“I wish you’d trust me, Kitty. You know I’d never betray you, right? If you’re in trouble or running from something, I can help.”
“Unless you can get me out of an arranged marriage set up by deranged shifters, I think I’ll keep going the way I am.”
Mason’s reply mirrored Jag’s thoughts. “Who the fuck does arranged marriages anymore? This isn’t the Middle Ages, Kitty. If you don’t want to marry this guy, just say so.”
“It’s so much more complicated than that, but saying more won’t help either, so can we drop it? Please?”
Kitty sounded utterly exhausted, and with good reason after what she’d just been through. Jag saw this as a good time to finally knock, seeing as it would give Kitty the break she needed.
The door was nearly torn from its hinges by a clearly agitated Mason. “What do you need?”
“Whatever might have been left behind by those bears. I assume they shifted while wearing their clothes, so if you found anything, I’d like to see it,” Jag stated, sure to maintain eye contact.
Sighing, Mason stepped back and waved Jag inside. “They ran off with most of it in their mouths, but I found part of a shirt,” he explained. “I’ve got it in a plastic bag to keep the scent fresh for when I hunt later.”
“I’d be up for helping you, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. I’ve just got to tie Kitty down before I go. The woman won’t rest!” He shouted in her direction.
Her streaked hair fell loosely around her bruised face when she popped her head out from behind the bar, and Jag worked to school his features. Thoughts of what could have happened to Lynn, had she been there, left his cat whining in his head.
Lynn never would have survived. As it was, abrasions covered Kitty, her skin mottled with various shades of black and blue. She sported a large bandage on her right upper arm, covering a wound that appeared to still bleed.
“Aren’t you healing?” he asked, pointing to her arm.
Mason growled. “One of the bastards had his claws silver-tipped. She’s lucky he didn’t hit an artery.”
“
Shit!
Silver? Why would they do that, if they’re only after humans?”
“Because they’re not,” Kitty said. “One of them kept raving about a ‘cleansing of the shifter nation’, or some crap like that. Reminds me of those stupid Kool-Aid cults a long time ago.” Kitty grinned as Mason’s frown deepened. “I’m thinking of dressing up like a slutty Goldilocks and stumbling through the woods on Halloween. Maybe, I’ll even have some antifreeze-laced honey with me for those naughty bears.”
“Kitty.” Mason’s voice was low and rumbling as his face turned an alarming shade of crimson.
“I know, I know. No baiting the psychos. I wouldn’t want to hurt any of the natural wildlife either.”
“I’m not sure if I should be happy Lynn considers you a friend or scared shitless,” Jag confessed, earning a chuckle from Mason.
“Afraid, my friend. Be very afraid.”
“Hey!” Kitty huffed, tossing the rag she was using at Mason’s head.
Mason ignored Kitty’s indignant remark. “This way. I’ll get the shirt from my office and we’ll take a run.”
“Actually, I just went through the woods and followed their trail to some tire tracks. This was something that was likely planned to some extent.” Jag took a moment to think things through with as much of an open mind as he could, trying to come up with a reason for them to target Lynn. “The only thing I can figure, is maybe it’s because she’s had so much contact with our kind. Her best friend is the Prima. Liam stays with her during the day, while I patrol her land at night.”
“But I thought you were her mate?”
“I am, but she’s only recently forgiven me for something I did, so we’re just starting our relationship…I hope.”
Mason grinned, his onyx eyes crinkling a bit at the sides. “Look at it this way, at least, you’re getting a lot of the drama out of the way early.”
Jag and Mason talked about the attack and the tracks in the woods at length then decided the best route would be to wait for the bear shifters to return. As much as he’d like to hunt them all down, Jag didn’t want to risk leaving Lynn open to an attack either.
He remembered all too well how the rogues had ambushed the house before. Now, he had to find a way to keep her out of harm’s way, but unfortunately, her job created a problem. Being surrounded by full-humans would do little to deter the shifters targeting them. However, since she’d just taken so much time off, he wasn’t sure she’d agree to more.
* * * *
Lynn was both flattered and a little concerned when Liam informed her of the lion females waiting in her lobby. It would seem she wasn’t the only one getting the creepy vibe from the shifter physician, Dr. Lewis. It wasn’t that she disliked him but more that his looks put her off, his crazy white eyes being the main thing. She felt bad, since it was something he had no control over, though he could definitely work on his abrupt manner. Now that the whole Pride knew Lynn had followed their Prima’s pregnancy along with their own physician, the expectant shifters wanted a woman to see them too.
Their mates had been equally excited when she’d agreed to take them on as patients, but Lynn had explained it had to be done back at the Pride clinic. There was no way to see them at her office and keep the secret of their short gestation periods.
Liam had told them all to call the clinic and set up times for that Saturday. Then he’d gone into her office to make the necessary calls that would allow Lynn to see patients at the Pride’s facility.
Dylan had agreed to it, but with the stipulation that she be armed with silver in case of an attack. The males were not allowed to remain in the delivery room if they became agitated, as was known to happen when their mates were in extreme pain. He wanted to ensure no harm came to Lynn. The fact that Sam would probably never forgive him if something were to happen to her friend likely played a major part in his rule making.
As Lynn finished signing off her last chart and closed down her computer for the day, she realized Jag still wasn’t there. “Do you know how long Jag will be?” she asked Liam. “I’m beat and ready to head home now.”
Sitting patiently on the small sofa in her office, Liam raised his head, sniffed then replied, “He’s out in the hall. I’m guessing the office staff locked the door when they left.”
“Just so you know, that’s pretty creepy. Handy but creepy.”
“Don’t be hatin’, honey. It just means it’s damn near impossible to sneak a fart around us.” Liam had been cracking jokes, doing his best to keep her laughing all afternoon and had succeeded, but Lynn had a feeling he was distracting from something.
“You still don’t want to tell me what Jag’s been doing this whole time?” She figured she’d give him one last chance to ‘fess up, but when he only shook his head, she knew he wouldn’t budge. “Are all lions this stubborn, or is there some mule blood further back in your family?”
“Hey now, as much as my aunt used to call my uncle a jackass, I’m pretty sure he was one-hundred-percent lion.”
With a snort of laughter, Lynn waved him from her office before locking the door then leading him down the hall to the employee entrance. He stepped ahead of her and held open the door. “Do you need to lock this one, too?”
“No, it’s always locked. You can get out, but nobody can get in without their badge,” Lynn replied, pointing to the scanner next to the door. “Speaking of which, I must have left mine in my car. I’ll have to be sure to put it back in my purse when I get home.”
Liam frowned, but when Jag swaggered down the hall, his arms open and waiting, Lynn didn’t give it another thought. She took the few steps necessary to have those muscled limbs wrapped snugly around her and took a deep breath, enjoying the masculine smell that clung to her man.
“How was your day, beautiful?” he whispered into her hair as she felt him take whiff of her, too. “You ready to go home?”
“Absolutely. I think being off for the last few weeks has been both a blessing and a curse. I’m so far behind on charts, it’s ridiculous, but it allowed me to recharge, too.” Going up on her tiptoes, Lynn planted a kiss on his full lips before grabbing his hand and leading them back to the elevator. “I’m starving. We need to grab some dinner, because I don’t think I’ll last long enough to cook anything.”
Her stomach chose that moment to issue its own complaint, causing both men to smile at her. “Darlin’, are you sure there’s no shifter genes in your family, because that was one healthy growl,” Liam teased.
“I wouldn’t know if there were any on my father’s side or not, because I never knew the man, but if my belly is the only thing growling, I think it’s pretty safe to say no.”
They stepped from the elevator and continued on to the parking garage, where Lynn paused, seeking out her SUV. “It’s back in Pride territory, Lynn.” Jag took her chin in his hand and turned her to face him. “I want to explain this all to you when we get to your house and not while driving home. Can you agree to that?”
His gaze contradicted his words. He’d asked her a question, but his eyes demanded concession. Lynn hadn’t seen much of this dominant side, but then again, after he’d put her over his shoulder that time, she should have known. It didn’t bother her nearly as much as she would have thought. She knew he had her best interests at heart, so she gave a nod and was rewarded with his panty-melting smile.
“Great, let’s get you fed and home.”
They decided on Chinese takeout then proceeded to devour an obscene amount of food before deciding to bring her up to speed on what was going on with her car. After moving into the living room where they could be more comfortable, Lynn took a seat on the sofa and watched as Jag paced and Liam plopped down in her recliner.
She figured her tires had been slashed or maybe the vehicle had been keyed. After all, she’d left it parked in the corner of a bar parking lot all night and day, so anything was possible. “Okay, so let’s have it. What happened to my car? Was it vandalized?”
“Yes,” Liam answered but clearly didn’t plan to elaborate.
“So what? My tires are flat and the paint is ruined?”
“Yup, and a few other things. We can have you on a fresh set of wheels soon though, so no worries.”
Jag growled, “Liam.”
It was a rather testy response, but she’d sensed the tension in him while they were driving. Whatever had happened really bothered Jag, and
that
had her worried.
“Lynn, there’s more to it than that. The only way to get a ‘fresh set of wheels’ for you would be if they came on a new car. Yours is a total loss. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
Glancing back and forth between them, she saw the sympathetic expression on Liam’s face, while Jag’s still held concern. “What aren’t you saying? What happened? Did they set the damn thing on fire or something?” How the hell could they total an SUV in an act of vandalism?
Sighing, Jag sat beside her, his arms going around her waist and pulling her into his lap. “You’re aware of the shifters who don’t care for humans?” When she nodded, he continued. “Well, it would seem a few found your car and took it upon themselves to basically destroy it.”
“Why do they hate us? What happened to them to make them this way?” She’d done nothing to deserve their wrath, and now, her poor car was kaput. Imagining the extent of the damage totaling her SUV, Lynn shuddered, and Jag held her tighter. “Do you think they would have hurt me if I’d been out there when they were?”
His silence was enough of a reply for her. Likely, they would have seriously injured, if not killed, her. She knew how crazy strong they were, and she wasn’t delusional by any means. There was no way for her to fight off a shifter on her own.
“Kitty tried to stop them,” Jag said. Lynn’s head snapped up, searching his face for an answer to the question she couldn’t bring herself to voice. “She’s okay, but they did a number on her. One of the bears had his claws tipped in silver, and the slashes from those will take awhile to heal, not to mention the scars they’ll leave.”
“What the fuck!” Liam exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. “When the hell did you find this out?”
Jag remained calm and collected, with her in his lap, as he regarded Liam. “When I spoke to Mason. Kitty was down in the bar, messing around behind the counter. I saw the bandages and inquired about her injuries. She didn’t appear to be healing as quickly as is normal, so I was curious.”
“Healing? So I didn’t imagine all of that last night? She really is a shifter like you?” Lynn asked.
“Yes, as is Mason. She’s tiger and something we can’t identify, but since she won’t shift, there’s no telling. Mason, on the other hand, is a polar/grizzly hybrid.”
Lynn’s head hurt. Was anyone she knew, other than Sam, a human? She understood there were lions, jaguars, tigers and bears, but she had to ask, “What other kinds of shifters are there? Bunnies? Unicorns?”
Liam snorted behind his hand, his cheeks turning red as he struggled to contain his laughter. “Think predators, darlin’. Wolves, bears, hyenas, pumas, jaguars, lions, leopards, tigers, honey badgers… You know, things like that.”
“Wait, honey badgers?” Now, he was making fun of her.
“Yeah, they’re mean bastards too. Steer clear of them if you ever come across one. They don’t usually come around other shifters though.” Liam shrugged then walked back into the kitchen, probably in search of more chow mien.
“How are you doing so far?” Jag asked.
“So far? You mean there’s more?” Of course, there was more. How could she think things would end with some vandalism and a parking lot fight? Oh and her friend being a shifter too? Despite the growing throb behind her eyes, Lynn still gave him a nod to continue.
“There were threats carved into your car, too. It’s the reason Liam stayed at the office this afternoon. I went back to search out their trail, but it went cold when I came across some tire tracks. This makes me think the attack was planned. Any one of those bears could have seen you inside and picked up Liam’s or my scent on you, from us being in and around your home for so many weeks.” His big hand rubbed circles on her back, and Lynn leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder as he comforted her. “I’ll keep you safe, Lynn. Believe me when I say, I’ll do everything in my power to keep you from harm.”