Praise for the writing of Rachel Bo     “Twice Blessed”inRated: X- mas     “Twice Blessed”lives up to Rachel Bo’s reputation of hot ménages and sex. Damien and Devlin are some of the hottest alphas around andtwins no less! -- Ann Lee, Just Erotic Romance Reviews   I had to stop to catch my breath after this one! Be aware these scenes go a step farther than many werewolf stories…but Ms Bo skillfully shows the sexual encounters to be part of the context of the mating between these weyrwolves and Jenny… Wolf lovers, this is a hot new keeper for you! --Patrice, The Romance Studio   While “Twice Blessed”may push boundaries for some readers, Rachel Bo has delivered a well-written story with wonderful characters and an awesome premise. Some of the scenes between Jenny and the twins are so well done that readers may be panting for more. -- Crystal, Sizzling Romances   Ms. Bo is a very talented author who has created an extremely hot tale of werewolf lust andlove. I adored the story so much that I am sure I will reread it repeatedly. -- Susan White, Coffee Time Romance       Rated: X- masis now available from Loose Id.                 WOLF-BOUND: BEASTS IN THE LABYRINTH         Rachel Bo                 www.loose-id.com       Warning   This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers. * * * * * This book is rated:     For substantial explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable (ménage, sex with shapeshifters in shapeshifted form).   Wolf-Bound: Beasts in the Labyrinth Rachel Bo   This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.     Published by Loose Id LLC 1802 N Carson Street, Suite 212-29 Carson City NV 89701-1215 www.loose-id.com     Copyright © March 2005 by Rachel Bo All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared in any form, including, but not limited to printing, photocopying, faxing, or emailing without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC.     ISBN 1-59632-105-9 Available in Adobe PDF, HTML, MobiPocket , and MS Reader     Printed in the United States of America   Editor: Raven McKnight Cover Artist: April Martinez       Publisher’s Note   The Wolf-Boundseries begins in “TwiceBlessed ”, part ofRated: X- mas. However,Wolf-Bound: Beasts in the Labyrinth does stand alone.   Chapter One   Tara wandered the labyrinth, awed by the thought of the deft artistry required to shape greenery into forms exhibiting such delicate irreality , yet retaining an air of enduring impregnability. In the fading light, she ambled wistfully between tall, imposing green walls, grinning wryly at the imperturbable creations presiding over each unexpected dead end. Green and graceful, fanciful topiaries posed in their corners and crannies, chaotic yet meticulously constrained, seeming to regard Tara’s attempts to find her way with enigmatic amusement. Then she rounded a carefully trimmed hedge and she found it -- the heart of the labyrinth. Two heads turned with carnivorous haste, and Tara gazed into two sets of eyes richer than chocolate, and gasped. She knew immediately that they werebeasts, despite the façade of darkly handsome bad boys they wore to hide their natures. Their gazes, sharp and suspicious, took in every aspect of her shape and attire, nostrils quivering as they sniffed the air. Tension -- hair-trigger and pounce-ready -- vibrated in the dusky clearing. For a long moment, Tara was sure she would become one of those anecdotal mysteries on the evening news -- “Woman Mauled to Death by Unknown Animal at Local Tourist Attraction.” Then the one on the left relaxed, and smiled. Tara’s heart started beating again. “You startled us. We thought the grounds had closed for the day.” “ Th-They were about to.” Tara’s tongue tripped over itself as she stammered, relief trembling through her. “I-I talked them into letting me in at the last minute. My friend visited a couple of years ago, and was so impressed, and it’s my first time here, and I thought I could find the center before dark, and...” She trailed off, sensing their amusement.Shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m babbling. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.” In the fading light, she could hardly make out their chiseled, handsome features any longer. Sighing, she turned back toward the maze. “I’d better go.” “We’ll go with you.” Abruptly, the speaker was beside her, and her hand tingled as he laced his fingers through hers. She looked up. “I’m Johnathan, by the way.” He glanced back into the clearing. “Tall, dark, and silent over there is my brother, Jacob.” His warm tone, liquid and luscious as caramel, melted away any objection she might have been considering.“How about it, Jake? Shall we show our Irish cousin a bit of the New Orleans nightlife?” Good ears. Having never actually lived in Ireland, Tara retained only a faint hint of the Irish brogue she’d picked up from her parents. Were these guys Irish, too? If so, she couldn’t hear it. She didn’t hear a reply, either, but a moment later Johnathan tugged her possessively along, finding his way unerringly in the dark, and she could feel Jacob’s brooding presence trailing behind. Tara astonished herself by allowing it to happen -- letting two perfect strangers herd her along. But that was just it -- they were perfect, and she definitely wanted a chance to know them better. Before she knew it, they were back at the starting point, where a quick rattle of the gate brought a caretaker out to unlock it, though he glowered at them in the yellow light of a couple of imitation carriage-house lanterns hung from the gate’s finials. On the street, Jake seemed to acquire some of his brother’s good humor, draping his arm across Tara’s shoulder as Johnathan guided them toward Bourbon Street. It wasn’t until Johnathan began pushing into a crowd of revelers reluctant to relegate MardiGras to the past, and grateful for the excuse of an impending St. Patrick’s Day to dye their hair green and bare breasts painted with four-leaf clovers, that Tara stood her ground, refusing to move any farther. “Where are we going?” Johnathan glanced back with a puzzled expression. Warm breath on her ear sent a sultry heat racing through her veins, raising goosebumps in places she hadn’t even known could goose. “What’s your name?” Jake murmured. Knowing it was probably a very bad idea, she told him. “Tara.” “Well, Tara, we’re headed for a quiet place where we can get to know each other better.” His lips brushed her earlobe. Fire kindled in her pussy, and Tara thought she would dissolve into a puddle of longing right there in the middle of downtown New Orleans. “Okay?” Fierce desire licked through her veins, rendering her completely incapable of coherent speech for a long moment. They were strangers; she knew they could be dangerous, and also seemed slightly desperate, and yet... they were the ones she had looked for all her life.Wild ones. Wolves, like Damien and Devlin, whom she’d fantasized about through her teenage years. She’d never met anyone like them, couldn’t let them get away. Throwing caution to the star-dappled sky, she tightened her grip on Johnathan’s hand, looked up into Jake’s eyes, and nodded.   Chapter Two   At a club called the Blue Moon, Johnathan scooted into one of the semicircular booths lining the back wall, and Tara and Jake slid in beside him. She couldn’t help thinking of herself as the meat in a very unusual sandwich as their eyes roamed her body, caressing each curve and peak like a familiar lover. Cheeks hot, she looked away. “Tara.” Jake’s voice, rich and smooth as molasses, oozed into her every pore, imbuing her with desire, flooding her pussy with sticky warmth. Their animal nature, the rich, sensual vitality of them, tugged at her body with a strength and allure that was overwhelming -- like a dark, dangerous pool that she nevertheless yearned to jump into, knowing she might drown. “What brings you to New Orleans?” She shrugged, looking back and forth between them, unable to drink in enough of their dark, shaggy hair, their swoon-inducing eyes. “It’s my birthday. Well, it will be in a couple more days.St. Patrick’s Day.” Jake chuckled.“An Irish lass born on St. Patrick’s Day? What are the odds?” Tara laughed, too. “I know. You wouldn’t believe how many kids accused me of making that up when I was young. Anyway, I decided to take a week off around my birthday this year. A friend of mine had been to New Orleans a few years ago, and it sounded like such fun that I’ve wanted to visit ever since. So here I am.Kind of a birthday present to myself.” Johnathan watched her intently. “No...significant other back home?” Tara squirmed, unaccountably shy now that it came down to particulars.“Why?” Johnathansmiled, a big, toothy grin that sent shivers to her groin.“Because if there isn’t, we don’t have to feel guilty about seducing you.” Tara swallowed hard. “Is that what you’re doing?” Johnathan flicked a glance toward his brother. Tara turned her head, and sank in the quicksand of Jacob’s deep, penetrating gaze. “I don’t know, Tara.” His hand closed on her knee, slid up beneath her skirt. Her heart pounded as he pressed his fingers against her panties. “You’re so wet.” His fingers teased at the elastic. “Can we?” Johnathan whispered in her right ear. “Can we fuck you, Tara?” There were very few patrons in the dark bar on this Tuesday night, and the few that were there paid no attention to the people around them. A blues singer played the piano softly. Her rich, husky voice throbbed with the pain of longing, echoing Tara’s need. Moaning, she parted her legs. With a growl, Jacob pushed aside her panties and slipped a finger inside her. Unable to face those piercing eyes any longer, Tara closed hers, laying her head back against the booth’s padded plastic. Johnathan’shand crept between her thighs, one finger joining his brother’s inside her. Oblivious to the world, Tara tossed her head, moaning softly, repeatedly, as their fingers dipped and glided among her slick folds. Heat and pleasure blossomed in her groin. Reaching out, she grasped their shoulders as she began to rock her hips. Responding to her urgency, their fingers wriggled faster and faster, until Tara arched and held her breath as sheer pleasure twisted her up like a child on a swing, then released her in a wild, spinning rush that left her reeling and gasping for breath, hanging on to them for balance. Tara opened her eyes.“Oh, God.” Jacob chuckled. “How was it?” Tara pulled him roughly toward her and kissed him, sliding her tongue over his sharp, gleaming teeth. Johnathan’s breath warmed her neck. Growling softly, he nipped her, then ran his tongue tantalizingly across the tender flesh. Tara tore herself away from Jacob’s lips to gasp, “More.” Johnathan took her hand in his and scooted quickly out of the booth, drawing her up with him. “Let’s go.” Their room was small, dark furnishings and heavy curtains soaking up the dull light from a lone lamp by the bed. Tara didn’t care. Even the musty smell didn’t bother her. Her flesh burned for their touch. She couldn’t stand the feel of fabric against her skin. While they sat on the bed, watching, she stripped. Johnathan stood and reached out, tugging the barrette from her hair so that her auburn curls tumbled down her back. “You should always wear your hair down.” He tugged a handful over her shoulder, teased her ripe nipples with the soft strands. “It’s beautiful, Irish.” “Thank you.” Tara swallowed hard. He looked into her eyes with such intensity, such... fondness, and that was just stupid, because they didn’t even know one another. This was just a fling. She’d come to New Orleans to get away, and yes, hoping to do something wild and crazy and totally fulfilling, but not looking for anything permanent. Yet Johnathan’s gaze drank her in, as though he couldn’t get enough of her. No man had ever looked at her that way before, and she was pretty good-looking. She was her own woman, though, with no desire to be tied down. For a brief moment, she considered leaving -- grabbing her clothes and getting out before the waters got too deep -- but then Johnathan’s lips were on her neck, and he was kissing his way down between her breasts, and all thought of leaving fled her mind. His mouth caressed her belly. Jacob stood behind her, pushing aside her thick waterfall of hair. He kissed her neck,then flicked his tongue across her flesh as he traced the curve of her spine. Every touch sent a flame of desire lancing into her pussy. Even though she was bare, it didn’t seem to be enough. She pictured shaving herself -- her head, her bush, even her arms and legs -- removing all traces of anything that might get between her flesh and theirs. Johnathan grasped her thighs, urging them apart as he planted soft kisses along the edge of her curly bush. His mouth closed on her clit at the same moment that Jacob’s tongue teased the beginning of the hollow between her cheeks. Tara arched, curling her fingers into Johnathan’s shoulders as he flicked his tongue, hot and wet, back and forth across her inflamed clit.“Oh, God.” Jacob’s hands stole between her thighs, pushed them farther apart. Johnathan’s tongue snaked its way down to the edge of her wet slit. Tara gasped, bending her knees a little to give him better access. Johnathan hooked his elbows under her thighs, just above the knee, grasping her waist, giving her something to lean on. Johnathan’stongue inside her pussy nearly made her explode. She moaned, staving off the climax with a supreme effort of will. She breathed heavily, breaking out in a fine sweat. In and out, round and round his tongue twirled, while Jacob’s feather-soft kisses lighted on her buttocks like butterflies. Tara reached back with one hand, ran her fingers through his dark, unruly locks. His grip on her waist tightened. “Tara.” His hands slipped down, caressed her inner thighs. His fingers trailed through the juices trickling down them, slipped up between her buttocks. “Tara, I want to...” His voice trailed off. Trembling from the effort of fighting off a climax aching to come entirely too soon, she managed to gasp, “What?” Johnathan buried his tongue deep inside her. His hands crept up her thighs, parted her cheeks for Jacob. Jacob’s finger, damp with her juices, circled round her anus. “I want to tongue-fuck you, too, Tara.” “Oh -- Oh, God.”The thought of having both their tongues inside her was nearly enough to unleash the control she was fighting so hard to maintain.“Oh, God, yes!” Jacob slipped his finger into her ass once, twice, sending feverish corkscrews of bliss twirling through her belly. “Oh, yes,” she breathed, rocking her hips gently. “Oh, yes. Fuck me.” Then the tip of his tongue snaked inside the tight canal, and they were both wriggling and writhing inside her, and she was bucking her hips frantically. “Oh, yes, yes.Deeper!” And then the dam burst, and Tara arched and screamed soundlessly as a firestorm raged inside her, stoked into peak after peak by their delicious, dancing tongues. As the spasms passed, they withdrew. Johnathan stood and helped her walk on wobbly legs over to the bed. She sat down gratefully, looking up at them. She didn’t know what to say, what to do. Like mirror images, they undressed in front of her.Slipped their t-shirts off over their heads, revealing darkly tanned, muscular torsos and six-pack abs. As they unzipped their jeans and slid them down past their hips, she couldn’t withhold a gasp. Their cocks were huge -- at least eight inches long, and thicker than any cock she’d ever had the pleasure to taste before. Suddenly, she was very hungry. Without saying a word, she slid to the floor, resting on her knees. Seeming to know instinctively what she planned, Jacob and Johnathan angled in toward each other, their jutting cocks almost touching. Tara grasped both cocks, holding them tight and twisting her hands like she was revving a motorcycle as she flicked her tongue across both their tips. Twin gasps rewarded her. She ran her tongue up and down each one, alternating back and forth, giving this one a kiss here, that one a nip there. They both groaned, two hands twining in her hair, clutching at her head. Tara surrounded Jacob’s head with her mouth, sucking gently. His fingers tightened on her scalp.“ Mmmm, yeah.Oh, yeah, Tara.” She switched suddenly, taking Johnathan deep inside her, pressing his cock up tight against the roof of her mouth as she sucked. He shuddered. “Oh, shit. Yeah, baby.Yeah.” She switched again, then again, alternating rapidly between them, massaging their shafts continuously. When she detected the tart taste of their pre-cum, she smiled. Tightening her grip, she stroked their magnificent cocks, faster and faster, jacking them off until the tell-tale stiffening of every muscle in their bodies told her it was time. She pressed the tips of their cocks together, stretching her lips around both heads. “Oh, shit!” Warmth flooded her mouth. Sudden thrusts pushed their cocks deeper. Tara drank greedily, noisily, as Johnathan and Jacob voiced growling moans, then shuddered and finally relaxed. Tara released them from her mouth. Ran her tongue over and under their cocks, lapping upthe cum she hadn’t been able to capture. They both moaned, running their fingers through her hair as she sought out every trace of their essence and made it her own. When she sat back, they dropped to crouches before her, eyes glittering strangely in the wan lamplight. “That was phenomenal,” Johnathan whispered. “I’m glad.” She smiled. “You two were pretty fantastic!” “Want to spend the night?” Tara looked at them both, wondered what was going on behind those dark eyes. “I don’t know. Do I?” “Yes.” Johnathan got up and pulled back the covers, stretching out on the bed. Tara hesitated for a moment,then slipped in beside him. Jacob lay down as well, reaching out to turn off the lamp. Tara fell asleep wrapped in the warmth of two perfect strangers, and nothing had ever felt more right.   Chapter Three   The only problem with sex, she thought the next day, is the morning after . Jacob’s and Johnathan’s arms were heavy across her waist, and she squirmed, trying to ease out from between them without waking them up. No such luck. Johnathan stirred, looking up at her with sleepy eyes. “What’s up?” Tara shook her head.“Just getting ready to go.” She scooted down to the end of the bed and stood. Her back to him as she pulled on her clothes, she nevertheless felt his gaze. Finished dressing, she turned to face him. Jacob was awake, as well, watching her with hooded eyes. She swallowed hard,then bent down to tug the strap of her sandal over her heel. “Will we see you again?” Johnathan sat up. The covers slipped down, exposing his engorged cock. Tara faltered. She wondered what it would be like to have that huge thing inside her. “I-I don’t know. Do you want to?” So quick it didn’t even register, he leapt from the bed and pushed her up against the dresser. “I want to fuck you,” he growled.“Now.” He lifted her onto the dresser. Hiking her skirt up over her hips, he pushed her thighs apart roughly. Tara lifted her legs, resting her heels on the edge of the dresser. Reaching down, she pushed the crotch of her panties out of his way. With a groan, he shoved his engorged head between her weeping folds. Tara drew in a hissing breath as his massive cock stretched her. Letting go of her panties, she leaned back on the dresser, arched as he forced himself deeper and deeper. Tara whimpered a little as shivery stabs of pain pulsed along the edges of her pussy. Johnathan faltered. “God, Tara. I don’t know if I can stop.” Stop? Hell no!Tara sat up, threw her arms around his neck. “Don’t you dare,” she whispered, tracing his ear with her tongue. “Oh, fuck!” He drove into her. Tara gasped and clung to him, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Again,” she whispered, knowing the beast was close.Wanting to catch a glimpse of it. “Fuck me!” she ordered. He grabbed her waist and thrust hard. Her pussy throbbed with pain and pleasure. Good God, he filled her like no man ever had. She couldn’t wait until he came inside her, until she felt his hard shaft pulsing within. He thrust again. Tara caught her lower lip between her teeth.Tasted blood. “Again,” she choked out. With a sound that was half-growl, half-howl, he held her still, driving his hips forward in one prolonged, fierce thrust. “Yes!” Tara’s eyes met Jacob’s. He was breathing hard, his hand wrapped around his cock, animal hunger in his gaze. She looked at hiscock, saw the pre-cum glistening on its tip, saw him begin to stiffen. “Now, Johnathan,” she whispered.“Now!” In one tremendous shove, he buried himself inside her. Tara screamed,pussy convulsing on his thick, hard shaft as his hot seed pulsed into her, as Jacob’s creamy essence cascaded over his hand. Relentlessly, her pussy milked Johnathan, until he finally shivered and relaxed against her. “ Mmm.”Tara rubbed her cheek against Johnathan’s shoulder. “ Mmm- mmm !”Johnathan chuckled softly. “You are one damn fine woman, Irish.” Tara blushed, caught Jacob’s eye, and flushed even hotter as he licked his lips, eying her like the wolf she knew he was. As she watched, he very deliberately cleaned his cock with the sheet, letting her see that he was already beginning to stiffen again. Tara shuddered, her desire mounting once more. Jacob grinned knowingly. Standing, he opened a drawer and grabbed a pair of jeans, tugging them on. “Come to breakfast with us.” Johnathan pushed away from her and stretched, graceful as a panther, gorgeous in the golden morning sun streaming through the space where the curtains failed to meet. “Yeah, let’s eat.” He grinned wolfishly. “I’ve worked up quite an appetite.” Tara felt heat rising to her cheeks again and looked away. “I’ve got to got to my hotel, get some clean clothes.” Johnathan held out his hand. She grasped it and slipped off the dresser, then tugged her panties and skirt into place. “You look fine,” he insisted. Tara shook her head, but he was pulling on his jeans, handing over her purse. “Come on,” he urged. “We can go by your hotel after breakfast. Come eat with us.” Tara shook her head again, but a moment later foundherself strolling down the sunlit street, hands in theirs, in search of breakfast. They located a quiet café and snuggled into a booth, once again sandwiching her between them. She like that, having her thighs pressed up against theirs on either side, their shoulders brushing hers, their warmth seeping into her. She found it incredibly easy to chat with them as they ate. “So your birthday’s Thursday, huh?” Johnathan soaked a corner of toast in egg yolk,then took a bite. “Yep.”Tara munched on bacon that melted in her mouth. “When are you leaving?” Tara swallowed and took a sip of coffee before answering. “Friday morning.An early flight.” She looked at them curiously. “You’re staying in a hotel, but you sure seem to know your way around. Do you live here?” Jacob snorted, while Johnathan just shook his head. “No, we’re just... well-seasoned travelers, I guess you could say. Good at finding outquick where things are, what’s good, that sort of thing.” Tara nodded thoughtfully. “Is it a sixth sense sort of thing? I mean, since you’re wolves?” Their hands froze halfway to their mouths, forks dripping egg yolk. “What did you say?” Johnathan croaked. Hewas apprehensive, confused. But Jacob was tensing, like he had in the clearing the day before, seeming like a predator about to attack. Tara hastened to reassure them. “I saw something... when I was a kid. A set of twins I went to school with. My mom was friends with their mom, and we went out to their place quite a bit. They were a couple years older than me, and I always wanted to tag along with them. They hated girls at that age, of course, so they used to go off into the woods on their property and hide from me. “The Blakes used to have these cookouts. We’d eat barbecue and hot dogs, sing campfire songs, sleep outside under the stars. One night, I was laying in a hammock, listening to the adults talk and almost asleep, when I saw Dev and Damien slip away into the woods. I got up as quiet as I could and followed them.” Jacob and Johnathan had set their forks on their plates, and were watching her like they’d suddenly come upon a rattlesnake. She didn’t like it. It was much nicer when they looked at her like she was good enough to eat. She tried not to think about the fact that that was something that could actually happen, if she couldn’t convince them her knowledge was harmless. What had possessed her to tell them she knew? A flash of impatience in Jacob’s sharp gaze sent the rest of the story tumbling from her lips. “I figured since they didn’t know I was following this time, I could see where they went when they hid from me, and shock the hell out of them when I found them next time. Only, they stopped in this clearing, and I actually thought they had heard me, but then they stripped off their clothes and started... changing. They... stretched , and sprouted hair everywhere, and when itwas over, they were two of the most magnificent wolves I’d ever seen -- and I’d seen quite a few, living in Wyoming.” “I watched while they sniffed the air and then ran off in the opposite direction. It didn’t occur to me until later to be thankful I was downwind of them. They never knew I saw. I crept back to the house, climbed up into the hammock, and pretended it never happened.” She looked down at her plate, unable to meet their accusing, suspicious stares any longer. “But... I could never forget, and when I became a teenager, I... kept remembering. I quit following them around like a... well, like a puppy... and would watch for them to sneak away, and if the wind was right, I would follow them to the clearing and watch them change.” Jacob raised an ironic eyebrow. “I was thirteen years old!Feeling... things. And they were the only men I’d ever seen naked, besides my father. I didn’t have any brothers. It was wrong, but damn, they were so hot .” She glared at Johnathan as he shook his head. “Hey, every girl in town had a crush on those two. And our moms were best friends. I never told anyone, and I never will. But I knew what you were the moment I set eyes on you.” “Is that what last night was about?” Johnathan sounded... hurt. “Living out your childhood crush?” Tara shifted uneasily. “Well... yes.A little.” She became defensive as his face seemed to close up. “What was it supposed to be?True love? We don’t even know each other. There was an immediate physical attraction, okay? And that, coupled with knowing what you were... went a long way toward making what happened last night happen. Is that so wrong?” “It’s just...” Johnathan swallowed, looked away. Tara glanced at Jacob, held out her hands in a pleading gesture. Jacob appeared calmer. He glanced at his brother, looked back at Tara. “ Johnathan’s... sensitive. He has premonitions.Knows things, sometimes, before they actually happen. He’s been telling me for three weeks that we were going to meet our mate here.” Something flickered behind his eyes. “We would have left a couple of weeks ago, if not for that.” Tara remembered the impression of desperation she’d received the night before. “Are you guys on the run?” Jacob shrugged.Nodded. “From what?The law?” Johnathan stirred beside her. “Not the law.Something older. Someone’s afraid of us. Afraid of what we might do to ruin their plans.” “Johnny.” Jacob’s voice took on a warning tone. Tara shook her head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. Really, I don’t want to know.” She pushed her plate away and reached beneath the table for her purse. “Look, I better go. I’m sorry I let this happen. It wasn’t a good idea.” Jacob nodded and began to slide out of the booth, but Johnathan grabbed her arm. “Wait.” He looked up at Jacob. “She can’t go.” Jacob sighed, looking suddenly tired and older. “She has to, Johnny. We need to move on.” He raised his head and sniffed the air. “We’ve stayed too long already. I can feel it.” Johnathan leaned forward earnestly, his grip on her arm so tight that it hurt. “That’s why she has to stay.” He looked back and forth between the two of them, his eyes pleading. “You have to believe me. You’re our mate, Tara. If we don’t... something terrible is going to happen.” Tara shook her head.Tugged on her arm. Johnathan held fast, staring at Jacob. “Tell her, Jake.” His brother groaned. “Tell her what? I don’t feel it, Johnny. I’m sorry. Last night was fun, but...” He shook his head. Tara tugged on her arm again. “Please. You’re hurting me.” Johnathan looked at his hand as though he hadn’t realized what he was doing, and let go. “I’m sorry.” “Me, too.”Tara stood and rummaged in her purse. “Here’s money for my breakfast.” Johnathan started to protest, but she waved it off. “Thank you for last night. I-I don’t believe in love at first sight, but it was an incredible experience, and I don’t regret it.” Her throat tightened at the lost look in Johnathan’s eyes. “I hope you find what you’re looking for,” she whispered, then turned and practically ran from the shop.   Chapter Four   Tara hurried back to her hotel. Closing the door to her room softly behind her, she sighed and began pulling off her clothes, tossing them onto the bed. She went into the bathroom and started the shower. Beneath water as hot as she could bear, she thought back over the whole experience. She had so wanted to see them change.To touch them, as wolves.Maybe even... Tara shook her head, drowned those thoughts with the water running down the drain. Stepping out of the shower at last, she dried off and twisted her long hair up in the towel, then padded into the bedroom. Jacob and Johnathan were sitting on her bed. Somehow, she wasn’t surprised -- they were wolves, and Johnathan, at least, was determined not to let his prey escape. “Let me brush your hair.” He had her brush in his hand. Tara shook her head. “Johnathan, I don’t love you.” His lips tightened slightly, but his tone was light. “I know. So it’s not about love. It’s about lust. You enjoyed last night, didn’t you?” Tara looked at his brother. “Jacob? Are you-- ” “He’s right.” He lay back on the bed. Tara’s gaze slid to his crotch, where his pants strained tight over the huge bulge there. “You did enjoy last night. And so didwe . You’re only here until tomorrow.” His gaze traveled over her, igniting brush fires of desire all along the way. “What’s wrong with making the most of it?” Tara wanted to be strong. Johnathan seemed like the type that might become obsessive if this went any further, and having an obsessive werewolf after her wasn’t high on Tara’s list of things to do. But damn. Their bodies were so rock-hard perfect , and their cocks... she shuddered at the memory of that morning’s climax. And the way Jacob was looking at her, and Johnathan’s almost palpable need... She sighed.Walked over to the bed.Sat down between Johnathan’s legs. He pulled the towel from her head. She shivered as the damp strands cascaded against her back. Jacob moved, relaxing on his side, head propped up on one hand, watching. Johnathan began at the bottom, short, quick strokes pressing the wet strands against the small of her back. As he worked his way up, the strokes slowed, becoming long and sensual. Tara shifted restlessly as her nipples pebbled. Catching her eye, Jake leaned forward, caught the tip of one tingling peak in his mouth. Tara let her head fall back, arching into his touch. She was sitting cross-legged. Johnathan made one final pass with the brush. Drawing it down along her side and around her waist, he glided it down to her bush. Tara leaned back against him. Jake’s tongue danced across her nipple as he suckled, sending spirals of heat to her groin. Tara closed her eyes, lost in the sensation of his warm mouth on her breast, of Johnathan drawing the soft bristles of the brush down among the curls of her bush. He paused, pressing into her clit, brushing back and forth across it. Tara moaned and reached up and back, holding onto his shoulders as she pressed into his touch. The bristles lifted away, and then the smooth metallic handle, warmed by his hand, slid inside her pussy. Tara gasped and opened her eyes. Jacob sat up, looking down. He reached out and began rubbing her clit in languid circles, while his brother slowly began moving the brush in and out of her pussy. Tara moaned again. Holding tight to Johnathan, she uncrossed her legs and drew them up, resting her heels on the bed, meeting the brush thrust for thrust. “You like that, hmm?” Jacob murmured. Tara whimpered, moving her hips faster. He chuckled, his warm mouth closing on her other nipple while his finger still massaged her clit. Tara moaned and writhed, trying to get Johnathan to move faster, go deeper. He wouldn’t do it. Over and over the brush penetrated, but never fast enough, never deep enough. Tara released a whimpering sob. “What?” Johnathan whispered into her ear. “What do you want, Tara?” “Fuck me,” she begged. “Please, please. Fuck me.” She saw Jacob glancing behind her. He nodded and reached out, gripping the brush as Johnathan let go. His brother urged Tara up onto all fours, until she was straddling Jake’s head, while he kept the brush plunging in and out. Jake had pushed his jeans down, exposing his massive cock. As he pushed the handle of the brush deeper, she took him in her mouth.“Oh, hell yeah.” Tara took him deeper and deeper, working her lips down along his thick shaft. He moaned. The brush disappeared, and Johnathan buried himself inside her as Jacob grasped her thighs and drew his head up. Tara moaned as his mouth closed on her clit, his tongue flicking across the swollen nub as his brother forced his massive cock into her again. “ Mmm, yes,” Tara moaned between mouthfuls of cock. “Oh, yes, Johnathan. Fuck me.” Jacob sucked hard on her clit.“Oh, God! Oh, yes, Jake. Yes!” Tara took Jake’s cock as deep as she could, sucked frantically, swirling her tongue up and around his head, back down again. Pressure built up in her groin, and she rocked desperately, driving Johnathan deeper and deeper inside her, going down on Jacob faster and faster, until white heat blossomed in her pelvis, and Jacob and Johnathan both groaned and froze, and liquid gold poured into both her mouth and her pussy. Johnathan’shands tightened on her waist, and he kept thrusting as he came, roaring like a lion while Jacob gasped, “Oh, yes, Tara. Oh, yes...” Tara sucked them both, with her pussy and her mouth, until they all collapsed on the bed. Lying between them, she wished she could purr. What an utterly perfect expression of contentment.Of satiation. She settled for running her fingers softly up and down their chests, playing with the nests of dark curls between their pectorals. After a while, Tara forced herself to sit up. “Let’s go do something.” Her lovers grinned lasciviously. She rolled her eyes. “I’m talking about seeing New Orleans. I’ve only got today and tomorrow left. And as much fun as this is, I’d still like to visit the French Quarter, do some shopping, that kind of thing.” Jacob yawned and stretched. Johnathan smiled sleepily. “No problem.Sounds good.” Tara scooted off the bed and rummaged in the closet for something to wear. By the time she had slipped into a pair of pale khakis and a clover-green sweater, they were both dressed and ready to go. They spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets of New Orleans. Tara picked up some gifts for friends back home, enjoyed watchinga man paint on an easel set up in the street. She tried to get the brothers to go in to see a fortuneteller with her, but they both balked. “These things are frauds.” Tara shrugged. “It’s just for fun.” Opening the jangling door, she slipped inside. The place didn’t seem like a fortuneteller’s at all -- at least, the way stories described them. Instead of gloomy interiors with dark fabricdrapes, and a woman wrapped in mysterious veils and hidden by tons of makeup, this place was bright, the orange-gold evening sunlight streaming through two large picture windows at the front of the store. The furniture was white, and the fabrics were light and gauzy whites, greens, and yellows. The woman sitting at the table was young, wore no makeup, and was dressed in a lightweight cotton t-shirt and short black skirt. Her surprise must have shown on her face, because the girl laughed. “Don’t look like a fortuneteller, eh?” She beckoned. “Come on. Sit down. Tara, is it?” She froze in the middle of lowering herself into a white wicker chair. “How did you knowthat. ” The girl laughed. “I walked by you guys on the street earlier. Heard one of your... friendscall you that.” Tara laughed nervously, lowered herself the rest of the way. “Oh.” “Give me your hands.” Tara frowned. The girl held out her own hands, palms up. “Go ahead.” She reached out.Rested her hands in the girl’s. The young woman didn’t close her eyes or make strange noises or anything like that. She simply looked at Tara and frowned. “I see danger for your companions. Something hunts them, and it’s drawing near, but your presence keeps them here. You will receive a gift, but you will have to give it away. You must... you must make them reveal their true natures to you.Tonight, before the stroke of one.” She shook her head. “There is great joy in this, but also great sorrow.” She shrugged and pulled her hands away. Tara waited a moment. When the woman didn’t speak, she asked, “Is that all?” The girl nodded, still frowning. “It is... strange. I sense your role in this as brief, but strong. I do not know exactly what is happening. Something... obscures my sight.” Tara raised her eyebrows and chortled. “I’ll bet.” She stood and opened her purse. “How much do I owe you?” The fortuneteller shook her head. “I can see you don’t believe me. There’s no need to pay if you don’t believe.” Tara took out a five and dropped it on the table.“No, really. This was... interesting.” She turned and stepped out onto the street. Jake grinned. “How’d it go?” “Well, she didn’t look like your typical fortuneteller, but the mumbo-jumbo was exactly the sort of thing you read in a novel.” Jacob’s grin said I told you so , though Johnathan actually looked a little worried. Tara hooked her elbows around their arms and tugged them down the street. “Come on. Let’s go get dinner. I’m starving.”   Chapter Five   After a delicious dinner of crawdads and shrimp sausage gumbo, the three of them wandered back to her hotel. Johnathan had been quiet ever since they stopped at the fortuneteller’s, and when the elevator arrived and Tara stepped onto it, she was shocked when they did not move to follow her. “Aren’t you coming up?” Johnathan shook his head. Tara wanted to scream with frustration. Yes, no, maybe so! He was as mercurial as a thermometer in the desert. She glanced at Jacob, but could read nothing in his sardonic gaze. Tara sighed. “Okay. Whatever.” She punched the button for her floor and watched them walk away as the doors closed. Back in the room, she turned on the television and tried to find a good movie to watch. Nothing appealed. She turned it off and grabbed a book out of her suitcase. She slipped on her nightgown and curled up under the covers. The book was good, but after a while she found her mind wandering restlessly. She kept looking out the window, seeing the stars, thinking about those long-ago nights when she would slip out to follow Devlin and Damien into the woods. Around midnight, she couldn’t take it any longer. Getting up, she slipped into a loose pair of corduroys and a t-shirt. She stuck her driver’s license, room key, and a twenty into her pocket, and headed out into the night. Just as she’d remembered, the labyrinth was only bordered by a six-foot brick wall, and that was covered in vines. For someone who had grown up climbing Wyomingmountains , scaling the wall was a cinch. Tara dropped softly to the ground. She didn’t know why she was doing this crazy thing. Remembering how much trouble she’d had finding the center of the labyrinth her first time around, she almost balked and went back. Almost. Her body ached. It was a feeling like homesickness, but more palpable. Tara moved to the labyrinth’s entrance and stepped inside. The friendly, slightly sardonic nymphs that had seemed so harmless in the daylight became terrifying in the dark. Tara reeled through aisle after aisle of ghostly shapes outlined by silver moonlight, scared to death she’d get lost and be stuck out here until morning. She never met a dead end, though. That magnetic pull, urging her forward, led her unerringly to the heart of the labyrinth. Two heads turned with carnivorous haste, and Tara gazed into two sets of eyes richer than chocolate. Their gazes, sharp and suspicious, took in every aspect of her shape and attire, nostrils quivering as they sniffed the air. Tension vibrated in the moonlit clearing. Once again, she confronted beasts in the labyrinth. Tara took a step back as the two wolves advanced. She swallowed.“J-Johnathan?” The wolf on the left stopped, cocked its head. The wolf on the right kept coming. Tara’s voice froze in her throat. The beast circled, sniffing her, nudging her, guiding her to the stone bench in the clearing’s center. Tara sat on the bench. Johnathan and Jacob moved in close, nuzzling her shoulder. Tara reached up and ran her hands through their thick, silky fur. One of them -- Johnathan, she thought -- ran his large, rough tongue over her cheek. Tara smiled and leaned into him, rubbing her cheek against his thick ruff. She ran her hands down both of their chests, burying her fingers deep in their fur. Johnathan’sroughtongue swept across her chest, dampening her shirt, making it cling to her braless breasts. She walked her fingers down a little farther, found his furry sheath. Jacob licked her now, dragging his tongue roughly across the two pebbles visible beneath her damp shirt. Tara grasped her shirttail, tugged her shirt over her head, and dropped it to the ground. With a low growl, they both began licking her breasts, their coarse tongues rasping across her nipples, heightening their sensitivity. Tara buried her fingers in their fur again. Uttering a rumbling huff, Jacob shifted. Tara glanced down. Reached out and caressed his furry sheath with one hand, surprised at how small it appeared. Yet even as she watched, it grew. Swelling and swelling, until the sheath drew back and Jacob’s thick red cock gleamed wetly in the moonlight. Tara shucked her pants with trembling hands. Jacob nudged her shoulder with his nose, pushing her back against the stone bench. Tara sprawled before them, parting her legs, eager for their touch. She was so hot forthem, the first hot pass of Jacob’s tongue had her gripping the sides of the bench as a brief, intense climax pierced her core. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes!” Her body burned with need. Sitting up abruptly, she pushed against Jacob’s chest until he sat back on his haunches. Without hesitation, she slipped off the bench and lowered herself over his cock. His aspect shivered. Tara watched in shock as his head diminished, his thick fur thinning before her eyes, his human face looking out at her. “We can’t,” he gasped. Tara nodded. “Yes.” She sank the tip of his cock into her pussy. “Yes, we can.” “Oh, shit.” Jacob trembled, his features fluctuating wildly as she took him deeper and deeper. “It’s okay,” Tara whispered. “It’s okay. Show me.” She sighed as she buried the last of his cock inside her. “Show me what you really are.” Jacob shuddered, and then Tara’s pussy exploded with pain as his wolf aspect took control, his cock expanding and expanding inside her, until she opened her mouth to scream, and Johnathan’s tongue covered her lips, muffling the sound. Tara sobbed and writhed, but she didn’t want to quit. Jacob sat quietly, sheathed inside her, and the pain began to fade, replaced by a pulsating, throbbing sensation that sent a thrill of pleasure through her with each beat. Johnathan’stongue swept from her lips to her jawline , down her neck. He tasted every part of her, licking her arms, her legs. He slid his tongue between her thighs and licked at her labia where they stretched around Jacob’s cock. Jacob’s tongue flashed out as well, to tease her nipples. Tara moaned and began to move, pumping herself up and down slowly on the slick cock buried inside her. She wrapped her arms around Jacob’s neck. He moved, standing slightly, forcing her to rise up and lie back on the bench again. She drew her legs up, wrapping them around his furry middle. With a snorting grunt, he began to thrust. Tara turned her face away, not wanting him to see how much it hurt. Focusing only on the pleasure, she dropped her feet to the edge of the bench, pushed her pelvis up to meet him. He panted now, driving into her faster and faster, uttering low growls and occasional high yips. Every sound reverberated within her, stoking the fire of her need. Pain forgotten, Tara clutched the ruff of his neck, looked into his beautiful brown eyes. “Oh, yes, Jake. Yes,” she whispered. “Fuck me, wolf. Fuck me.” With a yelp, he impaled her. Tara gasped and buried her face in his neck to stifle a scream as the base of his cock expanded into a huge bulb just inside the rim of her pussy, locking them together as his cock swelled and contracted again and again, drowning her core with his thick, hot seed. Tara’s eyes clouded as wave after wave of ecstasy slammed through her. Within seconds, she felt him diminishing inside her, but the waves crashed on. The base of his cock deflated, and he slipped out. Snarling, Johnathan knocked him aside with one massive shoulder and mounted her, pushing his rigid, gleaming shaft deep inside her in the very midst of her climax. Tara arched, mouthing yes, yes, but wordlessly, unable to breathe as he slammed into her, once, twice, three times. The base of his cock expanded even as her pussy contracted violently, and it was all she could do to keep from passing out from the sheer ecstasy of having such a huge member buried inside her while the pleasure just went on and on, every muscle in her body tightening as her pussy milked every drop of pearly essence from him. His cock relaxed, and he backed out. Tara lay gasping, covered in sweat and tears, the ache between her legs almost enough to make her come again. Then Jacob and Johnathan were both licking her pussy gently, and she closed her eyes. Each swipe of their tongues felt a little bit different, until she opened her eyes and looked to see two dark-headed, handsome men holding onto her thighs, their tongues dipping into her pussy simultaneously. Tara arched and came again, milking those sweet, soothing tongues. The chill air against her sweat-soaked flesh started Tara’s teeth chattering. Drawing back, Johnathan and Jacob ignored her disappointed mews. Johnathan grabbed her cords and pulled them up over her legs, nudging her until she raised her hips and let him slip them up to her waist. Jake picked up her shirt and slipped it over her head, then waited until she sat up reluctantly and slipped her arms in. They squatted before her, their naked bodies gleaming in the moonlight, looking like Greek gods of old. “Thank you,” Jacob rasped earnestly. “You... don’t know what you’ve done for us.” Tara laughed, albeit a little nervously. A breeze wafted across the clearing, chilling her to the bone. Johnathan’snose quivered. “Shit.” He looked at Jacob, who nodded. “We have to go now, Tara. But we’ll be back.” She thought she caught a strange flicker in Jacob’s eyes, a hint of contradiction, but then it was gone and so were they, up and over the hedges in an instant. Tara waited, hoping they would change their minds and come back for her. But the cold was creeping into her bones, and they didn’t return, so she rose painfully from the bench and walked blindly through the labyrinth, managing to make her way over the brick enclosure despite her strained muscles and the discomfort between her legs. Back at the hotel, she collapsed on her bed and sank into sleep. The next day, St. Patrick’s Day, she didn’t wake up until the maid knocked softly on the door, asking if she wanted the room cleaned. “No,” Tara mumbled, trying to peel apart her gummy eyelids. When she opened them, she found herself gazing at a grinning leprechaun. She sat up and stared at the ceramic mug, brimming over with clover.True Irish clover, large-leafed and robust. Groaning as her muscles protested, she crawled out of the bed and walked over to the dresser. There was an envelope next to the plant. Tara picked it up and opened it. Happy Birthday, Irish. I’m sorry we can’t be with you today, but there are some things we have to take care of. The clovers aren’t for luck. It is said that St. Patrick used the three leaves of the clover to represent the Holy Trinity. I want you to think of each one as you, me, and Jacob -- as a symbol of our joining. I hope you like our gift. Keep them safe until we meet again. Johnathan.   Tara frowned as she reread the note. All her life, she’d longed to meet a pair of wolves, knowing that Damien and Devlin were not for her, but feeling that it was her destiny to spend the rest of her life with such a pair. Now, she wasn’t so sure. The past two days had been the most exciting, scary, orgasmic, nerve-wracking days of her life, but she still didn’t know what it was all about. Who were Jacob and Johnathan? What were they running from? Could she fall in love with them, given time? Sighing, she slipped the note back into its envelope. Reaching into the little mug of clover, she felt the soil.Too dry. She carried the grinning leprechaun into the bathroom and ran some water into the mug. The least she could do washang on to their gift. It really was a beautiful sentiment. Tara set the mug on the windowsill and stared at the tri-part leaves for a long time, wondering if the brothers really would return, and if they did, whether the three of them would ever be able to build a life together.           Rachel Bo   Rachel Bo is an award-winning author currently published in several genres. On the weekends, she works as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist. During the week, Rachel writes and rides herd on her handsome husband, two wonderful daughters, a rabbit, a snake and several remarkably hardy goldfish. You can find Rachel on the Net at http://webpages.charter.net/rachelbo/ or e-mail her at rachbo03@yahoo.com. * * * * *