Primal Bonds (Shifters Unbound #2)(31)
Author: Jennifer Ashley

“I take the blame, Sean,” Dylan said behind Andrea. “I made her worry about Glory.”

Andrea saw movement inside the house. Kim and Connor watched from the other side of the living-room window, making no move to greet Andrea.

Andrea looked from Sean to his brother and father. “What is this?”

“What did you think you were doing, lass?” Sean said, his voice deceptively soft. “You didn’t tell Liam, or Dad, or even Ellison where you were going. Instead, you coerced Kim into helping you and told her to keep quiet.”

Andrea stared at him. “I didn’t realize I wasn’t allowed to leave Shiftertown. Even the humans are all right with me doing that.”

“Alone.” Sean’s voice was a growl. “When humans have been shooting Shifters.” He was furious, his eyes blue white, but he only stirred her own anger.

“First of all, Sean, I can pass for human. Second, Glory was out there, and I wanted to bring her home before she got hurt. Third, I couldn’t tell you about it, because I didn’t notice you anywhere around today. Where the hell have you been?”

“Colorado.”

Andrea stopped. “What? Why?”

“Taking care of business.”

“What business? And anyway, how did you get there and back so fast?”

“There’s this fine invention called an airplane.”

“Which Shifters aren’t allowed on. That’s why I had to take that stupidly long bus ride to get here.”

Kim opened the front door, despite Connor’s obvious attempts to pull her back. “Leave her alone, Sean. You’re getting to be as bad as Liam.”

Glory strode unapologetically up the porch steps, passing Dylan without a word. “Instead of snarling at Andrea, you all need to hear what we have to say.” She walked past Kim and into the house. Kim opened the door all the way, inviting the rest of them in.

Sean’s anger tasted fiery as he led Andrea inside. He was rarely angry like this, but when he’d returned to Austin and found Andrea gone off alone, all reason had left his brain. When Kim, worried, had volunteered the information that Andrea had left to look for Glory, Sean’s feral rage had taken over. Liam had tried to hold Sean against a wall to keep him from charging off to tear apart the city, but Sean had twisted free of Liam and slammed out of the house just as Andrea had driven up in Kim’s car.

She’d emerged from the Mustang with that cool look that disdained Sean’s protectiveness. But she was his mate, damn it, or as near as. One glance into Andrea’s gray eyes told him she didn’t care. The woman was driving him over-the-edge insane.

Sean stood right behind her in the living room. Andrea didn’t like that, but too damn bad. Her scent aroused the fires inside him, rage and wanting all mixed together. He recognized the primal urge of a male in mate frenzy, and he clenched his teeth against it. He’d left town thinking she was protected, and returning and finding that his father had let her leave Shiftertown, unescorted, had made his dominant anger explode like a geyser. Liam had had to hold him back from that fight too.

With effort, Sean wrenched his attention from Andrea and focused on Glory’s words.

“These Shifters were going on about how they don’t want Shifters and humans mingling anymore,” Glory was saying. “They say it’s diluting us, making us weak. Interesting, don’t you think?”

“I heard them too.” Andrea stood so close to Sean that he could easily wrap his arms around her, though he knew that if he did, she’d only elbow him in the gut. “I thought they were reacting to the shootings, but then they went on about how the they thought the shootings were a good thing. The incidents would widen the distance between humans and Shifters, as it should be, they said.”

“The Shifters were from north Austin?” Liam asked.

“From everywhere, Liam,” Glory said. “North Austin, out by Llano, plus from this Shiftertown right here.”

“The bastards,” Connor spat. “Shifters in this Shiftertown should be loyal to Liam.”

Liam rubbed his forehead. “Shite, this is all we’re needing.”

“A faction.” Dylan’s voice was grim. “Shifters from different clans and Shiftertowns forming their own power group. Were they different species?”

Glory shook her head. “All Feline.”

“Hairballs, every single one of them,” Andrea put in.

Sean wanted to touch her. He wanted to run his hands along her shoulders, lick her from neck to the base of her spine.

“We need to be having a chat with these Felines, I’m thinking.” Liam looked at Sean, eyes flat and angry. “Up for some confrontation, Sean?”

“Yeah,” Connor said eagerly. “Send Sean in to kick some ass. Can I watch?”

Sean’s attention was pulled from Liam and problems in Shiftertown to the curve of Andrea’s cheek, the way her black ringlets brushed it when she turned her head. He could lean down and nuzzle her, smell her hair, taste the salt of her skin. A low growl left his throat.

Liam’s waiting stare didn’t pull him out of it. The whole family knew damn well how distracted Sean was with this unfinished mate-claim. Liam and Connor were taking side bets on how long it would be before Sean combusted.

Liam looked away. “Dad?”

Dylan shrugged. “It’s your call now, son. I’ll back you up if it comes to a fight, but the first approach must come from you.”

Liam acknowledged that, and even in his distracted state, Sean could tell Liam wasn’t happy about it. Liam hadn’t worn the mantle of power long, and it still bothered him to have his father defer to him. Sean understood; his own anger at his father today disturbed him underneath it all. Changes in the hierarchy were hell.

Sean knew that someday he’d slide in dominance beneath his own son, and the thought of having a son brought him back around to thoughts of mating. With Andrea. Sean let his fingers drift under Andrea’s hair to the smooth skin of her neck. She flushed but didn’t shake him off.

Glory laughed. “Well, we know Sean’s priorities today.”

“He can’t help it.” Liam slanted a smile at Kim, the mate for whom his frenzy hadn’t yet cooled. “Trust me, I know how it goes. Take Andrea home, Sean. We’ll kick some Feline ass later.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“I don’t need to be taken home,” Andrea said as Sean opened the door of Glory’s house. He went inside first to check that the way was safe and gestured her to follow him.