by Danica Avet
“It was my hope you’d join us, Mr. Trahan,” Dustin Duet said as he stepped forward with confidence. With the gun the sheriff had pointing at Zach, he probably felt as though he was untouchable. “This female is a perfect example of what’s wrong with the world today. And your feelings,” his lip curled on the word, “for her are unfortunately exactly the kind of thing we abhor.”
“It’s disgusting,” Carol Voisin snarled, her green jackal eyes glinting.
“Sick.”
“Perverted,” Father Becnel added. “Birds of a feather flock together, son. They don’t mate with their prey.”
Zach tried to keep them all in his sights, clutching Colette tighter to his chest. She still had the gun, but it wouldn’t be enough to take all of them out. And with the sheriff’s pistol aimed at him, they were looking at a losing situation. Except for one thing.
The Robicheauxs.
“I would’ve liked to add you to our group, but we can’t condone your actions with this filth,” Duet continued. “Consider this your last date, Mr. Trahan. It pains me to kill one of our own, but your weakness for human flesh can’t be allowed to spread.”
“Well now, look what we have here, Frog,” Willis said conversationally as he stepped out behind the sheriff.
“Looks like we got ourselves a bunch of backstabbing, two-faced politicians, is what it looks like,” Frog agreed as he stepped up behind a local councilman.
“And men of the cloth,” Tudu stated from somewhere behind the rotund Father Becnel. “That’s a shame.”
Sheriff Billiot’s face darkened with rage, his cougar flashing in his eyes. “Put your weapons down,” he ordered the humans who suddenly appeared, surrounding the circle of shifters who’d planned to kill Zach and Colette. “I will arrest every single one of you. This man and woman killed an FBI agent.”
“Shut your mouth, Horace,” a brand-new voice joined the group and Pointe-Aux-Chat Parish Sheriff Picou appeared with a full contingent of his bear-shifting deputies. “Roscoe?”
Zach stiffened as the wolf shifter appeared between a couple of bears, his arm in a sling, his naked skin pouring out blood. “Dustin Duet, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
But it appeared Duet wasn’t about to go to jail without taking a few people with him. He shifted faster than they could blink and launched himself at Roscoe. A single shot rang out before he could hit the wolf who hadn’t had a chance to shift yet and the massive tiger fell to the ground with a thud.
Zach looked down at his mate as she lowered the gun in her hand. Everyone in the clearing glanced from the tiger with a hole in the back of its head to the small woman cuddled in Zach’s arms.
She shrugged. “I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not.”
Her words seemed to release the spell everyone fell under. Sheriff Picou pointed his service gun at his counterpart from Caillou Parish. Billiot seemed to realize he was strongly outnumbered, not just in numbers but in weaponry when every Robicheaux male raised their guns at him. He lowered his weapon, letting it fall to the ground near his feet and placed his hands behind his head.
As though that was the signal they’d been waiting for, Pointe-Aux-Chat Parish’s finest surged forward and began cuffing the shifters who’d made a mockery of their power. Zach faded to the background with his mate, letting the police do what they needed to while Roscoe helped organize them with the help of more people who poured out of the woods, all of them carrying FBI badges.
Willis ran forward, his eyes skipping over his daughter’s nudity to search her face. “My baby, you okay?” he asked, reaching up to touch her cheek, his hand shaking as though he had palsy.
To every man’s surprise, especially the Robicheaux men, Colette began to sob, her tears cleansing the mud from her face. Zach allowed her to go to her father’s arms, grabbing the shirt Alcide had taken off and handed to him, covering her up as she buried her face in her dad’s chest.
Willis looked at Zach. “I don’t know whether to shit or go blind here,” he muttered as he awkwardly patted his daughter’s back. “She ain’t never really cried before.”
Although he wanted to be the one she cried on, the one she leaned on right now, Zach had enough confidence in his mate’s heart to know she loved him despite reaching for her dad. “You’re doing just fine,” he told the human. He stroked a hand over Colette’s wild hair. “We’re all doing just fine.”
Willis relaxed, one arm curling around his daughter’s back and he extended the other to Zach. “Welcome to the family, boy.”
Chapter Seventeen
Three weeks later
Colette stuck to Zach’s side like glue, unable to help herself. He looked so sexy with his tie loosened at his throat and his shirt rolled up to his elbows. And he didn’t seem to mind her close proximity, leaning over now and then to kiss her as they watched the dancers.
Her wedding hadn’t been as big as her mama would’ve liked, but it’d turned out perfectly as far as Colette was concerned. They’d had to wait until alligator season ended to make sure everyone could make it and she was glad they’d postponed it. Zach hadn’t been happy about it at all, especially since her dad made Colette move into her parents’ house until the vows were spoken.
“Your father was trying to drive me crazy,” Zach muttered under his breath as he stole another kiss. “Making me wait three fucking weeks to get my hands on you again.”
“Pauvre bête,” she teased as she stroked his cheek. “I’ll make it all better tonight.”
His eyes gleamed, the tiger peeking out at her. “How about we slip away for a few minutes? I have something to show you,” he said with a leer, pressing his groin against her hip.
She laughed. “Uh-huh, I can just about imagine what you want to show me.”
He dipped his head, his tongue lapping at the tender skin over her throat. “I can’t wait to mark you permanently,” he breathed against her pulse. “Right here.” When his human teeth sank into her just a little, she shivered, her nipples tightening. “You’re mine, baby.”
Colette nipped his throat as well, showing her mate she wasn’t the only one who’d be claimed tonight and was rewarded with a loud, rumbling purr. “Damn, straight. And you’re mine.”
“Ahem.”
Zach stiffened at the interruption, but it wasn’t until he snarled that she realized it wasn’t one of her family members. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw none other than Coltrane Roscoe standing before them. Except he didn’t look like the slimy game warden anymore.
He’d ditched the uniform for a pair of jeans and a button-up shirt. Colette turned in Zach’s arms to get a better look at the wolf who’d saved her life. “Roscoe. Roscoe P. Coltrane,” she said with a smile. “From The Dukes of Hazard.”
The wolf smiled at her, causing Zach’s arm to tighten around her waist. Her mate knew she loved him, knew she wouldn’t even think about looking at another man, had said so himself, but this wolf bothered him.
“Miz Robicheaux,” the wolf drawled then blushed after Zach growled. “Sorry, Miz Trahan. It’s good to see y’all again.” His glance included Zach in the greeting. “My name’s actually Coltrane Davies.” He tipped an imaginary hat. “Of Caper’s Hollow, Tennessee.” His teeth flashed for a moment in a bright smile. “I hope y’all don’t mind that I crashed y’all’s wedding.”
“Actually—” Zach began, ending when Colette sank her elbow into his ribs.
“We’re glad to see you. How’s your shoulder?” Because although the wolf had taken charge of the clearing that night, she hadn’t seen him once since and her last sight of him had shown an ugly wound.
He shrugged. “It’s healin’.” Then he got serious. “I wanted to thank y’all for the statements y’all made. I know things have been very quiet, but until yesterday, we didn’t have all the information we needed to close this case.” Satisfaction gleamed in his pale eyes. “The Bureau wasn’t able to connect all of th
e disappearances until about eight months ago. I worked my way into the group trying to crack the case, but it wasn’t until they homed in on you that I knew we could finally catch them in the act.”
A shadow passed behind his pale eyes. Colette’s heart went out to him because he had to have known what was happening to those women, but hadn’t been able to stop them. He seemed to know where her thoughts were because he nodded. “I lost three of them,” he said in a tight voice, throat visibly working. “I had to keep up with the ruse, but every time I went to save those women, to catch Duet and his people, they were already gone. We were able to give closure to a lot of families because of the help you and your family gave us. If it hadn’t been for your menfolk providing support to the local authorities, I think there’s a chance we would’ve lost our lives out there.” He scratched his cheek. “’Course I had to say I’d deputized them all because of the amount of ammunition they had, but the end result is all my superiors were concerned with. That and ending Fang and Claw’s reign of terror.”
Her heart broke for him. She wanted to know how he’d gotten involved with the taskforce to bring Fang and Claw down, but didn’t feel it was her place to ask. Remembering the way he’d marked several people with his gaze, Colette thought there was a lot more to the charming wolf than he’d let anyone know.
But she still asked, “What about the group? Were all the members arrested?” Because that was her biggest fear. That she’d hear those screams in the middle of the night, or that she’d wake up in that cage again.
Zach hugged her to his side, lending her his warmth and strength and she didn’t feel the least bit weak for accepting it. That’s what partners did, leaned on each other when they needed it.
Coltrane nodded, a deep understanding on his face. “All the members of the group have been arrested. Luckily, Sheriff Picou, in conjunction with the Orleans, Jefferson and St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Departments, was able to do a sweep of all known members’ houses from records Senator Duet kept on file. And the next few days we caught the members we found out when some of the others gave us leads. Duet was the real focus though,” he said with a twist of his lips. “I’m glad he’s dead, but I’d hoped to be the one to kill him. He was a dirty son of a bitch, pardon my language.”
“It’s over, my mate is safe and so are other humans who aren’t as strong as she is. That’s all we can ask,” Zach said, and to Colette’s utter shock, reached out to slap Coltrane’s shoulder in a consolatory gesture. The wolf’s face drained of blood on contact and her mate froze. “Shit, man, I’m sorry.” He let go of Colette to catch Coltrane in case he fell. “I forgot about your wound.”
Coltrane moved out of Zach’s reach, one hand out to ward him off. “No, no, it’s okay. I’m fine. What doesn’t kill you and all that.” He gave Colette’s husband a tight smile. “Just thought I’d thank y’all for all the help and let you know I’ve left the agency to join Sheriff Picou’s department. So I’ll be seein’ y’all around.”
For some reason, that warmed her heart. “That’s great,” Colette said with a broad smile. “Welcome to Pointe-Aux-Chat Parish.”
Zach glared at the wolf. “Yeah, welcome to the parish,” he muttered.
It was going to take some time to get over his resentment toward the guy. Mostly because the bastard had kidnapped her. Sure, he knew it’d been because of an FBI sting and if it had happened to any other woman, he would’ve appreciated the necessity. But Colette wasn’t any other female. She was his female. Strangely enough, it’d been Colette’s father who helped to calm Zach in the days and weeks since the abduction. Willis had turned his considerable focus on his future son-in-law, taking him under his wing.
That’s how Zach had found himself standing next to Colette’s father, fighting eight-hundred-pound alligators with nothing but a hook at the end of a rope and a .22 rifle. It’d been the first time he’d gone after the reptiles without claws and fangs, but pitting himself against the big beasts had helped bleed some of his aggression off. That and reorganizing his businesses had acted as release valves for the pressure and anger he felt when he saw the darkness in his mate’s eyes. She’d told him everything that happened while she was in the warehouse and it’d made him want to kill Duet all over again.
But the miracle that was his mate, his Colette seemed to know the depths of his love for her. She hadn’t believed the lies Duet told her, or if she did, she’d risen above her doubts to believe in him. And that meant more to Zach than anything. It showed she belonged to and trusted him as much as he belonged to and trusted her. Theirs was a true partnership. He didn’t fool himself into thinking they’d have a life of smooth sailing. His mate was hardheaded, stubborn and had a trigger finger that would’ve made a lesser man twitchy. And he loved every bit of it. Their arguments would be epic, and the make-up sex would be legendary.
Colette continued chatting with the wolf, but moved closer to Zach until she was wedged up against his side again. He kissed her temple, his eyes closing as he breathed in her scent. It’d been hard staying out of her bed for three weeks. It’d been even harder when he imagined how scared she had to be of shifters, but she’d surprised him. Her love hadn’t grown cold and she hadn’t once scented of fear. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to rest easy with her out of his sight, not for a while yet, but the one comfort he had was that his mate had taken care of herself. The predator hiding beneath her deceptively frail appearance was as strong as his tiger.
He opened his eyes, looking over her head straight at her father, who watched them with a bittersweet smile on his face. They weren’t best friends yet. But now that Colette belonged to him in the eyes of her family and the law, Willis Robicheaux appeared happy. He nodded in Zach’s direction, raising his cup of beer in a silent toast. Zach inclined his head at his father-in-law. Everything was settled as far as the Robicheaux clan was concerned, but it wouldn’t be until he put his mark on her that every shifter who ever came across her would know she was well protected by a tiger. And he couldn’t wait to sink fang into her unblemished skin.
“Oh,” she said with a chirp that sounded completely unlike her, drawing Zach’s attention. “It’s Kanda!”
His mate broke away from him without a backward glance, hiked up her skirts to reveal her bare feet and ran across the hall where a tiny, fragile-looking woman stood in the doorway.
“Who’s that?” Coltrane asked in a weird voice.
When he glanced over at the wolf, the poor bastard looked love-struck, his eyes glazed and his mouth slack. Zach grimaced, wondering if he looked at Colette the same way and then shrugged. If he did, she was worth it.
“That’s her cousin from New Orleans. She didn’t think she’d be able to make it since we didn’t give her much notice about the wedding.” But he was glad she had. Colette needed her best friend and cousin here. “She’s an itty-bitty thing.” And she was.
If he had searched for any woman to be the complete opposite of his mate, Kanda Banthao would have been it. Where his mate looked uncomfortable in her dress, slapping at the material when it got in her way, her cousin wore pink with a confidence that came with a love of the color. But it didn’t end with the pink, no, it was the pink 50s-style dress topped with a parasol. She looked like a bit of fluff, not the smartass shifter his mate always talked about with such affection. He shuddered. Granted, the style suited Kanda, giving her a dainty, fragile appearance that was only enhanced when she stood next to Colette. There wasn’t that much difference in their heights, but the shifter female seemed a lot smaller than her human cousin.
Yet the more Zach studied her, the more he realized she did it on purpose, using makeup and fashion to give off the vibe of helplessness. Black hair with outrageous yellow streaks was piled high on top of her head, adding to her height, but there was no disguising the fact the woman looked like a china doll. Definitely not Zach’s cup of tea. But the wolf looked like a bird dog on point, staring at the cocoa-skinned woman with longing.
; Zach’s mate grabbed her cousin’s arm and began towing her across the room, her face glowing with happiness. “Zach, look! It’s Kanda,” she announced in a near bellow. He couldn’t fight his smile at her excitement, but what he really loved was how she stomped in her dress as though she was sloughing through mud. She stopped in front of him and Coltrane, beaming at them. “Zach, this is Kanda Banthao, my cousin. Kandy, this is my mate, Zach Trahan.”
It was sad how much his chest swelled with pleasure at the obvious pride in Colette’s voice as she introduced him to her cousin. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to his side again, kissing her until she went slack against him. Unable to help himself and now that she belonged to him, why should he? She tasted sweet and perfect and all his.
“Aww, y’all are just too cute,” a husky feminine voice sighed after a few mind-numbing minutes.
Zach lifted his head, his ears finally taking in the sound of cheers and Cajun yodels bouncing off the walls of the Bayou Ange Swamp Tour building. Lust-dazed and more than a little uncomfortable, he glanced over to see Kanda watching them with starry eyes.
She smiled at him, her strong Asian features softening. “I’m so happy for y’all,” she told Zach in a voice as sweet as sugar, clasping her tiny hands together. She was miniscule, barely clearing five feet and probably weighed less than Zach’s wedding cake. Then she said, “But if you break her heart, I’ll kill you.” Kanda’s dark, nearly black eyes gleamed bright green for a moment, showing she, and her inner animal, meant business. She smelled strongly of cat and roses, looked as if she could pass for a child’s toy, but there was no hiding the predator lurking beneath her cute face. “But I’m sure Colette would take care of that herself.”