Taking It Off for the Coyote

by Serenity Snow

“Sydney, watch out,” Baby Love cried.

  Sydney caught the clawed hand and smashed her fist into Connie’s stomach before shoving the woman back into her chair as she held her wrist firmly.

  “Infirmary,” the other bouncer ordered her. “Now.”

  Baby Love backed away, her gut twisted into knots as fear for Sydney coated her tongue with bile.

  “Damn it, Syd,” the other bouncer muttered. “I got it.”

  Sydney kicked the chair Connie was sitting on and it tipped over sending its contents to the floor. Sydney stepped on her hand and bone scrunched. Connie let out a scream. “Get out,” Sydney told her coldly. “And don’t come back until you can behave.”

  The other bouncer picked Connie up off the floor and Sydney turned to her.

  “Come on,” she said calmly as she took Baby Love’s arm and led her out into the hallway. “Okay?” Sydney’s voice was low and thrumming with anger.

  She was in very little pain since she’d dulled her pain receptors as she’d been taught as a child.

  “Mostly.” She slanted a look to Sydney. Her features were tight, the slash of her cheekbones cast in shadow from the dim light. The music could vaguely be heard here and the cheering crowd not at all.

  “You’re going to have to take a few days off, but the doctor will get you fixed right up. Then you can go see your regular doctor if you like.”

  “Thanks for catching me.” She would have more than a few gashes on her chest and arm. She’d have a concussion and possibly a fractured skull.

  Sydney stopped and put her back against the wall sending flares of electricity through her. Her head spun and her breath came in rushed pants.

  Sydney glared at her. “This never would have happened if you weren’t always fucking with them.”

  “That’s my job,” Baby Love threw back irritated. “What are you getting so pissed off for? One would think you want me dancing just for you, but we both know that’s not the case.”

  Sydney’s jaw tightened. “You know the rules and yet you flout them which is what led to Connie grabbing you.”

  “I didn’t tell you to try to rearrange her face, not that it wasn’t kind of sexy seeing you get all Wonder Woman.”

  A low rumble of sound issued from Sydney’s throat and her brown eyes darkened as her head tilted up slightly. Baby Love cocked her brows. Yeah the woman was picking up the moisture dewing her panties, but there was no way of hiding it unfortunately.

  And so what? She wasn’t ashamed of being turned on by Sydney.

  “Damn it. Let’s get you to the infirmary before you bleed to death.” She stalked down the hallway and took a turn that led them down another corridor.

  Why was the woman acting so jumpy? She wasn’t the one who’d nearly been splat on the ground and gutted.

  Sydney pulled open the door and the petite woman sprawled in the chair behind her desk looked up from the tablet she was studying. Her smirk faded and she got instantly to her feet, abandoning the device.

  Her brows furrowed as she moved to a door. “What happened?”

  “One of the patrons got a little grabby,” Sydney muttered.

  Their eyes met and Baby Love saw a look pass between them. She wanted to laugh. Every shifter in the place was always so guarded or tried to be where their race was concerned. They were probably both trying to decide what kind of story to tell her about Connie and her claws.

  Cambrie could tell them to save it. She’d sensed the echoes of the play of the wolf and seductive coyote even though there had only been three people present.

  She’d also felt the thrum of power, and shadowy energy of the most powerful coyote breed alive. Her head had told her to run as fast as she could from here and never look back. Beneath that feeling of fear had been a compulsion to stay as if she’d finally come home.

  Then, Sydney had looked up from the bar, and heat sparked in her belly. Hunger raced through her along with a feeling of knowing as if she’d known Sydney her entire life. Instead of leaving, she’d taken the stage as Mallory had commanded.

  She’d known settling here was risky, but she’d taken her chances as she always did when she arrived in a new place. And she’d figured this would be the last place Patty would ever look for her.

  “So you fell off the stage?” Miranda asked cautiously.

  “Connie tried to slice me open,” Baby Love said, and she heard the challenge in her tone. “I think she wanted to see what Sydney would do. She’s always taking long looks at me.” Even as the words tumbled from her lips, chills raced down her spine.

  She’d seen something in Connie’s eyes. She’d been pushing Sydney to see how she’d react, but why? Sydney had checked her out, but she’d never shown any sign of being overtly interested on the floor.

  “Mmm,” Miranda murmured. “You better head this off before it becomes a full-fledged dominance challenge.”

  “Miranda,” Sydney said in warning. “Just do your job. I’ll get someone to take you home, Cambrie. You can’t work anymore tonight.”

  “Are you going to suddenly become my sugar momma and pay the rent?” Cambrie Love demanded of Sydney.

  Sydney cocked a brow at her. “Little girl you really need to stop pushing boundaries.”

  She snorted. “What I need is—”

  “To get on that exam table before you bleed out all over the carpet,” Miranda said in an amused tone before turning to stride into an adjoining room. “Sydney you should probably let Mallory know.” She motioned for Cambrie to step into the room before closing the door after them.

  Chapter Six

  Cambrie took in the sterile white room with its exam table and built-in desk with a computer atop it. The shelves and cabinets to their right lining the walls appeared to hold a bevy of medical supplies.

  “Can you get up on the table for me?” Miranda asked.

  She climbed onto the table using the silver step stool and watched Miranda pull on a pair gloves before facing her. She lightly pressed down on one wound.

  “It’s not too deep. What did she use?”

  She rolled her eyes. “She used her claws.”

  Miranda laughed. “Seriously,” she said in a chastising tone. “Does this hurt?” She pressed on the wound.

  “A little bit.”

  “I’ll get you cleaned up, but I’ll have to sedate you.”

  “No sedative,” she said quickly. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay, I’m going to give you a local anesthetic so I can get these cleaned up and possibly stitched up without hurting you.”

  She closed her eyes and counted to ten while the other woman began working on her. She had her pain receptors deadened and her mind focused on a lake as she relaxed. Heat filled the wound burning her skin, but Miranda’s fingers didn’t touch her.

  The energy to seep into her and the wound knitting slowly together was a palpable sensation. She could feel how deep it went and how lucky she was that Connie had been off by inches, or she’d have gotten her heart.

  Her grandmother had been a powerful healer from a long line of medicine men, and she had been taught as well. However, Cambrie knew her skills weren’t as formidable as her grandmother’s since she hadn’t taken the time to hone them.

  “Baby Love?”

  “Fine,” she answered the question in the healer’s voice.

  “I’m almost done, but you’re not going to be able to work for a few days.”

  “On stage,” she insisted. She needed the work. She had an apartment to pay rent on and refused to rely on her cousin for financial help.

  A knock at the door brought a hard sigh from Miranda’s lips, but Baby Love didn’t lose focus as heat faded from Miranda’s hand which was now on her shoulder.

  “Come in,” she muttered. “There.” Miranda went to the small sink and turned on the water as the door opened.

  “Miranda, how is she?”

  “Baby Love, how do you feel?” Miranda asked.

  “There’s a little pain and
soreness in my shoulder but I’m otherwise fine,” she answered, and her eyes fluttered open to fix on her boss, Mallory Blacklaw.

  “Sydney will drive you home,” Mallory told her. “You’re to take the next couple of days off.”

  “That’s not really necessary,” she argued. “I can do some private dances.”

  “Miranda?” Mallory asked, her gaze drifting to the other woman.

  Miranda shrugged. “Technically, she’s fine,” she said. “The wounds were relatively minor but I’d rather she took at least two days off to fully heal.”

  A silent message passed between the women and they both looked back to her quickly. Cambrie saw a guilty look in Miranda’s eyes and stifled the laugh that tried to bubble up.

  She could just tell them she knew, but this was so much more fun. Besides, the less they thought she knew the better for her in her experience.

  Mallory gave Cambrie an assessing look. Take the two days off that will cover will cover all our asses,” Mallory told her. “I need a moment alone with Miranda, Baby Love.” Mallory came to a stop before the table and held out her hand to help her down.

  “Thank you.” She accepted the hand down and exited the room. Cambrie headed for the dressing room to change.

  The room was connected to the dancer’s lounge, but both appeared to be empty when she got there, so she gathered a change of clothes and headed for the shower. She didn’t take long having decided she’d just take advantage of the early quit time to get to bed a little soon tonight.

  As she stood in the private stall drying off, Cambrie picked up the slight creak of the outer door. The movement outside was vague and the bathroom door opened and then closed.

  She frowned and then heard a voice outside.

  “I don’t have more than a minute or two. If anyone catches you back here we’re both dead. So what couldn’t wait?”

  “Darden is going to be pissed,” the second voice murmured.

  “It’s not my fault,” the dancer she recognized as Leah demanded curtly. “I did my part, I got the attack on camera.”

  The walls were almost paper-thin so she could see why Leah had checked the bathroom, but she hadn’t done that great a job.

  “It won’t matter,” the other woman said. “He wanted this to go off smoothly. He stands to lose a great deal.”

  There was silence and then, “He better start getting into the trenches and doing some of the work,” Leah, snapped. “Damn wolves aren’t all reliable.”

  “This murder was supposed to be a message to Spring as well as Summerfield and Blacklaw.”

  “If he wants Spring to hurt, he’s going to have to make other plans or try again,” Leah said angrily. “He just put me in danger. What if I’d been seen with the camera? It’d be my ass getting sliced to ribbons by Spring.”

  “No one saw a damn thing,” the other woman said disdainfully. “Now give me the card so I can show it to Darden.”

  “I’ll get it to him myself. You better go,” Leah said. “Let me know if there’s any change.”

  Cambrie’s blood ran cold as her fingers tightened on the blouse she was in the process of tugging over her head. Someone had engineered that attack on her to get at Sydney?

  Cambrie blew out a harsh breath. And she had no proof, so telling Sydney this would be crazy. She’d come off sounding desperate for Sydney’s attention. What was scarier was that a shifter, and she was willing to bet the person ordering the hit was a shifter, was about to pick a fight with two other shifters.

  Just fanfuckingtastic.

  Last thing she needed was to get caught in the middle of a shifter pissing contest.

  She could solve her problems by just taking off but that wasn’t possible. She had a reason to stick around, and she wasn’t going to allow anyone to chase her away.

  But what about Sydney?

  Did she want to risk seeing her again?

  There was such a potent chemistry between them she didn’t think she could just stop wanting her, stop needing to hear her voice just because of a murder attempt. And that didn’t bode well. It sounded unnatural and anyone with sense would run in the other direction.

  That’d it sure make things easier for Sydney, but she already knew it was too late to stop. This feeling inside her was hard driving. She felt she’d stop breathing if she stopped pursuing Sydney.

  She had coyote blood, but she couldn’t shift. Still maybe she was in heat.

  With a frustrated sigh, Cambrie crept out into the lounge to find Sydney leaning against the door. Her lean frame was relaxed and her face devoid of expression as their eyes met.

  “It took you long enough,” Sydney muttered. “Hurry up.”

  She rolled her eyes and went to slip the shower slippers off and pull on a pair of socks and her sneakers. “I can take a cab, you know, and you can get back to work.”

  “Not happening,” Sydney murmured, brown eyes brooking no refusal. “Are you ready?”

  She tied both shoes and straightened. Then she studied Sydney, wondering if she could trust her. Cambrie knew she couldn’t risk talking to anyone else.

  . “Give me a minute,” Cambrie said quietly and moved to her locker to grab her duffel bag and stuff her towel inside. She zipped it closed and faced Sydney who pushed away from the door frame.

  Cambrie strolled over to her, watching Sydney watching her. Those brown eyes slid down her body taking in the dainty light sweater she’d paired with her casual pants and then back up to rest on her face. Her hair was still up in two braided ponytails pinned into place.

  “You get off on seeing me dressed up like a little school girl, don’t you?” she teased as she came to a stop before Sydney.

  She shrugged. “In a way.” She pushed a hand into her pants pocket. “Let’s go.”

  “Sure and you can tell me all about your fetish for little girls,” she gave Sydney a smile as she leaned toward her. “Then, I’ll know how to better turn you on.” She started pass Sydney and Sydney grabbed her arm and tugged her back into her body.

  Heat licked at her instantaneously, her heart kicked up a notch, and her pussy dampened. Cambrie didn’t understand how this woman had the power to awaken her body so fast she felt scorched through.

  “Keep poking at that sleeping dog and it’s going to eventually bite.”

  Cambrie turned her head to look over her shoulder at Sydney. “You promise?”

  Chapter Seven

  Outside, the night was cool around them as they headed for Sydney’s vehicle. Strong energy snaked through the parking lot and pale fingers of light caressed over her as it slipped into the shadows. There was an air of a danger in the coyote and wolf strength, but it was comforting. However, Cambrie was under no illusions about how deadly the animals around her were.

  Sydney unlocked the door of her dual cab pick-up truck and took the duffel bag. “I’ll toss this in back.” She pulled open the door for Cambrie before stowing her bag inside.

  She climbed in taking in the scents of spice and wood, of Sydney. The smell was masculine yet so perfectly right for the intriguing woman who’d saved her tonight. But maybe she’d hadn’t saved her at all. Perhaps it had been a test of the security’s reaction time. It was just like Patty to run something like that as part of the reconnaissance.

  She often tested the ruling animal or witch’s dominance and strength before moving in for whatever kind of attack she’d planned. While Cambrie wanted to believe Patty hadn’t found her, she knew it was possible. Maybe she’d contracted the hit on her out and she intended to kill Sydney too.

  No. This wasn’t about her. Patty’s name hadn’t even been mentioned. The slamming of the door drew her attention back to Sydney. “Are you going to give me directions to your place or just sit there?” Sydney asked.

  She gave her directions and lapsed into silence. If she brought up what she’d heard, Sydney might think she was in on it or something. She knew how turf wars between animals or even animals and witches went. She’d seen more tha
n a few thanks to Patty.

  Plenty of innocent people were presumed guilty or just plain got hurt. Even if Sydney didn’t see her again, Cambrie knew she’d still be a target. As a result, Sydney’s problem was hers to a degree.

  She turned her gaze out the window as Sydney maneuvered the vehicle out of the parking lot and onto the main road. Soft music filled the cab moments later, and she cast Sydney a brief look as her lips curved into a smile.

  Country.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Sydney asked. “Connie’s never done anything like that, but she won’t be allowed back for the next six months.”

  “I’m glad you were there.” She looked at Sydney then. “You got to me pretty fast.”

  Sydney threw her a look. “I wasn’t that far away.”

  She laughed. Animal speed had contributed to her rescue though Sydney hadn’t been that far away.

  “True you were there eating me up with your eyes, and I’m so glad you didn’t want to share.” Sydney’s profile was cast in harsh shadows, but she saw the tiny flicker of a smile before it faded.

  “I was doing my job, flirt,” Sydney retorted. “Where are you from anyway?”

  “Believe it or not I was born here in Snowbury,” Cambrie said and fought the knife blade of pain stabbing through her heart. “My mother had family here.”

  “Your family is from here?” Sydney asked.

  She nodded. “My mother’s family’s lived here for five decades, but my parents were visiting my mother’s cousin. My father had taken a job in Mystic with the police station. One of his cases went horribly wrong when I was thirteen.”

  “What happened?” Sydney asked.

  “My father was killed in the line of duty, and the guy sent men to kill me and my mom. The FBI put us in protective custody, but the corruption was deep and strong. My mother was killed and I barely escaped.”

  “Where’d you go? Not back to Mystic?” Sydney asked concern and interest in her tone.

  She shook her head. “My mother’s mother uprooted her life and moved me to the south. I think she got help from someone in the FBI, but we were safe.”