Sixteen

The afternoon exploded with the sounds of animals on the attack. The panthers went after TC on the car, the man screaming and jumping to the hard-shell top of the Lincoln. The wolf and Bear charged Chris, who stumbled backward, falling to his ass on the hard ground, and crab-walking backward until he hit the trunk of an oak. The tigers prowled the perimeter, just in case the men slipped past the others, which Lainie highly doubted. TC was jumping into the air, trying to reach a branch to climb up on, forgetting, she supposed, that panthers could climb trees. Chris had tears streaking down his face and a giant wet spot on the front of his pants. If he could shove himself through the tree he was backed against, he would to avoid the bear that roared at him, but one of the wolves—Alanna, Lainie knew—was behind the tree, snapping at the man, keeping him in place.

Rance’s wolf went straight to her, going immediately to the ropes at her wrists. She could break them, she knew, but didn’t want to deprive Rance of his gallant effort. She thought of shifting and joining in the fun, but if this ever went to court, she didn’t need it coming out that she was a shifter, not that the courts would probably believe the Serpents. Their claims would be assumed to be the wild accusations of men searching for an insanity plea. Besides, the others seemed to have it all well in hand.

Once the ropes were undone, Rance sat on his back haunches, his tongue lolling to the side. Lainie reached out and scratched his ears. “You just love to be in the middle of things.”

No one messes with my mate, he sent.

Lainie jerked her attention to the others, hoping no one heard what he had said. If they did, it would be lost in the fight with the gang members.

Off in the distance, sirens were heard heading her way. Lainie scratched Rance’s ear one more time and then stood, turning to where the men trembled. “So, I’m taking it, you’re ready to surrender?” she asked, her hand still on the top of Rance’s head. “Or should I just leave you to the local wildlife?”

“Tigers and bears are local?” Chris screamed, his eyes still on Ezra in front of him.

“They are, and much deadlier than snakes.” She turned her attention to the sheriff’s car that pulled up, smiling at Chet who sat behind the wheel. Adira waved before opening her car door. The animals all sat on their back haunches, eyes glaring at the Serpents who cried out to the sheriff to be rescued. Chet, of course, was in no hurry to help them out, his pace slow, casual.

Adira went straight to Lainie, her face revealing her concern. “Are you okay?” the witch asked as she drew nearer.

Lainie turned as Johnson pulled up behind Chet’s car, sirens flashing but silent. The colors hitting the trees and leaves seemed way out of place deep in the woods, as if the city was intruding on something sacred. Lainie turned to the two Serpents, intruders themselves into a world they were clueless about and would never truly understand. Lainie placed a hand on Adira’s arm when the other lady reached her, but her gaze was on the rest of her friends who had raced to her rescue. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.” She then turned to Chet. “Besides kidnapping a deputy, they planned on breaking into the sheriff’s department and stealing evidence. They’re also the ones who killed Roger O’Brien.”

Johnson had walked up beside them as she spoke, his mouth open at the scene in front of him. He had seen the shifters in action before, and recently, but Lainie knew to humans it was always a sight to behold and threw many off.

Chet nodded. “Well, seems like you pretty well solved your case.” Lainie couldn’t tell if he was purposefully ignoring the animals in the small clearing or truly didn’t consider them out of place. He pulled his sheriff’s hat from his head and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “Johnson, let’s get them in handcuffs and back to the department.” He then turned back to Lainie and then glanced down at the wolf at her side. “I guess this can put to rest two cases, actually. The detective is now free to return to Pensacola, I suppose. I see no reason not to give him the video and phone and let him put more of these gang members behind bars.” He glanced back up at Lainie, and when he asked the next question, she wasn’t sure exactly what he meant. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

She glanced down at Rance, her heart twisting just a little before she remembered his words back at her cabin earlier that day. She felt the smile creep across her face. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She scratched the top of the wolf’s head. “Although I need to ask you if there’s an empty spot at the department.” She looked at Chet. “I know a detective looking for a job.”

Chet looked at her for a moment, his eyes intense, searching. Adira just giggled and shook her head as she left them to join Dimitri’s panther. Chet shook his head and gave a soft chuckle. “I’m sure we can find something for him.” Then his grin turned mischievous. “I think there may be a spot on the K9 unit.”

Rance yelped, hopping up on all fours as Lainie laughed. “That might be fitting.”

Chet returned his gaze to Johnson who was busy slapping handcuffs on the Serpents. “Clothes are stacked in my trunk,” he said. “But I’d wait until we get these men out of sight before anyone does any shifting.”

“Agreed,” Lainie said. “No need freaking out the tourists.”

Chet chuckled as he turned toward his car. “Now, that’s funny. See you back at the department. Take your time. Johnson and I will handle these morons until you get back.”

Lainie thanked him, turning her attention back to the wolf at her feet, the smile curling her lips upward. Now that her case was over, she couldn’t get to the department fast enough so that Rance could get his case behind him. A week ago, she was content with life as it was, but now that Rance was a part of her life, she was ready to get the next chapter started. Of course, she also worried that it had all been words, things he said just in the process of getting what he wanted. It wouldn’t be the first time a man did that to her. She reached down and scratched behind his ears again, the confusion in her head creating a knot in her stomach.

Once Chet and Johnson were gone, the others started to shift, animal paws shrinking or stretching into feet and hands, fur slipping back into bodies as flesh stretched, and animals lifted off four legs to stand on two as their human counterparts took over. Rance did the same transformation in front of her, taking her in his arms and squeezing her to him, just as soon as his shift was over. “Are you all right?” he asked, kissing the top of her head. “Did they hurt you in any way?”

She kissed his bare chest, his flesh warm from the afternoon sun. “Are you kidding? I was just biding my time to see what they would do next.” She turned her gaze back up into his eyes. “Besides, I knew you would be here.” She shrugged. “So I had plenty of time.” She then glanced around the clearing as her brother and friends started getting dressed, Adira having retrieved their clothes before the others left. “Of course, I didn’t expect you to bring an army.”

Rance kissed her forehead again, his lips bouncing along her head as he chuckled. “Chet called them. I don’t think he trusts me yet.”

“He will. I mean, after all, you’re going to be working for him. Right?” He smiled at her but didn’t answer right away. His silence twisted the knot in her stomach.

“Bull Creek getting a new resident?” Dimitri asked as he stepped closer, tugging his shirt into place as he did. Adira stood beside him, her hand slipped into his back pocket.

“Aren’t we running out of cabins?” Josh asked with a laugh as he walked up to join the others.

Alanna ran her hand through her hair as she joined them, working the chaos of knots and stray strands back into some semblance of order. “I don’t think he’s going to be needing his own cabin by the look on Lainie’s face.”

Lainie just wanted them all to shut up so Rance could answer her question. Why wasn’t he answering her question?