by E A Price
She cursed herself for not hearing him before he grabbed her, but the male moved about as stealthily as Mal. As for the smell – well, her only excuse was that she was distracted, and her shifter sense of smell wasn’t engaged. Yeah, not a great reason, but it was the truth.
“Stop it,” he snapped as she wriggled.
“You’re hurting me,” she retorted matter-of-factly.
“Not yet I’m not,” he muttered.
They both heard movement outside, and he pulled her closer against his body. It was probably the wrong time to be thinking about it, but the closer he pulled her, the more her t-shirt rode up, and well, she really wished she had thought to put on some underwear. Did a hostage situation really need her flashing her hoo-ha? Though, that didn’t seem too important, as a completely naked Mal thundered into the room.
“Mal,” she breathed, relief coursing through her. Both woman and reindeer relaxed marginally.
“Mal,” hissed the moose shifter, without quite the same feeling as Ariel.
Mal was dragging a female with him – another moose shifter, who looked both pissed and righteous at the same time – not a natural combination. He tossed the female to the floor and let out a hoot so loud the whole cabin shook. Again, probably the wrong time to think it, but it was very sexy.
“Caught with your pants down, Mal?” sneered the male moose. “You’ve gone soft.”
“Evans, let her go,” ordered Mal, shortly, not interested in being drawn into a crazy conversation.
“What’s the matter? Don’t want to relive old times?”
Mal looked over Ariel briefly, before his blank stare returned to the male. “Let her go – now.”
“Did you know we used to work together?” hissed Evans directly into Ariel’s ear. His rancid breath was even less appealing than his body odor.
“Why on earth would I know that?” asked Ariel, primly. “I don’t even know who you are.”
Though it appeared that Ariel’s input into this conversation was not needed at all.
“Before he screwed me over.”
Ariel rolled her eyes. Why did he have to involve her in his rant? She wasn’t interested in the least about whatever perceived injustice this male felt.
“He killed someone in his custody, and I got the blame! I lost my job, but he got to keep his!”
As his anger rose, so did his grip on Ariel and she winced, making Mal’s chest inflate.
Evans pushed the gun into her ribs, and she flinched. “Give the gun to her,” said Evans to Mal, jutting his chin at the female.
Mal waited for a couple of beats before holding the gun out. The female scrambled to her feet and gingerly took it from him.
“You want to kill me for losing your job?” said Mal flatly.
“Not just his job!” screeched the female waving the gun worryingly. “His dad won’t even speak to him anymore. He says he’s a disgrace to the family. They cut him off completely – abandoned him because of you!”
“Every male in my family has always been a hunter. So now, I don’t get to go to the family dinners, I’m not welcome at Thanksgiving,” complained Evans, “and I don’t get any of the family money.”
Mal’s upper lip curled in scorn. “Which of those are you most upset about, huh?” He shook his head. “You spoiled rich kids are all the same – all you care about is money.”
Ariel frowned at him. “Ahem.”
“Not you, baby, you’re perfect,” said Mal with something almost near a smile, which soon withered when he turned back to Evans. “You really want to kill me for money?”
“It’s not just money!” snapped the female. “It’s about honor and respect.”
Mal nodded, and in an exaggerated whisper to Ariel, he said, “It’s all about the money.”
Ariel guffawed. Mal was tense about the situation, but he was trying to lighten the situation for her sake. Playful Mal was so cute, though that side of him completely disappeared as Evans jabbed her again with the gun.
“Shut-up!” screamed Evans.
Mal grunted. “Evans, you want me dead, do it, but let Ariel go – she’s not a part of this.”
“The hell she isn’t. You get your phone, and you call Riker and admit to him that killing that crow was all your fault – tell him I should get my job back.”
Mal exhaled. “That won’t work.”
“Yes, it will!” he howled. “Tell him you don’t deserve to be a hunter. Tell him it was your fault that the crow got out of his restraints – not mine.”
“They have video footage from the cell – they can see that you made a mistake. You freed him because you wanted to beat him up – but he was too fast for you.”
The female waved the gun. “Liar!”
“Call Riker, now!” yelled Evans.
“Call him now!” added the female, slightly unnecessarily.
Mal let out a tired sigh. “I don’t have cell reception. No one does here.”
Evans and the female exchanged glances, and warily, the female put the gun down and took out a cell phone. Cautiously, she watched Mal making sure he didn’t make a move to her.
“It’s true,” she muttered.
“Well, well, well,” spluttered Evans, caught in a loop for a few seconds. “You can write a letter.”
Mal’s eyebrow twitched. “Sure, that’s completely in character for me. So after I write this letter, what exactly do you plan on doing?”
“You two can go free.”
Mal stared at him, and even Ariel – who had never met this male before, and who was never very good at spotting lies – could sense the falsehood.
“Sure.”
“I just want my job back,” said Evans defensively.
“Right.” Mal eyed him dispassionately, “And you don’t believe for a second that we’ll tell anyone what happened here?”
Evans’ arm around her loosened slightly. Mal caught her eye, and she noticed his body rippled as if preparing for the shift. She wasn’t sure what he had planned, but two seconds later it didn’t matter.
The door to the bathroom swung open. “Ariel, I’ve been thinking…” started Hollis.
Alarmed, Evans raised his gun, and Hollis shrieked, retreating to the bathroom. Her reindeer stamped her hooves. Ariel bit down on the arm clamped across her chest and Evans screamed, loosening his arm even more. She stamped on his foot, and it was all she needed to spin away from him.
Mal roared, and his reindeer burst forth, charging into Evans, knocking him down, and mauling him in a painfully relishing way.
The female screamed and tried to grab the gun, but Ariel got there first and gave the female the full force of her right hook. The female crumpled faster than an accordion. Hey, Ariel grew up in an alpha family – self-defense classes were mandatory.
“What the flip is this?” growled a deep voice – except he didn’t use the word ‘flip.’
Ariel looked up to see an older, rugged wolf shifter in the doorway, flanked by a couple of bear shifters.
It appeared that the hunters had arrived.
Chapter Twenty-One
Riker shook his head. “I knew Evans was pretty hopeless, but jeez.”
Mal grunted in agreement as he watched the paramedic and Ariel. His reindeer rumbled lowly but somewhat peaceably. The young male was very professional; grudgingly, even Mal had to admit that, but he was still itching to go over there and howl at the male to get his grubby paws away from her.
“Guess losing his last appeal tipped him over the edge,” continued Riker.
Mal grunted and nodded as Ariel waved at him.
“Had no idea his family was so rich though; father married into money apparently – they’re millionaires. Remember when Ellways died, and we took in a collection for his mom? Evans put in a dollar – one damn dollar! Cheap bastard.”
Mal grunted again, narrowing his eyes as Hollis attempted to approach Ariel. He got within six feet of her, said something that made her scowl and went on his way.
/> “Had no idea he was married either. That Danielle creature is even battier than him. According to Evans, this whole thing was her idea – I can’t see the marriage lasting long.”
Mal grunted again.
“Plus, Evans turning out to be an green-skinned alien was kind of a shock.”
“I must have missed that part of the evening,” murmured Mal.
Riker chuckled and slapped him on the back – hard. “Just checking you were listening.”
Oh, he was; he was just watching Ariel at the same time – multitasking. Evans and his wife had thought to force Mal to get Evans his job – and therefore his trust fund – back. They were going to kill him and make it look like a suicide. Ariel hadn’t initially been part of the plan, but when Evans saw them kissing – it seemed like fate. They thought they could use her as leverage.
He shot at them to scare them. Likewise attacking Ariel was just to scare them too. They wanted the kids out of the way, and Evans, for his sins, knew how Mal thought. He knew Mal would assume someone was after him – which was true. Plus, they hoped he would keep Ariel around. Though, likely if he had sent Ariel away they would have just reverted to their original plan.
Mal watched as paramedics took Evans away. They were shifters, and he was going directly to a holding facility where he would await a hearing with the council. He hoped it involved a lot of years in a tiny cell.
“I was sure it was the crow shifters,” murmured Mal, “I was way off.” His reindeer huffed. His instincts were not what they used to be - he hadn’t even considered Evans as a suspect.
“We had them under surveillance for a while, but we got a bit tired of busting them for petty theft and insurance fraud.”
Mal arched an eyebrow. “Theft?”
“Petty theft,” grumbled Riker. “Usually nothing more than pop tarts or cheese balls. The crows are criminals, but we never witnessed any violence – our guy was kind of an anomaly. Not even his own murder liked him. They just wanted to get compensation from the council for his death. Figured if they made a big enough stink they would.”
“Huh.”
They watched as a fellow hunter called Mariska bared her fangs at Hollis – who was currently following her around like a puppy dog.
“Who exactly is this guy?” asked Riker.
“An idiot who wanted to mate Ariel.”
Given the way Hollis was looking at Mariska, Mal no longer had to worry about the dick chasing Ariel. Hollis didn’t seem at all bothered by the fact that Mariska looked like she wanted to murder him at that moment. He had even less hope with Mariska than he did with Ariel – Mariska only dated females.
“And Ariel is a female from your sister’s herd,” said Riker slowly and thoughtfully and in such a way that Mal couldn’t tell whether it was a question or not.
“And?” snapped Mal.
Riker affected a look of innocence that could fool no one – he was far too dangerous ever to look anything even approaching innocent. “And nothing. Seems like a nice, polite female.”
“Humph.”
“The council wants to talk to you – immediately,” he added before Mal could even suggest he go home first. “They’re pissed you haven’t told them when you’re coming back. You were supposed to check in and let them know.”
“Right.” His gaze landed on Ariel again.
Riker snorted as Mariska grabbed Hollis by the throat and snarled in his face. Mal had no idea what Hollis had done, but he was sure Mariska’s reaction was appropriate.
“I’ll bet Ariel’s not exactly crying that Hollis has moved on.” Riker gave Mal a sidelong glance. “Bet you aren’t either.”
Mal and his beast grunted before he stomped over to Ariel. Her eyes lit up in the most dizzyingly, satisfying way as he approached. He glared at the helpful paramedic until the young male coughed and gave them some privacy.
“You okay?”
“Fine,” she said with a smile.
Mal nodded. “I have to go talk to the council – immediately,” he added on seeing the question in her eyes.
“I understand,” she murmured, valiantly trying to cover her disappointment.
“I’m going to get a hunter to drive you down into town – check into the motel with Burke and Teena. I want you to spend the night and then go back home tomorrow. I’ll get the hunter to guard you overnight.”
“I’m not sure that will be necessary – I’ll have Burke and Teena.” She giggled sweetly, making his beast rumble. “If you think Teena’s scary in the day time, you should see her when she’s just woken.”
“Not a morning person?”
“No, in the morning she’s more like the creature from the black lagoon.”
“Lucky Burke. But as I won’t be there, another hunter will.”
“Another hunter,” she repeated faintly and nodded her head in acquiescence.
“I’ll arrange for new tires for the SUV, and you can go home tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
Mal pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head, making her gasp. “I have to go. Stay safe.”
“You too.”
He strode away, much to the irritation of his inner animal. But he was tempted to stick by Ariel’s side, and the council wouldn’t like that one bit. They’d probably send Riker to drag him in – and no one wanted to be on the business end of Riker’s wrath.
He would get Mariska to watch Ariel – it was mutually beneficial. He’d be doing Mariska a favor in getting her away from Hollis, and in turn, she would make sure Ariel was safe.
Now, he just needed to see the council. Then, he could get back to his real life.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Oh, Ariel, the pies look amazing,” complimented her mom.
“Thanks, Mom,” said Ariel with brittle brightness.
Thanksgiving had arrived and true to her word she had made pumpkin pecan pies. Five pies would probably be enough for her family to get their fill – though it was never a sure thing where shifters were concerned. Her two brothers and her uncle generally ate a lot, though given that they all had mates now perhaps they would take it a little easier than last year. Last Thanksgiving they stuffed themselves so full they spent the rest of the day groaning in the living room, each with the top button of their pants undone.
Her reindeer sighed as she whipped some cream to accompany the pies. She hadn’t seen Mal since he set Mariska on her. Ariel had wanted to hang around and talk to Mal. But once he asked Mariska to take care of her, there was no chance of escape. If Ariel had ever thought that having an enforcer watching her all the time was intrusive, then she really had no clue. Mariska was a cross between a gladiator and a bloodhound.
She had spoken to Carrie since she returned, but Carrie had less clue about what was going on than Ariel. According to Mariska, the council could detain Mal for weeks for questioning if they wanted. The bear shifter told her that the council asked questions over and over and then argued them to death. But then, Mariska supposed that Mal would immediately go back to hunting – so he may not return to the herd for months.
Ariel and her reindeer sighed. She would cry about Mal later, today was about family and giving thanks for the things she did have – not lamenting the things she didn’t, and probably wouldn’t ever again.
“We’re here.”
Ariel slapped on her brightest smile and ran to the front door, greeting Uncle Clay and his mate, Maris. She hugged them both.
“I brought ice cream,” said Clay holding up a tub.
“Did we need ice cream?” asked her mom, appearing and also giving Clay and Maris hugs.
“I need it,” chuckled Maris patting her tiny stomach – she was pregnant with twins. “I also brought non-alcoholic cider. I would have made something but…”
“We just had a new kitchen fitted, and we’d rather it didn’t burn down the first time it gets used,” finished Clay in a teasing tone.
Maris pulled a face at him, and he slipped his arm around her wais
t, grinning like a mad man. It was a nice change of pace to see her uncle so happy. They continued to playfully taunt one another as they made their way to the kitchen.
“Happy Thanksgiving!” yelled Mira, followed by a grinning Branch. “I brought cupcakes.” She pointed at the box Branch was carrying. She ran a hand over her baby bump. “He won’t let me carry anything.”
“Damn right,” growled Branch. “Hey, squirt.”
Ariel rolled her eyes at the nickname – though, she did prefer it to Saint Ariel, or Mary Poppins for that matter.
There were more hugs, and then her brother Harlan and his mate, Temp appeared – leading to more hugs and more teasing, and more use of the nickname squirt. Thanksgiving wasn’t too big that year – on occasion they had aunts, uncles and cousins come by, but they were scattered across the country and unable to make it.
Finally, their last guests showed up – Carrie and baby Mikey.
“Oh, I’m so glad you could come,” said her mom as she instantly took Mikey out of Carrie’s arms and started cooing at him.
“She’s talking to Mikey, right?” whispered Carrie.
“Yes, but she’s probably glad you’re here too.”
“Very funny,” laughed her mom before turning her attention back to Mikey. “Now, come along, young man, I have some gifts for you, and then your mommy and I can talk about pre-schools in the area. I’ve made a list of the top ten and given them points based on location and facilities…”
Carrie followed them with a slightly helpless, overwhelmed kind of expression that Ariel was so used to seeing on people that she dealt with – the apple didn’t fall far from the reindeer.
She was about to close the door when a hand firmly stopped it. Everything went a little hazy as she realized who it was.
