Chapter 18

EIGHTEEN

Asha

Apparently, we’re minutes away from the town another one of my pack mates is causing trouble at. Max hasn’t told me much about what we’re expecting when we get there, but he seems to think this will be the worst thing we’ve seen so far. I’m not sure about that. Watching one of my last connections to my old life blow up in front of me is about as bad as it can get. It doesn’t feel worse than seeing my mom die, or hearing my sister’s final scream, but it feels like the fragile hope I’ve been holding onto has been crushed.

I’m trying. I’m trying so damn hard to shake it off, but now my mind is filled with that image.

He was going to try to get better. He was going to try to ignore the call of the dark magic… but they didn’t even give him a chance. They just murdered him. Right in front of me. In cold blood.

And if that’s the way the Enforcers work, how are we the bad ones? They know we can’t control ourselves. They know we don’t want to hurt anyone. But they still approach us with lethal intentions?

I don’t know what I’m doing anymore, but I’m not sure if I’m on the right side. Maybe I’d just be better off running away and searching for them on my own. Or maybe… I shouldn’t be searching, since I just bring death to their doorsteps.

“Asha.” Max says my name gently, like I’m an animal that might be spooked. Not sure why. I’m here, aren’t I?

I turn and look at him but don’t answer. He doesn’t need my answer, and right now it feels like everything I do costs me too much. Even though Max and Braxton’s blood is still within me, not as potent as before, but there, waiting for me to use it. To fuel the call of the dark magic. A call that has been overwhelming since I fed last.

No wonder my people are having such a hard time. It’s like the very air is whispering for me to tap into that magic. That maybe it could fix everything.

“Are you okay? Or would you rather sit this one out?” Max glances in my direction, and I see worry in his gaze. Sincere worry.

It snaps something inside of me. Him caring about me shouldn’t matter that much, but it feels like a small thread I can pull on to connect me to this world. “I’m not okay,” I admit slowly, “but I can do this.”

I hope.

He doesn’t look convinced. “You just went through something traumatic. Even Enforcers usually take some time off after something like that.”

“I can’t,” I tell him, and I mean it. I can’t take time off. I can’t sit this one out, because I ruined everything for my pack, and I’m not done until I’ve tried to save them with every ounce of my strength.

“We get it,” Braxton says from the backseat. He’s stroking Trouble’s head, looking upset. “Sometimes staying busy is better than being left alone with our thoughts. But when we get there, when the memories try to pull you under, you have to be able to focus on the present or it can get you killed.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” Max says. There’s no judgment in his voice, not even curiosity.

Braxton shifts his gaze, and I think they’re locking eyes in the mirror. “I am. I’m not here just for shits and giggles.”

Max nods and for some reason seems satisfied with that answer, but then he turns to me again. “Grim and his team might be there.”

“I want to kill him,” I tell him, and I’m already breathing hard.

“But you’re not going to because you know that will only make things worse and make it so you can’t help your pack any longer, right?” Max’s pale brown eyes are serious. Hard and unwavering.

I release a slow breath, but my heart is still racing. “I really want to kill him… but I won’t.”

“Promise?” he asks.

For some reason, I flash back to the day my pack was destroyed, when my mom made me promise her that I’d be safe. My gut churns, and I’m already shaking my head. “I-I don’t make promises any longer.”

Max sighs beside me. “Alright, but don’t.”

I shiver and wrap my arms around myself, and I don’t know why, but I start talking. “He was going to turn himself in. He didn’t like what the dark magic was doing to him. He wanted peace again. He wanted our old life back, just like me. And they killed him in front of me. They murdered him. He dropped all his protection… I mean, do you think they would have done that to a shifter or a vampire? Would they have just executed them like him?” I brush a tear angrily from my cheek. “I know what you’ll say, that they would have, that they were just doing their job, but–” I don’t know what to say, maybe that we all know that isn’t true.

“No, they executed him like a fucking animal.” Braxton sounds angry in the back seat. “It was clear to all of us that he had surrendered. And yeah, he was a murderer, but they also knew he wasn’t in his right mind.”

I look back at him and give him a small smile. “Thank you.” Thank you for saying what most people wouldn’t, that it was about the fact that he was a half breed. That my pack member died unfairly.

But Max? His hands just tighten on the steering wheel. And for some reason, I’m disappointed.

I want to say something, although I don’t know what. It hurts. Max and I might be coworkers, but it feels like we’ve become more than that. But in this situation, it seems he’s siding with the Enforcers rather than me. It’s logical, but it’s upsetting. More than I would have imagined.

My skin starts to… buzz. I look down at it, frowning. But it’s like I’m touching an electric current. Something is wrong. Something that I can’t put my finger on, and I don’t like it. And then, a raw hunger awakens inside of me and saliva fills my mouth. But it’s not blood or meat that’s doing this to me. I’m not sure what it is.

Dark magic. The words curl awake in my mind, like an evil dragon stretching awake. I’m sensing dark magic that’s got all the allure of a dangerous, beautiful man.

And I want it. Desperately.

Shaking my head, I say, “Dark magic. Really powerful dark magic.”

Both men look at me. I sense it, but I’m busy rubbing my skin while searching outside my window for the source of the feeling, but there’s nothing. Then, the road turns sharply in front of us, concealing the next step of our journey with huge trees. I look ahead eagerly, knowing we’re going closer and closer to the powerful magic.

Up ahead, we see the road blocked off in front of us with barricades and police cars. A grim-looking man in a police uniform stands in front of us glaring, then gestures to turn around. Instead, Max unrolls his window. The police officer looks even angrier as he storms up to our window.

“Listen, shithole, no one goes and no one comes here, so turn the fuck around!” He’s practically spitting as he glares at Max.

To his credit, Max never even flinches. He simply pulls what looks to be a wallet out of his jacket pocket and flips it open to reveal his badge. It looks similar to that of the FBI, but has a big E in the middle. And from what I’ve seen so far, all law enforcement responds to it. They might not know exactly what we do, technically, but they know who the Enforcers are.

And this man is no different. When he sees the badge, his eyes widen, and he stutters out, “O-oh, s-sorry, sir. I didn’t realize. We’ll move the blockade and get you in.”

Max puts his badge away and thanks the man, but then says, “We appreciate your help, officer, but I do want to remind you that even if I had been a civilian, you shouldn’t be speaking to anyone like that. People need to feel safe coming to us, and the second that they don’t feel that way, we’ve lost.”

The man gives a deep nod, then hurries away.

“Is that what you really think?” I ask Max.

He doesn’t look at me. “Of course. If I ever became a prick like him, I’d quit.” And it’s nice to actually see this human-like side of him. I guess the robot does have more layers.

They move so we can get through, and we take the curvy road to a town called Safehaven. It has a pretty wooden side beside the road with a man fishing. It’s similar to most small towns, but I like the sign, and I like how well-cared-for the smaller road is. And yet, it’s obvious that’s where the overwhelming feeling of dark magic is coming from.

We round another corner, and I gasp. It wasn’t visible a moment before, but now it’s all I can see. A giant, shimmering black net over a massive part of the woods somewhere up ahead. It towers above the trees and radiates dark magic so strongly that it’s almost hard to take deep breaths. Half of me is tempted by the call of that dark magic, and half of me is terrified. I don’t want to go closer to that. I don’t want to listen to it call to me. I don’t want anything to do with it.

“What’s wrong?” Max asks, sounding troubled.

“Don’t you see it?” I ask in a hushed voice.

“What?” Braxton asks, leaning forward and peering out the front window.

I can’t believe they can’t see it. It’s that powerful, that overwhelming. Like watching a nuke go off and not noticing it. “The dark magic web. It’s… surrounding some woods up ahead.”

Max swears softly. “Probably the thing keeping help out of Safehaven.”

I turn to Max, confused.

He notices and continues. “The reports were confusing, but apparently, our people have been unable to get into the town of Safehaven and no one is able to get out. And… inside the town, people are being tortured, killed left and right. They seem terrified, but our officers can’t tell why. They did, however, spot a Blood Mage at one point.”

Okay, fuck. This is more than we’ve dealt with before. There will also be the temptation of a massive amount of dark magic, as well as a powerful Blood Mage to deal with. More powerful than I am.

It’s a sobering thought.

“So, just like Clinton’s web, but much larger.”

I’m speaking to myself, but Max answers, “I think so.” Which further gives credit to the idea that a Blood Mage is responsible for this. Even though I kind of wish it wasn’t.

We reach a bunch of police vehicles, dark cars, and SUVs. They’ve set up a make-shift area to work out of, tents, a canopied area with tables and papers strewn across it on tables. There are people working on laptops. And, sure enough, Grim and his team are there.

I’m shaking again when Max reaches out and very gently touches my shoulder. I look at him, and his gaze holds mine. “We’re here. We’ll do everything we can to make this outcome different from the other one.”

Then he drops his hand and climbs out of the car.

Braxton, Trouble, and I get out too and Trouble is instantly at my side, like he can feel my terror. I reach down and slowly pet his head, some of the anxiety inside of me dissipating. But then Grim sees us and heads toward us. Max walks ahead of us to meet him. They stop, exchange a few words, and then Max hits him. And I mean hits him, knocking him out cold on the ground. His minions run up to Max, and Braxton is gone from my side and is next to his brother, looking pissed.

I hear Braxton tell them, “Do it! I fucking dare you!” He looks angry. Angrier than I’ve ever seen him, but Max still appears calm. He says something, and the other men look irritated as they drag their buddy off.

Hesitantly, I walk up to them, Trouble still glued to my side. “What was that about?”

Max turns to me, and I can see the rage behind his carefully placed mask. “I reminded him that we’re not executioners. And that if we have another issue like last time, I’ll personally handle him.”

And the way he says handle is hot as fuck. I had no idea cool and calm could be so… sexy.

“Thank you.”

He nods. “It wasn’t just for you, Asha. I wouldn’t work for people who felt that was okay.”

And I swear my heart melts a little, especially because he said it wasn’t just for me. It’s like he’s telling me, without telling me, that it was for me. Never in my life would I have thought a man punching another man for me would leave me feeling warm inside.

“Now,” he says, straightening his cuffs, “we need to figure out what’s going on and how we can be the ones to handle your pack. You three stay close to me and don’t say a word unless necessary. Got it?”

We both salute him and then exchange a grin. I hadn’t realized Braxton was going to do it, but it felt right in the moment. Max’s amused look is all the reward we need; this saluting thing is going to be a new joke we do.

“Us three , huh?” Braxton asks, just as Max is starting to head for the other Enforcers.

Max looks back, confused.

Braxton smiles. “I know damn well how hard you’ve been trying not to get attached to Trouble, but you have. You’re thinking of him now. You see him as one of us.”

Max lifts a brow. “I ordered a special vest for him the first day I saw how important he was to you. That doesn’t mean I’m going to baby talk him the way you do and let him lick my ice cream, but he is… one of us.”

Braxton pumps his fist, then turns excitedly to Trouble. “Hear that? You get a special outfit from Uncle Max!” Trouble excitedly jumps around and gives a few playful barks.

Max shakes his head and mumbles, “ Uncle Max ?” before turning and heading for the command station out here.

It’s strange. We’re here, at the brink of absolute chaos, and I feel better than I have in days. Maybe because these two are starting to form places in my heart and my life… a heart and life that have been empty for too long. And it’s nice. I even forgot about the dark magic for a while. Even now, the whispering, the calling of the dark magic, it’s quieter.

Is that what we need to get free of it? New connections? Things to ground us to this world after all we lost? It’s something I’ll be thinking about.

We follow Max to the half-tent canopy thing they have set up. Half a dozen people are at smaller tables on laptops, and there’s one long table in the middle with papers scattered across it, another computer, and a bunch of walkie-talkies. As we walk up, the big man behind the table picks up one of them off the table and says, “Report.”

“Alpha One, no change. No access.”

“Alpha Two, no change. No access.”

Fifteen people in total report back the same thing before the big man slams down his walkie-talkie and lets off a string of curses. He runs his head over his big, bald head and glares around until his gaze connects with Max’s. Then, instant relief washes over his expression.

“Max Blackwell!” He roars Max’s name, his deep voice making everyone turn and stare. People begin to whisper as Max walks up to the table and shakes the other guy’s hand. The man turns to look at the people around him. “This is Max Blackwell. He took out the Demon Singers, the Witch Child Ring, and even the Shifter Fights. If anyone can fix this thing, it’s him!” There’s obvious relief on everyone’s faces.

Apparently, Max is an even bigger deal than I thought.

“Hi, Thomas,” Max says with a smile. “How are you doing?”

The big man seems to only have one volume, which is super loud. “Not well, son, not well at all. This whole thing is a shit storm. We’re watching humans and supernaturals alike being slaughtered. There just doesn’t seem to be anything we can do about it.”

Max nods. “Well, we’re here to solve that issue.” He turns and gestures toward me, so I move up closer. “This is Asha of the Blood Pack. She has some unique abilities that might be able to help a small team get inside. A team which would include her, me, and Braxton here.”

Thomas’s gaze runs over me. “You said Blood Pack?”

Max gives him a look, a challenging look. “That’s what I said.”

I’m pretty sure that this group knew I was coming and know exactly what I am, but some part of me I don’t understand loves Max for identifying me the way I want to be identified. It’s like from the moment I became this thing I hated I’ve felt lost. Like no one sees me the way I am deep inside, and Max’s words give me some hope that maybe some people in this world can still see me as something other than a Blood Mage.

“And Braxton? He’s new to the force, correct?” Thomas looks unconvinced.

Max nods. “A man I trust with my life. And I can’t do my job if I don’t have someone I trust at my back.”

Braxton looks like he could explode with pride.

“Okay,” Thomas says, then his hands come down hard on the table in front of us. “Now, let me show you what we’re working with. See this?” We come closer and see that he’s pointing to the center of the town. “He’s there. Even with helicopters we can no longer see him, but yesterday we could, and that seemed to be where he’d placed himself… where the bodies are gathering. But that’s not the only danger. All over town, people seem to have lost their damn minds. We don’t know what he’s doing to them, but they’re running around screaming, pulling out their own hair. Some of them have even killed themselves. It’s hard. Before we could see inside, like looking through fractured glass, but now we can’t. We think that means he’s getting stronger.”

“Has anyone tried to reason with him?” Braxton asks, speaking my thoughts aloud.

“We have. He’s given no response. Nothing at all.” Thomas seems upset, which I hope means he’s the kind of guy who would rather this all end peacefully.

“And what does he look like?” I ask.

“Dark hair, maybe auburn, maybe brown. A twenty-something-year-old. We don’t have a lot more than that.”

My heart races. Maybe auburn? Dark? My brother had bright red hair, but maybe this man was mistaken. It could be him, after all. He’s in his twenties, like me.

Or, it could be anyone else.

Do you even want this to be him? I don’t know. I don’t want to hope for it when whoever is in there has done all of this.

Thomas levels his dark gaze at me. “But, and no offense, I don’t see how this tiny woman is going to get in there and defeat someone this powerful.”

“Because I’m a young woman?” I ask him, feeling my anger brewing.

He laughs. “Nah, I’ve had enough experience to know that sometimes the littlest pack the biggest punches. I’m just saying, I can feel that Blood Mage’s power. I can’t feel anything from you.”

Fuck. He’s right. If this isn’t my brother, if this isn’t someone I can handle, I need to get stronger.

I look at Max, then back at Thomas. “I can handle it.”

“Alright then.” He motions for someone behind him, and a short man comes running up. He hands us all vests and walkie-talkies. “Keep these on you at all times. Not only should they allow us to communicate with you, but they have trackers on them. Although you should know, we’re not sure if they’ll work once you get inside.”

We take them, put the vests over our clothes, and slip the walkie-talkies into them.

Then Max looks at Thomas. “We’re going to circle around and find the best place to enter. A favor though, I don’t want Grim anywhere near us or our target when we get the shield to fall.”

Thomas lifts a brow, but says, “I’ll do what I can.”

Which is a relief. Somewhat.

Max then looks down at Trouble and up at Braxton. “Maybe he should wait out here.”

“Because you don’t want him hurt?” Braxton says, a slight teasing note in his voice.

Max does not look amused.

Thomas speaks up. “He’s more than welcome to hang out with me. I’ll take good care of him.” And the smile on his face as he looks at the dog tells me he will.

Braxton thanks him, then kneels down. “Now, Trouble, I want you to stay here with this man. You understand? You’re a good dog, and that space isn’t safe. Okay?”

“He’s a dog. He doesn’t understand,” Max grumbles.

But Braxton still rubs his face along Trouble’s, squeezing him tightly like a little boy. When he finally releases him, he leads him over to Thomas and says, “Stay.”

He starts to walk away, but Trouble follows him. “Stay,” Braxton says again, looking back at him. Trouble whimpers and Braxton holds up a hand. “Stay.” The word is gentle but firm.

As we walk away, I hear Trouble whimpering, his stump of a tail going crazy, but he obeys, staying exactly where he is. And for some reason, my heart aches seeing him. I’ve never had a dog, never really considered myself a pet person, but Trouble is… something else. He’s an animal I can imagine loving.

“Which way?” I realize Max is talking to me.

I frown, drawing my focus back to the big, black spiderweb of dark magic. There’s no part of the web that feels fragile or weakened, so I just pick one direction and start walking. I circle the web occasionally passing more Enforcers who stand at attention. But when I find a random spot, far from any of the Enforcers, I turn to my men.

My gaze locks with Max’s.

“You need blood,” he says simply.

I nod, then look at Braxton.

He smirks. “That’s what I’m here for, right?”

It’s strange. It feels weird to know I need more blood if I have any hope of being a match for my pack member. Dark magic is there in case I need it, even if I really don’t want to use that magic. Even if I know that I likely will have to.

“Okay, I’m going to feed off of you,” I release a slow breath. “But I want you to know my magic has consequences. Using it makes it harder to keep the darkness at bay.”

Max actually looks mad. “Why didn’t you tell me that before?”

I shrug.

“No, there’s a reason…”

There is. I just don’t want to tell him.

“Asha,” he swears, “how the hell is this supposed to work if you never trust me?”

My gaze snaps to his. Max is mad. And showing it. Which is… so not Max.

“I just… information is power, and you’re an Enforcer.”

He looks like I slapped him. “Is that all I am?”

The question hangs between us, but I can’t bring myself to answer. I don’t know. There’s just been so much. So much to handle. And I feel like if I say one thing, I might lose him. And if I say the other, things might change, bringing us to a place I can’t handle.

“Understood,” he says, and his anger fades away, replaced by that cool mask again.

“Max…” Braxton draws out his name, then clears his throat.

His brother nods. “Well, now we know about the consequences of her magic, so we should do our best to ensure she only uses it when necessary.” He doesn’t look at me, just at Braxton.

“I’m sorry,” I say, although I can’t seem to say why.

“No need to be sorry. We have a job to do.” Max turns away from me and heads a little away from the dark magic. He doesn’t seem like he’s going anywhere, just away from me.

I look at Braxton, feeling helpless.

He gives me a small smile. “It’s okay. Let’s just take care of this thing.”

But hurting Max feels anything but okay. Actually, it feels pretty terrible, and I don’t know why. Maybe because if he hadn’t fought so hard with the Enforcers to let us work together, I would have spent the last couple of months in a cell. Or because when push comes to shove, he always has my back. Or maybe because he seems to have limitless patience for me, no matter how much I push him.

Either way, I feel crappy.

“Ready?” Max calls to me over his shoulder, no emotion in his voice.

It takes me a minute, but I manage, “Ready.”

Braxton follows me away from the dark web of magic and we stop just a short distance away from Max. Max’s shoulders are tight as he turns around. Without a word, he tugs his collar to the side to give me access to his throat. But for some reason, I don’t move.

Finally, his gaze meets mine. “We need to get in there and help those people. Your person too.”

It breaks me a little to see him like this. A big shifter. One who would normally die before letting a vampire feed on him. But he offers himself up to me without a thought, me , a person who just basically said he’s nothing to me. So, all this, just because it’s right. Just because it will help people.

I move closer to him then slowly push him until his back is against a tree. “Max.” His name comes out strangely, and he looks at me with confusion on his face.

Unable to help myself, I go up on my tiptoes and very lightly kiss him. So lightly it’s barely my lips brushing against his. And then, even though I see his shocked expression, I move to his neck. But there, I press light kisses down his throat, listening as his heart races. When I get to the right spot, I kiss him again, harder, then suck a little. My name escapes his lips, and its husky and erotic.

Then, and only then, I let my fangs extend. Slowly, I pierce his skin and then start drinking. But already I’m lost. Lost to his touch. Lost to his scent. Lost to his taste. It’s like he was made just for me. Like we were always meant to end up here.

His hands go to my hips, and he draws me closer with a little groan that makes fire race through my veins. He’s enjoying this. He likes when I touch him. When I feed off of him. He wants me as badly as I want him.

And it’s like something cracks inside of me.

My other hand slides into his hair, and I press my body against his, rubbing myself against his obvious erection. I feel the shudder that echoes through his body and into mine. A shudder of arousal. And, suddenly, I can’t think of a reason why I haven’t touched Max before. Why I’ve been resisting my feelings for him so much.

Reaching between us, I undo the button on his pants, slide his zipper down, and reach inside those perfectly tailored pants of his. Soft boxers meet my touch, concealing his hard length. I stroke him through his boxers, and he bucks against me, groaning my name.

Yanking his boxers down, every hair on my body stands on end as I wrap my hand around his burning hot length. He’s long, thick, and hard. It’s been so long since I touched a cock that I let my eyes close and work him very slowly as I feed on him. As I surround myself with his scent, his taste, it feels like Max is all around me, and I’ve never felt safer.

Never.

“Asha.” He says my name again, this time with a touch of warning, and I slowly remove my fangs from his throat.

My eyes lock with his, and I reach for his jacket, pulling it off.

He catches my hands. “Are you sure? This isn’t… just because of feeding.”

“I’m sure,” I tell him, then slowly unbutton his shirt and toss that too.

Kneeling down, I pull his pants down and come level with his cock. Without thinking, I lean forward and take him into my mouth as he groans my name, thrusting into me, his hand lightly curling into the back of my hair. I keep pumping, enjoying his hard length in my mouth, the salty taste of his skin, even though the fire that races through my veins is demanding more.

Finally, with my head spinning, I stand back up, ready to fuck his brains out. Ready for more.

Max looks over my head, and I turn, suddenly remembering Braxton. He stands behind us, hands in fists. His tight t-shirt hugging his hard muscles. His pale blue eyes are filled with pain and betrayal. And he doesn’t need to say anything; I understand.

“Come here,” I say.

Braxton shakes his head, his jaw tightening.

“You’re supposed to feed me. To give me what I need,” I tell him, and I sound wanton, even to my own ears.

He looks unsure. Then he glances at Max, and I glance at the big shifter too. After a second, Max nods, and then Braxton moves hesitantly toward me.

I pull him closer and run my hands down his chest. I kiss along his throat, then remove his shirt. I let my hands wander along his muscles, and his mouth suddenly meets mine. We kiss. Long and hard. His tongue sweeps into my mouth, claiming me as clearly as any wolf can claim another.

When our kiss breaks, I tilt his head and then press my fangs into his throat and start drinking too. Braxton moves me until suddenly Max is at my back. Max reaches around and his hands skim my stomach through my shirt, making me hold my breath. He lifts my shirt and touches my bare skin, his hands branding me as he slowly makes his way up. Those big hands of his cup my breasts for a moment, holding them as if feeling their weight, and then he slides my bra up and he’s touching my bare breasts, and it’s incredible. It sends waves of desire sweeping through me as he strokes my nipples, then lightly pinches them.

I’m panting against Braxton’s throat as he begins to undo my pants. I feel them hit the ground, and then I kick them away. Braxton plays at the top of my underwear like he intends to torture me forever. But just as I find myself getting frustrated, his hand slips into my underwear, and he’s suddenly at my hot core. He simply strokes my opening, not actually entering me.

My teeth slide out of his throat, and I groan, “Braxton! Fuck!”

He chuckles and reaches down, undoing his pants and stripping in front of me. And hell, now I really believe these two are twins because they both have incredible cocks. The stuff of legend. Perfectly shaped. Long, thick, beautiful. And I don’t think I’ve ever called a cock beautiful before.

Braxton grins as he flips me around and kisses my throat. “Ever had a man in your ass?”

I shake my head, trembling at the thought of being caught between these two men.

He bites my ear. “Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle.”

Max’s hands curl around to my ass, and he tears my underwear off as if it’d never been there at all. His hand finds exactly the same irritating place Braxton had found, the entrance to my core, but then he parts me and pushes inside. I gasp, and Braxton wraps himself around me from behind, his big dick pressing against my ass. He holds me in place as Max slides through all my folds, turning the flames inside of me into an inferno. And now I’m glad Braxton is holding me up, because my shaking legs wouldn’t hold me if he released me now.

Then, I feel Braxton reach between my thighs and play in my wet folds too, and I swear it feels like I’m losing all control. Yet, he only slides inside of me for a moment before he’s done. I’m confused for a minute, my head spinning, when I feel Braxton reach behind me. His finger, wet from my desire, pushes a little inside of me, and I hold my breath, expecting pain. But none comes. He’s gentle. Slow. Testing me. Teasing me.

When Max pulls his fingers out of me, I don’t know what to expect, but then he lifts me up and wraps my legs around his back. I barely have time to think as I feel his tip pressing into my core. My nails dig into his back, and then he’s kissing me. Stealing my breath. Making me wonder how all this passion could have been hidden under that suit of his. Under his cool demeanor.

He slowly slides into me as Braxton presses deeper into my ass with his finger. By the time Max reaches his hilt, I feel like I’m on the edge, wanting to lose control, but also wanting this to last forever too.

Braxton adds a finger to the one in my ass as Max breaks our kiss and offers me his throat again. I bite down as Braxton adds another finger, pounding into me harder and harder from behind, making me buck and thrash between them. Max is gentler, slower, as he thrusts inside of me. He’s testing my limits, and between the blood in my mouth and the delicious sensations coursing through my body, I don’t know what to do.

How to feel.

I’m shocked when Braxton pulls his fingers out of my ass and am about ready to shout at him to keep going, but then I feel his tip at my ass, and I just want to tell him to keep going, to give me all of him. These two sexy shifters are mine . Mine to feed off of. Mine to fuck. Mine to claim.

And I need them to know it too.

He slides into my ass, and it’s uncomfortable, but not painful. Again, I find myself holding my breath, but he’s slow, testing the limits of my body, until he finally comes to his hilt.

I don’t know what I expect next, but it’s like they do. The two brothers begin to thrust in and out of me. Sandwiched around me. Touching every inch of me. Making my body sing in a way it never has before.

My inner muscles clench and twitch around them, and it’s hard to breathe. My desire builds and builds as trembles wrack my body, and then I go flying over the edge. It’s a powerful release, a mind-numbing orgasm that seems to shake the very ground beneath us, that rolls and rolls through me until I feel my men coming inside of me. Filling me. Claiming me like a mate.

They don’t stop going though. Not for a long time. And when a second orgasm slams into me I don’t expect it. My teeth break from Max’s neck, and I toss my head back, crying out into the sky. My body spasms as the trees spin around me.

And then I feel my men finally relax, almost collapsing around me. I finally relax between them, more content than I’ve ever been in my life. And, somehow, it feels like this is where I was always meant to be. Between these two men. Feeling pleasure that’s out of this world.

Max looks up, his gaze locking onto mine. His gaze says a thousand things that he’d never say aloud. Like that he loved that. That he was surprised by all of it.

But reality always has a way of crashing a dream, and the shrill ringing of his cell phone does exactly that.

He slowly pulls out of me, as does Braxton, and he goes to retrieve his phone. “Hello.”

Max collects his clothes as he listens, and suddenly Braxton is handing me mine. I don’t expect it when he kisses me, but he does, naked and cocky as ever. Then he gets his clothes, and we’re all dressing in a hurry.

Max hangs up the phone, then shrugs into his jacket. “Our newest teammate is here; they’re going to release him into my custody when we’re done.” Then he awkwardly looks at me. “Sorry, uh, work.”

I lift a brow. “I know you’re an Enforcer, Max.”

He has the good grace to look embarrassed as he rubs the back of his neck. “I know, I just…”

But he doesn’t say more.

I turn and look at the black spider web of dark magic. Suddenly, its call isn’t so intense. But the magic inside of me? It has fuel. Enough fuel to get done what we need to inside.

“We have to go in there now. We have to fix things.”

Max touches my arm, and I jump back.

He looks surprised. “Sorry, I–”

But, fucking hell, reality has come back in all its bitchy gloriousness to remind me that I have to go into a dangerous situation and try like hell to not get another pack member killed. To stop the horrors that are happening to the people in that town. And then, regardless of who I find inside, I have to keep searching for the others. Which means continuing to work with these two, and another mysterious partner.

Did I just fuck everything up by fucking these two?

“We’re professionals. I got the blood I need. Now, we just need to get in there and save my pack member.” My voice comes out curter than I expected it to.

“And us fucking is what, professional?” Braxton asks, looking a little irritated.

“It’s nothing,” I tell him, tilting my chin up to challenge him, even though I kind of wish I’d said something different.

“Just perfect,” Max mumbles, then his gaze locks with mine. “Fine, just get us inside.”

I nod, feeling some regret. I’m angry at myself for ruining the one truly good moment I’ve had in years. But I remind myself, if I can save my pack members, I’ll have many more happy moments in my life.

Marching back toward the spider web of dark magic I pray. I pray that, somehow, I’ll be able to do this. And that I didn’t just completely fuck up my relationship with Braxton and Max. Because regardless of how this ends, I suspect I’ll need them.

Especially if it ends badly.