Two for Protection (5 page)

Tad
slipped from her lips and leaned against the sofa, his eyes closed. She tugged
his hand, still reeling. He scooted down to lay next to her.

Eventually
her breathing returned to normal, and she cuddled against both of her mates,
contented. She let the thought of mates play through her mind. It was so
completely different than what she’d searched for all her life, but it seemed
to be just what she never knew she needed.

Chapter Six

Tad
rested his head next to her, his arm wrapped across her waist holding her tight
against him. Milo laid just on the other side of her, his arm just below Tad’s,
his fingers brushing against both of them. It seemed so peaceful, like this was
how it was always supposed to be. For that brief time, he was able to forget
just what he found outside, and live in the moment with his mates.

“I
hate to spoil this moment.” Milo propped himself up on his elbow.

“But?”
Courtney asked.

“You
need to know that it’s believed Jeffery is in Alaska. Supposedly there’s an
eyewitness that saw him boarding a plane headed for Seattle. The plane never
made it there or anywhere as far as we can tell. We have people looking, and
Tex is following up on any possible leads in Texas.”

Tad
met Milo’s gaze, just as everything clicked into place in Tad’s mind. “That
explains what I smelled outside.”

“What?”
Courtney started to move but their embraces kept her snugly between them.

“This
house is set far enough away from the road and town that you don’t get unwanted
visitors, especially in a storm like this. The only scents I should have
smelled besides ours is Hazel and Tate’s. That wasn’t the case, there was at
least one addition scent. It was an animal, not a shifter, but it was near a
human recently.” Tad raised his arm to draw a finger over her cheek. “We’ll
keep you safe. When Jeffery decides to make himself known, we will be ready.”

“Quinn
is also on his way so he can be one of the first planes in when the weather
clears.” Milo laid his head next to her, breathing deep. “Your fear, it’s
different. Not as powerful as before.”

She
sighed. “I’m tired. Tired of running from him. He’s killed before and I know
he’ll do it again given the chance, but honestly I’m just tired of it all. My
life has been hell since I went to the police. If it’s all going to come to an
end, even if it means my life…then so be it. I just want it over with. After
all
that
, there’s no better way to end life.”

“We’re
going to have a lot more of
that
in the future. Nothing is going to
happen to you, so don’t talk like that.” Milo nuzzled against her.

“He’s
right, things are going to be fine. I’m going to call my family and see if my
brothers, Turi and Trey, can make it off the island. If they can, they should
be able to make it here in bear form without any issues. The twins are second
to the youngest but since the rest of us are assisting the Alaskan Tigers, they’re
on the island managing our sleuth with my father, Devon.” He brought her and
Milo’s hands together in his. “We’re mates, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to
let anything divide us.”

“I
can’t have you risk your brothers for me.”

“There’s
no risk. I told you shifters are nearly impossible to kill, and all of us,
including the twins, are trained for this. We know the threats against our kind
from a young age, and almost from the time we can walk we’re trained to protect
ourselves and our kind.” Courtney’s fear might’ve been gone for the moment, but
Tad’s anger was rising to an all time level. If he got his hands on Jeffery,
he’d kill him just for terrifying Courtney. The need to protect a mate rose
above all else.

Unlike
the tigers, Tad’s sleuth wasn’t as strict about protecting their home. Since
they were surrounded by water on all sides, and only family members lived on
the island, they hardly needed to worry about it. Until the Alaskan Tigers and
Kodiak Bears joined forces, the Browns pretty much stayed out of things,
keeping to their island. When bears mated, they rarely had feelings of divided
loyalties between their clan and their mates like some other shifter groups
did.

“I’ll
make breakfast while Tad calls his brothers.” Milo leaned into her, kissing her
briefly before standing up and grabbing his clothes as he left.

Tad
admired Milo for being strong enough to walk away from Courtney. He wanted
nothing more than to snuggle against her body until he could make love to her
again. Almost as if by command his shaft hardened, forcing a groan from him. Oh,
how he wanted her again.

She
turned to him, sliding her hand down his body. “I’m ready again if you are.”

“Oh,
darling…” He claimed her mouth as she wrapped her fingers around his shaft.
Sucking her bottom lip into his mouth, he lightly ran his teeth over it before
letting it go. “There’s no doubt that I’m ready, but your safety is more
important. I need to call Turi and Trey.” He forced himself to move away from
her and grab his jeans. Slipping them back on, he found they had dried some by
the fire while he was otherwise engaged.

“Spoil
sport.” She tugged the blanket around her body, covering up her nakedness.
Humans were never as comfortable about their naked bodies as shifters.

“Here.”
He tossed his shirt to her since he didn’t see hers anywhere in sight. “The hot
water is hooked up to the generator if you want to take a shower.”

“That
would be perfect. I cleaned most of the soot and dirt from the fire off in a
gas station, but a real shower would make me feel better.” She slipped his
shirt over her head and stood. “Care to join me?”

His
bear roared within in, demanding he join her. “I’ll take a rain check until
there’s enough hot water that we don’t risk standing under a cold shower.” With
a quick nod she left him standing there, watching her hips sashay away from
him. Itching to follow her, he forced himself to pick up the phone and call his
brothers.

* * *

Bacon
sizzled in the skillet, pancake batter sat to the side waiting to be put on the
griddle, and Milo was cracking eggs for omelets when Tad came into the kitchen.
The connection between Tad and him had been a little surprising. He remembered
Taber and Thorben had mentioned being able to feel each other’s emotions, and they
knew each other’s next moves. Some of that was because they were twins, and the
rest came from mating with Kallie, but there was no other connection between
them.

Milo felt
drawn to Tad, not in the same way as Courtney, but in a deep almost loving way.
The love between them was strong, sharing the common bond of their mating with
Courtney, even if their relationship wasn’t sexual.

Tad
leaned against the counter, his brow furrowed in thought. “I’ve spoke with
Turi. Trey’s out dealing with a few things because Dad’s off the island. With
Dad gone, he’s staying, but Turi will be here within the hour.”

“There’s
more, isn’t there? I can feel it.”

“There
was blood in the air when I was outside…and this.” Tad pulled a piece of cloth
from his pocket and laid it on the counter. Blood soaked the beige material.
“It’s not his, there’s a different scent to it. A call came through for a
search party…a plane had a rough landing in a field not a quarter of a mile
from here. If I had to guess, the blood would match the pilot. We can add
another body to Jeffery’s count.”

“Devon’s
been searching for the plane Jeffery was seen boarding. It’s going to lead him
straight to Jeffery and us.” Milo frowned, tossed the last eggshell in the
trash, and washed his hands. “Is there any way to let Devon know who they’re up
against in case they find him before we do?” From what Courtney said, there was
no doubt Jeffery would kill again. He wouldn’t go down without a fight.

“Turi’s
going to try to find him before heading for us. In the meantime we need to be
ready. We’re sitting ducks if they come after him here. Being on the hill
provides us a little advantage but I’m going to call Hazel and Tate and get
them over here with an assault rifle or shotgun. Our handguns won’t take him
out long distance if we need to save any of the search team.”

“We’re
going to have to tell Courtney.”

Tad
poured a cup of the coffee Milo had brewed and nodded. “I’ll do it, and then
I’ll call Tate. I’ll also have Hazel prepare something if we need to wipe the
memories of the search team or police. Will you update Ty and Quinn?”

“Yeah.”
Milo flipped the bacon before looking back at Tad. “She can do that?”

“She’s
an exceptional witch.”

“It’s
a skill my clan could benefit from. Do you think she would be interested in
teaming with us occasionally?”

“She
prefers her privacy here, but I believe she would be willing as long as she was
able to remain here. This is her home, where her son and husband are buried.”
Tad set the coffee aside. “Hazel took Tate in when he was just a cub. His
family disappeared, leaving him behind. She’s always had a special connection
to shifters because of her abilities, so she claimed Tate as her son. She’ll do
what she can for our kind. She feels it’s her duty for being given Tate. Before
him, she was a mess, her family was killed in a fishing accident. Tate was her
second chance, and she never took it for granted.”

“If
she isn’t interested, I won’t push her. Courtney is the most important thing
right now, and any help they’ll give us will be appreciated.” Milo grabbed the
tongs and pulled the bacon from the skillet, placing it on a plate with paper
towels. “I’ll make the calls, then finish breakfast.”

“Easy
for you, I’ve got the hard part…telling Courtney.”

Milo
let out a deep laugh and set the plate of bacon aside. “I don’t envy you there.
She’s a strong woman, but it might be enough to bring that fear back. No matter
what she said this morning, she’s not willing to give up her fight. She’ll
bring Jeffery down if she can do it. Though I’d prefer we do it, and save her
the trouble of a trial.”

“A man
like Jeffery has connections. As long as he’s alive, he’s a threat to her. The
only way to eliminate the threat is to eliminate him. If he’s out of the
picture, he can’t order a hit on her or anyone else.”

“Then
that’s settled. Let’s just keep it from her and Quinn for now. I don’t believe
Courtney would agree with our stance, and I know for damn sure Quinn won’t. If
he thought as a shifter, he would…but being raised without any of our kind
around him, completely in the human world, he thinks too much like them.”

They
shared a brief look, letting each other know they were on the same page. Then Tad
made his way back to the bedroom where Courtney was showering.

With
the thought of calling his Alpha, Milo rolled his shoulder to check the
progress it was making. In just twenty-four hours, his shoulder was already
nearly healed, or at least as healed as it would ever be. He considered the
fact that within the next forty-eight hours the blizzard would pass and the
airport would reopen. He was expected to return to the compound. The time was
limited for them to convince Courtney she needed to go with them.

No
wonder some of the shifters envied the Kodiak Bears and other less organized
groups. They didn’t have the same division of loyalties the Alaskan Tigers went
through. They never had to choose between their mate or their clan or have to
balance the two. Milo was one of the Elders guards, but he wasn’t as high
ranking as Felix and Adam were. Somehow, they still managed to balance their
mates and their duty to the clan. Hopefully, Milo would be able to find that same
balance.

Chapter Seven

Courtney
sat surrounded by more men than she ever been around at once. As a journalist,
she worked alone and rarely had to go into the office; all of her assignments
were emailed in. She had lived a life of near solitude. Milo and Tad were on either
side of her, and Tad’s hand was on her thigh while Milo had his around her
shoulders. Their touch calmed her, kept her focused on what they were
discussing.

Turi,
Hazel, and Tate sat across from her. Turi was so much like Tad except his hair
was a lighter brown, and full of sun kissed highlights; he put her at ease.
Hazel made her uncomfortable. She was too silent, as if she knew something was
coming but wouldn’t say it aloud. Did she know something the others didn’t?
Could she see the future?

Tate
sat there quietly, his dark eyes watching intently. His shoulder length hair
was silver. Not gray, but shiny like sterling silver, highlights that sparkled when
the light hit it. The flannel shirt and jeans added a country appearance to his
otherwise unusual looks.

“Dad
is going to search this way,” Turi said. “Hopefully if Jeffery gets this far, Dad
can detour the police and search team until we’re able to deal with the
situation. Then we won’t have to erase their memories.” He grabbed another
muffin off the tray Milo had provided.

“If
things can be avoided, I prefer it.” Hazel rose from her seat. “Messing with
someone’s memories is something I’d rather not do. But to keep us safe, I’ll do
whatever is needed. I’ll be ready if and when you need me. If you’ll excuse me,
I need to prepare.”

Tad
nodded. “If you go down the hall to the second door on the right, that’s Lisa’s
study. I have a fire going in there for you, it should be warm enough now.
Please let us know if you need anything.”

“Thank
you.” She disappeared down the hall.

“Please
excuse my mother, she’s usually more friendly,” Tate said once Hazel was out of
hearing range. “She’s focused on trying to sense what’s going to happen. She’ll
give us whatever warning she can before he gets here. The ritual to remove
someone’s memories is demanding, so she’ll need whatever time we have to
prepare herself.”

“There’s
no need to apologize. You’re both doing me a huge favor. I’ll be in your debt.”
Tad’s voice was clear and full of authority, but there was also a softness to
it, conveying just how thankful he was for their help.

Tate
shook his head, his silver hair sliding forward. “You know that’s not how we
are.”

“I
know, but that doesn’t change anything. When you need anything, know the Kodiak
Bears will be at your back.”

“As
well as the Alaskan Tigers,” Milo added.

“Thank
you.” Tate smiled.

A few
days ago, his smile would have made Courtney weak in the knees, but now that
she had Tad and Milo she barely noticed. Nevertheless, she was sure he was a heartbreaker
with the girls.

She
couldn’t offer her strength like Tad and Milo could, so she offered her talents
instead. “I’m extremely grateful too, but in a fight…well, I doubt it needs to
be said I wouldn’t be much help. However, I’m one hell of a baker. If I make it
out of this alive, you’ll have an endless supply of sweets whenever you like.”

“A
baker? Tad, it looks like you’ve found the perfect mate.” Tate chuckled,
glancing at Courtney. “Tad’s got the biggest sweet tooth of anyone I know, and
that’s saying something with my love of sweets. Not to mention his family is a
bunch of hungry bears. You might have your hands full trying to keep him
supplied, but I expect to at least get a sample from time to time…or I’ll have
to kill him for it.”

“We’ve
been down that road before, wolf. You, my friend, have the scars to prove it,”
Tad teased.

“Because
you took a cheap shot.” Tate rubbed his side.

“It
will be nice to have others I can bake for,” Courtney interjected. From how
quickly the store bought muffins had disappeared, she suspected she’d be baking
a lot. Thankfully, Milo could cook, which would allow them to split the duties
and she wouldn’t be in the kitchen from sun up to sun down trying to feed both
of her hungry men.

The
thought of splitting the duties with Milo made her realize she wanted to live.
It was strange to think she had accepted Tad and Milo, but part of her couldn’t
stand the thought of being away from them. It had to be the mating they’d told
her about, because the rational part of her knew it was too fast and told her
to run for the hills.

Milo
leaned close to her until she could feel his breath on her cheek. “You can bake
for me anytime, sugar.” He kissed her before she could say anything.

“I
think you have more on your mind than just her baking.” Tate laughed at his own
joke.

“I’m
just glad to see my older brother will be well cared for by mates who can cook.
He’s helpless in the kitchen.” Turi smirked at Tad and popped another piece of
the muffin in his mouth.

“I’m
not helpless,” Tad insisted.

“Not
helpless, my ass.” Turi and Tate both erupted into raucous laughter, and Milo chuckled.

“Don’t
worry, love, you’ve got your own talents.” Wiggling her eyebrows, Courtney
tried to let him know what she meant. She’d rather have Tad and Milo in her bed
than in the kitchen.

The
realization of what she had said hit her full force.

Love.

It was
all happening so fast, but even though she’d deny it to anyone who asked, she
was falling in love with them. Falling hard for both of them. What if something
happened to them because of this mess with Jeffery? Just like that, her fear
seeped back in. She didn’t want to lose them.

“I’d
like a moment with my…sister-in-law.” Turi scooted his chair back from the
table and stood.

Tad
growled, but Courtney squeezed his hand and met Turi’s gaze. “A bit
presumptuous, aren’t we?” she asked.

“I
don’t believe so. You’ve mated with Tad and Milo, I can smell their mark on
you. That makes your family. A wedding is a human thing. Though some shifters,
especially those with human mates, do have them. Now, may I have a moment alone
with you?”

She
nodded. Milo removed his arm from her shoulders, letting her stand, but Tad
wouldn’t let go.

“I’ll
only be gone a few minutes.” She leaned down and gave him a quick peck before
strolling out of the room with Turi hot on her tail.

For
total privacy, she headed for her mother’s bedroom. Being at the back of the
house it would be the coldest room, but it was also the farthest away from the
others. It was the best they could do for privacy without going outside, though
shifter hearing meant they still would be able to hear whatever was said.

She
took a moment to look at her mother’s room. Nothing had changed in all the
years she been gone. Even the same yellow and white comforter covered the bed,
making the room bright even in the dead of winter when it was dark most of the
time. A picture of her and her mother at her graduation sat on the nightstand.
She longed to see her mother again. Was her mother protected? Did it even
matter if Jeffery was in Nome?

She
pushed the thoughts aside and turned to Turi as he shut the door behind them.

“What
did you want to see me about?” she asked.

He
stood there, his hands in the pockets of his jeans, just staring at her as if
he wasn’t sure where to begin.

“My
bother…he’s a little…let’s say over the top. Especially when it comes to the protection
of women and children. As his mate you’re going to get hit hard with that and I
reckon very soon. I wanted a moment to ask that you give him leeway. He’ll do
it so he doesn’t lose you as he lost…”

“Turi!”
Tad bellowed. Loud footsteps could be heard in the hall seconds before the door
flew open to reveal a very angry Tad. His fingers wrapped around Turi’s neck
and pushed him against the wall. “You have no right.”

Seconds
passed while she stood there in shock. “Tad…” She started to go toward him, her
arm outstretched to touch him, but thought better of it at the last second. The
anger poured off him in hot waves. If she touched him, it could easily be
turned onto her. Instead she moved around him, leaning against the wall next to
Turi’s body so she could look Tad in the eye and put as much authority in her
voice as she could muster.

“Stop.
This is not the time to be fighting amongst ourselves.”

“He
had no right to mention Rosemarie.” Even as Tad spoke she could see his grip
relax.

Turi
didn’t fight or even move, he just stood pressed against the wall and waited
for his brother to calm down. “With what’s happening, she needs to know. She
can’t be expected to follow your overprotective orders if she doesn’t
completely understand. Are you willing to risk the safety of your mates because
you’re stubborn?”

“Stop
this, both of you. This is insane.” Courtney was hurt he hadn’t trusted her
enough to tell her about this Rosemarie, and that Turi had tried to. It was
irrational since there had to be plenty of things she didn’t know about him, just
as he didn’t know things about her. For Turi to risk his brother’s anger, this
had to be worth it.

She
turned away. If they were going to fight it out and see who won, she wasn’t
willing to watch. She hadn’t heard anyone come down the hall, but Milo was
standing in the doorway appearing confused.

So I’m
not the only one being kept in the dark.

It
made her feel better about the situation for a moment, especially when Milo
held out his hand to her. She went to him, pressing herself against his chest, comforted
by the warmth of his embrace as he wrapped his arms around her. The only thing
missing was Tad’s touch to complete the trio.

Milo
ran his hand down her back. “Courtney’s right, Tad, this isn’t the time for
this. We can’t fight amongst ourselves when there’s danger lurking nearby. If
there’s one thing I know about Turi, he wouldn’t risk your anger if he wasn’t
adamant it was for the best.”

“Rosemarie
has nothing to do with what is at hand.” Tad growled.

Turi
didn’t back down. “She has everything to do with it when your decisions to
protect your mates will be affected by what happened in the past. If Courtney
knows, she might listen to you instead of reacting to the orders you give. She
hasn’t been raised among us and she doesn’t understand the danger. If she
questions your order because she feels you’re just being an overprotective ass,
she might get hurt…or worse. Is that what you want?”

“If I
was more protective, Rosemarie would still be alive.” Tad released his grip on
Turi’s neck and stepped back.

“Rosemarie
was a strong woman, and she refused to bend to any man’s will. She wouldn’t
have listened to you unless she believed it was the right thing. Even if you
had known what she was planning, you would have had to sedate her to stop her.”

“What
do you know, you were just a cub.”

“I
know it wasn’t your fault. In the last few months with the Alaskan Tigers
relying on you, you’ve begun to trust your instincts again. Now you need to
stop blaming yourself. The first step to putting this behind you is telling
your mates.” Turi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You’ve always been
stubborn, but now that you’re mated you need to think about the large picture.
I’ll let the three of you work it out while I check the perimeter.”

Milo
stepped to the side of the doorway, taking Courtney with him so Turi could get
around them, before shutting the door behind them.

“Courtney,
turn on your mom’s radio and find a station with white noise.”

“Why?”

“It
will make it harder for anyone else to hear whatever Tad needs to get off his
chest. There’s no need for Tate or Hazel to hear it.” Milo kissed her forehead
before she did as he asked.

“They
already know.” Sadness choked Tad’s voice. “Rosemarie…”