Merrily Mated(28)

“Alley Cat Waste Management.” Ryan’s voice took on a dead tone as Gash flipped his gaze to him. “I met a man named Felix. He was working with my boss, Trent. He owned Alley Cat Waste Management, and he picked up that’d I’d been around werecats the moment we met.”

“Yeah,” Gash confirmed. “Felix is the prez. He’s a bad motherfucker. You got out of there right in time.”

“Why do I feel like it was a little too timely,” Magic mused. “You think they found you by tracking Ryan? It surely wasn’t a secret where he’d lived before transferring to Memphis.”

But something else niggled at Layna’s memory.

“No.” She shook her head, feeling a chill roll up her spine. “This was my fault.”

All three males frowned in her direction.

“Someone called looking for you,” she told Gash. “Said he was a friend but he sounded skeevy as fuck. I was trying to patch him through to your office but when he found out you worked for us, he said he’d reach out to you soon.”

“Well shit,” Gash muttered.

“I didn’t think anything of it. I was going to tell you, but I completely forgot about it until now.”

“Well, this is them reaching out. I should have warned you all about my past before anything like this could happen. All I know for sure is, this is a warning. They’re giving me a chance to go willingly without a fight. But if I don’t… they’re coming for me. And as you can see, they don’t give a shit about hurting civilians.”

Layna scowled. Those cowardly bastards.

“So what are we going to do about them?” Ryan growled low.

Her mate was angry. Maybe even vengeful. As was his right. But there was no place for revenge this time of the year. It was the season of giving and love. It was the season of new beginnings and hope.

Let Santa come first. Let those New Year bells ring, and then it would be on like magic on a unicorn.

“First, we tell the others. Put everyone on alert. Then we wait. Business as usual for our guests. And in the meantime… we prepare. We guard our boundaries, our people. Protect our clan, our mates, and young. At any cost.” Magic’s lips curved into a maniacal grin and his panther eyes flashed forward. “Shit’s about to get really real.”

“Yeah.” Ryan nodded slowly, his shoulders hardening with his protective instincts. He glanced at Layna and his expression was a bone deep promise that made her insides jelly. She was so fucking proud to call him hers. “Really fucking real.”

He stuck his fist out, tapping it against Magic’s and then Gash’s.

Christmastime was the season of light, and she was a firm believer that light always conquered the darkness. She had every ounce of faith in her people.

There was no way the shadows would touch them.





Chapter Nine



Ryan combed his fingers through Layna’s thick coat of fur. He thought it was too soon, but she’d insisted he take her out to the woods so she could shift and check out the damage to her tail herself. Doc asked her some doctorly questions and decided it wouldn’t hurt. She’d even seemed a little impressed by the quick progress of Layna’s healing.

So, take that Doc. A Christmas miracle. Ryan smirked.

Maybe he and Layna’s bond had been building all this time and he just didn’t realize it. Whatever the case, he was happy his woman wasn’t in any pain, and he hoped like hell when she tried to walk in a minute, she didn’t hobble over.

She rubbed her face against his neck, her purr rumbling the silence of the forest. They hadn’t ventured far even though Gash and Renner had swept the area looking for other traps. Just far enough none of the humans would see her.

Her rough tongue darted out to lick his jaw and he groaned.

“You keep that up, and I’ll carry you straight to our cabin. We’ll save this for another day.”

She nipped his jaw in response.

“Lemme see that beautiful tail.”

He eased to the side to examine her wounds. Two harsh pink lines showed through the area where Doc had shaved away Layna’s fur. But the stitches were already gone, and there was no sign of the wound opening again. It looked better than he’d expected.

For the hundredth time since talking with Gash and Magic, a hot flash of anger worked its way up his throat. That bastard Felix and his shadow clan. They’d done this to her. They’d pay for it too.

Layna growled softly. She didn’t want him thinking about it. She’d informed him earlier that those cats couldn’t be allowed to put a damper on what was sure to be the best Christmas of her lifetime.

“Yeah, I know,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss her head. “Now try to straighten your tail.”