Page 44

Kieran

“I am going to spank your arse so hard, you won’t sit down for a week,” Mack growled.

“We’ve got bigger fish to fry right now.”

The dads and all the other bear and tiger shifters were enough to hold the police back, but even the threat of people that could turn furry in a second wasn’t enough to stop them when there was a dead body lying in the quarry.

Officers moved, guns were brandished, and our community stepped aside, not wanting to become their next target.

“You’re under arrest,” a detective said, frowning as he took a look at Mack. Harper shook her head, wriggling out of Macks’ arms, only for us to get in between them.

“I don’t think so,” I growled.

“And why would you want to arrest someone?” Asher appeared by his side, plucking the gun from the cop’s grip and then discharging a bullet into Dax’s skull.

The bullet passed through the mess cleanly, mangling the evidence of what Harper had done.

“You just took down one of the city’s most notorious hitmen, detective.

This is a time for celebration, not recrimination. ”

We watched the man stare at him, then scan the lot of us. The stink of fear wafting off him quickly soured into something more avaricious.

“Heroically stepping in to save a woman from a rabid wolf shifter,” Tor said with a smirk.

“Risking your own life to intervene during a dominance fight,” I added, warming to this tactic.

“And apprehending these lowlifes.” Anya dropped several of Dax’s flunkies at his feet, their groans becoming one as Dina and Mira added to the pile.

“The city is a better place for your hard work, Detective Johnson.”

Asher’s ability to identify the man seemed to clinch the deal.

“Alright, get each one of these…” He blanched when he looked at the pile of wounded henchmen.

“Males in the shifter strength cuffs and then take them to the station for processing.” The other officers seemed relieved to have something productive to do, putting their weapons away and moving to do just that.

I may or may not have been pleased with how roughly they hauled Dax’s gang away.

“Not sure what you expect me to do once Homicide gets here, or the coroner.”

“Ask for Halloway,” Asher replied with a small smile. “He’ll say all the right things, making sure you get that commendation and a feature on the front page of the newspaper.”

“Are you alright?” Mum came running up, her hands reaching my face, then my shoulders, before she turned to my mate. “Harper, sweetheart?—”

“I’m fine.” Harper was always quick with a smile, but right now I saw it fray at the edges. “I mean as much as you can be after killing a guy.” Her head swung back and forth slowly, like a dog that had just been clipped by a car. “I think?”

“We’re getting you out of here,” Mack growled, hoisting her into his arms.

“We’ll need to interview—” the detective started to say.

“I’ll be here to answer any questions the investigating officers might ask,” Asher replied smoothly, stepping closer. “Me and my sleuth.”

Lucas and Kyle were his sleuthmates and they clustered closer, forming a wall between the human and us.

“Daria?” Harper pulled free of Mack, looking over the heads of the crowd. “Dar!”

“Is that the lovely girl with the bruised face?” Mum asked. “She’s sitting in the car. We found her bolting up the road.”

“I need to see her. Mack, I need?—”

“I know what you need.”

Tor and I shared a long look.

“So it looks like someone has reconciled himself to having a mate.” Tor smirked. “Gods, he’s going to be insufferable now.”

“Speaking of insufferable,” Mira said, moving closer. “Mum is planning a victory dinner. A full ten course banquet.”

“Not tonight,” Tor groaned. “If I don’t get Harper home and scrub the stink of that fucker off her skin in the next half hour, the tiger is gonna come out and lick her clean.”

“I’ll keep her off your back,” Dina said.

“Thank the gods?—”

“But you’ll owe me and I’m keeping a tally, little brother.”

The tigers all clustered around Tor, discussing excitedly their plans, but when I went to follow Mack and Harper, I was met with another obstacle. The dads had found their clothes and were dressed now, but they didn’t look any less pissed.

“Harper is wearing a mating mark,” Jim said.

“She is, and before you ask, I don’t know when that happened.

” My eyes went all hazy for a second. “I wasn’t there.

I was at the building site, like you asked.

” There was no intention to make that an accusation, but when I heard it plainly in my voice, I nodded.

“When I should’ve been home with Harper.

If I was there, she wouldn’t have been taken. ”

“If you hadn’t decided forming a sleuth with a bloody wolf shifter was a good idea, then your mate wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

For a moment, all I could hear was a shrill ring in my ears.

My tongue slid over my teeth, still tasting the blood of those idiots Dax surrounded himself with.

I wanted to lash out, shout at my fathers, but what difference would that make?

I knew they’d get all huffy and somehow make this about Mack.

“But I did.” I stared into each one of my father’s eyes, daring them to look away. “I did, Dads, and you can either accept that or get the fuck out of our lives.”

The chatter of Tor’s family faded away as they all turned to stare.

I was making a damn scene, and after what had happened today, maybe that was understandable, because…

I swallowed hard, fangs pushing free of my gums. I saw every single fingerprint Dax left on Harper and some primal part of me needed to reanimate the dickhead so I could tear his head off his shoulders.

“Harper, Tor, and yeah, Mack, they’re my family now.

I will always love you guys, but…” My head was moving from side to side, the bear pushing closer and closer to the surface.

For him, this had gone on far too long. He didn’t understand family relationships.

This was just an impediment, getting in the way of being with Harper.

“If you keep this shit up, if you keep trying to shape my life in a way that suits you, I’ll be forced to live it without you. ”

As their mouths fell open, I pushed past them. Every step that took me closer to Harper made my heart lighter. Bear shifters nodded as we passed, as if acknowledging what had happened, but all I could focus on was her.

“Dar…?” Harper dove into the car Daria was sleeping in. The woman blinked her eyes and then smiled when she saw my mate. That, of course, pulled at sore facial muscles. With a hiss, she touched her cheek. “Oh fuck, Dar, I am so, so sorry. I didn’t ring, didn’t warn you.”

“Guess picking up guys from the hardware store has some occupational hazards.”

Daria’s croaky voice killed me. Harper was taking this all on herself, but that responsibility lay squarely with us.

“I’m sorry,” I said to Mack and it took him a second to notice. He turned around, frowned, blood flaking off his face. “Mack?—”

“I heard you.” He glanced over at Tor. “That go for you too, Kitty Cat?”

“Obviously we should’ve listened to you about Dax.” His toes wriggled, digging into the dirt. “I mean, we kinda figured it was all a bit of a beat up. He hadn’t made a move against us?—”

“Until we found our mate.” Mack’s arms crossed his bare chest. “Like I told you.”

“Fuck, Mack.” My eyes found Harper, saw her talking animatedly to a very tired looking Daria, unable to believe what I was going to say.

“You did and we didn’t listen, so…” The bear roared inside me, making clear what he thought of this idea, but it had to be said. “If you want to break up the sleuth…”

“What? Is this your dads getting in your ear again?” Mack snapped.

“Harper accepted your bond. If you want to form a pack with guys that actually listen to you, I’ll understand. I’ll release you from the bond.”

“We’re doing that?” All of Tor’s usual bounciness was gone. If he was in cat form, his ears would be pressed hard against his skull. “Um… shit, I guess?—”

“Are you serious right now?” Mack smiled and then shook his head.

“Being all fucking noble. Telling me you’ll walk away and leave me to deal with Harper on my own?

I’m not sure that’s the generous offer you think it is.

Nah, mate.” He held out his hand and I just stared at it.

“We’re gonna need to stick together, because keeping Harper safe?

” Tor slapped his hand against Mack’s and he shook it before turning to me.

“That’s gonna be a full-time job for all three of us. ”

I didn’t deserve Mack’s offer, but I took it anyway, going to shake his hand, but he pulled me in close.

“Maybe we need to add some extra members. More bears and less rifles. Whaddya think, Kieran?”

“I think there will be no more bear shifters being pushed our way, brother.” I slapped my hand on his back. “I made clear that my dads can either get with the program or get the fuck out of my life.”

“You did?” Mack slung an arm around my shoulder and then steered me towards the car. “I woulda paid good money to see the old fellas’ faces when you dropped that bomb. Hey, Harper.” She looked up, meeting our collective gaze. “How about we get you girls home? Kieran’s got some news to share.”

“Not home.” Daria flushed, as if embarrassed to butt in. That bruise on her face gave her every right. It should not have happened on our watch. “Sorry, Harp, but I’m not going back to that place. Not after…” She swallowed hard. “I’m gonna go stay at my mum’s, OK? I’ll get you my half of the rent.”

“No, you won’t.” All the joy seemed to leech out of Harper. “Don’t worry about money, your stuff, anything. We’ll pack all your gear up and bring it around to your mum’s. It’s the least…” I was moving forward when I heard her voice crack. “It’s the least I can do.”

“We can do,” I amended. “Whatever you want or need, Daria. We’ll make sure it gets done.”

She nodded, lips pursing, looking way too pale.

“Just to Mum’s, please.”

I turned to find my own mother standing there.

“So you told your fathers off?” I went to explain, but she just smiled, pressing her car keys into my palm.

“About time really. They are too hidebound, the lot of them.” She nodded to the car.

“A sleuth isn’t a group of shifters of the same species.

It’s a group of people that care for each other, will stand by the others when the world burns.

That’s what I raised you to do. The dangers your sleuth faced are done with for now.

Just be there with them, making sure nothing else touches them. ”

Her arms went wide, then wrapped around me as I gave her a hug.

“You got it, Mum.”

“Good boy.” She wiped at her eyes. “Now, go and look after those girls.”

For once, what my family wanted and what my heart needed were the same damn thing, and so we piled into the car and drove off.