“Dogs mark their territory.” Belle yawned daintily behind her hand.
“I’m not a dog.”
“You keep telling yourself that, Fido.” Belle patted her husband’s chest, laughing when he growled. “From what you say, he’s been watching them, kind of stalking them.”
“That means he’s going to be feeling territorial.” Tabby was practically curled around Alex, but her worried gaze was glued to Cyn. “He’ll have marked the places we tend to hang out, like Living Art and the apartment.”
“And your new house,” Cyn snarled. “I’ve just about had it with this fucker.”
“You’ve gone through your first change?” Cyn nodded, and Max sighed in relief. “Good. That means we’re not throwing you defenseless to the wolves.”
“Did she tell you what she turns into?” Gabe’s grin was viciously pleased.
“I thought she’d be a Spirit Bear, like Julian.”
“It doesn’t quite work that way.” Julian tugged on his braid, unsure how to inform the Halle Alpha that he had a Kodiak living in his territory.
“I’m a Kodiak.” Cyn shrugged. “It’s a Bear thing. You wouldn’t understand.”
Alex didn’t quite manage to muffle his laugh. Tabby didn’t bother trying.
“Oh.” Max blinked, his expression blank. “That’s… Large.”
“And mean.” Gabe rubbed his hands together gleefully.
Adrian was staring at Cyn with an expression of unholy delight. His wide, evil smile reminded Julian of the Grinch. “Can I watch you turn that bastard into furry origami?”
This had the potential to become a nightmare. Cyn might be big for a Bear, but a bullet would still kill her. “I think we need to worry more about how we’re going to keep her safe.” Julian winced as he tugged a little too hard on his braid, his nerves getting the better of him.
“We’ll have people watching her around the clock. Living Art is going to remain closed in order to protect its clientele.”
Cyn couldn’t hide her unhappiness over Gabe’s pronouncement. She was itching to get back to work, but she had to agree with the Hunter. She was just too vulnerable when she was in Living Art. He just hoped they could resolve this swiftly. She ran the risk of losing her business entirely the longer she stayed closed.
“Julian, until you’re stronger, you’ll have to trust us to protect your mate.” Adrian’s gaze was sympathetic but uncompromising. “This man is guilty of murder and attempted murder. We need to catch his ass before anyone else gets hurt.”
“Are we so certain it’s a man?” Sheri’s hand was clenched so hard it was white knuckled.
“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Adrian immediately reached for his mate and pulled her close. “Sheri was the victim of a stalker attack.”
Sheri patted Adrian’s knee. “I’m all right, I promise.”
“It’s definitely a man, Sheri.” Sarah stole Gabe’s drink and took a sip. “I could feel his rage at missing his target.”
“Is he sane?”
Sarah wiggled her hand in a so-so motion. “That depends on your definition of sane, Max. What I sensed was anger, and lots of it. But it didn’t feel manic, if that makes any sense.”
“The real question is, why is he doing it?” Adrian stared at Tabby as if she had a red targeting dot on her forehead. “Why is he focusing on the three of you?”
“One theory is that it could have something to do with Gary.” Gabe pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “Although I’m not entirely sure of that. Gary’s orders were to watch Chloe, not Tabby. He has something to do with whoever is targeting half breeds, even if he’s not talking about it. Tabby, Cyn and Glory were just a side bonus. They’re both human, or were. Their mating won’t produce half breeds like Alex and Tabby’s will.”
“Do we still have to worry about that? I thought now that Gary is in prison it was all over with.” Tabby rubbed her stomach. The little peanut growing there was only a few weeks old, but Tabby already loved the child.
“There was the Cheetah that attacked me. Is he working with the Wolf or is he working alone?” Cyn stood and began to pace. “What if the incidents are unrelated?”
“I can’t see a reason for those going after half breeds to attack you. It has to be something else.” Julian couldn’t figure out what it was they were missing.
“This is personal.” Sarah took hold of Gabe’s arms and wrapped them around her waist, something Gabe allowed with an indulgent smile. “He wanted you dead.”
“If that’s the case, we have to figure out who the three of you have pissed off recently.” Belle reached into her oversized purse and pulled out a tablet PC. She tapped a few buttons and then looked up with an expectant look. “Names, people.”
“I can’t think of anyone specific. Other than Gary and his goons, I mean.” Tabby bit her lip. “What about Gary’s family? Didn’t he refuse to name his Alpha when he got arrested?”
“The goons have family too.” Cyn turned and stared at Glory.
“Don’t look at me. I got nothing.”
“You got shot.”
“Well. Other than that.”
Cyn’s pacing paused as she shot Glory an apologetic glance. “There’s Hope.”
Glory flinched at the sound of her sister’s name. “I doubt it would have anything to do with her after all these years.”
“Still, it’s a possibility.”
“Any little tidbit of information will help.” Gabe knelt in front of Glory and took her hands in his. “Tell me what you think happened to your sister.”
“I think…” Glory lowered her head, looking so tired Julian just wanted to scoop her up and put her to bed. “It doesn’t matter what I believe. Hope is gone.”
“The one who did it left town.” Glory jolted at Cyn’s quiet statement. “Your father did it, didn’t he?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never dared say it out loud.” Glory wrung her hands together until the skin turned red. “He went insane when she didn’t come home that night.”
“He blamed you.” Sarah moved behind Glory and placed her hands on her shoulders. It looked like the Omega was attempting to use her powers on the human.
“He did. I was supposed to go with her that night. I didn’t want to go and I had an argument with him.” Glory relaxed beneath the Omega’s hands. “When she didn’t return he beat me till I couldn’t move.”
When Ryan found out about this he’d flip. If Glory’s father ever returned to Halle he wouldn’t be alive for long.
“Do you think your father is back in town?” Gabe kept his voice low and soothing, working in tandem with the Omega to keep Glory calm.
“Even if he is, he has no reason to go after Tabby and Cyn.”
“She’s right. Mr. Walsh was an asshole, but he wasn’t stupid. He’d have no reason to shoot us. It’s not like we’ve been looking into Hope’s disappearance.”
“And he has no idea that shifters even exist.” Glory frowned. “At least, I don’t think he does.”
Cyn shook her head. “Everything we’ve discovered points to shifters, not humans.”
“Which brings us back to square one. Why you three?”
“My father is dead, but he died of natural causes.” Cyn resumed pacing, her hands on her hips as she thought out loud. “My mother is still alive, but she’s a complete ditz. I don’t even think she’s dating, and he’s been dead for years. She adored my father, would have done anything for him.”
“Any pissed off customers?” Belle’s fingers were tapping rapidly across her PC.
“If I have a customer who is dissatisfied with a tattoo I either offer to fix it for free, or give him a partial refund. So far I haven’t had any complaints about that policy.”
“So no pissed off customers or past enemies. What we do have is a missing sister, a person or persons unknown targeting half breeds, a ragey bastard who’s tried to kill you three and not much else.” The Luna turned her bright green gaze on Tabby. “What about your o
ld alpha, Tabby? Could he have something to do with this?”
“I suppose. But he should still be in Marietta.”
“His son, Micah Boyd, has been trying to contact you.” Cyn and Tabby exchanged an enigmatic glance. “And Dennis Boyd is no longer the Marietta alpha. It’s possible he’s left Marietta all together.”
Tabby looked utterly confused. “What the hell would that have to do with me?”
“I have no idea, but she did ask about past enemies.” Cyn waved her arms in the air. “Not like any of this makes any sense.”
“Is he still calling? I thought he gave up on you.” Alex plucked Tabby’s phone out of her pocket and began scrolling through her missed calls.
“I think we should spam him with Nyan cats until he stops.” Glory giggled when everyone turned to stare at her. “What? Look it up on YouTube. That shit’s annoying.” The giggles turned to wracking coughs, but at least she was smiling.
“She’s right. I ticked her off once and she made that my screensaver. I still can’t eat cherry Pop Tarts.” Cyn shuddered. “And I had no idea how many different versions of it there were.”
“The scariest was Nyan Cat 3-D.”
“Bitch. I still can’t believe you made me watch that.”
“You got even with me.” Glory winked at Cyn. “You made me play it on Guitar Hero. My fingers still haven’t recovered.”
Cyn winked back, and Julian knew they were pulling someone’s leg. “You’re just ticked because my Nyan streak was higher than yours.”
Tabby was gaping at them in disbelief. “How the hell did you get Nyan cats on GH?”
Glory sniffed. “See what you miss when you move out?”
“Ladies.” Gabe shook his head, amusement warring with disbelief. “We have a killer to catch. Worry about your star power later, okay?” He grinned. “Besides, there is no Nyan cat for GH.”
“Are you sure?” Cyn challenged Gabe.
“Yup.” Gabe’s grin turned sheepish. “I’d own it.”
Tabby glared at Cyn and Glory, who were giggling like loons. “Y’all suck.”
Julian couldn’t give two shakes of a rat’s ass about videogames just then. His focus was still on the most important thing. “There’s got to be another way to bring this guy out into the open. Using Cyn to draw him out is unacceptable.”
“Do you have a better idea, Super Bear?” Cyn crossed her arms and smirked at him. She thought she had him.
She was wrong. He turned to the one person in the room who should be out there hunting a killer, not sitting in his living room scarfing pizza. “Gabe, what were you able to find out about the shooter?”
“Not a hell of a lot. He took the shot at Marie from an empty apartment. I’m just glad the inhabitant had already left for work that day. As it is, she’s scared to death to go home.”
“Puma?”
“No, but she is a shifter and has requested sanctuary. Max has granted it. That’s all I can tell you.” Gabe pulled Sarah close again and rested his chin on the top of her head. “He left behind no fingerprints. The lab reports are starting to trickle in, but from what we can tell he didn’t leave behind a single hair. The only thing he did do was smash parts of her apartment to bits. He punched a few holes in her walls, broke some of her knickknacks. It looks like when he missed Cyn he had a tantrum and then booked.”
“What about the other crime scenes?”
“We’ll probably get more information out of the pipe bomb than anything else. I got my guys working on that, tracing where the components were bought. It’s going to take time, though. We just have to be patient.”
Julian wanted to snap at Gabe. If it were his mate would he be so patient? He turned to Rick, hoping the Wolf Alpha knew where he was about to go. “Would it be easier to hunt him up on your land?”
“If I had his scent, yes.” The Wolf Alpha sounded absolutely certain of that. “Those woods are mine. There’s no way the fucker would be able to hide there.”
“Then we split up. Tabby, Alex and Glory head up to the Poconos where Rick’s Wolves can protect them. I stay down here and try to draw the shooter out where the Pumas can take care of me.” Cyn held up her hand as Tabby opened her mouth to object. “Alex, take some of your relatives with you and leave some here. That will help Julian and Tabby feel better about all of this.”
Alex shared a look with Tabby. No matter what Tabby wanted, she’d be visiting the Poconos, in-laws in tow. “If the Foxes pick up the scent, they’ll make useful scouts.”
“And I’ll finally get to answer the age-old question.” Belle tilted her head, her expression more vapid than Julian had ever seen on anyone outside of Paris Hilton. He heard tales of the Poconos Luna. Perhaps the rumors were true. Maybe she really was Psycho Barbie. “Does a Bear shit in the woods?”
Alex returned her look with a bland one of his own. “Only if there’s a roll of toilet paper on a convenient nearby branch.”
Julian nodded sagely. “And it has to be the kind that doesn’t leave toilet paper dust on our poor furry behinds.”
“Yup. That is a total breach of Bear etiquette.”
Rick clamped his hand over Belle’s mouth before she could respond. “Do we have a plan, then?”
Glances were exchanged. After nods all around, some reluctant, some not, it was agreed. Alex would be taking Tabby and Glory into hiding while Cyn played tag with the killer. Julian damn near growled out his frustration. It had not gone the way he’d planned.
Fuck a duck.
Chapter Eighteen
Cyn opened the front door as quietly as she could, hoping Julian was taking that nap she’d ordered him to. When she didn’t see him loitering around in the front hall she sighed in relief. He’d been adamantly against her being bait, but what else were they supposed to do? It had been over a week since Marie’s death and they hadn’t found more than where the sniper had been hiding. None of the lab work had come back, and even Cyn’s new sense of smell couldn’t track the killer. She’d tried following the scent only once, but Gabe had stopped her before she’d gone too far.
At least Tabby and Glory were safely away. Alex had whisked her friends away so fast Cyn had barely had time to say good-bye. But that was all right, as long as she got to say welcome home when it was over.
She hung her coat up with a sigh, rubbing her neck wearily as she closed the closet door. She was so tense she could probably be used as a tuning fork. “The Amazing Cyn, vibrating in C minor.”
A low chuckle had her whirling around. Julian sat halfway down the stairs, a smirk on his face. “I could take care of that for you.”
Shit. He was awake. “Hey, Jules.” She tried her best to smile for him, but knew she failed when his welcoming smile dimmed.
“You’re hurting. Let me help.”
Her muscles were one tight knot, but no way in hell was she going to allow Julian to heal her. “No. You just got out of the hospital.” He’d only been home for six days, and already he was trying to act as if nothing had happened. It was like it didn’t matter to him that he almost died. Meanwhile, Cyn was having nightmares about Julian lying in a pool of blood.
When she met Tai Boucher she was going to kick his ass. The leader of the Spirit Bears had never called Julian back, and it was driving both her and her mate crazy.
She rotated her shoulders and tried to hide her wince. His eyes still had silver flecks in them. There was still more white in his hair than black. Did he really think he was fooling her?
“I could give you a massage.”
She didn’t trust him. He’d try and sneak a healing in, she just knew it. “No.”
He sighed. “I give you my word I won’t use my powers.”
She eyed him warily. “You promise?” He’d break his word in a heartbeat if he thought she was in serious pain.
“I promise.” He even crossed his heart, the silly Bear.
She studied him, but he was the picture of innocence. He was definitely up to something. “Fine.”
She took off her clothes quickly, not wanting this to turn into something sexual. Julian wasn’t up to any antics. She lay down and pulled the sheet up over her butt, hiding herself from him. Her butt didn’t hurt, after all, her shoulders did.
“Aw. There went the view.” He laughed when she gave him the finger. “Close your eyes and try to relax.”
She did as he asked, wondering why she heard him rattling around. She expected to hear him removing his clothes, but instead she heard what sounded like…glass?
The snick of a lighter startled her. One of her scented candles was placed on the nightstand. Next to it was a bottle of lavender massage oil. Julian dimmed the lights and finally stripped off his shirt. “Like what you see?”
She closed her eyes again.
“You are so mean.” She heard more cloth rustling, then the sound of a cap snapping. Within seconds the soothing scent of lavender filled the room. His warm, oiled hands began to rub up and down her back, spreading the self-heating oil. “You like that?”
Already she could feel herself relaxing under his touch. “Mm-hmm.”
He began to massage her back and shoulders, varying hard, almost bruising kneading with almost ticklish butterfly touches that had her squirming. She moaned when he hit a particularly bad spot, the tension in her shoulders melting away under his skilled hands. She could have sworn he was using his powers, but when she opened her eyes his were still vaguely speckled with silver, his hair still tinged with black.
His hands wandered down to her ass, massaging her just above the globes. It felt surprisingly good, and damn arousing. “Julian.”
“Hmm?”
“Are you hoping to get laid?”
His hands didn’t even pause. “The thought did cross my mind.”
She growled. “You’re not up for it.”
He chuckled. “I beg to differ.” He moved to the side and took her hand, placing it over his straining erection. “I’m very much up for it.” She watched as he poured more oil into his palm. “I’m fine, Cyn. Better than fine, now that you’re home.”
Cynful: Halle Shifters, Book 2 Page 18
