by R. A. Boyd
Her face lost its light as she looked on at Teague in realization. He could see the thoughts running through her head. It bothered him that she seemed so worried.
“So, for you to be able to shift again you’d have to claim me. Bite me. Make me what you are.”
If one’s heart could do such a thing, Teague’s heart stopped. She didn’t want to be claimed. He would never get his beast back. He tried not to let it matter. Now, he had Riley and that was all that mattered to him.
He shook his head and tried to make light of it, but deep inside he was devastated. “It’s fine if you don’t want to. It’s a big change. I still love you and want to be with you, more than anything. If you’ll have me.”
“Teague. I’m sorry, but you’re wrong.”
Fuck. She was leaving him. What the fuck was he going to do without her? Beg his people to kill him.
She sat up and placed her hands on his chest. “It’s not okay. I want you to claim me. I want to be yours.”
“Don’t you want to think about it?”
She shook her head. “No. Well, I mean, I already have. You make me feel like the me I always knew I could be. I always blamed myself for what happened between me and Aaron. I’ve felt something for you since I first saw you all those years ago. For me, it was like a betrayal to my marriage. That’s why I took so much shit from him. Part of me believed I deserved it for wanting you so badly. I worked my ass off to make it work with that bastard and tried to stay away from you. Don’t you see? Some part of me knew you were it for me, but I fought it. I took vows with that man.”
Teague could see the sorrow in her eyes. Not because she was still in love with her ex-husband, but because she’d put so much into what she thought she and Aaron should have been. Years of her life wasted on someone who didn’t love her back. Not in the way she deserved to be loved.
Teague sat up and took both of her hands in his. “That’s not how it works, Riley. You never did anything, never acted on it. You’re too honorable, and he used it to his advantage. He never deserved what you had to offer.”
She brought one of his hands to her lips and kissed his palm. “It’s okay now. You want to know what made me finally leave.” She turned her head away from him and started picking fibers from the arm of the couch. She was ashamed. “Even after the cheating and the insults, it was my job that made me leave. I was a medical coder. A few months ago I was sitting at home typing in charges for medical procedures and visits. And you know what? Aaron’s chart made its way to me. He was being treated for a fucking sexually transmitted disease. An STD.” She let out a crazy, breathless kind of laugh that sounded more like relief than disappointment. “If I’d never seen that chart, I would have stayed. You know what I realized? Not only was he fucking around, again, but he was taking my life into his hands by not wearing a freaking rubber! I almost beat him with my laptop.”
They sat there in silence as what she said sank in. Teague wanted to wring that bastard’s neck all over again and send him a ‘thank you’ pizza at the same time. What her ex had done had opened the door so that she could be with him. Audra was right. It was their time.
She could have stayed, just like she had with all the other shit he’d put her through. But the time was right. Jax and Damon had found Cass, and he would never have been able to tell if Riley was his if they hadn’t. And when he had, it was because she and Aaron were getting a divorce. Try as he might, Teague would never have been able to touch Riley while she was married. And she had been making herself suffer because deep inside she knew Teague was it for her, and that Aaron was not.
“But,” Riley said, rousing him from his thoughts. “I need time before you claim me. I need to talk to Liv. If everything works out she’ll be living with me half of the time. She needs to know. Is it okay if I tell her?”
“You can tell her everything,” he said. His insides warmed at her acceptance of him. How did he get so lucky to have someone like her as his mate? “Riley Belton, you are fucking amazing. I thought it was going to take more convincing than that. And by-the-by, you never have to worry about me making you sick. I don’t get sick. And I would never cheat on you. Ever.”
She gave him a crooked smile and crawled into his lap to straddle him. “I know. I don’t know how I know, but I just do. And by-the-by, in case you were worried, I’m on the pill. No baby was made during that fun lovin’ session.”
Teague reveled at the tender feel of her skin as he left a trail of plucking kisses up her neck and nibbled on her chin. “Don’t have to worry about children just yet. I’m sterile until I claim you. It’s always been that way.”
“Wow. That’s oddly comforting. And sad.” She looked up at the small window in the office and wrapped her arms around his neck, urging him on as his lips sucked at the skin of her chest. “Are you trying to get lucky? Again? Because for you, Mr. Teague Durrell, I’m a sure thing.”
Riley lifted her hips and slid her wet folds over Teague’s cock that was already semi-hard. She rocked and set a teasing motion against him that drew a long and low rumble from his chest. The feel of her passion coating him was unbelievable. It originated in his cock and tingled its way up his spine and straight to his heart. This woman was his, and he was hers.
She was soft and full against him, her body welcoming him and comforting him in ways he’d never known with any other woman. As she reached down and massaged the head of his cock she laughed with that sexy bedroom voice that people sang about in love songs. Her grip on his long, hard member tightened and she let out a high-pitched shriek that made him throw his hands to his ears to block her out.
“What’s wrong? Fuck, Riley. Let go,” he said. His entire body was now as rigid as his cock had been before she tried to squeeze it off. He tried to get her to stop man-handling him. He liked a little kink but not full on pain when it came to his dick.
Her body trembled against him, and she released his cock. She was afraid. “Teague,” she whispered. “There’s something at the window.”
He looked over and saw the flash of the same eyes he’d seen a few days before while he was here in the middle of the night. Same large, round head and tawny-colored hair. But the look it gave him this time was different.
The other night, it looked at him in curiosity. Now, it was pure fury that filled its eyes. It bared its sharp teeth and let loose a low, rattling hiss that he could hear through the window. Whoever this was must have known that he was a Ghost Shifter and that he had found his mate. Was this a member of the bastard rogue pack that had kidnapped Cass? Riley would now be a target.
“Is that a… a cougar?” Riley asked, arms now wrapped around Teague’s neck so tight that if he was human he may not be able to breathe.
Teague measured that if the cougar tried to break through, the size and thickness of the panes of glass of the closed window would hold long enough for him to get Riley out of here and still have time to corner the shifter. If it came to that.
The animal took its dinner plate sized paw and put it on the glass, showing the pink and beige pads. It stared at them, eyes darting back and forth as that low sound still emanated from its open mouth. Those once bright eyes faded darker, from a silvery blue to a raging storm over the open water. Claws came forth from the paws and slid down the window, making a high grating noise that Teague could feel in his bones.
Riley covered her ears and hunkered into him, the sound aggravating her senses and hyping up her fear. He could smell it rolling off her.
“I didn’t know we had cougars in Maryland,” she whispered, still watching the beast. “What do we—” she began, but was stopped midsentence as the shifter slapped the widow full force with its paw and cracked the glass.
It seemed as if the entire wall shook with the force of its strength. Books and pictures that sat atop a shelf under the window rained down onto the floor. Riley screamed, and Teague stood up with her still in his arms. As fast as he could he ran to the door and was about to shove her outside into the h
allway, but as he turned to keep sight of the beast he saw that it was gone.
Teague stood there with her for a few moments, listening to see if the cougar would try to enter through the window. Riley stood behind him as he shielded her from any oncoming threat from inside the room. He reached behind him and put his hand on her belly to calm her.
He listened. Listened to see if the shifter was trying to get in from any other entrance. All was quiet, but just for good measure he kept his hand on his mate to keep her steady so he could make sure she was safe.
“What the hell was that?” she asked, voice trembling. Her body shook and she dug her nails into his arm. “We don’t have cougars here in Maryland, do we?” She was scared. Scared and trying to make sense of what just happened.
Gently, Teague touched her arm and brought her to his front so he could still keep an eye on the window. “No, Riley. We don’t have cougars native here in Maryland. But that was a shifter. The same one that showed up a few nights ago while I was putting up the shelves.”
He rubbed his hands up and down her back to soothe her but all it seemed to do was make her body shake even more. “Why is it stalking you? Or me?”
Damn-it. He’d left out a really fucking important part when he’d told her about their lives as Ghost Shifters. There was a war brewing between them and a rogue pack of shifters that didn’t want them to find their mates. Cass was still looking for the man that had killed her a few months ago. Was that in Riley’s future?
“Baby,” Teague said, touching her chin and bringing her worried gaze to his. “Let’s get dressed. I still have more to tell you about me and my people.”
Chapter 6
Riley glanced over her shoulder to see the quiet neighborhood where Teague and his family lived. Fourteen houses, seven on each side of the street, lined the isolated area. Once they breached the trees that hid the community, she gasped in awe at the beauty of this place. Riley had smiled when Teague pointed to his house. It was beautiful.
There were two large bay windows on either side of a large wooden door. Right above the front door was a second-floor overhang that was partially covered. Two chairs and a small table sat up there. It was cozy and looked perfect for spending rainy days and drinking coffee.
In silence, Riley and Teague sat in his truck in front of the common hall where he and his people would often gather. To Riley, it seemed like a nice thing to do. She missed the weekly dinners she had with her family as a kid. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. All of them would get together. It was what she looked forward to. Now, everyone lived so spread out that they barely got to see each other.
The hall where a group of people sat was brightly lit. A long dinner table sat behind a seating area that was littered with couches and comfy looking chairs. Riley stared inside where she could see them laughing and talking. All but one. A small, mousy looking woman had her entire body pressed against the glass door of the building. She looked straight at them as they sat in the truck. Riley had seen the brown haired, brown eyed, pixie-sized woman around town. Audrey? Kendra?
She was smiling at Riley with a grin that teetered on madness, but her eyes were soft and inviting. Weird combination.
“So,” Riley said, waving back at the woman whose hand swung fiercely back and forth like a wild pendulum. “There’s a war between the Ghost Shifters and all other shifters?”
Sadly, Teague shook his head and held onto the steering wheel. “Not all shifters. Just a small group of idiots who think that once we all find our mates and are able to shift, we’ll want to take over the shifter communities or some dumb shit like that. It’s not true. And most shifters don’t care what we do. They’re curious but aren’t confrontational. Mostly.”
“Mostly,” she repeated.
She didn’t doubt him. She guessed that species didn’t matter. There would always be a group of assholes who didn’t like change, who didn’t like people who were different from them. Human or shifter.
Riley folded her hands in her lap and listened as Teague told her about Cass being kidnapped and going through something terrible. He said that Riley should talk to her about it. When she tried to press him for answers about his vague revelation about what happened to Cass he’d clamed up and told her that it wasn’t his story to tell.
Riley could see Cass sitting inside the hall seated between those two guys. The expression on her face was pure happiness. Peace. All she could think was that Cass looked more like herself again. After her husband died, Cass had disappeared into a hollow shell that radiated sorrow and anger. But now, she was joyful. Riley could sense it from here.
And who the hell was this woman dancing in front of the door? Riley was sure she was a hoot.
“That is my sister, Audra. She’s a little different. She’s also very awesome.”
His sister’s long, braided hair hung almost to her waist and shifted back and forth as she sang and danced to some song that Riley couldn’t hear.
“Ooh,” Riley drawled out as the short woman’s eyes flashed to a bright gold and her face turned from silly and happy to pissed off and murdery. “I wonder what the hell just happened?” she whispered, now sitting up further to watch what was going down.
His sister stalked across the room and stood in front of a man who was sitting and facing away from Riley. From the way his head was moving back and forth Riley knew that he was a professional smartass, and that despite Audra’s size she looked like she was about to knock his block off.
Cass stood from between her men and now entered in to the silent argument. She pointed at the man Teague’s sister was arguing with. Cass looked beyond mad. Her hands were waving and her eyes were glowing an eerie gold. And her teeth were getting longer?
The shit-talking man sitting in the chair got up and did a quick walk toward the door. His red hair was shaved on the sides but longer on the top. The faster he walked the more his hair bounced into his eyes.
He crashed through the door and speed walked passed Teague’s truck. “Get the fuck away from this crazy factory,” he said to Riley as she rolled down the window.
Riley’s eyes widened as her head turned to watch him as he walked away, but a loud bang from the door he emerged from caught her attention. Cass, the small woman, and all the other people who were sitting there just a few minutes ago laughing and having fun filed out of the building.
Teague’s sister stopped by Riley’s window for a moment and said, “Close your eyes if you’re squeamish, Pastry-girl. This might get bloody.”
Why the heck did she look so happy when she said that?
“We all love each other and fight sometimes but no one’s going to die,” Teague said, taking off his seatbelt and opening the car door like his shoes were on fire. “Don’t be scared. Stay in here.”
Quickly, he kissed the tip of her nose and jumped out of the car. He ran up beside Cass, saying words that Riley couldn’t hear. He stopped cold in his tracks as a bellowing growl made its way up her throat. He put his hands up in surrender and stopped walking.
“This is crazy,” Riley sang as she took off her seatbelt and turned fully in the cab of the truck to watch what was happening.
Was Cass going to kick this guy’s ass? That just might be fun to watch.
Cass’s boyfriends stood in front of her and were unsuccessfully trying to calm her down. It wasn’t doing any good, though. She seemed to have checked out, and the only thing she wanted was to ruin his ass.
Despite Teague’s warning, Riley went to open the door of the truck. She stopped when a slow howl worked its way through Cass’s mouth. She threw her head back, and with the shimmer of a desert mirage a monstrous brown spotted beast exploded from her body.
“Shit. Shit, shit,” Riley repeated as she slammed the door.
Audra tossed Riley a grin over her shoulder and waggled her eyebrows as though this man’s impending death was her relaxation technique for the day.
Cass was gone. A huge beast—a saber-tooth— now stood on all
fours where she once was. Even from where she sat, Riley could feel the ground shake when Cass stomped two monster-sized paws as a warning. Her tusks were long and pointed. And glistening.
The man that had made her angry was backing away from the group who now stood in front of Cass. Was that supposed to be a protective circle? They were going to fail horribly at this.
Riley rolled down the truck window all the way down and stuck her head out so she could hear what they were saying. If they had any chance of protecting the red head, someone was going to have to shift and protect him. Couldn’t Cass’s mates shift?
“Cass, please,” one of the men said. His skin was like dark honey, and his eyes were an odd shade of yellow that glowed like the moon. “He was trying to get a rise out of Audra. He’s an asshole. Why the fuck are you an asshole, Simon?”
“Control your woman,” walking dead, asshole said. A bizarre and teasing grin played at his lips. Was he trying to get mauled?
Cass let out a loud growl that echoed through the trees and took a step toward him.
The man who once tried to calm her said, “You know, Simon. I was trying to save your skin. But that by far may have been the stupidest shit you’ve said this week.”
“Yeah,” said a man with burning blue eyes and creamy skin covered in tattoos. “You practically asked for this—”
He was cut off as Cass rushed the line of people protecting Simon. Audra did a dramatic turn like she was a bull-fighter with a red cape, and danced out of Cass’s way.
Riley gasped and was leaning out of the truck window so far she almost toppled onto the cold ground. She righted herself just in time to see Cass swipe at the man with her paw. Cass connected fully with his body, and the force knocked him at least twenty feet away from her. He skidded in the snow, and from here Riley could see a trail of blood as his body moved across the ground from the sheer powerful force of Cass’s hand. Paw?
