Free Shay's Shifters [Mountain Men of Montana 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Jane Jamison Page A

The Hidden on their own even when The Time of Leaving was present.
    Although The Cursed could venture out in the day, they preferred the cover darkness gave them. Night was when they went hunting for food. But animals weren’t their only prey. They snuck through the trees in search of anyone unlucky or foolish enough to venture away from their home. He had no doubt that Shay would make one or more of them a grand prize. His inner wolf growled at the idea of one of them touching her, and he swore he’d die before he let that happen.
    He stayed behind the trees, staying even with her as she hurried down the path. When she almost fell a couple of times, he wanted to reach out and catch her.
    She cried out in joy when she broke through the trees and found the small pond. The majestic waterfall, a different one than the one they used to enter The Hidden, rose high above the clear blue-green water until the top of it could barely be seen in the low-lying clouds. She stood, her head thrown back to survey the water as it plunged over the precipice of the cliff and fell to form a curtain of white foam.
    Her hair streamed over her shoulders, lifting with a slight breeze. Her profile was that of a queen, serene yet powerful. She thrust out her chest as she fisted her hands on her hips like an explorer claiming victory in her discovery. The dress she wore molded to the rounded curves of her body as the mist floated to wet the simple material. His heart swelled with pride. His woman-to-be was all woman, proud of her voluptuous form and strong in spirit. From what he’d heard Rosh and Renkon speak of her, she was also intelligent and witty.
    She would be his. Sooner or later. To think otherwise would be to doom his existence.
    His cock twitched, aching to break free of his jeans, when she pulled up the hem of her dress and walked into the shallow water. He wished he was the cool liquid that flowed around her body, over her skin, and between her legs. The swell of her sweet ass led to the material floating away from her, and he held his breath as the water rose around her shapely breasts.
    Was she chilled? Were her nipples hard? Had the temperature of the pond vanquished the heat of her pussy? He doubted any cold could ever smother that fire.
    Her hair spread out as she leaned back and pushed off the bottom then swam toward the falling water. He shucked his boots and jeans, realizing that she thought an exit lay behind the liquid curtain and knowing that she was wrong.
    The moment she pushed her way to the small area behind the curtain, he waded into the pond then ducked underneath and breaststroked his way to her. She was sitting on the slender ledge that ran from one side of the fall to the other when he broke through the surface. Startled, she pulled her legs out of the water and hugged them to her chest.
    Drops slid down her face, over the material that was stuck to her breasts. Her taut nipples looked like hard points of delight, and, if she hadn’t drawn up her legs, he would’ve guessed that he could see her patch of curly dark hair pressed against the wet dress. She’d sleeked her hair away from her face, letting the moisture from it trickle around her shoulders.
    “Shay.”
    She gasped, then recovered and jutted out her chin. “You know me? I saw you with Rosh. It’s Walker, right?”
    He was encouraged that she knew his name. “Yeah. Walker Ramirez. I’m, uh, friends with Rosh and Renkon.”
    She scoffed. “It didn’t look like you and Rosh were friends.”
    He treaded water and kept his attention on her beautiful face. If he let it drop lower, he’d find it very hard to concentrate. “We have our moments.”
    “Why do you look familiar?” Her dark eyes zeroed in on him and her tone held a note of suspicion. “Have we met?”
    “Yes and no.”
    “What does that mean?”
    He laughed and grabbed hold of the ledge. “You were in and out of it while you were healing. Once or twice I thought you opened your eyes,