by Lynn Hagen
But it was too late for that. Lucas walked out of the café and stared right at me, heat in his sexy greenish-amber eyes. I swallowed hard as the man strutted toward me with a predatory gait.
Chapter Four
Lucas…
The night was stifling as I walked outside. There was a slight breeze off of the gulf coast but not enough to cool anything down. I could feel a fine layer of sweat coating my skin and wondered how anyone lived out here full time. But those were secondary thoughts compared to the beauty I spotted sitting on a tree stump. Dillon looked like an angel that had been cast down from heaven with the moonlight giving him an ethereal glow.
Goddamn he was beautiful.
My cock grew hard as my cat purred to get closer. The café owner had been very blatant about what Dillon needed, but I had already known. Not only had I heard the entire conversation—thanks to my shifter ears—but I could sense something innocent about Dillon Durst. He was the type of guy a man took home to meet his parents.
The thought almost caused me to stumble in my steps. I quickly pushed that image away as I approached him. “You’re too sexy to be sitting out here all by yourself.”
Dillon’s head snapped up, and his eyes became large. I could tell he was scared. But I didn’t plan on fucking the human right here in the parking lot. I knew I had to ease his worries because I didn’t want Dillon afraid of me.
“Mind if I join you?”
Shaking his head, Dillon waved toward a shorter stump not ten feet from him. I arched a brow. He smiled. “I guess that old stump is too low to the ground for you.”
Instead, I took a seat on the ground, subtracting my size. The less intimidating I seemed, the better my chances with Dillon. Mikhia had started to come outside with me, but I had convinced my brother that only one of us needed to approach Dillon until he was more comfortable.
“Nah, I just don’t like how far it is from you.” I pulled my legs up and wrapped my arms around them. “How do you stand the heat?”
A genuine smile formed across his lips. Even so, there was something in his eyes that said he would run if I pushed him too hard. I knew I had to take this slow.
“You get used to it,” he replied. The scent of his arousal filled the air, and it was a scent that I wanted to bathe in. My cat yowled softly as it sniffed the sweet smell all around us.
I listened to the sounds of crickets and frogs as I let my eyes slowly take Dillon in. I was dying to be petted by him. I could tell Dillon would stroke me in ways that would have me ready to lap him up like sweet cream.
With a sigh, Dillon leaned back on his hands and raised his head to look up at the night sky, exposing his sensual neck. I licked my lips. Casey had said to go easy on Dillon, to ease him into what my brother and I wanted from him. But damn if it wasn’t hard work to keep my hands to myself.
“Do you have family here?” I asked as I stared at his flawless neck. Ripples of need filled me, making my cock even harder. I wanted to ease Dillon down to the forest floor and show him things he never knew existed. I wanted to pet the little kitten and listen to his soft whimpers.
“My dad and brother,” he admitted as he brushed his hand over his silky hair. “Is Mikhia your only family?”
I bit back the pain as I remembered that fatal night. Anger tried to take hold, but I refused to spoil this moment. I watched Dillon study me. His hazel eyes held such pure heat that I felt branded. I wasn’t even sure Dillon knew how he was looking at me.
“Yeah, he’s all I have.”
Those words tasted bitter on my tongue.
“What brought you two to Hungry?” Dillon asked. “It isn’t a town most dream of living in.”
I could tell he was smart. His eyes didn’t miss much. Lying to him just might get the door slammed in my face, but telling the truth was something I wasn’t willing to do. “Business.”
Dillon frowned but didn’t press the subject. He let it go, and I was glad. “If this town is so bad, why haven’t you moved away?”
My gut told me he wasn’t as adverse to this town as he led me to believe. Dillon seemed like a small-town guy who loved the place, even if he thought Hungry bland.
“Family.”
“Good enough reason.” I reached out and stroked him down his leg. I liked that he was wearing shorts, although the temptation was almost too much to bear. Dillon’s skin was smooth under my knuckles, and to his credit, he didn’t flinch or pull away. “Family is the heart of any man.”
Dillon laughed. “I've never heard that one before.”
I continued to pet the small kitten as I spoke. “I’m not sure about anyone else, but family means everything to me.”
Dillon looked back at the restaurant, and I could see a haunting look in his eyes. “I can tell.”
By that look, I knew that the thought of being with two men frightened Dillon. I gently grabbed his hand, tugging on it until he moved. I settled Dillon down next to me. “Better.”
I would have preferred him in my lap, but I would settle for Dillon sitting next to me. I smoothed my hand down his back in a nonthreatening manner, tugging at a strand of his inky black hair. “You dating anyone?”
The thought made my cat growl. I was bewildered by the fact that I protested the thought of anyone touching such a sweet guy. Dillon deserved to be loved by someone who cherished him. No matter what Mikhia said, I knew Dillon wasn’t going to be a quick roll in the bed. He wasn’t going to be a distraction while we were in town. The human fascinated me, and I wanted to get to know him better. His sweet aroma filled my lungs, and I couldn’t stop the slight purr from escaping.
Dillon smiled. “Do you always purr?”
“Just when I’m around a beautiful man.” His blush was so deep that I felt my cock throb in my jeans. What I wouldn’t give to see that blush while he was naked. I wanted to know if it just suffused Dillon’s cheeks or covered his entire body.
I cursed under my breath when Mikhia came out of the café, staring at Dillon in a peculiar way. I knew my brother scented Dillon’s arousal. As much as the man protested my pursuing Dillon, I knew Mikhia was interested in the human.
But Dillon wasn’t ready to be surrounded by two men. He proved that point by getting to his feet. I stared at the tight way Dillon’s shorts cupped his ass and had an urge to lift the material and kiss him in his most intimate place.
“Hi, Mikhia,” Dillon said as he moved closer toward the café door. His eyes darted down at me and then over to Mikhia. “It was nice talking to you, Lucas.” He hurried back toward the door, leaving me sitting on the ground by myself.
“Nice timing,” I said as I stood.
Mikhia didn’t apologize, and I knew the man wouldn’t. We needed to have a long talk about wooing Dillon and what it would take to get him to accept both of us.
“I got tired of the way everyone was looking at me,” Mikhia said with no regret in his tone. “Consider yourself lucky I kept my composure.”
I sighed. I knew Mikhia was trying, and I couldn’t fault my brother in the least for feeling hostile toward these backwoods people. “Come on. Let’s get back to our room.”
I needed to relieve the tension, and the only way I was going to do that was a hot shower and my hand.
* * * *
Mikhia…
I scented the air before I moved from the shadows and toward the back door of the pet-grooming place. I’d used the excuse of needing air to slip away from my brother. If Lucas knew what I was up to, he would flip his goddamn lid.
But I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. I needed answers. And unbeknownst to Lucas, the earlier interaction with Dillon had bothered me in ways I didn’t want to comprehend. Dillon’s scent had filled my lungs as soon as he’d walked out of that restaurant and I’d become instantly hard. Watching Lucas and Dillon together aroused me, and I didn’t want to think about that right now.
I had a minion to hunt down.
Besides, Dillon was human. What would he know about pleasi
ng two very tactile cats? He was still a virgin for fuck’s sake. The two of us would scare him to death. I knew this by the reaction he’d had when I had come outside. Dillon’s pulse had quickened, and his fear had risen to levels that said he wasn’t ready to take on two full-grown panthers.
We’d probably scare Dillon into a damn heart attack, but I did smile at the thought of seeing him flustered if we both descended on him.
Lucas and I had always shared bed partners. It was just how we bonded. I didn’t see anything wrong with it, but I knew a lot of folks had different opinions.
Did I care about those opinions? Not in the least. I didn’t care about anyone’s thoughts except those in my family. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. The size of my family was singular now, because the creature and Bodin had seen to that. Had seen to ripping my world to shreds. Lucas’s world to shreds.
My brother was able to hide his emotions behind that smile of his, but I knew, deep down, he was wounded just as deeply as I was. I didn’t want to hide behind a mask. I wanted the world to know how badly it hurt to lose those you loved.
I wanted everyone to feel the loss as much as I felt it, to know the world had lost three precious, amazing lives.
After slamming a lid on those thoughts, I eased the door open—once I’d picked the lock—and moved into the building, closing the door behind me. I kept the lights off. Not only was I able to see in the dark but I didn’t want the local sheriff to drive by and see a light on.
I found myself in a back office. There was a desk, a table lamp, and a filing cabinet. The room was sparse as hell. It was as if the setup was merely a front. Where were the typical pictures most workers kept on their desk? There was nothing in the office to indicate it was even used. The room appeared more as a prop.
Opening the file cabinet, I confirmed my suspicions. The drawer was empty. I opened the second and then the third to find they were empty as well.
Moving over to the desk, I opened the drawers to find the same thing. Aside from a few pens and an unused pad of paper, the drawers were empty.
Earlier, when Lucas and I were in the shop with Dillon, I’d seen a ledger on the counter. Was that how Dillon kept up with his appointments? It had to be, because even if this shop was a front, Dillon still worked there.
Just what in the hell was going on here? I knew Bert worked for something wholly evil, but shouldn’t the guy put more effort into his front of being a business owner? There wasn’t even a potted plant sitting on the desk.
Frustrated at my lack of findings, I’d turned to leave when I heard voices coming from up front. The office door was closed, so I moved closer. I knew Lucas was right about not confronting Bodin on my own. As much as it bruised my pride, I was well aware that I couldn’t take that minion down by myself.
It had nearly killed me the last time I’d seen him.
“I don’t care if they tracked you to Hungry. It isn’t your job to eliminate those two. Stick to the plan or you’ll have hell to pay.” The person speaking wasn’t familiar to me. But the evil feeling I’d felt when my family was killed came rushing back, and I knew the guy speaking was the one who’d been there. The grimy feeling that I had been living with for six months returned, and I had an urge to scrub my skin raw.
“I’m telling you. Those two panthers will interfere. Don’t think for one second they won’t try to stop me when I go after Dillon. I should have killed those panthers when I killed their family.” It was Bodin talking. “Dillon is a chosen one, and we can’t let those cats defile him.”
I held my anger in check as I considered the man’s words. What on earth was he talking about? Dillon was a chosen one? What the fuck did that even mean?
“If they interfere, I’ll deal with them. Keep on course, Bodin. We can’t let those two unravel what I’ve worked so hard to accomplish,” an unfamiliar voice said. I was assuming it was the guy named Bert. There could’ve been a third guy with them.
“If they defile him, he is of no use to me,” another voice said. Just how many people were in the other room? “If he’s of no use to me, then I’ll kill him myself. Until then, don’t go after any of them. I don’t need the humans in this town growing suspicious.”
I was dying to look out into the other room and see what form the creature had taken, but knew I would be discovered if I dared. “Hungry is mine, and I plan on draining every single person before I move on.”
Draining? How?
Heavy footsteps grew closer, and I had to get out of there. Not only was Bodin in the other room but so was his boss. That thing. I wouldn’t stand a chance against both of them. I eased across the room and slipped out the back door, shifting into my panther form before I took off through the woods.
Too many questions were bombarding me. But one thing was for certain. Lucas and I had to protect Dillon. I’d suspected that Dillon might work for them, but now I knew better. Dillon was going to be their next victim, and I was going to do everything in my power to stop them.
But I needed to know who the unknown man was. Lucas and I couldn’t fight if we didn’t know who we were up against. Bert? Was that the third guy? I needed to learn what Bert looked like. He may or may not be human, but Bert was a part of this, which meant he had to die.
Knowing I was going to endure my brother’s wrath, I headed for the cottages because I had to warn Lucas.
We had to warn Dillon.
As soon as I was close enough to our rented room, I shifted. Thank fuck it was late at night. More than a few brows would be raised if anyone saw me naked. This town wasn’t accepting of strangers, let alone naked ones.
I didn’t even have to knock. Lucas opened the door and stared at me for a brief moment before stepping aside and allowing me to enter. “Something tells me I’m not going to like what you’ve been up to,” Lucas said. “Tell me you didn’t go after Bodin on your own, Mikhia.”
I grabbed some clothes and dressed. “I went to the pet-grooming place,” I admitted.
“Goddamn it,” Lucas said with a hard growl. “Are you trying to get yourself killed? We both want justice for what happened to our family, but we have to be smart about this.”
“They’re going after Dillon.” I turned to see the expression on Lucas’s face. My brother looked pale as he stood there and digested my words.
“Come again?”
“I heard Bodin and that evil thing talking in the front of the shop.”
Lucas paled even further. “You were in the same building as both of them?” My brother sounded surprised and pissed at the same time. “Do you know what could have happened to you?”
“They already know we’re here, Lucas. But the evil thing told Bodin to leave us alone. It seems they’re after what they referred to as chosen ones. They referred to Dillon as one.”
Lucas looked completely baffled. His eyes were narrowed as he stood there considering me. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head.
Even after my long run to the cottages, I still hadn’t figured out what that meant. And now those evil bastards had their sights set on Dillon. I hadn’t been too thrilled when Lucas announced he wanted the human. But now I knew we had to protect him at all costs. Dillon didn’t deserve the death they would give him. He didn’t deserve to die at all.
My feelings toward Dillon were changing, and that scared the shit out of me.
“We need to get to Dillon’s.” Lucas grabbed his keys. “We’ll keep an eye on his house in our panther forms.”
Dillon would be safest if he was in our protective arms, but I also knew he wouldn’t come willingly. Dillon feared being with us.
That was going to make protecting him a hell of a lot harder.
Chapter Five
Dillon…
“Just my lousy luck.” I pulled in front of my house and saw that there weren’t any lights on. My dad and brother hadn’t made it home yet. I hated being in this big house all by myself, especially at night. “Put your big boy pants on and suck it
up.”
I parked my car and got out, telling myself that it was just a dark house, nothing to freak out about. I had never liked being home alone, and tonight was no different. I lived far enough away from town that my house was secluded.
Not a good thing at night when I was by myself. So I was a chicken shit. Sue me. If others had dreams like I had, they would hesitate to be alone in a dark house, too.
Only…this felt different. There was something in the air, but I had no idea what that something was. I shivered as I clutched my arms and hurried toward the back door.
No one ever locked the back door. We lived too far from town, and worrying about someone breaking in was never an issue.
Until now.
I stopped in my tracks when I saw the back door slightly ajar. Jason could have left it open. But I was good and spooked tonight, and all kinds of horrible thoughts began to filter through my overactive brain.
A chill swept through me as I looked around. That was odd considering how hot the night was.
But I felt someone watching me, the same feeling I’d had this morning.
Maybe I should just go inside and lock the door. But what if someone was in there? I couldn’t simply stand out here until my dad or brother showed up.
You are being a moron. No one is in there.
Taking in a shaky breath, I eased the back door open, reaching for the light switch. I flicked the lever up, but nothing happened. It could be a fuse. There was no need to panic.
Don’t you dare panic.
Setting my keys aside, I ventured farther into the kitchen, listening to the sounds of the quiet house. When I entered the living room and tried the lamp, I found it wasn’t working, either.
Crud.
My hand froze midair when I heard the floorboard creak. My gaze swung to my father’s gun cabinet, but I wasn’t sure I had enough balls to use a gun. Those things scared the crap out of me. Just the idea of taking a life had me turning away from the cabinet with a queasy stomach.