Must Love Fangs

Epilogue

Wake up, sleepyhead,” a voice murmured in my ear, rousing me from the most delicious dream.

I snuggled deeper into the pillows and didn’t open my eyes. I mumbled, “Five more minutes.”

There was a soft chuckle, then a hand pulled me against a large, hard male body. I felt Josh lean over me, and felt his warm breath on my ear a second before he began to nibble on it. “You naughty minx. You’re always sleeping late, aren’t you?”

“Mmm,” I said, sighing with pleasure at a good night’s sleep—and the delicious man teasing my ear. “I love sleeping.”

“It’s time to wake up,” Josh murmured, then kissed my neck. “You know what today is?”

It took a moment for it to register in my sleep-groggy mind, and then I realized. My eyes flew open. “Oh, jeez. My picnic!”

He chuckled. “That’s right.”

“Oh, heck, I’ve got to get up,” I said, all sleepiness vanishing from my body. Today the were-cougar clan was gathering in my honor. It promised to be a big party, and it wouldn’t do if I showed up late. Plus, I’d promised Bathsheba that I’d bring a few dishes to help out with the picnic part of things . . . and I hadn’t started. I’d meant to cook last night, but Josh had distracted me with flirty kisses, and before I’d known it, we’d fallen into bed early, though sleep had come hours later.

I tossed the covers aside and rolled away from Josh, intending to get out of bed . . . only to be snared at the waist and dragged back against him, my sleep tank top riding up to expose even more of my skin.

“Where are you going in such a rush, gorgeous?”

“Tête de cochon,” I said affectionately. “I need to shower and start cooking.”

He kissed my bare shoulder, sending shivers through my body. “You can do that later.”

“But—”

He nipped my flesh, then stroked it with his tongue to soothe the ache.

A low heat pulsed in my belly and my limbs immediately went liquid. I whimpered. So unfair of him to play dirty. But when his hand slid to my panties and began to edge them downward, I leaned back against him and sighed with pleasure. “Think we’ll be late if we stay in bed for a bit longer?”

“Definitely,” Josh murmured, his fingers sliding under the silky fabric.

About two seconds later, I found that I didn’t care.

• • •

We showed up to the Russell house about an hour after I’d promised Bathsheba that I’d be there. She didn’t say anything when I showed up in the kitchen; she just gave me a knowing look that made me blush bright red.

Her scent was something I recognized instantly. The oddly unfamiliar tang of human, plus a slight undercurrent of the more familiar—and more comforting—were-cougar. There was an enormous mate mark on her neck, visible right under the strand of hair that she tucked behind her ear.

Josh kissed my cheek and moved toward the stove that Bath hovered over. “Anything I can help with?”

She turned to face him, a look of surprised amusement on her face. “A Russell offering to help in the kitchen? Never thought I’d see the day.”

“Hey, my favorite ladies are in here right now,” he said easily, taking the bowl I was carrying from my hands and heading to the fridge with it. “You just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it.”

“You can head back to town and get some extra beer. We’ve got a few extras coming today.”

“Extras?” I gave her an odd look. “I thought this was just Russells. Were-cougars.” Of course, she was here, so it wasn’t like we planned on sticking to that rule fast and hard. Beau wasn’t about to have a clan get-together and not invite his own wife.

“It started out that way,” Bathsheba said, pulling a list from under a nearby plate. “But then we didn’t know what to do with Lily, since she’s still under surveillance, so Ryder volunteered to watch her if she could come, too. I couldn’t exactly refuse that. And of course there’s Sara and Ramsey, who are always included even though they’re not cougar. Jeremiah’s bringing Miko and Sam. And Savannah asked to bring Connor.”

Josh scowled. “Did you tell her no?”

“I told her yes,” Bathsheba said in a pert voice. “Now please, we need a few more six-packs of beer. Would you mind?”

He snagged his keys back off the counter and moved toward me, giving me a quick, hot kiss full of promise. “I’ll be back soon, baby.”

“Got it,” I told him with a soft smile, resisting the urge to swat his ass when he walked away. I watched him as he left, then turned back to Bathsheba once he was gone.

She was smiling. “So . . . how are things with you and Josh?”

“Good,” I said, though the word didn’t seem to encompass quite enough. Life was incredible, and wonderful, and so full of wonder and hope and happiness every day that I pulled out my mother’s Virgin Mary figurine and kissed it in gratitude every time I woke up. I couldn’t ask for a better life.

And it was all thanks to Josh, that wonderful, beautiful man.

“Mmmhmm. Can you start making the potato salad?”

I moved to the small mountain of potatoes on the far end of the kitchen table. “So why is it that we got stuck with the cooking?”

Bath pulled out a bottle of barbeque sauce from the fridge. “Because if I let one of the men in the kitchen, they’d eat everything before it ever made it to the table.”

“And you like being in charge,” I teased, grabbing the potato peeler and attacking the first potato.

She gave a small sniff. “That’s not it. I just—”

“Like being in charge,” Sara chimed in, walking through the back door, a bag of groceries in her arms. “Marie had it right the first time.”

I caught the waft of wolf-scent and resisted the urge to wrinkle my nose. I was still getting used to all the different scents.

“You hush,” Bath said to her sister with a mock scowl. “Did you bring the dessert?”

“Three cheesecakes,” Sara announced proudly. “All fresh from the bakery. Ramsey’s carrying them in. He says I’m too small and they’re too heavy.” She rolled her eyes.

“It is a bit of a pain in the ass that there’s no road,” I mentioned.

“Beau likes his privacy,” Bath said simply. “If there was a road nearby, someone’d be driving down it constantly. He doesn’t mind a little walking to get here.”

I supposed he had a point. “Here” was Beau’s cabin in the midst of the woods, with no roads, no trails, no nothing, for at least a square mile. It had been quite a hike for me and Josh, since we’d been carrying food as well, but I’d felt healthy and strong and alive—and my shifter strength was quite a bit stronger than my wimpy human strength. It had been a long walk, but not a hard one, and I was pleased at that.

Bath and I cooked and made sandwiches while Sara sat on the counter and picked at the food, nibbling when she thought Bath wasn’t looking. As we worked, we chatted and laughed, and more people began to wander into the kitchen as they arrived for the party. Eventually Josh returned with the beer, and instead of setting up outside with the other guys at the picnic tables, he headed toward me in the kitchen and picked up a potato peeler.

That was why I loved the man. Beneath that incredibly flirty exterior was a heart of gold.

Each person came by to give me their congratulations on my successful turning and subsequent absorption into the Russell clan. The twins showed up first—Everett and Ellis. Then Austin, then Ryder and Lily, whom no one knew what to do with. Beau moved back and forth between the house and the grill outside, smelling like smoke and cougar. Everyone was thrilled that I’d joined the clan, and I didn’t see a hint of antihuman sentiment anywhere. It made me wonder if it was going this smoothly for all of the clans, or if it was because the Russells were such a mixed blend that it didn’t matter to them. I couldn’t see it being this easy for the poor tiger girl.

Sure enough, Jeremiah showed up with Sam—who smelled different and whom I’d never met, so I knew he wasn’t a were-cougar—and Miko. Jeremiah congratulated me in his soft voice, then headed outside with the others as they passed through the house.

Bath gave me a prim look. “I hope you’re not bothered by the fact that Jere has a boyfriend and a girlfriend?”

I wagged the potato peeler at her. “I worked at the dating agency, remember? I’ve seen weird, and that isn’t weird. A were-snake and a harpy? Now that’s weird.”

Sara snorted, then plucked a deviled egg off the counter the moment Bath set it down. “That’s not the weirdest pairing. Did you ever see—”

There was a knock at the door. Bath wiped her hands and headed to answer it, and Sara and I turned to look. The scent of wolf was definitely getting stronger. I wrinkled my nose a little, not used to the smell.

A man about Sara’s age stood in the doorway—Connor Anderson. His dark hair was shaggy and hung in front of his eyes, but he had a gorgeous face. He also looked downright uncomfortable and kept glancing over his shoulder to the person standing behind him on the steps. “Hi.”

“Come on in,” Bath said warmly. “We’re still making food. Everyone else is out back.”

He stepped inside, and the smell of wolf accompanied him. A woman stood behind him, her hand clasped in his, and I waved at the heavily pregnant Savannah Russell.

Bath leaned over Savannah’s enormous belly and kissed her cheek. “Why don’t you two go out back and say hello to Beau? He’ll be thrilled to see you.”

I hid my smile. Bath was a sly one. Sending them out to Beau meant that they’d be under the leader’s watchful eye, which meant the other Russell clan members—Ellis, Everett, Austin, and my own Josh—wouldn’t be free to show just how much they disliked Connor. Savannah gave Bath a grateful look. I watched as they entered the living room, heading to the back of the house, Connor hovering over Savannah as if she might break. Adorable.

There was another knock at the door, and I looked over at Josh in surprise, mentally counting heads. Wasn’t everyone here by now?

“I’ll get that,” Bath said, a hint of a smile.

“Were we expecting someone else?” I asked, curious.

Josh reached out and stole a cube of potato from my pile of diced vegetables. “Wait and see, baby.”

A familiar, warm, human scent filled the air, and I gasped in surprise at seeing my father. Happy tears filled my eyes, and I launched myself at him. “Daddy! You’re here?”

He wrapped me in his arms. “Ma petite puce. It’s good to see you, too.”

I hugged him close, so full of joy that I could burst.

“It’s a family gathering for you,” Bath said, “so it wouldn’t be right if your father wasn’t here. And thanks to the nondisclosure agreement, I didn’t see a problem with it when Josh mentioned it.”

I looked back at Josh. “You are the best thing since sliced bread.”

“I know,” he said smugly.

“Why don’t you take your father outside and introduce him to everyone?” Bath suggested.

I smiled up at him and looped my arm through his. This day just got better and better.

• • •

When the food was ready, everyone piled out to the tables. I sat to Beau’s right, Josh’s arm looped around my waist, and I felt a little embarrassed when a dozen beers were raised—and a glass of water from Savannah—and all eyes went to me.

“To our new sister,” Beau said. “Our clan grows daily, and I, for one, am thrilled.”

“Hear, hear,” Josh said, then leaned in to kiss me.

I returned his kiss and looked down the table at the faces there. My father, directly across from me. Josh. The twins. Jeremiah and his dates. Ryder and Lily. Bath and Beau. Sara and Ramsey. Connor and Savannah. So many people in my life now.

Ice Queen Marie had disappeared—better yet, she’d been absorbed into a large, eclectic family. I wasn’t allowed to hold myself apart any longer.

I’d gone from having nothing to having everything.

“Can we eat now?” Josh asked. “I love Marie and all, but those ribs look incredible, and I’m starving.”

I laughed, and the entire table erupted with groans.

Everyone dug into the food, and within a half hour, the plates were cleaned. Some people sat around the table, sharing conversation.

One of the twins showed up with a football in his hands. “We’ve got enough people here for a good game. Who’s up for it?”

“Flags?” Connor asked.

“Flags are for pussies,” Everett retorted. “Tackle football. How about you, Marie, since you’re the guest of honor?”

A month ago, I’d have been too weak to do more than walk across the room. But now? I was brimming with health and happiness. I put down my napkin. “Why not?”

“Excellent. You can be team captain. Josh can be the other.”

We moved to the front of the group, and Josh gave me a wicked grin. “How about my team is shirts and yours is skins?”

I rolled my eyes. “How did I know that was going to come out of your mouth?”

“Because you know me, baby.”

“Indeed. Well then, let me pick first.” I glanced over at the people who were still sitting. “Who all’s playing?”

“I am,” said Bath.

“No,” Beau said stubbornly. “You’re too fragile.”

Her lip curled, just a little. “You’re kidding, right? You’re going to play the ‘human’ card on me? Humans play football all the time.”

“Not my human.”

“Beauregard Russell!”

“Fine,” he said in a menacing tone, then cast a look down the table. “If anyone tackles my wife, I’m coming after them.”

“Beau,” Bath said warningly.

“I’ll take her,” I chimed in. “She can be our quarterback.”

“So unfair,” Josh protested. “Now you really do have to be skins.”

I smacked him on the arm.

Football was a blast, but a total blowout. Josh had managed to let me pick Ramsey for my team—a deliberate move, I suspected, since it was supposed to be my day and all—and with the massive were-bear on our side, it was more or less a massacre. We learned early on to give Bath the ball and then let Ramsey barrel everyone else out of the way as they charged down the zone. Pretty soon, we were winning by four touchdowns. It wasn’t a very fair game, though. Every time I’d break free, Josh would be there to tackle me.

Something told me he just wanted to drag me into the grass, and I didn’t mind.

Sara was on Josh’s team, and on the next pass, she caught the ball. I moved to tackle her, but sure enough, Josh was there again, leaping on top of me and dragging me to the ground before I could touch her. His hands were everywhere as we rolled in the grass, and I laughed.

“You know, if you wanted to cop a feel, you could just ask,” I told him between breaths.

He grinned down at me. “It’s more fun this way.”

A high-pitched squeal caught my attention, and I turned to see Sara launch herself bodily at Ramsey, as if her slight form could knock him down. I’d say one thing for Sara—she was small but fearless.

She was so much smaller than Ramsey that he just caught her out of the air, turned around, and began to run toward our end zone with his mate trapped in his arms, laughing and still clutching the ball. A moment later, Ramsey scored for our team.

The sidelines—Savannah, Lily, Ryder, and my dad—erupted in laughter.

“We concede,” Josh announced. “Having Ramsey on a team is like having five extra players.”

“I win,” I crowed, rolling onto him on the grass.

“Yes, you do.” He grinned up at me.

Desire rolled through me, and to my surprise, my claws popped. I yelped as I felt hair follicles tingle and come to life, a sure sign that I was about to change. Even though I’d been a were-cougar for a little over a month now, I still didn’t quite have the hang of everything. It would come with time and I didn’t need to worry about it, but it was still embarrassing.

“Looks like it’s time for a run,” Josh announced.

“Mr. Bellavance, why don’t you and I and Lily and Ryder go inside for some coffee?” Bath said brightly. “I think the others want to spend some nature time out here.” With a knowing glance at her mate, Bath shepherded the humans out of the clearing, and suddenly it was just shifters.

A familiar scent neared, then Beau was kneeling beside me from where I sat atop Josh, struggling to hold my claws in until the humans were gone. “Don’t fight it, Marie. It’s a natural part of your life now. It’s time to run with your clan if you’re ready.”

I nodded, my throat suddenly dry. This would be my first run with the entire clan, plus a few others. Performance anxiety struck me. What if I couldn’t shift fast enough for them? What if they had to stand around and wait for me while I struggled to turn? That would be humiliating—and painful.

All around me, shifters began to strip off their clothing, tossing it to the ground. Clothing always had to go first—it got too easily destroyed by animal claws and shifting bones. The last thing you wanted was to turn into a cat and end up partially strangled by your bra because you didn’t take it off first. But still, stripping down in front of a group of strangers wasn’t something I was used to. I hadn’t grown up in a shifter clan, where stripping down in front of others was as natural as breathing.

Off to one side, I watched Sara fling off her top, and Connor was helping Savannah unbutton her maternity dress. To one side, the twins were shucking their jeans and talking about football scores. Ramsey was pulling his shirt over his head, and the others were undressing as well. No one was paying a lick of attention to me.

So why was I so nervous?

“Hey,” Josh said, grabbing me by the waist and turning me toward him. As if he could read my thoughts, he said, “Don’t think about it, okay? Just think about changing.”

I nodded and stared down at my clawed hands. I’d end up scratching myself if I pulled my T-shirt over my head. “Could you help me?”

His eyes gleamed, catlike. “Help you undress? Marie, you flirt.”

“Tabarnak. You know what I meant. Just do it,” I said, laughing.

“Yes, ma’am.” His hands slid under my shirt, easing it over my head, and I kept my gaze on him and his gorgeous body. Better to look at him than the others, lest I have a modesty freak-out and embarrass myself in front of my new clan.

Within moments I was stripped of everything but my skivvies, and Josh was helping me with those, pressing little kisses on my skin as he did. I blushed, thinking of the others who might be watching us, but then my shift kicked into high gear and I forgot about everything else.

I wasn’t sure that changing into a cougar would ever feel normal, my entire body transforming and realigning, my spine shifting and curving, my hips moving downward and tilting, my legs completely changing to the backward bend of the feline’s, growing fur, claws, and fangs. It forced me to concentrate on allowing it to happen naturally, and by the time the transformation was complete, I lay in the grass, panting, in full-on cougar form.

I wasn’t sure how long it had taken, but a gentle hand stroked my side and down my fur. “Everything good, baby?”

I opened my eyes and saw Josh’s handsome face, always tinged with a bit of concern for me. He hadn’t shifted yet; wouldn’t until he was sure everything was okay with me. Sweet man. I licked his hand in affirmation, then head-butted it.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said with a grin and began to pull off his own clothing, fur sprouting as he did. Josh, born as a shifter, could transform much, much faster than I could.

I waited, adjusting to the thicker, more vivid scents in my shifted form. All around me I could smell the others—an eclectic mix of cougars, bear, and wolves. Not a normal pack, for sure. The scent of humans lingered in the grass, but the smell was getting old already, and I knew the others were inside, likely having a coffee with Bath as she kept them distracted from what was happening out here.

And then Josh was licking my ear, his rough cat tongue affectionate. I got to my feet and faced the clan, fully transformed.

The clearing was filled with animals. Beau and the other Russells had transformed into sleek cougars, though Savannah’s sides bulged with her pregnancy. The two wolves paced a fair distance away, and Ramsey’s massive bear form was already crashing into the woods.

Beau lifted his muzzle, scenting the air, then turned and loped into the woods. When the others fell in behind him, I joined their ranks, Josh a few steps behind me. I’d read up on cougars after I’d been transformed, and unlike wolves, we weren’t pack animals. It was family more than it was pack. It was comfort and togetherness.

We ran through the woods, and I lost track of time. The cougar side of me relished the wildness of running through the woods, tracking prey, and playing with the other cats. There were predator games of hide-and-seek, and following scent trails made messy by wolf and bear.

Hours slid away, and when I looked up, the sky was dark, the moon glowing, and Josh and I were on the trail of a nearby skunk. The human in me didn’t want to catch it—not really—but the animal side of me found the strong scent and the promise of prey irresistable.

A short time later, the trail went cold. When Josh split off from the rest of the cougars and turned into the woods, I followed him, curious.

We ran for some time, alone, and then he flopped to the ground, rolling in the leaves and deadfall, his belly up as if he wanted his stomach scratched. I wanted to laugh with amusement, but the only thing that came out of my throat was an odd, catlike chuff. I was surprised at the sound . . . and then my fur rippled and I braced myself, my body slowly changing back to human.

Long minutes passed and I concentrated on the shift itself, fixated on the slow, smooth return of my fingers and bare white skin. When it was done, I collapsed on the ground and glanced over at Josh, surprised to see that he’d changed back to human form as well.

“I think we lost our skunk,” I told him mournfully.

“You didn’t really want it,” he told me with a grin, reaching over to slide his fingers on my sweat-slicked belly. “Think of the heart attack Bath would have had if you’d returned to the house smelling like skunk.”

“You have a point,” I said and yawned, snuggling closer to his naked, sweaty form. Leaves and dirt were sticking to our bodies, but I didn’t care. I liked Josh’s scent—sweaty or clean, he smelled delicious to me.

“You did well, baby. I’m proud of you.” He leaned in to nuzzle my cheek. “What made you shift back now?”

“I wasn’t trying to,” I told him, running a hand over his gleaming shoulders. “I think I learned the hard way that cougars can’t laugh.”

He chuckled, nipping at my shoulder. “No, they can’t.” His hand covered my breast. “I’d rather be human right now . . . for other reasons.”

He flicked my nipple with his thumb, and I sucked in a breath, immediately scanning the woods for others nearby.

“No one’s here,” Josh told me in a husky voice. “They headed in. We’re the only ones still out on a run. They wanted to give us some alone time.” And he continued to stroke my nipple, his touch working it into an aching point.

I leaned in to kiss him, biting at his lower lip in a way I knew he liked. “But we’re all sweaty and covered in dirt.”

“There’s a stream nearby,” he told me, leaning down to lick a bead of sweat off my breast. “If you’re into that sort of thing.”

“Mmm.” My hands slid to his nipples and grazed them in retaliation. “Think we’ll make it to the stream?”

“Maybe.” He bit my nipple. “Maybe not. Do you care?”

“Not really,” I told him and rolled the two of us until he was under me and I was sitting atop him, straddling him. His cock was trapped between my thighs, a hot length of promise. “I find that I’m caring less and less with each minute.”

“Me, too,” he said with a grin.

So we “didn’t care” for several hours into the night, and on until morning.

And that was perfectly fine with both of us.