The Protector (15 page)

Cole
stilled when he sank balls deep into her. She gasped at how deep he penetrated
her. She felt stretched as far as she could go without pain, and completely
full.

Cole
pulled her up,
then
let gravity draw her back down on
his cock.

 
Blair cried out digging her fingers into his
shoulders as he plunged his cock into her hard and fast. She felt her pussy
clamping down around his shaft, making Cole dig his fingers into her ass as he
moaned.

Blair
lowered her head to his shoulder and kissed his neck as her body coiled
tighter. When her orgasm exploded out of her, she came with a cry and bit down
on Cole’s neck,
then
licked where she bit him.

Cole
threw his head back and pounded his cock into her harder. When his cock swelled
and he buried it one final time he leaned into Blair and sank his teeth into
her shoulder.

The
pain of the bite made Blair’s pussy clench again. Blair felt tears falling
while Cole had his teeth embedded in her flesh. The feeling of being marked by
the wolf she loved was more precious than anything she could ever remember.
Cole was putting his mark on her, telling all shifters that she belonged to
him. She didn’t care that it wasn’t in a bed or on a romantic getaway. She
cried out in pleasure and joy,
then
sank her own teeth
once again into Cole’s shoulder.

Cole
moaned in pleasure, sinking his teeth deeper into her flesh.

Blair
let go first, gasping for air as her pussy clenched around his shaft. “I love
you so much,” Blair cried as emotions swamped her. Here in her little coffee
house Cole had claimed her
as his own,
and finally,
they were mated.

Cole
let go and looked her in the eyes. The expression on Cole’s face changed from
the dominant to soft in an instant. “The thought of losing you drives me crazy.
I don’t understand how you could forgive me after I hurt you, but I am thankful
you did.”

Blair
placed a gentle finger over his lips. “
Shhh
, Cole, I
love you. We got scared, and I got hurt, then mad. Let’s move past that now. I
won’t run, and you won’t leave me again.”

“Never,
Blair, you are mine, forever.
 
I can’t
live without you again.”

 
The door opened with a jingle of the bell, and
Blair gave Cole a wide eyed look. She had thought Julie would lock the doors. She
shrank into Cole’s body. He pulled her tighter to him. His cock was still deep
inside of her, and her legs were wrapped around his bare waist.
 
Not to mention her pants and panties on the
floor. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what they were doing in here.

“We’re
closed,” Cole told them without turning around.

Blair
blushed brighter when she heard Myra giggle. “I smell you two are busy, so we
will head on over for some dinner instead.”

“I’m
closed?”
 
Blair asked, raising one
eyebrow.

“You
are. I am sure Julie can handle the cleanup. I can send in a
cholan
to watch you when you come in tomorrow.”

Blair
thought about it for a moment. It had been a long time since she took a day for
herself. “Yes, ok. Let me tell Julie.”

Cole
kept a hold of her hand. “I am out with you. We can walk around to get to my
truck. It is a beautiful afternoon.”

They
walked out the side door and found Julie picking at her nails. “I am heading
home,” Blair told her hesitantly. She gave her an apologetic look hoping she
wouldn’t be mad.

Julie
smiled at her and wiggled her eyebrows at them. “Oh good, you two enjoy your
evening. I will just get things cleaned up. I was worried you would work, and I
wouldn’t get my free goodies.”

Blair
looked at Julie, with her brow furrowed in confusion. “I don’t get what you mean.”

Julie
smiled. “You said you would trade goodies for my working for the day. When you
showed up, I worried you changed your mind.”

Blair’s
face lit up as she realized what Julie meant. “Oh no, that offer is still good.
Come in anytime and get your pick of whatever you want. I was not going to back
out of that.”

Cole
smacked her on the ass. “See, you went and hurt Julie’s feelings by showing up.
You just told her she isn’t capable of helping you out.”

Blair
gasped. “I didn’t, or at least I didn’t mean to. I was just worried she would
be overwhelmed.”

 
Julie waved them off. “Go home, you two.”

Cole
laughed as he pulled Blair with him around the back of the building. Blair
could smell cigarette smoke and wondered who was back here smoking. Cole
stopped and sniffed the air. “I didn’t think anyone came back here to smoke
anymore.”

“They
don’t.” Blair looked at him in confusion. “There is no smoking area set up
anymore.” She pointed at the construction project for the mall just beyond the
trees. “It’s too noisy, and too many felt like they were being watched.”

Cole
followed the scent and found a fresh cigarette on the ground. He got down on
his knees and sniffed the ground. He jumped back to his feet with the grace of
a seventeen year old track star. “You are being watched by the same piece of
shit that attacked Mandy.” Cole stomped back to her and put his arm
protectively around her.

“That
was him?” Blair asked more in shock than asking a question.

“Yeah,
he has a very distinct scent, and it is different from the one that took Stacy.
We have two fucking criminals running around out here." Cole picked his
phone up. “We need to talk. No, I don’t give a shit about that. Blair is being
watched, and we have two perps not one like Lucas thought. Yeah, meet me at the
council building.” Cole looked down at Blair. “Michael is coming and bringing
some of the council with him. This is suddenly worse than we first thought.”

Blair
had gone from excited to
frightened
. The man that
attacked Mandy was watching her, but why? There was only one reason she could
think of. He wanted revenge. He had also seen her shift. He knew she was not
fully human. “Cole, I am worried about Mandy. What if he is looking for her?”

“I
know, baby, but we’re going to catch him,” Cole said.

Chapter
Nine

Cole
could feel the tension running through his body as he talked with Caleb and
Michael in the lounge area of city hall. Unlike most that had hard plastic
chairs, Pleasant Cove’s had two tan leather couches, a matching leather love
seat, and four leather armchairs. Cole and Michael both sat in the armchairs,
while the others scattered among the couches.

“So
you’re sure they were different scents?” Caleb asked while he looked over at
Blair.

Cole’s
eyes narrowed ominously as he nodded. “Yes, I fucking know there are two
separate scents.” He felt old
insecurities,
ones he’d
thought were gone, coming up again.

He
was good at his job, even if other shifters, like Caleb, felt he was too
young.
 
Caleb was a powerful shifter, and
he was not only sounding condescending, he was also looking at Blair. He needed
to keep his fucking eyes to himself. Cole’s wolf growled possessively. Cole and
his wolf were in full agreement. If Caleb didn’t get those eyes off of Blair,
they would take them off.

Cole’s
old fear came to the surface then.
What
if I am missing things due to inexperience? I should still be training right
now.

Warren’s
words came back to him from long ago when Cole had tried to get out of taking
the position. “This is a massive responsibility, and the responsibility should
never stop weighing on you. If it ever does, then it is time to step down.”

Michael
put his hand on Cole’s shoulder. “Yes, Caleb, we are certain there are
different scents now. The first time the cologne hid it. We assumed it was the
same human.”

Cole’s
eyes squinted, and he put his hand on his forehead. “Yeah, like Michael said,
we are certain.”

Caleb
looked Cole in the eyes. “I was not trying to imply anything. I want these
crimes solved as much as you do.”

Cole
knew he was letting jealousy and his own insecurities get to him.

“I
know you didn’t,” he told him. He looked over at Caleb, but still got an odd
feeling from him. Caleb seemed so calculating, like he was always forming a
plan.

The
door banged open, making Blair jump and squeak in surprise. Cole, Michael, and
Caleb turned and stared at the newcomers who just walked in.

A
petite woman walked in, followed by an overweight man, with greying hair and a
few days’ growth on his face. Cole stood up to usher the lost humans out, but
as he did, he saw Lucas following them in, looking as disgusted as Cole had
ever seen him. He would have laughed if didn't realize the situation was not so
serious.

Lucas
refused to look at the humans, and Cole could see he stayed far enough away to
make sure he was not accidently touched. “These people showed up at the motel.
The family of that missing kid called them in.”

Understanding
hit Cole, and he looked over at that older man. “You’re the PI.”

“Yeah,
I am Josh
Hamen
, and this here is my assistant, Jennifer
McCallen
.”

Cole
could see why Lucas was trying to stay his distance. Guardians usually had a
sense about people. It came as part of the powers
Ilithyia
gave them. Some had strong senses and others had almost none, and although Cole
was no Guardian, he could sense the corruption in the man. He noticed Michael
wincing as if he was trying to clear an offensive odor.
 
Cole glanced over to ask Caleb a question and
noticed he was completely unaffected. Were his senses damaged?
 

“Thank
you, but this is a private meeting.” Michael looked at Josh for a moment before
turning his attention to Lucas. “Lucas, why did you bring them here?”

Lucas
gave Michael a hard look.
“Thought you would like to meet
them.
Maybe make them no longer my problem.”

Jennifer
walked forward and offered her hand to Cole. “Hello, I am Jennifer
McCallen
.”

Cole
could not bring himself to be rude and took her hand. “Cole Milano, I am the
sheriff here.”

“I
can see that. I just want to help find the missing little girl. I promise you I
am not interested in stepping on any toes,” Jennifer said, wincing as Lucas
snorted. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “He really can’t stand me.”

The
female’s emotions were completely unguarded, like most humans. She had a
friendly, open face that held no deceit.

“We
understand, Miss
McCallen
. We all want the missing
girl found. In fact, this meeting is about Stacy.”

Josh’s
phone started to ring, and he walked out to answer it.

Jennifer
watched him walk out, and Cole noticed her visibly relax. He would have never
noticed it if he wasn’t trained to watch behavior. “So an accountant that looks
for financial fraud is going to find the missing girl?”

Jennifer
shrugged. “He’s pathetic, and the family has something on him. I have some
training in investigation, though.”

Cole
raised his eyebrow.
“Really?”

She
nodded. “Yes, I worked with the El Paso County Sheriff’s department in their
criminal investigations division for five years.”

Cole
looked at her oddly, wondering how she ended up with this guy that felt like a
loan shark. Maybe he was a mob man. It was supposed to be a joke, but the man
felt evil. “How did you end up with him then? What did the family have on him?”
he asked, pointing his thumb back towards where Josh had left.

“I
got tired of the politics and red tape. I just want to help people where I can.
I didn’t realize Josh was like this until it was too late. I am now just doing
my part to try and make things right.”

“I
can understand that. I will partner you with one of my deputies.
 
You are not to run around alone up here, do
you understand me? I can't be worrying about you as well as Stacy,” Cole told
her while his eyes stayed locked on hers.

Jennifer
swallowed,
then
nodded.
“Of course.”
 

Cole
used his height and weight advantage and towered over the woman, “Good, I am
glad we understand each other. I would hate to have to throw you out of town.”

Jennifer’s
eyes widened, and she nodded.
“Of course not, I do not want
to be thrown out either.
I really want to help.”

Cole
glanced over as Josh walked back in, and felt the tension in the air once
again. There was no doubt it was the PI. They had made some jokes about the guy
working for the mob, but now they wondered if it was true.

Josh
cleared his throat. “Come on,
Jennifer,
stop kissing
up to the locals. Our rooms are ready.”

Cole
decided the best way to offend an asshole like Josh was to ignore him. “I will
talk to you later then,” Cole said to Jennifer with his back to Josh.

Lucas
stayed in the corner with his arms crossed, and a look of pure disgust on his
face. Jennifer looked up at him, then away quickly. She smiled tightly and
fidgeted before walking out with a wave.

Michael
stood up from his chair. “I will see them to the motel and make sure all goes
smoothly.”

Blair
got up from her chair. “I will go, too. Don’t worry, Cole. I will stay with
Jennifer and the
cholan
the entire time.”

Cole
nodded at
Blair,
since it was obvious Lucas needed to
talk. He waited for the door to close before turning his attention to Lucas.
“You mind telling me what the hell that is all about?”

“All
of what?” Lucas asked. Cole noticed that now that everyone was out of the room
Lucas relaxed his stance.
 

“The
guy, he is obviously an asshole, but the girl though, she’s an innocent. You
acted like she had something contagious.”

“I
can’t judge innocence anymore. You remember I killed that innocent girl
thinking she was the woman that murdered my mate and child. It is best if I
keep all of them at arms’ length, just in case.”

“What
did you sense about Josh?”

“He
is not to be trusted at all. I would say he is a criminal, perhaps even working
with the mob. He has that
air
about
him.” Lucas looked at him without any trace of doubt. Cole knew that lately
Lucas had doubted so many of his senses. Fortunately, that was coming back now.

“And
what did your screwed up senses tell you about the girl?” Cole asked.

“She
was completely open and innocent. I watched her talking the entire time and
never sensed her trying to deceive us like that fucker, Josh. But then again,
my senses can’t be trusted.”

“Lucas,
I don’t know what to tell you and it is not my place to judge you, but maybe,
your emotions overrode your senses because that fucker tampered with something
in you. Remember he took down Michael, and that is no easy task.”

Cole
could feel frustration building, and he could tell Lucas was not listening to a
word he was saying. He just got him to admit he could sense that Jennifer was
innocent, yet he still refused to believe he was not a monster. Lucas was
allowing guilt to eat at him and if he didn’t snap himself out of it, he would
eventually drive himself feral, and if this happened, they would have no choice
but to confine him, or even put him down if he was untreatable.

Cole
was not sure why sympathy welled up in him for that, since Michael was on the
verge of handing down a death decree before
Ilithyia
stepped in, but they had learnt that
Ilithyia
knew
and understood that Lucas had mistaken Marcy for the woman that had killed his
mate and unborn child. Lucas had not been right since he lost them, and seeing
the identical twin of the woman who had killed his wife had pushed him over the
edge and into madness for a time.

 
“Lucas, you were mad with grief and the need
for revenge.
 
Have you forgotten our laws
are nothing like human laws?
 
If that had
been Dani, you would have been justified killing her like you did. You never
meant to harm an innocent woman. I can’t say that I would not have done the
same thing if I was in your place. I can only tell you that you need to somehow
find peace in your soul, or you will lose yourself to grief.” Cole wanted to
suggest to him to find another mate. Perhaps if Lucas had someone to protect
again, he could snap out this, but he knew now was not the time.
 

Lucas
looked beyond Cole, his face pale as if he was unwell. “I killed an innocent
woman. There will never be peace for me.
Never.”

“Lucas—”
Cole was interrupted by Brad walking in. “Warren caught the girl's scent. There
is some blood and hair matching her scent on the side of the road. Tire marks
look like he slammed on the brakes,
then
sped off.
Warren thinks she jumped out.”

Cole
grabbed Lucas. “Come on, I need you.”

Lucas
tried to hold back, but Cole pulled him along. “Come on, you can wallow in your
own self pity later. Right now we have a young and very frightened girl to
find.” Cole heard Lucas sighing, but he came along. That was a relief. Cole really
needed every tracker he could get. Stacy was out there running from a madman,
and she was running out of time.

****

Cole
met Michael just as he was getting out of his car. Several police cars were
already on the scene. Cole stayed in uniform knowing they were going to be
looking for a human girl that knew nothing of shifters. The trail was mostly
clear, which would make tracking easy enough in his human form. “Has anyone
tracked her yet?”

“No, because something is interfering with our senses.
Whoever this asshole is, he knows how to evade every one of our trackers. I
have never seen a human capable of this before.”

Michael
gave him a glance as they jogged. “Are you sure he is a human?”

Cole
shrugged slightly, feeling confused himself. “Lucas said his scent was off, but
it was not shifter, or magic.”

Michael
grew quiet like he normally did when something was not making sense. Cole had
to agree. As his enhanced
Kelach
senses took over he
had a chance to think about what was going on. The man that kidnapped the girl
had the unique scent, but the man that attacked Mandy was completely human.
What the fuck brought a human to this area to begin with? Michael had made any
surveyors forget about this town and it was not on any maps because of it. Even
Google Earth had been tampered with by Chad, the department’s computer expert. And
Pleasant Cove was just a blur. Every territory had at least one computer expert.
In this day and age they had to stay just as vigilant online as they did on
land.

With
so many more popular tourist destinations nearby, not many cared to come back
to a tiny town that did not boast of anything a tourist would be interested in.
Those that did come, had family or friends close by.
So who was this man? Mandy did not recognize him at all, and no way was he from
the area.