Claws and Effect (Small Town Shifters Book 1)

by Lola Kidd

  "I like seeing you here when I get home," he told her. "I'm glad I can come home whenever I want to and see you."

  "We'll, don't get used to it," she told him curtly. "I'll be able to go home soon if things are close to being done. I'll be safe at my own home again."

  The only way she would truly be safe is if he wiped her mind. At least that was the current best option. Even if she agreed, he didn't know if she would want to be with him after he did it. What if she never trusted him again? What if he never trusted himself around her?

  She didn't know the whole story yet. If he couldn't think of another way to get the dragons off their backs, he was going to have to tell her everything. And that might well spell the end of what they had.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Joseline could hardly contain herself this morning. Beau and his cousin Zach were going to take her to get her car junked. She would be parting it out instead of filing a claim. She just wanted the whole thing to be over. She had the money to buy a new car, and she considered this the price for peace.

  She liked Beau, and she was sure she would like Zach too, since they were cousins. They were also unusual shifters, Beau a griffin and his cousin a hippogriff. She had never met as many strange shifters as she had during the last week. They either congregated in the area, or they all sought each other out.

  Zach was driving. He drove a giant truck like many of the men around these parts. She slid into the back of the quad cabin and greeted both men.

  Beau turned around. "Great to see you again, woman. You excited to get this car taken care of?"

  She nodded. "You don't even understand. I loved my car so much, and once I get this thing junked, at least I can get a new one. And I can be free of all this. I can tell it's getting close, 'cause Rhett let you guys drive me today. This is a first since I met him."

  Zach smiled back at her. "Don't you worry. We'll keep you safe and get this taken care of. I'll part out everything for you and get you more money than the insurance company could offer."

  Joseline was sure the men weren't lying. Zach worked with cars in his spare time and did most of the oil changes in the shop. She trusted he would give her a good deal. He was only taking fifteen percent of the profit too. She couldn't convince him to take any more. Being Rhett's houseguest had more perks than the hot makeout sessions.

  "Are we expecting company?" Zach asked.

  She turned around in the seat, expecting to see Rhett behind them. He had seemed so nervous letting her go with Beau and Zach. Nora had been right. Even if he trusted Beau with almost everything, he was very hesitant to trust him with her safety. But what she saw behind them made her blood run cold.

  The two dragons from the first night and the Pegasus shifter were riding in a sedan. She could make them out clear as day. They weren't even trying to hide.

  Beau growled. "I can't believe these assholes. Coming to our territory and following us? Zach, stop the car."

  "Not a chance in hell," Zach said. "They can follow us to the shop, and then if they have anything to say, they can say it."

  "No, stop now. We don't need any help," Beau said. He was so agitated. His anger filled the truck. He was practically shaking with rage.

  "That's not what I'm saying, dude," Zach explained. "I just want witnesses. If we mess them up, I don't want them saying it was us who attacked first."

  Beau nodded, but he didn't seem very happy.

  Joseline had really wanted to see Beau and Zach shift, but now it wasn't going to be as fun as she had pictured it in her mind. Why were the dragons coming for her now? Did they know she was alone? Without Rhett, she felt much less protected. Beau and Zach were great guys, but they weren't her man.

  And, no, she had no problem calling Rhett her man in situations like this. He was her personal bodyguard, after all.

  "Should we call Rhett?" she asked the guys.

  Beau looked back at her with such venom, it was like she had suggested that they crash the truck head-on into a brick wall. "We don't need Rhett to protect us. Trust me, I got you."

  "What if I just text him what's happening?"

  Zach looked at his cousin. "You're getting way too worked up about this, man. Rhett is your boss, and he sure wants to know what happens with his girl."

  Beau gave him a terse nod. "That's true. I don't want it getting back to him that I kept something like this from him."

  Joseline quickly texted Rhett with shaking fingers.

  The phone started ringing immediately after she sent the text.

  "Where are you?" he demanded.

  "We're headed to the shop. We'll be there in probably a minute or two."

  "I'll meet you guys there."

  He didn't even wait for her to answer before he hung up.

  "He's going to come," she said.

  "He doesn't need to, but that's fine." Beau punched the dashboard in front of him. "I really can't believe these dragons. This is going a step too far."

  They pulled up in front of the mechanic's shop, and Zach locked all the doors. Then he turned and looked at her. "Stay in the car no matter what happens."

  "I thought my car would protect me last time, but it didn't do me much good," she reminded him. That scorpion had almost killed her on the spot. Getting out had been her only option. Here, at least she would be able to run and hide faster if something happened.

  Eddie and two other mechanics came out of the shop and looked at them questioningly.

  Zach looked around the car. "Hey, where did they go?"

  Joseline craned her neck and twisted around. She searched behind them, up and down the street as far as she could see.

  The car was gone. It was like it had just disappeared. She was so sure they were going to be coming up behind her that it was miraculous to see them gone.

  There was a knock at the window, and she jumped.

  "Roll down the window," Rhett said from outside.

  Beau and Zach got out of the car.

  "I'll do you one better," Zach said. "Looks like they're gone, though."

  "Did you run here?" Beau asked.

  Rhett's face was red, and he was panting slightly. It was a short run, but he still must have run full-out to get here so fast.

  "You didn't have to do that," Joseline said. She was flattered.

  "I sure did," he told her. "What were they doing here?"

  "We have no idea," Zach said. "They didn't stop to say hi or anything."

  "They were here for your girl," Beau said. "There's no reason for them to want me or my cousin."

  "Don't be so sure about that," Rhett said. "We have no idea what these guys are up to."

  "I'm nobody. I don't have anything they want," Zach said with a laugh. "Unless they need one of their cars fixed or something."

  "I need to get back to the station," Rhett said.

  Joseline stood on her tiptoes, moving to kiss him, but he nodded at all three of them, turned, and walked off. She was left feeling stupid. Why hadn't he kissed her goodbye? Maybe he was angry and wanted to calm down alone.

  Beau had been calling her Rhett's girl this entire time, and there was no way he was going to do that unless Rhett had made it clear that she was his, right? Rhett didn't have girlfriends. He didn't date, and he didn't bring women home.

  He'd run there to protect her, which seemed like something you would only do for a girlfriend, but maybe she was just making assumptions. Maybe he had run there because he was angry at the dragons encroaching on his territory. Maybe it was some kind of saber-toothed tiger thing.

  "Come on. Let's get this car thing done," Zach said.

  "What was that all about?" Eddie asked.

  "We've got a dragon problem." Beau scowled. "If you see any of those three again, make sure you give us a call."

  "If I see that creepy Pegasus, you can bet I'll call everybody I know." Eddie shuddered. "I hate that guy."

  "Has he done anything to you?" Joseline asked.

  Eddie shook his head. "No, but t
here's something really menacing about him. I mean, what the hell can a Pegasus do to anyone? It's just a horse with wings. Yet, he's so sure of himself and so confident in his abilities."

  "I've heard some really sketchy things about him," Zach said. "Don't underestimate that horse."

  Joseline sat in the office and watched as Zach started working on her car. She was waiting for him to get a better look at it before they finished the contract.

  This whole morning had really taken a turn for the worst. At least she was going to get everything she could for her car before she got out of there. That was the silver lining. It would be nice to know where she stood with Rhett, but maybe she was asking for too much too soon.

  Maybe he didn't really like her and he was just doing his job. Or maybe he wanted to take things slow. It was hard to say but she could tell he was keeping something from her. It was probably that he didn't want to be with her but didn't know how to let her down gently. He was a gentlemen after all. Either way, she would have her answer soon enough.

  Chapter Eighteen

  By the time Rhett got home, he was exhausted. He could barely speak with Joseline through dinner. He was going to have to tell her everything. He wasn't sure how he was going to tell her, but there didn't seem to be any other way. The shifters of Abbott weren't going to stop coming after her. The longer he waited to tell her, the worse it would be. She deserved to know the truth.

  "Maybe the dragons aren't so bad," she said as she was headed to bed that night. "Maybe they're just confused and don't know they're supposed to be conducting an investigation."

  "I doubt it," he said. "They're professionals. They're younger than I am and look as young as Tucker, but Hayes and Knox are both in their seventies. They know what they're doing. They're trying to intimidate us."

  She nodded and went to the bathroom. He went to his bed and stared at the ceiling fan. This was a mess. Every time he got his hopes up, something reminded him that what he wanted wasn't a smart choice. He was being selfish. He needed to do what was best for everyone, not what was best for him only.

  Joseline stood in his doorway and cleared her throat.

  He sat up. "Yes?"

  "Can I tell you something when we get in bed?" she said shyly. "I'm not trying to be coy, but I think it would be nice to sleep next to you tonight. I mean, if you don't mind."

  He nodded. If he didn't mind? This was a dream come true for him. He wanted to savor every moment he had with her. This was all going to end soon enough, and he would be left with an empty bed again. That was a possibility. She might never want to see him again.

  She pulled the covers down and got in and waited for him to turn off the light.

  "You're kind of close to solving the case, right?" she asked him.

  "Yes, I think Tucker and I are almost there. When he gets back to me, I'll have a clear understanding of what's going on here. I think we've basically solved it already. If not solved, at least have a good enough idea of what happened to close out this part of the investigation. Good enough for me anyway. I just want to cross the T's and dot all the I's."

  "But those dragons are still keeping an eye on me. I think they're doing it just out of curiosity. Maybe they haven't seen a human like me who can resist the magic. You haven't spoken to them directly in a while. We don't know why they're still looking at me."

  "But they are still looking at you. That's kind of the important part here. And I have talked with them. Not Hayes or Knox but with Tucker."

  "Right. But if they don't want to do me any harm, does it really matter that they're watching me?"

  "You can't stay here and hope everything is going to be fine," he snapped. He sat up in bed. "I don't know what you're thinking, but it's not like that. These are not nice men. They aren't like the people here in town. You can't assume they have good intentions and will do what seems right to you. They're going to do what's right for the shifters of Abbott."

  She rolled over. "I'm not burying my head in the sand. I was just saying, maybe I'm not as in much danger as you think."

  His shoulders sagged. "I'm not trying to be mean to you. I wasn't saying that you wanted to stay here or that you're ignoring the problem. I know you want to go back to your own place. I'm just saying you can't underestimate what kind of trouble you might be in. I don't want to give you a false sense of security."

  She rolled back over. "I barely know what's going on here. It's not like you show me the files or anything."

  "You don't need to see the files to understand that this is a big deal."

  He didn't want to show her the old files. They might give her a false sense of security. Whoever had written them had done a good job of downplaying all the stuff that had happened. It was only because Rhett knew parts of the story that he had been able to read between the lines. If she read the files herself, she would think it was no big deal. There was no reason the Abbott shifters were worried. It would all pass in time.

  He didn't know how he could get across to her exactly how dangerous the dragons could be. What they wanted to do to her wasn't common knowledge among the humans. Even humans like her who knew more than their fair share about shifters had no idea about the pain shifter magic could cause. Hell, even some of the shifters were oblivious.

  But he had to try. He had to try to make her understand all of this. He would also have to explain the part he had had in it long ago. That was in his past, so long ago. He didn't want to bring that back up, but he could see no way around it.

  "Explain to me how much you know about magic," he said. His heart was heavy and he could barely breathe but he had to do this. He couldn't wait any longer.

  "I know you can make humans forget. It may be other stuff, too. There've been rumors that there are witches. Is that true?"

  "I don't know about that," Rhett told her carefully. He suspected, but he had no firsthand knowledge. Shifters had magic, so it only made sense that there might be witches or other supernatural creatures of lore.

  "I mean, Nora is a phoenix. I never thought something like that existed. Who's to say there are no witches?"

  "How do you know about Nora?" he asked her.

  "She told me. When I was looking at the puppy, I asked, and she told me."

  "You went to look at that dog again?"

  "There's not much else for me to do here all day, is there? That will be one of the nice things, being able to do stuff again. Though this has been a very nice vacation."

  He rolled over and put his arm around her. "I'm glad you're here. I'm glad I got to meet you."

  "I'm glad I met you, too. Even after all this crazy stuff, at least there's a silver lining."

  She was so soft and warm. He loved the way her hair spread out on the pillow and against his arm, and her tanned skin against the white sheets. He would remember this for all his days. If he had to let her go, at least he had these moments with her. He would remember when his heart was complete, before he had to ruin it all.

  He couldn't do it. Not now. He couldn't tell her.

  Revealing it all now wouldn't undo his past, and if she knew what he really was and what he had done, she would be disgusted with him. She would know he was a monster and that she would never be safe in his arms. He didn't want that now. He wanted to enjoy the present.

  There was no way for him to go back and undo those things, and in his heart, he knew the only way he was going to be able to keep her safe would be to unmask himself and let her see what he really was. There was no way she would stay with him then. Rightfully so. He deserved that because of the things he had done.

  She rubbed his arm and pulled it tight around her. "No making out tonight. Sorry. I'm so exhausted."

  That was fine.

  He didn't need to make love to her tonight. This was enough for him. He was a coward. He was putting his mate in danger and keeping the truth from her. One more night. Just one more night and he would tell her.

  He knew it wasn't right but he couldn't tell her all of it. Not
yet. He could protect her for one more day and then, he would tell her all of it. He would let her decide what she wanted to do. If she wanted to let him try wiping her mind or risk doing nothing or maybe even go to the human authorities for help. Whatever she wanted, he would support her.

  Rhett didn't know what was the right choice. He wished they could forget this whole mess. That the Abbottt shifters forgot about her and left them alone. But that wasn't going to happen. As long as they knew where she was, they would keep coming until they got a chance to try to wipe her mind. All he wanted was to be with her and for her to be safe.

  If that meant he had to wipe her mind, so be it. He was going to do whatever it took to make this all right.

  Chapter Nineteen

  He didn't want her to stay. If he did, he would have asked her by now. He was getting a grip on the case, and that meant she would be safe. He would have everything figured out, and then it would all be over and fixed. Yes, the dragons had shown up again, but that didn't mean much. They hadn't tried to talk to her, and they hadn't tried to attack them.

  "Can I come in with you today?" she asked when he was headed to work.

  He was almost out the door, but he stopped to think. "Sure. It's probably smarter that you don't stay alone, anyway. Beau can keep you company today. I need to go searching through the files myself and I have a few calls to make."

  He was already trying to pawn her off onto someone else. They didn't speak during the short drive to the office. At least Beau was happy to see her.

  "Hey, you want to organize my desk?" he asked her after the first hour.

  "Yes," she told him gratefully.

  She'd been put on phone duty. Handling the phones was a drag. Mostly, she just talked with people. No one who called had any real emergencies. They just wanted to know how things were going, and a few wanted to know about the human everyone was talking about.