“I never said anything about letting them win.” Sean finally looked at her, and she suddenly understood why Liam had backed down from him in there. Yes, Liam had done the backing down, she knew, and probably Dylan had understood that too. Sean had shielded his eyes first, sure, but he’d let Liam know he was breaking eye contact on purpose, so that Liam wouldn’t lose face.
“Do you think I want to see my nephew bloodied up like Ely?” Sean asked. “Or my father? Or you? Especially not you.” He stopped and faced her, his breath streaming like fog. “It’s a damn scary thing claiming a mate. I want to protect you all the time, and never stop.”
Andrea tried to smile. “Maybe you should have considered that before you claimed me.”
“I did. I’ve thought about it a lot. For ten years I’ve pondered it.”
His gaze was intense, but Andrea looked back at him in surprise. “Ten years? You only met me a few weeks ago.”
“Ten years ago, my brother Kenny died. Ten years before that, Kenny lost his mate, Sinead. Both of those nights were the worst of my life, together with the day we lost our mum. All three of those times, I thought I’d die from the grief.”
Andrea knew what he meant. She’s been tiny when her mother had died, but the loss still pulled at her heart. “I’m sorry.”
“When Dad arrived the night Kenny died, when he and Liam saw that Kenny was already dead, Dad just folded up on himself. Right there on the ground, curled into a ball. I’d lost my brother, but he’d lost a cub, a child he’d made with my mother. The mate bond between Dad and my mum was strong. And now Dad had lost another link to her.” Sean cupped Andrea’s shoulders, his fingers points of strength. “Is that what taking a mate is, ultimately, Andy-love? Nothing but loss?”
A lump formed in Andrea’s throat. “I don’t know.” The mate bond, that almost magical quality, had nothing to do with the mating ceremony itself, but made mates live and die for each other. “My mother and stepfather were mate blessed but never formed the bond,” she said softly.
Sean raised his brows in surprise. “I’m sorry, lass. If they didn’t, that’s a tragedy.”
“I was little, but I could tell. My stepfather adored my mother, but she didn’t love him the same way. She was grateful to him, fond of him, but there was no bond. She’d never got over my real father, you see. The Fae.”
Sean’s eyes flickered. “That so, love? I thought ...”
“That he raped her?” Andrea’s smile was wry as she shook her head. “That was the official story. Less humiliating for the Lupines if she didn’t go willingly to a Fae, isn’t it? But she loved my real father. She never stopped loving him.”
“Damn. That must have been hard on you.”
“My stepfather is a kind man, and I love him. My mother knew he’d not harm me when I was born, even knowing I’d been sired by a Fae, and he didn’t. He loved me for her sake. But she accepted his mate-claim out of expediency, not love.”
Sean touched the curls at the base of her neck. “That doesn’t mean you need to accept out of expediency, lass.”
“I know. But it made me not want a mate pairing without the mate bond, which was why I said no to Jared.” Andrea grimaced. “Well, that, and he’s an asshole.”
“Even though the mate bond can tear us up in the end?” Sean slid his hands around her waist, under her coat. “In there, thinking of you being shot, falling at my feet, me having to stick my sword through you, like I had to with Kenny.” He swallowed. “I don’t ever want to have to do that, love. Never, ever.”
So that was the difference between Sean and Liam. What Liam saw as giving ground and retreating, Sean saw as keeping loved ones safe. Because Sean was the one who’d have to look at those loved ones last.
The thought made Andrea want to hold him. She slid her hands up his arms, loving the feel of the firm biceps beneath his coat, and locked her fingers behind his neck. Such strength and such compassion rolled into one male.
“Then you’ve changed your mind about wanting me as your mate?” Andrea had the right to walk out of the mate claim, but then, so did Sean. But the thought of him turning away from her made her heart suddenly ache.
“I should. To save myself from the hurting.”
“Can we ever? Hurting is part of life, isn’t it? So is happiness.”
Sean caressed the small of her back. “When did you become the wise one?”
“The day I told my whole Shiftertown I wouldn’t mate with that sorry excuse for a Lupine, no matter how much he and his friends terrorized me.”
Sean’s touch became stronger, his mouth relaxing. “I’d have given a lot to see that. I bet some wolf jaws dropped.”
“They didn’t exactly applaud me.”
“And you knew they wouldn’t. But you did it anyway. That’s my girl.” He sounded proud, which warmed her.
“Scariest thing I’ve ever done.” Well, that and meeting Sean for the first time, but the fear had been markedly different.
Sean’s mouth softened even more. “But you being brave doesn’t mean you’re strong enough to take a bullet through your body. Liam’s determined to keep the bar open, but I don’t want you working there for a while. Not until we get this thing solved.”
Andrea stepped back. “Wait a minute. Not go to work? Screw that.”
Sean looked at her in surprise. What, he was expecting her to meekly say, “Yes, Sean,” and obey? Looking into his eyes, she saw that he did. Oh, he did, did he?
“Andy-love, if I hadn’t thrown you to the floor that night, you’d have been hit. You were right in the line of fire.”
Andrea planted her hands on her hips. “If Liam can hire more guards and keeps the damn door closed, we’ll be fine.”
“Right. You’ll be fine walking home alone at night from the place. Fine stepping out in the dark to empty the trash. You don’t need to work; you’re provided for. Dad made sure this Shiftertown was filthy rich. The jobs are to give the human social workers something to put in their reports.”
“I know that. It’s not the point.”
“Waiting tables at a bar isn’t freedom, love. It’s showing humans what they want to see.”
Just because Sean was sexy, and she hoped they could form the mate bond, didn’t mean he couldn’t drive her crazy. “No, it’s helping out Liam. It’s the side bet I have with Annie on who can get the best tips out of the humans. It’s me with a bit of money of my own so I can buy myself a car and not have to depend on Morrissey handouts. It is freedom. To me.”
“But it isn’t safe.” The growl came into Sean’s voice. “Let Liam and me find these bastards and stop them first.”
“You and Liam don’t know who these people are or what they want or what they’ll do to get it. You’ll run off after them and get yourselves shot. Me, I’m just waiting tables in a bar protected by some very tough Shifters.”
Sean’s growl grew more pronounced. “So, what, you got yourself away from a crazed gobshite just to let yourself get offed in a drive-by?”
“What do you expect me to do?” Andrea didn’t bother to keep her voice down. “Lock myself in the house and never leave it? Or maybe in your house?”
“At least there I could keep an eye on you.”
“No.” She poked Sean’s chest. “I just got away from a creep who wanted to lock me up until I gave in to his mate-claim, every wolf in my pack happy to let him. Do you think I came here to hide myself away, cringing from every sound? Well, forget it. I’ll take my chances with the trigger-happy humans.”
She wrenched her boot heel from the muddy soil and marched away, but Sean was beside her in an instant. “You’re brave, lass, but stupid.”
“Oh, thank you very much. I understand, all right? You don’t want me to die, and I appreciate that. I don’t want to either. But I need to live my life, make my own decisions, take my own risks.”
“Be a lone wolf?” Sean laughed, but the laugh held no warmth. “We couldn’t afford that in the wild, and we can’t now.??
?
“This isn’t the wild. This is Shiftertown, in the twenty-first century. And I’m tired of Shifter males trying to bully me.”
Andrea started stalking away again, and in her heels, she could work up a really good stalk. Sean, though, could stride along there with her.
“Not bully, love. Protect. Jared deserves to die for trying to keep you submissive, trapped, and vulnerable. That’s not how we cherish a mate.”
“You are the most idealistic male I’ve ever met.”
Sean slid his warm, strong hand into hers. “Someone has to be.”
“I’m not giving up my job, Sean.”
“Mmm.”
He stopped arguing but didn’t agree either. Andrea clenched her jaw even as she twined her fingers through his strong ones. They’d argue some more later, she knew that, but as long as they were fighting it out, that meant Sean hadn’t won yet.
That night Andrea had the dream again. The threads that sought to bind her glittered evilly, the metallic cords tightening to crush her.
Andrea.
It wasn’t Sean’s voice this time. She had no idea who it was, and terror kept her from placing it, kept her from thinking.
Fight it, Andrea. Get free.
“I’m trying!” she shouted.
The threads choked her, suffocated her. Incoherent screams left her throat, and then something else bound her, iron bands, bigger, stronger, thicker than the threads. She clawed at them, dove upward from a well of sleep to find Sean in bed with her, his strong arms hard around her.
“Hush now,” he murmured. “You’re all right. I’ve got you.”
Part of her wanted to struggle away, to yell at him. But terror drowned her, and she welcomed the warm, safe haven Sean offered.
Her body relaxed as he kissed her hair and drew her back against him. Andrea’s eyes closed as he continued to cradle her, and she drifted into exhausted slumber.
When morning light touched Andrea’s face, she sat up to find Sean out of bed and moving to the window, though the mattress still held his warmth. He wore only black briefs and a white T-shirt, the clothing molding to his body. A beautiful sight to wake up to.
“Sean.”
Sean turned. “I didn’t mean to wake you, love.”
Andrea hugged the pillow he’d slept on to her chest. “You know, I’ve never yet seen your wildcat.”
Sean studied her a moment, hands on hips, then he grinned. The smile warmed every part of her, and so did him tugging the T-shirt off over his head. His wide chest was dusted with dark hair, tight muscles moving under liquid dark skin. Sean obviously spent his summers shirtless in the sun.
Looking away was out of the question. Especially not when his hand went to his waistband, and the briefs slid down.
Strong, tanned legs. Narrow hips. A phallus thick with desire, rising from a dark thatch.
Yep, I was right. Black-haired all the way down.
Andrea saw this only briefly before Sean’s limbs distorted with his shift. Claws sprouted on his hands and feet, which almost instantly turned into paws. His face elongated into a feline’s, eyes becoming white blue, lips lifting from a row of pointed teeth. He dropped to all fours and shook out a lion’s mane that grew down past his huge shoulders. It too was black.
Growling, Sean started for her. His paws were gigantic, his tail long, his eyes in his broad face light blue. Sean came for the bed, his intent clear.
Andrea held up her hands. “Don’t you dare jump up here. Glory will never let me hear the end of it if you break the bed.”
Sean put his forepaws on the mattress. Andrea found herself on her back, covered in warm fur and hot wildcat breath. His mane ticked.
Sean gave her face one long lick.
“Cat spit. Yuck.”
Sean licked her again, thoroughly wetting every inch of her face. He moved to her neck, then her chest, burrowing into the top of her pajamas.
“Sean Morrissey, you stop that.” Laughing, she shoved at him, but she couldn’t budge him an inch.
His growls sounded smug, the look in his eyes satisfied. He nuzzled her with his huge velvet nose, which was like being nudged by a thousand-pound kitten.
“Damned Feline.” Andrea stroked his face, reveling in the warmth of Sean’s fur, the wiry heat of his mane. She’d never touched a Feline Shifter before, and their fur was different from wolves’. Softer, less shaggy, more like hot silk. She pressed a kiss between Sean’s eyes, and he closed them, rumbling in his belly. Purring.
“Are you staying for breakfast?” Andrea asked him. “Should I tell your dad to make enough coffee for you? Or maybe pour out a bowl of milk?”
The purr turned to another growl. Sean backed off the bed, shook himself like the cat he was, and strolled to the window.
He was a beautiful beast. Each Feline’s coat was different, and Sean’s was lionlike, tawny with a hint of the broken spots of the jaguar. He gave her a look over his shoulder, one that said he knew that she liked what she saw. Conceited shit. Sean climbed over the windowsill and out onto the porch roof.
Andrea slid out of bed and went to the window in time to see him crouch on the edge of Glory’s porch roof. She bit her lip, then let out her breath as he leapt gracefully across the space of the yard between the houses and landed on the Morrissey porch roof.
On his feet, of course. Sean sent her another look over his shoulder before he climbed into the open window to his own bedroom.
Andrea closed the window on the cold air. She’d been a little worried that she’d find Sean repugnant in his Feline form, but no. He didn’t repel her at all. He was gorgeous in any form he wore.
Sean had left his T-shirt and underwear on the floor. Andrea picked up the briefs, looked at the waistband, and grinned. At least now she knew what size he wore.
Andrea had never been to a human clothing store before. The Colorado Springs Shiftertown had been isolated, it had been difficult to get into town to do any shopping, and Andrea’s stepfather had never had a car. Andrea’s usual practice was to order her clothes from a catalog, and they’d been delivered to a post office that served all of Shiftertown.
Glory swept up Andrea and took her to a street she said was called South Congress, or SoCo, with funky shops and flea markets, one of the few shopping areas that allowed Shifters. Andrea approached the shopping trip with excitement and guilty pleasure. She knew Sean would have a conniption if he knew she and Glory had left Shiftertown on their own, but Sean had driven off on his motorcycle earlier that morning, probably to talk to the police again about the shootings or maybe on some other errand for Liam.
Andrea had the feeling Sean was going to be very nice to Liam for a while after nearly making a leadership challenge the day before. Knowing Sean, he’d do that to keep the peace, not because he thought he’d been wrong.
Glory parked her small car in a tight space right on the street the instant another car deserted it. While humans got busy gawking at Glory’s six-foot, svelte body in skin-tight black leather, Andrea was able to browse the flea markets without attracting much attention.
On this cold Saturday, Andrea’s sweater and leather coat hid her Collar. Her Fae blood made her a little shorter and slimmer than Glory, and she could walk right past most humans without them realizing what she was.
Of course, she thought wryly, whenever Glory was nearby, Andrea could stride around naked with a big arrow pointing to her Collar, and no one would notice.
Glory walked into a store that carried men’s and women’s clothing similar to what Glory liked to wear. The girl behind the counter, who made bright red and yellow vinyl look cute, snapped her gum and said, “Hey, Glory. How are y’all?”
“Not too bad, Mabel. Need to pick up some things for my honey.”
“Y’all know where to find them. You need any help, you just let me know.”
Glory nodded in a friendly way and led Andrea to an aisle filled with men’s T-shirts and boxer shorts in all colors and designs. Shelves and racks also
held gadgets, the function of which Andrea had no idea and wasn’t sure she wanted to.
Glory snatched up some black satin boxers covered with big red hearts. “How about these for Dylan?”
Andrea burst out laughing. “For Dylan?”
“You’re right. He’s not so flamboyant. I’ll go with subdued.” She picked up some bright blue ones, with two golf balls surrounding a disproportionately large golf tee printed on it. “Dylan’s mentioned golf.”
“He has?” Andrea moved to the stand that displayed briefs.
“In passing. Mostly to say that only humans would invent a game where they hit a ball and then chase after it themselves.”
“Not an aficionado then.”
“No.” Glory put back the boxers and moved to browse the gadgets.
Andrea picked out three pairs of briefs, the designs of which made her laugh. She pictured Sean’s face when he opened the package and laughed harder.
A waste of money, really, Andrea thought as she took the briefs to the counter. Sean would either get the joke or look disgusted, but either way he’d throw them away.
But what the hell? It was Andrea’s tip money, and who said she couldn’t have fun with the mating dance? If Sean insisted on holding her when she had bad dreams and worrying about her getting hurt, she got to tease the hell out of him.
“Oh, those are cute,” Mabel at the counter crooned. “Are you a Shifter?” she asked as she put the purchases in a bright red shopping bag. “You don’t look like one.”
Andrea pulled down the edge of her sweater to reveal her Collar. “’Fraid so.”
“No offense. All right?” She had a musical Texas accent and winning smile.
“No offense.”
“How’s that Connor doing? Tell him to come in more often. I’m starting to think he’s forgotten about me.”
Mabel looked too sane to be a Shifter groupie. She didn’t wear Collar-like jewelry or have the frenzied look many groupies had. She had dark, friendly eyes, and maybe she just liked Connor.
Andrea smiled at her. “I’ll tell him.”