by R. E. Butler
“Who did they harass?” Barron asked.
Hemi turned to walk back into the bar. “China. She said they were drunk when they came in.”
“They hid it well, then,” he said. “She okay?”
“Yeah.” Hemi walked back into the bar and helped right the chairs that had been kicked over. Titus had come out of the second-floor office during the melee and Hemi and China filled him in on what happened.
“You call Ridge?” Titus asked.
“Yep.”
“All right. You okay, China? You want to take a break?”
“I’m good,” she said.
“Well, thanks for not destroying the bar to get them out of here.”
Hemi snorted.
Titus nodded and headed back to his office. China looked at Hemi. “Thanks.”
He shrugged. “No problem. I’m just sorry it happened.”
“Me too. Hazard of the job, though. Fortunately, we don’t get a lot of people who act like that in here.”
Hemi agreed. Well, if nothing else, a little excitement made for an interesting evening.
An hour later, Titus brought a female to the bar and introduced her as Blu Parker.
The petite blonde was wearing a Tails T-shirt and jeans. “Nice to meet ya,” she said, shaking his hand.
“You, too. Come on back. It’s pretty quiet tonight since it’s a weeknight, but it’ll get busy on the weekends.”
She nodded as she came around the bar and joined him. “I shadowed Titus last night.”
Sundays were hit or miss—they could be crazy busy or dead. “How was it?”
“We were slammed until about nine and then just a trickle.”
“What made you want to leave your last job?”
“Assholes.”
He chuckled. “Unfortunately, they’re everywhere. Are you staying in town?”
“Yep. We’re renting a place. My sister left the pack and came with me. She’s starting community college in the fall.”
“Nice.”
“You got siblings?” she asked.
“A twin—Demi.”
“Oh, right, I met her when I was working at Howl. I love her name. Where the heck did your parents come up with that?”
His sister’s full name was Pandemonium. His was Mayhem. “The story is that our grandmother took one look at us after we were born and said our parents’ house would be nothing but pandemonium and mayhem. I think my mom was still a little drugged up from the delivery, because she’s about as straight-laced as they come, but she still picked those as names for us.”
“Makes my ‘I’m named Blu because my eyes are so blue’ story seem kinda lame.”
Her eyes were very blue. He chuckled. “So, you have any specialties?”
“I like to make mixed drinks. Girlier the better.”
“You’ll be popular with the pride females here. I can only make a few things. Our alpha female likes to send me drink requests that make me have to do research.”
Blu snorted. “I’ll handle that when I’m here.”
Hemi nodded. He walked her through the checkout system, recapped where everything was, and ran her back to the stockroom to show her where the cases of alcohol and glassware were. Once they were back behind the bar, they worked together to get drinks out to the patrons. She was quick and sassy and was easily going to be a popular bartender with the male clientele. Demi had told him that she could hold her own—that she’d seen her handle a bar fight between wolves with a baseball bat and break the arm of a human male who refused to stop grabbing her ass.
By the time the bar was closed, and they were cleaning up, he felt right at home with her next to him.
“You got a mate, Blu?” he asked as he wiped down the counter.
“Nah. My folks are all about wolf-only mate-matches, and I’m not about to let someone pick my forever guy for me.”
“I hear you. My sister and I feel the same way.”
“I didn’t know that lions believed in heart-matches.”
“Not all of us. My parents don’t. But our alpha and two other males found heart-matches in humans recently, so I think seeing that is changing some people’s minds.”
“Not everyone, though, I’m sure. Some shifters can be so tied up in tradition that it’s like they feel you’re trying to take away a part of their soul if you want to change something. My parents have been trying to get me to see a match-maker since I turned sixteen.”
“Shit, that’s young.”
“Right? I’m twenty-five now. Nine years they’ve been busting my chops about settling down. There’s a part of me that wants to just stay single forever and give them the middle finger, you know? Except I would like to find my heart-match.”
“Me too.” He looked at Blu, thinking how easy it would be if his lion was interested in her, since she was pretty and funny, and they got along. But his lion was snoozing, not even a little bit interested in the feisty, blue-eyed wolf.
He texted Titus to say they were finished cleaning up and would lock up on their way out.
“Titus says goodnight,” Hemi said as he led the way down the hall and out the back door. He held it open for Blu and then locked it.
“Is he still working? I saw lights up on the second floor.”
“Maybe, but he also lives here.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. There are two apartments and two offices on the second floor. Duke used to live here too, but once he mated Mercy and became the alpha pair, they moved into a home in pride territory.”
Blu hummed. “Our pack would never allow a human alpha. I think it’s pretty neat that your pride is so progressive.”
“It’s been like pulling teeth, though. I never thought I’d see the day, honestly. I’m not sure my people even believed that lions could have heart-matches with humans.”
“I think heart-matches can be anything and anyone, so long as the shifter is open to it.” She gave him a half smile and said goodnight.
“See you tomorrow,” he said.
He headed to his truck and drove home, his thoughts on heart-matches. He was one hundred percent going to wait for his. She was out there somewhere, he was certain of it. Human, shifter, or something else—he didn’t really care so long as she was his.
Chapter Five
Annie’s stomach was in knots as she headed to work for the first day of school. The last week had been pure hell. Roy had not taken her at her word to leave her alone and had gotten increasingly aggressive. He’d shown up at her house the morning after their date and wouldn’t leave until she’d called her dad for help. Her dad had charged out of the house like a bull and sent Roy packing. The next day, he’d been waiting for her at the school, and Tilly had to ban him from school property to get him to leave. Everywhere she went, he seemed to be there, like he had some sixth sense of where she was going. It made her twitchy as hell.
She’d gone to the police, and one of the officers had paid a visit to Roy on her behalf, but because he hadn’t actually done anything to her—except scare the crap out of her—all the police could do was suggest he move on and find someone else. The police’s efforts had done nothing to stop Roy. Even though she’d blocked his phone number, he still managed to call her using private lines. Her phone rang constantly, so she’d changed the number. Twice. But he still kept finding it and starting all over again with the harassment.
She pulled into the parking spot, then turned off the engine and grabbed her bag. Standing, she looked over the hood of her car and let her gaze roam the parking lot and building. She didn’t see him. A little bit of relief swam through her. She used her code to unlock the door and stepped inside. The school day officially started at eight, but parents were allowed to drop their kids off at seven, so teachers had to be in their classrooms by 6:45.
“Morning,” Tilly said. “How was your weekend?”
Aside from Roy showing up at the grocery store and the movie theater? “Good. Yours?”
“Busy, but
that’s the way I like it. We went up to the lake Saturday for a picnic.”
“Sounds fun.”
Annie headed into her room and turned on the lights, then hung her bag in the closet and went to put her lunch in the employee fridge. All morning she’d thought of Roy and whether there was anything she could do about him, and it crossed her mind to talk to Violet about him. She would see her this morning when she dropped Clayton off. She didn’t normally like confrontation, but this was not like someone had cut her off in traffic or swiped the last eclair. She wanted her life back, and to feel safe again, and as long as Roy was following her and spouting nonsense about how they were meant to be together, she’d never have any peace.
Short of hiring a bodyguard, she didn’t think there was anything else she could do. Her parents wanted her to move back into the main house, but she wasn’t ready to give up her independence just yet. If things didn’t get better soon, she’d have no choice.
By the time Violet brought in Clayton, it was nearly eight. Annie and Miranda were busy with the kids who’d been dropped off already, but she still followed the shifter woman out of the class.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” Annie asked.
Violet gave her a curious, wary look. “I’m running late for work.”
“This won’t take long.”
“Okay.” Violet gripped her purse strap, her lips pressed together.
“I’m having a problem with Roy.”
“What problem?”
“He won’t leave me alone. I went on one coffee date with him a week ago and he told me that night that he thought we were mates. When I said no, he argued with me, scared me. He won’t stop calling, or following me, even after the police talked to him.”
Violet’s eyes tightened. “What do you want me to do about that?”
“He’s your brother. You could talk to him. Tell him to back off.”
“If he says you’re mates, then you’re mates, and you should accept that.”
“What? No! That’s not how it works.”
“It could if you’d open your heart. Roy’s a good guy, he’s just lonely. He’s excited to have found you. It sounds like you’re the one being difficult, so you should ease up on him and give him a chance.”
Annie was dumbfounded. “He’s stalking me, Violet. He’s scaring the crap out of me. Tell him to stop.”
“I can’t,” she said.
“Why not?”
“Because he’s the alpha of our clan and I can’t go against him. Coyotes fall for their mates hard and if it’s not reciprocated, they’ll do anything to convince their mate they belong together. You might not like his tactics, but there are plenty of females out there who would be flattered with his attention.”
“Tell him to find one of those females. Please.”
“I’m really sorry if you feel that you’re not mates, but you’re human so you don’t understand what it means for a shifter to find his or her mate.”
Annie wanted to throw something. She’d never been so frustrated. “I can’t believe that, as a woman, you think it’s okay for a man to pressure someone into being with them. I’m not going to be anything to Roy, ever. You need to help me.”
“I said I can’t. And I won’t. I’m sorry Annie, really, but you’re on your own.” Head down, Violet turned and walked swiftly out the door, leaving Annie with her mouth open and her eyes stinging.
Miranda joined Annie. “You okay?”
Annie blinked rapidly, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Not really.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said, giving her a hug. “You want to take a minute?”
Shaking her head and wiping the wetness from her cheeks, Annie straightened her shoulders and plastered a smile she didn’t feel on her face. “No. It’s the first day of school. It’ll be great.”
And while it was great, in the sense that all the kids were having a good time and there weren’t any major hiccups, Annie couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.
* * *
“Hello, Mayhem,” a male voice said loudly.
Hemi looked into the mirror that lined the back of the bar and his brows rose. He finished counting out the change for the patron whose tab he was closing out, shut the cash drawer, and turned around. He offered the change to the customer who said, “Keep it.” Hemi dropped the money into the tip jar, and thanked him.
Placing his hands on the counter, Hemi gave the male who’d said his name a long look. “Benecio.”
This was the alpha male who’d been after his sister. Fortunately, Demi wasn’t at the bar. She was so pissed about Benecio’s constant harassment that if she’d seen him, Mayhem was positive she’d have gone off her rocker.
“I’d like to speak with you about your sister.”
Benecio was in his late thirties, at least, and had the look of a male who’d fought long and hard to become alpha. He wasn’t the leader of his pride because he’d inherited it or had it handed to him—he’d fought with fangs and claws for it. He was a different sort of alpha than Duke. While Hemi’s alpha was strong and powerful, and not a male to be trifled with, Benecio had likely maimed or killed for his position, and would be willing to do anything to get what he wanted.
“I’m not in the habit of speaking for her when she can speak for herself.”
“You’re her brother, though.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It should. Don’t you want her to be alpha female? She’s got the right spirit for it—she just needs to be tamed a little.”
Hemi narrowed his eyes and let his lion out a little, his muscles bunching and his fingertips tingling from the press of claws. “Listen, man. She said you’re not her heart-match and that’s what she wants. She doesn’t care if you’re alpha and I don’t either. Going behind her back to our folks was a bad decision. You need to back off.”
Benecio rose slowly. He was not nearly as muscular or tall as Hemi, but the male was dangerous all the same. “She will be mine.”
“You have to get through me first.”
Titus walked up to the bar and looked between the two of them. “Everything okay, Hemi?”
“I just came to speak to Mayhem about his sister.”
Titus looked at Hemi and then back at the alpha. “You said what you wanted to say?”
Benecio’s eyes narrowed. “Yes.”
“You answer him, Hemi?”
“Hell yes.”
“Then get gone, Alpha,” Titus said, folding his arms. “I won’t have you in my bar, harassing my people for any reason.”
Benecio looked like he might argue, but instead gave Hemi a long look and said, “This isn’t over.”
“Yes, it is,” Hemi said loudly as Benecio walked calmly from the bar. “Asshole.”
Titus snorted and clapped him on the shoulder. “That male cannot take a hint.”
“Right?” Hemi rubbed the space between his eyes. “I asked Demi if she was sure he wasn’t her heart-match, and I thought she’d throttle me.”
“What made you ask?”
“Well, she was so pissed when she first met him because of the situation with Emberly and the female from Benecio’s pride that I wondered if her perception of him was colored by her emotions. They didn’t meet under the best of circumstances.”
“That’s true. But even if she was pissed, she’d still have recognized him as her heart-match if he were.”
“I know. I just wanted to be sure. I’d back her no matter what, but if she was just being a good friend to Emberly and Diesel by being a bitch to Benecio—and he was actually her heart-match—then she’d regret it in the long run. But she’s not and he’s hung up on her for some reason.”
“It’s her right to refuse her suitors, no matter who or what they are.”
“Thanks for the backup.”
“Sure thing. I hate males who act like that. My sister had a human stalk her for a bit in college and she handled it by going to a match-maker and ge
tting matched. The male she was paired with went after the human and scared the shit out of him.”
“I don’t think Demi wants anyone fighting her battles for her.”
“Nah, she can handle herself.”
Hemi sent a text to Demi to let her know what happened. The slew of curse words that she typed back at him was enough to make a sailor blush. She was pissed and had every right to be. He couldn’t imagine how it would feel to have someone not listen to what you were saying and even go so far as to try to get your family to change your mind.
I’ve got your back, sis, don’t worry. I told him to take a hike. Titus kicked him out of the bar. It’s all good.
For now, she typed back. Why won’t he leave me alone?
Don’t know, but he better not show his face around here again.
Thanks for watching out for me.
Of course. That’s what brothers are for.
He shoved his phone into his back pocket and turned his attention to the patrons at the bar. Although his lion wanted to chase the alpha down and make him afraid to even think about Demi, he knew he couldn’t.
Well, he could, but he’d end up causing problems for Duke and he didn’t want that.
For now, he’d keep a closer eye on Demi and hope the alpha would find someone else to obsess over.
Chapter Six
Annie stepped out from the school and let out a deep sigh. It had been a long day. One parent hadn’t been there on time to pick up her son, calling frantically to say she was stuck in traffic. They’d waited for her, of course. It wasn’t as if they could leave a kid by himself at the school, so Tilly and Annie had stayed behind to wait for the mom, who had nearly been an hour late. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be a habit, because Annie had been ready to go home well before six.
“Everything okay with you?” Tilly asked as she locked the front door.
“Just tired.”
“That guy giving you a hard time still?”
“Yeah.”
“I heard you speaking to his sister. I can’t believe she wouldn’t at least talk to him.”