What is the order? We don't want us fighting to determine whose turn it is."

"I go first." Mark sounded as if he stood very close behind her. "Adam is next. The rest of you can decide the order. We're all going to have her so don't snipe. We have hours with her. Whatever order you chose, keep it going. I figure we'll each get her three times at least." Shannon screamed. The raw sound tore through the woods but she knew no help would come.

They were going to shift into animals to gang-rape her.

Chapter Thirteen.

This can't be happening. Shannon latched on to that thought with desperation. They can't do this to me. It's not real. I'm having a nightmare. Wake up! Oh G.o.d, wake up!

A high-pitched, animalistic scream distracted her from the prayer she had started to mentally chant. She had no idea what had caused the startling noise.

"What the h.e.l.l?" Mark moved within her sight in front of the log, glowering at the woods. "Was that one of ours?"

"s.h.i.t," Adam hissed. "I think word is out and we're about to have more company. I told all of you not to share news of her with anyone. Who did you tell?"

"No one," the whiner answered.

"I didn't," someone else protested.

Mark turned and rage twisted his features in an ugly expression. "d.a.m.n it, you were the only ones we could trust not to tear her apart. If half the pride shows up to take turns with her she won't survive."

Another strange scream tore through the woods. It seemed to come from a different direction...or maybe not. It was difficult for Shannon to distinguish.

"They seem to be fighting already." Mark muttered a string of curses as he walked out of her sight. "I'm going to have to challenge some them now. I'll tear out your throats if one of you mounts her while I'm dealing with the approaching males. Got me? I get her first. If some of them get around me, you make sure they don't get to her. I'll have all your a.s.ses if I'm not the first. I really want to make sure at least one in the litter she'll carry is mine."

The nightmare just grew worse for Shannon. Not only were seven of them planning to rape her but now more of their pride seemed to want to join her torture. A new h.e.l.l set in as her body further betrayed her. She could feel her s.e.x swelling and her c.l.i.t started to throb as though it had a heartbeat.

The sensation grew painful and a new noise came from her mouth that she couldn't hold back. A throaty cry sounded.

"She's in full heat," the doctor informed the group. "Look at her v.u.l.v.a. Pink and puffy and soaked. She's ready to conceive."

"d.a.m.n it," Mark roared, obviously in a full-blown rage now. "Who the h.e.l.l told our males about this?"

He leapt over the log into Shannon's view again. The sight of his naked backside jolted terror through her. He'd been ready to shift and take her body. She struggled but she couldn't break free. Her gaze remained on Mark since as long as he kept in front of her, she knew no one would touch her. He scanned the woods and then his body started to shift while he dropped to all fours.

"f.u.c.k," he roared. "Prepare to fight." His voice transformed from human to the scream of his animal.

She gaped at the sight of his sleek animal body. He was terrifying. She'd been to zoos before but the large cats there didn't seem as big to her as he did at that moment. Of course, they had been at a distance from her, not six feet away. She watched his ears pin back, his body tense, and he crouched.

Something rustled in the bushes and her gaze jerked toward the noise. It wasn't another puma who ran into the clearing. A big wolf barreled directly at Mark. More large wolves exploded into the clearing from different directions. The first wolf slammed into Mark.

All h.e.l.l broke loose. The wolves attacked the shifting men. Adam jumped over the log to try to help his brother, tried to shift, but another big wolf tackled him, took his body down, and he screamed as sharp teeth tore at him. Blood flew, splattering the ground. Behind her, she heard more fighting and snarls. Something splattered her bare foot, a warm, wet sensation that she guessed was blood.

She couldn't see what happened behind her but she couldn't miss the fights in front of her between Mark in puma form and the big black wolf that had rushed out of the woods first. Mark swiped at the wolf but missed when it spun out of reach with mere inches to spare. The wolf charged, head lowered, and slammed into the puma with enough force to knock it onto the gra.s.s. The black wolf clamped his big jaws into the equally large cat's hind leg, shredding it. The cat screamed and tried to roll away.

One of them has to be Anton, she realized. At least I hope so. She wanted to yell his name as her gaze darted between two of the wolves attacking Mark and Adam. The other two wolves leapt over the log to join the loud battle going on behind her. The wolf with Adam on the ground won his b.l.o.o.d.y victory. Adam stopped fighting. A mat of thick hair coated his arms, and his ears extended longer than a human's, but otherwise he appeared human. Bright red soaked his still form and she didn't see his chest moving. The wolf who had killed him turned his head to stare at her with dark eyes.

"Anton?" Her voice shook.

He suddenly loped forward but didn't stop in front of her. Instead he snarled and jumped the log. He missed her by inches as he launched through the air. In seconds something large, heavy, and hairy slammed against the back of her thighs. She opened her mouth to scream but a snarl stopped her cold. It sounded more like a dog than anything. A vicious, p.i.s.sed-off wolf? It pushed away from her and she heard a loud shriek, and more wetness splashed her foot. Something hairy and thin slapped the back of her thigh. It did it again. She tried to turn her head but the collar prevented it. A few more swats and she realized it had to be a tail wagging against her.

What the h.e.l.l? Is that Anton trying to comfort me with his tail? Trying to let me know he's there protecting my back? She relaxed and watched the fight in front of her. The cat and wolf still fought but the cat bled a lot. It tried to run away but the wolf took it down from behind, landed on it, and lunged for the throat. The cat screamed and then thrashed under the powerful jaws gripping it, the wolf's head shaking back and forth to cause more injury. Mark stilled under the wolf forever.

The wolf released the dead carca.s.s and turned. He met Shannon's gaze and slowly inched closer. His head tucked down a little, his jaws dripped blood but were closed now. He advanced until he stood mere feet from her. He collapsed and started to transform into skin.

His side had been mauled by the cat's claws. Red, b.l.o.o.d.y marks marred tan skin. He had more cuts and a bite on his thigh. She gasped when she realized who it was when he lifted his head.

Anton's brother, Rave, met her gaze and gave her a wink. "I'll be okay. I'll be healed from this in a matter of days."

The sounds of fighting ceased behind her and the tail stopped tapping her thigh. She gasped when something cold and wet suddenly nudged against her swollen p.u.s.s.y. She tried to fight when it pressed tighter until it slid along the folds of her s.e.x and she heard sniffing. She hated the way her body responded. Pleasure rolled through her at just the brush of something against her c.l.i.t and she fought the urge to come that fast.

Rave lifted his large body up and gripped the log to peer over the other side. He growled and then stopped. "Anton, what the h.e.l.l are you doing?"

The cold, wet nose jerked away from her body and she relaxed, realizing it had been Anton touching her intimately. His brother lowered to face level with her and met her gaze when he crouched.

She avoided glancing at his groin. The guy wasn't wearing anything but blood on his skin. His fingers gripped the collar.

"Sorry. My brother just wanted to make sure none of those pride males raped you. I'll a.s.sume they didn't since he's not going nuts." He c.o.c.ked his head to peer behind her. "He's changing back now.

Give him a minute to get back into skin. Let's get this collar off you." His touch made her hurt worse. She squeezed her eyes closed and took shallow breaths. Desire shot through her to the point that she had to clench her teeth not to moan at just the brush of his fingers pressed between her throat and the leather to unfasten it. The heavy weight dropped away and new hands gripped her hips. She started, her eyes flying open.

"It's Anton." Rave frowned at her, sniffed, and paled. "f.u.c.k." He fell on his a.s.s to get away from her.

"What did they do to you?" Anton's voice scared her. He snarled when he spoke.

She turned her head now that she could. Rage gripped his features-his fangs still out, and deadly. Blood was smeared all over his body. The hold on her hips tightened.

"They turned you on?" He started to breathe faster-he panted-and his eyes shifted enough to wolf. "Are you sorry I showed up? Did I interrupt a party?" Shock and hurt lanced through her. Her lips parted but nothing came out.

"d.a.m.n it, Anton," a man snarled. "Does she look willing? They have her tied down. See the ropes? Move!"

A stranger grabbed Anton's shoulder and pushed him aside. Shannon realized the guy had to be related to Anton with his black hair and similar features. His eyes were more of a light brown though. He hesitated.

"It's okay. I'm Brand Harris. I'm their cousin. I'm going to get you free. He doesn't understand what's happened to you. I'll try like h.e.l.l to avoid touching your skin. I know you've got to be hurting pretty bad and touch makes it worse." His nose flared and he softly groaned. "You're in full heat." Anton suddenly lunged, almost stepped on Shannon's leg to put his body between her and his cousin. "Don't touch Shannon. Think I don't see how you react to her? Jesus. That's my woman you're sporting wood over."

"d.a.m.n it, Anton. I'm not going to mount her. I am just reacting. I've got a pulse. She's in the most intense stage of heat. I told you I used to live with one of her kind. It's not her fault that she's aroused this strongly. It's got nothing to do with what they planned to do to her. It's biology. She can't help what her body is doing. Any touch is going to be h.e.l.l. Just untie her if you won't let me do it. She's going to be supersensitive at the slightest...h.e.l.l. You don't know anything about what she's going through, do you?"

"No," Anton growled. "I know you want to f.u.c.k her."

"I can't help reacting to her scent. When Charma was in heat it was the best s.e.x of my life.

Inhaling that scent reminds me of what I had. Let me give you the heads-up here. She's so aroused that just the slightest touch will make her come. She's in agony now. Take a look at her s.e.x. Isn't she swollen? Dripping from desire? She'll stay in that condition while she's in heat. They aren't designed the way our women are. Cats are- h.e.l.l, I don't know how to say this without p.i.s.sing you off more. You need to get her the h.e.l.l out of here, take her home, and f.u.c.k her for a few days. A lot. If they aren't mated, a few of their males will tend to the females in heat. The female is in so much pain from the need to be f.u.c.ked that she can't stop them or even protest enough to fight. Only mated ones are protected from other males taking advantage of them in this condition. Their mates are possessive as h.e.l.l and will fight and kill other males to keep them from mounting their women." Someone cleared his throat. "If you need any help tending to her, Anton, I'm offering. d.a.m.n, she is affecting me too. I thought our women smelled good." Anton spun to glare at Rave. "You touch her and I'll kill you," he snarled. "And f.u.c.k you for getting a b.o.n.e.r. She's mine."

"She won't be if we don't get the h.e.l.l out of here," one of the others sighed. "I'm sporting wood too. Don't yell at me. It's a physical reaction, Anton. We aren't going to try to mount her. It's just that you have to admit she smells good enough to make a man want to drop to his knees and bury his face between her thighs. I can nearly taste her and it makes me drool. We need to leave before the two who escaped return with reinforcements. I'm sure you'd rather f.u.c.k her than fight off any more of them who want to take her from you."

Anton's hands worked the ropes free. She clenched her teeth not to moan when his fingers brushed her skin. She refused to look at him, humiliated by her body's reaction, the discussion she'd listened to, and the fact that it seemed that every male in Anton's family had an erection over her scent.

They'd also seen her naked and spread-eagle.

When he freed her legs, she clamped her thighs together and clutched the torn shirt over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She wanted to curl into a ball, hide her body as best she could, and cry. The pain staggered her now-sharp stabs of fire-and she couldn't manage to get to her feet.

"Shannon?" Anton's voice softened. "Look at me."

She refused. She focused on the ground instead. He softly cursed and his hands gripped her hips. The touch made her cry out and she threw herself forward and hit the log hard enough to sc.r.a.pe her skin. She huddled against it.

"You're such a jerk," Brand muttered. "They were going to rape her and you think she wanted it just because her body is in heat. Move out of the way and I'll carry her."

"You touch her and I'll tear your head off," Anton threatened with a snarl.

Someone crouched behind her close enough that she could smell him. It made her whimper. Her body burned and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s tightened until her nipples throbbed. She pressed tighter against the log, the rough bark better than having one of them touching her.

"I'm sorry," Anton rasped softly. "I was out of my head, okay? Rave told me what they do to unmated half-breed females, how they use them to carry their young, and I didn't think I'd reach you in time. I know that you didn't want them. I'm going to pick you up. We have a van about a mile from here.

We need to get you back to pack territory before more of those pride males show up. I can protect you better there."

"I'll walk," she whispered.

"d.a.m.n," he ground out harshly. "You aren't in any condition to walk. Don't fight me." He jerked her away from the log and scooped her up in his arms. Her back arched and she hissed. His warm body drew her, though, and she turned into him, pressed tightly against him, and buried her face against his skin. The masculine scent of him made her moan and twist within his hold.

Her hands gripped his shoulder and chest, her fingers kneading his skin frantically.

"We need to go," he muttered. "Let's hurry. If I see anyone staring at her body, it will be the last thing you ever look at."

The jarring motion of him jogging with her cradled against his body made her writhe in his arms.

s.e.xual desire fogged her brain. She made soft crying sounds she couldn't stop from pa.s.sing her lips and sometimes a rumble would vibrate in her chest. It was almost a whining. She hated being out of control and it made it worse that there were witnesses.

"Get the door," Anton ordered. "Brand, you drive and stay as far from her as you can get."

"I'm not going to try to f.u.c.k her," the cousin snapped. "It's just physical. You're aroused too. We all are."

He nearly crushed her when he ducked down to move inside the van. He gently placed her on a cool, leather seat and then dropped down next to her. She turned away from him toward the window, huddled on the seat with her knees drawn up, and kept her back to him. She sat on the back bench seat of an extended-travel van with tinted windows. The other guys climbed inside and the van doors slammed closed.

"We'll dress later," someone announced. "I know I can't put my jeans on in this state. My zipper might catch skin even if I could shove my d.i.c.k inside enough to attempt to get them closed. Roll down the windows, Brand. Turn on the air-conditioning too. Now I can taste her. Why the h.e.l.l didn't anyone ever tell me that's how they smelled in heat? I would have hooked up with one long ago." Anton snarled. "Silence, Braden. Someone toss me a shirt to cover her with. She's trembling." The van engine started and the vehicle rolled forward. Shannon slid into a big, warm Anton when Brand made a sharp U-turn on the narrow, two-lane road. Just brushing up against Anton made her hotter. She fought the urge to stay there. She tried to pull away but then he wrapped an arm around her waist to secure her at his side.

"Here's a shirt. Let's put this on you."

She moaned. The heavy weight of his arm just under her b.r.e.a.s.t.s made her arch and her hand gripped his bare leg, rubbed it frantically, and then clutched his inner thigh. Anton groaned in response, yanked his arm from her, and shoved the shirt over her head to pull it down her body.

"d.a.m.n," Anton rasped. "You're on fire, aren't you, kitten?" She nodded and tears filled her eyes. She wanted him now, needed him, and knew if she followed her instincts she'd beg him to take her inside a van with his family watching. She'd never recover from the horror of it. She wasn't the type. She'd known women who had s.e.x in public and hadn't ever understood why they'd do something that awful. She'd never been in heat before though.

She turned her head and met his concerned gaze. "Not in front of them. Please? Don't let me. I" She choked on a sob. "Please?"

Anton had never felt so helpless in his entire life or like such a complete a.s.shole. He'd screwed up big time when he'd accused her of wanting to be f.u.c.ked by the pride males who'd kidnapped her.

He'd been shocked and then enraged when he'd realized how s.e.xually excited she'd been while tied to that log. Seeing her restrained and her body displayed, totally exposed to all the males who'd stared at her p.u.s.s.y, had sent him into a jealous rage. Brand had set him straight.

He knew mating heat affected his kind, made a male mindless to f.u.c.k at times, but it seemed cats ended up with a worse deal. A female werewolf would only want the male who'd marked her. She'd fight to the death if another male tried to mount her. The touch of another male wouldn't feel good. It would grate on her nerves to the point of pain. Shannon wasn't a werewolf.

The hand on his leg tightened and tears spilled down her face. It a.s.sured him of the h.e.l.lish situation she experienced. He could smell her l.u.s.t, see the desperation in her gaze, and understood what she'd tried to say to him. She was losing control, the heat overtaking her ability to think, but she would be mortified later if he took her in front of others.

"As soon as we hit our territory, pull over," Anton demanded loudly. "How far?"

"Ten miles." Brand cursed. "Is she going to make it? Charma used to just about lose her mind. If she even started to scent of going into heat I'd stay home with her. I was always terrified she'd go into heat when I wasn't there. It would get so bad that she probably would have attacked any male she came in contact with. The mailman would have been in for a h.e.l.l of a surprise. I would have murdered the b.a.s.t.a.r.d if that ever happened."

Shannon cried more, a look of pure horror on her features at hearing that news. It p.i.s.sed him off.

"Shut up, Brand."

"Sorry." The engine grew louder when he punched the gas. "I'm breaking every speed limit." Anton groaned when Shannon leaned into him, rubbed up against his chest, and his d.i.c.k turned to stone. The smell of her drove his mating heat into full-blown l.u.s.t. He wanted to shove her flat on the seat and drive into her, b.a.l.l.s-deep. His hands gripped her hips, locked her into place where she sat, and then she started to purr. She nipped at his chest wall with her teeth. It sent a jolt straight to his c.o.c.k.

Rave turned his head to gawk at Anton. "The sound of her purring is really s.e.xy."

"Turn around, d.a.m.n it. How are we doing, Brand?" He glared at his brother until he followed his order.

"I'm doing seventy. It would be really bad if a cop pulled us over. I doubt he'd understand why five guys are naked with a chick who is in her condition."

"Just take her," Von urged, turning in his seat. "How can you not? I want to climb back there and do her if you won't. It's torture hearing her agony."

Anton made a vicious sound. "Turn around."

Von muttered an oath but faced the front. Anton watched his brothers to make sure they didn't glance at Shannon and tried to fight the urge to f.u.c.k her, regardless of where they were. He knew it would make her hate him. He needed to be strong for both of them. That became more difficult when she clutched at his arms, kneading his skin, and whimpered.

"Please," she begged. "It hurts so much."

"We're almost there. Just hold on to me."

She tried to move, her intention to straddle him clear, and he snarled at her. He hoped her instincts would make fear override her l.u.s.t. Her head jerked up to peer at him, her lovely eyes filled with such pain that he felt like an even bigger b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

"Almost there. Just a few more minutes."

She lowered her face and pressed it back against his chest. Her teeth and tongue tormented him as she spread desperate, wet kisses over his skin. She purred louder, her entire body vibrated, and frantically stroked her body against his where they touched. His b.a.l.l.s drew up tight and his c.o.c.k pulsated painfully. If she kept it up, combined with her scent, he feared he'd embarra.s.s himself by coming without ever entering her.

"Almost there," Brand promised.

"Just pull off the road so no one can see the van and then take a hike. Guard us from a distance." He had to take a breath to calm down enough so they could understand his words. Talking became difficult. "Backs to the van. Understand me?"

"You don't want us watching." Von sighed. "Got it, Bro. You're very protective of her."

"She's mine," Anton announced. "I would kill for her."