Their lust grew higher, spiraling with the intense sensations of the wild, building in their minds, one sensation upon the other. The link invaded Jake’s mind: the deeper Chanku mating bond that signaled a connection much more powerful than that of mere packmates. This was something higher, something beyond anything he’d ever experienced except his bond with Shannon.
His body trembled with the combined sensations—his wolven cock locked tightly within Shannon’s pulsing folds, Bay’s sharp claws digging into his shoulders, Bay’s penis jerking hard and fast within his ass. And more.
Something unexpected: There, on the very edge of climax, he caught another voice. Before he could single it out, orgasm took him, a powerful spike of energy that whipped through Jake, Shannon, and Bay. It lifted them, a dynamic pulse of energy combining hearts and minds, a synergetic cataclysm of power.
At the very peak, amplified by their release, was the sound of two unknown voices crying out in pain and fear. The unknown yet somehow familiar voices exploded into Jake’s mind, into Shannon and Bay, shaking all three with an intensity more profound even than their mating.
He knew. Though he’d never met them before, Jake knew who called out, who cried for help. Keisha and Xandi! Trouble! Somewhere over the skies, somewhere east of their Montana home. Find us! The cries echoed within their three-way link. Find us! Our plane is going down…
Scrambling to their feet, the three of them separated and shifted as one. Jake grabbed Shannon’s arm as she stumbled, holding out a hand to Bay. “Okay,” he said, fully aware his voice shook. Was it in reaction to the voices they’d heard or the most amazing sexual experience the three of them had shared in wolven form? He’d need time, later, to think about what they’d done.
“We all heard that,” Jake said. “We need to get back to the motel, call Luc, and see what the hell is going on.”
Bay stopped him. “He might not even know there’s a problem yet. Let’s see if we can reach them again.”
“Good idea.” Jake took a deep breath, then grabbed his packmates’ hands. After a few futile moments, he shook his head and laughed ruefully. “I guess it takes a three-way fuck to get any distance. Lord only knows how far away they are.” He paused, then glanced off into the distance, replaying what he’d heard. “Shouldn’t they be on their way to San Francisco for the wedding? Luc told me the Montana pack was planning on coming a couple weeks early. Why would their plane be going down east of Montana, not southwest?” He shook his head. “Makes no sense. C’mon. Let’s head back. I won’t relax until I talk to Luc.”
They shifted back to their wolven forms, melting seamlessly from human to lupine in a heartbeat. They’d run long and far and it took awhile to make it back to the clearing, change clothes, and return to the motel. There was no signal for any of their cell phones and the phone in their room was dead. Luc slammed the headset for the ancient rotary phone down in the cradle. “I’ll go try the office.”
Two minutes later, he was back. “Sign on the door says they’ll be back at five. We can’t wait that long.”
“I’ve got our stuff packed.” Shannon was already pulling on her black boots.
Baylor stepped out of the bathroom with their overnight kits. “Let’s go. Any idea which direction their voices came from?”
Jake nodded. “Due west of us, I think, but I can’t be sure. We’ll head that way, at least until we either find a phone or a signal for the cells. Damn, I keep telling myself I need satellite access.” He shook his head, staring at the useless bit of technology in his hand. “Once we get back on a main road we need to find out what the fuck is going on.”
After making a last minute sweep of the room to check for belongings, Jake followed Shannon and Bay out the door. He realized he hadn’t stopped shaking since Keisha and Xandi’s terrified voices had filled his mind. With a last glance at the funky little motel where they’d not even taken time to shower, Jake started his bike and followed Bay down the road.
Luc rolled his chair away from the computer, yawned, and rubbed his eyes. “There was a visual sighting, but it doesn’t make sense. A Hawker 1000 was spotted at about eleven this morning, Central time, near Bismarck, North Dakota, heading east. The pilot noticed the plane because he’s interested in buying one like it. He got the number off the tail. It was Anton’s.”
“East?” Tia grabbed a map off the desk. “Where would that put him? How fast do they go?”
“Over five hundred miles per hour, with a range of thirty-four hundred miles. They could be anywhere.” Luc Stone, Tia’s mate, stood and leaned over her shoulder to study the map. “Oliver said they were scheduled to leave Anton’s private air strip at ten this morning. Shit. You’re right. They could be anywhere, but unless they refueled, they’re on the ground somewhere by now.”
“Oh, God.” Tia shoved her fist in her mouth. “What if they’ve crashed?”
Tinker McClintock looked up from his set of maps. His usual smile was gone, replaced by a look of grim determination. “This is Anton Cheval we’re talking about. He’s okay.”
Luc focused on Ulrich. “You’re sure Bosworth is dead?”
Ulrich nodded. “The secretary is definitely dead. However, his program may live on.” He turned toward Tinker. “Contact Jake and Bay. See what you can find out about their hunt for any of Bosworth’s cronies. Lisa, you see if you can get hold of AJ, Mik, and Tala. We need to pull everyone in on this. If Bosworth’s program is still functioning, the Montana pack could be in much more danger than we suspect.”
Lisa glanced up, frowning. She felt like a fifth wheel here among all the established agents of Pack Dynamics. As the newest member, she was still learning the names of the players. “Who’s Bosworth?”
Tia got up from her desk and came over to sit by Lisa. “He was part of the President’s cabinet, the head of Homeland Security, but in many ways he was a rogue.” She glanced toward Ulrich Mason, and Lisa sensed both fear and pain in Tia’s thoughts. “He kidnapped Dad a few months ago. Anton and his packmates helped us rescue him, but even though he was a member of the President’s cabinet, the man was horrible. He wanted to create a breeding farm for Chanku. We’re not really sure exactly why…maybe merely to prove our existence…but there is some concern he wanted to breed shapeshifters to work undercover for some secret branch of the government.”
“Isn’t that what Pack Dynamics is doing now? Working undercover?” Lisa glanced at Tinker, her mate, but he was buried in computer printouts. No help there.
Tia nodded. “Yep. But we do it of our own free will. Not because we’ve been bred and trained for some specific purpose.” She flipped through a Rolodex on the desk. “Here. This is Mik’s cell phone and here’s AJ’s. Looks like we don’t have Tala’s in the file yet. You should be able to get hold of one of the guys. Let Luc or Dad know if you reach them.”
Tia went back to her computer. Lisa held the two small white cards in her hand. AJ and Mik were her sister’s mates. The sister she hadn’t seen in over ten years. She blinked back tears. It was one thing to know she would meet her brother and sister for the first time in all these years at Tia’s wedding, but this wasn’t how she pictured her first contact with her sister. Lisa wiped her hand across her streaming eyes and picked up the phone. It’s not about you, Lisa. Get over it.
She tried AJ’s number first. There was no answer, but she left a message for him to call headquarters. Taking a deep breath, she punched in Mik’s number.
Tala swam slowly to the surface of consciousness, aware of a heavy weight across her thighs and a moving pillow beneath her head. As she blinked her