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“Did Xander send you or someone else?”
“Does it matter?”
Ivan didn't answer, just continued glaring at Aspen.
“Her parents are worried sick about her. You know how domestics are. That's all.”
“Bullshit.”
“She's got a fiancé. He's worried about her too. Bet you didn't know that, did you?”
Ah, good old Aspen still up to the same tricks. Ivan knew damn well any “fiancé” Molly might have had not been of her choosing. Ivan remained silent, refusing to take the bait.
“Come on. Since when do you give a shit about the affairs of domestics?” Aspen tried again.
Any other time it might be a fair question. But right now, Ivan wanted to kick some ass.
“Oh, I see. You got a thing for her? She's a cutie from what I hear.”
A growl tore from Ivan's throat, and it took all he had not to lunge at the guy he'd once considered his friend.
“You better not have messed around with her. Her parents are expecting her to be returned intact if you know what I mean.”
An even louder growl rose from Ivan's throat. Knowing what a spunky spirit Molly possessed, it pissed him off to hear someone talk about her as if she was nothing more than a piece of meat to be tossed to a pack of wolves.
“You're still doing this shit? Playing enforcer for arranged matings? It's pretty pathetic, Aspen.”
His old friend didn't even flinch. “It pays the bills. Don't act like you haven't been there. Fuck, I bet you're being paid to keep her and the other runaways off the grid.”
“I'm just doing what's right. They're people, not dolls.”
“They're shifters first. Domestics have their rules and customs for a reason, and you know it.”
Ivan stepped forward until he stood toe to toe with Aspen. His voice sounded low and threatening even to his ears. “Yeah, well all that shit is changing. A new power is taking over, and these old 'rules and customs' are done.”
That finally seemed to break through Aspen's cool exterior.
“What are you talking about?”
“You hear anything about the rebels outta Catcall Falls?”
“Who hasn't? Two of the Elders went missing. The whole fucking town is in chaos. The Knight girl has a rather large bounty on her head.”
“Paid by who?” Ivan demanded. The Edmunds were dead. No one else should care about Onyx to put up that kind of money.
“The Alpha of their clowder. No one has retrieved a body, so the bounty is still in effect. I don't think anyone is working overtime on it, because they can't be sure they'll get paid. But it's still out there.”
Fucking great. Just what Onyx needed. “Well, someone might want to touch base with someone on the Elder council, because one of those old bastards showed up and appointed her leader of the rebels. Oh, and the Edmunds are dead by the way; she killed them. That clowder has no Alpha right now.”
“Jesus Christ. You saw this and didn't stop her?”
“Fuck no. Tell anyone you think might be looking to collect on that bounty that she's got powers like they have never seen from a domestic, and they might want to back the hell off.”
Aspen bristled but nodded. “Understood. She's not my mission anyway. I'm here for the other one.”
“I can't help you there.”
Aspen sighed. “Don't make me come after you Ivan. We were once like brothers.”
“Those days are long gone. I just want to live my life away from that shit.”
Aspen paused, studying him, assessing if what Ivan said held any truth. Ivan straightened his spine, rolling his shoulders back, never taking his eyes away from Aspen's face.
Aspen broke the eye contact first, looking down at the floor.
“I can't tell if you're bullshitting me anymore man. I hope for your sake you don't know where she is.”
Ivan crossed his arms over his chest, tilted his head, and kept staring his old friend down.
“Fine, fine. I'm outta here. Take care, brother.” Aspen turned and pounded down the stairs and took off down the street. Ivan watched him until he disappeared at the corner. Smart move parking far enough away that Ivan couldn't I.D. his ride. He would have done the same.
Ivan snorted and turned, slamming the flat of his palm against the side of the house. Fuck! Aspen had been one of the best damn Enforcers he'd ever worked with. If the Elders had put him on Molly's tail, hiding at that exposed house would not be good enough. He needed to move her to his lair, like yesterday. It would be the only way to ensure her safety.
Sure buddy, keep telling yourself that's the only reason you want her all to yourself.
Molly's eyes went wide as she stared up at Ivan. Her hands curled into fists as she jabbed them into her hips. “Pack my things? Why?”
“We're going back to my home, where it will be safer for you. You can recover from your ordeal, and I can protect you best there.”
Onyx, who'd seemed as surprised as Molly when Ivan had walked in the door and ordered her to start packing, stepped in. “We can keep her safe here.”
“No disrespect but you can't.” The gruff tone he took with Onyx surprised her. He vibrated with an urgent need to get out of the house.
He turned and motioned to the others. “When y'all figure out the next move, let us know. We'll go from there.” His gaze returned to Molly. “You can call as much as you want.”
His words made sense, but Molly couldn't help the guilt that prickled through her. “I should stay here and help out.”
Ivan's warm fingers slid over her arm. “You don't understand. These Enforcers are coming for you. If Aspen found my house, he's much too close already.”
Onyx sighed. “At least wait until Cole gets back, he can do a spell—
“Trust me. I admire the wizard's work, but some chanting and incense is not going to keep these guys away.”
“Then how do you know we'll be safe anywhere?” Molly bit her lip to stop the automatic quiver that followed her question.
“You've seen my set up, but you don't know how I designed it. I can keep you safe there.”
She nodded. None of the other options made as much sense. She trusted Ivan.
He lifted his shoulders, then turned to Onyx. “If Cole has anything he wants to give me to magically cloak the place as well, I'm willing.”
“I don't know. I think he needs to be there to personally seal the spell.”
“Not gonna happen. No offense.”
Onyx didn't say anything, but Molly was pretty sure her friend took offense. The matter seemed closed to Ivan. His eyes stared into her, searching for acquiescence she supposed. Still too tired to fight, she nodded. A thrill zinged through her at the idea of being holed up with Ivan. Alone in his lair.
“Go on up and pack your stuff, kitten.”
While Ivan sat around waiting for Molly to do who knew what upstairs, Onyx busied herself making up a large batch of spaghetti. A pretty rosy glow danced over her pale skin, and she hummed while she worked. Cole stood in the kitchen, watching her every move. In another lifetime, Ivan would have scoffed at their obvious affection for each other. Love was for pussies. It made you weak. It made you do stupid things that couldn't be undone. Something about watching them stirred an unnamable longing inside of him though.
Was that why he wanted Molly to himself? No. He wanted to protect her. The idea of Aspen being so close had him jumping out of his skin to get moving.
“You're sure you guys won't stay for dinner?” Onyx asked with a worried frown.
“As much as I love your cooking, no. I gotta get her out of here.”
Cole placed his hands flat on the counter and leaned over. “The place is magically cloaked now.”
Ivan didn't want to say it with the others so close, but he didn't trust them not to give up the location of the safe house. “I know. But you don't know this guy the way I do. He's relentless.”
Cole nodded, not seeming offended. He cast a glance in Onyx's d
irection. “I know what they're capable of.”
Ivan tapped his fingers against his leg in a restless rhythm. What the fuck was taking her so long?
Cole's lips curved in a knowing smile. He mouthed the word “girls” at him and rolled his eyes. That broke the tension, and Ivan actually chuckled.
“Let me go grab something for you guys before you take off,” Cole said, leaving the kitchen.
After what seemed like a damn decade, Molly pounded down the stairs weighed down with at least five different bags. Out of breath and looking pretty stinkin' adorable. His mouth twisted and one eyebrow shot up as he looked at all the bags.
“What? I'm on the run. Never know what I might need.” A sly smile curved her lips as she dumped the bags at his feet. Apparently she expected him to play pack mule as well as protector. Whatever it took. He just wanted to get her out of here.
Oscar wandered in from the living room and snagged a slice of ham off the tray of appetizers Onyx was preparing. She tapped his hand lightly with the back of a wooden spoon and continued working.
“If these guys are as dangerous as you say, Ivan, she should consider turning herself in now before things get out of hand,” Oscar mumbled around a mouthful of meat.
The wooden spoon Onyx held clattered to the floor.
Molly's jaw dropped, and rage blew through Ivan. The need to hit something—or more specifically Oscar—burned bright, but he managed to reign in his temper, not wanting to upset Molly anymore. He met the gazes of the others one by one.
“Let's be clear. We are not turning her over.”
“Of course we're not,” Onyx agreed her pretty face screwed into a scowl. “How can you even say that Oscar?”
Ivan relaxed a notch. He looked the others over. Kipp, Deacon, and Martha also seemed stunned by Oscar's suggestion. The little prick must be motivated by jealousy.
“It's her parents looking for her. They're not going to hurt her,” Oscar offered lamely.
Ivan stared him down. “They're not going to play tickle monster with her either. Maybe you don't realize this, but Molly could have died in that damn cave...and you want to turn her over to the same people who almost killed her?”
Oscar paled and took a step back. “I don't want to turn her over, I just thought—
“You're wrong.” Ivan wanted there to be no mistake about his feelings on the subject.
“Fine, whatever. Have fun in your new prison, Molly.” Oscar stormed off, shaking his head.
A deep frown furrowed Molly's brow. The minute she turned those clear baby blue eyes his way, an iron fist of protectiveness clamped down over him. Without a doubt, he'd made the right decision. She would be safest under his protection.
“Let's go.”
Their walk through the woods and hike up the mountainside was uneventful. Weighed down with her belongings, neither of them could make the journey faster by shifting. As they approached Ivan's lair, he paused. He'd seen the rocky ledges that made up his home thousands of times before, but today he tried to look at it as an enforcer would. When he built the place, his enforcer training had been in mind. It was an easy location to defend and a hard one to sneak up on or break into by force. No one should be able to get close without him knowing about it. He'd have to patrol the perimeter tonight. Check out all of his surveillance cameras. He'd gotten lax the last few years. Having Molly to protect would sharpen his skills up real quick. Something about her made all his protective instincts go into overdrive. No matter how much he might want to push it aside, he couldn't.
Molly dropped her bags to the ground and grinned. “We made it. Finally.”
As she turned toward him, she stumbled. Her hands shot out, curling against his chest to keep from falling. On instinct, he let the bags go and steadied her with his hands. Having her so close, he inhaled her delicate scent and couldn't help himself. He leaned in, tasting Molly's sweet mouth with slow pressure. After a few seconds, she kissed him back. Her luscious perfume rose and expanded in the air around them. She squirmed closer, plastering her body against his. The force of her tongue sent pleasure shooting down his spine. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her deeper into the kiss and shutting out everything else around them. His cock pulsed to life, and he pulled his hips away from her at the same time she pushed her hips toward him.
The phone in his pocket buzzed breaking their concentration. He groaned as he eased away from her. She watched him with a dazed expression as he pulled out his phone and took the call. Impeccable timing, wizard. Ivan opened the door to the lair and motioned for Molly to go inside, while he finished the conversation.
Winded from the hike and their searing kiss, Molly walked into the kitchen and downed a glass of water. When she finished, she found Ivan in the doorway of the kitchen watching her. Her bags sat neatly stacked on the floor behind him.
“What did Cole want?”
“Just to make sure we made it back okay.”
Still reeling from their blazing encounter outside, she waved her hand in the air, gesturing to the room as if to sum up her thoughts. “Now what? You said you want to keep me safe from these...Enforcers, but when will I be safe? As much as I appreciate you rescuing me and letting me hide out here, I can't stay here forever. I didn't risk everything leaving one prison to find myself in another one. So, what's next?”
Damn. She hadn't meant to use that word. Oscar's stupid statements had been echoing in her head the whole way up here. She couldn't help it.
Ivan's brow furrowed as he studied her. She feared she'd angered him but pushed the fear aside. She needed answers.
“Good question. I'm not sure what the best course of action is yet. You've been out barely a day. Give it some time, okay? We'll figure it out, I promise.”
“We?”
His shoulders tensed. “Yes, we.”
Wow, she definitely hadn't expected him to say that. The thought of them as a “we” warmed her from the inside out. She shook it off, needing to have some answers before they got sidetracked.
“So if these Enforcers already had me, why did they just leave me to die if they were supposed to take me home?”
“No, the goons who took you were not Enforcers. Enforcers wouldn't do something so stupid, like abandon you in a cave. They would have held you in a secure facility until they transported you back to your parents.”
Molly considered that. “How do you know so much about it?”
Ivan shifted uncomfortably but didn't take his eyes off her. “I used to be one.”
Molly's jaw dropped. “You used to,” she paused, letting that sink in. “I thought shifters rebelling against the forced matings was a recent thing?”
He shrugged. “Enforcers do other things as well. The bigger, more feral ones will go into pit fighting.”
Molly didn't ask because she didn't want to know. The name alone conjured up a thousand horrible images. Every day it became more apparent how little she knew about her own shifter culture.
“Besides, there were rogues here and there before. Just not as many or as organized as you guys,” Ivan continued.
Molly snorted at that, yeah they were real organized. Then alarm flared through her. What if he'd decided to rejoin and bringing her in was his first new assignment? He had her isolated and away from her friends. What if he brought her here to wait for someone to come pick her up? No! She would not let her mind spiral out of control imagining the worst. Ivan had been nothing but kind and respectful toward her. He seemed genuinely angry about what had been done to her.
If he noticed the change in her demeanor, he didn't comment on it, just continued explaining. “Enforcers do more than that, they take on other dangerous jobs no one else can do. They take on assignments from different shifter elder councils that they can't officially get involved in. They also do hostage retrieval. Rival shifter communities can be ruthless, so they call Enforcers to track kidnap victims, do protection work. Things that take muscle and stealth.”
; Molly knew her face conveyed all of her confusion. “But, do they just work for the highest bidders?”
“Basically, yeah. They stay out of politics. But it's geographical too. Lynx are found in Canada, the Pacific Northwest, some parts of the Northeast, so ones who turn to enforcement generally work with the cat-shifter councils in those areas.”
“Then how the hell did you end up down here?”
“I had ties to this area no one knew about. When I got out, I settled here to be left alone.”
His expression told her there was more to that story, but Molly didn't push him further.
“So you're saying we're fucked then?”
A small smile played over his full lips as he shook his head. “Not at all. I think we're on the winning side. Enforcers do their job because they're paid to do it. Onyx does what she does because she cares. All of you have conviction, or you wouldn't have risked everything. The others may not be as big and strong, but they care about each other. They care about you.”
She snorted. “Oscar doesn't anymore.”
“I don't know what to think about that. He acted pretty put out when we were searching for you. Definitely didn't like me being around.”
Regret turned the corners of her mouth down. She wanted Ivan to understand she hadn't meant to lead Oscar on. “I didn't realize he liked me that much.” Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. “We didn't, uh, sleep together or anything. But we may have done some other stuff.”
Ivan's jaw clenched, and his hands opened and closed into fists at his sides. Otherwise he remained still, so she forged ahead.
“I feel terrible. I thought we were both on the same page. I can't get serious about anyone right now. I thought he understood that and felt the same.” Relieved she'd gotten through such an awkward conversation, she searched Ivan's face for signs her words struck a chord, but he gave away nothing.
“I can understand that,” he said slowly.
“Oh, I bet you can.” She gave him a saucy wink. What was it going to take to make him realize she wanted him? Oh hell, she could do better. She took a few steps toward him, letting her hips sway in a manner she hoped he found enticing. She really wanted to finish that searing kiss. Now.
