Shifters at Law (A Complete Paranormal Romance Shifter Series) Page 17

  “Everything.”

  “That’s more like it.”

  Lara appears in the doorway and knocks gently.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” she says quietly. “But I made tea.” She brings in a tray of tea and cookies and sets it on my desk. She’s wearing a sling with her baby nestled inside of it. I had never seen these baby sling things until Lara gave birth to Everly. Now I know all about slings. There are about a million different kinds and I can tell you which sling is best for which age, how effective they are for helping kids fall asleep, and even which type you should buy if you want to breastfeed discreetly in public.

  Once upon a time, I had balls.

  Not anymore.

  “Thanks,” Joyce sniffles. “You’re a good friend.”

  Ronan and I pull away from Joyce so she can give Lara a hug.

  “I’ll be upstairs if you need me,” Lara says. She kisses Joyce on the forehead, gives Ronan a hug, and then heads back upstairs. Lara still has a few weeks of maternity leave left before she goes back to work. In the meantime, she’s been baking like crazy and I wonder if she isn’t thinking about a career change.

  Only time will tell.

  Joyce, Ronan, and I make our way to the chairs in front of my desk. I perch on the edge of the desk as Joyce sits down and I hand her a cup of tea. Ronan sits next to her and grabs a cookie from the tray, biting into it. I sit patiently as Joyce sips her tea, wondering what’s going on with her, but after she takes a sip, she sets it down and starts talking.

  “I was dating someone,” she says. “A professor.”

  “What?” Ronan says. “You didn’t tell us you were seeing someone. How long? What’s his name? How’d you meet? What happened?”

  “Slow down there, cowboy,” she says, shaking her head. “I’m not telling you any identifying details. I know you well enough to know you’re just going to want to go fight him, and that’s not drama I want to deal with.”

  “Joyce, what happened?” She said she was dating someone. This means that not only did Joyce have a relationship none of us knew about, but that she was hurt and she’s been trying to deal with it alone.

  If there’s one thing being friends with Casa and Fee has taught me, it’s that you should never have to go through something like this alone. You should never have to be on your own when you’re hurting, when you’re wounded.

  She holds the tea in her hands like it’s a lifeline, like it’s the only thing keeping her safe.

  “He was cheating on me with a student,” Joyce says. “A girl in his English Literature class.”

  “Fuck,” Ronan says. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m sorry, Joyce. What a dick.”

  “That’s not…that’s not the bad part,” she says. “He…she’s missing. The cops were at my place yesterday. They think he had something to do with it.”

  “What the actual fuck?” Ronan growls, and for a second, I think he might freak out and shift. No wonder Joyce didn’t tell us the guy’s name or where he lives. He’s suspected in the disappearance of a student?

  “I didn’t even know he was cheating on me,” she says. “We weren’t together too long. It was only a couple of months, but I…I don’t know, you guys. I guess I thought we had something special. Isn’t that stupid?” She looks up at us with tears in her eyes and my heart breaks. No wonder Joyce is being so protective of Anna. She doesn’t have anyone else right now. It’s just us and that’s it.

  Right now, it’s Joyce against the world, but I’m going to make damn sure she knows it doesn’t have to be.

  “You’re moving in,” I say.

  “What?” She says, and looks confused. Yeah, that caught her off-guard.

  “Excellent idea,” Ronan agrees, snapping his fingers. “You can have Landon’s floor. He doesn’t need it anymore. He moved out, but left the furniture because Tina already has stuff at her place. You can move right in. We’ll help you.”

  “What…why?”

  “Because if this guy actually killed or kidnapped someone and the two of you were close, you might know something, Joyce. You might not even realize you know something. More importantly, he sounds like a damn psycho, and I want you to be safe.”

  “You’ll be safe here,” Ronan agrees. “You’ll be on the floor between me and Oliver. Nothing will be able to hurt you there. Plus, if you need anything, you can get either one of us, or Lara, and we’ll be able to help you.”

  “You guys,” she sniffles. “I don’t even know what to say.”

  “Just say yes, Joyce. We’re going to take care of you. We take care of our own.”

  Chapter 9

  Anna

  By the time I get off work, it’s nearly seven and I’m exhausted. I go home, shower, and eat a bowl of cereal while reading the news on my phone. Oliver hasn’t called, but if I’m honest with myself, I didn’t really expect him to.

  Besides, there are worse things than having really, really, really good sex with a stranger and never hearing from him again.

  This way, we’ll never have to ruin a relationship because we never would have started one. We’ll never have to get to that point where we’re worried about hurting each other. We won’t fight over how to celebrate our anniversary because there won’t be an anniversary. Things won’t get awkward and strained between us because there isn’t going to be an “us.”

  I tell myself these things as I eat my food, but this doesn’t really calm me down or relax me. I don’t really feel sad, but I do feel disappointed. I knew he wouldn’t call, but there’s still a part of me that wanted him to.

  Everyone wants to feel like they’re important.

  I finish my cereal and wash my bowl before heading upstairs to bed. The house I live in is pretty small. It’s just a two-bedroom, but it’s more than big enough for one person. It’s more than enough for me.

  I’ve just settled in for a good night’s sleep when I start feeling uneasy, like someone is watching me. What the hell? I’m not one to spook easily, but the feeling that someone is in my house is unmistakable.

  Did I check the back door?

  No, I didn’t, but I locked it earlier. I know for sure that I locked the front door, too. I shouldn’t be feeling this uncomfortable, though. I shouldn’t be feeling nervous or anxious in my own bedroom.

  I sit up in bed and look around, but in the darkness, I can’t really see anything. I flip on my nightlight, feeling like I’m being ridiculous, but as soon as the light flickers on, I scream.

  And scream.

  And scream.

  “Shut the fuck up,” Carl says, slinking out of the dark corner. “Or I’ll make you shut up.”

  “What the hell are you doing in my house?” My stepfather is a fucking freak. I don’t know what my mother saw in him. At least until this point, I didn’t think he was unsafe.

  An asshole? Yes.

  A home invader? No.

  “I think a better question is what you think you’re doing, dear daughter of mine.”

  “I’m not your daughter.”

  He laughs. “I think the world begs to differ. Oh, there might be a ‘step’ in front of the title of our relationship, but it’s the same. I’m your father, and you’re my little girl.”

  “What the hell do you want?”

  “I want to know what the fuck you were doing at an attorney’s office today, Anna. I want to know why you were bothering my lawyer, and I want to know why the hell you think you’re better than the terms of your trust.”

  “You were spying on me?” A sick feeling slides over me. Being a jerk is one thing, but this just feels dirty, gross. My stepfather has been spying on me, following me, and chances are that he knows much more about my life now than anyone should know.

  “I like to think of it as protecting my investment.”

  “You followed me.”

  “What were you doing, Anna?”

  “I don’t think that’s any of your concern,” I spit out. I try to stay angry and upset. I try to stay
pissed off. Carl is a shifter, which means he can smell my emotions. My scent changes when I’m scared, and he knows it. I’m not going to let him play off my fears. I’m not going to let him know he’s getting to me. I take a deep breath and remind myself that I hate this guy.

  Angry.

  I need to feel angry.

  “On the contrary, anything that might impact your future is my concern.”

  “Why the hell do you care about my future?”

  “Anna, Anna,” he moves stealthily across my room, getting dangerously close to my bed. I swallow hard because the closer he gets, the more afraid of Carl I become. I shouldn’t be afraid of him. I know that’s what he wants. I know if I feel scared, I won’t be thinking rationally, and I’ll slip up.

  What I should be doing is reaching for my phone.

  What I should be doing is calling the cops.

  What I should be doing is trying to escape because something tells me this isn’t some friendly visit.

  Carl is a shifter, though. He’s a fucking monster. Unlike most shifters I’ve met, he’s mean, and he’s wicked, and he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty when he needs to.

  “You need to leave,” I say. I sit up straighter in my bed, still feeling vulnerable.

  “The only thing I need,” he says, growling. “Is for you to accept that you’re not getting a fucking dime. You’re not getting that land. You’re not getting anything. No one is going to want to marry you. No one is going to want to put up with you.”

  “Wrong,” a voice says from the doorway, and my jaw practically hits the floor when I see Oliver Lyon standing in my doorway.

  “Oliver?” I say. “What are you doing here?”

  “I could ask this asshole the same question, but I think I already know. And since he seems to be so intimately familiar with my fiancé, I’d appreciate an introduction.” He turns to Carl. “Who the fuck are you?”

  “Anna,” Carl turns back to me and growls. “What is this all about?”

  “I…I…”

  “Answer me now!” Carl raises his hand like he’s about to hit me, but Oliver slips between us almost instantly and grabs Carl’s wrist.

  “Get the fuck out of this house,” Oliver says. I can see the beginnings of orange fur starting to peek out from his collar. He’s starting to shift, but he’s trying to hold himself back. He’s trying not to turn into a giant tiger in the middle of my bedroom, but he’s on the edge. “And don’t expect an invite to the wedding.”

  “Wedding?” Carl says, suddenly realizing what Oliver just said. “Whose wedding?”

  “Mine and Anna’s,” Oliver says smoothly. “Hasn’t she told you? For someone who doesn’t seem to have a problem breaking in the back door of her house or lying in wait for her, you sure don’t seem to know very much about her. Maybe you’re not as good of a stalker as you thought.”

  “I’m not a stalker. I’m her father.”

  “Stepfather,” I correct.

  “Father,” Carl says again.

  “Whoever you are,” Oliver says. “I believe your conversation here is finished.” Oliver points at the door. “Leave now. The cops are already on their way. When I arrived at my darling fiancé’s house this evening, I wasn’t expecting the scent of fear to be wafting out of her windows or for her home to have been broken into. Naturally, I called for police backup. They should be here any minute.”

  “I don’t think you understand who or what you’re dealing with.”

  “Ah, yes. My sweetheart already told me you’re a shifter. Yes, well, good for you. What kind of animal are you, Carl? A snail? A rodent? Perhaps a little housecat? Either way, I don’t much care. Just fuck off and get out of this house.”

  Carl lets out a growl that shows me this isn’t over yet, that he’s not done with the fight, that he’ll be back for more and next time, he’s not going to let Oliver get in the way. Carl growls so loudly that I wonder if he’s going to try to kill me in order to get the inheritance, and I scoot back further in my bed.

  Chapter 10

  Oliver

  Carl is gone before the cops arrive.

  “How did you know?” Anna asks, throwing herself into my arms. It feels good to be needed, desired, wanted. It feels good to have her coming to me when she’s so scared and afraid. It feels good to know I protected her.

  But I’m also mad as fucking hell her stepfather was here.

  “I came over to talk to you and I smelled your fear.” I point to the bedroom window, which is open. “Your front door was locked but the back was broken into.”

  “I didn’t check it when I got home,” she sighs. “I should have, but I didn’t even walk by it. I just ate my dinner and then came up to bed.”

  “He wanted to scare you.”

  “You said you were going to marry me.”

  “I am going to marry you.”

  “What?” Anna looks confused. She looks beautiful, but she also looks confused. “I…what?”

  “I’m a shifter,” I tell her. “I don’t believe in mates, Anna, but I think we have a connection. I think we could be good together. I think we could have an incredible time. Even if we only have twelve months together, I think it could be really, really good.”

  “I don’t believe in mates, either,” she whispers. “Destiny is what you make it. Marriage is what you make it. Just because we have a connection doesn’t mean our relationship is going to last. There’s no guarantee. We’ll still have to work at it.”

  “Does that mean you’ll marry me?”

  “Well, I don’t know,” she pulls her legs up to her chest. “This was kind of a crazy fucking night.”

  I can hear sirens in the distance and I know the police are almost here. I can’t believe how damn slow they are. I also know that once they arrive, the spell is going to be broken, and we’re going to have to get real with the police. I want Anna to agree to marry me before they come so I can introduce myself as her fiancé. It’ll make things simpler when it comes to dealing with her stepfather.

  And it ensures she’ll get her trust fund.

  It ensures she’ll get what she’s owed.

  Anna Donovan is a good, kind person. She doesn’t deserve to be screwed over by someone who is supposed to love her. She doesn’t deserve to be tricked out of her inheritance because of someone else’s greed.

  “The police are going to be here soon, baby,” I say, stepping close to her bed. She looks so tiny curled up against the headboard. She got as close to it as she possibly could when Carl was here. She looked frightened and weak, but she’s not weak. She’s strong and brave and courageous.

  She’s incredible.

  And everything is going to be okay.

  “Please, tell me you’ll marry me. If we get to the end of the twelve months and you don’t want me anymore, that’s fine. I understand, but please let me do this for you, Anna.”

  She looks at me and she reaches for me, rubbing her hand on my face. I lean into her touch and let her offer me this small comfort right now.

  “Why are you doing this? You don’t even know me.”

  “You have to marry someone, right?”

  “Probably, yes.”

  “It might as well be someone like me, Anna. It might as well be me. I’m not going to hurt you or be possessive or controlling. I’m not going to be mean to you. I’m going to take care of you and I’m going to treat you right. I’m going to treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”

  The cops have arrived. I hear their cars pulling up in the driveway. Soon they’ll be knocking on the door and we’ll have to answer. We’re going to have to be on the same page because if Anna doesn’t accept my offer, I’m going to have a lot of explaining to do about why I came over to her house at night. It’s not exactly something most attorneys do for their clients.

  “Yes,” she whispers so quietly I almost can’t hear her. “Yes, Oliver Lyon. Yes, I will marry you.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  “Yes,” she s
ays again, and her eyes meet mine. Only this time, she doesn’t look afraid. This time, she looks fierce. This time, she looks like she’s not going to let anything get to her because my girl? My girl is a fucking badass.

  “Aren’t we supposed to seal the promise with a kiss?”

  “Sneaky tiger,” she says, but Anna scoots to the edge of the bed and places her legs on either side of mine so I’m standing between hers. She runs her hands up my chest and then she tilts her head and offers me her mouth.

  This isn’t an offer I’m about to turn down.

  I kiss her like my life depends on it, kiss her like there’s nothing else in the world I’d rather be doing than kissing her. I kiss her like she’s the sun and the stars because as far as I’m concerned, she is.

  The knock at the door comes far too soon.

  “We should get that,” she says. “I guess I have to file a police report now.”

  “I’ll help you,” I tell her. “You don’t have to be scared about talking to the police. I’ll be right by your side the entire time.”

  “Thank you,” Anna says. “You have no idea how much I appreciate that. People haven’t exactly been there for me most of my life. It’s nice to know you have my back.”

  “We sealed our fate with a kiss, Anna. I will always be there for you. Always. You never have to be alone ever again. Not when it matters. Not when you have me.”

  The knock comes again.

  “Police,” a voice says. “Anyone home?”

  “Coming!” I yell out and lift Anna from the bed, kissing her one more time before I set her on the floor. She reaches for her pants, and then she wiggles into them.

  “Do I match?” She looks down at the pajama pants and faded tee shirt.

  “You’ve never looked so beautiful,” I tell her.

  Then we go to the front door.

  I open it ahead of Anna. I’m trying, I suppose, to protect her in some way. I hate to think what would have happened if I hadn’t come over tonight. Would Carl have attacked her? Hurt her? My skin prickles as I consider it and my inner tiger threatens to break free.

  “Sir, is everything all right?”