“Bravo, Adrian,” I murmur the praise, knowing he can hear me. “Next time I’m going to make her squirt into your mouth.”
Adrian coughs awkwardly to cover his laughter, and I hear the shower turning on once more. Returning to my task, I use my superior sleuthing skills to find Goldie’s ex-fiancé and his family. They hide their dark deeds quite well, but not so much that I cannot find them. The world fades away as I tumble down the internet rabbit hole. Another name catches my attention, and fury bubbles up inside me. Brown fur covers my arms and legs when I lose control of my bear. A menacing snarl escapes my lips with every bit of information I uncover. Her ex is the eldest son of the Weston family, an old name with old money and too many skeletons in their closet. But it’s not their name that fills my soul with rage. It’s their association with the name Harlowe.
When Sylvie was first reported missing, I scoured the digital footprints of every single person with whom she had connections. Some kid with the last name Harlowe was one of them. He is not particularly dangerous, but his uncle was well known for black market dealings. And making people disappear. I was never able to pin her death on him directly, but now… maybe I could.
The Westons paid the Harlowes two large sums of money,the first coinciding with the date of Sylvie’s disappearance, and the second, the date her body was found.
Why the fuck would the Westons want Sylvie dead?
One thing I know for certain: Marcus needs to hear this information before I tell Adrian. I am absolutely certain Goldie knows nothing about this, but I’m less certain about how it would affect our brother, who is still so troubled by Sylvie’s death.
Moving quickly, I clean up my mess with a few tissues and shut down my computer. Adrian and Goldie are still in the shower, so I shoot a text to his phone saying I’ll be back soon, grab a pair of sweatpants from our emergency stash by the back door, and run for the woods.
Marcus is easy enough to find. He isn’t hiding his trail, and I follow the massive black bear’s footprints to the far side of the lake near our home. The lake itself is massive and deep at its center. It stays cold even in the summer. The leaves are beginning to change now, and autumn is closing in, which means the lake is chillier, which clearly did not stop Marcus from going for a swim.
I sit near the edge and wait for him to return. It doesn’t take long. His body glistens in the midday sun, water dripping down his hairy chest like he’s some kind of hot forest daddy. If I were into men, he’d definitely have me on my knees in seconds.
Alas, my cock only hardens for Goldie, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the beast stalking toward me. I ball up the sweats and toss them in his direction
“What do you need, Kieran?” Marcus growls, catching them easily. He slips the gray sweatpants over his muscular legs, the cloth sticking to his wet skin.
I blow out a breath and go for it. “I think Goldie’s ex, Weston, might know something about Sylvie’s death.”
Marcus turns sharply toward me, his eyes wide. “Are you sure?”
“Not entirely,” I sigh. “But there are some eerily timed money transfers between the Westons and the Harlowes, and the Westons are bad news too. They might be old money, but lately they’ve been involved in some corrupt shit.”
Marcus frowns. “What about her family?”
I don’t miss the way he refuses to say her name. “Goldie’s family is also old money, but theirs is running dry. I think the arranged marriage was a way for them to stay rich.”
Marcus stays silent for several minutes. “I do not believe Goldie cares about being rich.”
A small smile creeps across my face, the first one since finding out the news about Sylvie. “I believe you just paid her a compliment.” He shoves my shoulder, and I catch myself before tipping over. “I agree, though. And the fact that her own family would sell her to another is despicable, but to a family like theirs? I could literally strangle her father with mybearhands for that.”
Marcus snarls. “I don’t disagree.”
“So what do we do?” I ask, because I can see the gears turning in his mind as plainly as if the thoughts were on his face.
Marcus stands, offering me a hand up. “Adrian deserves the truth. No running away, and no secrets.”
I nod. He’s right. “No secrets. What about Goldie?”
His black eyes narrow, and a growl builds in his chest. “We protect her. I won’t send her back to a family like that.”
12
MARCUS
When we return to the house, Adrian and Goldie are snuggling together in the living room, sharing a bowl of popcorn and watching Beauty and the Beast, the live-action version.
Kieran laughs. “Is this supposed to be ironic?” He flops down on the couch, cozying up to Goldie opposite Adrian.
She giggles. “Well, Adrian showed me his library, and it even has a rolling ladder. I’m basically Belle now.”
Adrian and Kieran both laugh affectionately, and only my super self-control stops me from joining in. That, and the news Kieran shared with me earlier. My own feelings are in knots about this strange human. She doesn’t run from us the way others do. Shows no fear of our snarls, our claws, and our sharp teeth. Goldie welcomes us into the bosom of her arms, and I want to go to her.
But how can that possibly work? Her scent mingles with Kieran’s and now Adrian’s. I can smell their seed on her even now. Shifters are a bit different from humans in this way. When we mate with another, it is a claiming. A way to let other shifters know who belongs to them. Kieran and Adrianhave both claimed this human, and neither seems to mind sharing with the other. Does Goldie want this? She certainly looks content sandwiched between the two beasts.
