by Ellie J Duck
When Brody’s nose starts to twitch, I bring him the bottle of honey, squeezing his huge shoulder gently to get his attention as I hand it to him.
“Thanks,” he says, grinning in a cute, goofy kind of way. I don’t sit with them at the table until almost all the food is gone, partially out of fear for life and limb should I try to take the food from the clearly famished team, but also because I can’t get over how they are all so out of it that they are still naked.
“You fed them?” Greg asks when he comes down to the kitchen a few minutes after I’ve eaten my breakfast.
“Yeah… why?” I ask, seeing him eyeing the team with some concern.
“And you’ve still got all your limbs?” he asks. “No scratches or bites on you?”
“Don’t be silly, Greg,” Tara purrs from the table. “She placated us all with coffee and compliments before she fed us.”
“You fought them for the coffee pot?” he asks, looking astonished.
“I’ve fought my dad for the coffee pot when he’s like this,” I reply, pausing in detangling some more twigs from Mitch’s hair while he purrs so loud that I can barely hear Greg. “Four dopey Shifters are nothing compared to a caffeine-starved Magnus Cane.”
“He did tend to get a little violent if we ever got between him and his coffee,” Greg says thoughtfully, smiling now as he sits down. “I see you’ve been babying them all too.”
“Imagine how upset he’ll be later when he tries to wash this mess with all this debris in it?” I say, indicating to the pile of twigs, leaves and grass I’ve already pulled from Mitch’s hair.
“I don’t need to imagine it. I’ve seen the tantrum he throws and the way he goes out and tries to clear his cage of all possible causes of such damage to his precious tresses,” Greg answers dryly, eyeing Mitch who has surrendered his hair to my hands.
“I call them Mantrums,” Mitch tells me, “because I throw them in a very manly way.”
Brody snorts at that notion and Tara begins to giggle. I chuckle too and look up from my work to find Tobias watching me in a way that makes the hair at the back of my neck stand on end.
“Go on and wash your mane then before it gets anything else in it,” I tell Mitch as I slowly remove my hands from his hair once all the debris is removed, shoving on his bare shoulders to get him moving, “And for the love of God put some clothes on when you’re done!”
“Why don’t you admit you like the view?” Mitch teases me, clearly waking up now that he’s been fed and had some coffee.
“It’s not nice to lie to people,” I shrug at him with a grin and he sticks his tongue out at me before he strolls away toward his room.
“Any chance you’re offering that service to the rest of us?” Tara asks, batting in frustration at the mess in her own long hair.
“How did any of you ever survive without me?” I ask, going around the table and finding an excuse to touch Tobias again by pulling a leaf out of his dark hair, noticing the way his whole body jolts at the touch.
“With a lot of tantrums and so many broken coffee pots that it ought to be criminal,” Summers informs me seriously while I set about untangling the sticks from Tara’s hair.
“Well thanks for the warning on those,” I laugh sarcastically, my eyes jumping to a very naked Tobias as he gets to his feet, revealing more of that delicious body to my gaze as he saunters out the room, no doubt heading for his own shower. I grow distracted by the sight of his bunching and stretching muscles as I watch him move and Tara head-butts my hand insistently, drawing my attention back to her.
“You’re drooling in my hair,” she tells me, although her eyes are still closed.
“I am not!” I protest, earning a smirk from Brody when I blush crimson even though my eyes leap back to the sight of Tobias’s ass disappearing behind his bedroom door.
“Sure, you’re not,” Brody chuckles when he gets to his feet too, pausing on his way past me to brush his cheek against mine. “Thanks for helping us back to humanity, darlin’.”
I can’t help the glow of acceptance that overtakes me at his words and his gesture and I laugh when, despite her nakedness, Tara hugs me before she too heads for her shower.
“I think you’ve just won them all over for life” Summers tells me, “even Tobias.”
“I doubt it,” I reply, as I set about cleaning up the kitchen even though my body protests every movement now that a naked Tobias isn’t here to distract my attentions. “What’s on the agenda for today, boss?”
“Today we rest,” he tells me. “You saw how they were all distant and not quite all there. The full moon awakens the beast within and sometimes it’s harder for the human inside to wake back up and take control once more. Most of the day will be spent on auto pilot for the team. Save your workout for this afternoon when they’re a little closer to normal. Demanding too much of them now will make it harder for their humanity to win, and that’s how Shifters go rogue.”
I nod my head as I pile the empty dishes in the dishwasher and start it.
“So basically, you’re giving me the day off?” I ask heading for the couch and swiping up the remote to the TV.
“I saw that tumble you took at the bottom of the stairs,” he tells me, nodding.
“What? I thought you were still in the shower then?” I ask, frowning now.
“I wanted to make sure you’d be okay with the team when the animal within was still so close to the surface, without intruding or interfering. You did well, snatching that cup from Tobias without getting your hand bitten off,” Greg tells me, making me wonder what else he saw.
“They really are giving me a complex,” I tell him seriously while I search through the cabinet under the TV for a movie to watch.
“Does your body do everything you ask of it?” he asks me.
“Yes.”
“Do you feel comfortable in your own skin?” he pushes.
“Yes,” I admit. I like knowing that I can do whatever I ask of my body. That I’m tall enough to reach the high shelves; that I am strong.
“Then don’t worry about it. You’re an attractive young woman. The training you’re doing will make you more like them than most humans could ever dream of being. They, on the other hand, are in constant peak physical condition because their bodies shift between human and animal and that change does away with any unnecessary flab, lines or anything else. Don’t think too hard on it…. And try not to drool again,” he smirks.
“It was one time!” I protest, laughing now to know he must’ve seen me dribble my coffee when Tobias walked into the kitchen naked.
“It was hilarious” Greg corrects me. “Pick something without any violence or explosions. They need calm and human and safe today.”
With that said he wanders off through the base and into the coms room up on the second floor, no doubt to listen for any report of Shifters going rogue during the full moon. Keeping what he said in mind I settle on a Disney film, unable to resist the urge to relive my childhood by re-watching an old favorite and it’s not long before the sound draws the team to me.
I smile to myself when Mitch pads barefoot into the living room, his hair washed clean once more and shiny in the morning sun coming through the window. He looks mildly uncomfortable in his t-shirt and basketball shorts, but he doesn’t hesitate as he leaps over the back of the couch and settles himself beside me. I chuckle when he stretches out on his side, laying his cheek on my thigh and taking up most of the couch.
“Feeling better?” I ask him, automatically running my fingers through his hair before realizing he’s created a monster out of me.
“Mhmm,” he hums, his attention riveted on the TV where animated furniture and knickknacks sing and dance.
I’m a little surprised when the next person to join us on the couch is Tobias, especially when in the past he’s kept his distance from me. I begin to wonder if maybe Greg was right that I’ve won them all over to some extent when he comes to the edge of the couch where I’m sitting and
then gets up on the chair, standing next to me on the cushion. I look up at him questioningly but he’s not paying attention to me. I can’t suppress my chuckle when he turns in a circle three times before he settles down right beside me on the couch. There is just something about watching the big tough werewolf do such a thing that I can’t help but laugh.
“Shut up,” he mutters as he shuffles around trying to get comfortable.
He sits so close that his thigh presses against mine and the overwhelming scent of cedar soap, spearmint and that musky scent that is all Tobias engulfs me. It takes a lot of restraint and Mitch’s complaint in my lap to keep me from leaning over and burying my face in Hilton’s chest. Brody joins us a while later, settling himself down right in front of me, on the floor at my feet.
“What are you doing?” I ask when he picks up my feet and drapes my knees over his shoulders.
“Just go with it,” he tells me as though he isn’t sure either but simply must have my legs over his shoulders. Mitch protests the movement of his pillow since he was almost asleep with his head in my lap but Brody grunts at him and Mitch quits whining.
Tara is the last to join us, waiting until the movie is almost over before she pads into the living room. She perches on the back of the couch until the first movie finishes before she picks the next one, making the boys groan when she picks a romantic comedy. When it starts to play, she moves back over before staring at us all for a minute with those assessing cat eyes of hers and I can just tell she’s trying to work out how she can get in on our puppy pile in a way that will be comfortable for her.
Eventually Brody grows frustrated with her standing in the way of the TV and yanks on her ankles, toppling her into his lap. He ignores the hiss of warning she gives as he settles her onto his lap, tucking her head beneath his chin and humming in contentment. I watch in silence, kind of enjoying the feeling of inclusion and belonging that comes from sitting with them this way, touching and simply being.
We stay that way a long time, Tara changing the movie every time it ends until three movies later, I realize they are all asleep. Mitch is snoring softly in my lap and Brody’s head lolls against my knee. I freeze when I feel Tobias drop off to sleep beside me, his body leaning toward mine until his head is on my shoulder. Despite myself, I feel a smile tug at the corners of my mouth as I slowly lay my cheek against the top of his head and close my eyes.
It’s odd, but being there with the four of them, snuggled up together and watching feel-good movies…. I’ve never felt more at home.
Chapter Eight
Wake up!” the familiar, arousing voice of Tobias Hilton barks at me through the dark two seconds before my bedroom light is flicked on.
“What now?” I groan, blinking at him in annoyance. The wolf looks grumpy, that’s for certain. The past two weeks that I’ve been living and working with the team have been unusually quiet on the attack front and we’ve all been going a little stir-crazy locked up in the base with nothing but movies, books and way too much training to keep us occupied.
Things with Hilton have improved minutely and while he still doesn’t much like me and often points out all the reasons I shouldn’t be on the team, some of the animosity between us has faded. That’s not to say I didn’t get in a fight with him earlier when he snatched a bag of chips out of my hands and ate them all without letting me have any more, telling me I didn’t need them because I was already too slow, and they would make me slower because they weren’t a healthy snack choice.
I’d socked him in the stomach hard enough that he’d started gagging on my chips and then karate chopped his back while he was bent double. It had turned into an all-out fight in the gym that had only ended when I’d managed to latch onto him and drag him into the pool right along with me when he tried to shove me in. Our bickering hasn’t helped matters with us all going out of our minds and the sight of him at whatever ungodly hour this is makes me want to scratch his mesmerizing eyes out.
“Hunt’s on,” he says in the voice that does strange things to my body. It’s entirely unfair how sexy his voice sounds when he first wakes up.
I leap out of bed and dress as fast as I can, grabbing my easily accessed weapons and bounding out to the car with way too much energy despite how I’m still three parts asleep. I must move fast knowing that if I don’t, I’ll wind up tossed all over the car again if I can’t get my safety belt on before Tobias starts driving like a crazy person.
Over the past few weeks it’s become blatantly obvious to the entire team that I’m attracted to the jerk and Tara has been having a field day tormenting me about it, although all in good fun. Tobias himself is pretending that I don’t have a thing for him as of yet but knowing that he knows how my body reacts to him unless he makes me cranky makes for a very embarrassed and annoyed Anna Cane most days.
I leap into the car just moments before Brody comes lumbering out looking like a crazed zombie, but despite my haste I’m still not quick enough to satisfy the pushy werewolf. Which is why I start cursing the minute I feel his hand on my ass shoving me toward Greg and slamming his door closed.
“If you push me one more time Hilton,” I threaten darkly, showing my lack of caffeine with bared teeth to match the set he flashes at me for my tone, “I’m going to sneak into your room one night when you’re asleep. Then I’m going to tie you up and slice off little bits of you until you beg me to stop.”
He responds by performing a donut with the car right there in the lot, sending me sprawling across Greg’s lap. Greg and I both glare at him as we fishtail out of the lot and away down the winding forest road toward the city.
“I love it when Anna gets snarly,” Mitch comments from the backseat, chuckling at my bad mood and the constant tension between me and Hilton.
My heightened reflexes and speed help me a little more this time and I get my belt on in half the time that I needed during that first hunt. I make sure to elbow Hilton hard in the ribs, hurting my elbow in the process but satisfied by his grunt of pain.
“Knock it off, you lot!” Greg growls from beside me and we all turn to look at him in surprise. He’s been on the phone since we climbed into the car and by the sounds of his conversation things are bad this time.
“How many confirmed dead?” he asks, ignoring our looks of shock. Not a good sign.
“So far, we’ve found seventeen,” a voice on the other end of the line answers. “But more keep rolling in. I don’t know what’s going on in this city Agent Summers, but it’s getting worse by the second.”
“We’ll be there as soon as we can,” Greg says before disconnecting and dialing a number that I see is listed in his phone as the clean-up crew. When he’s done speaking to them, he turns toward us in the car.
“Anna, when we get to this crime scene, I want you in sight of at least one member of this team at all times, is that clear?” he asks me, his voice hard and commanding; nothing at all like the voice I’ve come to know from the man who is more father to the rest of the team than anything else. The tension within the car spikes at the direct order and at the seriousness of the situation.
“Why?” I ask, rather than simply agreeing with that kind of command.
“Because this isn’t just the work of a few rogue vampires. This is the work of an entire coven. Thus far seventeen are confirmed dead and the boys in blue keep locating more. All of them are no more than a few hours old, some of them so fresh they’re still warm when folks are calling it in. I don’t doubt this is going to result in a trap to use the tag they’ve got on you and lure you into danger. Possibly simply to your death, but knowing leeches, I suspect it will be far more colorful than that,” Greg tells me and there is a glint in his eyes that I’ve never seen there before. One that is cold and calculating and deadly serious.
I wonder in that moment just what kind of supernatural being Greg Summers is. He must be something more than a mere human, otherwise Hilton and the whole supernatural community would have as much of an issue with him being on t
his kill squad as they do with me being on it.
“The rest of you are going to fan out. They’re going to be loitering around. Watching. Waiting. And they will take any chance they have, to reap as much carnage as possible, and to effectively distract all of us from protecting Anna and the other humans in the vicinity,” Greg tells them. “I don’t care if they’re innocent or guilty tonight, if you lay eyes on a vampire, you kill it. Clear?”
“Clear,” the team agrees in unison and I wonder idly how they’ll go about explaining that later should we come across them when there are still people hanging around. I assume that the amount of bodies cropping up across the city will have driven sensible folk into their homes but there are always too many onlookers, nosy busy-bodies and bystanders who can’t curb their morbid curiosity even for their own safety.
Instead of mentioning it, I go about loading as many wooden bullets as I can into all the weapons I’m carrying, switching out the silver bullets I usually keep in one handgun. Hilton hisses in pain when I accidentally lose hold of them on a bad corner, sending them skittering across his lap. Ordinarily that wouldn’t matter because usually he and the rest of the team wear cargo pants like I do. Only for some weird reason he is today wearing loose fitting cotton shorts that have ridden up a bit. The fabric would usually protect his skin from contact with the silver and so it usually wouldn’t matter. However, silver bullets on bare werewolf flesh is about as fun as pouring acid on one’s genitals, I’m told.
“Sorry,” I apologize hastily, reaching for them in the hopes of preventing more singed flesh without thinking about the location I’m reaching for until it’s much too late. Hilton lets out a low growl at the feel of my hands burrowing around in his lap trying to reclaim the bullets.