The door banged open and Francesca strode back inside. Bree expected Seamus to jump away, but he didn’t. He kept his arms around Bree, slowly finishing the kiss before he raised his head.
Katie didn’t wake. The cub seemed to understand that she was safe with Seamus here, her sides rising and falling in deep, even breaths.
Francesca paused in the doorway, her sharp gaze taking in Seamus and Bree on the floor. Seamus kept his arm around Bree as though it was the most natural thing in the world.
Francesca let the door close. “Your timing sucks, Seamus,” she said.
Seamus moved one shoulder in a shrug. “Things happen when they happen.”
“How much does she know?” Francesca asked.
“She is sitting right here,” Bree said. “I know you’re hiding out from the entire world, because you’re un-Collared and I’m guessing you want to stay that way. How you are, I haven’t figured out. I don’t think you pulled your Collars off.” Like Seamus, Francesca had no red line around her neck to indicate she’d ripped a Collar out of her skin. The small indentation the fake Collar had left on Seamus was nothing to what a real Collar would have done.
Francesca scowled, her Lupine gray eyes fiery. “You don’t need to know that.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Bree said. “You’re stuck here, and you have to take care of Katie. What’s going to happen when you need food? You’ll drive a stolen car to the grocery store down the street? Not every human recognizes Shifters, but you both will stand out. You have a look.”
Even more than most Collared Shifters Bree had known, even more than the Shifters she’d met this morning, Francesca and Seamus had a wildness about them that other Shifters lacked.
“Well, we have you now,” Francesca said to her. “You can shop for us.”
“Right,” Bree countered. “I just sneaked a Shifter away from a bunch of cops. They probably put out an APB on me. Every store clerk will be on the lookout, hoping for a reward.”
“Enough.” Seamus’s one growled word didn’t have to be loud. He rose to his feet—straight up from a sitting position, no scrambling. Francesca snapped her mouth closed, though her eyes showed her fury. “Bree is one of us, not a hostage. She saved my life—twice. I owe her.”
Francesca growled. “I saw you giving her a little payback.”
A lion snarl came from Seamus’s throat. He took one step toward Francesca, who danced a few paces back on quick feet.
Francesca wasn’t as dominant as Seamus, Bree realized, watching them. She’d seen enough dominance skirmishes at the Shifter bars in New Orleans to understand what was going on here.
But Francesca wasn’t less dominant simply because she was female. Plenty of females were higher than males in the hierarchy. She was simply not as high as Seamus. She was testing him, maybe trying to see if he’d muscle her into obedience over Bree.
From Seamus’s soft growls, he was going to protect Bree. Francesca saw that and started backing off, her shoulders rounding, her head drooping as she conceded.
Seamus went to Francesca, stood silently in front of her for a few seconds, then pulled her into an embrace. Not a sensual one, not like the tender way Seamus had held Bree. This was reassurance, like a father giving his cub a lick.
Seamus didn’t exactly lick Francesca, but he pressed her into the hug, holding her tight. Francesca’s arms came around him, hugging him back, the tension going out of her.
When he released her, he touched her shoulder, then returned to Bree. Dominance reestablished, Seamus was showing Francesca he’d take care of her. All was well.
Through it all, Katie slept. The bear cub was boneless on the carpet, her small snores both adorable and comforting. Complete trust.
Francesca came to Bree, and when she spoke, her tone was much more respectful. “Katie likes you,” Francesca said. “She doesn’t take to everyone.”
“Is it hard to look after a bear?” Bree asked in true curiosity. “Being a wolf?”
“Hell, yeah,” Francesca said. “In the wild, I’d never have dreamed it. But Katie is just so ... well, cute.”
Francesca still wasn’t happy with Seamus bringing Bree here, Bree could see, but Francesca said nothing more about it. Bree had some sympathy—for all Francesca knew, Bree was some kind of undercover spy for Shifter Bureau, who would worm their secrets out of them and turn them in. Bureau police would come out with nets and tranq guns and round up Seamus, Francesca, and Katie to stuff them into cages and decide what to do with them.
“I know you don’t trust me,” Bree said. “But really, I’m not from Shifter Bureau or anything like that—I don’t even know where their offices are. I’m Bree Fayette, from a town in Louisiana you’ve never heard of, I moved out here with my mom when we inherited a house from my great-uncle, and there wasn’t anything left for us at home. I’m a Shifter groupie, of a sort. I love Shifters and everything about them. I’d never hurt you, or help anyone hurt you, no matter how bitchy you get, and I’d certainly never do anything to harm a cub like Katie. You don’t have to believe me, but that’s the naked truth.”
Francesca listened, brows rising. Seamus wasn’t exactly smiling, but his eyes were full of warmth.
“Yeah, well,” Francesca said. “Don’t say naked. Seamus might go into mating frenzy with you right here on the carpet, and I so don’t need to see that.”
***
Katie slept on. At Seamus’s suggestion, Bree carried her into an upstairs bedroom and lay down with her. Francesca let them go, saying nothing.
Seamus knew Francesca had snarled at him to see how far he’d let her go, to discover what Bree was to him. He’d told her, all right.
Francesca had watched with cautious eyes as Seamus escorted Bree and Katie upstairs, but didn’t try to interfere. She was trusting him.
Seamus kissed Bree briefly on the lips after she settled on the bed with Katie. He pulled a blanket over Bree and went out into the upstairs hall, where a window let him keep watch on the front perimeter. Francesca prowled restlessly downstairs.
Now to settle in and wait for Kendrick.
Seamus had no doubt his leader would be in touch, telling them where to regroup—it was just a matter of time. This was the toughest part of all, though, the waiting. Seamus had been trained to sit tight and wait for orders, but that time could be brutal.
When Kendrick finally revealed where his Shifters would meet again, Seamus would ask Bree to come with him. He was pretty sure she’d say no, because accompanying him would mean going into hiding with him somewhere in the world, leaving her mother and everything she knew behind. Bree would have to make that choice, and there was no reason she would choose him. Seamus would lose her, when he’d only just found her.
That thought hurt. Waiting here in this house was going to be hard—leaving would be harder.
The day wore on. Bree and Katie slept soundly. Francesca ceased her prowling and took a nap, leaving Seamus to stand guard.
At about five in the afternoon, Seamus saw movement in the shadows under the trees that lined the front yard.
He stiffened as the shadow slipped from the trees around to the side of the house. Seamus ran silently down the stairs, imagining the path the intruder must have taken. He got himself behind the back door just as a floorboard on the porch creaked. The intruder took one step, then two, then reached the door.
Seamus flung it open, grabbed the Shifter on the other side of it, and hauled him inside. It was a Lupine, the one he’d seen at Bree’s house this morning—Broderick.
Just as Seamus registered that fact, the lock on the front door broke without fanfare, and the door banged open. The Bengal tiger Shifter walked inside.
“Bree is here,” Tiger announced in his slow voice. “And a cub.”
Chapter Eleven
Francesca came off the sofa, snarling, and attacked Tiger. Tiger turned his head, put out one massive arm, and shoved. Francesca soared straight back through the air, landing heavily on the sofa, and start
ed to shift.
Seamus got between her and Tiger. “Stop!” he commanded.
Francesca’s eyes narrowed. “We can take him,” she said, her voice clogged with the change. “He’s Collared.”
Broderick answered from the kitchen doorway. “Not really. Tiger’s kind of ... special.”
Tiger gave Broderick a flat yellow stare, then Francesca, then Seamus. Francesca drew a breath, dropped back to the sofa, and stayed human. “What the hell is he?” she asked Seamus.
“We’re not sure,” Broderick said before Seamus could speak. “Okay, I’m not sure. His mate thinks he’s all sweet and cuddly, but Carly’s about to bring in his cub, so she’s gushy right now. The rest of us know he’s just crazy.” Broderick’s sharp gaze went to Seamus. The Lupine might seem nonchalant and a smartass, but he wasn’t stupid. “Where’s Bree?”
“Here.” Bree stood on the stairs. “What do you want?”
Seamus growled. “I know what they want. How did you find us?” he asked Broderick. “No way you tracked us.”
Broderick shrugged. “No way most Shifters could have tracked you. You went to ground fast and pretty good. But there are trackers, and then there’s Tiger.”
Tiger stood quietly, offering no explanation. “There is a cub here.”
“Seamus, who the hell are they?” Francesca demanded, scared. She was afraid for Katie, terrified the cub would be taken. Her mission, and Seamus’s, was to keep the cubs free. Tiger should not have known Katie was here. Seamus hadn’t betrayed her existence with word or deed. He hadn’t even told Bree, as much as he’d been tempted to trust her, until he’d brought her here.
Broderick hadn’t known—he looked surprised. “Tiger just seems to know where cubs are and when they’re in trouble. He has this this search-and-rescue thing going on.”
Tiger started for the stairs. Seamus grabbed for him to stop him, but found himself holding empty air.
Bree got in front of Tiger and blocked the way up the stairs. “You leave her alone!”
Seamus went for Tiger again, landing on the bigger man’s back. He remembered the cops shooting Tiger at the house, and Tiger just staring at them. Seamus knew it was a mean thing to do, but he jabbed his hand where he remembered the bullet wound had been.
Tiger snarled. He swung around—fast—then rapidly became a tiger, his clothes splitting and falling away. Francesca came off the sofa again and tried to tackle him. Seamus ended up on top of her as Tiger threw them both off.
Bree was yelling. Tiger simply bumped her out of the way as he flowed up the stairs. Bree grabbed his tail as he passed, but Tiger kept going, pulling Bree along with him.
Seamus was up and after them, Francesca right behind him. Broderick leisurely brought up the rear. “She’s got Tiger by the tail,” he said. “Not a great place to be.”
Seamus reached the second floor to see Tiger moving unerringly into the bedroom where they’d left Katie, Bree clinging grimly on to his tail.
Seamus made it to the door. Inside, Katie was standing up on the bed, her bear eyes wide. When the enormous tiger stopped at the bedside, Katie reached out and put one paw on his nose.
Tiger rumbled low in his throat. He closed his eyes and let Katie sniff him then give his huge face an inquisitive lick. Bree let go of Tiger’s tail, staying very still as she watched.
Seamus held his breath. He felt no distress at all from Katie. Curiosity, wonder, trust. Amazement that Tiger was so big, but no worries at all.
Tiger sank down on his belly with a huff of breath. He was so big that, lying down, his back was in line with the top of the mattress. Katie kept sniffing him, then she climbed on his back, clinging with her little bear claws, and rested her chin on top of his head. Tiger huffed again and settled down, doing nothing that would disturb Katie.
“See what I mean?” Broderick said behind them. “The cubs, they love him. It’s some program, or some genetic whatever-the-hell-they-did-to-his-head kind of shit in the lab where they raised him. Anyway, let me cut to the chase.” He leaned his big Lupine body against the door, tatts moving on his upper arms as he folded them. “Tiger was sent to track you down, me to talk—Tiger sometimes talks and sometimes doesn’t. Dylan wants you to come in. To Shiftertown, I mean. We’ll fix you up with fake Collars, and Sean will put you in the database so it will look like you’ve always been there. He’s probably already done it. You stop running, the cub is safe.”
Francesca growled at him, glaring with gray wolf eyes, testing his dominance. Broderick returned her look without concern. Seamus could tell Broderick was pretty high in the dominance chain himself, about level with Seamus. Not as high as Sean Morrissey, definitely not in the same class as Dylan.
“Like hell I’m taking Katie to a Shiftertown,” Francesca snarled. “She’s only two years old. I’m not letting you put a Collar on her—ever. She’s not living in captivity. She’s a wild bear, and she’s staying that way.”
Anger flashed in Broderick’s eyes—a Shifter who didn’t like backtalk. Well, he’d always get it from Francesca. She’d acknowledge her place in the hierarchy, but if she thought someone above her was an asshole, she’d say so.
“You think I’d stick a real Collar on a baby?” Broderick asked, voice harsh. “No Collars for cubs. Dylan and Liam won’t let it happen. She’ll get a fake when she’s around five or six, to keep the humans fooled. You and Seamus here will have to wear fakes too. We can’t let on that you’ve never been Collared.”
“How about this?” Seamus countered, his calmer voice a contrast to Francesca’s fierce one. “You give us a ride somewhere far from here, where Katie will be safe. Then turn around and leave us alone. We have things to do.”
He felt Bree watching him. Now was the time for choice. Would Bree come with him if he asked? Or refuse? And then what would Seamus do? Run with Francesca and keep Katie protected, or stay with Bree, who was bonding with his heart?
He couldn’t leave Katie, a helpless cub, but taking Bree with them would put her in danger as well. Bree also had a life, a mom, friends, a home. She’d be secure and happy in her normal existence—as long as she stayed away from Shifters.
Katie isn’t yours, a voice in his head whispered. She’s not even a Feline. You have no reason to take care of her. Bree is your mate. Grab her and don’t let her go.
If Seamus listened to the voices, he’d truly go feral.
Katie made a small, happy noise. Seamus remembered coming upon Katie’s mother, dead and cold, her tiny cub crying out in distress. Katie had clung on to Seamus when he’d picked her up, her mouth seeking food from his shirt. She’d become Seamus’s right then and there. He couldn’t abandon her, and he knew it.
“Take Bree to safety,” Seamus said to Broderick. “And let us go. Those are my terms.”
“Screw that.” Bree faced Broderick, hands on hips. “Go away and leave them the hell alone, all right? Why can’t you pesky Shifters mind your own business?”
Broderick didn’t look intimidated. “What, are you going to slap me on the nose, like you did Dylan?” The air vibrated with his chuckle. “I’d have paid to see that.” His gaze returned to Seamus. “There’s no choice, my friend. I know you’re waiting to join up with Kendrick again, but he’s not coming back. Not for a while. Dylan did something with him—we don’t know what. We’re trying to round up his Shifters, make sure they’re all right. That means you three—unless there’s more of you hiding in the basement?”
Seamus’s mouth went dry, Broderick’s last words fading into garbled syllables. Dylan had captured Kendrick? When? How? Kendrick was as hard-ass and dominant as Dylan was—he wouldn’t simply lay down his sword and bow his head, not even to Dylan. Kendrick was a good leader. He’d never leave his Shifters to fend for themselves.
Francesca was furious. “You seriously want us to believe that?”
Broderick gave her a nod. “I’ve got one of the un-Collared ones from your bunker living in my house already.” He grimaced. “Mate of my girl
friend’s sister. Well, maybe she’s my girlfriend. This Shifter, he’s half feral, and we’re nursing him back to health. He’s driving me batshit crazy, and I can’t wait until he’s better and out of there. But what do you do? My girlfriend would kill me if I tossed him out while he’s still nuts.”
Seamus knew exactly which Shifter he was talking about. A Feline called Aleck had started to deteriorate into the feral state they all feared. He’d hooked up with a groupie one night—Nancy, Seamus thought her name was. She’d stayed with him, helping him. Aleck had disappeared the night Kendrick’s compound had been raided.
Now Broderick was saying Aleck was at his house. In a Shiftertown.
“How is he?” Seamus couldn’t stop the question.
“Aleck?” Broderick considered. “Better. Being with Nancy helps him. We’re hoping we won’t have to put a real Collar on him—Sean thinks it might make him worse. But we’re working on it.”
Seamus felt the weight of Francesca’s gaze. She was waiting for him to make the decision, to choose whether they’d let these Shifters take them or fight it out.
Shite. There was Katie to consider. If Seamus let the Collared Shifters have her, she’d be stuck in a Shiftertown the rest of her life. She’d never be allowed to leave. Katie’s mother had fled her Shiftertown to have Katie, presumably hoping Katie would be forever free. Could Seamus break the silent promise he’d given to the dead woman to make sure Katie was unharmed and happy?
On the other hand, where would Seamus take Katie now? If Broderick spoke the truth, and Kendrick wasn’t coming for them, at least not right now, then Seamus needed to find another place for her. But he sure as hell didn’t know where.
He’d put together the safe houses while he’d been living in the compound, against the day they’d have to flee. He’d been careful, finding places that were abandoned or secluded, making cash deals under the table with the owners when he needed to.
All his hiding places were burned now. Bree’s house likewise was compromised. Seamus could take Francesca and Katie and run for it, but they’d have to get past Broderick and Tiger. Seamus was willing to bet there were more Shifters outside, like Spike and Ronan, waiting to sweep them up if they ran.
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