Lover's Instinct: A Moon Shifter Novella (11 page)

For a moment he thought she might argue but she finally nodded. “Fine, whatever. You’re going to do it anyway.”

Damn right he was. “Stay here with her,” he said to Ryan as he took her key ring.

The second he stepped inside he was accosted by her soft jasmine scent. It always subtly lingered on her and in her house it was more potent. Probably not so potent to humans, but with his heightened senses it almost enveloped him with its purity.

As he moved from room to room it was easy to see December’s feminine touches. Most of the rooms had pale, earth tones. Soothing and soft, like her. Once he’d checked each room, window and all entrances, he allowed himself a small amount of relief. There were no signs of a break in and he couldn’t smell an intruder.

After the attempted kidnapping at her store Liam had tried to convince her to let him have an alarm installed there and at her house. Even her brother who basically detested him had agreed. But December was stubborn. Of course it might have something to do with the fact that he’d
ordered
her to let him take care of it instead of asking her. As second-in-command of his pack—well, technically third now that his brother was mated—he wasn’t used to asking for things, though. Especially not when he knew he was right.

December might not have accepted that she was his intended mate but he knew it with every fiber inside him. He didn’t know
how
he knew, he just did. It was as if something inside him flared to life the moment they’d met. A hundred years ago—before his father had turned into a shell of a wolf due to his mate’s death and before Liam’s entire pack had been slaughtered—his father had told him he’d likely know his mate on sight. Not all shifters recognized their intended mates right away, but Armstrongs usually did. Just like his brother had recognized Ana as his other half. If only Liam could figure out a smoother approach with December. She didn’t come from their world and didn’t understand anything about pack law or . . . him. And he wanted to change that.

He might look like he was in his early thirties but he was over a century old. In all that time Liam and his brother has lived apart from humans. They intermingled with them for business purposes, and as of twenty years ago humans had learned of their existence thanks to the decision of his Council and a few other shifter councils around the world. It didn’t mean he’d completely embraced his civilized, human side however. When he wanted something, his wolf side threatened to take over. The battle between beast and man sometimes seemed never-ending.

Sighing, he flipped open her phone and scrolled to her brother’s name. Bracing himself for the reaction he’d get, he held it up to his ear.

“Hey, I was just about to call you.” Parker’s voice was friendly as he answered.

“This is Liam.”

Like a switch flipping, he went from friendly to hostile in an instant. “Why do you have December’s phone? What the hell is going on? Is she okay?”

“Someone tried to attack your sister. Again.”

“What?”

“On the way home tonight her date tried to stab her with a syringe. She doesn’t know what was in it or what he wanted but she managed to stop him. From what I can tell she got him to run off the road and she escaped. I found her running down the highway.”

“Were you following her?”

Liam didn’t bother to deny it. “I waited until she left the restaurant with that guy but kept my distance. I wanted to make sure she got home safe and hell,
someone
needs to protect her.”

“Are you saying I can’t?” Parker snapped.

“Damn it, man. You know that’s not what I’m saying. I only meant I’ve been keeping an eye on her. After that bullshit with Dr. Graham and those assholes who tried to attack Ana, I just want to make sure December is safe.” Over two months ago a local doctor had poisoned the local Cordona pack, killing all the males and pregnant females. Ana Cordona—now his brother’s mate—had become leader of an all female pack by default. Since his brother and Alpha, Connor, had been in love with Ana for over half a century, Liam and the rest of their small pack had recently come to North Carolina and united her pack with theirs. And the poisonings had started up again. That’s when they’d discovered that the person trying to poison their pack wasn’t their only problem. The APL had targeted any humans associated with shifters or anyone they thought meant something to shifters.

“I know . . . I appreciate it.” The bitter tone of his voice told Liam it had taken a lot for Parker to admit that. “So where is she?”

“We’re at her house. She’s outside with one of my packmates. I just swept her place and it’s clean. The guy she was out with tonight left his car right off the highway. It’s about two miles from Russo Ristorante on the west side of the road, down the embankment. It’s a BMW.” He quickly rattled off the license plate he’d committed to memory.

Parker swore softly. “You’re sure she’s okay?”

“She’s shaken up and I thought she might go into shock but she’s tougher than that. I got the keys out of the ignition and I was careful to pull it out by the edges.”

“I’ll send a couple of my guys to check out the car and I’ll come by to take a statement from her. I’m going to post someone outside her place tonight but will you be there until someone arrives?”

His mouth pulled into a thin line. Apparently even Parker didn’t understand his intentions toward December. That all changed now. “I’ll be here and I’m staying the night. Until we figure out what the hell is going on, I’m not leaving her side.”

Liam expected a fight but Parker was surprisingly silent. The moment seemed to stretch on forever. Finally he spoke. “All right. I’ll see you in a few.”

As they disconnected Liam let his gaze linger on December’s bed. The queen-sized bed was a lot smaller than his own but if he was in it with her it wouldn’t matter. Nothing else would matter other than holding her, sliding his hard length into her hot, tight sheath. Taking care of her. Claiming her. From the moment he’d seen her it’s all he’d been able to think about.

All his life he’d heard about what happened to males when they found their mates but he’d never bought into that bullshit. The overwhelming need to protect. To mate. To
bond
. He’d never believed it until he met December.

Sighing, he shut her bedroom door behind him. One way or another he was going to find his way between her sheets and into her life. He was going to engrain himself so deeply into her world she’d never want him to leave. Maybe not tonight, but soon. Very, very soon.

ABOUT
THE
AUTHOR

Katie Reus
fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she’d pilfered from her mom’s stash. After changing majors too many times to count, she finally graduated with a degree in psychology. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance. She currently lives near Biloxi, Mississippi, with her family. When she’s not creating stories she can usually be found spending time with her family or one of the many animals they’ve adopted over the years.

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www.katiereus.com

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Praise for

Alpha Instinct

“Reus has an instinct for what wows in this perfect blend of shifter, suspense and sexiness. Sexy alphas, kick-ass heroines and twisted villains will keep you turning the pages in this new shifter series.
Alpha Instinct
is a winner.”

—Caridad Piñeiro,
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Lost

“
Alpha Instinct
is a wild, hot ride for readers. The story grabs you and doesn’t let go.”

—Cynthia Eden, author of
Deadly Heat
.

“Reus shows great promise, and you’ll look forward to visiting this world again soon!”

—
Romantic Times
(4 stars)

Discover another Katie Reus title:

Alpha Instinct