Not My Shifter/ Sinfully Cursed (Shifter Paradise) (Volume 1)

by Kate Allenton

  “Let me go, Starke.”

  He leaned close and breathed her in. “No.”

  She leaned forward, placing her lips against his ear, just above the gold hoop. She sighed, her breath teasing him. Devlin felt him relax, felt his hands slide down her arms. And that’s when she did it. She bit – hard!

  Starke jerked his ear from between her teeth and cursed, his hands circling her wrists once more in an iron grip. He glowered down at her, and she merely smirked up at him in response.

  “Was that necessary?” he demanded.

  “What? You don’t like love bites?”

  A determined glint entered his eyes, and before she knew what he was about, he leaned forward and bit her right where her neck met her shoulder. She shrieked and kicked out at him, to no avail.

  “What the hell, Starke? You bit me! I can’t believe it. You fucking bit me!”

  His face softened, and she knew she was in trouble. His nose brushed the side of her face, his thumbs caressed her wrists where he held her, and his leg rubbed against her outer thigh.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Getting to know my mate better.”

  Mate? What the fuck? No way in hell was she his mate, or the mate to any fucking Were. It would be a cold day in hell before she tied herself to one of them. For that matter, she didn’t plan on tying herself to anyone! Serious relationships just weren’t her thing. He’d bitten her. So what? She wasn’t a Were. She didn’t have to play by their rules, right?

  “I’m not your mate,” she said through gritted teeth. “Now let me go.”

  He sighed and backed away a fraction of an inch. “Devlin, whether you like it or not, we’re mated now.”

  “In case you’ve forgotten, you called me a hooker. That doesn’t exactly inspire me to rip my clothes off and throw myself into your arms.”

  Starke just gave her a cocky grin. “Maybe I like hookers.”

  Devlin snorted. “Good, then you can go mate with one of them.”

  “Too late, darlin’. There’s only one mate in the world for me, and I’ve already claimed you. And, in case there’s any doubt in your mind, you bear my mark on your delicate skin.”

  A devilish light entered his eyes, and he leaned forward once more, his gaze dropping to her lips. His intent was clear, and she was having none of it. Shoving him back a bit, she jumped up and planted both of her feet in his solar plexus and shoved, hard. He released her and staggered back a few steps. There was no way in hell he was kissing her. Kissing led to touch, and touching led to other things, things her body desperately craved.

  He rubbed a hand across his stomach. “Ouch. That was uncalled for.”

  “Do you want to get dressed before I haul your ass in, or do you want to go like that?” She took in his rumpled jeans and bare chest. His hair was mussed from sleeping.

  “I’ll give you a statement, but I’m not going in to the P.I.T.S. office. If you take me in, they’ll keep me, whether there’s enough evidence or not.”

  “That’s a load of crap! If you’re innocent, we’ll prove you’re innocent.”

  “We?” He gave her a speculative look. “You didn’t seem like you were on my side a minute ago when you had those lethal heels of yours planted in my gut.”

  “I don’t put away innocent men, Starke. Just because I don’t want to fuck you doesn’t mean I want to lock you away for the rest of your life.”

  His gaze traced the curves of her body before he gave her a smirk. “Oh, you want to fuck me, all right. You just don’t want to want to fuck me.”

  She shook her head, refusing to admit that he might be right. Did she find him attractive? Well, he did have that whole bad boy thing going for him. But she could never forget that he was a Were. After werewolves had killed her parents, she’d vowed to get her revenge. The pack involved in the slaughter had finally been caught, but P.I.T.S. hadn’t existed back then, and the human police hadn’t known what to do with them. In the end, they’d gotten the death penalty because, let’s face it, that was the only way to deal with a murderer in Texas. But it had taken a while, the bureaucrats trying to decide if werewolves should be tried the same way as humans. Deep down, she knew that not all werewolves had attacked her parents, that it had been a rogue pack, but she still felt a deep-seated hatred for the race. It wasn’t something she could shake off, not even for Mr. Hunkalicious in front of her. At least, she didn’t think she could.

  Starke scratched the back of his neck and studied her a moment. If the hard ridge in his jeans was any indication, he was ready to throw her over his shoulder and haul her into the back of the house to his bedroom. If he were anyone else, she might’ve let him. Well, except for that small problem of him being a murder suspect. Even she wouldn’t stoop that low. At least, she didn’t think she would. Surely she wasn’t that hard up. Yeah, it had been about a month since she’d gotten laid, but she didn’t think she was that desperate just yet. And there was the fact that he was a Were. She could never forget that. Or could she?

  She eyed him once more. He did make one mouthwatering package. She had to admit that much. And her fingers did itch to trace those hard muscles, to feel that long hair that she just knew would be silky to touch. And that mouth! Those lips were made for kissing, among other things. His hands had been strong when they’d held her in place, and yet his touch had been gentle. He’d been firm, yet made sure he didn’t bring her harm. That said a lot for him.

  He’d been about to kiss her; she knew that much. What would it have felt like? Something told her if she let him go that far she’d let it go even further, and that would be a disaster, at least at this time. If she were going to play with him, which she was beginning to think might not be so bad, she had to clear his name first. Assuming he was innocent.

  “So what’s it going to be, Starke? Are you coming along peaceful like, or do I have to manhandle you again?”

  He laughed, the sound rolling over her in rich waves, the tone pleasing to her ears.

  “As much as I’d like for you to manhandle me, as you put it, I’ll go along with you, as long as you don’t put cuffs on me. Wolves can’t stand to be tied down.”

  Pity. She could envision him tied to a bed, her licking her way up his body.

  She scanned him once more. “Are you going in like that?”

  He looked down at his state of undress. “No, I guess I better put some clothes on. I’d invite you to come along with me, but if I get you anywhere near a bed, I promise I’ll misbehave.”

  Devlin couldn’t help but smile at his cocky attitude. Maybe when this interrogation was over, if he was a free man, she’d take him for a spin. Just to exorcise the demons, of course. A roll in the hay was sure to cure her of her desire for him. At least, that was her theory. Surely once would be enough.

  Chapter Five

  When they entered the station, Devlin gripped his bicep, a bicep she noted was rock hard, and led him toward one of the interrogation rooms. Shoving the door open, she led him inside and shoved him into a chair. It irked her to know he’d let her do it. This would be a good time to have a partner. It was obvious she was getting too close to Starke to be objective. Lusting after his body was starting to short-circuit her brain.

  She pulled out one the chairs across from him, but before she could sit, Ben stuck his head in the room.

  “Chief wants to see you.”

  She gestured toward Starke. “As you can see, I’m in the middle of something.”

  Ben shrugged. “I only do what I’m told, and I was told to get you.”

  Devlin sighed. “Fine.”

  She cast a glance at Starke. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Try to behave while I’m gone.”

  Ben lounged in the doorway. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

  She heard Starke snort behind her and hurried across the room to Needles’ office. She’d brought her suspect in, just like he’d requested. What could he possibly want now? His timing couldn’t be worse.

  She kn
ocked once and opened the door. “You wanted to see me, Chief?”

  Needles motioned for her to enter. “I see you half-assed followed my instructions.”

  “I brought Starke in, just like you wanted.”

  “Not quite. I believe I told you to bring him in using cuffs. He wasn’t the slightest bit restrained when you marched him through here. You might as well have been taking a stroll through the damn park.”

  Devlin felt her shoulders tighten. “I got him here. I didn’t think it really mattered how I accomplished it.”

  “Just to make sure you follow the rest of the rules, I’m going to have Reyes sit in on your interrogation. And he’s allowed free rein, is that clear?”

  Devlin’s jaw ached from clenching her teeth. “Crystal.”

  She turned on her heel and marched out of the office. There was no doubt a ferocious look on her face, as Jane and several others practically jumped out of her way as she stormed back into the interrogation room. Reyes was already seated, a blank pad and pen on the table. Ben was nowhere to be found so she assumed he’d hightailed it back to his desk once Antonio had shown up. Why couldn’t people just let her do her job? Yes, she’d been thinking that a partner would be nice, but she’d meant someone like Parker, not the were-jaguar with creepy psychic abilities.

  Reyes scanned her from head to toe and smirked, obviously picking up on her pissed-off state, as if her expression didn’t say it all. She closed the door, probably a little harder than necessary if the rattling sound was any indication, and claimed the other chair. For the first time since entering the room, she focused on Starke and realized he was staring holes through Reyes. What the hell?

  “Jameson Starke, you’ve been brought in for questioning in regards to the murders of Peter Samuels and Marcus Bender. Where were you on the nights of October 20th and October 21st?” Devlin gave him a level stare.

  “On the night of the twentieth, I was at O’Leary’s until a little after ten. I went there to track down Peter Samuels for a friend. He was hassling her for money and was getting rather nasty about it, even asked her to work it off on her back. I had a chat with him, and then I left,” he said, recapping what she already knew.

  Devlin’s gaze never left his face. “Witnesses say this discussion of yours got pretty heated, some might even say violent.”

  “I pinned the guy to the wall and got in his face, but I didn’t kill him. He was still, mostly, upright and breathing when I left. Someone else must’ve come along after me and offed him.”

  Reyes drummed his fingers on the table. “Where did you go after you left? Who did you see?”

  “I rode my bike around town for about half an hour and then went in to work.”

  “And you expect us to take your word that you were out riding and not ripping Mr. Samuels to shreds?” Reyes said. “Without an alibi, we have reason to lock you up.”

  “I’m telling the truth,” Starke said. “I did place a call to work around 10:20 to tell them I wouldn’t be in until closer to eleven. Maybe you can track the GPS in my phone or something? It’s always on.”

  Devlin shared a look with Reyes. Now why hadn’t they thought of that?

  “We’ll look into that. It will take some time though. We’ll have to get a court order first in order to use it as evidence in the case.” Devlin tapped the table. “We should probably get the ball rolling on that now.”

  Reyes shrugged. “It’s your case. You go take care of it, and I’ll wrap up the interrogation. I’ll make sure I type up a report for you by the end of the day.”

  Devlin cut her eyes across to Starke then back at Reyes. She nodded and got up, shoving her chair under the table. There was one benefit to her job. She knew the judge personally and had no doubt she’d get her court order, and by the end of the day at that. Judge Mayhew had tried the pack who had killed her parents and had looked out for her ever since. He’d even bent the ear of Judge Solomon when the woman had come close to throwing her in juvie in her teen years. Even as a child, she’d gotten into a lot of fights and had a tendency to destroy property. Thankfully, Judge Mayhew had seen the good in her and steered her onto the right path. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t work for P.I.T.S. Hell, she’d probably be rotting in a jail cell somewhere.

  Picking up the phone at her desk, she called Judge Mayhew’s office. His assistant answered almost immediately.

  “Peggy, this is Devlin St. Claire. Is the judge in this morning?”

  “He was just about to go to lunch. Let me put you through.”

  Devlin waited while Peggy transferred the call. When she heard Mayhew’s gruff voice, she smiled.

  “Devlin, you aren’t in trouble, are you?”

  “No, sir. I was actually calling for a favor. I’m working a murder case, and I need a court order to pull GPS records for the suspect. He claims his GPS on his phone was turned on the whole time. If he’s telling the truth, it could clear him of two murders.”

  “So Littlefinger assigned the Were to you, hmm? Not his smartest move. How are you holding up?”

  “I’m doing fine, sir. A little anxious to solve the case and move on to something else though. I think I prefer the petty crimes of elves.”

  Mayhew laughed. “Their petty crimes or their pretty faces?”

  Devlin couldn’t help laughing. “Maybe a little of both.”

  “Email the details of your court order to Peggy, and I’ll see that you get it right after lunch.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Devlin hung up and immediately pulled up her email to get the details to Peggy. Except, she realized, she didn’t have Starke’s phone number. Grabbing a Post-it note and a pen, she hauled her ass back to the interrogation room. When she opened the door, she looked from one man to the other. They seemed to be in a contest to see who could glower the most.

  “Not to interrupt this special moment between you two, but I need your number, Starke.”

  He broke eye contact with Reyes and smiled at her. “All you had to do was ask, sweet thing.”

  Devlin rolled her eyes. “For the trace, you idiot.”

  “It’s 361-555-5763.”

  Devlin wrote it down then walked back out, shutting the door behind her. If they wanted to act like a couple of adolescents while she was gone, let them. She had to admit, though, she was a little intrigued as to what the staring contest was all about.

  Sitting down at her desk, she completed the email to Peggy and hit send. She contemplated going back to the interrogation room or hanging out for a minute. Maybe Reyes and Starke would work out their issues if she wasn’t around. She was just about to kick her feet up on her desk when Needles bellowed her name.

  “Shouldn’t you be with your suspect?” he asked, coming to stand beside her desk.

  “Yes, sir, I was just requesting a court order.”

  His gaze took in her relaxed position, and he glared at her. “You don’t look like you’re requesting one now. Get your ass back in there.”

  “Right away, Chief.”

  Pushing herself to her feet, she went back to the testosterone-laden interrogation room. It was going to be a long afternoon. While Judge Mayhew might get the court order to her after lunch, they wouldn’t have the results until later in the day, possibly tomorrow if the tech guys were backed up. They used the same people as the P.F.P.D. and any other local agencies, including private investigators – TechStarr, owned by one very yummy Ryan Starr.

  When she entered the interrogation room, her jaw dropped. The table was overturned, and the chairs had been thrown about. She stepped over the one that had landed against the door and watched Reyes and Starke in fascination. Reyes landed a punch to Starke’s ribs and had him pressed against the wall. The Were merely laughed.

  “Is that all you’ve got, little kitty?”

  Reyes snarled at him and slammed him against the wall again. Starke merely grinned.

  “My turn.”

  The wolf tossed Reyes across the room as though he were a
feather, and the operative smashed into the wall. Devlin looked over her shoulder, certain that someone would’ve come running by now, but everyone was blissfully ignorant of the macho display before her. She wasn’t sure if she should stop the fight or go make popcorn.

  Reyes landed in a crouch, the knuckles of one hand braced on the floor, the other hand flung out to the side for balance. He narrowed his eyes at Starke and hissed. She watched as her wolf prepared for the attack and decided enough was enough.

  “Knock it off, you two.” Her gaze zeroed in on Reyes. “I’m letting you explain the broken furniture to Needles.”

  “You mated a fucking Were?” Reyes accused, his eyes condemning her.

  She bristled. “It isn’t like it was intentional.”

  Starke frowned at her.

  “Care to tell me what this pissing contest was all about?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “It seems the pussy cat has a crush on you.” Starke’s gaze raked her from head to toe. “Not that I can really blame him.”

  “It’s not a crush,” Reyes said through clenched teeth.

  “What’s he talking about, Reyes?”

  The cat glanced at her before looking away. “It’s nothing, just drop it.”

  Devlin gestured at the room. “All things considered, I don’t think I’ll drop it. Now tell me what the hell is going on. Since when do you care who I see?”

  “You aren’t just seeing him, now, are you? You’re fucking mated to him. In case you missed the memo, that means forever, Devlin. Your days of jumping from one bed to another are over. I just don’t see why you had to choose a stinkin’ wolf to mate with.”

  “You’re jealous.”

  The muscle in Reyes’ jaw twitched. “Maybe.”

  She shook her head. Well, this was a new development, or maybe not. How long had Reyes had the hots for her and she’d never noticed? It would, however, explain those times he’d insisted on buying her lunch when she’d been so caught up in a case that she’d been unable to leave her desk. How had she missed the signs?