by T. S. Ryder
"Why?" he asked before he could stop himself.
"Why not?"
"You're not a shifter. Discrimination against people like me wouldn't hurt you if you hadn't gotten involved."
"Discrimination hurts everybody, whether they're willing to admit it or not. What if God gave us the cure to cancer, but the teenager He gave it to committed suicide because they felt they could never be accepted?"
"You make a good point. I wish more people could see it that way." Joseph found himself stroking her hair again and moved his hand away. Physical boundaries were necessary. "I'm glad that we have you on our side, Ana."
She ducked her head. "So… Seth told me that shifting isn't always hereditary. Did you always know if you were a shifter?"
"Pretty much. I was able to distinguish my thoughts from my Bear's at a young age. But my parents never tried to suppress that part of me. I know a lot of shifters aren't that lucky. People whose parents heard that they were brutes for so long that they started thinking it of themselves, and then passed on that mentality to their children."
His gaze flickered to her lips. He wanted to taste them so badly he forgot what he was saying.
"And that makes them more susceptible to mental illness." Ana's voice was pitched. She was leaning forward, her gaze on his lips as well. He could see her pulse beating in her throat.
I can't, Joseph thought. I'm meant to protect her, I'm on a case… I haven't even told her she's...
Our mate, his Bear said firmly.
What about Buck?
He'd say go for it.
It was true. All resistance crumbled as their lips brushed together.
Chapter Seven
She knew she shouldn't–not only was the timing and situation all wrong, but everything that Joseph did told her that he was just one of those beefy jerks who thought he was better than anybody else. Well, almost everything… There was a tenderness to him occasionally that she hadn't been expected.
But, she didn't need another guy like that in her life. She didn't need somebody who would use her and leave her with a broken heart, an empty bank account, a pregnancy scare. Whatever it was, he would leave her. Just like all of the others did.
But the moment he kissed her, she forgot all of the reasons why she shouldn't want this. There was fire in his lips, a fire that sparked her blood and sent shivers down her spine. Ana seized his head, digging her fingers in his hair and thrust her hips forward, grinding against him.
Belatedly, she realized that it probably wasn't the best course of action… men like Joseph Baker, in her experience, liked to be the ones doing the seducing—
Holy Crap!
Her eagerness woke something in him and he answered hungrily, gripping her so tightly that he lifted her half an inch off the floor. He spread her thighs to either side of his body, bringing her injured leg up over his hip. Ana gasped into his mouth as he supported her with one hand and slipped the other under her shirt.
Ana's skin tightened. Joseph caressed her breast, tweaking the hardening nipple with one hand. He ground more firmly against her. She did her best to grind back against him, kissing his neck now, nipping at his collarbone.
"Tell me what you want," he whispered.
Joseph pushed her bra up to her chin and tugged her shirt out of the way, letting both feet back on the floor as he began kissing each breast in turn. Ana struggled to think as heat and pleasure coursed through her. She always did like it when men paid attention to the girls, and feeling his mouth on them in real life was so much better than the dream she'd had.
With one hand, he pulled her pants down to her knees. Another moan broke from her as he retook his position against her, brushing his lips against hers while he cupped her. She could already feel how ready she was as he eased a finger inside of her. Her muscles clenched, sucking him in deeper.
"Tell me what you want," he ordered again. "What you've always wanted and never done."
Thoughts and positions flitted through Ana's head. What did she want that she had gotten? All her previous boyfriends only did the same old plain vanilla sex. She was too heavy to do it standing, they said, or her butt was too big to do it from behind. It was only missionary for them, over before she even got started.
Blood rushed to her chest and face, heating those areas thoroughly, as Joseph slipped his finger in and out, his thumb moving lazy circles a little higher. She stared into his eyes; they were dark with lust, yet there was a pained look to them, too, a kind of desperation.
"From behind," she blurted. "Hard. Like animals."
He responded to her by lifting her from her feet. Pressing more open-mouthed kisses to her mouth neck and breasts, he carried her the few steps to the bed and threw her on. Ana bounced, unable to stop a thrilled giggle from erupting from her throat. This was really happening! Her heart was going so fast she thought she might have a heart attack.
Joseph seized her hips and flipped her onto her stomach in one fluid motion. Ana moaned, shaking her head.
"I need to help you first."
A deep, throaty chuckle that sounded nothing like Joseph answered her. "That won't be necessary. When you say hard, how hard do you want it?"
The sound of his zipper had Ana's mouth so dry she couldn't answer. All of the moisture in her body seemed to be concentrated between her thighs and she rose on her hands and knees, backing up to the edge of the bed. She met him and groaned. He was right–he didn't need any help getting ready for her.
"Ana?"
"I don't know. I've never done this before. I'll let you know." Ana twisted, grinding herself against him in desperation. She needed this so bad… if he wasn't inside her soon she might scream!
The first time he entered, it was so slow that she was almost in tears. At the same time, she recognized that it needed to be slow–he was so big that she stung a little, stretching to accommodate him. Ana chewed on her lip, desperately holding in her pleas for more. He pulled out–she moaned in protest–he pushed back in, faster this time. And faster, and faster, until her breasts were bouncing with each thrust. Ana braced herself against the bed, loving the feelings he could evoke in her.
"Is this good?" he grunted from behind her.
Something warm filled her chest. It wasn't the same sort of heat that was building in her stomach, making her feel full and tight, building to a point of snapping. It was something else… she loved that he was concerned about what she liked, what she wanted, not just his own pleasure.
"Yes!" she gasped, loving the feel of his hands, one gripping her thigh, the other tracing small circles on her back. "Joseph!"
His steady rhythm built her higher and higher until her arms were trembling with the exertion from keeping herself in place and she was crying out with every thrust, blind with the pleasure. Something snapped inside her and she went spinning over the edge, throwing her head back in a long howl. She collapsed onto the bed. Joseph went after her, his huge hands on either side of her, his body against hers but holding himself up just enough that he wasn't crushing her. He bit her shoulder, hard, then kissed it when she cried out.
Ana almost asked him to bite her again, she liked it so much, but she was panting and couldn't get the words out. They lay there together, half on the bed, bodies still joined. Ana's eyes slid shut. She was perfectly happy at this moment. Perfectly content. Satisfied.
Mated.
***
Ana woke the next morning feeling stiff but still glowing. It had definitely been too long since she last had sex!
Joseph wasn't in the bed. When Ana opened her eyes, she saw that he was writing on a piece of paper. She yawned, loudly, and he turned. There was a hesitant, regretful smile on his lips and Ana felt the euphoria that still held her from their night start to fade. He regretted sleeping with her. Already, she could see that he was going to leave–that was what he was planning right now!
"You were just going to leave me with a note?"
"I got a call from one of my contacts. I might have a
lead on where Seth is being held."
Ana bolted out of bed. "I'm coming."
"Ana."
She ignored him, hunting for her clothes. Her heart was in her mouth. Seth. They could find him, save him. She knew he wasn't dead, she knew it! They would be able to find him and bring him back to where it was safe. And they would put the scum that kidnapped him behind bars, and everybody would see what sort of people these anti-shifters nuts really were.
Joseph crossed the room as she retrieved her pants and began stuffing a leg into them. He grasped her wrists, stopping her, and shook his head. "Ana, no. You are not going to come with me."
"Do I have to blackmail you again?"
"Go ahead and try. Your safety comes first. It has for a while now… I let them take Seth because I heard you scream."
"You–What?"
"I… I have been fighting my feelings for you, Ana." There was a look of deep regret in his eyes. "I'll explain everything, I promise I will, but I won't be able to save Seth if I think you're in danger. Trust me on this one. The best thing you can do is stay here. Stay safe. Give me something to come back for."
The earnestness in his eyes, coupled by the words she never thought she would hear him say left her speechless. Ana opened and closed her mouth, breathless as a fish, but somehow managed to make herself nod.
It would be dangerous for me to go with him. Whatever brings Seth back… and Joseph, too.
The detective kissed her; it was as wild as passionate as it had been the previous night, and then he was gone.
Ana sunk onto the bed, her mind reeling with everything that had happened. Her night with Joseph suddenly took on a completely different light… that feeling she had had, mated, like she was that one that he would be with forever. It had seemed ridiculous last night and she had brushed it off, but in the light of day she couldn't help but wonder if it was real. What if the feeling Joseph had been fighting wasn't just animal lust… but the urge to take her as his mate?
What would she do if it was? She’d only known him for a couple days, it was too early to say that she loved him. Wasn't it?
But was it determination to get Seth back that made her willing to risk her life and seek out the anti-shifter group, or was it because she began trembling from just the thought that she might never see Joseph again? Seth's mate was human, and she had told Ana that she knew the instant he did…
Ana believed in love at first sight, so wasn't it possible that love and lust were mixed into her reaction to him when she saw him for the first time?
She showered and dressed on autopilot, thoughts bouncing around in her brain. It was ridiculous to think that she would be his mate. She wasn't entirely certain what was real and what was myth when it came to that… it was one subject that Seth was rather tight-lipped about. But she did know it was more than sex. And that when a shifter mated, it was for life. She always thought she was a for-life kind of girl, but what if she wasn't? What if she thought she loved him right now, but when she got to know him better, she didn't?
I can't start worrying about futures I'm not sure will happen, she told herself firmly.
There was nothing to do in the hotel room and though she remembered Joseph's admonishment to stay where she was, her stomach growled. There was nothing wrong with going across the street for a croissant, was there? After the week she had, she deserved it. Maybe a donut, too.
She didn't see the white van pull up onto the street until it was right beside her. Before she could even process what was happening, two men dressed all in black jumped out. They seized her around the waist and lifted her from the ground.
Ana screamed as they forced her into the van. She grabbed the door, trying to stop them, but one of them hit her knuckles, making her release it. The door slid shut. The men forced her to the floor, her hands twisted behind her back. Something hard hit her head, and everything went black.
Chapter Eight
He couldn't go after these nutcases alone. Ana's knowledge that Fischer had asked for the captain of his precinct personally helped make seeking him out a little easier, although it still grated against Joseph to ask the captain for help in this situation. His Alpha instincts were strong, especially when combined with his loner personality, and more often than not, they demanded that he take care of his own problems.
At the very least, he always had to be at the head of his investigations. Certainly not put himself at the mercy of people he wasn't sure he could trust.
But he had to trust the captain. For the sake of shifters throughout the country, and for Ana's sake. It was unlikely that those crazies would stop coming after her once Seth was dead. It was made clear she was a target when they destroyed her car. It was a message to non-shifters, showing them what would happen to them if they allied with shifters. Ana, PA to Senator Fischer, was the perfect target to do that.
A growl was already building in his chest, and when the captain ordered him into his office and wouldn't let him speak, that growl emerged.
"Save it," the captain said. "I have something you need to hear."
Recording equipment was set up on his desk and Joseph frowned as the captain pressed the playback button. Soon, however, it became clear why he thought Joseph needed to hear this. Ana's sweet voice played, trembling with fear. Joseph stiffened and clutched at his chair, the blood draining from his face until he felt dizzy.
"My name is Ana Medina, PA to Seth Fischer. I am being held by the Human Rights Association. If they do not receive two million dollars by noon tomorrow, I and Senator Fischer will be killed. The drop must be made by Detective Joseph Baker."
She went on to describe the exact location where the drop was going to be made and Joseph held onto every word Ana said, desperately trying to keep the roar of fury and grief from breaking free. He should never have left her. Never. It was stupid to think they wouldn't go after her, that they wouldn't find her.
But she was alive. For now, he would have to cling to that and hope it stayed that way.
No, his Bear said. Not hope. We will find them. We will make sure they don't hurt her.
"Do we have the money?" he asked and, to his surprise, his voice came out flat, with none of the fury he felt.
"We're getting it." The captain narrowed his eyes at Joseph. "But why do they want you, Baker? In my experience, these types of kidnappers don't want cops anywhere near their ransom money. So why phone us and demand you make the drop?"
Joseph met the captain's eyes. If Ana died, his life was over anyway. So there was no point in hiding his true identity anymore. "Probably because I'm a shifter, and Ana is my mate."
Yes, his Bear agreed. Our mate. And those who have taken her will die.
He couldn't have agreed more.
The captain raised a brow. "Your mate?"
"They must have figured it out because I was so protective of her."
The captain looked startled for a moment, then shook his head and smiled wryly. "I knew there was something special about you, Baker. Can't blame you for not wanting to tell people. Your career—"
"With all due respect, sir, I don't care about my career right now. I need to get Ana back."
The captain nodded. "Of course. Now here's how it's going to happen…"
***
The next day at noon, Joseph carried a duffle bag containing two million dollar through the park, every muscle in his body tense. He knew there were plainclothes cops all around him, having been sent in earlier that day to make sure they didn't tip off the kidnappers. He glanced at every unfamiliar face, wondering if they were the ones who had taken his precious Ana.
He was past trying to convince himself that he didn't need a mate. She was his, and without her, his life would be utterly meaningless.
He reached the drop-off point and put down the duffle bag, glancing around to see if anybody suspicious was around. He spotted a woman jogging towards him and narrowed his eyes. There was a suspiciously bulky shape under her shirt… which turned out to be a water b
ottle.
"Get out of there, Baker," he heard the captain say through his earpiece. "You know the drill."
Joseph clenched his hands, but there was nothing for him to do but walk away. There was something off about this location. It was open, right next to a busy street. It provided a lot of opportunities for the other police to watch the location—
As he passed a park maintenance van, he heard a gunshot muted by a silencer. Fiery pain bit through his leg and he fell, reaching for his own gun.
Two of the maintenance men grabbed him. He lashed out, landing a solid blow to one of their faces. Something jolted against the back of his neck, sending pain flaring through him. Taser, his brain said, and then shut down.
***
Joseph woke in a cage. He was light-headed and dizzy. Blinking away the spots still dancing in front of his eyes, he tried to take in his surroundings. It appeared he was in a warehouse of some sort. The space was big and dusty, lit by fluorescent lights. He was being moved, his cage on a forklift. Picking himself up, he grunted as pain shot through his leg. A tourniquet had been tied on his knee, stopping the blood flow to the bullet wound in his calf.
Shifters healed more quickly than humans, but he could see that if he didn't get medical attention soon, he'd lose the leg because of the tourniquet; if it was loosened before his leg was properly treated, he'd bleed to death.
The cage dropped, making Joseph wince, and a half dozen men crowded around the cage. They all carried cattle prods and the detective growled.
"Where am I?"
"Where animals like you belong," one of the men replied. "Now we can either do this the easy way or the hard way." He lovingly stroked his cattle prod. "Get up."
It was difficult to do with an injured leg, but Joseph dragged himself to his feet. So the whole ransom had been nothing more than a ploy to kidnap him, too. Why? What use was he to these nuts? He wasn't a well-known shifter, nobody was going to care much about his death. Except he was a detective… maybe this was to try to show that the police wouldn't protect shifters, even one of their own?
