Dark Wolf (Spirit Wild) - By Kate Douglas Page 0,54

piece of property—but it had always been one of her favorite places. The water was always warm, even when snowdrifts made the trail hard to follow, and the smell of minerals lay heavy on the still night air.

Annie shifted first and Lily was right behind her. The night was still, the thick grass damp beneath their feet. Small patches of snow lingered in the dark corners of the forest even in June, but here, near the warmth of the spring, the air was warm and humid. Lily glanced at Alex—he’d been quiet throughout the run, which wasn’t at all like him. He hadn’t shifted. In fact, he crouched as if to run, his body tense, hackles slightly raised. His sharp gaze was fixed on Annie.

Alex? What’s going on?

Look at her, Lily. Just look.

Okay, that was definitely not typical Alex behavior, but she tried to see Annie as Alex might.

She was absolutely breathtaking, small for Chanku, just under five and a half feet tall, with slim shoulders, small breasts with dark nipples, slightly rounded hips, a tiny waist, and long, long legs. She stood with one foot in the warm water and gazed at Alex with painful longing.

Lily glanced at Alex. His eyes glowed like amber jewels in the moonlight, and his body was so filled with tension he quivered. He jerked his head around and stared frantically at Lily. His thoughts punched into her like a fist.

I’ll be back. I promise, but I can’t stay right now. I can’t, Lil. I’m sorry! He’d barely completed the thought before he spun about and raced back through the brambles.

“Where’d he go?”

Annie looked so crestfallen, Lily moved closer and wrapped an arm around her waist. “I don’t know,” she said. “He’ll be back. The pond was a great idea. C’mon.”

She took Annie’s hand and led her out into the water and over to the far side beneath a cliff of solid granite. There was a natural ledge along this end where the two of them sat. Even sitting up straight, the water lapped at Annie’s chin while barely covering Lily’s breasts.

“It’s a good thing you’re not any shorter.” Lily tightened her arm around Annie and pulled her close. “I just don’t get it. Your mom is tall, and your dad’s a moose. How come you’re so petite?”

Annie snorted. “I think they saved all the tall genes for my brothers. Have you seen Mike and Ricky lately?”

“How can you miss them? They’re huge! Bigger than Tinker.”

“Exactly.” Annie shivered.

“Are you cold?”

She shook her head and hugged herself. “No. Just really aroused. I haven’t run in ages. I forgot what it feels like, that all-consuming fuck-me-now-before-I-scream need to get laid.” She gazed wistfully in the direction Alex had run. “I wonder how long Alex will be gone?”

Lily’s laughter echoed against the stone walls of the grotto. “Hang on for a few minutes. He shouldn’t be gone long, wherever he’s off to. You and I used to have a pretty good time together, before you left. Let’s wait. It’ll be more fun with Alex. Three’s always better.”

“Lily, I can’t.” Annie scooted away from her. “I’ve never . . . I mean. I just can’t.”

“What? You can’t what? Have sex?”

Annie glanced off to the side. “Have sex with Alex.”

“Why the hell not?”

“I’ve . . . it’s complicated.” Annie’s cheeks flushed dark, and she shook her head, then shrugged and looked away.

Bemused, Lily just stared at her for a minute. When Annie didn’t say anything more, she asked, “How complicated? Spill, Annie. What’s going on?”

“You’ll laugh at me.”

“I won’t. I promise.” It was so quiet, Annie’s breaths, even her heartbeat seemed to echo in Lily’s head.

“I’ve never been with a man. I wouldn’t know what to do.”

The silence hung in the air. Annie stared down at the dark water. Lily stared at Annie.

Finally she took a deep breath. Annie was Chanku. They were ruled by a libido so powerful it took a lifetime to learn to control the needs they felt. Their parents hadn’t known of their own Chanku heritage until much later in life, and they’d all fought their own sexual demons without understanding how their Chanku genetics affected them even before they’d ever shifted.

They’d learned the hard way, the effect shifting had on the Chanku libido. Arousal took on an entirely new level of meaning, so powerful, so demanding that abstinence wasn’t an option.

Lily didn’t know a single Chanku capable of abstaining after shifting. Even her father, with his brilliant mind, his magical powers, and all his