She handed him a tiny plate and turned to the person behind him.
“Thank you, Serena,” he said. He wandered into the wedding crowd bemused.
Ryan Rutherford clapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, Buddy, glad you found some food. Let’s see if we can find you a beer.” The cougar shifter blocked Anton’s view of Serena.
Considering that Anton had had to shoot Rutherford up with antivenin the last time he had seen him, his host was looking remarkably good. Of course, Marine dress blues did a lot for most guys. Anton hoped Serena had taken the opportunity to admire his. He had more fruit salad on his chest than Rutherford. Broader chest too.
“I see you’ve made a complete recovery.” Anton let Ryan lead him to the bar and order them some beer.
Rutherford grinned. “I got lucky. Claudia is part of a family of healers.”
“Good. Good. That’s good.” If only Rutherford would leave him alone to stare at his mate.
When Rutherford had first told him that he was living on an island where all the permanent residents were sensitives, or married to sensitives, Anton had hardly believed that was possible. Of course, back home in Frenchtown, about every other person was a bear. They didn’t flaunt their bears, but shifting was an open secret.
The reality of West Haven took some getting used to. Anton cleared his throat. “Rutherford,” he whispered. “What is the girl behind the roast beef table?”
“Caterer.”
“Wise guy.”
“She is, I believe, one of the Merrymans. They are all merfolk.”
“She’s a mermaid?” Just his fricking luck. What the hey did a guy from Yakima Ridge know from mermaids?
“You got something against the mer people, Benoit?” Rutherford was pretty nearly snickering.
“No, no. Of course not. Just never met one.” Serena didn’t smell exactly like a woman. And nothing whatsoever like a fish. Could fate have bonded him to a mermaid? What were the odds? A fricking mermaid. His heart pounded.
Now Rutherford was looking at him strangely. “You okay, Buddy? You look like you aspirated that sandwich.”
“I’m fine. This is quite some blowout you’re having here.” Anton looked around the room with approval. White draped tables were spread with everything from crab cakes to hummus. A chocolate fountain occupied one corner. A ragtag group of kids was gathered around it eagerly dipping fruit. Anton was glad he wasn’t assigned clean-up.
“Thanks. We wanted to keep the reception casual, since we couldn’t imagine renewing our vows without our son and his cousins. Come on, I’ll introduce you to Jimmy and Claudia.” Anton followed Ryan to the chocolate fountain to meet the cub.
CHAPTER TWO
Serena~
Was it her imagination or was that over-muscled guy in the Marine uniform giving her the eye? He was obviously one of Ryan’s friends. Another hunter. Jeez. What the heck was she doing lusting after a hunter? If her family knew they would be horrified. Beyond horrified. Mer folk didn’t mix with hunters.
This fellow didn’t seem vicious, but he sure was built like one of those big cement bollards down at the dock. Constructed to withstand gales. A big barrel-chested guy with muscles on his muscles, and a dark outline of his beard showing on his square jaw even though it was just mid-afternoon. No harm in looking, as long as she remembered not to buy.
Serena turned her attention to the roast beef she was slicing and the open-faced sandwiches she was preparing. Robin Fairchild, the owner of the Tidewater Inn, did not expect her catering manager to stand behind a counter. But two of the regular staff were off with a bug. Serena had put on her whites and stepped into the breach.
She knew most of the locals. Ryan and Claudia had invited many year-rounders. The Petersons were fifth generation West Haveners. But the Rutherfords were only summer people, so plenty of their guests had come from Portland or even further. Not all those people were sensitives either. The big hunter notwithstanding.
Like many resorts, Mystic Bay and West Haven had an unofficial hierarchy. At the top were the permanent residents who voted for the Mystic Bay town council and the sheriff. Next came the summer people who owned land and paid taxes but were neither voters nor eligible to sit on the council. Day visitors and tourists came dead last. They were welcome, but definitely non-entities.
Despite having spent several years away, Claudia was a permanent resident. Her husband one of the summer people. A mixed marriage even if she hadn’t been a sorcerer and he a cougar. That hunter friend of Ryan’s wasn’t even a summer resident. Just a visitor. While she was born and raised on West Haven right in Mystic Bay. He was definitely off-limits.
On autopilot, Serena set up more slices of bread and assembled and served sandwiches. She felt him return before he spoke. A sort of dark and dangerous presence. A thrilling presence. “I’ll have a couple more of those, please, Miss Serena.”
Her eyes met his. Big brown eyes set under heavy dark brows twinkled at her. He grinned and she admired his white teeth. All the better to eat you with, my dear. She slid three sandwiches onto a clean plate. His smile grew. His large white teeth gleamed. You’ll never feel a thing, my dear. A sizzle developed in her core and her whole body grew damp. She felt her face flame.
“Thank you,” he said gruffly.
A crowd of youngsters suddenly appeared at his hip chorusing for meat. She returned to her job, hardly knowing whether to be thankful for the interruption, or resentful of it. The big hunter flashed her another smile and melted into the crowd. He moved quietly and quickly for such a big man. Typical hunter. All the better to catch you in the woods, my dear.
The band came out and began to tune up. When they struck up the first waltz, Ryan led Claudia onto the dance floor. They moved well together. Looked madly in love. Maybe a sorceress could be happy with a hunter. Serena wasn’t sure. Talk was that the town council had intervened in their relationship, forcing their match. But they didn’t look like they needed glue. They looked bonded and ecstatic.
Supposedly Ryan and Claudia had been married for four years, but had separated before the birth of their son. There was a lot of chatter about Jimmy’s hybrid vigor. Not that there seemed to be much wrong with the boy despite the gossip in town. He was a sweet child. Still, you never knew with mixed breeds. It was always better to stick with your own kind.
CHAPTER THREE
Anton~
She ought to come out that side door. This back lot was set aside for deliveries and employees. Anton still hadn’t made up his mind whether or not he would speak to Miss Serena. Probably scare her half to death if she realized some big stranger was lurking outside in the dark just to get a glimpse of her.
The lot was reasonably well lit. Periodically, the inn’s security guard trotted through it waving his flashlight between the cars. Probably that was okay security for a place like Mystic Bay. Anton was too accustomed to being hyper-vigilant about security. Too used to assessing danger. Of course that wasn’t a bad thing when you worked for a security company. Might be overkill in a tiny town like Mystic Bay.
But even he couldn’t pretend he thought Serena Merryman was in any real danger tonight. That wasn’t why he was out here in the cold. Nope. He just wanted to see her again. Shades of fricking middle school. Anton propped his shoulders against the brick wall, well back in the shadows and hoped the security guard did not spot him. He didn’t want to have to explain to that little bunny shifter what the hell he was doing skulking in the dark.
There were three cars left in the employee lot. Which was hers? He guessed the little blue compact. But there was no way to know. A bit after 2200 hours an SUV pulled into the lot and parked broadside by the door. The driver got out and left the car running. Inconsiderate. He opened the side passenger door before positioning himself by the back door. He waited, legs slightly spread, hands in back pockets, muscles tensed.
Anton assessed him automatically. Slight, kind of ferrety. Was this the little dude he was going to have to go through to ge
t to the mermaid? There he went again. Hadn’t his father and his Uncle Pierre told him that kind of primitive thinking put women off? But the thought of ferret boy holding hands with Serena made him feel primitive. Poor SOB probably wasn’t even connected to Serena.
When it happened, it happened fast. The door opened. Ferret boy reached for whoever was coming out. Serena stumbled forward. Before Anton could get between them, she pivoted on her left leg and drove the heel of her right foot straight into ferret boy’s crotch. Hard. Ferret boy let go of her and fell to the ground clutching his groin.
“Bitch,” he muttered.
The security guard came round the side of the building, and moving faster than Anton would have thought he could, interposed himself between ferret boy and the mermaid. He shone his flashlight right in the ferret’s eyes. Ferret boy groaned and clutched his privates. The guard had a deputy’s badge hanging off his belt along with a small forest of gadgets.
“What’s going on?” the guard squeaked. Anton took a good look. The bunny had been a guest at the reception. Interesting.
“Why don’t you mind your own business, Bunnikins?” Ferret boy rolled away from the light.
The guard moved his arm and kept the flashlight beam right in the ferret’s eyes. “You stay put. You all right, Serena?”
“No thanks to Jerome,” snapped Serena. She was breathing hard and now that the danger had passed she was shaking.
The bunny turned to Anton, who had stepped forward. Bunnikins was a twitchy little fellow with watery blue eyes but he had positioned himself exactly right to control the situation. “You this guy’s backup or what?”
Anton shook his head and took a slow, respectful step away with his empty hands held to the sides. “No, sir. I never saw him before. He was waiting for Miss Serena. Grabbed her as soon as she opened the door.”
Ferret boy rolled onto all fours and tried to get up. The flashlight was nearly as big as the bunny. He stuck it in ferret boy’s back. “You stay put, Bock,” he growled.
Ferret boy collapsed and froze. Probably thought it was a gun. “My name is Jerome Brooks.”
The rabbit snorted. “That’s not what your prints say.”
There was silence for a couple of heartbeats. Serena caught her breath. “What do you mean, Wally?”
“I ran this guy’s fingerprints through the system. Came up with a Dyson Bock wanted for sexual assault in Massachusetts.” While Serena was talking, Wally knelt on ferret boy’s back and secured his wrists behind him with plastic handcuffs. He turned back to Serena. “How would he know you were working late?”
“This is all a misunderstanding,” said Bock smoothly. “I came to pick you up, Serena. Your dad and I flipped for it.”
The light over the door showed Serena’s pretty lips drawn tight. “Well, Dad didn’t tell me. What the heck did you grab me for?” Her voice shook.
Wally turned his head. “You got a reason to be out here, Sergeant?”
So the bunny knew who he was, even in civvies. That didn’t surprise Anton. It was obvious the rabbit was a cool-headed lawman. “I was just getting a little fresh air, sir.”
“Hmph. You see what happened?”
“Pretty much. Bock here grabbed Miss Serena when she came through the door. She kicked him where it would do the most good. His car’s right there, ready for a snatch. He didn’t say squat.” Anton made his report. “Miss Serena, if you need a ride home, I’d be happy to provide one. Minus the grabbing.”
“You want to press charges, Serena?” asked the guard.
“You bet, Wally.” She looked at Anton. Those green eyes made his heart skip. “I’d appreciate a ride, if it’s no trouble.”
The security guard held out his hand to Anton. “Walter Babcock,” he said.
He had to stoop a little to take Babcock’s but he managed. “Anton Benoit.” He gave his full name even though he suspected Babcock knew precisely who he was. “It’s a pleasure, sir.”
“You’re one of Rutherford’s Marine buddies, aren’t you?”
“You might say so. Although we didn’t meet until we were both discharged from the service.”
“Well, Benoit, I don’t see as Miss Serena would be any better off going home with some strange hunter rather than this Bock.”
This was the first time he had been treated to that particular West Haven insult. Not that calling a bear a hunter wasn’t right on the mark. “You’re right.” Anton fished his car keys out of his pocket and held them out to Serena. “You take my pickup and I’ll pick it up in the morning, or you drive it back if you still don’t have a vehicle.”
“You’d let a stranger drive your truck?” Serena asked wide-eyed.
“We aren’t fated to be strangers,” he said.
Coming soon!
About the Author
Isadora writes feel-good PNR stories about heroic shifters and the sexy, sassy BBWs who are their fated mates. She is the author of over 20 books. Join her for some rousing adventures and some spicy loving.
Take a vacation from the humdrum. An Isadora Montrose Romance will instantly transport you to a thrilling world of sizzling passion and transcendent love. A guaranteed happy ending every time.
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Cherished by the Cougar: A Shifters in Love Fun & Flirty Romance (Mystic Bay Book 2) Page 18
