Lion’s Claim (Shifter Chronicles Book 6)

by Crissy Smith

  “No, you’re not,” Logan argued. “You’re having a hard time letting go.”

  “So you think you know me now?” Mac practically growled the words.

  “I’ve figured a few things out,” Logan stated confidently. He was the one who stepped closer to Mac this time. Their chests were almost touching. “What I don’t know, I hope you all will trust me with someday. What matters right now is that I’m not going away.”

  “Don’t you have a job to do?” Mac questioned with a sneer. “A big bad agent shouldn’t be wasting his time in our town.”

  “I do have a job to do,” Logan confirmed. “I’m also entitled to a personal life.” He relaxed his stance so that he wasn’t directly challenging Mac, although he didn’t put any space between them. “I care about her, and don’t say that I barely know her. What I do know intrigues me, but it’s the possibility of what we might mean to each other that matters right now.”

  “If you hurt her—”

  “Then we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Logan finished. “It’s possible she’ll hurt me. That’s the entire point of us getting to know each other.”

  “You’re a cocky little shit,” Mac accused.

  “It seems to me that you’re surrounded by cocky little shits,” Logan quipped. “You should have plenty of room for me.”

  “I can’t tell you anything until we know we can trust you,” Mac said.

  Finally, they were getting somewhere. “I’ll accept that for now.” Logan had no doubt that eventually Mac would open up. He had his suspicions about what was happening, but he’d give the shifter time.

  “Is everything okay?” Annabelle asked.

  Logan grinned at Mac before turning to Annabelle. “Hi.”

  She looked back and forth between him and Mac.

  “It’s fine,” Mac said behind him. “I was just giving Logan the customary talk about treating you right.”

  Annabelle rolled her eyes. “I’m too old for you to be acting like some big old papa bear.”

  “Did you just call me old?” Mac asked, laughter mixed with his words.

  “Well,” she answered. “If the biker boots fit…”

  Mac chuckled. “Fine. You two deserve each other.”

  Logan couldn’t have agreed more. Annabelle had dressed simply in a pair of dark jeans and a low-cut red top. Her long black hair had a touch of curl to the ends as it flowed down her back. She was the opposite of every woman that he’d ever dated, but he felt like she was his match in every way.

  “You look beautiful.”

  She placed her palm in his, allowing him to pull her forward. Logan threaded his free hand through her gorgeous, thick mane. It was just as soft as he’d thought it would be. With his hand buried at the base of her neck, he tugged her head back.

  Annabelle shivered in his embrace. What an exciting reaction.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Where are we going?”

  “I passed by the Italian restaurant on my way here. I thought we might have dinner there. If we can get in without a reservation.”

  She appeared amused. “I don’t think that will be a problem.”

  Mac chuckled and slapped his shoulder. “I’ll let Alexander know you’re on the way.” He walked off before Logan could ask him who this Alexander guy was.

  “Alexander owns the restaurant and he’s Mac’s best friend,” Annabelle told him. “Alex always keeps a table open for us.”

  “The guy that he and Duffy stayed with when they first came to town?” Logan remembered the story now.

  Annabelle had been stepping out of his arms, but she stopped and stared up at him. “Mac told you?”

  “Yeah, last night.”

  “He doesn’t usually share about how he ended up here,” Annabelle said. “You keep surprising me.”

  That was what he wanted to continue to do. “Good.”

  Logan wrapped his arm around her waist and moved her forward. “I think Mac likes me.”

  Her laugh was bright and surprised. Logan pulled open the door but didn’t miss the happy smile on her face as she passed through first.

  “He doesn’t like anyone,” Annabelle replied.

  “I disagree. He was just waiting for me to show up so he could like me.”

  Outside, in front of the bar, the parking lot was well lit. There weren’t any houses or other businesses in the immediate vicinity, so the tall street lamps and numerous security lights mounted were providing all the illumination.

  “I don’t remember it being so bright,” he commented as he hit the key fob for his truck. He walked Annabelle to the passenger side before opening the door. She had to use the running boards to get inside. He enjoyed the way her pants tightened over her ass while climbing up.

  “Mac had Carter and Calvin install some more. He’s seen more activity in town and going toward the forest. He wants any strangers to know we’re here.”

  “Avoid a run-in like last night?” he asked.

  “We don’t get a lot of problems, but it’s possible. The new laws on hunting seem like a good idea, but Mac thinks that it’s just going to push more dangerous situations like the illegal hunting.”

  It was a valid concern. He wished he could tell Annabelle he’d already started looking into the problem. Logan had spoken with a supervisor with the Parks Service and learned that Ruiz had told him he’d looked into the situation with Brookside and hadn’t found any truth to the allegations. Logan wasn’t sure what Ruiz was up to, but he’d be taking care of the agent in the morning.

  In the meantime, the Park Ranger had promised to make his staff more available to Magnus. He’d even called the station before Logan had left for the night. Magnus had been pleasantly surprised and even wished Logan good luck on his date as Logan had pushed out of the door.

  “That seems like a smart plan,” Logan said, bringing his attention to the conversation.

  Once Annabelle was settled comfortably in her seat, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “We’re going to have a good time tonight.”

  She smiled. “I’m a little nervous.”

  “Why?”

  “First date and all,” she admitted. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Logan placed his hand on her knee. “Just be yourself. I’ve made it pretty obvious that I’m interested. I want to have a nice meal with you, maybe take a walk in the woods you love so much, and talk.”

  “Just talk?” she asked. “Because I can think of more exciting things you could do with your mouth.”

  The little minx. Logan had been half hard when he’d walked into the bar, but now he was growing fully erect. “Yeah.” He pressed his leg against hers. “We’ll get to that later.”

  She shuddered. The evening was cooling down, but he knew she wasn’t cold. Logan slid his hand up her leg to the junction between her thigh and pelvis. She sucked in a breath.

  “We’ll definitely get to that.”

  “Now?” He breathed out the words.

  Logan kissed her. He’d meant to just tease her lips with his, but when he brought his mouth close to hers, Annabelle closed the distance, pressing them together. She clutched at the back of his neck while opening for his tongue.

  One of them moaned—he wasn’t sure who—and Logan pulled her sideways in the seat so he could fit his body between her legs.

  He loved the taste of her, but especially when she let go, allowing him to ravish her. Annabelle tipped her head back, giving him better access. Logan brushed his fingers over her pussy, pressing down harder when she bucked against his hand. The scent of her arousal began to fill his head and he had to yank himself away or risk losing control. Even his lion was on the edge and anxious to claim her.

  “We can’t do this here,” he stated.

  A look of disappointment flashed over her features, but she nodded. “We should get to the diner before we put on a show for the cameras.”

  “Cameras?” he repeated stupidly. H
e’d known they were there, but Annabelle made him forget everything else around him. “Damn it.”

  She laughed. “You get used to them.”

  “Are there cameras inside as well?” he questioned, straightening his clothes to buy himself time to regain his composure.

  “You mean did they capture me climbing into your lap and practically humping you?” she teased. “Yes, they did.”

  Jesus, he was lucky Annabelle wasn’t pissed off that he kept putting her in compromising positions.

  “It’s okay,” Annabelle assured him. “Like I said, you forget about them. We have an unspoken agreement that if we see anything that we weren’t supposed to, then we don’t bring it up.”

  “So this happens a lot?” Logan felt less desperate and could probably walk around the side of his truck without injuring his hard shaft.

  “Have you met Duffy?” she asked with a laugh. “He’s not exactly one to think about where he is before jumping Calvin.”

  Logan chuckled along with her. “I can picture that.”

  “Calvin’s pretty good about getting them to privacy, but he says his will is only so strong, so there have been times we’ve had to turn off one of the monitors.”

  “I promise no one will have to turn anything off around us,” Logan said.

  She titled her head and studied him. “I think I’ll enjoy getting you to break that vow.”

  Shaking his head, he motioned for Annabelle to settle back before closing the door. He sauntered around the front of his truck so he’d be able to keep an eye on her. Not that he expected to be attacked while in the parking lot, but he enjoyed knowing she was safe with him. He also needed a minute to himself, since his cock throbbed behind his zipper. He could literally picture bending Annabelle across the bar counter inside and pounding into her.

  That was not an image he needed to take with him to dinner.

  When he pulled open the driver’s-side door, Annabelle sat grinning.

  “You know exactly what you do to me,” he accused.

  “I like sex. I don’t believe I should be ashamed of it.”

  “No,” he agreed quickly. “You have nothing to be ashamed about.” Logan was more intrigued. They’d have a lot of fun together. Maybe try some things that he had only dreamed about. He wondered how she would respond to his dominant streak.

  With humans, Logan had to be extremely careful not to injure the women. His hold could become too firm or his partner might not be able to take the pace he’d reach if he let himself go. It was better with another shifter, but then the dynamics of their species came into play. As a large predator, Logan didn’t find it easy to trust and let go, even in bed. It was one of the reasons he hadn’t had sex in so long. He’d gotten tired of the disappointment after having to hold his instincts back.

  He stuck the key into the ignition and started up the vehicle.

  “I like your truck,” she said, running her hand over the dash. “I expected you to drive a boring black SUV.”

  “We have those. But I prefer having my own ride. The company-issued vehicles get swapped around and I don’t like smelling the other shifters in a car I’m driving.”

  “I never thought about it like that. I can see your point.”

  “Do you drive?” He hadn’t seen anything other than bikes.

  “I can,” she answered. “I have my license for a motor vehicle and a motorcycle. I don’t usually since I don’t leave town and everything is within walking distance.”

  “What do you mean you don’t leave town?” Logan put his truck in gear and eased out of his spot. The main road that would take them into town was a smooth blacktop, not the dirt road he’d first expected.

  Annabelle fidgeted in her seat. “I don’t leave Brookside.”

  “Why not?” he pressed. If they were going to keep seeing each other, they’d have to work out the logistics of the hour-long commute.

  “I just don’t.”

  Hell, of course things couldn’t be easy. “Okay.”

  She snapped her head around to look at him. “Okay?”

  “It will mean more driving for me, because I plan to see you as much as possible. Things would be easier if you’d spend some time at my place. On the weekends that I’m on call, I won’t be able to come down, but we’ll work something out.”

  “Just like that?” She sounded mad and he didn’t know why.

  “What?”

  “This is our first date,” she pointed out.

  Logan slowed his speed as he came to Main Street. “Yes.”

  “What if you end up not liking me?” she asked. “We might be sitting in the restaurant and it dawns on you that I’m weird or something.”

  Unique, she was unique, but he didn’t think that would help in this conversation. “What if you do?” he questioned instead.

  “I don’t know,” she admitted.

  “Exactly. It might not work out between us. But I have never felt as connected to someone as I do you, in such a short time. This is worth the risk for me.”

  From the corner of his eye, he saw her nod.

  “The guys love to ride their bikes. I could always get one of them to take me to your place if it comes to it. I won’t want to drive by myself and I really don’t like cities, but staying at your place might work.”

  Logan reached over and grasped her hand, giving her a squeeze. “See, it’ll be fine.”

  Annabelle was making an effort and he would do the same. Logan didn’t mind coming to Brookside, though. Once Magnus had gotten over his distrust of Logan, he’d opened up a bit. The two deputies also ended up being pretty good guys. Carl had stammered and flushed a lot after Fabian had left, but eventually he’d settled down. James might not have been the sort of officer Logan would have preferred, but he’d ended up showing Logan exactly why Magnus kept him around. Not only had James remembered every detail of every case Logan wanted to discuss, but he’d also had several great suggestions on how to proceed.

  Being impressed by the small sheriff station shouldn’t have surprised him, but Logan had been happy when he’d left. If Annabelle was going to live in Brookside, she had a good, solid police force at her back.

  That would make returning home a little more bearable for him.

  There was a parking spot right in front of the restaurant, so Logan whipped his truck in.

  “I guess you eat here a lot?” He’d wanted to take her somewhere nice and this place seemed to be the best in town.

  “I love Alex’s food,” she said. “Kelly likes to cook for us, but when we can sneak out, we come here.”

  “Anything I need to know about the guy?”

  “What do you mean?” She unsnapped her seatbelt before turning toward him.

  “I like to know what I’m getting into with shifters,” Logan informed her. It was important to have his guard up. Too easily other shifters saw him as someone to challenge. Logan wasn’t sure if it was only his job or if it happened to all lion shifters.

  “Alexander is great,” Annabelle said. “He doesn’t have a Pack—he’s a wolf shifter, but he keeps mostly to himself. He and Mac became best friends, so we’re able to get him out of the kitchen sometimes, but he still doesn’t come around a lot.”

  “A lone wolf,” Logan commented. It was rare for a wolf shifter not to surround himself with family or a pack. Fabian and Fredrick were very close to their pack and returned home every weekend that they weren’t on call.

  Logan envied wolf shifters for the fact that they always had someone they could lean on. His own family had easily turned their backs on him when he’d decided to go into law enforcement. They’d acted like he’d betrayed them by wanting to help the world.

  It probably had something to do with his parents’ extensive criminal backgrounds, but Logan had never expected that they’d cut off all ties to him. If he’d been a wolf shifter, wouldn’t his family have needed that bond? Instead, if he followed his instincts, he was supposed to be okay living a solitary life. Meeting
Annabelle had opened his eyes that while he might have been rejected by his birth family, he had other options. Instead of keeping people at arm’s length, he could have his own makeshift family, just like she had.

  “You okay?” She touched his arm, sending a jolt of awareness through him.

  Yeah, he might be able to learn a thing or two from Annabelle.

  “I’m great,” he told her. “How about I buy you dinner now?”

  The food had been fantastic, the atmosphere perfect, Alex had been on his best behavior, but it was sitting across the romantic table for two from Logan that made this the best night of Annabelle’s life.

  If this was what dating was all about, she’d insist that he take her on more.

  Now, as they walked hand in hand through the woods behind the bar, she was enjoying pointing out trees that she had made nests in.

  “I Googled your species.”

  “Did you?” She was flattered that he’d put in the effort. “And what did you find out?”

  “Not a whole lot,” he admitted. “There are a couple of groups trying to record margay traits and behaviors, but there isn’t a lot of information released.”

  “I know,” she said. “I don’t know much myself.”

  “You had no one to teach you?” He slowed and pulled her to a stop.

  Close by lay a log big enough for them to sit on. With the wine from dinner along with the pasta she’d consumed, Annabelle felt comfortable and happy. She could share a little bit about herself. Duffy had told her before she’d left on her date that she was going to have to talk to Logan. She didn’t know how much he wanted to know. There were some subjects, such as the underground group, that were off limits, but she’d tell him about her childhood.

  Annabelle led Logan to the log and sat. He quickly dropped down beside her. “I don’t remember my parents at all. Mac has a friend who was able to get a hold of my social services file, but even in that, the information is limited. I didn’t even know I was a shifter until puberty. I just thought I was a freak.”

  “Damn,” he said quietly, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “That had to be rough.”

  “It was scary,” she admitted. “I knew I was different than the other kids in my foster houses, but everyone around me was human. Nowadays, they place shifters with other shifter families, so it’s easier, but back then no one knew what I was.”