Contracted

A Mercenary Novella

By: Becca Vincenza

Contracted

A MERCENARY NOVELLA

LUCAS AND MAZY

Mazy’s been paying off a loan shark for several years with no problems. However, an attempt to help a friend lands her in a heap more trouble that’s jeopardizing everything. If she doesn’t make her next payment on time, the gang of shifter slave-traders now after her will be the least of her worries. She needs help, but the last person she wants it from is the sexy Cajun shifter who’s been getting under her skin.

Lucas has watched Mazy for a long time. Having a chance to bring her home, even under the pretense of protection, is just what the mercenary needs to win her over. Only, she wants nothing to do with him. First chance she gets, she runs, and as he tracks her, he realizes she’s in more trouble than he’d first thought. Nothing will stop him from protecting his mate. Not even her.

Copyright

Copyright © 2017 Becca Vincenza

Cover done by: Melissa Haag

Proof Reader: Melanie Williams

All rights reserved. The book may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

The books are works of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Contracted

CONTRACTED

Copyright

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Epilogue

GET CAUGHT UP

Coming Soon

STUFF ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Preface

Hi, the name’s Winnie. I’m going to get you caught up on the events that led us to this lllooovveee story. I was targeted by shifter slave-traders. Unfortunately, my only and best friend at the time, Mazy, was caught in the cross-hairs.

My mate, Quentin, had me in protection, and his friend, Lucas, a Cajun shifter, took Mazy under his “protection” —if you know what I mean. Wink. Wink.

So here is where we left off …

Mazy and Lucas were hidden for their protection from some really bad baddies.

Chapter 1

Mazy

“Mazy! Get your sweet ass back here!”

I ground my teeth. Annoyance flushed through me at his stupid Cajun accent and his sexy as all get out body. No. No, I was not doing this again with him. My boots clicked against the sidewalk. He’d told me we were in the clear. The shifter slave trader issue was resolved, apparently. So I’d left his hole in the wall bachelor pad. After a week of hiding in fear for my life, home sounded nice.

“Go away, Lucas!”

Stupid, annoying mercenary, with a stupid sexy accent, who thought he knew everything. He needed to make himself gone. I shouldn’t have been the one on the run for my life because … well, that wasn’t fair. Once Winnie, my friend from work, had gone missing, and I’d gone looking for her—my whole world had turned upside down.

Not everyone would consider working at a bar their dream job, but I’d loved it. It had been a home to me, a place where I’d fit in. Sure my shifter wasn’t an apex predator like a lot of the people who worked at or frequented the bar, but that never made me feel unsafe. Until some unsavory men started to use other club members to locate rare shifters. I couldn’t tango with the bigger shifters out there and had known hiding out was the best plan. But being with Lucas, the man my animal claimed was hers … oh, it had been hell. His presence made me want to swoon. I mean, my animal.

A strong hand wrapped its way around my bicep. It wasn’t a halting touch, but was his touch. It did things to a girl. His blond hair was cropped close on the sides, and the middle styled up and longer. A metal bar pierced through his eyebrow, which brought attention to his eyes … tawny eyes lit brightly with his animal close to the surface. My insides melted with a sweet heat of undisclosed desire.

My own little mongoose curled up close, eager to see her mate. No. Stop calling him that. He isn’t. Lucas Boudreau was not mate material. He was a ladies’ man through and through. I had watched him swing through my bar with new women at least a couple nights a week.

“Cher.” The sensual sway of his word and body had my head all jumbled up. He was a hair’s breadth away now, stepping around so he faced my front. A trickle of people walked past, ignoring us.

Lucas brought his big hand up, and brushed a strand of hair from my cheek. His touch was gentle, but it ignited a fire in my belly that I despised. I hated that my animal had claimed him as hers, because the man who stood before me would never be tamed by the likes of me. Possibly no woman could.

“You said we were safe.” I steeled my voice and spoke to his chin, unable to meet his gaze. His animal was a brawler, and dominant to boot. I couldn’t bring myself to face him. Goodness … how long had it been since my animal claimed him? Probably the first night he came to the club.

His forehead pressed against mine, and his minty breath fanned against my lips. My body ached for more. Gosh, he was … so close. Lucas made me, at five-feet-eleven, feel tiny. It was so uncommon for me to feel delicate and petite.

“Oh, cher, you were never safe from me.” A dark mischief thickened his voice.

Peeking from under my lashes, I caught sight of his tawny eyes that burned bright with his beast. My small predator inside almost let a squeak past my lips. Mate. Mate. Mate. Was he aware of it, too? Oh goodness, could my heart even handle that?

“Lucas.”

“Fuck, Mazy.” His lips crashed down on mine. His hands gripped my hips, pulling them tight against his own. Fingers dug into the fleshy parts of my hips, molding me like clay against him. I was his. A gentle sweep of his tongue and my knees gave out. Opening to his demanding but sweet request, his tongue and scent invaded my senses. His left hand skated upward, pressing me flush against his chest.

He pulled back, nipping at my lips. “My name on your lips is a caress.”

Unable to look away, I watched as he licked his lips, dragging my taste into his mouth again. Oh … my. A weightlessness touched my extremities, and all I could think was to claim him. Mate him. I pressed my legs tightly together, trying to ignore the friction that had built up from just a kiss. What else could this man do to me with more than a mere kiss?

“Come home with me, cher.”

I released my death grip on his bicep and traced the eyebrow piercing that taunted me so desperately. He rarely wore short-sleeves, but the few times he had I saw peeks of tattoos. I wondered how much of his skin was decorated. The thought was energizing. I could learn each one of them … like so many other women had.

It was the cold bucket of water over my head I needed.

Retreating, I stole my arm back and wiggled from his carnal hold.

I shook my head. “I’m not looking for a quickie, Lucas. I want to go home.”

For a split second I saw hurt pass over his eyes before he steeled himself. Pushing his considerable shoulders back, he tipped up his jaw with a quick nod.

“Be safe then, cher. You have my number if you need me.”

“I can’t afford your rates.”

“You could.” He sized me up when he said it.

Disgust swamped through me. How dare he say that about me? Oh! Anger pumped in my veins; I wanted to spit at him, claw, and scream. Instead, I reminded myself, and my little beastie, that this is why I would never condone a mating with him. He was a ladies’ man. He knew the sweet words to say to get a girl to go home with him. But he wanted a warm body. Not love.

“Have a terrible night, Lucas.”

Waving him off, I walked in the opposite direction of him. I had a great night planned ahead of me. I clutched the strap of my purse which held my measly savings and the key to my dump of an apartment. My job paid well, but between the high cost of living in the city and old debts, I rarely saw any of the money. But tonight I was going to splurge and get a name-brand ice cream. Plus, I would save money by taking a very cold shower when I got home. After the week I had, I might need a very long, cold shower.

Chapter 2

Lucas

Fuck, the sway of her hips as she walked away from me was torture. My beast clawed, ripping me up on the inside. He wanted me to go after the feisty female. He claimed her as his and wanted to show her that. I scrubbed the back of my head with my hand. She lifted her arm in a half wave as she walked away, and I held back a laugh.

Mazy. My redheaded, fiery, mongoose mate.

She felt the draw. I knew she did. The way she had swayed into me, and I had felt her desire this whole damned week. I had kept my distance for as long as I could, staying away from Lucky’s, the bar where she worked. But it was owned by one of my only two friends, making it impossible. Fuck, the woman was addicting. I’d sell my left nut—my favorite one—to just listen to her sleep next to me. After a hot fuck, of course. ’Cause that woman was my mate, and she would never go to bed unsatisfied.

This week had been difficult. Quentin had found his mate, and by finding her, he’d stepped into a whole load of shit. He was a brother in arms, and while mercenaries were known to turn a gun on their best friend for a better payday, Dominic, Quentin, and my relationship was thicker than money. Dom did the jobs because he was bored. He would never admit to it, but I knew. Quentin did it as his own way of rebelling and to show his dominant side. I did it for the money. But I would never turn on my brothers. Family was everything to me.

Quentin had called and I answered. I knew about Mazy being mine for quite some time, but a woman like that, she deserved better. Yeah, I made sure Mazy saw me with other women, I wanted her to fight for me. Taunting her stopped being fun, though, while my beast was riled up and going home alone every night since meeting her. Fuck, I couldn’t get off without thinking about her, and that wasn’t even half as satisfying.

Mazy being in the middle of all the crap surrounding Quentin’s mate had been a blessing and a curse. I didn’t want my mate to be in danger, but it brought her just a little closer to me. Quentin had taken his mate out of the city. I didn’t know the exact location, nor did I ask. I had taken Mazy to my place. She wasn’t as involved with the slave traders, but who knows what her former manager, who was working with them, told the others. The industry was still there. We weren’t gods, and certainly not police.

We watched our own. Mazy was mine—and she had left me in the road.

A growl built up in my throat. My nostrils flared as I pulled in a deep breath. Her scent left a trail for me to follow. Mazy might have walked away from me, but it didn’t mean I wouldn’t make sure she didn’t make it home okay. I followed her trail, thankful for the late night and lack of people around.

The longer I followed her trail, the farther we went into a more dangerous part of town. My apartment was a loft that had been reconstructed. While it didn’t have curb appeal, at least it was safe. Mazy’s scent led me into a part of the city where the roads were torn up with half-assed patch jobs. The sidewalks were more often cracked than whole. The buildings either had a layer of graffiti or dirt on them.

My beast snarled at the disarray of her habitat. This is where she had been living? It made no sense. I had watched Mazy. She was very good at accommodating her patrons, and they tipped her very well. Dominic paid her well, too. She should be able to afford better. There had to be more to my little predator than I thought.

Mazy’s cherry red hair disappeared behind a door that led into an old apartment complex. My instincts told me to go after her, continue on, but instead I waited. Mazy fought our mating, she knew the pull, and she felt it. Something held her back.

I crossed my legs at the ankle as I watched from the brick building across from hers. Trying to get comfortable, I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave for the whole fucking night. That first night having her at my apartment had been the final nail in the coffin. There was no sleeping without Mazy nearby and safe. There was no pleasure without her body. There was no peace without her humor, wit, and intelligence.

A light flickered on, on the second floor. The windows were barred, but through the small opening I could see her silhouette. Damn, my mate was gorgeous. Her lithe form walked past the window, pulling my body taut. My dick stood at attention already. Shit. My beast roared at just seeing her sweet body.

My pocket buzzed, dangerously close to my already tight cock. Fuck.

Buzz.

I gritted my teeth and pulled out the devil machine.

“What?”

“And here I thought you would be happy to hear from me,” Dominic, my brother in arms, a badass dragon shifter that made me look tame, answered. He didn’t call unless absolutely necessary. It didn’t reassure me that he called.

“Don’t you have a mate to fuck, Dom?”

“Already done.”

“Hey!” Eden cried out in the background.

“Tell her I say hi.”

Dominic grunted; he wouldn’t. Dominic had been contracted to kidnap his mate almost a half a year ago, and he still had trouble letting any male near her in any way. Personally, I figured it was because of him being alone for so long, even though he would never admit it. He feared that his little human mate would leave him. Dumbass didn’t see how much she loved him.

“There’s a bounty out for your head.”

“There always is.” Same with Quentin and Dominic, but most mercenaries knew there wasn’t something quite right about the three of us. And those who were shifters stayed the fuck away.

“Yeah, but now there is one on your mate.”

I ended the call with a press of my finger. The death of the flip-phone had been the death of dramatic ending of phone calls. Dominic figured since getting a mate he knew all about pairings and matings. He and I had put a bet on whether Quentin and his mate, Winnie, were actually mates. I won the bet, declaring they were. Dominic didn’t think the gods would be cruel enough to pair those two together. How he knew Mazy and I were … well, that was surprising.

My muscles strained with the need to shift. Red, hot anger pumped through my body, heating my blood. The beast’s rage grew. Lifting my arms, I hooked my hand behind my head and paced. My gaze went to the window where Mazy had passed by not a few minutes ago. She was in danger now.

“Merde!” The word tore through me, more beast than man. I vibrated with the need to shift. I rotated my shoulders, trying to ease some of the strain. Nothing worked, and I feared if I didn’t run upstairs and grab Mazy I would lose my mind. I snarled out a hot breath. The beast needed out.

My chest pressed up and down heavily with puffs of air. I needed to control myself. But when my vision bled red there would be no stopping the beast. With one last glance up to Mazy’s house, I stomped down the way I came. Dominic was pure brawn, Quentin was finances and flash. Me? I knew computers, and I was a brawler.

First things first, I was taking down the bounty on my mate’s head. Then I was tracking down the motherfuckers who thought they could mess with my mate.

Chapter 3

Mazy

I swallowed the lump in my throat for the fourth time, willing the tears to stop. I didn’t cry! I wasn’t that type of girl, but … oh goodness. My apartment was torn to pieces.

The small kitchen, that had been the best part of the whole place, was in disarray. Pots, pans, and an old blender I bought at the thrift store down the way were pulled out and smashed against the floor. In the living room, the small TV that I had splurged on was face down on the ground. The tiny shards of the glass scattered on the floor around it. My books were ripped from their safe haven on my bookshelves, and the blue hand-me-down couch had been pulled apart—the cushions were everywhere, their guts littering the floor.

The tiny living space that opened to the kitchen had given my small apartment a little depth, but it felt like it was closing in on me. My eyes roamed over to the coffee and side tables. My stomach dropped to my toes.

I ran across the apartment, completely unworried for the glass shards now. I would heal anyway. Where was it? My tears blurred my vision as I went to the spot where the picture should be.

Oh gods.

My stomach lurched forward, and I was going to be sick.

“Mallory …”

I paid my bills on time. All of them, even the unsavory ones. There was no reason for them to go after her. I worried my bottom lip, fear weighing heavily on my shoulders.

With another quick sweep of my apartment, I walked toward my door. I had to find out about Mallory.

My nose tingled with an irritating scent as I set my hand on the doorknob. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and a shiver went down my spine, coating my body with a fine layer of frosty fear. The air rushed next to me, and I dropped to my knees. A large grunt followed.

I looked up to see a swing of a large, thick arm. Following the arm to the body, I saw a monster of a man. With thick, powerful muscles, he looked fit to kill. His head was shaven, he had a hard, square jaw, and eyes that promised no mercy.

“Oh crap.”

 “Goin’ to ‘ake this ‘ard on yarself?” His accent was thick and hard to understand.

I scrambled away from him, ending up on my butt on the kitchen tile. He lumbered forward, his eyes burned brightly with his animal. Fear seized my body, but I couldn’t allow it to slow me. I had to keep moving. Jumping to my feet, I watched his unrushed charge forward.

My heart pounded in my chest, and my throat tightened. Each of his footsteps echoed on the floor and vibrated through me. Just a little bit longer. I waited. Just a few more steps.

He continued forward, his black, beady eyes focused on me: his prize. Good. I needed that. With his next stomp forward my body contracted, squeezing down into my mongoose form. My body burned with the shift, and the giant shifter never saw it coming. I had perfected shifting quickly over the years, a small shifter trait big predators and apex animals hadn’t mastered.

The pile of my clothes lay where my body had been. I ran out from my pant leg and bolted underneath his wide stance. Once I got to the other side of the rug, I stopped and shifted back into my human form. I grabbed onto the rug. The shifter twisted to face me as I crouched down and yanked the rug as hard as I could. His one foot still stood on the edge, the other was firmly planted on it. The unexpected movement had him flailing backwards.

The large shifter started to teeter forward. I twisted on my heel toward the apartment door. Shifting again would drain me, I knew it would, but I had no other choice. Running around naked would draw too much attention, not to mention in my neighborhood … I shuddered at the thought. There were too many unsavory people in this area.

My body eased back into the form I had just taken. Fatigue weighed heavily on my limbs, but I had no time to waste. I had to run. Run to Mallory. Run from the beast behind me. Run to … Lucas.

I shook my little head and bunched my hind legs, ready to leap off. Large hands gripped my ribs, crushing them in. I squeaked in pain and tried to wiggle from his hold to give myself some room to breathe. I panted heavily in his hands and twisted and turned. The beast turned me in his hands. His flat nose pressed down, reforming in an impending shift. He was barely controlled, and I feared what he would do in his animal form. From the ashen, gray hue his skin started to turn, I guessed he was a black rhino.

Frantic, my animal instinct took over. Rearing my head back, I slammed my teeth into the fleshy part of his hand. With a coppery rush, blood coated my tongue and filled my mouth. The rhino roared in pain, but I refused to let go until his grip loosened. His right hand twitched and my sharp teeth dug farther into his left.

He tried to pry me off with his right by pulling me by my waist. My teeth, which remained firmly in his skin, dragged long lesions in his hand.

With a hard yank of his right hand, he pulled me from the skin of his left. I moved quickly, twisting and turning, making sure he lost his grip on my body. Wind rushed past my ears, and I braced myself for impact. The second my claw-tipped paws hit the ground, I was off. I ran as fast as I could. Instead of taking the straight shot to the door, I tried to run under discarded items. The sight of my torn apart apartment had been heartbreaking before, but now it might actually save my life.

My small claws clicked against the tile of my kitchen, and my heart pounded in my chest. Almost there. Almost …

Thundering footfalls sounded from behind me, and I drew my tail close, but it hindered my running. Panting heavily, I tucked my ears backwards and streamlined forward. There were no other options than escape. Mallory needed me.

The scent of fresh air hit my sensitive nose. I peeked over. The window!

How could I be so stupid? One of the windows in my house was perpetually open. It was a small crack but it might be enough space for me to escape through.

The window sat at the far end of my kitchen. I stopped near a pan to take in my surroundings. The rhino was swinging his head, looking for me, kicking objects he most likely had torn from their respective places. Hot anger rushed through me. The small predator inside of me, though, knew there was no real chance at me winning, but still wanted to claw his eyes out. This was my home, and he had treated it like trash.

His back was turned to me right now, if I could just …

No. Focus.

Swinging my head back to the task at hand, my gaze traced up the cabinets of my kitchen. The countertops were scattered with shattered plates, cups, and other debris. I would make too much noise, but it was the only escape. Once I got out of here, I would have to head to Lucky’s. I had a clean set of work clothes there.

My muscles tensed with the need to move as the rhino lumbered his way toward the door. He came across a pot and kicked it with his steel-toe booted foot. My pot went flying into the wall, creating a loud bang.

Not willing to wait for a better opportunity, I did what my little beastie did best. I climbed. My claws dug into the wood and I cringed. I wouldn’t be getting my security deposit back on this place.

My limbs shook with exhaustion as I continued to climb. I had to make it up the cabinets. I had to get out that window. There was no other choice. The quick shifts left me feeling fatigued and the rhino’s assault had worn me down. All this coupled with the fact it had been a very long time since I allowed my animal such freedom and liberties, I was in major danger.

I made it up the cabinets without attracting the rhino’s attention. He was breathing deeply, his hot breaths the only sound between us and his continuous attack on my house. There was a sound of a crashing object against the wall, but I refused to look back. I had worked so hard for these things and he broke them in seconds. Months of labor.

Didn’t matter. He was here to either kill me or take me to a fate that was much worse than death. Perched on the counter, I took a single moment to breathe before rushing forward. I kept my eye trained on my freedom, narrowly avoiding sharp pieces of glass, and kept my tail up, away from anything on the counter.

Halfway across the counter there was a halt in the constant noise. In that hush, my front paw tapped a fork that sat too close to the edge. My eyes widened as the fork fell to the ground.

Fudge.

“There you are, you little bitch.”

I squeaked at him, offended. I didn’t have time, though. My heart pounded hard against my ribs. Kicking off with my back feet, I rushed forward, uncaring about the noise I made now. His legs were much longer, but I hoped the maze of debris would slow him down.

The window was so close. Rushing to the sink’s edge, I didn’t hesitate. I trusted my body and used the edge of the sink to propel myself forward. My front paws gripped the wooden trim of the window, and I pulled myself up, tucking my back legs upwards and gripping the wood.

“You little fucker!” His voice was so close, it echoed in my ears.

The window didn’t have much of an opening. Squeaking, I forced my way into the tiny space, twisting my head to squeeze through.

The night air cooled my lungs but my body still burned. Every second he was getting closer. I tugged forward with my front paws and pushed with my back legs, which were still inside. I didn’t think he would have any trouble getting the window open while clutching my tail. I flinched at the thought. I had to get through the window. Now.

Laying my hips flat, I pulled myself forward with my front legs. My tail was mostly fluff and slid through the window. I sat on the edge of the window, blinking slowly at the fire escape ahead of me.

The iron ladder was my only chance of escape. My heart pounded at the jump. What would happen if I missed? What would happen if the rhino caught me? Torture, breaking my bones, making me watch as they hurt Mallory, abusing my body or, Gods forbid, hers. I shivered.

The muscles in my back legs bunched together, and I loosened my hold on my front.

The window rattled as the rhino started to push it upwards. It caught and the old glass rattled. I launched forward. Reaching out with my front legs, I caught the ladder in my paws. My chest heaved with heavy breaths. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, fueling the heat in my blood.

“This ain’t over, bitch.”

I started to climb up the ladder with a tiny relieved smile parting my leathery lips.

Perhaps.

Once I hit the roof there was a booming roar from a couple floors down. Stupid rhino. Lucky’s first, then I had to go check on Mallory. I couldn’t show up to the medical facility as a mongoose or naked.

Chapter 4

Lucas

I cracked my neck for the third time, trying to relieve the restlessness growing inside of me. It didn’t help. I couldn’t seem to sit still while the computer program searched for who put the bounty on Mazy. Anger wove its way through my veins at the thought of someone targeting her.

Running the program for Dominic, Quentin, or myself never took long because I had done it many times before. It could weed out our names and take down our bounties in minutes. This was different. I didn’t want to just take down Mazy’s bounty, I wanted to trace it to its source. I wanted a name. I wanted blood.

While my programs were running, there was nothing I could do, and my restlessness continued to grow.

Although it hadn’t taken me long to find Mazy’s, it was taking forever to pull it down. She had a hefty sum on her head. The most disturbing part was dead or alive. My canines punched through my gums, and my lips pulled back in a sneer at my computer. Stupid fuck. Whoever put a bounty on her head was going to pay with their lives. That, of course, meant finding the trail, which meant leaving the bounty up until I could unravel the cyber trail.

My programs were running, doing their magic. There was nothing I could do. I had to wait. I pulled up another file, a male I was tracking for a bounty. The stats sat in front of me: height, weight, hair color, preference on men or women. Information that I could use to track him through the computer. My beast twitched again, his impatience started to grate on my nerves.

Pressing my feet flat, I scooted my chair backwards. I stretched my back for something to do, but instead the strain in my tightened muscles pulled taut. The beast swelled inside of me; my skin stretched tight against muscle. I ground my teeth and cursed quietly. He had never been so dangerously bold before. Not when it came to finding a bounty.

Lifting my hand, I pressed my callused fingers to the back of my neck, rubbing out the tension that wouldn’t cease. My left leg started to bounce. My muscles twitched with the need to move. In the back of my head, I had the constant nudge to keep moving.

Mazy was fine. She was probably already in bed. I had left her over an hour ago. She wasn’t awake pining for me. Unless she was. My animal perked up at the thought of that, and I did as well. It was hot to think my little mate was waiting for me to come to her.

But the feeling that kept crawling up and down my spine wasn’t impatience to see my mate. It was telling me something was wrong. I rolled my eyes upward. Paranoia.

I had watched her move through her apartment, she was fine.

The lie tasted sour on my tongue.

Fuck.

Ma mere believed our animals were also touched with the gift of sight. Not necessarily that we could see the future, but we could sense more than the average shifter. She was also very close friends with a voodoo priestess who agreed with her. No one talked back to Madame Laveau. I straightened my back just thinking of her.

There would be no relaxing until I went and checked on her myself. It was important for me to find out who put the hit out for Mazy so I could track them down and kill them myself. However, the programs would keep working even if I wasn’t here.

The clock that sat on my desk blared an angry red 1:08 at me. Fuck.

“Merde.” I pushed off my armrest and headed to the front of the house, ignoring my jacket. I had a feeling it would get ruined if I took it. The walk down my stairs to the front door felt torturously long. Since I was on the move, the beast inside pushed forward again. He was urging me forward, faster.

What was wrong with him? The beast loved to fight, but this was odd even for my brawler. He wasn’t itching for a fight but rather there was a sense of urgency. Something had him on edge. My feet pounded heavily against the concrete steps. The door leading to the lobby was a metal framed design door. I pulled the knob and strode through the short lobby where the mailboxes sat to the left and the manager’s window on the other side.

There was no manager. No other tenants. This was my building. I didn’t use it any more than I needed, but I didn’t trust any others in my home. In my den. None but Mazy. Even Quentin and Dominic had never been to my building. They have visited ma mere’s home but they hadn’t come here.

I stepped outside and checked the street before running across to the parking garage. My doors were set to automatically lock behind me, and if that didn’t work then I had video cameras. My neighborhood wasn’t as shady as Mazy’s, but those who did feel adventurous knew there was something off about me and stayed away.

In the garage, I strode to my bike. It would be the fastest way to her. I swung my leg over my classic roadster Harley. It was black with only hints of silver trim. It started up with a roar that was echoed inside of me. My animal revved up with the bike, the powerful machine between my legs and the powerful beast in my body.

Driving out of the parking lot, I headed full speed to Mazy.

My nostrils flared. No, something wasn’t right with my mate.

***

It didn’t take long for me to arrive outside of Mazy’s apartment building. The unrest I had been feeling since I left her came back in full force. Her lights were still on, but it was well into the evening. She worked late hours at Lucky’s, so perhaps she kept weird hours. However, my beast seemed to think otherwise. Standing up, I lifted my leg and swung it over the bike.

The air was calm, no new scents that set me on edge. But still the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. A low growl worked its way from my gut to my throat. My lips peeled back into a snarl. I clenched my fist tight, taking earth-eating strides to the front of the building. My animal was riled up.

I took in a deep breath. Standing next to the front entrance to her building, I could smell her. Mazy.

Fuck, the woman smelled like sage, mingled with a sweet zest. A woman shouldn’t smell that intoxicating. She was the perfect scent, mingled of home, and so uniquely her. But her scent was outside of the building, and it was relatively fresh.

The front door was open for anyone to enter and a wave of protectiveness flushed through me. I would make sure the building had better security if she insisted on staying at home. Mazy was in danger whether she knew it or not, and I would protect her any way I could. I hoped she would allow me.

Her trail led me to her door. There was small splintering by the doorknob, and the knob itself was scratched up. Alertness shot up my spine. Rarely shifters used human fire-arms, in this case I wish I had brought my Glock with me. I trusted my claws and my strength. Above all, I trusted my animal to keep my mate safe, but if she was being held at a distance, there was a better chance of her getting hurt.

Of course she was a shifter herself—a mongoose. She could shift quickly and bolt for it. There could be a chance the splintering and marks on the door were from a previous break in, but these markings were too subtle. Someone who was very good at what they were doing, but not good enough.

They wanted to sneak in unnoticed and wait for her. My canines, which had shrunk, popped out again. I gripped the doorknob and twisted slowly. There was no point in startling both Mazy and her attacker.

It didn’t shock me that someone else was already trying to collect the bounty. She had a pretty price on her head, and from her descriptions, she looked like an easy target. Good thing whoever posted her name didn’t know about her shifter heritage. Or they did and kept quiet about it, maybe fearing people would back off. There were too many questions and not enough solid facts for me to decide.

I liked my facts, but in most cases, I was a lot less thorough. This was Mazy, though. My mate. My everything. There would be no winging it. I understood now why Dominic fought fiercely for his mate, and why Quentin betrayed everything he was born and bred for, to mate his girl.

The door was barely cracked, and I waited, listening. Nothing sounded on the other side. Had they already come for her? Was I too late? Her scent was overwhelming, but mingled with her smell was the scent of coppery blood.

It didn’t smell like her, though. Not her blood.

Feeling reassured no one else stood on the other side with Mazy at gun point, I opened the door wide. The place was a disaster. Nothing stood upright, the cushions were torn, the innards strewn about. Pots, pans, dishware, even her food was pulled out and littered the floor to the point I could barely see the tile underneath.

The animal inside of me rushed to the forefront. My shoulder lurched forward as he attempted to steal control and overtake my human body with his. I held back, gritting my teeth.

“Fuck.”

There was a scuffle of noise that followed my quiet curse. I opened my eyes, feeling the burn of my animal. He was so close to the surface, but this room already took enough damaged. If I shifted in here … nothing would survive.

“Little bitch,” a voice muttered as footsteps sounded from the back of the apartment. I waited silently as his barely there scent came closer and closer. Fuck, I hated rhinos for this exact reason. Their scents were so subtle it was hard to tell they were on you until they were right on top of you.

“Best not be talking about mon cher, rhino.”

The bald rhino looked up at me with anger flashing through his eyes. His lips twisted in to a sneer.

“You better hope that bitch isn’t yours. Or I might fuck up your face just as payback for what she did to me.”

My gaze dropped to his wrapped hand. Pride surged through me. Mazy had taken care of herself. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t out there in need of my help. First, I had to take care of this idiot to make sure he made no more attempts at collecting a bounty that wouldn’t exist soon.

“Be very careful with your next words. If you agree to drop searching for this bounty, then I will only scar you up a bit. If you refuse, the brawler inside of me will decide your fate, and it’s not looking good.”

“I’m going to bring her in … dead.”

“I did warn you.” My voice morphed, becoming brutal as the beast inside took over. There was no stopping him when our mate was threatened.

My body shook, muscles expanded under my skin which began to give away to fur. My body expanded outward, becoming massive in size. My legs widened, the skin there pulled apart only to re-form to coarse fur traveling every inch of my new body. My clothes were torn to pieces, as I suspected they would be.

I landed heavily on my front paws, shaking the floor with a small tremor. My ears rounded out, my nose gave way to a snout. I breathed heavily, and the beast inside looked up at the shifter who would dare threaten our mate. Our Mazy.

A deafening roar sounded from my bear.

Fool pissed off the wrong grizzly.

Chapter 5

Mazy

The run to Lucky’s took three times longer than it took me in my human form. I had to keep finding places to hide. While this wasn’t the biggest city out there, it was large enough that people would be unsettled by seeing a mongoose running around. Some might mistake me for a small dog or odd cat if I ran past them fast enough. But I didn’t want to take the risk. It seemed easier to just keep out of sight.

Exhaustion weighed heavily on my bones, and a couple times I had the fleeting thought of stopping and just resting for a bit. The fear of Asher finding me, though, kept me moving.

Asher had been one huge mistake. When Mallory had been admitted to the hospital and showed no signs of getting better, the bills started to rack up. I had no money at the time. Truth be told, I still didn’t, but I made it work. I made payments on what I borrowed from Asher. He wasn’t the most unsavory loan shark out there; he had promised that if I never missed a payment we would be square. I think he had a soft spot for Mallory. I didn’t question it. I took the loan, and I was close to paying him back in full with interest. Why would he send a goon after me?

Maybe it wasn’t Asher. But then who? It had to be him. I would just try to get ahold of him from the number he gave me a couple years ago when we first made contact. On a burner … which I would have to get. First, though, I needed clothes. Then I had to check up on Mallory.

The line at Lucky’s was long and still going strong, meaning it was probably prime hour for the club. Dominic had been generous enough to allow me off work while the business with Winnie had been going on. The men that had been part of helping the slave traders were, um … terminated. Dominic’s words.

Carl manned the door. Relief tamped my fear. Since I had been away, hidden away and being protected by Lucas, I didn’t know who had been part of the slave trading group. It wasn’t many men or women from what I could gather, but it was good to know Carl wasn’t one of them. He was a gentle giant, even if his gorilla could tear the biggest brawlers out there apart. I darted across the street, getting closer to the club.

A human woman placed her delicate hand on Carl’s arm, trying to get his attention. He watched me, though, those eyes seeing all. With barely a nod of his head he acknowledged my presence and was giving me the okay to run in. The human who had been so eager to touch him before, took a step back when he turned all his attention to her. His eyes burned brightly with his animal so close to the surface, and he gave her a tightlipped smile. She looked a little unnerved by his animal, but immediately she put her one leg behind the other and twisted a piece of hair between her fingers. With a couple bats of her fake eyelashes, she was back to flirting.

I didn’t waste any more time watching them. The others in line were committed to waiting and toyed with their cellphones.

Once I got into the darkly lit club, I bee-lined it to the backroom where my extra uniform would be waiting for me. I tried to keep to the darkest parts of the club. While many patrons that frequented here now were shifters, it was probably best to keep myself out of the spotlight.

Humans were aware of shifters, had been for a while now. We have councils that work closely with the human government, and we always work on relations; sometimes shifters wanted to be free of questions. Shifters were prone to hatred and specie-ism as humans were. Some shifters hated humans as much as some humans hated us. Having a club like this was good for all parties. Humans were allowed in the club, but it was mostly dominated by shifters, especially now that it was opened by a shifter.

I slipped through the swinging door that led to the very back of the club where the changing room was. We had our own little lockers to use.

My eyelids drooped heavily as I made my way back through the rooms. Lucky’s had become a second home for me, and being here immediately put me at rest. The excitement of the night had worn me out. The multiple swift shifts had drained me and sleep tugged at me. I breathed in deeply.

I made it to the small locker room. There were two rows of lockers back-to-back and a bench seat on each side. It was really just a glorified changing room, small and cramped. Both men and women who worked here shared it. No one else was around, so I scampered over to my locker with a small burst of energy at the thought of being back in my human body, with clothes on.

The shift back to my human form was harder than any other time I have ever experienced. Then again, I had never tried to shift that many times in a row. Not to mention I had bruises still forming and healing from the assault earlier.

After a couple of painful moments, I was back to in my human form. Stretching my back and cringing at the tightness, I pulled my arms across my chest and then above my head. I didn’t waste time pulling out my shorts and fitted T-shirt. As I tugged the end of my red hair, the tangled mess pulled at my scalp. I wished that I could hop into the shower and wash away the evening’s events. My heart sunk. When will I even be able to go home?

What am I going to do?

The thought was staggering, and I sat back on the bench in the small locker room. My body shook with exhaustion. The weight of what would happen next sat heavily on my shoulders. I couldn’t think too hard about it right now. I had to go to Mallory. I had to know if she was okay.

Though it was dangerous to leave money at the club, seeing as there was no real security to keep people out of the backrooms, I kept some tucked away just in case. I reached under the shelf in my locker where I had an envelope taped. The envelope came off after a couple of tugs. I was relieved to feel the weight of the money still inside. It was also a relief to know that Dominic hired some trustworthy people. The betrayal of the old manager, Derek, stung. He had been more than just my manager; we had been friends for years.

I shook my head. Didn’t matter. He made his choice, and I was better off forgetting the bastard. Clutching the money close, I tucked the envelope in my pocket and headed out of the locker room. I took the rear hallway out to the back doorway that led to the dumpster. I hadn’t really been back here since Winnie disappeared—the thought still made me shiver. I had been so mad at her for the first couple days she missed, but when I found out why, I felt terrible.

The industrial metal door creaked open, sending shivers down my spine. It was safe, there were no men waiting in wake for a shifter to come out and pounce. It was a ridiculous thought, but one that I couldn’t shake. I dragged in a breath—just the regular stink of garbage, dirty sex, and stale beer. Stepping out from the door, I headed out to the alleyway.

The walk from the door to the open street was a lot less daunting in practice than it had been in my head, but I still couldn’t shake the terrible feeling of being watched. The hairs on the back of my neck rose, and I had an itch on my shoulder like someone was right there. Swallowing, I considered turning around, but I refused to do so. If someone was there, they would have grabbed me by now, and there was no reason to waste any more time.

The walk from the back alley to the street that sat on the side of Lucky’s, rounding the building to the front, was short and easy. Once I made it to the main street, Carl glanced up at me. He nodded his head and looked like he wanted me to come speak with him, but I just gave him a wave and stepped forward.

I had a bus to catch.

The bus stop wasn’t far from work, so I continued forward. Only halfway down the road I recalled that I didn’t have any shoes with me. My mind had been so focused on … well, everything else. I had ridden the bus many times and had seen a thousand different things, so I hoped that I could convince the bus driver to allow me on without any shoes. But a medical facility wouldn’t be too keen on letting me in without any.

I worried my bottom lip as I discerned what I could do.

“Mazy!” Carl’s voice came from behind. I turned around to face him, only to see he was closer than I thought with a stern frown on his face.

“I have been trying to get your attention. Why didn’t you come see me when I waved you over?”

“Oh … I …” I didn’t have an answer.

“I saw you come in, in your animal form. I figured you’d need these.” Dangling from Carl’s massive fingers were one-dollar flip-flops, but they were the best things I had ever seen. I looked to them and back to Carl. God, he was a fantastic man. I jumped forward, wrapping my arms around his neck, and held him close for a second.

“Thank you so much, Carl.”

“No problem, Mazy. Don’t know what you are up to on your vacation … Anyway, see you on Monday.” Carl waited for me to untangle myself from him and handed me the shoes.

Dropping them to the ground, I shoved my feet into the uncomfortable flip-flops. However, it didn’t even bother me, because Carl was officially my hero. Forget the capes, the man didn’t need one.

I snorted at his words, though. I wish I had just been on a crazy, fun adventure for vacation. Instead, I was on the run and trying to find my way to Mallory. The small reprieve I had was fleeting. Reality crashed down heavily on me.

Mallory.

I flopped my way to the bus station, my shoes annoyingly loud, but I had to ignore it. Best to remember that I had shoes in the first place. I didn’t have to wait long at the bus stop before the large, chugging metal beast pulled up to the stop. The bus whined as it came to a halt.

The metal door creaked open and I stepped up. After climbing up, I pushed money into the till, hating that I had to waste change because I didn’t have the exact amount. The money I had in my pocket was all I had to last me for now.

I repeated in my head constantly what had to happen. It was the only thing keeping me on track. Normally I felt level-headed, secure with my feet firmly planted on the ground. Now I felt as if I was floating, dangerously close to losing everything with one misstep.

Lost in my own thoughts, I stepped farther into the back of the bus, ignoring those around me and finding a seat on my own. I laid my head against the window and closed my eyes.

The bus lurched forward, and we were off.

Chapter 6

Lucas

The rhino’s blood dripped, pitter-patting to the floor from my claws. He was on the ground unconscious; I had dealt blow after blow, the bear clawing through the thick skin of the rhino, and dark rivulets flowed down from his body. My chest heaved, the bloodlust that had roared through my veins sated for now. The rhino would be stupid if he decided to come after my mate again.

The bear released his hold, and my body melted down to my human form. Fur pulled back to make way for light skin. Living in the Bayou had been a battle with my mother’s fair skin, which I inherited, according to ma mere.

My bear, proud of his work, wanted to find our mate and … well, fuck. He had fought hard and my brawler of a bear got extremely turned on after a fight. Instead, I would have to pull this fucker out of my mate’s house.

The room was even more of a mess now. What before had been bad was disastrous now. Blood, both his and mine, coated her things from clothes, to trinkets, to her dishware. I’d help replace everything; after all, some of it might have been salvageable before I started a fight in her living room. The worse was the bright blue cushions that were already destroyed, but now they were soaked in blood.

“Merde … she will kill me.” I shook my head, ignoring the fact that, that was something I was seriously considering right now. I respected women because of my upbringing, but I never had much more than a passing fling—mutual on both parts. The women I was with knew what they were getting into, and if any seemed like they wanted to try for more, I would move on. I wasn’t in the business of breaking hearts, contrary to popular belief.

Instead of trying to tiptoe around her things, I started to kick things to the side, making a path way. The brute of a male that lay on her floor would be too heavy to carry for long. She wouldn’t be able to return here for a couple of days, which means she could stay with me. She didn’t need to know the other apartments in my building were vacant; she would stay right with me. The bear rumbled contently at that.

I stepped forward and debated if I could find some clothes in Mazy’s room that I could wear. I didn’t mind walking around in the buff because I was well endowed, but I didn’t want any other males to feel inadequate.

Stepping around the unconscious male, whose clothes were too torn and bloody for me to take anyway, I went to Mazy’s room. The room, if one could call it that, was more like the size of a large closet. The full size bed took up most of the room with a nightstand next to it. Her modest gray comforter was pulled back from a hasty get out, the sheets underneath were wrinkled. It hadn’t been touched since the day she decided to go after her friend. Mazy was definitely a brave woman.

I smiled, remembering the night that I hadn’t been able to be away from her any longer. I had snuck into the guest bedroom I made up for her. She was sound asleep curled up, her legs tucked up tight to her chest, her arms cradled close. Her long, lithe body compacted and tiny as she slept. Short little breaths, that cherry hair.

Merde. My dick drew tight against my body, stirring with desire for her. It was bad enough I was riled up from the fight, but just remembering her like that, her scent a constant stream in her room, I was fucking done for. The thought of stroking myself popped into my head before I quickly banished it. My mate was in danger, and I needed to find her. There was no time to stop and pleasure myself.

That night when I had snuck in bed with her, my entire intention was to sleep. My bear had been restless with her so close but not in my arms. Months of pining for her from afar had finally caught up to me. I needed her in my arms.

Mazy had woken up a little after I snuggled in close. I wasn’t ashamed of the fact that I was completely turned on by her and my erect dick had been pressed against her back. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been that close, and I probably deserved the black eye she gave me. My lips twitched upwards into a smile at the memory. But a moment before she punched me, she had snuggled backwards and released out a quiet-as-hell moan that made me want more.

I stepped farther into her room, determined to forget those thoughts for now. First, I had to find some type of covering, then dispose of the rhino. Mazy’s closet of a room had an even smaller walk-in closet where it was perfectly organized. Her underthings and more delicate items were in a storage cloth tote tucked into an organizer. The shelves were a mixture of her shirts and pants. Hanging, she had a few sundresses and one stark black dress. I found an oversized flannel T-shirt in her neatly folded shirts and pulled it out. It was a little tight on, but at least it covered half of me … though not really the half I needed to worry about.

I kept looking and found a pair of heavy gray sweatpants. I pulled them out and tugged them on. They were extremely tight around my thighs and calves.

Emerging from the closet, I walked out to the kitchen stiff and uncomfortable with my attire. The drawers had mostly been emptied, and trying to find some scissors in the mess on the floor would have been a complete waste of time. I found a knife and made a cut right below the knees in the sweatpants and ripped the fabric the rest of the way. I would have just used my claws but wanted to save my energy. There was no point in doing a half shift for something I could easily do with a knife.

The rhino hadn’t moved an inch, which was good. I didn’t need him regaining consciousness. I walked back to Mazy’s room, glad that at least the rhino hadn’t torn apart her bedroom. Perhaps she walked in while he was about to. I didn’t know, but for the most part it looked untouched. She would need clothes, and maybe I could bring some of the few things in here that hadn’t been destroyed.

My programs worked fast, but the mercenaries out there worked fast as well. Who knew how long it would take one of them to find her bounty before I could pull it or mark her as deceased. The urgency to find her and get her back to my house pressed on me. I was wasting too much time. I could leave the rhino here and take what I needed. But leaving him here, in her home … My bear bristled in anger.

No. Not acceptable.

I went to her closet, pulling out varieties of clothes for her, then grabbed a duffle bag that had been tucked away in the corner. With a handful of clothes in one hand and the duffle in the other, I stepped out of the closet and set everything on her bed. There was a frame that was faced down on the comforter that I had missed the first time around. My brows bunched together as I stared at it.

My theory on the rhino coming in here seemed more solid as I picked up the frame and turned it over. The picture struck me.

Mazy stood tall, her beautiful cherry hair long and loose like I loved it. The straight strands cascaded down her shoulder. Tucked under Mazy’s arm was a shorter version of herself. So similar, yet different. Mazy’s molten brown eyes looked red in the right light. The other girl’s eyes were gray, making her immediately seem older than her youthful face. She appeared to be in her late teens, and Mazy looked a little younger than she did now. Not so many worry lines around her lips, or eyes.

The other girl in the picture’s hair was a shade darker than Mazy’s, but they shared the same nimble jawline, same nose and lips. It was obvious they were related. And fuck, the rhino had seen the picture. Who was this girl to Mazy, and where was she now?

I stuffed the frame in the bag, knowing that I would have to research my mate a little more. It didn’t sit well that I barely knew the woman who was mine. After grabbing more articles of clothing, I decided to leave the rhino behind. At this point, all that was important to Mazy was coming with me. There was a pile of clothes with her purse next to the coffee table that had her freshest scent; I snagged those too before heading out.

I started down the stairs of her apartment building, digging through her purse and pulled out her phone. It didn’t even have a password to unlock the phone, and I sighed heavily. Mazy. She was apparently a little too trusting. I scrolled through her phone, trying to decipher the mystery of the woman in the picture with her. She was the key to finding Mazy now, I felt it in my bones.

The problem was that Mazy had run, and she had escaped in her animal form from her discarded clothes as a clue. It meant she could be anywhere. Her animal was much smaller than mine, cunning, and right now I’d assume desperate. She would go where she felt secure or where she would feel needed.

Mazy would also be naked when she shifted back, which led me to believe she might go to a friend’s or she would try for the club. She was the assistant manager there, and I knew Dominic was edging close to promoting her to full-time manager. She wouldn’t stay there, though. No. So the hunt would begin.

***

The duffle pack, my borrowed sweatpants, and flannel of Mazy’s all smelled like her. It was torture on the drive back to my apartment. I couldn’t get away from her scent and it was dragging me into its heady depths. Though the mystery around my mate had thickened, it didn’t dampen my desire for her—my desperate need to make her mine in every way possible. And fuck it, what I wouldn’t do to be owned by her; her sharp little canines biting into the soft skin at the base of my neck. A wave of desire flashed through me.

If I didn’t stop thinking with my dick soon, I would crash, and then we would both be in a whole hell of amount of trouble. Shifter healing was fast, but it wasn’t a miracle worker. A small break in the bones could take hours to heal, a serious break could take days, even a couple weeks.

The drive back was as quick as I could make it. I dropped my bike off and headed across the street. I had to check up on my programs, and then I would have to begin my research on Mazy and the mystery woman in her picture.

Once inside of my building, I headed up to the apartment and dropped off Mazy’s things. I grabbed my own clothes; dark jeans and a black shirt. The mirror I passed showed purple bruising on my jaw; it would heal in a couple hours. The cut above my eye even started to look better. Fucker had almost hit the hole where my eyebrow piercing sat. I had the hole done with silver, which halted the healing process in shifters. I tucked a new piece in and walked downstairs to my main hub.

The programs were still running, still needing a bit more time. The whole interlude with the rhino had taken an hour. An hour of Mazy missing, out there with more potential bounty hunters and mercenaries on her tail.

Chapter 7

Mazy

The trip to the facility took longer than I wanted. To keep my scent scattered and ensure that any people who were following me were confused, I changed busses a couple of times. If it was really Asher, there was no point because he was probably waiting at Mallory’s side for me to arrive. I still didn’t believe it was him. It was wrong for me to think the shady shifter wouldn’t go against his word, but my mongoose begrudgingly trusted him. And she was even more protective of Mallory than I was. If that was even possible.

My flip-flops clacked loudly against the tile floors, and I wished that I could take them off and walk barefooted through the halls so I wouldn’t disturb anyone. The sandals barely constituted as shoes in the first place. I kept moving forward, though, and held those thoughts in.

The lobby looked more like a hotel lobby. The front was a wall of windows with fake plants lining the edges, giving the place the illusion of a little more life. Fake pieces of plant felt fitting for this place. The front desk where people could check in stood off to the side and was empty. The facility was always open, but it wouldn’t shock me that the front desk girl either had to go the bathroom or rushed off to get some food. It was easier this way; then I didn’t have to explain to the girl the pact I made with some of the other workers here.

Through the lobby, I walked to the back elevator, keeping my head down. The nurses passed quietly but quickly, always in a rush to save lives. The doctors moved a little slower next to their counterparts, exhaustion weighing heavily on many of their shoulders as I passed by them. Dark circles under their eyes seemed to be part of the dress code, and I fit in perfectly. My limbs felt heavy with the weight of recent events dragging me down. The elevator dinged and stuttered to a stop. I closed my eyes, holding back the small bout of nausea that curled my stomach.

I hated elevators. Normally, I would have opted for the stairs, but I didn’t think I would be able to climb up four sets of stairs. The building was a branch of the hospital and housed the psych ward, the short term memory hall, rehabilitation patients, and coma patients. Mallory was on the fourth floor, the highest.

The lights in the hallway were still on, even this late in the night. I don’t think I had ever seen the lights off in the main walkways in this place. It wasn’t visiting hours, but the nurses turned a blind eye to me once I told them the situation at work. As long as I didn’t disturb any of the other patients and was very quiet, I could visit. I had been doing this for the last six months when Mallory’s health took a turn for the worse.

I walked as quietly as I could to her room. The door was shut, and I slowly turned the knob. Every time I turned the knob, I had a moment of hope that when I walked in she would finally wake up. It was a stupid hope, and I knew it wouldn’t happen. Instead, the room remained quiet aside from the machines that worked constantly to keep Mallory comfortable and alive.

“Hey, baby sister,” I whispered as I shut the door behind me. I could see easily in the dark and walked over to the side of her bed. Her cheeks used to be round with life, plump and adorable. She would hate me if she heard me call her that. She was four years younger than me, and she would be turning twenty-one this year. She should be getting prepared for a big party to get super drunk off of shots, but instead she was here.

But at least she was safe. The only scents that surrounded her were the normal ones of the different nurses and doctors who watched over her. Mallory was a latent. Her animal never emerged. And it wouldn’t unless she met her mate. Under her current condition, that was going to be impossible.

The people here took very good care of her. Her hair looked freshly washed, and even with all the tubes and constant streams of synthetic food pumping through her, her skin didn’t look sickly pale. Just her natural light hue. Her hair was a shade darker than mine, and I was always envious of it. She had inherited our father’s silver eyes. Whether she would take after our mother, like me, or our father in her animal might be a mystery we would never solve. I didn’t care if she ever shifted. All I wanted was my sister back.

My parents and Mallory had been in a car accident almost two years ago. Unfortunately, our parents had passed and Mallory had awoken from the trauma, but the following months had been difficult for her. She had been in and out of surgeries until she became stable. She had always been an old soul in my opinion, but she was still very young at heart and never knew a life outside of my parents. I had moved out when I turned eighteen, went to college, and started my own life. She remained at home and commuted to school. Not to say I didn’t love our parents as much as she did, because I did, but I knew how to live without them, or rather barely survive.

Mallory had nothing else. The blow hit her even harder because she didn’t have her animal. I think she hoped one day she would find her mate and be able to finally show our parents the animal that was suppressed inside of her. Either way, Mallory’s health had been turning back around. She been doing better until she had another accident. The car accident had been so bad that both her legs broke, one in multiple places, and the other was less severe but still broken. She’d been in physical therapy and hadn’t waited for her physical therapist and tried to walk on her own. She’d fallen and hit her head hard enough to jar old injuries. It domino effected on her.

Asher was already in the picture at this point, and I had to add more to my loan. He knew about my business, as he made it his business. It scared me to know that he had that much power over me. I didn’t have many friends, none really other than the people at the club because after losing my parents, Mallory had become my top priority. The thought never occurred to me until now that maybe Asher was the cause of her second accident.

Fear swelled in my gut. He wouldn’t do that, would he? And then he would send a goon after me? Nothing seemed to be adding up, and he wasn’t here, no unknowns were here. But it calmed me knowing that she was still safe.

As much as I wanted to sit in the chair next to her bed and catch up on a few hours of sleep before I had to face the day, I couldn’t afford to have someone find me here and use Mallory against me. The only people who knew about her were me, Asher, and distant relatives who had cut all ties after my parents mated.

The less people that knew about her right now the better. I would have to use the remainder of my money to find a cheap hotel to hide in while I got a burner phone to call Asher and figure out my next move.

I stepped a little closer to Mallory and took her hand in mine.

“Please wake up soon, little sister.” Leaning forward, I pressed a light kiss on her forehead. “You’re all I have.”

“Not anymore.”

My heart jumped into my throat. I had been so caught up in my own thoughts and in being with Mallory that I didn’t smell him coming, or even hear him. His scent drifted in, a mix of the salty ocean breeze and the heady scent of a masculine spice that was all him.

“How did you find me, Lucas?” The heart that had been in my throat seconds before dropped deep into my stomach. Was he here for me, too? Had Asher called in bigger guns? Oh gods … would Lucas really take me in? Maybe he didn’t feel the draw of our mating like I did. But I couldn’t stop to think of the night he snuck into the guest room in his house and how he slept next to me. I remembered the burn of his erection through my night shirt. Gods, how I wanted to feel more of it. Immediately I felt guilty for having a mate when my sister—who really did need hers now more than ever—might never meet her mate.

“I will always find you, Mazy.” His voice halted like there was more he wanted to say, but he swallowed the words down. I turned around, fearful that he was here to take me away.

“Who sent you?”

“Nobody sent me, Mazy. I came to you.”

“But why?”

He raised his pierced brow at me like it was obvious.

“You’re mon cher. My mate.”

“You knew?”

“Merde, of course I knew. I’ve always known.”

His response left me breathless. Anger and lust were at battle inside of me. But disbelief that this conversation was finally happening took the lead. I looked over my shoulder at my sister, who was still lost in her own mind, unable to break free from her prison.

“I can’t talk about this right now, Lucas.”

Why did he pick right now to have this conversation?

“It’s the middle of the night.”

“Yes.”

“My sister is in a coma behind us.”

“Yes.”

“Why now, Lucas?”

“You have a bounty on your head, which I suspect you are aware of, otherwise you wouldn’t be here right now or running around the city so late at night.”

My head started to spin. I had a bounty on my head. I had thought simply that Asher had hired the one goon, but this wasn’t his style. Nausea rolled in my stomach as I thought of the men that would come after me. Not only me but … Mallory.

“You came to tell me that you want to recognize our mating because I have a bounty on my head?” I asked, still trying to wrap my head around the fact I had a bounty out for my death.

“Yes and no.”

My top lip lifted in a confusing look. Had he lost his damned mind?

“I don’t really think this is the time to have this conversation.”

I had to come up with a plan. I couldn’t move Mallory, that was out of the question. But …

“Do mercenaries or bounty hunters usually go after family members?”

“No.”

I nodded and started to pace the small room.

“What happened to her?” Lucas asked, staying close to the entrance. I appreciated that he didn’t move closer; though my animal knew him and claimed him as hers, she still was wary of him being near Mallory. Lucas didn’t know her; he wasn’t really mine yet either.

“Car accident that led to head trauma, which put her in a coma.”

“I’m sorry, Mazy.”

“It’s fine. She’ll get better.” She will. Even if I have to start bringing men in here who might be her mate just to jumpstart her animal. I knew, I just knew that if I could get her animal side to awaken that she could heal and beat whatever it was inside of her that held her back.

At this point, most people would have probably considered taking their loved ones off the machines, allowing them to slip away. I couldn’t do that. Not when I knew there was a chance. But I had to keep her alive. If bounty hunters and mercenaries would stay away from her then there really was only one option. I would have to leave her for now. Until I could find out who had put a bounty on my head and … oh gods. I couldn’t kill someone. Could I?

My gaze drifted back to my sister, who looked far too small on the bed. For her, I thought I would be able to do it. I could give Lucas, a badass brawler of a bear, a black eye without a second thought. I wasn’t scared of many things but … taking a life? That was a new ballgame.

“What are you thinking so hard about?” Lucas’s smooth, Cajun accent fluttered the butterflies in my stomach. A lightbulb went on.

“I’d like to contract you.” I twisted on my heel so that I faced him.

Lucas’s brows were pinched together, and his lips were tight. With a watchful eye, he took a step forward, crossing his sizable arms across his chest. “Excuse me?”

“I would like to hire you to not only protect me but to kill someone for me.”

He let out a humorous laugh that sent chills down my spine. I had never seen Lucas this way; he was normally the lighthearted flirt out of their group. The laugh belonged to a different man than the one that I thought I knew. But really, how much did I know about the man? My mongoose claimed him as hers; she wanted to press her forehead against his, nuzzle her temple against his. She had many affectionate ideas about him.

“I will pay you.”

“You will not.” Lucas took another step forward, dropping his arms to his side. Suddenly the space between us felt too slim. Too close. He was all consuming. I peeked up at him, feeling the nerves in my muscles. This was a foolish idea.

“I have to keep her safe. This is the only way. Please.”

He stood only centimeters from me, but he didn’t touch me. His heat pressed deliciously close, and my insides melted thinking of the kiss he had given me hours ago. I couldn’t believe it had just been hours. I was tall, but he was huge. I tipped my head back to look at him.

“There is another way, mon cher.”

“How?” Gods, why was my voice so breathless?

“Agree to be my mate. Let me be yours, and you can be mine. We will figure this out together.”

“I’m not in this for a one night type of thing, Lucas. I know how you are. I will pay you.” I took a step back, feeling the shame of my words creeping up my neck. I hated that he didn’t even look marginally offended. Lucas was a risk I was too scared to take at the moment.

“Fine, contract me. But, by the end of this contract, we will be mated. Because I promise you, Mazy, you’re my mate.”

Chapter 8

Lucas

I assumed she meant for her words to hurt me. She wasn’t incorrect. Mazy would be just the type of woman I would go after. She was strong-willed, feisty, and willing to fight for what she believed in. On top of all those things, she was absolutely stunning.

“Say your good-byes, you won’t be able to see her for a while. I don’t want to keep you separated, but it’s for the best.”

Mazy nodded, her eyes misting over as she turned to her younger sister. Mazy didn’t have to tell me anything about her sister, I’d done my research before coming over. It broke my heart that Mazy had lost all her family besides her sister who was now in a coma. What I didn’t know was how Mazy had been paying for her care before she started at Lucky’s. Lucky’s had not been an openly shifter bar until Dominic took it over, and I didn’t know if she worked there beforehand, but from the records I pulled, she had only been working at Lucky’s for about ten months.

The time would come when I would ask her where the money for her sister’s health care came from, but right now she needed a moment. I honestly didn’t know how long she’d be parted from her sister. The program to trace where her bounty came from was still working. It kept finding ghosts in the system—fake accounts that led to dead ends, but I would eventually find the right one. Meanwhile, I’d run the program to remove her bounty. But it didn’t mean that others had stopped looking for her. They might have been on her trail before I could get it down, and not all mercenaries stopped because the name disappeared. Sometimes the prize at the end was a little too good to give up.

I walked out of the room to give them a moment of privacy. I never had siblings, but I wished I did. Quentin and Dominic were like brothers to me, and after everything we had been through, I figured we were closer than siblings.

I called Quentin to let him know about the mark on his head again. He didn’t answer, but I left him a voicemail. He would get it eventually. I figured he finally had his mate back, so he was too busy claiming her to answer.

I waited patiently in the hallway across from the door, but the longer she was in there, the more worried I became. My bear twitched. My ears perked up; there was a quiet grunt. Either she was holding back tears or someone else was in there with her. I stomped over to the doorknob, ready to yank it open.

Pulling my arm back, I waited a second longer. There weren’t any more sounds, so instead I decided to pace. The facility itself was quiet aside from the constant hum of the machines. My head remained firmly tilted so that I could hear better inside of her sister’s room. A few more minutes passed and she still hadn’t emerged. The hairs on my arm stood on end and my bear became alert.

This time I didn’t hesitate as I opened the door. Mallory laid on the bed, undisturbed, but Mazy was nowhere to be seen. A growl crawled its way out from my throat and I pulled in a deep breath. Two new scents. But where the fuck were they? I ran over to the other side of the bed where a pile of clothes sat. Mazy’s uniform.

“Merde!”

The window that had been closed was open now, a quiet breeze alerting me. Of course it had to be a flying shifter. I ran to the window and pulled in scents. Mazy’s scent scaled the side of the building. There was no way she could have made it to the roof. Could she have?

I shut the window and scooped up her clothes as I ran out of the room. Racing down the hallway, I found the stairways. There was no going up, only down. Merde. There had to be another stairway that led to the roof. I ran back to the nurse’s station.

A tired young woman who looked like she was in her early twenties blinked up at me. The confusion in her eyes, and the question that started to part her lips were obvious enough she hadn’t been aware of my presence in the building. Well, that is what I had intended so it was nice to know my equipment worked.

“Tell me how to get to the roof.” She took too long staring at me. I felt the bear brush forward and my eyes burned with my animal. “Now!”

The girl started to mumble off directions and shoved a key at me. I snatched it and ran off. Normally, I would have flirted my way through the situation, thinking that would have worked faster and the more desired effect, but I took the Dominic route. It worked just as well. My legs pumped hard to take me where I needed to be. I hoped that Mazy had shifted back to her human form. The aerial shifter would be able to carry her off if she was in her mongoose form, and then it would be next to impossible for me to track them.

The stairs were metal and clacked loudly as my motorcycle boots slammed against them. The noise reverberated in my ears, blocking out any other sounds. The door to the stairs had been locked and it luckily only took me one try to find the right key. The second door that lead to the roof was harder to unlock. I debated on slamming the door down, but it might just take as long if not longer. The lock finally clicked over, and I rushed through the now open doorway.

The night was brightening with the oncoming of the morning, but it was still dark out. My sight adjusted to my bear’s as the cool air of the night pressed around me.

The long winged hawk screeched as he circled the roof, blotting out the stars with his silhouette. The door slammed shut behind me, and I felt the rush of my animal taking over. He burst through my skin even faster than when I fought the rhino. The hawk swooped down, his talons outstretched, and I followed the line that he was dropping. A little red mongoose was pressing herself as tightly to the vent as she could. My vision bled to red.

A roar ripped out of me, stopping the hawk from his downward spiral to my mate. He had to flap his wings in overtime to make up for the missed air. Mazy looked over at me, then to the bird again. She was probably debating if she could make it to me in time. She needed to shift, it would make her a bigger target, but there would be no chance of him scooping her from the air.

I stood on my hind legs, reaching an impressive height of ten feet. The hawk dove down at me, coming in at a high speed, the moon reflecting off his black-tipped talons. He spread his wings as he got closer, slowing his speed some, but it gave him a bit more control after he would slash me. He dipped down, and I swung up a heavy paw, but it was too late—he took a chunk from my tough hide in my shoulder. The pain was sharp and hot.

Nothing I hadn’t felt before. I released another roar, swinging at the hawk again. He flapped a good distance again. His head cocked as he looked down at Mazy. She was still on the other side of the roof hiding away. Dropping heavily on my four paws, I rushed over to where she was. I blocked her with my body, making a clear statement. Mazy was mine to protect.

The hawk squawked and dove down, again preparing his talons. My movements were a little too slow for his light body. I rumbled, landing heavily on my front legs again, huffing a breath. His talons ripped into my other shoulder. He didn’t get a good grip and only tore out tuffs of fur. Little needles pointed into my back leg and I turned my massive head to see what was now assaulting me from behind. Mazy tilted her head back and blinked at me from her perch on my leg.

I cocked my head but her distraction cost me. The hawk silently swooped down while I was turned away. His talons raked the back of my neck, and I howled as the ripping pain shuddered through me. Blood matted my thick fur and ran rivulets down my neck and dripped with a quiet pitter-patter.

Mazy’s small animal form continued up my body, brushing against my fur, reminding me of her crazy antics. I hated that I couldn’t communicate with her because by climbing my back she was becoming an easier target. My head swiveled to the skies, looking for the hawk shifter. He was nowhere in sight that I could see. Unease twisted down my spine. He was out there waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Mazy’s little claws pinched at my skin as she continued to climb farther up my body.

It came as a surprise to me that the bear wasn’t trying to shake her off. I had many animals in the forest climb on top of me when I was sleeping, and my bear was an ornery beast and roared at those that got too close. Now, he allowed our small little mate to climb on his back.

The hairs on the back of my neck bristled, and I swung my head up to see where the fucker was coming from. He was swinging in from the right of me, eye drawn to the little bundle on my back. I roared at his intentions. His talons clicked open, ready to snatch her from me. I prepared to rush forward, but even as I ran, he kept pace. Mazy’s back legs tensed against my back, and I felt her shift her weight.

What the fuck does she think she’s doing?

Glancing over my shoulder as I ran, I saw the hawk getting closer. Urgency touched my blood, sparking another round of adrenaline. The hawk was on us now. Mazy watched him, her back turned to my head. She wiggled her tail and lurched from her place on my back at the descending hawk.

Stopping dead in my tracks, my heart lurched in my chest. I tried to scream her name, but it was lost in the animal’s bellow.

Mazy, smaller than the hawk but she had her speed and the element of surprise on her side, knocked the hawk backwards. He didn’t have time to recover before they hit the ground. She had her tiny muzzle latched on the great hawk’s neck. She raked her claws as he squirmed and flapped underneath her.

In utter amazement at what she had done, I was slow to move. The hawk twisted enough to dislodge her from him. I rushed forward, ready to knock him against the wall and end it, but he saw my large body barreling forward. With one last glare at Mazy, he took to the skies, followed by the fat droplets of his blood. Mazy stood on wobbly legs, her sight on the fleeing hawk.

My bear shook with anger; I could feel the hot rage coating my skin, making my fur bristle. How could she have done something so idiotic? A loud growl rumbled through me as I paced, watching her. Mazy turned around. She cocked her head.

I snorted at her.

She squeaked and trotted over to me. My large head shook with my annoyance. She wouldn’t understand my anger. What she had done was … astounding, but she could have been hurt. The hawk could have scooped her up and carried her off.

Merde. I haven’t even claimed her yet. She didn’t bear my scent or my mark. The helpless despair I felt at the thought of losing her gutted me. A black hole swallowed my insides and left me hollow.

Muscles contracted, shortening and becoming leaner. My legs reshaped, my hips cracking and popping. The snarl across my muzzle remained the same. I had planned on taking her home to my building here in the city. It became obvious we were not safe here. Mazy and I needed to complete our bond; she would be mine. I wouldn’t lose her.

Mazy shifted, her body curled as she crouched on the ground. Blood still dripped from my wounds, and I wondered if I would see blood on her. My mind went hazy at the thought. She lifted her head, her hair cascading over her shoulder.

I strode over to where I had thrown her clothes and picked them up. She would have to see if she could find me extra scrubs to wear on our way out. I walked back to her, holding out the clothes.

“Thank you.” She stood up, taking the clothes from my hand. I should be a gentleman. I shouldn’t look but … my gaze drifted down. Merde. Her skin was like white satin, a beautiful creamy pale that looked smooth to the touch. Her breasts were mostly hidden behind her hair, and she twitched her legs, noticing my heated gaze.

“Can you not look at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you want to eat me.”

“I do.” My gaze met hers. Her cheeks turned a ruddy red, and she crossed her arm over her stomach. The scent of her desire filled the air.

A little taste wouldn’t hurt.

Her animal was predator, as small as it was. It would be revved up from the fight. My cock had been hard since the moment I shifted back. Even through my anger, I was still pumped from the fight now and earlier. Seeing her sweet body had been the breaking point.

“What?” she squeaked, sounding so much like her animal.

“Want to eat you. Fuck you hard with my tongue in your sweet little pussy.”

Her nipples grew tight behind the curtain of her hair; she clenched her legs together and she refused to meet my gaze any longer. I took a step forward. She didn’t move. Good little mate. Never run from a bigger predator. They would only chase.

“Lucas …” My name on her lips was a plea. A desire that needed to be sated. I was only happy to oblige. I pulled her body flush against mine, her skin as soft as I expected it to be pressed against my straining dick.

My fingers feathered down the silhouette of her body. Her chest rubbed against mine with deep breaths. She tucked her head into the crook of my neck, and her tongue peeked out. She licked before she sucked the skin between her lips.

Desire swelled heady and hot inside of me. Fuck.

I gripped her hip tight with one hand and the other splayed across her belly. I dragged it farther and farther down her body. She released my skin with a gasp as my fingers brushed against her curls. Dragging only one finger farther down her, wetness coated the lone finger. Her scent became stronger than before. Carefully and with just barely enough pressure, I circled her sensitive nub. She whimpered, thrusting her hips forward, but I caught her quickly with the other hand, keeping her in place.

She rubbed her cheek against mine, a quiet little purr humming through her.

“Do you want more, mon cher?”

She didn’t respond, just nodded. I dipped my head down, treating her neck with the same delicious touches she had given mine.

“More, cher?”

“More.” Her voice had gone breathless. I got to my knees, pressing kisses to her stomach. She shivered in my touch, her hands gripping the top of my shoulders. She applied pressure to push me farther down, but she wouldn’t feel my tongue. Not yet. With my hand still between her legs, I brought two fingers around her sensitive nub and pinched hard. She cried out in pleasure.

“Ohh …”

I released it, and coated my fingers again with her juices. She thrust her hips forward once more.

“More, cher?”

“Yes. Ooh … gods, yes.”

I pressed one finger in between her hot lips and slowed extracted it. Careful not to move too quickly, I did this over and over until she whimpered.

“More. Lucas …” Her breaths were short little pants now. That was my mate. I added another finger and treated her with the same attention. A slow burn.

“Fuck … Lucas. More … faster.” Her nails bit into my skin, urging me forward.

I worked her harder as she asked. She made a desperate whimper before her body clamped down on my ever moving fingers. I drew her orgasm out for as long as I could. Her knees locked as she almost fell to the ground. Standing, I wrapped my arm around her waist. A serene look crossed her eyes, lips parted in a heavenly smile, and eyelids dropped heavily. I took myself in the hand I had fucked her with, still coated with her juices, and stroked.

Chapter 9

Mazy

My mind was lost to the clouds. It had been a very long time since I had orgasmed—and I don’t think I had ever that hard before either. I blinked my eyes open to see that Lucas’s impressive length was still strained against his stomach. He gripped himself hard, my wetness coating the fingers he used to stroke himself. Shit, if that didn’t make me want to come again. I watched, unable to look away.

“Keep watching me like that,” Lucas muttered, his eyes burning with a hot intensity. He continued to pull up, flick his wrist a certain way that I watched to memorize for later use. Because there was no fooling myself, one day this man would be my mate. I wanted to be closer to him. Gods, I wanted to touch him myself, but I loved the idea of him getting himself off in front of me. I had never been very adventurous in the sack, but this … I couldn’t look away.

“Tell me what you want me to do, my mate.”

“I want you to keep doing that. Touch the head,” I whispered as I watched pre-cum dribble out. Oh, that did things to my insides. His thumb brushed against the head and his hips thrusted forward, touching me with his hard, hot length.

“Harder,” I whispered. He complied.

“Tell me what you want, mon cher, before I come.”

“I want you to … come.” He pulled tight again and exploded between us, my name the last thing he whispered before he finished.

Our momentary interlude on the roof had kept my mind frazzled. Lucas kissed me hard afterwards and said we had to get a move on. He was pissed that I had done what I did. I had acted on instinct. My mate was in trouble, blood had been draining from him, and my mongoose saw red. Lucas’s bear was powerful in a fight, but the hawk had been playing his weaknesses. The lumbering bear could move fast on the ground, but when it came from the air, he was doomed.

The facility was quieter than before. On the roof the night started to give away to the day, it must have been a shift change. The hallways were fairly quiet, and when I made it to the nurse’s station, no one manned it. Either they had a call or they were in the bathroom; it wasn’t the first time I had found it empty. Now I was grateful for it. I rounded the station and went to the supply closet that was behind them. Inside there were a few unopened packages of generic blue scrubs. Snatching one, I headed back up to the roof.

On the rooftop, Lucas stood with his back to me, staring out at the sky. Blood covered his shoulder from the still healing wound, but at least it stopped bleeding. His shoulder itself was a little torn up and shame bit at me. I had pressed my nails into him, pressing hard on those shoulders just a few minutes before. How could I have been so irresponsible?

I’ve had sex before, granted what we did do wasn’t sex, but I had never been so brazen. The few men I had taken to my bed were nothing like Lucas. My heart fluttered, stirring the butterflies in my stomach. He made me feel alive. Made me feel … loved. He had been careful to find me a release before himself, and allowed me to take control even of that. I swallowed hard.

Lucas was the ultimate ladies’ man.

But he was my mate.

And I think I was falling in love with him.

“Those for me, cher?” Lucas asked, facing me now.

During our … time together I had been so lost in my own head, in the desire I didn’t even take notice of his stunning tattoos. He had a bald cypress starting at the top of his elbow that ran up to his shoulder and extended to his neck. Mingled with the tree were music notes, a song tattooed forever on his skin. He had script on his left pec that I couldn’t read. On the other side was a bear, dragon, and tiger. The artwork was stunning. I wanted to run my hands over the tattoos and ask about each one of their stories.

“Yes,” I said a little too breathlessly.

He strode forward, taking the plastic wrapped clothes and dressed. The muscles on his thighs tightened as he bent, his taut, sexy bum staring at me. Shivers of desire went down my spine. My aggressive little mongoose encouraged the idea of biting that butt.

“My plan is to get you out of town, but first we need to head back to my place and find out who put the hit on you. I need to make sure no one reposted the bounty either.” Lucas words were warbled in my head as he lifted the shirt over his head.

“Huh?”

His stomach tightened. Oh my jeez.

“You were going to contract me to protect you and also kill the man who put the bounty on your head. Is that not what we are going to do?”

His words were like a cold bucket of water crashing over my overheated body and brought me to back to Earth.

“I think I know who put the bounty on my head.”

He pulled down the shirt, his lips tightening, the lines around them pressed deadly into his cheeks.

“Excuse me?”

“You saw the condition Mallory is in … I couldn’t afford her medical bills after a while. My parents weren’t rich people. We made our way, but we had a happy life. I needed help. I wouldn’t let her waste away. I sought out some … unsavory help.”

Lucas growled low, running his hands through his hair. He was frustrated, which I could understand, but at least we made a little progress. Hopefully. It might not have been Asher. I didn’t know that for sure, but my gut said it was. Who else would want me dead?

But why would Asher want me dead? I still owed him money.

“It doesn’t make any sense though,” I muttered.

“We will go back to my house and get to the bottom of it. We need to find out fast, because two shifters have attacked you so far tonight,” Lucas said unhappily.

“How did you know about the rhino?”

“I came looking for you. I told you, Mazy, you’re my mate. I’m not going to let anything happen to you, or your sister.” Lucas stepped forward; his hair fell into his face. Without thinking, I lifted my arm and brushed away the wayward strands from his face. He leaned into the cup of my palm and pressed his nose against my wrist, pulling in my scent.

“You smell like home,” he whispered. He smelled like heaven, but I couldn’t speak. He kept saying the right things, doing the right things, but I was hesitant to believe that he truly loved me like I wanted him to. Like my stupid heart had already done.

Falling in love with him felt dangerous, a traitorous cliff. I stood at the edge, moments from tipping over and falling down the rocky edges.

“We have to get moving. I won’t risk another shifter getting a shot at you.” He tugged my hand. I wanted to tell him I felt the same way about him. I hated that he was hurt because of me. More than once, too.

We left the facility, and my worry for my sister became overwhelming. As we walked away from the building, I kept looking over my shoulder. What if he was wrong? What if someone did go after her? I would never be able to recover from that.

“I’ll call in a favor.”

“What?” I asked, jolting from the sound of his voice.

“I will call in a favor, and ask an old acquaintance to watch over your sister. He owes me a large favor.”

“Oh, you don’t—”

“I want to. It’s done, Mazy.” Lucas held my hand as we walked. Another reassurance. The feeling of safety touched my heart gently. He was doing everything he could to protect me and my sister. However, I had also offered to pay him. I couldn’t forget that. But my heart and mongoose told me otherwise. To trust my instincts, to trust in our mating.

***

Lucas led us to his motorcycle, which he had driven out here. We were on our way back to his apartment. The sight of the building brought a bout of security, and it almost felt like coming home. The sweet calm that settled over me was quickly pushed away with my own worries about how attached I’d become to him, even though I wanted to fight this.

My parents had been an unlikely mating, much as I feel Lucas and I are as well, but they didn’t fight the call of their mate. They took it slow, even for shifters. Sakes, they waited almost three weeks before they claimed each other. Since they had caught each other’s scents they had been complete strangers that were just passing by in the streets. My father would always tell me and Mallory that he was in love with her from across the street. Then he would press a kiss to the side of my mother’s head, which in turn would have her craning her neck to kiss him fully on the lips.

Their love had been open, honest, and truly something to strive for. It’s not to say they didn’t fight and that shifters had perfect matings all the time. My parents fought, as all do, but at the end of the day they loved each other. I had too many fears and not enough trust in Lucas yet to fully allow myself to admit that he was my everything.

Lucas pulled into the parking garage across from his small apartment building. There had to be only maybe five to seven tenants. My apartment was huge, and there were a lot of small apartments crammed together.

Lucas took my hand after we dismounted the bike, and we walked back to the apartment very cautiously. He was on a constant alert, looking up and down the road, even taking a peek up to the skies. Once he was satisfied, we practically ran over to his building. It didn’t take him long to unlock the door and shut it behind us.

“Do you know when your friend will arrive to the facility?” I asked nervously.

My stomach was in knots just thinking how my sister was unguarded besides the humans that worked there. I was sure the security at the facility could take care of human intruders, but I didn’t think they would know how to deal with shifters. Since shifters came out to humans all those decades ago, there was a tentative peace between us. The younger generations were more willing to accept us and wanted to learn more. The older generations and those born and raised a certain way weren’t as trusting.

Shifters rarely used hospitals, and Mallory was a special case—I kept it under wraps that she was a shifter. All signs in her body would indicate that she was human unless she meets her mate, then the animal could emerge. Whether it was our mother’s, like me, or if it would be our father’s, I wasn’t sure.

“I’ll call him now, cher. Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to her.” Lucas gave me a reassuring smile.

Trust. I had to trust him.

Trust my mate.

Chapter 10

Lucas

“Apollo.”

“Bonjour, Apollo.” My voice dropped a couple octaves. It had been a long time since I talked to him, and I wasn’t eager to be calling him. If it wasn’t for the fact that Dominic was trying to get hitched to his human mate, and Quentin on a retreat with his newly mated girl, I would have called one of them.

“The fuck you want, Cajun?”

“Is that how you treat an old friend?”

“It’s how I treat everyone. Now, what the fuck do you want?” he snarled into the phone.

“I am cashing in my favor.”

The line went dead silent. I wasn’t convinced he didn’t hang up on me. I pulled my phone away and saw the line was still connected. It had been many, many years since I saved his life. I knew he remembered, and I knew he wouldn’t say no to my favor.

“Give me the name then.”

“Ah, no. This isn’t a kill. I need you to protect someone for some time.”

“A protect mission?”

“My mate’s sister.”

“How unfortunate for you.” He pulled in a deep breath through his nose. “This favor and we are even?”

“Yes.”

“E-mail me the details. I’ll be there as quickly as I can.” Apollo hung up, and I fired off a quick email with the specifics.

“Are you going to explain that to me?” Mazy asked, watching me with a careful look. She seemed mildly concerned with the phone call. I couldn’t blame her.

“Apollo is an old … friend. He will protect her with his life.”

Mazy’s lips pursed as she nodded, accepting what I told her. It wasn’t a lie, he would protect her sister with his life. Quite frankly, I was glad her sister was in coma—Apollo didn’t have any type of bedside manner. He was a flat out grouch, with a thorn in his foot that made him even sourer.

“So what’s next then?”

“We go to my office and see what my programs that have been running all night have figured out.” It would be easy to connect my computer’s information to my phone and have it monitoring all night, but paranoia ran deeply in my blood. If I did that it would be far too easy for people to get too much information from me if they got my phone. My phone had the bare minimal things on it. Most phone numbers either I had memorized or I would search for them.

Apollo’s number was one of the numbers I had memorized, and I was glad that he never changed his number. Dominic and Quentin changed their numbers a lot, but for me it was never much of a challenge to get ahold of them.

Mazy stood in the lobby of my building looking uncomfortable, she kept glancing up the stairs as though she expected someone else to come down.

“Shouldn’t you have waited to make that phone call in the privacy of your own apartment?”

“I own the building. No one else is here but us,” I answered, waiting for her reaction. I was expecting awe or maybe even happiness. I did not expect her anger. Her features darkened with a shadow across her face.

“Then why the hell did I have to stay in your apartment the last time I came here?”

“I thought that was pretty obvious. You’re my mate, Mazy. There is nothing in this world that would change that. And there is nothing in this world that would take me away from you. The only peace I had was you in the same apartment with me. I didn’t even want that. I wanted you in my arms. I wanted you in my arms for the past couple of months. Merde! I’ve wanted you the moment I walked into Lucky’s when I saw you.”

Mazy’s chest hitched with a caught breath and she looked down. “Then why all the other women?”

“There were no others since I met you.”

“Don’t lie to me!” Mazy lifted her chin, baring her teeth at me in a snarl. Her animal showed through her eyes. Her normally copper orbs burned redder.

“I strutted around with other women in front of you to get your attention. To fight this. But merde … I don’t want to fight you. My bear knew, he always just wanted you.”

Mazy shut down. I watched it spread across her face like a disease. The fire that burned her in her eyes washed away, becoming dull, vacant. Her lips, which had been pulled back in anger, now settled loosely, unfeeling.

“We need to find out who is hunting me. It’s what I hired you for.”

What I wouldn’t give to know what she was thinking. I needed to know how to fix this. I messed up. Badly. But before, fear had kept me from her, taunting her and daring her to make the move. The bear had been against the idea, but I didn’t date. The world was new to me. My parents had been taken from me at a young age, and ma mere, a wonderful woman who still lived out in the Bayou, didn’t teach me much in the ways of love. Only in the respect of women. I had disrespected the most important one in my life. My mate.

If Mazy wanted to focus on figuring out the mystery behind her bounty then we would do that. I would rather have that not hanging over our heads anymore. Her comment about hiring me, though, had stung. It was a punch to the gut. She might not see this as any more than a simple contract. I would never take her money. I did this because she was my mate. I would protect her above all else.

“This way.”

I lead her to the basement. The stairs descending to my office were dark, and I hadn’t thought about needing lights because my eyes easily adjusted. I waited for Mazy at the top of the stairs, ready to walk down with her if need be, but she stared ahead and walked on without me.

I scrubbed the back of my head. Following her lead down the stairs, I hoped that I hadn’t messed up too badly. We needed to figure out who was after her, and once that problem was dealt with, we would be able to talk about our mating. There was no doubt in my mind that Mazy would be surviving. I would kill any person that tried to steal her away from me.

Mazy made it to the bottom of the stairs before me. I had renovated the basement when I first moved in. It was my all-purpose office. The open area had a small gym to the left; tucked away were weights, boxing bags, and a treadmill that I rarely used. If I was going to run, it was going to be outside. Most of the space was taken up by three monitors and the multiple computer towers. All the screens were hard at work.

The dark gray walls and concrete floors made it more dungeon like, but for my bear it was comforting. It was the place I would retreat on the days when he was feeling particularly dominant. There was a cocoon of pillows tucked in the other corner of the room. At times I would shift and go over there to sleep. This had been my most personal space, and now Mazy stood inside of it, taking it all in.

“The program finished. It should be able to tell me the name and location of the person who put the hit on you. I had another one running that took down your hit, along with mine, too.”

“You had a hit on you?” Mazy’s voice filled with worry.

“Always.”

“Lucas …”

“Do not worry, mon cher. I have a constant program taking them down. Quentin, Dominic, and I don’t make friends in our line of work.”

Mazy became quiet after that. I hoped that she wouldn’t worry unnecessarily. She had a hit up on her for only a couple hours and two attacks; I had none. There was a point to that. She didn’t have a reputation; she wasn’t feared by others. Soon they would know, if they fuck with her, they fuck with me. My Mazy, though, could protect herself, too. I smiled at the memory of her hasty actions on the rooftop. Though my beast was sick with worry and that resulted in anger, she had done well. She used her advantages, advantages I didn’t have.

The program was waiting for me. I opened it and immediately started to scan the information it gathered. Whoever had sent out the hit was smart about it at the very least. There were a lot of fake addresses that the system had to sift through. It still picked up on them, bouncing from one to the other, recording everything.

Mazy stepped a little closer, her scent perfuming the immediate air around me. The sound of her light footfalls. I had made her put her flip-flops back on when we left the facility. Though she was a shifter like me and healed the same way, I still didn’t want to put her in the position where she would need to be. The brawler inside of me was quietly content. Others in his den had always made him antsy. Rarely could I sit still with another in my den, but with her here, he was happy.

It took a couple minutes of looking through useless information until we started to hit better information. My dormant anger started to flare up again, my hand clutching the armrest as the other scrolled through. The bastard was leaving me a trail now. First the warehouse where Quentin’s mate was auctioned off, because she was a rare shifter. Second, to the house that her crazy ex who actually bought her at the auction took her.

“Merde.” I growled.

“What? What is it?” Mazy stepped a little closer, her hip brushing against my arm that held the mouse. Her unintentional touch brought the bear’s rage down just a notch. She was here. Safe.

“McCullen.”

“McCullen? As in Winnie’s crazy ex’s family? The powerful wolf shifter family?” Mazy squeaked, her hand gripping my arm.

“Yes. It’s one of them. Quentin killed Terrance. It seems his father is trying to get his own revenge.”

“But why me?”

I wish I had the answer for her. I didn’t know how to respond because my only guess was that Terrance’s father was too scared to go after Quentin’s mate, and Mazy was with Winnie. There was also a chance that he might have gotten her name and was cutting all loose ties when it came to what had happened to his son. There were too many reasons. But going after him wouldn’t be an easy pop in and kill. He held power.

“Wait.” Mazy leaned forward, her breast brushing against my shoulder. I shifted in my seat, my cock suddenly very aware of her presence. Her brows pinched and her lips parted. “There is another trail.”

“What?” Refocusing on the task at hand, I scooted forward to the line of data she was pointing at. There was a trail that looked like it led to a dead-end ghost IP-address. Instead, it had latched onto an active building. All the others had been inactive.

I rolled my chair to the monitor to the left, I had another keyboard connected to that one and quickly typed in the address. It was a residential area, very rural and out of the way. The house was listed to a man I never heard of. I opened another tab and started to research the mysterious house owner. Most that I ran into had been abandoned homes, businesses, or nonexistent places.

“Howard Lester?” Mazy mused. It sounded like she was testing the name, trying to feel the familiarity of it. “I know that name …”

My search was still running as she quietly pondered the mysterious Howard Lester. Why, out of all the fake addresses or abandon ones, would McCullen use this house?

“Ward!”

Chapter 11

Mazy

“Ward?” Lucas echoed.

Ward Lester was a frequent visitor to the club. He had a greasy vibe to him that made my skin crawl. Ward was a shifter and always set my mongoose on edge, but I didn’t know what kind he was. Mostly he sat in my section, and when he was around, Derek would pay close attention to him. I’d let Derek take care of him, mostly. I’d thought Derek was being a good friend and manager, but now I realized how wrong I was.

“He used to come into Lucky’s. I haven’t seen him since …” Since the night Winnie disappeared. My blood ran cold. Dominic had been looking for other workers that might have been a part of the ring with Derek, but what if there had been patrons?

“Since when?”

“Since Winnie went missing. I kinda made a big deal about it when she went to get the trash and never came back. I went out to the back alley to look for her. I had smelled a lot of different scents, and that’s why I thought maybe her ex-boyfriend had come for her. Derek came out there looking for me … with Ward.”

The muscle in Lucas’s jaw started to twitch, and he gripped the armrest tightly until his knuckles were white. Worry swirled in my stomach. The black-haired shifter who used to come in, he had always watched people with a careful eye. He was quiet and never came with anyone else. He was odd because he was so unnoticeable. Ward could easily slip into any situation and go unnoticed. He was rather plain, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge just thinking about him.

“I think we might pay a visit to this Howard Lester.” Lucas pushed himself out of his chair, a determined glint in his eye.

My head raced. Moments ago we thought it was the McCullens family who had put the hit out. What if we were barking up the wrong tree? My hands twisted together as I thought.

“Wait. The bounty said dead or alive, right?”

Lucas turned to me violently. I could see the anger rising in his eyes as they started to shine with the eerie glow of his bear. The color had me melting only hours ago, but having his anger turned on me, it chilled me to my very bones.

“Why?”

“How do you know who to take the bounty to?”

“I don’t like where your thoughts are going, cher.”

“It’s the best plan.”

“No, cher.”

“You have to pretend that you are trading me in for cash. We don’t know if it is Ward or if it is the McCullens,” I argued.

“I will not put you in danger!” Lucas roared. The veins in his neck bulged. Breathing hard, he shook his head. He stepped away from me and started to pace in his room, refusing to look at me. I allowed him the quiet time he might need in order to work through his thoughts. It was the only plan. I didn’t know how it would work, but it was the best plan. If Lucas and I attacked a well-known family like the McCullens, we would be sentencing ourselves to very short lives. And I had no doubts that Lucas would eliminate the threat against me.

I wouldn’t risk him losing his life. If it was Ward, we might be able to fight our way out, but if it was the McCullens, I would allow him to turn me over. My heart sunk at the thought of losing him. In any aspect. No. I would make sure he and my sister lived.

“It’s the only way, Lucas. We can’t go in guns blazing to both Ward and the McCullens.”

“I will do whatever it takes to protect you. You’re my mate.”

“And you’re mine!” I yelled, frustrated. He wasn’t the only one with someone to protect. I had two people I had to watch over now, him and my sister. Protectiveness and love surged up in my heart. There was no way I would ever have either put themselves in danger for me.

“Mazy …”

“Look, my animal is all in this. She has been for months, and truth be told, I have been as well. But I can’t have my heart broken by you. I need to know you are in. All the way. No more extra girls. No more one-night stands. No more … I’m selfish. I want you all to myself.”

“I am all in.” Lucas stepped back to me; his brown eyes flashed with determination.

Gripping my hips, he pulled me close. My breath whooshed out of my lungs and left me lightheaded in his embrace. For a moment, for this moment, it would be ours. His strong body, that held an even stronger animal inside, pressed against mine. His hard edges, against my soft ones, fit together like a puzzle. My entire body floated on a light, airy feel.

My eyes were caught staring at a peek of chest I got from the V-neck scrubs he was still wearing. Had this really all started last night?

It hadn’t.

Our mating had been a slow burn. A terrible game of desire from afar, longing and determination to stay away, but also remained close. How could I have been so stupid? Our animals had decided, had known for so long. My parents had always told me to trust my instincts. Trust her instincts, my mongoose.

I tipped my chin up, craning my neck to gaze into the powerful eyes of the male who was really mine. Lucas’s strong jaw was sprinkled with a light five-o’clock shadow. His nostrils flared a little as he breathed in deeply. This close to him, and I still couldn’t get enough of his scent. It drove my animal crazy. Drove me to the edge of unadulterated lust.

Setting my hands on his chest, I openly appreciated my mate.

“Mazy …” My name. A plea on his lips.

I drew my hands upward, gripping his strong shoulders. I kept one in place, the other I curled my fingers in his hair to tug him downwards. He came easily and pressed his lips against mine.

This kiss felt different than any other we shared before. This was a sweet desperation, a need that we had refused ourselves for so long. His lips were supple against mine, moving sensually. When he added his tongue, I was lost. I pulled myself closer; I needed more. I needed him.

His hand tightened against my hip, and I felt the strong press of his already hard dick against my stomach. Right now. We could become each other’s right now. His tongue traced the seam of my lips.

I wanted to be his. Needed.

I opened my mouth to allow him in. The moment I really tasted him was when it felt all too real. He would be mine forever. But if something happened to me … he would be left alone. If something happened to him, I would be, too. But if I pulled away now, I would never have him.

He pulled his tongue back, and I moved to follow his sensual dance. My animal burned with desire, her mind completely on making him ours. My mind’s argument of what would happen if something happened to one of us was smothered by my heart’s over flooding love.

“Mazy …”

How could I deny him? How could I deny myself? This past week when I was staying here, he was nothing but a gentleman. He never brought home other women. He took care of me. Protected me. I nodded with my eyes shut because for a moment it was all too much.

His fingers tightened a fraction on my hips before he stepped forward, leading me backwards. I opened my eyes to see the bear was close to the surface. His face was covered in a light shading of scruff. Neither of us had slept.

“I want you.”

“You have me,” he whispered against my lips. I shook my head. I think he knew what I meant, but I had to say it out loud. I had to make this real.

“I want you as my mate.”

There was no denying what my mongoose knew all those months ago; and there was no denying her. Instant love had brought me to my knees without me even knowing it. Lucas was it for me. There weren’t any other men since I met him, or interest in anyone else.

“Then you shall have me.” This time, when he dipped his head down and pressed his lips against mine once again, the desperation was fueled by our mutual hunger.

Lucas led us to the cocoon of pillows and blankets. My heart hammered in my chest. I had been with men before, but with them it was a need, a scratch. With Lucas it would be so much more. He was it for me. And this would be solidifying that. There would be no going back because my mongoose had already fixated on the crook of his neck, how bare it looked without our mark.

Lucas’s eyes swirled, burning with the bear before he took a step back and allowed the man to rein control for a moment. Lucas brushed his fingertips down my arms as I waited for him. He moved his hands to the edge of my shirt, toying with it, and my breathing deepened. My heart went haywire. The anticipation for him to rip the thing off pumped in my veins.

“Lucas …”

“Yes, mon cher?”

“I want this. You.”

“And I want you,” he said, never taking his eyes off of mine as he pulled my shirt up. His knuckles brushed against my skin as he bunched my shirt. I lifted my arms as he continued his travel upwards. Once I was free from the shirt, my chest was bare to him. I wasn’t heavily endowed that I always had to wear a bra. Lucas’s gaze dropped, and his eyes darkened with hunger.

“You’re beautiful, Mazy.”

I felt my cheeks flame. He didn’t say it to try to get us to this point, he didn’t say it because it felt needed, but because he truly meant it. Taking care of my sister after our parents’ death hadn’t left time for dating. It had been too long since anyone made me feel desired.

My nipples tightened at his heated gaze, and my legs twitched as my desire grew steadily heavy. Stepping forward, I gave him the same treatment. The back of my hands brushed ever so lightly over his skin as I pulled his shirt over his head. The tattoos that had been so far were close to me now. They were stunning. Stories on his skin in the form of art. For a shifter to get them was extremely painful because the artist had to use a special needle and specific ink. I had briefly looked into it, before the accident, thinking Mallory and I could get matching tattoos for her birthday.

Lucas allowed me to trace my fingers over the lines of his tattoos quietly until his chest started to press harder and harder against me with his labored breaths.

“You test my patience, cher.”

I took a step back and blushed, not ashamed that I did but amazed. He was stunning, yet he saw me in a light I hadn’t seen myself in for years. After devoting everything I had of myself to Mallory, my confidence had faltered.

Lucas followed and gripped my exposed chest to bring ours together. My nipples rubbed against his lightly dusted chest. My core gripped at nothing. My panties wet, I was beyond ready for him.

His lips brushed against mine as his fingers worked the button on my pants. He popped them open and pushed down until they fell on their own. I was so caught up in our kiss that I stood in them for a second longer. I brought my hands down and did the same for him.

He didn’t wear any underwear and his dick popped free, already erect and ready. I had already seen him naked and he saw me. Yet I felt hesitant.

I needed to be bold.

Brushing the back of my hand against his cock, I shuddered. Gods, that would feel amazing. I twisted my grip around, cupping his balls before taking the length of him with my hand. My mind couldn’t release the image of my lips around him, bringing him the intense pleasure he had done for me before. Slowly, I moved my lips from his and moved down his body. I pressed kisses from the top of his neck until I sat on my knees in front of him. My body felt hollow, and my core kept waiting to grip him. Instead, I felt myself growing wetter by the second.

I licked my lips right before I wrapped them around the head of his cock.

“Fuck …” Lucas’s hips tightened in my hands, and he controlled his need to thrust forward. I smiled and dipped my head lower, taking as much of him as I could. I traced my tongue over the veins I could feel and lightly pressed my teeth until I heard him hiss in a breath. I continued my attention until I was squirming with the same desire. Dipping my hands into my own panties, I touched myself while I continued to suck. I pulled him as deep as I could and dipped a finger into myself.

“Mazy …”

I groaned. Gods … I never …

“Mazy.” I peeked upwards. The bear was there now. Lucas pulled me from my task, shredding my panties with a simple rip at the seams. His eyes focused on the finger that was still inside of me.

“Mine.” His voice was grating. I pulled out, whimpering at the emptiness. I was getting so close, and I knew he had been, too. He pressed a punishing kiss against my lips, and when he pressed one of his fingers inside of me, I gasped, allowing him. He worked fast and my body began to tighten up again.

“Lucas … I want …” Oh jeez. My mind was muddled. I didn’t know what I wanted anymore.

“Yes?”

“You.”

“You have me, cher.”

“All of you.”

Lucas pulled out and turned me so that I was walking backwards down toward his bedding. My calves hit the edge, and without taking my sights off of him I sat down and scooted backwards. Lucas followed.

We were quiet as we explored each other’s bodies. He kissed, suckled, and teased my breasts until I was nothing but a panting mess. My legs hooked over his backside, fingers gripping the tattooed shoulders that kept me mesmerized. When we found each other again, he lined himself up.

He gave me one gaze of unadulterated love before he thrust in. I gasped, my back arching off the bedding. Gods, this … this is what my body had been craving for hours, days, months even. He filled me so completely and in the way that I could hardly think straight.

Chapter 12

Lucas

Mazy knew what she was asking. But as she clamped down on my cock, squeezing me so tightly that all other thoughts fled, I would have acted without thought even if she didn’t know. She knew if we did this, that there would be no stopping our animals. My bear had been ready to claim her on the rooftop, at Winnie’s house where we found them in danger, or even all those months ago when I’d first set eyes on her.

I thrust in deeper, and she clawed at my back, trying to get closer. My beast roared inside of me demanding to get out. Her neck was tilted to the side. It would be the perfect moment to swoop in and clamp down. Not yet. I had to be patient.

Mazy was quiet with her noises, but each one indicated to me when I was hitting in the right places. I kept up the restless pace, knowing we wouldn’t have long.

Her noises became higher pitched, and her inner walls clamped. She was getting closer, and I was ready to burst almost the moment I entered her. Her eyes met mine, her mongoose at the surface, and she dropped her gaze to my neck. Fuck, I felt my spine tighten at the base. This was it. If she bit me, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself.

She leaned forward, pulling herself up, nose brushing up my neck. Her soft tongue lapped the second before I felt her small canines scrape against my skin.

“Do it,” I whispered.

It was all the encouragement she needed, and she bit down, drawing a roar from me. Merde. This. It had been everything, and it still wasn’t done. I twisted my head, pulling at her hold as I felt my canines punch through my gums. Now she would be mine as I was hers.

My teeth touched fragile skin, and sunk deep. With a final thrust both of my teeth and cock, she was mine. She exploded around me, but her animal refused to release her grip on my neck and mine refused to do the same. Love flooded through me. She was everything ma mere had told me stories about, and more. Mazy was my mate.

***

Fatigue took us both. We fell asleep in each other’s arms, but a sweet sensual touch woke me. Mazy was tracing designs on my arm. We were spooned, my cock already hard for her again, nestled against her back. A quiet beeping interrupted my thoughts of slipping between her wet folds.

“It’s been doing that for a couple of minutes,” Mazy whispered, rolling over so that she faced me. Her straight lined face with her mussed hair drew me in like a moth to a flame. She was mine, but more importantly, I was hers.

Mazy’s hand swept over my chest. The feel of her skin against mine made me hunger for more. Once hadn’t been enough, but for the time it would have to do. As soon as we were done with this mess, I wasn’t letting her out of my sight for a month straight. Then we would visit ma mere. She was going to kill me for waiting so long; my ma mere would have wanted to meet Mazy immediately. But I had no doubts that ma mere would love her.

“Mazy …” I mumbled, very unmotivated to move out of bed.

“You should answer that.” She pulled away, her voice turning serious as she came back to reality. With her change in tone, I did as well. Mallory was important to Mazy, and she worried more of her sister’s safety than her own. If it was Apollo or the person who put the hit on Mazy, then I needed to get the phone call.

“Soon, mon cher, we will not be interrupted like this.”

“I look forward to that,” Mazy said with a sleepy smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes. The worry that filled them had become all consuming. I swung my legs out of the nest I made in the basement. I had never brought another woman down here, and now that Mazy’s scent was everywhere, I was glad for it. This place would always be ours. Never anyone else’s.

I walked over to the computer.

Merde.

“He is ready to collect you within the hour,” I said, looking over my shoulder at Mazy. She pulled the blanket up her body as if to use it as a shield. The fear that had been chased away returned and she dropped her gaze down. When she looked back up at me, the fire that existed in her and in her animal shone through.

“Then let’s go kill this fucker.”

My chest puffed with pride at my mate. Strong mate.

Mazy and I both showered, separately even though I had offered it would be being green to take one. She politely declined, saying that we didn’t have time to fool around and there would be no stopping her if we took the shower together. Or perhaps I said the last part.

I gathered her clothes that I had picked up from her apartment and set them in the bathroom with my toiletries. I hadn’t thought it beforehand, but now I was glad for the oversight. It was possessive and egoistical of me, but she would still carry my scent now even after she showered.

I was sitting on my chair after showering in a different bathroom waiting for her. Mazy couldn’t stop pacing the moment she got back downstairs. The gears were turning up in her head, and while she thought she might have been hiding her worries, I saw them as clearly as a brush stroke on a canvas. She was a beautiful piece of art that couldn’t hide her secrets. She would shoot her worried glance to me, then drop her gaze when she was thinking of something she was ashamed or scared of. Her pace would quicken when she was onto a good plan and slow when it crumbled in her mind.

“The instructions just say to bring you to the location attached and the time to drop you off. We don’t have much time, cher. My plan will work.”

My plan was to drop her off, wait for them to come forward, and let the bear free. The small nap she had managed to get in still didn’t give her the boost she needed—the dark circles under her eyes evidence of that. I hated that I couldn’t take care of her the way I should be able to. I should tell her not to worry and that she should get sleep. Mazy wouldn’t want me to say those things, though. She wanted to be done with this as much as I did.

Draw them out and eliminate the problem.

“Where’s the meeting place again?”

“It’s a secluded and abandoned gas station on the edge of the city.”

She nodded. This man who refused to disclose himself, which wasn’t unusual in this sort of drop, didn’t know what was going to hit him. A drop like this had never bothered me before; rarely did I take one with women involved, though. Money was important to keep my family safe, but ma mere would kill me if she knew how I was supporting her and the children she took in.

Ma mere took in orphaned shifter children; the human system didn’t work for shifters. I should know, I had been in it for the first decade of my life. Humans wanted to try to be parents to shifter children, but some shifters were born with brawlers, like me. We couldn’t be raised by a normal catalog human family.

“When do we need to leave?”

“Now, cher.”

Mazy nodded again, her already pale skin going ghostly white. Fear hadn’t touched me until I saw her face. She worried something would happen, but my beast and I knew there was no way I would ever allow something to happen to her. She was my mate. My everything. I stood up and went to her.

“Mazy.” She craned her neck back to look at me. “Nothing will happen to you. I promise with my life we will walk out of this, alive and well.”

The doubt still lingered, but she took a deep breath and stood on her toes. She pressed her lips lightly against mine.

“Together for a week, no interruptions afterwards,” she whispered.

“None.”

“Good. Good.” Nervousness tinged her voice.

My bear and I had a promise to make good on.

***

Dark and ominous, the gas station sat in front of us, and my bear twitched inside of me. Mazy and I took a car over here, and the entire time Mazy had bounced her leg, looked out the window, and generally pumped out nervous energy. My neck stung with a sweet sting that came from her bite. It was a reminder she was mine to watch over completely now, and I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. I couldn’t.

“I’ll carry you in. Do you remember the rest of the plan?”

“Pretend to be unconscious until they show themselves, and then shift and run behind you,” Mazy said, her eyes completely focused on the gas station before us. “What if they have Mallory with them?”

“Apollo would have called to tell me something was wrong.”

“Is this really it? Will we be done after this?”

I didn’t want to lie to her. Nor did I want to scare her away.

“It will be done with them. I didn’t make friends while in this business. There might be someone out there that is always willing to use you against me, but with this,” I traced my claiming mark on her neck; a surge of love and pride waved through me, “you will always be protected from those who were too scared to mess with me. Only those foolish enough to try to hurt you, you and I will destroy them.”

Mazy’s mongoose pushed forward, her eyes burning redder than its natural tone. Her little predator loved the praise. My own brawler of a bear came forward to her challenge. My Mazy had a little beast inside of her, even if she didn’t recognize it.

“We need to go inside soon, Mazy, or they will get spooked and leave.”

“Okay, let’s do this.” Mazy leaned back in her seat, and I climbed out. I pulled in a sharp breath; the smell of the old gasoline was stifling. The greenery that sprouted out from the cracks were drowned out from the scent. Whoever picked this spot did it with the intention no one would be able to smell them. Smart.

I stepped around the car to the passenger side where Mazy sat. She stared out at the gas station, worry filling her eyes. My hand on the handle, I opened it. Mazy didn’t move.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, cher. There is nothing that will keep me from you.” And I meant every word. My bear rumbled with agreement. She was my everything. Mazy eased back in her chair, and with a quiet nod to me she relaxed her tense muscles as much as she could.

“Trust me, cher.”

Mazy’s tense shoulders loosened as my arm brushed against her back. Placing my other arm under her knees, I pulled her out of the car carefully. She lolled her head forward, keeping her eyes shut. The walk from the car to the front of the gas station was quicker than I wanted. The plan we had in place would work. Yet, I still feared for her.

At the door, I kicked at the knob, and it smashed easily, showing the age of the building. Inside the place was gutted; animal nests were scattered in the corners, and a few looked bigger than animal size. People had used it as shelter as well. The smell of stale urine and feces stung my nose. The old scents of the gas from the station mingled with it and made it hard to decipher any other scents than those.

The moonlight bled in from the open door, giving off enough light that while my eyes adjusted I could still see enough. There were no other bodies in the gas station. It put me on edge, and I wondered if they had gotten spooked and took off.

“Drop her and leave. The money is at the doorway,” a voice called out. Whether he was in the room or not I couldn’t tell. It sounded almost like it was coming over the PA system, which guessing on the age of the building it shouldn’t work.

My bear inside hated the idea of setting her on the ground and walking away. It wasn’t part of our plan, but I didn’t know that they would show themselves if I didn’t walk. I wouldn’t be far and Mazy would shift. She could move fast and she was a smaller target in her animal form.

Mazy tensed in my arms, her fear apparent. The man who wanted her was most likely a shifter, and I couldn’t risk speaking to her. I pressed my fingers tighter against her shoulder, hoping she understood the message I was giving her. Bending my knees, I crouched down, setting her on the dirtied floor against my bear’s wishes—against my own desires. The last thing I wanted was to leave her, but I trusted her.

Mazy could take care of herself. She would be fine, and I wouldn’t be far behind. I couldn’t leave her there alone. Though I wanted to reassure her, I couldn’t risk it. Instead, I kept my mouth shut and set her on the floor as gently as I could; perhaps I gave myself away, but it was all I could do to keeping the bear at bay. The strain of his fur against my skin had me shaking. My control was tentative at best.

Straightening my knees, my spine rolled back to an upright position. My muscles were tight with tension. Stress knotted my gut. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. With great effort, I convinced the bear of that fact and turned away from her. I walked forward, back to the entrance that I came through. Straining, I listened for any movement, but as I suspected they were going to wait until they thought I was gone.

Once my feet hit the threshold of the doorway, my calf knocked the suitcase they had dropped the money in. It was a cliché move and made me realize that this was probably one of few drop offs they had done. More times than not, the men I did drop offs with would put the envelope in my car, or they would give me directions on where to find it. Setting it outside the door told me this person was an amateur.

I hadn’t even made it fully out the door before I heard a new set of footsteps. It wasn’t Mazy, she knew the plan. She wouldn’t reveal herself until absolutely necessary. Nerves pumped through me. Would they stop if they thought I was still nearby? Stepping over the case and out of the doorway, I listened to the footsteps that echoed closer and closer.

“Fucking bitch, almost ruined everything,” the same voice from earlier muttered. His movements stopped, and I strained to hear more. My fists were tightened to the point the skin turned white; my legs tensed, ready to move the moment I needed to get to her.

The bear inside of me pushed his anger and urgency onto me. I had to wait, just a moment longer. If he thought something was up he might be far back enough to get away or he might be close enough to hurt Mazy. My lip lifted upwards into a snarl at the thought. The man inside took a few more steps forward. The bear ripped at me from the inside, clawing his way to the surface. I flinched as I held back just a little bit more.

His steps slowed; my muscles strained. There would be no more waiting. I stepped around the doorway to find the man who had threatened my mate. It wasn’t a McMullen. The male squatted next to my mate was tall, gangly, and had large ears. His head shot up, his eyes reflecting in the moonlight. My sense of smell was still stifled but there was no mistaking him for a shifter. The man that Mazy had mentioned before. Howard Lester.

“I said your money was out there, take it and leave. This is none of your business,” he said.

He was too close to my mate. The bear’s growl rumbled through me.

“That’s where you’re wrong. She’s my mate.”

Howard pulled his lips back into a sneer. His eyes swirled with his animal, which was pressing closer to the surface. He was crouched down next to Mazy, and I feared that his animal could harm her before she could get away and I didn’t know what he was.

“Mazy!”

She responded by opening her eyes and glaring up at Howard. Her face twisted into an angry glare. She threw up her fist and caught him under the chin.

Howard fell back on his ass, looking momentarily stunned. “You bitch,” he snarled.

Mazy’s body melted into her mongoose. As soon as she slipped out of her clothes and scurried over to me, Howard’s body exploded into his animal. He had a reddish, tan underbelly, his back black and gray. Large ears, and a long, pointed muzzle. Jackal. He pulled back his leathery lips over his teeth and opened his mouth. The move was aggressive and brought about my brawler.

My bear pushed from the inside out. His power pumped through my body, pulsing a heady thrum. My canines pushed through my gums, fur bristling from my skin. I landed heavily on my paws, my claws ticking on the concrete flooring. The jackal took a step back, his gaze darting from me to my mate who stood behind me. I roared to recapture his attention.

Howard shut his mouth and leaned his weight onto his back legs. He was going to try to run. The bear’s excitement at the chase swirled through me. Breathing heavily, I waited for him to make his move.

The jackal looked to Mazy once more and shook his head. I didn’t care if he was making it obvious he wouldn’t be coming for her. He threatened my mate. He wasn’t getting away with that. With his weight on his hind legs, he pivoted around and darted out the way he had entered.

With a mighty roar I chased him. He would die for what he did.

Chapter 13

Mazy

I hadn’t been able to sniff through the scents to tell who was coming at me until it was too late. Nerves had kept me in place, but I trusted Lucas; he wouldn’t let anything happen to me. When I opened my eyes to see Howard, an anger so deep pumped through my veins I couldn’t help it … I had to hit him.

The moment Lucas went after Howard, I had shifted back into my human body and gotten dressed. The smell of the old gas station was making me sick, and I made my way back out to the car where I waited for Lucas. Every minute, I worried for his wellbeing. Never did I doubt his ability to take on Howard, but I didn’t know if he had others lying in wait for him. What if Lucas is outnumbered? I bit my thumbnail as I waited in the car.

Worry kept me strung out, but the stress of the night had been pressing down hard on me. Sleep called to me, pulling me under for a few seconds at a time. The door shut, jarring me from the sleep I had fallen victim to again.

“Shh, cher. It’s just me. Let’s get you home.”

Hmm. Home sounded good. He was back. Safe. My mongoose chirped happily, and my eyelids fell back down, allowing me to sleep.

***

Two weeks had passed since that night. Lucas brought me back to his place … our place. We didn’t leave for a week. It was selfish of me, but I had been worried about losing him. He felt the same. Howard was no more and Lucas refused to say anything other than that. He had carried me inside and started to shower before I saw the full extent of what had happened. But when I walked in, he was still stained with some blood. That night he just held me. Tighter than anyone else ever had before.

Apollo’s updates were brief, but Lucas assured me that was normal for him. He would continue his watch until Lucas and I got back from the Bayou where we were. My heart fluttered in my chest. Lucas told me all about the woman who raised him, taking him out of the human foster system and teaching him how to control his bear when he didn’t think there was any hope. Lucas’s love for his ma mere was endless, and I was so worried she wouldn’t like me.

Lucas promised me over and over that she would love me. Easy for him to say. I fidgeted with the summer dress I had worn. The scoop neck showed off my mating mark, which I was very proud of. My hand tightened around Lucas’s. His ma mere, which he insisted I call her as well, lived deep in the swamp lands. He said it was easier for the shifter children she took in. They could let their animals out there. The lands were hauntingly gorgeous; the trees growing out from the waters that surrounded the area, the mist weaving between them. The greenery thrummed with life, and the water reflected the beautiful scenery. While the bugs were terrible, I could ignore it to be able to be in this place.

The sun peeked through an opening in the trees and hanging branches.

“It’s so gorgeous.”

“I like to think so,” an old, creaky voice spoke behind me. I turned around to see a tanned woman who had to be just under five feet. Her wrinkles had wrinkles, but with her woven braid of silver and sparkle in her brown eyes, she was as youthful in spirit as I was in age. Her beauty shone through.

“Ma mere?”

“Child, look at you. Such a sight … Lucas didn’t do you justice.” Her accent was very thick. It was almost impossible to decipher what she had to say.

“C’mon now.”

Lucas smiled brightly as ma mere pulled me into the small house with a surprising strength I didn’t expect from her slight frame. The feeling of coming home welcomed me with a warm embrace. Leaning over, Lucas kissed my lips with a chaste peck as we made our way into the house.

One day when Mallory woke up, I would bring her here. To meet our new family. Lucas and his ma mere were home, family, my everything. Lucas never seemed so comfortable and lax as he did here. There was a spark in his eye that reflected in his ma mere. I would do anything to be able to see it for the rest of my life.

Epilogue

Apollo

Fuck Lucas for making me do this. His mate’s sister. I hadn’t gone into the room, but her scent sent my wolf on the prowl. Twisting my lips back down to a neutral position than the constant snarl that had been plastered on my face, I paced in front of the door.

Something was wrong. My wolf was restless. Just go in and look at her one more time. That would calm him down. Yes. That was it. I was just worried she wasn’t in there.

I grabbed the doorknob, the weight of the metal, the cold touch sent a shiver down my spine. I didn’t feel things like this. What the fuck is wrong with me?

I tousled my dark hair with my hand before I twisted the knob. There was something about this Mallory. Something big. The door swung open and my eyes immediately sought out the sight that my wolf had been replaying in my head for days. A beautiful woman with deep red hair, a pale complexion. She was thin but still fucking stunning.

And her bed was empty. I stared at where she had been since I arrived.

She was gone.

“Fuck!” I roared.

Stay Tuned for a Short Story

Wedding, Dragons, and Bears, oh My!

Mercenaries for Hire: Short Story

By Becca Vincenza

Chapter 1

Eden

“He’s going to shit his pants,” Winnie said with a bright smile. She and I had become fast friends, especially when our way overprotective, possessive mates didn’t want us too far from their sides. Even though Winnie was a rare lynx shifter, Quentin was still crazy protective of her. At least she had that going for her.

I puffed a breath.

Human and mated to a dragon. Not only a dragon, but my parents were bear shifters. Not only that, but my mate, the dragon, was also a mercenary. One that had been hired to kidnap me by my father. I don’t group my mother in with him, but I also wasn’t one-hundred percent certain she wasn’t part of it either. Still, I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. For now. Depended on how today went. Getting to this point had been a challenge all of its own.

“Dom won’t shit his pants. More likely he will come charging down the aisle, those sexy, thick, muscular thighs all wrapped up in sleek tuxedo pants.”

“Whoa, girl, do I need to get the spray bottle?”

A bubble of laughter built in my chest. Now I knew that wasn’t an empty threat. Said spray bottle had made an appearance last night after the rehearsal dinner, which Dominic insisted on. I hadn’t wanted any of this. I would have been happy being married by shifter standards, which we already were. I touched the base of my neck where a scar should have been. Well, almost married by shifter standards.

The rehearsal dinner had been tense with my parents and half of the Clan here. Bonnie had been in hot water with my father, but fortunately he cooled his jets when I explained how she had done her job to a ‘t’. Bonnie had stayed after with our motley crew. Winnie and Mazy were safe from the shifter-slave traders and decided it was the night to celebrate that, too. After the dinner our small group went up to the girls’ room. Winnie was getting frisky with Quinn; however, he wasn’t a fan of public display of affections.

Lucas, on the other hand … he had no problems with it. I was draped across Dominic’s lap, and Winnie tried to climb Quinn while Lucas had Mazy in a lip-lock that was blush inducing to even my crude mate. When Quinn wouldn’t respond to Winnie’s demands, she sprayed everyone off, determined if she wasn’t getting her mate now, no one was.

Dom had tried to follow me back into my room but the girls were staying with me to keep with the human tradition of the groom wasn’t allowed to see the bride.

“Stupid fucking tradition,” he grumbled.

I pressed my lips together, smothering the giggle that wanted to pass my lips. He had been the one who insisted on doing this. However, letting him know that might only lead to naughty punishments. Not that I was opposed, but I was trying to be the good one.

“You’ll be there right on time. No making me fucking wait. I can barely stand not being inside of you right fucking now,” Dom whispered against my lips. The sensual promise in those dark eyes made me step back.

“Don’t you even dare. You started this. Not me.”

No, all I had wanted was his mark. As if sensing where my thoughts went, his own desire tampered down, and was replaced by a cool, deceitful anger. It brewed deep in his belly.

“You’re walking on a thin line, chickadee.” Dom crowded me, the heat of his body licking against my own. Anyone else would be terrified of those reptilian slits that overtook his pupils, and the jeweled look the irises took on. Not me. Oh, big, bad Dom didn’t scare me.

“Maybe I want to cross that line.”

“You know there are people in the room, right?”

I quirked an eyebrow in a silent challenge. I resisted popping my hip out and further drawing his attention by placing my hand on it.

“Scared?”

His lips upturned and the fire grew in his eyes. Hot, feisty desire roared through him; it was the desire I remembered when we first met. Wild, uncontrollable need for each other. It hadn’t really died down—most of the time it was a simmer we ignored so we could get on with our daily lives.

“Everyone out!” Dominic commanded without taking his eyes off mine.

A delicious shiver of anticipation shook through me. I tugged my bottom lip in, slowly wetting it, thinking of what else was hot and heady for him.

“Now!”

“You don’t have to be nervous, Dom.”

“Fuck that, your body is for my eyes only.”

I shifted my legs, the tension easing a tiny bit of frustration that had built up. Those were words of love coming from him and made me want him all the more.

“Just give me your bite.”

“Fuck!” Dom took a step back, rubbing his hand over his face. And just like that our moment was shattered. He worried because I was human and he didn’t always trust his dragon side.

“I trust you, Dom … all of you.”

“We are not having this conversation right now. We were about to fuck.”

I gave him my best ‘what the heck’ look. “Dominic.”

He was truly testing my patience now.

“Dammit, Eden, I was going to surprise you tomorrow night.”

“What?”

“I was going to surprise you after our human wedding. Winnie told me use some fucking petals and shit, with candles, but really I was just going to be deep inside of you and ask.”

Tears welled in my eyes. I pounced on him, pressing my lips against his. He wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me close. My big softy … not that he would ever let me say the words. It warmed my heart that he would do this for me. And it was very much his style. I tucked my head in the crook of his neck, allowing him to just hold me.

“Thank you.”

Dom left after that, promising me that he would be waiting for me as soon as dawn broke. Since he found me … or rather was hired to kidnap me, we hadn’t been a night apart. When his friends were in trouble he always made it home back to me. The bed felt empty and my body cold without him wrapped around me. He would never admit it out loud, but he was the cuddler of the two of us.

Morning didn’t come soon enough.

Once it did, I practically rolled out of bed, dead on my feet with lack of sleep. The other girls weren’t much better. Pretty sure at one point Lucas had come to the room and Mazy slipped out for a couple minutes. I couldn’t blame them, they had just admitted their mating. They were in the heat of the mating haze.

“How are you perky right now, Winnie?” Mazy asked, sounding groggier than me.

I slipped my glasses on, and the room came into focus.

“Perky? Ha! I’m tame right now.” She was flitting around the room picking up everything and anything. She looked like she was racing toward something.

“Maybe we should call Quintin.”

“Quinn?” Winnie snapped back up, focusing on Mazy. “Nah, he is probably sleeping in for the first time in a couple weeks.”

“Come on, sweetcheeks! We gotta get you dressed and a bow on you.”

“Did she just say bow?” I asked.

“Yeah, you better run,” Mazy replied with a laugh as she went to the bathroom.

Once Mazy was done in the bathroom, Winnie ushered me in with instructions to take a shower, and not to touch my make-up. I hadn’t planned on it, and I wore very minimal make-up to begin with. I came out of the shower, wrapped in a towel when the door flew open.

Winnie attacked. She had hair products, and machines. In her other hand dangled a bag with what I wasn’t even entirely positive I knew what was in it. I found out about two hours, and a very sore butt, later that it was make-up.

“Can I go now?” I whined, starving for food and the need to move my legs. Mazy didn’t escape Winnie and her tools of torture.

We switched places, which allowed me free reign from my new friends. We were at one of the guy’s fancy mansion in the East. The boys wouldn’t tell us which it belonged to; I had a sneaking suspicion it belonged to all three of them and they recently acquired it. None of them would admit it, though.

The place was more of an estate—huge, with a rolling backyard that we set up for our “human wedding” as Dom kept referring to it. The rest of the day went too slow, dragging until the last moments that we had to get ready. My parents were invited and there was only about a half an hour before the ceremony. I didn’t think they would show.

Dominic had made it clear he wasn’t interested in a relationship with my father, and my own relationship with him became very strained. I had regular phone calls with my mom, yet my dad never asked to speak to me. And I had not asked to speak with him. His actions hurt me even if he was being an overprotective, overbearing … well, bear. Bonnie tried to get me to see the light as well, but it came right down to the fact my father hired Dominic to kidnap and scare me.

This could have been our bridge. I still hadn’t seen him.

I glanced in the full-length mirror that Winnie had “found”. I wasn’t so sure about that but she brought it and set it up. My thick, waist-length hair had been braided into an overexaggerated braid, and Winnie used fake flowers throughout the design. It was really stunning. She had fought me tooth and nail about using my contacts. I outright refused because Dominic loved my bulky black frames.

The dress was simple; silky and breathable. It fit the fairy look that Winnie had given me. As much as she hated it, I forced her to keep my make-up also at a minimum. But she had transformed me. I was a fairy sprite with ungodly good looks. I was hoping I could finally make a matching pair to Dom. A smile twitched at my lips.

Butterflies erupted in my tummy. The first time I laid eyes on him, he had been domineering, ridiculous, and I had wanted nothing more to punch him in the face. And evidently kiss him as well. But the crude, foul-mouthed man was everything for me.

I stepped away from the mirror. No, the way I looked today would never mar the fact that he was my mate.

I straightened my back; the girls had already left, dressed and ready to go. Bonnie waited for me at the entrance of my room and locked her arm around mine. We walked downstairs together. And even though I had been with Dominic in every sense of the word since we first met, this felt like a whole new beginning for us.

My heart pumped with a new speed of excitement. Today Dominic would really, truly be mine.

Chapter 2

Dominic

Today, Eden would truly be mine.

Winnie had convinced me to do this asinine plan in the first place for reasons I still couldn’t quite figure out. Before I had been so against it; Eden was mine already. My dragon knew it, I knew it, she knew it, and if anyone tried to refute it … I’d make them understand. As much as she was mine, I was a slave to her. As proven by the fact I currently stood in the most uncomfortable fucking suit ever. The tux was custom for me, which was demanded by Quinn for me to use his tailor.

I rolled my shoulders forward.

Front fucking row, Eden’s father glared at me with all the hatred of a true father. And while part of me wanted to respect that about him, the bigger asshole part of me said fuck it. The asshole had hired me to kidnap my mate. I didn’t even care that it brought us together, he had demanded her back and I refused.

Eden was mine, and today would only solidify that both in the human way and the shifter way. Eden said she didn’t need the human wedding … hell, I knew that. It was me that wanted it—I wanted her in every single possible way. I loved her so fucking much I was willing to wear a goddamn monkey suit that felt too tight.

My dragon was edgy with the bear shifter who sought to steal my mate so close. Granted, he didn’t want her the way I needed her, but he had at one point wanted to take her back. Quinn straightened his back, the movement drawing my attention to him. I breathed a little easier knowing practically the only two shifters on this planet I could call friends stood next to me. They had my back … not that I’d need any help.

My gaze roamed over our small human wedding. Eden’s side was filled with Clan members, her adoptive mother sitting next to her father. She I liked. I had met with her a couple of times when Eden and her got together for lunch. Feisty little bear that one … definitely where Eden got it from. My side had two occupants: Moss, who I had not expected to come that was for damn certain, and Carlos, an old mercenary buddy of mine who had retired from the game when he met his mate over twenty years ago. His mate was a red-head with a bad attitude that only he seemed to be able to tame. She declined the invite.

There was no heartache for me that my side was empty. I had long lost contact with any family I might have. Biological family. My brothers in arms were my family now and they stood at my side. Lucas’s eyebrow piercing flickered in the light. And if Quinn’s expensive watch glared into my eye one more time I might rip his goddamn arm off … of course then Winnie would have a fucking fit.

The crowd hushed and the music started.

I held in my snort of laughter at her choice of song to walk down the aisle to.

Bonnie, her longtime friend from the bear clan, came down first; she was dressed identically as Mazy and Winnie, who came down the aisle after her.

“When I get my hands on you, going to make you marry me.”

Eden’s long, blonde hair was down just the way I loved it. It was frilly and done in a very girly way, but fuck she looked gorgeous. Her big, black frames were around her eyes which made me smile. Those glasses were my favorite. The white dress she wore was strapless, showing off her shoulders and her bare neck. After tonight it would no longer be bare. It would have my mark. I glanced at her fingers; also bare, but not after today. No longer.

She stepped forward once the girls made it to the front.

“Everywhere on Earth you go, you’ll have me as your man.”

Her lips twitched upwards as she held my gaze during the entire song. She didn’t have eyes for anyone else and my dragon preened at the thought. She was mine.

The song was cut off when Eden joined me at the front. A nervous, sweating human, who stood at the front with Eden and I, started the human ceremony. I barely heard the words he said and I didn’t think Eden did either. Her smile was ear to ear and at one point she stuck her tongue out at me. I growled a little. The human jumped but continued on the ceremony.

“I understand you two have our own vows?”

“Yes,” Eden said.

“Go ahead.” The nervous human stepped backwards, indicating for us to speak.

“The moment I met you, it was obvious that I was going to hate you. Even when there is never a chance I will stop loving you, I know for a fact that I will end up hating you once in a while, too. And you’ve proven that over time and time again it’s okay. We will always find a way back to each other. And I am never letting you go now that I have you,” Eden said with a twinkle of mischief in her eye.

“I fucking love you.”

There was a pause. Eden’s father growled lowly but loud enough that I heard. I didn’t have pretty words for her. She knew how much she meant to me; I didn’t need to tell her when I could show her … every day for the rest of our lives.

My dick grew hard in the confining pants at the thought of showing her my devotion. Eden’s gaze dropped down and flickered back up to mine. Her eyes darkened considerably and she slowly licked her bottom lip just like she knew I fucking loved.

“Careful, little chickadee.”

“Maybe I like to play with fire.”

Like magnets our bodies were drawn together. Her hips were in my hands; the silky material of her dress had nothing on her bare flesh. Her supple hands trailed up my chest, to wrap around the back of my neck to pull me down to her lips.

Someone cleared their throat, breaking us of our moment. Eden stepped back, her cheeks flushed with her embarrassment. I gave her a wink knowing it would only annoy her that I was completely unaffected … well, I was, but by the crowd not by her.

“If I may continue,” the nervous human spoke up again.

Eden smiled. “Yes, please.”

 “If there are any that see reason why these two should not wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

“Best just to skip the silence here,” Lucas muttered under his breath. Quinn grunted, either to shut him up or in agreement it was hard to tell.

“I have reason!”

My head snapped to Eden’s father, expecting him to be standing in objection to our mating. But he was twisted in his seat as many of the other bears in his Clan. I followed their line of sight to the end of the aisle.

“Are you kidding me?” Eden’s soft outrage came from next to me.

The fucker from the fields was here. When I had dropped Eden off for my payment of kidnapping her, a second group had shown up. And this fucker was the leader of the crew.  I had dropped his ass faster than you could say, “Fuck.”

“Brady?”

“What the fuck do you want?” I growled, flashing ever growing canines. My anger rose when Eden said her ex-boyfriend’s name. The Kodiak bear shifter wasn’t huge—he was average height for a bear shifter—but his forgettable face was about to get pounded in if he didn’t leave immediately.

“Brady, I demand you go home.” Eden’s father stood up; the command of an Alpha washed over the crowd. Everyone besides my side of the wedding was affected. Brady looked hesitant but determined to stay even against his Alpha’s command.

The idiot took a step down the aisle, eyes on Eden.

“You were promised to me. I was going to be the next Alpha of our crew, but you had to go and fuck it up with this asshole.” Brady kept running his mouth and I was splitting at the seams. If he thought he had any claim on my girl, I would show him otherwise.

“Leave, Brady. You are no longer part of my crew. Any chances of you becoming an Alpha has been stripped. Get the hell out of here or he will kill you,” Eden’s father spoke again. He stood now, his anger radiating off of him, feeding my dragon’s hatred for the man down the aisle.

“She’s mine!” Brady yelled, and the veins in his neck throbbed with his anger.

Moss stood up from his place on my side of the crowd. His eyes swirled with power that matched my own. He tilted his head toward the imbecile.

I stepped forward, ready to pounce on Brady, wanting to rip his head from his shoulders. It was bad enough that he interrupted our day but now he was putting a claim on my mate. Moss took a step forward and shook his head at me. I took a step back when his unnatural eyes flashed with whatever beast resided inside of him.

Fucker was scary even if I didn’t want to admit that. Moss went farther down the aisle and Brady growled at him. The closer Moss got the more power pulsed from him. Eden tugged at my hand, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

Chapter 3

Winnie

“Oh my! Shit is about to go down!” I whispered, practically wiggling where I stood. Quinn shot me a look as if to tell me to stop but I couldn’t contain my excitement. Moss was going to kick some major ass! And Moss was more of a stick in the mud than my own mate. Loved him dearly, but Quinn could use a couple whiskeys down the gullet.

“Winifred,” Quinn hissed my name. My own cat purred at his reaction; she was way too like me sometimes and enjoyed irritating our mate. Moss walked down the aisle, looking more terrifying than any of the three men standing next to me. A shiver went down my spine as Moss seemed to get bigger the farther he walked down the aisle. Power of a dominant pressed against me, and even my good humor started to wiggle down. Yeah, Moss was a big, bad, scary dude when he needed to be. Dominic stopped trying to go after the raving idiot and stood next to his mate.

Eden was the only human in our little group and we all felt overly protective of her, even my stuffy mate. Quinn’s tiger made an appearance in his eyes a couple times while Brady yelled at the couple. I thought for sure Dominic was going to lose it when Brady tried to put a claim on Eden. The idiot eventually shut up when Moss got close enough.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” I whisper-yelled. Mazy snorted, holding back her laughter, and Quinn flashed those baby blues at me. He was pissed and his tiger was annoyed. I could see the promise of a deliciously sexy punishment coming my way later. My cat preened at thought. Her fur rubbed against my skin. Stupid boy, he should know better than to get her all riled up.

“Winifred,” he said, more sternly this time.

I stuck my tongue out at him as we watched Moss. He strode up to Brady. Brady wasn’t a small guy but he looked dwarfed by Moss’s height and width. The man had to have grown a half a foot since he walked down the aisle to shut Brady up. Brady’s face went pale and eventually he dropped his gaze to the ground and tilted his chin away, exposing his neck. Without a word, Moss steered the fool from the ceremony. Brady didn’t speak another word, his silence more grating than his string of curses and demands.

They disappeared from sight and a tiny kernel of fear popped in my belly. I would not want to be Brady right now. Nope, no way Jose.

After a few more moments of complete silence the priest cleared his throat, gathering all our attentions again. The couple finished their ceremony, and Dominic swooped Eden in his arms, placing a very possessive kiss on her lips then one on the base of her neck. She glowed with happiness even with the tiny hiccup.

I smiled at them, glad that Dominic would finally claim his mate tonight.

Reaching up, I fingered my healed scar, and Quinn noticed the movement. Of course he would. A sneaky smile tugged at the left side of his mouth. He was proud of his mark, and even when he got mad at me I knew he was proud of me. I was the free-spirit, he was the stuffy tiger. We shouldn’t work but goodness ever did we. I couldn’t imagine life without him.

The ceremony ended and the couple led us out. The ceremony had been in the later afternoon and the reception was going to be set up outside at night. We all went almost immediately to our rooms. Dom refused to let Eden go, which I couldn’t blame him. It wouldn’t be long before we had to go back to the party, but I think our guys needed to cool down.

Moss didn’t return after disposing of Brady, and Dominic’s only other guest had left almost immediately as well. Lucas sat with Mazy on his lap in one of the lounge chairs in our room. I was pretty sure the boys had put in a bit of money to buy this place last minute as a wedding location for Dom and Eden but also a little getaway for all of us. Or I preferred to think of it that way.

“Winifred, a word please.” Quinn’s breath touched the shell of my ear, making me weak in the knees. That sexy growl rumbled in his throat and I couldn’t wait to see what he wanted to talk about. I followed him out of the room. His blinding blond hair was neatly combed back; it was a bit longer than he normally kept it and I loved seeing a little wild on his otherwise perfect appearance.

“You’re annoyed with me.”

I followed him out of the door of the room us girls were using last night. He had me against the wall in a blink of the eye. It wasn’t painful but his hips pressed against mine. My lynx purred and urged me to rub against him. But with his eyes stark cold I resisted the temptation.

“I’m not annoyed, I was scared. Moss is one scary fucker and you could have drawn his attention.”

“He wouldn’t hurt a girl … hell, a fly.”

“Winifred, look at me.”

I met his gaze even though I hated the idea of doing so. He would look at me with those hesitantly worried peepers. Quinn liked to act like the calm, cool, collected guy, but I knew after everything we had been through he was overly protective of me. And admittedly … I did stupid things once in a while.

Quinn’s eyes had softened and he lifted his fingers to brush against my cheek. “I love you but, woman, you make me want to slap your ass.”

Oh I should not be as turned on by that as I am. His other hand played with the short hem of my dress. It barely touched my knees, and the warmth of his strong hand pressed against my flesh. A light tingling delight went throughout my entire body as I swayed into him.

“Quinn …”

“Winifred.”

I lifted up to capture his lips, but he pulled back last minute and swooped down to my fully exposed neck. His lips sucked on the tender flesh at the crook of my neck. My knees went weak and I gripped his biceps to hold myself up. His teeth scraped against my skin as he gently nibbled farther downwards.

Breast! Breast! Breast! My mantra from earlier definitely took a different turn now, but it definitely wasn’t any less enthusiastic.

“Seriously, Winifred?” Quinn mumbled.

Oops, said it out loud.

He pressed his forehead on my sternum, his hot breath caressing my heavy breasts. He was such a tease and would drive me bonkers if he didn’t do something soon.

“It’s our friend’s wedding, we have to join them.”

“Oh, I know you like your quickies.”

“Not with you. For you I will always take my time. Bent over that fucking couch of yours, in our bed, in the shower. Anywhere you want me, but never a quickie.”

“I love you, Quintin.” I stretched up on my toes and kissed him slowly on the lips.

Chapter 4

Quintin

Our group made our way down the stairs and outside in the back where the reception had been set up. Winifred’s dress was rumpled from our moment together out in the hallway.

Moss was a mystery. None of us really knew what his beast was, but knew you didn’t mess with him. One didn’t own a bar like his and not have some major power.

The backyard had been decorated with small white Christmas lights that were strung along the large tent that Dominic had rented for the reception only. The sky was dark and filled with stars. The bear Clan, Eden’s family, already started the party and dug into the food. It was what we had intended, the six of us were going to eat inside alone, but Eden insisted on coming out to see her family. I believed she wanted to thank her father for his part in getting her ex out of the party.

Winnie practically skipped away from me, latching her arm around Mazy and dragging her along to the food tables. Lucas went to take his seat at our table. There were differences between a normal human reception and ours. Dominic and Eden had insisted there was no need for presents or for a cake part. The organizers had left a spot open for a grassy dance floor, which I internally cringed at. The moment Winnie realized that’s what it was for she would be out there. Shaking her luscious body for all the bears here.

My tiger moved under my skin; my muscles rolled forward, tight, and burned with the desire to shift. There was a good chance she would not be dancing tonight unless it was in the privacy of our own room. My mate was too desirable and she didn’t realize what her endless curves did to any male with a pulse. But especially me.

Winnie drove me to a certain level of crazy that I wasn’t sure I enjoyed, but she was worth it. Her long hair bounced against her back in soft curls. The bridesmaid’s dress didn’t do her body justice, but clothes didn’t really suit her either. My tiger purred in pleasure at the thought of her naked with me upstairs. My dick grew tight in my pants.

Lucas snorted at me from his seat at the table.

“What?” I growled.

“You. Ya can’t take your eyes off your girl even for a second.”

“You’re not much better.”

“That I am not,” Lucas said, watching his red-headed mate as she moved down the line with Winnie.

Winnie threw her head back, her sexy neck exposed, showing off my mark. A deep, primal pride surged through me at the sight.

“Never thought we’d be here.”

“What, at Dominic’s human wedding to his human mate, that he was hired to kidnap and instead kept her?”

“Well, if you put it that way … that too. But all three of us mated. Down like dominos.”

I hummed my agreement. It had been a fast fall for all of us. It was quite like that when we met as well and decided to expand our endeavors and partner up. Not a lot of mercenaries did what we did and together we were practically impossible to beat. 

“Wonder who is next.”

“Who is next for what?” Winnie asked, joining us at our table. Still standing next to my seat near Lucas, I pulled out Winnie’s chair. She gave me a grateful look and sat down with two plates in her hands. She set one at my place and the other in front of her. I was not a fan of public displays of affection, but my tiger demanded it of me. I leaned down and nuzzled my nose against her cheek, and back to the sensitive place behind her ear. She squirmed in her seat, swatting at me.

“Don’t try to distract me! Who?”

“No one, Winifred, let it go.”

“No. Who, Lucas?”

Mazy sat next to her mate who shot me a triumphant smile. He was way too damn proud right now and it annoyed me.

“Winifred.”

“Quinn.”

I growled. I was not going to play this game with her again.

“Now, Lucas, you were saying.”

“Don’t worry about it, cher.” He winked at my mate.

My tiger lunged forward, my gaze pinning to my friend’s. He was a brawler of a bear but it was my mate and I didn’t think I could back down. He was doing it to get a rise out of me; him and Winifred together would be my downfall. They both seem to enjoy getting under my skin.

“Winnie, I think the music is supposed to start soon. You need fuel to dance the night away.” Mazy came in as peacekeeper. The little mongoose shifter was a predator in her own right, but she was smart about her attacks: quiet and cunning. I was grateful for her presence tonight.

Winifred perked up at the thought of dancing and started in on her food. I watched her as she ate, knowing that after what had happened with her ex-boyfriend she had lost some weight. She hadn’t been eating properly, and didn’t sleep as much as she should; she still had nightmares. However, she was slowly recovering. Winifred was quite good at hiding her true feelings from others, but not from me.

Catching me watching her, she started to eat with exaggerated movements, opening her mouth wider with each bite so that I could see inside. I finally dropped my sights to my own food. Under the table her hand sought out mine. I gave her a quick squeeze, reassuring her.

Winifred was far from what I had expected in a mate but she was more than I could have ever dreamt of.

Chapter 5

Mazy

Winnie continued to torture her poor mate. It was nice to be able to see her again after everything had went down with the shifter slave traders and our old manager and friend being part of it. And then Lucas and my own little adventure. Worry threaded through me and I propped my elbow up on the table. Bringing my fingertips to my lips, I considered nibbling on my nails. I hadn’t since I was a very young child and my mom had broken me of the bad habit saying that my nails needed to be strong. She was a mongoose like me and I took her advice to heart.

Thinking of my mom brought me back to my first concern right now. Mallory. My sister was still comatose in the hospital, and though Lucas was certain no one would come after her to get to me I still worried. How could I not? Lucas insisted on helping me pay back Asher, a loan shark, who had helped me with Mallory’s bills. I only let him because I knew it was the best thing for her.

“Cher.”

“Hmm …”

“Cher.”

“Huh?” I blinked, looking at Lucas who held a fork up to my face. “Oh.”

There was a bit of dessert that I had grabbed on the fork, and when I realized he was trying to feed me I opened my mouth. I took a bite, not really tasting the food.

“Mallory is safe with Apollo. Moss trained him, I trust him to protect her.”

Yes, the mercenary that Lucas said owed him a favor. Apollo was acting as her bodyguard until we got back from our trip down to New Orleans so I could met Lucas’s adoptive mother. I was excited to meet the woman who had a hand in crafting my mate into being the wonderful male he was today, but I hadn’t been away from my sister longer than a day in … well, since our parents passed.

“Moss knows him?” My mind finally processed that. The allusive, quiet, and almost terrifying bartender from the Leviathan—which was a merc bar—trained someone? That was surprising to me. He didn’t seem like the kind to take someone under their wing. Even though Moss stood on the edge of the party, honestly looking like all he was trying to do was escape, scared me. My animal shrunk with him nearby, and during the wedding my normally fiery little beast wanted to run and hide.

“Yeah, it’s how I met Apollo. He was living with Moss.”

That was interesting information.

“I’m going to run to the bathroom.” I stood up from the table. Winnie was trying to drag her reluctant mate onto the dance floor. I would normally say opposites should never attract and those two seemed like the poster children for it, but the love in his eyes was undeniable. As much as she might get on his nerves, he would do anything for her.

I glanced down at the soft brown eyes that stared up at me. His eyebrow piercing hit the light just right, which made him look like he had a twinkle of mischief brewing. And knowing my mate, he did.

“Don’t antagonize him,” I whispered, pressing my lips against his for a brief kiss.

“Me? Never, cher.”

I made a sound of disbelief in the back of my throat. I wouldn’t have long before I would have to get back and make sure Lucas didn’t do something extremely stupid. Moss had moved farther back, getting closer to the exit, but I was determined to catch him before he left.

Moss stood with his arms crossed, his gaze on the newly married couple dancing together. I joined him and stood next to him, leaving space between us. I watched Eden and Dominic dance; the love was clear on her face, with a soft smile and eyes that were bright behind her glasses. Dominic’s arm was wrapped around her waist, and he pressed his forehead down to hers.

“They are a lovely couple,” I whispered as if I could interrupt their moment even this far away. Moss didn’t respond, but I hadn’t actually ever heard him speak before either. I was curious if he had lost his tongue, but I knew he was a shifter—he would have healed from that eventually … it would have been painful, but would have healed.

I wondered if he was born mute but I suppose I would never know unless he wrote it down. That was another thing about him: he had to be intelligent, I had seen in his eyes, and he owned and ran a bar. No, Moss was a mystery I didn’t think any of us would never solve.

“My sister means everything to me. Well, besides Lucas now. But she is the only family I have left. Lucas told me that you trained Apollo. Would you trust him with someone you loved?”

Nervously, I shifted my weight as I brought my gaze to meet his. Glowing green eyes met mine. The power in those eyes scared me; my mongoose hid and demanded that I take my gaze from Moss. Slowly, the glow faded some and barely noticeably he dipped his head in a nod.

“Thank you, Moss. I appreciate your honesty.” Without a second thought on the matter, I touched his elbow and walked away. I felt the sting of his gaze until I returned to Lucas who watched us with a veiled worry in his eyes. My heart started to slow from its rapid flutter after touching Moss.

“Is he gone?” I whispered, stepping between Lucas’s legs, which he opened for me.

He tugged on my hips. His lopsided, mischievous smile made an appearance. “Ya touched Moss. I think you’re the only person who ever has and didn’t die afterwards.”

I smacked Lucas’s shoulder and left my hand there, needing the extra support. “You should have stopped me.”

“Nothing would have stopped you, mon cher.”

I sighed, and Lucas tightened his hold on my hips.

“He wouldn’t have hurt you. Moss might be a mystery to us all, but I have never seen him harm a female.”

I licked my lips and nodded, my forehead still pressed against his.

“Come on, cher. Let’s dance.”

Lucas pushed his chair back and took my hand, leading me to the dancefloor. As soon as our feet hit the green patch that was meant for dancing, Lucas swung me outwards. He spun me back to him and I carefully tucked my elbow so I didn’t get him in the chest. His hand rested causally on the small of my back as he swayed with me.

Dominic had his arms fully wrapped around his mate now; she smiled through it all and attempted to jokingly slap at the hand that dipped too low. Winnie was trying the same with Quinn, who kept grabbing her hand in his and holding it from its goal. I smothered my smile. A quiet happiness grew inside of me. So long it had been me and Mallory. Even then she was distant, and we—my parents and I—had been the cause of that. We babied her, sheltered her when she needed a bit more freedom, but it was hard to let her go when she was a latent in a shifter world. She was very human like Eden and our boys felt overly protective of her.

Quintin had asked for help from both Dominic and Lucas when he realized the danger his mate was in. Dominic immediately swept his mate away for a little “privacy”. She knew what he was doing, as did the rest of us; he wanted her safe and out of danger. If there was something he didn’t think my mate and Quinn could have handled, he would have been back to help without Eden. She’d been tucked away.

The little sprite that she was, though, I didn’t think she would ever let him get away with leaving her behind. She might be petite and human but she was raised by bears. And I was quite familiar with the fortitude of bears.

Chapter 6

Lucas

“What’s that smile for?” I tucked my chin in to get a better look at my beautiful mate. Her long red hair had been done in some sweeping up-do that I couldn’t wait to pick apart later back in our room. I loved her hair long and free flowing while she preferred messy buns, and quick ponytails. As soon as I acknowledged the smile it melted from her face. The subtle glow in her cheeks stifled. It hurt me to see her lose the bit of light in her life.

“Aww, cher.”

Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her flush to my body. I turned my chin up and set it on her head. She was normally too tall to allow me to do this, but she had hunched down to tuck her nose against my neck. She sought out my scent, her animal obviously needing reassurance.

“I want her to wake up. I want her to be able to be part of all this with us.”

She spoke of my new sister, Mallory. Claiming Mazy didn’t happen fast enough for me. We had spent far too many months dancing around each other, pulling from our animals’ desires, and in mating her I had gained more family. Ma mere had taught me the importance of family. A good portion of my money made its way back to her. She took in the shifter children who were left behind for whatever reason. Even mingled with the humans now, they couldn’t truly understand having a shifter child and what it entailed.

“She will. And you know she will always have a place with us once she does wake.”

And I meant that. Mazy’s sister was my sister now and I felt fiercely protective of the young latent shifter who was comatose and didn’t have the full use of her legs. I had an old acquaintance that had owed me a favor watching over her. Shifters took their favors very seriously … honorable ones did at least. Apollo was practically raised by Moss, who was an honorable male.

“If you don’t want to go to visit ma mere we can wait until there is news on Mallory’s condition.”

Mazy let out a disappointed sigh.

“That may be more months, and I—” Her throat clogged with emotion, stopping what she was going to say.

Rubbing my hand up and down her back, I soothed her. “She will wake. Even if I have to drag every male I see in there just to wake her, I will.”

Mazy snorted and lifted her head from the crook of my neck where she had placed her mark. I still grew hard at the very thought of her teeth marking me over and over again.

“You will not. More than likely you will find the male that might wake her from coma, then scare the living shit out of him. Probably just best to let her heal and wake on her own.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that.”

Good luck to the male who tries to mate with my new little sister. One I hadn’t officially met. Mazy and I went and visited her after all our craziness really died down, and we had spent way too long in bed. But the girl still slept on and I longed to meet my sister that my mate raved about. She told me that Mallory was quite the adventurer. I think she would do just fine in our family.

“So, to New Orleans for a short trip home, then back here? We will do everything we can to speed her recovery along, but sometimes people just need that time to heal.”

“I know. I just miss her. It was only us for so long. I’d been so lonely without her.”

“Now you have me.”

“Now I have you,” she reassured me. The song ended and Eden’s father came to the dancefloor. I tugged Mazy to the side while Dominic, Eden, and her father spoke. It was hard to truly give a shifter too much privacy, especially out in the open like now, but we tried.

Dominic was quick to anger before Eden, even now he was more action than words. I thought for sure the fool would attack her father right before the wedding but he remained still. Dominic didn’t make any moves to attack.

The trio spoke a little bit longer and Mazy was obviously listening in. I distracted myself with her beauty. It hadn’t been long since we claimed each other and my body still screamed for hers. A simple glance sometimes was all it took to get me going for her. She matched my desire; even the night before, when the boys were supposed to be separated from girls, I had come by and stolen her away.

The trio separated, drawing my attention from my mate. Eden danced with her father and the rest of us took our seats. Dominic’s shoulders were tense and surprisingly he kept silent. Even I knew when it was a bad time to rile the bastard up. Winnie looked like she was eager to start a little something but a quick, terse kiss from her mate shut her right up. Winnie actually for once looked shocked. I would have laughed if I didn’t want to keep my nuts intact.

Quinn was the oddball in our trio. Dominic and I could get along just fine with our dirty jokes and bursts of anger. Quinn was too snooty most of the times to engage in such raunchy jokes. And he was Mr. Cool and Collected, which was probably why he worked so well with us both. When it came to his mate he was a protective asshole and he didn’t like PDA. The small kiss he had given Winnie was the most possessive thing I had seen from him out in public like this. When it was just the three of us, or even when it had just been me and him saving his mate, he was very different.

The dance was short, thankfully because the power Dominic was wafting off was becoming almost unbearable to be near. Winnie had whined a bit in her throat, her animal still pretty new to this life. Quinn had moved her off to the side and it was clear once Dominic had Eden back in his arms, Quinn was taking Winnie upstairs. Looked like the party was finishing up.

Dominic went and collected Eden, possessively wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him with a smile but it was obvious she was still feeling a little off from her daddy,-daughter dance. She had been hurt by her father’s actions and him coming to the wedding had surprised us all. Then he stood up for his daughter and son-in-law.

After a few passive aggressive words were passed between the two males, Eden’s father collected his mate and they left the party. Although most of the bear clan left with their Alpha, a few lingered, saying their good-byes to Eden and Dominic. It wasn’t long before the newlywed couple took their leave. Mazy watched me.

“So what happens now?” Her question hung between us.

“Anything you want.”

She smiled, brightening my world, and calming the brawler inside of me. My bear had picked his mate perfectly.

“Guess we are going to New Orleans.”

GET CAUGHT UP

FREELANCE

A MERCENARY FOR HIRE NOVELLA

DOMINIC AND EDEN

Finally free from her overprotective shifter parents, Eden is ready to discover what it means to live like a human. However, a night out at a club brings her face-to-face with a shifter mercenary claiming she’s his mark. The human world isn’t all she’d hoped it would be, but it will take a lot more than some hitman to make her give up her freedom and go running home.

Dominic has completed every job he’s ever accepted, gaining respect and notoriety as a mercenary. He lives by his motto: Mercs don’t ask questions; money gets any job done. When he discovers his next mark is human and his mate, he realizes there might be something more important than his reputation.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Freelance-Mercenary-Shifters-Mercenaries-Hire-ebook/dp/B01M4OD3Y8

HIRED

A mercenary For Hire Novella

Quentin and Winnie

All Winifred wants is a fresh start and a way to earn the money needed to pay off an old debt. But her new job at Lucky’s gives her more than she bargained for when she accidentally interrupts a fight. With the attention of a group of slave-trading shifters suddenly on her, she knowns she needs help. Yet, accepting help from a mercenary might be just as dangerous as the slave-traders.

Quentin gets paid for his services. Protection. Hitman. Whatever the buyer wants. But when he scents curvaceous Winifred, he knows he’s in trouble, and any thought of a paid gig goes out the window. He’ll do anything it takes to keep her safe from the gang hunting her down … because no one messes with a tiger shifter’s mate.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRU1P92/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

Coming Soon

AUTHORIZED

A MERCENARY FOR HIRE NOVELLA

APOLLO AND MALLORY

After months of being in coma, Mallory is finally awake and in more danger than ever. The loan shark who had kept her alive doesn’t want payment; he wants her as his mate. Stolen mere hours after awakening, her only hope for rescue lays in a stranger’s voice, she can barely remember.

Apollo only needs to watch over the girl in the hospital bed to repay a debt. However, there’s something about her that calls to his wolf. When the girl is taken, Apollo will do anything to get her back. Sweet Mallory is his, and he isn’t letting her go without a fight.

STUFF ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Becca Vincenza lives in wonderful Michigan. She has an obsession with candy, her animals, and of course books. When she's not wearing her author hat, she's working to pay off her student loans for her acquired English degree.

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Website: https://beccavincenzaauthor.wordpress.com/ 

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