“What the hell?”
Panicked, I grabbed my purse and flashed down the hall to the second floor. “Someone’s outside,” I said, flying into Wyatt’s office, out of breath.
Gem and Claude’s apathetic faces greeted me from the black L-shaped sofa, where they were snacking on miniature donuts.
“Didn’t you hear me?” I asked in disbelief. “There’s a strange man lurking out back on our property. I couldn’t see if there are any others, but he pitched a tent.”
Wyatt slowly swiveled his computer chair and yawned. “That’s Blue’s new boyfriend.”
My heartbeat slowed. “What?”
Blue peered over the beanbag chair in front of the TV and stared daggers at Wyatt. “What did I tell you about the jokes?”
Wyatt angled his chair to hide from her and gave me an exaggerated wink. “What Imeantto say is that he’s courting Blue against her will.”
Claude dusted the powdered sugar off his hands. “That’s Matteo. Do you remember the man who helped us deliver the young to the sanctuary? I think they called it Wonderland.”
I jerked my head back. “That’s him? He came all this way just for Blue?” Matteo the mountain man must have been desperate for female companionship to travel all the way up to Cognito. On the bright side, at least he wasn’t here for me.
Gem practically swooned as her head fell against the back of the sofa. “I think it’sromantic.”
Blue stood. “There’s a fine line between romance and stalking.”
“Give him a chance,” Gem urged. “He’s a little dirty, but he’s amiable and brave. Claude told me all about what he did.”
Blue leaned against the vending machine and lifted her chin, daring anyone to challenge her. “I don’t want him inside the house. If he wants to camp out on private property, Viktor can deal with him. I’m dead serious. The last thing I need is a lovestruck Chitah following me around.”
“Courting is our way.” Claude crossed one leg over his knee, wearing nothing but grey sweatpants and a lazy grin. “I don’t know why Matteo would choose a Shifter when his kindred spirit could be out there, but don’t dismiss the seriousness of his intentions. This is how we prove ourselves the most worthy of all males. If he’s courting you, he’ll do it in the most honorable way.”
She folded her arms. “We’ll see how much honor he has left when he has to bathe in the pond.”
I hooked my purse strap over my shoulder and heaved a sigh. “Has anyone seen Christian?”
“Not since he left early last night,” Claude replied.
Wyatt rolled his chair around. “Maybe he’s cuddled up postcoital in the arms of a blond waitress, regretting his life choices.”
“If anyone sees him in the next hour, tell him to meet me at Crush’s house. If I’m not there, he can text me.”
Before leaving the room, I casually strolled over to the surge protector and stepped on the switch. All the electronics on Wyatt’s desk shut off.
“Hey!” Wyatt shouted as I left the room. “You’re worse than the spooks!”
* * *
Following a lengthy detour,I pulled my truck into my father’s driveway and parked behind his shiny red pickup. When I glanced at my passenger, I realized my father was going to murder me. After sleeping on it the night before, I decided that if he didn’t want one of his Shifter buddies babysitting him, I would find a suitable replacement. So I’d stopped off at the local animal shelter and found him a dog.
Well, more like a beast.
Aside from a rabbit he’d once given me, Crush had never owned a pet. Now that I knew about all his biker buddies, I understood why. Shifters generally weren’t fond of pets. It wasn’t that they didn’t like animals; they just didn’t like the idea of owning an animal that, in their mind, should be living free. As if poodles and basset hounds could ever run wild. They needed a master.
And Crush needed a guard.
I had walked by every cage, trying to decide what type of dog he might like. The cute, fluffy ones were automatically off the list even though I knew Crush had a soft heart. He needed a fierce companion that could protect him. The pit bulls available were too hyper, the bulldog was too lazy, and the German shepherd had no teeth. I really hesitated on that bulldog. Not only was it my father’s nickname, but he also had a tattoo of one. I finally settled on the dog that approached the cage door and looked ready for me to leash him up and take him home.
I glared at the pooch in the passenger seat, who sat taller than me. “You better make a good first impression.”
Once out of the truck, I opened the passenger door and let the dog free. He was big and muscular, a beautiful shade of red with a black muzzle and ears. When I glanced over the paperwork at the shelter, I realized he weighed more than I did. The leash had to go, mostly because he kept chewing on it during the ride. Plus, I had my doubts it would be effective. If he decided to bolt, he’d wind up dragging me down the street. The dog shook his head before following me up the porch steps.
