RaleighPointRescueSue Read online

  “Riley and Zack run a security company. Riley does the computer programming for all the systems they install. Care for a tour?” Mac put his hand out.

  Lisa eyed his hand cautiously. He knew she could feel the tingling between them when they touched.

  “I’m sure you have some questions?” Mac smiled gently, helping her bundle up with a borrowed jacket as they stepped outside.

  Lisa raised her face to the sun and closed her eyes. Mac’s breath halted at her child-like expression. He liked that look on her. He wanted it more, like she was suddenly enjoying something for the first time.

  He snagged a small warm hand in his and was ridiculously pleased when she held on tight.

  “I have so many questions, I’m not sure where to start.” Lisa paused. “Why do you care?”

  Mac’s eyebrows lifted, and he shuffled his feet. Oh hell. “Would you like to see the start of the woods over there? It isn’t far, and there’s a clearing where we can rest and talk some more.” He shifted uncomfortably, knowing he was stalling.

  Lisa nodded, and Mac kept his strides short and his paces slow. In no time, they had reached the clearing, and he stopped.

  “I remember what you did, you know,” she said softly.

  Mac glanced at her sharply.

  “I know you thought I was out of it, but I know what you did. You took away the anger and the pain. I just don’t understand why you would bother.”

  “Why I would bother?” Mac asked bewildered.

  “Yes, well you’re you.” She waved an arm at him. “And I’m considerably less.” She added softly, “Or more, depending on which way you look at it.”

  Mac’s jaw clamped down on his immediate reaction. He knew he was just about to give an automatic, you’re beautiful, or you’re gorgeous, without really thinking about it. It would be a lot easier if he could explain she was his mate. He was seriously out of his depth—feeling shallow. I’m only used to empty-headed compliments. The sort you gave without thinking. She was worth more than that.

  Turning to her and pulling her in, he raised a slow hand to her face, keeping it gentle. Her eyes dilated slightly as he brushed a thumb over her cheek. “Honey, you know when we touch, you feel a connection? Like we were meant to be together?”

  Lisa’s lips parted in astonishment. Mac smiled. She clearly thought the attraction was one-sided. Her mouth tilted. “I thought that only happened in movies?” She frowned as if she was trying to find the words for something else.

  Hell, he could show her better than this.

  Mac’s mouth descended on hers, possessive, urgent, and demanding. He bent her into him, and his bear roared.

  Everything slowed. He could almost feel her lips before he touched and tasted them.

  He wound his arms around her and tilted her body to fit. Lust slammed into him, hot and hard. Her hands rose up and clutched his arms.

  Lisa’s knees wobbled.

  Mac swept her closer.

  God, how could he ever have thought that a thin body was appealing? He loved her softness. He could bend her curves around him, like she was meant to be there. He could feel her breasts pushing up against him, and knew if his bear had been let out, it would be doing cartwheels.

  Suddenly everything stopped.

  Mac’s bear rose within, and they both inhaled together. Danger. Wolves.

  Mac just had time to curse himself for being too distracted to notice their smell, when three huge wolves stepped into the clearing.

  Without thinking of the consequences, his need to protect paramount, Mac gave one hard gaze to Lisa as he lifted her behind him, and heard a ripping noise as he started shifting.

  “Lisa, run.”

  * * * *

  The huge wolves were circling them. “Mac,” cried Lisa. Then her voice caught as she met his eyes, knowing her legs were incapable of obeying the order.

  Determination?

  Resignation?

  Apology?

  Brief flickers of emotion chased across Mac’s face as Lisa’s horror-struck eyes watched his body ripple. Terror washed over her, and she froze at the sounds of bones popping and clothes ripping. Three wolves leapt forward, a huge bear rose up and, with one swipe of a massive black paw, levelled the nearest wolf. Where had that come from?

  Petrified, Lisa’s legs wouldn’t move. She barely had time to process the huge bear that had risen up in front of her and realized, with a sickening fear, she was cornered. The biggest wolf lunged at the bear, trying for its throat. Swerving her head to see the wolf in front of her—its muscles bunched ready to lunge—she knew she was going to die.

  She heaved oxygen into her lungs. The inhale pushed her chest, along with something else. A feeling? A knowledge? A power? She stared at the wolf in front of her.

  “Stop.”

  Quiet. Hard. Implacable. Like Mac had said to her in the kitchen, and she’d calmed instantly.

  Confusion crept into the amber eyes in front of her. One second, two seconds, and then a huge paw swiped the wolf, lifted it up and threw it about ten feet. On its legs barely before it landed, it took off after the big black one that had tried to get Mac’s throat.

  Mac’s throat? No, it had been an animal, a bear. Where was Mac? Lisa shook her head trying to chase away the roaring in her ears. Mac stood back in front of her and other voices tried to intrude. She pushed them away. Couldn’t think. Didn’t want to think. Her head hurt. She tried to open her eyes against the blackness dancing in front of her, and then barely had time to realize they weren’t shut. Strong arms lifted her as she fell away. Blackness pulled her in.

  Chapter Six

  Mac watched Lisa’s face anxiously. They’d got her back home, and Riley insisted she was okay. Her body just responded to shock, he’d said. Well, damn, that was fair enough, but surely she should be waking up now?

  Lisa stretched. Mac held his breath and her hand. Cloudy hazel eyes drifted open. Unfocused.

  He saw the second her memory returned.

  “No, go away!” Lisa nearly screamed, as she scrambled up the bed away from him.

  “Lisa, calm down, honey.” Mac put his arm out.

  “Get away from me.” Lisa pushed herself off the bed in panic, and then nearly toppled over as her legs hadn’t caught up with her desire to move.

  “Stop. Calm down. No one’s gonna hurt you.” Mac sighed. “I’ve got this, guys.” He didn’t think she was aware of Cassie and Riley standing in the corner, and he heard the door close.

  Lisa was shaking and struggling, but she was getting weaker.

  “Honey, don’t tire yourself out. I just want to talk, but I’m not gonna let you hurt yourself.”

  Lisa’s shaking slowed, and Mac gently eased her down on the bed, tucking the comforter around her. He sat facing her.

  “You lied to me.”

  Lied? Well, maybe by omission, but—

  “You promised me no drugs. How could you?”

  “Lisa, no one’s given you any drugs since you got here. I promise.”

  “Hallucinations don’t happen on their own, you bastard.” Lisa choked a sob down.

  Mac sighed. Of course, she would think they’d drugged her. Easier to believe than the reality.

  “Honey, we weren’t gonna tell you for a while, but I can see you need to hear this, so just be patient while I get it all out.” Mac put a finger against Lisa’s lips that had opened as he started talking. He half-smiled as she frowned and clamped her lips. Little spitfire.

  “Firstly, no one’s given you drugs. At all.” Lisa’s disbelieving eyebrows rose. “My family is fairly unique, and this is where it gets harder to hear.” Mac put his large hand over hers, gratified when she didn’t pull away.

  “For centuries, well that we know of, maybe forever, certain people have co-existed with humans in secret.”

  God, this was starting to sound like a bad science fiction movie.

  “My family and quite a lot of our friends can change into err… animals.”

&
nbsp; Lisa’s jaw dropped.

  “You saw the wolves?” Not that she could have missed them. “Well, they’re shape-shifters. You saw them in their wolf form. They’re the bad guys. I don’t mean all wolves are. There’s good and bad in us all, exactly like humans.”

  God, he was making a mess of this. “We told you Raleigh Point was a group home, yeah?”

  Lisa nodded, her eyes dazed.

  “Well, it’s not a regular one. We only foster shifter babies. My mom and dad, all of us, we’re bear shifters.”

  Lisa gazed up at him, disbelief written all over her face.

  “Alex is a wolf. An alpha.”

  Mac saw comprehension start to slide over her. She was quick.

  “Why am I here?” Lisa ground the words out.

  Awe washed over him at her determination. “Honey, you’re a wolf shifter.”

  Lisa struggled out of bed. “No, I’m not. You’re lying. This is ridiculous. Whatever you’ve been giving me, you’re on it as well.”

  “Lisa, you’re not just a wolf shifter, you’re an alpha female. That’s like queen of the pack for want of a better explanation.”

  “You’re insane.” Lisa angrily looked down at the floor.

  “Honey, I want you to come to the window.”

  “Why?” Lisa clamped her feet.

  “Just to look. I knew you wouldn’t believe me, and we weren’t gonna do any demonstrations that would scare you.”

  Lisa stalked to the window. “Okay, but then I’m leaving. And I was the one locked up?”

  Mac would have smiled at the sarcastic comment if it hadn’t been so heartbreaking. Mac tapped on the window. Lisa gaped. Zack, Riley, and Alex stood outside without a care in the world, completely naked.

  Cassie sat on a garden chair bouncing Codie and waved gaily up at the window.

  “You’re all completely mad. This is like—some commune or something.”

  “Just watch.” He nodded to where Zack and Riley were stood.

  Zack and Riley both seemed to suddenly crouch. They both looked tense, waiting to pounce. Mac had seen this so much he’d stopped looking, but it was different with Lisa beside him. He stood nearer her, waiting for her reaction. Within seconds, both his brothers had morphed into something quite astounding. Two huge black bears shook thick fur out and stood taller. Cassie calmly walked to the biggest one still holding the baby.

  “Oh my God, the baby.” Lisa’s fingers dug into his arm then her lips parted on an O as Codie giggled.

  Mac warmed and risked an arm on her shoulders, gently, to pull her closer. He wondered if she’d realized she was automatically displaying an alpha female protective instinct for cubs. She’d been attacked by wolves, had her whole reality rocked, and her first thought was for Codie. Damn, she was beautiful.

  Cassie sat him on the back of the biggest bear, who had crouched on all fours so she could reach. The other bear calmly padded closer and nuzzled Cassie as she balanced the baby. He bounced and shrieked in delight.

  Alex grinned at them all, and then squinted at the window, waiting for Mac’s nod. In seconds, he had changed to a beautiful golden wolf and stood next to Cassie, who pulled his ears fondly.

  Lisa staggered back from the window. She would have fallen if Mac hadn’t had caught her.

  “I’ve got you, honey. We’re not mad.” He sighed. “Okay, well maybe we’re all as sane as each other.”

  Lisa’s choked sob nearly ripped him apart.

  “I’ve got you.”

  Lisa’s wavering gaze fixed on him, and she folded. Mac’s insides hurt as the gasping sobs shook her body. He grimaced as huge gut wrenching cries were wrung from her. Mac held her closer as her hands fisted his T-shirt and torrents of tears slid down his front. Sliding onto the bed, still holding her, his arms tightened on every sob as she shook.

  Just as he started to get really worried, Lisa’s cries quieted slightly, then morphed into swollen-sounding hiccups. She finally sighed and snuggled into him closer, as he rubbed her back. The tension eased from her body, and her breathing slowed.

  Mac’s bear pushed into him, feelings of protection and love swirling them both. He grazed a kiss on her head and sighed in contentment. She was safe, here and in his arms. Exactly where she’d be spending the rest of their lives.

  Mac watched steadily until Lisa stirred and opened her eyes. He gazed down at red-rimmed eyes and puffy lips. Mmm… Totally adorable. He dropped soft kisses on each eyelid to soothe.

  Softly breathing kisses over swollen lips, he wanted to offer security and comfort. He wanted to be a great, big, fuzzy blanket that wrapped those big eyes and stopped them from hurting anymore.

  Lisa moved slowly on his lap, and Mac quickly shook off the fuzzy blanket.

  A cautious pair of swollen lips breathed warm air back at him, just resting at the side of his mouth.

  Mac’s bear immediately sat up and took notice.

  Lisa’s lips moved very slowly and seemed to pull at his lower lip without even touching.

  His head angled down of its own accord, and suddenly, Lisa was at the right height. God, she smelled amazing, soft and warm like fresh cookies.

  Mac growled.

  Lisa startled at the noise, but she didn’t pull away, and her gaze zeroed in on his mouth.

  Well, he didn’t want to disappoint.

  Mac carefully kissed and nibbled around her lips, never completely taking her mouth so she could still breathe. He moved lower onto her neck and found a jumping pulse point that sped up as he grazed his lips over it.

  Lisa swallowed, and he followed the movement with his tongue.

  “Need some water?”

  At Lisa’s nod, he held the bottle and watched those lips close over his favorite straw. Mac hardened all over. He waited until Lisa finished drinking. Then he put the bottle back on the nightstand. She watched him with wary hooded eyes.

  “I don’t really understand what you said about me being an alpha.”

  “Honey, you remember in the woods?” He rubbed her arms as a slight shiver ran through her. “You told the big wolf to stop, and he listened.”

  Lisa brought her face up in surprise. “I did?”

  “Yeah, you were terrified, about to be attacked by wild animals, and you just said ‘Stop.’” Blue eyes fixed on hers. “And he listened. You will have pushed a little of your alpha power out without realizing”

  Lisa’s breath caught as she remembered the confusion in those amber eyes. “Why did they attack anyway?”

  Mac pulled her in closer to his length. “Alpha wolves are the heads of each pack. Like a monarchy if you like.”

  “Are you an alpha bear then?” interrupted Lisa.

  “It doesn’t work the same way. All male bears are alphas. They are usually a lot more solitary than wolves and tend to live in smaller family groups. Raleigh Point is quite unique in that way, but then,” he smiled, “so are my mom and dad.”

  “You can make me feel your power. Is that an alpha thing?”

  Mac blushed. “Yes, but to be honest, the first time it happened I was so damn turned on, it was a sexual thing. You blow my mind…” Mac grazed his lips along the side of her jaw

  Lisa moved. She grazed her hip against his hard mound and swallowed slightly.

  “The wolf that attacked us? We think he’s a rogue. That’s wolves that are bad and don’t live in a pack. We will have to be careful around here until he’s caught—especially you.”

  “Why? Why me?”

  “Because, as I said you’re an alpha female. It’s the one thing guaranteed to establish a pack.” He answered her puzzled look. “Wolf packs are very traditional. Some good, some very bad.”

  “But he already had others with him.”

  “He did, but the difference is they’re rogues. They have no land. Without that, they’d have to fight another alpha for a pack. Now, that’s not necessarily going to work as the alpha doesn’t have to accept the challenge, and can just have them run off. But—”
r />   “What?”

  “Any alpha male mated to an alpha female has to be taken seriously. It’s like a wolf code of conduct thing.”

  Lisa tried to answer his wry smile. “But I’m not going to go with him, so no worries there.”

  The laughter bled out of Mac’s eyes. “It wouldn’t be consensual, babes.”

  “Oh.” Lisa drew nearer.

  “Not that I’m not relieved, but you seem to be grasping this quite quickly.” Mac wanted to kick himself. That was an ass-like statement, even for him.

  Lisa’s lips quirked. “You mean the whole changing into animals or that most alpha males have a huge ego?”

  Mac took the barb. He deserved it.

  “You seem to forget I have no problem believing the harsher side of human nature. I didn’t exactly grow up in a fairy tale.” Lisa put her finger on Mac’s open mouth to stop his apology. “I’m sorry. That was unnecessary. Okay, so I understand all that, I think. Dr. Michaels isn’t a shifter though, is he?”

  Mac dropped a kiss on her lips. “No, good instincts. How’d you know?”

  Lisa flushed. “This is going to sound really weird, but he smells different.”

  Completely serious, Mac nodded. “Your sense of hearing, smell, and taste are all amplified.”

  Lisa gaped. “Am I going to change then?”

  Mac could feel the flush on his neck as Lisa stared.

  “Not until after you’re mated.” He looked at her steadily. “Not until after we’ve mated.”

  “Mated?”

  Mac hooked a finger under her chin. “Lisa, you remember what I tried to explain about the connection we both felt? We are true mates. Unusual because, obviously I’m a bear, and you’re not, but then neither’s Maggie.”

  “True mates?” Lisa frowned slightly. “Who’s Maggie?”

  “She’s a human, mated to our uncle and very pregnant with twins, due any day. I’ll take you around to visit when things are settled.”

  “So what does being mates mean?” Lisa’s voice grew softer.

  “It’s like finding the other half of yourself. No others, no divorce. True mating is for life.”