"You smell nice but just the way a guy does to me."

A soft sound came from his throat, not a growl, but close. "If you lick me to test my taste, you're going to be in a world of trouble."

His statement confused Shannon. "Why would I do that? Do shifters do that to taste people?" The sound he made became clearer as he did it again, only louder. He groaned and turned his head, scanning the forest. "Come on, Jerry. Where the h.e.l.l are you?" His hands relaxed on her a.s.s.

Shannon decided he looked uncomfortable. "What's wrong?" His dark, beautiful eyes fixed on her. "Foreplay, kitten. That's what you just initiated, but you have no idea, do you?"

Surprise shot her eyebrows up. "Really? Just sniffing at you?"

"Yeah. You're wrapped around me too."

"You could put me down."

"And you could end up adorning the tree again. No. Jerry will come. We'll just stay this way until then."

"I'll hold your hand. I am much calmer and I'm starting to trust you. I think I can resist the urge to leave the ground if I'm close to you."

"If I put you down, you're going to get a better view of me." Heat crept back into her cheeks. He didn't need to expand on that. She said nothing but silently urged Jerry to come back with clothes for Anton. She dropped her attention to his chest, again noticing how broad and muscular he was.

"I take it you've never had s.e.x with a shifter?"

"No." She refused to meet his eyes, stunned he'd ask her such a crude question. "I told you, I've never run into another one."

"That's a good thing. You aren't strong at all. That's why I thought you were human at first." She met his gaze again. "I'm mostly human."

"You are." He turned his head, examined the woods, and smiled tightly. "Here he comes. Don't be afraid. He's not going to hurt you."

Jerry had put on a T-shirt, jeans, and a pair of dirty sneakers. He walked into the clearing with Anton's clothes hooked over one arm and keys dangled from his hand. The grin on his face spread wider.

"Did I interrupt?" Amus.e.m.e.nt laced his voice. "It looks as though I did." He chuckled. "I see things are getting real hard around here."

"Shut up, drop the clothes, the keys, and get lost," Anton grumbled.

"You could hand her over to me." Jerry moved closer. "We could share her. I'm past the urge to kill her but she sure is a pretty thing. I can think of at least five things I'd enjoying doing to her body."

"You will lose a hand if you touch her. She's under my protection and this isn't what you're thinking."

"You obviously want to nail her so what's stopping you?" Jerry halted in his tracks. "I'm wondering if they mewl when they are getting f.u.c.ked."

"Keep wondering and keep on going," Anton's voice deepened. "Go."

"Fine." The other man dropped the clothes and keys, spun on his heel, and headed back into the woods. "It's probably a good thing if you don't screw her. Your mother would rather see you castrated than hook up with a cat."

Anger appeared to have Anton seething. Shannon studied his features and fear crept back when he glared at her, giving her his full attention after his pack mate disappeared. His eyes had changed slightly, the shape of them noticeably different, and the hair along his jawline and upper lip looked suspiciously longer to her.

"Your face," she whispered.

"I'm angry. Sorry." He took deep breaths, the changes disappearing until he looked one-hundred-percent human. "It's easier to lose control after a shift. The longer you stay in skin the easier it is to keep it."

"Oh."

His hands tightened on her but then he adjusted his hold, forcing her to release him with her legs when he pushed her away from his torso. Shannon gasped but stood on the ground. The quick view of a naked, aroused Anton left her holding her breath before he spun away. The guy had a well-proportioned body, big all over, and she couldn't help but stare at his rounded, firm a.s.s when he bent to retrieve the clothes.

He dressed quickly in a pair of black sweatpants and a navy tank top, keeping his back to her the entire time. He turned to face her after he had covered his body, his erection still visible since his friend hadn't bothered to bring him underwear. Shannon jerked her gaze up, trying not to gawk at the tented pants.

"Let's go. My boots will be with the truck. I'll have to return your purse at a later date but I will get it back to you."

"I won't be able to get into my apartment if I don't have my keys and my car is still in the parking lot of the grocery store. I need to"

"Get the h.e.l.l away from me before I do something stupid," he grumbled. "You said an apartment? Don't you have a manager with a spare key?"

"Yes." She hadn't thought of that. Shannon nodded. "I even have a spare set of car keys at home. I locked my set inside once and it costs a small bundle to have someone come out to pop the lock."

"Let's go, kitten."

"My name is Shannon. Why do you keep calling me that?"

Anton gave her his back as he walked away. "It's a reminder to me so I don't forget that dogs and cats don't mix well." He strode quickly for the woods. "Keep up." Shannon followed. Her feet hurt, but she didn't complain. Anton had saved her from his pack, protected her, and kept his word. She wasn't going to ask him to carry her through the woods on top of all he'd already done. She stared at his broad back and felt certain the strong guy could easily do it.

Chapter Three.

Shannon fought back hot tears. Her arms hugged her chest and the police officer who stood next to her cleared his throat, demanding her attention. She turned her head to stare at him.

"Who would do this, Miss Alvers? Do you have an angry ex-boyfriend? Maybe your new boyfriend has an ex-girlfriend who didn't want to let him go?"

"No." She winced over the destroyed couch and the way the guts of it had been spread across the room as if it had snowed cotton filling. "I don't date." The cop gave her a disbelieving glance. "Look, lying isn't an option here. Someone has a lot of rage directed toward you. They tore up all your furniture, broke your tables, and shredded most of your clothes. Whoever did this is dangerous. You need to give us a name. Who is the guy?"

"There's no guy in my life." She faced him, hugging her waist tighter. "My last boyfriend moved to Oklahoma three years ago." She didn't mention how horrible that relationship had ended or how he'd accused her of being insane. Dating hadn't ever worked out for her in long-term relationships. "Last I heard, he got married and had a child. The guy before him had to be five or six years ago. He joined the Army and I have no idea where he is now. We both decided it would be best to break up."

"You date women?"

"No," she huffed. "Is it really so hard to believe I don't date?" The cop gave her a once-over again, his gaze traveling up and down her body. "Yes, it is. You're an attractive woman."

"I have s.e.x toys, a body pillow to cuddle with, and a heating blanket to keep me warm at night.

They don't borrow money they never pay back, don't think I'm weird for any of my habits that they don't agree with, or argue with me."

The officer's mouth dropped open and Shannon blushed, realizing what she'd just sputtered.

That was another reason she didn't date anymore. She had spent so much time alone as a child that she'd never learned to hold her tongue when she grew angry or upset. She just spoke her mind. Words left her mouth before she could halt them.

"You asked. I answered." She looked away from him. "I don't know who would do this. I'd tell you if I even had a guess. I can't afford to replace any of this and I don't have renter's insurance."

"Move," a male voice demanded loudly.

In seconds a big body filled the doorway and Shannon gaped at the man she never thought she'd see again. Anton wore a black leather jacket that hung open a few inches to reveal a heavy-metal T-shirt. His hair had been pulled back in a ponytail. A pair of furious dark eyes locked on her.

"What happened here? I pulled up and saw the cop car." He glanced away from her and quickly scanned the room. "d.a.m.n." He sniffed and then sneezed. He jerked his gaze back to hers. "Are you hurt?"

The cop sauntered toward Anton. "Who are you?"

Anton didn't budge except to put his hands on his hips. "I'm a friend of hers. Shannon? Answer me now. Were you here when this happened? Did anyone hurt you?"

"No. I got a call from a neighbor who'd already called the police after they heard someone breaking things inside my apartment. I came home to find it this way."

"Who are you?" The officer grabbed Anton's arm.

Shannon tensed, wondering what she should do, if anything. She feared the werewolf would attack the cop.

Anton glared at the hand on his arm and then slowly reached into his back pocket, withdrew his wallet, and flipped it open to show his license. "I'm Anton Harris. I am a friend of the family. I stopped by to drop off Shannon's purse. She left it inside my truck the other night when I drove her home. She can't hold her liquor worth s.h.i.t and I was the designated driver." The cop released him, turned, and glowered at Shannon. "Is this your boyfriend?"

"No. You heard him. He's a friend of my family. I've known him for years," she lied. She kept eye contact with the cop, hoping he'd believe her.

"Fine." The cop sighed. "I think I'm done here." He wrote something on a card and handed it to Shannon. "Here's the number for the case and my business card. Contact me if you discover anything has been stolen." He left quickly.

Shannon stared at Anton, watching him frown as he took inventory of every inch of the destroyed room. He finally faced her, still looking grim.

"A shifter did this."

Surprise jolted through her. "How do you know that?"

"Smell the bleach? It's to mask their scent."

"I just figured they spilled it from the bottle in the kitchen."

"You were wrong. Have you contacted your father's people?"

"No."

"Then mine did this." He walked through the living room and disappeared into her bedroom.

Shannon hesitated and then followed him, stepping over her broken coffee table. Her room had been tossed, her clothes strewn around, and her bed had been shredded and the dresser drawers were pulled out. Anton stood in the middle of her small sleeping s.p.a.ce. He turned to meet her gaze.

"Why would a shifter do this?"

Broad, leather-clad shoulders shrugged. "A few of them may be resentful after the beat-down they've received for attacking you. They had your purse and access to your address. I guess they didn't believe me when I warned them that you were under my protection." She forced her stunned gaze from his angry one, bent down, and flinched over discovering her favorite jacket sliced up. At first she thought someone had used a knife to do the damage but upon closer inspection, she guessed it could have been done with sharp claws, judging by the s.p.a.cing of the tears.

"I'm sorry."

She lifted her chin, seeing sincerity in his eyes. "I'd planned on moving but I need to wait for my next paycheck. I don't exactly make enough money to keep a savings account so I don't have anything on hand for an emergency."

"I'll pay for this."

He shocked her again. "Why?"

"My pups, my responsibility, and trust me, they are going to pay me back every dime." He sighed, glancing around her room. "You can't stay here."

"I get paid Monday. I'm sure they won't come back. They ruined everything so it's not as if there's anything left to damage."

Anton had promised to protect her and he'd failed. He could pick up faint scents inside the bedroom where the bleach fumes were faint. The smell of males lingered on the clothes he'd sniffed. He could identify three of his pack who had been in Shannon's apartment. If she'd been there when they'd attacked... He bit back a growl, furious over even considering what they could have done to her.

The odor of males who were not members of his pack worried him most. He caught the scent of at least two inside her room. Some of his pack obviously had started hanging out with unknown werewolves, came after a female behind his back, and disobeyed his orders. It would be unforgivable if he left and something happened to her.

"Let's go."

Her eyes widened and her pouty lips parted. "Go where?"

"My place," he instantly responded, not sure where else to have her stay. "I'm going to find the ones who did this and make sure they leave you alone before I allow you out of my sight." Inwardly he cursed, knowing it would lead to trouble. He currently resided in an apartment over a bar inhabited by his pack. "You can have the bed, I'll take the couch, and it won't take more than a day or two before you'll be safe on your own again." He hoped.

Shannon took a step back, tripped on a torn-up pillow from her bed, and he lunged, grabbing her arm to keep her from falling on her a.s.s. She hissed at him, a reminder that she wasn't completely human or any part wolf. He growled back instinctively and his hold tightened on her when he saw fear flash across her delicate features.

"Calm," he ordered her, wincing at the tone of his voice but unable to stop it. "Easy, kitten. I'm not going to hurt you and there's nothing to climb in here. Don't try to run from me." Anger replaced fear as she glared up at him. "Stop calling me that. You startled me. I'm not going to flee."

"Good. I'm the only thing standing between you and a bunch of wolves who have decided to play a game of fetch with you. They obviously mean business." This can't be happening, Shannon thought, staring up at the mountain of a man inches from her.

She inhaled his masculine scent and forced her racing heart to slow. He's not going to hurt me. She kept silently repeating that inside her head until her body relaxed. It wasn't the easiest thing to do. Instincts screamed at her to fight to get away from the big, deadly werewolf.

"I'm not going to stay with you."

"I'm not leaving you here alone. They will come back." Anton eased his hold but didn't release her.

"I haven't done anything wrong."

"You are an enemy to werewolves."

"I'm not a shifter."

"I'm aware of that but they don't seem to care what you are past how you smell and you're living on the edge of werewolf territory. The nearest pride is a good thirty miles from here. That means you're easy prey to my kind."

"Just tell them the truth about me."

"That won't help. That would just announce that you can't fight back. I purposely left out how human you truly are when I ordered the pack to leave you alone."

"You made a mistake. If you told them"

"It wouldn't change a thing," he grumbled, released her, and stepped away. "If they won't listen when I say you're off-limits, do you really believe they will give a s.h.i.t if you can't shift? I don't want to frighten you more but some of the wolves who did this aren't members of my pack. It means another pack is aware of you, or worse, they could be rogues. That means they answer to no one and don't live by any rules a pack has established. Do I need to spell out how much danger you're in?"

"I'll leave." Shannon blinked back more tears. "I guess moving a few blocks won't fix this. My mom lives in Ridley. I could go home to her." She dreaded doing that. Her mom had remarried to a man she couldn't stand. He gave her the creeps by leering at her sometimes and she always had to keep very aware of everything she did to avoid giving him any hints that she wasn't quite normal. "I have no choice."

"You're going home with me. No one would dare invade my den to go after you." The blood drained from her face. "You literally live in the ground?"