CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Graham peered around the darkness of the dug-out basement once the cubs had figured out which house they’d been exploring. They’d taken a while deciding, which had involved dashing back and forth, running in circles around Graham, and sitting on their small wolf butts and howling.
Finally the two agreed that they’d been exploring the basement in the second unfinished house from the end. The stud walls had been raised on the main floor, and now workers were putting in the plumbing and other pipes needed to fit the houses for modern living.
The basements were a secret. Most houses in this city were built on solid concrete slabs, with wiring and pipes in the walls and ceiling. Basements around here could fill with noxious gasses, not to mention desert creatures looking for places to nest.
Shifter basements were different though, whole other worlds. Shifters had dug out the basements of these houses at night, using equipment Iona made sure her construction workers left behind. They hid the evidence by constructing a solid ceiling that could be reinforced enough to take the concrete slab and weight of the house later.
Shifters had been building secret places for centuries. Territory could be invaded by other Shifter clans or encroached upon by humans at any time, so they’d made sure they had places to go to ground and survive, and to keep their most important treasures safe.
To invade another Shifter’s secret territory could be death to the invader. It had been in the old days. Most Shifters, however, weren’t foolish enough to try to enter another’s secret hideaway, sensitive to the fact that they had their own hideaways to guard.
Cubs, on the other hand, needed to be taught. These basements weren’t finished yet, and held no secrets. But the Shifters who moved in here would be itchy for a long time because of the scents Graham and the cubs were leaving.
And Dougal’s and Misty’s scents. Graham smelled them coming, even before he heard Misty’s light footsteps as she climbed down the ladder. Dougal was more surefooted and quiet, but he was talking.
To Misty. The usually silent, sullen Dougal was talking to a female. But then, Dougal and Misty were about the same age. Misty acted much older than Dougal, but humans matured quickly. Had to.
Graham waited for them to catch up. “What?”
Misty gave him the look that said he was hopeless. “I was worried about you and the cubs. There’s a Fae on the loose, remember?”
“I know,” Graham said in a hard voice. “Exactly why I left you safely in my house. Which you’re going back to now.”
Misty folded her arms, which pushed up her breasts under her little tank top. “You know, when I was growing up and raising Paul, he had a favorite saying when I told him what to do too often.”
Graham wrenched his gaze from her breasts and moved it to her face. “I’m going to regret asking what it was, aren’t I?”
“He’d say, You’re not the boss of me.”
“That’s funny.” Graham came close to her. The nearness of her almost knocked him over. He needed her. Needed to touch, to taste, to feel her under him. “Guess what? When you’re a guest in Shiftertown, I am the boss of you. Dougal, take her back home.”
Instead of leaping to obey, Dougal stood his ground and put on his obstinate face. “Tell him, Misty.”
Misty blinked at Dougal, her angry look fading. “You mean now?”
“Tell him. I’m tired of him treating me like a cub.”
“Tell me what?” Graham’s voice echoed through the basement. The wolf cubs stopped their frantic running around and sat down again.
Misty was calm as could be. “That Dougal is not a wuss. He saved my life.”
Graham’s fears roared to the surface. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Jan was sniffing around,” Dougal said. “She tried to go at Misty. I stopped her.”
Graham stilled. Dougal’s fists clenched, and he looked shaky and sick, but he was alive and whole, not a pulp of Shifter dust on the ground. “I bet Muriel sent her,” Graham said, but distantly.
“Probably,” Dougal said. “Misty stood up to her though. Told her to stay out of your business.”
Graham pinned Misty with a hard stare. She stared right back at him, straight into his eyes. Graham didn’t like lesser beings who met his gaze, but Misty always had. He’d cut her some slack because she was human and didn’t understand what the gesture meant, but the fact that she could do it intrigued him. Not many humans could withstand Graham’s stare.
“Did you look at Jan when you said that to her?” Graham asked Misty. “The way you look at me?”
“Yes.” Misty’s brows drew down in puzzlement. “Where else would I be looking? The trees? She was ready to pounce on me—I thought I should keep my eye on her.”
Graham relaxed a little, his worry receding even if his thirst didn’t. “Dougal.”
Dougal flushed, but his eyes held defiance. “I’m not apologizing to Jan.”
Misty looked perplexed. “Why should Dougal apologize? Jan was the one threatening me. Dougal was just trying to help. Never let a bully get away with it, I always say. They’ll just bully you some more.”
Graham laid his large hand on Dougal’s shoulder and yanked the young man into a hard hug. Dougal was shaking, but his shakes lessened as Graham held him close.
Graham released him after a few moments and patted his shoulders again. Dougal stepped back, wiping his eyes, but he stood a little straighter.
Misty had her hands on her hips. “What just happened?”
“Dougal went up in dominance,” Graham said. “Thank you, Misty.”
Misty was staring at him again. “What did I do?”
“Gave him the opportunity. And you showed your dominance too. I’m proud of both of you.”
Misty kept staring. Any other Shifter would blush and show their pride at his praise. Misty only looked bewildered. “This is a Shifter thing I don’t understand, isn’t it?”
Graham put his hand on her shoulder. “Let me put it this way—you’ve just made my life a little easier. If Jan let herself get out-dominated by a human and a cub past his Transition, her alpha might keep her mating needs away from me.” Jan’s father was ambitious, which was why he’d sent Jan over to Graham’s to fight him and “lose,” so Graham would show his dominance by sexing her. Nice try.
“Anyway,” Misty said, as though the very important issue had been a side note. “Is this the basement the cubs found? It’s dark down here. Anyone bring a flashlight?”
Dougal snorted. “Humans.”
“She’s a guest,” Graham said firmly. Moving up in dominance did not mean Dougal got to be a rude shit. “Look around for ones the humans might have left.”
Dougal growled a little, but he walked away, the cubs scampering after him.
“Misty,” Graham said.
Misty stood her ground. She’d moved her hands from her hips to fold them across her chest again. “I’m not going back.”
“I know you’re not, because you’re an obstinate human woman who doesn’t understand danger.”
Graham stepped close to her, unable to keep himself from her any longer. Her scent filled him, her honey-spice that was even stronger after last night’s intimacy. She’d bathed, but if she thought rubbing herself with the soap he used every day made her scent more distant, she was wrong. Now she smelled like him, his house, his bed, things that were a part of him.
Misty looked up at him, her brown eyes filled with uncertainty, confusion, and determination all mixed together. He liked that she could follow many trains of thought at once. Lupine women could be boringly single-minded.
Graham had to kiss her. Couldn’t stop himself.
Her eyes softened as Graham bent to her, her lips parting for his. Misty’s hands went to his chest, fingertips pressing into his shirt as Graham cupped her shoulders and pulled her up to him.
As soon as their lips touched, Graham’s determined gentleness evaporated. He needed her. Pushing her away had grown too difficult, which scared the hell out of him.
Misty tasted of minty toothpaste, and herself. Graham opened her mouth with his, pressing her into his arms. He wanted her now, on the ground, in the dirt, her legs wrapped around him. He’d slide deep inside her and not come out until he’d satisfied himself again and again.
The longing swirled in his brain and through his body. Her kiss was as needy as his, but more tender. Misty kissed him for kissing’s sake, as though she didn’t care if it led to anything else. She simply liked kissing him.
Graham liked kissing her. He licked behind her lower lip, caught her tongue between his teeth and gently bit. Misty laughed when he let go, then Graham scooped her up to him and started again.
Misty’s body flowed into his, she softening to fit every plane of him. Graham ran his hands down her back to her buttocks under her loose skirt. Firm and sweet, like her, but soft enough for caresses. Her breasts flattened against his chest, unfettered behind her tank top. She hadn’t bothered to put on her bra this morning.
Shifter women rarely wore bras, so the fact Misty had left hers off shouldn’t have shot Graham’s cock into the hardest hard-on he’d had since . . . well, since last night. He skimmed his hands inside her shirt, Graham’s kiss intensifying as he drew his palms up to cup her breasts.
Warm, beautiful woman met his hands, her skin satiny, the slightest bit damp from her shower. He closed two fingers around each of her firm nipples, his cock fiery hot.
Misty had defied a Shifter woman for him. She had guts behind her sweet smile, and it made Graham’s body hotter than August sunshine.
Graham broke the kiss to lick her throat. Bite it. The mark he’d left on her shoulder showed outside the strap of her tank top. Graham suckled her there again, darkening the mark. So all Shifters would know to back off. Even better, he breathed out onto her skin, scent-marking her.
For her protection, he told himself, so the horny, mate-needing male Shifters of Shiftertown wouldn’t run after her. They’d know Graham protected her, and back off, unless they wanted to fight him for her.
But he knew, even as he did it, that the scent-marking was more than just for her protection. Graham was proclaiming that Misty was his and his alone. He’d been denying this to himself since he’d met her, but here in the unfinished, dusty basement, he knew. He wanted Misty, and no other, as his mate.
“My life is screwed up,” he said softly.
Misty touched his face, turning him to her. “Hmm?”
“What am I going to do?” Graham asked, half to himself. “I can’t stay away from you.”
For answer, she kissed him, sweet and fiery. Graham tenderly squeezed her breasts, his hands still inside her shirt, the warm goodness of her coming through his touch. Graham wrapped his foot around her bare ankle. One tug, and she’d go down. He’d guide her, holding her, so she’d never fall, but only lie down while he came over her. He’d start making love to her by peeling off her clothes and licking her body, then he’d spread her legs with his hand and slide into her.
Goddess and God, he wanted that.
A light shone full in his face. The sudden glare after the fine darkness with Misty hurt his eyes. Bloody hell.
“I found flashlights,” Dougal announced. The cubs, still wolves, sat on their haunches, looking interested to know why Graham had his hands up Misty’s shirt.
“Good.” Graham casually removed his touch from Misty’s breasts, as though not worried Dougal and the cubs had caught him groping her. Misty didn’t look worried, but amused Graham was embarrassed. “Give one to Misty. And don’t shine the lights in my face—I don’t need to be night-blinded.”
“Thank you,” Misty said graciously to Dougal as she took the lantern flashlight. The large, square glare lit up the corner of the basement. Dougal smiled back at her. He was going to hero-worship her, it looked like.
Graham glared down at Matt and Kyle. “All right, you little shits, where were you exploring?”
? ? ?
Graham kept hold of Misty’s hand as they walked deeper into the basement. His grip was strong; she wasn’t getting away.
His touch had been gentleness itself when they’d kissed, as though he’d been holding back his power to be tender with her. Misty loved that about Graham—his ability to soften himself when he needed to, to take care of the cubs, to help Dougal, to caress Misty. Everything he did made Misty fall for him a little more.
The cubs wanted to rush into the darkness, and only Graham’s commands kept them close. Misty shone her light in front of her feet so she wouldn’t trip, but she knew the cubs could see well without it. Shifters had good night vision and only needed the faintest glow.
The basement was enormous. It was more of a dugout, with rock and desert earth still above them rather than joists to support the next floor. As they walked forward, the bright daylight behind them quickly receded.
“Why is it so big?” Misty asked. “The house itself won’t be this long. Or wide.”
“She shouldn’t be down here,” Dougal said, a growl in his voice.
“No kidding,” Graham said. “Remember me yelling at you for bringing her? Misty, you have to promise to keep quiet about what you see here. That we’ve put in basements at all. All right? It’s very important. Could be deadly if you don’t keep it secret.”
One of the wolves—Kyle, she thought—came back and shifted into a boy. Yep, Kyle. “Will you punish Aunt Misty if she tells?” he asked, his eyes round. “You might hurt her. She’s not as strong as Shifters.”
“If I think Misty might tell,” Graham said, “I’ll tie her up, chain her to my bedpost, and . . .” Graham glanced at Misty, his eyes in the flashlight’s glare holding wickedness. “Tickle her,” he finished.
Kyle thought this over, perfectly serious. “That should be okay.” He shifted back into wolf and ran after his brother.
“Tickle?” Misty asked.
“He means sex,” Dougal said. Shifter hearing—she couldn’t best it. “He wants sex with you in a big way. He’s broadcasting it like crazy.”
“Shut it, Dougal,” Graham said with a growl.
Dougal went quiet, but Misty felt no contrition from him. Good for Dougal, having fun laughing at his uncle.
“Matt, Kyle,” Graham called. “Wait.”
The cubs came to an immediate halt. The fact that they obeyed instantly, without question, told Misty how serious the situation was.
Graham turned in a circle, sniffing the air. “You sure this was where you were?”
One of the cubs shifted—Matt this time. “We came in here. We were exploring. Then we got dizzy. Then we were in the car.”
“Mmm.” Graham’s acknowledgment was more of a grunt.
“Did you hear anyone behind you?” Misty asked. She imagined the hiker—the Fae—creeping up behind the cubs in the dark, tranquilizing them somehow. Had he used a tranq gun like the one Graham kept to stop Shifters who got too out of control? Or chloroform on a cloth?
“No,” Matt said. “There was no one down here but us.”
“If you’re thinking of the Fae,” Graham said to Misty. “They’d have smelled him. Fae really stink.”
“Does Reid stink?” Misty asked. “I like him.”
“He does, but we’re used to him. And Reid’s not the same as the High Fae, much as I yank his chain about it. In fact, we could use him here. Dougal.”
Dougal turned around, his laughter gone, the defiant nephew returning. “Oh, come on, why do I always have to run the errands? Find flashlights, fetch Reid. Like I’m your bloody servant.”
“Winning one dominance fight doesn’t make you pack leader,” Graham said, voice going harsh. “You do these things for me because that’s what a good second does.”
Dougal stopped, blinking gray eyes in the lantern light. “Second? I thought Chisholm was your second.”
“I hadn’t decided. But I want to keep it in the family, don’t I? You’re my tracker too, which means you do things to support me.”
The look on Dougal’s face was stunned, turning radiant by the time Graham finished. “Yes!” His shout rang around the large basement. “I’ll get him. I mean, I’m on it. Be right back.” Dougal bounded toward the light part of the basement. He whooped and punched the air, then scrambled up the ladder to the ground with amazing agility.
“That was nice of you,” Misty said.
“Huh. It wasn’t nice. I’m making him my pack and clan second, because I’m seeing that he’s the only one I can trust.” Graham watched until Dougal disappeared into the daylight, then he turned back to the darkness. “I’m going to need to go wolf now. Will you be all right if I do?”