Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
T alon knocked on Thorne and Wicked’s door and then waited. Within a minute, the door swung open. “Where the hell is that cat?” Talon growled, walking past Thorne, who stepped aside.
“What the hell did Bruce do now?” Thorne sighed, following Talon into the kitchen. “I told him to stop leaving dead shit on the guesthouse porch.”
Talon looked around but didn’t see Bruce anywhere. Thorne and Talon went way back. Thorne had called him a few weeks ago about a rumor that some developer wanted to buy up the woods and town that separated their world from the humans. Talon didn’t even hesitate; he hopped on his motorcycle and headed this way. He was in between jobs as it was and needed a break.
“The dumbass talked in front of a human female,” Talon said, leaning against the counter. “She almost hit him with her bike. He, of course, ran his mouth. Then, once I thought I had her convinced she didn’t hear a cat talking, he did it again. How have you not killed that fucking thing?”
“She had the gall to call me mangy.” Bruce strolled into the room as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “I think I had every right to defend my honor.”
“Your honor?” Thorne snorted, his eyes narrowing. “You don’t know the meaning of the word.”
Bruce ignored that as he looked up at Talon. “She almost ran over my tail, riding like a bat out of hell through the woods.” Bruce faked a look of outrage. “And Thorne isn’t allowed to kill me. He promised Wicked.”
“Yeah, well, I made no such promise,” Talon growled, showing teeth.
“And I never promised not to pay someone to kill your mangy ass,” Thorne warned, then glanced at Talon. “You up for the job?”
“Where is all the mangy talk coming from, huh?” Bruce looked down at himself. “I just got a shampoo and blowout from Daisy two days ago, and she ain’t cheap.”
Talon glared at Bruce, his black hair as wild and untamed as his mood. This fucking cat was a pain in the ass, but dammit, he almost smiled.
“You’re lucky I don’t throw your ass out in the street, Wicked’s familiar or not.” Thorne threatened with a hiss. “She heard you talk, and now she knows something is up. What were you thinking?”
“Of not getting run over by a damn bike.” Bruce hissed back. “And I wasn’t really thinking. That’s the beauty of being a cat. We don’t have to worry about consequences.”
“What about the consequences of a wolf chewing you up and spitting you out?” Talon let his wolf surface just enough to growl. Bruce’s eyes widened as he stepped back, which was the reaction Talon was going for. “What if she tells someone? Did you think of that?”
“She won’t. I listened to the whole conversation between you guys.” Bruce said, giving a cat shrug. “She’s more curious than scared. And besides, today isn’t the first time I’ve seen her snooping around the woods researching about this book of hers. It’s only a matter of time before she stumbles on the truth.”
Thorne raised his eyebrow at that. “A book?”
“Yeah,” Talon muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “She’s writing a paranormal book. Something about the woods being full of Shifters and Witches. She’s lived here her whole life and heard the stories.”
“That’s a problem,” Thorne’s gaze turned intense. “If she starts connecting the dots, she’ll expose everything.”
“Guys, chill the fuck out.” Bruce chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m a damn cat, and I know what a paranormal book is. Hell, Wicked’s read them before. Haven’t you ever heard of Twilight? The sparkling vampire guy and the hunky hunk wolf Shifter who fights over the same girl?”
When both Talon and Thorne looked at each other clueless, then back at Bruce, he slapped his paw to his face. “So let me get this straight. You’re thinking this slip of a girl is going to write a paranormal book about this place to expose us?”
“What else would she be writing about?” Thorne frowned, confused.
“Love you dumb shit,” Bruce said, then jumped when Thorne took a step toward him but stopped when Wicked walked into the room.
“What’s going on?” Wicked frowned at Thorne, then looked at Bruce. “What the hell did you do now?”
“You offend me,” Bruce said, trying to sound offended, but failed. “Why do you automatically think I did something?”
“He talked in front of a human female,” Talon informed her, ignoring Bruce’s glare. “Twice.”
“Bruce!” Wicked scolded, throwing her hand on her hip. “What in the hell were you thinking?”
“Okay, you’re late to the party. I already explained all this. I wasn’t thinking.” Bruce rolled his eyes. “Now explain to these two dipshits what a paranormal book usually consists of especially written by a female.”
“Huh?” Wicked was looking between the three, confused.
Talon was a second away from strangling Bruce. “Just fucking tell us, dammit.”
“It’s romance. Paranormal romance. She is probably writing a romance book. A human female who falls in love with a Shifter like yourself or a vampire, which is fucking weird, but whatever. They get it on, doing the nasty, and then the bad guy takes the girl. The good guy saves the girl. And then they do the dirty again. It’s a thing women love to read.” Bruce answered, then glanced at Wicked. “Does that pretty much sum it up?”
“You read that shit?” Thorne turned his attention back to Wicked, who was half grinning at Bruce’s description of paranormal romance.
“I do,” Wicked said without apology. “You got a problem with it?”
Thorne eyed her a few minutes longer, probably thinking it was safer not to answer that. “This is a definite problem. It doesn’t matter what she is writing. We could all be exposed if she continues to snoop around and finds something more than a talking cat. With the possibility of a developer looking into the property, we can’t take that chance.”
“You’re right,” Wicked said, not looking too happy about what she was hearing. “Someone needs to keep an eye on her. If she is close to the truth, we’ll have to deal with it.”
Bruce, ever the opportunist, hopped up on the table, eyeing Talon. “You could befriend her. I mean, you did knock someone out on her behalf, did you not?”
“What?” Thorne’s eyes widened.
“It was either me or him. I picked me.” Talon muttered, but Thorne continued to glare at him. “He was going to sucker punch me.” He said as if that explained everything.
“If you keep her close, you can make sure she doesn’t find out anything,” Bruce continued, looking at his paw as if coming up with the most incredible plan of all time. “You’re charming, mysterious, and brooding—all the things women like. Spend some time with her, make sure she stays out of trouble and out of the woods. And if someone is talking about this developer or the sale of the woods, you’ll hear about it.”
“I have to admit, as much as I fucking hate to, he’s got a point,” Thorne replied, giving Bruce a nod. “It’s not the worst plan Bruce has ever devised.”
“Bruce is the reason we’re in this situation.” Talon snarled, then sighed. “I’m not playing babysitter.” He really didn’t like where this was going.
“You wouldn’t be,” Bruce said, his cat chest puffed out with self-importance. “You’d be protecting her like a hero in her story, as well as our secrets. Who knows, maybe if she doesn’t find anything, she will forget about writing a paranormal book.”
“Fuck!” Talon cursed, running his hand through his hair. “I don’t like it, but if it’s the only way to keep her from digging deeper...”
“It’s the only way for now,” Thorne said, glancing at Wicked. “We’ll talk to Zelda and Mac and let them know what’s going on.”
Talon frowned, not liking the fact that Mac, the King of the Shifters, was going to be informed, but he knew that’s what had to be done.
“Fine,” Talon grumbled. “But if this backfires, I’m holding you all responsible.”
Bruce grinned, looking confident. “What could possibly go wrong?”