Damn it all to hell. Saffy had hoped that merely pointing out her brother was present at the party would be enough to get the boys to leave, but they weren’t budging. She had to hand it to them, they had balls the size of melons. Either that or they were incredibly stupid. Well, they were juveniles, so it was probably the latter. Male adolescent shifters had a bit of a god complex until they got in a fight or two with someone stronger than them and they realized they weren’t invincible. Clearly, that had yet to happen to these boys. Unfortunately it was going to, and soon, if they didn’t see some sense.
“Yeah, we could kick their asses,” one of the taller boy’s friends said.
This remark was made so loudly that Saffy winced and chanced a look over her shoulder to make sure Mason and his friends hadn’t overhead all the way across the yard.
“Will you shut the hell up?” she snapped. “Jesus, do you boys have a death wish? Do you really want to start a fight here? You know there are over thirty male lions here, right? They would love nothing more than to get their hands on a few dumbass Miguels. And that’s not to mention the lionesses here who could also kick your asses in their sleep.”
Damn it. That had been the wrong thing to say. Saffy realized it as soon as the words had fallen from her lips. It had been bad enough to imply that any of the male lions present could take them in a fight, but to then suggest that even the lionesses could best them was a serious blow to their male pride. Even if it was true. Ugh. Fragile male egos, it felt like they were the bane of her life. Certainly the bane of her evening. Male shifters were ridiculously sensitive about things like that—even more than the average human male, which was why she tended not to date shifters on the rare occasions she gave it a go. She’d insulted the boys. Badly. She should have kept her mouth shut. In fact, she shouldn’t even be arguing with them at all. She was the adult. She should have known better.
The tallest boy was so angry his body began to vibrate, signaling the onset of a shift. A moment later, a fine dusting of feathers covered his forearms.
“Oh, now you’ve gone and done it, lady!” one of the boy’s friends groaned.
“I’m sorry for saying that,” she told him quietly, calmly. “Just relax, will you? Everything’s going to be all right. You just need to calm down.”
“I could take on anyone here!” the boy roared. “Anyone!”
Well, hell. There went her plans for keeping their presence under wraps. If she didn’t handle this quickly and carefully, her sister’s party would descend into chaos—a dangerous brawl at best, a bloodbath at worst. Perhaps she should go and call her father to come and handle the situation. He and her mother were watching movies in their bedroom with the door locked so they couldn’t be disturbed. Her mother had wanted them to be close at hand in case they were needed, but out of sight so that the presence of the dominant male wasn’t a deterrent for the kids to have fun. This felt like the kind of situation her father would want to be alerted to. Saffy was just about to run up to call him when a voice stopped her in her tracks.
“What the fuck is this?” her brother said from over her shoulder.
Saffy winced then spun around to face him.
“Now, Mason,” she said. “Leave them alone, okay? They’re just kids.”
“We’re notkids!” the boy shouted.
Saffy closed her eyes. For crying out loud. She’d done it again. What the heck was wrong with her? No, wait, what the heck was wrong withthem?And there she’d been thinking that being overly sensitive about someone pointing out their age was a woman’s prerogative, but she had the sense to keep that thought to herself, while there was still at least some chance of this evening ending without bloodshed. But really, what the hell was the Miguel family teaching their kids? They ought to raise them to have at least a little more sense.
A toothy grin spread across Mason’s lips, one that was full of menace.
“You heard what they said, sis, they’re not kids.” Mason grinned. “Well, if they want to be treated like adults, they can get their asses kicked liked adults, too.”
Leon and Jason had taken up a flanking position behind Saffy’s brother and chuckled at his poor excuse for a joke.
“Please, Mason,” she said. “Don’t start anything. Not tonight, not here at Charlotte’s party.”
“I didn’t start a fucking thing,” Mason slurred, making Saffy groan inwardly. That was what she needed—a drunk, testosterone fueled Mason who thought his family had been insulted. Excellent. Tonight just kept getting better and better.
“Theystarted it by trespassing on private property. Who the fuck do they think they are?” He shouldered around her and got up in the boy’s faces. “Who thefuckdo you think you are?”
Saffy uttered a prayer that they would finally develop some belated sense and keep their mouths shut.
“We’re Miguels!” the tallest boy replied. “Who the fuck do you thinkyouare?”
And so much for that. Figured that it had been too much to hope for. And now his idiotic reply had undoubtedly sealed the boy’s fate. There was only one way this could end. Her sister’s party was about to go to hell in a handbasket and she had serious concerns for the safety of the trio of teenagers. She needed to alert her father, but if she left now, there would be no one who would dare stand up to her brother. She looked around to try to get her sister’s attention, but she couldn’t see her anywhere. Saffy was on her own. Just great.
Chapter Three
Ramon
Even if he hadn’t known the address where the party was being held, it would have been obvious when they arrived on the street. Music was blaring out of the largest house on the road by far, and some of the partygoers had spilled out onto the large, immaculate front yard. Ramon parked along the curb opposite and cut the engine.
“And into the lion’s den we go,” he murmured.
Nash chuckled. “Bet you feel safer knowing you’ve got a big strong bear to protect you, don’t you, huh?”
Ramon barked out a laugh. “You might be about ten times as big as me in shifted form, but my hawk could still kick your bear’s ass in a fight.”
