by Kim Fox
Grant just grunts as he keeps his eyes focused on the paper.
“Is Mack around?” I ask as I scratch my head nervously.
His eyes dart up to mine. “Mack?”
“Yeah,” I say, trying to sound and look casual. “You know. Big guy about this tall. Temper like a hurricane. Lives with an equally cranky lion.”
Grant laughs. “Sounds like someone I know. He took off about half an hour ago.”
My stomach drops. “Do you know where?”
He shrugs. “With Mack, it’s usually better not to ask.” His brow furrows as he looks at me. “Why you interested in Mack? Your band need a tambourine player or something?”
“No,” I say, laughing nervously. “I just—”
“Caleb!” Logan says, smiling as he walks over. “Do we have practice today? Shit, I totally forgot.”
“No, no,” I answer quickly. “I just stopped by to say hi.”
“Okay, cool,” he says. “Your girlfriend was here yesterday. Her brother is quite the loose cannon.”
“Oh,” Grant says with a grin. He lowers his paper and stares at me. “So, that’s why you’re here.”
He’s right. I’m here to make sure that Mack doesn’t try to kill my future brother-in-law. Abigail went to work after breakfast and Bryce is still with the twins.
“I just want to make sure there are no grudges between anyone,” I say with a hard swallow. “I know how Mack can be a little…”
Logan laughs. “Crazy? Psychotic? Angry? Bad-tempered?”
“All of the above,” I say, cringing. “He’s just a kid who let his lion get a little out of control.”
“We’ve all been there,” Grant says with a nod.
The four members of the Clayton Rock Bounty Hunters are all powerful lion shifters. They’re not a crew I would want on my bad side, especially if I was a young out of control lion like Bryce.
“Is Mack still pissed?” I ask.
Logan laughs. “Mack is always pissed.”
“I know,” I say. “But at Bryce?”
“Is he staying with you?” Grant asks.
I turn to Logan’s alpha and wonder if I can trust him. Grant has always seemed like a good guy, but this is Abigail’s family.
I choose my words carefully. “He’s under our protection.”
“Good,” Grant says. “Just keep him and your girl away from Mack for about a week until he cools down.”
“My girl?” I ask, feeling my stomach sink. “What do you mean? He’d go after Abigail?”
My heart is racing as I turn to Logan.
“He wouldn’t hurt her,” he says. “Well, probably not. If anything he’ll ask her where Bryce is. He probably won’t hurt her. Yeah, definitely not.” He doesn’t look so sure.
My hands start shaking with dread and I’m feeling dizzy all of a sudden. Thoughts of an angry Mack confronting a terrified Abigail is making it hard to breathe.
“Logan,” I say, feeling my voice crack. “Does he know… where she works?”
He cringes. “I might have told him.”
I sprint back to the truck as fast as I can and jump inside. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Logan is running over as I start the truck and throw it into reverse.
“Do you want me to come with you?” he’s asking with his arms out.
There’s no time to answer. I peel away, leaving Logan in a big cloud of dust.
I just hope I can get to Abigail before Mack does.
12
Abigail
“Oh, no.” I close my eyes, barely able to watch from my lifeguard chair as another crazy guy jumps off the cliff across the lake. The tourists on the beach are freaking out as he somersaults a few times on the way down and then lands in the water with barely a splash.
“He must be a shifter,” I mutter to myself. Only a shifter could survive an impact from that high.
It’s a nice summer day and although I would rather be spending it in Caleb’s big muscular arms, this is a close second. The beach is buzzing with people and I can’t help but examine each one of them, wondering who is a shifter and who isn’t.
I’ll never look at people the same way again. And I’ll definitely never look at Caleb the same way again.
Last night was incredible. It wasn’t only the mind-blowing sex. It was the deep connection.
Jessie was right. I wasn’t prepared for the rush of emotions that came with the bonding. It was overwhelming but in the best possible way. I still smile every time I think about it.
Only twenty-four hours ago, I was broke, homeless and terrified that we were going to lose everything. I’m still broke, kinda homeless, but the fear is gone. I know that Caleb is always going to have my back now like I’m going to have his. It’s crazy how much can change in a day.
Another shifter walks up to the edge of the cliff in the distance and raises his arms. My stomach flutters with nerves. I hate it when they do this.
I’ve hated it ever since I saw one of them land with a bellyflop.
But if Caleb can heal from a bear’s claw, then I guess a little water won’t hurt those guys too much.
The people on the beach cheer as he does a backflip off the high rocky cliff and lands in the water with a splash.
I blow my lifeguard whistle while I cheer along with them. Everyone is having a good time. This is what hot summer days are for.
My stomach hardens when I see one guy who’s not having a good time. I stare at him, trying to place his angry face as he comes charging over.
“No,” I mutter when it hits me. It’s Mack.
Big-scary-lion-who-wants-to-eat-my-brother-Mack.
My mind goes numb as he charges over, kicking up sand and squishing sandcastles.
His heated eyes are locked on me. I want to flee, but there’s nowhere to run away to. This guy is probably as fast as he is strong.
I swallow hard and pull out my phone to call Caleb. My fingers are shaking as I try to hit his name.
“You,” Mack says in a deep growly voice when he arrives.
I gulp as I look down at the phone. Calling…
It doesn’t even ring before he grabs it in his powerful hand and crushes it easily. “Where’s the twerp?”
I’m high up on the lifeguard chair, but our eyes are almost level. This guy is enormous.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” My voice sounds so pathetically small.
He tosses my iPhone that’s now in the shape of a tennis ball into the sand and narrows his eyes on me. “Do you think I’d let a twerp like him get away with attacking me?”
“He’s just a kid,” I say, feeling my voice racing. “He doesn’t know any better, and he didn’t mean it. We’re so, so sorry. Can you please let him off the hook? It won’t happen again.”
“It won’t happen again,” Mack says, his face hard and unforgiving. “I’ll make damn sure of that when he’s beaten to a bloody pulp. Now. Where. Is. He?”
My heart is beating so fast. I’m so nervous. There’s no way I’m going to tell this guy where Bryce is. He’s going to kill the poor kid.
“Please, sir,” I beg.
He grabs my wooden lifeguard chair and squeezes. The wood cracks under his hard grip.
“I’m not going to ask you again,” he grunts.
I see someone running toward us over his head and I gasp in relief when I see that it’s Caleb.
“Whoa, Mack,” he says when he arrives. He’s breathing heavily like he just ran across the state to save me. “What are you doing?”
Mack takes his chilling eyes off me and turns to him. “She knows where the twerp is and she’s just about to tell me. Right?”
I gulp when he turns back to me with a fierce stare.
“He’s a kid, Mack,” Caleb says. “A good kid. It was an accident. We apologized. That should be the end of it.”
“It will be the end of it when I pummel him half to death.”
This guy is terrifying. He looks like if he wants someon
e pummelled to death, then they’re going to get pummelled to death.
Mack reaches for me, but Caleb grabs his thick wrist just in time and yanks his hand away.
“This is my girl, Mack,” he says in a firm voice. The goosebumps rise on my skin with the way he calls me his.
“You’re not going to touch her or her brother,” Caleb says in a voice that’s thick with authority.
Mack slowly looks down at Caleb’s hand wrapped around his wrist. He doesn’t look amused. His other hand suddenly springs forward, and he pushes Caleb in the chest, sending him flying backward. Caleb lands in a backward somersault and gets covered in sand.
“Nobody tells me what to do,” Mack grunts. “Now I’m going to have a one on one fight with that twerp, and that’s the end of it.”
Caleb springs back to his feet and races over. “How about me instead? I’ll take his place.”
“Caleb, no!” I shout. I love Caleb and he’s fast and strong and tough, but this guy is going to kill him in a fight.
“All right,” Mack says, raising his fists as he steps back. “Let’s go right now.”
I swallow hard when I look at all of the tourists on the beach. They’re all watching and whispering. Some are even filming us on their phones since Caleb got pushed.
“There are too many tourists here,” Caleb says. “The dragons will barbecue our ass.”
Mack seems to catch himself with the mention of dragons and immediately drops his fists.
Dragons? Are there freaking dragons in this town? I have so much to learn…
“Fine,” Mack grunts. “Tonight. Our place at eight.”
Caleb nods and a bunch of sand falls out of his hair.
Oh God. Caleb is a lover, not a fighter, and that guy is definitely a fighter.
Everyone jumps out of his way as he turns and charges back down the beach, looking more furious than ever.
I must be staring at Caleb with a horrified look on my face because he goes white when he looks at me. “I fought Kneecap and survived, didn’t I?” he says with a nervous laugh.
The gruesome image of deep bloody claw marks ripped across his chest pops into my mind and I think I’m going to be sick.
Mack’s lion was huge. I know that Caleb has a grizzly bear hiding within him, but I don’t want anyone I love facing that vicious beast.
“Let’s leave,” I say, feeling my voice race. “We can get Bryce and jump in the truck and head down to Colorado. I have a friend named Lizzy who will let us stay with her. Or we can go to—”
“Abigail,” Caleb says, interrupting me. “We’re not going anywhere.”
But he saw how big that guy was. How can he not want to run away?
“But that—”
“It’s okay,” he says softly. “I’ll be okay.”
He’s trying to force out a reassuring smile while he’s covered in sand. I’m not so sure that he’ll be okay.
I like my plan way better.
13
Caleb
“Maybe you should sing him a lullaby and put him to sleep,” Tito says with a laugh as we pull into the Clayton Rock Ranch.
“And if that doesn’t work, you can smash him over the head with the guitar,” Ronin adds.
I ignore the two knuckleheads in the back of the pick-up and open the door to get out. Abigail grabs my wrist and holds on like she never wants to let go.
Her beautiful green eyes are strained. Her jaw is tight. My mate is nervous about the upcoming fight with Mack. Hell, so am I.
“You don’t have to do this,” she says, begging me with her eyes. “My friend Lizzy—”
“I told you I’d be okay,” I say, forcing out a smile at her.
“Then please don’t do this,” she says. Tears start winding their way down her soft face so I cup her cheek and wipe them away with my thumb. “I can’t watch you get hurt again.”
“I won’t get hurt,” I tell her softly.
The twins jump out of the back of the truck and bang on the hood, taunting me. “Let’s go, lover boy,” Ronin shouts with a big grin on his face. “Time to get hurt!”
“Your face is gonna look like my grandmother’s meatloaf when Mack is through with you!” Tito shouts as he bangs the hood with his fist.
Abigail looks horrified.
“Look,” I say, taking her hand in mine. “We’re shifters. We do things a little differently around here. You’ll get used to it eventually.”
She closes her eyes and shakes her head. “I’ll never get used to watching you get hurt.”
I gently pull her face close and kiss her soft lips. They taste salty from her tears.
“Trust me, these two wouldn’t be laughing if I could get killed,” I say, trying to reassure her. “As much as they like to bust my balls, they do have my back.”
She still looks uneasy. It’s going to take her a while to get used to how we do things in Redemption Creek, Montana.
I glance through the windshield and swallow hard when I see all of the Bounty Hunters coming out of their cabins. The alpha Grant is talking with Maximus and the twins are talking with Logan. Bryce and Lachlan are talking to one of the other bounty hunters named Ryder, and Mack is all alone. He has headphones on as he’s getting ready for the fight by shadow boxing. There’s a terrifying look on his face as he pounds the air with huge deadly fists.
He’s so fast. Someone that big and strong shouldn’t be so fast. Everything about him seems to defy the laws of physics.
“Oh, no,” Abigail says, squeezing her eyes shut in panic when she sees Mack. “You can’t fight that guy! He’s almost double your size! Caleb, this is crazy.”
She’s right. I’m in for a bad beating, but it’s either going to be me or Bryce, and I can handle a lot more punishment than that scrawny kid can.
“It’s time to go,” I say as I peel her clinging hand off of my arm. “You can stay here in the truck if you don’t want to watch.”
She leaps forward and crushes her lips to mine in a desperate kiss. “Be careful,” she says when I have to pull away. “And thank you. I know you’re doing this for Bryce.”
I give her a wink and step out of the truck.
Mack locks his crazy eyes on me and starts hitting the air even harder. I gulp as I walk forward.
I’ve never been into fighting too much. Some shifters can’t get enough of it. It helps release some of the pent-up aggression and rage that comes from being half apex predator, but I’ve never really had that. I’ve always preferred to spend my time making music or chasing girls.
But watching Mack’s insanely fast moves is making me wish that I had spent a lot more time in the fighting ring. I’m seriously outmatched.
I come to a stop beside Lachlan and Ryder. “Lachlan,” I say, suddenly feeling nauseous. “You fought Mack in a cage match once, didn’t you?”
Lachlan shudders. “A long time ago.”
I look at him with hopeful eyes. “Any advice for me?”
His face is serious. “Run.”
Ryder shakes his head. “I’ve never seen Mack so pissed off like this,” he says, shaking his head. “He’s been thundering around the ranch, biting everyone’s head off for the past two days.”
I swallow hard as I look up at the bounty hunter. Ryder’s whole body is tattooed, even his neck.
“After he beats your ass, we’ll finally get some peace and quiet around here,” he says.
“Beats my ass?” I repeat. “Maybe I’ll win.”
Lachlan and Ryder look at each other and then burst out laughing.
Oh, shit. I know they’re right.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I mumble as I walk over to the two alphas.
Grant waves Mack over when I arrive.
“All right,” Grant says, looking at Mack. “We’re going to have an old-fashioned shifter duel.”
Grant and Maximus are standing between us like referees before a heavyweight boxing match. I’m trying to look intimidating but it’s hard with Mack’s
dark eyes burning into me like that.
He looks even bigger up close.
“Human forms only,” Maximus says, looking from me to Mack. “And once one of us says the fight is over, then the fight is over. Got that?”
We both nod.
Grant turns to Mack. “And once the fight is over, then all grudges are over. Right?”
Mack is standing there, breathing heavily, but he doesn’t answer.
“There will be no grudge against Bryce,” Grant says in a firm voice, “or Caleb, or The Grisly Grizzlies crew. Right?”
Mack grunts out a yes.
An empty feeling forms in the pit of my stomach as Logan draws a large circle around us in the dirt, trapping us in.
Abigail is sitting on the hood of the truck with her head in her hands. I’m glad she’s not watching what’s about to happen. I don’t think it’s going to turn out too good for me.
Mack turns to Bryce who is watching on the sidelines. “This is because of you, twerp,” he grunts. “But it doesn’t make a difference to me what skinny punk I beat down. As long as I get to kick one skinny punk’s ass, I’ll be happy.”
Thick bulging veins are snaking over his huge biceps as he lifts up his fists and glares at me.
I glance at Bryce who’s staring at me with a look of guilt and horror on his face. He’s the reason I’m in this mess, but we’ll be family one day, so I’ll take a beating for him. Once.
Next time, he’s on his own.
Grant and Maximus step out of the circle as the fight is about to begin.
Mack is shifting his weight from foot to foot, grinning like a madman as he stares me down. He’s in his element. I’ve never seen him so happy as when he’s about to beat someone up.
“On my count of three,” Maximus says. “Three. Two. One. Fight.”
I don’t even have time to put my hands up before Mack comes charging at me like a crazed rhino. He launches a strong jab at my face, but I’m able to move away just in time to feel it graze by my nose.
I’m not so lucky with the next punch. Or the next one. Or the one after that.
Sledgehammers slam into me over and over again, cracking ribs and bruising flesh. Spots dance in my vision when a hard fist blasts into my nose.