Hounded (Shifter Town Enforcement)

by Hart, Sadie

  It was a lesson Dade would have to learn the hard way.

  Walker reached for her again but Dade dodged him, lunging. Lennox dipped her shoulder and twisted cleanly away. She jerked her head back and clamped teeth down across Dade’s thigh. The wolfhound yelped, her lean body whipping around but Lennox let her go, snapping at her face as she slipped out of range.

  Dade went to lunge again when a roar shuddered through the forest. Pine needles skittered over the ground, and a low bellowing growl followed the sound like an aftershock of thunder. Kanon and Tegan both stood at the edge of the clearing. Their bodies locked straight, stiff, their focus solely on Dade.

  Walker caught Dade by the back of her neck, fingers digging into her skin. “Shift.”

  If Dade had thought for a second that she’d be able to take Hennessy’s rank later, she was wrong. Lennox caught the whiff of his power as it rocked through the wolfhound. The brindle dog flinched, whimpering as Dade tucked her tail. Magick shimmered over her and Dade was suddenly crouched under Walker’s grip, her face pink.

  Lennox didn’t give him a chance to command her. Drawing in a slow breath, the dog sank back into her. A tingle of magick washed up her spine and she shook off the change, dusting her jeans off as she rose. One glance to Kanon and Tegan and they’d tucked whatever issue they had with Dade away, arms crossed over their chests, they held themselves in control. Their anger in check. Good.

  “All I got was male and that he had an oil leak.”

  Walker’s lips thinned.

  “If you don’t like it, shift yourself.”

  “Thank you for your time.”

  Dismissed. Damn. Just like that? Had he found something? Lennox fought the urge to glance around the forest. What had she missed? She’d double checked the whole perimeter before coming back to this scent. There’d been nothing.

  Unwilling to let fear show, she tucked her reservations away. They’d come back later. Without Hennessy and his troublesome Hound. “Let’s go then. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

  Practice made her smile polite. Downright pleasant, when she’d have rather he shoved his head up his ass until he choked. Lennox turned towards the pair of men leaning against an old oak at the side of the clearing. “Let’s get out of here then.” She tossed Walker another of her sickly sweet smiles. “Assuming of course, you’ve dropped the charges?”

  “For now.” He shrugged. “Nothing to link them, alibi...”

  So whatever he’d found, he couldn’t pin it on Kanon. That was good enough for her right now. She waved for the boys to follow her and headed for her car.

  Tegan caught her from behind. “Want one of us to drive?”

  Since she’d almost passed out earlier? Probably wise. She tossed him the keys. Half curled up on the back seat, she barely noticed when Kanon joined her. At least until he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her up against him. The effort from all the magick she’d worked caught up to her in a rush and Lennox slumped into his embrace, thankful for the support.

  The car rumbled to life and Tegan backed it down the drive. “Where we going?”

  “Not far. We’re coming back tonight. From a different angle. Hennessy found something and he’s not playing nice.”

  “Nor was his bitch,” Kanon muttered, drawing a soft smile to her face.

  “Big tough lions scared her though.”

  That drew a laugh from both of them. Dade had jumped like a rabbit spurred from her hole. Kanon slid a hand against her cheek and tucked her hair behind her ear. “You didn’t even flinch.”

  “I eat men like you for dinner.”

  “Really?” Tegan glanced at her through the rearview mirror, the look in his eyes wicked. “You turn skittish the moment we start flirting.”

  “Shush. Both of you.” She slapped Kanon lightly in the chest, but she didn’t pull away. Ridgeback or not, lions or not, she kind of liked them. In that, they were annoying and wicked as sin sort of appeal.

  Bad boy chic or some shit like that.

  It was a change from her normal style of men. Obedient, good little boys, who ran like hell when she snarled. It was nice. She wondered when the craziness would wear off and life would go back to normal.

  Lennox was half asleep when Kanon stretched out his legs, lifting her up so she could sit on his lap while he took over the back seat. His rubbed her hair between his fingers. “Someone wants to blame this on me.”

  Whatever sadness he’d felt over the Hales was gone, just a tired, soft regret in his voice now. Lennox hated the sound. She tilted her head back so she could see his face. “Enemies?”

  “Probably plenty of people, but no one who hated me this much. Not enough to kill Tristan and Caro, at least. Or so I thought.” A smile tugged over his lips, but it wasn’t happy. “Isn’t that always how it goes?”

  Yeah, yeah it was.

  Chapter Six

  He growled from his place under the shadowy overhang of an old pair of oak trees. The Hounds had gone, fools all of them. They hadn’t even taped off the house. They’d slapped the body on a tray and wheeled it out. But he’d been watching. He’d seen her shaking from magick overuse after she’d wiped the place clean.

  Protecting those beasts.

  Rage pounded in his temples, unwilling to be denied. She’d cradled them, loved on them. He turned, pacing. He needed a new plan. One that would really show her the kind of monsters she was dealing with.

  It felt like hours as he paced, short choppy strides jerking him back and forth between two aged oaks. He didn’t realize the sun had set and the temperature had cooled. Not until a car passed, slowing before the drive way and then speeding away once it had passed the house. He froze, head tilted. Had they seen him?

  No. He was too far back from the road, night had already crept in. But he waited. Listening. He couldn’t risk someone discovering him now. Fingers flexing he stood paused in the darkness, his ears tuned to every movement in the forest around him. He’d spooked all the birds away earlier, annoyed with their babble, but as night had fallen he’d heard their return, settling down to sleep among the trees.

  He even tolerated the crickets and their growing evening song as he waited. Finally, he heard the pad of heavy paws moving through the forest. Multiple animals, his ears told him and he turned his head, focusing in the direction they were coming.

  Behind the house?

  He strained his ears, rousing the damned dog inside him until the beast crouched up under his skin, lending the strength of its ears to his. Big heavy footfalls, catlike. A lighter set, ridgeback. He stiffened. Three of them.

  She’d come back with her lions. He checked the air, but it was calm tonight. Blowing his way, not theirs. Wrapping magick around him, he wiped his scent from the forest in clean, quick jerks of his hand. The crickets stilled but he roused them again with gentle prodding.

  They couldn’t know he was here. He didn’t want to kill her lions yet. They were still needed. Monstrous beasts that they were, he still had use for them yet. And she needed to learn her lesson. They padded across the forest until the two lions plunked down in front of the house. Large, shaggy black and brown manes draped over their gold coats. Moonlight silvered the edges, making them freakish. Ugly beasts.

  He swallowed back a growl.

  Where they rested like sloths, she danced through the woods on fast paws. Her nose low, scouring, and he waited, wondering what she’d find. She doubled back, again and again, checking the perimeter. He hadn’t left anything for her or the other Hounds to find.

  He was too careful for that.

  Finally she trotted back to the lions resting in front of the house, her tail low but not tucked. No, never tucked. She knew better than to show defeat. Her head twisted over her shoulder, looking, almost longingly. What had she thought she’d find?

  She rounded the beasts up and led them back into the woods. He watched until the three of them faded into shadows before he let himself move. He dragged the dog out, Shifting, and
ran along the perimeter, using his magick to wipe any trail of his scent as it worked. So, it seemed, had she.

  After the fourth circle of the property he hit the same dead end. Angry, he snarled, shoving the dog deep inside him as he strode for his car. He’d parked it farther down this time, stashed in the woods along a four wheeler trail. They’d gotten too close earlier, finding where he’d parked and all. But still, they knew nothing.

  Not yet, at least.

  He pulled out the lined papers that would have cleared Kanon from his first charges and snarled. She’d almost had him there, if she hadn’t gotten sloppy at the bar that night. He shook his head. That didn’t bear thinking about. She’d messed up.

  But soon he’d show her that her real mistake was in helping those monsters. Once she saw their real side she’d understand the truth.

  A dark smile curved his lips. Predatory.

  He was going to watch her destroy them.

  ***

  Tegan lay stretched over the hotel room bed, downright comfortable. Kanon was propped up amongst the pillows on the other, looking every bit as relaxed as they watched Lennox pace. She was a thing to watch. All tense muscle and come hither grace. Restless energy. Energy Tegan could think of plenty of better ways to expend.

  Except she was working really hard on trying to save Kanon.

  “Lennox.” Kanon chucked a pillow at her and she whirled, catching it before it hit her. Her slim shirt hitched up over the side of her jeans with the motion, revealing a sliver of skin.

  Damn. Tegan rolled his head back into the comforter and stared at the ceiling. As much as he wanted to wrap hands around her hips and drag her over, run his tongue over that bare patch of skin and taste her, he couldn’t risk it. They needed her.

  “The carpet is beat down enough, don’t you think?” She scoffed and Tegan grinned, letting his partner deal with her. If anyone could woo a restless, crabby as hell dog, it was Kanon. “Come here.”

  “No.”

  Or not.

  Kanon sighed. The bedsprings creaked, shifting under his partner’s weight and Tegan didn’t have to look to know Kanon was getting up. The soft thud of bare feet over carpet confirmed it.

  “Don’t,” Lennox started and the footfalls stopped. Tegan waited, not moving, not wanting to break whatever was happening between them, when he really wanted to watch.

  “Don’t what exactly?”

  She gave a grumpy growl and turned away, the short, choppy strides of her pacing resumed. She made it one full turn before Kanon moved, Tegan rolling to his side to watch as his partner caught her by the waist. One touch to her hip and she stopped, pulled up as surely as if he’d noosed her and dragged her against him.

  Her chin jerked up a notch, damn near defiant.

  Hell, he couldn’t take it anymore.

  Tegan rolled off the bed and strode right for her. Her shoulders drew back, breath hitching in her throat when he slipped a hand around her other hip. “Someone’s framing you for murder,” she whispered to Kanon. “You should let me think.”

  Kanon swept her hair back. “Honey, you’re thinking so hard your brain’s about to bust.”

  Tegan had never been much for redheads, especially not the orangey color of most, but the rust gave hers more flavor. Made it vibrant. Or maybe it was just the woman all that hair was on. And the length. He’d always loved a girl with long, long hair and hers stretched down to mid-back. When they stretched her out over the bed, her hair would splay over the pillows.

  Tegan lifted a hand and ran his fingers down the length of it, fingertips trailing over her back like a shiver. She trembled. “Relax.”

  She swallowed. If he didn’t know better, he’d have called that fear. A grin edged its way to his lips. She was supposed to eat men like them for dinner.

  “I don’t think that’s smart.”

  “Why’s that?” Kanon stepped into her, lifting one hand to her neck, keeping his other hand on her hip.

  Lennox made an impatient sound low in her throat and stepped away. Carefully putting distance between them and her. She looked spooked, edgy. And as wrung out as dirty dish rag. “Letting my guard down with the two of you in the same room. Doesn’t really read as the smart thing to do.”

  She’d given them her all today. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Lennox needed a break.Kanon moved to intercept her. There weren’t many places to go in a two bed, one bath hotel room, except the bathroom or out the front door. They were each blocking an escape, but if push came to shove, Tegan knew they’d both move and let her go.

  They couldn’t risk losing her.

  “Kanon,” he whispered.

  And as tired as she was, she looked ready to bolt.

  His partner glanced to him and that was all it took. Lennox ducked past him and disappeared into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind her. “Fuck,” Kanon muttered, shoving a hand through his hair.

  One glance at the raw grief etched over Kanon’s face and Tegan sympathized. “Yeah.”

  “Lennox,” Kanon called. “You okay?”

  “Fine. Gonna take a shower or something.”

  Hell. Like they needed that image, though at the moment, it beat the bloody replay currently running through his head. She was a distraction, a much needed one too. The groan that slipped from Kanon told him his partner was thinking the same thing. It’d been a rough enough day already, and Tegan wanted nothing more than to tug Kanon down on one of those beds and love him until he couldn’t feel anything else. Love them both, he realized with a quick look at the bathroom door. He wanted Lennox sprawled on those covers just as badly as he wanted Kanon.

  Sex was a damn good way of beating out the pain.

  Except, with or without Lennox, anything naughty they did between the covers would send her packing. Tegan shifted uncomfortably as the weight of the day settled along his shoulders. He’d never thought someone would die for them.

  A pained hiss ripped out of him and Kanon squeezed his shoulder.

  “Maybe we’ll go grab food,” Kanon called out, already reaching for the keys. “We could use the distraction,” he added quietly.

  That they could. Tegan knocked on the bathroom door. “You want anything special?”

  “No.”

  Fabric slipped against skin and they both froze, eyes locked on the door. Something scuffed over tile and he pictured her kicking her jeans aside, bare legged. He curved his fingers at the thought of slipping them under her underwear, dragging that thin piece of fabric down her legs. She paused. “Just food.”

  “Run,” Kanon muttered and shoved him out the door.

  No shit. If he stuck around he was either going to end up wallowing in grief on the bed, or beating down the bathroom door. Neither idea spoke well. One just made him sound pitiful; the other would have him trussed up in silver cuffs no doubt while Lennox debated whether or not to shoot him.

  He didn’t think she was the kind of girl who’d take a bathroom break-in nicely.

  Out of the apartment was about the only option left, so Tegan hustled out the door, leaving it open behind him Kanon to follow. He made it as far as the car, grief and frustration twin roars inside him, threatening to burst. But screaming in the parking lot didn’t read like a sane thing to do either.

  Kanon’s shoes slapped the pavement behind him and he spun, wrapping one hand in Kanon’s shirt. With a jerk, he yanked his partner close and crushed his mouth over Kanon’s, drinking him down in a kiss. The warm touch of Kanon’s lips on his eased the building need to scream, it drove back the desire to rip claws into the concrete under his feet. Tegan ran his hands up and down Kanon’s chest, feeling the muscles bunched under the fabric as he clung to him, letting Kanon hold him up as the world crumbled around them.

  “I can’t believe they’re dead,” he whispered as he broke the kiss, only to rest his head against Kanon’s shoulder, the faded scent of spicy cologne, mingled with the lingering taste of death in the air. It made it impossible to forget. Impossibl
e to erase the sight of Caro and Tristan, their brutally slaughtered bodies burned into the back of his memory. It wasn’t something Tegan thought would ever go away.

  Kanon’s hands tightened on his hips. “I know.”

  “I keep picturing her face at Metro.” He didn’t have to say who, Kanon would know. He always did.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Kanon murmured, pitching his voice higher so that it sounded more like Lennox, but the real grief in those words mimicked the heartfelt sympathy she’d offered them there. “Or when she stepped out of the house. God.”

  Just the memory of the sorrow in her eyes socked Tegan in the gut. He’d wanted to hold her too. Cling to her. All she’d offered them all day today had been strength, and right now, Tegan needed that. Kanon needed that. He didn’t really want to stand on his own two feet. What he wanted to do was burrow under the covers, curl up with Kanon and Lennox in his arms. Let her be the strength for all of them tonight.

  Except, Lennox wasn’t about to curl up between them.

  “I’m not even hungry.” Kanon sighed and slumped against him, pushing them both back against the car. The metal frame groaned under their joint weight, the only thing holding them up. Tegan wasn’t either, but they hadn’t eaten all day. And Lennox, she definitely needed food.

  “Yeah, but she’s got to be starving. She used a lot of magick to save you, us. And we need her.” Tegan thunked his head back against the car. “Don’t know if you’ve realized that yet or not, but shit. All that voodoo-juju shit she does? We need that. Her nose? Need that too.”

  Kanon gave him a sly look, the teasing turn to his grin marred only by the sadness still lingering in his eyes. “I can think of a lot of things I need from her right now.”