“I’m hunting tonight,” Fox told everyone after the meal was over.
“What?” Lindsey asked, not understanding what he meant.
“No you’re not!” Adrian snapped.
“I promised the deputy that came to see me this morning,” Fox said. “I’m hunting with him. He asked for my help.”
Adrian stood up fast, his chair falling over behind him. “This male is killing, Fox. My son is not going to be his next target.”
It became clear then to Lindsey. “You’re going to hunt this guy down?” she asked him, eyes widening.
“He’s killing on our land, Dad. I think it’s very clear,” Fox said.
Lindsey couldn’t listen to anymore. She pushed away from the table and rushed into the house, tears filling her eyes. She didn’t hear anyone following her and didn’t know anyone was with her until strong arms she was now starting to love, along with the man, came around her.
“Lindsey?”
She turned and slapped him hard across the face, a tear breaking free. Another hit, followed by a third before she broke down and hugged him tight, face pressing into his chest.
“Don’t go!” she cried. “Please.”
“I have to,” he sighed, tightening his hold
“Why?”
“Because this bastard has been in our home.” She stiffened in his arms. “I know what he wants and if it kills me he isn’t going to get it.”
She fisted her hands into his shirt. “Please tell me it isn’t Ben,” she whispered.
“I think it is.”
“Oh!” she almost crumbled to the floor then, but his arms held her up. In fact Fox scooped her up and carried her over to the sofa where he sat down.
“He isn’t going to hurt you, I swear it.”
Lindsey pulled back enough to look him in the face. Tears smeared her face. “But he will if he kills you.”
Fox pressed her face back to his chest and rocked her like a child. “He’s not going to kill me. All I’m going to do is patrol the woods. I don’t think Ben is that stupid to come back again for a few days. We’ll have the wedding and then I’ll take you away for a long, what are they called, honeymoon?” She nodded. “And by the time we get back he’ll be caught. He needs to know that we are on to his shit and that we are not watching the place. That’s it.”
“I don’t want to be alone at night?”
“You won’t be. You’re going to stay at the house. And this isn’t going to be very long. Only a couple nights. This deputy is one of us and has already called in more of our kind to help with the hunt. Once they are here they will take over and I’ll be done.”
“Promise? I know how you want to get even for what he’s done.”
“If this male is Ben then he’s way beyond any help, Lindsey. He’s all animal that needs to be put down. That is a job for the others, not me. I may fight with the guy, but I’m not going to stain my hands with his blood. That I swear to you upon my own life.”
“I still don’t like this.”
“Me either, but I don’t like what he’s doing either. My job now is to keep you safe, and I’m going to do that. You’re my mate, my life. Without you I’m nothing, so don’t forget that.”
She nodded and held onto him tight. How long they stayed like that she didn’t know, but once they came back outside the others had concerned looks on their faces and another joined the party.
“Lindsey, this is deputy Mat, the one I told you about,” Fox said.
“I promise you everything will be fine,” Mat said. “I’ll keep him safe.”
“You better,” Lindsey replied, her voice shaking. “I just learned myself how to get even with a shifter.”
Mat smiled and the other snickered. Fox turned to her, cupped her face, and kissed her soft, lingering for moments far too short.
“Please be careful,” Lindsey told him softly.
“I’ll be back when the sun starts to rise, mate,” Fox said with a slight grin on his lips. He lowered down to her ear. “And a heads up. I might be a bit hungry and it’s not for food either.”
Lindsey punched him in the gut and Fox made a grunting sound as if she hurt him. Another quick kiss then he mouthed three words that had her heart pounding in her chest. I love you. He turned and with the other guy ran towards the woods.
Chapter Sixteen
For three days he hunted and on the fourth he had to stop to rest. Fox never felt so worn out in his life as what he did at this moment, walking toward his parents’ home to get his mate for some much needed sleep. Only something wasn’t right. Everything seemed too quiet, too still, as if a monster waited in the shadows, ready to attack him.
Fox stopped walking in the middle of the yard between the house and the woods. Cool morning air touched his bare chest and with it came a very faint scent, the same scent that he had been trying to track down for days now. He sniffed, raised his head to try to get a better angle on where it might be coming from. The wind blew again and with it came his direction--his home.
Fox turned to go in that direction and was about to start running when Dominic came from the house along with Alex.
“Fox wait!” Alex yelled.
Just at the same moment the unexpected happened. His house boat blew up. A great big gust of wind and debris flew everywhere. The wind from it knocked Fox off his feet as well as Alex and Dominic.
Fox lost his wind from the explosion, and he wondered what in the hell had just happened. He lay on the ground while wood and lord only knew what else landed on top of him. The smell of burnt wood along with gas filled the air.
“Fox!”
Fox’s ears were ringing. Whoever called his name sounded muffled, as if he had something over his head. He looked around and even his eyes were blurry. Hands grabbed hold of him by the arms, helping him to stand up. Back on his feet he shook his head, then pressed both hands over his ears and yelled. It took a few more seconds for the ringing to stop and for his eyes to clear up. When he had his wits back it hit him then that his home just blew up and his mate wasn’t by his side.
“Lindsey!” Fox yelled at the top of his lungs.
He looked around but didn’t see her. His gut dropped. Was she in the boat when it blew? Shrugging off the hands that still held him up, Fox started for what was now left of his home.
“Lindsey!” he yelled again.
“Nick, you need to call my dad,” Alex said.
“Already on it,” Dominic said. “They’re turning back now.”
“Lindsey!” Fox yelled once more, looking around. Please, don’t let her be in that boat!
“Fox!” Lindsey’s voice came out from the woods and far away from him. He turned to the sound, sniffed and barely picked up her scent due to the burning of the boat. Lucky for him his eyes were now working as they should be, or he wouldn’t have picked up her form in the woods running from a shifter in full form after her. “Fox!”
Fox snarled and let loose. He shifted right then on the spot, his boxers ripping from his body. Hands turned into large paws, as did his feet and legs. Legs which doubled in their size to hold up a very large and very pissed off wolf. His spine broke down and re-formed, head transformed into that of an animal and all Fox could see was red. Once in his animal form he charged toward the woods in a blur of speed. He passed Lindsey who still ran for the clearing and collided hard with the wolf chasing her.
“Are you okay?” he heard Alex ask, which he presumed to Lindsey.
Fox didn’t try to hear her answer. He wrapped his huge arms around the wolf’s head and twisted with all his might. A loud cracking sound came back at him and then the thing went limp. Fox turned and left the woods but he didn’t change back. Lindsey saw him and her eyes went huge, but she didn’t back away from him in fear like he had thought she might. From the corner of his eye he saw four wolves charge at Alex and Dominic. Before Fox could even try to warn them Alex and Dominic were tackled to the ground. Fox went to help his brother but skidded to a stop when he
saw Ben Fallen come around the front of the house and rush toward to Lindsey. His hand went around to her throat where he squeezed. Lindsey went pale. Once more Fox saw red.
Alex and Dominic by this time were already changing to fight the ones that came with Ben. To a human it looked like a big dog fight. There was snarling, growling, biting, and even some whimpering when teeth tore into flesh.
“I want them dead!” Ben yelled at his buddies. He smiled cruelly towards Fox. “And once I finish with you I’m going to take great pleasure in ripping your little bitch apart with my bare hands, just like I did the other two whores.”
Fox could tell that Ben was cutting off Lindsey’s air, but she seemed to be very calm at the same time. Which was good for him. If she started to panic then he knew he wouldn’t be able to take Ben on like he needed to. What she did next shocked Fox for a split second. Lindsey fisted her hand and hit Ben right between the legs.
“You bitch!” Ben snarled, letting go of her throat and backhanding her hard. Lindsey went down to the ground, knocked out by the blow.
Fox lunged at Ben and knocked him off his feet. He tried to go for his throat with his teeth but Ben managed to avoid the bite. When a loud crunch sounded Fox lost his focus and turned his head to make sure his brother or Dominic weren’t hurt. That ended up being a mistake. Ben was able to hit Fox then turn himself. Now they were on even ground.
With a snarl Ben lunged and body slammed Fox. This time Fox managed to take a bite out of Ben’s arm. Ben howled in pain and backed away, but it didn’t stop Fox from going after him. Both were back up on their feet and when Fox took a swing at Ben he connected with the son of a bitch’s nose again. Fox heard the bone break and wished he could smile right then at the prick. With blood covering Ben’s furry face he again lunged at Fox, only this time Fox was ready. He stood his ground, hit Ben in the back, knocking him down this time. To add more pain, Fox then bit Ben on the shoulder, hard and deep.
A gun shot seemed to stop everyone at the same time. They all looked towards the woods and holding a shotgun in his hand, pointing it right at Ben stood Deputy Mat and at least six other shifters that accompanied him on the hunt.
“I don’t need a reason to shoot you boy,” Deputy Mat said to Ben. “Just need a reason to keep you alive.”
The other six also had guns drawn, each pointing at one of Ben’s friends. Slowly Fox and Ben started to change back, as did the rest. One of the extra men rushed up to Ben and kicked him face down to the ground, cuffing him in what looked like copper cuffs. Fox rolled away from them and went over to Lindsey, picking her up slowly, cradling her head, and looking her over.
“Lindsey,” Fox said her name softly and brushed hair from her face. He kissed her forehead, cheeks then lips so gently. Slowly her eyes fluttered open and he smiled. “There you are.”
She didn’t say anything, only wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. He embraced her. While holding her he watched as each one of Ben’s friends, except the one that Dominic had killed, were cuffed, and jerked to their feet. Mat nodded at Fox a nod then hauled Ben away..
With Ben admitting that he did kill those people they found in the woods, Fox knew he’d have to go to the Cabinet and tell them, which was fine with him. He wanted this mess with the Fallens to be finished.
The group was gone by the time his parents, Ash, Darian, and Lyssa were back home. Fox just got out of the shower, dressed, and had Lindsey at the table looking her over when they came in the house. Darian and her mother pushed him out of the way and took over taking care of Lindsey. After he told what he knew to his father more hell started to break out, but this time for the Fallen’s.
Deputy Mat arrested Thomas Fallen and a few others in town. The story is they were arrested for illegal stuff but the truth was here was proof that they were part of this new Cabinet and were breaking a lot of shifter laws, the major one being taking of a human life. Thomas Fallen claimed he did no such thing but there was proof he knew his son had. According to one of the younger boys with Ben, he confessed to the deputy, Thomas brought his son the latest victims.
Less that forty-eight hours after the attack and his home blew up, Fox got the summons to meet with the Cabinet members of the shifters. His father joined him in the drive and stood by his side as he stood in front of the six members that kept the laws of the shifters in order. He told them first about the attack Ben made on Lindsey and the shape she’d been in when he’d found her. He also told them about them stalking and breaking into her home, scaring her to death. When he finished by telling them of his home having been blown up to smithereens, and Ben bragging about killing the humans in the woods, it seemed that the members had made their decision. Standing off to the side in the shadows of the room, Fox watched as Ben and Thomas Fallen were brought before them all, Ben in copper chains.
“Thomas Fallen,” one of the members said in a booming voice, “There is proof that you are part of this new Cabinet with intentions of overthrowing the one in order now. There is also proof that you turned your back to what your son has done. Going against the law of our kind holds a harsh punishment, as does taking the life of a human.”
“I never killed anyone!” Thomas yelled.
“And you, Ben Fallen,” the member went on, as if Thomas said nothing. “You are brought before us with human blood on your hands, a crime for which there is no forgiveness.”
Ben stood before them with a slight pull to his lips like he was trying really hard to hold back from smiling. That had Fox feeling sick. How could someone enjoy killing the way Ben seemed to.
“For the blood of three humans,” the member went on to Ben. “Your punishment is death.”
“No!” Thomas yelled. “He’s my only son.”
“A rabid dog such as this one must be put down,” another member added.
“With your death your body will be burned and the ashes as well destroyed,” the other member added. “So the choice of death for you will be gang mulling. You will be torn apart for your crime and no body for the family will be left to bury.”
Thomas fell to his knees and started crying. Ben was taken by his arms and jerked from the room, leaving Thomas alone.
“As for you, Thomas Fallen. Your fortune will pass to the target your son was determined to ruin. Fox Laswell.” Thomas looked up, a gasp slipping from his face. “Your property will be auctioned off along with the business and all profits will go to Fox Laswell. For your hand in turning a blind eye to your son, you will receive the whip and if you live through it you will be granted your life and freedom, but I must let you know that none have lived through the whip. Take him away.”
The two that came in for Thomas ended up picking him up and carrying him out. When they were gone Fox gave a sigh of relief that it was now over.
“Let’s go home,” Adrian said, putting his arm around Fox’s shoulders.
Two weeks later
The wedding got pushed back a week and Fox decided to wait to go through his heat with Lindsey. That meant he had himself chained to the wall the night of the full moon. One big ass painful night it was also. But in the end it was worth it.
He walked into the bedroom with bags in his arms and stopped when his eye caught Lindsey standing on the balcony with her left hand up.
The wedding went well. Lindsey got pretty much everything she wanted and before it ended he stole her away to catch a plane for this honeymoon thing. The money from Fallen covered it all and since Lindsey loved the whole houseboat idea he special ordered a new one, which would be delivered to the river by the time they got back from their trip.
Dominic was the one who encouraged him to take Lindsey someplace like a secluded island for this special time and he did just that. They honeymooned on an island home that belonged to Dominic who insisted that they use the place for as long as they wanted. At the moment Fox was planning to stay until the end of summer.
The house was open to the warm breeze and the main floor had everything of comfor
t one could need. The front room was equipped with a large-screen television. The kitchen was fully stocked, and next to it a small bathroom and a wooden deck leading out to the ocean. The second floor was a open loft, nearly all bedroom, with a California king size bed and another large bathroom with a luxurious soaking tub. The whole place had been painted in soft cream colors that instantly had you relaxing and wanting to enjoy it all.
Fox dropped the bags and went to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, buried his face in her hair, and caught sight of what she had been staring at. It was her ring. He made sure to find a matching wedding band that had small heart shape diamonds all around to go with the engagement ring.
“What you thinking about?” he asked.
“I’m wondering if this is all still a dream and I’m going to wake up any moment and it will all be gone.”
“Trust me when I say it’s no dream.” He moved his hands up to the top button of her dress and started to undo each one.
“What’re you doing?” she chuckled.
“What do you think?” He had the dress open and tugged it from her shoulders, down to the floor it slid, leaving her standing in a string bikini. “Um, now that has the mouth watering.”
“Darian’s idea.”
“I like it.” Fox slid his hands from her knees up the side of her legs to her waist and higher to push her hair aside. “Makes me hungry.”
“You’re always hungry.”
“Yes I am, for you, now stay put.” He moved around her and went down to his knees right in front of her.
“What are you doing?”
“Having a snack that was promised to me.”
“What?” she gasped in a high pitch voice.
“We agreed that once we were married I would get everything I want.” He looked up at her, both hands on the strings at her hips.
“This isn’t a bed, Fox.”
“Nope. This is much better.” He tugged and the bottoms of her bathing suit fell off. Both of her hands instantly went and covered the treasure he was after. “Hands are not allowed, unless they are pulling at my hair or scratching my back.”
Reluctant Heat Page 16
