In the Heat of the Night Read online

  When Kearnan nodded his head, Alesandra pounded her cane against the floor and snarled, “Evil woman. All you had to do was ask a mature male, and you would have learned the truth. The witch only wanted to ruin your life, and she almost did.”

  Kearnan glared at her. “We left shortly after that. Father took us to New York, away from pack life so we could learn to be completely human—as much as a werewolf can. With his sensitive nose, he was able to get a job with a small men’s cologne manufacturer, and, well, you know the rest of the story.”

  “He introduced a new line of men’s cologne and is making a fortune,” Alesandra said dryly.

  Kearnan nodded. “Anyway, from then on, we were raised among humans. A few werewolves passed through our lives now and then, but for my brothers and me, sex was something we learned about from our human friends. Father made it clear bruising and biting our lovers was not acceptable behavior. He told us to keep a leash on the wolf side of us unless we had a nonhuman lover, so we learned to control ourselves. Serena is the first nonhuman I’ve been with since we lived with the pack. Old habits die hard. Half of me was demanding that I fuck her into submission, and the other half was condemning me for wanting to do it.”

  Sighing, Alesandra said, “Such a confusing life you’ve led.” Pushing herself to her feet, she walked across the room until she stood before him. “Kearnan, your mother may have been a wolf, and there are those of our kind who will always be prejudiced against you. But, the blood of wolves flows through all our veins—just to a lesser extent than yours. That woman lied to you. The extra wolf blood you carry will ensure you never hurt Serena. You’re the expert on wolves. Have you ever known even the most ferocious male to hurt his mate even during mating?”

  Frowning, Kearnan stared at Alesandra.

  “Just think about it, Kearnan,” she continued. “However out-of-control and violent you believed yourself to be, Serena would have fought if she didn’t like what you were doing to her. There is no rape in the animal kingdom. When in heat, a female werewolf craves a wild mating. To normal humans, it appears brutal, but to us it’s a necessity. Follow your instincts. They’ll never lie to you.”

  “Damn fucking Clarisse. If I ever get my hands on her,” Kearnan said more to himself than to Alesandra. He began to pace. Then he stopped and stared at the broken door. “I told Serena to leave.”

  Alesandra rolled her eyes. “Youth. What a waste on the young. Where would she have gone?”

  Kearnan’s shoulders slumped. “For all I know, she left for good.”

  Alesandra smiled and shook her head. “She’s mated you now. She will not leave.”

  A hopeful smile spread across Kearnan’s lips. “Blossom and Storm have four month old cubs. She spends a lot of time with them.”

  Alesandra nodded. “Then that’s where she’ll be.”

  As Kearnan started towards the door, she laid a hand on his arm. “She must not change again. Changing could cause her to abort if the child has settled into her womb.”

  Kearnan stopped abruptly. “Child?”

  Alesandra chuckled. “Only aconite tea will keep a female werewolf from becoming pregnant if she’s mated during her “wolf heat.”

  “Aconite?”

  “Wolfsbane,” Alesandra answered in an exasperated voice. “I thought you were and expert on wolves.”

  “I know what aconite is,” Kearnan replied. “How can you possibly know if Serena is pregnant?”

  Alesandra chuckled. “I believe I heard her say that you chained her to the bed and fucked the daylights out of her.”

  Kearnan flushed. Werewolves had excellent hearing. Hell, with as loud as Serena was shouting when he told her to leave, the wolves themselves probably heard her.

  “Where’s Alex?” he asked in a neutral tone.

  “Gone, licking his wounds and his pride. Maybe now he will see to his duties as Alpha and quit dwelling on Serena, that is unless you and Serena wish to return with us. You have won the right to be Alpha.”

  Kearnan shook his head. “I—we belong here.”

  Alesandra smiled. “Then go tell her that.”

  As Kearnan turned to leave the room, the boom of a shotgun blast reverberated through the house.

  Chapter 11

  In wolf form, Kearnan hurtled across the room and out the door. He plunged down the staircase. His claws clicked and scraped as he skidded across the slippery hardwood floor of the living room. In the seconds it took him to reach the front door, another shotgun blast rolled through the house. The door that lost its screen from Serena’s passage was torn completely off its hinges as Kearnan exploded through it. At this moment, he had no doubts about himself. His mate was in danger. If anyone had hurt her, he’d rip out his throat.

  Eyes tearing from the force of the wind caused by his speed, Kearnan sprinted across the small lawn and down the hill towards the laboratory. He sprang past the out buildings and tore down the rutted track that lay between the wolf enclosures. The shotgun blast had come from the northernmost corner of the enclosures—the enclosure where Blossom had dug her den and birthed her cubs. He returned to his human form only long enough to unlatch the gate leading Blossom’s enclosure. Serena had definitely been here not long ago. Her scent lingered on the bushes bordering the path.

  Nostrils flared, Kearnan lifted his head and searched the breeze. That way, north. Serena was at Blossom’s den, just as he’d thought. Mist swirled as he changed, and the gray wolf sprang north towards the woman he loved.

  When the first shotgun blast exploded not far from her, Serena chased the wolf cubs into their den. When the pellets from the second blast raked through the leaves above her head, she dove behind a boulder.

  Raucous laughter drifted to her with the breeze.

  “Think we hit any of them wolves, Fred?”

  “Don’t know, Daryl. I thought I saw something moving in the mountain laurel.”

  Serena peered around the rock and started to shake. One of her worst nightmares had come true. The Hadley brothers stood in a clearing on the other side of the chain link fence. She leaned back against the boulder. Oh shit! And I’m naked. Rape is a sporting event to them. Maybe, if I’m lucky, they’ll go away .

  She clapped her hands over her ears as another round of shotgun pellets raked the underbrush to her right. Thankfully the wolf den was on the other side.

  Calm down, Serena, there’s an eight-foot chain link fence between them and you. They might be able to shoot you, but they won’t be able to touch you.

  The cub’s whimpering grew louder.

  Serena closed her eyes and sent a mental command to both the cubs cowering in the den and their parents who were sprinting frantically back to the den. Stay where you are. I’ll take care of this. No one will hurt the cubs.

  “Hey, Fred. Do ya think we can skin one of them wolves if we shoot it? I always wanted ta hang a wolf skin on the wall.

  One of their skins? That son of a bitch. Over my dead body will one of those assholes hang anything from a wolf on his wall.

  “You stupid assholes!” Serena yelled as she sprang to her feet and stepped from behind the boulder. “What do you think you’re doing?” She stood legs spread, feet planted firmly, her hands fisted on her hips, and glared at the two men.

  The breeze shifted, and the scent of sour human sweat and stale alcohol wafted towards her. Gagging, she turned her face away.

  Low, fearful whines from the wolf den drew her attention.

  Stay where you are babies. Mama and Papa are fine, and I’ll keep you safe.

  Blossom’s cubs huddled inside their den, Serena’s mental command keeping them still.

  Serena tilted her head at the slight sound of rustling brush and caught the scent of female wolf. Blossom. That meant Storm was also nearby. Thank the gods that neither had been hit by the initial shotgun blasts, but Blossom was becoming more and more fretful about the safety of her cubs.

  I won’t let anything happen to them, Blossom. I’ll get these mon
sters away from your cubs.

  The two men pointed their shotguns at her.

  “Lookie, Fred, she’s naked.” Daryl Hadley drooled, licked the slobber from his lips, then drooled more. His dirty-blonde hair hung in clumps to his shoulders. His right eyelid drooped over watery, blue eyes. He was missing two of his front teeth.

  A mere inch shorter and maybe twenty pounds lighter than Daryl, Fred was dressed in dirty camouflage pants tucked into hunting boots and a ratty, flannel shirt. He had all of his teeth, but they stained brown from the tobacco wad constantly in his mouth. His eyes were the same pale blue, but the look in them was meaner. Unlike Daryl, Fred had some intelligence.

  Both men’s gazes traveled the length of her body more than once. Daryl then riveted his gaze on her breasts while Fred stared at the dark curls between her legs. They shuffled their feet, shifting to accommodate the bulges at the front of their jeans.

  “I wanna fuck her, Fred,” Daryl mumbled through his spittle. “I wanna fuck her good.”

  Fred motioned with his gun. “Get over here, girl.”

  Shaking her head, Serena threw up her hands. I can do this. I can get them away from the cubs. “Idiot. Even if I were so inclined to come anywhere near your rancid bodies, and believe me I’m not, there’s a chain-link fence between us. No gate.”

  Daryl shifted his shotgun to one arm and jerked at the button on his jeans. “Make her come here, Fred. My dick hurts something fierce. I can fuck her through the fence.”

  “Shut up,” Fred snapped, his eyes never leaving Serena. “Where’s the gate?”

  She crossed her arms under her breasts, lifting and squeezing them together. “The main gate of each compound is at the center of the preserve. That’s down by the house.”

  Her nipples pebbled from the cool air.

  Both men shifted their gazes to her breasts.

  Daryl shifted from foot to foot and whined, “How are we going to get her, Fred?” His jeans were sagging around his hips.

  Serena kept her tone light. “There’s a small auxiliary gate about a quarter of a mile from here.”

  Daryl took a step forward, but Fred stopped him. “Why you telling us about the gate?”

  Serena contemplated Fred Hadley. T his one isn’t as dumb as he looks. The truth is probably the best answer. He’ll figure he can come shoot the wolves another time. “To get you away from the wolves,” she answered. “I don’t want you shooting at them.”

  “How do you know we won’t still shoot you?” Fred continued in a suspicious voice.

  “Because that would be murder, and you aren’t murders. You’re just a couple of good old boys trying to make your community a safer place. Besides, I’ve been watching you two. Staying out here on the preserve most of the time gets lonely sometimes, but I don’t like going into town. You guys like the woods and nature. We probably have a lot in common.”

  As Serena talked, Daryl set the butt of his shotgun on the ground and shoved his free hand down the front of his jeans. His hand began to move up and down. An idiotic grin on his face, he said, “See, Fred. She ain’t so stuck up. She did smile at me that time in town. I was right. I told you so.”

  Fred addressed his answer to Serena, obviously still suspicious. “Then how come you would never talk to us when you saw us? How come you was always so uppity, like we wasn’t good enough for you?”

  Serena unclasped her arms and shrugged.

  Her breasts jiggled.

  “My boss. He threatened to fire all of us if we were friendly towards you. He’s afraid you’ll convince the rest of the town to make him get rid of the wolves.”

  Fred puffed out his chest. “Son of a bitch should be afraid of us. Only a matter of time till the rest of the people around here sees things our way.” His eyes slipped down to Serena’s crotch again. “What you doing out here naked?”

  Serena shifted her feet. Her breasts jiggled again. “My boss likes to play games.”

  Daryl’s hand moved faster. His gaze was glued to her chest.

  Doubt still on his face, Fred said, “And you let him? Didn’t think women nowadays let their bosses get away with fucking them around, all that sexual harassment stuff.”

  Serena smiled. “He pays me $500 bucks. Puts it down as hazard pay cause I’m in the wolf enclosures with the wolves.”

  Fred grunted. “$500 bucks to fuck in the woods? Didn’t know you could make that much money raising wolves.”

  Serena just shrugged.

  Her breasts bounced.

  Daryl groaned and then grunted. He began to pant.

  Fred ignored his brother. “How come you’re offering to fuck us both?”

  “He’ll pay me double to do both of you while he watches. He’ll probably pay you too.”

  Fred jerked his head up. Greed oozed into his voice. “He’ll pay us to fuck you?”

  “Sure. Any of his employees willing to do kinky sex get paid extra. Like I said, he likes to watch.”

  Daryl’s breath was now labored. Inside his jeans, his hand moved faster. “Make her spread her legs wider, Fred.”

  Fred lowered his shotgun and punched Daryl in the arm. “Stop it. “You’ll blow your whole load before you even stick her. You know you won’t be able to get it up right away again.”

  Knocked off balance by his brother’s blow, Daryl staggered, dropped his gun, and used both hands to grab onto a tree to keep from falling. Once he regained his balance, he grabbed his shotgun and pointed at Serena’s stomach. The glare he sent her was chilling. “Where’s the gate, bitch?”

  Serena swallowed and glanced at Fred.

  He was grinning. “Don’t worry, honey. Daryl likes cornholing, but it don’t take him no time to come. You can get down on your hands and knees so Daryl can stick you in your ass doggy style, or him and me can squeeze you between us. Then I can ram your cunt while Daryl pokes your ass. How much will your boss pay to see that?”

  “Shut up, Fred.” Daryl poked his shotgun to the left. “Show me where the gate is, bitch. And don’t try nothing funny. I can still fuck you if I shoot you in the leg. A little blood don’t bother me none.”

  “Better get movin’, honey. When Daryl is this horny, he can get down right mean. Sometimes he likes to use other stuff before he sticks his dick in a woman.”

  Serena shivered. She’d always thought Fred Hadley controlled his little brother. Maybe she was wrong. Trying to escape by diving into the undergrowth, even with her werewolf speed was out of the question. The Hadleys were just on the other side of the fence. Two shotgun blasts from this range would inflict damage before even the fastest werewolf could get out of the way.

  Glancing over her shoulder, Serena spied Blossom duck into her den. As soon as she and the two men were out of sight, the wolves would take their cubs toward the center of the preserve, towards the house where they would all be safe.

  Serena peeked at the Hadleys from beneath her eyelashes.

  Both had their shotguns trained on her.

  Both were grinning maniacally.

  “Get moving.”

  Serena glanced around once more. Where the hell was Kearnan? She was his mate. He better get his ass out here. She motioned to her left. “Sure, this way.”

  As they walked, she on her side of the fence they on theirs, the normal sounds of the forest died. Birds didn’t chirp. Squirrels didn’t chatter. Not even a breeze rustled the leaves. The only sound was the noisy tramping of the Hadley brothers’ passage as they tripped, shoved, and cursed their way through the underbrush.

  Then, the howl of a hunting wolf shattered the silence.

  Serena turned her face away from the Hadley brothers and grinned. Kearnan was coming.

  Chapter 12

  Howls erupted all over the preserve as the wolves answered Kearnan.

  Daryl tripped over an exposed root. “Fred, you got extra shells?”

  “Forget them wolves. None of them are close,” Fred answered. “Are they?” he continued to Serena.

  She sh
ook her head. “After the shots you fired, the wolves are all as far away as they can get.”

  “What are they howling about?”

  “The gunshots. They’re talking to each other, making sure none of them have been shot.”

  “You talk about them like they’re human,” Fred said. He sounded suspicious again.

  T hink fast, Serena. Fred’s starting to think again. Better jiggle your boobs some more or wiggle your ass. Get his thoughts back to his dick. “Ouch!” she exclaimed.

  “What?”

  “Branch hit me.” She cupped her breast in her left hand and rubbed her nipple with her right.

  Fred’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He gagged, coughed, and spit out his tobacco wad.

  Turning her head to hide her grin, Serena stepped over a small log. Fred was thinking with his dick again.

  As she walked, Serena’s mind whirled. Kearnan was coming. She frowned. Would he do something stupid like try to take on two men with guns? She muttered a curse under her breath. Of course, he would. He was male. Now she was going to have to rescue the both of them somehow. Unless… A thick stand of pines grew before her. She just had to keep the Hadleys from realizing they wouldn’t be able to see her once they were all inside the pines.

  Outside the fence, the Hadley brothers kept pace with her, forcing their way through sometimes dense undergrowth. One of them always had a shotgun pointed at her. Sweat stained the fronts, backs, and underarms of both men’s flannel shirts.

  The breeze shifted, carrying their rank stench to Serena. She cursed under her breath.

  “Now what’s the matter?” Fred growled.

  “I stepped on another stone.” If they get any closer, I’ll puke. When was the last time either one of them bathed?

  “How much further is that gate, bitch?”

  “Another hundred yards or so. It’s right through this stand of pines.” She pretended to stumble. “Ouch! I think I stepped on a thorn.” Turning her back on them, Serena bent over, giving the men a clear view of her behind.

  “Look at her ass,” Daryl moaned. “An her cunt. Look at how red it is.”

  Serena heard lips smacking.