“What’s happening?” This couldn’t be right. She shouldn’t feel this uncontrollable lust that spiraled through her body.
She was so screwed. She hadn’t even touched them.
Taggert pressed closer to her back, forcing her into Jackson’s warmth. “Our wolves are showing their pleasure.”
A shiver shook her whole body at his bald explanation. Good Lord, no wonder shifters wanted to touch so much. When he lowered his head next to hers, she tipped her head to watch him, fascinated by the way he licked his lips. The way his gaze zeroed in on her mouth as if he wanted to taste her again.
He nudged his wrist to her chin. “Bite.”
Her lips tingled at his hunger. He brushed his wrist against her mouth and the urge to taste him so intimately bucked through her, along with a deep fear what would happen to them if she went through with this. “Jackson?”
His jaw flexed, teeth bared as he grunted. “Do it.” He followed Taggert’s lead and pressed closer. All she felt was them and the need to stake her claim.
She opened her mouth and laid her lips again the warm skin of Taggert’s wrist. Desire swelled through her body. The clothes between them became an annoyance when all she wanted was to touch flesh. He groaned, urging her on by pressing closer, sliding his hand down her side.
“Please.” The words were spoken on a breath of air. When she would have turned to face Taggert, Jackson grabbed her hips, and she moaned at the feel of him snug against her, so ready that she throbbed with need.
Taggert whimpered at her arousal. Jackson grunted and both men pressed closer. The grip on her hips turned brutal. “You have to call your wolf and bite. I can’t hold back much longer.”
Raven met his gaze, saw the strain on his face as he held their animals in check. Her job as an alpha she realized, something she failed to do while she allowed the novelty of the emotions to overwhelm her. Giving up the inevitable, she parted her lips and bit.
“Harder.” Taggert’s mouth brushed her ear, a plea and demand all in one word.
The skin broke, and she resisted the urge to pull away as the coppery taste of blood spilled in her mouth. Taggert bent and brushed his lips along the back of her neck.
The first swallow spilled down her throat. Taggert’s aura bent, melding with hers. The power of his wolf brushed against her, the warmth and smell so similar to Taggert, she couldn’t resist trailing her fingers over him.
Then the dark shadow at her core uncurled, stealing the warmth of the joining. The feel of Taggert’s wolf retreated as the beast woke. The greedy darkness begged her to take more, demanded she bite harder, sink her teeth deeper.
Blood flooded her mouth. It felt wrong, the taste sour. Then she understood.
Only a wolf could claim a wolf.
“Call the wolf.”
At Jackson’s command, the wolf at her core charged at the shadow, snarling with rage at being denied. Pain rippled through her with each slash of the wolf’s claws, each gouge of the fangs. The touch of Jackson and Taggert’s wolves made hers stronger, more determined to claim what was hers. The darkness retreated as if pleased to have stolen a taste.
The wolf brushed against her mind then stalked off in victory. Rational thought was slow to return, the throb in her skull a dull ache. Raven ignored the pain and snapped open her eyes to find herself pinned to the floor under the combined weight of both Taggert and Jackson, unable to move.
“Is everyone all right?” The husky scratch of her voice made her wince.
“The better question would be what the hell were you thinking.” Rylan’s blue eyes zeroed in on hers, a hardness in them that didn’t allow her to guess at his thoughts. Every inch of him was perfectly in order as if finding her on the floor with two men wrapped around her didn’t ruffle him.
“It’s my fault. I didn’t realize the mating process was so delicate, that I needed my wolf to complete the exchange.” When she struggled to sit, snarls erupted from both of the men holding her, their anger directed at Rylan, pure wolf boldly glaring from their eyes. “Rylan, I think you should leave.”
“No.” The one word was implacable, and she was helpless to make him obey, the bastard, and he knew it.
Careful to keep any fear out of her voice, Raven nudged Taggert. “Release me.”
The rumble in his chest died. He cocked his head at the sound of her voice then slowly turned toward her.
She expected ferocity.
She expected fear.
It unnerved her to see utter devotion in his gaze. “We were going to go out tonight. Remember? If you still want to go, you need to release me and get ready.”
He hesitated a second before he finally did as told. Instead of standing, he crawled over her in a loose way no human could duplicate. Jackson bared his teeth, but Taggert ignored everything as he came closer. Balanced on his hands and feet in an amazing display of muscles, he bent down without touching and inhaled deeply.