Ann H Read online

  “But this person knows about us?”

  “Yeah, and that bitch only wants shifter males.”

  “Why?”

  “Not completely sure, but she did say something about looking for a birthday present for her daughter.”

  “Daughter?”

  “Guess the bitch has kids.”

  “Great.”

  “Yeah, well, I wasn’t what she was looking for. She turned me down for that and told the guys to send me to the auction block. Then you came and the shit got blown up.”

  “So they auction us off,” Reed nodded. “Use us for sex until our use is no more.”

  “Seems so.”

  “And you witnessed it all.” Reed looked at Brent. “Kind of makes you a wanted man, if you ask me.”

  “You think they’re going to come looking for me?”

  “They could.”

  Brent took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and rubbed the back of his neck. “If they know anything about us then they’ll know this is our weak time. We need to keep moving.”

  “Can’t now. The red moon is fucking with us big time and don’t stand there telling me you don’t feel it or smell her.”

  “So what’s your big plan then?”

  Reed took a deep breath and thought about that. What was his great plan? Did he really have one? Nope. “No clue.”

  “Thought so.”

  Taking another deep breath, Reed stood back up. “We might need help here.”

  “Who you going to call?” Brent now sounded annoyed and looked it with his arms out to the side.

  “I know people.”

  “You know people,” Brent nodded. “Yeah, well who the hell is going to want to help us and who the hell can we trust?”

  “Brent we don’t have a choice here,” Reed sighed. “You were taken to be sold as a sex slave and someone in our world is selling us all out. We need help here.”

  Brent rubbed his face quickly, pushed away from the counter, and turned his back on Reed, head down. “He’s nuts, if it’s whom I think you’re thinking about.”

  “He’s not nuts, only say, um deadly.”

  Brent snickered. “Crazy is more like it.”

  “He’s the muscle we need.”

  Brent nodded, and turned his head towards the window. Even during the day, you could see the moon and the red tint in it. “We don’t have much time here. After tonight the moon will be full and you need to find him.”

  “Oh I think I know someone who can find him without any trouble.”

  Brent turned back around. “They still talk?”

  “Brandon is his only friend.” Reed stood back up and stretched. “Or at least the only one he’s civil to. Besides, Brandon owes me a favor.”

  “I think too many people owe you too many favors.”

  Reed smiled. “Yep and now so do you, little brother.”

  Reed left the cabin, but didn’t go back to his right away. He walked around to the back, brought out his cell, and dialed the number. He waited as it connected then rang.

  “So do I get to repay my debt?” Brandon Michael said once the phone connected.

  Reed smiled. “Yeah I’m calling it in.”

  “Took you long enough. What you need?”

  “Thorn.”

  Brandon whistled. “Damn man, do you even know what you’re asking?”

  “Do you know what’s happening?”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard.” Brandon’s voice changed, the humor gone.

  “I know you know where he is.”

  “I do, but like all the others who are without a mate, we tend to go into hiding when strange shit like a red moon comes up. I’m sure he’s hiding as well.”

  “But you can reach him.”

  “What do you want, Reed?”

  Reed rubbed the back of his neck, looking around the lake where they were staying. Everything is so quiet, peaceful, and relaxing. Like Brandon said, the strange red moon is affecting them all, and all he could think about for the moment is going back to his room and slipping into bed. However, he also needed to stay on track.

  “This group of people took Brent,” Reed said. “We found out a woman is running things and she was going to sell Brent for a sex slave. I got him back, but I also have this strange feeling that we’re not safe. They might think he knows something.”

  “He doesn’t do protection detail.”

  “I want him to; no I need him to find out who sold us out and see if we are being hunted.”

  “And then what?”

  “Do you really need me to spell the rest out?” Silence. “Brandon?”

  “Let me see what I can do, and I’ll call you back.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  The call ended. Reed put it back into his pocket turned and walked back around the cabin to the front door. Right before he entered, his hand on the knob, he had a strange feeling of being watched. Looking over his shoulder, he saw nothing, but still had the feeling. Shaking it off, he went inside and got a slight fright when he saw the bed empty. He just about turned to run out and hunt for her until he heard the shower running in the bathroom. Letting out a sigh, Reed closed the door, locked it, and began taking his clothes off as he headed for the bathroom.

  The sight of her standing under the hot water, her hands over the showerhead, water beating down over her chest, the nude outline of her body had Reed instantly hardening. He could smell her need and the scent grew stronger, calling to him, fueling his own hunger and need. All thanks to the damn red moon.

  He went up to the shower. A small tub shower combination that wasn’t large enough for two, but damn if Reed wasn’t going to join her. She didn’t even look over her shoulder when he joined her or wrapped his arms around her waist. Jennifer only bent slightly and leaned back into him, offering herself to him.

  One hard thrust and he was deep inside her. Jennifer let out a loud, deep moan, pushing back against him. He moved his hands up to her breasts, cupped them both and squeezed as he moved inside her.

  “Agh!” she moaned, matching his thrusts.

  Her pussy contracted on him, gripped him so tight that he thought for a second he couldn’t move making Reed powerless to hold back his own climax.

  “I can smell your need rising,” he said against her neck.

  “I can feel it,” she whispered back.

  He reached down, turned the water off, and slipped from her body. Reaching for the towels, handing one to her, he wrapped the other around his waist before stepping from the tub. Taking her hand as soon as she had her towel around her body, Reed led her from the bathroom back to the bed where he climbed up and had her lay between his legs, head resting back on his chest.

  “I’ve never had my cycle feel like this before,” she said. “I think it’s even changing how I think and feel about you,” she finished with a chuckle.

  “Does that mean you’re not going to try to run away then?” He grinned, running fingers in her wet hair. She shook her head. “Damn. I was looking forward to chasing you down again.”

  She giggled, “Well then I’ll run just for you.”

  He sighed; holding her close, letting them both relax even though he could smell that damn cycle of hers making his dick throb. “I talked to Brent about the full moon for you.”

  “What’d he say?”

  “If you need him, he’ll help.”

  “Are you going to be okay with it?” She turned in his arms and he had to suck air into his lungs. So much, trust in her eyes.

  “No.”

  “Then why are you going to go through with it?”

  He brushed hair behind her ear, and then ran knuckles down her cheek. “Because right now, right this moment, I just fell in love with you and I’ll do anything I have to in order for you to get through this.”

  Her blue eyes widened.” In love with me?” she whispered.

  “Yeah,” he grinned. “In love with you.”

  “But you don’t even know me.”

&
nbsp; “I will, just like you’ll get to me know me. We have all the time in the world.”

  “So while we have this moment, you care to tell me your story?”

  “And what story is that?”

  “Why did your brother get taken?”

  “Ah,” Reed nodded, dropping his hand back down to her back. “Well someone sold us I think. These people came, broke into our house, and took Brent. I wasn’t home then. I was out just fucking around. When I got home the house everything is gone. No one knew anything or saw a damn thing,” he finished with a tired sigh.

  “Then how did you get together with my father?”

  “Came across his name by a friend. Brandon thought your father might know something as to what happened or where I might find Brent. He’d only been gone for about a month, close to two when I came home. I hunted the ones down who took him but they didn’t give me much information. Your father had more information than anyone else I’ve talked to. He knew that a woman was calling the shots, but not her name. He also knew of the storage building that just got bought by a woman and thought I should check it out. Said it hadn’t been looked at for months and then one day it got bought. He figured it might be them and suggested I check it out.”

  “And luck behold, you find your brother.”

  “And you.” Once more, he reached out touching her face. “You know you’re very pretty.”

  She smiled and blushed at the same time. “Don’t change the subject. How did this Brandon know my father knew anything?”

  “He heard things through some of his contacts I think. Brandon told me that he had heard your father was looking into why shifters were disappearing. I went and met him and that is when I learned about this sex slave thing. Don’t think either one of us expected it to be a human. I mean, how the hell can one pull this shit off?”

  “There are other families that have been killed and their sons taken,” she said, resting her chin on his chest. “I heard him talking about it one night, or more like yelling about it. One of his good friends and business partners was killed, their two sons taken. Only one came back and he was so messed up that he completely shut down. He stopped talking and ended up dying a few months later. I did learn then of the sex slave thing. They drug them and use them up until there isn’t anything left. Guess very few come out alive.”

  “I still don’t see how a human can be pulling this off.”

  “I don’t know either and neither did my father. Speaking of him, maybe I should call him and let him know everything is alright.”

  “That might be a good idea.” He reached for the phone next to the bed, only to have her stop him by pressing on his chest.

  “Didn’t mean right this second.” That hand went down his chest to the top of the towel around his waist. “I have other things on my mind at the moment.”

  Inside the towel, right around his hard cock that hand went. Reed sucked air into his lungs and arched his back slightly. He watched her with hooded eyes as she skimmed down his body, parting his legs, pulling the towel open.

  Not one word left his lips. Hell he had a hard time breathing once she took hold of him, moving that hand up and down the base of his cock. With a kiss to the crest, Reed knew he was in for one hell of a ride.

  Jennifer didn’t even give him a chance to prepare himself for her actions. Her mouth opened, closed around the head, and she sucked half of the length in and down her throat. Touching the back of her throat he lost it, head went back against the pillows and a deep groan left his lips.

  She sucked him fast, hard, pulling the pleasure to a surface faster than what he would’ve liked. It had been so long since a woman gave him pleasure like this, and he would’ve liked it to last, yet at the same time Reed didn’t think he could last very long.

  A moan vibrated around him and he hissed. “I’m going to come very soon if you keep this up.”

  She stopped mouth open, wet, and swollen. She looked up at him. “Don’t want that then.”

  The towel around her fell as she crawled up his body. Reed became powerless to move or do a damn thing as she positioned herself on top of him, cock posed at her entrance.

  Slowly Jennifer lowered herself down on him and Reed bit his lip, watching his cock disappear into her. The watching heightened the pleasure.

  Halfway in, she slammed down and her pussy contracted around him. Reed moaned low. Feeling her climax just by him entering her body gave him such pleasure, but he wasn’t able to enjoy it completely. Before she was even done, she was moving on him. Grinding her hips, thrusting him in and out, driving him nuts with both the pleasure and with her sweet needing scent.

  He looked at her face; saw the way she had her eyes closed, a frown marring her forehead, mouth open, and breasts moving to her motions. She was caught up in bliss, and it was without a doubt a memory he would never forget.

  She arched herself backwards and he knew he was a goner. Harder her movements became and Reed was unable to keep silent any longer. He yelled out with each thrust she gave him, feeling his release fast approaching. She also cried out.

  “Oh fuck!” Reed yelled the second before he lost it.

  Jennifer also cried out and dropped down on top of him. Her sweet pussy contracted hard around his cock, matching the spurt of his own release. Wrapping his arms tight around her he held on.

  “I feel it now,” she breathed out, hard, and fast.

  “Feel what?” he also breathed hard and fast.

  “I love you,” she said, snuggling closer. “I don’t want to let you go or for this to end.”

  “It won’t, and you don’t have to.” Tighter he held her. “I’m never letting you go, ever.”

  “Good, now I think I owe you something.”

  “Huh? Ouch! Oh shit!” Her teeth sank into his chest, right over his left breast. She sucked and marked him, getting him very hard once more. As she sucked on his chest, she moved her hips once more, grinding on him, causing him to come way too fucking early if one asked him. “Shit, shit, shit, shit!”

  Jennifer moaned against his chest and slowly pulled back with a smile on her lips. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

  Looking down he also smiled and snickered, “You’re a little shit. No one has ever made me come like that.”

  “Good.” Leaning over she gave him a quick kiss and she jumped off him and the bed. “Now I’m going to clean up again and this time I’m fixing dinner. After that, I’m calling my father.”

  Chapter Five

  Brandon Michael paced in the night, rubbing his hands up and down his arms while he waited for him. Glancing up he shook his head at the half full moon that was also half-red. The way it filled out so damn fast he knew that, it would be full red by tomorrow night. It also meant that he would be in an unexpected heat without a mate or female to help him with it. Great!

  A snap of a twig and Brandon turned around. Holding his breath, raising his arm with the gun in hand he just about shot but stopped when he not only caught his scent but seen the outline of his body.

  “Damn it, Thorn,” Brandon rushed out. “Don’t do that!”

  One hell of a shifter male came out of the brush dressed in all black like always with one of the coldest expressions on his face. Thorn stood easily at six-five or larger. His dark hair touched his shoulders and was always kept brushed back out of the cold black eyes. Brandon didn’t know how old Thorn was, or even his last name, for that matter. No one did. Thorn kept to himself, only hired his skill out to people that either could afford it or guys like Brandon to whom he owed a large debt. Not to mention Thorn didn’t have many friends, so that was a big plus for Brandon.

  “Still easy to spook,” Thorn said, coming into the light.

  “Still cold as ever.” That had Thorn grinning, but only for a second. “Have you heard?”

  “Yes.” The darkness of the night sure did make Thorn look more dangerous that what he already was. Hell, Brandon wanted to shiver, but knew better, knew Thorn too well, or
at least what Thorn wanted him to know.

  “You interested?”

  “In finding this woman or the one selling us out?”

  “Either.”

  “I already know some things about her.” Thorn turned his back on Brandon, looked up at the moon. “For a human, she has a lot of power.”

  “Who is she?”

  “That much I haven’t found out.” He looked back down at Brandon. “Yet.”

  “Reed Pearce has asked me to ask you to find the one that sold his brother. He has Brent back, but also thinks that they are being watched.”

  “You see this moon?” Thorn asked, turning back to the moon.

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you feel it?”

  “I can feel what it’s doing to me.”

  “You know that it does more than just put us in heat or the females in their cycle, right? It matches us.” He looked over his shoulder at Brandon. “We’re all being watched. Tell your friend to leave after the full moon. More than one is selling us out and I’d bet my last dollar his is closer than the rest of us.” He nodded, “Call him.”

  Brandon nodded back and pulled out his phone to call Reed. It didn’t ring, but went right to voice mail, so he left a message. Thorn moved away slowly, head rose up slight and he sniffed the air.

  “What’s wrong?” Brandon asked.

  “We’re not alone,” Thorn whispered, swung around, pulling a gun from his waist. Before the thing got up in the air, something came flying and landed right in Thorn’s neck.

  “Thorn!” Brandon yelled, rushing to him, catching the man before he fell to the ground. A dart stuck out from his neck. Another dart hit, this one in Brandon’s neck, making everything spin, his body feeling like lead.

  “We have two,” someone said.

  “Good. I think this big animal will be more to her liking.”

  * * * *

  Thorn couldn’t move. His arm and legs felt like lead. Hell, he couldn’t even lift his damn head to save his life, but the strangest thing of all is how his lower half felt. His cock was thick, hard, throbbing with life. He didn’t know where Brandon was, or if he was even alive. A stick to his neck and he went down hard. Waking up in the back of a truck wasn’t his idea of fun either, especially when a rare red moon was upon them all. Already he could feel the need of his heat come, the need to find a female and simply fuck. He needed the release and, with each passing moment, that release felt like it grew.