“Felines.” Broderick grabbed a cup and drank noisily. “Human men with weapons managed to grab me in the middle of Shiftertown, and he’s not worried. Joanne thinks they’re after more than just messing with Shifters.”
“All right, then you talk to Sean,” Aunt Cora said. “Now that you’re home safe, I’m going to bed.”
Broderick went to his aunt and caught the small woman in a tight, smothering hug, holding his coffee out of the way. He had no shame in showing affection for Aunt Cora. From what Joanne understood, after Broderick’s father had been killed years ago, his mother had lost a lot of strength, and Aunt Cora, his father’s sister, had taken care of them all. Broderick’s mother had passed in the last year. When the mate bond was severed, Joanne had seen, the remaining Shifter could succumb to hard grief.
Broderick released his aunt and swung away, lifting his coffee to his lips. Aunt Cora gave his back an affectionate look.
“Is Nancy up?” Joanne asked her.
Aunt Cora nodded, her expression turning sympathetic. “Probably. Aleck’s having a bad night, and Nancy’s worried about you.”
Joanne thanked her. It was typical of Nancy to sit up with her mate, who might die and sever her mate bond, but yet spare plenty of worry for her little sister.
Joanne set her coffee cup down, said good night to Broderick as he headed for the porch, and went up the stairs. She felt Broderick turn to watch her, but he said nothing other than to rumble good night, didn’t follow her or try to stop her.
Typical of him. Broderick could be affectionate, but much of the time, he acted as though he didn’t know what to do with Joanne. It was maddening, but then again, Broderick had brought Joanne’s sister and mate, Aleck, home without fuss, making sure they were looked after.
Well, maybe not without fuss, but Broderick could have foisted them off on any of the other Shifters, and he hadn’t. He had no obligation to look after Joanne’s family, and yet, he never insisted they leave.
Joanne knew which bedroom upstairs had been redone for her sister and Aleck, who battled with going feral.
When a Shifter went feral, he or she reverted to the wild creature inside and forgot how to be human. Shifters had originally been bred by the Fae as Battle Beasts, animals who could fight with the swiftness and strength of large predators but have the sentience and cunning of humans.
Shifters had come a long way since then, fighting free of their Fae masters and setting up home in the human world. They’d lived more or less like humans for centuries—moving into human homes, embracing their fashions, food, entertainment, and culture.
At the same time, Shifters would never be completely human. The animals inside were their true selves. When a Shifter went feral, he reverted to the Battle Beast, living on instinct alone, becoming a danger to everyone around him, even his own family.
Aleck was a special case, even for a feral. Aleck didn’t have a Collar, hadn’t worn one in his life. He’d evaded the humans who rounded up all Shifters into Shiftertowns and had lived with a group of Shifters in his same situation. Led by a white tiger called Kendrick, who was also a Guardian, they’d found places to hide, moving whenever their strongholds were in danger of being discovered. Joanne had helped on the raid that had found the un-Collared Shifters and Nancy, who had stayed with them to be with Aleck.
Nancy came out of the bedroom before Joanne reached it, her abdomen protruding with the cub she carried, Aleck’s. She was due soon.
Nancy enclosed Joanne in an embrace, warm and scented with the honey shampoo she liked. “You okay, Jo-Jo?”
As always, Joanne was torn between relief, love, and anger when she was with Nancy. The fact that Nancy hadn’t confided in her about Aleck, leaving Joanne hanging and believing Nancy had been abducted, still rattled her, even though Nancy’s reasons for keeping quiet had been sound. On the other hand, having Nancy safe and back in her life again made Joanne rejoice. Sister stuff was complicated.
“I’m fine,” Joanne said as they ended the hug. “Broderick … He’s fine too. How’s Aleck?”
Nancy’s eyes softened at the mention of her mate’s name, then she looked worried. “He didn’t know where he was for a while tonight. He’s better now, but I can’t be away from him long.”
Joanne squeezed her sister’s hands. “I’m sorry, Nance. I wish there was something I could do.”
“He’s held on this long.” Nancy sounded confident, though her eyes were moist. “Sean says he and Andrea might be close to a breakthrough.”
Joanne would believe that when she saw it. Andrea was Sean’s mate, a half-Fae, half-Shifter woman who had healing powers, but so far those powers had not been enough to jolt Aleck back to sanity. She knew, though, that the Shifters were trying.
“Want me to stay with you tonight?” Joanne asked. “I’m already here.”
Nancy shook her head. “You have your own life, Jo-Jo.”
So Nancy claimed. But Joanne’s parents had charged Joanne to look after Nancy when the sisters had moved to Austin to attend UT, find jobs, and begin their lives. While Nancy was two years older than Joanne, she’d been the wild one, younger Joanne more responsible and stable. Even in her hacker years, Joanne had been careful, reliable, and had held a good-paying job while Nancy toured the world with her musician boyfriend and then became a Shifter groupie after that breakup.
“Not much of a life,” Joanne said. “I’m happy to look out for you, Nance.”
Nancy rubbed Joanne’s shoulders. “Don’t say that. Broderick likes you, and you’re welcome here. No matter what, Shifters will always open their homes to you. You’ve proved you’re their friend.”
Nancy lived with stars in her eyes. “Not really,” Joanne said. “When you were missing, I was a real pain in the ass to the Shifters here. I put them in danger. Not understanding the danger I was sending to them is no excuse. They put up with me coming here because of you.”
Nancy gave her a wise look. “I think you’re wrong about that, but I know you won’t listen. If you stay here tonight, you can use the extra bed in Aunt Cora’s room. She won’t mind.”
Nancy had this idea that Shifters were one, big, happy family and would open their homes and their hearts to Nancy’s family too. It must be nice to be so certain of life.
“I’ll ask her,” Joanne said, more cautious. While Aunt Cora had made it clear she liked Joanne and Nancy, Broderick’s younger brothers were not as thrilled with having humans in their house, not to mention a half-feral Feline. And who knew what Broderick himself would think of her staying?
Nancy hugged Joanne again. “Good night, then. Have to get back to Aleck.”
Joanne said good night after the hug and watched her sister slip back into the bedroom at the end of the hall. In spite of moving awkwardly with her advanced pregnancy and having a mate who was slowly going insane, Nancy looked happy. Happier than she’d ever been. If Joanne could experience even half that contentment, her life would be good.
***
Broderick strode out onto the front porch after Aunt Cora and Joanne went upstairs. He’d finished off his coffee, which made him restless, as did the aftermath of his escape, his run through the wilderness, the incidents at the plant, and finally making it back home. His lower calf had a new gash, but he’d be fine.
He should crash now, sleeping off the night and the pain his Collar had dug into him when he’d fought his way out of the house.
Instead, he kept feeling Joanne’s arms around him, hearing the throb in her voice when she said Damn it, Broderick, I was so worried about you!
No one worried about Broderick. Aunt Cora, maybe, but in a different way. No one cared much about the hard-ass Lupine who fought tough, talked loud, and went home alone every night.
His mouth said things before his brain could get him to shut up. He’d always thought the only way to find a mate was to mate-claim a woman and then meet any Challenge for her. How else was he going to get a female to actually move in with him?
&
nbsp; And then, he’d met Joanne. From the beginning, he’d been drawn to her. Maybe because all of Shiftertown was angry at her, and Broderick, knowing what that felt like, had decided to stand up for her.
She’d acted against the Shifters from fear, not malice. Once Joanne had understood that they hadn’t abducted her sister, she’d done all she could to make it right. Shifters were still pissed off at her, but they understood they’d have to go through Broderick to achieve any retaliation. And he wasn’t going to let them.
Broderick saw movement in the darkness. He came alert, pain forgotten, but he recognized Spike at the end of the walk. Another Shifter hulked beside him, and Broderick groaned inwardly.
Spike and Tiger waited for Broderick to allow them onto his territory. Broderick was known for being unforgiving to those who crossed the line without his permission.
He waved them up to the porch, too tired to play belligerent alpha tonight. Spike approached with his usual saunter, which belied his powerful swiftness. Tiger never hid anything. He was big, strong, and could break every one of Broderick’s bones if he chose.
Both Shifters climbed to the porch. Spike leaned against the railing, crossing his motorcycle-booted feet. Starlight gleamed on Spike’s shaved head, the tattoos that covered his arms blending into the darkness. Spike’s entire body was tattooed, with the exception of his hands and feet.
Tiger simply stood there like a monolith. His unruly hair was black streaked with orange-red. He was bigger than most Shifters except the bears—he was about the same size as Ronan. Tiger was the strongest Shifter Broderick knew, and many Shifters were still wary about him. His mate, on the other hand, loved him to pieces. Tiger wasn’t an aggressive alpha, in spite of his size and strength, wasn’t hostile, threatening. Tiger wasn’t anything. He was … Tiger.
“Just came from Sean,” Spike said after they’d been quiet a moment. “He’s not happy.”
“Didn’t think he would be.” Broderick rested his hands on the porch railing. It needed paint—he’d have to take time to do that, or else order his brothers to sand and refinish it. “Joanne thinks this woman with the computers is trying to hack the Guardian Network.”
Spike’s brows went up at that. “Huh. That could be very, very bad.” He hesitated. “Dylan wants to know how the hell you let someone sneak up on you and bag you.”
“Fuck if I know.” Broderick hated the fact that someone had. “They didn’t follow us to Shiftertown. We’d have known. I bet they snuck in here while all of us were at the fight club, then waited. Ask Dylan how the hell did he let humans hang out here to ambush me? They tranqued me—must have. They were fast.”
“I’m not asking Dylan that, not in those words,” Spike said. “But it’s a good question.”
Broderick grunted “Dylan’s distracted. What with chasing around un-Collared Shifters and having a mate that drives him nuts, I can’t blame him for slipping.”
Spike chuckled, which was unbending for him. “I’m not saying that to him either. He says we need to find this woman and her lair. Could you get back there if you had to?”
Broderick considered. “Maybe. Take me a while to backtrack. I don’t want to go near that munitions plant anytime soon. If the cops think a Shifter was nearby, we’re all in deep shit.” Police would swarm into Shiftertown and question everyone, from Dylan all the way down to the newest born cub.
“Helping you backtrack is where Tiger comes in,” Spike said. “He can track anything.”
Tiger fixed Broderick with a stare. “I need a scent.”
Broderick shrugged. “All the clothes I was wearing are in tatters in her basement. She has my wallet and phone too. The woman knows everything about me. Which makes me uncomfortable.” The understatement of the day.
“Don’t need your clothes,” Tiger said. “Just the scent.”
Broderick’s head came up. “Aw, no way am I letting the crazy sniff me.”
“Suck it up,” Spike said. “You fight him in the ring. What’s the difference?”
“Big difference, and you know it.”
Spike was enjoying himself. Broderick hadn’t seen him this chuffed since he’d brought home his cub and got himself a mate.
Tiger didn’t wait for permission. He stepped to Broderick, put his giant hand on the back of Broderick’s neck, and pulled him close.
Chapter Four
Broderick felt Tiger’s scalding breath on his neck then his shoulder. Broderick very carefully stood motionless, not jerking away.
If any other Shifter had dragged Broderick close and inhaled his scent, said Shifter would be on the ground. But Tiger wasn’t like other Shifters. He’d been made in a lab, created by a mishmash of genetic material and the Goddess knew what else. He’d been part of an experiment to manufacture a Shifter army, which hadn’t worked at all. The first twenty-two experiments had died, leaving Tiger alone. The poor guy didn’t even have a real name, and no family or clan. Broderick couldn’t imagine the loneliness. As much as Broderick’s brothers drove him spare, he wouldn’t trade any of them for what Tiger had gone through.
Tiger finished with Broderick’s neck, then he stooped and took the scent of Broderick’s throat. Finally, he stood up and stepped away, in no way awkward.
Spike watched, his arms folded, an amused look on his face. “Wish I had a camera,” he said. “Did you get enough, Tiger?”
Tiger nodded, offering no apology.
Spike went on. “Dylan wants this woman brought in. As soon as possible, he said. With Dylan, that means right now.”
Broderick rubbed the back of his neck, where the sensation of Tiger’s ultra-strong hand lingered. “She won’t be at that house anymore. She’ll have run by now.”
Tiger shrugged. “Then we’ll follow her.”
“Tomorrow,” Broderick said firmly, although that was only a few hours away. “I want her too, but I’ve been shot, need to recover, and I’m half dead on my feet.”
“And your mate is here,” Tiger said, perfectly serious.
Broderick growled. “She’s not my—”
“Yes, she is.” Tiger gave Broderick his unnerving yellow stare.
“That’s not how it works.” Broderick didn’t know why he got squirrelly every time someone mentioned mates and Joanne, but he did. Probably because he was pretty sure she’d refuse him. “You mate-claim a female, then if no one Challenges, you have the sun and moon ceremony, and that makes her your mate.”
Tiger listened as though Broderick offered profound wisdom, then he gave a slight shake of his head. “She’s your mate.”
Broderick abruptly changed the subject. “Does Sean know to keep his ass hidden?” he asked Spike. “In case the kidnappers try again?”
Spike shrugged, his tight shoulders moving. “Sean’s not sure what to believe. That’s why Dylan wants the girl brought in.”
“Sure. We’ll abduct a human, tie her up, drag her to Shiftertown, and question her. I don’t mind, because she pissed me off, but why can’t Dylan do his own dirty work?”
“Because he’s Dylan, and we’re the lowly trackers.” Spike pried himself from the railing. “Get some sleep—we’ll go right after breakfast. Most humans are at their jobs by then and maybe we won’t get stuck in as much traffic.”
“So, what if the Guardian Network did get hacked?” Broderick asked curiously. “Is it that big a deal? It’s just a database of information about Shifters, right? Shifter Bureau already has all our deets on file. What else could she find out?”
“Hell if I know,” Spike said. “It’s a big Guardian secret what’s really in that database. Maybe there’s nothing to steal. She might be chasing rainbows.”
“Or sees them floating around her head,” Broderick said. “She was stark-raving bonkers, but aren’t most humans?”
Spike only made a noncommittal gesture. He was mated to a human, and she’d bring in his second cub sometime this summer. Tiger didn’t answer, but he didn’t always talk.
Broderick and Spike
agreed on the time to meet in the morning, and Spike and Tiger made to depart. At the bottom of the porch steps, Tiger turned back.
“The Guardian Network holds the secrets,” he said. Then he walked away, passing Spike in the darkness, and was gone.
Spike flashed a no idea what he’s on about look over his shoulder, and jogged across the street in Tiger’s wake.
Broderick remained on the porch, enjoying the cool air for a while, wondering what the hell Tiger meant. Tiger loved to spring these cryptic pieces of information on Broderick, to make Broderick’s head hurt trying to figure them out. Tiger always proved to be right no matter how obscure the problem, and Broderick had learned not to argue with him.
But if he conceded Tiger might be right about the Guardian Network, then he’d have to agree that Tiger’s conviction that Joanne was Broderick’s mate was true as well.
No question. Damn the furry, tiger-striped bastard.
***
“Hell, yes, I’m going with you,” Joanne told Broderick over her first cup of coffee. Aunt Cora had been up with the sun, in spite of the late night, handing Joanne a welcome, steaming mug as she stumbled into the kitchen after showering and dressing.
Broderick, the big lump, was polishing off a heaping plate of bacon and eggs, telling Aunt Cora that he and Spike and Tiger were going after his kidnappers this morning. When Joanne said she wanted to accompany him—she could look at the woman’s computers and figure out what she was up to—Broderick came on all alpha male.
“No,” he said in a stern voice. “Too dangerous.”
Joanne thumped down across from him. The sunny kitchen sported a long, old wooden farm table, scrubbed and scraped over the years. Aunt Cora kept it strewn with straw placemats, and she’d tied bright red-gingham cushions to the seats of the heavy wooden chairs. The kitchen was always warm and gleaming, copper pots hanging over the stove, the smell of something good baking in the oven. Joanne had spent her youngest years in her grandmother’s farmhouse kitchen in north Texas, and Aunt Cora’s always filled her with nostalgia.