Stanley, Gale - Hellfire [Southwest Shifters 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Gale Stanley Read Free Book Online Page A

out. Maybe we should be hiding, too.”
    Gage furrowed his brow. “You’re right. I never thought of that.”
    “Whatever the problem, she’s better off with her own kind. Humans can’t be trusted. And I’d bet my last dollar she hasn’t told Shiloh what she really is because deep down she doesn’t trust him.”  
    “But she doesn’t know us well enough to trust us either, and convincing her might not be so easy.”
    Tanner pounded on the wheel. “So let’s just take her. We bring her in and—”
    “And what? Keep her under lock and key? That’s not going to work.”
    “What if she doesn’t want to come willingly?”
    “She will.” Despite the confidence he tried to project to Tanner, Gage had his own doubts. And if Kate wouldn’t listen to reason, they might have to take her against her will. That was a last resort.
    Tanner cleared his throat. “Hey, navigator,” he grumbled, “are you sure we’re going the right way?”
    “My internal GPS says we are, and it’s never wrong.” Even though it doesn’t have much to go on. There was no real road, more like a byway, and not a tire tread to mark the way. Kate and Shiloh must have used a shortcut to get around because this wasn’t their route.
    At last Gage scented her, faint but detectable. Tanner crested a low range of hills, and Gage spied the house below them, dead center in a clearing surrounded by leafless trees and dry grasses. “Will you look at that? This has to be the worst drought we’ve had since we settled here.”
    Tanner stopped the truck. “I don’t like it, Gage, not one little bit. They say the lake levels are so low right now, you can see tree stumps out in the middle of the water and no rain in sight.”
    “We’re more likely to see smoke from wildfires than rain,” Gage said softly. He looked at the puny tufts of green poking through the dirt and felt a thrill of fear run down his spine. He didn’t scare easy, but fire terrified him. Since the great fire sixteen years ago, he couldn’t sit by a campfire without feeling anxious.
    “I hear ya. Worst-case scenario, we’ll evacuate.”
    “And go where? Conditions are bad all over—”
    Tanner squeezed his shoulder so hard Gage feared he would leave fingerprints. “Well, that answers one question. She’s home, all right.”
    “So I see.” Gage’s wolf wanted to sit up and howl at the sight of Kate in her little cutoff shorts. Tanner was right—she needed a wolf, or two, and they were just the men for the job. He wanted those mile-long legs wrapped around his waist while he pumped his seed inside her, staking his claim.
    “Okay, baby, put that wolfish charm to good use.” Tanner had a hand poised over the ignition, but Gage stopped him. “Let’s walk. I don’t want to spook her.”
    Tanner shrugged. “If you think so.”
    “I don’t know what to think. I’m going on instinct here.” Despite the AC, his sweat-soaked T-shirt stuck to his body. Unbelievably, he felt as nervous as a pup on his first date. He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart and got out of the truck.
    The she-wolf’s house was constructed of hand-hewn logs, and Gage wondered if the cowboy had built it himself. A lot of love had gone into the building, but it wasn’t a luxurious lifestyle by any means. Still, it was a manner of living that a wolf would prefer, especially one who wanted to hide. Halfway down the low ridge, Gage stopped abruptly. He felt like an intruder, as if he were poking into a private life better left untouched.
    “What is it?”
    “Nothing. Let’s get this over with.”

    * * * *

    Kate had come outside for a breath of air, but there was no relief from the blistering heat. She lifted the hem of her tank top to wipe the sweat dripping down her face. Then, hands on hips, she looked around the property, but there was not even a shade tree to take refuge under for a few minutes. She and Shiloh weren’t farmers, but she liked greenery around her. Must be the wolf