Jennifer Ashley - Pride Mates

Kim was never sure how she made herself back away, grab her clothes, and scoot across the hall to her guest bedroom to change. As she made her way downstairs, she strained to hear what Liam did in her bedroom, but all was silent.

Liam found his clothes where he'd thrown them off in Kim's kitchen and slid them on. His adrenaline was still high, his heart pumping hard and fast. He wanted to run, hunt, grab Kim and have unbridled sex with her. Containing himself wasn't easy, but his body running so hot would continue to stave off the pain that was coming. And then he'd pay. Damn, would he pay.

Kim hunched on a sofa on the other side of the breakfast bar. She had no kitchen table and chairs; instead, a couple of stools stood at the counter, and she'd filled the rest of the room with a couch and two comfortable-looking chairs.

Her loose hair straggled over the blouse she'd put on, her blue eyes enormous as she watched Liam dress. He'd cleaned himself up in her bathroom after he'd vacuumed what was left of the feral Shifter from the rug. The bugger wouldn't come out all the way out, though.

"You'll have to send that carpet out for cleaning," he said.

Kim whitened. "Oh, God."

"I'll do it for you. It's my fault the shite came here at all."

"Why do you keep saying it's your fault? Not everything is your responsibility. You live in the human world now."

She was trying to hold on to what she knew, what she'd been told. Humans liked to comfort themselves like that.

"It's my responsibility because I let you come to Shiftertown. The feral smelled your scent on me and decided to hurt me by hurting you. That way, even if he died, he'd know I'd be grieving. It's the feral way--take vengeance on your enemy even while they're killing you." Liam shook his head as he moved to the refrigerator. "I've never seen a Shifter move that fast, or be able to track that quickly. There was something wrong with him."

That bothered him more than he cared to admit. Ferals, ironically, were weaker than Shifters with Collars, because Collared Shifters were well fed, well rested, and had plenty of time to exercise. But this feral had been fast and had brushed off Sean's first sword thrust as though it were an insect bite.

Kim shivered. "Are there any more of them out there?"

Liam didn't know, and that bothered him more than he cared to let on, but he made his tone reassuring. "Shouldn't be. We keep track of the ferals pretty well." Or so Fergus claimed. The refrigerator's shelves were bare except for a few containers of yogurt and a rubber-banded bunch of greens. "You have no food, woman."

"It's in the freezer."

That compartment revealed stacks of boxed frozen meals, all with "Lite" or "Low-calorie" written on them. "This isn't food," Liam said. "It's a travesty."

"I have to watch my weight."

Liam remembered how Kim had looked in her wisp of a nightie--lovely breasts, sweet waist, and thighs he wanted to lick. "I don't mind watching it for you, love. There's nothing wrong with your body."

She went a deep shade of red, and Liam slammed the freezer door. "I can't cook you up my famous mile-high pancakes with this crap. Come on. I'll take you out for some real food."

"I can't go anywhere. My back door is broken."

Two small panes had been smashed, the lock ripped out. "I'll take care of that."

Liam unhooked his cell phone and made some calls. Voices on the other end promised to come and replace the glass and fix the lock in half an hour. "Does the human woman have any beer?"

"Bring your own," Liam growled and clicked off the phone.

Kim had a stunned look on her face. "What are you doing?"

"I keep telling you, sweetheart, it's my fault the bastard attacked you. I have friends who will take care of things, as a favor to me."

"Shifter friends."

"What other kind? Come on, we'll leave them to it."

Liam somehow convinced her to walk out of the house and open the garage, but he took the car keys from Kim's shaking hands and drove her back to Shiftertown himself.

Sean was right, Liam was effing crazy, but he had to do this. Kim needed protecting, but then, so did the Shifters. Liam would have to combine the two needs. Dylan would be livid, but Liam also had the feeling that Dylan would understand. Fergus, now...Well, Liam would deal with Fergus when he had to.

"This is where you work," Kim said, as Liam parked behind the bar in the tiny space reserved for him.

"Well spotted, love. They do a mean chicken-fried steak."

Kim's eyes flared with sudden hunger. Did she starve herself, the little sweetheart? She had a man, she'd said. Why didn't the idiot take care of her?

The bar was full when they walked in. Shifters predominated the crowd, with a handful of humans who'd either become friends with Shifters, had come in to gawk, or were Shifter groupies. Most patrons hovered at the long wraparound bar, but Liam guided Kim to an empty booth and sat her down.

Liam's heart was thumping, his adrenaline still high. He'd have to endure the agony sooner or later, but he hoped it held off long enough for him to enjoy his meal.

"Two chicken-fried steaks, Annie, and a mess of chips."

The tall, svelte Shifter woman who'd come to wait on them rolled her eyes. "We call them french fries over here, Liam. I tell you all the time. Not chips."

"I don't see anyone French in this bar," Liam said, continuing the usual banter between himself and Annie.

"The new cook is Cajun. Close enough."

"And we'll need something to drink," Liam said. "What will you have, Kim?"

"White wine?"

White wine. She was precious. "You don't want to drink the wine here. Bring me a pint of plain, Annie."

"Guinness," Annie said, noting it on her pad. "For you, miss?"

"A Tecate," Kim said. She glared at Liam. "With a lime, please."

"You got it." Annie whisked away, her tight barmaid shorts clinging to her trim behind. Every male in the bar turned to watch her pass, but once she'd gone their gazes swiveled back to Kim.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" Kim whispered. "I'm not the only human here."

But she was the only one scent-marked. Every Shifter, male and female, had caught what Liam had done. Nostrils widened, eyes flickered in acknowledgment. Kim belonged to Liam, and anyone who bothered her would answer to Liam. Message sent and received.

"I'm looking after you, and they know it."

"Why did you want to come here? We passed two IHOPs on the way."

"It's safer."

Kim glanced around. "For you or for me?"

"For both of us."

He quieted as Annie set down one sweating bottle of Guinness and one of Tecate, lime firmly wedged into the opening.

"Are you going to explain why you didn't call the police on that Shifter?" Kim shoved her lime entirely into the liquid and lifted the bottle to drink. Her tongue came out and touched the bottle's opening before her lips closed around it.

Goddess help me, it's hot in here.

Liam clenched his beer bottle, but the cold bite on his palm did nothing to calm him. "What do you think would happen if your human police found out he was on the loose?" he asked. "Shifters would be hunted, and the hunters not too worried about whether they brought down a Collared Shifter or a feral. Just so long as they got one."

"All right, I can see that. With one Shifter already on trial, people would freak if another one went crazy." Kim leaned forward, letting Liam see that this blouse didn't stay fastened any better than the last one had. "Do you think he killed the girl Brian is supposed to have murdered?"

"I wish it could be that easy. We weren't aware of him until a few nights ago, when he killed the Shifter woman. He wasn't around before that. Brian's girlfriend died months ago."