Page 8 of Prey

Is there a chance she might be his too?

While I’m contemplating it, I see movement in front of the shop. Joaquin and I stand silently, like shadows moving through the night. This kind of shit right here is what we do best, and I get a little thrill from it every time.

It’s the guy in the hoodie. I can smell him from here and Joaquin looks at me with his nose scrunched up too. That smell is foul. Evil. Wrong.

He picks the lock on the front door and goes inside. We follow him silently and both of us tackle him at the same time, all of us landing in a heap.

I press down on his face, smashing it into the ground as Joaquin pulls some rope out of his cut pocket.Why is he carrying rope around?We get his hands tied up behind him, and I say, “What are you doing here?”

“It’s none of your concern, shifter,” he hisses at me in a strange voice. It doesn’t sound human. What the fuck?

“You’ll tell me what you are doing here, and you’ll tell me right this second, or you’ll die. Those are the only two options you have here,” I say menacingly.

“I’ll take the second option then,” he hisses again.

The next thing I know, his body starts to melt and smoke. Joaquin and I jump up in shock.

“What the hell is that?” Joaquin says.

“I have no idea. I’ve never seen anything like that before,” I say, eyes wide as we watch this human melt into a puddle of goo. The smell is so bad. We both start coughing and walk away from the body.

“Stay here,” I say. “I’m going to get Shasta.”

He nods, sleeve covering his face trying to block the stench. It smells like a bog in here now. Fuck. I run up the stairs outside going up to Shasta’s place and bang on the door. She answers wearing the shortest little pair of sleep shorts and a tank top, hair falling out of a messy bun.

I’m momentarily stunned seeing my mate this way. Mussed from sleep, rosy cheeked, and wearing barely any clothes. My cock instantly gets hard. Shasta looks down and blushes, crossing her arms over her chest as if to hide her hardening nipples from me.

Clearing her throat she says, “Was there a reason you’re pounding on my door like someone died?”

Oh, fuck. Yeah, the guy. Whoops, got a little distracted.

“He came back. The hoodie guy. We got him tied up and then tried to question him and he melted. I think you need to comedown here,” I say, shaking myself out of my lust haze. Gods, I sound like an idiot. Short shorts on my mate are apparently my kryptonite. I feel like a fifteen year old boy seeing boobs for the first time.

“Let me put some clothes on and grab Emmett and we will be right down,” she says, closing the door softly.

I head back down to the shop. Joaquin is still standing over the mess that was Hoodie Guy’s body. I’ve never seen anything like this before. You hear about people taking a cyanide pill when they get caught, but melting themselves?

The fluffiest black cat I’ve ever seen suddenly pops into the room with us. “What the hell,” I exclaim.

“I’m Loki, Shasta’s Familiar. You must be her mate.”

“Did you just mind speak me?” I ask him. He nods, gray eyes solemn.

“Her and Emmett are on their way down, but before they get here, let me just tell you that she got a death threat today and I don’t think she plans on telling you about it. I want to keep her safe and obviously I can’t do that in this form. So, from one cat to another, do your job as her mate and protect her.”

My body stiffens in fury. “She got what today? Before or after the guy in the hoodie?”

“After. Though she already took the medallion to her grandmother for disposal. I don’t think it’s going to be that easy though.”

Joaquin is staring at me like I’m insane. Pointing to the cat I say, “That’s Shasta’s Familiar and apparently he can actually speak in your mind.”

His eyes widen and he makes to walk over to him when Loki hisses and tries to take a swipe at him. Joaquin jumps back. “Well, I guess he only wants to talk to you,” he says with a laugh.

I raise my eyebrows at Loki. He only blinks at me and walks over to wind himself in between my legs. The doorbell ringsand I look up to see Shasta and Emmett walk through the door. When Shasta sees Loki, she stops with a look of shock on her face.

Emmett looks gobsmacked too. “What the hell? That cat hates everyone, and I mean everyone. He only occasionally doesn’t try to attack me. I guess he must be showing he approves of your mate, Shas.”

She smacks him in the stomach. “Quiet.” Pointing to the glob she says, “What the hell is that? And what is that smell?”

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