CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER SEVEN

Stepping out onto the porch early the next morning, Jesse found Harley exactly where he’d known she’d be: up the damn tree. He hadn’t been surprised to find himself alone when he woke up. Like all margay shifters, her sleep cycle was somewhat irregular, so sometimes she was up early and sometimes she slept late. “Morning, baby.”

Straddling a thick branch, book in hand, she smiled down at him. “Finally, you’re awake.” She said it like he’d been asleep for most of the day.

“Come here.”

“Why?”

“I want a kiss. Get down here.”

She rolled her eyes. “If I must.”

“You must.” He waited at the bottom of the tree as she expertly climbed down the branches. Instead of landing on the ground, she slid from a lower branch right into his arms and locked her legs around his waist. “Hmm, that’s better.” He kissed her, licking into her mouth and indulging in a long, languid taste of her. “You’ve been eating Danish pastries.”

“They were good. Not as good as the ones I make though.”

“You make pastries?”

“Tess is awful in the kitchen, so she hired a chef. Ria taught me how to cook. Honestly, I don’t really like cooking, but I do like baking pastries. Mostly because I just like to eat pastries.” As such, Harley figured it was more of an act of self-indulgence than baking.

He swept his thumb over the claiming bite. “Then I’ll take you shopping tomorrow to get whatever supplies you need so you can bake as many pastries as you want.”

Harley cocked her head as she sensed, “You’re worried I’ll get bored, aren’t you?”

“Yes. I know you’re not someone who’s easily bored, but I still worry because it’s important to me that you’re happy.”

Ah, bless him. “Don’t fret so much.” Her nostrils flared. “I smell coffee.”

“That’s because I made us both a cup before I came out here.” Returning inside the lodge, he perched her on the kitchen counter. When she set aside her book, he handed her a cup of coffee and said, “I have to work today.”

“Well, of course you do.”

Reaching into the cupboard beside her, he retrieved two Danishes for himself. “I can either meet you here for lunch or at the main lodge. You choose.”

She sipped at her coffee. “I’m guessing you’d prefer to eat at the main lodge with the rest of your pack.”

He waited until he’d swallowed a chunk of pastry before answering. “Actually, no, because then I won’t have time alone with you.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You’re just saying that to give me an ‘out’ in case I don’t want to be around them.”

“No, I’m not,” he said honestly. “I’d rather eat here with you. I don’t like sharing you.” Neither did his wolf.

She inwardly snorted. He wasn’t exactly sharing her, since he was pretty much the only person who really wanted her there. “Then we’ll have lunch here.” She grazed his nape with her nails, and a contented growl rattled his chest. “Kathy will probably bristle about you eating here.”

“Probably. Ally cooks a lot for Derren, and Kathy doesn’t like it much.” He suspected it was because Kathy felt it was her role to feed them; she didn’t want anyone taking over that role. “She’s a little put out that Ally’s making Cassidy’s birthday cake. The only thing appeasing Kathy is that she’s making fancy dress costumes for the pups.”

They chatted about general things until Jesse was done with his light breakfast and ready to leave. She walked him to the door, and he searched her eyes. “You going to be okay while I’m gone?” Impatience flashed across her face, amusing his wolf.

“Of course. I can be alone without breaking down.”

“I’m not working late tonight, so you won’t be alone all day.” He nipped her lip. “Remember this lodge is your home; you’re free to do whatever you want here. I’ve already showed you the boundaries of our territory, so if you want to venture outside, that’s fine. Some people hang out at the main lodge during the day, so you’re welcome to go there if you want.”

Her lips twitched. “Welcome? Really?”

“I’m sorry that not all of them are making you feel welcome. Nobody other than Shaya was all that welcoming to Ally when she first got here. I was a bit of an asshole toward her, if I’m honest. But we all accepted her, and they’ll accept you just the same.” He opened the door. “Call me if you need anything.”

She saluted him. “Will do. Now go; I’ll be fine. I don’t need anyone hovering over me.”

“Fine, I’m going. You happy now?”

Not when he spoke to her with that snippy tone. “As a matter of fact—”

“Good.” He gave her a quick, hard kiss and then left.

When he was out of her sight, she closed the door. She didn’t need to ponder what to do next. Nope. She grabbed her book from the kitchen and settled in the reading nook. Poor Jesse . . . he was so dumb to have thought she would be bored. The idea of spending the day with her head in a book made her smile. For Harley, reading was the equivalent of chocolate, sleep, and morphine all rolled into one. Like all cats, she was quite the hedonist.

A few hours later there was a knock at the door. She was thinking maybe she could make a “Reading in Progress so Fuck Off” sign or something.

Opening the door, she found Ally. Awkward as always with strangers, Harley cleared her throat. “Um . . . hi.”

Ally smiled and lifted a plate that was covered with tinfoil. “I brought cookies.”

Well, if she’d brought cookies she was totally welcome. Harley moved aside, allowing the Beta to enter. Ally put the plate of cookies on the coffee table, and Harley peeled off the foil. “They smell so good. You didn’t have to do this . . . but I’m glad you did.” She bit into a chocolate chip cookie and groaned as it melted in her mouth. “I know it’s wrong, but I’d sell my soul for these.”

Ally chuckled. “You can keep your soul. But a coffee would be great.”

Harley made them both coffee, and then they settled on the sofa. Harley’s cat watched the Beta closely; she didn’t feel threatened by her, but she was wary of having strangers in what was now her home.

“I know how much it sucks to not feel welcome,” said Ally, grabbing a cookie. “When I first got here, I spent most of my time alone at my lodge. I don’t think their collective rejection would have bothered me so much if they weren’t all so close. It made me feel even more of an outsider. But not everyone is dubious about you joining the pack, Harley. I want you to know that. The others will come round. Even Kathy.”

“Let’s not ask for miracles.”

Ally snickered. “She’s not so bad. Really. I think she feels a little threatened by you.”

Harley frowned. “Why?”

“You might dress casually and have a down-to-earth attitude, but you’re well educated and well traveled according to Jesse. Kathy often bemoans that she never went to college—claims she could have been a doctor. What did you study in college?”

“Business,” replied Harley before biting into another cookie.

Ally did a double take. “I expected you to say music.”

“I studied business because my dream was to have my own club where I could perform and showcase other musicians.”

“What’s stopping you from pursuing it?”

“At first, I couldn’t find a place I wanted to settle; I couldn’t find a club that spoke to me. But then I came to California and got a job at The Velvet Lounge. I love California, and I love that club. The owner is looking to sell it. I was planning to make him an offer . . . and then extremists decided to target me.” The bastards.

“You could still buy the club.”

“Only if the owner hasn’t sold it by the time the extremists are off my back. If I bought it before then, the extremists would take their rage out on it.”

“You don’t necessarily have to wait until the extremists are no longer a problem. Not if your old boss will keep quiet that you’re the buyer. Maybe you could contact the guy and ask him if he’d wait to sell and keep your identity to himself.”

“I thought about it. But I’m not sure your Alpha would sanction one of his pack running a club anyway. I get the feeling he likes the idea of his pack being tucked away like this.”

“Yeah, he does,” Ally admitted with a sigh. “Partly because he’s so protective of us, and partly because he just doesn’t like people. But he’s not a tyrannical Alpha; he’s not an asshole. He wouldn’t dismiss your dreams. He would completely take over the security measures, though . . . which actually wouldn’t be a bad thing. Leave it with me. I’ll speak to Shaya about it. Then us girls will discuss it together, come up with a plan.” Ally paused, looking hesitant to continue. “You know that Jesse might not react well to you owning a club, considering he’d have to share your attention, right? Dominant males are like that.”

“Yeah,” replied Harley. “He’ll definitely balk at it, but he’ll respect that this is very important to me. He won’t hold me back.”

Ally gave a bright smile. “Then the only hurdle will be getting Nick on board.”

“You really think that can be done?”

“Nick is hard as nails, but he can’t refuse Shaya. At least, he can’t for long.” Ally twisted in her seat. “I’m excited at the idea of the pack branching out. Maybe I could even work behind the bar.”

“Do you have experience?”

“No. But I can brew beer.”

Harley’s brows flew up. “Seriously?”

“Oh yeah. My foster uncles taught me lots of stuff.”

“Like what?”

Ally grinned. “Well . . .”

Pulling on his T-shirt, Jesse held back a wince. The claw marks on his sides burned like a motherfucker. His jaw was swollen and he was pretty sure he also had a couple of bruised ribs. His spar with Eli had been anything but a spar. The Head Enforcer had gone at Jesse like he’d fucked his mother or something. Jesse had landed some pretty decent shots on the moody son of a bitch, even broke his nose. Eli had snapped it back into place with a growl.

“Little rough today, weren’t you, Eli?” said Zander with a glare, voice hard. Neither Bracken nor Derren looked any happier with the Head Enforcer.

Eli just shrugged and pulled on his tee. “How will he learn anything if I go easy on him?”

Derren took a step toward him. “Jesse isn’t a trainee. He doesn’t need to be tested or pushed to his limits. He’s a full-fledged enforcer who’s trained in combat . . . and you just treated him like a damn novice, which is why he put you flat on your back several times.”

Muscle ticking in his cheek, Eli scoffed. “You’re exaggerating. His wounds are shallow; he’ll be healed within the hour.”

“Not the point,” Derren bit out.

Jesse stared at the Head Enforcer while his wolf flattened his ears and snarled. “If you’d been some guy on the street, I would have torn your throat out for half the moves you dared to use. And you know it. You want to vent about something, you do that. But you don’t get to use me. Do we understand each other?”

They all turned as Ally stepped into the clearing and frowned at her mate. “I could feel your anger building through our bond. What’s wrong?” She looked from Jesse to Eli. “What the hell happened to you two?”

It was Zander who responded. “Eli was venting about something.”

As Ally came closer, Jesse sensed, “You’ve been to see Harley.” He could smell his mate on her. The scent soothed his irritation.

“I’ve been in her position,” said the Seer. “I wanted her to know that she had a friend if she needed one.”

Grateful for that, Jesse gave her a nod of thanks. He didn’t want Harley feeling disconnected from the world. But if the only person she had here was him, it was likely to happen. It went in his favor that she wasn’t particularly social, preferring her own company to that of others.

Ally checked her watch. “It’s almost time for lunch. Want me to go get Harley while you and Eli resolve whatever the hell just happened here?”

Jesse shook his head. “No need. Not interested in what would be a fake apology. See you all later. I’m going to have lunch with my mate.”

“You’re not eating with us?” Eli called out as Jesse began to walk away. There was an edge to his voice that Jesse chose to ignore. Whatever was messing with the guy’s head wasn’t Jesse’s problem.

Without turning, Jesse replied, “Not today.”

“So she has you pulling away from the pack?”

It was more of an accusation than a question, and it rubbed Jesse’s fur the wrong way. His already irritated wolf bared his teeth. Halting, Jesse slowly spun. “What?” he clipped.

There was an ugly twist to Eli’s mouth. “She’s not comfortable with us, so you’re going to spend most of your time with her at your lodge to placate her, aren’t you? You’re going to pull away from your pack.”

“I don’t know what crawled up your ass and died,” rumbled Jesse, “but I don’t care. Be a big fucking boy and deal with your shit instead of piling it on me.”

“So I’m wrong?” challenged Eli, either oblivious to the danger of continuing or simply not caring. “You’re not having lunch at the main lodge because she doesn’t want to be around us?”

Jesse went toe to toe with him. “Are you trying to pick a real fight with me? Is that what this is?” Eli didn’t say a word. “If I want to have lunch with my mate, I will. I don’t need to explain it. I don’t need to justify it. I don’t need to defend it. And I definitely don’t need your fucking approval.”

Bracken shook his head at Eli, lips flat. “I don’t think you have a problem with where Jesse eats. I think you have a problem with Harley, and you’re taking it out on him. You know, if you gave her a chance, you’d like her.”

“Jesse, let me heal you before you go,” said Ally. “We need to get rid of those wounds so your mate doesn’t hunt down Eli.”

Knowing she was right, Jesse moved to Ally and lifted his shirt so that she could heal him. The gift was part of the Seer package.

Eli snorted. “I’m supposed to be scared of a little cat tracking me?”

Done healing Jesse, Ally turned to Eli. “A domestic cat? No. A margay shifter? Oh yeah.” He made another dismissive sound. “You don’t know much about margay shifters, do you?” asked Ally with an impish smile. “They’re cunning creatures. Excellent hunters. Vicious when they want to be. And they can get close without a person sensing them—not until it’s too late, anyway.”

The Head Enforcer didn’t look at all impressed. “Whatever.”

And then a cat landed on his back from above, bit into his shoulder with a hiss, and then dragged her claws down his back as she slid down his body, tearing through cloth and skin. Eli roared with both shock and pain as he spun to face his attacker. The little cat didn’t run. Nor did she coil, ready to strike. She sat back on her hind paws, casually licking the blood from her paw.

Jesse smiled, remembering how—for lack of a better word—catty this little margay could be. One look could communicate pure and utter disdain . . . and that was exactly the look she shot Eli, who then tensed as if to spring.

Jesse rushed forward, planting himself between the two of them. “Don’t even fucking think about it, Eli,” he rumbled, eyes flashing wolf.

The others gathered, ready to intervene if need be.

“She just attacked me!”

“What else would you expect?” Jesse said. “The cat can see and scent my blood, which is enough to piss her off. Though she can’t understand your words, Harley can and she no doubt communicated to her cat that she needed to issue a warning. That was exactly what she did.”

Ally sighed at the cat, but she was smiling. “I had a feeling Harley wouldn’t stay behind when I told her Derren was angry about something.”

Feeling the margay rub her flank against his leg, Jesse picked her up and held her close. “Hey there, little cat,” he whispered. She purred in his arms as he petted her soft fur.

Ever curious, Bracken said, “I’ve never seen a margay up close before. They’re kind of cute.” He reached out to touch her. She hissed and spat at him like he was leading an invading army or something. Bracken jerked back.

Jesse stifled a smile. “Margay shifters aren’t particularly tactile.”

Chuckling, Ally said, “Yep. Only ‘the chosen’ are permitted to touch them. She clearly doesn’t trust you yet.”

At that moment, Nick appeared out of the trees. Thanks to his shifter-enhanced hearing, he’d no doubt heard Eli’s roar. “What happened? I heard a little of your conversation as I got close, but not enough.” Moving to his brother, who was glancing over his shoulder to check out the wounds on his back, Nick looked at them and winced. “They’re pretty deep.”

Eli jabbed a finger in the cat’s direction. “That thing is fucking feral.”

“Thing?” echoed Jesse with a growl. Zander moved closer, ready to hold him back.

“You asked for it, Eli,” said Derren. He gave Nick a bullet-point account of what had happened. “Anyone would have taken his words as a challenge, but I think she was mostly defending her mate against someone baiting him.”

After a long moment of heavy silence, Nick exhaled heavily. “I can’t punish someone for defending their mate. I wouldn’t tolerate anyone confronting Shaya, and it’s only natural that Harley and her cat would warn you to back off.”

Eli gaped. “You’re siding with her?”

“There are no sides, Eli,” said Nick impatiently. “We’re a pack; we’re one. And there are bigger issues going on right now. The last thing we need is tension in the pack at a time when we have to be strong as a unit. The enemy is Hector. Not Jesse. Not Harley. And it’s not her fault that she reminds you of someone.”

That cryptic comment made Eli’s eyes flash wolf. With a curse, the Head Enforcer strode away, heading in the direction of the main lodge.

Nick swept his eyes along Derren, Ally, Zander, and Bracken. “Follow him, but give him space.”

They all nodded, said their good-byes to Jesse and the cat, and then disappeared.

Sighing, Nick turned to Jesse. “He was out of line, but it’s not really about Harley.”

That didn’t excuse his actions, in Jesse’s opinion. Harley deserved the same respect that the other females of the pack were afforded. Just because Eli was working through some personal shit didn’t give him the right to take it out on Jesse or Harley.

“I want to talk to you about something. I’m meeting with the Alpha of Hector’s old pack on Sunday. I’m hoping that he or members of the pack might know something we could use against Hector. Ally and Derren want to come along, but I need them here guarding the others; they’re not happy about staying behind.”

Jesse could understand that, but he also understood Nick’s reasoning. In the past, people had attacked their pack by distracting the strongest members, dividing the pack to conquer it.

“You, Eli, and Zander will come along with me,” said Nick. “I know you might be reluctant to leave your mate, given that your protective instincts will be hypersensitive right now, but you have to trust that she’ll be safe here.”

Jesse was in fact reluctant to leave Harley, especially when she wasn’t fully comfortable with his pack mates, but he was sure that the females would have her back. Not that Harley needed their protection; she could take care of herself just fine. Scratching the underside of the margay’s chin, he asked, “Have your contacts found out anything about Hector?”

“A little. His human aunt and uncle raised him from the age of fifteen—his uncle had been the brother of Hector’s human mother.”

“His parents died?”

“No. His parents, Adriane and Thad, were the Alpha pair of Hector’s pack. Then one day they stepped down. Soon after, the three of them left the pack and became loners. But then Hector went to live with his aunt and uncle, which was considered unusual because Thad and Adriane weren’t neglectful parents.”

Jesse frowned, unsure what to make of all that. The cat climbed onto his shoulders, practically curling herself around his neck.

“I have people working on tracking his parents. If there’s anything worth knowing about Hector, they’ll have that information.”

“And if they don’t tell us anything we can use against Hector?”

“They will. Two allegedly good parents don’t give up their child without reason. If they had no problem doing that, they’ll have no problem sharing what they know in exchange for my protection—the lone shifter lifestyle is dangerous, after all.”

He was right. Being a shifter without a pack meant you had no protection; loners were vulnerable to attacks from extremists and other shifters. An offer of protection from Nick was nothing to sniff at.

“And if that doesn’t work, we bring them here and make them talk,” said Nick. “It’s not something we haven’t done before.”

No, it wasn’t. And it would no doubt work as well as it had in the past.

Nick then walked off, and Jesse turned in the direction of his lodge. The cat jumped down and then quickly climbed the nearest tree with that amazing agility that made her kind so unique. She kept pace with him as they headed home, leaping from tree to tree like an acrobat. When they finally arrived and he opened the door wide, she made a point of territorially clawing the porch before padding inside.

“Shift back, baby.” Bones snapped and popped, and then he had a naked Harley in front of him. As she stretched, he snaked his arms around her and nuzzled her neck, breathing her in, letting her scent pour into him where it belonged. “Your cat sure knows how to shred a man’s pride.” He figured Eli was mostly pissed that she’d taken him off guard and managed to bloody him.

Curling her arms around his neck, Harley shrugged. “He should know better than to act like an asshole toward you.” Or to talk smack about her.

Jesse pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. “I don’t know what his problem is, but Nick doesn’t seem to think it’s about you.”

Yeah, well, Harley didn’t care either way. She wouldn’t allow her mate to be used as an emotional punching bag by anyone. “I’m sorry that he did that to you. I know it had to have hurt to be baited by your own pack mate and used to vent his problems.”

“You made him pay for it.”

Her cat had enjoyed it. “I was preparing sandwiches and salad when Ally started fretting about Derren. They’re almost ready.”

“Good. I’m going to take a shower so I can get this blood off me.” Jesse scooped her up, and she locked her legs around his waist. “You’re going to help.”

“I am?”

“Yes. Then we’ll eat . . . but not until I’ve had a long taste of you.”

Well, she wasn’t going to fight him on that.

“Had any other visitors?” he asked, carrying her upstairs.

“Nope. Although Shaya did call earlier to ask if I was okay and if I needed anything. I think, like you, she was worried I would be bored on my own.” Harley pointed at herself. “Hello, feline.”

In the bathroom, he said, “Promise me something.”

“No.”

His mouth twitched. “Promise me that if you ever do feel bored, you’ll tell me. I’ll fix it.”

“How can I be bored when I have my violin and I’m surrounded by books? Trust me, I’m content.”

Too much time alone might change that. “Promise me something else.”

“No.”

His smile widened. “Swear you’ll play for me sometime.”

“You mean the violin?”

“No, Scrabble. Of course I mean the fucking violin.”

“Your language is fucking awful,” she said as he urged her into the shower and turned on the spray. “And maybe I’ll play for you sometime. We’ll see.” It was much easier to play for an audience of strangers than to give a private performance to someone she knew well.

“You will play for me.”

“And giving me orders is supposed to achieve what?”

“You will play for me.”

“You know . . . I’m starting to wonder if it’s not that you lack caution lights; it’s that you only gargled from the fountain of knowledge.”

He growled. “Personally, I think you’re trying to make me crazy.”

“You have no proof of that.”

Growling again, Jesse gently massaged her honey shampoo into her hair as she soaped his chest. He loved her hair; loved the color and texture and natural shine. Loved how it felt against his skin, loved burying his face in it as they slept.

After a quick rinse, he then smoothed conditioner into her hair while a soapy hand slowly pumped his cock. There was only so much a guy could take. Soon enough he had her legs hanging in the crooks of his elbows as he took her hard and fast against the tiled wall.

Clean, sated, and dressed, they ate their lunch in a companionable silence . . . which was probably why they easily heard a crowd quickly approaching.

Harley cocked her head. “Is that Marcus I hear trying to calm someone down?”

Jesse sighed. “Yes.” And it was no doubt Roni.

Swallowing a slice of cucumber, Harley said, “I’m guessing they’re outraged on Eli’s behalf and I’m now an even bigger bad guy than I was before.” Honestly, it bothered her more than it should have that these people were so quick to vilify her. It was like they’d pounced on the whole thing as an excuse to do some venting of their own.

“I won’t let any of them harm you,” Jesse stated.

“Neither will I,” she said as they rose. “What are you going to do if people start demanding that I leave?”

“Is that a rhetorical question?” He took her hand. “If you ever leave this pack for any reason, I’m leaving with you. But I don’t think they’ll demand that; I really don’t.”

“We’ll soon find out if you’re right.”