by Zoe Chant
“But—but who? Why?” Carrie demanded helplessly. “It makes no sense! I’ve got no enemies—no debts with the mob or whatever gets people killed these days.”
“The Costa case,” Tom said, baring his teeth. “He’s the one who’s behind it.”
“No.” Carrie shook her head. “Impossible. It wasn’t even a big case. It’s a small town, and anyway, that’s long over—”
“It’s a small town, but Costa’s in with the mob,” the werewolf said. “And your boss was in with Costa. Sleepy small town accountant, small town business—the perfect way to hide your sketchy money laundering practices. Or at least one of the ways, I suppose. Never had enough money to look into that myself.”
Darrell pulled Carrie against him. The bear inside him was suspiciously scenting the air—but he couldn’t make out any threat, apart from the werewolf.
Carrie would be safe in Linden Creek, now that they knew that she was indeed in danger, and who was responsible. And surely Chris would be able to deal with the human side of this problem...
“But I’ve got nothing to do with the actual cases.” Carrie sounded utterly confused. “I’m the boss’s assistant, but I’ve never done more than serve Costa a cup of coffee and call his PA to set up appointments for my boss.”
“Where do you think your boss is now?” Tom asked, his eyes strangely intense.
“Celebrating his daughter’s wedding,” Carrie answered promptly. “I think they’re having a party on a boat.”
“Mmhmm,” Tom said. “A cruise that went out to sea yesterday. Stopped in a small harbor across the border late in the evening. When the cruise continued, Costa and his family were no longer on board. They’re probably on a plane right now, headed for somewhere far away—one of those small countries where it’s easy to get new ID with the right contacts and enough money.”
“And what about me?” Carrie asked, looking confused. “Why would he have me killed? I don’t know anything about those things, so why—”
“As a scapegoat.” Tom showed his teeth again. “He’s planted lots of incriminating documents in the car. And when he left for his daughter’s wedding, he told the mob that you’d run off with important papers. Which meant the mob’s killers went after you, and no one even realized that he’d suddenly transferred large sums of money to offshore accounts. Honestly, I’m just the hired killer and no accountant, but it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that he didn’t just take bribes from the mob, but somehow got his hands on more of their funds through whatever tax evasion thing he was running for them.”
“My boss...” Carrie said faintly. “And... the mob?”
“Most importantly, a hired killer who’s still after you,” Darrell said grimly and pulled out his phone. “I’m telling Chris we need him back here, right now.”
Carrie was still staring at her father in utter astonishment. Darrell kept a protective hand on her back as he scrolled through his contacts.
“Darrel?” Chris’s voice said when he finally answered the call. “Was just about to give you a call myself. You won’t believe this—I’m in the car and there isn’t a single hint of werewolf in here. Which means—”
“We’ve got the werewolf right here with us,” Darrell interrupted. “He’s not the problem. Shit, this is complicated, you’ve got to come straight back. The wolf is Carrie’s father, or so he claims. He was hired to kill her—but when he found out who she was, he came to warn her instead. But there’s still a killer out there. The one who was driving that car. A guy sent by the mob.”
“The mob,” Chris echoed, then blew out air through his teeth. “Life in Linden Creek just got a lot more exciting. You sure?”
“I know it sounds crazy, but his story fits with what we know,” Darrell muttered as he gave the werewolf another thoughtful look. “The car wasn’t driven by a shifter, so—”
“You’re right. Mob or not, someone’s clearly out to get her. Don’t let her out of your sight,” Chris said. “Have Glory gather the clan. I’m going to call my brothers. We’ll have patrols in the forest, and we’ll keep shifters in the town. And make sure Carrie isn’t on her own. Take her out of the bed and breakfast, actually—we don’t want any more humans involved.”
“Sure thing, boss,” Darrell said. “I was thinking about asking your brother to let us hide on his farm—”
“Great idea,” Chris agreed. “Have people stationed around the house as well.”
“Will do,” Darrell said. “Give me a call as soon as you’re back.”
“See you in a few hours. And stay safe.”
When the call was ended, Darrell gave Glory another nod. “His story pans out. The sheriff found the car that hit Carrie’s, and there’s no trace of shifter on it. Whoever was driving is human—and mob, I guess. Not that it matters. What matters is that someone out there is after Carrie.”
The bear’s head swung around, gazing meaningfully at Tom.
After a moment of observing the werewolf, Darrell nodded. “I guess he’s with us now. But I’ll still have you watched, Tom. So in case you’re thinking of trying something—don’t.”
“No worries,” the werewolf said hoarsely. He was still looking at Carrie. “I’ve never been a dad before. Probably couldn’t be one even if I tried. I’m only gonna disappoint you, so don’t expect too much from me. But I know what I’m good at, and I’m going to keep doing just that. Count me in with your patrols, bear. I’m gonna keep watch over Carrie myself, from the forest.”
“I don’t expect anything from you,” Carrie said slowly. “I’ve done just fine on my own. But I still—I’ll still want to talk to you when all of this is over.”
Tom inclined his head after a moment. “Guess I owe you that,” he said gruffly. “Just warning you that I’m not good at feelings and stuff. Anyway, what now?”
“Now you keep watch,” Darrell told Glory. “And try to shift back where people won’t see you.”
Next to him, Carrie stirred. “I’ll get Glory some clothes,” she said. “It’s the least I can do—you saved me. Or, well—you would have if it had been a killer instead of—instead of my werewolf father.”
Despite the quip, Carrie still sounded a little shaken. Darrell didn’t leave her side even once while he made a few quick calls.
Everything was sorted out quickly. As soon as Logan, Chris’s brother, heard what had happened, he agreed immediately to Darrell’s plan.
Darrell himself had helped with some of the work on the little annex to Logan’s farmhouse. As their family grew, the mated couple had continued to make friends in Linden Creek—and with the recent increase in shifter families when Darrell’s clan settled in the area, the family had wanted a space where they could host friends or family for the night.
The annex held a small bedroom paired with a generous living room and a bathroom with a shower large enough for two people. Furthermore, it had the sort of huge rain shower system that was perfect for washing mud off a bear shifter’s body after a long run in the forest.
It wasn’t the solitary cabin by the lake Carrie had been looking forward to—but it would give them a little more space than the room in the bed and breakfast. Most importantly, it was a two-hour drive from the town, which meant that it would be harder for the hired assassin to find out where they were hiding—and much easier for his clan to keep up a patrol without having any human observe them shifting by mistake.
***
“God, I’m tired,” Carrie sighed when she sat down on the bed. “I feel like I should be out there and doing something. Right now I’m just—I’m just hiding.”
“It’s only until we catch that guy,” Darrell said in reassurance. “But I know how you feel. The thought that someone intentionally pushed your car off that road—”
His inner bear roared once more, itching with the need to turn the forest upside down until they’d found the man who’d dared to do that to their mate.
We’re needed here, Darrell said silently. We need to protect our mate.<
br />
“You could go out, you know,” Carrie said, as though she’d read his thoughts. “I’ll be safe here. You’ve got all these people around...”
“Shifters.” Darrell looked instinctively towards the window. “My clan. All on your side. You might not see them, but they’re out here in the forest and the fields, all around the farm. We’ll hear the alarm if anyone gets close.”
He hesitated a moment as he remembered the conversation they’d had yesterday. So much had happened that they hadn’t even had time to talk since then. And if Carrie had felt overwhelmed yesterday, how much worse would it be today, now that she’d both gained a werewolf father and a hired assassin who was after her?
“You know... I’d like it if you stayed,” she said softly.
From her position on the bed, she looked up at him, then held out a hand.
Drawn towards her once more by the bond that stretched between them, Darrell took hold of her hand. Warmth washed over him, and he instinctively released a sigh. The feel of her skin against his own was reassuring—especially now that he knew that someone was still after her.
“I know I overwhelmed you with all the shifter talk,” he said quietly as he sat down next to her on the bed. “And I promise that you can have all the time you want. But I need to make sure that you’re all right. If I can just be your bodyguard until you’ve got this all figured out, that’ll be enough for me. But I need to know you’re safe.”
“My bodyguard,” she repeated, then smiled up at him, cheeks dimpling. “No—my bear guard. I like that. My own, sexy bear guard. My... my mate.”
Heat rushed through him at the sound of her words. He hadn’t dared to hope that she’d accept the bond between them so quickly, not when so many things had happened to her, turning her entire life upside down.
“You’re okay with it?” he asked hopefully, his heart pounding in his chest.
He would have waited for as long as it took—but right now, with the knowledge that someone out there wanted her dead, all he wanted was to take his mate into his arms and swear his eternal love and devotion.
It was what a bear was made for, after all. What good were his powerful body and his teeth and claws if he couldn’t protect the woman who was his heart’s soulmate?
“I was talking to Glory.” Carrie’s eyes were warm as she looked at him. “I’m no longer afraid of loving you. There are a lot of things I’m afraid of—the fact that there’s a killer after me, for one thing. But this bond between us—it feels right. And loving you is my choice. Nature doesn’t force me to want you. I want you—because you’re very charming when you want to be. And I like that you’re so honest. When you aren’t trying to protect me, that is.”
“I’m past that,” Darrell promised hoarsely. “No more shifter secrets to protect you from. From now I’ll only protect you from killers and the mob. I swear it.”
Carrie giggled. “I never thought I’d ever hear a man say that to me. So much for my old, peaceful small town life.”
Then she sighed and drew him closer. A shiver ran through Darrell when her arms wrapped around his neck. Her eyes gleamed at him.
“But I think... I think I might come to like this new life much better.”
Chapter Eleven: Carrie
Darrell was reassuringly warm in her arms. His body was hard, all corded muscles and firm planes, and when he held her tight, at last Carrie felt at peace. It was as if the heat of his skin against hers was enough to block out all the worries and upheaval of the past few days.
Here, in his arms, she was perfectly safe. Here, she was perfect just the way she was: the orphan who might not actually be an orphan, the cat shifter who hadn’t even known what she was.
Here, she was just Carrie. Just a woman. A woman who really, really wanted her man.
And as if to show her that this was in fact the only thing that mattered, new heat rushed through her as Darrell took hold of her face and kissed her.
He was gentle—at least he started out that way. At the first touch of their lips, passion surged. A minute later, Carrie found herself clutching at his bulging biceps, breathless and dizzy as her body throbbed with relentless need.
He was hard, too. She could feel it against her thigh. But most importantly, she knew.
Somehow, the awareness of his own arousal came trickling into her mind, like a distant echo, an emotion that wasn’t hers and which nevertheless belonged to her.
Is that the bond he was talking of?
It was intriguing—but right now, Carrie had other things on her mind.
She’d missed him. They’d only been apart a day, but now that she was in his arms once more, it was as if her need for him had doubled.
This is right. This is real. I want this, she thought, still surprised by the intensity of the emotions.
“Stay,” she said breathlessly. “Just—stay. I want to be yours. Your mate. In every way.”
Darrell groaned hoarsely. A moment later, she found herself on her back on the bed, Darrell bending over her with eyes that had gone dark with desire.
He wasn’t gentle when he stripped them—he was too far gone with need for that. But his skin was so hot it nearly seemed to burn her own, and the slide of those large, strong hands over her body was all she’d ever wanted.
Eagerly, she arched against him. His erection slid against her thigh, large and hard as steel. The contact was enough to make him groan again.
His hair was damp with sweat as he looked down at her. His eyes had gone from the familiar gold-brown to the black of pure passion. When she ran her hands over his back, his muscles were hard as stone. He was tense, tendons and muscles in hard relief.
She’d never wanted him more than she wanted him right now. The cat inside her was purring, and that felt right, too.
Her inner animal was a part of her, and this decision was right for both of them.
“If I take you now,” Darrell said, his voice little more than a sexy, deep growl that vibrated all through his body, “every shifter who looks at you will know that you are mine. My mate. Mine to love; mine to protect.”
“Yours,” Carrie sighed, tightening her arms around him to pull him closer. “Please.”
The muscles of his powerful body bunched as he slid inside her. He felt perfect—so perfect that it was almost unbearable.
He stretched her so that she cried out, tightening around him, her nails raking across his shoulders. And still he gave her more until the ecstasy of having him inside her was so complete that she had to close her eyes, throbbing around him.
With every thrust, he set off new sparks of pleasure. She could feel his hot skin slide against her own.
Her nipples were tight and aching, and she arched against him as much as she could. She wanted him—she needed him to claim her, to make this last forever, to mark her with his scent and with the heat of his touch.
Be mine, he whispered again, his voice deep and throaty.
It took Carrie a moment to realize that she’d heard his voice in her head, and that he hadn’t spoken out loud.
Still gasping for breath, she opened her eyes, meeting Darrell’s gaze. She was trembling, waves of pleasure continuously erupting at her core—but something was holding her back. Something...
Yours. Forever, she breathed silently, their eyes locked as she trembled at every thrust that fanned the fire inside her.
Your mate. Always.
Yours.
She couldn’t even say who’d spoken the final word. It was as if some curtain had lifted, and all of a sudden, they were touching—truly touching.
Not just skin to skin, but soul to soul.
He was inside her, his love and warmth and the scalding heat of his desire rushing into her soul until she felt full, until she was burning up with it, held trembling there at the pinnacle.
And then, like an irresistible wave, climax came crashing over her. She cried out, clutching at him as she trembled. Ecstasy coursed through her blood, her body arching agains
t him as the heat of his own release filled her with pulse after pulse.
And there, between them, the strange connection had sprung to full life.
She could feel his love, his happiness, and his ecstasy, pleasure intertwining and lifting her higher and higher. And then she came again, a second orgasm pulsing through her with so much force that it was almost painful, her inner walls clutching him tightly as she trembled in his embrace.
My mate, she whispered through the mate bond, a helpless smile appearing on her lips when his own love came flooding back.
She’d never felt safer than she was right now in his arms. Assassin or no—this was where she belonged.
***
Their hosts were called Logan and Lily, another mated pair, or so Carrie had learned on the drive to the farm. They had an adorable little boy called Lance, who was only a year old.
To Carrie’s relief, she learned that at the news of their coming, Logan and Lily had decided that Lance would spend the next day or two with Chris and Eve, and their own tiny daughter Jasmine. Carrie hated the thought of putting someone else in danger, but at the same time it was a relief to leave Linden Creek behind for now. And with any luck, the assassins would lose their trail now.
Lily had assembled a quick dinner for them, while Logan welcomed them before shifting and ambling off into the gloom in the large, intimidating form of his bear, helping to set up the patrol of shifters. And after all the excitement and the drive, Carrie was glad that they had the tiny guest house to retire to. So it wasn’t until the next morning that she truly began to get to know her hosts.
Logan was the sheriff’s brother. Carrie could see the resemblance in the lines of his face, and the easy reassurance with which he moved.
But perhaps that was a shifter thing—Darrell had that same easy confidence that had attracted her to him in the first place. It was probably pretty easy to walk around as if you owned the ground you stood on, if you could shift into a large bear with more muscles than five people combined.