The Shifters began discussing the technical details of the hunt—who would go with whom and where they would look. Addie slipped away and down the hall to check on Jaycee.
* * *
Jaycee was sitting up in her bed in a tank top over her T-shirt, her golden hair tangled. Any other woman might look haggard like that, but not Jaycee. She looked pleasantly mussed, like a pinup girl at an old-fashioned mechanic’s shop.
“Kendrick giving you the spiel about Lachlan?” Jaycee asked when Addie entered. She tapped her ear at Addie’s surprised look. “Shifter hearing.”
“Yeah, he did. Lachlan sounds like a peach.”
“There was always something wrong with him.” Jaycee looked troubled. “Kendrick doesn’t say, but he admired Lachlan, even wanted to be like him. Lachlan had a lot of courage and, at first, was very protective of his people. Then . . . something happened. Everyone says he snapped but I think he was finally showing his true colors.”
“Well, whatever he is, he has everyone spooked,” Addie said. “He wasn’t dragging you off to do anything good, that’s for sure.”
Jaycee flushed dark red. “I heard how you stopped them. Thank you.” The words came out awkwardly, and Jaycee flicked her gaze away from Addie’s.
“I was scared to death,” Addie said. “I had no clue what to do but getting in their way seemed the best thing.”
“You didn’t have to.” Jaycee brushed her hair from her head with one plump hand. If she were human, she might worry she was “overweight” and frantically go on crash diets, each one weirder than the last, but Jaycee looked exactly right to Addie. Her form fit her perfectly—strong but with curves, soft rather than hard.
“Didn’t have to do what?” Addie asked. “Save you from crazy Shifters? I didn’t, in fact—I only delayed them until Kendrick could get there.”
“I haven’t exactly been nice to you.” Jaycee’s flush deepened. “Not real subtle of me, trying to keep you from Kendrick.”
Addie waved it away. “Oh, please. If I gave up everyone who wasn’t nice to me to kidnappers and murderers, the population of my hometown would dwindle real fast. It doesn’t matter if we don’t get along, Jaycee. You’re Kendrick’s family—or as good as. Families stick together, even if they fight. Just ask my sister. We used to go at it when we were kids—we still do if I think she’s being ridiculous about something.” She said the last with a pang in her heart. She looked forward to a nice cozy talk with Ivy when this was all over.
Jaycee watched Addie in surprise. “I didn’t think a human would understand that.”
Addie huffed a laugh. “You don’t know much about humans do you? We’re not that bad. Well, some are, some aren’t. Probably a lot like Shifters.”
“How do you tell?” Jaycee hugged her knees to her chest, the sheet tight against her legs. “How do you know the good humans from the bad? With Shifters, at least, we have scent, body language, warning signs.”
“They’re there with humans too. You just have to learn them.” Addie lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “Truth to tell, it’s mostly trial and error. If I was better at it, I wouldn’t have let myself get engaged to a total jerk. I had a lucky escape but only because he dumped me. I would have gone through with it.”
More surprise. “You were going to mate? I mean, get married?”
Addie nodded, the pain of those memories having lessened a long way in the last few days. “Yes, because I thought it was what I needed to do. But I see now that it would have been a mistake of colossal proportions.”
Jaycee’s gaze turned awestruck. “The Goddess was keeping you for Kendrick.” She groaned and buried her face in her knees. “I was trying to thwart the will of the Goddess. Oh, I am so stupid, stupid.”
She banged her forehead with each stupid. Addie, alarmed, sat down on the bed.
“What are you talking about? My engagement was a long time ago. It has nothing to do with this.”
Jaycee lifted her head, eyes glittering with tears. “That’s what you think. You were abandoned by this man because you weren’t meant for him—you were meant for Kendrick. The Goddess knows what she’s doing.”
Addie started to laugh. “No, he broke it off because he was an asshole. I knew he was—I just tried to tell myself he was better than nothing. Guess what? He wasn’t. It has nothing to do with Kendrick, or your Goddess, or you. Don’t worry.”
She patted Jaycee’s knee, something she wouldn’t have dreamed of doing when she’d first met the woman. Addie now felt a sort of protectiveness toward her—Jaycee had showed her vulnerable side and Addie had new sympathy for her.
Jaycee’s gaze rested on Addie, misery in her eyes. “You have it. The mark of the leader’s mate. You have the compassion, the ability to surrender yourself to it. I never did. I don’t know why I thought . . .”
Jaycee bowed her head again and began to shake with sobs.
“Oh, honey.” Addie moved closer and daringly stroked Jaycee’s back. “I’m so sorry.”
Jaycee continued to cry, rocking a little, but she didn’t shake off Addie’s hand. When she raised her head, her face wet and nose running, Addie grabbed a box of tissues from the nightstand and shoved it into her hands.
“See?” Jaycee plucked out five tissues and mopped her face. “You know how to take care of people.”
“I was a waitress for a long time,” Addie said. “I guess I’m used to it.”
Jaycee gave a watery laugh. “It’s more than that, and you know it. I should have seen . . .”
“That’s enough of that,” Addie said briskly. When strong people fell apart, in Addie’s experience, they could really go to pieces. “Kendrick needs you to help him, not blubber in the bedroom. Dimitri . . . he needs you too.”
Jaycee groaned and clapped more tissues to her face. “Dimitri. Oh, Goddess. I was hoping last night was delirium.”
“Why?” Addie set the tissue box down again. “Dimitri’s hot. I love red-haired guys.”
Jaycee wiped her nose with the tissues. “I’ve known Dimitri forever. We’re trackers. We fight together, we train, we spar . . . He’s always known how I felt about Kendrick.”
“And he’s hot,” Addie said. “I think that’s important to point out more than once. You could have pushed him away last night. You didn’t.”
“Crap on a crutch,” Jaycee whispered. She looked at Addie in so much dismay that Addie laughed.
“You clean yourself up and come out and join everyone,” Addie said, getting to her feet. “They need you. And don’t be afraid of what happened with Dimitri. Own it.”
Jaycee slanted her an ironic look. “I could say the same for you. You have a rabbit-in-the-headlights look, and I don’t blame you. Kendrick is a powerful man. But some advice—Kendrick isn’t good with close relationships. He shuts people out, you might have noticed.”
Addie sat down again. “He hugs everyone,” she said. “You were kissing all over his tiger face.”
“That’s him being leader,” Jaycee said. “He comforts and reassures us. When Shifters are with someone as dominant as he is, we turn into kittens. Or puppies.” She gave a dismissive wave to the Lupines. “It’s part of the whole being Shifter thing. But Kendrick does shut people out, retreats into being leader so he doesn’t have to deal with them one-on-one. Dimitri thinks it’s because of what happened with his stepdad. Did he tell you about that?”
Addie nodded, remembering Kendrick’s terrible story about his abusive stepfather and having to kill the man to save his mother. “He did.”
“Kendrick was only sixteen, which for Shifters is still a young cub, but he had to fight the man who should have been taking care of him. Then Kendrick had to watch his mother die. It broke him.”
Addie sat quietly, trying not to imagine Kendrick as a cub, finding himself suddenly orphaned and alone. He’d have been crushingly lonely.
/> Jaycee laid her hand on Addie’s, her touch surprisingly gentle. “Don’t let him shut you out, Addison. He needs you.”
Addie nodded. “I’ll try.”
“Do more than try. Don’t be afraid of being with him. Own it.”
Addie made a noise of exasperation and got off the bed. “You are a smartass, missy. Come on and get out of bed. Comb your hair, get back to your beautiful self, and don’t let those guys out there have all the fun.”
Jaycee gave her a startled look. “You think I’m beautiful?”
“Well, yeah.” Addie said. “Look in the mirror. But don’t take too long. They’re going to go hunting for Lachlan soon and I want someone with them who will keep them out of trouble.”
Jaycee was gazing at her in stunned amazement but Addie was finished playing counselor. She’d started the fence-mending with Jaycee. Now to see if it took.
* * *
Kendrick noted Jaycee slip into the crowd as the Shifters gathered outside, awaiting his orders. He knew damn well Addie had something to do with rousting her—Addie remained on the back porch but looked pleased when she glanced at Jaycee.
Addison astonished him more every day. Jaycee, when she experienced what she perceived as a failure, could be morose for days. Kendrick didn’t have time to rally her and Addie had done it for him, as though she’d known exactly what both Jaycee and Kendrick had needed. His blood warmed.
Kendrick stepped back into leader mode and began to instruct the Shifters what to do. His role now fitted him like a glove—a change from the very first time he’d faced these men and women. He’d been shaking and sick and knowing he needed to take care of them all and not entirely certain how.
He quickly divided up the forces into teams, each led by one of his top trackers. The Shifters looked eager but confident as they broke off into groups they’d worked in all their lives.
Dimitri, Seamus, and two other trackers turned to their assigned Shifters to prepare them for going after Lachlan but Kendrick decided to hold Jaycee, Ben, and Zander in reserve. Jaycee gave Kendrick a look of fury as he approached the porch where she and Addie waited.
“What, I don’t get a troop because I was tardy?” Jaycee growled. “You need me, Kendrick.”
“I know.” Kendrick studied his hot-tempered female tracker who gave him her usual belligerent look. Something had changed about her, something he’d figure out when he wasn’t so distracted. “I need you for the most important mission of all, Jaycee. To take care of Addison.”
Jaycee’s eyes widened. “Seriously? You’re launching a full-scale hunt, and you want me to play babysitter?”
“Jaycee’s right,” Addison said quickly to Kendrick. “You should send her out to kick Lachlan’s ass. She deserves that after he tried to snatch her.”
Kendrick knew right then he was in for an interesting time with his beautiful mate. She’d never roll over and do what Kendrick said just because he said it.
“No, she’s wrong.” Kendrick fixed Addison with his gaze, which she met. “Lachlan will know that the best way to get to me is to go after my mate and my cubs. I’m sure he’s even now gathering intelligence on who is most important to me these days. I’ve got Ben and Zander on my cubs—I want Jaycee with you.”
“Why me?” Jaycee argued. “Zander, as crazy as he is, could do as good a job. Better—he’s bigger and stronger than I am.”
“But he can’t follow Addison into the bathroom,” Kendrick pointed out. “Can’t watch over her while she takes a shower. I’d have to kill him if he did that.”
“Aw, come on,” Zander said from the yard. “Let a bear have some fun.”
Kendrick ignored him. “I need you on this, Jaycee. Sort it out.”
“You mean suck it up.” Jaycee slammed her arms over her chest. “Fine. I’ll do it. But only because she’s nicer to me than you are.”
Kendrick simply gave her a nod. He felt the change in dynamic between Jaycee and Addison, and again, he knew Addison was behind it. He stepped to his mate, who stood above him on the porch steps, leaned into her, and kissed the curve of her neck.
Her scent flowed around him like a meadow of sweet flowers. Kendrick wanted to sink into her and stay there forever.
When he was finished with Lachlan, he would. He would take Addison someplace safe, and not come out for days.
Kendrick raised his head, uncaring that Ben, Zander, Jaycee, and Dylan surrounded them, not even pretending not to watch. Kendrick brushed a kiss to Addison’s lips. “Goddess bless you.”
The tender moment was broken by the ring of Dylan’s cell phone. Dylan walked away to answer it, and Kendrick brushed his fingertips over Addison’s cheek, touched her parted lips.
Dylan was back in less than a minute, his expression grim. “We don’t have to worry about hunting Lachlan,” he said. He hadn’t spoken a word to whoever had called him, simply listened, grunted a syllable, and hung up. “That was Spike. He and Tiger found Lachlan.” He met Kendrick’s gaze, the bleak rage in his eyes enough to flatten a mountain. “He’s taken over the San Antonio Shiftertown.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“How many live in that Shiftertown?” Kendrick asked as Dylan headed to his pickup.
“Sixty-five.” Dylan turned back to answer, tension boiling off him. “Lots of females and cubs. I’m more or less its leader though there’s another Shifter technically in charge. A strong alpha—but I can’t find him anywhere.”
“Lachlan’s tricky,” Kendrick said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if your alpha is dead—I’m sorry.”
Dylan sent him a severe look over the roof of his pickup’s cab. “Don’t take the blame for someone else’s evil. You weaken yourself and allow him to win.”
Kendrick shared a look with him for a long moment. “You’re right,” he said. “Let’s go rip him apart.”
Dylan gave him a nod and slid into his truck, starting it up.
Kendrick returned to the porch where Addison waited with his sons. His fury with Lachlan rose. He’d found hope, a chance, and Lachlan had arrived in time to take it away from him. Knowing Lachlan, he’d planned that.
Not this time.
“Addison.” Kendrick felt the speech he was going to make to her slip away. He got himself up on the porch and pulled her into his arms, burying himself in her for a brief moment. He inhaled her scent and breathed out his mark on her. Mine.
“Don’t you dare get hurt,” Addison was saying, her whisper warm in his ear. “You hear me?”
Kendrick eased out of the hug and cupped her face in his hands. “I killed him before—I can do it again.”
Jaycee, standing in the shadows, already taking her bodyguard duties seriously, looked worried. “Make sure you kill him all the way this time, Kendrick.”
Kendrick shot her a look. “No worries there. Addison—you’ll be well with Jaycee. Look after my sons.”
“Of course.” Addison touched his face, her hand cool. “Go get ’em, tiger.”
At her feet, both Zane and Brett burst out laughing. “Go get ’em, tiger,” they repeated in their shrill voices.
Kendrick crouched down to them. “You two take care of Addison, all right?”
“We will,” Brett said. “If Lachy and his traitors come here, we’ll wipe the floor with them.”
“Yeah,” his brother said. “We’ll go all tiger on their asses.”
Kendrick gathered his boys to him, his heart aching. If he didn’t return . . .
No good thinking like that. Kendrick would take care of the problem and come on home.
He hugged both boys tightly and set them on their feet. “Tell you what—when I come back we’ll have a big cookout, Texas style, and pie. Lots and lots of pie.”
“Yay!” Both boys said. “We’ll help Addie make pies,” Brett said. “Even the apple one you like.” He made a face.
Kendrick hugged them once more then let them go. They’d focus on the celebration, not the danger.
“Robbie.”
Robbie, who’d hung back from Kendrick and his blood sons, now came forward. He was old enough to understand the kind of danger Kendrick faced and the consequences. He also understood that because he wasn’t Kendrick’s biological son, his position would be precarious if Kendrick died or was too hurt in the fight to resume leadership.
“Addison will take care of you,” he said. “No matter what. She’s my mate. So will Zander. Understand?”
Robbie listened, gray eyes round, and nodded. Robbie was so serious, having been forced to grow up too quickly. Kendrick vowed that he’d make a place where Robbie, the orphan he’d come to love, could be a cub, and play and run without worry.
Kendrick hugged Robbie and nuzzled his cheek. Robbie nuzzled him back, his body shaking, but he gave Kendrick a nod when they released each other, letting Kendrick know he’d be strong.
Kendrick unfolded to his feet again. Addison was watching him, understanding what it cost him to leave his cubs behind to go into battle. She also understood that the battle was necessary.
Kendrick slid his hand to the back of her neck and kissed her. “Goddess keep you,” he said, his heart full.
Addison rose on tiptoes and put her lips to his ear. “I love you too, Kendrick.”
The shock that jolted through Kendrick nearly knocked him off his feet. He blinked down at her, pulling away, and Addison slanted him a wicked smile.
“That’s distracted you from your tearful good-byes,” she said. “Go kick ass, Kendrick. I’ll keep the coffeepot warm for you.”
Kendrick growled, his heart pumping, triumph taking the place of rage. He crushed another kiss to her lips, turned, and leapt from the steps. His heart raced and was light at the same time.
He swung around and raised his arm at his Shifters, who were hurriedly getting into or onto vehicles, ready to depart.