by Zoe Chant
Natalie smiled as she felt his fingers playing lazily through her hair. She knew that dinner would be on the table soon – and even if she didn’t need to eat, she supposed they would need to speak with the others, and decide how to deal with Pritchard and his pack.
But for now, all Natalie wanted to do was lie on the bed in Casey’s embrace, and pretend that this was all she would ever need to do for the rest of her life. Problems seemed to fade away under his touch, leaving her feeling more relaxed and happy than she had done since… well, since ever.
“How did I find you?” she asked, the words slipping out from between her lips before she had a chance to think about them.
“I think that’s my line,” Casey said, moving his hand to stroke gently down her back, making her shiver. “I never imagined… I mean, I’d seen Mason, Heath and Joe, even my father, with their mates, but somehow it didn’t hit me how incredible it would be, until I saw you…” He kissed her, deep and slow. “Even now, it seems impossible that you’re mine.”
She snuggled into his side, allowing the comfort of his warmth to flow over her. “And you’re mine.”
“Of course I am. Always,” Casey replied, kissing her gently on the mouth.
Chapter Eleven
Casey
“Mason’s gone into the office to see if he can find anything out about this Pritchard character,” Charity told them over breakfast. “But he doesn’t think he’ll find anything – you know how easy it can be for shifters to slip through the system.”
Casey nodded as he munched on a mouthful of warm cornbread, fresh from the oven. “Thanks,” he said. “But yeah – I mean, even if this guy is as shady as he sounds, it’s not that likely he’ll have a record.”
“You’re right,” Charity agreed, “but he thought it might be worthwhile to try. It’d be terrible to miss something obvious because of an assumption.” She looked up as she heard a baby’s squeal from the other room. “That’ll be Link – he’s teething. I’m looking after him while Sasha and Joe do the morning rounds. I better go check on him.”
She bustled out, leaving Casey and Natalie alone together.
“Pritchard said that sometimes they like to pin their crimes on humans,” Natalie said slowly, clasping her hands around her coffee cup. “I think that’s why they want Micah – he said it’s good to have someone around to throw to the cops if needs be. I guess it’s easier to catch a human than it is to catch someone who can turn into an animal.”
Casey nodded. “I suppose that’s why shifters tend to get involved in crime. It’s a bit hard to put an APB out for a wolf.”
Natalie sucked in a quick breath, glancing up at him. “Is that what Pritchard turns into, then? A wolf?”
“I honestly don’t know,” Casey told her. “The thing is, we shifters can sense each other – I knew as soon as I looked at Pritchard that was I dealing with a shifter, as well as an A-grade asshole. But until he shifts, I don’t know what kind of animal he becomes. Could be a bear. Could be a poodle. I won’t know until he does it.”
Natalie looked startled at the word bear. “I guess I’ll keep my fingers crossed for poodle, then.”
Casey laughed. “Honestly, so will I.”
“Will you have to… to fight him?” Natalie asked, licking her lips nervously.
“I won’t, if I can avoid it,” Casey said quickly. “But I will, if that’s what it takes. You know I’d do anything to make sure you – and Micah – are safe.”
Natalie looked down, staring into her coffee. “Is that shifter law, too? To fight to settle things?”
Reaching across the table, Casey touched Natalie’s hand. “I know it might seem brutal, but it’s the way things are sometimes,” he said. He hoped like hell she would understand. “We shifters… it’s a balance. We’re human. But it wouldn’t make sense to pretend we don’t also have animal instincts. They’re controlled by our human sides, but they’re still there. You know that… that I would only ever use my animal side to protect you, right?”
“Of course,” Natalie answered instantly, looking up into his eyes. “I’d never doubt that for a moment. I just… I don’t want to see you get hurt. That’s all. I couldn’t bear it.”
Casey nodded. “I know. And things don’t have to go that way. But if I have to fight for you, I will, Natalie. I’ll do whatever I need to.”
Natalie bit her lip, looking deep into his eyes. Casey could see a swirl of mixed emotions there: confusion, fear – but also hope and love.
“No one’s ever fought for me before,” she said softly, her voice so tender that Casey thought his heart might break.
He couldn’t think of any words to say to that. Instead, he simply stood and walked around the table, before gathering her up in his arms, pulling her against his chest and holding her tight.
I will fight for you, he promised her silently, as his lion roared its assent. I will never stop fighting for you. Not until you’re safe from anything that might harm you.
Natalie buried her face in his chest. “Thank you,” she whispered, as if she had sensed his unspoken pledge. “Thank you.”
They remained together by the table for some time, Casey simply feeling the heavenly softness of her body against his, and smelling the beautiful scent of her hair. His lion half-closed its eyes, purring in his chest, for once seeming satisfied.
This is how it should be, it said, sounding content. A lion and his mate. Nothing can separate them. Nothing.
They only came apart at the sound of the front door opening. Casey turned to see Joe and Sasha entering the front door, toeing off their muddy boots as they did.
“Morning,” Joe said as they padded across the floor. “Hope you saved us some breakfast.”
“You can say that again,” Sasha laughed. “I’m ravenous. I forgot how hungry riding makes me.”
They seated themselves at the table and began tucking into the remains of the spread Charity had laid out this morning: cornbread, bacon, scrambled eggs, buttermilk pancakes, and cut fruit. One thing you could say for shifters was that they had a healthy appetite.
“How’s things this morning?” Casey asked as he sat back down again – though he kept Natalie’s hand firmly enveloped in his own.
His brother shrugged. “Fence down by the back dam needs fixing – I’ll get yours or Dad’s help with that. Tree might have to come down by the shed before the spring storms start, which’ll be a hell of a job.”
Casey nodded. It was the usual work of a ranch, aside from the herding of cattle, the care of their lands and the keeping of accounts. “Well, let me know when you want it done,” Casey said. “Don’t bother Dad – he deserves a break.”
“Ha, believe me, I think after the winter he’s itching to get back out on the land,” Sasha said, spooning sugar into her coffee. “If the four of us do it it’ll take no time at all. Many hands, and all that.”
Casey smiled, glancing at Natalie. She seemed more relaxed now – just as he’d hoped. The banter at the table seemed to soothe her; they were a close-knit family, and she was welcome here. She was his mate.
“I’d like to learn a little about the ranch, too,” Natalie said after a moment. “I’ve lived in the city all my life – I don’t know a thing about ranching, or herding cattle, or… I don’t know, whatever else you guys do out here!” She looked down. “It’s important to me that I understand how it all works. I don’t want to be a fifth wheel.”
“You never would be,” Casey said instantly. “You don’t know how long we’ve been trying to convince Faye to hire an extra pair of hands for the B&B – you’re already taking a huge load off there. But Joe and I’ve been ranching all our lives. I’m sure we can teach you a thing or two. Even if it’s just how to ride.”
Natalie nodded. “That would be amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a horse up close. Neither has Micah.”
“We’ll train him up,” Casey laughed. “He’s not too old yet to become a real horseman.”
�
��I should hope not,” Natalie laughed with him, looking surprised. “He’s only six! How old were you when you learned?”
“I was riding before I could walk,” Casey said. “On a little pony called Buttercup. Dad used to lead her round the yard, with me on her back.”
“Didn’t you fall off?” Natalie asked, eyes wide.
“Only more times than I can count,” Joe said, shaking his head. “Didn’t knock any sense into him that I noticed, though.”
“Hey, shut up,” Casey laughed, flicking a piece of cornbread at his brother. “And don’t tell me you weren’t just the same. Which one of us fell off the cowshed and nearly landed head first on a stake, that time when Aunt Marie spooked the bull and sent it charging at us?”
“Oh, I haven’t heard this story,” Sasha said, pouring syrup over her pancakes. “Do tell, Casey.”
Casey laughed – and saw with joy that Natalie was laughing too. She’d seemed so pensive this morning and it did his heart good to see her smile.
She’ll never frown again if I can help it, he thought to himself, as he started to tell the story of how his elder brother – cool, quiet, collected Joe – had had to scramble up a tin cowshed to escape the horns of an enraged bull, hollering his head off for Casey to help pull him up.
“… And then, you know, just as I finally got him up, he goes spinning past me, who the hell knows why, careening off the other side, and almost cracks his head open on the stake I’d been hammering. I swear, I thought Dad was going to have a heart attack. He’s screaming, I’m screaming, Joe’s screaming – ”
Joe suddenly held his hand up, cutting through the laughter at the table. “Casey, wait.”
“Don’t deny it, that’s exactly how it happened,” Casey said, pointing at him. “Ask anyone who was –”
Casey cut himself off as he noticed the expression on his brother’s face. It wasn’t an expression his brother usually wore – and certainly not one he expected. He looked… angry.
Joe could take a joke, even at his own expense. Casey knew it couldn’t be that he was objecting to them laughing about something that happened when Casey was eleven and Joe fourteen.
No – it had to be something else.
Pritchard.
The name leapt into his mind unbidden.
“What is it?” he asked, leaning forward, all his senses on high alert. His lion stirred in his chest, lifting its head.
It was then that he finally felt it – a disturbance, right on the very edge of his perception.
“Shifters,” Joe growled, raising his head. “Near the border.”
Casey’s lion snarled. “Have they crossed over it?”
“Not yet,” Joe said, shaking his head. “But they’re close.”
Casey’s lion leapt up, prowling inside his chest. Go. Get rid of them. Teach them a lesson about threatening our mate.
“I’m going out there,” he said immediately, standing. He glanced down at Natalie, who had gone pale. “You stay here. I promise I’ll be back.”
“Casey, wait,” she said, holding his hand tighter. “I can’t just let you –”
“Like I said, I won’t fight if I don’t have to,” Casey said, even as his lion growled in his chest, demanding blood. “But there has to be an end to this, Natalie. They have to know you’re my mate, and you and Micah are under my protection. They have to give up this ridiculous claim.”
“He’s right, Natalie.” Joe’s voice was calm, but deadly serious. “They’re clearly not backing off. And if they won’t go quietly, then… well.”
Natalie swallowed. “Can I come? It’s me who’s caused all this –”
“No,” Casey said, shaking his head, before biting his lip. “I mean, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Shifters can be… dangerous. It’s better if I go alone. And besides, Micah is still here. He might need you.”
Natalie sucked in a quick breath, but she nodded.
Joe stood. “I think it’s a good idea for you to stay here too, Natalie,” he said. He looked at Casey. “But like hell you’re going alone. I’m coming too. I’m alpha – and it’s my pridelands they’re sniffing around.” His face softened. “Besides, someone has to stop you from shooting your mouth off and getting your head beat in.”
Casey wanted to argue with him – but seeing the look on Joe’s face, he realized it was impossible. Even if Joe hadn’t been the alpha he was bound to obey, he was his older brother, and there was no talking him out of this.
“All right,” he said. “Fine. Let’s go.”
They made their way to the door, Sasha and Natalie following after them.
“You take care,” he heard Sasha whisper to Joe as he opened the door, reaching up to kiss him.
“That goes for you too,” Natalie said, drawing in a deep breath. She reached up, taking his face between her hands. “Just… don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
Her voice was tense, and her beautiful full lips were pulled into a tight line. It pained Casey to see her this way – to see her gorgeous face pinched in concern.
“I won’t,” he promised her, before dipping his head to kiss her. She was warm against him, soft and lovely. He had to wrench himself away.
He stepped out onto the porch, feeling the cold sting of the early spring morning in the air. His lion’s tail swished, ears twitching, seeking out the intruders.
There. There, in the eastern paddock.
Joe was right – they hadn’t yet breached the borders of the pridelands, but they were coming damn close.
Go. Go hunt them down and chase them out. Show them the consequences of harming our mate.
Casey let his lion come forward, let it take over his human mind and transform his body. Strength and power coursed through him, and then he was bounding away, his brother by his side, across the slope of the garden and toward the fenced paddocks.
He paused only briefly, looking back over his shoulder before he took the leap over the fence. Natalie stood on the porch, her arms wrapped around herself, Sasha’s hand on her shoulder in a gesture of comfort.
I’ll be back soon, he told her, hoping she understood, before he turned, and bounded on his way.
Chapter Twelve
Natalie
Natalie stood on the porch, watching until Casey’s golden lion form had disappeared into the vast space of the fields beyond the fence.
Her breath felt heavy in her lungs, but she knew there was nothing she could do – Casey had promised her he wouldn’t fight unless he had to, and she had to trust that he knew what he was doing. Remembering how huge and powerful his lion form was, she had a hard time imagining that anything could stand up to him – regardless of what they could transform into. The massive lion with its powerful shoulders and haunches and its great flowing mane seemed like it would intimidate even the most fearsome of foes.
Still, she couldn’t help biting her lip in anxiety. If she hadn’t arrived here, Casey wouldn’t be in this situation.
It was all her fault.
“I know what you’re thinking – and trust me, don’t.”
Sasha’s voice broke into her reverie. Natalie turned to face her, swallowing.
“I can’t help it,” she said. “It just seems like –”
Sasha shook her head, cutting her off.
“I know. Believe me, I know. I felt the same way. But that’s not how it works – the only people to blame for this are the ones who’re threatening you. Casey knows you didn’t choose this, just like Joe knows I didn’t choose to be chased by my shitheel ex and his gang. They are the ones who’re causing the problem. Not you.”
Natalie nodded, allowing herself to feel soothed by Sasha’s sensible words.
“I know,” she said softly.
Is this what it means to be part of the pride? she asked herself as she allowed Sasha to take her arm and lead her back inside the house. She’d only ever had herself to rely on. But now, she had Casey, her mate, the strongest man she’d ever known, to look after her – and as we
ll as that, she had the friendship of Sasha, Charity and Faye, who seemed eager to help her and make her feel welcome.
It was… a little overwhelming.
In the best possible way.
As they re-entered the living room, Charity was emerging from one of the bedrooms, looking harried, and holding little Link in her arms.
“Sasha, I think Link might need changing,” she said. “I would do it, but Faith’s just jumped off the damn bookshelf and bitten her lip.”
A howl from the bedroom seemed to back up what she was saying.
“M-ooooooooooommyyyyyyyy!”
Sasha laughed. “No, give him here – I made him, so I can deal with his poop. You go make sure Faith is okay.”
Charity handed Link to Sasha, shooting her a grateful look. “Thanks.”
Sasha lifted her son up, taking a quick sniff of his diaper. “Oof! Yes, someone definitely needs changing. C’mon, little man.”
Natalie couldn’t help but laugh. It was bewildering, how normal everything seemed, despite the danger they were in – but then, she supposed, if you lived with shifters you might just have to get used to this kind of thing.
Sasha bustled off to change Link, and Charity disappeared to tend to Faith’s bitten lip. Natalie decided she’d better do something to help out, and began clearing away the empty breakfast dishes.
“Mommy?”
She turned at the sound of Micah’s voice behind her. He looked pensive, his eyebrows drawn together. Natalie knelt down in front of him, concerned.
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“Have you seen Barry?” he asked, gnawing on his lower lip in the way he often did when he was worried.
Natalie cast her mind back. In fact, she hadn’t seen Micah’s stegosaurus for a few days – he’d been so taken up with playing with his new friend Faith that poor Barry had become quite neglected.
“He isn’t in your room?” she asked.
Micah shook his head. “I looked everywhere.”