Chapter Eight

Clint dropped Perry’s arm and the man fell to his knees, grasping his injured limb, tears pouring down his face. Yeah, Clint had bitten him hard. He’d made damn sure that it had hurt. The man had asked for a bite and Clint had delivered. That would keep Perry out of the action for a little bit.

The other two men in the room had gone pale and Clint turned his attention to them. He made a big show of licking his mouth where he knew there would be blood.

Then he launched himself.

He knocked the dark-haired man down while he clamped his jaw on the gun hand of the other. The weapon clattered to the floor and the three of them went down. He let go of one man’s hand and turned to bite the dark-haired one on the leg. He was pushed but held tight to his target.

It wasn’t easy to concentrate on his prey with the blows to his side. He was glad that a shot hadn’t been fired. It didn’t take silver bullets or any of that kind of bullshit to kill a shifter. A regular lead bullet in the right place worked as well. Clint was taking a chance that he’d surprised the men enough that they weren’t thinking clearly.

Perry was yelling, but with blood dripping from his own wound, he was unable to stand and help his men. The dark-haired human whimpered and cried from under Clint.

“No! No!” the red-headed man who had held the gun yelled. “I don’t want to be a monster.” He climbed to his feet and ran for the door. Clint didn’t try to stop him.

Clint let go of his current opponent, who curled up in a ball. He would have snorted if he could. They were such big and bad men when they’d had Clint tied up but now look at them.

He headed toward the door that the first human had left open in his rush to get away.

Behind him, Perry was struggling to his feet while yelling at Clint.

More running footsteps sounded, coming closer, so Clint needed to hurry in order to get away. He’d gotten lucky with Perry and his two goons. Clint couldn’t depend on his luck holding, though. More humans would either result in his recapture, murder or the humans getting hurt.

Clint raced through a narrow hallway, using the stench of fear the redhead had left trailing, hoping that he was nearing the front door.

Yes! He could see sunlight pouring in.

The idiot had even left the front door open. The sound behind him was getting closer. Clint had to take a chance. He sped up, his claws clicking on the old tile, then soared through the entry.

Several men yelled and scrambled from the porch as Clint hopped down the broken steps. At least six humans surrounded him. He swung his head around, looking for the best exit.

Trees surrounded the area. And several people were running his way. He threw his head back and howled. It was a warning, a call to Pack and a desperate instinct of survival.

Most of the humans stopped. Clint didn’t see any weapons, either.

One brave, young man with a goatee and tattoos crept closer to Clint.

Clint snarled in return. The man froze, lifting his hands up.

From the corner of his eye, he saw more men approaching. Clint turned his head in that direction as a sheriff’s truck sped around the house then slid to a stop close to him. Clint ducked low and bared his teeth, not knowing who was in the vehicle. A deputy had been involved after all. Sara! He needed to find out where she was being held.

Clint crouched, ready to pounce.

“Clint!” Kurt called to him. He jumped from the passenger side. Sheriff Webb climbed out of the driver’s side of the truck. Clint sat up. Kurt was there. Holy shit! Yes! His friend was safe. But why was the sheriff there? They needed to find Sara. If word got out that Clint was rescued, then she would be in danger.

Kurt hurried over to him and dropped to his knees. “You okay?”

Clint moved his head in confirmation. He looked around at the Council guards, Gage, Tony and even Alpha Babcock taking charge of the scene. Sheriff Webb was directing the arrest of the humans.

“We got them,” Kurt confirmed. “They’re all going to pay. Where’s Perry?”

Clint rose and headed back toward the house.

“I got it,” Austin said as he and Gage hurried past them.

“Let’s get you to an area to shift,” Kurt suggested and Clint followed him toward some trees.

Once they were out of sight, Clint shifted back to human form. He panted from exhaustion with everything that had taken place. Kurt stood by his side as he rested his hands on his knees and hung his head.

In just a few minutes, he would have to tell everyone what had happened. He looked up at his best friend. “You okay? Sara?”

Kurt laughed. “Yeah, man, I’m fine. Sara’s waiting at her house for you.”

Clint shook his head. “They said they had you and Sara.”

“Nope.” Kurt grinned. “Ryan and Cecil are with Sara. I spoke to them not long ago. And as you can see”—he waved his hand up and down his body—“I’m still as handsome as before.”

Clint snorted and accepted Kurt’s hand to help him rise. Kurt swung the backpack off his shoulder and tossed it to him. Inside he found jeans, a T-shirt, socks and shoes. He quickly dressed.

“How’d you find me?” he questioned once he was dressed and they’d started toward everyone else. Not that it was unexpected, but Clint liked to have all the information.

“Colt,” Kurt explained. “Damn, that guy is good. As soon as Sara found your phone in the alley and called me, I called Tony and he got hold of Colt.”

“He’s here?” Clint asked. Why had he allowed Perry to get bitten?

“No,” Kurt said. “It seems Perry took half of the men, the humans who seem to follow him more than Dan Carter. Colt wasn’t in that group. But Colt had visited several houses that Perry had looked to and made us a list. We also called in some help.”

“So, I did see RJ and Mike?” Clint asked.

The men coming from the trees right before the sheriff’s vehicle had arrived had looked familiar. Hell, he’d seen them in Riverwood.

“Yep,” Kurt confirmed. “After we couldn’t find you at the first house, I called Alpha Nelson. RJ was still there visiting Mike and they were on the way before I even hung up the phone with the Alpha.”

Clint chuckled. It was good to have friends who would drop anything and come to his rescue. “We need to keep RJ away from Perry. He’ll eat him alive.”

Kurt eyes shined with laughter. “I know.”

“And Sara is okay?” Clint asked. He’d felt so guilty about getting her involved. Now it seemed she’d been safe the whole time.

“Yes, we’ll call her in a minute. First, you need to tell me how they got you.”

Shit. “I need to find the sheriff.”

“Let’s go,” Kurt said.

“I still don’t understand how Colt knew about these houses if Perry didn’t trust him. Perry is acting against Dan Carter’s orders.”

“Colt hadn’t heard anything about you being taken and nosed around,” Kurt continued. “When he couldn’t find anything, he cornered that guy Rudy who he’d been hanging with.”

Clint nodded. Sara had been worried the man would go after Cecil.

“Colt told him if he didn’t tell Colt what was going on, he’d tell everyone Rudy was gay. Said he had proof to back it up.”

“What?”

“Yeah, Colt had seen him with one of the other young men of the Church and had snapped some pictures with his cell phone. He wasn’t going to use them unless Rudy got out of hand, but he couldn’t think of any other way to find out where you were. He doesn’t want to out the man.”

“Wow!” Clint exclaimed. “Guess I was lucky Colt knew how to play him.”

“Yeah,” Kurt agreed. “Colt says he’s not such a bad guy. Or not the worst of the bunch. I guess his parents are deep in the Church and since he’s been told as soon as he was able to talk that homosexuals were evil, he’s scared to death someone will find out. But he’s also young and horny, so it’s a fine line he’s walking.”

“That does suck.”

“Colt’s going to try to help him while he’s undercover. He told Rudy he wanted to know because he didn’t like to be left out of things and didn’t like Perry. He said Rudy seems terrified of Perry and wonders if Perry knows what Rudy’s hiding and using it against him.”

“Damn, this is all…” Clint waved his hand around. “They think shifters are evil, but Perry wanted me to bite him so he could become one of us. These people… I will never understand why they act this way. Does it matter if a shifter lives in town? Why is that the biggest worry anyone has?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t make sense, but it’s been going on for so long I don’t see it changing any time soon, either,” Kurt agreed. “Colt says that’s not even the tip of the iceberg with these folks, though. I guess that’s why he’s staying in longer. He wants to help the people who don’t want to be there. Wants to be able to get them out.”

“Well, I’d like to help if we can,” Clint told him.

“That’s what I said. Colt’s joining the chapter of the Church close by. That’s where Rudy is stationed and Perry was supposed to head it up.”

“So Dan Carter wouldn’t know that Perry was a shifter and Perry could still do his bidding.”

They stopped and watched as Perry and the last man came out in handcuffs.

“He bit me!” the dark-haired man was crying. “I’m going to turn all furry.”

Both Kurt and Clint laughed. Perry was glaring at him.

“It’s not going to work, is it?” Perry asked. He had a bandage over his arm that was already starting to bleed through.

“Nope,” Clint said with a grin.

Perry shook his head and his shoulders slumped.

Sheriff Webb came out of the house and strolled over to them.

“You need to pick up Deputy Gibson, too,” Clint informed him. “Before he runs.”

“Bobby?”

“Yeah,” Clint said. “He’s the one who approached me behind Sara’s shop. Perry told me he was holding her until I did what he wanted.”

“Well, shit.” Sheriff Webb ran his hands roughly over his face. “I trusted him. I’ve sent him out several times to watch over her.”

“Everything okay?” Austin asked as he and Gage joined them.

“I need to do some cleaning up inside my station,” Sheriff Webb stated. “I can’t believe this.” He stomped away. Clint felt for the man. It couldn’t be easy finding people to trust. Plus if the sheriff had put Bobby Gibson in charge of Sara’s safety, that would be a double blow.

Clint turned to Austin and Gage. “Thanks for the assist,” he said. He hadn’t wanted to kill anyone. If they’d tried to recapture him, Clint would have fought for his life.

Gage laughed. “Damn, you could have at least waited for the rescue team. I never get to have any fun anymore.”

Austin slapped Gage on the back, chuckling. “I won’t mention that to Marisa.”

Gage mock growled and swiped his hand over the back of Austin’s head. “And I won’t tell Kiley had you went running in without any concern for weapons. We both know she’ll kick your ass.”

Everyone laughed as the stress of the day began to ease.

They might not have found Dan Carter, but they still had Colt inside. With Perry and his cronies charged with kidnapping and assault, Carter was going to have to come out of hiding or assign someone else to the area.

Everyone that Clint cared about was safe and sound. All in all, it had been a good day. He cleared his throat. “I need to—”

“Go see your woman,” Kurt finished.

Clint nodded. “I need to know she’s okay. See with my own eyes.”

Alpha Babcock walked up. He patted Clint’s shoulder. “I’m glad to hear things are going well with Sara. She’s a bright girl.”

Clint turned to the Council member. “You know Sara?”

Alpha Babcock grinned. “I don’t sit in my office. I keep a close eye on my town. Even if they never see me.”

“Of course,” Clint agreed. He shouldn’t be surprised. The Council had a relationship with the town folk and sheriff.

“In the morning, we’ll all meet up and see what our next steps are going to be. With Colt still undercover, we have a lot more work to do. I want Dan Carter found.”

Clint, Kurt and the others nodded. It wasn’t finished yet, but at least the threat that Perry had posed was over. Maybe Lovington could get back to normal. Clint could go back to his morning runs and visiting Sara at the shop. At night, they could curl up in front of the fire before going to bed, which meant that he would be taking the offer the Council had made of a full-time job at the compound. He hoped Kurt would stay with him. He thought he might. They’d been through so much and Clint didn’t want to lose his best friend. But when he thought about the future, it was Sara he saw, from the way her nose scrunched up when she teased Cecil to the sparkle in her eyes as she looked at Clint with passion.

He turned to Kurt and punched his best friend in the arm. “Driver! Get the car.”

Kurt flipped him off but laughed. “We’re parked farther up the road. Come on.”

Clint followed as Kurt led the way back to his truck. It wasn’t until he was surrounded by the tall trees and under the canopy of leaves that he finally breathed normally.

“So are we going to talk about it?” Kurt asked.

“What?” Clint glanced at his best friend. What was he even talking about.

“If I told you we needed to leave right now to go down to Texas, what would you say?” Kurt asked.

All the relief Clint had felt about seeing Sara fled. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” He was disappointed, but this was his life.

“Really, man?” Kurt turned and frowned at him.

Clint stopped. “What?”

“You’d jump in the truck and leave with me?” Kurt demanded.

“Uh, yeah,” Clint said. “That’s my job. Our job.”

“What about Sara?”

“What about her?” Clint repeated. “I want to see her, but she’ll understand. I’ll call her from the road.” Fuck, where was his cell? “Or maybe we can stop by real quick?” He’d be happy with a quick visit.

“Jesus, man!” Kurt exclaimed. “You’re in love with her.”

“Yes?” Clint didn’t understand what Kurt was going on about. “What the fuck is happening right now?”

“I’m trying to find out if you want to accept the positions here or if you want to continue doing what we have been.”

Clint laughed. “Of course, I want to stay here.” He narrowed his eyes at his best friend. “I thought you knew that.”

“Well, you never said anything,” Kurt replied. “And you were going to go with me.”

“So we don’t have to go to Texas?” Clint asked.

“No!” Kurt yelled.

“Oh, thank God!” Clint said.

Kurt made a sound in his throat as though he was being strangled.

“What?” Clint asked. “I want to see Sara, but if we were needed somewhere else, I’d have gone. But I would return to her.” Clint didn’t know what Kurt had been thinking.

“So you want to stay?” Kurt asked again.

“Yes.” Clint eyed his best friend. “I like it here and I think we’ll both be happy. We’ve been traveling for years. I want a home.”

“Me, too,” Kurt stated. “I’m getting too old for this shit.”

Clint laughed. “I don’t agree with that. But Sara is who I want to be with.”

“Okay, let’s get you to your girl then. I’ll take care of getting things set up with the Council.”

* * * *

Sara was on pins and needles. Ryan had gotten word that Clint had been found and all was okay, but he hadn’t talked to Kurt or Clint. It was someone named Austin who’d called. Clint was supposed to be on his way to her house. All Sara could think about was what could go wrong before he arrived. She tried not to think about what Clint might have gone through. She suspected she would have to wait until the next day to see him and, while she understood, she really wanted to run her hands over him and make sure he was uninjured.

She sighed and stood. They’d retired to the living room, but she couldn’t settle. She grabbed the glasses they’d used earlier.

Ryan and Cecil were curled onto the couch together, watching a movie, Cecil’s head on Ryan’s chest.

“Need help?” Ryan offered.

“Nah, I just…need to move.”

He nodded back. “I understand.”

She smiled a little as she went into the kitchen. She liked Ryan and was glad he’d finally made a move on her friend. Cecil was in heaven at the moment. She rinsed out the glasses and placed them in the dishwasher. Afterward Sara wiped down the already clean counter, her gaze traveling to the backyard. So much had changed in the last several weeks. She found herself in a world she couldn’t have imagined. And Clint… She had strong feelings for Clint.

Movement outside the window caught her attention. Her breath hitched.

Clint walked slowly through the backyard toward the house.

She rushed to the door, hand already reaching to turn the dead bolt, then raced to him. He stopped at the edge of the deck and smiled at her. Sara paused, wanting to throw herself at him, but didn’t know if he was hurt.

“Hi.”

“Hey, baby,” he greeted back.

“Are you okay?”

He nodded. “I would be better if you came closer.”

She laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist. Clint sighed at the first touch and his body relaxed. He embraced her and she tilted her head so when his lips came down, they shared a sweet kiss. Just one touch had her blood pumping and she moaned into his mouth. He gripped the back of her shirt, pressing her closer. They broke away from each other and she stared up at him.

“I’m so glad to see you tonight,” she told him. Sara knew it was selfish to need him in her arms, but she didn’t care.

“I couldn’t go home until I checked on you,” Clint told her.

She ran her hands over his chest. “So maybe you can stay? We were supposed to have dinner, but we could change that to breakfast if you want. Or if you’re hungry, I made a pot of chili. How does that sound with a cold beer?”

He licked his lips. “I want.”

“Which option?” she asked, with a smile.

“I want to stay. Have breakfast in the morning. Maybe the chili and beer later tonight.”

“What do you need right now?”

“You.”

She rose to her toes and kissed him again. This time, he was the one who moaned. Sara was going to take such good care of him that he’d never want to leave “Come inside.” She led him back to the door by his hand.

Ryan stood in the kitchen, waiting.

“Hey, man. I appreciate you staying with them,” Clint said.

“Oh, I didn’t mind one bit,” Ryan confessed with a huge grin.

“Cecil?”

Ryan nodded.

“Good for you.” Clint slapped Ryan on the back.

“I’m going to take him home. Give you two a little privacy,” Ryan told them and headed back to the living room to collect Cecil.

“That’s be great,” Clint replied. Sara nodded her agreement.

Clint kept his arm around her shoulders while they saw their friends off. Cecil had even given Clint a small hug, welcoming him back. Sara grew a little emotional seeing her favorite people had bonded. But it was the bounce in Cecil’s step as Ryan led him out of the door that made her smile.

Once the door closed, Clint turned her to face him. She was surprised with the emotion that showed plainly on his face and in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“There’s something we need to talk about before I take you to bed.”

“Okay.” Sara wanted to get him naked to ensure he wasn’t injured.

“I know we haven’t known each other long, but I have to confess I want see where this goes. I want to be with you,” he said.

She cupped his face. “I’ve already started to fall for you. I want to be with you, too.”

“I’m accepting a permanent position here. I’ll be staying.”

“I’m glad.” That took care of one of her concerns. He was making it so easy to care for him. Even know he was trying to make sure she knew the risk of being with him.

“There’s still a danger,” he said. “A chapter of the Church is opening close to here. You could be in danger.”

“Clint—”

“You need to think about that,” he interrupted. “I may always be a target. That means you will be, too, if we’re together.”

“I don’t have to think about it,” she said, curling her hands into his shirt. “My dad’s the sheriff. That already puts me in the line of fire. And I’m not willing to give you up because of what might happen.”

“I want you to be sure.”

“Can you tell me about what happened today? About the danger? Not because I’d consider not being with you, but so I know.”

“I’ll tell you everything I can,” he said. “There’s more to the shifters here than you are aware.”

“Ryan explained about the Council and your job,” Sara told him.

“Well, that’s convenient.” Clint chuckled.

“I think he was trying to assure me that you could handle what was going on.”

“I’m glad he was with you and that you talked to him. The people who work on the compound are my pack.”

“Especially Kurt.”

“Yes, he’s more than my best friend,” Clint confirmed. “We’ve been a team a long time.”

“Will he stay?”

“Yes. We’ll both take permanent positions here. I may have to travel from time to time. There’s nothing I can do about that. But for the most part, I’ll be here taking care of the Council and any shifters brought to the compound. This is where the trials against shifters take place.”

“I understand you might have to go help other Packs. Ryan told me some of what you’ve done. I want to be the one that you come home to.”

“That’s what I was hoping for.”

Sara pulled his shirt from the waistband of his jeans. “But right now, I need to make sure you’re okay.”

Clint lifted his arms. “I’ll all yours. As long as you know the risks you’re taking by being with me.”

“I understand, I suggest that you will just have to keep a close eye on me. Maybe even…” She leaned close and rubbed against him suggestively.

“Oh, yeah,” he murmured and brought his mouth down on hers.

This kiss was deeper than the earlier ones had been. Passionate and seductive. Clint moved his hands around and down until he cupped her ass and raised her up.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her legs to his waist. Her back hit the door and she rocked into his hold. Clint’s mouth left hers and he nipped and sucked down her neck.

“Gonna mark you, make you mine,” he whispered.

“Yours,” she replied, grinding down. She was wet and ready.

He thrust up and she gasped.

“Take me to bed,” she pleaded.

Without releasing her neck or letting her down, her carried her to the bedroom. Once there he fell onto the bed, twisting at the last minute so he hit the comforter with her on top.

She straddled his waist and threw her hair back. He pushed up her shirt and clamped his lips over her breast. She arched back, burying her hands in his hair.

They took their time undressing each other. Hands slid on sweaty skin, lips kissed, tongues tasted, slow and intense.

“Wait,” she panted.

Clint stilled his previously busy hands.

She gazed down at him. There wasn’t a mark on him. “They didn’t hurt you?”

“No,” Clint confirmed. “I was tied up for a while. The guy heading up this area wanted me to bite him and turn him into one of us.”

“I thought that wasn’t possible.”

“It’s not. I tried to tell him, but he demanded that I bite him.”

“So, you bit him,” she guessed. “I hope you made it hurt.”

“Oh, I did.”

Sara laughed. “Good.” She ran her hands up his chest. His skin was so soft and tight. Looking down at his abs, she licked her lips. Soon, she wanted to spend the entire night worshipping every inch of him.

“Touch me,” he ordered.

She was already doing so. Sara sat back on his legs so his shaft was in front of her. With a firm grip, she wrapped her fist around him. He bucked up. Running her thumb over the head of his erection, she spread the pre-cum there.

“You gonna ride me?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said.

When she couldn’t stand another second of not having him, she rose and grasped his cock. She shifted into position and lowered herself. Clint gripped her hips hard and she loved that strength. Once he was inside, she rocked a few times before she lifted up a little. She started to ride him at an unhurried pace.

Clint snapped his hips up and matched her rhythm. He panted under her, giving drawn-out moans of craving. She sped up a little, slamming down and placing her hands over his well-defined chest for balance.

God, there had never been another time that making love had felt so good, so right.

Her hair fell into her face. It became a curtain around them as Clint grabbed her face to bring her down for an excited kiss.

Harder, faster. That was all she could think about. More, she needed more.

She didn’t realize she had spoken out loud until Clint flipped her back onto the mattress and plunged deep inside at a more rapid pace. He thrust and drove into her while she cried out for him. Sweat dripped from his face to her neck. He pushed her knees farther up to her chest.

Yes! Yes! She was almost there. Sara sobbed out once she was pushed over the edge into completion.

“So good.” She rubbed her hands over his pecs, digging her nails in a little He hissed but thrust again and again.

“Come inside me,” she ordered.

Clint snapped his hips a few more times before he roared out his own release. He collapsed on top of her, panting.

Holy hell, that had been amazing. Yeah, there was no doubt she would be keeping him around for a very long time. She whimpered while he began to pull out, wanting to keep the connection with him.

“We’re at the wrong end of the bed,” he commented with amusement.

“Humph,” she grunted. Like she cared.

He laughed and lifted and moved her so her head was on a pillow and the sheet covered her. He settled next to her and wrapped one strong arm around her waist to pull her close.

She reached down and entwined their fingers together. Her eyes were still closed and she was sleepy—a wonderful, deep, contented exhaustion from spent passion.

Oh, yeah. She planned on ending every night like this.

Just then, his stomach growled loud enough to echo in the silent room.

“One hunger sated, now time for the next?” she teased. Sara opened her eyes. She’d wanted to cuddle, but she needed to take care of him even more.

“I do need to eat,” he said. “I can’t actually remember the last thing I had.”

Sara sat up.

“Lie back down,” he said. He tried to push her back. “If you don’t mind, I’ll make me a snack to tide me over.”

“I do mind!” she said. “Come on.”

He groaned, but allowed her to pull him off the mattress. Sara walked over to her dresser and yanked out a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank. She dressed without underwear, but she didn’t plan on being in clothes long. She watched over her shoulder as Clint pulled on his boxer briefs.

“I’ll warm you up a bowl of chili and you can tell me the rest of what happened today.”

He nodded. “I should have told you earlier. Bobby Gibson has disappeared.”

“They took him?” she asked. Damn, Bobby was the newest deputy, but she’d known him a long time.

“No,” Clint said. He strolled over and pulled him into an embrace. “He was the one waiting for me behind your shop. He’s working with the other humans.”

She gasped. “After everything my dad did for him, he betrayed us?”

Clint grinned. “Us?”

“If he betrayed you, then he betrayed all of us,” she stated. Sara pulled him down the hall. “Now, let me feed you.”

“Do I still get a beer?”

“Sure.”