by Dana Archer
“Honestly, I don’t have an answer, but it’s not our intention to rip families apart. We do what’s best for all involved. Often, these kids are skittish, afraid of humans and shifters. First we make sure they’re safe, then we sit back and evaluate the situation to decide on our next steps.”
A wave of relief swept over her, and the last bit of unease faded. She blew out a rough breath. “Okay. What happens now?”
“We’re going to catch Jon, then help you, Josh, and the kids, but I can’t have you running off. You need to stay with me so I can protect you. Do you understand?”
Her back went ramrod straight. “I’m not stupid.”
“I’m not implying you are, but you need to realize even going to the grocery store by yourself is a bad idea.”
She rubbed at her pounding temples. “Protect me. Yes, okay. I understand. I don’t go anywhere by myself.”
“Good. Now don’t worry. You and your kids will be fine. I’m going to catch Jon. He won’t ever threaten you again. I promise you.”
Devin’s car pulled out, and Rafe followed him.
She forced her fingers to unclench. “Worry is what I do. I’m a mother.”
Rafe glanced at her, then back at the road. “How exactly did you come to be the mother of feline shifters?”
She considered telling Rafe the truth, but she didn’t want to upset him more. He was already protective of her. If he knew she’d spent time inside an experimental center, probably the same kind Jon referenced even if it had only been for a couple of hours, Rafe would flip out. She didn’t want to chance that while driving. One accident was enough. Her heart couldn’t take another.
Once they made it to her house and the boys were safe, she’d tell Rafe everything. He’d have questions, no doubt. Lots of them. He’d also need her comfort. After the story he’d shared, it be easy to imagine his sister locked away in a warehouse too.
“I found them behind a Dumpster.” At least that much was true. Sort of.
She had huddled there with Seth and Levi’s mother after they’d gotten out of their cells. It was then that Jazz had learned she was the only one leaving.
“They were babies?”
“Yes.” A couple of days old. If Jazz hadn’t run with them, they would’ve been taken away the following morning. For more experiments. They’d already disappeared once while she’d been there.
“So you took them?”
“Yes. I knew they weren’t quite…normal, so I kept them.”
“How did you know they were different? Multi-animal shifters don’t shift until after their first birthday or so.”
The day she’d walked into their bedroom and found a tiger cub in one crib and a lion in the other was one she’d never forget. Shell-shocked was putting it mildly. After a year of taking care of normal babies and all the joys and pains that went with it, she’d hadn’t known what to do. Their birth mother had never gone into specifics of what raising shifters would entail.
Jazz had sat down in the middle of the safari-decorated room and cried. When Levi, in his little lion form, started whimpering, she’d gone to him. It had taken patience, along with plenty of trial and error, but she’d ended up with two amazing kids, if she did say so herself.
“Your boys. What made you think they were different?” Rafe asked again, pulling her back to the present.
“Their eyes glowed.”
Rafe studied her for so long she feared they’d have a repeat of the accident from earlier in the morning, but he finally faced the road.
“They must’ve been only days old. It’s odd that their mother wasn’t around.”
“I don’t know what happened to her.” But she did. Seth and Levi’s mother had slipped back into the warehouse to save as many other prisoners as she could. After that, though? Jazz had no clue. No bodies were recovered from the fire that had leveled the industrial facility.
Rafe’s nostrils flared, and his hand tightened on the steering wheel. The tips of claws pushed from the ends of his fingers. No blood flowed. His skin curled on itself and the sharpened nails slipped free.
The sight of them sped her pulse. She scrambled as far from him as the confines of the car would allow. He glanced at her and cursed. He breathed roughly for a few moments, but finally, the claws retracted, and the tension in his limbs eased.
“I would never hurt you. Do not be afraid of me.”
“I can’t help it when you start to go all furry on me.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. That’s the last thing I want, but I can tell you’re keeping details from me. Don’t. No matter what they are, we need to face them.”
She dipped her head. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just that so much has happened today.”
“I know.” He caressed her thigh, a gentle show of comfort that made her feel like a jerk for thinking the worst of him.
Thankfully, they turned down the road leading to Mr. Wilkins’ house. Guilt and sadness choked her, and tears burned her eyes. Five years had passed, but she still bawled sometimes when she remembered that night. If she started crying, she might not stop. No way would she allow that. Her boys were close. For them, she tried her best to be strong. To be their everything—nurturer, disciplinarian, and protector.
She turned her attention to the shaded yard. Mr. Wilkins, a stout man in his sixties with gray hair, sharp eyes, and a gravelly voice from years of smoking, sat on the Adirondack chair on his front porch. A rifle rested on his lap, and Peggy Sue and Bobby Rae, his older Rottweilers, lay on each side of his chair. The other three big dogs were across the porch as far as they could get from Kade.
Kade slowly turned his head and locked his gaze with hers. Her breath caught. It was obvious Rafe and Kade were identical twins, but with shorter hair and a hard glint to his eyes, Kade reminded her of a predator. Had she seen him at the bar instead of Rafe, she would’ve slunk away and run as soon as she was out of sight.
The car stopped. Rafe got out. A moment later, he opened her door and held a hand out. She didn’t move. Kade still had his unblinking gaze locked to hers. Rafe leaned close and blocked him from view.
“Don’t be afraid of Kade. His bark is worse than his bite.”
Rafe grinned as if amused by his choice of words. She might’ve been too if her heart wasn’t beating so hard.
“If you say so.”
“I do. Come on.”
Rafe tucked her into his side the moment she got out of his SUV, but they didn’t walk toward the house. Rafe and Kade stared at each other for a long moment. She glanced between them. She was sure there was some significance to the display. No doubt it involved her, but she couldn’t guess what. Their faces remained blank, giving her no sign of emotion to judge by. Finally, both turned away at the same time.
Kade pulled out a phone and headed to the shed on the rear of the property. Rafe slid his gaze to the second floor where a curtain was parted enough for a pair of brown eyes to see out. Levi. She’d know his curious expression anywhere. She smiled and waved to him, but the drape fell. He hadn’t acknowledged her. She bit her lip.
Rafe ran a hand over her hair to settle at her lower back. “They’re afraid of me.”
“I’ve warned them to let me know if they ever sense another shifter. That they’re dangerous and we need to run from them.” She glanced at the window again, but the curtain remained closed. “Seeing me with you has probably confused them.”
He curled his fingers around the back of her neck. “They’ll get used to me. They’ll have to. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Aren’t you?”
He bent close but didn’t kiss her. He pressed his lips to hers, a sweet expression of affection that left her trembling inside. Just as his silent staring with his brother meant something, so did Rafe’s chaste kiss. She didn’t know what, but after a moment, she didn’t care. She liked the way he looked at her, as if she was the most precious and desirable woman in the world.
“No, I’m not walking away from you.
” He breathed the words against her parted lips.
“Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say.
He tilted his head slightly and kissed her but didn’t pull her flush to him. A respectable distance remained between them. The slow strokes of his tongue against hers stripped her of her tension and left her needy. To anyone watching, though, Rafe’s kiss would appear to be the sweet kind shared between people in love.
“There’s definitely no option of leaving. I’m keeping you.”
“Keeping me?” It made her sound like a treasure he’d found.
“Yes. You’re my female. No other male will touch you.” He eased back. The possessive glint to his expression matched his words. “Ever. I won’t allow it.”
“And how are you going to stop me?” It wasn’t like her to cause discontent, but she refused to sit back and allow Rafe to simply claim her.
He had to convince her. Make her want to be his. To obey him. Exactly as he did last night.
Oh, yeah, she’d been his willing slave then. She wouldn’t mind a repeat performance.
He dragged his finger down the length of her throat and across her shoulder, pulling on the edge of her top. Her heart rate kicked up a notch at the look of raw lust in his eyes as he focused on her exposed skin. He nibbled at the crook of her neck, and her breath rushed out. Desire hit hard and fast. She cupped the back of his head, holding him in place while he teased her.
After another nip, he stepped back, breaking the line of their bodies. The loss of his touch sent a chill through her.
“I have my ways. Don’t worry. You’ll be my willing”—he focused on her lips—“partner.”
He pivoted and strode away before she could respond.
Dangerous. The man was dangerous. She shook her head to clear it of the image of Rafe’s tight backside in the jeans he wore.
“Seems you got a man focused on you, Jazz.”
She glanced at Mr. Wilkins. He stood a few feet away with his two older dogs at his side.
“Rafe’s not important, just a guy who likes me.” The fib landed hard in her gut. It’d been her automatic reaction whenever the subject of men came up. None were important. She didn’t need anyone in her life, and made a point of telling everyone that. She didn’t know if what she’d always proclaimed was true anymore, not with Rafe in the picture.
“Uh-huh, if that’s what you say.” He moved closer, his dogs shadowing every step. “Kade told me about the accident. Are you okay?”
“Yes. How are my boys?”
“Safe but scared shitless. I ain’t never seen them so upset. They really don’t like that one.” He pointed at Kade. “But I’m not worried. The young man seems nice enough to me.”
“He doesn’t look it.”
With his free hand, he stroked Peggy Sue’s head. “Dogs like him.” He shrugged. “So he must be okay.”
She tipped her head toward where the other Rotties sat under the shelter of the swing. “They don’t.”
Mr. Wilkins waved at them and spat on the ground. “Sissies is what they are. But they’re only pups. Got lots of growing to do.” He reached toward Bobby Rae, and the dog nudged his head into Mr. Wilkins’ hand to receive the little scratch between his ears. “These two I trust. I’d bet my life on their judgment.”
She nodded, knowing he spoke the truth. He loved his dogs.
“If Rafe looks for me, tell him I went in to see the boys.”
She hurried across the lawn, up the steps, and into the house where she and her kids had spent many, many hours. Mr. Wilkins had been in the army with her pappy. They were close so after her pappy died, Mr. Wilkins had been the logical choice to confide in. He hadn’t let her down. She trusted him.
Geez, she was building a whole list of people to rely on. Mr. Wilkins, Josh, Rafe and his brothers. She paused with her hand on the door handle. It was nice. Almost made her feel as if she belonged to a real family.
With a heart that seemed a little lighter, Jazz opened the door and jogged up the stairs. The floorboards squeaked, announcing her approach, but her boys didn’t open the door. She turned the handle and pushed. It didn’t budge.
“Seth, Levi, it’s me. Move the stuff away from the door so I can come in.”
“Is he with you?” Seth asked.
She dropped her forehead to the door and breathed through the annoyance. That tone would normally deserve a stern lecture and a few extra chores as punishment, but her kids were scared and unsure. She’d cut them some slack. This time.
“Rafe is outside with his family. I don’t want you to be afraid of them. They’re here to protect us.”
“From what? Mr. Wilkins wouldn’t tell us,” Levi chimed in.
“Well, I will. Open up. We have a lot to talk about.” The man threatening them, the new shifters who’d be staying with them…and Rafe. Each of those topics were ones she’d rather not discuss, but being a mother wasn’t always easy. She only hoped she could come up with the right words.
The sound of scraping wood and a thump of something hitting the ground came from the other side of the door. It finally opened, and she slipped inside.
Chapter 19
“Everything good here last night?” Rafe asked once Kade slid his phone back into his pocket.
“For the most part. Kids were terrified of me this morning when I came up to the house.”
Jasmine’s boys would be instinctually fearful of all shifter males, especially feline shifters. In the animal world, killing a female’s cubs would force her into heat, but they weren’t animals, not completely. Except without an adult shifter in their lives, Seth and Levi wouldn’t know how to separate their animals’ instincts from theirs.
Rafe still struggled with the distinction between him and his cats at times. He was outnumbered. When his animals all shared the same desire, it was nearly impossible to ignore.
He rubbed a hand over his face. “Poor kids. It’s a good thing Mira is coming down. Any word on when she’ll get here?”
“A couple of hours. She was waiting on Xander. He had to meet with his brothers.”
Xander, the alpha of the Royal Winchester wolf pack that lived near them, rarely left his pack lands. He hated being around humans and avoided them whenever possible.
“Why is Xander coming and not one of his brothers?”
“Devin insisted, said he wouldn’t allow Mira to travel with anyone else.”
Devin’s protective instincts toward his sister had grown over the past few months, not that Rafe blamed him for worrying about her. Word had it that she’d become the object of discussion at the Shifter Council meetings. Or more specifically, the prophecy concerning her—the one where she’d be the catalyst for changing the world.
Rafe pushed away the concern over Mira to be dealt with later and focused on the issues he was intimately concerned with—the secret Jasmine harbored and the threat Jon posed.
“Did Devin tell you about Jon?”
A low growl rumbled Kade’s chest. “Yeah, he told me.”
“He held her, Kade. After I left my scent on her. Now he knows she’s important to me.”
“I’m sorry I was the reason she left you this morning. The older dog saw me. It stood there and waited for me to pet it. The human noticed. I had no choice but to go up and introduce myself.”
“What’s done is done, and at least we know who we’re up against. Had Devin not seen Jon’s animal form we might not have known about him until it was too late.”
“I want to know how Jon got his hands on the Royal’s drug. If the government or some human betrayed us, the scientists might stop making it. That’s not acceptable. Our women and kids need the protection it offers.”
Otherwise, they’d be in the same situation they’d faced for a millennium, covering their unique smell with perfumes, exactly as Jasmine had done, a practice that sometimes drew as much notice to the shifter as if they hadn’t.
“With all the regulations in place, I find that unlikely. Only a select few i
ndividuals have access to it, and those that do must pass strict background tests.” Rafe shook his head. “No. It’s more plausible he stole it, but even then, a report should’ve been filed. We see those come across the communications loop. I haven’t seen one in close to three years.”
“Unless a report wasn’t filed. I can see Jon sending humans to target a Royal female. Steal her purse or something. If it was a human, she might not report it to Shifter Affairs. There’d be no point. A pickpocket wouldn’t have a clue what the drug was used for.”
It made sense. Many females carried at least one extra dose with them, just in case they had to eliminate their scent completely to escape the notice of a single shifter who might’ve figured out the truth. Not all Royals could pass easily for humans. Unless Devin and Mira dyed their hair and wore sunglasses or contacts, they’d stand out.
Rafe curled his fists. He hated that their kind had to fear other shifters on top of the worry over what humans would do if they learned of the other species living among them.
“No matter how he got it, we have to assume he has more.” Rafe scanned the woods around them. “I hate to say it, but the elders were right about the masking drug when they said it would destroy us.”
“No. Greed and hate will, and those were doing a good job before the drug was ever invented.”
Rafe couldn’t argue that.
Mr. Wilkins’ booming laugh drew Rafe’s attention back to the house. Megan knelt on the ground with five dogs around her, all with tails wagging. She was giggling as one of them gave her sloppy kisses.
“We have too many innocents to protect.” Kade crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not happy about the idea of keeping them here. They’d be safer back home.”
Rafe already knew Kade’s opinion. When Devin had called Kade earlier to fill him in on the plan, Kade’s bellowed curses had been easy to hear.
“I agree, but we’ve always done our best not to stress those we rescue.”
“We’ll need someone to watch the older male until Jon is caught or we’re sure he’s moved on. I wouldn’t put it past Jon to kill the human.”
