Figuring he’d get answers later, he watched as Trip sought out Adam, nodded at him, then took off at a run in the same direction El and Ryan had taken earlier.
“He seems… panicked.”
“That’s one way to describe it.Trip’s relatively chilled out, but tonight’s tough on everyone.”
It was?Shawn frowned, then steered the conversation back to where he wanted it.“I knew about Shifters thanks to my time in the CUBS.”
Adam’s brows rose.“You served there?”
“Yeah.I did.I was leader for a few years, then I got out and went into private security.”
“Excuse me for saying it, but wasn’t that a bit of a come down?”
“You do know who the Forsythe-Drews are, right?”Shawn huffed under his breath.“What they spend a year on security is like a third world nation’s debt.I had a lot of access to a lot of information.It’s been interesting.Plus, El, she’s like… Well, she’s like family to me.”Lies.
All.Fucking.Lies.
She wasn’t like family.She was family.Simple as that.
Adam murmured, “I’m surprised you’ve never seen a half-shift before if you were in the CUBS.”
“Why?”
“Only the strongest Shifters can half-shift.It takes a hell of a lot of energy to harness the magic of the shift.Ryan is the only one who can hold it for long enough to attack.In this Pride anyway.Trip, his partner, the guy you just saw, and the other partner, Marcus, can hold it for a brief time, but not enough to do a lot of damage.”
“Why?”
Adam shrugged.“We’re supposed to be human or beast.Not both.His ability is why he’s Pride leader and at such a short age.”
Shawn frowned at that.“Seriously?That’s why he’s leader?”
“To a certain degree, sure.Of course, there are other reasons, but even as evolved as we are, we still appreciate strength.”Adam pursed his lips.“Ryan is the strongest Lion Shifter in the state, bar none.If he wanted to take it further, he probably could.There are few men who could do what he did tonight.Attack the way he did without falling into a frenzy, I mean.”
“You mean to tell me he could have hurt El?”
“No.Never!”Adam immediately retorted.“You?Likely.”
He grimaced.“Good to know that I’m technically on borrowed time.”
Adam snorted.“I wouldn’t go that far.Not with Ryan, anyway.My point is, he’s strong enough to go further than state leader.”
“Why are you telling me this?”Shawn asked, curious now.
“Because you asked?”
“It’s more than that.”
Adam shot him a look.“There’s a reason why his beast knew to spare you.”
“There is?It isn’t just his mighty control?”If he put a hint of mockery into the word ‘mighty’, who could blame him?
Ryan was sweeping El out from under him.It didn’t matter that she’d never been his in the first place.Little issues like that were never of any concern to the heart.
“It probably is that, don’t get me wrong.But it might be more.I’m trained to look out for ‘more’.”
“What is it you do here?”
“I’m the troubleshooter.”He grinned.“Well, I prefer that to PA.”
