Pack Justice (Nature of the Beast Book 1)

by RJ Blain

  Marcello grinned. “Lucky you. We’re just finishing our patrol for the day and were given orders to check on you. We were also asked to confirm Andrea’s location.”

  “This hotel included a beautiful woman as a part of the accommodations. It was a pleasant discovery,” I said, holding the door open for the Albano brothers. “You will not go into the bedroom.”

  My spirit beasts wanted me to voice a warning growl, but I restrained them.

  “A little territorial, I see,” Marcello’s grin widened. “No worries. We value our lives. We have no designs on Andrea. If you didn’t try to put us in our place, I’m sure Ramirez and O’Mallory would both love to help out.”

  “Behave,” Andrea called out from the bedroom. “Be nice to him. He’s still tired.”

  “After all that sleep? Nonsense. So, you both are alive? No interruptions? No strange people knocking at your door?” Marcello circled me, his eyes narrowing as he took me in. “How’s the clothing situation, Andrea?”

  My spirit beasts were both pleased when Andrea emerged from the bedroom dressed in jeans and one of my shirts. “He has been temporarily suited. I’ll bring in a tailor to alter them on Sunday. He’ll be okay for next week. Please tell me it’s still Saturday.”

  Dan laughed. “For a few more hours, at least. Did you two really sleep the entire day away?”

  “He staggered in sometime after midnight, managed to take a bath without drowning with a little help, and was out like a light the instant he flopped onto the bed,” Andrea reported.

  “She told me it was too early to get up,” I added, smirking at the defense attorney.

  “You both needed the sleep. Andrea, make sure you get yourself home before people start thinking you have disappeared, too.” When Marcello stretched, his shoulders popped and creaked. “You two don’t want to be seen together at the moment, and it’d be better for everyone if you left sometime in the middle of the night when no one should be watching the hotel, Andrea.”

  The way Andrea growled made me tense, and both of my spirit beasts reacted to her displeasure. I flexed my hands, and so I wouldn’t turn on Marcello and start snapping at him, I stalked to the couch and dropped onto it, propping my feet on the coffee table.

  “Is that a suggestion or an order?”

  My spirit beasts really disliked Andrea’s unhappy snarls, and both of the Albano brothers held up their hands in surrender.

  Marcello coughed and refused to meet Andrea’s glare. Dan answered, “A very strong recommendation from Ramirez. O’Mallory said, and I quote, ‘Get her ass out of his room before someone catches them.’”

  Huffing her displeasure, Andrea stomped to the couch, sitting beside me. “Shit. O’Mallory, too?”

  My spirit beasts didn’t need to encourage me to slip my arm behind her back so I could tuck her close to my side. Ignoring their contributions, which consisted of warbled complaints and hisses in my head, I thought through the reasons why the pair of Alphas would insist on separating us.

  It made sense, especially when I considered what Kevin had told me.

  “However much I dislike it, they’re probably right. If we’re supposed to be playing professional rivals with no interest in each other, then we can’t afford to be caught seeing each other.” I slipped my fingers beneath my glasses and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Until Idette is dealt with, it’s safer.”

  Marcello sighed and relaxed, leaning against the hotel door, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Good. Your head is screwed on straight, Sean. We can make certain there’s some overlap at the courthouse so you two can at least see each other, assuming you both can maintain appearances. You lasted a decade. What’s a few more weeks while we hunt Idette’s rogue pack down?”

  “This could take a lot more than a few weeks,” Andrea hissed.

  I pulled her as close to me as I could without forcing her onto my lap. “I’ll feel a lot more secure if we don’t give Idette or her cohorts any reason to believe you’re involved with me.”

  Dan braved entering the living area of the suite, leaving his brother at the door. “Don’t agitate the dominant puppy, Andrea. Aren’t you supposed to be submissive?”

  “It’s not fair. I just—”

  Laughing, Dan perched on the arm of the couch. “You want to sink your teeth into him and it’s winter. There’s a rival female who wants his puppies probably almost as badly as you do.”

  Andrea’s entire face turned red. “Dan!”

  The problem with having two different species of spirit beasts loitering about in my head was their differences in opinion. The questionable relationship between cats and dogs caused me problems enough.

  When it came to Andrea, they had a one-track mind. Cheetahs bred year round, and mine was up for the challenge. The wolf wanted entire litters and was of the opinion I should make myself available to Andrea whenever she wanted.

  “Dan, stop trying to get a rise out of them. Neither one of them are in rut. All you’re going to do is make Andrea anxious because she’s late to the rut.” Marcello sighed. “I apologize, both of you. O’Mallory and Ramirez won’t shut up about the thought of you two having puppies. Of course, because he has no dignity, Dan is almost as enthusiastic about this as they are. O’Mallory already has plans for bringing in a stronger dominant male for the full moons or shipping you two out.”

  Andrea covered her face with her hands. “This can’t be happening.”

  Torn between annoyance Andrea was distressed and curiosity about what Marcello and Dan were talking about, I turned my attention on my spirit beasts. Neither had any idea what the two cops meant, either, but they didn’t like the tone of the conversation.

  Why did we need a stronger dominant male around? The thought of competition annoyed a growl out of me. “Explain.”

  “Now you’ve done it, Marc. Don’t bite me, Sean. Please. It’s not my fault. We all know you were looking for a house good for kids. We had your real estate agent singing like a canary in minutes.” With a wicked gleam in his eye, Dan leaned towards us. “He had some very, very interesting theories about you two.”

  “Theories?” Andrea demanded, turning to me.

  Even before I had become host for a werewolf, my cheetah had made me stronger than I looked. Andrea felt weightless in my hands as I took hold of her and pulled her onto my lap so she straddled me, which left her neck open for a kiss and a teasing flick of my tongue. “I’m very much a fan of conspiracy theory number one. It involves you, me, and a bed. Often.”

  Dan snickered. “Conspiracy theory number two involves you trying to kill him as a co-conspirator with his wife. You know that one.”

  “That stupid reporter,” Andrea grumbled.

  I distracted her with a second press of my lips against her throat. With a quiet sigh, Andrea slumped bonelessly on top of me. While her nose was near my throat, she didn’t try to nip me, and her breath on my skin came slow and even. I purred my contentment, wrapping my arms around her. “I still need to watch that video.”

  “Damn, Sean.”

  “What?”

  The Albano brothers exchanged long looks. Marcello left his post by the door to enter the living room. He leaned over, glancing at Andrea. “You really don’t like it when she’s anxious, do you? One or two nibbles from you and she’s so relaxed she fell asleep.”

  I blinked. “She’s asleep?”

  “Out like a light. Probably for the better. Gives us males a chance to talk without her jumping out of her skin every other second. She’ll be fine. If you really want to wake her up, you can nip her a few times in about ten minutes or so. Otherwise, she’ll probably sleep like a baby for a few hours. O’Mallory does the same thing to Ramirez all the time to quiet her down when she gets too uppity.” With a soft laugh, he sat beside me. “Nips are used for a lot of things among us Fenerec. You got a taste of her rebukes a time or two, or so I hear. You just pulled the reverse on her. It’s pack magic, and it looks like you’ve got a knack for it.”
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br />   “I had no idea I was doing anything,” I admitted.

  My cheetah was intrigued, and my wolf was smug.

  Sometimes, I really hated my damned spirit beasts for doing exactly what they wanted. I’d have to be more on guard against them if they could influence Andrea without me being aware. My cheetah was probably teaching my wolf all sorts of bad, feline habits, and I was powerless to stop them from corrupting each other.

  “You’ll figure it out, don’t worry.”

  “I better. Last thing I need is to start purring or hissing in the courtroom.”

  “Or jumping anyone who looks at Andrea the wrong way when you two happen to be trying cases against each other.” Marcello coughed, probably to hide the fact he wanted to laugh at me. My wolf identified the scent of the cop’s amusement.

  “I think you meant jumping at anyone, Marc,” Dan muttered.

  “Moving on.”

  It took every bit of my self-control to keep my expression neutral when I wanted to glare at both of the Albano brothers while evicting them from the suite. “Yes, please. Moving on.”

  “How do you feel about dating some women? Human ones you’ll have absolutely no interest in, who exist solely to convince your crazy ex-wife you have no interest in Andrea? I have a list of ladies ready to go on a night on the town with you, and they’re all itching for a fire fight.”

  The wolf in me wanted to put Marcello in his place, and the cat in me wanted to play. I wasn’t sure what I wanted, but it probably involved food and sleep. I’d figure it out once I got my hands on the slippery cop, who kept insisting on running away instead of accepting his fate with pride and dignity.

  I spat feline curses, convinced something about the material of his uniform made it extra difficult to secure a hold on him.

  “I think he’s taken offense to your suggestion,” Marcello’s brother commented. “Just let him catch you so I can watch him put you in your place. This is the most entertainment I’ve had since watching Andrea sink her teeth into you for antagonizing Sean into making a run for it.”

  “A little busy here, Dan,” my prey gasped.

  The act of speaking slowed Marcello enough for me to pounce on him, and I drove him to the carpet. Before I had fused with my cheetah and wolf, I had been no match for the cop, but with their strength combined with my own, our once one-sided matches had evened out.

  Marcello growled at me, and I heard his wolf in his voice. Excitement from both my spirit beasts burned through my head, and I fought to keep a hold on the other Fenerec, my gaze locked on his unprotected throat.

  “Why am I the sacrifice here?” Marcello complained, fending me off with one hand on my chest and the other pressed to the bottom of my chin. “It’s like you want me to get bitten.”

  “Someone has to get him used to it. You volunteered by opening your mouth and suggesting he court a female other than his mate. Just let him bite you already, or we’ll be here all night.”

  “That implies I don’t get to bite back.”

  “You’re correct, you don’t. I’m pretty sure Ramirez said, and I quote, ‘If he decides to get into a dominance fight with either one of you, lose.’ You antagonized him into a dominance fight. Sean, control yourself at least a little. You get to bite him, not make him bleed.”

  The wolf in me wanted to bite Marcello as hard as possible, but the cat in me wanted to mark the man and claim him as ours. The spirit beasts snarled and hissed at each other in my head, leaving me the victor of the three-way dispute.

  Maybe the wolf had kept me alive, but I’d spent far too long in the company of a feline. When Marcello sighed his resignation and stopped resisting me, I pinned him with my weight and rubbed my face against his throat, marking him.

  My wolf yanked away control. With a scrape of teeth, the wolf satisfied his need to come out the victor, and as soon as I came in contact with Marcello’s skin, I fled, my spirit beasts driving me across the room to escape any potential retaliation.

  Dan choked on his laughter, slapping his leg where he sat beside my sleeping mate on the couch.

  “It’s not that funny,” Marcello complained, rolling onto his stomach. “I wasn’t suggesting you court another woman, Sean. I was more thinking you could have interviews with female witches to see if you hit it off with any of them while you lured your ex-wife out so we can finish her off.”

  I slinked to Andrea’s side, sitting beside her legs and resting my cheek against her knee. “Explain.”

  Marcello propped his chin in his hand. “Considering your circumstances, Ramirez and O’Mallory want to see if you hit it off with a witch. Witches can help us Fenerec keep our instincts under control. Good witches can stop us from transforming, dampen out-of-control instincts, and help us in other ways. She’d like to see if you hit it off with any of the witches from our station first. Send you off with potential candidates to a public place while a bunch of undercover cops scope the area to see if your ex-wife shows up. Put on a little show, let a few reporters think you’re back on the market, catch some attention.”

  Neither of my spirit beasts liked the idea, and neither did I. “I am not going to deliberately mislead people.”

  Marcello narrowed his eyes at me. “It’d keep Andrea safe. If you give the appearance of taking an interest in other females, Idette will have no reason to look at Andrea. That protects her and helps you find a witch. You’re going to be dominant enough you’ll need one. At the very least, it allows the witches in our district to get a feel for you. It’s important.”

  “He’s right, Sean. We need to lure Idette out, divert attention away from Andrea, and we really do need to partner you with a witch. Think about it this way: you want to help get rid of your ex-wife so she’s no threat to Andrea, right? This will let you do just that.”

  While neither of my spirit beasts wanted anything to do with a female other than Andrea, they were enthused about the idea of killing Idette.

  I didn’t have to think on it for too long. “Fine, but only if Andrea agrees to it.”

  Marcello’s smile worried me. “You just leave her to us.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The last thing I wanted was to be seen in public with a female other than Andrea. No matter how much I protested, on Monday evening, I sat on the patio of a cafe with Alice, sipping coffee and wishing I could be somewhere—anywhere—else.

  Unfortunately, I liked Alice, which kept me from running back to the office so I could strangle Andrea’s home address out of someone and go visit her.

  My wolf and cheetah complained in my head, their restlessness and need to be near Andrea growing stronger by the minute. She was mine, and my tolerance with the plan to keep us separated to safeguard her crumbled under my desire to be close and protect her.

  “I told them you’d hate this idea,” Alice said, grinning at me over her mug of coffee. “If I didn’t know you so well, I’d be offended, Mr. Scott. Couldn’t you at least pretend you like me?”

  “I like you, which is exactly why I don’t want to put you in my ex-wife’s sights. Anyway, you’re married. I’m not supposed to like you, not like that!”

  I wanted Idette gone, as did my spirit beasts, but the only ones lured out by my presence on Hollywood Boulevard were a few photographers who snapped a couple of pictures before finding somewhere else to be in a hurry.

  Alice flashing her badge at them likely had something to do with their departure.

  “Your husband is going to see those pictures in a newspaper and kill me,” I predicted.

  “Considering he’s standing about fifty feet down the street window shopping with Ramirez, I think he already knows.” Alice laughed, shaking her head. “Relax, Sean. Enjoy yourself. It’s natural for a man to look for a new woman—or a good lay—after escaping the stranglehold of a serious bitch.”

  “You’re a married woman. Also, while I like you, there’s only one woman I want.”

  “Just play along. The plan isn’t going to work if you don’t coo
perate. You having a potential affair with a cop is good gossip material. I can see the headlines now.”

  “I’m not having an affair with anyone,” I growled.

  “Of course not. We’re two friends having coffee together, which happens surprisingly often. I could text Ramirez and have her send my man over here to join us if you’re truly uncomfortable. You need to get used to it, though. Until Idette’s dealt with, we need to play it safe.”

  I sighed, well aware Alice was right. Understanding the reasons for acting as bait didn’t make me like being away from Andrea, especially not after a wretchedly long first day back at work.

  The pile of paperwork I needed to deal with would keep me busy for weeks, and none of the cases I’d been assigned filled me with enthusiasm. I recognized make-work when it landed on my desk.

  “Bad first day back at work?”

  Talking about work gave me a chance to think about something other than how much I missed Andrea. “Today was dull. Tedious.”

  “After the past few months you’ve had, I thought you’d appreciate dull and tedious.”

  “The settlement cases might take me an hour or two of real work each, and I have two. The rest is all paperwork—paperwork undergraduates could handle without breaking a sweat.”

  “View it as a test of your patience, Sean. You’ll be back in the full swing of things soon. Any sign of the rogue bitch?”

  I searched the crowd for Idette, but I knew she wasn’t there. Neither my cheetah nor wolf had picked up any sign of my ex-wife. To my relief, whatever had pulled at my wolf and allowed him to track her was gone.

  If I couldn’t sense her, I had hope she couldn’t sense me, either.

  I sighed. “No sign. No one I recognize, either, who isn’t supposed to be here.”

  “You think this is a waste of time.”

  “I know it is.” One of the first things Ramirez had done was release footage of the culprits responsible for the destruction of my home, and the news stations had been eager to spread the images. I had already had several run-ins with reporters at the office.