UnexpectedFind (5 page)

He gave her another reassuring squeeze and led her toward
the other side of the lot.

She stopped him after a few feet. Embarrassment rose. Just
because she was worried about Tony’s murder and whether the killer had been
looking for money or a kid he could sell didn’t mean she had to think everyone
she met was a criminal or a rogue shifter. She couldn’t believe she was reading
so much into his actions, but paranoia had become a part of her personality.
She questioned everybody’s motives. She had to.

“No, you were right. I was just curious, I guess. You’re a
very observant man.”

He looked at her, the careful mask back on. “It’s second
nature, I suppose. A consequence of my…job.”

“Really? What do you do?”

“Security,” he grumbled and led her forward.

She considered that. It fit. She could easily see him
working as a bodyguard for some important official or maybe a rock star. She
grinned at the possibilities.

Before she knew it, they were at her car. She unlocked the
door but Rafe planted his hands on either side of her body and caged her in. He
leaned against her back and the evidence of his arousal pressed into her. With
his mouth near her ear, he whispered, “I don’t want to let you go.”

The desire in his voice stirred hers back to life. She
turned in his arms. Her reaction to Rafe wasn’t normal for her but she couldn’t
deny it. Instant lust. She knew that’s all it was, even if he claimed it was
more, but she’d been without a man for so long. This feeling was one she’d
forgotten about. The crazy “nothing else matters” one that made her want to
roll around naked and sweaty with him until she sated the lust.

He nudged against her neck, urging her to accept him. Unable
to resist, she bent her head and relished the nipping bites along her jaw. He
fisted her hair and tugged, tearing a moan from her throat. He swallowed the
sound with his mouth over hers. She opened for him, drew him in and their
tongues twined and rolled. Slow at first, then with a growing hunger that left
her breathless. She squirmed in his arms, desperate for the relief he could
give.

He released the firm grip on her hair, swept his hands down
her back and over her sides. With his fingers digging into her hips, he pulled
her closer. The hard length of his erection pressed into her belly but he made
no move to touch her more intimately. Didn’t slip his fingers into her panties.
Didn’t counter the thumping in her clit. Didn’t ease the unbearable ache. He
simply wrapped her in his arms and continued to kiss her.

After a long moment, he eased the tight embrace and skimmed
the fingers that had brought her to orgasm a few minutes ago over her body. Up
her spine, down her arms. He moved them to match the quicker pace his mouth
took, but he didn’t come close to her breasts or her sex. And not touching her
intimately heightened her arousal, built the anticipation. She had never wanted
to have sex more than right in that moment.

She wasn’t sure how long they kissed but he finally pulled
back and stared into her eyes. “Invite me home, Jasmine.”

Oh god, she wanted to. Her boys were already at Mr. Wilkins’.
They’d slept over there before but they didn’t have their favorite stuffed
animals or their toothbrushes.

She shook her head. “I can’t, not tonight.”

“Because of your boys.” He sighed. “You’re right. I shouldn’t
have asked, but you make me wild. I can’t get enough of you.”

“Me neither, Rafe,” she admitted. “But I can’t. I hadn’t
planned for my boys to stay over tonight. That’s not fair to them or Mr.
Wilkins.”

“Your neighbor?”

She pillowed her head on his chest and listened to his
steady heartbeat. “Yes, Mr. Wilkins loves my kids and wouldn’t mind having them
stay, but I can’t expect him to do so without talking to him first.”

Rafe tensed and his heartbeat quickened. “Can I meet them?
Your boys.”

She opened her mouth to say no, but closed it and worried
her bottom lip. If she was considering seeing Rafe, even if it was only for
sex, she couldn’t automatically deny him. What if their relationship became
more?

“Not right away. I don’t want them to meet guys, maybe get
attached to them and be let down when they leave. I won’t do that to them and
you’re not from the area, are you?”

He shook his head. “I understand. You must do what’s best
for your children. Just know that my job requires I stay here for a while. I
don’t plan to up and leave.” He ran a fingertip under the edge of her top,
right over the swell of her breasts. “And plans change, Jasmine. I have no one
to go home to once my job is done.”

“Oh, well…”

He kissed her before she could finish her sentence. When he
pulled back, she couldn’t remember what she was going to say.

“Can I take you out for dinner tomorrow?”

She licked her lips, thought about what they’d shared and
nodded. “Dinner. Sure, okay.”

Rafe gave her a satisfied smile, the kind a man got when he
knew he’d be getting a woman naked. Confident, assured, irresistible. He took
her lips and kissed her deeply and completely. He eased back and rubbed his
thumb over her chin. “Maybe you should plan for that sleepover.”

She let out a shaky breath. “We’ll see.”

He chuckled softly and opened the door for her. She got in
and tipped her head up for another kiss, this one a soft brush of lips. “Okay,
Jasmine. I’ll call you.”

He closed the door and she drove away but glanced back in
the rearview mirror before the bend of the road blocked him from view.
Gorgeous, strong, mysterious. She smiled and started making plans for dinner
and maybe more.

Rafe ran to his SUV as soon as Jasmine’s car disappeared
from view. He threw it in drive and peeled out of the graveled lot. His heart
pounded hard. The felines that shared his body paced, their anxiety matching
his. Although he was fairly certain Jasmine would be safe, he didn’t want her
out of his sight for a minute. The rogue knew adult royals were in town. They
hadn’t masked their scent and a royal’s presence was often enough to send the
cowardly bastards running with their tails tucked between their legs.

She’ll be fine
, he repeated over and over but he didn’t
calm until he caught a glimpse of a car ahead of him. At the first sign of red
taillights, he slowed. He allowed his cats to rise and offer their increased
senses. Just as it had in the bar, the red lights turned to dark gray and the
world around him brightened as their night vision became his.

He squinted, not wanting to get too close to the car in
front of him, and breathed a sigh.
Jasmine.
He’d memorized her license,
remembered the decals she’d had on her windows—stickers to save big cat habitat
and to put an end to animal research. He smiled. They were worthy causes and
ones he approved of too.

Relaxed now that he had her in his vision, he put the
speakerphone on and called Kade.

“Where are you?” Rafe asked as soon as the call connected.

“In the middle of fucking nowhere,” Kade grumbled. “It’s no
wonder these humans got away with hiding our shifter kids so long. They live in
the damn boondocks.”

Rafe chuckled, not at Kade’s irritation but at Jasmine. Her
head was bopping as if she were singing along to music.

“It’s not funny, Rafe. I stepped in dung! Do you know how
bad that shit smells?”

Now Rafe’s laughter was directed at his bother. “It hasn’t
been that long since our only mode of transportation was by horses. I remember.”
He cleared his throat. “Did you find Jasmine’s children?”

“Not yet. Her property is smack-dab in the middle of two
large cow fields. I checked those first, found nothing.”

He closed his eyes briefly and sent a prayer of thanks to
the gods before focusing on the car in front of him. Whether her home choice
was intentional or not, she couldn’t have picked a safer location. The stench
from manure would cover up the scent of her boys and deter other shifters from
investigating.

“She said they’re with a Mr. Wilkins,” he said.

Kade grunted. “Figures. He was next on my list. He’s on the
opposite side of the bigger farm.”

Up ahead, Jasmine’s car slowed. She turned down a smaller
road. He drove past it then did a one-eighty. He waited for her to disappear
from view and followed behind with his lights off.

“Looks as if we’re headed there too. Wait until you see
headlights then go out to her home and make sure it’s safe.”

“More damn orders. Sure thing, brother,” Kade grumbled and
ended the call.

The one-lane macadam turned into a gravel road. He was
forced to pull the car off into the bushes so as not to stir up dust. His heart
raced. The separation from Jasmine was unavoidable. He didn’t want to alert her
to his presence but he hated not knowing where she was, if she was safe.

In all likelihood, the shifter who’d sliced Tony’s throat
and spilled his guts was gone, scared off, probably before they’d arrived. Most
of the rogues who dealt in shifter trafficking were opportunists. They didn’t
tangle with the human authorities often because nearly every county had at
least one person in the police system with ties to Shifter Affairs. Those
humans fed them information. It was through one such individual that they had
come to know about Megan. The little girl’s adoption raised a few flags when
Tony moved back home and enrolled her in kindergarten. They were notified
immediately but as in any organization, the paper log slowed them down.

Guilt ate at Rafe over their failure. No human should die as
a result of shifter issues, but at least they’d secured Megan’s location and
her new guardian. Now the difficult decisions came, the ones he didn’t envy his
brother of having to make. Since Megan was found in Alexander territory, she
would eventually be assimilated into their family unless her birth parents
could be found.

But what happened to those humans who loved her? Take the
child and let the human family think she’d died? Or bring the human into their
fold? Most often, the first choice was best for both sides. But for the first
time since he’d been involved in rescuing their lost innocents, Rafe wondered
if maybe they could make exceptions, especially for beautiful blondes.

He pushed those thoughts aside for the time being and moved
quickly through the woods. At the end of the long gravel road, a small
two-story home, surrounded on all sides by thick undergrowth and trees, was
nestled near a stream. He crouched behind the bushes near the yard and surveyed
the house. The inside was lit up. He saw Jasmine talking animatedly with an older
human male who stood off to the side.

The front door opened and hugs were exchanged. Rafe’s eyes
landed on Jasmine first. She stepped to the side, revealing the two cubs behind
her. His heart stopped. They had chestnut hair with dark highlights and light-brown
eyes that looked hazel in the moonlight. The essence of the gods shone through
their eyes. He’d bet money that their lineage could be traced back to the
goddess who’d birthed his clan. The sense of recognition was strong.

They were Alexanders. Royals. Blood of his blood. His pulse
quickened. Possibilities teased his mind. With the number of his family members
lost over the years, he couldn’t guess who they belonged to but they were
family. Pride members. He sent a prayer to the gods for the blessed finds he’d
stumbled upon here in this backwater town.

With his lips parted, he inhaled, needing to memorize their
signatures, and had to cover his mouth to stop the gag. They stunk. Not in an
offensive way, at least for humans. But they smelled as if they’d rolled around
in a meadow. It obscured their animal scent. If he didn’t know who he was
looking at, hadn’t seen their eyes, he might not have noticed them for what
they were. With a pair of sunglasses, most shifters would walk by them on the
street and never know they’d been in the presence of a royal.

Although he couldn’t help wondering where the knowledge came
from or why she felt the need to hide their scent, Rafe was thankful for
Jasmine’s actions. They most likely had saved the boys from being discovered by
those who’d harm them. Before they’d started chemically neutralizing their
animal’s smell, it’d been common to mask it with perfumes. He remembered being
forced to bathe in scented water as a youth before he’d been allowed to go to
the village.

His older cousins had chastised him. Not all shifters could
pass for human and therefore couldn’t move through their world easily. Devin
and Mira had that problem. In the shifter world, their unusual hair and eye
coloring labeled them as prized—the elite amongst the privileged. In the human
one, they were viewed as freaks. Thankfully, in this age, contacts and hair dye
eliminated their seclusion but in years past they’d lived in the shadows.

Rafe watched as the royal cubs, who were lucky enough to
appear human, climbed into the back of the little red car. They drove off and
he followed, but by the time he made his way back to his car, they were long
gone. His pulse raced and the tightness in his chest didn’t ease until he
reached Jasmine’s home and caught sight of her blonde hair in the kitchen
window.

He waited until the porch light went off before making his
way to the tree line.

Kade stepped up quietly behind him. “I can hear your heart
pounding, brother. What’s wrong?”

Rafe licked his lips and muttered, “Nothing.”

“Liar.”

Since he didn’t know why he was acting so oddly, he asked, “Did
you get a chance to run the perimeter?”

Kade crouched next to him. “Yeah. There’s no scent on her
property from the cubs or any stray shifters.”

“She’s masking it.”

Kade made a noncommittal sound. Rafe turned to look at him
and demanded, “Say it.”

“I can’t help wondering why the woman would be so fearful.
Most of the humans who’d become unknowing parents of shifter children didn’t
even know they were different. So, either Seth and Levi—”

“How did you learn their names?” And why did jealousy rise
and heat his blood knowing his brother knew the boys’ names first?

“The old human called them for ice cream.” Kade frowned,
studied him a long moment more, then continued. “So, either Seth and Levi
shifted due to a threat or she knew beforehand.”

“Or they trusted Jasmine enough to share their secret,” Rafe
added.

Kade nodded slowly. “I suppose.”

Kade’s doubtful tone betrayed his disbelief. Most of the
innocents they’d rescued were fearful and frightened of humans, but nine out of
ten children they’d found had spent time in one of the many human medical
facilities that experimented on their species. Or they’d lived as pets to those
demented individuals who owned enough money to buy one. But Seth, Levi and
Megan didn’t appear to fall into either category. Rafe was grateful and damn
curious as to how they ended up deep in this region’s farm country.

“What do you want to do about Jasmine and Josh?” Rafe asked.

One blond brow rose and a smirk spread on Kade’s face. “Oh
so now you’re asking your pride leader what should be done instead of giving
the orders.”

“Well, you did complain about my lack of respect.”

Kade chuckled softly. “You just don’t want to make the tough
decisions.”

No he didn’t, because if the choice were up to him, he’d
knock down the door to Jasmine’s house, toss her over his shoulder and take her
to bed. His, preferably. But sex wasn’t the right thing to base decisions on.
Rafe shrugged. “The gods chose you to lead our hodgepodge family, not me.”

Curses fell from Kade’s lips. “No, Calum damned me to this
fate when he beheaded our father and tore our family apart.”

Rafe’s fangs punched out and claws erupted. He breathed
through the anger but it didn’t help. The pain was still sharp, even after all
these years. One horrible night changed their family forever and he still
blamed himself for it.

Kade laid a hand on his shoulder. “I am sorry to remind you
of that night, brother.”

Rafe jerked away from him and pressed his palms to his eyes.
“It’s not your fault. I mentioned to Jasmine about losing Nina to the bastard.
The memory is fresh.”

“It’s not your fault. We loved Calum. We didn’t know—”

“I found her ripped shirt near our garage then stumbled upon
Calum smelling of sex.” Rafe growled and slammed his clawed hands into the
ground before he lashed out at Kade. “And I fucking let him go. Believed his
goddamn lies.”

Kade’s swirling, completely honey-gold eyes stared at him
intently for so long Rafe’s anger eased. He wasn’t the only one who’d suffered
from the loss.

“Calum has got to be aging by now. He was over a hundred by
the time he took Nina. That means he’ll be slower. He’ll start making mistakes
and we’ll catch him,” Kade finally said.

Rafe nodded.

They sat in silence and watched over Jasmine’s house. His
anger receded and the sounds of the night calmed him. One by one the rooms
darkened until only the corner bedroom light remained on. Jasmine came into
view and reached for the hem of her top. His mouth watered and his pulse kicked
up but excitement fed it this time.

“Turn around, Kade,” he ordered.

Kade chuckled and did as he was told. “So I suppose that’s
the sweet Jasmine’s arousal I smell all over you.”

Jasmine dropped the top. He got a glimpse of her full
breasts before she turned and bent to pick up a shirt. The loose tee covered
her and the lights went out.

Rafe licked his lips. “Yeah, it was damn delicious too.”

“Are you sharing?”

Rafe settled back against a tree to keep watch over Jasmine.
“Nope. No threesomes this time. I think I’ll keep this one for myself.”