Captured by Two Alphas [The Alpha Legend 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  As Landon and Mancie made small talk about the weather and the town of Passion Peak, Saffron soon learned she’d been correct about where she was. The town was just south of this rise. But she was only half listening to the gossip about the residents and their everyday lives because she couldn’t stop staring at Landon.

  Something stirred deep within her that she didn’t fully understand. She’d certainly felt lust before, though not toward a human. But this wasn’t lust, at least not entirely. This was something mystical and almost sacred. It was as though she were fated to meet this man, but how could that be? He wasn’t of her tribe, and he wasn’t a shifter.

  A compulsion she didn’t question led her to crawl further under the trees so that she could get a better look at him. She knew how to move quietly and didn’t think she’d be spotted until Mancie turned her head sharply toward the trees where Saffron was hiding. Her dark eyes scanned the area as a frown deepened the creases on her forehead. Mancie’s skin had the look of someone who spent a great deal of time in the sun.

  Landon followed her gaze. “What is it?”

  “I’m not sure.” Mancie lifted her chin as if sniffing the wind, and Saffron’s stomach contracted in fear. Was she one of them? The leopard tribe to which Marc and Jake Rosen belonged didn’t have any branches that had split off and lived elsewhere. At least, none that Saffron had ever heard of. Had Topaz been wrong about that?

  Was Mancie a different animal? They existed, but Saffron wasn’t sure if she’d spot one as easily as she’d spot one of her own kind. There were so many things Topaz hadn’t had time to teach her, and endless questions that Saffron had never thought to ask until after the woman’s death.

  “I’m not sure,” said Mancie. “I thought I heard something, but it’s probably the wind.” Her voice didn’t sound convincing at all, but Landon apparently believed her because he went right back to his conversation about some fake ghost hunter named Trace Coleman that had recently been drummed out of Passion Peak by a paranormal investigator named Kane Easton.

  “Yes,” said Mancie. “Nevada and I know that man Kane. We aren’t sure yet of his motivation for wanting to know so much about us, so watch what you say around him, okay?”

  “He’s all wrapped up with Maverick Orantes and Felicity Featherstone these days. I don’t think he’s worried about who lives up here.”

  “He was here once, so he might be back again.”

  “Mancie, you know I won’t let anything happen to all of you. I knew he was up here that day, but he didn’t do anything. He just watched. That’s why I’ve kept an eye on him in town. As far as I know, he hasn’t been back up here since.”

  She patted Landon on the arm. “You’re a good friend. Better get to work now and I’ll do the same.”

  Mancie walked into the nearest house, and Landon began to whistle again. Saffron watched him saunter toward the wind turbine. She had to shift her position again to see him as he approached it, because it was set so far apart from the buildings in the village. He had just climbed the steps leading to a door in the base of it when he turned once again toward the tree line as the sound of boots snapping twigs and branches sounded behind her.

  She glanced around but didn’t even have time to scream as a man scooped her up in his strong arms, placed a hand over her mouth, and whispered in her ear, “Make one sound and I will kill you.”

  Chapter Two

  Nevada Ruiz couldn’t believe what he’d just witnessed. The nerve of this squirming woman he was carrying. If she shifted, he’d shift as well and catch her again. There was no way he could let her get away. His mother had sensed her while she’d been talking to Landon. Nevada had seen her turn toward the trees under which this girl had been hiding, and that’s when Nevada had doubled back and caught her. She must not be a very powerful shifter to have missed him sneaking up behind her. Which, of course, sent his mind wandering to why they’d sent her.

  “Put me down!”

  “Quiet.” He’d known what she was the moment he’d come close enough to catch her scent. Had the Rosens become so desperate that they’d sent a woman to find Landon? Had they hoped she’d seduce him or something? Or had they sent her to find his mother, hoping because she was a woman that they’d bond? “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Then put me down.”

  “I told you to be quiet.” Nevada didn’t like the way her voice tugged at his heart. He didn’t like it one little bit. She sounded more angry than afraid, but there was an undercurrent of fear as well. She should be afraid. And when whoever had sent her found out she’d been so easily caught, she’d have more to fear from them than from him. Didn’t she know that? Of course she would. Why, then, had she let herself get into this situation?

  His lingering doubt took a momentary backseat as he spun around toward the sounds of footfalls and whistling behind him. Landon advanced toward him, almost lazily, but he was still over three hundred yards away. He hadn’t been following Nevada to the cabin. He’d been heading to the next wind turbine. Nevada stopped running and sighed, unable to keep the disgust from his voice in his agitated state. “Landon, come with me. Your work will have to wait.”

  The struggling girl must have thought she had a chance to get away simply because Nevada had stopped. She almost escaped his hold on her, but he was faster. He scooped her up again just as Landon came jogging up. He retrieved the woman’s backpack that she’d dropped trying to get away, glancing from her toward Nevada with a dozen questions in his eyes. “What the hell is going on?”

  “What the hell is going on is that she was watching you and my mother, that’s what. She’s one of them.”

  “One of what?” she asked, her big green eyes full of fear and confusion. Oh really? Was she going to try and pretend he couldn’t see her true form? This should be interesting.

  “Don’t play games with me. I know what you are.” He glanced at Landon. “Let’s go. Time to get some answers out of her.” The cabin was tucked into a grove of pines that no human had ever found, even by walking along the barely visible trail through the woods. Nevada’s ancestors had seen to that.

  The humans would have no reason to suspect it was there, even if they did come this far into the woods. From all appearances, the trees here were so thick that you couldn’t get through them, so they either turned around or went a different way. The cabin had remained undetected for five generations now.

  Nevada stepped aside to allow Landon to lead the way through the trees. He could find the path by pushing aside the fronds with one hand, but if he did that, she’d get away again. He glanced down into her very pretty face. “Keep your head covered so your eyes don’t get scratched.”

  She whimpered as the pine needles raked across her bare skin, and Nevada found himself moving his right hand to partially shield her face. What was that about? Her arms and legs were covered, so they were safe from harm, and through her clothes he sensed strong muscles. As he tightened his grip on her again, his left arm brushed across the side of her breast, and Nevada’s dick jumped to attention.

  What the hell was wrong with him? Was that her power, as he’d first guessed? Is that why the Rosens had sent her? To seduce him or one of his tribe so that she could gather information? Well, he wasn’t going to let that happen. He’d sworn a blood oath to protect Landon, and he’d die before he let the Rosens and the people they associated with find his mother. He couldn’t allow his constant raging hormones to get the better of him. Not even for a girl with dark hair and eyes the color of emeralds.

  Stop that shit.

  By the time they made their way through the trees and reached the cabin, he glanced down and frowned at several superficial cuts along her neck. Now he’d have to tend to those as well or they’d get infected. He hadn’t planned on playing nursemaid or jailer today. There was too much to do in order to get the village ready for winter. It had already snowed just two miles up the side of this very ridge, and it wouldn’t be long before the entire slope was cover
ed in snow as well until spring. Then he’d be stuck here with this woman.

  Oh no. He couldn’t let that happen. He set her on her feet and as predicted, she tried to bolt out the door through which Landon had just come. Nevada wrapped his arms around her from behind, wishing like crazy his traitorous cock would settle the hell down. If she felt his boner, she’d know she’d gotten to him and nothing he said to her would matter. “Do you want me to tie you up?”

  The moment he asked it, he wished he could take it back. Erotic images danced through his head, and judging from the way Landon was now staring at her with glazed eyes and a slack jaw, she’d had the same effect on him. Fuck. This had just grown way more complicated than Nevada had had time to prepare for. He shook his head to try and mentally clear the images of this girl tied up, naked, with her dark hair spread out against a pillow.

  “Who are you?” she asked. “Why the hell did you bring me here? Let me go.”

  Nevada spun her around and placed a hand on each shoulder, desperately trying to control both his hormones and his emotions as he gazed into her green eyes. She was stunning. Definitely a leopard shifter, but there was more. Something deep, powerful, and almost magical shone from her frightened, angry gaze. Something that made him want to kiss her until he couldn’t breathe, and keep her here with him forever. “Who sent you?” he asked, knowing full well who had sent her. But he wanted to watch her reaction.

  Her eyes clouded over with confusion. Either she was a wonderful actress or he’d been wrong, and he didn’t believe it was the latter. “What the hell are you talking about? No one sent me.”

  “Then what are you doing here?”

  “That’s none of your damn business.”

  Nevada tightened his grip on her shoulders but loosened it just as quickly when she winced slightly. He didn’t want to hurt her. “It is my business when you’re crawling around in the trees outside my village.”

  “I didn’t know it was your village. I was looking for shelter.”

  “Well, you’ve found it.” She’d been watching Landon, not looking for shelter. Didn’t she understand yet that Nevada had seen her hiding in those trees?

  She glanced around, disbelief filling her face. “Are you offering to hide me here?”

  “Hide you? Why would I hide you?” What power did this leopard possess? She had him so confused he wasn’t sure of his own name right now. What the hell had he gotten himself into?

  “Why else would you bring me here? If you’re not going to hide me, then I’m your prisoner. But why?” She narrowed her eyes and tilted her chin up slightly, as if trying to catch his scent. Didn’t she recognize what he was? She should be able to do that, but it almost looked as if she weren’t sure. How could that be? “What are you?” she whispered.

  “You don’t know?” None of this made any sense. What kind of a game was she playing? They stared into each other’s eyes for long moments. Nevada knew he wasn’t wrong about what she was, but she looked completely baffled now. He watched several emotions pass through her eyes, the most prevalent now of which was fear.

  The spell was broken when Landon cleared his throat. “Want to tell me the plan here, Nevada?”

  The plan? Nevada didn’t have a plan. He wasn’t even sure why he’d brought her here. But until he figured out what he was going to do, he couldn’t let her get away. Why else would she have been watching his mother and Landon if not because she’d been sent to find them? She had said all those things simply to confuse them both and throw them off track, that’s all. She was good at this game. No wonder the Rosens had sent her.

  “We’re going to tie her up for now.”

  At least she couldn’t shift in here. The cabin had had a spell placed on it a long time ago that prevented any shape-shifter from being able to change once inside it. That meant Nevada couldn’t shift either, but the spell had been the only way his great-great-grandfather, Cheveyo, had defeated Marrok, the first Rosen to threaten the cougar shifters from which Nevada was descended. If Nevada could keep this girl inside, at least she couldn’t threaten them in her leopard form.

  She moved away from him toward the door, and Nevada once again wrapped his arms around her from behind, which only further served to make his dick hard.

  “No. Please don’t tie me up. I have to get away. You don’t understand.”

  “I understand perfectly.” He glanced at Landon. “Get me the cuffs and chains.”

  She struggled even harder, and Nevada was struck by how strong she was. “Please…don’t do this. Just listen to me. I don’t know who you are and I don’t care. I need to keep running.”

  Nevada dragged her toward Landon, who was digging in a dresser drawer with agonizing slowness. Was he already under her spell? Why couldn’t he sense the danger he was in from this woman? “Running? You’ve reached your destination. It’s time to stop playing games with us. I know why you’re here, and I know who sent you.”

  “No one sent me. Just listen to me.”

  “Shut up. Your words confuse me, leopard. I won’t let you put us under your spell any further.”

  “Leopard…you know what I am. How do you know?”

  “I said shut up.”

  “What are you?” She pointed toward Landon with the hand she’d managed to wiggle free. “He’s human. I know he is. But you’re not. What are you?”

  Why didn’t she know? Or, was this simply part of her act? Landon was struggling to fit the leather cuffs around her wrists. It was all Nevada could do to hold her still. The more she squirmed, the more turned on he was. This was never going to work, but he didn’t want to use any more force, because he honestly didn’t want to hurt this girl. Something about her entire demeanor niggled at the back of his consciousness, as if a small part of him knew she was telling the truth.

  “Just stop, okay?” He turned her to face him again, and his heart melted as he realized she was crying. “Stop that,” he said more gently. “Please just stop. Come over here and sit down.” He led her to a chair and she sat without saying another word. Was she trying to lull him into a false sense of security, or was she truly this frightened?

  Nevada motioned Landon over. “We have to do this. You’ll be free to walk around the cabin so you can eat and drink, and…” He cut his gaze toward the bathroom. “Use that if you need to, but we can’t let you outside. Not until I figure this out.”

  Landon slipped the cuffs around her wrists and locked them in place. This time she didn’t protest.

  “And I need to put something on those cuts on your neck so they don’t get infected.”

  She finally looked into his eyes, and he had to swallow hard. She now looked utterly defeated. He didn’t understand any of this. Who was she, if not someone the Rosens had sent to find his mother or Landon? He needed answers, but he also had to protect his mother and Landon at all costs, even in the face of a beautiful girl who looked more like she was in trouble herself rather than having brought the same with her.

  “After we restrain you, I’ll take care of your wounds, and then you can tell us your story. All right?”

  She nodded and lowered her gaze to the floor once again. Nevada had the uncomfortable feeling he’d just walked into a hornet’s nest.

  Chapter Three

  Saffron was so afraid now that she could barely figure out a way to fight what these two strangers were doing to her. They’d obviously mistaken her for someone, but how could she explain their error if they wouldn’t even listen to her? The one called Nevada clipped her wrist cuffs together then told her to turn her head to the right.

  “You can’t shift inside here,” he said. “And don’t try to run outside with your wrists bound together or you’ll fall and get hurt. I don’t have time to play nursemaid to you.”

  “Why are you speaking to me like this?” She’d been fighting hard to hold back her tears, but his gruff tone and her fear finally won out. As they spilled over her lids, the look in his dark eyes softened, but only a little.

>   “Hold your head still. This is going to sting but it will prevent those wounds from becoming infected.”

  She winced as he applied something that burned to her neck. How deep were the cuts he’d mentioned? She wished he’d let her look at them. She had healing herbs in her backpack, and Topaz had taught her how to use them. Should she mention that? “Why do you care if they do become infected?”

  “Because I don’t want your tribe accusing me of causing your death.”

  “How do you know my tribe? You’re not a leopard.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “So, you do know what I am then? I knew you were lying.”

  “I’m not lying. I don’t know exactly what you are. I only know you’re not what I am.” She inclined her head toward Landon. “And I know he’s human.”

  Nevada placed a dressing over the wounds on her neck and taped it in place. “You were watching him.”

  “No I wasn’t.”

  He cupped her face and turned it back toward him. “Then why were you hiding in the trees? You were watching him and my mother.”

  She didn’t want to tell him why she’d been watching Landon. But if she didn’t tell them something, they’d never know that they were mistaken. She wasn’t sure if they’d believe her, but she had to try. They weren’t leopards, so the chances they were in league with her uncle or the Rosens was very slim. She had nothing to lose by telling them at least part of the story. “I was trying to figure out if the people in the village were human.”

  “Why?”

  “I told you. I was looking for a place to hide.”

  Nevada and Landon exchanged a glance that Saffron couldn’t interpret. “Why do you need to hide?” he asked, his voice softer now. Did he have any idea how handsome he was when he wasn’t frowning nor had a stern look in his dark eyes? She had a sudden image of loosening the braid his hair was in and letting it fall over his broad shoulders. It was obvious how strong he was. Would his arms and torso be muscled, as she imagined they were?