“A beer,” he called, and the bartender nodded at once. Handing him a cool one, he wandered off to serve the other customers.
Dan sat in silence, drinking his beer. He was lonely, he admitted to himself, lonelier than he'd ever been. Perhaps seeing a stunning girl like that just made him realize how stupid he was. Groaning to himself, he dropped his head in his hands. The first thing he'd done, by way of introduction, was to knock her to the floor, followed by pushing down two bar stools on top of her. Not exactly a great first impression.
“Have another one,” came the bartender’s voice, pressing another beer into his hands. “On the house.”
Dan glanced up, surprised. “On the house? Why?”
The bartender - a slightly older man with a kind smile - shrugged. "You're new around these parts. Think it's about time we welcomed you. Even if you did knock down two of my bar stools."
“If anything’s broken, I’ll replace it,” Dan promised, but the bartender just shook his head.
“Don’t worry a bit about it,” he grinned. “I think you’ve been embarrassed enough!”
Appreciating the beer, as well as the gesture, Dan sat quietly in the bar for another half hour or so, just thinking things through. He was tired of being alone, but there didn't seem to be an easy way out of that for him. Given how he'd just managed to ruin his first impression with the only attractive girl he'd seen around these parts for some time, there wasn't a lot of hope for him. On top of that, he wasn't going to be going in for those quick relationships - the ones that started and ended in only a few days. He was looking for something permanent, and that wasn't going to happen with someone who wasn't sure whether she was going to even be staying in town or not. And then there was the problem of shifters. To have something long term, he needed to find a shifter for his mate. He didn’t even have a whiff of an impression that the girl with the jet black hair was a shifter.
After a couple more drinks, Dan sighed and himself away from the bar and got to his feet. “Thanks,” he muttered, paying for his drinks. “Think I’m going to head on home.”
“Good to see you,” the bartender replied. “You’re welcome here any time.”
Dan smiled, before leaving the bar. At least there was one thing going for this town, the people sure were friendly. Lucas used to want to keep the pack completely separate from humans. Something about them being weaker and not worth a shifter's time. When he'd heard that Nick had fallen in love with a human instead of a shifter, Lucas was pretty vocal about his disgust.
The Alliance pack sure were different, Dan thought to himself as he walked outside. There was a healthy respect between the pack members, and they certainly respected the humans in the town. That was one of the things Nick was worried about. When Lucas attacked, the last thing Nick wanted was to have any humans involved or hurt in any way. Dan grinned to himself as he remembered just how much Jo hated that she wasn't allowed to be involved in anything, even though she recognized that she wasn't a shifter.
His phone rang, and, as he flipped it open, he grinned at the caller I.d. “Hi, Jo. Something gone wrong with Nick’s amazing dinner?”
He heard Jo sigh, which made him laugh out loud. “What happened?”
“You don’t want to know,” Jo grumbled. “Let’s just say Nick isn’t allowed to cook again any time soon.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Yup.”
Dan shook his head, struggling to be sympathetic in any way. He was already busy thinking of ways to poke fun at Nick when he saw him again.
“Listen, are you still at the bar?”
“Yeah, but I’m just about to head home.”
There was a slight pause. “Would you be able to pick us up some takeout?”
Dan chuckled. "All you guys eat is takeout! Aren't you getting bored of the same thing over and over?"
“We tried to eat a home-cooked meal tonight, didn’t we?” Jo replied, slightly defensively. “And look how that turned out!”
He had to admit she had a point. “Yeah, I guess so. Right, what can I get you?”
Listening carefully, he took Jo’s order, wandering along the street towards the Chinese takeout place. “And make sure to get something for yourself,” Jo finished. “You’re welcome to eat with us at the cabin.”
Dan screwed up his face. “So long as I’m not interrupting anything.”
“No, no,” Jo exclaimed. “Nothing like that. At least, not after the disaster that was meant to be our dinner!”
“I can almost smell the burnt food from here,” Dan joked, finally managing to get a slight chuckle from Jo. “I won’t be long.”
“Thank you, Dan,” Jo replied, sounding grateful. “I’ll see you soon.”
Chapter Five
Closing his phone, Dan walked into the Chinese restaurant and placed his order. It was pretty quiet, so it didn’t take long to order his food. He was quite surprised at how hungry he was, but it was probably because he and his bear had a run wild in the woods before he’d come into town. Paying for his order, he picked up the bags and walked out of the shop.
A sudden voice caught his ears, and, for the first time today, he used his bear senses to their full extent. Listening hard, he sniffed once. It was her, it had to be. He couldn’t think of anyone else recently who smelled like a combination of vanilla and cinnamon.
Skulking into the shadows, he listened harder. He didn’t want to eavesdrop on their conversation, but neither did he want to leave her alone if he was in trouble. From the snatches of the heated conversation he could hear, he was pretty sure she was arguing with someone.
Taking a few steps closer, he narrowed his eyes, staring into the gloom. Finally, he could see her, outlined by the slightly orange glow of the street lights above.
“Just back off, Dominic!” she exclaimed, jabbing at the man opposite her. “I’ve said no.”
With a sinking heart, Dan recognized the man she was talking to as the ‘muscles everywhere' guy he'd bumped into - literally - outside the bar. "Now's no time to be a wimp," he muttered to himself, still watching them.
“Where are you going to go?” Dominic’s voice came roaring towards Dan’s ears. “You’ve got nothing and no-one, Lucy, except me. You’re not leaving me.”
“Yes, I am,” Lucy shouted back, not backing down an inch. “You don’t get to tell me what to do, Dominic. I’m not going to be a part of this.”
The moment Dan saw Dominic’s hand shoot out and grab Lucy’s arm, he moved forward. Trying to remain casual, he sauntered towards them, putting his bag of takeout on the sidewalk. “Everything okay?”
“Stay out of this,” Dominic growled, already squaring up to Dan. “This is between me and her.”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Dan replied, ignoring the wave of panic that flooded him as the image of one of Dominic’s meaty fists punching him hard in the stomach floated in front of his eyes. Turning to the woman he now knew to be Lucy, he tried to smile. “Is everything okay?”
She was the picture of anxiety. Her hands were on her hips, as she shifted her weight from one foot to the next. “Fine,” she replied, flashing him a brief - and false - smile.
"You sure about that?" Dan asked, trying to ignore the way that a low muttering was coming from the big guy next to him. He clearly wasn't happy with the way Dan was interfering. "I mean, this guy seemed to be harassing you."
Dan threw a cautious glance at the big guy to his left - Dominic - seeing the way his lip was curling. Obviously, this wasn't a good place for anyone to be and he should probably just get out of here but Dan wasn’t about to leave this girl alone. Dominic looked like the kind of guy to hit out first and ask questions afterward.
"Like I said," the girl repeated, breaking into his thoughts. "Everything's fine. We know each other."
"Doesn't mean he can't be an idiot," Dan muttered, quietly. He didn't see the fist coming towards him, but he certainly felt it. It was like a tire iron being hit against the side of his head. It hit
him with such force that he fell backward, hitting the back of his head off the sidewalk. Stars exploded in front of his eyes, and he groaned aloud. His bear roared in pain, but Dan couldn't let it rip from his body. Rolling to one side, he groaned again and pushed himself onto all fours. Breathing hard, he struggled not to let his bear explode from his skin and rip into Dominic. That’s what he would have done if he was still part of the Northern Wind pack, but not now. Reminding himself that he was part of the Alliance, he shook his head to clear it, trying to get to his feet and hoping desperately that Dominic would not hit him again.
***
“Dominic!” Lucy screamed, shoving him hard. “What the hell are you doing?” She couldn’t believe he’d hit out at some random stranger, who was just trying to help. The guy looked strong enough, but he was no match for Dominic. It wouldn’t be a fair fight and Lucy wasn’t about to let Dominic even think about starting one.
“Leave him,” Dominic growled, grabbing her arm. “Let’s go, Lucy.”
His grip was tight, but a wave of fury raced through her as she shook him off. “For the last time, Dom,” Lucy retorted, stepping back. “I’m not coming with you. Get lost!”
Thankfully for her, Dominic actually did what she'd been telling him to do since the start of their conversation. Shoving himself away from her, he spat hard, on the ground at her feet and began to walk away into the night, leaving her alone with the stranger on the ground who was currently groaning in pain.
“I’m so sorry,” Lucy cried, bending down to the man who was trying to get to his feet. “I can’t believe he did that. Are you okay?” She tried to help him up but had no idea what she was doing.
“Fine, fine,” Dan muttered, with a shake of his head. “Don’t worry. I just wish I could somehow be the kind of strong, superhero type who just jumped to his feet after a huge blow to the head.” His chuckle came out as a groan, making Lucy wince.
“He's such a goon," she replied, grasping his arm and helping him stand up. "I swear, I don't know what came over him. You were just trying to help. “It was definitely stupid, but she appreciated what he’d done. It had been a long time since anyone had cared about her, mostly because of what Dominic would do to them if they did step in. This guy had a good look at Dominic and decided to come to help her anyway. A wave of appreciation flooded her, as she looked up into his face.
“Yeah, I was,” Dan groaned, managing to stand up without swaying.
Lucy grimaced as she looked at the damage. “How are you feeling?”
“The side of my head is throbbing pretty bad and I’m having trouble opening one of my eyes,” Dan replied.
Lucy shook her head, even more frustrated with Dominic. He’d always been brash like that, but there was no reason to punch another man to the ground! Most likely, he was just angry that she wasn't going to with him like he'd expected. That was the problem with Dominic. He just expected everyone around him to do what he asked when he asked. For years, she'd gone along with it, but not anymore. She was tired of being dragged along behind him, making excuses for him and cleaning up afterward. It was time to let their lives go in separate directions.
“What did you say your name was again?” she asked, her hand still on his arm.
“Dan,” he replied, lifting one tentative hand to press gently against the side of his head. “I work in the mechanics up the road.”
“Lucy,” she smiled, relieved that he looked to be okay. She didn’t think there was a concussion or anything. “That guy was Dominic, not that you’ll need to remember his name.”
Dan winced as his fingers gently probed the area around his eye. “No, I don’t. Why are you with him anyway? He’s an idiot.”
Heat rushed into her cheeks and Lucy became quite grateful for the gloom hiding her red face. "He's not my boyfriend if that's what you're asking," she murmured, her eyes still on the mark on the side of his head. "That looks like you're going to have a pretty bad black eye."
"He's not your boyfriend?" Dan repeated, looking at her with his one good eye. "Who is he then?"
“Unfortunately,” Lucy replied, with a heavy sigh. “He’s my brother.”
“Oh.”
Lucy ignored the spark of hope that had shot into his face, knowing that now wasn’t exactly a good time to start falling for someone. Not that he wasn’t handsome, of course, and certainly was strong and well built, even if he was a lot smaller than Dominic. Giving herself a quick talking to, Lucy stepped back, letting her fingers drop from Dan’s face.
“I suppose I’d better head home,” Dan said, as she stepped away. “Maybe get a compress on this or something.” He tried to laugh but Lucy didn’t smile.
Anxiety was building in her chest, as she thought about being left here alone in the dark, with absolutely no idea what to do. Spotting the bag of takeout Dan had left to the side, she walked over to pick it up, before handing it to Dan. Her heart was slowly sinking in her chest as she realized her predicament. Without Dominic, she had nothing. No house, no food and only a little bit of cash. He'd taken everything else like he always did. Wanted to control her, all the way down to her finances. "I hope that gets better," she said, stepping back from him. "And again, I'm sorry Dominic did that to you. I - I really appreciate what you tried to do."
“Don’t be sorry,” Dan grinned. “It was worth it to get to talk to you again.”
Lucy couldn’t help her smile at the compliment. The guy sure knew how to flatter a girl.
“Where’s home for you?” Dan asked.
“I - ” Lucy didn’t quite know what to say. They’d left the only home she’d known, and come here. “I’m not sure. To be honest, I don’t actually know what to do.” The words left her mouth before she’d even had a chance to think. She didn’t know what had made her say that, especially to someone she’d just met, but, for whatever reason, she trusted him. Maybe it was because he was another shifter, or because he’d stood up for her. Whatever the reason, it was too late to take back now.
“You don’t have anywhere to go?”
Seeing the concern on his face, she shook her head. "Dominic wanted me to go with him - to meet a cousin of ours, but I've decided not to go. I'm not having anything to do with that life any longer."
She watched his face, seeing the way he fought against asking her any more questions. Apparently, he decided that now wasn't the time.
“Listen,” Dan replied. “The takeout is getting cold and my friends are waiting for me. Why don’t you just come with me?”
“Where?” she asked, biting her lip.
“I’m heading up to the cabin to deliver this to my friends. In fact, we can get you some food too if you like. Means we can all eat together and get to know each other a bit better.”
Lucy didn’t know how to respond. Was it crazy to go off with some guy into the forest, under the guise of going to meet his friends? She sighed inwardly. There was a warning in her mind that wasn’t quite making its way to her heart. Honesty was practically shining from Dan’s grinning face as he held out his hand to her. “Do you think they’ll mind?” she asked, reaching for his hand. Her heart began to slam into her chest as their fingers touched, heat sizzling up her arm.
“No, of course they won’t,” Dan promised. “So, how about takeout?” He grinned again. “Up this way, we practically live on the stuff and I can guarantee it’s good!”
“Sure,” Lucy agreed, glad she’d taken his hand. It was both reassuring and comforting, with a quiet strength in his grip that didn’t overwhelm her. “And thanks, Dan.”
Chapter Six
“Is something burning?”
Dan glanced down at Lucy, surprised. “You must have a good sense of smell,” he laughed, as they approached the cabin.
Lucy gave him a slightly confused look. “Of course I do,” she replied. “Don’t you?”
Dan shrugged, not quite sure what she meant but not wanting to come across as even more of an idiot. “Yeah, I guess. Anyway, that’s the reason I got tak
eout. Nick was cooking. From what Jo said, it didn’t go well…” He was so distracted by her beauty that he was barely thinking straight, having to double check that everything he said made sense. He felt like some kind of hero, walking back home with the rescued girl beside him. Except he had a black eye and he hadn’t really done anything. Lucy had been able to hold her own against her brother.
“Here we are,” he smiled, walking up to the cabin and knocking on the door. “They’ll be friendly, don’t worry.”
Lucy tried to smile back, but Dan noticed the anxiety in her eyes. He could understand that, considering she’d just put her trust in a random stranger who was taking her to meet more strangers, all in the hope that they’d be able to help her out for a while.
“Take a deep breath,” he said, softly “They won’t bite.” The door opened and Jo stood, framed in the doorway. “Dan,” she exclaimed, her eyes on the bag of takeout he held in his hand. “Thank you, I’m so hungry!” Taking the bag from him, she walked over to the kitchen table, leaving Dan to follow after.
"Uh, Jo," Dan began, looking around for Nick. "This is Lucy." He didn't even think that Jo had noticed Lucy since she was so busy getting the takeout organized.
Jo stopped what she was doing, turning around slowly to look at Dan and Lucy. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I didn't even see you there!" Throwing Dan an enquiring glance, she walked over and shook Lucy's hand. "Are you a friend of Dan's?"
“Not really,” Lucy replied, honestly. “We’ve only just met.”
Dan rubbed the back of his head with one hand, a little self-conscious as Jo gave him another curious look. “I need to talk to Nick,” he mumbled, knowing that Jo could take care of Lucy. “Where is he?”
“Out with the other two,” Jo replied. “They’ll be back soon.”
As though they'd known Jo was talking about them, the front door flew open and Nick, Tom and Savannah walked in, all talking at once.
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