"I have to go to work," Kim said.
"I know."
"You'll try to come with me, won't you?"
"I will be coming with you. I'm not letting you out of my sight, not with Fergus's thugs wandering about and Fergus mad as hell at the Morrisseys. He's not above making an example of disobedient clan members."
"I'm going to fix this, Liam."
Liam just gave her a nod. "Even so--not out of my sight, love."
"What's with Sean?" she asked, glancing back at the house.
It took Kim a while to voice questions, Liam noticed. Must be the lawyer in her, thinking carefully before she pried out the information she wanted.
Liam rubbed his hair, not liking to think about it. "Sean has always blamed himself for Kenny's death. I blame myself, because I was stupidly obeying orders when I should have been protecting them both. But Sean was right there beside Kenny. Sean fought and survived, but he couldn't save Kenny. It eats at him, it does."
Kim gave him a skeptical look. "Oh, please. I know damn well Sean didn't simply stand aside and watch Kenny get killed. He must have fought."
"As the Guardian, his first duty is to the sword, and he couldn't risk letting the feral get it. Kenny knew that. He was fighting to protect the Guardian and the sword."
Kim gave him a wide-eyed stare. "You mean that piece of metal was more important than your brother?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying. But the Guardian has a huge responsibility to the whole clan. He has to survive to keep the sword free in case he needs to use it on one of us. Kenny knew what he was doing."
He could tell Kim didn't really understand, but her look softened. "That doesn't make it any easier, does it?"
"No."
Kim slid her arms around his waist. "Liam, I'm so sorry."
He felt her sorrow. Liam melted into her, tears tracking down his face for the brother he'd lost. Being a Shifter was all about sacrifice, and the fact that Kim understood that untwisted something inside him that had been knotted for a decade.
Kim worked through the day in her office, catching up on phone calls and paperwork, preparing for the court case she was determined to have for Brian. The private investigator she'd hired told Kim he'd discovered evidence that Michelle's ex-boyfriend had burned with plenty of resentment when Michelle had started seeing Brian. Threats had been made, and friends of the ex-boyfriend had been worried. Good. Kim told him to keep searching that angle.
Kim also pulled up every single piece of information she had on Shifter law and went over it again. She'd find something to stop Fergus trying to defeat the Morrisseys, no matter how long it took. The human government didn't usually interfere with Shifter hierarchy, mostly because they didn't understand it. But Kim would find some way to solve this, and Liam would figure out why Fergus wanted Brian executed.
Working with Liam stretched out on her office couch unnerved Kim, especially when he spent the whole time watching her. He didn't demand her attention or interrupt; he just...watched.
He reminded Kim of lions on the African veldt, sitting under the shade of whatever those trees were, watching herds of gazelles. Maybe the lions wouldn't be hungry right then, but they'd watch. Heads up, ears pricked, alert. Still. Waiting.
By five-thirty, the gazelle in her was ready to go home.
Kim didn't bother trying to go to her own house. She drove with Liam straight back to Shiftertown, feeling a strange kind of relief to do so.
When Kim and Liam arrived at the Morrissey house, Sean had a big charcoal-burning barbeque going in the backyard, and beer and ice overflowed from several coolers. A dozen Shifters lounged on the porch and through the yard, talking to Sean and Dylan. Connor kicked a soccer ball around with a few other young men his age, while two teenaged females stood back and assessed them.
Kim's journalist friend Silas pulled up shortly after. He was tall and very thin, with a prominent Adam's apple.
"What is this party for?" Silas asked when Kim presented him to Liam. Kim had warned Silas that only Liam knew what he was really doing there, and he promised to be discreet.
"It's a blessing under the moon, that it is," Liam answered him. He flashed his teeth in a grin. "It's after being a very interestin' ritual."
Kim rolled her eyes at the exaggerated Irish-isms, but at least he'd quit saying, "Top o' the morning."
"You sound like a cartoon leprechaun," she said to him, after they'd introduced Silas around and left him talking animatedly to Annie from the bar.
"Whist, it's my feelings you'll be hurting."
"Shut it, Liam."
His brows shot up, and he laughed. "You're learning, darling." His laughter was warm, reminding her of him loving her all night, and even now he gave her a look of undisguised hunger. "I haven't touched you in too long."
Pleasant shivers ran through her. She agreed. It had been too long since any intimate touching. Hours.
"I'm already wishing the ritual over and everyone gone home," Liam said in her ear.
"We should probably eat first. Be social."
"Aye." Liam slid his hands to her backside and scooped her against him for a kiss. "But I hope this doesn't take all night."
They strolled back to the barbeque as more Shifters joined the throng. Everyone Kim had met in Shiftertown was there--the wolf Ellison, Glory, Annie, Sandra, the women on the porches she'd passed the first day, little Michael who'd been proud of his plastic pool.
Kim stiffened when she saw Fergus's two thugs--the shaved-headed, tattooed guy and military guy with sunglasses. But Sean handed them plates of charred burger with buns, unsurprised.
"They aren't going to fight anyone, are they?" Kim asked as she took her burger from Sean. The two men had moved off to eat, and she noted the other Shifters gave them a wide berth. "Or bring out a cat-o'-nine-tails and start whaling on people?"
"They're here to observe the ritual," Sean told her. "Stand-ins for Fergus. And they'll be on their best behavior."
"I could have put Silas off if I'd known they'd be here."
Liam shook his head. "They won't disrupt the ritual. Fergus wants this mating done, and he wants to make sure Dad relinquishes power tomorrow."
Kim nodded glumly. She hadn't yet found a law that Fergus was bending by asking Dylan to vacate his post, but she would. She'd leave no stone unturned.
She chewed the burger Sean handed her, which was very good, especially with the gooey cheese melted on it. Her diet had gone to hell, but she couldn't bring herself to care.
Ellison came out of the crowd in his big black Stetson and cowboy boots. He high-fived Liam, and then the two men shared a tight bear hug.
"Kim!" Ellison boomed, his arms opened wide, and before Kim could duck away, Ellison swept off his hat and spun her off her feet. Liam rescued Kim's plate of half-eaten burger as Ellison swung Kim around. "Congratulations, woman." Ellison set Kim down and gave her abdomen a gentle pat. "When's it due?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Ellison looked shocked. "Liam, haven't you touched her yet? What's the matter with you? You're already sun-blessed. Are you waiting for Christmas?"
"We've done it, trust me." Liam handed Kim back her meal. "It will be soon."
Kim's face went hot. "Not that it's any of your business."
"Not my business? Hon, it's every Shifter's business whether a Shifter male can do the job. We have to be good at making babies, so we practice a lot." He balled his fists and thrust his hips in a parody of sex.
"Ignore him, Kim. Lupines are disgusting."
"Thank you," Glory said. She stepped past Ellison, tall and sleek in skin-tight black pants and silk top, every blonde hair in place. "Fucking Felines."
"Gobshite Lupines," Liam said cheerfully.
Dylan approached. "Kim."
Kim watched him in trepidation, but Dylan folded his arms around her and squeezed her in a very tight hug. She sensed something different in his hug than she had in the others'. Not happy exuberance--relief. Dyl
an held her close, and she smelled the damp cotton of his shirt and his shaving soap. But Dylan's hold wasn't in any way sexual. He held her as he'd cradle a child, as he might soothe Connor.
Dylan held Kim a long time, and his eyes were wet when he pulled away. He wiped them, unashamed, then turned and wrapped his arms around Liam.
Father and son stood still in the embrace, while Kim took her burger back from Ellison. To stem the tears that insisted on filling her eyes, she reflected that she needed to eat fast, before more people wanted to greet her with hugs.
Kim noticed that Glory didn't try to hug her--the woman sauntered away to get food with Dylan when Dylan finally released Liam. Kim wondered whether Glory was showing her disapproval for Liam taking a human mate, or whether the woman didn't feel like she was close enough to the family to join the hug-fest. Glory and Dylan might be hard at it, but sex did not necessarily mean intimacy, Kim knew from experience. The woman was a puzzle.
It took a while for the summer night to darken, but Liam and Dylan seemed in no hurry. Liam introduced Kim to all present, holding her hand or with his arm around her waist as they strolled from group to group. Kim met Lupines and other Felines, and bears.
The bear Shifters fascinated her, large-boned men and women who sported long manes of hair. Many of the bear-men were bearded, and both men and women obviously liked tattoos. They, too, welcomed Kim with hugs, though they were less intimate than the family's hugs. Not all of them looked happy that Liam was bringing a human into their midst, but they were cordial.
By the time Liam walked Kim back to the center of the yard, the night was dark and mercifully cooler. The moon rose rapidly, and as it reached its zenith, the crowd grew quiet.
Liam's neighbors silently formed two concentric circles, putting Liam, Kim, and Dylan in the middle of the inner one. The smaller, inner circle contained Liam's immediate family and friends, along with Fergus's two henchmen. The outer circle held the rest of Shiftertown.
Cool moonlight filtered through the trees, touching Kim's face as Liam turned her toward him. As he had when they'd stood before Fergus in the San Antonio Shiftertown, Liam held his left hand up, palm out, and pressed it to Kim's right one. He twined his fingers through hers and met her gaze with steady eyes.
Dylan closed both his hands around theirs and began chanting something in a language Kim didn't recognize. Irish--Gaelic? Or some kind of Shifter language? The circles of Shifters answered, chanting in slow rhythm. The Shifters began circling around them, the first circle moving clockwise, the second one counterclockwise. They stepped in deliberate, slow movements, an ancient-looking dance that was simple and powerful.
Dylan finally stopped chanting. "By the light of the moon," he said in a loud, grave voice, "I recognize this mating."
Ellison howled. Soon all the wolves joined in, followed by wildcat roars and the loud growling of the bears. Liam drew Kim against him and buried her in a kiss.
"Thank you, love," he grated. "Thank you."
In the San Antonio Shiftertown, the Shifters had gone nuts with beer and an impromptu party, but that had been nothing compared to the revelry that exploded here. Shifters grabbed one another, hugging, laughing, dancing around like maniacs. Beer flowed, kids ran around shrieking, couples kissed. More than one shed clothes and Shifted, and soon the yard was filled with wildcats, wolves, and bears.
Kim looked around for Silas, wondering what he'd make of all this. The tall man stood with Annie, a bottle of beer in his hand. Annie and he were the same height, and Annie had draped her arm around his shoulders.
"Great party, Kim." Silas grinned. He looked happy, not angry or scared. Good.
Glory approached, looking a little more relaxed. "Annie," she said. "Caught a human? Liam's starting a trend."
Annie pressed herself closer to Silas. "He's all right."
"He's my friend," Kim said. "I invited him."
"I know." Glory stepped away from Dylan and actually enfolded Kim in a well-perfumed hug. "They need you, honey. Be good to them."
Connor came hurtling toward her, followed closely by Sean, and Kim backed up against Liam. "More hugging? I'm going to be bruised all over."
"They're happy," Liam said in her ear. "We haven't had a joining in a long time. In our family, we thought we'd not have another for many years. If ever."
Kim's reply was cut off by first Connor, then Sean embracing her, then Connor again. "I have an aunt," Connor shouted. "I have an aunt, and I'll have a cousin soon."
"Something you want to tell me, Kim?" Silas said, grinning.
"Go along with it," Kim told him. "They like babies. They like even the possibility of babies, no matter how remote. They've had a hard time with infant mortality."
She'd piqued his interest. Again, good. Liam talked conversationally to Silas about the low ratio of females to males and the fact that it used to be sadly common for Shifter women to die in childbirth. "But it's getting better," Liam finished. "That's one thing taking the Collar gave us, a bit of peace in which to take care of our families."
Silas looked curiously at Liam's Collar. "What are those made of? I heard that they have magic in them, but that's just a story, isn't it?"
Liam's eyes were clear and innocent. "Don't you believe in magic?"
"Shifters aren't magic," Silas said, smiling to acknowledge Liam's teasing. "You have some genetic quirk that allows you to shift to animal form, right? An ancient ancestor that we knew nothing about until Shifters were discovered."
"It's genetics partly, yes," Liam answered. "We were bred long ago to be playthings and hunters. Until our breeders discovered that hunters bite." He smiled, showing all his teeth.
"You were bred deliberately?" Silas asked. "I hadn't heard that."
"Aye. And our creators used magic to do it. What other explanation is there for us?"
"Genetic manipulation?" Silas shrugged. "Could ancient cultures do that?"
Kim wondered how much Liam would explain, but Liam kept talking. "The Fae could. That's the Fair Folk of Celtic and Gaelic legend, I'm meaning. Their magic made us, but our strength kept us alive when the Fae started disappearing from the world. Shifters were good at survival; Fae were good at running away. So which of us was stronger?"
The Shifters around them smiled and nodded.
Silas looked interested. "So the story that magic is in your Collars...?"
"Is true," Liam answered. "Not that humans believe it, but it doesn't matter, does it? All they know is that the Collars keep us tame. That's why you can stand so close to Annie without her eating you. Yet."
"The night's young," Annie purred.
Silas grinned. "Are you trying to terrify the human and make him run away?"
"Now, would we do that?" Annie asked him.
Liam's teeth were getting a little pointed. "How about a demonstration of what the Collars do? Would that put you at your ease?"
The Shifters looked uncomfortable. Kim knew Liam brought this up for Silas's benefit, the perfect opportunity to prove that the Collars worked, to show that Brian couldn't possibly have murdered a human. But the Shifters, including Dylan, started frowning.
"I read that the Collars send deep pain along the nervous system," Silas said, not noticing. "I couldn't ask you to show me that."
"But humans want to know everything about Shifters, don't they?" Liam continued, his voice silky. "The good, the bad, the underbelly."
A wolf loped up to them and threw himself on his back at Kim's feet, squirming happily.
"Underbelly," she repeated nervously. "Ha."
"Very funny, Ellison," Liam said. "Get on with you, now."
"That's Ellison?" Silas asked in surprise.
The wolf rolled to his feet, gave them a roguish look, and loped off again.
"In his glory." Liam turned back to Silas. "You're right, lad. The Collars are bloody painful. That's why none of us are violent, including the notorious Brian sitting in his jail cell. And no, none of us want to show you that."
> "Speak for yourself, Liam." Glory put her hands on her hips, her skin-tight outfit stretching in interesting ways. "The human isn't going to believe the Collars work until he sees it for himself. You want a demo, I'll give you one."
She fixed her gaze on Silas, her eyes going Shifter white. Her face didn't change, but the wild wolf she was shone out through the sex kitten she pretended to be. Annie and Liam moved to protect Silas, and as they did, Glory spun, caught Kim in a headlock, and started to strangle her.
Chapter Eighteen
So this was what it was like to die. No thought of martial arts, just Kim clawing at Glory's hands. She flashed back to the feral Shifter trying to kill her in her bedroom, her fear spiking.
Kim had no breath. Her vision went dark, her lungs burned, and her heart pumped frantically, desperate for oxygen. Dimly, she heard Liam roar.
Sparks flew out into the night, Glory's Collar going off. Air poured back into Kim's lungs, and she sat down hard as Glory flung her aside to face the wildcat leaping at them.
Liam.
Glory half changed, trying to meet the attack, but her Collar kept sparking, her body jerking with pain.
Dylan knocked into Liam's side, shifting as he went. Liam's clothes ripped as the wildcat burst out of them. Then the two were rolling over each other with savage intensity, snarling, raking claws, biting. Their Collars triggered, muscles and fur shuddering with the shocks, but they didn't stop.
"Mate," Glory rasped. Her hands were at her neck, the Collar stark black against her white throat. "Stupid. I attacked his mate. He couldn't help it. He had to defend..."
The rest of the Shifters moved back to give the fighting wildcats room. Sean watched, white-faced, looking poised to run back into the house.
"Stop them," Kim shouted at him.
He answered, tight-lipped. "I can't. I'm the Guardian."
"So guard something!"
Connor shrieked. Shifters jumped, turned his way. Connor balled his fists. "No," he yelled. "No!"
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