by Jana Leigh
Chapter 7
Kade had smelled his mate's blood a second before he shifted. When she had pushed him and Kiki back into the bar, he had been stunned at first. Then he yelled for the people in the bar to go out of the emergency exits. Who knew how many of the Ulfer were actually waiting for them outside the entrance? Kade only saw four, which didn't mean that was all there was. And his hard headed mate put herself right in their path. While he watched as the people from the bar actually listened to him and began to run to the back of the bar, he turned to tell Kiki to go and hide in the dressing room, but the man had already shifted and was bouncing on his paws. Kade rolled his eyes and said, "Kiki, you need to stay back."
The cougar looked at him and bared its teeth, letting him know he was not going to obey. Fuck, this was gonna suck if he got a witness killed on his first day, but he had to protect his mate.
"Fine, just stay behind me," he growled and then shifted.
What the hell was she thinking? He was her back up, which meant he was supposed to be in there with her. His wolf jumped on the door to get to his mate. As he barreled through, he took in the situation. One Ulfer dead on the ground, looking at the wall with a small bullet hole through his head. Kiki screeched her cat call and jumped on the tiger that had been shot in the ass. And a mangy looking wolf was biting his mate's arm.
'Kill,' his wolf thought as he lunged for the wolf's neck. It didn't take that long for him to gain control over the Ulfer; he was weak and unconditioned. Who the hell ever thought he could be a thug? Kade had fought stronger and more organized Ulfer overseas. It made him wonder what was going on, was this one of the newly changed shifters?
He could hear the shuffling around him and smelled the zap of the stun pole as the Enforcers subdued the wolf. He should have just bitten a little harder and broken the asshole's neck.
He shifted back and looked around. His mate leaned against the wall, holding her arm. She was wounded because he hadn't been there. Damn he was pissed. Barking out the orders, he pulled her behind him to the dressing room Kiki had just changed in. When he slammed the door and ordered her to shift, he wished for one brief moment, she would defy him. The rage he was feeling needed a release.
But she shifted. Her coat was beautiful. He leaned down and petted her, the white mask and gray back coat fit perfectly together. Calli's wolf leaned against him for support. At least, one of them knew who their mate was. He wanted to shift, but they didn't have the time. He wanted her to be healed.
Kade reached down and held out his hand. The wolf trustingly put her injured leg in his hand. He could feel the break, and it had begun to heal. It would take at least overnight for her shifter genes to fully repair the break. But at least she wasn't bleeding any more.
He could feel the bite marks still, but they would fade. He petted her again and felt her growl softly. Calli was probably fighting her animal's response, the way the poor animal was jerking a little.
"Fine, shift back," he said and stood up.
Callie shifted and at the same time swung her fist at his head. He felt the impact, and his head snap back, his wolf growled inside him, pissed that his mate had done that.
"Don't ever fucking order me around again. And by the way, the whole He-man thing doesn't really work for me, so put the testosterone in a bottle." She yelled and then stepped back with her hands up like she was going to have to protect herself.
Kade felt his eyes flash; his wolf was rising. He pushed him back down quickly, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he knew he was calm, he opened them and watched as Calli looked at him warily.
Snatching her good arm quickly with his hand, he pulled her to him, and she fell with a startled squeak. Without giving her a chance to protest, he bent over and covered her open mouth with his. It was not a kiss; it was an invasion. He demanded her response and after a second, he got it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and then jumped a little, wrapping her legs around his waist. Never breaking contact with his lips.
Kade was a little surprised, but he opened his stance a little and held on to her ass with both of her hands. She had rock hard muscles in her ass; she would be fun to fuck. He could see it now, with her agility, he could bend her anyway he wanted and slam into her, to get her to cum.
Kade turned and pushed her against the door, so he could free one of his hands. He ran it up her back and then grabbed her hair, moving her head to the side so he could deepen the kiss.
Calli moaned into his mouth, and he wanted to howl his victory. His mate was amazing. She fought his tongue and battled for position as they clung to each other, tasting and feeling each other. She flexed her legs around his hips and pushed back a little; he knew she was wet and was trying to rub her clit. Kade pushed her back so she had no way to relieve herself. It was his job to let her come when she needed to, and right now she did not need to. His mate needed to learn a little lesson in how far she could push him.
He pulled her head back and looked at her flushed cheeks and swollen red lips. Her mouth looked like it had been fully ravished, it had been. His wolf fell back, knowing the man was going to take care of their mate.
"DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" he said forcefully and then punctuated it with a small shake. It seemed to knock her out of the aroused haze she was in, because Calli looked down and saw she had wrapped her legs around Kade and what position he had her in. She was not in control.
"Let me down," she said calmly and then waited.
Kade looked at her suspiciously but eased back from the door, so she could put her feet on the ground. He waited while she straightened her shirt and hair. He was burning up inside.
"Well," she finally said and tuned back to look at him. "I guess we know we're compatible."
Kade growled and said, "I could give a shit about that right now, you are my mate, so therefore we are compatible in that area, sugar. What we need to discuss is the fact that you broke the first rule of being a partner out there, and you're for damn sure not going to do that again. How would you feel if it were your friends that were with you, and they walked through the door first and did what you did?"
Calli laughed, "Cherri and Rissa have fought by my side since we were pups, and they know exactly how I act. They would have gotten the people out of the bar, and then waited. They know my abilities."
Kade stepped closer to her, crowding her into the wall, "I know your abilities just fine; that's not the issue, you need to stop acting like the Lone Wolf and realize you have a partner. I'm here for good, get the fuck used to it."
Calli pushed back against him and said, "You are not my boss, my husband, or my claimed mate. I can do what the fuck I want. I am your superior whether you like it or not. So listen up. I take lead in any situation we're in; I am the one who orders you to do something."
"I have no problem with my mate being the boss at work, no problem; I will follow your lead, as long as you don't do some stupid ass thing that gets you hurt. But when we get home, get ready," he snarled.
"Home? You don't have a home, unless I give you one," she yelled.
Kade stepped back and smiled, "You think you are the only one in the shifter community that knows how to save a little money and invest?"
Calli looked at him suspiciously. "Good, then you can find your own place."
Kade laughed and said, "Been there, done that. Ms. Praton was nice enough to check the listings in the area, and I found a nice apartment in an exclusive building. The family who lived there wanted to move to the country. So, sugar, say hello to your new neighbor."
***
"What the fuck is going on today?" Calli screamed in her office.
Cherri and Rissa sat there looking around the room, not wanting to answer the question that was obviously a setup. Calli called an hour ago to tell them to get their asses to her office. They had both took their time when they heard her tone of voice. It meant Calli needed to rage at someone. Both of them loved their friend, but she had an anger problem. Cherri had been tryi
ng to get her to drink the smoothie she prepared every morning to balance her emotions. But the stubborn bitch refused.
"And what the fuck is with the names he calls me? Sweetheart, sugar, babe, seriously, I'm gonna kill someone if he keeps that up," Calli said frustrated, pacing back and forth on the office floor. She could see her friends smile and wanted to hit something. But when Rissa actually spoke, that's when she snapped.
"Oh, that is so sweet. I can't wait until I find my mate, and he calls me that. Did you know that Ms. Praton assigned us female Enforcers? I don't know why you got the only male. It kinda sucks."
Calli screamed in frustration because for once her friends were not understanding her. They had talked about this so much growin' up, but Calli had seen far more than her friends had. She was the lead Enforcer and was in the field more. Whereas, Cherri was in her lab and Rissa in the geek room. She had felt over the last few years her heart harden against all the scum she saw. Her friends had noticed it too, but they had tried to keep her balanced.
Taking her to the nail place and shopping was their way. Calli wished they understood that she didn't need a man any more she needed a new vibrator.
"Damnit, Rissa, pull your head out," Cherri snapped, stood up and pulled down her top like she was preparing for something important, and she walked up to Calli and slapped her across the face.
"Now listen, you whiny little slut, I have listened to you all day, bitch and moan. 'Oh my mate is so handsome and strong; I hate it,'" Cherri mimicked and Calli stood there, frozen in her shoes. Her best friend had slapped her. And it had not even been a soft tap like they usually did. No, she had, full out slapped her in the face.
Calli had to stop and think; they had never done that before. Sure, they had some knockdown, drag outs, where they pulled hair and shit, but this was different. Her friend was making a point to her. Calli sat up and listened.
"Now, pull up the big girl panties and deal with it. He bought the place right below us; we can totally make stairs to join the floors. We would double the size of our place. You could have your own place, and we would still live together, in fact, maybe we should see if we can buy out the cat lady on the floor below, then when we all find our mates, we can have them connected but still together," Cherri said and turned to Rissa, who was smiling and nodding.
"Yeah," Rissa said, "good idea. Okay, I will work on that. In the meantime, Calli, I hate to have to say this, but you have to take one for the team. I mean you're the first to find your mate, and we all need to know if this can work. I mean we talked about it for years, but can we really all live together once we mate? Seriously, is this gonna change things? So really it's your duty to see if this is gonna work, or if we have to kill him in his sleep. I have no problem doing that, by the way, I'm just saying if he is a good lay, why bother?"
Calli couldn't help it, she laughed. Leave it to her friends to be able to pull her out of this. Since this morning, she had felt a sense of dread. It was because of the change this was going to cause. She had been worried about her friends and also how it would affect work. But she had to try.
"Fine, but I'm not letting him bite me until I see if he leaves the toilet seat up," Calli grumbled.
"I would expect no less. Listen, let's finish this up and get moving. I feel the need for pasta tonight. A little pesto and Vino, and we will be fine," Cherri said and hugged her friend.
Rissa stood and wrapped her long arms around both of them and said, "I love a happy ending." Both of her friends groaned and let go. When they were finally gone, Calli sat at her desk, she would sort out her feelings later, right now she had to find a place for Kiki. She was currently down the hall with Brooks and Ms. Praton talking about what was going to happen over the next few weeks. That was not her job. She brought in the bad guys and people that needed protecting. After that she moved on. No attachments, other than her friends. And well, now her mate. Although she hoped, he realized that she was not going to do the whole mating thing until she was comfortable. Fuck him, yeah, but biting? Definitely, no.
Chapter 8
"What do you mean she's coming home with me?" Calli said to Kade, who had come into her office as she had just finalized the deal with one of the Enforcers to guard Kiki for the rest of the week and weekend. She would have to give him three cases of brews and tickets to the football game next month. She hated giving those up, but Cherri and Rissa hated going with her because they always got blood on their dresses.
"Well, apparently, Ms. Kiki has taken a shine to you and me. She insists she will not cooperate unless we are her guards. We are the only ones she feels safe with, according to her," Kade said uncomfortably and shifted from foot to foot.
"Well, tell her to find a new bestie, I already have two high maintenance ones as it is. I really can't stand another one," Calli said and covered her face with her hands. She knew this was gonna suck; because Rissa was gonna find out, and subsequently, she would feel all sorry. Then Cherri would find out and want to meet Kiki, and they would bond over nails; it would be a done deal. Damn her life.
She sighed and lowered her hands and looked at the hunk standing in her office. She still felt the tingle in her pussy from earlier. She wanted so bad to throw him against the door and screw his lights out. The mating heat was beginning. This is what it was like for a shifter when they found their mate. At first, the arousal would be huge. And they would feel like they constantly needed to get laid, it didn't matter who it was. That was the first stage, when you scented your mate. If they just walked by in a crowd, and you couldn't find them, you went crazy with lust.
That's what happened to her brother, it had driven them all nuts until they had put an ad in the paper for another shifter who was in heat just as bad as he was. Her father had to lock him in the basement for a day until she finally called. Calli said they should put him out of his misery and shoot him, but her mother had insisted.
The second stage was the courting. You still felt the need to mate, but you also wanted to connect with them on another level. Her mother called it the cooling-off period. She hoped that was coming soon. Some shifters didn't wait for the cooling off and just mated. She was not going to do that and tie herself to a douche bag her entire life. No, even though they were part animals, they still had a choice. That is probably why Mother Nature put in the stages of mating into their DNA.
After the second stage, then there was the claiming. This was where the wolves kinda took over. The need to bite became impossible to ignore. If she could go by what her brothers went through, she should have at least two weeks before her wolf insisted on the claiming. That should be good. If he was an asshole, she would have him transferred to the arctic post and let him freeze his ass off. Although she had never heard of anyone actually denying their mate, she had seen what being mated to an asshole could do.
Her mother would insist on the whole enchilada. She would want the Breyting ceremony and everything. Shit, she was stuck, because she knew Kade was not an asshole, and would probably not fuck up bad enough for her wolf to turn her nose up at him.
The Ulfer were different; they mated whoever they felt like, because they couldn't make the connection with each other. It was sad, but still kinda cosmic. She wished she could not feel anything for just a second.
The heat was still riding her hard. She could tell it was Kade too, because he stood so close to the door.
"Shit, what do we have to do? Are they putting her up in a hotel?" she asked hopefully.
"No, Ms. Praton said our building was perfect. We have security. So we are staying at our place. The girls have their private Enforcers, so it will be us and the guy you just assigned for Kiki in our apartment. Brooks and Ms. Praton had furniture, and stuff moved in that they had in storage, until we can replace it with our own," he said quietly.
This just got better and better. Not only was her mother going to be a pain in her ass, but her bosses were also. Why the fuck did they all want her mated so bad? Shit, it wasn't like she walked ar
ound all the time being a bitch to everyone because she didn't get laid. She was a bitch because she liked it, and that wasn't going to change. Calli hoped they realized that.
"Fine, let's get this over with. I'm going to call the girls down here to meet Kiki, and then we'll all be leaving in separate transports to the building. I don't want anyone following us. We have worked hard keeping our address a secret. So we will take the long way around. Only a handful of people knew the exact address, and we are keeping it that way. I have handpicked the Enforcers; they would not betray me. And don't think I didn't hear the 'our' thing," Calli said, stood up and pushed the link on her desk that went to her friends' offices.
"Meeting now," she said.
"Oh yes, my master," Cherri said sarcastically.
"On my way," Rissa called.
Chapter 9
It was like a fucking sorority all over again. Calli wanted to pull her teeth out. She had gone that route the first time through college because Cherri and Rissa wanted to experience it. It had been a nightmare. She had never seen so much pink in one place before, besides Cherri's closet, but that didn't count. Cherri proclaimed her signature color as pink in the earlier part of the century. That changed many times. Now her color was red. Calli wasn't sure that anyone should have a signature color at all; it seemed weird, but if anyone were to ask her, it would be black. Duh.
When they got to her shuttle, Kade opened her door before going around to his. He had not done that before.
"What was that?" Calli said.
"What?" Kade said innocently.
Calli narrowed her eyes and said, "The door thing; you didn't do that before."
"That was because we were at work. I would never make you seem less than the Commander of the Enforcers by opening your door. I figured it would piss you off."