Oddly enough, it was Spencer, breathless with excitement, who answered. “Hold on a sec, I’ll get it.”
A sweep of fur against her flank, the scent of her Wolf, told her why Spencer was the one who was opening the door and muttering about dog gates. Jim had shifted, joining her in checking their den. Spencer held George back, and for that she was grateful. The puppy was far too young to fend off an attacker, especially a shifter.
She allowed Jim to lead the way. While the human in Chloe knew she now lived in Jim’s home, her Fox was giving him the courtesy of having his Wolf show her around their den. Together, they sniffed the sniffs and smelled the smells, marking the edges of his tiny property side by side. Her slight limp from her damaged left paw was barely noticeable as she skipped happily at her Wolf’s side.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Chloe lifted her face to the wind, barking in excitement when she caught a whiff of her brother and cousin. She trotted back toward the house, Jim right by her side.
“That. Was. Awesome!” Spencer was sitting by the open door, a towel in his hands for wiping muddy paws. “When do I get to do that?”
Jim’s ears perked up as the doorbell rang.
“I got it!” Spencer took off, followed swiftly by both Jim and Chloe. She wasn’t about to let Jim’s baby brother get hurt, even if she was pretty sure the people at the front door were Alex, Ryan and…
Was that Cyn?
What was Cyn doing here? And where was Julian?
She picked up her clothing, hoping her teeth didn’t do any damage, and trotted up the stairs toward Jim’s bedroom. Once there, she shifted back into her human skin, already missing her tail and ears. At least her Fox was content that there weren’t any threats immediately around their den. She’d be able to sleep a little easier tonight.
“Is your Fox as content as my Wolf is?” Jim’s arms slipped around her. The shift didn’t heal the bruises, but Jim’s tone was quietly happy, the weariness he’d displayed when he first got home completely absent. “It likes knowing you were out there with us.”
“Mm.” She closed her eyes and leaned back against her mate. “We were securing our den.”
He froze for a split second before he laughed and began rocking her. “I guess that makes sense. Even though I shift, I still think of myself as me, not my Wolf.”
“Your Wolf is a huge part of you now. You have instincts you didn’t have before, senses that are sharper and more focused. Your needs and his will overlap, become one.” Chloe was relieved she managed to get all of that out without tripping over her words. Jim was good for her, in more ways than one.
“Like my need to have my mate in my den?” He caressed her stomach, the gesture proprietary.
“Mm-hm.” She lifted his hand and kissed the back of it. “Now we have to go see our family.”
He shivered. “My Wolf and I like that too.” He kissed the side of her neck. “Our family.”
“It’s like a Pack, but more…” The word she wanted eluded her, but she didn’t care. She was far too happy to allow her disability to rile her up.
“In your business?”
“I was going with crazier than monkeys at a banana convention, but that works.”
“As long as they continue to refrain from throwing poo at me, I think I’m okay with that.” Jim slowly let her go, rubbing his nose against her shoulder before taking a step back. “Let’s get dressed and tell them what happened.”
She nodded, some of her calm evaporating at the reminder that her mate had been attacked. “I hope Barney knows bumping about who went after you.”
“He might.” Jim bent over, pulling his jeans on without underwear, distracting Chloe with the thought that he’d be walking around commando for the rest of the night. “The guy who came after me seemed to know who Barney was.”
Uh-oh. That could be good or bad, depending. “You said he wasn’t a Hunter?” Chloe dressed quickly, eager now to talk to Barney and Ryan.
“That’s what he said, but I’d have no way to tell.” Jim pulled on a T-shirt and waited for her to finish dressing. “C’mon, sweetheart. Let’s go greet the monkeys.”
Jim led Chloe down the steps, silently cursing the fact that he’d had to ruin the easy, happy mood they’d established during their quick run outside. He vowed he would take her out into the woods surrounding Halle at some point. He’d just have to ensure that they went with other shifters as well. He doubted Ryan would let Chloe run anywhere without him nearby, not at least until they discovered why the Senate suddenly had a hard-on for her cute little ass.
“Hey, guys. Thanks for coming.” Jim shook hands with the three male shifters, taking in their grim expressions. Alex’s hazel eyes were brown as he gazed at Chloe, his stance tense. Ryan seemed more relaxed, taking in his sister’s calm demeanor with a small smile. And Barney seemed almost too relaxed. Jim wasn’t fooled for a moment, though. He doubted Barney missed much, relaxed or not.
Jim held out his hand to Cyn, smiling when she took it. “Cyn, how’s Super Bear?”
“He’s good, thanks.” Cyn hugged him tight. She patted him on the back and gave him a toothy grin. “Now, what the fuck is going on?”
Spencer tilted his head. “Super Bear?” He glanced between Jim and Cyn. “Do I want to meet this guy?”
“Oh, yeah.” Cyn twisted one of the pink strands of her hair around her finger. She’d kept the tri-tones going, the blonde, black and pink suiting her personality. “He’s going to want to take a look at you.”
The hope in Spencer’s gaze was heartbreaking.
“I don’t think even he can cure you.” Jim hated bursting his brother’s bubble.
“I didn’t even know that was on the table. I just thought it would be cool to turn into a bear with a huge-ass S on my chest.”
Chloe rolled her eyes and focused on Ryan and Barney. “Jim was attacked outside his clinic by someone boo claimed the Senate sent him.”
Jim took a step back and pulled his mate against him. “He also claimed he wasn’t a Hunter, but he seemed familiar with Barney’s name.”
Barney’s eyebrows shot up. “What did he look like?”
“Big. I mean, fire truck big. Dark hair and eyes, and he smelled canine.”