Chapter 1

 

Porter took another drink of beer and stared moodily at the smooth top of the wooden bar as Arlo stopped in front of him.

“Hey, Porter. What’s up?”

“Not much.”

Arlo swiped the cloth in his hand across the already-gleaming surface of the bar. “You working later?”

Porter shook his head. “No, it’s my night off.”

“And yet, here you are. You know there are other bars out there where a guy can get laid, right?”

“Shut up, Arlo.”

Arlo laughed. “I’m just saying.”

“Ask Mike to make me a house burger and fries, would you?”

“Sure.”

There was a sharp whistle to the left and Arlo frowned irritably at the shifter waving at him. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming. Keep your fur on.”

He wandered away as Porter took another drink of beer. He had left Mal and Willow’s engagement party an hour ago. Feeling bored and a little lonely, he stopped in at the bar on his way home. He was thrilled that his older brother had found his mate but for the first time in his life, he was also a little jealous.

He groaned inwardly. What was happening to him? Since when did he want to settle down with one woman? Sure, he was thirty and his mother was bugging him for years to find a good woman and give her grandpups, but that had stopped the moment Mal brought Willow home to meet them. He didn’t think she had given up on her quest to find him a mate but the upcoming wedding had definitely taken away some of the pressure.

It was ironic that his mother had stopped voicing her desire for him to be mated and now it was something never far from the back of his mind. He shook his head. He was being ridiculous. His brother’s obvious happiness with his mate was just making him a little jealous. Nothing more. He might enjoy taking as many different women to his bed as possible but it didn’t mean he didn’t occasionally wish for something more. Who didn’t come home from work from time to time and wish there was a warm and willing woman waiting in his bed? Someone to ask him how his day was, someone to listen when he’d had a bad day, someone to curl up against when the nights were cold and –

He snorted loudly. He was acting like a love-struck school girl. These ridiculous feelings of – he could think of no other word than nesting – would fade and he would once again be perfectly content with bedding a different woman every night. His mother might act like he was on the verge of dying old and alone but he was only thirty for God’s sake. He had plenty of time to find a mate.

There was a startled yell from behind him and he turned to see a boar shifter glaring impudently at the bouncer. The bouncer was a tall and imposing bear shifter named Judd and he returned the boar’s look with an amused grin.

“I am not too drunk to enter your establishment!” Looking ridiculously puny next to Judd, the boar shifter raised himself to his full height and puffed out his chest. His round cheeks bright red, he snorted loudly and poked Judd in the chest.

“Do you know who I am?” He poked Judd in the chest again.

“You’re about to become a side of bacon,” Porter muttered to himself. His eyes widened when the man suddenly launched himself at Judd. Taken by surprise, Judd staggered backward into a table and roared in anger.

As the two of them began to scuffle - the boar was shockingly strong and giving Judd a run for his money – a flash of pink caught Porter’s eye. He watched as a woman wearing a stained and dirty pink dress slipped into the bar past the angry Judd and the indignant boar.

Porter frowned. It was cold out but the woman wasn’t wearing a jacket and her dress was thin and short sleeved. He studied her pale legs. They were bare and streaked with dirt and the heels on her shoes were obviously broken off.

She hovered in the corner for a moment. She was too far away for him to see her face clearly but it was obvious that she was nervous. She was short like his brother’s mate Willow. Although not as slender as Willow, it still looked like a strong wind would blow her over. Her light brown hair was shoulder length and it hadn’t seen a brush in a few days.

He watched as she took a deep breath, straightened her spine and gazed around the bar. He caught her eye and she twitched all over as he stared silently at her before turning around. He studied the bottle of beer in front of him and wasn’t at all surprised when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

“Excuse me?”

The woman’s voice was low and raspy. A weird little shiver went down his spine at the sound of it. He turned his head and gave her a once over. She was even dirtier up close. He could smell her fear pulsing through her like a living, breathing thing and underneath that the sour odor of her sweat. Her pale face had smudges of dirt and there were scratches running across her forehead and down her right cheek. Her eyes were a lovely shade of blue and they were staring at him with a hint of desperation mixed with fear.

“This is a paranormal-only bar, and you,” he inhaled deeply, “are definitely not a paranormal.”

She flushed and pulled nervously at a rip in her dress. “I’m sure there are other humans here.”

He shook his head. “Nope. You’re the only one.”

She looked around the bar, noticing for the first time that all of the patrons close to them were staring at her with suspicion and hostility. Her eyes widened and she stepped a little closer to him.

“The only human?” She whispered.

“Yes. You should leave,” he advised before taking another drink of beer.

Arlo approached them and smiled easily at the woman. “Can I get you a drink?”

“She’s human, Arlo.”

“So? Humans aren’t forbidden.” Arlo shrugged. “What will you have, pretty lady?”

“Oh, um,” she touched her rat nest of hair self-consciously before clearing her throat, “could I trouble you for a glass of water?”

“Sure.”

She cleared her throat again and gave Porter a weak smile. “So, um, what’s your name?”

“Porter.”

“I’m Maggie. It’s nice to meet you.” She held her hand out, realized it was covered in dirt and dried blood and quickly snatched it back. She wiped it hurriedly on her equally dirty dress before giving him an apologetic look.

“Forgive me, Maggie, but you don’t look like you’re having a very good day.” He studied her face and her body again and she flushed to the roots of her hair.

“It’s been a rough few days,” she mumbled.

“So you decided to make it better by waltzing into a paranormal-only bar?”

“Humans aren’t forbidden,” she echoed Arlo’s words desperately.

“True. But shifters in this place aren’t always appreciative of humans who wander in off the street without an invitation.”

“Are they dangerous?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

He frowned at her. “Excuse me?”

Arlo sat the glass of water down in front of her and she smiled in thanks before snatching the glass and drinking all of it in four large gulps. She wiped her hand across her mouth as Arlo raised his eyebrow at her.

“Do you want another water or something stronger?”

“Another water would be great,” she replied.

She studied the paranormals in the bar. “Which one is the most dangerous?”

“What?” Porter gave her an odd look.

“Which one of these shifters would you say is the most dangerous?”

“Why?”

“Because I want to speak to them.” There was a touch of impatience in her voice but she cringed back when he touched her arm.

“You really should leave, Maggie.”

“I – I can’t.” The desperation was back in her voice. “Please, can you just tell me which one of these shifters is the most dangerous?”

“Tell me why you want to know first,” he replied.

She sighed in frustration before leaning against the bar. “I – I’m in trouble and I need some protection. I want to hire a paranormal.”

“Why not just go to the police?”

“They can’t help me,” she said with a new thread of fear in her voice.

“What kind of trouble?”

She picked at the rip in her dress again. “I don’t want to talk about it when there are so many people around.”

Oddly fascinated by the woman, Porter slid from the bar stool and took her arm. “Come with me.”

“Wh-where are we going?” She squeaked out.

“Just to one of the booths. It’s more private and you can tell me what’s going on.”

She followed him willingly enough to the booth and slid in across from him before giving him a careful look. “Are you dangerous, Porter?”

“As dangerous as they come, darlin’.” He winked at her.

“What kind of shifter are you?” She asked abruptly.

“I’m a wolf shifter.”

Her eyes widened and she blew out her breath. “Wolf. Good, that’s good. You’re big and strong, right?”

He nodded. “I am.”

“Okay, good.”

The waitress, Tori, stopped in front of them. She set down the plate of burger and fries in front of Porter and the glass of water in front of Maggie. “You want something to eat, hon?”

“Oh, um, no thank you. The water is enough.” Maggie smiled faintly at her.

Tori smiled at Porter, running her fingers affectionately through his dark hair before sauntering away. Porter watched the sway of her hips for a moment. Two years ago he had slept with the pretty brunette shifter, and she had made it perfectly clear she was willing to have another go at him. He hadn’t taken her up on the offer. She was a firecracker in bed and full of unlimited energy, but rabbit shifters were notorious for accidentally getting pregnant. They loved nothing more than having babies and with three kits already, Tori was no exception.

He turned back toward the human. She was staring at his plate of food with a look of feral hunger and he clearly heard her stomach when it growled.

“Would you like some?” He pushed the plate toward her and she shook her head.

“Oh no, I don’t want to eat your food. I’m fine.”

“Take some, I insist.” He thought she might start drooling at any moment.

“I’ll just have one fry. Thank you.” She reached out with a trembling hand and plucked a fry from his plate. She popped it into her mouth and chewed slowly with her eyes closed in utter bliss. He used his knife to cut the burger in half before pushing the plate a little closer.

“Take half the burger and the fries,” he said gently.

Her eyes popped open and she stared at the burger, swallowing thickly as she shook her head. “Oh no, I can’t.”

“Yes, you can. It’s a lot of food and I’ll never eat it all.”

There was a stack of four appetizer plates on the table. He grabbed one and transferred half the burger and half the fries to the small plate. “Eat.”

“Well, if you’re sure?” She said tentatively. He could see the shame in her eyes and his stomach twisted a little.

“I’m more than sure. Eat, Maggie.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He blinked in surprise and a small smile crossed his face when she nearly inhaled the burger. She ate quickly and enthusiastically, shoving the fries into her mouth and chewing loudly. When her plate was clean, she sat back and gave him an embarrassed look.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I like a woman with an appetite.” He grinned at her and she blushed again.

“When was the last time you ate?”

She shrugged. “It’s been a few days.”

He cursed under his breath before leaning forward. “So, tell me about this problem.”

She took a deep breath. “There’s a man – a shifter – stalking me and I need someone to make him stop.”

“Why aren’t you going to the police?”

“They can’t help me,” she repeated.

“Of course they can. It’s their job.”

“They can’t!” There was a note of hysteria in her voice and he made a soft soothing noise as she stared nervously around the bar.

“Please, just believe me when I say they can’t help me, okay? I’m not stupid! I would have gone to them if I thought it would help!”

“Okay, okay. I know you’re not stupid, Maggie,” he said quietly. “What kind of shifter is after you?”

“A – a hyena shifter,” she whispered.

He grimaced. He hated hyena shifters. They were sneaky and cruel bastards and were often looked upon as the scum of the shifter world. They had earned their reputations honestly and he wasn’t surprised that one was harassing Maggie. When they wanted something, they stopped at nothing to get it.

“How did you meet him?”

“At a party,” she sighed. “At first he was nice but then he started to act differently. He kept showing up at my apartment or my job, then at random places when I was out. I told him I wasn’t interested and broke it off with him but he – he got a lot worse after that.”

She grimaced and clutched at her stomach for a moment.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Yes. I think I, uh, ate too fast.”

“So you broke it off with him and things got worse?” He prompted.

“Yes. At first it was just him showing up but then his friends started appearing too.”

“Hyenas are most comfortable in packs.”

“Right,” she muttered before rubbing gingerly at her stomach. “Anyway, he showed up at my apartment a few nights ago and he – he broke the door down when I wouldn’t let him in. He was so mean and rough. He said that I was his now and there was no point in fighting it. I was going to be his mate and that was that.”

She was trembling badly now and tears were starting to slide down her face. He reached out and touched the top of her hand gingerly. “It’s okay, Maggie.”

“It isn’t,” she whispered. She swiped at the tears on her face before taking a deep breath. “I played along and offered to make us something to eat. He agreed and I went into the kitchen and got the biggest butcher knife I could find and then I – I tried to stab him with it.”

“Did you?”

She nodded. “I stabbed him in the thigh. It made him so angry. He pulled out the knife and there was blood everywhere and then I – I ran.”

She suddenly latched onto his hand and held it tightly. “I waited a few hours and then I went back to my apartment but I was careful, you know? I hid in the park across the street and I watched my apartment building. I was pretty sure he would still be there but I was wrong. Vaughn had left but his pack was there. There were four of them just – like – prowling around my apartment building. They were trying to blend in but I saw them. So, I ran again. I work at a coffee shop and I went there the next morning. They were waiting there too. They went to my job and my apartment and I didn’t know what else to do.”

“So you’ve been running since then?”

She nodded and sniffed loudly before staring at their clasped hands. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She yanked her hand free and slid it into her lap where it twisted and turned against her other.

“Do you not have any family? Friends who can help?”

“I don’t have any family. My parents died when I was young and I went into foster care. I have a few friends but I can’t involve them in this. Vaughn is very dangerous and my friends are only humans. It’s why I came here. I thought maybe what I needed was a shifter. A bigger, stronger shifter than Vaughn.”

He studied the dark circles under her eyes. “When did you sleep last?”

“Wh-what?” She stuttered.

“When did you sleep last?”

“I don’t know. What does it matter?” She asked a bit impatiently. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude but can you help me? I can pay you for your protection.”

He doubted that statement was true. The woman had no purse and was obviously starving. “What exactly do you think a shifter can do for you?”

“Well,” she leaned forward eagerly, “I thought maybe they could talk to Vaughn and tell him that I was their mate, not his. I know a little about shifters and I know they are very protective of their mates. If a bigger, stronger shifter – a wolf shifter like you – told Vaughn that I was dating them and that I was their mate, he would back off. Right?”

“Maybe,” he said cautiously.

“Once Vaughn gave up, we could go our separate ways. If pretending we were dating didn’t work, I thought maybe the shifter could - I don’t know - beat him up?”

He pressed his lips together. The woman was almost ridiculously naïve when it came to shifters but then again, most humans were.

“Not that I condone violence,” she said hastily, “and I would only ask for that if we had no other choice.”

He didn’t reply and she rubbed at her stomach again before giving him a tentative smile. “Do you think you could help me, Porter?”

“You said you would pay for protection. Forgive me, Maggie, but you don’t look like you have money.”

She took a deep breath. “You’re right – I don’t. I didn’t think to grab my purse when I ran and honestly, I don’t really have much, uh, cash anyway. Working at a coffee shop doesn’t pay very much.”

She leaned forward and gave him a hesitant smile. “But I have something better than money. Something I know will appeal to you even more.”

“What’s that?” He asked curiously.

“My virginity.”