The Alpha's Taboo Mate (Blood Moon Lynx Book 1) (10 page)

Chapter Fourteen

So much anger rose up inside Canyon that he partially shifted. And as he did so, he was very grateful that Gillian had already left. Hearing two people who looked human tell you they were shape shifters, and seeing it happen in person, were two very different experiences.

After reining in his impulses, he walked over to where Fiera stood and put an arm around her. “Don’t be afraid.”

The look in her eyes was one he’d never seen before, and it made his heart race. “I’m not. I’m pissed off as hell. How dare he? How dare any of them? They brought this trouble down on their own heads. Why can’t they see that?”

Her gaze cut toward his father. “I hope you, Canyon, and Gillian nail them to the wall.
All
of them. Report them to the SEC and anyone else that needs to know. Take it to the media. Enough of this crap! They’ve bullied and threatened nearly every family in this village.”

“That’s exactly what we intend to do, my love. I promise you.” Canyon kissed her, tongue and all, not giving a shit that his entire family was watching. They were her family, too. And he wanted everyone to know how much he adored this woman.

When Stone and Arizona returned, both men stayed long enough to let everyone know that Gillian had made it home safe and sound, without anyone following her. She’d already called Arizona to let him know she was all right.

“You have her phone number?” asked Lissie, her eyes bright.

“Yes.” Arizona ruffled her hair, which Lissie hated. She gave him a ferocious stare as she fixed her hair.

“Stone and I are going to go home and get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”

“He just wants to talk about Gillian without getting teased by all of you,” said Stone.

“You’re a pain in the ass to live with, you know that?”

“You can move back home anytime you want.”

Fiera smiled up at Canyon. “Aren’t you glad you never moved in with these two?”

Every fiber of his being wanted to fuck her. He settled for winking at her instead. “I am now.”

“And that’s our cue,” said Stone. “Good night, everyone.”

“We’ll walk out with you,” said Canyon, taking Fiera’s hand. As soon as they reached the porch, Fiera stiffened next to him. “What is it?” he asked in a soft voice.

“Someone is out there.” Her voice had the same faraway quality as he’d heard described the day Hawke and his father showed up at the house.

Arizona scanned the dark woods. He had the gift of being able to see in the dark like a cat, but much more enhanced than most of them could. The air felt charged, as though a storm were brewing, but there were no clouds overhead.

Within seconds, Arizona tapped Canyon on the shoulder and gestured toward the western side of the house, where he and Fiera would have to walk to get home. “Hawke,” he whispered, so softly Canyon barely heard him. “Behind a large pine. He’s alone, but he has a bow.”

Next to him, Fiera drew in a sharp breath. Canyon leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Go back inside.”

When she shook her head, he grew angry, but the look on her face told him it was pointless to argue. “Go inside and retrieve my bow,” he hissed.

Understanding dawned in her eyes. “I’ll go and get us something to drink.” She said it loudly enough for anyone close to the house to hear, and Canyon could have kissed her. She’d understood without him having to say it that they didn’t want to alert Hawke to their presence. They wanted to make him think he was safe and hidden, and they had no intentions of doing anything more dangerous than sitting on the front porch to chat.

After Fiera went back inside, Canyon began talking to Stone and Arizona about nothing, as if they intended to stay on the porch for hours. Every nerve ending was on fire. He’d never been so ready for a fight in his life, and only wished Hawke wasn’t alone. It would hardly be fair, three against one.

“Your mating party was awesome,” said Stone. “It’s too bad
some
people in this village didn’t bother showing up.”

Trust Stone to stir the pot. Canyon and Arizona exchanged an amused glance.

“Some people weren’t welcome anyway,” said Canyon.

“At least we didn’t have to inhale that nasty smell,” said Arizona. “Leopards have a stink about them, you know?”

“Yeah,” said Stone. “Like rotting leaves and petrified shit.”

As Fiera came back outside, she handed Canyon his bow and quiver. He slung the quiver over his shoulder, forcing himself to keep making small talk with Stone, Arizona, and Fiera. If Hawke could see details this far, he’d know that Fiera hadn’t brought out any drinks, so they didn’t have that much time.

When Arizona let out a fake yawn, Stone said he was getting sleepy, too. Canyon walked slowly down the steps. “I might as well walk home with you two. You’re both so drunk you’re likely to trip over a tree root.”

Canyon had no idea how long Hawke had been watching the house. If it had been a while, he’d know that Arizona and Stone had left with Gillian two hours ago, and returned only recently. He’d also know it was unlikely either man was drunk.

Although Fiera stayed on the porch, Canyon noticed she’d also left the front door open. He locked gazes with her, and swore he heard her sweet voice in his head, telling him she loved him and urging him to be careful. He wished telepathy was one of the gifts he possessed. He wanted nothing more right now than to make sure she knew that she was his whole world. Without her, nothing mattered.

Arizona led them toward Hawke, which was not the direction in which he and Stone lived. If Hawke had been fooled to this point, he no longer would be. They didn’t speak as they walked. It took no more than five seconds for Hawke to emerge from behind the tree, bow drawn.

Before Stone and Arizona had stopped walking next to him, Canyon had his bow drawn “Go ahead, Hawke. You might kill me, but you’ll be dead, too. Lynxes see much better in the dark than leopards do.”

“Lower yours and I’ll lower mine. I only want to talk to you.”

“That’s not what I heard.”

“My brother has a hot temper.” Hawke made a sound of disgust. “He says things he doesn’t mean.”

“That’s your problem.” Canyon now had confirmation that what Brock had told Cletus was true, not that he hadn’t believed it earlier. But now he’d feel no remorse for killing Hawke if it came to that.

“This is bullshit, Canyon.” Hawke sounded agitated, which wasn’t good considering he was holding a loaded bow. “Put down the damn bow!”

“You first.”

“Why should I go first?”

“Because you’re lurking in the dark near my home.” Arizona muttered something about Hawke sounding like a child, and Canyon silently agreed with his friend. “You’re on my father’s land, pointing a weapon at me. You want to talk, lower it.”

“Send your friends and your
mate
back inside first.”

“Not a chance.” Canyon laughed. “You started this, Hawke. You want to talk to me on my land, we do it my way.”

Canyon’s arm muscles were beginning to quiver, but that likely meant Hawke was nearing his limit as well. Sweat dotted Canyon’s hairline and pooled under his arms. The forest had grown very quiet. Even the insects no longer sang. Every living creature was waiting to see what would happen.

Slowly, Hawke lowered his bow, but Canyon didn’t lower his until Hawke dropped his on the ground. Canyon dropped his, too, and faster than he would believed possible of a leopard, Hawke shifted and ran toward him, growling.

He had already shifted and was running toward Hawke as fast as his legs could move when Canyon heard Fiera cry out his name. Beside him, Arizona and Stone had also shifted, and they stopped moving when Hawke did.

The two cats were less than a foot apart. Hawke eyed Canyon, growling low in his throat. He nodded toward Arizona and Stone, moving his head as if he meant for them to get away. This fight was between him and Hawke, not Arizona or Stone, but there was no way Canyon was going to talk to Hawke now. He had lied.
Again.
The time for talking this out was long gone. This could only end now in a physical fight.

Stone reverted to human form and picked up Hawke’s bow, snapping it in half with his bare hands. He threw it toward the house and shifted back to a lynx. It happened so fast that Hawke, Arizona, and Canyon had no time to react.

Hawke and Canyon faced off, circling each slowly, both growling. Canyon heard the rest of his family come out onto the porch, and he heard his father calling his name, but he never took his eyes off Hawke. The leopard might be alone in this, but he was faster than Canyon had realized.

It didn’t matter if they killed each other in the woods tonight. Hawke’s family would never let this go. Never. Both their families would be in danger from the Medinas until all of them were dead. And because Stone and Arizona had helped, their families would now be in danger as well.

Twigs snapped behind Hawke, diverting his attention and Canyon’s. In his shifted form, Canyon could easily smell Amasa and Brock, still in human form. Something moved on Canyon’s left and his eyes widened when he realized it was Fiera, in shifted form.

Proud and unwavering, she stood staring down Hawke in his leopard form, and staring down Brock and Amasa in their human form. Canyon couldn’t take his eyes off her. A beautiful female lynx by her mate’s side. He’d never felt more love for her than he did now. It took every ounce of Canyon’s willpower not to mount her right then and there.

Hawke shifted back to human first, followed by Stone, Arizona, and Fiera. Canyon was last. Once he did, his father was next to him on the other side, holding a hunting rifle pointed toward the Medinas.

“You’re on my land. Get off it now or I swear to all the gods I’ll shoot each of you.”

“You do and you’ll have a war on your hands,” said Amasa.

“I already do. You threatened my family and my son’s mate.”

“I did no such thing!” Amasa grabbed Brock by the ear and pulled him forward. “Tell them the truth.”

Behind him, Canyon heard Arizona snicker because Brock looked like he’d been crying.

“I lied to Cletus.” His voice cracked, and now both Stone and Arizona laughed out loud. “My father and brother never said they were coming after Canyon and Fiera.”

A quick glance passed between Canyon and his father. He didn’t believe it either. Amasa was a terrible liar.

“Doesn’t change a damn thing,” said his father. “You’ve threatened us in the past.”

“Hawke only wants to talk this out with Canyon.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” said Canyon. “Fiera was my mate, and all of you know it. The Elders declared she was, and still you wouldn’t leave it alone. Now, it’s official, and you can’t change it. You can’t undo it. What could possibly be left to say?”

“There’s the matter of her father,” said Hawke, his voice dripping with triumph.

“That’s a closed matter as well.” Fiera’s voice rang out. “The Elders have already talked to him. You’ll be hearing their decision soon. You’ve lost that one, too.”

This new Fiera made Canyon grin. He liked her this way. Filled with confidence and a sense of enjoyment at rubbing her victory in the noses of the Medinas.

“Didn’t know you could shift.” Amasa narrowed his eyes as his gaze roved up and down Fiera’s human form.

“What of it?” asked Canyon, his heart pounding.

“Can’t help wondering where she got the gift, that’s all. It’s unusual in females.”

“She’s an unusual female,” said Canyon. “But you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you? Considering Talia Grantham is your children’s grandmother.”

His comment had the desired effect. Clearly, Amasa hadn’t realized anyone else knew that. He looked off balance for a few seconds before regaining his composure, and Hawke actually took a step back.

Too late, Canyon felt his father’s gaze on him, and understood that he might have just tipped their hand in revealing that knowledge to Amasa. But what was done was done. The Medinas still didn’t know all that he and his father had found out about their business dealings.

Somewhere in the distance, several coyotes howled, and a shiver ran down Canyon’s spine. It wasn’t unusual for them to come close to the village when they sensed a fight was about to take place.

“Go home, Amasa.” Canyon’s father finally lowered his rifle. “Take your family home. We will settle this another time, but in
public
, where there are
witnesses
.”

“Fine.” Amasa squared his shoulders. “Agreed. We will not come on your land again unless invited. But I expect to hear from you within one week on where and when we will settle this.”

“You will.” His father smiled, but there was no humor in his eyes. “You will hear within one week.”

As soon as Canyon could no longer see or sense the Medinas in the woods, he took Fiera’s hand and started to lead her back home.

“Not so fast,” said his father. “Do you realize what you did just now?”

“Yes.” Canyon faced his father. “I told them the one thing they needed to hear to realize we were sick of their shit, and we refuse to allow them to bully and threaten us any longer. Now this will be settled the way it needs to be. In public, where the entire village will know what they have done.”