Two for Protection

by Marissa Dobson

  “Courtney, you listen to me.” Tad turned slightly so she could look at him without moving Milo. “We’re not risking anything. I told you shifters are hard to kill. Nothing’s going to happen to us. Dealing with Jeffery here on our terms will free you. You’ll be able to live again without looking over your shoulder. This ends here and now.”

  “At what cost? When this is over, then what? How am I supposed to go back to my life in Texas? What about what has happened between us?” Questions poured off her tongue, and all she really wanted to hear was that things would be fine. That when things were finished with Jeffery, they would be there by her side. She had only known them a short time, but no longer could she picture her life without them.

  “There’s no cost, instead you’ll gain your freedom back.”

  Milo nodded against her shoulder. “Nothing is going to change between us, we’ll make this work. If you’re unwilling to stay in Alaska, I’m sure Tex would be grateful for the support in Texas as he tries to put the pieces of his clan back together.”

  She let them hold her, to feel the truth of their words not just in her heart but in her mind as well. To stop thinking and to trust what she was feeling from them would take time. Right now, she forced the thoughts away.

  “Things will work out.” She said the words aloud to convince herself; they already seemed to know.

  * * *

  With their mate safe in the study, Milo knelt by the front window with Tad beside him while Tate covered the back of the house. The waiting game was the worst. He tried to relax to keep his shoulder lose when all the muscles wanted to do was contract. The dual ache forming between his shoulder blades let him know he was using his shoulder too much too soon. Tension of the muscles wasn’t helping.

  “The calls you made earlier, were you able to find out anything else on Jeffery? Anything we can use against him?”

  He shook his head and glanced over at Tad. “The calls were for Ty. Seems the Minnesota Alpha isn’t thrilled with the idea of Tabitha being able to have say over how he runs his clan. He wants the Queen of the Tigers to leave him and his people alone.”

  “What did Ty expect from you?”

  “Calvin and I have some history. Ty thought I might be able to get through to him.”

  Tad’s eyes widened with surprise. “Did you?”

  Milo shook his head. “He’s not willing to discuss all of his concerns over the phone but I’m making headway. I’ll have to take a trip to Minnesota once we have Courtney safe. I was hoping the two of you would join me.”

  “A trip might be what Courtney needs.” Tad smiled. The connection between them allowed Milo to know Tad was thinking more about getting their mate in bed again than actually seeing Minnesota. “That’s if we can pry Lisa off her long enough. Lisa is pretty upset, since the two of them haven’t spoken much in months. Their bond was weak because Courtney was trying to spread her wings. This event might be just what they need to reconnect.”

  Snow crunched, forcing their attention to return to the window. Just inside the perimeter, a man crouched by the tree line. If it wasn’t for shifter vision, the man would have blended in almost perfectly.

  “There he is,” Milo said. Even with the distance, Jeffery’s exhaustion was clear. He leaned against the tree, his chest rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath. In his condition he was no match for a strong man, let alone three shifters.

  Tad brought his phone to his ear. “Dad, he’s here.” There was a brief pause before he replied. “Understood. Unless he makes a move, we’ll stand down.”

  “Stand down?” Milo couldn’t believe what he heard.

  “Dad and Sheriff Lutz are coming up behind him now. We can’t do anything until he’s closer anyway, and we can’t risk them getting hit by a stray bullet just to take him out.”

  “You’re just going to let him live? Do you think a man like that will leave Courtney alone just because he’s behind bars?” Milo was normally the calm one of the clan, willing to look at options other than eliminating the opposition. Not this time. This time he wanted Jeffery dead for his mate and for all the others he screwed with over the years, for the families of his victims.

  “He’ll die in prison. Locked up he won’t be a threat to her.”

  “You honestly believe that? You can’t believe he doesn’t have someone else willing to do his dirty work. I’m not going to let this danger hang over her head just so you don’t risk Devon’s anger. This is our mate we’re talking about.” Milo stood, his gun in hand. He was determined to see the man pay. For the first time in his life he was truly bloodthirsty.

  “You go out there with a gun with the search parties that close, and you’re going to get yourself hurt or worse. How is that going to help her? Think about this, man.” Tad turned to him. “Just see this play out. I guarantee he won’t be alive long enough to cause any more problems for anyone.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Do you honestly think Devon is going to do nothing? The sheriff and his men, including my father, know who Jeffery is.”

  He moved back next to Tad, and glanced out the window. “Are you saying they’ll kill him in cold blood?”

  “No. I’m saying that Dad has ways of provoking him. Jeffery will make a move and there will be no other option.” Tad nodded. “Watch.”

  “What if he doesn’t?”

  “Then we’ll take care of him once the sheriff has him in custody. Poison in his food would make it look natural. There’s no reason to bring attention to any of us.”

  “You’ve done this before?”

  “When something has to be done, yes. We’ve never killed an innocent. I believe this is how some of those rumors of the Brown family being assassins started. Let’s just say the previous generations methods weren’t so unnoticeable.” Tad must have seen Milo’s surprise. He added, “This isn’t any different then when your clan eliminated Victor. Protection of our kind and our mates is number one. You know that.”

  What Tad was suggesting teased along the lines of ethical, but when it came to protecting Courtney the lines weren’t so black and white. The clan had done this before, protecting their own and their secret. This was no different.

  Milo knelt back down by the window, watching as Devon’s large frame came out of the trees. The Sheriff was just a step behind, his hand on his weapon. Golden blond hair stuck out from underneath police hat. His frame was a touch leaner than Devon’s, but he was just as bulky. Both men were large and intimidating.

  “Tad…the sheriff?”

  “Lion shifter.”

  “Now I know why Devon works so well with him. Most would see his size and discount him on that. Another shifter wouldn’t. What’s a lion shifter doing in Alaska?”

  “Hiding.” Tad shot him a warning glance. “So keep it between us. Only Mom, Dad, and us boys know what Sheriff Leo Lutz is.”

  “Your family secrets are safe with me. Though I have to say it’s nice to have the sheriff as one of us. Too bad the Fairbanks sheriff isn’t a shifter,” Milo joked.

  The sheriff called out, and Milo wasn’t sure what he said. Even with his superb hearing, he couldn’t hear through glass. Only Jeffery’s reaction as he spun around, his gun raised, let Milo know the fun was about to begin. If things got out of hand, he was glad Courtney was safe on the other side of the house.

  Tad turned and whispered toward the kitchen. “Tate, join Turi with the women. Milo and I are going to assist the sheriff and my father.” Without a complaint, Tate did as he was told and snuck away from where he’d been watching out the back window. They heard a door open and then shut.

  “Let’s go out the side. Move quickly, but keep to the shadows and stay out of Jeffery’s sight.” Tad stood, keeping his gun in hand, his gaze on the window. “He’ll end this tonight by his own actions.”

  Milo hoped so; it would do a world of good for his mate to be able to put this whole thing behind her. Quinn would have to find another case to help make his career
because this wouldn’t be it. His mate was more important than his friend’s career. One day, Quinn would understand.

  Outside, wind rushed past him. Snow and ice hit him full force as they made their way toward what had turned into a shouting match.

  “Drop the gun!” Devon’s voice cut through the trees, sending Tad and Milo into overdrive.

  Milo skid to a halt as loose snow flew through the air a few feet away from the scene. Jeffery had his gun pressed against Sheriff Lutz’s temple, his eyes wide, desperation pouring from him. Milo aimed his gun, focusing on a kill shot.

  “If you don’t put down the gun you’ll die here,” Devon called out.

  “You’re alone and don’t have a chance. I have the upper hand. Let me get what I came for and I’ll be gone. No harm will come to him.” Jeffery pressed the gun harder against Leo’s head.

  A headshot would kill even the most powerful shifter, yet Leo remained still. Everyone knew it would never come to that. It was just a way to get Jeffery off his game and give them a reason to end the man’s life without looking like it was done in cold blood.

  “I’m never alone.” Devon nodded to Milo and Tad, who were both aiming at Jeffery.

  Jeffery glanced over at them.

  “Put the fucking gun down!” Tad hollered. The distraction gave Leo the opportunity he needed to jab his elbow into Jeffery’s stomach and get out of the man’s grip. The gun went off, hitting Devon in the shoulder. “Shit!”

  Milo and Tad fired nearly simultaneously. Bullets cut through Jeffery’s chest, sending him stumbling backward. Blood stained the snow red as he staggered back before falling.

  “Devon, are you okay?” Milo asked as he covered Tad, who was checking Jeffery for a pulse.

  “Bastard shot me.” Devon bitched, his fingers instantly going to his shoulder. “Ava’s going to be pissed I ruined another coat. Why don’t they ever shoot you, Leo?”

  “Guess I’m too quick for them.” Leo teased. “You’re just getting old, Devon.”

  “You’re full of shit.” Devon glared at Leo before turning to his son. “Is he dead?”

  Tad nodded and holstered his gun. The muscles in his shoulders were tense with unspent energy.

  They had been looking forward to a fight. Now it was over and the beasts within them refused to be sated. Milo slid his gun into his shoulder holster and looked to Leo. “Sheriff, I’d like to let Courtney know she’s safe.”

  “Go ahead. You too, Tad. I’ll need an official statement, but that can wait. Get back to your mate and let her know this is over. We’ll be traipsing through Lisa’s property for some time yet, but at least everyone’s safe and no one shifted.” Leo nodded to Devon. “You have to wait. With the others not far behind, you can’t shift now. You’ll have to let the medic attend to you and then you can go meet her.”

  “It would be better if no one got hurt,” Devon complained, causing Tad to roll his eyes at his father before he started back to the house.

  “Devon, you’re worse than a woman. A little bullet wound won’t kill you.” Leo growled.

  “Sadly enough, I don’t feel relieved that it’s over. I needed more action. That bastard should have suffered the terror he inflicted on her.” Tad growled, stopping on his way to the house.

  “I know the feeling. My beast wants to be let out. The important thing is she’s safe. How about we burn this energy off with our mate?” Milo suggested.

  “I can’t think of anything better.”

  That idea seemed to please Tad. It sure did wonders for Milo.

  Chapter Eleven

  Courtney sat by the fireplace in the study, her legs pulled under her as dread coursed through her. What would she do if something happened to them? Everything in her demanded she go to them. It was her fight and she should be out there. Turi stood by the door blocking her passage. Even Tate was near the window, stopping her from trying to peek outside for any sight of what might be happening.

  “I can’t just sit here.” She stood and began pacing the small area. The walls seemed to close in around her as the minutes passed.

  “There’s nothing you can do. They would just be distracted making sure you were safe, so just sit down. I know my brother, he’ll be back soon.” Turi tried to reassure her. “How about I tell you about the time Taber, Thorben, and Tad snuck off the island. They took Dad’s boat, thinking they’d never be caught and tried to come over to the mainland.”

  “What happened?”

  “Not much. They watched something on the news about a club in Anchorage, and thought Nome must have one they just didn’t know about. They weren’t too smart back then, and sure as hell not very quiet. Dad heard them, but instead of stopping them he followed with his brother.” Turi chuckled before continuing. “They took the boat back, leaving my idiot brothers stranded.”

  “How did they get home?”

  “Leo called Dad,” Tad said, opening the door.

  Uninterested in the rest of the story, she ran to him, wrapping her arms around him. “You’re okay!” Tears streamed down her face. “Where’s Milo?”

  “Right here, darling.” Milo stepped out of Tad’s shadow, wrapping his arms around her. “I told you everything would be fine.”

  “Jeffrey?”

  “Dead. He’s no longer a threat to you,” Tad whispered before pressing his lips to hers.

  “Devon was shot in the shoulder. He’ll be up once the medics attend to him.” Milo took the hands of his mates and led them toward the door. “If you’ll excuse us.”

  She allowed herself to be led away, her heart fluttering. Everything was over, and her life was changing—hopefully in a good way. Weeks ago when all this started, all she could think about was getting her life back, getting back to her job. Now work seemed unimportant. No longer did she care about chasing down the hottest stories in the name of news. All she knew was she wanted her future to include a lot of time with these two men—naked.

  The hallway seemed smaller, trying to squeeze down it with two bulky bodies on each side of her. Occasionally an elbow would bump against the wall as they tore off their clothing. Tad’s shirt was the first to go because there wasn’t a shoulder holster to worry about. Followed closely by hers.

  By the time they made it to the bedroom door, she was out of breath and every ounce of her screamed for them. She turned into Milo’s body after he sat his gun and holster on the dresser, tugging at the buttons of his shirt. Meanwhile, Tad pressed against her back, his shaft hard against the crest of her butt as he kissed a path along her shoulder and up the nape of her neck.

  Milo’s hand tangled in her hair, pulling her close to him as he claimed her mouth. The underlying tension that had tightened her men since she met them was gone. Relief that it was over, and she was all theirs without any danger lurking, relaxed them. Exploring his mouth, she realized just how much she enjoyed the connection. It let her feel what they were feeling, keeping her completely in tune.

  Her soft moan was muffled only by Milo’s mouth as she reached back to touch Tad, her hand gliding along the side of his chest. The hardness of his muscles made her want to turn to him and explore them, to run her fingers along the groves, to feel them constrict as his excitement grew.

  Tad unhooked her bra, sliding it down her arms before his fingers found her nipples. Breaking the kiss she threw her head back in pleasure, resting it on Tad’s chest. Never before had her nipples held such sensitivity. They felt like a direct like to her core, sending a burning fire of need through her.

  “Please, I need you…”

  “Who do you need?” Milo asked, a joyful light in his eyes letting her know he was pleased she was enjoying herself.

  “Both of you. Take me…however you please.” Earlier, she’d thought one would tire of her eventually, that there was no way she could divide her attentions equally between them. In that moment, she knew it didn’t matter. They’d find a way to make it work, because it was what they wanted. She wanted them, both of them, in every way
.

  “Mate, you have too much clothing on.” Milo reached down and unsnapped her jeans, tugged them off her, and gently pushed her back onto the bed.

  Landing with a flop, she wasn’t surprised when the mattress depressed on each side of her. Surrounded by their naked bodies, she reached out to them only to have Tad capture her wrists in one of his large hands.

  “Lay back,” Tad ordered, slipping his hand between her legs. His finger slipped between her folds, finding the bundle of nerves and teasing them gently. Milo cupped her breasts and gently swirled his thumbs against the hard buds, pinching them. Pain mingled with pleasure and her back arched.

  Sparks fired inside her. The sensations collided, sending her head spinning as desire rushed through her. Her legs shook as Tad brought her closer to climax. She sought it with everything she had, wiggling against his hand, searching for the final touch that would send her over the edge.

  “Oh no you don’t.” Tad placed his hands on her hips and rolled her over to slip between her legs. “I want to watch you take Milo while I’m inside of you. I want to feel your orgasm as your muscles tighten around me.” He lined up behind her and she shuddered with the contact as he thrust into her from behind, his hips slapping against her ass. Her core ached from their earlier eagerness, making her so sensitive she nearly came again.

  Liquid heat melted through her and she stretched out a hand to caress the length of Milo’s shaft.

  “Come here,” she whispered, pulling gently on his manhood.

  He slid down in front of her until she was able to take him into her mouth. Drunk on the need to have them both, she swirled her tongue around the tip, sucking it hard, forcing a groan from him. Drawing him into her, he reached down to cup the back of her head, speeding her pace.

  As Tad pounded into her, she was able to take Milo’s entire length into her mouth, working back and forth until their bodies sang together in perfect harmony. Waves of ecstasy engulfed them, and Milo was the first to cry out as he filled her mouth with cum. She writhed beneath Tad, swallowing Milo’s juices as another wild climax spiraled through her. Moments later, Tad cried out as he slammed home a final time and came, filling her.