by Moxie North
“Anson, I may be giving you something now, but we both know it only takes a moment to change everything. I—I think that I might be using you. Emotionally, like a crutch. I’m selfish and to be honest I still want to be selfish because I want to ask you to distract me.”
“Distract you how?”
“Would you do something for me? I mean you can say no but it’s something I’ve always wanted to see.”
He looked over at her and nodded.
“I’ve never seen a Kindred shift. I mean I’ve seen plenty in animal form. I’m kind of sad I can’t still go trick-or-treating to see Kindred answering the door as their animals. But I’ve never seen a shift.”
Piper knew there was a chance he’d tell her that it was private. That it was something that the Kindred didn’t do as a party trick. It was personal and everyone knew that. She was a little surprised when he stood and started stripping out of his clothes. Asking to see him shift was one thing, forgetting he’d have to get naked to do that made her feel silly.
There was no looking away though. Anson’s eyes were drilling into hers. She knew she was holding her breath and she really hoped she wouldn’t pass out and miss it. He had some skills in getting out of his clothes quickly. Her college roommate had shown her the Clan knife she carried to cut away clothes if they were in a hurry. It had been small and deadly sharp with intricate scrollwork carvings over the handle and blade. She thought it was a beautiful thing to have to prove you had your Clan at your back. She was surprised more Kindred didn’t show it off.
As Anson stripped, she caught a glimpse of the sheath she’d seen he wore at the small of his back on his belt. She’d love to see his knife too, but she felt like she was already asking the ultimate from him. Anson was down to his pants after kicking off his boots, his bare chest rising and falling in the cold forest air. Her eyes skimmed away from his as they settled on the iridescent design of his mark. The mark he was born with and would someday share with his mate. It looked like intertwining hearts, one upright and one upside down, connected in an infinite loop. The colors of it shimmered against his skin. Like scales on a fish. She dragged her gaze away from his perfectly formed chest, the smooth expanse that trailed down to his abs that she itched to touch.
“Don’t look away,” he ordered.
Piper nodded and let out her breath before dragging in another cold lungful. Anson closed his eyes and he rolled his neck, then his shoulders. He pulled his pants down and kicked them away. Piper did her best and only took a brief peek so she wouldn’t get caught. But if that’s what Anson’s cock looked like in the cold, whoever he ended up with was a very, very lucky woman.
Her eyes went back up and she saw the skin over his body start to shift. It was like it was stretching to accommodate something trying to get out. His smooth skin sprouted fur, different lengths over his body as his height started to grow. Every part of him was twisting and morphing into a shape that seemed impossible.
Anson went from a large, handsome, naked man, to a bear in a matter of seconds. It was explosive when he finally reached a height that she couldn’t even guess and let out a roar. Anson’s face had morphed into a long snout and a mouth of dangerous-looking teeth.
He fell to the forest floor with a thump and Piper let out a squeak. She knew that he’d be big, but not that big. He took up so much space with his massive fur-covered body and paws that looked bigger than her entire head. It took a moment for her to remind herself that it was still Anson. The eyes were different, they were golden yellow and much bigger. If she focused, she could see him. He was right there inside those beautiful eyes.
“Holy shit,” she finally said, letting out the breath she was holding. The bear made a chuffing sound and she swore he rolled his eyes.
“Did you just roll your eyes? You’ve got to give me a little time here. That was fucking awesome and it’s hard to rationalize it.” Fuck her if he didn’t shrug.
“Seriously, you’re more sarcastic as a bear,” she retorted. He made a grumbling noise that came from deep inside him.
“I’m guessing petting isn’t allowed. A little too doggy-like?”
Anson lifted a paw and made a gesture for her to come closer. Standing, she took a few hesitant steps towards him. Her hand was out in front of her like keeping a few feet apart would keep her any safer. Not that Anson would ever hurt her. In fact, just the opposite. She was sure he’d allow himself to be hurt before she was.
Her hand was an inch from him when she hesitated. Anson made the decision for her by bumping his head up to her hand. Curling her fingers into his fur, she instinctually started scratching behind his ears. “I kind of like you like this. You can’t talk shit or tell me to eat.” Anson let out a growl that should have been scary but sounded more annoyed than anything.
“Sorry. I think you really should work like this all the time. Although it might be tough fitting into cars this way. I get that. You’re warmer than I thought,” she said quietly.
Anson pushed closer to her so she was body to body with him. “Don’t think I don’t know that you’re still naked. It must be nice being so strong. You could take anything on, couldn’t you?”
He nodded and she sighed. “Some days I wish I was Kindred. My life would have been so different. Wishing for a different life is never healthy. I know that too. I’ve found sometimes my dream life is much more healthy than my regular life. I give myself permission to find my dreams where I can.”
Piper didn’t know why she was sharing more all of a sudden. It wasn’t like Anson wasn’t still in there. Having the giant creature leaning his heat into her made her feel safer and like there was nothing that could get to her if Anson in bear form was there.
She gave the ear she had her hand on another scratch and by the time she registered the hair was gone and Anson’s smooth skin was under her hand, he had shifted back. Piper found herself in Anson’s arms, her body pressed against his body. His naked body.
Holy shit.
“Anson, you’re naked.”
“I was naked before.”
“No, you were… furry.”
“I think we should get back. You have to be cold.”
Piper wasn’t going to say she was in no way cold when she was pressed against his heat. “Okay.”
Anson’s finger came under her chin and tipped her head up to face him.
“After tomorrow. We get some answers then we’re going to make some decisions.”
“Of course.”
“No, Piper. We have to figure us out.”
There was no “us” but Piper didn’t think it was the right time to remind him of that yet again. Giving in for just a moment, Piper let her face rest against his chest. His heart beat under her ear, thumping like a drum. She knew she had no right to that intimacy, but it felt too good to resist.
She needed to get the taste out of her system. Tomorrow was going to be tough enough and she knew it wasn’t going to be her exes that would be the hard part. Anson was going to need to see. She thought about pulling King in for some perspective. Maybe if Anson could see the situation through someone else’s eyes, he’d see that their time together was limited.
Chapter 17
Anson dropped Piper off at her house and did a thorough sweep before meeting her back at the front door. He wanted to stay. He wanted to talk to her more, but she was clearly not in the mood. “See you tomorrow,” she’d said then the door locked behind him and the security system beeped.
After doing a check of the perimeter, he’d gotten back in the SUV and contacted Hudson who was on call. He had him come over long enough for Anson to head home to shower and change. He took back up his watch relieving Hudson, who offered to stay for the night. A smarter man would have taken him up on the offer. His sleep had been shit the last few days. But he wasn’t going to get any more rest at home away from Piper than he was sitting in her driveway. Hudson had given him a look that was partly supportive and partly that he was crazy.
As the
sun rose over the trees, Anson did another check around the complex, stopping at the gate and looking around long enough that anyone that might be watching could see he was there. Anson knew that Piper’s exes were the key to her future happiness. There had to be a reason they skipped out. Nothing about Piper made him believe that it was her fault. She was sweet, and spent most of her time worried about everyone else’s feelings. She wasn’t so high maintenance that she would seem not worth the effort. No, she was a catch and anyone had to be a fool to let her go.
Waiting until the appointed time, he knocked on the door and found Piper dressed and ready to go. Today she was wearing all black. A fitted black jacket and pants with a black silk shirt. She wore no jewelry and her short hair was slicked back. She looked like she was going into battle. She handed him a coffee in a cup without a word.
“Piper…” he started.
“Not today, Anson,” she said quietly. “I can’t do this today. I need to hold it together. And if you start…”
Anson nodded. He didn’t want to make any of this harder for her. It was going to be hard enough keeping herself together afterwards depending on what they found out. He walked her to the vehicle and held the door open for her. She got in and he shut the door.
Once she was buckled into the passenger seat, he turned on the car. “You know there are donuts from yesterday in the back.”
Piper almost smiled but then he watched her pull it back. “I can’t stomach anything today.”
Anson pointed the SUV towards downtown. The ride was silent and Piper’s gaze was pointed firmly out her window, her body rigid in the seat. Her hands were wrapped tightly around her coffee cup.
It didn’t matter what he said. He knew that she had to deal with her feelings however she needed to for the day. He couldn’t imagine what was going through her mind. Anson wasn’t going to take any chances, when they got to her building he walked her to her office and deposited her at her desk.
“I’ll be back at noon.”
Piper forced a smile onto her face and then nodded. Anson left and headed to KSI. He was in a foul mood when he stormed into the lobby.
“Fuck, Nadia, can we not have fucking Bliss Hartley playing every day?”
Before Nadia could lay into him another voice came from the hallway. “Don’t you jump on her shit. I happen to like Bliss Hartley too.”
Eden of Clan Dagaz strutted around the corner in a pair of skintight blue jeans and a black sweater that showed off her trim frame. It was all camouflage; she was as strong as any Kindred and just as lethal if needed.
“Great, we’ll never win if you’re back in town.”
“Maybe you should be out working and not worrying about lobby music,” Nadia sniffed.
“Or we could just not have music,” Anson suggested.
“That wouldn’t be very welcoming, now would it?” Eden smirked, folding her arms over her chest.
“When did you get back?” Anson asked, leaning against the reception desk and ignoring Nadia’s huff.
“This morning. I needed a break. I sent Zion back down. I think he scares Bliss and her mom. It works.”
“I don’t know why you all talk about her like that. She’s so sweet on TV,” Nadia said, defending her music choice again.
“That’s because you don’t see her tantrums,” Eden laughed.
“I’m sure all her tantrums are Kindred induced,” Nadia said pointedly.
“Well, I can’t deny that might sometimes be true. Mostly it’s just her not getting her way. I don’t blame her too much. She’s had a messed up life. No kid could grow up normal like that.”
“You know she got her first television show at three. That just shows her talent,” Nadia said.
“No, that just shows she can parrot lines that are fed to her. Aren’t all her songs auto-tuned anyway?” Anson asked.
“How dare you!” Nadia sputtered.
“Anson, stop teasing her. She’ll spike your coffee if you’re not careful,” Eden said with a wink.
“Nah, Nadia likes me, don’t you?”
Nadia didn’t answer aside from rolling her eyes at him.
“So, I heard you have a big day?” Eden asked as they started walking from reception.
“Office gossip?”
“King filled me in just in case you needed some female backup.”
“I don’t need any backup. I have it handled.”
Eden stopped in the hallway and looked him up and down quizzically. “Do you now?”
“Stop. I’m just saying more hands aren’t going to make this easier.”
Eden gave a shrug. “I did overhear King personally calling both your visitors and making it clear they better show up or they will be picked up. I’m not sure it would be entirely legal, but they might not know that.”
“I think they’ll show. I have a feeling about them.”
“Yeah? Think you are going to have two love-struck Romeos in here?”
Anson let out an involuntary growl before he could stop it.
“Now that is interesting. You better pull your shit together there, son. You’re in deep, aren’t you?”
“Have you ever met someone, a human, that seems like so much more yet you have no sign that they’re the one?”
Eden shook her head. “Sorry. I’ve never been attracted to a human like that. I think I might be defective. They just don’t do it for me.”
“The Great Mother must have a plan for you,” Anson said.
“Yeah, it’s to be working for King for the rest of my life. I’ll be the oldest Kindred in heels still trying to play the honeypot on jobs.”
“Thanks for that visual. Hey, are you going to be around so I can introduce you?”
“Sure, I don’t have any plans today. Then again, you know how things can come up. I told King I needed a down day. We’ll see if I get it.”
“Good luck,” Anson said, holding out his fist. Eden bumped it with her own and threw him a wink.
Anson made his way to King’s office. He knocked briefly before entering.
“You could wait until I said ‘come in,’” King said wryly.
“I could have,” he said with a sigh and dropped to a seat.
“I got something for you. I wanted to wait until you were here.” King pushed a tablet across the desk to him.
Picking it up, Anson swiped through the documents. They were a clear pattern of each of Piper’s men moving, changing phone numbers, even their extended family relocating. It couldn’t be a coincidence.
“They got caught in that fucker’s web,” Anson growled.
“I think so. They went into panic mode, both of them. They did everything to put distance between themselves and Piper.”
Anson looked over the screens again. “It must have killed them to do it.”
King made a surprised noise. “Is that sympathy I hear?”
“No, but if you don’t have the resources we do, how do you go about keeping someone safe? You do what you can. It looks like both of them went out of their way to make things safe for her. That meant they had to be scared enough to let her go.”
“Yeah, that’s sympathy you’re feeling,” King said. “Remember, they’re human. They choose their partners. They can un-choose them just as easily.”
Anson stared at what he already knew inside. If these men had the chance, they would want to be with Piper. But would Piper ever want to be with either of them again? What would that mean to him?
“Anson, she loved these men.” King wasn’t trying to be a dick, he was stating a fact. It didn’t make it any easier for him to hear.
“You think I don’t know that?”
“I think that you haven’t heard the mating call and you’re investing yourself in something that might not be there.”
“And what if it is? I’m supposed to just walk away from her and let her go back with two men that wouldn’t fight for her?”
“Well, I don’t know about two men. Unless she was into that kind of thi
ng.”
Anson didn’t hold back the roar this time.
King, being the fucker that he was, laughed. “Jesus, man, you need to figure out what the fuck your call is. Because if this is how you act with just a crush, how the hell are we going to handle you with your mate? I can’t have you do this for every client that comes in. Maybe you need to accept you have a little crush and wish her well when this is over. Or… you can do everything in your power to figure out if she’s the one.”
“She’s not a crush,” Anson hissed.
“Listen, I just went through this shit with Van. You think I can’t tell when one of you is so over your head that you can’t see what’s in front of you? Always doubting the Great Mother.”
“Oh, like you wouldn’t think twice about a human if you hadn’t heard the call.”
“I know that my mate’s out there and I’m sure I’ll recognize her when I meet her.”
“Cocky bastard. You think you have it all figured out, don’t you?”
“I’m just open to the possibility. You young ones always think that you’ll have time to play.”
“You’re only three years older than me, grandpa.”
“Yes, but I’m much wiser. I have an old soul. You wouldn’t understand.”
“That’s bullshit.”
King smiled. “Maybe, but you’ll never know.”
“So what, just glue myself to her until I hear the call?”
“You could try that. But what if you spend all that time and she falls for you and she’s not the one? Are you prepared to accept the possibility that you could be another man to break her heart?”
Anson didn’t fucking want to hear that. He didn’t even want to think that he could be the one that could hurt her further. She already thought she was broken. He couldn’t be someone to tear her into smaller pieces. He also knew that he couldn’t stay away from her.
“I’m going to go work out until it’s time to pick her up.”
“Anson,” King stopped him as he stood up. “I want you to find your mate. I just don’t know if this woman is it. I’m not just trying to protect her feelings.”
