by Jessica Sims
All eyes in the room suddenly moved to Sara.
“There was,” Beau admitted, his tone guarded.
“So why are we following their bad example?” Alice asked. “What’s so terrible about turning someone if it’s in a controlled, measured environment? Why can’t someone be turned if they are vetted and double-checked? Does it matter if there’s one more were-cougar? It’s not as if we’re fighting for game. We have supermarkets for that sort of thing.”
Declan snarled, the sound feral and ugly. “What about that tiger boy? What happened there—”
“Wasn’t controlled,” Vic pointed out. “He didn’t have my permission or the girl’s. With both of those in place, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.”
“Nor I,” said Jackson.
“Nor I,” said another.
The lynx alpha shook his head viciously. “And what happens if our secret gets out? What happens if someone is turned and they go straight to the papers? Straight to the internet?”
“We’re not saying that things have to be changed overnight,” Alice said, her tone calm and unruffled. “We’re saying that we take control of things in a sensible manner. Do you think your clan members would go sneaking off turning someone if they knew all they had to do is talk to their alpha and have a few background checks run?”
Declan said nothing, his glare still clearly unhappy.
“I’m thinking it’s going to become more and more difficult to keep things a secret in the future,” Jackson said slowly. “The world’s changing too fast. Maybe it’s time we look at easing supes into mainstream society. Why should we hide what we are?”
Beau shook his head. “We’re not ready to go mainstream yet. But I’m thinking a firm nondisclosure agreement and alpha participation in regard to vetting female members is not a bad thing. My wife is human. Her sister was assumed human. The other two who work at the agency are human. So how is it that Giselle—who wasn’t the most reliable creature—was able to staff her agency with nothing but humans and no one had a problem with it?
“It’s because they were discreet and signed a nondisclosure agreement,” he continued. “She picked people she could trust and then gradually let them in on the secret, but she made sure she was protected first. That’s how turning a human should be handled. It should be handled delicately and among those we trust. And if someday we’re ready to embrace being out in the open with what we are, then we’ll approach that.”
Silence.
My palms grew sweaty, and I stared at the council, waiting. Under my hand, I could feel Josh was equally tense.
“Decision?” Beau asked. “Shall we put this to a vote? All those in favor of loosening the standards for turning humans?”
Six hands raised.
“All opposed?”
Declan’s hand raised. “I don’t like this,” he bit out. “It’s going to be abused. You wait and see.”
“Anyone who wants to turn someone has to go through their alpha,” Alice said in a smooth voice. “I have enough control over my pack to ensure that happens. You should, too.”
Declan’s scowl turned to her, but he said nothing else.
“It’s settled, then,” Beau said forcefully. “Share the news with your men. I’ll leave it to each clan to govern their own people. We’ll meet again in a month and reassess.”
Vic turned to Beau. “And what about my clan members who are in exile?”
Beau clapped him on the shoulder. “Bring them home. We made a mistake. We should be teaching and educating, not trying to instill fear into men who are desperate for companionship. If they want mates, we need to give them mates. And I doubt every woman in the Alliance wants to take two husbands to make up for the slack.”
“Not every supernatural acts like a were-fox, thank you,” Alice said in a lofty tone. “One mate is enough for most.”
“Is that it, then? Is Joshua free to go?”
The alphas remained quiet. “No objections,” one said at last, and my heart fluttered with joy.
I threw my arms around Josh, kissing his face wildly. He kissed me back, his mouth delicious on mine.
“I love you,” I told him, cupping his face in my hands. “I love you so much.”
“Marie, baby,” he said softly, his gaze moving over me. “You look beautiful. And healthy.”
“I’m sleeping,” I told him happily. Tears pricked my eyes, and I couldn’t resist kissing him again. “I’m sleeping every night.”
“I’m so glad,” he murmured, his voice husky with emotion. “So fucking glad.”
Someone cleared his throat, and I glanced up, remembering that Ramsey still stood there. He held up a key for the handcuffs.
Once Josh’s hands were free he took me in his arms, kissing me hard again.
“You shouldn’t have taken the risk,” I told him between kisses. “My life isn’t worth yours.”
“Your life is absolutely worth mine.” He grinned down at me. “Though I have to admit that I’m glad Greenland is off the menu. I don’t look nearly as dashing in a parka.”
I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck happily.
Another throat cleared and we looked over at Beau.
“Now that things are cleared with the Alliance, it’s time to talk to your alpha. Because he’s still furious at you.”
Josh just grinned and tugged me close. “Yes, sir.”
• • •
The lecture wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was mostly Beau reaming Josh out for being reckless and Josh accepting it without any protest, his arms wrapped around my waist as I sat in his lap. There was nothing Beau could say that we didn’t already know, and by the time he finished venting, the two brothers were laughing and easy once more.
“Can I go home with my woman now?” Josh said. “You’re wearing her out, and she’s still fragile from turning.”
Beau sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead. He looked as if he’d aged five years in the last few weeks. “Go home. Are you two going to be staying with us at the ranch?”
The arm around my waist tightened. “Actually, I thought I’d move in with Marie, if she’d have me.”
“Marie would,” I said in a pert voice, “except that Marie is probably going to lose her apartment now that she’s unemployed. I understand that Bath had to make a point that the client information is safe, but it puts me in the unemployment line.”
Beau nodded and looked at Josh. “This one, too, unfortunately. He’s not going to be in much demand as a vampire bodyguard now that word’s getting out about Andre. On the other hand, we will need an Alliance liaison to work with the vampire liaison. It needs to be someone charming but familiar with vampire bullshit. And having someone they’re a little intimidated by would be helpful.”
“That sounds like me,” Josh said lazily. “Tall. Sexy. Intimidating. Good with vampires. I’ll do it.”
I snorted.
“I haven’t given you the job yet,” Beau threatened.
“Nah, but you will,” Josh said with a grin. “You don’t want me and Marie living on your couch.”
“Great,” I muttered.
“Actually,” Beau began, then he crossed his arms and studied me. “I need an assistant, and I want someone in our clan because it requires confidentiality and trust. I thought about approaching Savannah, but Bathsheba’s hired her on full-time at the agency, and she seems to enjoy it. Things are getting a little hectic back at the security office, and I’d rather spend my evenings with my mate, instead of handling all the Alliance paperwork myself.”
I smiled, feeling hopeful. “I’m pretty good with paperwork.”
“She’s also pretty good at flaying people with her tongue,” Josh said mildly.
I pinched him.
“I imagine that’ll come in handy, given some of the people that call me on a regular basis,” Beau said in a dry voice. “When can you start?”
“When do you need me?”
“Hold on,” Josh said, movin
g protectively in front of me and raising his hands. “She’s my mate, and she’s still recovering from her illness. She needs a few weeks of rest before she thinks about going back to work.”
“A few weeks is fine for her,” Beau said. “You start on Monday. We have a little issue with the vampires that needs smoothing over.”
Josh grinned. “I’m your man.”
• • •
While Beau and Josh talked, I listened with only half an ear. I was sleepy, but it was a good kind of sleepy—not the terrible, dreadful kind of sleepy that meant I was going to have another bad night of insomnia. I yawned, enjoying the sensation.
Josh abruptly stood, taking my hand in his. “We’ll finish this conversation later, Beau. My mate’s tired.”
“Oh, but I’m not—”
Josh gave me a direct, meaningful look. A rather scorching one.
I shut my mouth.
Beau chuckled. “Just call me when the weekend’s over. We’ll see about moving your stuff. Both of you go get some sleep. I’m going to go home to my mate. It’s been a long day for all of us.”
As we left the courthouse, I had the tiniest bit of fear that we’d be ambushed in the parking lot by the angry lynx alpha, that this wasn’t just going to blow over.
Josh paused, staring into the parking lot.
My heart stuttered. “What is it?”
He gave me a wry grin. “My car’s not here. I forgot that I rode with Ramsey.”
“Oh. And I rode with Sara. Looks like we’re stranded.”
“Nah, wait here.” Josh returned a few minutes later with a pair of keys and jangled them at me. “We’re taking Beau’s Viper. Bath’s swinging by to pick him up.”
My eyes widened as we approached the sleek sports car. “He’s letting us take his Viper?”
He grinned. “I think he’s worried that if we linger, Bath is going to want to chat about the new plans for the agency, and he’d rather just take her home and kiss the hell out of her. Like I plan on doing to you.”
That sounded awfully good. “Let’s get going, then.”
As we drove, Josh told me about what he’d learned while being under house arrest with Ramsey.
It seemed that poor Lily was not so poor anymore. The Alliance vampires were horrified at Andre’s actions, and the bodyguard we’d tied up had corroborated our story enough that Lily’s crime of staking Andre was quickly swept under the rug. As hush money, the vampires had given her half of Andre’s fortune in a trust account. The other half had been given to the local reigning vampire lord.
My father’s name had never been mentioned in connection with the incident, which relieved me.
“That doesn’t fix Lily’s problems, though,” Josh told me. “She’s basically under house arrest until we figure out what to do with her. No one trusts her not to tell her side of the story, and she already ran once. When she’s free, she’ll be a rich woman. So we need to decide what to do with her until then.”
Poor dirty, frightened Lily. “I want to help her. Any way we can. I feel responsible for her.”
“The twins are watching her,” Josh assured me. “But we’ll go visit tomorrow, if you like, and make sure everything is okay.”
• • •
We drove back to my place in record time and parked the car, then Josh swung me into his arms and carried me up the stairs. I clung to his shoulders as he unlocked the door, pushed inside, kicked it shut behind us, then moved straight for the bedroom.
I chuckled and leaned in to kiss his neck, inhaling his scent. He smelled different now that I was were-cougar. Delicious and rich and full of woodsy notes that tickled my nostrils like perfume. No one smelled as good as Josh. I ran my tongue along the cords of his neck. “You taste as good as you smell.”
“You’re going to find that a lot of your senses are more sensitive now that you’re a were-cougar.”
“Mmm, sounds good to me. Is there a downside to this?”
“An intense attraction to fuzzy mice, tuna, and an inability to tell the alpha no.”
That didn’t sound so bad to me, since Beau was the alpha of our small group. “It’s a trade-off, I suppose,” I said lightly, running my fingers along the inside of his collar, then nipping at his neck. “I saw my mate mark.”
“You like it?” he asked in a husky voice, depositing me on the bed.
I curled my hands into his shirt and dragged him down next to me so I could keep kissing him. “I do. Do female shifters give them to their mates?”
“Sometimes,” he said, sliding a hand over my hips and resting it on the curve of my ass. “Did you see Ramsey’s neck? It’s covered.”
I shook my head. The big were-bear wore his blond hair long and shaggy. I’d check for it next time. “I guess Sara likes him a lot.”
“You could say that.”
I ran my fingers along his neck. “So can I mark you? Lay claim so all those other nasty were-cougars in the area keep their paws off?”
“Well, seeing as how the only were-cougars in this area are either male or related, I don’t think that’s an issue. But I’m more than happy for you to mark me and declare me all yours.”
I crawled over him, fascinated by touching him, the feel of his pulse underneath his skin. The scent of him was intoxicating. I moved in and licked his neck again, testing for just the right spot to mark him, and was rewarded with his groan of pleasure. “Am I going to like being a were-cougar?”
“Once you get the hang of shifting, yes. I’ll be at your side every step of the way, guiding you. And then, when you don’t need my help, I’ll be at your side chasing away any potential admirers.”
“I don’t want anyone but you,” I told him.
“Sweet Marie-Pierre,” he said, and grinned at the face I made. “I’m glad you’re all mine.” He knotted his hand in my hair and tugged my face down for another long, sweet, licking kiss. “And I’m so damn relieved that you’re better.”
“Me, too.” Then I sat upright, glancing around the room. “Oh, shit. My dad. I should call him and tell him everything is okay. He’s worried for you.”
Josh dragged me back down to his chest. “Call him tomorrow. Tonight, you’re all mine.”
“Only tonight?” I teased and leaned in to nip at a promising spot on his neck, enjoying his masculine shudder of response.
“We’ll start with tonight,” he said. “But I’m greedy, Marie-Pierre. I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to settle for less than every minute of the rest of our lives.”
“I’m okay with that,” I told him and sank my teeth into his neck.
• • •
That evening, as we lay in bed, Josh played with a curl of my hair, my chest propped on his. “I love you, Marie-Pierre.”
I pinched his side. “You’re cruel.”
“For telling you that I love you?”
“No, for using that name. Telling me that you love me is just . . . confusing.”
He sat up, jostling me from where I was nestled against him. “Confusing? What are you talking about?”
I rolled in the bed, moving away from him and wrapping up in the tangled sheets. “I don’t know. I just don’t see how you can be in love with me. Unless you fall in love with everyone you sleep with.”
“Well, this is flattering,” he said dryly. “You’re so good with compliments, it’s astounding that you’re single, Marie. Absolutely astounding.”
“I’m serious,” I said. “You’ve dated dozens of women. Gorgeous women. I’ve seen some of your dates. They’re bangin’. And you declare love for a skinny woman with enormous bags under her eyes and sleeping problems? You’ll have to excuse me if I have a hard time believing I’m not some kind of charity case.”
“Are you kidding me? You’re skinny because you were sick. Emphasis on were. And it didn’t take away anything from your appearance. I see a strong, determined woman when I look at you. That’s beautiful.”
“More beautiful than double-D cups?” I asked doubt
fully.
Josh laughed. “I can’t believe I’m reassuring you about your looks. Your figure is gorgeous. You’re gorgeous.”
I waved a hand. “It wasn’t mainly my looks I was worried about. I want to know why you love me, and not all those other women you’ve dated.”
“It’s just you—everything about you. The way you flay me with your tongue in one sentence and then devour me with your eyes the next. It’s your grit. Your refusal to give up when things look their bleakest. The way you won’t back down from a challenge. I love all of that about you. It makes me want to challenge you even more, just to see how you react.” He grinned. “It’s why I loved teasing you in the first place.”
I leaned in and gently kissed him. “I love you.”
He pulled me in close, grinning. “Now say something dirty in French, just for me.”
I laughed and did just that.
• • •
After a fierce round of lovemaking and a night of blissful sleep, I called my dad the next morning. We made plans to meet him and Posey for breakfast. I’d promised Josh that I’d tell my dad everything, though we were resolved to be careful about anything related to vampires or shifters, since Posey hadn’t signed a nondisclosure like Dad had.
The diner was crowded this morning, but as soon as we walked in the door, Carol gave a cry of delight, throwing her arms out to hug Josh. He enveloped her in a bear hug and gave her a smacking kiss. “How’s the most beautiful girl in the world doing?”
She batted at him with her notepad. “She’s still immune to your bullshit, young man.”
Oh, please. If there was anyone who loved his bullshit, it was Carol.
I was surprised when she moved to hug me. “You look well, honey. Those dark circles under your eyes are gone.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I’ve been catching up on my sleep.”
