Seduced by a Shifter(7)

“I’m assuming he’s a shifter if he’s seeking pack help. But doesn’t he have his own pack that could look after his witness?” This from Josh.

“Ah.” Zan hemmed. “Actually, his pack isn’t in the States.”

“Zan,” Dean warned.

Zan’s lips pursed as if he were about to impart something unpleasant and Ben’s wolf crouched in wariness. “Rome’s a feline shifter. From Peru.” Amidst the grumbling and snarls he raised his voice. “As you know, feline shifters don’t have packs. They’re usually loners, but Rome’s family has remained close. In fact, they run a wildlife preserve in the northwest part of Peru. And frankly, all of you should know better than to be biased about a group of people before you ever meet them.”

Because human males who could change into a wolf didn’t make them bad people. It just made them different.

Jack spoke into the silence. “Regardless of this man’s heritage, it strikes me that someone needs our protection. Period. I do, however, wish to know more about this witness. As in, were they part of the, ah, criminal group?”

Rather than Zan, it was Caleb who answered. “Far from it. Willow Yancy is a young lady, a human, who knows nothing about our kind. A ballet dancer just making a name for herself when she became caught in the middle of this. Tess actually saw her dance once a couple of years ago in some small production and remembered her. Said the girl had the most innocent eyes she’d ever seen.”

“What happened?” Vince asked. His own daughter had shown an interest in dance several years ago when she was a kid, and as any loving and indulgent father, he’d given her full rein.

“She was shot, twice. Blew out her knee and took a chunk of her hip bone. She’ll never dance again.” Zan’s face tightened with anger. “What would you do if your daughter, sister, or one of our pack females not only had her dream taken away so carelessly, but nearly lost her life?”

“Kill the fucker,” Mack muttered, low and harsh. Vince and several others echoed his sentiments. To them, women were treasured. Didn’t matter the size, age, race, or ethnicity. A female kept the males grounded, soothed. Without them, they might easily lose control over their beast, and a wild, dangerous animal running amok with a human’s intelligence was a terrifying prospect. Multiply that by thousands, and the result would easily equal mass destruction.

“Where are they staying?” Ben wanted to know, already mentally calculating how this was going to play out. While he felt pity for the girl, and would do what was required of him without complaint, he wasn’t looking forward to becoming a damn babysitter, which, taking into account Kaylie’s whisper, meant he’d already been nominated for the role. Round-the-clock protection for an undetermined time period meant his prospects at hooking up with a couple of snow bunnies was going downhill at full speed.

“We’re putting them in one of the finished cabins by the lodge,” Dean said, referring to the three newly constructed buildings situated by the ski lodge. “Zan’s cohorts will take one of the other cabins and the third will be kept available to us to use as needed. Ben, I’ll need you to be liaison with this Rome, which also means you’re first up on protection duty. Mack will take the next four-hour shift, followed by Vince, Jack, Eddie, then Josh. Once Scott and Joe get here, we won’t need to be on site, though I do want us all to keep our eyes and ears open at all times. For as long as it takes.”

Before Ben could question the reason why Brandon and Caleb weren’t added to the protection roster, Dean added, “Brandon, Zan, and the other cops will have enough on their hands with the influx of tourists for skiing season and the heightened aggression of the shifters prior to the full moon. Caleb will be too crazed with wedding and honeymoon plans.”

“I am not crazed,” Caleb groused.

“Please. Until that female says ‘I do’ and you’ve got her committed in every way, you’re crazed. I know. I’ve been there. And Tess is Kaylie’s sister, after all. They’re both too damn independent for our comfort.” The last was muttered, as if Dean actually disliked having an independent mate.

Ben didn’t get it. When, not if, he found his mate, independence was one trait he prayed she possessed in spades. In his twenty-nine years he’d done a lot of thinking of his perfect mate. She wouldn’t crowd him or question him about his crazy jobs—which changed according to season and what Dean needed him to do—or when he wanted to shoot hoops with his friends. As long as she remained faithful, she could do whatever made her happy, just as long as that happiness didn’t depend on Ben.