by T. S. Ryder
"Are you calling the police?" Rose asked, leaning against the desk.
"They're almost here."
Rose nodded. She turned to go back to her shifter but stopped. An older man lay on the floor, clutching his shoulder. People were gathered around him. Rose ran over to them, ripping off a portion of her skirt for them to wad into the wound.
"Is anybody else hurt?"
They shook their heads, and so Rose returned to Devon. He lay on his back, his bronzed skin paling. Rose ripped the rest of her skirt in pieces and pressed it to what looked like the worst of the injuries. Tears rolled down her face as she looked at her love's closed eyes and gasping mouth.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry… I love you, Devon. I love you so much."
His hand brushed through her hair. "Love you too… I'm going to be alright. Don't worry. I'm going to be fine."
Rose leaned against his hand, praying that he was right. If she lost him… what would she do?
Chapter Ten – Devon
Devon rolled over, patting the bed as he looked for Rose. When he didn't feel her, his eyes cracked open. Bright moonlight streamed in through the window, silhouetting the form of his mate as she gazed outside. He slipped from the bed and padded over to her. When he wrapped his arms around her, she leaned back against him with a sigh.
"Trouble sleeping?" he asked.
"No. Jamie woke me up a while ago, and I just wanted to watch the moon for a while. It's so pretty, don't you think?"
Devon looked up at the pearly white orb and nodded. The moonlight bathed everything in a silver glow, illuminating the small acreage that they were now the proud owners of. Getting out of the city had been good for all of them, but especially Jamie. She was no longer cooped up inside for most of the day and had started her first attempts at shifting recently. They were even going to get a puppy soon.
"Devon?"
"Yes?"
"I want to have a baby. Your baby." Rose turned to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I know Jamie is still young, and. I think I'd like to wait a little bit so Jamie can have more one-on-one attention at this age, but I want to have more children. Four, or maybe even five."
"Five children?" Devon chuckled, amused at the number. Rose never did anything halfway. He nodded. "Five sounds nice. I was an only child, I wish I could have had four siblings. But don't you think it's time to come back to bed?
Rose sighed and nodded. She let Devon lead her back to the bed they shared, and they climbed under the blankets together. Devon pulled her close against him, loving the way she fit in his arms. It hadn't been any sort of conscious decision for her to start sleeping in the bed with him.
After Percy's attack, Rose had had nightmares, and they'd started dozing together on the couch. Rose told him that when they slept together she didn't get nightmares, and so they moved to the bed. Devon thought that maybe there should be a little more production about it, but it just felt so right and natural that sort of thing wasn't necessary.
It had been like this for a few months now.
There had been some legal entanglements with Percy's death, given the arrest that had happened, but once the cops actually listened to him and Rose–helped along by the lawyer that he hired–it was determined that this was one of those cases where the law had failed to protect its citizens. Those cops who had refused to listen to Rose's complaints about Percy before he got violent were an internal investigation.
It turned out that what Percy had told Rose was the truth. He did have a brain tumor. A psychologist that they talked to about it theorized that the tumor was the cause for all of Percy's behavior before his death. The threat of imminent death made him cling to the thought of what he had when he was healthy–Rose. It also exerted enough pressure on his brain that it changed his personality enough to make him buy that gun. The psychologist was convinced that if Rose had gone with him to the hotel room, Percy would have killed the both of them. He wanted her to suffer; that was why he turned the gun on others instead of her in the lobby. He would have shot her before he shot himself if Devon hadn't been right there. The thought still made Devon's blood run cold.
But that was in the past, and Devon, Rose and Jamie were happy being together as a family. Devon grinned as he slid his hands up under Rose's shirt. Her skin was warm and soft and he leaned in to nibble at the back of her neck. As odd as it was, though they had been sleeping in the same bed for months now, they'd never actually gone further than some heavy petting… Rose always drew back, and while she didn't say why, the fact that she wasn't comfortable going all the way was something that Devon accepted.
That didn't mean he didn't want more, though. Just that he was willing to wait to get it.
Rose moaned as he traced his hand down her curves to slip between her legs, probing against her clothing. She pressed herself against him, making a pleasant buzzing start in his center. "Don't you think we should go back to sleep? You have to work early tomorrow morning."
Devon glanced at the clock. "I'd have to be up in two hours anyway. If I try to sleep now I'll just end up in the wrong part of the sleep cycle when I get up… unless you want to sleep."
"I'll let you know," she moaned.
"Remember we're going out for dinner tonight. Maybe you can go out today and buy yourself a new dress."
"A new dress? But I already have a lot of pretty clothes."
"I know. I just want tonight to be special."
Rose wiggled her rump against him, making everything tighten inside of him. Devon gasped in delight, searching for her waistband. She slid her leg up his thigh to give him better access. His heart pounded with excitement. Maybe this time… He buried his face into her neck, eagerly nibbling at her. Rose jerked and gasped under his ministrations.
"Tonight should be special, then?" she asked. "I mean, you want tonight to be special?"
"Yeah. You realize it's our five-month anniversary since we moved out here?"
Rose responded with a moan, and Devon started moving her pajama pants down off her hips. Her hands found him. He let out a mighty moan and jerked hard against her, causing the whole bed to tremble beneath them. Rose giggled.
"If you want tonight to be so special, then maybe we should save this for then, instead of doing it right now."
Devon groaned in disappointment. He stroked her a couple more times before he withdrew. "If that's what you want."
Rose rolled over, putting his arms around his neck. She kissed him gently. "You really do want tonight to be special. Why, are you going to propose?"
"Uh…" Devon realized too late that she was joking. In the moonlight, he saw her eyes widen.
"You are?"
Devon winced and nodded. "Yeah. That was the plan… Actually, that's still the plan. You're not allowed to say yes or no or see the ring until—"
Rose threw herself at him, rolling him over onto his back. Her mouth caught his hard. He chuckled at her passion, grinning. She straddled his hips, grinding herself hard against him. Already semi-aroused, everything was kicked up another notch. He wrapped his arms around her waist, crushing her against him, and Rose moved to his neck, eagerly kissing and sucking at his skin.
Well, I think I know what her answer is going to be.
The shifter rolled her over, the bed wobbling dangerously under their movements, and pinned his mate beneath him. Rose's eyes sparkled as she gazed up at him, her hands twisting into his hair. He returned to her mouth as he explored her body with his hands. When he found her breasts, he moaned and ripped open her pajama tops. The buttons hit him on the chest, but he ignored them, moving down to feast on her beautiful body. Rose shivered beneath him, moaning.
"You're fixing that," she said, pulling him closer. "Later."
"Of course."
Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he moved his hand down between her legs again. He loved the way she shivered at his touch, the way her hips rolled up towards him, begging for more. He loved the way she gasped out his name, and
the sweet taste of his skin while he kissed between her breasts. But most of all he loved the smile on her face, the pure love radiating from her eyes as she gazed down at him.
"How did I ever get so lucky?" he whispered, removing her pants to have better access to pleasure her properly. "You are the most amazing, wonderful, compassionate, sexy, beautiful, kind-hearted—"
"Don't lay it on too thick. I'm already taking off my clothes."
Her back arched and her shoulders shimmied from side to side as he adjusted his strokes against her. Her jaw hung open a little, her eyes sliding closed. Devon's own body ached with need as he watched her, filling to the brim with a desire to be as close to her as possible. He checked to see how ready she was and grinned when he found her perfect. He kissed her once more as he removed his pants. Her hands found him, and he let her work her to readiness before he laid over her again.
Both of them cried out, clutching at one another, as he entered. Devon kissed her gently, giving her a moment to adjust to him–but apparently, she didn't want to wait. She planted her feet onto the bed and brought her hips up hard. Devon gasped, then laughed and joined her rhythm. The pace was impossible to keep up, but he ground his teeth and tried, their bodies slick with sweat, writhing together as the heat built between them.
Soon it was too much to hold back; as Rose bucked and screamed beneath him, Devon was drawn with her to climax. His body jerked and writhed from side to side before he collapsed. He heard Rose's labored breathing and was just able to make himself to roll off her.
They lay there, hands twined, for quite some time before Rose stirred. She pushed herself to her elbow and smiled at him. "Well. That was an experience."
"A good one, I hope," Devon said, suddenly worried. "Did you—"
"I loved it." She kissed him. "I love you. I don't know why I waited for so long… I can't wait until tonight when I can tell you yes."
Devon chuckled. He pulled her against him and kissed her again. He glanced at the clock. "Look at that… we still have an hour left… want to go again?"
Rose gave him a wicked grin and straddled him. "My turn."
Devon was all too happy to let her give him what she wanted. He smiled as the heat began building again. He had a lifetime of this to look forward to… and it could only get better from here.
*****
THE END
The Shifter's Detective
Description
What is a detective supposed to do when the insanely hot suspect she’s investigating starts kissing her… and more?
Detective Lucy is over the moon. She just got her first undercover assignment. She’s not going to screw this one up. Until she finds herself naked with the shifter she’s meant to investigate.
Levi Bennet and his Coyote pack are not your regular shifters. They live in the bad part of the city, where the police have no power and a shifter must flash his canines to get what he wants. Which Levi, by the way, is happy to do.
But strange things are happening in the city and the Coyotes are being held responsible. And soon Lucy and Levi find themselves entangled in a web of danger, lies, and murder.
Can Lucy keep her one-night stand a secret at the police station? What will Levi say when he finds out Lucy’s a cop? And what will Lucy do when she finds out she’s… pregnant with a suspect’s baby?
Chapter One – Levi
Levi gnawed on an antler-shaped jawbreaker as he wandered down the hallway of the apartment building he shared with the rest of his Coyote pack. It wasn't great, considering the broken elevator, broken laundromat, and electricity that probably needed to have been upgraded thirty years ago, but it was home. Their only home, in fact.
After the humans had decided to build a city on pack territory, the Coyotes had just moved in, taking over several abandoned or half-completed projects. It was their territory, after all. If they had been a Wolf pack, the humans wouldn’t dare encroach on their packlands.
But I guess we Coyotes aren't as sexy as Wolves, Levi thought. He paused to grin at his reflection in a dirty window. He flexed his muscles and shrugged. Sexier. We're far sexier. Humans are dumb.
With a wide yawn, Levi pushed open the nearest door, striding into the 'office space' his brother Steven did all his Alpha work in. Steven wasn't alone. He was with that man who had started hanging around the pack lately, always smelling like cigarette smoke and gunpowder. Levi stopped in the doorway. What was Steven doing with that dude?
"Levi, how many times do I have to tell you to knock?" Steven snapped at him.
"When have you ever told me to knock?"
Levi narrowed his eyes at the strange man. He was a muscular, short man who was nondescript in a very suspicious way. He wore old clothes, neat but worn, and yet his fingernails were manicured and his teeth had that recently-visited-the-dentist gleam to them. Ever since he arrived, Steven had turned into a stuffy fuss-bucket.
His brother shook his head and pointed out to the hallway. "I'm busy."
"What's going on here, Steven?" Levi shut the door behind him. "I'm your brother and your Beta. I deserve to know what you're up to."
"This is Aaron Knox; he's a realtor. I'm looking at getting the pack better accommodations."
Levi frowned. "Then why the secrecy?"
Steven growled low in his throat. Something he rarely did. "Levi, this is none of your business. Get out of here."
"I don’t think so. Not when you're lying to me." Levi strode over to the desk the two were bent over. Pictures of well-known drug dealers, men Levi had spent months heckling until they moved out of Coyote territory, were strewn over the surface. Levi looked up at his brother in alarm. "Are they coming back?"
"No. But there will always be more where they came from." Steven shook his head. "The pack is poor. We might not be able to afford to move, and I don't want people getting their hopes up. Now go, so I can discuss the matter with Mr. Knox."
"We could always sue the city for stealing our land."
Knox started gathering up some other papers. "If we're not going to discuss these matters, I have other business to attend to."
"Levi was leaving." Steven narrowed his eyes at his brother. "Now."
Levi let one of his canines grow into a long, sharp point. He flashed it at Aaron Knox before he turned on his heel and left. His brother was the Alpha, after all, and with the position came a certain amount of respect.
Still, it stung that Steven didn't trust his own Beta. Sometimes Levi thought that Steven named him his second just because he was his brother and the pack expected it. He certainly was given little to no responsibilities. Even though it was he who had driven away the drug dealers from the pack. Even though he was the one to get the city to start a recycling program in this area. Steven thought his methods were 'too childish'. So what if he collected weeks' worth of garbage and dumped it on the councilmen's lawns? It was effective!
Levi kicked the wall. Steven was too serious – too determined to use the humans’ diplomatic methods to solve things. The problem was, they didn't actually solve anything. Yet, moving would probably be a helpful thing – if that was what Steven was really planning.
The neighborhood the pack currently lived in was dirty and unkempt, just like the homeless people who lived in the alleys and behind dumpsters. The roads were full of potholes, the buildings made of crumbling concrete and covered with peeling paint. Trees had once lined the streets, but after one of them caught fire while entangled in the power lines, the city had cut them all down. Now children played on the stumps.
Levi's hands swung freely as he gazed across the bleak, gray jungle he lived in. The only brightness remained in splashes of graffiti that changed every so often when people got bored.
"Hey! You!"
The familiar, harsh call made Levi roll his eyes. This again. He turned towards the two police officers who often scoured the area, looking for people to bully. If they wanted to fight actual crimes, all they'd have to do was go north four or five blocks to where th
e drug rings ran rampant, but they preferred to harass the Coyotes. Levi smiled pleasantly as they approached.
"Is it time for our daily frisk, officers?"
The taller, more ripped one Levi liked to call Moose scowled at him. His hand was on his gun. "Put your hands on the wall, dog."
"Someone needs some cultural sensitivity training," Levi muttered as he turned to do as the officer said.
Even though he tried to keep his muscles loose and relaxed, a tight ball of anger simmered in his stomach. If he had his way, he'd bar all of these cops from the part of the city the Coyotes had staked out as their territory. It wasn't like they kept the streets safe. They just harassed people trying to go about their daily lives.
"So which one of you guys has the Coyote fetish, eh?" Levi asked as the smaller of the two cops, nicknamed Forsythe, began patting him down. "Must be you, eh Forsythe? You're the one who's always patting me down."
"Shut up. We got intel that you Coyotes are moving drugs, and we know the likes of you," Moose said. "Now spread your legs."
Levi snickered. "You're not even going to buy me dinner first?"
Moose showed just how much restraint he had as he stepped forward and punched at the Coyote's kidneys. Levi twisted away just in time for the cop to crack his knuckles on the brick wall instead. He laughed as Forsythe grappled with him, trying to hold him. The Coyote easily removed the cop's gun from its holster, and as Moose started raising his own gun, Levi spun away from Forsythe and grabbed Moose's gun by the barrel. With a yank and twist, it was in his hands.
"Oops, what happened?" Levi asked as Forsythe reached for his weapon. He smirked at the cops.
"I'm going to kill you," Moose seethed, coming at him.
Levi danced back a few steps, waving the guns by their barrels. "This is gonna be a little embarrassing when you get back to the precinct, isn't it?"