Josh

by Dana Archer

He whirled around. “No, it makes me Devin’s beloved human. Or did you forget that rule?” Females had few rights in shifter culture. Any privileges were granted by their mates or guardians. In Mira’s case, that was Devin, and he didn’t want Josh with her any more than Kade did.

  She wrapped her arms tightly around her chest. Seeing her upset always infuriated him. Being the cause of it agitated him more. Only around him did Mira act real. She never backed down in the face of the other men—he’d seen her unleash her claws and egg them on. With him, she softened. He still hadn’t decided if it was because she felt safe enough around him to show her femininity or didn’t view him as a threat.

  “No, I didn’t forget. How could I when I have not only Devin directing my life but Kade and now the Council?” Mira dropped her arms and stepped forward. “I know exactly what I am—a pawn! This whole ridiculous demand from the Council proves that.”

  He tipped up her chin with a single finger and waited until she focused on him. “Why are they doing this to you?”

  The fight went out of her. She sagged, and he looped an arm around her waist to support her.

  “They claim it’s to preserve the species. We’ve lost over three-quarters of our women this century alone, many of those Royals.”

  He’d already heard the official excuse from Lena. “What’s the real reason?”

  She licked her lips and tried to turn her head. He firmed his grip on her chin, refusing to lose the insight her expression gave.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Bullshit, Mira. Tell me the truth.”

  “I suspect it has to do with Molly. The Council had plans for her, which Devin nixed when he stopped the trafficking deal involving her. Within days of that, the order concerning my mating was delivered.”

  He’d heard bits and pieces of Molly’s situation, why the little girl refused to return to her human form, but nobody had mentioned anything about the Council’s involvement. The lack of information bothered him, yet didn’t surprise him. “Have they found out about Molly?”

  “Not that I’ve heard. Colonel Malory is backing Vader’s lie about her being kidnapped. For now, they believe it.”

  “What kind of plans did they have for her?”

  She nibbled her lower lip. “Molly’s special.”

  Not exactly an answer. His anxiety spiked. “Of course she is. White lions are nearly extinct.”

  She blew out a breath, and the sign of her conflicted emotions angered him.

  “Look at me.” He waited until she complied. “What has Kade been hiding from me?”

  “The scientists who experimented on her accomplished the impossible.” Mira swallowed hard. “Molly’s immortal.”

  His heart skipped a beat. He knew Molly had spent most of her life in a medical facility before finding her way to Lena’s family a few months ago, but this little nugget of information had been omitted. He pushed his irritation aside over being left out of the loop and focused on the facts.

  “Single shifters are long-lived but mortal. They must be mistaken.” He repeated the fact they both knew, giving Mira the nudge she needed. The reluctance to continue her explanation about Molly was easy to see with the conflicted expression Mira wore.

  “No. Not mistaken. After what they’ve done to her, she should be dead.” She laid her hand over his racing heart. “And the fact she’s spoken to Devin telepathically proves she’s not quite…normal.”

  “What do you mean? Not quite normal?”

  “Only Royals can speak telepathically. She can because they made her immortal by joining the spirit of a Royal pride leader with her. He has since merged with her completely in the way of an alpha. When she grows up, she will be the head of her own pride.”

  Fury whipped through him, tensing his muscles and tightening his chest. Mira stepped back at the sign of the rage no doubt stamped on his face. More irritation gripped him over her reaction, but he couldn’t stop his anger.

  “Why didn’t anyone tell me this? That’s what’s wrong with Megan too, isn’t it?”

  Megan had been talking to what he’d believed had been an imaginary man. She’d called him her wolf. She’d also been adamant that she had to figure out how to lock him to her. He’d disappear if she didn’t.

  Mira pressed her hands to her face. He snatched her wrists and tugged them away.

  “Answer me. Megan is my responsibility.” His brother, Tony, had identified Josh as her guardian in his will.

  “Yes. Sort of.”

  Mira turned and took a couple of steps. He stepped into her path.

  “Sort of…how?”

  “They joined a single shifter wolf spirit with her. For one, it didn’t grant her immortality. For another, it’s the wrong species.”

  Mira paused, but he didn’t respond. He held her gaze and let the demand in his expression show. There was more to the story than she let on.

  “And if she doesn’t figure out how to join it to her, she’ll likely go feral,” Mira admitted.

  “How?”

  “Think of her connection to the wolf spirit as a rubber band. It’ll stretch until it reaches its limit, then snap, releasing the spirit. That’ll shatter her mind.” She laid a hand on his arm. “We’re hoping the Ammon spirit she houses will merge with her the same way the Leon spirit did with Molly.”

  “But Megan’s the wrong species.” He didn’t need Mira to spell out the danger. Wolves and lions were not meant to live in close proximity, let alone share a soul. They’d fight, and Megan would be their battleground.

  “Yes.”

  “And the Council knows the girls have been altered?”

  “Yes, but they don’t seem at all interested in Megan. My guess is it’s because she holds a single shifter spirit, not a Royal.”

  The idea forming in his head brought his anger back to the surface. Josh narrowed his eyes. “Were they planning to continue experimenting on Molly?”

  “I hope not, but I can’t say for certain.”

  “Shifter Affairs won’t stand for it.” Neither would he.

  “My instincts say their plans are less nefarious but just as painful.” She ran her fingers through his hair, an act he knew soothed her as much as it did him. “Unofficially, the Council approved a pre-arranged mating between Molly and the future leader of a single shifter pride from California. Since female white lions always give birth to white cubs, no matter the father, I assume they’re hoping Molly’s kids will be immortal too.”

  “They want to start a new breed?”

  Mira shrugged. “If Molly’s kids are born immortal, any of her female cubs would most likely give birth to another generation of immortal cubs.”

  “And her sons?”

  Another shrug. “Your guess is as good as mine, but instinct tells me they’d pass on their genes. Male Royals do when they mate a single shifter female.”

  Thus giving the single shifters what they believed had been wrongfully denied them—eternal life. Well, the shifters already born wouldn’t get it, but their kids would. Still, for a group who had resented their Royal cousins for millennia, it wasn’t a bad outcome.

  “They can’t do that. Molly is not just an incubator. She’s a beautiful child who deserves happiness and love.”

  Mira caressed his cheek, running her fingers back and forth over his stubble. Desire hazed her eyes despite the grim topic. “I know. What they’re doing to me isn’t exactly on the up-and-up either. Over the last decade, the Council has gotten over a dozen new members, mostly single shifters. At least one of them knows how to manipulate the laws.”

  He slid his hand along her neck and savored the way her pulse kicked up under his palm. “We need our own sneaky lawyer.”

  “Shifter Affairs is helping. They’re not reporting Molly’s whereabouts to the Shifter Council and neither have we.” Mira’s exploration reached his chin. She brushed her fingertip over the cleft there. “But the Council has the right to visit any pride. Kade doesn’t want to give them a reason to come
to ours and accidently see Molly.”

  He cursed inwardly. He agreed with Kade. The five-year-old child trapped in her lion’s body should be protected. Josh simply hated that doing so, screwed Mira.

  “And even if Molly wasn’t the motive behind what they’re doing to me, the Council gave an order. Going back on it now would make them look weak. Plus, they want to punish our pride for messing up their plans. I’m just a convenient way to do it.”

  Another string of curses whipped through his mind. He swallowed the expletives. They wouldn’t help. Logic would. “Tell me exactly what the Council’s orders for you were.”

  She stilled her wandering fingers. “I have a month to pick a male from my pride to mate or they’ll pick one for me.”

  His breathing quickened. “Is that the exact wording?”

  She nodded. “They said it’s in consideration of the short notice. I don’t believe it. The Council doesn’t care about my feelings. They’re probably hoping—”

  He cupped her face and kissed the tip of her nose, stopping her words. It didn’t matter what the Council wanted. They’d screwed themselves.

  “Perfect, baby.” Her bemused expression made him smile. “I’m—”

  The door banged open, and they jumped apart like naughty teenagers who’d been caught making out.

  Devin stood in the entryway. “Time to go, Mira. Josh is all settled.”

  She followed her brother out without so much as a glance in Josh’s direction. Josh clenched his jaw to hold back the demand she return to him. He didn’t have the right…yet.

  “Call if you need anything,” Devin yelled as he walked to the car.

  Josh didn’t bother answering. He leaned against the doorjamb and watched them drive away.

  “Sure thing, Devin. I’ll let you know exactly what I need. And this time, I’ll get it.”

  First, though, he needed to deal with Zeb. Then, he’d teach the shifters not to screw with Mira’s life.

  Chapter 4

  As soon as Kade had pulled away, Josh had jogged up the stairs to change. Dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, he pulled the tarp off the twenty-year-old Harley he’d won in a poker game.

  He revved it, and the bike gave a loud growl. The familiar rumble soothed him and the vibrations of the bike between his thighs offered him something mindless to focus on while he drove to Zeb’s house. Josh needed that. The less he thought about what had happened, the better. Every time he did, the itch crawled over his skin and memories he refused to acknowledge returned.

  Josh drove up the road to Zeb’s run-down home and breathed a sigh. Zeb’s rusted pickup sat in the driveway. Josh hadn’t misjudged the loser he’d known all his life. Too bad his instincts had been wrong about Zeb’s sister.

  Josh parked his bike behind the piece-of-crap vehicle and hurried to the front door. Not bothering to knock, he turned the handle and walked into the musty, darkened living room.

  Zeb slept on one of the recliners, his mouth open, drool dribbling from the corner. He’d changed into a pair of sweats and a shirt advertising the local strip club. An empty bottle of homebrewed wine sat on the floor next to him.

  Josh slammed the door. Zeb jumped from the chair. He rammed his knee on the coffee table and squealed. Josh chuckled.

  “Hey, buddy, be careful there. No need to get startled. It’s just your old pal.” Or old enemy. Tit for tat where Zeb was concerned. He never exactly valued his friends, not that Josh had ever considered Zeb one. In a small town, they were often one and the same, though.

  Zeb blinked. He plopped back on the chair and gripped the armrests. “J-Josh?”

  “In the flesh.”

  “Wh-what? H-how?”

  Josh frowned. “You okay? Have you been drinking again?” He pointedly glanced at the rounded bottle. “No wonder you look a little bleary-eyed. That stuff your pap makes will eat the lining off your stomach. Did you drink the whole thing?”

  Zeb scrubbed at his beard with the back of his trembling hand. “I…I thought I’d killed you. I was waitin’ for the cops to show.”

  Josh forced a chuckle that sounded bitter and a little crazed even to his own ears. Part of him had thought the same thing, but that was impossible. “Do I look dead?”

  “No.” Zeb leaned forward. He frowned so hard deep creases formed on his pale, freckled face. “The knife. It was covered in blood up to the hilt.” He shook his head. “I had to have cut you up pretty bad.”

  “Nah. You sliced a good flap of skin, though.” Josh gingerly touched his belly. It no longer hurt. “They had to use those butterfly strips.” The lies kept piling up.

  Zeb glanced from Josh’s stomach to the kitchen. “I did more than that. I know I did.”

  Josh strode across the room, ignoring how his boots stuck to the hardwood floor, and entered the kitchen. Bloody fingerprints coated the edges of the counter. In the sink, the knife he’d felt rip him open lay on the bottom. His gut rolled. Blood caked the blade and hilt. He forced himself to turn the water on and rinse away the evidence of the attack.

  “Whatcha ya’ doing?” Zeb asked.

  “Saving you. It’s bad enough Bree’s got the gun you decided to play with.”

  Zeb cursed. “I’m screwed.”

  “I told you, I’m making sure you don’t go to jail.” And hoping to convince him to keep his nose out of Josh’s business.

  “Why?”

  Zeb’s suspicious tone tensed Josh’s muscles. “Because things got carried away. It isn’t worth getting the cops involved.”

  Silence stretched. Finally, Zeb cleared his throat. “What do you want?”

  Josh finished wiping down the counters. He slipped the knife into his boot and faced Zeb. He considered just walking out but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to deal with another potential problem. “Get yourself back in rehab and talk to Abby.”

  Zeb frowned. “What about?”

  Josh resisted the urge to smack his forehead. “About Abby’s insistence that we’re an item. It’s not true.”

  Zeb shook his head. “No way. I ain’t callin’ my baby sister a liar.”

  “You don’t need to. Set her up with someone else. Convince her she can do better than me.”

  “That all?”

  Josh nodded. “That’s all.”

  A long moment passed where Zeb stared at the floor. Finally, he grunted. “Fine. I’ll talk to her.”

  “Great.” Josh walked to the door. He wanted to get out of here. The smells lingering in the house churned his gut.

  “I know you’re lyin’.”

  Josh stopped with his hand on the doorknob. He looked over his shoulder and leveled a glare at Zeb. “You don’t know anything.”

  “You think I’m slow. I ain’t, ya’ know.”

  Zeb was slow, but he wasn’t dumb. Josh ground his teeth. “So what am I lying about?”

  “Tonight. You don’t really care if I get arrested or not.”

  “You’re right about that, but I do care about your folks. Your mama shouldn’t have to watch you go to prison again. It’ll break her heart.” Course, Zeb still might, but it was out of Josh’s hands. All Josh cared about at the moment was the knife in his boot. He didn’t need the cops running any DNA tests on it.

  “I don’t buy it, but I’m going to find out the truth about why you want to keep the fight quiet. I promise you that.”

  “You don’t want the cops involved any more than I do. Let it alone, and we’ll both be happy.”

  A considering look replaced the confused one on Zeb’s face. “Are you into something illegal?” Zeb grinned as if he’d just figured out the solution to world peace. “Sellin’ drugs out of the backroom of the bar again?”

  Josh was halfway across the kitchen before he stopped himself. He clenched his fists and fought the urge to pummel Zeb’s zit-pocked face. “I didn’t even own the bar then. My dad did, and he didn’t know what was going on.”

  Zeb held up his hands, but the cocky smile never left his li
ps. “Hey, I ain’t blamin’ your old man. Stuff happens, and people make mistakes. Besides, it’s been what? Six years?”

  “Five.” Five years, eleven months, and thirteen days to be exact. Actually, it was about time for his baby sister to come home for her yearly visit. Maybe he’d succeed in convincing her to stay this time.

  “Plenty of time to forgive and forget.”

  Josh closed the distance between them until he towered over the shorter man. Zeb craned his head to meet Josh’s gaze. Josh had to give him points for holding his own, but since Zeb’s back was pressed into the wall, he didn’t have a choice.

  “Never. You understand?” Josh waited until Zeb nodded. “You better pray your buddy Vince never gets out of jail. Those bars are the only thing keeping him alive.”

  Josh should’ve killed Vince when he’d had his hands on him. He pushed hard against the memory, shoving it back in the box, and turned his anger on the jerk in front of him who’d stood by and watched while people died.

  Josh grabbed Zeb by the shoulders and tossed him into the living room. Josh ignored the curses and walked out before he committed murder. With his luck, he’d end up in the same cell as the man who’d destroyed his sister’s life.

  Mira, in her jaguar form, pressed her chest to the soft soil behind the human’s house. Josh stormed out the door. He looked fiercer than she’d ever seen him. While the predatory vibe he gave off appealed to her, she wanted to know what had occurred inside the home to put the murderous glower on Josh’s handsome face.

  As soon as Devin had dropped her off at her place, she’d jumped in her car and driven to Josh’s home only to find it empty. She suspected Josh had come out here so she’d followed. Apparently, she’d arrived too late to find out why he’d gotten into a fight.

  Josh’s bike roared to life. He tore out of the driveway and faded into the distance. She waited until she could no longer hear the engine before advancing in a slinking crouch to the back porch.

  Coming out here alone posed a risk. All the shifters in Kade’s pride and Xander’s pack had been warned not to roam around in their animal forms on other people’s properties. The humans in the area enjoyed hunting. She accepted the danger if it meant ensuring Josh remained safe.