“I love chili and biscuits.” Jim grabbed the huge bowl, growling at Ryan. “Mine.”
Ryan stared at Chloe. “Can’t you put a muzzle on him or something?”
Jim turned to Chloe, still clutching the chili. “Next time he shifts, let’s tranq his ass and sell him to a circus.”
Chloe rolled her eyes and stole the ladle out of the chili, pouring some into her bowl. “I’m hungry.”
Jim immediately put the bowl down, putting some biscuits on her plate. “You want butter?”
“You two are so sweet it’s disgusting.” Barney nabbed the basket of biscuits and took five. “You should make candy.”
“You should shove a biscuit in your craw before Jimmy rips your throat out. In fact, I’ll help.” Heather did just that, shoving a biscuit in Barney’s mouth, much to his obvious shock. “Now. I heard something about white shifters?”
“Hmph fd u fr ft?” Barney swallowed hard, barely chewing the biscuit. “I mean, how did you hear that?”
Heather hitched her thumb toward Ryan, who shrugged. “Family.”
Barney grunted. “Right.” He pointed toward Heather. “You’re not a Hunter.”
“But I’m just like Chloe. I’m half Fox, half Bear. If they went after her because of that, what are the odds they’ll come after me?”
From the arrested expression on Barney’s face, that hadn’t even occurred to him.
“The rest of my family would be in danger as well. We have the right to know what’s going on.” Heather crossed her arms over her chest. “So they sent me.”
“Why?” Chloe and Ryan were doing their best to keep everyone in the loop. Why had they sent Heather?
Heather shrugged. “Not sure, but here I am, on Uncle Will’s orders.”
Ryan and Chloe exchanged an amused glance as Heather once again focused on Barney. Sure she was here as a liaison. And Uncle Will was the most innocent man on the planet.
This was sheer matchmaking at its finest. Uncle Will had given Heather a job that set her with Barney in order to force him to acknowledge the bond, all with the appearance of legitimacy. It was brilliant, and there was nothing Barney could do about it.
Barney shot her a worried look before clearing his throat. “All right. This is what we’ve got so far. Francois is still working on tracking down our handler, but it’s not looking good. His credit cards and bank accounts haven’t been touched, and his landlord hasn’t seen him in three weeks.”
“You think he’s dead?” Chloe shivered. “Why?”
“One of the many, many things we’re working on.” Barney managed to get the chili away from Ryan and gave some to Heather, much to her surprise. He then put some in his own bowl before passing it along to Gabe. “I’m beginning to wonder if we’re dealing with more than one faction of Senators.”
“A case of the left hand trying to jerk off while the right hand makes a peanut butter sandwich?”
Everyone stared at Sarah.
Sarah sank in her chair, her face red. “I’ll shut up now.”
Spencer grinned at her. “Do you have a sister?”
Sarah shook her head, smiling shyly. Gabe glared at Spencer and wrapped a possessive arm around Sarah.
“Damn. Too bad.” Spencer grimaced. “All joking aside, as an outsider to all of this, I disagree with Sarah. I mean, what are the odds that you’d have some secret operation to eliminate a group of people simply because they’re half-breeds and not have the whole shifter world aware of it? You’d think someone would get suspicious, right?”
Barney’s brows rose. “We are suspicious.”
“And the CIA doesn’t necessarily know what Homeland Security is up to, and vice versa. It’s possible.” Gabe used a biscuit to sop up the last of his chili. “The real question would be, why?”
“And how does it tie in to the white shifters, or is that a different issue altogether?” Jim took hold of Chloe’s hand.
She squeezed, trying to reassure him. “What about the person Francois was supposed to get ahold of? Has he found phlegm yet?”
“I got a call from Francois. He finally got a hold of Artemis Smith. He and his sister will be arriving in Halle shortly.” Barney winced. “I really hate dealing with those two.”
“Why?” Chloe couldn’t understand the distaste on Barney’s face.
“Because they… Well, they’re sort of… They kind of like to…” He huffed out a breath like a two-year-old. “They’re fucking annoying, okay?”
She stared, wide-eyed, and wondered just how bad the Smiths had to be to get this sort of reaction from Barney. “Okay.”
“But they’re damn good at their jobs,” he added begrudgingly. “I just wish they’d grow the hell up.”
Gabe choked out a laugh. “This from the man who broke into my house to play with my Wii?”
Heather was staring at Barney with unholy glee. “I can’t wait to meet them.”
“Over my dead body.” Barney stood. “I’m outta here. Keep Frodo away from anything dangerous or I’ll pull a Nazgul on your asses, got me?” Heather snarled, but Barney pointedly ignored her, turning instead to Gabe. “I’ll let you know when the Smiths arrive.”
Barney left without another word to anyone.
Heather slumped in her chair. “That was fun.” She shoved a biscuit in her mouth and stared longingly at the door.
Chloe smiled, hoping to lighten the mood. “Pie?”
“With ice cream?” Spencer’s puppy eyes were almost as cute as George’s. George, who was currently being loved on by Ryan, had been a good boy while they ate, sitting quietly at Jim’s feet until Chloe stood to get dessert.
“Sounds good to me. Need help getting it?” Jim also stood, tugging her into the kitchen without waiting for an answer. “What’s up with Heather and Barney?”
“They’re mates and Barney doesn’t want to acknowledge it.”
“Why?” Jim pulled out the ice cream while Chloe began slicing the apple pie.
“She’s young, he’s a Hunter, she’s a Bunsun-Williams, who knows.” She began plating the pie, smiling as he put ice cream on each slice. “But he won’t be able to deny the mating bond for too long. The dreams will see to that.”
“I hope so. I don’t want to see your cousin suffer the way you did.”
Jim sounded so remorseful she couldn’t help but hug him. “We’re over that, remember? No more beating yourself up, okay?”
He stared at her for a moment before hugging her back. “I really don’t deserve you.”
She laughed smugly. “I know, sweetie. I know.”
He followed her back into the dining room, their arms loaded down with pie.
Three days. Jim stared out at his back yard, the desire to shift riding him hard. It had been three days since the Hunters left his house, reassuring him that they were working on Chloe’s case.
Three. Fucking. Days.
He hadn’t heard from anyone except Ryan in that time, and Ryan had mostly shrugged and asked how Chloe was doing.
It was driving him insane.
Chloe was sleeping upstairs, exhausted from her first few days on the job with him and Irene. She’d done well, but she still got flustered when dealing with their patients’ owners, and her physical ailments made doing simple tasks more difficult. Her speech impediment was also a source of embarrassment for her, but so far he hadn’t run across any complaints.
He expected that would change. Not everyone was as kind as the people he worked with. He would try to shield her from that, but Chloe was stronger than anyone he’d ever known. If anyone could survive a little rudeness intact, it would be his mate.
A sudden movement outside caught his eye. What was that? With the windows and doors closed, it was difficult to get a whiff, but Jim sniffed anyway. Was it an animal?
The hair on the back of his neck
stood up. Whatever—no, whoever—was out there was a shifter. There was the faint scent Wolf, a familiar one.
The asshole who’d attacked him outside his clinic was back, and this time, he’d come to Jim’s den.
Jim took off his clothes and opened the back door before allowing the shift to flow over him. His senses sharpened as his paws hit the dirt, scanning for the invader.
There. Golden eyes glared at him before the Wolf struck, snapping and snarling at Jim.
Jim barely managed to dodge, the Wolf’s jaws snapping closed perilously close to his muzzle. The other Wolf was bigger than Jim. Odds were good he’d fought more often in this form, seeing as how Jim had never fought as a Wolf.
But Jim had beaten him to a standstill before and wasn’t about to allow a little thing like experience stop him from defeating his enemy. This was Jim’s den, and Jim’s mate was inside.
No fucking way was this asshole getting past him.
Jim dodged another attack, analyzing the way the other Wolf moved, using his experience as a kick-boxer to figure out the best way to approach his larger target. He reared up on his hind legs when his adversary did, both of them scratching and biting, testing each other’s resolve.
Speaking of getting past someone, where the hell were the guards Max had promised him? He doubted they were off getting a latte, which meant either the guy had slipped past them, or…
He hoped it wasn’t or. Explaining to the Puma Alpha that his men were dead wasn’t something Jim relished doing.
The Wolf grabbed hold of Jim’s ear, yanking and pulling, drawing blood. Jim fought back, snapping at the Wolf’s foreleg, forcing the other Wolf to let go.
This put Jim’s muzzle near the Wolf’s vulnerable neck, but before he could take advantage of that the other Wolf spun, forcing Jim’s face toward the earth. He twisted free, managing briefly to get the upper hand as he in turn forced the other Wolf down.
The bigger Wolf easily shook off his hold. They both reared, paws on each other’s shoulders, biting at each other’s muzzles. Jim felt the Wolf’s fangs rip his sensitive nose, but from the whine coming from the other Wolf he’d gotten his own back. They were both bleeding from the face, the pain almost overwhelming.
Jim forced them back up, his paws hitting the other Wolf’s shoulders hard. He grabbed ahold of some of the Wolf’s neck fur, pulling him back down and keeping the other Wolf’s fangs away from his face.
The Wolf twisted again, putting a paw on Jim’s back, raking his claws across his shoulder. Jim refused to let go, hanging on despite the pain, ignoring the way the other Wolf snapped and tried to break free.
The stronger Wolf broke Jim’s hold, forcing Jim to rear back unless he wanted a lip piercing. Jim somehow managed to force the bigger Wolf down, using his speed to his advantage, practically climbing on top of him. He ripped and tore at the Wolf’s shoulder, ignoring the yelps of pain. He knew just where to tear, to bite to make the shoulder useless. He ruthlessly used that knowledge, aware that what he was doing might be irreparable to the other Wolf.
Jim was hoping he didn’t have to kill. All he wanted to do was incapacitate his enemy, but if the other Wolf threatened Chloe then Jim would do what he had to. He’d put animals down out of mercy before, but this time it would be to protect the most precious being in his life.
The other Wolf pulled free, limping on his wounded side and snarling viciously. He wasn’t backing down. If anything, the wound seemed to merely piss him off more.
Great.
Jim snarled back, hoping the other Wolf would heed his warning. When the Wolf lowered his head, ready to attack again, Jim took the initiative. He latched onto the back of the Wolf’s neck, shaking his head back and forth. The other Wolf lost his balance, falling to the ground with a yelp.
Jim managed to switch his grip, taking the Wolf’s throat between his jaws and growling, forcing the other Wolf to acknowledge Jim’s dominance or die.
The Wolf tried desperately to kick Jim off, but Jim held firm, dancing around the other Wolf’s paws until he went limp beneath Jim. Jim’s Wolf wanted to howl in triumph, but instead he backed up slowly, allowing the other Wolf to climb to his feet.
Defeated, the other man shifted. On his hands and knees, he glared at Jim. “You win. I surrender. If you’re going to kill me, all I ask is you do it quick.”
Jim shifted back. He ignored the sting in his wounded nose and ear, the scratches on his body that he only now felt. “Who are you?”
“Derrick Hines.”
That didn’t tell Jim anything, but he bet the Hunters would know who he was, especially Barney. “Why are you going after my mate?”
The wicked smile on the man’s face made Jim want to punch him. “Because I was paid a shit-ton of money.”
“You’re a mercenary?”
“Yup.” The Wolf sat back on his haunches, crossed his ankles together and then crossed his arms over his knees. His ease with his nudity startled Jim, who was still getting used to the whole thing. “And you surprised me, newbie.”
“How so?” Jim crossed his arms over his chest, determined not to show how uncomfortable he was with his bits dangling in the wind.
“Most of those newly turned would quickly fall in front of me, or beg me not to hurt them. I rarely have to bring in a mark dead, especially the new ones.” Reluctant respect lit the Wolf’s eyes. “But you fought back. Twice.”
“You came to my business and my home, asshole. Of course I fought back.”
The man nodded. “If you were in a Pack you’d probably be a Marshall or a Second. I’ve seen others like you before. You’ve got that inner strength, that drive to protect.”
Jim still wasn’t clear on Pack hierarchy, but he knew a compliment when he heard one. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Derrick was still watching him warily.
Jim had a few more questions he’d like to ask, but his ass was getting cold and he wanted to get back to Chloe. “Where’s the man the Puma Alpha sent to watch us?”
The man smiled. “Don’t worry. He’s not my target. He’s sleeping the sleep of the innocent right now. He’ll wake with a slight headache, but that’s it.”
That was a relief. “So. You’ve obviously lost. What happens to you now?”
Derrick shrugged. “We don’t get paid, and we move on to the next job. It’s that simple.”
Or the Senate went after the man for his failure. Jim wasn’t forming a very high opinion of the shifters’ politicians. They might actually be worse than the human ones. “And if I don’t let you go?”
Derrick stared at him, his eyes becoming cold and hard. “You gonna kill me, Doc?”
“In my world, I don’t put down an animal unless I have no other choice.” Jim sighed.
The man shook his head, his expression softening. “Unreal,” he muttered. “Look. You’ve won, and you’re willing to let me go. I owe you one.” His shoulders straightened and regret flashed across his face. “I didn’t come here alone.”
Jim froze. “What?”
“You pegged me right. I’m a merc. And I wasn’t alone tonight. My partner’s already inside.”
Jim raced through the back door and into his house. He hadn’t scented a damn thing other than the Wolf, so that had to mean…
That had to mean the man’s partner was a Fox, just like Chloe. And like Chloe, he or she would be able to mask their scent.
He raced into the house, the sounds of crashing furniture alerting him to where Chloe probably was. And from the sound of it, she was in the dining room, where his brother’s bedroom was set up.
Spencer and Chloe were both in danger, and if he knew his mate, she was defending him with every breath in her tiny, battered body.
Jim shifted and raced toward the sounds, praying he made it in time to save her.
Chapter Nineteen
The sounds of snapping and snarling woke Chloe from a sound sleep. Something was wrong, desperately wrong. She checked for George, praying that he’d gotten hold of something and was simply playing.
George was hiding under the bed, shaking like a leaf.
Shit.
She reached over to the side of the bed where Jim usually slept, only to find the sheets cold.
She darted out of bed, ripping her pajamas off. Her Fox was growling, eager for the shift. Her mate was out there fighting, and it wanted to go to his aid. Jim had never had to fight in his Wolf form before. He’d be at a huge disadvantage against his opponent.
Chloe, on the other hand, had grown up sparring with both Foxes and Grizzlies and knew a few dirty tricks taught to her by her overprotective cousins. She wasn’t above using each and every one of them to protect Jim.
She shifted, losing all sense of the color red. She darted out the bedroom door and down the stairs, determined to find where Jim was. His scent was strong, so following it was simple.
Of course, the Fox standing in the dining room, hovering over a terrified Spencer, had her freezing in her tracks.
Double shit. Jim might be brand new to shifting, but at least he could. Spencer was helpless against the Fox. Hell, he couldn’t even run away. If he tried to get to his chair the Fox could have his throat within seconds.
She knew what her mate would want, despite what her Fox demanded. Chloe had to save Spencer.
Chloe crouched, her ears back, her tail down. She snarled and hissed as she slunk toward the Fox who’d invaded her den, making her intentions clear.
She wanted him the fuck out of her home.
Before she could stop it she began gekkering, the stuttering cry of a Fox who was about to do battle, whether for real or for play. Chloe meant business, however, so she added in some warning barks, trying to get the outsider away from Spencer.
The Fox was frozen, staring at Chloe with an open jaw. Slowly, it lifted its paws off Spencer’s bed, descending to the floor where Chloe waited.
Figure of Speech (Halle Shifters) Page 20