by Celia Kyle
She was ready to go home.
Instead of allowing her to escape, Isaac drew her toward the heavy scents of cooking meat and she realized he’d brought her to the grill area. In no time she was settled on a picnic table bench, Isaac at her side. Others lurked nearby but didn’t encroach.
Well, almost. The delicate scent of blooming flowers reached her, and they reminded her of the first hints of spring. That was overlaid by the aromas of dirt and boy.
“Hi, Kira. Mim said I couldn’t say it before, but she’s not here and you smell like prey. Didja know you smell like prey? You do, but Mim said you’re not for eating because you’re wereprey.” The boy’s voice was a tinkling alto, high-pitched and innocent despite his macabre words.
“Parker!” Mia’s gasp told her the woman was nearby.
“What? That’s what you said.” The child harrumphed and fell silent for a moment. “Can I play with Ebenezer? I’m doing real good with playing and I haven’t eaten Sophia, yet. Hey, how come he got away with going after Vanessa? He’s not a were-anything, and he almost got to eat a werebear.”
“Parker Abrams,” Mia, aka the not-very-good organizer of kitchen pans, hissed at Parker. Abrams. As in Isaac Abrams and Ty Abrams and… Those Abrams.
Dear God, just days ago in her home, she whined and complained to an Abrams. Hell, she put the woman to work!
An Abrams.
The boy, obviously Parker, sighed. “Can I play with him? You can’t see me because you’re a little bit blind, but I’ll be good.”
The trembles of Isaac’s body told her the man was shaking with laughter or anger. Considering the sweet-filled scent coming from him, he was amused by Parker’s words and not the least bit worried.
Well, she was worried. Worried as hell. What had the woman shared with the family? Hell, what had Kira shared with her?
“Yes, you can play with Ebenezer PalffleSnowfle, but you have to give him back before we leave and you need to remember he’s a real dog. Not a weredog.” Kira smiled widely, the little boy’s whoop of excitement was enough to banish any lingering distress from her confrontation with the woman.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to banish the renewed panic over the fact she was near Mia Abrams. The woman who’d helped her unpack became someone else with the knowledge she was an Abrams.
Isaac’s warmth invaded her, his shoulder brushing hers as he leaned close. “I thought it was Hufflesnuffle.”
She grinned and shrugged, ignoring the mounting worry. “When I rescued him they claimed he was a purebred, and he had a first, last, and middle name. I totally forgot the middle, and most of the last, but he doesn’t seem to mind.”
Listening to the pup’s barks echoed by the tiny roars and squeaks told Kira the dog couldn’t care less.
More warmth surrounded her, shadows blocking out the brightness of the sun and an inhale clued her in on the newcomers and their relation to the man at her side. As did Isaac’s warning, rumbling growl.
“What do you want, Ty? Don’t glare at Kira.”
The tallest of the shadows shifted in place, weight moving from one foot to the other. She didn’t feel any animosity or anger from the male. Which meant… she could be herself. At this point, there wasn’t much more she could do to give them a bad opinion of her, so she didn’t censor herself. Between the confrontation with the were-bitch and whatever she’d shared with Mia…
“Isaac,” she released a faux whisper, lowering her voice a tiny bit and softening her words. “He can glare all he wants.”
A sense of satisfaction from Ty hit her and she inwardly smiled.
“No—”
“Of course, he can. He’s the Itan, right?” Another wave of cocky happiness. “Besides, it’s not like I can see him. He’s just wasting the effort.” She turned her blurred gaze to the Itan. She’d have to find the brass balls she grew when living with Alpha Asshole and dust them off. Fake it ‘til you make it. “You should really try and smell angry. Actually being angry would help. Do you want me to show you how? First you—”
A woman’s tinkling laugh overlaid Kira’s words, and the large men were pushed aside by a small, brightly dressed woman. Her joy was palpable and Kira found herself smiling in response.
“Take that, Ty Abrams. Your stares are as effective on her as they are on me.” With that, the woman blew a raspberry. “Pft. Move along now. Women talk and all that.”
The grumbling men backed away, mumbling about interfering women and ruining their fun. She wondered when it’d become fun to frighten females and the words sent a stuttering unease through her.
“Kira?” Isaac leaned toward her, keeping his voice to a murmur.
“Maybe this was a bad idea.” She didn’t give him a reason, didn’t want to get into why his brother’s words upset her.
He stroked her forearm, sliding his fingers over her skin until he twined their fingers together. “Wanna tell me why?”
“Not really.”
At all. Ever. She’d left all that drama-llama crap behind with her old pack. Did she truly believe the men in Isaac’s clan were that mean? No. Well, not really anyway. The ones she’d encountered so far had been nice. Well nice-ish. That one guy had been scary, but Mia took care of him. And now that she knew who Mia was, the guy’s fear made sense.
“Kira.”
She lifted her head and focused on him, wishing she could see his face and gauge the expression that passed over his features. Instead, she got a vague outline of brown eyes, sharp cheekbones, a strong jaw and lips that were definitely closed. In a frown?
“I’d like to go home, Isaac. Please.” Knowing his brothers were kidding and trusting them were two very different things.
Silence enveloped them and she wondered if he’d agree or push her feelings aside. In less than a second, she had her answer. “Okay then, lemme get Ebenezer and say goodbye to my parents. Will you be okay for a minute?”
“I…”
The nearby woman suddenly drew her attention. She’d completely forgotten about the female who’d driven off the brothers. No hint of desire or arousal came from the female. No, Kira only found the essence of one of Isaac’s brothers clinging to her. A mate? “Hey, Isaac. I was sent on reconnaissance since it’s not like you’ll talk to Ty, Van, and Keen. Plus, everyone assumes you’ll walk on eggshells with me. ‘Cause, you know, me.” The unknown woman scented vaguely of bear and… hyena? Weird.
Isaac’s huff of annoyance brought a small grin to her lips and earned her a teasing growl. “What’s got you smiling?”
Kira shrugged. “Just the fact I’m not the only one who makes you snarl like that.”
“I’ll show you a snarl.” He upped the volume, attempting to sound threatening when her nose told her the truth. Attraction eased from him and she knew, without a doubt, it was all for her.
She leaned close, ignoring the woman. When Isaac was nearby, she couldn’t focus on anything but him. With his attention on her, she didn’t think that was a bad thing.
“You should try to grab the emotions that go with the sound, otherwise I’m gonna think you’re nothing but a big pussy cat.”
“Pussy cat?” The intruding female snorted. “Pussy cat? Isaac? How about vicious? Or deadly. You should hear how he tore into—”
The lid on his playful happiness slammed shut and not a single emotion escaped him and drifted toward her. He was a blank slate and that, more than anything, worried her. “Trista, we’re leaving. Can you let the family know?”
With that, Isaac hauled her from the bench and tugged her along.
Trista sputtered and called after them. “What about food? And Mia wanted to—”
“I’m perfectly capable of feeding Kira and we’ll catch up with everyone else later.” The words were tossed at Trista and his retreat didn’t slow.
He pulled her back toward the house while he yelled for Ebenezer to come. She could have told him the dog wouldn’t abandon his fun for anyone but her and even then, the animal’s respo
nse was fifty-fifty.
Except Ebie listened to him since suddenly a warm, wet tongue lapped at her fingers.
All right, then.
Within moments they were back in his car, the engine rumbling once again as the vehicle tore down the clan house’s driveway and onto the road. Wind whipped her hair, and the breeze brought a feeling of joyful freedom to her heart. It made her forget about the reason she’d wanted to leave the party as well as what pushed Isaac to suddenly change his mind about staying.
Something had them both… running. There was no other explanation for their reactions. She knew why she ran scared, but what about Isaac?
She hoped he’d trust her enough to tell her. Even more, she hoped she could trust him enough to tell him.
She also hoped they could get Ebie out of the car before he pissed all over Isaac’s seats. The outlook was not good.
Chapter Six
It’d been a damned week since the thwarted barbeque from hell and Kira decided if Isaac could invade her space, she could invade his. Though, if she were honest, his invasion was probably in response to her first one, and now she was perpetuating the invasion circle of life…
It didn’t matter. The man had burst into her backyard, gardened with her, and then allowed his mother to shout her wishes to the treetops as he dragged her through a family barbeque. Then he’d had the gall, the gall, to drop her at her front door with a fast goodbye.
Was there a mention of the mother-in-law stuff? Or mentions of how it’d be straightened out since they were not friends with benefits or mates? No.
No explanations for anything. Not even a handful of lame excuses. Yes, she’d been uncomfortable due to his brother’s words and asked to leave, but she hadn’t said, “Hey, abandon me.”
It was time for a “come to Jesus” meeting. Past time. The man owed her, and she was collecting. Who did he think he was? Hugging her and offering to help her straighten out her kitchen situation.
Ha!
Another thing to add to her list of annoyances.
Kira counted her steps, Ebenezer at her side as she traversed her front porch and pathway. All she had to do was repeat Isaac’s name to the dog and then they were off, Ebie pausing beside a nearby gate. She breathed deeply and smiled when she found the man’s aroma surrounding the area.
She fumbled with the latch, tugging it until the metal granted her entrance to Isaac’s yard. She wasn’t quite sure what she was gonna do when she found him, but if he did nothing but make a phone call and got her what she needed, she’d consider them even.
No, he needed to get the mate-not-mate situation handled as well.
Ebenezer nudged her, announcing an impending obstacle, and she slowed her rapid pace. Stairs. The rough outline filled her vision, and she carefully stepped on them. She counted as she went, remembering the number from her last visit. It’d been two weeks since that fateful, box-breaking, pee-laden day. A week since she’d last spoken with him.
The rumble of his car told her he’d arrived home, and he wasn’t about to hide from her now.
A few more steps brought her to his front door and before she could chicken out, she banged on the wood panel.
No answer.
Ha! He thought he could hide. She wasn’t sure why he was hiding—what did she do to send the man scurrying away—but promises were promises.
Kira knocked again, hitting a smidge harder and ignoring the sting that came from her actions. That was his fault too.
When there was, yet again, no answer, Ebie got in on the action, scratching lightly at the panel.
“Isaac! I know you’re in there!” She needed to get to him while righteous indignation filled her. Otherwise she’d apologize for bothering him and scurry away. Maybe shift and hide in her garden. She could stay there for days. Weeks even. She’d dropped a crap-ton of earthworms shortly after tilling her garden and her mole couldn’t wait to feast on them.
No. Nope. Not happening. She had to be strong. And angry. The fury was slowly slipping away, and she clung to the emotion, determined to keep it hanging around.
The ground beneath her vibrated, the pounding of steps sounding from inside the home, and she realized she’d finally attracted his attention.
Was she still annoyed enough to give him a piece of her mind? Yes. She could do this.
Kira tasted the surrounding air, and the clean scents of Isaac had her mole dancing and squeaking for him. Oh yeah, the man had also denied her a single moment of peace with her inner animal.
Another strike against him. The beastie wouldn’t let go of Isaac’s promise to help her even after the kitchen was cleaned up.
Stupid stubborn mole.
The click and scrape of locks being twisted and turned reached her a bare moment before the squeaking grate of oil-craving hinges hit her. Then she was filled with Isaac, with his natural flavors and sweet musk. Even better, the aroma was crisp and clean, unhindered by any deodorant or cologne. A shower. He’d been in the shower which meant what surrounded her was all Isaac.
And he wasn’t wearing a shirt. A glance below his waist and the swath of dark blue covering his hips and thighs had her imagining he’d only donned a towel before answering her knocks.
A whimper escaped her lips and she really, really hated that her vision was so screwed up. She’d love to trace the lines of his body with her gaze, focus on the ridges of muscle that she knew he possessed. Well, knew in an abstract sense, anyway.
The handful of times he’d held her, he felt firm. And she knew from her own experiences that shifters tended to be rock solid muscle and strength.
But she wasn’t concerned about shifters in general. Nope, her focus was on the freshly showered, half-naked werebear before her.
“Kira?” His voice was deep and husky, and it went straight to the happy pink parts of her body. She’d had days upon days to gather a few naughty fantasies and they seemed to rush forward with the throaty word. “Is something wrong?”
The concern was readily evident, but she was still having trouble with the thinking part of her brain. She was too preoccupied with wondering if Isaac had man-noms.
Kira had laughed at Zoey when she’d first heard the term. The woman went into detail about a man’s hips and the sexy line that seemed carved into his body. When the she-wolf saw that sensual spot, she’d wanted to nibble and lick there. Basically, she wanted to “nom” on that part of her man. Man-noms.
Did he have them?
She stared at the edge of his towel, at his hips, fighting to see anything that’d confirm her hopes. Unfortunately, she was still a little of a lot blind.
Dammit, man.
“Kira?” His repeat of her name had more concern attached, and she forced herself to meet his gaze. Any longer and she would have drooled all over herself. “Did you need something?”
Did she need something… Did she…
“Oh!” She glared and pointed at him. “Yes. You.”
Isaac took a step back, and she had no doubt he was surprised at her tone. “Me? What’d I do?”
She ceased pointing at him and instead used her fingers to count off the reasons she was annoyed. “You broke into my backyard.”
“After you invaded my house,” he countered.
Yeah, she knew that first point wasn’t very sound. “You weaseled into my garden.”
“I helped, though.”
Kira kept her glare in place. Yeah, that point was good, too. “You followed me into the house and when I ended up with pans everywhere, you promised to help me wash them and put them away. Do you know how many of them ended up back on the floor, collapsing from the stacks you created? Lots.”
His flinch told her he felt bad about that one. Good.
“And then.” She was on a roll now. She had this rant going, and the rage-train wasn’t stopping until she was done. “Then your mother is all about pretty eyes and gorgeousness and family gatherings and mother-in-law. And Parker eating the dog. And what the hell did Mia tell you all a
bout me? And…” she kept ticking off her issues, finally losing count and huffing in frustration. “You left me and never came back.”
Well, there was the crux of the matter and the source of her… hurt. Not frustration, not annoyance, not even anger. Hurt. He’d… and the brief holds… and the family…
The rush of spending time with him let her hopes rise a tiny bit and then they’d crashed into a pile of broken almost-dreams. She admitted she’d pulled away due to her own insecurities and his brother’s words. But why had he?
“Kira…”
“No, I’m not done.” Well, she was done, but she had a feeling he’d kick her out since his tone didn’t leave her with a very optimistic feeling in her gut. “The point I’m getting around to is that you,” she wracked her brain for something that didn’t sound too insane, “you didn’t feed me.”
Way to call attention to food, and thus, the size of your ass, Kira.
Too late to pull the words back now.
His body shook, frame kinda trembling, and she wrinkled her nose. “Are you laughing or cold?”
“Damn, Kira. You don’t make it easy, do you?”
“I’m very easy,” she snapped and winced. “Okay, not that kind of easy. Dammit.”
Now his laughs burst from his chest and he reached for her, fingers encircling her wrist and tugging her forward. She allowed him to pull her, then her shoe had to get caught on the doorsill, which sent her tumbling… right into the half-dressed Isaac. Isaac without a shirt, water still clinging to his chest. She splayed her hands on his abs, catching herself, but she also let her touch wander a tiny bit south and…
Boom. Man-noms.
She wanted to trace them with her fingers, her tongue. Instead, she fumbled and pushed and managed to stagger herself upright.
“Oh, God, I’m so sorry.”
His hands were busy tugging at his towel, securing it around his waist and she whimpered when he pulled it higher.
Buh-bye, man-noms.
Still chuckling, Isaac took two steps and then he was before her, his heat enveloping her in a warm, moist embrace. She was tempted to lean into him, to pretend to fall again and cop a feel. Instead, she remained in place and enjoyed his nearness.