She snuggled closer to him and pressed a kiss to his collarbone. “Go back to sleep.”
Ryan slid his hand down to rest on her ass. “Can’t.” But he’d stay with her, watch over her while she slept.
“Sure you can.” The words were whispered against his skin as she petted his chest. “Try. For me.”
Purely to indulge her, he closed his eyes and enjoyed her petting and stroking him. Her hand soon went limp and her breathing evened out. Ryan just lay with her, content and relaxed while he had the scent of his mate in his lungs, her skin beneath his hands, and her—
His eyes snapped open. He’d almost dozed off. Actually, if the bedside clock were to be believed, he had dozed off. For over two hours. He rolled onto his back, grabbed his cell phone from the small cabinet, and checked the time. It seemed the clock wasn’t lying.
Makenna hummed, having woken at the loss of his warmth. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s eight o’clock,” he said, disbelieving.
She frowned. “So?” Realization then dawned. “You fell back asleep? That’s good.”
He grunted, returning to her.
“And it’s nice to wake up and find you here. You’re usually gone.”
Something in her voice made Ryan frown. “That hurts you.”
“Hurts? No, I know your job is important. But imagine if every time you woke up, I’d already left. It would be nice to have me here for a change, right?”
Ryan scowled at the thought of her gone each time he awoke. He liked that she was the first thing he saw when he woke up each morning. Liked being able to kiss her before he left, even if she were asleep. “I’ll change some of my shifts around.”
Makenna blinked, sure she’d misheard him. “Say what?”
“I don’t need to do the early perimeter run six days a week. I’ll reduce it to two.”
“I wasn’t trying to guilt you into changing your hours.”
“I’m doing it because I want to.” And because anything that even minutely upset her wasn’t acceptable to him. “Just like you’re going to reduce the amount of days you work at the shelter a week. You don’t take a single day off.”
She narrowed her eyes. “We talked about this already. The shelter is important to me.”
“It should be. And it should be part of your life. But it shouldn’t be your life.”
“Says the person who works longer and harder than the other enforcers.” It was more than that, though. She’d come to realize that his job was all tangled up in who he was. Probably because he’d started training when he was just a child. “I’m not complaining. I’m just saying you’re being a little hypocritical here.”
“I’ve just said I’ll change some of my shifts around.” His mate slowly raised a brow at him. “You don’t think I will?”
“I think you’ll go stir crazy having spare time on your hands.”
He kissed her. “I won’t if you’re with me.” It was the truth.
She twisted her lips, pondering the idea. “I’ll take one day off a week.”
“And you won’t stay late each night just because you don’t have to work at the gas station anymore.”
“You work late hours.”
“I’ll stop if you stop.”
She searched his eyes, which was pointless, of course, as they rarely gave anything away. “You honestly think you can?”
“I want more time with you.”
How could she say no to that? She rubbed her nose against his. “Okay. As it happens, I won’t be working at all today. I need to go shopping.” Dante and Trick had picked up her things from her landlord yesterday—there hadn’t been much left undamaged. Most of her clothes had been slashed with her own kitchen knives. She’d been more upset to hear that her Mustang now looked like a heap of scrap. It would seem the extremists had had some fun with it.
“I’ll come with you.”
Makenna blinked. “You heard what I just said, right? That I was going shopping?”
“Yes.”
“I really don’t see you having the patience for a shopping trip. You’re a tracker; you have a hunter-type personality. I’ll bet you treat shopping like military missions: you go inside, retrieve the item, and then leave just as fast.”
Yes, that was exactly what he did.
“Me . . . I’m a browser.” She kissed his chin. “I will drive you insane.”
Then it wouldn’t be much different than any other day. “I’m coming with you.” Until the Remy situation was over, she wasn’t going anywhere alone.
She exhaled heavily. “If you’re sure.”
“You’re not going to argue that you don’t need my protection?”
“I never did understand those book and movie heroines who insist on facing danger alone. There’s being capable of protecting yourself, and there’s being plain stupid. In a one-to-one fight, I wouldn’t need you to step in. But against a group of extremists, I could do with a little help.” Their prior attack on her had quite clearly shown her that. “And I know being away from me while I’m a target would make you crazy. I don’t want to do that to you.”
She understood him well.
“And, hey, maybe we could pick you up some stuff too.” His “no thanks” grunt made her smile. “I’ve seen your wardrobe. It’s comprised of three brands at most, and you wear the same stuff over and over.”
“Because I know they fit and they’re comfortable.” That was all Ryan required from the things he wore.
“But you only wear dark colors.”
“I only like dark colors.”
“Whatever. It’s clear that you can’t be helped. Now, are you positive that you want to come along? Because you will be bored, and you will become exasperated, and you will want to cry. I could ask Jaime and Taryn to come along instead; then I wouldn’t be alone.”
“I want to go with you.”
“All right, but don’t say you weren’t warned.”
Four hours later, Ryan was fast losing the will to live. At first, shopping with his mate hadn’t been so bad. He liked seeing her enjoying herself, liked seeing her relaxed and carefree. Also, he’d foolishly thought that she wouldn’t take too long, even though she’d told him she was a browser. Why? Because just before they left, he’d caught her scribbling things on a sheet of paper. When he’d asked what she was writing, she’d replied, “I always make a list of the things I need. Then I promise myself I won’t deviate from that list. It’s stops me from buying shit I don’t need and then spending too much.”
The practical rule had surprised and impressed him. What he hadn’t considered was that her determination to not waste money would make the shopping trip even longer. If she were on the fence about anything, she’d leave it. If she weren’t 100 percent happy with the color, texture, fit, and price, she wouldn’t buy it.
So off they’d go to another store. And he was the mule.
He’d quickly learned that his mate loved bargains. If there were a sale on, she was right there. Not that she bought things just because they were on sale. No, she didn’t buy something unless she would have bought it if it hadn’t been a bargain. That didn’t stop her from checking every rack, every shelf, and every floor. And where did she get all these coupons?
Then there were the times she asked for his opinion. Didn’t she understand he didn’t have the credibility to comment on clothing that all looked the same to him anyway? Didn’t she see the sweat building on his forehead at the prospect of saying the wrong things and hurting her feelings? And why ask his opinion when it was clear she’d already made up her mind on what she wanted?
There were no guarantees that she would buy something even if she were 100 percent happy with it. No, she’d check a comparison price website on her cell phone. If the item were cheaper elsewhere, she’d drag him to that store instead.
She tried on everything. And she wasn’t fast about it either. What irritated him was that when she finally walked out of the fitting rooms, it was often to tel
l him she didn’t want the damn things or that she’d come back at the end-of-the-season sale and get it cheaper. Ryan never tried on anything. He just bought it and took it home. If it didn’t fit, he’d hang it up in his wardrobe even though he’d never wear it.
As such, he was now hungry, thirsty, bored, and tired. But he couldn’t be pissed at her. He’d brought this on himself. Makenna had warned him. Several times, in fact. She also regularly suggested he should go home.
When she finally announced she was done, Ryan couldn’t help but burst out, “Thank God.”
She laughed. “Come on, let’s go eat.”
It was the best idea she’d had all day. Fearing that his stomach was eating itself out of desperation, he pretty much hauled her into the nearest restaurant. Just as they were finishing dessert, her cell phone rang.
Makenna smiled as she greeted, “Hey, Dawn, how are you?”
“I have good news and bad news.”
As a sense of foreboding came over Makenna, she put down her spoon. “Hit me with the bad first.”
“One of our sponsors called to report that a wolf tried blackmailing him into withdrawing his funding.”
Makenna cursed, and her wolf snarled. Ryan, who would be able to hear every word, didn’t outwardly react, but she knew he would be pissed. Then something occurred to her. “Wait, you said ‘tried.”
“That’s the good news.” There was the slightest smile in Dawn’s voice. “Not only does he refuse to be intimidated, he’s agreed to testify about the blackmail attempt to the council.”
That really was good. They would need whatever help they could get to convince the council that Remy was responsible for all the trouble happening around the shelter.
“It was nice to have some good news, especially after what happened last night.”
Makenna frowned. “Last night?”
“The computer crashed. Seems someone sent a virus that messed up the whole system. If it wasn’t for you insisting on me keeping backup files on the memory card, I’d have lost everything.”
As a strong possibility occurred to Makenna, cold invaded her limbs. “Motherfucker.”
“What?”
Dread a heavy weight on her chest, Makenna replied, “Remy sent the virus. But what if he managed to hack into the system first? He could have all our files.” She shot a questioning look at Ryan, hoping he’d contradict her.
Frown deepening, Ryan said, “It’s possible. There are some viruses that are used as ploys to gain access to whatever information is in the computer hard drive.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. “Think what that would mean.”
Dawn gasped. “He’ll know the names of the loners who are in hiding. He could expose them. Makenna, we have to get them out of here.”
Her stomach churning, Makenna dragged a hand through her hair. “If he got the files last night, we don’t have much time. Personally, I doubt he’d expose all of them at once. He won’t want the shelter damaged in a war of any kind.”
Dawn took a calming breath. “That’s true. But I don’t think we should risk it. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Makenna fully agreed, which was why she and Ryan headed straight to the shelter. On the drive there, Ryan called Trey and explained the situation. He told them he would send some of his wolves to meet them at the shelter very soon.
When Makenna entered the building, she found a manic-looking Dawn talking animatedly with Colton. Catching sight of Makenna, her shoulders seemed to lose some of their tension. She drew Makenna into a hug. “Honey, thank you so much for coming.” Pulling back, Dawn looked at her neck and smiled a little. “Someone’s been claimed. I’m glad you both finally accepted the inevitable. Congratulations.”
Ryan accepted her words with an incline of his head. Colton also passed on his congratulations. Ryan ignored him and moved closer to Makenna. Anyone who didn’t know her well probably wouldn’t sense how on edge she was. Ryan could see that she was doing her best to stay strong for the others—as usual putting other people before herself. His wolf wanted to nuzzle her, comfort her.
The door opened, and Ryan turned to see Jaime, Dante, Trick, Dominic, and—what the fuck?—Zac enter.
At Ryan’s scowl, Dominic quickly said, “I seriously doubt these loners are going to be happy about leaving with perfect strangers—especially since you look like a serial killer, Trick has that scary scar, and Dante’s so big he has his own zip code. But they know Zac. If they see he’s fine and well, they might be more comfortable coming with us.”
Ryan couldn’t deny that he made sense, but he didn’t have to like it. Makenna didn’t appear to like it much either.
“How many need to relocate?” Jaime asked.
“Originally, there were nine,” replied Dawn. “Now there are only three.”
Ryan asked, “Are they children or adults?”
“One adult, two children. None of them are wolves. Would that be a problem?”
Jaime shook her head. “Our pack has agreed to give them refuge, no matter what species they are.”
“Thank you. You don’t know how much I appreciate this. They’re in my office with Madisyn.”
Makenna was glad that Ryan stayed at her side as they headed to the office; the simple contact of his arm brushing hers was somehow soothing. She was pissed, she was worried, and she wanted to burn shit down. The shelter was supposed to be a safe place, a sanctuary, and Remy had ruined that.
“Do you think they’ll agree to leave with us?” Ryan asked Makenna.
“They might for the simple reason that Zac trusts you all. But honestly, I’m not sure. Riley is . . . well, you’ll see.”
As they entered the office, the scents of cheetah, snake, and raven hit Ryan all at once. His wolf stilled, already on edge due to Makenna’s anxiety. Madisyn rose from behind the desk, and the other adult female planted herself in front of two small children. He’d seen the three from afar during one of his visits.
He doubted they were at all related. The adult female was small and had dark iridescent hair typical of a raven shifter. The little boy had a mop of blond curls and was crouched behind the raven, ready to pounce. The second child, who coiled herself around the raven’s leg, had caramel pigtails and golden eyes that didn’t once blink as she took in the strangers with a solemn expression.
Zac held up his hands. “Guys, it’s okay; this is my cousin, Ryan, and my pack mates, Dominic, Jaime, Dante, and Trick.”
The little girl tried to dash to Makenna, but the raven barred her way with her arm.
Dawn sidled up to the loners. “Riley, you can stand down. They won’t hurt you or the children. In fact, they’ve offered to give you all a place to stay. They’re good people. We wouldn’t have let Zac join their pack if they weren’t.”
“But like Zac said, one of them is his cousin,” said the raven, cutting her eyes briefly toward Ryan. “Just because they’re good to him doesn’t mean we should trust them.”
“They wouldn’t expect your trust, Riley,” said Makenna. “They just want to help.”
Riley’s keen gaze studied the Phoenix wolves. “Why would you want to help us?”
“It’s the right thing to do,” replied Jaime. “Every child—human or shifter—should be protected. You’re clearly willing to protect them, but you’ll have a problem doing that all by yourself if someone comes for them. I don’t know what your story is, and I’m not asking. All I’m asking is that you let us help. For their sake.”
After a long silence, Riley glanced briefly at Dawn. “We’ll come. But just until this all blows over. This is Savannah, who’s four, and Dexter, who’s two.”
Dominic got down on his haunches, smiling at the children. “I’m pleased to meet you.” Zac squatted too, and both he and Dominic told the children about the pack and their territory, about how much space they would have to run and all the local wildlife. Savannah and Dexter listened intently, gradually relaxing.
Makenna leaned into Ryan as she said in a low
voice, “Dominic’s good with kids. I didn’t expect that.”
Jaime snorted. “Dominic can charm anyone . . . although sometimes that charm is a little twisted.” Ryan grunted.
“We parked the Chevy near the side alley,” said Dante. “It should be easy enough to smuggle them inside. The windows are tinted, so they don’t need to worry about being seen. Trick and Dominic will be staying behind at the shelter. From now on, there will always be two Phoenix enforcers around. If Remy’s done what you suspect, there will be trouble at this door soon. The protective wards will stop them getting inside, but magick won’t stop them from causing a huge fuss or damaging the building.”
“No offense,” said Makenna, “but if that happens, two enforcers won’t be able to take them on.”
“No,” agreed Jaime, “but it will knock them off balance.”
Trick nodded. “If any of those assholes come here, they’ll do so expecting to be able to easily break into the building and take whomever they’ve come for. They won’t anticipate loners having the protection of a pack. When they realize that their actions will mean taking on our pack, they’ll be careful how they proceed.”
“Our pack might not be as huge as Remy’s,” said Dante, “but it’s one thing that his is not: respected. The fact that we’re also strongly allied with the Mercury wolves—a pack that’s equally respected—makes us people that most shifters hesitate to fuck with.”
Makenna rubbed the back of her neck. “You’re right in what you say, and having some enforcers around here can only be a good thing. But if your pack is seen to be helping us, someone could guess that you’re the ones hiding those that need sanctuary.”
“Not if we tell them how Remy’s just trying to sic people on the shelter to make it easier for him to claim this territory.” Trick shrugged. “It’s not the complete truth, but it’s not a lie. I doubt they like him much anyway, since he’s constantly taking over packs and increasing the size of his territory. Shifters won’t like that because it can make him a threat.”
Ryan wondered if Remy had considered that if he were seen as too powerful, there would be shifters who would unite to take him out. That would be a really good day.