Buck Naked

  But though she eyed him warily, the curvy blonde held her ground.

  “I’m looking for Sadie Becker,” she said clearly, tilting her chin to meet Mathis’s eyes fearlessly. “This is the address I have for her—am I in the wrong place?”

  “Who are you?” Mathis demanded, frowning. He thought she might be some kind of lawyer here to serve papers on behalf of Sadie’s idiotic ex. Why else would she be dressed in a suit and heels out in the middle of nowhere?

  “Who are you?” she countered. “The gruff but sexy neighbor she told me about? Or a chainsaw murderer?” She eyed the heavy chainsaw he was still gripping. “If you’re the latter, please be advised that I have a charged Taser in my purse and I know how to use it. I’ll lay you out flat before you can even pull the starter cord on that thing.”

  Mathis found a grin growing on his face despite himself. Damn, the little blonde was feisty! Suddenly he realized who she must be. Sometime during the pillow talk the night before, Sadie had told him she had a twin sister but that they weren’t identical. The shape of the blonde’s face and her eyes reminded him of Sadie—this had to be her.

  “Samantha, right?” he asked, taking a step forward. “Sadie’s sister?”

  “Guilty as charged.” She smiled at him and held out a hand. “So you must be growly-but-sexy neighbor, Mathis?”

  “Uh, I don’t know about the growly-sexy part but yeah, I’m Sadie’s neighbor.” He wiped his palm against his jeans before taking her much smaller hand to shake. She had a surprisingly firm grip for such a small woman.

  “So where is my sister?” she asked pleasantly, eyeing the chainsaw again. “And please don’t say buried under your porch.”

  Mathis laughed. “She’s fine—should be in her office in Cougarville getting some work done. Which is what I’ve been doing.” He nodded at the chainsaw. “Tree limb fell on your sister’s roof last night. I’ve been clearing it off for her.”

  Samantha eyed the damaged roof and then nodded, as if satisfied by his explanation.

  “Was anyone hurt?”

  Mathis shook his head. “No—luckily it happened before she went inside last night. She had to stay out of her cabin until I could get it off though—not safe to go in the house with a damn widow-maker on the roof.”

  Samantha’s eyebrows shot up. “So she spent the night with you? Purely for safety’s sake, I’m sure.”

  Mathis felt his ears getting hot and scowled.

  “Well . . . you could say so, yes.”

  “No wonder she didn’t answer her phone.” Samantha looked him up and down speculatively. “I wouldn’t have answered either.”

  “Uh . . .” Mathis wasn’t sure what to say to that.

  “Never mind.” Samantha sighed and ran a hand through her honey-blond locks. “I was just worried sick about her so I changed my plans to come out here. I could be in Sin City right now but instead I’m in the middle of nowhere, all because my sister was finally getting some.” She shook her head and laughed. “Oh well, at least she’s finally getting over that asshole ex of hers.”

  Mathis shifted uncomfortably.

  “Uh, I can give you directions to her office if you want to go meet her. It’s right on Main Street, not far from the Cougarville Chemist.”

  “All right, I’ll take you up on that.” Samantha put a hand to her stomach. “Maybe I can take her out to lunch. I can never eat a thing when I travel and I’m famished. Any good restaurants in town?”

  “A few,” Mathis said cautiously. He thought about warning her not to go into any crowded public places in Cougarville lest she have the same problems Sadie had been experiencing. But his nose told him she wasn’t in Rejuvenation—not even close. She was extremely attractive and she smelled good but she didn’t have that maddening Juvie scent hanging around her. She ought to be safe.

  He gave Samantha directions and she thanked him and climbed back into the rented SUV, heading off to town to see her sister.

  Mathis watched her go, feeling envious. He wished he could drop in on Sadie and take her out for lunch. Or better yet, pack a picnic basket and spend time alone with her at her office, eating . . . and doing other things.

  Forget it, Mathis, he told himself firmly as the black SUV left in a plume of dust. It’s not going to happen so you might as well stop wishing for it.

  Too bad he was so damn awful at taking his own advice.

  Sixteen

  Sadie frowned as she checked her phone just before noon. Where was Samantha? She’d been calling at regular intervals but so far her twin hadn’t picked up. Could she still be at the airport, running late? Or was it just the mountains screwing up her phone reception again?

  She winced and rubbed the sides of her head. All morning long, ever since leaving Mathis, she’d been fighting a headache—the same throbbing pain that pounded in her temples and wouldn’t leave her alone. What was going on with this strange headache that wouldn’t stay gone? Why did it keep coming back?

  A worrisome thought wormed its way into her head—could it have anything to do with the Rejuvenation process she was going through? Hadn’t Fiona said something odd about it last time she’d been in the pharmacy looking for something for the pain? Then again, most everything the pharmacist said was odd.

  “Okay, that’s it,” Sadie told herself in a low voice. “Time to go get some ibuprofen and some answers.”

  Getting up, she put on her coat and grabbed her purse and phone. She’d already tried going by the pharmacy once today, early in the morning when she’d first gotten to work. But Fiona had been deeply engrossed in a hushed and obviously very private consultation with another customer. Not wanting to bother her, Sadie had decided to try again later.

  Well, later was now. She needed answers about her condition and she couldn’t wait any longer. Making sure to lock her office door behind her, Sadie made her way down Main Street to the Cougarville Chemist.

  “Well hello, my dear!” The eccentric pharmacist was wearing a long, flowing gown of peacock blue under her white lab coat today, and her silver-streaked auburn hair was twisted into a loose chignon at the top of her head, allowing wisps and tendrils to frame her ageless face. Today’s jewelry had an amber theme instead of turquoise. The mellow stone glowed from a large, elaborate pendant at the hollow of Fiona’s slender throat and seemed to reflect a golden light across her pale, perfect skin.

  “Fiona, how are you?” Sadie greeted her with a smile as she shut the pharmacy door, making the little bell jingle. “I was hoping to catch you alone. Can we talk?”

  “Oh dear, are my books too much for you?” Fiona gave her a worried look. “I know they’re a bit hard to understand.”

  That was an understatement but the other woman’s crazy bookkeeping system wasn’t what was on Sadie’s mind at the moment.

  “It’s not that,” she said carefully. “It’s something . . . something I’m going through that I thought you might be able to help me with.”

  “Is it your Rejuvenation?” Fiona asked sympathetically.

  “Yes!” Sadie was immensely relieved that she didn’t have to explain all her signs and symptoms.

  “And what is it you need to know?” Fiona asked as Sadie weaved her way through the crowded shelves and came up to the high counter at the back of the store. The pharmacist was sorting through an eccentric-looking pile of ingredients that appeared to consist of small dry bones, tiny seashells, and multicolored feathers.

  “I need to know everything,” Sadie said truthfully, watching as the pharmacist’s long, clever fingers picked through the strange pile. “I had no idea about the Shifter Gene or Rejuvenation or any of that until yesterday when Mathis explained it to me.”

  “He did, did he?” Fiona looked pleased. “Did he explain before or after he bound you to him?”

  “What?” Sadie frowned. “He didn’t bind me to him—he said he couldn’t. Because his, uh, species of Shifter only mates once and they can’t form a second life-bond. Not that it makes any sense
to me.” She sighed.

  “Oh, dear.” Fiona looked both upset and worried. “That foolish boy! He’s so sure he won’t be able to form another bond that he won’t even try, though I really think he’d have a good chance. His life-bond with his mate—the poor girl who died—was so short, you see. It hadn’t really set yet.”

  “Really?” Sadie looked at her hopefully. “I didn’t know that. Did you tell Mathis?”

  “I did.” Fiona sighed. “But he didn’t want to listen. He needs to trust in the will of Lady Moon.” She looked sharply at Sadie. “He did want to bond you to him, didn’t he?”

  “I think so.” Sadie bit her lip, suddenly right on the edge of crying. “I know I certainly wish he could since it seems to be the only way we can be together.”

  “Oh, my dear . . .” Fiona sighed and patted her arm comfortingly. “I had a feeling about you two, you know—and I still do. Everything is going to work out all right in the end, you’ll see.”

  “I don’t see how.” Sadie sniffed, trying to hold back the tears that threatened—they were only making her headache worse and now she was starting to feel PMS-y—all weepy and sad as though she was about to start her period. Maybe it was just another symptom of the Rejuvenation but suddenly her whole body seemed to be in flux.

  “I don’t either but Lady Moon does,” Fiona said confidently. “Now why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”

  “Well, it’s this whole Rejuvenation process.” Sadie waved a hand in the air. “I mean, my body is going through this strange change I don’t even remotely understand. Mathis said you knew more about it than anyone since Juvies are so rare. How long will it last? And what kind of, uh, animal will I turn into after it’s over?” A sound that was half sob, half laugh broke from her lips. “God, I can’t believe I just said that. This is all so crazy. If Mathis hadn’t showed me his Buck last night I never would have believed any of it.”

  “He showed you his Buck? And he still didn’t bond you to him?” Fiona frowned. “How did he hold himself back? Introducing the animal form to a prospective mate is very conducive to bonding.”

  “Well . . .” Sadie bit her lip. “It’s not like he held himself back completely. I mean we, uh, did do a few things—mostly so Mathis could help me cover my scent.”

  “Ah, yes.” Fiona’s small nose wrinkled delicately. “You do have a less, ah, pungent aroma than you did earlier.”

  Sadie frowned, resisting the urge to sniff at herself. She knew by now that the amazing Juvie scent she was supposedly giving off was completely unsmellable to her own nose.

  “Thank you,” she said shortly. “But none of this answers my question—what kind of animal will I turn into? And how long before I turn?”

  Fiona sighed. “As to that, Rejuvenation is different for each woman who undergoes it. For some the process is fairly quick—a week or so and they’re ready to breed and Shift for the first time. For others it can take weeks or even months before they ripen to the point of no return.”

  “That’s pretty vague.” Sadie rubbed her temples, wishing the damn headache would go away. “Can you at least tell me the animal I’ll turn into?”

  “It will be determined by the male who first breeds you under Lady Moon’s light.” Fiona sighed wistfully. “Ah, it’s so romantic, being taken under the full moon then Shifting and running with your bonded mate for the first time.”

  “Excuse me, did you say the man who breeds me?” Sadie frowned. “Seriously?”

  “Oh yes, my dear! You cannot Shift until you have first been bred. How did you think a life-bond was formed, anyway?”

  “Great. This just gets better and better.” Sadie pinched the bridge of her nose. “So I have no choice—I have to have sex under the full moon with some guy on the night I’m ready to Shift?”

  “Once you’ve ripened to that point, yes, my dear.” Fiona’s large, dark eyes widened dramatically. “The urge will simply be too strong—you’ll have no choice. If you try to hold it off . . .” She shook her head. “Well, let’s just say it’s better not to try. You have to go with the will of Lady Moon.”

  “Wow.” Sadie shook her head. “Just . . . wow.” She wondered if Mathis would be willing to help her out with the whole “breeding” part of the process. But he’d seemed so dead set against doing more than they’d done the night before, she really doubted it. And if breeding was what formed the life-bond, she could forget it. She looked at Fiona. “So . . . I’ll automatically bond with the man who . . .” She had to clear her throat before she could get the words out. “Who breeds me?”

  “That’s almost always how it happens, yes.” Fiona nodded. “And his animal form will determine your own final form as well.”

  “But what if the man who . . . who does that can’t bond me to him?” Sadie asked, still thinking of Mathis.

  Fiona shook her head sorrowfully. “I’m afraid that could result in some very severe consequences. You see, it is the life-bond forming between you that determines your final animal form. Without that determination, you could become one of the Unformed.”

  “The Unformed? What is that exactly? Mathis said something about it too.”

  “A Shifter female who has no animal form to Shift to. Such women suffer terribly when their monthly cravings begin because they cannot Shift to help control them. What ought to be a gift from Lady Moon becomes perverted into a painful, debilitating experience, made worse by the fact that she has no male to help her satisfy it.”

  “Wait—go back. Monthly cravings?” Sadie asked.

  “Oh yes—once you start Shifting, you’ll have them every night of the full moon. And sometimes a little before and after. That’s another reason you must be life-bonded to your mate. An unbonded Shifter might be able to, er, scratch your itch temporarily, but he won’t be able to help for long. And of course, you want a life-bonded mate to help you raise your children.”

  “Children?” Sadie stared at her blankly. “I’m sorry but I’ve already had my children. They went off to college last month—I’m really not looking to start all over again.”

  “Well, but you won’t be able to help it, will you, my dear?” Fiona opened her large, dark eyes wide. “Rejuvenation induces a state of hyper-fertility.”

  “What?” Sadie shook her head. “Well, what about birth control?”

  “Out of the question.” Fiona waved her hand dismissively, her bangles jingling. “First of all because no chemical or hormonal birth control would work. And secondly because once the breeding fever comes on you, only your male’s seed inside you will ease your need.”

  “The breeding fever?” Sadie was beginning to get more and more upset. Life-bonds . . . monthly urges . . . breeding fever . . . This was way more than she had bargained for. “Is breeding fever what I think it is? Some kind of urge to mate I won’t be able to resist?”

  “Exactly!” Fiona said brightly. “My dear, the whole point of Rejuvenation is to breed the next generation of Shifters. And let me tell you—they can be a handful! Which is why Lady Moon ordained that females who already had life experience and wisdom should be the ones to Rejuvenate and bear them.”

  “So . . . I won’t have a choice? I’ll suddenly go crazy and, uh, need to be bred some full-moon night?” Sadie demanded. “Won’t I have any warning at all?”

  “Some females get a few warning signs. The best thing to do is just have your chosen male nearby when the moon grows full.” Fiona cocked her head to one side. “Come to think of it, tonight is a full-moon night.”

  “But . . . but what if the male I want doesn’t want me?” Sadie asked in a small voice.

  “Oh, that Mathis.” Fiona frowned. “You leave him to me—I’ll talk some sense into him.”

  “But what if you can’t?” Sadie persisted.

  “Well then . . .” Fiona shook her head. “I’m afraid you’ll have to look around and see what other males might tickle your fancy. Only, be sure you choose an Alpha, dear. Only an Alpha is strong enough to breed wi
th a Juvie and satisfy her cravings.”

  The image of Liam Keller flashed across her mind’s eye but Sadie pushed it away impatiently. She didn’t want Keller—she wanted Mathis.

  “How will I know if they’re an Alpha or not?” she asked.

  “Oh, you’ll know.” Fiona gave her a knowing smile, which turned into a worried frown. “Are you quite well, Sadie, dear? You keep rubbing your temples.”

  “I just . . . have the worst headache.” Sadie sighed. “It comes and it goes but it’s never completely gone—you know?”

  “Oh, dear.” Fiona looked worried.

  “What? What is it?” Sadie eyed her nervously. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “No reason, dear. Just . . . be sure you’re near an Alpha tonight when the moon rises. Just in case.” Fiona patted her hand.

  Sadie felt a shiver of apprehension and tried to push it away.

  “All right, thanks for the advice and the information,” she said. “I guess I’d better go try to find out what happened to my sister. She’s supposed to be coming in to town but I can’t get her on the phone.”

  “Oh, reception in Cougarville is terrible.” Fiona shook her head. “Will she be staying long?”

  “Well, she’d better stay at least long enough for me to explain all this Rejuvenation stuff to her,” Sadie said grimly. “I have to let her know she might wind up going through this whole mess too.”

  “Is she married or mated or in a long-term relationship with a male who claims her and makes love to her regularly?” Fiona asked. “Because if so, she doesn’t need to worry.”

  “Actually, she’s not married or seeing anyone.” Sadie bit her lip. “Should she be concerned? I mean, we’re sisters so she’s sure to have the Gene too, right?”

  “Undoubtedly but sometimes the Gene can lie dormant—inactive in certain females even if they meet all the requirements for activation. No one knows why. Is your sister your age?”