by Beverly Rae
Max laughed and pushed up his baseball cap. He flexed his muscles, stretching his already skin-tight T-shirt, and sneered. “We have every right in the world, Skeller, and you know it. We’ve sworn to rid the world of these creatures, and we’re going to do our job even if you’ve decided to betray us. Hell, you’ve broken into homes a time or two, haven’t you?” He pointed his gun at her father. “Try and stop us and we’ll take you down with them, you sick shifter-lover.”
Boy, what I wouldn’t give to tear out his tongue and cram it down his big mouth. Instead, Syd waited for Jason to say something. But he remained quiet, aside from the occasional warning growl at the hunters. What’s the holdup? The three of us, along with Skeller and Medusala, can take these guys. What are we waiting for? She pranced on her four paws, trying to relay her impatience to Jason, but he kept his focus riveted on the men.
“I’m warning you, man. You do anything to harm my daughter and you won’t live long enough to regret it.”
The expression on Max’s face was priceless—and hilarious in its stupidity. “Your daughter?” His gaze fell to Syd, yet still nothing registered.
He always was a bit slow. She swished her tail at him. Come on, Max, baby. You aren’t that dumb, are you? Can’t you see it’s me?
As if her thoughts had cracked a pathway into his thick skull, realization punched him, almost knocking him off his feet. “Oh, my God. That’s Sydney? No way.” He leaned nearer, moving his face within an inch of her muzzle. “No fuckin’ way.”
Okay, what are my options? Syd narrowed her eyes at him and deliberated. I could bite his nose. Or I could lick him. Eew, no, both bad choices. What else? Hmm, I think I’ve got it. She grinned, knowing Max wouldn’t see the facial expression for what it was, lifted her head, and snorted.
The gunk inside her nose sprayed on his face, making him jerk upward, stumble, and fall into the arms of his friends. “Urgh! Shit!” Frantically, he wiped his face and regained enough equilibrium to stand on his own feet. “You blew snot on me, you little bitch.”
Syd snarled a comeback before she remembered he wouldn’t understand her. Yet Jason couldn’t let it pass. He shifted in an instant to stand between her and Benjy, his glorious naked body sending shivers of lust racing through her.
In wolf form or human, he is one hot hunk. Syd wagged her tail at him and gave a short bark.
“Are you sure, Max? Maybe she’s just glad to see you.”
Max wiped his hand on his pants, raised his gun, and placed the business end against Jason’s forehead. “Playtime is up, asshole. Get ready to die.”
Even though she’d rather have stayed in wolf form, Syd shifted to stand next to Jason. “No, shoot me. I’m the one you should be mad at.” She took his arm, giving and taking support from their physical connection. “Can you kill me, Max? After all we meant to each other?” At least in his mind. But she wasn’t too proud to use his affection for her if it would literally save her hide.
Why isn’t he answering me? She glanced around at the men standing before her and felt her skin crawl. Their hot hungry eyes seared into her, making her blush. Uh-oh.
“Uh, babe. You might want to change back to wolf again. Or find some other clothes to put on.”
The embarrassing truth sent a flow of heat to flame her cheeks. “My clothes are shredded and I’m basically naked, aren’t I?”
“Yes, dear, you are.” Her mother’s soft voice agreed with her. Please, oh, please. Let my father go blind before he sees me. Moving enough to catch a glimpse of him, she knew her prayer came too late. Please, oh, please. Don’t let my father go blind because he’s seen me.
Their eyes met before he jerked his gaze off to the side. Yet the hunters and William continued to enjoy the view. Glancing around, she saw her clothes strewn across the floor in piles of shredded fabric. “I guess I only have the one choice.” Without another second’s hesitation, she closed her eyes and morphed. “Jason, let’s work on the clothes reappearing thing first thing in the morning, okay?” Fur had already covered her body before she’d landed on her front paws. “Hey, I’m getting good at this.”
“Damn it. Why’d she have to go and change?” The hunter who’d made the remark lowered his eyes when Max spun around and whacked him on the arm.
“Watch your mouth, Hank.”
“Really? Do you care? Did you ever truly care? Or were you after my father’s position and prestige in the group?” If she could keep him yakking about their past relationship, maybe Jason could come up with a way out of this trap.
“Sydney, I’m not talking to you while you’re like…that.” He waved his gun at her in revulsion.
She rose up on her hind legs and pranced around. Distraction. Gotta keep up the distractions. “Sorry. This is what I am. Oh, hey, did you hear the news? I’m adopted.” Sneaking a peek at Jason, she shot him a questioning look, hoping he’d have thought of an idea. He merely shrugged, clearly idea-less. Great. Just great.
“What’d you say? Did you say you’re not Skeller’s daughter? You’re not a hunter and you don’t have hunter blood in you?”
Hey, he understood me. “Nope, not a drop. And, yippee, it gets better. My real father—I mean, my biological father—was a shifter. I’m a half-breed.”
Sounds of disbelief rumbled through the hunter group.
“Which means…” Syd paused for effect, “…you had sex with a werewolf.” She hoped he could tell that she was wiggling her wolfish eyebrows. “You did say I was an animal in the bedroom.” If she’d had to choose, she wouldn’t have known which man’s face suddenly lost more color—Max’s or Skeller’s.
“Okay. That’s way too much information, Syd.” Jason didn’t appear to have handled the news much better than Max or Skeller. But she couldn’t do anything about the past now.
However, Max recovered quickly enough to focus his attention—and his gun—on Skeller. His sarcastic tone made Syd want to throw up. “You, the head honcho of the hunters, raised a werewolf. All these years of making speeches about the evils of shifters, and you were feeding and clothing a shifter kid in your home. And you let me date the bitch, too.”
“He didn’t know.” The plea in her mother’s voice was unbearable. Syd moved to her mother and sat in front of her, showing her support for the woman who’d raised her. “Neither did Sydney. It was my secret.”
But Skeller wasn’t about to let them blame his wife. “Don’t go judging Miriam. She wanted a child and I─I couldn’t give her a baby. She did what she had to do.”
“Did we come here to chat with these mutants or to kill ’em?” Hank stepped forward and lifted his rifle to his shoulder.
Again, Max spat on the floor at her father’s feet and raised his gun in the air. “You’re right, Hank. Let’s─”
“Tell them about your secret?” Benjy changed into human form, wagging his finger at the lead hunter. “Miriam’s not the only one who’s had a secret all these years, is she, Maxy?”
Hank’s massive forehead wrinkled. “Hell, I’m getting confused with these things changing back and forth. Either stay a human—and put some clothes on—or stay a wolf. Make up your minds.”
Jason sent her a wolfish grin, relaying a very clear, yet unspoken message. Exactly what I was hoping for. Syd, you stay a wolf while Benjy and I keep changing.
“What’s he talking about, Max?” Hank’s brow deepened more. “What secret?”
Fear flashed across Max’s face and he tugged his cap lower on his forehead. “Nothing. He doesn’t know what he’s saying. Get ready to shoot, men, and aim for the head.” In one quick move, he braced his gun with his forearm and pulled the trigger.
Miriam and William let out matching shrieks while Jason and Benjy came together to form a physical wall between the hunters and Syd. However, no one got shot.
Hank had yanked Max’s arm up into the air, making the bullet ricochet harmlessly around the room. “Hang on, man. We’ve waited this long. We can wait a couple of minutes more. I want to
hear what the skinny one has to say. What secret are you talking about?”
“Hank, I’m in charge here.” But Max’s voice quivered.
“Not anymore.” Hank strode around the medium to poke Benjy with his gun. “Talk.”
“Get the hell out from behind me.” William, who’d remained quiet for most of the time, started to inch his way toward the stairs. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll leave. I’m not a wolf or whatever you other guys are, and I don’t understand what’s going on. I’ll leave and you’ll never hear a peep out of me. Trust me, I’m not telling anybody what I saw today.”
“Stay where you are, girly-man.”
Hank grabbed Benjy’s arm and yanked him away from the psychic. He urged him to continue with a hard prod to his ribcage. “Tell us the secret. Or get a bullet in your head.”
“Well, if you put it that way.” Benjy smirked, obviously pleased to see Max shuffling from one foot to the other and looking toward the exit. “Our sweet Maxy leads a double life.” Guessing the assumption the hunters made by the expression on their faces, he hurriedly added, “No, he’s not a werewolf. Thank goodness for small mercies. No, he’s more like Willie, aka Madame Medusala.”
“The name’s William. And I resent the association you’re making.”
“Whatever.” Benjy sashayed up to Max and threw his arm around his neck. “Our boy here is one of the best hoofers at Boys’ Toys. Really, Med-er, William, I’d have thought you’d recognize each other.”
William shrugged. “I did. But I thought it safer to keep my mouth shut.”
Syd, engrossed in the whole exchange, waited to see Hank’s reaction. That boy has a whole lot of nothing in his head which is why this is taking a while to stick.
At last, the intelligence-challenged hunter narrowed his eyes at his quickly-becoming-former friend. “Holy shit. You’re a gay dancer? You mean you dance at a bar for girly-boys? You’re a pervert, too?”
“Now hold up, Hank.”
“Don’t come near me, you…you pervert.” Hank fell in with the remaining hunters. “Boys, we’ve got a problem on our hands. We’re werewolf hunters, not gay bashers, but I ain’t sure what to do here.”
“Hey, watch it. Having an alternate lifestyle doesn’t make someone a pervert.” Benjy bristled at Hank before pausing to realize what he’d done. “I cannot believe I’m defending a hunter.”
“It appears you folks are having quite a good time. If you don’t mind, we’d like to join the party. After all, Benjy did invite us.”
Everyone looked to the top of the stairs.
Chapter Thirteen
“Well, hallelujah, the cavalry’s here.” Benjy wiggled his fingers at the group of nude men standing at the door of the basement. “Sure took you boys long enough.”
As long as they’re here now. Jason shot them a grin. “Welcome to the party, boys.”
“There’s four naked men in my father’s house. Six including Jason and Benjy.” Syd swiveled to her father. “Now there’s something I never imagined saying.”
Skeller nodded. “You and me both.”
Benjy clapped his hands in delight. “Isn’t this wonderful? I feel like I’m at Boys’ Toys on a Saturday night.”
Jason raised a finger, calling for Hank’s attention. “Before I change, I think I ought to explain something to you.” He gestured to the men at the top of the steps, “These nice gentlemen are friends of ours. And even if you shoot them with silver bullets, they’ll still have time to rip out your hearts. Right, guys?”
The shifters growled their agreement. In less than a minute, four large werewolves padded down the stairs to stand on the last few steps, hovering over the hunters.
Jason bumped his friend. “Now we can get busy.”
Jason and Benjy morphed and threw their bodies at the hunters nearest them. The pop of a gunshot was almost lost in the deafening roar of the wolves’ growls. Jason jumped on two of the hunters, knocking their guns harmlessly to the floor before their slow-thinking minds could react.
Benjy’s transformation left Hank holding his foreleg. The stunned hunter held on while the skinny shifter tried pulling away, leaving Hank holding a paw. Benjy reached over and swiped his tongue along the hunter’s cheek. “Hankie, baby. If you wanted to dance, all you had to do was ask.” He snarled and tore the gun from the hunter’s hand. “But you won’t be needing this nasty old thing.” The hunter, unarmed and vulnerable, spun around and tried to dash up the stairs. Benjy’s claws raked down his back to latch onto his belt. With one tug, he threw the hunter backward, landing him on his butt. “Stick around, big boy. You’re not going to leave me here without an escort, are you?”
Jason and the other shifters tossed the hunters around like sacks of flour, howling their enjoyment. “Hey, Blackwall, want a hunter for your kid?” He flung one of the smaller men toward a large brown wolf who caught him, hooking his shirt with very long claws.
“You mean to play with?” Blackwall shook the man, delighting at his cry for help.
“Naw, not to play with.” Jason ran a claw down the face of another hunter and held the man to keep him from squirming away. “To eat.” He poked the hunter, making him yell with each prod. “This one seems tender enough. But if you want, I can gut him and marinate his meat for awhile.” The captured hunter writhed and twisted, forcing Jason to drop him. The hunter scurried off, bounding up the stairs. “Wow, would ya look at the boy move?”
A warning sensation zipped along his spine and he glanced around, looking for Syd. Where was she? He stood motionless in a swirl of human and wolf bodies and scanned the room for her. She wouldn’t have run off, would she? No, he knew she wouldn’t. Yet he didn’t see her anywhere in the basement. Even William and Miriam were doing their best to fight off the hunters by standing, shoulder to shoulder, behind a group of boxes and slashing out whenever a hunter came too close.
“Syd! Where are you?” Could she have gotten injured? Was she lying somewhere with a bullet in her? Could she recover again so soon after the first bullet wound?
Jason swallowed to keep the bile from rising to his throat. He wouldn’t let himself think the worst. He had to believe she was all right. Yet had she left because she had no other choice? If so, did she leave on her own power?
One of the hunters swung a bat at him, but he easily ducked out of the way. He retaliated by raking a claw across the man’s chest. The hunter screeched, hurting his sensitive hearing, then clutched a hand over the flesh hanging from his collarbone. But Jason’s mind was on Syd and not the hunter. Where was she? “Syd!”
“Jason! I need you. Come quick!” The answering howl had him whipping around the room. She was still in the basement. But where? He sniffed, but the dankness of the room, combined with the sweat and stench of hunters and shifters alike, blocked any chance he had of finding her by smell.
“Jason!”
Her second howl was more urgent, propelling him toward the steps. Yet he was sure the sound came from downstairs. “Where are you, Syd? I can’t find you.” Another hunter reached for one of the guns scattered on the floor and he pounced on him, knocking the air from his body. Gripping the barrel of the rifle in his mouth, he squeezed with all his strength, letting all the frustration and worry for Syd flow into his crunch. The metal bent and he hurled the useless weapon away.
“Under the stairs. Hurry!”
Darting around men and wolves alike, Jason dove into the darkness under the steps. Syd, in human form, sat with a musty old blanket wrapped around her like a makeshift dress. Cradling her father’s head in her lap, she looked up at him with torment in her eyes.
“He’s hurt. One of his former buddies slammed him in the head. I dragged him under here to get him out of the way.”
Jason chuckled mirthlessly. “Then what’s the problem? He’s got a hard head.”
Her eyes, full of terror and pain, added to her plea. “We have to get him help.”
Help a hunter? Jason shook his head both in refusal and
to deny the possibility of a shifter ever helping a hunter. “No way. He’s the one who started this fight. He’s the one who set us up and led us into a trap.”
Fire deepened the blue pools staring at him, but it was nothing compared to the scorch of her words. “He’s also the one who saved me from the hunters at the lodge. And he’s the one who brought me home to take care of me. He’s my father. Even you said so.”
Jason growled his displeasure. “In one way. But since you know who and what you really are, how can you expect me to help him?”
“Because you love me as much as I love him.”
Her words bulls-eyed the target in his heart, striking with a power he’d never have believed could exist. How could he disagree? “I know I’m going to regret this when he comes to, but sling him over my back and I’ll carry him out.”
Another shot rang out and they instinctively ducked. “Let’s get going before this gets any worse.”
Syd gave his neck a short hug and took her father’s head in hers. “Dad, wake up. You have to help us.” Yet nothing happened. “Dad, wake up. It’s Sydney. I need you. Mom needs you.”
Skeller moaned and moved his head to the side before opening his eyes to stare up at Syd. “What happened?” He looked around the tiny space until finally landing on Jason.
“You were knocked unconscious by one of your hunting buddies.” Jason shot him an evil smile. “Looks like even your own kind isn’t too fond of you anymore. What a shame.”
“Now isn’t the time.” Again, she hooked him with her sad eyes and he knew this fight, at least, was a battle he couldn’t win.
“Fine. Then let’s get him out of here.” He turned to check on the war raging around them. “Skeller’s friends are taking a beating out there and when our guys are finished mopping up, I don’t want to stick around and have to explain why I’m saving his sorry butt.”
“Don’t worry about me. Take Sydney and get her somewhere safe. And Miriam, too.”
Shit, I hate it when I have to admire an enemy. But the man does understand family loyalty. Jason snarled his irritation at Skeller. “Your daughter…” He paused to let the word sink in. “…won’t leave without you. She’s stubborn. Must be all those years of living with a hunter.”
