Tooth and Nail (Small Town Shifters Book 3) Page 6

  It had been difficult to not flirt with her the entire night. He’d told himself he was going to use his charm to get her to trust him but instead, he was just flirting like he wanted to get in her pants. If he were being honest, he guessed that he did want to get in her pants and also to get her in his bed. And in his kitchen...and in the shower...and on the living room floor. But that wasn’t going to happen. There was too much at stake for him to mess it all up just to get his rocks off with the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

  No, he needed to keep her safe and keep her out of shifter affairs. Which was proving easier said than done. She’d already taken what little information he’d given her and managed to turn it into a real lead. She was much more resourceful than he’d been led to believe. Now, he had to keep up his end of the deal and keep her safe.

  She pulled up to the house a few minutes later. He had to fly around and keep doubling back. His animal was flying too fast. It was having a hard time staying in the sky. It wanted to be down there near her where it could keep a better eye on things. This was unusual for Zach and alarming. This was the second time that week he was having a hard time controlling his animal. Was the same thing happening to him that happened to his cousin?

  That would be really, really bad at a time like now. He calmed himself by thinking that at least if he went out of control, his animal would stay by Tally. That was a small comfort, but at least he was certain she wouldn’t come to harm. He trusted his animal that much. He didn’t know why it was so attached to her, but it was.

  She was sitting in her car for a long time. He wished he could see what time it was. The longer she sat, the more he worried. As the minutes ticked by and just as he was getting ready to swoop in and tell her to leave, someone came out of the house. It had to be Nolan. He recognized the natty coat. That guy was definitely dressing the part of homeless street junkie these last few years even though he lived with his brother in a very nice home. It amazed Zach every time they crossed paths. Why would anyone want to live that way?

  More importantly, was he all the way there? How far would he go to get a fix? That was what worried him. As far as he knew, the guy wasn’t a thief and he didn’t hurt anyone but himself. But that could change at any moment. Or he could have friends that weren’t as scrupulous. As long as they stayed outside, Zach could take care of any problem that popped up. He was circling high enough that he wouldn’t be spotted by anyone on the street. Another shifter might see him, but it was fine. Their kind always took to the skies at night. It was less scary for the humans.

  He circled around and around as Nolan and Tally sat in her car. It was killing him that he couldn’t hear what they were saying or tell how the encounter was going. After what felt like an eon, Nolan got out of her car and went back to the house. Finally.

  Zach waited impatiently as Tally’s headlights came on. He kept circling as she sat there, unmoving. The headlights went off. What the heck?

  After a few more never-ending minutes, she got out of the car and marched toward the front door.

  You have got to be kidding me.

  She was going into the house. On her own. At least she was going to try to get in without anyone asking her. Stupid freaking human. Was she trying to get herself killed?

  His animal immediately started to dive toward the ground. Tally turned from the door and stared with wide eyes. Zach pulled up at the last minute and flew high into the night sky. He hoped no one else had seen him. He wasn’t sure going to the ground was the best choice right now. Just letting her see him may have been enough.

  She wasn’t knocking on the door. She kept raising and lowering her hand. This was stupid. She had to know how stupid this was. If she wanted to talk more with Nolan Lionheart, she could go see him during the daytime. He was going to be back at his home eventually. Once the high wore off, being at that flop house couldn’t be any fun. He’d come across Nolan walking home in the wee hours of the morning more than a time or two.

  Tally looked up at the sky and then nodded once. She was going to try to go in. He knew it clear as day when he saw that nod. That was a steel your nerve to do this very stupid thing kind of nod. Dammit.

  He dove toward the ground to try to stop her, but before he could hit the pavement, she was already hammering away at the door. He transformed as soon as his feet hit the ground.

  “What are you doing?” he hissed.

  “I need to talk to him. I think he’s in some kind of trouble.”

  “Then call the police! This isn’t something you can fix yourself.” He looked at the house for signs of movement. They needed to get out of there immediately.

  “Right, because the human police are going to come out to help a troubled shifter.” She rolled her eyes at him.

  Before he could answer, the door opened and they were greeted by the business end of a pistol.

  “Fucking great.” Well, so much for getting in and out without a hitch.

  Chapter Twelve

  The entire world slowed down around her. Tally could hear the blood rushing in her ears. This was worse than when Zach had touched down in animal form in front of her the first time. A shifter was surprising but likely wouldn’t hurt her. It wasn’t like a wild animal. But a person with a gun? That was worse than an animal. Anyone pointing a gun at you wanted to hurt you and could do it very easily. All this guy had to do was squeeze his finger and boom! She’d be hurt very badly. Maybe she would even die.

  She couldn’t move or even say anything.

  “Get out of here. No humans allowed.”

  She managed to nod her head. The door slammed and she felt arms pulling her back off the steps. She still couldn’t get her limbs to move or even think of how to get herself to somewhere safe.

  “You’re okay. I got you.” Zach was carrying her to her car. He put her in the passenger seat and then dug around her purse.

  She was shivering, but it wasn’t even cold out. “What the hell was that?”

  “An angry shifter,” he said, jaw twitching. “They don’t like humans in their business.”

  She shook her head. “Nolan. I think he’s in trouble.”

  “Well, he’s going to have to figure that one out on his own,” Zach snapped. “I told you not to mess with those people and I meant it. You almost got yourself killed. I doubt anything Nolan knows will be worth your life.”

  “This isn’t about the story.” She put her fingers to her mouth. Her teeth were chattering. “This is about him as a person. I think he only told me to come here and talked to me because he needed the money. I think he’s gotten himself into some kind of payment issue.”

  “Probably.” Zach shrugged and started the car. “Not our problem right now.”

  “But you’re a KOP! That’s always your problem. You know this guy.”

  Zach drove and didn’t say anything. “Where’s your phone?”

  She reached between them and pulled it from its place in her console. “Here.”

  He pulled over and then punched a number in her phone. “Hey, it’s Zach. Listen, I can’t explain right now but you need to go to the flop house that the shifters use and take Nolan in....yeah, yeah, I know I’m not making a lot of sense right now, but just do this for me. I’ll owe you one.”

  He hung up the phone and then kept driving. “You okay?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You’re coming back to my place. You can sleep on the couch.”

  She wanted to say no. She would go back to her room and she would be fine. But she didn’t have the energy or will to fight. She wasn’t sure when she’d feel fine again. It had only been a moment, but it had scared the life out of her. She didn’t know how she was going to sleep tonight. Maybe if there was a law enforcement shifter just a few feet away she’d have an easier time relaxing. There was no way anything would hurt her at Zach’s place. He’d never let it happen.

  While it had felt like forever driving there, it was a quick drive back to his place. When they got in
side, he pulled her to him again and held her. He ran his hands up and down her arms. She was still shivering.

  Tally was aware that he was naked somewhere in her mind, but she didn’t care. She needed to be held right now and his arms were the perfect ones to do it. She rested her head on his shoulder and took a shuddering breath.

  “It’s okay. You’re okay now.” He held her tighter. “I’m sorry. I should have been closer. I should have done something more. I shouldn’t have let you go at all.”

  “No, it’s fine.” She was lying. It was not fine.

  “No. I told you I’d follow you to keep you safe and look what I let happen. I won’t make that mistake again. I promise.”

  “I shouldn’t have gone to the door. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’ve never been in a situation like that before. I mean, I never thought anyone would ever point...”

  The tears started to fall before she could stop them. Someone had pointed a gun at her. Probably a loaded gun. This night was too much. She was all for finding the truth, but she’d never been face-to-face with the danger of this before. And this wasn’t even related to her story! She could have gotten shot for a shifter she didn’t know.

  It was still a valiant cause but man, this just wasn’t what she thought was going to happen. She wasn’t a brave woman. Not as brave as she thought anyway. She was never going to go against Zach’s recommendation again. Or anyone that was an expert. Hell, that’s why she wanted to work with someone like him. It was supposed to make her job easier. Except when she didn’t listen to him, it made everything worse.

  She had to trust him. Maybe he was double-crossing her, but maybe not. He seemed pretty worried about her right now. She could feel his heart beating fast in his chest. It seemed to match her own fevered heartbeat. He didn’t want her to get hurt. That had to mean he was on her side at least somewhat. That had to count for something.

  Tally lifted her head from his shoulder and wiped her eyes. “Sorry for getting your shoulder wet.”

  “Sorry for almost getting you killed. I guess we can call it even.”

  She gave a light laugh and then yawned.

  “I bet you’re super sleepy. I’ll set up the couch for you...unless you want the bed. You know what, just take the bed. I’ll take the couch.” He put up a hand when she opened her mouth to protest. “Consider it a favor to me? It’ll make me feel so much better if you would sleep in my bed tonight and I took the couch.”

  “That’s silly. It’s your bed and you didn’t do anything wrong. This was on me. I should have been more careful.”

  There was a buzzing sound and Zach let go of her to go to the foyer and retrieve his phone. He came back and put one arm around her and held the phone with the other. He sat down on the couch and pulled her with him. When they were seated, he pulled her close against his side.

  “This is Zach.”

  She couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation and he didn’t say much. She tried to keep her focus in the moment. Focused her attention on the feeling of Zach’s naked side pressed against her. He really should have put on some clothes now that they were in his home. She didn’t mind really. His naked body was a welcome distraction right now. He really was beautiful. Even for a shifter, he was above-average hot. Like, she had no idea how he was still single. Even if there were no shifter women who were impressed by his hottness, there had to be some enterprising human woman who wanted to claim him for her own.

  He hung up the phone. “Well, you were right. Nolan was in trouble. When my coworker got there, he was outside in the street and he was very badly beaten. They took him to the hospital and notified his family.”

  “Is he going to be okay?”

  “They think so but he’s hurt very badly. He’s going to be in the hospital for a while and it’s going to take some time to recover.”

  “Wow.” That had to be a very bad beating to affect a shifter so much. They all healed fast as far as she knew.

  “Yeah, it’s a good thing you said something. He might have died if it weren’t for you. You’re a hero.”

  “I don’t feel like a hero.” She snuggled into his side and he squeezed her shoulder.

  “Hey, want to watch a movie before bed? Maybe have a little dessert?”

  “Yeah, that sounds good. Have anything in mind?”

  “Of course. I’ll pull up the movie and grab dessert. I hope you like cake.”

  “I love cake.” She smiled.

  “Perfect. Hang tight.” Zach got up and went about gathering the things he wanted. While he was hustling around, she went to the bathroom and washed her face. She looked a mess. Her cheeks were splotchy and her eyes were bloodshot. It had been one hell of an hour.

  Back on the couch, Zach had assembled a tray of desserts in front of them. There was a host of petite fours and cookies. He had two mugs next to the tray.

  “Chamomile tea. It’s supposed to be soothing.” He was wearing sweatpants and obviously nothing underneath. Not really that much more covering, but that was fine.

  She settled in next to him and started nibbling on cookies. “Thanks. This is a pretty nice way to cap off this night.”

  “I’m glad I could be there for you.”

  He smiled at her and her heart flipped. Damn. This was going to get a little complicated, wasn’t it?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Zach rolled over on the couch and shut off his alarm. He needed to get up and get to work. This was going to be a little awkward. He was going to leave Tally in his house so he could go and update his boss about his progress last night. He felt very uneasy about the whole thing.

  She wasn’t a bad woman. She’d done something really noble last night. He’d never expected that from her. He knew she wanted to help keep humans safe from shifters, but it looked like it wasn’t some kind of vendetta against shifters or something. She cared about shifters too. That was nice but also made this all the more difficult for him.

  What happened if she found out he was double-crossing her? It was going to be ugly and might hurt her feelings on more than a professional level. Honestly, he was being affected on a more than personal level. His animal was being a real jerk about this whole thing. It liked her—more than it had liked a woman in a long time. That was probably what was making this hard.

  He knew the feelings couldn’t be serious. It was because he was spending so much time with her the last few days and had been so hyper-focused on her. His animal was getting the wrong idea. This was about his job, not about his love life. But the damn hippogriff wasn’t letting up. It was going to be tough when she left town for good.

  His animal wasn’t going to let her go easily. But that was tomorrow’s problem. Right now, he needed to get up and get out. He stretched and got off of the couch to start getting ready. After a quick shower, he went to his room to get dressed. He found Tally awake in his bed and playing on her phone.

  “Oh hey, good morning.” She quickly shut her phone. “Headed to work?”

  He nodded. “Yup. Got to pay the bills and keep the people safe.”

  She yawned. “Guess I better get up and get going too.”

  “What are you up to today?” He tried not to hide his relief that she was leaving. He didn’t mind leaving her in his house, but this was much easier. Now he didn’t need to worry about her rifling through his stuff. Not that she’d find anything. It was just weird. He didn’t even let women he slept with stay after he left.

  “I’m going to meet with Lydia Lionheart. She messaged me last night on social media.”

  “What?”

  “I guess she was so happy that I helped her brother that she wants to talk to me some more. I doubt she has anything important to say, but it’s really nice of her to thank me in person. I think her other brother’s going to be there too.”

  Zach swallowed hard. The two younger Lionhearts might not remember much, but he wasn’t sure about Vaughn. He’d been older when their mom had lost it. “You’re kidding? That’s so great. W
ow. Guess being a hero does pay off.”

  “Maybe. Probably not.” She laughed. “I mean, it pays off in that their brother is alive but like I said, I doubt they’ll give me anything I don’t already know. But she was so insistent that we meet that I didn’t want to turn her down. Plus, I doubt I’ll be able to do anything major today. I think this trip is going to be mostly a bust.”

  Zach almost yelped in joy. “Well, you did get to meet me. That’s kind of a big deal you know.”

  “Yeah, true.” She gave him a smile. “You are pretty cool and all. Maybe you’ll come in handy later when I get back to investigating full-time.”

  “So when are you headed out?”

  “Likely tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Cool. We should hang out before you go. I have your information too. So we have to keep in touch.”

  “I’d love that. If you find out anything big, I’d love to know and I’ll keep you up to date on my investigation too.”

  “Maybe this’ll be the start of something special.”

  “Hopefully.”

  She went to the bathroom and left him to get dressed in private. Not like it mattered. She’d gotten a pretty good look at his body last night.

  He couldn’t believe how lucky he was. After all this, she wasn’t hurt and she was just going to leave town. Unless something major happened with the Lionhearts, he was in the clear. Even better, she wanted to keep him in the loop of her travels and investigating. That was huge. This wasn’t all going to be for nothing.

  If she got too close to the truth in the future, he could do something about it. He was also going to be able to keep her safe. That should keep his animal happy. Any shifters that wanted to have any inside info on her would have to come to him, and that meant he would know who they were and their plans too. Win, win, win, win! He was just winning all the way around.

  After he got dressed, he went and waited for her in the living room. When she came out, he got up. “Want some food or something before you head out?”