

“Oh my—are you all right?” Fiona looked concerned.

“I just have the worst headache right now,” Sadie rubbed her forehead with the heel of her hand. “Do you think I could get some ibuprofen before I go?”

“Oh my dear—ibuprofen won’t help with that headache.” Fiona shook her head and made a tsking sound. “But I know just what will—come with me.”

She led Sadie back up to the front of the pharmacy and handed her a plain plastic bottle filled with green-and-brown pills.

“Are these some kind of, um, new headache cure?” Sadie looked at them uncertainly. No matter how grateful she was to Fiona for being her one and only client, she still wasn’t sure she trusted the eccentric woman enough to take medicine she’d made up out of all the strange ingredients she’d seen in the back room of the Cougarville Chemist.

“Oh my no—they aren’t for you to take!” Fiona looked shocked at the idea. “No, my dear—these are for your neighbor, Mathis.”

“What?” Sadie stared at the green-and-brown pills blankly. “But . . . if they’re his medicine, why did you give them to me?”

“Why, so you could bring them to him of course. You will, won’t you? Please do a favor for an old lady.” As she spoke the words, Fiona suddenly seemed elderly and frail, though Sadie would have sworn she was ageless just a moment ago.

“I don’t know,” she said doubtfully. “I mean Mathis . . . he doesn’t seem to like me very much.” Although at least he hadn’t attacked her or eyed her like she was a prime cut of beef, like nearly every other adult male she’d met in town so far.

Fiona looked up at her with those large, dark eyes.

“Please, Sadie dear. I promised him I’d bring them to him myself but my lumbago is acting up terribly.” She put a hand to her lower back. “A storm must be coming soon—my spine always lets me know when there’s a big one on the way.”

“Well . . .” Sadie really didn’t want to do this particular errand—confronting her huge, menacing next-door neighbor so wasn’t on her wish list right now, especially with her head pounding and her stomach growling.

But when Fiona looked at her like that, somehow she felt she couldn’t say no.

“All right,” she said reluctantly. “If you’re sure he won’t get upset at me for handling his meds. I mean, isn’t it a breach of privacy or something like that?”

“Oh, everybody knows everybody else’s business in Cougarville.” Fiona made a shooing gesture with one bangled and beringed hand. Now that Sadie had agreed to do the errand, she had straightened up and was looking as ageless as ever. “Go on—it’ll be okay.”

Sadie sighed unhappily.

“All right. I’ll drop them off on my way home and see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you, dear. I knew I could count on you.” Fiona smiled. “And now if you don’t mind, I need to do a little tidying up before I leave for the night.”

She ushered Sadie out of the shop. It wasn’t until the door was shut and locked behind her that Sadie realized she still hadn’t gotten anything for her headache.

Mathis frowned as he turned the thick rib eye he was cooking for his supper on the indoor gas grill built into his stove. Some people thought herbivores only ate rabbit food and that was true—when they were in their Shifted forms. But as a man, he liked a good steak and baked potato as much as the carnivore Shifters did.

Everything was almost done but his mind wasn’t really on eating. Mostly because he couldn’t get the curvy little Juvie from next door out of his head.

You gave her location to the worst male in town, a small, accusing voice whispered in the back of his head. Hell, you practically handed her to Keller on a silver platter.

She’ll be all right, he argued with the voice uneasily. I told Keller to back off and I put her under my protection.

Right—and look how great you’re doing protecting her, the voice pointed out. She’s back there alone in town, just down the street from the fucking Cougar’s Den. For all you know, Keller’s already got her and you’re just cooking supper like it’s no big deal.

The little voice made a compelling case. What was he doing here, going about his normal business when Sadie might be hurt or in trouble? Of course he still didn’t like her, but he had a moral obligation to follow up on his vow of protection.

With a muffled curse, he plated the steak and turned off the grill and the oven, where he had a large potato baking. He was just going to have to go check on her—his conscience wouldn’t let him rest until he did.

He headed for the door, grabbing his jacket along the way—it was getting chilly at night now that autumn was really setting in. Normally that was a good thing—Shifting in cold weather hurt less than Shifting in the heat, although it was pretty damn painful no matter when you did it. But this year the colder temperature marked the beginning of his rut and if those damn pills Fiona gave him didn’t help anymore—

His thought was interrupted when he opened the carved oak panel of his front door and saw Sadie standing there, her hand raised as if to knock.

She looked awful.

Not that she wasn’t still beautiful but her formerly rosy cheeks were nearly gray and her big brown eyes when she turned them up to him were filled with pain. Even her maddening scent was muted and dull.

“Hi,” she said listlessly, when he looked down at her. She really was a tiny little thing—or maybe she just seemed like that to him because he was so big. Most everyone seemed little to Mathis.

“Sadie?” he said, frowning. “What are you doing here?” He hung his jacket back on the peg by the door and looked at her, anxious despite himself.

“I’m supposed to . . .” She rubbed her temple with one hand, wincing as though she was in pain. “Supposed to give you these,” she finished, holding up a familiar-looking bottle. “From Fiona.”

“You didn’t have to do that—I could’ve gotten them myself,” he protested, taking the bottle and putting it on the small table by the door.

“Yes, I did. She . . . made me promise. She—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Sadie’s eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed.

“Shit!” Moving with faster-than-human speed, Mathis caught her. She was light as feather in his arms and he lifted her carefully, cradling her against his chest.

Then he stood there on his doorstep, uncertain of what to do. He couldn’t very well take her back to her place and just leave her there. Should he take her to the hospital? But the North Carolina branch of the VA Medical Center was ten miles past Cougarville on the outskirts of Asheville, which was the closest city of any size in the area.

Sadie stirred and moaned softly, then turned her cheek into his chest and breathed deeply, almost as if she was inhaling his scent.

Mathis frowned. Well, at least she was breathing—that was good. He’d taken a CPR course but it had been well over ten years ago and he didn’t remember much except you were supposed to do the chest compressions to the rhythm of “Staying Alive.”

Well, you can’t just stand there holding her, the little voice in his head pointed out. And if you’re not going to take her to the ER, you need to bring her in out of the cold.

True. Reluctantly, Mathis turned sideways so he wouldn’t bump anything and carried the unconscious Sadie into his cabin. He kicked the door shut behind him and made his way to the brown leather couch in the living room. There was a fire crackling in the fireplace, making the room toasty despite the chilly wind whipping outside.

He started to lay her down on the couch but when he tried to move her away from his body, she made soft, protesting sounds and clung to his plaid shirt, nuzzling her face against his chest.

She must be cold—she feels my warmth, Mathis thought. Indeed, the little Juvie’s skin was like ice—she seemed chilled to the bone. Probably because for some reason, she wasn’t wearing the navy peacoat she’d had on earlier. She was dressed in just a thin white blouse and a gray skirt and heels.

Mathis settled on the couch, still holding her against him. He didn’t like it, he told himself—not one bit. But he’d given his word to protect her and part of that was keeping her warm so she didn’t freeze to death. Between his body heat and the warmth radiating from the fire she would no doubt wake up soon—he hoped.

Since she was still unconscious, he felt free to really study her—her face anyway. Her luscious body he’d already seen that morning. The thought made him uncomfortably hard and he shifted on the couch, trying to make some room. Damn it, if this little Juvie didn’t hurry up and get herself mated soon, he was going to have to invest in roomier jeans!

Trying to concentrate on what he saw instead of what he remembered, he studied her, noting how delicate her bone structure was. Her dark lashes were like long, bristly fans against her pale cheeks and her mouth was a full, innocent pink. She’d told Fiona that she was forty, yet she looked to be ten years younger than Mathis, not ten years older, which was doubtless the Rejuvenation process at work.

Why had she come here and what was she doing here alone without a mate to protect her? He hoped she was being careful about where she went. If she wandered around town in the state she was in now, most of the women of Cougarville weren’t going to be too happy with her. The scent of Rejuvenation made a female damn near irresistible, to the point where any male who wasn’t an Alpha with enough strength to control his urges was liable to go crazy around her. Mathis felt half crazy around the little Juvie himself and he was as Alpha as they came. Of course, his rut coming on didn’t help things any.

She’s warm enough now. I should let her go—should put her down. And I should take some of the new anti-rut pills Fiona made me.

But he didn’t want to put her down. He couldn’t stop looking at her. From her lovely face to her curvy body, Sadie Becker was intensely feminine and she seemed to fit perfectly in his arms.

God, she’s gorgeous.

Unable to help himself, Mathis brushed just the tips of his fingers across her high, delicate cheekbone. Her skin was like satin.

Sadie stirred and moaned softly. Then her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him.

Seven

Sadie couldn’t understand what was happening. Where was she? What was it that smelled so good? And why was Mathis Blackwell holding her in his lap and looking down at her so intently?

He was still ginormous but he looked less intimidating somehow in the firelight. It softened his harsh features and made his dark green eyes—the color of pine needles—look almost gentle. Even his close-clipped beard and unruly black hair seemed less wild. Or maybe it was just the way he was looking at her that made the difference—for the first time since she’d seen him, the huge man wasn’t scowling.

Also, he smelled amazing—like cedar and musk and warm, masculine spice. It was hard to be frightened of anyone who smelled so good you just wanted to breathe them in forever. Sadie had a vague memory of doing just that—pressing her face to his plaid lumberjack shirt and inhaling deeply—but that must have been a dream, right?

If so, she wished it was a dream she could keep dreaming. His broad, hard chest against her side was strangely comforting and the biceps under her head felt like warm, flexible steel.

But as intriguing as the situation was, she couldn’t lounge around in his arms forever—she barely knew the man.

Sadie started to get up but he wouldn’t let her.

“Just be still.” His deep voice seemed to vibrate through her entire body, both stern and concerned at the same time. “You fainted right on my doorstep. Scared the ever-loving hell outta me.”

“I did?” Sadie put a hand to her forehead, trying to remember. She’d been driving home with her temples throbbing, feeling like her brain might burst from the pain. She’d wanted badly to go to her own snug little cabin, take some medicine, and lie down but somehow she couldn’t. The memory of Fiona’s large dark eyes compelled her to keep driving. When she came to the fork in the pitted dirt road that separated her driveway from Mathis’s, she took the left-hand road instead of the right, heading to her neighbor’s home, not her own.

I’ll just drop off the pills and come right back, she remembered telling herself. Then she had a vague memory of staggering to Mathis’s front door and raising her hand to knock . . . but nothing else.

“You did,” he confirmed, frowning. “Why the hell did you come here if you felt so bad?”

Sadie frowned back. “I was doing Fiona a favor, dropping off your pills—whatever they’re for.” She wriggled in his lap, trying to sit up again and felt something hard and hot and absolutely huge pressing against her ass. “Oh, my God! Apparently not for erectile dysfunction,” she blurted out.

His cheeks glowed a dull red with embarrassment.

“Sorry about that but you should know why I’m like this. I can’t help it, being so close to you the way you are. No man could.”

Before she could ask what in the world he was talking about, he helped her off his lap so quickly Sadie got dizzy.

“Whoa!” She clutched at the arm of the couch with one hand and put the other to her spinning head. At least her headache had backed off some, she noted, though she could still feel a dull throbbing in her temples that promised it might decide to come back in full force later on.

“Sorry,” Mathis growled again, not sounding sorry at all. “Look, I know what this looks like but I tried to put you down—I really did! Only you held on to my shirt and wouldn’t let go. And you were cold—chilled to the bone. I decided to hold you until you warmed up.”

Sadie was unexpectedly touched by his explanation. Though he seemed gruff and unapproachable on the outside, apparently her taciturn neighbor had a marshmallow for a heart.

“All right,” she said. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have . . . said what I said. I’ve just had a really rough day and, well . . . you and I sort of got off on the wrong foot.”

Mathis snorted. “You can say that again.”

“Yeah, well . . .” She still wasn’t sure why he’d been so angry with her earlier in the pharmacy or why he wasn’t now. And it seemed rude and awkward to ask. “I guess I should go now that you have your pills. Uh, you do have them, don’t you?”

“I put ’em down when I caught you,” he said gruffly.

“Okay, well . . .” Before she could think of a polite way to extricate herself from the awkward situation, Sadie’s stomach gave a huge, gurgling growl. “Oh my God!” She clutched at her midsection in embarrassment. “I’m so sorry—I haven’t eaten all day. That’s probably why I fainted—low blood sugar.”

“You haven’t?” He frowned disapprovingly. “That’s no damn good—why would you do something like that? You on one of those crazy diets?”

“What? No—I mean, not exactly.” Despite the fact that the little pooch at her belly was now gone, Sadie’s hips and ass had always been bigger than she liked. So while she wasn’t really on a diet, she was never really off one either.

“Good.” He looked her up and down, his forest-green eyes flickering over her curves. “Because you don’t need to be. So don’t starve yourself.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Sadie protested. “I tried to get lunch at the Lemon Squeezy, but . . .” She stopped, not wanting to tell her gruff neighbor about her failed attempt to get lunch at the diner.

“But?” he echoed, raising one black eyebrow.

“But I couldn’t,” Sadie finished. “So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go home and . . .” She stopped abruptly, remembering that she had yet to stock her fridge and pantry. The thought of eating the Count Chocula breakfast cereal that was almost as old as she was wasn’t very appealing. But that only left the Gatorade gum. Ugh.

“Look, have dinner with me,” Mathis said grudgingly. He looked like he could scarcely believe he was asking her, but the invitation sounded genuine. “I was about to sit down and eat right before you showed up.”

“Really?” Sadie wasn’t sure if she ought to accept or not. She couldn’t help remembering the strange instant orgasm she’d had the first time they shook hands. What had that been about? Still, he’d just been holding her on his lap for God alone knew how long and there had been no repeat of the strange electric-lust feeling. Also, Mathis, for all of his gruffness, was one of only two people that she knew of in Cougarville who would actually talk to her.

Another loud, embarrassing growl from her stomach decided her.

“Look, I can’t have you fainting again.” Mathis frowned. “Come on—come in the kitchen. I’ll heat up the steak—won’t take a minute.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Sadie followed him from the comfortable, fire-lit living room to a small, snug kitchen.

To her surprise it was extremely neat and fitted with all the latest appliances in brushed stainless steel. An enormous rib eye steak was sitting on a blue china plate and a baked potato almost as big as a hoagie roll could be seen wrapped in aluminum foil through the glass of the oven door.

Mathis busied himself reheating the food, which had apparently gone cold while he held her on the couch. Sadie admired his swift, economical movements—he worked like a man who really knew his way around a kitchen.

“Can I help?” she asked. “Maybe set the table?”

“Plates in that cabinet.” He nodded at one of the carved oak cabinets above the sink.

Sadie opened it but the blue china plates were far above her head on the top shelf. She stood on her tiptoes but it was no good—even in her heels she couldn’t reach.

Mathis saw her trouble and reached up easily to hand her two plates from the shelf.

“Sorry,” he grunted. “I built this place for someone my size, not yours.”

“So you built this all yourself?” Sadie took the plates, looking around the kitchen again. Now that she thought about it, most of the surfaces seemed to be higher than normal. Instead of hitting around her hips, the counters and sink were almost up to her chest. Even the round maple-wood kitchen table seemed bigger and sturdier than usual.

Mathis nodded as he plated the steak. “Had no one but myself to please and every other place I’d ever lived my whole life was too damn small. I got tired of smacking my head on doorways and crouching over counters.” He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling. “So I built everything in here to suit myself.”

“So you’re a carpenter? You’re really talented.” She admired the wood of the table, running her fingertips over the smoothly sanded grain.

“Yeah,” he said noncommittally but she could see the dark flush of pleasure on his cheeks at her compliment. “I make custom furniture, do some carvings. It’s a living. Anyway, I’m my own boss. I like that.”

“I like it too,” Sadie said. “Well, I think I would if I could find any clients. Other than Fiona, that is.”

“So you’re trying to do her books?” Mathis raised an eyebrow at her as he cut the rib eye into two neat sections. “Good luck with that. I saw ’em once around tax time when she asked me for help—what a lot of scribble-scrabble.”

“Yes, her record keeping is . . . interesting to say the least,” Sadie said, smiling a little. “Where do you keep your silverware?”

He showed her the right drawer and she got out a fork and steak knife—both oversized, she saw—for each of them.

Mathis got the potato—which was now piping hot—the butter, and a bottle of steak sauce and placed them all on the table. He got some glasses out—again from a shelf too high for Sadie to reach—then looked at her uncertainly.

“Uh, sorry but all I have to drink is beer or water. I don’t usually have company so I don’t keep a lot of soda or wine or—”

“Water is fine,” Sadie said quickly. Her stomach was growling again in response to the delicious aroma of the steak and potato. At this point she didn’t care what she had to drink as long as she got something to eat before she fainted again.

“You got it.” Mathis filled her glass from the tap and got a bottle of beer for himself from the fridge. “Let’s eat.”

They did and Sadie couldn’t help thinking that it was the most delicious meal she’d ever had. Maybe it was because she was so hungry but she didn’t think so—even if she hadn’t been starving she would have appreciated the food, which really was spectacular. The steak was juicy and tender and seasoned to perfection and the potato was fluffy and buttery with a crispy skin.

“You like it?” Mathis asked after they had been eating a while in silence. Sadie knew she ought to have been making polite small talk but the food was so good and she was so hungry she hadn’t been able to make herself do anything but eat.

“I’m in heaven.” She speared another juicy bite of steak and smiled at him. “You’re an amazing cook.”

“Well, thanks.” He looked cautiously pleased. “It was either learn to cook or eat all my meals at the Lemon Squeezy, and as much as I like Darla’s cooking it gets old driving ten miles into town for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all the damn time.”

“Darla—that’s the woman with the platinum-blond hair she wears in a beehive?” Sadie asked, remembering the owner of the diner.

“Sure, that’s her. You meet her today?” Mathis raised an eyebrow at her.

“Sort of.” Sadie shifted in her chair uncomfortably, remembering how the proprietor of the diner had screamed at her and stomped the lunch she’d ordered on the floor.

She thought about asking if Darla was bipolar but then Mathis would probably want to know why she had asked and the scene at the diner was way too weird and embarrassing to explain.

“What about the Cougar’s Den?” she asked instead. “They’re supposed to be a bar and grill, right? What kind of food do they make?”

“Stay out of there.” His face, which had been more open and inviting since they’d started eating, suddenly went hard. “It’s not fucking safe in there for someone like you.”

“Someone like me?” Sadie frowned. “You mean a woman without a man to protect her? Because that’s pretty sexist.”

“No, that’s not it. I mean . . .” He shook his head, apparently at a loss for words. “Well, you know what I mean. It’s just not safe so stay out.”

“All right.” Sadie didn’t know what he meant at all but she didn’t want to rile him up either.

“So is steak your specialty or do you cook other things too?” she asked, diplomatically changing the subject.

He shrugged. “I make a mean marinara sauce and a pretty good shepherd’s pie. That was my mom’s recipe—she learned to make it for my dad. He was Irish.”

“Really? You don’t look Irish.”

“Oh, no? What do you think I look like, then?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

Sadie looked at him critically from his huge size to his shaggy black hair and neatly trimmed black beard. He had olive skin and large well-made hands with very clean nails. Sadie liked that—she always noticed a man’s hands. For a moment she had a flash of what it would be like to have those hands caressing her body, roaming all over her naked flesh until she moaned for more.

Wait a minute—where did that thought come from?

She had no idea but suddenly there were more like it crowding her brain. It was as though one appetite had been satiated, and now another was growing. But that was ridiculous, wasn’t it? Stop it, Sadie, she scolded herself. He’s too young for you—way too young.

“Well?” Mathis asked and she realized she’d been studying him too long while thinking forbidden, lascivious thoughts.

“Oh, um . . .” She cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks get hot. “If it wasn’t for your green eyes, I’d say you look Italian. Or maybe half Italian and half giant.” She smiled at him to let him know she was joking and was surprised when he grinned back.

“Yeah, well, I can’t help that I’m not as itty-bitty as you.”

“What?” She gave him an incredulous look. “I am not itty-bitty, I assure you.”

“You are as far as I’m concerned.” His voice dropped to a soft growl and he leaned forward, looking at her across the table. “When I was holding you on the couch I was thinking you felt as light as a feather. Especially when you held on to my shirt and didn’t want me to let you go.”

“I . . . I don’t remember that. I just remember thinking that something smelled really good and I wanted . . . wanted to be close to it. To you, I guess.”

Sadie felt herself blushing again as she met his eyes. Why hadn’t she noticed how attractive he was earlier? Maybe because he was always scowling. And now the way he was looking at her, so intently . . .

She dropped her gaze, feeling unaccountably nervous. This was ridiculous—she was ten years older than him. They had a name for women who went after younger men, didn’t they? Right—cougar. She hadn’t moved to Cougarville to turn into some kind of a cougar.

Mathis seemed to sense her nervous confusion because he cleared his throat and got up to clear their plates.

“How about dessert?” His deep voice was slightly hoarse and there was a definite bulge in the denim of his jeans, but at least he was trying to act normal, which was more than Sadie could say for herself.

“Dessert sounds wonderful,” she made herself say, trying to get back to the cordial tone they’d had before things had suddenly turned weird.

“Great.” He got a glass casserole pan out of the refrigerator and scooped the contents out into two blue bowls, which he brought to the table.

Sadie looked at the dessert, which seemed to have three layers—blueberries in sauce at the bottom, a white middle layer, and crumbled cookies on the top. She took a bite and her eyes rolled up in delight.

“Oh my God, this is sinfully good! Is that middle layer cream cheese?” she asked, going in for another bite.

Mathis smiled. “Yeah, mixed with powdered sugar and whipped topping. The bottom is just homemade blueberry pie filling. We had a bumper crop this year so I picked extra.”

“You’re amazing.” Sadie looked at him in wonder. “I mean, you look like a lumberjack but you cook like freaking Gordon Ramsay.”

He grinned. “Nah—that guy’s an asshole all the time. I’m just an asshole until you get to know me.”

“Well, I’m glad I did—get to know you I mean.” Sadie smiled at him. “I thought after the way you looked at me this morning when I saw you through my window you’d hate me forever. I mean . . .” She trailed off, feeling mortified. Why had she brought up that morning and the fact that he’d seen her naked? They’d been doing so well and she had to go and ruin it.

“About that . . .” Mathis cleared his throat. “I thought . . . I mean, I had a wrong idea about you. And I want you to know I wasn’t, uh, spying on you. I was just getting firewood at the wrong time, I guess.”

“Oh . . .” Sadie felt a rush of relief. “I know that—I could tell by the look on your face you were surprised. And I want you to know I didn’t mean to, uh, flash you.”

“I believe you,” he said simply. “Not that I minded being flashed.”

“Um . . .” Sadie felt like her face was on fire. “Thank you but I’m not . . . I mean . . .”

“You’re beautiful,” he said, his deep voice hoarse. When she looked up, she saw his eyes were half lidded with desire and he was giving her that same intense look he had been when she’d woken up in his lap.

“It’s been a long time since anyone told me that,” she said, her voice almost a whisper. “My ex—”

“If he couldn’t see how fucking gorgeous you are he was a damn fool.” Mathis’s voice was a deep, hungry growl and his eyes seemed to catch and hold hers, just as they had that morning. Once again, Sadie found she literally couldn’t look away.

She couldn’t tell exactly how it happened but suddenly she was around the table and in his arms. His mouth was hot and hungry and she could feel the hard bulge of his cock under her ass again but she didn’t give a damn. The hunger that had started earlier was beginning to build, like a small spark growing rapidly into a roaring fire. Soon it would break loose and destroy everything in its path.

Sadie didn’t care. She wanted to let it burn—wanted to let the hunger consume her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so hot . . . so alive and awake and sexual—so ready to make love.

But no—not just to make love—to be taken. Claimed. Fucked.

She could imagine how it would be with Mathis—he was so huge. She could almost feel his big body on top of hers, holding her down, spreading her legs while that thick shaft she could feel under her ass drove slowly home inside her, making her his.

The thought sent a fresh surge of desire through her and she deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue between his lips to taste him. Mathis groaned hungrily and opened for her, welcoming her in.

His mouth was sweet like the blueberry dessert—sweet and hot and Sadie couldn’t get enough of him. She buried her fingers in his coarse dark hair and pulled him closer, pushing her breasts shamelessly against his broad chest. Somewhere deep inside a little voice was demanding to know what she thought she was doing. She barely knew this man—how could she be kissing him so passionately?

Sadie pushed the little voice aside. It didn’t matter that she barely knew Mathis or that he was way too young for her—he fed the hunger that had suddenly blossomed inside her like a rose made entirely of thorns. He made her hot and wet and alive—made her feel more than she’d ever felt before. Between her legs she felt swollen and sensitive—she needed him on top of her, inside her . . .

“Wait.”

To her disappointment, it was Mathis who broke the kiss. He was breathing hard—they both were—but somehow he pulled his mouth away from hers and shook his head.

“Mathis?” She heard the breathless, needy tone of her own voice and felt powerless to stop it.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.” His voice was grating and low and the bulge in his jeans, under her ass, was so hot and hard he had to be aching. “I usually have better control over myself. It’s your fuckin’ scent—God, you smell so damn good.”

The feeling of him throbbing under her made Sadie realize she was still sitting on his lap. Quickly, she got up and went back to her own seat and her half-finished dessert.

“I didn’t mean to, uh, jump on you either,” she admitted, picking up her fork, just to have something to do with her hands. “I . . . I don’t know what came over me.”

“The same thing that came over me.” He sighed. “Look, I just want you to know I didn’t offer you supper because I expect you to . . . you know.”

“Oh, I never thought . . . I mean, I wouldn’t . . . I mean, I barely know you,” Sadie stammered. “I, uh . . . God, this is so awkward.”

“It really fucking is,” Mathis agreed in a low growl. “You’re just damn hard to resist.”

Sadie was surprised into a laugh. “Thanks. I never thought of myself as, uh, irresistible before.”

“Better get used to it,” Mathis remarked obliquely. “Do you want some more dessert?”

Sadie realized he was trying to get their conversation back on track and she was more than willing to help him.

“I’d love some,” she said warmly, passing him her bowl. “So you never told me—what is this delicious dish called, anyway?”

He coughed self-consciously. “Blueberry Yum-Yum.”

“What?” Sadie felt a nervous giggle trying to escape her. “Blueberry Yum-Yum?”

“Hey, what can I say? It’s another family recipe.” He spread his hands.

“Well, it’s delicious. Did your mom teach you to make it?” Sadie asked.

He shook his head, his expression suddenly becoming grave.

“No. My wife.”

“Oh . . .” Sadie felt instinctively that she’d hit a raw nerve. “Did you get a divorce? That’s what happened to me—my husband waited until our kids went off to college and then traded me in for a younger model.”

“No divorce.” Mathis looked down, swirling his fork aimlessly in the blueberry dessert. “She died.”

“I’m so sorry,” Sadie said. So much for trying to get the conversation back on track. Everything between them kept getting more and more awkward.

“It’s okay. It was . . . a while ago.” But the tone of his voice told her it wasn’t okay—that maybe it never would be.

She wished she could comfort the big man. Though time had passed since his trauma, she could tell that the wound was still fresh by the way he hunched his broad shoulders and stared fixedly at the table.

Wanting to make him feel better, she reached across and placed a hand on his wrist.

“Mathis—”

He jerked away and got up from the table in a rush, bumping it so hard with his thigh that the bowls rattled and clattered.

“Maybe you’d better go.”

“Oh.” Sadie sat there, stunned for a moment. She’d only been trying to make him feel better. She got up slowly. “All right. I’m sorry.”

“I am too.” He raked one big hand through his wild black hair. “I just . . . I can’t do this right now. Or ever.”

What was he talking about? The kiss they’d shared? Or the beginnings of what could have been a really nice friendship? Did he want no part of her at all?

Sadie had no idea but she knew when to leave an awkward situation.

“Thank you for dinner,” she said, taking her dessert bowl to the sink.

“Welcome.” Mathis still wouldn’t look at her. He was rubbing the back of his neck and staring out the window. The moon was out now and nearly full. Sadie wondered if that was what he was staring at.

“Okay. Well . . . I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Sure,” he said gruffly. “Uh, thanks for bringing my pills. In fact, I think it’s time for me to take one now.”

“All right.” Sadie didn’t know what else to say. “I’ll show myself out.”

“No need.” He got up from the table and walked with her to the door. On the little table right beside it, Sadie saw the familiar bottle of green-and-brown pills.

Mathis opened the heavy wood door, letting in a swirling gust of icy wind. Sadie shivered and wrapped her arms around herself but he didn’t offer to loan her a jacket or say anything about going straight home so she wouldn’t be cold. Instead, he seemed completely focused on the bottle of pills.

“Thank you again,” she said.

Mathis’s only answer was a grunt. He had already pried off the top of the bottle. As Sadie watched, he shook three of the pills out onto the broad palm of his hand, stopped to consider, then shook out another two.

As she left the house, he dry swallowed all five of the mysterious caplets with a grimace and then slammed the door behind her, without even saying goodbye.

That had been close—damn close. Mathis leaned against the sturdy oak door, waiting for the anti-rut pills to take effect. Having the little Juvie in his house hadn’t been too bad at first. Her being unconscious had muted her scent and the fact that she appeared to be sick or injured had damped his own mating urges considerably.

In other words, he’d been too worried about her to get horny.

But then she’d woken up and they’d talked—really talked—the way he hadn’t talked to anyone since Kathleen had died. Talked and eaten and laughed and he had held her and kissed her and . . .

Damn it—why had he talked to her in the first place? Why had he let her in and shared a meal with her? And most of all why had he kissed her? If he closed his eyes he could almost relive that kiss—the sweet, hot taste of her mouth, the feeling of her soft little tongue invading him, teasing him, making him want her. Making him need her.

No! He didn’t need anyone—he couldn’t. He’d sworn he would never love another woman after Kathleen, never let himself have those feelings again. It was just the rut talking, telling him he had to find some female and mate with her. Well, he didn’t have to listen—wouldn’t listen. But damn it, having Sadie so close didn’t make it easy.

Never should have done it, he told himself grimly. Never should have held her, never should have kissed her. He should have sent her packing the moment she woke up.

But it was too late. Now that he knew her—knew her sense of humor and her sweet nature—he couldn’t hate her anymore. Which meant it was going to be a hell of a lot harder to keep her at an arm’s length.

“It’s okay,” Mathis told himself aloud. “It’ll be okay as soon as these damn pills take effect.”

But though he waited for over an hour, he didn’t feel even a speck of relief. His symptoms were as strong as ever.

The rut was coming on, whether he wanted it to or not.

Eight

Sadie sighed and closed the door of her cabin behind her. Her new little home seemed dark and quiet after the warmth and conversation she’d had over at Mathis’s place. Looking out her window, she could still see the glow of firelight flickering through the woods that separated their property.

His cabin was so warm—just like he was. Warm and big and strong . . . the memory of being held in his arms was still with her and the sweet taste of blueberries still lingered on her lips.

Why did I do that? she asked herself, putting a hand to her mouth, as though to wipe away the kiss they’d shared. Why did I kiss him? It was stupid and impulsive—something she would have done back in college. It wasn’t the act of a middle-aged woman who had two kids in college and twenty years of marriage behind her. As she’d aged, she’d gotten more careful, more wary. But tonight she’d thrown all caution to the wind and kissed a man at least ten years younger than herself.

No wonder he kicked you out—you were acting like a horny college kid, Sadie lectured herself, going to the thermostat to turn up the heat. She knew she needed to learn how to use the stone fireplace in the living room—it would be a much cheaper way to heat her cabin in the winter. But growing up in Florida, she had never lived anywhere where she needed to make a fire and she was a little skittish of it. What if she burned the place down around her ears?

For now, at least, turning up the thermostat seemed safer. Although God knew how she was going to pay the bill if she couldn’t find more than one client for her accounting firm. She’d gotten a good settlement when Jeff divorced her but not enough to live on indefinitely and moving up here had cost a lot.

Sighing, she hung her navy peacoat in the closet nearest the front door. If only—

Her thoughts were cut off when something in the closet caught her eye. It was a cardboard box on the top shelf—something she hadn’t noticed in the hustle and bustle of moving in.

Reaching up on tiptoes, she fumbled for the box. If Mathis was here he could get it for me without even reaching, she thought and then tried to banish the mental image. Stop it, stop thinking of him, Sadie. He practically shoved you out of his house and said he doesn’t want to see you again and who can blame him after the way you mauled him at the dinner table? So just stop.

But what was written on the top flap of the dusty cardboard box banished all thoughts of her neighbor—or at least drove them to the back of her mind.

Wedding pictures, yearbooks, and prom, 1953, read the words, written in her mother’s lovely, flowing script. Sadie hadn’t seen her mother’s handwriting in years but she still recognized it immediately and a rush of longing for her mom washed over her. She had lived here, in this very cabin, at one time. If she was still alive, she could give Sadie advice—she had always known the right thing to do in any given situation.

But her mother was gone and the mystery remained—what were these pictures she’d been saving?

“Nineteen fifty-three?” Sadie muttered under her breath, staring at the box. “Whose prom pictures? Grandma’s?”

She hadn’t known her maternal grandmother, who had died before she and Samantha had been born. In fact, all of Sadie’s grandparents had died before she and her twin had come along. As for her father, well, Sadie had a vague memory of a huge man with a mane of golden hair laughing as he swung her up into the air and caught her while her mother stood nervously by. But he too had died before she and Samantha were four, so the memory was dim, though no less sweet for the passage of time.

Sadie took the box over to the couch and sat down. Switching on a lamp for extra light, she reached in and brought out a slim black photo album with the words PROM 1953 embossed in gold on its front cover.

She opened it and found black-and-white pictures of people in classic fifties clothes. The boys all looked uncomfortable in baggy gray and black suits with high-waisted pants and the girls were wearing dresses with huge puffy skirts and tiny waists. There were a lot of pictures of couples dancing and standing around the punch bowl, talking. Everything looked extremely wholesome.

She was just losing interest when she found a picture that was signed. It showed a girl who looked remarkably like her mother wearing a lovely dress that belled out around her. She was holding hands with a boy who had dark hair and horn-rimmed glasses. Over the base of the photo, in looping, girlish script, someone had written, Patty, you’re the absolute most! I’m so thrilled you asked me to be your maid of honor! Can’t wait for the wedding!

Sadie frowned. Maid of honor? Wedding? And who was this girl who looked so much like her mother? She might have been tempted to think it was her maternal grandmother, only her name had been Gertrude. Her mother’s name had been Patricia and she had gone by Patty, but she’d been only twenty years old—just three years out of high school—when she’d had Sadie and Samantha. So this picture couldn’t be her—it was twenty years too early. Her mother’s senior prom would have been in 1973, not 1953, Sadie was sure of that.

Still, as she flipped the pages and saw other pictures of the girl who couldn’t possibly be her mother, she couldn’t help thinking how much she resembled her. Was it possible that mom had a much older sister or aunt who shared her name and looked exactly like her? But if so, who was she and why had Mom never mentioned her?

Sadie put down the prom book and reached into the box again. This time she came up with a white wedding album with the words HONOR AND OBEY stamped on the front in flowing silver script.

“Huh,” Sadie muttered to herself. “Honor and obey—now there’s an outdated concept. At least the ‘obey’ part.”

She opened the album and saw more black-and-white photos. They showed the same girl only this time in a lovely full-skirted wedding dress. Beside her was the groom looking stiff in a black tux. He was the same boy from the prom pictures—the black hair and horn-rimmed glasses were unmistakable. Under the picture, in thin, spidery script, someone had written, “Patricia and Gerald, man and wife, 1954.”

Sadie frowned again. Who was this woman who looked so much like her mother and had her name? She knew it couldn’t actually be her mom. Besides the twenty-year time gap, Sadie’s father had been named Christopher, not Gerald. Also he’d been blond, which was probably where Samantha got her gorgeous locks. The man in the picture had very dark hair.

She flipped through a few more wedding pictures of the happy couple saying their vows, cutting the cake, and having their first dance. It was unnerving how much the bride looked like her mom. Frowning, Sadie shut the wedding album and reached into the box for something else.

This time she pulled out a baby book. It had a faded pink satin cover and it said OUR LITTLE GIRL on the front.

Sadie opened it and gasped at what she saw.

There, on the front page, was a black-and-white picture of a chubby newborn baby. But it wasn’t the picture that made Sadie’s jaw drop—right below it was a birth certificate.

“‘Patricia Ann Wells, born September 12, 1936. Seven pounds, three ounces,’” Sadie read out loud. The father and mother listed on the certificate were Sadie’s maternal grandparents, Gertrude and Harold Wells.

There could be no doubt—this was her mother’s birth certificate and it was twenty years earlier than it should have been.

As Sadie was still trying to take this in, her cell phone rang. Still holding the faded pink baby book in one hand, she fumbled her phone out of her purse with the other and answered without looking.

“Hello?”

“Okay, what’s going on?” Samantha demanded from the other end. “I’ve been feeling like I needed to call you all day but I was stuck in surgery for thirteen hours straight. That kid with the fractured femur I told you about really messed himself up. So what happened to you today?”

Sadie opened her mouth, then shut it again, not even sure how to begin. At last she said, “I found Mom’s birth certificate.”

“Really? That’s great.” Samantha sounded like she was smiling. They both had loved their mother dearly but after her death they’d had a hard time finding any legal documents for her. They’d had plenty of pictures of themselves as babies and their mother with her long, straight brown hair so much like Sadie’s, dressed like a flower child from the seventies, but not much else.

“Yeah,” Sadie said slowly. “It’s . . . great all right.”

“What’s wrong? Did you find anything else?” Samantha asked.

Sadie nodded, then realized her twin couldn’t see her. God, she still felt shocked.

“I think I found her prom pictures. And the photos from her first wedding,” she said, the words sticking in her throat.

“Her what?” Samantha demanded. “What are you talking about? Mom was only married once to our dad back in the seventies. Right?”

“Not according to this album and these pictures I found,” Sadie said. Her mouth still felt dry. “According to this she was married way back in 1954 to a man named Gerald Wells.”

“That’s crazy,” Samantha said blankly. “How could that be? Mom was only twenty when she had us and we know for a fact she was married in 1975, not 1954.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Sadie said. “I know it sounds bizarre but if the pictures in this box and the birth certificate I found are true, Mom was actually twenty years older than we thought. Which meant she actually had us at forty, not twenty.”

“That’s impossible,” Samantha protested. “You know how young she looks in all our baby pictures. And she was only forty when she died. You and I had just turned twenty the month before she had that crash.”

“Don’t remind me.” Sadie still got a lump in her throat when she remembered their mother’s death. She and Samantha had been so close to their mom. Especially after their father had died, the three of them had stuck together—the Becker Girls’ Club, their mom used to call them. So what the hell was going on?

“What the hell is going on?” Samantha demanded, echoing Sadie’s thoughts. “How could Mom have been twenty years older than she told us? Those pictures and things you found must be fakes.”

“But why? Why would anyone go to all the trouble of faking a bunch of pictures from the past?” Sadie asked. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Maybe Grandpa and Grandma were in the Witness Protection Program,” Samantha suggested.

“They give you a new name in the Witness Protection Program—not a new age,” Sadie pointed out. “I’m telling you, Samantha, this stuff I found is genuine.”

“Well even if it is, it still makes zero sense,” her twin grumbled.

“I know. I can’t figure it out,” Sadie admitted. “It’s been such a weird day and this is just the cherry on top.”

“What do you mean?” Samantha asked. “Tell me all about it—I was worried about you all day long.”

Sadie took a deep breath and dived into her day, starting with her walk at lunchtime where she’d been attacked, hit on, and shouted at all within the space of an hour.

“And everyone keeps calling me ‘Juvie,’” she ended at last. “At first I thought maybe they were saying ‘newbie,’ you know, because I’m new in town? But I’m pretty sure it was Juvie.”

“What does that even mean?” Samantha demanded. “You’re not a juvenile.”

Sadie laughed dryly. “I wish. Although, strangely enough, I am looking a lot younger than I was before I moved here.”

“I told you—it’s just because you got away from your asshole ex,” Samantha said dismissively. “Dumping Jeff would make anyone look and feel like a million bucks. And don’t say he dumped you,” she added quickly. “Who cares if he was the first one to go? What you need is to go out there and catch a hot man to take the edge off your divorced-lady blues.”

Sadie cleared her throat. “Actually, I think I might have found someone. Or, well, I thought I had before everything went to hell during dinner.”

“What? You already got yourself a new man, went on a first date, and broke up, all since I talked to you this morning?” Samantha sounded delighted. “That’s fast work, Sadie! I’m so proud of you.”

“Yeah, well you might not be if you heard the whole story.”

“So tell me,” her twin urged. “Come on—I’ve got nothing but time.”

Hesitantly, Sadie told her about Mathis from the moment he’d seen her naked that morning, to the weird sensation when she shook his hand in the pharmacy, to the way she’d fainted on his doorstep, woken in his arms, eaten supper with him, kissed him, and been basically kicked out of his cabin.

“Whew,” Samantha breathed when she was finally finished. “That’s some weird day you had, Sadie.”

“And then I went and found this box of photos to top it off.” Sadie rubbed her temples where the beginning of another headache was forming. “Between the photos, the strange way people act in this town, and my dinner with Mathis I feel like I’m going crazy.”

“You’re not crazy,” her twin promised her. “Look, I have some time off coming up. How about if I come visit after my Trauma Seminar in Vegas and help you sort all this out? It lasts for over a week but I can cut my time there short and come see you instead.”

“That would be nice,” Sadie said gratefully. Though they talked often, she never felt like she got enough alone time with her twin. “Maybe we can figure it all out together.”

“Maybe,” Samantha acknowledged. “In the meantime, you hang tight. And don’t give up hope on this Mathis guy.”

“Oh please, even if I hadn’t ruined it by kissing him, he’s still too young for me,” Sadie protested.

“Please, don’t start that crap again.” Her sister was frowning—Sadie could tell by the sound of her voice. “You’re only as old as you feel. I know it’s a cliché but in your case, you should take it as the gospel truth. Didn’t you just tell me you were looking and feeling younger?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“No buts,” Samantha interrupted sternly. “If you really feel that much different, then act on it—have some fun, Sadie! God knows after twenty years with that prick Jeff you deserve some.”

“Okay,” Sadie promised. “If Mathis makes a move, I won’t try to shut him down. But I really doubt he will. I pushed him too far tonight and I think he’s still grieving for his dead wife. I’m the last person he wants in his life.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that.” Samantha sounded like she was smiling now. “Just give him a chance, Sadie, he’ll come around.”

“Sure, okay,” Sadie said, mostly just to make her sister stop talking about Mathis. She was certain her huge neighbor never wanted to see her again and even if he did, she barely knew him. One kiss, no matter how spectacular it had been, wasn’t enough to start a relationship. Not that she wanted any romantic entanglements, she told herself. She’d just called it quits with Jeff a month ago. It was way too early to start thinking about starting something new.

“I can tell you’re just agreeing with me to make me shut up,” Samantha said accusingly, breaking into her thoughts.

Sadie sighed. “I was just thinking that I only made the split with Jeff final last month—it’s really too early to be thinking about finding Mr. Right.”

“He doesn’t have to be ‘Mr. Right.’” Sadie sounded exasperated. “What you need is Mr. Right Now. Just some guy to have a little fun with.”

Sadie laughed. “I swear, if you followed your own advice you’d be having so much sex . . .”

“All right, so I haven’t had it in six months—who’s counting?” Samantha sounded a little testy. “All the more reason for you to get some for both of us.”

“Good night, Sammie.” Sadie’s headache was coming back in force now and suddenly she was incredibly tired. She loved her sister but right now she needed some sleep.

“All right—I can take a hint. Good night and be safe, sis. Love you,” Samantha said.

“Love you too.” Sadie blew her a kiss and hung up the phone. She looked at the box with its many albums of pictures that should be impossible and slowly put the baby book back inside.

Had her mother had a secret life? Another life in another time long before Sadie and Samantha had been born? But how? How was that possible?

Sadie shook her head. It was too much—she would deal with it in the morning. In the meantime, she hoped her growing headache would fade away while she slept.

Nine

Unfortunately, the headache didn’t go away. Sadie woke up with it and it stayed with her—a dull throbbing in her temples that refused to leave no matter how many ibuprofen she took.

Looking at Fiona’s books didn’t help any either. Sadie picked them up from the eccentric pharmacist as soon as she got to work and spent all morning studying them. By lunchtime her headache was much worse and she still hadn’t made much sense of Fiona’s strange method of bookkeeping.

She was just about to call it quits and take a short break when she heard a sharp rapping on her glass outer door. Her stomach fluttered—who could it be?

Mathis, whispered a hopeful little voice in her head. Sadie squashed it ruthlessly and stood up to go to the door. She just hoped she looked all right if whoever it was turned out to be a prospective client. Today she was dressed much more comfortably in a red sweater and jeans but she’d only worn the casual outfit because she was certain she wouldn’t be meeting any new customers.

She took a deep breath and stepped out of her office into the lobby area. It was a small space, just perfect for a waiting area and a receptionist if she ever made enough money to hire one, which Sadie doubted.

Her knocker had already let himself in, which was strange because Sadie had been certain she’d locked the door. After her disastrous walk around town the day before, she wasn’t taking any chances on being alone with anyone—especially strange men.

Which is exactly the position you’re in now, whispered a nervous little voice in her head. A very large strange man.

Not that he looked particularly strange—just big. He was a tall man—at least as tall as Mathis—with broad shoulders and eyes a pale green the color of spring leaves. Sadie placed his age around twenty-six or-seven, though it was hard to be exactly sure. He had dark brown hair pulled back in a sleek knot at the nape of his powerful neck and tan skin that was offset by the pressed white oxford shirt he wore tucked into clean, tightfitting jeans. Italian driving loafers on his feet and a watch that appeared to be a Rolex belied his casual dress.

But even without the expensive accessories Sadie would have known this man was something out of the ordinary. There was an aura of muted power about him—like a charge of electricity. A lightning bolt about to strike.

He lifted his head and sniffed the air—inhaling slowly and obviously, like a hunting animal trying to catch a scent. Then he gave her a smile that made all the short hairs at the nape of her neck stand up at once.

“Hello,” she said nervously, making sure to keep plenty of distance between them in case he went crazy like the men at Sweet Stems and the Friendly Bean. “I’m Sadie Becker, CPA. How can I help you? Are you . . . are you looking for an accountant?”

“I might be.” His lazy grin grew a little. “Hello, Ms. Becker. I heard you were new in town and I wanted to come make you welcome. I’m Liam Keller, the mayor of Cougarville.” His voice was a deep, purring rumble and he stepped forward with one well-manicured hand extended to shake.

“The mayor? Really? You look so young for such an honor.” Sadie put out her own hand reflexively.

“Age is nothing but a number, wouldn’t you agree?” Keller murmured. “I would argue that none of us should let our age stop us from reaching for that which we desire.”

He took her hand in both of his and bent over it as though he would kiss it. But instead of kissing, he inhaled deeply again, his green eyes closing in what looked like ecstasy as he scented her skin.

“Ah, I didn’t believe that fool Blackwell when he told me what you were. But now I see he was actually right for once,” he said, straightening up at last.

“Blackwell? You mean Mathis?” Sadie’s heart began to pound. “What did he say to you about me?”

“Nothing that need concern you.” He was still holding her hand in his, his sharp eyes searching her face. “You’re not . . . attached to Blackwell, are you?”

Sadie thought of the meal and the kiss she’d shared with her neighbor . . . and then the way he’d basically kicked her out in the cold.

“No,” she said firmly. “No, I’m definitely not. He’s my neighbor—that’s all.”

“And he didn’t offer you his protection?” Keller persisted.

“Protection?” Sadie frowned. “Protection from what? No, he never said anything about that.”

“Good.” There was a purring note of satisfaction in Keller’s deep voice. “I’m so glad to hear that because I came here to invite you to lunch.”

“Lunch?” Sadie looked at him uncertainly, wishing he would let her hand go. “Um, that’s a very generous offer but I have a lot of work to do so—”

“Perhaps you’re worried about a repeat of your past experiences at Sweet Stems and the Friendly Bean?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Oh . . .” Sadie felt her cheeks go hot. She wished more than ever that she could take her hand out of his but she didn’t know how to do it without being rude. “How . . . how did you know about that?”

“I make it my business to know what happens in my town.” His voice dropped from a purr to a growl. “Let me assure you that those fools who attacked you yesterday have been punished and you need not fear a repeat of such unpleasantness.”

“Punished? You punished them?” Sadie felt her stomach do a flip. Keller was beginning to sound more like a mob boss than a small-town mayor. And he still wouldn’t let go of her hand.

He seemed to sense her concern because he gave a soft laugh and shook his head.

“Don’t misunderstand me—I mean they’ve been sanctioned, that’s all. After all, we can’t have our unmated females afraid to go out of doors, can we?”

“I guess not,” Sadie said doubtfully.

“Exactly. So I want you to know that you’re safe, Ms. Becker—completely safe here in Cougarville. I personally guarantee it. And if you’d like to accompany me to the Cougar’s Den for lunch, I’ll announce publicly that you’re under my protection so no other male will dare to so much as look at you.”

“The Cougar’s Den?” Sadie thought of the bar and grill at the end of Main Street and a cold shiver went down her back. Both Mathis and Fiona had warned her against going there.

Keller, who had been watching her face carefully, seemed to understand her trepidation.

“I own it, you know. You’ll be perfectly safe there,” he drawled, tugging gently at her hand, which he still held hostage in his much larger ones.

“I’m sure I would.” Sadie gave him a polite smile. “But I really do have a lot of work to do today. So . . . maybe I could take a rain check?”

“Certainly.” Keller didn’t look at all put out by her refusal. “Since you won’t come see our humble establishment, may I at least send you some lunch? As a gesture of goodwill and an apology for the abominable way you were treated yesterday.”

“Oh, well . . . sure, I guess. Thank you.” Sadie smiled at him. Maybe he was just trying to make amends on behalf of the town. For a moment she’d almost thought he was hitting on her but that was ridiculous, he was at least thirteen years younger than her, very handsome, and obviously rich. Clearly he was just trying to be nice.

“Good.” He smiled in pleasure at her agreement. “What can I send you? The Cougar’s Den makes a nice garden salad but if I’m being honest, it’s nothing compared to our bacon cheeseburger.”

Sadie hadn’t had breakfast again and the thought of a big juicy cheeseburger made her mouth water.

“That sounds delicious—the cheeseburger I mean,” she said, smiling.

“Ah . . . a carnivore.” He gave her a lazy grin.

“Absolutely,” Sadie said. “I’m most definitely a meat eater.”

“I’m more glad than I can tell you to hear that. Sadie Becker, I can tell you’ll make a delightful addition to our little town.”

He bent over her hand again and this time he did kiss it—a soft, lingering brush of his lips over the pulse point of her wrist that made Sadie shiver. God, what was it with the men in this town?

When he finally straightened up and released her hand, there was a hungry look on Keller’s handsome face.

“I’ll send that cheeseburger right over to you. And in the meantime, would you be so kind as to give me one of your business cards? I really am in need of a new accountant.”

“You are?” Sadie felt a flush of pleasure. Maybe she would make it in Cougarville after all! If she had the mayor himself for a client, others were sure to follow—weren’t they?

“I most certainly am.” He waited and when she brought him a card, he sniffed it before tucking it carefully into his wallet. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you.” Sadie smiled at him. “I appreciate you coming by to say hello. And telling me not to worry about, um, going out again.”

“I am completely serious about that, Ms. Becker,” Keller said soberly. “If anyone in town gives you trouble, simply tell them you are under my protection. And then call me—or better yet, come and tell me. I’m almost always to be found in my Den—the Cougar’s Den, that is.” He smiled charmingly. “You’re always welcome.”

“Thank you.” Sadie smiled again as he nodded and left her office. She felt as though a burden had been lifted off her shoulders—so not everyone in this town was crazy after all! She might actually be able to have a life here. As a cherry on top of her good feelings, the headache that had been plaguing her had finally dissipated. It seemed to have drifted away like a dark cloud going someplace else to rain while she was talking to Keller.

What a nice man—the first real gentleman I’ve met since I moved here.

But is he? Is he really? whispered a little voice in her head.

Her good mood dulled just a little and she couldn’t help remembering those sharp green eyes or the way he kept sniffing her and the air around her. That was strange, wasn’t it? And the way he’d talked about “punishing” the men who had bothered her yesterday—was that normal? And why did he keep wanting to put her publicly under his protection? Why did the rest of the town need to know he was looking out for her? Was it just to scare anyone who might bother her away . . . or was there another reason?

The questions bothered her until she heard another knock on her outer door. Stepping out of her office, she saw a boy of around twelve or thirteen holding a large brown paper sack with promising-looking grease stains on the side.

“From Keller,” he said when Sadie opened the door. “He said to tell you he hopes you enjoy it.” He had a high voice that clearly hadn’t changed yet and his cheeks were still smooth and childish though Sadie thought he had a cynical glint in his eyes.

“Thank you.” She took the bag from him. “Let me just get you a tip.”

“No tips. Keller says the food is completely free—he doesn’t want you to pay in any way for it.”

“What?” Sadie frowned but the boy shrugged.

“Hey—he’s the Alpha. He gets what he wants so no tips, lady. Okay?”

“Well . . . if you’re sure,” Sadie said. But the boy had already turned away and was headed back down the street to the Cougar’s Den, shoulders hunched against the cold. Sadie looked at him for a moment but the enticing smell of hot food was drifting from the brown paper bag and she found she couldn’t wait any longer.

Taking the bag of goodies to her office, she opened it, pushed Fiona’s books carefully aside, and spread everything out on her desk.

Besides the bacon cheeseburger there was a large order of hand-cut fries, a small bottle of chilled white wine, and a note in a sprawling, masculine script that read,

From one carnivore to another.

Enjoy.

LK.

Sadie certainly did enjoy the meal. Keller hadn’t been lying when he said that the Cougar’s Den made an excellent burger—it was possibly the best one she’d ever tasted.

Almost as good as the steak Mathis made last night, whispered a little voice in her head. She pushed the thought away. There was no point in thinking of her neighbor that way—especially since he’d made it abundantly clear he didn’t want anything else to do with her. Better to just enjoy her food and concentrate on making some headway on Fiona’s books.

She worked all afternoon and was finally beginning to make sense of the pharmacist’s crazy bookkeeping when she looked up and saw that the clock read five thirty.

Quitting time. I’ll get back to this tomorrow.

She locked Fiona’s books carefully in her filing cabinet and got her jacket and purse. On the way home, she pulled into the parking lot of the only grocery store in town. Her cupboard and fridge were completely bare—it was time to stock up.

This was an errand she had been dreading before Keller’s visit. Now she felt like she could shop the aisles of the Piggly Wiggly with confidence. Keller had promised her his protection and the mayor of Cougarville didn’t seem to be a man you wanted to mess with.

With her chin held high, Sadie grabbed one of the ancient metal shopping carts and guided it through the sliding glass doors.

The Cougarville Piggly Wiggly was an old-fashioned grocery store with plate-glass windows and narrow aisles. There was a picture of a cartoon pig with a paper hat cocked at a jaunty angle on his round pink head grinning at her from the back wall. On either side of him were big signs that said, WE BUY LOCAL! and FRESH EVERY DAY!

There were a fair number of people shopping the narrow aisles and though she tried to ignore it, Sadie could feel them watching her. Several times she saw some of them whispering and looking in her direction but they stopped as she passed by. Keeping her chin high, she tried to disregard the whispers. At least no one assaulted her or shouted at her, although several times she did hear someone mutter, “Juvie,” under their breath.

It’s all right, she told herself uneasily. They’re just curious because I’m new in town. Everything will be okay as soon as I get to know a few more of the locals.

But would it? Despite her confidence at the start of this shopping trip, she couldn’t help feeling shaken by the unfriendly glances thrown at her by the women she passed and the hungry looks the men were giving her.

What the hell was wrong with this little town? Sadie felt like she’d been dropped into the middle of a Twilight Zone episode.

Though she tried not to, she found herself shopping faster and faster, trying to grab the things she needed quickly so she could pay and get out of the crowded store. The aisles became a blur, filled with unfriendly faces. Everywhere she looked it seemed like men were sniffing the air and women were scowling at her.

The way the local men were acting reminded her of the way Keller had sniffed first the air of her office and then her skin. And come to think of it, hadn’t the elderly florist at Sweet Stems and the barista at the Friendly Bean also sniffed or at least flared their nostrils at her before attacking?

The thought made her more nervous than ever.

Do I smell? Why do they keep doing that?

Surreptitiously, Sadie pulled a lock of her hair under her nose and sniffed. All she smelled was the floral scent of the shampoo she’d used that morning. What was going on?

To her relief, she made it to the checkout line in record time and started unloading her purchases onto the moving belt. The checker was a middle-aged woman with a taciturn air about her that said she wouldn’t welcome conversation. She didn’t say a word to Sadie, not even to ask if she’d found everything she needed.

Down at the end of the register a bagboy, who looked like he might be a senior in high school, was staring at Sadie with an open expression of hunger that made her feel extremely uncomfortable. He had black hair and a very unfortunate case of acne but his eyes were deep blue and might have been nice—if they hadn’t been fixed so consistently on her face and body.

“Nice day,” she ventured to the checker, trying to make small talk. “I love the weather here—I’m from further south where it never gets chilly like this.”

“Yeah, we heard all about you—Juvie from Florida, right?” The checker had a sour expression on her face, as though Sadie left a bad taste in her mouth. “You’re Keller’s new female, right?”

“I’m sorry? His what?” Sadie looked at her, uncomprehending. “Mayor Keller came and talked to me today but that does not make me his in any way.”

“Sure it does, Juvie.” The checker glared at her. “It’s the only reason you’re safe in here.”

“I don’t understand,” Sadie protested. “What do you mean by that?”

The checker just grunted and kept scanning items. The bagboy kept bagging but he was doing an awful job of it. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Sadie long enough to realize that the loaf of bread should go on top of the heavy canned goods and not the other way around. Sadie wanted to correct him but the situation was already so awkward she decided not to. She would fix whatever mistakes he’d made once she got her groceries outside and away from the strange, poisonous atmosphere in here.

Determined to get through this, she stopped trying to make conversation and just stood there, waiting to pay.

It seemed the rest of the transaction would take place in complete silence until the register beeped at the cashier as she was scanning the square plastic carton of blueberries Sadie had picked up in the Piggly Wiggly’s rather limited produce section.

“Says here these are buy one get one,” she said, frowning at Sadie. “You want another? Same price.”

“Oh—thank you but I don’t want to hold up your line,” Sadie said, trying to smile.

“No problem. Hey—Jess!” the checker called across the store. A boy who looked to be college-aged came jogging up. He had broad shoulders and light brown hair and he smiled at Sadie as soon as he saw her.

“Hello, how can I help you?” he asked, his voice already a deep rumble despite his relatively young age.

“Get this lady another package of blueberries and hurry up!” the cashier snapped.

“Absolutely.” He grinned charmingly at Sadie again and jogged off, headed for the produce department.

Jess came back just as the bagboy finished putting the last few items into the brown paper Piggly Wiggly sacks and stacking them in her wobbly grocery cart.

“Here you are, lovely lady.” He put the second carton of blueberries in one of her paper sacks and took the handle of the cart. “Let me help you out with that.”

He started to wheel the cart to the sliding front doors but the bagboy stopped him.

“No way, Jess—I bagged her groceries so I get to help her out.” He stepped over and tried to grab the handle of the cart but the older boy elbowed him, none too gently, aside.

“Don’t think so, Chad,” he rumbled, glaring at the bagboy. “The lady needs a lot more than you can give her. You just stay here and keep bagging groceries.”

“No! She’s my customer.”

To Sadie’s dismay, Chad the bagboy pushed Jess the college hottie—shoving the bigger boy as hard as he could and grabbing the cart.

“You little Beta, I said she’s mine!” Jess shouted. He punched Chad, who fell over, his nose streaming blood, and grabbed the handle of the grocery cart back.

To Sadie’s horrified surprise, the bagboy didn’t stay down. He popped back up again, his face a bloody mess, and ran at Jess, barreling into the bigger boy and knocking him to the ground.

Finally, Sadie found her voice.

“Stop it! Stop!” she cried, trying to intervene between the scuffling males. “I can get my own groceries to the car! Please—please, don’t fight!”

“Well, what do you expect them to do when you come in here flaunting yourself like this, Juvie?” The checker glared at her, raking Sadie with her eyes as though she were wearing a G-string and pasties instead of a modest cable-knit sweater and jeans.

“What are you talking about?” Sadie demanded. But just then the scuffling bagboy and college hottie rolled violently into her cart. The grocery cart, which was ancient and wobbly to start with, couldn’t take such a vigorous impact. It went over on its side with a loud metallic crash and Sadie’s groceries went everywhere.

Eggs spilled out of their carton to be crushed by the wrestling boys into slimy yellow smears. Her half gallon of milk split open and white liquid gurgled across the floor. Canned goods and produce went everywhere and the already much-abused loaf of bread was absolutely flattened when Jess rolled over it while trying to fight off Chad, who was proving to be surprisingly scrappy.

“Stop this! Stop it right now!” A middle-aged man in black polyester slacks and a short-sleeved white shirt came rushing up. His nametag declared him to be Gil, the manager of the Piggly Wiggly, but Sadie didn’t have much time to read it. Instead of going for the wrestling boys, who were still rolling around in the ruined remains of her groceries, he grabbed Sadie by the arm.

“Excuse me, miss,” he said in a low, grating tone. “But I think it’s time you left. Now.”

“What are you doing?” Sadie protested as he dragged her outside the sliding glass doors.

“Getting you out of my store.” Gil the manager stopped a few feet from the door and then stepped back from her hurriedly, as though she had a disease that might be catching.

“But . . . why?” Sadie shook her head, so confused she felt dizzy. “I didn’t make them fight—they just went after each other.”

“They went after each other because of you.” The manager glared at her. “And you damn well know it.”

“I don’t know any such thing,” Sadie exclaimed, but he paid her no attention.

“Now listen, miss,” he continued. “I know that Liam Keller has claimed you and given you his word that you’ll be safe anywhere in Cougarville and as the dominant Alpha in this territory, we all respect his word as law. But there are limits. You can’t just come into a crowded public area in the state you’re in! You’re lucky you didn’t start a riot in there!”

“How would I start a riot?” Sadie looked at him blankly. “What are you talking about?”

“I have nothing more to say at this time.” Gil the manager crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “Except to ask you politely to stay out of my store until you’ve gotten yourself mated and gotten that scent of yours decently covered. After that, you’re more than welcome to come back. But not until.”

“But . . . but I . . .” Sadie shook her head. It was like he was speaking a foreign language—like all the townspeople were. What was all this talk of Alphas and Betas and Juvies? What did the manager mean when he said she should get mated and get her scent covered. What scent? And why had Jess and Chad been fighting over her? The way they acted, anyone would have thought that Sadie was some eighteen-year-old cheerleader, not a forty-year-old accountant. This was all crazy—right?

“Goodbye.” The manager nodded and headed for the door.

“Wait—what about my groceries?” Sadie protested. “I paid for those!”

But the door had already shooshed shut behind him. If he heard her question, he didn’t bother to answer it.

Sadie stood there for a moment outside the Piggly Wiggly, feeling like the world didn’t make sense anymore. It was the same feeling she’d had when Jeff had informed her he was divorcing her for a woman half her age. The same feeling she’d had yesterday after her strange stroll through town and finding the box of impossible pictures and her mother’s weird birth certificate.

Something was going on here but what? And who could tell her?

Fiona, she thought. Maybe it’s not too late to catch her. The Cougarville Chemist had still been open when she drove by it when leaving work. Maybe the eccentric pharmacist would be able to answer Sadie’s questions if Sadie asked the right way.

I won’t take no for an answer, Sadie told herself firmly. I’ll demand to know what’s going on in this crazy little town, and I won’t stop until she tells me.

She marched over to her car with her head held high but when she got to her little Honda Civic, her heart dropped and her determination melted.

Someone had slashed all four of her tires.

Ten

“Lady, could you maybe stand downwind of me?” The mechanic from Fox’s Auto Body Repair cocked an eyebrow at her as he crouched by her front passenger-side tire. “I may be an Alpha, but I’m not made of stone. I need to concentrate to get this done, and having you so close makes it damn near impossible.”

Sadie thought about asking what he meant but then she decided not to bother. The whole damn town was crazy and asking for an explanation for that craziness clearly didn’t work. With a sigh, she backed away from him, wondering which direction downwind was. She must have managed to find the right spot because the mechanic nodded.

“Thanks,” he said and went back to studying her shredded tires. “Yup, somebody did a number on you here all right. I’m afraid none of these are fixable.”

“Do you have four new tires I can buy? And can you also put them on?” Sadie asked. She winced—damn, this was going to be expensive. “Actually, maybe used tires?” she amended hopefully.

He looked up at her briefly. He had light brown hair with a slight curl and big brown eyes that had laugh lines in the corners. Like many of the other men she’d met in Cougarville, he was extremely large—well over six feet—and the blue coveralls he wore were stretched tight across his broad, muscular shoulders. The name COOPER was stitched in red thread on the front of them. Sadie placed him around twenty-five or-six.

“No need for you to pay. I have four brand-new steel-belted radials in the back of my truck. Compliments of Liam Keller. He heard you were having trouble and wanted to help.”

“What?” Sadie protested. “No—I can’t possibly take such an expensive gift.”

The mechanic shrugged. “He wants you to have ’em. Besides, he told me you’d already accepted one gift from him today.”

“It was a cheeseburger,” Sadie exclaimed. “That’s not nearly as expensive as four brand-new tires! I have to insist on paying for them myself.”

“Then I can’t help you.” Cooper stood up, wiping his hands on a white rag he’d pulled from the pocket of his coveralls. “Keller said to refuse any money from you. Either you take the tires for free or you can’t have them at all.”

“What . . . so you’ll leave me here if I don’t accept his gift?” Sadie demanded.

Cooper shrugged regretfully. “I hate to leave a lady in distress but I’m afraid so.” He looked up at the sky where dark, threatening clouds were rolling in. “Could you hurry and make up your mind about it? I’d like to get home before that storm hits.”

Apparently there was no point in arguing. Sadie threw up her hands.

“All right—fine. I’ll take the tires and pay Mr. Keller back later on my own.”

“Good luck with that.” The mechanic went to his tow truck and rolled out the first of the new tires.

He worked quickly and efficiently and by the time the first cold droplets of rain spattered the cracked pavement of the Piggly Wiggly parking lot, he was done.

“Welp, there you go—good as new.” He stood up and wiped his hands on the cloth again. Sadie couldn’t help noticing that for a mechanic, his nails seemed extremely clean.

“Thank you so much,” she said gratefully. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come to help me. The other two auto shops I called wouldn’t come.”

“Well, those shops are both run by Betas,” he said, as though that explained everything. “They can’t trust themselves around a Juvie like you. I’m an Alpha.”

“Okay, sure.” Sadie was too tired and hungry to bother trying to understand the weird things he was saying.

Tomorrow. I’ll ask Fiona tomorrow, she told herself wearily.

“And now that Keller’s laid claim to you, nobody wants to risk pissing him off by goin’ after you,” Cooper went on. “So you really can’t blame those other guys for refusing to take your call.”

“What?” Sadie’s head jerked up. “What did you just say about Mr. Keller?”

“I said, he’s claimed you.” He frowned at her. “You know that, right?”

“I don’t know any such thing,” Sadie exclaimed. “Look, just tell Keller he doesn’t own me—I can’t be bought for a cheeseburger with a side of new tires.”

“Tell him yourself.” Cooper gave her an easy grin. “But I’d be careful how you say it. Cats are offended pretty easily, you know?”

Cats? Once again it was like he was speaking a foreign language. It was just another thing to add to her growing list of questions.

“Okay, all right,” she said, sighing. “That’s fine, I guess. Thank you again for your help.”

“No problem. Well, I’ll see you ’round.” The mechanic nodded in a friendly way, though Sadie noticed he was still keeping his distance, just like the store manager had.

It made her think of all those zombie movies her ex had been so fond of. The ones where the normal people tried to stay away from the “infected.” That was how she felt right now—infected. Like some kind of leper who no one in town wanted anything to do with. Well, except for a few inexplicably horny males who wanted way too much to do with her.

What a mess.

“I’d better go,” she said to no one in particular as it began to rain harder. The mechanic—Cooper—was already climbing into his tow truck, which held her four slashed tires in the back.

Wearily, Sadie climbed back into her Civic. It was late and she was hungry with nothing to show for her disastrous shopping trip. The ancient box of cereal sitting in her cupboard was beginning to sound, if not good, then at least edible.

I’ll go home and curl up on the couch and watch something mindless on TV, she promised herself. Tomorrow I’ll try to get some answers but for now, I don’t want to think about it anymore.

Or maybe she would just go straight to bed and huddle under the covers. To make a bad day worse, her headache was coming back. She could feel it pounding in her temples as she drove, trying to forget her crazy day. She was surprised that Samantha hadn’t called her again—probably she was stuck in surgery. Whatever—she could talk to her twin later too.

As she took the long twisty road that led from Cougarville to her little cabin, the storm that had been threatening with dark clouds and a few raindrops finally broke in full force.

The wind picked up until Sadie felt her little car rocking and the rain came down in sheets. Thunder boomed almost continuously and lightning flashed and cracked all around her, making her gasp when it struck nearby. By the time she finally reached the end of the winding driveway she shared with Mathis, her little car had slowed to a crawl.

“Finally,” she muttered to herself as her cabin came into view, almost obscured by the driving rain. “And I thought we had bad storms in Florida.”

She was just about to pull into her driveway when one of the Civic’s new tires stuck fast in a rut.

“Oh, come on!” Sadie moaned, gunning the engine to try and get it out. “Please, can’t you just move, you stupid car?”

Unfortunately it couldn’t. The wheel spun and spun, sinking deeper and deeper into the muddy road. Mud flew as she gunned the motor, trying desperately to get out, but nothing happened.

At last Sadie had to admit to herself that she was stuck fast and all her actions were only making things worse. Well, at least she was within walking distance of the cabin, even if it was a walk that was sure to get her completely drenched. Looking around the Civic, she saw she didn’t even have an umbrella.

“Great,” she muttered to herself. “Just great.”

She opened the door and stepped out . . . immediately sinking up to her ankles in reddish-brown mud.

“Son of a bitch!” Sadie wasn’t usually the cursing kind—having kids from an early age had cured her potty mouth pretty quickly when she realized they repeated everything she said like a couple of parrots. But now she just couldn’t help herself—today was so bad it didn’t seem it could get any worse.

She slogged up to her cabin, getting completely drenched with freezing rain as she did. At least when there were storms like this back in Tampa the raindrops were warm. Here they felt like little pieces of ice soaking into the heavy wool of her sweater and waterlogging her jeans.

Just as she reached her front steps, there was a brilliant flash of lightning and a tremendous boom as thunder shook the earth all around her. Sadie gasped and blinked, blinded for a moment by the brilliant flash. Her heart was racing—God, she really needed to get inside, out of this awful storm!

Creee-ack! A deafening sound that wasn’t a normal part of the storm noise startled her into looking up. To her horror, she saw a giant tree branch headed straight for her cabin. Before she could move a muscle or even scream, it hit the roof of her home with a thundering crunch, making a huge hole.

“Oh no! No!” Sadie gasped, unable to believe this was really happening. Hadn’t she just been thinking that her day couldn’t get any worse? Why had she tempted the universe that way?

“No!” she screamed again, running forward. Everything she owned was in the cabin, including the box of strange, inexplicable pictures she’d found the night before. She couldn’t let it all get flooded and ruined. She had to go in and rescue her things before something worse happened!

She was just mounting the steps leading up to her cabin when a hard hand caught her by the shoulder and spun her around.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” It was Mathis, his forest-green eyes blazing.

“Getting my things before they get ruined!” Sadie raised her voice to a shout to be heard over the gale-force winds.

“Oh no you’re not!” he growled. “It’s not safe. That widow-maker could come right through the roof and crush you.”

“Why should you care if I’m safe?” Sadie shouted back. “You practically kicked me out of your house last night for the crime of kissing you.”

“Yeah, well . . .” He ran a hand over his rain-soaked hair. “I’m sorry about that. But you can’t go back in your cabin—not the way it is now.”

“Everything inside will be ruined,” Sadie protested.

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Yeah, and if you go back in and that branch decides to come down on your head you’ll be dead. Which is worse?”

“Fine.” Sadie shook her arm out of his grip and turned back toward her car.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

“Back to my car,” she threw over her shoulder. “It’s stuck in the mud so it’s not like I can go anywhere—but at least it’s someplace out of the rain. I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“Yes, you do.” Mathis turned her to face him again. “Come home with me.”

“Why should I?” Sadie wasn’t usually so confrontational but after the day she’d had, she couldn’t seem to help herself. “You don’t really want me there and I don’t want your pity. I’d rather stay in my car.”

“Goddamnit, woman!” Mathis let out a frustrated breath and scrubbed his hand over his face. “I do want you with me, all right?” he burst out. “More than I should. That’s why I asked you to leave last night. And for the record I did not kick you out.”

“You might as well have,” Sadie yelled over her shoulder, heading for the car again. “You acted like an asshole and your apology is not accepted! Leave me alone!”

“Like hell I will!”

He spun her to face him and then ducked, getting one broad shoulder under her waist. Before she knew quite what was happening, Sadie found herself being lifted high in the air, her head hanging down as Mathis carried her like a sack of grain slung over his shoulder.

“No! No!” she shouted, beating at his broad back with her fists. “Let me go! Let me go!”

“I’ll let you go when I’m damn good and ready,” he growled and tightened his grip on her thighs. It seemed he meant it—no matter how much Sadie fought and kicked, he kept a firm grip on her and continued his steady pace toward his cabin.

At last, Sadie went limp, all the fight abruptly leaking out of her body like air from a punctured tire. Her wet hair slapped her in the face with each of Mathis’s steps and she felt some emotion welling up inside her—a feeling of misery so complete she almost couldn’t breathe past it. What a horrible, horrible day! And now that her huge neighbor had her, who knew what might happen? Sadie didn’t know and she felt so wretched she almost didn’t care.

Finally they reached Mathis’s cabin. Once inside, he slammed the door closed and set her down to drip on the small throw rug that decorated the entryway.

“Now,” he said, glaring down at her from his immense height. “You’re not going to your car, and you’re sure as hell not gonna try getting into your cabin with that damn widow-maker halfway through your roof. You’re staying right here with me tonight—understand?”

“Yes,” Sadie said, and burst into tears.

“Hey—whoa, whoa. What’s wrong?” Mathis was instantly concerned. He leaned down, trying to get a better look at Sadie’s face, but he couldn’t because she’d covered it with her hands as her shoulders shook helplessly with sobs.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked anxiously.

“No.” She shook her head, her voice muffled by her hands. “I’m sorry. I’ve just had such a . . . such a shitty day.”

Oh, okay. Well, at least he wasn’t the source of her pain—or not the main source, anyway. It had been a long time since he’d comforted a female but Mathis found he hadn’t completely lost the knack.

“C’mere,” he said, gathering her, wet and dripping, into his arms.

“No!” At first she fought him, but Mathis wouldn’t let her get away. The pain in her called to him—wringing his heart. He needed to hold her—to make it better if he could.

At last she relaxed against him and sobbed, pressing her face to his soaking shirt as she cried. Mathis wrapped his arms around her and noticed she was shivering—no surprise since she was drenched through. They both were, come to think of it, but his Shifter blood kept him warmer than someone who hadn’t had their first Shift yet. Plus, Sadie had moved here from Florida—she had thin blood to start with from living down south.

“Sadie? Sweetheart?” He lifted her chin gently, trying to get a look at her. “You wanna tell me about it? About your day?” If she was anything like Kathleen had been, she just needed to talk—to get it off her chest. The thought of his lost mate gave him a twinge of guilt but he pushed it away. He was trying to comfort Sadie, not claim her. “Wanna talk?” he asked again softly.

She sniffed. “Well, there’s not much to talk about. Just that I tried to go grocery shopping but everyone was staring at me and then there was this bizarre fight and the manager kicked me out of the Piggly Wiggly instead of the boys that were fighting. And then, when I got to my car, someone had slashed all my tires. All I wanted to do was go home and curl up in bed but now I don’t have that option because my cabin is ruined and I don’t have the money to fix it—that’s all.”

She started crying again, her lovely features twisted in pain and Mathis’s heart ached for her. He held her close, stroking her trembling shoulders.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s all right,” he murmured soothingly. “First thing in the morning I’ll go out and look at the damage—I’m sure it’s fixable.”

“Sure, if you have the money to fix it—which I don’t,” she said flatly and sneezed. “Oh, God—I’m sorry. I’m just miserable and tired and freezing.”

Mathis looked at her again and frowned. She was shivering uncontrollably, and her lips were actually blue. That was no good—he couldn’t have her going into hypothermia.

“Come on.” He took her by the hand and tried to lead her down the hallway but Sadie resisted.

“Why? Where are we going?”

“To warm you up.”

“Wait, my boots are a muddy mess.” She took off her boots and Mathis took his off as well, leaving both pairs on the much-abused entryway rug—he’d have to throw it in the washer later.

When they were both barefoot, he took her hand again and led her into his large master bathroom with its oversized tub.

“Wow.” Sadie’s eyes grew wide when she saw the tub. “That’s huge.”

“Custom built,” Mathis said with a touch of pride as he began running her a hot bath. He added bath salts, which he used when he soaked after a Shift, and then found an ancient bottle of bubble bath he’d kept because the scent reminded him of Kathleen. Pouring some into the tub, he couldn’t help remembering that he’d done this for his mate but again he pushed the memory away. He wasn’t trying to seduce Sadie—just keep her from keeling over from hypothermia.

“Okay,” he said to her, once the tub was mostly full. “I’m going in the other room for a minute. I want you to get in and get under the bubbles.”

Sadie bit her lip, looking at the tub uncertainly.

“I could just take a quick shower.”

“That won’t warm your core temperature,” he said firmly. “Don’t argue, Sadie—just get in the damn bath.”

“Yes, sir.” She gave him a mock salute that made Mathis smile. Good, she was feeling a little better. Or if not, at least a little feistier.

“I’m going to go change—you get in the tub,” he said, heading into his bedroom. As he closed the door, his shaft stirred in his damp jeans, reminding him that when he wasn’t worried about her being ill or injured, the rut came back full force. Her Juvie scent when she was naked and wet in the steamy tub was going to be pure torture to be around.

Mathis didn’t care. He just wanted her near him tonight. Wanted her here, under his roof where he could care for her and protect her and know she was safe.

You want her close so you can claim her, whispered an accusing little voice in his head.

Mathis frowned. That wasn’t true. He’d made a promise to never take another mate after Kathleen died and he didn’t intend to break it. He just wanted to take care of the little Juvie, he told himself. To make sure she was all right. And where was the harm in that?

There’ll be all kinds of harm if your rut gets out of control, the voice informed him. Was it the voice of guilt or the voice of self-doubt? Either way, Mathis pushed it aside. He was pure Alpha—he could control himself no matter how good Sadie smelled or how bad his rut got. He just had to focus his self-control and he was perfectly capable of that.

It’ll be all right, he told himself firmly. It has to be. And if things get too bad I can always Shift later on tonight, after she’s gone to sleep.

Though it seemed counterintuitive, changing to his animal form actually helped control the rut rather than adding to it. Possibly because the pain involved in the Shifting process did a lot to dampen desire. It wasn’t something Mathis wanted to do, but he would if he felt it was necessary to control himself.

I’ll be fine—we both will.

Putting any further doubts behind him, he went to get changed.

Eleven

Sadie stared at the huge oval tub heaped high with jasmine-scented bubbles for a moment. Should she really get naked in the house of a man she barely knew? But there was something about Mathis—under his gruff exterior beat a kind and honorable heart, Sadie could tell. Another round of shivers shook her, making her teeth chatter painfully.

“O-okay,” she muttered to herself. “That’s it. I’m g-going in.”

She tugged off the sodden sweater and then peeled off her soaked jeans with some difficulty. The denim seemed to have shrunk and it didn’t want to come off. In the end, she had to sit on the floor and fight with the wet fabric like a little kid. At last she got the jeans off and was down to her bra and panties.

Maybe I should leave them on? But that was ridiculous—who took a bath in their bra and underwear? Resolutely, Sadie pulled those articles off too. She left the whole heap of wet clothes in the corner of the shower stall where they could make a puddle in peace.

Then, slowly, inch by inch, she lowered herself into the steaming tub.

At first the hot water actually hurt—her skin was so cold she felt like a lobster being dropped into a boiling pot. But after a minute or two she got used to it. With a sigh of contentment, she sank down in the deep tub, feeling deliciously warm for the first time in what seemed like hours.

Just as she was getting comfortable, a knock on the bathroom door startled her.

“What?” she gasped, sitting up in the tub.

“It’s just me.” Mathis’s deep, growling voice came from the other side of the door. “You decent?”

“Decent?” Sadie looked down at herself—she was naked but the thick covering of bubbles obscured her body almost completely. “I . . . I guess so. Is there something you need in here?”

“Yeah. I’m coming in.”

He opened the door and Sadie saw that he had gotten out of his wet clothing and was wearing a pair of long navy-blue pajama bottoms and nothing else. His bare chest was broad and impressively muscular. Between the flat copper disks of his nipples was a light dusting of black chest hair that matched the hair on his head. A little trail of it ran down his washboard-flat abs into the waistband of the pajama bottoms.

The happy trail, Sadie thought—it was what she and Samantha used to call that little line of curls leading down into a boy’s trousers back in college. The memory made her blush.

“Um, you look like you’re ready for bed,” she said, trying to keep her voice light.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’ll sleep on the couch,” Mathis rumbled.

“Oh, I didn’t mean—”

“It’s all right.” He gave her a level stare. “Just want you to know you’re safe here. I can control myself, no matter how good you smell.”

“Uh . . . okay.” Sadie wasn’t quite sure what to say about that. “Thanks, I guess.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, nodding.

Sadie had thought he might want something from the medicine cabinet—maybe the special pills Fiona made him. But to her surprise, instead of getting something from the bathroom and leaving, he came around and sat on the edge of the tub.

“Um . . .” She sank a little lower in the water, making sure the bubbles covered her completely. “Mathis . . .”

“Relax.” He’d brought a cup with him. Now he dipped it into the bathwater and motioned at her. “Lean your head back against the side.”

“What? Why?” Sadie looked at him suspiciously.

“Because I’m going to wash your hair of course,” he said, frowning. “Why do you think?”

“You . . . want to wash my hair?” Sadie still wasn’t sure what to make of him. “Why?”

He sighed. “Look, we didn’t end on the best note last night and I’m sorry for that.”

“So you want to wash my hair to make up for it?”

“No . . . God, I’m making a mess of this.” Mathis rubbed the back of his neck and then looked at her directly. “Listen, Sadie, you just seem like you could use a little TLC right now. And, well . . . I’d like to take care of you. Will you let me do that?”

Sadie studied his face for a moment. There was sincerity in his forest-green eyes she couldn’t doubt—tenderness just below his rough surface. She had the feeling it was an emotion he hadn’t used in a long time.

“All right,” she said at last. “If . . . if you really want to, I guess.”

“I do.” He gave her a little smile. “I used to do this for my wife, you know. I think I remember how to be gentle.”

“Okay.” Sadie leaned back, letting her head rest against the curved side of the tub. Her hair was already damp so Mathis didn’t have to pour much water over her head.

He got a dollop of shampoo in the palm of one large hand and she sat up a little at his direction to allow him to pull the long strands of her hair out of the water. After he had it all, Mathis rubbed the shampoo in, massaging her scalp in a way that made Sadie bite back a moan of pure pleasure.

God, how long had it been since anyone had taken care of her like this? As a wife and then a mom she was much more used to taking care of other people than getting any care herself. Her twins had been a handful and Jeff hadn’t been much better—she’d often joked that she had three kids instead of two. Sometimes she went and got a massage on her birthday or Mother’s Day but never in her wildest dreams could she have guessed that she would be sitting naked in a bubble bath getting her hair washed by a huge muscular man who was ten years her junior.

And enjoying it, whispered a little voice in her head. Not just enjoying it—getting off on it. Admit it, Sadie—you’re getting hot.

She squirmed uncomfortably in the tub, wishing she could deny it, knowing she couldn’t. There was something about the gentle touch of Mathis’s big hands on her hair that made her nipples feel tight and her pussy feel wet and swollen. She was incredibly glad that her physical responses were hidden by the bubbles on the surface of the water.

Mathis rinsed her hair and asked if she wanted conditioner.

“Sure.” Sadie’s voice came out in a squeak. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I mean, that would be nice. Thank you.”

“Welcome. I don’t use it much but I think I still have some around here.” He got up to rummage in the medicine cabinet, then came back with a small travel-sized bottle. Squeezing a generous squirt into his hands, he rubbed it through Sadie’s hair, his fingers gently untangling her long locks at the same time.

“That’s really nice—you said you did this for your wife?” Sadie asked, trying to make small talk to ease the awkwardness she felt growing inside her.

“Mmm-hmm. Her therapist used to say I was good at it because I’m one of those guys who need to be needed, whatever that means.” He gave a soft laugh. “It was probably his way of calling me pussy-whipped but I didn’t care.”

“Her . . . therapist?” Sadie asked hesitantly.

“Her physical therapist,” Mathis clarified. “She, uh, was in an accident not long after we were mated. It left her almost paralyzed on one side and she had to do a lot of therapy. I came with her, to learn how to help.”

“That’s beautiful that you would do that,” Sadie murmured.

“In sickness and in health, right?” His voice was a low rumble. “I take my vows seriously—very seriously.” He sounded almost as though he was reminding himself of the fact and not just talking to Sadie.

“Was the accident the reason . . . ?” But she couldn’t make herself finish.

“The reason she died?” Mathis’s voice hardened just a little. “Nah. It was cancer.” He fell silent, apparently unwilling to say any more about it.

“Oh, well . . .” Abruptly Sadie felt awkward again.

“Lift up and close your eyes,” he ordered. “Time to rinse.”

Sadie sat up a little, allowing him to rinse the conditioner out of her hair. When it was squeaky clean, Mathis coiled it neatly on the back ledge of the huge tub and went to dry his hands on a towel. Then he sat back down, on the edge of the tub, facing her this time.

“So did you say something about a fight at the Piggly Wiggly?” he asked, frowning at her.

Sadie nodded, feeling embarrassed.

“It was bizarre. The bagboy and another boy who worked there started fighting and then the manager kicked me out instead of disciplining them.”

Mathis raised an eyebrow at her.

“And what were they fighting over?”

“Well . . .” Sadie could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. “It seemed like they were fighting over me—over who would help me out with my groceries. But that’s crazy, right? I mean, I’m old enough to be their mother.”

“You don’t look old enough to be anyone’s mom,” Mathis pointed out, his eyes suddenly half lidded as he studied her.

“Well, I used to,” Sadie insisted. “I’ve been . . . changing a little since I had my divorce, that’s all.”

“Changing a little. Right.” He gave a brief snort of laugher, as though she’d said something funny.

“Look, this isn’t the first time something weird like this has happened to me in Cougarville,” Sadie said, irritated that he would find her problems amusing. “I mean, everyone in the Piggly Wiggly was staring at me. I know I wasn’t just imagining it! And what about the way someone slashed my tires?”

Mathis frowned. “The tire thing is going too far. But they were probably just pissed because you’re an unmated Juvie in a public place with no mate to cover your scent.” He shook his head. “You shouldn’t do that, you know—if you came here looking for a mate, wait until you find him before you start going out in public.”

“What?” Here it was again—the foreign language everyone in Cougarville but her seemed to know. “What do you mean?” she asked Mathis.

He frowned. “You know what I’m talking about. The scent of an unmated Juvie tends to get males all riled up—especially Betas who don’t have the strength to control themselves.”

“No, I mean what are all those weird words you’re using and what do they mean?” Sadie gestured with one hand, sending bubbles flying. “Everywhere I go people are calling me ‘Juvie’ like it’s some kind of curse word. And people keep saying ‘Alpha’ and ‘Beta’ like it’s supposed to mean something. Is there some kind of secret cult here in Cougarville? Because I feel like everyone is speaking a foreign language and I’m the only one who doesn’t understand!”

Instead of answering, Mathis just looked at her for a long moment.

“Sadie,” he said in a low voice, at last. “Tell me you’re kidding.”

“Kidding about what?” Sadie was getting more and more frustrated. “Kidding about the fact that I don’t know what all those words mean? Or kidding about the part where men half my age are fighting over me for no discernible reason?”

“Of course they’re fighting over you,” he growled. “You’re Rejuvenating and you’re fucking gorgeous! Your scent alone is enough to drive any male within sniffing distance of you crazy—add that to your face and that body . . .” He gestured at her submerged form under the bubbles. “It’s a fuckin’ lethal combination.”

“What does that mean though—Rejuvenating?” Sadie asked, determined to get to the truth despite the way his compliments made her feel hot and cold all over.

“You don’t even know . . . ?” Mathis got up and started pacing the bathroom floor. “You don’t even know what it means? What’s happening to you?” he demanded, staring down at her with apparent disbelief.

“For the last time, no,” Sadie nearly shouted. “So could you please, please just tell me?”

“God, I don’t even know where to begin.” He sank back down on the side of the tub and ran a hand distractedly through his hair. “I’ve never met anyone with the Gene who didn’t know what they were. It’s gonna be like explaining the birds and the bees to a kid.”

“All right,” Sadie said, trying to hold on to her temper. “Explain it to me like I’m a six-year-old. Assume I don’t know anything—anything at all. Because I don’t.”

“Well . . .” He looked at her warily. “I’ll tell you, but you’ll probably think it’s crazy. Most outsiders do.”

“Try me,” Sadie said evenly. “At this point after all the weird things I’ve seen in Cougarville, I’m willing to believe in almost anything.”

“Even if it’s supernatural?” Mathis asked. “Paranormal?”

“What? Is Cougarville a town full of witches and warlocks and vampires or something?” she demanded.

He snorted laughter again. “Hardly. Witches don’t usually like to mingle with Shifters. And as for vampires, well . . .” He frowned. “They’re pretty scary sons of bitches, even for a big guy like me.”

“What?” Sadie could feel her eyes getting wide. “You’re telling me there really are such things as vampires and witches?”

“And Shifters,” he said evenly. “You’re gonna have to get used to the idea that the world is a much bigger and stranger place than you ever knew before, Sadie.”

“All right . . . okay.” Sadie took a deep breath and nodded. She could deal with this, she told herself. She had to deal with this. “‘Shifter’—that’s another word I don’t understand. What is a ‘Shifter’?” she asked, trying to get a handle on the terminology he was throwing at her.

Mathis looked at her directly. “A Shifter is a person—usually male but there are some females too—who is able to change his or her form to that of their spirit animal during the full moon. Of course, Alphas can change anytime,” he added. “But Betas—the nondominant members of our community—can usually only let their animal out when the moon is full.”

He stopped then, probably because Sadie was staring at him in disbelief.

“You . . . you expect me to believe that people can really change into animals?” she demanded at last. “Mathis, that’s . . . that’s the plot of a movie, not reality.”

“See? I told you that you’d think it was crazy.” He frowned. “It’s true though—Cougarville is a community of Shifters and you’re one too—or you will be, once you get mated.”

“I didn’t come here to get married or mated or whatever!” Sadie protested. “I just wanted to start a new life away from my cheating ex-husband and his new girlfriend. I only came to Cougarville because my mom left me the cabin in her will.”

“Mmm-hmm. Then your mother was a Shifter too—a Juvie with the Gene. She must have been.”

“A what with the what?” Sadie shook her head.

“A Rejuvenated female with the Shifter Gene,” Mathis explained patiently. “Look, this is how it works: in Shifter males, the Gene manifests itself right away. Once they turn seventeen or eighteen and reach full sexual maturity, they’re able to Shift during the full moon. But with females, it takes time. The Gene doesn’t kick in until they’re in the middle of their life. You know—late thirties to early fifties. And even then it won’t become active if they have a mate or a husband. Really any male that claims them and who they regularly have sex with.”

“What . . .” Sadie cleared her throat. “What happens if they don’t have a husband, and this, uh, Gene kicks in?”

Mathis shrugged. “You’ve probably seen for yourself. The clock rolls back—usually about twenty to thirty years, depending on the age they are when the Rejuvenation starts. I mean, look at you—you told Fiona you’re forty but you look more like twenty to me.”

“The way I look doesn’t change the age I am,” Sadie protested. “I’ve already had my youth. I mean, not that I’m complaining about looking and feeling younger but this is just weird.”

“That’s part of the appeal of a Juvie,” Mathis said earnestly. “She’s got the body and fertility of a younger female with all the wisdom and experience of a more mature one. That and the fact that only Juvies can pass on the Shifter Gene to their offspring.”

“What? What a minute—that can’t be right,” Sadie protested. “I have two kids—twins, already off to college. So it can’t be true a, uh, Juvie can only have children after they go through this . . . this Rejuvenation process.”

“I never said females with the Shifter Gene couldn’t have kids before it activated,” Mathis protested. “They can have as many as they want—but none of them will have the Gene themselves. Only after a female goes through Rejuvenation can she pass on the Gene. It’s one reason Juvie females are so rare and valuable—every Shifter male wants to pass the power of his spirit animal to his offspring but it’s impossible unless he mates with a Juvie.”

“I . . . I don’t know.” Sadie shook her head. “This is too weird for me, Mathis.”

“Look,” he said patiently. “You want to know why everyone was looking at you in the Piggly Wiggly? It’s because everyone in there could smell your scent—the fragrance of an unmated Juvie is about the most tantalizing, sensual, sexual thing in the whole damn world.”

“You’re kidding,” Sadie said blankly. But then she remembered the checker’s words—something about “flaunting” herself—and began to wonder. She looked up at Mathis—his dark face was serious. “Oh. You’re not kidding, are you?”

“Hell no, sweetheart. You want to know why the males were staring at you? They want you. And the females? They hate you for flaunting what you are—what most of them will never be. Juvies are rare—damn rare. You might as well have been walking around the store naked, showing your ass to everyone, and handing out coupons for free blow jobs with that scent of yours on display!”

“What? That’s terrible! I didn’t know,” Sadie exclaimed. “I mean, how could I know? My mother never told me anything about this weird Gene thing. She never said a word about any of this before she died.”

“She didn’t leave you a letter or any kind of clue?” Mathis asked, frowning.

“Well . . . I found this box of old photo albums last night,” Sadie said slowly. “But everything in it was off—all the photos were from twenty years earlier than they should have been. And I found a birth certificate that said my mom was born in 1936 which is impossible since I know she was born in 1956.”

“You sure about that, sweetheart?” Mathis raised an eyebrow at her. “Chances are, your mom had the Gene. She might have had a whole other life before she Rejuvenated and had you. That’s not uncommon with Juvie females.”

Sadie thought of the wedding album she’d found that showed her mother marrying a man who was most definitely not her father.

“I suppose you could be right . . .” she began. Then she shook her head, rubbing her temples. Her headache—which had dissipated when Mathis held her and touched her—was beginning to come back in full force. “No—all of this is just too crazy. I can’t believe it. Can’t accept that nearly everyone in Cougarville can turn themselves into an animal at the full moon. Not only that but I’m supposed to be one of them! I mean, I’ve never turned into any kind of an animal.”

“And you won’t—until your Gene is fully activated and you take your true form,” Mathis pointed out. “Look, I don’t know everything about Juvies—you guys are really rare. If you want to know more, ask Fiona. She’s kind of an expert in the area.”

“She wasn’t very helpful about answering questions before,” Sadie said, frowning. “And I feel weird going to her and asking what kind of animal I’ll turn into on the next full moon or whatever.”

Mathis gave her a sympathetic look. “Yeah, it’s really hard to swallow, isn’t it? Of course, if you’re having trouble wrapping your head around it, I can offer you hard proof.”

Sadie frowned at him. “How’s that?”

He shrugged. “I can Shift for you and let you see me in my other form. What do you think of that?”

“What? Right here? In the bathroom?” Sadie looked up at him, alarmed.

He laughed, genuine amusement in the deep, rumbling sound.

“Hell, no! My animal form wouldn’t fit in here.”

“What . . . what do you turn in to?” Sadie managed to ask. “A wolf or a grizzly bear or what?”

“A Buck,” he said. “An Irish Elk if you wanna get technical. Remember I told you my father was from Ireland?”

“So . . . a kind of deer?” Sadie felt a rush of relief. Images of soft, gentle creatures with big brown eyes and little fluffy white tails filled her head. She’d always loved deer—they were so beautiful. So graceful. “It seems like a deer would fit in here,” she remarked, looking around the roomy bathroom again appraisingly.

Mathis shrugged.

“A regular deer might. Not an Irish Elk. It’s an animal from the Middle Pleistocene epoch. You know—the Stone Age? Prehistoric times?” he clarified, clearly seeing Sadie’s look of confusion. “They’ve been extinct for about seven thousand years. Well . . .” He snorted. “Except here in Cougarville, anyway.”

“So . . . you turn into an extinct deer?” Sadie was still having a hard time swallowing this. “But . . . why?”

He sighed. “Has to do with the legend of how the Gene was created in the first place—way back in the Stone Age. You ever watch any documentaries or read anything about cave paintings?”

“Well, sure, I guess. I read an article about this cave in France that had some of the earliest known art made by humans . . .”

“Sure.” He nodded. “The Lascaux Caves. Anyway, the legend runs that back in the dawn of man, Lady Moon—she’s sort of the Shifter goddess—dedicated a special cave. When a warrior who was brave and true entered the cave on a full-moon night and painted the shape of his spirit animal on the wall, he would merge with that animal and gain its strength and courage and be able to take its form when Lady Moon was at her fullest.”

“Wow . . .” Sadie stared at him. “And . . . do you believe all that?”

“About there being a goddess who started all this? No.” He shook his head. “But it does seem likely that the Shifter Gene somehow evolved during that time period, since the animal forms that Shifters take are from that era.”

“So . . . what kind of animals do you mean?” Sadie asked. “Like mammoths and cave lions and woolly rhinos?”

Mathis looked pleased. “You know your Stone Age animals.”

Sadie shrugged. “I read the Clan of the Cave Bear series in college.”

In fact the Cave Bear series, which follows Ayla, a woman living during Stone Age times and her struggle for survival, had been some of her favorite books—only Sadie had never dreamed she’d be living in one of them! Or something close enough to make her very uncomfortable, anyway.

“Weren’t all the animals way bigger back then?” she asked, frowning. “I mean, wasn’t there a giant sloth that was like ten feet tall or something?”

“Never heard of any sloth Shifters,” Mathis remarked. “But we do have Foxes and Cougars in town—a whole hell of a lot of Cougars.” He frowned.

“I guess that must be why the town is named Cougarville,” Sadie mused. Well, that and the fact that older women regenerated into younger ones and apparently got their pick of the hot young guys in town.

The thought made her blush, especially since she’d just been telling herself she hadn’t moved here to turn into a cougar. But it also explained why almost every man she’d met had shown such intense interest in her. She thought of Liam Keller’s lazy catlike eyes and wondered if he was a Shifter too and if so, what kind.

A Cougar, she thought. He must be. But what would a Stone Age Cougar look like? From what she remembered from The Clan of the Cave Bear, almost every mammal living during that era had been much larger and fiercer than their modern-day counterparts. It made her even more curious to see what kind of deer Mathis turned into.

“Look, you’ve been in there a long time and your bath must be, uh . . .” Mathis cleared his throat. “Must be getting cold.”

“Hmm?” His voice brought her out of her musings and Sadie looked down at the tub. She quickly realized that while it had gotten a little cooler, that wasn’t the main problem. As they had been talking the mountain of foamy bubbles she’d had at the beginning of her soak had begun to dissipate. She’d been in the tub for so long that the bubbles were almost gone, clearly revealing her naked body beneath the water’s surface. “Oh!” She tried to cover her breasts and sex with her arms. “I’m . . . I didn’t realize.”

“It’s okay.” Mathis got a towel and held it out, his eyes considerately averted. “I just don’t want you to get chilled again. Plus if I’m going to Shift for you, we need to eat supper first.”

“Oh?” Sadie pulled the plug and got out quickly, allowing him to drape the towel over her shoulders. His fingers ran over the nape of her neck, making her shiver as her nipples grew hard. At the same time, she felt her headache ease for some reason. “Why is that?” she asked when she felt securely covered.

“Because it takes a lot of strength and it hurts like hell,” he said frankly. “For males, anyway. I’ve heard female Shifters have a much easier time but it’s always hell on us males.”

“Oh—well you don’t have to do it just for my benefit,” Sadie protested. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself for me.”

His nostrils flared and she had the feeling he was scenting her, breathing in the fragrance of her skin and enjoying it very much. As if to confirm her idea, she could see a large, hard bulge pressing against the material of his navy blue pajama bottoms.

“Believe me,” he said grimly. “I won’t just be Shifting for your benefit. It’ll help me too.”

Sadie frowned, trying to ignore the growing bulge in his trousers. “Why? Because the moon is almost full?”

“No, because . . .” He trailed off, shaking his head. “Never mind. Let’s eat—what do you say?”

Twelve

“This is delicious. You’re such a good cook!” Sadie took another mouthful and moaned happily.

Mathis chuckled. The more he got to know Sadie, the more he liked her—especially now that he understood she’d had no idea of the havoc she’d been causing both in his life and the lives of pretty much everybody in town from the moment she settled in Cougarville.

And it was nice that she liked his cooking too.

“It’s just shepherd’s pie,” he objected.

“Homemade shepherd’s pie with buttery mashed potatoes and homegrown peas and carrots and some kind of amazing gravy like nothing I’ve ever tasted before . . .” She took another bite. “Mmmm . . .”

“I told you it was one of my specialties.” Mathis grinned and tried to push away the guilt he felt from liking her so much. How could he help enjoying her company when she was so warm and funny and sweet and caring? Not to mention how tempting she smelled . . . and looked.

At the moment, Sadie was wearing one of his old T-shirts as a kind of short dress, since her clothes were wet and he had nothing else that would fit her. Mathis was trying not to stare at her but it was hard—her nipples were tight little points poking out against the thin cotton and the hem of the shirt only came down to the tops of her thighs so her long, luscious legs were bare. Her long brown hair was damp and her eyes, fringed with thick dark lashes, looked enormous.

In a word, she was fucking gorgeous. Being so close to her with her ripe, enticing scent surrounding him and her beautiful body on display was playing hell with his rut, which had come back full force. In fact, he was beginning to think he’d better Shift now rather than later, although he had wanted to wait until after dessert.

Tonight he had a homemade apple pie he’d baked earlier that day as well as some hand-churned vanilla bean ice cream. He wanted badly to see Sadie’s reaction to the decadent treat but more and more he was feeling a hunger for her that had nothing to do with food.

“Well, I’m glad you like it,” he said, rising and placing his empty plate in the sink to wash later. “But it seems like the storm has finally let up so now’s as good a time as ever to Shift.”

“Are you sure?” Sadie ate the last bite off her own plate and rose to put it in the sink as well. “I mean, if it really hurts that much . . .”

“No, I need to do this,” Mathis said grimly. “And I need to do it pretty damn quickly.”

“Why?” Sadie looked up at him curiously. “You said it didn’t have to do with the moon being almost full so why? Just to show me?”

Mathis didn’t want to tell her about his rut but somehow, looking down into those big, brown eyes, he knew he couldn’t lie or put her off.

“I . . . have a problem,” he said reluctantly. “Something to do with my Buck—my animal form.”

“What?” Sadie was still looking at him innocently.

“It’s autumn,” Mathis said, trying to think how to explain. “And that’s when male deer usually go into rut.”

“What’s that? Sorry . . .” She shrugged. “I guess I would know if I’d ever been hunting or anything like that but I’m pretty much a pacifist. I don’t know anything about the life cycle of deer.”

Mathis scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to think of a way to explain that wouldn’t scare her.

“It’s kind of like . . . going into heat. Only that’s a female thing. Rut is the male equivalent. It only happens once a year, usually in the fall, and when it does the Buck gets this . . .” He cleared his throat. “This violent urge to mate.”

“You do?” Sadie’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, but don’t worry,” he hastened to reassure her. “Like I told you earlier, I can control myself. It’s just harder this year because . . .”

“Because I’m around.” Sadie bit her lip. “I’m so sorry, Mathis. Do I really smell that, uh, tempting?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe, sweetheart,” he growled. “Your scent plus my rut makes me want to rip off that shirt, lay you on the bed, and lick you all over your sweet little body.” He looked her up and down, taking in the outline of her luscious curves, teasingly visible beneath the thin white cotton T-shirt. He could just imagine cupping her full breasts in his hands, pinching her nipples lightly until she moaned, then sliding down to kneel between her thighs and lapping her sweet wet pussy open with his tongue, tasting her until she cried and begged and pulled his hair . . . “Lick you and taste you and a whole hell of a lot more,” he said.

“Oh!” Sadie’s cheeks had gone bright red. “You . . . I . . .”

“Don’t worry,” Mathis said again quickly. “I’m as Alpha as they come—I can control my urges. I’m just telling you what it’s like, being around you. It’s enough to drive a male crazy.”

“I’m really sorry,” she said quietly, crossing her arms protectively over her breasts. “I honestly didn’t know anything about any of this until you told me.”

“I believe you,” Mathis said. “And I don’t blame you either—this isn’t your fault. It’s mine—it’s what I am.” He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Just wish the fucking pills would work. That would make things so much easier.”

“Your pills? You mean the ones Fiona makes for you?” Sadie asked.

“Yeah, you were right—they’re not erectile dysfunction pills.” He looked down at himself in disgust. His cock had been standing at attention for what felt like hours by now, making it nearly impossible to think straight. The Buck inside him was insisting that he had to claim Sadie, to make her his mate and breed her to mark his territory and tie her to him forever.

Mathis fought the urge grimly—he had his promise to himself to consider. Not to mention the fact that he’d already formed one life-bond back when he’d mated Kathleen and one was all his kind of Shifter got.

Besides, after all the crazy things she’d been through, Sadie probably didn’t want anything to do with any male in Cougarville right now. He wouldn’t blame her if she wanted to shake the dust of the little town off her feet and never come back again.

Of course, he wasn’t exactly sure how leaving without a mate would work with her Juvie cycle—there was still a lot he was unsure about when it came to her. She should probably go talk to Fiona first thing in the morning. But in the meantime, she was under his protection and he had an obligation to take care of her—not take advantage of her.

“So your pills?” Sadie prompted him and he realized he’d been silent too long.

“Oh yeah—they’re anti-rut pills. Fiona’s been making them for me for about ten years now. Ever since . . .” He swallowed hard. “Ever since Kathleen passed.”

“Your wife?” Sadie asked softly. “Was . . . was she a Shifter too? A Juvie, like me?”

“No.” Mathis shook his head. “I mean, she had the Shifter Gene—most everyone in Cougarville does. But we fell in love and got married young. We knew that if we stayed together she’d never Rejuvenate and we’d never have any Shifter kids, but that was okay with me. All . . .” He cleared his throat. “All I wanted was her. I didn’t care about passing on the Gene as long as I could have her.”

“Oh, Mathis . . .” Tentatively, Sadie put a hand on his arm.

Mathis could see the compassion in her big brown eyes and knew she was just trying to comfort him, but the light touch still lit a fire inside him.

“It’s okay,” he said, pulling away as gently as he could. “It’s been ten years now. I should be over it, I know. But I can’t help myself. I . . .” He took a deep breath. “I made a promise to myself after she died, never to take another mate. In fact, I haven’t even been with another female since she passed. Fiona’s pills helped a lot with that—with controlling my, uh, urges. Just wish they still worked.”

“I’m sorry if I’m making it harder for you,” Sadie said. “I can still spend the night in my car. The storm seems to have blown over and—”

“Hell no, you’re not spending the night in your car!” Mathis growled. “You’re staying with me.”

“But if my scent is making you hard, I mean . . .” Her cheeks were pink. “Making things hard on you . . .”

“It’s okay,” he said, waving her off. “It’ll be a lot better after I Shift. That always helps control it some.”

“So that’s why you need to Shift.” A look of understanding came into her eyes.

Mathis nodded. “Yeah. I know it seems strange since the urge to mate comes from my Buck in the first place, but being in my other form—my animal form—helps control the rut. Maybe because I’m giving in to it just a little—letting myself embrace the Buck and his needs for a while. I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I just know it helps.”

“Well, I’d love to see it,” Sadie said. “Honestly, I don’t know what to expect, though.”

“You’ll see,” Mathis said. “Come on—let’s get you ready to go outside.”

When at last Sadie stood under the light of the nearly full moon just outside the fence surrounding Mathis’s back garden, she was as ready as she could be—at least for the cold weather. She had on Mathis’s lined down jacket (which was much too large for her) a pair of his thick woolen socks that came almost up to her thighs, and oversized galoshes.

Her own clothes still weren’t dry so this was the best Mathis could do for her. Sadie didn’t mind—actually she felt fairly toasty. Thanks to the jacket falling so low and socks coming so high, the only part of her that was really cold was her knees.

“Why such a high fence?” she asked, to distract herself from the sight of Mathis stripping out of his navy-blue pajama bottoms.

He made a face. “My Buck isn’t always good with self-control. Before I put up the fence, I ruined my own damn garden more times than I can count.”

Sadie had to smother a smile. “So you had to put up a fence to keep yourself out of your own garden?”

“That’s about right.” Mathis shrugged his broad, bare shoulders and handed her his pajama trousers. “Hold these, will you?”

“Um, sure.” Sadie bunched the navy-blue material in her hands, trying not to notice how extremely huge he looked when he was naked. Huge all over, whispered a little voice in her head and she tried not to look between his legs where his truly massive equipment was standing up straight and hard against his flat belly despite the cold.

Concentrate on something else, she commanded herself. She turned her eyes determinedly up to his broad bare shoulders and muscular chest. He was in incredible shape—Forget a six-pack, he’s got a freaking eight-pack! Sadie couldn’t help thinking. But then her eyes slipped down from his rippling abs to the area between his legs again and she bit her lip at his size. How could he even use equipment that big? Sadie bet herself she wouldn’t be able to wrap her fingers all the way around it if she tried.

Which of course led to the mental image of her stepping up to him and taking his long pulsing cock in her hands. She could almost imagine the hot, hard feel of him throbbing at her touch . . . the soft animal growl that would come from his deep chest as she stroked him . . . the feel of that broad head slipping between her thighs to rub slowly against her open pussy . . .

Stop it, Sadie—stop it! What is wrong with you thinking like that? She could feel her cheeks getting hot with embarrassment as she realized she’d been staring at Mathis’s hard cock and having dirty fantasies about him. What was wrong with her? With an effort, she ripped her gaze away.

“Look, I don’t want you to worry that I’ll hurt you in my Buck form,” Mathis said, clearly misreading the look on her face. He seemed as comfortable naked as he was dressed. “Because I won’t—I’ll still recognize you and know you’re a female to be protected. I just don’t . . . think quite like a human in that form. That’s all.”

“It’s okay,” Sadie said, being careful to look at his face and not his equipment. “I’m not afraid of you, Mathis. Or whatever you turn into.”

Because really, who could be that scared of a deer? Even a prehistoric one?

“Good, I’m glad you’re not,” he said. He cupped her cheek in one hand and looked at her earnestly, holding her eyes with his. “I would never hurt you, Sadie—I hope you know that.”

“I know.” The warm brush of his fingertips against her cheek seemed to light a fire inside her, one that wasn’t easy to hide or control. For a moment, she wanted so badly to kiss him again she could barely restrain herself.

Stop it, Sadie! Don’t make a fool out of yourself. Didn’t he just stand there and tell you he’d made a promise never to marry again after his wife died? He’s so serious about it he hasn’t even been with another woman in ten years. So don’t go making things awkward again!

“Okay, I’m going to try to Shift slowly so you can see it all.” Mathis’s deep voice broke into her stern self-lecture. “Usually it’s faster than this.” He took a deep breath and looked up at the moon. “Here goes.”

Sadie watched him carefully, his big form gilded silver by the moonlight. At first nothing happened . . . then Mathis began to change.

It started slowly with the movement of bones and muscles under his bare skin. Sadie stared as his torso grew longer until he was leaning over and his muscular arms grew down to the ground. She could almost see his arm bones lengthening as they changed. The fingers of his hands grew together and hardened, becoming hooves. His knees bent backward and his face, which bore a look of stoic agony during what was clearly an extremely painful process, began to lengthen into a muzzle.

Sadie couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She stood watching in awe as he kept changing and growing—getting bigger and bigger. Reddish brown fur flowed over his body and his eyes grew so large she could see herself reflected in their dark depths. Last of all, antlers sprouted from his forehead, growing like two trees that had decided to take root in the wrong place. They grew and grew until they were farther apart than she was tall—it was amazing.

“My God,” Sadie whispered as the transformation was finally complete. The animal that stood before her was nothing like the sweet, gentle deer she had imagined. This was no shy Bambi-like creature—Mathis as a man was big enough but Mathis as a Buck was huge.

The shoulders of the immense creature were at least three feet higher than her head and his rack of antlers was something like twelve feet across from tip to tip. No wonder he’d said he wouldn’t fit in the bathroom in this form—he wouldn’t fit anywhere except outside.

Sadie had been a horse lover as a girl and her mother had even made sure that she and Samantha got riding lessons for a couple of years. In the stables where they had ridden were massive Clydesdale horses, which were some of the biggest in the world. Now, looking up at the Irish Elk Mathis had become, Sadie thought it would dwarf even those massive equines—he was that big.

“Wow,” she whispered in breathless awe. “This is amazing.”

The Buck snorted and tossed his head, his huge antlers clattering against tree branches. Then he dropped his massive muzzle to look at her, his liquid brown eyes studying her intently.

Tentatively, Sadie put up a hand to pet him. The vast head was so much larger than hers that she felt like a Lilliputian reaching up to touch a giant. But Mathis’s Buck lowered his nose and accepted her caress with a low rumble of pleasure.

“You’re beautiful,” Sadie told him softly, still filled with awe. It was like a piece of the past had come to life right in front of her. A gorgeous, amazing, immense piece—a creature she never would have dreamed she’d ever get to see and now she was actually touching it.

Touching him, she reminded herself. This is Mathis.

The Buck snorted gently, blowing hot air into her cupped palm, as she stroked his velvety nose. Then he nudged her hand, as though asking for more.

“I want to pet you more, but you’re so big,” Sadie told him. Then she saw a conveniently sized rock, a few feet away to one side of the garden gate. “Maybe over here?” she said to the Buck, walking to the rock.

He followed her agreeably enough and waited as Sadie scrambled up. When she got upright, she found she was at least three feet higher than she had been. This time when the Buck lowered his head, she was able to reach him more easily.

Using both hands this time, she patted and stroked him, scratching around his ears and the bases of his vast antlers, which he really seemed to like.

Sadie was delighted. It reminded her more and more of her horse-riding days, except Mathis as a Buck was much huger and wilder than any of the tame mares she’d ridden as a teenager.

“I wish I could ride you,” Sadie said out loud. “I mean, that’s probably not something you’d go for but—”

To her surprise, the Buck cut her off with a snort. Then he folded his legs under him and lay down right beside the rock. Looking up at her expectantly, he snorted again.

Sadie stared at him in disbelief. Had he understood her? Was he actually inviting her to take a ride? And if so, should she?

“I don’t know,” she said, looking at him. Though he had his legs folded under him and she was still standing on the rock, they were still eye-to-eye—the Buck was that huge.

He snorted again and tossed his head—but carefully, so as not to hurt her with his antlers. To Sadie the invitation seemed clear. Hop on. Why not?

“Well . . . all right,” she said at last. “But you have to be careful—I haven’t ridden in years.”

The Buck nodded his head again, and Sadie swore he was agreeing with her.

“Okay then,” she said. “Here goes.”

Leaning over, she threw one leg over his massive side and climbed aboard.

The broad ridge of his spine rose up between his shoulders, making a kind of shaggy hump that was too high to sit on, so Sadie scooted forward until she was sitting just at the base of his massive neck, behind his head.

It was so broad she could feel the stretch in her inner thighs and there was nothing to hold on to but his slightly shaggy coat. Sadie threaded her fingers through it and leaned forward to whisper in one furry ear.

“Is it all right with you, Mathis?”

The Buck snorted again and tossed his head up and down, which seemed to mean he was fine with it.

“Good,” Sadie told him. “In that case, I’m ready when you are.”

The Buck scrambled up, blowing a little as he heaved his massive bulk into a standing position. Sadie held on tight but she had the feeling he was being extra careful not to dislodge her. He started off at a walk, his vast antlers clattering against tree trunks and branches occasionally as he walked through the forest.

Sadie thought later that she would never forget that moonlit ride and the view from between his huge antlers. The moon was bright and soft in the sky, almost but not quite full, and it shed a silvery light over the trees and undergrowth, gilding each leaf and branch, making the forest seem magical and otherworldly. The air was filled with the scent of growing things after the rain—a rich, loamy smell—and under it was the Buck’s scent, which was partly Mathis’s scent as well—wild and musky and warm and very male.

It was chilly enough that Sadie could see her breath but she didn’t feel cold at all. The down jacket kept her warm up top and below her, the heat of the Buck’s body was vast and all-encompassing.

There was one thing Sadie hadn’t counted on, though—straddling him as she was, the ridge of the Buck’s spine was right between her thighs. As he walked with that slow, measured tread, she was rubbed back and forth in a pleasurable rhythm that was really beginning to affect her.

I should stop this, she thought, trying to rearrange the T-shirt she was wearing to put some padding between herself and Mathis’s Buck. Ought to get off . . . er, dismount.

But she had no idea how she was going to manage that unless he laid down again. She was almost ten feet off the ground and she had no desire to jump from that distance. At the same time, though, she was getting rubbed over and over between her wide-spread thighs, which was making her body react even though she didn’t want it to.

God, this is crazy! I can’t—

Her thought cut off abruptly when Mathis’s Buck stepped out of the forest into a long, open clearing between the trees. Shaped like a wide oval about twice as long as a football field, the clearing was silver as a placid lake in the moonlight. The Buck stopped at one end and stamped twice.

Sadie understood at once what he was asking.

“You want to run, don’t you?” she said, leaning forward to speak into one furry ear. It swiveled back to catch her words. “That’s why you brought me here—to run. To gallop.”

The Buck tossed his head up and down and pawed the earth eagerly with one sharp hoof.

Sadie’s heart began to race. Did she dare? She was riding bareback with nothing to hold on to but his pelt and she was so high up that a fall could really injure her. Middle-aged Sadie—the calm, sedate woman who had moved to Cougarville in the first place—would have said no. The “mom” part of her would have been horrified at such a foolish risk and the sensible adult would have dismissed it out of hand as completely ridiculous.

But Sadie had changed and not just physically—she felt daring and alive, all her senses heightened. She felt new, like she was becoming someone completely different from the weary mom and wife who had driven two kids to soccer and ballet, served on the PTA, put up with her cheating husband, and taken care of everyone but herself for so many years.

She was becoming the new Sadie and the new Sadie was up for anything.

Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms as far around the Buck’s massive neck as she could and whispered, “Go!”

Mathis’s Buck took off at once, leaping into action with one powerful lunge of his muscular hindquarters. He raced for the end of the long clearing and Sadie held on for dear life, clinging to his pelt as the wind whipped in her face, making her eyes tear up.

It was like flying.

Her hair streamed out behind her and after a moment she realized she was shouting at the top of her lungs—words of encouragement and whoops of pure joy. It seemed like her body was too filled with pleasure to contain it all—she couldn’t remember ever feeling so alive . . . so intensely happy in her entire life.

“Go!” she shouted in Mathis’s ear. “Go faster—go!”

He went, making great, leaping bounds across the long moonlit oval that made Sadie feel high enough to touch the stars. They reached the end of the clearing and he made a wide turn and started back at high speed. Again and again they raced back and forth, the Buck bounding and leaping with Sadie clinging to him and laughing and shouting encouragement.

It was amazing . . . mind-blowing . . . the most incredible experience of her life—Sadie never wanted it to end.

At last, however, the Buck slowed to a walk at the end of the clearing where they had entered. He was blowing hard but he stamped and tossed his head—Sadie had an idea he was asking her whether she’d had enough or if she wanted to keep going.

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to go again when Sadie realized how extremely sore she was getting. She hadn’t ridden in years but even if she’d been in good practice, riding Mathis in his Buck form was nothing like riding a horse. Her bottom felt positively tenderized and her tailbone was going to be sore for days.

“Okay,” she told the Buck reluctantly. “I guess maybe we should call it a night.”

He snorted in agreement and began the winding trek back through the trees to the cabin. Long before they got there, though, Sadie knew she was in trouble.

All the leaping and bounding and running and rubbing had made her incredibly sensitive between her thighs. As the Buck walked home with his rhythmic tread, she found herself swaying on his back, her legs spread wide, helpless to overcome the pleasure that grew with each of his long strides.

I can’t . . . can’t do this . . . can’t feel this, she told herself sternly as she swayed helplessly along. But no matter how she shifted or tried to rearrange her legs, the ridge of the Buck’s spine hit her in just the wrong place—Or just the right place, Sadie thought, depending on how you looked at it.

She tried to think of anything to take her mind off the growing pleasure—her weird life in Cougarville, her ruined cabin, Fiona’s strange, nearly incomprehensible method of bookkeeping—but nothing worked. Her mind kept wanting to show her Mathis naked in the moonlight instead—his tall, muscular form and deep green eyes calling to her. Those big hands that felt so good when he washed her hair . . . the warmth of his broad chest when he cradled her against him . . . the delicious, spicy scent of his skin. Everything about him made her want him. And he wanted her too—hadn’t he said he’d like to rip off her clothes and lick her all over?

Sadie had to bite back a moan at the thought and a rush of hot desire ran through her. God, what would it be like to let him do that to her? To be with him? He was so big, so strong and yet she’d felt the tenderness in his massive body when he held her. Would he go slow and be careful with her? Or would the animal inside him demand that he breed her hard and long?

She had a mental image of herself, down on her hands and knees on the forest floor with Mathis behind her. He would run those big, warm hands all over her naked, trembling body and then he would spread her legs, pressing the head of his cock deep into her waiting pussy. She would moan and open up to receive him as she gave him what he needed—what they both needed so badly . . .

Between the inescapable pleasure and the recurring fantasies, by the time they got back to the cabin, Sadie was right on the edge—so close to coming she could barely breathe. Mathis’s Buck came to a stop right beside the tall rock and she clambered stiffly off, relieved to be able to close her legs again. Yet when she did, she nearly yelped at the sharp sensation that went through her.

Sadie couldn’t ever remember feeling so sensitive in her life and she was beginning to wonder if it was only from riding Mathis while he was in his Buck form. Was there something else going on with her? Some part of the Rejuvenation process she had yet to learn about?

As soon as she was safely on the rock, the Buck took a step back. A shiver seemed to run over his entire shaggy pelt and then the Shift began, only this time in reverse.

The process was much more rapid this time—fur receded, limbs shortened dramatically, and the massive rack of antlers shrank back into his forehead all in the space of seconds. It seemed Sadie barely had time to blink before Mathis was standing before her naked and wild-looking in the moonlight.

“Sadie . . .” His eyes were half lidded with desire, his fists clenched at his sides. His shaft was hard and throbbing against his flat belly. “I can smell your heat.” His voice was a low, raw growl. “I’ve been smellin’ it all the way home.”

Sadie bit her lip. Her whole body suddenly seemed too hot—the down jacket smothering her. She unzipped it and let it fall to the rock she was standing on, trying to breathe. The chilly wind felt good on her exposed flesh—it made her nipples into tight little points and teased between her spread thighs, sliding between her swollen pussy lips to kiss her aching clit.

“Sadie . . .” Mathis took a step forward, his eyes filled with a feral need she could feel building inside herself as well. “You’re so hot and wet . . . I could feel it against my back when you rode me.”

“I can’t help it.” Her voice came out in a breathless whisper. “Your back . . . you were rubbing . . . rubbing me . . .”

“Here?” He took another step forward and thrust his hand between her legs.

Thanks to the rock she was still standing on, they were almost eye-to-eye so he didn’t have to reach far to get to her. The minute his hot, hard palm connected with her sensitive clit, Sadie came, the orgasm hitting her hard and fast the same way it had the first time he’d ever touched her.

She gasped, ripples of pleasure running through her like shockwaves. She had to grab his broad, bare shoulders to keep from falling as her knees suddenly went weak and wobbly. “Mathis,” she moaned. “Oh God, please.”

His mouth found hers and then he was sliding inside her, two long, strong fingers slipping deep into her hungry pussy as he took her mouth in a hard, demanding kiss.

Sadie moaned helplessly as he thrust inside her, scratching at his shoulders as she spread her legs wider, wanting more of him, helpless to resist what he was offering.

But just as she felt close to coming again, Mathis withdrew.

“Can’t,” he growled, his deep voice filled with a mixture of shame and desire. “We can’t do this. I made a promise and I’m gonna break it if we go on like this.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” Sadie murmured. “I . . . I didn’t mean to.”

“I didn’t either.” He took a step back and breathed deeply, as though trying hard to control himself and clear his head.

“Maybe . . . maybe we should go back to the cabin,” Sadie offered in a shaky voice.

She tried to get down from the rock but the aftermath of the intense pleasure made her clumsy. She slipped and would have fallen if Mathis hadn’t caught her. Somehow she found herself half naked in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist.

The thin T-shirt she was wearing was rucked up above her waist and she could feel her pussy, wet and hot and open, pressing hard against the warm bare skin of his muscular abdomen.

Mathis’s eyes went wide, then narrowed, and a growl of need rose in his throat.

“God, sweetheart, so wet,” he groaned and then he was kissing her again, kissing her with the passion and need of a man who hadn’t allowed himself to come near a woman in over ten years.

Sadie could feel the weight of that built-up need inside him but there was something else as well—a wild edge that must be coming from the animal side of him.

His rut, she thought deliriously as he explored her mouth, sucking her tongue and lapping hungrily as the delicious kiss continued. He said his rut made him crazy—made him want me. Need me.

She needed him too—just as badly.

Mathis pressed her back against the rock—it would have scraped her raw if the down jacket hadn’t been in the way, covering the rough surface. Somehow their positions changed and Sadie slipped down his big body until she felt the hot, hard length of his cock nudging the wet, slippery folds of her open pussy. The broad head of his shaft rubbed over her swollen clit enticingly and Sadie couldn’t help herself, she thrust her hips up, trying to get more of the delicious sensation, rubbing her open folds wantonly against the hard club of his sex. Her pussy honey coated his shaft, slippery and warm.

Getting him ready, she thought deliriously. Ready to take me . . . ready to fuck me.

Oh God, were they really going to do this? Was he going to take her here, in the open, under the nearly full moon?

For a moment it seemed he was and Sadie wouldn’t have tried to stop him. Her own need had grown—the same desire she’d felt the night before when she kissed him was back tenfold, making her hot, making her want him. She felt empty inside—she wanted to be filled. Fucked. Bred.

But then Mathis was pulling back again, breathing hard, like a man who had just finished a marathon.

“We can’t.” His voice was low and rough. “I can’t.”

“I’m sorry.”

Sadie sat up, still aching with need but she tried to shove it aside. What was wrong with her anyway? The old Sadie would never have acted this way—so wanton and hot and impulsive. She’d never even had sex anywhere outside the bedroom—even in college her ex had been a prude about such things. He preferred missionary position with the lights off and since he was the only man she’d ever been with, that was pretty much the limit of Sadie’s sexual repertoire.

“I’m sorry,” she told Mathis again. “I . . . I don’t usually act like this. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “If I had to guess I’d say it’s a combination of my rut and your Juvie hormones. God, if only you didn’t smell so damn good.”

“I don’t smell anything at all. Well, other than you. You smell amazing.” His warm, spicy, masculine scent seemed to fill her nose, making her want him even more but somehow Sadie resisted.

Mathis frowned. “This is bad. You’d better not go into town tomorrow.”

“What?” Sadie frowned. “Why not? I have work to do.”

“You can’t go—not smelling like this. Your scent is ten times stronger than it was before.” He inhaled and a low growl rose in his throat. “Makes you too damn hard to resist.”

“But I can’t just stay at home until this . . . Rejuvenation phase or whatever it is passes,” Sadie protested. “Besides, I can’t stay in my home at all—not with the roof the way it is.”

“I’ll deal with the roof in the morning.” Mathis frowned protectively. “I just don’t want you going anywhere near other males smelling so hot. Most of the males in Cougarville are Betas—there’s no way they’d be able to control themselves.”

“But—”

He shook his head. “You thought the scene in the Piggly Wiggly today was ugly? That would be nothing compared to what might happen if you risk letting that scent out in the open now. It’s too damn hot, sweetheart.”

Sadie started to protest again but then she had an idea. Thinking of the incident in the grocery store reminded her of something the Piggly Wiggly manager had said.

“What about covering my scent?” she asked Mathis as he helped her down off the rock. Even touching his hand made her want him but she repressed the desire ruthlessly.

“What?” His eyes narrowed. “Where did you hear that?”

“It was what the manager of the grocery store said to me when he kicked me out. He said once I found a male to cover my scent I could come back but I wasn’t welcome until then. So . . . could we try that?”

Mathis sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I don’t know. Look—it’s freezing out here. Let’s go inside and we’ll talk about it.”

“Okay.” Sadie wished she could reach for his hand but any contact at all didn’t feel quite safe. She contented herself with walking beside him, but the moon had gone behind some clouds and she tripped, stumbling on the uneven ground.

Without a word, Mathis swung her into his arms and held her close as he carried her into his cabin.

Thirteen

Mathis didn’t want to put her down, even once they’d gotten indoors. But it was too damn dangerous to keep holding her like that, especially when he didn’t have any clothes on. He had no idea what had happened to his pajama bottoms—they were probably lost in the forest somewhere, not that he cared.

He put her down and went back to the bedroom to get a new pair—black this time. He wondered as he did if she had any idea of what she was suggesting. Covering her scent wouldn’t be easy—especially since it had increased so dramatically after their ride.

Mathis supposed he should have expected that—allowing a female to meet your animal side was usually something a Shifter only did with his chosen mate. But he’d needed to prove to Sadie he was telling the truth and it had seemed like the fastest and simplest way. Also Shifting usually helped his rut—but this time it had made the rut worse—much worse. He sighed. Maybe it was just her scent making him crazy—anything was possible with a Juvie. They were so rare that no one person seemed to know everything about them and how they affected other Shifters—well, except maybe Fiona.

Usually after a Shift he felt tired and achy—it was, as he had told Sadie, excruciatingly painful to allow his Buck to take over. But this time was different—he’d barely felt the pain as he changed for her. And the feeling of her soft, supple form pressed against him, her light weight on his back and her arms around his neck as he galloped up and down the clearing that was his private territory had energized him.

God, he wanted her!

Can’t have her, though, he lectured himself. I already had my shot—can’t form another life-bond, not even if I wanted to.

However, he had placed her under his protection. Given that, he either had to keep her here or make sure she was safe when she went to town. Great.

Mathis scrubbed a hand over his face.

This wasn’t going to be easy.

Sadie curled on the big leather couch in front of the fireplace, basking in the heat. She had taken off the galoshes Mathis had loaned her—how she’d managed to keep them on when he was galloping all over the place with her on his back was more than she could figure—and now she was down to the soft white cotton T-shirt he’d loaned her.

She was well aware that the thin material was nearly see-through—the soft glow of the firelight showed the pink points of her nipples under the white cotton and the fact that she wasn’t wearing panties was also apparent. Sadie didn’t care. She knew she ought to want to be modest and hide her body but if she was honest with herself, she’d been enjoying the feeling of Mathis’s eyes on her from the moment she’d put on the revealing item of clothing.

Maybe it was her younger, firmer body or maybe it was the new Sadie coming out but for whatever reason, she was feeling daring tonight.

I want him, she admitted to herself. She no longer cared about the age difference or the strange things she’d learned that night. The memory of his hot, insistent kisses and the feeling of his hard shaft rubbing against her . . . rubbing into her made her whole body light up with need.

But she couldn’t have him—couldn’t ask him to break the promise he’d made to himself—a promise he obviously took very seriously. Just keep your feelings to yourself, Sadie, she told herself sternly. And try to stay out of trouble.

Hopefully Mathis could help her with that—maybe he could tell her how to cover her scent so other Shifter males wouldn’t go after her. She didn’t need repeats of the coffee shop and the Piggly Wiggly every time she happened to stand too close to some horny Beta.

Listen to me—already using the terminology. Sadie was amused at herself and surprised at how easily her mind was accepting everything she’d learned that night. But maybe part of her had always known she was somehow different. Maybe down deep she’d always had a sneaking suspicion that—

“Hi.” Mathis’s deep voice broke her train of thought and Sadie looked up to see him standing in the living room entryway, looking at her.

“Hi.” She sat up and smiled. “Are we going to talk? About, you know, covering my scent? Because I really do need to get to work tomorrow.”

“We can talk about it.” He sighed and came to sit beside her. “But it’s not as easy as you seem to think.”

“I don’t know anything about it,” Sadie admitted, turning to face him. “I just thought it might be a way for me to walk around town without inciting a riot.”

“It could be.” He nodded thoughtfully. “But you should know what’s involved before you ask me to do it to you.”

Sadie bit her lip. “So . . . it’s something you have to do to me?”

He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Hell yes, sweetheart. I can’t just wave a magic wand and make all that incredible Juvie scent go away.”

“Well then . . . how?” Sadie shook her head. “Do you, uh, have to rub against me or what?” She could feel her cheeks get hot as she asked but she kept her chin up, determined to find a solution to her problem. “I mean, because we already, um, did that—at least some,” she added.

Mathis rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yeah, but we’d have to do a hell of a lot more than that to cover that sweet scent of yours. Let me try to explain—Shifters have scent glands, just like their animals, that they use to mark their territory. Your problem is that right now you don’t have any male’s scent on you, marking you. That makes you smell like fair game to any random male that’s out there.”

“I figured it was something like that,” Sadie said dryly. “So what do you need to do to cover me with your scent? Rub your cheek against my skin, like a cat or something?”

He barked a short laugh.

“Let’s get one thing straight—I am not a Cat. And second, you have to understand where that incredible scent of yours is coming from.” He nodded at the hem of the white T-shirt, which had shifted up to show most of her thighs. “It’s coming from your pussy, Sadie,” he rumbled, his eyes half lidded in the firelight. “That sweet, hot scent that says you need a male inside you, that you need to be bred, is coming straight from between your legs.”

“Oh.” Sadie pressed her thighs together, feeling a surge of desire and embarrassment at the same time. “I didn’t know,” she said in a small voice. “I mean, I guess I should have realized but . . .”

“It’s okay.” Mathis stroked her thigh lightly, making her shiver. “I know you didn’t know. Anyway, male Shifters have scent glands as I said—two sets. Around the groin area . . .” He nodded at his lap where, Sadie could see, he was hard again. “And around the mouth.”

“You do?” She looked at him uncertainly.

Mathis nodded. “Uh-huh. In order to cover your scent with mine, I need to rub against you with one of those two areas.”

“But . . .” Sadie cleared her throat. “Outside, didn’t you already . . .”

“Not nearly enough,” he growled, frowning. “And I don’t think that’s the way to go this time. I came . . .” He cleared his throat. “Came damn close to taking you out there, Sadie—bonding you to me. Or trying to, anyway. I don’t trust myself to rub against you that way again. Not with my rut coming on so strong.”

“I understand,” Sadie said faintly. “So then, I guess that’s it—I’ll just have to try to find a way to work from home or—”

“There is another way.” His eyes were drowning deep in the firelight. “I told you we have scent glands around our mouths too.”

“So you want to . . .” Sadie bit her lip, too embarrassed to continue.

“Want to taste you?” Mathis finished for her, his voice a soft growl. “Want to rub my mouth against you and spread your sweet pussy to get my scent deep inside you? Hell yes, sweetheart.”

“Um . . .” Sadie looked down at her hands. This was another thing her ex had been unwilling to do. Really, his sex game had been embarrassingly lacking. It left Sadie feeling completely unprepared for, well, almost anything. But especially this. “What about . . . your promise to yourself?” she asked at last. “I mean, I don’t want to make you feel guilty.”

“I promised myself not to take another mate,” he said, speaking slowly, as though he was thinking it out himself. “But I also asked you into my home and made myself responsible for protecting you. Which means making sure you’re safe here . . . or when you go into town. Marking you isn’t mating you but it should keep you safe.” He stroked her cheek gently with his fingertips. “That’s important to me, Sadie. Damn important.”

“So . . . protecting me? That’s the only reason you want to . . . to do this?” she asked, frowning.

“No. Hell no.” She could see the heat reflected in his eyes when he met hers, holding her gaze. “Sadie,” he said in a low voice. “I want to taste you . . . want to put my tongue deep in your sweet little pussy and feel you coming all over my face. I have to be honest—I’ve wanted that from the first minute I saw you.”

“And that’s . . .” She took a deep breath, feeling her heart pound. “That’s the only way to, uh, cover my scent?”

Slowly, he nodded. “The only safe way, anyway. Do you want me to do it?”

Did she? Sadie felt as though her heart was pounding in every part of her body at once. Once more the need in her was growing—the feeling that she was empty inside—that she needed to be filled. Bred. Mathis wouldn’t do that tonight—he’d promised he wouldn’t. But this would be close enough.

“Yes,” she whispered. “If . . . if you really want to.”

“I do.” He was already on his knees before her. His voice was hoarse with longing. “So much, Sadie.”

“All right.” She still felt embarrassed and shy, especially since she’d never done this before, but the need inside her kept growing, kept urging her to do more and dare more. The new Sadie wanted this and she wasn’t about to say no. Biting her lip, Sadie allowed him to spread her thighs.

At first Mathis just stared at her.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured, examining her by the firelight. “Such a soft, sweet little pussy. And already so wet.”

Sadie shifted on the couch, feeling an embarrassed sort of pleasure.

“I . . . I can’t help it,” she whispered. “When you’re near me I feel . . .”

“I feel it too.” He looked up at her. “And I don’t want you to help it. I love how wet you are, sweetheart. It’s fucking gorgeous. And your scent . . .” He leaned forward and pressed his mouth and nose to her pussy mound, inhaling deeply before he pulled back, his eyes filled with need. “God, I could breathe you in all night.”

Sadie wiggled again. “Just so you know, I’ve never, uh . . . I mean my ex never wanted to . . .”

“Never wanted to taste you?” Mathis looked up from between her thighs, an expression of disbelief on his face. “What kind of an idiot was he, anyway?”

Sadie laughed breathlessly.

“The kind I don’t want to talk about right now. I just wanted you to know this is kind of . . . kind of new to me.”

“Then I’ll be gentle . . . and we’ll take things slow.” He looked at her seriously. “Just so you know, I won’t just be rubbing against you—I’ll be using my tongue and fingers to get my scent all over you . . . and deep inside you too.”

Sadie remembered the feeling of his long, strong fingers thrusting into her and shivered.

“Yes,” she whispered. “All right. I . . . I don’t mind. In fact . . . I want you to.”

“Good.” His eyes were hungry in the firelight. “Because I’m going to do a very, very thorough job, Sadie.”

“I understa—” she began but the word ended in a moan when Mathis leaned down and licked a long, slow trail from the bottom of her well up to the very top of her mound.

Sadie’s hips bucked when she felt his hot tongue drag over her sensitive clit. God, that felt amazing. She was glad she’d shaved recently—there was only a little tuft of curls at the top of her mound—which made her extra sensitive to the sensation of his hot, wet tongue against her.

“God, sweetheart, you taste as good as you smell,” Mathis groaned, kneading her inner thighs with his big, warm hands. “I could come just from fucking tasting you.”

Then he dived back in, lapping in long, slow strokes until Sadie felt she was going to go crazy. Especially since after that first teasing lick, he was mostly lapping along the outside of her sex. He paid extra attention to the places where her thighs met her body—that tender crease that was just on the edge of being too ticklish. Sadie jumped and gasped when he licked her there. Mathis also seemed to enjoy sucking the outer lips of her sex gently into his hot mouth and then slowly letting them go as he nuzzled against her. The indirect stimulation made her clit throb and she could feel herself getting wetter and wetter, her honey leaking from between her legs to coat her thighs and Mathis’s mouth.

Every once in a while when he licked right along her slit she could feel his hot tongue where she needed him most—just barely skimming over the swollen button at her center—but it wasn’t nearly often enough to take her where she needed to go.

She didn’t know if he was doing it on purpose to drive her crazy or just trying to spread his scent to her outer areas first but Sadie thought she might lose it if he didn’t lick her deeper soon. She was aching for him—so hot and sensitive she felt like she could come from just a touch—if she was touched in the right place, that was.

“Mathis!” she moaned, writhing restlessly on the couch. “God, please! You’re driving me crazy.”

He looked up at her, his mouth wet and shiny with her juices. “You ready for me to go in now, sweetheart? Ready to let me open you wide and spread my scent deep inside you?”

“Yes!” Sadie begged shamelessly. “God, yes, please.”

He gave her a hungry smile. “All right. I was tryin’ to go slow but if you want to speed things up . . .”

“Yes!” To her own surprise, Sadie got bold. Grabbing a handful of his thick, black hair, she urged him forward.

Mathis’s eyes widened and then went half lidded with need again.

“That’s right, sweetheart—guide me. Show me where you need me,” he rumbled.

“Here.” Sadie guided him down and pressed her sex up to meet his hot mouth. “Right here, please.”

With a low growl, Mathis spread her pussy with his thumbs and began to lick and suck in earnest, lapping away her juices eagerly and circling her clit with his tongue until Sadie thought she might die from pleasure.

She’d never felt anything like this before and it was so good she couldn’t believe she’d lived half her life before experiencing it. She leaned back against the leather couch cushions, gripping handfuls of his thick black hair and pressing her hips shamelessly up to meet his mouth. Low, broken sounds were coming from her throat and she couldn’t stop them—didn’t want to stop them. All she wanted to do was keep feeling this pleasure forever.

Mathis made low, rumbling sounds in his throat as he ate her. The sounds of a male in rut marking the female he wants, Sadie thought deliriously. And it’s me—he wants me. There was no denying she wanted him too—wanted him badly. Her whole body ached for his, her back arching up to meet him, her pussy opening like a flower as he bathed her slippery sex with long, hot laps of his tongue.

Grasping his hair, Sadie rubbed against him, guiding him, using him the way she needed to in order to reach the peak. Judging from his reaction, the big Shifter seemed to love it. He growled softly and allowed himself to be used, holding his tongue flat against her spread pussy to allow Sadie to rub against him just the way she needed. Before she knew it, Sadie had her thighs locked around his head and was thrusting her hips in time to her own private rhythm as she rode his tongue in the exact way she needed to.

Suddenly the sound of his pleasure and the heat of his tongue bathing her sensitive clit were too much. Sadie felt herself climbing the peak for the second time that night. Unable to stop herself, she grabbed Mathis’s head in both hands and urged him forward, directing him to that one perfect spot.

“Please!” she begged. “Right there—right there.”

The big Shifter responded by taking back the control he had ceded to her. Wrapping his muscular arms around her thighs, he parted them, spreading her wide to make her open and vulnerable to his seeking tongue. Sadie moaned his name, her hands still buried in his hair as he lapped at her open pussy. There was no more directing him now—he knew exactly what she needed and he was clearly intent on giving it to her. With another low, ruthless growl, he latched on to her pussy and sucked her swollen clit into his mouth, lashing it ruthlessly with his tongue.

Finally her orgasm hit with the shattering force of a tidal wave rushing over her. Sadie cried out, her entire body trembling and shaking, stars and explosions of white light flashing before her eyes.

She cried out his name, bucking helplessly against his mouth. “Right there—please, don’t stop. Please.”

The big Shifter didn’t stop. He continued to lap and suck, teasing and tormenting her throbbing button until Sadie was half out of her mind with pleasure. At the same time, he pressed two fingers inside her pussy, as he had done earlier. As he thrust deep inside her and teased her swollen clit with the tip of his tongue, Sadie felt herself coming for a third time. She couldn’t help it—nor did she want to. It just felt too good, too right.

Perfect, she couldn’t help thinking as her back arched and her body shook. This is perfect—we’re perfect together.

Which was completely irrational but at that moment, she didn’t care. All Sadie knew was that it felt right to be with the big Shifter this way—so right that she never wanted it to end.

Mathis lost track of how many times she came. Her sweet scent overwhelmed him and he let it—welcomed it. The taste of her pussy—wet and hot and spread just for him . . . the feeling of her small, strong hands buried in his hair, tugging him forward, urging him onward, and the sound of her moans as she cried his name all blended together making him need her so badly he could barely think straight.

Claim her, his Buck was urging him. Claim her—make her yours.

No—his promise. He’d made himself a promise and he couldn’t break it.

But it wasn’t just the promise that held him back. His kind of Shifter mated for life and if an Irish Elk lost his mate, he was unable to take another. He wouldn’t be able to form a proper life-bond with Sadie. And if he tried to tie her to him and was unsuccessful, the failed attempt at bonding might turn her into one of the Unformed—a fate considered worse than death by many of his own kind. If he cared for her at all, he couldn’t take that risk.

He clung tightly to that knowledge—it and his Alpha strength were all that kept him from replacing his tongue with his cock and breeding the little Juvie long and hard and deep, which was clearly what she desperately needed.

The pressure built and built until he might have given in to his animal urges except that somewhere around Sadie’s third or fourth orgasm, Mathis came too. The sound of her moaning his name was what did it—that and the sweet, salty taste of her sex as her clit throbbed against his tongue. It was all too much and he felt himself release—an explosive easing of the building tension that left him both relieved and somehow still unsatisfied. Mathis knew why—it wasn’t the way he wanted to come, which was buried inside her to the hilt and making her his. Still, it eased the relentless pressure. Afterward, he began to feel more in control of himself, less worried that he might snap and breed her after all, giving in to the endless demands of the rut.

At last, when Sadie stopped pulling him forward and started to shy away from even the gentlest touch of his tongue, he knew she’d had enough. Pulling back, he looked up at her, studying her face in the firelight.

Her brown eyes were huge and starry and her long, silky hair was wild around her face. Her cheeks were flushed and she shifted on the couch and made a soft little sound of contentment as though she’d finally gotten what she needed.

“Oh, Mathis . . .” she whispered, her voice slightly hoarse from all the begging and crying she’d been doing. “That was . . . I’ve never felt anything like that before. Ever.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” His own voice was hoarse too, the animal side of him bleeding through because his Buck wanted her so badly. “I liked it too—fucking loved it. Thank you for letting me taste you, sweetheart.”

“You’re thanking me?” She gave an incredulous little laugh. “After all that? God, it was incredible.”

“You’re incredible,” Mathis murmured, really meaning it. He hadn’t known Sadie Becker long but that didn’t matter—a part of him seemed to have known her forever. In that moment he felt connected to her in a way he never had to any other woman.

Except Kathleen, whispered a little voice in his brain. Mathis shifted uneasily. Well, yes, except to his mate. The only mate he had ever been able to bond. And it was time to remember that and go get himself cleaned up and ready for bed.

“I’d better let you get some sleep,” he told Sadie, standing reluctantly, though he would have happily spent the rest of the night between her thighs. “You can have the bed—I’ll take the couch.”

“Wait . . .” He’d been turning to go get some sheets and pillows for the couch but she stopped him with one small, soft hand on his arm.

“Yeah?” Mathis turned back to look at her once more and saw a vast ocean of longing in her dark brown eyes.

“Please, can’t we . . . couldn’t we sleep together?” she asked pleadingly. “We don’t have to do anything, you know, sexual. But I’d really like to be close to you tonight.” She bit her lip and looked away. “God, that sounds needy. It didn’t sound that bad in my head.”

“It’s not needy, or if it is, it’s all right.” Mathis sighed. “I’d like to sleep with you in my arms, too. And, well . . .” He frowned, thinking about it. “It would help with your scent. I mean, having that much contact with me would cover it even more.”

“It would? Then we should do it—shouldn’t we?” Her eyes were bright with longing and he couldn’t deny her any longer.

“Yes, we fucking should,” he growled. Leaning down, he swooped her up off the couch.

“Mathis!” she gasped, tensing. Then she seemed to relax. Putting her arms around his neck, she pressed her face to his throat with perfect trust. God, she felt so right in his arms—so perfect, like she belonged there. “Mathis,” she whispered again and hummed contentedly, snuggling against him.

At her soft voice and the sweet feel of her curvy body against his, an emotion rose inside him—something so huge it threatened to drown him if he named it.

Mathis didn’t name it. Instead he held her close and just tried to let things be.

They might not have sex tonight—or any night, he told himself—but he could at least hold her in his arms. For the first time in ten long, lonely years he would have a female to warm his bed and not just any female—Sadie. Sadie, who he was beginning to care about much more than he should.

Mathis pushed the thought away. No more guilt tonight—he could save the self-recriminations for tomorrow. For now he just wanted to breathe her in, to fall asleep wrapped around her and know she’d be there when he woke in the morning.

I just want to hold her, he told himself. Is that so wrong?

And though a part of him insisted it was, he did his best to ignore it as he carried Sadie into his bedroom.

Fourteen

Sadie woke and stretched luxuriously, a feeling of well-being suffusing her entire body. She’d had the most amazing dream. All about Mathis turning into a huge prehistoric deer and giving her a ride . . . galloping through the forest on his back and then coming home and letting him taste her . . . his broad shoulders splitting her thighs wide, his mouth wet and shiny with her juices in the firelight as he licked and sucked and made her come over and over and over again . . .

The snarl of a chainsaw cut off the pleasant memory of her strange dream and she opened her eyes to see she was in an unfamiliar bed. A huge bed with a forest-green spread—almost the exact same color as Mathis’s eyes.

Sadie’s own eyes flew wide. It was Mathis’s bed she was in—she’d spent the night in his cabin! No, not just in his cabin—wrapped in his arms, his big body entangled with hers and his warm scent filling her nose. She could still smell that masculine spice but Mathis himself was gone.

“Oh my God,” she murmured, sitting up and letting the sheet pool around her waist. The reality of the night before came crashing down on her.

Her nipples were hard little pebbles in the chilly morning air and no wonder—she wasn’t even wearing the oversized T-shirt she’d had on the night before. Biting her lip, Sadie remembered that she and Mathis had decided it was best if she took it off, for maximum skin contact, so his scent could cover hers even more. She’d spent the night not only in his bed, but naked in his arms and she’d enjoyed every bit of it. Even though they hadn’t actually had sex, it had been delicious to feel his big hands exploring every inch of her body as she pressed shamelessly against him and he kissed her until she couldn’t breathe.

That part, at least, hadn’t been a dream—Sadie remembered it too vividly and her mouth still felt tender from his rough, delicious kisses. Even after licking her to orgasm after orgasm on the couch, he’d still used his fingers to make her come several more times once they reached the bed. But though she’d begged, he wouldn’t let her return the favor.

“It’s enough for me just to touch you and taste you, sweetheart,” he’d said. “If I let you touch me, I might get carried away. So just lie back and let me make you feel good.”

God, what a night! Sadie shivered with the delicious memory and looked around, wondering where Mathis had gone. Her huge neighbor was nowhere in sight but at the foot of the bed was a pile of neatly folded clothes she recognized as her own.

Sadie hopped up, thinking again how nice it was not to have any of the morning aches and pains she’d been subject to before her Rejuvenation began, and pulled on her panties and bra. She still felt a little sensitive between her thighs and her tailbone was sore but that was to be expected after all the riding she’d done last night . . .

She frowned. Wait—did that mean the other things she remembered were also not a dream? Had Mathis really turned into a huge Buck and taken her for a ride through the forest before bringing her back to his cabin and going down on her for hours? But that defied everything she knew to be real. Was she going crazy? Or had she been dreaming? Or was the world far more magical than she’d ever known?

There was only one way to find out.

Pulling on the rest of her clothes, Sadie went in search of her neighbor slash Shifter slash lover . . . well, sort of anyway.

She found him outside on the roof of her cabin wielding a perfectly enormous chainsaw. He was shirtless, his broad chest already lightly beaded with sweat despite the chilly morning air, as he sawed at the massive branch that had come down on her roof during the storm the night before.

Sadie waved at him and he stopped work and took off the protective goggles he’d been wearing.

“Hang on, sweetheart—I’ll be right down.” His deep voice echoed in the quiet forest and he came down the ladder he’d put against the side of her cabin. “Morning,” he said, putting down the chainsaw and wiping sweat off his forehead. “You get a good night’s sleep?”

“I had a wonderful night. Er . . . a wonderful night’s sleep, I mean. ” Sadie felt a little shy. He was so big and half naked and muscular in the golden autumn sunshine it was hard to believe everything she remembered from the night before had really happened. Now that she saw him standing there in front of her, it seemed like it must have been just a really vivid dream after all.

“Glad you’re well rested,” Mathis remarked, nodding. “Listen, your roof’s not as bad as we thought. The widow-maker made a hole all right, but then it mostly plugged it up. You don’t have much more than a puddle on the floor of your living room, and I’m pretty sure I can patch up the roof in a day or two with no problem.”

This was all wonderful news, of course, but Sadie was so distracted she couldn’t concentrate on it.

“That’s great,” she said faintly. “Thank you so much, Mathis.”

“Welcome.” He smiled. “Oh, and your car’s out of the ditch too. I towed it out with my truck, first thing.”

“Thank you,” Sadie said again. “You’re so thoughtful.”

“I try.” He grinned. “Well look, I’d better get back to it. The sooner I finish up—”

“Do you really turn into a giant deer during the full moon?” Sadie blurted out before she could stop herself. “And did you give me a ride last night or was that all a crazy dream? And did we really . . .” But she couldn’t make herself go on—her heart was pounding and her face felt so hot she was sure she was in danger of setting her hair on fire.

Mathis looked at her intently, the smile leaving his face.

“It’s all true,” he murmured. “Every bit of it, Sadie. I showed you my Buck last night and afterwards we did . . .” He sighed. “Things we probably shouldn’t have done.”

“But we had to, right? To . . . to cover my scent, I mean?” she asked uncertainly.

He nodded. “Yeah, but we can’t do it again. I . . .” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I can’t trust myself with you, sweetheart. Even just standing here talking to you I want you so much I can hardly keep my hands off you.”

“I . . . I want you too,” Sadie whispered, looking up at him longingly. “But I can see why you don’t want us to, um, act on those feelings.”

He sighed. “I do want to act on them—that’s the problem. Try to understand, Sadie—it’s not just the promise I made. My kind mates for life. If something happens, we can’t take another mate. We can’t form a second life-bond—if I tried and failed, I’d be damning you to a terrible fate. I don’t want that for you.”

“A life-bond?” Sadie frowned. “What does that even mean?”

“It’s the connection a Shifter has to his mate,” Mathis explained. “Makes them sensitive to each other’s emotions and needs—draws them closer together. Helps them track each other. It’s one reason you don’t see much divorce in the Shifter community. Bonded mates stay together.”

“And mates who aren’t bonded?” Sadie asked.

“There aren’t any. I mean, you might see a few couples who look like they’re just shacking up since they aren’t married but don’t let that fool you—they’re bonded or they wouldn’t be living together. Shifters can do one-night stands on occasion but once they find the right person, they form a life-bond and stick with them.”

“So what would happen if you tried to bond me to you and couldn’t?” Sadie persisted. “You said it was a terrible fate—what does that mean?”

His eyes darkened. “If we had a failed life-bond on the night of your first Shift? It could be bad—you might become one of the Unformed.”

“The what?” Sadie frowned.

“It’s a thing that happens to Juvie females if they don’t bond properly,” Mathis said darkly. “I don’t know all the details but it’s not good. Fiona can fill you in more than I can.”

“All right, I think I understand,” Sadie said. “We can’t be together because you’re afraid we couldn’t form this connection, this . . . life-bond, and that might cause problems down the road.”

“Big problems,” Mathis growled. “Look, sweetheart . . .” He gazed at her earnestly. “I just don’t want to hurt you.”

You already have, Sadie wanted to say, but she kept the words inside. “I guess I should go then.” Standing on tiptoes, she put her hands lightly on his broad shoulders and reached up to kiss him on the cheek.

Mathis caught her by the shoulders and looked at her, an expression of raw hunger and regret clear on his strong features. For a moment Sadie thought he was going to kiss her and not just on the cheek, but then he shook his head and let her go.

“You should talk to Fiona,” he said, his voice a low, frustrated growl. “She’ll be able to tell you what to do next. I wish I could give you more information but Juvie females are rare and she’s the only one in town who might have any idea.”

“Okay.” Feeling dismissed, Sadie nodded and started to go. But she couldn’t help herself—she felt compelled to say one more thing. “Mathis,” she said softly, looking into his forest green eyes. “I just want you to know, you gave me more pleasure and excitement and just pure joy than I’ve had in what feels like years last night. I understand it was just a one night thing but, well, thank you. It was amazing. All of it.”

Then she turned away, before he could see her tears.

Amazing and exciting and over all too soon. Over for good.

Mathis watched her head for her car, his shoulders hunched in frustration. Damn it, how had he allowed the little Juvie to get under his skin so quickly?

It was just one night, he told himself firmly. And I didn’t even claim her. My vow is unbroken. And she’ll be able to find another male—one who can form a proper life-bond with her to keep her safe and secure.

But somehow his honor didn’t seem quite as important to him as it had before. And the thought of another male touching her—or even getting near her—made a low possessive growl rise in his throat.

As he watched Sadie get in her car and drive away, the memory of her soft body against his and her sweet mouth against his own were the only things on Mathis’s mind.

Forget it, he told himself angrily. And forget her—if you really care about her, Mathis, that’s what you’ll do. You can’t form a second life-bond and you know it and you don’t want to risk her becoming one of the Unformed. So just get back to work and put this whole mess behind you.

But as he hefted the chainsaw and climbed back on the ladder, all he could see was Sadie’s big brown eyes. Her sweet scent, now laced with his own, still lingered in the air, making him want her as he had never wanted any other female in his life.

Fifteen

Sadie blinked back tears as she drove the winding road that led to Cougarville. It had been too good to be true—too sweet to last.

“Should have known it,” she muttered to herself as she twisted the wheel of her Civic. Thanks to her brand-new tires, the shabby little car hugged the road nicely. Thinking of the tires reminded her that she needed to find a way to pay for them—there was no way she was accepting such an expensive gift, especially now that she knew the true story of what was going on in Cougarville.

Had Liam Keller been trying to lay some kind of claim on her by giving her such a pricey present? Sadie wouldn’t have been surprised it was so, but it wasn’t going to work. There was only one Shifter she was interested in—unfortunately she couldn’t have him.

What’s the big deal about this life-bond thing anyway? She twisted the wheel angrily as she took another bend in the curving mountain road. So what if we can’t feel each other’s emotions? I never felt Jeff’s emotions when we were married.

Right, and look how well that relationship worked out, whispered a little voice in her head.

Yes, but that had been different. Her ex had been an asshole right from the start, as Samantha was so fond of pointing out. Mathis wasn’t like that. Under his gruff exterior was a sweet, sensitive guy who was amazing in bed. Not to mention the fact that he turned into a huge, gorgeous prehistoric deer and took her on magical moonlit rides through the forest. Yes, he was ten years younger than her but that no longer mattered to Sadie—she just knew she wanted him and she couldn’t have him.

Sammie would like him, she thought sadly. A lot more than she ever liked Jeff. Wish I could introduce them, but there’s no point—unless I introduce him as my neighbor since that’s all he can ever be from now on.

Thinking of her twin sister suddenly gave Sadie a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She’d had all kinds of ups and downs and craziness to contend with yesterday—why hadn’t Samantha called her?

“Maybe because you left your phone in your purse and your purse in the car last night, genius,” she muttered to herself. Digging through her purse—which was still in the passenger-side seat—with one hand, she finally located her cell phone.

Of course she couldn’t look at the phone while she was driving. On the high winding mountain road to Cougarville, that would have been suicide. But Samantha was one of the few people she knew who still preferred phone messages to texting. So she pressed the button and said, “Play messages,” before putting the phone on speaker.

There were several messages from her kids—still getting settled in college and wanting to check in with their mom—then one from Jeff complaining that she hadn’t given him enough notice before moving out of town and there was still some paperwork to do. Sadie fast-forwarded that one. Finally she got to a message from her twin.

“Sadie, what’s going on with you? Why aren’t you answering your phone?” Samantha sounded worried. “I’ve been having a bad feeling you’re in trouble all afternoon but I was stuck in surgery—I need to hear from you now.”

Her twin had left several more similar messages but the last one was different.

“All right—that’s it,” Samantha’s brisk voice sounded tight and strained. “Something is going on with you and you’re not picking up so you leave me no choice—I’m at the airport. I was scheduled to speak at a surgical seminar in Las Vegas but I’m canceling my flight and coming to see you instead, Sadie. Expect me sometime tomorrow and you damn well better be all right!”

“Sammie!” Sadie exclaimed, grinning.

The thought of seeing her sister brightened her day immediately. She could talk everything out with her twin and explain all the weird stuff that had been going on with her lately. Also, she could warn Samantha that the same thing might be about to happen to her. She still wasn’t clear on the whole Rejuvenation process but it stood to reason that Samantha would also have the Shifter Gene and might start going through the process herself any day now.

She tried to call her sister back but there was no answer. Well, maybe she’d gotten a later flight and was still in the air. Or it could just be the reception—being surrounded by mountains played merry hell with getting any kind of reliable signal.

Whatever—she was sure her twin would call as soon as she could and then Sadie could direct her to her office in Cougarville. Before she knew it, they’d be catching up. And damn, was there a lot to catch Samantha up on.

Sadie just hoped her sister would believe her and not think she’d suddenly gone crazy.

Mathis spent all morning and most of the early afternoon taking his frustrations out on the huge tree limb that had fallen across Sadie’s roof. By the time he had it sawed up and stacked in neat chunks out by the woodpile, it was nearly lunchtime and he was starving and sweaty and still pissed off.

Damn it—why couldn’t he get Sadie out of his mind even for a minute? The scent of her hair, the taste of her lips (and other things), the soft press of her breasts against his chest—they all tormented him ceaselessly no matter what he did. It was ridiculous to keep thinking of her since he could never have her and yet the image of her beautiful face wouldn’t leave his mind’s eye.

Stop it, Mathis—just stop it! She’s not for you so give her up.

If only he could.

He hefted the huge chainsaw and was headed back to his own cabin when a black SUV with a rental sticker pulled up into Sadie’s rutted dirt driveway. Mathis stopped, waiting to see who it was.

After a moment, a short curvy female with honey-blond hair stepped down from the cab of the SUV. She was extremely attractive with deep blue eyes and a self-assured air about her. Mathis thought she looked to be in her late thirties or early forties, if he was any judge of age. She had on a tailored gray pantsuit and heels that were completely unsuited to the woods.

“Hello,” he said, stepping out from the shadow of the trees. “You need something?”

The blonde’s big blue eyes widened as he took him in and he suddenly understood that he must look a sight—stripped to the waist, covered in sweat, and holding a massive chainsaw. There were torture-porn movies about women who met guys looking like him out in the backwoods where no one could hear them scream.

But though she eyed him warily, the curvy blonde held her ground.

“I’m looking for Sadie Becker,” she said clearly, tilting her chin to meet Mathis’s eyes fearlessly. “This is the address I have for her—am I in the wrong place?”

“Who are you?” Mathis demanded, frowning. He thought she might be some kind of lawyer here to serve papers on behalf of Sadie’s idiotic ex. Why else would she be dressed in a suit and heels out in the middle of nowhere?

“Who are you?” she countered. “The gruff but sexy neighbor she told me about? Or a chainsaw murderer?” She eyed the heavy chainsaw he was still gripping. “If you’re the latter, please be advised that I have a charged Taser in my purse and I know how to use it. I’ll lay you out flat before you can even pull the starter cord on that thing.”

Mathis found a grin growing on his face despite himself. Damn, the little blonde was feisty! Suddenly he realized who she must be. Sometime during the pillow talk the night before, Sadie had told him she had a twin sister but that they weren’t identical. The shape of the blonde’s face and her eyes reminded him of Sadie—this had to be her.

“Samantha, right?” he asked, taking a step forward. “Sadie’s sister?”

“Guilty as charged.” She smiled at him and held out a hand. “So you must be growly-but-sexy neighbor, Mathis?”

“Uh, I don’t know about the growly-sexy part but yeah, I’m Sadie’s neighbor.” He wiped his palm against his jeans before taking her much smaller hand to shake. She had a surprisingly firm grip for such a small woman.

“So where is my sister?” she asked pleasantly, eyeing the chainsaw again. “And please don’t say buried under your porch.”

Mathis laughed. “She’s fine—should be in her office in Cougarville getting some work done. Which is what I’ve been doing.” He nodded at the chainsaw. “Tree limb fell on your sister’s roof last night. I’ve been clearing it off for her.”

Samantha eyed the damaged roof and then nodded, as if satisfied by his explanation.

“Was anyone hurt?”

Mathis shook his head. “No—luckily it happened before she went inside last night. She had to stay out of her cabin until I could get it off though—not safe to go in the house with a damn widow-maker on the roof.”

Samantha’s eyebrows shot up. “So she spent the night with you? Purely for safety’s sake, I’m sure.”

Mathis felt his ears getting hot and scowled.

“Well . . . you could say so, yes.”

“No wonder she didn’t answer her phone.” Samantha looked him up and down speculatively. “I wouldn’t have answered either.”

“Uh . . .” Mathis wasn’t sure what to say to that.

“Never mind.” Samantha sighed and ran a hand through her honey-blond locks. “I was just worried sick about her so I changed my plans to come out here. I could be in Sin City right now but instead I’m in the middle of nowhere, all because my sister was finally getting some.” She shook her head and laughed. “Oh well, at least she’s finally getting over that asshole ex of hers.”

Mathis shifted uncomfortably.

“Uh, I can give you directions to her office if you want to go meet her. It’s right on Main Street, not far from the Cougarville Chemist.”

“All right, I’ll take you up on that.” Samantha put a hand to her stomach. “Maybe I can take her out to lunch. I can never eat a thing when I travel and I’m famished. Any good restaurants in town?”

“A few,” Mathis said cautiously. He thought about warning her not to go into any crowded public places in Cougarville lest she have the same problems Sadie had been experiencing. But his nose told him she wasn’t in Rejuvenation—not even close. She was extremely attractive and she smelled good but she didn’t have that maddening Juvie scent hanging around her. She ought to be safe.

He gave Samantha directions and she thanked him and climbed back into the rented SUV, heading off to town to see her sister.

Mathis watched her go, feeling envious. He wished he could drop in on Sadie and take her out for lunch. Or better yet, pack a picnic basket and spend time alone with her at her office, eating . . . and doing other things.

Forget it, Mathis, he told himself firmly as the black SUV left in a plume of dust. It’s not going to happen so you might as well stop wishing for it.

Too bad he was so damn awful at taking his own advice.

Sixteen

Sadie frowned as she checked her phone just before noon. Where was Samantha? She’d been calling at regular intervals but so far her twin hadn’t picked up. Could she still be at the airport, running late? Or was it just the mountains screwing up her phone reception again?

She winced and rubbed the sides of her head. All morning long, ever since leaving Mathis, she’d been fighting a headache—the same throbbing pain that pounded in her temples and wouldn’t leave her alone. What was going on with this strange headache that wouldn’t stay gone? Why did it keep coming back?

A worrisome thought wormed its way into her head—could it have anything to do with the Rejuvenation process she was going through? Hadn’t Fiona said something odd about it last time she’d been in the pharmacy looking for something for the pain? Then again, most everything the pharmacist said was odd.

“Okay, that’s it,” Sadie told herself in a low voice. “Time to go get some ibuprofen and some answers.”

Getting up, she put on her coat and grabbed her purse and phone. She’d already tried going by the pharmacy once today, early in the morning when she’d first gotten to work. But Fiona had been deeply engrossed in a hushed and obviously very private consultation with another customer. Not wanting to bother her, Sadie had decided to try again later.

Well, later was now. She needed answers about her condition and she couldn’t wait any longer. Making sure to lock her office door behind her, Sadie made her way down Main Street to the Cougarville Chemist.

“Well hello, my dear!” The eccentric pharmacist was wearing a long, flowing gown of peacock blue under her white lab coat today, and her silver-streaked auburn hair was twisted into a loose chignon at the top of her head, allowing wisps and tendrils to frame her ageless face. Today’s jewelry had an amber theme instead of turquoise. The mellow stone glowed from a large, elaborate pendant at the hollow of Fiona’s slender throat and seemed to reflect a golden light across her pale, perfect skin.

“Fiona, how are you?” Sadie greeted her with a smile as she shut the pharmacy door, making the little bell jingle. “I was hoping to catch you alone. Can we talk?”

“Oh dear, are my books too much for you?” Fiona gave her a worried look. “I know they’re a bit hard to understand.”

That was an understatement but the other woman’s crazy bookkeeping system wasn’t what was on Sadie’s mind at the moment.

“It’s not that,” she said carefully. “It’s something . . . something I’m going through that I thought you might be able to help me with.”

“Is it your Rejuvenation?” Fiona asked sympathetically.

“Yes!” Sadie was immensely relieved that she didn’t have to explain all her signs and symptoms.

“And what is it you need to know?” Fiona asked as Sadie weaved her way through the crowded shelves and came up to the high counter at the back of the store. The pharmacist was sorting through an eccentric-looking pile of ingredients that appeared to consist of small dry bones, tiny seashells, and multicolored feathers.

“I need to know everything,” Sadie said truthfully, watching as the pharmacist’s long, clever fingers picked through the strange pile. “I had no idea about the Shifter Gene or Rejuvenation or any of that until yesterday when Mathis explained it to me.”

“He did, did he?” Fiona looked pleased. “Did he explain before or after he bound you to him?”

“What?” Sadie frowned. “He didn’t bind me to him—he said he couldn’t. Because his, uh, species of Shifter only mates once and they can’t form a second life-bond. Not that it makes any sense to me.” She sighed.

“Oh, dear.” Fiona looked both upset and worried. “That foolish boy! He’s so sure he won’t be able to form another bond that he won’t even try, though I really think he’d have a good chance. His life-bond with his mate—the poor girl who died—was so short, you see. It hadn’t really set yet.”

“Really?” Sadie looked at her hopefully. “I didn’t know that. Did you tell Mathis?”

“I did.” Fiona sighed. “But he didn’t want to listen. He needs to trust in the will of Lady Moon.” She looked sharply at Sadie. “He did want to bond you to him, didn’t he?”

“I think so.” Sadie bit her lip, suddenly right on the edge of crying. “I know I certainly wish he could since it seems to be the only way we can be together.”

“Oh, my dear . . .” Fiona sighed and patted her arm comfortingly. “I had a feeling about you two, you know—and I still do. Everything is going to work out all right in the end, you’ll see.”

“I don’t see how.” Sadie sniffed, trying to hold back the tears that threatened—they were only making her headache worse and now she was starting to feel PMS-y—all weepy and sad as though she was about to start her period. Maybe it was just another symptom of the Rejuvenation but suddenly her whole body seemed to be in flux.

“I don’t either but Lady Moon does,” Fiona said confidently. “Now why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”

“Well, it’s this whole Rejuvenation process.” Sadie waved a hand in the air. “I mean, my body is going through this strange change I don’t even remotely understand. Mathis said you knew more about it than anyone since Juvies are so rare. How long will it last? And what kind of, uh, animal will I turn into after it’s over?” A sound that was half sob, half laugh broke from her lips. “God, I can’t believe I just said that. This is all so crazy. If Mathis hadn’t showed me his Buck last night I never would have believed any of it.”

“He showed you his Buck? And he still didn’t bond you to him?” Fiona frowned. “How did he hold himself back? Introducing the animal form to a prospective mate is very conducive to bonding.”

“Well . . .” Sadie bit her lip. “It’s not like he held himself back completely. I mean we, uh, did do a few things—mostly so Mathis could help me cover my scent.”

“Ah, yes.” Fiona’s small nose wrinkled delicately. “You do have a less, ah, pungent aroma than you did earlier.”

Sadie frowned, resisting the urge to sniff at herself. She knew by now that the amazing Juvie scent she was supposedly giving off was completely unsmellable to her own nose.

“Thank you,” she said shortly. “But none of this answers my question—what kind of animal will I turn into? And how long before I turn?”

Fiona sighed. “As to that, Rejuvenation is different for each woman who undergoes it. For some the process is fairly quick—a week or so and they’re ready to breed and Shift for the first time. For others it can take weeks or even months before they ripen to the point of no return.”

“That’s pretty vague.” Sadie rubbed her temples, wishing the damn headache would go away. “Can you at least tell me the animal I’ll turn into?”

“It will be determined by the male who first breeds you under Lady Moon’s light.” Fiona sighed wistfully. “Ah, it’s so romantic, being taken under the full moon then Shifting and running with your bonded mate for the first time.”

“Excuse me, did you say the man who breeds me?” Sadie frowned. “Seriously?”

“Oh yes, my dear! You cannot Shift until you have first been bred. How did you think a life-bond was formed, anyway?”

“Great. This just gets better and better.” Sadie pinched the bridge of her nose. “So I have no choice—I have to have sex under the full moon with some guy on the night I’m ready to Shift?”

“Once you’ve ripened to that point, yes, my dear.” Fiona’s large, dark eyes widened dramatically. “The urge will simply be too strong—you’ll have no choice. If you try to hold it off . . .” She shook her head. “Well, let’s just say it’s better not to try. You have to go with the will of Lady Moon.”

“Wow.” Sadie shook her head. “Just . . . wow.” She wondered if Mathis would be willing to help her out with the whole “breeding” part of the process. But he’d seemed so dead set against doing more than they’d done the night before, she really doubted it. And if breeding was what formed the life-bond, she could forget it. She looked at Fiona. “So . . . I’ll automatically bond with the man who . . .” She had to clear her throat before she could get the words out. “Who breeds me?”

“That’s almost always how it happens, yes.” Fiona nodded. “And his animal form will determine your own final form as well.”

“But what if the man who . . . who does that can’t bond me to him?” Sadie asked, still thinking of Mathis.

Fiona shook her head sorrowfully. “I’m afraid that could result in some very severe consequences. You see, it is the life-bond forming between you that determines your final animal form. Without that determination, you could become one of the Unformed.”

“The Unformed? What is that exactly? Mathis said something about it too.”

“A Shifter female who has no animal form to Shift to. Such women suffer terribly when their monthly cravings begin because they cannot Shift to help control them. What ought to be a gift from Lady Moon becomes perverted into a painful, debilitating experience, made worse by the fact that she has no male to help her satisfy it.”

“Wait—go back. Monthly cravings?” Sadie asked.

“Oh yes—once you start Shifting, you’ll have them every night of the full moon. And sometimes a little before and after. That’s another reason you must be life-bonded to your mate. An unbonded Shifter might be able to, er, scratch your itch temporarily, but he won’t be able to help for long. And of course, you want a life-bonded mate to help you raise your children.”

“Children?” Sadie stared at her blankly. “I’m sorry but I’ve already had my children. They went off to college last month—I’m really not looking to start all over again.”

“Well, but you won’t be able to help it, will you, my dear?” Fiona opened her large, dark eyes wide. “Rejuvenation induces a state of hyper-fertility.”

“What?” Sadie shook her head. “Well, what about birth control?”

“Out of the question.” Fiona waved her hand dismissively, her bangles jingling. “First of all because no chemical or hormonal birth control would work. And secondly because once the breeding fever comes on you, only your male’s seed inside you will ease your need.”

“The breeding fever?” Sadie was beginning to get more and more upset. Life-bonds . . . monthly urges . . . breeding fever . . . This was way more than she had bargained for. “Is breeding fever what I think it is? Some kind of urge to mate I won’t be able to resist?”

“Exactly!” Fiona said brightly. “My dear, the whole point of Rejuvenation is to breed the next generation of Shifters. And let me tell you—they can be a handful! Which is why Lady Moon ordained that females who already had life experience and wisdom should be the ones to Rejuvenate and bear them.”

“So . . . I won’t have a choice? I’ll suddenly go crazy and, uh, need to be bred some full-moon night?” Sadie demanded. “Won’t I have any warning at all?”

“Some females get a few warning signs. The best thing to do is just have your chosen male nearby when the moon grows full.” Fiona cocked her head to one side. “Come to think of it, tonight is a full-moon night.”

“But . . . but what if the male I want doesn’t want me?” Sadie asked in a small voice.

“Oh, that Mathis.” Fiona frowned. “You leave him to me—I’ll talk some sense into him.”

“But what if you can’t?” Sadie persisted.

“Well then . . .” Fiona shook her head. “I’m afraid you’ll have to look around and see what other males might tickle your fancy. Only, be sure you choose an Alpha, dear. Only an Alpha is strong enough to breed with a Juvie and satisfy her cravings.”

The image of Liam Keller flashed across her mind’s eye but Sadie pushed it away impatiently. She didn’t want Keller—she wanted Mathis.

“How will I know if they’re an Alpha or not?” she asked.

“Oh, you’ll know.” Fiona gave her a knowing smile, which turned into a worried frown. “Are you quite well, Sadie, dear? You keep rubbing your temples.”

“I just . . . have the worst headache.” Sadie sighed. “It comes and it goes but it’s never completely gone—you know?”

“Oh, dear.” Fiona looked worried.

“What? What is it?” Sadie eyed her nervously. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No reason, dear. Just . . . be sure you’re near an Alpha tonight when the moon rises. Just in case.” Fiona patted her hand.

Sadie felt a shiver of apprehension and tried to push it away.

“All right, thanks for the advice and the information,” she said. “I guess I’d better go try to find out what happened to my sister. She’s supposed to be coming in to town but I can’t get her on the phone.”

“Oh, reception in Cougarville is terrible.” Fiona shook her head. “Will she be staying long?”

“Well, she’d better stay at least long enough for me to explain all this Rejuvenation stuff to her,” Sadie said grimly. “I have to let her know she might wind up going through this whole mess too.”

“Is she married or mated or in a long-term relationship with a male who claims her and makes love to her regularly?” Fiona asked. “Because if so, she doesn’t need to worry.”

“Actually, she’s not married or seeing anyone.” Sadie bit her lip. “Should she be concerned? I mean, we’re sisters so she’s sure to have the Gene too, right?”

“Undoubtedly but sometimes the Gene can lie dormant—inactive in certain females even if they meet all the requirements for activation. No one knows why. Is your sister your age?”

“She’s exactly my age—we’re twins,” Sadie said. “But fraternal, not identical.”

Fiona arched one auburn eyebrow. “And is she experiencing the same symptoms you are?”

“Not that I know of. I think she would have said something.”

“Well then—she’s probably safe. The Gene has been known to skip members of a family, even twins.” Fiona looked pleased.

“What? But how is that scientifically possible?” Sadie protested. “I mean, we’re twins—we should have most of the same DNA including the Juvie Gene.”

“Indeed, my dear but there’s nothing scientific about it,” Fiona said. “Ultimately it is the will of Lady Moon that decides which female will have the Gene and which female’s Gene will activate. Perhaps she simply doesn’t have plans for your sister to become a Juvie. If she’s your age with no male to claim her and she still hasn’t begun the Rejuvenation process, she should be all right.” She smiled. “There—that’s one less worry off your mind, I’m sure.”

“Um, I guess so.” Sadie wasn’t at all sure she believed that some unknown deity held her sister’s fate in her hands, but Fiona seemed certain that if Sammie hadn’t started going through Rejuvenation so far, she probably wouldn’t start it now. That was a good thing—she hadn’t been looking forward to explaining to Samantha that her body would soon undergo a process which would make her physically twenty years younger and send her into a state of hyperfertility which would result in sex with a stranger under the full moon. And don’t forget the whole turning into a prehistoric animal afterward, a sarcastic little voice whispered in her head. Can’t leave that out—it’s practically the best part.

“Well, I’m glad I could put your mind at ease.” Fiona smiled at her.

“Thank you.” Sadie rubbed her temples again. “Now if only you could help me get rid of this headache.” She looked around the crowded shelves. “Do you sell ibuprofen here? You know—Advil?”

“Oh, Advil won’t help that headache, my dear. What you need is the touch of an Alpha.” Fiona nodded wisely.

“But—” Sadie began but just then the shop bell jingled and another customer came in.

Feeling that she couldn’t take up any more of Fiona’s time, Sadie left the Cougarville Chemist with a sigh. It seemed that her life was about to get a whole lot more interesting than she had ever bargained for.

She just wished she could have Mathis to help her through it.

Seventeen

Rubbing her throbbing temples, Sadie trudged back to her office and let herself in the front door. The reception area was empty so she got quite a shock when she walked back to her private office area and found Liam Keller lounging like a lazy cat behind her desk.

“Mr. Keller?” Sadie stopped just inside the doorway and put a hand to her racing heart. “What are you doing here? And how did you get in? I was sure I locked the door.”

“Locks don’t bother me.” Keller shrugged, as though her locked door was a minor annoyance at best. “I came to make sure you’d received my gifts. And to bring you another one.” He raised a brown paper bag with grease stains on the side. “I brought you a Sloppy Sally—that’s our famous pulled pork sandwich down at the Den—along with a side of slaw. And fries, of course.” He smiled, showing teeth much longer and sharper than Sadie remembered them being the day before.

“Mr. Keller—”

“Liam, please.” He gave her a lazy grin.

“Mr. Keller,” Sadie said again firmly, as she stepped all the way into her office. “I am very grateful for all you’ve done for me since I got here but you can’t just come in my office unannounced like this.”

“Actually, I can.” He grinned and shrugged, his broad shoulders rippling under the expensive-looking dark green sweater he wore. “I own this building—I’m your landlord, Sadie.”

“You are?” Sadie was nonplussed. “I didn’t know. The rental agency—”

“Is also owned by me. So you see—” He broke off abruptly and sat up, his nose wrinkling. “What the hell?”

“What—” Sadie began but before she could get another word out, Keller was striding around the desk and invading her personal space.

Taking her by the shoulders, he pushed her up against the wall. Pressing his face to her neck, he inhaled deeply. The feel of his skin against hers made Sadie shiver.

“Mr. Keller, please!” She tried to shove him away but it was like pushing against a brick wall. He was at least as big as Mathis and apparently not inclined to stop sniffing her until he felt like it. “Get off me!” she demanded.

At last he stepped back, a grim look on his handsome face.

“Why is another male’s scent all over you?” he demanded. “Not just any male—that fool of an herbivore, Mathis!” His eyes narrowed. “And you’re wearing the same clothing you had on yesterday. Did you spend the night with him?”

Sadie felt her face go hot but she straightened her rumpled sweater with dignity. So much for being a gentleman—clearly her buried instincts had been correct. Liam Keller was not a nice guy.

“That isn’t any of your business,” she said icily. “It’s between Mathis and me.”

He scowled. “So you’ve made your choice? Did you let him bond you to him?”

Sadie frowned. “Well—”

“Wait, of course not!” Keller laughed suddenly. “He had a mate before and his kind can only bond once. Idiotic herbivores. So he can’t form a life-bond with you.”

“I like Mathis,” Sadie said stiffly. “And anything we have between us stays between us. You have nothing to do with it or with me.”

“Oh, no?” He raised one eyebrow at her mockingly. “You might be singing a different tune come tonight when the moon is full, my lovely Sadie. You’ll need a male to breed you and bond you—one who’s Alpha enough to help you find your true form.”

“That . . . that might not happen,” Sadie denied uneasily. “Fiona told me sometimes it takes a long time to reach that, uh, point. And I haven’t been Rejuvenating for that long. I only noticed the major changes a few days ago on my birthday.”

“Did Fiona also tell you an Alpha can smell when you’re getting ripe?” He sniffed her again. “And under all that herbivore stink, I can tell you’re getting extremely ripe and ready, my pretty little Juvie.”

“You’re lying!” Sadie exclaimed.

“Most certainly not. When you first came in, you were rubbing your temples—you’ve been having a headache that won’t go away. Correct?” He raised his eyebrows at her.

“Well . . . yes,” Sadie admitted grudgingly.

“But just now it’s gone. Also correct?”

“Mostly,” Sadie lied. Actually, the headache had drifted away as mysteriously as it had come in the first place.

“That’s because I touched you, my little Juvie.” Keller stroked her cheek lightly with his fingertips. “The touch of an Alpha is the only thing that can alleviate such pain. And it will be the only thing that can help you tonight.”

“Don’t touch me!” Sadie jerked her head away from his light caress.

“Even if my touch ceases your pain?” he murmured.

“Even so,” Sadie said evenly. “I’d like you to leave my office, but before you do, I need to talk to you about paying for the tires you sent my way yesterday.”

“No payment necessary,” Keller said silkily. “The tires were a gift. As was the cheeseburger yesterday and lunch today.” He nodded at the bag still sitting on her desk.

Sadie frowned suspiciously. “Why are you so eager to give me gifts? Is there some kind of Shifter law that says if you give a Juvie enough gifts you have some kind of claim on her?”

“Very shrewd.” Keller’s leaf-green eyes narrowed speculatively. “Actually, there is a Shifter tradition that any female who accepts three gifts from a male is technically under his protection . . . which gives him a claim on her when it comes to making her his mate.”

“What?” Sadie demanded. “Then I most definitely don’t want this.” She marched to the desk and held out the bag to him. “No thank you.”

Keller lifted an eyebrow. “You’re refusing my offer? You could do worse, you know. I’m ruling Alpha of the largest Shifter group in town. The Cougars outnumber other Shifters at least three to one. Hence the town name.”

“I don’t care about that,” Sadie said, frowning. “I don’t like being tricked into a relationship. I am not interested.”

“But you will be.” Keller’s eyes gleamed. “Your Rejuvenation is far advanced. Anyone with a nose can tell it, despite the fact that you’ve tried to cover it with herbivore stench.” His nose wrinkled. “When the full moon rises tonight, you’ll feel the breeding fever and if you don’t have a male to slake it—if you don’t have an Alpha to breed you—why then, you’ll die.” He shrugged. “It’s as simple as that.

Sadie felt a chill run down her spine.

“Die? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, is that another fact Fiona failed to mention?” He gave her a look of bland concern. “What a shame. Yes, I’m very much afraid it will be breed or die for you once the moon rises tonight. When that time comes, you might not find the idea of being mated to me quite so distasteful.”

“But why?” Sadie shook her head. “Why would you want me, I mean? I’m at least thirteen or fourteen years older than you and you don’t even know me.”

“Very true,” Keller said coolly. “But I wish to pass on my Genes and have a son to rule my Den after I am gone. Only a Juvie can give me that and as you are the only Juvie who has been seen in town for years, I very much wish to claim and mate you.”

“But you don’t love me,” Sadie protested.

He frowned. “Who said love had to be a prerequisite for mating? I’ve never let a female touch my heart and I’m not about to start now. We can, however, treat it like a business transaction. I’ll help you take care of your monthly cravings and you can raise the child however you see fit as long as I have regular visitation rights.”

“Wow, you make it sound so romantic,” Sadie said flatly. “Like a ready-made divorce.”

He shrugged, a smooth catlike gesture that seemed more animal than human.

“As I said, romance does not need to enter into the equation at all. In fact, I think it’s probably better if it doesn’t. Having feelings for someone only muddies the water and makes complications.”

Sadie narrowed her eyes. “It sounds to me like you’re speaking from experience. Did someone hurt you in the past?”

“Not at all.” He frowned. “I just prefer to remain . . . unattached emotionally. So . . .” He raised an eyebrow at her. “What do you say? Why don’t you come down to the Cougar’s Den with me and have lunch if you don’t want the sandwich I brought? Just think about the idea.”

“I don’t have to think about it.” Sadie took a deep breath. “My answer is no. I don’t want a relationship—especially a permanent one—without love and passion and caring.”

Keller spread his hands, his expensive Rolex glinting on his wrist.

“I’m afraid I have no love and caring to give. Although I can manage passion.” There was an animal lust in his silver-green eyes that made Sadie shiver. “Quite easily, in fact.”

“No, thank you,” Sadie said, though a little voice inside her head was asking if she was doing the right thing. Since Mathis didn’t want her, she might be turning down a proposition that could save her life. But she’d just gotten out of a loveless relationship—no matter what the consequences, Sadie just couldn’t see getting into another one. There had to be another way. “No,” she said again, more firmly.

“Suit yourself.” Keller shrugged laconically and headed for the door. “Don’t bother coming with me—I can find my own way out.” He gave her another grin. “The same way I found my way in.”

It was on the tip of Sadie’s tongue to say something really nasty about trespassing assholes but just then her cell phone rang the Grey’s Anatomy theme. As Keller left her office, she fumbled around in the depths of her purse until she located it.

“Sammie!” she exclaimed, bringing it to her ear.

“Sadie—there you are! I’ve been trying to get you for ages but reception in your new hometown sucks.” Her sister sounded happy and perfectly well.

A weight Sadie hadn’t known she’d been carrying fell off her shoulders—she’d been worried when she couldn’t get her twin on the phone. There had been a nagging concern in the back of her mind that Samantha might be in some kind of danger. Now that her fears proved to be unfounded, Sadie felt the tight ball of uncertainty in the pit of her stomach relaxing.

“I’m so glad to hear your voice,” she said. “I was worried about you!”

“Not half as worried as I was about you.” Now Samantha sounded slightly reproving. “I could be in Sin City right now listening to lectures on all the latest trauma techniques and flirting with cute surgeons from around the world. Instead I’m sitting at this hole-in-the-wall bar and grill place eating the best bacon cheeseburger I’ve ever had in my life.”

“What?” Sadie felt as though someone had suddenly injected ice water into her veins. “Say that again? Where are you, Sammie?”

“At this local joint—the Cougar’s Den. When I first came in, the owner told me he knows you—tall, good-looking guy with brown hair and killer eyes? He seemed like kind of an asshole at first, but when he found out I was your sister, he offered to pay for both our lunches. Wasn’t that nice?”

“Oh, no!” Sadie wanted to shout but somehow her voice came out as more of a whisper. “Sammie, please tell me you didn’t accept his offer.”

“Of course I did,” Samantha said cheerfully. “You know me—I’m not one to turn down a free meal. So come on over and eat with me before the fries get cold.”

“I’m coming,” Sadie said faintly. She hung up her phone and got to her feet on wobbly legs. Leaving her purse and coat and everything else, she left her office as quickly as she could . . . and nearly ran into Keller, who was lounging indolently against the doorway in the reception area.

“So,” he said, giving her a cat-that-got-the-cream smirk. “I take it we’ll be having lunch together after all.”

“You bastard,” Sadie snarled. “You’d better not hurt my sister! If you so much as touch one hair on her head—”

“Sadie, please.” Somehow Keller made his predatory green eyes wide and innocent. “I would never harm your sister in any way. After all, it’s not her I’m interested in—though she is distractingly lovely, I smell no scent of Rejuvenation on her. You are the one of interest to me.”

Sadie frowned. “So then . . . you’ll let her go?”

“Certainly.” Keller gave her a lazy shark’s smile. “As soon as you agree to be my mate.”

“What? No!” Sadie exclaimed. “You can’t do that! You can’t use my sister as a bargaining chip to get into a relationship with me.”

“I believe I just did,” Keller said mildly. He offered Sadie his arm and nodded at the front door of her office. “Shall we go? I believe your lovely sister is waiting.”

Seething with rage, Sadie pushed out of the office and headed down Main Street to the Cougar’s Den. How dare Keller treat Samantha like a hostage to get her to go with him? This was the most outrageous thing she’d been subjected to yet and that was saying something considering the crazy experiences she’d already had in Cougarville.

Keller trailing behind her, laughed softly. Sadie had the violent and most unladylike urge to kick him, but what good would it do? Instead she fumed quietly, pointedly ignoring him.

As she marched down Main Street toward the Cougar’s Den, she couldn’t help thinking nothing in Cougarville was as it seemed. The quiet, sleepy-looking little town was home to creatures from a dark fairy tale—one of which she herself was about to become. Mathis, her gruff and scary neighbor, had turned out to be a kind man—a considerate and tender lover. And Keller, who had seemed so urbane and charming, was just a thug in expensive clothes.

Well, so much for first impressions.

“Sadie! It’s so good to see you!” The minute she and Keller entered the dim interior of the Cougar’s Den, Samantha came rushing up to greet her. Sadie enfolded her twin in a hug, glad despite everything else that was going on, to be with her again.

“I missed you, Sammie,” she said, pulling back at last. “But we need to go.”

“Not until you’ve had lunch! They make the most amazing cheeseburger here. Come on.” Samantha started pulling her back to the bar table she’d been sitting at but Sadie resisted.

“I’ve tried it,” she said, throwing Keller an unfriendly glance that he returned with a bland look. “I don’t want anything else this place has to offer.”

“Why?” Samantha studied her face anxiously and then frowned. “Sadie,” she said. “What’s going on with you—you look so young. Like you did when we were in college. I thought you were kidding or exaggerating with all that stuff you told me over the phone. But this—”

“It’s a long story.” Sadie started pulling her back toward the door of the Cougar’s Den. “I’ll tell you outside.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you ladies leave. Not yet.”

Keller was suddenly blocking their path, muscular arms crossed over his broad chest.

“What do you mean?” Samantha, who was about four inches shorter than Sadie, which made her well over a foot and a half shorter than Keller, glared up at him fearlessly. “Have you changed your mind about lunch being on the house? Because I can pay—you don’t have to be a jerk about it.”

“I’m afraid I’m not looking for monetary compensation.” Keller smirked at Sadie. “Your sister knows what I want—ask her.”

“What does he want?” Samantha asked, turning to her. “What the hell is going on, Sadie?”

“Like I said, it’s a long and extremely crazy story.” Sadie glared at Keller. “This isn’t the right way to get a girlfriend, in case you’re wondering.”

“I told you before—I don’t want a girlfriend or any kind of romantic attachment,” he said blandly. “Just agree to be my mate and bear my child and I’ll let you go.” He smirked. “Although I guarantee you’ll be running back the moment the moon rises.”

“What?” Samantha exclaimed. “You want Sadie to bear your child? Did you really just say that?”

“I have given your sister three gifts, which she accepted—including the lunch, which you accepted on her behalf,” Keller said. “I expect compensation.”

“Are you insane?” Samantha demanded. “That’s your price for lunch? Listen, buddy—your place makes a damn good cheeseburger, I’ll give you that. But it’s not that good.”

“Just let us go,” Sadie said. “And I’ll consider your deal.”

A frown creased Keller’s handsome face.

“I don’t think so. You’d just go running back to that idiotic herbivore, Mathis, who can’t help you anyway.”

“Herbivore? Mathis?” Samantha was still looking at both of them as though they’d gone crazy. “Is he some kind of vegan or something? Because he sure as hell didn’t look like one.”

“You’ve seen Mathis?” Sadie asked, turning to her sister.

“Of course—I stopped by your cabin before I came here. He had his shirt off and was holding a huge chainsaw.” Samantha shrugged. “Like I said, he didn’t look like someone who lived off rabbit food.”

“He doesn’t—in his human form,” Keller said.

“In his what?” Samantha frowned at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“His animal form is that of a Buck—a stag,” Keller explained. “Couldn’t you smell the stink of grass on him when you met him?”

“Smell the . . .” Samantha shook her head and looked at Sadie. “What the hell is he talking about?”

A look of understanding came over Keller’s face.

“She doesn’t know, does she?” he asked Sadie. “What you are? What any of us are here in Cougarville? She doesn’t have any idea.”

“No, she doesn’t.” Sadie shook her head. “I didn’t either until last night when Mathis told me.”

“Told you what? What don’t I know? Will somebody please explain?” Samantha was beginning to look really pissed off.

Keller smirked. “Well, seeing as how that particular explanation is going to take a while, why don’t I escort you ladies back to your table where you can finish your lunch in peace?”

“I don’t want lunch or anything else from you, Keller,” Sadie said evenly. “Now that you know I didn’t have any idea I had the Shifter Gene or what was happening to me, you ought to also realize I didn’t accept the gifts you gave me purposefully or with any intent to take you as my mate.”

“I don’t care what your intent was—the fact is you still accepted them,” Keller said coolly. “The rule of three clearly states that a female who accepts three gifts from a male is making her wish to mate him clear and he is free to act on that.”

“I don’t give a damn what it states!” Sadie exclaimed. “I just want to get out of here! Now let us go!” She hoped the other patrons of the bar might hear her shouting and come to her aid. Indeed, two large muscular men who looked to be about Keller’s age did come sauntering over.

“Trouble?” one of them asked. Unfortunately, he was speaking to Keller.

“I’m afraid our guests here want to leave without settling their check.” Keller raised an eyebrow at Sadie. “Could you escort them gently to the back and make certain they’re comfortable until they agree to pay?”

“You got it,” the other man rumbled.

Suddenly Sadie found herself gripped by the shoulders and propelled to the back of the bar. Samantha, who was being held by the other man, was fighting like a wildcat.

“Get your hands off me, you asshole!” she shouted at the top of her lungs, kicking back at the man holding her.

“Now, now,” Keller called after them. “If you’ll be civil no one needs to be hurt.”

“I’ll tell you who’s going to be hurt, you big bastard,” Samantha snapped, glaring at him. “You are! In just a minute you’re going to be wearing your balls for a bowtie.”

Keller looked down at her, clearly surprised.

“Well, that’s quite a mouth you have, Samantha,” he said mildly.

“You can call me Dr. Becker, asshole,” Samantha snarled. “I’m a top surgeon at a level-one trauma hospital and you’d better be glad I am! Because you’re going to need a surgeon once I get done with you!”

“She’s a feisty one, boss,” the man holding her remarked, wincing as Samantha’s foot caught him in the shin. Clearly he was having difficulty keeping Sadie’s twin in check.

“Indeed she is.” Keller looked at Samantha speculatively. “Perhaps we’d better take steps to be certain she can’t, ah, hurt anyone.” He snapped his fingers. “Lock them up.”

Sadie fought the man holding her but it did no good. Before she could even start to get loose, she and Samantha were being dragged to the back of the bar.

She looked around despairingly, but the other patrons of the Cougar’s Den just went about their business, as though two women weren’t being kidnapped and held against their will right before their eyes. Would no one help them? How in the world were she and her sister going to get out of this? Or would they get out of it at all? Was she actually going to be forced to “mate” with Keller?

Mathis, she thought longingly. I wish I’d never left you this morning. I wish we were still sleeping in bed together, all tangled up without a care in the world.

If only the big Shifter was here now—she felt so safe in his arms.

But Mathis had said they couldn’t be together—that it was impossible for them to form the all-important life-bond. Did that mean he would approve of this? Of her being with another male?

No—Sadie couldn’t believe that. He might be willing to step aside and let her choose someone she could bond with, since it seemed to be such an important part of Shifter life. But Sadie couldn’t believe he would condone someone like Keller forcing himself on her. Surely he would try to save and protect her if he knew what was happening to her right now.

But how would he know? She’d foolishly left her cell phone along with everything else back at her office and Keller had also confiscated her sister’s phone. She and Samantha were stuck here, in a town filled with people who apparently saw nothing wrong with their Mayor’s strong-arm tactics and no way to call for help.

What were they going to do?

Eighteen

“Mathis, I’ve been trying to get you on the phone for hours. You and I need to have a talk.”

Fiona’s tone was unwontedly stern. Mathis felt himself bristle—he’d had a bad enough day as it was, having to let Sadie go. He didn’t need grief from anyone else.

“What?” he snapped, not even trying to be polite. “I’m busy, Fiona. And if you’re calling to ask if the new batch of anti-rut pills works, the answer is they fucking well don’t.”

“That’s because it’s not the will of Lady Moon for you to subvert your rut this time. Her will is for you to mate and breed the one she sent to you.”

“If you’re talking about Sadie you can forget it,” Mathis growled. “You know perfectly well I can’t form another life-bond. Irish Elk are only able to bond once.”

“Normally that would be true,” Fiona said calmly. “If you’d had a long and full life-bond with your lost mate, Kathleen. But you didn’t, did you? How long did your relationship last, Mathis? Please refresh my memory.”

“Not quite two years,” Mathis growled. “But that doesn’t matter—we had a strong bond.”

“No doubt you did as you were deeply in love.” Fiona’s voice was melancholy. “But the fact remains that the bond wasn’t of a very long duration. Given that and the circumstances that brought Sadie to town just as she was beginning her Rejuvenation, I feel justified in saying that I believe you have a chance to form another life-bond.”

“A chance, huh?” Mathis growled. “How much of a chance, do you think?”

“About fifty-fifty.” Fiona sounded serene. “Which is quite good, all things considered.”

“Fifty-fifty?” Mathis demanded. “You call that good? I only have a fifty percent chance of being able to bond Sadie to me? And worse than that, I have a fifty percent chance of ruining her life and making her into one of the Unformed if our life-bond fails! Those aren’t good odds, Fiona—that’s a crapshoot!”

“If we were dealing strictly with the scientific odds, I would agree,” she said. “But I truly believe this is a special occasion, Mathis. Lady Moon has sent Sadie to you to ease your pain and loneliness—and hers too. She came from a loveless marriage where she was not honored by her mate. Lady Moon knows you would honor and cherish her as you should.”

“I don’t believe in all that religious mumbo jumbo or Lady Moon and you know it,” Mathis snapped.

“That’s all right, Mathis darling—she believes in you,” Fiona returned calmly.

“It’s not just that—I made a promise not to take another mate. After Kathleen died—you know that.”

“I do. And it’s a vow you’ve kept admirably for ten long years.” Fiona sighed. “Mathis, darling, Kathleen loved you. If she knew you had another chance at happiness, don’t you think she would urge you to take it?”

“Not if it was only a fifty-fifty chance, she wouldn’t,” he snapped. “I don’t want to take that risk—I can’t form another life-bond.”

“I believe you will be able to. You just have to trust,” Fiona urged gently.

“Trust in what? In a goddess that let my Kathleen get taken so young? If I did believe in her, I’d hate her for being a cold-hearted bitch,” Mathis snarled.

“Her ways are often mysterious but never doubt that she cares for us,” Fiona said. “Every pain she allows us to endure, she feels tenfold. And it’s the same for our joy—she wants joy for you, Mathis. If only you’ll reach out your hand to take what she offers, you’ll receive it.”

Mathis had had enough. “Fiona, if you’re only calling to tell me I should do something I know damn well I can’t do, can we please cut this short?”

“Very well.” Fiona sounded like she was shrugging. “Then I guess you’ll have no interest in the fact that Sadie is in the Cougar’s Den and has been for the past three or four hours.”

“What?” The word came out as more of a roar. A possessive rage kindled instantly in his chest. “What did you say?”

“I said she’s with the Cats,” Fiona snapped. “And likely to become one of them before the night is through if you don’t do something about it. Not that I have anything against the Cougars—you know I try to be impartial towards all the Shifters in town. But this girl—Sadie—is for you, Mathis. Lady Moon is giving you another chance. If you don’t take it, you’ll never be offered it again.”

“Goddamnit!” Mathis snarled. “I told her she’d need to find another Alpha but I never meant for her to go to the fucking Cats!”

“Where did you think she would go?” Fiona asked reasonably. “Liam Keller has been actively pursuing her for the past two days. And if you don’t step up and do something about it, he’s going to make Sadie his mate this full-moon night.”

Mathis swore again. Anyone, he told himself. He could stand the idea of Sadie with anyone but that good-for-nothing Cougar.

Which was a damn lie. The idea of Sadie with any other male at all drove him into possessive rage. But the thought that Sadie—his Sadie—might end up with Keller of all people was enough to put him in a straight-up murdering mood.

“He can’t do this,” Mathis said thickly. “He can’t claim her—I put her under my protection!”

“From what I’ve been hearing, Keller is claiming Sadie is under his protection. And Nora from the Friendly Bean was just in here telling me she’d heard that Keller has given Sadie three gifts—two of food and one of goods—and she accepted all three.”

“She didn’t know any better!” Mathis shouted. “Nobody told her about the three-gifts rule. Hell, she only found out about being a Shifter last night! You know she had no fucking idea why people were acting so strangely around her? Not a clue in hell that she was putting out that damn Juvie scent, making everybody crazy?”

“Yes, I knew that, dear,” Fiona said quietly. “But I felt you should be the one to tell her. Seeing as how she’s your intended mate.”

Mathis thought about protesting again that Sadie didn’t belong to him and hadn’t been sent by any imaginary goddess but there was really no sense in arguing with Fiona. She had been a priestess of Lady Moon before she was a pharmacist and had absolute faith in her beliefs.

“You said she’s been there for four hours?” he asked instead, looking out the window of his cabin. “Did she go there on her own?”

“She was escorted by Keller,” Fiona said delicately. “And my understanding is that when she and her sister tried to leave, they were ah, detained.”

“Keller’s got her sister too?”

“I’m afraid so. She stopped in for lunch, apparently. It was shortly after that Keller escorted Sadie into the Den. They’re both still there.”

Mathis scowled. Damn it—should have warned her to avoid the Cougar’s Den! He had liked the feisty little blonde who Sadie had told him was a world-class surgeon. He knew she and Sadie were supposed to be twins but honestly, they couldn’t be more different. Sadie was quiet and sweet and to herself while her sister struck him as a balls-to-the-wall kind of female who wasn’t afraid of anyone or anything.

Bet Keller’s got his hands full with that one. The thought gave Mathis a moment of grim satisfaction.

“So what is Keller doing?” he asked Fiona. “Holding Sadie until moonrise to force her hand?” He knew that if Fiona was right and Sadie had her first Shift tonight, she’d be forced by her body’s urges to breed and bond with a male—even one she didn’t actually want. The breeding heat was simply too extreme to deny.

“That would be my guess,” Fiona said crisply. “And the night’s coming on pretty fast—moonrise is going to be here before you know it. You’d better get over to the Cougar’s Den if you want to claim her for yourself, Mathis.”

Mathis didn’t know about claiming Sadie for himself—he still felt it would be a mistake to try and bond her to him when he knew it was likely impossible. But he could at least make sure she made her own choice as to who her mate would be.

“I’m on my way,” he said grimly. “Maybe you’d better close up the pharmacy and come too.” Fiona, though not a Shifter herself, was a respected figure in the town and often mediated conflicts.

“Now that I’ve finally gotten through to you, I’m going right over,” she promised. “Just take care, Mathis. If it comes to a fight, you and Keller are pretty evenly matched in human form but Cougars can be tricky. If the two of you Shift . . .”

“Then he’ll have to get his whole Den involved to bring me down,” Mathis growled. “There’s no way in hell one puny Cougar can bring down my Buck by himself.”

“I don’t know dear . . .” Fiona still sounded worried, probably because Shifter Cougars weren’t exactly like their modern-day animal counterparts when they were in Shifted form. In fact, a Cougar from the Paleolithic era looked more like a saber-toothed tiger than the much smaller tawny wildcats found in mountains today.

Mathis didn’t give a good goddamn. Keller could come after him in human form or Shifted, alone or with his entire Den—he would still trample the son of a bitch into the forest floor and leave him bleeding in the dirt.

No male was going to claim and mate Sadie against her will and if Mathis had to kill to make that point clear, he damn well would.

Nineteen

“You asshole—you can’t keep us here against our will!” Samantha glared at Keller through the bars of the enclosure in which he was currently holding her and Sadie. It was an old iron cage jokingly labeled THE DRUNK TANK at the back of the Cougar’s Den.

It looked like a novelty item—a place to take funny selfies in the picturesque little bar you stopped at for lunch while on vacation in the Blue Ridge Mountains. But it had quickly become grimly clear to Sadie that the cage was fully functional. After having his two guards put her and her sister inside the cell and slam the door, Keller had produced an old-fashioned-looking key and proceeded to lock them in.

That had been hours ago—Sadie and Samantha had been stuck in the cage with nothing to do but catch up or, in Samantha’s case, hurl insults and invective at Keller whenever he walked past or came to check on them.

“You can’t keep us here,” she told Keller again.

“And yet, I appear to be doing exactly that.” He gave her a smug smile Sadie wished she could wipe off his handsome face with a slap. “Don’t worry, Dr. Becker,” he told Samantha with an elaborate bow. “Your confinement will soon be over. Once the moon rises and your lovely sister’s urge to breed with an Alpha becomes too intense for her to deny, she’ll see that my offer is a good one. As soon as she takes me up on it, I’ll let you go.”

“I’m not taking you up on it,” Sadie retorted angrily. “I’d rather die.”

“You shouldn’t speak so lightly, Sadie.” Keller looked at her seriously. “Because you will die if you don’t allow an Alpha to bond and breed you.”

Samantha gave a short, incredulous laugh.

“So you’re saying my sister will die if she doesn’t get your dick? You use that line a lot, Romeo? And has it ever worked before?”

Keller frowned and looked at Sadie.

“The two of you have been confined back here for hours. Haven’t you explained the situation to your sister yet?”

“I tried—” Sadie began.

“Of course she explained,” Samantha interrupted bluntly. “I just don’t believe it. I think you’re psychotic—and not just you, unfortunately. If what Sadie tells me is true, I believe this whole town is undergoing some kind of shared delusion.”

“What?” Keller glared at her. “How can you be so willfully ignorant? If that is the case, how do you explain the physical changes in your sister—changes you yourself noticed?”

Samantha shrugged. “Maybe something in the water, some mineral or chemical, or a mixture of several substances working together. Probably the same thing that’s making all of you think you can turn into animals when the moon gets full.”

Sadie sighed. “Sammie, everything I told you is true. I saw Mathis change with my own eyes.”

“Into a huge prehistoric deer, right?” Samantha said flatly. She looked at Keller. “And what do you turn into? A hamster? A guinea pig? A giant asshole? Oh, no wait—you’re already that.”

“My animal form is that of a Cougar from the Paleolithic era,” Keller said coolly. “If you’re lucky, you’ll get to see it tonight before your sister and I leave for our bonding.”

“I’m not going to bond with you,” Sadie repeated stubbornly. “I meant what I said, Keller—I would rather die than be trapped in another loveless relationship.”

He looked at her sharply through the bars of her cage.

“You might get your wish. You do realize that, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Sadie said quietly. “I do. And I’m not speaking lightly—there’s only one man I want in this town and it’s not you, Keller.”

He frowned. “You’ve formed quite an attachment to Blackwell, have you? You do realize that even if I let you go to him right now he couldn’t help you? Oh, he might be able to breed you but the two of you wouldn’t be able to form a life-bond. You’d become one of the Unformed—is that what you want?”

“Unformed?” Samantha frowned. “What the hell is that?”

“When a female Shifter is mated, she’ll take on the animal form of her mate. An Unformed is a female Shifter with no animal form,” Keller said crisply. “She will feel the urge to change on the night of the full moon but she will have no form to change into. Either she will turn into a helpless, shapeless mass—easy prey for any predators that may be roaming the forest—or, if she has great strength of will, she will retain her human form. Staying human when Lady Moon is calling you, however, is extremely painful and can lead to death.”

“So an Unformed is a woman who fails to become an animal during the full moon—in other words a normal person.” Samantha shook her head. “My God, this shared delusion is incredible. Do you see what you’ve done? You even have some elaborate explanation for what happens when someone doesn’t turn into an animal. Which must happen, oh, I don’t know—all the time, maybe?”

“Unformed Shifters are mercifully rare.” Keller’s deep, silky voice was cold. “An Unformed female feels the pull of her breeding cycle and the mating urges brought on by Lady Moon as acutely as any normal Shifter. Yet, she is unable to do anything about them. She cannot Shift to ease her agony and she has no bonded mate to alleviate her urges, which means she must bear excruciating pain for the rest of her existence.” He shook his head. “It is not a fate I would wish on any female, especially not one as lovely as your sister.”

Sadie felt herself go cold at his words. Fiona and Mathis had both said something about the Unformed but she hadn’t realized how serious the situation could be. Still, she didn’t want to take the safe and easy way out. Didn’t want to give in to Keller’s demands—or the demands of her own body—just to satisfy some mindless craving.

“Leave me alone,” she told Keller. “If you’re not going to let us out of this cage, the least you can do is leave me alone and let me think.”

“As you wish.” He nodded courteously and turned his back to speak to one of his men.

“Sadie . . .” Samantha took her hand and squeezed it. “Honey, don’t let him get to you. I swear we’re going to get out of here and when we do, I’ll get you the best help. We’ll get you someplace safe and get you detoxed so we can get whatever is poisoning you out of your system.”

Sadie sighed and raked a hand through her hair. Her head was pounding again, her temples throbbing with the now-familiar ache. Though she knew all she had to do to ease it was reach through the bars and touch Keller, she didn’t do it. She told herself she’d rather have the pain than give the big bastard the satisfaction of asking for his help. Plus, who knew if he might count it as another “gift” she had to pay back?

“Sammie,” she said, rubbing her temples. “I told you, I’m not poisoned or hypnotized or anything like that. God, I wish I had that box of pictures I found at the cabin! I know if you saw all the evidence Mom left behind, you’d believe me.”

“But we’re twins, Sadie. Fraternal, it’s true, but we had the same parents, the same genetic makeup. If all this is happening to you, then doesn’t it stand to reason it should be happening to me too?” Samantha demanded, spreading her hands. “But look at me—I’m still forty. And I’m not turning into any kind of animal during the full moon. I’m telling you, hon—there is no ‘Shifter Gene.’ It’s just something in the water or the air here that’s super good for your body and really bad for your mind and your sense of reality.”

“That would be a really reasonable explanation if I hadn’t seen Mathis Shift last night,” Sadie said. “I’m sorry, Sammie, I know it’s hard for you to swallow. You’re a surgeon and a scientist—I get it. But you just have to believe me—I’m not crazy or deluded.”

Samantha shook her head. “I just don’t see how—”

And then a full-throated male roar came from the entrance of the bar, cutting her off.

“All right, Keller, where is she?”

Twenty

The deep, angry voice from the direction of the bar’s front door made both women jump.

Sadie looked up, heart pounding, to see Mathis striding into the Den. His black hair was wild, his forest-green eyes were blazing with rage, and he somehow looked twice as big as usual—which was pretty damn huge. Actually, he looked terrifying.

She saw some of the other Shifter males step hastily away to give him space and she didn’t blame them. If she hadn’t known that Mathis was there for her, she would have been terrified too.

Keller, however, didn’t seem in the least perturbed. He stepped up to Mathis so that they were eye-to-eye and gave the other man his coolest stare.

“If you’re referring to my future mate, Sadie Becker, she’s in a safe place which is none of your business, Buck.”

“I’m making it my business, Cat,” Mathis growled. “So you better fucking let her go if you don’t want me to skin you alive and hang your hide from the rafters of this damn shithole you call a bar!”

“Mathis—in here! We’re in here,” Sadie called to him from the cage.

He walked around Keller and came striding to the back of the Den where she was pressed anxiously against the bars.

“You okay, sweetheart?” He looked Sadie up and down with obvious concern, as though checking for injuries. “Did he hurt you? Because I swear if he so much as fucking touched you—”

“I’m not a monster, Blackwell,” Keller said sharply, coming up behind him. “I don’t wish to hurt her—just bond her to me—something we both know you cannot do.”

For a moment Sadie thought Mathis would explode and tear into the other man then and there. Instead he closed his eyes tightly for a moment and took a deep breath. Finally he looked at her again, his green eyes filled with frustration.

“He’s right, sweetheart,” he said heavily. “I can’t bond you to me.” He turned to Keller. “But I can damn well make sure Sadie winds up with the male she wants.”

“The male she has chosen is me,” Keller insisted. “I have offered her three gifts—two of food and one of goods—and she accepted all three.”

“Come to that, I gave her three gifts—two of food and one of shelter—which she also accepted.” Mathis glared at the other man. “Take a whiff of her, Keller—you’ll smell me all over her. She’s not for you.”

“Did he just tell the other guy to ‘smell you’ to prove you’re his?” Sadie heard her twin mutter behind her. “God, this town just gets weirder and weirder.”

“Now then, now then . . .” The light female voice somehow cut through the angry muttering of the assembled Shifters. Sadie saw them parting and then Fiona appeared, no longer wearing her white lab coat. Her flowing peacock-blue gown and abundant chunky jewelry made her look more than ever like some gypsy queen who had somehow wandered into town.

“Fiona.” Keller gave her a brief bow of respect. “You’re always welcome in my Den.”

“Thank you.” She nodded regally back. “But why do you have the newest member of our town locked up, Liam?”

“Sadie is under my protection—as I was just telling Blackwell here. I have given her three gifts and she accepted them all. The third being a gift of food, which happened just at lunchtime today.” He looked at Mathis coolly. “As that is the most recent accepted gift, I claim her as my mate.”

“I see.” Fiona looked thoughtful. “And what does Mathis have to say about this?”

“That he’s got no right to claim her! I have also given her three gifts and I know for a fact she’s being held here against her will,” Mathis growled.

“I am holding her for her own protection,” Keller said silkily. “Her scent was putting Sadie in danger—I had to lock her up for her own good.”

“I helped her cover her scent for that exact reason,” Mathis snapped. “So there was no reason to lock her up.”

“Excuse me,” Sadie said through the bars of the cage. “Do I get a say in all this?”

“Most certainly, my dear.” Fiona turned her luminous dark eyes on Sadie. “Do you admit that you have accepted three gifts from each of these males?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“What does my sister accepting gifts have to do with us being locked up?” Samantha demanded. She looked at Fiona. “Are you some kind of judge or arbitrator or something? Because I can tell you right now, we are being held in here against our will. Also, I was tricked into accepting lunch, which I assume this asshole here,” she nodded at Keller, “is talking about when he says Sadie accepted food from him.”

“Liam Keller, is this true?” Fiona asked, frowning. “It was not even Sadie who accepted your third gift?”

“A mere technicality. Her sister acted as a proxy.” Keller frowned stubbornly. “You seem to be missing a vital point here, Fiona—even if I let Sadie go to Blackwell, he cannot form a life-bond with her.”

“That may be true,” Mathis growled. “But it doesn’t mean you’re her only other option. Sadie has a right to choose for herself.”

Keller’s pale green eyes went icy. “You only say that because you know she’ll choose you. You’ll turn her into one of the Unformed and waste her Juvie potential, you selfish bastard!”

“Who are you calling a selfish bastard, Cat?” Mathis snarled. “You only want her because she’s a Juvie. You don’t give a good goddamn about Sadie’s feelings at all! You just want to breed her to carry on your line.”

“And you want her for something different?” Keller drawled. “Please, do enlighten us, Blackwell.”

“I want her because I fucking love her!” Mathis roared.

Sadie caught her breath. Could it really be true? She knew that she and Mathis had only known each other a very short time. And yet . . . she couldn’t help feeling they were somehow meant to be together. She’d been strangely drawn to him from the very first and now it seemed that he was drawn to her too. Her heart began pounding like a drum.

“Well . . .” Fiona looked at both men, who were still eye-to-eye, glaring daggers at each other. “That’s a very strong statement, Mathis,” she said to him. Looking at Keller she asked, “Can you honestly say the same, Liam? Do you also love Sadie Becker?”

“No.” Keller shook his head coolly. “I have no love to give any female. But I would treat Sadie well and provide amply for her and for my child when she bears it. I refuse to renounce my claim on her.”

“For the last time, asshole, my sister is not going to have your baby,” Samantha said angrily. “What is wrong with you people?”

“Peace, dear,” Fiona reproved her gently. “I know you’re angry on your sister’s behalf but we have a difficult decision to make here.” She turned to Mathis. “As you and Liam have both given Sadie three gifts, you both have a claim on her. I’m inclined to rule in your favor but you must answer me one thing: Will you take Sadie as your mate and bond her to you this full-moon night?”

“He can’t!” Keller exclaimed. “He’s already been bonded once!”

“Mathis . . .” Fiona was looking at the big Shifter, ignoring Keller’s outburst. “I have told you that I believe you have a chance to make another bond. Will you accept the will of Lady Moon and trust her in this? Will you bond Sadie to yourself this night?”

He sighed and looked at Sadie who was watching with a drumming heart. If Fiona somehow thought it was possible for Mathis to form a life-bond with her then maybe it was! If he would just agree to try . . .

But Mathis was shaking his head.

“I’m sorry, Fiona,” he said in a low voice. “You know I want to, but—”

“You said you loved me!” The words broke from Sadie’s lips before she could stop them. “You said you loved me, Mathis! Why won’t you at least try?”

“Because I do love you, sweetheart.” His dark green eyes were filled with agony and regret. “Too much to risk your whole future. Keller’s right—I can’t risk trying to bond you.” He looked back at Fiona. “But I still refuse to renounce my claim.”

“What?” Keller demanded. “You can’t do that. You have to renounce if you don’t want to bond and mate her yourself.”

“No.” Mathis glared at him. “I can still act as her champion. I can still make sure she gets to choose who her mate is—and it damn sure isn’t going to be you, Keller!”

Keller arched an eyebrow. “Are you challenging me?” he asked in a low, purring voice.

“You’re damn right I’m challenging you,” Mathis growled. “Here and now I challenge you for the right to Sadie Becker.”

Fiona sighed. “Neither candidate will renounce his claim and a challenge has been asked and answered. Clear some room!”

“Not in the middle of my bar!” Keller protested. “The property damage alone—”

“Yes, in the middle of the bar,” Fiona said firmly. “It’s a full moon tonight, and tempers are high. Indoors the two of you have a much better chance of staying human. If even a beam of moonlight touches you, this challenge could turn deadly.”

“It’s already deadly,” Mathis snarled. “I’m going to kill this son of a bitch!”

“Just try it,” Keller purred in a low, dangerous voice. “You know what your problem is? You’re too much of a fool to know when you’re already beaten, Blackwe—”

Before Keller could finish his taunt, Mathis had already thrown the first punch.

It caught Keller a glancing blow on the chin but the other man was quick—Cat-quick, Sadie thought—and he managed to jerk back before the punch really connected.

“Clear some room!” Fiona shouted again. There was a hasty scraping of chairs as the bar patrons—which by now seemed to include most of the adult population of Cougarville—started pushing the tall bar stools and tables out of the way.

Sadie bit her lip. Keller and Mathis were still squaring off with Keller looking for an opening to return the other man’s blow and it was all happening right in front of the locked cage. As they circled each other, Sadie watched in fear, her heart pounding, her palms cold and clammy where she gripped the iron bars. Mathis, she thought as the two men glared daggers, snarls rising in their throats. Oh, Mathis—please be careful!

“My God, do you realize how bizarre this is?” Samantha murmured in her ear. “You have two extremely hot, much younger men fighting over you, Sadie! I mean, one of them is a total asshole but still—did they name this town right or what?”

“Be quiet,” Sadie begged her sister, her eyes on the action where Keller had just thrown a punch that landed squarely in Mathis’s ribs. “I need to see this—need to make sure he’s going to be okay!”

“Hey . . .” Samantha looked at her with wonder in her dark blue eyes. “You really care about him, don’t you? I mean, you’ve only known the guy for what—a few days?”

“I know it sounds crazy,” Sadie said desperately. “But I can’t help what I feel, okay? It’s like we have this . . . this connection. I can’t explain it—I just know we should be together.”

“Oh my God.” Samantha rolled her eyes. “Please shoot me if I ever start talking like that about some man.”

Sadie shot her a glare but said nothing—her throat was too tight for words.

“All right,” Samantha said, relenting. “All right, Sadie—I’m just worried about you. I’ve never seen you fall so hard and fast before. I just can’t help wondering if it has something to do with the whole mass delusion you and everyone else in this town seems to be suffering from.”

“For the last time, it’s not a delusion!” Sadie loved her sister but sometimes Samantha’s skeptical side could really get on her nerves. Samantha never believed in anything unless irrefutable proof was shoved right in her face. It was probably a big reason she’d never been married—love was just another thing she didn’t believe in.

The punches were flying hard and fast now and it was impossible to say which man was winning. Keller was bleeding from a split lip, a thin trickle of blood running from one corner of his sensuous mouth. Mathis had a cut eyebrow and kept shaking his head to keep the blood from dripping in his eye. Both men were breathing hard but it was clear they were almost completely evenly matched.

Sadie was just thinking that the fight might go on for hours when a gun went off and changed everything.

Twenty-one

“Oh my God!” Sadie gasped as the shot echoed in the packed bar.

At first she was certain that Mathis had been shot. He stood stock still and then jerked strangely, a wild look in his eyes. A wild familiar look, she suddenly realized.

Looking at him more closely, she saw that the dim bar was suddenly brighter. In fact, there was a silvery beam of illumination coming down from above and Mathis was standing right in the middle of it.

“Look at that,” Samantha said in her ear. “Some fool shot a hole right in the ceiling! This is ridiculous—when are we ever going to get stricter gun laws in this country?”

“Moonlight!” someone in the crowd shouted. “Watch out—he’s Shifting!”

To her mingled horror and fascination, Sadie saw they were right. Mathis’s big body was jerking and changing, the muscles and bones beginning to rearrange themselves under his olive-toned skin.

“God,” she heard Samantha whisper beside her. “What’s wrong with him? Is he seizing? Do you know if he has a history of epilepsy, Sadie? Or any kind of temporal lobe trauma?”

Sadie didn’t answer her twin—she didn’t need to.

At that moment, Mathis lost the battle he’d been clearly fighting not to change. His clothes ripped apart and suddenly the entire process she’d seen the night before—bones lengthening, knees bending backward, fur flowing to cover the suddenly massive form—all happened again. Only this time, it seemed to happen in fast forward—so quickly Sadie could barely follow it all. Almost before she could blink, a massive Buck stood before them. Last of all, the enormous rack of antlers popped out of his forehead, taking up what seemed to be all of the available space in the already crowded bar.

“Get back! Get away!” she heard people shouting and beside her Samantha sounded like she was hyperventilating.

“Oh my God . . . oh God, what just happened to him? Where did he go and how did that thing get in here?” she gasped.

But Sadie wasn’t paying attention to her sister or the crowd or even Mathis in his Buck form. Her eyes were glued to Keller—he was changing too.

His Shift was at least as fast as Mathis’s, though somehow more graceful. His face elongated, his ears moved to the top of his head, and his pale green eyes grew huge. He was down on all fours, ripping out of his expensive designer clothes almost before Sadie could blink and then tawny, dappled fur flowed over his body.

“My God,” Samantha whispered hoarsely. “Look at the size of that thing! I thought Keller said he turned into a Cougar—not a freaking horse! And look at those teeth. What the hell? I thought only saber-toothed tigers had fangs like that!”

It was true, Sadie saw with a sinking heart. Keller’s animal form had long, curving, almost tusklike fangs that protruded from his snarling mouth. Not only that—he really was as big as a horse. Mathis’s Buck was still bigger but Keller’s Cougar appeared to be well equipped to take him on.

The two huge animals began to circle each other as everyone cleared out of the way. From somewhere on the fringes of the crowd, Sadie could hear Fiona shouting orders. Something about clearing any Betas who couldn’t hold back their urge to Shift out of the bar.

Sadie supposed it made sense—if everyone started Shifting the one-on-one fight would become a free-for-all. Not that it wasn’t already. People were shouting and whooping and struggling to get farther away from the Shifter battle that was now taking up considerably more space than before.

It was surreal to see two huge animals, which belonged back in the Stone Age, facing off in the prosaic setting of a local tavern. The neon lights from the COORS LIGHT sign above the bar gleamed off the Buck’s hooves and horns and the Cougar stepped delicately around a spilled puddle of beer on the hardwood floor. Sadie felt like she must be dreaming, but it was all too real.

It’s Clan of the Cave Bear right here in Cougarville, she thought deliriously. Oh my God, this is insane!

Mathis’s Buck snorted and tossed his head, stamping one hoof on the wooden floor. Keller’s Cougar snarled and crouched, the tip of his tail twitching like a cat about to pounce.

“Oh, Mathis,” Sadie couldn’t help whispering to herself. “Please be careful—please!”

And then everything seemed to happen at once. The huge Cougar sprang, clearly aiming for the Buck’s throat. The Buck tossed his head, bringing his enormous rack of antlers into play. With a single swipe, he tossed the heavy Cougar across the room—and right into the bars of the cage.

“Oh!” Sadie and Samantha gasped together, jumping back. Neither had been hurt but the thick iron bars were now bent, Sadie saw, and the massive Cougar was lying on the floor, shaking his head as though dazed by the impact.

For a moment she thought he would stay down. Then, with an angry snarl, the Cougar launched himself from the floor straight onto the Buck’s back.

Mathis’s Buck threw back his head and snorted, sweeping his antlers from side to side, clearly hoping to catch the Cougar and toss him again. But this time the big Cat was keeping low, under the swinging rack. Ears laid back to his skull, he bent his head and sank the six-inch razor-sharp fangs into the side of the Buck’s throat.

“No!” Sadie gasped—she was sure it must be a killing blow. And for another, smaller animal it surely would have been. But Mathis’s Buck was truly huge and his skin and pelt were thick and shaggy, providing some protection. With an angry snort he bucked upward, like a bronco trying to rid himself of an unwanted rider.

The Cougar lost his grip on the Buck’s neck but still he held on, his long, cruel claws digging into the other animal’s shaggy coat. The Buck went wild—stamping and twisting, trying anything to shake the Cougar off. His huge antlers swept from side to side, clattering against the low ceiling and knocking bottles of premium scotch and bourbon from the shelves of the bar. They burst like bombs, spraying their contents and filling the air with an alcoholic reek as the Buck’s hooves made deep scars in the wooden floor. But still Keller’s Cougar clung to his back.

Sadie looked around wildly for a weapon—anything at all she could use to help dislodge the Cougar. The only thing in the cage with them was a beer bottle some former drunk had left as a souvenir. Grabbing it, Sadie took aim through the bent section of the cage, which gave her a little more clearance.

Once upon a time, she’d been a pitcher in her high school softball league. Of course, that was mostly underhand pitching but she’d practiced a fair amount of overhand as well for speed and accuracy. Sadie knew she would need both to pull off what she was hoping to do, especially with both huge animals thrashing around like crazy in the center of the room.

Are you crazy? whispered a little voice in her head. Sure you were a pitcher but that was over twenty years ago. The last time you held a ball was when you played catch with the twins back when they were ten.

It didn’t matter though—she wasn’t the old Sadie anymore. As she hefted the beer bottle, she could feel the muscle memory returning to her pitching arm. The Rejuvenation process that had given her back her youth had also given her confidence to go with it. She could do this, damn it—she was sure of it.

Samantha clearly understood what she was trying.

“Go, Sadie,” she whispered fiercely. “You’ve got this—brain that bastard!”

With a low cry, Sadie threw the heavy glass bottle as hard as she could. Whistling, it flew end over end, flashing like a deadly, glinting missile through the bar’s smoky air.

Thwack! To her satisfaction, it hit the Cougar right in the side of the head, just as he was bending down to try and get another bite.

The blow, while not as hard as she would have liked, was enough to startle the big Cat. Sadie laughed in relief at the almost comical look on his feline face as he lost his grip and fell off the Buck’s back onto the hardwood floor.

Mathis’s Buck didn’t waste any time. Before the Cougar could get up again, he was trampling the huge Cat—sharp hooves stabbing down with lethal force.

There was a low, feline yowl and Sadie shuddered to hear bones snapping along with the heavy jabbing blows of the Buck’s hooves coming down over and over and over again. He was just one animal but the wooden floor shook with his weight and it sounded like a herd of buffalo had decided to run through the bar.

“He’ll kill him,” Samantha whispered in a horrified voice. “I think he’s actually going to kill Keller!”

“Why do you care?” Sadie demanded. But at the same time, she realized she didn’t want to see Mathis kill the other man, even if they were both in animal form. It was too awful—too final.

“Call him,” Samantha urged her. “Call him over.”

“Mathis!” Sadie shouted. “Mathis, please—I need you!”

As she said the words, she realized they were nothing but the truth. The pounding headache that had been with her almost since Keller locked her in the cage was reaching a throbbing crescendo. She needed the touch of an Alpha soon—it felt like her head was going to explode.

Mathis’s Buck snorted and looked up at her.

“Mathis,” she begged again. “Please!”

The Buck tossed his head. Leaving the bleeding mass of fur on the floor, he came trotting over to the cage. He gave Sadie a long look from one liquid brown eye. Then, lowering his head, he rattled his massive, wide-spreading antlers against the iron bars.

“It’s locked,” Sadie told him. “We need the key. Unless you think you can break it?”

The Buck snorted and shook his head up and down. Then he backed up and turned around so that his back hooves were toward the cage.

“Get back—into the corner. He’s going to kick it open!” Sadie grabbed her twin and dragged her out of the danger zone.

The Buck aimed a few well-placed blows at the door of the drunk tank. On the third ringing kick Sadie heard the flat snap of the metal lock breaking and the door flew open with a clang.

“We’re out—we’re free!” She grabbed her sister’s hand. “Come on—let’s get out of here!”

“I can’t. Can’t go.” For some reason, Samantha hung back.

Sadie saw her twin was looking at the trampled form of the Cougar. At first she thought Mathis’s Buck had killed him after all. Blood was pooling around his head and he seemed to be perfectly still. Then she saw one huge, furry side heave as the big Cat gasped for breath. A low, painful sound came from between the deadly jaws as he twitched helplessly.

“Sammie, no!” she exclaimed as her twin started cautiously towards the massive injured animal. “You’re a trauma surgeon—not a vet. You can’t help him and you know how dangerous wounded animals are—he’ll kill you!”

“No, he won’t.” Samantha looked up, her eyes blazing. “You know me, Sadie—I can’t leave a patient to die when I might be able to save him. Even an asshole like Keller.”

“But—” Suddenly she felt a cool hand on her arm.

“Let your sister do what she must, my dear,” a soft voice murmured in her ear. It was Fiona, speaking quietly and calmly despite all the chaos and confusion around them.

“I don’t want her to get hurt,” Sadie protested. “That Cougar thing is huge.”

“All will be well,” Fiona promised her. “Tonight your sister starts her journey but your own is far from finished. Go with Mathis, my dear—he’s waiting for you.”

The huge Buck snorted and tossed his head as though agreeing with her.

Sadie looked back at Fiona, at her ageless face and large dark eyes that seemed to hold secrets that might never be revealed. And then she cast a glance at Samantha, who was kneeling beside the massive Cougar and barking orders to some of the other people in the crowd who still hadn’t left the bar.

“You—call nine-one-one. Do it now! And you”—pointing to another hapless bar patron—“is there a first aid kit in here? Go find it and bring it to me. Move it!”

Sadie had to smother a smile. Whatever her faults, Samantha was definitely good at taking charge in an emergency situation. And she could also be flexible when she had to. She’d gone from completely disbelieving the whole Shifter idea to embracing it wholeheartedly and treating one of the most frightening Alphas in town as a patient. Yes, Fiona was right—her sister could definitely handle herself.

“All right,” she said at last. “I guess she’ll be all right.”

“Of course she will.” Fiona gave her a mysterious smile. “And one more thing, my dear—don’t be afraid to take what you want and what you need. If you have the courage to stretch out your hand for it, I promise it will be yours.”

Sadie bit her lip. “I don’t know exactly what that means but . . . I’ll try.”

Fiona nodded gravely. “That is all I can ask.”

“Thank you.” Sadie hugged her impulsively. “For everything.”

The enigmatic dark eyes grew warm. “Thank me when this night is over and you’re happily bonded, my dear. Now go.”

“All right.” Sadie nodded and climbed up to balance precariously on a high bar stool. “Come on, Mathis.”

The Buck understood and trotted over to her, standing still so she could climb on his broad back. As before, Sadie sat at the base of his neck. Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around the shaggy throat.

“Let’s go!” she told him. “Take me away from all this.”

The Buck snorted and they were off.

Twenty-two

It was a good thing the Cougar’s Den had wide double front doors or they would never have gotten out with Mathis in his animal form. Luckily, the doors were standing open, and so, with Sadie crouching low over his neck to avoid being scraped off, they were able to get outside.

The minute the silvery moonlight hit her, Sadie began to feel strange. To feel wrong.

For one thing the throbbing headache that had been about to drive her crazy was suddenly completely gone. That in and of itself was such a relief Sadie didn’t notice the wrongness until Mathis’s Buck had trotted off of Main Street and was heading out into the forest that surrounded Cougarville. But once she started noticing it, she couldn’t ignore it.

It started with a tingling in her nipples—a feeling of sensitivity so great that her plain cotton bra suddenly seemed intensely itchy and uncomfortable. Then the sensitivity spread to the area between her legs. Sadie shifted uncomfortably on the Buck’s back as her pussy began to feel swollen and hot and for some reason empty—so empty.

What’s wrong with me? Is it the breeding fever Fiona and Keller were talking about?

If it was, they hadn’t been wrong about the fever part of it. Her nipples and sex were getting hotter and hotter, more and more swollen as she rode, jouncing uncomfortably on the Buck’s back. The rest of her body felt hot too—almost as though she had a live coal inside her that was radiating heat from the inside out. A chilly autumn wind whipped through the branches of the forest but Sadie barely noticed it. Her skin felt too hot and too tight—stretched over her body like suit that had shrunk until it no longer fit and there was a tension growing inside her she’d never felt before.

It’s happening, she thought deliriously. It’s really happening. I’m out of time—I’m going to Shift tonight . . . but into what?

She knew what Fiona and Keller had both told her—that the final form of her animal would be determined by the male who bred her. Strangely, the idea no longer seemed foreign or wrong to her. In fact, Sadie thought she was beginning to understand what female animals who went into heat felt like.

She’d been given a cat once in college by a friend who swore the animal was already neutered. At first she had seemed like the perfect pet—Miss Meow was an indolent feline whose favorite hobbies were snoozing in a patch of sunshine by Sadie’s dorm room window and batting around a catnip mouse. Most of the time she’d been content to stay indoors—until, of course, her natural urges kicked in.

Sadie had found out the hard way that the cat wasn’t actually fixed. Grimly, she remembered the first time the cat had come into heat—Sadie and the rest of her dorm had been woken up by an unearthly yowling at 3:00 A.M. It quickly became clear that all Miss Meow’s girly parts were intact and fully functional—not only that, she was itching to use them.

Now, with the moonlight pouring down on her and her whole body heating up, Sadie thought of how she had stumbled out of bed that night to find Miss Meow screaming and yowling and arching her back. She’d been scratching at the door, trying desperately to get out of the dorm so she could find a willing tom to scratch her itch. It almost sounded as though she was in pain. Or at the very least, desperate for some male attention.

That was how Sadie was beginning to feel now—desperate. And the hard ridge of the Buck’s spine pressing insistently against her swollen sex as she rode was making things infinitely worse.

At last, just as they came to a small, moonlit clearing, Sadie felt she couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Stop! Stop!” she gasped, pounding on the Buck’s sides. “Please, Mathis—I need to get down!”

Obligingly, the huge creature stopped and lowered himself, folding his legs under him. As soon as the ground was close enough, Sadie rolled off his back. She found herself in the middle of a soft patch of springy moss that felt cool and soothing to her fevered skin. For a moment she just lay there, breathing, trying to get control of the desire that was threatening to consume her. God, how could her body go so crazy all at once? And how was she going to make it through this?

“Sweetheart? You okay?”

Mathis’s deep voice behind her startled her. Sadie sat up and turned around to see him crouching on the mossy ground behind her. Apparently he’d Shifted back to human form so quietly and quickly she hadn’t heard a thing.

He was completely naked, of course, and his deep green eyes still held some of the wildness of his Buck—as well as overwhelming concern for her.

“Oh, Mathis!” Sadie threw herself into his arms and he held her tight against his broad, bare chest. “I was so afraid,” she whispered, pressing her hot face to the side of his neck. “So afraid he would hurt you—kill you.”

“Nah, sweetheart—I’m fine,” he assured her, his deep voice rumbling through her as he held her close. “Keller got in a few good bites but my Buck has pretty thick skin—I’m okay.”

“I’m so glad.” Sadie nuzzled against him. “I couldn’t stand to lose you.” She dared to look up at him at last. “What you told Fiona, well . . . I feel the same way. I mean, I love you too.”

“God, Sadie!” Mathis crushed her to him and gave her a deep, searching kiss. Sadie opened to him at once, parting her lips to welcome him in as she wove her fingers through his thick, wild black hair.

The kiss was sweet—sweeter than anything she’d ever felt before—but somehow it seemed to make her problem much, much worse.

Sadie tore herself away from his mouth, moaning. She was so hot she could barely breathe—the jeans and sweater she had on felt like they were suffocating her.

“What? What is it, sweetheart?” Mathis looked at her anxiously.

“Can’t . . . breathe,” Sadie gasped. She tore at her clothes but all the strength seemed to have run out of her arms and legs. “Please,” she begged. “Help!”

Mathis must have seen the desperation in her eyes because he grabbed the hem of her sweater and tugged it quickly over her head. Then he unbuttoned her jeans and yanked them down along with her boots. Finally Sadie was left in her bra and panties but even they were too much.

“More,” she begged Mathis. “Take it all off. Please.”

He nodded. “All right.” With quick, economical motions, he stripped her out of her bra and panties. Panting, Sadie lay in the cool moss under the full moon, trying to catch her breath.

“You okay?” Mathis leaned over, looked down at her anxiously.

“I don’t know,” she whispered honestly. She felt a little cooler now, thanks to the lovely soft moss. But the sensitivity and heat in her nipples and pussy hadn’t diminished a bit—in fact, if anything, the distressing sensations had grown. Even worse, the empty pain inside her was getting stronger all the time. “I feel so . . . so strange,” she whispered to Mathis. “So wrong inside.”

“Wrong how, sweetheart?” he asked softly, stroking her cheek gently. “Tell me what I can do to help you.”

“I . . . I think it’s the breeding heat,” Sadie admitted. “I feel so hot here”—she touched her nipples lightly—“and here.” She put a hand on her mound. “And I feel so empty inside. Is that what it feels like?” she asked Mathis. “Or is it something else?

“I don’t know.” He frowned. “Never had the breeding heat myself, of course, and I’ve never been with a Juvie either. But I don’t know what else it could be.”

“Can . . . can you help me?” Sadie asked him urgently. “Touch me? Taste me? Do something, Mathis—I can’t stand this!”

Part of her couldn’t believe the demands she was making—was this really mousy little Sadie who had meekly agreed to leave the lights off every single time she made love for twenty years of marriage? Was this the woman who had kept her desires so tightly under wraps she could scarcely admit them, even to herself? The woman who did fund-raisers and bake sales and played the dutiful wife so well she never once complained about the lack of variety in her sex life or asked her husband if just once they could try something new?

No, she thought, suddenly. That’s not me anymore.

“Mathis,” she demanded again, opening her arms to him, putting herself on display. “Help me!”

“I’ll try, sweetheart,” he growled softly. Bending down, he lapped gently around one stiff peak before sucking her nipple completely into his hot mouth.

Sadie moaned at the delicious sensation and arched up, pressing her breasts up to meet him, begging for more. This was what she needed—she knew that now. This but more . . . so much more.

“Please,” she whispered as Mathis switched sides and sucked her other tender bud between his lips. His close-cropped black beard scratched gently against her breast as he took her nipple deep, drawing on it hard until she moaned with pleasure. “Mathis!” she moaned, pressing up to meet him. “Mathis, please—that feels so good but I need more.”

He let her nipple slip from between his lips and looked at her. “How much more do you need, sweetheart? God knows I’ll give you as much as I can.”

“I need . . .” Sadie bit her lip, unsure how to proceed. “Well, Fiona said the only way to cure it—the breeding fever I mean—was to have a male, um, breed me.”

“God, sweetheart, you don’t know how much I want to breed you.” Mathis’s voice was a low, hoarse growl. “But if I do that—if I breed you—my body will try to form a life-bond with you. And you know I can’t do that.”

“I know you think you can’t,” Sadie countered. “But Fiona seemed to think you can. Please, Mathis—can’t you at least try? I’m in so much trouble here. I need you.” Indeed, though her nipples felt better, it felt like the tension that had eased in her breasts had been transferred to her pussy. She felt swollen and hot between her legs—desperate for his touch, nearly climbing out of her skin with desire.

But Mathis was shaking his head.

“You need a male who can bond you! I should Shift back to my Buck form and carry you back to town—find you an Alpha who can actually help you.”

“I don’t want any other man,” Sadie protested. “And I won’t accept one.”

He glared at her. “You’re damn stubborn, aren’t you? And here I thought your sister was the sassy one.”

“Sammie has her moments.” Sadie gave him a fleeting smile. “But I can be just as stubborn as her. Please, Mathis . . .” She looked at him pleadingly. “I’m desperate—please don’t make me beg.”

He shook his head indecisively. “I don’t want to do that to you—to breed you—except as a last resort.”

“A last resort? What do you mean?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I mean . . . I think we should try to back the breeding fever down some first. Maybe your first Shift can be put off until the next full moon if you just come now.”

“I don’t know,” Sadie said doubtfully. The pulling, drawing sensation between her thighs dragged at her—a void that needed desperately to be filled. “Mathis, I feel so empty inside.”

“Let me just try, sweetheart,” he murmured, stroking her cheek. “I swear if coming on my tongue doesn’t help you, I’ll let you come on my cock.”

His hot words sent a shiver of pure lust down Sadie’s spine.

“You promise?” she whispered, looking up at him.

Mathis growled softly. “I shouldn’t but . . . yeah, I give you my word. Only let me try making you come with my mouth first.”

Sadie wasn’t about to deny him that pleasure. She still had vivid memories of his mouth on her the night before—she was certainly willing to repeat the experience.

She started to spread her legs for him but Mathis stopped her.

“No, baby.” His eyes were wide and wild in the moonlight. “No, get up on your hands and knees—I want to taste you from behind.”

“From . . . from behind?” Sadie bit her lip, feeling suddenly nervous. Here was another position she’d never used much, again because Jeff had preferred missionary in the dark to almost anything else. If she hadn’t been so nervous she would have been irritated that twenty years of married sex hadn’t prepared her a bit for anything even remotely sensual or different.

“Yeah, from behind. That’s breeding position,” Mathis murmured, his eyes half-lidded with lust. “That way if licking you doesn’t help, I can slide my cock right into your open pussy.”

“God, Mathis!” His words sent a hot shiver of desire straight through her. Sadie had never realized how much she liked dirty talk before, but she was certainly finding out now. When the big Shifter told her what he wanted to do to her it seemed to light a fire inside her—one that only he could quench.

“That’s right, sweetheart,” he growled as he got her into position, her hands and knees resting on the cool springy moss. “Spread your thighs wide for me. I need to get in there and lick your little pussy deep. Need to try and satisfy that breeding fever of yours with my tongue so you don’t have to take my cock.”

“But . . . but I want to do that,” Sadie protested breathlessly. “I want you inside me, Mathis—filling me up.”

“I will be, if there’s no other way,” he promised. “Now get down low, baby and raise your ass up in the air. Let me really get into that sweet, wet pussy.”

Moaning, Sadie did as she was told. Bending low, she pressed her naked breasts to the cool moss. It tickled her nipples, which were tight with need but then, her whole body felt as tight as a fist—tensed for his touch. She could feel her heart beating in every part of her body and her pussy was so swollen with need she couldn’t have closed her thighs without pain. Thankfully, Mathis appeared to want them wide open.

Turning her head, she watched as the big Shifter’s huge form bent low to reach her. God, had she had never felt so open before, so vulnerable? The answer was an unequivocal no. Yet the heat that pulsed in her pussy wouldn’t let her stop or even slow down. She needed this too much—needed Mathis too much—to end the process now.

In fact, if he didn’t get started soon, she thought she was going to die.

“Mathis,” she started to say but just then she felt the broad pads of his thumbs spreading her pussy lips wide and something hot and wet bathed her inner folds.

Twenty-three

Sadie moaned and bucked back to meet him as Mathis licked her sweet, open sex. God, the sounds she was making were driving him crazy! The way she arched her back and pushed her pink little pussy up to meet his tongue . . . the sweet, slippery taste of her . . . the intoxicating scent of a Juvie in heat . . . all of it worked together to make him so hard he couldn’t wait to take her.

No, he told himself sternly as she moaned and begged for more. No, shouldn’t do that! It won’t end well—she could become one of the Unformed.

As much as he loved Sadie, he didn’t want to breed her and have a failed bonding—didn’t want to do anything to hurt her. But he also knew that if they couldn’t back down her heat and she didn’t get bred, her own needs could kill her. The breeding fever was nothing to mess around with.

Ought to take her back to town . . . find another Alpha. There are plenty of decent guys who could bond her.

But none that Sadie wanted—she only wanted him. And Mathis only wanted her. For ten long years he’d been without a female to love and take care of and protect, a female to take to his bed and worship with his tongue and fingers and cock. He missed that—it was a pleasure he had almost forgotten. But should he let himself remember it now? Should he take a risk and bet Sadie’s life?

Hell no, I shouldn’t, he told himself angrily.

But she wants you—she said she’d refuse any other Alpha, a little voice in his head reminded him.

Well, maybe Mathis could change her mind about that. But only if he could back her heat down a notch or two. If only he could give her enough pleasure to take the edge off . . .

Bending lower, he licked her again, dragging his tongue up over the tender bump of her clit as Sadie moaned and pressed back to meet him.

“Mathis!” she moaned. “God, Mathis—I’m so close! So close.”

Already? Damn, she needs this bad.

Losing himself in her heat, Mathis wrapped his arms around her thighs and pressed his face hard to her sweet little pussy. Lapping her open folds, he felt her spasm against his tongue, her sex gushing honey as he pushed her over the edge.

God, how he wanted her! As she cried his name and came against his mouth, Mathis’s cock was so hard it felt like he could fuck through a steel wall. But he still didn’t think he should breed her, no matter how badly he wanted to.

I won’t if I can help it, he told himself fiercely. Maybe this orgasm is what she needed—maybe it will back down the heat.

He would just have to see how she reacted.

“Mathis!” Sadie moaned, pressing back to meet him. His mouth on her felt so good, so right, and yet she knew she needed more. Though some of the burning need between her legs had been alleviated, the empty feeling had actually grown. She ached to have something inside her, filling her up.

No, not something—someone, Sadie thought deliriously. Mathis, I need Mathis inside me or I’m going to go crazy!

The empty ache inside her grew until it became her whole world—the only thing she could think of. And Mathis was the only one she craved. Like a junkie desperate for a fix, she writhed beneath him, sounds of need and pleading falling from her lips.

“I need you,” she heard herself begging. “Please Mathis, please!”

“Take it easy, sweetheart.” He stroked her trembling back with large, warm hands. “Didn’t coming help at all?”

Sadie turned to look at him and shook her head in desperate negation.

“It helped a little with the burning but it only made the emptiness worse. I . . . I feel like I’m going to die if I don’t have you!” The words burst from her lips and she knew they were true—she could actually die of this. The aching void would overwhelm her if it wasn’t filled soon. It felt like a black hole had opened inside her—a ravenous beast that refused to be denied.

“Don’t say that, sweetheart,” Mathis said frowning worriedly. “You won’t die.”

“Fiona said I would—so did Keller. They said if the breeding fever wasn’t satisfied it could kill me. Please, Mathis . . .” She backed against him, pressing her naked ass to his groin shamelessly. “I know you’re afraid of what might happen but I can’t hold off any longer. This is happening now and I need you inside me—I need you to fill me up. To fuck me—to breed me. Please!”

God, was it really her uttering such desperate pleas, making such needy sounds, begging for his thick shaft to fill her? Sadie knew that it was and yet she couldn’t seem to help herself. She was as frantic as a female animal in heat, crying in the night to be filled by her male.

“God, sweetheart . . .” Mathis’s deep voice in her ear was hoarse and hungry. “I know you need it but damn it, I don’t want to hurt you!”

Sadie turned her head to see him, her long hair silky against her bare back. She could feel his thick shaft pressing between her thighs, throbbing and eager.

“You won’t hurt me—you’ll help me. You’ll save me.” Her voice sounded low and throaty in her ears. “Please, Mathis—I can’t stand this emptiness.” She rubbed against him harder, feeling the broad head of his cock slip over her spread pussy lips, trying desperately to get him inside her. “Please.”

He gave a low curse and put his hands on her hips, trying to still her frantic motions.

“All right, sweetheart—all right, I’ll do it. Just hope to God you don’t regret it when this is over.”

“I won’t,” Sadie promised. She was still on her hands and knees, her fingers digging into the soft, cool moss, her ass raised high to accept him. “I swear I won’t, Mathis—please, just fuck me.”

Her words seemed to push him over the edge. Finally, Sadie felt him fit the blunt, broad head of his cock to her entrance. Then he gripped her hips hard and with one long, rough thrust, entered her completely, penetrating her to the core.

The minute she felt the big Shifter’s thickness filling her completely, Sadie began to come. Her nipples went painfully tight and her sex clenched like a fist, her whole body filled with tension.

“Ahh!” She threw back her head in a wordless cry. The pleasure was as sharp and ruthless as a knife stabbing into her—a level of intensity she’d never felt before. After the first spasm, she expected it to end but it didn’t—Sadie kept coming. And coming and coming and coming . . .

It was the most intense orgasm she’d ever had in her life—and the longest. As Mathis pumped inside her, his thick shaft filling her over and over again, she felt her inner walls contracting, spasming around him as though her body was trying to milk him, urging him to spurt his seed deep inside her.

Hyperfertility—that’s what Fiona said, she thought, trying to make her brain work despite the pleasure that was overloading it. My body is trying to get Mathis’s seed—it wants to have his babies—his Shifter babies.

It was an unexpected thought and yet an incredibly erotic one. After her accidental pregnancy with the twins in college, Sadie had never been careless about birth control again. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d thrown caution to the wind and opened herself completely, unafraid of the consequences.

“Take me,” she heard herself moaning as she gripped the cool moss. “God, yes, Mathis—fuck me! Breed me!”

“Breeding you as hard as I can, sweetheart,” Mathis groaned. He must have felt the intense spasming of her sex around him because his fingers tightened on her hips even more and he pumped harder. “God, Sadie—feel you coming. Coming all around me,” he growled hoarsely. “Feels so good—like you’re sucking the come right out of me!”

“Mathis . . . oh, God,” she gasped. “I . . . I can’t stop! It feels good but . . . ah!”

She couldn’t finish; the prolonged pleasure was too intense. Indeed, Sadie was beginning to feel faint with it. Her heart was pounding so hard it seemed to be trying to get out of her chest and her breathing was rapid and light—she was almost hyperventilating. She’d never had an orgasm that lasted so long before, or one that was so powerful. Pleasure battered her body relentlessly and showed no signs of stopping.

There’s such a thing as too much of a good thing, she thought dizzily. And this is it. I’m going to faint if it doesn’t end—but how can I make it stop?

Suddenly she thought she remembered something else Fiona had said—something about only the seed of the male breeding her could satisfy the fever. Was that the answer?

It has to be, Sadie thought as the long, intense orgasm continued to wrack her body. If it isn’t, I’m going to faint or my heart is going to burst.

“Mathis,” she moaned. “Mathis, please. I . . . I need you to come. Come inside me.”

Mathis seemed to understand her need and feel a need of his own.

“All right,” he growled. “Spread your legs wide. I’m going to fuck you deep, sweetheart. Going to come hard inside your sweet little sucking pussy.”

His hot, dirty words drove Sadie even higher. She cried out as he thrust deeper and she felt his broad shaft swell inside her until it was almost twice as thick as it had been. It hurt but it felt good at the same time—a stretching of her inner walls to accommodate his girth, to open her as much as possible and give his essence an unobstructed path to her womb. He’s going to come, she thought. Going to come deep inside me and fill me with his seed. Finally!

“Yes,” she moaned. “Yes, Mathis, please!” As the silvery moonlight poured down on them, she lowered her head and spread her thighs wider, opening her pussy as much as she could to receive him. Giving herself completely and without reservation to his shaft and his seed.

And then she felt it as she never had with her ex—a hot, wet jet that shot directly into her, directly against the mouth of her womb. She moaned and pressed back against him, wanting to take it all, needing every last drop inside her.

Yes, oh God, yes—finally!

Though he had been reluctant earlier, Mathis now seemed wholly committed to the act. He pressed even deeper and continued to spurt. Jet after hot jet of his seed poured directly into her, filling her up in a way she’d never been filled before. There seemed to be more and more of it and Sadie thought hazily that it should be running down her thighs. It wasn’t though—it was almost as though her body was soaking it up like a sponge—soaking it up and begging for more.

“God, sweetheart—your pussy is so tight!” Mathis groaned. “Love to fuck you and fill you up. Love to come inside you and breed you.”

“Don’t stop,” Sadie begged him. “Keep filling me, Mathis. Make me yours. Breed me completely.”

Suddenly it was as though the long, ongoing orgasm reached an even higher peak. An unbearable pleasure pierced her—as jagged as a shard of glass impaling her from within. As it crested within her, Sadie lifted her head and wailed her need and desire to the sky and the moon drifting far above.

Breeding me . . . he’s breeding me . . . bonding me to him, she thought and knew it was true. Though Mathis had thought it was impossible, she could feel a connection growing between them—a chain forged by the heat of their lust and need for each other, the golden links wrapped inextricably around both of their hearts.

As soon as she became aware of the connection, she felt not only her own pleasure, but Mathis’s as well. She felt his enjoyment of how tight she was around him, the delicious way her inner channel gripped his shaft like a velvet glove, as well as his desire to bring her pleasure but not hurt her. Even in the middle of his own orgasm, her welfare was his main concern. Sadie knew it, and loved him even more for it.

For a long moment they strained together and then, finally, the passion began to ebb and the monstrous, marathon orgasm released its grip on her. With a gasping sigh, Sadie collapsed, her heart drumming in her ears as she fell to her side on the mossy ground.

“You all right, sweetheart?” She felt Mathis’s concern as he followed her to the ground and withdrew carefully. Now that the breeding fever was over, the autumn wind was cold on her exposed flesh. But she had barely started to shiver when his warm, strong arms encircled her and she was drawn close to a broad, muscular chest. “Was it too much for you?” he murmured, cradling her in his arms. His musk filled her nose and Sadie breathed it in gratefully—it seemed to make things better somehow.

His scent, she thought vaguely. The scent of my mate.

“I . . . I’m all right.” Her voice was unsteady and breathless, belying her words.

“You don’t seem all right.” He cradled her tenderly, worry filling his eyes. “Talk to me, Sadie.”

“I . . .” Sadie swallowed hard. “I just thought for a minute I might pass out. That’s all.” She tried to laugh but somehow it came out as a sob. Turning, she pressed against him and buried her face in his broad chest, shoulders heaving.

“Sadie? What is it? What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” He sounded anxious as he pulled her to him. “Is the breeding fever not satisfied?”

“Extremely satisfied.” Sadie sniffed and swiped at her eyes. “I’m sorry—I’m really happy, I swear. That was just so incredibly intense. It was scary. I . . . I’ve never felt anything like it before.”

“I haven’t either,” he admitted. “Maybe it’s just because you’re a Juvie but I’ve never felt that with a female before. Never felt such an intense connection, I . . .”

He stopped for a moment and when Sadie looked up to see what was wrong, she saw his eyes were wide with wonder.

“Mathis?” she asked anxiously.

“The connection—I feel the connection. The life-bond!” He took her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. “Sadie, I feel what you’re feeling. The chilly wind on your skin, the way you like my scent, the tenderness after having me inside you, the feeling of finally being satiated. I feel all of that.”

“I felt what you were feeling too, a minute ago.” She smiled at him tentatively. “Does this mean Fiona was right and we were able to form a life-bond?”

“That’s exactly what it means.” Mathis crushed her to him, burying his face in her hair. “God, sweetheart—I was so worried I would hurt you. That you’d become one of the Unformed!” His voice was muffled and after a moment, Sadie realized he was actually crying.

“Mathis? Honey?” She stroked his big shoulders, which were trembling slightly.

“Sorry.” When he pulled back from her, his eyes were damp. “I just . . . after I lost Kathleen, I gave up hope of ever having a female again. Especially one I care for so much. God, Sadie—I love you.”

He hugged her hard again and Sadie pressed herself against him, feeling loved and cherished and right in a way she never had before. Even back before her marriage had gone to hell, she’d never felt such a connection to her ex. What she had now with Mathis was special—different in a way that was hard to define.

As she hugged him back, breathing in the scent of his warm, spicy skin and loving the feel of his strong arms wrapped around her, Sadie tried to understand this new feeling. There was something inside her, she thought, something she’d been carrying all her life like a strangely shaped puzzle piece. It hadn’t fit with Jeff or any other man she’d ever been with because none of them had the matching piece. But Mathis did—he had a part in him that fit perfectly with her own part. And once the two jagged shapes had been joined, a connection had been formed between them—a bond that could never be broken.

“Mathis,” she whispered wonderingly in his ear. “I feel different than I did before we made love. I feel . . . whole. I’ve never felt like this before. Not with anyone.”

“That’s because you’ve never been with another Shifter before,” he rumbled, smiling at her. “It’s the Gene—it brings us together in a way that’s impossible with anyone else. It forms the life-bond.”

“The Gene—of course.” Sadie nodded. “Now I see why you said a life-bond is so important. You couldn’t get this kind of connection—feel this kind of intimacy—without it.”

“Exactly, sweetheart.” He cupped her cheek and looked tenderly into her eyes. “Are you feeling more settled now? I know a first breeding can be intense—especially with a Juvie.”

“But I’m not a Juvie anymore,” Sadie pointed out, smiling. “Or at least, I’m over the Rejuvenation process. Now I’m a full-fledged Shifter . . .” She frowned. “Aren’t I?”

“Why don’t we find out?” Mathis was suddenly up on his feet, and pulling her up too.

“What do you mean?” Sadie asked, looking up at him.

“I mean it’s time for your first Shift. Do you want to try it?”

“Will it hurt?” She looked at him uncertainly.

“Nah—not for a female. The males are the ones who have to bear the pain when Shifting—it was the trade-off they made with Lady Moon during the start of the Shifter Gene, back in the caveman days.”

“Lady Moon, huh?” Sadie arched an eyebrow at him. “I thought you said you didn’t believe in her.”

Mathis grinned and shrugged, his broad, bare shoulders glinting silver in the moonlight. “Maybe I changed my mind. Maybe Fiona was right and my other bonding was so brief I was able to form another bond. Or maybe . . .”

“Maybe there is a Lady Moon and she did have a hand in it,” Sadie finished for him, thoughtfully. If that was the case, she was ready to convert to Moonism. Or Moony-ism. Or whatever you called it—she should ask Fiona, she would know.

“So do you want to try it? You ready for your first Shift?” Mathis asked.

Sadie felt a thrill of fear and excitement mingling in her belly.

“I do want to try it—but how?”

“Close your eyes,” Mathis directed. “Feel the forest. And then feel the moon—let her tug on you—tug you into another form.”

Sadie closed her eyes, concentrating hard. She felt the chilly autumn air around her, smelled the green, loamy scent of the forest at night, heard the crickets chirruping and the birds calling. When she opened her mouth, she swore she could taste the moonlight—airy and sweet and tempting.

Come, child, she heard a high, silvery voice calling her. Come find your true form . . . come run with the moon.

Yes, Sadie thought. Yes, that’s what I want—to run with the moon!

Suddenly, she felt herself changing—almost as though her body was made of modeling clay and some hand much larger than her own was remolding her into a new shape. The process felt strange but it didn’t hurt at all. In fact, it made Sadie tingle all over. Somehow she knew that the piercing pleasure-pain she’d just experienced had been for this purpose—to get her body ready for the transformation. It wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

The thought was there and gone so swiftly she barely had time to examine it. So much was happening to her. Her arms were growing longer and her legs were bending in a new and exciting way. Her ears were moving to the top of her head and her nose and mouth were elongating, turning into a long soft muzzle. As she watched, her fingers fused together into hooves and a soft, warm coat of fur flowed over her body, covering her human skin in a layer much warmer and thicker than she was used to.

At last she felt the process was finished. Stamping one hoof in the soft moss of the forest floor, she turned to face Mathis.

He was looking at her with love and pride filling his eyes.

“God, sweetheart—your Doe is beautiful.” His deep voice was hoarse with emotion and he reached out one big hand to stroke her, just as Sadie had stroked him when he was in his Buck form.

Sadie liked the feel of his big warm palm and long strong fingers stroking her hide. Snorting softly, she nudged his hand, asking for more caresses. He laughed and complied, rubbing around the sensitive bases of her ears where Sadie found she now loved to be scratched. She stamped again and nudged him harder, wanting more. But to her disappointment, Mathis stopped and pulled his big hand away.

“It’s time, Sadie.” He was looking at her seriously, his eyes filled with a quiet joy louder than a shout. “Time for me to Shift so we can run together.”

Sadie snorted and nodded her head eagerly. Yes—her mate! In human form he was a man she felt a connection to. But in Buck form he would be her mate—the one she wanted to run with.

Mathis took a step back and let his own Shift overtake him. Sadie watched impatiently through the eyes of her Doe, waiting for him to finish. She was suddenly filled with energy and she wanted to run! To leap and bound across the forest, feeling the springy turf give under her hooves as she raced like the wind, swifter than she could ever be as a slow two-legged human.

Bones shifted, muscles moved, hands and feet became hooves, and fur flowed. At last Mathis stood before her, the moonlight glinting off his huge antlers. He pawed the ground with one immense hoof and snorted a question, Are you ready?

Yes! Sadie’s heart leapt within her. Yes, ready—so ready!

Then come!

The huge Buck took off, bounding over a fallen log and crashing into the underbrush. Sadie sprang after him, feeling incredibly fast, impossibly light, and endlessly happy.

It was time to run under the moon and race with her mate. It was time to be free.

Twenty-four

Mathis didn’t know how long or how far they ran that night. He only knew when he brought Sadie back to his cabin and they both Shifted back to human form, he was damn near worn out.

Sadie, when she shrank back down to her regular self, looked all done in too. Mathis knew how she was feeling—the first Shift was always taxing. She was going to need a lot of TLC to get over it. Which he was more than happy to provide.

“Hey . . .” he murmured as she took a step and wobbled, nearly losing her balance. “You okay?”

“I think so.” Sadie put a hand to her head. “I’m just a little dizzy. That was amazing!”

“You’re amazing,” Mathis growled, swinging her into his arms. “C’mon, sweetheart, a hot bath and then to bed.”

“Sounds perfect.” She relaxed in his arms and let him carry her into his huge bathroom.

Mathis ran a steaming bath with plenty of bath salts to soak away the muscle aches. He got in first and then beckoned for Sadie to climb in with him.

“Mmm,” she murmured, settling between his legs and leaning back against his chest. “This is nice.”

“I always take a soak after I Shift.” Mathis wet a large porous sponge and began to squeeze the warm water over her body in a leisurely way. “Helps with the post-Shift aches and pains.”

“I don’t feel that achy,” Sadie protested drowsily. “I just feel all stretched out somehow—like I just did the most amazing yoga class in the world.”

Mathis laughed and squeezed some water over her head.

“Hey!” She sat up and turned around, splashing some water at him to get him back.

Mathis grinned and flicked water at her. “Feeling frisky again, sweetheart?”

Sadie blushed. “I might be—in a minute. But first I want to examine you.”

“Examine me? What are you talking about?”

But she was already up on her knees and bending over to look at his shoulders and neck.

“I couldn’t see very well in the moonlight,” she explained. “But I wanted to make sure there aren’t any deep wounds where Keller’s Cougar bit you.”

Mathis submitted to her inspection easily enough. Her current position put her full, swaying breasts and tight pink nipples right in front of his face—she could inspect him all night if she wanted to. Unable to help himself, he tilted his face up and sucked one dark pink nub into his mouth. Circling it slowly with his tongue, he drew hard, taking her peak deep as he reached up and cupped her other breast. Idly he flicked her other nipple with his thumb.

“Mathis!” Sadie protested breathlessly. “Be serious! I’m trying to see if you’re hurt.”

But Mathis couldn’t help noticing she made no move to draw away from him—and the inspection of his shoulder and neck seemed to be taking an awfully long time. Not that he minded.

At last Sadie drew back, moaning a little as one tight nipple slipped from his lips and he released her other tender nub reluctantly.

“I don’t understand,” she said, frowning. “I only see a few scratches here and there. How can that be? That Cougar had fangs like a freaking saber-toothed tiger and I saw him sink them right into your throat! Why aren’t you more injured?”

“You’re complaining?” Mathis raised an eyebrow at her. “You wanted to nurse me back to health or something?”

“No, of course not. I’m grateful.” Sadie put her hands on his shoulders and stared at him earnestly. “I just don’t see how it’s possible.”

“Well, I told you my Buck’s hide is a hell of a lot thicker than human skin,” he pointed out.

“True.” Sadie looked thoughtful. “I felt that when I turned into my . . .” She looked at him shyly. “Into my Doe. But still . . .”

“He did get me pretty deep,” Mathis admitted. “Those fuckin’ butcher knives the Cats have for teeth are nothing to mess with. But my Buck’s hide protected me some and Shifting back and forth from human to animal helped with the rest.”

“Really? You can—I mean, we can heal ourselves that way?” Sadie looked surprised and pleased.

“Only to a certain extent,” Mathis cautioned her. “Really traumatic injuries—broken bones, skull fractures, internal organs being crushed or torn—those are a lot harder to heal. We Shifters are tough to kill but we’re still mortal, Sadie—still vulnerable.”

“You mean . . .” She bit her lip and looked down, splashing aimlessly in the bath water. “Like the kinds of injuries you gave Keller tonight?”

“I only did to him what he would have done to me if he’d been able,” Mathis said grimly. “It was a fair fight over a female and I won—are you sorry about that?”

“No, of course not!” Sadie looked up, her eyes wide. “I don’t want to be with anyone but you, Mathis—you know that. I would have never been happy with Keller. I just . . . just wish no one had to die on my account.”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart.” Mathis stroked her flushed cheek, loving her for her compassionate heart. “Keller’s a top Alpha and a tough son of a bitch. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s not dead. Wasn’t your sister, the famous trauma surgeon, seeing to him before we left?”

“Well yes, but she’s a people surgeon, not a vet,” Sadie objected. “I don’t know how much she could have done for him in his Cougar form.”

“Keller would know that,” Mathis said. “He’d try to Shift back so she could treat him. I’d say if he survives or not will depend on if he could manage another Shift, both to help knit some of his injuries together and to let your sister work on a human body instead of an animal one.”

“But do you think he could?” Sadie asked. “I mean, I heard his bones breaking and . . . and there was so much blood.” She shivered.

“Don’t know,” Mathis said honestly. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t mean to get so rough with him. I would have been able to control myself better in human form but when some fool shot a hole in the ceiling and let the moonlight in, well . . .” He shrugged. “I couldn’t help myself. Every Shifter, young and old, male and female, has to answer the call of the moonlight when it touches you on a full-moon night. When that happens, you’re powerless to stop it.”

“I understand.” Sadie sounded thoughtful. “I hope Keller was able to Shift so Sammie could help him. He was a complete asshole but he never hurt me. In fact . . .” She frowned. “I don’t even think he really liked me all that much. I don’t understand why he wanted me so badly. Was it just because he wants to carry on his Shifter line?”

“I think so.” Mathis sighed.

“Well then, couldn’t he find some other girl—one he really cared for?”

Mathis shook his head. “Not a Juvie—not one that could carry on his Shifter DNA. But it’s more than that—Keller’s given up on love. On finding a female he can bond with and care for, anyway—because he was burned once before.”

“What do you mean?” Sadie asked. “Can’t his kind of Shifter form more than one life-bond?”

“Oh, I don’t think he formed a life-bond with the female in question,” Mathis murmured. “I don’t even think she was a Shifter. Just a human girl he fell for who couldn’t handle what he was.”

“Really? So a Shifter can mate, uh, marry a non-Shifter then?” Sadie asked.

“Uh-huh.” He nodded. “Of course, their kids only have a fifty-fifty chance of getting the Shifter Gene and there’s even less of a chance that their daughters will ever Rejuvenate but it’s possible.” He sighed. “It’s just not often a good idea.”

“What? Why not?”

“How do you think people who have never heard of Shifters before react when you try to explain everything to them?” Mathis asked her. “Like you did, right? You had a really hard time believing it at first, even after the weird shit you’d already seen and heard.”

“I guess so.” Sadie sighed and settled into his arms again. “That was how Sammie reacted. She thought there was some weird hallucinogenic agent in the water here and we were all suffering from a mass delusion that we could change into animals.”

Mathis barked a laugh. “Really? Damn.”

“Really.” Sadie nodded seriously. “So if it’s such a bad idea for a Shifter to mate with a non-Shifter, then why did Keller do it?”

“Who knows?” Mathis shrugged again. “Probably because there weren’t any Shifter females around. His father sent him off to college at some exclusive Ivy League school—someplace far away from any of the Shifter communities in the country.”

“There are more?” Sadie turned her head to look at him. “It’s not just Cougarville?”

“Hell no, sweetheart—there are pockets of Shifters scattered all over the world. Some are just more secretive than others. We’re pretty open with it here in Cougarville because most everyone living in this town is a full Shifter or part Shifter or a Shifter-sympathizer—that’s what we call humans who know about us.”

“So . . . why didn’t Keller’s father send him to a college near another Shifter community?” Sadie asked.

“Don’t know,” Mathis said. “I think because he couldn’t find one that was prestigious enough. The Kellers have always owned most everything around this town—he wanted his only son to do him one better—get rich and famous and powerful. And it worked.”

“It did?” Sadie looked at him again.

“Uh-huh.” Mathis nodded. “You wouldn’t know it because he hangs around in little old Cougarville, but Keller’s actually a bigwig on Wall Street. Fuckin’ financial genius. He’s worth millions—maybe billions.”

“You’re kidding!” Sadie’s eyes went wide.

“Nope.” Mathis laughed. “You sorry you ended up with me now, sweetheart? I’m comfortable but I’m no damn billionaire.”

“Mathis.” She took his face between her small hands so she could look him squarely in the eyes. “Don’t even joke about that. There’s no place I’d rather be than here with you, in your arms.”

“Aww, sweetheart.” He pulled her close and they cuddled, wet and naked in the warm water. Her soft, sweet curves pressed against his chest felt amazing and Mathis dropped a protective kiss on the top of her head. God, he was a lucky male!

“So Keller’s a billionaire,” she said drowsily. “Why doesn’t he just pay a surrogate to have his baby if he wants an heir so badly?”

“Because Juvies are so rare,” Mathis explained. “There haven’t been any before you and your sister in probably over a decade, at least in Cougarville.”

“Oh, that’s right. But Samantha’s not a Juvie,” Sadie protested. “Fiona told me if she hadn’t already started experiencing signs of Rejuvenation she was probably safe.”

“Well, I don’t know . . .” Mathis frowned. “I didn’t smell any Juvie scent on her either but sometimes females can surprise you. And she must have the Gene if both your parents were Shifters.”

“Fiona says it skips over people sometimes. I just hope for her sake she doesn’t have to go through Rejuvenation,” Sadie said. “I mean, it’s wonderful to feel young again and to find someone you love so much . . .” She cuddled closer to Mathis. “But Sammie is really independent and happy being on her own. And honestly, I don’t think she believes in love—it’s just not as big a priority to her as her career is.”

“Well then, it’s probably best if she stays like she is,” Mathis said. “I’m damn glad you didn’t though, sweetheart.”

“Why—because you wouldn’t have wanted me if I hadn’t suddenly turned twenty years younger?” Sadie asked teasingly.

“Hell no.” Mathis looked at her, surprised she would think such a thing. “I thought you were fucking gorgeous from the first minute I saw you—even before you really started to change. I just don’t think I would have approached you if your Rejuvenation hadn’t sort of thrown us together.”

“Fiona was the one who did that, as much as my hormones,” Sadie said thoughtfully. “She’s way more than a pharmacist, I think.”

“I think most of the town agrees on that.” Mathis laughed. “She’s been in Cougarville for as long as anyone can remember, you know. She’s kind of a town fixture.”

“Is she a Shifter?” Sadie asked.

Mathis shook his head. “Nah. Some people say she’s a witch but that’s not really the right word. She’s more like a wise woman.”

“Well, she was wise enough to know you and I belonged together.” Sadie pressed against him, rubbing her bare breasts against his chest. “Speaking of which . . . Mathis . . .”

She looked up at him with those big brown eyes and he felt his heart squeeze tight in his chest.

“Yeah, sweetheart?” he murmured. “Something you want?” Thanks to their new connection, he knew exactly what she wanted—what she needed—but he wanted to hear her say it.

“I think . . .” She bit her lip and a blush rose to her cheeks. “I think I need you again, Mathis. Inside me, I mean.”

“Mmm, I’d love to be inside you again.” He cupped her cheek. “But why are you blushing?”

“I guess I’m not used to, uh, asking for it.”

“I dunno—you were asking for it pretty loud out in the moonlight.” He grinned to let her know he was just teasing.

“I know I was but that’s not how I usually am.” She cleared her throat, still looking embarrassed. “I mean, I was married for twenty years but I was never the, um, initiator if you know what I mean. But now, I can’t help myself. I really need you.”

“Feeling empty inside again, sweetheart?” Mathis asked sympathetically.

Sadie nodded. “Uh-huh. I mean, after that first time in the forest I would have thought I’d be satisfied for days. But, well . . . I’m not. I . . . I need it again. Need you again.”

“Sadie . . .” He cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes. “Don’t ever be ashamed to ask for what you need,” he murmured. “And don’t be afraid of what your body asks for—I think this is just part of your cycle.”

“My cycle?” She frowned.

“I don’t know a whole lot about it, but I do know that Shifter females get monthly cravings that last while the moon is full or mostly full. This is just part of that.”

“Fiona did say something about that. It’s part of my body wanting to have your baby, isn’t it?” she whispered. “The fact that the need won’t stop until I feel you come inside me.”

“Uh-huh.” Mathis nodded, feeling his cock stir. God, she was gorgeous with her big brown eyes and those high, firm breasts rubbing against him! She had full hips too—he liked that, it gave him something to hang on to. “Does that bother you? I know you said that you already have two kids.”

“All grown up and gone to college.” Sadie gave a little laugh. “Well, I guess I’ll be starting all over again.” She looked at him uncertainly. “But how do you feel about it? Do you want a baby?”

“Just any old baby? Hell no,” Mathis said. “But a baby with you—our baby? Hell, yes.” He leaned down to plant a soft kiss on her lips. “I can’t wait. And in the meantime, I’m going to enjoy planting that baby deep in your curvy little body, sweetheart.”

Sadie shivered in his arms and he saw the naked desire in her eyes and felt her need and emptiness through their bond.

“Then take me to bed, Mathis,” she murmured. “Take me to bed and breed me again. Fill me with your seed—let’s make a baby.”

Mathis was more than happy to comply.

Sadie couldn’t help reflecting that breeding in the warmth and comfort of Mathis’s big bed was a lot different from the wild, moonlight breeding in the forest glade.

She’d been a little afraid to repeat the intense experience, but found she needn’t have worried. Their love was gentler this time—not as rough and urgent as their first breeding, under the full moon, had been.

They lay on their sides face-to-face and Mathis lifted her leg and fit it over his hip. Then he pressed his thick shaft to the mouth of her pussy, teasing gently around her swollen entrance.

“This all right, sweetheart?” he murmured. “I know the first time between us was kind of rough.”

“It’s perfect.” Sadie moved restlessly, trying to get more of him inside her. “Please, Mathis—I need you.”

“Need you too, baby.” With one slow, gentle thrust he slid inside her, sheathing himself to the hilt as he looked into her eyes.

They both moaned as he touched bottom inside her. Sadie felt his pleasure as well as her own through the life-bond they shared—the connection was intense.

“God, sweetheart, you’re still so tight.” Mathis’s deep voice was hoarse with need. “Feel like I need to open you all over again.”

“And I feel like I need to be opened,” Sadie said softly. She laid a hand on his broad chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. “Mathis, please . . . I’m not as empty as before but I still feel like I can’t be satisfied until you make love to me.”

“It’s all right,” he rumbled reassuringly, stroking her hair. “Gonna give you what you need, sweetheart. As often as you need it.”

“It won’t stop, will it?” Sadie whispered, looking up at him. “Until . . . until you come inside me. Until you make me pregnant.”

“That’s the general idea of breeding,” Mathis murmured, sounding amused. “Told you I was going to enjoy planting a baby deep in that little belly of yours, Sadie. You ready to let me do it?”

“More than ready,” Sadie assured him breathlessly. “Do it, Mathis—breed me again.”

His eyes blazed. “God, I love to hear you ask for it.”

“I’ll ask for it as much as you want,” Sadie told him. “As long as you do it.”

“Can’t argue with that. Look at me, sweetheart. I was behind you last time. This time I want to see it in your eyes when I fill you—when you come.”

Sadie moaned softly and complied, looking up at him, holding his gaze as they made love. It seemed to strengthen the connection even more and as Mathis stroked slowly inside her, he kissed her tenderly and murmured how much he loved her—how lucky he felt to have her. How he’d never thought to have a mate again and how grateful he was that such a beautiful woman was his to claim and to claim him in return.

Sadie thought she had never felt so cherished or so loved. She opened to him completely, taking his thick length to the root inside her trembling pussy, reveling in the feeling of being so filled, so opened, so completely owned by her man. But though she now belonged to Mathis, she recognized that he also belonged to her. They had entered into a partnership and there was no going back—not that she wanted to.

As Mathis’s strokes sped up inside her and her own need grew, Sadie remembered with trepidation the sharp, piercing orgasm she’d had that had lasted the entire length of their first breeding. But though the sensation of Mathis filling her was intense, it wasn’t overwhelming this time. And when at last she finally peaked in his arms and he let her orgasm trigger his own, she cried out her pleasure—the deep pleasure of her body opening eagerly for his seed, swallowing everything he had to give and begging for more. He came into her long and deep and Sadie loved every second of it. Loved every moment of this second, gentler breeding.

Though she had felt him come, Mathis stayed hard inside her for a long time and they drifted in each other’s arms. With a sigh of contentment, Sadie wondered sleepily how long it would be before she was holding a new little son or daughter. They needed to start thinking about names and setting up a nursery and buying little onesies and diapers and bibs and clothes . . .

The thought made her smile. It seemed impossible that her life had changed so completely in such a short time but Sadie found she didn’t mind. The life-bond she had with Mathis let her know beyond the shadow of a doubt that she was exactly where she belonged. Snuggling closer to her mate’s big, muscular form and feeling his shaft lodged securely within her, she thought she had never been happier in her life. She was a Shifter now—she had found her final form and her life-bonded mate and soon she would have his child.

A feeling of rightness and peace overwhelmed Sadie as she drifted off to sleep. Cougarville might be a strange little town with even stranger inhabitants but now that she was one of them, she knew she had finally come home.

Epilogue

“You’re leaving so soon?” Sadie frowned at her but Samantha nodded her head firmly.

“Believe it or not, all this craziness in your new hometown hasn’t taken as long as you’d think. If I hurry, I can still catch the tail end of that trauma conference and give my lecture in Sin City.” She made a face. “Not that Vegas is going to wow me now. I doubt anything on the Strip could be as bizarre as the stuff I saw last night.”

“I still can’t believe you were able to save Keller,” Sadie looked at her sister with admiration. “How long were you in surgery?”

“You mean after convincing the lead surgeon at the Asheville branch of VA Medical to grant me privileges?”

“Which I’m sure he did in a hot minute after reviewing your credentials,” Sadie said.

Samantha shrugged modestly. “Well, you know. It also helped that I was pretty much already treating the patient—I mean Keller—on the way over in the ambulance.”

“Thank goodness he Shifted back to human before the ambulance got to Cougarville,” Sadie said.

“From what I understand, it’s probably what saved his life,” Samantha said seriously. “One of the paramedics was a Shifter. He told me Shifting helps heal wounds. Although I was still in surgery with him for eight freaking hours afterwards.” She yawned. “I’m so going to snooze on the plane.”

“But he’s doing fine now?” Sadie asked anxiously. “I mean, Keller’s going to be okay?”

Samantha frowned. “What do you care? They guy’s an asshole. I only saved him because I took an oath to preserve life—no matter how weird and outlandish that life might be.”

“I care because I don’t want anyone dying because of me,” Sadie said, frowning. “And for your information, I’m one of those ‘weird and outlandish’ people myself now.”

“What? Really?” Samantha looked at her uncertainly. “What did you turn into last night? A seven-foot-tall prehistoric chipmunk with five-inch-long teeth?”

Sadie laughed. “I turned into a Doe. You know—to match Mathis’s Buck? She’s beautiful—at least, that’s what Mathis says.”

“You sound like you just got a new pet . . . or a new dress to wear . . . or maybe a weird combination of both.” Samantha shook her head.

“It is a little bit of both,” Sadie said thoughtfully. “I know it sounds strange but really, it’s wonderful. I’ve never been so happy in my life.”

“I can see that.” Samantha looked her up and down. “You’re practically glowing. In fact . . .” She frowned. “You look just like you did when you were carrying the twins. Are you sure you’re not pregnant?”

“If I’m not, it’s not for lack of trying,” Sadie said and grinned at her sister’s blank stare. “It’s part of the Rejuvenation process,” she explained. “It brings on a state of hyperfertility so the Juvie female can start making Shifter babies right away.”

Samantha raised an eyebrow at her. “So that’s what you and Mathis were doing while I was spending eight hours in surgery trying to save the asshole who nearly got killed fighting over you? Making babies?”

“Uh-huh.” Sadie blushed again. “Mathis is at the lumber yard right now, picking out some nice wood to make a crib and a cradle. He’s a master craftsman carpenter—did I tell you that? People come from miles around to buy his work.”

“Uh, no, you didn’t tell me. And I don’t think I would have remembered if you had—the fact that he’s also a huge prehistoric deer kind of puts the whole carpenter thing in the shade, don’t you think?” Samantha said dryly.

“But his Buck is just part of him—like my Doe is part of me,” Sadie protested. “I know it sounds weird but I feel like I found a piece of myself that was missing all my life. For the first time I finally feel, well, whole.”

“Well, if you’re happy then I’m happy for you.” Samantha gave her a hug. “But I thought you were done having babies. What are the twins going to say?”

“They’ll have to say hello to their new little brother or sister.” Sadie shrugged. “Look, I can’t explain it and I know it probably seems weird to you. I just met Mathis and now we’re moving in together and I’m talking about having his babies.”

“Yeah, that does seem weird. And kind of scary.” Samantha looked worried.

Sadie wished she could put her sister’s mind at ease but how could she explain the intense connection of the life-bond? It was just another part of the whole Shifter process Samantha would find incomprehensible.

“Trust me,” she said gently. “I’m really, really happy. And Mathis is a good guy. I’ll be safe and as for the babies, well . . . I can’t explain it but the Rejuvenation process seems to make you want them.”

“Huh.” Samantha looked deeply skeptical. “If you say so but I can’t imagine any process—no matter how hormonal or magical—that would make me want kids.”

“Hopefully you won’t have to find out,” Sadie said. “We’re the exact same age with the same parents. If you haven’t started Rejuvenating yet, chances are you won’t. At least, that’s what Fiona said.”

“Fiona the crazy pharmacist chick who dresses like she ought to be telling fortunes instead of mixing medicines?” Samantha lifted one eyebrow skeptically.

“That’s her.” Sadie grinned. “But don’t make fun of her. I know she looks a little strange but she knows more about this whole Rejuvenation process than anyone else in town.”

“Well, let’s hope I never have to consult her,” Samantha said dryly. “Now I need to get going if I’m going to catch my plane.”

“What?” Sadie glanced at her watch. “But it’s only a quarter past ten and you said your plane doesn’t leave until three. Stay and have some lunch at least, Sammie.”

“Can’t.” Samantha shook her head apologetically. “I have to swing by the hospital one more time before I go.”

Sadie lifted an eyebrow. “You’re going to see Keller?”

“Just to check on his status,” her sister said, perhaps a bit too quickly. “He was still in pretty bad shape after the surgery. I need to make sure he’s stable before I go.”

“That’s just like you—always so conscientious about your patients.” Sadie smiled and gave her a hug. “Have I told you I love you lately, Sammie? I’m so glad you came to see me. It would feel weird if I couldn’t share all this with you and I know you would never have believed it if you hadn’t seen it for yourself.”

Samantha snorted. “You’re right about that. I almost don’t believe it now. If I hadn’t seen Mathis and Keller turn into those huge animals . . .” She shivered. “That Cougar especially, ugh! You know, I did a little looking around on the Internet and that really is what cougars looked like back in the Paleolithic era. They were freaking huge.”

“I was mostly scared because I thought he was going to rip Mathis to shreds with those fangs of his,” Sadie admitted.

“Oh, I know! Those fangs!” Samantha shivered again. “If I never see a sight like that again the rest of my life it’ll be too soon. I was so glad Keller had locked us in that cage before he turned into that thing.”

“You went right up to him afterward, though,” Sadie pointed out. “After Mathis trampled him, I mean.”

“Well, that was different—he was hurt.” Samantha shrugged as though it was less scary to approach a wounded horse-sized Cougar than a well one. “I had to help him. Before that, though, I was freaking terrified and really glad to have the bars between us and him.”

“I don’t think he would have hurt us, even if we hadn’t been in the cage,” Sadie said thoughtfully. “You can still think and reason in animal form, you know. It’s just that the thoughts you have are simpler—less complex. You know—‘food, run, sex, sleep.’ No guilt or second-guessing or negative self-talk because an animal doesn’t have any of that so you don’t either in that form.” She shrugged. “It’s kind of restful, actually.”

“Sounds just peachy,” Samantha said dryly. “But you can keep it and all the rest of your Shifter weirdness. I’m glad you found something that makes you so happy but I’m content just being plain old human, you know?”

“I know.” Sadie grinned at her. “All right—you’d better get started if you’re going to go to the hospital before you go to the airport.” She looked at her sister anxiously. “Are you sure you’re not too tired to drive?”

“I’m fine.” Samantha waved her off. “You know I’m used to pulling all-nighters. I can sleep on the plane.”

“All right then. Love you, Sammie.”

“Love you too, Sadie.”

They hugged again, clinging together for just a moment and Sadie thought how strange it was that her sister could just go back to her ordinary life after seeing all the strange and wonderful things that were happening just below the surface of the normal world. But then, that was Samantha—always practical. Always put together and self assured. Just because she now knew that there was a whole new dimension of reality she hadn’t been aware of before was no reason to turn her world around.

Sadie wondered if anything could change her sister or if Samantha was too set in her ways.

Well, it doesn’t matter, she told herself, letting Sammie go and watching her climb into her rented SUV. As long as she’s happy. That’s all I want—for Sammie to be as happy as I am.

Of course, she knew her new life wasn’t for everyone—especially the whole starting-a-new-family-at-forty thing. Her sister, in particular, would definitely object to that part. Sammie had always said, “If I wanted something that drooled all over me and peed on the carpet I’d get a puppy. At least they’re cute.”

So it’s a good thing she’s not a Juvie, Sadie told herself firmly. She wouldn’t want to put her career on hold to have a baby. Sammie will be perfectly content to be the “cool aunt” again.

But deep inside, as she watched the black SUV drive away, she wondered if that was really true.

Well, she could worry about it later. For now, she was happy and content to be with the man she loved—her life-bonded mate forever. And if Samantha didn’t want the same thing, well—there were different forms of joy, right? Not everyone needed to be happy the same way.

But Sadie couldn’t help wishing her sister could find the kind of peace and contentment she’d found in Mathis’s arms. Only who would she find it with? The thought of Keller with his handsome, sharp features and pale green eyes flashed through her mind but she pushed it away. Mathis had said Keller had given up on love and Sammie had never believed in it in the first place—she’d never had time for it. What would make her take time for it now?

Nothing, Sadie told herself. Just leave it alone. But though she went back into Mathis’s cabin to make lunch and tried to think of something else, the idea of her twin and the Cougar Shifter just wouldn’t leave her mind.

To be continued in Cougar Bait, Book 2 of the Cougarville series.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Rose at St. Martin’s for taking a chance on a new series, to Opal for introducing me to Rose, and to Avery for introducing me to Opal. I feel blessed to have so many wonderful author friends in my life.

About the Author

Evangeline Anderson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Brides of the Kindred, Alien Mate Index, and Born to Darkness series. She is thirty-something and lives in Florida with a husband, a son, and two cats. She had been writing erotic fiction for her own gratification for a number of years before it occurred to her to try and get paid for it. To her delight, she found that it was actually possible to get money for having a dirty mind and she has been writing paranormal and sci-fi erotica steadily ever since. Visit her on the Web and sign up for her newsletter at www.evangelineanderson.com.

You can sign up for email updates here.

Also by Evangeline Anderson

Brides of the Kindred series

Claimed

Hunted

Sought

Found

Revealed

Pursued

Exiled

Shadowed

Chained

Divided

Devoured

Enhanced

Cursed

Enslaved

Targeted

Forgotten

Switched

Uncharted

Mastering the Mistress

(Brides of the Kindred novella)

Born to Darkness series

Crimson Debt

Scarlet Heat

Ruby Shadows

Cardinal Sins

Alien Mate Index series

Abducted

Protected

Descended

Severed

The Institute series

The Institute: Daddy Issues

The Institute: Mishka’s Spanking

Compendiums

Brides of the Kindred Volume One

Contains Claimed, Hunted, Sought and Found

Born to Darkness Box Set

Contains Crimson Debt, Scarlet Heat, and Ruby Shadows

Standalone novels

Purity

Stress Relief

The Last Man on Earth

Anyone U Want

Shadow Dreams

Mastering the Mistress

Hunger Moon Rising

Cougar Christmas

YA novels

The Academy

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Table of Contents

1. Cover
2. Title Page
3. Copyright Notice
4. Dedication
5. One
6. Two
7. Three
8. Four
9. Five
10. Six
11. Seven
12. Eight
13. Nine
14. Ten
15. Eleven
16. Twelve
17. Thirteen
18. Fourteen
19. Fifteen
20. Sixteen
21. Seventeen
22. Eighteen
23. Nineteen
24. Twenty
25. Twenty-one
26. Twenty-two
27. Twenty-three
28. Twenty-four
29. Epilogue
30. Acknowledgments
31. About the Author
32. Also by Evangeline Anderson
33. Contents
34. Copyright Page

Copyright Page

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

BUCK NAKED. Copyright © 2017 by Evangeline Anderson. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

www.stmartins.com

Jacket photographs: deer © veneratio/Fotolia; man © Fxquadro/Fotolia

ISBN 978-1-250-14204-7 (e-book)

First Edition: April 2017

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