Figure of Speech (Halle Shifters) (7 page)

He sighed. The guilt was eating him alive. “What do you want me to do? I know I fucked up big time, and I’m thrilled she’s giving me another chance. I’ve promised her I’m going to do everything in my power to make things right between us, and I’ve already apologized.”

The pair glanced at one another while the rest of the family looked on in silence. That alone scared the crap out of him. The Bunsun-Williams clan wasn’t known for their reticence.

It was Steven who finally spoke. “We want to know one thing. Did you use your brother’s situation as an excuse to deny our daughter?”

“No.” He couldn’t quite believe they were asking him that.

“But you
did
use her age and her supposed relationship with Gabe. I’m sure you can understand why we’re skeptical now.”

“Hold it right there.” Jim held up his hand. “From what I understand, even
you
thought Gabe was her boyfriend.”

“Mate.”

“Whatever. The relationship between them almost broke Gabe and Sarah’s mating. Can you honestly tell me that Chloe is completely innocent in why I stayed away from her for so long?”

“Chloe’s young, and let her jealousy over
your
relationship with Sarah color her reactions.” Steven looked him dead in the eye. “Which, I might add, was also responsible for almost breaking Gabe’s mating to Sarah.”

Jim sat back. “I know, and it’s something I’ll regret for a very long time.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Why did you send me a message that she was all right? Alex and Ryan told me recently that she nearly died. By the time I got to the hospital she was up and speaking.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Steven scowled as his claws came out.

Laura’s lip curled up in a snarl. “That’s not what happened.”

Oh no. No, no, no. “What do you mean?”

For just a second, sympathy flashed across Laura’s face. “We couldn’t get ahold of you, so we got Emma to give us your parents’ number. We talked to your mother and told her that Chloe was in the hospital and in bad shape, and that she needed you.”

Jim felt like he was going to pass out. “What?”

Laura nodded. “She told us she’d pass the message, and when we called to make sure you were on your way she told us you were.”

Jesus. Fucking. Christ. “She lied to you.” The mumbling of the rest of the clan was barely audible over the buzzing in his ears. “She did call me and tell me about Chloe, but she said she was fine. Then we fought about Spencer and I didn’t speak to her for two weeks.”

“Why would she do that?” Laura sounded horrified.

“To punish me.” He rubbed his hands over his face wearily. “My parents are going through a very contentious divorce. At the time, I’d just found out about Spencer and I was trying to get him to come to Halle with me. I was also dealing with the arguments, the lies and the sheer hate the two of them were spewing at each other. I wouldn’t back down on Spencer being family, so it was probably her way of trying to hurt me the way she was hurting.” And if Chloe had died he never would have forgiven her.

Laura snarled, the sound barely human.

“Shh.” Steven reached across the table for his wife’s hand. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, sweetheart.”

“We will.” Will stood with a nod to the others, who quickly followed suit. “Don’t do anything until we give you the okay.”

Jim stood as well. “I’m going to claim Chloe as soon as she allows it.”

“Good.” Steven’s stiff posture relaxed. “You’ve got our permission for that.”

“And if your mother gives my baby a hard time, call me.” Laura’s smile wasn’t cheerful anymore, and her fangs were showing. “I’d love to show her the error of her ways.”

Damn. Jim was glad he’d made nice with her. “Yes, ma’am.”

Laura laughed and patted his arm. “We’re going to get along just fine.”

He did the only thing he could when a female predator was facing him with that expression. “Yes, ma’am.”

Chapter Seven

Chloe shivered, unsure why she was so uneasy. Nothing seemed out of place, and she couldn’t scent anything wrong, but her Fox was about to jump out of her skin.

She dragged the trash bag to the dumpster, dropping it in with a metallic clang. It was a bright, beautiful day out, sunny and warm, the kind of late spring day she used to love before the attack. She’d go to the park and just lie on the grass, breathing the air while children played all around her and other college students chatted and laughed.

Today all she wanted to do was curl up in her apartment and hide from everything, and for the life of her she couldn’t figure out why.

Chloe checked all around the dumpster, but she couldn’t find anything amiss. The scent of the garbage kept her from scenting if anything was getting close to her. If she shifted into her Fox her senses would be sharper, but she wasn’t willing to take the risk that she’d be seen.

Besides, whatever was making her Fox antsy couldn’t be so close that it could grab her. She’d smell it otherwise, even over the garbage. She began walking back to the front of her apartment building, rubbing her arms as the chill intensified.

What the hell was going on? Chloe took a whiff of the air, but all she could smell was…

Cat?

Just as she was about to give in and run, something streaked past her, a golden blur that knocked her off her feet. She landed with a pained grunt, the asphalt cutting into her palms. “What the…?” Glancing up, she saw a pair of golden eyes glaring at her before the cat took off once more. “Fuck.”

Chloe stumbled to her feet and dashed toward the door to her apartment building. After what she saw, though, she knew if the cat wanted her it would have her.

A Cheetah. In Halle. Fastest of the shifters, it could move at speeds of up to seventy miles per hour. No wonder she hadn’t scented anything. It had probably stood far downwind. Why it had chosen to show itself to her and then run away she didn’t know, nor did she care. All she knew was it had the same scent as the cat that had attacked Cyn and Tabby behind their old shop.

She managed to get inside and slam the door shut, but something slammed into it a half second later. She shrieked, aware that if she’d been a fraction of a second slower she’d be staring at teeth and claws instead of cracked linoleum.

“Chloe? What’s wrong?”

Oh, thank fuck.
“Julian?”

“I sense your fear.”

Duh. Chloe was terrified the person behind the cat would try and force the door open.
“I got fun down by a Cheetah.”

Super Bear was silent for a moment.
“Cyn and I are on our way.”

She gasped as something slammed into the door again.
“Hurry.”

“Call Jim.”

She nodded even though she knew Julian couldn’t see her. She fumbled her phone out of her pocket as the door shuddered behind her a second time. “C’mon, c’mon,” she chanted, listening to Jim’s cell phone ring and ring.

“Halle Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Woods speaking.”

She’d never been happier to hear Jim’s voice in her life. “Jim!”

“Chloe?” She could hear the sounds of his practice, the yips and cries of the animals he loved so dearly. “What’s wrong?”

“Help!” She screamed again as the door almost gave way.

“Fuck! Chloe, what’s wrong?”

The door banged again, drowning out the sound of her mate’s yelling.

“Who’s after you?”

She whimpered, her mind blanking, her voice deserting her. She croaked out a series of “ums” as she pushed back on the shaking door, bracing her feet on the linoleum and praying her weakened body didn’t betray her. The last time she’d been this terrified…

Well. She tried not to think about that night if she could possibly help it, but with a Cheetah pounding on the door and roaring in rage it was hard not to.

“Stay on the line, I’m on my way.”

She croaked again, nearly in tears.

“Just breathe, Chloe. I hear you, okay?” She could hear Jim starting his car, the squeal of tires as he took off from the clinic. But his tone remained calm as he spoke to her. “Is there a way to bar the door?”

“Nn.” Chloe couldn’t even say no, damn it. But she could sure as hell scream when the door moved under her. She dug in her heels, praying desperately that the Cheetah would just give the fuck up and go away.

“Chloe!” Through the earpiece she could hear the blast of horns. Jim must be driving like a bat out of hell to reach her before the Cheetah broke through the door. “Get the fuck out of my way, asshole!”

Chloe jumped as a fist banged against the door in response. The Cheetah must have shifted. “I smell you, little Fox,” the Cheetah crooned. “Let me in.”

Not by the hair of my chiny-chin chin.
Chloe did the only thing she could, considering her voice had deserted her.

She blew the loudest, wettest raspberry in the history of spit.

The Cheetah sighed before he began pounding once more. “I don’t want to hurt you any more than I have to, Fox. Just open the damn door.”

Apparently the Cheetah thought her name was Gull E. Bull.

“I’m almost there, Chloe. Hold on.” Jim’s voice was no longer calm. If anything, he sounded pissed as hell. “Keep him out as long as you can.”

“Ta. Ta.” Chloe whimpered, the tears she’d been holding back breaking free. If she died here she’d never know Jim’s kiss, the feel of his teeth sinking into her as he claimed her, the feel of holding him while he slept. She’d never have the children she’d once dreamed of, with her red hair and his beautiful, clear hazel eyes.

If she lived through this she was biting the hell out of his ass. They’d need the jaws of life to get her fangs out of him. Fuck waiting until his mating instincts kicked in. They’d kick in big time when her hormones played patty-cake with his dick.

The snarl of a Wolf echoed oddly in both her ears. It seemed Jim had arrived, and he was pissed that the Cheetah was still trying to get in the door.

“Get away, Wolf. This is between me and the—”

Whatever the Cheetah had planned to say was cut off by a loud thud, the door shuddering under her back. “Mine,” Jim snarled, his voice barely human.

“You think you can fight me? You’re so new you still smell human.”

“This human has a few tricks up his sleeve, asshole.” A grunt of pain, followed by a feline yelp, had Chloe sagging in relief. “Now get away from my mate.”

“Mate?” The surprise in the Cheetah’s voice was soon overwhelmed by another grunt of pain.

“Don’t make me tell you again.” Jim’s tone was gravelly. His Wolf must be close to the surface.

Now that Jim was here, Chloe could feel some of her fear receding. Her mate would drive away the Cheetah, she had no doubt of it. And if, for some reason, the Wolf didn’t, Julian and Cyn were on the way.

She wondered if the Cheetah had ever faced off against six hundred pounds of pissed-off Mexican Kodiak, because Cynthia Reyes wasn’t the type to sit by while one of her friends was being hurt.

The Cheetah must have decided to fight back, because suddenly Jim let out his own pain-filled cry. The sound of flesh against flesh had Chloe’s Fox growling and snarling, the urge to go to their mate’s rescue so strong she actually let go of the door.

That turned out to be a huge mistake, because the moment she did so the door swung wide open, knocking her onto her ass for the second time that day.

“There you are.” The Cheetah, a slim man with honey-brown hair and golden eyes, stared down at her with a chilling smile. Behind him she could see Jim picking himself up off the ground, a bruise growing on his jaw. “Time to go.”

Jim crawled out of sight, and Chloe’s Fox howled in grief. He was leaving her alone with her attacker, leaving them to die.

The Cheetah shifted so quickly Chloe could barely see it. The only hint was the soft white glow that came over the man’s body, his clothing falling to the dirty floor. His fangs looked huge as he began to stalk toward her.

Chloe was dead.

“I don’t think so.” A popping sound accompanied Jim’s voice. Chloe lifted her gaze from the golden Cheetah long enough to see a small, long-barreled rifle in Jim’s hands.

The Cheetah staggered.

Jim smiled, stepping forward, the rifle still pointed at the Cheetah. “I love being a vet.”

The Cheetah swayed, its paws slipping out from under it, its lids closing over increasingly dazed eyes.

“Nighty-night, asshole.” Jim shot the Cheetah a second time, and Chloe could see the darts sticking out of its ass. Jim watched patiently as the Cheetah passed out, the gun still pointed toward it. Once the Cheetah was down, he lowered the barrel and stared at Chloe. “You all right?”

Chloe flopped down on the filthy linoleum and gave him two thumbs-up. Her heart was pounding so loud she could feel it all over her body. She wasn’t certain her knees would hold her up if she tried to stand, and her head was beginning to pound.

“Chloe!”

She closed her eyes at the sound of Julian’s voice. It looked like the rest of the cavalry had finally gotten there. She pointed toward the downed Cheetah with a shaky hand, her eyes flying open when someone took hold of it.

“C’mon, Chloe. Let’s get you out of here.” Jim shoved the gun toward Cyn, who took it with a scowl. She pointed it at the Cheetah, her gaze never leaving it as Jim hauled Chloe to her feet.

Chloe patted Jim’s cheek, still unable to find the words to say thank you. She just hoped he understood what she was about to do, and why.

Jim couldn’t remember a time when he’d been both so pissed and so terrified at the same time. His Wolf was in a snarling rage, on the verge of breaking through Jim’s control and ripping the throat out of the unconscious Cheetah who’d threatened his mate. He just hoped the Bunsun-Williams clan would let him be there when they questioned his furry ass. Jim wanted to be the one holding the gun, in case the guy got the idea that he was going to get away from them anytime soon.

The thought that Max, Emma and Gabe, the town sheriff, might want to speak to the Cheetah as well briefly crossed his mind, but he’d seen the look on Alex and Ryan’s faces when they’d confronted him in the supermarket. There was no way they’d allow anyone close to the Cheetah once they got their paws on him.

Jim pulled Chloe to her feet and embraced her tightly, pulling her so close they practically shared skin. This was the second time she’d been attacked and he hadn’t been there to protect her.

That had to change. Now that Spencer was safe, he could finally claim his—

“Ow!” A sharp pain stopped him in his tracks. A sharp pain centered on his neck.

Jim couldn’t pull away. The pain was morphing, changing into something utterly intoxicating. He shivered as a need he’d never experienced before swept through his body. His cock was so hard he could probably knock down walls with it. He shuddered with the desire to pick Chloe up, put her against the wall and fuck her until they both passed out from the pleasure.

“Oh, boy.” Julian’s amused voice partially broke the spell Chloe had begun to weave. “You two might want to get a room.”

A room. Yes. That sounded perfect. The urgent desire to taste his mate, make her scream out his name, was overwhelming.

“Down, boy.” Chloe tugged at his hands. “Ix-nay on the aked-nay.”

He blinked as he realized he’d bunched up her shirt, ready to rip it over her head. “What’s happening?”

“The mating bite.” Julian’s touch on his shoulder felt wrong.

Jim snarled, shoving Chloe behind him. His Wolf hadn’t yet bitten her back, marking her as his. The other shifter was a threat to that bond.

“Whoa.” Julian took a step back, his eyes flashing silvery gray. “Calm down.”

Something in the Bear’s voice forced Jim to do just that. Jim’s Wolf wasn’t entirely appeased, but it backed down, settling into Jim’s mind with cautious grace. For now, he could think clearly again, though he knew the moment Julian’s influence left him he’d be pouncing on Chloe with all the pent-up hunger he’d kept inside for so long. “What did you just do?”

Julian smiled that I-know-something-you-don’t grin that drove Jim batty. “What makes you think I did anything?”

Jim rolled his eyes. “Sure. Fine. Whatever.” He was still clutching Chloe, terrified to let her out of his hold. “What are we going to do with Spot?”

“Spot?” Chloe sputtered out a laugh.

If Jim were a cat he would have purred at the sound of her laughter. “I could have the local zoo come pick his ass up and dump it in the big cat enclosure.”

“Or we could hand him over to Ryan and Alex and let them do terrible, horrible things to his person.” Cyn said that with so much malicious glee Jim shivered.

“Couldn’t me band him over to the priorities?” Chloe’s soft voice interrupted Jim’s pleasant fantasies about the different ways he could vivisect a Cheetah.

Cyn tilted her head, obviously so used to Chloe’s misspoken words she’d had no trouble translating Chloe’s real meaning. “Why would we want to do that? We haven’t had a chance to, um, question him yet.”

Julian blew Cyn a kiss. “I love you.”

Her answering grin was smug. “I know.”

“I cussed meant Babe might want to freshen him.”

Chloe was still shaking, her words broken and slurred, but at least she was speaking again.

Jim kissed Chloe’s forehead. “Breathe, baby. He can’t hurt you anymore.” She sighed and leaned into him, but didn’t answer. He didn’t know if it was because she no longer could, or if she was trying to do as he asked, but he didn’t care either way. He was here now, and he’d take care of her. “All right. I think we need to call Ryan, Gabe and whoever that other annoying asshole is whose name I’ve forgotten.”

Cyn, Julian and Chloe all laughed. “Barney,” Cyn and Julian echoed each other.

“I’ll call him.” Cyn gently took hold of Chloe, pulling her free of Jim’s embrace.

Jim fully expected both he and his Wolf would be pissed by that, but Cyn’s quiet nod reassured them both. The five-inch claws, and the evil look she shot the Cheetah, also helped. Cyn would protect Chloe as well as he would. The fact that Cyn was female seemed to be more than enough to keep his Wolf calm. Cyn was no threat to their newly formed bond.