Page 16 of Shifter Mates for the Single Mom

SEVEN

MADELYNE

I had a mild sunburn by the time I lay down for an after-dinner nap. The day had gone well. I had most of a new security system up and running, Nathan and his men had sorted out a watch schedule, and I had gotten some of my everyday things handled without falling apart. But until I got some more proper rest, I knew I would be useless for anything else.

Aidan was up with Nathan, probably hearing more stories about Ben. I felt a deep sadness, remembering Ben. Remembering what love had been like before Matthias, when it had been pure and clean–and real. Maybe his death had broken me worse than I’d thought, giving Matthias an in. Or maybe Matthias was just that good at manipulating people.

Matthias. Where was he? Holed up in some posh hotel somewhere within driving distance? Somewhere else? I doubted he was living rough. He had a spoiled manner about him and was fastidious. Dust on his shoes had always made him bring out a polishing cloth and a scowl so deep and frustrated that you would think he’d stepped in paint.

City boy. Used to being rich, used to privilege, and used to getting his way. Only his powers make him tough. His personality is soft. Next to Nathan and the others, he looked like a manbaby.

He wasn’t the kind of man I could trust with Aidan. The one time I had asked him to watch Aidan while I shopped for a few things for that night’s steak dinner, he called his mother open to offload the two-hour duty onto her. The one time anyone at the artists’ colony had asked him for a donation, he refused with a disgusted scowl. It was amazing how many red flags the bastard had waved in front of me while keeping the charm turned on as high as he could so that I couldn’t see it. I’d been too dazzled to see the signs.

Now I wasn’t, and looking back, they had been everywhere. Had I just been that stupid?

No. This is his job. He’s a con artist. He must have been doing it for at least a decade or so. And me? I’d been spoiled by bluntly honest, weirdly wholesome military guys. Dad, Ben, Nathan. I hadn’t even seen Matthias coming.

Maybe that was why he’d picked me.

I felt myself drifting off, trying to push my thoughts from Matthias to Nathan, to Jamie, to Ulf, and to Bela. Attractive as hell, all of them, though I only knew for certain that two of them were interested in me. Maybe there could be something there.

Or was I just that grateful to have them all around, protecting me?

I drifted off wondering.

My side yard was full of the scent of blood. The lights and cameras smashed. Moonlight turned the stains on the ground and foliage deep black. It flashed crimson when my flashlight beam hit it.

I heard the low growl of a tiger somewhere off in the shadows.

“Give it up, Matthias.” I had the knife I was designing for Aidan in my hand, its knurled grip clutched so tightly that the patterns dug into my palm. “I’m armed with silver. I’ll fucking kill you.”

But my voice shook and cracked while I spoke. My fear spilled out of my mouth, and the growl turned to laughter somewhere.

“You can’t even bring yourself to kill in self-defense,” he chuckled behind me. “Especially not with that little silver toothpick of yours.”

I spun around and faced his Tiger-self, muzzle fur spiked stiffly with blood, staring up at me with cold yellow eyes filled with terrifying amusement.

I cried out and swung the knife, but he was too fast. The silver blade went spinning away in pieces, and he was suddenly on me, blood-stinking breath in my face, talons digging into my shoulder and belly. His laughter rang in my ears.

I sat up and let out a scream before I could stop myself. My brain registered my bedroom around me, my nightgown sticking to me from my cold sweat, and no sign of Matthias at all. Another fucking nightmare. Get out of my dreams, you bastard!

I was still catching my breath when the door banged open. Nathan’s tall form stood framed in the doorway, and then he moved toward me, all alertness and worry. “What is it?” He glanced at the window, as if half expecting to see Matthias clinging to the other side, but there was nothing.

“Nightmare,” I gasped out. “Another goddamn nightmare. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

He sat on the bed and pulled me into his arms, nestling my head on his shoulder, his fingers in my hair. “It’s okay,” he told me. “It’s going to be okay. This is normal. They’ll fade eventually, I promise.”

I buried my face in the warm muscles of his shoulder, feeling my body start to relax in his arms. My fingers were caught up in his shirt. I could feel his breath in my hair.

I should have called you a year ago. I should have gotten over myself, stopped hesitating. Matthias would never have had a chance.

But that was done, and there was nothing to do about it at this point. He could turn into a Wolf. He couldn’t travel in time.

But we could do something about our feelings in the here and now. And suddenly, I couldn’t stand waiting any longer.

I raised my head off his shoulder and looked up at him, then leaned forward and kissed him.

He froze for a moment, seemingly startled, before his arms tightened around me and he returned the kiss with the fierce thirst of someone who had waited far too long. His mouth on mine ignited a feral heat deep in my body, even before his hands slipped off my back and started exploring me through the nightgown.

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