Breaking the Surface (Legendary Shifters #15)

Chapter One

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THE ROSES ON THE KITCHEN counter should have been Peter’s first warning.

He froze in the doorway of the apartment, keys still dangling from his fingers. What looked like a dozen red roses sat in a cheap glass vase he’d never seen before. Their petals were already starting to brown at the edges, like they weren’t fresh. Lou’s version of romance was always a little off.

“You’re late.”

Peter’s stomach dropped. Lou stood in the kitchen archway, arms crossed over his chest, wearing the smile that never reached his eyes, the smile that meant Peter had done something wrong, even if he didn’t know what yet.

“I—I didn’t know you were coming over.” Peter kept his voice steady as he closed the door behind him. “I was at Vincent’s, helping him move. I texted you.”

“Yeah, you did.” Lou moved into the living room, and Peter’s heart started racing. He already knew how this would end. “You’re always at Vincent’s lately, and now he’s moved in with his boyfriend.”

Peter put down his keys, buying himself time to think. Every instinct screamed at him to run, but that would only make it worse. He swallowed and told himself to breathe. “He’s my best friend. I haven’t seen him much since—”

“Since he found his perfect little boyfriend.” Lou’s voice was light, but Peter had learned to hear the anger underneath. He’d been with Lou long enough to know this was a trap. “Must be nice. Playing house with two gorgeous men in love. What’s it like, Peter? Do they let you watch?”

“What?” Peter’s hands clenched at his sides. His body flushed with embarrassment and anger. “Lou, that’s disgusting. Vincent is my friend.” It was all he’d ever been, and all Peter had ever wanted from him.

“Is he?” Lou stepped closer. Peter tracked his movement like he was watching a predator, even though Lou was human. His instincts screamed at him to shift and let his kelpie form take over, to run for the nearest body of water where he’d be safe.

But Lou couldn’t know. No one could know what Peter was—especially not Lou, who’d spent their entire relationship making disparaging comments about animals pretending to be human.

“Because from where I’m standing,” Lou continued, “you’re spending an awful lot of time with a happy couple. Makes a guy wonder if you’re angling for an invitation. A nice little threesome with your best friend and his boyfriend.”

Peter’s hands shook. “You’re out of your mind. Vincent and Ronan are together. I would never—” He stopped himself, again, recognizing the trap. Defending himself would only make Lou angrier. But staying silent felt like accepting the accusation.

He couldn’t win.

The backhand came so fast that Peter didn’t have time to dodge. His head snapped to the side, and he tasted blood as pain exploded across his cheekbone, radiating down his jaw.

“Don’t.” Lou’s hand fisted in Peter’s shirt, yanking him close enough that Peter could see how red his eyes were.

He smelled of alcohol, which wasn’t a surprise.

“Don’t you dare lie to me. I came home early to surprise you, to do something nice for once, since you always complain.

” He gestured at the roses. “And you’re not even here. Instead, you were with them again.”

“I told you I was going to help Vincent move.” Peter’s voice came out trembling. He hated how weak he sounded.

Lou shoved him hard. Peter stumbled backward, his leg hitting the edge of the couch. His kelpie form pushed against his skin, demanding he fight back and protect himself.

He couldn’t. If Lou saw what he was, he’d either beat him to death or sell him off to whoever offered him the most money.

“You told me?” Lou laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “Oh, you told me. Like that makes it okay. Like I don’t notice you spending all your time with your new friends. What, you think they’re better than me? That they can give you something I can’t? You think you’re one of them?”

That last question made Peter’s blood run cold. Lou was talking about the pack. Did he suspect what Peter was? Peter had been so careful.

“I don’t think that.” Peter’s cheek throbbed. He could already feel the bruise forming there. “Lou, please. I was just helping Vincent.”

“You’re always just something.” Lou moved closer again, and Peter made himself small. He’d learned to do that the hard way. “Just visiting. Just helping. Just being a good friend. When do you think about being a good boyfriend, huh? When do you think about me?”

Lou grabbed Peter’s arm, his fingers digging in hard enough to bruise Peter there, too. Peter couldn’t help but flinch.

He thought about Lou all the time. He’d organized his entire life around managing Lou’s temper. “I’m sorry. I should’ve—”

“Should’ve what? Should have been here?” Lou jerked him closer. “Should have appreciated what you have? Because let me tell you something, Peter. You think those people give a damn about you? You’re nothing special. I’m the only one who puts up with your shit.”

The words were almost worse than the backhand. Peter had heard some version of the speech so many times he could probably recite it from memory, but it never hurt less. Part of him wondered if Lou was right. Maybe he was nothing special. Maybe he didn’t deserve better.

Then he thought of Vincent today. He’d been happy in a way Peter had never seen before Vincent found Ronan again.

And Ronan had been so nice. He’d welcomed Peter, had offered him lunch, and had made him feel welcome in the home he shared with Vincent.

And the other pack members Peter had met had been just as friendly and had made him feel like he belonged.

Lou shoved Peter again. Peter stumbled down, his back hitting the coffee table. Pain radiated up his spine, stealing his breath. Lou was standing over Peter, fists clenched, his expression twisted with rage. He looked like a stranger, or maybe Peter was finally seeing him clearly.

“You’re mine. Not Vincent’s. Not Ronan’s. Mine. And it’s time you remembered that.”

Peter curled in on himself, protecting his vital organs.

He fought every instinct that screamed at him to shift and run.

His skin itched with the need to transform, but if he shifted, it would be so much worse.

Lou hated shifters. If he knew Peter was one of them and had been lying to him for so long, well.

Peter didn’t want to imagine what Lou would do.

The first kick caught him in the ribs. The impact pushed the air out of Peter’s lungs.

The second kick hit his shoulder, and something crunched in a way that made his vision go white.

Peter bit his lower lip to keep from screaming.

He tasted blood, but he knew that screaming wouldn’t help. Nothing would.

“You think you can just leave whenever you want?” Another kick, this one to Peter’s hip. “You think I don’t see what you’re doing? Getting ideas about leaving me?”

Peter couldn’t answer, even if he tried. He couldn’t breathe.

“Answer me!” Lou’s foot connected with Peter’s stomach, and Peter cried out. The sound seemed to satisfy something in Lou because he stepped back, breathing hard. “You’re not going anywhere, Peter. You’re staying right here with me, where you belong. You understand?”

Peter nodded. Everything hurt. His ribs felt like they were shattered.

“Good.” Lou’s voice turned almost gentle. “I’m going home, but I’ll see you tomorrow. And, Peter? Think about what you’ve done and how you’ve been disrespecting our relationship. When I get back, we’re going to have a serious talk about boundaries.”

Peter heard Lou walk away, then the apartment door open and close. He waited, still afraid to move. Sometimes, Lou came back, but he didn’t this time. Peter was lucky because he was pretty sure that another beating would kill him.

He had to get away.

* * * *

brADEN’S EYES FELT gritty. He blinked, hoping to get rid of the sensation of having something stuck there, but he didn’t. His eyes just burned, reminding him that he needed to stop staring at his computer screen and go home.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. He really should do that, but he still had work to do.

When he’d started his agency with his best friend, he’d known it would be a lot of work, but he hadn’t expected to spend as much time as he did in front of a screen.

He’d gotten into it to help people, and they did.

He just hadn’t expected helping people to come with so much paperwork.

He blinked his eyes open. He was almost done reviewing security protocols for the pack.

Once that was done, he could go to bed. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn’t get nearly as much sleep as he needed, but it was better than none.

He had to be back at the office early tomorrow morning to talk to a potential new client.

Remi used to do that, but since he’d moved in with the pack, it was easier for Braden to do it.

He lived closer to the office, at least until they opened a new one in Rosewood.

Braden tapped his fingertips on his desk.

There had to be a way to do this kind of meeting using the computer.

He knew that some people wouldn’t like it, but he didn’t like talking to most potential clients anyway.

A lot of them were rich assholes, especially since the agency had started getting good word-of-mouth reviews.

Most of the jobs felt more like babysitting than anything else, which was one of the reasons Braden was happy that he was one of the owners rather than one of the guys doing security, but sometimes, even he had to get his hands dirty.

Remi had gotten out of that by leaving town.

Braden couldn’t do so yet, although he was tempted.