Rapier (Apache County Shifters Book 3)

by Tl Reeve

  Jenna tilted her head. Her amber eyes peered back at him, filled with curiosity. “In what?”

  Osirus put the truck into park and turned to her. “We need a place to live. If Utah gets a service companion, it wouldn’t be fair to either of them if they’re constantly climbing over people. I know you’re not happy having to share a space with all of us either.”

  “Nothing like going around your asshole to get to your elbow,” Jenna muttered. “Spit it out.”

  “There is a new build. A new set of houses we’re building. There are three finished right now. Two already have owners. One is available. Stay with Utah and me. Move in with us.”

  Jenna stared at him. She blinked. “Are you serious?” She held up her hand. “Of course, you are.” She blew out a breath. “I am not a domestic cat. I don’t do the whole home thing. I can’t be what you want me to be. I can’t be who you need me to be.”

  Osirus knew better.

  “All I am asking is if you would like to have some space to call your own. I’m not asking you as a mate. I’m asking you as a friend.”

  “Oh.” A hint of dejection hit him square in the chest before she tucked it away and nodded. “Then if that’s the case, I’ll take you up on your idea.”

  “Perfect,” Osirus said. “We can move in today.”

  Utah tapped him on the shoulder. Can I go see Ms. Danielle?

  “Why?” Osirus signed.

  His son smiled. Babies.

  He nodded. Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.

  Utah beamed at his father as he hurried down the road. Somewhere along the line, he had a feeling Utah would meet up with Nico and Bodhi before all three found their way to Danielle’s house. Since the meeting, his son had a new-found confidence. It settled a piece of Osirus. Gave him hope that his son might actually find his place in the world.

  “Where’s he off to?” Jenna asked.

  “Danielle’s.” He wiggled his brows. “Gives us more alone time.”

  Jenna laughed and shook her head as she headed for the door. “You wish, you damned old tom cat.”

  Boy, did he ever.

  Chapter Four

  He had partially lied to Jasmine in the shower when he told her he was heading into work. Dryer construction, for the most part, ran like a well-oiled machine. All their projects were going well and most importantly they were all ahead of schedule. He’d called Saber, letting his brother know he had shit to do that morning and would be onsite when he was done. Little did Rapier know it’d take almost two hours to track down Kalkin Raferty.

  Rapier knew before the Sheriff’s Department had been destroyed, the man spent most of his days in and out of his office, making moves and causing chaos around the county. Now it seemed the man was never still. One of his deputy’s informed him a half an hour ago that Kalkin hated being at the county courthouse, the temporary residence of his department until the new building could be constructed. The surly Alpha did everything in his power to avoid being there for long periods of time. Often, he could be found working out of his sheriff’s vehicle.

  A mobile Kalkin was even harder to find than a stationary one. He’d almost given the fuck up. Then he spotted the big bastard walking out of YoJo, the town’s popular coffee house, sporting the biggest cup of coffee they had. Rapier watched Kalkin take a sip of, and a look of pleasure flashed across the often-stern features of the other man.

  “Kal,” he hollered, needing to get his attention before he disappeared again.

  Rapier knew the wolf shifter heard him when his icy blue gaze located him across the street. Kalkin didn’t acknowledge him. It wasn’t his way. Instead, he stood there, appearing bored as hell as he drank his coffee.

  “Got a second?” he asked once he stood in front of the Alpha of the pack and now his Pride.

  “Heard you had a fun morning,” Kalkin said with a smirk on his lips before taking a long sip of the heady brew of coffee from his cup.

  “Yeah,” he sighed, rubbing his hand across the back of his nape. “Jasmine and I didn’t do much talking last night.”

  Kalkin snorted. “I should hope not. Ten years without your mate, I hope all you two were doing was fucking.”

  “We were,” he admitted with no shame. “I know I need to have a conversation with my mate and explain what I did with the Pride.”

  “Look, don’t even worry about it. I told those two not to go to your house this morning. Told them you guys needed time to re-establish your bonds. Did they listen to me? Nope, of course they didn’t, because my mate got a bur up her ass about welcoming your mate to our pack. What the fuck do I know, right?” Rapier knew it was a rhetorical question and therefore didn’t bother to answer. “In my book, both of them got exactly what they deserved. Keeley’s been getting a bit too big for her britches lately. Jasmine saved me the effort of knocking my mate down a couple of pegs. I’m actually grateful to your mate.”

  Alrighty then, Rapier wasn’t touching that comment with a ten-foot pole. “Okay.”

  “What do you want to talk to me about?” Kalkin asked after he drained his cup and tossed it in the trash receptacle by the street.

  “Your offer of being Co-Alpha. I’m figuring the offer is off the table now with Quincy behind bars.”

  “You’d assumed wrong. Walk with me,” Kalkin said abruptly.

  They’d walked about a half the block before either of them spoke. “Kind of got the feeling you weren’t interested in my offer. Was I wrong?”

  Rapier stopped walking, his gaze moving up and down the street before it rested on the other man. Feeling unsure of himself was something he rarely experienced. He felt it now, and it was driving him and his lion fucking nuts. “You were wrong.” Sure, he didn’t ever want to be Alpha, but he’d grown to the position. “I’m goin’ to be honest with you, Kal; unlike you, being Alpha was never a position I coveted.” Rapier had been in town long enough to know that Kalkin wasn’t handed the Alpha position on a silver platter. No, the other man had fought all contenders in a grueling battle. When the dust had cleared, Kalkin Raferty had been the last man standing. “I was Alpha because the other assholes didn’t want to deal with the headache of the position. If you haven’t noticed by now, I don’t deal well with bullshit. Being Alpha means you’re deep in it. All the fucking time.”

  This cagey motherfucker gave nothing away, and it drove Rapier bonkers. If this was going to work, Kalkin was going to have to give a little and let him in.

  “You aren’t lying there. We both know it takes a certain type of man to be a good Alpha, Rapier. You have that in you. It’s why I asked you.”

  “I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes here, Kalkin. I’m the new guy, and you have enough family to take the position. Hell, Caden could do it.” He fought to keep the sneer off his face at the mention of the pack’s Beta and Kalkin’s twin. Wounds were still healing between them. One day, Rapier hoped he’d be able to think about the other man without the urge to beat the ever-loving shit out of Caden for the treatment of his mate, Danielle.

  Kalkin snorted and responded with. “No, Caden couldn’t.”

  Another vague response. Rapier figured this was the only explanation Kalkin was going to give him when he said nothing else about his brother. It pissed Rapier off that the wolf shifter wasn’t willing to expand on the reasoning behind not having his Beta step up, helping his twin govern the pack instead of Rapier, especially when Kalkin was asking him to be Co-Alpha. Course, Kalkin was a lot like him. He’d bet the other man wouldn’t give shit away until Rapier took the position of trust. It was just how Kalkin was. Fuck, truth be told, Rapier was no damn different.

  “You think I haven’t been paying attention to you this last year? Watching how you deal with your brothers or the lost felines who stumbled into my county looking for sanctuary?” Rapier shrugged. He was just doing the humane thing. No need to make a big deal of it. “Fuck, Rapier, you willingly turned your Pride over to me to protect them, from a common adversary,
based solely on Mac’s statement of being able to trust me, a brother he hadn’t seen in ten years. You think I wasn’t aware of all this when I asked you to take the position?”

  “I did what was right,” Rapier assured him. “Mac might not be our blood, but he is our brother and we were all tired of running. It was time for us to find a new home and set up roots.”

  Kalkin sighed. “Jesus. I thought the Rafertys were a fucked-up bunch. I was wrong, seems the Dryers are even more fucked up. If that’s even possible. You gotta stop beating yourself up for the decision you made ten years ago to protect your mate and cubs. It was the right one. We’ve both seen the lengths Raymond Quincy has gone to get what he wants. Your mate and cubs would have been a speed bump for him.”

  “That adversary is gone now.”

  Kalkin narrowed his eyes, and his voice was filled with an edge of steely determination when he spoke. “This one is, but what about the next one? Or the one after that? Window Rock is the only home I’ve ever known. It is my mate and pups’ home. Have no doubt, Rapier, I’ll do whatever the fuck I feel necessary to protect Apache County, my pack, my family, for this generation and the ones to follow after I’ve seen my last full moon. I’m not going to beg you to take this position, Rapier. You either want it or you don’t. Choice is yours.” Kalkin glanced at the large watch on his left wrist. “If we’re done with this conversation, I’ve got a town and pack to protect.”

  With a word of goodbye, the massive wolf shifter turned on his heels and began to walk with sure, confident strides back down the way they’d just come from. Deep down, Rapier knew Kalkin had done something out of character by offering him the position of Co-Alpha. For a man like Kalkin, who thrived on control of all things, Rapier knew it was a big fuckin’ deal. Not wanting to throw the trust and mutual respect away by not accepting the offer or letting the other man down, especially since the Raferty Pack had taken his Pride in with open arms, thanks entirely to Mackenzie, he realized what he had to do.

  “Kal,” he called out, stopping Kalkin. It gave Rapier a chance to catch up to him. “Felines only have one Alpha. Our word is law. Wolfs and coyotes have Betas or pack leaders who roll up to a Prime Alpha.”

  Kalkin cocked a brow. “And your point?”

  Fuck, nothing was ever easy with this asshole. He made everyone work for it. “My point is, I’m going to take the position of Co-Alpha. It’ll officially unite the pack and Pride, giving the Raferty Pack my strength and the strength of my Pride.”

  Kalkin nodded. “Good.”

  “I wasn’t done. I have a stipulation.” Rapier was not surprised by the low rumbling growl of impatience coming from Kalkin. “You’re going to take the position of Prime Alpha. It’s the only way I’ll accept the position.”

  “I already am, asshole,” Kalkin said before laying his hand on his shoulder. “You’re the one dragging your fucking feet or maybe it’s your dick and all the sex has left you brain dead.”

  Rapier smirked. Ahh, there was the prick everyone knew and somehow managed to love. “Will there be an opposition to your announcement?”

  “Don’t give a fuck if there is. They’ll either come around to it or they’ll leave. It’s their choice,” Kalkin stated. “We’ll make a formal announcement to the pack and Pride before the end of the week. Once it’s done, I’ll get you up to speed on everything.”

  Rapier nodded. “Everything or just the shit you feel is imperative that I know?” he inquired. “I can’t... No, fuck it, I won’t work that way, nor will I be able to help you, Kal, if I’m not fully aware of what the hell you’ve got your hands in.”

  “What I know, you’ll know,” Kalkin assured him while looking him in the eye.

  Rapier waited for any flicker of doubt in the wolf’s face. There was none. Kalkin continued holding his gaze. Rapier subtlety sniffed the air, looking for the familiar acidic scent of a lie. Surprise. Surprise. There was none. Rapier knew the other man was an expert liar. He’d have to be as Sheriff and Alpha. Rapier was almost sure Kalkin could convince people black was white if he had the mind to.

  “You done, asshole?” Kalkin snapped.

  Rapier shrugged. “You don’t have the best reputation with being forthright with your brothers, who also happen to be your deputies.”

  “Fuck you.”

  Rapier snorted. “Yeah, no. Once you go lion, you never go back. And I wouldn’t want to crush your mate’s heart when you’re panting after me like a dog.”

  “Don’t make me beat the shit out of you. I’d make sure it’d impede your sex life for a long ass time.” For a second there, Rapier thought maybe the other man was going to grin. The corner of Kalkin’s lips had twitched in amusement. Then the asshole had to go and ruin it. “Your feline ass couldn’t handle my knot.”

  “Jesus. This conversation took a left-hand turn way too quickly for me,” Rapier admitted.

  The radio attached to Kalkin’s shoulder filled with static, then a female voice came on, calling out some numbers and a bunch of other shit Rapier had no clue what it meant. “Duty calls. I’ll call tonight to set up a formal introduction between Keeley and Jasmine. It’ll be dinner, and it’ll be at my house. Your entire Pride and my pack. They’ll take their cues from us. I’d suggest the next time you see your mate you tell her what’s going on before your dick gets the best of you.”

  Residents of the pack and town milled around him. The males bobbed their chins in acknowledgment, while the females offered a verbal greeting. Rapier responded in kind.

  Kalkin was right. Not that he’d tell the other man. Rapier needed to find Jasmine and have a conversation with her. Then about a minute after they were done, he’d be back balls deep in her pussy. If they kept up this pace, he was going to wear his dick out. Not that this was entirely a bad thing, considering his mate was more fun than his own hand.

  * * * *

  “So how did lunch go with that teacher?” Jasmine said, driving down the main road to the Raferty residence. “Do you think it’ll work?”

  “Osirus said for the first time in more than a year, Utah is smiling. I can’t imagine the boy we left all those years ago not happy. He’s such a good kid.” Jenna sighed. “He grown into a handsome teen. He’s going to have more attention on him than not. With Mark and Sam’s help, I think he’ll be anything he wants to be.”

  She turned off Main Street to the dirt road on the left. “Well, then that’s all that matters. How are you and Osirus doing?”

  Jenna snorted. “There’s nothing for us. He’s got it in his head we’re mates.”

  “But, you’re moving in with him?”

  “Yeah. It’s complicated. I need the space. We all do. Utah, if he has a companion, he’s going to have new responsibilities. Plus, a dog being in a house full of shifters... It’ll be chaotic at best.”

  “And you’re going, because...”

  Jenna shrugged. “He asked.”

  She laughed. “You have it so fucking bad.”

  “Whatever.” Jenna pointed toward the house. “Look, we’re almost there.”

  After parking the car, Jasmine got out and stared up at the house in front of her. A large wooden fence enclosed the backyard while the front yard overlooked the small creek with a footbridge connecting the neighboring property. It was quiet there, nestled into a secluded spot. It reminded her of the little abandoned home she and Jenna claimed as their own out in the middle of the woods. It made sense for the Alpha to choose a place like this—a stronghold of sorts. If anything should happen, Kalkin could protect his pack and his family there.

  Closing the door of the truck, she waited for Jenna to join her then started for the stairs. A nervous energy built in her stomach. They had rules, ones she’d instilled in her daughters so when they were finally reunited with their family, the girls would understand why she ran a tight ship. As it stood, there were five brothers along with Mackenzie, Tate, and Henry. All those boys under one roof lead to some pretty awkward conversations about bringing women home
and respecting boundaries.

  In the beginning, she worked herself to the bone, every day, trying to right a rambunctious ship. No one did the laundry but her. No one cooked but her. No one cleaned but her. When Rapier found her passed out in bed a few short weeks before they conceived the twins, he’d been so enraged, he’d kicked all of his brothers out of their home. To this day she remembered his words. If you can’t pull your weight around here, you don’t deserve to live in my home.

  From that day on, there’d been rules that she enforced, including no visitors before breakfast was finished, no overnight stays for women, and everyone had to pitch in with household chores. To break those rules not even twelve hours after she and Jenna returned irritated the hell out of her.

  “Well, I lost that bet,” Jenna mumbled, joining her.

  Jasmine cocked a brow. “Oh?”

  The corner of her cousin’s mouth kicked up in a smirk. “I bet Saber twenty bucks the Rafertys lived in a cave.”

  “And, let me guess, he took the bet knowing full well they didn’t?” Jasmine laughed.

  “Asshole,” Jenna muttered.

  “Never bet a coyote. They’re way too smart for their own good.” She linked arms with her cousin. “Come on. Let’s go make nice with the Alpha female of the pack.”

  “Yeah, about that, I think we should give them a chance. You didn’t see the way Utah lit up when he met Mark and Sam. I did,” she said. “Danielle and Keeley hired him specifically for helping everyone learn ASL and also helping Utah with his schooling.”

  Jasmine stared at her. “I meant to ask you about that.”

  Jenna shrugged. “You were preoccupied. Plus, when I got back, I had shit to do.”

  “Are you sure you’re making the right decision moving in with Osirus and Utah?”

  Jenna stared off toward the adjacent property then nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Both of them need help. Osirus is convinced I’m his mate as well.”