Lily rolled her eyes. “No, I’m not. They’re not as judgmental about shifters down here. I have to get back to work. You really should just go back to Slatefall, Declan, because you’re wasting your time.”
The door opened as she stood and two men stepped inside. Lily grinned when she saw who’d entered the shop. Remy and Gage Delacroix were not only brothers but members of the local shifter group, the Black Water Pard. They were leopards, and one would think with her being a wolf they wouldn’t get along, but they did. “Hey, you two, I haven’t seen you in weeks; you had me worried. Everything okay?” She stopped long enough to give them both a quick hug before she slipped behind the counter.
“Yeah, just had some tings to take care of, cher,” Remy said. “Lookin’ good. Still seein’ dat boy, Keith?” he asked as he took a seat at the counter.
Gage slid into the seat next to his brother and rolled his eyes. Remy was a shameless flirt but he didn’t mean anything by it most of the time.
Lily laughed. “He’s not a boy, Remy, and yes, we’re still dating.” She knew the instant they caught Declan’s scent because both males tensed. They turned on the stools and focused their attention on him. Damn it. “Before you both go getting all territorial, this is Declan Monroe. My father sent him here.” They knew all about why she’d fled her home in Montana. She’d been at the shop a week the first time she’d met them and discovered she was in Pard territory. She’d had to meet with their Alpha, Caine Bordeaux, and tell him the entire story. It was with his permission that she remained in their territory, and over the last four years, she’d become close with several members of the Pard. She had a feeling they came in so much because they were keeping an eye on her.
Declan
When he’d entered the shop, Declan had approached the counter. There was a time when the look the other server gave him would have gotten a reaction from him. Once upon a time he would have looked the woman over and taken her up on the unspoken offer of getting her under him. He was a male, after all, and the woman exuded sex appeal. But he wasn’t interested. No, the object of his desire was standing a little behind her. Lily. The woman was fucking gorgeous. She had curves in all the right places. Lily wasn’t one of those women who bought into the media hype that said a woman had to be a size two to be beautiful, and she definitely flaunted her curves. He loved a woman with confidence.
He’d managed to get Lily to sit down and talk with him for a few minutes. It didn’t go quite as well as he’d hoped, but then he really hadn’t expected her to just give in. No, she had a stubborn streak that both frustrated him and turned him on.
“I have to get back to work. You really should just go back to Slatefall, Declan, because you’re wasting your time.”
He’d started to argue with her but didn’t get the chance. When the door had opened and the two men entered, Declan hadn’t missed the way Lily’s face had lit up when she’d seen them. His eyes narrowed. Who the fuck were they and why was she so happy to see them? He had to stifle his growl when she hugged them before she headed back around the counter. For a woman who professed to care so much about her boyfriend, she was awfully friendly with other men. He cocked a brow when they suddenly turned on the stools. If they realized he was there, they had to be shifters, as well. The question was, what species? He rose from where he was sitting and approached them with a cocky look on his face.
As Declan made his way to them, Lily spoke up. “Declan, this is Remy and Gage Delacroix; they’re part of the Black Water Pard and this is their territory’.”
Declan glanced at her. “You could have shared that bit of information a little sooner.”
She gave a mockingly sweet smile. “And ruin all the fun? Now why would I do that? Besides, if you’d left when I told you to go tell my father to shove it, there wouldn’t be an issue now, would there?”
Gage laughed. “You have got one hell of a wicked sense of humor, Lily.”
Declan felt his hackles rise. He needed to get out of there before he did something stupid. “I’ve got to head out but I’ll be back later,” he told her and left. If he’d stayed much longer there would have been a fight between him and the Delacroix brothers. They were too damn friendly with his mate and he didn’t like it.
Lily
Lily relaxed once he was gone and focused on the brothers. “I really was worried about you two. You usually come in here once a week and it’s been three since I saw you last.”
“We’ve had some…issues to take care of. No’ting to worry about,” Remy said. “So, let me guess, you’ve found your mate, or rather he’s found you, but you, bein’ you, you’re fightin’ it aren’t you, cher?”
She gave him a dirty look. “I’m dating someone, and I’m not a cheater, so yes, I’m ignoring it.”
Gage shook his head. “You can only do dat for so long before da attraction is too strong. We have to be gettin’ back. Just wanted to drop in to grab some coffee and see how you were doin’. Does he know why you left home?” He picked up the coffee she set in front of him and took a sip.
“Yes, he knows. I’ve already told him I’m not going back there so he’s wasting his time hanging around hoping I’ll change my mind and let him drag me back to Montana. This is home now and this is where I’m staying.”
Remy and Gage both chuckled. “Dat wolf has his work cut out for him if he hopes to claim you as his mate, cher,” Remy said. “Like Gage said, we better get out of here. Watch your back, Lily. Dere have been some…problems lately with some jaguar shifters. We’re lookin’ into it and takin’ care of it, but you still need to keep an eye out. If you see anyting dat gets your hackles up, let us know.”
Lily blinked. “Jaguars? Do I even want to know?” At the shake of his head, she sighed. “I’ll keep an eye out. Take care, and don’t be such strangers.” There was a teasing note in her voice.
Gage looked at her. “You know you’ll have to bring him to meet Caine. He’s in our territory; if he doesn’t want to have da Pard huntin’ him, he needs to get Caine’s permission to stay in New Orleans.”
Lily sighed. “Yeah, I know. I just keep hoping he’ll take the hint and go back to Montana.”
“Cher, you’re his mate, whether you like it or not. He’s not gonna leave unless you’re wit’ him. Let me know when you’re ready to bring him out to da compound, and I’ll bring da boat,” Remy told her.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. I’m not off again for a couple of days; I’ll get him out there then.”
“You do dat, cher,” he replied before he grabbed his coffee and headed out with his brother.
Lily watched them go. She couldn’t help but wonder what trouble was brewing between the Black Water Pard and the Red Moon Clan. Why were the jaguars, who’d been content to remain in their own territory for so long, suddenly coming into Black Water Pard territory, causing trouble? With a soft sigh she pushed the thought out of her mind—it wasn’t like there was anything she could do about it—and turned her attention to her work.
