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“It’s okay.” The human voice startles me, and I reel slightly to the right, running into my left wolf. The sight of him makes my brain short-circuit, and it takes a second for me to realize my right wolf has shifted. And he’s…
Attractive. Really attractive.
Wavy brown hair falls over his forehead messily, and he reaches up to push some of it out of his eyes as he stares down at me. Warm brown eyes meet my curious gaze, and he runs his hand down his face, scratching through his scruff as a half-smile tugs at his full lips. He drops his hands, and my eyes follow the motion, taking in his stocky, muscled form.
He raises his hands in front of him in a tentative gesture, pulling my eyes away from dangerous territory. “I’m Ian; I’m not going to hurt you. Do you feel comfortable shifting?”
I jerk my head in a nod, and Ian reaches for me. His fingers graze my fur as he takes the strap of my bag and unhooks it from around my back, and I fight the full-body shudder that tries to take me over at the brief contact. I step out of it for him, still a little wary as he takes temporary possession of my heart stone.
He must sense my unease, because he holds eye contact as he sets the bag down on the ground and steps back from it.
I’m still leaning against the other wolf, whose heavy breaths gust over my ears in warm waves, making them twitch.It’s okay,he echoes Ian’s words.We only want to keep you safe. We won’t touch your things unless it’s to help you carry your bag, okay?
Okay.What other choice do I have right now? These two are the only reasons I’m safe. At this point, all I can really do is put a little more trust in them.
My wolf preens, pleased with the decision. I feel off-kilter, surprised to have found myself in trouble so quickly after leaving my pack, but my wolf seems to be handling this way better than I am. She’s hyper-aware of the fact that I’m still touching one of the wolves, and I have to work hard to tear myself away from him as she grumbles inside my chest in protest.
I shift back to human form and try not to think too hard about the fact that I’m standing in front of these two strangers undressed. I’ve shifted in front of family and pack members hundreds of times with no qualms, but this feels somehow very different.
Ian carefully keeps his eyes trained on my face, a soft look in his eyes as he stares at me in silence. I’m tempted to drop my own gaze, so I jerk my chin down and look at my bag as I feel my cheeks flush. I’d nearly gotten an eyeful earlier—turnabout was fair play, right?
Behind me, the other wolf shifts, and goosebumps prickle to life over my arms.
There are so many feelings running rampant in my stomach that I feel a little queasy.What’s your problem?my wolf taunts me.Look at your new mates.
“Not helping,” I mutter to my wolf.
“What’s that?” Ian asks, head cocking to the side as I hear the man behind me shifting from one foot to the other.
“Nothing!” I yelp too loudly. I’m mortified as I drop to my knees and unzip my bag to scrounge through it. Here I am, acting like I’ve never seen an attractive man in my life. How embarrassing.
There’s way more black clothing than I intended, which makes me wince a little. I’m used to going from rainbow to black and back again. I guess black is better for blending in, though—which I need to do to keep the people who are chasing me from catching up too quickly. My normal wardrobe would stand out a tad too much.
I pick out the first dress I find and pull it over my head, desperate to hide the embarrassed flush that I can feel spreading from my cheeks down my neck to my chest. The black-and-white striped sundress is a little dressy for a night at a campground, but it’s the fastest way to cover myself.
Once I’m covered, I feel more comfortable facing my heroes again. I carefully avert my gaze to the side while I stand to avoid looking at certain parts of the men. I make eye contact first with Ian and then with the other man.
Like Ian, he has too-long brown hair and warm brown eyes. He’s muscled as well, though he has a slighter build than the stockier man standing beside him. Where Ian’s face is scruffy, this man’s is clean shaven, showing a sharp jawline and plump lips that tug into a hopeful smile.
As I look their faces over in human form, I realize they bear an uncanny resemblance. “Are the two of you brothers?” I blurt out before I can think of a more tactful way to ask.
“Twins,” they answer simultaneously, sending a shiver up my spine.
Twins. Hot twins.My wolf is practically drooling.
“My name is Quinn,” I tell the two of them, realizing I never introduced myself in my haste to dress when Ian told me his name.
“I’m Mason,” the other twin introduces himself, stepping forward. I hold out my hand, thinking he’s going to offer a handshake, but he bypasses it and pulls me against him instead.
My eyes widen as Mason gathers me in his arms and squeezes me like he’s trying to absorb the life out of me.
“Uhm.” I’m used to displays of affection but not from strangers.
Mason inhales deeply, burying his face in my hair for a second like he’s memorizing my scent before releasing me. I look sheepishly at Ian to check his reaction, but he doesn’t even seem aware that his brother just crossed into my personal space in a big way. His eyes are focused on the hem of my skirt, his fist pressed up against his mouth as his eyes go wide and his chest heaves with the deep breath he takes.
“Are you okay?” Mason asks.
I glance at him and see he’s talking to Ian. It takes Ian a second longer to pull his attention away. “What?” His eyes dart back to my legs for a second and away again. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he says hoarsely.
