Chapter 1

1

Kael

" A nother goddamn horse ranch?" I grouse as my brother, Ryker, drives up to a pair of tall iron gates. Beyond them is a bunch of long, low buildings, a barn and a few horses milling around.

Ryker snorts. "You expected something different out here?"

"Guess not." All we've been seeing for the last few hours is grassland, horses and cows. My beast can't take it. It's desperate to get back to the wilderness where I've spent my whole life until now. Until I made a very dumb decision to join my brother in his security work.

The gates don't open. Sighing, Ryker jumps out of the truck and strides over to a box at the side of the gate. He presses a button and announces our presence in his most human-like voice.

High above the gates is a metal disk, featuring what looks a helluva lot like a dog with three heads. So far, so fucking weird.

The gates swing open sharply and Ryker gets back into the truck.

As we pass through, a rhythmic sound reaches my ears—metal blades beating through air. A chopper. They fly over my territory sometimes when some human's gone and gotten themselves hopelessly lost.

I locate the black smudge in the distance and watch as it gets bigger and bigger. By the time we pull up in front of the ranch house, the noisy, gleaming monster is disappearing behind the building.

"Must be a helipad back there," Ryker mutters.

"That our client?"

"Probably."

My fur bristles in agitation. Can't stand being around humans. They make me feel like my body doesn't belong in my skin.

Just when I thought I couldn't feel any worse, Ryker grabs the tie around my neck and yanks on it until I can hardly breathe.

"Get the hell off!" I roar as my beast takes possession of my voice.

"Quit with that shit, Kael. I'm just fixing your damn clothes." Ryker holds onto both sides of my face and stares into my eyes. My brother is the only person on earth who I'd let get away with doing that.

He keeps hold of me until my beast retreats. His eyebrows have gotten so low I can hardly see his eyes.

"Okay, listen to me. When we go in there, I need you to act human."

"Not a whole lot of that in me," I grunt.

"Now's the time to pull out every last darn bit you can find. Don't say anything rude. Keep that temper of yours under control." He jabs a forefinger at me. "And your beast—I don't want to see so much as a stray bristle busting out of you. You hear me?"

My animal snarls. It would dearly love to bite that damn condescending finger right off. "Yeah, I hear you."

"Follow my lead. Let me do most of the talking."

"Suits me."

"Thought so." My big brother breaks into a grin, and I quit hating his guts. I know he's doing this to help me out. To stop my beast from going insane. And I am grateful. Thirty-three years old and I haven't found my mate yet. Not surprising when I'm such a loner. But my grizzly is starting to lose its shit. And every shifter knows that's real bad news.

Ryker holds up his fist, I bump it with my own, and we jump out of the vehicle and stride toward the main building.

I'm so goddamn uncomfortable. I'm not used to wearing clothes, and this formal get-up might as well be a straitjacket. I'm itching all over, like a million ants are biting the shit out of me. I'm focusing on not tearing the damn thing off, when out of nowhere, three freaking dogs run at us. Brown and black with pricked-up ears, barking and snarling. Bold motherfuckers.

I don't think. I grab the closest two by the scruffs and lift 'em up high, until their back feet are dragging right off the ground.

They yelp in outrage, trying their best to twist around and bite me. Meanwhile, the third one comes to a skidding stop in front of me and cocks its head, turning over its doggy thoughts.

"What the fuck are you doing?" a voice bawls from the building. At the same moment, the third dog makes up its mind and launches at me.

Just for a second, I let my beast's head emerge, fangs bared, eyes burning with murderous rage.

The dog gives a whimper of pure terror. As soon as it hits the ground, it turns tail and runs off like its ass is on fire.

"Kael," Ryker mutters.

"Didn't hurt it, did I?" I retort.

A dude charges over to us. He's human, but almost as big as a shifter. One of the smaller species anyways. He's got a shaved head and big, meaty arms that are pumping furiously.

"Put my fucking dogs down!" he bellows.

"Give me a reason to!" I yell back.

Fury flares in his eyes, then he whistles.

The third dog scuttles over to him, and the two I'm holding start whining and scrabbling.

I release them. They land hard in the dust, then run over to him, whimpering pathetically.

He lets them lick his face, then he folds his arms and looks me up and down.

"Tough guy, huh?"

"Yup." No point hiding it. I'm a big bear. The biggest in my whole clan. Apparently, my mom used to say I had the strength of two cubs. I don't remember that though. I'm just used to folks looking at me like I scare the shit out of them.

He gives me a slow nod of approval. Like I give a damn.

"I'm Cerberus," he says at last.

"I'm Kael." Ryker told me that's what I'm supposed to say when folks announce their name.

He stretches out his hand for a shake, and I copy him. Right away, the dogs start up growling again.

A snarl bursts from my lips.

"We're not gonna have a problem, are we, Cerberus?" Ryker cuts in.

Cerberus stretches his lips in an ugly smile. One of his front teeth is gold. Fucking nasty.

"Told you, Ryker, they get funny with shifters is all. But they'll do as I tell ‘em. They're highly trained."

"They better be, 'cause I can't say the same about my brother."

Cerberus mutters something at the dogs and they're gone. "Come on in."

Ryker nods to me and I follow Cerberus through the front door and along a corridor.

"Coffee?" Cerberus barks over his shoulder.

"Huh?"

"Yes, please." Ryker prods me in the back at the same time.

Don't even like coffee, but sounds like it's some non-negotiable shit.

We arrive at a kitchen, where Cerberus starts prodding at some buttons on a fancy machine. A minute later, he hands me a cup so small a squirrel could drink out of it. It's full of some evil-looking brown liquid. I'm planning on holding onto it, but I feel Ryker's eyes boring into me, so I take a sip.

Fuck! It's like drinking out of a puddle. Gotta spit it out. I look around in desperation.

Ryker clears his throat.

I choke down the bitter liquid and toss him my filthiest look. He owes me big time.

"Like it?" Cerberus slaps me on the back.

"Yeah." I pull my lips back in a human-smile.

"That your special blend, Cerb?" Ryker asks.

A dreamy look comes into Cerberus's cold blue eyes. "It's something new I'm trying. Forty percent Java, sixty percent Honduran."

"Real nice," I say.

He gives me a quizzical look, then his eyes crinkle at the corners. "I like you, Kael."

"Thanks."

Ryker cracks his knuckles—a sound I know well. It means, let's get the fuck on with things. "What's the brief, boss?"

Cerberus turns his icy gaze on me. "Your new client is Luna Vey." He pauses dramatically. "You heard of her?"

I shake my head.

He grins. "You're probably the only dude with a pulse who hasn't. She's a pop star. One of the hottest young stars around today. Always in the public eye. That's why she needs guarding full-time."

"Okay."

He frowns, like he was expecting more from me. "You in?"

I shrug. "That's why I'm here."

Cerberus nods. "Glad to hear that. Come on." He leads us farther along the corridor and into an office.

Voices fall silent as we enter the room. I take in two humans in suits, both with earpieces. Bodyguards I guess. Sitting between them is an older man with silver hair and a thick gray moustache. I don't need to know humans to know he's as wealthy as fuck.

No female though.

Wealthy man's eyes move from me to Ryker and back again. "Which one is it?"

"I'm Ryker. My brother Kael will be your bodyguard," Ryker cuts in.

Fuck, blows my mind when he talks all smooth like that. Don't know where he learned it. Not from our clan, that's for sure.

Those eyes zero in on me. "You're a grizzly shifter, huh?"

I nod.

"Big guy. You take a bullet, if necessary?"

"Shifters heal real fast from injuries that would kill humans. That's why I selected him for this assignment," Cerberus says.

"He killed before?"

"A bunch of times. Beasts almost as big as him," Ryker cuts in.

His eyes narrow. "He talk?"

"Enough to communicate," Cerberus says.

He works his jaw. Then he pulls out his cell phone and shows me the screen. "This is my daughter."

I see a tiny human female, standing on a stage in front of a huge crowd of people. She's wearing a sequined bra and shorts, and boots that go up to her knees, but apart from that, she's bare. She has long, curly blonde hair that goes all the way down to her elbows.

"You recognize her?"

"Nope."

A grin spreads across his face. "Pretty, though, huh."

I shrug. "For a human."

His grin gets wider. "Heard you beasts aren't into human females."

"Nope." Ryker warned me that I might be asked that. And I laughed. Me? Into humans?

"He's already got a mate, anyway," Cerberus cuts in.

I open my mouth to say that's not true, but Ryker gives me a hard stare.

Whatever.

I look at the screen again. She's so tiny. So fragile.

"Real wild child. Used to be a sweet girl, but now she's grown, she's outta control. A new guy every week. Drinking, who knows what else. She's her own worst enemy. I hardly recognize her anymore—" he breaks off, his voice choking up. "Trying to keep her safe is killing me. And of course, everyone wants a piece of her. It's unreal." His eyes turn to slits. "Except for you, right?"

I stare at him. I can't talk. My beast is awake . It's tearing me up inside. Something is stirring that I've never felt before.

At last, I manage a nod.

"So, I need you to watch her like a hawk, keep her out of trouble. Can you do that?"

A powerful force hits me in the chest. White-hot like a lightning strike. It knocks me off balance and I try not to stagger under the impact of it.

Protect her , my beast purrs.

I zoom in on her face. On those vulnerable blue eyes.

"I'll guard her with my life," I growl.