Primal Bonds (11 page)

“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.

T
hat 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.

W
hen 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.

A
ndrea 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.”

Glory bought a couple of the plain black satin boxers, a bottle of flavored lube, and a few toys Andrea pretended not to notice. Mabel laughed and cracked her gum, telling Glory her boyfriend was so lucky.

“Y’all come back now,” she said as Andrea and Glory left the shop.

“Wish all humans were that friendly,” Andrea said.

“She will be until Connor breaks her heart.”

Andrea glanced back at the brightly painted shop. “You think he will?”

Glory shrugged. “It’s inevitable, isn’t it?”

She had a point, unfortunately. The store clerk was about the same human age as Connor, but Connor wouldn’t take his place in the pride for a few more years and probably wouldn’t be looking for permanent connections for another ten years after that. Humans aged quickly, so the girl might be middle-aged before Connor got around to taking a mate.

Kim and Liam had gotten around the age problem because of Fae magic, which would lengthen Kim’s lifespan to match Liam’s. This was a secret bargain made between the Fae and Shifters long ago, that if a Shifter had to take a human mate, a Fae had to agree to lengthen the human’s lifespan. Andrea wasn’t sure why or how this had come about, but the bargain was still honored.

Glory led Andrea across the street to a little bakery that served luscious-looking ice cream. Glory ordered two heaping cones of three different flavors, handed one to Andrea, and shoved the cash across the counter to the server. Andrea licked her cone as she followed Glory to a tiny table. The ice cream was delicate and good, and happily, Shifters could devour large quantities and burn it off later with a good run. There were advantages to being Shifter.

A serious-looking man in a suit stopped in front of their table. “Excuse me, but you can’t be in here.”

Glory looked up in surprise. “I come in here all the time. Ask them.” She waved her ice-cream cone at the humans behind the counter.

“New policy. You can buy the ice cream, but then you have to go. No Shifters lingering in the store.”

Glory gave her ice cream a long, almost sensuous lick. She looked up at the man over it, and he started to sweat.

“Why not?” Andrea asked him.

He wiped his forehead. “Not when establishments that allow Shifters are getting shot up. The management decided. I’m sorry, ladies. I have to ask you to leave.”

CHAPTER EIGHT