Buck Naked Read online

  “What?” Samantha exclaimed. “You want Sadie to bear your child? Did you really just say that?”

  “I have given your sister three gifts, which she accepted—including the lunch, which you accepted on her behalf,” Keller said. “I expect compensation.”

  “Are you insane?” Samantha demanded. “That’s your price for lunch? Listen, buddy—your place makes a damn good cheeseburger, I’ll give you that. But it’s not that good.”

  “Just let us go,” Sadie said. “And I’ll consider your deal.”

  A frown creased Keller’s handsome face.

  “I don’t think so. You’d just go running back to that idiotic herbivore, Mathis, who can’t help you anyway.”

  “Herbivore? Mathis?” Samantha was still looking at both of them as though they’d gone crazy. “Is he some kind of vegan or something? Because he sure as hell didn’t look like one.”

  “You’ve seen Mathis?” Sadie asked, turning to her sister.

  “Of course—I stopped by your cabin before I came here. He had his shirt off and was holding a huge chainsaw.” Samantha shrugged. “Like I said, he didn’t look like someone who lived off rabbit food.”

  “He doesn’t—in his human form,” Keller said.

  “In his what?” Samantha frowned at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “His animal form is that of a Buck—a stag,” Keller explained. “Couldn’t you smell the stink of grass on him when you met him?”

  “Smell the . . .” Samantha shook her head and looked at Sadie. “What the hell is he talking about?”

  A look of understanding came over Keller’s face.

  “She doesn’t know, does she?” he asked Sadie. “What you are? What any of us are here in Cougarville? She doesn’t have any idea.”

  “No, she doesn’t.” Sadie shook her head. “I didn’t either until last night when Mathis told me.”

  “Told you what? What don’t I know? Will somebody please explain?” Samantha was beginning to look really pissed off.

  Keller smirked. “Well, seeing as how that particular explanation is going to take a while, why don’t I escort you ladies back to your table where you can finish your lunch in peace?”

  “I don’t want lunch or anything else from you, Keller,” Sadie said evenly. “Now that you know I didn’t have any idea I had the Shifter Gene or what was happening to me, you ought to also realize I didn’t accept the gifts you gave me purposefully or with any intent to take you as my mate.”

  “I don’t care what your intent was—the fact is you still accepted them,” Keller said coolly. “The rule of three clearly states that a female who accepts three gifts from a male is making her wish to mate him clear and he is free to act on that.”

  “I don’t give a damn what it states!” Sadie exclaimed. “I just want to get out of here! Now let us go!” She hoped the other patrons of the bar might hear her shouting and come to her aid. Indeed, two large muscular men who looked to be about Keller’s age did come sauntering over.

  “Trouble?” one of them asked. Unfortunately, he was speaking to Keller.

  “I’m afraid our guests here want to leave without settling their check.” Keller raised an eyebrow at Sadie. “Could you escort them gently to the back and make certain they’re comfortable until they agree to pay?”

  “You got it,” the other man rumbled.

  Suddenly Sadie found herself gripped by the shoulders and propelled to the back of the bar. Samantha, who was being held by the other man, was fighting like a wildcat.

  “Get your hands off me, you asshole!” she shouted at the top of her lungs, kicking back at the man holding her.

  “Now, now,” Keller called after them. “If you’ll be civil no one needs to be hurt.”

  “I’ll tell you who’s going to be hurt, you big bastard,” Samantha snapped, glaring at him. “You are! In just a minute you’re going to be wearing your balls for a bowtie.”

  Keller looked down at her, clearly surprised.

  “Well, that’s quite a mouth you have, Samantha,” he said mildly.

  “You can call me Dr. Becker, asshole,” Samantha snarled. “I’m a top surgeon at a level-one trauma hospital and you’d better be glad I am! Because you’re going to need a surgeon once I get done with you!”

  “She’s a feisty one, boss,” the man holding her remarked, wincing as Samantha’s foot caught him in the shin. Clearly he was having difficulty keeping Sadie’s twin in check.

  “Indeed she is.” Keller looked at Samantha speculatively. “Perhaps we’d better take steps to be certain she can’t, ah, hurt anyone.” He snapped his fingers. “Lock them up.”

  Sadie fought the man holding her but it did no good. Before she could even start to get loose, she and Samantha were being dragged to the back of the bar.

  She looked around despairingly, but the other patrons of the Cougar’s Den just went about their business, as though two women weren’t being kidnapped and held against their will right before their eyes. Would no one help them? How in the world were she and her sister going to get out of this? Or would they get out of it at all? Was she actually going to be forced to “mate” with Keller?

  Mathis, she thought longingly. I wish I’d never left you this morning. I wish we were still sleeping in bed together, all tangled up without a care in the world.

  If only the big Shifter was here now—she felt so safe in his arms.

  But Mathis had said they couldn’t be together—that it was impossible for them to form the all-important life-bond. Did that mean he would approve of this? Of her being with another male?

  No—Sadie couldn’t believe that. He might be willing to step aside and let her choose someone she could bond with, since it seemed to be such an important part of Shifter life. But Sadie couldn’t believe he would condone someone like Keller forcing himself on her. Surely he would try to save and protect her if he knew what was happening to her right now.

  But how would he know? She’d foolishly left her cell phone along with everything else back at her office and Keller had also confiscated her sister’s phone. She and Samantha were stuck here, in a town filled with people who apparently saw nothing wrong with their Mayor’s strong-arm tactics and no way to call for help.

  What were they going to do?

  Eighteen

  “Mathis, I’ve been trying to get you on the phone for hours. You and I need to have a talk.”

  Fiona’s tone was unwontedly stern. Mathis felt himself bristle—he’d had a bad enough day as it was, having to let Sadie go. He didn’t need grief from anyone else.

  “What?” he snapped, not even trying to be polite. “I’m busy, Fiona. And if you’re calling to ask if the new batch of anti-rut pills works, the answer is they fucking well don’t.”

  “That’s because it’s not the will of Lady Moon for you to subvert your rut this time. Her will is for you to mate and breed the one she sent to you.”

  “If you’re talking about Sadie you can forget it,” Mathis growled. “You know perfectly well I can’t form another life-bond. Irish Elk are only able to bond once.”

  “Normally that would be true,” Fiona said calmly. “If you’d had a long and full life-bond with your lost mate, Kathleen. But you didn’t, did you? How long did your relationship last, Mathis? Please refresh my memory.”

  “Not quite two years,” Mathis growled. “But that doesn’t matter—we had a strong bond.”

  “No doubt you did as you were deeply in love.” Fiona’s voice was melancholy. “But the fact remains that the bond wasn’t of a very long duration. Given that and the circumstances that brought Sadie to town just as she was beginning her Rejuvenation, I feel justified in saying that I believe you have a chance to form another life-bond.”

  “A chance, huh?” Mathis growled. “How much of a chance, do you think?”

  “About fifty-fifty.” Fiona sounded serene. “Which is quite good, all things considered.”

  “Fifty-fifty?” Mathis demand