Shifter Mate Series Three Book Box Set - BBW Paranormal Romance: Includes Bear Boss's Mate, Werebear's Mate, Purrfect Mate (Shifter Series)

by Rayne Reilly

  A knock on the door made her jump. Adrenaline began to course through her and she wondered who it could be at the door. She walked slowly across the room with her gun in her hand at her side. When she got close enough to peer out a side window she could see someone standing on Jake's front step.

  What is he doing here?

  Don was a colleague at the FBI. The very same colleague that Tim mentioned meeting today. He had been involved in the case to bring down Axel's gang. She hadn't seen or spoken to him since the night Axel was arrested and then released.

  She stepped back just as he turned his head and looked in the window at her. She knew she couldn't trust him but she also couldn't let him get away if he was involved in all this. He needed to be brought down for his involvement in the case. She reminded herself that it was Don that she had told about the couple that stumbled upon the drug deal. She had asked him to protect them. Why hadn't she pieced this together sooner? He allowed them to be murdered...and probably was the one that told Axel that they had reported him to police.

  "Let me in. I know you're in there. I need to talk to you," he said.

  She felt a chill go through her. His voice sounded uneven, nervous. She didn't respond.

  "Come on... I just wanna talk. I have news about Tim."

  Part of her was concerned that Tim was in trouble. Is that how he'd found her? Were their phones really being tapped? She still was having a hard time accepting that Don was wrapped up in all this. He seemed a decent guy. A little brash and rude at times but overall he seemed okay. She had to find out what he knew. This was her chance to find out who else was involved in criminal activity within the bureau.

  Tucking her gun into the back of her jeans, she pulled her top over it. Maybe if she played nice, he would be stupid enough to slip up and reveal something. Going to the door she opened it slowly. Prepared for anything she stepped back quickly. A flash of Jake's face ran through her mind and her cell phone began to ring. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted now that she'd opened the door. She ignored the phone.

  Don pushed his way in, and instantly Dayna felt is arrogance and power. She knew she may have made a mistake opening the door. Jake had told her not to let anyone in. Too late to go back now. Time to see what he knows.

  "What is it? Is Tim okay? What's happened?" She tossed out all the questions in rapid succession. She knew what she was doing was dangerous and he was likely there to kill her but she had to know what was going on back at the bureau.

  "You're one tough lady to track down you know that?" Don said, ignoring her questions and looming in front of her with a menacing grimace on his face.

  Dayna backed up. The door was still open and she had no intention of closing it. She needed a place to run if things got messy. Placing one hand behind her back with her hand on the grip of her pistol she tried again.

  "What has happened to Tim? Is he okay?" she hoped to distract or disarm Don with the damsel in distress act.

  Just keep him talking.

  She was worried about what he was there to do but also knew that she was trained to fight and could stand up to him if necessary. When he ignored her questions and stood with his hands fisted at his sides, her temper flared.

  "Seems like you've gone to a lot of trouble for one shifter," she snapped.

  He continued to come closer. She wasn't going to let him intimidate her. He laughed at her statement.

  "One? Oh, dear woman you have no idea what you are messing with do you? Shifters are the future...the sooner the public realize that, the better off we'll all be."

  "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

  "You think Axel is part of some gang of rogue trouble making shifters. When in reality he works for us. Humans need shifters to keep them in line. The stupid SAC only want to keep the two factions apart and control their own kind. Not us...we want to utilize the skills they have."

  "Us? Who? The FBI?...or your little group of corrupt agents?"

  "You stupid woman... We are no small group. We have been recruiting his kind to take care of our dirty work for a while now. The best part is that the court system and most police won't look at them... they're hard to contain. Bypassing The SAC allows them to be free when they work for us. When they work for us, we take care of them."

  "You mean letting them go for crimes they commit? So you're exploiting shifters because of their abilities? That's wrong... Surely the shifters know you are using them?"

  "They haven't complained so far. You think you know so much about organized crime...but you are so naive. I'm sure that if there weren't millions of dollars to be made off illegal activities, there would be no shifters allowed in society at all. These guys can get into places and take care of things that mere human men can't. They are paid well for what they do. When we don't need them any more, we have other shifters take care of them. It's a win-win. We need them...what we don't need are do-gooders like you and Tim messing up a good thing," he hissed.

  He lunged at her as she reached for her gun. Before she could pull the gun out to shove in his face he had his hands around her throat. The attack surprised her, causing her to drop her gun. He squeezed her throat. She felt lightheaded as the oxygen deprivation sent her body into a panic. She brought her hands to his, attempting to pull them away from her throat. She felt herself get weak and regretted thinking she would be safe letting him in. She was losing consciousness.

  Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Jake. Enraged, he stormed across the room and reached for Don's neck with his long arms. Don's hands left her throat to stop his own from being squeezed. Jake threw him to the floor in one fluid movement.

  Don fumbled around, reaching for his gun. Jake's clothing ripped and shredded into pieces as he began to shift before their eyes. Dayna's eyes widened as she watched Jake become a huge golden cougar. He jumped on top of Don knocking the wind out of him. Don struggled as Jake-cougar swiped his face with his claws.

  Dayna grabbed the door to steady herself. Coughing and gasping, she reached out a hand to touch Jake. She feared moving in case she fell. He was beyond her grasp. Her voice came out hoarse, almost a whisper.

  "Don't move Don. Just keep your ass on the floor," she strained.

  She squatted down to the floor to reach for her gun without taking her eyes off the scene in front of her. Still feeling a little off balance, she clutched the door again. Her mind was clearing quickly. She leaned forward to project her voice.

  "Jake?" she said gently as the cougar's huge head made Don's look like a child's. "Don't hurt him. We need to arrest him. If you can understand me Jake....please stop."

  The cougar tilted its head toward Dayna without actually turning to look at her. There was a long pause and she could see that Don had wet himself in the struggle. His face had several ragged claw marks that were oozing blood. The marks narrowly missed his eyes. She looked at the wet spot on his pants with disgust. She watched as Jake shifted back to his human form while still on top of Don.

  Dayna positioned her gun directly at Don's head as a naked Jake rifled through his torn pants for handcuffs. She tried to avoid looking at Jake's naked butt and back that rippled with muscle. She heard the click of the handcuffs when Jake flipped Don onto his stomach and pulled his hands up behind his back. Jake stood and picked Don up with one hand and stood him on his feet. His voice was husky and deep. He was shaking with rage.

  "You're lucky you didn't hurt her. You're also lucky I didn't kill you anyway," Jake said through bared teeth.

  Dayna looked at the floor to avoid looking at Jake's nakedness. She walked over to Don, pushing him so he staggered a little on his feet. Jake stepped to one side and she could feel him looking at her.

  "There might be a few corrupt people in law enforcement, but thankfully there are more like me and Jake than there are people like you. I don't care how long it takes. I will find each and every one of you. You and people like you make me sick," she spat.

  She gazed down at the wet
spot where he had pissed himself and she pushed Don onto the floor. "You can wait there," she muttered. Don sat butt first on the floor with his arms cuffed behind him. He squinted as blood dripped into one of his eyes. He made a soft clicking sound with his mouth. "You have no idea how deep this goes."

  Dayna leaned down and thrust her chin in his direction.

  "You'll tell me everything I need to know and then you'll go away for a long time. That's all that matters to me."

  She stood back up and shoved her gun into the waistband of her jeans. Propping her hands on her hips she glared at Don. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jake staring at her with a look of pride.

  "Please go put some clothes on," she said without looking at him. Jake snickered and walked down the hall to his bedroom. Dayna stepped back and took a couple of deep breaths. Her throat hurt a little but Jake had shown up just in time. Don would pay for what he did today.

  ***

  Jake emerged several minutes later in a fresh set of clothes. He didn't speak as he grabbed Don by the shoulder and picked him up off the floor.

  Dayna turned to Jake, "Should we clean him up a bit? Maybe bandage his face?"

  Jake rolled his eyes in detached agreement, "I guess so. There's some gauze and alcohol in the bathroom down the hall."

  Dayna went to get the items, then cleaned and bandaged Don's face before Jake shoved him out the door and into the back of the police cruiser. Dayna followed, closing and locking the door behind her. She sat next to Jake in the front of the cruiser.

  Jake was quiet as he put the car in drive and headed toward the police station.

  Dayna's cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her jeans pocket.

  "It's Tim," she said quietly as she answered it. She noticed Jake's face change slightly to one of annoyance as she said hello to her colleague.

  "I've just arrived in town. Where are you?" Tim asked.

  "We are headed to the police station. Meet us there. I'll fill you in."

  "Okay. I'm on my way."

  Dayna hung up and held her phone in her hands. Fidgeting with it, she tilted her head toward Jake.

  "He's going to meet us at the station."

  She heard Jake sigh. She hadn't thanked him for saving her life and she hoped they would have time later to discuss what had just happened.

  "I'm sure glad you showed up when you did," she said.

  "Me too," he responded. He moved one hand off the steering wheel and reached for her knee, caressing it for a moment.

  She was surprised by his touch and emotion welled up inside her. His hand was warm and gentle against her.

  She felt comforted by the small gesture.

  They were at the police station within a few minutes. Dayna stood outside the vehicle as Jake pulled Don out of the rear seat of the vehicle a little more roughly than he should have, but she understood why he did it. Jake had found her being choked. She was lucky that his shifter side listened to her and let Don live.

  She followed the men into the station and noticed Tim standing near the reception area.

  Tim approached with a stern look on his face when he saw Don's bandaged face.

  "What's going on here?" he asked Jake.

  Jake scowled, "This idiot tried to kill Dayna. He's getting charged with attempted murder."

  He continued to walk the man toward a booking room. Tim looked Don up and down and pressed his lips in a frown at the sight of him. He then turned his gaze to Dayna and waited for more information.

  "He showed up at the house and tried to choke me to death. Jake showed up and stopped him."

  Tim's eyes narrowed, "How did this Jake know where you were?"

  "Because I am staying at his house." She put up a finger in warning. "And you don't have a thing to say about it," she warned.

  Tim blinked his eyes a couple of times and pursed his lips in disapproval.

  "Fine. Have it your way. What the hell happened to his face?"

  "It happened when Jake pulled him off me," Dayna responded defensively.

  Tim shrugged, "So did Don tell you anything?"

  "Plenty..." Dayna filled Tim in on what Don had said and finished with a question for Tim.

  "Did you know about the corruption within the Bureau?"

  He shook his head and brought a hand to his mouth, popping something inside. He had quit smoking a year earlier but was constantly chewing nicotine gum. He began to chew as he looked at her. "I knew there was something going on but hadn't realized it ran so deep. It explains something though...the director called me when I was on the way here. He wants me to call him when I get back to my hotel. Says it's important. He has received a call from the director at the SAC...someone has told them about Axel."

  Dayna wondered what else they would find out. She knew that if the SAC found out that humans were playing lord and master of the shifters, there could be big trouble. She kept her feelings to herself. It wasn't a great idea to bring up shifters around Tim.

  Jake appeared at her side and she noticed him looking at Tim. Tim reciprocated as the men checked each other out. There was silence for a moment. Jake seemed relieved to see that Tim was a middle aged, balding, slightly unattractive man. She turned her head when she found herself grinning at the display between the two men.

  "I want to talk to the suspect," Tim said to Jake.

  Jake motioned with both hands, "Be my guest."

  Tim walked away, heading for the interview room where Don was seated at a table.

  Dayna turned to Jake and placed a hand on his forearm.

  "I need to talk to you," she said.

  Jake nodded and pulled her aside to another private room. Closing the door he stood with his hands at his sides as Dayna filled him in on everything that had happened before he arrived.

  "So Axel was freed because he works for human law enforcement?" Jake said sharply. "I had a feeling it was something like that. It's what Lincoln alluded to as well."

  He ran a hand along his short hair and let out an exasperated sigh.

  "That's not how things are done in the shifter world and I wouldn't want to be the people that have allowed that... When I get him, he will be interrogated shifter style and will be sent away for a long time. Shifter rehabilitation makes human prison look like day camp. Trust me, his time working for humans is over."

  Dayna could hear the disgust in Jake's voice. Clearly, he felt the way she did about the information that they now had. It was okay for humans and shifters to work with one another. But from what Don had told her, this was more about using shifters and not caring about people's lives, or the lives of the shifters they were exploiting. She folded her arms. Jake's expression changed as they stood looking at one another for a long moment.

  "I have to tell you something as well," he added with a serious look on his face.

  "What's that?"

  "I could feel you....when I was in the car driving back to town I sensed you were in danger and an image of you flashed in my mind. I tried to call you but there was no answer."

  She smiled broadly as she recalled that she too had felt a strong sense of his presence just before he arrived. She had also seen a flash of his face before her phone rang. It seemed as though they were truly connected. She moved toward him quickly and hugged him tightly.

  "Thank you for saving me," she whispered to him.

  He hugged her back and pulled his head back to add, "I also know where Axel has been staying."

  Jake filled her in on the plan that he and Lincoln had hatched.

  ***

  Tim appeared from questioning Don and walked over to Dayna. He rubbed his chin as he spoke.

  "He gave me a few names but I'm convinced he knows more than he's sayin'. I'll be back later, I have to go call the director. If you manage to get anything else outta him, let me know," he said as he eyed Jake. The policeman pushed his shoulders back. Dayna hadn't expected Tim to address him either. They both watched as Tim walked away.

  Jake looked at his
watch. "I have to get going soon. I want to meet Lincoln before sunset. Do you mind staying here at the station? I think Lincoln's mate is around here somewhere..."

  Dayna frowned. She didn't want Jake to leave her again so soon. She looked forward to the moment he caught Axel so that this would be over...for now.

  "What's wrong?" he asked.

  "I don't want you to go so soon," she said sadly.

  Jake took her hands in his, "I don't want to leave you...but I have to go. The sooner Axel is caught, the sooner this is over. Are you going to be okay?"

  Dayna felt emotion welling up inside her and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She shook her head as her eyes filled with tears.

  Jake put an arm around her and walked with her into an empty interview room near his desk.

  Dayna sobbed as Jake held her close. The pressure of everything she'd gone through had built up so much that today was the tipping point. She couldn't help herself, she felt vulnerable and sad. Her belief that the people with whom she worked were honorable had now been shattered. Who knew how many people were involved in the corruption at the Bureau? Her strong feelings for Jake threatened to break her heart when she had to leave, and that played on her feelings as well.

  She didn't know what to say or how to make things okay. Pressing her head against Jake's solid chest, she put her arms around him and held on tightly. Jake smoothed her hair with one hand, while he held her with his other arm. He didn't speak and she knew she was probably making it impossible for him to leave her.

  After several minutes she lifted her head and looked at Jake. He pressed his lips together in a thin smile. She glanced around for a tissue and saw a box on a table. She reached for them and grabbed a handful, removing herself from Jake's embrace to get them. The warmth that their bodies had generated left her feeling suddenly cold when she stepped away from him. She blew her nose and hugged herself. Jake moved close to her again, his arms outstretched.