At lunchtime, she suspected the place would be calm—or at least calmer.
Go.
As soon as she stepped inside, she had to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. The musty smell of beer and sweat seemed to have been covered up with a cleaning agent, but it still made her wrinkle her nose. Waving hands caught her attention. Larek and Brin were sitting in the corner, as if they wanted to keep their conversation private. She appreciated their sensitivity. Shouting to the world that people found what she did offensive wasn’t how she wanted to start the day.
She carefully wove her way past mostly full tables. Her step faltered. Skelak. Clarin’s dad was on the other side of the restaurant, but she pretended she didn’t see him even though he had looked up and clearly spotted her. As soon as she got to the table, both Larek and Brin stood.
“Glad you could make it.” Larek handed her a menu.
Their formality made her uncomfortable, so she slipped into the chair and glanced at the menu instead of making small talk. Being near them unraveled her cool. Even though all the men in Anterra only wore loincloths, it was a bit disconcerting to have a conversation when every time they spoke their chest muscles flexed.
She returned her focus to the menu. Everything looked good, but to keep this date short, she decided on the recommended boctrilla burger. She certainly wouldn’t be ordering any alcohol. The last thing she needed was to cloud her brain.
Madra decided to keep this professional. “What else did you need to ask me?”
Brin laughed. “It was a ruse to get you to come to lunch.”
Her chest caved. “Seriously?” That came out wrong. She should have been flattered. “Why?”
“Because I like your passion and your beauty.”
Uncomfortable didn’t come close to describing how she felt. No man ever said she was pretty, let alone beautiful. She pushed back her chair. “I need to use the restroom.” If she didn’t get away from them and compose herself, she’d probably start to babble.
They both jumped up. She wished they wouldn’t do that. It was almost as if they expected her to act a certain way. Leaving as soon as she arrived might be construed as rude, but she didn’t want them to see the heat racing up her face. Her urge to flee would surely dissuade the men from ever asking her out again.
Is that what you want? For them to pursue you?
Admit it. Yes.
* * * *
I’m not sure this is a good idea. Brin watched Madra’s luscious hips sway as she headed to the back of the bar. He didn’t want to be attracted to her, but he had to admit the way she stood up to him at her house made his pulse beat hard. And her body did something to his insides that he couldn’t remember anyone doing to him before. Most Anterran women were all eyes, lips, and bones. This one at least had curves.
Larek looked crestfallen. “Why not? I like her.”
So did he, but admitting it wouldn’t do either of them any good. “You’re thinking with your cock.” If they got involved, he wouldn’t be able to focus on his law cases like he should.
“Am not. Okay, maybe a little, but how many women have we met who love their job enough to sacrifice their principles?”
He leaned back and laughed. “Since when is sacrificing one’s principles a good thing? If you’re trying to convince me that we should pursue her, you’re doing a bad job.”
“You know what I mean. Both of us let our emotions rule our brain, as does Madra. Don’t deny it.”
“Maybe.”
He leaned back in his chair and glanced toward the washroom to make sure Madra hadn’t changed her mind and come back toward them. Though if she were on the way back, he would sense it. Brin leaned forward. “I know this might be a stretch, but I have a feeling she might not be totally bought in to giving up and going back to teaching her old lessons. It may be subconscious, but I can sense there is a part of her that will never give up and that she’ll find a way to make it work so she can be part of her students’ lives.” There had been several times when his gut told him his clients were telling the truth, and he’d been able to prove it.
Suddenly, a feminine shriek rang out, and he shot his glance in the direction of the noise. Skelak. A blond man had hold of Madra’s arm and a second giant of a man was in her face. Both he and Larek jumped up at the same time, and they bumped shoulders trying to get to her.
Move out of my fucking way.
While Larek was the taller of the two, Brin had more muscles and was able to bulldoze his way past him. Madra was trying to pry the man’s fingers off her arm, but the guy seemed intent on keeping her still while the other ass yelled in her face. The bar got quiet, but no one moved to help her. Stupid gawkers.
Both he and Larek arrived within seconds of each other.
“Let go of her.” Brin had to look up at the man, whose shoulders were wider than the bar.
“I’m talking to the lady. She happens to be my son’s teacher, so get lost.” The giant ass stepped close and jerked his shoulder toward him. “I don’t like my kid learning lies about the culture I love.” He tapped Brin’s chest. “When I was doing a perimeter search for those fucking wolves, my own son, Clarin, refused to come with me. The insolent brat told me the wolves were victims! It’s all because of Ms. Madra here that my son has turned into a coward.”
No amount of debate was going to convince this guy that shouting at a woman wasn’t right. In that second, Brin made the decision. He shifted and pounced, but the man was able to shift just as quickly. Brin tried to go for the man’s jugular, but the giant was too fast and dodged the attack before Brin could sink his teeth into him.
“Madra, run!” Larek pulled her away from the second man’s grasp.
People screamed. Chairs scraped. Half a dozen men must have decided they had nothing better to do than get in a good fight and charged the four of them. Soon the place was swarming with salivating lions, most likely looking for a rush. The smart bar patrons hightailed it out of there.
The blond guy’s friend joined in the fray and managed to gouge his claw down Brin’s side. It stung like a bitch, but the ache only caused him to pause for a moment. Larek attacked the blond man and they scuffled three feet away. They smashed against a table, sending plates and glassware all over the floor. Chairs broke, and someone yelled for them to stop, but once a fray started, nothing but defeat would make anyone halt the fight.
An unidentified lion landed on Brin’s back and took a chunk out of his neck. Blood spurted everywhere, and he feared the assailant might have sliced through an artery. His energy waned. Desperate, he swiped his paw at the one who’d been holding Madra captive and managed to do some serious damage to the lion’s face. Sending out a loud cry of pain, the lion edged backward, shifted, and slammed against the bar.
One down, and who knows how many more to go. When two more animals pounced on Brin, his legs gave way. Skelak. This wasn’t how he’d thought his life would end. Dying at the hands of wolves would at least have been noble.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man who’d taken hold of Madra push away from the bar and stagger out. That left the shouting blond giant to deal with. While Larek had moved on to a few of the other guys, Brin got to his feet and, using his remaining energy, attacked the lion, who was nursing a ripped chest. Brin went for the man’s hindquarter. He bit hard, and the snap of bone crackled in the air. Finally. That should put the guy out of commission for a while.
Brin backpedaled and sank to the ground, knowing he and Larek had defeated the two men after Madra.
Shouts sounded from the entrance, and out of nowhere, people from the mall hurried in. He turned to see if they were the type to add to the chaos or help calm things down, but from his position on the floor, he couldn’t tell.
One of the men directed the people to get out of the way, and Brin recognized Taryn’s voice and relaxed. Larek had defeated his two unknown foes and had shifted back to human form. Brin would have shifted, but he stayed on the ground to catch his b
reath. Larek dropped by his side.
You okay?
Do I look okay? Actually, Larek was crusted in blood, too, but all the red could have come from another source.
“Larek?” From across the way, he could hear the worry in Madra’s tone.
“Madra is coming.”
“I heard.” He clenched his fists. He didn’t need her to see him like this, but there was nothing he could do about it right now. Brin knew he had to shift, but his energy level was so low he wasn’t sure he even could. Give me a minute.
“Where’s Brin?”
Larek waved her over. “He’s recovering.”
Because Larek was blocking her view, she latched her gaze onto his friend first. “Do you need to get to the hospital?”
Larek didn’t seem severely injured.
“I’m fine. Brin’s the one who needs help.”
Way to go, buddy. Now she’d see him bleeding on the floor, too weak to do much. Her divine scent was more pronounced when he was in his lion form. The last thing he needed was for his damned cock to use his valuable blood. With every ounce of willpower, he shifted. Even in his human form, the stench of his wet blood was sickening.
Madra raced to him and crouched down. “Oh, Brin. I’m so sorry. We need to get you help.”
He wasn’t that bad off, even though his body throbbed. “I’m okay. I just need a good soaking in the tub.”
“Let me help you up.”
Before he could swat away her hand, she’d grabbed hold of his arm and guided him to his feet. Light-headedness attacked him, and he swayed.
Larek was by his side and guided him over to a chair. Madra had his blood all over her clothes, and her now-wet shirt made her nipples protrude. His damned cock got hard against his wishes. That wasn’t what she needed to see.
Taryn and Kellum reached them. “Madra came and got us. You okay?”
“Yeah, but that giant over there might have a broken leg.”
Taryn faced Larek. “Can you see to Brin while I check out the other one?”
“No problem.”
“We’ll need to talk later.” Taryn rushed over to the guy. From the way the giant was grunting, he wasn’t able to get up. It served him right for attacking a woman.
Brin nodded to Madra. “I see you need to clean up. Go ahead and take care of yourself. We’ll be fine.” He hoped she’d go.
She planted her hands on her hips. “You saved me from those men, and I will not leave you until I’m convinced both of you are healed. I owe you.”
He was afraid she’d blame herself. If she insisted on nursing him back to health, by the skies above, he wasn’t going to survive.
“We’ll be good in a few hours. Haven’t you seen how fast lions heal?”
“I’ve only seen one fight. It ended in death.”
“You’ve spent most of your time underground?” Wolves never entered their stronghold so maybe she hadn’t seen a lot of injuries.
“I go out, just not as often as the men.”
The downed blond man’s shouts drew everyone’s attention, including Madra’s.
The man glared and fisted his hand at Madra. “You’ll pay for this, bitch.”
Brin jumped up and winced. Larek placed a hand on his shoulder and forced him to sit again. Damn. Now more than ever he was determined to see that no harm came to her.
Chapter Three
With all the people running around, it was rather loud, making it difficult to have a conversation with the men, so Madra kept her distance, not wanting to get in the way. Larek’s injuries didn’t seem life threatening, but Brin appeared to be a different matter. To her layman’s eyes, Brin should be in a hospital, but apparently he was too damned stubborn to get help. Yes, she’d been told of their amazing recuperative powers, but not all lions healed quickly especially if a main artery was severed. She’d seen her cousin die from such a wound.
The bartender walked over to Brin with two towels. “This is all I got. It should keep the tram seats blood-free. You don’t want it getting everywhere.”
They both took the towels. “Thanks.”
She figured the bartender wasn’t the owner. If he had been, he’d be spitting mad and demanding someone pay for the damage. Taryn strutted over, leaving Kellum to deal with Clarin’s dad.
He ran his gaze over Brin. “You want me to call another ambulance for you?”
Brin grunted and pushed up on the table to stand. “No. I’m good.”
He didn’t look so good, though he was doing a lot better than the other guy.
Brin must have communicated something to Larek, because they both headed out without saying another word. They probably were hoping she’d get the hint and go home, but they were sorely mistaken if they thought she’d abandon them. She didn’t like how Brin limped and how Larek’s shoulders were hunched as if his chest were injured. She raced behind them.
“I’m coming with you.”
Larek turned around and smiled. “Good.”
Brin, however, grunted. That was too bad. Someone needed to see to his care.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long for the tram to arrive. They got on and moved to the end of the car. Two locals were kind enough to give up their seats, mumbling something about them smelling bad.
Guilt swamped her. The fight wouldn’t have occurred if they hadn’t stepped in to save her, but even in retrospect, she wasn’t sure the altercation had to happen. She wanted to clear the air. “I so appreciate you coming to my aid, but I could have handled the men.”
One of Brin’s eyes was swollen shut and the other one was only partially open. “I wasn’t willing to wait around and see.”
He had a point, but while she didn’t want to lecture him, she believed neither parent would have actually harmed her. “I knew them.”
“So they said.”
Larek lightly placed a hand on her waist and squeezed. “What’s done is done.”
He was right. From the way Brin was shivering, he wasn’t in the mood to revisit the event. As she stood in front of them, she wondered how serious Clarin’s father was about coming after her. He did have a broken leg, but that probably wouldn’t stop him if his threat had been sincere.
She figured once she went back to the old way of teaching, Clarin’s dad would be satisfied and move on. Frania’s dad was another story, but right now she couldn’t worry about him. She had two men to take care of.
Two stops away, Larek motioned they get off. She bent over to help Brin up when he growled. Clearly, his pride was in full force, and she let him haul himself to a stand. When his knee bent as he stepped from the tram, Larek was by his side.
Maybe this had been a mistake, insisting she doctor them, but someone needed to cook for them and take care of their needs while they healed, even it was only for a few hours. What if both got a fever and were too weak to call for help? She’d heard of it happening.
Okay, okay. She was drawn to them and wanted to get to know them, plus they had saved her from those brutes. Her parents had taught her to repay her debts. As soon as she was convinced they were on the mend she’d leave.
By the time Brin hobbled to his house, she had to admit he appeared a little stronger. As they walked up the pathway to their home, she couldn’t help but check out the manicured street. While she’d passed this stop every day going from work to her house, she’d never exited here. The more influential and wealthier people resided in this area, and there had never been an occasion to visit.
“You coming, Madra?”
Larek held open the door. “Sorry.” She raced up the steps and entered. An involuntary gasp escaped. “Your home is beautiful.”
He shrugged. “It’s just furniture.”
She was sure he hadn’t meant to belittle her comment but rather to say wealth didn’t mean much to him. Brin didn’t stop to chat but instead headed down a long hallway.
Larek ran a hand down her arm, which sent delightful shivers up her body. “Come with me. I’ll sh
ow you where you can clean up.”
She was well aware she had Brin’s blood on her but only now noticed how it had wet her shirt, making it cling revealingly to her breasts. She wrapped her arms around her chest, though by now he’d probably gotten an eyeful. “Thanks.”
While Brin had entered a room at the end of the hall, Larek stopped halfway down. “You can use this washroom.”
He seemed to be in a hurry to take care of his injuries, so she stepped in. “Thanks. Go take care of yourself and Brin.” For a second, she debated following them, but she figured Brin would be naked by now and having her see him wouldn’t be appropriate.
When she glanced at the mirror, her appearance appalled her. She wasn’t sure how she got blood on her face and in her hair, but it was clear her shirt was now ruined. She took it off and tossed it in the trash. Since she rarely went bare chested like the other Anterran women, she felt self-conscious.
Don’t be such a prude.
She lifted up both heavy breasts then dropped them. Why couldn’t she have tiny, perky breasts like the rest of the population?
After she washed up the best she could, she went back to the living room. She debated listening at the door to see how the men were doing, but she didn’t want to intrude. Instead, she wandered around the living room, admiring all their fine artwork and wonderfully crafted furniture.
To pass the time, she checked out the magazines on the table. The law magazine didn’t surprise her, but the ones on hiking and efficient food growing did. She wondered which of the men was into cooking.
She was so relaxed on the sofa that when she jerked awake, she glanced around to see how long she’d been asleep. The sunlight coming through the solar tubes had disappeared and had been replaced by the glow of the streetlights.
Hard and Easy [High-Country Shifters 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3