When an Alpha Purrs (6 page)

Coming back down to reality sucked. While short, the drive was still long enough for Kira to question what the heck she’d done and was planning to do.

She’d let a guy she barely knew bring her to orgasm in his truck in a parking lot. In plain view!
What is wrong with me?

And why wasn’t she more appalled by her actions?

That had to be the worst part. She didn’t harbor an ounce of shame at all, even though she’d acted like a hussy. Despite her turmoil over her actions, when he asked for her address, she gave it. No hesitation, nor did she pull away when he grabbed her left hand and placed it on his muscled thigh. He anchored it there by placing his heavier hand atop it. The intimate contact thrilled her.

Despite her recent climax, her desire for him remained unquenched. Who cared if she barely knew him and he wanted nothing more than hot, pleasurable sex? He offered exactly what she wanted. A good time with no strings or expectations. Given recent events, she could use an evening of mindless fun.

At least she wanted it until he pulled to a stop in front of her uncle’s shop. It took only a glance outside her window to change her mind.

It wasn’t the large plate glass window with its blue-lettered Fresh From The Brine sign that caught her attention, or the front door of the store with its posted hours and ‘Closed’ placard. Instead, her gaze zeroed in on the unassuming little door alongside that she used after hours to get to her place. Personally, she preferred the inside access because the outside stairs were ridiculously steep. But when the shop was closed, she had to resort to the other entrance to her place.

Yet, it wasn’t dread of that huffing and puffing flight of stairs that had her desire shutting off abruptly. It was the sight of smeared letters, running in red rivulets, on the white portal and inset glass pane that made her heart drop.

Bitch slut.
Only one person ever called her that.

How could
he
have found her? She’d fled across the country. Taken on an apartment without a lease. Nothing was in her name. And yet, that message, that level of hate… She knew of only one person who’d do this.

The knowledge that Gregory might lurk killed any thoughts of spending a pleasant evening with the man by her side. She couldn’t draw Arik into the messy thing known as her life. But what excuse could she use to foist Arik off? Somehow saying, “You need to leave because my psycho ex-boyfriend might be stalking me,” didn’t seem like a great way to end an evening that should have finished in her bed with a lot less clothing.

Not to mention, being a guy, Arik would probably go all macho on her and insist on protecting her. Men did so love to beat on their chests to proclaim their superiority to others, which might prove sexy—especially if shirtless—but was not what she needed right now.

So how to douse the sizzle he still felt, and escape? She knew only one sure-fire way to dampen his libido. The ultimate cock blocker: good ol’ Mom. “Shoot, you can’t come up tonight. I’m afraid I just remembered I’ve got to call my mother. She’s having some big premenopausal issues, you know hot flashes and stuff. I kind of promised we’d chat later tonight. Completely forgot. Real sorry. We’ll have to get together another time,” she blurted out in a rapid stream of words as she let herself out of Arik’s truck.

Before she could stand before the door to cover the graffiti, she felt a presence at her back. Automatic fear had her squeak until she realized it was simply Arik, who’d moved more rapidly than expected. Somehow he’d exited his vehicle without her hearing and stood looming over her. Knowing it was him did nothing to quell her rapidly beating heart.

“I told you before not to lie to me.”

She whirled and tried to stand in front of the evidence and reason for her lie. “Okay, so maybe my mother’s not expecting a call. I just didn’t want to hurt your feelings by saying I changed my mind. Woman’s prerogative you know.” It sounded weak even to her and didn’t budge him one inch.

Amber eyes fixed her. “Move.”

“What for?”

“So I can see what you’re hiding.”

“Me? Hiding something?” She tried an innocent bat of her lashes.

It didn’t work. With a hand placed on either side of her waist, he hefted her and put her out of the way, revealing the dripping message in all its profane glory.

“What the heck is that?” He stabbed a finger at the door.

“Teenagers bringing down property values,” she said, followed by a feeble attempt at a laugh.

He didn’t buy it, judging by his frown. “This isn’t a random message. It’s aimed at you, and it’s got you scared.”

“No, I’m not.” She should have known better than to fib. Her mother always did say she sucked at it.

Arik didn’t buy it for a second. “I’m not an idiot. You’re scared because you know who left this.”

“Maybe,” she hedged. He crossed his arms and stared her down. It was impressive as stares went. She shrugged. “Okay, so I have an inkling. But it should be impossible. He’s supposed to be out west. There’s no way he could know where I am.”

“‘He’ being the ex-boyfriend that didn’t end well?”

She shrugged. “It’s possible, or this really could just be a random act of neighborhood art.”

“Art is actual images or initials, not the words bitch slut smeared in blood.”

She winced as he said it aloud. But then his words penetrated. Blood? Surely not. She bit her lower lip in worry. “We don’t know that it’s blood. It could be ketchup.”

“I work with meat. I know blood when I see it. Has this guy threatened you before?”

How much to tell him? Already, Arik seemed awfully mad. Not at her, though. Someone was pumped up on testosterone, a true male reacting to a perceived threat. Cute, but did she really need another man in her life causing chaos? Even if Arik offered her protection, she wasn’t sure she wanted his help. Having him around, possibly where Gregory could see him, would just cause more trouble.

Gregory had deep jealousy issues. Real deep. Only one of the many reasons why she’d dumped him. Problem was, Gregory didn’t take the rejection well.

“It’s nothing you have to worry about. It’s my problem, and I’ll deal with it. I’ll contact the local cops and see if his restraining order only applies for my old place of residence. If I can’t have it transferred, then I’ll just get a new one. Problem solved.”

A muscle ticked on the side of his jaw. “Not problem solved. This guy’s obviously a nut job if he’s followed you across the continent just to threaten you.”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call this a threat, more like a judgment on my character.”

Was that a growl she heard?

“Kira, why are you deliberately downplaying this?”

“Because this isn’t your problem. It’s mine, okay? And one I should have apparently dealt with instead of running away. Stupid me, I thought if I left, the whole out-of-sight, out-of-mind thing would work. That Gregory would leave me alone. I was wrong. So now I’ll deal with it. Alone.”

His lips tightened. “Not alone.”

“Yes, alone. This has nothing to do with you. We’re not a couple, remember? Which means you have no say in my personal life, and this is personal. So now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go upstairs, call the cops, and deal with this. By myself.”

With that, she unlocked her door and let herself into the tiny vestibule. She whirled to slam the door shut behind her, making sure to lock it while ignoring Arik’s stare through the blood-marked glass. And, yes, he stared. Silently, but still his eyes drilled a message that she felt between her shoulder blades as she trudged up the stairs, one that said,
You’re being stubborn.

Yup. But she couldn’t help herself. Blame her mother who’d raised her that way.

When she got to the top of the stairs, huffing and puffing, the steepness still not any easier than the first time she’d tackled them, she could admit to herself a hiccup of fear as the closed door to her apartment taunted her. What lay beyond it? Safety, or did she walk into danger?

Maybe I should have had Arik come up with me, just to check.

I’m a big girl. I can handle this.
She, and the can of mace she pulled from her purse. She held it in a ready-to-spray position as she let herself into her apartment.

Nobody jumped out at her, which meant she didn’t have to change her panties. Kegels tightly clenched, she immediately flicked a light switch and illuminated the tiny entrance. Still nobody, but there were too many shadows for her liking, dark corners where anything, or anyone, could hide.

Practically hyperventilating, she turned on every single lamp she had, even the bathroom vanity lights. Nobody lurked in the corners, nobody popped out of her closet or flung back the shower curtain brandishing a knife to the music from
Psycho
.

The undisturbed apartment should have proven reassuring, yet the fear wouldn’t vanish.

He knows where I am. He hasn’t given up.

What would Gregory do next?

Unlike what she’d told Arik, she didn’t bother calling the cops. She already knew what they’d say. Until Gregory did something, they couldn’t act. The message on her door wouldn’t count. She couldn’t prove he’d left the bloody message, just like she couldn’t prove all the other things he’d done back home—the dead flowers on her front step, the slashed tires on her car. When it came to stalking—and inspiring terror—Gregory played the game all too well.

Alone, with no one to watch, or judge, Kira finally gave in to trembling fear. It took over her limbs, turning muscles into quivering jelly, and sent her slumping to the floor. But she didn’t note the hardness under her buttocks or the coldness of the plaster as she leaned against the wall—a wall that would prevent a sneak attack from behind. She drew her knees to her chest and hugged them, rocking slowly as tears streamed down her cheeks. Relief and terror all rolled into one.

She might have played the part of strong, capable woman to Arik, but the truth was Kira was terrified.

In moving hundreds of miles, she’d truly hoped to have left her past behind. For a moment that evening, with Arik teasing and delighting all her senses, she’d almost let herself think about giving Arik a little more than just her body. Maybe she could think of starting over.

Wrong. She couldn’t move on with her life. Not now. Not with Arik. Not with anyone. Heck, if it weren’t for the fact she’d need her paycheck from the barbershop, she’d be packing a bag and fleeing tonight.

Gregory wasn’t working with a full deck, not where she was concerned. He’d already proven that when he burned down her hair shop back home. Kira didn’t care what the fire marshal claimed.
Rats chewing on the wiring my ass.

Would her ex-boyfriend resort to the same trick twice? She couldn’t bear it if her granddad lost the shop he’d worked in for forty years because of her. But with Gregory, anything was possible.

What’s his plan? What does he want?

He knew she didn’t want him, so why wouldn’t he leave her alone? What would he do next? He’d left a message, but she doubted he was done. The question was, would he let her stew in fear before making his next move, or was he already implementing the next step in his plot for revenge?

I’m an idiot for staying here.
She should have gone to a hotel for the night. Too late now. She didn’t dare leave the relative safety of her apartment.

Fear kept her awake for a while. She watched the window that had access to the fire escape, but the bright lights in her apartment didn’t let her see much but a reflection of her apartment. For all she knew, he was crouched out there, watching. Waiting for her to fall asleep. To be vulnerable.

She flinched at every sound the old building made as it creaked through the night. Fatigue tried to claim her. She nodded off in spurts, only to startle awake, certain he’d come for her.

Morning couldn’t come soon enough. And then she had some decisions to make.

Protect.

That was Arik’s second instinct after he managed to control his first one, which roared
Kill!

Satisfying, but also against human laws. Spoilsports.

Still, something needed to be done. It didn’t take a finely honed sense of smell to perceive the terror emanating from Kira. A simple act of graffiti shouldn’t have been enough to terrorize his fearless mouse. But when she’d divulged the possibility the threat was left by an ex-suitor, he started to form a picture.

A picture that required more information. But he couldn’t exactly demand it from her, which was the only reason why he let her flee to her apartment alone. It went against his better judgment, but he allowed it, having to content himself with the knowledge he wasn’t far.

Logic, however, didn’t soothe his inner savage beast. The scent of blood, and not just blood, but the blood of a wolf, drove him to the brink. Whoever had left the message was a Lycan. An enemy. One who’d not just dared to threaten
his
woman, but dared to come into his territory.

While Arik might not rule this city’s wolf pack, the canine group, few in number because not many took to city life, knew better than to cross him.

Rules stated all Lycans coming into his city had to report in to the pack leader. The leader, in turn, then notified Arik, who, being a gracious feline king, allowed the visitor to stay, so long as he or she behaved. But cross the line and…

Let’s just say Arik enforced his laws, which had been created to protect them all from discovery. The fact that someone dared to show up to cause mischief didn’t sit well at all. Especially since it meant Kira was dealing with more than just an ordinary ex-boyfriend who refused to let go.

Another tries to claim her.
But would fail. He’d make sure of that.

Arik had to ignore his lion, which chuffed and chafed, demanding they follow her and stay close to her side. An instinct honed over the years said she was safe in her apartment. The lock showed no signs of tampering, and a quick check of the alleyway didn’t reveal any recent scent of anyone trying to climb the fire escape. The wolf had left his message and left.

But where Kira was concerned, assumptions weren’t enough. He needed to be sure. To see her safe for himself.

For that end, he clambered up the rickety metal structure the fire code demanded, staying out of sight of the well-lit window on the second floor. A quick peek inside showed a small, plainly furnished place. He noted no signs of violence and heard nothing but soft, gut-wrenching sobs.

She cries.
A silent roar of frustration.

How he fought hard not to barrel into Kira’s place and sweep her into his arms, promise her she had nothing to fear. However, she’d made it clear she wanted to be alone, and breaking in now would do nothing to ease her trepidation. And given she clutched a can of pepper mace, any attempt to get at her might prove unpleasant for them both.

Instead, he would be her hidden protector, standing guard from outside.
Don’t fear, mouse. I’ll watch over you. You won’t come to harm.
He couldn’t promise the same for the guy scaring her.

A guy who needed a full name and a face. Arik made some phone calls, and no, he didn’t care that it was late and people might be abed.

If they worked for him, then they were fair game.

“Hayder.” He didn’t bother with niceties when his second answered. “I need you to find out what you can about Kira…” He paused as he realized he didn’t even know her last name. Dammit.

“Kira who?”

“I don’t know her last name, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find out. She’s Dominic’s granddaughter, recently moved here from out west.”

“Can I ask why you’re requesting a background check on the girl?”

“Because I said so.”

“Excuse me, Mr. High and Mighty for daring to ask a question.”

“You’re not excused, but I’ll tell you why I want the info since it might help. It looks like her ex-boyfriend has shown up to stalk her. From the sounds of it, he’s a piece of work. Thinks terrorizing women is acceptable. I’d like to find him and show him why that’s a bad idea.” Show him in slow, agonizing detail why no one threatened those he considered his.

“You know murder is against the law,” Hayder reminded.

“Only if they find a body.”

“Good point. Do you have any kind of clue about this guy?”

“Not much. She used the name Gregory and said they used to date when she lived out west. Oh, and she’s got some kind of restraining order against him. He’s also a wolf.”

“A Lycan daring to come into our territory?” Hayder’s tone changed. Arik wasn’t the only one who didn’t like encroachers.

“Daring and now threatening a woman. I want him found. I’ve given you enough details that you should be able to dig up some dirt. I want a picture of the asshole and more details.”

“I’ll have something on your desk in the morning.”

Morning was too far away. “You’ll have something for me in the next hour.”

“You don’t pay me enough for this,” Hayder grumbled.

“I let you live. That’s reward enough.”

With Hayder’s task set, and his anger still simmering, next Arik called Leo. “If you don’t want the news to have a report of a lion running wild in the city, get your ass over here. And bring a bottle of cleaner and some rags.” He rattled off the address before hanging up on his omega.

While he waited for Leo, he did his best to control his raging beast. But while he kept the lion contained, the man was pretty damned agitated too.

Someone had threatened Kira. She could tell him it was none of his business until the cows came to the kitchen door and offered themselves for dinner. Right now, she was upstairs. Crying. His feisty, outspoken mouse crying.

Like. Hell.

He’d respect her wishes to be alone tonight because he had work to do, such as making sure he didn’t go on a beastly rampage—and peeing on every goddamn wall he could find so that if the wolf returned he’d know he’d incurred this alpha’s displeasure. However, this was the last night they’d spend apart.

I’ve found my mate.
And from here on out, she would never be alone again.

As soon as she’d come on his fingers, he was a goner. Human or not, Kira belonged to him, which would cause a shitload of problems, especially with the females in his pride. But he’d handle them. He was, after all, the boss—even if they tended to forget that at times.

Pacing the sidewalk in front of her building, he heard the hum before he saw Leo arrive on his fully decked out Honda Goldwing. Harley owners might stick their noses in the air at his choice in bikes, but only once had a pair of morons said something to Leo’s face. Funny how the legend of him tying their beards in a knot traveled. Leo’s version of poetic justice.

The big man got off his bike and strolled over to Arik, who had stopped to stare at the offensive door.

“That’s not very nice,” his omega remarked.

“Care to state something more obvious?” was Arik’s snapped reply.

“Do I know who lives here?”

“Not quite, but you’ve heard of her and her cutting skills.”

“I assume you mean the hairdresser. This is her door?”

“Yes, this is her door. She’s upstairs right now crying because of the asshole who left this.” Arik slammed his fist into the palm of his other hand.

“Judging by your current anger, I take it your dinner date went better than expected.”

“I would hardly call this better. I brought Kira home, expecting an evening of… Let’s just say fun stuff, only to have her ditch me, terrified out of her mind because of some jerk.”

“And you didn’t kill someone?” Leo arched a brow. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Keep your sarcasm. I called you here to keep me from doing something drastic. Your remarks aren’t helping.”

“If you feel a need to hit something, I’m here for you. And if it will make you feel better, I’ll hit you back.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” Arik didn’t need to get personally acquainted with the pavement. Being alpha of his pride might make Arik strong, but when it came to brute strength, Leo outweighed them all.

The lion-tiger mix was a big bastard, but lucky for them, he had no interest in power or leading the pride. Leo loved his role as Omega, a guy who, with a single glance and crack of his knuckles, could calm any hotheaded situation. Or crack them together if required.

“I haven’t told you the best part yet.”

“The guy’s a wolf. The blood scent kind of gave it away. Does she know?”

“Doubtful. But then again, I didn’t really have a chance to ask her. If she’s in the dark about our kind, then blurting, ‘hey is your ex by any chance a werewolf?’ is a sure-fire way to never have her see me again.” As if he’d allow that.

“Again? The girl must have really struck your fancy.”

She’d struck a lot of things. However, he wasn’t in the mood to discuss them at the moment. “Did you bring the cleaning supplies?” Arik asked.

“Yeah, but shouldn’t we leave the message here for the cops? They’ll want pictures for their report.”

“She’s not calling them.” He could tell by the resigned way she’d even suggested it that she already knew it would do no good. The only thing she might achieve was having some disinterested officer take a report. In their eyes, this wasn’t a true crime. Not until actual violence was dished would they get involved.

Violence.
His lion heartily approved of it, but he’d have to do it in such a way that Kira wouldn’t find out. He got the feeling she’d already faced enough.

Despite their short acquaintance, Arik knew Kira wasn’t the type to get scared by petty threats, nor would she ditch her life to start over unless something truly bad had gone down. Nothing short of life-threatening would have Kira reacting the way she had.

He was proven right less than an hour later.

Hayder’s voice didn’t hold even a smidgen of humor when he called and relayed his findings. “I got what you asked for, dude. And it wasn’t easy. This Kira broad might be Dominic’s granddaughter, but they have different last names. Even once I figured that out, she wasn’t easy to track. Your girlfriend isn’t online with social media or anything. Lucky for us, I’ve got a second cousin on my mom’s side who works for the cops out west. He was able to use his access to enforcement databases and he got a hit on her name.”

“And?”

“And is Leo there?” Hayder stalled, which didn’t bode well.

“That bad?”

“Depends on how you look at it. Seems her ex-boyfriend was quite busy. At least according to her. Nothing concrete was ever proven, despite the many police reports and investigations. Seems Gregory has a history of leaving not-so-polite messages for Kira to find. She called the cops a few times for assault, but with no bruises to show for it, they never laid charges. I suspect Gregory had friends on the force. But even they couldn’t cover his ass when he accosted her at work. According to witnesses, he showed up and went on a rant. She told him to leave, but he wouldn’t listen. Numerous people claimed he shook her before shoving her against a wall. It was after that a judge granted her a restraining order, which prevents him from coming within fifty yards of her and, in addition, lists her residence, her parents’ home as well as her place of business.”

“In other words, the asshole is having a hard time letting go.”

“More than hard. The restraining order just pissed him off. Things escalated after that. He attacked her outside her home, gave her a black eye, and might have done more if a passerby hadn’t intervened. That got him tossed in the slammer for a few days, and more charges were filed, but they let him out on bail. It was while he was out that the salon she owned and worked out of burned down. Despite Kira insisting it was him, the investigator didn’t find any concrete evidence linking Gregory to the incident. No accelerant was found, and the cause was attributed to rats chewing the wiring. Without hard evidence, though, the cops wouldn’t book him.”

And so she fled.

“Do you have a picture for me?” So Arik could see the face of the man he’d kill. Terrorize his woman? Not happening. Not to Kira. Scum like that did not deserve to breathe the same air as everyone else.

“I’ve got a few images. I’ll text them over in a second.”

“Good. After that, I want you to hire some security.”

“The human kind or are you coughing up the extra dough for the Pack?”

Pack, as in Lycans who charged a hefty price for their services. Problem was while the Pack was the better choice, he didn’t want any of those randy mutts sniffing around his woman. However, given they needed to protect her against one of their own, his jealousy would have to take a back seat. “Hire the Pack. But warn them they are not to have contact with her. I don’t want her to even suspect they’re watching. I want them for round-the-clock surveillance on her apartment and where she works. We don’t want this asshole repeating his arson.”

“Do you want a security detail on her?”

“No. I’ve got that covered.” That was one protective detail he intended to handle himself.