“Ethan.” Tansey tugged but his grip remained firm. “Let me go.”
Heat entered his eyes and she stilled. Ethan dragged one hand from her captive wrists down her arm and to her shoulder. His thumb and forefinger caught her chin. “These hands aren’t capable of cold-blooded murder.”
“I don’t know that.”
Ethan trailed a finger down her throat before planting his hand on her hip. His fingers massaged her through her clothes. “You do. Trust your instincts.”
The air pressed down on her, trying to crush all her objections and wrap her in something else. Heat coiled tightly in her belly. Everywhere he touched sparked a fresh point of fire that burned through her defenses.
Insane. She was insane. The big cowboy topped her list of suspicious characters, and she was a damn puddle for him.
Ethan skimmed his nose up the column of her neck. His lips grazed over the shell of her ear. His breath tickled a tiny noise out of her chest.
“Believe me, Tansey. I’m not the culprit.”
Instincts. Those were the ancient benefactors of survival. Ethan made hers go haywire. And trust? That was setting herself up for hurt. Trust was a commodity she lost long ago. No, she needed facts and proof. No sexy bear shifter would change her mind, no matter how close to taking that plunge she came.
Nothing made sense. Her reaction to him was off the charts. Her worry for Rye was a constant, ringing alarm. Viho wanted her dead, maybe. Her money, definitely. And Ethan was tied up in that, too.
Too much. It was all too much. She didn’t have time to untangle any part of it or listen to the pounding of her heart triggered by the big man’s touch.
Tansey lifted her chin and fought through the fog of desire. “Then find my brother and let him tell me that.”
Ethan growled and left her on the deck alone.
Chapter 13
Ethan slammed the door of his truck closed and tossed his hat on the seat next to him. He needed a drink after all the bullshit. He couldn’t head to The Roost because she could be there. One encounter was enough.
She’d ruined his entire day. His plan to stop for lunch then make a supply run dissolved into the desperate need to taste Tansey again. When she slammed the brakes on that idea—with the thickly sweet scent of arousal in his nose that she’d no doubt deny if he called her on it—he had to shift. Right then. He barely made it to his parked truck before his inner beast ripped out of him.
The push to be with her didn’t end there. Oh, that’d be too simple. Manageable, even. No, his idiot bear tracked her from the shadows like some unrequited stalker.
His bear growled.
He didn’t know why he was so bothered by her continued belief that he was some common criminal. He wanted to kiss the accusations from her mouth. Almost had.
He’d come so close to losing control on the deck. No one around. Her hands captured above her head. His good intentions drowned in her scent and only left wicked ideas.
For a distraction he didn’t want or need, she sure kept digging under his skin.
Twin thuds jumped into the bed of his truck. He glanced in the rearview and found Hunter and Lorne staring back at him.
Well, at least Hunter wasn’t going to get picked up for disorderly conduct in the middle of Bearden.
Ethan stuffed down the objections of his bear and made his way toward the only place that would do.
Defiant Dog sat on the edge of enclave and human territory. With the barrier active, he could take two steps from the old outhouse and feel the magic over his skin as he left his world behind and entered theirs.
Old, that. With shifters, vampires, and fae out in the open and enclaves revealing their locations, humans and their scientists descended on anything they could study. The Broken, the guardians of the enclave, were separated from the orbs that powered their magic. The barrier now only went up when one of the human researchers requested it.
Times changed, but Defiant Dog never did. Built into an old cattleman’s hut on land no one wanted to claim, there was hardly room for two bottles of liquor, let alone the crowd The Roost drew inside town. Years of dirt and grime covered the floors and bar itself. Ethan doubted the grizzled old man behind the bar had washed a single rag that wiped out the shot glasses and pints crammed together on a teetering shelf behind him.
Ethan both loved and hated the place. It’d been his first drinking hole, and one where he regularly fetched his father. At that moment, the dive perfectly fit his mood.
A few faces lifted from tables in the dark corners, then went back to studying their drinks. The townies rarely ventured out this far. The ranchers drank too hard for them and no one ever called Bearden’s finest to break up a brawl.
By the Broken, he hoped for a fight.
He sidled up to the bar and ignored his companions. Two fingers in the air summoned old Hector. “Whiskey,” he ordered, knowing there was only ever one brand. He laid out the bills needed for the first round.
On cue, the three tapped their glasses and threw back their shots. Familiar warmth spread through Ethan’s belly and he ordered two more before requesting a bottle of beer to nurse.
Hunter and Lorne stayed silent as they followed him to an open table in a dark corner. Ethan had appreciated it at first, but now it just grated on him. He didn’t need babysitters, which was exactly what two pairs of quickly ducked eyes felt like.
He rolled his shoulders to relieve some of his tension. His muscles slackened, but the growling, restless unease stemming from his inner animal wouldn’t disappear. Nothing would quiet the bear except the sendings he plastered all over Ethan’s thoughts: Tansey.
He clenched his teeth to keep from shooting to his feet and chasing after the woman. “What are you two doing here?”
Hunter shrugged, not giving a shit about the infusion of dominance in the air. “You mean, why didn’t I head into town and track down the cop Joyce is fucking?”
“Thought I’d have to alpha order you to bed like a child.”
Hunter turned to Lorne. “He’s going to make a wonderful father.”
Lorne snorted, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward.
“What’s that mean?”
“It means,” Hunter sighed dramatically, “that I’m done chasing after Joyce. She wants to have a wild time, that’s on her. Wish she was more honest about it with everyone, but it is what it is. And after watching you with Tansey, I know my girl is out there somewhere. I’m just waiting for her to show up.”
Ethan scowled. “There’s nothing happening there.”
“After you didn’t come back from the supply run, we called around,” Lorne offered. “Even Hunter here didn’t take long to figure out you had a run-in with that woman.”
“Asshole.” Hunter chuffed a laugh and punched Lorne on the shoulder.
Lorne punched him back. “Truth speaker.”
Ethan shoved away and went straight for the bar. Beer wasn’t going to be enough to wash the taste of Tansey from his tongue or clear her from his mind. He returned with shot glasses and the whole damn bottle of whiskey. If he drank fast enough, maybe he could have a few uninterrupted hours of sleep before his system cleared and Tansey took back over.
His bear pouted in the corner of his head. Pouted! Like some puppy that’d been kicked. All over a girl that would just ruin their lives one way or another.
No, he was doing the right thing. The responsible thing. He needed to stay away from her addicting scent.
Hunter wasn’t so easily put off. “You dropped everything for her. The only other person you’d do that for is Colette. Hell, the last time Alex and Lorne brawled hard enough to break something, you made them wait until the herd was shifted to a new pasture before setting their bones.”
“There was a storm rolling in. They weren’t going anywhere, but the bull was liable to run the cows into the hills,” Ethan muttered.
“Point is, this stranger shows up and you can’t help but get involved. That’s the devotion
I want someone to inspire in me, and Joyce just ain’t her.” Hunter downed the last of his bottle. “So, I’ll wait.”
“Be prepared for a long haul. Doubt there’s anyone willing to put up with your sorry ass,” Lorne teased on a quiet breath.
“Truth speaker,” Ethan commended and poured him a shot while Hunter grimaced.
The smell of ripe fur and gasoline blasted through the swinging bar doors. Ethan lifted his nose and inhaled. “Something stinks like wet dog.”
The quiet murmurings of the other patrons died down to nothing. Viho Valdana and two of his Vagabonds turned glowing eyes in his direction.
Yep. Those were his words tumbling out of his mouth. Fuck it. Asshole shouldn’t have messed with his life. He shouldn’t have taken a shot at Tansey.
Or at you, Tansey’s voice shouted from the back of his mind. Even drunk and miles away, he had no peace from her.
Viho’s lips lifted in a snarl. “The fuck you say, bear?”
“I said, who let that fucking wet dog stench in here?”
Next to him, Lorne groaned. Hunter grinned.
The wolves with Viho took two quick steps toward him and only stopped when Viho threw his arms wide. He issued quiet orders and the two fleabags crowded into a nearby table, eyes never leaving their alpha.
Viho sauntered over, each step rustling chains on his belt and vest like a damn biker symphony. He just needed coordinated engine revs and he could have his own show.
Ethan swallowed down another shot because clearly he hadn’t had enough.
Flipping a chair around, Viho took a seat. He waggled a finger in Ethan’s direction. “You and me, we have unfinished business. You stole my client.”
“Client?” Ethan shrugged. “More like quick mark, eh?”
The Vagabonds were wanderers. Had been for years. Even so, they didn’t need to stoop so low. They robbed and ran guns. If some of the rumors were believed, they were selling shifter blood, too, and leaving a trail of addicts in their wake.
Viho didn’t know what it meant to be a good alpha. He controlled his people with an iron will, but he led them deeper and deeper into trouble. There was no surviving long-term on that. If some local cops didn’t put a hole in him, someone within his own ranks would put him down.
He needed to get Tansey clear of the bastard.
Ethan blinked at the thought. She added a new drive in his hatred for Viho. Viho was a danger and a threat because of their past. Women never factored into that. Until Tansey showed up on his land and made her demands.
Idiot inner bear. She wasn’t their mate. He didn’t want to shift his entire world around for her. His was fine without any extra problems.
“She was good money. Easy money. Couple of my boys had their eyes on her, too.”
Ethan’s hands tightened around his beer bottle. His bear rampaged through his head and flung images of Viho strung out and ripped to shreds to him. Tansey wasn’t meant for the wolves!
A curious light entered Viho’s eyes. “Guess I shouldn’t expect anything else from Ashford scum. They’re always taking what doesn’t belong to them.”
Ethan forced himself to relax and lean back in his seat. “And what belongs to you, Valdana? Way I remember it, your traitor father couldn’t even find the balls for a proper challenge fight. Guess picking off cattle and duping humans is right up your alley, coward.”
“I’ll see you ruined. Stripped bare. Everything you ever cared about will wither and die. Who’s going to take care of that sweet baby sister of yours when you lose everything?”
“Don’t you threaten Colette,” he warned with a growl.
“Oh, I’ll treat her real nice, don’t you worry.” Viho grinned. “And the human, too.”
A roar blasted out of his chest. Red haze filled his vision and he leaped to his feet. Those threats couldn’t be allowed to exist. He’d force Viho to choke them back down with his own tongue.
Viho’s backup came charging out of the shadows. Lorne and Hunter jumped up and cut them off. Ethan heard a crash of splintering wood right before Viho flung a fist at his face.
Years of waiting and frustration and betrayed hurt took hold. Ethan wanted to bleed Viho. All the pain of his family lay squarely at the feet of Viho’s father. Instead of taking leave and making a place elsewhere, the fucker kept popping back up around Black Claw. Killing cows, watching from the woods, lurking, always lurking, and waiting for his moment.
Fuck that. Viho wouldn’t take a damn thing that belonged to him. The ranch, his sister, his clan.
His mate.
No.
Yes.
Ethan threw a hard punch into Viho’s stomach, then crashed his knee into the man’s face as he stumbled. His bear snapped at his insides with the demand to be freed and have his own taste of wolf. Only the tight space kept the beast locked down.
Outside, though... Outside, they could rip and tear with abandon.
Viho jerked away, claws lengthening his fingertips. A laugh bubbled out of his throat and showed off the blood coating his teeth.
Then he lunged, grabbing Ethan’s arm and twisting them around and around while one tried to overpower the other. Ethan punched and clawed with the sharpened weapons of his own beast. Viho snapped. Chairs and tables and bottles were nothing but toys in their path of wreckage.
A series of blows shoved Ethan into the bar and Viho pounced. He wrapped his hands around Ethan’s neck, cutting off his oxygen. A snarl gurgled at the back of his throat as his bear pressed forward.
Ethan reached for something, anything, and found a bottle of beer. He wrapped thick fingers around the neck and slammed it over Viho’s head.
A sharp whistle and the cock of a rifle stilled their movement. The drip-drip-drip of blood and the panting of hard breaths were the only sounds in the tiny bar.
“Ain’t neither of you worth the bullet.” Hector stared down the barrel at them, mouth drawn in a hard line. “Out.”
Viho roughly released him, raised his hands, and took a step back.
Both sides separated under the watchful eye of Hector and his rifle. He didn’t lower it as they were forced through the door with tails tucked between their legs.
Ethan straightened and glared hatred in Viho’s direction. His bear still boiled with fury under his skin. The beast wanted to taste blood and the felt was unfinished. It wouldn’t be finished until one of them lay lifeless in the dirt.
His land, his clan, his sister, his mate. Viho promised to see them all stripped away.
The line was drawn and crossed, the challenge made. Slinging himself onto the back of his motorcycle and roaring off into the night didn’t stop the rage thrumming a deadly beat in Ethan or his bear from adding a matching snarl.
Viho Valdana wouldn’t take one damn thing from him and live.
Chapter 14
Ethan squinted into the blinding sunlight and fought back a wave of nausea. His head pounded with enough force to split open. His joints throbbed. His throat and tongue were thick and dry.
Hangover, he told himself. He’d felt like shit all damn day and no amount of working his body eased the pounding in his skull. Too much whiskey topped by a shot of bloodlust would wreck any man.
His bear brushed fur against his mind. The beast sent another reminder of exactly what poisoned him, and it wasn’t liquor. Their mate was out there, somewhere, and without protection. Viho could snatch her up at any moment while Ethan drove in the opposite direction.
He should have done more. Should have ended the threat and risked Hector peppering him with bullets. Viho was out for blood. He’d had him in his grasp and watched the asshole ride away.
Ethan groaned and blinked away his double vision. What was done, was done. For the best, too. Tansey believed him to be guilty and he couldn’t prove his innocence. All he could do was find a way to keep Viho away from her.
His physical reaction was more proof that she was pure trouble. He couldn’t run a ranch and keep his clan in line if any disagreemen
t sent him to his knees. He wouldn’t last the calving season if he acted like an addict needing a fix. No. No mates. No biology driving him to set everything else aside. He had a job to do, and no pretty face would send him spiraling like his father.
His bear roared endlessly in his head. Sharp claws drove into his brain. Ethan welcomed them. Better the beast he knew how to manage than the shaky urges he didn’t.
He tightened his hands around his steering wheel and turned down the road leading toward the lion pride’s ranch. The large sign out front didn’t even give a name for the property or the private drive. STAY AWAY, the sign ordered. Further down, another appeared. FUCK OFF.
Ethan shook his head at both and focused on the task at hand. He had to keep his shit together. Trent would sense any weakness. One threat was all he could manage. Two clans gunning for him would leave him outmatched.
Each bump in the road set his teeth on edge. His bear pushed harder against him as the scents of baked earth and big cats filtered through the windows. They were in the wrong territory. The snarling grew worse as the lion pride’s barn appeared in the distance.
Ethan froze the second his boots touched the ground. He lifted his face and closed his eyes to better sift through the scents he drew deep into his lungs.
Faint, but there. Wolf. And not like any of the Valdanas that lurked on his land.
Jesse dropped to his feet from his truck and they exchanged a long look. At least he could trust his second not to make any stupid moves.
Trent poked his head out of his barn. “You here for my horses, Ashford?”
Ethan hated coming to Trent with his hands out. He was strapped for cash and bleeding money with every cow the Vagabonds picked off.
A good alpha did what was best for his people, he told himself, so he grinned through the snarling of his bear and the pounding of his head. “Would I set foot on this barren wasteland otherwise, Crowley?”
“Wasteland, maybe. But we’re far from barren. Got a few heavies ready to drop their calves soon and win us that prize money. How’s your herd?”
Wrangled Fate: Book One: Black Claw Ranch Page 9