by Chant, Zoe
The bitterness in his voice spoke to Paisley’s heart. Without meaning to, she heard herself saying, “That’s like what happened to my mom. Her car had a defective air bag. The company knew that sometimes the air bags exploded instead of inflating. But it was rare, so they didn’t do a recall. My mom got in a fender-bender, and her air bag blew up. A piece of metal hit her in the neck— killed her instantly. The only person who ever loved me died because some executive didn’t want to lose money on a recall.”
To her surprise, Eli and Jackson looked at her as if they understood. She’d always thought no one could possibly understand.
“We know,” said Eli.
Paisley froze. “What? How?”
Eli indicated Jackson. “Genius hacker here did some research.”
Jackson’s smile was so bright that it lightened the atmosphere in the room. “I found a series of burglaries targeting the CEOs of companies that made dangerous, defective products, plus a handful of burglaries targeting con artists. Not to mention mysterious payments to the people they’d victimized. The earliest ones I could find targeted the company that had made the cars with the exploding airbags. I figured someone was playing Robin Hood.”
Paisley warily glanced from one man to the next. “So what if I am?”
“We have to expose SmartDefense,” Eli replied. “They’ve invested millions in developing that armor. And they were the low bidder for the Navy contract. Unless we can prove that the armor doesn’t work, it’ll be issued to the entire US Navy.”
Paisley stared at him, horrified. “Seriously?”
“Seriously,” said Jackson. “The only way to stop them is to get hold of their product testing reports— the real ones, not the fake ones they showed the Navy. And some samples. We need to get into SmartDefense headquarters. And that means we need someone who can break into a building without anyone noticing. I can hack their computers, but I’m not Spiderman.”
“I can kick in doors and knock out guards, but I’m not Spiderman either,” Eli said. “But you are. We figured you were perfect for the job. But we wanted to see you in action, to see if you were really as good as we needed. So Jackson used his hacking skills to figure out who you’d picked as your next target, we planted the info that he was staying here, and you showed up, right on schedule.”
Paisley eyed them suspiciously. “Exactly what do you want me to do?”
“Break into SmartDefense, then let me and Jackson in,” Eli said. “He hacks the computers and gets the data, and I knock out the guards and steal some samples of the armor. You stick around in case we need you again, then we all get out.”
“We’re offering you five hundred thousand dollars for one night’s work,” Jackson said. When Paisley blinked in surprise, he added, “I’m a very successful inventor.”
Paisley thought it over. The money was good. If the men wanted to harm her or turn her into the police or blackmail her, they would have done so already. She normally worked alone, but she supposed she could manage to work with others, just this once. And it was a good cause.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll do it.”
Jackson beamed. “Fantastic!”
Eli smiled. “Welcome to the team. I know we can count on you.”
Paisley tucked her towel firmly around her breasts, then started to stand. Each man offered her a hand up. As Paisley’s hands closed over theirs— Eli’s big and rough, Jackson’s long-fingered and smooth— a jolt went through her like an electric shock.
All three of them jumped. Paisley had never felt anything like the shock of that contact. It was a shot of adrenaline to the heart. It was a surge of desire so intense and overwhelming that she nearly ripped off her towel and threw herself at both men. And it was the undeniable conviction that all three of them were made for each other, like the interlocking pieces of a puzzle.
Jackson gasped.
“Whoa,” Eli muttered, rocking back.
“What was that?” Paisley asked.
Jackson and Eli exchanged glances. Paisley watched, unnerved, as their very different faces displayed the same emotions in turn: astonishment, realization, wry “wouldn’t you know it” amusement, and finally delight.
“You’re our mate,” Eli said.
“What?” Paisley was baffled. “What do you mean, mate?”
The men again looked at each other. Wariness crept into Eli’s blue eyes, and concern into Jackson’s brown ones.
“Don’t be scared,” Eli began, then frowned. “Shit, that’s a scary thing to say, right? Jackson, you explain.”
Jackson gave him a shove. “What, because I’m a harmless tech geek who couldn’t possibly scare anyone?”
“Exactly,” Eli said, smiling.
Paisley had no idea what was going on. All three of them were still holding hands. She knew she ought to let go, but she didn’t want to. She liked the warmth and strength of Eli’s and Jackson’s hands holding hers. It made her feel protected and loved.
I must be out of my mind, she told herself. These men are strangers. Why in the world would they protect me, let alone love me?
She wrenched her hands free. Immediately, she missed touching them. That was weird.
Strangers! Paisley reminded herself. Strangers who’d set a trap for her, then grabbed her and practically smothered her in a bath towel.
Strangers whom she was dying to touch again. She was still trembling and hot from that inexplicable surge of desire. She shoved her hands under her thighs to stop herself from grabbing theirs again.
“Okay,” she said, turning to Jackson. “Explain.”
“So, just to start with, we’re not forcing you into anything,” Jackson began. “If you want to leave at any point, you can go.”
Quickly, Eli added, “Once we exchange numbers. We want to hire you no matter what, so don’t just leap out the window and vanish as soon as you hear Jackson’s explanation.”
Jackson sighed. “Eli, that’s also a scary thing to say.”
Paisley couldn’t help laughing at Eli’s put-upon expression. “Eli’s not that scary. Spit it out, whatever it is.”
“All shifters are born with a destined soulmate,” Jackson said. “They may never meet. But if they do, they’ll know the instant they touch each other.”
“A soulmate?” Paisley repeated incredulously. “Like, your true love?”
“That’s right,” Eli said. “Mates love each other for as long as they live. You know ‘till death do us part?’ Like that.”
Hearing those romantic words spoken so plainly by a tough guy like Eli made it feel real. At least, she believed that they believed it. And she’d sure felt something when they’d touched. But true love? Soulmates? Even if they did exist, Paisley wasn’t the sort of woman who’d have one.
She couldn’t believe it. She’d always been alone. As far back as Paisley could remember, she’d known that she was the only one of her kind.
But she wasn’t. There were other people who could become animals. She was sitting right next to two of them. There were even other werecats!
A closed-off place in Paisley’s heart opened a crack. If she’d been wrong about being the world’s only werecat, maybe she’d been wrong about other things too. Maybe she wasn’t destined to be forever alone.
“So I’m the soulmate of... one of you?” Paisley asked doubtfully. “But which one?”
Even before the words were out of her mouth, she was trying to decide which man she hoped was her soulmate. Eli was strong and tough, but she’d seen that he had a gentle side, too. If he loved a woman— if he loved her— he’d protect her and never hurt her. And he was so handsome and sexy. But Jackson was just as handsome and sexy, though in a different way. He had a playful attitude that appealed to her. And he was brilliant and rich. If he loved a woman— if he loved her— he’d provide for her and never bore her.
Paisley examined each man for flaws that might tip the balance, but all she could see was more to like. Eli’s sky-blue eyes, Jackson’s mah
ogany-brown eyes. Jackson’s midnight black hair, Eli’s brown sugar hair. Jackson’s lean grace, Eli’s burly strength.
Paisley grinned to herself as she remembered Goldilocks trying out the bears’ beds. This bear is too hard. This bear is too soft. But this bear is just right.
But as far as Paisley could tell, both bears were just right. If it was up to her, she didn’t know how she could decide between them. But Jackson had said that it was destined. If soulmates existed at all, fate would choose, not her.
“No,” Eli said. “You’re the mate of both of us. It’s not that common, but it happens sometimes.”
Jackson’s smile was both hopeful and sweet. “I’m surprised too! But it’s all right, Paisley. Eli’s my best friend. I’m not jealous. I’m happy to share.”
“I don’t mind sharing so long as it’s with you,” Eli said immediately. “I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.”
Then both men turned to Paisley, with hope—and raw passion— in their eyes.
“What do you think, Paisley?” Jackson asked.
Eli added, “Will you accept us as your mates?”
Paisley sucked in a deep breath. This was all happening way too fast. Half an hour ago, she’d been the world’s only werecat, with no romantic prospects and nothing in her future but vigilante justice. Now two hot werebears sat on a bed with her, telling her she was their soulmate and proposing love and sharing and till death do us part.
It was tempting, and terrifying, and weird, and hot, and way too much for her to handle. If she let herself believe in a happily ever after, it would only hurt more when it turned out to only exist in fairy tales.
She glanced at the window. Probably the best thing to do was to become a cat, leap out, and pretend the whole thing had never happened.
Paisley felt Eli’s body tense beside her. He must have followed her gaze and figured out what she was planning. Paisley tensed as well, ready to fight for her freedom.
Eli got up, then tapped Jackson on the shoulder. “This way.”
Jackson looked puzzled, but followed Eli as he walked away from the bed.
“You want to go, then go,” Eli said. The same pain she’d heard when he’d talked about his buddy roughened his voice. “You’re our mate, not our prisoner.”
Jackson looked worried, but gave her a slightly forced smile. “Just remember our names, okay? Jackson Ford and Eli Sterling. Look us up if you change your mind.”
Paisley’s anxiety eased. She still wasn’t going to promise “till death do us part” to two men she’d just met, but she finally believed that they wouldn’t try to force her into anything.
“You still want to hire me, right?” Paisley asked. “I mean, hire me to break into that scumbag corporation that got Eli’s friend killed?”
“Absolutely,” Eli said, visibly relaxing.
“No strings attached,” added Jackson.
Paisley chewed on her lower lip. “Okay. So let’s do that first. As for the rest... I’ll think about it once the job’s done. No talking about love or destiny or soulmates until then!”
“Deal,” said Eli.
“Deal,” said Jackson.
They returned to the bed and stuck out their hands. Paisley shook each man’s hand in turn, bracing for a repeat of that heart-stopping shock of recognition. Instead, the warmth of their skin brought on another intense wave of desire. She extricated her hand as fast as she could. Who knew how far things might go if she touched either of them for longer than a second or two.
“Deal,” said Paisley.
Chapter Two
Jackson
Jackson Ford took a deep breath, and inhaled the aroma of rotting garbage. He made a face. Even when he was a bear, he wasn’t big on garbage. His bear liked honey from the tree, salmon snatched straight from the river, or a mouthful of sun-warmed ripe blueberries.
As a man, he liked garbage even less. Nor was he used to lurking in dark, disgusting, trash-filled alleys. In fact, he wasn’t used to lurking, period. Jackson’s natural environment was the wild green forest or a high-tech office.
After a final grossed-out glance at the heap of he-didn’t-even-want-to-know-what with flies circling above it, he turned to Eli. “You owe me for the lurking.”
Eli grinned at him. Now there was a man who was at home anywhere— filthy alleys, wild forest, bleak desert, deep underwater— well, anywhere except a high-tech office. “I’ll buy you a beer when we’re done.”
Both men glanced out the alley, to the service entrance of SmartDefense’s looming tower across the way, then simultaneously muttered, “Wonder if Paisley likes beer...?”
“Jinx.” Eli punched Jackson in the ribs.
“Ow,” Jackson said automatically, though it hadn’t hurt. Then, unable to stop himself even though they’d had the conversation something like twenty times in the last week, he said, “You really think she’ll go for it? Go for us?”
“She’s our mate,” Eli replied calmly. “It’s meant to be. That’s what mates are. You can’t run away from destiny.”
“There’s always a first time,” Jackson said. “We’re in a ‘first time’ already. Whoever heard of a cat being mate to a bear? Let alone mate to two bears! I’m not surprised that she thinks it’s weird. I just hope she doesn’t think it’s so weird that she runs away and never comes back.”
Eli pointed upward, at the glittering tower. “She hasn’t run away yet. Be patient.”
Jackson sighed. “I’m not the patient type. I believe in instant gratification. See the honey, get the honey.”
“Get stung,” Eli pointed out. “Paisley was about to jump out that window. Move too fast on her, and she’ll be gone in a flash of black fur. Cats don’t like being strong-armed.”
“I wasn’t going to strong-arm her,” Jackson protested. “You know I’m not pushy. I’m just straightforward.”
“So am I,” said Eli. “Well, we’ve been straightforward with her. She’s had time to think about it. Now we let her come to us. It’s like a mission where your orders are to capture the target alive. If they’re hiding in a crowded building, you don’t charge in, guns blazing, and risk them getting shot dead or escaping in the commotion. You sit back and wait until they think it’s safe to come out. Then you make your move.”
“You’re being scary again,” said Jackson.
The rasping sound of metal scraping against concrete made him jump. Eli crouched, hands open, ready to fight.
A manhole cover pushed upward, nearly under Eli’s feet, and Paisley’s head popped up. “Welcome to SmartDefense.”
“What are you doing here?” Jackson asked. “I thought you were going to let us in through the service entrance.”
“Change of plans,” Paisley replied.
Eli offered her a hand up.
She shook her head, which was all of her that Jackson could see. Her blonde braids, the color of wildflower honey, were wrapped tightly around her head. “Um, I’m naked, remember? Think I’ll just stay here.”
Jackson forced himself not to peer down the manhole. All he’d ever seen of Paisley, other than her sleek black cat form, was her head and hands. In the hotel room where they’d met, the rest of her body had been muffled in blankets. When they’d met again to plan the heist, she’d worn black jeans, black boots, and a long-sleeved black shirt. He longed to see more of her. But it had to be because she wanted him to see her naked, not because he’d snuck a peek.
God, I hope Eli’s right about mates, he thought. She’s so gorgeous and graceful and sexy and quirky and brave. It’d kill me if I met her this once, and then she walked away forever. Eli’s lost so much already— his buddy, his career, his whole mission in life. I don’t know what it would do to him if he met his mate, then lost her too. And Paisley seems so lonely. We could make her happy, I know we could. She can’t walk away from us just because we’re not what she expected.
Unlike Jackson, Eli was much too cool and focused to be distracted by worries, or even by the know
ledge that his sizzling-hot mate was naked juuuust out of his line of sight. He reached into his backpack and tossed Paisley the clothes she’d shifted out of earlier that night.
A hand reached out of the manhole to snatch them from the air. Then Paisley ducked down and vanished. Jackson heard subterranean rustling sounds as she changed.
“Paisley, why the change of plans?” Eli asked.
“Security’s tighter than you expected,” Paisley explained, her voice a little muffled. She was probably pulling her shirt over her head. Which meant she’d have already put her bra on, covering up her breasts.
Jackson really, really hoped he’d get a look at them eventually. Get his hands on them. Get his mouth on them. He bet that they were small but perfect, with silky skin and pink nipples that would harden under his tongue...
Paisley was still speaking. He forced his attention back to her words.
“There’s laser trip wires everywhere,” she said. “I got in through a window, but I had to do it as a cat. This is the only way I found that a human could get through.”
“Okay. Good job, Paisley.” Eli took a step toward her.
A slim hand emerged from the manhole to stop him. “A skinny human. You’re too big. Your shoulders would stick. This manhole leads to a narrow ventilation duct. I can only take Jackson.”
“Hey!” Jackson said belatedly. “I’m not skinny. I’m a lean, mean, hacking machine!”
Eli frowned. “I have to get in, or there’ll be no one to protect you two if it comes to a fight.”
“I could turn off the lasers if Paisley can get me to the control room,” Jackson suggested. “Then we can let you in through the service entrance, like we planned.”
Eli frowned harder. “I hate to let you two go into danger without me—”
Jackson smacked his shoulder. “I’m not helpless. I can turn into a bear.”
“In a ventilation duct?” Eli inquired.
Paisley poked her head out. “If anyone shoots at us, I’ll turn into a cat and claw them.”
“Eli, no one’s going to be shooting in the ducts,” Jackson promised his friend.
