* * *
Bren walked into his apartment and stared at the crow standing in the middle of the hallway. He shut the door, kicked off his shoes, and hung his jacket on the hook. “Hello, Lilianna. You’re looking particularly evil this evening.”
The crow cawed at him before turning and strutting down the hallway toward the kitchen. The sound of her talons tapping on the wood floor sent an involuntary shiver down Bren’s spine. He followed the bird into the kitchen, staring at Elora’s ass as she rummaged through one of the lower cupboards.
Why couldn’t he be attracted to her? She was good looking and smart and he should have been attracted to her. Maybe if he asked her out on a proper date there might be some sparks.
“Why are you staring at my ass?” Elora said.
“Trying to decide if I should ask you out,” Bren replied.
Elora laughed and wiggled her butt at him. “You ingest another one of Helen’s love potions or something?”
“No.” He sat down at the table, the sight of Elora’s wiggling ass not doing a thing for him in the libido department. “What are you looking for?”
“Barley,” she said. “You got any barley?”
“Nope.”
Elora straightened and closed the cupboard. Lilianna was investigating the narrow space between the cupboard and the fridge, and Elora skirted around the large crow before opening the fridge and grabbing a couple of beers. She twisted off the tops and handed a bottle to Bren then sank down into the chair next to him. “You’re home late. Long day at work?”
“No. I had a thing with Tyler.” He drank a swallow of beer, the cold liquid easing the dryness in his throat.
“What’s wrong?” Elora asked.
“Nothing,” he said.
“Bullshit.”
“Nothing’s wrong. Hey, did you ever hear from your sister?”
Elora nodded, relief crossing her pretty features. “Yeah. Sarina texted me this morning. Finally.”
“Where was she?”
Elora drank some beer. “I don’t know. All she said was that where she was, she didn’t have cell service. With my sister that could mean she was torturing some bad guy in a dungeon in Mongolia or sunbathing on a remote beach in Fiji.”
“Your sister leads an interesting life,” Bren said.
“She does.” Elora leaned forward and squeezed his hand. “Tell me why you’re so sad, buddy.”
“Tell me why I am apparently an open book to you and Tyler, but everyone else in my life says I’m incredibly difficult to read,” Bren said.
Elora smiled at him. “You show us the real you, honey. Plus, we love you – that makes it easier for us to see when you’re sad. What happened?”
“Nothing happened,” he said. “I took Tyler and Corey back to Kaida’s tonight to start their self-defence training.”
“And?”
“And nothing. It went well, I’m taking them back on Friday night.”
“And?”
He drank two large swallows of beer, the hops lingering on his tongue. “And I asked Kaida out and she said no, she wasn’t interested.”
Elora stared sympathetically at him. “I’m sorry, buddy.”
“Thanks.” He stared moodily at the beer bottle. “The thing is – I could have sworn she was into me.”
“Maybe she’s interested but a little gun shy about dating a human?”
“She literally said she wasn’t interested. The words ‘I’m not interested’ came directly out of her mouth.”
“Ouch.” Elora leaned back in her chair. “Well, at least she was honest with you. On a scale of one to ten – how awkward is it going to be to see her again on Friday night?”
“It won’t be awkward. I’m a grown-ass man who can handle being rejected by a woman. It’s just…”
“Just what?” Elora petted Lilianna’s smooth back when the crow flew up and landed on her thigh.
“I really thought she was interested in me. Maybe I’m losing my ability to read people,” he said.
“So, you misread her, it happens,” Elora said. “I know you’re a detective and, like, one of your superpowers is reading people, but there’s bound to be people here and there who are mysteries to you. Right?”
“Yeah,” he said.
“Hey, it could be that she thinks you’re a babe and wants to bang you, but her clan has a rule about not dating humans. Most bear shifters don’t date humans,” Elora said.
“I’m getting a weird vibe about the whole bear shifter thing,” Bren said.
“What do you mean?”
“They don’t act like they’re bear shifters. I met Kaida’s friend Sika on Sunday. She’s pregnant and she referred to the baby as a hatchling.”
“Hatchling?” Elora said.
“Yeah. Don’t bears normally call them cubs?”
“They do,” Elora said. “Lizards call their babies hatchlings. Maybe they’re lizard shifters who are pretending to be bear shifters.”
“Maybe, but that seems weird. Plus, all of the women are really large. Kaida’s close to six feet and her grandmother is well over six feet. Sika was at least six feet as well. I’ve never met female lizard shifters that big before.”
“I don’t know what to tell you,” Elora said. “Other than it’s weird as shit.”
“Yeah,” Bren said.
Elora finished her beer and set it on the table. “I really am sorry she turned you down. But you’re a great guy and any day now you’ll find the right woman and start having that baseball team of babies you want. I know it.”
He twitched, his eyebrows going up as he stared at Elora. She laughed and squeezed his hand again. “You’re an open book to me, buddy. Get used to it.”
* * *
“I totally tanked that chemistry quiz,” Tyler said as he rode his bike next to Corey. “My dad’s gonna kill me.”
“Sorry, babe.” Corey smiled at him. “If it’s any consolation, I got an eighty-five on my Spanish test.”
“Seriously?” Tyler leaned back and let go of his bike handles, steering the bike with his knees as he held out his fist to Corey. “That’s awesome, honey.”
“It’s because of you.” Corey bumped his fist before they turned right and headed toward downtown. “If you weren’t tutoring me, I wouldn’t…shit.”
They both skidded to a stop before sliding off their bikes and straddling them.
“Hey, faggots.” Jeff had stepped out from between two parked cars and was standing in the middle of the sidewalk halfway down the block.
Corey glanced at Tyler, the fear already written in his face. “Ty?”
“It’s fine,” Tyler said. “We’re not that far from the school. C’mon, we’ll bike back, and I’ll call Bren to come pick us up. Jeff won’t catch us on foot.”
Corey looked over his shoulder. “Too late.”
Tyler followed his gaze. His stomach clenched and his balls drew up tight. The same three guys who were with Jeff in the forest were standing not five feet behind them. All of them were sporting black eyes or bruises on their jaws and Tyler felt a moment of grim satisfaction that quickly disappeared when they moved closer.
“No bitch friend today. Guess she’s still back in the woods, huh?” Jeff had moved closer as well and as the boys closed in around them in a rough circle, Tyler reached over and grabbed Corey’s hand.
Jeff made a gagging sound. “You guys are fucking gross.”
His heart banging against his ribcage, Tyler searched the street for an adult. It was empty, and his limbs trembled a little harder. Maybe if he screamed loud enough, someone would hear him from inside their house.
He opened his mouth and Jeff said, “If you scream, I’ll smash your faggot face in before anyone gets the chance to hear you.”
“Stay away from him,” Corey said.
Jeff sneered at him. “Aren’t you the brave little faggot fox? You ready to get your brains rattled again?”
“Leave,” Tyler said. “My brother is a cop and if
you touch us again, he’ll arrest you.”
Jeff bellowed laughter. “You think I’m afraid of a cop? My dad is a lawyer, asshole. He can get me out of anything.”
“Maybe, but,” Tyler glanced at Jeff’s friends, “your friends won’t be as lucky. You really want to take that chance, dickheads?”
Jeff’s friends glanced at each other and Jeff snarled out, “Don’t listen to the fucking faggot. Besides, he isn’t gonna say a word to anyone. What do you think will happen if your dad finds out who you’re dating, queer boy?”
Tyler’s stomach dropped to his feet and Corey squeezed his hand.
“That’s right,” Jeff said. “You think I don’t know who your old man is? The world finds out you’re dating a shifter and ‘poof’ there goes his career.”
“I can’t get in trouble with the cops again, man,” one of the boys said. “My old man will beat my ass if I do. He threatened to send me to military school last time.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Jeff snarled. “Nothing is going to happen.” He glanced behind him. “Grab those two faggots. We’re going -”
“I suggest you listen to your friend, you sniveling little shit goblin.”
All of them turned toward the sound of the man’s voice. Relief swept through Tyler. He had no idea who the guy with the tattoos was, but he was as tall as Jeff and his friends and while he might have been leaner than the bulky football players, his body was ripped. He silently thanked God for the Good Samaritan as the man leaned against a parked car with his arms crossed and raised one pierced eyebrow.
“Go on. Take your little gang of wanna-be thugs and head on home.”
“Get lost, old man,” Jeff said.
“Old?” The man straightened and stared at his reflection in the car window. He poked at the faint lines around his eyes before muttering, “Jesus, I gotta start using moisturizer or something.”
“I said get lost before we fuck you up.” Jeff glanced at his friends who all raised their fists.
The tattooed man laughed. “Oh my God, you guys are cute. Look at you with your tiny fists. Humans are so adorable.”
Jeff stiffened and glanced at Corey. “You get a shifter friend to help you out, you little pussy?”
“Actually, I’m a friend of Tyler’s brother. You have a problem with shifters?” The tattooed man said.
“You think you’re tough, because you’re a what? Wolf shifter? Or maybe you’re just a little fox like that faggot.” Jeff jerked his chin in Corey’s direction. “We’re not afraid of you.”
“Me? Oh, I’m just a bird shifter,” the man said.
Tyler’s confidence waned. What could a bird shifter do against four football players?
Jeff laughed and Tyler was reminded of a donkey braying. “A bird shifter? What a loser.”
“C’mon now, don’t be a big old meanie,” the man said. “We gotta have something in common, right? You guys like Celine Dion?”
“Who?” The biggest of Jeff’s friends said.
“Are you serious?” The man looked personally attacked. “Celine Dion. French Canadian songbird with the pipes of an angel and seven Grammys?”
The boys stared at him blankly and he heaved a sigh of exasperation. “Come on. Celine Dion! She won an Oscar, you guys. My Heart Will Go On? It was the number one song from Titanic.”
“That movie with that old guy? Leo something? My mom has, like, the biggest crush on that guy. It’s gross.” Jeff’s friend said.
“Old… are you kidding me right now?” The man made another harsh sigh of exasperation. “Okay, look, I don’t know what the hell kind of music you youth are listening to today, but I have a Celine Dion CD in the car. Follow me and I’ll play you some of her hits and you can hear for yourself how amazing she is.”
“CD?” Another of Jeff’s friends said. “Dude, seriously, how old are you?”
He was nudged by the biggest boy. “Old enough to break a hip banging your mom.”
“Shut up, Dillon!”
“Your mom wasn’t complaining about my hips last night, Dillon,” the tattooed man said.
The two other boys burst into laughter. “Sick, man. Real sick. Your mom’s banging a bird shifter.”
“Shut up!” Dillon’s face was turning red. “My mom isn’t banging a bird shifter and if you say another word about her, I’ll kick your ass.”
“Whatever, man. Your mom’s a whore and we all know it.”
“You fucking asshole!” Dillon snapped before shoving the other boy.
“Shut the fuck up,” Jeff shouted. “All of you!”
Dillon glared at him. “He’s talking about my mom.”
“Who the fuck cares? She is a whore,” Jeff snarled. He turned toward the tattooed man and a shiver went down Tyler’s back at the pure rage radiating from Jeff’s gaze. “Last chance. Leave now or I’ll have my boys fuck you up.”
“Will you though?” The man cocked his head at Jeff, studying his black eye and split lip. “Because from what I heard, you and your boys got your asses handed to you by a girl.”
Jeff’s mouth dropped open and a flush of red covered his cheeks. “Dillon, kick that fucking bird’s ass.”
Dillon rushed forward and Tyler watched in stunned silence as the tattooed man, moving ridiculously quick, grabbed Dillon’s left arm and spun him around. He pushed him up against the car and yanked his arm up until Dillon screamed.
“Uh-uh,” the man said when the two other boys moved toward him. He moved Dillon’s arm again and a fresh scream pealed from Dillon’s throat. “I’ll break his arm.”
The other boys hesitated, and the man leveled his gaze at Jeff. “I don’t want to break Dillon’s arm, but I will.”
“What kind of cop are you?” Jeff said.
Dillon drew in a ragged breath. “Mister, my arm, please. It hurts.”
The man ignored him, keeping his gaze on Jeff. “Oh, I’m not a cop. You know why? Because I am not a good guy. In fact, I’m the type of guy who’ll break a kid’s arm. I hate bullies. You get it? So, if you and your homophobic bully friends keep bothering my boys here, things are gonna get ugly.”
His gaze turned dark, the humour completely gone from his face as he stared at Jeff. “You’re gonna play nice from now on. Stay away from Corey and Tyler. I’ll be watching and if you go anywhere near them…”
He tugged on Dillon’s arm and the boy squealed in pain. He released him and Dillon staggered away, rubbing his arm and hitching in his breath.
“Let’s go, Jeff,” one of the other boys said nervously.
“We can take him,” Jeff said.
“No, we can’t. Have you lost your fucking mind? Let’s go. The faggots aren’t worth it,” the boy replied.
The three boys walked away, and Jeff made a low snarl.
“Go on, Jeff,” the man said, “don’t make stupid life choices.”
Jeff glared at him before shoving past Tyler, nearly knocking him off his bike. Corey steadied him and they watched as Jeff stalked past their Good Samaritan.
“Oh, one more thing,” the man said.
Jeff stopped, his back stiff and his hands clenched in fists before looking over his shoulder at the man.
“Say anything to anyone about Corey and Tyler dating, and I’ll cut out your tongue.”
The man’s voice was pleasant, but Jeff’s face paled, his black eye a dark and painful looking beacon against the white.
“Have a good weekend, sweetheart,” the man said.
Jeff jogged after his friends. When they had turned the corner at the end of the block and disappeared, the man stuck his hand out.
“Hey, I’m Ronin.”
“Tyler,” Tyler said as he shook his hand. “This is Corey.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Who are you?” Corey said.
“Are you seriously a friend of my brother’s?” Tyler said. “Because if so, my brother is, like, a million times cooler than I thought. What you did to Jeff and his friends was ballin’.”
“How do you know my brother?” Tyler said.
Ronin hesitated. “Uh, through friends.”
“What friends?”
“You should talk to your brother about that.” Ronin clapped him on the back. “You guys head on home now.”
“Yeah, okay. Thanks, man.”
Chapter Eight
“Sika, what are you doing?” Kaida watched as her best friend crossed her cabin in lunging squats.
“Trying to bring on labour.” Sika puffed her way across the room again.
“You’re not due for another two weeks.”
“I know, but I’m over this pregnancy thing.”
Kaida laughed and caught Sika by the arm as she made another pass. “C’mon, sit down. If that hatchling drops out of you right here, I’m gonna freak out.”
Sika settled onto the couch with a loud groan. “God, my back hurts. My hips hurt, my legs hurt. Hell, my ass cheeks hurt the other day. Why, Kaida? Why does my butt hurt?”
Kaida sat down next to her. “I have no idea.”
Sika rubbed her belly. “Jarvis is so anxious to hold the hatchling. I am too.”
“The whole clan is,” Kaida said. “The hatchling will never learn to walk.”
Sika grinned at her. “It will be spoiled rotten.”
“That’s for damn sure,” Kaida said. She glanced at her watch and Sika poked her in the ribs.
“What time does the human get here?”
“Soon,” Kaida said. “Why?”
“Just wondering. He’s so handsome, isn’t he?”
“I’m not attracted to him, Sika.”
“No? So, you always wear makeup when you’re teaching yearlings how to fight?”
Kaida blushed. “Shut up.”
Sika giggled. “It’s adorable that you have a crush on a human. Are you going to sleep with him?”
“God, no,” Kaida said. “I’d probably hurt him. Besides, you know I like to be in control and he’s a cop. Cops have control issues. They want to be in charge all the time.”
The Dragon's Mate (Book Seven) Page 9