"I'll never do to you what he did, Lizzie-girl."
"I know." Elizabeth pressed her palm to her chest. "I know that in here. My head is still all fucked up."
"Let me explain something," Ronan said in a quiet voice. "To me, you accepting my mate-claim means that I protect you, no matter what. If that includes protecting you from myself, then so be it. I take care of you, I cherish you, I don't let men like Marquez or whoever this asshole is hurt you. You never have to fear them again. Or me, or any Shifter. I'd be your bodyguard. Bodyguard for always."
Ronan saw hope flicker behind her fear, but the fear was still strong. "Can I think about it?"
"Think as much as you want." Ronan leaned to kiss her mouth, tasting coffee and the cinnamon Ellison had sprinkled onto it for her. "Accepting my mate-claim will protect you more, but I'll protect you no matter what."
Elizabeth kissed him in return, then she caressed his cheek, a touch that had already become dear to him. "Thank you, Ronan," she whispered.
*** *** ***
Scott was indeed full of chagrin when he woke in the morning, and very hung over from the effects of his Collar. The whole family took pity on him, and Ronan made his favorite breakfast, a mountain of waffles with berries and honey.
Scott then said that Elizabeth and Mabel wouldn't have to move; he'd go. He'd already called Spike and arranged to stay with Spike and his grandmother, both well capable of keeping Scott in line. Scott left after breakfast, mumbling about bunking down with crazy-ass wildcats, but he seemed relieved to go.
Mabel was happy to stay longer with Cherie, and now she was talking about coloring her hair to match Cherie's natural brown and blond chunks.
Elizabeth opened the store with Ronan, Ellison and Spike showing up to continue fixing the wall and door. Elizabeth felt a little shy with Ronan after the declarations of the night before, but Ronan took it all in stride, remaining his normal, bantering self. He never mentioned the mate-claim or the secret of her past Elizabeth had revealed to him.
He was giving her space, she realized. No man Elizabeth had gone out with had given her time to think things over. Elizabeth thought she could fall in love with Ronan for that alone.
Over the next few days, her life took on a new and comfortable routine. She and Ronan rode together to the store every morning, Spike and Ellison showing up to work on finishing and painting the new wall and door. When that was done, they looked around for other things to fix. They charged her nothing, behaving as though repairing her shop was what they woke up every day to do. Elizabeth knew that other Shifters--the trackers, everyone called them--lingered nearby to guard the store and look out for cops, but Elizabeth never saw them.
Rebecca's birthday fell on that Wednesday. As much as Ronan claimed she didn't want to be reminded, Rebecca was pleased and touched when Ronan made her a special breakfast Wednesday morning, and the family plied her with cards and gifts. Rebecca opened the one from Ronan in trepidation, clearly expecting a joke, and then looked stunned at the artisan-crafted glass-bead jewelry Elizabeth had picked out for her. The colors were bold but beautiful, the artisan knowing how to combine shape and color for a pleasing whole. Rebecca kissed Ronan soundly on the cheek, although she thanked Elizabeth, knowing the choice had been hers.
Pablo Marquez did not return that week, nor did he send anyone in his stead to make threats. The neighborhood around Elizabeth's store and house remained quiet. Elizabeth started to hope that she could go home soon.
Then again, she was not all that eager to run back to the lonely house she and Mabel occupied. The house could be lively when Mabel was there with her joie de vivre, but Mabel would start back to college in a week or so, and between that, the shop, and her many friends, Mabel would rarely be home. Elizabeth suspected that, anytime now, Mabel would announce plans to move out on her own. And then Elizabeth would be alone again.
Ronan's house, on the other hand, was full of life. When Elizabeth went home, she'd miss the loveable Olaf, Rebecca's wisecracks about anything and everything, Cherie's young enthusiasm, Ronan's giant breakfasts, and of course, Ronan himself.
Every night after Elizabeth closed the store, she went with him to Liam's bar. There she'd talk and joke with Andrea, Glory, Ellison, and other Shifters she was coming to know. Whenever Ronan took a break, he'd sit down with Elizabeth, and at the end of the night, they rode home on Ronan's bike, Elizabeth's arms around his waist.
And they'd talk. Morning, noon, and night, she and Ronan seemed to never run out of conversation, or jokes about anything they could think of. Even silences with him were companionable, Elizabeth never feeling pressured to come up with something brilliant to say.
She'd never had a relationship like this, where she could actually talk to a guy. What's more, Ronan listened. It was a new sensation. In Elizabeth's previous relationships, the man in question had expected her to talk when he wanted her to, shut up when he wanted her to, and have sex with him whenever he wanted her to. Whenever he wanted, never mind Elizabeth's needs. His pleasure counted, not hers.
Ronan, on the other hand, was perfectly happy to steal kisses with her, as though they were wayward teenagers, whenever and wherever she liked. They made a game of it, coming up with unlikely and unusual places to duck away for kissing: her office bathroom, the broom closet at the bar, behind the back shelves in her store, in the root cellar of Ronan's house, in the back of Ellison's pickup. The Shifters--especially Rebecca and Ellison--made fun of them, but Ronan lapped up their teasing with enjoyment.
Elizabeth liked the turn her life had taken, which at the same time seemed fragile and new, like a seedling lifting a first tender shoot above the soil. There was hope and warmth, but also fear of impending storms.
The next storm came in the form of Julio Marquez, who was waiting for them in the shadows of the Shifter bar's parking lot when Ronan and Elizabeth emerged the next Friday night. The bar had closed an hour before, Ronan shutting down for Liam so he could go home to his family.
Ronan stepped fully in front of Elizabeth. Nate and Spike came out of the darkness to flank Julio, Nate in his human form, Spike as a jaguar.
Julio opened his hands then carefully lifted his jacket to show that he carried no weapon. His face sported healing cuts from his fight with Ronan, reminders of Ronan's strength, but also reminders that Ronan could temper his strength.
"I came alone," Julio said. "I just want to talk to you."
One week ago, Elizabeth had grown dizzy with terror when she'd looked into Julio's cold eyes over his gun. Now she tasted pure anger. A spark from Ronan's Collar flashed white in the night, and he growled.
Julio raised his hands. "I swear to God, I only want to talk. You made a fool out of me, chica, but I'm not crazy enough to go one-on-one with a Shifter."
Elizabeth stood in silence. Anything she said--even agreeing to let Julio speak his piece--might allow his lawyer to claim that her testimony against him was compromised. She was willing to bet that any lawyer hired by the Marquez brothers would be slippery enough to do so.
"You have three seconds to leave," Ronan said to Julio. "Or I go through you."
"No, no." Julio took a step back. "I'm here to apologize. My brother was right--I was stupid."
Elizabeth remained silent, and Ronan followed her lead.
Julio went on. "I know you think I've come here to ask you not to testify against me. And you're right. I really don't want to go to prison. I'm sorry for what I did, but I was just having fun. You know, showing off for my friends."
He was a cool little liar. He might dupe a person more naive than Elizabeth, but she'd seen many performances like his, most of them better. Julio had been ready to kill her last Friday night, not caring who she was or who in the world depended on her. She'd been a means to get to the money, something to be disposed afterward. That was all.
"I know you're pissed off at me," Julio said. "So I'll make a deal with you. You know the Shifter fight clubs?"
Ronan waited. He was a f
rightening sight out here in the dark, looming like a giant, his Collar gleaming in the moonlight.
"Here's my deal," Julio said. "You, Shifter, come out to the fight club out east of here tomorrow night and fight my champion. Spike knows where it is. My champion's a good fighter, but I've seen you, and I think you'd have a chance against him. You win, I leave you and your lady alone forever. You testify at my trial, do whatever you want. If my champion wins then you agree to not to testify, get out of town, and leave me the hell alone. Got it?"
Elizabeth longed to shout at him, to lambaste him for coming here and expecting her to cut a deal, when he'd been the one who'd shoved a pistol into her face and tried to take away everything she had. What should she do, apologize for not being a helpless victim? She clamped her lips closed, struggling against the words.
Ronan's Collar sparked again. "Not interested," he said.
He started walking, directly at Julio. Julio sidestepped, and Ronan pulled Elizabeth along past him. Nate and Spike closed in.
"You're going to want to take my deal," Julio called, voice edged with desperation. "Don't walk away from me so fast . . . Rachel."
Elizabeth knew she shouldn't stop, shouldn't react. She should ignore him, have every inch of her body language say, Who's Rachel?
But she froze, one foot in the act of striding, while fear hit her so hard she wanted to be sick. She sensed Ronan slow beside her, felt his curiosity, his caution.
"Rachel Sullivan," Julio went on, glee in his voice. "You have a juvey record longer than mine. Yeah, I can see what's in old files. My brother got into bed with a hacker--literally, she's screwing him. Mouthy bitch, but she knows her stuff. You got mixed up with a very, very bad dude, didn't you? I bet he'd love to have Pablo call him and tell him he knows where Rachel Sullivan is."
Ronan's growls rose as he spun around, his Collar throwing out sparks like lightning. Nate and Spike flanked him.
Julio backed away, but he didn't run. "Kill me now, and an email gets sent to his phone in the morning. If you agree, and I make it home before the message is timed to send, I'll erase it. You say no, or you kill me . . . well, there will be no one to push the delete key. Then you have to deal with him."
Elizabeth finally spoke. "I take it your brother doesn't know about this little deal?"
"Pablo told me to take care of my problems on my own. So I'm taking care of them. But my brother and his hacker chick know all about you and your sister. The foster homes, your arrests for pick-pocketing and shoplifting and your little scams, you avoiding jail by the skin of your teeth."
"I never went down for armed robbery," Elizabeth said, voice tight.
"You would have, eventually. You were a desperate little chiquita."
"You aren't desperate," Elizabeth snapped.
"I told you. I did it for fun. Well, Shifter? You gonna show up and fight? Or let your punta 's ex find her and let her know how pissed he is at her for leaving him? Probably he'll show you too."
"No, Ronan," Elizabeth said. "Don't bargain with him."
Ronan's voice cut over hers. "Get the hell out of here, you little shit, before I let Spike rip you apart."
"Take my offer, Bear," Julio said, stepping backward toward the darkness. "Take it or that email goes."
"Fine. Spike."
Spike rushed him. Julio turned and ran, satisfactorily fast, but he called back, "See you tomorrow night!"
He melted into the darkness, a kid well versed in getting away as quickly as he could. Spike loped after him and Nate followed.
Ronan watched them go, remaining planted until he was well out of sight. He took Elizabeth's hand again. "Come on. Let's go home."
Elizabeth ripped herself out of his grasp. "Don't you dare say let's go home like nothing's wrong."
"Let's go home and talk about it, inside," Ronan said emphatically.
"Yes, all right." She was shaking. Hearing her real name come out of Julio's mouth had made bile rise in her throat. "You can't seriously mean you'll do what he wants."
"I don't," Ronan said. He leaned to her. "Now, let's go home."
*** *** ***
Elizabeth held it together long enough to ride behind Ronan through the streets of Shiftertown to his house tucked beneath spreading trees. Ronan drove around to the back of the house and shut off the bike. No lights glowed in the house and they didn't have outdoor lights to illuminate the back--Shifters saw well in the dark.
Ronan lifted off his helmet and hung it on the bike, and did the same with Elizabeth's. Before she could move toward the house, he put large hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him.
"Tell me the guy's name."
"Not if you mean you'll go after him. He's too dangerous, Ronan. If you think Pablo Marquez is dangerous, he's small potatoes compared to this man."
"I know he's dangerous, and I know Marquez is too. I told Julio I'd agree to the fight so he wouldn't send the damn email. Julio's a brat, but he can hurt you just by being stupid. Tell me his name. We need to know."
"What is wrong with you?" Elizabeth's voice rose, and she didn't care. "You Shifters think you're unstoppable. Well, you're not. You wear Collars, for God's sake. You have to live in Shiftertowns, you're treated like second-class citizens. What makes you think you can go after a huge drug lord and survive when the cops, the FBI, and even other gangs can't make a dent?"
"Because Shifters don't give a rat's ass about Collars and Shiftertowns and idiotic human rules!" Ronan shouted back. "The humans feel so good that they've restricted us and controlled us, don't they? So safe, because the beasts are in the cage. Meanwhile, if you hadn't noticed, we do whatever the hell we want."
Yes, Elizabeth had noticed that. She remembered the courtroom, where the judge, prosecutor, and bailiff had been nervous and ill at ease, while Liam and Ronan hadn't been worried at all. They'd been in control, and they'd known it. Ronan, also, nonchalantly escorted Elizabeth to her store every morning, blatantly disregarding his restriction to remain in Shiftertown. He took precautions not to be caught, but he went.
"I still don't want you fighting whoever Julio's coerced into working for him," Elizabeth said.
The glint in Ronan's eye was maddening. "Why not? It might be fun."
"Ronan."
"You let me worry about the fight, and you let me worry about this drug lord. Now, who is he?"
"Damn it, Ronan, if you go up against him, he'll kill you. He won't wait to talk. He'll kill you and all your Shifter friends. I'm not kidding."
"I'm not kidding, either. Why do you think Pablo Marquez has left you alone all week? Because Dylan and Sean went and had a little talk with him. Marquez is making plans to shut down his business here and open up somewhere else."
"I never heard that."
"Of course you didn't. The Morrisseys, they do their shit, and they shut up about it. I didn't tell you, because I liked seeing you not worry about him. Now I want to make sure you never have to worry about this other guy--whose name you're about to give me."
Elizabeth pressed her hands together. She didn't know what to do, and her indecision and fear made her eyes blur with tears.
Ronan softened his touch. "Sweetheart," he said in the tender tone she'd come to love. He drew her against him. "Don't be scared. I take care of you now. That's what it means to be mate-claimed."
"But I could lose you." Her voice broke. "I finally found something good, and I'll lose you!"
Ronan cuddled her close. "Lizzie-girl," he said, lips brushing her hair. "Shh."
They stood together in the night breeze that cooled the humid air, rocking together. The pain that laced Elizabeth's heart made more tears spill to wet the black T-shirt stretched over Ronan's chest. She'd had so few good things in her life, so few good people, that everything in her cried, Don't let go.
She wiped tears from her eyes as she rose on her tiptoes and kissed him.
Ronan's mouth was a warm place in the night, tasting of heat and spice. Elizabeth clung to him as he kissed h
er back, his tongue stroking hers with gentle possession.
This man had become, even in such a short time, a rock in her life. To have someone take him away from her--no!
Ronan warmed her back with his big hands, his touch soothing. "We should get inside," he said. "Not the house. Rebecca's upstairs taking care of Olaf, and your sister and Cherie are talking like crazy in your room. Shifter hearing. And scent," he said, by way of explanation as to how he knew this. "Besides, my room's always a mess."
He gave her a little shamefaced smile as he said this last, which made Elizabeth kiss him again. He gestured toward the Den, and she nodded. Ronan took her hand and led her there.
* * * * *
Chapter Thirteen
The Den empty, dark, and quiet. Ronan turned on a lamp and closed the shades against the night.
He didn't try anything romantic like carrying Elizabeth to the bed this time. He simply kissed her while he slid his hands under the hem of her cropped top and lifted it off over her head.
She wore a tiny black bra underneath, a strip of satin and lace above which her breasts swelled. She closed her eyes as Ronan drew his fingertip along her butterfly tattoo, bared in its entirety now. It had tasted fine the other night. Ronan lowered his head to taste it again.
Elizabeth made a little noise of pleasure, and her fingers came up to furrow his hair. She smelled good, the cinnamon scent overlaid with her own musk. He tasted perspiration and her as he glided his tongue over the smooth line of her tattoo.
Elizabeth slid her hands down his back and tugged at his T-shirt. Ronan obliged her by pulling off the shirt and tossing it away. He was rewarded by Elizabeth running her hands down his torso, fingers finding his flat nipples among wiry hair.
"You have to be the largest man I've ever seen," she said.
"Kodiaks get big." Ronan slid his hands to her waist. "You, though, are tiny."
She laughed softly. "Oh, please, I've never been called tiny in my life."
"You are to me. And yet . . ." He moved his hands beneath her breasts. "You have curves a man could lose himself in."