Dark and Damaged: Eight Tortured Heroes of Paranormal Romance: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set (11 page)

Bree crouched down, and Katie gamboled over to her. She sniffed Bree over, while Bree watched, enraptured, then Bree put out a tentative hand to pet her. Katie gave a baby growl and rubbed her head against Bree’s hand.

Then Katie reached up one paw and plucked the cat’s ears, forgotten by Bree, from her head. The cub adjusted the headband on her own head with great dexterity, then returned to four paws and started loping around the room. Bree sat back, a stunned look on her face.

“If you take her out running in Zilker Park, people will notice,” she said, her voice faint. “You’ll be inundated with questions. And possibly arrested.”

Francesca broke in. “All right, Seamus, who
is
this woman, and why did you bring a human to a safe house?”

Seamus returned Francesca’s look with a calm one. “This is Bree Fayette. She saved my life last night. Bree, Francesca.”

“Mmm.” Francesca didn’t look happy, but she gave Bree a nod. “Now that she knows about us, you know you can’t let her go.”

“I won’t keep her prisoner,” Seamus said. Francesca, unfortunately was one of those all-or-nothing Shifters. Shifters should keep to themselves, no humans trusted, unless they were brought in and confined.

Bree gave Francesca a look of annoyance with her cat-outlined eyes. “Seriously? I helped pick bullets out of him and got him away from a bunch of cops—you really think I’ll rat you out now?”

“You’re one of those groupies,” Francesca said, her nostrils pinching.

“Which means I like Shifters and want what’s best for them,” Bree returned. She looked up at Seamus from the floor. “You sure we’re safe here?”

“Pretty sure,” Seamus said. “As soon as I ditch the car.”

Bree’s eyes widened. “Leaving us with no transportation?”

“We won’t need it,” Seamus said. “We’ll lie low here for a while.” Until Kendrick contacted them. Those were the orders.

“
I’ll
ditch it,” Francesca said. “Keys?”

“No keys,” Bree said. “It’s wired. I should do it.”

“I can deal with that.” Francesca was already on her way out the door. “I’ll hide it somewhere we can get to it if we need it again.”

The screen door banged. Katie stopped her running and looked out the screen after Francesca, then came to Bree and climbed decidedly onto her lap. Bree closed her arms around bear fur, and Katie leaned into her.

“Poor little thing,” Bree said. “Francesca seems ... intense. Are you sure you trust
her
?”

Seamus folded himself down next to them. “She’s a tracker. Our Shifter leader believes females are as good at tracking as males. Francesca is naturally suspicious of any outsider, with good reason.” He let out his breath. “Bree, I don’t know what the hell is going to happen. It’s always been so simple before.”

Bree scratched the top of Katie’s head. “Why is it complicated now?”

“Because of you.” Seamus gave her an open look. “I don’t know how much I can risk telling you. I don’t know if things will play out for my Shifters like they did before. I don’t know if I’m going feral or if it’s a temporary thing. I don’t know if I killed those hunters. I don’t know if I’ll have to disappear and never see you again.” He touched Bree’s hair. “That’s killing me most of all.”

***

Bree stared up at him, lips parted. Her entire body squeezed into one tight, painful point. Embracing the bear cub sent a warm, soothing trickle through her, but Seamus’s declaration had her heart aching.

His eyes, intent on her, were golden and warm, his touch electric. Here they were, sitting in a rundown house in the middle of town, stranded in this island of calm—with a bear cub and a Lupine woman who’d come back inside any time. And Bree knew right then she was falling in love with a Shifter.

She barely knew him, and after Seamus got himself and Katie safe, she might never see him again. This could be one of those encounters she’d remember the rest of her life, something to relive in the middle of a lonely night. The great love that wasn’t meant to be.

Katie, restless again, slid out of Bree’s lap and waddled away, the cat’s ears still on her head. She sat down on her bottom, took them off, and studied them every which way. Then she curled up around them and closed her eyes. In a few moments, she emitted a baby snore.

Seamus came down to Bree, folding his body around her, arms cradling her. His lips brushed Bree’s neck, moving up under her ear, his breath hot. Bree turned her head and caught his mouth with hers.

The kiss began slowly, a savoring, a learning. Seamus smelled of the wet green stream they’d run along, sweat, himself. He cupped her neck in his strong hand, his lips parting hers, the kiss deepening.

The corners of Bree’s heart, empty and sad, began to fill. The warmth inside her changed to heat that flared and started to consume her.

She wound her hand behind Seamus’s neck, pulling him closer. Seamus came readily, his arms enfolding her, his mouth a fine place.

They kissed without frenzy, desire a leisurely burn between them. The few days’ growth of Seamus’s whiskers scraped Bree’s lips, his mouth intoxicating. Seamus spread his hand on the back of her neck, cradling her into him. His chest was hard under Bree’s touch, his heart beating rapidly. Arms and legs around her held her securely, his body shielding her from the world.

The door banged open and Francesca strode back inside. Bree expected Seamus to jump away, but he didn’t. He kept his arms around Bree, slowly finishing the kiss before he raised his head.

Katie didn’t wake. The cub seemed to understand that she was safe with Seamus here, her sides rising and falling in deep, even breaths.

Francesca paused in the doorway, her sharp gaze taking in Seamus and Bree on the floor. Seamus kept his arm around Bree as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

Francesca let the door close. “Your timing sucks, Seamus,” she said.

Seamus moved one shoulder in a shrug. “Things happen when they happen.”

“How much does she know?” Francesca asked.

“
She
is sitting right here,” Bree said. “I know you’re hiding out from the entire world, because you’re un-Collared and I’m guessing you want to stay that way.
How
you are, I haven’t figured out. I don’t think you pulled your Collars off.” Like Seamus, Francesca had no red line around her neck to indicate she’d ripped a Collar out of her skin. The small indentation the fake Collar had left on Seamus was nothing to what a real Collar would have done.

Francesca scowled, her Lupine gray eyes fiery. “You don’t need to know that.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Bree said. “You’re stuck here, and you have to take care of Katie. What’s going to happen when you need food? You’ll drive a stolen car to the grocery store down the street? Not every human recognizes Shifters, but you both will stand out. You have a
look
.”

Even more than most Collared Shifters Bree had known, even more than the Shifters she’d met this morning, Francesca and Seamus had a wildness about them that other Shifters lacked.

“Well, we have
you
now,” Francesca said to her. “You can shop for us.”

“Right,” Bree countered. “I just sneaked a Shifter away from a bunch of cops. They probably put out an APB on me. Every store clerk will be on the lookout, hoping for a reward.”

“Enough.” Seamus’s one growled word didn’t have to be loud. He rose to his feet—straight up from a sitting position, no scrambling. Francesca snapped her mouth closed, though her eyes showed her fury. “Bree is one of us, not a hostage. She saved my life—twice. I owe her.”

Francesca growled. “I saw you giving her a little payback.”

A lion snarl came from Seamus’s throat. He took one step toward Francesca, who danced a few paces back on quick feet.

Francesca wasn’t as dominant as Seamus, Bree realized, watching them. She’d seen enough dominance skirmishes at the Shifter bars in New Orleans to understand what was going on here.

But Francesca wasn’t less dominant simply because she was female. Plenty of females were higher than males in the hierarchy. She was simply not
as
high as Seamus. She was testing him, maybe trying to see if he’d muscle her into obedience over Bree.

From Seamus’s soft growls, he was going to protect Bree. Francesca saw that and started backing off, her shoulders rounding, her head drooping as she conceded.

Seamus went to Francesca, stood silently in front of her for a few seconds, then pulled her into an embrace. Not a sensual one, not like the tender way Seamus had held Bree. This was reassurance, like a father giving his cub a lick.

Seamus didn’t exactly lick Francesca, but he pressed her into the hug, holding her tight. Francesca’s arms came around him, hugging him back, the tension going out of her.

When he released her, he touched her shoulder, then returned to Bree. Dominance reestablished, Seamus was showing Francesca he’d take care of her. All was well.

Through it all, Katie slept. The bear cub was boneless on the carpet, her small snores both adorable and comforting. Complete trust.

Francesca came to Bree, and when she spoke, her tone was much more respectful. “Katie likes you,” Francesca said. “She doesn’t take to everyone.”

“Is it hard to look after a bear?” Bree asked in true curiosity. “Being a wolf?”

“Hell, yeah,” Francesca said. “In the wild, I’d never have dreamed it. But Katie is just so ... well, cute.”

Francesca still wasn’t happy with Seamus bringing Bree here, Bree could see, but Francesca said nothing more about it. Bree had some sympathy—for all Francesca knew, Bree was some kind of undercover spy for Shifter Bureau, who would worm their secrets out of them and turn them in. Bureau police would come out with nets and tranq guns and round up Seamus, Francesca, and Katie to stuff them into cages and decide what to do with them.

“I know you don’t trust me,” Bree said. “But really, I’m not from Shifter Bureau or anything like that—I don’t even know where their offices are. I’m Bree Fayette, from a town in Louisiana you’ve never heard of, I moved out here with my mom when we inherited a house from my great-uncle, and there wasn’t anything left for us at home. I’m a Shifter groupie, of a sort. I love Shifters and everything about them. I’d never hurt you, or help anyone hurt you, no matter how bitchy you get, and I’d certainly never do anything to harm a cub like Katie. You don’t have to believe me, but that’s the naked truth.”

Francesca listened, brows rising. Seamus wasn’t exactly smiling, but his eyes were full of warmth.

“Yeah, well,” Francesca said. “Don’t say
naked
. Seamus might go into mating frenzy with you right here on the carpet, and I so don’t need to see that.”

***

Katie slept on. At Seamus’s suggestion, Bree carried her into an upstairs bedroom and lay down with her. Francesca let them go, saying nothing.

Seamus knew Francesca had snarled at him to see how far he’d let her go, to discover what Bree was to him. He’d told her, all right.

Francesca had watched with cautious eyes as Seamus escorted Bree and Katie upstairs, but didn’t try to interfere. She was trusting him.

Seamus kissed Bree briefly on the lips after she settled on the bed with Katie. He pulled a blanket over Bree and went out into the upstairs hall, where a window let him keep watch on the front perimeter. Francesca prowled restlessly downstairs.

Now to settle in and wait for Kendrick.

Seamus had no doubt his leader would be in touch, telling them where to regroup—it was just a matter of time. This was the toughest part of all, though, the waiting. Seamus had been trained to sit tight and wait for orders, but that time could be brutal.

When Kendrick finally revealed where his Shifters would meet again, Seamus would ask Bree to come with him. He was pretty sure she’d say no, because accompanying him would mean going into hiding with him somewhere in the world, leaving her mother and everything she knew behind. Bree would have to make that choice, and there was no reason she would choose him. Seamus would lose her, when he’d only just found her.

That thought hurt. Waiting here in this house was going to be hard—leaving would be harder.

The day wore on. Bree and Katie slept soundly. Francesca ceased her prowling and took a nap, leaving Seamus to stand guard.

At about five in the afternoon, Seamus saw movement in the shadows under the trees that lined the front yard.

He stiffened as the shadow slipped from the trees around to the side of the house. Seamus ran silently down the stairs, imagining the path the intruder must have taken. He got himself behind the back door just as a floorboard on the porch creaked. The intruder took one step, then two, then reached the door.

Seamus flung it open, grabbed the Shifter on the other side of it, and hauled him inside. It was a Lupine, the one he’d seen at Bree’s house this morning—Broderick.

Just as Seamus registered that fact, the lock on the front door broke without fanfare, and the door banged open. The Bengal tiger Shifter walked inside.

“Bree is here,” Tiger announced in his slow voice. “And a cub.”

Francesca came off the sofa, snarling, and attacked Tiger. Tiger turned his head, put out one massive arm, and shoved. Francesca soared straight back through the air, landing heavily on the sofa, and started to shift.

Seamus got between her and Tiger.
“Stop!”
he commanded.

Francesca’s eyes narrowed. “We can take him,” she said, her voice clogged with the change. “He’s Collared.”

Broderick answered from the kitchen doorway. “Not really. Tiger’s kind of ... special.”

Tiger gave Broderick a flat yellow stare, then Francesca, then Seamus. Francesca drew a breath, dropped back to the sofa, and stayed human. “What the hell is he?” she asked Seamus.

“We’re not sure,” Broderick said before Seamus could speak. “Okay,
I’m
not sure. His mate thinks he’s all sweet and cuddly, but Carly’s about to bring in his cub, so she’s gushy right now. The rest of us know he’s just crazy.” Broderick’s sharp gaze went to Seamus. The Lupine might seem nonchalant and a smartass, but he wasn’t stupid. “Where’s Bree?”