Text copyright ©2016 by the Author.

This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Three Cats, LLC. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Grayslake: More than Mated remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Three Cats, LLC, or their affiliates or licensors.

For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds

The Right Spot

by

Bianca D’Arc

Prologue

Patricia saw her boss coming down the hall and almost groaned aloud. One of the hunkiest and most powerful men in town, Van Abrams was happily mated, yet her inner bear couldn’t help but admire him. What would it be like to have a man like that?

Van wasn’t for her, of course. Both she and her hussy of a bear knew it. That didn’t mean they couldn’t drool a little when they saw him, right? She might look, but she would never—ever—touch. She was a one-man-woman. Too bad she hadn’t found that proverbial one man yet.

The sneaky bastard was probably hiding on her. Patty puffed out a sigh, aiming the air upward to flutter in the long bangs that refused to stay where she put them.

“Need a female officer along on this one, Pat,” Van called to her as he approached. “Gear up.”

Van was her superior officer in the small-but-mighty Grayslake Police Department. They’d worked together now for a few years, and of course, he was a grizzly shifter, like her. In a man, the dominance was a turn-on for pretty much every female in a fifty-mile radius, shifter and human alike. Though the humans didn’t know about shifters, they were attracted to the strength of the males, like Van, who had it going on, and those lucky boys could have their pick.

Females were a different story. The dominance of the bear was a definite turn-off for most human men, and a lot of shifter males didn’t like being challenged. Their inner beasts would come into conflict—especially when her dominance overrode the male in question. That happened a lot. Patty was too damn dominant for her own good sometimes, especially when it came to finding a little casual male company.

In fact, she’d given up on casual. Her bear was in hunting mode. Mate hunting.

“What’s the situation?” she asked Van as she tightened the equipment belt she’d been about to remove in preparation for going off-shift.

The call-out had delayed her departure, but it didn’t really matter. The only one waiting for her at home was her somewhat indifferent house cat, Mrs. Snufflepuff.

“Domestic disturbance over on Waverly Place.” Van’s answer was clipped as they headed quickly out of the station toward his patrol vehicle.

“That’s at the edge of town. We don’t get a lot of calls from out that way.”

“Yeah, one of the neighbors called it in. He’s sitting on the husband while the wife is crying hysterically. Dispatch has him holding on the line until we get there, so let’s move.”

“Roger that.” She loaded into the vehicle and he drove them off at high speed toward the edge of town.

Chapter One

Something had drawn Mario Brandon toward the town of Grayslake, Georgia. He’d learned over the years to pay attention to the little tugs and intuitions that were part of his heritage. His grandmother was a priestess of the jaguar clan, after all. Not just the local clan either, but the clan as a whole, which covered most of the South American continent. She was high up in the jaguar hierarchy, and had been for a very long time.

She made no secret that it pained her to have a half-breed grandson with a hint of her gift. Jaguars were a proud people. Too proud, sometimes.

His grandmother’s pride and disapproval had sent Mario down a road few of his people would follow, into the human world and life as an elite soldier, and then as a soldier of fortune. He’d spent years in the military, easily qualifying for Special Forces teams that others would give their left nut to join. He was a shifter, after all—even if he was only a half-breed by his grandmother’s standards.

He could become a massive, dominant jaguar, and he had all the physical attributes of any other shifter, even if his father had been human. His dad had been another displaced soldier, a long way from home.

Blonde-haired blue-eyed Wilhelm Brandon had fallen hard for Mario’s mother, the non-magical daughter of the Jaguar High Priestess. Oh, mom could shift all right. She was a full-blooded jaguar. But she hadn’t inherited her mother’s other gifts that had earned her such a high rank in the clan.

Margarita Brandon was a lovely, dark-haired Argentinean beauty who had snared the German-born Wilhelm for herself. Theirs was a love match. They’d been fated mates. As a result, their offspring could shift into the jaguar that was his mother’s legacy. Wilhelm’s contribution had been Mario’s icy blue eyes and somewhat paler complexion than his fellow countrymen. That, and his mathematical and militaristic talents, though his father had been an unwilling pawn in a war he had really wanted no part of. Still, when everything had fallen apart in Germany, he found himself on the run with the other military engineers he’d worked with, and he’d ended up in Argentina.

Wilhelm had quickly separated himself from the others. He’d never liked their goose-stepping bravado, and had not supported the unforgivable actions taken by the regime. He’d been minding his own business, quietly doing futuristic research when the Reich had come calling and forced him to work for them.

But his revolutionary ideas would never work. He’d seen to it. Nobody would ever know the sacrifices he’d made just to stay alive and keep his breakthroughs from those maniacs. No one but his Argentinean-born son would ever know Wilhelm’s deepest secrets.

Much to his grandmother’s disappointment, Mario had studied engineering in school, and loved technology, shunning the shamanistic ways she favored. The old lady had scorned him on every count while he was growing up—until the day she realized that out of all her grandchildren, he was the one who had inherited some of her more useful magical gifts.

By that time, of course, she’d managed to alienate him so badly that he’d taken off and headed out to make his own way in the world. Cats often did that sort of thing. Alpha males more than most.

And thanks to his military training and strong Alpha presence, along with the problems back home in Argentina with his grandmother, Mario had been roaming the world for a long time. He’d been feeling the urge to settle down somewhere for a while now, and when chance brought him through Georgia, he somehow felt the pull towards Grayslake.

It was a bear town, though there were a few other kinds of shifters living there. He’d done his research. He’d checked the shifter grapevine and social media. He’d even found out what he could about the Itan and Itana—the leaders of the clan.

The Itan was a dominant Alpha named Ty Abrams and his Itana was a half-werebear. Her very presence in the town meant something important to Mario. It meant he wouldn’t be run off because of his human blood. It meant this place not only accepted half-breeds, but even those who couldn’t shift, which was something he hadn’t quite expected.

Mia, the Itana, was adorable in an annoying-little-sister sort of way and it was easy to see that the bears in the clan respected her. They also respected her mate, Ty, but most liked him as well. Mario had seen many cases where the leader of a shifter group led through fear and not love. Such arrangements had always left a bad taste in Mario’s mouth and he knew places ruled by asshole Alphas weren’t for him.

Which left Grayslake. It was a nice town. It had its rough spots and its highlights, like any other place. After talking with Ty and getting his blessing to stay for a while, Mario had found a rental on the outskirts of town with enough room to run. It backed up to the forest, which was perfect for him. Mario was adept at holding the jaguar in check, but every once in a while, the cat really did need to run.

He’d moved into the small rental house on Waverly Place, expecting it to be a quiet spot where he could spend a little time figuring out what had led him to this little corner of Georgia, of all places. He’d parked himself in the backyard with a bottle of beer, taking a break from setting things up when he heard the first raised voices coming from next door.

The houses weren’t all that close together, but as a werejaguar, Mario had extra sharp hearing. The shouts escalated to screams, then the unmistakable impact of fists with flesh sounded and Mario grew concerned. If it had been two males duking it out, he would have left them be, but one of the two raised voices had been female. Someone was hitting someone else over there, and Mario feared it was the woman who was taking the beating.

That wouldn’t do.

Mario put down his beer at the first sound of impact and headed for the fence that separated their two backyards. The hedge was overgrown, but that meant nothing to him. He simply sprang over the whole thing, his inner cat allowing him to clear the hedge and fence in a single bound.

What he saw when he came around the side of the house had him cursing. The woman was on the ground, whimpering, while the male was hovering over her, getting ready to deliver another punch. Mario inhaled and immediately realized he was dealing with two bear shifters.

Great.

But his inner jaguar started screeching at him. They were stronger than the male. The bear would fall to his claws and stop hurting the defenseless female. The jaguar didn’t seem to care that the woman was also a bear. She was obviously submissive, and therefore deserving of protection.

The man raised his hand, ready to hit her again and Mario leapt forward. Not on his watch.

“Stop.” Mario injected all the dominance of his jaguar into the single word, which made the male bear shifter look up, halting the hand that had been ready to hit the woman again.

“Who the fuck are you? And what the fuck are you doing in my yard?” The bear shifter was belligerent. Drunk—or perhaps stoned—too, Mario realized as he drew closer. Fan-fucking-tastic.

“Take it down a level, bear,” Mario growled, his cat getting the better of him, its dominance issuing forth from him in a wave that had the female cowering away from him, as well as the male bear.

Unfortunately the male was so out of it, he wasn’t reacting the way he should have. That angered the jaguar. Didn’t the imbecile bear recognize its superior when it prowled close? The male bear would feel the sting of the jaguar’s claws. It wanted his submission. And his blood. Not necessarily in that order.

Mario’s cat was a bloodthirsty thing, and he’d spent a lot of time trying to come to some understanding with his beast half. He’s tried to explain that they couldn’t just go around killing everyone that annoyed him. If they did that, there’d be few people left, and he’d be hunted, instead of the hunter.

The cat scoffed at him inside his own mind. It didn’t care for human rules. Human laws merely amused the cat, who saw such things as being made for lesser beings than himself. Mario had always felt the struggle between the natural superior attitude of his cat and his human side. The violence was something he’d had to learn how to channel too.

It was what had driven him into the military. At least in that atmosphere, violence—under controlled circumstances—was encouraged. Mario had excelled in the strict military environment. On the outside? Not so much. The jaguar fought him at every turn lately, it seemed.

Like right now. The cat wanted the other male dead, though Mario realized killing his next door neighbor on the first day in his new rental would probably be frowned upon.

“Step away from the woman.” Mario tried again, moving closer to the couple.

Now the man seemed to realize he was facing a real threat. He stepped around the woman and faced Mario as if he was going to try fighting him. Yeah, right. The drunken fool could barely stand on his own two feet. He was swaying even as Mario stepped closer.

Then he saw the glint of polished steel come between them. Stupid bear was faster than he looked. And he had a knife. That was cheating. The cat inside him sniffed in disdain.

A quick forward strike and the knife went skittering away, into the bushes. Another swipe with the blade of his hand and the man was off balance, falling forward. Mario caught him by the throat, cutting off his air, his inner cat lending him the strength to push the big bastard up against the side of the house, lifting him into the air by at least two feet. Mario was a tall man with powerful arms. The drunk bear shifter didn’t stand a chance.

Now his dominance came off him in waves and real fear entered the bear shifter’s eyes as he realized his position. The cat could—and wanted to—snap the weaker male’s neck. The cat disdained the weakness it saw in the drunken male’s behavior. The cat had class and it always treated the ladies with respect. It angered the jaguar to see the woman cowering on the grass, bruised, bloody, and black and blue from previous beatings.

That would not do.

Mario frowned at the man. “Is she your mate?”

The man couldn’t answer, of course. He was in the middle of choking, with Mario’s fingers wrapped tight around his throat. But Mario didn’t care. He waited until he saw the light dim in the male’s eyes as he lost consciousness from lack of air. Then he dropped the man to the ground, not really caring how he landed.

Mario turned to the woman, but she was absolutely hysterical at this point. She was showing every submissive sign known to shifters, baring her neck and showing her belly. It seemed like she didn’t know what to do to appease the big, bad kitty that had sprayed his dominance all over her backyard.

Well. There was nothing Mario could do about that now. He was who he was and if this female wasn’t strong enough to deal with his show of strength, then he’d get help for her. His protective instincts ran deep and he sighed as he reached for the cell phone on his belt.

He kept both bear shifters in sight as he dialed 911 and talked to the nice lady on the other end of the line. He described the situation and followed instructions, staying on the line while the dispatcher sent a police unit over.

He would rather have been relaxing in his rented backyard right about now, with the nearly full bottle of beer he’d left behind, but he couldn’t leave the woman to fend for herself with the drunken jackass. Mario had frightened her. He’d have to find someone who could help her calm down. Maybe that would let his fur settle.

He gave his information to the lady on the phone and settled down to wait.

Chapter Two

Patty felt a lump of dread hit her the moment she stepped out of the patrol car. She recognized the scent of someone she knew. A member of her family. The scent was unmistakable.

And then she heard the sobbing.

“Sonuva…” she whispered, her professional coolness disappearing for a moment under the stress of finally discovering what had become of her little sister. She took off running toward the side yard.

“Pat!”

Van’s voice came to her, but there was no way even the Enforcer of the Grayslake clan could keep her from running to her sister’s side. A lesser bear would have fallen to the ground under his dominant power, but not Patty. Not when her sister was in trouble. No way, Jose.

She rounded the side of the house at full speed only to stop short. The scene before her was…confusing, at first.

Greg was passed out on the ground next to the house, and Maryann—sweet, baby, couldn’t-hurt-a-fly Maryann—was near the fence, also on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. A strange man stood behind the couple, near the back of the house, cell phone to his ear as he spoke to the dispatcher.

She felt Van come up behind her and heard him cussing under his breath as he too, took in the scene. Van radioed in that they’d made contact and she saw the stranger confirm their arrival with dispatch before he ended the call. At least somebody was still thinking clearly.

“Maryann?” Patty whispered, approaching the sobbing, bleeding woman on the ground. “Baby? It’s Patty.” She knelt on the ground, knowing Van was talking with the stranger, taking control of the rest of this sad tableau. She crooned to her baby sister the way she used to do when they were kids, and as soon as Van and the other man backed off a few yards, Maryann started to uncurl.

“Patty?” The broken whisper almost broke Patty’s heart. She went to her sister, opening her arms and allowing her submissive little sister to decide whether or not she wanted a hug.

“I’m here, little bug. I’ll take care of everything. Are you okay?” Patty held firm when Maryann launched herself into Patty’s arms, trembling and crying.

“Oh, Patty. He wouldn’t let me call you. He wouldn’t let me go.”

Maryann was babbling, but the overall theme was that Greg had pretty much held her prisoner. Which Patty knew wouldn’t be hard to do with a bear as shy and submissive as Maryann’s was. Patty had spent her youth protecting her little sister, who was the natural target of bullies and bigger bears because of her sweet nature and nervous tendencies.

Patty let her cry for a few minutes, to release some of her anxiety, but eventually, she knew, they’d have to start moving. Maryann wasn’t staying here. Not if Patty had anything to say about it.

And she’d been hurt. Her bear had probably started the healing already, but Patty needed to know the full extent of her sister’s injuries, in case there was something that needed professional help.

Maryann had been delicate since a childhood incident had traumatized her so badly that her inner bear stopped talking to her. If not for Patty acting as her protector all through their youth, Maryann might not have made it. Not with the way the cubs fought for dominance as they aged. Maryann wouldn’t have stood a chance if Patty hadn’t been so very dominant herself. Everybody who knew them knew that if anyone so much as touched a single hair on Maryann’s head, Patty would rip them apart.

Patty eased away, sensing Maryann was calming little by little. She had to know how badly Maryann was hurt.

“Can you stand, sweetie?” Patty’s tone was gentle. She knew her sister better than anyone, which was why she’d been so hurt when Maryann had basically run away.

She was a grown woman. At twenty-one, she was entitled to go anywhere she wanted—a fact she’d reminded Patty of repeatedly in her goodbye letter. Patty had been glad of her sister’s bid for independence, but now she kicked herself for not tracking her down right away. This wasn’t the outcome she would have ever wanted for her baby sister.

But Patty would fix things. First, she’d make sure Maryann was all right. Then she’d kill Greg. Her bear growled in approval.

Maryann gathered her strength and with Patty’s help, was able to get to her feet. Patty took a good long look at her then, noting the faded black and blue marks. There seemed to be layers of them, all over Maryann’s arms, disappearing up under the sleeves of her shirt. Patty grew even more furious thinking about the hidden bruises and what must’ve been going on—and for how long—for Maryann to still be wearing this much discoloration.

Normally, her bear would have healed her in short order, but it was pretty obvious the bear was having a hard time keeping up with the repeated damage. Patty’s blood was about ready to boil. She looked over at the filth passed out on the ground by the house and wished she dared leave Maryann alone for a few minutes so she could rid the planet of Greg once and for all.

“Officer Montone.” Van’s voice, rippling with authority, made her snap her attention to her boss. Van Abrams was walking toward her, the stranger at his side.

Now that she got a better look at him, she could see he was a tall drink of water, cut very much of the same cloth as her sexy boss. And this one wasn’t mated. At least…he didn’t seem mated.

The stranger was every inch the dominant male as Van, but different. For one thing, he wasn’t a bear. Some kind of cat, she thought, sniffing the air delicately. But strong. Very, very strong.

Maryann was trembling again. Shit.

“Hey guys, you want to tone it down a bit? Baby sis is…uh…” She didn’t want to say it out loud and hurt Maryann’s feelings, but she would if she had to.

Van came right over and bent down a bit to meet Maryann’s gaze. “Hey, sweet pea…” He used the childhood nickname the Abrams boys had come up with for the shy young bear they’d helped keep out of trouble. Patty had found good allies in the older Abrams boys. They’d helped protect her sister on occasion, which had fostered a lifelong friendship.

But Maryann could just barely meet his gaze. Her head was tilted to the side, her neck bared in submission and Van sighed. His gaze shot to Patty’s as he shrugged and she knew he was withholding the full extent of his anger at Greg.

“Officer Montone,” he tried again. “Why don’t you take Miss Montone back to the station. I think the Itan needs to see her for himself.” Patty knew Ty would need to see Maryann’s bruises in order to pass judgment on Greg.

Good.

The sooner that piece of shit in a man suit was dealt with, the better. And Patty would be petitioning the Itan and the Enforcer for the right to personally tear Greg to itty bitty ribbons. Her bear felt satisfaction at the mere thought of it.

“What about—?” She began to ask how he was going to get back to the station, but he cut her off.

“Mr. Brandon is going to give us a ride so that he can make his statement.” Van looked at the stranger and Patty looked up at the other man once more, this time, meeting his gaze.

Emerald green flared in his eyes for a brief moment, his inner cat shining through. She felt her own shift begin, her eyes taking on the bear’s aspect as their animals met and evaluated each other.

Damn. The man was potent. And every inch the dominant Alpha. She wondered what kind of slinky four-legged fiend he was. She’d have to read up on cat clans once everything settled down. She’d never been much interested in other shifter groups before, but then, she hadn’t met him before either.

Her bear began to take inventory of him. Tall. Wide shoulders. Lean muscles. Sleek build, but obvious strength. Sexy, ice blue eyes in his human form, though the cat brought out a luscious emerald green. Black hair with a slight, sexy wave to it. She wanted to run her fingers through that hair. She wanted to clutch it as he drove into her body over and over…

Holy moly. She had to get her mind off the sexy cat and back on business before her boss realized she was having hot fantasies about the stranger.

What was she thinking? Her baby sister was standing next to her, bruised and bloody and she was ogling some foreign hottie?

Patty shook her head slightly and noticed the stranger’s sly smile. Did he realize? Oh, crap. He’d caught her staring. Great.

“Thanks, Enforcer. We’ll see you back at the station then.” She held up one hand and Van threw the keys to her.

Putting her attention strictly on her sister, Patty helped Maryann walk slowly toward the front of the house and the patrol car. It was time to take care of business. Her contemplation of the sexy cat could wait.

Chapter Three

Patty held her tongue as she drove her traumatized sister to the station. She kept a vigilant eye on the way her sister moved and held herself. As she calmed, she seemed to be mostly all right. The small cut on her face—probably from Greg’s fist hitting her jaw—had already stopped bleeding and was well on its way to healing as Maryann’s inner bear helped patch her up.

“Are you sure you don’t need to see the healer? I can call him and we can stop there before we go to the station,” Patty offered gently.

“No. I’m fine. Just banged up,” Maryann said in a voice so soft, Patty had to strain to hear it.

“Bug, you’re going to have to talk to the Itan. He needs to hear what happened from your own mouth. Can you do that?” She glanced over and saw her sister shiver, but at the same time, a new sort of courage seemed to stiffen her spine. Maybe her experiences had strengthened her in some way?

Patty hated to think what must have been going on these past weeks for her timid little sister to have such a determined look in her eye. She’d never looked quite that…battle-worn…before in her life.

Patty was concerned, but by the same token, if her baby sis could take something good away from this awful experience, then maybe it wouldn’t have all been for naught. Oh, Patty would still like to bathe in Greg’s blood, but she might give him a quicker, more merciful death.

Her bear didn’t like the sound of that, but Patty soothed her inner bear, promising there would be justice. Her bear had a strong protective streak and a solid sense of justice. It liked the J-word because it meant assholes got what was coming to them. Oh yeah, Patty took delight in helping achieve justice for those that would try to harm their weaker neighbors. It was probably the best part of her job, and what had drawn her to becoming a cop in the first place.

“I can talk to the Itan. You’re right. He needs to know about Greg.” Maryann seemed to lose some of her newfound spine. “Patty, Greg wasn’t telling the truth about anything. He’s involved with criminals.”

Maryann was shocked by this? Patty wanted to roll her eyes, but she held back the impulse. She’d never disparage her sister. Especially not when she was in such a bad way. No, the lecturing could wait until Patty knew the full extent of what had happened, Greg was dead, and Maryann was feeling better.

“Bug, Greg wasn’t a good choice for your first bid for freedom. He’s always struck me as a little shady.” Okay, maybe the lectures couldn’t wait, but Patty tried to be nice about it.

“You’ve always been a better judge of character than I have,” Maryann said, her voice sad. “I wish I’d listened to you about Greg.”

There was no point in saying I told you so and rubbing salt in Maryann’s wounds. It was enough that she realized her mistake.

“It’s okay, Bug. You’re safe now and Greg won’t ever hurt you again.”

“You sound so sure.”

Patty didn’t want to tell her softhearted little sister what Patty was going to do with Greg the minute she got the go-ahead. She grunted and tried to think what would be most reassuring.

“The Itan will take care of it.” There. That ought to work. Ty was notoriously protective of females and cubs. And he was a big fan of justice too. “Just tell him everything you know and leave nothing out, even if it seems embarrassing. He needs to know so he can make a good judgment.”

“Okay.” Maryann’s voice was brittle again as she rested her head against the side of the car, baring her neck in what had to be an unconscious gesture of submission.

Even though Patty was way more dominant than Maryann, she’d never demanded any sort of submission from her sister. The thought of it made her bear sit up in distress. Maryann was theirs. She was family. She was to be protected like a little cub, no matter how old she was.

On that, Patty and her inner bear agreed wholeheartedly. Everyone else could bare their neck before her. All the weaker bears, at least. But never Maryann.

And there were precious few bears in Grayslake that could make Patty’s bear show any kind of submission. The Abrams boys were just about the only ones. They had her bear’s respect and obedience, and always had.

Patty pulled into the parking lot and drove around to the back door of the station. She would escort Maryann in the back way, providing her a little bit more privacy. Her clothing was bloody and she looked pretty bad—her hair all over the place and her skin bearing multiple layers of bruises. Patty would get her cleaned up before they left the station, but Ty needed to see Maryann the way she was now. He needed the full picture in order to pass judgment.

“After you meet with Ty, you can use the female officer’s locker room. There aren’t too many of us, so you’ll have the place to yourself. There’s a shower back there and I have extra clothing in my locker you can use. Then you can come back to my place, okay?” Patty had it all planned out.

“I’d like a shower,” Maryann admitted as she followed Patty into the station.

Ty was waiting for them. The big man tensed as he got a look at Maryann.

“Aw, sweet pea, what happened to you?” Ty’s gruff voice was filled with brotherly concern and his bear’s immense power enveloped both of the Montone sisters.

Maryann sniffled and went toward him when he motioned her to follow him into his office. Ty very firmly shut the door on Patty, but she understood. He needed to question Maryann without anyone’s influence.

Patty sighed and prepared to stand watch outside the Itan’s office door.

Mario didn’t mind giving the deputy a ride back to the station. He drove a pickup truck these days, so the prisoner was trussed up in the bed, handcuffed and cussing the whole way. A growl from the deputy every once in a while shut the drunken bear right up, which came in handy as they neared the heart of town. It wouldn’t do for the human residents of Grayslake to find out about the bear shifters living among them because of a drunken fool.

The deputy instructed Mario to drive around to the back of the station, to the private lot reserved for official use. Mario saw the patrol car the pretty bear officer had driven away in, and parked right beside it. The deputy hustled the prisoner out of Mario’s truck bed and ushered them both into the back door of the station.

Mario had been in the building only once before. He’d arranged a meeting with the sheriff—who was also the Itan of the local bear clan—when he’d come to town, as was proper for a non-affiliated shifter entering a clan’s declared territory. He’d gotten the Itan’s permission to stick around for a while in Grayslake while they both got to take the measure of the other.

Mario had liked the Itan and respected his power, though his inner cat knew it was superior. Of course, the jaguar had a tendency to think it was superior to everyone and everything, the snobbish brute. But in this case, it had been wary around the bear, and respectful. Here was a close contender in dominance, and the cat settled down and behaved, allowing the humans to come to an understanding.

As he walked into the station from the back, Mario recognized the layout, even though he’d never seen it from this angle before. The door to Ty’s office was closed and the pretty female bear was pacing outside. Guard duty? Nah. Probably not. She looked anxious, which didn’t sit right with Mario.

As soon as Van ushered their prisoner past her, she stilled, growling low as she gave the other bear a death glare. Mario felt his dick start to harden. Whoa.

For a she-bear? Really? But there was no disputing he found the woman’s fierce spirit a definite turn-on.

Van pushed the prisoner past her and said a few words that held her at bay, though Mario was just far enough away to not be able to hear. Van turned toward him then, and raised his voice a notch.

“I’m going to put him in a cell,” Van said, referring to the prisoner. “Wait here for a minute. I’m sure Ty will want to speak to you.”

Mario waved in agreement. “No problem, deputy.” There was a bench seat along the wall, so he settled in to wait, wanting to be in the female’s presence, but present a non-confrontational pose. The jaguar was stalking her, though she probably didn’t realize it. And sitting would hide the boner, even if it was majorly uncomfortable.

He felt the she-bear’s attention settle on him. She wasn’t showing her anxiety, though he’d bet it was still there. From what he’d observed, the battered woman was the female officer’s little sister. If big sis was pacing a vigil outside the Itan’s door, the little sister was probably being interviewed by the clan leader. The cat liked how concerned the she-bear was for her weaker family member. She was strong, but she had compassion. That was a good combination for a mate.

Whoa. Why in the world was his cat thinking mate so fast? The damned finicky thing had looked at pretty women the world over and sniffed in disdain at each and every one. But he hadn’t even talked to this woman yet and already the cat was ready to pounce and claim. What the…?

“Thank you for calling in the disturbance,” the female officer said, finally, walking a pace closer to him. “As you probably realize, the victim is my sister, and before today, I thought she was off on her first real adventure away from home.”

Much to his surprise, the woman sat on the other end of the bench and sighed heavily, relaxing in his presence. Was her bear that comfortable around him that it would allow her to stand down her vigil? Or was she that upset that any halfway friendly face would have elicited the same reaction? Mario wasn’t sure, but either way, he liked that she’d unbent enough to sit next to him.

“Let me guess. She didn’t tell you where she was going.” He wanted to coax her into a better mood and help relieve the anxiety she refused to let others see.

“She claimed I was too overprotective.” She rolled her eyes and Mario had to smile. “I’m Patricia Montone, by the way. I’m indebted to you for helping my sister.”

She held out her hand and he reached across the few feet that separated them to grasp it. Electric sparks flew when they touched and his inner jaguar sat up and purred its interest. His gaze met hers for a timeless moment and he could see she was affected by their touch as well.

A human ended the moment by walking past, shuffling papers on his way out the back door. Mario let her go, realizing they were in a public place, with humans as well as shifters around.

“I’m Mario Brandon.”

Chapter Four

Oh. Patty’s bear liked the way his lightly accented words flowed over her senses. Now that she had a moment to look, she realized this werecat was one of the sexiest men she’d ever met. And that included every last sexy bear in Grayslake and beyond. She wondered idly if that was a cat thing or if Mario was special.

The tingles still running up her arm from the light contact of his hand on hers told her it was him. He was special. Special to her.

No. Way.

“If you don’t mind my asking, where are you from, Mario? I like your accent.” She had to get herself back on track here. No drooling. Absolutely, no drooling!

“I was born in Argentina.” She liked the way he said the name of the country. The way a native would. Not the way an American said it. Sexy. “But I left there many years ago. Until recently, I was what you might call a soldier of fortune.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Does Ty know?” Surely the Itan would want to know if a professional soldier—especially a mercenary—came to town.

“Yes, he knows. I don’t hide who I am or what I was, though I don’t go around telling just anybody.” His arm rested across the back of the long bench as he swiveled to face her.

“Then why did you tell me?” Her eyes narrowed. What was his game?

“Because I believe in honesty with the woman I intend to pursue.”

Her breath caught. For once her inner bear was silent, clearly as stunned as the human half of her.

“Pursue?” she repeated, unable to really form a sentence after such a pronouncement.

“You are a beautiful, strong woman. Surely you have had many admirers in the past, no?” He scooched a little closer on the wooden bench as she sat motionless, watching him warily. “You are unmated. Lovely. And I want to be open with you. I’m very interested in getting to know you, Patricia.”

What? Wait… What?

The strength of Patty’s personality—and her bear—scared off most everyone she knew. Was this foreign cat really interested, or was this some sick joke? She sniffed the air around him. He didn’t scent of malice. No. He smelled…interested. Aroused?

Her eyes flicked to his crotch and even though he sat, she could make out the bulge against the soft canvas of his well-worn black BDUs. Whoa, momma. He was packing. And it was for her?

She sniffed again, calling on her inner bear’s knowledge of scents. Was he trying to trick her? The bear said no. But then… What in the world?

He scooched closer again and lifted her hand with his. The tingles came again, more intense this time.

“I’m serious, Patricia. I would like to take you to dinner, or just be with you, to talk. To get to know each other better.” His voice dropped lower, so that only she would hear his words. “My animal recognized the strength in you as a possible match to itself. I know we’re not the same, but I’ve never been more serious about wanting to investigate a very intriguing possibility.”

He was so mysterious. So sexy. So…Latin. Ay, caramba. She was falling for his Latin lover routine. Hook, line and sinker.

Much as she didn’t want to, she pulled her hand free from his and stood. Van was coming down the hallway and she had to get herself together before the other bear recognized her confusion.

Van was looking through some papers and stopped when he reached her. He glanced from her to Mario and back again, but made no comment other than to nod at Mario in greeting.

“Thanks again for your help, Mr. Brandon.” Van held out a hand to shake and Mario stood, reaching past Patty to return the gesture.

“No problem, and call me Mario.” Patty was relieved when the handshake ended and Mario’s warmth retreated. Wasn’t she?

“Ty says you’re planning to stay for a while.” Van phrased the statement as a question.

“Yeah, for a while. I’m renting the place on Waverly for a couple of months at least,” Mario replied, surprising her. She hadn’t realized the foreign shifter was going to be in town that long. Maybe he was serious about pursuing her.

She wasn’t sure what to think about that. Was he after a short-term hookup? Or was the cat looking for something more permanent? Dare she take the chance to find out?

“Well, we can get your statement down and then you can go,” Van shuffled through the forms in his hands. “And Pat, you stay away from Greg for now.”

Her bear wanted to growl, but Van was one of the few people it would listen to. It understood—for now—that the Itan had to pass judgment. Patty was confident that Ty would do the right thing. She had faith in his sense of justice.

She nodded her agreement, but didn’t reply. It was enough. Van nodded back.

“You might as well take some time off to help keep an eye on Maryann. I think she needs you more than we do for the moment, and you’ve got a lot of personal time stacked up. Probably a good reason to use some of it,” Van observed.

“Thanks, Enforcer.” She used his clan title since nobody else could hear them. No human, at least.

“If you need any help with her, you know where to find me.” Van turned back to Mario after a brief, sympathetic look. “How about we finish up this paperwork so you can be on your way?”

Mario followed the deputy down the hall, though it really seemed like he wanted to stay. He didn’t embarrass her in front of her superior officer though, which counted in his favor, though she sensed he wanted to say something that would tip Van off to the nature of what they’d been discussing when the deputy walked up.

Patty breathed a sigh of relief. Close one. The last thing she needed was to become the subject of gossip within the clan. Been there. Done that. Fuck you very much.

It made her bear bristle and her human side want to scream when she thought about all those old-biddy bears talking trash about her. Just because she could probably take every last one of them in a fair fight, they thought she was made of stone or something. Well…she wasn’t. She had a heart too, and it got hurt, just like everyone else’s. She just did her best not to let it show.

She would not show weakness. Not to any of them. Not ever.

And there was the whole problem with her dating history summed up in one short, sad sentence. The guys she’d dated in the past… They all wanted a damsel to rescue or support or…whatever. Well, Patty wasn’t anybody’s damsel in distress. If she had a problem, by golly, she solved it.

The chauvinist bears around here didn’t like that one bit. Then again, most men probably wouldn’t like a woman who was more dominant than they were—unless they were into some kinky dominatrix stuff, which wasn’t her scene either.

She just wanted a good, strong man who didn’t mind that she was strong too. Her bear wouldn’t roll over for just anyone. Which was why the furry little hussy’s response to Mario was so surprising.

Maybe she would go out to dinner with him. If he asked again, that is.

But she had to get her sister squared away first. As the door opened to Ty’s office and the Itan escorted Maryann out, his grim expression spoke volumes.

“Take her home and sort her out,” he ordered gruffly. “Leave Greg to me.”

“Really?” She put her hands on her hips and looked Ty straight in the eye.

It wasn’t often she found the guts to challenge the Itan. In fact, she’d never done so before, but this was a special case. This was about her sister and that scum of a bear who had beaten her. Patty’s inner bear wanted revenge. She wanted it bad.

Ty took a deep breath, a growl imminent as he looked hard at her. The power of the Itan washed over her and made her want to back down, but then she looked at Maryann and her bear got mad all over again. Nobody touched Maryann that way and lived to tell the tale.

But Ty wasn’t backing down either and his dominance was hard to stand up to. He stepped closer and she wanted desperately to bare her neck and show submission, which wasn’t something she did for just any bear.

“Don’t you trust me to do right by you and Maryann?” Ty’s voice was low, edged with the rumble of his bear. Apparently the Itan didn’t like being challenged. Hmph.

Then she thought about his words. Really thought about them, and deflated. She showed the proper respect, tilting her head to the side and allowing Ty’s dominance to wash over her bear and quiet the rebellious she-demon within.

“You’re right,” she admitted. “Of course I trust you, Ty. Just… Forgive me.” She dropped her gaze to the floor.

Ty stepped closer and she hoped she’d said the right thing. He sighed again, but this time it was a weary sound.

“It pains me probably about as much as it does you to see her like that,” he said softly, for her ears alone. “I’ll take care of Greg. You take care of your sister.”

Chapter Five

Before too much longer, Maryann was back at Patty’s house, ensconced in a bubble bath Patty had drawn for her little sister. Soaking away the dirt and healing bruises was one thing. Too bad the memories couldn’t be as easily dealt with.

Their mother and father were both gone now, but Aunt Suzy lived right around the corner, and Patty knew she could count on their aunt to help Maryann. Patty couldn’t do it alone. She had to sleep sometime, and there was some truth to the adage that there was safety in numbers. Plus, Suzy was the closest thing they had to a mother now, and she doted on both sisters. She’d want to know what was going on with Maryann.

Patty picked up the phone and steeled herself to break the news to their aunt. This wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.

Sure enough, after Patty explained about Maryann’s circumstances, Aunt Suzy was on her way over. An hour later, she was firmly ensconced in Patty’s kitchen, making her world famous chicken soup. She’d fussed over Maryann and put her to bed with the remote control and one of her favorite movies on the TV, then come out and began to raid Patty’s refrigerator and pantry shelves. It looked like Aunt Suzy was settling in for the duration.

And indeed, Patty’s house was full-up that night, Aunt Suzy tucking the roll-away bed Patty kept for emergencies into the guest room, right next to Maryann. Even Patty’s cat, Mrs. Snufflepuff, joined their little sleepover, curling up on the foot of Maryann’s bed.

They were having a good time watching old movies and eating popcorn when Patty finally succumbed to her long day. She would’ve liked to hang with them, but her body wouldn’t go another inch without some sleep.

The next morning when Patty woke up, refreshed and rested, she found Aunt Suzy in the kitchen, baking.

“How did she do last night?” Patty asked, kissing her aunt on the cheek as she reached for the coffee pot.

“We watched a few movies. Talked a bit.” Aunt Suzy put a pan of biscuits in the oven as Patty stilled. She followed her aunt to the table, sitting across from her. “She went off with Greg, thinking they were going to have a romantic vacation in Mexico, by the beach. Instead, they ended up in the desert with a bunch of human drug dealers and he’d volunteered her to smuggle heroin across the border.”

Patty put her mug down carefully on the table so she wouldn’t shatter it. Anger welled up in her, along with disgust and sympathy for her gullible little sister. Greg had preyed on the weakest bear in the clan to do his dirty work. The bastard.

“She didn’t tell the Itan everything,” Suzy went on, catching Patty’s attention.

“She didn’t?”

No way would Maryann have been able to stand under Ty’s dominance. She should’ve spilled her guts to him. Then again, Ty had been holding back, Patty remembered, not wanting to scare Maryann.

“She broke federal laws, Patty. She was afraid she’d end up in jail. She didn’t tell Ty about carrying the drugs across the border, only that Greg had lied to her about the vacation.”

Patty sat back in her chair, considering. Her bear was feeling protective of her sister, whom it still saw as a fragile cub. It insisted that they would protect their sister bear. As always.

“Give her a few days. She was hurt bad by Greg. As long as he’s locked up and facing the Itan’s justice, she can heal. We’ll cross the bridge about the drugs when we get to it.”

“Where are the drugs? Did they deliver them to the dealers on this side of the border?”

“She wouldn’t tell me.” Aunt Suzy shrugged and rose as both of them heard the guest room door open.

Maryann was awake and further discussion would have to wait. Patty didn’t want to push or browbeat her sister into talking to her. She would open up when she was ready. Patty just had to try to be patient, which wasn’t something she was normally good at. But for her baby sister? She’d figure it out.

They ate breakfast and then Maryann went back to her room. Patty could hear her take a shower and then moving around in the guest room. Eventually, she heard the television come on and the bed springs squeak as Maryann went back to bed. She was still sore and healing. Patty would give her the space to do it properly.

Aunt Suzy went out to the store to get groceries. Patty looked forward to her aunt’s cooking and was glad the older lady had agreed to stay on and help out. They were all that was left of their family now, and it was good when they were all together.

The phone rang and Patty dove across the couch for it, in case Maryann had fallen asleep.

“Hello?”

“I like the way you answer the phone, breathless for me.”

Instant butterflies sprouted in her midsection on hearing that sexy Latin purr.

“Mario?” How in the world did he get her number? She hadn’t given it to him, and it wasn’t listed.

“I hope you don’t mind. Deputy Abrams gave me your number. I was concerned about your sister, and of course, I wanted to talk to you again.”

His lightly accented voice was doing things to her insides that were probably illegal in some states. The man ought to have to wear a label. Warning: May cause intense, immediate, sexual desire. Proceed with caution.

“Maryann is recovering. Sleeping now, I think. I’ll tell her you were asking.”

Was her voice still a little breathless? Was it from running to catch the phone or was it because of the dangerous man on the other end of the line?

“And you? How are you doing, my little osito?” Whoa, momma. The cat was getting playful and her inner bear sat up and wanted nothing more than to join in the fun.

“Did you just call me a teddy bear?” Her knowledge of Spanish was somewhat limited, but she thought she knew that word.

“Soft, cute and adorable? Yes. That’s how you seem to me.”

Her breath caught. That was the nicest thing any man had ever said to her.

“You do realize you’re talking to an Alpha female who scares off most of the men in her own clan, right?”

She had to be a realist. The cat was flirting with her, but to what end? Did he not understand her place in the clan or her place in the hierarchy? She would hate to get her hopes up only to have him realize he’d been misinformed about her.

“Then the men in your clan are fools,” he said, with less charm and more honesty than she expected in his voice. “And I’m glad.” She frowned, though the smile on her lips wouldn’t go away. “Because that means you’re still available for me to court.” His answer made her knees feel weak.

“Court?” she repeated the old-fashioned word.

“Yes, querida. A courtship is what I propose. Starting with dinner tonight, if you’re free.”

“Uh…”

She hesitated for a couple of different reasons. First, she wasn’t sure if she should leave her sister just yet. And also, she didn’t completely trust that this was real. Why would a sexy man like Mario be interested in her?

“Say yes, mi osito. You know you want to.”

Chapter Six

Mario picked Patty up at her place, which turned out to be a little house complete with a white picket fence. While it was clear the house was older, the grounds and garden were well kept and the house was in decent repair, from what he could see. Mario didn’t go inside. He wasn’t there long enough. He just rang the bell and Patty appeared at the door, a vision of feminine beauty that stole his breath.

They exchanged pleasantries and he did his best to keep things light while they drove to the restaurant that had been recommended by Van Abrams. The deputy had been surprised when Mario asked for a way to contact Patty, then realization had dawned when Mario asked about fine dining in Grayslake. Van had looked him over, then seemed to come to a decision as he scribbled Patty’s number and the name of the restaurant on a slip of paper.

He handed it over with a warning not to play around with Patty’s heart. Mario soothed his inner jaguar at the challenge from the bear, knowing Van was just being protective of his coworker. In a way, Mario was glad to see the very real concern in Van’s warning. It was good to know that at least some of her clan members respected and cared for Patty’s wellbeing.

He kept things light on the drive and while they were ushered to their seats in one of the town’s nicest restaurants. Van had steered him right, judging by the look of the place. Cloth napkins, subtle piano music in the background and an intimate atmosphere. Just what he had been hoping for.

They sat and talked of different things. She asked him his thoughts on Grayslake and he was happy to make small talk while they got to know each other a bit, and became comfortable in each other’s presence. He didn’t want to rush things any more than he already was. Their human sides had to be comfortable, as did their wild natures.

He fully intended to move the courtship along at a rapid pace, but he could take a few minutes to just be around her and learn the cadence of her conversation before he got into the really interesting stuff.

They ordered and worked their way into deeper conversation gradually. She asked him a bit about his travels and all the different places he’d been. He told her a few anecdotes from his adventures abroad, though he didn’t go into any specifics. A lot of the operations he’d been part of were still secret and it didn’t make for polite dinner conversation anyway. Still, he was able to tell  her about some of the lighter parts of his life to date and she seemed to respond well.

So well, in fact, that he felt he could move the courtship forward and ask her something that had been on his mind since he first saw her yesterday.

“Forgive the question, but your sister doesn’t seem very much like you.”

“The dominance thing?” Patty shrugged, her expression taking on a sad cast. Mario instantly regretted bringing up the topic, if it made her sad. “When Maryann was just a baby, she was stolen and dumped in the lake by an insane nutjob who wanted some kind of sick revenge against my father. She should have died. He’d tried to snap her neck before dumping her. But Mr. Abrams—the former Itan, and Ty’s father—found them at the shore of the lake just after she was thrown in. He killed the kidnapper and jumped in to find Maryann.” Patty paused. “She was never quite the same after that, and I became stronger to protect her as we grew. At least, that’s the theory our parents came up with.”

That explained a lot.

“I’m sorry. That must’ve been really tough.” The look in his eyes told her he’d seen things just as awful in his time. He understood.

“That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” She sighed, looking down at her coffee cup.

“Ah. Nietzsche. A philosopher who died in madness,” he observed quietly.

“Aren’t all philosophers a little bit crazy?” she asked, impressed that he’d recognized the author of the phrase she’d quoted.

She’d studied philosophy in college and had enjoyed it immensely. She had yet to find anyone in her hometown who felt the same, but that was okay. Grayslake had a lot of other things going for it.

“You may have a point, though I will admit, I enjoyed the time I spent in Athens studying the work of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.”

She was impressed even more. “How long were you in Greece?”

“A few years. It was my base of operations for a while when I was a mercenary. There can be a lot of downtime between jobs—though that depends a lot on the moral standards of the group leader. The fellow I worked for only took on jobs that he believed in, so I had time to pursue education in whatever direction I felt like going at the time.” He said it all so casually, but his life must’ve been quite an adventure to this point.

“You could live anywhere in the world,” she thought aloud. “What made you want to come to Grayslake?”

“Initially, I came to Georgia to look up an old friend. A guy I worked with was forced into retirement a few years back due to a mission that went really wrong.” His eyes took on a sad cast. He paused a moment, then looked right at her. “I spent some time with him, but all during my visit, I felt something pulling me in this direction. I did a little research and decided to see what that feeling was all about. I’ve learned over the years to listen to my intuition.” His icy blue eyes sparkled right at her, making her feel like he was looking into her soul. “I’m glad for whatever it was that drew me here, though I don’t fully understand it. Maybe it brought me here to help your sister. Or maybe…it brought me here to meet you.”

Her breath caught. There was one word for this moment—intense.

The waiter came over to present the check, breaking the charged silence. Mario handed over a black credit card with little fanfare, though she could see the waiter’s eyes widen, a sudden deference and a bit of nervousness entering his frame.

“I think you just freaked Paul out a little,” she observed after the waiter backed away from the table, bowing and holding the black card in front of him like a red hot coal.

Mario looked over at the man and shook his head. “I wasn’t thinking. Woman, you distract me to hell and back. I should’ve used one of the other cards to prevent gossip.”

“If you want to prevent gossip, why do you even have a card like that in the first place?” She was amused by his words, and, yeah, duly impressed by the fancy card that struck an experienced waiter like Paul dumb.

“Because sometimes, I need to fit in places where that black card is all too common. There’s a lot of money floating around the Middle East and until recently, that’s where I spent a lot of my time.”

“Well, you’ve blown your cover. By midnight there’ll be all kinds of rumors floating around town about the rich, South American playboy taking Grayslake’s bitchiest deputy to dinner.” She really was more amused than worried about the gossip. She was used to it.

“Anyone calls you that in my hearing will be missing some teeth,” he nearly growled. The little show of his intense dominance made her want to rub up against him.

Her hussy of a bear was back to wanting to cuddle with the kitty, just in time for the ride home. Oh, boy. This could be a problem.

Or not.

Maybe, for once in her life, she ought to just go with the flow. She didn’t have to be in control every single minute of every single day, did she? Usually, her bear demanded it, but tonight, it was acting like a sap over the dominant cat.

Paul came back with the receipt and the infamous black card, handing it over reverently. Mario finished up the paperwork while Paul hovered about ten feet away. They weren’t going to get any more privacy in the restaurant, Patty realized with an inward sigh. Things were just getting interesting and now the evening was coming to an end. Her inner bear wanted to whine in frustration and her human side wasn’t far behind.

Mario put his attention-getting card back in his wallet and stood, coming around the table to help Patty, though she didn’t really need any help. He was being polite in a way that made her feel special. Cherished. And she liked it when he was near.

He helped her into her coat and took her hand as they exited the restaurant, leaving Paul and the others who had come out to get a look at the rich guy, far behind. Thank goodness. She wanted to be alone with her cat, even if it was just for a quick ride home in his pickup truck.

He helped her up into the passenger seat, though, again, she didn’t really need any help. Still, it was nice to have his hands on her, even in such a polite situation. He closed her door then went around to the driver’s side, hopping in easily and starting the engine. He adjusted the heat controls, and let the engine warm a bit.

Meanwhile, Patty’s engine was revving full throttle. Alone at last, she thought, fighting the bear to keep from jumping Mario, tackling him and straddling his thighs to get at what she suspected would be a very satisfying cock. The bear wanted him. Had wanted him, from almost the first moment she laid eyes on him.

“Shall I take you home?” his deep voice rolled over her senses in the confines of the small cab of his pickup truck.

“Uh…” Eloquent, Patty. Real eloquent. She tried again. “Maybe…we could…” She didn’t know what she was suggesting. They couldn’t go back to her place. Aunt Suzy and her sister were there.

He turned to look at her, his eyes glowing emerald in the dark light of the truck. “I have a very fine bottle of wine back at my place.”

That was it. His place. He was inviting her back to his lair. Dare she go? How could she not, with her bear prodding her to take him up on his offer?

“I like wine,” she told him, holding his gaze, knowing the bear was showing in her eyes, just as his cat was showing in his. She still didn’t know exactly what sort of big cat he was. She was curious, but at the moment, plain ol’ horniness was winning out over curiosity.

Chapter Seven

“I’m just going to text my aunt so she knows not to expect me home right away,” Patty said, reaching into her little purse for her phone.

“You live with your aunt?” He was surprised into asking.

“No, she lives nearby and came over to keep Maryann company while I went out. My sister is still a little fragile and I don’t think she’d do well on her own just yet,” Patty explained offhandedly while she tapped out a message on her phone.

The explanation made sense to Mario. He realized he’d been asking a lot to make her leave her sister in such a delicate state to come out to dinner with him. That she had agreed to do so said something important to him. Something like maybe she was as attracted—and as powerless to resist it, no matter how inconvenient—as he was. But he still felt bad about her sister. That poor little, abused she-bear needed coddling, and he knew Patty was devoted to Maryann.

“Do you need to go home?” he asked, even though he didn’t want to. Still, it was the right thing to do. “Will your sister be all right if you stay out with me a little longer?”

Patty looked over at him, a small smile hovering around her lips that made him want to kiss her. He held back with great effort.

“As long as Aunt Suzy is there, she’ll be okay. I can stay. I wouldn’t have left home unless she was in good hands. And actually, she’s handling this situation a lot better than I thought she would.”

“Fair enough.”

Mario drove them out to the place he was renting on Waverly Place, on the edge of town. The radio was set to a soft rock station, playing low in the background while Patty’s elegant fingers tapped out a message to her aunt.

She had short nails, unpainted, which was refreshing. So many women had decorated claws in their human form nowadays. Mario enjoyed the more natural look. Patty probably kept her human nails short because of the nature of her work as a police officer. He liked that she worked in a job that put her in the position of using her natural dominance to protect others. He knew from his own family that dominant females could be the ultimate protectors—or pretty formidable tyrants.

He could easily see that Patty was the former. She’d been wonderful with her injured sister and had deferred to Ty, as Itan, as she should. She’d also challenged Mario’s jaguar, but in a playful, assessing way, not as if she was looking for ways to take him down a peg or two. He liked that. Her strength was a big draw to his cat, who wanted a partner, not a dependent for a mate.

And there he was, thinking about mates again. So soon? It seemed impossible, but the cat seemed to think he’d found a very viable candidate in the pretty female officer.

“There.” Patty shut off the screen on her phone and put it away. “Aunt Suzy says they’re settling in for another old movie marathon with Mrs. Snufflepuff.”

“Another neighbor?” Mario asked, curious.

Patty chuckled, her laughter sexy and deep in a way that made him want to hear it again and again. “Oh, no. Mrs. Snufflepuff is my cat. A very fluffy, usually aloof house cat, but she’s been sticking close by Patty’s side since yesterday, which is somewhat surprising. Mrs. S usually prefers hunting in the garden at night to watching movies with the humans.”

Mario was pleased to hear the affection in her voice when she spoke of her pet cat. That her bear half could get along with a house cat boded well, Mario thought.

“So you like cats?” He was fishing, plain and simple.

She sent him a sidelong glance. “Certain special individuals,” she allowed. “I didn’t really pick Mrs. Snufflepuff. She sort of chose me. Just showed up on my doorstep one day and I couldn’t let her go without something to eat. She kept coming back and then one day, she decided to come in and make herself at home. She’s been living with me ever since. I tried to figure out where she came from, but the only thing I can figure is that she was someone’s pet who ran away and decided to adopt me instead. She’s an independent thinker like that.” Patty smiled and Mario found himself charmed by her outlook on the cat situation.

“You’re probably right. If she keeps coming back to you, then she wants to be with you.”

Patty was going to ask him more about cats—specifically his inner cat—but he pulled into the driveway of his rental house, and the opportunity was lost. She wanted to see his eyes when they talked about his beast. It was too important a conversation to have in the hustle and bustle of parking the car and opening the front door. She would bide her time.

His house was like any other rental. The furniture was impersonal and well used. The colors were neutral and there were no knickknacks. No mementos of his life to show that this place was his—at least for now. That struck her as a little sad, somehow. A guy like Mario should have a home of his own, full of the memories of his life, but somehow, she got the impression that he didn’t have a place like that. He seemed like a rolling stone that had decided to stop its forward momentum here for a little while, before moving on.

That thought made her feel even sadder. She didn’t want him to go anywhere. Her bear and her human side were in full agreement. She wanted a chance to get to know more about this mysterious cat…and maybe keep him…forever.

Whoa. That was a little too serious a thought for a first date. Play it cool, Patty. If she hadn’t managed to scare the guy off with her dominance, she sure didn’t want to come on too strong with the new possessiveness coming from her bear half all of a sudden. Down, girl.

“Make yourself at home,” he told her, sweeping past her on his way to the kitchen. He gestured toward the couch, which looked plush and comfy, and she followed his direction, taking a seat. “I have a California merlot, French burgundy, or a very nice vintage port from Portugal. What’s your pleasure?” he said, standing in front of the open refrigerator. She could just see him through the open arch that led into the kitchen.

“The port sounds good,” she told him, pleased he’d let her decide. A lot of the bossy male bears she’d dated in Grayslake had tried to tell her what she wanted rather than ask. Which was a good part of the reason they didn’t get very far with her.

He came back in holding two snifters with a dash of dark wine in each, and a bottle tucked under his arm. He handed her a glass and placed the bottle on the coffee table between them as he took a seat on the couch close, but not crowding her.

“Interesting choice, the port,” he said, meeting her gaze and holding it while he sniffed at the wine, holding the glass like a lover. His massive hands could be gentle when he wanted, she’d bet. And why was her mouth suddenly drier than the Sahara?

“I like the rich sweetness of port,” she answered, inhaling the scent of the excellent vintage he’d served her.

She didn’t know all that much about other wines, but she had bought port before and recognized the bottle as one of the higher-end vintages. “This smells divine.” The fumes went right to her head. Or maybe it was him. Maybe the way his eyes flared with the emerald green of his cat as he stared at her was what was making her dizzy.

“Salut.” He lifted his glass to her and she matched his gesture for a toast, allowing the glasses to clink together with a tiny chiming sound.

She took another look at the glass. It was crystal. No way did this come with the rental house. He traveled with his own crystal brandy snifters?

She sipped the wine, the flavor bursting over her taste buds in happy little pops, then the burn of the alcohol sliding down her throat, warming her from within. Mmm.

“The friend I visited before I came here gave me the crystal as a memento of happier times,” he explained answering her unasked question. “He was the one who first introduced me to this wine.” Mario lifted the bottle in his hand and looked at the label, his eyes taking on a faraway look for just a moment. “The first time I ever had this, we were in some foreign hellhole. The battle had gone well and we were finally free from that particular job. We had a few hours to kill before our flight out and we spent it in a quiet bar.”

“Sounds like a good memory,” she offered quietly, not wanting to break the mood.

“Both good and bad,” he told her as he put the bottle back down on the table. He turned to face her and took another sip of his wine before continuing. “We lost a friend on that job and though we’d won the battle, we weren’t in a celebratory mood. We drank a bottle of this port in tribute to our fallen comrade, which was something he would’ve liked.”

She couldn’t even imagine the life he’d led as a soldier of fortune. He must’ve seen so much of the world, and done so many things she could only imagine. Yet, he’d felt sorrow too, and the pain of loss. She understood that all too well.

“Sorry.” He sat back on the couch and finished his drink, but didn’t reach for more right away. “You’re very easy to talk to.” His eyes teased, but his tone was almost accusatory.

“They tell me that’s a good trait in a police officer. I have criminals telling me their life stories within moments of arrest.” She tried to laugh off the solemn moment, giving him an out, if he needed it. She understood how it was to talk about things best left in the past—not easy.

He chuckled with her and the mood turned intimate once again. She sipped at the delicious wine, watching him over the rim of the crystal snifter. His eyes were sparking with emerald in one of the sexiest displays she’d ever seen. The green told her his beast was on board with this encounter—just as much as her bear was.

Their animal sides liked each other. Now wasn’t that interesting?

“Now that, I can believe. Are you sure you don’t have the blood of a bruja running through your veins?” He moved toward her, putting down his glass on the coffee table as he prowled closer. “You have certainly bewitched me.” His voice had dropped to a sexy rumble that set her spine tingling.

He gave her plenty of time to move away or object, but she did neither. She wanted this. She wanted him.

Even if it was only for tonight. She wanted to be with this man. This strong Alpha male who didn’t seem to mind her strength, the way every other man she’d ever liked eventually had. In fact, unlike any other male she’d known, he seemed to think it was sexy.

Would wonders never cease?

She’d be a fool to turn him away, even if it was only a fling. She was old enough to enjoy a good fling, she thought with an inward sniff.

She just had to be careful not to let her heart get too involved. She had to protect her heart for when he left, rolling out of her life like the rolling stone he seemed to be. That might make her sad, but even so, she didn’t want to miss the chance to be with him while she could. She might never meet another guy who flipped her switch like he did again, and it would be a downright shame not to enjoy it while it lasted.

Her carpe diem mantra firmly in mind, she closed the distance between them, meeting him halfway. His lips claimed hers and all conscious thought fled. She was operating on instinct now, and her inner bear pushed her to submit to his possession, to show her belly and spread her legs, welcoming his hard cock into her wet center.

But she also wanted to taste him. She wanted to lick him all over and learn the taste and texture of every part of his body.

Chapter Eight

Mario allowed Patty to lead for a bit. For one thing, he wanted to be sure she was on board with what he hoped was about to happen. And he was enjoying the way his she-bear pounced on him. He’d never been with a woman as strong in her dominance as Patty, and he found it turned him on more than he ever would have believed.

All those damsels in distress who had bared their necks—and a lot more—to him over the years had been nice, but he was finally discovering what it was to be with a woman on equal footing. A woman his cat respected and admired. A woman he was quickly growing to love.

Wait. Love?

He paused, lifting his lips away from hers, but she didn’t seem to notice. She only moved her lips down his throat, licking and sucking her way down his body as she undressed him. She used her teeth on his skin and it sent shivers of delicious sensation down his spine. Her hands roamed at will, unbuttoning and unzipping his clothing and pushing them away a piece at a time. She relieved him of his shirt and then started in on his pants, sliding them downward, over his hips.

His hard cock sprang free and she wrapped her fingers around him. He threw back his head and basked in the sensation of her firm grip, listening to her growl softly as she kissed her way down his body.

And then he was the one making noise as she licked the head of his erection, torturing him in the sweetest way before she dipped lower, sliding her wet tongue down the length of him and back up. He was going to die if she didn’t take it all in the next few minutes, but he wouldn’t rush this. No way. Heaven should never be rushed.

He felt a rumble in his chest when she finally took him fully into her mouth, her soft lips stretching around him. Fuck! She was so hot. He raised his head to watch her, and as if she knew he was looking at her, her lovely eyes rose to meet his gaze.

His chest rumbled again and he realized he was purring.

Sweet Mother in heaven, he was purring in human form.

Patty didn’t seem to realize the importance of it, but Mario thought he finally understood the old jaguar clan legends about how a person recognized their true mate. Purring in human form was the big one. It was the sign that told him for certain that Patty was the woman he’d been searching for all his life, though he hadn’t been trying all that hard until just recently.

He’d enjoyed roaming the world, having adventures, as cats often did, but lately he’d been feeling a yearning to settle down in one place and find a soft female to stroke him in all the right ways. Like Patty was doing right now.

The moment boggled his mind. She was sucking him into oblivion during one of the most profound revelations he’d ever experienced. He wasn’t sure he would survive the double dose of pleasure and overwhelming satisfaction.

He tugged at her shoulders, not wanting this to come to a head before he’d given her a taste of the passion she’d been giving him. Luckily, she went along with his unspoken direction and licked her way off his cock, pushing up on her hands as she crawled over him on the wide couch.

Her mouth met his and he moved slowly, bringing them both to a sitting position so that he could lift her more easily into his arms. He never broke their deep kiss, even as he walked with her into the bedroom near the front of the house. He wanted a bed for what he planned next.

Patty’s head was spinning as Mario kissed her. She had the sensation of movement and air against her skin, but she wasn’t really sure where he was taking her until she felt the soft fabric of sheets against her hands as he put her down on the bed. He didn’t stop kissing her, even as he removed her clothing at a record pace.

She was desperate for him. Eager to be as naked as he was, his hard body driving into her softness. She’d never wanted a man more than she wanted Mario in this moment.

She slid her fingers over his body, learning the slopes and valleys of his muscles. He was gorgeous, and in superb physical condition, but it was the way he treated her—with respect and even admiration—that really flipped her switch.

There was one problem though. Her clothes weren’t disappearing fast enough. He was working hard at it, but she wanted to help. The sooner the fabric was out of the way, the sooner she could get what she wanted most in all the world at that very moment: him.

Her hands tangled with his until between them, they’d managed to remove her dress. She’d worn a lacy pink set of matching bra and panties from an upscale lingerie shop that she’d bought because she liked frilly things, but never really got to wear. She was glad she’d had the pretty undies in her closet for this occasion.

And it seemed Mario liked them too. He sat back and just looked at her, his eyes flaring emerald in the low light of the bedroom.

“You’re gorgeous, querida.” The sexy rumble of his voice washed over her senses. “If I’d known you were hiding this pretty pink confection under your clothing, I probably would never have made it through dinner.”

She liked the honest admiration in his eyes. She knew he meant every word and the feminine part of her that had always longed to hear such things from a lover was flattered.

His hands traced gently over her skin, making her body tingle in all the right ways. He outlined her waist, then surprised her by going directly for her panties. As he lowered the fabric, he also lowered his head, kissing his way down from her belly button to the apex of her thighs.

She was shivering when he sat back on his haunches and used the flimsy fabric of her panties to raise her legs. He slid the panties off completely, then took hold of her ankles and spread her legs wide.

And then he just sat there, looking at her, grinning.

“I want to remember this,” he said just as she was starting to wonder what was going on. “I want to remember every detail of our first night together.”

He ran his fingers down her calves, then behind her knees and up the insides of her thighs. She was practically trembling as he spread her wide and then dipped to lick at her clit.

The texture of his tongue was a little different. Maybe a little rougher, but absolutely perfect. She squirmed under his ministrations, but he held her firmly in place while he brought her to a fast climax. Only after she’d quieted a little did he raise his head.

“That is the first of many,” he promised her, purring in a way that made her insides turn to jelly.

“I want you inside me for the next one, lover,” she told him, able to form words and sentences again.

“As my lady commands.” He tilted his head slightly in an old world gesture, though his lips smiled and his eyes held deviltry.

“Really?” She smiled too, enjoying this little game. She’d never really been able to play with a man like this. Usually it was wham, bam, don’t hurt me ma’am, but Mario showed absolutely no fear of her or her bear. She liked that. A lot.

“Truly,” he whispered, kissing the inside of her knee. “Whatever you want, you shall have.” He kissed her other knee. “Especially since it’s what I want too.”

She laughed out loud at his audacity as he climbed over her, holding himself propped up on one arm while his other hand played with the front closure of her frilly pink bra. She’d never laughed in bed with a man before, and she found she liked that a lot too.

The bulging muscles in his left arm were rock solid as he held himself perfectly still above her, his right hand rubbing little circles over the skin between her breasts, where the catch lay. Was he going to unhook it? Could he manage it with one hand? If she was a betting woman, she’d say a Latin lover like Mario Brandon would be able to undo the complicated hook with his teeth if he wanted to. He’d probably had a lot of practice.

For just a moment the she-bear wanted to growl and claw at any woman he’d been with before, but then it let go of the jealousy stirred up by her human side. The bear had no need for jealousy. She knew she was superior to all other females and the bear lived in the moment. It didn’t really care what had come before.

Sometimes Patty wished she could be more like her animal spirit in that regard. She tried to be philosophical. All that experimentation on his part had led to this. Those other women had been training wheels. Now he was at the point where he knew how to ride and she was going to be the beneficiary of it…if he ever got moving and stopped playing around.

“Patience, mi osito.” He smiled at her and she realized he’d been watching her face. She wasn’t very good at dissembling, so he’d probably recognized a bit of impatience in her expression.

She decided to go on the offensive. Reaching downward, she took his hard cock in her hands and rubbed him against the soft skin inside her thigh. He wasn’t quite where she wanted him yet, but she had hope that he would get the hint in the next few minutes. She couldn’t hold out much longer than that.

“Don’t make me wait,” she whispered, trying her best to entice him.

He groaned and she grinned. It was working. Somewhat.

“Woman, you are going to be the death of me.” He didn’t sound all that worried. In fact, he sounded more amused than annoyed to her ears.

But he finally took the hint and unclasped her bra—yes, with two fingers working the catch expertly. He peeled the cups away from her ample breasts with his fingers, followed close behind by his tongue. First one nipple, then the other was laved, sucked and nipped lightly, drawn out to a hard point that made her squirm with yearning for more.

Her arousal was at a fever pitch when he finally lifted up enough to reposition his cock at her entrance. And then…he pushed inward.

He wasn’t a small man. Quite the contrary. He had to push in by slow degrees, that sexy purr coming from his chest in increasing ferocity as he joined their bodies for the first time.

Patty wrapped her legs around him once he was fully seated. She wasn’t about to let him go too far now that she had him exactly where she most wanted him. He filled her completely, as if he’d been made to complete the empty spots inside her.

It was a silly thought. A romantic thought that she probably should’ve left behind in her youth, but somehow it felt right. Mario felt right. Perfect, in fact.

And then he began to move and all hell broke loose in the most glorious way imaginable.

He stroked hard and soft, fast and slow, gauging her responses and appearing to learn what she liked best. He was, hands down, the most considerate lover she’d ever had. The few others she’d been with over the years were nothing compared to this.

His dick had this way of hitting just the right spot inside her. As he struck a rhythm, hard and fast, she began to cry out with each strong pulse. And then she was swept up in the tidal wave of sensation brought on by his tender loving. She very much feared she’d screamed his name as she came in the brightest burst of ecstasy she’d ever experienced.

But it didn’t really matter. She was floating on a cloud of rapturous bliss so intense, she blacked out for a moment.

Mario would have worried about Patty had he not just felt the earth move himself. He rolled off her when he was finally able to move again, gathering her close in his arms as she began to come back to the world of consciousness. Her body was still trembling with little aftershocks of pleasure and she smiled up at him with a dreamy expression he would remember to the end of his days.

“That was amazing,” she whispered, nothing but absolute honesty in her eyes. He liked that she always spoke her mind. He liked that she was truthful and steadfast. He just plain liked everything about her.

Which was good, considering he’d just found his mate.

Chapter Nine

Patty came awake the next morning at an unfamiliar noise in the distance. She stretched, still half asleep, when the noise came again, waking her more fully.

The bed was rumpled and she grinned when she recalled exactly how it had gotten that way. Mario wasn’t in the room. She listened closely, but she couldn’t hear him anywhere in the house. He was a cat, of course, so he might just be too quiet for her to hear, but she got the feeling he wasn’t in the house. It had an empty feel to her that she couldn’t quite define in words.

She threw the covers off as the sound came again. It was a loud clunk. As if someone was throwing furniture around next door.

In the house Maryann and Greg had been in until yesterday.

Shit.

It sure sounded like someone was ransacking the place to her sharp shifter hearing. No time to dress. Patty grabbed a sheet off the bed and wrapped it around herself like a loose toga as she headed for the door.

Within a minute she was out in Mario’s backyard, peering over the fence through the thick bushes. And there he was. Mario was wearing a pair of jeans, his feet and sexy chest bare. He must’ve just thrown on his jeans when the sounds next door woke him. As an ex-soldier and cat shifter, he probably slept a lot lighter than she and her bear half, which really liked to sleep.

Mario was sneaking around, silent as the cat that shared his soul, peering in the windows, spying on the men she could see only as shadows moving around inside the house. Even as she watched, Mario deliberately rapped his knuckles against the side of the house, just once.

Was he trying to force a confrontation with the guys inside? Did he not realize these guys were probably drug dealers, or worse, thugs who worked for drug dealers, who could be armed? Then again, as an ex-mercenary, Mario was probably familiar with more forms of firearms and explosives than she’d ever even seen.

But he wasn’t carrying that she could see. He was wearing jeans and nothing else. And he was going to take on at least two thugs who were, in all likelihood, armed to the teeth.

Crazy cat.

Even as she watched, the two guys burst out of the house, and sure enough, they were leading with big, black, nasty handguns.

Patty had seen enough. She threw off her sheet and shifted into bear form. If those hoodlums thought they were going to hurt her cat, they had another think coming.

Growling deep in her throat, she bounded over the fence, snagging the top of the overgrown shrubs with her back feet, but she didn’t really care. The gunmen looked at her, distracted, and Mario moved faster than she’d ever seen anyone move—and that included the Abrams brothers—and shifted into his cat form, his jeans landing in a pile behind him as he leapt on the gunmen.

He swiped at them with his paws, keeping his claws hidden, packing a punch with his furry forelegs that took both men out with quick, precise blows to the head. He knocked one on the temple and one got it in the back of the head, but the result was the same. Both men went down, out cold.

Without breaking stride, the cat landed on his four paws and slunk toward her, slowly. Deliberately. He didn’t look pleased, but then, neither was she. Her heart was still racing, fear for him having dictated her movements without conscious thought for the past minute or two.

Seeing the bad guys on the ground, calmer thought was beginning to return. She had underestimated him. She’d seen firsthand now that the cat had mad skills. He had known exactly what he’d been doing before she interfered.

Then again, she’d provided a timely distraction. It probably would’ve been harder for him to sneak up on the guys without her intervention. She had nothing to feel sorry about. She’d helped. Hadn’t she?

And, oh, good lord in heaven, his cat was gorgeous. Gigantic. Sleek. Sexy. And just…beautiful.

He stalked toward her and she found herself wanting to rub up against him to see if the texture of his fur was as soft as it looked.

His cat form was massive. He was even a little bigger than she was in shifted form, if she wasn’t mistaken. He was sleek and spotted, his fur shining in the sun, rippling over his fit, muscular form. Oh, yeah. He was stunning. And dominant in a way that didn’t threaten her bear, which was something she hadn’t ever encountered in another Alpha male.

He padded silently up to her and walked around her slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. She sniffed at him and eventually he returned the favor, moving closer until their fur brushed up against each other along their flanks. Little sparkles of magical energy passed between them before settling down to a pleasant tingle.

Their beasts were learning each other and seemed—incredibly—compatible. Oh, my.

The giant jaguar prodded her with his nose, rubbing along her flank, seeming to indicate that he wanted her to head back over the fence. Well, she wouldn’t be sent home that easily. She could help. She was a police officer, after all.

Mario morphed back into his human form when she refused to move, and bent to pick up his discarded jeans. Not that she minded his nakedness. He was even sexier in his skin than he was in his fur.

“I’m going to tie these two idiots up, though they’ll be out for an hour or two, then I’ll meet you back at my place,” he said, a tiny bit of frustration in his voice—probably because she’d resisted his unspoken command to go home.

She watched him tug on his jeans as he spoke, though she wasn’t impressed with his words. Was he sending her away where it was safe? Did he not realize just who and what she was? She sat back on her haunches and just looked at him.

“Ah, querida, I believe we have much to discuss. That’s why I wish you to go back home and get comfortable while I tend to the unpleasant work of securing the prisoners.” He dared to touch her, stroking her face and rubbing behind her ears as if he wasn’t scared of her bear.

And he wasn’t.

He wasn’t scared of her giant grizzly bear. When almost every other male in all of Grayslake showed fear when she was in her fur. If she’d been in human form, she would have wept. She’d finally met an eligible man who wasn’t intimidated by her size or her strength in bear form.

The bear moved into his caress, enjoying the touch. It was a novel sensation. Only her family ever dared touch her in her shifted form, and the bear was soaking in this male’s attention.

“You are beautiful, mi osito,” his voice dropped to a more intimate tone as he stepped closer. “Stunning, fierce, and very much mine, I believe.” Green flared in his eyes and she wanted to roar her agreement, but he stepped back, breaking the spell of the moment. “Go home now. Wait for me. I won’t be long and then, we must talk. I believe I can help your sister out of this mess, but I need all the facts.”

Now that sounded…interesting. She wondered how much he already knew, or guessed. Mario was a man of the world who had probably seen a lot more than she ever would. If anyone could help her get Maryann out of her current predicament, without involving law enforcement or official channels, it was probably Mario.

She nipped at him playfully, using no force at all, to indicate her agreement and stood. She jumped over the fence—perhaps not as gracefully as a cat, but she made it into his yard in a single bound. She looked over her shoulder to find him watching her with a strange expression in his glowing, emerald eyes and a sexy smile on his lips. He looked…like he approved of every inch of her. Like he found her bear beautiful.

The bear preened, flouncing her furry butt as she walked back into his house via the backdoor she had left open.

Mario found Patty sitting on the sofa, a mug of coffee in her hand, when he returned to his place a few minutes later. He had two wallets and two cell phones in his hands, which he let drop onto the coffee table as he took a seat on the couch, right next to her. He’d stashed the weapons he’d taken off the men in the kitchen on his way in. Much as he wanted to, he didn’t take her into his arms. Instead, he turned to face her. It was time for some answers.

“They’re Mexican,” he stated. “Hired muscle, probably. I’m guessing they work for a drug cartel. Tell me what you know about this, and don’t leave anything out, okay?” Now he would learn if she truly trusted him.

Patty sighed heavily before answering. “Greg promised Maryann a vacation to Mexico, but when they got there, she found out it was really a drug run. She didn’t want to do it, but she had no choice. Greg became abusive at that point, and she’s not strong enough to stand up to him—or anyone, really. She’s a broken bear, though she still has all the enhanced abilities. She can shift, but her bear is afraid of everything and everyone. Greg picked his mark well. The bastard.”

“So your sister broke the law and this is why you haven’t told Ty or Van about it?”

She touched her finger to her nose and then pointed at him. She had the cutest mannerisms, but now wasn’t the time to be distracted by how much he loved her.

Whoa. Wait a minute.

Love?

His jaguar thought about it for a millisecond, then swished its tail in his mind, agreeing. He was in love with her.

To hell with the seriousness of the moment. Mario leaned over and kissed her.

Much to his delight, she responded in kind. Her fingers were driving him wild, stroking over his chest as if she was petting him. His inner cat liked that. It liked it a lot.

He was just settling down to enjoy himself when one of the phones on the coffee table rang. It played an annoying tune that blared out through the living room.

Mario drew back, sighing as he looked at the offensive piece of technology that was also vibrating, doing a little dance across the surface of the table. He didn’t want to do this now, but then again, there was no time like the present.

“Should we answer it?” Patty looked at the phone, then back at Mario, her lip caught adorably between her teeth.

Mario moved away from her and placed both hands on his knees. “Yeah. I’ve got a few things to say to whoever those guys work for.”

He reached forward and picked up the phone.

Chapter Ten

Patty wasn’t sure what Mario’s plan was. She wasn’t even sure he had a plan. She prayed to the Goddess that he wasn’t just messing around, making things worse for Maryann, but she didn’t think he’d do that. She had a bit of faith in him now. Her instincts told him he was a capable man, who knew what he was doing. She just wished he’d told her the plan before it was put into motion.

He answered the phone and started speaking in rapid-fire Spanish with whoever was on the other end of the line. Her shifter hearing didn’t help much when she couldn’t understand the language. Spanish wasn’t her strong suit, which she regretted now. She knew a few words, but they were simply talking way too fast for her to pick out more than a couple here or there. She was lost, and she had to wait for Mario to explain after the fact, which irritated her.

Mario had an odd grin on his face when he finally ended the call. He touched the off button and then just sat there for a moment, looking at her strangely. She wanted to know what was going on.

“Well?” She almost yelled, but managed to hold on to her emotions by a bare thread.

“This is going to turn out better than I expected.” He put the phone back on the table and sat back, looking like the cat who swallowed the canary.

“How so?” Was he going to make her work for every last bit of information? She’d bite him if he kept her waiting much longer—and not in a good way.

“Turns out, our friends napping next door work for a rival of a man I know. More importantly, my acquaintance, Escobar, owes me big. I think it’s time to give him a call.” He reached for his own phone and scrolled through the contact list. “Especially since I already mentioned him to the opposition.”

“Was that wise?” Patty’s anxiety level ratcheted upward as she thought through the different scenarios. Problem was, she didn’t know all the players or their roles in the plan Mario had put into motion.

“I think this is probably the opportunity he’s been waiting for. If I gauged this right—and I believe I did—then Escobar will solve your sister’s little problem for us and thank me for the intel. His rival is stretched thin right now. It’s a good time to strike.”

A cunning look had entered Mario’s eyes. Like a panther on the prowl, but he was something else entirely…

“So…you’re a jaguar?”

“Guilty as charged.” He nodded, an emerald gleam in his eyes.

“I thought jaguar shifters were really rare. My history lessons said a lot of your people were wiped out when Europeans came to the Americas.” She was intrigued by the origins of different shifter groups. Always had been.

“Sad, but true. Still, there are quite a few of us in the mountains, hidden away in hard-to-reach enclaves.

“That’s good,” she replied. “But I take it you didn’t grow up in one of those mountain villages?”

“No, querida. I didn’t.” He stood, taking his phone with him. “Let me make this call first, then we can talk about anything you want to know.”

Mario paced to the window that faced the side yard—and the house next door—and made the call. Once again, the conversation was in rapid Spanish that she couldn’t follow, but this one had more friendly overtones than the previous call. There was even a bit of laughter and Mario smiled a time or two. It appeared to her that the call was going well.

When he hung up, the cunning smile held. “It will take him a few hours to mobilize his men, but he’s very pleased with what I just told him.”

“Which was?” She raised one eyebrow in challenge. She didn’t like not knowing what he’d done.

“Peace, querida. I think you’re going to like the outcome of this action.” He walked toward her and took both of her hands in his, raising her gently from the couch. “Do you think your Itan will cooperate? We need to put the two burglars from next door in a holding cell until tonight.”

“What if they talk?” She didn’t like the sound of this. If those two made statements about Maryann’s involvement…

“They won’t. Men like that are not paid to think. I doubt they even know what they’re here to do besides retrieve the drugs and kill the couriers. And believe me, they’re not going to be telling cops about that.”

He had a point. It freaked her out that those two guys next door had probably been sent to kill her little sister, but Mario seemed to take it all in stride.

“So what happens then?” It was Mario’s plan and he was the one with the experience in these sorts of situations. She realized she was glad to have his guidance.

“Ty can let them go on a technicality this evening. By then, Escobar’s men will be in place to scoop them up.”

“I don’t want anybody killed because of this,” she was quick to point out, even if her inner bear wanted the blood of anyone who threatened its fractured sister.

“Such low level players are not worth killing. Escobar knows this. He is a man of some principle, even if he is a criminal. He will not kill them, but he will use them as leverage, and find out what they know.”

“But what if more come? How can you be sure they’ll stop pursuing Maryann and the drugs?” She didn’t like not knowing all the players in the game.

“Escobar will ensure it. His rival—an evil little man named Lopez—will be far too busy trying to keep his little empire together. Of the two, I’d rather see Escobar in control of Lopez’s patch. Lopez, as you might already have guessed, has no conscience whatsoever. The world would be a better place without him in it and Escobar has been waiting for an opportunity. We just handed him one.”

“You said this Lopez was stretched thin right now. Is that because he’s trying to move into new territory, and Greg and my little sister were helping him do it?”

He mimicked her earlier motion by pointing to his nose and then at her. The gesture looked so odd coming from him that she had to smile.

“Are you laughing at me, querida?” He prowled closer to her, caging her in his arms.

“Not at you, exactly,” she hedged while he drew even closer, pressing his lips to hers.

She was more than ready to get lost in his kiss, but he drew away, much to her disappointment.

“I’m sorry, mi osito. We don’t have the luxury of time right now.” He softened his words by caressing her cheek with the side of his finger. It was a light touch that sent little shivers down her spine. “Do you think Ty will play along with my plan?”

Mention of her boss brought her back to her senses. She thought about how the Itan might react to this situation.

“If it saves the clan trouble, I think Ty can be convinced,” she allowed, as Mario moved away, putting space between them.

“Would you like to make the call?” he offered, surprising her.

Then again, Mario had already proven that he respected her abilities. She shouldn’t have been surprised that he treated her the way she had always wanted to be treated by a man—as an equal, a partner. It sent a little thrill of warmth through her tummy that he was fulfilling all her fantasies. She had just about given up on ever finding a man like this, but now it looked like maybe dreams really did come true sometimes.

“Yeah. It’ll be better coming from me, I think.” Patty reached for her phone and started punching in the familiar number.

Chapter Eleven

Patty’s first day with her new lover wasn’t anything like she’d expected it would be. Instead of waking up to sexy times and cuddles, they were dealing with paid assassins and international intrigue. It all seemed old hat to Mario, but Patty was, and always had been, a small town girl. She might be a police officer, but the occasional brawl and domestic disturbance she dealt with was nothing like this.

She had called home first thing when she got back from next door, and all was well with Maryann. She’d given Aunt Suzy a quick rundown of events, and even though the situation with the bad guys was unexpected, Aunt Suzy still found time to quiz her about her wild night with the wildcat.

Patty had been surprised to find herself blushing as she fended off the older woman’s teasing questions and innuendoes. It had been far too long since Aunt Suzy had ribbed her like that and they both enjoyed the girl talk, which wasn’t normal fare for Patty in her male-dominated profession. She’d finished her call before Mario had returned from next door, thank goodness. She would’ve been mortified if he’d heard her aunt teasing her about being with him. Some things were better left unknown.

And then he’d come back, and events had started to unfold in rapid succession. Now, the Itan and Enforcer were on their way here, and they’d realize at first glance that she’d been doing the wild thing with Mario all night long.

Oh, boy. Was she ready for them to know? She wasn’t sure. But either way, it was going to happen. She tried to psych herself up for the confrontation.

When Ty and Van arrived, she made coffee for the guys, knowing she had little to contribute after revealing the full extent of Maryann’s involvement and begging Ty to understand. He’d seemed really surprised that Maryann had been able to hold out on him, but he took it well. In fact, he commented that perhaps Maryann was getting stronger through this ordeal, which reinforced what Patty herself had been thinking.

Ty and Van had both raised their eyebrows at seeing her there, so cozy with the new cat in town, but they didn’t say anything out loud. They both seemed to respect Mario and the Itan gave her a little nod when he realized she’d stayed the night.

Mario was clearly in his element. He gave a sitrep that would make any Green Beret proud, she was sure. And he didn’t leave room for any sort of comment from the Itan or Enforcer about the company he kept. He seemed to simply take it for granted that she was with him now, and the two bears better get used to it. She felt the dominance rippling off him in a way that made her want to purr.

Purr? She was a bear. She didn’t purr. But she’d do it for Mario. Hell, she’d do just about anything for Mario, as he’d discovered last night.

After the first round of coffee had been consumed, Ty had asked Van to take care of the two miscreants, and Van had excused himself to go next door and load the men into his patrol vehicle, transporting them down to the station. The Itan stayed behind to talk with Mario and Patty.

“So you think your pal Escobar will take care of this problem for us?” Ty said after hearing the bare bones of Mario’s solution. “What makes you so sure we can trust him?”

Patty drew some hope from Ty’s casual use of we in his question. He was including himself in the situation, indicating that he was willing to listen. That was more than most Itans would have given misbehaving bears in their clan, and Patty knew it. She and her family were damn lucky to be part of the Ty’s clan. They wouldn’t have fared so well in other places with other Itans.

“What I’m about to say has to stay between us,” Mario said, drawing Patty’s full attention with his serious tone. “Escobar may have dubious morals when it comes to his choice of business enterprises, but he’s…special. He’s like us. At least partly. He can’t shift, but he’s got shifter blood.”

Ty whistled through his teeth, clearly surprised. “Be that as it may, there’s got to be more than that if we’re going to trust him with this.”

“There is. Trust me, Itan, there is. He and I have a history, and like I said, I don’t always agree with how he chooses to make his money, but he’s definitely got a moral code. It’s probably not the same one you or I go by, but it’s not that far off either.”

“All I have is your word on that,” Ty reminded them.

Mario put his hands flat on the table, sitting back in his chair. “That’s true, but look at it this way. Escobar has no interest in Maryann, but he would like to take out Lopez. Lopez wants Maryann and Greg dead. In this case, the enemy of our enemy could be a very helpful friend.”

Ty seemed to bristle a bit as he thought over Mario’s words. His eyes took on the black hue of his bear for a short moment before he sighed and sat back, relaxing marginally.

“All right. Top priority now is keeping Maryann safe. Personally, I don’t care if someone takes out Greg, but he’s still one of my bears. If anyone is going to demand justice of him, it’ll be done according to clan law.”

Patty swallowed the growl that wanted to issue from her throat. Ty was one of the few bears she would follow through fire, if need be. Her bear respected the Itan’s dominance and trusted that he’d do right by Maryann and punish Greg accordingly.

“As you wish, Itan,” Mario replied with all the respect due an Itan in his home territory.

Ty stood and headed for the door. “Make whatever arrangements you need to. Just let Van know when it’s time to let those two jackasses go. The rest is up to you. It’s better if the Grayslake police department isn’t seen to have any official role in this after we release the perps.”

“Understood,” Mario rose and walked Ty out. They paused in front of the front door and shook hands. “I’ll let your Enforcer know when it’s done. If all goes well, you’ll never have to deal with Lopez, or his like, again.”

Ty nodded and left, his expression troubled. Patty knew leaving the decisive action in the hands of others probably didn’t sit well with the Itan, but she also saw the wisdom in putting some distance between Grayslake’s leadership and whatever was about to go down with the international drug war that had unexpectedly come to town.

Patty went to Mario, standing close as they both watched Ty get in his vehicle and drive away. She warmed when Mario put one arm around her shoulders. She loved when he reached out to her. Even a casual touch from him made her feel special.

“Do you really think this is going to work?” she asked him, worry for her sister getting the better of her for a moment.

Mario squeezed her shoulders. “I wouldn’t propose this course of action if I didn’t have a high opinion of its success.” He kissed her softly on the forehead, in reassurance. “It’s going to work.”

Patty borrowed Mario’s wheels to go home for a change of clothing and to check on her family. He expected her to take her time, but she was back much sooner than he thought she’d be. His inner cat liked that.

To him, it indicated that she was as eager to spend time with him as he was to spend time with her. He’d never felt this way before, but he wasn’t questioning it. He was just going to roll with the waves until things settled down and he figured out what was really going on here. He’d let instinct take its course and see where it led them.

So far, it hadn’t been leading them astray. He’d gotten her right where he’d wanted her since the very first moment he saw her—in his bed.

And now it looked like they were working some kind of unexpected op together, but that was okay. He had always thought a woman who could be his partner—his equal—would be preferable in a life mate than a doormat. Having her in on this was invigorating in a way he hadn’t quite anticipated.

Oh, he didn’t like that she and her family were mixed up in potentially dangerous doings, but he loved the way she worked alongside him to solve the problem. She was smart and absolutely gorgeous. It was the perfect combination as far as he was concerned.

With nothing to do but wait, Mario laid out his cleaning kit on the kitchen table and set to work on his personal stash of weapons. He was pleased when Patty removed her own weapon, which he knew she kept concealed in a sexy little ankle holster, and sat beside him. The way she expertly disassembled parts of the small firearm, cleaned, oiled and reassembled them, was an unexpected turn on.

Who knew a woman handling a weapon could look so hot? Mario tried not to snicker to himself at the thought. He knew one weapon he’d like to see her handle again, that was for sure.

“So how is this going to go? What is your expected chain of events?” she asked quietly.

He’d outlined the basic plan when Ty was there, but he knew she wanted particulars since it looked like she was staying for the duration. Much as he would rather she be out of any possible line of fire, he had to respect that she had a personal stake in this, and that she was a professional who knew what she was doing and might actually be able to help, if things went south. He knew an Alpha female like Patty would accept no less than belief in her competence, and he wasn’t about to insult the woman he hoped would agree to be his mate.

Yeah. He was a goner. She was his mate. He understood that now. His inner cat preened with joy and prodded him to mark her and make her his own in a visible way that others would recognize. He didn’t want to push too hard though. What if she wasn’t feeling the same things he was?

Mario pushed all doubt from his mind with a conscious effort of will. If she didn’t love him now, he’d stick around and make it happen. He’d be at her side every minute of every day until she realized they were perfect for each other. The cat swished its tail in agreement.

“For now, we wait. Escobar will call me when his men are in position, then I’ll call Van and he’ll release the two targets. I’m betting they’ll come directly back here, to search the house next door for the drugs, and lie in wait hoping their marks will come back.”

“What if they go after Greg and Maryann first?”

Mario shook his head. “Most likely scenario is that they’ll try to find the drugs first. They didn’t get much chance to search next door this morning. We interrupted them before they could get a good look around. They’ll come back and hope to strike it lucky. The drugs are their primary target, murder of the couriers a secondary objective. They’ll want the drugs secure before they kill anyone. And if they can’t find the drugs on their own, they’ll need the courriers alive to question until they do find them.”

“Makes sense.”

They worked in companionable silence for a while, until they’d both finished their tasks. All was prepared and there was nothing more to do but wait.

Patty sat back in her seat and sighed. “I wish Maryann had picked a less adventurous way to reach for her independence.”

Mario had to chuckle. “How is she doing?” Patty hadn’t said much about her quick trip home, but she hadn’t looked upset, so he wasn’t too worried.

“A lot better, actually,” Patty replied, a look of thoughtful wonder on her face. “I would’ve stayed home longer if they needed me, but she and Aunt Suzy were in the middle of baking a batch of cookies. They were going to stay inside and do homebody stuff all day because Maryann is still a bit sore, but they’re both enjoying the quiet time together. We get so caught up in our individual lives sometimes, we don’t spend enough time together.”

“I know what you mean,” he agreed, thinking about his own wandering ways. He hadn’t been back home to Argentina in a very long time. But that might have more to do with avoiding his grandmother than anything else.

“I just hope we can resolve this so she never has to worry about it again. Poor kid has had a rough enough time already. I don’t want her to have recurring problems from her first—maybe only—bid for independence. Dammit. Why did she have to choose Greg for her first adventure?”

“I learned a long time ago, there’s no use crying over spilt milk.” She looked so forlorn, he had to comfort her. “Come here, querida.” He moved his chair back to make room on his lap.

Much to his satisfaction, she came over and sat down sideways across his legs, her arms around his neck, her head resting against his shoulder. She fit nicely in his arms and the feel of her in his arms went through him like a warm caress.

“Sweetheart,” he lowered his voice, whispering near her ear. “I would do anything to make this easier on you.”

She pulled back to meet his gaze. “You’ve already done so much. Without you and your contacts—and your willingness to help—this would be so much worse. You being here is like a miracle, Mario.”

He drew her closer, leaning his forehead against hers. “You are the miracle, mi osito.” He kissed her, unsurprised when the kiss developed into an explosive passion that demanded an answer.

Patty was more than willing to be distracted from her problems by passion. When Mario took her into his arms, she let all her worries slip away. They could wait until later. Right now, she wanted to be with her mate.

And yeah, she was certain now. For better or worse, her bear had chosen. Mario was their mate. No question about it.

She felt the world spin a bit when Mario rose, with her in his arms, then whirled around to place her butt on the kitchen table. Did he intend to…?

The way he was tearing at her clothing told her the answer was an emphatic yes!

She did the same for him, raising his shirt and whipping it off over his head as he rid her of hers. Then her bra disappeared and he slowed for a minute, his big, warm hands covering her breasts, then pausing to play with her nipples. She sucked in a breath when he squeezed just right, then gasped as he dove down to suck first one and then the other into his mouth. His very talented mouth.

She was panting for air when he finally released one of her nipples with an audible pop. His hands had been busy while she’d been distracted. He lifted her briefly to lower her pants and panties in one well-orchestrated move. He’d done this before.

She didn’t mind his experience though. She’d never had such an adventurous lover and she’d never done it anywhere other than a bedroom. She needed him to take the lead a bit here, on unfamiliar territory. And she like his dominance. Her bear wanted to bask in his strength and roll around in his luscious, sexy scent. He was all male. And he was all hers. At least for now.

He stepped between her bare thighs, his hands caressing her skin in ways that made the fire within her leap. She didn’t want to wait. She wanted him. Right now. She unbuttoned his pants and began working the zipper down.

“Do you realize what we’re doing here, querida?” His lightly accented voice came to her, a dark whisper on the air. She made herself listen despite her distraction. “This is for keeps, mi amor.”

That shocked her gaze upward to meet his smoldering eyes, lit emerald from within. The cat was very near the surface, as she knew her bear was too. Her eyes were probably black with the bear’s presence, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“Keeps?” she repeated, needing to know for sure that he meant what she thought he meant.

“You are my mate,” he said simply, his eyes flaring with certainty.

“I—” Her throat too dry to speak, she swallowed, then tried again. “I know. You’re my mate too.”

A grin split his face with satisfaction. “Then we are in accord,” he said, smiling from ear to ear. She felt herself smiling back. Their animals were in alignment, as were their human sides. He dipped his head to kiss her. “Te amo, mi amor. I love you.”

The kiss went on and on. When he finally let her up for air, he held her face cupped gently in his palms and rested his forehead against hers.

“I love you too, Mario,” she whispered, so glad to be able to say it aloud. “I don’t know how it’ll all work out, but I love you. Forever.”

“Don’t worry about the future. It will work. We’ll make it work,” he promised her. “But right now, I think I’ll die if I don’t get inside you in the next few minutes.”

“Me too,” she admitted with a wicked grin, pushing his pants down and off his hips, then wrapping her calves around him. “Take me now.”

“You wish…” he slid forward, joining them in one long, slick move, “…is my command.”

She couldn’t help it. She giggled.

But then there was no more time for laughter as he began a pace that was both frenetic and full of significance. This wasn’t just mating. This was a good, old fashioned frenzy. A mating for all time. A mating to mark the beginning of something new and sacred.

And when they reached their climax, she bit down on his shoulder, as he bit into her skin. The momentary pain only increased the pleasure as she realized the significance of the moment.

Mating marks. They were together now. Never to be torn asunder.

Chapter Twelve

After that first round in the kitchen, Mario found the energy to move them into his bedroom, where he gave her a much slower, even more powerful ride—or so she claimed. It was all a bit of a blur to him. It wasn’t every day he claimed his mate for the first time. In fact, he’d never done it before, and would never do so again in this lifetime. Today was special.

Now if they could just get this problem with her sister ironed out, they could then take the time to really enjoy their new relationship. Maybe go on a honeymoon or something. Or just spend a few weeks in bed, only coming out for meals. Yeah, that would be pretty awesome.

Patty stirred at his side, running her fingers over his chest and upward toward his neck, skirting around the slightly sore spot on his shoulder. He didn’t care about the pain. Bring it on. He’d suffer anything to wear her mark and have the world know that he was hers, just as she was his.

“Sorry if I got a little carried away.” Her voice was a sexy, low rumble that washed over his senses as he rotated his head to meet her sultry gaze.

“Honey, you can get carried away with me any time your heart desires.” He smiled at her and her luscious lips lifted in an answering grin that made him want to kiss her again.

“I meant your shoulder. I didn’t mean to bite you so…thoroughly.”

He sat up in bed, looking at her and brushing his fingers across the skin just below the mark he’d left on her. He examined it closely.

“Are you in pain from this?” His fingers skimmed close to the mark again.

“Not really,” she answered, her eyes sparkling up at him. “I’m sort of giddy about it, if you want the truth. I can’t believe this all happened so fast.”

“That’s the way it is when mates recognize each other. Or so I have heard. I, for one, am glad to learn it’s true.” He dipped his head to kiss her shoulder lightly. “I have searched the world over for you, and now you are here.”

“I didn’t go as far, but I’m so glad you found me,” she whispered back.

He was about to go in for a deeper kiss when the quiet of the bedroom was shattered by the ringing of a phone. Both of them stiffened. That had to be the call they’d been waiting for.

“Looks like we’re back on the clock,” Mario said, giving her a peck on the cheek before jumping out of bed. He grabbed his phone, answering the call before it could ring for a third time.

As expected, it was Escobar. Everything was in position. Mario talked to his old friend for a few minutes, firming up the details of what they all expected to go down tonight. He saw Patty climb out of bed and head for the bathroom. She was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen, but he had to—somehow—keep his mind on the business at hand.

Everything was set. Now all he had to do was make the call that would release the two hitmen, then sit back and watch everything happen. With any luck, they could wrap this all up within the next few hours and then he and Patty would be free to start their lives together.

If the Goddess of his ancestors was smiling on them.

Patty took the fastest shower of her life, toweled off and re-dressed in the clothes she’d worn earlier. She was going to have to start keeping a change of clothing with her if they were going to be doing this kind of thing. What was she thinking—if? They were mates. She was going to be jumping Mario’s bones for the next fifty years or so.

She almost hugged herself, basking in the enormity of that thought.

“Almost ready in there?” Mario’s voice came to her through the door to the bathroom.

She was just finishing up, so she opened the door and went out to find him standing there in his black fatigue pants. Rawr. He looked sexy enough to bite. But wait. She’d already done that.

She couldn’t help the smile on her face as she walked right up to him and wrapped her good arm around his neck, sliding close for a quick kiss. She would’ve liked it to be more, but they only had time for one quick kiss before they both had to get their butts in gear.

They’d agreed that she would make the call to the station, since it wouldn’t look odd at all for a junior officer to be calling her place of work if anyone ever checked the phone records for any reason. Mario was handling the Spanish connection for obvious reasons, but Patty had already sworn to herself that she was going to learn the language at her earliest opportunity. That wouldn’t be fast enough to help with this situation, but she wanted to take an interest in her mate’s life and background. Learning the language of his homeland seemed a good place to start.

He stepped back, ending the kiss. He held out her cell phone and she took it. She knew what was supposed to happen next.

“I guess it’s show time.” She took a deep breath and punched in the numbers that would connect her to the station. She delivered the short message to Van and hung up. “They’ll let the two men out in about fifteen minutes.”

“If they come straight here, like I expect, we should see them in thirty,” Mario said, sending a quick text using his own phone. When he put away the phone he moved closer. “The ball is rolling now. We’d best prepare.”

Thirty minutes later, almost to the second, they heard noise coming from the house next door. They were already in the backyard, looking down on the house next door, each from separate trees. Bears were almost as good at climbing as cats, and it seemed to make the most sense for them to observe the action from above.

They weren’t supposed to engage the bad guys this time. They were only there to verify capture and act as backup, if necessary. Escobar’s men were going to do the dirty work of capturing the two ruffians.

When the time came, Patty was amazed at the stealth with which a team of heavily armed, green-clad men melted from the trees and shrubs that bordered the backyard next door. They had the house surrounded in what seemed an instant. Silent. Stealthy in a way that humans seldom were.

Son of a gun. Those soldiers were shifters. Had to be. The scents were drifting away, the slight wind blowing in the opposite direction from Patty’s position, but she’d bet her lunch that those guys were all shifters of one kind or another. They moved too fluidly and too silently to be human.

She got a shock when one of the men closest to her looked up into her tree, directly at her, and winked. Of course, her scent was carrying in their direction. That clinched it as far as she was concerned. That one, at the very least, was some kind of shifter.

She watched as two of the guys infiltrated from the roof, sliding into a couple of the upper story windows. She hadn’t even known there was anyone on the neighboring roof. These guys were good. Really good.

But the fools inside the house didn’t go quietly, according to the plan plan. No, they ran out the back door and tried to hop the fence into Mario’s yard. Something had spooked them. Both men were gibbering in Spanish and their eyes were almost as wild as they had been when they’d seen Patty running at them in bear form. She almost smiled at the memory as she watched the soldier who had winked at her and another guy grab the two thugs from behind.

Before they knew what hit them, the two men were on the ground, their hands zip tied behind their backs. It had all been done with super efficiency.

The wink-meister hopped over the fence into Mario’s backyard at almost the exact moment Mario dropped from his tree and sauntered over to meet the other guy, slapping him on the back like they were old friends. Mario casually gave her all-clear signal they’d worked out beforehand and she climbed down a little more slowly, her bear making her only a tiny bit less nimble than Mario’s cat.

She walked over to the men, examining their body language as she approached. They were definitely comfortable in each other’s presence. As if there was a long history between them.

“You guys used to work together, didn’t you?” she said, speaking her mind as she walked up to them.

“What gave us away?” The man who had winked at her turned to face her fully, his eyes sparking gold in the fading light. They glowed for a moment. Yep. He was a shifter all right. But his eyes weren’t the yellow of a wolf. This was gold. Something she’d never seen before. What was he?

And his accent wasn’t one she could place. It wasn’t strong, but there was something definitely different about the way he spoke English. His looks could’ve been from anywhere in the Mediterranean. Or maybe the Middle East. Or South America, even? She just wasn’t sure. He had one of those faces that could come from one of any dozen nationalities—or none at all. He was a chameleon, regardless of what his true beast turned out to be.

“I’m Seth,” the man said, holding out his hand.

Patty took it, returning the friendly gesture, though she was reserving judgment on the man himself. She wanted to know more about how he knew her new mate.

“Patty,” she replied, keeping it cordial for now, even as her inner bear bristled a bit.

“Keep your paws to yourself, Seth.” Mario put his arm around her waist and tugged her close in a caveman display that oddly, settled her bear right down. “She’s mine.”

“Is that right?” Seth smiled as he cocked one hip. He was definitely a sexy beast, but she had her own and she wasn’t interested in any others. Mario was more than enough for her.

“Oh, yeah,” Mario answered his friend, though he looked down into her eyes. “I’m all hers.” He reached up and tugged aside the neck of his shirt, showing off the mating bite that had already begun to heal. “You’re the first to bear witness.”

“Seriously?” Seth sounded both shocked and happy, the tone of his voice doing wonders for Patty’s opinion of him. He seemed genuinely pleased for them.

Patty tugged aside her collar too, showing off her matching mark. “Very seriously,” she answered, grinning at her new mate.

“Oh, man. I’m happy for you, Wildcat. You deserve every bit of happiness. I thought you were crazy when you said you were retiring from the field, but now that I see what you have found here, I’m honestly a little jealous. Congratulations to you both.”

“Thanks, man,” Mario said, shaking the other guy’s hand. “And thanks for handling our little problem next door. This op is very important to my mate and her family.”

A significant look passed between the two men. It was as if they were able to communicate without the use of actual words. Seth looked at Patty and back to Mario, then nodded once, with finality.

“Rest assured then, my old friend. This will be completely settled in the next twenty-four hours. You have my word. I’ll call to let you know when it is done.” The golden-eyed man rested his hand over his heart in a very old world gesture.

“Thank you, mi amigo. I’m glad you’re the one our mutual friend called to solve this,” Mario replied.

“Leave it to us. All will be well. And when we’re done with this op, we’ll come back and throw you both a party to celebrate your mating.” His golden eyes sparkled with good humor.

Patty wasn’t too sure Ty would welcome a group of mercenary shifters back to Grayslake for any length of time, but it was nice of Seth to suggest a party. While she was sure her family would celebrate with them, she wanted some of Mario’s friends there for him too. They’d figure out a way to make it work.

“Look, the guys have our packages wrapped and ready to go. That’s my cue to leave too, but I’ll be in touch shortly. I promise.” Seth was already heading back toward the fence to the other yard.

“Thanks, Seth,” Mario repeated. “I look forward to hearing from you. Safe travels.”

The mysterious shifter faded away over the fence, making not a sound. His men were already gone, their prisoners with them.

“Those guys are impressive,” Patty said, almost under her breath, but Mario must’ve heard. He tucked her into his arms, holding her from behind.

“This turned out even better than I thought it would. Seth will keep me informed of what happens now. And if he’s handling the mop up, you can be sure it will be thorough. We won’t have to worry about Lopez anymore.”

“How can you be so sure?” She’d been impressed by the military men, but a lot of other things still had to go right to get her sister in the clear.

“That’s my old unit,” Mario revealed. “If it can be done, they’ll do it. I was one of them for many years. I know how dedicated they are to their jobs—and to each other. If they know this is for me, they’ll make sure it all goes right, whatever they have to do to make it happen.”

Patty was glad he had such good friends in his life. Although she’d never served, she thought she understood the brotherhood that sometimes formed between those who faced danger together. She felt that way about some of the cops she’d worked with in the past.

“You’re going to miss them, won’t you?” She felt bad if she was the reason he’d lose touch with his friends. “I mean, you really are retired, right? You don’t wish you could go back to that life, do you?”

“And leave you behind?” He sounded outraged. “Never.” The adamant tone made her a believer and settled her nerves. “I came here to find you and now that I’ve got you, I’ll never let you go.”

“Same goes for me,” she whispered. “But what if they ask you to come back?”

“If I counted right, they still haven’t replaced me,” Mario admitted. “I guess Seth didn’t really believe me when I told him I was quitting. He’ll believe it now.” Smug satisfaction sounded in his tone and Patty had to chuckle.

“So he was the leader? And I’m guessing your call sign was Wildcat? Hmm.” She turned in his arms and kissed him. Just a short nibble to tide her over until they had time to do it properly. “I can attest to that. You’re my wildcat now.”

Mario held his hands up as if in surrender. “You’ll get no argument from me, querida.”

Feeling the warmth of happiness just being with her mate, they turned and walked back toward the house. There was still work to do before they could live happily ever after.

Chapter Thirteen

Patty and Mario went to her house so they could tell her sister and aunt about the change in their relationship, as well as what had gone down out at the house on Waverly Place. She felt super awkward, but in shifter society, sometimes matings happened fast, like theirs had. Regardless, she shouldn’t have worried. Both her sister and aunt were thrilled with the idea that Patty had found someone to put up with her, as they put it.

She knew they were joking. They both had tears in their eyes as they welcomed Mario to the family. Maryann hugged him shyly, but Aunt Suzy kissed both his cheeks and gave him one of her patented bear hugs. And it looked like the usually aloof Mrs. Snufflepuff was in love. After a cautious approach, she began rubbing up against Mario’s legs and twining around him, meowing in pure bliss.

They all sat down in the kitchen when Aunt Suzy mentioned that she had tons of leftovers all ready to go. Mario and Patty had missed dinner with all the action today, and they were both happy to dig into some of Aunt Suzy’s down home cooking.

“So where are you two going to live?” Aunt Suzy asked as she served up big helpings of her famous beef stew.

Patty looked up, surprised. “You know, we haven’t even had time to discuss it. This all just sort of happened.”

“I’m retired from my former profession and don’t have a permanent place of residence. If you like, I can move in here with you,” Mario said quietly, holding her gaze. She saw the flare of emerald in his eyes that never failed to excite her. “If you want to explore other places, I should also tell you that I still have most of the money I made as a soldier of fortune. I never had much reason to spend it, so it added up to a very large sum. We could go anywhere you like.”

The idea that she was marrying a rich man hadn’t really crossed her mind, but then she remembered that infamous black credit card. Oh, boy. Mario was probably loaded!

She liked being independent and funding her own way through life, but they were mates now, and her inner bear saw nothing wrong with sharing everything between them. They were in this together. Forever. True mates didn’t ever split up. They were a team now, for better or worse… Richer or poorer. Though it definitely sounded like it would be richer, for her at least.

Not that she was a gold digger. Far from it. But knowing that they wouldn’t be wondering where their next meal was coming from was a relief. One less thing to worry about.

“Maybe we’ll start here and see what we feel like doing once we get used to all this?” she offered, seeking his agreement. Mario nodded, covering her hand with his on top of the table.

“Whatever you wish, querida.” Maryann jumped a little, drawing Patty’s attention. Mario followed Patty’s gaze to her younger sister and he smiled warmly. “And there will always be room for you, baby sister, wherever we go. You have a new brother now and he is very protective.”

Maryann smiled in response to Mario’s teasing and seemed to relax a little bit.

“Is it really all taken care of?” Maryann ventured to ask, still shy but starting to become more comfortable around Mario if Patty was any judge. “I mean, with the drugs and all.”

“I believe the immediate threat here is over,” Mario assured them, his gaze on Maryann. “The rest will be handled by my old teammates. We will be hearing back from them in the coming hours and then, if all goes well—and I see no reason why it should not—you will be free of this trouble forever.”

“I can’t thank you enough,” Maryann whispered. “I made such a mess of things, but you have all been so nice about it.”

“That’s because we love you, sweet pea,” Aunt Suzy said softly, patting Maryann on the shoulder.

“As long as you’ve learned something from all of this…” Mario said, drawing all eyes, “…then you can chalk it up to experience.”

“Yeah.” Maryann paused a moment before continuing. “I think I learned to stand on my own feet a little. I mean, I couldn’t win because Greg was stronger than me, but I surprised myself by how easy it was to stand up to him and speak my mind once I’d made the decision to refuse to help smuggle that stuff. I know I caved eventually, and did it anyway, but it was under protest. I didn’t just go along to avoid the confrontation.” Her words grew stronger as she went on. “I did confront him and paid the price for it, but at least I stood up for myself. Not that it did me much good.”

Silence hung in the air for a moment as Patty’s eyes teared up.

“Actually, it sounds like it did more good than you realize,” Mario observed, summing it up perfectly.

After Maryann’s revelations, the talk turned more mundane, which was a bit of a relief. So much had happened in the past two days, it was nice to just have a meal with the family—and her new mate—and laugh with them, things almost back to normal.

Aunt Suzy dragged out every embarrassing story from Patty’s youth to tell her new mate, but Patty really didn’t mind. She liked to hear Mario’s laughter and didn’t mind laughing at herself.

Hours later, after the kitchen had been put to rights and Mrs. Snufflepuff chose with obvious reluctance to follow Maryann back to her room, Mario and Patty went into the master bedroom, which was Patty’s. Patty’s and Mario’s now.

Patty squeaked when Mario lifted her right off her feet before carrying her into the room.

“What are you doing?”

“Carrying my bride across the threshold,” he replied with a purr as he leaned into kiss her.

He lowered her to her feet as his cell phone started to vibrate and shot her an apologetic look. Checking the number, he immediately connected the call. A rapid-fire conversation followed in a language Maryann didn’t recognize. It wasn’t Spanish, but what was it? He ended the call before she could even try to figure it out.

“That was Seth. They’ve been debriefing the two hitmen.” Mario’s lips were set in a grim line that had her worried. “There’s a problem. There was a failsafe.”

“A failsafe?” she repeated, not understanding, but fearing the worst.

“Another hitman. Here. As a backup. Once it’s clear the first two didn’t succeed—which it must be by now—the third guy will go active and with orders to take out Greg and Maryann. Greg’s back in jail waiting for Ty’s judgement, so he’ll be harder to get to.”

“Which leaves Maryann.” Patty was already moving out of the room, heading down the hall.

Patty knocked before entering her sister’s room, but didn’t wait more than a millisecond between the knock and opening the door. The window on the far side of the bedroom was open, curtains fluttering in the breeze. And they were torn.

The bed was a mess, as if a small, silent struggle had taken place and Mrs. Snufflepuff was curled up in a ball, every hair on end, clearly traumatized in one corner. The moment she saw Mario, she launched herself at him, climbing up his pants and into his arms at record speed while Patty raced to the window.

“No sign of them,” she reported, some of her cop training coming to her rescue when all she really wanted to do was scream the house down. She turned to Mario. “He’s got Maryann.”

“Probably took her to show him where they hid the drugs.”

“Which means they’ll go back to the house on Waverly Place,” she reasoned, glad he was there to help her think when her wild soul wanted to go on a rampage. She moved past him, out the door of the bedroom and into the hall. “Aunt Suzy!”

She shouted and her aunt came running. The minute the night air came down the hall, it brought the scents from Maryann’s room with it. Aunt Suzy frowned.

“What is that smell?” she asked.

“Hyena.” Patty remembered it well from the purge of Boyne Falls. The hyenas were gone now, but once scented, one never forgot their stench.

“What? How?” Aunt Suzy, bless her, was a strong bear, but had never been a fighter.

Mario had been cuddling Mrs. Snufflepuff, calming her down, but he handed her off to Aunt Suzy as he went past her in the hallway, already headed for the front door. Patty was right behind him.

“A hyena hit man has taken Maryann. They’re probably headed back to the house on Waverly to get the drugs. Go to the police station and stay there. They’ll keep you safe. Do it now. We can’t wait, and I want to be sure you’re okay. Take your phone and call me when you’re secure.”

Thankfully, Aunt Suzy hadn’t put on her pajamas yet so she just grabbed her purse and headed out the door right after them. Mrs. Snufflepuff didn’t complain. She just clung to Aunt Suzy as if her life depended on it.

Chapter Fourteen

Mario and Patty raced out to Waverly Place. He was cursing himself for not thinking two steps ahead. He didn’t know Lopez well and hadn’t realized the man was much more thorough than Mario had given him credit for.

A backup. Mario wanted to spit. How could he have let his guard down so quickly?

If Maryann came to harm, it would be Mario’s fault. He should have thought about this possibility. Apparently once you retired from the action, it didn’t take long to become febble-minded. Mario wanted to bite something. Hard. And not in a good way.

“Tell me about these hyenas,” he asked as he drove, needing to know what his mate knew about the shifter that took her sister.

“There used to be a hyena pack over in Boyne Falls, but Ty ordered a purge a few years back. Now the territory is jointly held by us and the neighboring wolf pack.” Her voice was calm, but he knew she was shaking with rage and recrimination inside. He drove as fast as he could.

“A purge is a serious thing,” he observed. Ordering every shifter of a particular group out of an area on pain of death wasn’t something that was done lightly, or often.

“It was. But they deserved it. They did some pretty heinous things and hyenas have no conscience. Most of them are just awful.” She made a face that Mario recognized. It spoke of bad memories of past battles. “But you smelled what I did in Maryann’s room. Male. Hyena. Her fear. His dominance.” She shook her head. “Maryann was doing so well. She probably could have stood up to a human. She would have at least made a noise to alert us. But a dominant shifter is still beyond her capabilities. Poor kid.”

Patty had already called the Itan, first thing. If there was a hyena involved, this was a clan matter. Ty had told her he would mobilize the troops, such as they were, and would meet them out at the house on Waverly. As soon as she’d hung up with the Itan, her aunt had called to report that she was safely ensconced at the police station, making coffee for everyone.

Still, it looked like Mario and Patty would be the first on the scene. They would have backup eventually, but they’d have to handle things on their own for a bit before the others could get there. That was fine with Mario. He had a bone to break with the hyena scum that had abducted Maryann.

Then, he’d spend the rest of his life making up his error to his mate.

“I hear you over there, blaming yourself, you know.” Patty’s voice came to him in the darkness of the cab of his pickup truck. “You’re not the only one who should’ve thought about the possibility of a Plan B.”

Mario was floored. Then he thought about his reaction. His mate was a very dominant bear and a trained police officer. But he was the one with all the international experience. He would not allow his mate to take on any guilt for this.

“No, querida. This is my mistake. My guilt. I should have known better and I will never forgive myself if something happens to your sister.”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “There’s plenty of blame to go around. You don’t get to take all of it.” Her words comforted him, even though her expression was tight.

She took off her cardigan, tossing it to the floorboards, and he realized she was preparing—loosening her clothing in case she had to shift on the fly. Turning into a bear was a little different than a cat, so she prepared in slightly different ways. He was already set. If he had to go jaguar, he wouldn’t be hindered by his clothing. They were both still armed and ready. The hyena bastard wouldn’t know what hit him.

Mario parked his pickup some distance away and they approached the house on foot. They were dealing with a shifter this time, so they had to be as stealthy as possible. But the shifter they were after wasn’t trying to be quiet. They heard the man shouting at Maryann long before they made their way into the backyard of the house next to Mario’s, hopping the fence as they had many times now, over the past two days.

Mario took point and was pleased at how well Patty followed his lead. It was almost like having one of his old teammates with him, except that Patty had a little less experience at covert ops. Still, he could tell she’d trained for this kind of thing and her bear was helping her be as silent as he could have hoped for.

He signaled that he’d take the high ground—a natural for his cat—while she covered the lower floor. They were going to have to infiltrate the house. It was pretty clear Maryann and her captor were up in the attic of the old Victorian. It was a finished space, with an old bedroom up there, now filled with junk.

Smart place to stash the drugs, if that’s where they were. Maryann sure sounded as if they were hidden up there. He could hear her pleading with the hyena shifter, telling him the drugs were close, but she had to remember where exactly Greg had put them. She was doing a credible job of sounding hysterical when they heard the resounding echo of a slap.

That hyena bastard had just hit Maryann. He’d die for that.

Mario silently scaled the drain pipe, landing on the roof in record time. From there, he would drop down to a window behind the hyena while Patty came up the stairs from below. Between them, the bastard would not escape.

Weapon hot, Mario clung to the tiny ledge just outside the topmost window. The lock was old and not even thrown. He could either try to ease the window up quietly or just crash through. He decided on the second method when he heard Maryann scream from behind a pile of junk. He could just make out the head of her captor over the piles of furniture and assorted goods.

The hoarders’ paradise could both help and hurt his assault. He had to move fast and strike before the other man could figure out what was happening. Now, if only the piles of junk would cooperate.

“Don’t kill me!” Maryann wailed and Mario had no choice.

He took aim and fired through the window, at the shadow behind the junk pile. He knew he’d missed the hyena as the window exploded inward and the piles of junk shifted. Maryann was scrambling over an old dresser while the hyena shifter took aim.

That would never do. Mario jumped in through the ragged window and sprang over an old set of drawers to stand in a clear space, directly in front of the shifter.

Relying on his reflexes, Mario chopped at the man’s forearm, stunning him into dropping the handgun. Mario thought he heard the satisfying crack of bone, but he couldn’t be sure because in the next moment, a three hundred pound grizzly bear tackled the hyena shifter from behind, pushing him to the floor and snapping his neck in one quick move.

Mario leaned back and looked at his mate, a smile stretching across his face.

“Oh, my love. You were indeed, made just for me.”

Ty, Van and the rest of the shifter contingent of the Grayslake police department arrived moments after Patty took action. She couldn’t say she was sorry to have killed the hyena. Her bear had been thirsting to spill some blood since her sister bear had been found. This kill satisfied the bear’s bloodlust somewhat, though it still wanted to see Greg bleed under its claws.

Still, a fast death was preferable when death was required. Patty wasn’t sadistic. She hadn’t killed often, but in the line of duty—and in her fur—it was sometimes required. As a dominant female, she would do anything she had to, to protect the weaker members of the clan. It’s what made her chosen profession such a logical choice.

She was a little afraid what Mario was going to think. He seemed to have accepted what she’d done. He’d even smiled and said something very complimentary. But did he still feel that way, now that tempers had cooled?

Patty had followed Ty’s orders, using the bathroom to clean up a bit while Ty looked after Maryann. They were going to find the stashed drugs and Van had some kind of plan to make it look like the Grayslake cops had busted a smuggling operation. The hyena had been a clean kill, so with a little cooperation from the county Medical Examiner, it could be made to look like he’d been taken out by a human. She’d leave the political maneuvering and details to the clan’s leadership. She was just happy to have Maryann back in one piece.

She rinsed the blood off herself and redressed in the clothing she’d shed on her way up the stairs. It was time to go back out there and face the music. She felt justified in killing the hyena, but it was up to Ty, as Itan, to pass judgment on whether or not it was a righteous kill.

She needn’t have worried. When she went back outside, Van intercepted her and gave her that certain nod that meant all was well. Ty was comforting Maryann as Mario and two other guys searched through the hoard of junk in the big room.

When Maryann saw her, she let go of the Itan and held her hand out to her sister.

“Thank you for coming after me, Patty.” Maryann’s voice was a lot stronger than Patty had expected.

In fact, her sister looked a lot more together than Patty would have credited, given what she’d just been through. Patty took her hand, expecting Maryann to launch herself into Patty’s arms, but must to Patty’s surprise, she didn’t. She just squeezed Patty’s hand, as if in reassurance. Had her little sister finally rediscovered her inner strength? Hot damn.

“I was worried you wouldn’t notice I was gone. He overwhelmed me, but then I realized, about halfway here, what he was. A hyena.” Maryann’s lip curled in distaste. Would wonders never cease? “I shouldn’t have been so scared of him. Bear says hyenas aren’t worth being scared of.”

“Your bear?” Patty asked quietly, aware of Ty’s intense scrutiny while everyone else in the room kept working. “Is she talking to you again?”

A big part of Maryann’s problem was that for decades, her bear had been in hiding. Reacting only on an instinctual level with fear and panic rather than communicating on a conscious level with her human side. If the bear was talking to Maryann again, she had made a significant breakthrough.

“She started coming around during our run through the desert. She didn’t like the cactus in her paws.” Maryann’s voice was filled with wonder and Patty felt tears gathering in her eyes. “She’s been very shy, but she’s getting more aware with every passing day, I think.”

“Oh, bug.” Patty crumpled, letting the tears fall. “I’m so happy for you.”

Maryann looked both pleased and a bit stunned. “Thanks. I’m happy too. Bear needs me, just like I need her.”

That was it as far as Patty was concerned. She gathered her sister into a hug, sobbing with happiness. Something good—no, it was something intensely, potently, happily magical—had come out of this mess. Thank the Goddess!

When a shout went up from a far corner of the room, Patty let the action roll around them, still hugging her sister. She was glad to know the drugs had been found, but discovering her sister was finally on the road to healing was something even more important. Something she’d been waiting and hoping for, for a long, long time.

“Are you two okay?” Mario’s voice whispered along her senses, and Patty finally found the strength to let go of her sister. She smiled at her mate, knowing she looked pretty strange with tears running down her cheeks and a grin on her lips.

“We’re better than okay,” she told him.

Maryann moved out of Patty’s arms, for the first time in a long time, being the one to end a hug. Maryann was exercising some of her newfound independence and Patty couldn’t be prouder.

“Thanks for coming to get me,” Maryann said in a clear voice to Mario, so different than the whisper she’d used for so many years. “I owe you.”

“You are family now,” Mario said kindly. “You are my sister too.”

Maryann’s eyes narrowed for a moment, a smile playing around her lips. “You know? I really like the sound of that, big brother.”

Van broke the moment by touching Maryann’s elbow. They needed to ask her about the drugs, to be sure they had them all. Patty could see everything was wrapped in space-age, air-tight containers, which was why none of the talented shifter noses up in that room could locate them on scent alone.

When Maryann went off with Van, Patty turned to Mario, stepping close so they could talk quietly. “Are you really okay with what I did?”

“Woman, are you kidding? You are the sexiest, most badass she-bear I have ever met. I like your dominance, and I love that you protect your own with extreme prejudice.” He let the back of his fingertips whisper over her cheek. “I am no boy scout, my love. I always knew I needed a strong mate and the Goddess has granted my wish. I can do no other than love you and everything that makes you who you are. I only pray that you can be as generous in overlooking my much more…ah…colorful exploits.”

His grin was pure deviltry and she reached up to kiss him, noting vaguely that the treasure hunt was on in the room behind them again. Apparently they’d only found half the drugs on the first try. Greg must’ve been a little more creative in stashing the booty than they’d thought.

But she didn’t really care about the drugs, or even Greg, for that moment out of time. She only cared for the man who was everything to her. Her mate. The most amazing man in the world, who had been created just for her.

“If you can put up with me…” she whispered against his lips, “…then you’re magic. And that’s all we need. Forever.”

# # #

Thank you for reading The Right Spot by Bianca D’Arc.

Want more bears? Check out the Grizzly Cove series. Visit Bianca’s Author Page on Amazon for details!