by Leela Ash
“Mommy!”
The sound of Lily’s shriek nearly made Riley’s heart leap out of her chest. She dropped the box and scrambled up the rest of the steps, fumbling with the stupid hotel key to let herself into the room.
When she got inside, she froze, a chill creeping through her body. Inside the room were three wolf shifters, each of them grinning darkly at Riley and her daughter.
“It’s going to be okay,” Riley whispered, inching toward her child.
“Mommy…” Lily whimpered.
They had turned the television set off and were glaring menacingly.
“What do you guys want? Take whatever you need, just leave us alone!”
“That’s the thing, lady. Taking you is what we want.”
“What do you mean?” Riley asked, her voice wavering.
“Oh, we’ve seen you around, you know. We know you know something, there’s no way you don’t. So, you and your little brat there are going to have to come with us.”
Maternal rage prickled in Riley’s chest and she stood in front of her daughter, blocking her from the sight of the men.
“You’re not going to touch a hair on her head,” Riley said, her voice quaking with a combination of rage and fear. “I will kill you before you get the chance.”
Riley cried out in agony, her body flying backward and slamming against the wall. Lily shrieked and Riley, dazed and hurt, struggled to her feet. She would have to show her daughter that there was nothing to worry about. If she lost her composure, it would make the whole thing that much more traumatic for Lily.
“Is that the best you can do?” Riley gasped. “You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to get to me.”
The man leading the assault shifted into his wolf form, quickly and deliberately, and a sob caught in Lily’s throat.
“Stay back!”
Lily was shocked and relieved by the deep voice in the doorway, and suddenly, Walker appeared.
“Oh shit, are you serious? I thought I told you to make sure we were going to be alone!”
“I thought I had!”
“Well, you’re not,” Walker said, his dark eyes flashing menacingly. Riley watched, in a mixture of fascination and horror, as the man’s incredible body began to morph and sprout white tufts of hair all over it, until he was crouching in the doorway with his jaw clenched, a deep menacing growl emanating from his throat.
He looked at Riley briefly, every inch of his body seeming to tell her one thing. Run.
6.
Walker glared at the three men; two of which he didn’t recognize. One, though, was unmistakable. Luthor Mays. Wherever there was trouble, real trouble, it could be expected that he would be lurking somewhere in the shadows. Walker had learned a long time ago to steer clear of the guy, and now, seeing him so near to Riley and little Lily sent a wave of rage and concern through his body.
He had managed to shift before Luthor’s lackeys managed to do so, and he struck hard and fast, hitting the jugular of one man and dropping him right where he stood. Lily shrieked and soon, Riley was crossing the room and grabbing the child into her arms, shielding her face and trying to make her way to the door.
Walker did his best to ensure that escape for them was possible and soon, he was satisfied in knowing they were on their way out and down the stairs, hopefully, to Riley’s car.
“Now look what you’ve done,” the other man said, his face contorting into sharp, wolfish features. “They’re getting away.”
Soon, Walker was fighting off two other wolves; Luthor in his large grey form and his lackey, who was a trundle brown color. Walker yelped in pain as the lackey gripped his ankle in his fangs, but the sound of his cry had been distracting enough that he was able to catch Luthor unawares.
Walker managed to sink his teeth into the man’s neck, grasping tightly enough to go for the kill. But just as he was about to reach victory, the lackey knocked him off balance. Soon, they were rolling on the ground, fighting for dominance as Luthor made his escape out the motel room’s door. Walker’s thoughts immediately went to Riley and Lily, and he summoned the strength to end the fight once and for all, leaving the corpse of the shifter lackey on the floor.
He ran with all his might after Luthor, only to find that Riley and Lily were perfectly fine, calmly collecting the belongings that had fallen out of the box that Riley had dropped on the stairs. He was relieved to see they were all right, but he couldn’t let Luthor get away.
Walker took off running as fast as his wolf’s body could carry him, speeding through the streets of Stonybrooke with Luthor’s scent heavy in his nostrils. When he reached a fork in the road, Walker wasn’t quite sure which direction Luthor had taken, and he let out a fierce roar of anger. Wherever the evil bastard had gone, he was out of sight now. No matter how hard he tried to sniff out his whereabouts, there was nothing he could do to get back on the trail.
With a frustrated growl, Walker made his way back to the motel as quickly as he had left it, hoping to make sure Riley and Lily were able to safely collect their belongings. He was going to insist on the live-in position now. The motel wasn’t safe. And until they figured out just what the hell was going on and why Riley and her little human child had been targeted by the bad shifters from the wrong side of the tracks, he wasn’t going to rest until he knew she was somewhere impenetrable. A little motel in the shady end of town really wasn’t going to cut it.
When he arrived at the motel, he ducked inside to shift back into his human form. The last thing he needed to do was show Riley his entire body after she had been attacked. Enough had happened after one day. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants from the cabinet that all public shifter bathrooms had for the times when they shapeshifted inconveniently and had nothing to change back into.
“Hey,” Walker said, ruffling Lily’s hair and looking at Riley, his eyes probably just as serious looking as he felt. “Anything I can help you with?”
“I…well, yeah, actually,” Riley said, looking down at the ground, embarrassed. “I can’t lift that box right now. I’m a little sore.”
Anger engulfed Walker. Whoever could dare to harm a being as kind and innocent as Riley? He would kill Luthor the next time he saw him. He vowed that much.
“Let me help you,” Walker said, walking quickly to the box and lifting it. He walked to her car and put it inside, hesitating for a moment before finally facing Riley again. He knew she wasn’t going to like the proposal, but there was no way around it now. He had to be dominant and assertive about it. Otherwise, she would just get herself into more trouble.
“Thank you,” Riley said, her eyes on the ground when he finally turned to face her. “For everything. What were you even doing out here?”
“I was dropping Erin off at her aunt’s house,” Walker said. “They like to hang out on the weekends sometimes. My sister’s a really great person, but we’re not very close. She and Erin are, though.”
“That’s awesome…so you just happened to be in the area?”
Walker pursed his lips. Actually, he had wanted to come and see if Riley had needed any help getting settled in, but he was embarrassed, in a way, to admit that.
“Pretty much,” he said, avoiding the subject. He didn’t want her to think he was some kind of stalker who couldn’t get her off his mind, though, in a way, it wouldn’t have been far from the truth. He had been wanting to make himself useful and to see her again. Somehow, it seemed like no matter how much time they spent together, it was never enough.
“Well, you were definitely my hero tonight,” Riley said quietly.
“Mommy, can I go play with Erin?”
Riley looked put on the spot for a moment, and Walker could sense that the idea of having her daughter playing with her friend after all this was both tempting and off-putting.
“Well, my sister is good with kids,” Walker said. “I don’t think she would mind keeping an eye on Lily for a little while. It might be a good idea to have you checked out. You w
eren’t treated very gently, you know.”
“I know,” Riley said. “Well, I guess if it’s all right with your sister…”
“It would be fine, I can explain everything to her when we get there. She won’t care.”
Riley nodded reluctantly and offered the passenger’s door to Walker. “I don’t see your car here, so do you want a lift?”
“Yeah, I walked,” Walker said. “Let’s go.”
“Yay!” Lily exclaimed.
A tense, tired smile creased Riley’s face and she nodded. “Yep, you’re going to have lots of fun tonight!”
Lily’s excitement couldn’t be contained, and she jabbered on and on and on until they reached Walker’s sister’s house. He walked to the door and knocked, and she came to the door, her eyes wide.
“What’s wrong, Walker?”
There was no use in hiding it. He would have to be honest with her. That was one nice thing about being around humans.
“Hey, Tara. Thing is, my nanny just got attacked, and I was wondering if you would mind if her daughter hung out with you and Erin while I make sure she’s all right.”
“Of course, I can,” Tara said, her hazel eyes narrowing in concern. It was funny how similar Tara and Walker looked, except she had his mother’s eyes, and he had his father’s. They both had wild golden hair, though, and the same smile. “What happened? Who attacked her?”
“I don’t know for sure why, or who originally planned it all, but I do know Luthor was involved.”
“Ugh, that guy? He’s such a creep. And mean. Wait, doesn’t he usually just target the rich people and leech off the royals?”
“Yeah,” Walker said, equally puzzled. “I haven’t figured out just what is going on there, but I know it’s not good. They might have seen her around. She’s been a nanny for some pretty upstanding shifters around here. Even the royalty.”
“How the hell did she end up with you?” Tara asked, laughing, though not unkindly.
Walker grinned. “I’m lucky, I guess.”
“You always have been…at least until you married that psychopath. Have I told you lately just how glad I am that she’s out of your life? I never had a good feeling about her…”
Walker held up his hand and sighed. Tara clamped her mouth shut. Both of them knew just how much he detested it when Tara went off on him about his ex-wife. He hadn’t listened to her when she told him she had a bad feeling about Molly, and now, he wished more than anything that he had. Still, if he hadn’t been with her, he never would have had Erin, and that would have been tragic for Walker and Tara both.
“I know. I’m going to get the kid. Her name is Lily. She and Erin pretty much keep each other occupied, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble.”
“Do you want me to keep them for the night?” Tara asked. “How hurt is her mom?”
Walker sighed. Honestly, he didn’t know.
“That would probably be for the best. I can’t thank you enough, sis.”
He hugged her briefly and went to the car to walk Lily to the doorway. She waved briefly at her mom, excited to be on this new adventure, and Walker caught the scent of sadness from Riley’s direction, watching her little girl disappear into a stranger’s home. But she seemed to trust Walker implicitly, and he knew his sister would keep the children safe while he figured out just what in the hell he was going to do next.
When he got back in the car, he turned to Riley and smiled as comfortingly as he could.
“It’s going to be okay. And if you want me to come and get her at any time, I will. She offered to keep her for the night if need be, but that doesn’t mean she has to.”
“Thank you,” Riley said, avoiding his gaze. She finally met his eyes and Walker was overwhelmed by just how perfect she was in that moment. Even if she wasn’t the kind of woman he was typically attracted to, there was something about her that resonated with him on a level much deeper than simple physical attraction; and that made her more beautiful both on the outside and on the inside.
“You’re welcome,” Walker said. “Come on. Let’s get to the house. If we hurry, we can get you unpacked before dark.”
Riley nodded, apparently too tired to argue, and she started the car. They drove down the road in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Walker would protect her at all costs, no matter what it took. That was all there was to it.
7.
“What the hell was that all about?” Riley panted, looking at Walker, her body still trembling in fear and confusion. The attack had happened about an hour beforehand, and Lily and Erin were playing safely together at Walker’s sister’s house. Riley had been too shaken up to refuse the little girl the small pleasure of meeting her best friend’s aunt, and Walker had insisted on taking her back to his house to make sure she was all right.
“I don’t know,” Walker said darkly, setting one of her boxes of belongings down on the floor of the bedroom she had chosen for herself. “But I’m going to find out. Are you all right?”
“I…” Riley looked down at her torso, and lifted her shirt slightly to reveal the cut on her abdomen. “It’s bleeding.”
“Shit,” Walker hissed, gripping her by the hand and leading her to the bathroom. “Sit down and we will take a look at that for you.”
Riley obeyed, clamping her mouth shut and toying with her hands nervously. She had never seen anybody with such passion in their eyes before. Walker had been utterly and completely fearless out there, and it had reignited those feelings she had been working so hard to repress.
“It won’t need stitches or anything, will it?” Riley asked. “I hate doctors. And the shifters always treat humans like babies for showing any signs of pain.”
Walker chuckled. “Yeah, we aren’t the type to let that kind of thing slow us down. But it’s pretty unprofessional of a doctor to make a human feel bad for having feelings that are different from our own.”
“I’ll say it is,” Riley said sulkily.
“All right, let’s see it,” Walker said, turning to her and gently helping her to lift the shirt over her head. “You’re uh…wearing a bra, right? Do you want a towel or something?”
“Yes, I am wearing a bra. And no, I don’t need a towel or anything. Really. It’s fine,” Riley said, her face on fire. This was hardly the way she had imagined baring herself to Walker for the first time.
He was a complete gentleman about it, though and averted his gaze, focusing only on the bleeding wound on her stomach. She winced in pain as he tried his best to clean it gently, and began talking to her just as she would have spoken with Lily if she were hurt; in a soft, soothing tone.
Walker’s voice was deep and its gentle rumble was like a warm blanket over her cool, exposed flesh. “You know,” he said. “I noticed your car is making a kind of a humming sound…that could mean something’s going on under the hood. I can take it into the garage and work on it for you if you want.”
“It is? I never even noticed,” Riley said, caught off guard by the observation.
Walker grinned.
“My sister says I’m like an idiot savant with motors. I know a lot about them.”
“Oh! Do you own Howler’s Motors?” Riley asked, the pieces suddenly clicking into place. “Your friend, Marcus, he’s always bragging you up to anyone who will listen. The royals tend to ignore him, but he’s told me about it more than once.”
“Good old Marcus,” Walker said, the smile on his face lingering and giving his chiseled features a sweet, boyish quality. She could so easily lose herself in those eyes of his.
“So, is that a yes?” Riley asked, perking up on the rim of the bathtub where she had been sitting.
“Yes, that’s my garage,” Walker said, avoiding her eyes modestly. “I own it, but I haven’t been having very much luck in making it a success. There are a lot of other places out there that are more convenient for people, so they get the majority of the business.”
“That doesn’t seem fair,” Riley said. “Marcus is a
lways talking about how the guy who runs the place is a total genius. Why don’t people go to you?”
“I really don’t know,” Walker said, clearly baffled. “I think it has something to do with marketing. I’m not really good at that kind of thing. I put ads out in the paper, but…”
Riley hissed in pain as he poured alcohol over the wound and dabbed at it gently with a cloth.
“Maybe you need to hire someone to help you with marketing,” Riley said, trying to keep the pain out of her voice. She was self-conscious showing pain in front of any shifter, let alone Walker, who had managed to stay on his feet for six hours after a car had crushed him half to death. “I wish I knew how to help you in that department, but I don’t have any training there. My interest was in the sciences.”
“The sciences?” Walker asked with a low whistle. “That’s some hefty mental work there.”
“I like to keep my mind busy. I was accepted into a great school, but then I got pregnant with Lily and wasn’t able to go…”
“What happened there?” Walker asked, furrowing his brow. “With her father, I mean. A girl with a bright future should have a man who is willing to support her until she achieves whatever she wants to do.”
“He was bad news,” Riley said, shaking her head. “He wanted me to do things I knew I shouldn’t have done. Heavy into drugs. He even asked me to abort Lily.”
“Are you serious?” Walker exclaimed. “That’s unbelievable!”
“You’re not kidding. I didn’t know all that about the drugs until after he had already gotten me pregnant. He came across as this really calm, cool, and collected guy, but the more I got to know him the more fucked up I realized he was. As soon as I told him about Lily, he completely flipped the script and started acting like the biggest asshole I’ve ever met. It was unreal.”
“I’m so sorry,” Walker said, his hands lingering on her stomach. His broad thumb stroked her sympathetically and a surge of heat electrified her body.
