Mating Instinct: A Moon Shifter Novel (32 page)

He set the glass bowl on the table and slid into the seat next to Kat, facing Leila. “Kat and I want you to live with us. We’ll be moving back to the ranch in a month, and if you want, you have a place in our home.”

“Not that we want to take the place of your parents or anything; we know we won’t. We’d just really love it if you wanted to stay with us.” Kat forced herself to stop talking, knowing that if she didn’t, she would end up just rambling.

A sweet, pure scent rolled off Leila as her eyes widened. “Really? That’s awesome. I mean, I love Ana and Connor’s place, but Vivian is constantly in my stuff. Not that I mind really. She’s a sweet kid, but . . . I’d love to. Unless . . .” Suddenly her shoulders drooped. “What if you have kids?”

Kat shrugged, surprised by the question. She definitely hadn’t thought that far ahead. “So what if we do?”

“Well, will you still want me there?”

Kat glanced at Jayce, then back at Leila. “I’m pretty new to pack life, but I can tell you one thing: When Jayce and I open up our home to you, it’ll be for life. If we have kids, you’ll be their big sister.”

Taking her by surprise, Leila jumped up and launched herself at Kat, wrapping her arms around her neck in a tight embrace and then doing the same to Jayce.

Jayce looked more stunned than Kat, and gently patted Leila’s back, as if he was afraid he might hurt the young shifter. When she pulled back she smiled almost shyly. “I guess that means I can’t tell people you cook tiramisu, huh?”

Jayce’s sharp bark of laughter warmed Kat from the inside out. “Not if you want more of it,” he said.

For the first time in her life, Kat felt whole in a way she’d never imagined. Yes, she loved her father, but growing up with him had been hard. Add to that the fact that she was also a seer who’d been able to see paranormal beings about a decade before they came out to the world, and it was understandable why she’d always felt like a bit of a freak.

She knew their lives would never be normal as far as human society went, and that was fine with her. Normal was overrated. But their lives would be full. Looking at Jayce as he scooped tiramisu onto Leila’s plate, she watched his sinewy muscles flex, and didn’t bother trying to control the flush of heat that swept through her. Whatever happened from here on out, she had a pack to stand by her. And she would have the man she loved more than life itself by her side every step of the way.

Acknowledgments

I don’t think I’ll ever keep this section short, but I’ll try! Writing a book is only the beginning stage of publishing it and there are so many wonderful people who have helped in its production. Jill Marsal, agent extraordinaire, you always have such a level head and I’m grateful for how much you do (which is a lot!). Danielle Perez, I’m still awed by your skills as an editor. Your guidance in making this series shine is so appreciated. Erin Galloway, thank you so much for all your help in the publicity department. To the rest of the team at NAL, all your behind-the-scenes work does not go unnoticed. Thanks to Katie Anderson, Christina Brower, Mary Hern, Jan McInroy, and Craig White. Thank you for all you do.

Sarah Romsa, I hope you know how much I love you. Our daily phone calls ensure that I’m not a complete hermit when working on a book. Thank you for all your support. Laura Wright, our weekly phone calls and texts have a way of keeping me sane. You are always a bright spot in my day. Kari Walker and Dara Edmondson, thank you both for all your support with the Moon Shifter series. For my parents, who wonder where the heck I got my love of all things supernatural from, and still support me. I’m so thankful for my husband and son, who put up with me when I’m hibernating in my writing cave. Without your support, my job would be a lot harder. And to my readers, thank you for all the kind, encouraging e-mails about this series. I love hearing from you and appreciate your support so incredibly much. Last, but never least, I’m so thankful to God for keeping me going through the rough patches.

E
rin Flynn shot the tall male shifter next to her a quick glance as yet another female they passed on the street gave him an assessing, purely sexual look. Since they’d arrived in New Orleans an hour ago, it had been the same reaction from practically every woman they’d come across. A few men too. Not that she blamed any of them, even if she did have a sudden urge to claw their eyes out.

Simply put, Noah Campbell was smoking-hot: Tall, broad shoulders, sharp cheekbones, inky black hair a woman could easily imagine running her fingers through, and perfect olive coloring that belied his Greek heritage on his mother’s side. Didn’t matter that it was an icy January day; he looked like he’d just stepped off a Mediterranean beach, all toned and tan. He definitely evoked thoughts of sex, sin, and sultry summer nights.

They passed a woman dressed in jeans that might as well have been painted on, a bright red coat belted around her tiny waist, and knee-high boots with five-inch heels. When she practically undressed Noah with her eyes, Erin frowned at her friend. “Are you being intentionally oblivious?” No way could he have missed how people were looking at him.

Noah’s guarded dark eyes flicked her way once before he continued scanning the nearly deserted cobblestone streets. They’d parked outside the long and narrow shotgun-style house they were staying in with another shifter and a fae warrior, both of whom had decided to hang back while she and Noah scoped out the city. And the tension hadn’t left his body since the moment they’d stepped out of that pastel blue and pink house with peeling yellow shutters.

“Not oblivious, just not interested.” A curt answer so typical of him when he was annoyed or stressed. Right now she thought he might be a bit of both. He didn’t look at her again, but she could practically feel the heat of his dark eyes searing her. Knew what she’d see if he looked her way again. Lust and need.

Some days she wished he’d find a woman. A sweet beta female who would be perfect for him. It would slice up her insides to know that someone else would be touching what she considered hers, waking up every morning to him . . . but at least he’d be happy. Maybe she’d finally be able to move on from this constant state of wanting him but knowing she could never have him.

God, she was so fucked up.

Instinctively she patted the front of her thick coat, needing to feel the two short blades strapped to her chest beneath it. She didn’t go anywhere without them. Even slept with one under her pillow. “Did you finally call your father?” she asked.

“Nope.”

Resisting the urge to growl at him, she shoved her hands in her jacket pockets.

Just great.

As the newest enforcer-in-training for the North American Council of lupine shifters, Erin was on her first mission by herself. Technically she wasn’t in training anymore but she still thought of herself that way. Her mentor, Jayce, had told her that she was ready to go out on her own investigation so here she was. He’d sent Noah with her but it wasn’t so Noah could check up on her or look out for her—that would have pissed her off. New Orleans was Noah’s father’s territory and the situation right now had the potential to be volatile.

Noah’s father shared the city with vamps, feline shifters, and fae, and she was pretty sure a few demons made their homes here too. The old city just appealed to them. New Orleans was the one place in the United States paranormal beings had agreed to share. It was either that or endure a bloodbath fighting over it.

Not worth it when they were practically under a microscope by the humans they’d revealed themselves to two decades ago. Erin still thought that was a stupid decision on the Council’s part but it was over and done with. Not much anyone could do about it now.

The one thing she’d asked Noah to do was make contact with his father before they’d arrived. It irked her that he hadn’t, but in the past year and some odd months since she’d been friends with Noah, he hadn’t said more than a handful of sentences about the powerful Alpha and she hadn’t pushed. She didn’t like talking about her past, so she understood his need for privacy. Still, his father was Alpha of this territory and deserved the respect of a freaking phone call.

“Damn it, Noah,” she muttered, but didn’t continue as they rounded another street corner. The difference from the quiet one they’d just come from was vivid.

A variety of scents and noises accosted them. Tobacco, liquor, a mix of cheap and expensive perfumes, raw sex, and some kind of spicy food tickled her nose. Sometimes she cursed her extrasensory abilities. A few bars blasted music, but a steady, low-key stream of tunes flowed out from the Full Moon Bar as they neared it.

Even if she hadn’t scented all the paranormal beings inside, the lower level of music was the first giveaway that the place catered to people like her. Paranormal beings had extrasensory everything, something humans usually seemed to forget. And something she was thankful for because it had the potential to make her job as enforcer easier.

“I talked to my mom earlier and she told me my father would be here tonight,” Noah said quietly.

Erin knew Noah talked to his mother practically every week, but hadn’t talked to his father in years. She might not know everything about his family dynamics, but she knew enough. And this had disaster written all over it. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, ready to dial the number of Angus Campbell she’d received from Jayce before she and Noah had left North Carolina.

She should have just taken care of this herself but she’d wanted to let Noah do it. Even if she was on Council business, she was still entering another Alpha’s territory and he deserved a heads-up. Noah knew the protocol well. No doubt he was just showing up unannounced to piss his old man off. Not the way she wanted to start this investigation.

As she scrolled to the number as they crossed the street, her head snapped up at a crashing sound. A giant female jaguar tumbled out of the bar they were headed into, fangs and claws extended. Definitely a shifter. The animal let out a loud snarl, then rushed back in through a splintered blue door.

Erin’s eyes widened as a shot of adrenaline punched through her.

“Shit,” Noah muttered, moving into action.

Unzipping her jacket as she ran, she unsheathed her short blades from their protective casings. They weren’t quite two feet long, pure silver, and her best defense in close combat. Which was the type of fighting she preferred.

She respected the hell out of snipers, but this was her game. As a shifter she was unique because she preferred to fight in her human form. Just like the other enforcers across the globe. It wasn’t because she was stronger in human form—though she was strong and fast. It was because once she let her beast out, it was difficult to rein her wolf back in. For Erin, keeping the balance between her animal and human sides was a bitch.

After the long drive cooped up in a car with Noah and too much sexual frustration, she needed to let off some steam and this was the way to do it.

To her annoyance Noah rushed into the dimly lit bar first, but she was right behind him. The gorgeous black jaguar with a faint orange background and dark spots was rolling around on the floor with a male vampire. They were slicing each other to ribbons, though Erin knew the big cat was holding back. Jaguars—regular or shifter—had powerful jaws and this one wasn’t biting.

There were about two dozen people there, but no one was intervening. What the hell?

A few humans, a handful of tall, ethereal-looking fae, vampires, and lupine and feline shifters in human form all lounged around the bar staring at the two in open amusement. How was this remotely funny?

Screw that.
“I’m taking the male down. Stay out of it,” she murmured to Noah, hoping he’d listen. Sometimes he was overprotective of her and she had no problem taking care of herself.

Without waiting for a response, she jumped into the fray. She was young for a shifter, but incredibly quick, and knew one day—if she lived long enough—she’d have a better grasp on the strange power she could feel growing inside her every day.

Lightning fast, she sliced at the feline’s shoulder, earning a surprised cry. The big cat immediately jumped off the vamp and backed away.

The vamp lunged at Erin, and even though she could sense the power rippling off him in waves, she dodged to the side and sliced her blade across his chest as he sailed past her. Blood spurted everywhere but it wasn’t even close to a killing blow. The sweet scent that filled the air was different than the normal coppery scent of human and shifter blood.

The dark-skinned vamp turned with supernatural speed, a look of surprise on his face. She didn’t know if it was because of her speed, her sex, or her apparent youth. She also didn’t care. His fangs flashed, claws unsheathed as those hostile dark eyes narrowed at her. She heard Noah growl behind her.

“I’ve got this, Noah!” They’d fought side by side before, and while he might’ve hated her fighting, he had better at least respect her enough to handle herself.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the feline shifter crouching, ready to pounce—on her!

What the hell is going on?
She’d been trying to help the shifter out. Before Erin could move to defend herself, an eerie growl and the sound of bones breaking ripped through the slight murmur of voices and low music. A flash of dark fur she recognized as Noah flew through the air at the cat.

Annoyed he’d intervened, but having no doubt he could take care of himself, she didn’t lose her momentum as she raced at the vamp. Right now all she cared about was subduing this guy as fast as possible. She didn’t have time to sing and dance with him. That meant going on the offensive.

Using a bar stool as leverage, she jumped on it then a table before hurtling through the air. Raising a blade with her right hand, she brought it down as if to stab him through the chest. Calculating his attempt to swivel away to the left, she swept up with her left hand, slicing him through the gut.

It wouldn’t kill him, but the silver burned vamps and shifters something fierce. His skin sizzled as he cried out under her blow. She didn’t stop there. As he instinctively attempted to grapple with the blade, she brought the other one down on his forearm, pinning him to the floor.

Blood pooled everywhere, creating a dark river around them. The sickly sweet scent wafted up. “I’m not going to kill you if you stop struggling,” she bit out, flashing her canines in a show of aggression.

Immediately the vampire went limp, but the rage in his eyes didn’t diminish. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He wheezed out the words.

Before she could respond she heard a feminine cry behind her. “Don’t hurt him! He’s my mate!”

Instead of turning around, she quickly glanced at one of the mirrors in front of her displaying a full blue moon and advertising a new beer. In the reflection she saw a naked woman likely of South American descent being restrained by a very naked Noah, since his clothes had shredded during his change. Something sharp and deadly rose up inside Erin at seeing him tangled together with a female, but she forced it back down and focused on the crazy situation in front of her. She narrowed her gaze at the vamp still shooting daggers at her with his eyes. “That’s your mate?”

He nodded, his lips pulled into a thin line. “We were just having a bit of an argument. Nothing serious.”

It had looked pretty damn serious to her. That’s when she scented the feline on him. No, not just on him, but practically
in
him, living under his skin. Yeah, no doubt they were mated. Sure had a weird way of acting like it. Glancing around, Erin noted that everyone had given her and Noah a wide berth and had congregated to the back of the bar.

“Attack me or him,” she tilted her head in Noah’s direction without taking her gaze off the vamp, “and I’ll cut off your head.” Without waiting for his response, she withdrew her blades and put a good ten feet between them in a split second. The instant she’d cleared the vamp, Noah let the female go. Erin didn’t sheathe her weapons though. She wasn’t worried about herself, but the thought of anyone hurting Noah . . . it brought out something dark inside her. Some days she hated that feeling because he wasn’t hers. It was like this constant battle waging inside her.

Ignoring everyone and uncaring about her nudity, the feline knelt by the vamp, cupping his cheek and stroking a hand down his chest. Blood pooled around him but he was already practically healed. “Are you hurt, baby?”

“For the love of . . .” Erin turned toward Noah and, using strength she didn’t realize she had, kept her eyes way above his belt line and steady on his face. “What the hell kind of place is this?”

Before he could answer, a booming male voice silenced the room. Even the music shut off. “Martina, Razi, get the hell out of here and don’t show your faces on this street for a month.”

The vamp and feline—still freaking naked—practically ran from the bar, bleeding all over the place and cursing a blue streak. But not before shooting Erin murderous glares.

Once they were gone her attention was drawn to the back of the bar, where a big male who looked like an older version of Noah, minus the dark hair, was walking through the sudden gap between the onlookers. Definitely Noah’s father. Beside her, Noah tensed. It was subtle, something she noticed only because she knew him so well.

And you’d like to know him a whole lot better, wouldn’t you?

The big lupine strode right toward them, only stopping a foot away after he’d given them both assessing looks. “You’ll have to excuse Martina and Razi. That’s just foreplay to them.”

“They were fighting like animals,” she said, though she had no reason to defend her actions.

“We
are
animals.” His dark eyes looked so much like Noah’s it rattled her, but she didn’t let it show.

Instead Erin shrugged. “I take it you’re Angus Campbell.”