Two for Protection (2 page)

“Just
what, Hazel?” Thaddeus questioned, his hand on her arm to steady her.

“You’ve
met her…your mate.” Hazel ran her hand through the wolf’s thick fur, then
straightened. “Not until the three come together will the mating desire be
released. Find your third before the man she flees from finds her if there is
to be any hope of survival.”

As she
collapsed, her energy expended, Thaddeus caught her.

“Hazel!”

“I’m
okay. I just need a minute.” She took a couple deep breaths, and moved away
from Thaddeus, wrapping her arm around Tate’s wolf body. “You’ve got a lot you
need to do. She’s in trouble, but without the other piece to your trio, her
life will be lost and possibly yours too.”

“In
trouble from what?” The idea of losing his mate after he had just found her
made his heart stop.

“She saw
something she wasn’t supposed to, and he’s coming after her.” She brushed the
snow from her body. “I should prepare, in case you need our help. Tate will
keep watch, and if anyone comes around we’ll be ready.”

Thaddeus
kept his hand on her arm, making sure she was sturdy on her feet before he let
go.

“Don’t
put yourself in harm’s way,” he warned.

“We
protect our own.”

“Thank
you.”

He watched
Hazel climb onto the four-wheeler and start it up. The last rays of sunlight
sunk low in the horizon as the snow came down in thick clumps. Hazel had known
the scared woman inside was his mate. One he was expected to share with someone
unknown to either of them.

Chapter Two

A
definition of insanity…standing in the bathroom of my mother’s house hiding
from the neighbor. Yeah, that’s at least one of them.

She
leaned against the counter, cradling her injured wrist, and taking deep
breaths. There had to be another option. Why hadn’t she just called U.S.
Marshal Quinn? Instead she’d run off by herself, bringing danger to anyone she
met.

“Tina?”
A deep voice traveled down the hall to her.

“Tina?”
She whispered the name as her eyebrow rose at her reflection. Ribbons of blood
dried down her face from the large gash by her hairline, and a bruise was
starting to form around her eye. She was a mess. Opening the door, she peeked
out, checking to see if there was anyone else. She’d already dragged him into
her mess; she couldn’t bring the neighbors into it too.

“There
you are. Come sit by the fire and let me look at your arm.”

Unwilling
to hide in the bathroom all night, and eager for the warmth of the fireplace to
chase the chill from her body, she stepped out of the bathroom. The familiar
smell of home greeted her. A mixture of her mother’s perfume and fresh baked
cookies lingered in the air, wrapping around her like a blanket. Pictures of
her childhood lined the hall, beginning with baby pictures and ending with her
most recent two, graduating from college and accepting her position in Texas.
All of it gave the illusion of a happy family. In reality, she’d never gotten
along with her mother, hence the reason she’d taken the job in Texas leaving
behind the wonders of Alaska. Despite the past, relief to be home filled her
and for a brief moment replaced her fear.

“My
name’s not Tina.” His jet-black hair and bright green eyes were the first thing
she’d noticed when they were in the truck, but now she saw the deep contours of
muscles under his shirt. The stubble teasing along the line of his jaw gave him
a rough, manly look.

“I’ve
gathered as much, but you haven’t told me who you are yet.” He went to the
table where he’d tossed his bags earlier.

As she
watched him, she caught a glimpse of a gun, the holster peeking out from
beneath his shirt. Fear tore through her, forcing her backward. She stumbled as
she tried to get away, then bumped into the wall causing a picture frame to
crash the floor, sending broken glass across the rug.

“What
the hell?” He spun toward her.

“You
work for him…” She managed to get away from the wall, taking another step back
only to have a large wedge of glass slice through her foot. Warm blood pooled
in her sock and she gasped in pain.

“I
work for no one. Now do you want to tell me what the hell is going on, or are
you planning to stumble around in that glass until you’ve bled yourself dry?”
He reached back and snatched the first aid kit from the bag. “My name is
Thaddeus Brown, my friends call me Tad. Now come sit down and let me look at
your injuries.”

Tad
Brown…Brown, where have I heard that name?

She
wracked her memory trying to come up with the answer. It wasn’t until the
firelight reflected off the symbol on the first aid kit that she realized who
he was. The outline of a bear head with a paw print circling it, the initials
K.B. just below the bear’s head. She recalled the rumors of the Brown family,
assassins who could shapeshift into bears. Had Jeffery hired him to kill her?

“You’re
from the island…”

He nodded.
“My family owns the island. Lisa told you about us?”

“No,
but I know about your family. I’m Lisa’s daughter Courtney, and you have no
right to be here. Leave, now.” She stiffened her back, trying to establish some
control.

“I
save you from the blizzard, and you’re going to throw me into it. Ironic. You
don’t get your hospitality from your mother, that’s for sure.” He took a seat
in front of the fire, the first aid kit in his lap.

“I
know all about your family, and I want
nothing
to do with any of you.”
Throwing him out in the blizzard wouldn’t kill him if what she’d heard was
true.

“Ahhh,
gossip at it’s best, I’m sure. Not everything you hear about my family is true.
Ask me whatever you want and I’ll tell you what I can to put your mind at
rest.” He patted the seat next to him. “Let me help you.”

“You’re
assassins. I can’t trust you. Jeffery hired you to kill me, didn’t he?”

“Assassin.
Where would you get that idea?” He laughed, shaking his head. “I don’t know
anyone named Jeffery. Now sit.”

“I was
a reporter with Nome Report before I moved to Texas. I heard about your family
while I was there. You must have someone keeping your secrets because all the
stories any of the journalists turned in were squashed before they could ever
be printed.” She leaned against the wall, taking the weight off her injured
foot.

“Can
you keep a secret?” There was a spark of lightness in his eyes. “I
am
a
bear shifter, that much is true. Yes, we have an insider at the Report to keep
our secret from becoming public knowledge. But we are
not
assassins.”

There
was a truth to his words that she could feel in her bones. If he wanted to kill
her, he’d had plenty of chances.

“If
you’re not assassins, why is it so important for you to keep your secret?”

“What
do you think would happen if the public knew what my family is?” When she
didn’t answer, he continued. “They’d hunt us down like deer. But instead of
killing us, they would capture us, put us in cages, and study us. I won’t have
my parents, siblings, or anyone else become lab rats. I will do what must be
done to keep our secret.”

“Even
murder.”

“I’ve
never murdered an innocent. Nor have I been hired to murder anyone.” He opened
the first aid kit and looked at her again. “You’re only doing more damage to
yourself. Let me attend to your wounds.”

She
widened her eyes with the realization he hadn’t said he’d never murdered anyone,
only that he never murdered an innocent. What was this man hiding? She limped
across the floor just as a growl shook the house.

“What
was that?”

“Milo
is announcing his arrival.” He sat the first aid kit aside and stood. “Sit
down, I’ll attend to your wounds once I’ve let him in.”

“Who’s
Milo?” she called after him.

“The
friend I mentioned would meet me here.” He shot her a quick smile and opened
the door, letting a seven-foot Bengal tiger stroll in. Snow fell from the fur
as it made its grand entrance.

“You’ve
got to be shitting me! This can’t be happening.” Her legs gave out, forcing her
to the nearest armchair. She dragged her hand through her auburn hair, pulling
it away from her face, never taking her gaze from the tiger. She should have
been scared, but instead all she could do was sit there with her mouth hanging
open in amazement.

“Go,
I’ll grab your bag.” It was clear he wasn’t talking to her. He walked to the
table, grabbing one of the bags before looking back at her. “I’ve got to take
this to Milo so he can change. Just wait here for a moment. Then we can discuss
what’s happening.” Tad and Milo disappeared down the hall leaving her alone.

Wow!
She tugged
off her sock, careful not to push the glass deeper into her foot. Digging
through the first aid kit, she found the tweezers, and began to pull the shards
out one by one. Every part of her hurt, her head being the worst. Damn the blizzard.
She needed to get away before Jeffery found her. These people didn’t deserve to
be dragged into her mess, and neither did her mother. Where was she going to
go? This was the last place she thought Jeffery would look for her.

Not to
mention the fact she was stuck in a house with two shifters. People she never
thought existed. Legends, rumors, books, and even movies all claimed they did,
but she’d never bought into it. Now that she’d seen Milo in his tiger form, she
couldn’t deny it any longer. The danger following her might be nothing compared
to what followed them. As Tad told her, anyone who knew of his kind would want
them for experiments.

“Your
fear is pouring from you, making you forget your pain, but the blood loss will
begin to take its toll.”

She
looked to see Tad standing next to the chair. “It’s fine. I’ve got the glass
out and the bleeding has stopped. I just need to bandage it.”

“Your
head wound.” He tipped his head to her. “They bleed a lot Let me clean it and
close it.”

Pain
seared through her when she touched the spot. When she brought her hand away,
her fingers were coated in blood. “Okay.” She nodded, giving him permission to
come closer.

He
grabbed some gauze. “Hold this to your forehead.” She did as he asked and he
readied the cleaning supplies. “Can you move your wrist?”

“It’s
not broken, just badly sprained.” She met his gaze. “It’s not safe for me to be
here, I need to go.”

“I’m
pretty sure we already established that no one is going anywhere. The blizzard
is going to last for the next few days. Planes are grounded, roads are closed,
we are on our own here. Nome is cut off from the rest of the world until this
passes.”

Another
man walked into the room. “If you’re in trouble you’re going to have to trust
us. I’m Milo. How about you tell me who you are.”

She
looked up at him. Milo seemed intimidating at first, but the white dress shirt
and jeans made him more approachable. His dark hair was nearly the same shade
as Tad’s, but his eyes were different. Milo’s were a crystal blue, full of
light, love, and warmth. It wasn’t until he stepped completely out of the
shadows that she saw the shoulder holster and gun, pushing the fear back to the
forefront of her mind again.

“I’m
Courtney, Lisa’s daughter.” She cringed as Tad cleaned her wound, pain sending
black spots through her vision. She tried to focus on Tad to force the spots
away. “You told me you weren’t a murderer, so why do you both have guns?”

“Protection,
nothing more. I told you what people would do to catch us. It’s a dangerous
time for our kind right now.” He used a butterfly bandage to keep the wound
together. “Courtney, you’re going to need to trust us.”

“We
can feel your fear as if it was our own,” Milo explained as he came closer. “It
teases along the air until it feels like it’ll choke me. What are you running
from?”

“Something
bad, real bad.” She shook her head and tried not to think about everything she’d
lost so far. “Being around me is dangerous for you. If you live close or can go
to your friend’s house, you should before
they
find me.”

Tad
and Milo shared a look before shaking their heads. Tad laid his hand over hers.
“Not happening. That’s no way to repay Lisa. Now
they,
as in this
Jeffery you mentioned before and who else?”

“Jeffery
Park, he’ll see me dead before I can testify against him.” Her body shook with
memories of the night that got her into this situation. “He’s why I ran, why I
came home. I didn’t want to put Mom in danger but I didn’t know where else to
go. When they blew up my house, I hoped I would be pronounced dead and he
wouldn’t keep hunting me.”

“Tell
us why he’s after you.” Milo came and knelt next to her. “We can keep you safe,
but we need to know what we’re up against.”

“No
one can protect me. The U.S Marshal that was assigned to me was killed. I was
waiting for the reassigned one, Quinn. He was on his way when…” She took a deep
breath. “Jeffery is the U.S. contact for a drug smuggling operation. He accepts
the deliveries and distributes them. I was covering the story about the
increase in drugs on the streets, when I saw him murder two of the dealers for
not making their minimal sells. I went to the police. I knew I would be in
danger, but I thought they would keep me safe. Keep him locked up until the
trial…but he’s out on bail. I can’t believe a man like that can be out, with
all the evidence against him. What is our legal system coming to if he can kill
two people and be out on bail? It’s not just my word, there’s DNA evidence.”
She knew she was rambling, but it felt good to finally be able to tell someone.

“It’s
okay, we’ll keep you safe.” Tad ran his fingers over her knuckles. “The system
doesn’t always work like we want or need it to. If he has connections or enough
money then bail can be given. It doesn’t matter, nothing is going to happen to
you.”

“You
can’t protect me against him. No one can. He’ll kill from a distance. By the
time you know he’s there, it’ll be too late.”

Tad
shook his head. “No, it won’t. We’ll be able to smell him before he gets near
you. You just need to relax.”

“It
wouldn’t be U.S. Marshal Quinn Evans, would it?” Milo inquired.

“Yes.
Do you know him?”

Milo
nodded. “I’ll contact him to let him know you’re safe and see where things
stand.” He laid his hand on her leg and the connection flared to life.

A
tingling warm sensation shot through her, opening her up completely to the both
of them. It was like a current of electricity was moving through her,
connecting the three of them together. She looked at them expecting them to be
glowing from all the power that tingled through them.