Ruby Read online

  “You’re right. The scent is different now, but it’s definitely her. She’s—oh gods, no, that spiciness—she’s a tigress,” replied another man. “That’s what smelled off about her scent. She’s never shifted. That’s why we couldn’t tell. Tigers don’t shift until they go into heat. Damn it!”

  She managed to open her heavy eyelids. The second man was almost as beautiful as the first man was. His hair was much lighter, and she marveled at the various shades of blond, light brown, and red that glinted in the sunlight. This stranger had hair any woman would envy, but there was nothing feminine about the sculpted masculinity of his face. He was incredible. He was also…different. She’d seen men who wanted to serve, but these men looked ready to dominate. They frightened her, but she also found them fascinating. He glanced at her, and they made eye contact. His eyes were such a deep green they reminded her of the forest. The image of a wolf leaping over a fallen log filled her brain, and she drew in a deep breath. She sighed before the exhaustion became too much, and her eyes closed again of their own accord. Ruby laid her head down in the dirt as she gave up the struggle. The weakness was intolerable, but she knew no remedy except returning home to the goddess.

  “We aren’t looking for a gem. She’s the ruby. Oh gods, how were we so stupid as to believe this hunt would be as simple of a matter as stolen property?”

  She had no idea what property he referred to, and she didn’t care. She hadn’t taken anything from anyone. Ruby drew in another deep breath, and her brain registered what was bothering her. These men were shifters—wolves. Why wolves would agree to hunt another shifter was a mystery to her. Her curiosity didn’t last long. Pain raced through her abdomen, tearing a cry from her lips. She hurt so badly she curled into a fetal position. She didn’t care what happened to her anymore, because she was dying. No one could hurt this bad and survive. She agonized over the emptiness of life cut too short and unfinished days. She wished for another day—an hour even—just to enjoy existence. As she lost consciousness, the darkness swept away her pain, and she sighed with relief.

  Chapter Two

  Isser held the unconscious woman in his arms. When she’d gazed at Isser, her innocent face had been a mask of misery and helplessness. “Shit, shit, shit! What the fuck are we going to do about this? We can’t give this Ruby to the bastard. Do you have an idea how much a woman in her condition is worth on the slave market? An evil man would pay a fortune to be her first and have her bond with him.”

  Isser entered the shuttle first and carried her toward the back of the craft. The dim blue light in the shuttle shone on her beautiful face. The reality of what they likely planned for her after her kidnapping made him sick. As a shifter, the violation angered him deeply. He turned to glance back at his brother. “If Lilymann knows what he’s doing, he will help whoever owns her keep her in heat. She’d be a willing slave for whatever depravity they ask of her, at least, until the fever kills her.”

  He considered Sol as the younger wolf gave the female in his arms an appraising look. Sol’s eyes widened in horror. The truth sank in. She needed a mate. They were all she had.

  “No. No way. Uh-uh. There’s no way we should do this,” Sol protested. He kept glancing up into Isser’s face and then back at the girl. His brother’s reaction was almost comical, but nothing about what was happening to this woman was funny. “I—I thought they were extinct. My grandfather told me much about the tigers, but he told me they were all gone. I’ve heard that tigers have a spicy scent before they shift. She’s really a tiger?” Sol’s last question came out in a low whisper. He stared hard at the woman. Isser pulled down the sleeping platform at the back of the ship with one hand as he kept her cradled in his other arm. Her light and undernourished body required no strenuous work to hold.

  Her soft moan told him she remained alive. “I saw the tiger in her face. The morph happened just before she passed out. She’s going into heat. I can smell it. The scent is unusual,” Isser replied. “I have heard about the feline cult, but I didn’t believe it honestly existed. About six years ago, I went out after a bounty, and I met a man in a bar. He had scars on his face. They looked like claw marks. He told me he foolishly tried to steal from a secluded convent. The place stood on a high peak filled with wild women who turned into tigers.”

  “How old do you think she is?” Sol asked.

  “I remember reading about this. A tiger woman goes into heat and shifts on her twenty-fifth birthday. I guess this is how she’s going to be celebrating.”

  “Why the hell would Lilymann want to mess with a tiger? They aren’t telepathic like wolves, so they don’t have the same grip on their humanity after they shift. That’s the reason for the great hunt. They are dangerous,” Sol said with a note of awe in his voice.

  She wasn’t a wolf. Ruby was a shifter. Isser couldn’t let her die. He glanced at his brother. “I know we need to get money and get home to our pack, but if we take her to Lilymann, she’ll die. She needs sex. She needs us, both of us.”

  Sol nodded.

  “You know she’ll bond with one of us. I don’t believe in destiny. If we don’t do this, we won’t be responsible for her. If a true mating takes place, we can’t just leave her. She’d be a mate, not just a quick tumble. Tigers aren’t like wolves. Their mate is the first shifter who satisfies their sexual appetite. If she bonds one of us, our wolf will claim her. If we do this, we have to bring her home. Do you really trust a tiger with the pups?” Isser said the words aloud because they were important.

  “We really need the money. As much as I hate to say it, we need the money. I don’t want to send another shifter, even one as dangerous as a tiger, into slavery. This is a mind fuck, Bro. Jewel and the pups need care. I don’t know this woman, but I know I love our pack. But we aren’t monsters.”

  “I know. She is dangerous, but I saw her eyes. She didn’t want to hurt me. I don’t think she’ll attack us. It’s not as if we’re going to bring her home in tiger form,” Isser replied. As much as he wanted to collect the money and be done with this whole business of a tiger woman, the vulnerable way she’d peered at him wouldn’t let him sell her to Lilymann and abandon her to a fate worse than death.

  “If she becomes dangerous, can you put her down? What if she bonds with you and becomes your mate?” Sol’s tone clearly said he already knew the answer to the question.

  “I won’t have to, but yes. I would do what I have to do to protect the pack.” Isser spoke confidently, but deep in his heart he knew he’d never be able kill his own mate.

  “Liar!” Tenderness infused Sol’s telepathic accusation. “I couldn’t. I’d kill anyone who threatened my mate, even if they had good reason,” Sol replied. The girl moaned, and Isser sucked in a deep breath as her big yellow-brown eyes slowly opened. Beautiful. They were like two stones of precious amber. His breath caught and held in his throat. She appeared so innocent and weak. Her soft whimper, almost a meow, filled his ears. He smiled down at her. His heart swelled with tenderness. When he caressed her cheek, she closed her eyes again and turned her face into his palm. She was an angel, only he knew this angel had claws—very sharp claws. It had been so long since he’d enjoyed a woman’s body. This tigress had a sleek, lithe form.

  “Wolves and cats don’t mix,” Sol complained. His brother’s voice broke the spell, and Isser closed his eyes.

  “You’re right. You should get some rope. We need to hurry. There’s only one place that a secret temple to the cat goddess might still operate safely. We should get her back to her people before the heat hits her,” Isser said as he opened his eyes.

  “You’re right, Bro, but damn, the idea of having a sex-crazed woman under me sounds great,” Sol teased.

  “She’d eat you alive, pup,” Isser said drily.

  Sol gave a snort of laughter as he rummaged around in tall storage compartment near the sleeping platform for rope.

  Isser gazed down at the girl. She lay on her back, with an arm stretched haphazardly over her hea
d. Asleep she appeared as innocent and peaceful as any other sleeping female. He’d never have suspected she was dangerous. The changes happening to her as she slept would push her into an evolution beyond simply being a woman and into her base animal form. She would wake as a predator. The woman would be violent and sexually demanding while attacking every man she saw until one was strong enough to overpower her and mount her in the tiger way. As a wolf, he found it both erotic and repulsive. To be in animal form without human communication was too much like death for his comfort.

  “Hurry up with those ropes, pup. When she wakes up, we’re fucked if she’s not restrained.”

  The low growl caused Sol to turn. Ruby stared at them, and her eyes weren’t human any longer. Isser took a step back.

  “It looks like we’re a bit late. Damn,” Sol muttered.

  “If you can hear me, we mean you no harm. Ruby, stay calm,” Isser said quietly as he held up his hands. Her yellow-brown cat eyes glared at him, but she made no move to attack. “We don’t have a choice, Brother. Her change is coming, and if she isn’t pleasured, she’ll die.”

  “Damn. She’s glaring as if she wants to eat us. Even a wolf is no match for a tiger,” Sol whispered. Ruby lay on her side. The yellow cat eyes glowed. She gazed at the men intently.

  “Buck up, pup. She’ll return to her right mind if we give her a reason. If we are men enough, we’ll save the woman from the tiger. Now we just have to find a way to mount her. This would be easier if she were tied.” Ruby rose up to her hands and knees. The deep rumble coming out of her throat echoed loudly. The growl emanated as a half-woman half-tiger warning. She crawled forward on the bed as if she were stalking prey.

  Isser’s words brought a fierce snarl out of her. Isser took a step forward. “You need a man, Ruby, and we offer you two. Focus on my voice and remember that the pleasure we offer will save your life. I am Isser, and this is my blood brother Sol.”

  She growled again. Her body remained human, but her face changed, becoming increasingly feline by the second. The soft fur sprouting to replace her pale human skin was beautiful. Isser knew he had to act soon. He pounced on her. She snarled and tried to buck him off.

  “Is this what you want, beauty?” Isser asked as he grabbed her hips and pulled her to him. Her tattered robe bunched around her hips, and he could see underneath her lush body was nude. Her pussy peeked out in all its natural glory. She snarled but didn’t pull away. “I won’t rape you. Even in this state, I’ll ensure you are ready and willing, woman. We want to help you. We’ll make you feel good.”

  Sol snorted. “If you can’t do it, I’ve got your back, Bro. Damn. Look at that sweet pale ass. I’m as hard as a brick.”

  Isser growled. “She’s innocent. We’ll do this right, or we won’t do it, pup.” He grabbed her biceps to hold her in place, and as a warning to his blood brother. A surge of protectiveness rose up inside him. Isser pushed her robe up her back and over her head. It fell to pool around her hands. He caressed the soft, pale skin. Her nudity was glorious. The woman’s body was sexy as hell. The litheness of the tiger carried over to the woman. He picked her up and pulled her around to face him. The robe fell to the floor. Her glowing eyes stared at him, but he wasn’t afraid. He pulled her close. The fevered heat of her body burned against him. His cock ached. The sight of her body was the most erotic thing he’d ever witnessed. Isser had never experienced such a high level of arousal before now.

  Sol whined. Isser grinned as his blood brother’s face fell. They’d both make love to the tiger, but he wasn’t going to allow her to suffer brutality. Her life depended on them fucking her, but she remained a woman inside. Her heart—her soul—relied on them being strong, courageous males. He knew the stories. A tigress would flourish with the right mate—male. Where the hell did that thought, come from? Mate? He wasn’t prepared to be anyone’s mate. Her feral gaze pierced him. Even as she suffered mindlessly as the heat raged in her, a little bit of who she was remained. He could still notice traces of the woman in her gaze. She was in there, but the tiger was in control. They needed to reach the human part of her before it was too late. He didn’t want to hurt her. She writhed, caught between the beast and her humanity. He hated the agony of his own change, so he couldn’t imagine having to endure it for more than a few moments.

  “Fuck. She’s beautiful. You’re right, Brother. There’s a woman inside the tiger, and we need to make love to her.” Sol’s thoughts filled his mind. “Look at her. She’s amazing.”

  Isser did, and as he examined her expression evolving, he saw the lust blooming there. He let go of one of her arms. She didn’t try to push him away. She remained kneeling in front of him. He pushed the hair tangling in front of her eyes off her forehead. Her dangerous inner animal calmed, and even with the cat’s face staring back at him, he saw her very human response. He pulled a few stray strands of hair away from her mouth. She didn’t resist. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. She groaned, but the vocalization erupted as a rumbling purr of noise. He experienced the vibrations against his chest. He couldn’t stop his smile. His lips pressed against hers. Joy flowed through him. This was what he existed for—Ruby. He’d forgotten how good it was to be happy. There was something vibrant and wonderful in his chest as his heartbeat in time with hers. He hadn’t been carefree like this in a very long time. Isser stopped his train of thought. His desire rushed into some seriously dangerous territory.

  She groaned and arched her back while writhing against him. Her pubic bone ground against his leather-clad groin. Isser shuddered. He wanted this minx, but he had to maintain control, or he’d never be able to hold on long enough to give her what she needed.

  Sol cleared his throat. “She wants you to undress, Bro,” he said. “Aw fuck, I want her. Damn, I’ve never seen anything so sexy. Just look at her face. That’s pure lust. She needs us.”

  Isser glanced at the other man and rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to hurt her.”

  “I don’t think she’s hurting. She wants you. Just smell her!”

  Isser inhaled deeply. His blood brother was right. Ruby’s natural perfume infused the air with a heady combination of wet pussy and pheromones. The woman and the tiger were hot. She’d die if he didn’t make love to her, but he had to be sure she truly wanted this. He could make her his in a way she would never be for another man. He’d save her from her primitive side, but he could lose himself by saving her. As he smelled her need and stared into her pleading eyes, nothing else mattered but her salvation.

  “Do you want me, Ruby? Are you in there?”

  She tossed her head, and her long, exotically colored hair flipped over her back. Brown, red, gold, and black strands mingled together. The effect was beautiful. A soft growl erupted from her throat, and then she whimpered. “Yes, please,” she murmured. The words garbled strangely, but they were clear enough for him to understand. She wanted him.

  Sol groaned. “Let’s rock the pussycat’s world, Bro. We’ll make her snarl with pleasure.” Sol adjusted his cock in his pants.

  Isser shook his head. The pup had a helluva way with words. The image brought another grin to his lips. He was glad they weren’t in orbit. He wanted to take his time with her before they took off. This shuttle didn’t have an autopilot. The wolves didn’t waste any more time as they began to prepare to seduce the woman inside the cat. The she cat’s eyes never wandered from their bodies as they shed the clothing quickly and left their garments strewn haplessly on the shuttle floor.

  “I’m yours,” Isser said quietly. His gaze never left her amazing golden, glowing eyes. The raw vulnerability in her expression gripped him. He didn’t want anything to ever harm her. She arched her back and whimpered again. Isser reached out for her. He took her into his arms. Her skin burned. Shifters ran hot, but this was beyond the heat of even the worst fever. He glanced at Sol. The other man nodded to him as if he understood Isser’s reluctance.

  Isser ran his fingers down her soft skin, starting at
the middle of her belly and then passing through her downy pubic hair until he found her wet heat. He caressed her clitoris. She cried out. Her hips jerked. He flicked her again. “More!” she screamed in a human voice. Her eyes stopped glowing. They were a beautiful light brown now. He saw the haze of lust still lingering in her expression. A grin spread across his lips. He would enjoy saving her from the tiger’s hold.

  She reached up and put her arms around his neck. Her nails were still elongated, and the prick of each tip became an exotic sensation. He let her pull him down to her mouth. Her body knew what it wanted, and he was all too willing. Sol came to stand closer to the side of the bed. Sol reached out, and his fingers brushed her breast. Her eyes glowed, and her mouth opened to display her dangerous, very inhuman tiger teeth. She snarled. He backed off.

  “You need him, Ruby. You need us both. I’m not able to give you as much as you need alone. He won’t hurt you,” Isser whispered. He rubbed her cheek tenderly. She shut her eyes and leaned into his caress. The gesture made his heart do a funny little flip. When she opened her eyes, they were normal again. She glanced over at Sol, her expression showing clearly her attempt to accept the truth of what she needed.

  “I won’t hurt you,” Sol said confidently. He came closer and tweaked her nipple. She jerked and moaned. Isser’s fingers continued caressing between her legs. She closed her eyes and threw back her head, whimpering. She opened her mouth and cried out with agony. Her teeth appeared human again. Sol kneeled on the cot behind her. He took her breasts in his hands and played with them as Isser stroked her faster and harder. Ruby panted. Then a keening wail erupted from her throat. The men never stopped touching her. She kept coming. When the cries died down to a soft whine, Isser wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. Ruby clung to Isser, her body limp in his arms. When he pulled back, he saw Sol rubbing her neck and shoulders. She wore a peaceful expression. Most of the sign of the cat had left her face now, but he knew if they didn’t keep making her come, she’d start transforming again If they didn’t give her enough sex, she’d endure the agony of living trapped forever in a half-cat, half-woman, mindless, sex-crazed state. He’d never accepted so much responsibility for another’s pleasure before. He liked to make sure his women came first, but this time his skill determined his partner’s future. The thought was daunting. He glanced at Sol.