Figure of Speech

“C’mon, Chloe. Let’s get you out of here.” Jim shoved the gun toward Cyn, who took it with a scowl. She pointed it at the Cheetah, her gaze never leaving it as Jim hauled Chloe to her feet.

Chloe patted Jim’s cheek, still unable to find the words to say thank you. She just hoped he understood what she was about to do, and why.

Jim couldn’t remember a time when he’d been both so pissed and so terrified at the same time. His Wolf was in a snarling rage, on the verge of breaking through Jim’s control and ripping the throat out of the unconscious Cheetah who’d threatened his mate. He just hoped the Bunsun-Williams clan would let him be there when they questioned his furry ass. Jim wanted to be the one holding the gun, in case the guy got the idea that he was going to get away from them anytime soon.

The thought that Max, Emma and Gabe, the town sheriff, might want to speak to the Cheetah as well briefly crossed his mind, but he’d seen the look on Alex and Ryan’s faces when they’d confronted him in the supermarket. There was no way they’d allow anyone close to the Cheetah once they got their paws on him.

Jim pulled Chloe to her feet and embraced her tightly, pulling her so close they practically shared skin. This was the second time she’d been attacked and he hadn’t been there to protect her.

That had to change. Now that Spencer was safe, he could finally claim his—

“Ow!” A sharp pain stopped him in his tracks. A sharp pain centered on his neck.

Jim couldn’t pull away. The pain was morphing, changing into something utterly intoxicating. He shivered as a need he’d never experienced before swept through his body. His cock was so hard he could probably knock down walls with it. He shuddered with the desire to pick Chloe up, put her against the wall and fuck her until they both passed out from the pleasure.

“Oh, boy.” Julian’s amused voice partially broke the spell Chloe had begun to weave. “You two might want to get a room.”

A room. Yes. That sounded perfect. The urgent desire to taste his mate, make her scream out his name, was overwhelming.

“Down, boy.” Chloe tugged at his hands. “Ix-nay on the aked-nay.”

He blinked as he realized he’d bunched up her shirt, ready to rip it over her head. “What’s happening?”

“The mating bite.” Julian’s touch on his shoulder felt wrong.

Jim snarled, shoving Chloe behind him. His Wolf hadn’t yet bitten her back, marking her as his. The other shifter was a threat to that bond.

“Whoa.” Julian took a step back, his eyes flashing silvery gray. “Calm down.”

Something in the Bear’s voice forced Jim to do just that. Jim’s Wolf wasn’t entirely appeased, but it backed down, settling into Jim’s mind with cautious grace. For now, he could think clearly again, though he knew the moment Julian’s influence left him he’d be pouncing on Chloe with all the pent-up hunger he’d kept inside for so long. “What did you just do?”

Julian smiled that I-know-something-you-don’t grin that drove Jim batty. “What makes you think I did anything?”

Jim rolled his eyes. “Sure. Fine. Whatever.” He was still clutching Chloe, terrified to let her out of his hold. “What are we going to do with Spot?”

“Spot?” Chloe sputtered out a laugh.

If Jim were a cat he would have purred at the sound of her laughter. “I could have the local zoo come pick his ass up and dump it in the big cat enclosure.”

“Or we could hand him over to Ryan and Alex and let them do terrible, horrible things to his person.” Cyn said that with so much malicious glee Jim shivered.

“Couldn’t me band him over to the priorities?” Chloe’s soft voice interrupted Jim’s pleasant fantasies about the different ways he could vivisect a Cheetah.

Cyn tilted her head, obviously so used to Chloe’s misspoken words she’d had no trouble translating Chloe’s real meaning. “Why would we want to do that? We haven’t had a chance to, um, question him yet.”

Julian blew Cyn a kiss. “I love you.”

Her answering grin was smug. “I know.”

“I cussed meant Babe might want to freshen him.”

Chloe was still shaking, her words broken and slurred, but at least she was speaking again.

Jim kissed Chloe’s forehead. “Breathe, baby. He can’t hurt you anymore.” She sighed and leaned into him, but didn’t answer. He didn’t know if it was because she no longer could, or if she was trying to do as he asked, but he didn’t care either way. He was here now, and he’d take care of her. “All right. I think we need to call Ryan, Gabe and whoever that other annoying asshole is whose name I’ve forgotten.”

Cyn, Julian and Chloe all laughed. “Barney,” Cyn and Julian echoed each other.

“I’ll call him.” Cyn gently took hold of Chloe, pulling her free of Jim’s embrace.

Jim fully expected both he and his Wolf would be pissed by that, but Cyn’s quiet nod reassured them both. The five-inch claws, and the evil look she shot the Cheetah, also helped. Cyn would protect Chloe as well as he would. The fact that Cyn was female seemed to be more than enough to keep his Wolf calm. Cyn was no threat to their newly formed bond.

“All right, Julian. Spill.” He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the Bear, well aware Cyn had pulled his mate away for more than the obvious reasons. “What the fuck is going on?”

“There was more to the attack on Chloe than we let you know.” Julian didn’t look the least bit apologetic. “Things we couldn’t tell you because you had no idea shifters existed.”

“You’ll tell me now.” Jim couldn’t protect Chloe otherwise.

Julian nodded. “Did you know that Tabby was attacked by a rogue Wolf named Gary?”

Jim shook his head. He hadn’t heard anything about this. “When did this happen?”

“Months ago, right before the attack on Chloe. We thought that he’d been the one to hurt her, but we were wrong. He was, however, sent here to watch her.”

“Why?” Jim found he couldn’t keep his eyes off his mate.

“We don’t know. He refused to tell us, even from shifter jail. Gabe was trying to track down who he worked for, who his Alpha might be, but got sidetracked when first Cyn then Glory were also attacked.”