Every Blissful Moment (Hyena Heat Book 4) (15 page)

He chuckled.  “Then you shouldn’t be working.  We make more than enough money to support you and our baby, and if you’re not comfortable here, then you shouldn’t be here, period.  I know my brothers will agree.  They’d never want you to work someplace you weren’t happy.”

“I should contribute to the family, though.”

He moved her a little closer and she rested her head on his shoulder.  “Let me tell you a secret, love.  Most clan females don’t work.  My mom’s never worked, and neither have my aunts.  I think the only reason Whisper works is because she’s been working at the bar for so long and loves to sing and give kids music lessons.  Nyte told me she was really unhappy when she thought she wasn’t going to be doing that.  And the two other mates in the Kentucky
baro
– Alyssa and Sydney – work at the gym because their mates work there and they’re around them constantly.  I think those females are the exception, not the rule.”

Her hand rubbed up and down his side.  She seemed to need time to think, so he let her have it.  He knew his brothers would be happy to know that she wanted to quit the bar.  Memphis and Link wanted her safe at home, or they wanted to be with her to keep her safe, and there weren’t enough jobs at the bar for all of them.  Rome liked working at the bar, and he could do Bliss’s job as well as his own.  They’d figure the rest out later.

“I just want to do a good job with our kids.”

“You will, love.”

She lifted her head, her eyes filled with worry.  “How do you know?”

“Because you already love our son enough to want to protect him before he even has working ears.  I’d say you’re already well on your way to being an amazing mom.”

She smiled, and it was the smile he loved the best, where her eyes crinkled at the corners.

“You say the sweetest things.”

“I only speak the truth.”

There was a knock at the door, and it swung open.  Mack stood in the doorway.  “If you’re going to fool around, you should lock the door.”

Bliss buried her face against Rome’s shoulder with an embarrassed groan.  “We weren’t fooling around, Mack.”

He snorted, but smiled.  “Sure.  I’m sending everyone home early.  I’ve got human staff to cover the bar, and it’s going to get dark soon.  Are you coming with your brothers to hunt with us, Rome?”

Rome put Bliss on her feet and stood.  “No, I’m staying home with my sweetheart.”

“Sounds like a plan.  I’ll see you two next week.”

Mack shut the door.  Bliss grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair.  “Should we tell him what we were talking about?”

“We can do that another night; he’s got a lot on his mind with the full moon.  Besides, we should talk to Memphis and Link first and make the decision as a family.”

“I think I’m pretty lucky.  I’ve got three guys who love me and want to provide for me.  Most women only get one.”

She might think she was lucky, but Rome knew that he and his brothers were the truly lucky ones.

“How about that steak dinner I promised?”  He opened the door for her and she stepped out into the hallway.

As if on cue, her stomach rumbled.  “I hope you won’t mind if I eat your steak, too.  I’m starving.”

“We can get a few extra steaks just to be safe, but you know you can eat my steak anytime.”

She snickered.  “That sounds so dirty.”

He laughed and slipped his arm around her shoulders as they walked down the hall to the exit out to the parking lot.  Even though the sun was still out, it was brisk, and he hugged her a little closer to shield her from the cold.

He was looking forward to having her all to himself for a few hours in the den tonight, when his brothers headed out to hunt with the pack.

Him and his sweetheart all alone in the den.  Now that was his kind of night.

Chapter 12

The brisk air slapped Bliss in the face when Rome pushed the exit door open.  She squeaked and tucked her face into his shoulder.

He chuckled in that way that men will when they have wicked plans.  “I’ll warm you up at home.”

She laughed.  “I’m sure you will.  After my steak, though, right?”

“Whatever you want, sweetheart.”

The thought of steak made her stomach rumble.

Rome hurried her to his SUV.  As they reached it, there was a loud, scraping noise, like nails on a chalkboard.  A male stepped around the back of the SUV, dragging his finger across the paint.  Rome pushed Bliss behind his back.  She peeked around him and saw two more males join the first.  They were tall and lean, with disheveled white hair.  The first one lifted a clawed finger, pointing at her and Rome.

“Tell us where the little one is.”  His voice was high, and he scratched at his jaw as he spoke.

“I don’t know who you mean,” Rome said.  “I’m just trying to get my mate home.”  He sounded very calm, but Bliss could feel the tension in his body.

“Yes, you do!”  A second male said.  “Tell us!”

She reached into her coat pocket for her cell to call for help, but when she looked down at the screen she saw that she had no reception.  Confusion swept through her.  She’d always been able to use her phone at the bar.  She stared at the males, and very slowly understanding filled her.

“Rome, they’re owls,” she whispered.  “My phone won’t work; I think they’re looking for Brierley.”

The third male laughed loudly, braying like a donkey and pointing at Bliss.  “That’s her, that’s the one who gave us such a good time.”

Mortified, Bliss ducked back behind Rome.  Of course they’d remember her; they’d gotten quite a show in the mountains.

The high-voiced male made an odd, squealing growl and said, “Enough!  Tell us where the little one is so we can have the fun we were promised.”

Rome pushed Bliss backward as he slowly moved away from the males.  “Sorry you came all this way, but she’s not here,” Rome said.

“You lie!”  The second one said.  “We’ve been searching everywhere for her.  We were promised a good time, and we want it.”

The third male said, “If she’s not here, then you and your female can give us what we came for.”

Rome growled, and it was a sound that Bliss had never heard from her sweetest mate before.  He was furious, and although she was scared, she knew that Rome would protect her.

“Don’t threaten my mate,” Rome said darkly.  “Leave now and never come back.”

The high-voiced male laughed.  “I think we’ll take your mate back to the nest.  Our king would be proud of us.”

“Your
king
said we would be safe.  You can’t harm us or you’ll break his promise,” Rome said.  He pushed Bliss back a little more, and she tried not to let her fear rule her.  If they could get into the bar, they’d be safe behind locked doors and could call the police to get rid of the owls.  She hated whatever device it was they had to block cell signals.

“You know nothing of our kind,” the third male bellowed.  “Hand the sacrifice over and we’ll let you live.”

“Never,” Rome growled.  He glanced over his shoulder and met Bliss’s gaze.  “Run into the bar and get Mack.”

Rome shoved Bliss in the direction of the door and she raced toward it, the sound of tearing fabric filling the air.  There was a deep growl; she knew that Rome had shifted into his hyena form, and she wished she could shift into a wolf and help.

She was inches from the door when something grabbed her by the back of her coat and swung her around.  She screamed as she hit the brick wall with enough force to make her head spin, and then slipped to the ground, knocking over several empty crates that had been stacked nearby.

The high-voiced male loomed over her.  “Say goodbye to your mate, sacrifice.  Your life as you know it is over.”

She shrank back as his hands reached for her.  A loud hooting sound made her peer between the male’s legs and she saw two owls attacking a hyena.  Her heart clenched.  The birds’ thick talons clawed at him, hooking through his flesh and tearing.  The pretty golden color of his fur was dripping with blood.  Something clicked for her in that moment; she knew she couldn’t let herself be taken.  She was pregnant and her mate was protecting her.  The least she could do was keep this one still-human asshole from touching her.

Her hand gripped one of the crates next to her, her fingers wrapping around a wooden slat.  With as much force as she could muster, she kicked the male in the knee and swung the crate at his head.  The kick to his knee didn’t do much but jar her whole body, but the crate threw him off-balance as he tried to block it with his arm.  She scrambled to her feet as he stumbled sideways.

He righted quickly.  “You’ll pay for that, bitch!”

She gripped the crate, using it as a barrier between her and the strange male.  The door of the bar burst open, and a large wolf leapt out with a loud growl.  Mack!  The male owl shouted in alarm, and his body began to shrink as he quickly shifted.  Mack looked around, his claws flexing in the dirt.

The male’s wings got caught in his shirt, and as he struggled to get free, Bliss took the opportunity to smash the crate down on top of him.  The owl squawked loudly and Bliss lifted the crate and brought it down again.

Mack growled and raced to Rome.  The owls stopped attacking Rome and tried to get away, but Rome leapt into the air, grabbed one by the wing and brought it down, the sound of crunching bone and an owl’s pain-filled scream filling the night.  Mack batted the other owl out of the air with his paw, and it bounced on the ground.  In a second Mack was on top of it, his jaws around its throat for just a second before there was a cracking sound and the bird’s flapping wings went still.

Bliss sat down on top of the crate.  The owl who’d attacked her was inside it, flopping around.  The slats on one side had splintered with her second blow; but although she was furious at the owls for trying to hurt her, her baby, and her mate, she didn’t have the stomach for killing.

The back door opened a second time, and one of the human bartenders froze as he looked at the destruction.  Feathers were everywhere, and judging by the way that Rome was shaking an owl between his jaws, two of the three attackers were now dead.

“Could you do me a favor, Brent?” she asked.

He blinked at her.  “Um, I guess so.”

“Use the landline in Mack’s office and call Whisper.  Her cell is the first memory button.  Tell her I need her mates to call my mates and have everyone get to the bar immediately.”

“Should I call the cops?”

Mack growled as he sat down next to one dead owl.

Bliss said, “Only if you want Mack to use you for a chew-toy.”

“No, of course not.  I’ll call Whisper right away.”

She smiled, but it was forced.  She was scared, because the male in the crate under her was still alive and she was worried he was going to shift into his human form and get away.  She’d never feel safe if an owl was on the loose.

The owl clawed at the crate with its talons and squawked angrily.  She slapped the undamaged side.  “Knock it off, asshole.”

Rome padded over to her, sniffing derisively at the crate, and rested his head on her knee with a questioning whimper.

“I’m okay.  Are you?”  He chuffed, and she rubbed the soft fur between his ears.

“You’re bleeding, but you’re better off than those two guys.  Whisper always said you guys heal faster in your shifts, but you probably can’t even shift back right now anyway.”

She found herself babbling, petting her mate and watching Mack as he gathered both dead owls in his mouth and dragged their carcasses toward the back door.  She was glad that the wolf had shown up when he did; she wasn’t sure what would’ve happened otherwise.

The owl seemed to give up trying to claw its way out of the crate.  She was glad that owls seemed to be bound by the same shifting rules as wolves and hyenas, unable to shift back to human right away.  Mack came to stand by her and Rome, sitting on his haunches and keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.  She’d always considered Mack to be a second father.  He’d looked out for her with the pack, and even now he’d been there for her and her mate when the odds were stacked against them.  She was thankful for him.

“Thank you, Mack,” she said.  “Thanks for being here for us.”

Mack nodded.

Several minutes later two vehicles pulled swiftly into the parking lot, and she could’ve cried in relief at seeing her mates.  Nyte and Azrael were behind Memphis and Lincoln in their own SUV.  Memphis and Lincoln rushed to her, and Memphis lifted her from the crate.  Lincoln put his foot on top of it to keep the suddenly flapping owl contained.  “We need something to put this fucker in; the bottom of the crate is missing.” Lincoln said.

Nyte moved to the stack of crates and picked up another one.  “Az, go grab the bungees from the back of the SUV so we can keep the lid closed.”

Az jogged back to their vehicle and returned a moment later with several large bungees.

“Are you okay, baby?”  Memphis asked, stepping away to a safe distance.  Rome trotted after them, standing next to Memphis.

“Yeah.  I’m totally freaked out about how they knew to come here, though.”

Memphis sighed.  “I don’t know, but we’ll find out.”  He nuzzled her throat.  “I’m so glad you’re safe.  When Nyte called and said there was a problem at the bar, I didn’t know what to think.”

Nyte lifted the broken crate, and Lincoln grabbed the owl and shoved him into the unbroken one.  Az slapped the lid down quickly and Nyte and Lincoln fixed the bungees around it.  The owl squawked and flapped angrily.  Lincoln gave the crate a good shake, growling, and the owl went still.

Lincoln stalked over to her, his eyes the amber of his beast and his fangs elongated.  “Are you all right, sweet thing?”

Bliss reached for him and he took her from Memphis’s arms, holding her close.  “Yeah.  Mack came in the nick of time.  Rome’s pretty scratched up.”

“You are, too,” Memphis said, touching her arm gingerly.  She hadn’t even realized she’d been cut.  Looking down at her arm, she saw some bloody scratches.

“He must have clawed me before he shifted.  I don’t even remember.”

“Adrenaline does that to us.  We’ll get you cleaned up and then figure out what to do with this asshole,” Lincoln said.

Nyte joined them.  “Are you okay, Bliss?”

“Yes, thank you.  I tried to use my cell phone to call for help, but they were using some kind of signal jammer.”

“Why were they here?”  Az asked from where he stood next to the crate.

She opened her mouth, but Memphis interjected.  “Let’s talk inside.  Bliss and Rome are injured.  Since Mack can’t shift right now, we need Kross and Kayne because they share the beta duties.”

Az said, “They must not be in their apartment or they would’ve heard the commotion.  I’ll give them a call from the office phone.”

Memphis helped Az carry the crate into the bar.  Rome trotted behind them as Lincoln carried her through the door and took her straight to her office.  Lincoln sat down behind her desk, adjusting her across his lap, then picked up the receiver and handed it to her.  “Call Whisper and tell her you’re okay.”

“What about Kross and Kayne?” she asked as she started to dial her bestie’s cell.

“I’ll call them,” Nyte said, sitting down in Rome’s chair.