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She hoped it hurt. A lot.
Bu
Bu
There was no response, not that Bu
“Do you know who my daughter’s mate is?”
Anderson lifted his head and stared at Aunt Laura. He nodded. “Yeah. I know who he is.”
“And?”
He straightened up and let go of Chloe’s hand. “He’s not in town right now. Sarah called him and let him know what’s going on. He told her he’d be back as soon as he could.” Anderson shifted, looking uncomfortable. “There are a few things you should know. First, he doesn’t know about us. He’s human.”
They all nodded. Bu
Still, everyone knew you had to be careful when claiming a human mate. Not everyone would respond well to finding themselves furry. In the past, there had been those who had attacked their shifter mates, thinking them possessed by the devil.
“Second, he had the mistaken impression that Chloe and I were dating.”
Bu
They, too, had thought the sheriff and Chloe were dating. The way Chloe spoken about him, the bracelet he’d given her for Christmas with the little cats and foxes on it, had all said girlfriend as far as the Bunsun-Williamses were concerned.
Hell, as far as he knew Ryan still thought it, despite being told Chloe had a mate somewhere out there.
Anderson’s hands went up. “We weren’t. Damn it. My mate still gives me fits about that.” He rolled his eyes. “But Jim blames both of us. The third problem is he thinks Chloe’s too young for him. He even told her as much.”
“Will he come for her?”
Aunt Laura was still staring at Anderson, her gaze boring into him.
Anderson nodded. “I think he will. Sarah says he loves Chloe, he just needs to deal with his issues. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s here before morning.”
“How would Sarah know this?”
Anderson’s whole face softened. “My mate is the Omega of the Halle Pride.”
Bu
How could there have been any confusion over which one he wanted? There was no way, once he met his mate, that he could confuse it for anything but the mate bond. Had he met his Sarah after he’d begun dating Chloe, or had it been some sort of cosmic misunderstanding? Unfortunately Bu
“Any idea who did this to my daughter?” Uncle Steve’s voice was low and threatening. His hand reached out and stroked Chloe’s hair.
“I have some theories, but until I’m sure, I’m not going to say anything. Don’t ask me, I won’t tell you.”
And that was when Bu
Anderson’s smile was grim. “Yup. How’d you know?”
“I had a friend once, James. He’s a Hunter.” It had been a long time since he’d seen James. He was the Bear Senator as well as a Hunter. He was a charming rogue with a core of steel. The aura of power faded, leaving Bu
“James Barnwell?”
Bu
Anderson grimaced. “The son of a bitch trained me.”
Bu
“He’s also the reason we’re in this fix with Chloe and Jim, in a roundabout sort of way. He convinced me not to claim Sarah before I left, Sarah and I almost imploded and we each turned to other people to get over it. Chloe and I were friends and we talked a lot. I asked her to keep an eye on Sarah. Sarah started hanging out a lot with Jim Woods, Chloe’s destined mate, and Chloe got jealous. I don’t think she even realized what she was doing, but Chloe was the one who had everyone thinking we were dating.” He shook his head. “If I hadn’t come back when I did, both Chloe and I could have lost our mates.”
Bu
“It doesn’t surprise me that James told you to hold off on your mating. He doesn’t believe Hunters should be mated at all.” Bu
Someday James Barnwell would find his own mate, and when he did, he knew exactly how the Hunter would react.
Poor girl. I hope I get to watch the mighty Hunter fall. The sheriff was watching him, a questioning look on his face. “When he finds her, call me. I’ll bring the popcorn.”
Anderson shook his hand. “Done.”
“I hope this Jim person gets here soon,” Uncle Steve said, his hands curling into fists at his sides.
“I just hope she responds to him.” Ryan stalked out of the room, his tension obvious. Watching his baby sister lying motionless in that hospital bed was hitting the other man hard.
Bu
“I’ll answer if I can.”
“Who the hell is Gary?”
When Anderson’s midnight blue eyes turned to gold, Bu
Gary was trouble.
“So?”
Tabby winced. Cyn was behind her, guarding the end of the counter, trapping her behind glass and artwork. Glory was leaning over the counter, her face full of mischief. The shop was empty, and the moment she’d been dreading all day was finally here. Her nosy-ass friends had her cornered. “So what?”
The two women exchanged a glance. “How was it?”
Tabby’s cheeks heated up. “It?”
Glory’s head tipped back, exposing the long line of her neck. “Oh, Bu
Cyn was laughing her ass off as Glory faked an orgasm. What neither woman saw was Ryan right outside the door, his eyes narrowed as he glared at Glory. When Glory threw her head back and shuddered, his fists clenched, his eyes turning deep, dark brown.
If Glory didn’t stop, Ryan was going to do something seriously drastic. She just hoped drastic didn’t involve Ryan’s claws and Alex’s face.
“Knock it off, guys.”
Glory giggled and waved her hands like a hula dancer. “Well? How was the motion of his ocean?”
“Screw that.” Cyn propped one hip against the counter. “I want to know about the size of his boat.” She held her hands at least seven inches apart and waggled her eyebrows.
The bell over the door jingled and Ryan sauntered in, his gaze glued to Glory.