by Celia Kyle
Zane rose, taking her with him. Keeping her cradled in his arms, he carefully padded toward the bed and gently laid her on the soft surface. “I’ll take care of you, and for now, I know everything I need to know.”
He dropped a kiss to her forehead once again, pausing long enough to take a deep breath and savor her delicious scent. He wanted her, he ached for her, but it was obvious she was in no shape to welcome him.
Besides, it seemed he had a mess to deal with. Someone wanted his mate and the cub. He simply needed to find them and explain that Addy and Jack weren’t their concern any longer. Whether that was with words or claws, he didn’t know and honestly didn’t care. Actually, he had a good bit of anger currently directed at himself and he wouldn’t mind blowing it off on one of those goons.
“I’ll be right back,” he murmured against her skin.
“O-okay.”
Zane forced himself away and moved to the closed bedroom door. He carefully opened it and slipped into the hallway, stopping the approaching group before they neared the room. He held up a hand, palm out. “I need the baby and then I’ll talk to you guys in the living room.”
Marcus—his alpha—raised a single brow. “You will, will you?”
Fury, not unlike what he ached to direct at the two men who’d scared the hell out of his mate, filled him. “Yes. I won’t have my mate upset. She’s dealt with enough. All she wants is her baby and then she needs to sleep. You’re going to let her.”
It was nonnegotiable.
“Your mate?” Marcus’ other eyebrow joined the first in surprise.
“Yes,” he bit off.
Marcus gave him a speculative look. “All right, for now I’ll accept the claim, but I need to speak with her. The baby doesn’t belong to her. You know that.”
Zane’s shoulders tensed, the hair on the back of his neck raising as his lion bristled with his alpha’s words. “She’s my mate and she says the baby belongs to her. Ergo, the baby is mine. I want him.”
Brett snorted. “Ergo.”
Zane finally got the chance to snarl and bare his fangs at another beast. Brett responded with aggressive sounds of his own and Zane’s skin rippled with his inner lion’s anxious need to burst forward. He’d been craving blood from the moment he lifted Addy into his arms, and it seemed he’d finally get his wish.
“Marcus?” Penelope’s soft voice sliced through the anger that filled the air, and the alpha sighed and slumped his shoulders.
“Enough. For now, questions can wait.”
“And Jack?” Zane was not moving an inch without the cub. The look on his alpha’s face told him the male did not want to hand Addy the child when it obviously did not belong to her. They didn’t share a scent, not even a hint of one that would tie them together as family members, let alone the shared flavors of mother and son. “I want him, Marcus.”
Penelope sighed. “Marcus, it’s not like she can leave the apartment without anyone seeing. There’s only one way in or out.”
Zane wasn’t about to tell the Alpha Mate she was wrong and that he’d had a little something added to his place.
Penelope continued. “It’s obvious she loves him—she wouldn’t have nearly died for him otherwise—and he won’t stop fussing. He’s going to make himself sick if he doesn’t calm down soon.”
“Fine,” the alpha growled. “But I expect answers and I’m going to get them.”
Marcus would get something, but it would only be what Zane was willing to give him and nothing more.
Chapter Three
Addy cuddled little Jack close, smiling into his bright blue eyes. He greedily sucked on the bottle, swallowing down the formula while keeping his attention entirely on her. He looked so like his mother, even now at such a young age his features resembled Addy’s best friend.
“Oh, Lori, I wish you could see him,” Addy whispered and then pressed a soft kiss to Jack’s downy head. “But I’m keeping him safe for you. I won’t let Ton—” she swallowed the man’s name before she could put voice to it. Lions had excellent hearing, and the last thing she wanted was to expose her secret. “I won’t let him get hurt.”
Jack released the nipple, his lids fluttering closed as sleep threatened to claim him. She set the bottle aside, tossed a burping rag on her shoulder, and carefully maneuvered him until his head rested on the cloth. “No sleeping yet, sweet boy.”
He fussed and whined, but she wouldn’t be denied. Colic was not something she was ready to deal with. Not again. That had been a hard and painful lesson for both of them. She eased to her feet, supporting his neck as she stood, and began the gentle tapping against his back to help him release the air he’d swallowed. She carefully circled the room, quietly whispering to him and soothing him as she did.
“Shhh… Quiet, baby boy.” He continued to fuss, but the sounds were gradually lessening with each pat and each careful step. “That’s it, sweetheart.”
She rubbed her nose against the light dusting of hair on his head, and breathed deeply. She always loved the scent of clean baby, a hint of powder and something sweet that every infant seemed to possess. Tears stung her eyes as memories of watching Lori do this exact thing filled her. Her best friend had been so overjoyed at becoming a mother… And then that was taken from her by Jack’s own father.
A sob threatened to escape, but she pushed it down. She knew if Zane heard her crying, he would come running. He’d been hovering, constantly poking his head in and checking on her. Part of her ached to beg him to stay, but she knew her arrival and the trouble she brought with her could only be handled by him. He was running interference between his alpha and her, making sure she didn’t have to speak before she was ready. She knew they were delaying the inevitable, but she appreciated the breathing room, nonetheless.
Jack’s body went limp in her arms, his tiny weight completely relaxing against her chest, but she continued to slowly circle the room. She wasn’t quite ready to let him go. She used him for comfort almost as much as he used her. For weeks it had been them against the crazy and cruel world, and now it seemed some of that was coming to an end. At least if Zane had his way.
The male was… scary. And sexy, her lioness readily interjected that descriptor. His body, his features, even the way he was so demanding appealed to her. And his possessiveness and that barely banked violence… It was as if God knew what she needed and handed it over on a silver platter.
Because she needed that uncontrollable violence to keep her safe, to keep Jack safe.
The muted ding of the front door’s bell reached her, the sound slightly muffled due to the distance from the main area of the apartment. Lions had been coming and going all afternoon.
The deep rumble of the voices told her that quite a few men were within the space, and she only heard the occasional tinkling tone of a female. She imagined those two distinct voices belonged to the mates of the alpha and beta.
Addy sank into the large plush chair to the right of the door and let the soft cushions wrap around her in a welcoming embrace. She sighed and allowed herself to relax. It was the first time she’d been able to breathe without panic filling her since she’d begun her mad dash from Tony.
She let her eyes drift closed, blocking out the bright light in the room, and allowed herself to float toward sleep. She’d catch a quick nap since she knew Zane wouldn’t be able to keep the pride leaders at bay forever.
Jack squirmed and she immediately stroked his small back in an effort to soothe him. “It’s all right, baby boy.”
Except it wasn’t.
This time it wasn’t the high-pitched doorbell that reached her, but the heavy thud of knuckles on wood announcing the visitor was banging on the main door. Which wasn’t entirely odd. Not everyone used the doorbell after all. And yet… This person was granted entrance and the first stifled words from his mouth had her blood turning to ice and her heart freezing in her chest. The words weren’t identifiable, but that voice…
She knew that voice. She’d hea
rd it often enough. Every time she called Lori before moving to the city, that male answered. In every picture Lori sent her, that male hovered nearby. And—when Addy visited—everywhere they went, he followed. It was as if Lori couldn’t breathe without him at her side. Now he was here. Here at her mate’s home. Inside her mate’s home. From what she recalled of the layout of Zane’s apartment, the lion couldn’t be more than one hundred feet from her at this very moment. No more than one hundred feet away from Jack.
It wasn’t Tony, he was in prison, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still involved in the running of the “business.” The Colletti family—they could be put behind bars but they couldn’t be taken down. Even though Tony’s last name was Davis, he was a Colletti at heart.
Addy knew that Jennifer, the beta’s mate, had put the human leader of the Colletti family in prison, and soon after it’d led to Tony’s incarceration.
Yet he’d still kept after Lori and Jack. Or rather just Jack after the male orchestrated Lori’s death.
Did they know she’d taken refuge with Zane? Was that why he was here?
The deep timbre of that voice grew closer, words exchanged between the dangerous male and Zane as they approached and she knew she had to get away. Somehow her mate was involved with this deadly and dangerous lion. Did he know who he’d let into his home? She prayed not. She prayed Zane wasn’t somehow involved with Tony.
Her mind spun, thoughts pinging through her brain, and she finally snatched one from the rolling mass. Zane had recognized her fear and panic when she’d woken and had revealed there was more than one entrance and exit to the apartment. He’d probably told her to soothe her and she doubted he expected her to actually use the stairwell.
Well, she would. She would run from her mate despite her lioness’ roar and scraping at Addy’s mind. It wanted to remain and confront their mate, find out why he’d brought that male into his home. Except… She knew this intruding lion was fast, able to shift much quicker than Addy, and it would take him no more than one slice to tear out her throat. He could walk into the room, see she held Jack to her chest, and then kill her for stealing him. Three seconds tops and there was no telling what would happen to Jack after she died.
No, she couldn’t risk it. She accepted running was probably a mistake and it was only a matter of time before Tony’s men, or Zane himself, found her again, but she had to try. Lori entrusted Jack to her care because she knew Addy would do whatever it took to keep him safe.
She jumped from the chair and strode across the room to snatch up the diaper bag. She hadn’t even touched it before that moment, but Zane assured her it carried all the “baby shit she needed.” So she snared it, juggled Jack so she could place the strap across her chest, and then she held the baby tightly once again as she approached the door.
Ever so quietly she turned the knob and eased it open, allowing her attention to flick up and down the hallway. The area remained empty and she took her chance. She shot down the length, heading away from the main area of the apartment and straight to the last room.
She crept into the space, immediately heading for the closet. Once inside she made sure the door was closed behind her and then she focused on gaining access to the stairwell. The back wall looked exactly as he’d described, plain and flat, not hinting at what it concealed, but she knew better.
Addy poked and prodded at the left side, hunting for the panel that was supposed to slide apart at the touch of a werelion. The oils in her skin would identify her species. It was then she realized Zane was much taller than she was, so she needed to reach higher. The moment she extended her arm and skimmed her fingertips over the painted wall, the access panel she’d been hunting slid aside to reveal a keypad. She rubbed her fingers together, trying to remember the code that would grant her access.
“Come on, come on, come on…” Addy knew it, she did, but she couldn’t remember dammit. “Stupid, stupid, stupid, what is it?”
A single squeak silenced her, piercing her chest like a knife, and she froze in place. It had been too clear, too close, and she accepted she was moments from being caught. Someone was nearby, whether Zane or another male, she didn’t know. But they were there.
Then the scent struck her—evil, anger, violence… Distantly she recognized Zane’s aroma as well, but it was the other that had adrenaline flooding her veins.
Fear pummeling her, she looked around the closet, hunting for a place to hide Jack. They were drawing closer with every second she hesitated. She glanced to her left and right and finally settled on placing him on the ground in the farthest corner of the space. She placed the diaper bag at his side, hopefully keeping him corralled and safe.
The moment he was out of harm’s way, she centered herself in the closet. Allowing her lioness to come forward, golden fur slowly slid from her pores and coated her skin. Her human hands quickly transformed to deadly claws while her fangs lengthened and sharpened in preparation of tearing into flesh.
She wouldn’t let the male have him. She would go down fighting and hopefully Zane would finish the job she started. She didn’t believe her mate knew who he’d allowed into the space—he was rough and raw, but not evil. If the lion came after her, she had no doubt Zane would go at him.
*
“You don’t need to follow me,” Zane glanced over his shoulder at the other lion. In fact, he really didn’t want the male anywhere near him while he completed his task.
“I was hoping you’d let me see that kid of yours.” Kevin smiled and something about that grin rubbed him the wrong way. “I’ve got two nephews, and man, I just love the little ones.”
Kevin could like all the little ones he liked, but he wasn’t getting near Jack and Addy.
“I hear you.” Zane nodded. “Why don’t you head back to the living room? I’ll see if I can coax Addy in a second.” His phone had vibrated only moments ago, telling him someone had accessed the apartment’s “back door.” The only other person who knew of it was Addy and he couldn’t help the anger and fear that battled inside him. She was his mate and was trying to leave him? He made sure Kevin remained near the room’s door before he focused on the closet. “I just need to check—”
“I’ll die before I let you have him.”
The words punched him the chest and Zane fought to catch up, battled to figure out what had suddenly gone wrong. When he’d left Addy an hour ago, she’d been fine. She still hadn’t wanted to come out and meet other enforcers, and he happily agreed. His lion didn’t want any other males around her while she remained unclaimed. His fellow enforcer Oscar was a charmer, and the ladies always liked Lennox. He didn’t want either of those men sniffing after his Addy.
So, how did they go from Addy lovingly cuddling Jack in one of the spare bedrooms to her facing off against him with death on her mind? He’d expected her to need a little calming and a few words that eased her worries as he led her back to the guestroom. She’d been running with Jack for a while. He should have anticipated her attempt at escape.
“Addy?” He held his hands up, palms out while raising his eyebrows in question. “What’s going on, sweetheart?”
But her attention wasn’t on him. No, it was slightly lower and over his left shoulder. She was focusing on Kevin. The male was a newcomer to the pride, previously living as a lone lion in the city and only recently requesting to join an organized pride. While Marcus handled the whole continent, he also kept things organized in their home city.
Kevin had been training as an enforcer for the last month and Marcus and Brett had slowly been feeling him out. The two males as well as Zane hadn’t trusted him and it seemed that Addy felt the same way. However, this seemed a little extreme, even for him.
“Addy?” He took a half step forward.
“I mean it.” She flexed her fingers, claws lengthening farther. The rapid snap and crack of bones preceded the transformation of her mouth to better resemble a lion’s snout. That partial shift gave her more room for her cat’s deadly teeth.
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“Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?” He sensed she was on the edge, her scent sinking into him and pure panic as well as utter terror stung his nose. “Addy—”
The rest of his thought didn’t escape his lips because his world exploded in a rush of skin and fur.
Kevin snarled, the rage-filled sound striking Zane in the back and that was immediately followed by a rush of pain that consumed his left shoulder. Claws dug into his flesh and yanked, attempting to remove him from the doorway.
Fuck that shit.
No matter Kevin’s history, no matter his strength, he was no match for Zane. He immediately threw off the other male’s attack and spun in place to face his opponent. In that rush of movement, his transition equaled Kevin until it was partially shifted lion against partially shifted lion. Whatever Kevin’s reason for attack, it would be the last thing he ever did.
His body flexed and strained as he fought the smaller lion. He roared and struck with his right hand, catching his opponent in the jaw. Skin and muscle split, exposing the bone beneath. Kevin tried to return the favor, but Zane easily blocked it and countered with a swipe across the chest, leaving deep furrows in his wake.
Red painted Kevin’s skin and soaked into his clothing. It continued down and stained the wood as well.
Kevin backed off, retreating slightly, and Zane pushed his advantage. He stepped forward, going on the attack and went after the male.
Rage burned inside.
Zane and his lion demanded retribution. He could deal with an attack on himself, but this asshole went after his mate and that was unacceptable.
He locked claws with Kevin—arms and paws moving in a blur. Cut. Slice. Gouge. Pain assaulted him, but Zane pushed it aside. He didn’t have time to worry about the hurt that covered him. The other lion’s fury made his hatred for Addy easily evident and he knew only death would bring an end to this male’s loathing for his mate.
Zane snarled and roared, threatening his opponent with sound as he continued his relentless attack. The heavy pounding of booted feet on wood reached him, but he couldn’t spare a moment to focus on those who approached. No, he had a lion to kill. Until that was done, he had to keep his attention on Kevin.