by Robbie Cox
Oh, I’ll catch you. Arlin growled and followed her.
Together, they bounded into the woods. If Kyle Wagner watched them now, Arlin was sure the man was scared as hell. Good. He needed to be scared, but not of Eve. Kyle needed to be scared of Arlin, because he already decided what he would do with Eve’s attacker. He wouldn’t wait for Eve to get hurt again. Arlin planned to take Kyle down; it was just a matter of time now.
Fourteen
The afternoon sun caressed the orange and black stripes of her fur, massaging her with its warm rays as the wind whispered along her lithe form. She ran through the forest surrounding Bull Creek, leaping over fallen logs, dodging trees, turning up the earth with her massive paws. All the while, Arlin in his tiger form followed close behind her, allowing her the freedom to explore her newfound ability while also remaining close enough to protect her and keep her from harm. While Bull Creek was a sanctuary for shifters, she knew Arlin wasn’t familiar enough with the area to let his guard down just yet, especially with Kyle still stalking her. She’d have to do something about her ex soon, though, if she was to move on with her life.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Arlin’s tiger prowling around a giant oak tree, matching her pace. She knew he was now a major part of that forward momentum of her life, of putting her past behind her so she could enjoy this sparkling new present. And god, did she want to enjoy it. She darted close to him, nipping at his shoulder flank, and then bounded away to the right, Arlin giving chase. She knew he allowed her to outdistance him, for she was nowhere near able to match him in speed or stamina or even strength, being too new to her animal. Still, it felt good to run and taunt him a little, her powerful legs propelling her ever faster, ever forward. This was one journey she looked forward to making.
They ran for over an hour, giving their animals room to roam and explore, before they shifted back near her cabin. Eve figured it would be less distance to walk naked, still not as comfortable as Arlin with the whole nudity thing. While shifters may be comfortable being nude around each other, she wasn’t ready to join the Wild Kingdom Nudist Colony just yet. No one needed to see her in the buff. No one except Arlin that is. Glancing over her shoulder as he finished shifting back to his human form, she soaked in his broad shoulders and sculpted abs, allowing her eyes to scan downward to the rest of him, his powerful thighs, his hardening cock. She licked her lips remembering how good his hardness felt between her legs, spreading her open for his pleasure.
And for hers. She couldn’t stop thinking about how he made her feel when he marked her, claiming her as his. Kyle tried to claim her, but in a much brutish, abusive way. With him she was more like a possession to be owned and used, while with Arlin she was a treasure to be plundered and ravished. The differences made her head spin, and her heart swoon.
“I can fix us some lunch, if you want,” she suggested as she headed for her porch. “Of course, if you have a different appetite…”
He chuckled and it stirred the honey between her legs. “I will always have that appetite.” She felt his hands on her waist as he yanked her back against him, his mouth going to her neck, his teeth nibbling on her sun-warmed flesh, bringing a different kind of warmth to her body.
She giggled as she pinched her shoulders to her neck, trying to ward him off. “Can’t you even wait until we’re inside, like normal people?”
“Normal is so…well, normal.” He licked her earlobe and then growled. “I prefer the abnormal with you.”
“You really have changed since you snuck out of the house.” The menacing voice behind them caused Eve to stiffen in Arlin’s arms. They both turned to face Kyle, but she noticed Arlin did not take his hands away from her, but rather hid her naked form behind his. “Is that what you’ve turned into? Some tramp who walks around outside naked, participating in sexual behavior where anyone can see? How far you’ve fallen, Eve. It really is despicable.”
She felt Arlin’s body stiffen in front of her, his shoulders rising as his back straightened even more than it was. “Eve go inside the cabin,” he said.
Eve felt herself take a step back from Arlin. She was not some mouse to go scurrying away when trouble appeared. He should know that by now. “I’m fine where I am, thanks.”
He gave one curt nod, his gaze still focused on Kyle. It wasn’t the response she expected from him. There was no arguing or demanding she do as she was told and be the good little woman. He merely nodded, accepting her decision to remain at his side.
Or his back as the case may be. While she didn’t want to run away, she didn’t really have any desire for Kyle to see her naked body. Not ever again if she could help it.
“I’m only giving you one warning,” Arlin said, his voice calm, yet threatening, deep, yet stern. “Leave Bull Creek and stay away from Eve. This is the only chance you’ll have to get away and make the right decision. If you come around again, if you threaten her again, even sneer at her, I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you ever do.”
Kyle laughed, head tilted back, mouth wide open. He laughed. She couldn’t believe it, although she should have expected it. When he finished, he stared at Arlin, the left corner of his mouth turned up in a sneer. “I’ll do whatever the hell I want, you over-compensating freak. I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but this is between Eve and myself. Not some fish camp lowlife.” He took a step toward Arlin, as if he was ready to get into it right then, and Eve felt her eyebrows pop up in genuine surprise. Arlin was definitely the bigger of the two, and while Kyle was great at beating up women and smaller punks, she thought him stupid for even trying to intimidate Arlin. He pointed a finger at Arlin’s chest, his eyes narrowing into a menacing scowl. “I’m taking Eve back home with me where she belongs and if you try to stop me or try to convince her to do anything other than what she’s told, I swear they’ll be using you for alligator bait in that swamp over there. Now, be a good boy and…”
Arlin snatched out and grabbed Kyle’s wrist, spinning the man around as he wrapped his arm around Kyle’s neck, pinning him to his chest—to his naked body. Eve watched as Arlin leaned into the side of Kyle’s face, snarling as he spoke. “I’m not threatening you, dipshit. I’m making a promise. Come near here again and you’ll be the one being used for bait.” He shoved Kyle away from him, bracing his feet in the dirt for what they both knew would happen next. It would have almost been comical, the scene before her, if it wasn’t so deathly serious. Yet, she still felt her sex throb at the image of Arlin standing there, naked, ready to defend her.
Kyle, if he was smart, should have just quit and walked away, but bullies rarely give up and Kyle was never smart. Even before he had his feet planted firmly on the ground for balance, he spun, his fist aiming for whatever connection he could make. Arlin, however, knew it was coming—as did Eve—and before Kyle finished his swing, Arlin jabbed out with all his might and caught the other man in the nose, then swung a right, clocking Kyle on the left side of his jaw. Kyle tumbled backward, arms swinging to recapture a balance that never came. Arlin shook his hands, the pain from his hits stinging his knuckles, Eve knew. Kyle hit the ground with a thud and a whoosh of air leaving his chest. Arlin—naked and threatening—stood over him, his hands up and ready for more if Kyle chose to continue fighting.
Blood oozed from Kyle’s nose as tears poured from his eyes. His breathing was ragged as he struggled to get back to his feet, his hand on his nose, blood dripping from between his fingers.
Eve could only stand there, watching. Part of her prayed Kyle would just get up and walk away, while another part of her wanted him to fight so he would get his ass kicked even more. She could feel her tiger wanting to shift, wanting to put an end to the man who had beat her so often and caused her so much pain and humiliation. Clinching her teeth, she struggled to keep the transformation from happening, fighting to maintain control over herself. Now was not the time for Kyle to discover her new ability, if he hadn’t witnessed it earlier. She assumed he didn’t know yet, had
not actually been watching from the woods like she hoped, or he would have made some nasty comment about it. No, this was a card she was determined to keep up her sleeve for now.
Groggy, Kyle made it to his feet, his body swaying slightly as he tried to regain some semblance of his pitiful intimidation. His hand still on his broken nose, he said, “That was a mistake. I’m not so easily scared away. I’ll return and when I do, I’ll be taking what’s mine, and doing away with any interference.” He pulled his hand away from his nose, staring at the blood that dripped from his fingers.”If you’re smart, you’ll stay the hell out of my way.”
Arlin didn’t move a muscle, keeping his stance. “If you’re smart, you’ll disappear, or you’ll suffer more than a busted up nose.”
Kyle grinned, and Eve knew this wasn’t the last that they would see of him. “I’ll be back,” he promised, as he turned and walked away, his hand back on his nose, his steps awkward and unstable. “Be ready to go, Eve, for your boyfriend’s sake.”
They stood still watching as he walked away, making sure he actually left. When they were finally sure he was gone, at least for now, Eve placed her hands on her bare hips and grinned at Arlin as he turned around. “I bet that’s the first time Kyle’s ever had his ass handed to him by a naked man.”
Arlin laughed as he shook his head. “Not exactly the way I pictured that confrontation in my head, but I think he still got the message.”
“Got it, yes, but heeding it will be another story..” Then she tilted her head to the side, her brows bu
nching up over her nose. “You pictured that confrontation?”
Arlin walked back over to her and pulled her into his arms. “Of course. No one threatens my mate. I knew he wouldn’t give up and I wanted an idea of what I would do when he showed up again. It pretty much went like I thought, only I pictured myself wearing clothes.” He winked at her, and she couldn’t help but giggle.
“I don’t know; I think the picture of you standing over his face with your junk dangling over him will be an image he won’t forget for quite a while. I know I won’t.” She winked back at him.
He swatted her on the ass and she yelped a little, still giggling. “C’mon,” he said. “You mentioned lunch and I’m hungry.”
She slid a hand down between them, stroking his cock. “So am I, but not for food.”
He kissed her nose. “Insatiable. I like it.”
You have no idea.
Fifteen
“There were coyotes everywhere,” Eve said, as if Arlin hadn’t heard the story already. He just smiled and stared, listening to her retell the tale of when Bane and his band of miscreants invaded their Friday night ritual of a bonfire to celebrate the coming weekend. Of course, Arlin hadn’t heard anyone mention jobs as of yet, so he wasn’t really sure how the weekend was any different from the week day, but he’d take any reason to celebrate with his mate. “They backed down quick, however, when Adira sparkled some of her magic at them. You should have seen it.”
“I don’t think that’s how it happened,” Adira said, the small dark-haired witch glued to the alpha of Bull Creek’s side. “I didn’t use my magic until they tried to accost us at Everglades.”
“And then at the final battle,” Dimitri added. “You used a lot of magic then.” He pulled her into himself, squeezing her tight. “For which I’m glad. They were a right nasty bunch.”
“Wanted to take over the area, huh?” Arlin asked. From the scent the witch and panther put off, it was obvious they had recently mated, which meant they could probably scent his mark on Eve as well. He was glad Dimitri was there, however, when Bane tried to put an end to the human population in Bull Creek. Arlin didn’t know what he’d do if he wasn’t able to find his mate. If he could be honest with himself, he was lost up until the time he met Eve at Everglades. If it weren’t for that encounter, he’d probably spend years searching for someone, bouncing from one cheap, pointless encounter to the next until he finally settled down with someone he pretended to love, but really only tolerated to cure his loneliness. He glanced over at Eve who started the tale of Everglades again, and couldn’t keep the smile from pushing his cheeks up. No, this, this was much better.
“What’s all the chatter about over here?” Turning, Arlin saw Alanna and her boyfriend, Josh Rayburn, walking over to them, a behemoth of a man he had yet to meet following in their wake, each carrying a beer bottle and wearing a smile.
“Eve is regaling us with her storytelling capabilities,” Dimitri said, smiling over at Eve and winking.
“Stories I’d rather forget, to be honest,” Adira added. Arlin couldn’t blame her considering she was abducted and had the crap knocked out of her. He’d want to forget that story, too.
The giant man reached out a powerful hand to Arlin. “Welcome to Bull Creek. Nathan’s brother, right? I’m Ezra.”
Arlin took the hand, noting the more-than-human strength in the grip. Ezra wasn’t trying to be intimidating; it was just a natural trait of his. If Arlin had to guess, he’d say the man was either a bear or a gorilla shifter. “Arlin. And yeah, I came to visit my brother and he’s not even here.”
Ezra nodded, laughing. “That man comes and goes faster than anyone can keep track. Where is he off to this time?”
“With Nathan, who knows?” Arlin said with a laugh. He then turned to Dimitri. “So, you do these every Friday night?”
Dimitri nodded. “We do them as often as possible. It’s just a way to celebrate life, bring the community together. For some people here, we’re the only friends and family they have.” He shrugged. “It’s a way to check in without being intrusive and pounding on doors.”
Arlin nodded as Dimitri spoke. “Nice. I like it. A diverse family feel.”
“That’s what I’ve come to love about it,” Adira said.
“Me, too,” Eve agreed. She turned to Arlin, wrapping her arms around his. “I’ve found everything I need right here.”
Leaning down and kissing her nose, he said, “As have I. Who would have thunk it?” They both laughed at his comment. “I’ll need to send Aric a thank you note for kicking me out of town for a while.”
Adira laughed. “The Wolfes have a habit of sending people where they need to be when they need to be there. I’d swear they have an inside scoop on this mate business.”
“Well, I think I need to call them,” Ezra said, laughing. “Maybe they know where mine’s hiding.”
Arlin noticed Josh and Alanna doing everything they could not to look at each other. He just smiled. That was one battle the two of them would have to fight sooner or later.
“Hey, I notice you have no knives at your waist,” Alanna said, quickly changing the subject, as she pointed to Eve’s waist and the missing sheath. “That knife is always at your hip. What gives?”
Arlin watched as Eve reached for her hip and the absent knife. She laughed softly as she felt it missing. “Well, to be honest, I wore it as a means of protection, but since…well, you know…since I’m now my own form of protection, I decided it was time to store it away.” Her smile grew timid with the admission, as if she bragged too much. Yet, Arlin was glad to know she felt that confidence within herself. It brought a glow to her that Kyle’s appearance had dimmed.
Dimitri grinned as he nodded. “Well, I thought I detected a familiar scent.” He squeezed Adira to him as he said it. Then he glanced over at Josh and Alanna. “Maybe it’s contagious.”
Alanna rolled her eyes, but Arlin noticed Josh shuffling his feet at the idea. Perhaps Dimitri’s comment hit closer to home than the other panther shifter was ready to admit. How the two were able to deny the call of fated mates so far was beyond Arlin’s imagination. The minute his tiger scented Eve, it took everything Arlin had to resist marking her for as long as he did. Sooner or later, he knew something between the others would snap. He just hoped they were both ready when it did. Denying the call could be torture, a torture he was glad he didn’t have to endure. If Eve had decided she didn’t want
anything to do with him, Arlin wasn’t sure what he would do.
The night went on without incident, which Arlin had to admit surprised him. He truly thought Kyle would have made some sort of appearance to try and prove himself to Eve, to show he wasn’t intimidated. Yet, it seemed like he wasn’t going to be so brazen. Or so stupid.
As the party started to wind down, Arlin and Eve offered to help clean up, but Dimitri told them to go ahead and get out of there. New people apparently got a pass the first bonfire night. Arlin wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he grabbed Eve’s hand and headed out of there. The moon was high, the sky clear enough to see Orion’s Belt, and a cool breeze blew through the surrounding trees—a perfect night for a moonlit stroll with his mate. Grabbing her hand, he led her away from the cleanup crew and down the dark street, the wind pulling at their hair. His tiger wanted to bust loose and run, and he was sure Eve’s gave her the same temptation, but not tonight. Tonight, he wanted nothing more than to be alone with his mate in a slow stroll through what would be his new home.
“I like this tradition,” he said, after they walked for a few minutes, the bonfire clearing behind them. “It’s a great way to bond the community together.”
Their arms swung back and forth in slow motion as they walked, Eve giving a soft nod. “It is a fun tradition. I’ve been going to them since I got here. It’s where I met most of my friends.” She remained silent for a moment, but Arlin could sense that wasn’t the end of it. He was right. “This is actually the first place I’ve actually felt like I belonged. No one judges you or cares that you’re not like everyone else.” She giggled and it stirred his heart. “Actually, they prefer that no one is like anyone else.”
“It must have been hard, starting over.” He couldn’t imagine what she went through when she finally left Kyle. It seemed as if she left everything and everyone behind, truly starting over. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.”
