FavoriteObsession (25 page)

She bent her head to meet his gaze. “I don’t like it. You
should have somebody there to protect you. What if this guy turns violent?”

He snapped his teeth together and fought the desire to snarl
at her. “Protect me?”

He saw the panic slide into her eyes. She shook her head. “I
didn’t mean—”

“I do not need anyone to protect me. Not Rafe and certainly
not you.”

“Be reasonable. This has nothing to do with your strength.”

He pushed away and strode toward the front door.

“Josh, wait.”

He didn’t answer. He couldn’t without blowing up at her. Her
lack of confidence stirred up his anger. No matter what he felt, he refused to
take it out on Mira. However, the urge to carry her back to her bed and remind
her why she’d chosen him as her mate pushed at him. He resisted only because he
had to deal with Abby’s brother.

She caught his wrist as he reached for his jeans. “I’m sorry
but I can’t fight my instincts.”

He whipped his head to fix her with a hard glare. “And what
side of you thinks I’m weak, Mira? You or your cats?”

She released him and dropped her gaze to the floor. “They
don’t understand. They’re only animals.”

He tugged his pants on, shoved his feet in his boots and
grabbed his shirt. He focused on what had to be done, not the doubt in Mira’s voice.
Car keys and phone in hand, he made his way to the door.

“You’re just going to leave?”

He grabbed the edge of the door to stop himself from going
back to her. Her anxiety beat at him. He swore he could almost taste her fear
on his tongue.

“Yeah, I am. We don’t have time for this.” He peered over
his shoulder. “But I’m warning you, kitten, do not think to deny my claim while
I’m gone. You’re off the market for a mate.”

With that, he turned and strode away before she voiced the
refusal he saw in her eyes.

* * * * *

The door banged open and Mira fought the urge to escape out
the back. She knew who it was. His scent drifted on a gust of air that rushed
into the room, but she didn’t want to deal with Kade or his anger.

“What have you done?”

She lifted her chin and met his piercing, golden eyes.
Apparently, she hadn’t aired out the house enough. “Don’t, Kade. This isn’t the
time to discuss my choices.”

“Isn’t it?” He raised a brow. “You allowed a human to see
you in your animal form. That’s twice you’ve made a poor choice because of
Josh. How many more will you make before he’s killed due to your indiscretion?”

She stepped back, completely caught off guard by Kade’s
words. She expected a lecture about her decision to sleep with Josh, not a
reprimand over endangering him. “I didn’t know we were being watched.”

Kade ran a hand through his short hair. Curses fell from his
mouth. He stormed across the room. Arms folded over his chest, he leaned
against the wall next to the picture window and peered at the spot the human
had occupied last night.

“It strikes me as odd that you didn’t hear his heartbeat at
the very least.”

It didn’t surprise her. Josh reduced her to a woman, not a
predator. As much as it shamed her to admit, she’d been too focused on loving
her mate. Instinctually, she’d allowed all worries to fall to the side while in
his arms. She gave him her trust, exactly as he’d demanded along with her body
and heart.

He owned her and as such, her primal side expected his
devotion and protection. Except, he couldn’t give her the safety a true shifter
male could. He’d try. She knew that with certainty but as a human, he lacked
the instincts to give her everything. The knowledge didn’t dim her love. She
only had to remember it next time and protect
him
.

She turned away before Kade saw the depth of her affection
for Josh in her eyes.

“Josh kept me focused on him, not what was happening
outside.”

“You’re a predator. No amount of sex would override your
instincts to protect yourself.” He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Talk to me,
Mira. I need the truth so I can help you.”

“Fine. I’ll give you the truth, not that you’ll believe it.”
She wrapped her arms around her stomach. “Impossible or not, Josh is my mate.”

Kade’s gaze dropped to her belly. “He can’t be, Mira. Female
shifters fuck humans all the time and nothing comes of it except a dedicated
lover if the female chooses to keep her mortal.” He shifted his attention to
her face. The harsh pride leader was back in charge. “You’re imagining things
and allowing your desperate desire to keep the human to cloud your judgment.”

“I am not allowing anything to cloud my judgment.” Her anger
rose faster than she could contain. Claws burst from her fingers. She stepped
closer, invaded
his
personal space. “Did your little speech to Micah
truly reflect your beliefs about females or was it for show?”

Like an alpha, he didn’t back down. Kade bent his head and
held her gaze. “If you have to ask that, then you and I never really knew each
other.”

His words hit her with the same force a palm across the
cheek would have. She staggered back.

“You see, Mira? This is what I’m talking about.” He waved to
encompass her vibrating body. “You’re not acting rational where Josh is
concerned. It’s this kind of behavior that will make the vision a reality.”

“It’s not. I’m merely—”

“Defending your claim on him.” Kade sighed and pinched the
bridge of his nose. “Be realistic. No female has ever mated a human male. The
gods, by their own spoken law, deemed it impossible. If you allow this to
continue, I fear you’ll convince yourself that binding his soul to yours is
what the prophecy implied.”

Her heart skipped a beat before pounding wildly. She’d never
considered it but the possibility of it being true tempted her. Gods, what if
that was what the goddess had meant with her blessing.

Kade grabbed her biceps and shook her hard. She blinked and
his concerned eyes came into focus. “No, Mira, don’t go there. Do you hear me?”

“But what—”

Another shake and she bit her tongue. Blood filled her
mouth, blood that didn’t taste right. It had a hint of metal in it. Iron.

“But nothing. Now look at me.”

She swallowed the odd-tasting liquid and focused on Kade.

“You cannot risk it.”

She closed her eyes against the sympathy in Kade’s eyes. “I
know that, I do. But why? Why have the gods done this to me?”

Tears filled her eyes. She didn’t know they’d spilled over
until Kade brushed them away with his thumb. “You love him.”

A statement, not a question. She answered it anyway. “Yes,
with my heart and soul. I can’t let him go.” Even if it meant making the dream
she had a reality.

He didn’t try to convince her differently. Instead, he
wrapped his arms around her and let her cry. When the sobs stopped, he rested
his cheek over her head. “You’ll need to mate me then, my Mira. Aron will not
allow you to keep your human lover. I will.”

“What about Zoe?”

“Zoe only wants my cock.”

The bitterness in his words suggested he wanted more.

“I’m sorry, Kade.”

He squeezed her tighter. “Don’t be. I’ll suffer with you,
wanting and never having. Maybe when they’re gone we can find a way to love
each other.”

She doubted it, but the pain in Kade’s voice forced the lie
past her lips.

“Maybe, Kade. Maybe.”

Josh pressed hard against the tugging in his chest. Mira
needed him. He felt her pain as if it were his own. If it weren’t for Abby and
her fucking brothers, he’d turn around and rush back to her side. But no. He
had to wander around town hitting all the spots he knew Zeb, along with Sam and
Saul, the two younger Ernest brothers, frequented.

After exhausting all the possible places, Josh pulled into
the parking lot of the diner where Abby worked the lunch shift. Saul’s truck
with its pissing decals sat in its usual spot, right by the light. He breathed
a sigh at the sight of the rusted piece of shit. He jumped out of his car, not
even bothering to shut the door, and jogged toward the entrance.

He paused halfway across the lot and spun on his heel. Eyes
burned into him. The lot looked the same, parked cars and a few couples coming and
going. Nobody paid him any notice, yet he swore someone watched him. A flash of
gold near the dumpsters behind the neighboring gas station caught his
attention. He narrowed his eyes and studied the spot. Nothing moved. Although
the compulsion to investigate beat at him, he ignored it and turned back. Saul
had to come first. Besides, he had a feeling he knew who lurked there.

The diner had its normal breakfast crowd—retired couples and
widowed seniors who made the greasy grill their second home. He nodded at some
of the greetings, but didn’t stop to chat with anyone like he normally did. His
gaze was locked onto the curly red hair at the end booth and the two half-eaten
breakfasts.

Hands clenching and releasing at his sides, he strode toward
the smallest of the Ernest brothers. Saul turned his head at his approach. His
eyes widened and mouth formed a perfect O. The impression of a shocked teenage
girl would’ve normally pulled a laugh from Josh but he had too much anger
brewing inside him. Saul had watched him make love to Mira last night and Josh
hated the fact that he’d never noticed him.

Goddammit, he should’ve known. Actually, he’d thought he’d
heard something but he’d been balls-deep inside Mira at the time.

No matter. He’d fix this.

Weak.
The word bounced around in his head. Saul
looked like a fool as he scrambled out of the booth and fell to his knees. He
reminded Josh of…prey. Yeah, that was the word which suited Saul best. Prey.
My
prey.

Josh grinned. Excitement and a sense of satisfaction
replaced the anger. He’d put Saul in his place years ago, the day he’d told
Jazz she was fat and made her cry. Today, however, Josh would break him and
make him understand that hurting his family would never be tolerated.

He hauled him up by his collar so they were eye to eye.
“Going somewhere?”

“I-I…have to go to work.”

The stench oozing from Saul—a combination of piss and
booze—disgusted Josh. He dropped him and grabbed the back of his neck. Josh
used the tight grip to guide him toward the front door. “Of course, those pig
sties need tending but I’m sure you can spare some time for your old buddy,
right?”

“Yeah, sure. Uhmm, we can talk.” Saul motioned toward the
table he’d occupied. “Let’s sit.”

Josh directed him forward without responding. He stopped at
the cash register and dropped a fifty on the scuffed counter. “For Saul’s
breakfast. Keep the change.”

He hauled him outside and dragged him around the back of the
diner.

“Let go!” Saul uselessly scratched at his arm. “I’m not
going anywhere with you, freak.”

Josh tightened his hold on Saul’s neck until he squeaked.
“Didn’t I teach you not to call people names back in eighth grade? Do I need to
give you another lesson?”

Saul shook his head. “No, no but I know what you are! You
ain’t normal!”

Josh clamped his hand over Saul’s mouth and narrowed his
eyes on him. “Shut the fuck up, Saul, and if you even think of biting me, I’ll
bite you back and I promise you, I’ll make it hurt.”

Whimpers fell from Saul’s throat and the sound pleased him
on some level he’d never known he had. He liked seeing the stark terror in his
eyes and knowing he’d put it there without trying. He shook off the chilling
realization and stared at the trembling man.

“Do you understand me?” He waited until Saul nodded before
uncovering his mouth. “Now you and I are going to take a little walk and
discuss your unwise decision to spy on me and my girlfriend last night.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t—”

“Walk, Saul, or when I’m done with you, I’ll make sure you
can’t.”

Saul shuffled with him, eyes on the ground as if he were
going to his death. In the small alley between the diner and the empty store
next to it, Josh slammed him into the wall and held him dangling a foot off the
ground. He leaned close and ignored the nauseating combination of whiskey, eggs
and coffee on his breath.

“Who sent you to spy on me?”

“Nobody did, I—”

Josh growled and watched the panic slide into Saul’s green
eyes. “No lies.”

“Abby. S-she’s got a new boyfriend and he doesn’t like how
you’ve treated her. He wants you to be hu-humiliated like…like she’s been.”

Every muscle in his body tensed. “Who’s the new guy?”

“I don’t know. He’s—”

Josh grabbed Saul’s biceps and bounced him off the wall. The
crack of his skull against the brick echoed in the narrow corridor. “I said no
lies.”

Saul blinked hard. Unfocused eyes met him. “I’m not. I ain’t
never seen him.”

“Name.”

“I don’t—”

Josh raised him up for another whack against the building
but paused. A glance over his shoulder confirmed his suspicion at who the flash
of gold he’d seen earlier belonged to. “What are you doing here, Rafe?”

Rafe slid his golden eyes from him to the man he held. “Kade
sent me to help you with your little problem.”

“I don’t need help. Saul and I were just having a little
chat.” Josh turned back to the man he held. “Weren’t we?”

Another whiff of piss surrounded them. Josh glanced at the
wet line spreading down Saul’s leg. Great. Josh eased back so the drips falling
off Saul’s shoe didn’t land on him. “Why are so afraid,
buddy
?”

“I…I told you why. I know what your new friends are.” Saul
jerked his head in Rafe’s direction. “And I know they’re making you into a
freak too.”

Josh wished. It’d make his life easier. “I’ll tell you the
truth about what my new friends are. Want to hear it?” He waited until Saul
nodded. “They’re a powerful, honorable family who live, love and put their
pants on one leg at a time just like you do. They’re also going to be mine as
soon as Mira and I tie the knot.”

“You’re going to marry that thing.”

Josh grabbed Saul’s shoulder with one hand and delivered
three short, hard jabs to his nose. Bone cracked. Saul shrieked. Josh covered
Saul’s mouth to muffle the cry and berated himself for giving in to his rage.

Blood dripped over his knuckles. Instead of it bringing him
back to reality, he wanted more of Saul’s blood, preferably in his mouth as he
tore his throat out. Josh shook his head to get the violent images out.

With his raging instincts held at bay, he bent his head
closer. “That beautiful woman is the love of my life. She’s mine. You
understand what that means for me and what I’ll do to protect those I love,
don’t you?”

Saul nodded quickly and another weak whimper escaped, the
sound garbled by Josh’s palm.

“You sure? I know how sometimes you forget things.” Josh
pulled his hand away from Saul’s mouth and lifted him. “But I bet your buddy
Vince remembers.” And if he didn’t, Josh made sure he had enough scars to
ensure he never forgot. “How many years does he have left for taking Zoe’s
family away from her?”

He didn’t need to see Rafe to know that statement shocked
him. Josh felt the tension radiating off the shifter who stood behind him,
blocking them from curious eyes. He’d meant to clue Rafe into why Kade had no
chance in hell with Zoe. He hadn’t had time. The mess with Mira had taken all
of his.

“Vince is sorry, man. You know that.”

Josh punched him and felt the cartilage shift under the
blow. “Vince is a sick fuck who wanted what never belonged to him.”

“It was the drugs. He’s…he’s all cleaned-up now.” Saul
licked the blood away from his lips. More flowed to coat it. “The judge
believed him. That’s why he went easy on him.”

More likely the judge had been paid off. Vince’s family
owned the biggest meat packing plant in the state. They also supplied the local
dealers, including Zeb, not that the police could tie them to it. Ella had
tried for years and kept running into dead ends.

As much as he wanted to find out what Saul meant by the
judge going easy on him—last he heard Vince was doing twenty to thirty in the
state penitentiary—he had to deal with the images Saul should never have taken.
Josh tightened his grip and growled, “So about last night…who did you tell?”

“No-nobody. I didn’t tell—”

Josh smacked him into the wall. Saul’s eyes rolled back in
his head. Josh shook him so he wouldn’t pass out. “What did I tell you about
lying to me, Saul? I don’t like when people lie.”

“S…Sam.”

The slurred word dropped between them and worry stirred
Josh’s anger. Sam gossiped worse than some of the elderly women in town. “Where
is he?”

The sound of a police siren reached Josh’s ears. He cursed.
“Tell me, Saul. Where is he?”

“Went to…tell,” Saul licked his lips, “Abby’s boyfriend…he
was right.”

Shit, shit, shit. “Where. Tell me where.”

“Ca-cabin.”

“Dammit to hell, Josh. Again?”

Josh dropped Saul’s unconscious body and turned to meet
Ella’s hazel eyes. He grinned. “Morning, cuz.”

Ella’s gaze swept over the scene, did a double take on Rafe,
and settled on him. “What’s going on?”

“Uhmm, nothing?” Josh widened his smile. “Saul and I were
just talking.”

Ella dropped her arms to hang loosely at her sides and
widened her legs, her usual ‘don’t-mess-with-me’ stance. “No bullshit lines,
Josh.” She turned her head and leveled a hard glare on Rafe. “I got a very
interesting call this morning from an arm of the government I never knew
existed and I’m not happy, not happy at all that shit has been kept from me.”

Rafe flashed a grin. “Ma’am, let me introduce myself. I’m—”

“Rafe Alexander.” Ella gave him a once-over. “Don’t even try
to charm me, Rafe. It won’t work. I know your wife.”

He chuckled. “Jazz says, welcome to the club. She wants you
to stop by and she’ll fill you in but,” Rafe motioned toward the slumped body
on the ground, “in the meantime, we could use your help containing a little
slip that happened last night.”

Josh strode forward and gave her arm a small squeeze. “We
good, cuz?”

Ella shrugged. “I’m a little hurt that I had to find out
this way but yeah, we’re good.”

Josh sighed. “Great because I’ve got to stop Sam from
messing this up worse than it already is.”

He didn’t bother waiting to listen to her argument. He
jogged toward his car and ignored her bellowed order to stop.

* * * * *

The Ernests’ hunting cabin sat at the top of a mountain.
Josh’s SUV lurched over the divots and potholes in the road leading to it. He
cursed each time the underbelly scraped, more because of the wasted time than
the damage to his new car. His only consolation stemmed from knowing this
impassable path was the only way in or out of the place.

Rafe sat next to him but thankfully had stopped asking him
questions. It took all of Josh’s control not to turn his head and snarl at the
shifter. Mira’s anxiety radiated along their invisible tether. It added to the
worry he felt and the regret over not checking out the thumping sound last
night. On top of that, the unexplainable pain in his body had grown since
they’d left Ella. Shallow breaths and focusing on the mess he had to fix
stopped him from obsessing over it.

He breathed a sigh when the dilapidated building came into
view. The only vehicle parked in front belonged to Sam. Josh blocked it in with
his.

A whiff of blood and death hit him as soon as he got out. He
had a moment to wonder how he could smell it or know what it meant before
concern for the man who had never been his friend kicked in. He rushed to the
door and flung it open.

He grabbed the doorframe to stop himself from entering and
messing up the crime scene. The single red dot between Sam’s open eyes and the
trail of blood down his crooked nose told him everything he needed to know.

“There’s no scent from the murderer.”

“Shit.” Josh met Rafe’s eyes.

“Yeah, shit,” Rafe echoed.

Josh pulled out his phone and dialed. “Ella, get up here and
bring a body bag. We were too late.”