Shifters Unbound 1 - Pride mates

by Ashley Jennifer

  He descended the stairs, scrubbing his hand through his wet hair. He’d showered twice, once last night with Kim while she washed his cuts, which had led to water all over the bathroom floor. There was something about bathrooms and Kim. The second time was this morning after he’d left the bed.

  Dylan leaned on his elbows on the breakfast bar, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. Morning sunlight winked on his Collar.

  “Did Fergus oust you yet?” Liam asked, as he headed for the coffeepot. They didn’t have a coffeemaker, not because it was forbidden to Shifters, but because they’d never taken to anything but coffee brewed right in the pot.

  “Haven’t heard from him. I’m sure he’ll be along.”

  Liam poured coffee. “Where have Sean and Connor got to?”

  “I sent them off.”

  “Why?”

  “So we could talk.”

  Liam took a sip and grimaced. “Sean must have made this.” Sean, terrific at the griddle, lousy at the brew-up.

  “Fergus has to know.”

  “That Sean made the damned coffee?”

  “Liam.”

  “Shit.”

  Both men fell silent. Liam cradled his cup while Dylan pretended to read the newspaper. Liam had never heard Dylan come in last night; Glory must have been comforting him the way Kim had comforted Liam.

  “Do you want me to leave?” Dylan asked without looking up.

  “No, you’re fine. I don’t mind you reading the paper.” Liam stopped pretending. “You mean for good, don’t you? Why should you?”

  “My own father died before we found out whether I could best him. Defeated males had two choices back then—be killed or cast out.”

  “I know.”

  Dylan turned a page. “I knew in my heart it would happen to me sooner or later. I didn’t think it would be last night.”

  “We never finished the fight.”

  “Good thing.” Dylan finally looked up at him. The man was much too calm. His eyes were watchful, but other than that, he rested against the counter, the cuts on his face already healing. “If it had been obvious that you’d bested me, Fergus would be up here demanding to fight you, to establish his dominance.”

  “Did you tell anyone?”

  “Glory.”

  “You trust her then?”

  Dylan gave him a thin smile. “I might have to move in with the woman. I thought it only fair that she knew why.”

  “Damn it, Dad. You don’t have to move out. We’re not feral anymore. We don’t have to disembowel each other to make a point.”

  “No, we’re too civilized for disemboweling,” Dylan said in a dry voice. “The choice is yours, Liam. I don’t mind going.”

  “No.” Liam slammed his cup to the counter and it broke. Hot coffee spilled on his hands and spattered on his thighs. “I don’t want you going. Why the hell should you? You belong here.”

  Dylan left his newspaper, caught Liam’s shoulders in his big hands. “It’s natural, son. It happens.”

  “Blow that.”

  Dylan pulled him close. Liam resisted the hug, wanting to push him away. All his life he’d felt protected and confident because Dylan and his strength was there. Even when Dylan had disappeared to grieve, his protection had permeated the walls of their castle, and Liam had known Dylan would return. He’d never doubted.

  When they’d come to America, a land they’d never seen, and during the torture of taking the Collar, Dylan had been there. Dylan was the anchor in the madness of Liam’s life, in the chaos of the world.

  Last night, the moment Liam’s wildcat had known he could destroy Dylan anytime he wanted to, that world had changed. Gone was the ground beneath Liam’s feet, the tie to sanity. The abyss howled at him, and now he’d have to face it alone.

  Liam jerked away. He and Dylan were the same height; he could look his father straight in the eye. “Don’t tell Fergus. Not yet. I don’t want him coming after you.”

  Dylan nodded, and Liam tamped down his anger with difficulty. Primal rage made him want Fergus in front of him, right now. Liam would make the man eat his fucking whip.

  “Is this the true reason you never would fight Fergus?” Liam asked. “Because you knew once you’d bested him, I’d be compelled to best you?”

  Dylan waited a silent moment, then nodded.

  The enormity of the knowledge was enough to make Liam sick. He had always thought Dylan held back from challenging Fergus to keep the peace in Shiftertown, because living life and raising the children were more important than fights for dominance. Liam had agreed, believed it with all his heart. Now Dylan was confessing that part of the reason he’d kept himself from fighting Fergus was simple fear.

  When a clan leader died, usually the second in line stepped into his place without fuss, unless a Shifter close to the second knew that he could vie for leadership. Other Shifters down the line might fight among themselves to move up a place or two, and a series of fights could happen until the pecking order settled again. Typically the hierarchy didn’t change, but sometimes a young Shifter grew more dominant or an older Shifter weakened and moved down. Dylan had realized that Liam’s natural dominance would emerge the instant Fergus was gone, that Liam wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from challenging his father.

  “Shite, Dad.”

  “Fergus will have to know sometime,” Dylan said.

  “We wait. We’ll tell him on our own terms, when we’re ready.”

  Dylan nodded once. “Agreed.”

  Liam loved his father so damn much, and now his instincts were telling him to push Dylan out, take over his power. The Collars might keep Shifters from being violent, but they didn’t take away the fiery urge to dominate.

  Dylan knew it too. His instincts must have been telling him to cut and run, get out while the going was good. By the white lines around his mouth, Liam knew he was resisting the urge with difficulty.

  “Damn it,” Liam said. “Why didn’t you warn me this was coming?”

  “I hoped it wouldn’t happen for a few more years, that we’d both have time to prepare. But claiming a mate triggered something in you. You’re the oldest son. Don’t tell me you didn’t know that one day you’d take over the family.”

  “I didn’t think it would be now, and I didn’t think it would hurt so much.”

  Dylan smiled. “Your mother would be proud of you for showing compassion. For not throwing me out with your bare hands.”

  “Mum was too damn good for us.”

  “I know that.”

  Liam met his gaze and said something that would have gotten him knocked across the room before today. “She’d want you to be with Glory. She’d want you to be happy.”

  “Don’t push it, Liam.”

  Liam wanted to laugh, but he was wound up too tight. His dad might have switched places with him in the hierarchy, but that didn’t mean the man was a wimp.

  Liam grabbed Dylan in a bear hug, then released him abruptly and left the house.

  Even in the embrace, Liam’s instincts had kicked in, urging him to remind his father who now ran the pride. Liam needed some distance from his father to get used to his new position, to learn to control himself.

  He looked back and saw Kim peering down at him from his bedroom window, but even that couldn’t make him stay.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Kim found Liam in a sorry excuse for a park on the far side of Shiftertown. He sat on a low brick wall next to the only trees in the somewhat bare strip of land, hands braced on the top of the wall.

  The park had one swing set for kids, no picnic tables, and bald patches where grass should grow. The city had tacked the park onto Shiftertown as an afterthought, then forgotten about it. The Shifters didn’t use it much, from what she’d seen, seeming to prefer the common greens behind their houses.

  Kim approached Liam slowly but determinedly, wondering if he’d stand up and walk away. He didn’t. Liam didn’t look at her, either, as she sat down next to him and
stretched out her bare legs. The summer warmth felt good on them, though she knew the day soon would turn excruciatingly hot.

  “Is this your place?” she asked him.

  He glanced at her. “Mmm?”

  “The place you go when you want to think. My place is a coffeehouse on the river that sits right on the water. You can suck down a latte and watch the river go by. It’s soothing.”

  Liam looked into the distance. “I’m thinking they wouldn’t be letting Shifters in.”

  “Maybe not. But this is your place, isn’t it?”

  “No, it was a convenient spot to sit my sorry ass down.”

  Kim let it go. She wasn’t sure she should have followed Liam, but what she’d overheard of his conversation with Dylan confused and bothered her. She didn’t understand fully what Liam had explained about him knowing he was now dominant to Dylan, but she sensed the tension, the violence simmering below the surface. A person didn’t have to be a Shifter to feel it.

  She argued with herself that maybe Liam wanted to be alone, but something inside told her she shouldn’t leave him by himself. His shoulders were tight, arms knotted, his mouth a rigid line. As usual, Liam kept his words light, almost careless, but the darkness in his eyes spoke volumes.

  Kim sat in silence with him. Birds chattered in the trees, but otherwise, the park was quiet. No kids came to swing, and no cars turned down the quiet street beyond it. She heard faint sounds of the city on the other side of the derelict block beyond Shiftertown, Austinites heading to the city to make money or play politics. Here in Shiftertown, power that humans didn’t understand ebbed and flowed in ways they’d never realize.

  “Are you all right?” she ventured. “I mean from having your Collar go off and . . . well, everything.”

  “You’re referring to the exuberant and athletic sex we had later?” A ghost of a smile touched Liam’s mouth. “That’s why I had to sit down.”

  Kim covered his hand, feeling the tension in it. “Liam, last night was my fault. I was the one who wanted to bring Silas here. There never would have been a Collar demonstration if I hadn’t.”

  Liam touched her fingers to his lips. “Don’t fret yourself, sweetheart. I agreed to invite Silas. It’s my fault for encouraging his questions about the Collars. I didn’t anticipate Glory jumping in, damn the lass, or that Conner would get hurt or that anything very dramatic would happen. My thought was that I’d grab for Silas, let my Collar spark, and have everyone laugh at me.”

  “Laugh at you in pain?”

  “I’ve been in pain before, and I’ve gotten over it.”

  “Liam . . .”

  “What’s between me and Dad would have happened sooner or later, love, and maybe it was best the fight occurred with you and Connor and your journalist watching so avidly. You all gave me the strength to break it off. If me and Dad had been alone, it might have turned deadly before I could shut down my instincts.” He smiled, a little shaky. “So maybe I should be thanking you instead.”

  Kim caressed his fingers with her thumb. “Don’t make me feel worse, damn it.” She sighed. “And on top of it all, I have to go to work.”

  “I know.”

  “Come with me?”

  “No fear I’d let you go alone, darling. Not with you flagrantly disobeying Fergus every second.”

  “I thought you wanted me to keep helping Brian.”

  “I do. I was referring to your lack of stealth. I know why you’re such a good defender. You’re so honest it glows from you. When you say the man didn’t do it, everyone wants to believe he didn’t do it.”

  “I wish it were that simple. Every i has to be dotted and every t crossed. You miss one, the case goes the other way.”

  “Sandra is visiting Brian this morning, and she’s going to ask if he was ready to take Michelle as mate. Sandra’s grateful to you for believing in him.”

  “Really?” Kim asked. “Her looks of hatred are false impressions, are they?”

  “She’s afraid. Fergus has put fear into her, and she doesn’t know why. All she knows is that she’s been told to sacrifice her son.” He shook his head. “For a mother to lose her child—I can only imagine how it feels. If it’s anything like losing a brother . . .”

  “Then it’s pretty shitty.”

  Liam ran a hand through Kim’s hair. “It would be like losing you.”

  Her pulse sped. “Not the same thing at all. We barely know each other.”

  “We know a lot about each other. I know you have a little mole on the inside of your right thigh.”

  “I wasn’t talking about sex.”

  “Neither was I.” Liam turned and straddled the wall, pulling her between his thighs. “Mating doesn’t mean going at it until we have a litter of cubs. It means a bond that no one breaks. Ever.”

  “It’s not a marriage humans would recognize or sanction,” Kim pointed out.

  “Damn, woman, will you stop shoving everything into your legal terms? I’m not talking about the bits of paper humans love so much. It’s a bond inside us, stretching between us. Nothing can sever it, not human law or my family, or bloody Fergus. Are you telling me you don’t feel it?”

  His eyes held anger, fear, hope, and something raw—all fighting inside him.

  Did Kim feel the bond? Of course she did. This man was compelling and mesmerizing, with his blue eyes and lilting voice, not to mention his hot body. But it was more than his sexiness and his strength.

  Liam dominated any room he walked into without saying a word. Every Shifter Kim met was drawn to Liam, every Shifter hero-worshipped him, even if they might not admit it. Anyone who had troubles went to him. Even the kids did, like little Michael in his pool. Michael had called out to Liam, had been excited to tell Liam of his achievements. He’d wanted Liam’s approval.

  Kim remembered Liam’s words to the boy—“you look after your brother, now.” Kim realized now he’d not been making an offhand remark. Liam, who had lost a brother, knew the importance of taking care of those you loved.

  Liam took care of everyone in Shiftertown, even more than Dylan did. Kim had always sensed that, and she knew that Dylan had too, and had let it happen. Not because Dylan feared losing to Liam, but because Dylan loved him.

  “I wish I’d never come here,” she said.

  Liam stroked her bare leg, his fingers sliding beneath the hem of her skirt. “Why is that, love? Me, I’m glad you walked into my bar.”

  “Because you’ve messed up my mind. I was independent, didn’t worry about anyone but myself. When I went home at the end of the day, I could do whatever I wanted. Hang out with friends, watch TV, be alone, whatever. And now I’m worried about you—and Sean, and Connor, and your father, and Brian and Sandra, and every other Shifter in this damned Shiftertown. Even Glory.” She glared at him. “Stop making me care. It’s annoying.”

  Liam’s fingers moved farther under the skirt. “Then you do care?” His eyes held heat. “I’m not dreaming that?”

  “Of course I care. Who could help caring about you? But we’re still not married.”

  “No,” he said softly. “Not in the marriage license kind of way. You’re my mate, Kim. I have you and no other.” Liam rubbed the small of her back, his body warmer than the Texas sunshine. “Will you have me, and no other?”

  Kim’s heart pounded. Forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live. “There is no other for me.”

  “Maybe not now. But what if some human male, some high-powered lawyer in your firm, decides to make you his wife? His prize? So you can flash your beautiful legs at his parties and draw people to his side?”

  Kim shook with nervous laughter. “His prize? Thanks a lot. Besides, I don’t like high-powered lawyers. They take credit for cases I win.”

  “Good.”

  “I liked you when I met you, Liam, but what I feel now, it’s gone far beyond like.” Kim leaned against his chest as his seeking fingers found the elastic of her underwear. “But you’re asking me for commitment.” />
  “I don’t need to ask. The mate-bond does it for us.”

  “Maybe it does for Shifters. Not for humans.”

  “Shifter-human pairings happen sometimes. We’d never have survived all these centuries if the gene pool had remained pure. Inbreeding makes for weakness. Mongrels survive.”

  “Mongrels. You sweet talker.”

  “I think we’re doing too much of the talking.”

  The leg band of her panties moved aside, and strong fingers touched the moisture between her legs.

  Kim glanced around. “We’re outside.”

  “Are we?” He sounded amazed.

  Kim didn’t object to sex, and in college she’d once done it in a car, but that had been late at night in a deserted parking lot. This was broad daylight in the middle of thriving Shiftertown.

  Liam leaned down and pressed an openmouthed kiss to her throat, making Kim’s body hotter. She was wet, she was naughty, and she loved it.

  Liam drew his tongue up her chin and kissed her mouth. His kissing skills had certainly progressed. He knew how to part her lips, how to stroke his tongue inside her, how to make her mouth tingle.

  “This is bad,” she whispered.

  “No. It’s good.”

  “I want to unbutton your pants right here on the street,” she said. “I’d call that bad.”

  “Our notions of bad and good are the exact opposite, then.”

  Kim gave in and popped the button of his jeans. His cock was hard behind his underwear, the tip reaching past the waistband. Kim slid her fingers inside the elastic and grasped the full shaft.

  Liam groaned. “You’ve got the touch, love.”

  Kim slid her thumb over the crown, and Liam’s fingers moved between her legs. She’d never thought she could get turned on sitting on a wall, but Liam also had the touch. More than the touch. She found herself rocking back, closing her eyes.

  “Liam.”

  “I’m right here, baby.”

  He was, all eleven inches of him. Not that she’d measured, but she could guess. She ran her hand along Liam’s penis, gripping it all the way down. He moved his hips, face softening in pleasure.