The Protector (23 page)

“Fuck.”
Cole started to take off his uniform. “Let’s go then.” Cole barely got his
clothes off before he shifted.

****

Blair
opened her eyes when she hit the hard ground. Silas had not killed her like she
feared. He had cut the rope off of her. She was stunned for a moment, and
looked up at Silas.

He
stared at her with insanity shining in his eyes. “Change into a fucking
animal.”

Blair
stared at him defiantly. “No.”

“Do
it, you’re a fucking abomination. Change into an animal.” He kicked her hard
while screaming.

  
Blair covered her head while he kicked her
body. She had to get out of here, but if she left that would leave Mandy alone
with Silas. She was still young and unable to defend herself. She couldn’t
leave her unprotected. Blair felt the tingling and falling sensation. She knew
once again she was shifting due to stress.

“That’s
it, now I can kill a rabid animal that was attacking people.”

Blair
heard him cocking his gun, and knew she had to act fast. Her legs tangled in
her clothes, and she kicked to get free. She was an easy target thrashing
around trapped. She shook off the cotton shirt, and stared at him for just a
moment. She jumped at him with her mouth open. She landed on his face. She sank
her teeth in, ignoring his screams. He grabbed hold of her and tried to yank
her off of him.

Blair
dug her teeth in harder, imagining Mandy screaming and Silas’s cruel smile as
he held her down and beat her. She could kill him. She wanted to, and he
deserved it.

He
was just as cruel and sinister as his brother. Warren had been right to kill
him.

Teeth
grabbed the scruff of her neck, and she yelped and let go of Silas. She turned
with the intent of biting whoever was trying to stop her attack on Silas.

Cole
stood over her in his wolf form, with pride and love shining in his eyes.
 
Blair ran to him and nuzzled up against him.
His fur was soft and smooth, and he smelled of the forest.
My mate is here. I am safe.

Blair
heard snarling and looked up to see Lucas’s wolf form pinning Silas to the
ground. He bared his teeth menacingly.

“No,
Lucas!” Michael shouted as he ran at them. Michael had having shifted back to
his human form. “I need to question him, and I can’t get any answers if you
kill him. You have no right to attack him as Blair is not your mate. I will be
forced to judge you again.”

Blair
watched as Lucas
snarled,
his teeth against Silas’s
face. She could see Lucas’s body shaking with the effort to hold
himself
back. He shifted suddenly, then grabbed Silas’s throat.
His claws dug in making him bleed. Blair could scent the blood knowing he got
an artery. For a moment she wondered if Lucas was going to kill him and
everyone would stand by and let him.

“I
should kill you!
 
You come here to hunt
us when we have done nothing to you! You kill our women and children for sport!
You deserve death.”

Blair
felt Cole shift and watched him put his hand on Lucas’s shoulder.

“He
isn’t worth it. You would lose a piece of your soul if you killed him. Let our
laws handle him.”

Lucas
stood up with a snarl of disgust. “Get him away from me before I give in to
temptation and rip his throat out.”

Michael
pulled Silas up. Aaron handed him a folded cloth, and they put it on Silas’s
wounds. “You have a lot to answer for. I think you will wish I allowed Lucas to
kill you by the time we are done with you.”

Silas
struggled as Michael pulled him to a waiting police car.

Aaron
walked out of the clearing holding Mandy in his arms. She was clinging to him
and breathing fast and hard. Blair could tell she was crying.

Blair
shifted now that Silas was gone. The evil she felt coming off of that man had
given her chills. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her naked. “Is
Mandy all right?”

Aaron
nodded. “She will be. I will make sure of it.”

Mandy
looked over at Blair. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. “I am so
sorry. I should have waited for Aaron.”

Blair
picked up her clothes and gave Mandy a reassuring smile. “None of this is your
fault, Mandy.”

Mandy
buried her head in Aaron’s chest.

Cole
handed Blair her shoes. “Come on. Let’s get home. I want to get away from here.
We will stop by the clinic, then home.”

Chapter
Sixteen

Blair
watched the sunrise and the trees go by as Cole drove them home. The stop at
the clinic had not taken as long as Blair feared. She and Cole both told Doctor
Trask of her problems shifting during when she was scared. He looked her over,
then
decided it was a stress reaction and understandable
given the circumstances she had found herself in recently. “Some shifters have
more trouble controlling their shift during times they fear for their life. I
am going to give you and Cole some exercises to do together. That should help
you remain in control of your shifting.”

Blair
was relieved it was something simple and she could get control of. She relaxed
against the seat and let out a calming breath. They caught the man that
attacked Mandy, but she had a lot of troubling questions.

How
was he so sure his brother died here after hunting, and why was he so sure it
was Cole that had killed Levi? How did Silas know how to mask his scent from
them?

Things
that he knew about them were frightening. Things humans should never know about
shifters, unless they lived with them.

“Hey,”
Cole said grabbing her hand. “You ok?”

Blair
turned to him. “I am just worried about how he knew so much about us.”

Cole
nodded. “I know, baby. Michael is going to question him as soon as he is
cleared by the doctor.”

Blair
nodded,
then
smiled with relief when they pulled onto
the gravel road to their home. When the dome light came on, she lowered the
visor and looked in the mirror.

“You
are beautiful, Blair,” Cole said with affection in his voice.

“Thank
you. But our wedding is the day after tomorrow. I want to be sure I am not all
bruised up.”

“You
may have a little, but nothing can take away how beautiful you are to me.”

Cole
turned off the car and got out. He was on her side before she could get the
seatbelt off, and had it open. Blair smiled up at him and took his hand. One
thing had not changed. Cole was still a gentleman. He picked her up, and
carried her into the house.

Blair
wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder. Cole was so
strong, and he made her feel so safe. She understood the reasons why he doubted
himself. His Uncle Warren was a seasoned sheriff and Kelach, but she knew Cole
didn’t give himself enough credit.

Cole
turned around and kicked the door closed and walked straight to the bathroom.
He set her down and looked into her eyes. “I love you so much, Blair. I was
terrified when I didn’t know where you were or if you were ok.”

“I
was terrified you wouldn’t be able to find me.” She looked at him strangely for
a moment. “How
did
you find us?”

“Lucas
followed the scent of some additive in the fuel of Silas’s van.”

Blair
frowned. “I didn’t scent anything different.”

Cole
nodded with a grim look on his face. “Neither did I, and I am the Kelach.” Cole
reached over and turned on the faucet for the shower. It was only a moment
before steam was rolling out of the shower. He pulled off her clothes, tossing
them in the dirty clothes hamper,
then
stripped
himself. He pulled her into the shower while keeping his eyes locked on hers.

The
hot water hit Blair’s skin making her close her eyes in pleasure. She felt
goosebumps rising on her skin from the luxurious hot water.

Cole
squeezed some shower gel onto his hands and rubbed them together. “Turn
around.” Blair turned without a word, but moaned out loud when Cole started
rubbing the gel over her back. He massaged her back and shoulders as he
scrubbed. Blair rested her forehead on the shower wall while Cole massaged her
muscles. Just when Blair was sure she was about to fall asleep, Cole rinsed the
soap off of her back.

When
Blair felt she could stand again without using the wall for support, she turned
and smiled dreamily up at Cole. A massage like that deserved a reward. She
looked into his eyes as she sank slowly to her knees. Cole watched her with a
heated expression, and his lips slightly parted.

Blair
pulled his cock into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the head. Cole
gripped her hair and hissed. “Goddess, baby, you make me feel so good.”

Blair
glowed at the praise and tried even more to please him. She traced her tongue
down his shaft, to his soft, velvety ball sac. She kissed them, then ran her
tongue back to the head to swirl it around. She would have smiled, but she
would lose suction.

Cole
grabbed her hair, moaning louder. She found the perfect rhythm that was almost
enough to drive Cole to his knees. He pumped his hips while she sucked on his
shaft. Cole threw his head back, and his mouth was open. He was close to losing
control, which was what Blair wanted. Cole sexually out of control was
extremely dominating.

Blair
used her hand to pump his shaft while sucking on the head of his cock. She
could feel him trembling while she continued to work him over.

“That’s
it,” Cole growled. He picked her up and shoved her against the wall, lifting
her. Blair looked into his eyes and saw they were dark with lust. His mouth
covered hers, as he positioned her to take his cock. He lined his cock up,
then
let her fall onto him. Blair gasped at the feeling of
him filling her.

“Cole, oh Goddess, Cole.”
Blair
panted while Cole thrust fast and hard into her.

“Don’t
come yet. I want you to come with me, sweet Blair. I want to feel your pussy
convulsing around my cock as I come.”

“I
can’t wait, Cole. I need to come now.” Blair threw her head from side to side
and dug her fingers into his shoulders.

“Yes,
you can,” Cole said, and emphasized every word with a thrust of his hips.

“Oh
Cole, Cole,” Blair cried while she tried to hold her orgasm back.

“Almost there, just a little longer, baby.
Just a bit more.”
Cole ground his hips so he would stroke
her clit.

Blair
shattered in his arms with a cry of release. Her pussy contracted around his
cock, bringing on Cole’s release as well. He gripped her hips harder and shoved
his cock deep within her channel. She felt his cock jerk with every jet of
semen he spilled into her. They stood together, holding one another for a
while. Their breathing finally returned to normal, and they looked into each
other’s eyes. Blair’s heart felt so full when she looked at him. He looked at
her with such an intense expression. She was sure he had something profound
going through his head.

“What
are you thinking?” she asked, watching his eyes.

“I’m
hungry and I was wondering what we had in the kitchen to eat,” Cole said
without changing his expression.

Blair
burst out laughing. “You are always hungry and wondering what there is to eat.”
She wanted to pull him closer.

He
would never change, and she didn’t want him to. She loved how he seemed to
think with his stomach all the time. She always knew when Cole was angry,
worried, or sick because he lost his appetite.

****

It
was early afternoon. Blair was busy working on her business records, and Cole
wanted answers. This man had targeted his mate. He wanted to know why. He made
sure Silas was tied tightly to the chair, not so tight that he would lose
circulation, but enough for him to be uncomfortable.

Michael’s
questioning was intense and often painful to humans, and Cole knew Michael
would show little mercy with Silas.

“Are
you going to beat me up now, fucker?” Silas asked while sneering at Cole.

“Nope,
I am not going to touch you. I wouldn’t mind though. That was my mate you
attacked.”

“She’s
a fucking animal. The most I did wrong was hunt out of season.”

Cole
shook his head. “I am going to ignore that. I really do not want to piss
Michael off. He has some serious Guardian mojo though. I am going to enjoy
watching him scramble your brains while he is getting answers out of you.”

“I’m
not saying a fucking word to any of you. You think you can scare me into
talking?” Silas laughed,
then
spat at Cole.

Cole
easily dodged it then glared. He saw sunlight spill into the room, and he knew
Michael had arrived.

Michael
looked over at Cole. “Is he ready?”

Cole
nodded.
“Yep.”

Michael
paced in front of Silas. “How did you find out about us?”

 
“About what, your animal
town here?”
Silas laughed. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Michael
stopped and looked into his eyes. “I want to know how you knew to come here,
and about how to hide from us and hide your scent.”

 
Silas spat in his face. “I want a lawyer.”

Michael
grabbed his face and held him tightly. “You don’t seem to understand your
situation. You have no rights here. You came here to kill shifters, which puts
you under shifter law.”

“You’re
a fucking liar. Give me a goddamn lawyer, or I will sue your asses.”

Michael
leaned into his face. “There will be no lawyer. There is only you and me here.
Your fate will be decided by me. Now are you going to cooperate, or do I need
to get ugly?”

Silas
laughed and shook his head. “You think I scare that easy? I know my rights.”

Michael
circled around Silas, while keeping his eyes on him. “You had your chance.
Don’t say I didn’t try to warn you.” He firmed his grip on his face.

Cole
walked a bit closer in case Michael needed help holding Silas down. He had seen
his share of interrogations to know no matter how well they restrained someone,
they could get free.

Michael’s
eyes started to glow slightly as their Goddess’s presence filled him.

 
Silas looked at Michael with horror. “What the
fuck are you? Get away from me.” He tried to break free from the ropes holding
him.

Cole
grabbed the back of Silas’s head, by the hair, to force him to hold still.
Silas screamed and tried to throw his head back.

 
Michael stared into Silas’s eyes while Cole
held his head firmly. Silas’s screams of anger turned to whimpers. “Stop, stop,
please,” Silas begged.

“A
bit uncomfortable, isn’t it, Silas? I tried to warn you.” Michael’s voice
started to change, and get the hollow sound it got when he used Ilithyia’s
power.

Silas
began to gasp for air. He had ceased struggling, and now every muscle seized. “I
will do anything you want,” he whispered.

“I
want you to tell me how you knew about us.”

“I
got a phone call from some chick, said her name was Dani and she knew what
happened to Levi. She told me all about this town, and how to hide from y’all.”

Michael
looked up at Cole. “So, Dani is still causing trouble. Good thing Lucas isn’t
here. I am afraid if he knew Dani was behind this, it would make him want to go
hunting for her again.”

Cole
nodded his head in agreement. “Lucas does not need to be going on another
hunting trip.”

Michael
turned his attention back to Silas. “How did you know how to cover your scent
from us?”

Silas
sobbed and tried to shake his head.

“Answer
me,” Michael commanded him.

“She
told me in an email.”

Cole
asked already giving Michael a suspicious look. “She knows how to hide from us,
too?”

“She
wanted to make sure I knew how to not get caught. She gave me the cologne to
use, so you animals couldn’t smell me,” Silas said in a flat tone.

“What
else did she say?” Michael asked.

Silas
shook his head. “Nothing, she ranted a bit about when her master was in
control. I didn’t pay a lot of attention to that part. She was crazy, and I
wasn't interested.”

Michael
paused and stared off into the distance. Cole knew he was thinking.

“When
her master was in control?
Control of this territory?”

Silas
tried to shrug. “Yeah, I guess, maybe, I don't know. I told you it didn't
interest me.”

“Who
was he? Did you see him?”
 

“Nah,
but I saw a guy that kept his face hidden and had a mechanical voice.”

Michael
sighed and rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache. “We will talk later. I
want you to think very hard about the things this man said to you. Do you
understand me?”

Silas’s
eyes glazed over slightly. “Yeah sure, I will think about it and see if I
remember.”

****

Cole
sat next to Michael around the table in their council meeting room. Someone was
leaking information about shifters to humans. Why they could not be certain,
but until they caught the one betraying them, they had to keep the council
meetings closed to members only. They had to be careful. That meant they were
going to have to exclude Caleb, Neil and Wade.