Two for Protection (3 page)

“What’s
happening?” she asked, her voice timid.

Chapter Three

Milo’s
eyes widened with the knowledge of what was happening, and he glanced at Tad to
confirm it. The emotions of Tad and Courtney flowed through him, making his
stomach roil with the sudden rush, and the chocking terror Courtney was dealing
with. Unable to pull his hand away, he sank to the floor trying to believe it.

Mates.
A human and bear.

“Tad?”

Tad’s
deep inhale cut through the air like a knife. “Do you believe in soul mates?
Love at first sight?”

Her
green eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “I guess. I’ve never really thought
about it. My mom said when she met my father there was an instant connection.
What does this have to do with anything? What just happened?”

Milo
squeezed her thigh, bringing her attention back to him. “It’s hard to explain,
Courtney, and it sounds unbelievable. Shifters have something like what humans
consider soul mates. When we find ours, a connection is formed, linking us
together. It’s what has happened here.”

“That’s
insane.”

He
tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Insane as it must sound to you, it’s
true. It’s our life.”

“You
can feel our emotions as I felt your fear earlier.” Tad leaned forward, closer
to her. “If you don’t believe what Milo says, believe what you feel. You feel
drawn to us, do you not?”

She
shook her head, bumping into Milo’s hand. “I felt the draw to you before, but that
means nothing. I wanted comfort, someone to help me. There’s nothing
supernatural about desire between two…well, three consenting adults.”

Tad and
Milo exchanged another glance. “Desire, no…but the mating is,” Tad explained. “It’s
also something you won’t be able to fight. The longer you go without the touch
of your mates, the more painful it becomes. There are key differences in the human
idea of love at first sight and shifters mating.”

She
cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow at him. “What are you
saying?”

“That
you won’t be able to resist us.” Milo’s fingers teased along her jaw. “Every
second that passes ties us closer together. Denying a mate’s touch is more than
longing. It will send agony through your body until it breaks your mind.”

Easing
out of their touch, she stood and strolled to the window, a slight limp from
the cuts on her foot slowing her. “This isn’t happening, I’m running for my
life and now two shifters show up and try to lay their claim to me.”

“I
understand this is hard to believe, but the timing couldn’t be better.” When
she spun around to glare at Milo, he explained. “Being mates we will always
know if you’re in danger, wherever you are. We will protect you from Jeffery
and anyone he hires. No harm will come to you as long as we’re here.”

“You
can’t promise that. The U.S. Marshal was supposed to do that, instead he ended
up dead. I don’t want to see others killed because of me.” Tears glistened in
her eyes as she met Milo’s gaze.

He
stood from where he knelt by the chair, careful to not scare her he closed the
distance between them. “Nothing will happen to us. Shifters are harder to
kill.” Tentatively, he touched her, drawing his finger down her arm.

“You
don’t understand what kind of man Jeffery is. He’ll kill anyone who gets in his
way. No one around me is safe. He blew up my house trying to stop me.”

Tad
came to them, standing on her other side. He slid his arm around her waist,
linking them together again through touch. “Trust me, we’ve gone up against
worse than him. If he blew up your house and killed the U.S. Marshal in charge
of keeping you safe, how did you escape?”

“I was
in the garage getting a jar of pasta sauce from the storage area…since the
pantry is too small. So I made a secondary one just off the garage door.” She
realized she was getting away from the point and shook her head. “The Marshal
was in the kitchen on the phone, making arrangements for Quinn to take over so
he could attend a court date when it happened. I was thrown across the room and
landed next to the outside door. I ran outside with the hopes of saving him but
the house was completely engulfed in flames. There was no way in. I did the only
thing I could think of and ran.”

“Do
you believe anyone saw you?” Tad asked.

“I
don’t think so, but…I don’t know, I just ran. I didn’t know where else to go, so
I headed for Mom’s. Tina is a friend of mine, that’s why I used her name. We
could be twins, so she gave me her ID and passport so I could get here.”

Milo
put his forefinger under her chin, gently gliding it up until she looked at
him. “You did the right thing. Everything is going to be fine.” Unshed tears
still glistened in her eyes. His words didn’t convince her, only time would.
“I’ll call Quinn and let him know you’re safe. He won’t be able to get here
until after the blizzard lets up, but unless Jeffery followed you when you left
he won’t be here until then either. You’re safe for now.”

* * *

For
now.
Those two little words sent a cold chill through her. Tad stood by the window,
his arm still around her waist, and she felt herself relax into him. It was
insane, but his touch seemed to chase away some of her fears and provided the
comfort she so desperately wanted.

Both
of the men were intimidating, their large bulky frames full of toned muscles
that scared her and provided comfort at the same time. Just looking at them
should have sent her running in the opposite direction. Instead, each touch was
soft and comforting, something she wouldn’t have expected.

“Will
you let me wrap your wrist now to keep the swelling down?” Tad asked.

With
the mention of her wrist, it began to throb again. The swelling was nearly as
bad as the deep purple and yellow bruise forming. To once again make sure
nothing was broken she rotated her wrist, sending pain shooting up her arm.

“Okay.”

“It’s
a bad sprain and will take time to heal, but considering everything you’ve been
through it’s minor compared to what it could have been.” He guided her back to the
first aid kit in front of the roaring fire, and they sat on the soft velvety
sofa.

“Double
injury to it made things worse.” He gazed at her and the question was clear in
his eyes.

“I
hurt it in the blast when he bombed my house. It wasn’t too bad, but I must
have made it worse with the car accident.”

“You
shouldn’t have been out in weather like this, not with that little car.” Tad
grabbed one of the wraps from the kit and sat down next to her.

“That’s
all the rental place had and I had to get to Mom’s.” She laughed; the whole
situation seemed ridiculous now. “Turns out Mom wasn’t even here. If you hadn’t
come along I wouldn’t have been able to get in. My keys are somewhere in the
crispy remains of my house in Texas. My house…” The tears she had put off for
so long rolled down her face.

“It’s
all right, houses can be rebuilt. The important thing is that you’re okay.” He
wrapped her wrist with care.

“I
lost everything. My beautiful house, my job…”

“You
found us.” He clasped the wrap shut and gently took both of her hands in his.

She
wasn’t sure what she would have said to Tad’s comment. Thankfully, Milo chose
that moment to come back into the room and she didn’t have to worry about it.

Milo placed
his cell phone on the coffee table before sitting down next to her. “Quinn is
glad you’re in safe hands, and wants us to stay put until he can get here.”

Being
between them again made her feel warm and safe. A feeling she hoped would last,
at least until this whole threat was over. Once Quinn arrived, he’d probably
rush her off to some safe house where she’d go stir crazy until the trial.

“Then
what?”

“That’s
what I wanted to talk to you both about.” Milo placed his hand on her leg.
“Quinn knows what Tad and I are because he’s a shifter as well. He has to keep
his second nature to himself or not only risk losing his job but also exposing
our kind. It made it easier for me to explain things to him. I want to take you
home to Fairbanks.”

“Home?
With you?”

“With
us. Tad has been helping my clan with…security. It’s the safest place for you,
safer than any safe house they can put you in. It will be impossible for
Jeffery to get to you once you’re at the compound.”

Tad
gave a brief but deep laugh. “I think we should explain. She already thinks my
family is a bunch of assassins, so that little comment about security only
makes her question it more.”

“I…I
don’t. Well, not any longer,” she insisted.

“That’s
generous, but I’m sure you still have lingering doubts.” Tad drew his thumb
over her knuckles. “Years ago when the Alaskan Tigers, Milo’s clan, came here,
my family was having some issues with some rogue shifters. Ty, the Alaskan
Tigers’ Alpha, helped clear things up, and since then my family and the Tigers
have joined together for the common good. Even more so now that Tabitha, the
Queen of the Tigers and Ty’s mate, has rejoined the clan. We have fought side
by side to eliminate the threats to our kind and to humans.”

“That
all sounds past tense,” Courtney noted.

“We
just took down the former Alpha of the Texas Tigers, and have replaced the
leader of the Texas clan with one of our own. However, with Tabitha declaring
herself as the Queen of the Tigers, it is likely that things will begin to stir
up more before they calm down. I’ve been spending more time at the compound than
on my family’s island at the request of my brothers.”

“Brothers?”

“Taber
and Thorben. They’re the oldest, and they’ve mated with one of the clan’s
females, Kallie,” Tad explained. “They have made their home at the compound. Bears
are bigger than tigers, we’re more impressive in our animal forms, and we use
that to our benefits.”

Maybe
not assassins, but still on the wrong side of the law.
She
had a brief moment to wonder what she’d gotten herself into before Tad spoke
again.

He
raised an eyebrow at her, but the corners of his lips were curved into a half
smile. “I felt that thought.”

She
swallowed, and tried not to show her worry. “You’re a mind reader now?”

“No,
not a mind reader, but mates can feel what you feel. It gave me a hint as to
what you were just thinking.”

“He’s
right. Even I caught that, and it wasn’t directed at me.” Milo spoke for the
first time since Tad started his story.

“Then
what was I thinking?” Her stomach turned with apprehension. If he knew what she
was thinking and feeling, how was she going to be able to keep anything a
secret?

“That
I was still on the wrong side of the law for your tastes,” Tad said. “That’s
not completely true, after all there’s no law about shifters. We don’t kill
humans. I’ve only killed shifters who are rogue. Rogues kill
both
of our
kinds. To leave them alive is a threat to all of us.”

Milo
cleared his throat. “We’re getting off topic here. Neither Tad, nor myself, or
either of our clans are assassins. You could call us protectors if you like.
I’d like you to come back to the compound because it’s the safest place for you,
and because we will both have to return there.”

“If
the compound is just outside of Fairbanks, why are you here?”

“Years
ago I was hunting a rogue with my Lieutenant, when I was attacked from behind.”
Milo’s eyes were downcast. “He sliced through nerve endings in my shoulder, and
because I wasn’t able to shift right away they never healed properly. The
fighting in Texas caused it to flare up. My Alpha ordered me to take a few days
off to give my shoulder a break before I did more damage to it.” He looked back
up at Courtney. “Tad mentioned he needed to check on the house and asked me if
I wanted to tag along for a few days. Within the clan, I’m a guard for the
Lieutenant’s mate, Bethany, and my days off are few and far between, so this
sounded heavenly.” He rotated his shoulder, as if just mentioning it had sent a
twinge of pain through him.

Chapter Four

After
dinner, Courtney was still uneasy, the hairs on the back of her neck standing
straight. Something was coming. Not
something
, Jeffery or one of his
goons. Somewhere out in the dark, they were coming for her. Would they make it
before the blizzard passed over the small sleepy town or was he already on her
trail, about to corner her?

Without
more evidence that Jeffery had orchestrated the attack on her home, he was still
free on bail until the trial. Would she survive the next two months before the
trial, or longer if his lawyers were able to get another continuance?

Tad
came up next to her, placing his hand on her shoulder, massaging it gently.
“You shouldn’t be sitting by the window. Why don’t you come over here with us?”

With
us
…
Those two little words made her heart skip a beat.

Maybe
it was a little strange being drawn to both of them, but after everything she
had been through she was used to unusual occurrences. Maybe some amazing sex
with these two was just what she needed to take her mind off the threat chasing
her.

Down,
girl.
She scolded herself. She couldn’t believe she had just met
them and she was already thinking about getting them naked and having a
one-night stand. She had never been prude, but such a thing was out of the
question.

“I
should try to call my mother. I don’t want her to hear that I’m dead without
knowing the truth.”

Tad
unclipped his cell phone from his jeans and handed it to her. “Her number is in
the contacts, and you won’t have to worry about the phone being traced. Milo
and I will make some hot chocolate, and give you privacy.”

“Thank
you.” She took the phone, and watched how the jeans moved over his butt as he
walked away. The need to touch him, to run her hands over him, moving up his
chest to feel the well-defined muscles under her fingers before sliding down
his biceps, almost forced her from the window seat. What was happening to her?
She’d never felt this level of desire for any man before, let along one she’d
just met.

She
forced herself to look down at the cell phone, scrolling through the contacts
until she found her mother’s name and pressed the call button. How was she
going to explain the events that brought her to this position? Not wanting her
mother to worry about her, or show up in Texas, she never said a word about
what had happened, especially about Jeffery or the trial.

“How’s
my house, Taddybear?” Her mother’s voice along with loud music came bursting
through the speaker.

“Mom,
it’s Courtney. Who’s Taddybear?” She couldn’t have been talking about that little
brown stuffed bear she’d had as a kid.

“Tad,
of course.” Her laughter died away. “What are you doing with Tad anyway? Are
you at the house?”

She
tried to picture how Tad reacted to being called Taddybear. “Yeah, I’m at your
house. I needed a place to stay. Mom, could you step out of wherever you are? I
really need to talk to you.”

“Okay,
one minute.” She heard her mom say something to whomever she was with before
the music faded. “Courtney, is everything okay?”

“No…oh,
Mom. I’m just going to come out with it. You might want to sit down. A few
months ago I witnessed a very powerful man murder two people…”

“What?
Oh my God, did you go to the police? Why are you just telling me this?”

“You
taught me well. Yes, I went to the police. The thing is, he has powerful
connections, and even with my eyewitness testimony and the DNA evidence, he was
able to get out on bail. Mom…he blew up my house, killing the U.S. Marshal who
was there for my protection. I had nowhere else to go, so I came home.”

“Oh
God, are you okay? Were you hurt? I’ll get a flight out right away. Until I get
there, stay with Tad, he’ll protect you.” Her mother’s words ran together, not
giving Courtney a second to answer.

“No,
Mom. I’m fine, please stay there where you’re safe. This man might come after
me, so I don’t want you anywhere near me.” She looked to the kitchen, catching
a quick glance of the men busying themselves. “Tad and his friend Milo are
here, they’ll stand in as my protectors until the blizzard passes and the new
U.S. Marshal Quinn arrives. I wanted to tell you because they might think I was
killed in the blast, and I wanted you to know the truth in case the police
contact you.”

“Don’t
be ridiculous, girl, I’m coming home. I’ll be on the first flight as soon as
they open the airport into Nome, but in the meantime I’ll start working my way
west. I love you, sweetie. Please be safe.” There was a sharp intake of breath,
as though her mother was suppressing a sob. “Could you put Taddybear on?”

Courtney
stood from the window seat. “Mom.”

“Don’t
Mom
me, young lady. I want to talk to Tad
now.
”

Her
mother still made her feel like she was eight years old, not twenty-eight. “One
moment.” When she entered the kitchen, the men stopped whispering and turned to
look at her. “She wants to speak with you.” She held out the phone to Tad,
wondering what she had just interrupted.

“Perfect
timing, why don’t you join me by the fire?” Milo held two of mugs, an easy
smile on his face.

She
nodded and followed him, making sure she was behind him to see how he compared
to Tad. Milo’s jeans were low on his hips, right on the widest part of his
hipbones. They were tight and hugged his ass just like Tad’s did, but the sway
was more irresistible if that was possible. She reached out her fingers, nearly
brushing against him before she caught herself. What was happening to her? She barely
knew either of these men and she was letting her unbelievable desire for them
take over. She was stronger than a little lust; there was no way she was going
to let it control her.

“Are
you going to tell me what you were talking about?”

“What
if I said no?” He sat on the sofa and nodded to her to come join him.

“No?”
She took the mug from him and sat down. The scent of real hot chocolate drifted
to her, along with the memories of the last time she’d had the real stuff.
Strangely enough, it was the last time she was home visiting her mother.

“It
will only worry you more.”

“Like
that’s possible.” She rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.

“We
were going over the possibilities that you were followed.” He wrapped his arm
her shoulders. “Told you it would make you worry more. I promise we will keep
you safe.”

“He’s
killed three people that I know of, do you really think he’ll stop when he’s
gotten away with it so far?”

“We’re
going to see that he stops and that you’re safe. Now let us do the worrying.”
He took a drink of his hot chocolate before nodding to the television. “There’s
no cable, but Lisa has plenty of DVDs, or we can use Tad’s laptop and see if we
can pick up the Internet through the storm and find something online to watch
if you want.”

“I
don’t really care. It’s been so long since I’ve even turned my own television
on.” Mentioning her mom made her glance toward the kitchen.

“He’s
reassuring Lisa that you’re safe.”

“You
can hear him?” Her gaze shifted away from Tad to Milo.

“Shifters
have exceptional hearing, among other things. Your mom is worried about you and
Tad’s trying to calm her, not to mention trying to get her to stay in Florida
at least until the blizzard passes. She is a stubborn woman.”

“Tell
me about it. All through my teenage years we bumped heads. It caused a gap as
large as Texas between us. Now we barely talk. I didn’t even know she was away.
Oh God, if Jeffery goes after her…” The thought of her mom being in jeopardy
because she did the right thing terrified Courtney.

“We
already have that covered. Tad is going to place a call to the Alpha of the
West Virginia Tiger clan, Jinx. We’ll have someone accompany Lisa here, or to
our compound if you agree to go with us. She’ll be safe.”

“How
does Jinx and his clan play into your clan?” She set the mug aside and turned
slightly to look at him, pulling her leg up under her.

“There
are a number of clans who have partnered with my clan to form a stronger group
against any resistance. The West Virginia clan was the first one, and Jinx has
been with the clan almost since Tabitha joined us. He’s been spending a lot of
his time in Alaska helping to keep Tabitha and the compound safe. Now that he
has mated, he still divides his time between Alaska and West Virginia but has
for the first time appointed a Lieutenant for his clan to keep control while
he’s in Alaska.”

“What
do you mean for the first time? You mentioned your clan has a Lieutenant, so
why wouldn’t his have already have one?”

“Smaller
clans normally only have the Alpha. The West Virginia clan is small, so there
was no need for two in the position of power. Jinx isn’t willing to give up his
control of the clan. He’s a strong man and wouldn’t do well being under anyone.
Plus, the clan is mostly made up of family, and it is his responsibility to be
the Alpha. Once he found his mate, he promoted his brother, Lukas, to the
position of Lieutenant.” He teased his fingers up her leg.

“Your
world is so different from mine.” She wasn’t sure how she would ever fit into
it.

“Not
that different. We have strong structure, rules, and punishments, but other
than that we aren’t very different. My clan is like a family, we all look out
for one another. If you give it a chance and come with us, I’m sure you won’t
regret it. Lisa has been there, mostly before we gained healers within the
clan. Her medical training helped when there was a bystander injured. Her and
Doc work well together.”

“How
did she get drawn into the shifter world?”

“Lisa
was having problems with wolves and put up traps around her land. She heard the
howls of what she thought was a wolf, instead it was the neighbor Tate. He’s a
wolf shifter. When she went to the trap she found him freeing himself, naked in
human form. He explained what he was and that’s when Devon, Tad’s father, was
visiting. He brought your mother into our confidence, hearts, and home.”

The
fire cracked, sending sparks up the chimney. Her mom was always willing to help
someone in needed. She was the kindest woman Courtney knew, a woman who would
go out of her way for a complete stranger or an animal, let alone someone she
knew and cared for. It was part of the driving wedge between them. How could
her mother be there for everyone else, but when she needed something her mom
was always too busy to be bothered? The thought of her mother manning the small
farm by herself made her feel selfish. Did she do the right thing when she
accepted the job in Texas? It was everything she’d worked for, but at what
expense? The choices she’d made to get the job ended up leading her to losing
her home and career all because of her values. Would she lose something more
precious before it was over?

Sometime
while she was deep in thought, Tad returned, and she didn’t notice him until he
sat down on the other side of her, his hand rubbing over the small of her back.

“I
spoke with Ty. He’ll have Taber standing by with the airplane for when the
storm lets up. He also has a team going to Lisa’s location to keep her safe.”

She
twisted just enough that she could look back at Tad. “I’m sorry for my mother.
She shouldn’t have forced you to protect me.”

“She
did nothing of the kind. I protect you because you’re my mate. She’s only
worried about you and wanted to make sure you were safe. How about we take your
mind off all of this?”

“What
do you have in mind, Taddybear?” She couldn’t help but use the nickname her mom
called him.

“I
guess I shouldn’t be surprised Lisa mentioned the nickname.” Tad rolled his
eyes, and Milo chuckled. “Did she tell you why she calls me that? She only told
me that in bear form I remind her of something. She says someday I’ll find out
the whole story.”

“Oh, I
know why.” She grinned and leaned back, resting her back against Tad, Milo’s
hand still in hers. “When I was young, I had this small teddy that I carried
everywhere. I’m sure it’s still on my bed in my childhood bedroom. It was so
tattered, but I loved it. Poor thing lost an ear from me dragging it everywhere
I went. It was my Taddybear.”

Tad’s
chest vibrated with laughter under her. “I think it’s safe to assume Hazel knew
and told Lisa of our destiny. She must have had a vision from touching
something of yours and knew we would end up together.”

“Hazel?”

“She’s
the neighbor, Tate’s adoptive mother, and she’s a witch. She has ways of
knowing things, and when she stopped by earlier, she mentioned when the three
of us were together that the mating desire would be released. She didn’t
mention Milo by name, only that he’d unleash the last dam holding back the
desire.” Tad laid his hand over Milo’s and hers. “We’re destined to be
together, the three of us.”

“It’s
hard to believe, but I can’t deny the reactions from my body. It’s like I have
no control. I barely know either of you, but I want you both naked.” She
blushed. “My mind runs with fantasies.” She placed her other hand over Tad’s so
that both of their hands were between hers.