Staking Their Claim

by Rebecca Airies

  “And children from toddler to teen.” Diane laughed.

  “I know you three have met my new friends and you definitely know Mags. You think I’m not used to noise?” She raised her eyebrows. And seriously, a family party couldn’t compete noise-wise with the women she’d lived with before. “I think I can adjust. If I need a breather from all of the people for a few minutes, we can talk about it. It might take me a little while to master the names though.”

  “All you have to do is say something to us or my mother. This is a lot of people at once.” Griffin rubbed her stomach and released her.

  They led her up the walk. The door opened before they climbed the last step. A short, black-haired older woman stood in the doorway. A bright yellow shirt highlighted her brown skin and rounded face.

  “This must be Penny.” The woman hugged her.

  Penny stood still for a moment, before she hugged her back. Warmth flowed through her. Wow, such immediate acceptance.

  “Yes, that’s our Penny.” Ethan stepped up. “Penny, this is our mother, Sandy.”

  “Welcome, Penny. We’re a big family, but we’re happy they found you. I’m Sandy. ” Sandy squeezed her arm. “But you can call me, Mom, if you’d like.”

  “Thank you, Mom.” This woman certainly fit that label. Caring and concerned.

  The woman beamed. “Almost everyone is here. We haven’t told them what she is to you. We thought you might like to do that.”

  “Yes, I do.” Ethan nodded.

  “Well, bring her in. Your fathers are waiting to meet her.” She stepped back to let them walk by.

  “Come on, peaches. Let’s get you out of the cold.” Ethan curled his arm around her and guided her inside.

  “Peaches, now, that’s sweet.” Diane laughed. “I always thought you’d be one of those ‘baby’ men.”

  “She’s not a ‘baby’ sort of girl.” Griffin ran his hand over her shoulders.

  She grinned. The pet name thrilled her. Baby and babe had always seemed kind of impersonal to her. The kind of thing a man said to any girl he met in a bar.

  “Do they all call you peaches?” Diane asked.

  “Yes, they do.” Penny nodded.

  Ethan drew her to a stop in front of two, tall, black-haired men with the same rich brown skin as their sons. Definitely their fathers. Ethan looked very much like the one on the right and Dawson had the same cheekbones and nose as the other man.

  “Penny, I’d like you to meet our fathers. We call them Dad and Papa. Their names are David and Dan.” Ethan gestured to the man on the right and then left.

  “Hello, it’s great to meet you.” Penny held out her hand. They hadn’t immediately moved forward to hug her. Maybe they weren’t as free with hugs as their wife was or perhaps just considerate.

  “It’s fabulous to meet you, as well, Penny. We’ve been waiting anxiously for them to tell you the truth.” David clasped both of her hands. “Do you mind if we give you a hug?”

  “A hug would be great.” She smiled.

  David hugged her and stepped back. Dan stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.

  “Welcome to the family.” Dan smiled.

  “Thank you.” Her throat tightened and her eyes burned. They didn’t even know her, yet treated her as if she was part of the family.

  “You’re welcome. Now, come on. Everyone’s spread through the house since the day’s so overcast. You can wander through and meet them slowly.” David stepped back. “When you’re ready and it feels natural, you can call us Dad and Pop. Until then, David and Dan will do.”

  “We’ll show her around.” Ethan guided her into the living room.

  “Good. Is her leg fully healed or does she still need to rest?” their mother asked.

  “She should probably rest after a while.” Dawson nodded. “We’ll make sure she has some time with her foot up.”

  “She won’t be in any pain.” Griffin strolled up on her other side.

  She leaned into him. So caring even though it wasn’t needed. People filled the living room. Groups stood in various spots or lounged on the furniture.

  Over the next half hour, Penny met cousins and talked again with Diane. Some younger cousins pulled Griffin away and some younger men cornered Dawson with questions about the service. Apparently, one of the young men was thinking about joining, but the parents wanted them to hear about the reality, not the fantasy.

  “Are you enjoying yourself?” Ethan guided her to a couch in an entertainment room.

  She took a deep breath and tried to hold her lips in a straight line. A dull throbbing beat in her leg. Fuck, she couldn’t let them know. If they saw it, she’d spend the rest of the night on the couch or in a chair.

  “How about we sit down for a little while? You’re limping a little.” Ethan urged her onto the cushion.

  All right, he’d noticed. Apparently, she hadn’t hidden it that well. She eased onto the couch. It would be good to get off her feet. She settled onto the plump cushion and leaned back.

  “Are you good?” Ethan sat down beside her.

  “Yes, I’m good.” She nodded. Now that her weight wasn’t pressing down on her leg, the throbbing eased.

  Someone called Ethan’s name from the other room. He looked back and grimaced. “That’s Dad.”

  David. She nodded. “Go see what he wants. I’ll be fine right here. If I need to, I can come find you.”

  “I know you’ll be okay. I’ll bring something to drink and I’ll check on dinner, too.” Ethan patted her thigh. “I’ll be back.”

  “No rush. Everyone’s been great.” She squeezed his hand.

  He nodded before he walked away. She relaxed and settled back to people watch a little. Glancing down, she eyed the bulge of the boot under her pants. Her leg still pulsed. The dull pang had lessened a little, but it still hurt. She reached down, pulled up her pant leg, and loosened the straps. Slipping her hand inside, she rubbed at the tight muscles. When would her leg finally get back to normal?

  “So you are here.” An unfamiliar voice sounded right above her.

  Penny looked up. Well, here was another of Maggie’s sisters, but she wasn’t smiling. What the hell is up with the attitude? I don’t even know her and she definitely doesn’t know me. “Well, yeah, I’d say it’s kind of obvious since I’m sitting here. But what would you care?”

  The woman leaned in and bared her teeth. “You’re putting them in danger by being near them.”

  So this woman knew about the stalker. As if she hadn’t thought of that. Penny rolled her eyes. “I think I might have mentioned that to them.”

  “You should leave them now. What kind of bitch puts other people’s lives at risk?” The woman grabbed her arm.

  Sharp nails dug into her skin. Pain lanced up her arm. Penny yelped and slammed the palm of her other hand into the woman’s arm. She didn’t go for the elbow, because this was Ethan’s sister. Nails scraped over her skin as the woman’s hand slid off of her arm. Stings followed the trail.

  “That’s not your decision.” It wasn’t even hers. Penny had warned them. They didn’t care. “They know the facts, all of them. I’m not sure you do.”

  She drew in a deep breath. A burning anger flashed through her, but it was stronger and a little alien. Hopefully, this wasn’t the change. She couldn’t just attack their sister.

  The sister glared down at her. Warm sticky wetness seeped down her skin. A burning pain flared. If she looked, the crazy woman might attack again.

  “It doesn’t fucking matter what I know. You don’t belong here and you don’t belong with them.” The woman hissed and leaned in.

  A big body stepped in front of her and the woman eased back. Penny glanced up. All she saw was the back of a blue shirt and hair secured at the neck of a male. Ethan.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Candice?” Ethan stepped forward, moving the crazy woman back. A low growl rumbled in his voice.

  “She doesn’t belong here. She’s puttin
g you in danger and now she’s endangering everyone.” Candice leaned over and bared her teeth.

  Penny glared at her. Fucking hell. All right, yes, she had her own concerns, but Ethan insisted. This wasn’t on her and it wasn’t that bitch’s business.

  Dawson eased in beside her, lifting her in his arms. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. I don’t know why she’s so angry with me. Seriously, does she think I would come here without even thinking about that?” She shook her head.

  Dawson turned her arm. Penny glanced down. She drew in a hissing breath. Damn. Three gouges dug into her arm. There was a fourth line, but it was only a scratch.

  “Whatever she said, I doubt any of it comes down to that.” Dawson gestured to someone. “Ethan will handle her.”

  “She belongs here. Do you think that because you’re my sister I’ll let you hurt my mate?” Ethan asked.

  “Your mate.” Candice lifted her hand to her chest.

  “My mate, Griffin’s mate, and Dawson’s. You’re lucky I got to you before he did.” Ethan stepped forward. “Why the fuck were you going after her?”

  “They said she was staying at your house and putting you in danger. And then I learned that you were bringing her here. I didn’t know she was your mate.” Candice bit her lip. She exhaled and dropped into a chair.

  A young man brought a towel to Dawson. He wrapped it around her arm.

  “They being your bitchy friends?” Dawson pressed on the area with the deepest wounds.

  “Well, my friends, yes, why?” Candice looked up.

  “They wanted to cause trouble and you helped them do it.” Ethan pointed his finger at Candice.

  Penny glanced up. Why would they want to cause trouble? How had they known she was in danger? People talked, but this was very specific. Perhaps her friends had a friend in law enforcement.

  “I don’t understand. Why would they cause trouble?” Candice ran a hand through her hair, slightly mussing the straight black fall.

  “They’re pissed at Ethan and probably Penny, too. I’m sure they blame her for it all.” Dawson’s arm tightened. “But none of it is her fault.”

  “Why are they angry?” Candice looked from Dawson to Ethan.

  “I gave them thirty days to find a new pride to take them.” Ethan folded his arms. “The same as I’ll do to you if you touch her in anger again.”

  “If I’d known she was your mate, I wouldn’t have said anything or touched her. But there are so many people here I couldn’t smell it.” Candice raised her hands. “What did they do?”

  “They came about as close to a shifter on human hate crime as you can get without actually doing it. They tormented her, stole from her, and when she got hurt one morning, other shifters heard them saying things about injured prey being easier to kill.” Ethan crossed his arms over his chest. “Have they had you do other things?”

  “Like what?” Candice leaned forward.

  “Like make a call telling her to leave?” Ethan settled onto the couch beside Penny.

  That voice hadn’t been Candice’s. She’d recognize it. It wasn’t as if the woman made any effort to disguise it.

  “No, I stewed since I heard she was living with you, but I thought Maggie had asked you to do it. But when you brought her here, all I could think about was the risk to everyone around her.” Candice lifted a hand. “I might be a bitch, at times, but I care.”

  “Good, stay away from your old friends. I’ll handle them.” Ethan nodded. “How are you, peaches?”

  “I’m good except for the scratches.” She lifted a shoulder.

  “Well, let’s go take care of them. I expect you to make this up to her, Candice. You didn’t make a good first impression.” Dawson stood with Penny still in his arms. “And you’ll apologize to her.”

  “I can walk.” Penny put her hand on Dawson’s shoulder.

  “And I can carry you. Since I’m already doing it, I think I win.” Dawson tightened his arm around her.

  “What were you thinking, Candice? You don’t just attack people.” Sandy’s voice rang through the quiet room. “Especially a guest in our home.”

  Penny leaned her head against Dawson’s chest as he carried her. Well, this sucked as an intro to their family.

  Dawson put her down in the bathroom and pulled out a first aid kit. He cleaned off the scratches and put a bandage over them. When he was finished, he stood in front of her.

  “None of this is your fault. This is all on Candice and she will apologize to you.” Dawson brushed his lips over hers. “Now, let’s go out there and rejoin the others. We can relax, talk, and eat.”

  “All right.” She took a deep breath. One bad scene wasn’t going to send her running.

  After a mostly great night, they said goodnight to their parents and left. Ethan curled his arm around her as they walked down the sidewalk.

  “Aren’t you glad we stayed?” He tugged her closer.

  “Yeah, I really like your mother and fathers.” Penny slipped her arm around him. Now, if only they could get through another week without disaster happening.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dawson drove Penny to the vet’s office. She lounged back in the seat, head against the rest, her eyes closed. Her bags sat in the back seat. This had become routine. He went to work with her at least twice a week.

  Ethan and Griffin helped out, but their businesses were established. They sometimes had a hard time making their work mobile. He smiled. Not that he minded. That gave him extra time with Penny.

  A flash of movement sliced across the rearview mirror. A blue sedan pulled in behind them. It edged closer. A heavy weight settled in his stomach. He frowned. That damn car was too close. He glanced over at Penny. Buckled in. Good.

  A bump from behind nudged the car forward. Dawson gripped the wheel. Is that carelessness? He slid his eyes to the mirror. The car still followed them.

  Penny caught her breath and her eyes snapped open. Dawson gritted his teeth. Damn it, if only he could hold her. He couldn’t risk the car skidding onto the sidewalk.

  He glanced in the mirror. The car surged toward them, fast. Fuck. No chance it was an accident now.

  “Penny, call for help. This joker’s going to ram us again.” Dawson sped up, but only a little. If he drove recklessly, they might hit another car or wreck into a pole. He couldn’t protect her if he ended up hurt in a crash.

  Penny dug her phone out of her pocket. He flexed his fingers on the wheel. Sweat dampened his palms. It had never been more important to keep the car on the road.

  “We need some help. Someone’s rammed the back of our car and they’re trying to do it again.” Penny turned in her seat. “We’re on 14th Street, heading toward Bower Avenue.”

  Dawson drew in a deep breath. Traffic was light, thankfully. He kept the car steady. The blue car slammed into the back of them. His head snapped forward. Pain arced down his neck as the seatbelt dug into his waist and shoulder. His heartbeat raced. The acrid scent of fear hit him. Fuck. He would kill that little shit for scaring her.

  “It hit us again. It’s a blue car. I can’t see any license plate on it,” Penny said. “All right, we’ll keep going until the police arrive.”

  “I think he’ll drop off in another few minutes. He’s acting like he’s looking for a place to turn.” Dawson glanced in the rearview mirror.

  Again, the car twitched a little to the right when they neared a corner. It didn’t turn though. It sped up. The blue car rammed them again. The car skidded slightly to the right, and Dawson turned into it. The car straightened out.

  At the next intersection, the blue car turned and sped away. His heartbeat pounded in his ears. Penny’s voice filtered through the haze.

  “The dispatcher says we should pull in and wait for the police.” Penny relaxed back in her seat.

  “All right, I’ll pull into that convenience store up there. It looks busy enough. I think he’d hesitate, because of the number of people there.” Dawson
flicked the signal to turn.

  Penny relayed the information. Dawson pulled into the parking lot. He didn’t park next to the building. If they needed a way out, he wouldn’t let that fucker box them in easily.

  Dawson reached over, unbuckled Penny’s belt, and tugged her across the seat. She leaned into him. Her hand slid over his chest. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. Oh, God, too close. The muscles in his shoulders loosened a little.

  “Fuck, peaches, this man is pushing it.” He pressed his cheek against hers.

  “Yeah, I know. I want this to end and I don’t want him to hurt anyone.” She shivered.

  “Peaches, if he comes near you when we’re there, the only one who’ll be hurting is him.” He brushed his palm over her back. He took a deep breath. She didn’t need anger. The only one to blame was that bastard and Dawson ached to find him.

  About three minutes later, police cars pulled into the gas station’s parking lot. Tension slowly eased from his muscles. He released a breath. Good. She was safe.

  John got out of one of the police cars. He strolled over. Dawson opened his door and got out, drawing Penny with him. She stepped out and stood beside him. He slipped his arm around her, drawing her as close as possible. The cat clawed within him.

  He clenched his jaw. Some bastard stalked his mate. The cat wanted to hunt. He flexed his hands. If he didn’t get control, he’d be one of those idiots sitting around in animal form in their clothes.

  “Are you two all right?” John stopped in front of them. He drew a tablet from his pocket and swiped his finger over it.

  “Yes, we’re all right. This bastard physically came after her, John. This isn’t notes, threats, and break-ins while no one’s home.” Dawson hugged her tight.

  “How many times did he hit your car?” John walked to the back of the car.

  Dawson followed, drawing Penny along. She slipped her arm around him. What had that joker done to his car?

  Dawson winced. The back end was crumpled in. The bumper hung on by one corner and a half a bolt. It would probably fall off at the next bump. Well, shit. He’d have to get someone to bring them another car while this one was taken to get fixed.