by Rayna Tyler
He rolled me on my back, settling his hips between my spread thighs. “You never mentioned you had a devious nature.”
“I’m your sister’s friend. What did you expect?” I raked my nails along his chest.
“I expect to show you just how well my parts work.”
REESE
An hour and another amazing round of lovemaking later, I finally released Jac and forced myself to get dressed. I kept glancing in her direction, finding it surreal she was my mate, that we’d completed the lifetime bond. She was my future, something to cherish, and I would protect her with my life. My wolf, being the smug animal he was, preened with contentment.
“I want to take a quick look around before we head out,” I said as I opened the door. My main concern now was getting her home safely. We came all this way to do some investigating, so I decided to spend a couple of extra minutes checking out the stack of lumber and the area surrounding the cabin. With all the rain, I was certain I wouldn’t be able to pick up any additional scents. Maybe I’d get lucky and find another clue to the identity of the person in charge.
“Go ahead.” Jac secured the zipper on one of the sleeping bags. “I’ll be out as soon as I’m finished rolling these.”
Once outside, I circled the cabin, avoiding the worst of the muddy areas until I ended up on the side with the lumber. Hidden behind the stack was another brown tarp draped over a smaller rectangular object and held in place with bungee cords. I unhooked one of the cords and lifted the flap.
Underneath the layer of plastic were several white metal storage containers. The same type I’d seen contractors use in the beds of their trucks. I lifted the lid on the closest one, surprised it wasn’t locked. Whoever left the boxes hadn’t been concerned they’d be discovered, or they didn’t plan to leave them here very long. The box was jammed with expensive tools. Everything from hammers and screwdrivers to a couple of drills and handheld battery-operated saws.
I wondered if there was an illegal market for construction items in the area that I didn’t know about. It was one of the first things I planned to research when I got back to the lodge. The other would be talking to the police and seeing if they’d made any headway with Mick and John.
“Wow, did all that equipment come from your sites?” Jac held on to my arm as she leaned forward to peer inside the container.
“I won’t know until I check with Bryson and find out what was stolen. There’s a chance I’m not the only one being targeted.” I lowered the lid, then slipped my arm around her waist and pulled her close. “I hope you’re ready for a long hike. I know it would be faster to cut through the forest, but if anyone from the lodge is looking for us, they’ll use the access roads.”
“What about shifting and going for a run?”
“It would be faster, but not necessarily safer. Occasionally, we get poachers in this area. I don’t want to risk it, or you.” I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of tasting her lips and pulled her close for one more kiss before we left. The moment was cut short by the sound of an engine. I moved to the left to get a better view of the area in front of the cabin and caught a glimpse of red moving through the trees. A few seconds later, I got a better look at the truck turning onto the narrow winding drive.
Jac frowned. “Hey, isn’t that...”
She’d obviously reached the same conclusion I had, and it wasn’t good. “You need to find a place to hide.” I aimed her toward the rear of the cabin.
She spun around, lips pursed, ready to fight. “What about you? You need to come with me.”
“He’ll scent us the minute he gets out of the truck. We stand a better chance if we don’t make it easy for him to find both of us.”
“Damn it.” She glanced at the approaching vehicle, then back at me. “Fine, but if you get hurt, I’ll be the one going after your male parts with my claws instead of your sister.”
I couldn’t believe I was getting aroused by her threat. “I’ll hold you to it, but later.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Now go.”
She turned and disappeared around the corner of the building.
I’d never backed away from a fight, and I wasn’t going to start now. I had a mate, a family, a future, and I wasn’t about to let anyone take it away from me. I walked to the front of the cabin and waited for Shane to get out of the truck.
As a rule, shifters fought with claws and fangs. I hadn’t expected him to be carrying a gun or have him aim it at my chest.
Shane sauntered toward me. “Reese, what are you doing here?” He didn’t seemed disturbed by my presence and the tone of his voice confirmed it.
“I could ask you the same thing. Though, after finding my stolen lumber, the only question I have is why.” My wolf didn’t care about the intricacies of the human world. Shane was a threat to our mate, one he wanted to remove. I clenched my fists, straining to keep the animal under control.
Shane shrugged, ignoring my question. “You’re a lot more resourceful than I thought.” He’d stopped before getting too close, no doubt factoring in the possibility of me going for the gun. He would have been right. The weapon he carried could do a lot of damage to a human, but being a shifter gave me an advantage. Add in my special military training and Shane was smart to keep his distance. Even if I lunged, I wouldn’t reach him before he pulled the trigger.
“I was supposed to meet with Mick and John last night. When they didn’t show up, I checked around and found out they were being held in the Hanford jail. I thought I’d have a few more days before you figured things out. I planned to have everything moved before you made your way out here.”
During the time I’d worked with Shane, I learned he was boastful and loved to hear himself speak. Keeping him talking bought me more time and kept Jac safe. I tipped my head to the right. “I assume some of the equipment I found in those storage containers came from your employer’s company.”
“Stuff goes missing from sites all the time.” He acted as if it was a bonus that came with his supervisory position. “It’s a profitable side business.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you’re stealing from me.”
“Do you know how hard it is for a shifter to go to prison, to be confined and unable to let his animal truly run?”
I didn’t answer, unsure what his question had to do with the current situation. The intensity of his gaze and the red darkening Shane’s cheeks told me an explanation was forthcoming.
“My cousin, Dale, suffers. His wolf suffers ever day because of your family and you.”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“He worked for Desmond Bishop, and you—” He gritted his teeth. “You made sure he got locked up for a very long time. Stealing from you isn’t even close to getting payback, but it’s a start.”
It didn’t take long for me to make the connection and visualize the male he was talking about. Reminding Shane that his cousin was in jail because he’d kidnapped Mandy wouldn’t do any good. Dale was lucky to be alive. Nick’s wolf had come close to killing him. There was no reasoning with a wild wolf when it went feral, especially when it involved his mate.
Shane’s angry intensified. It was an expression I’d seen before, a faraway psychotic look that told me there’d be no reasoning with him either.
His gaze snapped to the present, and he sniffed the air, then glanced past me toward the cabin. “Where’s that pretty little mate of yours? I can smell her all over you. Maybe I’ll show her what it’s like to be fucked by a real wolf before I kill you.”
A low, feral growl rumbled from my chest. My wolf snarled, gnashed his teeth, strained to be set free, to force a shift. “She’s gone. I sent her for help.”
“You’re lying. She’s close by. Her scent is strong.” He frowned and glanced to his left, expecting her to appear. He inhaled again. “Actually, it’s really strong.”
A barely noticeable movement in the upper branches of the tree behind Shane drew my
attention. I remained motionless, afraid the slightest misstep on my part would alert him to the cream-colored cat preparing to pounce.
I bit back an angry growl, wondering if there was ever going to be a time when my mate did anything she was told.
JAC
“You’re lying. She’s close by. Her scent is strong. Actually, it’s really strong.”
I listened to Shane and took note of his agitated state. He anxiously glanced around, searching for signs of me on the ground. I knew it was a risk to get this close, that it wouldn’t be long before his wolf informed him of my true location. I didn’t care, because Reese was in trouble.
Shane was the lowest form of asshole on the planet. There was no honor in pointing a gun at another shifter. We used our animals, their claws and fangs, to settle disputes when required within our community.
I regretted my decision not to let Reese tear him apart the day I met him at the construction site. If I had, maybe he wouldn’t be standing on the ground below me, threatening to kill my mate.
Once I’d recognized the driver of the truck, I knew Shane had to be the person orchestrating the thefts. If he was anything like Mick and John, he wasn’t going to let Reese and me live long enough to share our discovery with anyone.
I’d seen firsthand how Reese’s military background enabled him to think calmly and handle danger with precision. We were newly mated, and the primal instinct to protect pulsed through both of us, even more so through him since he was a dominant male. I didn’t want to hinder his logic to access and deal with the situation. My mate needed to be able to focus on the threat and not me. It was the reason I’d agreed to hide. It didn’t mean I planned to stay hidden or that I wouldn’t use my own skills to help him.
As soon as I disappeared behind the cabin, it was easy to get up on the roof and listen to their conversation. Shane producing a weapon changed my plans for a frontal attack. I knew enough about what happened with Desmond Bishop to know the males he’d employed were dangerous.
Shane was motivated by revenge, which made him unpredictable and deadly. Since my cat was smaller, I had a better chance if I attacked in my animal form. Because she was a hybrid with underlying traces of jaguar, most shifters were confused by her scent. They also expected her to be bigger, something I could use to my benefit.
After shedding my clothes and shifting, I’d used the treetops to circle behind him. I would only get one chance to surprise Shane. I needed to be patient, to wait for him to be distracted and hopefully lower his aim away from Reese’s chest. Though Reese pretended not to see me, the angry glint in his eyes and the stiffness in his shoulders told me he was furious that I planned to interfere. I’d gladly risk my life and accept his anger if it meant he would live.
“Jac, I know you’re in the tree above me. Show yourself, or I’ll shoot your mate.” Shane kept his weapon aimed at Reese as he took several steps backward, then lined up his back with the tree’s trunk.
So much for a surprise attack. From this angle, there was no way I’d be able to jump and disarm him. I moved farther out on the branch so Shane could see me, hoping my compliance would buy Reese and me more time.
“What the hell are you?”
I knew my cat’s appearance was unusual, but I’d never seen anyone’s eyes get that wide. Even my father’s disdain didn’t compare to Shane’s disgust-filled grimace. I snarled and hissed, my animal and I enraged by his insulting reaction.
I scented Shane’s fear right before he raised the weapon and pulled the trigger. The bullet missed me by inches. It clipped the side of the branch, sending chunks of bark flying.
“No!” Reese yelled, already racing toward Shane.
Before Shane could fire again, a brown wolf rushed from the trees on Shane’s right. He sprang into the air and sank his teeth into Shane’s forearm. The momentum took both of them to the ground, knocking the gun from his hand. As soon as Shane rolled onto his stomach and crawled toward his weapon, the wolf was on him again. This time the animal sank his teeth into Shane’s shoulder, pinning him so he couldn’t shift.
Shane screamed, bucked, and grabbed whatever fur he could reach with his free arm, trying to dislodge the growling wolf.
A second wolf, huge, with silky black fur, which I assumed was Nick, skidded to a stop next to Reese. He snarled, pacing back and forth, ready to tear into Shane if the brown wolf needed assistance.
“Dad, stop! We need him alive,” Reese said.
The brown wolf locked gazes with Reese, his growls reduced to a rumble. He gave Shane’s arm one last hard shake, then reluctantly released him. Blood covered his muzzle, but not in the quantity smeared around the bite mark on Shane’s skin. Nick’s wolf took an imposing step forward, a warning to let Shane know he didn’t have a problem finishing the job Clayton had started.
Reese retrieved the gun, removed the magazine, then tucked the weapon in the waistband along the back of his jeans. He tipped his head back and glanced in my direction. “Are you okay?” His deep voice crackled with concern.
I replied with my cat’s version of an affirmative answer. Now that the situation was under control and I was no longer at risk of being shot at again, I jumped from the tree.
Nick had shifted into his human form and was standing next to me, naked. “Reese, your mate is all kinds of cute.”
I growled when he stretched out his hand as if he was going to pet me.
“Jac, stop glaring at Nick.” Reese snatched me off the ground and rubbed his hand along my fur. “I’d rather not have to explain to Mandy why you neutered my brother for teasing me about your cat.”
Nick covered his groin and quickly backed away from us. “Damn, Jac. It was a compliment. I swear.”
REESE
“What part of ‘hide’ didn’t you understand?” I had Jac wrapped tightly in my arms the minute she’d landed on the ground after returning to the roof to shift into her human form and get dressed. Tension coursed through every nerve in my body. The calm I desperately needed after witnessing her near miss with Shane’s bullet continued to elude me.
My father had saved Jac’s life, and for that, I would forever be grateful. It didn’t, however, mean I wanted my mate to see the male members of my family naked. Upon my nonnegotiable insistence, Nick and my father had gone inside and retrieved the blankets Jac and I had used the previous night, then wrapped them around their waists.
While I’d waited for Jac, and after receiving congratulations from Nick and my father on our mating, they explained how they’d found us. After Bart gave them the same information he’d given me, my father and brother decided they could get here faster if they shifted.
The rest of my family had taken the road and, depending on the conditions, were due to arrive soon. In the meantime, the males had been wise enough to stay out of my way and give me the space I needed to be with my mate. They were currently watching over Shane to make sure he didn’t try to leave.
“What part of ‘I have a problem with authority’ didn’t you understand? Being a mate means being a full partner. It means we take care of each other. The responsibility can’t be one-sided.” She slid her hands across my shoulders, then pulled herself up until she had her legs wrapped around my waist. “You’re my mate. I love you and will always have your back, so deal with it.”
I braced my arms under her ass. “You love me.” It was amazing the soothing effect those three words had on my system.
She frowned and wrinkled her nose. “Did you hear anything else I said?”
“Yes.” I grinned. “You said you loved me.”
“Totally hopeless.” Jac sighed and dropped her head on my shoulder.
“There they are.” My father sounded relieved as he glanced at the truck pulling into the narrow drive.
Preston barely had the vehicle stopped before Berkley and Mandy had their doors open and were rushing toward us.
I lowered Jac to the ground seconds before Berkley had me around the neck in one of her vise-grip hugs.
“You’re okay.” She released me, then did the same thing to Jac.
“Fine, but you missed all the fun.” Jac gave me a teasing wink.
I glared back, promising retribution later.
Berkley’s gaze bounced from the partially covered bite mark on Jac’s shoulder back to me. “You’re mated.” She smirked at Mandy, who was taking Nick’s blanket in exchange for the bundle of clothes she had in her arms. “I told you so.”
She had me by the neck again. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you guys.”
“Thanks.” I returned the hug, glad my sister shared my joy, but anxious to get back to the lodge so I could spend some time alone with Jac.
“So you were right.” Nick zipped his pants as he strolled toward us barefoot. “Does that mean you’re going to do that girly thing where you get all emotional and cry?” he chided and nudged Berkley’s shoulder.
“I’ll show you girly.” She caught the back of his leg with her foot and shoved him at the same time. Nick flailed his arms, but it didn’t stop him from falling backward and landing ass first in a puddle of muddy water.
Mandy covered her mouth to keep from laughing, then shook her head and held the blanket she was holding out to Nick. “Now that you’re covered in mud, I guess you’ll be riding in the back of the truck—alone.”
“What happened to mate loyalty?” Nick pretended to reach for the blanket, then grabbed her wrist.
Mandy squealed when she landed on top of him with her hands and knees in the puddle. “Nick, I swear...” She giggled, then gave him a kiss and smeared his cheeks with mud in the process.
Preston, who’d been standing quietly next to Jac watching my sibling’s antics, patted her on the shoulder. “Welcome to the family. I have a feeling you’re going to fit right in.” He walked over to Shane’s truck and lowered the tailgate. “Maybe we should think about heading back.”