by Olivia Gayle
God, were those freaking tears pricking her eyes?
When had she turned into such a ninny?
They both stayed silent as they climbed in the car. Ever stared out the window, watching the houses and stores as she went past.
It really was a cute little town.
Fingers laced through hers, and she looked back to see Aidan hand in her own. He kept his eyes on the road, but lifted it to his lips and laid a kiss on the back of her wrist.
Pressing her lips together to contain a smile, Ever resumed looking back out the window, trying to ignore the kernel of hope shining in her heart.
*
Julian Murphy was a smug asshole on the best of days. He was downright unbearable on his worst.
He was seated in the chair next to Mac’s desk, but rose to his feet when Aidan and Ever entered. “Why, Sheriff Tucker,” he said, his voice oilier than snake shit. “What a pleasure to see you again.”
Aidan wanted to knock the smirk off his face, but settled for ignoring the other man’s outstretched hand. “You said he had information,” he said to Mac.
The female deputy shook her head. “He wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“Oh no, I wanted to go straight to the source.” His smile had too many teeth, all straight and white. “Cut out the middle man, make sure you had all the pertinent information.”
Aidan’s answering grin might have shown more fang than necessary, but was just as fake otherwise. This close, it would be so easy to sock the other man in the jaw. “How thoughtful,” he said instead, keeping his tone bland.
“And this must be your new mate.” Julian turned to look at Ever, his grin widening. “I’ve heard so much about you, my dear, all good things I assure you.”
Alarm bells went off inside Aidan’s head. He growled, stepping in front of Ever. “What do you want, Julian?” he asked, his voice low and rumbly.
Apparently, the bear wanted a go at the other man too.
“Why, I’m trying to be polite, Sheriff.” Julian’s face was the epitome of innocence, unless you looked at his eyes. They held a calculating light that had every muscle in Aidan’s body tightening, ready to spring.
“Aidan.” A small voice came from behind his back, and Ever laid a hand on his arm. “What’s he talking about?”
He looked back at her, at a loss for words. Her earlier words rang through his brain: Your mating system sucks. He couldn’t tell her like this, but he couldn’t make himself deny it either.
Unfortunately, Julian had no such compunctions. “Why, didn’t you know, my dear? You’re his mate, tied to him for eternity.” Julian’s grin was wide like the Cheshire Cat’s, full of teeth and malice.
“Congratulations.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“You’re lying.”
The words were out of Ever’s mouth before she could think about it. She turned and looked at Aidan, staring up into his face. “Tell him he’s wrong. I’m not your mate, we’re just… Tell him he’s wrong, Aidan.”
Nearby, one of the deputies coughed at her words, but nobody else said a thing. Aidan’s mouth worked, his eyes silently pleading, and an aching revelation came to Ever.
He believed it too.
“I’m human,” she exclaimed, backing away from him. “I’m not like you guys, I’m…I have a choice in who I love, dammit!”
Aidan reached out for her, but she danced away from him. “Ever, please.”
“No.” She leveled a finger at him. “No way, you tell him he’s wrong, tell me that you don’t believe this. I get to choose who it is I love, goddammit!”
Didn’t I?
Something rippled across Aidan’s face, and he turned his head to look at Julian. “You son of a bitch!”
Ever gasped, falling sideways as Aidan threw himself at the man in the suit, Changing instantly. The sheriff’s uniform tore at the seams, brown hair sprouting across his body.
“Finally,” Julian murmured, his voice garbled as he did the same, fur erupting from his skin as he met the other man’s charge with his own. What was probably an expensive suit was shredded in an instant as a black panther, its eyes bright yellow, collided with the bear.
Ever and the rest of the room's human occupants fell back as the two animals tore at one another. It was immediately obvious to onlookers that the strength the bear was matched by the agility of the panther: Aidan couldn't move fast enough to land a blow, but Julian's strikes didn't faze the bear.
Ever backed up until she was at the exit. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about her, watching instead the battle that was tearing up the office. A far table all but exploded as the panther was thrown into it, glass shattering and black coffee spraying over the ground. Nobody was stepping in to help, although Mac was in a corner near Ever, cellphone to her ear.
Her butt hit the metal bar across the door, and she pushed it open and rushed outside. Mac's voice called her name but she ignored it. The bear roared its anger and rage again, answered by a similar yowl from the panther.
Ever's head swam. This was all too much strangeness. She'd been so sure she could handle it, but it was like she'd been thrown in the middle of a safari. She staggered down the stairs, trying to decide which way to run, when a maroon car pulled up behind her.
"Ever?"
She whirled at her name to see Aidan's mother step out of the car. The woman—thank God!—was in human form, and peered at Ever, concern in her eyes. "Honey, where's..."
Another yowl from the panther rent the air, and Ever jumped. Eleanor's head turned sharply toward the answering roar, and her lips thinned. "Come on," she said, her voice tight, "get in the car."
Ever wasted no time accepting the invitation. She'd barely closed the door when the panther crashed through the police department doors, bouncing once on the stairs before finding its feet. It looked ragged, blood pouring from one shoulder, but that didn't seem to slow it down. It hissed toward the entrance as Aidan's bear charged outside straight toward the black feline.
The cat dodged, spring sideways then back onto the bear. Aidan swung at it with one thick paw and the panther went flying. Momentarily dismissing his attacker, the bear lifted up its nose and smelled the air, then turned and stared straight at Ever.
She cringed back from the window, and saw the bear cock its head to one side. It wuffled at her, taking a step toward the car, and Ever froze, uncertain what to do.
"My son is an idiot sometimes." Eleanor stuck the car into gear and hit the gas. Tires spun briefly as they shot past the duo of animals just as the panther was launching itself in the air again.
A wordless cry of warning rose up in Ever's throat, ultimately unvoiced as they sped past. She immediately turned in her seat to see them tangling again, but seconds later that view was obscured by a tall hedge.
"That fight has been brewing for a while." The older woman sounded annoyed, but reached over and patted Ever's knee reassuringly. "It'll serve him right if I kidnap his mate for a little while."
"I'm not his..." Ever trailed off, staring out the car window miserably. "I don't know what that means," she said in a small voice.
"What, being his mate? It just means you two are compatible. Certainly doesn't give him the right to put you in danger like that." She glanced at Ever. "Why, what did you think it meant?"
Ever shrugged. "Julian made it sound like..." She trailed off again, unsure how to proceed.
Eleanor snorted. "If my son is an idiot, then Julian's a dumbass. Come on, let's get you something to eat and we can talk."
"But Aidan..."
"Will be fine, trust me. I’ll make you breakfast, bet my boy hasn’t even fed you yet. Leave them to their dominance displays and I'll answer any and all question you might have. Deal?"
Ever's stomach rumbled at the reminder of breakfast. If his mother trusted Aidan to survive, then Ever could at least do the same. Plus, it would be nice to have some actual straight answers once and for all.
"Deal."
*
The bear roared in protest and started after the car, only to have the panther land on its back again. The sharp claws dug in, teeth closing around the back of Aidan's neck. The teeth barely penetrated—all the cat got was a mouthful of fur and fat—but Aidan redirected all his rage toward Julian.
He dropped and rolled, taking the cat with him. When Julian went to leap away, Aidan shot out a paw and grabbed the large panther around the middle, dragging it down and beneath the bear. The panther drew its back legs beneath the bear and clawed desperately at the unprotected belly even as Aidan pressed down on the cat's rib cage, allowing his bulk and gravity to slowly crush the cat.
"Freeze."
Every muscle in Aidan's body seized up, unable to move. The single word held enough command to almost stop his heart. Beneath him, Julian ceased his struggles too, wheezing beneath the weight of the giant bear.
"Let him go."
There was no denying this voice. Aidan reared up, releasing the panther from his grip and backing away. The black cat rolled quickly to its feet, crouching low to pounce again.
"No."
It was Julian's turn to freeze in place. He didn’t look so good; blood poured from a wound atop his skull where Aidan’s claws had managed to leave a furrow of red lines. Still, his ears were laid back and, judging by the narrowed eyes, he wasn’t ready to stop the fight. But there was no denying the power holding them in place.
The Brahm walked up and surveyed the two of them. He was still fully human, thin glasses perched atop his nose. His style of dress was very old world, as if he'd walked out of a painting from the twenties. Aidan’s father had changed with the times in some ways, but still kept the bits and styles he liked.
Marshall looked from one animal to the other, then said in a low voice, "Change back."
The bear receded at those words, roaring its protest but unable to fight the leader. Julian completed his change first, staggering to his feet. Blood covered his skin, and his ribs were deep purple from bruises. Aidan was similarly affected, his belly scratched bloody by the cat's frantic clawing.
"Now, will someone tell me why a banker and the Sheriff of our little town are brawling in the streets?”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Julian spoke up first. "I was merely congratulating Aidan here on finding his mate," he said, glaring at the other naked man, "and he attacked me—"
Marshall made a small flick of the wrist, and Julian's words choked off. His eyes widened, mouth working in furious silence, as the Brahm turned to the peanut gallery that had formed in front of the police station. "Perhaps I can get the truth," he placed special emphasis on that word, "from somebody else?"
"Mr. Murphy claimed to have information about a recent death." Mac stepped down to the street, stopping ten feet from the Brahm. The woman looked at Marshall's chest, not meeting his eyes as she continued in a shaky voice. "He wanted to talk to Sheriff Tucker first, said he knew something about Kevin Reynolds.”
Marshall studied the shorter woman, then moved toward her with sure steps. She went rigid but did nothing as the Brahm picked took her wrists and studied the still-healing pink skin on her hands. "You tried to save him."
Mac's shoulders drooped, her eyes turning sad. "He was so young, barely even twenty. We all make mistakes when we’re that young, but he didn't deserve to die for his."
The Brahm didn't answer as Marcus came up behind her. The other man met Marshall's eyes for a brief moment before looking away too, and the Brahm let Mac's hands go. He turned to Julian. "Tell us your information." He stepped in close, meeting the other man's eyes. "It better be good."
Anger twisted Julian's features, and Aidan could see him try, and fail, to hold the other man's gaze. His eyes dropped, but the scowl remained. "Kevin Reynolds came into my bank two months ago looking to buy some property outside the city limits.”
“Did you loan him money?”
“Hell no. I didn’t even let him fill out the paperwork.” He glanced at Aidan, hatred in his eyes, and tipped up one corner of his lips in a humorless smile. “I’m very good at reading people; I can tell immediately what makes them tick. Much like how I knew your mate didn’t know the truth as to your relationship.”
Aidan’s lips curled back and he growled, the sound a deep rumble in his throat. Try as he might, however, he couldn’t move a muscle toward the other man; the Brahm’s powers held him in place. “And you wonder why I sent my sister away from you,” he snarled.
The smirk on Julian’s face fell away immediately, and it was his turn to fight the invisible restraints. “She was my mate, you bastard!”
“Enough.”
One word from the Brahm left both men silent and fuming, glaring at one another. Marshall, however, didn’t seem to even notice the tension. “Please continue, Mr. Murphy,” he said, turning back to Julian. “I’m assuming you were about to get to the real information?”
Muscles ticked in Julian’s jaw, but he nodded. “When I found out Kevin was dead, on a hunch I researched that property. Not long after Mr. Reynolds left my bank, it was purchased by a Robert Hendrix.”
Marshall’s eyes narrowed, and his head cocked to the side in thought. “Give us the address, Mr. Murphy, and you’re free to go with our thanks.”
Julian stepped forward, and the Brahm’s head snapped to look at the naked banker. The werepanther’s body halted midstep, but from his expression he was obviously fighting the compulsion. “Please,” he managed through gritted teeth, “I need to see her.”
“Anna Landry is off limits.” Marshall’s gaze bored into Julian’s, but neither man would look away. “Where she is now, you can’t touch her unless you want to forfeit your life.”
“She’s my mate,” Julian raged, obviously struggling for the words. “You can’t keep me away from her!”
Marshall stepped in until he was nose-to-nose with Julian. “Watch me.”
The other man’s hands curled to fists, muscles bulging on his slender frame as if he wanted to hit the Brahm. Marshall just stood there, completely relaxed, his gaze boring into Julian’s until the other man finally relented. Julian sagged, his eyes dropped to the ground, and he stepped away.
Immediately, Aidan felt the compulsion that held him in place fade away. Julian’s gaze found him again, and he could see the hatred in the other man’s eyes, but the fight was gone. Aidan accepted a pair of thin pants from Mac and watched as Julian stalked back up the stairs into the Sheriff’s office. A couple of onlookers eyed his naked body appreciatively, but the other man didn’t seem to care. He came back a moment later, carrying the tattered remains of his clothing, and presented a small folded piece of paper to the Brahm. “Here you are, your majesty.”
Marshall’s arm snaked out and, fast as lightening, he lifted Julian up into the air and slammed him onto the concrete sidewalk. The edge of the slab cracked at the impact, and several people nearby jumped. Aidan moved toward the duo but stopped as Marshall knelt slowly down beside the prone Julian. The banker’s eyes were wide and dazed from the impact, but he still clawed at the hand on his throat.
“I don’t tolerate disrespect well, Mr. Murphy,” the Brahm said softly, leaning down to make sure he had Julian’s full attention. “Your father is one of my oldest friends, but I won’t hesitate to gut you if necessary. Do we have an understanding?”
Julian was truly choking; his face had gone red and his lips blue. Aidan didn’t see the other man nod or make any motion indicating he understood the Brahm’s request, but Marshall let him go, standing to his feet. Julian rolled over on the cement, wheezing and coughing.
Aidan eyed his father cautiously. “Everything all right?”
The Brahm gave him a tight-lipped smile, green eyes curiously bright. “Right as rain.”
Around them, the street was dead silent except for the wind through the trees. They’d attracted quite the crowd, and many faces were watching Marshall with some trepidation. The Brahm didn’t exhibit his powers that
often, at least not in public like this. Most residents of Arcadia understood he was powerful and could protect them, but displays like this could make them uncomfortable.
Hell, Aidan had lived with the knowledge his entire life, and even he was keeping a safe distance from his father.
Not for the first time, he wondered what would happen if Marshall Tucker ever really went crazy. The man was old, far older than anyone else in the town, probably among the oldest in the world. He’d never gotten a straight answer from his father as to his age; he claimed anything from the time of the pyramids all the way through the Revolutionary War. Most of the time, Aidan couldn’t tell when he was joking or telling the truth.
Either way, he was old. There were stories of what happened when the old shifters went rogue, and the bodies they left in their wake before they could be taken out. Aidan’s oldest brother, Warren, was an Enforcer, tasked with the thankless job of hunting down any shifters that went after human populations, or risked their exposure to the world at large. He was powerful, currently on loan to the Brahm of New York City.
Nobody Aidan knew, however, was even slightly a match to their father’s powers.
He didn’t realize he was maintaining eye contact with his father until something shifted in the other man’s gaze—an excitement, as if his father relished another battle of wills. Aidan hastily averted his gaze to the ground, not wanting to run afoul of his father’s suddenly mercurial temper. “I need to find my mate.”
“She’s with Eleanor, she’ll be safe.” He handed Aidan the slip of paper Julian had given him. “Text Davis and give him that info. I want to know everything about this Hendrix, down to what he had for breakfast this morning.”
Davis Landry was Aidan’s half-brother and twin to Anna, Julian’s pseudo-mate. Only twenty-five years old, Davis knew more about modern technology than everyone in Arcadia combined. It was his job to make sure any and all mention of the Shifter world stayed out of public record. The boy spent most of his days behind his massive computer with multiple monitors, doing…whatever it was he did. Aidan’s eyes usually glazed over when Davis talked about deep web and servers and furries, the latter of which he still wished his brother hadn’t explained. Hell, Aidan had issues with his smartphone being smarter than he was.