Be Were (Southern Shifters) (8 page)

Chapter Eight

Dean rolled over in the bed and placed his palm on Niki's belly. He was torn between going for round three or getting his ass in gear to start protecting his mate and child.

"Have you felt him move yet?"

She opened her eyes and turned to meet his gaze. "Not so sure it's a him, and no. No movement yet."

"Either way is good for me. Girl or boy I mean."

"Mmmhmm," she said, purring. The sunlight pouring in through the window highlighted her nearly translucent skin to an almost ethereal appearance. With her white blonde hair fanned across the pillow behind her head, she resembled a goddess more than a stone cold killer. It was difficult to reconcile that. He couldn't wait to see her belly rounded with his child. His instincts told him that, thanks to her own unconventional birth and upbringing, she'd take to motherhood with a vengeance. She certainly had the skills to keep any cub safe.

The last time he'd thought he was going to be a father, he'd been more nervous than anything else. The closer the birth got the more on edge he became, as if his animal sensed something wrong that he didn't know. Of course it all made sense once he found out he was truly not the dad-to-be. The crushing truth had shaken him to his core and his recovery had taken a very long bout of solitude that made the situation between him and Bhric worse when he refused to talk to him.

Dean shook free from his bitter memories and once again focused on Niki. Her breasts were already larger from the child, but the rest of her remained perfectly curved. Not that he didn't look forward to the changes, because he did. He'd discovered long ago that he wasn't the kind of guy who liked woman in one size only. Skinny was just fine, but so were more generous curves. Especially hers. Only hers actually. Since the night they'd met, she had become it for him and he loved the idea of watching her change and grow to birth his son.

She didn't want to talk about mating and for now he'd let it rest. Although not for long. Whether she took his commitment serious or not didn't matter. In his mind they were already mated and that meant for life. Humans said for better or worse, 'til death do us part, which really meant until they changed their minds. Shifters said forever, and forever meant forever. No take-backs allowed.

With her eyes closed so she had no clue what thoughts ran through his mind, including all one hundred and one things he wanted to do with her body.

Yeah, round three was looking better and better. But daylight was burning and he had a job to do. If he waited much longer, Bhric and his crew would leave without him.

"You need to rest. It's been a helluva couple of days," He rolled from the bed and started to dress.

"Where are you going?"

He shoved his feet into his boots and sat on the edge of the bed to lace them up. "You know we have to take care of them. The longer we wait the harder it gets. They could disappear."

Niki pushed up on her elbows. "And just like that you're planning to leave me behind?"

"No, actually I'm not. As much as I want you far away from those worthless wolves, I'm not leaving you here alone. There isn't a person in this house I trust."

"You're going to have to tell me what's going on between you and Bhric. It's hard enough to believe you're brothers, but the animosity you have is downright scary."

He didn't want to do this. He let the silence stretch between them for a long time before he felt the truth was inevitable. When he got the sense she'd wait him out no matter how long it took, he gave in. "Bhric and I, it's complicated. As the younger brother I grew up worshipping him. In fact, after our parents died he wanted to come here and make a home with other hybrids and I followed him."

"And now you hate him? What did he do?"

He sighed. "I don't hate him. At least I don't think I do..."
Did he?
He combed his hands through his hair and stared at a spot on the wall across the room. As much as she deserved to know more, he wasn't ready to open that wound.

"It was a woman," Niki said.

Dean stood and walked to the window. Bhric had given her his old room. The biggest in the house with a large window that overlooked a pond in the backyard. Despite the neglect, he knew spring would alter the landscape and beckon to both their animal sides. He'd had such high hopes when they found this old place. They were going to restore it together. Maybe turn it into an apartment house so they could help other shifters with no family. Then his brother got involved in hybrid politics and started building a group of supporters that morphed into something entirely different. Their original plans faded until Dean forced him to at least open the bar downstairs so they'd have some legitimate income coming in.

Then he'd met Brenda...

"Something like that," he said.

When she touched his back, he jerked in surprise that she'd moved from the bed without a sound. "How do you do that?" he asked.

"What?"

"You shouldn't be able to make a move without even a displacement of air to alert me."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her front to his back. "Years and years of training."

"Does that life make you happy?"

To his dismay, she stiffened behind him. Should have kept his damned mouth shut. But he couldn't. Not when he wanted her more than anything he'd ever experienced. She belonged to him now.

"Does your life make you happy?" she asked.

He turned in her arms and gripped the sides of her face, tilting her head until their gazes met. "Then why fight us? We have a chance here to take a different path than the one we were given by others. Be brave." He pressed his lips to her mouth and took full advantage of her surprise by pushing his tongue until it slid against hers. Goddess, he could not get enough of this woman. Her strength drew him close, but the longing he found in her eyes drove him insane.

Letting go of her face, he moved his hands to her neck and encircled the graceful column. He didn't need to hold her tight to feel the power buzzing underneath his fingers. His beast yowled in his head. Animal seeking animal. He breathed deep, imprinting her scent with his. He didn't have all the details of her life, but he knew what happiness felt like and that's not what he got from her when she spoke of home. Not at all like home had been for him, growing up with two parents so deeply in love it was difficult to imagine any other way.

His whole life he'd wanted what they had. Now he held it in his hands and she resisted, her cat rumbling every time he took control. This was just the beginning. He was determined to make her his and by the time he was done, she'd be begging him to mark her forever. The only thing standing in his way at this point was the people who wanted to steal her from him.

She wrenched her mouth free and jerked loose from his hold. "Dean, what's wrong?" Alarm widened her eyes.

He didn't understand the question. "Huh?" he said.

"You're starting to sound like an angry bear and look." She yanked his arm and pulled him to the dresser mirror. To his surprise he'd started to shift and stopped halfway, which in no way was a sexy look. Face contorted with a thick layer of dark fur over his skin, same with his arms. Claws too. Long, grey and razor sharp. Dammit. He'd lost control and not even noticed.

He staggered back and took a deep breath and held it. He'd been thinking about someone hurting his mate and nature had taken over. He counted to five and slowly exhaled. The anger receded to a manageable level as did the animal inside him.

"What in the hell were you thinking about?" She still sounded alarmed as she grabbed her clothes and dressed.

"The people who took you. It's time. It can't wait any longer." He knew his voice sounded harsh but it couldn't be helped. He'd reached the point of no return and only one thing would bring him back.

He almost missed the subtle flare of her nostrils as she sniffed the air. All shifters had a keen sense of smell, but she wasn't like all shifters. It seemed the answers she sought came to her through her little button nose.

"Then let's go. Just as soon as I pee." She rushed into the adjoining bathroom and shut the door.

Dean shook his head and crouched down to lace up his boots. He needed to talk to Bhric about borrowing a bike. That would be easier to stash on the edge of Pickwick land than a car. It didn't exactly sit well with him taking Niki into battle, but based on how easy it had been to retrieve her, she'd have no trouble holding her own. And no one would get a chance to take her by surprise again. Not with him at her back.

Although she was right. Those boys were not smart enough to get the jump on her without help. They needed to revisit that topic as soon as possible.

First things first. "C'mon, babe. Get your fine ass out here. We need to get on the road."

Chapter Nine

Niki stared at the mirror and didn't know what to do. Fear had wrapped around her brain and she couldn't seem to shake it. This emotion had no business in her life. Yet another reason why staying with Dean was impossible. It was one thing to take care of herself and quite another to feel responsible for another.

"I'm coming. Hang on."

Automatically she pressed a hand to her stomach. She now had someone to worry about and it left her scared and uneasy. Convinced she'd never be a mother, she had no need to learn how to cope outside her carefully constructed universe. Then it got complicated.

She still needed to consider and plan for so many things. After tonight. As soon as she helped Dean with this mission, she'd find somewhere else to go. Away from him and away from here. His problems with his brother aside, she'd already witnessed the possibilities of family life. Whether they wanted to admit it or not, those two meatheads cared deeply for each other. It made her mad they'd let a woman come between that. A true family bond. Didn't they know how precious and rare that was?

Dumbasses.

She washed her hands and dried them on the towel hanging next to the sink. She'd been surprised to find this room so well-furnished when she'd arrived. The men who lived here were rough and tough on the outside but they kept their rooms neat, extremely clean and well stocked with supplies. It was homey in comparison to her sterile world. She could easily describe her home as pristine, but that was the only word that came to mind.

Her family didn't "hang" together in a bar downstairs or fight over who got to kill the bastards who hurt her. Nor did they drink and have sex in the same house they lived. In fact, she only went to their hidden mountain compound when it was necessary to check in or she needed time to heal from any random wounds she got during the course of her job.

Niki preferred isolated and temporary so she was always on the move from place to place. This place was kind of isolated. Sure it was on the edge of Deals Gap, the small town in North Carolina that served as the hub for hybrids, but the Dark Moon stood alone in this section of the woods at the far end of a gravel road off the edge of the main road running through town. Everyone knew where it was, but strangers rarely came through.

Stop. Do
not
go there. Even thinking about settling down with Dean and his family was a colossally bad idea.

She ran her fingers through her hair and divided the long lengths into three segments, crossed one over the other at the base of her skull and pulled tight.

This was not Dean's home nor was it hers. This crazy town held no solution. She'd let the fear take root and her mind had wandered because of it. She needed to rein it in and remember her plan. The only way to keep her child safe meant finding a safe place for it to hide—as far away from here as possible.

She finished braiding her hair and scrubbed her face with her hands. She needed to get the hell out of here. Maybe some fresh air and space would clear her mind. Niki opened the door and came face to face with Dean inches from the bathroom.

"What's wrong?"

Niki rolled her eyes. "You're too paranoid. Nothing's wrong. Other than this mission. I think those cocksuckers don't deserve the time of day let alone our time. They aren't the ones we're after."

"Sorry, babe. But today they are. Already told you no white trash wolf gets to come here and kidnap my ma—"

She narrowed her eyes even though he'd managed to stop before the word came out. He looked back at her with that damned arrogant expression that clearly told her whether he said the word mate or not it's exactly what she was.

"Don't push me, Dean. You will not like what happens."

His face hardened and his lips compressed into a smirk. "And you, babe, can fight me all you want. But don't think about running. If you do, I'll hunt you down with every resource I have and there will be no mercy for you when I find you."

She stood and shared at him in shock. No man, animal or hybrid had ever dared to talk to her this way. Not if he wanted to live. "Why you—" Ready to flay him alive, she stepped closer and stopped mid move when her stomach fluttered wildly as if a flurry of bubbles were popping inside her.

"Oh my Goddess." She dropped her hands to her stomach and cradled the spot where she felt him."

Dean grabbed her around the waist and lifted her into his arms. "Oh shit. Niki, what happened? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Dammit I didn't mean— Shit. Baby, please tell me what's wrong. Do you need a doctor?"

He started for the door when her answer stopped him.

"I'm fine, Dean. Really. But the baby—I think it moved."

"What?" He turned, sank to his knees and placed her on the bed with as much care as if she were made of china. If it wasn't for the wonder of the little eruption the baby was making, she'd be on her feet and out the door.

"Can I feel?" He held his hand out above her stomach but waited for her to answer.

"Okay," she said. "Although I don't know if it's strong enough for you to feel. It's so weird. It's not like a kick or anything. It feels like a feather brushing against my skin from the inside out."

Niki watched his hand descend and rest on her stomach next to hers. The instant warmth she felt every time he touched her brushed her from head to toe. The stamp of possession he branded her with every time they met skin to skin made something shift inside her. His genuine interest in the child frightened her and awed her at the same time. How could she make him understand getting attached was a huge mistake?

"I don't feel anything." He moved his hand to different locations seemingly trying to find it. "But I like the way you describe it. This baby is a blessing."

She frowned. This situation was getting out of control. Pushing his hand aside, she stood and headed toward the door. Anything to get away from this situation. Before she disappeared through the door, she turned back to find him still sitting on the bed with a gorgeous grin on his face. Her heart tripped.

Bad. This is so bad, she reminded herself.

"No, Dean. It is not."