Bite Me Read online

  EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2016 Jenika Snow

  ISBN: 978-1-77233-911-6

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Karyn White

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  BITE ME

  Jenika Snow

  Copyright © 2016

  Chapter One

  “You feel how hard I am for you, mate?”

  Ruby didn’t answer, could only stare at the three men—shifters—in front of her.

  “You see how my brother watches, touches himself as he stares at the curves of your body, at the scent of your arousal pouring from you?”

  Still she didn’t answer, couldn’t.

  “You like the fact three predators, killers, have you at their mercy, able to do what they want to you?”

  She couldn’t move, couldn’t even breathe for how much emotion and sensation moved through her.

  The oldest, maybe even the alpha of the three-shifter pack, stepped forward. He had his body pressed right up against her nude one, and the feel of how hard he was for her slammed into her very cells, and coursed through her veins.

  The feel of his flesh against hers turned her on even more. A part of her wanted to scream to fight them, because that was instinct, her fight or flight mode kicking into gear. But the submissive side, the very female side of her amongst these three powerful males, just wanted to do what they said.

  She just wanted to submit in the most basic of senses.

  All she wanted to do was feel all of them taking their turns with her, spreading her thighs wide open, running their cockheads over her lips, and forcing her to pleasure them.

  Perspiration covered her skin, making his flesh rub along hers in a very erotic way.

  “You have no idea how much we’ve wanted this, waited for our mate to be here with us, giving herself over in all ways.” His breath smelled like a crisp winter night, masculine, yet clean. “You don’t know how long we’ve been waiting for this exact moment when we could claim you, mark you, and fill you with our cum until you’re big with our babies.” He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, “And you will be big and pregnant by us, one after the other.”

  A shiver worked through her at the possession in his voice.

  He ran his tongue up the side of her neck and sent chills racing up her spine. The other two males stood back, their nude bodies hard, huge. They touched themselves as they stared at her, as if the very sight of her turned them on, got them off.

  “Are you ready to be claimed by all three of us?”

  She could only lick her lips and look at him, not sure how to respond.

  “Are you ready to have every orifice of your body filled by us?”

  “Answer us, mate.”

  Ruby could only nod in surrender.

  A blanket of sweat coated Ruby as reality set in. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, trying to focus, trying to calm herself. She didn’t move, just replayed that vivid dream over and over in her head, knowing she was awake, but her body so aroused.

  Ruby couldn’t handle these illicit dreams, not anymore. She felt as though she were losing her mind. At twenty-five years old she should have had more control of her own body. But she’d had these dreams, the same scene, the same intensity, since she was eighteen years old.

  Fear and excitement waged war inside of her, and as much as she knew this couldn’t be healthy, that having the same dream every night for years couldn’t be normal, a part of her didn’t want them to stop.

  Their faces were engrained in her memory, even the scent of them: wild, untamed, and all male. But even knowing what they looked like, Ruby knew they weren’t real. They couldn’t be.

  She threw the sheet off her body, breathed out, and sat up. For a second all she did was sit there, her hands on the mattress, her focus trained on the window. The clock on her bedside table showed it was going on five in the morning. It was late, or early, depending on how she looked at it.

  There was no point in her trying to go back to sleep, not when her nipples were hard as pebbles and pressed against the thin material of her t-shirt. She was also wet between her thighs, an uncomfortable sensation given the fact she didn’t have anything aside from herself to help her out in that department.

  And masturbating wouldn’t have helped. She knew. It would only make it worse, make her arousal even more intense.

  This was torture, pure and simple, and despite having gone through this for so long, she still wasn’t used to the intense arousal.

  Maybe a shower would do her some good, wash away the remnants of her erotic dream? Or maybe it would only intensify the heat that was slowly burning her alive inside. It didn’t matter in the end, though. The perspiration on her only reminded her of what she had dreamt of.

  She headed into the bathroom, turned on the light, and looked at herself in the mirror. Everything in the house was still silent, and as she stared at herself, at the woman who looked a wreck, all she could do was breathe out. Hair was plastered to her forehead and the back of her neck, but all she could focus on was that fucking dream.

  Fuck that dream and the frustration it gives me.

  Chapter Two

  Three hours later, her arousal gone and a steaming cup of coffee in hand, Ruby headed into work. Her rental was a small cabin located on the same acreage as the research facility she worked at. With everything frozen and white around her, and the air frigid, the weather conditions weren’t something everyone could get used to. But Ruby had gotten used to it, and preferred a chilly day to a blistering hot one.

  She lowered her head as the wind picked up. She tucked her mouth and nose under the scarf she wore and picked up her pace as she made her way into the research facility.

  Once inside, the scent of moist earth and wildlife filled her senses. Working as a field researcher at Blake Arctic Research Center was her dream job. The desire to learn about her surroundings and the flora and fauna was something she’d dreamed of doing for as far back as she could remember. She couldn’t explain the intense need to get dirty, so to speak, when it came to research and her job, but it was something she accepted, looked forward to.

  And her desire and position within the company had finally brought her to the middle of the Alaskan tundra to research unexplored parts of the world.

  After working five years for Blake Arctic Research Center, Ruby had the recognition and seniority to help with and participate in explorations.

  “Good morning, Ruby,” Clint said, but didn’t look up from his paperwork. He mumbled something to himself, jotted something down on the paper in front of him, and then finally lifted his head to look at her. He pushed his black-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose and smiled.

  There was a microscope pushed off to the side, papers strewn about everywhere, and he looked like he hadn’t been to bed yet. His white lab coat hung off his lean body in wrinkled hunks, and his sandy hair was disheveled.

  Setting her coffee cup on her desk and removing her coat and scarf, Ruby glanced at the papers that had kept him up all night. “Another late night?”

  Clint nodded once and even appeared a bit sheepish. Truth was he did this more times than not. “I wanted to call you as soon as we found it, but it was late.” He pulled the microscope closer. “Henry found a rather interesting specimen.�
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  Alaska was home to many things, big and small, flora and fauna, but Hashaka, Alaska wasn’t a place most humans cared to live, not with the extreme temperatures and barren surroundings. Most animals didn’t live in this part of the country either because of the harsh conditions.

  When she had heard about the remote, exclusive research center, she had instantly accepted, feeling this pull.

  To others the idea of a man spending all night looking at specimens under a microscope might have been off-putting, but not to Ruby. She actually found it very endearing that Clint was so dedicated to something he truly loved. They were similar in that sense.

  “Come here and look at this.”

  Ruby walked closer to him and the microscope he had pointed at her. She bent down and peered into the lens. The lines of blue came into her view immediately.

  “I had to dye the sample because it was hard to pick up. You won’t even be able to guess what the specimen is, or where it was found.” Clint sounded pleased with himself.

  She adjusted the focus and looked at it again. Ruby recognized what it was in the basic sense, but it was also a little different from what she was used to seeing. “It’s hair, but not like I’ve ever seen before.”

  “Look at this one.” He removed the slide she’d been looking at and replaced it with another one. “These samples were taken from a cave in the Hashaka Mountains.”

  This specimen appeared the same as the last. It had the same blue dye on it to make it easier to distinguish. She looked at the different layers and structures. “What did this come from?” It was almost dog or wolf hair … but not.

  The fact that something living was found in the Hashaka Mountains stunned her. The Hashaka region was one of the most desolate and lifeless regions in Alaska.

  “Do you know what it is?” Ruby adjusted the depth of the microscope so she could get an even closer look at the strands. “It’s clearly hair, but from what exactly?” She straightened and looked at Clint, who wore a broad grin.

  “Yeah, it’s hair, but more specifically, hair from some kind of white wolf that’s mutated, or evolved in order to live in this area.”

  An evolved species of wolf?

  “So it’s not even been discovered yet, or on the books?”

  Clint shook his head.

  Ruby looked through the microscope again, amazed at the sight before her. “When and exactly where were these samples collected?” The Hashaka Mountains were littered with caves, some going far too deep for any explorer to descend because it was so dangerous. But knowing exactly where they had been collected was crucial.

  “Henry has been out in the field for the past four weeks. He just got in last night and showed me what he collected right away.” Clint sounded so enthusiastic, but Ruby couldn’t blame him. “These specific samples are from about a week ago. They were collected in the Somset region of the Hashaka caves, just north of Crishapaw.”

  “Clint, this is a massive find.”

  Clint nodded and removed his glasses to rub his eyes. “This is a monumental find.”

  There hadn't been much exploration and collection in the Somset region due to the fact that Hashaka was barren of pretty much any life, and the Somset region’s temperature and dangerous terrain had even the most experienced explorers steering clear. The caves in that part of the mountain were dangerous because of the ice and the even more frigid temperatures deep within the mountain.

  “Have you showed this to anyone else?” Ruby bent down and examined the samples again, the scientist in her unable to help it.

  “Besides Henry showing me, and a few of the other field workers that helped collect samples…” He shook his head. “No one knows.”

  Ruby’s hands were sweating from how excited she was about this find. “This needs to be brought to the board and the other researchers. This is huge.” No one would have ever believed life could prosper in this part of Alaska, least of all a new species.

  “That’s the thing…” At Clint’s hesitation Ruby looked at him. “There are only a few samples that have been collected. If we can get more solid evidence of life in that region—new life that’s never been discovered—it would mean a massive breakthrough, Ruby.”

  Ruby didn’t doubt his words, but she shook her head. “What are you saying?” What he was suggesting was wrong on many levels, not to mention foolish.

  “If you and I can collect more samples ourselves, think of the recognition we would get. You would get that head researcher’s position you always wanted. It would mean huge things for us.”

  She knitted her brows and shook her head once more. “Clint—”

  He held up his hand before she could finish.

  “Henry and the others don’t know what they’ve found, not really. All they think is that some already discovered creature has been living in the caves. We know better, though.”

  “Clint, what you’re suggesting is wrong on every possible level. This isn’t our find. Going behind everyone’s back so you can get more data and samples, to claim the find yourself, is immoral and goes against everything we believe in.”

  “It looks like that, Ruby, but Henry has only been with the company for a year. He hasn’t put in the blood, sweat, and tears like we have. We deserve this more than he does.” Clint sounded more desperate as the moments ticked by.

  “Clint, I would love to do a field expedition, but there is no way I’m going to take credit for someone else’s find. Besides, there are stacks of paperwork that have to be done before we can even get the approval to go out.”

  Clint removed his glasses and set them down. He pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed out. Ruby could see the frustration written all over his face, but she wasn’t sympathetic toward him because of the things he suggested.

  “I’m not suggesting we take credit for Henry or the others’ find, per se.”

  But you are.

  “I’m simply suggesting you and I go back out there and see what we can find. With the samples that were collected and brought back, I know there is a bigger find in those caves.” When she didn’t respond, he continued. “I can get the approval to do the expedition, but I want you on my team.”

  The idea of going into those caves and trying to find what was living within them was very appealing, but she would only consider it on her terms.

  “I’ll only consider going with you if you take the findings to the board and show them that Henry and the others collected them. If they approve the expedition, we need a team, Clint. It would be suicide to go out in the field with only the two of us. You know that.” Ruby could see Clint wasn’t pleased with her suggestions, but there was no chance she would do it any other way. She didn’t care about being head of the research department, not if it meant others wouldn’t get the fair recognition they deserved.

  Several long minutes passed before Clint finally responded. “That’s the only way you’ll go with me?”

  She nodded. “You and I both know that it’s the only right thing to do. I’m surprised you even suggested doing it any other way.” Ruby truly was stunned that Clint had even harbored the idea. If it wasn’t beneficial for the research facility as well as the Hashaka region that they try to find life in those caves, Ruby wouldn’t have even considered going out there with him. It was dangerous and treacherous, and that was when there wasn’t a blizzard blowing through.

  But Clint had been studying that region for years, and knew it well.

  “Fine, we’ll do it your way.”

  The very idea of going to the caves thrilled her, but there was also a part of her that felt this pull, this nagging on the back of her neck. She didn’t know if it was foreboding, or if her anticipation of collecting more samples and solving this was consuming her. Either way, she looked forward to travel to the mountains, even if it could cost her life.

  Chapter Three

  Two weeks later

  Ruby grabbed her pack, triple-checked her supplies and gear, and headed out of the resear
ch lab and toward the Snow Cat. It had been two weeks since Clint had suggested going out in the field and collecting more samples. After they’d brought everything to the board, explained what Henry had found, and made their proposal, they’d gotten the approval.

  Henry, surprisingly, had declined going with them on the expedition, maybe because he’d just come back from one after being out for a month, or maybe he just wasn’t as invested in this as they were. Either way, they were heading out, and Henry would still get the recognition he deserved, whether he was with them or not.

  Despite the fact that Clint had been honest with the board about who had really found the samples, Ruby could tell he was frustrated over it. There was more to life then recognition or a top position, but to some that was all they could see. It was clear Clint was like that, and it was a damn shame.

  Even if they weren’t able to find the actual creature the hair came from, finding more of the samples would be extraordinary.

  The weather was especially horrendous when she opened the door. An arctic blast slammed into her, and she lowered her head and trekked toward the two-person expedition vehicle that would take them all the way to the mountains. They had gotten six other people to accompany them to the caves. Even with eight bodies, a part of Ruby wasn’t sure she liked the idea of going all the way out there, but then there was another part that had wild anticipation running through her veins.

  It made her feel crazy all in the same breath.

  Truth was she would have felt safer having a small army going with them. Even after she had expressed her concern to the board about the danger of venturing out there with so small a team, they just didn’t have the manpower or the budget to allow more. Clint didn’t mind, though. He seemed ecstatic to be going out, no doubt thinking this was his chance to strike fame.